Zodiac Girls

The Meeting and the Decision

It was Rain’s first day at Luminoir Academy. She successfully got transferred in with no trouble, but she could not find it in her to feel at ease here. Lately, she was not able to stay in one place for long- a few days at most- so for her to think about going to this school now… Rain did not know what she was thinking. She was able to get her powers under control; it was that dreaded place she was more worried about. It could be because of how the academy was called a “home away from home”, complete with a dormitory for the students, but the teen could not help but think that maybe, just maybe, this place is the place for her to stay. Still, so long as that place was after her, she should never have her guard down just yet.

“Starting from today, we will have a new student joining us for class,” Rain heard. She was standing right outside the classroom, by the door, awaiting the teacher to call her in and announce her transfer to the class. “She’s from abroad, and she's a bit on the shy side,  Do make her feel comfortable. Please come in."

Rain took that as her cue to enter, and opened the door, walking right into the room. As soon as she did, she was met with stares from the many other students in the room. Just that was more than enough to put her on edge, a sense she had developed thanks to the organization spying on her the moment she was found by them.

"H-... Hello..." she greeted. "My name is Rain Takone... I... Um... I came here from a small island in the south called Maringo Island. I... Uh... I look forward to working with you all."

Despite her shaky introduction, Rain could see that everyone in class had already accepted her as one of them, especially as one of them gave her a welcoming applause. That one... being none other than Sherry.

"Looking forward to working with you, too!" she said.

After that, in between their breaks, the students would huddle around Rain, asking her a few things about herself. While Rain didn't mind the questions, especially as she had experienced this in several other schools, that never made lying to these people any easier, especially things regarding her family situation. Unfortunately, she had to keep up with appearance somehow.

It was then, as though sensing her uneasiness, Sherry came to her rescue. "Okay, girls! Break it up here. We don't want our new friend here to feel as though she made a mistake in coming here by being too privy to her life, do we? Let's all give her some space."

"Oh, were we?" one of the girls asked.

"We're sorry, Rain. We honestly didn't know," another one of the girls apologized to the orangette.

"Yeah. It's not everyday we have a transfer student here. Especially from abroad," stated another girl. 

"I-It's fine. Really," Rain insisted.

"You sure? Now that I think about it, didn't the teacher say something about you being shy? You're not pushing yourself because of us, are you?" the first girl asked, causing Rain to lightly flinch in slight confirmation, an action that did not go unnoticed.

"Wait, you were?" the second girl asked.

"You don't need to push yourself for us. We can do things at your pace," the third girl assured.

Rain was both surprised and touched at how understanding they were, unlike the kids at her previous schools. More than that, unlike at her previous schools, there was actually someone who noticed and pointed out how uncomfortable she was with the questions being asked. The orangette glanced at Sherry, who in turn gave her a comforting wink.

"Well, I think we asked more than enough about you, but I doubt we said anything about us. I'm Sherry Harrison, and I'm part of Luminoir Academy's Soccer Team. Hey, are you good at soccer? We could use some more members."

"Hey! You can't use this chance to instantly recruit someone for your team!" the second girl exclaimed.

"Besides, I'm pretty sure your sports team has more than enough members," the first girl added.

"Yeah, but none of them can give me a good enough pass, or even catch my pass. I need a good partner, especially when I get targeted by the other teams. There's only so much I can do alone."

Soccer... Rain had never played much sports before, but she did do parkour. Though from what she saw on the club list, there was no club for that activity, as there isn't in the previous schools she had gone to. And as much as she would love to start a Parkour Club, with a huge target on her back, Rain doubted she would even be able to start up the club, much less gather members for it.

"Well... Sure. I mean, I can try out first, if that's okay," she told Sherry.

"Sounds good enough to me! See you after school, then!" the blonde cheerily accepted.

******

From then on out, the two stuck together like magnets. While Sherry did not ask Rain any questions regarding her life before Luminoir Academy, she was quite forceful enough to drag the orangette into many activities. And through those activities, Ran slowly opened up to their classmates, and the girl was gradually feeling more and more belonged in school. Though her guard was never lowered, she still had lived a comfortable and enjoyable life in school... all because of Sherry.

One night, a month into Rain's transfer to the academy, the pair were on the roof of their dorm, looking at the night sky, covered by many brightly lit stars.

"Hey Rain, can I ask you something weird?" the blonde asked.

"So long as it's not too weird," the orangette allowed. "What's up?"

"Well... Do you think reincarnation is really a thing, or maybe people with superpowers. I often read books and saw shows revolving around those, and I can't help but be curious if they are real or not. Those ideas have to come from somewhere."

Rain went silent at the question. It was not that she was thinking about the question, as it was more of the topic it was based on. There was no way she could just say she could believe in superpowers. For all she knew, someone from the organization may be nearby, and though they may not be aware of her, if they hear about her belief in them, it could be enough to confirm her as their target.

"Hmm... You know, I actually don't know," she answered at last. "But if someone does have powers out there, what I would give to meet them." Rain was being honest about that last part. If there truly was someone with superpowers out there, maybe, just maybe, they could help her get rid of her powers. If she becomes a normal girl, surely the organization would stop going after her, and she could finally live a normal life.

"I see..." Sherry spoke with a small sigh. "Yeah, I guess in reality that isn't possible at all. Still, it would be awesome if we do have something that makes us real special. I wonder if a reincarnated can awaken to some hidden abilities if they remember their old life. Like maybe some killer instinct they developed from their previous life as an assassin."

"If a crazed killer does get reincarnated in a kind angel's body, that will be quite the living nightmare. No way will I be able to sleep peacefully at night," Rain stated playfully.

"True that." At that agreement, the pair let out a small amused laugh.

******

Thinking back to that time, Rain had to wonder... Did Sherry already try to reach out to her back then? If she did, with the response Rain gave, it was no wonder why the blonde did not say anything to her then. Ergo, in actuality... Wouldn't it truly be her own fault that Sherry said nothing to her in the end?

'... I'm such a fool...' the orangette thought, running a hand over her face, and turned to her side, attempting to fall asleep.

******

The next day, Rain had spent her mornings as she usually would. Waking up, refreshening herself, getting dressed in her school uniform... The only difference compared to previous mornings was the lack of a cheery greeting, courtesy of Sherry. After spending the night thinking about the past, the orangette truly felt as though she had said far too much to the blonde, she who had been with her since day one, and made a small attempt to reach out once before, no matter how vague it was.

Once she was all set for the day, Sherry walked out her room and made her way over to the exit for school. As she walked, a small distance ahead of her, she saw Sherry standing by a tree. The blonde heard her footsteps and turned to her, before quickly looking back down on the floor with a saddened expression. Rain knew full well she was the cause of that look, and that Sherry did not deserve to be that depressed.

As she walked past her, she whispered, "Any chance you'll help me train with my powers?"

Sherry, not at all expecting the question, picked up her head and turned to Rain in surprise. "... Huh?"

"I said I want to start up a new club. ... Any chance you can help me with that and training? I'm feeling rather bored with soccer lately."

At first, the speedy girl didn't get the question that was being asked. However, upon repeating it a few times in her head, she realized what Rain's true intentions were, and she could not help but feel extremely happy about it. "Of course!"