"Awww, Darling, doesn"t our dear Marichan look adorable in her new school uniform~?" Maria blankly stared at her squealing mother, while trying to ignore the flashes of light in her face, that came from her father"s camera.Turning away from her overly affected family, Maria glanced at herself in the mirror. Since Diamond Academy was such a prestigious school, it made sense that their uniforms should match.
The light blue dress she was wearing touched her skin like a gentle cloud. With it, she was wearing a cute white cropped jacket with a sailor collar. Tied around her neck was an adorable cute red ribbon with silver fancy border designs on the dress and jacket. The back featured a lace-up design for a bonus feminine appeal.
Underneath, she was wearing white socks with a stylish pair of Mary-Janes on her feet. Today her hair was in twin tails with heart-shaped buns holding them in place. "I look like Chibi Moon and just how does Kuroka get my hair to be in the shape of hearts?" Maria tried to resist the urge to twitch, promising to try to talk Kuroka into giving her a much simpler hairstyle next time.
"Imoto, are you ready?" Walking into her room was her brother who was also in the Elementary Division, wearing the male version of their uniform. It had the same color combination as the girl"s, only it consisted of a sailor uniform top, trousers, a red tie, and suspenders.
Just like with the girl"s uniform, the school emblem was located on the left breast pocket. The emblem itself was a silver diamond that gave off the faint illusion of pale rainbow colors; surrounding the diamond were rainbow stars in the formation of a circle with a fancy gold vintage border on the outside.
"I"m ready!" Grabbing her school bag off her bed, wanting to escape her parents, Maria made a break for the door. Walking out the front door, she met both Kurako and Shirone who would be coming to school with her. At first, Maria thought it was weird having the two tag along with her to school until her mother explained how completely normal it was for them to accompany her for her own protection and how she would not be the only one.
Upon hearing that last bit, Maria had nothing else to say. Standing behind them was the carriage, but that wasn"t what caught Maria"s attention. No, it was the two large griffons that were attached to the carriage. Since she first landed in this fantasy world, this was her first time seeing creatures that normally shouldn"t exist, but here they were, standing only a few feet from her.
"Let"s go, Imoto, we don"t want to be late for the Opening Ceremony!" Snapping her out of her daze was the voice of her brother who was already loaded onto the carriage. Making her way towards him, he helped her into the carriage while Shirone and Kuroka loaded themselves up on the saddles that were attached to each griffon.
"Good-bye, my darlings~! Mommy will be sad without you here!" Maria watched her mother try to hold back her tears, waving at them with the white handkerchief that was in her hand.
"Micheal, make sure to carefully watch over your little sister," ordered her father with tears running down his stern face. Once everyone was on board, Shirone whistled, which was a signal for the griffons, who let out a loud animal noise, before taking off on their feet. The speed was considerably fast as it didn"t take long for Maria to glance out the window and see them entering a large forest that was bright with color, flowers budding all around.
The deeper they went, Maria saw that the forest was filled with different types of trees, which came in all types of sizes. The colorful leaves of the branches allowed for just the right amount of light to shine down on the flat, fertile grounds below. Smiling at her curious gaze, Micheal couldn"t help but open his mouth and say, "This forest is called the Enchanted Forest, home to plant-beasts and tree spirits. One can only gain access to Diamond Academy by entering the Enchanted forest. Soon we will reach the gate-keepers."
"Gate-Keepers?" This was Maria"s first time hearing that term.
"SS-Cla.s.s Magicians that guard the gate entrance to Stella Aurorae, a realm where Diamond Academy exists within." Maria listened to her brother explain, noticing when the carriage stopped moving. Maria literally jumped when she saw a figure dressed in black suddenly appear at her window like a ghost.
"It"s okay, Imoto, these are the Gate-Keepers I was telling you about. Just hand over your Student ID for them to check." Maria listened to her brother"s instructions and took out the little purse that displayed her student ID. The process was quick, as in no time Maria had her Student ID returned to her and the carriage started up again. Maria was unprepared for the bright flash of light that blinded her, and by the time her eyesight returned, she heard the griffons screech.
This prompted her to look outside, though even she was taken off guard, seeing nothing but the clouds and blue sky. Opening the window, Maria popped her head out, and when she saw the sight before them, she couldn"t help but exclaim, "Oh my... That"s Diamond Academy?!" Maria felt as if her eyes were about to pop out of their sockets.
Diamond Academy itself was a humongous school built into a floating mountain, connected to various other mountains and landscapes, some with buildings and an arena built into them. It was unlike anything Maria had ever seen as she briefly remembered how the story stated that all school grounds of Diamond Academy were protected by an invisible shield.
"Welcome to Diamond Academy, Imoto~!"