[5]

Getting your items checked by the Student Council is the worst, Megumi decides as she watches two members rummage through her bookbag. Megumi knew they were just doing their job, and that since Sakuragaoka was a Private Academy she should just accept it, but... What about her privacy?! She was sure everyone thought so as well - they just didn’t want to be the first to admit it. Fear and judgement. That was what ruled Sakuragaoka Academy - and if Megumi had to choose, then this was definitely the harshest school she’d been sent to in a while. Everyone were more concerned about how they looked than being nice and accepting - and the social hierarchy was super strict here. It made sense, Megumi thought as she put on her inside shoes at the shoe rack. This school had a few influential people’s kids in it, so it made sense for them to have a strict dog-eat-dog social system. Even so. If the normal social life was harsh, the Student Council was worse! They didn’t care about popularity or status, and so, they punished everyone, no matter who you were. Not only that - they didn’t wear the normal uniform - instead, they wore a silver cap and a silver jacket. You could spot them far away, but even if you ran, the result would be the same - harsh punishment. Nobody wanted to stand up to the Student Council - they controlled everything around here! Huffing a short sigh, Megumi hurried to her classroom. Getting inside, she hurried to her usual seat; a seat by the window, in the back of the class. Only then did she begin to fully relax. She opened her bookbag, taking out her essentials. ‘Hm...first period is English, followed by...’ Megumi thought, before she was interrupted by a collective gasp of surprise. Tearing her eyes away from her books, she actually had to clasp her hand over her mouth to avoid screaming. It was her aunt, Shiori! ‘Eh??? What? Why? How? What is she even doing in here??’ She could feel her cheeks burn. An uncomfortable feeling settled in her stomach. ‘This will end in a disaster!’, she thought. Shiori stood at the Teacher’s Desk, smiling widely. Contrary to her lazy morning outfit, she had on a long science lab coat, a pair of black trousers, and a buttoned shirt. Megumi’s face twisted in anxiety. Shiori’s smile grew. “Good morning, class! I am your new teacher, Enjou Shiori. You may call me Enjou-sensei. I’m filling in for your regular teacher, Ueno-sensei.” There was a collective sigh of relief. “Wow, she’s so young!” “And that coat is so cool-looking!” “How old are you, sensei?” Shiori didn’t seem to mind the comments. “Thanks, I know, and you don’t ask a lady about her age. Then! Now that that is settled...” she began, before the whole class heard a knock at the door. “Hm, who could that be...?” Shiori mused. She then opened the door, revealing a young man. A guy with blonde hair, honey-brown eyes, and a tentative smile. Suzuki. Shun. ‘It's over. I’m done for.’ Megumi could only shut her eyes in absolute despair. 'Why is he here? Why is she here? Why is all this happening?!’ It was already bad that Shiori was here, and was apparently her new teacher for the forseeable future...but on top of that, Suzuki had to be enrolled in her school, and in her class as well?! Could it even get any worse?! Meanwhile, the entire class stared at the newcomer. “Um, is this class 1-B? I’m headed there. Ah, allow me to introduce myself. I’m the transfer student, Suzuki Shun. Pleased to meet you.” Everyone was really surprised by his entrance. He seemed like a good guy! With only a few words, he had shown such a charismatic, attention-grabbing presence, which made everyone in Megumi’s class interested in who he was. And he was polite and nice as well! Shiori gave him a well-meaning smile. “It’s okay. In the future, try to come a bit earlier to class, alright? It’d be a shame for you to become used to lateness and grow lazy, after all.” ‘I don’t want to hear that from you! Weren’t you acting super messy and lazy this morning?’ Megumi yelled from her heart - sadly for her, no one could hear it, though. Still, Shiori’s comment didn’t offend Shun at all. “Wouldn’t dream of it, sensei. I’ll be sure to arrive first every day!” “Oh? Such a big promise. I’ll hold you to it then, Suzuki!”, and then, they both shared a good-natured laugh - and the class laughed along with them. Everyone were fooled by the light-hearted atmosphere. But not Megumi. To her, she knew that it was only just beginning. “Well then, where will your seat be? Hm...” “Sensei! There’s a seat here!” one girl yelled. “No, beside me, sensei!” another girl exclaimed. “Suzuki’s eyes will suffer if he sits there. He should sit here”, another girl said. As the class scrambled and discussed where he should sit, Megumi ignored them the best she could. Escaping reality was the only card left at this point. ‘It would’ve been so nice...if I had been born a ninja. I could really use a Substitution Technique right about now...’ Then she snapped back into reality. ‘Avert your eyes. Avert. Avert! Do not, under any circumstance, look in his direction..!’ Megumi thought, as she pretended to be extremely interested in her toy eraser. Who cares if anyone thought she was crazy for ignoring the transfer student to stare at her eraser...it was a Pretty Cure 5 collector’s item, dang it! These things have value too! ‘O-O-Okay, it’ll be fine...probably...maybe...’ Megumi chanted in her mind. Meanwhile, it seemed like Suzuki had begun to notice her. He raised his hand. “Ah, it’s fine, sensei. Everyone, I'm flattered, but... to tell you the truth, I like seats by the window the best...”, and then he actually plopped down next to Megumi! It was then that Megumi decided to fully ignore his existence. ‘Yosh, change of plans. Let’s act like there’s only air beside me. I’m unpopular, and a plain jane - no one will really notice if I give Suzuki the cold shoulder, anyway.’ Nodding vigorously in her heart, she looked up at the blackboard, slightly pissed off at her aunt’s mocking smile. Everyone else didn’t seem to catch it, though. Not wanting to lose, Megumi gave her a shy, demure smile and folded her hands cutely. In reality, however, she was bristling with fury. ‘Shiori...!’ Megumi cried angrily in her heart.