We Arrived at an Amazing School

The car stopped. It seemed we had arrived at the school.

Where was this place… It was unfamiliar territory to me.

More than that, the school was incredible… incredibly vast. It could rival Kaede-chan’s house in size. No, the fact that her house could compete with a school meant her house was the abnormal one.

I recalled the high school I had once attended, the cherished school where I met my ex-girlfriend Unma.

Compared to the school right in front of me now, my alma mater had been incredibly modest and utterly ordinary, but it was a wonderful school full of memories.

Thinking back on my high school days now made tears well up… No matter where or how I remembered my youth, Unma had almost always been by my side.

Unma… Why did you abandon me… We had been together so much…

“Ryoma-kun, what’s wrong? Hey.”

Snap!

Kaede-chan poked my cheek, and I regained my senses.

No, no, I had let myself get all sentimental remembering the past. This had nothing to do with the current school. I needed to set thoughts of my alma mater aside for now.

“We’ve arrived at school. Let’s get out quickly.”

“Y-Yeah.”

I thanked the driver and got out of the car, then stood next to Kaede-chan in front of the school gate.

So, what on earth was this school? Even just standing at the gate, I could tell it was nothing like the one I knew.

My first impression was that it felt less like a school and more like a castle. It was somehow expansive and towering. There was a school building so tall it was visible even from afar.

And it had this shiny, gleaming aura. It wasn’t actually shining, but I could feel an intense brilliance. It was clearly no ordinary place.

The gate bore the inscription “Seikōin Academy.”

“Alright, let’s go, Ryoma-kun.”

Squeeze.

“!”

Kaede-chan took my hand and led me onto the school grounds.

“Wait a second, Kaede-chan! Are we holding hands?”

“Yeah… Do you hate it?”

Kaede-chan made a lonely expression. Even though she was my owner, she looked like a sad puppy. It made my heart ache a little.

“No, I don’t hate it at all… But are you okay with it, Kaede-chan!? Walking around school holding hands with me…”

“I don’t mind at all.”

True to her words, Kaede-chan walked boldly across the school grounds, hand in hand with me.

Murmur, murmur…

Whisper, whisper…

There were lots of students around. As expected, I drew intense stares from the surrounding students, and cold sweat poured down my back.

This is bad, I’m standing out way too much… And no wonder, since I was the only one in this space not wearing a uniform—and more than that, I wasn’t a student or anything; I was just an outsider.

Of course a suspicious intruder like me would attract massive attention if he walked around holding hands with such a cute girl.

That said… If I looked closely at my surroundings…

Girls, girls, girls.

The students around me were all girls. There were no boys in sight at all—only females.

No way, was this school…

An all-girls school!?

That made me stand out even more…! I was the only man in this entire space! Not in uniform, not a student, and male to boot—I was more of an alien here than anyone could imagine!

I could feel the stares intensely. The students’ gazes hurt. Ah, it was so suffocating. So lonely. Anyone—please, is there a man around here!?

No good, there wasn’t! Only girls! Even the statues were of women!

Kaede-chan remained perfectly calm as always. I was in total disarray, which only highlighted how pathetic I was by contrast. It made me stand out even more.

“Kaede-chan, what is this school!?”

“You don’t know, Ryoma-kun? Look at this uniform. Doesn’t it look familiar from somewhere?”

“…No idea…”

Looking at the uniform Kaede-chan wore, all I could think was how incredibly cute it was.

The skirt was on the shorter side, with her white, tight thighs extending sleekly—it was truly magnificent. The black knee-high socks were magnificent too… Ah, no, this was bad; I could only look at her in uniform with lecherous eyes. Kaede-chan, you shouldn’t ask a pervert like me to look at your uniform.

“I see. Our school has been featured on TV and the internet, though.”

“How embarrassing.”

“Seikōin Academy is a famous ladies’ school known nationwide.”

“A ladies’ school!?”

“Yeah, basically, only people of high status can get in. That’s Seikōin Academy.”

Now that she mentioned it, the female students around me all had this noble air. They all gave off a vaguely wealthy vibe.

Whoa, there was even someone with ringlet curls. I’d never seen ringlet curls in person before. She looked every bit the proper lady.

Well, Kaede-chan was the daughter of the Nakajo Group, after all, so it made sense for her to attend a school with such high prestige.

There was no doubt this was an elite ladies’ school. That made me even more out of place. I was a man, from an ordinary middle-class family, with no impressive education, an adult to boot—nothing about me was fit to set foot in this school.

“…So, why did you bring me here…?”

“Hmm, just wait a little longer.”

With that, Kaede-chan led me into the school building.

On the second floor of that building, this seemed to be the school office.

Kaede-chan let go of my hand once we got there.

“Alright, Ryoma-kun, I need to talk to the office staff for a bit, so you wait here.”

She told me to wait right next to the office, by the stairs.

“Yeah, got it.”

“Don’t go wandering off anywhere, okay?”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

I wouldn’t have gone even if she hadn’t said it. There was no way I would. Leaving Kaede-chan’s side in a place this utterly hostile was way too risky.

Kaede-chan went into the office and talked with one of the staff members.

What could she be discussing with the staff… Did it have something to do with me? That said, the office staff all seemed to be women too… Man, I stuck out like a sore thumb.

Ah, so lonely. Even though Kaede-chan was right where I could see her, just being alone for these few minutes made me feel this empty. Was I a child or something?

The female students passing by the office glanced at me repeatedly. They clearly looked suspicious. Some even glared. Scary. Well, it was only natural since I was the only man in the school. I must have been quite the rarity.

This is tough… Hurry back, Kaede-chan! You’re right there, but still!

“Huh? That’s rare. A man at this school.”

“!!!!!!”

I was utterly shocked. One female student had spoken to me.

She had red hair in a half-up style and a slender build. This girl was incredibly cute too. The girls at this school weren’t just elite in status—they were on another level in looks as well.

“Is something wrong? Do you have business at this school?”

“…Uh, me…?”

“Yes, you? You’re the only man here.”

R-Right, of course… She said “man,” so she meant me.

This is bad, what should I say… I couldn’t possibly tell her I’d become a high school girl’s pet and been dragged here against my will. But staying silent would make me seem even more suspicious…

“Well, various circumstances…”

I couldn’t think of an excuse, so I tried to brush it off vaguely… But what kind of “various circumstances”? There was no way that would work. This is bad, she might get really suspicious…

“Huh, is that so? Well, good luck then.”

The red-haired girl left without paying it much mind. Did I manage to brush it off…? Well, at least nothing bad happened… I thought she might report me as a suspicious person.

“Sorry to keep you waiting~”

Ah, Kaede-chan was back! It hadn’t even been five minutes. And yet I’d felt so incredibly lonely in that short time.

…Hm? Kaede-chan was holding a single sheet of paper.

…No, more than that, there was no light in Kaede-chan’s eyes. I’d seen eyes like this before. They were kind of scary. Really scary. A chill ran down my spine, and I straightened up instinctively.

“Hey, Ryoma-kun, what was that with that girl just now?”

“Huh? You mean the one with red hair? She just spoke to me, so we talked a bit…”

“Why were you talking to a girl who’s not me?”

So that’s why her eyes had been scary since earlier!? Was she jealous!? It’s cute, but scary.

“Wha!? Is just talking not allowed!?”

“No, it isn’t. You’re my pet, after all. Sneaking off to interact with another girl the moment your owner looks away? That’s a naughty boy.”

Wha, she just talked to me because a man here is so rare, and now this is so unfair… Hey, stop staring at me with those lifeless eyes. It’s seriously scary. I’m shaking.

“…Well, whatever. Here, Ryoma-kun, sign this document.”

“Hm!?”

She handed me a paper and a pen. It was labeled as a contract, with a signature line at the bottom.

I hesitated for a moment, but since I was her pet, I signed as instructed.

“Good job.”

I’d only written my name, but she patted my head.

“Um… What kind of contract is that…?”

I started feeling uneasy after signing it, even though it was too late.

“I told you I’d introduce you to a job once you became my pet.

Starting today, you’ll be working at Seikōin Academy.”

“?!?!?!”

I had indeed lost my job and planned to look for a new one…

But working here!? At this all-girls school!?