Chapter One: Talent Trials
The whooshing of the river and whistling of the birds makes me feel relaxed, to the point where I nearly doze off. My arms are folded over my chest and my eyes are lightly shut. I can feel the cool wind blowing through my hair. It's a nice start to the week after a hectic weekend. I'm not surprised I'm still so exhausted.
The scent of freshly baked goods catches my nose. My eyes open wide as I realise I almost fell asleep right out in the open. Blinking rapidly to wake up properly, I turn my head to the left and see a teal-haired girl walking toward me with two brown bags clutched in her hands.
She softly giggles when she sits down beside me on the bench. The tall trees and freshly cut grass surrounds us; the water rushes downward, and the campus is just behind us. "You weren't sleeping again, were you?"
"N-No..." I awkwardly laugh, attempting to play it cool. But my tired voice breaks ever so slightly, which is a dead give away. I rub at the back of my neck with a sigh. "Can you blame me?" I raise a brow at her.
"Mm..." she thoughtfully hums, passing one of the bags to me. "Not really… Neru-chan sure knows how to party hard."
"I'm so glad you're not a hell-raiser like she is, Mi-chan." I smirk playfully at her, nudging her with my elbow.
"Ahah… Kaito-kun..." she giggles along with me, a grin tugging at her lips as she opens her bag.
This gorgeous girl right here – who must be insane to stick around with someone like me – is Miku Hatsune. I scan my eyes over her features now that we're sitting next to one another, noticing she's wearing her hair differently than usual today. Instead of her signature long pigtails, she's tied her hair into two cute little buns, her fringe hanging down both sides of her face. I still can't believe we've been together for almost a year already. I feel like I've known her forever.
I dig into the paper bag she handed me, pulling out the still warm croissant. "You're such an angel. You didn't have to buy breakfast for me," I say, before taking a bite into the divine pastry. The buttery taste practically melts in my mouth, and a look of nothing but bliss and appreciation crosses my features.
"Don't worry about it. I figured you wouldn't want to eat in the noisy hall after the weekend we had..." Miku replies, with a warm smile.
"Hmm, don't remind me," I say, half teasing. To be honest, considering I'm only sixteen, I shouldn't be drinking at all – neither should Miku or our other two friends. But, well, Neru has always been the irresponsible, disobedient type. Rules are meant to be broken, she always says. Besides, her excuse is that it's 'slightly more acceptable' as it was her seventeenth birthday party.
"Anyway… I also figured you'd want some peace and quiet before we're called into the assembly hall," Miku continues. I narrow my eyes at her in slight confusion as she mentions the assembly hall. I can't remember what the assembly is for at all. She puffs her cheeks out in disappointment the second our eyes meet. "Don't tell me you forgot that, as well."
"Uh, maybe just a bit," I admit, with a bashful grin. My memory has always been awful like this. It doesn't help that I'm hungover. Ugh, I'm never drinking again.
"The students from Mahogany Creek are coming over-"
"Oh god, not those stuck up assholes..." I rudely interrupt her, unable to stop myself from groaning at the mere thought of that school. She glares at me, and I gulp. "Sorry, sorry." I know what they're coming over for, anyway.
"For the Talent Trials. But from the look on your face, you already caught on." She folds an arm over her chest, finishing up her breakfast.
"You know, I was doing perfectly fine. I had forgot all about their miserable existence up until about a minute ago," I sigh. Perhaps a bit dramatic of me but I, along with many other students here at Oak Valley, despise the Mahogany Creek kids.
Miku casually shrugs, and when she speaks, she attempts to stay neutral. "Y'know, if everyone just tried a little harder to get along..."
"Oh, please don't start." This time, nothing about my interruption is accidental – I hold my hand up to stop her in her tracks, with a roll of my eyes. What I love about Miku is how she always tries to keep the peace, but with Mahogany Creek, there is no peace; therefore, no point in trying to play nice with them. "Are you forgetting about that one dickhead who shoved my head into a toilet when we were twelve?"
I see Miku bite down on her lower lip. For a split second I notice that she's trying her best to conceal a laugh. How cruel, to think of laughing at my shortcomings. "O-Of course I haven't forgot."
"So, you see my point," I continue, deciding to ignore the fact that she's hiding a smirk. I'd be laughing too if it had happened to someone else. Before complaining some more about those rich kids, I stuff the rest of my breakfast into my mouth, chewing in annoyance.
"At least the Talent Trials itself is usually fun. It gives us a chance to mess around and forget about school for a while," Miku says, with a light sigh. She leans back against the bench, stretching her legs out.
I swallow the rest of that bite and crumple the paper bag up into a ball. "I suppose so," I shrug, gently tossing the paper ball up and down. "I completely forgot it was starting today, though. This is just great." I'm not in the best of moods to deal with those kids right now.
Mahogany Creek Academy… Just the name makes me shudder. They're classed as our 'sister school' since there are only a few miles between us. We're on one end of the river, they're on the other. Their mahogany trees grow on our campus, our oak trees grow on theirs. We should all be close friends… I think we were, up until maybe twenty or so years ago. I've seen the photos hung up in the school halls going back a few decades. Everyone looked so close, but somewhere down the line, a rivalry was born. The rest is history from there. The Talent Trials became a shadow of what it once was – now it's nothing but fierce competition, which always results in our school getting our asses handed to us. Mahogany Creek kids go hardcore when it comes to the set of games, whereas we usually don't take it so seriously and instead have fun.
"Oh..." Miku mumbles in surprise, after a bit of silence. I look to her, curious. She's just pulled her phone from one of her pockets and is currently looking down at the screen. Her face twists into a grimace once a couple of moments pass.
"What is it?" I wonder.
"Our dear friend Neru-chan has informed me that she and Dell-kun have come up with a game plan for today," she answers, in a sickly sweet tone when she refers to Neru.
"Oh, no..." I grumble, pinching the bridge of my nose. I have no way of knowing what that mischievous pair will come up with, but I do know it won't be pretty. I can feel my head starting to throb a bit harder from the sheer frustration. Today isn't going to be a good day.
"Looks like we better head to the assembly hall. Neru-chan and Dell-kun arrived there early, and it seems we're keeping them waiting." Miku half-heartedly laughs, pulling herself up from the bench and stuffing her phone back into her pocket.
"Right now?" I raise a brow, staring up at her with tired eyes. I can't exactly be bothered to move right this second. Unfortunately, Miku gives me a nod. "Uuugh..."
"C'mon, Kaito-kun. You got this!" Miku grins brightly at me. Her motivating words kind of work on me. Not much, but still.
I force myself onto my feet. "Yeah, yeah. I got this," I mutter. I clench the paper ball in my fist, squashing it down to a slightly smaller size, before tossing it toward the nearby trash can. It just barely lands inside. "Haha… see, I can totally win when it comes to the sports section."
"Pssh..." Miku playfully rolls her eyes at me, before walking toward the trash can and simply dropping her paper bag inside. "How hard was it to just walk up and drop it in, hmm?"
"Incredibly," I immediately fire back in the same teasing tone as her, sticking my arm out for her to take. "Let me be lazy every once in a while, alright?"
"Sometimes I get the feeling you probably had it super easy in a past life," Miku says, linking her arm through mine.
"Oh, a past life, huh?" The concept is a bit confusing to wrap my head around, but I'm still intrigued nevertheless. Miku and I begin to walk away from the river and head up toward Oak Valley High's esteemed campus. The view on the way there is just as beautiful as the trees that surrounded us further back.
"It's a strange thought, I know. But sometimes you seem so laid-back and just a little bit lazy… Like it carried through from a previous life." Miku and I have never really had this kind of talk before – or any kind of serious talk at all, now that I think about it. I wonder what brought this on.
"I didn't know you were so into the whole past life thing," I thoughtfully hum.
"Well, if we get some time to ourselves tonight, we can talk all about it," Miku suggests, giving a light smile.
Sure, if I survive the first day of the Talent Trials.
…
When Miku and I step into the assembly hall, it's mostly empty, as the assembly won't be starting for another fifteen or twenty minutes. I glance around, feeling relieved that the few bad apples of our year group are nowhere to be seen for now.
Everyone at Oak High gets along well – except for a small few who go out of their way to make life miserable for us. I think they enrolled in the wrong school. We know to stay away from them, although sometimes they come to us. I can tell that with the Talent Trials starting today, they're going to work on standing out the most and try to beat Mahogany Creek. To that I say, good fuckin' luck.
When we take a few steps into the hall, we look around to figure out where they're seated. Miku doesn't spot them – but I do. I catch sight of a girl with dark blonde hair frantically waving her arms about to attract our attention. She does so in the most humiliating way possible. Sitting beside her at the back row of bleachers is a male with silver hair. I let out a heavy sigh, nudging Miku and pointing toward our two friends.
"Oh, dear. Neru-chan is making a fool of herself again," she says in a low voice to me, through gritted teeth.
"Just smile and wave," I hiss, plastering on a wide grin as though I'm happy to see the two. Don't get me wrong, I love Neru and Dell, except for how over the top and eccentric they are. Miku pulls a forced joyful expression too, and we start walking up the steps to the back row of seats.
I let Miku slide in next to Dell; Neru always loves grabbing the corner seat with the armrest. I set myself down beside Miku after that, and take in a breath to prepare me for their loud voices. My throbbing head regrets this already.
"Yoooo, Kai-kun! How are you on this lovely morning?" Neru leans forward, propping her elbows onto her knees, her palms resting on her face.
"Dude, you look totally hungover," the silver-haired boy chimes in, with a cheeky smirk. Thanks for the reminder. "If Principal Hiyama sees you like that, your ass is in big trouble."
"And just how the hell are you so bright and cheery after that mess last night?" I direct my glare to Neru, narrowing my eyes.
"I think she's used to it," Miku says for her, with a giggle.
"I'm a pro, duh." Neru scoffs, without batting an eyelid.
"And you know, you could've been smart like Miku-chan..." Dell coughs, darting his eyes between my girlfriend and me. When I turn to look at her, she has an innocent smile on her face. Oh, I get it. He's telling me I shouldn't have touched any alcohol at all last night.
"Poor Kaito-kun thinks he can handle it," Miku responds in my place, before softly patting the top of my head. Neru and Dell stifle their laughter at the pitiable sight. That familiar warmth creeps up on my cheeks. Miku ruffles my hair before lowering her hand. "Anyway, Neru-chan. What did you want to meet us for?"
"Glad you asked!" Neru's gruff, tomboyish personality really stands out when she acts this way. That's when I know some competitive stuff is gonna come out of her mouth. She exchanges glances with Dell, who nods at her. "You guys know the Talent Trials are starting today, right?"
"Mhm~" Miku hums, in a sing-song tone, following along.
I, on the other hand, slowly nod. The anticipation is killing me.
"Dell and I have decided to rally together as many students as possible to go all out for this year's games!" Neru pounds a fist against her palm, an almost scary, determined look on her face. Come to think of it, Neru and Dell do a lot of things together, and are really similar in terms of personality… Yet they aren't a couple. The way they act sometimes, it's hard to remember that they're only friends.
That's beside the point though. I can't believe what I'm currently hearing. Did she really just say she wants to try and beat the students of Mahogany Creek Academy?!
Miku and I practically drop our jaws upon hearing such nonsense. Well, naturally my reaction is far more dramatic and comical than my girlfriend, but we're still both at a loss for words as the pair beam proudly.
"Wow, it's a really good idea! They're speechless!" The blonde snorts, all giddy.
Dell cocks his head to the side. His eyes dig into Miku and I. "Uhhh… Neru-chan, I don't think it's a good kind of speechless."
I shake my head frantically, snapping out of my state of disbelief to scold the two. "Hey now, I don't want any part of this…! I enjoy being low-key – I enjoy not taking part in the Talent Trials because it makes us open targets to those stuck up rich kids! Why on earth do you think this could ever be a good idea?"
"Ah..." Miku whispers. She must be able to tell how heated I'm getting. I've done all I can to avoid being the target of drama amongst both students here at home, and those at Mahogany Creek. I feel a bit more at ease when she rests her hand on top of mine.
"Because we totally gotta show those rich kids that we aren't complete pushovers, Kai-kun! Don't you think we should show 'em what we got? That way they'll back off when it's time for the next event in two years!" Neru tries her best to convince me. Part of me is in agreement with her sentiment – another part of me is screaming to stay the hell out of it.
"I also think it's time we step out of our comfort zone. I'm sick of those bullies, you know?" Dell adds, letting out a huff.
"But it's extremely comfy in my current zone," I pout. I hate change. I don't think I can face standing up against those asshole kids – especially since there's the risk of making them even more pissed off at us.
"I, uhh..." Miku flicks her glance between all three of us. Poor girl, she hates this intense atmosphere. She probably doesn't know who to side with. "I-I think it'd be a good start to try and make friends with them, at least…!"
My brow raises at that absurd statement. I'm pretty sure I've stated many times I'm not interested in making friends with people who are on a completely different level than us.
"Uh huh, uh huh!" Neru and Dell chorus together, eyes all bright and hopeful.
I let out a very drawn out groan. I'm the only one who has a problem with this, aren't I? Damn it, why the hell are they all looking at me like that…?
"What we're missing here is school pride!" Neru exclaims. "We're known for our loyalty and kind nature here at Oak Valley, but in the process, we've conditioned ourselves into a submissive mindset. Well this year, it's all gonna change!" Geez, motivational speaker mode, much? Not to mention suuuper over-the-top.
I might agree with it, but there's still one problem. "Sure, it's nice if we all manage to agree on it between the four of us… Just, how on earth will you convince an entire year group?" The games are usually split up into year groups. We're in our second to last year before we have to be prepared for exams and the real world at eighteen. Hence, we'll all be lumped together as a year group, and some of those guys aren't the most agreeable. They're like me, pretty much. Or as Neru said, in less dramatic terms of course, 'conditioned into a submissive mindset'. We don't like conflict.
"We've already planned ahead for that, my friend," Dell smirks, winking in a not so subtle manner. Oh dear.
"Ooh, I almost forgot~" Neru clasps her hands together lightly. "Thanks, Dell!"
I see a barely noticeable, subtle shift in Dell's expression when Neru says that. Gah, he's crushing on her so hard, it's frustrating to watch. I give Miku a knowing look; she covers her mouth with her fingertips.
"So, what's this plan of yours?" Miku inquires.
"Oh, you'll see..." Neru vaguely says, her words trailing off.
"Ten seconds left," Dell pipes up. Wha- Where did he pull that watch he's staring at from?
"Here we go!" Neru quietly giggles in excitement. She points to the front of the hall.
I glance around before following the direction of her finger, noticing that the hall is entirely full. Each row is full of students from our year group – they're all chatting amongst themselves. I then turn my attention to the front.
"Five… four..." Dell counts down, and as soon as he signals zero, the doors to the left of the hall burst open. I'll admit, that's impressive.
"Ooh-hu-hu!~" Neru slyly chuckles, in a high-pitched tone but does so quietly.
"Ah, Neru-chan..." Miku sighs, slowly shaking her head.
The principal of Oak Valley High walks rather quickly toward the podium in front of the stage, appearing to be a bit exhausted. It looks like he's running late, and even more astonishingly, Neru and Dell fully predicted this. Geez, how much stalking have they been doing? Or is it dumb luck? The hall falls silent; just a few quiet whispers remain. "Silence, everyone."
His voice echoes out, sort of booming to reach the back of the hall. Yikes, I forgot how scary this man is. He straightens out his suit. Principal Kiyoteru Hiyama. He's incredibly young for a man in that position but I assume he worked his ass off to get so far. Or perhaps he knows someone with a lot of cash.
"Ahem. My apologies for being late," he lightly coughs, setting down a few sheets of paper. He's stern and scary. I wouldn't want to get in trouble with him. After glancing down at the sheets, he pushes his glasses up and holds his hands behind his back. "Now, as you all know, our friends from Mahogany Creek Academy will be arriving later today once classes are over, for the Talent Trials starting tomorrow."
It technically starts today but I suppose the principal counts it as tomorrow.
"Woo, go team!" Neru suddenly yells out in an enthusiastic, incredibly loud voice. All eyes are suddenly focused on our little corner, and I feel myself squirm in humiliation.
"Miss Akita, while we appreciate your team spirit, please shut up," Principal Hiyama warns her. All she needs is one warning, because she doesn't say a word after. I can hear a few quiet giggles from the row below us.
I quietly scoff as I set eyes upon the 'bad apples' I mentioned earlier. Two girls and two guys – they would be good friends of ours if they weren't so similar to Mahogany Creek students. SeeU, Lily, Fukase and Oliver. Assholes.
"As I was saying, they'll be arriving in time for dinner. Please be at the dinner hall for 7pm sharp; we want our guests to feel welcome. I will be assigning some of the younger students to greet them at the doors. If you're caught outside when they're arriving, there will be strict consequences, am I clear?" The principal explains the rules pretty clearly, and when he asks that at the end, there are many silent nods from the students, including myself. It's straightforward, anyway.
Principal Hiyama clears his throat and shuffles the papers around on the podium. "Ah yes, one more detail regarding their stay. The Mahogany Creek students will each be assigned a dorm room to stay in, so please make sure you have your rooms adequately set up to host an extra person."
My eyes grow wide as I hear this. We're being forced to share a room with one of those kids?! This is crazy. When we went over to their school two years ago, they gave us all separate rooms. I don't remember this being a thing even further back in time, either. It must be a new set of rules. That means one of those stuck up dickholes will be invading mine and Dell's personal space…!
I'm not the only one who's annoyed by this. There are several whispers across the hall in disappointment and disbelief from the students.
"Silence, everyone. Silence!" Principal Hiyama bellows, putting on his apparent big-boy, scary voice to get us all to shut up. It works – we all zip it immediately, or else we'll face his wrath. "I know this is a brand new rule, however, it is part of our agreement to Principal Yuzuki to be more accommodating with our friends. This should change things up and end this silly hostile atmosphere every couple of years when we're all together."
Principal Yuzuki… Mahogany Creek's woman in charge. I thought Mr. Hiyama was terrifying, but Ms. Yuzuki is on a whole other level. It's like… ten of Mr. Hiyama combined into one… and turned into a woman! The mere thought makes my skin crawl.
"Please, let's do our best to make our friends feel welcome, and let's give them a real competition this time. How about that school spirit, hmm?" The only time the principal isn't scary is when he's trying to be hip and cool with the kids. I can hear the crickets now. He coughs awkwardly, scrambling to move his papers around. "Anyhow, let us move onto the most important part. We need to form a team for the skill-based trials, such as cookery, maths, art and of course, the music event."
Oh dear. My favourite part.
"But before that, I'd like to pass you over to two very dedicated students. They have an important message of their own that they'd be honoured to share regarding the games. Come on down, please."
That can't be… Neru and Dell? I turn my head to look at them, and watch as they both stand up proudly. Well, Neru is beaming with pride. Dell looks a bit more shy now that everyone is watching them.
"Ooh, here comes Oak Valley's hottest couple..." A witch-like cackle comes from the row down from us – the girl with the bleach blonde hair spoke those words. Lily.
Neru simply rolls her eyes and squeezes past each of us to make her way to the right and down the steps, followed by Dell. There isn't a round of applause or anything like that. Just more awkward silence. The second-hand embarrassment I feel right now is unbearable.
"Is this a good idea?" I mutter to Miku.
The teal-haired girl shrugs, genuinely unsure. "I suppose we'll find out," she says with a weak smile.
The two of them eventually make their way down the steps, Neru thriving off all the attention despite it being negative attention. They stand by Mr. Hiyama's side. The blonde throws up a peace sign as a greeting.
"Heyo, good morning Oak Valley High!" she belts out. When there's an unenthusiastic response, as in a cold hard silence, I see her brows furrow. She squirms ever so slightly, clearly uncomfortable. Jesus fucking christ, this is painful. "Uhh… Look, I know you guys aren't looking forward to the Talent Trials, but..."
"Ya think?" A sarcastic voice rings out from somewhere along the bleachers.
"But we're here to bring some school spirit back into play!" Dell starts speaking alongside her, flashing her a soft smile. Neru brightens up. It seems she's glad she's not alone up there. I tell you, I don't think I could do the same for Miku in that sort of tight spot.
"That's right!" Neru nods frantically. "Every two years, we come out as losers… We give it our best attempt, only to be one upped by one of those Mahogany Creek kids. I'm here to tell you all, that your best attempt isn't good enough!"
Uh, this is supposed to be an inspirational piece, right? Another sour response is hurled forward. "Thanks for the confidence, Akita!"
"What Neru-chan means is..." Dell is quick to take control of the speech before it goes any further off the rails. "Aren't you all tired of losing, over and over? Wouldn't it feel good to win, even if it's just one game in our favour?"
"We all used to be kind and helpful to each other… Positive and supportive…! Our spirits were crushed by Mahogany Creek, but now it's time for us to band together once more and regain our confidence!" The way Neru finally regains control of this is kind of amazing. The way her eyes light up… I can hear her rough voice oozing with confidence and fiery passion now.
A few whispers erupt from the students. This time, they're a bit more hopeful.
"Maybe she has a point..."
"You really think it's possible…?"
I'm really shocked. She's pulled this off, somehow. When I look at Miku, I notice that she's on the verge of tears. Ah, emotional as always. This must be super inspiring for her, especially since she and Neru are best friends.
"It's time we worked together to really show Mahogany Creek what school spirit is all about! They think they're so unbeatable, that their teamwork can't possibly be topped..." Dell continues in Neru's place. It appears they must have made some sort of outline for this speech. I wonder how long they've been practising for. It's so natural. "But let's show them the true power of Oak Valley!"
"Yeah!" A group of friends from the middle of the bleachers shout out suddenly in unison. My eyes widen. "We totally got this in the bag!"
Neru's chest rises and falls deeply. Looks like she's in shock, too. Part of her mustn't have truly believed in herself… and now look at what she's done. Soon, more students begin to support Neru and Dell, and then the entire hall is filled with cheers and applause. Seems like they all wanted to try harder but didn't have the right amount of motivation.
"Yay, she did it, Kaito-kun…!" Miku giggles.
"Hmm, I suppose it's not so bad after all… This could work to our advantage..."
Huh? What was that SeeU just said to her friends just now? This can't be good.
"Kaito-kun?" Miku repeats my name. This time I hear her.
"Ah, sorry Mi-chan," I laugh, rubbing at the back of my head. I was too preoccupied with what I just heard that I barely even hear Miku. "I bet you're proud of her, hmm?" She nods.
"Thank you for that lovely speech, both of you," Principal Hiyama says, drawing it to a conclusion. "Looks like we've got some school spirit back after all. Now let's not forget that we have to fully apply ourselves to take on Mahogany Creek, everyone. Prepare as much as you can after classes today once I've sorted out which teams will be doing each activity!"
Well, here comes the fun part. I'm barely even listening though. I just can't get that ominous sentence out of my mind… I hope they aren't planning anything too messed up. That's the least of my worries anyway, I suppose. I've just been officially wrangled into the Talent Trials thanks to Neru and Dell being too damn convincing. Why couldn't they have just failed to motivate everyone…?
I have a feeling these next few days won't be easy. Time to see if I've been chosen to play in these ridiculous games.
...