Hey folks, hope you're all having a good one. This chapter was intended to be much larger, but I want to keep to a regular upload schedule, and I like the shorter chapter format of this story, so I've decided to upload this in parts. Part 2 could contain the rest of day one, but for now, here is the continuing adventures of Sojiro Sakura.

The morning had come far too quickly. Sojiro felt something grip his chest as he was forcefully roused from his slumber. He was sweaty and out of breath as a single notion swirled around his head; was it all a dream? His alarm boomed out beside him. He nearly jumped out of his skin as he felt his brain rattle inside his skull, disrupting his already feeble thought pattern. He switched off the offending device and sat at the end of his bed, trying to steady his breathing.

He was tired, yet very aware of his place in the universe. Despite his groggy state of mind, he had the wherewithal to avoid looking at his body, fearful at what he might find. Slowly he turned towards the mirror, stopping mere centimeters before it came into his line of sight. A revelation was but a mere head turn away. Yet he was frozen in place, anxiety grabbing hold of his chest again. As he mindlessly stared at the wall, he could not help but wonder exactly what he feared most? To see his old run down body glaring back, or his youthful form. And that realisation terrified him most of all.

"Christ kiddo, not like you've never been to school before," Futaba chuckled.

Sojiro felt his heart explode forth from his chest at the old woman's voice. He leapt from his bed again and onto his feet. The older Futaba stood by the doorway, a small plate in one hand and a glass of orange juice in the other. She smirked at him and chuckled again. It took Boss a moment to process what had occurred, but one thing was clear, he was still in this 'other' world.

"Have you heard of knocking?" He shouted angrily.

"Have you heard of early mornings? At least you can get some sleep, my bloodstream is basically caffeine these days." Nothing fazed her. His mean look and raised voice barely even shook her, it doused Sojiro's flames swiftly.

"Well can you at least knock in the future?"

"Um, I did. You ignored me. Saw you sitting there like you're heading for the gallows."

Sojiro paused at that. Was he really that oblivious? She really had no reason to lie to him. Then there was that word; 'gallows'. One of the perks of adult life was you didn't have to worry about school anymore. At certain times it felt like the only perk. Now he was facing it all over again. He let out a long sigh as Futaba rolled her eyes.

"Don't be a baby, c'mon. Eat up, you gotta get ready."

She walked over and placed the small plate and glass beside him. He looked incredulously at his meal. They were store bought pancakes, likely put in a microwave and drizzled with far too much syrup. He already missed his curry. He looked up at her, unable to mask his mix of disgust and disappointment. She only laughed.

"Hey, I haven't cooked properly in nearly five years now, I ain't changing for you."

"Just making a mental note to start making my own breakfast from now on," he grimaced

"Suit yourself, but you'll need a proper kitchen for that."

"You don't have one?" Warning bells began to ring out inside him.

"If you count a microwave and the tiniest oven you've ever seen, sure. We got one."

Sojiro was beginning to feel ill. Futaba retreated back down the stairs to let him wallow in his misery. He forced down the pancakes, showered, got dressed, and followed her below. His caretaker greeted him with a cheeky grin and a wave. He looked about to find the scene identical from the evening before. The few people he could spot in the booths remained like figures trapped in time.

"You better hurry, don't wanna be late on your first day," Futaba called out.

Sojiro craned his neck over towards the clock. If school starting times were still the same in this dimension, he had forty five minutes at best to get there. Feasible by train, but much easier by car.

"Oh boy," he muttered to himself, realising he was in a bit of trouble.

"C'mon, step to it, I do have customers y'know?"

"You mean they actually come out of those booths?"

"Sometime, not often, but everyone needs a snack or two, right?"

"So… ugh, where is the school again?" He asked sheepishly, realising instantly how bad it sounded. With how things were rearranged, he couldn't risk the possibility that it too had moved.

"Seriously?" She asked him with an arched eyebrow. He could only respond with a weak smile as she rolled her eyes. "You got a phone, Kiddo. Take the train, it gets you close enough. Or what? You need mommy to hold your hand on your first day?"

Older Futaba had a bit of a mean streak on her. Sojiro made a mental note he'd have to keep that in check in her later years.

"Can I not get a lift?" He asked innocently, assuming she must at least have a car.

The air grew cold. Something tense settled in between them. He could hear Futaba shudder under her breath as she flinched away from him. She turned her head, lighting up a cigarette and placing it between her lips.

"What, you expect me to fly you now?"

"I meant by car," he pressed on. He quickly wished he hadn't. Futaba's usual vibrant face morphed into a dirty look. He could see something snap behind her eyes. Her fists balled up, nearly crushing the lit cigarette in her hand.

"… I haven't driven a car in over five years. And you know why. You wanna stay under this roof? Don't you dare ask me that again."

It was not a request, it was a warning. Boss felt something shiver up his spine. He felt like he was facing down a mama grizzly bear on the verge of striking him down. He never thought he could ever feel threatened by Futaba, but despite their similarities, it was never more clear to him that this was not the same little girl he had raised for all those years ago. She had been beaten down by anger, broken from tragedy, and instead of morphing into a shut-in, she had built a place where she could simmer in her misery.

"Understood," he said carefully, slowly.

"Now get out of here, I mean it this time." She spun round and worked over her coffee machines, refusing to look him in the eyes again.

Sojiro wanted to say something. The last thing he wanted was to leave her on such a bitter note. Yet his time was up, and lingering would only piss her off more. Whether he liked it or not, he was now headed for school. He slowly opened the shop door, looking back towards her, before stepping out into the unknown.

"Oh my god, I can't believe break is already over!"

"I know right. I was literally so tired this morning. My mom literally threw me in the shower."

"Like, I was literally dead. Literally!"

"If she uses the word 'literally' one more time..." Sojiro grumbled to himself.

The journey to school had been an uneventful, but stressful one. The train lines were not the same as he was used too, but thankfully, Shujin Academy was exactly where it was supposed to be. Unfortunately for him, Sojiro was now stuck behind two of the most obnoxious teenagers he had ever encountered. Never before had he been so content that his clientele aired on the older side.

He was already losing the will to live and he hadn't even made it to the school gates yet. So vapid and mind-numbing was their conversation that he almost missed the familiar face that collided with him. She tripped just as she tried to pass him by, sprawling the textbooks she was holding across the pavement.

"Damn it!" She cursed, scrambling to pick them up.

"Here, let me help," Sojiro said, picking up what fell at his feet. Seemingly she ignored him, or rather, was so panicked she didn't hear a word he said. When she noticed several books still missing, she swung her neck around to find him holding them.

"Hoo boy," Sojiro muttered under his breath. He had seen her before. Her fluffy brunette hair, her porcelain skin, her doe-eyed glare, the one stark difference was her lack of maid uniform. "Forgive me, but I never forget a face."

A switch flipped in the Boss' brain. An old familiar instinct took over. He shot her a cocky grin, a pair of half-lidded eyes, and deepened his voice just enough that it produced a low rumble as smooth as chocolate. Yet she seemed unfazed by his advances, almost annoyed at him in fact. She didn't reach for the books straight away, instead choosing to look him up and down.

"Oh god, it's you," she groaned, finally snatching the books away. "I was hoping I wasn't going to run into you any time soon."

"Gotta say, I miss the outfit," he replied, undeterred by her rebuff.

"Please don't. That's exactly why I wanted to avoid you." She huffed. "No one from our school takes the train that far."

She got off from the floor and dusted her uniform down. This definitely suited her better. She wore a white polo and had discarded the blazer. She contrasted it with a long black blouse and neck scarf. Back in the day, she would definitely have been on Sojiro's radar, but he had to remind himself he was still an old man at heart. This was more than a little weird. He corrected himself and reeled his seductive side back in.

"Sorry, let's start over. I'm Sojiro, Sojiro Sakura."

"... Sadayo Kawakami." She reluctantly answered, now feeling embarrassed.

"Sadayo-Chan. Third year yourself, right?" She nodded. "You're not hurt are you?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Running late, huh?" As soon as he said it, her eyes opened wide in panic.

"Oh crap," she blurted out, spinning around. "Gotta run. See you!" She shouted back at him.

He watched her jog away from him at a dangerous pace. He couldn't help but shake his head at her, knowing full well she was in danger of falling again. Sure enough, Sojiro heard Kawakami tumble further up the sidewalk. He raced up to her and stuck out a hand to help her up. Despite wincing in pain, Sadayo was reluctant to take it.

"C'mon, I won't bite," he teased.

She sighed and took his offer, letting him gently pull her up to her feet. She dusted herself off again, her cheeks now tinged with a scarlet blush.

"You need to slow down," he chuckled. "You're really gonna hurt yourself."

"I can't, I'm late as it is," she grumbled, picking up her books again.

"We're not that late, school doesn't start for another half an hour."

"Maybe you're not, but I am. I have so much I need-"

"Kawakami!" Screeched a voice on the road. Sadayo turned white as a ghost and physically cringed as she recognised that tone instantly.

Sojiro looked to his right to find a woman parked haphazardly in the middle of the road. She stared daggers at Sadayo, or she would have, if her dark sunglasses weren't in the way. She was an older woman, most likely in her forties, with dyed black hair and heavy make-up. Her flashy red car was an italian model and seemed quite luxurious. She had a dull scarf tied under her chin and over her head and wore a beige coat.

"Saitta-Sensei!" Sadayo yelped, realising it really was the woman herself. "You're early!"

"What are you doing here, girl?" The woman growled. "You were meant to have everything ready for me already!"

"I am so sorry, Sensei." Kawakami bowed as she tried to hide her face.

"Typical," Saitto rolled her eyes. The glasses fell slightly, revealing her bloodshot eyes. If Sojiro didn't know any better, he would have guessed she'd been drinking quite heavily the night before. "Get in the car. You'll need to work twice as fast to make up for lost time."

Sadayo looked at Sojiro before hurriedly rushing towards her Sensei, not even granting him a farewell. The look in her eyes was one of shame and embarrassment, and Sojiro felt his heart ache in response. She didn't need to be spoken to that way. Hot flashes of dark memories burned in the back of his mind. He could hear angry scolding and disgusting language directed at a defenseless child. He could see Futaba curled up in a ball in fear and panic as she lost her grip on reality. Subconsciously, he scowled at the woman in the car, who looked at him only in disinterest.

Sadayo hurriedly opened the side door. The cars had quickly built up behind Saitto, now honking at her to move. She did not care. The second Sadayo had closed the door, they sped off far too quickly down the road. Boss stared off after them, watching the car vanish in the distance. He could only shrug his shoulders and carry on towards the school. In the back of his mind, he could not help but wonder when he might see Kawakami again.

Shujin Academy came into view as Sojiro turned the corner. He looked upon it with a strange sense of nostalgia. He had never attended it before, but he fondly remembered taking Ren on his first day there. At the time it was an annoyance. Now he wished he could have enjoyed himself more in that very moment.

Students milled about outside as they slowly trickled in, grouped up in their cliques and factions as they made battle plans for the rest of the day. As he drew closer, something started to feel off to Sojiro. He did not remember the gates looking so run down. The black paint upon them was peeling off, and the metal underneath had become notably rusted. It was not a promising start.

"Oh brother," he remarked as he slowly entered the jaws of the behemoth. There were eyes upon him instantly. People regarded him as if a strange beast had wandered onto the school grounds. He was an unknown, and already he could hear people muttering about him. Sojiro considered himself made of stronger stuff, he could and often would bite back, but he knew better than that. Just like an overbearing customer, he paid them little heed, carrying on with his day instead.

He tried to distract himself and focus on anything else. He passed by the lockers and noted they fared no better shape than the school gates. Many were punched in and utterly useless now. The grey walls had a few unfortunate stains, and even mild bits of graffiti. Now more than ever did he understand exactly what Futaba meant when she said it was one of the worst schools in the country.

He made it to the first hallway, but the glaring and whispering had not let up. The notice board in front of him looked as if it was barely hanging on to the wall. It proved no help in pointing him to where he should go. He looked around and realised just how lost he was. Was he meant to go to the faculty office? Where would that even be now?

"You seem a little lost there?"

Soiro heard a kind voice emerge directly behind him. He found himself in the presence of a slightly older woman wearing the school's tracksuit. She was slim and had tied-up black hair in the shape of a ponytail. She had a kind smile, one that initially caught him off guard. It was a stark contrast to the miserable atmosphere of the school thus far, but he quickly found himself relaxed in her presence.

"I suppose I am," he chuckled to himself.

"I don't recall seeing you here before, is this your first day?"

"That's right."

"Judging by the look of you, I'm guessing… third year?"

"Right you are," he assumed. He didn't know for absolute certainty. When he developed his goatee for the first time, it was when he had started his third year of school. By that logic he reasoned he must be around that age. "Truth be told, I have no idea what I'm doing."

"That's alright, new places overwhelm me too. You should head to the faculty office so we can find out what class you're assigned to, though I suspect I already know. Would you like me to come with you?"

"I'd like that," he answered with a genuine smile.

This was his kind of woman. Beautiful, kind, athletic, looking over her once more, she was probably in her mid to late twenties. She radiated a gentle aura, one he had rarely seen before.

"My name is Shiho, Shiho Suzui. I'm the head athletics coach at the school. What's your name?"

"Sojiro Sakura. Please, look after me Shiho-Sensei," he bowed to her, causing Shiho to giggle.

"You're a charmer, aren't you?"

She directed him to follow as she led the way. Sojiro no longer felt eyes upon him, as the student's glares shifted to Shiho. Yet there was no sense of malicious or suspicious intent. Instead he could see a surprising amount of respect and admiration amongst the people she walked by. It was an infectious feeling. He lost himself in the same way, ogling her as she walked ahead of him. He caught himself staring too late as she looked back towards him, so he tried to cover himself with a question.

"I don't suppose you'll be teaching me," Sojiro asked.

"Oh no, I just look after the athletics department. It's nice to give students a chance to exercise and find an outlet. Many of you come from rough backgrounds, so I understand the need to vent."

"It's that bad here?"

"Well this is a rougher school, I'm not blind to that. I came here for that reason. You kids need someone who you can trust, who will listen to you. More often than not, parents default to 'tough love' as an acceptable parenting strategy. It's simply not. It leads to young people rebelling, throwing away their life for zero gain. Shujin is supposed to be a dumping ground, but it can be more."

"Dumping ground?"

Shiho suddenly paused. She had stopped right outside the faculty office and looked at Sojiro like he had just asked her if the sky was really blue. For his part, Sojiro felt himself starting to sweat, thinking he had once again said the worst possible thing he could today.

"You really don't know? Do you?"

"No, I don't," Sojiro said a bit more sternly. His eyebrows arched and his hands went to his hips. He was showing his age.

"How did you end up there?"

"I applied," again, he assumed. Judging by what Futaba had told him, it was seemingly his choice.

"Did you have anywhere else to go?" Shiho pressed further.

"I… ugh... " Boss scratched the back of his head, at a loss as to what he should say.

"No, sorry, forgive me. That was tactless of me," Shiho apologised. "I shouldn't ask if you're not comfortable sharing."

"It's not that. It's more… I don't have an answer to give."

"That's fair. Really I shouldn't use the words 'dumping ground' either, but everyone calls the school that. Even the other members of faculty. Hard not to get swept up into it all." Shiho looked around and noticed they were drawing more eyes than usual. "Tell you what, let's talk more in the office."

She ushered him to follow her inside. The office was a mess. The first thought that went through Sojiro's head was why anyone would leave it this way. All the desks were horribly cluttered with pointless tacky items and improperly filed paperwork. The carpets were stained beyond recognition. Whatever colour they once were, they now resembled an unpleasant shade of green and brown. What didn't make it into the bins was left to clutter up the floor. No cleaner would get paid enough to tidy this room.

Shiho gave Sojiro a knowing smile as they walked inside. She seemed embarrassed at the state of it all, but Boss knew there was not much she could do. Unsurprisingly, her space seemed the least like a disaster, propped next to the only other desk resembling some semblance of cleanliness. There sat two people; one was what was presumably a teacher who had his face behind a computer screen and the other was a boy with short dyed grey hair and a single plaster on his face. He sat off to the side, staring into space. He did not acknowledge Sojiro or Shiho as they drew closer.

"Mishima-San?" Shiho spoke up as they got closer.

The man stuck his head up from behind his monitor. He was dishealved thing, barely resembling any teacher Sojiro could remember. He looked between the three of them as if he had just been lifted out of a century long coma.

"Suzui-San," he responded with an almost relieved smile. "What can I do for you?"

"More what can you do for this young man here," she corrected while motioning to Sojiro. "I believe I have found another one of your strays."

"Strays?" He looked at her blankly at first, before his face lit up again. "Oh, Sakura-Kun?"

"That's right," Sojiro chuckled, a bit bewildered to being called 'kun' again. The odd man's hair was a spiked up mess. He had notable bags under his eyes and likely looked older than he actually was. Yet much like Shiho, he seemed like the friendly, honest sort. He stood up to greet Sojiro properly, revealing his untucked white shirt and black tie that wasn't done quite to the top.

"Nice to meet you, I'll be your homeroom teacher this year." he stood there awkwardly, unsure what he should do next, so Mishima settled on smiling harder. This did not endear him to Sojiro, but he did appreciate the effort.

"I-I see," Sojiro stammered out, slightly flustered.

"We rarely get transfers here from the third year of all places, but I will do my best to accommodate you. Your grades were surprisingly solid when I checked your file, I thought there might have been a clerical error," he chuckled.

Sojiro's eyes drifted away from the awkward man and towards the boy his age sitting by his desk. He knew he shouldn't stare, but just a quick glance told Sojiro he was looking at a timebomb. Yet the boy blanked him entirely. He seemed entirely unaware of the world around him, or rather just didn't care. Misihima noticed where Sojiro's eyes drifted off to and quickly cut in.

"And this here is Iwai-Kun. He's starting today just like you."

At the mention of his name, the silent figure turned his head a mere few centimeters in their direction and looked over Sojiro. He said nothing at first, regarding him more like a target than a fellow student.

"... Hey," was all he said, before staring forward again.

"He doesn't speak much," Mishima nervously chuckled.

"Well I'm sure you've got your hands full," Shiho cut in, clapping her hands together. "Don't forget that class starts in ten minutes. I know how you get lost in your monitor."

"Yes, good point," Mishima laughed worriedly. It was a slight tease, one in good fun, but judging how serious Mishima seemed to take it, Sojiro realised it probably hit a little too close to home.

"And as for you two," Shiho addressed the two students. "Keep in mind there will be a special assembly after lunch today. Attendance is mandatory. So no sneaking off on your first day."

"Can you imagine? Ditching your first day of school?" Sojiro snickered, another memory popping in his head. "What kind of troublesome kid would do that?"

"Hopefully not you." Shiho poked sojiro with her finger, but kept her warm smile. She looked at the clock again, grimacing to herself. "I know I said we'd talk, but time has crept up on me as well. I can explain more to you later, just come and find me. Otherwise, just ask Mishima-San. He's very capable, I promise."

"Ah, you wound me Shiho-San," Sojiro sighed. "But I'll keep our date in mind. After school perhaps?"

"I don't think that would be strictly appropriate," she scoffed, but still maintained her smile.

"You sure I can't convince you? I make one hell of a curry, I promise you, it will be the best you've ever had."

"School hours only," she insisted. He could see a twinkle in her eye though, one he knew all too well. "I'll be keeping an eye on you, Mr. Sakura."

With that, she turned and began to walk away. Boss couldn't help but grin as he watched her. Just as she was out of earshot he muttered under his breath, "And I'll be keeping one on you."

"Right, should we head to class then?" Mishima proposed. Sojiro almost forgot the other two people in the room and was taken aback by the sudden attack of exuberance. Before either young adult could answer him, the homeroom teacher took off towards the classroom.

Sojiro and the boy called Iwai briefly shared a look towards one another. Boss found him difficult to read. Even with the strange way he regarded him, he sensed no outward aggression from the grey haired boy. Rather a cautious defense. He was a wounded animal, not afraid to pounce if Sojiro drew too close, but if he kept his distance, then Boss might live another day.

"Here we go," Sojiro sighed. He quickly caught up to Mishima, with the grey haired boy not too far behind him.