An all too familiar ringing cascaded throughout the dimly let room. Buzzing in short intervals then falling to silence and repeating several times before a hand reached out from the warmth of the blankets to find the source of the noise. After rummaging around the nightstand for a few seconds the hand was able to find the source and cut off the buzzing, leading the room back to relative silence save the noises from just outside the window or the silent rustling of the fan blades. After a few more minutes the young man slowly rose up from the bed with a stretch and a big yawn. He turned to see the time and brushed his face with his hands before throwing the covers off of him. He grabbed a few things from his room and then made his way to the bathroom. After toying with the shower controls for a solid five minutes. Even then, the boy still didn’t manage to get the controls right and spent the first part of his morning taking a cold shower.
It did seem to wake him up though.
Some time passed and the young man stood silently in his room. He had his closet doors open but knew he only had one option when it came to clothing. The school uniform laid neatly on his bedside, untouched since the day he picked it up from his new school. With a heavy sigh he lifted it up and felt the rough, prickly coat and mumbled to himself. ”Could be worse…” He thought to himself before continuing his morning. Taking one pants leg at a time and then putting on the undershirt followed by the overshirt. Next came the socks and his belt. He quickly realized just how tiring this must be for the students. Then again, most of them were probably more than used to this kind of thing anyway.
As he felt like he was putting on the finishing touches a voice called out from downstairs.
”Ethan! Come on down. We’ve got breakfast and you don’t want to be late for your first day of school!”
Glancing over himself in the mirror a few more times he called out, ”Coming!” He still felt like his tie wasn’t on right and he quickly realized how much he hated the fact that he had to wear a tie in the first place. He grabbed his bag and then made his way out of his room and down the wooden stairs. He guessed he was still used to his old life because this was not exactly the breakfast he was expecting to see. Multiple different kinds of food were sprawled out over the granite counter and his mother was there, eating away while a woman in a suit seemed to be doing the cooking. The house itself was a bit extravagant. Guess it came with the promotion. Windowed walls gave room to see the large fenced off backyard. A large fireplace stood as the monument to glory in the center of the living space with nice couches and chairs all placed according to good feng shui. The house was two stories, with the master bedroom, kitchen, living space and joining bathroom on the first and two guest bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs.
”Come on, eat up. I’m not going to have my own child going to school on an empty stomach. Besides, the company has offered to help us acclimate to Japan and we would be remise to not take them up on their hospitality.”
His mother then reached into her bag with the notion of remembering something and handed him a set of silver and bronze passes. They looked very similar to bus passes from what he could see. He examined them over the counter as well as the parade of food. He found what looked like some kind of bread bun and bit into it and quickly realized it was some kind of toasted dough filled with some jam. The initial shock was washed away by how pleasant the flavors mixed together. He took another bite before picking up the passes.
”What are these? Passes of some kind? I thought you were driving me to school…”
His mother shook her head and then stood up from the table. Giving the woman at the kitchen a quick word of thanks and a short bow before looking back to Ethan. She had one more thing to hand him, a map of the subway system with the names of stations translated to English. ”No Ethan, I can’t do that. Your school and my job site are on opposite ends of each other so the drive would make me late for work… Now then, this is a good reference map that Mr. Innui worked up for you.”
”Mr. Innui did this? You mean you didn’t-…”
”Ethan, please. Yes. He thought it would be good for you. Anyways, you school is located in Odaiba. Aptly named Odaiba International. You’ve only got to transfer one time and that is from the… Ah, what was it? Jaya? Ginza? I can’t remember. The point is, that map will help you. Now come on, it’s time to go. I’ve got to go to work.”
”Wait wait wait, you didn’t help! Transfer! But what if I miss the train… what if I!”
She cut him off once again with a rather stern look before going to one of the couches and grabbing the rest of her things. ”Ethan, please. I know this is difficult but in time it will become second nature to you. Now go on, I’ve got to go to work and I will not have you late on your first day. Just remember that you will get home before me usually. Some days I might not even come home until the evening or later depending on my work load. The company is counting on me after all and I know you can take care of yourself. You’re old enough.”
With that she was out of the kitchen and off to the side entrance/exit to find the garage. Ethan could basically feel the tension and awkwardness in the air as he felt the eyes of the woman in the kitchen staring at him. Not wanting to make things weird he bowed to her as well and gave a bit of a sloppy thank you in broken Japanese which caused her to laugh and respond with something in English. Just as he opened the door it hit him that she could speak his native tongue. So she heard and comprehended everything that just transpired… great. With a soft sigh he went out and closed the front door. Locking it behind him and taking the steps towards the driveway gate. Since he had no car he simply stepped under the normal car gate that would have to be raised with their IDs and then made his way further into Japan.
As he came closer to the first subway station the sights and smells of the city were initially quite overwhelming. Everything seemed to be so crowed and everyone he saw looked so uncomfortable. He did notice a large number of tourists and there seemed to be more English signs than he was initially thinking. That helped ease his anxiety. With his trusty map in hand he managed to find his first subway station. ”Okay Mr. Innui… you say to get on the… Red line. Then transfer after 4 stops. There’s a big arrow pointing towards a white train line too. That must be the one I transfer to after the stops… I think.”
The call to boarding was a good shock to the young man as several people pushed him to get inside the train before him. Not wanting to cause any sort of scene he let this be and chalked it up to the culture. Putting on a stern face he mustered his resolve and boarded the train. He quickly grabbed on to one of the rails as almost as soon as the doors closed the train began to move. Other than the click clacking of the train car on the rails the subway ride was basically silent. It was crowded as all get out but no one was talking. Was this normal? He kept his wallet and his valuables in his front pocket and as he was thinking to check them he felt a vibration against his thigh. His phone pocket. He reached in and grabbed his phone to check the notification but he saw none.
That's... odd. He unlocked his phone and checked his messages. Nothing new. He glanced over a quick few messages from his friends old group chat they had before he moved away. The last message sent was a few days ago but it had grown a bit silent now. Not wanting to make himself sad he tapped away from it in frustration and then placed his phone back in his pocket. A sudden twang of pain rolled through his forehead making him stagger just a bit. He kept his balance but held his head in his hand as the pain seemed to move away. A few people were staring at him but he paid them no attention. That was quite weird... He didn't feel sick at all.
The automated voice called out the stop in japanese and then english as well as another language but he was already checked the map. He realized that he must have lost track of time as he was already nearing the third stop. Mustering his courage for the final stretch the went back to standing in silence. What a boring train ride.
The subway reached its fourth stop and Ethan checked off and then entered the station. Analyzing the map and moving slowly to find this white line trail that Mr. Innui had marked. Feeling a wave of satisfaction wash over him as he boarded the train and realized just how close he was. The subway blasted off and Ethan took the time to examine the sights. Japan certainly had its natural beauty.
Before long it was over and his stop came. He exited the train and once again checked the map Mr. Innui had made for him. Truly wondering what he would have done if Mr. Innui had not made this for him. Though he felt like a stroke of good luck came over him as he noticed some students wearing the same uniform as him. Surely they must be students at Odaiba International. He knew no uniform was the same.
So, he cautiously followed behind them until the school was in sight. A large black and white rather impressive looking school building stood three stories high. He passed several students and a large amount of shrubbery before climbing the steps to enter the school. Now things were lively with noise and banter of a language he did not seem to understand fully just yet. He checked his student ID and was prepared to awkwardly ask questions but a mature woman seemed to be waiting for him.
"Ethan? Ethan Karmon?" She called while approaching him.
He nodded to her and gave her a small bow. "Uhm... *ahem* Y-Yes ma'am. My name is Ethan Karmon. I'm a student here at Odaiba International. I just transferred and I-"
She stopped him a seemed to giggle just a bit. Nodding before guiding him to an office on the first floor. She motioned for him to sit, and sit he did. She stood on the opposite side of the table and crossed her arms to him.
"Everything go alright getting here? No travel problems?
He seemed perplexed by the questions. And... her ability to speak such fluent english. He did have to admit it was very relaxing to hear words he could understand fully.
"Uh... Uh n-no! No problems. I had help getting here um, you speak English. Very good enlgish. I wasn't expecting..."
She cut him off again with some more laughter before waving her hand.
"Oh, please. We don't just have Japanese students here. You're just one of the many transfer students we have here. I'm actually fluent in English, Spanish, French and I am working on my German."
She let out a few awkward coughs before going back to crossing her arms and putting on that stern expression. "Now then, we've selected a student to help acclimate you to life here at Odaiba International. She's an exceptional student and she was hand picked by the school staff. Any questions you have can be directed to her when she arrives. She knows where to meet you. Just, stay put and she will come for you. We've assigned you to the same homeroom as her for your sake as well. I hope you enjoy your time here at Odaiba, and please do you best not to cause any trouble. The school won't hesistate to kick you out if they catch a whiff of you being a problem student. And if you try to bring down the student that is helping you... well then we will have other problems. Anyways..."
She turned and made her way towards the door. Her heels making heavy footfalls as she did.
Opening it slightly before turning back to him. "Remember, no trouble. I'm not the only one that's watching you. Once the student arrives you will introduce yourself to your homeroom and school will go from there."
With that she left the room, leaving Ethan in silence. He let out a heavy sigh and folded his arms in his chair. Who was that woman? He never asked her name and she didn't have a name tag on so he couldn't get a good look. Maybe the school guidance counselor or something? Either way, this was it. He was here and he just had to wait for this student to show up. He spent the next few minutes pondering what she would be like. Little did the boy know just how vast his life was about to change.
Another sharp twang of pain cascaded through his head, causing his elbows to rest on the table in front of him and his head in his hands. He let out a few sharp breaths as he jerked his head up at what he swore was someone's voice. But when he looked around... nothing. Nothing but bookshelves and a few pieces of paper on the table in front of him. What was going on? Perhaps it was just what he had to eat. Yeah... that had to be it.
It did seem to wake him up though.
Some time passed and the young man stood silently in his room. He had his closet doors open but knew he only had one option when it came to clothing. The school uniform laid neatly on his bedside, untouched since the day he picked it up from his new school. With a heavy sigh he lifted it up and felt the rough, prickly coat and mumbled to himself. ”Could be worse…” He thought to himself before continuing his morning. Taking one pants leg at a time and then putting on the undershirt followed by the overshirt. Next came the socks and his belt. He quickly realized just how tiring this must be for the students. Then again, most of them were probably more than used to this kind of thing anyway.
As he felt like he was putting on the finishing touches a voice called out from downstairs.
”Ethan! Come on down. We’ve got breakfast and you don’t want to be late for your first day of school!”
Glancing over himself in the mirror a few more times he called out, ”Coming!” He still felt like his tie wasn’t on right and he quickly realized how much he hated the fact that he had to wear a tie in the first place. He grabbed his bag and then made his way out of his room and down the wooden stairs. He guessed he was still used to his old life because this was not exactly the breakfast he was expecting to see. Multiple different kinds of food were sprawled out over the granite counter and his mother was there, eating away while a woman in a suit seemed to be doing the cooking. The house itself was a bit extravagant. Guess it came with the promotion. Windowed walls gave room to see the large fenced off backyard. A large fireplace stood as the monument to glory in the center of the living space with nice couches and chairs all placed according to good feng shui. The house was two stories, with the master bedroom, kitchen, living space and joining bathroom on the first and two guest bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs.
”Come on, eat up. I’m not going to have my own child going to school on an empty stomach. Besides, the company has offered to help us acclimate to Japan and we would be remise to not take them up on their hospitality.”
His mother then reached into her bag with the notion of remembering something and handed him a set of silver and bronze passes. They looked very similar to bus passes from what he could see. He examined them over the counter as well as the parade of food. He found what looked like some kind of bread bun and bit into it and quickly realized it was some kind of toasted dough filled with some jam. The initial shock was washed away by how pleasant the flavors mixed together. He took another bite before picking up the passes.
”What are these? Passes of some kind? I thought you were driving me to school…”
His mother shook her head and then stood up from the table. Giving the woman at the kitchen a quick word of thanks and a short bow before looking back to Ethan. She had one more thing to hand him, a map of the subway system with the names of stations translated to English. ”No Ethan, I can’t do that. Your school and my job site are on opposite ends of each other so the drive would make me late for work… Now then, this is a good reference map that Mr. Innui worked up for you.”
”Mr. Innui did this? You mean you didn’t-…”
”Ethan, please. Yes. He thought it would be good for you. Anyways, you school is located in Odaiba. Aptly named Odaiba International. You’ve only got to transfer one time and that is from the… Ah, what was it? Jaya? Ginza? I can’t remember. The point is, that map will help you. Now come on, it’s time to go. I’ve got to go to work.”
”Wait wait wait, you didn’t help! Transfer! But what if I miss the train… what if I!”
She cut him off once again with a rather stern look before going to one of the couches and grabbing the rest of her things. ”Ethan, please. I know this is difficult but in time it will become second nature to you. Now go on, I’ve got to go to work and I will not have you late on your first day. Just remember that you will get home before me usually. Some days I might not even come home until the evening or later depending on my work load. The company is counting on me after all and I know you can take care of yourself. You’re old enough.”
With that she was out of the kitchen and off to the side entrance/exit to find the garage. Ethan could basically feel the tension and awkwardness in the air as he felt the eyes of the woman in the kitchen staring at him. Not wanting to make things weird he bowed to her as well and gave a bit of a sloppy thank you in broken Japanese which caused her to laugh and respond with something in English. Just as he opened the door it hit him that she could speak his native tongue. So she heard and comprehended everything that just transpired… great. With a soft sigh he went out and closed the front door. Locking it behind him and taking the steps towards the driveway gate. Since he had no car he simply stepped under the normal car gate that would have to be raised with their IDs and then made his way further into Japan.
As he came closer to the first subway station the sights and smells of the city were initially quite overwhelming. Everything seemed to be so crowed and everyone he saw looked so uncomfortable. He did notice a large number of tourists and there seemed to be more English signs than he was initially thinking. That helped ease his anxiety. With his trusty map in hand he managed to find his first subway station. ”Okay Mr. Innui… you say to get on the… Red line. Then transfer after 4 stops. There’s a big arrow pointing towards a white train line too. That must be the one I transfer to after the stops… I think.”
The call to boarding was a good shock to the young man as several people pushed him to get inside the train before him. Not wanting to cause any sort of scene he let this be and chalked it up to the culture. Putting on a stern face he mustered his resolve and boarded the train. He quickly grabbed on to one of the rails as almost as soon as the doors closed the train began to move. Other than the click clacking of the train car on the rails the subway ride was basically silent. It was crowded as all get out but no one was talking. Was this normal? He kept his wallet and his valuables in his front pocket and as he was thinking to check them he felt a vibration against his thigh. His phone pocket. He reached in and grabbed his phone to check the notification but he saw none.
That's... odd. He unlocked his phone and checked his messages. Nothing new. He glanced over a quick few messages from his friends old group chat they had before he moved away. The last message sent was a few days ago but it had grown a bit silent now. Not wanting to make himself sad he tapped away from it in frustration and then placed his phone back in his pocket. A sudden twang of pain rolled through his forehead making him stagger just a bit. He kept his balance but held his head in his hand as the pain seemed to move away. A few people were staring at him but he paid them no attention. That was quite weird... He didn't feel sick at all.
The automated voice called out the stop in japanese and then english as well as another language but he was already checked the map. He realized that he must have lost track of time as he was already nearing the third stop. Mustering his courage for the final stretch the went back to standing in silence. What a boring train ride.
The subway reached its fourth stop and Ethan checked off and then entered the station. Analyzing the map and moving slowly to find this white line trail that Mr. Innui had marked. Feeling a wave of satisfaction wash over him as he boarded the train and realized just how close he was. The subway blasted off and Ethan took the time to examine the sights. Japan certainly had its natural beauty.
Before long it was over and his stop came. He exited the train and once again checked the map Mr. Innui had made for him. Truly wondering what he would have done if Mr. Innui had not made this for him. Though he felt like a stroke of good luck came over him as he noticed some students wearing the same uniform as him. Surely they must be students at Odaiba International. He knew no uniform was the same.
So, he cautiously followed behind them until the school was in sight. A large black and white rather impressive looking school building stood three stories high. He passed several students and a large amount of shrubbery before climbing the steps to enter the school. Now things were lively with noise and banter of a language he did not seem to understand fully just yet. He checked his student ID and was prepared to awkwardly ask questions but a mature woman seemed to be waiting for him.
"Ethan? Ethan Karmon?" She called while approaching him.
He nodded to her and gave her a small bow. "Uhm... *ahem* Y-Yes ma'am. My name is Ethan Karmon. I'm a student here at Odaiba International. I just transferred and I-"
She stopped him a seemed to giggle just a bit. Nodding before guiding him to an office on the first floor. She motioned for him to sit, and sit he did. She stood on the opposite side of the table and crossed her arms to him.
"Everything go alright getting here? No travel problems?
He seemed perplexed by the questions. And... her ability to speak such fluent english. He did have to admit it was very relaxing to hear words he could understand fully.
"Uh... Uh n-no! No problems. I had help getting here um, you speak English. Very good enlgish. I wasn't expecting..."
She cut him off again with some more laughter before waving her hand.
"Oh, please. We don't just have Japanese students here. You're just one of the many transfer students we have here. I'm actually fluent in English, Spanish, French and I am working on my German."
She let out a few awkward coughs before going back to crossing her arms and putting on that stern expression. "Now then, we've selected a student to help acclimate you to life here at Odaiba International. She's an exceptional student and she was hand picked by the school staff. Any questions you have can be directed to her when she arrives. She knows where to meet you. Just, stay put and she will come for you. We've assigned you to the same homeroom as her for your sake as well. I hope you enjoy your time here at Odaiba, and please do you best not to cause any trouble. The school won't hesistate to kick you out if they catch a whiff of you being a problem student. And if you try to bring down the student that is helping you... well then we will have other problems. Anyways..."
She turned and made her way towards the door. Her heels making heavy footfalls as she did.
Opening it slightly before turning back to him. "Remember, no trouble. I'm not the only one that's watching you. Once the student arrives you will introduce yourself to your homeroom and school will go from there."
With that she left the room, leaving Ethan in silence. He let out a heavy sigh and folded his arms in his chair. Who was that woman? He never asked her name and she didn't have a name tag on so he couldn't get a good look. Maybe the school guidance counselor or something? Either way, this was it. He was here and he just had to wait for this student to show up. He spent the next few minutes pondering what she would be like. Little did the boy know just how vast his life was about to change.
Another sharp twang of pain cascaded through his head, causing his elbows to rest on the table in front of him and his head in his hands. He let out a few sharp breaths as he jerked his head up at what he swore was someone's voice. But when he looked around... nothing. Nothing but bookshelves and a few pieces of paper on the table in front of him. What was going on? Perhaps it was just what he had to eat. Yeah... that had to be it.
