บท 1: Strange Trip Home
They say variety is the spice of life. Though, that's easier said then done when one is poor. Especially when it comes to shopping for food.
"Let's see, bean sprouts, check. Bread crusts, check. Ooh, there's two beef nearly on expired deals? Definitely gonna spoil myself today." For Kouji Arisawa, his life consists of trying to find the best deals to at least keep up with demands of hunger.
His parents passed away when he was just nine. Finally, he had been able to move away from his uncle the moment he turned 15. While it was nice to finally get that inheritance he was given by his parents, that money wasn't going to last forever.
"That should be everything." He placed what he gathered onto the counter for the cashier. Kouji had done this every week without fail to make sure he got the best deals. Otherwise he wouldn't be shopping on a Tuesday. There was something different today though, the person ringing him up.
Usually, it was an older lady at this time. But the girl standing before him was much younger. In fact, she looked like she was his age. Not that he would say it to her, but she was really cute. Her pink hair tied up in a bun, she might not be one to stand out, but that smile of her made him want to smile.
What didn't make him want to smile was how long she was taking. He could handle that she was likely new to the job, but even rookies don't take as long as her.
"Then… It's… 50." She spoke rather slowly, as if trying to think of what next word she should mutter. "Where's?" She stared at the register, trying to find what button she should press. Kouji sighed, this was really cutting into time he was going to spend on homework.
He took a note of her name tag. It read 'Yuwa Onodera', so he made sure that if she's ever working, that he should find a better time to shop.
"It'll be 3178 yen." She finally told him, but he knew for a fact that was incorrect.
"What? No, I'm sure that it should be lower than that." Before paying for anything, he always added up the costs ahead of time. "The two meat here, they're on sale." He pointed over to their labels.
"Oh, you're right. I'm really sorry." She responded to him. If he had any semblance of not wanting to wait, then he shouldn't have complained. This girl was taking ages.
Finally, after spending at least 15 minutes for a rather small order. He was able to pay and leave this counter. It was such a tiring experience, and all he was doing was stand there.
Now it was time to head home, not super far away, but definitely further than the closest convenience store from his house. After all, the deals were a bit more important. Though he was going to have to take the train to get back.
However, if he wanted an uneventful trip, then his wish was not going to be granted. While walking, carrying his bag of food for the week, someone stopped him.
"Um, excuse me…" A girl with silver hair approached him. The way she talked, the way she looked. Something seemed different to her, probably a foreigner. "I am, l-lost." She struggled to speak, as if she was still learning the language.
"So you need directions?" He asked to make sure.
"Right." She seemed to be able to understand him fine. "Do you know where… the train station is?" Compared to the last girl he talked with, she spoke a little quicker, but it was kind of hard for him to understand her at times.
"Train station? I'm going there right now, so you can just follow me."
"Thanks!" She expressed her gratitude very easily. And so together, they started to make their way to their destination. "So what is your name?" She asked him.
"It's…" He couldn't believe how easygoing she was about this. They literally just met, and all she was asking for was directions. "Kouji Arisawa."
"That sounds like a nice name." She said. "My name is Anastasia Shiga." Her first name definitely wasn't Japanese, but her family name was. "So Kouji, where do you live? It seems like a far place if you have to take a train to shop?"
"I just really like the store I go to." That was only partially a lie. It was a nice store, but saving money is the only reason he went there. "I just want to tell you, since it sounds like you're not from around here. But you shouldn't call people by their first name if you've just met them."
"Oh, I am sorry. I did not mean to offend you." She apologized. "So that explains it." She also muttered quietly to herself.
"It's no big deal, and I guess if you want to call me Kouji, it's fine with me." The way this girl acted, he felt that it would be better for her if she could be as informal she was. Not that it mattered to him, since they weren't going to see each other after this. Soon enough they reached the train station, and together they got on the train.
"Thanks." She said again as they sat down next to each other. "I was trying to find my way home. I think when we get to my stop, then I will know how to get there."
"Great, uh, are you new here?"
"Yes, I was looking around, but I got lost." She had walked around trying to learn about the city she moved in to, but soon street signs got confusing to her and she didn't even know where she started. "I am from Russia." That certainly explained the name to him.
Well, talking with a lovely girl his age wasn't a bad plan. Too bad it was hard to enjoy it when the only other passenger in the same area as them was some girl listening to music much too loud.
First off, it was clear she must've had some open-back headphones, as the sound was leaking out to the point they could hear it. The other problem being that she acted as if they weren't there. Singing rather loudly to herself.
Judging from the two bags she was keeping beside her, it was clear that she had just finished a shopping excursion like what he just did. Though, unlike him, where he at least tried to look presentable to the public. It was clear that her outfit was far from ladylike.
Her loose fitting long sleeve shirt, with blue sleeves and a black torso. Those plain shorts, it was like she didn't even change from what she woke up in. Nor did she do her black hair. It was messy, and you couldn't even see one of her eyes like that.
That music was really annoying him, it sounded like some idol song or something. Kouji just had to do something about it.
"Hang on a moment." He told Anastasia, then he got up and walked to this strange girl. "Hey!" No response. "Hey!" He snapped his fingers in front of her, that got her attention.
"What?" She asked, as if what she was doing wasn't a problem.
"Look, there's other people here. Can you please not sing out loud, and lower that volume too."
"Heh, why should I?" She challenged him. "These are the only headphones I got, so too bad for you they leak sound."
"I'm just asking you to be a little more quiet. Can you at least do that?"
"What, am I bothering you from trying to flirt with some girl?" She looked over to Anastasia. "Hey lady, you should be careful around guys like him, he probably wants to do something lewd to you!"
"That's not what I'm doing at all!" He defended, hoping that Anastasia didn't believe that. Soon the train stopped.
"Well looks like my stop." The girl got up. "You two have fun, and I hope to see you losers never." She laughed as she exited the train, leaving the two of them dumbfounded.
"Hey Kouji?" She asked him, as the train picked up speed once more. "What does lewd mean?" That was not something he wanted to answer.
After some time passed, he had finally gotten to his stop. Coincidentally, this was also her stop as well.
"Say, how long have you lived here?" He asked her. If she was around his age, then it seemed she didn't go to his school.
"I moved here a month ago." She answered. "I go to Tenfumi Academy." Wow, so that's why he never saw her before. Aside from the fact that it was different schools, the one she went to was really special.
Tenfumi Academy was the premier school of this city, no more accurately, the entire region. A lot of very well off parents would send their children here. Specifically daughters, since it was an all-girls school.
Which was too bad for him, since going to a school like that would've been amazing for his future. Sadly not only was he not a girl, but there was no way to afford that tuition cost at all. Not for someone like him.
"What about you?" She asked him.
"It's… Not really important." He answered, feeling a little sad at hearing what she said. Except, now that he was thinking of it. It was a little weird seeing this girl talking with him. Given what he knew about the girls that went to this school, they kind of didn't really care for people like him. Such as…
"Ugh, I can't believe this!" Exhibit A. A girl was standing besides her servant by their broken down car. "How long until this gets fixed?"
"I'm sorry miss, but it appears we'll have to call for another vehicle to pick us up."
"How worthless could you be?" She complained, then she spied over to the couple that were walking by this site. "What are you staring at!" Quickly enough, she was able to recognize the girl. "You're Shiga, correct?"
"Yes, I am." She confirmed. "We go to the same school, yes?"
"Correct, but more importantly, why are you hanging out with a loser like him?" Kouji could've lived without the insult, but that was the reality of dealing with a girl like her.
"I don't really think he is a loser… He is my friend after all." She responded. Wow that girl was really moving quick in this relationship.
"Yeah, I'm no loser." He told her, getting really annoyed with these antics. "So while you wait in this blazing heat, I'll be going home. So who's the real loser?" With that, he left.
"Don't you think you two were a bit mean to each other?" Anastasia asked him, catching back up.
"Look, that's just how it is with students at your school with people like me. We just don't get along." The girl he had just talked with, that was probably the most annoying of them all. He seemed to run into her more often than he'd like. Probably because he lived rather close to the school itself, it was even closer than the school he was going to.
That girl was Himawari Oshiba, definitely the most well known girl at Tenfumi. With her long blonde twin tails, she was the beauty of the school. Her snow white skin stayed that way even with this growing spring heat thanks to the umbrella she kept with her.
"I think that is a shame. If the two of you were nicer, than you wouldn't agrue." When it came to girls from that school, she was certainly the one that annoyed him the most. Well, as a skateboard came screaming towards him, absolutely destroying his ankle as it hit. Himawari was the second most annoying girl to him. Because…
"Yo, you should watch where you're going." A girl laughed at him as he bent over in pain. Exhibit B. "Wouldn't want to get hurt or anything." She said sarcastically.
"And you should watch where you kick that thing!" He kicked her skateboard towards her. The girl standing before him, was Teru Wakiyama. If one took a look at her, she certainly didn't seem like the type of girl to go to this school.
Her short red hair, that cap put on backwards, and her loose jacket. One would think she was a delinquent dropout. That was half true, she was a delinquent. Sitting next to her were a couple of other girls that didn't go to the academy, just more trouble makers that go to his.
"Sorry, did I embarrass you in front of… say, ain't you the new girl?" She turned her attention to his companion. "What are you doing with a loser like this?" Unlike the last person to call him that, this was a disrespect to him as a person instead of his social standing.
"Just ignore her." He instructed her. "I'd like to be able to get home before dark."
"Yeah that's right, go run away like the pussy you are." He ignored her, and left with Anastasia. This trip was really draining for him.
"That girl." She started. "I have heard from others that she is a mean person."
"That's just the nice way to say it." He responded. "But it's no big deal. She's not someone I can't handle." With that, this trip home was finally finished. He had reached his house, a one-room apartment that was the cheapest he could find. Its poor quality being an indicator of that. Interestingly, a very nice apartment was literally down the road, which really showcased the difference in value.
"So this is where you live?" She asked him. Taking the time to really scan it.
"Yeah, you'll be able to find your way home from here, right?"
"Of course." She said proudly. "I live in that building over there." She pointed right over to the nice apartment, which floored him.
"That's a really nice place you live at." He said nervously, though he should've known given what school she went to.
"I really like it." She said, not realizing the difference between them. Before walking away, she turned to him to say one thing. "I hope that we can meet again." She said with a smile.
"Yeah…" Kouji wasn't sure if that was the best thing for her. After all, the other students would probably disrespect her for associating with him. Anastasia walked away, leaving him right at the front of his apartment.
However, before he could even move. He felt a hand placed onto his shoulder. Turning his head to face whoever touched him, he was greeted with an older lady standing right beside him. Without even noticing, there was a limo parked behind her.
He didn't need to ask who she was, as he already recognized her. This was Isako Nohara, better known as the headmistress of Tenfumi academy. But, why was she here?
"You shouldn't be afraid." She told him, speaking very formally to him. Though this was far from a normal situation. "Why don't we have a chat in your apartment? I think you'll like what we have to say to you."
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