A New Beginning (Open)

Yoshino let out a heavy sigh as she approached the main gate of the school, steeling herself for what was undoubtedly going to be a huge step in her live. A step she wasn't entirely sure she was ready for, to be perfectly honest. As amazing as this place and everything about it sounded, it was also a rather intimidating prospect. This place was pretty far away from where she grew up, and she was still getting used to the idea of being away from her family.

All the same, she wanted this. No, she needed this. A break from the norm, and a fresh start, where no one knew who she was or what happened to her. Whether it was because of how "unfortunate" it was that her kendo career was over, or the "shocking" revelation that she was homosexual, a lot of people were talking about her. It wasn't all with malicious intent, but there were still plenty of assholes out there; she needed to get away from them the most.

Either way, once she was able to get her nerves under control, she took a step through the gate, and get her first close-up look at the school itself. From the look on her face, it didn't take a genius to figure out how impressed she was. While it wasn't in the boonies or anything, the town she was born and raised in was still fairly small. In particular, the school she attended previously was much smaller, to the point that she could barely fathom that this was a school at all.

Notably, she stood out like a sore thumb. Due to a slight mix-up, she hadn't received her new uniform yet, so she was given permission to wear her old uniform until that was resolved. It was also dawning on her that this was indeed an all-girls school, which felt strange she every school she'd been to had been co-ed. More than anything else, however, one feeling was beginning to fill her mind, slowly-but-steadily overshadowing all of the other things running though it...

She had no idea where the heck she was going...

❝

Transfers to Fukui Academy were not uncommon, but the breakneck speed and esoteric nature of classes did not lend itself easily to easy acclimation. The city of Fukui, while not a large and blustering city like Tokyo, was not exactly a rural town either. Thus, the student council was encouraged, though not strictly required, to assist in making the transition as painless as possible. And for this being a student in the Culinary Arts department, it was a no-brainer for Misha to step up to the task.

Kanzaki Yoshino.

Beyond a picture and a note regarding an unfortunate logistical error resulting in her not being issued a uniform before arrival, Misha had no information about the transferring student. But that was all fine and dandy for the baker, who wore her soft smile as she walked along the stone path from the dorms to the front gate of the academic campus. Her soft footsteps were punctuated by the sound of her metal cane tapping along as it supported her, pausing only when Misha bowed to greet her classmates with a polite 'Gokigenyou'.

It wasn't too difficult to find Yoshino in the central courtyard, largely due to the different uniform. For a moment, Misha stood still, trying to make sense of Yoshino's awestruck face before looking around to her classmates. It was a surprise that the odd one out did not draw as much attention, but then again, as Misha looked side to side it seemed as if every other student was preoccupied by a myriad of other important matters. That would make things easier.

Though she did not wish to draw undue attention, Misha made no effort to hide her approach, her cane proudly announcing her presence for any who cared. Gracefully, she closed the distance, not wanting to speak until she was close enough that any eavesdroppers would need to make a rather obvious effort.

"Gokigenyou, Kanzaki-san." Misha greeted. She spoke slowly, in a rather soft yet composed voice before bowing slightly. "Shirayama Misha, it is a pleasure to meet you, and welcome to Fukui Academy. I know that this school can be much to take in, especially in short order, so is there anything that I can help you with?"

tag(s): Yoshino Kanzaki ━ words: 000 ━ notes:

by MIZO.❉ of ww

Being a Good Sameritan

The 'foreign' uniform. The confused expression. Though not from the culinary arts program herself, it didn't take a genius to guess that Yoshino was new to Fukui. Not that Deidre was a seasoned expert herself, but she probably had a bit more knowledge that Yoshino on the matter. Deidre spent a moment deliberating whether to get involved or not, but she eventually decided to help as best she could.

Having been listening to her music before hand, Deidre reluctantly removed her earbuds, the sounds of the courtyard returning to her. She sighed, as she slipped her gear into her purse, before beginning to quietly make her way towards the new student, moving at a relaxed pace. That let Misha beat her to the punch, as she listened to the other girl introduce herself and offer Yoshino her assistance.

She hesitated for a moment, but decided 'the more, the merrier'. It would let her 'delegate' the more long winded questions to Misha anyways.  Though she kept a relatively quiet tone, taking after Misha's example, she still gave them all her personal space.

"Deidre Van Altena." she introduced herself, pausing a split second, "Same."

TEMPLATE BY ELIZA @ TB & ADOXOGRAPHY

Yoshino was somewhat lost in thought as she wandered aimlessly, so she didn't even notice that anyone had approached her until Misha spoke up. Even then, it took her a few seconds to realize that the person she just heard speaking was talking to her. Nevertheless, once it did finally register, she was quick to give the (seemingly) older girl her attention. It was only then that she noticed there was another girl, though it seemed as though they didn't come together...at least not at first.

For Yoshino's part, she couldn't help but be a little flustered. She wasn't used to being spoken to in such a formal manner, though she responded the best she could "Oh...uh...thank you...and pleased to meet you too." She listened quietly as the two of them introduced themselves and offered to assist her. She had to admit, it was kinda nice. Back at her old school, no one ever went out of their way to help the new students out; granted, transfers were rather uncommon, but even so.

"I see...well, I'm Yoshino Kanzaki." She paused for a moment, remembering that Misha actually called her by her family name, prompting another comment. "...though I'm guessing you already knew that. Anyway...yeah...right now, I'm just trying to get my bearing straight. I knew this school wasn't going to be anything like the one I went to before...but I didn't expect it to be this huge." She let out a sigh. A small part of her couldn't help but wonder if she was in over her head.

"...though...more than anything else, I'm...not entirely sure where to go, now that I'm here..."

❝

Deidre Van Altena.

Misha had heard that name before, in passing and in detail from her cousin Yumeko who had spoken about her once when the topic of communication issues somehow drifted into the Kitamura family's chat room. And due to Yumeko's condition, a name and a bit of a countenance was all Misha knew. However, the tall girl still gave Deidre a warm smile in acknowledgement and nodding. Why the musician was helping was unknown and as far as Misha knew, was under no obligation to help, but Misha knew better than to turn her away and instead focused herself on Yoshino.

"Indeed, Fukui Academy does house a lot of facilities, so I understand being overwhelmed," Misha said, walking slowly yet gracefully towards Yoshino, her cane tapping every other step. "And I must apologize for the poor logistics. I was told that your uniform will arrive before day's end, delivered to your dorm room. Right now, I would say priorities would be making sure that you can find your classes." With an emphatic step and a tap of her cane, Misha was standing beside Yoshino, facing the entrance of the main building.

"I would hope that your schedule for the year was given to you," Misha continued, at first speaking towards the doorway before turning her head to Yoshino. "While I am afraid that a full tour is something that we lack the time for, I can at least point out two major things."

Misha lifted her cane and pointed straight ahead. "That is the main school building. Most of your core class, being literature, mathematics, and so on, will be there." The baker then smartly pivoted to the side. "And that is the Culinary Department's wing, where your major's classes will be held." Misha pivoted more and faced Deidre. "If Van Altena-san is willing, could you help make sure Kanzaki-san reaches her classroom for ther core classes? And I shall endeavour to do the same for her major's."

tag(s): Deidre Van Altena , Yoshino Kanzaki ━ words: 000 ━ notes:

by MIZO.❉ of ww

Which First?

Well, now she had two names to work with, since the new girl introduced herself. She spent the first few moments simply listening to Misha explain things. She nodded slightly as the Russian explained how Fukui could be overwhelming. It was understandable. There were probably some colleges that were less expansive than Fukui.

It seemed though that Misha intended to give a simple map to the whole place, at least descriptively, but a description alone would dissolve quickly. Only through actually going places would you truly learn. At last though, she was cued to actually participate, rather than just stand in a sort of solidarity like she had been. Though she had to admit, it was still a bit odd to hear her refered to by last name, particularly since the two word name didn't roll off the tongue.

She nodded though, "Yes." Understandably, the two other girls appeared to be from the same major. Culinary department. It reminded her that she kinda felt hungry. Or at least wanted some chocolate.

She glanced towards the wing with core classes, before nodding, "Happy to." With that in mind, it seemed that there was no time for a full tour. Deidre was not the one leading the show this time, and she elected to let Misha state the next step.

TEMPLATE BY ELIZA @ TB & ADOXOGRAPHY

As the two of the girls who showed up spoke, something was slowly beginning to dawn on Yoshino. Both of them are...actually fairly attractive. Despite being the same age as her, Misha had something of a "mature older sister" vibe going, while Deidre was fairly cute. She also seemed a little on the reserved side, though Yoshino was unaware that she physically had trouble speaking. From where she could tell, she just seemed like a really quiet and socially-awkward person; something she could relate to, if she were being honest.

But no. She didn't have time to think about such things. She couldn't afford to think such things. Not after what happened to her at her previous school. Her expression sunk a bit, as memories of her past suddenly came flooding back, but she was quick to repress those memories, returning a smile to her face. Admittedly, it was a bit forced, but the whole thing was a bit of a "blink and you miss it" moment. One would've had to have been paying pretty close attention to notice it, and she was, for the most part, good at hiding her feelings. Even if there were occasionally some tiny cracks in her facade.

As Misha apologized about the snafu with her uniform, she was quick to brush it off. "It's fine...admittedly, my deciding to transfer here was pretty sudden...besides...not like its your fault..." Then, when asked about her schedule, she nodded, making a point in reaching into her blouse pocket and pulling it a piece of paper that had been neatly folded up. "Yep, got it right here...just wasn't sure where everything is." If either of them wanted to see it for themselves, she'd hand it over without a fuss. Otherwise, she'd simply slip it back into her pocket.

What really caught her off guard was when Misha directly brought up the culinary classes. Admittedly, she hadn't quite put two and two together that she must be someone important; had she known she was speaking to the student council vice president, things would be a lot clearer. "Eh? How'd you know I'm in the culinary program?" She did pay just enough to make a mental note that Deidre would be showing her around, and thus gave her a small nod of acknowledgement to her. Still, she was very curious about how this seemingly-random stranger knew what class she was in.

❝

While Yumeko had informed, albeit in passing, that Deidre was of the laconic type, she never elaborated. However, the way Deidre talked was rather...reminiscent of another cousin of hers. Making a mental note, the Russian nodded and smiled in acknowledgement of Deidre's affirmation before turning her attention back to Yoshino.

"Admittedly, it is rare for the student council themselves to directly assist in the acclimation of transfer students, we are at the very least informed of them," Misha explained, placing her hand over her heart. That she was from the student council was the only thing Misha was willing to reveal, lest Yoshino be unnecessarily intimidated. "However, given that you were going to be in the Culinary Arts Department, I thought it more appropriate that I step in as a fellow culinarian."

Misha chuckled softly, then looked again to the Main Building, up where a clock silently proclaimed the current time. Were that she were here earlier, there would be more of a buffer. However, with Deidre, perhaps something could be worked out. As the gears turned in her mind, Misha looked over to the Culinary Arts building.

"Unfortunately, time is not on our side and it is unlikely that we will be able to find all your classrooms before the bell rings. While the main building is laid out in a rather orderly fashion, the Culinary Arts building is a bit more...unorthodox, so I think it is best to start there. Afterwards, if it is not too much to ask, could Van Altena-san lead the way to the main building, and at least show her the layout?" Misha looked looking over to Deidre, her expression a bit more serious and nodded. Then, she approached Yoshino and held her hand out. "If you could be so kind, while I was informed of your arrival, I was not privvy to your schedule."

tag(s): Deidre Van Altena Yoshino Kanzaki ━ words: 000 ━ notes:

by MIZO.❉ of ww