Chapter Three: First Day at Alice Academy
"Welcome to Alice Academy." Persona says, but we're already out the limo, school backpacks over our shoulders. We run to the front, me looking around for the person I thought we had hit.
"TSUBASA!" A furious voice comes from the other side of the car. I quickly run to the other side of the car, flanked by Mitsuki and Hana.
I see a girl about my own age, with pinkish shoulder length hair, wearing the junior-high uniform. She is sprawled on the ground, with a boy lying on top of her, messy blue hair covered by a worn looking orange cap, and a peculiar star-like shape on his cheek.
"What the heck do you think you're doing?" she was saying, pushing the boy off her so that he plopped onto the ground beside her.
"I thought I was saving your life!" the boy retorted.
"That stinking car stopped ages before it even reached us, idiot! Seems like you're trying to get me killed more than saving my life!" the girl yells back.
Standing up, and brushing her skirt off, she notices us standing there, most probably with bemused expressions on our faces. "Hello." She says. She jerks her head toward the limo. "Is that yours?"
"Nah." I reply with a careless nod of my head. "It's a rental." She grins at me. I furrow my brow worriedly. "I apologize if we hit you. I promise we will personally compensate."
"No blood, no foul." The pink-haired girl shrugs again.
Remembering the book I had read on Japanese culture and etiquette, I say, "My name is Sakurai Karin. Pleased to meet you." Not knowing what else to do, I stick out my hand for a handshake. I see Mitsuki's hand move inconspicuously toward her watch out of the corner of my eye.
The girl stares at my hand for a moment, then puts her hand in mine. "My name is Harada Misaki. Pleased to meet you, Sakurai-san." She points down at the boy, who is now reclining on the grass with his hands behind his head with an aura of defeat about him. "This idiot is Andou Tsubasa."
While Mitsuki and Hana introduce themselves to Misaki, I stoop down next to Tsubasa. "Hello." I say hesitantly. His eyes flicker to me.
"Hi." He says dully.
Leaning closer so he can hear me, I whisper, "Don't worry. It's always the thought that truly counts. Keep trying." Standing back up, I smile slightly and stretch out a hand of friendship. "Need help?" Tsubasa grins up at me and takes my hand. I easily pull him up, and I can tell he's astonished by my strength.
"You must have quite an arm." He says, laughter in his eyes. I look up at him to my surprise, give him a playful glare, then walk back to Mitsuki and Hana. Misaki and Mitsuki are having a conversation about various manga they've both read, and Hana is looking nervously at the limo.
When I touch her arm, she looks up at me and says, "I think Persona is waiting for us."
Tsubasa, who had followed me, blurts out, "Persona?"
I turn around to see him looking at us suspiciously. I ask him, "You know Persona?"
However, Tsubasa is all coolness again. Mitsuki snatches a picture of him at the worst time, exactly when he has a cool, aloof expression on. "Nope. I just thought that was a funny name." he says. Then, he turns to Misaki and says, "Let's go. We're going to be late for class."
"I'm not done talking. And since when do you care if we're late for class or not?" She says irritably, but when she turns around to see his serious face, she complies with his request. "Maybe we'll catch you guys later." Misaki says, waving at us as they leave. "Well, see you then!"
We pop our heads back inside the limo, where Persona is gathering his papers, looking slightly put-out. "Well, welcome to Alice Academy." He grumbles as he steps out of the limo.
"Whoa, look over there!" Mitsuki grabs my arm, and points into the distance.
"Wowzas!" I exclaim. A gigantic, pale orange vehicle is zooming towards us. As it comes closer, I see that the vehicle is actually a large bus, manufactured to look like a cat. Mitsuki touches her watch and surreptitiously snaps a picture of it.
The bus doors open with a whooshing sound that alarms me, though I take care not to show that it did; and out walks a woman.
This woman has blonde hair grazing her shoulders, and a beauty mark near one of her long-lashed purple eyes. She is wearing a loose-fitting white blouse with tan colored pants. She also has a rather flat chest, but I won't hold that against her. She wears earrings on her ears and rings on her fingers.
"Hi everyone!" A masculine voice sounds out of the supposed female person's mouth.
I really should be used to this and not jump to conclusions so quickly, since tons of men have long hair and have pierced ears (and piercing in other areas too). But my hidden astonishment was great when a male voice came out of his mouth.
"Oh my goodness, are these the new students? They're so cute and adorable! So cute!" he gushes.
I confess; I gawked at him, but who wouldn't? I'm tempted to ask him his gender, just to be sure, but that would be rude, so I don't ask. Mitsuki and Hana are looking at him suspiciously, and Mitsuki takes a picture of him.
"Is there something wrong with your watch, Mitsuki-san?" Oh crud. Persona has noticed.
"Just checking to see what time it is." Mitsuki says innocently.
Persona seems to accept this explanation, and speaks to the blonde man. "Narumi, take them up to the school. You know what class they're in. I must leave on certain business now, but I'll return at the end of the day."
The man named Narumi nods. "Come, children!" he says jovially, leading the way into the kitty bus. "School is waiting!"
"It was nice meeting you, Persona-san." I say politely, though I'm thinking the exact opposite. He acknowledges me with a nod, but completely ignores Mitsuki. Mitsuki immediately huffs an almost inaudible sigh of relief.
However, to Hana's obvious discomfort, Persona takes her hand and says, "I'll be back later to see how you do. Good-bye, Hana-san." Then, in the blink of an eye, Persona is back inside the limo and driving away at an astonishing speed.
"Someone fancies you, Hana." I mutter in her ear as we board the bus.
"Shut up!" she hisses back at me.
In the bus, Narumi talks to us, asking about our names, ages, and other general information. "You'll need to pick up your textbooks after school." Narumi instructs with delight.
"Alas," he says, crushed. "I will not be able to have the pleasure to teach you. I work in the Elementary Branch, teacher to some of the cutest students here." At these words, he adopts a dreamy expression, while my face is surely skeptical.
Looking out the window, he exclaims, "We're here! I present to you…" here, he pauses for dramatic effect, "the Junior High Branch!"
The bus comes to a stop in front of a huge building. Before I have time to gawk at it some more, Narumi-sensei was already herding us off the bus and inside the building. Everything flashes before my eyes. I think we may have walked up a flight of stairs; or perhaps we didn't. All in all, Narumi-sensei leaves us at the door to our classroom, waving good-bye to us then walking away jauntily.
I knock on the door in a sing-song rhythm before opening it. All the students in the classroom plus the teacher turn their heads to look at us. I suddenly feel very foolish.
"Come in." the teacher says to us. "You must be the new students?"
I breathe an inward sigh of relief. This teacher looks normal, with common black hair and dark eyes. We step inside the classroom. The students are still glaring at us, and now is the moment I wish I have the mind-reading Alice. Looking around, I see Misaki is in this class, sitting in the front row next to two empty seats.
The teacher begins to introduce himself. "You may call me Misaki-sensei. I teach biology." He fidgets uncomfortably for a moment. "Would you like to introduce yourselves to the class?"
"Sure?" I say after a long silence. Looking over at Mitsuki and Hana, I silently ask them with my eyes if they want to go first.
Hana rolls her eyes and starts. "My name is Narita Hana." Another silence ensues. She looks pointedly at Mitsuki.
Mitsuki sighs, then says, "My name is Sakurai Mitsuki."
It's my turn now. Taking a deep breath, I say, "My name is Sakurai Karin. Pleased to meet you."
An observant kid in the front row asks, "Are you and that girl" he points to Mitsuki, "sisters?"
Rather than answering "no" like I usually do when we are asked that question, I actually say, "Yes, we're fraternal twins." This statement triggers more questions.
"Who's older?" A girl asks Mitsuki.
"I am." She says, and this creates mass hysteria. A couple of students are gaping at me, and I don't have to be a mind reader to know what they're thinking now. I tower a good three inches over Mitsuki's head, and I'm bigger than her in every aspect.
To dispel the murmurings, I say loudly, "I'm just the twin who got the tall gene." Pausing for a short moment, I poke fun at myself by saying, "And most of the nutrition." This statement earns me a laugh from the class.
"All right, settle down." Misaki-sensei says, smiling slightly. "Sakurai Mitsuki-san and Narita-san, please be seated in those empty seats in the front. Sakurai Karin-san, please be seated in the empty seat in the second row."
Uneasily, I walk to the only empty seat available in the second row; an aisle seat beside a boy with blue hair. He looks up at me.
"Hi." He says shortly.
"Hi?" To my ears, my reply sounds like a question.
"I'm Matsudaichi Hayate, fifteen." The blue-haired boy says intensely. "How old are you?" He scoots closer to me, to my great discomfort.
"Um…I'm thirteen?" I reply, looking warily at him. He looks mildly disappointed, and I quickly look down. I see two pictures on the floor that are rather stained with dirt. I stoop to pick them up.
"Hey." I tap on Hayate's shoulder. "Matsudaichi-san. Are these two dirty pictures yours?"
"Oh, that's a picture of my sister!" he exclaims, taking one picture from me, brushing the dirt off. A student sitting nearby turns around and gives us a disgusted look, to my great amusement.
When I turn back to Hayate, he has a dreamy look in his eyes. He continues on, "And the other picture is my Cool Blue Sky, the love of my life, Imai Hotaru!" Brushing away the dirt from the remaining picture, I see an unsmiling young girl with black hair and violet eyes.
"Um…pardon my rudeness, Matsudaichi-san…" I start, but Hayate interrupts me by waving his hand and saying happily, "Oh, not at all, Karin-chan! Just ask away, and no need to be so formal. Call me Hayate!"
Smiling at him, I continue, "Hayate-kun, Imai-san looks a little young to be the love of your life."
"She is, in fact, very young." He says brightly. "She is ten years old!" The dreamy expression returns. "And yet, she's so beautiful. Exactly like Cool Blue Sky…" This guy is kind of weird…just my luck. I get assigned a seat next to a pedophile!
"Ay, Hayate…" A voice comes from behind me. I turn around in my seat and see Tsubasa sitting right behind me, feet propped up on his desk, and orange cap pulled over his eyes. "Shut up about Imai already. We've heard it a million times."
"Andou?" I exclaim. I certainly didn't notice he was here. But, Misaki is in this class, so figures Tsubasa would be in this class too.
"Karin?" He lifts the hat from his eyes, takes his feet off the desk, and leans closer to me. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to study, of course, Andou." I say icily.
Hayate is looking from me to Tsubasa, and says, "You two know each other?"
"Just met her this morning." Tsubasa grins, looking at me. "And yet, I feel she hates me already."
"That's not really a big surprise." Hayate says dryly. They both look at me.
"I don't hate you, Andou." I mutter, embarrassed.
"You say my last name like it's a cuss word." Tsubasa grins even wider, if that's even possible. "Just call me by my first name." Then he turns back to Hayate and says, "I'm sure Karin doesn't want to hear about your sick infatuation with Miss Imai."
"Actually," I interrupt, before Hayate can argue heatedly back, "I think that it's quite nice that he has the emotional capability to care for someone that much." Hayate beams at me, while I shoot a glare at Tsubasa that clearly says, "Shut up."
"That reminds me, Karin-chan!" Hayate says excitedly. "I recently wrote a sonnet! I'd like to show you it! It's entitled, 'A Sonnet to Imai Hotaru's Brain.' Let me take it out right now!"
"Matsudaichi-kun!" Misaki-sensei barks. One corner of my mouth twitches upward. We're busted, yet I want to smile. Hayate is just such a funny person, and I am enjoying his company more than I should, even though he probably is a pedophile.
"Since you seem to enjoy Sakurai-san's company so much, I'll give you the privilege of being her partner." The whole class "oohs."
I feel my face heat up, although I'm not sure why. Misaki volunteers herself to be Mitsuki's partner, while Hana is assigned to a girl named Miyazono Yuri. Hayate winks at me, and when the lesson begins, allows me to share his textbook.
For the remainder of the day, we zoom through math, English (which was easy), Japanese (this was harder), and history (which is the last period of the day). During PE, the teacher issues us our PE uniforms, which consists of a white T-shirt and red bloomers. What joy.
At the beginning of history class, to my complete confusion, Tsubasa and Hayate both get called out. Before Hayate leaves, he rummages around in his backpack and withdraws his history book.
"Here. Keep this." He says. "Take notes for both of us, okay?"
"Me too, please!" Tsubasa pipes up. Sneaking a look in Misaki's direction, he says teasingly, "Your writing has got to be neater than Misaki's." Misaki turns around and sends Tsubasa a death glare, making me giggle.
"Bye, Karin!" Hayate says as he leaves.
"Yeah, see you later, Karin. Tell Mitsuki, Hana, and Misaki I said bye too." Tsubasa says. A worried expression is on both of their faces, making me even more puzzled than before.
The last thing I see of them before they're fully out the door is Tsubasa's fingers in a "peace" sign.