Kazuya Yukimura − Welcome to Luceidus (and the Home of the Ariecastres)

Kazuya couldn't believe what he was seeing with each new step he took. The ship they had taken from the island, which they all later learned was named The Seaheart, had only taken 2 days and nights to reach the port of Luceidus, the capital city of Deusaerium. In order to guide them to the royal palace, Valeria ordered her soldiers to clear a path through crowds to get there as fast as possible. When they landed and walked onto the port. They were met with what seemed like a shining city, full of multiple, bustling districts divide by high walls. As he looked towards the city, he saw that the areas close to the castle in the distance seemed to be slightly elevated. The layout of the city forced Kazuya to look up if  in order to even try to see what the palace looked like. Even though it was quite far away, he could tell how massive the palace must be. It looked as if it could fill up one of the smaller districts of the city entirely by itself.

With Naoko at his side, Kazuya and the others followed Valeria through Luceidus's streets. The ports had been full of fishermen wearing outfits that mostly covered them up, but the people walking down the actual streets or talking to street vendors were dressed much more normally, albeit with different styles to what he was used to seeing. Many of the people walking around or talking to each other were wearing clothes that wouldn't have been out of place in a fantasy movie or anime. In fact, Kazuya felt that their group's school uniforms stood out more among the wide variety of shirts, dressed, cloaks, and many more. He even overhead Takumi speculating to Emi that some of the clothes seemed to have designs that looked to be culturally relevant to the people, varying in where they placed clothing on there bodies as well as the specific designs' uses of pattern, shapes, form, etc. A few couple people turned to them as they were told to move by the soldiers and they certainly got plenty more stares for their strange uniforms.

It was also while walking through the streets that something more surprising stood out to Kazuya. Most of the people seemed to be human, or at least appeared so. But every so often, he caught glimpses of people that looked a little human, but not quite. The first person who peaked his curiosity was a women talking to a street vendor selling fruit. At first, he thought she was just a normal person crouching down to check out the fruit. But as she stood up, he saw that she appeared to have wolf ears on the top of her head. 
Kazuya asked Valeria why that woman had wolf ears and she explained that they were beastfolk, a sub-species of demi-humans who originated from the union of normal humans and Lycans, humanoid monsters who could transform into animals. In contrast to Lycans, beastfolk permanently posses only some attributes of animals, like that ears or a tail.
After passing the woman with the wolf ears, he started to notice other people with strange attributes, not just beastfolk. They still saw some people, like the lady at the vendor, with their various animalistic features, like their animal ears or tails, but he noticed how little of them he actually saw in comparison to all the other humans and demi-humans. The other demi-humans he saw were much more easily identifiable given his adequate familiarity with fantasy races through all the shows and games his brother had shown him when they were younger. He noticed a blacksmith who appeared quite stout with a large thick beard, who he assumed was a dwarf. He also saw some other people who appeared abnormally short. He also noticed that some of these short people had rather large heads and pointed ears while other more closely resembled humans besides their much more round ears. He learned form Valeria that the ones with pointed ears were gnomes while the ones who seemed more human were dimimen. She also explained that besides the ears, an easy distinction was that dimimen were often incapable of growing facial hair. She also conveyed surprise at the fact that they had never seen demi-humans before.
On their way to the palace, Kazuya also saw an elegant-looking man who seemed to be human before he took off his hood to reveal himself to be an elf  with his pointed ears and long, flowing hair. He even saw two people with horns and brightly colored skin in an alleyway before they ran off at the sight of the soldiers.
Being surprised by all of this, Kazuya stuck close to Naoko and the rest of the group as they made their way up to the palace. Standing in front of the large, golden gates were two guards, who both moved out of the way once they saw Valeria approaching them with guests. One of the guards called to someone behind the gate who ran behind the wall next to the gate, probably to pull a lever, before turning back to face Valeria as she approached. The gate slowly opened up with the sound of heavy metal scrapping against rock as the group followed Valeria into the palace grounds, with the guards lifting their fists up to their chests as she passed them.

As Valeria guided them to the large double doors of the palace, both of them opened up as two men dressed in suits held them. After they all walked into the building, the servants closed the doors behind them and stood in place next to them. The group stood in an enormous, well-lit, lobby composed of marble pillars and walls. The walls themselves were decorated with portraits and paintings of various subjects; portraits of people dressed in formal attire who looked like royalty to epic scenes of knights battling dragons. The flooring beneath them was also composed of polished stones, constructed together to form a vibrant pattern of colors. Opposite the entrance, was another set of double doors, smaller and more polished than the doors to the outside. Next to them were two sets of stairs that wrapped around  and up to meet at a platform with metal railing above the doors, like an indoor balcony. It also seemed to be connected to an opening into a large hallway with colored light shining through stained glass. A couple minutes after the servants had closed the door, they heard the sounds of footsteps come from said hallway. The sound of glass clacking against stone became louder until their source emerged form the hallway onto the balcony. 
She was dressed in a gorgeous light blue dress with gold highlights while wearing a pair of polished, glass heels. She had long, thin gloves on as well as various pieces of jewelry, including a shiny gold necklace, a tiara on top of her head of long blonde hair, and two earrings with sparkling, blue gemstones. As she walked down one of the staircases connected to the balcony, they saw her features more clearly. She looked to be the same age as them, but was very beautiful, like a model or Hollywood actress. She also walked with the same poise and posture that one would expect from a real noble or princess. However, when she approached the group, she offered a smile that seemed quite authentic and kind. She then turned to face Valeria before giving a curtsy, to which Valeria responded by kneeling down. 
"Is this all of them?" asked the girl in the dress after rising from her curtsy.
"Yes, they are all accounted for your majesty," Valeria explained, "There were much more of them than we originally assumed." The princess chuckled before she continued.
"You don't have to refer to me with such formal language, sister," added the princess, "I would still prefer Katarina." Valeria smiled as she stood back up.
"Of course, Katarina. Whatever you wish," replied Valeria, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be off." Princess Katarina turned to wave goodbye as Valeria opened the doors under the balcony and walked through them. She turned to Kazuya and the others as Valeria closed the doors behind her.

"You must all be quite exhausted," she remarked, "I can't imagine that being on a ship for two days was a particularly pleasant experience. Please, join me, and I'll guide you all to your temporary abodes before your audience with my father tomorrow. It would be best for everyone if you were presentable by then."
She turned and started to walk up the set off stairs she had used to come down. A bit hesitantly, the others followed her, led by Miss Fujiwara. As they entered the large hallway, lit by the beautiful colors of the stained glass windows and ceiling, Miss Fujiwara went up to Princess Katarina to ask her some questions.
"Hello, umm... Princess," Miss Fujiwara asked a bit nervously, "My name is Aiko Fujiwara and I have a couple questions on behalf of my students."
Slowing her pace down, Princess Katarina turned to Miss Fujiwara, "Ah, you are their teacher. I see. Well I supposed you would have many questions regarding your situation as well as theirs. Please, ask away and I will answer them to the best of my abilities." 
"Thank you so much, uh... your highness," Miss Fujiwara continued, "Well, I would like to know why we were summoned here and how we could possibly get back home. And I would like to know if my students are in any danger?"
The princess paused for a moment before giving an answer, 
"Unfortunately, I am not sure as to why my father called for you all to be summoned here and I am not privy to the functions of how you were summoned nor how you could return home. I am sure he will be able to explain it all to you tomorrow when you meet him." Miss Fujiwara was about to say something before she continued,
"However, you may rest easy with regards to your last query. While you are guests here in the palace, you and your students will be in no danger. I promise you that." Miss Fujiwara sighed as she continued to follow the Princess.
She asked a couple other questions but, Kazuya was a bit distracted by how remarkable the decoration and design of the hall was that they were walking down. That wasn't even mentioning how some of them were still surprised by just how large it was. He also accidentally happened to glance at the princess while looking around the hall, seeing that part of her back wasn't covered by her dress. After quickly looking away, he felt Naoko squeeze his arm tighter. He turned to her just as she turned her head away.
"I wasn't looking on purpose," he said to her, smiling at both the slight absurdity of their situation and her reaction, "I only have eyes for you."
"I know," Naoko replied as she turned back to him, "Just don't forget who you should be looking at."
Kazuya felt a bit more relaxed after hearing Naoko's words. Despite everything that had happened and the massive palace they were now inside, Naoko was still just the same and still right by his side.

Eventually, the princess guided them to a long hallway with five doors along the wall. Opposite the doors was a long set of clear windows that looked out on the city, now overcast in a beautiful orange as the sun had started to set. Kazuya took a peek out of them and saw the city out below him. He remembered looking up to try and see the place from the port they had landed at and found the reversal of his position while standing in the palace so strange. Princess Katarina stopped in front one of the doors and turned back to the group.
"These are our best guest rooms," she explained as she pointed at all the doors, "They each contain plenty of space and two large beds. So they can fit four people if you'd be willing to sleep in the same bed. I'm sure you'll be able to choose amongst yourselves which rooms you'll all take. There is also a large bathroom at the end of the hallway, which I would recommend all of you spend some time in. It's quite lovely."
Miss Fujiwara bowed to the princess, "Thank you so much, Princess Katarina."
In return, Katarina gave a curtsy back to her, "Of course, Miss Fujiwara. Please, make yourselves at home." She began to walk back the way they all came before turning around,
"By the way, I would recommend notifying the servants of when you'll use the bathrooms. They require some external management and the actual doors to the baths don't lock anymore since they broke. It would be quite unfortunate if any incidents occurred due to lack of communication of who was using the baths and when." Strangely, only Miss Fujiwara seemed to be concerned by the Princess's reminder. None of the students seemed to particularly care about the lack of locks to the baths, most of them were just relieved they would be able to wash after two days in the ocean.

After the princess left, Miss Fujiwara clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.
"Alright kids," she started, "let's choose what rooms you'll be staying in."
She looked at the group of twenty students before continuing,
"Let's have Shirou, Jun, Rio, and... Kazuya stay in this room and−"
"No way," Shirou interrupted, surprising everyone.
"I'm not staying in a room with anyone who associated with them," he continued, pointing at Masaru and Noboru."
Miss Fujiwara was about to object before she saw his face. He still looked the same, mostly expressionless, but the way he had said those words felt different. Like he genuinely wanted nothing to do with any of the people who had been around Masaru and Noboru. Kazuya noticed it too, the way he had said it and the vitriol in his voice for him and his friends. It was his inclusion that Shirou had objected to after all. It had been a bit easy to be distracted from all that had happened in the classroom two days ago, but it was clear that Shirou hadn't forgotten.
Miss Fujiwara sighed before saying, "Okay, then you can choose. Tommy or Hiro."
"Umm actually," Hiro said as he joined the conversation, "Tommy, Lia and I have been talking on the way to the rooms, and we think it would be smart if I shared a room with Johnny, Masaru and, Noboru. Make sure nothing happens between us while we stay here."
"Okay, then Tommy will join them," Miss Fujiwara said before she realized, "But that means Kazuya and Takumi will be sharing their room with girls. We can't do that−"
"It was gonna happen anyway," Tommy interrupted, "There's ten of us and ten girls. We were gonna have one room with two boys and two girls if we were planning to evenly use the rooms."

Miss Fujiwara stuttered for a bit, "But... it's not appropriate. You heard what the princess said, they're will only be two beds per room−"
"Miss Fujiwara," interrupted Lia, "I understand where you're apprehension is coming from, but it shouldn't be our concern given the current situation. And I'm sure that nothing untoward will happen"
"Besides," added Tommy, "We can just have it so that the two guys sleep in one bed and the two girls sleep in the other. It's not that big of a deal."
Miss Fujiwara gave a sigh before she agreed to it. Eventually they split the rooms among themselves as:
- First room: Shirou, Jun, Rio, and Tommy.
- Second Room: Mayumi, Ana, Hoshi, and Satomi.
- Third Room: Lia, Yuko, Ichika, and Kiyo.
- Fourth Room: Kazuya, Naoko, Takumi, and Emi.
- Fifth Room: Hiro, Johnny ,Masaru, and Noboru.
Miss Fujiwara joined the third room and just said that she'll sleep in a chair or on a couch.

Upon entering their room, Kazuya, Naoko, Takumi, and Emi were once again surprised at how nice and spacious it was. The room itself looked spotless and was decorated with all sorts of furniture, a table, and two large beds. There was a large window with two curtains tied at its sides that let the setting sun bathe the room in calming, orange light. Looking at the two beds, the four agreed that Kazuya and Naoko will share one and Takumi and Emi will share the other, much to Takumi's annoyance.
As they settled down, it allowed Kazuya a moment of quiet to reflect on everything that had happened after they had been sent to this world. Despite all the crazy things that had happened, the thing that haunted his mind was Shirou. He hadn't spoken a word to him since they arrived in this other world. Not while they were waiting in the forest, not while they had been in the boat, and not while they had walked through the city to the palace. He only spoke up to say how he didn't want to share a room with him, and that wasn't even directed at him. A  part of him thought back to how detached he had been to the rest of his family for so long, even before the divorce. His own brother had been bullied continuously for over a year and not only did he not even notice, he blamed Shirou for how little he seemed to care about anyone besides himself. Had Shirou become so reserved because of how he was being treated at school, or was there even more that he wasn't aware of? Was there more to why he acted the way that he did that Kazuya had been too busy or self-focused to see or consider? Was it even possible to fix his relationship with his brother now? All those questions ran through his brain while they all tried to relax in the guest rooms.  

Eventually, Miss Fujiwara knocked on the door to tell Naoko and Emi that the other girls were heading to the bathroom to wash up. They agreed to join them and left Takumi and Kazuya in the room alone. As Kazuya lied down on the bed, the room even emptier than before, he couldn't help but feel guiltier than he had on that day before all this happened. He remembered how he had used his anger at Shirou for not supporting mom after she had gone through the divorce. Oh god, Mom, he thought to himself as she quickly sat up. It had been two days, she must be worried sick about them. His mind raced at all the ways he imagined her worrying about them. She must be so terrified, he thought to himself, wondering if she was ever going to see them again. He got off the bed and started slowly pacing through the room.
Takumi, having noticed Kazuya's restlessness, asked him what was wrong.
"It's just... my mom must be worried sick," he answered, "She's usually so tired and worried. I don't even want to think about what she must be going through now."
Takumi walked up to Kazuya and precariously put his hand on his back,
"It'll probably be okay. I'm sure tomorrow, we'll be able to explain the whole situation and find a way back home." 
Kazuya hoped with all his heart that Takumi was right. He couldn't leave his mom all alone, especially now that she was so lonely and sad. He had to find a way back for himself and Shirou, no matter what. Not just for his mom, but for himself. He needed another chance to make it up for Shirou, to be the brother that he deserved. Maybe then they could all go back to the family they had been long ago.