HEADS UP GUYS I HAVE NEWS!

For one, I did change my pen name if you didn't notice. Secondly, school starts next week for me so, yeah! Sophomore year! I transferred into a vocational school so this story won't update a lot -you'll probably get an update at least once a month- it depends. Other than that, here's chapter 6!

Rights go to Natsumi Matsumoto-sensei!

I slowly woke up that morning with ease. The sun was nearly up and my first day of classes begin. I sat up from my bed stretching my arms over my head, hearing a revealing crack every time I moved. Looking to my left, I saw that Kami-chan was already gone, her bed made neatly and a piece of paper lying on it. Curiously, I threw the sheets off my body and went over to peek at it. A note.

Najika-san,

You looked really tired so I didn't want to wake you up. By the time I'm writing this, I will be heading to the dining hall for breakfast. Hopefully you will be awake and reading this in time to join me too!

Kami-chan

Breakfast, huh?

...Wait.

BREAKFAST?!

I ran back to my bedside, grabbing my clock. I could have sworn I set the alarm! Sure it probably went off and I turned it off half asleep thus not remembering anything but that's rare; I've slowly grown to train my body to wake up early in the morning, even with an alarm clock. I shook my head and headed to the bathroom. Forget about that and breakfast, I only have ten minutes until class starts!

~xXx~

The only thing I ended up having for breakfast is a box of Pocky that I meant to have as a snack when I arrived yesterday, but completely forgot about it until I went through my luggage, which I also completely forgot about. As I ran across campus my first class -French- I tied my hair into a braid and let it rest on my shoulder. My bag was slightly putting weight on my shoulder but I'm used to it. If only I had my skateboard, getting to the main building would be easy.

In the end I made it in time, barely but in time. By the time I got there, my legs were screaming for oxygen. I stood there by the door with my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath. I could feel the eyes of everyone in the room burning on every inch of my body. Like, yes people, I'm here so cut me some slack and stop staring at me.

I heard someone calling out to me as I finally looked up, sighing in exhaustion. "Najika-san!"

I saw Kami-chan, along with Yoshirou-kun and Tachibana, at the end of the classroom by the windows. "You made it in time," Kami-chan said with a relived smile. "I'm sorry I didn't wake you, but you looked really tired and I didn't want to bother you."

I shook my head. "Yeah I know, it's fine." I pulled up a chair next to Najika, behind Yoshirou-kun. I stuck another stick of Pocky in my mouth when Tachibana twisted in his own seat, turning towards me with his hand stretched out. I raise an eyebrow. "What?"

He gave me a look like I had no common sense. "My handkerchief?"

"Ah!" I completely forgot about that. If I remember correctly, I left it on my bed site table but I don't think I saw it this morning...

"Oh, here Mamoru!" Kami-chan reached into her bag and took out the same cream colored piece of cloth I had last night. "I saw it in our room, thinking it got mixed up with my things, but I never knew you lent it to Najika-san."

Tachibana looked at his sister before taking it and facing the front. "Thanks."

The girl smiled before turning back to me. "Are you okay? You didn't come back until late last night."

"Um..."

"What?" Looking at him again, Yoshirou-kun was almost as good looking as Tachibana. His slightly colored skin from living down South doesn't throw off the look of his handsome face, compared to Tachibana who just had an air of mystery surrounding him. Then again, why am I even comparing those two? "I thought you left dinner early last night for the dorms."

Should I tell them the truth? After all there's no point in lying. I don't have to tell them everything so... "Well, yeah I was- I did. But then I got... Sidetracked and ended up at the lake. Drew for a while then lost track of time."

Well that didn't sound convincing at all. My two newly-found friends look at me with confused faces.

"Now that I think about it." Yoshirou-kun turned to Tachibana. "You didn't come back till late last night either Tachibana, a little bit before curfew hour."

I blinked. So they're roommates huh?

Tachibana glanced at me before speaking. "I just went walking around the campus to cool my head." He shrugged. "Lost track of time too, I guess."

"Is that so..." Yoshirou-kun flicked his eyes from Tachibana to me. I tried to avoid eye contact with him, hoping I won't give away the truth, by popping my last stick of Pocky in my mouth. Just when I was about to break off my first bite, I felt a tug on the other end. My fate could have gone three ways as soon as I opened my eyes and saw Yoshirou-kun on the other end of the Pocky stick: One, choking to death from the thin biscuit. Two, dying from embarrassment by me accidentally spitting the contents all over his face. Or three, fainting from the realization of him playing a possible round of the Pocky game with me. What ever that fate was, it was coming closer and closer as Yoshirou-kun kept biting on his end. I had no idea what to do, play along and cause a scene or just sit there and let fate take its course. I shut my eyes closed, waiting for whatever was going to happen when I felt him stop. I slowly pried my eyes open again and saw that Yoshirou-kun's piercing olive colored eyes and soft looking lips were literally just an inch away from mine. I couldn't take it anymore. In one slick move, I broke off in my end and quickly hid my face in my hands, getting a laugh from Yoshirou-kun as a result. I felt his hand on my head as I cursed at him mentally.

"That's what you get for not sharing!"

~xXx~

The rest of the morning classes felt horrible, never ending. I thought I was never going to get into a kitchen. Although when cooking classes finally did begin, I was more anxious than excited (which was upsetting for me a little). This is where everyone will know who I was. The daughter, their daughter, her sister, etc. But... I can't let it get to me, no matter what. If I'm going to show them what I'm made of, then I'm going to give it to them. As me.

Our cooking uniforms were given to us in our assigned closet in the changing room. When I put mine on, it was slightly big, but it wasn't that big of a deal. My school bag, shoulder bag and uniform sat cozily in my closet before I began to close it.

"Wow Yoshida-san, I love your bracelet!"

I looked over to see three girls, fully changed, two of them surrounding the other, looking down at the gold chain wrapped around her wrist. "Thank you Nakamura-san."

"Ne ne, where did you get it?" The other girl asked.

The girl with the bracelet, Yoshida-san, looked at her thoughtfully. "It was a gift from my parents. Well, from my family back at home; my parents and my younger brother, gave me this before I left for St. Marie."

"That's so sweet of them," Nakamura-san told her. "But since we're heading to the kitchen, you should probably take it off."

"Oh yeah, you're right. Maybe I'll put it in my pocket."

"Maybe it's best you leave it in your closet. Just to be safe, it could fall out or something if you put it in your pocket."

Nakamura-san looked uncertain, but nodded. "You're right Hirano-san."

A bracelet from her family huh? It's like my locket from Mom and Dad. Hmn... Should I take it off? Unlike Yoshida-san, my locket is less likely to get lost. I took my locket and stretched it out in front of me, opening it. Our picture and my initials stood out. I don't think I can bring myself to take it off. Maybe I could just tuck it in? I dropped the chain and put it behind my chef's jacket, the cold metal kissing my skin. We'll see how that ends up.

With one last deep breath, I shut my closet, left the changing room, and headed for the kitchen.

There, done! :D I loved this chapter, it was so fun to write! Especially the part between Najika and Yoshirou!

If you don't know what the Pocky game is (and if you're too lazy to look it up- which I don't blame you at all), think of it as a more fun and hilarious way of spin the bottle, only with a pocky! Two people play at a time, each of them take an end of the pocky and bite/eat their way towards the middle. Do you have to touch lips? Well that's the point but if it's less awkward for you, you don't have to! And so, once you two are in the middle (kissing or not) that's where the challenge starts! First person to break away loses. And the one who doesn't is the winner! (My advice, just close your eyes and try not to think about it. Unless your with your partner or crush, then that's a different story.)

Hope you all stick around for the next one! Leave your reviews and I'll see you next time!