Lucky Rabbit (Isekai)

In Gacha Love, the year was divided up into twelve months, each containing a tidy twenty-eight days, which were further broken up into four seven-day weeks. There were four seasons, just like on Earth, and three of those months fell into each season. That made for a year of three hundred and thirty-six days, and when those three hundred and thirty-six days had passed, the game was over.

When she first arrived in this world, Pandy hadn't paid any attention to the date, not only because she was busy enough trying to adjust to a new world where she was a possibly-not-alive rabbit, but because Thaniel didn't pay any attention to the date. To him, every day was exactly the same, unless Lian was there. Otherwise, he woke when he felt like it, ate food made just for him by Marta, and played outside if it was nice, or inside if the weather was foul.

At school, of course, there was a strict schedule, but other than noting which were weekdays and which were weekends, the exact dates still didn't matter. At least, they didn't until breakfast on Friday, when Augustus stood up and announced that Sunday would be the last day of summer, and on Monday they would begin preparations for the Fall Festival.

The Fall Festival? Already? That meant the tutorial period was over. In the game, Clara would have met all of the main characters, from love interests to villainesses, and learned all of the basics about elementals and magic. On the first day of fall, she'd receive her 'allowance from home', and be able to go shopping for clothes to improve her Fashion stat, books to boost Intelligence, or items to woo whichever boy she liked best. The training wheels would be coming off, and the player would be thrown in to sink or swim.

Pandy – who had been munching absently on a salad beneath the table – suddenly found herself unable to eat. Instead, her mind was churning through the calendar of events for the festival. First, of course, was the aforementioned event. The Fall Festival was the only festival that lasted more than a day or two, and centered around the harvest, family, and craftsmanship. Because it lasted so long, many people came to Knightmere to celebrate, especially on the last day, which was something like Halloween. In the game, Clara could spend each of the first four days with a different boy, and on the fifth day, whichever one had the highest Affection would seek her out at the Masquerade Ball.

"In two weeks, we will have an Open House to welcome your parents, siblings, and the special people in your lives," Augustus went on. "They'll have a chance to see what you've learned, enjoy various competitions, and view exhibitions from many of the classes. Your teachers will fill you in on the details. We expect every student to participate in some way, though whether that's as a competitor or in a supporting role is up to you."

That was a little different from the Open House at Condor. There, everyone had to actually participate in something. Of course, what event Clara picked and how she performed would alter each of the boys' Affection points. The Open House was really Dorian's day, however, and as long as Clara did reasonably well in any of several physical sports, he would be there, his Affection soaring.

The second day of the festival was the Grange Display. All around the city, farmers, crafters, and, yes, cooks, would create beautiful displays of their finest products. Tables would be heaped with enormous fruits and vegetables, delectable baked goods, fine fabrics, gleaming armor, delicate glassware, and anything else a person could dream of making. Not only would judges from the various guilds go around and select winners, but regular citizens could vote for their favorite displays. These were often as much popularity contests as they were driven by genuine admiration, but it was fun, and Bastian and Clara could visit one of the areas where the displays were set up.

The third day was the Day of Gratitude. Everyone was supposed to thank whoever or whatever had helped them achieve success that year. This was usually family and friends, and small gifts might be exchanged, but people also flocked to the temples, while others brought flowers or sent letters to the palace to show their appreciation for the peace and prosperity of West Altheric. Surprisingly, this was Kaden's day, and he became rather adorably flustered when Clara thanked him for helping her with her classes. This was also when she, Kaden, and Edgar would climb to the top of Celestine Point so Kaden could attempt to speak to Ismara.

Then came Idomoros, a day to remember those who have gone before. People flocked to cemeteries to scrub gravestones, or stayed home to clean and refresh small family shrines. In the evening, everyone gathered in the streets, each person carrying a single white candle. They walked together in absolute silence, thinking of their lost loved ones, until only one candle remained lit in each group. That final candle was then used to light lanterns that were released into the sky, bearing aloft all of the words that remained unspoken.

This was Edgar's day, and he and Clara walked alone together, silent, until midnight, but both of their candles continued shining brightly. Then Edgar blew his candle out, and they released a lantern together after lighting it with Clara's candle. This was the only event where not a single word was exchanged, but the beautiful, eerie music was widely considered to be the best track from the game.

On the fifth day, Clara could choose to either attend the Masquerade Ball, or go out into the city to do what was essentially trick-or-treating. Of course, most players chose to go to the ball, where Clara had her first dance with one of the handsome young love interests.

"Most of you will spend time with your families over the rest of the week," the chancellor said, rudely interrupting Pandy's thoughts. "But the school will be open, and those days will be treated as weekend days for anyone who remains here. I'm excited to see what you all prepare for our Open House." When he sat down, an excited buzz took over the room.

"What'sthis?" Abbington asked, sounding concerned. All Pandy knew about his family was that it was large, and they lived in the Valley, but she very much doubted they could afford to come to Knightmere, even if they wanted to. She had the distinct feeling that Valley people and city people didn't mix.

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"My brother told me about it," Eleanor said. Pandy's attempt to get Thaniel to open up had yielded unexpected dividends when the princess spilled her secrets as well. Now that everyone knew she was the princess, and that she had Nature magic, she was finally opening up, even when they weren't alone. She spoke more often, volunteering both information and opinions, rather than guarding every word lest some hint of her secrets slip out.

"Each year-group will do some kind of project together, so their families can see their work," she said. "That will be set up in the homerooms. Small groups can also do something, but K- Aiden says not many choose to. Then there are competitions for things like horse-riding, swordsmanship, and racing. Fifth-years get a chance to show off their magic, too."

"And everybody's family comes?" Thaniel asked.

"Oh," Eleanor said, sounding a bit deflated. "No, not everybody's. Mother doesn't go, because she's too busy, and her presence would be…disruptive. And I suppose Aiden will be at his own school festival."

"Lian, too," Thaniel said, but he almost sounded relieved. Was he worried that his brother would manage to suck all the fun out of the festival? Because that was actually quite possible.

"My family won't be able to come all the way here, either," Geraldine agreed. "I bet it'd cost an awful lot."

Neither Isidor nor Abbington said anything, but their silence told its own story. None of the children had family or friends who would be able to attend the festival. Not that they knew of, anyway. Pandy just hoped Geraldine would be happy when she found out her parents and sister would be in town all week.

This realization dampened their moods a bit as Mr. Rowe essentially repeated what Eleanor had told them, then asked everyone to think about what kind of project they wanted to do. "Last year, the students set up an interactive timeline of the history of West Altheric. Each student wrote a few words about some important historical event, and then parents were asked to place the events on the timeline." His eyes crinkled in amusement. "Some of them needed a lot of help."

The class giggled, and Pandy felt Thaniel relaxing more and more as various suggestions were thrown around. After about an hour, Mr. Rowe told everyone to keep thinking about it, and the final vote would be on Monday. Then he had them do twenty jumping jacks and segued directly into mathematics, at which point Pandy zoned out.

At lunch, all anyone could talk about was the festival, and one girl threw her rice pudding at another girl who insisted that 'Two Hundred Years of Fashion' was the best of all possible themes. After that, the entire fourth-year class seemed to be headed for a food fight, which Pandy was actually really excited about. The main course that day was honey-glazed pheasant with pears, and of course no one had thought to offer some to the rabbit. But if food began to fly, it would be like an airborne bunny buffet. Unfortunately, Augustus put a stop to it before a single poached pear could be propelled past Pandy, which was really very disappointing.

In Combat Training, they were told that first-years would not be eligible to compete, which made both Thaniel and Abbington heave sighs of relief. Sir Harriet followed that up by saying they would be expected to perform a few simple maneuvers in front of the crowd, and the two boys wilted again.

"But we'll spend the next week practicing those maneuvers," the teacher said cheerfully. "By the time your families arrive, you'll be doing them in your sleep. Now, everyone warm up!"

The riding instructor told them much the same – first-years would not compete, but they would participate in a simple exhibition, putting their mounts through their paces. "Don't worry," she said with much the same enthusiasm as Sir Harriet, "we'll be practicing every day, and when the time comes, every one of you will be sitting straight and ready to ride!"

Only in Governance and Leadership did they get a break from all the talk of the upcoming festival, when Mrs. Lovett informed them that her class didn't participate. "You'll all have enough to do without adding anything else to your plates," she told them with what looked like a genuinely sympathetic smile. "Mykal, I believe it was your turn to tell us how the Department of Transportation is going to help with the outbreak of pox in Bunlandia."

By the time the children gathered for Small Group, it was obvious that they were already Done with the festival, or at least the school-related portion of it. For a brief moment, Pandy entertained the idea of suggesting that their group put on a performance or something, simply to see the looks of horror on their faces, but even if it did turn out that she was a Demon, that didn't mean she had to be cruel. In fact, she decided to allow them another free period, and it absolutely wasn't just because she had no idea what to do for a lesson now that her one brilliant idea had gone terribly awry.

The children certainly weren't going to argue, and Pandy soon found herself embroiled in a game which seemed to involve one of the children picking up a random item from the ground, at which point all of the others tried to take it away. Except that at any time the first child might voluntarily pass it to one of the others, and then begin chasing after the very item they had just given up. Pandy had no idea what the rules were, if any rules existed, but soon the children were dirty, sweaty, and, most importantly, laughing, so she wasn't too worried about it, even when she somehow became the 'Safe' zone.

When the bell rang to let them know it was time to go get ready for dinner, Pandy wasn't in much better shape than her charges. Her hair was wild, and at one point both Miss Cupcakes and Lord Winston had chased an escaping pinecone beneath her skirt, which was an argument for pants if she'd ever felt one climbing her leg. Her last pair of stockings was in shreds, and she suspected that her bloomers now had a hole in a very indelicate location.

As she attempted to pat herself back into place and remember if there was still another unstained, undamaged dress hanging in Ms. Wellington's closet, someone cleared their throat nearby. Pandy looked around, seeing a vaguely familiar young woman standing there, a white apron tied around her waist and a bemused expression on her face.

"Ms. Wellington?" the young woman asked, and Pandy finally managed to put – well, not a name, but an event to the face. This was definitely the girl who'd been pushing the cart that crashed into the door that might, possibly, have broken Pandy's nose. At the time, she'd seemed like she would have preferred if her fist had caused the damage, but now she just looked uncertain.

"There's a boy at the door, looking for you," she said. "He has several packages that he says you ordered."

Pandy frowned. She had ordered something? Then her eyes widened. "A boy? Not a-" her hands sketched out a vaguely Saskia-shaped silhouette, and the other woman's lips twitched.

"No, definitely a boy." She frowned. "Is he lying? He knew your name, but when he described you, it didn't sound…correct."

Probably because Pandy had been acting like Pandy, not Ms. Wellington, when she spoke to the strange foreign dressmaker and the boy who worked with her. What was his name? Luke? Lucas? "Luca?" she asked, and the girl looked relieved.

"That's right. He's waiting by the front door."