South Christian Academy was a long and gruesome walk from Makota Suzin's highrise apartment. She could take the bus if she wanted to... but her mum forbade it. Too many strangers, she said. You could get lost, she said. Suzin didn't really believe any of this, but it was best to just go along with her mother. 

Of course, Suzin had to wake up early if she didn't want to be scolded by the nuns for the second time this month. That incident had her getting up even earlier to prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner for her and her mum for the whole month.

Christmas was approaching and this would be the first year that Suzin wasn't spending her December 25th teasing the Christian kids in her neighborhood with her friends. Instead, she would be celebrating the foreign holiday with her mother at the school church. South Christian Academy gave free admission to everyone who converted to Christianity and would pay for Suzin's entire schooling as long as she went to church on Sundays and holidays, and went to South Christian University.

Hakodate's South Christian community boasted that their founding date preceded any other church in Japan and that they had many international conversion programs including in Africa, Asia, and South America. The fact that the South Christian Church was founded in 1108 blew Suzin's mind to pieces.

The nuns at Suzin's South Christian Academy were nice enough, she liked Sister Bethany the best. Sister Bethany let her get into heated debates with her classmates, usually about neighborhood myths and the lack of truth in them. Sister Bethany gave her food when Suzin forgot her lunchbox at home. Sister Bethany didn't care if she forgot the words to a prayer that they learned just the day before.

Her school was in the shape of a cross, with the right section for the girls (called the House of Saint Agnes), and the left section for the boys (called the House of Saint John Bosco). In the middle, was the school church, the only place where girls and boys were together. In the back of the school was the dining hall and in the front of the school was the entry, library, and bathrooms. 

Woods surrounded South Christian Academy and sloped upwards gradually forming Mount Hakodate. Next to the school were the South Christian Church and the nunnery. South Christian University was about a 50-minute drive from the academy.

Suzin trudged through the streets as the South Christian Academy slid into view. The bells sang in a melancholy tone, signaling 7 o'clock, late. A nun pushed open a side door and motioned Suzin over. She dashed towards the nun, checking to see if anybody noticed. 

"Makota! You have to start setting an alarm," the nun whispered raising her hand to discipline the forgetful girl who was always late.

"I did! I just hit snooze..." Suzin hung her head in shame and waited for the slap to come. She deserved it. The sharp pain that the other nuns inflicted when she was late never came.

"Now, Makota, lift your head. I'm not going to slap you..." she said softly.

"Thank you, Sister Bethany." she looked up, grateful again.

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Their footsteps echoed on the stone stairs, sounding through the entire school. Arriving at the desired level, they raced through hallways, past open-doored rooms with wide-eyed girls. Finally, they skidded to a halt and one of them pushed a door open, gaining an unusually strict aura.

"I found this girl outside the doors, waiting to be let in. She claims that Sister Juno shut the doors before the bell sounded its last call. Sister Juno, is this girl telling the truth?" she took the girl's wrist and tugged her forward to meet Sister Juno's glaring eyes.

Sister Juno frowned as if recalling a slightly painful memory, "She has truth in her lie." 

She raised her eyebrow, "Would you please explain, Sister Juno?"

What a waste of time, "I did close the doors a little earlier than the bell, but I looked as soon as I arrived in my classroom and nobody was at the door."

She faked a perplexed look, "But Sister Juno, How could you possibly see the doors from here? You would have to be able to see through walls! Which we all know is not possible," she said with a glance at the class. The class giggled, blushed, and looked away.

Sister Juno looked as baffled as a toddler who had just been told that the dandelions in their yard were not actually meant to be eaten. "But- I-" her lack of words was not lost on the class, who had always known her to be unbeatable.

The girl shrank away from the conflict and slipped towards the door. Sister Juno regaining her facade sharply reprimanded the girl for trying to leave and told her to go to her desk. The girl stepped towards her desk and sat down, her hand brushing the nameplate reading Makota Suzin. The girl next to her gave a small wave and turned back to the arguing nuns, one calm, one flustered.

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The school day passed a blur, and Sister Juno seemed to blame her for the morning's conflict, giving her detention for the rest of the week. Suzin hurried back to her classroom at the end of the day to serve one-fifth of her sentence. Detention at South Christian Academy consisted of helping the nuns in any way needed. Such as running errands, mopping or sweeping floors taking the trash out, et Cetra, et Cetra.