Raisin's Daily Life

DM: Otaku-sama | Player: Himehorn Leedah

Part 1 (Jul 07 2015)
Part 2 (Oct 11 2015)
Part 3 (Jan 13 2016)
Part 4 (Nov 13 2016)

Part 1

Human searched for life in the universe, sending messages, satellites, etc; but they never got an answer… and they found out why, when they came to visit. They emerged from a strange cave in a snowy mountain from Canada. They called themselves, Himehorns… long time has passed since their appearance.

At first there were a lot of conflicts within both species, it was thought that they would go extinct. Unimaginable things happened, really bad things… but also, good things, that made those past assumptions null and void. A movement led by a quirky pair, a young politician and a white clad himehorn.

They fought for the good of both species, and their coexistence. Eventually succeeding, leading toward a new age where both species could live in harmony with each other… but still, things are not perfect, we are still adapting to them, the same way, they adapt and evolve to be among us, as equals.

This is a new and small country, in middle of the ocean. Created to stimulate and test the adaptation of himehorns and humans alike for a better tomorrow. Where herds are small and equivalent to the average human family and himehorns are free to live with humans or by themselves if they so desire.

In small hybrid house cave, lives a small herd/family… Led by a conservative leader, and six other himehorns. Haremhorn, the oldest, the tomboy musclehorn, the three little smallhorns and of course, our heroine. Today is her first day in a new educative system… and she is late.

If I'm late Haremhorn wil make Leader scold me! D: I hurry, not worrying that I might forget something, just that I get there as soon as possible!

Realizing her predicament, in a hurry she stormed to the front door, just to realize that she was forgetting something very important, her brand new school bag!… and her treasured Dinosaur strap, that she attached to it. Wondering if to go back for it or not, she heard heavy footsteps behind her...

Defenitley going back for the dinosaur strap! I spin around to go get it and bump into someone!

She fell with her butt to the ground as she bumped with a familiar face… Musclehorn had noticed her going out without her bag so she went after with a steak in her mouth, managing to catch up with her… but she didn’t predict that our heroine would stop so abruptly, sending her to a painful landing.

"Who? Oh... it's you... Penny!"

She noticed that she had brought her school bag… with her strap intact! Relieved that she didn't have to go back, she started to notice people staring at them… confused, she looked around, to notice that Penny didn't change at all! In panic, covering with what she could, she escorted her back home.

"Silly Penny! nohorns wear clothes!"

She grunted while chewing her steak, complaining in confusion, not understanding what she did wrong. After getting home what awaited them was an angry pair of himehorns at their doorstep, ready to unleash a big scolding… Both contemplated in terror the scene, before they dragged them inside.

"I didn't do anything!" I shout!

Both of them pointed at the clock, clarifying what she had done. ¨Now, take this note with you … and get going!¨ The leader said with an angry voice while musclehorn was being scolded by haremhorn. Knowing that her scolding was just postponed, she finally went to school at her own pace.

I frown the whole way there. I might have made it if I hadn't had to go take Penny back!

While she was walking to school, she heard a calm voice calling her from behind. ¨Excuse me... You dropped something.¨ A nohorn was there, with her Dino strap on his hand. Her strap fell off her bag, but because of her bad mood, she didn't notice it at all. ¨I think this is yours…¨

"Wha- Oh thank you! I don't know how that fell off.... but I'd have been very sad if I couldn't find it!

¨I am glad I found it then... I think that you will have to glue the other end, the strap is kind of weak, so it will fall off if you move it too much…¨ After saying that, he looked at his clock. ¨Oh, sorry. Well, if you excuse me, I better get going…¨ and with a little wave of his hand, he left...

"Thank you again!" I shout after them. I better hurry if I want to make it before I'm really in a lot more trouble! In order to keep Yamasaurus safe I put it in my bag where it can't fall out and hurry on my way!

When she arrived at the school she saw that the gates were closed, and there was no one in sight. The opening ceremony should have ended, so everyone was already in their classrooms... after trying to open the gates... without much results. She tried to think of way to get in.

The gate's only three feet high, I should be able to climb over that.

On top of the gate, she heard a metallic noise. Looking at the source, she found a nohorn in a tracksuit...¨WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!?¨and with a movement of her hand the gate was full open in an instant. As she to the ground, she catched her…¨ohh, you were a student, sorry… but you are LATE¨

"I know I'm late! How else was I supposed to get in?"

She pointed at the intercom that was at one side of the gate. ¨You have to be more observant, you are not a smallhorn anymore… Mmh, I don't recognize you. Are you a first year? You are lucky, first-time offenders will get just a warning… be grateful~<3 Now then, come with me to the teachers’ lounge¨

"Oh. I didn't know that was for that." I tag along after her, hoping I put my student ID in my bag.

When they opened the door, there it was, the kind nohorn from before. ¨Now, wait here until your homeroom teacher comes for you… and You. Eh… Sorry, what was your name again?¨ ¨Kei… Kei East¨ ¨Oh, right… well then Kei, come with me. Third years have P.E.¨ … and with that, our heroine was, alone...

I hide under a desk!

After a few minutes, the door opened once again. Hidden under a desk all she could see was the pair of long legs of her teacher. ¨Eh, I was told the new student was waiting here… bathroom break, perhaps?¨ As she waited patiently for her, she walked towards her desk… Right in front of our heroine.

This seemednfunnier until she got here... Remembering my broken strap I take it out of my bag and crawl out holding it. "Oh, hi! I was just getting my dinosaur..."

What she saw there was a blonde girl munching from a bag of snacks. When their eyes met, her face turned completely red. Overwhelmed by the surprise, in her confusion, she tried to hide the bag behind her back, scattering sweets everywhere. After recovering her composure, introductions were in order

"I'm Raisin! I'm a new student for thenfirst year class! I'm sorry for being late!"

¨Late?, o-oh, yes…¨ *cough* ¨Don’t worry about it… j-just forget what you saw¨ She said under her breath, still a little embarrassed. ¨Do you have a note from your mother, right? ¨ After handing the note that stated the reason for her tardiness, both of them headed towards the classroom. ¨Ready?¨

"Yes, I'm ready!"

As she opened the door, all the attention in the room fell on her the moment they noticed someone behind the teacher. She observed that there was almost forty people inside. Ten from each. Nohorns, haremhorns, musclehorns, and now, with her, ten hornmothers…but no male nohorns for some reason.

It's really weird being in a room with this many nohorns!

¨Please take a seat over there *cough* Before the introductions, a little explication is in order… You are all here today, not as himehorns, and not as humans, but as students and as such I hope we all can reach a better understanding of this world, and of each other, together, for a better future¨

I go sit down and check out who's around me. Left is a musclehorn, she's pulled the sleeves off her uniform... Right is an ordinary looking nohorn. Behind me is another nohorn and she looks like one of the he ones. In front of me... I can't tell but she's a himehorn, the horns are a giveaway.

¨Besides the classic subjects here, in St. Victoria, Himehorns will learn all about humans and vice versa; from their biology to their psychology, past, present and the future. How to be yourselves without being tied to your instincts, and how to accept each other… and much, much more…questions?¨

I put up my hand and ask.
"We're learning about the future?

¨Glad you asked! You see, we won’t be learning about the future itself, but how to forge it with our efforts and things we are learning here; and with that, we hope to predict and in a sense, learn about what kind of future our teachings will or at least, could bring for himehorns and humans alike.¨

Oh! Well that actually makes more sense than what my imagination had come up with.

Afterwards... the teacher grabbed the student list and started calling them one by one. Upon hearing their name, they stood up, talked a little about themselves, or something, and then sat down again. Raisin got surprised when even some of the musclehorns said something… now, was her turn to shine.

"My name is Raisin!" I introduce myself when it's my turn. "I like dinosaurs and Saint Blossom Starry Leader is my favorite show!"

After that, they were given a general explanation about each class and their content. When the final subject was explained, the recess began. A little anxious, Raisin took her strap with her little hands, as she observed how everyone started to go around talking to each other, forming little groups…

I want to find a group too but it's kind of scary not knowing any of these people!

¨Hello!… heeey… are you ok? ¨ Absorbed in her own world, she didn't notice that someone had approached her… she finally came to her senses when a nohorn softly poked her cheek… In front of her, was the worried face of a haremhorn, and at her side, the face of a curious nohorn. ¨Oh~!, good reaction!¨

"Ubwuh?" I try to ask but being poked in the cheek it's not real words that come out.

¨Uh, sorry, but you were ignoring me for a while… so, I took the liberty to tease you a little bit, jeje¨ She said as she poked her cheek again with an amused smile. ¨Stop that, you will turn the raisin into a tomato. Don’t you see she is embarrassed?...You were spacing out for a while, are you ok?¨

"I'm alright... I... not knowing anyone is kind of scary."

¨Ehhhh, scary? I think is fun~¨ Said the nohorn as she leaned on Raisin's desk. ¨Well… I think that it could be a bit overwhelming if you are not used to it… were you homeschooled, perhaps? …¨ Asked the haremhorn as she examined Raisin with her eyes in an inquisitive way. ¨Anyway, nice to meet you.¨

"Yes. Nice to meet you, I'm Raisin..." I introduce myself again, the nohorns name turns out to be Choux.

¨Ehhh~… that is not my name~ Himehorns call me like that because I am always with Cream and Coco~¨ Said the nohorn as she pouted. ¨…Well, it suits you, so it’s fine. Don’t you think so too, Raisin? I am Cream by the way… and Coco is the one that just…¨ Before she could finish, the bell rang again…

"What does that one mean?"

¨It means that the next class has just begun¨ A few minutes later someone opened the door, and a himehorn wearing a lab coat crossed the door. ¨Hello everyone... I can see in your faces that some of you didn’t expect to have a himehorn as your teacher… well… surprise~¨ She said with pride and joy.

This is a lot like what I'm used to, except the teacher changes with the class. That's new.

¨I will leave the inspirational story of how and why I became a teacher for another time… All you need to know is that I will be in charge of most of the himehorn related classes this year… and also the adviser for himehorn related affairs… If you need advice, don't hesitate to come to my office!¨

I wave my hand in the air. "Where is your office Teacher?"

¨I am glad someone asked... my office is the last room in the right side of the building, right beside the nurse's office, just go down the hallway. You won't miss it… also, the adviser for human related affairs is in the opposite side, beside the teacher’s lounge¨ she told her, gesturing everything.

I nod, not really understanding where any of them places she mentioned were. It was enough for everyone else and I don’t want to look dumb.

Then, the teacher tried to draw them a map on the blackboard, but she didn't reach it well enough…after a few tries she gave up and left…a few minutes later, she came back with a special stick and a step ladder… with a triumphant look in her face, she finished her explications without further issues.

I make a copy of the map in one of my notebooks, just in case.

After explaining the basics, the teacher decided to end her class a little early… ¨Just for today, don’t get used to it… I will be back later. Enjoy your time.¨ Given that they had some extra free time until next class, everyone started moving around and talking to each other like before...

I look around for the ones that had been talking to me earlier.

She stood up and anxiously looked around. After a few glances, she noticed Choux with her head lying on her desk, chatting with Cream near the window… she decided to approach them, and as she did, remembered that the nohorn mentioned someone else in her group… but curiously, it wasn't with them.

I slowly make my way over to the two by the window. Trying to be noticed before I have to try to join into the conversation myself.

As she approached them, she clumsily tripped on her way, but for her luck, someone grabbed her before she could get hurt. A little embarrassed, she casted a quick glance over to the group and saw Cream waving at her… and making weird signals. Then, Coco softly lifted her and went to their side.

"Uhm... Hello!"

¨I asked Coco to go and ask you if you wanted to join us, but it seems you found her first… I saw you fall over there, so I asked her to give you a lift just in case.*giggles*… Are you alright? ¨ She dusted her a little, while Coco softly deposited her on a chair beside Cream, and then sat down.

"I'm fine. I just tripped over myself trying to act normal." I say, feeling my face turn a little red.

¨Don‘t worry about it, as long as you are fine… oh, by the way, the shy musclehorn you see over here is Coco… Choux mentioned her before, I believe. The teacher asked her for help, so she wasn't here with us¨ when Raisin looked at her, Coco shyly waved her hand while blushing a little…

I wave back. "Does anyone have some glue, or some string? My strap broke..." I hold up my dinosaur.

¨Ohh~ I saw you holding that before… Let me see, let me see~! ¨ Choux said with a childlike insistence. Raisin, under pressure, hesitantly handed her the strap.¨…Mm~ I see, I see…I know someone who can fix it! Leave it to me! ¨ She exclaimed with gleam in her eyes and a wide smile, showing her fang.

"O...kay." I finally decide it'll be okay to let her have it long enough to get it fixed. "S-so, have you all been in this kind of school the whole time?"

As soon as she agrees, Choux runs off somewhere leaving them without time to react… ¨*ahem* Sorry about that… about your question, I have been in this kind of school for about 3 years. Before, I was in a himehorn exclusive school… as for Coco, this is her first time in this kind of school¨

"So she feels as overwhelmed about this as I do." I say with a nod.

Nodding, Coco grabs Raisin hands shaking them in agreement, with a little tear in her eyes. ¨Nohorns aside, as far as I know, she has always been like that… She lives near my house, we know each other since we were smallhorns. Choux, well…she appeared a few years ago, wanting someone to play with…¨

"I haven't really played with a nohorn before." I admit. "It's mostly just been my little herd family”

I see. You must come from an old fashioned herd, I presume. I mean…if you were homeschooled and never had much contact with nohorns before…Persuading your leader must have been very tough. Old fashioned leaders tend to be very stubborn. So, what made you want to come to a school? A mixed one above that.

"One of our haremhorns got sick and the other two couldn't handle the teaching on top of their jobs and hers." I fidget a bit. "We all got to pick and I was curious..."

¨Oh, my…What did she had? Is she alright or…¨as she covered her mouth lowering her voice, Coco was already shedding tears in silence… meanwhile Choux came back at the same speed she left, holding the fixed strap in front of her. With a satisfied smile on her face she wiped the sweat on her forehead.

"Thank you!" I almost shout, distracted by the strap. "She's not sick anymore but she hasn't really recovered yet." I get back to the question I'd been asked.

A little embarrassed with her hand behind her head, a little laugh escaped Choux as she smiled, leaving her fang visible, blushing a little. ¨…anyway, what were you talking about? … and… why is Coco crying? ¨ She said pointing at her while tilting her head in confusion.

"I was saying why I'm here, one of our haremhorns got sick... that's probably why."

Choux crawled under the desk to reach her seat beside Coco, giving her a little hug ¨She's a little oversensitive. I bet she got the wrong idea, before you could finish your explication. She will be fine.¨ Explained Cream, while patting Coco’s head. ¨Well, what do you think of this school so far? ¨

"It's different. But I like it, I think."

¨I am sure you will find the experience interesting at least. Nohorns have a lot of interesting things to teach us…¨Said Cream with a candid smile. ¨…but there are a lot of boring and difficult things too.¨ Said Choux pouting, interrupting her.¨…well, if you ever need help, you can count with us¨

"I'll remember that you said that." I joke back, starting to feel comfortable around at least these ones.

As if to ruin the mood, the bell rang once more, indicating the start of the next class.¨Oh, it seems the free time is over already…¨Said Cream, as everyone slowly started to go back to their seats. Coco, noticing this, stood up and slowly approached Raisin. A little hesitant, attempted to lift her.

Feeling a little bad for making her cry earlier I let her try. A good way to make a musclehorn sad, afterall, is to tell them they aren't allowed to lift something.

Thinking that Raisin got hurt when she fell, Coco carefully lifts her. After safely delivering her to her seat, Coco leaves with a little wave of her hand. A few minutes later the himehorn teacher came back with her stick in hand, but the P.E. teacher came along, carrying her step ladder.

'That's a very big nohorn.' Is all I can think.

¨Class, I came to remind you that after this you will have lunch time…The Cafeteria will be open in a few minutes. The remodeling of the rooftop has finished, feel free to use it…Also, You are not allowed leave the premises to buy food, until you bring a permit from your home.¨Said the P.E. teacher.

I didn't have one of those permits, and we didn't know about the cafeteria so I have my own dinner from home. When the class is done I head over to the others.

"Where are you going to eat your lunch?"

By the time she arrived to their seats, they were already gone. She had been too slow. She should have talked to them beforehand… Not knowing where to go, she decided to wonder around the school looking for them, or at least, to find a nice place to eat for the time being.

Shows on television always said how the roof was the best place to have your lunch so that's where I head to.

Carrying her especial lunchbox, she headed towards the stairs. Unsure of where to go, she followed the flow of people around her… managing to reach the third floor, she looked around for the stairs to the rooftop, attracting the curious eyes of the third years that were still in their classrooms.

'M-maybe this wasn't such a great idea.' I think as I keep searching. There's still a tiny trickle of traffic towards the top of the building... I hope that's their destination anyway.

She slowly kept following them, a little too self-conscious of the attention she was attracting…. Out of the blue, a blinding light got in her way… once her eyes adapted to the brightness, she finally saw the stairs she was looking for. Finally on the rooftop, she was greeted by an amazing view.

It's not particularly high up, only three floors, but it still offers a great view of the surrounding town. A little higher up and I might be able to almost seen the convenience store that's two blocks away from my house!

Absorbed by the view she didn’t notice the true appeal of the rooftop, until she looked around. A world of green met her eyes. Vines within the chain links of the cage surrounding the roof, providing cover from the sun, grass patches surrounded by sidewalks with benches, for everyone to enjoy.

'It seems more like a park than a rooftop.' I observe to myself and ignore the benches. instead opting for a grass patch with just enough shade; and just close enough to some flowers.

Finally able to relax, she started to eat, enjoying the scenery and the soothing breeze. After a while, her eyes drifted to the school’s backyard where the gym, a huge green field and a line of trees were in sight… until she saw a familiar pair of horns in the corner of her eye, followed by a call.

It's the others I was looking for earlier. I gather up what little I'd unpacked and stuff a small apple rabbit in my mouth as I hurry over there.

As she approached the group, Coco made her some space for her to sit. ¨…After we came back from the bathroom, I looked for you! ...you were nowhere to be seen¨ Complained, Choux. ¨This is the most popular place, so I thought you would be here…I am glad I was right¨ Said Cream, with a welcoming smile

"Oh, is that where you were?" I smile. "I looked for you right after the bell and couldn't find you. I thought maybe if I headed for the roof I'd see you. I'm happy it worked out." I unpack my lunch, an ear has fallen off one of my two remaining apple rabbits and I put it back. You can't eat an incomplete apple rabbit after all.

¨Oh~ Apple rabbits! So cute.¨ Said Choux as she chewed on her food, while taking a look at what the others were having. ¨Oh, you are right… Did your haremhorn made it? ¨ Said Cream, as she took a bite of her food, placing her hand over her mouth; while her and Coco leaned towards Raisin to take a look.

"One of them did yes." Her herd was big enough to have three; well... two until the one got better.

¨Did you know that we will start to learn how to cook and all that this year? ¨ Said Choux as she ate her food vigorously. ¨… it will be a nice excuse to eat snacks in class ¨ She said as she finished her sandwich. ¨Do you know how to cook, Raisin?¨ Asked Cream, before eating from her salad.

"Ah... no not really." I answer, a little embarrassed. "My Leader is kind of traditional so only the haremhorns know how to cook. Leader can't even make tea on her own."

¨It must be nice… having someone to do everything for you¨ Choux thought aloud. ¨*giggles* Don’t worry about it. We are here to learn. There is no reason to be embarrassed about that¨ Said Cream, while Coco assented with her head¨ ...but it would be a head start¨ Said Choux, as she drank some juice.

"They don't do everything... but yes they take care of a lot of things you noho- humans do yourselves." I answer, trying to make it clear that I wasn't offended by the joke.

¨Ah… now that I remember. We have P.E. after this¨ Said Choux as the laziness invaded her, while she stretched lying on the grass. ¨… and after that, we have home economics if I am not mistaken… Have you heard about those classes, Raisin? ¨ Asked Cream, while Coco joined Choux on the grass.

"Not really." I frown and move onto the next piece of my lunch. A thermos filled a meat and potato heavy stew. "What are they about?"

Let see, how do I explain it? ... In P.E. you exercise a lot… but not as much as your musclehorn would… You also play lots of different nohorn games, study their rules, compete with others… and I have also heard that sometimes they give prizes to the winners, in especial events... What do you think?

"That sounds kind of weird... except the games, games are good. If I'd known there was a class about games I would have brought my Generals of Conquest deck!"

¨Eh~… there is class about that, and nobody told me? ¨ Said Choux, while rolling in the grass. ¨In P.E. we do a different kinds of ¨games¨ like volleyball, and stuff, but we call them sports…¨ ¨Oh, and I also heard that after school we can have some kind of special activities, if we want…¨

"Oh... that sounds less fun... the sports. Too much exertion is bad if you're not a musclehorn." I pick up a small thermos full of a sweet, cold, tea. "The other thing sounds like it could be more fun."

¨Is not that extreme… but I don’t like it either. I would prefer to take a nap instead ¨ Said Choux as she fell silent. ¨For what we were told, the exercise is a short time before we play, to avoid injuries and to train our bodies to be at least at the level of an average nohorn, more or less… ¨

"That still sounds like a lot of work... but I guess our Haremhorns had the same idea, they insisted on some running around most days too."

¨Indeed, our health is important.¨ Said Cream, as she tickles Choux, to prevent her from falling asleep to skip P.E. Hearing her laugh, Coco decided to get up… just in case. ¨S-stop... I give up, I give up¨ Said Choux, laughing. ¨I can’t even get some sleep here… at least we have H.E. afterwards¨

"That one is going to be bad. I don't know anything about any of that."

¨Me neither! ¨ Exclaimed Choux with a broad smile, which prompted Cream to make a complicated expression. ¨Don’t worry about it, you will be fine.¨ she said, ignoring Choux, for some reason. ¨ Do you have some idea of what we will be doing in that class? ¨

"Making food, right?" I'm pretty sure I know what it's about, but how to actually do any of it...

¨Yes, that’s part of it. We will also learn how to do simple chores, and how to take care of smallhorns and small nohorns… if I remember correctly¨ Said Cream, trying to remember the things she heard about it. ¨ …We can eat or take home whatever we make there, so it’s not all that bad.¨ Said Choux.

"As long as you have a nohorn or haremhorn in your group." This was certainly going to be an experience. I'm scared that it's going to be more than I can handle

¨… The female nohorns were talking about H.E. when we were coming back from the bathroom… something about personal projects and getting some attention… Sorry, that is all I heard.¨ She apologized, while Choux took some of her juice. ¨Really? ... I heard them talking about something else ¨

"Something like what?" I ask, packing up my lunch remnants.

¨Something about other class having P.E. at the same time they had H.E. or something like that. I didn’t pay it much attention ¨Said Choux, as she stretched and then proceeded to slap her own cheeks to get rid of her drowsiness. ¨We have some time left. Shall we get going or…¨ Asked Cream to the group.

"I think a nap would be great! Eating always makes me sleepy."

¨That is a bad idea. We have just a few minutes until the next class.¨ Said Cream while placing her hand over Raisin’s shoulder from behind her¨… and I don’t think you want to skip P.E… not with this teacher¨ Coco shivered from the weird aura coming from her, as she said it. ¨Shall we get going then? ¨

"T-they're that bad?!" That's quite a shocking thing to hear. "Maybe we should, I don't want to get lost and be late or something."

¨ What? Didn't you met her already? You got here late, didn't you? You should have met her already.¨ Said, Choux tilting her head in confusion. ¨Don't worry about it! She is a good person. Cream is exaggerating¨…¨b-but… I saw it. I am not lying.¨ Said Cream with a little tear on her eye.

"Oh, I did meet someone... she got mad when I tried to climb the fence..."

¨That must have been her. She said a few words to first years in the opening ceremony ¨ Said Choux with enthusiasm, making clear that she liked her. ¨I saw her fall from somewhere in front of my window, and run to the entrance a few minutes after the first bell rang.¨ Said Cream, at the same time.

"She... fell out a window?"

¨I don’t know… she landed on her feet, and then ran towards the entrance, so I think she jumped from somewhere…¨ Said Cream, in disbelief of what she saw. ¨You are just seeing things…¨ Said Choux while waving her hand, putting aside the possibility of that being possible ¨You can ask her if you want¨

"I'm not sure if I should, that seems so unbelievable. I don't think a musclehorn would even try something like that."

¨Aren't you glad? Your first day, and you already saw an unsolved mystery in this school¨ Said Choux, laughing. ¨Well, shall we get going? …ah, but I don’t know if you are going to have class outdoors or in the gym… Where do you want to go? ¨ she asked, as they headed towards the stairs.

"Wouldn't there be an arranged meeting place no matter where it would be?" I ask.

¨Our classroom, of course.¨ Said Cream, after regaining her composure. ¨It’s better if we go to the classroom, the teachers always go there first, and if you are late they leave a message on the blackboard. So, always go there first. ¨ She explained to Raisin, ignoring Choux idea. ¨ Boring~¨

"That's a good plan, I need to put my stuff away anyway." I answer, holding up my lunch stuff.

¨We also have to do the same… Let’s go. ¨ Said Cream, as they went down the stairs. ¨…h-hey!, don’t leave me behind! ¨ Exclaimed Choux as she run to catch up with them. The lunch time was reaching its end, they could observe how the wave of people started to form, as they arrived to their classroom.

"There's so many people." I balk, not used to seeing more than six or seven at a time... even when I had gone out to do things in town.

¨Really? You would have been even more shocked if you had been at the opening ceremony. Everyone in the school was there.¨ Said Choux without much thought. ¨Don’t worry, Raisin. You will get used to it…¨ Said Cream, trying to reassure her. ¨What do you think of the school, so far? ¨

"It's weird, but I think it'll be good when I get used to it."

¨Did you have anything in mind when you decided to come here? Like… How did you thought it would be? Was there something that you wanted to learn? ¨ Asked Cream in a friendly manner, while Coco averted her eyes discreetly acting uninterested, also a bit curious, and Choux anxiously awaits the answer.

"A-about nohorns mostly... ah I meant humans!"

¨I see… It’s natural to be curious about them, after all, most of the himehorns from traditional herds almost never have real contact with them, unless is unavoidable.¨ Said Cream while Coco nodded to herself, and Choux puffed her chest with a broad smile on her face, as if she had won something.

"Is your special then?" I ask, not quite understanding what it was supposed to mean, but getting the general idea that Choux was proud about something.

¨Coco was the same as you, she got curious about humans after we met¨ Said Choux while hugging Coco, making her blush. ¨After she stopped being scared of you, of course.¨ Cream retorted. ¨I was just trying to say that is natural to be curious in that situation … What made you interested in them? ¨

"I hadn't really met any, and most of what I know is what I see on shows, or read in books."

¨… so, that means … I was the first?!¨ She exclaimed, feeling victorious. ¨… yes, yes, you were the first. Now, calm down.¨ Said Cream trying to lower her tension, as she was attracting too much attention. ¨Well, if you want to meet or know more about humans, this school is a good start.¨

"That's what I thought too!" I answer, happy they thought it was a good idea. "I'm not sure if you are. I've seen humans before... I just haven't really met any of them."

Choux, in her own world, made deaf ear to Raisin’s words, not even the sound of the bell worked… but a light chop on the head sure did the job... After a while, some light steps could be heard from the other side of the door… but it never opened, for some reason.

"...Did someone lock the door?"

Choux didn't like to wait nor the tension in the air, so she decided to open the door herself… She found a note on the floor. ¨Open the window, and wait on your seat¨ A bit confused, she decided to do as the note said. The moment she sat down… the P.E. teacher entered by a rope through the window!

"..." I stare, confused. "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh?"

Everyone was confused and astonished, while the teacher stood there, waiting for a reaction. One could almost hear her inner voice saying: ¨Am I cool, right?! I am the cool teacher! Right!? … I always wanted to do that. ¨ … following Raisin’s scream was Choux, with claps and praises, full of excitement.

Is applause the right response here? I wonder, I sit down at my desk and wonder what other strange things could happen today.

Shortly after the homeroom teacher entered the classroom, but using the door… as normal people would. ¨I told you this morning not to do that! I caught you red handed, but you ran off somewhere! Every year is the same with you! Come to the principal’s office! Now! ¨ ¨B-but…! ¨ ¨No buts, now! *sigh*¨

... "W-what about class?" I ask Choux.

¨Well then, as you all can see, your teacher will be a little busy for a while. Please go to the gym and wait there for further instructions.¨ said the homeroom teacher before escorting the P.E. Teacher… ¨I knew she was a problematic teacher¨ said Cream to herself, as they made their way to the gym.

"I think maybe she's just weird." I answer, even though it wasn't a question. "Besides, it might not have been her point but she's letting you know even when you grow up you can still have fun!"

¨… I will keep an eye on her, just in case. ¨ Said Cream, still a bit skeptical. Coco, behind them, still had a blank expression out of the sheer surprise because of what happened, while Choux was nowhere to be seen… for some reason. A few minutes later, they arrived to the gym of the school.

"If you think you have to." I answer with a shrug as we walk. The gym is very large and the lines painted all over the polished wooden floor are very colorful and confusing. It's enough to make you dizzy just looking at them all.

A few minutes later, a teacher comes to the gym… the himehorn teacher. ¨Well, it seems that the scolding will take a while; I mean, the talk with the principal … I was given instructions by your P.E. Teacher, so I will be her substitute for today. ¨ She said, a bit happy that she got to be in charge.

I'm just happy we aren't going to be stuck standing around with nothing to do. I'm a little bit worried though nohorns sometimes have a strange idea of fun.

For now though the teachers the same as me ao it shouldn't be too bad... right?

¨…The first thing to do was… to warm up! Yes… some light jogging inside the gym. After each lap, we have to do some stretching to make sure no one gets hurt. Everyone brought the medical certificate, so we are good to go… I think.¨ She said, trying to recall what she was told, doubting a little bit.

... Running... I hadn't run for no reason in a long time. This might be bad.

¨Remember, this is improve your stamina. Most of you have little to no exercise under normal circumstances so, be extra careful.¨ said the teacher, repeating what she was told, referring to the hornmothers. ¨Musclehorns, be sure to stretch and to run at an average speed. Don't get too excited…¨

"I... think I'll stay close to the wall so it's easy for everyone to pass me..." I say to Choux as I start to do some light stretches. Only the musclehorns had been told to but even I knew that doing anything without stretching could end up hurting.

Choux on other hand, a bit agitated, had just arrived in time to hear Raisin. Confident that no one noticed her absence, she whipped the sweat of her forehead with a fanged smile on her face, full of satisfaction for her accomplishment…without realizing that she still had a rope tied around her waist.

"That's a strange belt."

Not understanding her, Choux tilted her head in confusion before looking down to see her supposed belt… a bit overwhelmed by her carelessness, not knowing what to do, she grabbed part of the rope and started jumping it while laughing in an awkward manner…

"That must be some kind of n... human exercise." I shrug and start jogging slowly. Running was something I used to do a lot of as a smallhorn... but not much since. Haremhorns say if you do too much hard work tomorrows egg might break... or worse.

Update: Oct 11 2015

Before Raisin started her light jogging, Choux’s rope was slowly starting to be pulled. By the time she noticed she was being dragged by it, she panicked. Unable to escape nor untie herself, she was slowly dragged outside the gym… After a few laps and some stretching, the class proceeded its course.

"Where did Choux go?"

Well then, is everyone is feeling fine? If that is the case, let’s continue… let's form four groups. We will divide the gym to make different activities today. Each group will do a different activity and after some time, I will blow the whistle, when that happens everyone will go to the next activity.

I do a quick survey, torn between staying with the people I know and ranking the activities by intensity so I can have the easiest time possible.

Slow to decide, Raisin ends up in the team with fewer people. The basketball team; which will practice throwing basketballs into the hoop. ¨Remember to stretch before and after each activity.¨ said the himehorn teacher, with a happy look on her face, seeing that everything is under control so far.

I grab a ball and throw it as hard as I can. It doesn't go very far, but hits the ground hard enough to bounce off the backboard before ricocheting out across the gym.

After three attempts with the same results, she goes to the back of the row to wait for her next turn. Obverting all the others; she noticed that she was not so bad, as all the others had pretty much the same results… or worse…Before she could grab the ball, someone came to give them some assistance.

After a very complicated explanation involving how your offhand should only steady the ball and something about letting the ball roll off your fingers I try again! This time I get a lot closer... before hitting the floor and bouncing off across the room.

¨ Well, it’s just a matter of practice, don’t give up.¨ Said the teacher trying to encourage her… After a few more tries, and a slow improvement the time for the next activity arrived, and the sound of the whistle with it… the next activity was soccer; some passing practice.

Soccer is easy enough; or so I thought... my first few passes didn't make it all the way and so I got mad and really kicked it hard! Lucky for my partner my aim was off and the ball hit the wall behind her before coming back and almost hitting someone else behind me.

After a while, a tall figure could be seen by the entrance of the gym… It was the P.E. Teacher, carrying Choux on her shoulders. After leaving her on the ground, the smiling Choux ran towards Raisin and her group. ¨So, how is the practice going? Somebody needs help? ¨ asked the teacher to the group.

"I...I'm doing fine!" I run for the ball I didn't intercept and the kick it back... too hard and too far left.

At that moment, the PE teacher disappeared; in the blink of an eye, she intercepted the ball and kicked it towards the nearby goalpost making it bounce to her. After receiving it, she kept the ball under her control as she walked towards the group again. ¨Here you go.¨ She said, giving her the ball.

"Wow!" Is all I can say. "I don't think even Daniel Radcliffham could do that and she's famous!"

With a little blush on her cheeks, the teacher scratched her head a little. ¨No… there are people even better than me out there. I am just a PE teacher.¨ She said, trying to hide her embarrassment. ¨Well then, let’s continue with the class.¨ Said the teacher, and proceeded explain them the basics.

More than a few times I get distracted by trying to do that same shot.

After some tries, they heard the signal to rotate activities. Hearing the whistle the PE teacher went towards the sound, to talk with the himehorn teacher. Meanwhile, Raisin and her group headed towards the handball team, in which they have to practice passing and shooting to the goal to score.

I've gotten better at throwing but catching isn't very good. We keep having to run and get the ball after I missed it so the game can continue.

After the coaching from the PE teacher and some trials and errors, she manages to catch the ball three out of five times or so, just in time for the rotation. Their next destination is the volleyball team, where they have to practice service, reception, assist and attack, rotating their roles.

Serving is easy! Sometimes I hit the net... and sometimes it goes out of the lines; but more often it makes it over. I don't like receiving, it's hard, the ball hurts and sometimes you have to slide on the floor. Assist sounded easy, but putting the ball up is easier than putting it up and in a good direction for the next person.

... and I don't have the vertical to attack.

Then something I was worried about happening does! Not to me though, the ball goes sailing and hits a haremhorn right in the horn! It pops with a loud BANG! And the poor haremhorn is knocked down, scared and probably a little confused but not hurt visibly.

More than used it, the PE teacher approaches her with a warm smile and a helping hand, making it clear that there is no problem, making sure she is OK. A few minutes later, the himehorn teacher comes with a cart full of balls. At the sound of the whistle everything continues, and so does their coaching.

By the end of that activity I can do all of the stations at least a little, even though I'm still not jumping very high.

Seeing that they still had some time to spare, the teachers decided to give them some ¨free time¨ to play around. Rest, exercise, train their bodies, practice some more, play a match of the sports they practiced or whatever they wanted as long as it was safe and they didn't wander outside the gym.

I wait to see what my new friends are doing.

Looking around, Raisin finds her friends with ease. Coco, in an awkward situation, approached by two groups. One asking her to join their training session and the other, asking her to join their team for a match. Choux, lying on the floor near the teachers, and Cream, still practicing her service.

I'll head over to Coco, she looks like she might need some help.

Not knowing what to do, given her shyness, Coco starts to panic a little... Looking for a way out of her predicament, in her desperation, she notices Raisin as she approached. Not knowing if Raisin had noticed her Coco waved her hand, trying to hide her panic as she pleaded for help with her eyes.

"There you are Coco! Choux was asking for you over by the teacher." It's not the best but it's all I can come up with.

Following behind Raisin, Cream came by and offered herself to join the match, while the group with the musclehorn that wanted Coco to join their training session shrugged and went away… As Raisin took Coco to where Choux was, Cream smiled and waved her hand at them as she went the other way.

I wave as we continue past, then again as we approach Choux. "Hi... I hope we're not bothering you. Coco needed a way to escape from some small herds that all wanted her to do things."

A little groggy, she only raised her head to look at them and nodded. Acknowledged their presence, they sat beside her to rest… Coco still a little shy tugged at Raisin’s sleeve, wanting to tell her something… when suddenly Choux, half asleep, seeking for warmth curled up like a kitty between them.

I can't help giggling at that.

"What is it Coco?"

A little embarrassed for the interruption, she hesitated a little, before trying to whisper to her ear. While she conveyed her gratitude towards her new friend, the bell rang, completely covering her voice. Too embarrassed to repeat it, she grabbed Choux and started to walk towards the next class.

"Wait I missed most of that!" I say, chasing after her but not being able to keep up.

Near the main building, the third years started to go outside…Still tired from all the exercise Raisin slowed her pace and as she did, she heard Cream calling her from behind. Looking back absentmindedly she tripped over a pebble, almost falling, if it wasn't for a third year student that caught her.

"Wa!" I yell, flailing a little bit as I fall, not quite realizing that someone caught me for a little longer than it should have taken. "Eh? Oh! T-thank you!"

Then she abruptly moved away from the student, embarrassed of what had happened, and proceeded to apologize profusely trying to hide her embarrassment… ¨Hey… Are you okay? ¨ asked the student to Raisin, as she raised her head, noticing that it was the same nohorn she had met that same morning.

"I'm fine! J-just because I'm a hornmother doesn't mean I'm fragile like an egg!"

¨Ah… so-sorry, I didn't mean to offend you.¨ said the nohorn avoiding eye contact while scratching his head, bewildered at Raisin’s reaction. ¨…at least you're not hurt.¨ He said to himself with an innocent smile, before meeting her eyes… Both of them, unaware of the prying eyes around them.

"It's okay, everyone gets distracted to what's around her sometimes."

¨…says the one who was about to fall horns first to the ground…¨ He said to himself while slightly tilting his head to the side … before letting escape a little snort of laughter. ¨ I hope that you don’t get distracted very often. ¨ said the nohorn before patting her head with a candid smile.

"Not usually! But there's just so much new stuff today…"

Then, Raisin noticed that his gym uniform had been torn a little on the chest. She wondered if she had to do with it, grabbing her horns unconsciously, a little hesitant if to ask him about it. Misunderstanding her gesture He stopped patting her, apologizing, a little embarrassed; when the bell rang.

"Uh oh... I don't know where I'm supposed to go nowwwwuuuuuuuuuu" I start tearing up and trying not to cry.

Not knowing what to do with the teary eyed Raisin in front of him, He started to look around for help. As He panicked, He finally noticed the prying eyes around them; condemning him as the cause of the tears soon to be shed by the small hornmother… until Raisin heard a known voice behind her…

"I don't know where I'm supposed to go!"

¨Raisin, thanks for waiting for me ... What happened? ¨ Said Cream, not understanding why she was yelling at a nohorn, noticing that a lot of people were watching them... Seeing her with teary eyes and the nohorn still trying to talk, to explain probably, with no words coming out of his mouth…

"Cream!" My expression changes quickly to relieved happiness. "I tripped and almost fell on this nohorn and then the bell went and I didn't know where to go!"

¨Well, let’s go then… We have to go to our class first, since it’s the first day. I thought I told you that already… anyway, are you alright? ¨ Said Cream as they started heading towards their own classroom, leaving the embarrassed nohorn behind, while rumors started flowing behind their backs…

"I'm fine! That nice nohorn caught me before I hit the floor!"

¨ Good to know! I'm glad it wasn't what it seemed …but I think that the people around got the wrong idea. I hope no weird rumors start to spread thanks to that …¨ Said Cream a bit concerned. ¨ Oh! I know. Why don’t we make something for him in home economics class? What do you think? ¨

"That sounds good I don't want to get in trouble."

¨If anything, I doubt it will be you the one with trouble. ¨ Said Cream with a little chuckle. ¨… but with a little gift and some luck you might make a new friend. That should make any kind of bad rumors go away… or so I think, but I am not used to giving gifts to nohorns, you should ask the others¨

"Is that why we had such problems with them before? We weren't giving them enough gifts?"

¨Who knows… I heard about giving gifts from the nohorns in our class... One said she left a letter inside a desk so they could meet after school and other one, right after P.E. class… they were really nervous for some reason, but the others encouraged them. ¨ Said Cream, shrugging.

"Oh that is a good idea!" I get out my paper pad, all the pages have pictures of happy eggs on them. "Dear nohorn that I bumped into today. Please meet me after PE class. I really, really, need to give you something!" I finish writing. "Hows that? I think the second really makes it sound important!"

¨Sounds good I guess, it also makes it sound more urgent… but how will you give it to him? Do you know where does he seats or something? ¨ Said Cream giving her opinion about issue; as they talked about the gift issue, trying to figure out a way to deliver the note, they arrived to their classroom.

"It should be easier to smell which one is which " I pout after Cream and I arrive at the classroom. I wondered what was coming next as she and I found our seats.

An old lady followed by a haremhorn enter the classroom…¨Hello class, I am Mrs Batterheart, and I am in charge of the H. E. Class… or so I would normally say… I am retiring pretty soon, so this young lady over here will be taking when that happens; until then she will be assisting with the class¨

"What's a retirement?" I ask, leaning over in my seat.

She puts a bittersweet smile at hearing her question. ¨Good question, dear. Retirement means that I have been teaching for over 40 years. So now it’s time for me to leave the teaching duty to the next generation.¨ she says while looking at the distance in retrospective. ¨ Is there any other question? ¨

"N-no mam!" I didn't think that she would hear me.

¨Well then my sweeties, if there are no more questions… let’s go to the kitchen.¨ She said as the haremhorn lead the way and opened the door for her. ¨Dear, can you please take them to the kitchen on the third floor while I go get some prints? ¨ She told her as they went out of the classroom.

I try to stay close to Cream and the others so that I don't get lost or worse.

Everyone followed the haremhorn to the third floor, right past the classrooms of the third years. At the end of the hallway was a double door. When she opened the doors, they could observe a big classroom with eleven cooking stations, with ovens, microwaves and all the implements they could need.

I'm not completely overwhelmed, but close. I know what a lot of these things are because I've watched the haremhorns use them to make food. I've even seen them used on shows.

I'd much rather be doing the part of this class that's about making things.

As soon as they entered, the haremhorn went to the main cooking station in the front of the classroom and asked everyone to split into groups of four between the ten remaining stations… After a while, Raisin's group ended up in the last station of the back row, right beside an opened window.

"Have any of you ever done this before?"

¨I have experience, and Coco has helped me before… Choux, well… she is a special case; let's leave it that way… what about you, Raisin? Have you ever had the opportunity or the interest in cooking before? ¨ Said Cream as she examined the cooking station and Choux leaned against the window frame.

"Not really. I've seen some of the programs with the white haired nohorn who has eyes on the back of his head... and I watched our haremhorns a couple times..."

¨So, you don't really have firsthand experience… Let’s do our best then, maybe you will like it.¨ Said Cream, with a warm smile… After a few minutes, the teacher came back with the copies. ¨Well then, my sweeties; as it is tradition for the first years, the first lesson will be… how to make cookies¨

"Aww." I mumble quietly. "I guess cookies are kind of like really small cakes..."

Seeing her a bit disappointed and crestfallen, Cream approached her. ¨Don‘t be sad; before we can make something big, we have to start with something small… plus, cookies are better for the gift, right? ¨…at hearing the word ¨gift¨ the nohorns in the other stations started to whisper among themselves.

"It would be I think!" I only know for sure that I'd love being given cookies.

While the haremhorn started to distribute the copies Raisin noticed that Choux had been by the window for quite a while. Out of curiosity, she decided to check on her… She tapped on her shoulder a few times, without an answer, noticing that she had dozed off while enjoying the warmth of the sunlight.

"Hey." I try to gently shake her awake. "You got to wake up, you'll get in trouble."

As she tries to wake her up, Choux loses balance and starts to lean forwards… before she could fall, Raisin reacted with haste, grabbing her, but her strength was not enough to move her out of danger... Seeing all this, Coco lifted both of them with ease, moving them away from the window …

I struggle a little for a minute before realizing we're not actually falling. After a relieved sigh I say. "Thanks. That would have been bad."

Moments later, Cream gives her a chop to the head to wake her up… ¨Sorry about that Raisin. She's quite energetic, but also run out of steam quite fast… At this rate She will fall asleep again before she can wash her face; and we need her wide awake… Would you please accompany her to the bathroom? ¨

"I think I can find that." I answer; not entirely sure if I can do what I just said.

Before they left, Cream approached Raisin and whispered on her ear. ¨… we won’t mind if you take a little detour on the way back to leave the note for the nohorn. ¨ Said Cream with a warm smile on her face, giving her a thumbs up… Not understanding very well, Coco mimicked her, doing the same.

"Okay!" I decide that on the way back would be best. Just in case I get lost I think that having someone who knows the way around would be best. I take Choux by the hand and start half leading, half herding her out into the hall.

As they walked the empty hallways on their way to the bathroom Raisin looked around, as if to figure out which one was the classroom of the nohorn… only to be interrupted by Choux, every time she started to doze off while walking, making their walk even more problematic; until they finally arrived…

At the bathroom! Choux's so tired the best thing to do is get the water going as cold as it will go and then splash her face myself! Except when I try to splash... it turns into more of a spray.

The school has very impressive water pressure!

As the spray of cold water hits Choux straight to the face, a cute sound escapes her out of surprise at the cold sensation. ¨Hinya~! … I am drowning, I am drowning! ¨ still half asleep Choux struggled as Raisin washed her face, slowly bringing her to her senses. ¨Uhhh~¨She complained, before sneezing.

"You're not drowning sillyhorn." I tell her. "You just needed a wakeup scrub."

Now fully awake, and a little grumpy, Choux puffed her cheeks and ran her hands over her face… After looking at her wet hands a little smirk appeared on her face; then she used her fingertips to throw a few drops of cold water at Raisin's face while making gun sounds in a playful way. ¨Pew, pew~¨

"Ah no! I'm already awake!" I back up, trying to get away, not managing it. "I need your help on the way back."

¨Ok! ¨ she said without hesitation. ¨…BUT, first, I have to finish something here. ¨ She proclaimed in a serious tone, pointing up with one hand and the other under her elbow; then flicked her finger with the last drop of water at Raisin’s face…¨I am done, let's go!¨ she said with an innocent smile.

"Thank you! I need to take a note to the nohorns desk."

¨I see… but do you know the name of the ¨nohorn¨? ; Is a girl or a boy? ; Do you know of what year is it, or its classroom? ¨ She asked, grabbing her chin, trying to understand the situation as they walked down the empty hallways. ¨…Anyway, for what do you need me? ¨ She tilted her head, curiously.

"I don't know? She had short hair and a flat front?"

¨… that is … not very particular… Himehorns have good sense of smell… right? Can’t you just find it smelling around?… Anyway, do you remember anything else about that nohorn that might help us to find it or its desk? ¨ Said Choux while frowning, tilting her head inquisitively.

"They all kind of smell the same." I shrug and kick at the floor. "And then there's all the smelly stuff they like to wear. She... he? Was kind of tall? And short hair that was kind of yellow!"

¨Smelly stuff? …weird, in the rules of the school says that we can’t use normal stuff. We have to use what the school provides us, so we don’t upset himehorn’s sense of smell… it must be a new student then.¨ Said Choux, looking up, trying to reach a conclusion… ¨When was the last time you saw it?¨

"This morning! I think I did something that might have got him in trouble so I need to take a note for them to meet me later!"

¨This morning… in the opening ceremony? No, you came late to class… So, if it wasn’t in the opening ceremony, where did you meet with the nohorn? ¨ Asked Choux a bit confused… ¨Oh, by the way… can I see the note? …If you don't mind, of course.¨ Said Choux with innocent curiosity in her eyes.

Update: Jan 11 2016

I hand her the note. "I worked really hard on it! It was after the morning... thing... I almost fell down and I got really panicky and I think it made people think she did something bad!" I ramble. "So I'll give them the note that I have something super important to tell them behind the gym and then I can give them some cookies I'm going to try to make!"

Choux listened to Raisin’s explanation and then proceeded to read the note in her hands. After a few seconds in deep thought… ¨I don't really get it … ¨ she said with a puzzled expression on her face. ¨… but it seems important; so it would be better to ask a teacher for help… What do you think? ¨

"We could, but they're all kind of scary."

¨Scary? Why? ¨ she tilted her head in confusion. ¨… they all seem like good people so far… but, I guess that they might seem a little scary for you; since it’s your first time in this kind of school…then… do you want me to ask one of them for you?¨ she asked with a big smile, showing a little fang.

"I wouldn't ask that!" Raisin answers, a little louder than needed. "But if you were there too it might be better?"

Choux nodded with enthusiasm while grabbing her hands. ¨You can count with me! ¨ Glad of Raisin’s vote of confidence, she struck a pose with a hand on her chest and other on her hip; showing a fang through a smug smile. ¨SO… where are we going now? Do you have a teacher in mind of the ones we met? ¨

"What about the window one?"

Confused, she tilted her head to a side, looking at her with a blank expression. She looked both sides at the windows of the hallway, to see if they had passed a teacher along their way, coincidentally spotting the P.E. teacher in the school grounds in front of the gym; hitting her palm with her fist at the realization.

"Do you have a headache?"

¨…Ah? N-no, no, don't worry about it, I am fine.¨ She gave her a bashful smile, blushing a little, scratching the back of her head to hide her embarrassment for being slow. ¨ Oh, by the way, I just saw that teacher outside.¨ She walked towards the window and waved at her, trying to draw her attention.

"That’s very saren...serentuitus?" I try to use one of the big words that describes the situation but can't quite remember them.

¨Ehh? Did you say something, Raisin? ¨ she looked at her over her shoulder, all smiles, as she leaned over the window in a dangerous position without a care in the world… Given up on trying to get her attention she grabbed Raisin’s hand and started going towards the schoolyard, half dragging her.

"You don't have to pull! I can walk!" I grumble, trying to keep up. I'm still happy to have someone here who knows where they're going though.

After a while and a few stumbles on their way, they somehow arrived safely to where the teacher was. Choux smiled widely as she waved energetically calling for the P.E. teacher. Smiling at her, she looked surprised when she spotted Raisin concealed behind Choux… ¨Raisin wants to ask you something! ¨

"I, uhm." I take a deep breath and then start again. "I'm looking for a nohorn that's kind of tall and yellow on top. T-the hair I mean, I'm supposed to give them this note!"

The teacher approached Raisin at hearing her request. A little scared, she closed her eyes and braced herself, but all she felt was a soft pat in the head. She opened her eyes again and looked up at her; her teacher was smiling at her. ¨You did a great job asking for help. Let me see what can I do. ¨

"Thank you!" I exclaim loudly, happy to be able to make up for causing trouble.

¨Let’s see… ¨ the teacher proceeded to call a student that was doing some laps around the gym, telling it to call all the blonde students in her class or anyone who had something yellow today. A little confused the student followed her orders… ¨Well then, now let’s wait and see if it's in my class. ¨

"How long do we wait?"

¨Just a few minutes. Don’t worry.¨ Moments later, twelve curious students presented themselves before them. ¨Is everyone here? ¨ she asked to the student from before. ¨Yes! …Ah. No, Kei was feeling a little bad so He is resting under a tree.¨ … ¨ Well then. Raisin, is any of them the person you are looking for? ¨

"Uuuuuuuuuhm." I stare, at each one for a little bit but can't really tell. "I don't think so, what about the tree one?"

¨OK everyone! Someone please show her where is Kei and the rest go back to running… follow them, Raisin… and good luck… After that let’s practice some soccer and volleyball. Make the teams however you want, just play carefully as always.¨ clapping her hands, she made everyone follow her commands.

I follow along behind the group and the nohorn they lead me to looks familiar, and I think I smell something familiar but it's really hard to tell.

After the group dispersed Raisin found herself under the shade of a big tree beside said nohorn, which seemed to be enjoying the occasional breeze with his eyes closed, oblivious of his surroundings and of their presence. Meanwhile Choux took her leave… and tried to climb the nearest tree behind them.

"U-uhm! Hello again!"

¨…mmh? Again? ...¨ having heard someone’s voice beside him, he rubbed his eyes and stretched, as he sat up to look at the owner of the voice. ¨Oh. Hey, it's you.¨ A little yawn escaped him. ¨Sorry about that. It seems that I almost fell asleep… thanks for waking me up.¨ He smiled at her.

"H-here!" I try to hand the nohorn the letter, but I'm flustered enough that it's more than a little shaky. As soon as he takes it I start running away!

Left with more questions than answers, still drowsy he pondered about what just happened as he stood up, scratching his head while stretching and yawning. Now fully awake, he paid it no much mind, putting the note inside his pocket… but as soon as he started to walk he heard a voice from above…

"You should probably read that!" The mysterious voice is both ominous and slightly cheerful at the same time.

A little confused and surprised he looked up, but there was no one in sight. A bit curious he decided to take a closer inspection to the source of the voice… but the voice of the PE teacher calling for him stopped him from doing so… minutes later, Choux heard the PE teacher calling for her from below.

"How many times have I told you not to play in the trees on school property?! If you hurt yourself it gets us in trouble!"

¨Eh!?… b-but this is the first time somebody has told me that¨ She jolted, surprised that she found her ¨D-don't try to be a know-it-all, you know what I mean…!¨ She replied, taken aback by her comment ¨… can you get down?¨ Choux jolted again, at her question ¨…b-but of course I can…¨ She whispered.

"Then hurry up!"

Pouting, the stubborn Choux started to climb down the best that she could trying to prove that she in fact could do it… her trembling feet reached one branch after another. Now she only had to climb down the trunk... when she was getting ready, the branch made a loud sound, stopping her in her tracks.

Will teacher get back in time?! Find out next time on Raisin's Daily Life!

The branch didn't break, but the damage was already done. The surprise made her jump hastily to the trunk of the tree, hugging it with all her might. Now, like a kitten, she was unable to move out of fear to the fall… to which the teacher panicked a little; until certain someone came with a ladder.

It was the PE teacher again! She'd heard the shaky voice and kept watch. Usually she was rescuing balls from the trees, not students.

Choux, a little confused when she felt a little tap on her shoulder, changed her little teary eyed expression into her usual smile when she noticed the PE beside her on the ladder… after a light hearted scolding by the teacher, glad that she was fine, they returned to where they were supposed to be.

"I forgot to wait for you..." I tell Choux when she finally catches up. "I was really nervous."

¨D-don’t worry about…¨ She laughed dryly. ¨I-I was just talking with the teacher and I lost the track of time…¨ she averted her eyes and scratched her nose a little... ¨So, how things went? ¨ a mischievous smile appeared on her face as she waited for her answer; while they walked towards their class.

"I won't know until later right?"

¨I know, but how do you think it went? ¨ they continued talking the matter until they finally arrived to the classroom; where everyone else had just finished reviewing all the steps to make the cookies, the possible variations they could make with what they had there and the rest of the theory.

Looking down at the papers I make a very confused sounding noise. "Does this really make sense to anyone?"

¨Not at all! ¨ Said Choux with a carefree expression on her face, whereupon Cream left out a big sigh. ¨Leaving Choux aside… I thought this might happen. So here you go Raisin, copy my notes. They will make everything easy to understand for you, but for now, let’s just start making the cookies¨

"Oh, thank you!" I quickly look over the notes, and so, kind of understanding start getting a small bowl ready for the dry ingredients.

Now that everyone had their little bowl ready with the basic ingredients; they started to choose what kind of cookies they would make. One by one, each group started to take out the ingredients for their mixes. ¨So, anyone has anything in mind? ¨ Asked Choux while munching the chocolate drops.

"Do we have squid?"

Choux almost choked trying to contain her laughter; Cream taking advantage of that, took the chocolate drops from her hands and gave them to Coco, who had been staring at them for a while, but didn’t have the courage to ask for them. ¨Raisin, we have to choose from the list they gave us in class.¨

"Aww. I like squid, even the regular kind..." I looked over the list, staring a little too long at an option that says 'Oatmeal and Raisin' before finally saying something else. "The ones with chocolate in them are really good right?"

¨Ohh, an old classic, uh? Yes, they are very good! ¨ She remarks, striking a thoughtful pose, as she licks the last bits chocolate from her lips. ¨Yes they are… but I am not sure if we have chocolate for everyone… thanks to someone.¨ Cream pierced Choux with her stare. ¨Hehe~ You will make me blush. ¨

"Oh... then maybe the one with the raisins?" I ask quietly. "Or have we eaten all of those too?"

Cream in that moment caught Choux red handed with the unopened bag of raisins in her hands, giving her a cold stare, making her give them back. ¨Here you go, Raisin… I think that Coco have some chocolate drops leftovers if you want them… use them before the binge eater over there finish them off.¨

"Chocolate and raisin go good together! It'll be fine!"

Soon after, the four of them had their mixes ready for the next step… Raisin & Coco's working space was a little messy afterwards, but mostly clean. Cream's was spotless, while Choux's looked like a dough bomb had exploded in front of her, but somehow, she inexplicably had not even one stain on her.

I take a floury hand and try to leave a print on Choux's back.

Just as Raisin’s hand was about to touch Choux’s back, the himehorn teacher tapped on her shoulder to point out her mess, making her turn around. In consequence, Raisin’s hand went a little too far, touching Cream’s back instead, leaving a floury handprint on her…¨mmh? Do you need something, Raisin? ¨

"Nope!" I answer quickly. "I was just trying to tidy up a bit!"

Raisin immediately started to help Choux to clean her mess, to cover up what she did. Meanwhile she could hear someone chuckle behind her… it was Coco, who had witnessed everything. She was trying her hardest not to laugh, giving Raisin a thumbs up. After that, she helped them to finish cleaning.

I return the gesture, a little confused but her expression makes me thing that it was a good thing.

The refined and composed Cream had no idea what just had happened… Now they had to decide if they wanted to give the cookies some kind of shape… Everyone started to use the cookie cutters. Different forms were all around, some left them round, others made them square and even gave them animal forms…

I go right for the animal ones, everyone knows food is more fun that way.

Since her group stayed cleaning Choux’s disaster, all the other groups had taken theirs before her, but thanks to that Raisin didn't have to wait in line to get them like she normally would… All she found there was a few dinosaur cookie cutters; since the rest of the shapes had already been taken.

This is perfectly okay! Dinosaurs are probably the best animals! I hope there's a pentaceratops!

Coming back full of a broad smile and starry eyes, Raisin happily showed to the surprised Cream and the rest the little hidden treasure she found. ¨Fufufu~ You seem really happy with those cookie cutters. I am glad you were lucky enough to find them. ¨ Cream smiled softly, putting a hand on her cheek.

"Me too! I wonder what everyone else took that there were so many good ones?"

Raisin started to look around with curiosity and saw a bit of everything, from geometric shapes to robots, classic animals, like cats, giraffes and even rare ones, like dodos. ¨Quite a selection, right? We were told that the ones that don't have the classic shapes were made by one of the clubs.¨

"Wow." There really were all kinds of shapes, but our group has the best ones.

They started to prepare the cookie dough to put it in the oven; with the cookie cutter that she so wanted in hand, Raisin started to work really hard and with a lot of care, even giving them little details… Now was just a matter to decide if to add some cream or sprinkles on top or leave them plain.

I start getting ready to add stuff but I get stopped. "Whoah! You add that after or it'll just get melty and burned."

After being stopped just in time by one of the teachers, she was kindly told how to put all kind of toppings and to review the copies before every step, so she wouldn’t make that kind of mistake… After that, once all their baking sheets were in their oven, they were ready to turn it on and wait.

"Is it done yet?" I ask again, it felt like forever since I asked last.

Acting like a smallhorn waiting for a snack, her eyes were almost glued to the little window of the oven, until the kitchen timer rang, giving her the answer she so much wanted… but before she could open the oven, Coco lifted her ¨Not so fast. You have to use your oven gloves.¨ Cream kindly scolded her.

"Even just to open it?" I pout a little bit and go searching for some gloves.

¨Safety first! ¨ putting her hands on her hips Cream pouted at her question… Now with her gloves and the oven turned off, Raisin took out all the trays one by one, putting them on the counter with a lot of care not to burn anyone… when her cookies finally came out, she couldn't help but to admire them.

Some of them have puffed up a little weird and they're probably the lumpiest dinosaurs ever.

¨So… what do you think? Do you like them? ¨ Said Cream as Coco and herself stood beside her… while Choux jumped into Coco’s back and started to climb her to look from above. ¨Let’s wait until they cool down a little to try them… in the meantime, why don't we prepare a cute wrapping for them? ¨

"That sounds like a great idea!"

Cream started to open one by one the cabinets of their cooking station, looking for what they needed. After a few tries, she took out a pile of wrappings with all kind of designs on them. ¨Now, let’s find something nice.¨ She told her, while Coco helped to sort them, with Choux still on her shoulders.

I pick a plain black one and some white but also somehow kind of shiny ribbon. "How about this?"

¨Ohh~♪ I see. So, you want something more sober and classic. Fufufu~♪ ¨ Said Cream with a candid smile. ¨Ehhh~? I thought she would choose the one over there. It has tiny dinosaurs munching on pink hearts… Oh! I want that one, with the robots! ¨ Choux pointed with her finger from above.

"I would have taken the dinosaurs if I were keeping them for me." I answer quietly; trying to figure out how to make the nice little pouch everyone else has managed to make.

After a few tries Raisin managed to make a cute little pouch. It was a little bit wrinkled, but it was cute nonetheless. Using a lot of the shiny ribbon, she tried to make it stand out like the others, so after trying many different ways to make it look pretty, she decided to make a classic long tail bow.

"How do you make the tails all curly?" I asked, trying to make them do at least one little loop.

¨You do it like this…¨ Cream demonstrated how to do it using her own little pouch. ¨Now, you try it. If you can’t do it, I will do it again for you. ¨… and so, the process of trial and error began. A little later, all of them had their little pouches ready. ¨Well then, shall we go for the cookies? ¨

"Are they still going to be warm?"

¨Of course. I am sure that they are still warm, but not enough to burn. Even so, be careful. ¨ Said Cream, sounding like a caring mother. Meanwhile, Coco was helping with the rest of the cookies, putting them in their pouches as fast as she could, trying to avoid a thieving hand coming from above.

Even still a few of them go missing. I managed to sneak one of them myself; they're pretty good!

After all the little pouches were carefully filled, Coco handed them out to each one of them. The black one to Raisin, the pouch with the robots to Choux and the pink one to Cream, leaving the one with magical girls to herself… but what Raisin didn't notice was a fifth pouch that Cream and Coco had hidden.

"Now to put them away until later... somewhere they won't get squished." My bag would be best, probably, but it wasn't here.

¨Well then my sweeties, it’s almost time to end the class, but before we end our sweet time together… Please, fill this questionnaire, to know which recipes would you like that we focused first.¨ the teacher showed them the copy in question while the himehorn teacher started to distribute them.

I quickly go through and put marks next to anything with cake in the name!

Everyone started to put marks, answer questions and add suggestions… While they were at it, Mrs. Batterheart, as it was her tradition, went to every group offering some milk to accompany the cookies. The himehorn teacher, following suit behind her, offered chocolate powder for those who wanted.

And who wouldn't want it? She wouldn't let me have quite as much as I wanted though... but it was still really good!

A few sips later, Raisin started to want to eat some more cookies to accompany it… but then she remembered that she had planned to give them as a gift. A bit dejected, she lowered her head a little, before drinking another sip of chocolate milk… instants later she felt some soft taps on her shoulder.

Startled I accidentally inhale some of the milk. As delicious and yummy as it is, it’s not very good for breathing. After a small coughing fit I can breathe again and turn around teary eyed. The tears are mostly from all the coughing.

After wiping her tears, what she saw in front of her was her little group holding a pouch with the dinosaurs she liked. ¨We thought that something like this might happen since you are giving away your share… so, we mixed some of our cookies and made you a little pouch for you.¨ They smiled at her.

"Thank you! I practically fly out of my chair trying to hug all of them at once but not having long enough arms.

Having witnessed everything Mrs. Batterheart smiled candidly. Letting out a little chuckle, she patted their heads and she offered them a refill of their glasses of milk. Also smiling, the himehorn teacher looking at Raisin’s glass, asked them if they wanted some more chocolate powder for their milk.

I get more chocolate of course, and try dipping cookies. The second one I try can't handle the milk and almost half of it falls into the milk.

Enjoying the snacks with a big smile, swinging her legs under her chair, chatting and giggling happily with her group, Raisin carefully finished the questionnaire just in time for the bell to ring; but even if the last class of the day was over, she still had stuff to do. Clubs to see, gifs to give…

Getting back to the regular classes will be almost a chore compared to the eating cookies.

Still thinking about the snacks she just had Raisin managed to get back to her classroom. Not knowing what to do next, she stood there thinking for a moment… ¨ Yay! The classes are over! ¨ Choux ran to her seat. ¨…What are you going to do now, Raisin? ¨ Cream asked, while Coco watched her curiously.

"I don't know?” I go to get my bag. "It's time to go home so... maybe go home?"

¨Didn’t you have to go and talk to the nohorn to give it the cookies? ¨ Said Cream, while Coco looked at them confused trying to understand what were they talking about ¨We can wait for you if you want. ¨ Choux clung to her back playfully. ¨Oh, why don’t we go see the clubs afterwards? ¨ Cream suggested.

"I almost forgot!" Grabbing my bag I start running as fast as I can... it's not that fast.

Raisin started to run clumsily across the corridors… but since she hasn't memorized the layout of the school yet she got lost more than a few times, having to go all over the place. Regretting to have decided to run she walked slowly trying to catch her breath… coincidentally finding the right place.

I look around and try to smell for the nohorn even if they all smell the same.

She got no results, the area was too big… so she decided to look around the area where she found him asleep… Failing to pinpoint the place she felt very disappointed. All her hard work… in vain. Now angry and hungry she decided to sit down and eat the cookies… but where she sat down, was very squishy.

"The ground is usually kind of hard and bot this warm." I make a confused face and look and there's yellow on top nohorn, somehow still asleep despite being sat on! "Uh... uhm. Excuse me?"

He didn't answer… After a few tries she started to poke him, but He still did not respond… puffing her cheeks she was starting to get inpatient. So she decided to start having fun with his face, making him do funny faces. She giggled happily while He slept… until a wrong move made him sneeze strongly.

A bunch of spit gets on my face and I cringe, opening my eyes to see yellowontopnohorn awake now... "Ahm... Hi! You weren't where you were supposed to be." She said.

¨Sorry, I didn’t understand the note very well… and… sorry about the sneeze.¨ Unaware that she caused it, feeling quite ashamed, He lent her his handkerchief to clean herself. ¨…and more importantly. Why are you sitting on my chest? …You are lighter than I would have thought.¨ He tried to laugh it off.

"I couldn't smell you so I sat down and there you were!" I smile and stand back up. "Here!" I hold out the pouch of cookies.-

¨Eh…? ¨ He looked both side, looking for someone else, staying there confused for a few seconds. ¨…for me? …Why? ¨ He tilted his head to a side, failing to understand the situation. He stood up and grabbed the pouch of cookies. ¨… can I open it? ¨ He asked, still a bit embarrassed for the whole situation.

"Yes!" I nod. "They're for earlier when I might have got you in trouble!"

¨Trouble? …¨ He murmured to himself, failing to recall what trouble she was talking about. ¨… anyway, thanks.¨ He smiled shyly, scratching the back of his neck. ¨Oh~, cookies… it has been quite a while since the last time I had some.¨ He said as he opened the pouch, putting one of them into his mouth.

I stare, trying to figure out what the expressions on the face mean. "Are they bad?"

The seconds of silence felt like hours as she looked at him intently, fearing the worst. ¨… was this your first time making cookies? ¨ He asked her, feeling the pressure of her stare. ¨…don’t look at me like that. They are good.¨ He said as he sat down again. Patting the grass beside him He smiled kindly at her.

"It was!" I move to the ground he mentioned and crouch down before sitting cross-legged. It's good they're good! I was a little worried!"

¨There was no need to be so worried. Here, eat.¨ He laughed softly as He fed her one of cookies. ¨What do you think? Was I telling the truth? ¨ He smiled kindly as He watched her eat the cookie. ¨So, thanks for the snacks. I was kind of hungry after P.E.¨ He patted her head softly to show his gratitude.

They're almost as good as the other ones I had!

Knowing that her cookies were not as bad as she feared, she smiled with relief. He smiled back, glad that the tension had disappeared. After that, both of them enjoyed themselves eating the rest of the cookies under the shade of a big tree… ¨I got a little thirsty… do you want something to drink? ¨

"Is there more milk with the chocolate in it?"

¨… I guess so. There was milk tea, green tea, banana milkshake and many fruit juices the last time I checked the vending machine. With that many options, I am sure it will have chocolate milk… Well, I’ll be right back. ¨ He dusted himself a little and waved at her as He walked towards the cafeteria.

I eat another cookie while I wait, wondering if there really will be chocolate milk when yellowontopnohorn gets back.

After a few minutes the peace is interrupted by the sound of something moving in the bushes that were nearby. Followed by a set of barely audible whispers… I little curious, Raisin focused her attention on the bushes, but when she was about to go take a look, the nohorn came back with a plastic bag.

"Milk comes in bags?"

¨… sometimes? …but the sachets of milk are sold in the supermarket, not here… I think.¨ He softly patted her head, unsure if she asked seriously or if she was joking, He couldn't help but to laugh. ¨Here you have… There was only one box of Chocolate Milk left, so I bought one of each to try later. ¨

"Thank you!" I grab the box and look for the spot to poke the straw in, but can't find it, or the straw. "I think it's broken."

¨Oh, that one doesn't need the straw. Here, let me show you how to open it… You have to grab it like this and pull… but not too hard or you will spill everywhere. ¨ He sat behind her and grabbed her little hands to help her open the box of chocolate milk. ¨…and… done. Easy, right? ¨ He smiled innocently.

"Oh. That was really easy!" I thought it worked like a juice box. "Thank you!"

They smiled at each other as He patted her head, and then enjoyed the rest of the cookies… She finished her share while drinking the rest of the chocolate milk, while He tried out most of the fruit juices. ¨ I still have a box of banana milkshake, milk tea and green tea. Which one do you want? ¨

"How much do you have to shake the banana one?"

¨Usually, you don’t even have to shake it, since it's only banana flavored milk… but this one is mostly natural, so you do have to shake it… still, not much, you just have to give it a few good shakes before drinking it. Like this… ¨ He shook it with force. ¨Do you want to try to open it by yourself? ¨

"I think I can figure it out." I say quietly as I not too ceremoniously took it and start trying to open it.

¨Oh, it seems that I had one more box of juice left…¨ He spoke to himself in a low voice as He stood up and walked towards the bushes that Raisin heard whispering a few minutes ago. After putting the plastic bag with the tree little boxes in front of it, He stretched letting a little yawn escape…

"Nohorn trees can't drink from boxes. Their straws are in the ground."

¨Don't mind, don't mind…¨ He laughed. As He walked back towards Raisin a little hand came out to grab the plastic bag, but got slapped by other hand before it could reach it. They started to slap each other while a third hand slowly came out from the side grabbing the bag, dragging it into the bush.

"Who's that?" I ask, finally managing to get the container open, only spilling a little of the milk.

¨… I don’t know. I think someone was attracted by the smell of the cookies… I noticed it a little bit too late, and now there are no more cookies to share, so I thought I would give them something to drink at least. ¨ He scratched the back of his head. ¨…Oh, hey. You managed to open it. ¨ He smiled.

"Of course I did!" I state proudly before taking a big drink. "Drinks that taste like something you're supposed to chew are weird."

¨Weird? Does it taste bad? ¨ He tilted his head to a side before sitting down in front of her. ¨Let me check the expiration date…¨ He took the little box for an instant. ¨Well, the contents are fine, so it should taste normal. Don't you like the banana milkshake? ¨ He asked, a bit concerned.

"It's not bad, it's just weird."

¨I am glad. ¨ He patted her head as she took another sip. While he was at it a little beeping sound came out of him. Taking out a cell phone from his pocket he checked the time. ¨Well, it seems that my free time is over, I better get going.¨ He said, a bit disappointed. ¨Oh, right. I almost forgot…¨

"Forgot what?" I ask, not unable to accept that a nohorn might make beeping noises.

¨ I …forgot to ask your name. ¨ He laughed awkwardly scratching the back of his head. ¨One of the things I noticed about your note is that you forgot to put your name on it. Also, I don't think I have told you my name either… or did I? ¨ He contemplated the thought. ¨ Well, better late than never… ¨

"O-oh right! I'm Raisin!"

¨Raisin, uh? ¨ He stole a quick glance to the empty pouch on the ground. ¨It would be funny if my name was chocolate, don't you think? ¨ He laughed dryly a bit embarrassed after thinking twice what he said. ¨Pfft…¨ a little laugh came out of the bushes. ¨Shhh! ¨ A little smack was heard shortly after.

"You mean the little chocolate covered ones?"

He laughed softly at her question dispelling the embarrassment from before; and as if a brilliant idea had come to him, he gave her a mischievous smile. ¨ Oh, you mean… something like... this? ¨ Suddenly, he hugged her playfully. ¨A good example of a covered Raisin. ¨ He said happily with a big smile.

"This would have been a factory defect. Only half of the raisin is co- This is one of those weird noh-human things isn't it?"

He tilted his head in confusion at her question for a moment and then chuckled and laughed soon after, playfully stirring her hair a little. ¨I don't know what did you mean by that, but your reaction was very funny. I am sorry if you didn’t like it. I just felt like playing around a little. ¨

"I thought you were making fun of me for a minute."

¨Uh? Why would I do that? ¨ He fell silent for a moment, trying to think a reason for why she said that. ¨Anyway, before I forget to tell you. My name is Kei…¨ but before he could finish his sentence… ¨Did he say something about cake? ¨ ¨I don't know. I couldn't hear.¨ ¨Shhh! ¨ Two smacks were heard shortly after.

"I don't know." I looked around at the sound of the smacks. "There are some really weird birds around here."

Kei couldn’t help but to chuckle in response to her last comment. ¨Well, as I was saying, my name is Kei East. You can call me by my name or by a nickname… that is, if you can come up with a good one. ¨ He smiled at her challengingly as he scratched his nose, before checking the time one more time.

"Cakies. That was an easy one."

¨…Isn’t that just smashing my name into one word? It’s not very original… Well, at least is better than the nickname the girls from my class came up with. I don’t know why, but they called me Cake… It didn't bother me too much, but when anyone calls me like that some of the guys laugh and… ¨ Kei sighed.

"It is kind of... but it sounds like a smallhorn might say Cake! Kay-Key!"

¨… as long as it doesn’t make you drool like the himehorns in my class when they hear my nickname. It’s fine by me if you like it. ¨ He said with a weird expression on his face. ¨Well then, now that we are done here, it’s time for me to go… I had a good time, see you around. ¨ He kindly patted her head.

"I've got more self-control than that! I really do want some cake now though."

He chuckled in response as he stood up. ¨Well… sorry, but I am not in the menu… but maybe next time I will invite you to eat some real cake as a thank you for the cookies. ¨ He said as he started to walk away, waving without looking back, holding his stuff over his shoulder with his other hand.

"That would be great!" My mouth almost starts watering at the idea of future cake.

Now that all was said and done, Raisin was left to ponder what to do next. Would she go back to find her friends and watch some club activities with them, so she could join a club in the future… after all, they were still waiting for her; or would she just go home and try her best tomorrow?

I head back to the others. It isn't hard to get there now that I've been there before. I know what smells to follow now; and even when I shouldn't follow my own because it would take me somewhere else I'd been today.

Raisin walked through the corridors a bit slower than she normally would, smelling her way to the classroom. Slowly but surely she arrived smiling with confidence as she waved at her friends that had been waiting for her playing cards. ¨Ah~! She is back. ¨ Declared Choux as she won the game.

"I am!" I happily say, making sure all of my things are in my bag before pulling a chair over to the others. "I've heard there are clubs?"

"Yes, we were waiting for you to go and take a look.” Said Cream, trying to hide the displeasure of having lost the game moments before. In the meantime Coco helped Choux to gather all the cards on the desk, putting them on the little box that Choux had in her hands. "So… how did it go, the gift?”

"It went good." It takes a second of thinking. "He." I eventually continue, pretty sure that I'm using the right term for the right kind of nohorn. "Almost forgot all about before but the cookies were good and there was drinks and there might be cake!"

Thrilled with her story, Cream couldn’t stop smiling from the moment Raisin started talking, while Coco stared at her, listening attentively to every word as if she were watching one of her favorite TV dramas. Choux on the other hand was more relaxed, making jokes here and there. "I am hungry now."

"Cake?"

Choux started to drool at the thought of going to the nearest café and eat cake to her heart's desire or until her she ran out of money… but a quick glance at the sulking face of Cream told her more than enough, making her give up on the idea. "Well, shall we get going? Where do we go first?"

I don't know so I'll let you decide.

"Well then, I think that the first step is to go to the main entrance to find the flyers and posters of the clubs… The rules of the school say that they can't actively search for new members, because it could intimidate the first years." Said Cream, summarizing part of the principal’s speech.

"Oh." I follow along behind them and stare at the several papers on the board. "W-what… are you in any of these?" I ask the group as a whole.

"Well, I wanted to join the volleyball club and one more…" Said Cream, still undecided. "I don’t mind either way…" Said Choux with a mischievous smile. "Because you always skip and go home!" Complained Cream, puffing her cheeks in disapproval. On the other hand, Coco had her sight fixed in one poster.

"That sounds like a lot of running around..." I'm a little concerned that a sport might be too much exertion.

"It all depends on what sport you choose and how hard you practice. You don’t need to go all out of you don’t want or you think it will be bad for you." Said Cream, as if she was an expert on the subject. "Coco wants to join the cosplay club. She has been watching their poster for a while…" Said Choux.

"That's a club that's about wearing silly clothes? That could be fun!"

Putting her hands on her cheeks Coco slowly started to blush. Taking the initiative, Choux took one of the flyers of the cosplay club for Coco, putting it in her pocket… In that moment, something caught Raisin’s eye. A well hidden piece of paper, which seemed to have been drawn only with crayons.

"What's this one?" I ask, taking the paper down and try to figure out the confusing writing before I realize it had been hanging upside down. A small hole at the top says that it had originally had two pins... but someone had taken one...

"Pfft… look at their drawings." Choux laughed mockingly, pointing at their logo and the drawing of three himehorns down below it. "The Society for the Study of Classic Himehorn Culture… It doesn't say anything else. What they do nor how to find them." Said Cream, deciphering the bad handwriting.

"It sounds... weird. But it could be fun! Even if it's bad you can tell they really enjoyed making it!"

"It looks more like they were too lazy to do it properly." Said Choux, letting out a small mocking chuckle. Intertwining her hands behind her head. "Are you talking from your own experience?" Cream retorted puffing her cheeks, making Choux avert her eyes. Trying to refrain herself from scolding her.

"Why would anyone get lazy with a drawing?"

Choux wanted to answer, but refrained herself. Knowing that if she did, a scolding would be inevitable… In the meantime, while they were distracted talking, a hornmother, wearing a black cloak over her uniform, passed by the entrance in a hurry. Carrying lots of snacks while chewing on a cereal bar.

"How does she have snacks left? I ate all of mine already!" I ask, not thinking that everyone else was used to the school schedule and knew how much to bring to get through the day.

"Maybe she just came back from buying all that." Said Choux in a carefree manner as her stomach growled. "I wonder if all that is for herself… she might get sick." Said the concerned Cream, with hand on her cheek. On the other hand, Coco picked up a snack that the himehorn had dropped on her way.

"We should take that to her. I know I'd be really sad if I found out I lost a snack!"

"…W-with that many, do you think she would notice if one of them went missing?" Said Choux as she slowly approached Coco with her eyes fixated on the snack on her hands, but before she could grab it, Cream took it away from her. "Ah…" "Raisin, do you know her? Or have any idea how to find her?"

"We can just follow the smell... and I would! Maybe it was her most favorite snack!"

"I knew you would say something like that… I am also worried, but for a different reason." Cream sighed, while dodging Choux that kept jumping trying to snatch the snack out of her hands. Coco tried to get their attention, but since everyone ignored her, she had to lift them both to calm them down.

"What kind of reason?" I'm confused a little.

"I am more worried about her health! Losing a snack is not a big deal, but getting sick is no joke." Said Cream, proceeding to rant about a balanced diet, daily exercise and how it makes wonders for your health. After a while, the others decided to go find the himehorn, rather than listen to her anymore…

She kept talking while we walked anyway, but following the scent trail was a good way to drown it out.

After some walking, the trail suddenly ended, finding themselves in front of the teacher’s lounge for some reason. Hesitating momentarily, not wanting to disturb the teachers for nothing important, they ended up playing rock-paper-scissors to decide who would go inside first… "Ready?" They whispered.

"1. 2." We start a slow count at the same time. "3!" I play paper.

The three of them played paper, then rock, and scissor, one after another until one of them finally lost… it was Coco. She got a little cramp on her hand, leaving paper when everyone else played scissors. Teary eyed, Coco shyly knocked and opened the door… just to find out that there was no one inside.

Update: Nov 13 2016

"Hello?" I ask, poking my head out from the side of the door and looking into the room.

Hearing Coco’s sigh of relief from the outside of the room, the others came in. Raisin, after making sure there was no one else inside. Cream, excusing herself, while Choux walked in as if she owned the place… Once inside, the scent trail led them to an unfinished snack over one of the desks…

"The snacks were here at least..." They look really tasty too.

Taking a closer look under the snack, there were some club related papers that haven't been sorted out yet… but on the visible parts there was no sign of the name of the club it belonged, only their club room number. "We shouldn’t touch them but… should we try going there?" Cream asked herself out loud.

"Might as well. It's almost like one of those treasure hunts!"

Along the way the sweet scent of the snacks started getting stronger… "I think we are getting closer!" Said Raisin getting more and more eager, giving in to the sense of adventure. "You think so?" Said Choux while munching on something, as they all walked across the long corridors of the school…

"Here!" I point at a door when we get close. "The trail ends here this time!"

At the peak of her excitement Raisin knocked on the door as soon as they arrived. A few seconds later they heard some loud noises and voices arguing about who would answer the door… Still hearing the discussion on the inside, someone opened. It was the same hornmother from before… still munching.

"You dropped this!"

As soon as she saw her, taken aback by Raisin’s loud voice and sudden movements, the hornmother got scared and hid behind the door… Seconds later, she slowly poked her horns from behind the door, followed by her snack and finally took a peek to look at them once more. Anticipating their next action.

"Who has the snack we found?"

Cream poked Coco in the side to get her attention, since she was distracted waving her hand at the other two curious hornmothers inside the room. Out of surprise, more ticklish than usual, she jolted. Throwing the snack in the air, making it fall in a nice arc directly on top of their snack pile.

"Woah! That was a very good throw!"

Amazed by Coco’s lucky shot, everyone started clapping. On the other hand, she didn’t really understand why they were doing it… Realizing that she left out a cute sound when Cream poked her in the side, she started to blush furiously while covering her face in embarrassment as they complimented her.

"Don't be so silly Cream!" I say with a smile. "So;" turning back to the others. "What does this club do?"

"…but I just softly poked her with one finger." Cream muttered to herself, failing to understand why Coco is so ticklish in the first place. "…O-oh! I am the one in charge of the explications here!" Exclaimed one of the himehorns from inside the room as she approached them. "We do himehorn stuff!"

"That sounds fun!"

"…N-new member?" The third himehorn poked her horns in the matter, looking at them with big and hopeful eyes. After hearing her, the other two gathered in a circle with her, being careful not to hit each other’s horns, like many times before. "I-I don’t know; d-do we do ¨that¨?" They looked at Raisin from over their shoulders.

"W-what's that?"

Looking at her several times from horn to toe they approached her carefully, surrounding her. Suddenly, they lifted her in the air. "New mem~ber!" They sang again and again while carrying her. Leaving her on top of one of their bean bag chairs in front of the snack pile, they covered her with a black cloak.

"W-woah!" I'm scared of falling but I know trying to get down will probably result in falling so I try to stay as still as I can.

After the ceremonial placement of the club’s cloak on their new member, they gave her one of the snacks of the pile; before turning their attention to the next pressing matter… the other people inside the room, looking at them intensely as if they were trying to read their thoughts…"M-more members?"

"I don't know if they want to... we kind of came here to return a snack you lost at first." I try not to smile but the cloak is super warm and comfy.

As she said that, they dropped their shoulders in disappointment, looking at them with puppy eyes… Cream, trying to contain her instincts, was about to storm the place to put some order. Coco was fidgeting awkwardly near the door… while Choux sneaked in long ago and was already eating with Raisin.

I try very hard to fight the urge to pull away and try to keep the snack for myself. A normal reaction for a hornmother but nohorn society thought it was rude.

A bit sad about the misunderstanding, two of the himehorns sat in their bean bag chairs and started to eat some snacks as usual. While the one with the never-ending cereal bar in her mouth accompanied them to the door, giving them one snack each as they crossed it… while Choux waved from the inside.

"I'll join for sure though!"

Waving energetically, the himehorn bid them farewell and closed the door. "Well, that was a bit weird… shall we go check some other clubs before deciding what club/s to join?" Cream asked to them, while Coco poked her in the back, to make her notice the absence of one member of their group.

"I'm joining that one for sure though!"

Before Raisin could finish her sentence, Cream stormed the clubroom. A lot of noise came from it, followed by some screams, and a minute later she came out dragging Choux by the collar. With a snack still on her mouth, she waved at the hornmothers that watched them leave, from the club room’s door.

I try very hard not to laugh. "I thought this was going to be scary and weird. I'm happy that it's weird and fun."

"I am glad that you are enjoying yourself, Raisin." Cream smiled at her and handed Choux to Coco, who lifted her, made her stand up and dusted her off a little. To which, she gave her part of her snack when she crouched as a thank you, without saying a word. "So… where do we go now?" Choux stretched.

"I don't know. You're the resident residents." I try the casual shrug I've seen nohorns do but I don't think it worked as good.

"I think we should go watch the other clubs that we found interesting before getting distracted by this little adventure… and maybe find other ones we may like along the way." Cream suggested with a posed look, pointing with one finger as she spoke. "…Coco liked the Cosplay Club" Choux grinned widely.

"That could be fun!" I don't really understand how silly outfits would be a club but if that's what they want to do I'll try it.

Coco, still hiding her blushing face out of embarrassment at the mention of the name of the club, had no choice but to accept and go along… since deep inside, she really wanted to go there, but was too shy to admit it herself… After some walk and some snack eating, they found themselves at their door.

"This room doesn't smell as yummy."

Nervous, Coco simply stood there. Looking at the sign on the door as if was some kind of giant… Oblivious and impatient as always, Choux knocked on the door as if she was knocking on her own house. Quickly, strongly and very loud… Snapping to her senses, letting out a silent cry, Coco hid behind her.

"What's wrong?" I ask, wondering why she's acting so weird.

"Don’t worry about it. She is just very shy… I would tell you more, but it will be easier to understand if you see it for yourself." Cream patted Raisin on the shoulder as she sighed in resignation… but before she could ask more questions, someone opened the clubroom's door. A small short haired nohorn.

"Uhm hi!" I say with a wave. "We heard your club is fun. "

"Oh, I see." She took a quick glance at them, noticing one of their flyers sticking out of Coco’s pocket. "We were about to have a little photoshoot with our last batch of costumes." Unlocking the chain locks she reopened the door with an inviting smile." Please come in and feel free to take a look.

"So much security." I mumble quietly, but I think I understand why when we're inside. Even now some of the cast members are only half into their costumes.

Not only that, but as soon as they enter they couldn’t help but to notice the hundreds of costumes stacked inside the room. Not to mention the expensive photography studio they had prepared. "We borrowed some equipment from the photography club for today’s session." She smiled, as they observed in awe.

"Whoa..." There are all kinds of things that I can't even begin to guess what are.

"Now then, while we finish to get everything ready. Why don’t you all take a look at the costumes? If you find something you might want to try out, bring it here; or If you want, we can give you a hand and search something for you." She waved and went into the back room to change into her costume.

I find a weird costume that looks like red armor and a bug shaped helmet with big red eyes.

Costume in hand, Raisin went to look at what the others were doing. Looking around a little inside the maze made out of costumes, she found Cream with a strange box in her hands, with a little hanging tag that said: Raspberyl costume set. "The name reminded me of a raspberry, so it got me curious."

"There are labels?" I look and find one on the costume I'd picked. "Kamen Rider Kuuga, Rising Mighty version costume set. Horn friendly edition. That's a really big name."

"More like, Mighty Raisin." Cream laughed softly… "It’s so hot in here, they should open a window or something." Choux came looking for them, dragging her feet. "I didn’t know what to choose, so I picked up the first thing I found." She showed them a sealed bag with the label: Inaba Tewi costume set.

"They had a lot of those ones! I counted around nine."

"… but this one was the only one with a carrot necklace inside the bag!" Said Choux as she showed off the little piece of jewelry beside her smug face. "…anyway, have you seen Coco?" Cream calmly asked, ignoring her behavior. "…she was still wandering around the last time I saw her…" She shrugged.

"I haven't, there were so many things to look at, sorry."

"It’s ok." She smiled. "Should we go find her or should be wait here, what do you think?" She kindly asked, while Choux started playing around with the costumes around them… Meanwhile near the back room. For some reason, Coco was staring at some cute costumes with a complicated expression on her face.

"Waiting is probably the best? If she wanted us to see her, we would."

After looking at the cute costumes one last time over her shoulder, Coco reluctantly grabbed another costume she forced herself to pick. Letting out a sigh of resignation, she went to look for the others. Failing to notice a pair of eyes that had witnessed her actions from the inside of the back room…

The outfit I picked is actually really difficult to put on after you get into the main part. There's no way for just one person to put on the helmet and do it up.

After a few failed tries, Raisin got stuck inside the helmet. Unable to see, getting agitated and nervous, she bumped into costume racks for a while as she tried to get unstuck… Until someone tapped on her shoulder, calming her down. Helping her with her predicament, Coco appeared before her eyes.

"T-thank you!" I say, a little warm and muffled in the helmet. "I didn't know what to do... I didn't expect it to be that hard."

"Never underestimate the costume or the costume will wear you! The way of the cosplayer is not to be taken lightly!" A loud voice came out of the back room, followed by a nohorn wearing a yellow bandana, thick glasses, denim pants and a green long-sleeved plaid polo shirt. "Ohohohoh~!" She laughed.

"O-oh! An enemy has appeared!"

"Oh oh~ Already getting into it, aren’t you!?" She exclaimed, looking at her from horns to toes. Unsure of who she was and unable to see very well with the helmet, Raisin got defensive for her sudden appearance. Moving her arms in front of her, making awkward poses thanks to her limited mobility.

"W-who's there?!"

"Nyohoho~♪ What a peculiar question you have just made… I am Saori Baj-" Before she could finish her sentence she was interrupted by a small nohorn with orange hair. Wearing a sailor uniform with a red tie, blue skirt and long black knee socks. "Ahem! Miss Club President?" She tapped on her shoulder.

"Oh; uhm have you seen Cream or... why is everyone so quiet now?"

She informed the club president that the photographer had arrived, making her retreat… "If you are looking for your friends, they went to change into their costumes." The orange haired nohorn answered Raisin’s question as she touched a switch on the helmet, to make it easier for her to see with it.

"Oh? How did you do that?"

She smiled tenderly and explained. "Those kind of costumes usually have buttons or latches on their helmets to make them easier to put on. Sometimes they also have one to slide the parts covering the eyes… We made an inventory of everything we got last year, so I knew that this one had one."

"Thanks for the help. It would have been bad to not see anything."

"Oh, don’t mention it… and what about your friend here? It seems that she found something she would like to wear." She smiled at her… Coco, not knowing what to do, pressed the costume she had in her hand against her chest. Blushing a little, she nervously looked away as she started to fidget around.

"Yes; but I think she has a problem." I say trying to figure out exactly what's wrong."

She giggled. "Maybe she is still uncomfortable or very shy about cosplaying, but she is still interested on it… It’s pretty normal for most of the people that come over here for the first time. You don’t have to worry about it, take your time." Coco looked at her and smiled happily for a moment.

"Yeah; go at your own pace. To protect that smile!" I slightly misquote the show the costume I'm wearing is from and give a shaky looking thumbs-up.

Minutes later Cream arrived wearing the full Raspberyl costume, using the pink short haired wig with demon horns, white and pink demon wings and tail and all. Carrying a big book under her arm and a pair of glasses on her hand, unsure what to do with them. "Oh? Choux is not here yet?" She asked.

"Wow; that's really good!"

"Oh, don’t say that. It’s a bit embarrassing." She said with a hand on her cheek. " You also look good, Raisin… So? Aren’t you also going to go change?" She looked at Coco with a bittersweet smile… Meanwhile Choux, hidden inside a costume rack, observed them with a smirk and a prank in her mind…

"She'll get there, probably."

Before Raisin could finish her words, Choux came out of hiding like a gust of wind from behind them. Aiming at Cream’s skirt she run at them, and in an instant she flipped her skirt like a little kid. "Tei!" She yelled, and hid behind Coco as fast as she arrived amid the confusion, chuckling as she did.

"Is... that a normal thing to do?"

Now a bit more composed, Cream proceeded to catch the little rascal that took her by surprise. Looking at a pair of bunny ears that stuck out of Coco’s side, putting some strength into it, she swiftly grabbed them… "It was a decoy! Tei!" She got behind her and flipped her skirt again, leaving her only with an extra pair of bunny ears in her hand.

"Again?!"

Before the mischievous bunny could escape again she was stopped by the club member that was with them. "Please, don't run in here. You'll fall and hurt yourself." Seizing the opportunity, Cream told Coco to lift her. Preventing her from causing more trouble. "We will talk later." Cream smiled coldly.

That actually seemed kind of scary. "So... now what?"

With fear of her smile, Choux trembled inside her frilly pink nightgown. Now that she had finally stopped moving around they could see the quality of her costume. It was a simple dress, but the amount of detail and effort that was put into it was noticeable. "Let’s return these ears first…" Said Cream.

"I can't jump that high."

"Don’t worry, Raisin. We can ask Coco to give us a hand if it’s too high for us." Said Cream with a smile. "That is weird. Every costume set that is not on a hanger should be sealed in a box or a bag… Did you take it from another set or did you find it on the ground, by any change?" Asked the club member.

"Maybe she brought them with her?"

"It came with this costume. It had a little card that said how to use it and a little resume of how to impersonate the character… So you don’t need to do that." Said Choux, struggling in midair, trying to convince Coco to let her down. "Really? Can I see it?" Said the club member as Choux planted her feet on the ground.

"Those are really detailed costumes. Right down to the under parts."

"Oh, thank you. We take a lot of pride on our costumes. Some of our members are also part of Knitting and Handcraft Clubs, so they made really detailed costumes as part of their club activities for a few contests." She said with pride as Choux handed her a little card she had hidden on her costume.

"Wow; that's a lot work to do!"

"Maybe, it depends of the costume they want to make at the time. Some are harder to make than others." She said with a smile before reading the little card on her hands. "…now I get it." She gave it back to Choux. "The club president wrote it; I recognize her handwriting… Always so… her." She sighed.

I stay quiet; confused by the nohorns and how much like nohorns the herd folk are.

"Well then, why don’t we go meet with the other members and see if everything is ready? In the meantime, you guys can take your time and watch how we do it… Once you are ready, if you feel like participating, you are more than welcome to join us." She smiled, taking a quick glance at Coco as they walked.

"Okay!" I say, giving an exaggerated thumbs up. My character was pretty easy.

Past the maze of costumes what awaited them was a very surreal sight. All the senior members had their costumes ready and were either practicing their poses or getting into character. A wide range of characters were in front of them; going from mainstream and classic series to the really obscure ones.

I can recognize a few of them, but not all of them. Some look a bit familiar but the colors are wrong.

"Most of the costume we are using today are from well-known series, so I hope you have fun trying to guess all of the characters… but don’t feel bad if you can’t recognize them all. Some of them are custom versions or taken from pilot episodes, so they may look kind of different than you remember."

"Oh! Is that why that Starry Leader is the wrong color?"

"Oh, that one is very special. She only appeared with that color in the final battle of the Blu-ray OVA mini-series “Saint Blossom Starry Leader VS. Hungry Magical Maid Girl Cupcake-tan VS. Sugar Daddy’s Empire.” … it was very good but since it was a very limited edition, very few copies can be found these days."

"Ooooh. I didn't know that."

"Me neither. It was thanks to one of our members that borrowed a copy from another club to have a reliable source to make the costume that we discovered it." She explained to Raisin, while the one cosplaying as Starry Leader blushed a little and looked away… in the meantime, Coco finally went to change into her costume in the backroom.

"I'll have to track it down and see it. I thought I saw the whole thing!"

"The fans were devastated at the incomplete and heartbreaking ending of Cupcake-tan, and since Starry Leedah had just ended along with its source material, they called the authors to make a collaboration and give the fans what they wanted… or so she told me." She giggled, pointing at the blushing Starry Leedah Cosplayer.

"Or was it like that one weird game that one noh....uman makes and a group of her fans made a movie for it?"

"Oh, you mean fan made games and movies?" The girl asked. "No, it was all official stuff… but they never told the fans if it was canon, a spin-off, a what-if or anything. They left the interpretation to the fans…" Said the Starry Leedah Cosplayer, before blushing and going behind the others.

"Oh." She must really enjoy that kind of stuff.

Moments later Coco finally arrived carrying an empty box under her arms with the label ¨Oogami Sakura Costume Set - Makeup Included¨; wearing a sailor uniform with the sleeves torn off, bandages on her legs and arms, a long white wig and even makeup to make it look like she had real scars.

"Whooooooooa." The makeup looked expertly applied; either she or whoever had applied it took things super seriously.

Following Raisin’s example everyone else started to look at Coco with eyes of admiration, but before anyone could say anything, the club president appeared from behind her with a triumphant look on her face…"She looks impressive, isn't it?" She said with a broad smile, patting Coco on her back.

"Very, very much!"

Everyone started giving her positive reactions, making Coco look like a tomato under her makeup. She tried to cover her face in embarrassment, while the flood of praises made her weak at her knees. "Don’t worry, you will get used to it." The club president whispered to her as she helped her to stand up.

"I don't think I ever would." I say quietly, happy for the helmet between me and everyone else. it made it almost like not being there.

After everyone calmed down, the club president clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. "Well then everyone, let’s get this started! Please form a line in front of the white screen and wait for the photographer to call you. Afterwards we will take a few group photos and have some fun."

"O-okay!" I manage to say, giving a big thumbs-up. The other club seemed to be more to my liking, but trying new things was important. I think a TV super hero said that once.

Following her orders, everyone formed a long line behind the photographer; who had linked the camera to a laptop on top of a desk, so they could see the results without trouble and make copies if they wanted… "Well then, who will go first?" Asked the amateur paparazzi while adjusting the lens.

"We can volunteer?" I ask the person next to me. "Then why did we line up?" She... he? It was hard to tell the difference normally; and now everyone was wearing a costume and it was almost impossible. She-he shrugged and stuck their arm straight up in the air and screamed something about 'thinking who the hell they were.' or something it was pretty loud and I didn't hear it very clearly thanks to the helmet.

After doing it once or twice, they finally got the shot they were aiming for, repeating the process with two different poses. One with a katana, making combat stances. Other one with a very large pair of glasses and a tattered cape, using one of the giant fans in the room for a better effect.

Next is a nohorn wearing a lot of armor and the backdrop changes to make them look like a giant robot of some kind.

Carrying extra pieces of armor, the nohorn attached them into different places, exchanged and moved others. Making it look like it could transform, create weapons and make different kinds of attacks… After all the possible transformations and attacks were covered, it was the turn of the next person.

Volunteering next was the haremhorn dressed as the Starry Leedah variant.

She had only a prop Risotto on some thin wire and apparently they were adding lasers after. As soon as she finished I'd made up my mind and stepped forward; posing dramatically.

"It's too hot in this thing! Your next opponent is me!"

Now that she was in front of the camera, her personality was completely different, and Raisin could almost see a little flame of passion in her eyes as she yelled back at her… "Nozomu Tokoro Da!" Talking to a little device on her costume, the little Risotto translated for everyone to hear… "That's just what I wanted!"

"Wait... uhm." That hadn't been what I meant but I went with the flow. "You don't look like a villain?"

Everyone was awaiting their next move, filling the room with an awkward silence until the president interceded. "…well, I am sure no one was expecting one of the spectators to request a group session with such a passion before we were done with the individual sessions, but sure. Why not?" She smiled.

I try to explain that I'd meant I wanted to go next but the words won't come out in the right order. I slowly make way over to in front of the camera. Starry Leedah uses the little switch that makes the helmet look normal and then everything is better.
It's even hotter in there but now it's hard enough to see that with the lights I can pretend there aren't a whole bunch of people.

"Well then, since both of you are there. Why don’t you make a group performance afterwards?" Suggested the club president while Raisin awkwardly made a poses for the camera, yelling attack names. Stuttering once in a while whenever she wasn’t sure of the lines she was supposed to say.

It's still kind of fun despite how it happened.

After going through all of the attacks and catch lines I know for my character I give the Starry Leedah a thumbs up and apologize for taking over her photo time.
It's really hot in this thing though and I start groping around the helmet trying to remember where the hatches were.

Unable to find them, a little helping hand opened the helmet for her. Starry Leedah smiled at her as she helped her to take off the helmet. "…c-can you do one more photo?" She asked timidly with fidgety feet, looking at the camera with the corner of her eye. Looking down, she waited for her answer.

"One more wouldn't hurt too much!" I grin and give another big over dramatic looking thumbs up; still a bit in character.

With a smile as radiant as the sun Starry Leedah helped Raisin to put her helmet back on one more time and talked to the photographer for a moment before preparing herself in front of the camera… Moments later the backdrop changed to make it look like an epic battle was taking place.

The backdrop change is a little confusing; am I supposed to be fighting her, or on her side. Instead of taking the lead I let her setup what she wanted to do; it was her last picture of the day after all.

After everything was ready Starry Leedah whispered to Raisin what she had planned. She told the photographer to add an enemy afterwards, so they had to pose like it was some an epic final battle. "If…if you want something specific, p-please tell me. I will give you a copy later." She said shyly.

"Okay." Just like I'd seen Kuuga do a few times in her show I spun quickly and kicked at an imaginary monster. It felt like it looked really good but I end up so off balance I fall and land on my back.

Luckily for Raisin they managed to take a perfect shot, but as soon as the flash disappeared Starry Leedah made Risotto to a side in a hurry and ran towards her. Now facing the ceiling, Raisin observed a teary eyed himehorn extend her hand to help her, so concerned that she was unable to speak.

"That hurt a little bit." I say letting her help me up. I'm pretty sure I'm okay; any time I've heard about a broken egg it's sounded like she knew when it happened. All I feel is that my butt hurts.

Starry Leedah left out a big sigh and moments later someone gave her light finger flick on the forehead bringing her back to reality. "Do you feel relieved now? Try not to panic so much. You worried everyone… but I am glad that she is fine." The club president smiled at them kindly patting their heads.

"I didn't think it would be that hard to do." I mumble quietly. "Sorry for making you worry."

Starry Leedah smiled, happy for her words. "Well then, now that everything's okay…" The club president smiled. "Okay everyone, the next one in line please advance." She clapped her hands, resuming the activities of the day… After all the club members were done, it was finally the visitors turn to shine.

"I kind of already had a turn so I'll go last!" I say, fanning myself with a large paper fan that someone had pulled out of a costume set.

After Raisin’s words the others looked at each other wondering who of them would go first, or at least Coco and Cream did. Choux had disappeared somewhere amidst all the commotion… Looking at Coco’s distressed face and trembling knees, Cream smiled tenderly and waved her hand as she went ahead of her.

"It's actually pretty fun." I say trying to reassure Coco as well.

Being her first time doing something like this, blind to the identity of the character she was trying to portray, Cream asked for instructions to help her get the most out of the experience… moved by her honest demeanor all the club members started to tell her all she needed with great enthusiasm…

"The same rule that applies to everything applies here! If you're not having fun you're doing it wrong!"

The teary eyed Coco understood her words very well, but she couldn’t help it… Glad that Raisin was trying to help her even though she had only met her that same day, she was moved by her kindness. Coco hugged her, letting out a few tears on her shoulder while everyone was distracted with Cream.

"C-can't breathe." New friends are fun to have. "I just realized I didn't let anyone know I was going to be staying late at school."

After adjusting her fake glasses, the final shot was done… but as she was about to leave, something jumped at her out of nowhere. Before she could look behind her, a strong breeze lifted the back of her skirt, with tail and all, and her surprise was followed by the sound of the shutter of the camera.

"Ninjas?!"

Not wasting time, Cream went to look for the culprit on the screen, but all she could see was a blurry mess behind her. "Sorry, it wasn’t prepared for that kind of movement this time." Said the photographer… "Oh, don’t worry… (I think I have someone in mind already). Please continue" She ¨smiled¨.

"Oh. Uhm... I think I'll take it easy for a bit."

While Cream laughed to herself under her breath, the club president clapped her hands. "Well then everyone, is about time that we start wrapping things up." Immediately after that, Coco left out a huge sigh of relief and all the club members started go to the backroom to change into their uniforms.

I followed and managed to not get stuck in any of the clothes. Which had been a bit of a worry.

All the club members started to leave one by one. In the meantime, the club president had a few words with the surprised photographer who was about to pack everything a bit earlier than expected… A soon as Raisin came out looking for her friends, the club president tapped on her shoulder.

"Wah! Oh; uhm... h-hello!"

"You are Raisin, right? Your friend gave me a note for you."…¨I already decided to join the volleyball club, so I will go ahead and submit the form. I have something to take care of afterwards, so go home without me. You must be tired after your first day, take a good rest. See you tomorrow. -Cream¨

"Oh, that might explain some things. She knew which one she wanted to do but didn't want to ruin our fun."

As the last group of club members went through the door Coco came out of the backroom. "There you are! Listen, can you stay a little longer? I have something prepared for you!" She said with a bright smile on her face… In a shelf behind her, in a pile of boxes something pink was sticking out of one of them.

"I've got to get going home soon." I say as Coco looks over to see if it would be okay. "You can stay if you want though." I notice the pink thing sticking out of the shelf and reach for it. If it fell out of a box it might get lost.

Coco noticed the box in her hands… It was the last costume she saw before cosplaying. She looked at the other boxes recognizing every last one of them… With a little tear in her eye, she looked back at the club president, who nodded silently in response, smiling at her as Coco gasped emotionally.

"It's okay Coco, I'm sure it was just a prank." Even though I missed what happened to make her start crying I'm sure the president hadn't meant to be mean.

"I saw her looking at them while making an expression with which I am very familiar… So I guessed that she would like to give them a try afterwards, in a private… I even talked to the photographer just in case. Oh, but don’t worry! We are not forcing her! Is all up to her to how far she wants to go."

"Oh! Have fun then!"

After hearing the club president’s intentions, still embarrassed with her hands over her mouth, Coco looked down. A single tear fell into the floor... Moments later she lifted her in the air with a happy smile in her and started spinning around, spilling a few more tears of happiness in the process.

"Have fun!" I can't help smiling but start heading back towards the door. I make sure to head for that other room with all the snacks on my way out.

After walking in circles for a while Raisin finally found the scent of the snacks in the air once more and followed it directly to the club room, but to her surprise there was a sheet of paper stuck in the door that said ¨Out of snacks. Be back soon. ¨ …but the door was oddly ajar for some reason.

I poke my head in and quietly say, "Hello?"

Looking around for a bit in the dark room while trying to find the light switch she heard soft rustling sounds. Surprised she hid her head in panic… A bit reluctantly she poked her head again adjusting her eyes to the darkness. Following the sounds, she noticed a shadow near the bean bag chairs.

"H-hello?" I ask a bit louder than last time, brave enough to call out but not enough to actually go through the door.

Reacting to her voice the shadow moved abruptly as it focused on her presence at the door. Moving abruptly, it leaped over the bean bag chairs and dashed towards the door as it mumbled incompressible words… Scared out of her horns Raisin ran towards the entrance with her face whiter than ever before.

It doesn't seem to have followed me outside though so I stop and catch my breath and start heading home.

I forgot my bag in the building though... and I'm not sure if it's important enough to go back and get it.

A big gulping sound could be heard from the hallway as a hand switched on the lights of the room. "Was that Raisin? Why did she run away? … Anyway! Where are the scones they told they were going to bring? I am still hungry… I wonder if they are going to be with jam or with cream…" Choux asked herself.

She closed the door once again, but before she could sit down someone knocked the door. "Oh! The scones! Did you bring Cream or Jam… maybe both?!" She ran to open the door salivating in anticipation. "Sorry to tell you, but there will be only VERY, SOUR, Cream for you." ¨Someone¨ grabbed Choux head.

As soon as Raisin left the school a heart rendering scream could be heard coming from inside the school. Her mind went blank for a moment while her feet did the thinking for her and carried her far enough that the school was out of sight. Now, able to think calmly, Raisin wondered what to do next.

I want to go home but I can't just leave my bag behind. Too many terrible things could happen, and then tomorrow I'd have two bags and that would just be weird. Everyone else only has one bag!

I sneak back in as stealthily as I can to get my bag!

By the time she arrived to the school it was almost closing hour and by the looks of it, all the clubs had long gone home already… She could not help but to hesitate as the sun slowly disappeared behind her, making the shadows more vivid for every little step she gave towards the main building.

I head onwards, steps shorter, but also faster. Just in the hallway there's a mysterious quiet whispering. I strain to hear what it's saying.

"…why me?" She was unable to understand more than a few words from her distance, but a lucky gust of wind and her sense of smell were enough to be able to identify who was talking. It was the P.E. teacher and the himehorn teacher she met earlier; She was sure to get in trouble if they found her there!

I'll engage stealth mode and try to move stealthily past them, following the basics of CQC and stealth walking that I learned from Metal Herd Solid!

She hid behind the corner as fast and silently as possible and looked around for a way to avoid been seen or smelled by them, finding an opened window. Thinking fast tried to sneak to the inner courtyard closing the window carefully so they wouldn’t hear her and hid her smell in some flowery bushes.

But now I can't tell if they're still there or not. Eventually I work up what courage I have left and sneak out, maybe they're too busy talking to see?

Before she could move the himehorn teacher opened the window, and started to sniff the air and look around. Luckily for her the flowers worked, or at least the lack of breeze worked on her favor. "Keep it open until we leave. The air is a little stagnant in here." Said the P.E. teacher from behind.

Too worried to move now I wait for them to leave. My tummy rumbles a bit, it's too close to dinner time for waiting, but I have to!

After a short conversation between them they walked away from the window at the same time that Raisin’s stomach made a loud noise. Luckily for her, their voices covered the noise enough for them not to notice it… Now below the window she waited for them to be far enough to be out of their sight.

After a while I'm finally sure and I climb up over the window ledge and head for the room where I left my bag.

After struggling a few times trying to climb the window, Raisin went towards her classroom as sneaky as possible. Looking around every corner and taking advantage of every little current of air in her favor… Now at the door of classroom she crossed her fingers and tried to open the sliding door.

At first the door doesn't go and I'm worried that it's locked. It goes after I wiggle it a bit, apparently it sticks a little bit. When it does open though it opens with a loud BANG!

I tried a little harder than I needed to I guess.

Worried that someone had heard such loud noise she hurried inside, closing the door as fast and silently as possible. Hidden behind her desk she waited in case the teachers had followed the source of the noise… Soon after the fact the P.E. teacher came by to look around, alone. Luckily for her.

While I'm hiding I try to reach around the side and grab my bag off the hanger on the side of my desk.

Without taking her eyes off the teacher she blindly reached for her bag, but it slips off the loose grip of her fingers falling into the floor with a loud thud. In that instant her eyes seemed to meet with the teacher’s as a high pitched noise echoed in the hallway… "Hello? Okay, I'll be there right away."

'Oops.' I whisper quietly, trying to grab the bag from where it fell on the floor.

After hearing the teacher walk away Raisin glared at her bag, puffing her cheeks. Finally grabbing it, she hurriedly moved while crouched towards the door as silently as possible, just in case. Now by the door, she carefully opened it and poked her head to look around… She was safe, for now.

I sigh with relief and head for the doors, forgetting that I should probably use the same way that I got in.

Walking for the hallways like a spy trying to escape from the enemy base she arrived to the entrance with little time left. So little time that she got just in time to hear the front doors being locked from the other side. She stood there like a statue with her mind in blank. Not knowing what to do…

After a while I look around, most doors that lock from outside also lock and unlock from the inside. Apparently school doors don't though, so I head back for the window!

Now free, Raisin found herself in the darkness of the courtyard. Barely able to see thanks to the streetlights near the entrance she noticed the teachers talking to a guard. Unsure of how to get home without being noticed, she crawled from bush to bush with the wind on her favor. Luck was one her side.

I reach the fence, but it's not very easy to climb from this side. Even if it was I'm pretty sure I can't get down the other side on my own.

In the meantime, the teachers had disappeared from her sight. It was only a matter of time before the someone noticed her… While analyzing the situation a familiar smell tickled her nose. It was Penny, still wearing her work clothes. Looking around relentlessly as she approached the school.

I do my best to act like I dropped something and was looking for it. "Luckily you were still there." I say, reaching into my bag and pretending to safely tuck the whatever it was back inside. "I'd have been in trouble if I lost- oh, uhm hi... Penny?"

After the wind made her aware that she was nearby, Penny spotted her, running towards her with open arms and a big smile on her face… failing to notice the chain-link fence in between them stopping her in her tracks. Rubbing her nose, she puffed her cheeks and strongly grabbed the fence…

"Careful! You might get in trouble if you break that!" I try to whisper as loudly as I can since I'm still not completely free yet.

Looking at her very confused she loosened her grip. Looking at the fence once more, she growled in annoyance… Thinking for a moment, Penny struck her fist on her palm at an idea. Then crouched and proceeded to attempt to lift the fence from the ground so Raisin could get out…

"Thank you!" I scurry under the fence. "I had to go back and get my bag and then I couldn't get back out."

"Hey, you! What do you think you are doing!?" Before Penny could react to her words the shouts of the guard pierced their ears. Not knowing what was going on or what to do she looked at Raisin in confusing… meanwhile, the guard was about to call for reinforcements after looking at Penny’s physique.

"It's okay she'll put it back! Uh... ... my clothes got stuck under there?" I guess I was out of good ideas for sneaky things to say.

Looking at the distressed Raisin, Penny started to get agitated and was about to take drastic measures… The experienced guard carefully took a few steps back and stood in guard. Panicky, Raisin didn’t know what to do to avoid something going very, very wrong. Until a voice interjected from behind them…

"There you two are! I've been looking for you for a while. Penny, would you be a dear and put that fence down? I think you're scaring Mr. Guard."

Stepping out of the shadows was the Haremhorn of their herd family, carrying a basket full of groceries. "Are you with them, Mrs?" She nodded gracefully with a smile. "Care to come with me for a few questions then?" The heads of the peeking smallhorns stuck out of the basket as she followed him to the guard booth.

"We would have put it right back!" I try protesting as we get dragged along. "Really Fig!"

"… We will talk later." Fig looked back at her, sending a chill down her spine, knowing full well that she would have to say goodbye to her dessert… or even worse, her snack stash! Meanwhile Penny still looking all confused quickly tried to put the fence in its place, and uneasily followed them along.

"I-it's okay! Penny, Figgy can't be too mad once she finds out why everything happened, right?"

Once inside the booth they took seat ushering in the interrogation… Fig replied to every question with a polite tone and an unwavering smile, Raisin with convoluted answers and Penny moving her head vigorously… immediately afterwards he proceeded to mildly scold Raisin and the still confused Penny, who was too big for her little folding stool.

"B-but... I needed to get my bag! I forgot it because they were showing me clubs and-" Whatever words I was trying to say after that devolved into a jumbled mess as I start sobbing loudly while also trying to keep explaining.

He sighed deeply as he crouched looking at her in the eyes… "Look kiddo, I am not mad at you. I just want you to understand that what you did was dangerous. If you needed help to get your bag, you could have asked me or someone from the school staff to give you a hand. Do you understand?"

"Yes; I thought it would be okay since I was still at the school but we lost track of time."

"…as long as you understand. Now clean your tears and get going. Is very late and you have classes tomorrow. " He handed her his neatly folded handkerchief to clean her tears. Still sobbing she opened, and there was a little lollipop inside, prompting a little pat on the head from the old guard.

"I do." I sniffle, and when seeing the candy quickly fold it back up to hide it. "Uhm, thank you for not getting us in trouble "

"Well, I am not going to go out of my way to make things more troublesome than they have to be, so don’t worry about it… but you might get scolded by your teacher tomorrow. That much can’t be helped. I still have to make my daily report after all." He opened the door so they could go on their own way.

Raisin's Daily Life

Part 1

Update: Oct 11 2015

Update: Jan 11 2016

Update: Nov 13 2016

To be Continued...

Follow updates at: ask.fm/himehorn