EDIT: I worded it wrong the first time around. I meant this takes place during everyone's first year in Kaimei, but I should have clarified that this wouldn't be 100% canon. So yeah, sorry about that.
-Poster Boy-
Daimon blames old habits for making him arrive just in time for his first day. He's barely five steps inside the building and people are giving him those looks already. The girls stop mid-gossip to steal a glance at him, and the boys' expressions quickly turn sour, like they just found the sworn enemy of all men. An older-looking girl, likely a senior, comes up to him with a camera in hand. She's from the school paper and she's wondering if he's a model. A model student (and she clearly doesn't realize she made a pun here) would make for a good scoop, or so she claims.
This is exactly why he wanted to be late.
Daimon hates his face not because it's deformed, scarred, or blessed with a birthmark that looks like the Big Dipper. If anything, he's actually wishing he'd grow a constellation on his cheek. Maybe then people will stop treating him like he's the poster boy for How I Want My Boyfriend to Look. It's a job that just doesn't pay.
He apologizes to her for the misunderstanding and bows low. He turns around and breaks into a brisk walk, determined to get to his classroom without any more embarrassing situations. But bad luck always seems to have a way of finding him. Daimon's too distracted and walking too fast to notice the Wet Floor sign. Soon, he's slipping and sliding straight into a janitor and his bucket of water. This, of course, earns him even more unwanted stares.
By this time, the janitor, who looks like he ripped off Popeye's look, comes up to him and starts cussing his mouth off, giving Daimon a stern scolding for getting both of them wet. But Daimon's not really hearing any of it; he's too busy drowning in weird looks from the people around him, all the while trying to ignore the unsettling feeling of water seeping through his uniform. He's finding it really hard to resist the urge to get up and go home.
He apologizes to the janitor—it seems like he's been doing nothing but apologizing today—and hurries off to the boys' bathroom. Not much he can do about his clothes, so he washes his face and lets the running water pour over his head, sighing in relief as the cool sensation washes off some of his embarrassment. He still thinks his day couldn't have started off any worse, but at least it's better than the time he peed in his pants back in kindergarten. Now that is the worst first day he's ever had.
There's about three minutes till his class starts. He's not too happy about it, but he's already in school, so he might as well go through with it.
"Hey, you see that guy at the back?" a redhead whispers to the girl with twintails beside her. She looks like she's whispering, but it's not whispering when he can hear her all the way from the last row.
"You mean the hot piece of handsome that's dripping wet?" Twintails licks her lips and gives him a blatant onceover before whispering back. Again, it's not really whispering.
"Hands off, girl. I called dibs." Redhead has this strange laugh somewhere between a wheeze and a snort.
"No fair. Let me have a bite!" Twintails' laugh is reminiscent of a hyena giving birth. "So, what's his name?"
Redhead shrugs. "Who knows? Wanna ask him?"
"No way. He looks like the not-into-talking type."
Daimon's a little worried about how normal he finds this scene. It's the same old, same old; nobody knows Daimon, but everyone knows Daimon's face. The rest of him doesn't even seem to matter, and it's been this way since he hit puberty. He's had years to get used to it, but it doesn't mean he's happy about it.
The teacher comes in a few minutes later, looking bored and out of it. He gives them an introduction that Daimon is sure he'd given countless times before because he doesn't even stop to entertain any questions. He just keeps going, tuning out the world around him, and Daimon only wishes he could do that. The teacher finishes, no one speaks a word, and he proceeds with an overview of the subject.
Daimon's wondering if every day is going to be like this. He might not be able to take it.
A.N.2: Next chapter, the spotlight falls on Quecchon. I wonder if they will ever reveal her real name.
