Reito was seconds away from walking a large building. It was 6 stories high and very wide, he’d figured about a couple hundred yards. It was about as grandiose as he remembered. He did at least have to register there, after all.
The email they sent a month ago says Class 3, not like knowin’ that'll help me. I’m better off just wanderin’ around, he figured.
Entering the school, Reito walked down the hall past faces he had never seen before, dropping his head every few seconds to avoid stares and eye contact.
So many people! Shit! I feel like my heart’s gonna burst outta my chest! I knew I wasn't ready for this! “Class 3, Class 3, Class 3!” Reito muttered, nervously speeding to his classroom. “There it is! Finally!”
It was less of a classroom and more of an above average sized lecture hall. It had a theater-like structure, with 6 rows of seats being separated by two sets of steps leading up to the higher seats.
Reito was only really interested in a seat in the far corner that he thought wouldn’t net him much attention. He kept up his pace, while avoiding eye contact with anything that looked like it had a pulse.
“Bingo! Thankfully, my hikikomori practices have basically made me a master of stealth!” Reito snickered to himself rather eerily.
“What’s that creep laughing about?”
“Just ignore him; it’s probably something dirty.”
There were many other comments whispered about Reito’s mannerisms, breaking his self-indulgent moment of greatness.
Ah...guess I got a bit too carried away. Push through it, Reito, you can do this! Shion only wanted me to go to school...but she didn’t say I had to give it my all. So, time for 20%!
The sound of something mechanical filling the room made Reito cease his thoughts. The thing creating it took Reito aback, though. A red robot with treads for feet rolled into the classroom—standing at about four feet. It sat stationary at the podium in front of the class, and spoke, monotonously:
“Greetings, Class 3... Beginning education protocol momentarily...”
““Yes, V.E.T.!””
...Huh? ...A robot...? Reito blinked. He’d figured a school like this would be advanced, there where sweeper bots that roamed about the dormitories on certain hours of the day, after all. Still, a robo-teacher threw him for a loop.
Even so, Reito held to that loophole to laziness as the day continued. He nodded off during class and gave half decent readings of textbook sections during English. When his class was given instructions to run outside during P.E., he stuck his hands in his pocket and broke into what could only be considered a light jog, if anything.
***
Twilight pooled into the classroom as everyone around Reito prepped to end the school day. Being his first time in this type of environment in some time; it exhausted him. His head wobbled left and right as he tried to keep his eyes open. The robot that taught the class had taken its leave a few minutes, prior.
“USODACHIIIIIII!”
“What the hell? Can’t I just enjoy one little moment of triumph?!” Reito cursed, inwardly.
The voice that entered the classroom belonged to a student unfamiliar to Reito. He had silver hair, an oddity, to say the least. It wasn’t the only thing unorthodox about him, though. He had irises in the shape of Xs. Something Reito thought was only possible if you were a Shonen manga character.
“You’ve got some nerve, bastard!” he shouted, stomping up to Reito in a huff.
Fuck. What does he want? I made it a goal NOT to piss anyone off today!
The student made his way Reito and grabbed him by the shirt collar, lifting him from his seat with one hand, mind you. He then proceeded to stare daggers at Reito, sending the other students who’d yet to leave into a murmur.
“Word got out to Zeno’o, huh? Makes sense that someone like him would piss the guy off.”
“Yeah. It’s that guy's first day here and all he’s really done is show that he’s a lazy ass. Getting the attention of number four in the school, too... Hard to feel sorry for him.”
“N-Now, now,” Reito held his hands out, “I think you’ve got the wrong guy, Mr...?”
“Zeno'o. Chikara Zeno'o. Spiky hair and a plain face... You seem to fit the description of the guy I’m looking for.”
Reito glanced down, trembling as he noticed the armband he wore that read “Treasurer” in Kanji. Shit! One of the top 4?! One of the guys Shion said not to cross...?! “O-Okaaay...? That bein’ said, what does someone in the Student Council want with me?” he asked, raising an eyebrow and tilting his head to the side.
Chikara let out a faint growl, tightening his grip. “Ain’t it obvious? Reito Usodachi, according to your stats, you haven’t set foot in the academy for actual classes until today. You accepted the invitation—registered for attendance—then spent fifty days in the City without attending a single class! I’m sure you’re still sent your mandated stipend every two weeks, while you use the living quarters provided by the school. It’s not hard to figure out that you’ve just been abusing the system to live how you want! What’ve you even been doing?! Eating, sleeping, reading manga and playing video games all day? Do you even have a good reason for something like that?!”
“W-Well, the thing about that is...” A distraught look was brought to Reito’s face as he, for some reason, stopped struggling against Chikara’s grip—the bystanding students with surprised expressions and hands held over their mouths. “I...can’t really get into it... Just know it’s for the best, alright?” Reito shot back while attempting, with much difficulty, to show remorse on his face. “At any rate, I’m just here today cuzza this because of a favor I owe. Trust me, the last thing I wanna do is take up the same space as you. I’ll be outta your hair by day's end, so calm down, dude,” He proclaimed, gripping Chikara’s fingerless gloves while returning him an assured glare.
“You don’t get it, do you? If I let you alone, it flies in the face of what the Student Council stands for! The fact that you think I’ll sit by while you just walk off... I oughta-!”
As Chikara raised his fist to strike Reito in retaliation to what he thought was spite, a small feminine frame appeared out of nowhere and kicked his arm away, diverting the punch.
Judging by the gasps of some of the students watching, they knew exactly who she was.
“It’s her...! Fulgur Shade!”
“She seriously went outta her way to save him? Well, she has always been really nice...”
What the-?! Talk about comin’ outta nowhere! All decked out in ninja gear too?! Kickass! Reito was stunned, still in Chikara’s grasp by his grey “SOL” print undershirt.
A sweet, upbeat tone exited the girl’s lips. “Y’know, you could stand to have some patience, Kara. Be slow to speak and anger, why don’tcha?” She whimsically advised.
The red dogi she wore gave her the appearance of a kunoichi. A headband with a forehead protector went in front of her long, flowing yellow hair.
“Like I’ll listen to someone who’s always joking around, Tanaka! And wipe that smirk off your face already! You should be mad, too!”
She shot him a wide smirk in return. “Naaah. Come ooon. You know me, Kara! Long as I’m able to smile, I’ll keep it going! Normally, you’d be laughing along with me. ‘Sides, you could learn a thing or two from me. Like, how to lighten up,” she said, gesturing at the shocked faces of students witnessing the event unfolding before their eyes; the violent atmosphere causing most of them to leave as quietly as they could.
“Damn...” He released Reito from his grasp, making him hit the ground with a loud thud.
“Come on! Didja hafta drop me?!” He asked, rubbing his back.
“Sorry about that; lost myself for a second, there,” Chikara apologized, rubbing the back of his head with a frown. “There’s a better way to deal with someone like you... I’ll just hafta beat you so bad that even the thought of coming here again’ll scare you stiff.”
Reito shivered a bit before opening his mouth again. “Th...This wouldn’t happen to be a challenge...would it?”
“Well, what else would you call it? If you don’t accept, everyone’s opinion of you is gonna get even more strained...and I don’t think you can afford that.”
Hesitating, Reito thought back to what Shizuka had asked of him. Normally, he wouldn’t have even considered a fight if he could say no to it, but she did come to save him not only the day before, but many times, prior. She was the only one he called a friend, and this was one of the only things she’d ever asked of him. Reito figured this could repay his debt to her, at least by a little bit. So, he stood up to face his soon to be opponent with a sigh.
“Not like I really care about rep or anythin’; but at the same time, I’ve got a reason I can't exactly do what I want and back outta this. So, sure... Let’s go a round.”
“And here I thought you’d try to talk your way out of this... Guess I misjudged you on one thing, Usodachi,” Chikara admitted. “In forty minutes, time, we’ll meet at the arena behind the school. Get ready.”
Chikara had strode out of the classroom, but, for whatever reason, the petite girl who’d saved Reito from a beating right then and there, stayed.
“Gotta hand it to you, Tochi, not many people get the courtesy of Kara challenging ‘em. Usually, it’s the other way around. You’re a lucky one,” the yellow-haired kunoichi-looking girl said, looking up to him with a smile.
Tochi? ...Whatever...not important, Reito brushed off her sudden use of a nickname. “Y-yeah... Although, this is definitely the bad luck I’m familiar with,” he stuttered as he addressed her. “U-um...your n-name...he said it was Tanaka, righ-?”
She put a hand out, cutting him off. “Cut the formalities right there! Kara’s way too bullheaded to use the name I prefer. Name’s Evie Tanaka! Just call me Evie, kay?
“Okay...? Evie.” With her smile, he felt his face start get hot, ignoring the sensation best he could. Damn...she’s kinda cuteauugh! What am I thinkin’?! I promised myself I’d never be weak to a pretty face again! “Th-Thanks for savin’ me from a black eye. A-although, guess I’ve got way worse to worry about, now,” Reito said, bringing a palm to his forehead before he noticed that she wore a similar armband with the kanji for “Secretary” on it. “Hold on a sec! You’re on the Council too... Don’t you have a problem with me?”
“Do I...?” She paused to think. “Hmm... Well, that depends... Whaddya think about ninjas...?
Suddenly, her tone got serious, and she stared at him in anticipation. Her brows even knitted her brows a tad.
It was an odd question, but one anyone would be able to figure out the safest answer to by just looking at her. If he answered wrong, she’d probably become cross with him as well, judging by her change in demeanor. Of course, he wouldn’t want to even think about going toe to toe against someone who’d basically teleported into view. Her odd question would cause some to look twice. Reito, however, didn’t dwell on it for a picosecond.
An uncharacteristically giant smile came to his face, his eyes shone with child-like whimsy. “Are ya kiddin’?! Ninjas are cool as hell! When I watched Naruto for the first time, I couldn't believe how awesome it was! Shootin’ huge fireballs outta their mouths, makin’ giant toads and snakes appear outta thin air like magicians! Not to mention, the way they fight! Hand to hand combat at its finest! Throwin’ kunai and shuriken! And let’s not forget the coolest weapon of ‘em all: The Demon Wind Shuriken! Course, controllin’ elements and powers like that are run-of-the-mill, nowadays, thanks to this whole “Path” thing; but ninjas coined it first! And don’t get me started on Stryder! I played it for a whole week straight when I got a copy, he’s-!” Reito stopped his fanboying to notice she’d just been standing there, tilting her head and blinking.
He could talk to Shizuka about a lot of things, but when it came to some of his more niche interests, he restrained himself. His sudden outburst was likely due to suppressing it for so long.
“Hrrk!” He froze up. Damn it! When she mentioned ninjas, I couldn’t help it! Talk about diggin’ my own grave! I’m just gonna get called a fuckin’ nerd!
“...Pfft! Hee-hee-hee! Seriously?! You gave me an entire essay! It was just one question! Come on!” Evie found it so humorous that she had leaned forward to grab her sides.
“Urrgggh! H-Hey! Shut your trap! It wasn’t that funny!” Reito stammered with a flushed face, pointing at her.
Evie’s laughter faded as she wiped her tear-filled eyes, wiping her tear-filled eyes. “Sorry, sorry. I’m not laughing to make fun or anything. See, usually when I ask folks that question, they shoot me a straight, “yes”, almost instantly. Ninjas are awesome, why wouldn’t they? But you,” she pointed at him, “you went above and beyond! That look in your eye, the fast-paced ranting, the goofy smile. It just screamed passion! To someone who answered me like that, I can only say, no problems here, bucko!”
Reito went wide eyed, feeling relieved that she didn’t just spend the next decade making fun of him. He couldn’t dwell on that feeling for much longer, though, as he began to wonder why her anger didn’t flare at the sight of him.
“That so...? Kinda weird you don’t have a stick up your butt like he did.”
“Well, I’m not sure about the upper schools, but the Kita Student Council each have their own way of viewing things. Kara just happens to be a fiery type of guy,” she explained, looking away with a finger to her chin.
Evie turned back to Reito, noticing he was avoiding her gaze, then, stepped a little closer to him as he instinctively looked away once more, his face reddening.
“Hey...you alright? You’re shining a mighty bright red, there.”
“I’m f-fine,” Reito responded, bringing his arms up to guard his face.
She examined him more before snapping. “Ah, I get it~ You shy? Are ya? Huuuh~? I know I’m a cutie and all, but try to get a hold of yourself!” Her mouth curved into a cat-like grin as she mercilessly teased him, playfully poking him in the side.
Reito had been a NEET for quite a while, and during that time, the only girl he interacted with day-to-day was Shizuka. It wasn’t that he didn’t view her as a girl, though. While Reito does think she doubles as a guy friend when it comes down to it, it was more so that he’d gotten used to her presence. But now, he was face to face with a new female face, one that he thought was extremely cute, also. Obviously, being how he is, he didn’t want to show it. Instead, opting to deter her curiosity.
Distancing himself from her bit by bit, his eyes darted around before he coughed and closed his eyes. “N-Nothin’... You’re probably just seein’ things.” CLOSE! CLOSE! WAAAAAY TOOOO CLOSEEE!
“Mmmhhmmm...” She skeptically squinted.
(Continued in Part 2)
Comments (0)
See all