“Welcome aboard, and welcome back!”

Mayumi and Caius were greeted with applause after Mr Verne introduced them and their new roles to the rest of the drama department. Some eyebrows rose when they announced that Cecilia’s casting was side-graded or downgraded, depending on whom you ask, but most were in silent approval since it was mostly seen as a downgrade.

As popular as she ever was, Mayumi quickly found good graces with her role’s immediate cast members, shaking their hands and striking up animated conversation. Caius might have stood beside her, but he needed not to speak too much to the cast, which were filled with third-years.

“We’re here together again, Anne.”

“I didn’t expect it either, but let’s make the next six weeks work, Caius.”

“Of course. Who do you think I am? Let’s do it.”

“I’ve always had faith in you to do so. Now, let’s go over what we need you to do.”

Though their words didn’t show it, there was an obvious air of malice between them. Donovan was the first to break the icy veil with a corporate smile.

“The two of you know each other?”

“Yes. Remember in our first year, the drama department was split between the Johnny and Victor factions and we did different works. I was in Johnny’s with Caius while you were in Victor’s with Cecilia. Sadly, Caius decided to leave after finishing the first show. Mr Verne valued his abilities very highly.”

“I had a fairly minor role in that Macbeth, but for whatever reason Mr Verne really liked my style I guess.”

“Ah, that’s why I can’t recall immediately. But in any case, welcome back to the drama department, even if only for this one show. We need every talent we can have.”

“I’m guessing that with your new job, a lot of the drama boys are moving out with you to the PSC, which is why the drama department is looking for more people to replace them.”

“That’s right, and you’re actually perfect for the job, eh? For someone from Class F to join a PSC-affiliated club is a good thing for the peace and order of the school. I appreciate your co-operation.”

“It just so happens that that’s the case, Donovan. A convenient coincidence for everyone, I guess.”

“Well, while I’m still part of the drama club, the one running the show now is Anne, so you’re right that it’s just a convenient coincidence, nothing more.”

While the two were all smiles the atmosphere was still oddly tense, not unlike the exchange with Anne. After all, Caius was the maverick on the front line of the anti-neutrality protests and Donovan represented exactly his enemy, though Donovan was not actually involved in the PSC until now.

“If I’m the one running the show, then let me run the show, all right?”

“Be my guest.”

Donovan waved the group goodbye, apparently in good spirits despite Cecilia giving up her role easily to an outsider, a role that he personally secured for her. And so, Cecilia was a bit confused at his jubilation.

“It’s not that mysterious, Cecilia. It makes total sense from his new position. Why would he spare Caius the trouble if not for the political gains from Caius’ co-operation with us?”

Surprised, Anne answered her question from her inner thoughts. Maybe her face was too obvious, but Anne was right. She already forgot about that angle because for some reason she was too nervous with Caius next to her. In contrast, Caius seemed at home in comfort, which was his usual state of being.

“I’m not wrong. And I didn’t choose this if I had a say in it. It’s all because of that devil over there.”

“She’s an old friend of yours? And willing to play Whatzshecalled for you? That’s one close friend.”

Anne snickered, but Caius just shrugged.

“She’s more like our boss than anything else. I just happened to get caught up in this because I’m the only one in our group who has the ability to do this job alongside her. That’s what I mean by a convenient coincidence.”

“Say what you like, but my gut feeling tells me that this all isn’t a mere coincidence. That’s the one thing you’ll get out of me.”

Ominously, she unilaterally closed off the conversation with a slam shut of her notebook on her clipboard. She motioned for them to follow her, and simultaneously snapped her fingers furiously at Mayumi’s direction to get her attention. Her twintails bounced in the air menacingly alongside her harsh expression.

“Mayumi!”

“Yes, coming!”

They gathered at a familiar corner of the drama classroom with the eternally important chalkboard and its notes and schedules. Needless to say, it was almost all in Anne’s handwriting besides the occasional teachers’ intervention. She slapped her hand on the porcelain board with her open palm, almost like an upset teacher would.

“This here should have everything you need to know on any given day. The schedule is a two-week planner that shows who’s doing what on a given day, and of course whether it’s in here or the Assembly Hall.”

Anne pointed to the half of the chalkboard that was sectioned into two calendar rows with masking tape, occupying a large amount of space. Inside each box there was a day of the week were acronyms and shorthand text that listed the agenda of the day and the groups involved. It was quite detailed for a chalkboard agenda.

“Of course, we cycle between the two rows as the weeks go by, so the current week will alternate between the top and bottom rows. The big red button magnet here shows the current week.”

At the start of the bottom row was the aforementioned magnet, so it meant that the top row was the plan for the next week.

“The lists at the side are just general agenda items that we need to get done or want to focus on. Unless it’s something you know about, usually you don’t need to concern yourself with it.”

It did look like a jumble of random items, almost like a shopping list of things needed to be bought.

“For the most part, I’m in charge of this whole board that we call the agenda. The process hasn’t changed since you were last here, Caius.”

“And I wouldn’t want it any other way. Nor can it be, anyway.”

“Good. The teachers help out a lot on organizing stuff, but we’re still a student-focused club so they let us take charge. As you’ve heard, Donovan was the president of the drama department until recently. While he’s still a general member, most of his duties now are either mine or the teachers’.”

“Huh. Donovan’s still a general member.”

“Make of that what you will. It’s not my problem; it’s probably more of a problem for you. I already have enough to do as the general operations manager.”

She briskly tapped one of the items on the board with one hand as she pointed to Cecilia with the other hand.

“Anyway, usually Tuesdays are our days off because the Assembly convenes on Tuesdays, but today’s a little exceptional. Fortunately, the Assembly amended the budget today just in time to meet some of these items, thanks to Cecilia and Mr Verne, so let’s get these things done.”

“‘Kay.”

Anne again tapped her clipboard furiously.

“Everyone here is divided into functional teams, including the cast. Even if you’re part of the main cast, you’re still expected to help out with the logistics in some capacity. I understand that Mr Verne only wanted the two of you for this time only, so let’s make it easier for you. You don’t need to sign up for a team, but please help out Cecilia where she needs it. She’s a senior member after all, and the unofficial treasurer.”

“Then who’s the official treasurer?”

“You’re asking her right now, Mayumi. I remember the hierarchy here is very flat. The entire thing is run by the president and the manager.”

Caius was used to answering Mayumi’s smart-aleck questions.

“Exactly. Any other questions so far?”

Mayumi shook her head and Anne nodded, no-nonsense and straight to the next point.

“Then onto your roles. I assume you both are well-versed in the story of Auxirian Idiot. We’ll be producing the musical theatre rendition of it, Auxirian Idiot: The Musical here, as true to the original script as possible. It’s quite a radical departure from what we usually do because there is much more music and dance involved and not much screenplay, but we chose to do it out of necessity.

“As you may remember, Caius, the golden generation of our seniors have just graduated, and our year is particularly lacking in ability, so we can’t produce something like The Phantom of the Opera or Richard III. Even when you were casted in Macbeth, it was already extremely challenging. This year, we have to lean more into our strengths instead.

“For example, our in-house music crew is very good, and even with the extra brain drain due to the PSC migration, most everyone here can still hold their own in a musical. As for the future, our first- and second-years have enough talent to re-attempt the difficult traditional works when our year graduates, but that shouldn’t concern the two of you.

“Tommy and Whatzshecalled used to be casted by Don and Cecilia, but now they’re replaced by the two of you. I’ve already put on the schedule what parts to have ready for which rehearsal, so just drop by here if you don’t remember. You can see that we’re alternating days between vocal training and dance rehearsals for different cast groups, but the groups and schedule are subject to change according to the situation, so please do check often. Again, today is a little extraordinary, so just take the time today to observe and get used to the process. If anything in the process is unclear, always come to me.”

They were led to the mini-stage as Anne rambled on, where a group of students was practicing their dance routine against a boom box led by a tall female student with short brown hair, tanned skin and a tropics-inspiring face. She seemed just as lively and cheerful as Mayumi.

“This is Trisha, our choreography director, Class C.”

“What’s up, newbies?”

“Nice to meet you, Trisha!”

“Good to see you again.”

She spared a moment to wave to them emphatically before turning her attention back at the backup dancers. Anne returned the wave gracefully as did the others, and she led them away and towards the other end of the classroom.

The ‘other end’ was kind of a misnomer, as the classroom was currently split apart in two by a massive folding divider that spanned its length, entirely covered in sound-absorbent foam that had the texture of papier-mâché. They passed through a door in the foam to the other side.

“Trisha’ll lead most of the dance rehearsals. On the other side is Mr Nigel, who’s also a vocal teacher. He’ll be leading most of the music training.”

As Anne explained, Mr Nigel was surrounded by a group of students singing along to his baton, almost like a choir. Then again, they were producing a musical theatre so that shouldn’t be out of the ordinary.

“Obviously, there’s a lot of overlap so we can’t always separate out into two distinct groups to practice, but we have to have people practicing wherever and whenever they can. There are tiny rooms further in the back for smaller groups or individual practice, if you want a separate practice space.

“We also have our auxiliary crew members appear here once in a while when we have work for them to do, like our fashion team and dedicated stage crews, and they have their own workspaces here and there.”

She pointed to different corners of the room where stacks and rows of cabinets and other miscellaneous equipment were. The most obviously imposing was the huge stash of various props to one side of the room, piling up to double their heights so that stepladders were placed in its vicinity.

Wrapping up, Anne folded her arms together, rather menacingly. Mayumi and Caius didn’t blink, both reacting to her animosity quite cordially for their own reasons.

“And as you already know, Mr Verne is the head director of the drama department. He, the other advisors and I will take on the creative direction together. That’s the gist of things here. Any objections?”

---

“I haven’t given my opinion on it, but Alice and Kato did, and after seeing the amount of effort I need to put in to make this work, I feel like their concerns are valid.”

Caius said to Mayumi as he sat back down next to them. Around them, the drama classroom wound down its activities as the room’s foam divider was folded back into place and students began to flow out.

After Anne left to participate in today’s rehearsal, Cecilia brought the two around the block, introducing them to the different groups in detail. Eventually, they got Trisha to show them the ropes on the choreography practice side, who graciously left the main practice to her protégés. Fortunately, Trisha was just as outgoing a child as Mayumi was, so it wasn’t difficult to accommodate each other. Mayumi and Cecilia were well-versed enough already, but for Caius it would be a challenge, which was what prompted his complaint.

“This is child’s play, my dude. C’mon, you’re better than this.”

Mayumi chided playfully, but elicited no better response from him.

“You overestimate my abilities as always, Mayumi.”

Just in time, Cecilia returned with her duffel bag from the gym’s change room where she took a shower. Her school uniform was replaced with a track jersey and sweatpants made of soft, expensive cotton. She was not an international-level athlete, but that was the quality level her clothes would be attributed with.

“What’s with the get-up?”

“We’re heading home after this, so I have to change.”

“Okay…”

“It’s not convenient for me to return home in my school uniform.”

She managed a half-explanation with an awkward smile so Caius left it there, but whatever the real reason was, it didn’t seem trivial to him. Mayumi continued.

“I thought it was pretty instructive today. That Anne person didn’t seem very nice, but I guess you have to be like that when you’re in charge of like sixty people.”

“The day’s not finished for me yet. I have to finish off one of those agenda items you saw on the blackboard back there.”

She took out a shiny plastic card and a shopping flyer from her duffel bag, waving it at the two new main characters. The school chop was printed on the shiny card, along with a sixteen-digit number and an expiry date.

“Whoa, you’re cleared to use this? That’s sick.”

“Only a teacher can clear a student to use a school credit card. Normally, minor purchases would just be reimbursed after the fact in cash, but larger buys can call for this baby.”

“You’re making a really big buy for the drama club tonight?”

“We’re gonna replace the central spotlight with a way better autolight, a Matsushita branded one, with a lot more options when it comes to colours, motion and programmability. Our current lights are all unpowered, and this one’ll be the first powered one.”

Powered here meant the device was alchemically powered in some way, shape or form. Alternatively, if a device’s power source was in some way mechanical or electric or both, then it would be termed as motorized. As such, a hybrid device would be both powered and motorized.

“You want to be able to use transmutation circles to manage the lighting timings and sequences in this play because it’s way harder to do it right manually.”

“That’s true. There are sequences in this play that can give us epileptic seizures. Unlike the classics, even the staging details are part of the script.”

“In any case, I’m gonna go get it done today; buy the thing, and maybe even bring it back here.”

Cecilia already began to make her way away from them, but Mayumi jumped up to follow her.

“Then I’m going with you!”

“What? No! You don’t have to! Do you not have to go home?”

“Nope! We’re gonna go to the city, right? Are we taking a bus?”

“What the hell…”

Caius sighed in place of Cecilia at the end. He wasn’t planning on getting left behind, so he got up as well.

“No, no, no. I have to go with the crewmaster from the lights team. Student purchases need witnesses to sign off on it, and it’ll be the lights team who’ll be using the new autolight—Liam!”

She called out to a student who also gave off the same cool-kid vibes that Cecilia did, but unlike her, Liam actually had a worn out shirt from rough times and smelled of engine and petrol, which was even more apparent with his short, greasy hair. From his aura to the motorcycle gloves in his hand, it was obvious he lived his life on the asphalt.

“What is it?”

His voice, though, was clear and refined enough that it also made sense he was in Class C. He wasn’t particularly tall, and he had a long-ish but well-formed face, cleanly shaved.

“I had our budget amended by the Assembly today, so we can go to the store to put down the order for the new autolight.”

Strangely, Liam only snickered and sneered at Cecilia’s request.

“You can do that yourself, can’t you, li’l miss? I have to get to the racetrack soon.”

“…but you have to come too, because the school will ask for two signatures on the receipt at the time of its print, especially for a purchase this expensive—ah!”

““Celia!””

As he turned to leave she tried to put herself between him and the door, but he walked straight into her and pushed her backwards onto the steel, almost as if he did it on purpose. Mayumi and Caius exclaimed loudly as they rushed to help her, but Liam was unrepentant.

“Look. I had no say in this new buy, so in my opinion, this is something for you to get done. Ask someone else to co-sign it for you.”

“But, at least one of the signatures has to come directly from someone who’ll be using it. That’s why I need you to come with me to the store.”

“An executive can also take that place to sign off on treasury receipts, so just ask Anne or Don to do it for you. You’re their pet, aren’t you?”

Cecilia’s insistence was met with another sneer, but amazingly she did not falter. She only gave him a helpless shrug and smile, as his characterization was not completely inaccurate. On the other hand, she did not feel she ever shared a true friendship with either Anne or Donovan, so she never thought of it much, if at all.

“Anne and Don can’t come with me to the store. They’re too busy to do it…”

“Look. I’m also a busy person too, and today’s not a good day for me to entertain you. The drama department wasn’t supposed to have meetings on the day of the Assembly’s convention in the first place, so I already have commitments elsewhere that I’m already late for.”

“But if nobody else related to the purchase is coming to the store with me, then we’ll definitely get audited by the student council if we only have one signature on the receipt.”

Liam gave a long and exaggerated sigh.

“If you really need me to come with you, then can we do it on another day? Probably the next time the light team has to come in.”

“But that’s a week from now, and we’re short on time as we are already. The rehearsal schedule is already behind because it took a while for the Assembly to approve it, and you’ll only have at most five weeks left to learn how to use it.”

He started to tap his foot angrily, clearly frustrated.

“Then why don’t you get one of these guys to go with you and sign the receipt? Nobody outside the drama department’s gonna know who’s the direct user and who’s not, as long as the equipment is being used.”

“You mean them?”

“Yeah. The Senate isn’t gonna investigate that deep into it, y’know? It’ll be fine.”

“Uh…”

“Dude, are you actually for real? Can’t you just do it?”

A shadow had fallen over Mayumi’s face, and her usual wild goose voice was unabashedly bellicose as she cut into their conversation. Suddenly, Liam shrugged and smirked at the three as he made a one-eighty in his tone. The speed in which he turned around in his voice startled even Cecilia and Caius.

“Well, I really do have other, more concerning matters to take care of first. If I didn’t, I would have agreed to it at the very start. How about this? Just bring the receipt to me tomorrow and I’ll sign it off. If the two of you also go, then you’ll have two backup signatories if you really can’t get it to me before you need to hand it off to the treasury. Sounds good?”

“Um… we’re still gonna be in trouble if somebody ever decides to audit this…”

“Then get the receipt to me in class tomorrow, okay? No one’s gonna investigate, don’t worry about it. If you really need to have a second witness, these two can do it in my place, right? I just have to sign off on it.”

“But then—”

“—it’s okay, don’t fret it. It’s a big buy, but it’s still a plain and simple buy at the end of the day. Right now, I have to have faith in you to make the purchase correctly, ain’t that right? That’s the whole point of having two students signing off a receipt.”

“I guess you can say that…”

“See? It’s fine. I trust you to make the buy smoothly; after all, you proposed it in the first place, so you have to know what to buy, right?”

“Yes, but—”

“Let’s leave it at that, okay? I have to get to the racetrack real fast, so if you’ll excuse me, I have to take my leave right away. Thanks for taking care of the new autolight, Cecilia.”

And with a quick grin, he squeezed himself between the three and made his way out the door. Caius made a fake worried face, but Mayumi pushed his face away with her palm.

“That guy seems like a handful, doesn’t he?”

“I’ve seen worse. I went to an all-girls school, after all.”

“Does the fact that it’s an all-girls school even have anything to do with it?”

“Of course. In this day and age, stuffing a lot of the same sex in one place is asking for trouble.”

“Is it that bad?”

“Nine times out of ten, a trivial nuisance gets warped to hyperbolic proportions. I don’t know why it’s the case, but it’s just a phenomenon I’ve observed.”

In the moment, Mayumi was a sage, but the grin at the end exposed to Caius the very probable involvement she had in said trivial nuisances, and therefore her bias.

“Whatever, you digress. Celia, is Liam always this kind of person?”

“Uh, I think so? That’s the vibe he gives off, for sure.”

Cecilia was hesitant to give an assessment when she didn’t know much about him. It was a stark difference between her and Mayumi’s quick-firing mouth.

“Well then, what are you going to do about the autolight? What’s the plan?”

“Um, I’m probably just going to do exactly what he said: get the receipt to him tomorrow morning. I can’t make him come with me, but I need to get this job done.”

“Is it really okay to let him off without signing the receipt at the store? I mean, I don’t really understand the procedures with a budget either, but it sounded like a big deal for you.”

“It’s sort of important, but only because I’m going to be responsible for it if it goes awry. For big buys, at least one person with authority and one end user have to sign it because the student council, well, the Assembly, doesn’t want to be liable for bad loans. By double signing, it’s basically agreeing to no exchanges or refunds from the Assembly. If we end up buying something not useful, we’re not gonna get collateral in our budget to correct the bad buy.”

“Okay, I sort of get it. That’s part of the bureaucratic shit that Bianca’s handling. How are you so involved with this in the first place? You’re an actual authority here in the drama club?”

“In some senses. Anne put me on the list of executives. I technically have the power to make decisions with regards to the school-related items, but as you can see, Anne, Don and the faculty are the ones in charge.”

“Yeah, why are you even on that list?”

Cecilia forced a chuckle.

“Not sure. Besides being a senior, probably because it’s easier for her to put someone who’s not part of a clique to handle these things.”

But Mayumi pointed a finger at her.

“Then the next question is, why aren’t you part of a clique? Is the factionalism in the drama department really bad?”

Cecilia forced another chuckle, but with less force because this time it was actually somewhat amusing.

“Ah, that’s a long story, but if I’m part of any clique, I’d probably be viewed as in Anne’s or Don’s. Anne more so, since I’m really only on talking terms with Don and not his men. Or maybe the non-Class C clique, but they don’t really form a real faction.”

“You’re not that friendly with your classmates, eh?”

Cecilia spared a glance at Caius as she answered Mayumi’s implication.

“No. I don’t have a good relationship with my classmates.”

She shrugged, as if the situation was always meant to be, and Caius followed suit. He had been shrugging a lot lately and he wondered if it was Cecilia’s lethargic influence, though within the Elites he was lethargic enough already.

“Anyway, I hope whatever you’re buying, the man of the hour will be pleased with it.”

“Like he mentioned, the idea to, uh, change to use a powered autolight in the centre was me, since I happen to know that that’s what the original musical used in their stage setup. It really does make it easier to time all the movements and transitions when compared to making those light effects with manpower.”

“You knew what stage equipment the original musical used? And the brand too?”

Caius raised an eyebrow at the depth of Cecilia’s love for her hobby, to which she realized and flushed pink for a moment, but the conversation was quickly taken over by Mayumi again.

“But Liam doesn’t seem appreciative at all when you’re trying to make life easier for him.”

“I hope he’ll appreciate it when he gets to use it. Probably, he thinks it’ll be too much of a hassle to program the circles, but it’s obvious that if he gets it right, it’ll save him the stress of manhandling the current set of lights during a live performance.”

Circles here meant transmutation circles. They were alchemical instructions engraved on material made from catalysts that an alchemical engine could read from and perform those instructions. In contrast, in this day and age, there were massive, clunky, inefficient but purely motorized equivalents to alchemical engines called “computers” that had pre-programmed cathode ray tubes and transistors, and could also host a capacity for variable instruction inputs, which involved reading punch cards.

“And he’s not much of an alchemy guy, I suspect? Is he an old-timer already? God bless him.”

“I’d guess not. It’s also the one centre autolight, so it’s not like he has to program a set of lights. It’s just one.”

“Man, I hope he’s up for the job. The little bit I’ve seen from him so far is raising red flags left, right and centre.”

“Me too. Well, at least I know his team hasn’t had problems running the lights in the past.”

Mayumi began moving out ahead of the other two.

“Then let’s go and get this job over with. Where is it and how’re we getting there?”

“You’re actually coming with me?”

“I don’t trust that Liam guy. In any case, if he’s gonna weasel his way out of signing the receipt, at least you have the two of us as alibis for his behaviour, and potentially co-signing the receipt in his place.”

Mayumi said brightly, holding the door open for the other two. Caius was the first to move.

“Exactly. Let’s hit the road.”

Pausing for only a moment, Cecilia stumbled after him awkwardly and duly surprised that they were willing to entertain her this late in the day. In hindsight, it was probably just as, if not more, annoying for Liam to do the same, so perhaps his complaint was a little justifiable. If it wasn’t today, then with how rehearsals would go for her, it would have to be done at this time of the day anyway, or on a Sunday, so there was little wiggle room in the first place. She tightened the strap of her duffel bag around her torso as she went out and ahead of their little group.

“Okay, okay, let’s go. It’s just a wholesale retailer in Sharpsand Cape, not too far a bus ride away.”

Behind her, the two Elites followed tightly, one crossed his arms and sneered while the other had her arm in the air.

“Finally, an adventure! We’re gonna sit on the second floor of the bus with an open window if we can.”

Mayumi laughed noisily and caught up to Cecilia quickly to grab and lift her arm into the air too. She let Mayumi take the lead and uncharacteristically beamed back at the sunny one-eyed pirate girl. She realized that Mayumi made this mundane logistical task into something fun and exciting, and this was what Class F’s elite students were made of.

Or rather, this was what friendship was, and she immediately recalled Risa and Flora. She smiled wistfully. If only she could bum it out with those two girls without a care for the world, but alas, Risa and Flora were a little too far away from her in spirit and principles. Maybe she could do it with Mayumi and Caius instead, she thought.

---

“That’s right. We’re good here, yes.”

Alice’s voice was loud and clear in the mini-recording studio that was now the secret base for the Elites at school. Nearing the start of first period, the Elites began closing up shop for class. Eon and Caius were, of course, optimistic about their prospects as the former put away his bass guitar and the latter pulled the linen cover over his keyboard.

“Man, that was more successful than I first thought. It’s only been a few days and we’re almost live-worthy.”

“Well, it does make a difference to have three of the six who already played these instruments.”

Yui and Evie were on the other side of the glass pane in the outer room, and entered the inner to applaud their last bit of their rehearsal.

“That was super nice! You all sounded amazing!”

“Mhm. It’s nowhere near recording quality yet, but definitely commendable for a group of amateurs.”

Evie, as usual, nodded as she pinned impossibly high expectations on the Elites, who just smirked at each other since praise from Evie was rare, and it was rare precisely because of exactly that.

“Do you think we’ll get enough practice in to be able to make it into the talent show?”

“There’s a good chance. Just keep it up, and we’ll make it there. With us two and Alice rotating on guitars, Eon on bass, Caius on keyboard, and Franco on drums, the lineup looks solid.”

Mayumi answered Kato cheerily as they put their guitars back into their cases and stored them away at a corner. In relation to the school, this room was essentially theirs to keep now that Alice had occupied it with expensive musical instruments. It would be very hard for the faculty or the student council to enforce their authority on the issue unless they were willing to reimburse Alice for any potential losses they might incur from messing with the room’s occupancy, if they ever had any ulterior motive to.

Actually, there was one more audience member who was observing together with Kato’s two stepsisters, and she knocked on the glass to remind them that the bell was about to go off. Alice was the first to leave the inner room and receive the third guest.

“Bia, how did we do? I thought it was all right.”

“Not bad for beginners, but Kato sounds like he’s quite experienced already. I’ve seen it many times before, but it still surprises me when it happens.”

“What happens?”

“He and Evie are physically superior. They can imitate any physical activity to a very high level if they want to.”

“Really? Is that how that works?”

“With their dexterity, they can replicate any physical technique they want, just as long as their brains understand the technique.”

“If I understand you correctly, then our years of training are like peanuts for them.”

“To be fair, they spend all their time and spare time training those exact physical abilities, so it’s more like they have ten or twenty or a hundred times the intensity of our music practice.”

“Ah, that’s right. I keep forgetting that part. They’re hardcore for a reason. Well, if it’s that easy for them, then I should get Evie to play something too.”

“She can, but she probably needs something less complex. The brain part still depends on the person’s intelligence.”

Alice got a hearty chuckle out of Bianca’s sneer, and they were the first to leave the studio, leaving the Elites behind.

“I have a proposition for you.”

“A proposition?”

“Yes. It’s the perfect job for the Elites to do, and even the rest of Class F can help. It’s about the ongoing anti-neutrality protests.”

“Oh, it’s about that. What is it? I’ve only made a couple of speeches for my class and that’s about it.”

Bianca grinned again, striking a little bit of fear in Alice’s eyes.

“You like your new class a lot, right? That’s why you’re actually going out of your way to help them out here and there.”

True to her suspicions, Alice’s wariness was warranted. She turned her head away in defiance as her cheeks tickled pink.

“Well, that’s true, but then what about it? I still didn’t make much contribution to their cause, I don’t think.”

“Actually, it does make a great deal, not for your classmates but for the rest of the school receiving their message. Just think about where you came from, and what position you’re now endorsing. It’s just too strong of a message, even if you’ve only done it a couple of times.”

“I get that, but is it really that effective in swaying public opinion away from and turn against the Class A establishment?”

“Way more effective than you’d imagine. Ariel’s got the eyes and ears on the general public. Now, while Chantal and her group are consistently running these protests on the ground, it’s not enough to turn any of the tables yet. Therefore, I have an idea to make an even better impression on the general public.”

“Hold on a second. Before we get to that, I need to know what’s in it for you and Class B. I wanted to ask a long time ago, but shouldn’t Class B be naturally aligned to Class A? Especially to the PSC because Class B are the music students, as you in fact were until Mira was elected president. There has to be some in your class whose interests align more with Class A than the new Class B faction.”

“That’s true, but luckily the great majority ended up not being tied down to Class A. You can see that in how my class votes in the Assembly. Those who still owed some kind of allegiance to Class A, we eventually neutralized.”

Bianca gave her a sinister smile, which would have been unimaginable on Mirabelle’s face. It was very shocking for Alice to see for that exact reason, but obviously not all identical twins were born with the same personality.

“Do I want to know what you did?”

“To skip over the details, we basically gave them an ultimatum. Either pledge allegiance to us, or be stripped of their positions in Class B. They’ll be forced to keep their cleanse tags fully saturated for the remainder of their time here.”

“And how many did you successfully prosecute?”

“All of them caved in. It’s a lot easier to keep your own party in line than manage another party, like Class F, which is why I’m here.”

“That’s fair to say. So you’re using Class F in your power play against Class A, or one of the Gilbert or Mona factions?”

“I think it’s more Class A in general, but the Gilbert faction had and will be taking the brunt of the flak, with the way we’re organizing this resistance in the present and the foreseeable future. We haven’t done much to shake up Mona and the Activity Council, nor do we have the means to do so yet.”

“I get what you mean. How would you oppose a student organization that’s responsible for managing everyday student life if they adequately meet their mandate, and their only crime is their authoritarian monopoly on power? It’s not oppressive enough against the general public, so it’s hard to sell.”

“I have another idea for that, but it’ll take time to plan out and execute on, so hear me out then as you’re hearing me out now.”

Still grinning, Bianca stopped before the Class 3-F doors. The music continued to play out of the P.A. system, but it had been playing for a while now and students were clearly in a hurry to sort themselves into their own homerooms.

“Okay, let’s hear what you’re coming up with right now, then.”

“Whenever your band is ready, I can authorize an area in the atrium for y’all to play music. More precisely, I want you to play songs with anti-establishment sentiment.”

“What?”

Alice’s eyes widened in disbelief. An opportunity for a live show already? And of course, there were the political considerations surrounding it. It wasn’t that she cared for it itself, but the consequences were what was important.

“And seeing as Mayumi and Caius are starring in Auxirian Idiot, there shouldn’t be any problem with playing some songs from there, right?”

“Right… that sounds doable, I think.”

Alice had a good opinion on MJA’s works, but she certainly didn’t expect herself to be asked to play songs from The Outlaws. They were definitely critical works of music, some would even say revolutionary, and would fit in nicely with the theme of resistance against the old order.

“What do you think? A good idea?”

“Yeah, I can see what you’re trying to set up.”

Civil disobedience by itself was not a great method for publicity and getting the word out. There had to be some kind of rallying cry or emotional basis for the cause, since rational arguments and destructive actions tend to be inefficient for those purposes.

“From what I saw today the Elites seem almost ready, surprisingly, so the sooner we get this going the better. Chantal and the anti-neutrality protests need something fresh to start again with, if we’re committed to going down the path of revolution.

“The first step is to find a common rallying point for the movement to sustain itself. With the senatorial trials finished and a few PSC big shots convicted, some of the populist flames were put out. Transforming the anti-neutrality protests into a general, long term movement against the existing order just got harder.”

The rest of the Elites arrived not too soon to get back to their classroom. At the front of the pack was an animated Mayumi with the tagalong Kato, the former no doubt excited about their musical prospects. Kato was the first to notice the two of them just outside the door, and as soon as he made eye contact with Bianca, he averted his gaze and was suddenly in a hurry, quickly shoving Mayumi along into the classroom.

Alice didn’t give it much thought until she turned back to face the student council treasurer. She felt her heart tighten up as Bianca’s eyes floated somewhere between listless and upset, staring at the open door where Kato passed through.

“…”

Before Alice was able to pipe up and ask what happened between her and Kato, as it was abundantly obvious, suddenly Ariel appeared in between the two of them and startled Alice who was still not used to her apparitions.

“This is my idea. It’s definitely worth a try, don’t you think?”

“How come you guys can’t do something like this? Aren’t all of Class B music students?”

“You have your answer right in your question. Class B can’t be the one’s on the ground inciting it. We’re still part of the establishment that we’re trying to dismantle from within, so we need people like you to do the same from the outside.”

“Uh-huh…”

The bell finally rang for the start of first period. The two Jupiter sisters were definitely late for their homeroom class now, but they seemed to heed no attention to that. Then, Alice remembered that they were student council executives so they were exempt from tardiness penalties. As Bianca waved to Alice, her heart tightened again as she saw the distant eyes that remained on Bianca.

“Well, let’s talk about it later. We need to get to class.”

“We’re counting on you to help us.”

While Bianca left, Ariel leaned in towards Alice to whisper to her, covered over by her tiny hand.

“If you can also see it, this is also a way to indirectly use Mayumi’s talent for Class B’s benefit. For as long as we’ve known her, she would never agree to do something that we suggest, so we’re really lucky to have you and Chantal to cover for us.”

Ariel made a cheeky grin as Bianca slipped away from Alice’s thoughts and Alice began snickering at the pettiness of their historical rivalry. Ariel finally peeled and skipped away from Alice and Class F, catching up to Bianca down the hall. In the moment, Alice wondered what made Ariel the way she was and what kind of things turned and churned inside her brain of enormous capacity. Eon and Caius really weren’t exaggerating when they said that she was the most dangerous of the Jupiter sisters.

But even then, Alice had already made up her mind to accept their proposition. Their assessment of the current anti-neutrality protests was entirely accurate. Chantal would definitely appreciate the help with this new direction. A satisfied grin materialized on her face with anticipation. Alice was not an ideological crusader; far from it in fact. Her only motivation was to preserve the freedom and peace of mind that Class F and the Elites were able to give her, and that was enough for her to stand in front of the crowd to denounce Class A’s hegemony over the school. She sat down in her seat next to a sleeping Evie face-down in her arms on the desk, continuing to ponder the future political direction of their school.