After being dropped off by a frantic Yuu, I made my way to the school bulletin board. My small body acclimated easily to the throng of young children walking through the entrance; my steps calculated to create a space between me and the others to avoid a collision.
Giggles and meaningless conversations went through my ears as each step brought me closer.
Going through the floor plans in my head, I eventually reached the bulletin. Searching for my name on the class roster, I finally found it in the right-hand corner of the board. It looks like I'll be in the Tulip class this year in room six on the first floor.
The black blob from earlier crawled out from under my sleeves and made itself home sitting on my shoulder, cuddling my neck as if I were a live heater. Its soft and squishy body is a pleasant feeling on my skin, as well as the vibrations that echoed through its form as it started purring. How cute.
Tightening the grip on my bookbag, I stepped inside the building and went over the school blueprints, looking for the teachers' office. Eventually, I do get there, and without any problems too.
Knocking on the door, I poked my head in declaring a quiet, "Excuse me." before entering.
The room was full of multiple desks for each teacher—some occupied, some weren't. Darting my eyes around the heads of each adult, they landed on a familiar bald spot. Moving around the working adults, I stepped in front of the man who I had remembered was supposed to guide and introduce me to my classroom. (Not that I needed nor want to do it—but it was for formalities sake I suppose.)
"Good morning, Fujiwara-san."
"Eeeeeeek!" He squealed, surprised by my sudden appearance.
"..."
"..."
The workroom was deafeningly quiet caused by his shriek. Eyes swerved to Fujiwara's pale figure; his hands held the arms of his chair in a white-knuckled grip as he stiffly let go of one to get a handkerchief from his pocket, dabbing at the cold sweat that dotted his forehead.
"Ahaha," Nervously, he turned to face me, "Kasai-kun, I didn't see you there."
I merely nodded at his observation.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Feeling a bit awkward at the pregnant pause, he stood up from his chair. "Well let's get you to your classroom then." Ruffling through his filing cabinet, he pulled out a file. "Let's see," Squinting, he looked at my assigned class. "I-It seems like you'll be in Class Tulip this year, Kasai-kun."
Yes, I know.
Getting no reaction from me, he let out a strained chuckle as he put my file back. "We'd better get going, classes are about to start. Wouldn't want to be late on the first day would you."
"No, I wouldn't."
He flinched at my quiet and bland voice. "Ehehe, alright then."
Dabbing his sweaty forehead with his everpresent handkerchief, face pinched, Fujiwara led me out of the painfully quiet room; the only sounds in the hallway were our footsteps and the occasional snippets of conversation that escaped from classroom windows as we silently made our way.
My eyes landed on a door labeled number six with a simple drawing of a tulip on the door plaque. Must be the one.
Knocking on the door, Fujiwara waited for the teacher to come out. A couple of seconds had passed before a young woman—probably in her mid-thirties; black hair pulled into a bun; forgettable face; wearing a black and white polka-dotted dress with a pair of black flats and stockings—opened up the door.
"Yes, Fujiwara-sensei?"
Her voice was sugary-sweet and disturbingly high—kinda like she breathed helium balloons for fun. Looking down at me, her eyes crinkled up into a smile. "And who might this young man be?"
I can already feel the imaginary blood dripping down my ears.
Motioning towards me with a hand dabbing his brow, Fujiwara introduced me.
"This here is Kasai Chikao, Fushiguro-san's new ward; he's the transfer student you were expecting today. Kasai-kun is a bit shy, so he's not very talkative." Turning towards me, he hesitated at my gaze before continuing. "And this is the one who will be in charge of the Tulip class, Sawada-sensei. She's a very patient and fair sensei so don't hesitate to ask her any questions you may have."
Bowing, I greeted her. "Good morning, Sawada-sensei. Please take care of me."
Sawada flashed a wide smile back at me, eyes previously flat with distaste immediately sharpened with interest at the mention of my foster father—something that didn't really leave a good taste in my mouth. "It's a pleasure to have you on my roster this year, Kasai-kun. I hope you will like the school year with me as your teacher. My students are a delightful bunch, so feel free to ask and any questions. Making friends won't be a problem."
I could only nod along as she continued to smile, noting the insect-like creature crawling up her arm.
After asking me to wait for her signal to come inside, she walked back into the class of chatting preschoolers. Fujiwara had already turned tail and was nowhere to be found; leaving me alone in the empty hallway.
"Ohayo, mina!" She called out over the group of talking children.
"Ohayo, Sensei!" They chorused back, attentions caught.
Sawada-sensei gave them another wide smile. "Today we have a new student joining our class today~"
At the promise of a new student, murmurs filled the air, curious about what they would be like. Turning to me, she waved me over. "Don't be shy, everyone's waiting to see you."
Letting out a mental sigh, I walked through the doorway into the classroom. The moment the students locked sight on my small body, it was obvious they were immediately unimpressed.
Tough luck.
Unphased by the blatant disappointment in the air, Sawada-sensei bulldozed on.
"Why don't you introduce yourself, Kasai-kun. I'm sure the class would like that."
Taking another look at my future classmates, all I could see was bored faces looking back at me; not doubt impatient to get back to playing and talking with their friends.
In what world do you think they would like that?
Despite my inner thoughts, I went along with what she said.
"Ohayo, my name is Kasai Chikao. It's nice to meet you." I droned out, bowing my head a little.
"..."
"..."
Sawada-sensei tilted her head in, a sweatdrop on her forehead as she tilted her lips in a confused lilt. "Is...is that all?"
I nodded my head; there wasn't anything interesting about me so I didn't have much to say. Sitting down and getting the day over with was my only interest.
"Do you have any interests then, Kasai-kun?" She asked, trying to fish out something from me.
"Reading."
"...Anything else?"
Deciding to throw her a bone as her position in class was a stake, I answered her.
"Knitting."
There was a lull in the introductions after that, as murmurs filled the air.
"Only my Obaa-chan likes to knit and she's old."
"Yeah! My Onii-san said that only old ladies like to knit."
"Ehh! Really, Hana-chan? He's a boy though. How weird!"
"I know right!"
"My Mama and Papa said to stay away from weird people."
"Same with me!"
Great.
First day here, and I've already been labeled as an old lady.
After that rather disappointing introduction, I was shown to my desk. We were seated in groups of four, our desk pushed together to form a tidy square with a box of supplies compiling of scissors, rulers, and coloring supplies sat in the middle. There was a telling silence at our table that my seatmates were uncomfortable participating in their usual conversations. It was only when I moved away toward the reading area during our break that they immediately started talking.
Absentmindedly, I fingered through the glossed spines of the books until I picked out one that didn't look too bad of a read. It was a pretty thick book full of nursery rhymes that would keep me occupied for the time being. Pulling it off the shelf, I moved closer to the window and plopped down on a beanbag. I only had to keep to myself for now and let the day pass till it was time for dismissal.
There was a faint ticklish feeling on my neck before the black blob (Should I name it? It was getting kind of old just calling it black blob.) leaned in my view. My finger made its way to the area where I thought the chin was and scratched. It seemed to like it, making happy quiet chirps as it nuzzled my cheek.
Looking around, I observed the children around me. They seem to have already formed groups of their own; with their interests all lined up with one another, they mindlessly group up with others they deem as normal or like them.
Case in point, over near the play area were two groups; the first being full of rambunctious boys playing with action figures and little props such as toy swords, shields, and even pirate hats; the second group was a bunch of chittering girls with dolls in their hands having a tea party.
Looking over at the other side of the room, my eyes caught another group. Two boys and girls were sitting at their seats and drawing pictures with the nearby coloring supplies, murmuring once in a while to each other before going back to drawing.
Done looking at the children, I turned to the window and watched the sway of the tree branch just in front of the glass as the wind blew through. It was a pretty sight to see as rays of sunshine peeked through the gaps, shining a golden light on the brown bark and jade-colored leaves of the tree.
The little creature shifted a little to the left on my shoulder where a portion of sunlight hit and turned over on its back as if sunbathing in the warmth. It let out a tired yawn as if tired from this morning's ordeal and promptly started its impromptu nap.
Seeing the cat-like blob out of commission, I absently rubbed my finger over my left index fingernail, passing the time shuffling through the previous soul's memories.
Apparently, Chikao had seen these kinds of creatures his whole life, hence my calm reaction to the little blob; his parents explained to him that it was a trait both sides of the family had and to never let those creatures know unless you were certain they wouldn't hurt you.
When I had been forced into this body, there were things my eyes had seen that were out of place from my original life. Either out of the corner of my eyes or right in front of me, some creatures seemed to be a part of the supernatural.
Usually, they looked just like the one I picked up from the girl from earlier— shapeless blobs of dark matter—and are usually shy around me. Sometimes they scatter around me and watch from afar; the bold ones are a couple of steps behind me and sometimes try to touch my sleeve or pant leg. They were pretty adorable in my opinion, with their shy nature and all. Sometimes, they even leave me gifts in places I would find them. It'd usually be a flower picked from a garden or field, other times they'd leave sweets that catered to my tastes.
Rare was the chance to touch them as they usually skirted around me as if scared to make contact despite their obvious desire to. So I usually leave them alone and carry on with my day.
There were others with the same feeling as the shapeless ones but were obviously more powerful. They had a condensed sort of energy instead of the flyaway air the others have. A big difference between them and the blobs was the fact that they have actual shapes. Some have horns, while others have wings. They came in all sorts of shapes and sizes with different levels of presence to them.
Curiously, it was rare that I would see them near me as to where the small blobs were constantly watching when given the chance, I've only seen glimpses of the more powerful ones; they never really bother me— just stared as I went on my way to do whatever I was doing.
Of course, I had tried to stay out of their line of sight and acted like they weren't there, just like the rest of Japan's populace. Chikao's parents always had a weird aversion to the creatures despite not being able to see some of the smaller ones. Of course, I had made sure to never purposely seek them out. That would be idiotic and a surefire way to find trouble.
The day passed without a bother or sign of interaction from anyone, and by the time dismissal arrived, my classmates were out of the door in seconds. It was obvious there was a disconnect between me and the others, and an underlining understanding that they didn't want to talk to me.
Sawada-sensei's intentions towards me were obvious despite how subtle she thought she was being. The occasional questions regarding my life at home or how F-Oji-san was treating me and if he's been busy or seeing anyone lately. Her interactions with me only furthered the chasm between me and my classmates.
Even Aki (the name was fitting as it was the month of September), the black blob from earlier, had enough of her presence, making irate hissing noises whenever she stood too close to me. Of course, this went unnoticed by her, seeing as only I was aware of Aki's existence.
Thankfully, she wasn't shameless enough to ask for me to stay behind after class (yet), so I was able to make it out the doors without any trouble.
So here I am, outside the gates of the grade school, waiting for Yuu-san to pick me up with Aki—who was kind enough to keep me company—playing with the strands of my hair as they sat on my head. There was an abundance of black blobs near the bench where I was sitting. A few of them even migrated over and sort of...climbed on? I don't really know how to describe the motion with words. They just sort of stuck onto the legs of the bench and suctioned themselves up next to me. It was kind of disturbing, but also really adorable for some reason.
I feel like I have a problem or something.
Aki seemed to be having a conversation with them if the increased buzzing of noise meant anything.
"Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!" Aki chittered excitedly.
"Chirp!" They replied back, in a questioning manner.
Then, in the smuggest tone I've heard from Aki, they answered them.
"Meow~"
The others erupted in a cacophony of noises with me as their unwilling audience. I'm just confused as to whether Aki is a cat or a bird. All of their mannerism vary from a variety of animals so it's a bit puzzling.
My hand soothingly pat them down from their agitation as I pulled out my phone with the other to check the time. It was edging onto 3:30, half an hour since school ended. I wonder if today was a club day, should I call her?
Tap tap tap tap!
Just as I went to my contacts list, the sound of hurried footsteps came rushing in from my left side, making me turn my head to the source.
Speak of the devil.
Looking like she ran a marathon, Yuu-san came rushing towards the school gates and was barely able to avoid crashing into the iron bars. Frantically, her head swiveled to the left and right in search of something (probably me), and a couple of other girls toting the same uniform soon followed. Judging by the similar colored ties they wore around their collar, they're classmates, or at least year mates.
"Calm down, Yuu-chan, I'm sure he hasn't been kidnapped." The blonde one tried to assure, not helping at all. If anything, it only served to make the panicking girl even more desperate in her search.
A tall brunette with shoulder-length hair tied back into a ponytail slapped the back of her head without a hint of mercy, causing her to yelp in pain. "Oh my god, Kana-chan, not helping right now." she scolded.
Kana rubbed the back of her throbbing head with a hand as she turned towards Yuu-san with an apologetic look. "Ah, sorry, Yuu-chan."
Too worried to care, Yuu-san waved it off and pointed to the two of them. "Hinata-chan, Kana-chan, go look on either side of the school. I'm sure he's here somewhere. Tou-chan's gonna kill me if I lose him on the first day."
As they talked to each other, I stood up from the bench and walked over to the girls. A trail of black blobs followed after me like little ducklings after their mother, Aki sitting comfortably in my hair.
"What's he even look like?" Kana asked.
"His name's Kasai Chikao, he's about waist-height, has black hair and dark eyes I think...and he wears glasses." She quickly described, face concentrated as she tried to remember the details of our short interactions.
I made sure to make my footsteps noticeable, catching the attention of Hinata who pointed behind Yuu-san at me.
"Like him?"
Confused, she looked behind herself "Who-", then she caught sight of me.
"Where were you!" she scolded, rudely pointing a finger at me. As if this was all my fault. Alas, she was but a teenager, so anger is a common emotion when they're frustrated.
Pointing back to the bench that was near the near garden in front of the school, I answered in an even tone.
"I was waiting for you over by the front. My apologies if I've made you worry, I was expecting you to be here by 3:15. Our father instructed me to contact you when at least half an hour had passed, in fact, I was just about to call you right now." My hand lifted up my phone, showing her the contacts list I was previously looking at.
"But-" she quickly cut off her words.
There weren't any inflections in my words, not blaming anyone in this situation. But it was obvious that Yuu-san felt guilty if the look on her face meant anything. Her two friends were standing by her sides with matching guilty faces for some reason.
Not wanting to stand there all day, I turned around in the direction of the station and started walking. After walking for a couple of seconds with no sounds behind me, I turned around in confusion at the sight of the girls still standing where I left them.
"Are we not going home?"
There was an awkward silence on our way to the train station that was only broken when halfway there, Kana suggested we visit the new ice cream shop she had heard about.
Raising an eyebrow at Yuu-san, I asked "Are we permitted to?"
Judging by the nervous look on her face, it seems like we aren't.
"It's okay, I do it all the time!" She tried to assure me, a hand scratching the nape of her neck in nervousness as she averted her gaze from my searching one.
I could only sigh at her sad attempt at lying to me.
Pulling out my phone, I opened up to a familiar contact screen, absently hearing Kana horribly whisper to Yuu-san if four-year-olds were supposed to sigh that heavily or even talk that formally.
'May I go to an ice cream shop with Yuu-san and her friends before returning home?'
A couple of seconds passed with the girls waiting curiously as we stopped by a park bench commandeered by a couple of the blobs that followed us. A few seconds passed by before a reply came back.
Well, that depends. Do you know where it's at? (´・ω・`)
Looking up from my screen, I turned to Kana.
"Where is the shop located?"
"Huh?" She tilted her head in confusion while the girls behind her raised an eyebrow in suspicion.
"The ice cream shop you wanted to go to earlier."
"Oh!" She clapped her hands together as she understood what I was asking. "Well, it's over on block 45, next to Hajime's Patissiere."
Nodding my head in thanks, I typed said address.
Oh, that's the one that was recently built (o_o)
Sure, you kids can go. Mind if you grab some for me too? :)
'Of course, do you have a preferred flavor?'
Orange and vanilla swirl would be lovely, please and thank you ^O^
'Understood.'
Loosen up will you -_-, I gave you a cellphone for a reason. Stop sounding like an old man and try to have some fun with it :P
I contemplated whether or not I should reply to his whims, my fingers hovering over the keypad of the phone. Glancing at the others, who were strangely silent, I typed in some keys.
':P'
I shut the phone with a snap and tucked it into my pocket. Taking an inventory check, I nodded to myself and turned to the girls.
"I've received permission from your father, let's go."