DOUBLE SURPRISE
Two weeks later.
7:52 AM - Before Classes - Class 2-C
It was another day of school. It was just a few minutes before the day's classes started. The first two periods would be in Social Studies, while the last two would be in Science.
"At least today, we won't have any Japanese language or Japanese history classes ..." Thinking to himself, Michael ended up speaking his thoughts a little too loudly.
Fortunately, he did this in his primary language - Portuguese, and because he was not understood by Japanese students, avoided the possible looks of coming at him like spears.
The truth is that most of the exchange students were not in a good situation with these two subjects. In the previous week, Takagi-sensei, responsible for this discipline, insisted on passing such a dreaded "surprise test", but only for students who came from outside the country. It was like a kind of diagnostic evaluation, in order to discover the level of mastery over the Japanese language by each one.
And what happened? Incredibly low grades. For the first time in their lives, Michael and other students had known the bitterness of getting a low grade.
He himself had only a mere 35 as a Japanese language grade, when the minimum score to pass this test would be 40. The same scenario was repeated with the others.
James got a solid 38, Lana managed to pass with a lucky 41 , but her twin Kira was not so lucky, missing a single score point, taking a 39 with her. And there was Lukas, who also made through with a somewhat incredible 45.
Everyone was just waiting to discover the consequences of it all ...
"Japanese kinda sucks ..." He thought to himself, taking a deep breath, looking at his left side.
To be exact, Mike sits in the third of six rows, in the fifth chair. With the exchange project, all the rooms had their layout and organization changed, so that different rows were merged.
With this combination, you have a seating configuration similar to the white and black patterns of a chess table. An exchange student will always be surrounded by Japanese students, and vice versa. The organization does not allow two or more students of the same "type" to be immediately close to each other. Such a measure was implemented to encourage interaction between the two groups.
... However, this did not bear the desired fruits ...
Changing the focus, Michael looked at that chair that was next to his. Because of the location, only a Japanese student could sit there, but the question that remained was, "Who?" During the two weeks he was studying there, he never saw anyone occupy that chair.
Classes were about to start anyway - just two minutes to go! So it wasn't like the student could just show up.
But, he still wondered who is supposed to be the person occupying such a spot...
Anyway, that wasn't important. Moshida-sensei had just arrived. It was time to start the day.
/
12:00 PM - Before Lunch - Class 2-B
The situations in the different classrooms used to be quite homogeneous. At the end of class, the vast majority of students used to go out to cafeteria, with many choosing to remain in the vicinity of classrooms, however.
Anyway, those two still had to get used to some of the customs, but that would be easy, since they had the admiration and support of others there.
Well ... At least the support of the students who were also part of the exchange program ...
The Japanese still had a certain fear of approaching them, and this situation became even more apparent when it came to the girls. Most of the female Japanese students did not seem to like the presence of the red-haired twins.
One or other talked to them, but it was always regarding very brief subjects, generally related to student life, such as borrowing an object or other things alike.
Their main friendships were outside that room, with the group of boys from 2-C, who were quite the funny bunch, and a new group of girls from 2-A that they met recently, with whom they used to talk at times.
So, the Fedorova twins lived their life in the 2-B classroom the existence of normal girls, who shouldn't really worry about anything else ...
... with the exception that it wasn't really like that ...
"It looks like she is going to have lunch alone again ..." Lana said, looking at the back rows of the room, analyzing the presence of a serious and lonely figure, who sat alone. Literally all the chairs around her were left unoccupied.
"But I don't think she'll accept our company ... We've been trying to get closer for two weeks, and nothing ..." Kira twisted her face slightly, raising an eyebrow. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she felt sorry for Nino Nakano.
It didn't matter what they did. Nino never opened up to them for anything, for any reason. Every day, the two of them planned to arrive earlier, after discovering the things they write routinely on the table she uses.
There were terrible messages... The whole room seemed to hate that girl, and as much as they could understand why, they didn't see it as the right thing to do.
The quintuplet number two didn't know, but they were the ones who had been erasing those messages on her desk, every single day. In the past two weeks, she hasn't seen a single word written there.
Watching Nino had become one of the activities they performed most of the time. Whenever they could, they greeted her in some way or tried to bring up a subject. Rarely were the times when they achieved more than a face twisted in anger and rejection.
They wanted to help her, but there was nothing they could do if the Nakano girl was unwilling to accept that support. The twins even thought about reporting the abuse, and tried to talk to Nino about it...
The answer? Just another bitter comment. Nino refused to acknowledge them as sources of help, and to associate with them, something that in a way was understandable, but even so, very painful to see happening before your eyes.
Without even looking at them, hiding her eyes with her growing hair, the girl with the butterfly ribbons left the classroom, holding her head high, as if she were not suffering in any way.
They admired this strength that she exhibited, but ... How long would it last ...?
... ... ...
"Kira-san, Lana-san. Can I say something important to you two? "
A voice called for them. Synchronously looking back, the two Russian redheads saw a Japanese girl who was sitting right at the top left of the room. She looked serious, looking both ways, like someone looking to find out if they are really alone while walking down the street.
"Ono-san. What do you want to talk to us about? Any more problems with your material? " Asked the glasses wearer, arranging her hair a little more to the left.
Lana had helped her with a last-minute problem. Ono Sakura, the student in question, had lost her pencils, so she lent her one. A simple thing, but that has already opened the communication windows between them, even if only a little.
Even so, Lana did not expect to be called directly by Ono, especially for a subject that seemed to be so serious, given her tone of voice and posture.
Adjusting her posture, the Japanese student approached them.
"That's not it ... It's just ... Well ... I've noticed that you've been trying to get close to Nakano-san ..." Taking a break, she looked at the two of them for a few seconds, one at a time , and continued to speak after that, bringing her face closer. "I am very grateful for the support you have given me, and that is why I have come to warn you ... Do not approach her."
Before her sister could ask anything, Kira, who until then had said nothing in that dialogue, decided to "get into the character" and adopt a smart, but simple strategy: questioning.
"Why would you say that, Ono-san? Is something wrong with Nakano-san?"
Lana realized what her sister did, and decided to perpetuate the strategy. It was as if their twins' bond allowed them to know what each other had thought and to quickly understand any plan.
"I'm also curious ... Why shouldn't we approach her?"
Without the slightest hesitation, and in a tone that meant nothing more than "isn't it obvious?", Ono quickly said what she knew.
"Can't you understand? She doesn't talk to anyone, she doesn't fit in, she has no interest in making friends ... She is just a stranger who walks around alone, scores bad grades and gets in trouble! Do you not know the rumors that tell about her?"
"Rumors? What kind of rumors? " In perfect synchronous form, their voices overlapped each other.
"I heard that, once..." She moved closer, looking around to see if she would be heard. "They found a pack of cigarettes in her bag. That in itself must be evidence of her character, right? "
Absorbing that information, the two gave each other the slightest nod, in a way that literally only they could see that there was a nod there.
"Anyway, I'm just saying that because I know you are nice people ... And I can't see you being influenced by her ... So, please, stay away from her."
Leaving at a fast pace after saying that, Ono Sakura left the two behind, also leaving the room.
With that new information in hand, the twins as always looked at each other, later turning their attention to the place where Nino usually sits.
"I wonder how much of this is really true..." said Lana, adjusting the placement of her glasses.
"That if any ofthis is true... We cannot be influenced by this type of rumor. Nino is clearly the victim here." Finished Kira, remembering the broken pen and the harsh words written on her desk.
They were aware of how Japanese bullying worked. It was a succinct, hidden thing. Contrary to what is seen in American films, where there is physical aggression and people end up really beating each other openly, in the East, this reality is different.
Generally, bullying occurs through social isolation and ostracism, and sabotage, theft of objects and other more indirect things are common. It is not impossible that one may get beat, but it's quite harder to happen.
This usually falls on students with peculiarities that separate them from the rest of the group, such as too high or low grades, shyness or being overweight ... And that was exactly what happened with Nino. As the Japanese proverb said, "the nail that sticks out gets hammered".
Teachers themselves often turn a blind eye and ignore these episodes, which makes it all the worse.
After seeing and reviewing the dialogue in their minds, they prepared to leave, too. They had to help Nino somehow.
/
12:13 PM - Lunchtime
"Sup, guys!"
"No one says 'Sup, guys' anymore, Mike ..." Logan said, eating another piece of his typical Japanese lunch: Yakiniku.
"Yeah, but I don't care." He sat in one of the seats, adding up to six people who occupied that same table, resting his lunch box on the table. "Classes been rough today, eh?"
Getting up from his seat, biting a piece of a sandwich he bought, Lukas brought attention to his figure.
"Ay Mike, tell them about what happened in the Social Studies class!"
Everyone in the table quickly turned their attentions to Michael, who, eating, started to laugh slightly.
"So guys..." He finished chewing the food. "You guys know Moshida, right?"
"You mean the overweight dude that wears a suit like it's really that cool to use one? The Social Studies Moshida?" Asked Logan, a British student in class 2-A. Besides his intellect, he was also chosen to be part of the program because he has an uncle that works as a doctor in Japan.
"Nice description, Logan! I'm keeping it! So... Long story short, he asked me to explain what is the Pacific Ring of Fire..."
... And then he told them the entire story, capturing inumerous laughs and humorous reactions. The exchange students were really absorbed into listening to that.
"... So there was this part, after the explanation, that he sent me back to my seat with a face that would make a tomato cry! He was so mad at me for getting the question right! The man looked like a red star about to go supernova!" He finished telling the story about how the Moshida-sensei was literally roasted to ashes.
Pointing up while laughing, James took a sip of what seemed to be black tea, and pointng upwards to get attention, said.
"Yeah, I can confirm that! It was funny as hell! Moshida looked so mad at him after that! Red like molten metal!"
... ... ...
"Was all that story really truth?"
A particular voice caught their ears. Sitting next to the guys, Lana and Kira quickly changed the focus of the conversation, addressing Mike.
"Though, I gotta say that was pretty impressive of you, Michael! Saying all these things in front of the class, I mean. Professor Moshida looked seriously intimidated! " Said Lana, positioning her lunch tray over the table.
"Yeah! If that was really the truth, then you got some guts in there! ... It would be too much pressure if I were to do this! I call that an alpha move - asserting dominance over the Japanese! " Finished Kira, nibbling on a sandwich while playing with her sister's hair lock.
"Well, I'm a genius who happens to be an idiot at the same time, so I kinda only have to turn one of them off to become 100% of the other! One day, you guys may see me being full idiot mode! Just wait for the right time. " In response to that, he pointed his chopsticks at each of the people at the table, speaking.
Everyone laughed somehow at that, because they knew that was the truth. But, that matter quickly came to an end, when Kira revealed a news that made everyone a little apprehensive ... Or rather, almost everyone.
"Guys, I heard that Takagi-sensei wants everyone who scored less than 40 points in that Japanese test to stay in the class after 3:00 PM ... He wants to have a certain conversation with us ..."
In a moment, the whole atmosphere of the place changed from laughter to a cold and sad air ... Clearly, with the exception of two people, who took the test out of their pocket and bag, respectively, showing the result to everyone in an energetic way.
"Lucky 41!" Cheered Lana, showing off her grade to everyone.
"Awesome 45!" Lukas had to keep deep control of his legs not to leap high in the air.
Certainly, none of them could feel any worse than that ...
"We're screwed, aren't we?" Asked James, looking at everybody like they were in a card game, each one betting their very souls.
"Oh, very ...! We are super screwed! " Logan dared to say the truth. He also didn't go that far - 34, that is.
They knew that they would have to live through whatever the teachers invented ... And there, the group tried to create some kind of psychological strength to overcome the challenges created.
/
2:20 PM - Science Class - Class 2-C
Having to stay inside the school for any other piece of time that is not absolutely necessary was torture beyond compare. Not knowing what to do with his immense amount of free time after having solved the activities on Cell Biology proposed by Ueno-sensei, he just rolled a little ball of paper from side to side, waiting for the painful passage of time.
His only visible friends from where he was were Lukas, Kira and Lana, and from the way they behaved, he soon concluded that they had also completed their own exercises.
"At least, I'm not the only one who is immersed in boredom ..."
Maybe he should take a nap? That seemed like a good idea ...
... ... ...
No... His mind was elsewhere...
"Why did she run away from me, earlier?"
It was before the afternoon classes could start. Michael was walking down the hall, making his way back to the classroom. When that happened.
He once again crossed eyes with Nakano Yotsuba. Michael immediately tried to greet her, but the unexpected followed that single hand wave he couldn't give.
She ran away. Michael could only see as she stared at the floor, keeping books closer to her chest, and then, simply disappearing in the hallway, distancing from him without a single word.
Yes. They saw each other, so it couldn't be that. She clearly decided to evade his presence. It was clear as day in her blue eyes.
"But... Why?" He could only wonder. Why would she evade him like that?
... And that wasn't his only concern... After listening to Kira and Lana, the brazilian student couldn't help but worry... After all, which would be the fate of the students that failed that test? He was a painful forty minutes away from discovering...
"Things aren't going as smoothly as I tought they would..."
Something deep inside his heart told the young man that dark waters were approaching...
3:17 PM - Reunion Room
"I think that after all of this, you already know the reason for being here ..." Said Takagi-sensei, leaning his hand on the blackboard.
The group formed by Michael, Kira, James, and another small crowd of exchange students looked closely at the middle-aged man who was wearing glasses and was overweight.
For seventeen minutes, they had listened to complaints about their level of mastery of the Japanese language - about how poor their results were and how bad that would be during school years.
For almost twenty minutes, he had found some way to keep talking non-stop about the same topic that should have been so small, sometimes hitting the blackboard with unnecessary violence.
The fact was that, in addition to talking about the grades, he took advantage of the situation to publicize a certain project he had been thinking about, and after writing some Kanji, he again made an explosion of noise travel across around the room.
"Cooperation. That's what is written here. " He tapped the blackboard again. "You need to exercise cooperation, create relationships of trust and friendship!"
He went back to writing more Kanji.
"And that is why we are going to put you all on an Academic Association Project!"
Everyone wanted to ask what this meant, but none had the courage ... He would go on explaining anyway, so it didn't matter.
"One thing we noticed and that you still interact little with Japanese students ... You prefer to stay in your own little groups, or am I wrong? Well, that will change from now on! " He said, in an authoritative tone.
The news fell like a ton of weight on the back of each one there ... They already wondered what that should mean.
Currently, the school was divided into two heterogeneous groups - they were like water and cooking oil. Neither mingled with the other or even threatened to try to do that! - on one hand, the exchange students, on the other, the Japanese. A silent cold war was going on between these two large populations.
Most did not interact with anyone from an opposite group, so the school had literally split up. Exchange students mostly ignored the Japanese, and the same was visible from the other side.
The exchange students created a large group on the internet where they could meet without the presence of the natives, and this was a major, almost apartheid, that reached the ears of the school, which clearly hated the idea.
"If you really want to live these two years in our Japan, you have to learn to get along with our people! Here you are invited, not the lords of the house - these are us! And that is why you are the ones who must earn our respect! "
He tapped the blackboard one more time, before explaining the whole big scheme.
"Each of you will be associated with a Japanese student, and your role will be to help each other! You will be evaluated by the impact you have on each other - that is, how much your grades improve as a result of the partnership! "
He seemed more and more passionate as he said, raising his voice and even putting one of his feet on a chair.
"And before they anyone ask, yes! This counts as an evaluative grade! If you want to pass the year, you have to do it! ... Now, let's go to the divisions! Before we can start, do we have any questions?"
"Uhm ... Sir-"
"Excellent. No questions. Now..."
He took out a sheet of paper, with a list that indicated the names in pairs. One by one, the names for the trip to hell were mentioned, always one Japanese name and one not.
Everyone's eyes widened, looking down ... waiting for the hammer to fall on them. The apprehension took them one by one, making them tremble in place as they were called ...
"Fernando Tavarez ... and Kobayashi Hanamiya."
"James Williams ... and Satoru Koji."
"Logan Schmidt ... and Nakagaki Shoto."
And he kept going, on and on, saying a par of names, one by one...
... ... ...
Only two names were left... This was a very unfair thing to do. Forcing students to interact with one another was not, by far, the best method of making it work ...
"For these and other reasons I didn't want to go to Japan ...!" Mike thought to himself, realizing that it was the last name that was missing.
Takagi-sensei looked at some of the last lines of his document, until he made an observation.
"Michael Silva, huh? I heard of you from Moshida! You're the smart cookie, huh?"
He was clearly mocking Michael, and that could be easily noted. A sadistic smiled made its way there, prepared to give its painful punishment.
"Well, first I must congratulate you! I heard about your immense capacity through Moshida today and couldn't believe it at first ... He said that your performance was impressive!"
Upon hearing that, Mike could almost jump into the place of pure excitement ... Was he free of all that torment, of having to be forced to interact with someone who almost centainly hates him?!
Meanwhile, the others just looked at him, slightly gaping, waiting for the final verdict ...
"So, we will be testing all of that potential that you have! You'll be assigned to a certain troublesome student when it comes to grades..."
Gasp. All of Mike's joy was murdered, had its dead body tied and incinerated, and the ashes were thrown into the sea...
The way he said that wasn't nice in the slightest... Who was that student supposed to be? At that moment, he was really starting to regret saying all that about a bunch of volcanoes.
Without wasting any more time, he said the name.
"Michael Silva... And Nakano Yotsuba!"
"Nakano-san...?"
Michael couldn't help but think about the way she fled from him earlier... What could have moved such an act?
Meanwhile, Takagi-sensei turned his face to Kira, staring at her for a few seconds. At any moment, a heavy droplet of nervous sweat could drip from her forehead...
"Kira Fedorova... You may not have passed, but among everyone here, you got the best grade. So that's why we are also going to pair you with a special student!"
He once again looked through the countless lines of names, finding Kira's one.
"Kira Fedorova..." A dramatic stop made its way. The air seemed to get heavier, almost impossible to breathe.
He once again punctured the young woman with stares, sharp as arrows, and said, finally.
"... And Nakano Nino!"
He positioned the papers over the table, saying one last thing.
"You all will be divided in groups and assigned to a tutor-student. This student is going to watch over your progress as a duo. The project starts next week. For now, you are all free to go home!"
AUTHOR NOTES
In response to "A guy named Tom", about a flashback scene - Yes, i have a flashback of Fuutarou's death planned. It will happen in one key point of the future arcs.
So... "Arc 0" is over. One could say the story actually starts from here. We pretty much settled everyone's personality, moods and situation - so here we go!
Japanese professors can get offended quite easily - don't act like the smartest of cookies next to them! They may dip you in hot coffee!
Then, Arc 1 will start in the next chapter... Michael's character will gain a lot of dept and his major flaw is going to be explored. For those saying he is a "Made In Brazil Fuutarou"... Just wait and see!
Is he going to discover the reason behind Yotsuba's avoidance?
How is Kira going to work this out with Nino?
What about the others quintuplets?
Well, see you next Arc!