Nami

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, taking in my long black hair and black eyes. Although those were my physical characteristics then to avoid suspicions regarding my true identity as an angel and blend in in Tokyo, I could still see my long white hair, light blue eyes, and light blue wings hidden beneath my human form. 

A shadow of sadness fell upon me as I recalled my departure from the castle, Sora’s words lingering in the back of my mind non-stop.

“Be careful in Tokyo, Nami. Demons have been living there for years, perfectly disguised as humans. If you cross paths with them someday, contact me immediately and stay put in your apartment. Even though the Peace Pact between the Kingdom of Angels and the Kingdom of Demons should be enough to protect you, you must not let your guard down until we reach the bottom of the attacks,” he warned, his protective and brotherly demeanor filling my heart with love.

I scanned my school uniform—the dark green blazer, white collared shirt, dark green necktie, and dark green and white pleated skirt kind of suited me well. Despite that, I still missed my robes and tunics. It had been one month since I had first arrived in Tokyo, and the thing I found most annoying was picking outfits that matched, as, apparently, I could not go out to the streets in fabrics that did not fall into the category of fashionable. Well, at least that was what my instructor told me at the castle when I was preparing to come to the human realm.

“Oh, no. I am going to be late,” I grumbled while grabbing my black shoulder bag and running to the front door. After slipping into my black shoes, I left the old yet cute apartment Father and Mother had rented for me in a calm and simple neighborhood and rushed my steps to the train station.

Thirty minutes later, my heart thumped in anticipation as I watched the commotion inside the train wagon, which was filled with adults going to work and sleepy students dreading the beginning of another school term.

Speaking of school, somehow, Father and Mother had managed to enroll me at Mori Senior High School—a prestigious private senior high school.  According to their statements, they wanted me to finish the third grade like a normal teenager, which explained why they insisted that I be mentored in all the subjects from a young age.

My teachers in the Kingdom of Angels were angels who had the opportunity to excel academically in the human realm. They were not born and raised in the latter, per se, as they were sent there by my father, who was the king at the time. However, a decade later, they were ordered to return to the kingdom after having learned all about the residents’ customs, language, behavior, traditions, etc.

As I stared out the window, lost in my thoughts, the young woman standing next to me said, “Excuse me. I don’t mean to be rude, but judging by your uniform, you’re a student at Mori Senior High School, aren’t you?”

I looked at her, my face expressionless. “Yes, I am.”

She grinned, excited. “Wow, that’s incredible. I tried to enroll there three times, but they turned me down due to my poor grades on the tests. How much did you score to be accepted?”

Tests? Score? Accepted? What is this girl talking about?

I furrowed my brows, puzzled. “Apologies, but I do not think I understand your question.”

Before she could retort, the station’s name I was supposed to disembark at echoed throughout the wagon, saving me from the uncomfortable conversation with the unknown human. 

“Excuse me.” I shot her a small smile that did not reach my eyes and made my way to the nearest door on the appointed side, rushing out as soon as it opened.

By that point, I had ridden the train and walked the way to school a number of times in order to memorize it, but no matter how hard I tried, I still struggled to find the correct exit and not get lost. 

“Good grief. Why is this place so complicated?” I mumbled when I realized I had taken the wrong turn—yet again—and spun on my heels to return to the main turnstiles. Making matters worse, my undergarments were irritating me, even though I was wearing the cotton and cute ones that were not suited for dates, as warned by my instructor.

“Hey, are you lost?” a beautiful girl asked me, a friendly smile splashed across her face. “We’re schoolmates, look.” She pointed at her blazer, which featured the Mori School emblem—a single school building surrounded by trees. “Isn’t that cool?”

As I gazed at her blankly, I silently wondered what was up with those humans who kept talking to me without even knowing me. Was that a common behavior, or could they sense I was an angel and were preying upon me? Was she planning on murdering me? Was she a demon, perhaps?

The girl chuckled, unfazed by my lack of reaction, and introduced herself. “Nice to meet you. My name is Aimi Shiokawa.” She waved nonchalantly.

Suddenly, the princess in me awoke, prompting me to curtsy and tell her my name in the politest tone I could muster. “I extend my sincere apologies. I am Nami Fukuyama. It is an honor to make your acquaintance.”

There was a moment of silence as I glanced at the girl, who was gaping at me.

“Why are you so formal? Are you a noble or something?” She burst out laughing.

I covered my mouth with my hands and flinched, panicking. 

 Has she discovered my true identity?

She threw an arm around my neck and started heading to one of the exits. “Nami-chan, let’s be friends. What do you think?”

Nami-chan?

“Friends?” I gasped, her proximity and overall manners shocking me to the core. 

“What grade are you in?” 

“Third grade,” I replied as we walked out of the station. 

The rude and over-friendly girl jumped in front of me, her eyes shining. “Really? Me too. I hope we’re in the same class.”

I really hope we are not.

I took a minute to inspect her frame. She was tall and thin, had short dark hair and brown eyes, and was fairly attractive. She reminded me of the girls I saw in the fashion magazine I bought the week before.  

“You’re a transfer student, aren’t you? I’ve never seen you at school,” she observed, curiosity emanating from her voice. “Where are you coming from?”

What a nosy human.

“I have come from the Kingdom of—er, I mean, Aichi-ken,” I said, mentally scolding myself for almost revealing my true birthplace.

She clapped her hands together, looking even more excited. “Aichi-ken? My grandparents live there.”

As she rambled about her family and the city I was supposedly from, I watched in awe as the many cherry blossom trees, in full bloom, towered over the path to the main entrance of the school. The flowery smell and the sound of the delicate pink petals swirling in the breeze transported me back to my favorite spot in the castle in the Kingdom of Angels and its beautiful scenery. 

Tokyo was a beautiful and nice country to live in, even for those who were not used to people or technology like me— I still had not figured out how to find my own number on my smartphone, and only recently had I learned what ‘surfing the internet’ meant. Social media accounts? Pfft. I did not even know how to take a picture with the cursed device.

“Nami-chan, hello,” Shiokawa-san exclaimed, waving a hand in front of my face. “You spaced out.”

“Huh? Apologies for my rudeness.” I apologized immediately, ashamed for acting so rudely toward a person. “I was just admiring the sakura trees.”

“They are beautiful, aren’t they?” 

I smiled. “Yes, they are.”

“Aimi,” a boy called out from afar.

“Oh, it’s Katsudon,” remarked Shiokawa-san, her eyes falling upon a group of people standing in front of the school gates. “Come on; I want to introduce you to my friends,” she told me before darting in their direction, not minding to look back and check if I was following her, which, by the way, I was not.

I blended in among the other students and managed to walk past her without being noticed. However, it proved to be all in vain when, later in the morning, the 3-D teacher introduced me to the class, and a loud and excited shriek coming from the nosy girl informed me that, unfortunately, we were, indeed, in the same class.

“Everyone, this is Nami Fukuyama. She is a transfer student from Aichi-ken,” the homeroom teacher announced while I stood in front of the class looking awkward, out of place, and nervous. “Let’s make her feel welcome.” She glanced at me and nodded.

I took a deep breath before saying, “My name is Nami Fukuyama, and I am honored to be here.” My tone was firm, polite, and low, yet loud enough so that my classmates could hear me clearly.

The whispers remarking how beautiful I was did not go unnoticed, nor did the few commenting on my expressionless face and overall lack of emotion. Someone even used the word ‘spoiled’ to describe their first impression of me. Not that those mattered, as I did not intend to be friends with any of them or interact with them at all.

“Fukuyama-san, you may take a seat at that empty desk,” the teacher instructed, pointing at a desk in the back of the classroom, to which I complied immediately, relieved that it was nowhere near the nosy girl’s.

As I gracefully sat on the chair with my head low, the boy in front of me turned around and smiled broadly. Much to my surprise, his hair and eyes were green, although it was evident that those were not his natural features—hair dye and colored contacts must have been a must for him.

“Hey, I’m Katsu Watanabe. It’s nice to meet.” He gave me a small wave.

Katsu? The name sounded familiar for some reason.

“I am Nami Fukuyama. It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Watanabe-san.” I nodded lightly.

“There’s no need for formalities.” He laughed. “All my friends call me Tonkatsu.”

“I appreciate your kindness, but if you do not mind, I would prefer to address you as Watanabe-san.” I hesitated, uncomfortable.

He laughed again, unbothered. “Watanabe-san it is, then.” He winked and turned his attention back to the teacher.

Humans are extremely tiring. 

* * *

Lunch break arrived once the Opening Ceremony ended. As I made my way to the school cafeteria, I was anything but pleased by Shiokawa-san’s insistence on following me. I chose to eat white rice, fried chicken, soup, and potato salad, whereas she went for a big bowl of curry and white rice.

Before I could head to an empty table, the nosy girl warned, “Don’t even think about ditching me again, Nami-chan. You’re sitting with my friends and me whether you want to or not.” She glared at me intently.

I sighed, “Fine.”

She led me to a table where the same group of students from the gate was chatting and eating their lunches. I recognized Wanatabe-san almost instantly, explaining why I found his name familiar when he introduced himself during homeroom.

“Guys, this is Nami-chan, the new member of our group,” Shiokawa-san announced, grinning. “Be nice to her,” she added, squeezing her eyes at the boy next to Watanabe-san, “and I mean you, Yuu-kun.”

I made no effort to find the particular target of her caution, as I was too busy savoring the mouthwatering food I had carefully chosen before reluctantly sitting across from her. Besides, I was not interested in knowing her friends. One detail caught my attention, though—the students at the other tables did not stop giggling and swooning over the ones I was with, hinting that the latter carried a significant level of popularity there. 

“I would never mistreat your new friend, Aimi,” the boy responded, sounding offended. I could feel his eyes on me as he continued, “Nami-chan, is it?”

I finally glanced up from my food, gasping softly at the sight of the most handsome human boy I had ever seen. When our gazes met, his mesmerizing hazel eyes, messy light brown hair, and flawless skin took my breath away. 

As we stared at each other, suddenly, I caught a glimpse of a shadowy form with dark red hair, dark brown horns, and light red eyes enveloping him. To say that I was startled was an understatement. 

Is that a demon?

I blinked a couple of times and no longer saw what had looked like a demon just seconds before, which confused me. 

Did I imagine it? Am I losing my mind?

As I refocused on the handsome boy, I was taken aback that his aghast expression mirrored mine. I wondered if he saw my angel form at the same time I glimpsed the scary figure, which would confirm that he was, in fact, a demon.

* * *