Hey everyone!
This was an idea that came to me after a while and couldn't get it out of my head, so I decided to write a little and see what came out of it. Far too many stories in this fandom are canon-centric in terms of the plot, with little to none using the characters for anything else.
Soooooooo I decided to say "screw the rules I'm the author" and write something that has absolutely nothing to do with the canon story. This is a complete AU.
Hopefully you guys enjoy it!
As soon as my feet stepped off the bus, I took a deep breath. The cool mountain air was refreshing compared to the muggy heat of the city back home, and I savored it for everything it was worth.
My name is Naofumi Iwatani. I'm the newest addition to the resident population of Melromarc Mountain, and one of the new ski patrollers for the resort.
I looked down at the map I was given prior to my arrival. It had everything from the ski slopes to the cabins and downtown stores listed in great detail. But the place I was looking for was on the other end of downtown Melromarc, so I had a bit of a walk.
As I wandered through the city, I finally got the chance to admire the scenery in person. The pictures really didn't do it any justice, especially not with the evening sun casting the snow in an orange glow.
It honestly looked like something out of a fairy tail. Like I'd stepped into a whole new world without even knowing it.
I looked out of place, carrying my luggage with me through the frosted streets. Almost everyone there was a tourist, in town for a family vacation or something of the sort. For the most part, the only people actually living at the top of the mountain were the ones who worked there.
The sun was starting to set as I arrived at the ski lodge.
"Hello there, how can I help you?"
The receptionist was pretty. Her red hair cascaded down her shoulders with a noticeable curl, and her emerald eyes seemed inviting.
"I'm one of the new patrollers that just got hired. I was told to meet with the boss when I got here."
She gave me a warm smile. "Of course! Mr. Aultcray is waiting in the back. The other three new hires arrived not too long before you did, so they should be waiting for you." She pointed a thumb to her left at a door that said 'employees only'.
"Oh, okay." I said, scratching the back of my head in embarrassment. This girl was absolutely stunning, and my situation definitely didn't give me the best first impression. "Thanks for your help."
I was confident in my snowboarding and CPR skills, but talking to women wasn't exactly my strongest talent. I wanted to ask for her name, but that felt way too awkward.
I walked through the door to see a group of four men. One was a man with long, blond hair tied into a ponytail. He had a carefree smile and warm, red eyes. He seemed like the type that got along with just about everyone.
"Yo! You must be the last one, right? Did your flight get delayed or something?" he asked with a chuckle. His voice was the type that most teenage girls would go crazy for. Was he some kind of pop star? I feel like I'd seen him before somewhere...
"Yeah, my flight got pushed back a few hours so I'm sorry I'm late. I hope I didn't keep you all waiting for too long." I said, taking a seat on one of the chairs beside the couch.
"The last flight arrived at 6:00pm, and it's nearly 7:30pm now. You sure took your time getting off the plane." The man who spoke seemed young, maybe in his late teens. He had somewhat long black hair and he gave off a 'too cool for school' kind of vibe. Like the type that tried really hard to be cool, but deep down they were as normal as everyone else.
I shrugged. "From what I was told, the bus got stuck in an icy patch midway down the mountain. There wasn't much I could do."
"Still, you could have called ahead from the station at the bottom of the mountain. They have a direct line to the resort in case of emergencies. Didn't you read the employee handbook?" The last of the three young men was a blond boy with curly hair. He seemed as young as the cool kid, but gave off a more 'I'm better than you' vibe. The other one looked like he just wanted to not seem like a loser, which I suppose I could understand.
We were all Japanese, believe it or not. I'd heard they hired exclusively from Japan this time around, for some reason. Whether that was a coincidence or not remained to be seen.
*Ahem*
The last man in the room cleared his throat. He was a middle-aged man, but his hair was more white than grey. His long beard gave him a wise look, and his piercing eyes made it obvious he was the boss around here.
"You must be Naofumi-san. Good of you to join us." he said. His voice didn't leave any room to speak, and he seemed like the type to blow up in your face if you talked out of turn. "Now that you're all here, we may as well introduce ourselves. I'm Aultcray Melromarc, and I'm the head manager of the resort on Melromarc Mountain."
I figured I should go next, since I was the last to arrive. "I'm Naofumi Iwatani. I'm twenty years old and I was a second year in university-"
"Who cares what year you were in! Tell us how much experience you have, man!" The taller blond smirked, leaning back into the couch and crossing his arms. "Nobody cares about the boring stuff!"
What was his deal? Did he want to seem rude in front of his new employer?
"Uhh...okay. I've been snowboarding since I was twelve, and I placed within the top three in a few freestyle competitions." I admitted. I wasn't one to gloat, so it always felt strange to introduce myself alongside a few accomplishments.
"No way! Me too!" the tall blond said excitedly. "My name's Motoyasu Kitamura. I'm twenty-one years old and I actually won one of those freestyle competitions! I remember you from the one in Hakuba! You had that sick double backflip nosegrab into shifty combo!"
I looked at him in surprise. He actually remembered that? He seemed like the self-centered type at the competition, so I didn't expect him to remember it. Especially not in so much detail.
He was so busy soaking up the female attention that I doubted he paid any attention to the rest of the competitors at all. I suppose I was wrong.
"Y-yeah, that was me. Our scores were pretty close, if I remember right."
"That does sound pretty impressive." The boy with curly blond hair smiled. "I'm more of a skier myself, and I usually race in the backcountry where the powder is really thick. My name's Itsuki Kawasumi, seventeen years old."
He seemed like the preppy boy with parents who were able to fund expensive vacations and equipment, but he didn't come off as the arrogant rich kid. He actually seemed pretty down to earth, which I could appreciate.
"I guess I'm last, then. I'm Ren Amaki, sixteen. I haven't placed in any competitions, but I prefer the half-pipe."
Ah, so he was the soft-spoken type. The half-pipe was where people liked to bust out the craziest tricks they could manage, so a person like him didn't exactly fit the bill. He seemed confident enough to make it work, though.
"Good. It's important to know each other, since you'll be working together from now on. These slopes get pretty dangerous, so we need skilled patrollers who know what they're doing and are able to work together." Aultcray scowled. "Our last batch of employees were too proud of their skills and tried to handle everything on their own, which led to a few easily-avoidable lawsuits. I hope the four of you are willing to ask for help should the need arise."
"Yes sir!" we all responded, stiffly. Improper handling of an emergency can occasionally lead to serious injury or death, and those reflect very poorly on not only the individual responsible but the resort staff as a whole. Asking for help was the first thing we were taught in training, but too many people want to be the 'super cool hero who saves the day' and ends up making things worse when they don't know exactly how to handle a situation.
"Your private cabins are in building 301, and they're equipped with everything you should need. As I'm sure you're well aware, you all receive free passes to the spa on third street and one free meal of your choice from downtown for dinner. This pass is what gives you those benefits, so don't lose it." he said, stressing those last few words.
He fanned out four ID cards, and we each took one. It was a simple, golden card with the word 'Employee Benefit Card' etched into its surface. I pulled my wallet out of my pocket and slid it inside, just to make sure I didn't lose it by accident.
"Go get moved into your rooms if you haven't already. The slopes officially close at 7:00pm every night except Saturdays, where we allow night-skiing until midnight. You're free for tonight, but all day tomorrow you'll be exploring each and every slope personally to get acquainted. Any questions?"
We all shook our heads, and the man let us go on our way. As we exited, Motoyasu slung an arm around my shoulders. "Naofumi! We should totally shred the slopes together tomorrow afternoon, man! Have ourselves a little trick competition while we're at it!" he offered.
Why was he acting so familiar all of a sudden? We may have competed together once, but we weren't exactly what I'd call 'friends'.
"Uh, sure." I acquiesced, adjusting the bag on my shoulders. "I'd love to see how we both do on a dry run down the parks."
"Hell yeah! I knew we'd get along!" he cheered.
Motoyasu seemed far too excited and far too friendly. I wasn't used to making friends so easily, so I was a little uncomfortable.
"I'm going on my own. Having too many people around gets distracting." Ren said in a monotone voice. "Once I'm more comfortable with the area, I'd be happy to join you two."
"I agree. Snowboarders tend to go a bit too slow for my tastes, so I'll do my own thing for the first day and meet up with you guys after." Itsuki said. "No offense to you all, but I'm so used to being on my own and all...hehe..." he trailed off with an awkward chuckle that we all shared.
"No worries, man! It's always best to enjoy the first run by yourself anyway." Motoyasu said, waving his hand dismissively. "We could meet up in the afternoon or the evening and go down a few runs together when we have some free time."
We all agreed to meet up the next evening right before the slopes closed for the night. That gave us just enough time to make a single run down a couple of slopes while most of the tourists were done for the day, so we could go as fast as we wanted.
The four of us split up to enter our rooms, which were on different floors of building 301. We were each located in the suite of the floor, so our rooms were furnished much better than the rest. I walked in and was able to admire the queen sized bed and other amenities that were provided.
I set my bag down beside the dresser and stretched. This was the first time I'd ever been out of Japan for an extended period of time, so I was a little nervous. Apparently, everyone here spoke Japanese despite being located somewhere in the middle of the mountains of Switzerland. The interview was dodgy at best about the details, but after being here for a short time I found it to be true.
How strange it was that the Swiss Alps had just as many native Japanese speakers as Japan itself. Even if the people didn't look Japanese.
After a quick rinse in the shower to relax, I laid down on the soft bed. This was the start to my first major job, and I had to make sure I didn't screw it up. My parents had taken me to the mountains for skiing when I was younger, but I ended up being much better at snowboarding. After I started doing poorly and school and my parents gave up on me, I threw every bit of myself into my snowboarding skills.
It was the only way I could escape from the pressure. I still feel bad for Jun, though. Even though he was the younger brother, he got stuck with all of the expectations after I gave up on my formal education. I could only hope that my suggestion to balance his work with games would help.
I set my alarm and drifted off to sleep without even crawling under the covers. The room was heated to the perfect temperature, and I knew that tomorrow would truly be the start to living on my own.
"BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRING!"
I groaned, rolling over in my bed at the loud noise.
"BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRING!"
I sighed, grabbing my phone and dismissing the alarm. It was 6:00 in the morning, which was earlier than I was used to waking up. The slopes opened at 7:30am, so we had to be dressed and ready to save lives by then once we started seriously working. The first day was a bit of a trial run where we would get a feel for each and every slope on the mountain, so I had a long day of riding ahead of me.
I got out of bed and stretched. For whatever reason, it always helped me wake up and get the blood flowing in the mornings. The rest of my morning routine passed as usual, though the quality of the bathroom was better than I was used to.
As I walked down to the common room for breakfast, I noticed all sorts of people that...probably shouldn't exist. I saw a few of them when I'd first arrived, but I wasn't certain if it was some odd Swiss fashion trend or a furry concert.
There were humans, and then there were these people. They looked human just like everyone else, but they had animal ears and tails.
Some had fox ears while others looked more like those you would find on dogs. There was the occasional tiger tail that had white stripes on it, and rarely I would see someone that didn't look human at all. There was one family in particular that looked like a mole that stood on two feet. It even had a snout instead of a regular human face!
Just what the hell was Switzerland hiding this whole damn time!? I know Japan had a history of isolationism, but this is ridiculous!
I did my best to ignore the...anomalies as I went about my business. The slopes ended up being about what I expected: soft, fresh and groomed powder with the backcountry areas being wild and free. The parks were my favorite, since i got the opportunity to let loose with a few trick runs of my own.
I managed to get a few fans from among the spectators, but I didn't stop to talk to them. I didn't need to show up on social media when I was supposed to be on the job.
Mr. Aultcray was nice enough to give us what was essentially a free day on the mountain, so I didn't want to push my luck.
"Ah! Oof!"
I turned as I heard a shriek that was commonly known as the sound of someone falling flat on their face. It was also a telltale sign of a beginner.
A young woman slid down toward me on her stomach. She had auburn hair that was tied into a ponytail, and she had a similarly colored tail sprouting from her lower back.
Once again, I started to wonder just what the hell was going on. But my instincts as a ski patroller kicked in.
"Are you alright? You look like you went a little too fast." I reached a hand down to help her up. As she raised her head to look at me, our eyes locked. Her eyes were the color of warm tea, and she was gorgeous. There was no other way to describe her features.
As soon as you looked past the snow stuck to the side of her face, that is.
"Ah..." she said, breathlessly. "Haha...yeah, I guess I went a little faster than I could manage." she said, taking my hand. I pulled her up, but she seemed to have trouble balancing so I grabbed her to keep her steady before she fell again.
"U-umm...you can let me go. I think I can handle it."
I quickly released her as if she was made of fire. The last thing I wanted to was get some kind of sexual assault claim on my first day.
"S-sorry, it just looked like you were having some trouble." I said, cheeks red in embarasssment.
"No, no! It was my fault! I tried to-WAH!"
I snagged her by the waist to keep her steady. She had been waving her hands so furiously in front of her face that she nearly fell forward into the snow again. Our faces nearly touched, but I made sure to hold her far enough that it wasn't inappropriate.
"I don't mean to be rude, but have you done this before?" I asked. She seemed like a walking hazard, so I felt obligated to ask.
For everyone's safety, of course. Definitely not because she was arguably the most gorgeous woman I'd ever seen.
I could look past the Tanuki ears and tail in an instant. If I was being honest, they were pretty cute.
"Ahahaha...So you noticed, huh?" she said. Her ears even drooped as if she was sad, and it made me feel sad too! Was this the power of these strange demi-humans!? "I'm self-taught, but I like to think I'm at least decent." She chuckled awkwardly, pushing off of me and sitting down on the snow. Her tail flicked occasionally, which I thought was adorable.
One detail stuck out to me. "You're self-taught?" I asked, eyebrows raised.
"Yeah. I'm...all by myself, so I didn't have any other option." Her ears flattened against her head again. Dammit, was every sorta-human girl going to be like this!? I don't think my heart could handle this every day!
"Well, I'd be more than happy to teach you. I-if you want, I mean!" I said, blushing. "I'm not too bad at it myself, so..."
She smiled up at me with such innocence that I was amazed. "Really!? You'd do that for me!?"
Had she never been around someone who didn't mind teaching her? It seemed strange that she was in one of the major hubs for alpine activities yet she had no formal training whatsoever.
I scratched the back of my head, trying to force my blush away but failing. "Y-yeah! I'm one of the new ski patrollers, so I'll be around here all the time. I get Fridays and Sundays off, so if you're around I could show you a few things."
I was shocked as she leapt back to her feet and smiled so happily that I thought she would explode from excitement. Her tail wagged behind her like an excited puppy. "Really!? You must be really good at this, then!"
Her tail stopped and she blushed, averting her eyes. "T-then if you wouldn't mind...I could pay you for lessons..." The girl fidgeted, obviously uncomfortable for some reason.
"You don't need to pay me or anything. It's literally my job to help keep people safe, so giving you a few pointers is just helping me do that." I said with a chuckle. As pretty as she was, I was smarter than to take advantage of that opportunity and demand anything unusual in exchange for my tutoring sessions.
"Are you sure!? I-I don't want to be a burden-!"
I waved her off. "Nah, don't worry about it. Snowboarding is pretty much my whole life now, so I don't mind."
She smiled softly with a blush adorning her already-pretty features. "Then thank you. You're very kind and generous for an employee here."
I cocked my head to the side in confusion. "What do you mean? Isn't every employee here nice?"
It seemed ridiculous. What kind of employee wouldn't help someone in need? The Japanese ideal of "The customer is God" must not be present here in Switzerland...or Melromarc, if you wanted to be specific.
The woman seemed even more uncomfortable. "Umm...I-I need to go. Thank you for your help." she said, quickly dashing away from me without another word.
I looked at her as she slid down the slope, wobbling constantly. Her form was atrocious and her balance seemed horrible, but every time she fell she would get up and keep going.
What the heck was up with her? Between the animal people and her reaction to my comment about the employees, something didn't feel right about this.