ONE

Transfer

Friday, Last Week of April (School in Session, First Semester)

"This is highly unusual," murmured the secretary. Mrs. Inoue (no relation to the Mr. Inoue who taught History, or the student on the Disciplinary Committee) sat at her desk in the office, glancing over a sheet of paper. It was a registration form, bearing the name Jones Toriko. Said name was written in katakana, which wasn't all that unusual, what with the spread of Western culture and the student's obviously foreign family name. What was unusual was the way the rest of the form was written completely in hiragana- completely in the phonetic alphabet. She eyed the applicant, curious. "You realize that school started a week ago."

"Yes. I- We moved over spring break," came the slightly accented reply. Dull grey-green eyes looked up for a moment before returning to the floor. "I'd thought I would be able to keep attending my last school and I tried last week, but the commute time was too long."

"I see." And she did; Mrs. Inoue had been in a similar situation when she was in middle school. The secretary moved to enter the information in her computer, something else caught her eye. "You're sixteen?"

Toriko's head snapped up, eyes wide in what could only be panic. But Mrs. Inoue was focused on her computer and didn't see. The teen let out an inaudible sigh of relief. "Yes. I moved here from America two years ago, but my-" There was a slight pause as the teenager fumbled for a word. Again, Mrs. Inoue didn't detect it. "My family decided it would be best to wait to enroll me, so that I could start in April with everyone else."

"Ah," the secretary murmured absently. She clicked on something and the printer whirled to life. "That explains your accent."

Toriko's gaze returned to the ground again with a clenched jaw. It's noticeable?

"Alright, here we go." The words prompted Toriko to look up again. Mrs. Inoue held out several papers and a small book, which she handed to the student. "Your schedule, a textbook list, a student handbook and a map. I hope you have a good first day, young man."

'Young man?' Toriko frowned. "Um, I-"

"Oh, don't worry about your uniform! I put in an order for you- a large because you're so tall. If you need to get a different size later, just let me know, okay?" Toriko was wearing everyday clothing- a large black jacket, black jeans and a blue t-shirt. It was understandable that the teen would be nervous about it, in Mrs. Inoue's eyes. Everyone else was in uniform.

"Actually, I-"

The secretary glanced at the clock. "Oh, you'd better hurry- to room 3-C- Homeroom starts in five minutes!" With that, Mrs. Inoue shooed Toriko from the office.

The teen stood in the hall for a moment, blinking. Then she ruffled her short, curly hair and kept walking. In English she murmured, "I guess I wrote the wrong word under 'Gender.' I'll have to fix that during lunch." Should I mention my part-time job when fix that? …Nah. It would probably be fine.

"Hmm," Toriko took out the papers, looking at the school map. There was a long, long pause. "Okay, I cannot read this..."

Another student ran past, followed by two others. The first student was wearing the uniform- a button-up shirt, slacks and a tan blazer jacket. The others had their hair styled the same way- though one was blonde- and wore full black, other than the red arm bands pinned to their sleeves. Actually, their jackets looked kind of similar to Toriko's own.

She decided it was none of her business and moved out of the way.

"Hey," the blonde one called to her in Japanese. The other one kept chasing the first student.

Toriko turned to face him, slightly puzzled. "Yes?"

"Where's your uniform?"

How is that your business? "I do not have one yet."

The guy looked surprised. "You're a new student!"

"…Yes?" Toriko frowned. Was it that surprising?

"Huh. Gin didn't mention that at the meeting this morning. Well, I'm Shoutaro, part of the school Disciplinary Committee. Are you lost? What year are you in? What's your name anyway?"

"Jones Toriko… I am looking for Classroom 3-C." She handed over what she thought was the schedule. Shoutaro took one look at it and started heading down the corridor. Toriko followed after a slight pause, realizing he hadn't given her stuff back.

"Oh, a third year! I'm a second year myself. It's kinda weird to transfer in your last year isn't it? Not that I've ever done it. I've lived here since I was born. What school were you at last?"

"Mi-" It turned out he hadn't really expected an answer.

"Did you like it there? Well, you're going to love Namimori! Sure, it's been a little weird ever since the Committee Head decided to take a more 'hands-off' approach so he could work, but…" And he kept going, and going and going.

Man, what a chatterbox. She decided to tune him out. He was just spouting nonsense anyway.

They went up a set of stairs before walking down another hall. It looked just like the other one: dusty windows, creaking doors and- Is that mud on the floor? Then what was she wearing indoor shoes for? A set of doors to a mysterious-looking room was covered in graffiti. …An art room, maybe? They went up another staircase.

"Here we are! Room 3-C!" Toriko kept staring at the mud on the floor. The brown-haired boy followed her gaze. "Yeah, that's one of the things I meant. The janitor quit when Gin- Kusakabe Gin, the new Acting Committee Head, since the last two graduated- yeah, the janitor quit when he took over last year. We've been doing the cleaning ourselves, but the students…"

Toriko just blinked at him.

"Anyway, you should probably head in before you're late. I have to go find Take and see if he caught Asano… See ya! Remember to pick up your uniform!"

"Well," she muttered in English once he was out of sight. Toriko opened the door behind her, only to see that the room was empty. She picked a seat in the last row, and sat down. She stared out the window, watching as the courtyard below began to empty. "This place is weird." The bell rang. Other students began filing in. But, while the boys went to their own seats and sat down, Toriko gradually aware that the girls were surrounding her.

She turned to face them. Toriko raised an eyebrow. Huh. All of them were wearing their uniform in a very… interesting way. Their blouses were missing the top two buttons, their neckties were working as headbands and their skirts were rolled up several inches. As she opened her mouth to ask if that was how the uniforms were meant to be worn (in utter seriousness, as Toriko had seen stranger at her last school), the first girl cut her off.

"Where do you get off, sitting in someone else's desk like this?" Toriko made to answer as the final bell rang and the door slid open again.

But another one of the girls decided to interrupt. "Yeah! And what are you wearing?"

Casual clothes? I mean, they're a bit boyish, but they're pretty normal.

"Get moving before we make you move, you impostor!" exclaimed another.

Impostor? She couldn't help but wonder who they thought she was imitating.

"Now, now ladies," a smooth voice cut in. The group turned towards the interloper, beaming and gushing praise. "There's no need to-" Toriko watched as the other student opened both of his eyes wide. Her eyes narrowed in contrast.

Standing before her was a near-perfect doppelganger. Dark, curly hair, green eyes and a non-regulation shirt with otherwise black clothing. If not for what appeared to be a slight difference in height (he seemed a bit taller than she was), his slightly darker hair, and the gob-smacked expression that the boy was wearing, Toriko would have thought she was looking into a mirror. Although he's probably an actual boy… And I wouldn't be caught dead in cow-print.

She didn't dwell on it. Instead, she took it as a chance to escape. "Sorry," she murmured, walking to the back of the room. She leaned against the wall, eyeing the girls who were watching her. They had this creepy gleam in their eyes. Toriko couldn't decide if it promised violence or something… else.

Before anyone could do anything though, a teacher entered the room and yelled at everyone to sit down, even though almost everyone was sitting. A few students took their time, but soon enough Toriko had to let out a sigh; all the desks were filled, which meant she couldn't sit anywhere. So, of course, the teacher ignored all of the desks being full, but noticed that she was standing.

"You!" The teacher's face was red and there appeared to be steam coming from his ears.

Toriko raised an eyebrow. Anger issues much?

"Sawada, why aren't you in your seat? And what's with the new look- you join the Committee or something?"

"Actually, I am n-"

"Instructor Kitamura, that's not Lambo!"

Man, those girls love interrupting- Wait. Lambo? The name was familiar… Nah; it was probably just one of those words. Maybe because it sounded like "Rambo" or "Limbo."

"Yeah! Though he was acting like he was!"

What! Toriko scowled. How was she supposed to know that all of the desks already belonged to other students? And why the heck would I want to act like someone else?

"He sat down in Lambo's seat and everything!"

The teacher just pressed a hand to his forehead and let out a weary sigh. "Sorry, Sawada."

Toriko's face went blank. Seriously? I'm the one you were yelling at!

Sawada Lambo turned to watch Toriko. He still seemed spooked by how similar they looked.

"Kid, come up here and introduce yourself."

Toriko walked to the front of the room. She looked out across the crowd. Several of the boys just seemed bored, but most of them were just watching politely. The girls, on the other hand, still had that creepy expression.

She cleared her throat. "I am Jones Toriko. I hope we can all get along this year." Followed by a bow, as graceful as she could make it. Which wasn't actually all that graceful; in fact, it was more than a little clumsy.

"Alright," began Instructor Kitamura, "now-" One of the girls raised her hand. "Yes, Miss Kitagawa?"

"Jones, where are you from? You have a weird accent."

Seriously? Toriko frowned again. "I am originally from New York."

"Okay, now-" The teacher was interrupted a second time.

"As in America?"

Toriko glanced at the instructor from the corner of her eyes. "Yes. But it has been a while since I was there. You were saying something, Instructor?"

The man scowled at her. "Yeah. Sawada, take this kid-"

Really, Toriko thought. I just introduced myself and gave you an opening, but I'm still 'this kid?'

"-down to 2-E and get him a desk. Since you look so alike, you can show him around for the day."

Because that is perfectly sound lo- An eraser hit her in the forehead with extreme prejudice before she could finish the thought. The classroom had erupted into chaos.

Chaos. Pure, sudden chaos.

Girls screaming about how unfair it was that "that new kid" (because apparently, none of them could be bothered to remember Toriko's name) got to spend time with their idol and guys complaining that Lambo got all the attention from the class's girls. Toriko was fairly certain she just saw a textbook go flying.

"Hey!" the teacher shouted. "Hey!"

But only Toriko, from her place right beside him, could hear it. Oh. There it is. The textbook had somehow managed to hit Mr. Kitamura right in the face.

"Now, now," came Lambo's voice. And instantly, the girls quieted down. Their glares were enough to silence the boys. "Sure thing, Teacher. It wouldn't be very nice of us to make a new student feel left out, would it?"

Lambo rose from his seat rather gracefully and walked smoothly to the front of the class. Toriko rose a brow. Wow, she thought. He acts just like Elly.

"Let's get going, Jones. No need to hold up the class." He then gently pushed Toriko into the hall.

Muttering started up in the classroom again, but there were no screams or shouts. Or death threats.

Toriko shook her head. "Class is usually that…" She had to look for the right word as Sawada Lambo guided her to the room where the extra desks were stored. "That interesting?"

Lambo chuckled, and Toriko would have sworn she heard the sound of other girls swooning (giggles, breathless sighs… Bodies thudding to the floor). "Not always, but most times. The girls are lovely, no?"

When they're not acting like murderous banshees? "Uh… I suppose?"

If the young man noticed how unsure her answer was, he gave no sign. The duo walked in silence for a while. Lambo thought about his lunch plans, and most definitely did not focus on the rumor that those who met their doppelgangers were not long for this world. Toriko continued to examine the school building.

Dirty window, complete with a crack in the glass.

Muddy footprints. (Again, what's the point of these indoor shoes?)

Slippery staircase to the second floor. Toriko jumped from the second to last stair when she noticed a roach.

Eventually, they passed the room that she couldn't identify earlier. The sign was filthy- so much so that the kanji were illegible. The doors were covered in cigarette burns, gum and graffiti. And she had a sneaking suspicion that the room was not supposed to look the way it did- even when judged by the rest of the school's condition. Something about it made her stomach flip unpleasantly. "Sawada, which room is this? Sawada?"

Lambo didn't answer. And then Kaori will share some of her fried shrimp with me, though it doesn't quite compare to the ramen that-

"Hey, Sawada. Sawada. Suh-waah-da?"

-and Hotaru might have baked some of that special c-

"Cowboy!"

Lambo blinked a few times. He turned around to see Jones Toriko staring at a set of doors. And once he realized what doors they were, he blanched. "Uh, J-Jones. You mi-might want to get away from there…"

Toriko remained exactly where she was, hands in her pockets. "Which room is this?"

"L-Let's just get your desk and get back to class, shall we? Instructor Kitamura doesn't like-"

"Which room is this?"

Lambo took one look at Toriko's face and decided to answer. "That's the library." His voice was small.

The… Library? Toriko's eyes slanted into a glare. A crackle ripped through the passage. "This. Is The. Library?"

A cold zing went down Lambo's spine and his eyes widened as he took a step back. "Y-Yes?"

As suddenly as it appeared, the overwhelming sensation of bloodlust directed everywhere seemed to vanish. In truth, Toriko was simply focusing it on the door in front of her. "Cowboy, could you go back to class and inform Instructor Kitamura that I have forgotten something in the office?"

"Uh- But he-"

"Thank you." Toriko reached for the doors, and slid them open with such force that they banged into the walls. What is…? Her mind momentarily blanked out from the horrible, nearly sacrilegious state of the so-called "library."

Lambo swore softly in Italian. And then he wondered aloud, "Ma che cosa fai?"

Toriko didn't seem to register the change in language. "I am simply cleaning up. Really, it is alright if you wish to go back to class." She stared down the group of students in the "library," doing her best not to focus on the mess.

They were delinquents, really. A handful of boys reading what looked like pornography and laughing loudly; a girl snogging another boy, her uniform even more out of array than the girls Toriko had bumped into earlier; three girls with dyed hair and outrageous self-tans painting their nails and eating with their mouths open, spewing crumbs everywhere. Heathens. Toriko failed to realize that there were two more students playing with knives and making confetti out of some history books.

She also didn't notice how Lambo shook his head. No. She was too busy maintaining the fragile grip she had on her rage. So, as Lambo climbed the stairs (he figured the least he could do was inform the Committee that they might have a body to deal with later), Toriko stepped into the room and slammed the doors shut behind herself.

"Pardon me," she said. No one looked up, so she gave them a second. Then she strode over to the nearest table- the one with the couple making out- and flipped it over.

That got everyone's attention.

"What are you doing?" demanded the girl she had just launched from the tabletop (only in far less polite language). The rest of the room was just staring in shock.

Toriko glanced around and nodded once, after double-checking to make sure she was the center of attention. "Would it be possible for all of you to help me clean up this mess?"

The reactions to the question varied; but it sufficed to say that incredulous and rude were the most apt words to describe the responses.

Toriko smiled pleasantly once the group quieted down again, unnerved by her behavior. "Then I suppose I simply must erase you from history."

When Lambo reached the Disciplinary Committee headquarters, the lounge was empty. These days, such a thing was not very unusual. The committee had had problems maintaining order for the past two years, with things getting worse every week. In the past six months, the school had lost a teacher, the librarian, the assistant principal, both janitors and several classrooms (which had become uninhabitable due to various reasons)- not to mention all of the Committee members who had graduated. As such, the scant half-dozen remaining members had a lot of work to do.

Lambo scratched a cheek and switched eyes so that his left one was open and the right one was closed. If he didn't check on Jones and get back to class soon, Instructor Kitamura would probably try to give him detention before homeroom ended. "I guess I could leave a note…" And that's what he did. Then he returned to the classroom.

The note went unnoticed, as the window was open and a breeze carried it away, along with several other important documents.

When he entered the room, the first thing he heard was, "What happened to the new student, Sawada?"

Lambo switched eyes again. He could feel the entire room watching him. His hands began to sweat as he remembered letting the new kid enter that room alone, and he had to place them in his pockets. "Ah. Jones had to-"

There was a knock at the door. The middle-aged teacher frowned and signaled for Lambo to open it.

Seven minutes after entering the disgraceful room that Namimori Middle School dared to call a library, Toriko exited the hovel, inspecting a new rip in her dark jacket and ignoring her recently split lip. Other than those two differences, and a noticeable reduction in anger, she appeared unchanged. The room behind her was now empty. It would likely remain so for the foreseeable future.

I'll have to sew this up tonight, before it gets too big. "Ooh." Toriko's eyes seemed to tighten as she noticed several dark splatters on one sleeve. Must be from that guy's nose. Guess I'll have to wash it, too. Hopefully no one would notice it until then. She dropped the sleeve and sent the repair plans from the front of her mind.

"Instructor Kitamura said the desks were in… 2-E?" She walked down the hall, peering into the rooms to figure out which one she was looking for. Upon finding it, she grabbed the first, relatively unharmed-looking desk and chair she came across and made her way back upstairs.

She frowned. Maybe I should've made Cowboy stick around… The desk and chair were quite awkward to carry.

"-the new student, Sawada?" Toriko heard from the other side of the door. Her frown deepened, but she didn't wait for that cowboy's response. Instead she set down her burden and knocked on the door. Seconds later, Cowboy himself opened the door.

With the way he was staring at her open-mouthed, Toriko realized he'd thought she was a ghost. She raised an eyebrow. What, did he expect me to die in that room or something?

She was unaware that Lambo had, in fact, expected that to be the outcome; he'd seen the knives- and knew the rumors going around about their wielders.

"Could you help me get this into the classroom? I do not believe it will fit through the door like this."

"Huh? Oh, I mean," the boy said in a quiet voice. Louder, he said, "Sure, I guess I can help you with that."

Yep, Toriko thought as they struggled to get the table and chair through the entrance. Just like Elly. Both of them were such posers.

"What took you so long, new kid?" the teacher demanded once the two curly-haired teens managed to get the desk set up in the back of the class. She was beginning to feel like he had a thing against her.

I'm gonna end up hating this class, aren't I? Toriko made sure her face was blank as she said, "I needed to make a stop at the restroom, teacher."

Though Instructor Kitamura sputtered, and the other students (excepting Lambo) laughed, Toriko resolved to keep her mouth shut for the rest of the day. Or at least until Homeroom ended; she couldn't promise she wouldn't start swearing when she went to clean up the… room that was referred to as a "library."

A shiver went down her spine. She also couldn't promise not to be sick.

Quite a while later, the lunch bell rang. Immediately, Toriko snapped back into awareness, and wiped some drool from the corner of her mouth. Wah…? Crap, I fell asleep. She frowned, because a) she never fell asleep during class, and b) she never woke up without something waking her- and the bell wouldn't have managed. What would have-?

A crowd of girls was gathered around Cowboy's desk. And they were loud. Very loud. Oh. Toriko winced as their noise level changed from dull roar to rabid fangirl group. Yeah, that would do it.

"Now, now, ladies," she somehow managed to hear over the din. "I promised Instructor Kitamura and our new student that I would show him around. It wouldn't be fair to go back on my word, would it?"

Toriko scowled as the girls closest to the edge turned to glare at her. Lambo stood, which made him visible. "Jones, would you like to join us for lunch?"

Her face went blank as she blinked once.

The girls whined and complained, but they needn't have bothered.

"No, but I thank you, Cowboy. I am not hungry." And just to disprove her statement, Toriko's stomach chose that moment to growl loudly. She felt her cheeks turn pink. Stupid stomach.

Lambo frowned. "Are you sure?"

Toriko nodded once. Then she also stood. "Besides, I have a… prior engagement." She left the classroom before Lambo could respond. That didn't mean she was unable to hear the snide comments the girls made as she left the room.

"Who wants to bet he can't afford it?"

Toriko could vaguely hear the others speaking in a similar vein as she made her way down the hall. Her eyes hardened before she scoffed to herself. You know it only bothers you that they're right. She went down the staircase to the middle level. Stop sulking.

And they were right. The truth was that she didn't have a lunch or lunch money.

"At least I still have this." She stopped outside the… room that was supposed to be a library. "Time to get started." She took a deep breath, opened the door. And was almost violently ill. Toriko slammed the door shut and turned to face the windows on the other side of the hall. On second thought.

She saw a teacher approaching, a brunette with glasses and a cloud of gloom floating above her head.

"Excuse me," Toriko called. The woman didn't seem to hear, though the (visible) darkness of despair surrounding her seemed to deepen. Toriko frowned and tried again. "Instructor?"

"H-Huh?" The woman stopped and looked up, her eyes startled. She used her free hand to fix her glasses; the other hand held a stack of worksheets.

"Do you perhaps know where I might find a bucket and a mop?" Then she frowned slightly remembering the sudden nausea she'd experienced. "And a face mask?"

"Um, why would you…?" The question trailed off as Toriko gestured to the "library." "Oh. You could probably check the infirmary?"

Toriko's face broke out into a relieved grin. "Thank you."

"You're welcome?"

There was a pause. "I do not suppose you could show me where the infirmary is?"

The woman sighed and the gloom got darker- though how it was possible, Toriko didn't know. Is she depressed or something?

"Are you alright?" Toriko tried to ask. Key word being tried. Toriko only got as far as the "A-" before the shadow hanging over the woman seemed to change shape and radiate malice in her direction.

Okay… Toriko took an inconspicuous step away from the woman, her eyes wide.

Moments later, the teacher stopped by a bend in the corridor and murmured, "There it is," pointing around the corner.

Why is she…? Toriko peeked around the corner and, lo and behold, there was the infirmary. "Why did you st-" By the time Toriko turned around to finish asking her question, the woman was gone. Her brows pulled together in confusion. "Okay…" This school is weird. Toriko shook her head and walked around the corner. She knocked on the door. When no one answered, she just walked in, ignored the noises coming from behind the curyains that surrounded a bed, and got what she came for. And a lollipop from on the table. Then she left to start cleaning.

By the time the bell signaling the end of lunch rang, Toriko could call the room a Library without feeling blasphemous. The broken furniture, impromptu confetti, crumbs, dirty magazines and blood splatters were all gone and she had even thrown out that tooth she'd accidentally knocked from someone's mouth earlier. The doors were even scrubbed clean, although the gum had left sticky spots. And she copied down the kanji from the poor, violated books that had been used to make the aforementioned confetti so that she could left someone know that they needed new copies. She failed to realize that she'd missed a spot on the floor.

Toriko returned to class covered in dust, and much hungrier than she'd been before she left. But she was also in a good mood, and didn't even care when Math started and Instructor Kitamura returned.

Lambo raised a brow at the change in Toriko's attitude (and attire), ignoring the way the girls snickered unkindly. Toriko noticed the look.

Simultaneously, the two thought, What a weirdo.

Toriko forgot to stop by the office on her way to work.

Word Count: Approx. 4,600

Posted: May 2016

A/N: Yes, I should be working on the others, I know. But I refuse to feel guilt, as this is just something to tide everyone over until my computer gets fixed, and this has been on my thumb-drive since November. (This was supposed to come up after AATG was fully posted anyway, so it's not really too early or anything.)

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