Listen...Listen to my call....the Twilight...Needs...The Shadows must....

Kimiko had heard these words every morning just before she woke for the past week...each day it was getting a little stronger. Having started with just Listen.... Now as the sunlight streamed into her window onto the girls face she yawned and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Trying her hardest to forget the strange dream voice. "Kimiko! Are you up?" Her mother yelled from the other side of her door. "You're going to be late for the first day of school if you don't hurry. I'm going to go on to the Shrine, I'll see you after school." Kimiko sighed softly and crawled out of bed, her comfortable pajama's so warm, she didn't really want to take them off. After a struggle with her school uniform, sent to her a week prior, she pulled her hair up into two small pigtails hanging just near her ears. As she ran out the door with her lunch in tow in her bag and her shoes barely on her feet the sun greeted her with warmth and a sense that something good was going to happen today.



Johnon Academy stood tall welcoming new students and returning ones alike. Its clock a constant reminder to make sure the students were on time for their classes. Before they could get to those classes the principal had the student body assembled in the main auditorium for the commencement speech. The stern looking woman at the podium looked out over the group of teenagers with a watchful and almost harsh gaze. "Good morning students. As always welcome to our new editions, and welcome back to those returning from previous years. As those returning are aware, my name is Minori Yamada, and I am your headmistress. Johnon offers many classes and activities for you to enjoy and work on. I do want you all to know that sign ups for clubs start today, and if you wish to sign up for the more popular clubs you should do so as soon as possible as they tend to fill up quickly. Please keep in mind that if your grades fall below a certain marker you will be suspended from all club activities until your grades pick up." She looked over the students again. "I would also like to mention that this year we are implementing smaller class room sizes to allow a more personal experience. Classes will be grouped up in groups of 20. You should find your class assignment listed on the bulletin boards outside of the auditorium. Please treat your teachers with respect and enjoy your new year." With that the principal stepped away from the podium and the students were allowed to leave.

Kimiko had been a little intimidated by the principal, the woman looked harsh and unfeeling...She hoped she'd never have to have a personal confrontation with the woman. The girl made her way out with the flood of other students, finding her name on the class list, "1-G..." She said softly to herself and pulled out of the throng of students to make her way to the classroom. Upon entering Kimiko barely registered the other students, finding her seat in the second row of desks, on the left side closest to the window. Their homeroom teacher hadn't arrived yet, neither had the majority of the students in the class. "So...Archery club for sure...and I should see if I can work at the nurses station...that'll be good training." She said softly to herself while doodling spirals in her notebook.

Crapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrap!

Those are the thoughts of a 16-year-old blonde, kid, running as fast as he possibly could to Johnon Academy.This kid is Shotaro Ikari. And he's about to be late for school. He manages to make it in time, but he's already running so fast that can't slow down enough to keep himself from faceplanting the building's wall.

Fantastic entrance, dude.10/10. Bravo. Bravo. he sarcastically thinks to himself.

The assembly was not as...Eventful as that, but Shotaro liked it, because he didn't make himself look like any more of an idiot. The assembly announced that ther will be smaller classrooms, and that club signups begin today as well.

Kendo club is Shotaro's immediate choice. The captain will be annoying, since he keeps trying to invite everyone out to ramen, but Shotaro could decline anyway, so it didn't pose that much of a problem.

As Shotaro makes it to classroom 1-G, the class he was put in, he breathes depply once before opening the door and exclaiming in a happy tone, "HELLO, CLASSMATES!"

Beep Beep Beep Beep

"Ughhhhh..." Ryu opens his eyes, looking over at the alarm clock before slamming his hand down on the off button. Looking up at the ceiling, contemplating going back to sleep or going to school for the first day. Deciding to get over his laziness he decides school is the better option, quickly getting up out of his bed and walking over to the bathroom. After a long hot shower, and getting dressed into his school uniform, Ryu walks into the kitchen to see his father drinking coffee wearing his normal business suit get-up.

"Another trip?" Ryu asks, already knowing the answer to the question.

"Yeah just a couple days though." Ryu's father says, looking down at his suitcase before walking to the door.

"See ya!" Ryu yells from the kitchen.

His father yells before walking to the door, "See you soon!"

Ryu eats his normal breakfast before heading back to the bathroom to brush his teeth, and to go get his bag ready for school. Looking up at the clock he sees that he is a little behind schedule but not too much. Walking out of the door, and off to school for his first day.

--

Ryu walks out of the auditorium, yawning and stretching. "Jeez, I thought he would NEVER shut up." Ryu said to himself, the assembly was basically to welcome new students, go over clubs, and to go over guidelines that the students would have to follow the coming year. Following the crowd of students, he stumbles upon the bulletin board that tells what class the students will be in. Eventually finding his name on the list "Classroom 1-G". Looking around he finds a nice enough student to direct him to his new classroom. Walking off to the general direction he spots the classroom a couple of feet away, the door wide open and a loud "HELLO CLASSMATES!" come from within'.

Ryu walks up to the door, looking into the room he sees a kid with blonde hair, most likely the one that just yelled "HELLO CLASSMATES!". Looking past the kid for a bit, he notices a female in the second row, with two pigtails in her hair. She seemed to be writing, or drawing something in a notebook. Ryu focuses his attention to the blonde kid again, tapping on his shoulder before yelling "HELLO CLASSMATE!" to the blonde kid with a big smile. This is gonna be a fun year. I have a feeling, Ryu thought in the back of his mind.

Silus yawned and slowly pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, adjusting his posture in the enveloping tall backed red leather chair that had become his within the first week of arriving in this place. A dog eared copy of Shakespeare's Macbeth splayed open in his lap. His eyes flicked quickly to the clock that hung on one of the many bookshelves that lined his room. He chewed gently on his bottom lip as he realized today would be his first day in a Japanese school. He yawned again, running a hand of slender fingers through his obsidian hair...as if it would change the fact it was perpetually messed. With a sigh, he rose and journeyed to his bathroom. A quick shower and he dressed in his old uniform from england, the school he was going to deemed it necessary for him to stand out even further. He pulled his thin black tie tight to his neck before loosening it rather quickly. Silus had a unique skill of wearing even the most tailored outfit with an air of dishevlement that he knew would annoy the traditional people of the school. He chewed at his lip again before waiting for his current ward to drive him to the school.

He could feel the eyes upon him as he sat aside from the other students in the assembly. He stood out like a sore thumb. His midnight coloured uniform with the checked red pattern that dominated the lining didn't help him fit in amongst the sea of uniforms. Nor did his pale white skin for that matter. Even some of the teachers looked at him peculiarly. He chewed at his lip and simply tried to follow what the headmistress was saying. All he gathered was for him to find his name on a class sheet. He found his name quickly and decided to hang back, he knew his teacher would have been breifed about having an exchange in the class. He simply waited flr the teacher or someone to come grab him and direct him to class.

"<Kid, wake yer ass up. Need ya on the register.>"

Kiiro Sayuri was not the kind for waking with a groan, rolling out of bed-- or really sleep at all for that matter. His vivid, constant dreams and nightmares made him feel like he never truly lost his consciousness to the bliss of sleep. He was well used to the constant four or five-hour nights of sleep by now. He usually just stayed in bed after he woke in the dark of the morning, eyes closed, trying to gain some semblance of torpor before the inevitable--

"<Kiiro!!!>"

The speaker blared again, all the motel rooms were fitted with them, although intuition told Kiiro that his Uncle Ozo, proprietor of the Sayuri motel and gas stop, probably only made use of the one connected to his room. He soundlessly opened his eyes and got up. The room-- his room, was sparsely decorated, Ozo figured the room could be used again once he moved out, and didn't want any permanent damage to the room, plain beige walls with taped on posters and a single dresser with a TV, the gaming systems he had, his uncle made him earn. Same went for the laptop on the desk, everything that didn't come with the room itself, Kiiro had needed to work to get.

"<Kid, don't make me come up there and drag ya down here. It's too early fer that shit.>"

Yep, this was every morning, or at least most of them. Kiiro pressed the red reply button next to the speaker beside his bed, "You do realize I got school today, right Ozo?" Kiiro couldn't help but yawn, the mere though of returning to classes exhausting him.

Ozo took a minute before he gave a reply, "<Oh shit, that's today?>" he muttered something that sounded like 'the breaks always go by so fast...' and paused to think, the dead air from the other end of the speaker filled the room. In the moment's reprieve, Kiiro took a moment to examine himself in the mirror. His pajamas were wrinkled, sleep filled his eyes, and dark bags hung under them, his hair curled from the abuse of rolling around in the bed, he smelled distinctly of dog. "I should probably take a shower" was all he could think before his uncle's voice once again filled the room with a loud sigh, "<Alright kid, ya got a few hours before it starts, yeah? You get ready, get yer bag, uniform, whatever-- work a half-shift at the register, and I'll drive ya there mahself. Deal?>"

With another lazy press of the button, Kiiro simply replied, "Alright."

---

The revving of the engine could probably heard for miles around the old gray truck, startling any students trying to get a few extra minutes of sleep before the new year. A few cups of coffee and a morning cigarette were all Kiiro needed to wake up, for all of Ozo's flaws (of which there were plenty), he was at least amiable to Kiiro's smoking habit. In fact, he was the one Kiiro went to whenever he needed more. It was one of the very few things the two had in common. Kiiro took a drag and blew out a plume into the passing countryside, the buildings and homes, the shrine. He couldn't help but feel a little anxious as they got closer, Ozo apparently took note of this anxiety.

"So, 'nother year, new faces, new classes, huh? Ya nervous?"

Kiiro filled his lungs with smoke before replying, "Yeah, I guess so." He threw the expended cigarette out of the window.

"Well just..." Having extended talks with his nephew was not in Ozo's skill set, they both knew this, but Ozo continued on. "Ya know, have yer fun, but git good marks, Universities like that---"

"I know, Uncle."

Ozo had a cocky grin as he continued, "--An' uh, well do yer clubs and yer vo-lun-teerin', but just remember, just because you ain't working full-time don't mean I can't pull you for part-time--"

"I know, Uncle Ozo." His tone becoming distinctly melancholy.

Ozo still continued, "--ya gotta pay yer dues--"

"Uncle! I know!" The outburst surprised them both. Kiiro was someone who just-- went with things. The pair sat in silence, Kiiro began thinking about fate. He felt as if Ozo had selected his future for him, like he had no choice. He'd go to school, work, go to university, work, become a business executive, work and when Ozo died he'd inherit the motel and work there, presumably until he stole the life of another one of his own nephews and continue the cycle. The thought's scared him, they made him sad and angry, and he fucking hated Bozo-- he felt so goddamned powerless. He was brought out of his mind by a cough from Ozo, apparently wanting to start another line of conversation.

"So... uh... ya gonna git a girl this year?"

Despite himself, this drew a smirk to Kiiro's face. He didn't hate Bozo, he thought differently from Kiiro, but he was a good guy, and family. It was questions like this, the bluntness of the guy, that he loved. He just resented feeling so... trapped, those were thoughts for later, though. The question was interesting! Kiiro hadn't given it much thought, but it certainly sounded appealing-- the fact that he'd be just as comfortable "giting" a boy just as well as girl was an issue for an entire other time. "Uh... yeah, I think I might try, Ozo."

"I dunno where ya find the time tah do half tha shit you do, kiddo."

---

"--treat your teachers with respect and enjoy your new year."

The principle finished her very apathetic sounding speech, and Kiiro, along with the rest of the student body, was herded to homeroom. His class, 1-G, wasn't too far from the auditorium, this, and the fact that he checked the bulletin board before the assembly started, meant he was one of the first people to arrive. This gave him a wide assortment of seats to choose from, all the "prime real estate" hadn't been claimed yet. Feeling bold, Kiiro moved over to the second row, just one seat away from the window, and took a seat next to a blue-haired girl. He heard her mutter something about archery before, in rapid succession two people shouted variations of "HELLO CLASSMATE."

Well that was quite an icebreaker!

Taking that lead, he leaned over to the girl doodling, "Uh... hello classmate?" Kiiro, such a smooth criminal.

The Day Before

Like a wasteland of scattered boulders, an alley was scattered with broken and beaten bodies. Some were unconscious, some were trying not to move so that they wouldn't hurt as much, and one guy tried to crawl to continue the fight. That guy was met with crushed can to his head, thrown by a member of the gang who claimed this place as their own territory. They towered over the pitiable idiots that dared challenge them. The leader of this towering gang, one Makoto Ayanami, barked at her defeated enemies to get the hell out.

The alley was clear again, and Makoto's gang spread out. Some laughed and spoke of how much fun the fight was. Others just continued conversations that were interrupted by the arrival of that other gang. Makoto herself just stayed in her spot, cleaning her tonfa. The older members of her gang knew that that she wasn't just cleaning the blood off. She would often clean her tonfa when she's thinking about something. She was, but now she's come to a conclusion.

Makoto stood up, which caught the attention of everyone else there.

"Starting tomorrow," said Makoto. "I'm going to attend school."

---

Today

Much to many students' surprise and terror, Makoto really did show up, though they didn't know what she said to her gang the previous day. She waited through the assembly, and looked for which class she was in. Class 1-G.

Two students blocked her way into the room, yelling out in a way that annoyed her. Makoto kicked the blonde one out of the way, entered the room, and took her seat.

School. A place of social interaction that she was a genuine and honest retard when it came to. Thus, Eika held a look that was nothing short of pure bewilderment and curiosity as one male her age came busting in the classroom door, screaming a greeting at the top of his lungs...Only to be followed by another equally-loud screaming male. ...This reminded her somewhat of the way that apes communicated. Her notebook open, the first page would be dedicated to this strange scenario and promptly dubbed "Male Greetings". This was much...much better than being at home. The adjustment of the thin scarf around her neck would tickle Eika's nose as she tugged it up a bit, eyes focused on the paper at hand rather than the chatty students around her, a small, robotic dog pacing around her desk to be unnoticed as she held a pencil up for it to chase around.

...Ah. Her neck hurt. A small flinch came as she eventually sat up, gaze turning to the window at her left before she sighed and resumed her studies. She'd been the fist one in the door, since she'd been waiting outside of the school since 3 AM. Home had become...Too dangerous for the time being, with her mother being particularly worse today of all days. So, it would have to be forgiven if she seemed a bit drowsy or inattentive to things that could be said. Her attention was on the grid she had in front of her -- a drawing of the room she'd been working on the opposite side, separated into puzzle pieces with specific people each fitting into the center -- and herself?
Off in the corner, barely noticeable unless one actually paid attention to her over the main focus of it all. ...She didn't seem to fit anywhere in the rest of the pieces, as it stood. She knew no one inside the classroom, so that left out the cliques already forming. And goodness knows she wasn't about to attempt to START an actual conversation! She wasn't on that level yet! What could she even say?! Scream out her name, age, grade, and a courtesy greeting?!

...W-Wait. ...Would that work? Was that how it was done in high school?...

...S-Should she try it out? ...No. Nono.

Picking up her robotic pup, she carefully slid it into her pocket and cleared her throat as she settled into the back corner seat. Alright...When was this teacher going to arrive?...

The familiar sweet scent filled Rin's nose and gave him a bit of comfort for the long day that was ahead of him, he moved the frying pan one hand in his pocket as he wondered about his day. Today was the first day of school and he couldn't help but feel a bit of despair at the thought of going, he already missed summer vacation and for a brief moment wondered if he could get away with skipping. Rin looked down to see he was dressed in his uniform and his school bag was already sitting by the door, with a sigh he finished cooking knowing he had already come this far, he though a bit unwillingly got dressed in his uniform which meant he was committed to returning to that place. He didn't put forth the effort to fix his bed head, it was bad enough he was going to have to move through the crowds of people, deal with the constant noise that would soon surround him on all sides, the gossip that gave him more information than any person should know about another with every corner he turned. His appearance was the last thin on his mind, in fact just thinking about it was already depressing him further, he needed to look at the good side of things, find something that he enjoyed about school and use that to propel himself forward with determination and vigor.
"Screw that," Rin mumbled putting the food on a plate.
Get through the day and then come home, that was all he needed to do today though Maya was off work so she would probably be home when school let out, putting the food on the table he realized that he may make a detour when he walked home today.
"Good morning Natsu," A voice called from behind him. "You're up early."
Rin flinched a little hearing the voice but turned to see his stepmother walk up and take a seat at the table, he wanted to comment on her blouse and blue jeans but he knew only something negative would come out and decided against it.
"Morning Maya-san..." Rin responded setting the last plate on the table.
Maya could easily be confused for his sister which regretfully has happened on a few occasions, her long black hair was braided and she had smooth apricot skin, it wasn't surprising in a way his father had picked a younger woman. It did complicate matters as Rin found he couldn't stare at her for too long, his hate seemed to grow the longer he looked.
Maya noticed he was his same monotone speaking self which was a good sign at least, she admitted at being a little worried over him being nervous about returning to school, it was clear he wasn't in the best mood from his expression. It was blank as always but it wasn't as blank at the same time, she wasn't sure how but she had found a way to read what little emotion showed on his face.
"I told you that I'd make breakfast today it being your first day and all, I'm surprised to see you up so early."
Rin didn't respond to Maya's words and just walked over to the door picking up his bag, he put his shoes on and started making his way out of the door.
"Aren't you going to eat?!" Maya said having walked over to the door.
"....already did," Rin responded. "Bye."
He didn't wait for a response and walked out the door, he woke up early just so he could get the breakfast ready and get out the door, he wasn't really in the mood for 'breakfast conversation' at the moment.
"...take care," Maya mumbled before turning and heading back towards the table.

Rin really hated that clock.
Walking into the front gates he was reminded of the reminder and everything it stood for, it wasn't uncommon for him to be late for class and seeing that clock felt like a taunt in some ways. He put the thought aside as plenty of students were pouring into the school and the noise of the school was back in his life once more. Rin immediately opened his cell phone and started messing with it doing what he could to tune out what was around him. Don't make eye contact with anyone they may try to initiate a conversation, he turned his full attention to the screen of his phone making his way to the assembly.
Rin headed towards the classes missing most of what the headmistress said, he caught clubs and the class size being reduced which made him a tad uncomfortable, it was going to be harder to sleep in class if the classes were smaller. The club part didn't matter that much too him since he wasn't intending on joining, well formally anyway.

When he reached the class roster he lowered his phone only to notice a student standing away from it, whoever this guy was he looked different form everyone else, even his uniform was different, and why was he just standing there instead of heading to his class? Rin shrugged and walked over to roster finding his own name, he glanced back at the student and spoke in a normal speaking voice which he tended to avoid.
"Classroom 1-G....guess I should head that way before I'm late," he said before backing away and opening his phone again making his way to the classroom.
He wasn't sure if the student was even in his class but if he was he figured that was enough of a hint in case he was lost, he wasn't about to engage in a conversation with the guy so if he wasn't in his class then he was on his own like half the student body.
When Rin did reach the room he noticed a girl kick a guy out of the way, he quietly slipped past his attention never leaving his phone not about to get involved in any of that.
He was also pretty sure he heard someone yell something but he put the thought aside.

Rin walked over to the seat in the corner setting his bag on the desk, his attention was still on his phone so he happened to miss the girl currently sitting in what he had decided his place would be this morning. He lowered his phone before noticing there was already someone sitting in the seat, his eyes narrowed a little at her but it was his own fault for not getting there earlier, he tried to leave earlier to remedy that but it seemed she beat him to it. The corner window seat was the best place in class to nap, unless the teacher walked the aisle but if he didn't putting a book up and laying one's head down was the best way to get a quick power nap in if nothing else.
"Tch," escaped from Rin before he picked his bag up and put it on the desk in front of hers.
Whoever this person was she was his neighbor now unless their seats were changed, he wondered if he should engage her in conversation, a simple greeting at the very least.
Rin looked back at the girl in the corner seat staring at her for a moment as he contemplated speaking, in the end he just sat in his seat and rested his cheek on his fist staring out the window.
"Not worth it,"
"....tired..."

Amaya rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She looked over and saw that it was 6:30 in the morning. The sun was just beginning to rise as she began to get everything ready. School had started up again. With the days of summer coming to an end, so did her rather redundant schedule. While many may not think the same as her, she was rather excited to get back into the busy days of school. She was ready to return to normalcy.

Changing into her new high school uniform and putting the necessities in her bag, she went downstairs. Her father was already dressed and getting ready to leave for the day. He looked up from the newspaper he was reading and offered her a smile. "Good Morning Amaya."

She nodded to him. "To you as well father," she said. "Is mom awake yet?"

"She should be coming down any moment," he said. "I saw the bento you made for today. Beautiful as every Amaya. Perhaps you should've made one for me as well."

Taking a glass of milk and a piece of toast, Amaya began to eat her improvised breakfast. "I thought mom always made them," she replied. "I will next time, if you'd like?"

Another pair of footsteps creaked against the wooden floor as Amaya's mother walked in. "Father's kidding, dear," she said. "His bento is already made. Top shelf of the refrigerator as always."

The three exchanged further pleasantries as Amaya glanced over at the clock. She coughed quietly as she placed her glass in the sink and washed it. When she placed it on the drying rack, she bent over and picked up her bad and made for the door. "I'll be off then."

"Have a great day," her mother said before Amaya disappeared through the door.

---

The speech was the same old speech that any school would give. Do good in your academics. Join clubs. Welcome new students. It took everything for Amaya not to sigh during the speech. The principal really needed to loosen. Not that she was in any position to criticize. Even though the sea of unknown faces hadn't done anything to her, her anxiousness and paranoia was dangerously high. Her eyes had constantly looked around during the speech.

When they were dismissed, she went over to the bulletin board and found her homeroom. "1-G," she said to herself. Before she began to head off in the direction of her classroom, she noticed a rather peculiar looking student standing off in the distance from the hustle bustle. She walked over. "You look a bit lost. Do you need help finding your class?"

The boy certainly did not look Japanese at all Amaya thought to herself. It wasn't odd to have a gaijin come to Japanese schools, but typically the majority were in the university level. No doubt the boy received weird looks from everyone else. Seeing a foreigner within a high school was rare. Another thought occurred to her. "Can ... you understand Japanese?"

Amaya placed a hand on her hips as she shifted her glasses.

Silus waited, vaguely aware of someone attempting to converse with him. He shook his head and continued waiting, watching people find their names quickly and hurry off. He watched as people began to form cliques already and he sighed, pushing his black framed glasses up by the frame on the left side with a small motion of his hand. No teacher had come to collect him and now the assembly had begun to filter out slowly. He slowly pulled out his phone, scrolling through an E-book he had been reading when a voice caught his attention. It was directed at him. He looked up from his screen, grey eyes quickly analysing the girl in front of him. He took in the words she spoke and his brain quickly changed them to English. He chewed his lip and spoke “Yes, not well…but enough to get by I think” he knew he probably mispronounced a few words and despite all his attempts to learn the language he couldn't keep his obvious British pronunciation of sounds out of his voice. He gave a slightly lopsided smile that most considered charming “I'm sorry if I'm being rude, I'm still learning the customs” he nodded as he took a breath, attempting to reconfigure his next sentence into Japanese “yes I am a bit lost…I think I'm in 1-G” He gave a short laugh and offered his hand to her “I am Silus Illroy by the way.”

Amaya could hear the accented words. She smiled as he finished talking. "You speak it well enough," she said slower. "Some of the foreigners I see visiting can barely speak a sentence. It gives the shop keepers a bit of grief."

Blushing slightly from the boy's smile, Amaya eyed the outstretched hand as she hesitantly reached out to take it. It must've been western customs to as such when greeting she thought to herself. "You're doing just fine. You'll pick more things up the longer you're here," she said. When she heard he was in the same class as her, a smile creeped across her lips. "1-G is it? That's where I'm headed as well. Come on follow me then. I was able to walk the school before coming. Oh, and it's a pleasure to meet you Silus. I'm Hayashi Amaya. You can call me Amaya."

With that, she motioned for him to follow as she walked towards a hallway leading to 1-G. On their way, she noticed a few club recruiters out an about. Though club sign up was scheduled to be at noon, some were trying to get a job on the first years. As she passed a number, her eyes immediately zeroed in on a sign that declared the two girls holding the sign was from the dance club. She fought the urge to go see them immediately. Dancing was the one thing that helped the anxiety. Helped her paranoia.

"Thinking about joining any clubs?" she asked Silus as the door to 1-G came into view. "Great way to meet folks. And practice your Japanese as well! Anyways, we're here."

She walked in after another student had kicked a blond student out of the way, she rose an eyebrow and decided not to get involved with what happened. Gingerly walking past them, she found her seat. It was in front of a blue haired girl whom was doodling and talking to another student. First row with a window-side view. Not many would want it, but Amaya didn't have a problem with it. If the teacher called on her, she was confident she would be able to provide an answer.

"Well, Silus," she said. "Welcome to 1-G. For now, just pick a spot anywhere. There wasn't a seating chart from I could see. Hopefully it stays that way too!"

Placing her bag on the desk, she slid the chair out and took a seat. She looked back at Silus. "On a more personal level, welcome to Johnon Academy. To Japan even. I hope you enjoy it here."

Ignorance is a bliss, and yet it is one so difficult to obtain. Hazama wished he had ignorance, that way he could simply ignore the fact that other students were giving him strange looks. He could ignore their whispers about him and his family. He could ignore their staggering steps, taken with their attempts to hide their action of avoiding him. But he can't ignore it, and it's just fine anyway. Even without the rumors, other students would notice a kid who skipped a grade.

What rumors, you ask? The rumors about the Kazuma Curse. It's said that the family was cursed to live short lives. Die early, before they even get a chance to experience being middle-aged. And it was true. Hazama Kazuma, and everyone in his family before him, after him, and currently are cursed to die young. All throughout his life, Hazama had experienced the loss of a loved one several times every year. As a tradition, those who were still alive had to pass on their knowledge to the next generation quickly, which allowed Hazama to get to this grade, even though he's younger than everyone else in the grade.

The first day started with an assembly. The headmistress spoke of guidelines and information. Hazama had no interest in clubs. He felt that none of the ones available would let him join anyway. He didn't care about the shrinking of class sizes. It made no difference in education.

Hazama found his name on the list for class 1-G. He recognized some interesting names on the same list. It was surprising, but nothing more. He found the classroom. Two people screamed, one was kicked by a delinquent. As he passed through the door, he glanced at the poor blonde dude before taking a free seat.

Kimiko jumped a little when she noticed the ....handsome boy sitting next to her. "Ah...hi." She whispered a soft blush touching her cheek. "Akiyama, Kimiko..my friends call me Kimi-chan...but um.." she faltered a little, "It's a pleasure to meet you." She said with a small smile.

---

Their conversation was interrupted by a man walking into the classroom with a confident stride and a glare. He was extremely unattractive and dressed in suit that was a couple sizes too small. "Alright maggots sit down." He said glaring at the couple of students who hadn't sat yet. When they did he cleared his throat, "I hope you like where you're sitting, because that's where you'll be sitting for the rest of the school year." He wrote down the various names of the students as he took attendance. "For those who don't know, my name is Mr Mokota., and I'll be your homeroom teacher. I don't allow talking in class, if I catch you sleeping you will be put in detention. I'll be watching each and every one of you, and if i even catch a whiff of a phone or computer out in my class...the punishment will be severe." He looked around at the class and spotted Silus "Oh yeah. and we've got a foreigner in class. That guy." He said pointing at the British student. "He's English, so speak slowly when you talk to him." He looked over and locked eyes with Makoto, "Don't think your history or so called -tough- attitude effects me missy, I can have you expelled in the blink of an eye." Catching sight of Hazama he scoffed, "Jeez what's a kid doing in here?" before he realized who he was, "Ah...you're that smart cursed kid right? I don't believe in curses, so don't think you'll get any special treatment either...you're all equal, equal and stupid. See if you can prove me wrong." The bell rang for first period to start. "Alright I'm out of here, I'll see you all at the end of the day...and i BETTER see you ALL. If you skip I'll go to your house personally." The teacher then walked out, leaving the students alone to wait for their next teacher to arrive.

---

Kimiko blinked, "H....He wasn't very nice." She said a little stunned, looking over to the boy next to her.

Before the blonde haired guy could respond to my "HELLO CLASSMATE!" he was pushed aside from a female student, that seemed to either be in a rush, or just simply annoyed at us for being in the way. Before Ryu could say anything, most of the students piled into the classroom. Shortly after a teacher walked into the classroom, yelling at us, "Take your seats maggots!" "Hurry!" Ryu quickly filed into the back row, his preferable corner spot was taken. Looking over to see a girl, with a scarf draped around her neck. Sighing a little, he looked in front of her noticing that the desk in front of her was also taken. Walking over to the corner, Ryu decided it was best if he took the open seat next to her in the back. Not in the corner, but still in the last row was good enough for him. Taking a seat in the desk next to the mysterious girl, Ryu put his bookbag on the desk, rummaged through the bag for a little bit before pulling out a pencil and large binder. The lecture had already began, but Ryu was hardly paying attention. He caught the teachers name "Mr.Makoto" and also his own name "Ryu Shigeno" when his name was called for attendance but that was it. His lecture seemed to go on for hours and hours but shortly after the bell rang for 1st period to begin. Mr.Makoto gave his last warning to the students before shuffling out of the room.

Sitting down in the desk, Ryu looks around the classroom. It seems to be a interesting classroom indeed. There seems to be a lot of variety in the class. Looking down at the binder, Ryu opens it up before setting it upright. Blocking the view from the teachers desk, and from most of the students, Ryu puts his arms down folded on the desk before laying his head into his arms. Taking a short nap was already on Ryu's agenda for school today. Taking naps was Ryu's specialty, and even though today was the first day of school, he didn't care. All he cared about was getting his correct amount of nap time.

...Ah. The teacher that came in was a rude, brash, and ignorant man. How akin to what she'd observed before. Not only that, as she continued to draw in her "idea journal", she came to notice something...There were an awful lot of males sharing the same traits surrounding her seat: drowsy, seemingly cranky towards her presence in the seat she had, and the eventual resignation to a seat close to her own and subsequent napping occurring. ...Strange. That was the simplest way to put it, but it was what it was. With the notions of the uncouth argument giving out, she could only (fail to) stiffen a small laugh before nuzzling into her scarf and sitting back in her seat. With the man walking out after a moment, she slid her toy dog back onto her desk, hand held down on the surface to allow it to paw its way up onto her arm and begin crawling onto her shoulder.

What to do now?...On one side, the hyperactive male that she'd made a bit of a note on -- and hell, she was about to greet him in the same manner before his head hit the desk like a rock. Alright, nevermind that. ...Instead, she reached out for a moment in attempts of gaining the interest of the male in front of her before stopping, and promptly recoiling to an extent. ...She doubted that a conversation of any sorts could be initiated when he turned his head, prompting her to look down at the single "puzzle piece" that only had her in it. ...Empty. So...tauntingly empty. A disconnected gaze took precedence over her expression before she looked up and reached out again, this time offering the softest tap on the shoulder for the sake of gaining his attention and speaking out in a voice that even she could recognize as terrified.
"H-Hello classmate. I'm...very sorry...If I took the seat you wanted."

Thank the gods the guy to her side was out cold, or she'd be yelling as loud as him in an attempt to greet the one in front of her "appropriately". Nevermind that she sounded like she'd have a heart attack just from saying hi. ...The pup on her shoulder was at least nice enough to give a little tail was and a small yip since the teacher for their first period wasn't in yet.

Uh, was she doing it right?

Rin let out a small sigh and opened his phone to mess with a few apps when he heard footsteps at the door, he glanced over at it wondering if it was the teacher but it seemed to be more students. He watched the two walk in before being followed by a young boy, his attention didn't stay on the boy long before looking over at the foreign student speaking with a girl wearing a pair of glasses. It took him a moment to recognize it was the boy from earlier, well that confirmed that he was in the class but in the end he didn't it and important matter as he turned his attention back towards his phone. He could hear conversations continuing around him, it seemed everyone was getting friendly with one another and making new friends, he wouldn't have minded if they did it elsewhere though.

When the teacher walked in he closed his phone and set it on his desk putting his hand over it as he intended on picking it back up once he was done. He turned his head back to the window but the 'maggot' part drew a sideways glance to the teacher, that wasn't a term he got to hear too often especially address to students. At the mention of their seats being where they were for year he glanced back at the rear desk his eyes narrowing, he had a feeling that would be the case but having it confirmed ruined what little hope he had. Rin turned his attention partially back to 'Mr. Mokota' as he continued speaking. He was fine with the not speaking in class part he normally didn't anyway, even the sleeping in class part wasn't too surprising most teachers didn't condone it, but the way this guy spoke was irritating. The next part made his eye twitch a little, the punishment would be severe then for a cell phone, he was glad he brought other things to keep his attention then, he assumed his phone would just be taken from him but it was a punishment instead, the day just kept getting better.
"I see why we're the future....if annoying old men like that exist," Rin mumbled as he addressed students in the class.
He didn't turn to look at the people he was addressing but he was pretty sure he could guess who the foreigner was, he stood out enough without being called on, had to be a great experience at the school for him to have a teacher like this. Rin closed his eyes starting to grow a little tired of listening to the guy, he seemed to call on multiple others picking out something or another about them, he ended up zoning out through most of it. At times like these he enjoyed being normal and cutting his presence down, in situations like this teachers tended to ignore students like him, well that may be a bit harsh he was sure the other students were normal too and he wouldn't deny it was bothersome they had to deal with being called on.
The part about skipping didn't pass by him either. it actually made him flinch a little, he didn't like that guy as a teacher he certainly didn't want him in his home.

Rin actually sighed in relief seeing him leave and picked his phone back up, while he had him as a teacher he was going to have occupy his time with something else.
He glanced to his right as he noticed a student put a book up, he immediately turned his attention away from him figuring out what he was doing, some teachers could catch the glances of other students and it drew attention to the one napping. Unfortunately he's been on the receiving end of that, though it was going to be hard to nap knowing that another was doing it nearby. He really didn't like the idea of anything going back to his homeroom teacher, he didn't even like considering it. Actually it might be a good idea to nip any potential problems in the bud.
While lost in his thoughts he felt a tap on his shoulders, he ended up turning his attention to the person behind him, he was pretty sure she was going to talk to him and thought brought a bit of dread to him, but she was one of the buds so it was a good opportunity. She'd directly see him if he napped or messed with his phone, best he take care of this.
His eyes went to the dog on her shoulder for a moment, he wasn't entirely sure what to say to that so he just looked at her as she spoke to him, her voice seemed...scared? Was that the right term for this, maybe shy was a better word for it.
Rin found himself in quite the position, he didn't like the idea of upsetting this person any further than she was, it would draw unnecessary attention...but the others might leave him alone....tempting but he decided the less attention the better.
With a sigh Rin ruffled his bed head a bit before opening his eye, it partially drooping as he spoke to her.
"Don't worry about it," Rin said in his normal monotone voice. "....you don't say anything if I break one of his rules...and I'll consider it even...though I have leverage on you too.... so let's turned a blind eye to each other when that comes..."
He pointed to the dog on her shoulder pretty sure those things were on his 'severe punishment' list.
"Also my name is Natsuyama not classmate...I'm not ecstatic on sharing an experience with you or anyone else in this class, having a title that signify's that makes it worse."
Now that he said that out loud that may have sounded a bit harsh, perhaps he could have reworded it better but it was already out there now.
"Anyway nice to meet you.... electronic dog person, I hope we condone each other presences for the year."

Kimiko, Kimi-chan was the student he had been bold enough to introduce himself to. Blushing was a good sign right? She was nice to him, but blushing? That was a good thing right? Before Kiiro had a chance to continue this train of thought, or even reply to Kimiko, an extremely brazen man calling himself Mr. Mokota introduced himself as 1-G's homeroom teacher. He picked on a few students, said a few offensive things, stated ridiculous rules-- all in a ridiculously loud voice that, to Kiiro at least, indicated he was overly-compensating for something. All in all, the homeroom teacher reminded him of his Uncle Ozo, if all things that made Ozo a bearable human being were suddenly removed from him.

In all honesty, this made Kiiro a little happy that he wasn't important enough to appear on Mokota's (Darth Ozo? That could work as a nickname...) shit-list radar.

Kmiko turn back to Kiiro after Mokota had sufficiently harassed and terrified the class, "H....He wasn't very nice."

"No." Kiiro glanced back at the door, wondering if Mokota would jump back in the room with an unholy yell for good measure, "No, he wasn't..." He shook his head, forgetting his theory that Mokota might actually be a child soul-stealing demon, and turned back to Kimi-chan, he still hadn't given her his name. "Right. I'm Kiiro-- Sayuri, Kiiro... Mom wanted a kid with a happy name, I guess yellow is a 'happy' color..." That last bit was probably to much information, acting quickly, he changed the subject to something more appropriate for 'haven't even known for 10 minutes' acquaintances.

"So, is archery your poison? "

If Mokota was a student, Makoto would've kicked him into a wall. Unfortunately, he's not. Even worse, he's a teacher with authority. Makoto may be a delinquent, but she wasn't stupid. Besides, she has reasons for sticking around for a while.

Looking at her classmates, Makoto tried to make decisions on how she viewed everyone of her classmates. She could care less about all of them. Bringing toys to school? Making moves on each other before the first homeroom even starts? Yelling like little kids? Not to mention the actual kid. To think she has to share the same classroom as these 19...

...Wait a sec...Some people are missing.

Makoto groaned and rubbed her head.

That idiot Mokota didn't even announce who was absent! The hell?!

Maybe Makoto should have paid attention, instead of tuning the teacher out

Fate must hate Shotaro. First day at school, guess what happens. Another student yells into his ear, some other student kicks him through the door, and some kod passes by him with a gaze that Shotaro could only guess was filled with pity. BEST FIRST DAY EVER.

Shotaro gets up and rubs where he was kicked, groaning for a moment, before saying, "What the hell was that for?"

Of course before he could even tell if the girl heard him, the teacher arrives. Shotaro fashes and claims a free seat for himself. It was going to be his spot for the rest of the year, but he didn't care.

Shotaro's first thought on the homeroom teacher was that he was BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRING and mean. He had to hand it to him though. He made him aware of some of the students in the room that he should avoid entirely.

As soon as homeroom was over, Shotaro breathed a sigh of relief. He could finally calm down and relax. This was going to be a looooong semester.

Silus' eyes flicked from person to person as he walked with Amaya. It had given him a slight confidence boost that she had told him he spoke the language with some competence. The fact that she blushed from a smile wasn't all too bad either. He eschewed some of the trivial conversation but noted her change in manner when they passed students asking others to join a dance club "I might think about joining a club" he said idly as they continued walking. Silus thought back to his old school, a very traditional old English private school. He remembered the old chipped brick walls and the faint scent of history that permeated each and every room. He wondered why this school didn't seem to have the same lineage behind it. He wondered how his first class in a Japanese school would end up. He entered the class and frowned at the long stares he received from the students. He understood he was a foreigner but was it really this strange to see one. He smiled at the stares and took them in his stride as he followed Amaya and sat behind her, waiting for the teacher to enter.

-

He couldn't help but laugh after the teacher left the class. That teacher reminded him of a character from a video game he had played a while back. His laughs receded as they were given a chance to converse now. He brushed his fingers through his ragged hair and tapped Amaya on her shoulder to get her attention, giving her another of his lopsided grins when she turned around "I'm sorry to bother you but could I ask you a favour?" He said with a laugh "can you please pull me up on any mispronunciations I make?" He adjusted his glasses, always pushing them back up the bridge of his nose. To those that would come to know him it would often be a sign of him thinking. In this case he was. His eyes were flicking back and forth between all of the faces, taking in each and every minute detail of their faces and the way they held themselves. He was always quite good at cold reading people, a skill he picked up from his father. A small smile made its way across his lips as he noticed a few already conversing. A girl with a robotic pup, one of the girls that was threatened by the teacher…they seemed interesting. Silus always preferred the company of women to men…Probably a bit of influence from his womanising father. He blew a few strands of hair out of his eyes and looked back to Amaya, the grin returning to his face as he seemed to analyse her fully. He took notice of her long legs, assuming she was a dancer from her previous interest in the dancing club. He smiled at her, she was rather pretty. He waited for her response.