A strange wave of cultural nostalgia, one might even say, "national pride", passed over Gendou as he entered the Ishin school grounds, a testament to Ishin's identity. Gendou looked about nervously, but his anxiety right now was more akin to giddiness. He had made it, and he knew that his mother's spirit was watching over him. Gendou had done his best to try to fit in, hoping to discard his status as social outcast and prime target for bullying, so he had worn the uniform that had been sent to him along with his acceptance letter and the guidance pamphlet.

There seemed to be a crowd at the entrance, probably first years like himself taking a picture at the gate to commemorate their acceptance, but Gendou was by himself, and felt a selfie was a bit...disrespectful given the gravitas of the school. Besides, Gendou didn't want to screw up in the slightest, and had resolved to never be late for anything, especially not on on his first day. So the first order of business would be to get to the entrance speech well before it started. To avoid physical contact, Gendou kept his distance from the crowd and shuffled his way past the gate when he heard a loud announcement.

Slightly startled, Gendou turned to look at what all the fuss was about, and saw Haruhi greeting the school. The thought to wave at her and return the greeting crossed his mind, only to be immediately crushed by a pessimistic sense of low self-worth. She obviously wasn't directing her greeting at him, and trying to talk to her would probably just throw off her vibe. She was clearly enjoying herself, and didn't need Gendou's awkwardness to spoil her mood. During this momentary introspection, Gendou caught himself staring and immediately averted his gaze, hoping that he hadn't creeped her out too much. With heavy thoughts of sudden doubt weighing on him, Gendou hung his head and quickened his pace towards the assembly hall. He would feel more at ease sitting as it would allow himself to feel smaller and less exposed.

"Achoo!"

Maki Kirika sniffled and wiped her nose as she stomped up the street, her dad's old trench coat—now hers, she supposed—worn over her brand-new Ishin Academy uniform. She'd been having trouble sleeping for the past couple nights. And really, who wouldn't lose some sleep if they were about to start classes at the second-ranked hero academy in the entire country? She was lucky she'd been able to sleep at all. But unfortunately, it had given her a frustratingly bad cold. And though she was nearly over it now, fever all gone and no longer coughing, she was still incredibly congested and far more sneezy than she would have liked. Which wasn't quite the first impression she wanted to make on her fellow students. She wanted to pop out in a good way, not look like a sick mess.

Well. It was better to introduce herself looking like a sick mess than looking like nothing at all. She shivered as a particularly nippy wind blew over her. It was cold today. She looked down briefly at the trench coat. Thanks for the coat, dad.

It wasn't long before she stood before the imposing gate of Ishin Academy, a crowd of people standing in front. Probably other first years. Well, time to make a first impression, hmm? An impression that people would remember. And so she marched up to the thickest part of the crowd and started to shove her way through. "Coming through! Out of the way!" Frustrated voices followed voices her and she smiled to herself. All eyes on her.

When she broke through, she sighed quietly to herself before continuing. Someone shouted behind her and she tossed a glance over her shoulder. A girl with brilliant green hair had popped out of the crowd in a similar fashion to her and she gave a little internal cringe. Was that really what she'd looked like, pushing her way through the crowd? How embarrassing.

She shook her head, throwing the thought out. No time for that kind of thing today. Just rapid footsteps as she walked quickly towards the school proper. There'd be lockers for her to stick her coat in, right?

---

For many of the kids gathered at the front gates of Ishin Academy, today was a great day -- a first momentous step that would carry them across the starting line and onto the path of chasing their wildest dreams. The fires of anticipation burned within their hearts, driving them onward into the tumultuous throng so that they might enter into their future one measly step ahead of the rest. They were like ants, really -- all scrambling about in a writhing, teeming mass, stumbling over each other in their haste to reach a goal that was ultimately pointless.

It wasn't that Nishikiyama Izuna didn't understand their enthusiasm, of course. She just had a much more valid reason for wanting to get inside as soon as possible.

Drip. Drip.

COLD. OH GOD IT'S SO COLD.

She had emptied out her Quirk as best she could that morning before getting on the train, wringing every last droplet from her storage like some kind of metaphysical dish rag. Unfortunately, it had snowed the night before all the way up the train line she'd been taking, and the amount of moisture in the air as it melted under the sunlight had been more than enough to fill her back to full capacity before she knew it. It had taken every last ounce of her willpower to keep from flooding the train car, for crying out loud! And so, just as soon as she'd gotten off of it and forced her way out of the station, the relief she had felt had been almost palpable.

Then she had lost her focus, and now look where she'd ended up: soaked to the skin, with icicles already forming at the tips of her silvery hair and frost covering the surface of her already infuriatingly stiff uniform. The thick, tarp-like substance they'd made her stupid mandatory blazer out of had been hard enough to move in to begin with, but now she could hardly even raise her arms thanks to the layer of solid ice coating her sleeves! If it weren't for the insulated wetsuit she'd put on underneath the rest of her outfit, she'd have probably turned blue by now. Her barbels twitched and thrashed about with repressed anger as she tried once again to force her way through the crowd, the photophores in each tendril lighting up a violent shade of crimson.

No dice. Nobody was paying any attention to her. Already, her "tank" was starting to fill up again, and between her discomfort, anxiety, and sheer overwhelming frustration, she knew she wouldn't be able to hold onto it for long. So, rather than holding it in, she tried a new approach. The ice coating one of her arms began to crack and fall away as she forced her hand straight upward, then blasted a jet of water straight up into the air like a geyser. The fwoosh as the water sprayed high overhead caused most of the crowd around her to disperse in confusion at the sudden noise -- a decision they soon became thankful for as a deluge of droplets descended back into Izuna's upraised hand and vanished into it -- with only her generosity saving those around her from getting doused just as she herself already had been.

"Oh, so now I've got your attention," she grumbled. Regardless, since all eyes were on her, she supposed she might as well take advantage of that while she could. So, furrowing her brow and shooting an irritable glare at everybody around her, she cleared her throat, and then...

"Ehem! Outta the way, small fry! I'm gettin' inside before I freeze my ass off and there's nothin' any of you can do to stop me!"

...Nobody seemed to have a problem with those terms, and so, dripping and shivering, the indignant aquatic girl strode through the parted sea of people in front of her, and into the courtyard, leaving behind a trail of rapidly-freezing droplets in her wake. It was only once she was out of the crowd that she realized...

Wait... wasn't that like, the worst first impression ever? Oh god, what if they realized --

She shook her head and slapped her scaled cheeks, dislodging this panicked line of thought before it could take hold.

No, no. Not going there. It's fine, Izuna. Everything's fine. You didn't mention the dragon this time, and there's only one person here who knows about that anyway. Just pretend it didn't happen. It didn't. Happen.

Right. Much better. Right now, there were more important things to worry about anyway. Like where the hell the door was, or if they had any towels. Another gust of wind blew across the courtyard, and Izuna sneezed as the shivers returned in full force.

Ugh... Man, Hokkaido friggin' sucks.

---

Location: ＠Ishin Academy Entrance
Interaction: ＠Jerks?

---

Ah, Ishin Academy. It looked exactly like all of the photos online: big, expensive, pretentious, and with no small amount of national pride. Actually that last part was kind of cool, it was always nice to see a traditional aesthetic mixed with a more modern one.

Touko stood outside of the academy's massive main gate, holding a large rolling suitcase with two more smaller ones strapped to it in one hand. The other hand pushed her glass up to once again sit on the bridge of her nose before gripping the strap of a cross-body bag tightly. She shuffled forward and mixed in with the crowd, finding warmth in the body temperature of the surrounding students as they moved as one mass toward the courtyard. She suppressed a yawn, but only barely. It was a nine hour ride from Tokyo here to the Academy, and she'd had pretty much no sleep since the night before last. Running on two hours! More than enough. Still, Ishin was pretty far from the city she'd spent all of her life so far in. She doubted that Sapporo had the sheer convenience of the capital. She'd had to get used to a whole new place. Plus it was still this cold in April. Plus she was forced to adhere to a very strict dress code (though to be fair she'd probably end up testing the boundaries there). Plus, she'd had to pack up all her beloved computers and drag them all the way out here, because like hell she'd be leaving them all alone at home.

...maybe I should have applied to UA.

She as she was daydreaming about a different school, a harsh shove brought her back to reality outside of Ishin's gate. A girl walked briskly through, inconsiderate to literally everyone around her.

"Hey! You forget to open your eyes this morning?" She called after the girl, harumphing as she readjusted her bags. There was excitement, and then there was downright rudeness. It wasn't long after that Touko felt another press of someone pushing her, followed by a similar demand for people to move out of the way. This time she held tight to her belongings, and though not nearly aggressive as the first push Touko still said bitterly, "Watch out!"

If that wasn't already bad enough, after heading in toward the gate like a normal person with the rest of the crowd, Touko heard the sound of a water geyser behind her. Her eyes widened and she scrambled to pull her luggage close to her, but thankfully there was no drenching to be had. There was another girl at the center of the disturbance, yet again demanding a path through the throng of people.

She couldn't believe it. Was this a city of savages or something?! Or did this type of elite school just happen to attract loud-mouthed bitches? Ooooh Touko could feel her annoyance grow. She was sure that there would be a visible vein pulsing on her forehead soon.

Touko made it into the hall quickly after that. Though she didn't push, scream, or threaten to douse anyone she had started to radiate a nasty aura stemming from her thoughts, complete with a small and somewhat creepy smile that made anyone who noticed it more likely to give her some space. Big egos and bullies were nothing she hadn't dealt with before, and she could be mean too - though currently she was trying to lull herself out of the bad mood by thinking to herself. Things like, if anyone thinks they can push I, Touko around at this school then I will just become a bigger bitch. The Mega Bitch if you will!! and of course, Lucky for them it's the opening ceremony and I'm feeling nice, or I'd destroy all their social media accounts! Fufufu.

Were they heroic thoughts? No. But that was what she was here for, wasn't it? To learn how to be a professional hero. And she was going to succeed at it.

Kayo gritted her teeth beneath a placid smile as not one, not two, but three different people shoved their way by her, knocking her smaller frame around a bit like a ragdoll as the crowd flexed around them. They must've been upperclassmen. Nobody else would push through like that. She almost wanted to snarl at them. If she gets me wet in this weather, I'm going to hurt her soooo much. But she didn't, obviously, because she was better than they were, a fact which was more than evident now. Obviously.

She'd gotten off the night train from Kyoto right around the crack of dawn—it had really been cold then—and spent an hour waking herself up some and privately sneering at her mom while sitting in a charming little coffee shop, sipping on a hot cocoa and nibbling on a pastry. She she didn't really know the name of it. Something French, she thought. It had been pretty good, she'd need to go back to that place after school sometime. She tried her best to remember exactly where it had been, before a particularly chilly gust of wind brushed her hair against her face and prompted a surprised sneeze. She'd think about it later. She remembered the name if nothing else.

In contrast to those three idiots from before—silver hair, green hair, fish, she would remember them for sure—she dawdled a bit in how she moved through the courtyard, very occasionally sliding by someone with a saccharine "Sorry! Excuse me! Oh, I'm sorry!" The crowd rankled her slightly. She should be out in front of them, naturally. But being out in front of them wouldn't do her any favors socially, as those three had conveniently demonstrated. And Kayo was nothing if not socially conscious. So she was in no hurry to get into the hall quite yet. It was cold, certainly, but the oversized, fluffy pale green sweater she wore over her uniform cut most of the chill.

Ahhh, there was the fish girl with the white hair, shivering like mad. Burying her disdain, she came up behind her. She was tall, wasn't she? An upperclassman, definitely. Probably a third year, if she had to guess. So why was she standing out here if she was so cold? Well, the thought presented itself easily, it's because she's a moron. Which would only make her job easier, wouldn't it? Having an upperclassman on her side would do wonders for her. Get her a nice little headstart in front of everyone else. Even though it wasn't like she needed it or anything. So she walked up behind her, and tapped her gently on the shoulder.

"Excuse me," she said sweetly, pitching her voice up to where it sat in day-to-day life. "You're an upperclassman, right? I'm Nigata Kayo, a first year. I'm a liiiittle bit lost,"—she was not, she knew exactly where to go—"so could you show me where the event hall is, please?"

---

---

"ISSHIN ACADEMY!! I! HAVE! ARRIVED!!!!!"

The call, no, the maddened scream came from above as a figure launches itself from one of the nearby buildings towards the school grounds. Flipping in the air with a joyful abandon, their peril was quick to tuirn to spectacle as an object in hand burst into a flash of bright golden light that soon formed into a curved hook to catch onto one of the decrated tree limbs that lined the streets.

Once, Twice, Three times would the loud figure whirl around before momentum finally launches them forward into a rather rough looking rollalong the snow covered ground, the slick icy terrain taking them a bit further than they ended until they finally find their feet, skiding to a stop right before a green-eyed student and taller one with white hair.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaannd saaaaaaaaaffffffffffffffffffffe." Justice bellows as he comes to a stop just short of crashing into the green-haired girl, arms pinwheeling a bit inan effort to balance himself out as he got toa more steady footing. Running a hand through platinum blonde hair, the student gave the two girls a dazzling smile and a snappy salute as if he hadn't been about to crash into them. "Heh, Sorry about that, misjudged my landing but I'd say that's not bad for a first try with no practice, run, huh?"

As he stood there, the two could see that while the boy had 'spruced up' his uniform, mainly in the lapel and the bottom edges all having the kanji for Justice sewn onto them in a bright gold thread. He'd also replaced the buttons to shiny golden ones as well.

"The name's Justice or Justice, take your pick really, and I . . . am a bit lost. Do either of you know where Class 1A is supposed to gather? I'm pretty sure my dad told me about it but I, uh, can't say remember much about the conversation."

---

---

Hello, world! It's your girl, Manaka Kokone here, coming to you live from the front gates of Isshin High!

...Ooooooor maybe from the gates of hell. Honestly, looking at the scene in front of me, I'm not actually sure which it is.

For those of you just tuning in, let me set the stage for you. I had a rough trip up from Tokyo via the undersea rail line that took... well, most of yesterday. And by the time I arrived in Sapporo, I was expecting that I could find a place to stay in a hotel somewhere close to the school, then make the rest of the trip in the morning.

The hotel was... quite nice, actually. The walls of my room were mercifully thick -- so much so that I could barely even hear the thoughts of the vacationing college couple in the neighboring suite, even without my headphones on while I was showering. After saying a quick prayer to thank the kami, Jesus, Buddha, and whoever else might be listening for that mercy, I quickly covered my ears before they got any more ideas unfit for a junior high schooler's "pure" mind, set my alarm early for the big day tomorrow, and fell asleep almost before I knew it.

...Well, let it not be said that a mind reader is infallible. Apparently, I had failed to account for the rather important distinction that Isshin wasn't in Sapporo. It was near Sapporo. More specifically, it was almost a full hour's train ride outside of city limits, followed by a bus ride, followed by a walk that felt more like a hike. And, well... I have my pride, but even so, I like to think of myself as a realist. And looking at the situation realistically, it's honestly miraculous that I managed to haul all my luggage that far all by myself at all when it probably weighs twice as much as I do, and is half again as big to boot.

...Yeah. I'm a scrawny little pipsqueak. I know. It's fine. I am at peace with what I am. It doesn't bother me at all. It doesn't. Bother. Me.

...It bothers me a lot.

Needless to say, my plans of arriving early were dashed. Instead, I found myself rather unfortunately located on the far outer ring of the throng of people all nudging, shouting, pushing, and shoving their way through the front gates. And, on account of my afforementioned smallness, the moment I tried to slip through a gap...

...Well, let's put it this way. Do you know what happens to a twig when it's dropped into rushing water?

Yeah. Something like that. Which brings me to my present predicament.

See, as I probably told you before, crowds and I... we don't really mix well. Or, to put it more bluntly, I hate them. I hate the noise of everybody talking over each other. I hate the noise of everybody thinking even louder than that. I hate how angry it makes me when everybody wants to be somewhere and can't get there and so they just sit and sit and stew in their own frustration until it spills over and gets all over my own thoughts and --

And isn't it just a lovely day? Isn't it so nice that the sun is shining and the snow has mostly stopped and so I only had to drag myself here through the mud instead of wading knee deep in the snow? And aren't we all just so excited that in just a few short hours, we're gonna be taking our first steps towards being heroes?

Yeah, it's a great day today. I'm happy. I'm so darned happy I can hardly bear it!

OR AT LEAST I WOULD BE IF PEOPLE WOULD STOP TOUCHING ME.

Seriously, why is everybody so nervous!? You got accepted to the second best hero school in the entire country, and your first thought is to worry that you won't make the cut and you'll get kicked right out again!? Come on, have some bloody confidence! If even a half-baked person like me could make it in, you've got nothing to worry about, right? Oh, sure, you've had a bad few weeks. Your girlfriend dumped you because she didn't want to date long distance? Well maybe you should have talked things over with her first! If people would just actually communicate with each other, then half of their pointless woes would be --

And you! Stop pushing me! I don't care that your grandpa's sick, so stop thinking about it so loudly! ...Although he seems like a very nice man and it would be a terrible shame if anything happened to him, so fine, I hope he gets well soon -- NOW STAY OUT OF MY HEAD! STOP REMINDING ME OF --

...For just a split second, I want to go home. Failing that, I want to curl up in a corner somewhere and disappear. I want to vomit. I want to --

Deep breaths, Kokone. Deep breaths and happy thoughts. Or, if "happy" is too high a bar right now, I can at least take some solace in the fact that I'm not the only one who's miserable. Schadenfreude is a powerful thing, and right now, there's... there's...

...There's so many weirdos. And yes, I know I'm one to talk.

Somewhere up ahead of me, a person who thinks in Grey is trying to pretend her thoughts have some color to them. Which is to say, she's pushing and shoving her way forward with every last ounce of strength she has, relishing in the spite-filled gazes of those around her... until she had to actually meet them, anyway.

Yeah. That's right. That's exactly what you looked like. You're not the big girl on campus, you're just... kind of being a jerk.

In the Grey's wake, someone whose thoughts are Colorless angrily shouted after her, grumbling something I couldn't quite hear -- or rather, thinking something I can't quite make out, about becoming a "mega bitch."

...Well, I can understand her frustration, at least, though her way of expressing it was... questionable. Still, at least her thoughts were more intelligible than the... Orange? Blue?

Well, whoever she is, she forced the surrounding crowd aside with a rather shocking display of some kind of water Quirk, blasting a small geyser into the air that sent the people around her scattering.

I almost feel sorry for her, hearing her complaints about the cold and given the ice covering her clothing. And I almost felt grateful there for a moment that she parted the crowd enough for me to slip through in her wake. But mostly, I just feel confused, since, after all, she's currently rejoicing that nobody else knows about the "Dragon" --

...Ah. A secret. Or... more like a dark history. Well, I'm terribly sorry, but there is someone who knows about it, and she's right here.

Seriously, though. Why's everyone so caught up on making a first impression when all of that will be forgotten once our actual training begins? Do they seriously think they'll be remembered for how they entered the school when it's their performance under pressure and their usage of their Quirks that will make or break their aspirations?

Well, it's often said that actions speak louder than words. But, I suppose, some people's actions, like their thoughts, speak too loudly.

...Oh. Speak of the devil. There's a very special sort of person amongst us -- a person whose thoughts echo with glistening Gold. His very presence is like a deafening roar, his aura like blinding sunlight. And to be honest, I couldn't tell if that was just my synesthesia acting up again, or his actual Quirk, given the way he just launched himself over everybody's heads and skidded to a stop in the courtyard, bellowing bombastically all the while... then laughing about how it "wasn't bad for a first try."

He's lying, by the way. This young man had crashed and faceplanted in ways I scarcely even thought possible practicing that little stunt, and even with all that effort he'd almost messed it up this time, too.

...Between him and the lighter, purer Blue thoughts calling me and everyone else in the assembled crowd "sidekicks" just because its owner hadn't quite made the cut for UA, I honestly can't even tell whose ego is more fragile.

This is a hero school, right? I didn't take a wrong turn somewhere and end up in a clown college?

Regardless, I'm not exactly about to stay out in the midst of this throng of lunatics any longer than I have to. So, with the crowd distracted by the various showoffs in front of the school, and with I myself having at last broken through, I make my way to the assembly hall...

Being inside again was really nice.

As much as she loved her dad's old coat—it was still really weird thinking of it as hers now, it had been his for so long now—as much as she loved it, she didn't really want to need it. Because, well, if she was wearing it it meant it was bad weather. And though it was really good for said inclement weather—windproof, waterproof, warm—it was for that exact reason she was sighed contentedly as, walking into the vestibule of the vaunted Ishin Academy, she undid the buttons and slid it off, barely holding back a sneeze. Stupid cold. Given she was still pretty much in the entrance it wasn't exactly warm, but it was miles better than it was outside anyway. And the wind wasn't blowing into her face anymore, which was also a major plus.

Ah. Lockers. Good.

A moment later, and she was walking down the center of the hallway with a crisp, quick stride, relishing in the feeling of the heads turning to follow her. She felt a little naked without the trench coat already, even after only wearing it for a little while. But all the attention was so comforting. It was wonderful. She felt a little bit of guilt—was this how she was really going to act in high school too? Shouldn't be beyond this kind of thing by now?—but that momentary pause brought forth a host of complicated emotions and painful memories, and a jab of fear stuck a fork into her side. So yes. Yes, this was how she was going to act in high school as well. Why bother changing it now? she thought savagely. Nobody's going to remember it or me anyway. Resolve reaffirmed, she continued her aggressive walking, occasionally roughly bumping someone out of the way. Just to reaffirm to herself that she was there.

A walk through the halls later, she was moving through the first-year section of the ceremony hall. This time, though—not really looking where she was going, she ran into someone she didn't expect: slap-bang into a short girl with blue hair that—oh, her hair was—were those tentacles? Internally, her metaphorical eyebrows shot up. Tentacle hair. Absolutely wild.

Outwardly, though, once she recovered from her stumble she stood up to her full height, glaring down at the girl. Who absolutely did not look happy with her. Alright, Kirika, she thought grimly, showtime. She hated this part.

"Are you blind or just stupid?" She was almost impressed by how aggressive her snapping voice sounded. Or, not really aggressive. How...how annoyed. Perfect. "Watch where you're going next time!"

Ugh.

Damn it. Of all people...

Of all people, it had to be someone like this. Someone who would fire back immediately. She'd kind of hoped that the first person she talked to wouldn't be ready to fight. She bit the inside of her cheek almost enough to draw blood, though she betrayed none of it on the outside. How should she respond to this?

She gave an infinitesimal sigh. This wasn't how she'd wanted to start the year, but at least, well, mission accomplished. She and Tentacles were being stared at quite thoroughly. The weight of fear on her mind—though it was never really gone—dimmed down to the faintest of embers.

Okay, no, really. How should she respond?

Really, she wanted to give that apology. She didn't like doing any of this. But if she apologized and then left, she would disappear. Not literally, obviously, that would come later (probably). But if she slunk away she would immediately become out of sight, out of mind. She needed to leave an impression. She needed people to remember her. And if they remembered her as 'that bitch Kirika?'

...Well, it was still better than being forgotten.

So, trying to muster up an image of selfish pride, she smirked back. Hard. Patronizing.

"Aw, man, you're right, huh? I'm sorry, okaaay?" Her voice radiated insincerity and condescension as she reached out a swift hand and patted Tentacles on the head. Then she turned, flipped her hair (she'd practiced the move a thousand times in her bedroom mirror) and resumed walking. Stares followed her, and she grimaced even as she basked in their glow.

She hated how much she loved it.

"Ah, crap... door, door... where's the freakin' doooooorrrrrrrr...?!"

A certain aquatic student was hopping nervously back and forth in hopes of restoring some feeling to her half-frozen legs, her frilled crest curling angrily clear from her gills all the way up to the top of her head, as her transparent scales pulsed a frustrated shade of crimson and her barbels thrashed with impatience.

The front door was blocked by another crowd. Same with the gym. There was a fire escape on the side of the building, but that was probably locked and would set off alarms, and in either case if she actually tried it Saika would never let her hear the end of it.

And where was Saika, anyway? She hadn't even texted to say when she'd be showing up. Didn't she know her best buddy was freezing over here?

Ugh... That jerk! I'll bet she's busy stuffing her face at a WcDenji's or something. Of course she wouldn't care about being late. Curse you, Sai-chan! I'll never forgive you for this!

Her stomach chose that exact moment to rumble.

...Though I guess if you get me some too, I could maybe consider letting you off easy this time.

...Well, that said, it wasn't as if she had a convenient power like telepathy or mind-reading -- Careful what you wish for, Orange. -- so there was no way to actually convey that message. But Saika would understand. Surely. Definitely.

"Excuse me~?"

It took Izuna a moment to realize that the gentle, quizzical voice that only barely reached her ears over the din of the crowd was directed at her -- since the tap on her shoulder went unfortunately unnoticed due to the thickness of both her tarp-like blazer and the ice coating it. Still, after a moment of delayed realization, her pointed ears flicked up, and the pale girl spun around, only to find herself looking down at a mass of curly, oddly shiny green hair.

Oh, and, uh, the person underneath all of it. Izuna's own oddly bright golden eyes met two vertically slit green ones as she took in the face -- the scaled face of their owner. The frills along her head and neck flicked outward immediately, and the dim crimson halo that had been pulsating from the tips of her barbels clear up to her cheeks gave way to a much more welcoming blend of blue and orange.

A comrade! So I'm not the only one with scales this time!

"Ah, sorry 'bout that -- didn't see you there!" The fishy freshman gave a nervous laugh, rubbing her palm back and forth over the scales of her neck. "Can I, uh... help you, or something?"

"You're an upperclassman, right? I'm Nigata Kayo, a first year. I'm a liiiittle bit lost, so could you show me where the event hall is, please?"

...

"...Eh?" Izuna blinked, cocking her head to the side. Then slowly, deliberately, she pointed to herself. The girl standing in front of her cocked her head to the side too, not seeming to understand her confusion.

"An upperclassman?" The green-haired girl nodded.

"Who is? Me?" The green-haired girl nodded again, pursing her lips cutely, still not seeming to understand.

"I'm a first year too, though?"

...

Suddenly the air between them got really quiet, and for just a second, Izuna could have sworn she saw the other girl's eyebrow twitch -- but surely she must have been mistaken, since that innocent smile just kept on shining up at her. Oh, geez, this new kid was a little dense, wasn't she? Well, Izuna didn't know the way, but she'd feel bad about leaving someone so clueless to her own devices, so...

"Don't worry, though! I read the pamphlet. Uh... at one point. So I'm pretty sure the assembly hall is, uh... Uhhh..."

It sure would have been convenient if literally anything else happened right now so they could pay attention to it. That would have been great. Then maybe she'd have enough time to remember where she was even supposed to be going -- since her plan had basically ended at "get inside before you become an ice cube!"

...How regrettable that she hadn't made her wish more specific. Something did indeed happen at that exact moment -- but it was a something that set Izuna's every braincell to screaming as she desperately -- Unsuccessfully, I might add! -- tried to repress, uh... certain memories.

After several seconds of wide-mouthed gawking, she managed to get herself together enough to process what just happened. Some crazy boy had -- or, well, at least, she was pretty sure he was a boy -- anyway! He had just done some sort of... acrobatic ninja-flip out of a tree, then skidded to a stop right in front of them, and started screaming about JUSTICE or how he WAS Justice or... something.

Who does this kid think he is, some kind of superhero?

...It took a moment of thinking about where she was to realize how stupid that question sounded. But also, there could really only be one explanation for the... entity currently standing in front of her -- and it was one with which she was all too painfully familiar.

Making a herculean attempt not to visibly cringe, she slapped her cheeks, pasted a smile across her face, and hoped nobody noticed the frantic pulsing of her photophores or the sudden shower of water dripping from her sleeves and freezing on the ground beneath her as she tried and failed to keep her cool.

Two people were asking her for directions. One was a little dumb, the other was the physical manifestation of the phrase "dark history" despite looking like a boy idol crossed with a lightbulb. She had no idea where to go, but people all seemed to be heading in one direction, so with all the natural-ness of a robot in an old SF film, she slowly, jerkily raised her now-dripping arm and pointed vaguely in the general direction of the main building.

"...Uh... that way. To the... uh... assembly hall. Where everybody else is going."

...Yeah, no shit.

Sai-chan, everybody here is all weird and I'm the only normal one and how did this even happen? Seriously, what am I even supposed to do in this situation? Is this some kind of trial?! Augh, just hurry up and come save me!

...Or at least bring me a WcMuffin!