As Nataki walked toward the main office, she internally rehearsed the introduction she had planned to deliver to her peers once she found her way to her classroom. She went over each line, determined to make a positive first impression with everyone there (since her initial encounter was still leaving a sour taste in her mouth). More than anything, Nataki was eager to make new friends. Being far away from everyone and everything she had ever known was difficult, and Domino City seemed like such an overwhelming place. The city life would be a big adjustment from the more rural, communal atmosphere she had grown up with, but Nataki reminded herself that a new place meant new opportunities, new faces, and new memories just waiting to be made. Miles away from home, she reasoned that she wouldn't feel as lonely if she could bask in the company of new companions, and she hoped Domino City would someday become a place she could rightfully call 'home.'
Absentmindedly fingering the revised directions in her pocket, she entered the main office so she could sign in, receive a school uniform, and find out the location of her classroom. As she approached the front desk, she saw a stocky woman with brown-rimmed glasses typing on a computer. Her lips pursed into a half-smile upon noticing Nataki, and she gestured her over.
"Can I help you?" The woman asked.
"Hello there." She began pleasantly. "My name is Kuzana, Nataki. I just recently moved here and-"
"Did you fill out the paperwork?"
"What?" Nataki blinked. "Oh, yes. I filled that out and mailed it back about two weeks ago."
The secretary nodded and returned her attention to the computer. Her eyes seemed to be scanning the screen.
"Yes, I see you in our system. You received a passing score on the entrance exam, and your academic transcript shows that you've completed up through ninth grade in previous academic institutions you've attended." Quickly, the woman grasped a piece of scrap paper from the recycling bin and a pencil from the mug on her desk. Nataki noticed the watercolor painted beach scenery and the caption that read 'Life's a beach' on it, and smiled faintly at the idiom.
"You're in class 1-A with Bosakara, Kyuren. Was your uniform mailed to you?"
Nataki bit her bottom lip. "No, I thought I was supposed to pick it up here."
"That's fine." The secretary nodded. "You can pick one up in 10-B. It's the beginning of the school year, so there should still be quite a few extras left over."
"Thank you very much!" Nataki replied with a bow as she left the office.
Navigating the hallways was difficult, but not because of the layout of the school per say. No, it was the traffic of students congregating and 'shooting the breeze' while finishing their cups of morning coffee and breakfasts. As she made her way through the sea of people who would soon become familiar faces, Nataki attempted to say hello. Her efforts were met with some pleasant, friendly smiles and occasional raised eyebrows of curiosity. Eventually, she found herself at room 10-B, which she realized was the Student Services room. She knocked before entering, and smiled upon seeing a male student who looked to be about her age sitting behind a desk. He stood up from his seat and outstretched his hand.
"Good morning. I'm Colevara, Daisuke, head of Student Services." He introduced himself.
"Good morning, Colevara-san. I'm Kuzana, Nataki." She said while shaking his hand congenially.
"Well Kuzana-san, what can I help you with this morning?" He asked.
After explaining her situation, Daisuke nodded and disappeared into a backroom, only to return with a few boxes labeled 'School Uniforms.' "What size are you?" he asked while setting the boxes down on the counter.
"Probably a medium." She replied.
In an instant, Daisuke had reached into one of the boxes and retrieved a uniform – pressed and folded neatly, sealed inside a plastic bag. As soon as she saw it, Nataki couldn't hold back her enthusiasm over the bright pink and navy blue coloring. The colors of her previous school uniforms had been much more subtle – mostly Earth tones like browns and greens. Her face beamed as she looked it over more closely, loving how the bright pink jacket popped in contrast to the dark blue pleated skirt.
"Thank you so much, Colevara-san!" She exclaimed with a bow.
"Of course." He acknowledged while returning the boxes. "If you need help with anything, feel free to stop by. I'll be here."
"Thank you, I really appreciate it."
Once she left the Student Services room, Nataki looked for a bathroom so that she could change into her new uniform. After finding a stall and locking herself in, she hung her schoolbag on a hook and began to undress. She slipped off her ruffled lilac floral pattern skirt and black blouse in exchange for her uniform. Then, she kicked off her boots and slid the school socks and shoes onto her feet. Once fully changed, she couldn't wait to look at herself in the mirror. Before doing so, however, she reached into her school bag and pulled out a pink ribbon that was almost the same vibrant pink.
I'm so glad I bring extra ribbons with me. She thought happily as she undid her pigtails only to retie them with the bright pink ribbons.
Fully outfitted, Nataki stepped out from the stall, her previous outfit folded inside her school bag. Eyeing herself in the mirror, she became ecstatic as she saw herself in the official Domino High School uniform. The excitement had made her almost giddy, and she couldn't help striking one of the cute poses she had seen girls make on late night infomercials.
"It's so adorable! Ah, I just love it!" She exclaimed.
"Seriously?"
Nataki, slightly embarrassed and startled, turned abruptly to see another girl coming up to the sink beside her. The girl eyed her with a skeptical look and then shook her head.
"The jacket is a tacky pink, and it doesn't even match the blue skirt that well."
"Oh, I don't know." Nataki replied, turning around and looking the mirror as she did so. "I think it's rather cute."
Scoffing at the remark, the girl finished washing her hands and walked out.
Completely alone for a minute, Nataki stared at herself in the mirror and exhaled deeply. "Well, it's show time."
After what seemed like ages, she was able to reach her classroom. Turning the door knob and stepping inside, Nataki looked around at the group of tenth graders in room 1-A who would be her classmates for the remainder of her time at the high school (since classes maintained the same letter as students progressed from tenth to eleventh, and eleventh to twelfth). As she took a few steps inside, she searched for a vacant seat.
Scanning the classroom, she finally found a empty desk located in front of a girl with short, almost fiery colored hair. When Nataki's eyes met hers, the girl sort of raised an eyebrow curiously.
"Um, is this seat taken?" Nataki inquired softly.
"Depends." The girl stated flatly. "Are you annoying?"
Nataki blinked.
What kind of question is that?
"I don't think so." She finally replied, but it came out sounding more like a question than a statement.
The girl stared at Nataki for a moment as if considering whether or not to believe her. After blowing a bubble with her gum and popping it, she sighed and smacked the seat with her hand. "I was just twisting your arm. You can sit there."
"T-Thank you." Nataki replied a bit hesitantly.
Once she had settled into her seat, she grabbed her spiral-bound notebook and a pen from her school bag before propping it against the bottom of her desk.
"I haven't seen you around here before." The sound of the girl's voice came from behind her. "You just move here or something?"
Nataki slowly turned her body sideways so she could face the girl more directly. "Yes, just last week actually."
"Where from?"
Smiling coyly, Nataki proceeded to say, "You'll just have to wait and see~" Winking playfully she added, "No spoilers."
The girl stared blankly at her for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Oh my god, you're a dork."
The word struck Nataki a bit abruptly, and she didn't know how to respond. Feeling a bit lackluster, she slowly rotated her body so that she was facing the chalk board, but the feeling of the girl's hand upon her shoulder stopped her.
"No, it's cool. I like dorks." She smirked. "I'm Suzude, Haine." Outstretching her hand toward Nataki she added, "And you?"
"Kuzana, Nataki." She replied while returning the gesture, a small, somewhat awkward smile claiming her face.
"Cool." Haine said with a hum. "Surprised you didn't get lost on the way here – you look like the type that would."
Nataki let a nervous chuckle escape her. It was true – Nataki had found her way to the school . . . after bumping into a certain someone who had seemed to be suppressing the urge to throw her into oncoming traffic. Somehow, she couldn't seem to shake off the feeling that her clumsiness had led to an atrocity rather than a simple mistake. I mean, she bumped into the CEO by accident, but it had caused him to spill his hot coffee all over the handsome white suit he was wearing. The icy cold glare from his eyes was practically frozen in her mind, and thinking about it made her mouth dry all over again.
"Hey!" Haine's voice snapped, jarring Nataki back to the present. As she returned her attention to the girl, she noticed two gold-rimmed star earrings dangling from her ears and smiled.
"You have very cute earrings!" Nataki exclaimed.
"Thanks." Haine replied with a somewhat surprised look on her face. "Want a piece of gum?" She offered.
"Oh, maybe later." Nataki answered. "I don't want to be chewing like a cow when I'm introducing myself."
Haine's hazel eyes narrowed suddenly at the remark. "You saying I chew like a cow?"
Nataki gasped. "No, no, it's an expression. A lot of people from my hometown used it because, well, they raised livestock and cows have a funny way of chewing."
"Oh." She paused. "So you're a country girl?"
Before she could reply, the teacher entered the classroom. This signaled all of the students who were up and about to take their seats, and for those who were seated to face the front of the room.
"Good morning, class. I see we have a new student." He nodded in Nataki's direction. "My name is Bosakara, Kyuren. Please, come up front and introduce yourself."
So Nataki did as she was asked
"Hello. My name is Kuzana, Nataki." She greeted politely.
"Welcome, Kuzana-san." The collective group of students replied.
"Very nice." The teacher said with a smile. "Well Kuzana-san, please tell us a bit about yourself."
"Of course." Collecting herself Nataki began, "It's a pleasure to meet all of you. I recently moved from the town of Furubira." Then, as if on cue, she pulled down the map of Japan dangling halfway down the chalk board. She pointed at the area of her hometown with her index finger and continued, "Furubira is a beautiful little town that faces the Japan Sea. Fishing is a major occupation for a lot of the townspeople, and we eat a lot of Alaskan Pollack, shrimp, and clams. There are also some family-owned farms there, some with livestock. It's quite rural compared to Domino." She smiled. "I must admit, sharing this with you makes me a tad homesick, but I'm really looking forward to getting to know you and experience all Domino City has to offer."
"When you say 'rural,' do you mean like, no shopping centers, movie theaters or . . . ?" One student asked suddenly.
"Well, not exactly. There are quite a few shopping plazas, and also a decent sized movie theater in the town. There is also a large pier near the harbor where festivals and other events are held. By rural, I mean the land is mostly agricultural – less built up, I suppose."
Another student raised his hand and queried, "So did you live on a farm?"
"No, I didn't live on one. But I did work with the animals, and tended to the crops my neighbors grew whenever I could."
And then one of her peers asked a question . . . no, the question that was so second-nature to the inhabitants of Domino City is was practically an unspoken requirement.
"Do you play Duel Monsters?"
Nataki gazed out at her classmates, all of which had their eyes fixated on her expectantly.
Geez, that card game practically has a cult following here.
"Yes, but never professionally or anything. I've played it to pass the time with some friends back home." Smiling hopefully she added, "I wouldn't say I'm an expert in any sense of the word, but I'm definitely hoping to get better at playing it while I'm here."
A wave of acceptance seemed to reflect in the eyes of her classmates and Nataki smiled.
Dodged a bullet on that one – I wonder what would have happened if I didn't actually like Duel Monsters? She thought to herself.
After a brief moment, Nataki bowed her head and returned to her seat while the applause tapered off. Before she sat down she was met with a smile from Haine and a stick of gum waiting on her desk.