Chapter 3: Encounter With the Two

Shiho. Miyano Shiho.

Or perhaps you'd prefer to call me Sherry. That's the name I hid behind, the name I used when I was still studying in America.

I was a loner, even then. And moving to Japan, I knew that transferring wouldn't change a thing. If my schoolmates from before shunned me because I was too Asian, then the people here would probably see me as too British. I didn't mind. I've already accepted the fact that I have no place to belong to.

At least, that's what I thought. But now, I have somewhere I belong. Somewhere I could call home. And this time, when I think of home, my sister isn't the only person who comes to mind.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

My first encounter with the two people who greatly affected my life happened on my first day in Teitan High. I stepped inside the classroom, trailing behind my new homeroom teacher. The noise, which you could've heard a mile away, instantly receded, and turned into a silence as intense as their gaze on me.

"She originally lived in Japan, but due to certain circumstances, they moved to America. And now, she's come back to Japan so make her feel at home," Kogorou Mouri-sensei declared, gesturing to me. "Her name's Miyano Shiho."

"Okay, Miyano-san. You sit beside..." Sensei's eyes scanned the room for an empty seat. "Kudo-kun. He's the guy at the back row who looks like he'd rather be at the field than in class."

I looked around the room and located this 'Kudo-kun.' He was the only one paying attention to anything but me at that moment. I walked towards him, my steps echoing in the otherwise silent room.

Kudo... He was staring at me with the same degree of intensity as the rest of the class just a few moments ago. Maybe even more. Yet now, he was staring out the window, looking as if he couldn't be bothered with whatever the teacher was saying.

"Kudo," the teacher said, "It's your responsibility to show her around school."

I reached my destination, settling down beside him. I didn't say anything to him. Instead, I waited for him the to be the one to make the first move. I wasn't the type of person to waste my effort trying to be friendly with a complete stranger. Not that I would've been with someone I knew, either.

Silence.

You could've heard a pin drop, and the tension was almost cackling the air. No, the tension did not come from me and this Kudo guy. It came from our classmates who were waiting for something, anything between the two of us. Unfortunately for them, nothing happened.

Classes.

Everything they taught was elementary for me. The subjects I had back in America were harder than the ones here in Japan. It wasn't a surprise for me. I knew long ago that America strove for individuality while Japan for equality.

I was bored out of my mind. I didn't even try to hide it. You could see the teachers' eyes shooting daggers, but they didn't scold me, so I figured they chose to overlook it since I was new.

Lunch break.

I didn't bring food on purpose. No, I wasn't on a diet, I just didn't feel like eating while strangers surrounded me. It was like that, too, for a whole week ten years ago, so I didn't bother.

"So... Would you like me to show you around school?"

A voice interrupted my stillness, but I just looked out the window, not surprised with Kudo's offer. I had expected him to ask. There was something about him that seemed different from the rest. But no matter how curious I might be, I didn't feel like entertaining a short-term, so-called 'friendship'.

"No."

I couldn't see his face, but I suppose he would be frowning, annoyed by my rejection. The next minute, I heard the sound of a page turning. Maybe he doesn't really care much... I thought, doubting that he really did frown. But then... Why did he stare at me like that..? Or was it just me?

Suddenly, I heard the sound of the door opening. Through the reflection in the glass, I saw a student carrying two bentos, looking a lot like Kudo. The only physical difference between them was that his hair was mussed up. Other than that, the only other thing I noticed was that this one seemed more... confident, to put it nicely.

He looked around, his face lighting up as his eyes locked on my seatmate. He took one step and stopped. I noted this sudden action and noticed; he was gawking at me.

Oh great... Probably another playboy who dates for the sake of dating... And from the look in his eyes-

"Yo, Kudo!"

The teenager beside me didn't respond, made no indication he had heard the call. By now, his look-alike was standing in front of him. After a few seconds, he reached out and snapped the magazine shut.

Kudo blinked at the magazine a few times before looking up. Is he absent-minded? No... That not the impression I get from him...

"Yo, Kaito," he said, smiling. I decided to focus on their conversation, telling myself that I have nothing better to do.

"Don't 'yo Kaito' me." His best friend grinned fondly at him. At least, I assumed they were best friends. From the way they greeted each other, that's what I concluded their relationship was. "Mind to introduce me to your new seatmate, Kudo?"

"Okay," he replied.

I could see the faint surprise registered in Kaito's face. What is he surprised about?

"Kaito, this is Miyano Shiho. She's a transfer student."

"So I heard," he said, the surprise disappearing. He smiled at me, the rest of the class practically falling to their knees. "Nice to meet you, Shiho."

With our seating arrangement, I couldn't see Kudo's face in the reflection, but this time, I was sure he frowned. "You know her, Kaito?"

"I do now. How could I know her when I asked you to introduce me?" He seemed amused.

"That's what I was wondering about." A questioning tone entered his voice. "Then why did you call Miyano-san Shiho?"

"Is there a rule saying I can't?" He raised an eyebrow, looking almost challenging.

"Well... Not that there is but..." he said haltingly. From the way Kaito's acting, I think he sees Kudo's behavior as odd. Does he usually not say things like that?

He didn't wait for Kudo to continue. "If it bothers you so much, I'll call her 'Miyano-san,'" he said. "Well, until she asks me to call her 'Shiho' at least.

"W-well have you shown her around school yet? Since you're her seatmate I suppose Mouri-sensei would've asked you to do it," he continued after a slight pause.

"The thing is, Miyano-san said she already knows her way around the school so there was no need." That got my attention, made me wide-eyed in surprise. I haven't said anything to him other than no. I never told him I memorized the school's layout. Does he know? Or did he just lie?

"-at so..." I didn't hear everything Kaito said, but judging from the annoyed look on his face, he was not happy. He quickly wiped it off, though, probably not wanting to scar his reputation."Ne, Miyano-san, won't you even look at me?"

I chose to ignore him. Even if my attention had been on them, I still didn't want someone like him hanging around me. Yes, I knew I shouldn't judge people easily, but I had a bad feeling about Kudo's look-alike.

"Kuroba!"

Not flinching, he turned to the teacher while grinning and said, "Konnichiwa sensei."

He tried intimidating Kaito. A pointless act since it had no effect. "What do you think you're doing here?"

"Supervising the neighboring classes?"

Sensei's eyes narrowed into slits. "Very funny, Kuroba. Now get your ass out of here."

He saluted mockingly. "Roger, sensei. My ass is up and moving."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

If you haven't guessed, Kaito and Kudo were the two people who changed my life. Though at that time, Kaito was just another annoying guy I chose to avoid and Kudo's significance hadn't occured to me yet. But now...

And that's all I'm telling for now. If you want to find out what happens next, then you're free to stick around. I'm not forcing you into anything.

~Miyano Sherry~