Chapter 3

Shujin Academy

Early Morning

"Thank you for the drive, Fuji-san," Haru said as she exited the vehicle, Fuji holding an umbrella for her to protect her from the rain.

Grunting in response, Fuji Inosuke lowered his head slightly in respect as he held open the door. The shadow cast by his chauffeur's hat prevented Haru from seeing his eyes, but she could see the slight upturn of his lips.

Handing her the umbrella, Fuji quickly returned to the driver's seat to get out of the downpour. Walking away toward the alley that would lead toward Shujin, Haru took a deep breath as she enjoyed the clean air brought by the rain. Although she usually prefers the sun, Haru does enjoy the atmosphere the rain can bring. She only hopes it clears up by the end of school so that she and the gardening club can make sure nothing has happened to the school grounds since the last semester.

Arriving about an hour early meant that only the teachers and a couple of other clubs would be at school. Still, with the lower traffic, Haru was able to make it into the school without running into anyone. Closing her umbrella and turning to the right after entering the building, Haru began to make her way to Shujin's practice building, which housed both the gardening club room and the supply closet where the club's tools were located.

Crossing the covered walkway between the two buildings, Haru smiled and wished a good morning to two other students who were hurrying in the opposite direction. They barely spared her a glance, but with how rushed they seemed, Haru didn't mind.

Entering the practice building, Haru noticed three students wearing volleyball uniforms whispering to each other near the stairs leading to the second floor. As she approached the students, Haru heard the girl of the group shush the two boys as soon as she noticed Haru's approach. As she was closer, Haru noticed that all three of the players seemed to be covered in bandages and bruises.

Faltering before the three students, Haru continued to notice an increasing number of bruises as her concern for these three grew.

"Are you all alright? How did you get so injured? Do you need any help?"

Fully stopped, Haru found herself shooting off questions. She raised her hand as if to touch the players to get a closer look, but all three flinched when she did, so Haru aborted the gesture, afraid that she would only hurt them more.

All three looked at each other before the girl took a step toward Haru, placing herself in front of the two boys.

"We're fine. These injuries are just from volleyball practice."

"Are you sure? You all look way too hurt for it to be just from practice…" Haru wasn't sure, but then again, she had never participated on an athletic team before, so maybe this was a normal occurrence?

Suddenly the girl seemed to get angry as she took another step toward Haru, slightly invading Haru's personal space and forcing Haru to take a small step back.

"The volleyball team is probably one of the only good things at this school. We are a nationally ranked team because of how hard we work and how hard Mr. Kamoshida is willing to push us to be great. Everyone on the team understands this and is willing to put everything on the court to ensure our victory."

Taking another step forward, Haru retreated farther as the girl continued her rant.

"We work hard. And because we work hard, we get injured. But we all know that volleyball is all we have. Shujin is a top-ranking school for a reason. Anyone on the team could get a scholarship to a good school if we perform well enough. So I don't want to hear sympathy from someone who obviously doesn't know the first thing about the amount of effort we put in every single day." The girl panted as she finished her speech.

Haru, panicking slightly, held her hands up. Whether they were up to prevent the other girl from approaching or to try to show that she meant no harm, Haru herself wasn't sure.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you or belittle your hard work! You just looked really hurt, and I was hoping I could do something to help!" Haru quickly bowed in order to show her sincerity to the athletes.

The girl seemed to deflate instantly, a look of regret and something else on her face as she took a deep breath. "No, I'm sorry. You were just worried. What's your name?"

Standing straight, Haru looked the girl in the eyes, "My name is Haru Okumura. It is good to meet you."

Sighing, the girl looked down as she responded, "Okumura-san then, my name is Ai Kotori, by the way. Anyway, Okumura-san, volleyball is the only thing any of us have. Several of our parents have high expectations for us to do well. Especially when we are being coached by a gold-medal Olympic athlete like Mr. Kamoshida. So please don't worry about us. All of our parents and the principal know about it already and are not concerned with this amount of work. Especially since this coaching style already let us win nationals last year."

Haru was quiet for a minute as she looked behind Kotori-san at the two male volleyball players behind her. Both were looking down, refusing to look at either of the two girls in front of them. She couldn't shake the feeling that something might be wrong, but she couldn't be sure. After all, the three volleyball players would tell someone if something was wrong...right?

"Well…alright. I'm sorry again if I offended you in any way," Haru bowed again as she began to walk past the three students toward the second floor. The athletes were quiet as Haru passed, but she did hear their whispering resume after she was far enough away. Shaking her head to put them out of her mind, Haru made her way to room 2-F of the practice room. Opening the door, Haru was unsurprised to find it empty except for a few desks and some bags of nutrient-rich soil in the corner. Placing her bag and umbrella on one of the desks, Haru took a seat and began to read one of her textbooks in order to prepare for the first classes of the day. She knew that most students would not understand why she is willingly reading a textbook outside of class, and to be honest, she finds the textbooks to be both dull and flavorless, filled with information presented in the driest and most uninteresting way. However, she has to do this to ensure she gains a good grade.

While Haru has never received a failing grade before and finds much of the classwork easy, her father and the small army of tutors she has had throughout her life has ensured that she had excellent study habits.

Achieve your goals, no matter the cost. That's the Okumura family motto. Every obstacle can be overcome if you are willing to put everything on the line and make the correct sacrifices. Whether those sacrifices be time, money, hobbies, or anything else, Haru's father made her memorize the motto when she first entered middle school. It's not that bad of an idea, and the success of Kunikazu Okumura in the food industry is a perfect example of how it can be applied in real life. Even the volleyball players seemed to be following the Okumura family motto without hesitation.

The issue, in Haru's mind, is that she just can't understand that mentality. Maybe it's because she has never had a goal she would be willing to give everything for, but Haru can't imagine giving up all of her time and attention to one task while forgetting about everything else. Even time with family is sacrificed in the name of success.

But she doesn't want her father getting upset with her and Haru finds herself filled with pride when she sees her name among the top scorers of the school. So, when she is at school with nothing better to do, she studies.

Sighing, Haru took a quick glance at the clock above the door in the empty room. She still has about thirty minutes before classes start and she can already hear the hallways becoming more rowdy. Turning back to her textbook, Haru continued studying the mathematical formulas she will need to memorize this year.

/|\

Shujin Academy

Morning

The class quieted down as Ms. Usami entered the class to begin homeroom. The black-haired, bespectacled teacher tended to be quiet and straight-laced, but she was an excellent teacher when it came to mathematics.

"Alright class," she began as she glanced down at the papers in her hand. "There's not much to go over today. There will be a volleyball rally tomorrow. All volleyball members are required to attend. Anyone not on the team is encouraged to stay and watch, but as third years you will be allowed to leave early as long as you have no prior commitments."

Looking around at the rest of the class, Ms. Usami nodded. "That is all for homeroom. The rest of the period will be a study hall. If you must talk, do so quietly."

With that, the teacher sat down behind the desk in the front of the classroom and began to work on some papers she had brought with her. Once she looked away, many of Haru's classmates began whispering while a few pulled out assignments and began to write on them with panicked haste.

"A volleyball rally? This early in the year? What is Kobayakawa thinking?"

"It won't be that bad. Usami said we could leave early. Sucks for the volleyball players though…"

"I'm staying. We might get a chance to see Kamoshida play! Ooohhh, I'm so excited just thinking about it."

Sighing, Haru pulled out another textbook, Japanese this time, and was about to begin reading when the whispers of the class changed to a different topic.

"I hear we got an incredible first year!"

"That girl with the ribbon in her hair? I saw her this morning. She was really thin."

"Two transfers at the same time…"

"So a delinquent and an honor student moving here at the same time. Do you think they know each other?"

"No way! That girl was super cute! The guy on the other hand…I hear he carries around a knife in his bag."

"I heard he would attack you if you looked him in the eye."

Haru closed her eyes as the rumors about the infamous transfer student began to get out of hand once again. While she could understand the fear people have about him, since he was arrested for assault, she didn't get why people were turning him into this taller-than-life demon who would attack anyone. If that was true, he probably would have already hurt someone in the short time he's been here.

But, in the end, Haru didn't know the boy. She couldn't defend someone's character when she didn't even know who they were to begin with. Also, she wasn't familiar with anyone in her class. It would be awkward if she told one of them off when the entire class was participating in the rumor mongering.

In the end, Haru decided the best option was to ignore it. Looking back down at her textbook, she blocked out the noise of her fellow students by attempting to memorize more Kanji.

/|\

Shujin Academy

After School

Entering classroom 2-F in the practice building, Haru noticed that Hideo and Ruru were already sitting at two of the desks. Both seemed to be deep in conversation.

"And then I heard that he defeated the leader of the Shibuya Dragons and took over as the leader, but decided it was too much of a hassle when the other yakuza members started challenging him for leadership. So after defeating the rest of the organization, he stepped down. However, now he rules as the shadow-leader with the current boss being nothing more than a figurehead for his tyrannical reign."

Well…Hideo was talking. Ruru seemed to be hanging off of his every word as she grew increasingly nervous throughout the story.

"…He sounds too scary," Ruru said quietly after Hideo finished his tale. "Ah…How did you learn about all of that? I thought he was only arrested for assault. The record you showed me didn't say any of that other stuff."

Sighing, Haru interjected before the boy could respond, "Hideo-kun, are you spreading rumors again?"

Ruru squeaked in surprise when she heard the voice as Hideo turned toward Haru, laughing a little in embarrassment. "Um…oops? Sorry Haru-senpai, but Takeshi told me that he heard this from his girlfriend this morning. I thought it sounded cool. I mean, imagine it! What if the transfer student was actually that strong!"

"…Wouldn't that make him scarier than he already is?" Ruru asked.

"Well, yeah, definitely." Hideo responded. "But according to what I heard, as long as you don't bump into him, look him in the eye, or ask about what's in his bag, you shouldn't have to worry about that."

"…What's in his bag?" Ruru asked, trembling slightly as she spoke.

"I heard that he has this wicked-looking knife that he used to get arrested in the first place! Everyone's talking about it."

"Alright, that's enough. Please stop, both of you," Haru said as she placed her own bag down. "I thought that I told you yesterday that you shouldn't spread rumors about someone when you know nothing about him."

Ruru looked down, shame slightly coloring her face at the scolding, but Hideo just held up his hands in surrender.

"Sorry, Haru-senpai, but I mean, everyone in school already knows about the guy's record. It's all over the internet! People have just been speculating what else he could have done."

Shaking her head, Haru put on her 'disappointed senpai voice,' "You shouldn't make up or spread stories when you don't know all of the details. Please stop scaring Ruru-chan with tall tales about a boy you don't know."

Looking at Ruru, Hideo sighed as he nodded his head, "You're right, senpai. Sorry, Ruru-chan, I didn't mean to scare you with those stories about the new guy."

Fidgeting slightly, Ruru nodded her head, "…It's ok, Hideo-kun. It wasn't that bad, but maybe you should listen to senpai in the future so that we don't get in trouble?"

Smiling, Haru clapped her hands together, "It's alright, Ruru-chan. You're not in trouble. It's just not a good thing to spread rumors about others. Now, where is Ayaka-chan? We can't start the club meeting without her."

Hideo covered his mouth to suppress a cough, which sounded suspiciously like a muffled chuckle, "You should know by now, senpai, that girl couldn't be on time to save her life."

As soon as he said that, the door to the clubroom burst open with Ayaka standing at the entrance. Her black hair slightly disheveled and her breathing slightly erratic.

"I'm here! I made it! And I'm on time this time!" Ayaka cheered as she entered the room.

Looking at his phone, Hideo began to snicker as he showed it to Ayaka, "Not quite! You are five minutes late."

The ecstatic expression melted off her face as Ayaka fell onto her hands and knees, "I was so close! I almost made it! I almost broke the curse on my family!"

Pointing at Hideo, Ayaka began to speak with a large amount of passion filling her voice. "You just wait, Hideo Hiroshi! I will break the curse of never-ending tardiness your ancestors placed on mine, and one day I will be on time!"

Haru sighed as she watched the clock on the wall slowly tick by. Her clubmates could be so silly sometimes, but being the club president and not being forthcoming with who her family was meant that it wasn't often that she was able to participate in inside jokes like these.

Hideo sighed as Ruru giggled in her seat, "You're not cursed, and my family never practiced any sort of curse-making. You just get distracted by every little thing on the way to your destination."

Shaking her head, Haru quickly clapped her hands again to gain the attention of the other three students and regain control of the club. "Now that Ayaka-chan is here, we can begin the first official gardening club meeting of this semester. Thank you all for taking the time to make it to this meeting."

Quickly taking her own seat, Ayaka raised her hand after Haru's introduction. "President, you are aware that I need to leave in about thirty minutes, correct? The flower shop owners have me working today, and I don't want to get scolded again."

"That's alright, you can leave when you need to, but first we have to discuss the plans for taking care of the school grounds. As you all know, Mrs. Takumi has given me the rooftop for my own garden. None of you need to worry about it as that is more of a personal project than a club activity. However, we need to make sure the plants at the front of the school are doing well after the break."

Turning toward Ruru, Haru continued her club president speech, "Ruru-chan, as the newest member of the club, please listen closely as I tell you the responsibilities of the gardening club."

Ruru nodded seriously and pulled out a notebook and a pencil. Hideo rolled his eyes good-naturedly at his childhood friend but otherwise kept quiet.

"The gardening club is, ultimately, in charge of the garden at the front of the school as well as the school's front yard. It is our job to make the front of the school look professional while also using plants to make the front area look nice and approachable. This means that the gardening club takes care of planting, weeding, watering, changing the soil, caring for all the plants in our garden, and mowing the lawn in the front of the school. The rest of the school grounds are cared for by Shujin faculty, so we don't have to worry about that," taking a breath, Haru ended her speech. "Do you have any questions so far?"

Looking at the notes she wrote, Ruru looked back up at Haru. "Um…Do we get to choose what plants are placed in the front of the school?"

"Excellent question," Haru said. "Ayaka-chan, would you like to answer this question?"

"Oh, um, sure!" Turning to Ruru, Ayaka began to speak. "The school provides the gardening club with a shrubbery garden out front. While we do not get to choose the plants ourselves, we are responsible for the care and trimming of these shrubberies. It's not the most exciting thing in the world, but they do provide a couple of planters next to the school building where we can plant our own flowers."

Looking over at Haru, Ayaka sighed in relief as Haru nodded in confirmation. "Yes, and we are allowed to use club funds to purchase anything we need for both the care of the school's plants and our own garden. We can also renew the club's garden every semester, getting rid of the old plants so that our own can take their place. First, we have to plan, renew the soil, and weed the garden. It was raining earlier this morning, but it's just cloudy now. So please change into your athletic uniform and meet me in the garden. Ayaka-chan, please keep an eye on the time. You may leave whenever you need."

Nodding their heads, the other three members of the gardening club began to exit toward the locker rooms to change. Haru followed the girls. While the others might have to leave early, she'll make sure that at least the weeding is done before she heads home. Sending a quick text message to Fuji to inform him about her schedule, Haru made her way to the girl's locker room.

/|\

Shujin Academy

After School

Working on the school's garden wasn't that difficult, but the fact that the three-week break meant that no one took care of these plants, ultimately leading to an infestation of weeds that the gardening club had to remove.

Ayaka left shortly after they began, apparently losing track of time and realizing she might end up running late. With a panicked yell and a quick apology, Ayaka sprinted away from the school as fast as she could.

Haru continued to weed each shrubbery quickly and efficiently, allowing herself to get lost in the peaceful, simple task. However, while Haru was enjoying the silent peace that she found came to her when she took care of plants, Hideo and Ruru were chatting together. Hideo was making comments about passing students while Ruru would either laugh at his description or scold him for an overly mean comment.

"What do you think they're doing?" Hideo said. Haru didn't look up as she was more focused on a stubborn weed that refused to leave the soil.

"…Maybe they forgot something at school?" Ruru replied.

"Maybe…It figures that the new transfer would hang out with Sakamoto. Birds of a feather, and all that."

Haru looked up as she successfully removed the weed. Spotting the fuzzy-haired boy alongside the bleached-blond, she recognized both from their passing yesterday.

"…Are you sure he's a criminal?" Ruru asked. "He doesn't look that dangerous."

"Appearances can be deceiving, Ruru. Besides, if he wasn't that bad, I don't think he would hang out with someone like Sakamoto. I mean, it was confirmed that he attacked Kamoshida last year. Got the whole track team disbanded too. Looks like they're walking away again. What was the point of coming back to school if you don't even go past the front gate?"

Shaking her head, Haru looked at the progress they had made weeding the area. From what she could tell, she could finish by herself within another half-hour or so. Turning to the other two members, she quickly got their attention.

"Thank you for your hard work. There is a volleyball rally tomorrow so we won't have a meeting. Please pass that on to Ayaka-chan when you get the chance. I'll finish up here, so you two can head home for the day."

Hideo cheered as he began to make his way toward the school gate, "Thanks, Haru senpai! See you Thursday!"

Ruru paused and bowed before she followed Hideo, "Thank you for your hard work, senpai. Please don't push yourself too hard." Straightening herself, Ruru quickly made to follow Hideo.

Looking back at the garden, Haru got back to work. It wasn't long before she finished weeding everything. Looking around Haru noticed that it took less time to finish than she initially thought.

Picking up her bag, Haru made her way to the school's front gate. As she passed she noticed the fuzzy-haired transfer and the slouching Sakamoto approaching the school once again. Before she made it out of earshot, she heard Sakamoto groan, "For real…?"

Putting that out of her mind, Haru made her way toward her car. Perhaps today she should ask Sebastian if there were any seeds she could use for her rooftop garden.