A/N: Hey everyone, my name is xXRocketShark216Xx, but you can call me Graham! You might remember me as the guy who wrote "The Hound and the Snake", an old Toradora! self-insert story that I got stuck on and decided to take down. Well, I've decided to bring it back. Why? Well, there's two reasons. A, I wanted to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the anime, and B, HATS (As I lovingly abbreviated it as like, once.) was actually fairly popular back when it was still a thing; it had the most follows and favorites of any story I've ever written, and since I took it down, people have been asking me to make a new version.
Well, I've been toying with the idea for ages, and I'm finally throwing my hat in the ring again by buckling down and actually doing it! Here it is, the first chapter of the spiritual successor to "The Hound and the Snake"! I hope you guys enjoy it!
It was a beautiful morning in the small city of Ohashi, Japan, which itself was located somewhere on the Eastern side of Tokyo. Birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and the sky was relatively clear, with only a few clouds here and there. As this picturesque morning began to set in, people began to exit their homes and head out for the day, greeting one-another with smiles on their faces as they made their way to work or school or wherever they were going.
Ohashi had always been a friendly place, if nothing else. Sure, nothing super-excited happened, you never really saw celebrities out and about or big parades or festivals taking place, but it was a friendly place, full of friendly people who greeted eachother with a smile and helped out in whatever way they could. It was a place of welcoming. A place of redemption. A place of refuge...and to some, it was a little noisy in the morning. For example:
"Wha...n...no..." A voice moaned from inside one of Ohashi's largest apartment buildings, as its owner- a tall and skinny Caucasian male with short and messy dark brown hair-was roused from his sleep by the noise coming from the streets below. Blinking his tired sapphire blue eyes open, the boy groaned in annoyance before saying, "Don't tell me...it's-"
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
"Dangit!" The boy grunted, slamming his fist down onto the snooze button of his alarm clock as it went off. Sitting up in bed as his mouth formed into a bit of a scowl, he said, "Man, time to get up already…? This sucks...I knew I shouldn't have stayed up so late..."
Reluctantly peeling the covers off of his body, the boy placed his feet on the floor and immediately winced as his feet came into contact with the cold hardwood. Hopping up to his feet, he made his way over to the lightswitch, but almost tripped and fell over something in the process.
"What the-?" The boy said groggily, looking down at what he'd almost tripped on-his original PlayStation. Looking up at the TV it was connected to and realizing it was stilled turned on, he said, "Oh, right. That."
Turning the TV off before powering off the console, he pressed the eject button in order to open the disc tray and remove the game he'd been playing-Final Fantasy VII. Carefully placing the game back in its jewel case, he set it on a nearby shelf before unplugging the controller, wrapping the cord up, and placing that on the shelf next to it. He then finally turned his attention back to the lightswitch, which he flipped on in order to illuminate his bedroom.
"Guess this is it," He mumbled to himself. "The start of my second year."
Making his way to the other side of the room, he slid open his closet door in order to procure what appeared to be a school uniform-said uniform consisted of a black uniform jacket with gray buttons, black uniform pants, and matching black shoes. Quickly changing into a new undershirt and a new pair of boxers, the boy then proceeded to slip into the uniform and grab what appeared to be a blue school-bag off of his nightstand before leaving the room and flipping the light off. Walking into the hallway, he ducked into the bathroom and began performing his daily hygiene routine-brushing his teeth, using mouthwash, putting on deodorant, applying his acne wash, etcetera.
Once all of that was done, he set to work on his final preparatory task-combing his somewhat unruly hair.
"Alright, let's see..." He mumbled to himself, reaching behind the trash-can in order to procure what appeared to be a crumpled up magazine with a pair of male and female models on the cover. Skimming through it until he found the page he wanted, he continued with, "Alright, so if I'm reading this right, I just need to get my hair a little damp, add a drop of hair gel, and then carefully comb it, and...bingo. Should be fairly simple."
Opening up the cabinet behind the mirror and grabbing the tools he'd need-a large gray comb and a tube of hair gel-he set to work on this task, thinking to himself while he did so.
In this world, there's this thing...nobody's really seen it yet. Apparently, it's really gentle...and sweet. I'm not quite sure what it is...maybe love, peace, or friendship...but whatever it is, if everyone could see it, than they'd probably fight over who gets it. That's probably why it's hidden, right? I mean, that way, not just anyone can take it. But at some point, someone has to find it. And when they do, I believe...that person will be the one who's MEANT to find it.
Looking into the mirror and frowning somewhat at his failed attempt to replicate the hairstyle found in the magazine, the boy tossed said magazine in the trash while muttering, "Why does my hair hate me?"
With that, he settled on a more basic hairstyle-the one he always went with. A simple part to the right that kept it out of his eyes and at least made it looked as if he tried.
"I suppose that'll have to do," He shrugged, leaving the bathroom with a sigh.
xXRocketShark216Xx Presents…
Toradorable! ~ A Coming of Age Tale
Chapter I: Tiger, Dragon, and Dog
"Ohayo, Graham-san! (Good morning, Graham-san!)" A voice said from the kitchen, as the boy in question trudged his way down the hallway and into the open living room/dining room area of the apartment. Turning his head, he saw the owner of the voice, a tall and lean yet muscular Japanese man with short black hair and brown eyes.
"Morning, Masato," Graham replied, taking a seat at the dining room table. Looking to his right, he spotted another person-this one was a shorter, thinner Japanese female with long brown hair which was styled in pigtails; said pigtails reached the middle of her back.
Her brown eyes seemed to smile with her as she greeted him with, "Good morning, onii-chan!"
"Morning, Eri." He said, unable to stop himself from smiling back at the girl. Turning his attention back to the kitchen, he said, "What's for breakfast?"
"Your favorite," Masato said with a laugh as he exited the kitchen, carrying a tray of breakfast. Placing two bowls and two pairs of chopsticks in front of the two, he added, "White rice and miso soup."
"Oh. Yay," He muttered somewhat sarcastically.
Letting out a light chuckle, Masato said, "Yeah, I kinda figured you'd say that. Look, I know you're not too keen on fish Graham, but you need to eat, okay? You don't wanna spend the first day hungry."
"Yeah, you're probably right," Graham replied. Clapping his hands together and bowing his head politely, he said, "Itadakimasu!~ (Let's eat!~)"
"Itadakimasu!~" Eri echoed, letting out a bit of a giggle before digging into the meal. Graham was a little bit slower, taking small, modest bites of the meal and washing them down with the glass of water Masato set in front of him a few seconds later.
"Eri, you're in your last year of Junior High, now." Masato observed. "You excited?"
"Un! (Yep!)" Eri chirped. "I'm really looking forward to Track this year, the upperclassmen last year all said that's when it gets really serious. The fierce competition ought 'a really motivate me to work my hardest!"
"I'm sure you'll do great, Eri." Masato said with a smile. Turning to Graham, he said, "What about you, Graham-san? You're not a Freshman anymore, isn't that neat?"
"Yeah, I guess..." Graham mumbled. "I don't know, I don't really feel any differently. It's just another day, I don't see what's so special about it..."
"Y'know, believe it or not, that's the kind of thing I would always say when I was your age," Masato said with a chuckle. "Trust me, I know it doesn't seem that way now, but high school is a very special time. It's when everybody really matures and grows into the person they're going to become in adulthood. You'll gain new interests! Make some awesome friends!"
"I don't even know if I'll make friends at all," Graham muttered.
"You will if you just follow the golden rule." Masato told him. "And what is that rule?"
"Treat others the way you want them to treat you…?" Graham guessed, tilting his head in confusion.
"No, not that one. I'm talking about my golden rule-just be yourself." Masato clarified. "Listen to me, Graham-san. High school can either be a really great time, or a really rough time. It all depends on your outlook. I know it's not easy being a teenager, but you don't have to worry. Everyone else has a bit of trouble figuring things out, too. You aren't alone in all this. Now buck up and try to have a good first day. Can you do that for me, buddy?"
"Sure, I guess." Graham said somewhat reluctantly. He then turned back to his breakfast, which he took a few more bites of before setting down.
"Good." Masato smiled. Hearing an electronic beep of some sort, he looked down at his watch. Realizing what time it was, he said, "Well, I've gotta run kiddos, I've got a pretty important meeting with the board down at the company. I don't really have to do much, but I've got to at least be present and show the rest of them a smile seeing as how I'm CEO and all. Anyway, your bentos are sitting on the kitchen counter. Have a good day!"
"We will!" Eri chirped, waving goodbye to him as he left. "Bye, tou-san! (Bye, dad!)"
"Bye Eri, see you later!" Masato said as he walked out the door, grabbing his briefcase on the way out. Before he left completely, he made sure to add, "You too, Graham!"
Watching as the man left the apartment and shut the door behind him, Graham held up his hand and gave a slight wave, saying, "Bye..."
Standing up from the table and slinging her school bag over her shoulder, Eri turned to Graham and said, "Well, we should probably head out too, then. Right, onii-chan?"
"Oh uh, yeah." Graham replied somewhat awkwardly. "Right."
And so, Graham and Eri threw away their leftover breakfast and rinsed out their dishes before placing them in the sink. They then proceeded to exit the apartment, with Graham locking it up behind them using his spare key. With that taken care of, the two began their walk to school, idly chatting until they reached Eri's stop, Ohashi Jr. High. Saying goodbye to her 'brother', Eri turned and practically ran into the courtyard, where a large crowd of her classmates had gathered around the class assignment boards and were waiting in line to see which class they'd been assigned to.
Waving goodbye to the girl, Graham turned and continued walking down the sidewalk, making his way up the hill until he reached his own destination-Ohashi Sr. High School, where he was now a second-year student.
"Welp, this is really it." Graham mumbled to himself, readjusting his grip on his school bag while taking in a deep breath. Exhaling and putting on a fake smile, he made his way into the courtyard, where people were scrambling to get a look at the class assignment boards.
Trying not to pay any mind to two girls behind him as they screamed about someone being a thug or something, he made his way to the front of the line, only to be cut in front of out of nowhere by a large group of girls. Staggering backwards and struggling to maintain his footing, a wave of embarrassment washed over him, as he felt himself bump into someone standing behind him.
Whipping around and not even looking at the person as he bowed his head apologetically, he said, "Gomen! (Sorry!) That was an accident, I didn't mean to-"
"Relax, you're alright. Everything's cool." The person said.
Looking up, Graham saw a tall and thin Japanese boy about his age with shaggy bluish-green hair and bluish-green eyes. He was wearing the same uniform as him, and in addition to his he also wore a pair of black-framed glasses.
"Don't worry, I saw you trip. Those girls must not have seen you there." He mused. Holding out his hand, he said, "I'm Yusaku Kitamura, but you can just call me Kitamura. And you are…?"
"W-Who, me?" Graham asked somewhat nervously. Taking a shallow breath, he said, "I'm uh G-Graham Ulry. I'm a second-year."
"You're a second-year like me, huh? Cool. Nice to meet you, Graham." Kitamura replied. "Are you new here, or-?"
"Uh, no, actually. I um, I was here last year." Graham told him. "I um, I'm an exchange student. My parents, they um, they sent me here after I failed my Freshman year back in the States. I guess they wanted my grades to improve and they figured a Japanese school would whip me right into shape."
"Oh, well that's neat." Kitamura said with a smile. "Well if you need help with anything, feel free to let me know. Just because you're not new doesn't mean I won't help you out, it's my job as Class Rep after all."
"R-Right, okay." Graham replied, finally shaking Kitamura's hand. "I um, I'm gonna go see what class I'm-"
"Actually you don't need to, I already saw your name on the board." A new voice said. Turning around, Graham saw another tall and skinny Japanese teen, this one with shaggy blue hair and brown eyes wearing the exact same uniform as he and Kitamura. Gesturing over to the class assignment boards with his thumb, he said, "You're in 2-C, same as us."
"Hey, Ryuuji! Good to see ya, man!" Kitamura said, giving the boy a high-five. Turning to Graham, he said, "Graham, I'd like to to meet a friend of mine. This is Ryuuji Takasu, he and I were in the same class last year. Ryuuji, this is Graham, he's a second-year foreign exchange student from America, right?"
"Yeah, I um, I guess I'm what you'd call a yankee," Graham joked. Holding out his hand, he said, "Nice to m-meet you, Takasu-san."
"Nice to meet you too. Oh and hey listen, you don't have to call me Takasu-san, that's pretty formal." The boy replied, shaking Graham's hand. "You can call me Ryuuji if you want, I don't mind."
"R-Right. Ryuuji it is." Graham said, and together, the three began making their way inside the school. Stopping at the lockers in order to deposit their shoes and exchange them for the indoor slippers, they proceeded to head upstairs in order to go to Classroom 2-C.
Noticing that several students were pointing at them and whispering as they walked, Graham turned to the other two and said, "Is there a reason people are looking at us like that? It's kinda psyching me out."
"Oh, them? They do that. My dad, he um, he was with the Yakuza I think, and I got my eyes from him. Anyway, I give people scary looks without meaning to a lot, so they all call me 'Thug Takasu'. They probably think I'm gonna kill you or something."
"Oh. That makes sense, I guess..." Graham mumbled. "I recognize some of them from last year, they always call me a Gaijin."
"Ignore them, they're just confused and don't know why you're at our school." Ryuuji told him. "It's understandable, I mean, you're probably the first American to go to our school. I mean, we've had a few Japanese-American transfers here and there, but I think you're like-"
"-The first full-blown white guy?" Graham guessed. "Fair enough. Back in the States we had a big mix of races and stuff so it wasn't really that weird, but I guess you guys are used to it being mostly Japanese people."
"Pretty much." Kitamura told him. "Well, except for in places like Beppu, anyway. Beppu has a few big international universities and stuff like that so a lot of people from other Asian countries like Vietnam and Indonesia go there to study abroad. As far as Ohashi goes, we're pretty exclusively Japanese. Don't worry though, we're not racists or anything. They'll stop once they get to know you."
"I hope so..." Graham mumbled. "Anyway what about you, Kitamura? You have any nicknames?"
"Not really. I mean, sometimes Kihara calls me Mario as a joke, but that's about it."
"No, Kitamura, she calls you Maruo, not Mario." Ryuuji corrected him.
"Ohhh. Yeah that makes more sense," Kitamura replied. Both Ryuuji and Graham had to struggle not to roll their eyes at this.
A few seconds later, they reached their destination, which prompted Kitamura to say, "Well, here we are. Class 2-C."
Stroking his chin a bit, Graham replied, "Wow, it's...exactly like Class 1-F from last year."
"Yeah, it isn't really that different from 1-A, either." Ryuuji echoed. "Only real difference is that it's another floor up. Which means more walking."
"Yipee..." Graham muttered sarcastically. Hearing footsteps near them, he looked up and saw another person approaching-this one a girl.
"Hey Kitamura!" Said the girl in question, a tall and slender Japanese female with shoulder-length plumb hair and purple eyes. She was wearing the female version of the Ohashi Sr. High uniform, which consisted of a red uniform jacket with golden buttons overtop of a white long-sleeved blouse, a black bow-tie, and a dull blue miniskirt with black leggings. "We're in the same class again, this year."
The second he saw her, Ryuuji suddenly blushed, causing Graham to tilt his head in slight confusion. Meanwhile, Kitamura replied with, "So you're in C too, huh Kushieda?"
Nodding, the girl turned to Ryuuji and said, "Oh! Your name's Takasu, right? I've seen you hanging out with Kitamura a few times. I don't know if you remember me, but we've met before."
Stammering a bit, Ryuuji replied, "Y-You're Minori Kushieda, aren't you?"
"Hey, what do you know? You even remembered my full name!" Minori chirped, clapping her hands together as a smile formed on her face. "That kinda makes me happy."
As Ryuuji's face flushed even further, Kitamura regained Minori's attention and said, "Kushieda, there's someone else I'd like you to meet. This is Graham Ulry, he's a foreign-exchange student and he says he was here last year. Anyway, he's in 2-C, also."
"Alright, awesome! Another 2-C-er!" She said excitedly. Holding up her hand in a form of a wave, she continued with, "Pleasure to meet you, Graham. I'm Minori Kushieda!"
Being slightly caught off guard by her bubbly demeanor, Graham politely replied, "Pleasure's all mine, Kushieda."
"This is gonna be great!" Minori hollered, pumping her fist before slipping past the guys and running full-speed towards Classroom 2-C. As she ran off, she added, "Now let's do the best we can to enjoy every moment of our teenage years!"
"O...kay then?" Graham said somewhat awkwardly.
"Will do," Kitamura said with a smile.
"Yeah, sure..." Ryuuji mumbled, a trail of bright pink still dusting his cheeks.
"What's up, Takasu?" Kitamura questioned, noticing that he was acting somewhat strange.
"Oh, nothing, I just...need to use the bathroom," Ryuuji told him, reaching up and fidgeting with the tips of his hair.
"Okay." Kitamura replied, as he began to walk away. "See you in class."
Waiting until Kitamura had left, Graham turned to Ryuuji and said, "So, lemme guess. You have a thing for Ms. Smiles-a-lot."
"W-What? What makes you say that?"
"Dude, I'm not blind, I can tell." Graham said. In order to ease his new friend's mind, he added, "Don't worry, I'm not gonna like, tell anyone or anything. Cuz I mean, A, I'm not that kind of guy, and B, even if I was, I don't really know anybody here so...who would I tell?"
"Fair enough," Ryuuji shrugged. "So, what about you? You have your eyes on anyone?"
Letting out a bit of a chuckle, Graham said, "What'd I just say? I don't know anyone. Besides, even if I did like someone, there's no way it'd work out. Girls...girls don't really like me very much."
"Oh. Well, don't worry, I'm sure you'll find someone." Ryuuji said, to which Graham stifled a laugh. He then changed the subject by saying, "Anyway, I really do have to use the bathroom, so if you'll excuse me,"
With that, Ryuuji turned to leave. Looking up, Graham realized another person was heading in Takasu's general direction, but before he could warn him, they bumped into eachother, eliciting a series of gasps and murmurs from the rest of the students in the hallway. Working his way into the crowd that formed relatively quickly, Graham got a good look at who Ryuuji had bumped into-a short and skinny Japanese female with long, caramel-colored hair and dark amber eyes. She was wearing the same uniform as Minori and all the other female students, only it was...smaller. Almost as if it was made for a-
...doll. Graham thought to himself. She looks JUST like one of those creepy life-sized...dolls.
Hearing people whispering things behind him, Graham turned around in order to listen in.
"Dude, it's the first day and Ryuuji Takasu and Taiga Aisaka are facing off!" One guy said.
"This fight is gonna determine who's king!" Another guy replied.
Turning his attention back to Ryuuji, Graham watched as he backed away from the girl, who began rubbing her head as an annoyed expression formed on her rather delicate looking face. Just as Graham was about to chuckle at the contrast between her demeanor and her stature and appearance, her eyes got even darker, and she balled her tiny right hand into a fist.
Oh crap, she's...she's kinda mad. Graham realized. Like, she looks really ticked off.
"OMG!" A female student blurted out. "It's Thug Takasu and the Palm Top Tiger!"
"Shut up!" Another girl said as she hid behind her.
Palm Top...Tiger? What kind of a nickname is that...? Graham thought, furrowing his eyebrows. Looking down at his palm and bouncing his fist in it a few times, he continued to think to himself, as the wheels began turning in his head. Wait, I get it. She's called that because-
"The palm thing," Ryuuji thought aloud, performing the same gesture as Graham. This prompted Taiga to deliver a swift uppercut to his jaw, as everyone else watched, absolutely dumbfounded. Watching as his new friend plummeted to the floor with a solid thud, Graham muttered, "Yep...it's a fitting nickname, alright..."
Waiting until Taiga left and the crowd began to clear out, Graham went and helped Ryuuji up to his feet, and together, the two proceeded to head to class before the bell rang.
"Alright class, that's all for today!" Yuri Koigakubo, Class 2-C's teacher, announced, as the final bell rang. "And remember, if you haven't already turned in your Career Plan, be sure to swing by the Faculty Office and drop it off. Okay, Takasu?"
"U-Uh, okay!" Ryuuji said somewhat awkwardly, being slightly caught off guard.
"Good." Turning her attention to the desk next to him, she said, "I'll need to see you too, Graham. Your teacher from last year told me you had a bit of a hard time with your Japanese, so I'm gonna try and go over some of the basics with you for a bit. That okay?"
"Uh, yeah, thanks," Graham said, rubbing the back of his head in slight embarrassment. The last thing he'd wanted to happen was for his new teacher to broadcast his difficulty remembering Japanese in front of the entire class.
Looking a few rows behind him, Graham spotted Minori, who was in the middle of a conversation with Taiga, the girl who had sucked-punched Ryuuji earlier. He didn't catch much of the conversation, but from what he could glean, it had something to do with house dust and allergies.
Turning back around to face the front, he noticed Ryuuji turn his head as well-he'd been looking back at them, too.
"So, she's friends with Minori Kushieda, huh?" The alleged delinquent mumbled. "If anyone's got it rough around here, it's me..."
"Are you okay?" Kitamura questioned, having overheard him talking to himself.
"Oh um, yeah, I guess," Ryuuji said.
Gesturing over to both him and Graham, the Class Rep continued with, "So, have you guys heard?"
He then gestured to the back of the classroom, where several of the students could be heard chatting about the two.
"Aren't Takasu and Aisaka amazing?" Maya Kihara, a girl with long orange hair, said.
"Palm Top Tiger's on fire!" Koji Haruta, a boy with shoulder-length blue hair, replied.
"I heard Takasu's not a thug." Added Hisamitsu Noto, a somewhat nerdy boy with glasses and short brown hair. "He just looks like a psycho."
"Ahmm. And the boy who sits next to him, Graham? He's not a jerk or anything like that, he's just really shy." Concluded Nanako Kashii, a girl with long purple hair. "My friend Saki sat next to him in class last year, and she told me he barely spoke unless spoken to."
"See?" Kitamura said. "They're starting to warm up to you guys."
"Hmm," Graham hummed in reply. "Well that's good, I guess."
"...so, do you think you have the basics down?" Ms. Koigakubo asked, as she finished going over a series of basic Japanese phrases with Graham. "If you're still having trouble, don't worry. Japanese is a really hard language to learn, especially for people who primarily speak English."
"No, I think I'm g-good." Graham told her. "Thank you."
"No problem, just doing my job as your teacher. I'm also looking out for you as a favor for a friend of mine. You remember Ms. Haga from last year?"
"My 1st year teacher? Yeah, I remember,"
"Well, she told me she was a little worried for you around finals. According to her you had pretty decent grades in English and Literature, but you had a bit of trouble with Japanese, History, and all your other subjects. She also told me you were really shy, too. Don't be afraid to step out a little more this year, okay? High school can be hard, but it's easier if you make a few really good friends."
"Yeah, I know..." Graham mumbled. "Can I go now? I have to pick up my sister from her school,"
"Oh, of course. Go right on ahead." Hearing this, Graham turned to leave. However, before he could, he heard Mrs. Koigakubo say, "Wait a minute, I almost forgot. Did you finish your Career Plan, yet?"
"Oh um, no, I don't think I got around to it over break," Graham said nervously. "Sorry."
"No, it's perfectly fine. You don't have to apologize." She told him. "There's not a super strict deadline on those, it's just something we try to have students do during the first week or so of school. The Principal says that if we make kids think about what they want to do with their future, it'll make it easier for them to follow their dreams and have a smoother transition into adulthood. Just fill it out tonight and you can turn it in tomorrow morning."
"Oh, okay..." Graham told her, grabbing his school-bag and slinging it over his shoulder. He then left the Faculty Office, but not before saying, "Have a good night, Koigakubo-san!"
"You too, Graham." Ms. Koigakubo said with a smile, as he exited the room and began to walk down the hallway. After he left, she turned her attention back to her desk, where she still had lots of paperwork to file. "You too..."
With that, Graham exited the school, but not entirely without incident.
As he made his way over to the stairs, he walked past his classroom, where he heard some sort of commotion going on. Poking his head in, he saw what appeared to be Ryuuji and Taiga, who were fighting over a bag, of all things.
Stroking his chin, he considered stepping in, but ultimately decided against it-after all, Taiga had proven herself to be a little violent, but she was still relatively tiny, so he had no doubt that Ryuuji could easily overpower her if she were to seriously try attacking him. There wasn't much he could do, anyway-he was no bodybuilder, himself. And on top of all that, he was running late to pick up Eri from her school.
Shrugging his shoulders, Graham muttered, "I'm sure he'll be fine.", and with that, he continued on his way.
"Hiya, onii-chan!" Eri chirped, spotting Graham as he gestured to her from the sidewalk. Making her way over to him, she said, "Ready to head home?"
"Yep," He nodded. "You?"
"Ahuh," She said with a smile, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Let's go."
And so, they began their walk back home. Along the way, they made idle conversation here and there, but nothing super substantial was really said between the two.
Looking up at him out of nowhere, Eri said, "So, was it a good first day?"
"Huh? Oh, you mean like, for me?" Graham asked, to which the younger girl nodded. Shrugging his shoulders, Graham said, "Yeah, it was fine. It was also...interesting, to say the least."
"Well that's good." Eri smiled. "I had a really good first day, too."
"I'm glad to hear that," Graham replied, patting her on the head affectionately. "Now c'mon, let's get home and get started on dinner."
Once they were home, Graham and Eri changed out of their school uniforms and began preparing their dinner for that night-tonksatsu flavored ramen with sliced pork, soy sauce, and hard-boiled eggs. Eri stood in front of the stove and began boiling some water for the noodles to go into, while Graham got to work prepping the rest of the ingredients-using a knife, he sliced up the pork before getting out a separate, smaller pan, which he filled up with water in order to boil the eggs. Once they were finished, they mixed everything together and distributed the meal into three separate bowls, which Graham proceeded to set the table with alongside chopsticks, ramen spoons, and napkins. Just seconds after they'd finished, the door opened and Masato walked in, greeting the two teens with a big grin on his face before sitting down at the table to eat with them.
From there, dinner went fairly normally. Masato told them all about his busy day at the company, and once he was finished he asked them how their days were. Eri took the opportunity to tell the two all about the new friends she'd made, her new teacher, and how she was going to prepare for Track team tryouts, which would be held that Friday.
On the other hand, Graham found himself coming up somewhat empty, so he lied and said he'd made a lot of new friends, too and that they already had plans to hang out after school later in the week. He felt a slight tinge of guilt in his stomach when Masato smiled and told him how happy he was for him, but he quickly got over it. Part of him felt bad for lying to them, sure, but in his opinion it was better than disappointing them with the truth. After all, Masato had encouraged him to try harder to step out of his comfort zone this year, which he fully intended to do-he just hadn't gotten around to it, yet.
Once he was finished eating, Graham excused himself and retreated to his room. Sliding his door shut, he sat down at his desk and booted up his computer. Opening up his word processor, he worked for a bit on the manuscript he was in the middle of writing before saving his work and shutting the computer down.
Letting out a bit of a yawn, he was about to go to bed when he looked over at his bag and spotted a piece of paper sticking out of the top-his Career Plan.
"Oh, right." He remembered. "I gotta fill out the Career Plan thing-y and turn it in at school tomorrow or Ms. Koigakubo'll be disappointed...guess I'd better get on that."
Getting up from his chair, he walked over to his bag and procured the Career Plan, which he took with him as he sat back down at the desk. Grabbing a pen, he got to work filling out the assignment, running into a bit of a wall when he got to the actual part where he was supposed to say what he wanted to do after high school.
"Name at least three career paths you feel interested in pursuing after high school..." He read aloud, furrowing his eyebrows somewhat. "Huh...I wonder what I should put. I mean, it's just a stupid assignment for school, it's not like I actually HAVE to stick to whatever I write down...I could put anything, really...what DO I wanna do with my future, anyway?"
Thinking about it long and hard, Graham jotted down the following three answers: Writing, Voice-Acting, and Office Work.
"Knowing my luck, I'll probably wind up stuck doing the third one...at least with Masato I'll have a guaranteed job, I suppose..." Graham said somewhat cynically. Filling out the rest of the Career Plan, he clicked the pen closed and folded the piece of paper up before placing it back inside his school clothes.
Letting out another yawn, the boy decided it was time for him to hit the hay. Slipping out of his shorts, he walked over to his nightstand and set his alarm clock before turning off the light and practically collapsing into bed. Plugging his phone into the charger, he slipped under the covers and closed his eyes, falling asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.
And so, Graham drifted off to sleep, spending the next few hours in a relatively peaceful and dream-less state.
After awhile, he was suddenly roused from his sleep by a strange noise. Said noise seemed to be coming from directly above him.
Furrowing his eyebrows in slight annoyance, the boy rolled over and closed his eyes, attempting to go back to sleep. However, before he could doze off again, he heard the noise again-only this time, it was louder. Listening closely, the teen determined that the sound he was hearing was some kind of thumping or stomping. Rolling his eyes, he laid back down and tried to go back to bed once more, but to no avail-the noise continued to grow louder.
Letting out a huff, Graham thrust the covers off of his body and sat up, reaching for his cell phone and hastily disconnecting it off the charger. Going into his contacts and scrolling down until he reached the number for the front desk of his building, he dialed the number and waited, listening to the digitized dialing tone in the hopes that a staff member would pick up and he could complain to them about the noise. Grunting in frustration as his call went to voice mail, he flipped the hinge on his phone closed and put the device back on the charger, having determined that it was beyond the complex's business hours and therefore, no one was currently at the front desk.
Realizing he'd have to deal with it himself, Graham reluctantly thrust the covers off of his body and stood up, resisting the urge to wince as his feet came into contact with the cold hardwood floor. Slipping into a pair of jeans and a light hoodie, he grabbed his tennis-shoes from the closet and slipped them onto his feet. Grabbing his cell phone and his spare house key, he pocketed the two items and quietly exited his bedroom. Tip-toeing his way down the hall, he unlocked the front door and slowly cracked it open. Slipping outside, he quietly pulled it shut from the outside and locked it using his spare key. He then turned and walked down the hall, making his way to the stairs while trying his best not to make too much noise.
Using basic logic in order to determine which apartment the room above his belonged to, he made his way to that apartment. Taking a deep breath, he reached out to knock on the door. However, when he did so, he heard a creaking sound, and the door swung inward to reveal it was not only unlocked, but open.
"It's not locked? Weird..." Graham thought aloud. Looking around, he said, "Should I go in? I mean, yeah it's trespassing, but I can't just NOT let whoever lives here know that their door is wide open. Shouldn't I at least say something…?"
Thinking about it in a bit more detail, Graham ultimately decided against it. Or at least, his brain did. His body, on the other hand, was a different story. For whatever reason, against his better judgment, his body decided to open the door and step inside, almost as if he and his body were separate entities, each with their own set of goals.
Why the heck am I doing this? This is totally creepy. He thought to himself. If I get caught sneaking around in here, people will think I'm a freak or something, AND I'll get charged with Breaking and Entering! But at the same time, I can't just leave without letting the people who live here know that their door is open, can I? What kinda neighbor would I be if I didn't warn them? I wonder who lives here, anyway…
Looking around the living room, he saw several articles of clothing scattered around. Tank tops, skirts, blouses, etcetera, etcetera. It was kinda like what you'd expect to see in the bedroom of a messy teen girl, only instead of just her bedroom, it was all over the house. That's basically the kind of mess he was seeing.
That wasn't all, either-the sink appeared to be crammed full of dirty dishes, and a foul stench filled the air, causing Graham to gag as he struggled not to throw up. Taking a deep breath, he plugged his nose and continued down the hall towards the master bedroom, despite every fiber of his being telling him that he shouldn't.
Reaching the master bedroom, he noticed that it too had its door left wide open. Stepping inside, he saw a familiar shape standing on the balcony, tying what appeared to be curtains to the railing. Realizing it was Taiga, Graham watched as she grabbed what appeared to be a wooden kendo sword and leapt from her balcony to the building across from it, using the curtain as a sort of makeshift zipline.
Sneaking his way over to the balcony Graham watched as the Palm Top Tiger slipped into the adjacent house through an open window.
"Oh my god!" Graham whispered to himself sharply, as his eyes widened in realization. "Taiga's gonna try and rob whoever's in that house!"
Turning around, Graham rushed out of Taiga's bedroom and hastily exited her apartment, slamming the door shut behind him and proceeding to bound down the hall towards the stairs. Rushing down the flight of steps in order to reach the lobby, he practically burst through the front doors of the apartment complex, zipping up his hoodie in order to keep himself somewhat warm as he ran off into the night.
Making his way to the house next door, Graham sped up the wooden steps and pounded his fist into the front door, taking a series of shallow breaths as he struggled to not panic. Not getting an answer initially, he shook his head before trying again, hoping and praying that whoever lived inside wasn't in the middle of being murdered by Taiga.
Hearing the door unlock, Graham let out a long sigh of relief. He then watched as the door opened to reveal none other than Ryuuji, who looked at the boy and said, "Oh, hi Graham. What brings you here, tonight?"
"Nothing much. Listen, I really need to tell you something! I just saw Taiga, she-"
"-broke into my house with a kendo stick and tried to murder me? Yeah, I already know." Ryuuji told him. "She passed out from hunger, so I'm actually making her fried rice right now. You want some?"
"...I think I'll pass, it's kinda late and I need to get back to-" Graham began, being cut off by his stomach when it decided to gurgle. "-sleep..."
Having heard this, Ryuuji reached out and grabbed Graham by the wrist, pulling him inside and shutting the door behind them so fast that the latter didn't even have time to shout out in protest.
"...So, lemme get this straight," Graham said in-between bites of fried rice, as Ryuuji explained the reasoning behind Taiga's little break-in. "Aisaka likes Kitamura, so she wrote him a love letter and put it in his bag after class, but it actually turned out to be your bag, so she tried to take it from you so she could get the letter back, but you wouldn't let go, so she gave up and decided to sneak into your house to beat you up so you wouldn't say anything, only for you to reveal to her that the envelope was actually empty?"
"That's right," Ryuuji told him. "Your point?"
"Why didn't you call the police instead of going out of your way to make her food?"
Shrugging his shoulders, Ryuuji said, "I don't know, I couldn't help it I guess. I mean, she passed out from hunger right in front of me, I wasn't just gonna call the cops on her and let her go to jail hungry. It's better to sort things out over some good food, right, Aisaka?"
"Listen up, you mangy mutt. There is no 'sorting things out', you hear me?" Taiga told him. "I meant what I said before I passed out. Now that you know my secret, one of us has to die."
"Oh c'mon, aren't you being a little dramatic?" Graham said in exasperation. "I mean, the envelope didn't even have a letter in it, can't you cut him a little slack?"
"Don't start with me, I won't hesitate to kill you either," Taiga growled, glaring daggers at the boy.
"I'm just trying to be rational about this. Sheesh." Graham said, folding his arms.
Speaking up, Ryuuji said, "Look, Aisaka, I know you're afraid I'm gonna tell Kitamura and the entire school that you like him, but trust me, I'm not like that, your secret is safe with me. And if you're embarrassed that I know that you like him, don't be worried about that, either. You and me are in the same boat. Hang on, I'll be right back."
With that, the boy stood up and went into his bedroom, leaving Graham and Taiga alone at the dining room table. Looking around nervously as an awkward silence set in, Graham struggled to come up with something to talk about-he needed something, anything to break the ice and slice through the tension.
"So, um, you like kendo…?" He asked rather awkwardly, to which Taiga scowled.
"What did I say about not hesitating to kill you? Look, you don't talk to me, and I won't cave your head in. Deal?"
"Fair enough..." Graham replied, just as Ryuuji came back into the room carrying what appeared to be a large cardboard box.
Setting it down, he opened it up and addressed Taiga, saying, "Alright, so at school there's this girl I like, see? And this right here is a box of poems I've written about her."
Reaching inside the box and procuring a notebook, Taiga began flipping through it, as Ryuuji continued with, "That's not all, either. I've got all kinds of stuff. Letters, a list of songs I'd play at a hypothetical concert I'd put on for her-"
"Wow, you're really thorough," Graham said, flipping through another one of the notebooks. "I don't even know how I'd approach the girl that I like..."
"Wait, you like a girl?" Ryuuji asked. "I thought you said earlier that you didn't know anybody."
"Well, I mean, I didn't, but I met someone. Well, met isn't really accurate. I haven't actually talked to her yet, I've just seen her in class and think she's kinda cute." Graham explained. "You know that girl who sits next to Kihara?"
"Nanako Kashii?" Taiga asked. "Man, you really aim high, don't you? You realize she'd never go out with a loser like you, right?"
"Hey! I already know I'm a loser, you don't have to rub it in!" Graham exclaimed, somewhat offended by her comment.
"That was pretty rude. You should apolo-" Ryuuji began, stopping when Taiga began glaring daggers at him. "Nevermind. Anyway, as I was saying, I've got the poems, the playlist of songs for the hypothetical concert, some letters, and I've also got music for when we'll go for a drive together. I don't have a car or a license, but I've got a disc for every season. But since I'm too afraid to tell her how I feel, all I can do is fantasize. You, though, you actually had the courage to get up and do something about it! So try to be more...optimistic. Be more like-"
"To Minori...Kushieda..." Taiga said, reading the opening line of one of the letters out loud.
"Yeah, be more like Minori Kushieda." Ryuuji said with a smirk, before suddenly realizing what he'd done. Scrambling for the notebook in her hands, he shouted, "Give that back!"
"You like Minorin?" Taiga questioned, a hint of disgust in her tone. "Man, and I thought Shy Guy aimed high! She is so out of your league!"
"Hey, I have a name, y'know!" Graham pointed out. "Also, that's really rude. Seriously, we don't have to take this from you."
Not wanting things to escalate between the two, Ryuuji said, "Let's just calm down, okay guys? Look, Aisaka, whatever your opinion on my liking Minori or Graham having a crush on Kashii is, the point I'm trying to make here is that we're all in the same boat. So let's just let bygones and bygones and please let this be over with, it's getting really late and I really need you to leave-"
"I WILL NOT!" Taiga shouted out of nowhere.
"What? But why not? C'mon, please?" Ryuuji pleaded. "Listen, my borderline mental mother is going to be home any minute, and if she sees you she'll flip!"
"That's not really my problem, now is it?" Taiga asked. "If you didn't wanna have to worry about that, you should've just let me have your bag back at school."
"Yeah, well maybe if you had just explained yourself back at school, we could've avoided this entire thing!" Ryuuji pointed out. "Now look, I really need you to leave. Please, I'll do anything!"
"...Anything anything?" Taiga questioned, a curious look on her face. "So, you'll follow my orders? Like a dog?"
"Um, I mean, sure, whatever you want!" Ryuuji told her. "I just need you out of my house, please."
Ignoring Ryuuji for a moment, Taiga turned to Graham and said, "And what about you? Would you follow my orders like a dog?"
Furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, Graham said, "W-What? I don't have anything to do with this, why are you dragging me into it?"
"Well, it's like Ryuuji said. The three of us are in the same boat." Taiga reminded him. "You could just walk out the door and pretend none of this ever happened, but then someone might 'accidentally' spill the beans about your little thing for Kashii."
"Why you...you w-wouldn't!"
"I don't know, I mean, I am the Palm Top Tiger, after all. I wouldn't put it past me, that's all I'm saying."
"Man, why'd I have to stick my stupid nose in…?" Graham mumbled. "I should've just left it alone...fine, whatever, I'll be your dog or whatever. It's not like I have anything better to do."
"Good. I'm glad we could come to an agreement." Taiga said. Turning to Ryuuji, she said, "What about you? Are you in?"
"I already told you, I'll do whatever you want." Ryuuji reiterated. "Just please, leave before my mom comes home!"
"Alright, alright, I'm going," Taiga relented. Standing up from the table, she grabbed her kendo stick and made her way over to the door.
"Wait, I'll walk you home," Ryuuji offered, standing up in order to follow her to the door.
"Nah, I'm good. I live close by," Taiga told him. Gesturing to her kendo stick, she said, "Besides, I've got this."
That's probably what he's worried about, Graham thought to himself, making sure not to share this thought out loud as he got up and joined the two by the door.
"Alright then. Be safe, I guess," Ryuuji said somewhat awkwardly, opening the door and watching as the girl left. Turning to look at Graham, he added, "What about you? Will you be okay walking by yourself?"
"Actually, Taiga and I both live next door. That's kinda how I got into this whole mess, see, I woke up to this loud noise coming from above me, and it...turned out to be coming from her apartment. Anyway, I stupidly decide to go find out what the heck was going on, and you...well, you can guess the rest. Anyway, thanks for the rice, Ryuuji. See you at school tomorrow."
"Yeah, see ya," Ryuuji replied, shutting the door as Graham walked out and headed home.
Managing to sneak back into his apartment, Graham slipped back into his room and threw his jeans and hoodie off. Collapsing onto his bed, he fell back asleep the instant his head hit his pillow. After the events of the night, he was thoroughly exhausted…
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Waking up with a start, Graham let out a long sigh-it seemed like he'd literally just gone back to sleep, and now it was already time to go back to school. Looking at the clock and seeing that he still had a little more time to sleep in, he hit the snooze button and laid back down, intending to get a little more rest before getting ready for the day.
However, before he could do so, he was woken up for good by the sound of his phone ringing. Snapping his eyes open, he reached for it and opened it up in order to answer the call. Lifting the phone to his ear, he was immediately met with unintelligible screaming, so he hung up and sat the phone down, taking a deep breath as he tried to process what was happening.
Hearing it ring again just a few seconds later, Graham picked it back up and reluctantly answered it once more.
"You hung up on me," A voice said on the other end of the line. Graham immediately recognized it as Taiga's. "Don't do that."
"It's 7:00 in the morning and you yelled in my ear without even saying who you were, what'd you expect me to do…?" Graham asked her. "Look, what do you want?"
"You said you'd follow my orders like a dog, remember? Now get your ass up here, Ryuuji's already over here with breakfast."
"Alright, alright..." Graham groaned. "I'll be right over."
"You'd better," Taiga told him. "Don't even think about skipping out, or I won't hesitate to tell Kashii about your little crush. Understand me?"
"I said I'd be right over, just shutup alrea-"
"What did you say?!"
"N-Nothing!" Graham backpedaled. "I'll be right over!"
With that, he hung up the phone and let out a sigh. Thrusting the covers off of his body, he got out of bed and reluctantly made his way to the bathroom. Grabbing a quick shower, he got out and went back in his room to get dressed before going back into the bathroom, where he performed the various steps of his daily hygiene routine. Eventually, he got to the final step-combing his hair.
"Well, what do you know…? Yesterday I had no friends, and today...well, at least I can PRETEND I have some, now..." Graham thought aloud. Hastily combing his hair into the same basic hairstyle he always used, he looked at the time and said, "Oh crap, I should probably run. There's no telling what she'll do if I'm late. I can't believe I'm actually doing this right now...is this my life, now?"
Looking into the mirror one last time and giving himself a forced smile, Graham concluded with, "Guess so."
Coming Up…
Ryuuji: A sloppy pact, misunderstandings, and the power of genetics. Y'know what, Taiga? You're one hell of a klutz.
Taiga: Shutup and rot in hell.
Graham: (stuttering) C-C-C'mon, can't you guys just g-g-get along…?
Stay tuned for Chapter II: This Is Your Life!
A/N: And there you have it. My second (well technically third or fourth, I lost track a long time ago) take on the very first episode of everyone's favorite romcom anime. I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, it was a blast! I had no idea how much I missed writing the Toradora! cast until I sat down and actually started writing them again. Anyway, feel free to leave a review telling me what you thought of it, I'd really appreciate any and all feedback, positive or negative! I'll try and get the next chapter out as soon as I can. I don't know if this is going to have as many chapters as the anime has episodes yet, but for now I'm gonna keep it contained to one episode per chapter just to keep things simple and build up the plot.
I don't have much else to say so for now, this is xXRocketShark216Xx, signing off! See you guys later! :)