Chapter Text
By the time Hakuno Kishinami adjusts her uniform, she is nearly late for class. There was a half thought of not even bothering to go at this point.
Winter was here, which meant so so-called Spring semester was here along with it. Or rather Hilary term, as these Europeans called it. The ostentatious uniform was not enough to keep her warm in the brutal winter of London. Hakuno glanced out the window of her small dormitory room, watching the snow slowly fall onto the streets of London, once more coating the streets in its depressing material.
And she had thought the Moon Cell was perpetually cold.
Hakuno picked up the gloves, settling them onto her hands before doing the same with the beanie and scarf. She should probably head out soon before she actually gets lost from trying to hurry to class in a panic.
The Clock Tower was too big, too confusing. She was not used to the world of mages at all. She felt so out of her depth here. Her eyes went to the stack of books on her desk. Required reading, one might say.
Had she touched them? A little. Mostly, she had read the pamphlet on top of her books at least a hundred times.
A pamphlet that looked more like an old scroll than anything. All because mages did not believe in modern technology. She was sure half of them couldn't even work their smartphones.
The ones that bothered with modern phones anyway.
As Hakuno picked up her bag from beside her desk, quickly shoving her textbooks into the thing, her eyes once more skimmed over the words on the pamphlet before her.
Department of Astromancy: Although generally referred to as Astromancy, the department encompasses divisions such as Astrology, Planetology, and Divination. While other departments seek to reach the Root, we seek to reach the stars.
She had thought it was heavily ironic that she had been recruited to this department of all places. If her old Servants were around, then they would be teasing her for sure.
The guidelines for joining the department had been printed on the bottom of the scroll. She had looked at them when she had been out of her mind on cheap sake upon first moving into her dorm room. She laughed as she noticed these guidelines hadn't been updated since the 1920s.
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High academic achievements with a focus on astrology, mathematics, and mythology.
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Aptitude with languages, including but not limited to: Greek, Latin, and Hebrew.
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Good physical health and hygiene. A high mental fortitude is encouraged.
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Good character with a tendency toward discretion.
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Should have no squeamishness with the realities of death and how the human body functions.
Macte virtute sic itur ad astra, the pamphlet ended with. Those who excel, thus reach the stars.
Did such a saying really matter to someone who came from the stars in the first place?
Now, Hakuno was sure half of this listing would have kicked her out of the running for even joining this department. Sure, she had a high mental fortitude, but that was out of necessity, not because she particularly wanted to have one.
Astrology? Did living on the moon count as having a focus on such a thing?
Mathematics? Non-existent. She was sure she made Archimedes weep quite a few times with how bad she was at math on the Moon Cell.
Mythology? She'd like to think she was okay when it came to the subject of mythology. She had worked with so many Heroic Spirits, after all. Surely first-hand experience had to count for something?
Her Greek was as non-existent as her skills when it came to math. Her Latin was only what she had picked up from Nero and Lucius. Et tu, Brute?
Or perhaps memento mori was more apt for her time here. Hakuno wasn't sure, she thought as she forced herself onto the cold campus of the Clock Tower. She walked toward her classroom, her mind still replaying what the pamphlet had said.
She had no knowledge of Hebrew. She had never worked with a Hebrew Servant in her life. She wouldn't know what to do with one. She had looked at the language just for shits and giggles once. It looked more like Moon Runes than what Westerners said about her native tongue.
Good physical health was a joke when she had amnesia syndrome. Her hygiene was at least okay. She'd like to think she had good character and could be discreet if needed.
She knew she wasn't that squeamish when it came to dead things.
Not when she had killed so many people just to get to where she was now.
The wind was awful today, Hakuno thought as she slipped inside the university. A sigh of relief escaped her as she mounted the stairs, taking flight after flight to the classroom. Of course, mages didn't believe in elevators either.
Perhaps there was something to be said about being in good physical shape. It was cruel and unusual punishment to expect students to carry their mountain of books upon their backs or in their hands up all these damn stairs.
She felt ready to pass out the moment she made it to the floor where most of the classrooms were located.
Hakuno made her way past the Department of General Fundamentals, Department of Spiritual Evocation, and Department of Lore, where Daybit Sem Void. Any other time, she would have stopped and waved at the guy, perhaps bothered him about the coffee he owed her, but she couldn't be late.
Something something keeping up appearances. She adjusted her cloak a bit more, thankful the uniform covered the bite marks on her neck.
No one needed to know what she got up to on the weekends and during the week. Bad enough that she had been called Marisbury's foreign bitch a handful of times. Not that it bothered her. She knew that these mages didn't care for Japanese mages. A couple of insults and slurs thrown her way weren't enough to stop her.
If nothing else, she was stubborn. Being a mage was all that she ever wanted to be. Nothing would get in the way of that. Hakuno made her way past the various artworks littering the hallways, having no time to stop and appreciate them as she usually would.
Her long hair fell over her shoulder as she passed the classroom where the Department of Modern Magecraft Theory was holding class, hearing the loud group laughter coming from the room. It was so odd to hear such a sound. Was it that fun in there?
Her friend Rin Tohsaka was in there. She spent every minute together trying to get her transferred to her department.
"I can put in the paperwork for you, Kishinami! It'll be easy. We can get you away from the Astromancy Department. They're weird crazies over there. Lord Melloi agrees." Rin often told her. "There is more to life than pleasing that advisor of yours, Kishinami. Does he even want you to succeed?"
Spoken like someone who already had their life set up. Who was naturally a genius. She filed those words under well-meaning, but completely forgot them the moment her coffee date with Rin ended.
It wasn't that simple. If she could just simply up and walk away, she would have by now. Probably. However, when one wakes up in a hospital of all places after crash landing into a poor person's campsite, one takes any type of deal offered to them when one has zero clue where one was. (She would later learn that the poor person's campsite was, in fact, Daybit Sem Void's and Kirschtaria Wodime'd campsite).
It was all very hazy. She remembers babbling to the two men about being from the moon and cuddling a cat before she passed out. As she woke up to a bright room and her wrist handcuffed to her hospital bed, her eyes fell onto a man she had never seen before. The man with his long white hair, braided to the side, smiled at her brightly as her eyes met his.
"Kishinami Hakuno. I have an offer for you," Marisbury had all but purred at her. And who was she to deny such an opportunity? A full ride at the Clock Tower, and a place at the man's department, learning underneath the man himself.
Although underneath him meant a few different things, she now realized. However, what choice did she have? She was in a new world. No money, no servants. She was all alone.
It wasn't as if she hadn't been warned. Even Daybit Sem Void had warned that Marisbury Animusphere was a rather difficult mage to work with. In fact, the man was also trying to get her to transfer to his department.
But she liked the thought of having a difficult advisor. She liked having to actually work for things. She felt like a lamb at times, wandering into a wolf's den, just to see what all of the fuss was about.
It helped that the sex was good too. Not that anyone knew what truly happened on the weekends, when she, Wodime, Olga Marie, and Romani Archaman all were required to travel to the Animusphere family compound up in the mountains of Briton.
No one would know what went on if she could help it. She made sure to hide any bite marks and bruises well enough come Monday mornings.
Although that meant that she was always running late on Mondays. Like she currently was. She panted as she ran toward the classroom, seeing Wodime leaning against one of the walls as she made it closer.
"You were almost late," Wodime told her in greeting as Hakuno made it to his side finally. "I was about to call you."
"Yeah," Hakuno replied, panting softly. Her legs felt like pudding. "But I'm not late, am I? My alarm didn't go off."
Wodime's blue eyes stared at her as if calling her out on her bullshit. You just didn't want to get up after being fucked for 48 hours straight, those blue eyes seemed to say without the man saying it aloud.
"Good thing you weren't late. Olga is leading the class today," Which elicited a groan out of Hakuno as she held Wodime's gaze.
"I suddenly feel sick. Perhaps I shouldn't-"
Wodime's hand reached out, taking hers. Hakuno felt her face warming as she was brought closer to his side.
"It is fine. She knows that she is not supposed to give you a hard time."
Easy for him to say. She could understand why Olga did not like her that much. It wasn't like what she and her father did in his home was that much of a secret.
"I-I don't know."
Kirschtaria shook his head, enjoying the closeness for a moment longer before he turned Hakuno around toward the door, forcing her to go inside.
"Come on. The quicker we get this done, the quicker I can take you to your appointment with Archaman. Kischinari. Besides, it is good for Olga to teach every now and then. She'll be expected to do this more often once she is of age."
It was all she could do not to laugh at the mispronunciation of her name. Hakuno fought back a smile as she was led into the classroom.
A few hours of Olga Marie lecturing couldn't be that bad. Then she could go to her doctor's appointment and promptly ignore any warnings about eating healthy, as she would make her way to Moonbucks to get a coffee and a sweet treat.
That sounded like a good plan.