A cool spring breeze was the last gift Tamura Itsuji received from his hometown as the young man boarded the train that would take him to his new destination. Glancing out the window, Tamura Itsuji waved goodbye to his family and friends once more as he set out for quite literal new lands. The thought occurred to him, as the carriage began to slowly pull away from the platform, that this would be one of the last times he would be able to see them for the coming year. It was a melancholic feeling, one that only grew as the distance between him and that which he called "home" grew larger and larger.

With little more to do, but sit back and enjoy the music of his Sony Walkman, Tamura Itsuji soon discovered a newfound weight to his eyelids. Before long, as plains gave way to trees which gave way to roads, the young man found himself lulling into a deep sleep. Yet in his dreams, darkness soon gave way to a small murky fog. The dream itself was an odd one, although Tamura Itsuji couldn't quite place his finger on the reason why. Instead he found himself feeling rather uneasy, but at the same time the area felt like home.

Thou art I...

The voice, almost a whisper, hung in the air for a few seconds too long. Like everything else in the murky fog, something felt off. Yet somehow, the voice seemed eerily familiar, as if it had emerged from a faded memory of long ago. However, any questions Tamura Itsuji may have possessed never found the opportunity to be expressed.

Wakefulness returned to him. Itsuji stretched out his neck with a yawn, feeling the cricks fade away with every motion. A female voice rang over the speakers, its repeated announcements alerting him to his impending arrival. The strange dream was already fading from his memories, left behind in Morpheus' realm as his addled mind adjusted to the waking world.

It was the towering buildings of steel that first stole the boy's attention as he stepped onto the platform. Back home the tallest objects were the trees around him and the great mountains were always visible. Yet here in the land known as Odaiba, it appeared man had surpassed nature. Everywhere the young man looked, marvels of humanity caught his eyes, from the lights on each building, to the tall lady raising her torch, to the beautiful white bridge that joined the island back to Tokyo Bay - nothing was the same as back home.

There were no mountains in the distance. No rolling fields upon which crops grew and livestock grazed. Instead, a world of glass and steel surrounded him. The scent of nature had given way to the fumes of industry. People - waves upon waves of them - bustled through the streets, an endless horde of noise and activity. A marked departure from the gentle hum of summer cicadas and chirping birds, nothing like his quiet, lackadaisical home.

Yet the time for sight-seeing and cultural shocks would come later, as for now the boy had to find the address that school had provided him earlier. Fumbling around with his map, and whipping out his old flip-phone, Itsuji attracted a few odd looks as he tried to track down the address in his messages on his map. Eventually though, he managed to pin down the route he had to take and set off in the direction of his new home.

Thankfully it wasn't too long of a walk, and the young man soon found himself face to face with a rather nondescript apartment complex. With a quick glance at his phone to ensure this was indeed the right place, Itsuji moved on to step two of his instructions: Meet the landlady and receive his key.

His arrival had not been unexpected in the slightest. Upon his approach to the apartment's office, he found himself being swept up by a storm of enthusiasm. The landlady had been clearly waiting for him, and immediately took his on a whirlwind tour of the facilities that were on offer. Important locations (boiler, laundromat, her office) were shown to him one after another, and vital information (water usage limits, WiFi password, noise levels) were rattled into his ears with amazing detail. It was all very overwhelming to Itsuji, and he was left in a state of bewilderment until the landlady ("call me Ms. Yamashita!") finally brought him to his room, handing over the keys with an enthusiasm he was slowly beginning to get used to.

For Itsuji, who had lived all his life in a one house, his new room was another proverbial shock to his system. On the one hand, the sparse and humble abode felt significantly smaller than the house he had been raised, and yet almost paradoxically its emptiness also made it feel far larger than the busy house he had previously called home. There was no Souta running around the kitchen, no Hajime crying because Kenzo had broken her favorite toy; instead everything was oddly quiet. Itsuji wasn't sure whether to breathe a sigh of relief at the newfound peace or feel a nostalgic longing for the bustle he had grown used to.

Setting his bag down, Itsuji took note of a small piece of paper attached to the kitchen counter: a letter from his new coach.

Hey Tamura,

Hope you had a good journey, let me know if there’s any problems with your room. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow at assembly, can’t wait to see you blitz the track. Speaking of which first practice is next Thursday right after school.

Best of luck!

P.S. Your uniform is hanging in the closet.

He slotted the information into his mind for later. After the long journey down from Iwate, he was far too exhausted to properly handle the burdens of unpacking and settling in. With a yawning sigh, Itsuji hobbled over to his bed, dropping down onto the mattress without even changing out of his clothes. The soft fabric rose to meet his falling face, and within mere seconds, sleep once again welcomed him to its domain.

I am thou

Once more the eerie voice called out to Tamura Itsuji, but this time it was far from alone. A chorus of tiny, but distinctly inhuman, sounds of laughter seemed to echo after the words. As Itsuji spun his eyes around, he saw small specks of light circling beyond the fog, but more intriguing was the mass they were circling around. A figure stood, its details obscured by the fog, with one hand clutching a shield and the other a sword. Though it was dark and murky, Itsuji could still barely make the shape of a helmet adorning the distant figure.

From the sea of thy soul, I come ...

The eerie voice and uncanny laughter resounded once more, and Tamura Itsuji found himself being drawn towards the unknown figure. Yet his slow walk towards the being yielded no fruit as the fog seemed to leave him eternally walking forward. Each step only increased the distance of the figure by an equivalent amount. It was only the blaring sound of his alarm that snapped Itsuji’s eyes open once more and allowed the dream to fade back into the unconsciousness. The flashing red numbers indicating the time as 6 AM stirred the young boy into his morning routine, the time for idle dreams was past.

He groggily rolled over onto his back, eyes blinking away the shroud of sleep to meet the sight of an unfamiliar ceiling. It took him several seconds to remember where he was. The memories of the last day of travel rapidly flowed through his neurons, reminding him that he was no longer at home, but in a faraway city, about to attend a completely new school. No, it was no longer a faraway city now; for the duration of the year, this would be his home.

Itsuji pushed himself up, tiredly pulling off the sweaty clothes that he had worn through the night. Even in a new environment, his morning ritual remained the same as always, and his body instinctively went through the motions as if it was on autopilot. The dirty clothes were clumsily discarded, the cold shower forced his mind further into wakefulness, and his teeth were brushed with little issue. By the time he was putting on his fresh uniform, his eyes were no longer drowsy, and everything had gotten a little sharper.

The necktie, however, posed a problem even for his conscious mind, and after several failed attempts at properly wearing it, Itsuji decided that his variant of the knot was probably acceptable enough for the school’s purposes. With that issue temporarily resolved, the boy began to eat breakfast, consuming a few slices of bread, a banana, and a glass of milk. He also made a mental note to grab some groceries on his way back home; there wasn’t enough pre-stocked in the fridge to truly cook a hearty dinner.

Once his meal was complete, Tamura Itsuji made his way out the apartment door, eyes glued to a map the school that had so generously provided. He wanted to say goodbye to his landlady as he was leaving, but she wasn’t present in her office, leaving him bereft of even the slightest of familiar faces on his first day in Odaiba. Thus, he found himself beginning his walk to school in silence, consulting his paper map nearly every ten steps just to make sure that he was going in the right direction.

The walk to school was an entirely new experience to him. Beyond just the new, radically different environment he was now living in, the growing number of other students appearing in his path was far more than he had envisioned, particularly when his old school barely had a fraction of the amount before him. Teenagers in black uniforms floated past, chattering to one another in indistinct tones. Itsuji felt lost, trapped within a sea of unfamiliar faces.

Still, even the knowledge that Odaiba High’s student population was many times his old one’s did not prepare him for the breath-taking sight of almost hundreds of teenagers passing through the gates. It was almost impossible to conceive, but the reality was there in front of him. He could only follow them in a daze of amazement, eyes unconsciously returning to his map to ensure he was still going the right way, and that he hadn’t gotten lost in a completely different world.

Despite his instinctive reaction to stand still and watch in bewilderment, the rushing of the crowd soon found him propelled alongside the others. On the one hand, this meant the boy didn’t need to try and track down the assembly hall, but on the other it meant he was dragged along at a pace and swarm of people he was completely unfamiliar with. There was a nary a moment for the young man to catch a breath, as he soon found himself at the front of assembled crowd alongside his fellow (and completely unknown) third years. His eyes briefly surveyed the stage, taking note of the principal, a few teachers (including his new coach) and two students who looked to be of some import.

Speaking of said important students, it was thanks to them that he realised just how out of shape his tie was. The epiphany came the moment he saw their, properly-done ties, and it immediately prompted him into action. Even when those on stage had begun their speeches, Itsuji was attempting to discreetly (and clumsily) rectify the mistake he had made earlier that morning. The words that were leaving the mouths of the speechmakers went in one ear and out the other, and he hoped that it wasn’t too important that missing out would have a negative effect on his year here. What he wanted to do most, however, was try and make sure that his tie was done up properly before anyone else noticed.

Hopefully he was discreet enough for that.

I am thou…

Asuka ignored the voice, seeking the silent oblivion of sleep. It was that one dream again — the one where the voice kept muttering the same phrases, over and over again.

Thou art I…

Then you’d know I need to sleep, Asuka thought irritably, refusing to open her eyes and acknowledge the voice in her dream. As a person often pressed for time between club activities and schoolwork during the school year, Asuka didn’t really feel like letting her sleep get interrupted by some stray dream that had wandered into her unconscious mind. Although this particular dream seemed more persistent than most — she’d lost track of how many times the soft voice had whispered the same words to her in the dark — Asuka refused to hear them out. I’m sleeping for exactly six hours. No more, no less. So go away.

The voice quieted, leaving a silence that stretched on forever until Asuka’s alarm jolted her awake, Stretching and standing up from her bed, she quickly slid on her uniform, adjusting it in the mirror. “Good morning, Asuka-chan,” Asuka’s grandmother called from the kitchen when the girl exited her room. “You didn’t tell me you were getting up so early today — even earlier than your Ojii-san.”

“You’re up early too, Obaa-san,” Asuka said, slippers sliding against the floor as she walked into the kitchen. “You should rest — I can prepare my own breakfast.”

“Nonsense. It’s a grandmother’s job to do so,” the gray-haired lady said, opening the faucet to wash her hands. “Porridge is already heated in the pot. Would you like some miso?”

Asuka opened her mouth to protest again before closing it. “Yes please, Obaa-san. Arigato.” Walking over to the cupboard, the girl got herself a bowl and scooped a few spoonfuls of steaming porridge into it. Her grandmother was there in an instant with some pickled vegetables and dried bonito, and Asuka waited silently the two were sprinkled onto her rice. “Doumo arigato,” she told the silver-haired lady. Asuka’s grandmother smiled, wrinkles crinkling as she hurried back to the stove.

This’ll be the last year Obaa-san will be able to cook breakfast for me on a daily basis, Asuka thought, spooning a spoon of warm porridge and a chunk of pickled daikon into her mouth. After this, it’s off to Tokyo where I’ll have to make my own way in the world. She paused, looking over at her grandmother who was currently stirring a pot of miso with a faint smile on her face. It’d be too selfish to insist on doing everything myself right now. Let’s work up to it.

---

Asuka arrived at the school a little under thirty minutes before the student body would begin arriving. Helping to set up the last of the chairs, the girl grinned when she spotted a familiar figure greeting teachers by the door.

“Tomio! There you are!” Asuka called, jogging over to the boy who turned around with a broad grin.

“Asuka! How was your summer?” he asked, waving to some of the other students around the gym. “Everyone looks so energetic today, it’s getting me all excited as well.”

“Well that’s good to hear. Say, we’re in different classes this year,” Asuka said, frowning. “After two years of sharing classes, the school decides to split us up?”

“I guess having both the leaders of student council in one class didn’t allow for enough inter-class competition,” Tomio joked. “Let’s see who’s the better council member during the school spirit week.”

“You’re on, president Ogami,” Asuka said with a grin. Looking around, she noticed that the students were just about done filing in. “I think we’re almost ready to start. Let’s head to the stage.”

“Good call,” Tomio said, leading the way. The vice-principal spoke first, sharing a few well-wishes for the new year and encouraging everyone to do their best. Tomio followed, taking the stage with with Asuka. “Well I for one am glad to be back at school,” he said, looking out into the crowd. “After taking a vacation and working a job, it becomes clear that there’s still much we have to learn about the world. Hello, everyone. My name is Ogami Tomio, and I’ll be serving as your student council president this year.”

“And I’m your vice-president, Takeya Asuka,” Asuka said into her mike, looking over the seated students. In the crowd, she made out both friends and classmates, familiar faces and new recruits. In the front row, for example, there was a boy that seemed to have been in a rush that morning. He was currently adjusting his tie — and doing a rather poor job of it — but Asuka continued on. “As the representitives of the student body, we’re in charge of coordinating activities and delivering announcements. But most importantly, we’re in charge of representing each and every one of you.”

“Yes. And that means that each and every one of you are important,” Tomio said, “whether you’re involved in every club or none at all. If you have any concerns or questions, feel free to talk to us about them. The student council was founded to help you, and we’d be glad if you could help us do just that. We meet Wednesdays and Fridays in the staff lounge, and everyone’s welcome to sit in for our meetings. Now, a word from our principal.”

It had been Tomio’s idea to open up student council meetings to everyone this year, arguing that the council “had nothing to hide, and everything to benefit” from greater attendance and understanding of what they do. Asuka had supported the idea, although initially a little reluctant since the staff lounge was a bit small, but she’d been willing to give it a try. She didn’t see why they couldn’t open up meetings to whoever was interested, and the school staff had liked the idea as well.

After the principal spoke, Tomio took the stage again to read some announcements before the vice-principal released everyone to homeroom. Staying behind a bit to help put away chairs, Asuka found herself entering her homeroom class — 3-B — two minutes after the bell rang to signal the beginning of class.

“Oh, Takeya-san. Take a seat — I’m just in the middle of taking roll,” the teacher — Inoue-sensei — informed her. Takeya nodded scanning the student-packed room for an empty spot. Spotting one near the windows on the left side of the classroom, Takeya walked over and sat down, leaning her bag against a leg of her chair. “All right. Now before I forget, let’s have our newest student introduce himself,” the woman in the front said, looking in Asuka’s direction.

Asuka paused for a moment before realizing that the teacher was looking beyond her, so she turned in her seat to see the tall brown-haired boy who’d been adjusting his tie earlier at the assembly. So his name is Itsuji? Asuka thought, listening as the boy introduced himself. His tie-tying skills still need some work, but that’ll pass. He looks like an athlete, she thought as he spoke. The sports clubs will snatch him up quick.

“Well, I trust that everyone else knows everyone?” Inoue-sensei said, taking out a stack of packets from her bag. “Takeya-san, please give Tamura-san a tour around the school after class. As for these packets, they are your first notes of the year,” she said as she plopped stacks of notes on the desks of the students in the first row. “Luckily for all of you, we’ll be starting tomorrow since today’s reserved for greetings and formalities and whatnot, so let’s do that. My name is Inoue Kasumi, and I’ll be your language and homeroom teacher for this year.”

A chorus of “hi”’s and “hello”’s echoed through the room. “Well that’s the typical first day of school greeting,” the woman said, a smile on her lips. “But sit up, all of you. Just because we can’t start the course content yet doesn’t mean that we can’t do some review. Who can tell me one thing you remember from last year?”

Asuka’s hand was the only one to go up, and the snowball of first day energy snowballed from there all the way until the bell rang and the teacher wished everyone a good afternoon even though half of them were already out the door. After exchanging a few words with friends and classmates, Asuka walked over to the desk behind hers. “Tamura-san, right?” she asked the boy there. “My name is Takeya Asuka. Nice to meet you,” she said with a polite bow.

---

@sekritter

After the speeches were finished, Tamura Itsuji found himself once more carried along by the tide of students to the classroom he would be learning for the duration of the next year. The journey was one that only further emphasised the sheer difference in scale between Odaiba High and his old school; the number of students, the more modern buildings and facilities, and the size of the grounds … the sight of it all simply gripped his mind in how different it all was. It even distracted him from the state of his yet-to-be-fixed tie, which continued to hang limply upon his neck. Nobody had seemed to notice its unfortunate appearance yet, which he was truly thankful for, but he really wanted to fix it as soon as possible.

So caught up he was in his necktie that the rural boy nearly walked past the door to his classroom. Itsuji glanced down at the slightly-scrunched map in his hands once more, the one that had been annotated with a circle around his desired destination (and labeled with “3-B” in red marker). He looked back up at the sign above the door. There, written in white against a black background, were the words “3-B”.

Upon pushing open the door, Tamura Itsuji found himself presented with a class many times bigger than the one he had previously been a proud member of. On the one hand, the prospect of learning so many new names was a little daunting for the young boy, but on the other hand it did offer yet another surprising and beneficial experience. Of course, there was little time for the rural boy to take in the sight, as he soon realized that he was in fact clogging up the doorway. Never one content to be in the way of others, Itsuji quietly made his way over to one of the few window side seats. At least in this small manner, he could still view the countryside he once called home.

Unfortunately, only a few trees could even be glimpsed amongst the multitude of metal giants.

The ringing of the bell interrupted his musings on the environment of his new school, and the sound of someone clapping immediately drew his eyes to the front of the room. His teacher, a brunette woman wearing a windbreaker, had her palms together, and was surveying the room with steely eyes. The chatter and mumbling of his fellow students immediately lessened in intensity as they all turned their attentions upon her, before dropping entirely the moment she cleared her throat.

“Alright everyone, it’s time to settle down,” she said, clapping her hands together once more. “I know it’s the first day and you’re all excited, but we still have work to do. Now, I’ll start by taking roll. Adachihara?”

“Yes.”

Unfamiliar names left his teacher’s mouth one after the other, followed by unfamiliar voices answering in the affirmative. Itsuji was barely able to keep up with all the names being thrown at him; trying to remember them all was, as he had expected, a particularly daunting experience. He did notice an absence, but any thoughts about who it was and why they weren’t present on the first day of school were shelved when a few seconds later, his own name was called. There was a slight pause as it registered in his mind, but before the boy could reply, the teacher spoke once again, this time saying his name in full.

“Yes,” he immediately responded this time, albeit with a little more effort than necessary.

There was a small smile from the teacher in his direction, one so slight that he thought he’d imagined it, before she immediately continued on with the roll. She seemed like a nice enough person to him, which boded well for his future in the class. Yet as more names were called out, he found his attentions drifting back to the window once more.

“Oh, Takeya-san.”

The sudden divergence from the usual calling of names merited a glance back to the front of the classroom. His teacher was looking over towards the door, and as his eyes followed her gaze, Itsuji caught sight of a familiar black-haired girl at the door. His mind supplied the reason a second later - she had been one of the two important-seeming students sitting on stage during the assembly. It looked as if she was going to be in his class too.

After nodding back at the teacher, the girl (ostensibly named “Takeya”), immediately glanced in his direction. For a second, he thought she was looking at him, but her eyes drifted past him to the empty seat in front of him. Itsuji watched as she walked across the room and sat down in the chair, placing her bag down next to the table leg. Now that she was closer, it was more apparent that her hair wasn’t actually black, but merely a rather dark brown. However, as soon as she had settled down into the seat, he found himself the target of his teacher’s gaze … and the gazes of everyone else in the class.

Suddenly the main actor, instead of merely another face in the crowd, Itsuji found his body jumping straight out of habit. “Good mornin’,” even with such common words, Itsuji’s northern, rural accent bled through. “My name’s Tamura Itsuji,” it was at this point in the introduction that the rural boy found himself stumbling. He wasn’t quite sure what else one was supposed to say in an introduction. After all, the last time he’d introduced himself to a class, he had still been in elementary.

After the brief pause, the boy simple finished with “I’ll be in your care,” a bow, and a return to his seat. A moment later, Tamura Itsuji once more faded into the crowd as the teacher continued on with the day’s lessons. His name only came up briefly once more, as the teacher instructed the brown haired girl from earlier to be his guide after class. It appeared, that this Takeya-san was quite a capable student, if the teacher’s placed so much trust in her. That explained why she had been on stage during the assembly.

The teacher, who he now knew as one Inoue Kasumi, then carried on with the day, starting with a rather impromptu review of the previous year. For his part, Itsuji found himself staying rather quiet, after all he wasn’t quite sure what the others had covered in the previous year. For instance, his history class had focused on covering the start of the Tokugawa Shogunate all the way up to the Meiji Restoration, yet from what he was able to garner from the other student’s answers, they had spent the year covering the 20th Century and end of the Showa period.

Thankfully, with the first day being only half as long, the rural boy didn’t have to sit in silence for too long. As the final bell rang, and the other students hurried out the door, the rural boy found himself face to face with the brown haired girl who was now giving an introduction of her own.

“Nice to meet you too, Takeya-san. I hope this tour isn’t too much of a bother for you.” Came the boy’s reply, as he gave a bow of his own. “Where to first?”

---

@Dusksong

A rural boy for sure, Asuka thought, not so much passing judgement as noting down a fact for further consideration.

“Not at all. I hope you’ll be satisfied with what I can tell you,” she replied courteously, pleased to hear that the boy — despite being from what most would consider “less civilised” parts — had manners. “I was thinking we’d start with the closest room first, which would be the home economics room.”

The tour went on from there, glossing over bathroom locations and the placement of classrooms in the building. The library was extensively covered, mostly due to the amount of time Asuka spent there on a weekly basis — “I recommend you pick days for yourself to study. Schedule. Neglecting your studies would be an irresponsible and rather stupid move to make.” — and she threw in some tidbits about where books were placed and what days which study groups met.

The cafeteria was on the first floor of the building — “No students on the roof. I don’t know what drama and anime scriptwriters were thinking, but no good school would allow students access to the roof all the time.” — and featured a lot of tables on one side and some vending machines and a modest serving table in front of a kitchen on the other.

“Come here early if you want to get the best food. Takumi-san is the best chef, and he’s here Monday through Thursday, so be sure to watch out on those days,” Asuka said as they exited the cafeteria. “Competition for his meals is fierce.”

Tamura Itsuji decided against asking about the quality of the beef.

Pausing, Asuka looked back at the tall student she had been leading around for the past ten minutes, figuring that she ought to call a break and take questions.

“Anything you want to ask about yet?” she asked him.

The rural boy deliberated for a second. Sure, there was a lot he was curious, but it was far too much to ask about now. Asking for elaboration was a task better saved for a later date.

Shaking his head, "I'm fine," he reassured his informative guide.

To the right of the main entrance lay Odaiba high’s two fields — one completely of grass for all the sports that required it such, and the other of grass and track. Beside them lay the pool and gym, the latter of which was repurposable and hosted everything from basketball to badminton.

“You should pick a team quickly,” Asuka advised, taking note of the curious eyes that peered in Itsuji’s direction. “Our sports teams aren’t the best, but they’re not half bad either. And they can smell potential like sharks, so you’d best pick something before you have all of the captains chasing after you.” She paused, thinking her words over before speaking. “This is probably not very professional of me, but I’m part of the cross-country and track teams. I think you’d be an excellent addition to the team, especially since we’re currently a bit short on members for track. But, you’re free to pick any team you’d like — feel free to ask me about any group you want to know more about.”

"Actually, the cross-country coach is kinda the reason I'm here," he explained. "He's the one that pushed for me to come and join your school."

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, trying to think of how to word his next question. "Is he usually that ... outgoing?"

“Coach asked you to come?” Asuka asked, eyebrows rising slightly. Looking over the boy again, she could see the makings of a fast runner, but her eyes couldn't pick up on much else. “Well then, you must be quite talented. I look forward to running with you in the future,” she said with a smile.

"I'll be in your care then," he replied with a slight bow. It seemed as it seemed as if he was bowing quite a lot recently.

The tour then swung back to the main gates of the school for its conclusion. “Well then, Tamura-san, I hope that helped. I have to attend a student council meeting now, but let's exchange phone numbers first,” Asuka said, pulling out her smartphone and handing it to the boy. “Feel free text me any other questions you have if you don't get time to ask them in-person.”

Itsuji took the phone with care, bringing up the contacts list on his classmate's phone. "[color=sienna]I really appreciate all your help," he said as he inputted his number into the device, before doing the same into his own Ericsson. He himself didn't have a smartphone, but he was familiar with them thanks to a friend back in his hometown.

He handed her phone back. "If I do have a problem, I'll do my best to rely on you."

“Right. I’ll see you tomorrow in class then. Sayonara,” Asuka said, bowing to the boy before straightening up and reentering the building.

Tamura Itsuji bowed back, "Thank you very much," he replied quite earnestly, still bowed. "I'll see you tomorrow to-."

But as his back straightened, she was already walking off.

City dwellers are always in a rush, huh? he mused as he too turned away and started to head back to his new residence.

---

@sekritter