日光. Nikkō Academy. SunShine Academy in English.
My future lay here.
...
Ribbon リボン
Chapter One.
...
Today was finally the day I pulled up my socks and became my own independent person, away from the wild gang business my dad was webbed with. That drived me insane.
I finally moved out of Kyoto, to the dorms of Nikkō Academy. It was too bad; I'd grown attached to Kyoto the few months I was there, probably the only place I was glued to since we came to live in Japan.
I'd rather have lived in Korea, after religiously watching all those K-dramas, I truly was brainwashed to believe my destiny was there. I even dreamed of meeting my handsome, immaculate Jagia and hiding in his jacket as the rain plummeted down violently and single-as-a-pringle girls sauntered past, gawking at us enviously. Yes, it was an exceptional scene.
A scene that my dad pinched out of my life when he decided Japan was our new home.
But it was okay. I'd discover the other half of myself; embrace and broaden my knowledge of my heritage, being a Hafu-san - as the Japanese would call me.
I waddled into the gates with my petit pink suitcase tagging behind me.
Crap.
This building was huge. It was out of reach. Its large roof practically stabbed the sky, tearing through the clouds while the bottom (the part actually on Earth it seemed) was planted with dozens of windows and doors, its grey bricks were as new as my will to live.
Students lounged around on benches, some strolling around while a waterfall of students rushed in and out of the building on different occasions, all in their prissy uniforms.
Then my eye locked on the banner.
日光. Nikkō Academy. SunShine Academy in English.
My future lay here. At this mansion-like, marvellous, glamourous-
"Cough cough."
I twirled around, my lengthy hair swinging like a whip, at the sound of husky voice. There stood a student in their white shirt and orange tie. I couldn't tell if it was a girl or a guy, but as I squinted, I realised it was a girl. She just dressed in a boy-like manner.
Her jet black hair was kept short but wild, with a lousy hair clip added there randomly. Her tie and baggy trousers made her look like a guy... Did she hate skirts?
She had a miniscule beauty spot just under those auburn eyes of hers. At least her lashes were long. She was pretty but she needed a bit of a makeover!
"Oh, hi." I finally said, after what seemed like eons. I'd been living in Japan for a few months but Japanese still felt weird on my tongue. "D-did you need something?"
"Are you the new transfer student?" she asked, beaming.
"Yeah... I just arrived here. I'm Chitoge Kirisaki."
Her smile widened. "I'm Seishiro Tsugumi! It's nice to meet you." I didn't know where that beam of energy came from, but I swear I lost control of my body when she violently shook my hand. She had a strong grip, but she was cute.
"Are you new to Japan?" she pryed, moments later.
"Can you really tell that much?" I pouted, dragging my suitcase as we walked. "My hometown's in the US, so I speak English. But I speak Japanese too, it's just not my first language."
"I can tell." Tsugumi-san giggled. Her laugh was surprisingly girly for a tom-boy. I gawked at her, humiliation written all over my face. She waved her arms around. "No, not that your Japanese is bad! You just have that cute foreigner accent. But your Japanese is quite good."
I furrowed my eyebrows in annoyance. "I'm half Japanese but I get what you mean, I didn't grow up here."
Foreigner? She acted like I had nothing to do with Japan... My mother was fully Japanese so naturally I inherited some Japanese customs too. I wasn't clueless or dumbfounded in my heritage.
"Oh, so you're a Hafu-san!"
"Yes..."
"Hey there, peachy."
A voice.
Undoubtedly belonging to a guy, since it was deep and a lot huskier than Tsugumi-san's. We both glanced behind us. Two guys were strutting over to us.
They were both really tall and lanky, at least 175cm in height. The guy walking in front: his arms were laced behind his head, his tie loose and his blazer wrecklessly chucked inside his bag and his jet black hair practically digested his face. His friend strolled behind him, his hair dyed a beach blonde, piercings all over his face and a huge jacket with a fur hood thrown over his uniform. They were hot, I couldn't deny that.
But seriously... Peachy? Just because my hair was dip-dyed a pink colour...?
"I haven't seen your pretty face around this hellhole before," the first guy hissed flirtatiously, cupping my chin. "Are you a transfer student?"
I glared at him. How dare he touch me. "Yes. And don't touch me." I clutched his arm and shoved him away.
"Ah, we've got a feisty new blondie, just like you Seiko! And she doesn't sound a native, just like you, too!"
"I'm not a native." I growled. "Just get lost now."
'Seiko' sighed. "Just leave the girls alone Naoko. Let's beat it." He had a really chill vibe.
"Hey, nobody talks to me like that and gets away with it!" This 'Naoko' guy's snakish smirk sent shivers down my spine. He looked like a pervert.
Then, out of the blue, he grabbed my ribbon.
Wait... MY RIBBON?! NO WAY. AND HE WAS RUNNING AWAY WITH IT?
"Hell no!" Just the sensation of the ribbon untieing from my hair was enough to send me to my breaking point. My contorted face showed dangerous vexation. I propelled forward, springing like some desperate grasshopper and chased after him.
Naoko sped at lightning speed, but I wasn't far from him. I could hear Tsugumi yelling and panting as she chased after us, barely breathing at every turn.
"Nani o suru nda!?"
"Orokana baka!"
"Bakayarou!"
I could hear dozens of caterwauls from the students as we barged into them. I was making a horrible first impression, but I couldn't let this idiot get away with my ribbon.
Others just called it a ribbon, but to me it was something else completely. My mother had given it to me when I was younger. It was the only thing I had left of her since we lost contact. It made me feel safe and remember the old times...
"Catch it if you can, peachy!"
Naoko suddenly disappeared. Everyone disappeared. It was just me and the ribbon.
I pounced upwards, exasperated, outstretching my arm to snatch the scarlet, silky ribbon from the air. I caught it.
And then everything came back into focus. That white sphere that had shielded me and the ribbon from reality melted away.
I was on a wall, my ribbon clutched in my elongated arm, sighing in relief like I had escaped murder. I ridiculously stood with one leg up, off balanced and vulnerable, with dozens of eyes piercing into me at once. Nobody would forget me. I was the clumsy, idiotic new American transfer student.
I fell.
Almost losing consciousness as I swore the sky was shrinking.
I hit something.
Or something hit me. Well, it was something like that; as if I'd fallen into a bed.
"Uhh..."
I glimpsed up, realising I fell in someone's arms. A tan-skinned guy with jet black hair and a rather creeped out face stared back at me. Shit.
I could feel my face heating up, flushing red. You could practically taste the awkwardness in the air as he sheepishly put me down. I could only apprehend the obnoxious snickers his friends were holding in, and it was still hella embarrassing even though most of the crowd died down.
"She fell right out of the sky at the right moment, Raku!" the taller one chortled. "See, heaven really does respond to your cries!"
The guy sighed, facepalming himself. "Will you watch what you're doing?! How can you be so wreckless!"
I tried biting back my mortification. "You'd be wreckless too if something special to you went missing!" I roared furiously.
I could only glare daggers at him as he strolled away with his cackling homies. Gosh, they were worse than those Lion King hyenas...
Tsugumi came galloping with my belongings. I felt so horrible for ditching her with my stuff.
"Tsugumi-san..." I sighed apologetically as she panted exaggeratedly. "I'm so sorry! Thank you so much!"
"No worries, Chitoge-chan!" she exclaimed in glee.
-chan...? Wasn't it a little early for that...? I barely knew her.
I chuckled awkwardly.
"So, where's your dorm?" Tsugumi-san pondered casually.
I unfolded my sheet of paper. "It's room D864. Do you know where that is?"
"No way, you're two rooms away from me. You're Onodera-chan's new roommate!" she squealed. "Let me show you the way, this is going to be so fun!"
Onodera-san... Her name seemed so familiar but it was at my fingertips. This would be a very strange first day at Nikkō Academy.
I was kinda scared.