April 10th, 20XX

I sat down on the edge of my bed to wait for Sakura-san, thinking about the strange dream I had last night. Ruin? Something that threatened the entire world? Why would someone like me be asked to deal with that? It was like something out of some ridiculous manga. I didn't think I'd read enough of that kind of thing for it to invade my dreams, but maybe I was wrong. I should probably devote more time to my studies, just to be safe.

The sound of footsteps interrupted my thoughts.

"Looks like you're up." Sakura-san was wearing a white coat and hat. "You ready to go? You'll need to take the trains from tomorrow on, but I'll drive you today."

"Thank you very much, Sakura-san." I bowed as I stood up.

"Yeah, yeah. Stop thanking me so much, it's getting on my nerves."

"I'm sorry!"

Sakura-san sighed.

Sakura-san stopped outside of a large gate. "Well, here we are. Try not to cause me any trouble, all right? Just behave yourself."

"I-I will, Sakura-san. I promise!" I bowed.

"…And now I feel like a bully." He sighed — he seemed to be doing that a lot around me. "Are you always like this?"

"…Yes, Sakura-san." I shrank in on myself.

Sakura-san rubbed his face. "Well, at least I won't be dealing with a rain of disciplinary reports…"

Once inside, we were quickly led to the principal's office, where Sakura-san and I had to read and sign several dozen different forms. A short man stood at the principal's left shoulder, staring at me coldly the entire time.

"To reiterate," the principal began, "You will immediately be expelled if you cause any problems. Honestly, I hesitated about accepting someone like you, but…" He shrugged expansively. "Just ensure that you behave yourself here. Remember that this is your last chance — if we throw you out, that's the end for you."

"I understand." I bowed. "Thank you very much for offering me this chance, sir. I promise not to let you down."

Like Sakura-san, the principal was strict — and like Sakura-san, it was entirely justified. These men knew nothing about me save for the fact that a court had decided I was a violent criminal, and yet they were both choosing to give me a chance, whatever suspicions they might harbor. I owed it to them to do my very best.

He looked taken aback for a moment, but his distrustful expression quickly returned. "…Very well, then. This is the teacher in charge of your class."

The man next to him took this as his cue to speak. "I am Shigeru Ishikawa. Here is your student ID." He set it down on the desk. "I would suggest that you study the school rules very carefully, Harai. The slightest violation will see you in the guidance office, and believe me… I will be watching you very, very closely."

"I understand, sir." I bowed again.

"…Right, if we're all done here, mind if we get going?" Sakura-san looked irritated. "I got a store to get back to."

"Certainly, Sakura-san," the principal agreed. "I would ask that you keep a close eye on her — if she causes trouble outside of the school, it may still be grounds for an expulsion."

"I'll make sure she understands her situation, don't worry."

We were both silent for the trip back to the car.

"…They're treating you like some kinda nuisance, huh." Sakura-san sighed once we had settled back into the vehicle. "A criminal record… Just be careful, all right? If you get expelled, I'm kicking you out." His shoulders slumped. "…Not that I'll have a choice. The principal glossed over it back there, but if you get expelled, it's straight to juvie for you."

"I understand," I whispered, trying to control my trembling.

"…Good."

Traffic on the way back was heavy, and we found ourselves stuck in an unmoving line of cars.

"Traffic's just not moving at all…" Sakura-san spat. "Be glad you won't have to deal with this when you're using the trains."

I nodded.

"…So what do you think? Will you be all right going to Shujin?"

"I'm grateful that the principal is giving me a chance." I bowed my head. "I'm going to do my best not to disappoint him."

"…Seriously, how'd someone like you…" Sakura-san shook his head. "Well, I suppose I'm impressed that you're dedicated enough to enroll at another school after being expelled. Just remember that people will be judging me based on your actions, all right?"

I nodded again. I had been wondering why he was willing to take me in. Would it be okay to ask…?

"What's on your mind, kid?"

…Oh, it had shown on my face. "Um… Sakura-san, if you wouldn't mind telling me… Why did you decide to take me in?"

Sakura-san heaved a sigh. "I was asked to do it, and I just… happened to agree. I've been paid for it, too, so it's a done deal." He flipped on the radio, and I didn't try to press him.

"Again, a subway has derailed at Shibuya Station, greatly affecting the table all across the—"

He turned it back off, scowling. "Another accident, huh? There's been a lot of those lately. …We'll get back eventually, I guess."

All of a sudden, I really wasn't so sure that taking the train to school was going to be a better option after all.

'Eventually' turned out to be 'long after sunset'. We hadn't really spoken much for the remainder of the trip, just sat in awkward silence.

"I never got to open today," Sakura-san groaned. "Well… whatever. Just head upstairs, all right? I've got something for you."

When we got to my room, he handed me a small book. "Here. It's a diary. Make sure you write in it." He gave me a half-smile. "You're under probation, but there's no real limitations on you aside from following the law. Me, though…" He closed his eyes. "I've got to report on you, so I need you to record your daily activities. Keep it simple — I don't need to know every detail of your love life."

I shrank in on myself and nodded. Love life? Like I'd ever have something like that. I'd need to be able to make friends first, and what were the odds of that happening? After that, I'd need to find a girl who didn't mind my criminal record, and…

I cut off my downward-spiraling thoughts. A simple diary of my daily activities, right. That was easy enough, even if it was likely to be depressingly samey. 'Woke up, ate breakfast. Went to school. Came home. Did homework. Ate dinner. Went to sleep. Repeat ad infinitum.'

Sakura-san's phone rang. "Hey, what's up? …I'm about to leave right now." A gentle smile slipped onto his face. "Don't worry. I'll be there in no time. See you soon." He hang up and turned back to me. "I'll lock up, so do whatever you want for the rest of the night." His brow furrowed. "Except go out, I guess. Hard to do that when the door is locked. And try not to make a mess of the store."

"I'll probably just go to sleep." I looked down. "I don't want to be late for school tomorrow."

"Responsible, aren't you?" Sakura-san gave me a nod. "…Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight, Sakura-san."