Snippet #1946291

Ayumu had just been thinking about the rather pressing issue of her identity. Without something so essential, she couldn't hope to live in the real day and age she had opened her eyes to find. However, it seemed her worries were unfounded, for her reverie was violently disrupted by an ear-piercing squeal as an annoyingly familiar ball of optimism descended upon her, shoving two small plastic cards in her face. They seemed to be at least partially computerized, although that was nothing unexpected, once the Tsundere could wrap her mind around exactly what she was looking at.

Okay, she had to wonder. How in the hell had Miki, one of the most airheaded individuals she could possibly imagine - at least, from what she knew of her - gotten her hands on functioning personal and school identification chips? Moreover, how had Miki managed to get her enrolled in bloody Seisei Hofuna?! That school, from what she had read, was one of the most prestigious and renowned institutions in the city! Ayumu had no doubt that there had to be a great deal of formality involved with a membership to such a reputed locale. And yet, Miki had somehow - in defiance of all logic - managed to get her enrolled! While she was rather ecstatic, to be sure, that she had been given what seemed to be an early Christmas present, she just couldn't grasp how her ditzy fellow had accomplished such an impossible feat.

Well, it looked like she would never know. Before she could collect her jaw and come up with an intelligent inquiry, the airhead rambled on about food, then darted out of the room. Ayumu sighed, and looked over her new identification. It looked like the information on it was mostly the sort of stuff she was used to, which surprised her. Although she was now 16 years old and born in a different year, Miki - if it had really been her who had made these fakes, which Ayumu had to doubt - had somehow managed to guess her birthday. On top of that, she had also somehow gotten the necessary pictures of Ayumu for the I.D.. The Tsundere didn't know what to think. Still, if she was going to be enrolled in this school, she supposed that she only had one option: go there and find out exactly what she was getting into. The school clubs would probably be meeting within about 15 minutes, so there would still be staff on campus. And, hey, the clubs would be meeting. It seemed she'd gotten even more of a jackpot than she'd thought.

Well, then, there was only one thing to do: head to the school and check it out. But, of course, she would need to make a good impression.

A few minutes of searching provided Ayumu with a mirror, and a few more minutes of self-inspection and grooming yielded a nod of approval. The diner uniform, once the broach with the name of the establishment emblazoning it had been removed - which it had - looked like some kind of formalwear, rather than the employment clothing that it actually was. She'd make a great first impression if she showed up looking like this.

And so, she did. Silently taking her room key, sliding it into her breast pocket, and heading out into the halls, she began looking around for the elevator she had taken up. She soon found it, but stopped before entering, for something had caught her eye. A small metal panel on the floor, with a small bank of varying buttons placed above it, labeled, tellingly enough, "Destination." A quick inspection showed her that the keys were numbered the same as the various floors of the building, much like the controls of an elevator. Well, she wasn't sure what this thing did, but if she had to guess, it was some sort of fast transport system. Although she was a bit paranoid about just stepping into something like this, pushing a random button and hoping for the best, she figured it would have directions or warnings displayed around it if it really was da-

Oh, wait, it did. "Warning: Keep entire body on teleportation platform at all times. Teleportation platform ONLY transfers matter located directly above it, and can and will only partially teleport someone standing only part-way on board."

Well, that at least explained exactly what this infernal device was. A teleporter. It was hard to believe, but this WAS the future, after all. Well, judging by the way the lady behind the counter had looked at her and muttered something when she first came in, and how there seemed to be a decided lack of stairs in the building, this must have been the standard inter-floor transit system of THE FUTURE.

Joy. A potentially lethal interdimensional transit system was the new normal. The Tsundere had to wonder how many people got accidental amputations from the "partial teleportations" the warning plaque had talked about to warrant a cautionary sign like that. Just what was wrong with good old stairs?

Well, if this was the new normal, then Ayumu supposed that she'd just have to get used to it. Teleporters like these were probably used everywhere, and if she avoided them constantly, then she would just stand out as strange. She sighed, stepping onto the platform and finding the key for the ground floor. Even if this thing killed her for some reason or another, she thought morbidly, nobody would miss her. There wasn't really any point in living, anyway, so she wasn't exactly scared of dying. Pushing aside her fears, she reached forward, and pressed the button.

"Scotty, beam me up," She murmured, watching as the panel below her lit up with a sudden flash of light.

And then, her world flipped upside down. It was only a moment, but everything in the world felt so wrong that it seemed more like an eternity. Suddenly, she was inside out, left was right, up was down, light was dark, her eyes faced inward and she seemed to be being compressed with intense force. In a second, the world snapped back, but she had to stifle a gasp as she stumbled out of the transporter, managing to retain her feet as she assessed where exactly she was. The entrance hall, it seemed. Well, that solved that, she supposed, although the Tsundere firmly decided that teleportation was NOT a pleasant experience.

A few minutes of walking showed Ayumu to her destination. She entered the school grounds as most were leaving, the after school cleanup having ended and those not in any clubs having started the long walk home. The perfect Human merely made her way quietly into the building, and, opening up a map window helpfully located on the back of her student I.D., quickly navigated her way to the clubrooms.

First stop, the band club. I wonder if they need a keyboardist? Ayumu mused, slowly opening a door which, if her map was to be believed, housed the band club. Well, it seemed her map was good, because if the quiet strains of acoustic guitar, punctuated by a bluesy drum beat and joined by a quiet chorus of saxophone and singing was any indication, she'd found her destination. She waited until the song ended before she entered, interrupting the performers in the midst of congratulating each other on how well they had done.

"Excuse me!" She piped up politely, causing the various musicians to turn to face the new arrival. "I'm a new transfer student to this school. My name is Hitori Ayumu. I have an interest in music, and was wondering if your club had any openings."

A few quiet murmurs, then the band's lead singer stepped forward, a smile at least a mile wide adorning her face.

"Hi there!" The singer declared enthusiastically. Ayumu noticed that the four-member band was entirely comprised of girls, a fact which made her a bit more at ease. Try as she might, she'd always had a hard time getting along with boys. "I'm Nura Tomoko, club president and lead singer! This is Tsubaki, our lead guitarist, Aya - she does saxophone when we do jazz or blues songs, and bass guitar when we do rock or pop, she's really amazing! - and this is Yuuko, our drummer! It's great to meet you!" She hopped down from their small stage at the front of the room, gesturing to each in turn.

Tomoko herself was tall, skinny and flat, with eyes as brown as her neck-length chocolate-colored hair. Tsubaki was a kind, if a bit nervous looking girl with a long blonde ponytail, bright blue eyes, and a level of development both in size and figure that contrasted starkly with her innocent, childish countenance. Aya was a short, slender, black haired girl with a piercing green gaze and a mischievous grin, with matted, spiky hair, and Yuuko was a rather low-key seeming individual - probably an albino, if her reddish-brown eyes, long, white hair and pale skin were any indication. The latter-most individual seemed rather mellow, as she was the only one who didn't hop down from their makeshift stage and head over to greet the new arrival, instead opting to wave quietly and watch stoically from a distance.

"It's nice to meet all of you as well," Ayumu said, smiling as she gave an introductory bow.

"You don't need to act so formal! Come on in and make yourself at home!" Tomoko declared, gesturing towards a few chairs in the corner before sitting down along with Aya on a large couch. "Tsubaki, could you get us some tea?"

"Sure thing," The guitarist consented gently, heading over to a small table in the opposite corner where some tea was brewing, gathering up several small cups and beginning to pour the assembled girls some drinks.

"Oh, thank you," Ayumu said graciously, seating herself in a comfortable armchair across from the members of the band.

"Don't mention it!" Aya replied, still giving her shifty, catlike grin, snatching her tea from Tsubaki as she returned with the group's drinks.

"So go on, tell us! Don't be shy!" Tomoko exclaimed after a brief draft of the tea.

"Tell you...?" Ayumu inquired, taking a small sip from her own drink. "Oh, it's good!" She complimented.

"Of course it is! You wouldn't believe how good Tsubaki is at this sort of thing. She's really sweet, our little housekeeper!" Tomoko complimented breezily.

"Oh, that's an exaggeration, I assure you," The guitarist said modestly.

"Suuuuure it is~," Aya laughed, speaking in a sing-song voice, grinning from ear to ear.

"Anyway," the band leader continued. "I mean, tell us what you're good at! Do you sing, or maybe play an instrument? How good are you?"

"I play the piano - or the keyboard, if it's more appropriate. I've taken lessons from an expert since I was five years old. I'm not incredible, but I like to think of myself as a passable performer."

"Oh? That's nice. I've always liked the piano," Tsubaki said, sitting down on on a small stool next to the others and taking a cultured taste of her own drink. A quick glance showed Yuuko to still be sitting in silence by the drum set. She must have been shy, or something.

"The piano? And you're good?" Tomoko asked, seeming excited. Well, more excited than she had been before. From what Ayumu could tell, the president of the Seisei Hofuna band club was always excited.

"Well, yes," Ayumu said modestly. She didn't get any further than that, for at that moment, she was clapped powerfully on the shoulder. In the blink of an eye - literally - the band club president had stood up and given her a rather over-enthusiastic "pat on the back."

"That's great! Our old pianist quit about a month back. We've been looking for a replacement ever since!"

"Oh? Well, I guess that means I'm in luck. Should I play something for you? That is, if you have a piano or keyboard."

"Please do," Tsubaki said smilingly.

"Right this way, my friend!" Aya declared, standing up as well with a broad grin and gesturing toward the stage in an overdramatic manner. Ayumu followed her energetic escorts to the back of the stage, where under a dusty black cloth sat something large. Aya took hold of this covering, and ripped it away with an over-the-top sweep of her hand, revealing a rather pricy looking keyboard and bench. The pianist seated herself, and looked over the instrument with an approving, if critical eye. It was little different from the sorts of instruments she knew, and a few moments of fiddling brought up the tone library. She selected a rather vibrant jazzy piano setting, and then swept her hands over the keys, testing it to see how well it would work. Yes, this would be perfect. Glancing up at the various band members around her, all of whose eyes - even those of the shy, or possibly antisocial drummer - were on her. Grinning back, she steeled herself, and then began to play, jumping right into the fast paced intro of a song she knew from memory.