Homeroom the next day held a surprise for Ryo, Toma, and Shin. A young man with dark brown hair pulled back in a ponytail stood in the front of the classroom, looking out the window. Shin and Toma exchanged curious glances with Ryo before finding their seats. They were half-way through the year. It was late for a transfer student. Ryo stood looking at him for a moment longer, and the man caught his eye, and smiled slightly. There was nothing remarkable about his appearance, but the air of mystery that hung about him drew Ryo to him.
"Hi. My name is Sanada Ryo. What's yours?"
The man paused, then smiled affably and said, "Shiten Yuu. It is a pleasure to meet you, Sanada-san."
"So...where're you from?"
"New York. I'm a Nisei, and my parents decided that I ought to get in touch with their native culture." He sounded bored.
Irked, Ryo replied, "It's very different from America, but isn't the entire world that way?"
Something about that remark made Yuu amused. The rest of the class filtered in, and Ryo was drawn away, leaving Yuu in the front talking to the teacher. The bell rang and silence descended. Yamashita-sensei nodded approval, then gestured to Yuu.
"He will be staying with us for the rest of the year. Please make him feel welcome."
Yuu smiled faintly. "My name is Shiten Yuu and I have transferred here from New York. I am 17 years old, a Capricorn, and interested in Kendo. Pleased to meet you all." He bowed and turned to the teacher.
"There is an open seat in the back. Please sit there."
Yuu bowed politely, picked up his books, and sauntered over to the free desk as Yamashita-sensei began his lesson. Ryo heard the girls beside him whisper and speculate over Yuu.
"Too bad it's not like a shojo manga where all the transfers are gorgeous."
"Welcome to real life."
"There's something about him though..."
"He does have something like, like...a mystique surrounding him."
"You're right. Didja see how he walked? He's confident in his body, and that's something rare for someone of his height. Not under 7 feet, my guess."
Ryo understood what they were saying. At least he wasn't the only one who felt the air of mystery that surrounded Yuu. As he paid half-attention to History class, he pondered how to bring up the topic of Yuu with Shin and Toma. They didn't sense anything strange like he did and, well, he didn't want them to think that he swung that way. He was spared having to talk to Shin or Toma at all, though, as Yuu approached him, holding his schedule.
"I don't understand any of this. How does this work? Can you help?"
Ryo was puzzled. "Why ask me?"
"Because you're the only one I remotely know."
Strangely relieved by the answer, he explained the scheduling and the workings of the school to Yuu, who listened intently. At the end of the lecture, Yuu sighed and smiled his half-smile. "Thank you, Sanada-san."
"No problem."
The next class was English, possibly Ryo's most hated subject.
'How does any of it make sense?' he wondered as he squinted at the blackboard, trying to make sense of the examples. The class ended with Ryo in low spirits. So much homework, and he understood none of it! As he sat at the lunch table and snarled through parallel structure and editing questions, a hand reached over his shoulder and erased a word.
"'Who' is used for people. 'That' is used for objects. It's 'The person who I like' not 'The person that I like.'" Yuu murmured. Ryo jumped, and felt Yuu smile.
"I'll help you with your English if you help me with History," Yuu offered and sat next to Ryo.
'How does he sneak up on me?' Ryo wondered as Yuu retrieved his History homework. 'And how come the guys aren't reacting to him being here?' Ryo pondered these questions, came up with no answers and a headache, shrugged, and set about helping Yuu with History and being embarrassed about his poor English. After lunch, Ryo had no more classes with Yuu, and so was able to pay attention without his mind wandering to ponder the person who was becoming more mysterious at every interaction.
Yuu happened to be the topic on the way home.
"A mathematical wizard!" Toma exclaimed, indignant at being shown up by a foreigner. "He never took a note, but was able to do the practice problems on the board with no effort, and this is not easy stuff. Is the education that much better in America than here?"
Shu sighed dejectedly. "He's my new Physics lab partner. I feel even stupider next to him. Maybe he went to a really good prep school?"
"For someone raised in America, he's very learned with Kanji and the more obscure grammar points in Japanese. I'm impressed," Seiji reluctantly admitted.
"He didn't pay attention at all in English," Shin remarked.
Ryo grinned. "But he's abysmal at History."
"How do you know that?" Seiji asked.
Ryo paused awkwardly for only a moment, then replied "It was the only time he took notes. If he wasn't already good at it, why take notes?"
It was a lie, and a good one. They bought it.
Author: A Nisei is a second generation Japanese person born in America by Japanese immigrant parents.