...
A few days after my nighttime walk, I received a letter from one Red Winter Federal Academy. It didn't say much, aside from the fact that it was an invitation.
"Say, Arona?" I call out to my AI pal.
"Yes, Sensei?" The small AI asks, popping up on a nearby screen.
"Know anything about this 'Red Winter Academy'?"
"Hmm. Not much, aside from the fact that the students there are... unique." She says slowly.
"Unique...?" I ask, before shaking my head. "Well, whatever. Anything else?"
"Oh, right! The academy is called as such because it snows almost year-round! So it would be best to bring a coat or something." She advises.
"Welp." I say, popping the p, while standing up. "Guess is better to grab some wintry stuff."
—————
After making my way to Red Winter via train, I stand in front of the academy, dressed in a heavy black coat, dark green gloves and a dark blue beanie. It's pretty damn cold here, considering I can't actually see the ground past the snow.
The academy is fucking huge, too. Large grey stone buildings, adorned with... are those fucking mustaches? There's also a giant gold statue of some girl wearing a coat, backpack and hat while holding a pistol. On the second floor of the building is a strange portrait of a serious-looking man, but it's too far away to notice any significant details.
Come to think of it... this place kinda feels like looking at an important building in Russia. This must be Kivotos' equivalent.
"Excuse me." A feminine voice calls out next to me. "You wouldn't happen to be the Sensei from Schale?"
I turn my head to the speaker. The girl has long, pale purple hair tied in two long braids, each held with hairbands that have two fuzzy, white balls on them. Her eyes are an odd mix or orange and purple. On her head is a tall, straight, fluffy, white hat with a red bow on the side. Her outfit is somewhat professional, consisting of a large white coat, which comes to just above her knees, and a black undershirt, all of this covering her rather mature and curvy physique. Around the collar is a small red tie, complete with the Red Winter academy's logo. Around her arms is a long, white scarf, emblazoned with red snowflakes. Her legs are covered with black leggings and her feet, with white dress shoes. Around her ankles are a small white band each, complete with a red bow and two fuzzy, white balls each. In her hand is a small, brown book. Her halo resembles a magenta gear, with a smaller gear on the inside and a magenta plus shape within that. Around her back is a brown and black sniper rifle with a silver barrel and the Red Winter logo on the scope.
"That I am. Joshua Birkin, Sensei of Schale." I greet the girl, who's fairly tall, but still shorter than me.
"Then, hello, Sensei. The Red Winter Academy welcomes you." She says politely. "I am Sashiro Tomoe, Chief Secretary of the Red Winter office. Pleased to meet you."
"Same here." I say back.
"President Cherino is waiting inside." She says, motioning me to follow her.
Cherino... she's who wrote the letter to me.
—————
After a bit of walking, we reach Cherino's office. The whole place is decorated with furniture colored with a golden hue. A large, wooden desk sits in the middle of the room, carved exquisitely. On the wall, I see that big portrait from before, but smaller. It's some mustached guy wearing a white military uniform with... is... is his white hair done up in twintails?
'What the fuck is this...?' I think to myself dryly.
"Who is...?" I ask out loud.
Tomoe follows my gaze. "Are you referring to this portrait?"
I nod in affirmation.
Tomoe decides to explain with a smile. "This is Cherino, our esteemed president, Beautifier of Lands, Scriber of Minutes, Athletics Club Captain, Chief of Sanitation, Head of All Prefects, and Maven of Meal Service."
...Did I just have an aneurism, or did she just list like half a dozen bizarre titles?
"That's, uh... quite the resume... and mustache." I say, trying to form a compliment.
"You have impeccable taste. Authority over all of Red Winter resides in that mustache." The secretary says gleefully. "I'm glad it is to your liking."
Okay, I'm starting to see why Arona called the students here unique.
"Great Leader, may I present to you, Joshua Sensei." Tomoe says, speaking to... the desks chair, turned 180 degrees around.
"Well done, Tomoe." A childlike voice says, from the other side of the chair. "As a true and loyal compatriot, you shall be bestowed with a medal of recognition."
"You're too kind, O Great Leader." Tomoe says with a bow.
"Now then..." The chair then spins around. "Welcome to the Great Red Winter Academy, Comrade."
As the chair spins around, I get a good look at the speaker. She's a rather short girl and is... wearing the same clothes, mustache and hairstyle as the guy in the portrait?!
Her white hair flows to her legs, while a bit of it is tied into small twintails, similar to Yuuka. On her head is a white military cap with the Red Winter logo in the center and a black and gold brim. Her eyes are a dep blue, unlike her stark white mustache. She wears a long, white coat, decorated with gold buttons and red insides. She has white gloves on her hands and a black undershirt, similar to Tomoe, except her tie is a bow tie. She has on white shorts, visible from the coat along with a grey pistol holster on her waist. Around her shoulders is a red backpack. Her legs are covered in black leggings and she has on tall, white boots that ends just before her knees, each tied with a black string with fuzzy white balls on either end. Her halo is a sky blue gear with a inner ring, perfectly circular. At roughly 2 o'clock and 7 o'clock are two coffin shapes with small, white snowflakes on them. Around her waist is a small black handgun with a revolving chamber and red trim.
She looks weirdly cute. I mean, as cute as a military loli can be, I suppose.
"You stand before the illustrious Renkawa Cherino!" She says proudly. "The esteemed president of Red Winter Academy, Beautifier of Lands-" Oh, not again. "-, Scriber of Minutes, Chief of Sanitation... Uh..." She looks confused. "How did the rest go again...?"
"Athletics Club Captain, Chief of Sanitation, Head of All Prefects, and Maven of Meal Service." Tomoe says quietly to the military loli.
"What she said!" Cherino proclaims. "Whatever! Just know that I'm very important and I'm also in charge here! Consider yourself honored, Comrade!"
I let out a mirthful laugh at this all. "Well, I'm Joshua Birkin, Sensei of Schale, nice to meet you as well, Comrade." As I say the last word, Cherino's eyes light up in delight. "But, uh... Why's your portrait not really look like you?" I hope she doesn't take offense.
"Huh?" She's taken offense, as she's standing up now. "Don't get hung up on such trivial details! That portrait's supposed to be a projection of me a year from now! So there! Do you draw issue with my portrait, Comrade?"
"Not really, but... It makes me worried that you're gonna look like an angry dude next year. You might scare off more people than impress 'em." I say, honestly. Makes her look like a fucking terrifying dictator is what it does.
"Geez... I'd expect better taste from a grown up..." She says, trying to hide her nervousness. I guess she's afraid of looking like a guy. "Wha?!" She cries out, tripping suddenly.
"Great Leader?!" Tomoe cries.
"You okay?" I ask, concerned.
"Owwie..." Cherino cries childishly, before standing up. "For the love of 'staches, Tomoe! How many times do I have to ask you to straighten out the carpet?! You wanna get crushed beneath my boot?!"
Speaking of 'staches, did she drop hers?
Tomoe seems to notice as well, as she begins stuttering. "Ch-Cherino! Your m-m-mustache...!"
"...Huh?" The small girl asks, confused about her subordinate's stuttering.
"You dropped it." I say, biting the bullet.
"Huh?" She asks again, before feeling around her upper lip. "Ack?! My mustache!" She then, very quickly might I add, dips down, picks up the mustache, and puts it on, all in once, fluid motion. Upon standing, she turns to the taller girl with a fierce gaze. "Y-You saw nothing. C-Correct, Comrade Tomoe?"
"Of course not, Great Leader." The pale purple haired girl says, playing along.
Okay, I REALLY am starting to have enough of this horseplay. "So..." I begin, drawing their attention. "Why exactly did you call me here?"
"Heh, it's simple, really..." Cherino says, smugly. "To prepare for the Ivan Kupala!"
"Ivan Kupala...?" It sounds similar to a holiday in Russia, the Ivana Kupala.
"Comrade, you may know already, but the longest day of the year, the summer solstice, is fast approaching. Red Winter Academy holds the Ivan Kupala Festival every year to commemorate this joyous time when the snow melts and the greenery is lush!" She explains, proudly. "The Ivan Kupala Festival is a unique tradition of Red Winter Academy, so the secretariat is mobilizing all of our students to prepare for the best Ivan Kupala ever!"
Yeah, this is just the Ivana Kupala, but with an 'a' removed from the name.
"Isn't that right, Chief Secretary Tomoe?" The military loli asks the taller girl.
"Indeed." Tomoe confirms. "As per your orders, double shifts are in effect and exemplary workers are being publicly recognized. Due to your reforms, last week saw a two hundred and fifty percent increase in productivity."
"...That's good, right?" Cherino asks, to which Tomoe nods. "Excellent!" She says with a... smile? Kinda hard to tell with the mustache. "This year's Ivan Kupala will be absolutely perfect!"
"That's nice, but there's one problem." I ask.
"And what might that be, Comrade?" Cherino asks.
"The solstice is a month away." I say, deadpan, causing the short girl's eyes to widen. "Plus, it seems like you've got this covered, so why do you want me here?"
Cherino lets out a boastful bark of laughter. "Under my perfect leadership, our academy wants for nothing! The reason is sent for you specifically... is your position at Schale."
My position...? Hang on. "You're usin' me as a poster boy to get more people interested in the festival, aren't you?" I ask, already knowing the answer.
Cherino, wide-eyed, speaks after a moment of shocked silence. "Y-Yes! That's correct, Comrade! Because of Schale, you must frequently interact with students from the other schools. In order to spread the splendor of our great academy, we must first buy you off...!" My eyes narrow in concern at that, before she subverts my expectations again. "Or is it 'sell you off'...?"
"Cherino! It's 'win you over'." Tomoe quietly advises.
"O-Of course! Because winning over a Schale member should be top priority!" The white haired girl proclaims, before moving closer to me. "Now follow me, Comrade! We will behold the full glory of Red Winter Academy's preparations for the Ivan Kupala and spread word of it's splendor throughout Kivotos!"
Chuckling a bit, I shrug. "All right, then. Lead the way, Comrade." I say, once again causing the small girl's eyes to widen in happiness.
—————
Thus, Comrade Cherino began touring my through the academy. With a guard in tow, staying a bit behind us at all times.
She introduced herself as Ikekura Marina. She has pale blonde hair cut into a super short bob cut, along with similarly colored eyes with a touch of red eye shadow applied. Her outfit is a pretty standard military uniform consisting of a white blazer with red trim and tight, white pants. On her hands are white gloves and on her feet are white boots with red laces and soles, stopping just below her knees. Her halo is comprised of two, pinkish-red rings, the smaller one being thinner. The outer ring also has three protrusions at 12, 7 and 5 o'clock with a smaller one at 6 o'clock. Around her back is a black sub-machine gun with a brown, wooden butt. There isn't a clip, but instead a drum.
First stop, oddly enough, was the cafeteria. It's pretty average, actually. Just a bunch of tables and chairs with a small part in the back connecting the kitchen with the main room via a small place for students to get food.
"This is the food service facility responsible for fueling our proud Red Winter Academy students!" Cherino says, boastful as usual. "Nutrition is the foundation of activity! It's unthinkable to tie the quality of meals to status. As such, all of our students graciously receive the same amount of food!"
...Well... better the same amount of food rather than the same amount of money.
"Of course, as the academy's Scriber of Minutes-" WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?! "-, esteemed president, Beautifier of Environments-" I thought it was 'Beautifier of lands'? "-, Chief of Sanitation... Uh..." Cherino stops, struggling to remember her many titles. "And the rest! Anyway, since I, Cherino, am great and responsible for all great things, I have the privilege of eating one additional pudding! Besides me, everyone enjoys an equal meal!" She says, with a prideful laugh.
Looking in the kitchen, I see a few students cooking, despite there being no-one else here. "What're they cookin' now? Smells like something sweet." I ask, curious.
"Excellent question, Comrade! I'm also curious about that sweet scent in the air." The short girl then walks over to the kitchens. "Chef, what's that you have in your pot?"
The student turns to Cherino and makes her posture go ramrod straight. "Madam President! As your greatness has ordered, we are making pudding for the Ivan Kupala festivities. We're to double the pudding ration for this year's Ivan Kupala, so every single member of the School Lunch Club has been hard at work making pudding around the clock." She explains.
Cherino bounces a bit, gleefully. "That's the attitude one would expect of a model School Lunch Club member! Very good!" She praises. "Once the festival is over, I shall award you the First-Class Mustache Medal!"
"Th-Thank you, Madam President!" The chef girl stutters.
"Then this must be the pudding we've been talking about." The military loli says, looking at the pot. "I shall taste it myself." Using a nearby spoon, the white haired girl takes a taste of the pudding, before stopping chewing with wide eyes, followed by forcefully swallowing it. "Ugh, why is it like this?! It's bland and the consistency is too loose!"
"W-Well... We had to increase production, but we couldn't get more ingredients..." The chef girl admits. "When we didn't have enough milk, we started adding water to get more from the same amount of mix."
"You watered down the pudding?! You insolent...!" The small girl growls out. "Even if for productivity's sake, this is unacceptable! Marina!"
"You called for me, Madam President?" Marina asks, having just rushed into the room.
"Get these insolent members of the School Lunch Club out of here!" The small girl roars. "Those who dare water down pudding deserve demerits!"
"F-Forgive us, Great Leader! We didn't want to do it either!" The chef pleads.
"Did you think you could get away with sabotaging our Great Leader's gloriously perfect plan?! Or do you have so little respect for the mustache's authority?" Marina growls.
"Ugh, this is unfair! We had no choice!" The chef pleads. Okay, this really is unfair.
"Why do y'all need so much pudding anyways? Are you going to be selling it at the festival?" I ask.
"Huh?" Cherino asks, all three girls looking at me confused. "Of course not! This pudding is for the students of our glorious academy! That is, until the festival where they will also be sold to our visitors."
"Then why not go back to making the usual amount so you don't have to buy a bunch of ingredients and won't run out of 'em if you can't get them?" I ask.
"Hmm..." Cherino hums to herself, rubbing her mustache. Jesus, that's weird.
"How long we're you makin' double the amount for?" I ask the chef.
"About a week." She replies.
"Then go back to normal, then buy some more ingredients before the festival so that everyone can have double pudding for a little under a week for the festival." I advise. "It's clear y'all can't handle doing this for a month."
"...Very well! I shall rescind my order of demerits so long as your club continues to make pudding WITHOUT watering it down." Cherino says after a moment.
"We will, Great Leader!" The chef says, relieved.
"However, I will withhold the medal. Oh, and you are free to go, Marina." The white haired girl says.
"As you wish, Madam President." The blonde girl says politely, leaving the room as the chef girl gets back to work.
"Phew, that was some commotion." Cherino says, all but wiping her brow. "I wasn't expecting you to offer a new solution like that, Comrade." I merely shrug with a smile. "Perhaps bringing you to visit our academy will be more of a boon than I thought!"
"I suppose. But what were you gonna do to her? I mean, what happens when someone has a demerit?" I ask, curious.
"Well..." She pauses, likely for dramatic effect. "They receive terrible punishments!"
"...Such as?" I ask, eyebrow raised.
"There is one of two horrible fates in store for them. Clean the bathrooms by themselves for a week, or lose their snack rations for a month!" She says, dramatically.
Janitorial duties or no snacks...? That wasn't as bad as I expected.
"It's for the best of everyone not to challenge the authority of Red Winter Academy, Comrade!" She says with a proud laugh.
"I'll, uh... keep that in mind."
"Enough of that now, let's go to the next inspection site." She says.
"Lead the way." I say.
—————
Next, we enter another rather large room, this one filled with many desks and papers.
"This is... a printing room?" I ask.
"Correct, Comrade! This is the editing department of The Red Bear, the daily paper which spreads the news and glories of our Red Winter Academy!" She says, boastful as usual.
"But doesn't Kivotos already have a paper? Written by that Kronos school?" I ask, referring to the Kronos School of Journalism. Then again, I probably shouldn't've asked, seeing as how this place seems to mirror Soviet Russia.
"Simple, it's all hogwash!" The military loli says, angrily. "The yellow journalism of Kronos is nothing but gossip and falsehoods! It can't compare to The Red Bear, which is always prompt and accurate! Read The Red Bear for yourself sometime, Comrade. You might learn some things!"
Cherino then walks over to a girl at a desk and starts speaking to her. "Editior-in-Chief, is the special Ivan Kupala issue ready yet?"
"Of course, Madam President." The editor says. "This special issue will feature a prominent portrait of you on the front page, specially printed using colored ink on premium paper."
"Excellent! Expect a medal for your service at the festival's end!" Cherino says.
"Thank you, Madam President!" The editor says.
"Allow me to preview an article." The white haired girl says, picking up a paper. I move behind her to read it as well. " 'The great President Cherino personally inspects the amusement park construction site...' Yes, yes. Very good!" She reads out loud, before looking closely at the paper. "...Hmm? Chief Editor. This photograph next to the article is a little weird. There are Marina and Tomoe, but I'm nowhere to be seen. What happened?"
"My apologies, Madam President." The editor apologizes. "You were... too short to fit into the picture, so we-"
"What?! You calling me a pip-squeak?!" Cherino snaps, interrupting the poor girl.
"I-I never said that!" The editor defends herself.
"The nerve of this measly reporter!" Marina growls, walking up to us. "If our president wasn't visible at that angle, you should have used digital manipulation to make her taller!"
"B-But The Red Bear is a paper that's always supposed to deliver the facts." The editor defends.
"Then why not make Marina and Tomoe crouch so you can get all of them in the photo?" I ask, stating the obvious.
"That's..." The editor trails off.
"That's a great idea, Comrade!" The white haired girl praises me. "From now on, all pictures taken of my glorious self, along with others, will be required to have all others squat down so that all may fit within!"
"Of course, Madam President! I'll get back to work and add an extra photo of yourself to the paper!" The editor says, turning back to her desk,
"Great job again, Comrade! And I didn't even have to give out a demerit!" Cherino praises me. "Still, there certainly has been a lot of insubordination lately. Oh well." She shrugs. "I can just keep punishing them as they pop up."
"...Riiiiiight." I say, drawling out the word.
Cherino then suddenly yawns. "Maybe I'm working too hard. I'm getting sleepy..." She whines like a child. "Tomoe?"
"Yes, Great Leader?" Tomoe asks, appearing from nowhere, causing me to jump slightly.
"I want to go back home and take a nap." The military loli whines.
"Hehe, understood. I'll have your bed prepared immediately." The purplish haired girl says.
"Comrade, while I'm taking my nap, you should get some rest too." The white haired girl says, before walking off, half awake. Marina, too, leaves.
"Sensei, feel free to use the lounge." Tomoe says. "Follow me and I'll show you the way."
"Lead on." I say.
Well... This day has certainly been a strange start to my time here at Red Winter.
I wonder what'll happen next.
Hopefully nothing bad.
Though, knowing Kivotos...
Problems are bound to spring up.
—————
AN
IN SOVIET RUSSIA, STUDENT TEACH YOU.
...Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Edit: November 1, 2022: Added girls' weapon descriptions.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and look forward to the next!