That Butler, New Face

That Butler, At School

"Darn," Ciel said, running with a biscuit between his teeth. "I'm going to be late." He was dressed in a black three-piece suit with a striped blue tie, holding books under his arm and a top hat in his hand. His usual black eyepatch was replaced by a white medical patch. "P-Please wait!!" he shouted to the two people closing the gates. He dashed through with no time to spare. "I just made it..." he said, bent over and wheezing and panting. "Haah..." Ciel sighed, looking up at the impressive school building before him. He had arrived at Weston College, a school established on the bank of the River Thames. A prestigious public school and one of the best in all of England. Starting with the colossal, labyrinthine school building, its vast grounds also include... a solemn gothic chapel, and four storied dormitories, or houses. Upholding tradition and bound by the strictest discipline, the all male boarding school lifestyle and sophisticated education by way of an individualized curriculum yields true English gentlemen. Sparing no thought for the school's prohibitively expensive tuition, all aristocrats desire to have their sons matriculate to this school in order to obtain its vaunted status for themselves. 'I have to start off on the right foot. I must keep my focus,' Ciel thought, putting on his hat. The grass crunched under his feet. This action immediately resulted in an eruption of murmuring around him. Ciel froze.

"Look...!" one boy said.

"He just set foot on the lawn," another said.

"He's not even one of the P4. What's he thinking!?"

"...!?" Ciel said, confused.

"This is unbelievable," yet another boy said.

"He's got himself a 'Y' for sure," said another.

"I say!" the other boy agreed.

"What in the w—" Ciel was about to ask.

"Oh! Look!" a boy shouted. "There they are! The P4—the Prefect Four!" Ciel's attention was directed to a group of four older students. They were all good-looking young men. The one walking at the front of the group had his long platinum-blonde hair in tied in a loose ponytail with a red ribbon that draped over his shoulder, and his red waistcoat had a paisley pattern. He wore a red rose on his lapel. The boy directly behind him on his right had his blonde hair slicked back, and his waistcoat was a green plaid. He had holly on his lapel and carried a cricket bat. The boy directly behind the one in the red waistcoat had short, straight grey-blue hair with his bangs aligned to the right. His waistcoat was blue, and there were blue gentian flowers in his lapel. He was reading a book. Behind him was a boy with shoulder-length jet-black hair that had a few pieces bleached white. He had on black eyeshadow and black lipstick. He wore a black cloak over his uniform and a waistcoat with a violet and black harlequin pattern. On his lapel was a purple dahlia. The one with the ponytail noticed Ciel. He furrowed his brow and marched over to him.

"He's in for it now!" one of the boys watching said.

"Poor chap," said another.

"Serves him right," another said, snickering with his friend. Ciel was grabbed by his tie.

'Is he going to hit me...!?' Ciel wonder, squeezing his eyes shut, bracing for a hit that never came.

"Your tie is crooked," the older boy with the ponytail said, straightening it for him. There was a clamor from their audience. "What is your name?" he asked Ciel.

"Phantomhive," Ciel replied.

"I've never heard of you," the older boy said, holding his chin.

"The headmaster did mention a new boy would be entering the Blue House, but... would that happen to be you?" the boy in the green waistcoat asked.

"Article 48 of Weston College's school regulations—'only prefects and those given prior permission by the prefects may traverse the lawn.' You could at least memorize the school rules before you enroll," the boy in the blue vest said.