-Saturday Morning, 19th Of the 1st Month, Year 910-
"Ry…." I hear a voice calling for me from the darkness, "Ryn…Ryner…"
'Hm? That sounds like No-' Before I can collect my thoughts, a loud shout hits me, "RYNER!!"
"Ahhhh-Ouch!" I jump up in bed and bump my head against Noah's.
Noah stumbles and falls onto the floor as I fall back into bed. I rub my forehead, trying to ease the pain.
"O-Ow," Noah moans, rubbing his head like me.
Hearing his moans, I quickly hop out of bed to make sure he's okay, "...Sorry, Noah. I didn't mean to hurt you, are you okay?"
"M-Mm," He nods, looking up at me with teary eyes.
"That's good," I sigh, feeling relieved and help him up, "I know you were trying to wake me up, but you didn't have to shout, did you?"
Hearing my words, Noah's eyes almost snap open, and he grabs my shoulders, "We-We're GOING TO BE LATE!"
"Huh?" I tilt my head, not understanding what he's saying.
"W-we overslept! It-It's 8:00!" Hearing that my eyes snap open like his, "We need to hurry up and get ready!"
Noah nods, and we both start rushing around to get ready. I let Noah shower first while I get my uniform together. Thankfully, he doesn't take too long, so I hop in and take a quick shower after him. Finished getting ready, we somehow manage to leave the room at 8:30.
I open the door, and see Johnny smirking outside the door with a messy uniform just like mine, "What took you so long! I've been waiting here for years!"
I roll my eyes, watching Johnny laugh at us, "It looks like you woke up late too."
Johnny stops laughing and looks at me with a frozen expression, "How did you know!? Wait- no, I mean- I woke up earlier than you guys!"
"Really?" I tilt my head, 'You look like you rushed out of your room too.'
"H-He di-did, h-he's the on-one who woke me up. H-his ba-banging on the do-door wo-woke m-me up," I nod, hearing Noah's explanation.
"Oh, thanks, Johnny," Johnny pounds his fist against his chest, "No problem!"
'I still think your appearance is weird, but we don't really have time to keep standing here,' I sigh, "Let's go. Otherwise, we'll be late."
We rush down the stairs and out of the dorm.
'Jasmine must have left already,' I think to myself, remembering that she doesn't like to be late.
"I don't see Jasmine anywhere, I wonder if she overslept too," Johnny says, stopping to look for her.
"I don't think so, I think she's already at the cafeteria waiting for us," I tell them.
"Then what are we waiting for, let's go!" Johnny starts running ahead of us.
I look at Noah and sigh, 'You're the one that stopped.'
I shake my head, and we run behind him, heading to the cafeteria.
●●●
'I guess we weren't the only ones who woke up late,' I think to myself, seeing some familiar faces in the crowded lunch line.
"Ry-Ryner, we-we're not going t-to make it to cl-class o-on time if we g-get in l-line," Noah tugs on my sleeve looking worried.
I nod, "Yeah, maybe it'd be better to skip breakfast."
"What! No way, I'm hungry!" Johnny complains, but I shake my head.
"I am too, but I don't want to be late to class," I feel bad leaving him since Johnny's the one who woke us up, but it's my fault for waking up late today, so I don't want to use that as an excuse for being late.
"Ry-" before Johnny could say anything, Jasmine walks over from behind him and cuts him off, "Relax guys, you don't have to starve yourselves. I got a few extra sandwiches since it seemed like you guys were going to be late."
I look at her tray, and like she said, there are three sandwiches there, "Thanks, Jasmine."
"Th-thank y-you!" Noah comes from behind me and bows to Jasmine.
"Seriously! You're the best Jasmine!" Johnny laughs and slings his arm around Jasmine's neck, almost making her drop the sandwiches.
She glares at Johnny with a pouty look on her face, "It's fine, I woke up late this morning, too."
Johnny lets go of her and scratches the back of his head, looking a little nervous(?) She leans the tray over to Noah and me, so we both take one. She sighs and gives one to Johnny too.
"You guys should hurry up and eat, so we can get to class on time," We nod and quickly eat our sandwiches before following Jasmine to our next class.
●●●
"It's 9:01," Ms. Akamine announces when we enter Radiant Hall, "You're late."
"Only by a minute!" Johnny shouts with his fist clenched.
I frown, feeling the same way as Johnny, but no matter what, we say she's still right. Even if it's only by a minute, we're still late.
"Etiquette Rule Number 1. ALWAYS be punctual. Respect the time of others as you would want them to respect your own," She closes her fan and walks over to Johnny.
'What is she do-'
Thwap!
She smacks her fan against Johnny's forehead before he can realize what's happening. Due to the force behind the smack, he falls to the ground.
"Etiquette Rule Number 6, part 1. DO NOT complain. To complain is to express dissatisfaction with something. A proper gentleman or lady keeps his or her thoughts to themselves."
'Are you serious?' I scratch my head with an awkward smile, 'I'm glad I didn't say anything.'
"Stand up—Etiquette Rule number 7. DO NOT embarrass yourself. To embarrass oneself is to embarrass those who associate with you and those who raised you," Saying that she turns around and walks up onto the stage in the back of the hall.
Tap. Tap.
She stops in the middle of the stage and turns to us, "I have already introduced myself once, but I will remind you all that my name is Chieko Akamine, and I will be your teacher for Etiquette Class this year," She bows and stops talking.
'Did we do something wrong?' I think to myself, looking at her expressionless face.
"Etiquette Rule Number 2, part 2. NEVER forget your 'Thank yous.' You must always remember to be grateful as opportunities are not only earned but given to you."
"Th-Thank you for teaching us!" I didn't really understand why, but Jasmine thanks her with a nervous expression.
Me and some other people follow her lead and thank her, soon following Jasmine's lead we all thank Ms. Akamine.
"Good," She nods and smiles at Jasmine, "What's your name, young lady?"
"M-My name is Jasmine Myles, Ms. Akamine," Jasmine answers nervously.
"I'll remember that. You're very smart, Jasmine, I'm sure you'll pass this class with ease," Ms. Akamine praises Jasmine.
"Th-Thank you." Jasmine blushes, looking happy to receive a compliment from the teacher.
"Now then, for everyone else, you all have much to work on. But do not fear, before you graduate from the Academy, I'll turn you all into a group of fine ladies and gentlemen," She opens her fan, "Now before we begin class, are there any questions?"
Percy raises his head with an angry expression on his face, 'I wonder what he's so upset about?'
"What's your name, young man?" Ms. Akamine asks, looking at him.
"My name is Percy Carter, son of Marchioness Elizabeth Carter of the Loreen Province," Percy announces proudly with his hand in front of his chest.
She nods and asks, "What would you like to ask?"
"I want to know-" he looks towards Johnny and me, "-Why are commoners allowed to take Etiquette Class! For what reason does a commoner need to know a Noble's Etiquette! There is no need for commoners to be here!"
"How about you try saying that again," The other students move away not wanting to be involved, "To my face this time!"
"John-" Percy cuts me off as I try to call out to Johnny, "I said that there is no need for mere Commoners to learn a Nobles Etiquette!"
"You-"
Thwap! Thwap!
Johnny raises his arm, ready to swing at Percy, but before he can move, both him and Percy are knocked to the ground.
"ENOUGH!" Ms. Akamine's voice echoes through the room, "Both of you need to be quiet! How dare you argue in my presence and break the rules of Etiquette!"
Thwap! Thwap!
She smacks Johnny on the head twice.
"First of all, Young Man with the messy uniform! Yes, this boy was rude and showed you and some of your peers' disrespect, but that was no reason for you to lash out and try to fight him! By doing so, you have broken more than one of the Rules Of Etiquette! As a punishment, kneel on both knees until the end of class!" Afraid to respond, Johnny gets on his knees without any complaints.
"Now, you! Percy Carter, your Mother, would be ashamed if she saw your disgraceful behavior just now! I understand that you are proud to be a noble, but you must be a noble in more than just name! Just like him, you have paid no attention to the Rules Of Etiquette, so you must receive punishment! Just like him for the rest of class, you must kneel on both knees!" Hearing her words, Percy's body shakes, and his face turns red, but he listens to her and gets in the same position as Johnny.
"I know that this young man isn't the only one who holds dissatisfaction for the school's decision, but I will say this once and only once, regardless of whether you are a Noble or a Commoner. Here in this Academy, you all start off as equals. You and your achievements alone will determine if you can be considered 'special' or 'average' here in this Academy. Do not believe that your status has anything to do with your position in this Academy because it does not!"
Finishing her speech, she looks over all of us, and we nod, not wanting to upset her, "Good. I'll assume that you all understand, so do your best to forget your social standing while here at the Academy. Now let us begin class."
Author's Note:
And here's number three! I'm all caught up with what I owe, so next up is the regular chapter! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!