Weeks, months, and then years blaze past. I make new friends and go to school. My first new friend is a bouncy harpy girl named Ava that introduced herself to me on the first day of school, and I make a lot of other friends with her boisterous help and encouragement.

I learn more than I thought I would in elementary school, despite already having math and reading mastered. I learn a more in-depth history than the Wandering Scholar could ever hope to achieve, I learn how to actually unleash my creativity through art, and I learn that holding a fountain pen with scaly hands is a bit harder than holding a pen with human hands. I also learn that after Lilith’s second grand spell that allows males to be born to Monster Girls, the “radical faction” became much more popular, and apparently human resistance to monsterization dropped a bit as well.

Today is the first day of middle school, and Mama wakes me up early. After stretching for a moment, I go to my closet and get out my favorite yellow sundress. I change out of my pajamas and don a forest-green blindfold, then head to the dining room for breakfast. Mama sets a plate of bacon and eggs on the table the moment after I sit down. 

After I clean my plate, I grab my backpack, which we packed last night, and head to the front door.

“Are you ready, Lily?” Mama asks. I turn to face her, giving her a grin and a thumbs-up. “Alright, then let’s get a carriage.”

We go outside and quickly flag down a carriage. After a short ride, we disembark in front of an elegant building. Think “fantasy academy that only takes honor students and nobility,” and you’d be darn close. 

I only learn just how majestic it was later, but at the moment I only had a general impression to work with. My sight substitution only gets more unreliable as distance and crowd size increase.

We say our goodbyes at the front gate, giving each other a hug until Mama pulls away and gives me a kiss on my forehead. After that, I make my way into the building.

The inside looks like any normal middle or high school, with students milling about and lockers lining the hall. The only big difference is that the architecture is all stone, and the light from the skylights and windows is supplemented by torches instead of fluorescents. 

I make my way to my locker, marked with the same raised number as on my textured schedule. Before I can open it, though, I’m tackled from behind by a mass of feathers.

“Li~ly~! I missed you so so much! Where have you been all summer?!” the ball of feathers accuses me. I try, and fail, to keep myself from snorting at my best friend’s antics.

“Ava, it’s barely been a week since we last hung out! You can’t exactly call that all summer,” I manage before dissolving into giggles. I poke her gently in the side, causing her to collapse into a fit of giggles as well.

Once we calm down enough, I have a thought. “Hey, Ava, wanna compare schedules?”

“Ooh ooh ooh! Yes absolutely!” the harpy exclaims with a jump and flutter of her wings. It takes her a moment to stop flapping, then she takes off her backpack and pulls out her schedule.

“Let’s see, my first class is Wings P.E, then Math, then Science, then lunch, then Penmanship, then Social Studies, then- then- Argh what was it!” she rambles, lowering her head to stare intensely at her schedule for a moment before continuing, “Oh yeah! My last class is Textiles!”

“Well, at least our Science and Penmanship classes line up. I have Social Studies, Magic, and Science before lunch; then I have Penmanship, Math, and Lamia P.E.” 

It isn’t super surprising that we have Penmanship class together. Only the ones with non-human hands have much reason to take it, and we’re far outnumbered by the Monster Girls with “normal” hands. There’s probably only a couple Penmanship classes each year. Some of the classes offered are pretty specific. There’s probably only one Lamia P.E. class, for example.

“Well, see you in Science class then! Gotta go!” Ava says, hopping a couple times on each foot before taking off to fly through the ridiculously tall hallways.

I watch her for a moment and chuckle. She really is pure energy in the mornings, I think. Her enthusiasm always helps me wake up that last little bit in the mornings.

I turn and head down the hallway towards my own class. I get there with a couple minutes to spare, so I use the extra time to make myself comfortable. Just as I finally get my tail settled under my seat, the bell rings and class starts.

Today’s class starts on pre-Lilim history, and since we are going over so much so quickly, there’s barely anything I didn’t know already from reading the Monster Girl Encyclopedias in my first life.

The bell rings, startling me out of my developing stupor. It’s finally time for the class I have been looking forward to since birth: Magic.