Kadic Auditorium, 9:32

"Well, students, I have a few words I'd like to say," said M. Jean-Pierre Delmas, proviseur at Kadic. "However, I know that there is no way you would listen to them. So, instead of reading the nice long speech I prepared for today, I'll simply let you introduce yourselves to our two new exchange students: Eric Champlain from America and Yumi Ishiyama from Japan!"

Yumi looked around the auditorium, her face neutral. Yet another boarding school. Well, it was to be expected—after all, her father's job meant that they had to move around a lot. At least there was another new student—though it looked like he had already established himself with a group of friends. A charismatic, 'popular' kid. Though it seemed to Yumi that he was a bit of a nerd, and then some. What made this kid so different from any other nerd?

She realized that they were heading her way, led by a boy wearing all purple. He reached her first. "Hey, there!" he chirped. "I'm Odd."

"I can tell," she replied.

"Ohh! Odd gets burned!" the American said, then lapsed into English to add something.

"I must say, people rarely get the better of Odd with words," the blond one added. "I'm Jeremie."

"Yumi," she responded simply. "And you?" she asked the dark, tall one. She thought that she saw him blush, just for an instant. No, probably her imagination.

"I'm Ulrich, Ulrich Stern," he replied softly.

"And I'm Eric," the new student chimed in with a grin. "Some say I'm crazy, but what do they know?"

"Maybe nothing, maybe a lot," she answered coolly. Eric grinned again and muttered something in English. Then he turned as another trio approached them.

"Oh, great," Ulrich groaned. Jeremie just shook his head. Even Odd fell silent.

"Um, who or what is that?" Eric asked.

"Well, you got the what part right," Odd said.

"Yeah, what could be this bad?" Yumi added.

"Sissi," Ulrich moaned.

Above the chatter of the crowd around them rose an irritatingly high-pitched voice. "Ulrich! Shame on you for not introducing me to your new friends!" Approaching them was a girl flanked by two boys, one a sandy-haired gorilla, the other a bespectacled nerd. "Allow me to say hello," she said. "I am Elisabeth Delmas, and these are my friends, Nicholas and Herve."

Odd looked startled. "You have friends, Sissi?"

Sissi scowled, and jabbed an accusing finger at Odd. "Yes I do, unlike some people. Really, Erwin, why would you want to hang around these three?"

"It's Eric," Eric corrected in a low growl. "And as far as these three go, I'm hanging around them because they were polite enough to take an interest in me out of the goodness of their hearts—not because the principal told them to. Now, I'm guessing that you're one of those 'popular' girls America has far too many of." His mouth quirked upwards into a half-smile. "So let me put this in terms that even you'll be able to understand: I will never, not in a million years, be one of your type."

Yumi felt like applauding, before she remembered that Eric was one of the 'popular' kids he had just disparaged. Or didn't he realize it? Perplexing…

"Well, hopefully you're not as disagreeable as your counterpart," Sissi was saying to her. "Now if only you wore something a little brighter. Got rid of all this black."

"I like black," she muttered.

"Yeah, Sissi, knock it off, will you?" Ulrich stood up for her. "Just get out of here, already!"

"Hmph!" Sissi sniffed, turning on her heel with haughty contempt…but not before Yumi noticed a single flash of hurt in her eyes at the rejection. "Well, you're little trio can just—just—oh, who needs you?"

"Um, I'm no genius, but isn't it a quartet?" Odd shouted after her.

"Make that a quintet," Ulrich said, smiling at her, and Yumi felt her cheeks blush. They wanted to be her friends? After thirty seconds?

Maybe this new school wouldn't be so bad after all.