Chapter Text
Shuichi touches the envelope, heart beating as he looks at it with wide eyes. There is a seal covering the envelope, and he is almost afraid to open it because he might break the seal. But he's in front of so many people, for crying out loud. He gulps, and starts to open the envelope to reveal a brown letter.
"Read it out loud, Prince Saihara", his uncle, standing beside him, says. "The crowd is watching."
Did you seriously have to remind me? And so, Shuichi clears his throat, and stands up to meet everyone's faces. He stands up from his throne, and starts to read in front of everyone.
"Dear Prince Shuichi Saihara", he reads. "You are invited to study in the most elite school for exorcists: Hope's Peak Highschool. We have heard of your detective skills have sold the crime of one ghost, and we can't wait to see you study in our school. If you have made up your mind, please come to the school next week. Signed, the Headmaster, Kirigiri Jin."
He looks at everyone with a straight face, trying to act like he isn't dying inside as he read the brief message out loud. He's always hated solving that ghost case. Ghosts and demons always escape the Underworld, which causes everyone to panic as they are all surrounded with these harmful creatures. Shuichi's sure that there are other people more experience in these sorts of situations than him, a well-educated prince.
His uncle nods. "Well, shall we host a celebration for your acceptance into Hope's Peak Academy?"
Shuichi doesn't want to have a party just because he gets accepted to the best school in the whole land, but because he doesn't deserve it. He's so used living in his kingdom entrusted to him by his parents, that he never explored the outside world before. He have heard stories about it, like some sort of transportations, new uses of communications, but has never heard of them. That's why he's so anxious. His kingdom is the only kingdom out there that is very outdated, probably because of the large barrier surrounding it, preventing other humans to pass by.
But he smiles and nods, turning to everyone. "Yes, let's have a party to celebrate my recruitment to Hope's Peak Academy." He turns to his uncle. "Please tell the chefs to work extra hard on the banquet tonight."
His uncle nods, then leaves. And Shuichi is alone again, with the crowd who expects so little of him, and underestimates him. He sits on his throne, not minding the whispers roaming the air right now, on how someone as unreliable as him got into a good school because he solved the ghost case and banished it from their town. He sighs.
He still doesn't feel like going to Hope's Peak Academy, but he doesn't want to disappoint his family. They expect so much of him.
Kaito runs. He runs away from the kingdom he had stolen the merchants' money with, and into the forest. He holds one arm, burning due to a bullet. He always get these kinds of injuries from every kingdom he had been into. He remembers the time he was a prince, but all came crashing down when rebels killed his family. Now, as a seventeen year old, he has to face life and death situations.
"Fuck", he says, wrapping the arm in bandages. "At least I raided their hospitals."
He breathes heavily as he finally removes the bullet, then wraps it in bandages. He's such a fucking thief. He remembers the time where he hates thieves and executes them. Oh, the irony that is, now that he has become a thief himself. Kaito sells the things he doesn't need to some dangerous groups in exchange for shelter and food for one night. And he's got a couple of drugs in there to spice it up.
After taking care of himself, he stands up, ignoring the pain coming from his arm as he walks in the forest, and into another kingdom. But then, something catches his eye. An envelope in one of a tree branch. Curious, he takes the envelope, favoring his injured arm, and opens it, to see it... addressed to him.
"What the hell?", Kaito says as he reads the whole thing. "Hope's Peak Academy? The hell is that place?"
He shrugs, then puts it in one of his pockets. Maybe I'll find out some other time.
His goal is to get to safety before he goes out to steal again. Maybe he should come to that school, if it really was addressed to him. It did say it's the most prestigious school in all seven seas. Kaito smiles to himself. If he actually finds the school, then, maybe, he might actually be treated right. No life and death situations. No risks. No limited stays until the school year is over.
And, the best of all, friends.
Bastard child. Son of a demon. Harlot. Bastard. Illegitimate son.
Rantaro gets called like that every time, just because he's not the son of Queen Ann and King Kamoshida. Instead, he's a love child of his father and a servant girl. What's even worse, is that he's the first child of King Kamoshida, which makes him a controversy in the Amami Kingdom. He treats his sisters right, but they don't.
The only thing he finds relaxing is travelling throughout the lands, searching and exorcising ghosts and demons from each kingdom, but his. Rantaro comes back to his kingdom with a teleporting spell. He's always on time when he gets called for dinner by Sae, a sibling of his.
"Rantaro, dinner is ready", Sae says curtly, then closes the door. Rantaro teleports downstairs, behind the door that separates him and his family.
Rantaro loves his family, but they never loved him back. He sighs, knowing it can't be helped with their bigot mentality. He has encountered lots of bastard children disowned in the past, just for simply existing. He considers himself lucky because he hasn't been disowned by his family. Yet. He opens the door, and everyone present there stares at him until he sits beside Sae, who routinely rolls her eyes.
"Rantaro", his father's voice booms across the dining hall. Rantaro looks at his father, but not in the eye. He is a much superior being than him, after all. And it seems he's holding an envelope. What's that got to do with Rantaro?
"Yes, father?", he says politely.
"It is quite shocking that you have been accepted in a prestigious school", his stepmother, Queen Ann, says.
Rantaro tilts his head, confused. "Um, what are you talking about?"
"I am talking about the fact you got into Hope's Peak Academy, the best school that teaches you exorcism."
Everyone in the table goes silent. The servants look on, clearly shocked that "Prince" Rantaro Amami, the bastard heir, is getting accepted to the best school in all of seven seas? That is unbelievable, even for Rantaro.
"Hope's Peak Academy?", Rantaro stares at his food, dumbfounded. One of his sisters snorts.
"Why would they invite someone like him in the first place?"
"Yeah, maybe they just wanted everyone to make fun of him in the school."
"Oh! Maybe they just love his looks!"
"Or; I'm more skilled than any of you are." Rantaro immediately regrets saying that in front of his family. I mean, he has some grudge against them, but... "O-Oh, I-"
"Rantaro, no dinner for you tonight." Queen Ann yawns, and Rantaro looks at his plate, which is already packed with food. But he didn't want to defy his family's orders.
So he goes back to his room, and decides to teleport to some restaurant in his kingdom.
His cottage smells of burnt wood. Well, he knows that people would come trying to 'burn the demon' just because he's a hybrid between a ghost and a human. Kiyo sighs as he drinks his cup of tea, waiting for the people making him leave the Iruma Kingdom. Like he cares about monarchy. The era's already modern, why are there still monarchies laying around?
What made him really irked is that people would come everyday just to harass him and try to kill him. He almost gets killed when he's not extremely cautious, but his sister always saves him from utter death. Even if she's dead, she acts like a body guard for Kiyo. He misses his sister so much. He can still hear her voice everywhere he goes. No, maybe that's really her, after all, she is a ghost.
As he washes the dishes he had eaten with, a slight breeze flows in to his house, carrying an envelope. Kiyo's eyes widen at the sight of it, and follow it around with his eyes. When it lands on his table, he carefully holds it, since his hands are still wet. Curious and confused at the same time, he opens the envelope and reads the letter inside it.
As he puts the letter back inside the envelope, his mind is already thinking of where this school Hope's Peak Academy is. Kiyo feels anxious, because if he goes to this school, then they'd already notice that he's a hybrid, a son of the best human hunter around. Too bad he's been sucked to the Underworld to even take care of both Kiyo and his older sister.
"Korekiyo", he feels his sister's warmth again. "You can be someone else different if you enter that prestigious school for exorcists."
"But Sister", Kiyo replies. "What if they already knew of my existence as a hybrid?"
"Stay out of harm's way", she replies. "After all, you've always wanted to be in a school. I can't risk you travelling to some other place again because some might try to kill you."
He looks at the crowd in front of his house. They can't do any real damage to his house due to it being protected with charms he had cast over night. It's become a routine for him. He nods.
"Fine, I'll attend the school."
Keebo lies on the couch, looking at his blueprints for his next ghost slash demon catcher machine. He had already made alliances to the Oma Kingdom, Amami Kingdom, and Iruma Kingdom, but they never replied back, leaving Keebo's kingdom in ruins. Demons and ghosts had plagued the town, ruining people's livelihood and sanity. The castle becomes a closed center for the people who aren't running around screaming.
Keebo's father had helped the townspeople over the years by making robots that will catch any demon or ghost out there. After his father died from an illness, Keebo takes the throne of his father. He takes over his father's many blueprints on trying to banish those damned spirits to the Underworld. Keebo is a pacifist, and tries to summon the ghosts by telling them to leave, or to do the rituals for exorcising them all.
So he reluctantly goes to war with those superiors, without any help from any kingdom at all. He's stressed over this situation, day and night, and can't be helped when he keeps blabbering on how to attack the demons and ghosts. Keebo rubs his eyes to look at the blueprints again. He sighs. His eyes has been losing vision for how many years now. He takes his glasses on the far side of the couch, and starts reading them again.
"Your Majesty, a letter is assigned to you by the winds", one of his comrades say, holding an envelope with an unfamiliar seal.
Keebo raises a brow. "Where did that come from?"
"The winds, your majesty", the boy replies.
"Can you read it for me? I am very busy over here."
"Of course, King Keebo." The boy clears his throat, then starts to read the letter from the envelope. "Dear King Keebo from the Idabashi Kingdom, due to your machines that help exorcise demons and ghosts from your kingdom, and being the youngest king in all history, you are invited to study in the most prestigious school for young exorcists: Hope's Peak Academy. If you have made up your mind to study in this wonderful place, please attend our school ceremony next Thurday. Signed, the Headmaster, Jin Kirigiri."
Keebo is dumb founded. Not because he was accepted into such an elite school like Hope's Peak Academy, but because he's conflicted in studying in the best school the world can give to him, and helping his kingdom battle against those Underworld creatures. If he leaves his kingdom unattended, then everything will fall. But perhaps, if he attends the academy, then he'll gain friends from other kingdoms to support him.
"Shall I... hold a meeting about this?", Keebo asks the messenger. The messenger nods.
"It is best for everyone to know if you're living or not", he says.
"Okay then, please assemble everyone in the meeting room." The messenger nods, then leaves Keebo's living room, to let him ponder about what he's going to choose.
An excellent school or helping his kingdom fight?
The blankets feel as if they're the God of Death, waiting for him to finally die and take his place. Well, he doesn't give a fuck if he dies. He's already in jail, serving his death sentence after he killed one ghost hunter with a strike of his bamboo stick. Ryoma was known to the ghosts and demons as their savior, because he protects them from the people who try to banish them back into the Underworld.
And one time, he took it too far by killing a ghost hunter. He was caught and was brought to the Seven Seas Prison, no escape from his fate. His cell is warm, and he hates warm climates. But he also hates cold climates as well. He doesn't have a favorite season or climate. He just wants to die, to go to the Underworld to rot.
"Hey, Hoshi", a police officer says, holding an envelope. She was, by far, Ryoma's favorite officer. He doesn't know why, he just likes the officer.
"What is it?", Ryoma rolls out of his blanket. "Breakfast?"
The officer shakes their head. "No. We're letting you go."
Ryoma is very surprised.
"Why the hell are you letting me go?", he asks.
The police officer takes an envelope from her pocket, and lets Ryoma retrieve it.
It's an invitation. A letter of acceptance to the most prestigious school in the Seven Seas. Hope's Peak Academy. He has heard quite a lot of things in Hope's Peak. The ones who graduated from that academy became the Seven Seas' most successful exorcists, mediums, anything in that spiritual sense.
Ryoma gives the letter back to the police officer. "Sorry, but looks like I still got ways to go, even if I do enter that school. I'm a killer, you know?"
She smiles, then unlocks the gate that separates her between Ryoma. Ryoma looks at her with melancholy. She takes out another envelope. This one, is addressed to her.
"Well, you are one of the best spirit channellers I know, Kaede", Ryoma says, smiling a bit. "Sure, I'll go with you. If you're still my friend in that school."
"Of course we'll be friends!", Kaede says, hugging Ryoma. "Now c'mon, let's pack our bags."
"Hm, sure."
Gonta is not a smart person. He knows that by now. Instead, he is a kindhearted prince, well known to everyone in every single kingdom. Ghosts and demons take advantage of his so-called kindness to destroy his kingdom. But sometimes, even if they destroy his kingdom, Gonta would always drive the ghosts away. He's scared that no one would want to make an alliance with his kingdom, just because he is an intimidating form.
Gonta knows what people say about him, even his subjects. They know that he's a good leader, don't get him wrong, but he's very gullible. Always putting his kingdom in danger. Always trying to calm people by meaningless words. It became routine to him, to hear someone talking something bad about him.
"Your highness", a boy says, holding an envelope.
"What is it?", Gonta asks.
"It's a letter from Hope's Peak Academy!", the boy replies.
"What Hope's Peak Academy?"
"It is a prestigious school for bounty hunters and exorcists, but mostly the latter."
There were some vampires lurking around every corner, so are werewolves, but they're not that big of a deal, they have their own lands and kingdoms, even though they weren't on good terms with the humans. But the ghosts are the big bad, the biggest of the biggest deals in history.
"What do they want with me?", Gonta asks with confusion.
"They have accepted you into the academy!"
Gonta's eyes light up! "R-really?! They invited me?!"
"Yes, Prince Gonta!", the boy smiles proudly. "Your family are also proud! It says they're going to send you next week to this school!"
"Gonta can't believe it!", he says to himself. "But what do they want with Gonta?"
"To train you, of course!", the boy says. "Also, you may meet good friends in there! And you might meet old ones!"
"Oh yeah!", Gonta's eyes light up again. "I will be a gentleman!"
The boy leaves, leaving Gonta alone in his room, studying the bugs and insects he had collected as a child. He looks at them sadly. Who's going to look after them? He trusts his loyal servants, but leaving them alone... it makes him sad. He hates feeling sad. But he wants to be with new company, new friends. He's never been into a school before.
And if he's going to a prestigious school, he has to be a good person. Has to make good impressions so he can have alliances with the other heirs or heiresses of other kingdoms. Because he can hear the Vampire Kingdom knocking on his doorstep.
Heir to the Vampire Kingdom's throne. Already betrothed to Harukawa Maki, the only child of the Harukawa Kingdom. They never accepted this. They hate each other. Why can't their parents see that they're making them suffer just for alliances? Harukawa is a demon hunter, and so is Kokichi. They would make a pretty good team if they don't hate each other.
A vampire, hunting demons and ghosts? Seems surreal, but that's what Kokichi always does. He never lets any, he means any ghosts or demon stepping foot in his kingdom. He hates them with a burning passion. Destroying and ransacking kingdoms, possessing people until they ruin their lives, anything. Hybrids, too. If he has to see a hybrid in his kingdom, he'll fucking-
"Hey, fucker, open up", Kokichi snaps back to reality. He turns the television off and heads to the door, opening it.
He smiles. "Ah, Harukawa." He empathizes every single word. He pretends to be civil with her, but they both know the truth.
Harukawa was holding two envelopes. Kokichi tilts his head.
"Hm? What's that?"
"Apparently, we're one of the greatest ghost/demon hunters in the Seven Seas, so this headmaster of Hope's Peak wants us to attend his so-called prestigious school."
A human, letting vampires attend a human school? They're not on good terms with the humans, or the werewolves, or the sorcerers, or anyone in particular. They stand on their own resources, like the vampires they are. And this headmaster is breaking all barriers by letting other kinds of species into their school. Just because they hunt demons? Just because they exorcise ghosts? Just because-
"Oma, are you fucking there?", Harukawa snaps a finger in front of Kokichi's face. He slightly glares at her, but is replaced with a smile.
"Of course I am", he says with a sugary tone. Harukawa sighs.
"If we attend the school, we're not going to have our... wedding until nine months later." Kokichi shudders at the word wedding. He's always hated being forced to marry someone he hates.
"Meh, anything is better than marrying a witch like you."
Harukawa glares at him. "Anything is better than being anywhere near a lying, thieving scoundrel like you."
Kokichi shrugs. "Guess we're even, then."
"We're never even."