Chapter 2: life at hyoutei
A/N- it's too unfanficcy, don't you think? oh! BTW. lingfeng's not here right now, so she's not able to leave a message . happy april fools day, etc. etc. I swear there's actually more actual character interaction in the next chapter. And...hm...a review would be very encouraging. :D
Hyoutei Gakuen was just as I expected: rich and boring. I could tell already that I was going to be bored out of my mind, and if it wasn't for the only friend I had so far here, I'd probably be insane already. Kireida Hayashi, my friend, was supposed to show me around the classrooms, the courts, and all the rest of the social whatevers. But, knowing Kireida, he's not exactly that social. In fact, at this point, I think people know more about me at this school than they do him.
Oh, well. I can get through. I always do.
Walking into what I think is my geometry class, I kept my head down, my hands still fidgeting with my Rubik's cube. Just a few more turns to the top, one to the side, a couple back, and it'll be solved, like it always is. Easy puzzles like a simple turning cube are only entertaining the first few hundred times you solve them, and I can't remember how many times I've rearranged a messed-up cube back into its organized originality.
According to the plans this morning (which by now, have been completely changed), Kireida was supposed to walk into this class with me, and I'd pick a reasonable seat near him. But, obviously, he's not here at the moment. When is anybody ever here?
Regardless, I took a seat near the back, beside the window, where I know the teacher wouldn't call on me much. Well, to be truthful, I never hated math. It was about one of the closest things to a puzzle class I ever had in my life, just that the teachers never manage to squeeze out enough about the numbers. Maybe, for once, someone could rearrange the usual textbook equations, just like a Rubik's cube, and hand them over for me to solve. Then I wouldn't be sitting in the back of this room, wearing an "I'm bored, PLEASE, PLEASE leave me alone" sign, wishing my oh-so-reliable friend was here with me.
But, it seemed desperately unlikely that anything like that would ever happen anywhere, especially not at some snob school like Hyoutei.
First days at anything were always hard to get through, and I doubted today would be any different. Just as the teacher was about to grab her folder from her desk and announce the festivities for today, a familiar figure quickly scrambled into the room, excusing himself as he strided to his seat. It was Kireida, and it just so happens that he completely disregarded my existence (like he would anyone else, probably), and took the seat farthest away from me, near the door and in the front row.
After a speedy conversation of mumbles with the student who had just entered, the teacher returned back to her folder, and began to call role. I sighed as I heard each name being called alphabetically, one after another, and was perhaps glad for a moment that my name wasn't first. But, eventually, she came to my name, and I realized the position I had been in: the new kid.
"Natsui-kun? Is there a Natsui-kun in this room?" She glanced up from her folder, and scanned around the room for me.
"Here." I replied quickly, hoping deeply that she wouldn't require some sort of introduction. Then again, luck usually wasn't on my side.
"Could you come to the front of the room, and introduce yourself to the rest of us?" She moved back into her seat, and motioned her hand to the front of the room: an invitation I couldn't refuse.
Sighing one last sigh of disappointment, I lifted myself slowly out of my chair, and began taking the long walk down. If only Kireida was more of a human than he was a wall, none of this would've happened.
"Me? Go to Hyoutei? I don't think that's the best idea." I retorted back to Mr. Kireida, who had proposed the idea. "Well, I mean, there's the expenses and everything, and I don't think I could possibly pay for it."
"No, no, it's fine. Your parents were old friends of ours, and considering what has happened, your fee to attend Hyoutei is not a problem to us." He continued, trying to smash every response I could possibly give back. "Plus, it's such a waste for someone of your brainpower and athletic skill to be attending a local school. It's definitely not a problem."
About a year ago, my parents, who were perhaps best friends with Kireida's parents, passed away in a car crash to a party those said friends had been hosting. And, with the happening of such an event, Mr. and Mrs. Kireida proposed that the remaining members of my family (which had been my little sister and me) live with them until we were of age. Of course, I agreed. After all, what was there to lose? But, my little sister, Kiyoko, didn't see them the same way anymore.
So, I guess, here I am, with a host family who probably cared for me only out of guilt, and only able to see my sister during the summer or breaks. Actually, we've been communicating a lot lately during the last summer, she had some crazy idea about our parents' death wish.
"B-But, it's a new school, and this would be my last year there for me even if I went. It's just too much trouble, it's fine, really." I replied again, hoping to change their minds, or at least delay this talk until later.
"A-ha!" His eyes lit up once more, as if he expected me to answer the way I had. "That won't be a problem, as Hayashi attends that school. You'll have a friend before you even attend! Any other problems you'd like to point out?"
"Uh--..." I thought the hardest I could for even the slightest excuse, but I couldn't. This school was unavoidable. They'd already given me everything I needed to attend, the money and the company. "No. Not really. But-"
"We knew you'd understand! School starts in about two weeks, we'll get all your paperwork and uniforms ready." And with that, Mr. Kireida walked away, probably knowing just as well as I had that this talk was totally pointless.
Living with Kireida wasn't bad. In fact, it's probably what every other kid my age would've wished for. Parents who didn't really have rules, but more like guidelines, an endless amount of allowance, a house perfect for all types of games, all of that was given to me in that one year. But, it wasn't exactly what I wanted. There was no puzzle there for me to solve. His parents were out most of the time, and even if they had secrets, I wouldn't have been very interested in finding them out. And, all Kireida would ever do at home when it was just the two of us was either read a book, or, otherwise, I couldn't really find him. Occasionally, the two of us would play tennis, but that took a huge amount of begging on my part, and an equal amount of arguing on his.
Still, we were good at tennis. Him and me. Just that most of the time, he'd rather be off reading a book, or thinking on his own, and I'd rather be messing with some sort of puzzle.
But, tennis was our fate, and we couldn't escape it. The more we tried to avoid it, the more we seemed to get dragged into it. That's why, I think, we spent our summer practically acting as slaves to my sister, Kiyoko, and learning the tennis that was absolute crazy to us at first.
My mind flashed back to the class full of students before me, and taking a deep gulp, I spoke. "Hey. I'm Keiyoshi Natsui, and I like puzzles. That's about as much as I know about myself." I immediately began sneaking back into my seat. Who were these people to know even the slightest about me?
However, luck really wasn't on my side today, as a hand shot up nonchalantly in the crowd. I froze in my path. Either I answered that question myself, or the teacher would've forced me to.
"Yes?" I turned around and gave a sarcastic smile to the teen who had rose it.
"Don't you play tennis?" He asked, wearing a smug grin on his face. Leaning back in his seat, this guy seemed nothing but a king to me; his aura even seemed to scream "KING!"
"Don't know. I might." And, slid even quicker back into my seat, only to see his grin widen.
"I'm Atobe Keigo." He managed to speak in right before I completely disappeared from his sight.
Ah. Lunch, it's about time. I spent practically all of class this morning staring out the window, and trying to think of the trickiest thing I could, but it didn't work out too well. And, Kireida? He's still acting like a rock right now: impossible to talk to unless I was out of my mind. On the contrary, that seemed likely to happen soon unless someone brings me a sudoku game or something of the sort.
After my last class before lunch, I followed Kireida, maybe just to get some answers out of him. Didn't his parents instruct him to take care of me like a little brother? Or did I dream the whole conversation?
Whatever. I spotted him walking down the hallway ahead of me, probably heading towards the library, instead of outside, where all the normal people would go.
"Oi, Kirei-chan(1)!" I love calling him that, because each time I do, I swear I can see his stress meter go up a feet or so. "Wait up!"
Of course, he didn't stop. In fact, if my vision didn't go dead or anything, he seemed to be walking faster. Typical of him.
"I said, wait up!" Giving up, I rushed up to his side before he could realize I was there. I put my hand on his shoulder, making sure he couldn't escape. "What's with the attitude?"
He hesitated for a moment, as if wondering whether he should answer me or not. "This is how I'm always like at school. So, just leave me alone."
"You're kidding me, right? I'm the one wanting to be left alone here." Knowing that he had probably stopped trying to run away, I took my hand off his shoulder, and leaned against the window. "Plus, it's such a nice day today, why don't' we go outside to eat?"
"If you don't remember," He scoffed a bit under his breath, amazed that I hadn't realized it sooner. "Your over-active bubble of a sister literally ordered me to research on other teams, and I'm behind as it is."
"Again, you're kidding me, right?" I probably sounded more surprised than I'd thought. Since when did Kireida start listening to her? "Okay. Now I'm absolutely sure someone came and abducted Kirei-chan. Are you sure this is you I'm talking to?"
"I'm sure, but 'Kirei-chan' really wouldn't mind if you left him alone. I'll come to show you around the clubs during club period, so don't worry." Now, that last bit sounded more like that Kireida I knew. Then again, I'm starting to think the him I knew wasn't the him everyone else knew. "And, shouldn't you be practicing in your spare time? Wasn't that your order from Kiyoko?"
"Ah! But you see, the trick is, I never practice." I gave him a wave, along with a smile, and walked the opposite direction. If it was my sister's orders, and he actually took it seriously, I had no right to stop him.
"Sometimes, I don't know why you bother. You only joined the team for her, right?" He gave me a small, concealed smirk, and shifted his head a little.
"What?! No. Not really." I faced my head to the floor. If anyone was a bad liar, it had to be me. "She's only one of the reasons..."
When Kiyoko first called me with her "idea" that day, I honestly thought she was crazy. I'm not sure about you, but pursuing an unsure dream of some sort of game my pass parents created wasn't exactly my favorite hobby in the world. Yet, I find myself standing here on the court, sweating and out of breath from all the practice.
Why? Why did I agree? If only Hiro wasn't there, I wouldn't ever have been dragged into this thing in the first place.
"Nii-chan? Join the team?" She begged me over and over again, but at first, I still wouldn't change my mind. "Come on, it'll be fun. Plus, it's not normal tennis, you won't get bored that easily!"
"Of course, instead of getting bored immediately, I'll get bored in five minutes. Tennis is tennis, Yoko-chan, you can't change that." I replied indifferently, wishing she'd leave me alone already. Well, I might as well tease her, now that we're having this talk. "Tennis is always boring. Unless there's a catch. And, there's no true catch, is there?"
"But, Hiro will be there!" She continued, not aware that my eyes had probably lit up at the mere mention of her name. "And, you can get Kirei-kun to join, too. It can't be that bad!"
I'm not obsessed with Hiro, honestly. Not even the slightest.
It's just, every time I see her, there's something so puzzling about her. And me, I definitely have a soft spot for any challenging puzzle, even if it was a person. Unlike anyone else I've known, everything she does is such a mystery; complete and utter unpredictability defined her to be her. However, she was so subtle about it, always becoming puzzling right when she needs to, and stopping right when she should. That, was the indefinite challenge I saw in her, a new puzzle I wouldn't get bored of. At least, I hoped I wouldn't get bored of.
So, I agreed, and what have I solved of the puzzle thus far? Nothing, nada, zip. The only thing I've learned about her is how she interacts with me, and that's pretty obvious to anyone.
Since then, all I've managed to cram in during the summer is deathly practice, 7 days a week. Doubles, even if it wasn't the regular kind, would only be interesting to me for so long, and if Hiro wasn't my partner, I'd probably would've already quit.
But, I'm still here. Refusing to give up this team, refusing to give up on this one puzzle I couldn't solve.
"One of the reasons? If you really think that, then go ahead." Kireida retorted back, already walking towards the library.
"I-I..." I didn't know what to say. At the moments, it seemed better to stop this conversation, and go to lunch (my stomach was growling as it is, too many flashbacks). Any thoughts I had about Hiro, they could wait until practice. "Just grab me a couple of puzzles from the library, ne?"
I didn't hear a response, but that usually meant a compliance with him. I guess, Hyoutei wasn't that bad. If you pushed aside all the boring teachers, the mindless classes, and the royalty in disguise as students, it'd be the perfect school.
I guess I'll have to wait 'til club time to really know, right?
(1)Kirei-chan, is a teasing nickname Natusi gives Kireida, since "kirei" means "pretty," or "beautiful" in Japanese.