It was 9 a.m., and I was in my first class at my new university in Japan. I was dressed in a simple black long sleeved shirt, that was just a bit long on my arms, dark blue jeans, and silver flats. It was still a bit chilly from the winter, in my opinion, as it was only April. Keio University was the name of my university, which is actually considered to be quite a prestigious university, but I appeared to be the only one in awe of my surroundings. Actually, I seemed to be the only person who stood out in general. My light brown, wavy hair clashed with the stereotypical black Japanese hair and I was beginning to feel self-conscious as I caught various glances.
I sat towards the back of the class, and I watched as other students filtered into the room. Many people seemed to already know each other, as they chatted excitedly and told their exaggerated stories about their winter break experiences. A couple of people caught my eye as I looked around, and their gazes settled on me for a couple seconds too long. Likely due to me being a foreigner, no doubt.
Only one other persons appearance really took me by surprise. He walked in shortly after I took my seat, a graceful but brisk walk. He had thick, long hair that was a rich maroon color. Moreover, it seemed almost to be... Natural. But that didn't seem logical. He was accompanied by two females who were enthusiastically talking to him, while he smiled politely as he listened. He didn't even glance my way as he took his seat near the front of the class, which I was grateful for. I'm positive I would have looked like a creeper as I stared at him.
"We will begin by introducing ourselves," the teacher said a few minutes later, in Japanese, after we all took our seats in the classroom. I felt heat rush to my cheeks in anticipation, and my pulse raced. Public speaking was not exactly my forte, especially in my second language. "Please, begin."
"I am Honda Ayaka, pleased to meet you!" The first girl stood, then bowed to the class, before sitting. A brief silence followed, before the next person promptly rose from his seat.
"I'm Minamino Shuichi, it's nice to meet you." The male I was staring at said as he stood, and his thick Japanese accent clearly indicated that he was, in fact, Japanese. He took his seat, and the introductions continued with one of the females who followed him in. Finally, after many more introductions, it came to me. I was seated in the back, so everyone turned to look at me as I made my introduction. I prefer not to sit where people will notice me. But now, all eyes were on me as I stood and made a small bow.
"My name is Snow Illiana, it's a pleasure to meet you." I breathed, trying to sound calm, like I spoke Japanese with ease. I failed though. Sitting, I quickly focused my attention on my notebook. Writing my name and the date, I prepared to take notes and we began with the real lecture.
My next class was similar to the first. We did our introductions, which I expected to be a normal occurrence by now, and began. Pretty similar to my experience in American schools. At the end of that class, as I gathered my books to leave, I heard a cough next to me. Glancing up, I caught cool, gray eyes staring at me, unwavering.
"I'm Akihisa. You said your name was... Illiana?" The boy said, stumbling slightly over my name. I held back a giggle by biting my tongue and smiling. What a bold individual, to skip over family names and go straight into first names. I couldn't help but enjoy it, since that was how we normally introduced ourselves in the America. He was fairly tall, probably about 5' 11" (which was tall by my standards, considering I was a whopping 5' 1"), and on the skinny side, with straight, shaggy, dark silver hair. Was he talking to me because I happened to look out of the norm as well? He maintained a serious expression in his stormy eyes, but held a polite smile.
"Yes, I am Illiana. It's nice to meet you!" I replied, pulling on the Japanese that I had struggled so hard to learn in high school.
"You speak Japanese very well. Do you mind if I ask where you are from?" Akihisa continued, his gaze still following me as I shoved my notebook in my bag. I shifted my eyes to his, and I momentarily wondered if he also wore colored contacts. I squinted at him, trying to see through any fake lenses. He raised his eyebrow at me, and I realized I had yet to answer his question.
"I'm from the United States," I answered simply, and I felt a blush begin to form as he smiled slightly in response. He had slightly crooked teeth, but they were still rather white and clean. The imperfection was charming. We stopped was we exited the classroom together, and he leaned against the door, head quirked slightly to the side. I waited momentarily, giving him a chance to reply and, hopefully, let me get on my way to my next class.
"I've been meaning to go to America, but haven't had the chance yet. I have family who lives there. Anyways, we should get to class. See you tomorrow," He said, raising his hand slightly as a wave before turning the other way. I simply said goodbye and watched him go, then turned to head towards my next class.
The rest of the school day went by uneventfully. I didn't see Akihisa again, and few people approached me after that incident. They were probably worried that I could not speak Japanese well, and weren't confident in their English ability. Oh well, it didn't bother me very much. The first day was confusing enough, without having to remember a ridiculous amount of foreign (scratch that, local names. I forget I'm the foreigner here) names.
Walking out of my last class as I pulled out my umbrella to shield myself from the gentle rain, I saw a coffee shop tucked away among some other small, independently owned shops near campus. The sign read La Vita Bella. The beautiful life, hm? What a darling name for a coffee shop. If only that name held any truth about reality.
Just as the spring rain began to fall harder, I walked in and opened the door, a small bell chiming as I did so, and smelled the familiar fragrance of coffee and pastries. No better place to work on homework than at a coffee shop, with a sweet latte to motivate oneself, right? I looked over the menu as the barista kindly waited, and finally settled on an iced coconut latte.
While the girl, probably no older than 16, began to make my drink, I settled in at a small square table next to the window. I gazed out of the large window, watching the large raindrops crash to the ground while I waited. After only a few minutes, she brought over my latte, flashing me a smile as she handed it to me, and I spent the next hour focusing on the homework assigned that morning.
The problems were difficult, but not overly so because it was only the first day. It was mostly reading, with a few example questions to answer. Still, it consumed my thoughts.
"Ms. Snow, right?" I jumped, as a gentle voice broke my concentration. His deep red hair gave him away immediately, and I recognized him from two of my classes. He was the person I was staring at this morning. His name was Minamino Shuichi, if I remembered correctly. Minamino's stunning emerald eyes calmly focused on me, and I hurriedly turned my eyes away from his intimidating gaze.
"Yes, and you are Minamino, I believe," I answered, voice steadier than I was expecting.
He smiled in response, his nose crinkling ever so slightly. Were those freckles I saw splashed across the bridge of his nose? How stereotypical, a red head with freckles. They suited him though, and seemed to add to his overall "clean-cut" appearance. His features were seemingly flawless, as he had clear pale skin, wide eyes, and a perfectly trained smile. However, hidden beneath this perfection was a darker energy that seemed eager to be released. It was hard to distinguish, though. Was he a demon? A frown tugged at my lips as I considered this, but I forced myself to maintain my neutral expression. I'd never felt an aura such as his.
"You are correct. Have you finished the homework assigned for Macroeconomics yet? I am having some difficulty, and I noticed you working on it as well," He said, motioning to his textbooks on a nearby table. I raised my eyebrow in blatant disbelief. He hardly seemed like the kind of individual to struggle with any type of classwork, with his proper speech and tendency to sit at the front of both of the classes we had together. What was his real motivation for starting this conversation?
I ignored my foreboding thoughts and invited him to study with me. If he was going to play dumb, I could do so as well. Or perhaps he couldn't sense my own aura, and was purely interested in "the foreign girl"? I suppose both options could be possible. I stored those worries away to ponder over later, and concentrated on the task at hand: macroeconomics.
Studying with Minamino actually proved to be rather enjoyable. He was noticeably easy to have small talk with (he probably had quite a bit of practice, with the obvious admirers he had), and fortunately he never tried to delve deeper into my life than what I had willingly exposed at surface level. We said our goodbyes about an hour after we began studying together, and I returned immediately to my dorm on campus. I was lucky enough to not have to worry about a roommate, but I still received many weary glances as I walked down my dorm hall. What, because I was foreign I was considered sketchy? Finally reaching my room, I closed the door and leaned against it, sighing.
Day one was over, and I had survived.
Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I hope to get more in depth next chapter, but introductions must be done. Let me know what you thought!