April 2, 2009

Hibari Dorm #5

Time: Early Morning

Hyuga's alarm wakes him up.

At first he does not want to get out of bed; his dreams of the long-nosed man from the Velvet Room are too deep, too lucid. He wants to go back, he wants to learn more about Igor, and he wants to learn more about the strange woman in the conductor's uniform, Elsa. What he does not want is to drag himself out of the double layer of soft, heavy sheets covering him and into the the open, uninviting air of a room that does not yet have the quality of having been lived in. It is not yet a home to him, so he does not yet find it inviting.

Eventually, though, he has to get up, if only because he remembers that he has not read the orientation packet on his desk, and for all he knows the school expects him at an essential orientation function later this morning. This leaves him little choice but to force himself over to his desk.

Still in his nightclothes, he pulls out his chair, sits down, and bends the metal fastener on the lip of the envelope until he can pull it open and slip the contents onto the top of the desk, where he can read them. Inside are several stapled bundles of paper, some of which look official and businesslike and some of which are made to look more casual, with the print on bright yellow or blue paper with clip art illustrations on the corners. Hyuga decides to read these only after skimming the more official-looking papers.

The first white page covered with a plain font and no pictures is a schedule for the orientation period. This Hyuga sets aside for future reference—he places it in a prominent position on the upper left corner of his desk underneath his desk calendar, just so he does not forget where it is. The next consists of four pages stapled together, the first three of which contain academic and behavioral rules and expectations for members of the guest student program as well as the Honor Code, a system whereby academic honesty and discipline are maintained. The fourth page is a statement saying Hyuga will abide by the Honor Code as well as the rest of the rules, and at the bottom of the page is a line for his signature.

Hyuga reads the signature page carefully. In addition to the statement that he will abide by the Honor Code, the page indicates that his signature on the document will act as a liability waiver for the school. Any damages or harm to his person or property from any unreasonable or "unnatural" (something about the word unnerves Hyuga a bit, though he is not sure why) source will be the responsibility of the student alone, and the school is not to be held liable.

A check of the calendar reveals that the Honor Code form must be turned in at the first major program orientation meeting on Friday, so Hyuga files the papers under his calendar and turns his attention to the rest of the materials.

WELCOME TO SHIRYUKAWA

Home of the highly respected Hibari High School

Dear Student,

Congratulations on being accepted into the guest student program at Hibari High School in beautiful Shiryukawa. We hope that your stay this year will be as enlightening as it is thrilling, and we hope that through this guest student program we, too, can continue to learn and grow. It is only through constant interaction with those unfamiliar to us that we can continue to build our modern global community, and that process begins in our home country. Through this program, you will have access to an education unrivaled among high schools in Japan, with special attention given to our guests through our faculty mentorship system and our other amenities designed to promote the intellectual and social development of our guests.

In addition to our guest students, guest lecturers will be present for parts of the school year for the purpose of exposing both our guest students and our regular students to the breadth of knowledge and experience accumulated in some of the rising stars of the teaching profession. You will leave the program a better person in every respect, and we hope that the experience will be valuable to you as you prepare for your college examinations next year.

We at Hibari High School are equally proud of our regular student and faculty bodies, and we hope that you come to appreciate their unequaled level of excellence as much as we have through years of attracting top students from around the country as well as top instructors for our rigorous program. Make new friends, study under the masters of education, and allow yourself to rise up on the winds of opportunity and glide into the wild blue skies of success: that is our hope for you in the coming year.

Do not be intimidated, and always remember where your true strength lies. I wish you success in the coming year.

-Yoshitaka Mori, Principal

XXX

Hibari Dorm #5

Time: Lunch

Although the semester has not yet begun, Hyuga's meal ticket privileges have, allowing him to eat his lunch in the cafeteria area in back of the first floor of Dorm #5. This turns out to be fortuitous, as he runs into his only real acquaintance so far, Yasuo Ikeda, while looking for a place to sit. Yasuo seems happy to see him.

"Hyuga, bro!" he calls out in a voice a little to loud for indoors. "Come sit with me, new guy! Hey, we've got lots to talk about, you and me. You wanna get off on the right foot here, don't you?"

Hyuga nods and accepts the invitation. What choice has he?

"Anyway, new guy, I hear you're from Shimonoseki. So, you like puffer fish?"
"Of course!" says Hyuga.

"Obviously," says Yasuo. "Here, the specialty food depends on which chef is working at the dorm during any given semester. Most of last year, it was tofu, but we're getting someone new when the semester starts, so I'll need to keep an eye out."

"Is the food normally good?" Hyuga asks.

"Usually," says Yasuo. "After all, we get our own chef, so at least we're not eating slop. That's just one of the many perks of going to Hibari, and living in Dorm #5 is even better."

"Are the dorms that different?"

"Are you kidding?" Yasuo face expresses his disbelief that such a question need even be asked. "You'll find out soon enough that each dorm has its own special culture. Ours is the best obviously, partly because ours is one of the few that have both guys and girls. Also, partly because we have the most fun. Man, I'm going to have to teach you all about having fun here."

"Is there that much to learn?"

"When your fun comes partly from what you learn in class and in your extracurricular activities, yes. Yes, it does. I'm in the Chemistry Club, myself, and that lends itself to a few advantages. Big advantages. I know you're probably wondering just what kinds of advantages there can be to being in a club like that, but believe me, there are plenty. Chemistry is great for those who like pranks, you know, and I'm a bit of a legend in that field."

"A legend at your age?"

"Definitely. It's all harmless stuff, but there's a certain joy I take in, say, setting off homemade fireworks in the middle of last year's graduation speech. On some level, I think even Principal Mori was proud of me, or at least he would have been if he had caught me. Of course, when you can operate things remotely, you never get caught."

Hyuga suppresses a laugh. His imagination has already begun dreaming up scenarios that could make him into his own kind of legend, but it has trouble coming up with anything that isn't a derivative of Yasuo's fireworks prank.

XXX

Hibari Dorm #5 Lobby

Time: Evening

The party is about two things: food and meeting new people. Hyuga is not quite sure in which order to prioritize those goals, but he does his best to accomplish both. First he concentrates on the snacks provided, and then he and Yasuo sit down on one of the couches and look around at the other party guests.

"Good crop of girls this year," Yasuo notes. "See any you like?"

"Not so far," says Hyuga, who has only just begun scrutinizing the pack of female students in attendance. "Do you know any of them?"

"Not really," says Yasuo. "In fact, I hardly even recognize them. It seems most of the Hibari regular student upperclassmen haven't shown up. That leaves us to prey on some freshmen and some transfers. Ya dig?"

"Prey on them?"

"It's a metaphor. I'm currently single, and I have a bit of a reputation, so I need to be careful when talking to girls. You, on the other hand, will make the perfect wingman for tonight."

"Great," says Hyuga. "But what if I see someone I want to get to know?"

"Then may the best man win!" Yasuo shows off the same wicked smile he had when he first met Hyuga.

And with that, Yasuo Ideka leaves the couch to infiltrate a group of girls near one of the windows. Hyuga wonders just how careful Yasuo intends to be while charging blindly into a conversation currently being held by at five girls, none of whom he knows, but he decides to take a more conservative approach to meeting and greeting. And to his surprise, a girl actually walks up to him and joins him on the couch.

"Um, hi?" he half says, half asks her—a tallish girl with a face that falls somewhere neatly between looking serious and looking friendly, nicely combed medium length hair, a perfectly buttoned, nicely fitting jacket over her Hibari uniform, and a somewhat disarming smile. Hyuga neither considers himself a true ladies' man nor a complete nerd, but he finds himself somewhat disarmed.

"Hi," she says, her voice not quite as threateningly perfect as her appearance. "You're one of the new kids, right?"

"I am," says Hyuga. "Are you?"

"That's right," she says. "I just got here this afternoon, and I heard about this party, so I thought I'd try to make some friends before the school year starts. I think if I try meeting someone who is also a little out of place, we might make it easier for each other."

"What?" says Hyuga. "Um, you mean..."

"Oh!" she says, clearly embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to gush like that. I'm just nervous about meeting new people. That's all. Please forgive me."

"Don't worry. If you're committing the crime of talking too much here, I've been committing the equal and opposite crime of talking too little. There's a whole year to get that sort of thing right."

The girl laughs. "I guess you're right. I don't want to make a first impression so bad that I can't make any friends this year, but it wouldn't help me any more if I just said nothing, either."

"It's a delicate balance," says Hyuga.

"Hee hee," says the girl. "I think your conversation skills are just fine, by the way. I mean, for someone who just arrived from a new city and all. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. Did I?"

Hyuga nods sympathetically.

"I'm Akane Shinohara, a second year high school student in the Hibari guest program. I'm originally from Fukuoka. What about you?"

"I'm Hyuga Hosokawa, from Shimonoseki." Hyuga stands up, bows politely, and sits back down. "Nice to meet you, Miss Shinohara."

"Akane is fine," she says. "Really, I don't think I could stand not having anyone around who feels comfortable calling me by my first name, so if we pretend we're already good friends, that'll make me feel more comfortable, in a strange way."

"Okay, then, Akane," says Hyuga. "Again, nice to meet you."

"Sorry again," Akane says. "This is so embarrassing, but I'm already getting a little homesick, and I just got here, so I'm probably overreacting or overreaching or something. It's not like I really know what to do at parties, anyway."

"If you're a good enough student to get into the guest program," says Hyuga, "then you're probably not the type who wastes a lot of time. I don't blame you. I've always cared more about my own future than school social events, myself."

"Ah, so you're the brainy type," Akane teases. "I met you two minutes ago, and I've already got you pegged."

"Possibly. Insomuch as you can have someone figured out. I'm not a complicated person."

"We all have our mysteries and our hidden dark sides," says Akane. "Um, not to be creepy or anything. I mean, it's not like I have, um, I mean, my life is pretty boring, too. You know what I mean."

Hyuga chuckles. "Good to know. So, you're here from Fukuoka, and you're into studying more than having fun. I'm sort of the same way. Yasuo over there..." Hyuga points at his other friend. "He seems to be the opposite. He's helping me settle in, though he seems a little more eager to pick up girls than to discuss the school tonight."

It is Akane's turn to laugh. "That's him. Talking to FIVE girls at once? He must be quite the charmer."

"He's quite the talker, that's for certain. If they haven't gotten a word in yet, then they haven't been able to reject him. It's really a good strategy."

"It is, but hey," Akane says, eager to change the subject, "have you gone over your orientation materials yet? Just in case you haven't, we have a meeting tomorrow. Principal Mori is supposed to give a talk, and we'll learn a little more about some of the special events for guest students this year. It should be pretty exciting, and I know Yasuo can't come with you, so, um, let's go together, okay?"

Hyuga once again finds himself disarmed, but Akane answers for him before he gets a chance to speak up. "It's settled, then. I'll pick you up from the lobby an hour before it starts, and we'll decide whether to take the bus or the subway. On the way, we can compare notes and information we've gathered on the town and the school, though I don't really have much yet. So, uh, you'll have to be patient with me at first."

"Sounds good," says Hyuga. "I'm sure Yasuo will be able to tell me something interesting, and I can pass the word along."

"Great." Akane nods her head vigorously, apparently relieved that she will have some company tomorrow. "This town kinda scares me right now, so I'll be happy not to have to travel alone."

"It scares you? Why?"

Akane lowers her head. "Just the same jitters everyone gets when alone in a new city. That's all, I think. Though to tell you the truth, this place has felt a little bit stranger than most strange places. Do you know what I mean?"

"I'm not sure I follow."

"Maybe it's nothing, but this whole school, maybe even this whole city, just doesn't sit well with me. It looks normal enough, I suppose, but it gives me a bad feeling, like I'm not completely safe."

"Anything in particular?"

"Well..." Akane looks around as if worried that someone is watching her, and then she leans in closer to Hyuga's ear. "There is. This is going to make me look like a big freak if I tell you, but I think if I get it off my chest, I'll feel a little better, so here goes. At my old high school, there were some rumors going around about a magazine I subscribe to. Everyone there does. It's called Coolest. It's a style magazine, or a lifestyle magazine, or however you want to describe it. Anyway, one of the writers for it is this woman named Maya Amano, and everyone says she's cursed, or at least the things she writes about are cursed. I might not even have come if I had known ahead of time, but I'll have to show you tomorrow. The April issue of Coolest has a feature article on Hibari High School, and it's written by Maya Amano! So, I'm more than a little worried, and I have to trust a fellow outsider more than someone who lives here."

"What sort of curse is it supposed to be?" Hyuga tries hard not to betray skepticism in his voice, though he has to admit to himself that if it were a guy talking to him about this sort of thing, he wouldn't try to hide it.

"Horrible things," says Akane. "Horrible things. Demons eating people's souls and all that. I mean, I know I shouldn't worry about that kind of stuff, but reading about it on the train on the way over to the new school was just too much. Maybe I've made a fool of myself talking to you about this now, but I'm a little scared, even if I know it's nothing. Do you think I'm weird?"

"Hey," says Hyuga, genuinely concerned for the girl. "I'm not going to pass judgment on you yet. I just met you, and it would be unfair to say you're weird based solely on how you react to a set of unusual circumstances. I'll be happy to read the article tomorrow if you bring it with you, and you don't have to be alone. Don't worry, okay?"

"All right." Hyuga's words have a bit of a calming effect on Akane, and she seems to regain some of her composure. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," says Hyuga. "We're all in this together."

"If you don't mind, then," says Akane, "let's exchange contact information. I mean, if I get chased by a demon or something, I want to be able to call for help, and you'll want the same luxury!"

By the time they are done entering each other's numbers into their cell phones, Yasuo has finished striking out with his group of five girls, and he rejoins Hyuga at the couch. He looks slightly miffed that Akane is sitting in his spot, but all the same he gives Hyuga a pat on the back and congratulates him on his new friend.
"Hyuga, buddy!" he says. "Looks like you did just fine for yourself, though you forgot that you were supposed to be my wingman there! Me, versus five girls. And they're all going to tell their friends about me, and they'll tell their friends, and so on! My reputation among the new girls will be shot before it even has a chance to get off the ground. Woe is me!"

"You were right about him," jokes Akane.

Yasuo's face goes red. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," says Akane.

"Oh," says Hyuga, "I should introduce you two. Yasuo, this is Akane Shinohara, a fellow guest student. Akane, this is Yasuo Ikeda."

"Charmed," says Yasuo. He reaches out to shake Akane's hand. She reciprocates, but he then pulls her hand closer and tries to give it a suave kiss. Akane will have none of that; she yanks her hand back and frowns at Yasuo.

"Whoa, whoa there! I'm just being friendly." Yasuo tries his best to look hurt.

"Please keep your hands and lips to yourself," Akane scolds. "With manners like that, you'll have to get used to that, anyway."

"Geez," says Yasuo. "Don't embarrass me in front of my new buddy."

"I'm his new friend, too," Akane insists. "Though I'm probably going to say goodnight to him now, as I have more unpacking to do. I'll see you tomorrow, Hyuga."

Akane flashes Hyuga a smile, and then she alights from the couch and marches off down the hallway, making a show of rudely refusing to look back. For Yasuo's sake, obviously.

"It's only fair," says Yasuo. "I strike out badly, and you strike out, too. I mean... wait, did she say she'll see you tomorrow?"

Hyuga does his best to imitate Yasuo's evil smile, but he is not certain he succeeds. "We're going to the orientation meeting together. She's nervous about being alone in a new city, so she's gravitating toward other people who are not from around here. That's all."

"Oh." Yasuo looks a little disappointed. "It's an opportunity, though. Isn't it? You could become popular pretty quickly if you can charm pretty new girls just like that."

"It's not like that," says Hyuga. "I'm just trying to be nice."

"Nice," says Yasuo. "Sure, nice and... um... geez, I can't think of a good innuendo there. See what striking out with five girls at the same time does to your brain? It's like getting hit by a truck, I tell you!"

"There will be others," says Hyuga. "There are lots of dorms, aren't there? They'll all have new girls in them."

"Not the boys' dorms," says Yasuo. "Weren't you paying attention earlier?"

"I guess not," says Hyuga.

Yasuo sighs. "There's a lot to take in. Anyway, I'll still help you out. I just need to get those girls out of my mind and some new girls on my mind, preferably before they all find higher class guys around. You up for that?"

"I'll try," says Hyuga. "But can you do me a favor?"

"Sure, buddy." Yasuo's smile (his happy smile, not his evil smile) is back. "You name it."

"See if any of the girls you talk to tonight subscribes to Coolest magazine. I heard there is an article about the school in the April issue."

"I'll see what I can do," says Yasuo. "I have a few magazines of my own, but that's not one of them."

"It's not a big deal," says Hyuga. "Akane is a subscriber, and she's going to show me the article tomorrow."

"Interesting," says Yasuo, halfheartedly, before shifting his focus back to things he actually finds interesting, namely girls.

The rest of the evening is filled with Hyuga attempting to help Yasuo hit on the new girls at the party, Yasuo doing about as well as he did with the first set, and then Yasuo moping on the couch to recover in between attempts. Two and a half hours of similar shenanigans are enough to tired both of them out, so Yasuo says goodnight and leaves for his room.

Hyuga sticks around a few minutes longer, nibbling on a plate of snacks and watching young people jostle about, chat, show off, flirt, and befriend each other. None of the people he sees sticks in his mind until the end, however.

Just as he is about to leave the lobby and make his way up to his room, Hyuga feels an impulse to look back at the party one last time. The crowd has thinned a bit, as most of the transfer students apparently know about tomorrow morning's assembly and have already gone off to bed. The remaining party goers are most likely freshmen and a few upperclassmen trying to get to know the new kids (likely with motives roughly as innocent as Yasuo's, Hyuga assumes). Then, out the corner of his eye, entirely validating his decision to listen to his gut at take one last look at the crowd, Hyuga thinks he sees someone familiar. One of the girls next to the refreshment table appears just familiar enough to stab at his memory, though try as he might, he cannot come up with either her name or where he might have seen her before. It is not Akane, certainly; her face is shorter and rounder, her features are more girlish, and her hair is longer. Something about her bugs Hyuga enough that he stares for longer than he probably should, but before he can either figure out who he is or muster the guts to walk over and ask her, she leaves the party with two other, decidedly unfamiliar, girls. He does not think to wonder why she would leave through the front door.

Without anything else to fall back on, Hyuga comforts his brain by trying to convince himself the mysterious girl was just one of the underclassmen with whom Yasuo had been flirting, though even after he gets back to his room, the question keeps him awake at least half an hour longer than he otherwise would have been.

At least sleep comes. Tonight, Hyuga's dreams are troubled with a mix of his mystery girl and Akane Shinohara, along with a disturbing scene in which Yasuo has his brain eaten by a demon who looks disturbingly similar to one of the teacher at Hyuga's old high school (or perhaps a mix of all of them—Hyuga cannot quite tell).

However, for the first time in three nights, the Velvet Room does not appear to him.