[IC] Fukushima Uesugi Senior High

[HachiRoku]

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Suzuki Household | 06:30 | April 2

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Uesugi Senior High: The Pride of Tomorrow.

Fukushima Uesugi Senior High is the place to be for your son or daughter. Ranking in the top 5 of the prefecture in academics, our students and faculty are some of the brightest and best in Japan. We boast multiple successful sports and club programs, including, but not limited to:

• Baseball
• Tennis
• Football
• Track
• Student Council

Apply today at our website or in-person!

Tiredly rubbing his eyes, Ryunosuke stretched his arms with a yawn, instinctively turning his alarm off. As he put his glasses on, he begun to read the leaflet for his school, picking the small brochure up while sitting on his bed.
Hm. New year... probably the same me.

After the sloppy beginning to his routine- brushing his teeth, fixing his hair, then preparing his bag, he lightly tosses his keychain in the air, walking to the driveway. Opening the door to his Beat, he places his bag in the passenger seat, then starts the small car up, driving off to a family restaurant for breakfast.

Parking in the far corner, Ryunosuke takes the slightly longer walk to the entrance. The booth seat that he routinely takes is once again occupied, as he sits in, ordering his usual- a tonkatsu with shredded lettuce, and a ramune. Cutting away at his meal, he takes a glance around while sipping his drink.

I wonder if anyone from school's here...

[Kuro]

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Tachibana Residence, Fukushima City
6:30, April 2nd

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Kotone's alarm clock buzzed within her bedroom; its incessant beeping echoing against the walls.

It was the first day of Kotone's high school career, yet she hadn't wanted to get out of bed. By any means, Kotone was not one of the lazy sort, rather, she was quite socially inept. Growing used to new people was hard, despite how much Kotone wished to make new friends. Often, Kotone would grow the courage to speak to random strangers in hopes of making a friend, only to awkwardly clam up at the last second and make a skittish getaway. Frankly, Kotone wished she could stay in the background—and at home, but, like any good parent, her mother wasn't about to allow it.

"Alright, alright, okaasan..." Kotone mumbled into her pillow, groaning as she rolled over in bed to shut off the alarm. Sitting up, Kotone flinched as her eyes adjusted to the sunlight now peeking through the room after her mother pulled the curtains open. It was bright, and surely warm, but for a half-awake Kotone, it was also blinding. Rubbing her eyes, Kotone stumbled over to her mirror, staring back at herself with a sleepy gaze. "Still haven't grown..." Kotone uttered, slightly disappointed in her growth. It was stupid to believe rumors, but an average girl like Kotone was sure to fall for them.

Readying herself for her daily routine, Kotone followed through like she always did. A warm morning bath, brushing her teeth, getting dressed—all part of a typical morning routine for a high school student. Holding a hair tie in her mouth, Kotone tied her hair back into a ponytail. Normally, Kotone wouldn't bother with tying her hair, yet her mother would stress it. You must keep appearances up, she would say, almost like a recorded answering machine message. And each time, Kotone would listen, tying her messy mop of sepia brown hair back behind her head.

Kneeling before her father's altar, Kotone spoke a few words in a rather one-sided conversation, alongside a prayer. Kotone never truly knew her father, having died when she was young, yet she often talked to him. She hoped that he was watching over her, and that she was going to do him proud and make friends this year, although Kotone would say such words year after year. It was like a new year's resolution that Kotone made for herself, yet never did anything and let it lapse into the next year's resolution. One of these days, Kotone thought, knowing all too well that it was likely not going to happen.

Deciding to grab breakfast on the way to school, Kotone left home once her outdoor shoes were slipped on and her mother handed her bento, now neatly packed in a cute cloth and cushioned in her schoolbag. "I'm taking off." Kotone replied, waving a sleepy goodbye to her mother as she opened the front door of their apartment. Unchaining her bike from the bike rack near the apartments, Kotone pedaled off into the distance towards a nearby family restaurant. Maybe if Kotone arrived early, she wouldn't have to deal with the morning breakfast rush.

[Jade113]

---

---

"Nemutaiiiii..."

A blonde mane stirs in bed, revealing a tired lilac eye staring out into the room. It's small, styled after western culture with countless movie posters strewn messily across the walls. There are a few anime posters, of course, but nothing special, and as the tired blonde rolls out of bed, her alarm goes off. She'd woken up a single minute early. Kuroko sits up, looking bleakly at the shadow she cast from the sunlight piercing through her curtains. Tired and delirious, Kuroko starts making shadow puppets with her hands and feet, slowly waking up. This is pretty normal.

First day back at school, already... Kuroko yawns, rubbing her eyes and pushing herself onto her hands and knees, then onto her feet. She begins meticulous getting ready - as always - and after nearly two hours, she had finally bathed, shaved, brushed, styled, and put on her uniform. Now all that was left to do is her hair... which had been brushed, but needed to be perfect. PERFECT. She coats it in countless sprays, brushing and styling it until there isn't a split end or knot to be found. She smiles into her mirror and pulls down her uniform's top a bit, sticking her cellphone in her cleavage and hopping out of the bathroom.

She lives in an apartment, and not a nice one either. She slowly slinks out of her room, then over to her younger sister's room. She takes a deep breath, putting her hands around her mouth...

"WAKE UP, HIRAKO! I'M GETTING BREAKFAST, WHEN I GET HOME YOU BETTER BE DOING HOMEWORK YOUNG LADY!" She yells, knocking on the door.

"KUROKO I'M ALREADY UP STOP YELLING!"

Kuroko snickers, hopping to the tiny living room and scooping up her bag, then slipping on her shoes. She walks out, swiftly locking the door behind her and taking the elevator down. She gleefully steps out of her apartment complex, and skips down the street, her looks dragging attention from all she passes by, just how she likes it. She approaches the restaurant of choice, something she had driven past days earlier and found interesting. Some family restaurant, or something. Shrugging her shoulders, Kuroko walks inside and finds a booth quickly, ordering herself some rice balls, pancakes, and even a rather noteworthy amount of eggs. A boxer, she needs her protein, apparently.

[pandapolio]

Jonathan Harper

Jon had been up for a few hours already staring at his ceiling and trying to sleep. His internal clock still hasn't caught up with Japan time, so his sleep schedule was all wrong. He had only arrived in the country four days ago. Hearing his alarm finally go off he reached over and turned it off. Groaning Jon rolled out of bed and stumbled into his bathroom. Going through his personal hygiene routine he tried multiple times to get his hair to look neat, but he failed every time. Giving up, Jon grabbed his sunglasses and hung them on his shirt collar. Looking at his clock it was still much to early to arrive at school, but it was too late to go for a run. Guess I'll just wander a bit

Making sure his apartment was locked Jon slowly began to meander towards the school. He was quite early and decided to look for a place to eat. Wandering through the street Jon closed his eyes and let his legs just take him wherever. While coming up to another street he heard a bike coming and opened his eyes. He was unable to see who the rider was and let his eyes follow the bike. Lights drew his eyes and he saw a diner up the road in the direction the bike was going. Smiling Jon set off towards the diner at a slow pace. “I wonder if they have waffles.”

Walking inside Jon looked for an empty booth and sat in it. Noticing the other patrons, Jon realized quite a few were wearing the same uniform as him. Guess this is a pretty popular place in the neighborhood. Getting a plate of waffles Jon knew if anyone he knew saw him they would kill him for eating so unhealthy. That thought made him grin with the realization he was truly independent now. With intense gusto Jon devoured the waffles in front of him rapidly.

[Sazama]

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Nishikori Residence :|: 6:30 :|: April 2

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Kana had already been up since 5:45, as per usual she goes on her routine jog every weekday morning. With the family dog- Taka running by her side, they finish their course back in front of home. Kana takes a moment to catch her breath before heading inside. Upon walking in, she hears the sound of the piano being played from the living room. Her mother plays the piano nearly every morning. If Kana came back from her early jog and didn't hear piano music upon walking in, she knew something bad had happened. Kana walks into the living room and greets her mother.

"Good morning mom, Taka and I are back now."
The woman at the bench didn't stop playing nor did she take her eyes off the keys.
"That's good honey, you better go get ready for your first day of class." The voice coming from the woman was distant, but Kana was already used to that voice.

She rushes up the stairs to her room to get ready for the day. One thing about school uniforms was that females almost always wore skirts, something she hated. But beginning of junior high she would wear spandex shorts underneath, making it much more comfortable for her. After taking a quick shower to wash off all the sweat from the jog, Kana puts on her school uniform and stares at the mirror. Her eyes gaze down towards her right hand, where the wrist has been wrapped. She sighs deeply and thinks to herself, "I'll get into tennis and just play like normal. Kei is coming next week for my birthday and I need to be in top shape if I want to stand a chance against him..."
Without stressing much longer on her predictament, Kana grabs a sleek black wristband she bought and slides it over the wraps. She grabs her bags, including her tennis one. Lastly she ties her hair up in a pony tail before heading downstairs. Her mom was still at the piano so Kana shouted her goodbye's and headed out the door.

---

The Nishikori family lived in a relatively quiet neighborhood. Since her dad works at some aerospace company they have the luxury of affording a nice house in Fukushima. Although the school is a bit of a walk from her house, Kana didn't mind at all. On her path there was a family resturant that was starting to get bustling for breakfast. Curious and hungry, she walks in knowing there's plenty of time to spare before school begins. Recognizing some students wearing the same uniform she wonders if this is a hotspot for Uesugi students. Choosing to sit in a booth near a window she orders ice coffee with toast and marmalade on top. Kana stares out the window while taking bites of her toast, all while thinking about how different this year would be for her.

---

[HachiRoku]

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All these uniforms, Ryunosuke thought to himself, yet I can hardly tell who the hell is who.
Whatever, not my problem.

Continuing at his meal, he takes a pinch with his chopsticks at a slice of deep-fried pork, dipping it lightly in the sauce before quickly popping it in his mouth. Chewing away, he then stuffs some lettuce in to match the flavor, eventually managing to swallow it all down. He finishes his act up with a sip of ramune to wash it all down. With the mundanely quiet clink of the marble rolling against the lid, he places his drink back on the table. Realizing his rather hasty and poor manners, he awkwardly looks away, wiping his mouth and taking a breath.
Nobody saw that...
Right?

Oh, whatever.
Ryunosuke silently scans the area once more, this time trying to match names to faces.
Hm, some foreigner, a few girls. None of them were in my class last year. I wonder if any of them would so much as recognize me- no, even recognize that I exist. Pfft, I can dream.. but maybe not too much. THEN AGAIN...
Said monologue trails off into an expected 'spacing out' zone, causing Ryunosuke to once again lose himself in the moment. Instinctively, he checks his watch: 7:26. School would start in an hour or so, so he had time to kick back for another 30-40, by estimate. Rather than hurry off to the school, he opts to instead stay and scope the scene out for the time being. Finishing up his meal, a waitress takes it away and takes his order of a canned ice coffee (mocha) and a matcha ice cream.

[Kuro]

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Family Restaurant, Fukushima City
7:00, April 2nd

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Arriving soon enough to the local family restaurant, Kotone chained her bike to one of the bike racks outside the business.

As she entered, Kotone noticed a few students dressed in a similar fashion as she was. Whilst Kotone hadn't recognized anyone she knew, there were a few that stood out like a sore thumb. A number appeared to tower over Kotone due to how tall they were, dwarfing the girl's shortness. Additionally, some of those dressed in the Uesugi Senior High uniform looked foreign, or at least to Kotone. She didn't know anyone who had natural or dyed blonde hair; something Kotone figured was a rarity in Japan. Even with the way some of her fellow classmates held themselves, Kotone couldn't help but to feel out of place even in her own hometown.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" A voice spoke up, snapping Kotone back to reality. It seemed Kotone found herself distracted by her fellow classmates, despite not wanting to appear judgmental.

"A-Ah... table for one, please." Kotone replied, muttering apologies to the waitress that had been trying to get her attention. Following the waitress to a table, Kotone sat down and ordered a light meal. It was her first day of high school, and Kotone needed the energy, rather than stumbling around all day feeling bloated and sick to the stomach.

Once the waitress left to put the order in, Kotone felt a wave of nervousness rush over herself. Here Kotone was, on her first day of high school, and she was already causing a scene by staring down her fellow classmates. Pulling out her phone, Kotone needed something to calm herself down, or distract her from thinking. Kotone sincerely hoped no one was watching her little display; after all, she didn't want some embarrassing moniker added to her name or to distance herself from her classmates on the first day of school.

If only things were that simple in the end, but knowing Kotone's luck, something was bound to happen.

[Jade113]

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"Hm!"

Kuroko pops a small chunk of her riceball into her mouth, just after dipping it in an egg yolk. Not bad, actually, and healthy too! Probably! She grins as she carefully jabs her chopsticks into the now slightly smaller riceball, looking around the restaurant. Since she'd entered, three more people baring the Fukushima Uesugi Senior High uniform had taken seats. One in particular, though, caught her attention.

The blonde smiles excitedly and finishes up her meal swiftly, kicking her feet and humming to some random song stuck in her head. Her lilac eyes slowly scan the room before she trains them on the newest arrival. Specifically the adorable brunette that seems just a bit too out of her element. "Cute..." Kuroko mutters under her breath, reminded of her younger sister and chuckling. If this girl is anything like Hirako, then... maybe some introductions are in order, since she knows her sister'd never take the first step.

"Good morning, I'm Koumori Kuroko, second year.... No, too formal... Hi, I'm Kuroko... Hm..." Kuroko mutters to herself, tapping the tip of her nose with her chopstick. Eh, she'll wing it! Kuroko pays the bill quickly, her movements practiced and graceful. Her blonde mane bobs with each step as she slides her way to Kotone's table, leaning onto it with one hand.

"Saw you staring! You look like a first year, am I right? I'm Koumori Kuroko, yoroshiku!" The blonde greets with far too much bounce and vigor, grinning brighter than the sun. One wouldn't assume from her appearance, but she's more than fluent in Japanese, so much so that it seems her first language. Since it is.

[sly13]

Thomas dircks

Thomas was breathing heavily when he made it back to his front door. He had gone on a run like he usually did in the mornings. There was something calming about running in the early hours of the morning that appealed to him. It let his thoughts run free without the stress of everything going on his life. He wiped what little sweat there was from his forehead before he entered the door into his modest home. “Mom im home.” he called as he entered the home. Looking over himself he decided to take a shower and shave before he got dressed in his school uniform. Finally getting dressed he looked at the clock and realized he had plenty of time before school started to just wander around. Putting on his blazer and grabbing his sunglasses he walked out of his house after kissing his mom goodbye.

He started done the street that would eventually lead to school. Along the way he let his mind wonder a bit. Sometimes it would think of school, or the baseball team, to a multitude of other things. He was broken out of his deep thought by the sound of his stomach growling. Realizing that he had forgotten to eat breakfast after his run he began looking for a place to maybe eat something real quick before school started. Looking around he found a small diner that he had seen a couple times going to from school but never really paid any mind to it. Shrugging his shoulder a little he decided that he had nothing better to do and had few other options so he stepped in side the door. Once he entered the building he took his glasses off and let them hang on his pocket which had become a habit by this point.

Looking around he saw that nearly every person in there had on the school uniform “huh that's weird” he accidently let slip, not that anyone was close enough to hear him. Continuing to scan he found his best friend Jonathan sitting at a table with that same goofy grin on his face like he always did. After exchanging hellos Thomas grabbed a seat next to Jon and ordered a few rice balls with some pork.

[Ogo]

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_{Itou Residence | 08:00? | April 2nd}

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On a lonely little street there stood a lonely little apartment building. And in this lonely little apartment building, there was a lonely little apartment about one floor up, directly beside the stairs. And in this lonely little apartment, there was a lonely little room, filled with nothing but darkness and silence. Darkness, silence, and a fuzzy, slumbering blob. And all was good with the world. All was peaceful. All was -

BZZT!
RING-RING!
DOOT-DOOT-DOOT!

The sudden roaring cacophony of alarms quickly rose to a crescendo, shattering the silence of the dark room. Almost immediately, the blob of covers upon the little bed began to thrash about. Sound had awoken it. Sound had angered it. And the blob would destroy the sound - would smash it good!

BZZT! BZZT!
RING-RING!
DOOT-DOOT-DOOT!

The yellow tendrils of the blob pushed out and swatted before retreating back into itself. The first swatted nothing, and the blob seemed displeased. The second also missed the mark, and the blob quivered in frustration. And then the third struck out!

RING-RING! RING- BIIING!

One of the noisy ones was caught by the blob’s tendrils and sent soaring towards the wall. It flew true and after one final racket, it died. But the blob had no time to celebrate! From underneath it, a pale hand shot out and flailed about until it landed on the Buzzing One. The hand slapped down on it once! Twice! And on the third, the Buzzing One was silenced. Only the Doot-Doot remained.

But the Doot-Doot refused to give up the fight, sounding off once more. Fool. The pale hand found the Doot-Doot and squeezed around it before retreating back beneath the blob. After a moment, silence once more reigned supreme in the darkness.

Then a shrill “NO” flooded the room, followed by the blob being cast away. In its place lay a pale brunette muttering “no” over and over again. When she stretched out and her hand brushed past the blob, now more of a fuzzy pile, the blob felt relief. It was just a mistake! But then the girl gripped the edge of the blob and flipped it back, revealing the two pairs of legs that it had fallen upon. She hesitated for a moment before grabbing the lighter of the two, one ending in a sort of round peg. Pulling herself to the edge of her bed, the girl fixed the leg to her stump. She started to leave the room before remembering to double back and grab a change of underwear from her dresser. Then she was off to the shower.

The blob watched all this with disgust. How dare she cast him aside? Bah...no matter. She’d come back.

She always came back.

---

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_{Ishikawa Residence > Itou Residence | 06:00 | April 2nd}

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Jun was always a bit of an early bird, eager to get the most out of the day. So, it’s not much of a surprise that by the time the alarms went off in Yuuki’s room that he had already been up for a little over an hour. He had just finished double checking that he had everything packed away into his bag when the unmistakable sound of an alarm clock being forcefully thrown into the afterlife caught him by surprise.

“Sounds like Yuuki’s up...” a tired voice started but trailed into a yawn. Jun offered a smile to the small, elderly woman who had just shuffled into the room.

“Good morning, Granny! That didn’t wake you did it?”

Granny chuckled and shook her head as she crossed the room to get a can of coffee out of the refrigerator. “Not at all! Don'tcha know Granny spends most of her nights laying awake, waiting for death to finally whisk her away?”

Jun stared at his grandmother completely dumbfounded, mouth hanging wide open before the old woman cackled, tousled his hair, then plopped down to join him at the table. “Oh, if you could only see your face right now! Hahaha!”

The boy pretended to pout and crossed his arms. “You shouldn’t tease people like that, Granny.”

Granny waved away the protest before grabbing the remote on the table and switching on the television to the news. “So, have you already ate? Granny could fix you something. Could even ask your little girlfriend to join us.”

Jun shook his head. “Not my girlfriend” he started, but Granny waved away the protest. “And no, but thanks. We were going to meet some of the others for breakfast to celebrate...speaking of which-”

“Too good to eat with Granny, huh? I see how it is. Guess I’ll just shrivel up and die of loneliness.”

“Who’s dying now?” asked another tired voice.

“Granny is. Of loneliness, apparently.” Jun snitched to the older man, earning an exaggerated pout from the old woman.

“Not on my watch, woman!” the old man cried, crouching behind the woman and tickling her relentlessly. Granny giggled and squirmed, but Gramps wouldn’t let off. They looked half their age sometimes. Jun, practically beaming, got up and snatched his bag.

“I’ve gotta go. Love you guys!” he called out as he left the apartment to calls of ‘Good luck!’ and ‘Don’t work too hard!’.

---

One door over, Jun used his copy of the key and let himself in the Itou residence as he had countless times before. Taking his shoes off at the entrance, Jun called out.

“Yuuukiii! It’s me.”

“Shower! Almost done!”

Jun strolled inside, taking a look around the place. He found Yuuki’s bag on the table...but it was unpacked. He sighed. The girl was going to be the death of him. But whatever, he had a little time to kill, it seemed. He searched around a bit more and found her supplies scattered here and there and neatly organized them in her pack.

At one point he heard the water stop, a door open, a door close, and the word sorry muttered over and over again.

“I’m sooooo sorry, Jun! Thanks for waiting! You’re the best” he heard her call from her room. He chuckled.

“Hey Yuuki?”

“Yeah?”

“Check your phone.

A moment passed before Yuuki replied.

“Hey Jun?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re the worst.”

“Yeeeaaah.”

Jun heard Yuuki’s heavy steps and turned around just in time to see the pillow right before it nearly took his head off. He laughed.

“Sorry, haha! I just wanted to make sure you didn’t oversleep. Again.”

Yuuki crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one leg. “Fair. You’re still a jerk though.”

“Fair. Packed your bag though. You ready?”

The girl feigned horror, raising a hand to her chest. “No breakfast?!” she gasped. She looked absolutely devastated. Knowing her, she probably was.

“I thought we could stop and get something on the way there.” Jun replied, handing her the bag.

Yuuki lit up like a Christmas tree, taking her bag and practically charging out the door. “Yaaay! ^{You’re paying though.}” Jun laughed and followed behind, locking up as he left.

---

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_{Fukushima City | 07:20 | April 2nd}

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Grr…

Yuuki gazed down at her stomach as she walked behind Jun. The train had run a bit late, so they hadn’t yet stopped for food. And she was getting so very hungry. She couldn’t remember the last time she ate...had it really been since dinner?

Grrrr…

That’s it. She was a goner. Go on without her. She reached out towards Jun and tugged his sleeve.

“Juuun~! Yuuukiii hungie. Need food!” she groaned. Jun turned and scratched the back of his head.

“I know...but I don’t think we have time now. We really can’t be late on our first da-”

“Juuuuun~! Yuuukiii huuungiiieeeee~!” she whined. Jun sighed and rubbed his forehead.

“Y’know, you kinda sound like Granny when you talk like that.” he teased.

Yuuki shrugged and threw her hands behind her head before starting to walk again. “ Whatever. Granny’s cool. How about this one up here?” she asked. And without waiting for a reply, she crossed over to the door and started to head inside. Jun muttered some protest, but he entered just behind her all the same.

It was a charming little restaurant and, judging by the number of students pretty popular with Uesugi students. Yuuki glanced from side to side after entering the restaurant at all the people. It wasn’t yet completely full, but it was certainly busy now. She wiggled her fingers.

Time to cause a scene.

Jun leaned in behind her and whispered, “Please, PLEASE, don’t cause a scene.” So, of course, now she had to. Yuuki nodded, and when a waitress came to seat the two, she suppressed a giant grin and acted normal. She ordered miso soup, rice, and a green tea. Jun just wanted a green tea.

After the waitress left with the order, Yuuki kept trying to suppress the grin, but it was getting harder. Jun happened to glance up at just the right time to see it break through. He started shaking his head and mouthed ‘Don’t.’

Too bad.

Yuuki shot both of her hands into the air and squealed. “WOOOO! UESUGI SENIOR HIGH! WE DID IT, JUN!”

Jun’s head immediately fell into his hands as a few of the other patrons shot dirty looks towards the two. Yuuki noticed his cheeks turning scarlett as he dropped. Worth it. Definitely worth it.

“You are actually the worst.” he muttered. Yuuki giggled.

“Yeeeaaah. But now we’re even.”

[pandapolio]

Jonathan Harper&Thomas Dircks

Jon looked up as Thomas said hi and sat down in the booth with him. After Thomas ordered Jon smiled at him and offered a waffle, “C’mon, ya know you want it.” Jon put the waffle on a napkin and slid it towards Thomas. Looking around the room he saw the blonde woman stand up and was surprised at her height. Looking back to Thomas then her, Jon guessed she was probably taller than his friend. “It looks like this is a popular place for students from our school.”

Taking the waffle from his friend Thomas gave him a grin saying “You sound like a drug dealer when you say it like that.” Looking around Thomas once again was surprised by the number of students that were in the restaurant. “I know, it's kind of weird that we are all here.” Thomas looked around to see if he could recognize anyone from the previous year. Of the ones he saw he couldn’t really say he knew them. He had seen most of them at one point or another but never really talked to them. Not that he wasn't friendly or anything but he just rarely talked to people. Once his food arrived in front of him Thomas said a prayer before completely devouring his food like a madman along with Jon.

Finishing off another waffle Jon took a long drink of water and slouched back in his seat. “So what is the team you wanted me to play for like? How good were you guys last year.” This time Jon was speaking in Japanese to practice for school. As he waited for a response he heard someone yelling about their high school a few booths down. Jon leaned out their booth to look over at the students and smiled. Coming back into the booth Jon took another bite of a waffle.

Switching over to Japanese Thomas had to think a bit harder about the words he had to say. “We did good. We made it the playoffs but lost in the first round.” Thomas still found it hard to speak in Japanese even for something he loved like sports. “We will do better this year especially with the dream team back together aye.” he finished by nudging Jon in the side. “Have you been keeping up with the workouts over these past few months?”

Taking another bite of the waffle Jon nodded his head and tried to swallow quickly. Just managing to not choke he chugged the rest of his water. “I have also been eating healthy…” Looking down at the plate of half-eaten waffles he shrugged at Thomas, "...mostly. So when does school start I can’t quite remember.”

Thomas just chuckled at his friends apparently ‘healthy’ eating habits. “I can see your healthy choices. Lord knows only you could find a way to get waffles in Japan.” looking down at his watch Thomas realized that they still had about 40 minutes or so before they had to leave. “We have plenty of time to hang out for a bit. We’ve got about 40 minutes I’d say before we have to leave.” Eating the last of his rice balls Thomas pushed his plate forward indicating that he was done with it. Looking around he noticed some interesting students that had decided to stop by the restaurant. For starters, there was the blonde girl that seemed to be as tall as him who had to be American, who was talking to a girl that she literally dwarfed in size. Then there was also the girl that had walked in not long before him who had green hair but seemed to be the athletic type. Turing back to his friend “This should be an interesting year.”

“Of course it will be, I’m here.” Finishing off his waffles Jon looked through his wallet until he found enough money for the food. Wincing as he put the money on the table he could almost hear his mother in America telling him not to spend all his money on food. While tugging at his collar he was playing with the glasses hanging on his shirt. “It is strange wearing school uniforms, I just don't know how I will get used to this.”

“Don't worry you get used to it. Also as time goes on you find your own kinda style to make it more comfortable. And as for you making it interesting… well, that's what I’m afraid of.”

collab with @sly13

[Sazama]

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Resturant :|: ~7:00-7:30 :|: April 2 :|: @Ogobrogo

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After a few minutes of staring out the window, Kana reaches into her bag and pulls out a book. The cover reads "アナザー" ("Another"),
which is a horror mystery (Kana's favorite genre) that details the unfortunate fate of a class with a mysterious past that has many classmates falling victim to gruesome deaths. Kana was now engrossed into the book, as she does with every horror novel she reads. She doesn't know what got her into horror, but whenever she reads or watches those type of stuff it gives her a feeling of catharsis.

The restaurant becomes more lively as even more senior high students bustle in for breakfast. She takes a quick break from her book to look around and examine her potential classmates. A thought crosses her mind of whether she would be friends with any of these people. She's been told by others that she gives off a scary, intimidating vibe. And those same people would tell her to just "smile more". It was something she'd try to work on. Sometimes in the morning, she'd practice in the mirror. But to no avail, it just didn't come naturally to her. Her eyes fall upon a tall blonde girl and a short brunette girl interacting. The blond girl's grin actually hurt to look at directly. It was like staring into the sun. Another grin caught her attention as she moves her eyes towards two foreign students. She watched them for a moment as they spoke English to each other and then switching to Japanese. They looked to be the athletic type, and from what she can tell from their figures; they were most likely baseball players. After realizing that she just checked those two out, Kana buries herself back in her book.

She reads for another few minutes and upon reaching the part where they discover the answer to the mysterious curse on the classroom a loud voice disrupts and ruins the climax of the story.
“WOOOO! UESUGI SENIOR HIGH! WE DID IT, JUN!”
Irritated, Kana frowns and looks up to find the culprit. She spots a small girl with her hands shot up in the air and another student that she automatically assumes is her brother. Kana abruptly gets up and marches to their table. Upon reaching the table she slams her book on the surface to grab their attention.
"Listen here little girl, I don't know or care what type of sugar rush you're on right now but you should direct that yelling somewhere else. Not. In. Here." Kana speaks these words trying to sound more scolding than mean.
She then turns to the "brother",
"And you, control your sister." She shoots a look at both of them before finally saying,
"Got it?"

[HachiRoku]

---

Ryunosuke rests his head on his right hand, in boredom. After all, there wasn't much to write home about- students talking, eating, his almost 'invisible' nature, which he had grown accustomed to over the years. In fact, he liked to think it was a special trait, allowing him to eavesdrop, sneak past (a casual, nonchalant stride always beats crouch walking), and notice things most others wouldn't. In reality, it's just that nobody cares enough to pay attention to him, due to his seemingly boring and aura-less presence. Ironically enough, this gives him such an impression of a special ability, which he regularly exploits to silently keep tabs on those he deems interesting.

He taps his fingers in rhythm to the beat- that of the silent humming in head. Ever since listening to the song in his car on the ride over, it got stuck in his head, a habit he sometimes despises. Fortunately enough for him, he likes this song- "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" by AC/DC. Like always, his mind would take a train of thought somewhere barely related to the previous topic. As Ryunosuke taps his fingers and silently sings along, he connects the title to the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure ability of the same name.
Allowing neighboring worlds to exist simultaneously in the same location. That is my Stand ability, "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap".
Dojyaaa~n!

Eventually, he notices the other Uesugi students forming groups of two- his mind naturally wandering to the... implications of such pairings. Anyways, he tries to see if he knows any of them.
The two American blondies? Probably not. He'd be amazed if they could stand a conversation in Japanese.
The two (fairly pretty, although he refuses to admit it) girls making conversation? He feels like he knows their faces, although he never really did pay attention to anyone outside of his homeroom last year.

His silent snooping is interrupted by a waitress delivering his coffee and ice cream. Without even turning his head, he mumbles an "arigato gozaimasu", shaking his coffee can without paying attention to the fact that it's already pressurized. Before long, two other Uesugi students, based on the uniform, walk into the restaurant. The girl was rather peppy, as if stifling a laugh, and the guy seemed... paranoid? They take a seat, and Ryunosuke redirects his gaze to the two girls- but it's not like he's doing that for a particular reason, or anything. He tries to pay attention to the dialogue, although he can't help but listen in on the Americans' rapid-fire English and mediocre Japanese. Eh, it'll pass. In fact-
“WOOOO! UESUGI SENIOR HIGH! WE DID IT, JUN!”
All eyes are soon on the two, and the quiet girl reading a book (he wasn't paying much attention to her, as she was minding her own business until then) marches over, scolding them. Ryunosuke lets out a quiet chuckle.
Heh. Seems like even the book nerd isn't safe from attention. Mwah heh heh... that's the ability of my Stand,
『Ｓｉｌｅｎｔ  Ｎｉｇｈｔ』! Invisibility (in a social context), stealth, and spying! Watch out, Public Security Intelligence Agency! Nobody will ever notice I-
He shakes his coffee once more, then opens it. The pressure hisses loudly, spitting coffee all over his chest and face area.
...Exist.

[Kuro]

---

Family Restaurant, Fukushima City
7:15, April 2nd

---

"Saw you staring! You look like a first year, am I right? I'm Koumori Kuroko, yoroshiku!"

Kotone gazed upwards from her phone; her eyes meeting a much taller blonde. It was obvious that the blonde, now known as Koumori Kuroko, was a beauty, with her accented curves and what not, yet Kotone felt slightly intimidated. "Geh..." Kotone mewled, unnerved by the girl's brazen display to show herself off. Kuroko wasn't dressed in any sort of respectful way, showing off her top and refusing to wear stockings to keep her legs bare. What chance did Kotone have against this blonde beauty of a girl? Who would want average when you could have that instead?

Still, Kotone wasn't among the disrespectful type, and took a moment to recollect herself. "I-I... I didn't mean to stare, gomen." Kotone replied to the energetic blonde, and placed her phone back into her school bag. For a split second, Kotone found herself lost in thought, wondering how she ended up like this. She always had trouble making friends, being a background character, and now here she was, talking to a girl that stood out more than Kotone would on an empty street with only a light pole in sight. Perhaps it was to be the "year of Kotone," or maybe it was more dumb luck. Whatever it was, it was likely Kotone would never know for certain.

Giving Kuroko a slight nod of the head, Kotone continued. "Tachibana Kotone, first year." Kotone spoke as the waitress brought out the breakfast that she had ordered earlier. "It's my first day at Uesugi... I managed to score just high enough on the entrance exam, you see, ehehe..." Kotone kept speaking, scratching the back of her head. In all honesty, Kotone had no idea where to go with this conversation. Kuroko seemed nice, yet Kotone was still a total opposite to the blonde, whom probably knew how to hold a conversation with a stranger. That was, until Kotone's attention was drawn elsewhere.

“WOOOO! UESUGI SENIOR HIGH! WE DID IT, JUN!” A girl shouted, clearly embarrassing her brother and being scolded by someone with green hair. Almost soon after, another Uesugi student cracked open a can of coffee, spewing cold coffee all over his uniform and the table. Sighing in relief, Kotone found solace that maybe she wasn't likely the only odd kid at this school. Maybe, just maybe.

[JELDare]

Genjo Arata

It's 5:50, Arata is getting ready to go out for a run, getting out his middle school tracksuit. He looked at himself in his full body mirror, questioning if he had grown over the course of his break, as his ankles and the bottom of shins had become to show. But nevertheless he ran anyway, taking in his surroundings.

Arata always noticed how there weren't many people out at such a time, as it was still not fully light yet, but he did note that there were two other people around his age that appeared to be outside. Since he was starting his high school life today he had hoped that he would make many friends here, as he was the only one of his middle school group that was able to successfully get into such a school.

After his run, which was longer than he suspected as he got a cramp halfway and had to stop and fix it, he got showered and dressed, ready to leave. He manages to make his way to school, early so he could get a grasp on the students he would be with.

[mickilennial]

---

6:00 - 7:00
Naganohara Residence

---

“Good morning, Aya-chan.” Nahanohara Aya muttered in monotone.

The Japanese teenager looked straight forward, the long strands of hair covering the majority of her face, her dead cerulean eyes looking back at her from the other side of the mirror; like another person entirely, and that person was never happy.

She moved her hand to her head, with a quiet sigh left her lips. Not that she was trying to be quiet. She lived alone. It was one of the main reasons that her mood was always so dour when she woke up to face the day. As confident and hard-working as she was, sometimes she just hoped her father would come home one day and tell her he got a job in the city, close enough where he didn’t have to travel all the time and pretty much exclusively talk through a web camera or phone. She knew he loved the work he did and she respected it, understood it, but it didn’t stop the desire for things to be different.

Perhaps it would’ve been different if her mother hadn’t gotten killed in a car accident all those years ago? Perhaps she would have a family and not the emptiness that she got as a consolation prize.

“You shouldn’t think like that, Aya-chan. Pretty girls should always smile.” She uttered, thinking out loud. It sounded like something one of the stupid boys would say at school. Tch. As if.

After brushing her hair and getting dressed Aya prepared breakfast as she always had for the last several years of living ‘mostly alone’. The only good thing she got out of the early mornings was the fact that she could put on her favorite Tricot record on the household stereo and try to escape. Even if it was only escaping for a brief moment in time. It was probably the only thing that got her motivated in the mornings and ready for the day ahead.

When food was handled, dishes were put away, and lunch was prepared she left. Perhaps it was early for most students – but Aya was probably one of the very few members of her class that actually had to be 100% self-oriented. She didn’t have an older sister to look after her, parents to wake her if she slept through an alarm, or close treasured childhood friend to make sure she was okay. She wished it wasn’t like the way it was, but she couldn’t change the fact her dad worked overseas and her mother had been dead since she was nine years old. Nobody could change that. The best thing she could do was give everything one hundred percent and do right by her mother’s memory; it was the reason she had joined the girl’s baseball club at her high school, after all.

It’s a new year. Hopefully it’ll suck less than last year.

[Ogo]

---

_{Restaurant | 07:30ish | April 2nd | @Sazama}

---

As Jun drowned in embarrassment, Yuuki grinned at him, gorging herself on his humiliation. And boy, was there plenty of the stuff to go around. She’d have to be careful - stuff herself too much and there wouldn’t be enough room for breakfast. And that just wouldn’t do.

She propped her elbows onto the table and rested her chin on her hands, all the while still gazing at Jun. Had they really known each other for ten years now? Her family moved into the apartment next to his...yeah, about ten years ago. That felt weird. Ten years...she had known the guy for the majority of her life and he really never changed. Taller, sure, but he was still Emi’s dorky little brother. Yuuki’s gloating grin softened. Emi would be proud of the little dork. He turned out to be a good guy. A little naive, but still a goo-

BAM!

Yuuki jumped, letting out a little “Eep!” in surprise. The slam had caught her completely unaware and gave her a bit of a fright. Not as much as it had Jun though, bless his heart. The poor boy practically jumped out of his skin at the sound and was now staring wide-eyed and slack-jawed at the hooligan by their table. Yuuki could almost see his heart pounding against his chest, trying to break free and flee.

It took all Yuuki had not to burst into laughter. Which is a super weird feeling, considering the context. Still, laughter barely contained, Yuuki turned to face the woman calling her ‘little girl’, which, real talk, was kind of a low blow. No pun intended. She couldn’t help that she was vertically challenged…

Well, maybe she could, considering her condition. But that wouldn’t be very practical. Sadly.

As the girl scolded Jun, Yuuki studied her. Uesugi uniform. Unfortunate bitch face. Grrreeeaaattt...not even the first day and she had managed to piss off someone with an attitude. No, this could be fixed. Maybe the girl was having a bad day? Yuuki was well aware that she could be a little too extra. She just had to find something to compliment. Her legs, maybe? They were pretty toned. The girl was probably involved in some kind of clu- no. That’d be too weird, even for Yuuki. How about…?

The angry librarian finished up her scolding and was mean mugging something fierce. Jun was nodding quickly, but Yuuki simply flashed the girl her most disarming smile. “Your hair is sooo pretty! I love it!” she cooed, dodging around the scolding entirely. “I’m Itou Yuuki, your new best friend! Pleased to meetcha!”

---

_{Restaurant | 07:30 | April 2nd | @HachiRoku}

---

It’s never easy, losing a friend. Especially when you think that maybe you could have stopped them from making the terrible choices that eventually cost them their lives. That’s what Jun realized as he watch his closest childhood friend dig her own grave. He’d miss her, of course, but what could he do? He just had a glimpse into the afterlife and was not about to go back willingly. Maybe he'd name a child in her memory?

The student that had (very rightly so!) chewed them out for causing a scene had asked the impossible of him: control Yuuki. Well...she said sister and she certainly wasn’t his sister, but he certainly wasn't about to correct her. But Yuuki was...well...Yuuki. There was no controlling that. He might as well herd cats.

He needed an out. Yuuki was so graciously providing a distraction by, well, poking the green-haired bear, but he needed some excuse to leave. Just to calm down before he died of embarrassment. Literally. He could feel his heart pumping faster than it had ever pumped before. He was actually going to die in this tiny little diner. That was just a fact. Surely there had to be SOME WAY ou-

HSSSS!

From a booth not too far away, somebody’s drink had exploded. Jun could see that the guy had been front and center for all of the delicious, liquid shrapnel. Man down. He was in Uesugi uniform too. Ouch. That was just unfortunate - first day and already staining your uniform? What a shitty way to start the day.

Without thinking, Jun gathered a number of napkins from the table and got up, passing the scolder with a muttered “Sorry!” and making his way to the drenched drinker. “Are you OK? Here, use these.” he asked, offering half of the napkins to the unlucky dude. With the others, he started wiping up some of the coffee that had ended up on the table.

“I’m so sorry. Canned coffee’s the worst at that. Anything I can get you?”

[AdmrlStalfos19]

April 2, 5:56am

Hiroshi Oshiro had been up all night, working on trying to old rust-bucket that was supposed to be an SUV up to a condition where Koryusai Oshiro, her older brother, could sell it off as per part of his job. The vast majority of the work that Hiroshi had done to the SUV was on the engine, and that was the most demanding since engines were always the most complicated back in the days that the SUV would've been made. Why Koryusai didn't just get a brand new engine for the cursed thing, Hiroshi didn't know. But she was able to fix it to the best of her ability, and had just been adjusting the suspension when suddenly, oil had leaked from somewhere along the chassis and splashed all over her chest. Thankfully, she was wearing some of her older clothes that she never cared about the exact state of, cause her top would've most certainly been ruined by that sudden oil leak. However, it was enough to catch Hiroshi by surprise... and put her in a foul mood while it was at it.

"Ssssoooon of a bitch!" Hiroshi threw her wrench to one side with all her might, before making one big heaving sigh, "That's it; I'm going to bed,"

"Too late for that," another voice could barely be heard through a yawn, the owner of said voice revealing himself to be a Koryusai that had evidently just been woken up, "You were up all night with that thing?"

"Yep. Apparently it takes that long to fix an engine..." Hiroshi rolled her eyes as she said this.

"Uh-huh. Well, you better get ready for school, now." no doubt it'd be met with yet another great, heaving sigh from Hiroshi. She'd completely forgotten that that was the day she was meant to start school again, and a part of her wished she didn't have to start until another week went by. But there was nothing for it; she could only hope that this dreaded sense of sudden lethargy wouldn't be the end of her...

"Tell ya what; you show me where this diner that you like so much is, and I'll drop you off there and give you some money for a bite to eat," Koryusai offered, "How's that sound?"

"...yeah, sure; I'll take you up on that," Hiroshi replied, before supposing she should get moving.

The first order of business was for Hiroshi to have a quick shower so she could change into her uniform. Even if that oil spill hadn't happened, she was certain the school wouldn't appreciate her wearing anything in such a tacky state.

---

7:14am

Sure enough, Koryusai and Hiroshi arrived, with Koryusai having driven a Nissan Fairlady Z to get there. While they were parked, Koryusai wrote out a check for Hiroshi, for ¥2500, and handed it over to the student in question.

"Seriously, Koryu? This is your idea of overtime?" queried Hiroshi.

"Hey; it's enough to grab a bite," Koryusai flatly stated, "I never said I'd let you sample the whole menu."

"You really are a cheapskate," Hiroshi quipped, opening the door and getting out, and she was just about to shut it again when she noted a peculiar yellow car all the way at the back of the parking lot, just being able to make out the badge, "Is that a Honda?"

"Yeah, looks like..." replied Koryusai, before looking back to Hiroshi, "Why, what of it?"

"Eh, nothing really. I'm just curious to see if it'd still be there when I leave is all..." Hiroshi stated before finally shutting the door, "Aight, I'll see ya round."

With that, Koryusai drove off, and Hiroshi entered the restaurant.

...

Hiroshi had made herself comfortable for the moment, until eventually a waitress came over to her.

"May I take your order?" asked the waitress.

"Hmm... gimme a cup of the strongest coffee you have." Hiroshi stated, "Black. No su-... actually, maybe one teaspoon of sugar. Small, teaspoon."

With her order placed, Hiroshi quietly observed the goings-on around her. Most notably, a girl had yelled something about finally making it into the school or something, which caught the attention of a bookworm. That bookworm had been scolding at the girl, who didn't really seem to have taken the hint. Hiroshi could only shake her head in disgust at the sad state of the two.

'Nice mothering there, lady,' she was tempted to say to the bookworm, but she figured she'd best stay out of this.

She turned away from them, just in time to see someone else spray canned coffee all over themselves. Having never seen someone fail so spectacularly at opening a can of coffee in her life, Hiroshi couldn't help but giggle snarkily at the poor guy. She usually despised being confronted about the prospect that she might be mocking someone, but that moment was hilarious enough to be worth it.

[Jade113]

---

---

"Hah! I always know a first year when I see one! Mainly 'cause I was one last year," Kuroko explains. This brunette, Tachibana Kotone, apparently, was so much like her sister in some ways... but Kuroko narrows her eyes. Not all ways, not judging by the self-doubtful look in her eyes. She's about average height, with the most average hair color and eye color. She has a pretty name, though. Maybe she plays harp? That's certainly something to ask! Kuroko smiles, and-

“WOOOO! UESUGI SENIOR HIGH! WE DID IT, JUN!”

Kuroko pauses, glancing at the disturbance as everyone in the restaurant does. Geesh. Even she's not THAT loud! Most of the time! Laughing, Kuroko smoothly slips into a seat just across from Kotone, digging her phone out from between her breasts and typing on it. "Aaaaaanyway, if you have any questions about anything other than, like, maths and stuff, text me. My number is..."

As Kuroko rattles off her phone number, the hamster that's supposed to be turning the wheel in her head wakes up and starts to wonder if giving her number immediately is overbearing and not at all smart. Then again, overbearing and not at all smart is, like, her middle names, or something. So whatever!

[HachiRoku]

---

For a moment, it looked like everything had stopped. That's when it all began. Trained athletes and those in accidents feel each moment as if it were several seconds, or even minutes. Ryunosuke thought it was something like that. His eyes darted from one face to another, desperately hopeful that they would not have noticed anything.

The short girl with the brown hair had a relieved face.
The girl that just walked in had a sardonic chuckle. It would have pissed Ryunosuke off, but, to be fair, he would have done the same in her scenario.
The boy getting chewed out for his friend- no, acquaintance's behavior ran towards him, handing him napkins like a cop handing his aniki speeding tickets. That is, if the cops could outrun him.

Anyways, the unwanted helper was busy wiping at the table, cleaning the mess faster than a waiter on his first day.

“I’m so sorry. Canned coffee’s the worst at that. Anything I can get you?”

You can 'get' the hell out of here. Like I wasn't given enough attention!
"Hm? Oh, yeah, um..."

Ryunosuke pulls his wallet out, drawing one of each a ¥1000 and ¥500 bill.

"Please pay my bill for me. Keep the change, thanks, man.."

Hastily handing the unexpected visitor the money, Ryunosuke lightly pushes him aside, quickly walking to the counter and looking straight ahead, praying that the two girls weren't looking at him. A waitress stifles a laugh, than approaches him.

"Er, sorry I spilled my drink. I gave him (pointing his thumb at the napkin guy) my money. Excuse me."

Following his rather embarrassing encounter, he then proceeded out, hastily walking towards his car at the end of the parking lot. A shame it wasn't closer, thus making it less awkward to walk around in a stained uniform. He hopped in the Beat, started it up, and sped away like a criminal. To be fair, such a humiliating event was social suicide anyways. Shifting up like a street racer (no wonder he's got that kind of a brother), he sighed, heading home to change and speed back to class, hopefully on time.

Of course.