{8/8/2020 Author's Notes: I know, I suck! I'm rewriting this one too. It's just that my writing style has changed so drastically that when I try to read my old stuff, I get annoyed with my own mistakes, and I dwell and fuss over it until I give in. I really want to do this for both myself, you guys, and the quality of the story. I promise that I'm not giving up on these stories. Luckily in this case, I only have to edit up until chapter 9.5 because chapter 10 is already good enough. I also want to shift the POV I use typically to third-person limited, with some shifts here and there. I just think it will showcase Kotomi's character a little better. I really hope you guys enjoy and that you'll continue to support Kotomi and her story! Thanks guys!

Love,

Silky.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke or its characters, all the content belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki, and published by Shueisha. I do not make any profit on this work, and I only own my characters. Please support the official release.

"Mother, I don't understand why she needs to go to school so far away. Why can't she just go to school in London, or even Kyoto! She doesn't have to go so far away, does she?"

"Your daughter is a Reinwalt and a Fujisaki. She will not be going to "perfectly fine" schools. She has to make her mark in Japan like she has here."

"Well, we can't just pick up and leave England like this. I must stay at the firm, and it takes time to change my care providers. And Takahiro is far too busy to even consider—" A derisive snort cut the brunette off.

"Do you think I'm going to let that dullard lay a hand on that girl's education? Your migraines must be affecting your memory, Eliza. It's given that you must stay here, you're in no condition to travel. You won't be needed. Madoka has been in Japan for the last 5 years and she plans to stay there, correct?"

" ...Yes, well, Madoka is busy at the studio, so—"

"Madoka is her godmother. Godmothers watch over their godchildren in the parents' stead. She is merely doing her duty, as I have, and as Kotomi will."

"Mother…" Deafening stillness signaled the end of the short-lived showdown. Kotomi tore at her skirt with her clenched fists under the dining room table, as she fought back the overwhelming urge to scream out her frustration.

The delicate, beautiful brunette, whom she called mother, lowered her head in defeat. It was the first time in years that her mother had ever stood up for her in any capacity against the absolute authority that was her maternal grandmother. The golden-haired, cornflower blue-eyed elder directed her icy cold gaze toward the dark-haired child whose matching, yet submissive gaze only glanced up once.

"You will study at Teiko, starting this April, Kotomi. Is that understood?" Kotomi, unlike her mother, straightened her shoulders and conceded without question or protest.

"Yes, I understand, Grandmother Cordelia." She stood up and slid one foot behind the other, fingered the delicate pleats of her knee-length skirt, never lifting above a centimeter. To do so could be considered a mockery of traditional etiquette. Kotomi lowered herself three inches, no more, and then straightened her curtsy so smoothly it was like one movement. "I will excuse myself."

"Kotomi," Her mother spoke in a quiet voice, as always. Her eyes were the same color of cornflower blue as her grandmother's and her own. But unlike Kotomi's impassive submission, and her grandmother's unyielding elegance, Eliza Fujisaki's eyes were a sorrowful anguish. "I'm so sorry." Her breath choked as she whispered the words.

I'm sorry I'm so powerless.

I'm sorry I failed you again.

I'm sorry you must shoulder everything alone.

Today's apologies were short, but Kotomi knew what her mother meant, as always. Kotomi smiled and lifted her shoulders in a carefree shrug.

"What are you saying, mother? I am only doing what is expected of me. There isn't any need to apologize." It wasn't a lie. It wasn't as if she expected her mother to succeed anyways.

Kotomi stopped expecting anything from her mother years ago.

"See, Eliza? You're worrying too much. Kotomi, you're dismissed. Tomorrow at 10 AM, Ezekiel will be waiting for you in the foyer to escort you while you shop for your necessities."

"Yes, grandmother. Excuse me." Kotomi exited the room, and finally the tension she released from her temple traveled to her eyes, and then her lips, as tremors shook her façade. But she couldn't break yet. There was only one place she allowed herself to cry, these days. If she broke her own rule, there was no telling what would happen next.

It wasn't as if Japan was some undiscovered land to her. For six years, she called Japan her home before her family moved to England for her parents' work, after all. Just not in Tokyo. Kotomi was not fond of bustling metropolises like Tokyo.

Not when she spent her childhood up until now living in the serene countryside. But a 13-year-old just about to start middle school couldn't question the judgement of her 72-year-old grandmother, for whom the purpose of existence was to further the legacy of the Reinwalt family.

Kotomi moved mindlessly until she finally made it to the doors of her grandfather's study. A former Cambridge Dean turned famous author now constantly on academic tours, his prolonged presence in Kotomi's life was a fleeting, precious affair. The dark-haired child forewent etiquette and threw open the doors before she closed them with her back as she pressed up against ornately carved doors with gilded knobs.

The wispy blonde-haired man looked up from his work, spring green eyes sparking with a knowing and understanding gaze. Kotomi sank onto the floor and sobbed; and yet, no tears fell. She curled up into a ball and rocked back and forth, her breath shaking as she practically hyperventilated. Her grandfather moved from his seat and sat cross-legged across from her. She knew she didn't need to fill him in why she was here.

"Can't you do something? I don't want to go." She whimpered through her hands as she gasped for air.

"Oh Alice," She felt the warmth of his hand caress the top of her head while he crooned in that soothing baritone that lulled even the rowdiest upstart child to sleep in an instant. "As hard as it is, this is a good thing, I promise you."

"I want to stay here, with you. This is my home."

"Now, now, where is my little adventurer? You know that your grandmother only wants the best—"

"For the family. Not for me," Kotomi insisted as she hiccupped in her haste. "For the family."

"What's best for the family is best for you. She may be like that, but she is worried for you. She sees what you're capable of and she wants to bring out your best. That's why I can't convince her otherwise." Kotomi couldn't deny that her grandfather loved her; maybe it was the only thing she was sure about in this family. But whether her grandmother felt the same was a different story she never had the courage to read.

"Why me, when Tomoki-nii and Ayato aren't doing anything?" Kotomi already knew the answer, but she asked it at least once every day. Her grandfather knew this, and he also knew not to respond. Instead, he sighed, grunting as he struggled to his feet. An endlessly active man to a fault, not even his athletic legacy could stop his joints from aching with the effort it took to stand properly these days.

"Do you care about the family, Alice?" He offered her his hand and Kotomi took it, getting to her feet as well. He gestured to the velvet armchair across from his desk while he spoke. His grandchild slipped into the seat as she answered.

"Yes..." Her grandfather poured her a cup of tea as if he had been waiting for her. The soothing scent of chamomile wafted over to Kotomi as he placed the cup in front of her.

"Your mother and Grandmother Cordelia?"

A long silence.

"Yes."

"Your father and brothers?" An even longer silence, and with no response, her grandfather sighed. "Kotomi…"

"I hardly see those three. How do I care about people I don't know?" She complained. "What did they do for me to warrant my concern? It's Ayato's fault I'm being shipped off to Japan like an animal in the first place!" Her voice rose before it tapered off again as Kotomi bit her lip.

"There isn't any point in changing the circumstances, only how you perceive them." Her grandfather countered. "You're being sent abroad to get in touch with your early childhood. You'll get to visit your other grandparents during the weekends."

"I know..."

"And what's so bad about living with Madoka? It means you'll be spending time at the studio." His smile widened as his granddaughter's eyes finally sparked with intrigue.

"But…grandmother said I can't step foot in that place anymore."

"Your grandmother won't be able to do anything, because she won't know." He didn't even finish his sentence before the young girl threw herself at him, almost knocking the tea pot out of his hands.

"You mean it-!?" He brought his finger to his lips and winked an eye full of mirth.

"Shh," Kotomi barely contained her giggles and her urge to hug the elderly man as he placed a finger to his lips, giving her a mischievous smile. "Remember, our little secret."

"But keeping a secret from grandmother? That's…impossible."

"Nonsense. Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast!" Kotomi giggled again and kissed the elderly man on the cheek, to which he responses with a tight, secure hug. "So no more crying, little Alice. If you feel helpless or lost, then do something outrageous, and fight your way out. That's the way we Reinwalts do things, after all."

He made his way over to a chest sitting by one of the many bookshelves in his office and retrieved two foils, the swords carefully packed within their leather cases. "In return for my silence on the matter, you simply must practice with me this afternoon."

Kotomi grinned as she took one foil, sliding her fingers across its metal handle. Her smile grew to be just as mischievous as her grandfather's. But she hesitated.

"Are you alright to train, though, Grandfather Callum? You were coughing again this morning at breakfast-!" The helmet he tossed her way almost bopped her on the nose, but she managed to catch it with her free hand.

"Sounds like excuses to me, young lady! Just because I creak a little, doesn't mean I am broken just yet!" Kotomi raised a brow and smirked. If her grandfather said he was fine, then she believed him.

"Fine, then. But if I win, you join me for afternoon tea, and you must give me all the strawberries in your fruit tart." Her grandfather feigned mulling her wager over before he pointed his now unsheathed foil at her with a triumphant chuckle.

"But of course, young Alice. And if I prevail, then you sit and read with me until lunchtime." Kotomi's smile only grew as she followed her grandfather into the dance hall. The days with her most precious person were numbered. So there was nothing to do but to move forward, much like the young English rose, who found herself in that strange, unfamiliar world.

-A Few Months Later, Narita International Airport Parking Lot-

The April air of Japan spoke of clear skies and soft breezes, and yet Kotomi could find no joy as she was escorted through the busy crowds of travelers by her godmother's son, Ichiro Tachibana. Ichiro, a stoic, bookish young man in his first year of college at Tokyo University, with his mother's reddish-brown hair and sharp hazel eyes, diligently escorted the younger girl through the confusion that was Narita airport. Kotomi stared ahead with a vacant expression, though she was far from empty headed.

Despite her grandfather's efforts to cheer her up, she was still bitter and reluctant to leave her busy but comfortable life in England. It still felt like she was dreaming, and she would wake up in her bed, still in England and not across the world.

Kotomi received a quiet reprimand from her godmother's son as she poked her head out the window to watch the busy streets and listen to the indiscriminate clamor of everyday life in Tokyo. She attended business meetings and social events with her grandparents in Tokyo but living in a place like this was a different story.

When they finally arrived, Madoka Tachibana was already waiting with open arms and a wide grin on the 8th floor of the complex. Kotomi offered her a stiff smile; it has been a while since Kotomi last saw her godmother, but her memories were quite pleasant.

"Hey kid, welcome!" Kotomi was quick to return the hug that Madoka approached her with. "I hope my Ichiro wasn't too boring on the way here, Kotomi."

"Not at all. Though he did scold me." Ichiro huffed indignantly as he unloaded her bags from the trunk of his car.

"She kept sticking her head out the window." Madoka rolled her eyes.

"I see you two are getting along as always."

"He's fine."

"She's alright." Madoka stifled a laugh and ruffled Kotomi's hair while giving her son a kiss on the cheek when he came closer to greet her.

"Okay, enough bickering, you two. Let's get your stuff settled, Kotomi. Monday will be on us in no time. You don't want to be unpacking still when classes start. Let's get some energy up in here!"

Madoka pumped her fist and waited for them to follow her lead, but Kotomi and Ichiro silently started their work. It was somehow agreed that Ichiro opened boxes and Kotomi brought her things to her room. Madoka stood there, frozen in time, before she deflated faster than an overcooked souffle.

"Jeez, how efficient can you guys be…?"

The unpacking was quite fun, thanks to Madoka teasing her son to no end and playing her loud, but energetic Zumba music to keep them motivated. Then, the night ended with katsu curry rice, a Tachibana specialty.

Despite the warm welcome to Japan, Kotomi only dreaded her first day at Teikou Junior High. Her grandfather tried with all his might to instill within her a sense of wonder and hope for the future. But it didn't change the fact that she didn't want to be here.

She always adjusted to everything life had thrown at her with the grace and poise expected of her as a lady of the Reinwalt household. At least on the outside. But this was the biggest change she faced thus far.

As she stared at the ceiling, Kotomi cycled through her mental reserve of lines from the book her grandfather loved so much for a quote that would help her get through his first day of school. It also served to lull her to sleep. As she succumbed to the heaviness of her eyelids, Kotomi heard her grandfather reading to her, as she sat in his armchair in his office that smelled like cedar and vanilla.

'I don't understand you,' said Alice. 'It's dreadfully confusing!'
'That's the effect of living backwards,' the Queen said kindly: 'it always makes one a little giddy at first– '
'Living backwards!' Alice repeated in great astonishment. 'I never heard of such a thing!'
'–but there's one great advantage in it, that one's memory works both ways.'
'I'm sure MINE only works one way,' Alice remarked. 'I can't remember things before they happen.'
'It's a poor sort of memory that only works backwards,' the Queen remarked.

When Monday finally came, Kotomi was still exhausted. Sunday night, Ichiro left early to take care of his father in Kanagawa. Madoka had to work on an upcoming fundraising Dancethon for her studio's Youtube channel. Kotomi was conflicted, as she enjoyed the quiet, and yet she didn't enjoy having to unpack on her own. It reminded her just how easy her life was in some ways in England, and her homesickness only served to fuel her insomnia.

Still, despite her busy schedule and Kotomi reassuring her godmother that she didn't need breakfast, Madoka went out of her way to prepare a traditional Japanese breakfast of mackerel, miso soup, rice, and veggies for Kotomi before heading to work.

It was greatly appreciated, as Kotomi's stomach was already empty again by the time she made it off the train and found herself following the flow of students wearing white and light blue school uniforms through the front gates of the school.

Kotomi had to stop by a tree and fix her hair once she had a moment to breathe. Her grandmother might have caned Madoka if the matriarch knew that her granddaughter commuted to school.

I never know what she's thinking...

"Come on, mom! Cut it out!" Kotomi glanced behind her at the family paused to get their bearings as well. The son tried to push his mom's handkerchief away, but the woman was tenacious.

"You have rice on your cheek! It's your first day, please try to be a little neater!"

"Daaddd!" The boy's father hummed thoughtfully as he made no move to help his son, carrying a toddler in his suit-clad arms.

"Some girls like the clumsy look, son. Now is the best time to use that charm to get yourself a girlfriend!" The son turned bright pink and his parents laughed, to which Kotomi's chest resonated with that awful, hollow feeling as she realized the more she looked around:

Everyone's here with their families. Was this a tradition? Kotomi watched the family until they wandered away towards the school. Kotomi followed, her feet heavy as she chuckled emptily to herself.

I suppose some things never change, no matter what country you live in. If this were England, at least her grandfather would have come. Of course, there was no one to blame. She would have insisted that Madoka go to work rather than come, even if her godmother had remembered.

Some things never changed.

Auditorium

"Welcome, new students, returning students. I look forward to a new year with you at Teiko. As you know…" His words became a dull buzzing in Kotomi's ears after a few minutes.

"Hey." After a few minutes, Kotomi heard someone whisper beside her, but she ignored it, thinking it wasn't directed at her. "Hey!" The insistence finally drew her attention, which led to a young man with messy brown hair, black roots growing from the top of his head and kind eyes the color of chestnuts. "You're that girl, aren't you?" Kotomi blinked and smiled on reflex, tilting her head.

"'That' girl...? I'm afraid I don't understand what you imply." He blinked several times, matching her tilted head with his own.

"Whoa, you speak so fancy, what's with that?"

"Isn't that customary for speaking with strangers?" She countered, "If anything, it seems that you might be the rude one for speaking so casually to someone you've yet to even introduce yourself to." Kotomi felt her amusement stir when he twitched and rubbed the back of his head.

"Yikes, point taken. My name is Fujita Akihisa, princess."

"Kotomi Fujisaki. It's a pleasure, Fujita-San. I look forward to these next three years with you." Kotomi responded with a disarming smile. If she responded like this enough, small talk died down quickly. Fujita's cheeks turned pink, and he stammered through a return of the greeting. "Now, what do you mean, 'that' girl? Did I somehow garner someone's attention?"

Fujita looked at her like she was a fascination at a carnival.

"Uh, yeah. There are already tons of rumors going around about you. Are you foreign royalty, or something?" Kotomi blinked.

"No...?"

"Then you're obviously a diplomat's kid or something. You got those 'rich kid' vibes about you. You've even got an accent and you introduced yourself with your name backwards." Kotomi twitched and held her cheeks out of habit for when she was embarrassed. Her grandmother would surely scold her for forgetting something so simple.

"I am neither. I apologize for my tactless response; I've just returned to Japan for the first time in six years, so I may be lacking in manners." Fujita stared at her like she was clinically insane.

"Yeah, you know what? You're a little too stiff to be a diplomat. What factory did you come from?" Kotomi returned his gaze this time.

"Factory...? You're quite cheeky, I must say." He flinched and conceded, raising his hands in defeat.

"I would like for everyone in the audience to remain quiet until the end of the ceremony, I understand your eagerness to begin your school years here, but please do refrain from idle chatter." The disapproving tone of the principal and the glares of the student council betrayed his lukewarm chiding.

Kotomi hung her head in shame. Not even the first day, and she was causing trouble. Grandmother would be furious. She glanced up at Fujita, who smiled in a silent apology. Even if he had part of the blame, she couldn't say that she didn't engage him. So she shrugged, shook her head, and giggled behind a closed fist as well. Fujita's smile arched up into a grin as the two of them continued their exchange in silence.

Teiko School Halls

"Man," Fujita sighed as he stretches, yawning loudly, to the irritation of the girls who walked by and dodged his long, stretched arms. "That was way too long! Don't you think, Fujisaki-chan?" Ignoring the sudden familiarity, Kotomi nodded. "I can't believe he expected us to be quiet for that long."

"Well, I think it was a great opportunity. When again would I be able to enjoy such an entertaining finger puppet performance? You're quite the storyteller."
"Hah! For real? You could tell what was going on?" Fujita snickered and place rested his hands behind his head.

"Of course, I speak fluent finger puppet." Kotomi said this with such confidence that Fujita laughed yet again.
"Oh yeah? What was your favorite part?"
"When the wizard gave his pet rabbit to the knight."
"What? That was a princess!" Kotomi glanced at him in bewilderment.
"Was it really?" Kotomi's brows shot up toward her hairline, to which Fujita grinned in triumph.
"Nah, you were right. It was a knight."
"You joke far too much."

"And you speak too proper. Loosen up a little!" He nudged Kotomi with his shoulder, which made her stumble. She giggled and responded in kind, shoving him, which pushed his shoulder up against the wall. He gasped with well-practiced melodrama.
"I show you my finger puppets and this is how you repay me?"
"And I'll do it again if you won't behave yourself." Kotomi turned her nose up at him, but Fujita only held his stomach and laughed, shaking his head.
"Fine, fine. I'll stop for now. I gotta go find the location for the basketball club before we go to homeroom, anyway. Hopefully they have some fliers up already…" Kotomi's steps stuttered at this.
"Basketball…?"
"Yeah, you didn't know? The basketball team is insanely good here. Guys in the first string end up playing professionally, even!" His eyes shined with a familiar brightness that made Kotomi uneasy, but she kept her smile and recovered in an instant.
"First string…? I suppose these terms are exclusive to Japan?"
"Oh right, the whole moving thing. Well! I guess I'll have to teach you then! What clubs are you interested in?" Kotomi didn't give it much thought. She was never a part of any clubs at her school in England, but from what she understood in Japan, they held a lot more importance.
"Probably the kendo club."
"Kendo, huh? That's surprising. You're all thin and delicate looking, I thought you would go for the baking club or something." Kotomi raised a brow and chuckled. She had heard far worse from some of both of her grandparents' more traditional and conservative friends, so she took it in stride.

"Oh my, you've caught me. I planned to join the fabric weaving club, since the cooking club involves carrying my own bowls, and my tiny arms could hardly withstand all that weight. Oh, but maybe I can join the tea party club, though I think the cups could be too hea—"
"Okay, okay, I get it! I misspoke!" Fujita waved his arms frantically in front of her face before she could continue with her point. He clapped his hands together and bowed his head. "Forgive me! I just thought-you know! Ah, man!"

Fujita scratched at his hair and shook his head.

"Subject change attack, go! You like Kendo, huh? That's cool." Kotomi laughed into her hand as she nodded and folded her hands neatly in front of her.

"My grandfather is a Kendo instructor. It wasn't a matter of liking it as much as it was being a way to relate to him."
"Seriously? Really cool. I used to watch the competitions with my older brother all the time. He loves it. He even wanted to study Kendo with his hero, Fujisaki Daijiro! He was—wait." Fujita reached the conclusion before Kotomi even needed to inform him. But she couldn't hide her amused smile.
"Oh no, please, go on. I'd like to hear more." Fujita took a few steps until his back hit the wall.
"You're… you're his…?"
"I believe that the word is 'granddaughter.' Though I can't blame you for being confused. Fujisaki is a fairly common surname." Kotomi finally laughed, covering her mouth to hide her amusement as best she could as Fujita gasped even louder.

"No way! My brother's gonna freak! Is there any way you could get his autograph!?"

"I won't see him until this weekend. I'll ask though. We aren't very close and he's quite a disciplined man." Fujita looked as though he had witnessed a divine figure descend from the Heavens. Kotomi retrieved her phone and offered it to him.

"Here, give me your contact info."

"Y-yes ma'am!" Fujita quickly retrieved his own phone, almost dropping it in the process. They exchanged in silence, before Fujita glances up at Kotomi, who was intent on copying his information. He spoke again with a bashful grin, his tone laced with playfulness.
" Hey, wait a minute, is this a sly way of getting my number? Are you hitting on me—" Kotomi locked her phone and put it in her pocket. She turned away with a deadpan expression.
"On second thought, maybe I shouldn't be so involved. I changed my m—" Fujita screeched, grabbing her sweater, and falling to his knees. Kotomi squeaked and grabbed his forearm, trying to get him to stand up. Seeing her flustered, he irritatingly played it up, crying out loud and earning several puzzled looks from bystanders.
"Gah! Okay, okay, I'm sorry! Forget I said anything! Fujisaki-hime!"

"Ahhh, please don't call me that!"

"Hey, you two! Get moving!"

Classrooms

Scolded twice on the first day of school. The lady of the Fujisaki household had never experienced such shame, before. After finding out that they were not in the same homeroom, with Kotomi being in the advanced first year's class, and Fujita in the regular class, Kotomi continued to her own to the classroom for commemorative photos both conflicted and relieved.

She became fast friends with Fujita, so she was sad she wouldn't have more time to spend with him, but she was also glad he wouldn't be there to get her in trouble during class. She didn't need to know him for more than a few hours to realize that he would stop at nothing to constantly bedevil her and their teachers.

But his presence was a blessing, regardless. First days of school never went well in England. It was just wave after wave of opportunistic students looking to get to know a Reinwalt child. Kotomi perfected a distant demeanor in her early childhood to keep pests away. A bodyguard escort in and out of school and a private chauffeur never hurt either. But this was worse than before, because now she had to fend for herself, and rely on the distance she put between herself and her classmates.

As she walked in, Kotomi kept her head held high, as she immediately felt eyes on her. She could do nothing for her pounding heart as she held her breath.

She stood in the corner, waiting.

A minute passed.

Another minute.

But the soft clamor of students continued, never rising, or falling, even as people glanced at her.

"Um..." Kotomi inhaled deeply as a girl approached her with a friend at her side. Kotomi smiled politely.

"Yes?" Would they flatter her, or just introduce their families and make their intentions clear?

"You look a little pale, so we were wondering if you're not feeling well." Oh. Neither?

"I'm alright, thank you." Kotomi answered simply. The girls looked relieved and then inched away, obviously uncomfortable. Kotomi reeled from the interaction inwardly as she adjusted her position.

No one was approaching her... Teiko had a mixed student body, but Grandmother Cordelia did warn her that people from higher families were attending. But now that she thought about it Kotomi never really made a debut in Japanese society, so people wouldn't recognize her until she had to introduce herself.

And maybe even then, her time in the spotlight was a recent development and not even official. It hit Kotomi just then.

Nobody knows who I am, here.

"There isn't any point in changing the circumstances, only how you perceive them."

No, it was all too good to be true. She couldn't let her guard down. She was representing her family, every moment she spent in public. She heard her grandmother's voice echoing in her head to "make a good impression." The way she was taught, school was not just a place for learning, but for establishing oneself amongst their peers. Even if no one knew her, the moment she became known, everything she did, past and present, was a potential subject for scrutiny.

As she surveyed the crowd of first years, her soon to be classmates, one caught her eye. A young man with crimson red hair. She remembered such an intense shade of red very vaguely, at a party while she still lived in Japan with her parents and her grandparents in Kyoto as just a child.

Her father's parents, distinguished figures in Japan descended from nobility with ties to the professional and political spheres, often held elegant but quiet parties in their traditional Japanese estate. It was more than likely that her classmate was the son of one of those business partners, though she couldn't place the name.

He met her gaze and she almost considered approaching, but the way his shoulders tensed ever so slightly signaled to her that he didn't want to be recognized, and she wasn't one to initiate conversation with someone who wouldn't reciprocate without ample reason.

Somehow, seeing someone like him oiled the stalling cogs of her mind again, and she inwardly thanked him.

When all was said and done, and the first class gathered for a short school day; Kotomi took a random seat and ended up beside the green haired boy whose name she remembered was Midorima. This was only because he was carrying around a chunky, brand new phone book, and even took the picture with it.

Kotomi just couldn't stop staring. Her grandmother always scolded curiosity to be unladylike since the pre-teen's curiosity often bordered on nosiness. Her eyes unwittingly kept darting over to the mystery item. She just wanted to know the significance of it. Was it really a phone book?

"Can I help you with something?" Kotomi twitched and glanced up at the bespectacled boy, who returned her curiosity with vague irritation. She took note the matching forest green irises. Kotomi's lips parted in awe, as her attention was soon drawn to something more fascinating.

Pretty eyes…ah. I'm staring at him, now. He looked even more irritated by her silence and prolonged stare, and Kotomi couldn't blame him.

"Sorry, I just haven't seen a phone book in years, to be honest." She smiled in amusement and tilted her head at him, "Haven't the teachers scolded you for it yet?"

"Hn," He glanced away from her, huffing in annoyance, though Kotomi didn't feel the same apprehension she felt when she was caught staring at the Akashi boy. "My possession of this Lucky Item is a necessity."

"Lucky Item...?"

"From Oha-Asa. Fortune telling."

"Oh, I see..." And then nothing more was said, or rather, there was nothing more to say. Unable to find another reason to speak, Kotomi turned her attention back to the board.

Inhibitions Dance Studio; Omotesando

"I can't believe it," Madoka moaned in dismay, stretching carefully by placing one of her legs against the ballet bar and bending forward into it. Kotomi watched her as she did her own stretches, wearing a loose long-sleeved t-shirt and leggings.

The balls of her feet were pressed together in front of her as she bent forward, the butterfly stretched out her stiff, protesting legs. She was out of practice and stiff as a board. "I'm so sorry, kiddo! I can't believe I forgot the opening ceremony was today!"

"Madoka, you haven't been to an opening ceremony is four years now, of course you would forget." Kotomi reasoned. "I was the student, but I didn't have any idea. So please don't place any of the blame on yourself." Madoka straightened up and sighed, walking over. She placed a hand on Kotomi's shoulder.

"No, I'm the adult. I'm taking care of you, so it's my responsibility to know those things. I'm sad, we didn't even get a picture of you." Kotomi shook her head.

"It's quite alright, you don't need to prioritize me, Madoka. You're already allowing me into your home, I don't wish to burden you with any other troublesome affairs." Her godmother pursed her lips and ruffled the girl's hair before she bopped the top of Kotomi's head.

"Ow!"

"It's not that I feel like I have to take care of you, Kotomi. I want to. You're my best friend's daughter and a good kid. I want to be there for you because I know you've had it rough." Kotomi laughed cheerfully.

"Well, I haven't had it that rough. I've managed." Madoka sighed in exasperation.

"Just…don't ever feel like you're burdening me, okay? I chose to let you come live with me because I want you to be here. Do you get it?"

"Yes-" Madoka grabbed Kotomi by the cheeks and forced the girl to look her in the eyes.

"Do you get it?" Kotomi blinked up at Madoka with a smushed up cheeks, nodding slowly.

"Yesh..." When she released her cheeks, Kotomi rubbed the reddening skin with a pout.

"If you don't, I'm going to dote on and baby you until you can't handle it anymore." Kotomi pouted even more, hating the idea of that, but she didn't protest. It was strange having an attentive maternal figure that didn't terrify her. Madoka finished her warmup, and then checked her dance playlist while she spoke.

"Other than that, you made a friend already? I guess you're more like old Callum than Cordelia, after all?"

"He spoke to me more than I to him. He was quite nice."

"Don't be getting a boyfriend now, Kotomi!" Her tone was not nearly as authoritative as her grandmother's would be if she heard Madoka say something like that.

"We just met; I don't think he would date a stranger."

"Some people will start to date so they can get to know each other here in Japan, though." Madoka shared. Kotomi rolled her eyes as she stood up to start doing a few squats and buttkickers.

"I am not fond of the way you're grinning at me, Madoka." Madoka snickered and nudged her goddaughter with a knowing wiggle of her eyebrows.

"And if he saw you dance, well, I think he would be kissing the ground you walked on." Kotomi merely laughed as a group of shy young girls and a few boys entered the room, politely greeting Madoka and Kotomi. Today's class was for beginners, ages 13-15. Kotomi figured she would start off easy, tonight.

"I don't think I can believe you, especially now. I'm so out of practice, so please don't laugh at me." Madoka glanced over at her students with a smile as Kotomi turned to set up Madoka's I-Phone to the speaker. Either Kotomi didn't see how the boys in the group stared at her as she walked by, or she didn't care.

"Oh, my silly goddaughter, willful ignorance isn't cute, at all."