4/14
A train screeched to a steady halt in a station. Several passengers stood up in preparation to depart, except for one boy in his late teens, soundly asleep.
"This is Kami-Iijima Station. Kami-Iijima Station." The train's PA system startled me awake. Groggily, I ran a hand through my hair. The black mess looked almost purple sometimes. I inadvertently swept my headphones off. They clattered around my neck. Ugh. I grabbed my duffel bag and quickly dashed off the train. I put the headphones back on, a soothing, funky melody playing. I let out a sigh, scrounging around my pockets. I procured a piece of paper and squinted at it.
Iwatani High School, building 9 was all the paper read. Damn, so much for that. I sighed again, fishing around for my phone. I opened a mapping app and began entering the information on the paper. As the system began navigation, the wind picked up. I zipped up my parka, flipping up the hood.
"Cold for April, isn't it?" a passerby said to their partner.
"I know, right? Even with the climate changes over the last decade." their partner said.
I was walking through the cold wind, shivering slightly. It was getting dark, and I was starting to wish I'd brought a warmer coat. Suddenly, my music cut off, leaving me with an unnerving silence and the sound of whistling wind. Creepy. I stumbled into a plaza. It was completely devoid of people. I looked into the dark, cloudy sky, seeing two or three snowflakes flutter down. I exhaled, watching a cloud of my breath dissipate. My eyes were drawn to a building down the road. I glanced at my phone again, then ahead. Finally, after all that walking, I'd gotten to my destination.
I continued onwards, pausing for a moment on the rim of the plaza. I whirled around, briefly seeing movement in the corner of my eye.
In the center of the plaza, for a fraction of a second, stood a dark, azure flickering mass. I blinked, and it was gone. For a brief moment, a stab of fear rushed through my body. I turned around and rubbed my temples. A headache was beginning to develop. I walked closer to my destination, pushing open the doors.
I was hit with a sudden rush of heat, along with a smell of something cooking. I dropped my duffel bag. I glanced around the room, two figures sitting in a lounge-like area catching my eye. One was a man looking to be in his mid-forties, with neat black hair showing signs of greying in places. He was dressed casually, drinking a mug of… tea? Coffee? I couldn't tell.
The other was a slim girl who looked around the same age as me, wearing a skirt and blazer, obviously a school uniform. She had shoulder-length reddish-orange hair tied in a short side ponytail. She had her face buried in a book, of what kind I couldn't tell.
The door slammed shut behind me, startling the two. The old man glanced over at me, looking me up and down.
"Ah, of course." he said, his voice sounding deep, yet soft at the same time. "That totally slipped my mind." He stood up, gently placing his mug on a nearby coffee table. "The new transfer student. Ryoko-kun, could you take care of our new guest while I get his room ready?"
"Oh! Yes, of course, Takahashi-san." The younger girl snapped her book shut. She sounded tired, her voice quite quiet and soft. She cleared her throat.
"My name is Iwatani Ryoko. Welcome to Dorm Nine." she said, louder and more clearly than before. "You must be the transfer student. I… can't seem to recall your name. What was it again? I'm truly sorry, I've had so much to do in anticipation of the new semester…"
"Nah, don't sweat it. Misaki Sora." I said, stepping forward and sticking my hand out. "Starting tomorrow I'll be a… second-year." I mused to myself.
She stood up, shaking my hand. Getting a good look at her, she's pretty good-looking. Modest proportions and all. Strikes me as the bookish sort.
"A second-year? Ah, that's one grade below me." Ryoko said.
"Oh! Sorry, I didn't know…" I bowed. "Uh, senpai." I hastily added.
"No, don't worry about it! Perfectly fine." she said. Huh. The bowing seemed to make her uncomfortable.
"So, umm… Iwatani, right? Same name as the headmaster?" I asked.
"Oh, yes. You must mean my father." Ryoko said.
"Huh?"
"Yes, my father's the headmaster. And I'm the president of the Student Council." Ryoko explained. That sounded a little suspicious. Nepotism? Eh, not like it really matters.
"Neat… Heh, makes sense you'd be on a whole different level from me. I'm just an amateur journalist…" I scratched the back of my neck.
"Right… Father spoke of you, I think. He mentioned inviting a journalist here on scholarship."
"Yep, that'd be me…" An awkward silence lingered in the air. Neither one could really think of anything to say, until I asked, "So who was the old man?"
"Oh, Takahashi-san? He's the manager of the dormitory. His daughter attends Iwatani High. She's a second-year as well." As if on cue, Takahashi-san shouted from up a set of stairs.
"Sakura, dear? Could you help the transfer student with his bags?"
"Get bent, old man!" A high-pitched voice called back from down a nearby hallway. Ryoko pinched the bridge of her nose.
"You'll have to forgive her, she's somewhat… difficult. I can help with your bags."
"Oh, no no no, it's all fine, I've got them." I picked up my duffel bag and adjusted my backpack. "Upstairs, right?"
"I imagine you could just look for Takahashi-san."
"Right. See you later, I guess?" I started for the stairs.
"Mmhmm." Ryoko nodded.
My dorm room was quite large. There was a large desk, a dresser, multiple lamps, and a bed that looked big enough to fit two of me. I tossed my duffel bag down and opened my backpack. I got my laptop out, setting it on the desk and retrieving the power cord for it. I plugged it in, opened it, and quickly navigated to my note-taking program. I began typing.
"April 14th, 2030. Arrived in Akita… was pretty cold and grey… not much else notable save for one thing. Saw a shadow-looking thing in a plaza on the way to new lodging… done." I saved the document and closed my laptop. I glanced over at the bed. A good night's sleep sounded pretty good right about now.
I flicked off the lights and laid down. Slowly, I drifted off into a deep sleep.
4/15
I was awoken by a knock on my door. I grumbled and sat up.
Ryoko's voice came from the other side of the door. "Misaki-san."
"Yeah..?" I answered.
"Oh, did I just wake you? I'm sorry!" she said. "I… have a tendency to assume others are like me and wake up early."
"No, you're good… what do you need?"
"Well, I was hoping to show you around the school before classes began. It would be awfully difficult to make your way around the campus alone on your first day." she explained.
"Ah, ok. Give me a bit to get ready and all." I stood up, stretching a bit. It took about five minutes to get dressed. I emerged from my dorm, wearing my school uniform. It consisted of a black blazer, dress shirt, and a tie with an enlarged, cut-off version of Iwatani High's upside-down spiraling triangle logo. The logo also appeared on the front pocket of my blazer. And, of course, my headphones rested around my neck.
"Huh. Pretty nice uniform." I noted.
The school building was massive. An expansive main building, along with several others for extracurricular activities, on such a scale that seemed more like a college campus than a high school. I specifically made a point to remember where the newspaper committee was located. Other clubs we passed by on Ryoko's tour of the grounds included the kendo team, art club, Occult Research Society, track team, student council, yearbook committee, baseball team, and many others that completely went over my head. By the end of it all, I was exhausted, and school hadn't even begun yet.
"And that concludes the tour of the grounds!" Ryoko said cheerily, clasping her hands together.
"Right…" I said, thinking about how nice breakfast sounded right about now.
"Oh, that's right. This is Ikeda-sensei. He'll be your homeroom teacher for the year." Ryoko gestured to a young-looking man wearing angular, slightly tinted glasses. He wore a loose dress shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and suspenders. He had a distinct mobster vibe to him, but generally speaking he looked pretty non-threatening.
"Misaki-kun, right?" Ikeda held his right hand out to shake, resting his other hand on his hip.
"Nice to meet you." I shook Ikeda's hand, nodding politely.
"Alright, settle down, ya little pricks!" Ikeda yelled, walking into the classroom. I followed close behind. "I know you're all so excited to be back, but save it 'till after class!"
The noise died down as students quickly took their seats.
"Good. Now, listen up. We got a new transfer student joining the class. New kid, take it away."
"Hello. I'm Misaki Sora. I look forward to this coming semester." I introduced myself, bowing my head for just a moment.
"Ehh, take the seat… over there, corner. Next to the window." Ikeda pointed at an empty desk. I walked over and sat down.
"Awright, that's pretty much it. Get your asses to the entrance ceremony before they yell at me for keepin' ya late."
I yawned. Why did everything today have to be so boring?
"Hey. Hey!" A boy sitting next to me nudged me in the elbow. I glanced over at him. Instead of a blazer, he wore a black vest over a dress shirt with rolled sleeves and fingerless gloves. His hair was tied back in a loose ponytail.
"You're the new guy, right? Misaki, was it?" the boy whispered.
"Yeah. What about it?" I whispered back.
"Name's Takata Tetsuo. I'm in your class."
"Are you?" I cocked my head to the side.
"Dude, I sit right next to you!" Tetsuo said indignantly.
"Oh, I didn't even notice."
"We gotta talk a bit after this snooze-fest. Catch me outside the main gates." Tetsuo returned his attention to the front stage of the rather large auditorium we were clustered in. At least we don't have to stand.
The rest of the day was a bit of a blur, if I'm being honest. The last bell rang, and I made my way down to the front gates. Sure enough, Tetsuo was there, leaning against a bollard. He waved.
"What kept ya?" he asked.
"Got lost on my way down. How do you not?" I asked incredulously.
"You get used to it." he said. "So, by now you've probably met someone from the student council who's shown you around the place, right?"
"Yeah. The president, actually."
"Wow. The old man must really want you on his side, then. You get here with money or talent?"
"Talent. I'm an investigative journalist. Or, at least, whatever the high school version of one is." I said. "Honestly, I think it's just a setup. Iwatani invites me to the school, all expenses paid, tries to get on my good side, then when I graduate, I get a good rec for coming from Iwatani High. I get a gig with a high profile news agency and write good things about the guy. Not that I'm complaining about any of that."
"Yeah, sounds about right. I'm an artist. Graffiti artist, specifically. A girl I know is a kendo prodigy, another guy's a musician, I think. Then there's the Prez, who's, uh… what's the word again? For when someone's preferred because they're family?"
"Nepotism?" I suggested.
"That's the one. Miss Nepotism. Then there's the rich kids. I hate them. Biggest pricks I know. One of the worst offenders," Tetsuo pointed to an ostentatious girl with big, curled hair, elaborate makeup, and long nails, chatting with some other equally eye-catching girls. "The Bitch Queen, they call her. Ichikawa Chise. Stuck-up gyaru-type. Steer clear of her."
"As far as other people go, it's pretty much like this: Stay away from the rich kids if you can help it, don't be an idiot around the student council, and keep away from the Occult Research Club. They're a bunch of weird nutjobs." Tetsuo was counting on his fingers as he spoke.
"Cool. Hey, you didn't have to follow me back to my dorm, you know." I said, opening the door to Dorm Nine.
"Your dorm? This is where I live!" Tetsuo said.
"Wait, you live here too?" I asked.
"Yeah!"
I sighed, leaning back from my desk. Who the hell assigns this much homework on the first day!?
I was shaken from my thoughts by someone knocking on my door. I yelped and fell backwards out of my chair.
"Oh, did I frighten you? Sorry!" Ryoko's voice came from the other side.
"Nah… you're good…" I groaned.
I opened the door. Ryoko was dressed casually, wearing a sweater and long skirt.
"Need something, senpai?" I asked.
"Oh, well, Takahashi-san was preparing a welcome party for you. We would've done it last night, but most of the tenants were out." she said.
"Oh, right. I met Takata on the way back."
"Ah." she said simply.
"Anyway, I am kinda hungry. A welcoming party sounds pretty good to me. Shall we?" I said, scratching my chin.
Downstairs, the rest of the dorm residents were gathered. Takahashi-san was sitting with his mug, Tetsuo was energetically talking with a ponytailed girl wearing a pullover hoodie and bike shorts under her uniform skirt, a guy I hadn't seen before with rectangular glasses and brown wavy hair. A blonde girl I didn't recognize sat hugging her knees on the sofa. I assume she was Takahashi-san's daughter. She struck me as the rebellious type.
"Ah, Misaki-kun, Ryoko-kun. Any luck with Yasuhiro-kun?" Takahashi-san asked. Ryoko shook her head. "Ah, that's unfortunate. I worry about that one sometimes. He needs to get out a little more."
"That aside, this is the new guy, right?" The girl Tetsuo was talking to spoke up.
"Yeah. Misaki Sora." I said.
"Sora-kun, then! I'm Yuzuriha Sayaka, captain of the kendo team!" she said, bouncing energetically. Her forwardness was a little surprising. How'd we go from meeting to first-name-basis in under ten seconds? I guess it makes sense. She seems pretty tomboyish.
"Oh, right. Takata mentioned you earlier. Said you were a kendo prodigy or something." I said. She glared at Tetsuo. "What?"
"Tetsuo-kun." She said, with a frighteningly out of place smile. "You know I don't like the term 'prodigy.' It implies I didn't work for my skill." She cocked her head. "Do you need a thwacking?" She held a shinai in her right hand. Where'd she even get that thing? She didn't have it just a moment ago.
"Forgive their antics. Kuchiki Issei, at your service." The bespectacled boy spoke, his voice smooth.
"Nice to meet you, Kuchiki-san." I said.
"That's Kuchiki-senpai to you. I'm a third-year." Issei pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"Ah, sorry."
"This is my daughter Sakura. She's… a little antisocial." Takahashi-san gestured to the blonde girl. She just grunted in response. "Not present is Fujiwara Yasuhiro. He's a bit of a shut-in."
"That aside, let's get to it!" Tetsuo said, grabbing a can of soda from the coffee table. He raised it into the air. "To Sora-kun's arrival!"
"To Misaki-kun's arrival!" The rest of them echoed. As bizarre as these guys seem, I think I'm gonna enjoy this.
"April 15th… school today. Boring, classes all ran together… met other dorm residents… made some new friends. Done." I saved the document, shutting my laptop. Tomorrow, I'd go and check out the newspaper committee and see what that was like here. In the meantime, though, sleep. I crawled into bed and drifted off.
Looks like it's gonna be a fun year.