This was not that world.
Furinkan Senior High School stood atop the slight rise, thick brick perimeter walls topped by an additional foot of metal railing. The gates to the school looked to be wrought iron with thick bars that were heavily reinforced.
Inside was a four-story building with several out-buildings. Carefully manicured lawns, obviously well-tended trees, and the other signs of a modern education facility were all well in evidence.
However, this was FURINKAN. There were more high-end academic schools like Mahora or the unfortunately-named Garderobe Academy. There were more brutal schools like Cromartie. This, however, was Furinkan Senior High School which had its own little oddness.
For one thing, it had an Absurdly Powerful Student Council.
In part this was because the son of the Principal was on the Council. In part this was because all of the members of the Student Council were Absurdly Wealthy. On the other hand, while potentially powerful, the Student Council didn't do too much because most of them didn't like each other or trust each other that much.One thing about the Chained World was that the caste system had weakened somewhat over the centuries, but it was still visibly present even to casual inspection. The Tendo and Saotome families were NOT particularly wealthy but they had the bloodline to be considered part of the upper echelon.
Ranma didn't know much about Furinkan. He knew about the caste system, and even knew where Saotome fell in that system. Caring about it was another thing altogether.
He DID notice that other students had maids who dressed and acted in a manner fairly close to how Kasumi was doing. He also noticed that there was a crowd and someone gesticulating wildly at the gates.
"FOUL BEAST! Today is the day you are turned from our fair halls of learning!" proclaimed the boy in the formal executioner's kimono, raising a glittering sword over his head.
"BITE ME," yelled back the boy confronting him. "You think you're all that? You're just proof of bloodlines rotting away from within."
"HOW DARE THEE?!" roared the boy, charging and swinging.
The boy with the orange hair dodged and changed while Ranma was watching. Suddenly he had a fox's tail and ears poking out of his hair.
"A werefox? No, a half-blood?" asked Ranma, stopping to watch. Some of those could be pretty damn powerful. Some of those could be pretty darn good martial artists or onmyoji or other specialists.
"Yes," said Kasumi, her voice neutral. "Naruto Uzumaki, Class 2-D. Half fox-yokai, an orphan, but assigned to this school by reason of his Talents."
"Talents?" asked Ranma, curious as the martial arts battle went on. The guy with the katana was fairly good as far as his swordwork was concerned. This 'Naruto' guy was at least at that level as far as dodging and avoidance was concerned.
"Shadow Clone jutsu!" called out the fox-boy.
"Not bad," commented Ranma as the fox-boy shuffled his images and brought them to the attack. Then he reassessed as the 'images' began hitting the executioner-boy from all sides and battering him around. True physical clones then and not simply a decoy gimmick. VERY useful.
"Akane's class is 2-A. They are regularly having to face 2-D in competitions," said Kasumi quietly. "Master? You have to get to class. I will go make the formal notification that Akane and Nabiki will be absent."
"Ah, right," said Ranma, seeing the martial arts battle continue (though mainly it consisted of six foxboys beating on a lone swordsman) and wondering at something odd. He thought that maybe, somehow, he was gonna get along with the fox-yokai.
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(Posted Sun, 22 Mar 2009 16:36)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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