//------------------------------// // Week 4 Friday: A new shelter // Story: Assassination Club // by Tythen //------------------------------// *Knock Knock* The sound of knocking can be heard within the Principal's office, "Come in!" Celestia called, "Good morning, the three of you." Luna greeted with a bow as the three Neighponese teachers walked in: Ms Yada, Coach Justice and Mr Shiota. "We're in Equestria, so we'll follow Equestrian culture rules." Nagisa replied, "so Good Morning to you too!" "First off," Celestia started, "let me congratulate you personally on your club's performance yesterday. It would be a lie to say that it was not what we were all expecting." "All credit goes to the young ones," Kimura laughed, "we just provided them with the tools necessary." "We are intrigued though," Luna asked, "how was Thunderlane able to disappear through all that smoke like a ninja?" "That is a secret that's best discovered for yourself!" Yada winked, "Before we start derailing on casual topics, we are here to discuss the club." Celestia reminded, "I've been looking at the results of your currently completed exams. A personal comparison from previous tests does show an improvement for a majority of the students, and the teachers have admitted that most of their 'less-achieving' students have indeed been going better. To be critical, however, I expected the club to have finished and handed in these tests before this meeting, but since we have gone through that as well as the contest, I can't blame you for shifting priorities." "Of course," Nagisa nodded, "But what's more surprising, is that student conduct rather than grades have seen a bigger improvement, especially for Thunderlane. Ever since you've pushed him into the club, he's been less rude to teachers or students." "Oh I'm afraid that he's still not a polite boy," Yada sighed, "but he's adjusting!" "I've also been notified that Nurse Redheart is beginning to take more time off her Nurse Duty to attend more classes as well as Lunchtime. I've heard she's part of the club now right?" "Yes," Kimura answered, "We are curious, how many students are in your club now?" Luna asked, "After the scuffle with Windcaller, we have 3 new students: Pinkie Pie, Noteworthy and Cheerilee. Making a total of 13 students." "Four weeks, and you've got 13 students. Normally a firm number comes in at the start, but yours just accumulate week after week." "For the record, those three students were involved in the actions of our club." "I know of little," Celestia answered, "Noteworthy and Pinkie were harmed by the man, but I have no idea how Cheerilee got in," "We've had a... Friendly discussion." Nagisa finished, "In any case, what do you want us to come to attention with?" "The sixth week is not far from us now. We plan on finishing all the practice exams before the term rolls in. However, I am quite ashamed and selfish to say that it's not enough for the group to be confident." "We see," Luna answered, "and there is very minimal time compared to regular lessons that you spend with your students." "Now that's where I come in." Yada answered, "do you know of my projects in Equestria?" "Yes," Luna nodded, "you have the Eastern-styled dormitory not far from CHS." "This is just a guess," Celestia continued, "but is it related to your former class of assassins?" "Yes," Yada confessed, "but we had a change of plans when we met..." "Alright everyone!" Yada spoke in English in a shared video chat. "The Dormitory complex has been finished!" "About time," Rio answered, also in English, "now getting into Equestria would be easier." "How are things going back home?" Nagisa asked, "Extra preparation," A sly voice reported, "but it's nothing that you should worry your little heads over." "That's great and all..." Kimura chuckled, "but we're worried about another thing. As you know from our reports, the School that Nagisa's teaching is heavily involved, and the Principal and Vice-Principal have knowledge of our situation." "Oh dear, looks like someone's going to have to do some threatening and blackmail!" The sly voice laughed, "Karma, please. I trust Celestia, Luna and the students completely. And also one thing, I know that the dormitory is designed for us and..." Nagisa sighed, "well, let's just say the current students in this school are quite... Reminiscent of us." "Oh?" Multiple sounds of interest came up, "I want the students to use the dormitory. That's something that I can set up as Korosensei would do." "Okay, I understand what you're trying to achieve, but are you sure you can handle it?" "I'm discussing it with them tomorrow. I'm also going to let our students know too." "Quite attached to them are you?" Ritsu laughed, "I've seen pictures of them. Surely you're not falling for them?" "What!?!?" A brown wavy-haired woman with green highlights gasped in shock, Kaede Kayano. "Nothing of the sort, but that's what I want to ask from the three of us." Nagisa answered, "is that okay?" "You know," a big and bulky man in Politician's clothes grumbled, "hearing something like that is quite a letdown," "But on the other hand," A man whose eyes are obscured by his glasses spoke, "plans like these can get unpredictable, we can always take the extra time to be fully prepared." "So with your permission," Nagisa proposed, "I'd like to offer the dormitory, which was initially a homestay for Haysian Overseas students, or our former Junior High classmates, to the students of CHS." "A generous offer... But at the moment, we are unfortunately supporting and funding four dormitories as of now, and though they are extremely full and that requests for boarding students have been growing by the day, we may not have enough funds to support another." Luna stated, "Leave the funding and upkeep to us. I'm no billionaire, but supplying a place like this is no skin off my back." Yada negotiated, "if there are any funds that come with student accommodation, it will all be sent to you." "Unacceptable." Celestia declined, "For you to offer your hall of residence without getting anything back is something that will not float with business or especially with me." "If you insist then, we can divide the sharings. I can have 10 percent." "Still a no." Luna answered, "the income is still minuscule." "Okay then, how about half-half?" Yada bargained, "My deal is that the school will have 10%, while you have 90%. After all, we already have four dorms that we own, accommodate and are receiving funds from." Celestia negotiated, "if you really wish to help the finances of our school, you can feel free to just donate or fund us externally." "Okay, okay, you strike a fair deal." Yada answered, "but pardon me jumping the gun, I haven't shown you the actual place yet. The outside and inside are all fully complete by now. What's left is the furnishing, water, and a meeting with an energy company regarding electricity, which is planned for the weekend. As for seeing the place, we can give you a tour at lunchtime." "A tour at lunchtime?" Luna asked, "We'd wager another guess... Is the special tutorship club coming?" Nagisa looked around the room, then back to the sisters, "yes, to accompany the students and teachers. However, I'm pretty sure it shouldn't come as a surprise to you." "The Lunchtime was a giveaway." Celestia answered, "As a principal, you have to be preceptive on the intentions and teachers of their students through their words and actions. From there, you can easily perceive their strengths and weaknesses." The three teachers shivered, something about their boss' words struck a chord of memory within them. "A-Are you alright?" Celestia asked, "N-Nothing!" Kimura jumped, "Well?" Celestia turned to Luna, "We are very happy to accompany the students to the dormitory as well as see it for ourselves." Luna answered, "what about you sister?" "It is fortunate that I have no matters to attend to this day. Count me in!!!" "So then," Nagisa addressed the Club, "care for a small field outing? We're going off to visit the dormitory, no study today!" "Sir, with all due respect." Cheerilee raised her hand, "we really do need to study hard for our middle-term exams. Also, I hate to be the pansy here, but I'm sure you're very much familiar that schools are graded against various other schools around Equestria just like in Neighpon." "Do you find it strange that I'm actually agreeing with Ms Teacher here?" Thunderlane asked. The others responded with nothing except for a single 'Nope' from Big Macintosh. "We all agree with her." Kimura replied, "it's scary, it's a lot of pressure, whether it's mid-term, or entrance exams to a High school." "However," Yada continued, "we'll disclose even more information about our dormitory, and how it's going to be related to study." "Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna will also be coming with us." Kimura added "Mr Shiota?" A fair voice knocked on the door, "can we come in?" "That would be our guests." Nagisa addressed as he answered the door, "Good Afternoon Principal and Vice-Principal." "Good afternoon Mr Shiota, Ms Yada, Coach Justice, students." Celestia greeted back, "Good Afternoon Principal." The class responded back. "As you already know," Celestia added, "we'll be here to accompany you." "Sister?" Luna followed behind, an electronic notepad in her hands, "I'm ready!" "Sounds like someone's ready to go house-hunting!" The students spoke in unison, "So then..." Nagisa asked, "I won't force you, but perhaps you would like to take a break today?" "One question," Flitter asked, "we actually haven't been there in our own time so... How far is it?" "Around 10 minutes," Yada answered, "5 minutes by bike. So the time is now that we walk there!" "You can leave your books here students. We've got a field trip!" Nagisa encouraged, With a mix of single file or horde, the principals, teachers and students walked up the street, They walked down the street. And despite being teenagers (or adults like Celestia and Luna), one can't help to see what their teachers had in store. The students came across a peaceful street surrounded by very natural and vibrant public gardens with trees and flowers, and bushes. Nature aside, there were plenty of two-story houses, apartment complexes that were four-stories or more, various convenience stores, a medium shopping complex, and plenty of restaurants of different cuisines, not to mention a rather big manor with a big front porch. "I must say," Celestia answered, "you have sure picked a good place. It's close, It's not loud or busy, and you've also got everything that you need." "There were vacant lots around large shopping centres and business complexes, but it wouldn't do for students." "So," Fluttershy asked, "where's the apartment?" "I know!" Pinkie pointed at a two-story house, "over there!" "Too small," Flash shook his head, "it's probably one of those apartment complexes!" "Nope," Yada shook her head, "that's for families." "Ooh!" Pinkie pointed to an even bigger building "how about that!?" "That's an aged care centre Pinkie." Kimura sighed, the class hollered with laughter, "Oh, I know!" Redheart joked, "how about the big mansion behind us?" And the class laughed once again, "Come on Ms Yada!" Fleetfoot laughed, "stop keeping us at bay! Show us!" "Pinkie?" Yada grasped Pinkie's rapidly moving arm to stop, "mind if I borrow your finger?" "Sure!" Pinkie laughed, "Okay everyone!" Yada announced, "prepare to be amazed!" The students continued laughing and jeering at their many guessing jokes that they made as they focused their eyes on Pinkie's finger, but once Yada slowed down and stopped her finger pointing straight at the big manor behind them, they ceased immediately. "Are you kidding me?" Thunderlane's jaw dropped, "When it comes to words, sarcasm is a big no-no for Neighponese people. We're straightforward people." Yada answered as she let go of Pinkie's petrified arm and face of shock, "and we're being straightforward right now! This is CHS' new dormitory. Isn't it lovely?" "This is Canterlot High School's new dormitory!?!?" The Students exclaimed together, "We must say," Luna looked to the roof of the manor, "Actually, there are no words to describe the size and design. It feels like any student staying in there will be spoilt." "There are four floors that make up this building, the ground floor included." Yada planned, "There are a total of 40 rooms with various sizes and amenities included. The front porch is just as wide but short in length, while the back porch is longer in length. You got all that kids?" She turned to the students, who were still lost in the wonder of the manor's size. The symmetrical building had a mixture of glazed wood and painted brick and concrete all in dark brown; as if it was a prestige and luxurious house paved for the finest of Spritish nobles. "Oh come on guys!" Yada moaned, "hotels cover bigger acres of land than this! I mean, if you turn this manor to the side, it's almost as tall as one of those apartments! Plus, you haven't seen the interior yet." With a gesture, she started walking past the wall entrance and up to the manor with Kimura following behind, "What are you guys waiting for?" Nagisa asked, "come on in!" Inside the manor, the floor was strewn with glazed wood flooring, the walls were painted with a smooth dark beige, floors were supported with thin but firm wooden pillars, and the horizontal hallway stretched further than their peripheral visions. The students and Equestrian teachers looked around with wonder at how clean and reflective was each plank, as well as the intricate wooden pillars. "If you're wondering how Neighponese we're going to get, it starts now. Please take off your shoes and leave them near the entrance where it's not wood." Yada instructed, "and you can state that it is a Neighponese habit, but there's also the matter of hygiene, and that's what the Neighponese prioritise in the house. Houses I visited in other countries like Caneighda and Equestralia do the same thing with taking off your shoes." "Well we can certainly tell," Luna replied as she and the others began taking off their shoes, "I wouldn't want to muddy or dirty the floor." "Feel free to go wild everyone!" Yada laughed, "but be sure not to break anything or dirty things!" "Gee, Ms Yada," Pinkie shook her head with a sigh, "we're not kids anymore, we're grown up adults!" She clenched her fists in excitement as she turned to face the manor's interior with a hunger for exploration, "so what and where can we explore? I hope there are some super cool Neighponese things in here!" "Look who's talking," the other students snarkily returned in unison as Pinkie rapidly jumped on the spot. After jumping for a few seconds, she dashed up the stairs past everyone who was taking their time to move around. Any student that wasn't Pinkie decided to take their own time to look around the living room or the upper floors, while the adults decided to stay together, with Yada acting as the estate agent. "I hope you've got your notes ready Vice-Principal," Yada winked at the nervous woman of the night, "so on the first floor, the living, dining and recreational hall are all combined into one as you can see here." "Almost everything is big," Celestia mentioned as she tapped a very long rectangular dining table that can fit about sixteen people. "Truly," Luna boggled her head over the number of sofas in the living area as she typed everything down, "8 Three-seat sofas, with two coffee tables between each set of four!" "We're not being luxurious, however, we only just bought the TV that's able to currently view the various free channels. If you want to buy something like Hooflix, Ley, or Munchybun, that's something you need to request later." "I see." Celestia nodded in understanding, "Would you like to see the student rooms first and the amenities?" "Sure," Luna nodded as the adults marched up the stairs on the back to the first floor. Unlike the Ground Floor, the first-floor landing did not contain as much as the ground floor. It still contained the long hallway for walking from the left to the right, but where living area and kitchen stood are replaced with walled rooms with doors for entry. Directly in front of them in the staircase was a set of two windows where they can see the front. "This floor, as well as the second and third have the same flooring design and is where the students will be staying. There are ten rooms each of the elevated floors. Seven of them are personal student rooms for their own selves, two of them will be bathrooms for male and female, and the last room will be a free room for the students choosing. It can be a Rec Room, a place where you can stash your snacks, a gaming room, or even just a student meeting room to discuss group studies with or without the teacher!" "Sounds very versatile, I like it." Celestia nodded in approval as she went into a random bedroom. Looking around, she found the place quite spacious and enough room to put a bed, wardrobe, study desk, and all the items necessary for the student's privacy. "For a room, a maximum of two people will be able to fit all their mandatory belongings in," Kimura noted, "but if people decide to sleep over with just a mattress and some blankets, I'd say an estimate of five can fit in." "Understood," Luna wrote everything down, "Yo!" Soarin's voice can be heard on the same floor, "these bathrooms are big!" "Ah! Right! The bathrooms." Yada remembered, "now around this time, we've got a little bit of a culture lesson when it comes to baths or showers." Leading the teachers on, Yada guided them to the males side of the bathroom. In this area was what people would usually see in a shared changing room and bathroom. There were 5 fully closed toilet cubicles that looked like a room around just one home-based toilet bowl, each made of smooth and spotless porcelain, 5 shower cubicles that were also private and had clean tiled floors, and 5 sinks with mirrors, all sparkly clean. In fact, everything about the bathroom is cleaner than the front porch, that it made the sisters feel a bit guilty about their own school toiletries. The only thing different is that a row of plastic stools and a stack of mini tubs sit near the showers. "Now don't take this the wrong way, but you guys know how to take a shower right?" "Well yes," Soarin chimed in as he was in the conversation, "Turn on the water and set the temperature, then just wash under the water with soap and a sponge or tower if you need it." "Yeah! Except for us..." Kimura gestured, "as a way to use water efficiently, the showerheads are designed to be handheld." He stepped into a shower cubicle and pulled one out as an example. "That design sounds quite similar to my one at home." Soarin remembered, "now that I think about it, my Mom would always use the shower like that whenever she'd give me a wash." "You should also think about whether it's the right time to let out something embarrassing," Luna answered, "Eh, It's when I was a really young child. We all had to have help." Soarin shrugged, "But anyway," Kimura continued. "The buckets are for just tipping water all over you to fully rinse your body after you've scrubbed yourself with soap and shampoo, also more helpful when you use a hard sponge or scrunchie to scrub hard." "Well..." Soarin scratched his head, "I just use my hands." "That's fine and dandy and all; there's no one way to take a shower and scrub yourself. But here's when the Neighponese culture kicks in." Kimura continued, "want to tag along with us Soarin?" "Sure!" Soarin nodded, and the group walked back to the ground floor, this time going into a sliding door rather than a hinged door located in the west wing of the manor. Behind it was a sort of wooden locker room with bamboo mat flooring, with a few washing machines, and two toilet rooms resembling the ones on the upper floors for privacy, and beyond another set of gates was an open space area with open stalls that had handheld showerheads and wide mirrors, and by far the most notable feature: "A really big bath!" Soarin exclaimed as he rushed towards the blue-tiled cuboid, "that's awesome!" "The showerheads here have only one mode while the private ones on top have multiple, for your information," Yada added. Luna furiously added many more notes with such feverous excitement. "I've read about this," Celestia spoke, "The bath is here for a time for relaxation and revitalisation correct?" "Indeed," Nagisa nodded. "And it's... It's a shared bath?" Kimura took a deep breath and sighed, "... Yeah, but shared between genders, and you can go in with a towel if you are conscious about your privates." "Hmm..." Soarin stared at the bath as he examined the tiles, a clash between conflict and interest as he learns more about the Neighponese culture when it comes to baths. "I know, it sounds really weird to do that for a Western Society, but it's just a way of Social Interaction. Family members would even wash each other's backs, and mostly just the back and not anywhere else." "I... See..." Soarin took it all in, "I'll let the other students know when they come across it." "Okay, enough about baths!" Yada clapped her hands, "we've yet to show you the actual meat of the building, and that's on the Ground Floor! And I'm going to let Mr Sensei here take the reins!" "Huh?" Nagisa asked as all current eyes turned to him, "s-sure! Follow me if you will." Once again, the adults went back on their house-inspecting journey, with Soarin deciding to tag along. "Just want some more information." Soarin shrugged when he was asked why he joined the estate party. "Now," Nagisa took over as Cheerilee and Redheart decided to see what the ground floor bathrooms were like, "Aside from the shared bath, storage room, and about 5 bedrooms here, we've designed the ground floor like our E-Class campus building back in Kunugigaoka Junior High School. The last two rooms consist of one faculty office and administration rooms, and the second one..." He opened the door to a bigger room to a very familiar sight for the teachers located in the East Wing. Located there was a wide room that could fit about more 40 students, the colour of the floor and walls were a vibrant brown. The long-sided walls each had a row of 8 double-hung windows lined together, with each double-hung window segmented into 8 squares. One row showed the view of the front porch and the outskirts of Stable Street, while the opposite one faced the inside interior of the house, where the hallway and a few extra doors can be seen. "... Is the classroom of our former campus," Yada finished, "whilst we did add some modern equipment like a whiteboard and better chairs and tables, the aura of our E-Class stays true after all those years." "I read more about Kunugigaoka Junior High School and their history with E-Class. It's quite nasty, but you've got really strong hearts if you're able to pull through!" Celestia informed, "We've got an amazing teacher to thank," Nagisa answered, "so not only our grades but even our perceptions of the future and ourselves changed for the better." "And... I think that's our tour for our lunchtime!" Yada finished, "I'll go round the kids up," She walked towards a polished brass tube attached to the wall near the stairs, "Attention everyone!" She spoke, "our time of exploration is nearly up, please meet up back at the entrance in less than 5!" "You even have a form of communication throughout the building?" Luna gasped, "truly amazing!" "There were some ideas in other dorm designs that we used," Yada explained as the students immediately started piling together whether from the upper floors or across the hallways. "That's some classy communication system, I'll give you that." Roseluck complimented, "Well?" Nagisa asked, "what do you think?" "Well, we've got the plans already beforehand," Noteworthy mentioned, "so we do know what the manor here looks like." "But it's still pretty neat to see what it actually develops into!" Cloudchaser finished, followed with nods of agreement. "Perhaps you can send us your information about the house plans?" Luna requested, "we'll have even more information and even arrange a meeting for you in the weekend." "On it!" Yada winked, "Alright everyone," Celestia announced, "let's make our way back to the school!" "Well sister?" Luna asked as the group exited the mansion and made their way back, "what do you think? We think it looks stupendous and well-designed! With such great opportunity, we would seek to invest and accommodate our students in this Hall of Residence!" "No..." Celestia shook her head, "after everything we've seen and with more information on the way, I am convinced that this is no Hall of Residence... It is a shelter, a shelter for those troubled in their ways of education, for those who have been considered weak. I'm beginning to see what their teacher Korosensei was like." "And what may that be?" "A patient and compassionate teacher who never gave up on his students, no matter how weak they were, and will do their best to never let them come to harm. How could it be that such a teacher like him was a former assassin? Truly a wonderful being."