The floor squeaked loudly as she walked past her parent's door and onto the gravel that covered the walkway. Her dress swished around her knees as she made her way out of her family's compound, the heavy pine doors closing quietly behind her.
Mika Seiko, a final year apprentice at the prestigious Tokyo University School of Magic, a relatively new addition to the notoriously difficult to attend Tokyo University, was a post-high school program that combined muggle and magic teachings. It was started recently in the mid nineties after Priminister Hashimoto discovered the existence of magical people on a trip to Kyoto. He had stumbled upon a strange sake shop that doubled as a front for the only the Kyoto wizarding Alley called Meiji Alley. Named after the emperor who established the magical subsection of Kyoto. He, like most members of the Japanese royal family were wizarding folk.
Every day was a commute. They did not use floo here in Japan, as the magical community had only been cohesive within the past few years or so, but more and more people had been discovering their talent. Other magical communities had come to light within the past 20 years, but most wished to remain in the muggle world. Having no special schooling and no real organization, they were a hodgepodge of magical abilities that cropped up every so often in the muggle world. Strangely, these magical communities, usually isolated, but incorporating the latest muggle trends, though without the advances that electricity brought. That was the reason why most young people decided to not take wizarding learning and stayed in the muggle world, only having magical learning when they were older. It was something that Mika had done.
Catching the commuter train was a daily occurrence for her. She could aparate, but she didn't have the money to pay for the application, her father did not trust apparition so he refused to front the money for her, so she would spend the three hours commuting to school. Her degree in business was pretty much useless here in Japan, as most business companies chose men, even over much more qualified women. Her forays into magic had been similar. The Japanese ministry of magic, a subdivision of the Japanese government with no control over the Diet, was pretty much relegated to males. So she had been taking courses in health, but had been thinking for the past year or so about heading over to America. At least over there, women had a chance in the business world.
Finally finished with her commute, she had to stun an old man to prevent him from groping her on the train, she arrived at Tokyo U and went straight to her "Club" room, basically the main classroom for magical students.
"Mika!" her friend Saya called to her, "It's so good to see you back! How was Hawaii?"
They had been out for a few weeks since summer started. Mika had gone to Hawaii with her family and had just gotten back yesterday. Now that summer school had started, she was taking the magical course load, they were back in the classroom once again.
"It was wonderful! We spent the entire time at the beach in Waikiki! Father took us all over the place, but it is good to be back," she said. In truth she never wanted to leave. Hawaii had been so different than Japan. Although it was not as clean and definitely not as safe, it was liberating to see that traditional gender roles were not in effect like it was in Japan. She had visited a hospital her father had a stake in and had actually seen more female doctors than male ones, and even a few male nurses. She had gone on a date with one too. Very different than Japan.
"So are you back with Shin yet?" Saya asked.
Shin was her ex boy friend and Saya's brother, a Law major at Tokyo U. They had gone out since he asked her in High school and, stupidly, she had agreed. They spent nearly five years together before she called it off. His chauvinism was too much for her. He actually laughed at her when she told him she was going into business. She should have listened to her gut.
"No, not really," she said, "but I did meet a guy in Hawaii."
"Really?" Saya asked, her eyes wide for some juicy gossip, "What's his name, what does he look like, was he good in bed?"
Mika rolled her eyes, "His name was Richard, he's tall with a dark complexion, and yes he was good in bed." she finished the last part blushing heavily.
"Oh! So where did you meet him?" she asked.
She knew she was going to get it this time, "He was a nurse at the hospital father was visiting."
"A Male Nurse!?" she said, still heavily influenced by the traditional Japanese paradigm, "you mean he wears a dress and that silly hat?"
"No! And they don't wear that silly hat or dresses any more. They wear scrubs like everyone else," she said indignantly.
"Any way," Saya said, "we're going to Ginza today after class. Are you coming?"
"Ginza. Maybe," Mika said, "we'll see. I've still-"
"Yosh, Yosh, Yosh!" the professor said, walking into the classroom, "Welcome back now it's time to study
Seiko so shut up and sit down!"
Mika rushed to her desk sighing. She really needed to get away from here, somewhere very far away from this place. Hmmm…, she thought, maybe somewhere in Europe….just for a little break…