Reincarnated Into A Dead Woman's Body In Another World-Chapter 317: Arc 5, - 11: The Batch of 969

"Over yonder lies the structure where alchemists brew their fancy concoctions and thaumaturges test the boundaries of this fair world," the enigmatic woman pointed to a set of buildings.

Students in uniform had booths lined outside with multiple apparatuses and materials upon them. Large sheets of papers and cards, with writings of markers and pens that were pinned to the board.

A small crowd of parents and students watched as a group of students in lab coats and goggles dropped a solid bead of some metal into a beaker of liquid, only for it to fizzle into purple fire and- "Pop!" Sparks flew out the bowl and the liquid went purple.

The audience stepped back in slight shock before slowly clapping in amusement. Another student then began explaining what happened.

"It’s the laboratories," Fumeko figured.

"What’s going on over here, are they putting on a show?" Asobi queried to the several booths.

"The previous victors of the annual exhibition of the experimental minds, chosen by the academy’s instructors, gather to display their showmanship to the perusing commonfolk."

"Science fair," Hotaru stated for Kineko.

"Ohhh."

’The way she speaks... This world?’ Jotou squinted to the blonde girl. ’It couldn’t be, could it? Who would it even be, none of them would talk like this...’ "Crispy?" she muttered.

"What?" Fumeko heard.

"Huh?" Jotou broke out of thought. "The potassium, it sounds crispy," she bluffed.

"Potassium?" Asobi tilted the head.

"Purple flame, loud reaction—potassium in water will do that," Kazuo explained.

"I was just guessing, it could be sodium even," Jotou shrugged and looked to the girl, "You wouldn’t know anything about another world, would you?" she raised a brow.

The blonde girl grinned from ear to ear and leaned close to the group, "HA! Why indeed I do! Though the world that I hail from could not be dubbed as a world per se fair maiden."

Kazuo lowered his gaze to Jotou, "Kid, I think it’s an act," he very carefully whispered.

"I’m getting as much..." Jotou hushed. ’I’ll scrap that theory...’ "Uh, we will, converse, some other time about thy world, we must keep up with our... docket?"

"Ah," she slumped, "Alas, we do indeed."

"Great... there’s two of them now," Fumeko sighed.

The girl walked along, showing off the campus. The main building being the classrooms and another building connected via corridor-bridges going along the paths of the lower courtyard.

She told of how the building connected to the offices, teacher’s lounge and such—albeit, a bit too eccentrically and requiring some amount of translation. Each tower hosted staircases to the next floors, though they didn’t go up.

The last stop being the library equidistant from the classrooms and the dorms, able to be seen from the entrance of the academy. Students were lining up to switch out their textbooks for the next term and buying new school supplies from the school shop within.

Some parents and students were even ordering new seasonal uniforms and sports attire as student volunteers brought out measuring tapes. "Hey, you’re a student here, right? What’s up with your uniform?" Fumeko furrowed her brows.

"For those such as I, nearing our finales and alumni, the instructors turn a blind eye to amendments of our scholarly apparel," she proclaimed with a hand to her chest.

"She’s a senior, so she can do whatever she wants with her uniform," Jotou translated to the Asobi tilting her head.

"It truly takes an extraordinaire to fathom such words; why, I scarcely had to take a moment’s pause to enlighten thou," she spouted.

Fumeko’s eyes glazed over to her, "It’s not that hard."

The girl’s demeanour broke for a second as she took a look at Fumeko... "Is it now? Ha!" she covered face with a pose of her hand to hide her slightly reddened complexion.

"Is the tour over? I know a good show, but that was... a lot..." the magician gave a polite smile despite her words.

The blonde girl cleared her throat and flourished her blazer, "Indeed, that is all for now.

However, if ye wish to accompany the immeasurably more comprehensive perusal of these revered grounds of academics, ye may find I, at where it all began. I bid thee, farewell~"

She gave a curtsy and bowed her head before skipping away towards the fountain.

"Shall we go thither?" Jotou tightened her lips.

"Don’t start," the brunette glared.

"Well, what do we do now?" Hotaru’s ears popped up.

Kazuo took Kineko’s hand, "Explore, for the most part. I was gonna get Kineko to enrol and let Fumeko see the school for herself."

Fumeko crossed her arms, "Don’t let us stop you."

Kazuo stifled a sigh, "Come on kiddo, why don’t we go see some classes."

"Bye aunties, bye big sis Meko!" Kineko waved away.

"Can I go see some of the class stuff?" Asobi opened up the brochure in their faces.

Hotaru brought it down with a hand, "If you want to," she smiled.

"Yay!" Asobi rushed away to the booths set up from the academy itself.

"She’s enthusiastic..." Jotou crossed her arms. "Hm... We can go check the club booths maybe. Might be something interesting, though I doubt it..."

"I saw the cooking club preparing some stuff, wanna go?" Hotaru queried and glistened her fangs to the brunette.

"You two go," Fumeko sighed.

"What’s wrong?" the redhead’s eyes grew concerned.

"Not much," she replied in a huff. "I just want some alone time to think. What else better to do, then at least look around the school I’ve been technically studying at for eleven years and familiarize myself?"

"You sure detective?"

"I’ll be fine."

"I know you will, doesn’t mean I don’t ask~" Jotou smirked and turned for the clubs, with Hotaru following suit with a ’take care’ look to the brunette.

Fumeko watched as they walked, "Hey Meko, why don’t you just come along as a third wheel, it’ll be fun!" she muttered under her breath and groaned.

"I heard that!" Hotaru’s ears flickered as she walked with a smile. The brunette groaned louder.

As they made their way to the clubs, Hotaru’s tail swayed, "Jotou~?" she sang.

"Mhm?" the blonde glanced around the club booths inviting students to join this year.

"It occurred to me, that we haven’t actually been on a proper date, have we?" the redhead leaned into her.

Jotou blinked a few times, "You’ve spanked me till I squirmed and I still have hickeys all over my thighs," she retorted with a knit of her brows.

Hotaru coughed and cleared her throat as her face reddened. "Fair point... But I mean, we’ve not actually asked each other out somewhere. Just as a date to the galas and the things in the palace—not normal," she pinched the base of her tail to stop it from wagging.

Jotou giggled, "I just mean, a date seems a little late at this point... But, sure. Would you like to go out with me?" the blonde faced the wolf-girl with a beam.

With the sudden addition of some light makeup and more brushed hair, the blonde was practically glistening in her brilliant blue eyes... "How could I refuse my golden knight~"

"Alright then." ’It actually felt nicer than I thought.’ "When should we go?"

Hotaru pondered, "How about the 30th of February~?"

Jotou knitted her brows, "...So, you don’t want to go on a date?"

"Hm? What are you talking about?" she gave an awkward smile. "What’s the 30th of February?"

"A day that doesn’t exist...?"

"Jotou are you- Wait, is this another world thing?" her ears flickered. "How many days are there in a year Jotou?"

"Three six five... One extra day if it’s a leap year?"

"A leap year?" Hotaru shook her head, "There’s three hundred and sixty-seven days in a year—at least here. You can count on your knuckles starting from January. Each bump is the thirty-one and each dip is thirty for all the months."

"I know that trick, I just didn’t know there’s a constant 29th and 30th of February here," Jotou shrugged.

The redhead chuckled and sighed, "Now you know. So, what’s the 30th of February?"

"The last day of February...?"

Hotaru grinned wider and hopped forward.

"Why are you smiling, what is it!?"

With her fangs glistening she ran ahead of the blonde.

"Hey!" the blonde chased after.

_

Fumeko kept her head in a swivel, looking to the swirling clouds above the daunting school building. Big white puffs she left behind with her breaths as she made her way to a booth by the fountain.

The girl with blonde drills was bent over behind it, rummaging through a box before pulling out a picket sign, with one side saying ’Tour in Progress’.

"Hey histrionic," Fumeko called.

"Gah!" "TCK!" "Ow..." she hit her head against the underside of the booth as she eyed her way up and stood. "Don’t scare me like tha-! Ahem!" She rubbed the back of her head, but acted like she was patting her hair down.

"How else do you want me to call you exactly?" Fumeko crossed her arms.

"By not assaying an ambuscade on I-" she took a glance at recognized the brunette from a mere few moments ago. "Ah, tis only you. Have thou come for the more exhaustive tour?" her tone mellowed somewhat.

"Maybe," Fumeko looked around the booth—a small one, with the ’Welcoming Committee’ written in marker above. No other students seemed to be nearby either, "Who else is a part of this welcoming club?"

She gave a boisterous laugh, "No one dares beseech me for my current throne~!"

"You’re the leader and only member...?" Fumeko furrowed her brows. "Why am I not surprised?"

The girl scoffed, "For times have gone, since my arrival, many were disheartened and lacked the ambition to pursue such an endeavour."

Fumeko scrunched her face and theorized, "Everyone’s either graduated or quit the club and no one new has joined."

She sighed with a closed eye, too proud to let her chin fall. "Be it so. With alumni such as I, I leave a legacy of mine behind on these revered grounds.

For the time, bright new eyes such as thou, should centre your attention on the tour. I have an entourage to guide."

"Sure, I’ll take your tour. But I’m graduating this year, so I’m an alumni too," Fumeko shrugged.

The girl furrowed her brows and leaned forward slightly, "Does thou deceive me? I swear upon the void I have never perceived thy visage here before."

Fumeko pouted and glanced away, "Yeah, you wouldn’t’ve. What’s your name anyway?"

The blonde giggle vivaciously, "Does thou wish for me to divulge mine identity~?" she flourished her blazer and kept a few fingers spread over her eyepatch, "Though it may devastate you?" a ripple of transparent white waved up her eye.

The brunette watched with glazed over eyes, "And I thought the paranoiac and Sobi were too much..."

"No objections? Hah, so may it be~ The name given to me as I descended into this world anew, is Stella Vespertillio, the Child of Void within the Sea of Stars!" she threw her arm out and declared.

...

...

The families and students went by. "That’s, your whole name...? The title and everything?"

"The Child of the Void will do for the sake of your middling mind."

"What was that you little bitch?" the brunette glared.

"Ha! Does thou proclaim me to be petite when your stature is comparable?"

Fumeko growled...

"Now, divulge thy name so we may be acquainted," Stella demanded.

Fumeko exhaled and rolled her eyes. "Namora—Fumeko Namora," she averted the blonde’s gaze.

Stella’s eye widened and she leaned forward, "Wait, you mean-?"

"Yes, I’m his daughter," she said in exasperation.

"You’re mystery name!?" all her theatrics disappeared.

"What?" Fumeko turned to her with a squint.

Stella’s smile widened in shock and glee, "You’re the mystery name from our batch! You’re graduating with Batch 969, it makes sense now."

Fumeko stared... "Come again?"