Nowhere
Chapter Two: Better to Remain Silent and Thought as a Fool than to Speak and Remove all Doubt
To my slight horror, Mihae and Shuma were all but ready to send me to Deimon. As it turned out, the scholarship was paid in full by a secret donator, and I could leave as soon as the next school year started.
It wasn't as if we didn't know anything about the school, Juimaru, a lawyer from across the street, offered to scan over the papers to confirm. Ayaka, who was almost as famous as me because she was pretty much my spokesman, er woman, was probably the only one put out.
Other than me, of course.
Sure, I liked the idea of being able to do something with my life, but wasn't able to shake off a dark cloud of uneasiness hanging above me. Even though I could never think of a reason to why, I felt rather hesitant.
There was just something…wrong with the whole experience, 'saving' the President that is. As if I was walking in a dream, and going to Deimon would be like slipping into a coma.
But Ayaka was determined to have one last bang before I left and arranged a school-funded party for me leaving. I didn't attend, I haven't known it was happening, but the press caught wind and were ecstatic to print the new chapter of my personal life.
So I pushed my paranoia to a far corner of my mind and instead focused on the bigger issue. Deimon Private School just happened to be located in the hills of Montana, in the United States of America.
(Far from the inferior distractions of large cities, said the pamphlet.)
In America, people spoke English. I didn't.
I dug out an English/Japanese Dictionary hoping that just studying the words would unravel the language. Once Shuma and Mihae came back down from cloud nine, they both leaped at the opportunity to help teach me the accursed language.
Two weeks after Mihae snatched the letter out of my hands I was already being sent to America. It turned out that schools there start at the next of the summer instead of at the beginning of spring.
"Sena are you ready?" Mihae called down the stairs.
"Um, one second Mihae, I'll be down in a moment." I called down and paused for one last second in my semi-clean room.
"Do you need help carrying anything down?" Mihae called from downstairs. "No I'm coming!"
--
For the first time I felt truly glad that I was leaving, but not for me. Shuma and Mihae, like me, were just normal everyday people; they didn't want all this attention anymore than I did, maybe even less.
Ever since the whole president thing they had been acting awkward as if not sure how to act to me. When my plane arrived instead of trying to do something odd like hugging I just bowed before running off to get in line.
"Sena!" I turned surprised.
Mihae ran up and gave me a quick hug that surprised all of us. "We know that we aren't the best parents in the world, but, um, you're a wonderful kid." She said in one breath and looked rather shocked of herself when she finished.
"Thank you and you aren't bad parents." I said and then it was awkward again. Why did I feel as if I wouldn't ever see them again? Shaking morbid thoughts from my head I shook Shuma's hand and moved towards the plane.
They really weren't bad parents, if anything they were less of parents and more like…roommates. We were more of a threesome than a family unit and I never really thought much about it.
We didn't celebrate holidays, not even Golden Week, I wasn't ever 'tucked' into a bed, and we didn't really eat dinner together much. Thinking about it, I hadn't even been told 'I love you' in my life.
The plane ride was long and embarrassing despite that it was my first plane ride. The secret donator was paying for the majority of stuff, the scholarship, my school uniform, but just not the plane ticket.
Shuma, Mihae, and I had put all the extra money we could find and I got a quick, last moment ticket, third-class.
I had to take three planes, the first I spent the majority of my time on was uncomfortable and the lady next to me smelled like pea soup.
At some ridiculous hour at night, it might have been morning; I stumbled off and in an almost dead-like state headed for the next plane. I was wearing sunglasses and a baseball hat in hopes that no one would notice me, either it worked or I was too tired to notice any one.
--
Something that had totally escaped my memory was that there's a 16-hour time difference between Japan and the Mountain Time zone in North America.
When I left Japan at a reasonable 3 p.m. I arrived unexpectedly haggard and drained at 12 a.m. on the same day.This much meant that my sleeping pattern was switched completely, and I couldn't remember if I fell asleep on the car ride up to the school, or if I had just been dreaming about a yellow school bus.
When I did regain conscious, I knew instantly that I wasn't at my house; my old futon never smelled like vanilla and my bed sat under the window so the light didn't hit into my face at such an annoying angle.
I sat up, still a little worn out from the plane rides but curiosity and nerves forced me out of the huge bed and onto my feet.
Blinking I stared at the room around me in wonder, Mihae recently wrapped herself up into a TV series that took place in America and everything on the show was either plastic and tacky looking or neon colored.
But this room didn't have a green carpet or pink lampshades or anything bright green. Instead, it was covered with warm earthy colors, wooden walls, and, to my surprise, another messed up bed.
'A roommate,' I concluded and a knock at the door startled me out of my daze. "Come in!" I croaked hacking a bit to clear my throat.
A tall, disapproving man in a tight black tux glared at me for a moment before sighing through his teeth and I stood straighter.
"Sean Kobakawa is it?" He asked glancing at a beige colored file he was holding. "Its Kobayakawa Sena, sir." I corrected only to be instantly ignored.
"Right, just follow me; the principal wants to have a word with you." I nodded; finding it surprisingly easy to keep up with his English.
"Yes, sir." I bowed out of habit and since I hadn't changed clothes the night before I slipped on a pair of shoes before following him down a series of hallways and down a marble staircase. No doubt I would fall down that sooner or later.
Stopping at an office door he knocked twice before opening the door and announcing in a bored tone, "Principal, we have arrived."
"Ah! Bring him in then!" A high-pitched but male voice ordered. In my head I had come to image of the principal as tall, imposing figure whom all the student body feared but respected, sort of like the headmaster in those British wizard books.
However, I was, of course wrong. He was short, wore steel-framed glasses, and was slightly balding. He was wearing a v-neck sweater and bounced a little when he walked over to shake my hand.
I had to hold back a gasp as he caught my hand in an ironclad handshake, which on my part was more of an armshake.
"I trust that Mr. Apollo introduced himself....." Feeling rather lightheaded I shook my head. "No? As the vice-principal you'd think that would be the first thing he'd do!" He giggled and I joined awkwardly stopping when I nodded the angry look on Mr. Apollo's face. "Moving on, Mr. Kobakawa,"
"It's Kobayakawa, sir." I interrupted, meekly. He frowned and checked a file on his desk before nodding in agreement.
"Oh of course, isn't that what I said? Anyway, first off, I want to be the first to tell you how really delighted we are to have you join us here at Deimon. This is a wonderful chance for our other students to meet someone who has achieved such heroic deeds and with such selfless morals."
I blinked not sure how to react, I haven't ever thought of myself as selfless, or heroic.
"I wish that it was my idea to bring you here with us Sean, but I really can't take credit, like I said before, our donator wishes to remain anonymous," Donator, right, I debated on telling the principal that my name wasn't Sean but decided against it. It wasn't that important.
"Now let's talk about the dress code, we're quite strict here. On weekends, you are free to wear whatever you please, of course, but in the week catching a student in anything else other than their uniform will mean Saturday-School, which is our form of detention.
"One of the most important things about our uniform, is the badges, their colored according to the student's status within and out of the school. Red is for students from over seas, Orange is for students transferred from other schools in North America. Your badge, Sean, is green for scholarship."
I nodded; Mihae had mentioned some sort of color classification thing but I hadn't been paying close attention, of course now I wish I had.
For the next hour I pretended to pay close attention as the principal lectured me on the laws of Deimon Private School. Every once and awhile I'd nod in agreement, but since I sort of lacked an attention span for stuff like this, I just sort of zoned out.
"…and this is why we chose one of our best students to help you find your classes, meet new people, and to be there if you have any questions. We've done this before with wonderful results; we call it 'The Big Brother' assignment."
"Big…Brother?" I repeated feeling something flip inside of my stomach.
"Yes, you can even call him your own personal big brother if you want. He's waiting just outside the room, come in!" I swirled around in my chair, slightly surprised to find that Apollo already left and in his place was a smiling, good-natured sort of guy.
His long dreadlocks threw me off for a moment but hey, in different places different styles, I guess.
I smiled back weakly and gave a hesitant wave, after all this was my first time meeting another student, a senpai no else. I didn't want to appear as a complete wimp, even though I pretty much was.
He had one of those perfect 'toothpaste commercial' smiles that said, You are so worth feeling inferior to me but in a good-natured way. He was the kind of guy you see on television, not across the room.
"I, er, um, ohayo gozaimasu!" Odd, now how did my, Hello my name is Kobayakawa, Sena, not Sean. I am Japanese so my English isn't the best, despite that I hope we can be friends come out so short? And in Japanese.
"This is Agon Kongo, he volunteered to be your 'Big Brother' for the next couple of weeks, until you feel comfortable here." Agon leaned against the door, flashing me one of his golden smiles."Sup? Welcome to hel- Deimon."
My smile quickly fell and I felt an icy chill run down my spine. Wait, what?