Chapter 8: The New Girl

"Okay Minori, just another day that you have to get through. Nothing special, nothing you can't do." I voiced in my head the usual mantra as I was shampooing my hair in the shower. My schedule was a little bit different than from how it usually was but I wasn't going to let that slow me down. I've always given it my all and I wasn't going to stop now.

"Gotta get this done, eat, some chores... than the batting cages. You're getting rusty, you need to practice." I rinsed my hair and got ready to step out. Time had seemed to fly by and a lot of things that I was supposed to take care of passed right through my fingers. Today was the day that I had to go and get it all sorted out. I even had to take this Saturday off from working at Jonny's to do so; that was a lot off work hours that I wasn't going to get back. I didn't like having to do that but it had to be done. I already wasted enough time as it was.

I got dressed and went into the kitchen in search of something quick to eat. I eyed my small countertop and saw the assorted bowl of fruit that was there, as always. It was probably going to have to be an apple or two and something light for my protein. I looked towards the stove to remember if I had anything leftover from dinner. In doing so my eyes immediately caught the stack of dirty dishes and pans that sat there in the sink.

I let out a tired groan. "...Ugh." I let my eyes wander away to the rest of my condo to avoid acknowledging why I didn't clean up. I didn't like seeing the rest of my place either. My little living room looked horrible. The small table that I had was cluttered with notes, assignments, and empty coffee cups from way too many last minute nights. I had some cushions right beside it that I would rest on while frantically writing. It was only a few days ago that I was here scrambling to get work done. I took in what my condo really looked like right now. I haven't washed the dishes in a few days, but I haven't cleaned my place in weeks, maybe a month. It wasn't like I didn't want to, I just had no time to do so. Between working and school work I was barely managing time to eat. And even with that I'm just scraping by with my grades, and it's only been a month in. I could feel my insides start to mix a bit.

I shook my head in defiance. "You're fine, just deal with it. You took this day off to fix stuff like this, not to feel sorry for yourself." I cast my thoughts aside and went forward with what I had already planned. With my envelope in hand I grabbed the nearest apple and made my way towards the door. There wasn't going to be time for me to think today, I just needed to stick to the plan. Today was just going to be a normal day. With my usual zeal I headed out the door to my usual convenience store. It didn't take me long to get there, and I made sure my I was as cheery as I could be along the way.

I followed my normal cues as soon as I walked in and heard the familiar chime of the door. I was going to say hi to the store clerk but he caught my eyes first as soon as I came in. I guess he was going to beat me to it.

"Good morning Kushieda-san! Will it be the usual order this morning?" He greeted me with a great smile alongside his face. He and I have gotten pretty friendly with each other now and I wouldn't expect anything but a great atmosphere from him. It was always nice to see him so happy.

"Morrrning! Actually I'm not here to buy some food. I just came here to pay the bills, that's all. I've got some of that ol' adult business that needs taken care of!" I gave a goofy emphasis on the last sentence that I gave, making it sound really silly in the process.

"Well no problem young lady! Just come on over here and we'll get it sorted out in no time!"

"With gusto!" I raised my arm high in a cheer holding up my stuffed envelope while doing so. I made sure my actions matched the positive atmosphere that we had between us. I felt as if he deserved no less from me.

He quickly scanned over everything I gave him and went straight to work in no time. "My my, paying your bills early like always! It's only the beginning of May and you've wasted no time to get this done! It's rather mature of you if I do say so myself!" He went to small talking while he was quickly checking the amount on the stubs.

"Oh it's nothing important, I just don't like to wait on stuff like this. I've got a lot of things that keep me busy as is, and one less thing to worry about just makes things just a tiny smidge easier!" I made sure to put in an extra bit of silliness at the end of my sentence.

"Well it sure does leave a good impression if I may say! You must be on top of all of your finances if you're this prepared with your bills!"

"No no, I'm not that great trust me..." I felt the urge to change the conversation. This talk was taking a turn that I wasn't liking. "So oh great shopkeep, how goes this fair business? It must be booming, with it being Golden Week and all."

He was getting the stamp ready and was nearly done on his end. "Can't complain about it Kushieda-san, the holidays have been kind to an old man like me. And what about you? I'm sure you needed these past few days with your busy schedule and all."

I gently shook my head in disagreement, still wearing the smile that I had. "I didn't take a break from working. I had to change my schedule around but besides that I'm still at it!"

He paused a bit looking shocked at what I just told him. "Really now? You even worked last weekend when the holidays first started?"

"Yup! I took a side job helping Inage-san at his shop that Saturday. It's why I didn't visit you that morning because I had to be super extra early. Sorry I didn't mention it to you before." I made myself look bashful, holding my hand to the back of my hand.

His face quickly changed and he gave a really big smile. "Of course, why would I ever expect something different from the hard worker that you are! Don't let this geezer slow you down, I'm sure you have places to be today!" He handed me my receipt with the stamp to prove that it was payed off.

"I sure do, thanks for the consideration!" I grabbed the little piece of paper and gave a quick salute to him. "I just gotta use your ATM to make this deposit really fast and I'll be right out!"

"Go right for it young lady! Remember to keep that spirit up!"

"Always!" With a pep in my step I skipped to the little machine in the corner of the room. I reached for my pocket and took out my debit card.

I felt my body freeze up for a moment. It was like all of the energy and zeal I had just left me in an instant. My senses rushed back and it felt like I weighed a ton, sinking into the ground beneath me. I knew what was happening. My stupid feelings were getting the best of me. I went into myself and began to mutter to myself silently. "Get through this you idiot, there's no reason you should be feeling like this. You planned to do this and everything. Now do what you were going to do in the first place." I began to slowly start the transfer, having a thick fog in the back of my head while doing so. I was getting irritated. I knew why I was feeling like this, and me knowing that upset me more. I wanted to curse myself for being so selfish. I tried to stop it as much as I could, waiting patiently for the transaction to finish. The sooner I could leave here the better.

I shrugged it off as best as I could and held on to my normal self. I started to wave goodbye to the clerk to keep up my appearances.

"Have a nice day! See you tomorrow!" I turned around and pushed open the door with my back, giving a familiar salute as a goodbye to him. I went out the door too quickly for me to hear him respond back. All I could hear was the chime of the doorbell to queue me that I was done with this part of the day. Being a little flustered but still feeling confident of myself I quickly made my way back home. This was a fight I was used to fighting and I knew I could get through this without a second thought. Whatever it was that bothered me wasn't going to slow me down one bit. I got back to my condo door and checked the time; it was 9:47. I just had to take care of what needed to get done at home, then I could spend the rest of the day practicing. No sweat. I walked in, ready to push on and move forward.

I glanced at my wristwatch again and it read 12:14. I had nearly spent two and a half hours cleaning this stupid place up. I tried doing all of the chores as fast as possible and yet it still took up such a large chunk of the day. I couldn't help but feel like I just wasted a huge amount of time on doing something pointless; It wasn't like anyone was coming over anytime soon. I've cleaned up around the house ever since I was young so I pretty much felt obliged to do this. Even if I did have to spend so much of my schedule to do it. I thought about all the times that mom used to say her little catchphrase. 'Remember Minori, a healthy home brings a healthy mind!' … I was questioning whether that was actually true or not, because I sure didn't feel like my head was anywhere near healthy. It felt like the complete opposite.

"*sigh*, mom always said the strangest things..." I reminisced about what my childhood was like for a brief second. I sure did clean a lot... I shunned my thoughts immediately. It wasn't good to think about the past, and I was going to give them a call later today anyway. ...No, I was supposed to give them a call when I deposited the money. A wave of shame fell over me as I realized I had forgotten to do so. I took out my cellphone from my back pocket and gave it a glance. There was something strange about me as I was thinking about making the call. I could feel my insides start to crawl a bit.

I swallowed a dry gulp of air. "...I'm putting this off, aren't I?" My heart gave a thrashing beat as I spoke to a quiet room. Bingo Minori, nailed it right on the head. I took in a deep anxious breath, trying to smooth out whatever the heck was wrong with me right now. I wasn't going to make any other excuses; this call was going to get done. I gently took my phone and walked to my bedroom, eyes stinging while doing so. There was no use trying to debate in my mind on why and what these feelings were, the plan was the plan.

I sat comfortably on the edge of my bed. "Calm down... 1... 2...," I took some last few seconds to breathe out the rest of my emotions and flipped the tiny little phone open. My heart rate wasn't going to go down no matter how much I tried; I knew I was just going to have to endure it. I pushed away everything I felt that told me this wasn't a good idea and began to punch in his cell phone number. There was one really good reason for me to do this and that was all I needed. The wait for him to answer was the worst part. I wish he wouldn't do this every single time.

"Heya big sis! It's been a while!"

"Did you get the transfer Haru? I just sent it to you guys a little while ago."

There was a brief pause on the line. He gave a slight sigh before speaking again. "C'mon, we haven't talked in like forever! You don't have to start off with something so ser-"

"Did you get the money or not?" I cut him off. I wasn't in the mood for his usual small talk with no point to it.

There was another pause. There was less enthusiasm in his voice, but I doubt he was going to be any less of himself. "Yeah, I can see the numbers on the account from here. I can see your name next to it and all that."

"Is it all there? And what about the deposit from last month? Did you get that? Can you see it on there?"

"Don't worry sis, it's all been there and there hasn't been a hiccup to any of it. Don't be such a worry wort." I gave a deep sigh of relief at hearing that. There was a lot that could go wrong with this so I was glad nothing happened yet. "This little secret agent business we have going on is foolproof! Well, until maybe the police find out. But that ain't going to happen, you can count on me!"

I rolled my eyes at how absurd his analogy was. "Haha, very funny."

"Ha! I got you to smile there! I did didn't I?"

"Yeah, you got me." I played along reluctantly.

"Woo!" I could hear his voice drowning out, as if he was actually doing a celebration of some sort at the other end. "Score 1 for the little guys!" I felt my stomach mix a bit.

"*sigh*... what about mom? How is she doing?"

"She's doing just fine, still a beacon of hope like she always is!" He got his enthusiasm back. I groan. "Man Minori, always with the serious stuff! Why you gotta be so stern about everything?"

"Well someone's gotta be. Life isn't always sunshine and rainbows like someone apparently is." I tried taking a jab at him to get him to take this seriously.

"What? Was that a compliment I just heard?" Damn it.

"No Haru it wasn-"

"Yeah! That's two points I got over you!"

"Stop it!" I yelled.

There was silence. It was quiet between us for a second. "Sorry sis. It's just been a while you know? I just wanted to lighten the mood is all." I felt really bad as he said his words in such a sad way. There was no way no anyone could feel bad after yelling at their little brother.

"Don't apologize, it's not your fault. I guess I'm just a little stressed out. You're getting on my nerves more than you usually do."

"Hmm? Something bothering ya? Wanna talk about it?"

"No. No I don't." I tried my best to keep my composure; I hated how childish and likable he was.

"Fine fine, I won't push your buttons. But seriously though, you should try and be less like a rock with most people. You're not going to make that many friends if you always have that frown on your face."

"I didn't call you to talk about my personal life. And did you just try to give me life advice? Seriously?"

"Umm... oops." He quieted down a bit. "I'll give you a point just for that!"

"Ugh." How did it end up like this? Why does it always end up like this? I tried rushing the conversation forward. "So you have the money? You're not doing anything dumb with it right? You're using it like how we agreed to use it?"

There was a noticeable change about him. He kind of sounded like a normal person almost. "Yeah, it's going to the rent and all that. And whatevers left just stays in the account. Right where ya left it."

"And no one knows about it? Mom and dad? Not even grandma and grandpa?"

"Not a clue. Not a single 'big sis is helping out with the rent and wants to keep it a big ol' secret'. Not even once." I take that back. He wasn't a normal person.

"You better have not said that to them. Or else you-"

"They would've called you a loooooong time ago if they knew, we both know that." He cut me off, probably to get back at me. He made a good point though.

"Alright, good. That's all I wanted to talk to you about. goo-"

"Wait! Don't just hang up! I wanted to talk to you about something!"

This time he cut me off for no reason. "...What?"

"Well... I just wanted to talk a little about this whole hiding money thing-"

"Drop it. We've already went through this and there's no point bringing it up again-"

"But there is though! This doesn't feel right!" I could feel something starting to bubble inside me. Whatever it was it didn't feel very good. "I mean don't get me wrong, I'm super glad that you have this miracle job that pays so much and you're really generous and that's really cool but it doesn't feel good to lie about this! I mean, I-"

"Haru. Drop it. I don't want to talk about this right now." I felt my head throbbing. I closed my eyes in frustration. I wanted to avoid this as much as possible.

"But sis mom and dad would unde-"

"Drop it. Now."

"...Okay..." I hated how good of a whimper he had too. It always hurt when I heard him like that. But he wasn't going to get his way this time. "But Minori... promise me one thing?"

"Yeah? What's that?"

"Try to smile at least some of the time? For your sake yeah?" Always with that childish nature of his, even when he sounds like a sad puppy. I chuckled.

"You're such a weirdo, you kno-"

"Yes! I got you to laugh! Yeaaaaah!" ...I was wondering where all of his energy just went to after what just happened. I shook my head, and questioned why I expected anything different. "Woooo! That's three-"

I hung up the phone at the spot. I tossed my phone behind me towards my pillow and hanged my head back a bit. I leaned my back further, using my arms to support me as I stretched out.

"Haru you idiot." I closed my eyes gently, trying to come to terms with the bag of thoughts that I was holding in. I wish he'd grow up a bit. He's only two years younger than me and he hasn't changed at all. He's always been a little kid. Maybe if he talked like an adult I wouldn't be feeling this way right now. He's almost going to high school, how could he not mature by now-

My inner dialogue stopped as I felt my eyelids being weighed down. As my face started to heat up I could feel waterworks trying to force their way through my eyes. I grit my teeth and pointed my head straight down in an attempt to stop it. A feeling of disgust made it's way through my body, giving me the strength I needed to hold it all back. After a few seconds of constraint everything seemed to go back down. I opened my eyes slowly, greeted by the dullness of my beige ceiling. I smiled a bitter smile.

I spoke to myself. "You're such a hypocrite, you know that?" It stung a bit saying those words out loud for some reason. My chest was a target, and a whole handful of emotion filled darts seemed to go right through the center. I didn't like talking to my little brother. In all honesty I hated it just for this very reason. We were always so different growing up, and he still drives me insane every time I talk to him. Even now he does. But he's the only way I can reach everyone back home. There was no way I could muster up the courage to actually call mom and dad... I just can't. I let go of the tension of my body and dropped back first on the bed. I closed my eyes, doing my best to bottle up the rest of my useless feelings. I had a day to get through after all. I had no time for this.

The rest of the day went according to plan, thankfully. After a quick face check in the mirror I got ready and made my way out to the batting cages as soon as possible. From that moment forward I spent all day practicing for softball tomorrow. There was a game coming soon and I wanted to make sure I was at the top of my form for my team. I did pretty well too, I haven't practiced on my own in so long and I without a doubt needed it. The day was coming to a close and I was pretty tired. I was walking back home now with my duffel bag in hand and a dirty uniform on my back. My mind was set on finishing the routine tonight and going to bed. It was going to be a big day tomorrow.

I walked to my door and unlocked it in a weary fashion. I trudged to my bedroom, flung my dumb bag on the bed and slopped my way to the bathroom for the usual face rinse. Nothing seemed too out of the ordinary for me so I made my way back inside to get my phone. I needed to know how much time I had spent in the cages. I dug around the back pocket of the worn out bag and pulled it out.

"*gasp*!" I was shocked to read that my phone said 5:57. I had spent 5 hours batting! I was supposed to make time tonight to do homework! How the heck is that going to happen now!? Just how am I going to find the time-... huh? I glanced at the top of my phone where the signal strength usually is. Is that a voice message? Who the heck would call me? What the?

I maneuvered through the menu and dialed the number for my voice inbox. With a mix of curiosity and fear I held the receiver up to my ear. I never get phone calls, not even from my family, and this isn't even a phone number I recognize. It isn't even the same area code for crying out loud. Is this one of those scam phone calls that everyone gets? After fiddling with the complex voice system I pushed the button to hear the caller.

"Hello there Kushieda! You may not remember me, but I'm the woman you served at Jonny's a few weeks ago! You know, the one in a fancy suit that asked you a bunch of weird personal questions? That one?" ...What on Earth is going on? "Well anyway, I had sent someone really important to come and meet you at work today, but it turned out you weren't there and took the day off! Let me tell you I wasn't too happy at the person who I asked to talk to you but it turns out it was all just bad timing! The manager at Jonny's cleared the whole thing up for me!" ...I don't even... what? "He was really helpful and told me your phone number and work schedule, so I was really glad he and I talked! So I know you don't work tomorrow but expect a visitor at work when you go back next Monday! … It was all going to be one big surprise but I kind of went ahead and spoiled the whole thing by calling you... well it'll be a surprise to her! She'll give you all the details about the offer and everything! You'll know her when you see her! Ciao!" My phone went back to its automated system while I stared into nothing, flabbergasted about what just happened.

"...The heck was that?" My face went up in knots out of sheer confusion. Are these what scam calls are like? But how did she know my name and all that? I don't remember anyone whose table I waiter and I definitely don't remember anyone with that description... but they remembered me? Is this a stalker? A scam stalker? A scammer that talked to my boss at work? Just how in the world does anyone manage that? … I was way off the deep end. I closed my phone and tossed it next to my bag.

I put my hands to my face to try and concentrate. I wanted to filter the information that actually mattered. "I'm sure those telemarketers have all sorts of information now... there was something about an offer at the end... ugh." A shiver of discomfort ran through me. I hurriedly got out of my uniform and went to the bathroom for a much needed shower. Frankly I was in no shape to think about any kind of scam I got and I needed to get through tonight. I ruled the whole thing out as unimportant and went on with the usual routine. This was all just going to be another day.

The rest of the week went by without a hitch. I spent Sunday at softball practice and managed to stay decent, thankfully. I had to rush through another night of homework though since I slept the whole night Saturday as soon as I got off the shower. I had never done anything like that before and I cursed at myself pretty much the whole night as I scrambled with my pen on paper. It was Monday morning now and I was walking to school like normal; I just finished my coffee and my lunch was all good to go. I was as much as myself as I could be right now and I was sure that I wouldn't be anything else. I was going to meet Taiga right around the next corner and then we would walk to school together. I was trying to think of something to say to her when I reached her.

Sure enough she was waiting on the sidewalk for me right on time. Takasu was along with her too; those two really have grown on each other in such a short time. Good on her.

"Heeeey Taiga! Good morning!" I jogged merrily to the both of them being as happy as possible.

"Miiinoriin! Moooorning!" She sprinted up to me and matched my enthusiasm. We both opened up our arms and hugged each other, with me spinning her up in the air. I gave a silent thank you to the world for this moment. I really needed this after these past few days. After a few seconds I put her down, trying to enjoy my rush of happiness as much as possible. My eyes glanced to my left and my gaze locked on with Takasu's as he was watching Taiga and I be silly.

"Morning Takasu-kun! Ready to tackle the battles of the school week?" I looked at him in confidence as I gave my usual spark.

I saw his face redden only slightly. He angled his eyes downward and looked away from me for just a moment before giving me eye contact again. "H-hey Kushieda! Yeah, I was up studying for the pop quiz this morning. I think I have a pretty good grasp on the material." ...Ugh that's right, there's a quiz this morning. Oh boy...

"Well look at you mister prepared, being all sure of himself! I was actually rushing to do the homework we had last night. I guess I wasn't on the ball on that one..." I put my hand to the back of my head, being playfully apologetic while doing so. "But no problemo! This test is as good as aced!" I gave a reassuring thumbs up as I lied directly to him. If anything I doubt I was going to get anywhere close to 'acing' this test.

He and I talked a little about the homework we did for about a minute or so, and I did my best to pretend I knew what I was talking about with him. Not wanting to keep Taiga waiting I tried to look antsy to give him the right idea. I think he took the hint.

"Well good luck to the both of us then. Let's give it our best try." Takasu said his words calmly as he gave a casual smile. I smiled back.

"Can't ask for anything less now can we? Best of luck!" I gave him a merry goodbye as I started walking backwards towards Taiga. We both would go our separate ways and he would go his. It's what Taiga just started doing when this school year started and it's become the usual routine for us now. It felt weird at first but I've come to accept it as just part of our little ritual. I turned around and got a look at Taiga glancing towards my direction, looking oddly contemplative. I wasn't sure if she was looking at me or Takasu with her eyes looking so distant like that. "Well? Ready to go?" I said my words sisterly to her.

She didn't answer back at first. She just kept on looking over past me with her eyes fixated on something in the distance. She started to speak after a few moments. "Hey mutt! Stop walking off! You're coming with us!" I looked at her in confusion but my eyes jumped immediately when I realized what her words meant. I turned my head quickly behind me to Takasu, to see him have just as much of a shocked reaction as I had. I withheld my giddiness and quickly went within whisper distance to Taiga. I kneeled down and began muttering in her ear.

"Wow! What a change of heart all of a sudden! Does this mean you admit you two are actual-"

"I know what you're going to say and it's not at all that, so don't even try. I just feel bad leaving him behind now." She put her finger over my mouth and spoke calmly and quietly. "And I could say the same thing about you. You two seem awfully more talkative now ever since what happened last week. Now I wonder why that could be, hmm?" My eyes deadpanned and without my input my face began to bloom.

"W-what!? I am not! How could you possibly think that!? I wanted to-" She interrupted me with a playful, cynical smile and started to walk off in the direction towards school. "Wha? Don't ju-" I reached my hand out to stop her but stopped when I heard footsteps behind me. I panicked for a moment realizing what I was looking like right now and swiftly stood upright to look semi normal.

"Well looks like you're part of the walking wagon we have Takasu-kun! Welcome aboard!" I tapped into my normal way of acting and used that to carry the conversation. I had a good deal of feelings to hold back right now.

He looked just as stunned as I was feeling. His eyes met mine confidently. "Yeah I guess... you have any idea why Taiga changed her mind like tha-"

"Hurry up, both of you. Otherwise I really am just going to walk ahead." Taiga raised her voice just enough for us to hear as she was made her way to the end of the street.

"You heard her! C'mon, I'll race ya!" I elbowed Takasu playfully to taunt him into playing along. I jogged at a casual pace.

"H-hey wait up!" I heard him run after me, trying to keep up with the pace of the moment. I didn't want any part of me slipping and this was the best my body could think of to keep the mood. Whatever kind of devious plot Taiga had wasn't going to work on me, not if I could help it.

The three of us made our way to class in no time, with me constantly trying to start a conversation that all of us could be in. It worked well enough, considering the tension that Taiga and Takasu had, and it made the time go by as we made it up the hill towards campus. In the back of my head though I was waiting for the opportunity to get back at Taiga for what she said. She's been constantly teasing me ever since what happened last week at Jonny's and it hasn't stopped since. She's toying with me now and I can feel it, but I'll think of someway to get her back before the day is over. Even if it's small.

We walked in with about 2 minutes before class started. We said our farewells and made our way to our seats as everyone around us got prepared for the inevitable test. With me being the seemingly unprepared one I got out my messy homework and my notes and dotted over what I had written. My head gave me spurts of pounding pain, knowing that I wasn't at the best of my places with my grades right now. I knew I had to do better.

Yuri-sensei walked in right on time as soon as the bell rang. She looked as confident and relaxed as she ever does. "Good morning everyone! We have some special news before we get class underway today! I'd like you guys to say hello to our new transfer student! Please give her a warm welcome!" Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing, me included, when we heard what our teacher said. Having a new student come into class was one of those mysterious and cool events that everybody always had to be excited for. And this came out of nowhere too! Not even one word of gossip or anything! I felt the massive presence of all of our eyes fixate on the doorway as we expected a new student to walk in. A part of me felt sorry for her with the amount of pressure we were all going to give her. Well I'm sure she'll fit in just fine. "Come right on in!"

With perfect timing a tall, lean, and confident girl with long blue hair walked casually in, making her way to the chalkboard. She strolled at a very casual pace as if the gazes from all of us, which became much stronger as she came in, had no effect on her. She turned around and picked up a piece of chalk and began writing her name, letting the silence of the room fill our ears. No one spoke a word. I think we all were captivated at what we were staring at.

"I just transferred here and I'm looking forward to meeting everyone. I'm Ami Kawashima. Oh but please just call me Amin! *giggle*" Goodness. Even her voice sounds perfect.

The class almost spontaneously erupted with talk and about the new center of attention. Among the girls whispering to themselves and the boys having their jaws dropped I overheard that apparently she was some really famous model from a popular magazine or something. I was never into any of that so I didn't know who she was. But there was no doubt in my mind that she could model. She was beautiful. She had a tallish figure with a stunning body, a great posture and smile, and wore that uniform we all had like we didn't have the right to wear it. And the way she looked so perfect even with all the attention just made her seem that much more... perfect. It was unreal. Was she really in our class? I wanted to pinch myself out of disbelief.

Yuri-sensei began talking again to finish the introduction. "Okay class! Let's all do our best to make our new friend feel welcome!" Everyone applauded. They applauded, for crying out loud. Well... there's no doubt she's going to fit right in I guess. "Now... Let's find you a seat..."

I thought to myself. "Good god... it's like she's just jutting out pheromones wherever she goes..." I didn't mean to start judging her firsthand but I couldn't get over the idea of a girl my age being that flawless. I watched absentmindedly as she found an empty seat by the window. I realized that what I was doing was creepy and turned my eyes back to the mess of paper on my desk. "...Remember Minori, first impressions. She's a new student and she's seeing you for the first time. Don't make yourself look like some weirdo." I was thinking of introducing myself at lunch when we got some free time. Although I doubt I would have much time to really give off a good impression with how the air is around her already. I let the idea float in my mind as I tried to get my mind back on studying. I knew it wasn't going to work though. She was going to be thought in my head even if I didn't want her to be.

It turned out I really didn't get the free time I thought I was going to have today. The new girl was flooded with attention at every moment and the softball team called me in for a meeting at lunch today. It still didn't stop me from getting a good idea of her though, and I don't think my own impressions of her are all that good. If I didn't know any better I think she likes being the center of attention. The way she acts all girly makes me think she's doing it on purpose. Or maybe that's how people in the acting business act normally around other people, I don't know. But it sure isn't what I was used to that's for sure. It wasn't really right for me to think of her like this before even speaking with her so I ignored my thoughts for the time being.

It wasn't like everyone in our class was super fond of Ami either. Taiga despised her. She wouldn't tell me that much about it but apparently the two of them had met before and they didn't really have a good first talk. There was one moment today right before 4th period where Ami left class and Ryuuji wasn't here, and Taiga became furious. I asked her what was wrong but she didn't say a word; she only grit her teeth and mumbled some obscenities at Takasu like she usually does. But it wasn't all bad though. I used that moment right when 4th period started to write her a note telling her to not be jealous over Takasu. I admit I loved doing it. It made her blindingly mad. Being in a good mood I wrote a note to Takasu too along the same lines of those two being together, and the rest of the day seemed to go by in a blur after that.

Class had now ended and everyone was getting their stuff ready to head out. I started packing my things rapidly as Taiga seemed to march her way to my desk. I wanted to at least say hi to the new girl before she left.

"Hey Minorin, let's go. I'm sick of everything already. Let's just head to my locker really fast." She spoke unwillingly. I gave her a bright smile as I always do.

"You betcha! But let me just sa-"

"Umm, excuse me, but you're Kushieda right? Minori Kushieda?" I was interjected when someone else walked into our conversation. I looked behind me over the shoulder and funnily enough Ami was there. I guess she beat me to the punch of saying hi first.

After a brief stun of getting interrupted I went quickly to how I usually was. I knew the first impression started now. "Yes I am, hello there! Super sorry I didn't get to talk to during class today. You go by Amin, right?" I stood up to give a proper conversation meeting her directly in the eyes. I couldn't help but notice that she still looked gorgeous up close, and I could feel my heart start to beat out of what I think was jealousy. It was noticeable but thankfully not to her. At least I hope not.

"Mmhmm. I'm glad you remembered my nickname. And don't worry about saying hi, it looked like it was a pretty busy day for both of us." She closed her eyes and gave a cute perky smile. Her expression quickly changed though as she glanced worryingly to her left. "I'm sorry... but I'm not interrupting something am I?"

Puzzled I turned my head towards what she was seeing to see Taiga fuming up and down with anger that she was obviously trying to suppress. She stayed next to me gritting her teeth and mad dogging Ami, showing no signs of speaking at all. I realized how bad this was and my I quickly began to panic, trying to think of something that would make everything better.

I stood in front of Taiga with my back towards her, still facing towards the new girl. "Oh no problem! Taiga and I usually walk home together but it's no biggie!" I very slightly angled my head toward her and gave a half embarrassed and half apologetic expression. It didn't make her any less mad unfortunately. I was confident that I would clear this up though when this was done. It wouldn't take that long.

Ami looked a little perplexed by the whole thing, as she should. "I see... well, I kind of wanted to talk to you alone for a few moments if that was okay with you. But at the same time I don't want to keep Aisaka waiting here if she's not okay with it. Would it be alright if we just spoke quickly down the hall together?" Her eyes pierced mine as she asked her question. I felt sweat start to form with where this conversation headed. I don't know why but I felt nervous all of a sudden on top of everything else that was going on.

I looked slowly back at Taiga again who was not alright with her suggestion whatsoever. In the middle of what felt like a rock and a hard place I made my decision quickly, and I knew that unfortunately she wasn't going to like it too much. I gave a her a cellphone gesture that reached to my ear and lip-synced the words 'we'll talk later' to her as clear as I could. After realizing what I meant her whole face dropped flat on the ground in shock, clearly not wanting to accept what I had told her. But after looking at me for a few moments she pouted, turned quickly, and stomped out of the classroom mashing her feelings along the way as she did so. I began to regret what I did. I felt really bad as she made her way out, and I started to doubt whether I had done the right thing or not. Not wanting to let any of this show however I shunned off my thoughts and did my best to fit back in the talk I was having.

"Ehehe... sorry about that... we kind of didn't see eye to eye on some things right there..." I stammered through my words, still embarrassed about what just happened.

"It's okay, I'm not bothered by it. I just hope Aisaka feels better soon." She gave a heartwarming smile to reassure me. "Let's get going, shall we?"

I gave a timid nod in agreement. "Yeah, be right there." I smiled back. I got my stuff ready as she waited by me. There was something about this that felt really bad, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was. Ami was definitely a very confident person... but it all just... I don't know. I don't even know why I agreed to go with her, it almost kind of felt like I had to for some reason. Whatever, maybe I'm just over thinking things. I'm sure that this won't be any big thing.

As we were made our way down the hall to the end of the stairs I questioned why I was so agreeable to do this. All manner of reasons from being a good person to being starstruck crossed my mind, but none of it justified me leaving Taiga like that. I walked with a weight on my back carrying the guilt of saying no to my best friend. How the heck did I get into this? How did she sweep me up in the conversation? ...Why didn't I just say that I couldn't come? I argued against myself for a short while not coming up with an answer. There wasn't much time to bicker any further as the both of us reached our destination quickly. Ami was just a foot ahead of me with her hands behind her carrying her bag. I had an ominous feeling as she lead me to the spot.

We stopped right by the vending machines that made a little corridor right by the stairs. Wanting to regain control of the situation I spoke first. "So, what's up? What did you want to talk to me about?" I spoke in my usual manner, but cautious this time. I didn't want to be a pushover in our dialogue.

She smiled beautifully and looked at me dead on. "Well... to be honest, it's kind of a big deal, and it feels a little strange for me bring it up in school like this." My guard went up immediately. I didn't like where this was going. "So Kushieda... can you promise to keep this a secret? Just between you and me?" She had a playful expression on her face as she spoke. I did my best to not be swayed.

"Uh... sure I guess. And just call me Minori, you don't have to be so polite around me." Not letting any of my thoughts show my body carried out the usual mannerisms I had.

She giggled in response. "Great!" She reached in her bag and started to pull something out. My body twitched, and I didn't trust whatever she was going to bring. "Let's see... it should still be here... Ah! Here it is!" She took out a slick, expensive looking black envelope and handed it to me with both hands. I stared at it, not really sure of what to think of it. "Go on Minori, take it! It's for you!"

I gently took the envelope away from her. The moment I felt it I could tell this wasn't some ordinary thing. It wasn't made from the typical paper most letters had; it felt so much more of a higher quality. It was sealed with sort of really fancy sticker with an equally fancy logo on it. I turned it around to see nothing but a few words in the most fancy and high class hand writing I had seen. 'To: Minori Kushieda' it read. I gave the letter a few more flips in my hands, still trying to bog my mind around it.

"Umm... what is this?" I asked in confusion.

She looked at me equally as confused, as if she was expecting a different kind of reaction from me. "? You don't recognize the logo?" She raised her eyebrows as if in shock that I didn't know what the strange symbol on the seal meant.

"Sorry... I don't." I answered timidly, feeling her presence on mine.

She looked a little puzzled for a moment, but she made her way back to a friendly disposition flawlessly. She gave a beaming grin. "It's the company logo for Can Vi silly! I was asked to deliver this invitation to you! My manager says that you're a great candidate to try out for the modeling business and wanted to know if you were interested! I've got to admit you must've been pretty lucky to talk to her in person!"

I stood in silence for a moment not fully taking in what she told me. I replayed everything she said to me slowly in my head and gently started to form the connections in my head. Once I overcame my disbelief I realized the impact of the situation.

My eyes widened. I think I felt my jaw drop too.

I shouted. "...Whaaaat?!"

Author's Thoughts:

Hello everyone. Happy Mother's Day. I hope all of you are enjoying yourselves on this holiday, and for those of you who may not celebrate this day I wish you a great day regardless. I'm glad that this chapter wasn't delayed too long and was published a month or so after the previous one. Nevertheless there is still so much I wish to write for this story. It's a dream of mine to finish this story, but I have the tools necessary to finish it. Though my life hasn't been the most settled I still want to get this fanfiction completed one day. Only time will tell.

This chapter is a foundation and sets up a large amount of what is to come later for in future chapters. This is also the chapter where I have included a lot of story that wasn't reflective of the anime, and as such I hope that it all remains well within the universe and doesn't feel out of place or out of character. There will be more explanation in later chapters too such as Ami's involvement in the invitation and so on and so forth. I feel that there are a lot of questions that could be asked at this moment in the story and I would ask to be patient. I feel I ask for patience much too frequently in these thoughts though, but I'll say that these questions will be addressed. I pray that all of you will still be here at the end when it does.

The next chapter will be a standard one, although I cannot promise when it will be released. For further information into this chapter such as certain aspects of the story and so forth please visit my profile page for more information. This hobby of mine is spanning the length of over two years now, and I'm glad I'm still writing. I just hope that there will be some of you who continue to enjoy it as well. For those of you who continue to read and keep up with this story, I thank you. And as always, truly, thank you for your time.