Chapter 2: Friends

I wake up with a start when my alarm goes off. I quickly smack it and sigh. Today is the designated moving day for the rest of the students… and I'm so not prepared!

Makoto and I had hung out a lot yesterday. I wasn't originally planning on talking to him again because I was afraid I would bug him, but he actually came and knocked on my door. He'd wanted to go explore the school originally, but when he ended up seeing all of my electrical equipment… his reaction was the best!

"Holy crap Chihiro, is that all yours!?" He exclaimed, loudly. "You… you've got all of the latest game consoles! And that TV...! It's huge! And look at all of those computers! How the heck are you gonna set all of that up alone!?"

After saying that, he insisted on helping me to set it all up. He obviously wanted to play my video games, but I didn't mind… He was actually pretty good at them! But he always ended up getting flustered whenever I beat him in Mario Kart or Pokémon… After a while I just decided to let him play some of my single-player games, happy just chatting with him.

...The bad part about all of that was that I was planning on practicing how to talk with people for today… and now it's a little too late. Especially since Headmaster Kirigiri wanted us to help the people in our class move in!

"I-I really don't know what I'm gonna do…" I think with a sigh. "I guess I'm just going to have to wing it. I hope I don't choke in front of my new classmates…"

I quickly shower and dress, making sure that I look halfway decent. First impressions are important after all! I steal a quick glance at the clock and see that it's ten-thirty. People aren't due to arrive until eleven, so I decide to grab a quick breakfast.

When I enter the dining hall, I see Makoto talking with Mr. Kirigiri. He sees me and waves me over. "Hey, good morning Chihiro! Ready for today?"

I walk over to them and give them both a small smile. "Good morning to you both as well." I let out a small sigh. "I'm about as ready as I'll ever be, Makoto… I'm so nervous!"

The headmaster pats my head. "I wouldn't worry about it Chihiro. Like I told you before, some of these people are extremely unique. There's no way to tell how they'll react to you until you interact with them, so I would just go for it." He says, giving me a thumbs up. "Besides, they can't all hate you, right?"

…Is that supposed to be reassuring?

"You'll be alright, Chihiro!" Makoto says, sparing an exasperated glance. "I'll be there too, so if things go a little sour, I'll do my best to help ya out!"

I give my new friend a smile as thanks, before a voice breaks through the intercom. "Jin, a student is already here and requests assistance." I recognize the voice as the older lady from the front office.

"We'll be right there, Miss Yoshie." He turns to us as the intercom clicks off. "Alright you two, let's head to the front. We can get something to eat once we're done helping."

I'm a little bummed that I can't get anything to eat yet… but at the same time, I suddenly feel way too nervous to stomach anything!

Our trip to the gates is a short one. When we arrive, I see a boy standing there, looking slightly distraught. He's tall with black hair and piercing red eyes, and… let's just say that his eyebrow game is strong. He's wearing a crisp white uniform and black boots… is he military, or something?

Makoto is the first to approach him, and I follow close behind. "Uh, hey! Is something wrong?" He asks, tilting his head. "Is some of your stuff missing?"

The boy shakes his head. "No, all of my possessions have arrived safely but…" His gaze shifts between me and Makoto. "You two… How long have you been here?"

Makoto scratches his head. "Uhm… a couple of days, why?"

His look turns to one of shock, and he drops to his knees. "How… How could this be!? I was certain that I'd arrive first! How can I, the one deemed the Ultimate Moral Compass, have failed to be the one to set an example for my fellow students!?" He starts bawling on the concrete, curling into a ball. "I'm not fit to be enrolled here! Please, just cart me away already!"

Makoto and I stare at him, stunned. "I... I suppose this is what Mr. Kirigiri meant by eccentric…?"

I take a few cautious steps toward the crying boy before kneeling down next to him. I gently tap his shoulder and he looks towards me, still crying. I offer him a tissue before I start talking. "Uhm, the only reason I'm here early is because I came here from really far away… and Makoto's family was going on a trip, so he was forced to come early too." The Makoto part is a lie... but at this point I'm just trying to get him to stop crying. "If we had a choice in the matter we wouldn't have gotten here so early, so don't feel bad… okay? It's just us." I say, offering him a small smile. I glance back and see Makoto nodding wildly at him.

He looks at me for a second before he uncurls himself and takes the tissue, blowing his nose. "S-So… I can still set an example…?" He looks at me with watery eyes, and I can't help but think that he looks like a puppy.

...With large eyebrows.

"Of course! Just... please, don't cry anymore, okay?" He nods and then stands abruptly, offering me a hand. I take it and stand, dusting off my skirt.

"Very well!" He shouts, completely recovered from his crying fit that happen a few seconds before. "Allow me to introduce myself! My name is Kiyotaka Ishimaru! I would appreciate it if you referred to me as Taka, however!"

I stare at him, completely baffled by sudden mood change, before introducing myself. "I'm Chihiro Fujisaki…"

"Makoto Naegi…" He looks just as uncomfortable as me when he introduces himself.

Taka continues, still shouting. "It is a pleasure to meet you both! I hope that we'll get along during our shared school lives!"

I smile nervously at him. "I feel the same… shall we get started moving your things?" I make a grab for one of his bags, but he grabs my arm and stops me short.

"My apologies Chihiro, but I cannot allow you to move my things!" I shoot him a questioning look. "It would be terrible of me to make a girl, such as yourself, move them! Come Makoto, let us begin! We won't let her lift a finger!"

"N-No really Taka, I'll be fine! I'm not as weak as I look…" I say, biting my lip.

"I insist!" He says, grinning. "I would feel awful if you had to work when there are two able-bodied men here!" And with that, he drags Makoto off.

Suddenly alone, I walk back to the lobby where Mr. Kirigiri is standing talking to Miss Yoshie. He raises an eyebrow at me when I enter the area. "Why aren't you helping?"

I can only shake my head. "He wouldn't let me help. He said it wouldn't be right of him for a girl to work when there are two capable guys already there…"

Mr. Kirigiri thinks for a moment then snaps his fingers. "Taka." I nod, and he laughs. "That boy… I wouldn't feel bad Chihiro, he'd be like that with any girl. You can go grab something to eat now- Miss Yoshie will call for you when someone else shows up."

I nod and sigh as I walk off. I know I should expect to be treated like a girl because of how I dress, but it still sucked when Taka treated me like I was inept. I get that he was just being polite, and most people would be flattered but…still. I sigh again and enter the dining hall.

"I'm such a child! Not even able to accept what I've done to myself…!"

I walk into the kitchen and make myself a Poptart before I go and grab a seat. As I eat, I can only hope the next people to arrive aren't as much of a handful as Taka was. He seems really nice and all, just really tightly wound. Like... excessively tight.

I don't have much time to wonder before Miss Yoshie's voice crackles through the speakers. "Chihiro dear, would you mind coming to the front? Another person has shown up and needs help moving their things."

"Right away ma'am!" I say, quickly shoving the rest of my food in my mouth.

Once I get up to the front, I see a portly fellow with an antenna of hair sticking up from his head. He's wearing glasses and a shirt that seems a little too tight for him, with a gray sweater on top. He smiles when he sees me.

"Ah, hello there fellow student! Have you been sent here to aid me in moving my things?"

"Y-Yes!" I manage to squeak. "My name is Chihiro Fujisaki. It's nice to meet you!" I say, gripping the hem of my skirt.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Miss Fujisaki!" He says, chipper. "I am known as Hifumi Yamada, properly bestowed with the title Ultimate Fanfic Creator!" He then looks me up and down, shaking his head.

"Uhm, is something the matter…?" I ask, uncomfortable with his weird behavior. He then lets out a short laugh.

"Nothing at all! It's just that you appear to be the typical "tiny-and-shy" character… almost every game has one. Of course there would be one here!" He says, putting his hands on his hips.

I look at him wide-eyed. "What do you mean? I've played lots of games, and I've almost never seen any characters like me!"

"Oh yes, quite common in the kinds of games I play." He says, nodding. "It turns out that your type is very desirable among most men."

Not entirely sure what he's talking about, I simply nod. "I-If you say so, Hifumi… what should I move first?"

He scratches his chin as he thinks. He then turns and points to a small box. "That one shouldn't be too heavy."

I nod and pick it up. It's actually pretty light! I start walking toward the school, but just then Taka runs out of the building, Makoto hot on his heels.

"You there! You're taking up the entirety of the gate way! Move your personal belongings at once!" He commands. His sudden yell startles me...

...So much so that I end up tripping. Quite spectacularly, if I do say so myself.

"Ow, ow, ow!" I say, rubbing my forehead. That actually really hurt!

Taka then rushes over to me. "Chihiro! Are you alright!?" He shouts, really close to my ear. The then turns back to Hifumi. "What were you thinking when you made her carry something before you even started working yourself!?"

"I was about to grab stuff!" Hifumi shouts, indignant. "She just got a head start is all!"

"A likely story!" Taka says, crossing his arms. "Makoto, you agree he's suspicious, right?"

I shake my head. "Taka, its fine! Really, I'm the one who offered to help him-" I cut myself off when I turn to gather the contents of the box I had spilled. My face instantly heats up.

Strewn in front of me is a collection of various pornographic comics, all of which are extremely graphic. My hands fly to cover my eyes.

Makoto walks over. "Hey Chihiro, what's wro-" His face goes redder than mine when he sees it. "Dude, what the hell!? Why'd you bring a bunch of porn with you?"

As Taka freezes with shock, Hifumi crosses his arms. "How dare you refer to my art as mere smut! These are some of the best fanfiction on the market, I'll have you know!"

"Fanfiction!? Dude, there's a distinct difference between a porno and a fan-written story!" Makoto shrieks, looking between the comics and Hifumi in horror. "Is there even a plot in these!?"

"It's not porn! It is the fiction of fans, such as myself! What we all want to see but what the creator will never show…" He strikes a pose. "It's my mission in life to inform the uncultured masses of what true art really is! And this!" He scoops up one of the comics and holds it in front of him. "Is it!"

"No, that looks like porn to me."

"Well who asked you-" He yells, but freezes when he sees the girl who's suddenly standing in front of him. "Waaaah! It's an alien!"

I turn to look at the newcomer. She has short black hair and calculating grey eyes. Right now she's wearing a white collared shirt with a red ribbon tie, and a black checkered skirt. She just shakes her head at Hifumi's outburst.

"I'm not an alien." She says simply. "And that's porn."

"Uhm...?" I say from my spot on the ground. "If you don't really mind me asking… W-Who are you?" I look up at the intimidating girl, before she smiles at me and holds a hand out, effectively surprising me.

"Mukuro Ikusaba is my name." I take her hand and she helps me up. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Chihiro."

Finally breaking out of his shocked state, Taka yells out. "How did you know Chihiro's name!?"

"It's simple really." She lets go of my hand, expression neutral. "I've been observing you all for a couple of minutes. You're Taka, the one holding the porn is Hifumi, and the boy with the blush on his face is Makoto."

"Really!?" I squeak. "That's amazing! I didn't even notice you were there!" I look at her in surprise, but she shrugs as if it's the most natural thing in the world.

"I would be worried if you had. As a soldier, I've been trained to conceal my presence. You'd have to be extremely perceptive to have noticed."

Makoto has a bewildered expression on his face. "Really? A soldier? That's so cool!" He suddenly walks up to her. "Does that mean you're really good with guns? Or are you more of a hand-to-hand type of soldier?"

It's a little hard to tell, but she looks to be just a little flustered. "I suppose you could say... I'm good at everything? I was invited to this school because of it…" As she says this she rubs her shoulder with her right hand, which has a tattoo on it.

I remember seeing that image somewhere on the internet, but I can't really place it… I guess I'll ask her later if I can't remember it.

Taka quickly shakes his head. "Regardless of all that, we need to get a move on and clear the area for other arriving students! You!" He points toward Hifumi. "Clean up your filth; I'd hate for that to be the first thing someone sees as they begin their school life here! Makoto and I will load the rest of your things into your room!"

Saying this, he drags Makoto off towards Hifumi's massive pile of junk. Not knowing what else to do, I turn to Mukuro. "D-do you need any help moving your things…?"

She gives me a quick nod. "I would appreciate it if you gave me a hand. It's not very much, since a lot of my things were sent with my sister's ahead of time, but it's still too much for me to take in one go."

I smile at her and sling a duffle bag over my shoulder, which is heavier than it looks. "Oof. What's in here?" I ask her, sliding it higher on my shoulder.

"Oh, I think I may have some of my rifles in here." She says nonchalant. "They're all cleared of course, so there's nothing to worry about."

…Right. Nothing at all.

She grabs the rest of her things and looks at me with a small smile. "I'll be sharing a room with my sister, so I'll tell you where to put that when we get in there." I nod at her in response, and we make our way to her room.

On the short trip there, we end up chatting about lots of different things. Apparently Mukuro had joined a military group when she and her sister had been split up in foster care. After three years had passed, they managed to re-unite after she quit her group.

"By then... Junko had already become a completely different person from what I remembered. She had started modeling, gotten in with a bad crowd, and her attitude had completely changed…." She pauses for a moment and sighs. "But that's why I decided to come here with her. I wanted to get to know the person my sister had become, and see if there was any way I'd be able to get her back to the way she used to be..."

"Wow…" I say, amazed. "How did you two end up being split apart in foster care, anyway?"

"Well… our parents had adopted both of us when we were babies. When they died, there was nothing that legally bound us as sisters anymore, so… the court didn't really find it hard to separate us." She frowns slightly, opening the door to her room. "That's why our last names are different. When we were split apart, we went back to our original last names."

When we enter her room, it's clearly divided into two sections of boxes. Mukuro heads off the left, and I follow, propping the bag up against the wall.

"...You know, Mukuro… that was all really personal stuff you just told me. Are you really comfortable with someone you just met knowing all that?" I ask after a few beats of silence. She stays quiet for a while before answering.

"In all honesty? No, not really." She says, shaking her head. "But there are a couple of things that made me tell you. For one, I can already tell that you're the sort of person who's trustworthy; someone a person can confide in. Aside from that, though… I felt like I needed to."

"But why?" I ask, tilting my head to the side. There's no reason for her to feel obligated to tell me anything, so...?

She bites her lip for a moment before speaking. "It wouldn't have been right for me to know something deeply personal about you when you don't know anything about me…" She trails off.

I feel a nervous knot in my stomach forming. "W-what do you know about me, exactly…?" She couldn't possibly know that right?

...Right?

"I… noticed when I was observing you all earlier. You're not wearing a bra Chihiro. I know some girls can get away with it but… you're not a girl."

And suddenly my heart stops.

After several beats of silence, I force the words out of my mouth. "How-" I stop for a moment, shocked to my core. "How could you have possibly known? I- No one has ever been able to tell before now! E-Ever!"

She looks to the side, guiltily. "I hadn't noticed it intentionally, but… there's a distinct difference between a female with a flat chest and a male's chest. Most people would have never noticed, but… in my line of work it's important to be observant of the people around you." She finishes with a sigh. "I'm so sorry."

I… don't know how to handle this situation. The school year hasn't even begun yet, and I've already been found out!? Why? What had I done in a past life to deserve this…?

I feel tears streak their way down my face, and I sink down to the ground and hug my knees to myself, shaking. "No one… was ever supposed to find out. Why…? Why couldn't I have just lived my life without anyone knowing!? I'm gonna be picked on again, I just know it!"

Mukuro sits down beside me, frowning. "No, Chihiro. No one is going to pick on you. I'm not going to tell anyone."

I turn to look at her so quickly that I can feel my neck pop. "Wh-What? You're… you're not going to tell people?"

She shakes her head. "Like I said, most people wouldn't have noticed it. It's obvious that you're not eager to spread the fact that you're male… so I simply won't tell anyone."

"But… don't you think it's strange and unnatural? That I'm like this? Any other time when I've tried to tell someone about it they'd… call me a freak. A loser." I say, staring at her through the tears. "I've had to move so many times because of it… and you don't think it's odd at all?"

She tilts her head to the side. "Not particularly." She crosses her legs. "You're just wearing clothes that suit you. A cute person should be in cute clothes. It's not weird." She states matter-of-factly. "Do you think that you'd look good wearing what Makoto was wearing?"

"Well… no." I say with a quick shake of my head. "Not really."

She flashes me a small smile. "Well then there you go. Besides, now that I know, I can… you know, try to help you out. If you need it." She scratches the back of her head. "I wasn't lying when I told you that you seemed like a trustworthy person, and I hope that you would think the same of me… that is, if you'd like to try being friends."

And suddenly my heart stops again. "She… still wants to be friends? Even knowing that I'm lying…?" I start crying for what feels like the thousandth time today.

"U-Uh, hey!" She starts panicking. "If you don't want to you can just say so, but please don't start crying again-" I cut her off with a shake of my head.

"I-It's not that!" I choke back another sob. "I'm just so happy right now! You… You still want to be my friend! Even though you know about me, you really still do!" And before I know it, I'm bawling again. I know it's embarrassing, but I don't care right now, I'm just too happy!

Unsure of what to do, Mukuro brings me into an awkward one-armed hug and pats my shoulder until I eventually calm down to just sniffling.

After a few more beats of silence, she speaks up. "Don't… expect me to do that too often. I'm not an extremely feelsy person, and I'm not super comfortable with displaying affection towards… people." She turns her gaze to the floor. "If you ever need to talk about anything at all, you can come to me. I won't hesitate to come and listen if I'm free… do you have a phone?"

I nod, and quickly pull my phone out of my pocket so that we can exchange numbers. I glance towards her and see that… she has a flip phone. I let out a small laugh and she raises an eyebrow.

"How long have you had that phone…?" I ask, smiling at her, wiping residual tears from my eyes. She says she doesn't remember. "It's just that it's really… old. Haven't you considered getting a new one?"

She lets out a long suffering sigh and rolls her eyes. "I swear, you and Junko are the same. Until this one breaks I'm not going to pay for a new one… it works just fine!"

I can't help but giggle at my new friend's outlook. "Hey, I'm a programmer. It's my job to be on the up and up with what's current in the technology world."

She stands and shakes her head. "Those new phones are too flimsy in my opinion. Junko ends up breaking the screen on hers at least once a month."

I stand and look up at her, a little confused. "They only break if you don't handle them properly. They make really tough cases to protect them… does your sister not have one on her phone?"

Mukuro lets out an unladylike snort and shakes her head. "Oh she has a case on it, just not a functional one. She refuses to get one that actually works, saying "those aren't cute enough." I swear, she didn't used to be so picky!" She throws her hands up in the air exasperated.

I smile at my new friend. She's not an emotional sort of person from the looks of it, but she seems really genuine when she does express what she's feeling… an extremely blunt person.

"Well, we've been in here for a long time." I say, stretching my back. "Taka probably wouldn't mind helping everyone on his own, but I wouldn't feel comfortable shirking all of my work."

She nods at me. "I'll come and help as well. Things will get done faster with more people on the job."

With that, we head out to the gates once more.

Once we get to the front lobby, we run into Makoto. "Hey guys, where have you been?" He says, raising a hand in greeting. "You've missed a lot!"

He proceeds to tell us that several more people have shown up. Apparently after we left, a guy by the name of Byakuya Togami had shown up in a limousine. He refused to let anyone but his servants touch his things, and then promptly holed up in his room after they had left.

"Taka tried really hard to get him to come out, but he didn't answer the door at all. As if things couldn't get any weirder, a really quiet girl snuck in and didn't let us touch any of her things either… I didn't get her name." He sighs and shakes his head before continuing.

"After that, we got a few more friendly people. Two girls named Sakura and Hina came together; apparently they're best friends from sports, or something. Then this guy Leon showed up! Apparently he's a baseball player, but you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at him. Those three were all pretty cool." He nods to himself.

"Wow…" I say, surprised. "I guess we really are getting all types here, huh?"

He snorts. "You're telling me! So many strange people have shown up, I think wasn't being completely honest when he said eccentric."

Mukuro nods at this. "It's to be expected. Most of the people have been invited here because of a special talent… and the talented ones almost always have their quirks. Some more severe than others."

Makoto tilts his head at her. "You don't seem to be all that strange though…" He pauses for a moment before putting his hand to his chin. "Well no, that's not quite right."

She raises an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean?"

He lets out a short laugh. "I mean look at you, you don't seem to have a single scar!" Makoto says, gesturing to her body. "When you think of a soldier, you'd expect them to be burly and be covered in old wounds. There isn't a scratch on you!"

"Do you doubt my abilities?" She narrows her eyes dangerously at him, challenging him to say something else. Clearly she doesn't think of his comment as a compliment.

I gulp. "It looks like she can be scary when she wants to be… No doubt in my mind she's a soldier."

...I had better be careful not to get on her bad side.

Frantically shaking his head, he responds. "Not at all! I-I was only saying that you've gotta be seriously talented as a soldier to not have been hit once and still look that pretty!"

This renders her speechless for a few moments before her face goes crimson. "C-come on Chihiro." She suddenly grabs my wrist. "There's probably still people out there for us to help." She then drags me off, leaving a confused Makoto behind us.

Once we're out the door, I stop her. "W-Wait Mukuro! What's the problem, why'd you suddenly drag me off like that?"

She coughs, face still pink. "No reason… we were just wasting time in there talking to him." I can't help but feel she's not being honest with me, but I'm not going to mention it now. Especially because there's a person staring at us.

Snapping to attention, I address the newcomer. "Oh I'm sorry! We're here to help you move in, if you need it." Looking at this person, she appears to be around our age, with light purple hair and purple eyes… which look somewhat familiar.

She shakes her head at me. "There's no need. Most of my belongings are already here... my father had them moved here in advance. I do appreciate the offer however." She gives me a quick smile.

Mukuro stares at her for a moment before talking. "You… would you happen to be Mr. Kirigiri's daughter?" I look at the girl wide-eyed. It would make sense; they look so similar!

If Mukuro's observation surprised her, it doesn't show on her face. "That's correct. My name is Kyoko Kirigiri. Pleased to meet you."

"Mukuro Ikusaba." She says with a nod. Kyoko looks to me.

"My name is Chihiro Fujisaki. I-It's nice to meet you, Kyoko." I say, smiling. "I thought your eyes looked a little familiar."

She sighs and shakes her head. "Please try not to link me to that man if at all possible. I've only decided to attend this school for the degree; nothing more. As far as I'm concerned, that man is only the headmaster here."

With that, she turns and walks off into the building.

"That was… interesting." Mukuro says, eyebrow raised. "It would appear as though her and her father aren't on the best of terms."

I nod, feeling like our jovial headmaster didn't deserve such a treatment. "I wonder though… why would she come to the school her father runs if they aren't okay with each other?"

Mukuro shrugs. "I'm unsure, but it's hardly any of our business." She walks over to a low brick fence and sits on it. "We might as well wait a while before we go back inside. There may be a few stragglers that show up later than the rest."

I sit next to her, making sure to tuck my skirt between my legs. We talk outside for about an hour before Mr. Kirigiri comes out.

"You two may as well come inside for now. The next class is due to arrive any moment, and it's not your job to help them out." He says with a sigh. "We're still missing about five students from your class..."

Mukuro speaks up. "Junko won't be coming until tomorrow when classes start. She said something about being 'fashionably' late." She jeers, using air quotes for emphasis.

Our headmaster only laughs at this. "I'd expect no less from someone labeled the Ultimate Fashionista! Ah, no matter. We prepared for this after all." He finishes with a stretch.

"Oh right." I say. "You had said something about the first day of classes being a wash because of this?" He nods.

"In all honesty, your class did pretty well. Normally more than half of the students don't show up!" He sighs. "But yeah, you both might as well go and grab some food. It's almost three."

I nod, and we both head toward the dining hall. After a quick meal, Mukuro and I part ways so that she can go unpack. With a yawn, I decide to head to my room for a nap… but I'm stopped by Makoto.

"Hey Chihiro!" He says, smiling. "Wanna watch a movie? I've got some pretty good ones to choose from you know!"

I smile and nod, sleepiness vanishing instantly. It's good to have friends… even if they are a little strange.