Hey. It's me again.

As a matter of fact, it does suck not to make a lot of friends. There is a good side to it though. It means I have no one to be sad when I have to go…

Japan? There's nothing that wrong with it…it's just it's completely different from anything else I'm used to. But you're right. My name won't stick out, since it is Japanese. That's probably why it isn't heard very often back home. I don't like it very much though…

If I make friends, won't I just have to leave them when Dad is done teaching? That doesn't sound like a good thing to me…Eh, I guess I won't have to worry about losing you. No matter where I move, I can always write to you. And Mommi can sympathize.

And yeah, luckily I know a bit of Japanese. Well…maybe a bit more than a bit…but you catch my drift. Rei and I actually kinda like anime and manga, so that's what drove us to start learning it. Not to mention Dad is fluent in four or five languages, Japanese included.

I sure hope they are friendly…

Anyways, the strangest thing just happened to me. Sit back and relax, 'cause this might take a while to tell. Here it goes~

We landed all right, no delays or problems. We actually arrived in Japan early, if you can imagine that. But maybe that's because we were in Dad's employer's private jet. I stepped off the aerial vehicle, blinking hard. Why was it so light out? Right, time zones. Back home in Cali it was 11 pm, making it… 3 pm here? They are 16 hours ahead, I think. Which really does a number on my ment-

Ow. You're right. I did deserve that.

BACK to the story.

We were picked up by a limo and driven to the secondary estate. If that huge building was the secondary estate, I don't want to see the size of the main house. This was a monstrosity! A very elegant monstrosity, mind you. I couldn't wait to explore the grounds with Aaron.

Oh, did I forget to mention Aaron? He's my 7-foot long boa constrictor. I named him that because that's what I would want my name to be.

Where was I? Oh right, arrival.

We were immediately led to the main parlor. Dad and I sat down. We didn't have to wait long, for soon an Asian man, probably the employer, walked in. He was followed by a brown-haired, blue-eyed girl about an inch shorter than me. We both stood up.

The two adults shook hands. The girl took one look at me and ran out of the room. The stranger, presumably her guardian, watched her go.

"You are Professor Ashton, I presume?" he asked, in English.

Dad nodded. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Ishikawa. May I introduce my son, Raiden."

I bowed. "Nice to meet you," I replied.

"The pleasure is all mine," Mr. Ishikawa said, taking a seat. We followed suit.

"You see, Professor, my daughter Reiko was planning on attending Ouran Academy this term, the most elite school in Japan. However, she has recently developed an interesting case of anxiety issues. We can't even get her to leave the house any more. So I have hired you to be her tutor. I am entirely entrusting her education to you.

"But there is one problem I have not discussed. The Academy does not allow me to get my money back for this year's tuition. Seeing as your son and my Reiko are both to be first years, I was wondering if Raiden would like to take her place."

He looked at me expectantly. A chance to go to the top school in Japan? Count me in!

"Before you say anything, I must tell you one thing…You would go as Reiko. The school does not allow for transfer either, so you would have to pretend to be her." He looked at me worriedly, thinking I would refuse outright.

Really? Go to school as a girl? Well, knowing my dad, he wasn't going to be here long. Besides, Reiko was bound to get over her shyness some time, and then we could switch back. No problem.

I think I surprised them both with my answer.

You should have seen my dad's face. It was hilarious!

Anyway, I had better head off to bed now. My room is HUGE! I have loads of extra space for clothes, and for some reason Mr. Ishikawa has decided to pay me allowance. I don't think that space will stay clear for long, since I'm going to need a whole new wardrobe. The school's uniform isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Moving on…my bed is feather-top, and softer than anything else I had ever touched.

A few hours after we arrived, Mr. Ishikawa had gotten some servants to set up a large, heated glass habitat for my scaly pet.

Aaron's looking pretty happy. I fed him three mice today, and when I turned around Reiko was standing at the door, watching. I studied her, thinking she did look slightly like me. I might be able to pull this off. Once she saw me, she disappeared. She seemed more afraid of me than of my giant reptilian friend.

Good night, Pen Pal!

Rai