Akihito stared at his reflection. It looked every bit as nervous as he felt. He picked against the collar of his shirt. A simple white shirt that swallowed his body, hiding him from the view of others. His pants, simple black cotton, were just as baggy. When he had gone to buy the uniforms for school, the sales lady had tried hard to get him to buy the proper size. Reprimanding him for his lack of respect for his school. She had gotten very forceful and rude with him.
The whole incident had left Akihito feeling insecure and scared. He had nearly turned his back on his goal of attending a real school again instead of remaining home schooled by his father. His only saving grace had been Ryuichi, Kei and Kazumi. They had overhead some of the things he sails women had said. Kei and Kazumi had pulled Akihito aside and talked to him until he was calm. Ryuichi had fired the woman on the spot. It was his family's store after all. Akihito was sure the woman's punishment had not ended there though. A week later, her body was found floating in a lake in the country side.
His friends could be so scary sometimes.
"Stop that."
Akihito spun around at the unexpected voice. Eyes wide, he stared up at his childhood friend. "Oh, hi Ryuichi."
"Morning Akihito. I said to stop that." Ryuichi took Akihito's hand in a gentle hold. Removing it away from his collar. "Come on. The others are waiting."
Tugging gently, Ryuichi lead Akihito from his bedroom and out onto the sidewalk. Stopping only to grab Akihito's book bag. Kei and Kazumi pulled Akihito into tight hugs as he stepped free of his home.
Throwing his arm around Akihito's shoulders, Ryuichi lead the way to school. Or what Akihito thought was school. When they reached the small, hidden away restaurant; Akihito was confused. He looked up at his tall, dark haired friend. "What are we doing here?"
"Breakfast of course. You didn't think that school started this early did you? We still got a whole hour and a half." Ryuichi replied.
"Oh."
With a grin, Akihito made his way inside. He was a huge fan of this tiny, out of the way diner. They had the best food in all of Japan. At least in his opinion. With amused chuckles, his three friends entered right behind him. As they made their way to their usual table; the chef, Kirishima Hojo, also known as Kei's dad called a greeting out to them.
"Morning boy's!" Kirishima Hojo said.
"Morning Kirishima-san!" Akihito replied enthusiastically.
"Morning Kirishima-san." Ryuichi and Kazumi greeted.
"Hey dad! How's mom?" Kei stepped up behind the counter. Tying on an apron and getting ready to help his dad. Cooking was a passion of Kei's and he took every chance he had to cook.
Akihito was about to sit in his usual seat when he noticed unknown people at their table. "Umm…"
"So you guys made it here before us." Again, Ryuichi threw his arm around Akihito's shoulders. "Akihito I would like you to meet some friends of ours.
"This is Liu Feilong. He has come over from Hong Kong to attend school here. This fool here is Mikhail Arbatov from Russia. He's here because Feilong is here." Ryuichi rolled his eyes.
"This silent fellow is Nichou Yoh. His family has been the loyal guards of the Liu family for a hundred years. And this little cutie is Fei's younger brother, Tao. He'll be attending our school's associated junior high.
"Guys, this is Takaba Akihito. Take care of him."
Introductions made, Ryuichi helped Akihito into his chair before claiming his own seat. Right next to Akihito. That didn't go unnoticed by the four new comers. They all grinned hugely. The great Asami Ryuichi was in love.
Akihito was shy at first, but the four new comers were so kind and fun. That he soon found himself making friends with them. They were a lot like Ryuichi, Kei and Kazumi. He found himself wondering if he would make other friends just as easily.