Ashford stopped at the gate of Canterlot High School.
According to the information his aunt had sent, the vice principal named Luna should already be here.
Where is she?
“Aunt, are you sure she’s already here? Why don’t I see anyone here? I only see a security guard standing here.”
Ashford sent a confused text to his Aunt Cadence, who quickly replied, showing she was quite attentive to Ashford’s matters.
“That’s impossible. She said she’s already there, and she didn’t see you either. She said she only saw someone who looked lost at the gate. Let me give her a call…”
Cadence suddenly paused, then asked Ashford a few things with some uncertainty.
“Ashford, let me ask you something. Is the security guard you mentioned, the one standing motionless at the gate of Canterlot High School, the one with dark blue hair?”
“Yes, why? What’s wrong?”
“…”
Upon hearing this, Aunt Cadence didn’t say anything, just hung up the phone, leaving Ashford completely baffled.
Then, the phone of the “security guard” Ashford had mentioned also rang.
“Hello, Cadence, where’s the kid you mentioned? I don’t see him.”
“Is it possible… that the person you described as looking lost is Ashford?”
“…”
Since the school start time had already passed, the gate was quiet and empty, unlike the earlier noisy hustle and bustle.
They couldn’t hear what the other person was saying on the phone.
Now, Ashford and Vice Principal Luna were awkwardly staring at each other.
Did they really cause such a big misunderstanding on the very first day of school?
Director Cadence, realizing from Vice Principal Luna’s silence that she and Ashford had figured out each other’s identities, hung up the phone.
“Ahem, well… Ashford, I am the vice principal of Canterlot High School. You can call me Vice Principal Luna.”
“Vice Principal Luna, hello. I am Ashford, a new transfer student at Canterlot High School… I suppose an introduction isn’t necessary.”
“…Follow me.”
Ashford quietly followed Vice Principal Luna’s steps into the school.
Although classes had already started, according to Aunt Cadence, this school loved throwing parties, so a freshman welcome party was currently being held.
Not missing any classes was something Ashford was relieved about.
Even though he wasn’t a great student, he would still feel uncomfortable if he fell behind due to such unexpected circumstances.
However, what Ashford didn’t expect was that from this point on, his school life would never be as peaceful as before.
Or rather, the academic atmosphere at Canterlot High School was so relaxed it was beyond his imagination.
“Ashford, now let’s formally introduce ourselves. My name is Luna, and I am a very good friend of your aunt. If you ever encounter any problems in the future, you can come to me for help.”
“Thank you, Vice Principal Luna. But speaking of problems, I really do need you to explain something to me right now.”
“The issue about originally going to Crystal Preparatory Academy but suddenly ending up at Canterlot High School?”
“No, for me, it doesn’t matter where I go to school. I just heard from my aunt that this school is always holding various festivals or parties, so academically, it’s relatively relaxed. Right?”
Ashford timidly asked Vice Principal Luna about the academic situation at this school.
Although her face showed no particular expression, she patiently answered.
“That’s correct. Compared to Crystal Preparatory Academy, our Canterlot High School is indeed more relaxed academically. I believe you can make many good friends here; the students are quite easy to get along with.”
“…I hope so.”
“Ashford, you seem afraid of making friends?”
“It’s precisely because of friend-related issues that I came here to study…”
“I’m sorry, I won’t pry, and you don’t need to bring up painful memories. Since you’ve come to a new environment, try to think about happy things. For example, a freshman welcome party is happening right now. Later, you can have a chat with my sister, Principal Celestia, and then go to your class to meet your classmates.”
A trace of sadness finally appeared on Vice Principal Luna’s face, feeling regret for Ashford’s experiences with making friends.
However, Vice Principal Luna was very confident in Canterlot High School’s approach to friendship.
Moreover, children at this age should be full of vitality and energy; making friends is what young people should be doing.
The principal’s office was just ahead.
Vice Principal Luna didn’t knock but simply pushed the door open and walked in.
“Oh, Luna, I’ve told you many times to knock before entering a room. Otherwise, students might think you’re rude.”
Inside the room, Principal Celestia seemed flustered, as if hiding some textbook.
Although it was just for a moment, Ashford seemed to catch a glimpse of the book’s cover.
If he wasn’t mistaken, it looked like an adventure storybook about Daring Do.
“Come on, Sister. Judging by the normal schedule, you should be reading a novel right now. Besides, it’s only the first day of school; what could possibly be so busy?”
Vice Principal Luna picked up a water cup to get water from the dispenser, simultaneously exposing her sister’s secret of reading extracurricular books.
Seeing her sister being so merciless, Principal Celestia stood up angrily to retort.
“What do you mean there’s nothing to do on the first day of school? Collecting student information, understanding each student’s situation, arranging the content of the welcome party and various facilities, as well as coordinating new textbooks and scheduling classes among teachers. These are all work. How can you say I’m slacking off?”
Ashford blinked his beady eyes, watching Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna argue.
The imagined serious conversation and intimidating aura didn’t happen.
On the contrary, it was just a pair of very close sisters teasing and undermining each other.
It was hard to associate the identities of Canterlot High School’s principal and vice principal with them.
“Oh, sorry, I was handling some matters with Vice Principal Luna. You must be Ashford, right?”
“…My name is Ashford.”
“Okay, Ashford. Noted, Ashford.”
Ashford looked at Principal Celestia, who acted as if nothing had happened, as if the earlier quarrel-like scene never occurred.
She was now sitting at her desk, smiling and greeting him.
This principal seemed quite amiable.
As for Principal Celestia repeatedly calling him “Ashford,” Ashford didn’t find it presumptuous.
Back in his home country, people had always called him Ashford, completely omitting his given name.
He just didn’t expect to be addressed the same way even after coming abroad.