Chapter 1: Meeting near the Ditch

My eyes directed to the short orange-yellow haired girl with the small black bunny hat. She looked at me with determined eyes that showed no fear. Her gloved hand still extended out towards me as the wind blew calmly through her hair. A small, teal organism flew around her, emitting light.

"Come with me. I'll protect you." The girl said towards me.

Slowly, I reached out my hand and grabbed hers, being lifted up to my feet.

The alarm clock beside my bed went off, bringing me back to reality. With a loud groan, I reached for the button on top of the alarm clock and gave it a gentle tap. I moved my bed sheets aside before stepping out of bed. I walked to the bathroom to check my bed head, which looked pretty horrible. "That would give those stuck up pretty girls a scare." I smiled at the thought before grabbing my tooth-brush. I fixed my hair then proceeded to my school uniform. Today began the summer semester at my school, so our uniform sleeves were shorter.

I headed downstairs humming "Sad Machine" by Art-School. Art-School is one of my favorite bands. There's just something about the sound that makes you want to listen. Or at least that's how I would describe it.

I sat at the table with my father and younger sister, who were already proceeding with breakfast. My mother was busy preparing my bento for me. I kept telling her I could eat lunch at school, but she wanted me to at least have a good homemade lunch every now and again.

"Good morning, son." My father said from across the table.

"Morning, onii-san!" my sister said, happily.

I responded with the same greeting before giving thanks and starting on my breakfast. When I finished, I said my goodbyes before heading out the door. I began to hum "Furajairu" while walking towards the train station. There were already other students from other schools walking towards the train station. Adults came outside of their front doors to pour water on the sidewalks and check on their gardens. There was a couple in front of me holding hands, acting lovey-dovey. I tried so hard not to puke up my breakfast.

Before I reached the subway station, I noticed a girl out in the ditch across from the check in station. She had my high school's crest on her uniform, but I'd never seen her around before. I figured she was probably a transfer student. I walked over to her as she searched through the dirt for whatever she had lost. I had my hands in my pockets as I came up to her. Her shoes and stockings were on the side to prevent any mud from getting on them. She was a petite girl, with orange-yellow hair.

For a short girl, she sure had beautiful legs.

"Hey, short girl." I said. "Do you need help down there?"

She stood up and turned towards me. My eyes widened as the wind blew through her small form. Her hair moved through the wind like a blanket hanging out to dry on a clothing line. She looked at me with her light orange eyes that held a serious gaze to them. She tucked a strand behind her ear as the wind died down.

"My name isn't short girl. It's Sonata."

The red wallet in her left hand (right from his view) dripped with mud. Her uniform had spots of mud, including her face and legs. I heard laughter behind me and turned around to see some guys on their bikes. Their uniforms were the same as mine. They were probably about my age or older.

"FAKE IDOL!" one yelled.

"YOU'RE A DISGRACE TO AKB0048!" another yelled.

I glanced back to the girl to see her trembling from anger. Her fists were clenched as if she were ready to punch them hard in the nose.

I looked over to the guys who were laughing.

"Oi," I said. "You guys with the ugly haircuts."

They stopped their laughing and looked at me. I could tell they were pissed at my statement. Their haircuts were horrible though.

"What did you just say?" one of them said.

I started to walk towards them, my hands still inside my pockets. "You shouldn't pick on cute innocent girls. It's not gentleman like."

They started to back away slowly, but I managed to put my foot on one of their bikes. I looked at them with a death glare.

"If you hurt this girl again, I'll make sure to hurt you worst."

They gulped before retreating away on their bikes. The wind came again, blowing my bangs over my eyes. I moved them out the way before looking at the clear blue sky above me. I felt something tug the back of my shirt, gently. I glanced behind me to see the girl from earlier. She seemed nervous to speak to me, but I could tell she wanted to say something.

"Thank you…" she said, quietly, before running off into the train station.

I watched as she ran away, her uniform covered with mud from the searching. I could see the red wallet in her hand, dripping small drops of mud onto the road. I smiled to myself before heading to the subway station, humming "Furajairu" again.

Art-School is a Japanese band. Most people haven't heard of them, but their music is pretty good. Youtube had some of their songs, but not all of them sadly. Check out "Sad Machine" and "Scarlet" when you get a chance.

I'll post information about the main character in the next chapter.