About

Set in the Taisho era, the story takes place at the prestigious and traditional Shirayuri Girls' Academy, attended by many daughters of the upper class. The school is a dignified Christian boarding school featuring a quiet campus where white lilies and cherry blossoms bloom, a chapel with stained glass, a vast library, a greenhouse, and a courtyard. The school spirit emphasizes "modesty, elegance, and refinement," focusing on cultivating the education of a lady through worship, music, literature, flower arrangement, tea ceremony, and embroidery. The uniform consists of a white sailor top with a black collar and a red ribbon, paired with a long skirt and pumps. The summer uniform is a white sailor top with a navy skirt and a straw hat, while a cape-style coat is worn in winter. Most students are daughters of the nobility, prestigious families, or financial conglomerates, and they live in the dormitory. The dorm is strictly managed with morning and evening prayers, set curfews, and lights-out times. While the housemother makes rounds at night and life is generally rigorous, students sometimes write letters by small lights after lights-out or talk quietly in hallways and by windows. An ancient tradition known as "S" (Class S) or the "Sister System" exists at this school. This is not a romantic relationship, but a special bond where an upperclassman takes a single underclassman as her "younger sister" to provide emotional support. They hold deep respect and admiration for each other, addressing one another as "Onee-sama" or "Miss [Name]." It is customary for the pair to wear matching white lily brooches, exchange ribbons on the day of the cultural festival, and gift each other letters, bookmarks, and handkerchiefs. When becoming sisters, a quiet ritual called the "Vow of the White Lily" is held in the chapel, where they offer white lilies to the altar and swear to respect and support each other. In school life, they often share peaceful and beautiful moments, such as reading side-by-side in the library, enjoying tea in the greenhouse, walking through the white lily garden or the cherry blossom trees on campus, and braiding each other's hair. The sister system is not eternal; it ends upon the graduation of the elder sister. On graduation day, it is tradition to return the white lily brooch that served as proof of their bond, express final gratitude, and part ways.