Raira Academy was located in South Ikebukuro and was a coeducational private high school.
The school grounds weren't extensive, but due to strategic design, the best was made out of the limited land and students never felt that the school was too small. And as the school was near the Ikebukuro Station, it was convenient for students living in the suburbs of Tokyo to come to school and thus recently the applicants for the school entrance exam had been steadily increasing. Also because the school enrolment was slowly increasing each year, it was getting harder and harder to get into the school, so it could be said that Mikado and the others had got in at just the right time.
The tall school building gave the students a magnificent view of the scenery below, but was significantly dwarfed in comparison to the sixty storey building standing before them. And behind the school was the huge Zoshigaya Cemetry which even though was located in the heart of the area still retained a sombre atmosphere.
After the school entrance ceremony had ended, Mikado and Masaomi returned to their respective classes, for a simple class meeting.
"My name is Ryuugamine Mikado, pleased to meet you."
As the self-introductions were underway, Mikado had been constantly worrying whether people would make fun of his name, but even after introducing himself, no one really seemed to care. These youngsters who were the same age as Mikado didn't seem to be very interested in people's names.
On the contrary, Mikado was in fact rather curious about the others and listened intently to the self-introductions of his other classmates. Some of them liked to crack a joke or two after introducing themselves, and there were people who sat down immediately after stating their names and some of them had long fallen asleep on their desks. But among all these people, the person who had caught Mikado's attention was in fact a pretty girl named Sonohara Anri. She was petite, more so than the other girls, wore glasses and she was fair-skinned. But the vibe she gave off seemed to be repelling others and rejecting their approaches, one that was tough and weathered.
"My name is Sonohara Anri."
Her voice was soft and nearly inaudible but it rang as clearly as a bell in Mikado's ears. She made quite an impression on Mikado as the aura she exuded was one of fresh refinement. Everyone else could merely be called 'ordinary high school students.' None of them looked like model students and there weren't bad boys around either.
Besides Sonohara, another thing that had aroused his curiosity was the fact that someone was absent. It was a girl called Harima Mika. Then Mikado thought it might be probably because of a cold or something and quickly brushed the matter aside.
But when the teacher mentioned her absence, Mikado noticed that Sonohara Anri had turned her head to look at the empty seat, and an uneasy expression crossed her face.
Class ended uneventfully, and Mikado met up Masaomi who had been assigned the neighbouring class outside.
Masaomi's earrings were rather ostentatious, but they didn't stand out much in the crowd. Or perhaps it was because this high school allowed the students to dress casually and it was Mikado who was out of place. As today was the school entrance ceremony, both of them wore their school blazers. But even so, it was hard for others to tell that they were students from the same school.
"Ah I wasted a day yesterday helping you move and setting up your modem. And today I'm taking you somewhere fun, so you have to treat me!"
Mikado didn't have a reason to reject Masaomi's request, and obediently followed him. It wasn't time for the club exhibitions yet where people tried pulling in new students to join, so they left the school easily.
