I walked the street with two kababs in my hands. It was so disgusting, probably some kind of rat meat that only peasants ate, and sprinkled with all sorts of unhealthy seasonings. Ugh!

I bought it at one of the street stalls, because I went to look at what they had. There wasn't any caviar or cute bento boxes and I would be embarrassed if I didn't buy anything after looking so I just asked for the cheapest thing they sold. It was only a penny each! The vendor gave me two kebabs instead of one because I was so pretty. I mean I was thankful and all but couldn't he have given me some more expensive food? Something actually edible like truffles or Wagyu beef.

As I walked passed a bridge, I felt some presences looking at me. I turned around only to see a group of dirty looking street rats. They had torned clothing on, dirt on their faces, and unruly unwashed hair. Disgusting!!! What if I get some disease from them?! I heard the bubonic plague came from rats and I bet they had fleas and lice. Yuck!

Oh, they were looking at my kebabs, not me. That's surprsing, since I was so unbelievably unattractive, but I guess they were so hungry they didn't notice my aesthetics. I noticed their rail-thin bodies and thought for a bit before throwing the two kebabs on the ground in front of them. They stared wide-eyed at me before descending on the meat like some ravaging beasts with rabies. I shuddered.

I guess that was my charitable act for this month. I used to give a thousand dollars a month to charity but now I didn't have that kind of money. When your circumstances change, you also have to adapt! I didn't want the kebabs anyways, they probably were made with some peasant ingredients that gave you premature cancer. I needed to find some high class restaurant... I didn't eat for almost a day now!

But first things first, I'm the realest. I needed to find the Magic Academy! The stall vendor said that the Southern Quartlet borders this hobo bridge so I should be getting near now.

I walked across the underpath of the bridge and OH EM GEE!

It was like a whole new world compared to the central district! Picture-perfect kawaii mansions dotted the land, each with their own large gardens. Huh, the Southern Quartlet must be the high class district, where people like me belong! I immediately felt at home.

Oh! There was a classy restaurant ahead! And a custom tailor shop! And a beauty salon! I was wondering where these goodies were! I needed to get a real meal and then some clothing and maybe get my nails done.

I entered the red-bricked classy restaurant and was at once greeted by a decently-looking waitor at the doorway.

"Madam, if I may." The waitor bowed to ninety degrees. He had a homely look to him with well groomed brunette hair that was wind-swept. He wore a neat suit and a neon bowtie. Hmm... Acceptable.

I accepted his white-gloved hand and allowed him to escort me to a window-sided table for one. "Ohoho!" I giggled. The sunlight illuminated my fiery red hair and golden irises.

"What would you like to order today?" The waiter asked, presenting me with a menu.

"Hmm." I glanced through the velvety felt book and looked at the options.

Goblin knuckles stir-fried with scallions?! That sounded disgusting!

Walnuts with scrambled Dire Wolf liver?! Yuck!

How come there was only wierd food on this menu? I sighed and flipped page and after page. Finally, I saw something acceptable.

"I'll have a Bristled Battleboar steak. Medium-rare and with a side of Summer Squash gratin."

"At once!" The waitor bowed again before retreating with my order.

Ah, I hope it's good steak. I heard from my peasant friend in school that peasant steak wasn't juicy at all and some weren't cooked properly and can give you food poisoning! The last thing I needed was to be sick in a different world.

I found out that my superior judgement was correct and the restaurant had food that matched its elegant exterior. The steak was bought to me, succulent and juicy, the most beautiful cut of meat. The gratin wasn't as good but it was passable, and I left the restaurant full and much happier than I entered.

However, my pouch was a lot less full. The meal set me back 3 silvers coins, and I gave the waiter a silver coin as tip. You see, rich high class wealthy people like me are excellent tippers. We tip atleast twenty-five percent the cost of the meal, if not more, depending on the level of service. And like all high class places, the service was great! It was smart of the restaurant to employ such cute waiters.

I also learned a bit of how money worked. It seemed like a copper coin was equilvalent to around a dollar on Earth. A silver coin was then a hundred dollars. Using my superior mathematic mind, I quickly calculated that my meal cost around four hundred dollars. Not bad! The saying that you get what your price gets you is often true!

I walked past the tailor shop in regret. I only had three silvers and a handful of coppers left. It probably wasn't enough to afford a custom dress. I sighed, but I will definitely return soon! I needed atleast three hundred and sixty five outfits as soon as possible, one for every day of the year.

I was still happy though, that this world even had a custom tailor shop! A lot of peasants think wealthy people only wear the best of designer brands, but only upper-middle class and lower-upper class wear those kind of filth. Elegant wealthy people like me only wear custom-made clothing by the best designers. There will be no lame labelling on our clothing, like we are some kind of advertisement shill! Besides, just one look or touch of the silk and cashmere wool and the excellent materials and craftmanship in our clothing is made obvious.

I'll visit you soon! I promised the store and marched onwards to my next destination, the Magic Academy. Apparantly, there was only three in the whole kingdom, and this one was the most expensive, only for the children of the country's elite. While it wasn't the best, I didn't want to have to associate with some hobo magicians in some hermit mountain or ghetto place so this really was the only choice for me.

The grand spiral of the academy stretched upwards towards the heaven, as if it was signalling for me to come closer. White towers decorated the wide premises and charming gardens filled with rose bushes and a greenhouse decorated the land. I love it! It reminded me of Stuyourant High School, but Stuyourant was much better, because Manhattan real estate was so expensive.

The silver gates were unlocked, wide opened and students could be seen sitting on the benches and talking in the gardens.

I entered the gold-cladded gate, and the security guards didn't bother me. I must look like a student! I guess that shows how much I belong here already!

But all around, there were students whispering and pointing at me.

"Oh my god, was there such a beautiful flower in this school before?"

"She has looks that rivals School Beauty Asuna-san!"

"I wish I could be her boyfriend!"

"Dummy! She's so amazingly beautiful, she probably already has a boyfriend!"

Huh! I was used to this treatment at my old school and it's starting again. This was upsetting me because the only reason I died in my last life was because people were so jealous of my awesomeness and beautifulness. I can't let it happen again!

Well, first I needed to get to the principal's office so I can ask to enroll into this school. I quickly ran elegantly through the crowds of people talking about my beauty and into the stairs. A grand chandelier hung from the cieling and wide, arced windows gave even the stairs a graceful aura. The glass stairs pitt-patted with every step and finally I made it to the ninth floor.

In all private schools worth their money, the headmaster's room was always on the top floor, because it showed that they were the top dog. I opened the iron door and... was greeted with empty space!

It was the roof! I guess all private schools also had roofs where students can eat bentos. This roof seemed pretty nice, it had trees and benches, and a elegant gated vicinity that provided excellent views of the city. I'll probably use this roof a lot in the future. I was about to turn back around and descend to the eigth floor when I heard someone shout, "Young woman! Halt!"

I turned around and saw a stern looking older woman. She was dressed very smartly and had a bun with chopsticks inserted into it so the form was held.

"I've never seen you before. What is your name?"

Uh oh, was I going to get caught and thrown out?

"Why should I tell you? And when you ask for other people's names, it is only polite to give yours first!"

"Haha, well, that is true Very well, I am Dumblegirl, the headmaster of the Royal Ouran Academy! I've kept the data of all students in here." Dumblegirl rapped her head with a knuckle. "And you, miss, are not in there. So, are you an intruder?"

OH EM GEE! This oba-chan was the principal of the school?!

A fiery blue wisp erupted from her hands, growing larger and larger as the seconds passed. The swirling vortex disturbed its surroundings, causing small vibrations in the air.

"Well, are you going to answer?!"

What a scary old lady!

"Ahem! Well, I'm Scarlet-chan, and I am a prospective student!"

Headmaster Dumblegril clenched her fist and the blue fire bolt immiediately dissipated, like it was never there in the first place.

"My, my, that was rude of me! Make yourself at home." She pointed at one of the benches near the edge of the rooftop perimeter. "Let us get some tea and then discuss your enrollment."

I did as she told and took a look at the scenic view of the capital city. The Magic Academy was one of the tallest buildings and I was able to look down at everything. It was quite a breathtaking view, but nothing like the Manhattan skyline. I did like everyone else being below me, though.

"I hope you like jasmine tea." Dumblegril set down two fancy cups of just brewed tea. These cups were so cute!

"I love it!" I gave her a smile.

"So, which noble house are you from? It's odd for me to miss such an outstanding young woman."

I mean I guess I could be considered nobility, probably even royalty in my past life, but that was not true in this one.

"Eno..~ I'm not a noble."

"Oh my, then a scholarship student? It's quite rare from a non-Noblesse to attend this academy, simply because of the cost. Do you have a letter of invitation?"

I shuffled my feet. "No.."

Ah! This would be so much easier if the headmaster was some lechery old man. Then, I could cast charm and get it over with.

"No?!" Dumblegirl stared at me in disbelief. "What makes you think you can enroll in this very prestigeous school then, Scarlet-chan?"

"Well.. I do know a little magic!"

I actually didn't know if my skill was magic, but it was pink and glittery so it probably was!

"Really?! You should have said so earlier! Most of the noble students don't have any knowledge of magic when they've just enrolled. Even the scholarship students are only tested for magical aptitude and rarely know any spells." Headmaster Dumblegirl seemed very excited all the sudden and grabbed my hands.

Ehhhhhhhh?!?!? Could it be that I was a genius in this world too?! I guess I couldn't help it!

"Let us go at once to the training field! Lesser Allied Teleport!"

A blue circle snaked its way around us and when I opened my eyes... I was in a gym. Nani?!?! Was this magic?

Some students were practicing magic nearby and their eyes went all big when they saw me and the headmaster suddenly appear out of thin air.

"Archmage Dumblegirl.. It's my first time seeing the headmaster!"

"And who is that super beautiful girl next to her?!"

They were wearing funny robes and had wands like they do in Harry Potter. Some had staff and pole looking things, while others were barehanded.

"Steadfast Ward!" The older woman raise her hand and a blue transparent barrier enveloped us between the gym's northern wall in a semi-circle, closing us off from the students. One of the students tried knocking on the ward and shouted in alarm, but his voice was drowned out.

"Ano~ What am I being tested on?" I asked the headmaster who was grinning a bit evilly.

"Arise! Clay Golems!" Dumblegril threw three clay balls, which kind of looked like roolled up playdoh onto the floor. The balls expanded and warped into humanoid figures without faces. They then started running around the barrier randomly like a bunch of headless chickens. They were quite fast and looked scary!

"I hope I don't have to fight them." I mean I was strong for a girl, although my body wasn't big like some disgusting muscle girl, but I couldn't fight off three people!

"Don't worry, Scarlet-chan. These clay golems are fast but increasingly sensitive to magic. They will break on contact with any spell. They won't attack you, so you just have to hit them!"

That seems easy enough...

"But it will be difficult! They are extremely agile and are extremely sensitive to magic since they are so weak against i-"

I closed my eyes and took a breath. When I opened them, they were glowing like the beautiful waxing moon.

"Charm!" "Charm!" "Charm!"

Pink energies gathered in my hands as they moved rapidly, drawing perfect hearts, and three heart-shaped missles, each casted milliseconds from each other blasted the golems.

They crumbled like sand and melted onto the floor in a triangular formation around me and Dumblegirl.

"Is that good enough? Did I pass the test?" I smiled at the shocked woman next to me.

"Y-you.. impossible!! You are but a novice. How c-can..."

The blue ward around us faded into air and shouts bombarded my ears.

"What was that!?! Did she just cast three simultaneous spells?!"

"She did! It's hard for me to even draw one basic symbol in five seconds, yet alone an Ascension symbol. She drew three almost instantly!"

"Such accuracy too! How did she know where to aim? One of the golems was behind her and it was still a bulls-eye!"

"She's so pretty and skillful to boot! She's my dream girl!"

The crowd of students began rushing towards me. Sigh, why did I have to be so popular?

"Gosh, we better get ourselves out of here. Lesser Allied Teleport!"

I blinked, we were back at the rooftop.

"Your talents greatly exceeded my expectations. I would have let you enrolled if you could cast any spell, let alone hit a golem. You are... a once in a decade prodigy."

Yeah, I know. I've been told that all my life! But I was more like a once in a lifetime prodigy, if you asked me.

But I didn't say it out loud because I was humble. I just smiled sweetly and asked, "So does this prodigy get a scholarship?"

"Well, of course! Seeing that you are not a noble, I would assume it would be a great financial burden for you to afford the fifty gold coins you will need per semester. Oh, and an additional fifteen coins if you need room and board at the academy." Headmaster Dumblegirl extended her arms generously, before looking thoughtful. "Well, that is unless you are one of those trustfund babies of the Trader's Union, but I doubt you are."

"Therefore, I've decided to offer you the lowest costing tutelage in the history of the Royal Ouran Academy! Three gold and fifty silvers per semester, an additional one gold and fifty silvers if you need room and board. This is for a total of five gold for both."

Five gold for both?!?! I only had around two silvers left! And I needed the room and board. I probably couldn't afford to live in the Southern Quartlet otherwise, and there was no way I'm going to commute from the peasant district! That would be too embarrassing and low class for me!

"Ummm, seeing that I am a "once in a decade prodigy", can't my scholarship be more? I only have two silvers in my purse right now..."

"What!?" The headmaster seemed horrified at how poor I was, and honestly, I was horrified too. "Can't your parents help you pay your tuition?"

"Ahem.. Well my parents weren't really part of my life, I don't see them that often. And... well they tried to wed me off to some old balding man who was morbidly obese, and so I ran away from home, and here I am now." I patted myself on my shoulders. "Just me, a student, passionate to learn. I can't offer anything but that."

"Oh my, the horror!" Dumblegirl wiped a tear from her eyes. What?! She cried over my fake story!? "To think that such a talented young girl was going to slave her life away servicing a tub of lard. Scarlet, I am very glad that you ran away from home."

I nodded, crying a little too. God, I am such a good actress.

"And you now, you remind me of myself when I was young. A ravishing beauty, so eager to peer into the depths of magic!"

I stared a bit closer at her wrinkling and warting face. Uhh, I'm not sure about the ravishing beauty part... but sure! Whatever scores me more brownie points.

"So I'm going to make an exception, just for you!"

Yes!!! I did a victory dance inside, but I was red-eyed and surprised outside.

"You will not have to pay any tuition, but you must keep this a secret. No one knows, but us." I nodded, using my pinched fingers to zip my mouth.

"The Board of Directors and the Parent's Association will not take your enrollment too kindly. They are made up almost solely of nobles and despise all commoner students who attend the school by merit. If they knew that your tuition was free, who knows what kind of outburst they will create?!" Dumblegril shivered and then produced a paper and quill out of thin air.

"Just sign here, and we will be all set."

Since I was so smart and a genius I just had to scan the paper and knew what the general gist of the contract was. Lots of it was wierd technical lawyer terms that you didn't have to pay attention to so I knew the important parts. It said that the cost of attendence was five gold a semester, but since I had the headmaster's word that I didn't need to pay, I just signed the paper and gave it back to her.

She glanced over it and nodded, satisfied, before clapping her hands.

"Neko-chan, I think it's time for you to stop hiding and greet our new friend."

Who was she calling?

"Nya!~~"

A kawaii kitten suddenly appeared by our feet.

OH EM GEE!? It was soooo cute!

"Sorry, my familiar is a bit shy." She bent down to scratch the kitten's head, causing it to purr.

"Neko-chan, lead Scarlet-chan to her new room, okay? It's in Murlyn's Residence Hall, Room 216."

The kitten lazily stretched before getting up and began walking towards the exit on the roof. It shooked its head towards the roof, as if telling me to follow it. So kawaii!~

But I had to thank the headmaster first. "Thank you, Headmaster Dumblegirl. I really appreci-"

Suddenly a robotic voice cut me off.

"System Alert: The Great Summoning will proceed in five minutes. Undying heroes from another world will be summoned to fight back the forces of evil! This will mark not only the end of the year, but also an era."

"Oh gosh!" Dumblegirl looked panicked. "I'm suppose to be at the castle to oversee the summoning! I spent too long here. Anyhows, congratulations on your acceptance, Scarlet-chan. You should get acquainted with the school facilities and your dormmates first! I will send you a letter later, detailing all you need to know! Good luck!"

"Oh, alright. Good luck with the summoning thing, too."

"Greater Teleportation!"

And with a snap of a finger, she was gone, like she was never here in the first place, leaving me all alone on the roof. New Years huh? I've always spent them alone. My parents didn't have time to spend the new years with me. It would just be me, lying in bed alone, thinking that it would be another year all by myself. With backstabbing friends and guys that just wanted me for my looks, never for my intellect or who I was as a person. Can money and beauty buy happiness? I thought so, once. I laughed, covering my beautiful face as real tears streamed down by cheeks.

"Nya~~"

Neko-chan called out cutely. Huh, I guess I wasn't alone after all, huh?

I opened the roof door and the kitten scurried down the steps, looking backwards to make sure that I was following her.

"Alright. New year, new life! Let's do this!"