Ann had just finished a chapter of Arsene Lupin, Gentlemen Burglar, by Maurice Leblanc, smiling as she closed the book and held it close to her chest. No wonder their leader was so cool! Ren’s other self was a man with no equal, a suave master of stealth and the art of thievery. Her smile vanished, in it’s place was a thoughtful tug of her lips.
“Are you alright?”
Ann looked at Haru, who was on the other side of the table. She held a delicate cup of tea in her hands, gracefully sipping on it as she studied her friend. In front of her was a veritable mountain of textbooks, each large enough to be used as a weapon.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Ann held up her book, “’Just reminiscing, you know?”
Haru’s eyes softened, “We have to hang in there. We’ll see them again, I know it.”
“R-right…”
Their little table went quiet, even as shouts echoed in the concrete gym. This world was weird, but it was the type of weird they got used to, after going into so many Palaces. Real demons existed here, and part of this school’s secret curriculum was training exorcists. One of the teachers was younger than Haru!
Haru followed her gaze, watching as their ‘classmates’ finished their training for the day. A figure approached them, the teenaged sensei who had a twin in his own class. Teal eyes hidden behind glasses and shadowed by dark hair, he had donned the iconic exorcist robes prevalent in all of the teachers here.
“I’ll let you two head back to the dorms.” He said, “I trust you can stay out of trouble?”
“Of course, Okumura-sensei!” Haru said.
Ann bit her lip to keep from snorting. It must be strange for Haru, to have have the same last name, there was even a Ryuji here too. She wondered if their Ryuji would get along with him, they had the same brash attitude and a blonde streak through his hair. But from what she could tell, this world’s Ryuji was a lot smarter, and his friends called him Bon.
Not that the people here knew their real names. For all they were concerned, it was just Noir and Panther.
There was a scoff, and they turned to look at another girl in class.
“That figures.”
Okumura-sensei raised a brow at the girl, “Do you have a problem, Kamiki?”
“Of course I have a problem!” Her maroon eyes glared at Ann and Haru, “These two never do anything! It must be nice to sit on your backsides all day drinking tea and reading books, while we work ourselves to the bone! Do you even want to be exorcists!?”
Ann and Haru looked at each other as their sensei sighed. Kamiki’s shouts drew the others’ attention and they slowly gathered around.
“She has a point.” Bon stepped next to Kamiki, glaring, “I don’t get what you two are here for. The teachers even pulled you out of the dorms when we had our test. You should just leave if you can’t take this work seriously!”
“True. Although,” Shima Renzo smirked as he clutched his chin, “These ladies have a certain elegance to them. If I could just—”
“Enough.” Okumura-sensei’s tone made the students flinch, “Their circumstances are unique. You’ve been told what you need to know. If you have any problems, you can take it to the principal himself.”
“Actually, can I request something, Okumura-sensei?” Haru asked.
He blinked at her, brows furrowed, “What is it, Noir?”
Haru stood. If anybody could make standing from a chair look like an enchanting art form, it would be Haru. Her movements were always as graceful as an Empress. She smiled sweetly, hands placed like delicate flowers at her stomach.
