Walkabout: [Shortly after their arrival]

[professorwolf]

Randolph Lyall here. Anybody else dropped into the noisy arcade? Or were most of us lucky enough to wind up in a hotel room or a lobby? Can we have a check-in?

Also, anybody else stuck with animal ears and a tail, or aged up or down? I've heard about a Jaunt much like this place, a while back, though I wasn't here for it: a school for anime magic, basically. Sparkles and animal ears and flowers coming out of nowhere. All the symptoms I'm seeing seem to be lining up for that world.

I'm still working out what's going on. It seems like some kind of multiple-school event, from the signs and the brochure handily in my pocket. I'm even wearing a badge for one of them, so I suppose I'm some kind of representative. The aging up doesn't go all the way up to adults, and I haven't changed any.

Comments

[happyhalloween]

I'm big now! I think I'm in high school!

... do you think there's going to be a test? I didn't study for any high school tests.

[littleladyluck]

I'm here as a student! Seemingly not aged down, and feeling a bit insulted because of it. I mean, good, my skin is fantastic, but still! The height hels, I suppose.

I was here the first time. I think. Unless this is the third. Keep an eye and an ear out for Lovers, and maybe, perhaps, compliment my Hosts? They need more compliments, the poor darlings. I'll explain later.

[rustyhonesty]

I haven't been aged down, but I do have ears and a tail. [It's annoying, he can't get rid of them at all.] I'm a student, apparently.

[awitchdidit]

...I don't think I've picked up any embarrassing additions, although I do note my words are hitting with more of the force I'm used to. Literally.

I am currently in a hotel lobby. I've never been to a convention before, but I'm pretty sure this matches up to the description of one.

[awitchdidit]

Typical Trumps. You have the one thing that's guaranteed to stop you aging happen to you and they find a way around it.

[happyhalloween]

I think it's kind of nice! I can look people in the eye now! Maybe they'll listen to me?

[awitchdidit]

It'll help, certainly. High school students don't have much authority over adults, but put yourself in a Jessica-ish mindset and you can probably bowl over your classmates like she tries to do.

[happyhalloween]

Should I punch them too? [She sounds pleased with the idea.]

[awitchdidit]

I would be a hypocrite to tell you not to, but bear in mind I've never been to high school.

The brass knuckles, at least, should probably stay in your purse.

[happyhalloween]

Ooh. Right. But you get to go to high school now, Beato! Just like Jessica! We can do fun big kid stuff together, like... um... hm.

[What do big kids do together anyway?]

[awitchdidit]

[That's a good question.]

...I do hope there's a real high school student here to explain the culture. I spent a great deal of time eavesdropping on Jessica, but after a while I sort of started tuning it out...

[professorwolf]

Ah. I would actually suggest against punching your fellow students. It will undoubtedly get you in trouble with the other teachers here. There are rules against that sort of thing.

[professorwolf]

I taught high school, before I was swept up in all this. If you'd like to talk about it, I'd be happy to explain the particulars.

[professorwolf]

Hosts? What do you mean by hosts?

[That would be one aspect of anime he's never actually learned about, there, and nobody filled him in on the host club for the last Jaunt.]

[professorwolf]

I do, as well, so you aren't alone in that. Student is probably for the best, less will be expected of you. I'm starting to think I'm actually meant to be a teacher for this one school. Mahou Kagaku no Gakuen.

[It comes across the network as a little awkward, since he's using a foreign language here, and he hasn't practiced saying the name yet.]

[professorwolf]

Magic here works from emotions, so that may be one aspect of how yours is manifesting. I believe it's called x tech? S tech? Some soft letter, with the word "tech" after it, anyhow. I'm not at all certain what it stands for.

Regardless, I'd be careful about emoting too strongly. Things are liable to happen that you don't expect and probably don't want.

[happyhalloween]

Oh. Okay. Jessica did it all the time, but maybe Grandfather payed the school.

[That's what happens when you're rich.]

[professorwolf]

It's possible. Or it's possible your high school was different from the ones here. Here, though, I can quite confidently say it will not go well for you if you punch anyone. I'm sorry.

[Not that he's... terribly sorry, but he has a feeling she'll be unhappy with it. She'd seemed awfully eager, there, for a minute.]

[happyhalloween]

Well, you kinda have to do that with Jessica.

[happyhalloween]

It wasn't my high school! It was Jessica's! Jessica's much older than me!

[professorwolf]

I'm sorry, I just meant "the high school you are referring to" more than yours, in particular. I didn't assume you had gone to one, given your confusion about them in general.

[happyhalloween]

I was in elementary school last time I went to school.

[awitchdidit]

Thank you, good sir. I have a general idea of how they're organized, at least in my world's version of Japan, but I know very little about how people actually...attend on a normal day. Truthfully, I think I'm only in a student uniform because I look about the right age...

[awitchdidit]

I'll try to reign in my dramatics.

[Emphasis on try.]

However, I have overheard some conversations about there being some kind of competition revolving around S. Tech starting tomorrow. I believe that's why there's so many high school students here.

[rustyhonesty]

I guess? I wouldn't know what to teach, if I had been given a position. I'm in a different school though. Hagane no Gakuen... or something.


Uh, since you also have animal parts... Do you also have difference in your senses? I seem to hear and smell better, at least.