Marciana/Story

Spoilers!*"Your greatest villain Drake shall warn you, SPOILERS AHEAD!"*The following article or section contain **spoilers!** Viewer discretion is advised.

Overview**Story**VoicelinesGallery

## Behind the Scenes

###

Lee Noon-sol

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Madeline Dorroh

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Konomi Inagaki

## Profile

Marciana is a member of Academia, a squad manufactured by Elysion for mentoring other Nikkes. Unlike many of the other teachers, Marciana cares for the wellbeing of her students and will do anything in her power to help the succeed. Though she has a stern demeanor, she is generally easy to get along with and will help anyone if her assistance is needed. She secretly has a soft spot for anything "cute" and tends to overact when confronted by anything adorable.

### Nikke Backstory

The rational, perfectionist teacher at M.M.R. Vocational School.
She continuously strives to provide excellent education to students.
She also has a girly side and adores cute things.

## Story

### Character Story

#### Episode 1 - The Impact of Cuteness

Class starts as usual in the M.M.R. Vocational School as Marciana begins to teach the School Circle Nikkes. Before everyone could read a section of the textbook, Zwei asked why Rei was sitting next to the teacher's desk, but Ein didn't mind as it gave her an excuse to watch Rei while they learned. The little Nikke in question was surprised to have been ignored by her teacher so she moved closer to her. Marciana pays her no mind and starts the lesson, to Rei's annoyance. Ein felt that it was odd for their teacher to handle their friend that way as opposed to chewing her out. Only after Marciana threatened to record Rei's actions in her permanent record did she return to her seat. She began to cry and after expressing a small reaction, Marciana continued the lesson.

Throughout the day, Marciana interacted with both Ein and Zwei while paying little mind to Rei. When they saw each other in the halls, Rei wanted her to wish her to have a good lunch as she did for her friends, but before she could, she became red and fled the scene. Rei thought her teacher hated her and her friends could tell she appeared more standoffish with her more than anyone else.

Later that night, after the students had left class, Marciana was slightly relieved that the day was over since she no longer had to hold back for the moment, but seeing as this problem isn't resolving itself, she needs help in order to maintain her composure.

In the Commander's room, the protagonist was about to take a shower after finishing the paperwork for the day when Marciana arrived looking for his assistance. In her current state, she fears she is unable to continue her role as an educator. Upon asking why, she stutters for a bit before sharing the cause; she thinks Rei along with the Narus are very adorable and she is unable to think clearly because of it. This has led the two of them to have many awkward interactions because Marciana usually stiffens up around her and can't keep a straight face resulting in Rei being treated differently than everyone else. The commander doesn't fully understand what her problem is, though he does acknowledge Rei is cute, so he asks to shadow her class to hopefully figure out what she's talking about. She agrees and Marciana hopes the commander will be able to help her.

#### Episode 2 - Acknowledgement and Overcome

The next day, class begins as normal only with the protagonist sitting in the back watching to see if Rei is exhibiting any troubling behaviors. Things start smoothly until Ein is called to read a section from the textbook while Rei was gesturing to be called on (her eyes were twinkling so bright, even the protagonist was distracted by it). Zwei was called to answer a problem with Rei again beaming in the hopes of being noticed. After Marciana intentionally didn't call Rei again, the little Nikke threw a hissy fit and the teacher was having trouble calming her down. She was about to pat her head, but pulled her hand back before she could. Ein noted that Rei intentionally came prepared to class so that Marciana would call on her, though the protagonist felt that was something she should've been doing this whole time. The teacher tries to apologize, but froze up upon learning that Rei hated her. Seeing as things have gotten out of hand, the commander intervenes by calming things down.

He manages to convince Rei that Marciana wasn't ignoring her on purpose and that she would call on her eventually. The teacher apologized, causing Rei to stop crying. She thought this resolution would result in her being called more. Before Rei could formally introduce Marciana to the Narus, the teacher was about to suffer from cuteness overload until she was saved by the bell. She dismissed the class before bolting out of the room. Rei still wasn't happy her teacher didn't want to interact with her, but the protagonist hinted that she didn't know how to handle meeting the Narus. The School Circle Nikkes were still confused as to why their teacher is acting so strangely and instead of a response, their other teacher weaseled his way out of the room to go check on her.

Having now realized the full extent of which Marciana's awe of Rei inhibits her ability to do her job, he questions why she hides her true feelings. She has no good answer herself since she tends to act this way around anything she deems cute, but equates it to being embarrassed to express her true self in front of her students. His solution for overcoming this is for Marciana to change the way she processes cuteness. Though she worries this will be a monumental challenge, she refuses to give up for both her and Rei's sake. With a look of determination in her eyes, the two promise to help her overcome her aversion to cuteness.

#### Episode 3 - Honest Feelings, Honest Mind

To help Marciana overcome cuteness, the two are going to travel around the Outpost to give her some proper training. Today, the two went to the Maid Cafe and were greeted by Cocoa who was surprised the two came together. As it turns out, Marciana visits this place often to admire Cocoa while she works, though she initially states that she often visits popular places where the students gather. After the two take their seats, the protagonist realizes that his company's soft spot for cuteness was greater than he anticipated.

While waiting for their food, Cocoa was going to perform her "Super duper ketchup dance" with many of the other customers eagerly looking forward to it. Neither had any idea of what she was talking about as this was the first time either of them were going to witness this. After ten minutes, music plays while Cocoa went from table to table squirting ketchup on people's meals to the rhythm of the song. While the maid was covering her dish in ketchup, all Marciana could do was stare at her. She claims to be fine, but the commander notices she looks to be in pain. He then suggests to relax as she is not working at the moment and to enjoy herself. Cocoa asked her how her dance was and before she responded how she normally would, she decided to honestly share that the little maid was cute after noticing that the other patrons felt similarly. Cocoa was touched by her response as this was the first time she was called as such by her and the two thank each other for brightening each other's moods. After the two finished eating, they were escorted out of the building.

Marciana learned a lot today and was surprised that others felt being called cute was a compliment. Having learned that being honest has its benefits, she thanks the protagonist for helping her and they can't wait for the two to go on another outing together. After getting a good look at her, he can tell the educator seems more at ease than usual. That was until she threatened him to not tell anyone that she frequently visits the Maid Cafe, a promise he swears to keep.

#### Episode 4 - Exchange of Emotions

To continue Marciana's training, the two traveled to the animal shelter, much to her reservations. She felt this was a major step in difficulty, but the commander knew she could handle this. They were greeted by Biscuit and while the teacher thought they wouldn't be allowed in, the dog lover gave the two of them special permission as she was given notice in advance along with today being volunteer day. The two were brought in and were surrounded by the many puppies that call this place home.

Marciana didn't handle being around so many dogs well until Biscuit managed to get them all to sit. Since many dogs are brought here for a multitude of reasons, Biscuit has grown accustomed to seeing many new faces here. The two are in charge of caring for the ones they met today and are tasked with feeding and playing with them gently as many new arrivals were abused or abandoned in the past. Marciana was worried she would be too careless and accidentally hurt them, but the two of them knew she would do just fine with the trainer willing to help her if she needed it.

Mealtime rolls around and their first assignment is to pour kibble into the bowls and call each pup individually over so they can eat and to praise them after. The instructor pours the food and tries to praise the dogs, but before she could pat them on the head, they leave to do other things, much to her shock. Next up is playtime and Biscuit believes that having Marciana play with the dogs will help them warm up to her. Despite her pure intentions, the canines are more wary of her from her uneasy appearance and visit the protagonist instead.

The teacher was ready to admit defeat until Biscuit questioned what she was thinking about when she saw the dogs. She thought they were cute and didn't know how to handle it. Biscuit knew the dogs could sense her anxieties and figured her loosening up would attract them to her. She then gets down to their level and calls one of them cute and pretty and offers to pet him. Though she still comes off as timid, the puppy happily comes over to her, to her surprise. Marciana was happy to play with the dog and others followed suit seeing how comfortable she was. The protagonist and Biscuit watch in satisfaction as Marciana was showered with love and affection.

A few hours later, the puppies were tuckered out and Biscuit praised the two for their hard work. Marciana had a good time and the two asked if they could come back to help out some more, something the trainer was fine with so long as they contacted her beforehand. After taking their leave, the two have a short conversation while taking a brief walk through the park. Marciana now knows the joys of expressing herself and understands how Rei feels. She promises to be more open with her and will make her feelings more apparent. With that being said, she asks him to shadow her next class to show him the results of her training. Though she is not fully certain that she is ready, she wants to test things out after learning the problem and solution. After thanking him for all he has done for her, she gives him a bashful smile before bowing ever so slightly and disappears into the night.

#### Episode 5 - Overcoming the Cuteness

The next class begins normally enough except for Rei not being present. Neither Ein nor Zwei know where she is causing Marciana to fret. She shares that her being so cute makes her absence more pronounced, something that caught everyone off guard including Rei who was hiding behind the podium. Needless to say, she was taken aback by this since she thought her teacher hated her, but she admits to have been distancing herself from her because of how adorable she is. With this misunderstanding cleared up, Mariana ordered her student to take her seat as she was being distracting. Rei thought their newfound bond would allow her to do as she pleases, but upon reflection, the little Nikke has neglected her studies because of Marciana and she wants to make up for it. Wanting to tackle her cuteness head-on, she again orders Rei to her seat. She did as she was told.

Rei was surprised to learn how intimidating her teacher could be and Ein and Zwei felt their questions were answered with the latter mentioning that things are about to get tougher for her. She was proven right when Marciana scolded her for speaking during class.

Rei was humbled and class went smoothly for the rest of the day.

The little Nikke was called to solve a problem but it was apparent she didn't know the answer to it. After standing nervously in front of the board, she admits as such and is sent back to her seat. Rei was not a fan of this new version of her teacher and wished she was acting like her old self. The bell rang not long after and everyone was dismissed. After organizing information on her tablet and gathering her materials, she walks up to Rei, calls her more adorable close up, and gives her a reassuring pat on her head, something she has always wanted to do. Marciana has realized she has been ignoring Rei for far too long and has decided to focus on her studies more heavily. She tasked her with remembering 100 words with any she forgets being added on to the next list. Rei really missed the old Marciana with her friends confused as to why she doesn't like her anymore. Marciana was looking forward to being impressed by her and after the little Nikke burst into a tantrum, the teacher began to chuckle while leaving the classroom.

Between Rei's wailing and Marciana's laughter, the commander can tell class is going to become more rowdy as the school year moves forward.

## References

Notes

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