Itâs completely different to the primary school I attended in my old life(?). The exterior looked like a European cathedral, befitting a school of long history. There was beautiful stained glass glittering at the entrance. But inside, everything was completely new. Of course having aircon was standard for every room, but more than that, every classroom had its own humidifier and water dispenser. Floor heating for the winter too.
There was a heated swimming pool, and a tennis court, and a soccer field, and a baseball field, and a concert hall too. Even a mini theatre. Even a planetarium. While Iâm at it, they even had a dome-shaped greenhouse and a tea room. Besides these ones were plenty of other common sense-defying facilities as well. Though there were a few facilities that were shared between the primary, middle and high school sections, anyway, it was all stuff that overturned my idea of what a âprimary schoolâ was like.
Anyway, even though Suiran is in the middle of the city, it takes up a huge amount of land, and because of all the greenery around, itâs nicknamed Suiran Forest.
The uniform was designed by a famous designer, and is a blazer type uniform, as opposed to the sailor fuku types. For the middle and high school sections, the uniforms are white blazers with embroidered lines, and while the girls wear ribbons, the boys have a necktie, which are both burgundy for middle and dark blue for high. Perhaps so that any dirty spots wouldnât be obvious, the primary blazer is navy with light blue ribbons and neckties. All of them are terribly cute.
As expected of a famous designer. Just being able to wear the uniform made me happy that I came here. Suiranâs uniform monopolises first place in the âuniforms people want to wearâ rankings, and is admired by all the girls. If I remember correctly, one of the reasons that the protagonist wanted to come here was because she adored this cute uniform. Mn, mn, I totally understand. Only, because the protagonist was bullied, her uniform was dirtied a lotâŠ
In the middle and high sections you either choose from bringing your own lunch or buying food at the cafeteria, but in the primary section school lunches are provided. But the ones who make the lunch arenât your usual cafeteria obasans; theyâre chefs. Thereâs no cafeteria duty for the students either. I mean, the cafeteria has full-time waitresses after all. And the menu is so luxurious that Iâm not even sure itâs okay to call it a school lunch. Things like vichyssoise or veal terrine are on the menu like itâs totally natural. I think we learn table manners here as well. Black tea for drinks. If youâd prefer, you can add lemon or milk. By no means would you ever find a kid with a white moustache from gulping down milk. For dessert we donât have frozen mikan; we have crĂȘpe suzette.
Aah, it feels like it canât get any more impossible. This is what you call a culture shock. I bet this is how the protagonist felt when she entered the high school section, huhh.
I wonder just how much the tuition fees for this place are. Itâs scary so Iâm trying not to think about it though.
Finally, the most important feature of Suiran Academy is a society called the Peony Society, or the âPivoineâ. The Pivoine is a gathering comprising students who not only entered during the primary section, but who passed strict requirements for lineage, parentage, and monetary assets. The Pivoine exists in the middle and high sections, and all Pivoine members receive various special treatments from the school.
In the primary section, we instead have the Petite Pivoine. Once Petite Pivoine members enter the middle school section, they become Pivoine members. Because it comprises only purebred Suiran students, no matter how great your lineage, parentage or assets are, if you enter Suiran during the middle or high school sections, itâs impossible to join. A society that only the chosen can enter; truly the adoration of all Suiran students.
And I, Kisshouin Reika, am naturally a member of the Petite Pivoine. Hmm, Reika abused her authority as a Pivoine member and did whatever the heck she wanted in ăyou are my dolceă as well. Just being a member of the Pivoine meant that most things were allowed. But I really wonder about something like that being allowed in an institution thatâs supposed to teach its students how to live properly.
Pivoine members pin a peony badge under the Suiran crest on their uniform. Itâs made from real gems, so it sparkles beautifully. And at the same time, it functions as a school-wide pass for exemption from the rules. âŠOnce I considered that⊠although it was pretty, it felt a little scary tooâŠ
Ah, and as for why itâs the âPeony Societyâ, apparently in the language of flowers, the peony means the âthe bearing of a rulerâ. âŠHonestly, thereâs just a lot of things scary about the way they think.
Being a Pivoine member means the other students look at you in half admiration, and half fear. And thatâs natural. If you start trouble with a Pivoine student, itâll be hard for you to keep going to school here. And their families would also be pressured by the people behind the Pivoine members, sometimes even harmed. Basically âIf you know whatâs best for you, donât get involved with the Pivoineâ. I also want to follow that rule.
But well, thatâs impossible, huh. Iâm a member after all. And Iâm in really deep. Aah, so scary. And whatâs even scarier is their sense of money. I mean, when I was in high school my monthly allowance was only 5,000 yen, so I canât help but see money differently, right? Just how much money are they giving to these primary schoolers? Itâs already gone past the level of âpocket moneyâ into the realm of âliving expensesâ. Well, Iâm the same though.
Anyway, the point is, thanks to my familyâs influence and money, Iâm fairly comfortable at school. No, calling it âfairlyâ is being extravagant, I guess. Iâm extremely comfortable at school. Even though Iâm only a Year 1 student, Iâve already got followers after all. These girls were Reikaâs followers in ăyou are my dolceă as well, werenât they. Have they been currying favour this far back?
Even though theyâre only six years old, they already know how to get ahead in life, huh~ Aah, what a harsh world this is. Even children are having it rough.
But if I had to be a bit greedy, Iâd prefer friends over followers.
Hm? ăyou are my dolceă didnât have any âKisshouin Reikaâs friendâ characters either. Could it be that Iâm going to stay friendless like this? Ah-, oh no. Tears areâŠ
The manga only began when the protagonist entered the high school section so I donât know what kind of school life Reika lived before that. But Iâll bet she looked down on people beneath her in her âReika Poseâ with left hand on hip, and laughing into the back of her right hand, doing whatever she pleased. All whilst following Emperor about.
But the current me will absolutely not do the same. After all, I can hear destructionâs footsteps on my door. And also I honestly donât have the nerves to go âOOOHOHOHOâ as anything but a joke. Even I know what shame is. But well, I get the feeling that in a school like Suiran, plenty of other students will be using the Reika PoseâŠ