Chapter 6: Intrigue
With Fumiko apparently having been born and raised in Kuoh, Vahn was able to learn much about its history and layout as she drove him around to its various landmarks and attractions. It was apparently decimated during what she simply referred to as the war, but it had bounced back after the construction of Kuoh Academy, a private, formerly all-girls elevator school with Primary, Middle, High School, and even College divisions.
Since most of the town was, unsurprisingly, residences, the places Fumiko believed Vahn needed to be aware of were the plaza, which served as the town's main shopping district and square, lined with various restaurants, its park, with its long trails, scenic views, ponds, and a large fountain, and its boardwalk, the location of an aquarium and a small fairgrounds with a large Ferris wheel serving as the main attraction. On the other hand, she suggested he avoid places such as the Red Light District, the Abandoned Church, and the Old Factory District near the scarcely-used port.
Though being told to avoid such places only made Vahn more interested in them, he promised Fumiko he would not visit them without a reason to, much to her relief and satisfaction. She warned that a boy as handsome as him could easily become a target by evil and nefarious people, so she suggested that he focus on his school work and only travel to areas with a lot of foot traffic and a notable police presence...
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"Welcome to Kuoh Academy~" hummed Fumiko, opening the door of her black sedan and offering a slight bow as Vahn disembarked it and got his first look at the school he would be attending. It was much bigger than he expected, and though he didn't have many things to compare it to, he got the impression it was a place for the children of the exceptionally rich as the main building resembled a large mansion with three distinctive floors and a steepled roof covered in muted red tiles. More notably, there was a large fountain at the center of the campus, two colossal annexes, and the grounds were very well kept. And this was just the facade of the campus. According to the Map that appeared before him, it comprised an 8x8 grid, each square representing a thousand square meters.
"It's massive..." remarked Vahn, feeling it would be easy to get lost if he didn't have access to The Path's Map.
Nodding, Fumiko revealed, "This is just the High School Division, but it covers more than thirty-two acres of land. The College Division is even larger as people travel from across the globe to attend. It's the Japanese equivalent of an Ivy-League institution."
Though he had no idea what Fumiko was talking about, Vahn offered an affirming nod as if he understood. He could always learn more about such things using the tablet gifted to him by Throne. At that exact moment, he was far more curious about the all-female group approaching them, each adorned in white, long-sleeved, button-down blouses with vertical lining, black ribbons around their collars, black, white-trimmed fabric that hung over their shoulders like a tiny cape, and a matching, button-down corset. Below that, they wore magenta-hued skirts with a white trim, a frilly white underskirt, white stockings, and shiny black dress shoes. They were also, without exception, exceptionally beautiful, particularly the duo with black hair leading the group.
Ostensibly serving as the group's leader or representative, the girl with the shorter black hair, framing her bespectacled face, set with violet eyes, in a short bob cut, adopted a smile and said, "Welcome to Kuoh Academy. You must be Vahn Mason, the new transfer student, correct? My name is Sona Sitri. I have the privilege of serving as the Student Council President of Kuoh Academy's High School Division."