STALKERS, PENS AND DOGS
"So, i'll be going already. Have a good day!"
Mike was already getting ready to leave. The fact that it was so hurried and sudden made Isanari and Raiha see that gesture as something that could not have been caused simply for normal reasons.
He had slept too late ... and woke up too early for it to be healthy. They were unable to determine what had caused that change, but in fact it shouldn't have been a very positive thing ...
"Are you going this early, Michael? Don't you think you should wait a little longer? School will not disappear from where it is! " Said Isanari, eating a piece of toast with eggs, a meal that the newest inhabitant had just prepared.
"Eh...? Ah, I'm fine! Don't worry about me ... So, like i said, i have to be going ... Because, uhm... We, foreign students, need to show an image of diligence, right?" The way he said that didn't sound convincing in the slightest, though.
Raiha looked at him with a little concern. For some reason, Mike was looking at the street, right outside the door, with a frequency that seemed abnormal, as if he wanted to avoid something.
"Uh ... Michael-san ... Does anything bother you?" The youngest in the house asked.
"Ah ... It's nothing ... I'll be alright, Raiha-san ... So, it's time for me to go!"
The two became increasingly suspicious of that, but even so they said nothing - they did not want to put more pressure on him than there already was.
And so, he left with an immense speed, escaping their sight and closing the door behind himself. Feeling the cold wind, Mike felt his being almost shrink in place, after all, that strange interaction with that even stranger girl had left him with a significant amount of fear ...
"She was following me ... She was following me everywhere ...!" He thought to himself, shrinking in the spot like a person who was cold.
Everywhere he was, he always saw a certain red shadow in some corner ... In his classroom, he had slight glimpses of that shape watching him through the window, while in the cafeteria, he watched her watching him from afar, from somewhere.
Fortunately, the only place he was not followed was in the bathroom - the sacred land that no girl could get into. At least there he was able to have some peace.
"... I'm afraid that I might end up traumatized by that ... Who knows in which times of the day I'm being watched ...?" He asked himself, letting the speech get lost in the wind. Letting his feet connect with the street, Michael slowly made his way to Asahiyama High.
The idea of having a stalker was extremely uncomfortable for him ... The animes he watched used to display this in a cute and even relatively lovable way, but he knew better - in real life, it was all very different ... It was scary, actually.
Knowing that you can be followed everywhere ... That thought didn't even let him sleep at night. Because he is very impressionable, Mike tends to get scared with some ease, even with trivial things, and for that reason he spent a good part of the night having an uneasy sleep, checking the windows of the room with an absurd frequency.
He is so easily frightened that the boy spent an entire week unable to sleep properly after listening to an especially scary story in a conversation with his friends in Brazil.
And now, the danger was real and could be anywhere ... Who could say what that girl wanted with him? She can be in any corner, any shadow, in any voice ...
"Mike."
" AAAAHH!"
... ... ...
A scream that possibly awakened the whole neighborhood ran everywhere. In a fast jump, Mike behaved like a cat acrobat, almost performing a somersault, even with a backpack. Surprised by the call, he looked back, fearful, to see ...
"... Lukas ...? Was it just you ...? " He tried to calm himself down from the extreme hyperventilation that was taking him over.
"You sure are still impressed by that, huh? Yo, Mike. How is it going? " Lukas, pointing finger guns, greeted the frightened boy.
Composing himself with a little focus and deep breaths, Mike took some papers that he had dropped from the backpack pockets, which were scattered on the road. When he had done that, he looked at Lukas and said, still taken aback.
"Man, please ... Don't scare me like that ... I thought it was her again! I almost died here ...! "
Lukas laughed somewhat contentedly at that, holding his own stomach. That speech entertained him in a way like no other.
"Aren't you supposed to be happy? I mean, first school day and you already got a cute girl staking your back, man! Isn't that the dream of pretty much every guy? " He asked, taking something out of his pocket. "Here. Take this. I'm sorry for surprising you like that. "
He threw a kind of rectangle wrapped in plastic in the direction of the Brazilian student, who in a quick movement, took what soon turned out to be a sandwich.
"Huh, thanks! ... But that doesn't change the fact that i was too scared to notice if she was really cute or not ...! And it may be a dream only for you, for i never wanted a stalker! " He unpacked the sandwich, made of loaf of bread.
"Oh? So you are telling me you never dreamed about being chased up and down by a good-looking lady who wants to have so private talk with you? Wanna give me your stalker? "
"No. That's a scary idea. And yes, she is yours for all I care. " He bit a piece of the sandwich ... But then spit it out. "Is this tuna or what?"
"Yeah. It's a tuna and mayonnaise sandwich ... Didn't like it? "
The two started walking in the same direction. With a disgusted face, Mike packed the sandwich back in its plastic.
"I hate fish ... That's actually one of the reasons I didn't want to come here, you know?"
... And at that moment Lukas knew ... That he would have to hear Mike do the thing he apparently loves the most and totally excels at ... Ranting about mundane, everyday things. That lucky bastard? Complaining?
"I mean ... Half of the popular Japanese food is either made of bizarre stuff, or is fish-based ... Or both at the same time ...! My options here will be leaning on what i already can cook, which means, Brazilian food only. "
The Dutch boy bit into his sandwich. He could tell Mike wasn't done, even if it seemed like he was.
"... And you know what that means? If i can only cook food from my homeland, i need the ingredients, which are hard to get here and mostly as expensive as a kidney of mine! ... It's the tragedy, Lukas ... The tragedy ...! "
The calmer of the two just listened to everything, shaking his head positively and smiling to try to appear sympathetic to Mike's pain. However, the boy with brown hair and fair skin was thinking about things of his own interest.
"I want a cute stalker too ...!"
/
After a few minutes of walking, the two were already approaching the school. Just turn another street to the left. Nothing could stand in the way of that path ... Nothing but two things.
The first would be that girl, and the second ...
"... A hellhound ...! It's after me because of my sins ...! Help me!" Mike screamed, trying to hide behind a tree. "Oh my God! Get that thing away from me! Take that monster away, Lukas ...! "
Fortunately, there was no one else besides them, at least in a visible horizon, that is. Mike had been haunted in an incomparable way by the fearsome image of ...
... ... ...
"What's the matter, Mike? It's only a cute little puppy! Oh, little thing, are you lost? Here, have a piece of my tuna sandwich! " With his own hands, Lukas tore a piece of his sandwich and offered it to the puppy, who appeared to be quite hungry. "Oh, you are so cute!"
"No! Don't feed it! It's the devil ...! Help me, oh my God ...!" ... Meanwhile, Mike took more distance, hiding behind a lamp post.
The puppy, after hastily finished eating, turned his eyes towards the Brazilian student, who just trembled in place, as if he were seeing something really demonic.
"No, Mike! It's a scared and hungry puppy that just wants some affection from you! " Lukas tried to pet it, but it went right after Mike.
"No!" The scared boy, desperate for safety from that hellish thing, clung on to the light pole as if trying to climb it, using maximum strength to stay as far as possible from the ground. The puppy jumped, trying to get to him.
Seeing Mike's extreme reaction, Lukas began to think a little, and soon came to a possible conclusion.
"Mike ... Could it be that you have cynophobia?" He asked, seriously wondering how such an adorable puppy could terrify someone.
For anyone crossing that street, the image they would see would be of a grown-up teenager running from something small, fluffy, and absolutely innocuous, and who at most could tickle with its underdeveloped teeth, after all it was a simple puppy.
But for Michael Silva, that was the vision of hell ... It was as if a real hellhound, a multi-headed beast, was trying to devour him. He knew it was an immensely irrational fear, but he couldn't stop feeling it. No matter how hard he tried to convince himself that he would not be victimized, the intense fear and that trauma of so many years ago always resurfaced in his mind.
Realizing that his friend's fear was no joke, Lukas made a smart move. He threw the rest of the sandwich far away, and with that he discovered one thing - the puppy did not follow Mike out of a desire to play with him, but because of the pleasant odor of the tuna sandwich, most of which remained with him.
"It looks like it was just hungry ... You can get down now, as it will take a while to eat." Said the Dutch, looking across the street, where the little dog was tearing the sandwich apart with its developing teeth.
With Mike having descended from that pole, the two continued their walk after a couple of huge deep breaths ...
"You asked me if I have cynophobia ... Well, I do." Mike said, looking at the ground and kicking a small pebble. "It happened when I was five ... This one neighbor released five angry hounds on me ... That guy was always hated all over the street, since he was always looking for trouble with everyone ..."
"Five angry hounds ...?!" Lukas seemed impressed to hear this.
"That's right. Man, I was a child at the time ... A child who didn't know what he was doing ...! A rubber ball of mine fell into his house while I was playing on the street, and he released five huge hunting dogs to catch me ... Long story short? I spent two weeks and a half in the hospital because of that ... I almost died. "
He extended his right arm forward, pulling on his shirt sleeve, revealing an arm filled with various whitish marks, with size and shape consistent with dog bites.
"At the end of it, he was arrested for it, but the trauma never left me ... I was almost chewed to death! Now whenever I see a dog, no matter what type or breed, that agony fills me ... It's not something I can avoid, no matter how hard I try. "
Throughout the journey, Lukas remained silent, digesting the story he had just heard. Just the fact that he knew that he had brought up a huge trauma made him feel extremely guilty.
"I'm sorry, man..."
"Nah, just don't do that again. It's fine. You didn't know about it."
/
The end of class alarm is heard.
Lunch time. The first lessons of the day had been especially terrible for the transfer students, since the first subject covered was the Japanese Language, and the second one did not bring them any relief: Japanese History.
Western education would be of no use in these classes, where they were literally learning from scratch. Even though they were prodigies in their countries of origin, the challenges of being in a new and unknown environment lowered them to the same level as the most common students in the school.
"Wake up, sleeping beauty. Or do you want me to kiss you?" Mike prepared a small ball of paper, throwing it in the face of James, who was sleeping on his own chair.
"Wha- what ?! I don't know- I don't know what that Kanji means ...! " He woke up in distress, thinking they were still in class.
Lukas gave a light laugh at that, extending a paper to James, that read the Kanjis for the word "Incompetence" (無能). At least he was learning something.
"I don't understand that, but I'm pretty sure I'm being made fun of ..." said James, in response to that.
"Totally right." He folded the sheet of paper, putting it in his pocket. "But dudes ... I never thought I would ever see a guy named 'Kamehameha' in real life!"
"Guess that's where they get anime references from, huh?" Mike asked, putting his things away and taking his bento out of the backpack.
Seeing this, two other peculiar figures approached the trio ...
"Oh? So you cook by yourself, Michael? That's quite nice! "
A voice that could melt any boy's heart echoed through the room, showing that it was quite close to the three. Soon, a radiant presence was revealed before their eyes ... Or rather, two.
"Hey guys! What's good around here?" Said almost the same voice as before, also approaching.
"O-oh ...! Hey, Kira ...! And, Lana ...! " James' embarrassed voice, poorly hidden, was heard by everyone.
... ... ...
Kira and Lana, the Russian Fedorova sisters. They are inseparable twins, which is why they were sent together by the exchange program. The two quickly acquired the status of "beauties of class 2-B", being desired by the boys and envied by the girls - mainly by the Japanese, for their unusual beauty.
They are tall, red hair in a highly orange and shiny tone - naturally wavy - attractive to the top and above all, super intelligent.
It is more than obvious and even expected that any boy or man would falter, even a little, if they were to address him...
... ... ...
"Lana, Kira! How are you two doing? What brings you to the humble class 2-C?" Mike tried striking up a conversation.
"Just to chat. You know... Just those Japanese classes that are killing us. So much brain for nothing. " Lana said, also clearly exhausted from classes.
"Well, at least we are will be getting free college and all ... So killing ourselves once or twice over some Kanjis is probably not that bad." Said Kira, finishing the topic to start another one.
Upon hearing that, however, Mike's ears almost moved on their own like a dog's ... He needed to know more ... Immediately!
"Wait... Did you just say the magical words 'free college'? "
Everyone was a bit surprised by such a mood change. Mike was now expectant for hearing about it.
"Yeah, didn't they tell you guys about that?" Kira faced each one of the boys ... Who collectively denied with their heads.
"Well, so there you have it! Everyone partaking in this going to have free college - that's a bonus for making us go through this experience, which, at least for us, is being painful like nothing in the world. " Finished Lana, arranging her round glasses in plastic black frame.
"You two are not alone in that line." Lukas pointed out. The feeling was similar for everybody.
Michael would never admit it in front of everyone, but that gesture of repositioning her glasses made Lana look quite hotter - which should already be impossible. That was the only current difference to tell who is who between the twins - Lana used glasses, while Kira had contact lenses - if he had what it takes, Mike would give it a shot with one of them.
Although most of the exchange students are very intelligent, very few actually fit the "nerdy" archetype. Anyone looking at them will get the impression of the twins being just the common "party girl", which, internally, is clearly not the case.
"But these fish are way too big for my net..." He thought, lamenting the unfortunate reality.
... But, he still had another dream, one that was closer to realization. Mike's family is not doing well economically, so having free college is a huge dream coming true. He can't even believe it!
"Free college ... Now i feel truly motivated ...!"
While he celebrated with himself and saw stars in the metaphorical sky, Lana and Kira made their own way away from the trio, but without first leaving two of them burning in envy ...
"Bye, Mike! Maybe you can teach me how to cook someday? " Said Kira.
"I would like that too, Michael. You seem really resourceful! " Finished Lana.
They were just teasing him, and he knew it, so it was just ignored. But the others...
... ... ...
"Hey James ... How about we gang up on him ...?" Asked Lukas, in a pretty ominous tone. "We should test the limits of his luck."
"Come on, Lukas! I'm not lucky or anything ... They are just messing with me. That's all. "
But they weren't willing to listen, and it was James' time to crack his knuckles.
"Yeah. Maybe that luck will split into us if he dies by our hands? "
"Guys ...! That's scaring me ... "
"Oh? That's a shame..."
"No...!"
/
"Ay, Lukas ..."
"Say, Mike."
"You know the stalker, right? What if i told you ... "In a quick stop, Mike reached over to pick up a book from one of the bookshelves in the library. It was a thick title, located in the "translated to English" section. "That i've seen another person that looked almost exactly like her?"
Lukas didn't even hesitate, looking at his manga.
"Then I would believe you, because your stalker is one of quintuplets." And after saying it, he went back to reading focusedly.
There was a huge silence there for several seconds ...
"Eh...?" Mike questioned, not believing what he had heard. "Quintuplets? Like ... There's five of them and they look like each other? Is that what you're trying to tell me? You sure I didn't hear that incorrectly? "
"I'm sure." He took a deep breath. "The whole school knows the Nakano quintuplets, man. You who can only wander around and study will eventually end up being left behind ... The guys from the exchange even created an online group where we discuss ideas without the influence of the Japanese students. "
"All of this under my nose ...? I am feeling seriously betrayed, Lukas ... "
"You did not seek to know about it - I myself had to go and ask to be added! - They don't want any native students joining this group, understand? That's why it is not a open thing that everyone can know about. "
A little reassured that he hadn't been forgotten, Mike kept looking for the book.
"I get it ... But now back to the subject ... Explain to me this story of 'quintuplets' in the right way."
Lukas took a little breath, turning the pages of his manga to the surface of the table, and then answered.
"They are almost celebrities around here, actually. I didn't hear much, but you know what some of those guys are like, right? They are already eagerly searching for them, with those intentions."
"Wait ... When did you find out about this?"
"At class time. Not long ago."
"Were you using a cell phone during class?! How did you do it?!"
"Now, now, Mike ... A man never reveals his secrets!" Lukas finished, sending a wink. "By the way ... What in the world are you after for so long in that shelf?"
Mike searched for a few more seconds, until he pulled out the title he was looking for, a rather thick book. He turned his cloak in Mike's direction.
" Kanji to English - Popular Kanjis and their meaning ... What are you trying to do with this?"
"Easy." Mike removed something from his pocket. "This thing. Besides it's common writing, there is also some kanjis in red marker written in it ... Along with a number 4, too. "
Raising a hand to his chin, the Dutch boy played with his hair using the second of them, messing up the smooth brown strands. Breathing quite deeply, he extended the right hand.
"Can I check this out?"
"Sure. Here it is. It belongs to the girl that is identical to the stalker. Short hair, though."
After looking for a few minutes, pointing his cell phone camera at the writings, and writing the symbols on a paper, Lukas began to think, until he reached a verdict.
"That seems to be a name, Mike."
"A name?"
"I translated these kanjis through the internet, and one method of writing someone's name in Japanese is to find Kanjis that sound the same as the name ... Remember today's class, don't you?" He shot Mike a side look.
"I remember that part, but it is not usually a usual method, as it is very confusing to understand." Mike replied, remembering Takagi-sensei's words.
"That's right, but I managed to find out one thing ... The kanji read exactly the numbers 4, 2 and 8, with the sounds Yo, Tsu - which is unironically '2' in English - and, while '8' is usually read as 'Hachi', the combination here makes it sound as Ba, instead. And on the side, there's this other writing, which means, let's see ... "
The two tried to find the sound of the other kanji for a few more minutes, until they got an answer.
"Nakano. These two kanji together read the word Nakano. " After a brief silence, they look at each other, until Lukas continues. "And, being in the online group, I coincidentally know that there is a girl named Nakano Yotsuba in this school, one of the Nakano quintuplets ... Which leads me to ask, Mike ... How do you have this?"
After absorbing all that information, the Brazilian student was unable to think of anything but how complex this whole investigation system was, and how smart Lukas was for making it happen.
"I accidentally bumped into it before yesterday's meeting. She dropped it on the floor. That's it." He said, playing with the object between his fingers.
"Got it ... Anyway, I think you already know who to return to, now… What about your stalker? Did you see her around today? "
Changing the subject, Lukas read his manga again.
"Incredibly, no. I didn't feel followed today at any time ... Maybe this is a good sign? There is also a chance that I was just too impressed yesterday ... I mean, seeing her everywhere. " He replied, putting the now unnecessary book in its place.
"Oh? Maybe she gave up on you after that? ... Mike? ... Mike ?! "
... ... ...
"Ah ...! Sure, sure ...! Maybe she did? "
"You kinda spaced out now ... Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, it is ... I just thought I saw her ..."
"Do you mean the stalker?"
"Honestly, I don't know. I saw a blur looking like her coming out the door, very quickly ..." Mike had his eyes focused on the open library door.
"Eh? After all of this... Who is looking like the stalker now, Mike?" He asked, quite playfully and teasing.
"I'm not stalking her! I need to return this - it's all!"
"Right, right... But a normal person would not go as far as getting their friend to translate some Kanjis to discover, right?"
"I didn't get you to do it! You did it yourself!"
"That's the least important part."
Mike just decided that he shouldn't entertain that kind of dialogue, focusing on the door instead.
"Nakano Yotsuba, huh? A name is a start."
/
All these foreign students occupying the corridors ... She didn't care, after all, the situation wouldn't change much for her, anyway.
It was almost time to start classes, a process that has become one of the most hated moments since the day of that tragedy.
Without saying anything, the girl with butterfly ribbons in her hair rose from her lonely place at the lunch table, leaving the tray back where it came from. Even with so little space available in other tables, none ventured to share the same place as her.
And besides, it wasn't like she wanted any of their company ...
Except for her sisters, she literally did not interact with anyone else. She had become someone different, even more bitter than she used to be before his arrival. And now that he was gone, there was no reason to change in behavior any more.
After that, she decided that maybe she would take the next few minutes to study or something ... It wasn't like her grades had improved steadily, but following the directions he left, the girl thought she was capable of anything.
A strong, spiky exterior to hide a soft and delicate interior. This was the personality of the second sister, who was always strong at all times.
Like a lone wolf, she headed towards an isolated space she used to occupy: an almost completely empty corridor, where she would not be harassed or disturbed by anyone. There, she could have a moment of peace and try to understanding something new.
In both arms, she carried only a single pen, a book and a notebook for notes, focusing on her unique, isolated way. She intended to continue on her path regardless of anything.
A train does not stop until it reaches its goal, just like her.
The only problem was that that corridor had become a little more crowded and noisy, due to laughter and conversations in a foreign language, that she occasionally found herself listening and paying attention, even if she didn't want to. Connecting single words, she unconsciously tried to create meaning for that strange phrases, with even more bizarre ways of speaking.
Right now, "her corridor" had a few more students, debating about the most varied subjects that she could not understand.
In absolute silence, with an iron expression, she crossed her path to the space that served as a tiny piece of safety.
... ... ...
"... Oh, I'm sorry, Nakano-san! It was not my intention!" A girl laughs, somewhat mockingly and sarcastically, at the situation she was in now.
Quickly, the group formed a kind of terribly tasting goodbye, leaving her field of vision at the same speed with which they entered it.
They seemed to surround her ... They were students from her same class, who were beginning to spread various rumors about her change in behavior. After that six months ago, literally the entire classroom started to isolate her, creating a heavy ostracism.
She had no more people to call friends, since such horrible rumors had reached even those she thought would never be influenced ... She was now alone.
The girl with the butterfly ribbons knelt down, brooding a little in hatred for those hateful figures ... They had purposely bumped into her, causing her only pen to fall, and then "accidentally" stepped on the object, breaking it the without a shard of mercy.
Looking at the shards of her broken pen, she could do nothing but hate...
She had already tried to fight it, but the enormous lack of support caused by the increasingly constant bullying left her in a position of eternal suffering.
The desire they had to ruin her life was so immense that they even managed to turn the teachers against her ... Now, the image that everyone had was that Nakano Nino was nothing more than a rebellious and undisciplined student, and because of this fame, she couldn't do anything to fight it.
All she had left was to brood over the hatred of losing yet another of her precious objects for these people ...
... ... ...
"So, I think we should take a look around or something. Get to know the place."
"Yeah. Nothing better to do ... Hey, look there. Isn't she that lone girl in our class? "
"I guess so... Let's see what happened?"
"Yes. Let's go there."
"Two voices speaking in a language that was not even the English so used by the transfer students. It was faster and much more confusing, incomprehensible. Those two literally identical voices approached her.
"Hey ... Are you okay?" Thinking that she was one of the transferred students, one of them spoke in English. There was no way they could know, since the two never really did a close inspection of her person.
There was no response for the next three seconds, so the second one tried, speaking in Japanese.
"What happened to you? Did your pen break?"
It was at that moment that both sides caught a glimpse of each other. On the one hand, two tall, red-haired students, extremely similar to each other, with the exception of a few select characteristics. Two girls of notable beauty. They talked in that strange language while watching it.
And on the other, a girl who no longer knew what to do with all that feeling. The tears threatened to flow, and her teeth locked against each other displayed all the anger.
They were all in the same classroom, the room 2-B. The two could remember how, in the previous day, nobody would sit next to Nino. The same repeated in the other side, as Nino couldn't help but stare at the two bunches of orange amid the most of black and dark brown.
Upon seeing such a set of gestures, the two exchange students were able to quickly understand, and one, the one who did not wear glasses, extended a helping hand.
"Here. Let me help you get up." She tried reaching out to the third one.
Nino violently rejected it, slapping Kira's helping hand away, gesture that made the girl walk back a few centimeters.
"I don't need your help. I can get up by myself. "For the first time, they could hear her voice. It was dry and hostile, offensive, even. But, they couldn't ignore that feeling lingering there, in the between of each word.
Rejecting that offer of help, she propped herself up on her knees, standing up alone, with the pieces of her pen in one hand, and the books in the other. She was about to walk away when ...
"Hey, did someone break your pen? Do you want ours borrowed?" One of them that she couldn't determine asked.
She tried to contain all feelings with her deepest strength. She knew this was a bad time to explode...
She didn't have time nor the mood to stay there for longer, much less to socialize with foreign students, so she just tried to get away.
"Be careful! That person may still be out there!" One of them screamed in the distance, trying to alert her.
Ignoring that socialization attempt, Nino Nakano just kept walking, feeling the tears start to trickle down the corners of his face ...
Arriving at the classroom, she sat down and placed her books on the table full of erased marks from several different phrases they wrote there. She couldn't take it anymore ... Couldn't live with it anymore...
... ... ...
A couple of noises made her raise her head, two slight impacts on the classroom floor. Looking over there, she saw two sparkling plastic objects lying on the floor beside her.
"Huh ...?"
Somehow, in a succinct and discreet way, two pens had appeared in her pocket, falling because of the movement, one with black ink, the other with red ink. Two entirely new pens, given as a gift.
She quickly picked them up, and immediately associated everything. Such pens belonged to the twins she met in that hallway.
"I didn't ask for their help..." She thought, observing the objects.
/
"Are you still going to look for her?" Asked James, putting away his books on biology and chemistry.
"I'm going to try to take a last walk around the school, before leaving ... After all, who knows?" Mike kept his things, too.
"Hehe, Mike is crushing on her! Maybe that was a fateful, love bump? " Asked Lukas, already preparing to leave the room.
"Don't disrespect her like that, Lukas. Matching someone with me is putting them down to the bottom. "
"Is your self-esteem really that low, man?" The tallest of the group was already approaching the door.
"Whatever it is, man ... See you guys tomorrow!"
... ... ...
After saying goodbye, Mike started walking around the school. It would also be an opportunity to explore the surroundings a little, after all, two days were still not enough to learn the location of everything.
In a few minutes, he formed a mental map of the entire top floor of the place. He had learned the location of the laboratories and most of the classrooms.
"It looks like I'm not having any luck ... Well, at least I'm not being followed constantly."
He was already considering going home and trying another day, after all she couldn't get out of his eyes forever. Giving up to keep looking for the day, Mike went down the stairs to the floor below ...
... ... ...
"I am very grateful for your help, Nakano-san." A teacher was receiving a box in her arms. It seemed to be full of several books.
"You're welcome, Nakagawa-sensei! I'm always happy to help! " A girl responded, keeping a smile as vibrant as the sun on her lips.
The woman nodded slightly, smiling too.
"You are always very helpful, Nakano-san ... Thanks again, and send my regards to your sisters!"
The girl stepped back slightly, giving a chuckle that to a close observer, seemed a little out of place ...
"I will certainly do that, Nakagawa-sensei!" And so, she ran away, entering the library.
... ... ...
"It's her...!" Mike told himself.
He was too far away to have heard anything, but he certainly could see that shape, and most of all, her characteristic green ribbon of hair.
Without further ado, he headed over there, trying to swallow the nervousness and tremors of having to speak to someone native there ... During this entire time, his non-essential communications have been completely with other transfer students, so that would be the first Japanese student he had to talk to for any reason. Calmly, he approached, and ...
/
"Hey, you two."
Finishing packing their stuff, the two Russian sisters looked back, and in almost perfect sync, responded.
"Huh?" Their equal voices were amplified when united.
It was Nino who had approached them. With a serious expression, which could even be seen as a little irritated, she quickly addressed the two, sparing no words.
"I don't know what the two of you are thinking ... But don't think that I'm going to become a little friend of yours because of two pens. Understand that."
She took the two objects out of her pocket, extending them forward, towards Lana and Kira.
"Here they are. I never asked for your help. You decided to meddle by yourselves in a problem that wasn't yours, and you are very wrong if you think I will thank you ... Here, take your pens back, I don't need them!"
After hearing all that emotional statement, full of what should have been anger, the two twin sisters looked at each other, exchanging a slight smile between themselves, before turning their faces back to Nino.
"We have them not because you wanted, but because you needed to. You can keep them. " Said Kira, zipping her backpack.
"And after all, if you didn't really need them, you wouldn't have used them during the entire class!" Completed Lana, even giving Nino a wink.
There was no denying that. From where they were, Kira and Lana had a perfect view of Nino's chair, all they had to do was turn around a little, very discreetly. Throughout the class, she was using the material that was handed to her.
"... It doesn't change the fact that I didn't ask for your intervention!" She continued to make her point. "Here, take your pens back."
Carrying the closed backpack on her back, Lana also arranged the placement of her glasses, providing a quick response.
"They are now yours. Keep them with you. We gave them, not borrowed."
And Kira couldn't help but complete her sister's speech.
"There are just two pens, and that was nothing. We have several of these. Just keep them, will you?"
"... Wait a minute ...!"
"Bye Bye!"
And without saying another word, just smiling and waving at her, the two headed out of the classroom, leaving Nino unable to continue the discussion for lack of people. Looking at her hand, she saw that she was forced to accept that small gift, but extremely meaningful gift.
"Why... Why am I shaking so much...?" Nino asked, as she stared at the simple pair of plastic tubes with ink inside.
/
"Excuse me, Nakano Yotsuba-san? I think this belongs to you, right? You dropped it when we bumped yesterday, so i've been trying to find you, to give it back."
He tried his best ... Mike suppressed the will to stutter or run away with all his might, keeping eye contact.
"Oh ... This is ... This is my amulet ...! I've been looking for it all day! Thank you so much for returning!"
Fortunately, she seemed positively suprised by that, and quickly accepted the amulet.
"Don't mention it. I saw you walking by and decided to follow ... Uh, is that Yoshida-sensei's questions? Those were quite something, indeed. Took me almost an hour to get 'em done. "
Mike let his curiosity get the best of him, and took a little peek of the pages she had over the table. "Homework from hell" was the name of it.
About to finally leave home after completing the quest, he turned back and ...
... ... ...
"You ...!" She called for him.
"Uh ... Yes?" He was okay ... In the outside, that is. Internally, Mike was panicking over having to talk for more than five seconds with a person that has the right to roast his not optimal Japanese.
"Can you ... Help me, please ...?" She said, with a pleading look. "I ... Can't do this on my own, so... Can you help me, please...?"
... ... ...
"Eh...?"
OC INFO
Lana & Kira Fedorova
Ages - 19
Gender - Female
Country of Origin - Russia
-A pair of twin sisters that brings attention to themselves wherever they go. Both have a similar personality and like to complete each other's line of thought, in a way one can almost perfectly impersonate the other. Are usually pretty honest and fair, sometimes painfully sincere with third parties, but sometimes can resort to less than lawful strategies in order to get what they want.
Likes:
Lana - Her collection of brand glasses, Speaking French and teasing boys.
Kira - Watching movies, Speaking Spanish and teasing boys.
Dislikes:
Lana - Warm climates, Wednesdays and Peppers.
Kira - Dry ambients, the 17th day of September and Chocolate.