"Turn Around and Face Me!" 01 (Pixiv Fanbox)

Chapter 1. A Garden for Young Ladies

01. Bauer All Girls’ Academy

“… Alea, wake up. It’s morning.”

“Mm… hmn…?”

A voice similar to yet different from my own beckoned me out of my slumber. As I opened my eyes, a young girl with a bob cut was there right in front of me.

“… Mmn… Mei…? Why are you so small…? Even though we’re starting high school today…?”

“… Quit dreaming and wake up.”

She flung her pillow at me but I reflexively caught it. Rubbing my eyes, I opened them to see I was just on my bed in my room. Once again looking at the girl who woke me, the young girl I saw had transformed into an older girl who now had a medium length bob cut. She looked very similar to Mother Rei, but had slimmer features.

“Ya~wn… Good morning, Mei.”

“… Morning. Mama Rei told me to call you for breakfast.”

“I’ll come right down once I’m ready.”

“… Okay.”

As I dragged myself in front of my dresser and began to change, Mei quickly left the room. Donning the cute white uniform, I slid my arms through its sleeves. The uniform had been designed by Blume, a well renowned brand in Bauer. The collar of the uniform extended to make a fancy ribbon tie, quite literally tying it all together.

After changing clothes, I looked at myself in the mirror as I brushed my hair. For a period in my life, I had copied Mother Claire, arranging my hair into curls, but I later decided that maintaining those curls took too much time. My mother had only been able to maintain that hairstyle herself because she had servants to attend to her in the mornings. It was impractical for me as an ordinary citizen. Compromising, I chose to keep my hair long, but also simple.

“But hm… How nostalgic… for Mei to come into my room like that.”

When we were younger, Mei and I shared the same room. However, ever since we entered middle school, she asked for her own room. A room that we had previously used for storage was tidied up, and she moved into it. At the same time, the room that we had shared for the entirety of our childhood had become mine alone. I would’ve preferred that I be the one to move out, but Mei insisted that since she was the one who suggested it, she was the one that should.

Just like that, each of us had our own room, and ever since then, we hadn’t spent as much time together as we once had. Even before she moved out, as we approached the end of our time in elementary school, Mei had already begun to distance herself from the family. Rather than spending time at home, she spent much more time with her friends outside. That somehow made me feel rather lonely.

『Mei’s just at that age.』

Mother Rei said that, explaining with a smile. But wait, since I still treasured my time with my family, what did that mean for me? Did it mean that I had yet to mature?

Those thoughts swirled through my mind even as I finished changing and made my way to the dining room.

“Morning, Alea.”

“Good morning, Alea.”

“…”

“Good morning, mothers. Good morning again to you too, Mei.”

“… Morning.”

My mothers had worked together to set the table. Mei was already sitting, quietly looking in my direction.

I had two mothers. One of them had luscious blonde hair that shimmered beautifully in the light. Her hair was tied up behind her, and she always maintained her dignified beauty―she was Mother Claire. My other mother had black hair in a medium bob and a barrette to keep it tidy. Her facial features were very charming―she was Mother Rei. The two of them joined hands in a same sex marriage before adopting both Mei and I. To me, they were the world’s best parents.

As usual, Mother Claire seemed to struggle with cooking, but was actually better than mother Rei for all of the other housework. Taking advantage of each of their strengths, the two of them supported our household.

“Alright, is everyone ready?”

“Yeah.”

“… Yeah.”

“Alright then, let’s eat.”

“”““Thank you for the meal.””””

Putting our hands together in gratitude, we ate breakfast. Today’s lineup was―

Toast, milk, a salad with a sesame dressing, bacon and eggs, as well as strawberries.

Quite a while ago, Mount Sassal had erupted putting the kingdom into famine, but the kingdom had since made a full recovery. I could tell that this morning’s breakfast, which could be considered our bread and butter, had been very lovingly made by Mother Rei. Take for example the bacon and the eggs. It was clear how much energy and attention she had devoted to her use of heat and its distribution. The bacon was crispy, but the eggs had been fried sunny side up in a way that the yolk remained soft and runny. I didn’t consider myself a bad chef either, but mother Rei really stood in a league of her own.

“The two of you have finally entered high school, huh… Thinking about it makes me feel rather emotional.”

“Doesn’t it… Even though not so long ago, they were both so tiny…”

Mother Rei joined in as mother Claire reminisced, positioning her hand rather low off of the ground to indicate a height. Even though Mei and I were both already fifteen, to the two of them, I suppose we were still children.

“… Don’t treat me like a kid.”

“That’s right, the two of us are already lovely ladies in our own right.”

Mei and I both protested together, but that only seemed to make their smiles even wider. It seems our efforts had backfired.

“I do admit that the two of you have become quite dependable, but personally I’d prefer that the two of you take your time in growing up.”

“Yeah… there’s no need to rush.”

“… But mamas, when you were our age, people were already referring to you as part of the Ten Saviors.”

―The world’s Ten Saviors.

These two, who we just saw as regular women, just regular mothers, were actually incredible people. It happened in my childhood, so the memories were vague to me, but… Not so long ago, there was a fight with the entire world at stake. In that fight, our mothers had somehow saved the world. A feat that sounded like it came right out of a fairy tale… Mei and I were actually considered to be part of that ten as well.

“That’s right, I suppose something like that did happen.”

“But now we’re just ordinary citizens, with our hands full living day to day.”

The two of them exchanged glances and gentle smiles as they spoke. They really didn’t look like anything but regular people. No, perhaps not just regular people. They were both lovely women that made me proud to be their daughter.

“But that aside, are you two sure about this? I mean, entering the academy. With your grades, you both easily could’ve gotten into the Royal Institute.”

“But well, your choice does make us happy.”

My mothers brought this up yet again.

“It’s true that it would have been an honor to enroll in the Royal Institute, but I wanted to continue my education at the Academy that is operated by the two women I respect the most.”

“… Mei… just wanted to study at the same place as Alea, so…”

That’s right. The academy that we had enrolled in was not the same place where our mothers once studied.

―The Bauer All Girls’ Private Academy’s High School.

That was where we had enrolled.

Also referred to as, “The Academy”, the school had been founded only a couple of years ago by mother Claire. Just as its name would suggest, it was an all girls’ school. In contrast to the rather conservative Institute, the academy was much more progressive in its policies. To me, there was no better option. Not only was Mother Claire the academy’s chairwoman, but Mother Rei worked there as a teacher too.

“Well, I suppose it’s not like you could change your mind at this point. I will say this one more time, but when we’re at the academy, a clear line must be drawn between our personal and professional relationships. Understood?”

“… This is just the millionth time you’ve said that.”

“Truly.”

“Ahaha.”

I could understand why Mother Claire was concerned, but I just wished that she could understand our perspective as well. We chose to enroll in the academy to study. Not to play or somehow extend family time with our mothers.

“… Thanks, food was yummy. I’ll be going on ahead then.”

As Mei stood from her seat, I rushed to finish my last strawberries.

“Mei, come on, wait just a moment, I’ll go with you.”

“We should be going soon as well, Rei.”

“Right. Mei, Alea, see the two of you later, okay? Alright. Claire? Kiss me goodbye.”

“Oh you, we’re going to the same place.”

Mother Claire seemed to be troubled as she smiled, but our mothers kissed regardless―even though they had already been married for more than ten years, it seemed that the concept of growing bored of one another didn’t exist to either of them. As I watched over the two of them with a smile, I noticed Mei looking in my direction. It felt as though there was something she wanted to say.

“Mei? Is something the matter?”

“… It’s nothing. Come on.”

And so, Mei and I left home. After taking a few steps out of the door, I turned back to face it one last time. From today on, to foster our lifestyles at the academy Mei and I would be staying at the academy’s dorms. It would be a while before we’d return.

“I’ll be going then.”

In a soft voice, I bid my home a temporary farewell.

“What lovely weather today. A perfect day for an entrance ceremony.”

“… Yeah.”

I stretched my body to enjoy the warm and gentle rays of the sun to their full, but Mei seemed to have her head in the clouds.

“Is there something bothering you, Mei?”

“… If I had to say, I suppose our new lifestyle at the academy.”

Mei sighed as she spoke.

“Like what? You’re a quick learner, so I didn’t think you had anything to worry about.”

“… It’s not that.”

Unlike me, who preferred moving around and being active, Mei was smart and keen about her studies. Just as I thought, her concerns lay elsewhere.

“In that case, what are you worried about?”

“… Roommates.”

“Ah, so that’s what it was.”

Both the academy and the institute required that their students live at the dorms. The academy didn’t have as much funding as the institute, so rather than two students, the academy rooms housed four. It didn’t seem her concerns were about the number of roommates we’d have.

“Right, people have a difficult time understanding you sometimes Mei.”

“… I think it’s just that you’re too much of an open book, Alea.”

Mei was rather meek and quiet. On top of that, she was extremely beautiful, so other women were often jealous of her. Mother Claire would often say that, “Mei takes after Rei”, but to me, it was clear that outside of her hairstyle, her other features more so resemble Mother Claire.

“Well, I’m sure things will be fine.”

“… I really envy that part of you, Alea.”

“Are you making fun of me?”

“… Fufu, I mean it.”

Mei giggled.

“Huh, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you laugh like that.”

“… Just confirmation bias.”

“You know Mei, you’re really pretty, so I think you should laugh like that more.”

“… When it’s you saying that, I can’t take it as anything but sarcasm.”

As we walked to the academy, Mei and I shared a lively conversation for the first time in a while. I felt that this was a sign of good things to come.

I was sure plenty of more fun was waiting for us in our new lifestyles at the academy as well.