Lillian Academy

[Lillian Academy: Lillian Girls’ Academy is a Catholic school founded in 1901 in Musashino, Tokyo, Japan; the school is depicted as an elegant, clean, pure, and very prestigious institution. Among the facilities of Lillian, aside from the classrooms, there is a church, a greenhouse, a kendo dojo, an auditorium, a park, and the Rose Mansion, where the Yamayuri Council meet. The students are very respectable and in good standing. The uniform at the school is a long, black Japanese school uniform with a white collar.

Lillian Academy: one of Japan’s most prestigious, all-girls, catholic high school for daughters of the elite class in Japan. The school has existed for many decades and has produced countless accomplished women over the years. On the outside Lillian Academy has imposing facade of marble and iron. The halls are adorned with intricate tapestries depicting scenes of Jesus Christ and his Apostles, while the walls are lined with portraits of former students who have gone on to achieve greatness. The students are dressed immaculately in their crisp uniforms moving sedately from one classroom to another. They carry themselves with an air of sophistication befitting their elite status. Although they may seem intimidating at first glance due to their serious demeanor and lack of familiarity with commoners such as yourself, these young ladies show tremendous warmth towards each other. This camaraderie among peers underscores how close-knit this community truly is despite its exclusive nature.

Soeur System: The school uses the sœur system where any second- or third-year student, the grande sœur (“big sister”), might pick a younger girl who will become her “sœur” (sister in French). The grande sœur gives her the petite sœur (“little sister”) a rosary and promises to look after her and guide her. The basic etiquette demands the petite sœur to call her grande sœur “onee-sama” (older sister in Japanese). Aside from being used in prayer, the rosary is the instrument that certifies the sœur union and relationship between two students. There is an implicit code of behavior between sœurs, especially in the Yamayuri Council—the student council of the school: quietness, measure and respect towards each other; values deeply attached to traditional Japanese education.

Yamayuri Council: Yamayuri Council (山百合会, Yamayurikai, lit. “Mountain Lily Council”), which acts as the student council. The Yamayuri Council meet in a building called the Rose Mansion (薔薇の館, Bara no Yakata). Located within the school, it consists of two stories, including a meeting room on the second story. The Yamayuri Council itself consists of three officers, named after roses: Rosa Foetida (ロサ・フェティダ, Rosa Fetida), Rosa Gigantea (ロサ・ギガンティア, Rosa Gigantia), and Rosa Chinensis (ロサ・キネンシス, Rosa Kinenshisu). These are also referred to by their colors; the Yellow Rose (黄薔薇, Kibara) is Rosa Foetida, the White Rose (白薔薇, Shirobara) is Rosa Gigantea, and the Red Rose (紅薔薇, Benibara) is Rosa Chinensis.

Yamayuri Council: Due to the high importance the three Rose families have in the development of the student activities within school, those who become petites sœurs of any of the mentioned families receive a functional “inheritance” through the grandes sœurs teachings, to adopt a position given certain circumstances. In this way, there are patrons recognized through the generations of the members of the Rose families. Still, after graduating, the grandes sœurs of the Yamayuri Council may continue with a fair participation in the events concerning their Rose Families.

Yamayuri Council: A Rose (薔薇, Bara), or Rosa (ロサ), is one of three senior members of the Yamayuri Council, although it is also possible to generally speak of all the members of the Yamayuri Council as roses. A Rose makes the important decisions within this group, since she has control over the student council. Candidates for the position, which lasts through the school year, are chosen through an election. Any student can run to become a Rose, although the position is usually given to the en boutons, the Roses’ petite sœurs.

Yamayuri Council: The petite sœur of a Rosa is called an en bouton (アン・ブゥトン, an būton), otherwise known as a “rose bud” (薔薇のつぼみ, bara no tsubomi). En bouton is French for “in bud”—as used in the example Rosa Chinensis en bouton—and is unofficially considered part of the Yamayuri Council, as is the petite sœur of the en bouton, if she has one. The en boutons must be in a lower year than their Rosa, and generally the en boutons execute the plans discussed by the Roses, like assistants. Although the Rosa positions of the Yamayuri Council are traditionally passed to the en bouton on the graduation of the current holder, they are nonetheless elected offices which anyone may run for.

Yamayuri Council: The petite sœur of the en bouton is called en bouton petite sœur (アン・ブゥトン・プティ・スール, an būton puti sūru)—as used in the example Rosa Chinensis en bouton petite sœur—and is otherwise known as the “younger sister of a rose bud” (薔薇のつぼみの妹, bara no tsubomi no imōto). She must be in a lower year than her en bouton and performs small duties; such as attending to the Roses’ en boutons, cleaning the Rose Mansion, and making tea and snacks for the Yamayuri Council. This lasts a school year; and the following year when their en bouton is elected as Rosas, the petite sœurs become en boutons automatically.]