Ryou Giou's Story

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"Let me sleep
as I do, I will have dreams
in them, I could get to see you
smiling at me so serenely and happy
so, let me sleep like this
never wake me up."

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██The morning alarm rang inside a very empty bedroom. It was large with a sporadic touch of furniture and a simple design to give it a flair of personality. The owner is currently up and about as he stayed with his little brother, Hikaru, helping the young one with some summer homework. Hikaru could have done it with their aunt and cousins, but the little one wanted to do it with him. What else was he going to do about that, but agree. So technically, he was the one who toiled around with the written assignment and the art project while Hikaru fell asleep in the middle of it.

Ryou released a big sigh and looked at the sleeping Hikaru who he placed on the bed. "You better had nice dreams." He softly said as he pat Hikaru's head gently before leaving the room. His eyes directly went to the wall clock hanging in the hall and saw that it was just a few hours before sunrise. "No use sleeping. What better to do but have a morning jog. He returned to his room hearing his alarm clock which he turned off and then changed into his running gear.

He then slipped out of the house not wanting to wake up everyone else. Everyone could still use the few minutes of sleep, unlike him. This was actually an everyday routine for him, working out to keep himself fit and also to pump up some blood to his body in a sense. But, he might not be able to do some weights when he returns home, since he is a bit short on time. He'll just compensate for it after classes. Speaking of which, he could already feel that there are others joining him for a run. It's not his business really, but when it's all girls around his age and even some housewives running with him. They all want one thing. It's rather annoying and so, he did what he always does.

Run faster.

He did that once he heard one of the females getting his attention with a morning greeting with that overly cheerful voice and a tone suggesting not-so-innocent intentions. He blasted himself away, making it look like he never heard them as they tried to run after him. It was like a scene out of a comic book or cartoon, but it does happen in real life, his life. Anyway, he managed to finish his run a bit faster and he did make good sweat. Once he entered the house, he took off his shirt in which he heard someone whistling which was actually his Aunt. "Nice body as always, Ryou-kun! No wonder the females in our neighborhood are starting their fitness training by running with you. They want to have a body like yours definitely!" He really doesn't know how to take those cheerful words of hers, but he did accept the towel that was handed to him to wipe his sweat.

"Mom, those girls are not interested in getting fit. Believe me." There was another voice popping out, this time, it was his female cousin, Reisha who has an all-knowing smirk on her face. "Ryou-kun, don't just remove your shirt. We're all girls here." She said with a pointed look but a polite smile before disappearing to her room. "I wonder if Reisha is jealous of your body too, Ryou-kun. Anyway, don't mind her. You should go clean up. You have an early day at school, right?" Ryou nodded at that and went to his room. Honestly, he would never understand the thinking of women. They're much scarier than those criminals being reported on the news.

But his Aunt is right; he has to come at Airdalen at an earlier schedule because of some program. He wasn't keen on it, but it's needed to be done. He just hopes that it won't be a freshman who would do nothing but ogle at him and ask matters which is nobody's business. Taking a deep breath, he entered his bathroom to do his morning rituals. A few minutes passed, he was done and was now wearing his Airdalen Uniform. It was still loose on him, but got a bit shorter. This only meant he was still getting tall. He wondered where he got this growth spurt from, since typical Japanese people are not that tall to begin with. This is also one of the problems why he's just too easy to be noticed.

Shaking his head, he left that thought at that and exited his room. He was welcomed by the smell of breakfast where everyone was already there to start their day. His uncle reminded him to behave and he simply ended that conversation with him being done eating. He stood up and patted Hikaru's head and his other cousin, Trixie's as well who both bid him a safe trip. Really, he respects the man and is grateful for taking him and his little brother in, but, they just don't see on some things eye-to-eye. It's stressful, but nothing he couldn't manage.

He was then out of the house and began to travel to his school. If it was him, he would have preferred a public school. He knew well how expensive Airdalen is. It's true they have the money that their parents left them, but he didn't want to spend it lavishly. He does need to think of Hikaru's future, not just only his. But, it was his Uncle's orders, so he can't do anything about it. Another sigh came out of his lips as he now found himself waiting for a bus. The other passengers looked at him and he could feel it. There was also a few sounds of his pictures being taken by their phones. He could also hear some murmurs about him being a student at Airdalen. The uniform was a giveaway. That was fine as long as they don't do anything that can be labeled as intrusive and he was used to it. He just wonders when would this people get tired gawking at him, he was just a normal human boy, a bit tall, well taller than them all, but that's it.

This country was really different from where he was born and raised in, but, he have to get used it. Yeah, just get used to it. The bus finally arrived and he got in. After a few minutes, he was at Airdalen Academy. There were not much students as it would only be the Seniors and the Freshmen present for the program as he remembered. It was nice. He could use the peace, unlike the scenario every first day of classes for him. It was like being attacked by a mob. Shaking those thoughts away, he entered the gates while presenting his ID at the guard. The elderly man motioned to button up his uniform. He gave a nod and walked away. He was never the prim and proper kind, he wore his uniform casually. Anyway, he noticed instantly a tall guy (Johnny) just a few meters ahead of him. That was new to his eyes. He had never had someone almost tall as him. This must be a good sign.

His eyes moved away and saw another pair of students (Rhys and Shiori) at the benches. He remembers the girl (Shiori) as she often comes by at the store. He left it at that and took his position at the opposite side where there are other empty benches. Right now, he wanted to be alone. He took his seat and leaned there for a while. There was still time. He could take this for a few minutes of much needed sleep. He needed it and just like that, he let the warm yet cold breeze of spring lull him to a sleep as his eyes closed, hiding his silver-gray eyes for now. His breathing evened out. No one should bother him here, at the very least.

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STATS

Physical + 1 (Ryou)

Silence filled the cool air. It wasn't the kind of silence that was completely devoid of noise, but rather human noise. Birds were quietly singing to themselves. The wind rustled the leaves of the many trees that were scattered about the shrine's housing. A small figure shifted under the bed sheets, seemingly moving closer towards the edges of the raised futon. Eventually the small figure fell out of her bed with a soft thud. "Owie." Soft green eyes searched the room for the clock that was bound to go off any minute now and there it was, on the other side of the futon. Mai looked closer and saw that she only had a about a minute to turn it off. She quickly got back into the futon and crawled as quickly as she could to the clock. The clock was only able to make a small ring before her hand slammed down on the snooze button and it's ring died off. Releasing a sigh of relief, Mai officially got up for the day.

The sounds of doors sliding open and closed could be heard throughout the house as everyone got up. Mai wasn't the only one who rose early but she knew a few who chose to sleep in despite it not being their best interest. One such person being her cousin Ren. She had slipped out of her nightgown and now wore a plain t-shirt, shorts and socks all of which was under the apron she wore to cook. Unlike many in the house Mai was one of the few who could cook. The small girl entered their kitchen and was soon joined by a few others, both male and female, to begin preparing breakfast. They were done within the hour of which Mai left before they had finished, she had been kicked out so she could prepare for her first day of school.

Despite ordering the smallest size possible, her uniform was still a bit loose but nothing a little tailoring couldn't fix. Mai looked at herself in the full length mirror. Her body only filled half of the mirror's length and she was reminded once again of her unbelievably short stature. A small pout laid itself on her near porcelain skin but she patted her cheeks and forced a smile, albeit a small one. Finally heading back to the kitchen Mai was bombarded by various smells. The others were quick to notice her presence and once again she was ushered out of the kitchen. Not knowing what else to do Mai sat down at their table. It was a pretty long table, enough to fit almost twenty people, but only half of it was used at any given time.

After a while Asakura approached her, "Do you think you could wake Ren up? He'll be leaving around the same time you do." He smiled at Mai who nodded in response to his request. Mai walked briskly down the halls until she got to Ren's room. She was always cautious of going to his room due to his behavior around her but this time Mai would be prepared. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Mai slide the door open, "R-Ren-s-san?" She heard movement and quickly stepped behind the screen just as a large figure leaped at where she had just stood. Ren crashed into the wall, grumbling under his breathe at having missed his chance to hug his cute little cousin. Mai bit her lip, averting her eyes from the much larger boy. "B-Breakf-fast is do-one." Ren glanced at her with those deep red eyes and chuckled. "Alright I'll be right there." He stood up and patted her head lightly before entering his room again.

Grateful that she managed to get out of the way, Mai felt a sense of triumph at avoiding the usually inevitable bear hug. Entering the dining room, she was surprised to see that breakfast had already been brought out. "Oh." She quickly bowed in apology at having made everyone wait for her and sat down to eat. As usual breakfast was pretty raucous with everyone talking over the other and laughter filling the house. Mai was happy she was able to stay here but she still missed eating breakfast with her parents. After everyone had eaten their fill the dishes were washed and Mai grabbed her things to head for the school.

She made sure to stop by her garden. Checking on all the plants she had bought to see if any of them needed tending to before she left. None of them needed it so Mai headed towards the shrine gate atop the stairs. Her cousin joined her as he too was heading back to the university. They walked in silence for the majority of time. Only breaking their silence to greet their neighbors. Mai was glad that the shrine wasn't too far from Airdalen Academy. It only took them about thirty minutes to reach the gates. "Alright Mai. Here is where I leave you. Do you have your lunch?" She presented it to him, "Have all the necessary paper work?" Mai looked through her bag and then nodded. "Good. Good. Oh you have your phone correct?" For a moment Mai looked surprised but after looking through her bag again she presented to him her phone. He had gotten it for her since she was still relatively new to the area. "Well alright then. Email me when your heading home and get home. Oh and Ccll me if you need me, okay? Make some new friends Mai." He patted her head before leaving for the University.

Mai was left alone at the gate a bit unsure of what to do. She was sure she looked out of place since a few people commented that it was nice to see a father walk their daughter to her first day of school. Ren, of course, was quick to correct them and now that she was here, Mai seriously hoped she didn't get that problem. Even though she was only at the gate, butterflies tumbled about her stomach and she squeezed her phone. The idea of calling her cousin to take her back home was very tempting but she needed to get over this personal hurdle called shyness. Stuffing her phone at the bottom of the bag, Mai peeked around the gate to see who had arrived. She spotted four people. A girl a bit taller than she was with pretty black hair (Shiori). A relatively tall boy who sat a distance from the aforementioned girl on the same bench as her. The boy looked a bit mean and maybe a little bored (Rhys). Another young, and very lean, fellow (Johnny) was there as well, having just arrived she assumed. Finally her eyes settled on a surprising familiar face (Ryou) and Mai's spirits were lifted, if just a small bit. At least she knew there was someone here she might know but whether he remember her or not she wasn't sure of in the least. Biting her lip, Mai cautiously entered the school grounds. Unsure of where to go at first, but finally settled on sitting on a bench across from the two students (Rhys & Shiori). Placing the bag next to her, Mai's feet dangled a couple of inches from the ground and she began to swing them back and forth to give her something to do.

A blonde was sleeping in the back seat of her Grandmother's car when it came to a complete stop just outside of Airdalen Academy. The elderly, but uncharacteristically energetic woman reach back and shook her granddaughter, "Arietta, Dear, you've got to wake up. We're at the Academy. It's time to go to school. You can't expect to sleep all day, Ari-chan." Mrs. Hakushiro teased, running her fragile fingers through the blonde hair of the young Freshman. It was so different compared to her own. Her grey hair was once jet black, similar to Mr. Hakushiro's. The blonde came from that side of the family. A frown formed on her face, but her thoughts were interrupted when the blonde finally came to. Arietta's blue eyes fluttered open and she sat up slowly. After a moment of adjusting to consciousness, she rubbed her eyes with a cheerful laugh as well. She didn't even realize that she had fallen asleep. The second year of my new start..? I'm a nobody here.. She thought to herself in an unenthusiastic manner. Given the circumstances of her abrupt move, she understood that this was necessary, but there wasn't much of a silver lining. She had to move halfway through her high school career, and now a Senior, she had nothing to show for herself at this school. She wasn't a geek, but she wasn't exactly prom queen here either.

Well.. bright side no one here knows about my.. habit.. She let out a soft sigh as she ran a hand through her hair, eyes lowering as she felt the absence of her pendant, and presence of the bow in her hair. Losing her pendant was the worst thing that happened to her. It was the only physical possession her grandparents managed to salvage of her mother's. She felt horrible that she let it get stolen the two years before. Realizing she had to get out of the car before she made herself late, Arietta spoke up quickly, "Arigatou, Baachan!" She chimed, sliding out of the car and closed the door quietly behind her. After exiting, she spun around on her heel, shooting her grandmother a charming smile. She had to reassure the woman that she would be okay, or else she'd follow Arietta through the gates and embarrass the living daylights out of her. Please just go home..

"I can walk home.. I've got my cellphone." She reassured her, wishing to get fresh air. It had been two years since the incident, but moving to a new school didn't change the fact it happened.

"Well, alright.. If you're sure. If anything happens, make sure to call me." Her grandmother seemed a bit skeptical, but hesitantly nodded in approval. She knew that she'd have to learn to let Arietta return to a normal life eventually, and decided to give her some breathing space. She waved to the blonde girl before driving off.

Once she was out of view, Arietta sighed, closing her eyes and gripping her school bag nervously. I wonder if I will be able to become popular before graduation.. She couldn't help but worry about it, because never threw parties at her old school, and despite being high up on the popularity scale there, she had to move schools because they found out about her grandfather's business. She couldn't stay there for risk of being used against him and paparazzi was harassing her. She was forced to move to a more secure and private school, Airdalen Academy. Sure my grandfather owns a multi-million dollar company, but I can't tell anyone so that really makes things tough.. Besides, the money...we never see it. He only brings in a little over a million US dollars a year.. It was strange, but she decided to not worry on it too much. She wasn't an expert when it came to distributing pay checks to an entire company. Maybe 1.3 Million was the remainder once he paid off his employees? Though it didn't seem logical. The company earned well over 200 million annually. Every major business bought into her grandfather's company, including Airdalen Academy. Every school computer was monitored by her Grandfather's program.

She kept a slow pace as she made her way to the designated spot. She was in no rush to meet her fellow students. She only had one or two friends, and she wasn't even sure if they were here yet. Arietta planned to divide and conquer this school, but a lot happened last year, except her becoming super popular. Though her grades were doing VERY well because of it, she would gladly make bad grades to make more friends. What will make me stand out? I can't just fade into the background. I want to be somebody here!

She let her icy blue eyes wandering loosely over the school grounds, until she realized just how grand the school truly was. Sugoi.. it's beautiful.. She thought in amazement. As she approached the spot where the students were told to wait at. She knew that the school grounds would be full of people, but just Seniors and Juniors and the faculty.

She noticed an open seat next to a guy who she presumed was sleeping. She knew it wasn't proper etiquette to sit there, but she saw everyone else in equal boy to girl pairs (Akira/Mai and Shiori/Rhys) and didn't want to interrupt them. She recognized Shiori, whom she wasn't very fond of, but the chibi girl (Mai) , short boy (Akira) , and the tall guy (Rhys) were more than likely Junior students, because she didn't know them at all. She sat down quietly at the opposite side of the bench, checking her Facebook on her phone to pass the time. She sent a few messages to her friends at her old school, hoping that the extra weight on the bench didn't disturb Ryou too much. Please don't wake up.. I just didn't want to sit alone.. I don't want to look like a creeper.. She recognized him from class, and she knew he didn't like to be bothered by girls. Not that she blamed him, he seemed to constantly have a swarm after him. She could understand why, Ryou was an attractive guy, but she felt bad for him. She understood what it was like, the paparazzi tried to eat her alive when they found out she was the granddaughter of Mr. Hakushiro. She shivered at the thought. Though she had to admit that she loved to watch others, to get a general idea of their character.. but some were a bit harder to understand than others, notably Ryou and Aeon. She noticed another guy approaching, but she didn't recognize him either. He was a brunette, kind of tall. At least, he seemed tall from a distance (Johnny). Another Junior? They were definitely overrunning the place at the moment.

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Popularity: +1 (@ Ryou)

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Yuuki made it to school, but she was considerably far later than she had planned. She never realized just how much she relied on her parents up until now. She had to make her own breakfast, wash her own clothes, clean her own apartment top to bottom, study, and wash the dishes. She was a bit tired, but the coffee in her hands helped soothe that irritant. She approached and noticed several students, tilting her head a bit. There was a very tall brunette male (Johnny), an ebony haired sleeping male of similar size (Ryou), and a tall and long blondish-brownish haired male who seemed to be conversing with a girl slightly taller than herself who had long and beautiful ebony hair (Shiori). When she looked in the other direction she noticed a very small and cute ebony haired girl who was being addressed by a rather short and equally adorable ivory haired boy (boy).

At least I'm not the shortest.. She thought to herself, moving away from the crowd and located herself under a nice big tree, directly under the shade. She hated bright and sunny days, it always made reading difficult. The only thing worse than a sunny day was rainy days. Yuuki took careful note of her skirt before sitting down, smoothing it out against her legs with one hand and released it after taking a seat in the grass. She removed a bag from her shoulder, unzipping it afterwards only slip a math notebook out she'd received from cram school. She immediately began reading it's contents, doing the homework as she sat there. She wasn't here to make friends, she was here for the best education that her good grades could buy her. She couldn't afford to lose focus, because the only reason she was here was due to the scholarship her grades supplied her with. Friends were distractions, she learnt that the hard way a long time ago, and she wasn't looking to make any new ones.

She didn't want to go through losing them again, because she put her studies first and others couldn't seem to respect that. Everyone else always seemed to take school as a joke, but this was Japan, it was an eat or be eaten educational system, survival of the fittest. She was not going to be at the bottom of the food chain for the sake of maintaining a high school social life that would dissipate in about three more years.

Idiots.. They're wasting so much valuable time, and for what? She thought to herself, rolling her eyes as she moved on to the next math equation. She could hear a couple students that walked by mocking her, recognizing the booklet in her lap. She only overheard a few words; "Nerd", "Weirdo", etc. She was used to these labels, and merely shrugged them off. She couldn't let them hurt her, she had a promise to keep and the only opinions she had to honor was her mother's and father's. Sure, these words from random students did hurt, but she had to move on, or she'd never make her family's home life improve. Say what you want, when you're washing my car in ten years.. she added as a mental note, continuing to scribble down her answers. She flipped the first page, moving on to the next. Apparently she had more time than she thought. The spare time was at least letting her get ahead on her cram school assignments, which she was grateful for. She wanted to start on it last night, but she had too much to do at home. Perhaps this event taking so long to begin was a good thing after all.

At least no one has tried to come over here and 'vanquish the loner that is Yuuki Fujioka'. She thought to herself, golden eyes lifting for a split second to look at the crowd before returning to her work. At this rate, she'd be prepared for anything that Airdalen had in store for her as far as academics were concerned. Give it your best shot, Airdalen. I will even buy some weights if you try to fail me for gym class. She was very determined, and it was obvious by the look on her face. She was definitely consumed by the book she was working on and gave off a vibe of not wanting to be disturbed, though usually that's when people most often bothered her. Sure, she missed having friends, she was only human, but it was a luxury she couldn't afford right now, so she had to push people away, even if it meant being disinterested and mean to them. Besides, what were the chances that she would meet any of her classmates again after graduation? Friends always went different ways, so creating precious bonds would only cause emotional pain in the end for everyone involved. Making friends in school was a ludicrous idea when she came to think on the notion. She felt that pain first hand in middle school and she never wanted to experience it again if she didn't have to. Perhaps these students would be smart and respectful enough to read her body language and leave her the hell alone?

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Physical/Sporting Ability | +1
Intellect | +1

Bishop was dead asleep in bed. His chest rose and fell calmly as he snoozed in his bed, which would be interrupted by a blaring alarm suddenly going off. He groaned and rolled over smacking the snooze button and laid there for a second. Time would stand still until he suddenly jumped up in bed with a huge smile. "It's time for school!!" Normally he wasn't this thrilled to be at school, but this was the first day in an all new experience for the young teenager. He hopped out of bed and rushed out of his room to go get a shower. "Bishop~? It's good that you're up honey, breakfast is almost ready. Everyone is going to eat together on skype so make sure you have your uniform on. Your father wants to see it." His mother, Kimiko called up to him from the kitchen having heard her excited son bounce around upstairs. "Ok mom!" "What did we say about your Japanese?" Bishop sighed leaning out of the bathroom door now shirtless to shout down the stairs. "I can't get better if I never try." Japanese was his second language, he's been learning it since he was young but still had to fine tune some things here and there. He had a dictionary incase he ran into some words that he's never heard of before. But his reading and writing skills were proficient for a boy his age, the translations however simply slowed his progress down. He hopped in the shower liking his water extra hot as he washed himself. The young freshmen closed his eyes imagining himself swimming in a pool this warm, with the current song playing on the stereo. If he wasn't talking, Bishop was almost always listening to music of some kind.

Clean and refreshed Bishop walked from the bathroom to his room and eyed up his new uniform. "I can't beleive I'm going to a school that requires uniforms. That's kinda rare in the states." He began to get dressed pushing the button on his iPhone to change to the next song and smiled as his favorite band Coldplay began to play. He looked in the mirror as he got dressed the uniform fitting perfectly. In reality his father insisted on getting it a size bigger since they planned on him growing, fortunately his mother was skilled with a needle and didn't want her son to go to school wearing a baggy uniform. So it would appear as if he had a minor tailor job to his suit complimenting his physique in every fashionable way possible. <This is it! My first time going to a school for longer than a year. High school too! I wonder if I'll be popular.> He couldn't help but thing that as he grabbed his backpack, a very American styled backpack and headed down stairs. "Hey mom! What's for breakfast?" [color=BF00BF]"Why don't you come down and see! I'm sure you can smell it."[/color] Bishop grinned from ear to ear thinking of his mom's amazing cooking. He dashed into the kitchen and dropped his backpack seeing the spread that was laid out. Without a word he moved to the dining table and sat down while his mother finished some last things. "Now don't worry about the dishes honey. You have more important things to worry about." She patted his head making the young blonde blush and nod.

"Hey there sport! Lookin snazzy! You excited for school?" Bishop had a piece of toast dangling from his mouth when he noticed the computer monitor set on the table. On it was his father, dressed in the blue, grey and black colored Navy fatigues. The man's chiseled features beamed back at his son, who took a sip of a coffee mug that read 'EOD, If I start running, try and keep up' and had a tray of food in front of him as well. Though it didn't look nearlt as appetizing as what was in front of Bishop. "Yeah! I'm stoked! But mostly hungry." He took a big bite of his eggs and reached for a few pieces of bacon then drank some orange juice. His father laughed and took a sip of his coffe and ate what looked like french toast.

"I see you're speaking in Japanese like you're suppose to as well. Good! You're never going to find a pretty, rich girlfriend if you can't woo her with your words." His father smirked happily, but Bishop couched nearly choking on his food. "D-Dad! Why do you keep saying that?" He blushed heavily feeling his ears get hot, as he lowered his fork for a moment looking at the computer screen. Ever since they got the news he was getting a scholarship to Airdalen they were talking about how they were so excited for him to meet a nice rich girl, to buy all their worries away. They were only half-joking of course. "Oh, don't you know sweetie? This is a private school you're going to. A lot of the elite apply for this academy and some even get denied. You're awful lucky." "Well I knew that! But... Why do you gotta make a big deal about it? Especially a rich girl?" "Or boy...." His mother added in quietly and sipped her milk as if nothing was said.. Alex grinned catching it, but their son was completely oblivious jsut chowing down. "We're you're parents son! we, just want what's best for you. Now go and eat your breakfast. Nobody wants you to be hungry again." Bishop nodded and continued to eat. His parents just watched in awe, with small smiles on their face seeing their young boy growing up to one day be a man.

When breakfast was over, Bishop and his mother said their goodbyes to Alex his father and went out to their small car to head to school. Coincidentally his houses wasn't very far away from Airdalen, it was a little over 7 blocks deffinitely within walking distance but biking would be preferred. "Music for the road? Bishop smiled and nodded. "Of course!" Kimiko turned on the radio and started to play some J-Pop music his mother dancing the drivers seat like a fool. <Oh no... What have I done.> This was part of the reason why he tended to study at his grandmother's house. His mom was a busy body, in the sense that she was always doing something whether it was work or something fun for herself. As they drove along, he listened to the music but tried to not make any eye contact with pedestrians and other drivers seeing the lovely purple haired woman dancing in the drivers seat and singing lyrics of songs unashamedly. It was finally time that they arrived at school, Kimiko pulling up directly in front of the gate having missed the impeccable prince's subtle entrance (Aeon)

"Alright, thanks mom!" his mother looked to him and smiled, reaching out to stroke his blonde hair. "I'm so proud of you honey! I'm so excited that you get to go to a wonderful school like this, and get to meet new friends. I'm sure you'll do great." Bishop blushed sheepishly and twiddled with his bag some. "T-Thanks mom. But I gotta go, don't want people to stare at me." She giggled to herself drawing her hand back. "Oh my, my young man is already too cool for her mother. I understand. Now go! And find a cute girl!" "MOM~!"

Bishop hopped out of his car and put both straps over his shoulders. He mentally prepared himself for the journey he was about to embark on and smiled confidently. There was a small fire in his eyes as he looked to the awaiting gate guard who had a knowing smirk of his own. He stepped forward only to freeze hearing his mom honk the car horn. "GOODBYE SWEETIE~! HAVE A GOOD FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL~ MOMMY LOVES YOU~!" His mother blew a kiss and giggled driving off seeing her son's reaction. She was very loud and was bound to grab at least someone's attention. Bishop froze in fear and turned a deep red. "S-She.... She did that on purpose!!" <Why!? Why me!? Why now!? That is NOT how you start being cool in high school! Ugh! I'm gonna kill her!> He turned around seeing the gate guard sling more and chuckling to himself. Bishop lowered his head and walked inside.

"Welcome to Airdalen. The guard politely commented and nodded knowingly. Bishop simply closed his eyes and waved politely somewhat forgetting his Japanese customs. He would turn to see the expanse of the campus and looked on int awe. "Sugoi...." He walked somewhat aimlessly around until he noticed that some people were already here. He had a wary eye seeing if people were staring at him. He looked very convincingly like a lost puppy, being a freshmen at his school and was all by himself now in the center of the courtyard. He looked around seeing a pretty blonde girl (Arietta). That struck a chord with Bishop, seeing blonde's in this country was rare and always something to talk about with his peers donning the vibrant gold locks. He would make a mental note of the girl and nodded to himself. He barely noticed a male who seemed less than conscious (Ryou) sitting next to the blonde girl which made him curious. There would be time to learn more about the people around him in the future. Turning around he noticed another boy-girl pair on a bench sitting together but not talking (Rhys and Shiori). He could get a decent idea of who was in what grade, but his ability to read people wasn't the best being somewhat socially inexperienced.

<Ok.... Don't linger too long. Don't want to look weird.> He spied the third group of people, which appeared to be a very short girl with blakc hair (Mai) talking to another boy (Akira). Not wanting to force himself into a conversation he decided to go off to the side and sat by himself in front of a tree on a bench. He never noticed that a dark haired girl (Yuuki) was behind him under the tree however. To pass the time Bishop pulled out a small speaker and synced it to his iPhone deciding to play a favorite song. He wasn't meaning to disturb anyone, he just wanted some nice relaxing music to start his day as he sat on the bench and minded his own business. As the soft harmonies of the string instruments, coupled with the sounds of a guitar played in everse and the piano Bishop bobbed his head with the music letting out a content sigh. <Music is always a good ice breaker! Maybe someone will like this band too.> He smiled to himself and leaned back against the bench looking up at the tree above him happily.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
-3 Coolness (JK lol ^^')
+1 Popularity- Arietta

Immediately, Shiori tensed up as a tall male with fairly pretty long brown-blond hair sat down beside her. She didn't recognize him, so he was obviously a Junior. Just because she didn't socialize often, didn't mean she wasn't aware of her classmates and their names. She cared about them and made a point to remember their names, she just couldn't express any of that to them in a healthy way. She was trembling just seconds before his arrival, and she was nervous that he might have noticed.

She took a moment to look at him when he turned his gaze the opposite way, blinking in curiosity. He sat here, only to ignore her? She tilted her head a bit at him, completely baffled by this boy's sense of logic. If he was shy, he would have had trouble approaching her. If he was hyperactive she would be looking for a way to plausibly escape this seating arrangement, and if he was creepy, wouldn't he have done something strange to her by now? Did he expect her to say something? Was he sitting here because she was quiet and just wanted to be left alone? She began to really overthink his actions and it was driving her a little crazy trying to decipher through all the possibilities on her own.

She turned her head away from the long haired junior (Rhys), completely confused by his choice to sit with her in silence. Suddenly the lack of noise was beginning to feel very awkward, so she did the best she could. Socializing was always her worst subject, but there were a few topics she could discuss without going on the rude defense, "Etto... the weather's really hot today.." She stated, looking up at the sky, shielding her eyes with one hand. The shade of blue was beautiful, and despite her home-body reputation, she did love warm days like this. Something about days like this one was nostalgic and brought her a small sense of peace. Perhaps it was because she met that boy on a day somewhat like this one?

"I'm Shiori Kitogawa." She added, not looking at Rhys directly, in fact, she was now staring at the ground, letting the toes of her shoes shuffle against the concrete to keep her mind off of the fact that she was talking to a complete stranger. So far she was doing alright, but she was definitely nervous. It wouldn't be long before something spurts out of her mouth to offend him. She was just postponing the inevitable. Sometimes she wasn't even sure why she even tried. Most people at this school hated her, the others simply tolerated or didn't care about her existence in the first place. Why did she try so hard to change? Then an image of that little blond boy she met as a child came back to her. The boy hugged her once when they first met, and she completely froze in panic. She knew there was probably still a picture of it somewhere, but she didn't personally have a copy of it. Ever since that day, she decided she wanted to be more like him, to be able to warmly embrace others and make friends so easily, to smile in that warm way, just like he did.

When she thought of him, she saw the colors one typically associated with summer, because that's exactly what his kindness felt like, the embrace of a warm summer's day. Her violet eyes shifted to the tall junior, and then back down to the ground, "You don't have to reply to me, I was just trying to be polite, that's all.." Her tone was a bit distant and definitely had a defensive edge to it. Her nerves finally got the best of her, and her body was going into protective mode. This was her own form of self preservation, of keeping her feelings protected from greater forms of pain at all times. Sure, loneliness hurt, but rejection from someone considered a cherished friend hurt way worse. She found that out at a very young age from her mother, but also because a friend betrayed her trust back in elementary school. She never wanted to feel that pain again.

Why did he sit here..? I want to ask, but I'm scared of the answer.. just like with Kazuhiko.. I'm always scared to ask people the more serious and intimate questions and end up making a fool out of myself instead. She was growing depressed with herself, so she busied herself. She put her pen and notebook in her bag, looking around at the students that came in since she began talking. T-That many!? She was immediately intimidated by the number of known and unknown faces surrounding. She knew that no one was watching her, but somehow she felt as though they were all spying on her, waiting for her to slip up.. She felt like everyone in the area was waiting to find a reason to judge her, even though common sense told her that no one here cared about her or what she was doing. Half of them didn't even know who she was, and the other half..well, we discussed the seniors earlier in this post. Why do I overreact to everything? Why can't I be like all of them and just act natural..? Why do I have to be so different..? I wish I could talk freely about anything, just like everyone else.. I hate being different.. Shiori thought to herself, nervous and angry fists tightening in her lap, sort of crinkling her skirt.

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The campus courtyard beyond the gate reminded Johnny of a similar courtyard for a hospital back home, where recovering patients and their guests- namely the teammates who got injured- bought snacks from a vendor set up near the entrance to one of the main buildings. The only difference was that the activity within the courtyard was neither slow, nor muted. It was energetic and intense as more and more kids moved in and claimed seats amongst the benches and patches of grass forming comfortable foundations to trees laden with a soft pink.

The first individual Johnny noticed was a boy who appeared the closest to the foreigner’s height, (Ryou) albeit the height was more like a length, spread out along one side of the bench. From a distance, Johnny could tell the other boy was fit- maybe along Johnny’s level. To see such a specimen sleeping meant either two things: The boy either woke up early, or was incredibly lazy. The sleeping dog’s (haha) build implied that the former was far more likely, and it was indeed a very respectable build. Johnny held respect for the guy, and he showed that respect by following the idiom about sleeping dogs.

The second individual Johnny noticed was a girl who was as polar an opposite as they could possibly be. (Mai) She was so goddamn tiny that it reminded Johnny of some old, very offensive midget jokes one of his uncles told last family reunion. Johnny was not sure how to feel about the tiny girl. Jokes were jokes and said nothing about the character of the subject, as that same uncle always said before making a shoddily constructed and racist quip about the Irish.

His eyes scanned over most everyone else until he realised that he was standing in the middle of the courtyard with no nearby seating. Johnny, as well as these students, remained out on the courtyard- awaiting… what? John knew not; His letter came with instructions to wait in the courtyard until an official came to greet him and the other students. He pulled his earbuds out to catch the sounds of a familiar European band. Johnny liked Coldplay as much as the next guy, but his heart was always for the old stuff his dad and extended family grew up with.

His eyes darted around to find the source of the music. Twenty feet away, on a bench near one of the pink trees, sat a blonde-haired boy with round eyes that appeared full of life. The boy held a very portable wireless speaker- obviously synced-up with his music player of choice. Johnny realised that he should have brought some speakers of his own… except he lacked room for it in his messenger bag due to the gym clothes and other basic supplies. Hopefully, once he got himself a locker, he can bring everything he wanted to bring at later days.

Johnny’s mind raced as he reviewed different greetings. There were three of them that his father told him about, and they all sounded entirely different. To be fair, however, phrases like “What’s up,” and “Hello,” and “Greetings,” all sounded completely different in the perspective of someone less familiar with the English language. He finally remembered what his dad said was the proper greeting for a first-time greet, and was about to approach the blonde-haired boy. However, the girl on the other end of the bench (Yuuki) just began to chew out the blonde-haired boy.

Johnny blinked, and opted to avoid getting caught in an awkward situation only compounded by his rudimentary knowledge of the language. He figured that the girl was only annoyed at the music. He assumed it was out of taste, but he wasn’t offended by it. He thought Coldplay was alright. Crossing the potentially awkward encounter out of his options of things to do, The tall, lean, and muscular boy continued scanning the vicinity for someplace to sit. There was one last empty bench near the front doors to Building A.

With a few long strides, he closed the distance to the bench and lazily took a seat on the far right side of the bench. He slipped a hand into his messenger bag to once more make sure he had everything he needed. It was then that he remembered that he did, in fact, pack an English-to-Japanese dictionary. Though Johnny was not familiar with the grammar, he figured it would be best to at least understand the words. He pulled out the fist-sized pocketbook and began studying the contents. Words, pronunciations, and definitions filled his mind for a while.

Deep-down, he wanted to wait until he had a better grasp on the language before he began talking to people, not unlike his personal interests that not even his parents know about.

-

+1 Intellect to Johnny

+1 Popularity to Bishop.
+1 Popularity to Ryou.

+0 Anything to Yuuki.
+0 Anything to Mai (these were ultimately neutral observations lol soz 4 no skill-ups bro.)

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"WORK HARD
PLAY HARD
WORK HARD
PLAY HARD..."

Saburo's hand searched for the phone on his nightstand, shutting off the alarm. With a groan, he rolled out of bed. "I knew I'd regret that party." The day before, Saburo had went to a "end of summer" party. It sure was fun...but he got home pretty late. At least his dad wasn't in the house to lecture him. After a quick shower, he threw on his school uniform. Heading down the spiral staircase, the Freshman found a breakfast waiting for him. Which he shoveled down. His dad had gotten a nice maid, since he wasn't home all that much. Saburo was in charge, since he was the heir to the house. He was easy on the girl though, she did a good job. Besides, she didn't look half bad. Leaving the dirty plates, Saburo grabbed his backpack, but was interrupted by the ringing of his phone.

"Hello?"
"Hey what's up Saburo? Are you about to leave?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Thought I'd come pick you up. You wanted to see my new ride right? I'm right outside."
"Sweet, I'll be right out."

Saburo left his skateboard leaning against the wall as he left the house. A beautiful Audi was there to greet him. "Damn Tsuyoshi..."
"I know right? She's one hell of a car."

Tsuyoshi Hagiwara and Saburo had met each other through friends. Though Tsuyoshi was a couple years older, the two got along really well. Tsuyoshi was probably gonna end up being the baseball captain this year, since he was a senior and had a killer curve-ball. Nothing Saburo couldn't handle though. Saburo leaned into the passenger seat before the Audi revved back into the main street.

"Hey, when are you gonna be driving?"
"It's gonna be a few years. I'm just a freshman, remember?"
"Oh yeah...but I bet your dad would get you one nice ass car."
"I hope, I really want one of those Corvettes you know? Convertible. But dad's trippin' about getting my grades up, so he'll probably throw me a curve ball. Not one as good as yours though."
"Damn...a Corvette convertible? Shit...you'll make this thing look like a VW."



Saburo shrugged. "Maybe if your nice, I'll downgrade to a camero so you don't look too bad. I mean, I wouldn't want to make you look THAT bad. Not one of those wimpy V6 Cameros though. The two students shared a laugh. After the car was parked, the duo approached the guard posted at the gate. After showing their IDs and passing through, the Tsuyoshi led Saburo to the designated area where there were already plenty of other students waiting.

Saburo took a look around, taking in his surroundings. "See anyone you know?" The Senior craned his neck a bit. After a second, he shook his head.
"Not really. Well, I guess I know 'em, but I don't really hang out with any of them." Tsuyoshi spaced out for a moment before speaking again. "But I heard about that girl with the pink hair. She's pretty nice, and she's smart. So if you ever need homework help, go to her."

But Saburo was already being tutored by someone. Someone who caught his attention in the crowd. "You've got to be shitting me. Out of all the schools...Well, might as well say hi. I mean she looks alright, that's the main reason why I chose her over some super nerd with glasses."
"Hold on a sec, you know the girl over there? Next to the real tall dude." He pointed towards the other two to help Tsuyoshi find them.
"Oh yeah, I do. The girl's Arietta she's alright. Why?"
"She's my tutor. Dad made me get one after last year's report card." The senior's eyes widened a bit.
"Really? She doesn't look like the type...I mean, she doesn't look dumb...but...wow. Well, how's it going?" Saburo rubbed the back of his neck.
"Well...I don't know. I'm pretty sure she thinks I'm retarded though. I just don't study, that's all. Maybe I should start for real soon cuz dad said something about getting me an autographed ball from the LA Angels if I get my grades up. He knows someone who works with them.

There was a brief silence between the two. "I'ma go say hi real quick." With that, Saburo made his way towards his tutor. The blonde senior didn't look like she was occupied by anything. Strangely enough Arietta was sitting next to some dude that was asleep. "Hey" Saburo said as he got closer. "I didn't know you went here."

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Popularity +1 to Cassiopeia
(That's my understanding, if it isn't please free to add the stats and edit it GM's)

"Hey. I didn't know you went here."

Arietta's eyes shifted from her phone, to a familiar voice standing in front of her. She was completely taken by surprise, then remembered a very important detail. She never got around to asking Saburo what school he was transferring to!! She didn't remember to ask, because their sessions took place in summer, but now she finally made the mistake of choosing to tutor someone who went to her own school. This was going to be very dangerous to her reputation and she'd have to go about this in all the right ways or she'd totally ruin her reputation.

"Shh.." She stated, putting her index finger over her mouth. To anyone watching, she was considerately thinking of Ryou, who was sleeping nearby, but she was honestly just looking out for her own hide. Arietta began playing with her long blonde hair in a fidgety manner, nervous about being exposed to her classmates as a 'nerd'. She didn't want to be seen as her true self, she was afraid that no one would like the real her, because no one did at her last school, "Not so loud." Arietta chimed, laughing softly with a warm expression on her face. She was anxious, freaking out that someone would put the pieces together, but she had to keep her composure. She didn't want to be seen frantic. She took a small breath to compose her nerves before speaking again, "Would you mind if I asked you to keep the details of our arrangement a secret between us? I don't want to look like some kind of nerd." She informed Saburo, eyes shifting to those around them, then back to him. She pocketed her phone, and stood up to talk to him properly, dusting of her skirt after she was upright.

"Being seen with you is alright, but just don't tell anyone that I'm tutoring you. I don't want to be 'that' girl.." She whispered, careful to keep a low tone, just in case there were any eavesdroppers. Sure, Saburo didn't dress like the typical guys Arietta would hang out with, but she liked him as a person. He wasn't bad to look at, for a bit of a bad boy that is, and she was also getting paid to tutor him, so that was definitely a plus. She cared about her reputation a lot, and she was not about to throw it down the drain. Then she tilted her head, a bit confused. Why did he come over here? Was he just being nice, or did he have a question? She was completely clueless, so she pulled out her cell phone, "Though, when you need during school homework help, you can send me a text instead of asking it face to face. It's more discreet that way. Do you think you'll need my number?" She asked in a curious tone, innocently blinking as she held up a light pink phone, with music notes and a girly white bow on the front of it.



"Hot stuff, coming through!"

Arietta fell backwards when Kazuki tore through, her back hitting the bench she was sitting on a few minutes prior. Arietta landed on the ground in front of the bench, but her back up against the bench, probably a tad bruised, but nothing too seriously injured other than her pride, "Miyamoto-teme!" She hissed at him, obviously not amused by his current antics. She knew he didn't necessarily mean to make her fall, but now she was really embarrassed and didn't care if he knew she was angry with him or not. She looked like a fool sitting on the ground and getting knocked over in front of everyone, while in mid-conversation, that was totally humiliating.

"When you snooze, you lose!"

"You're the worst. He was sleeping!" Arietta called out, sticking her tongue out at Kazuki in disgust, her blood boiling. Kazuki definitely was not Arietta's favorite person, in fact, she borderline hated him. She didn't necessarily hate anyone, well, except for Shiori Kitogawa, but Kazuki was very close to pushing her boundaries as well. She was going to make him pay for this, especially since he made her fall right in front of Saburo and anyone else who just so happened to be watching. She wanted to rip his head off right about now, but she forced a calmer expression onto her face. She didn't want to be seen as grumpy or short tempered, there were a lot of new students and she definitely didn't want to make a bad impression like Kazuki.



She pushed herself to her feet, dusting herself off again, averting her eye contact, "Sorry about that... Miyamoto-san.. he's always making things difficult for everyone." Arietta mumbled, still a bit flustered from her embarrassing fall, but also irritated with the guy who caused it in the first place. Then she remembered that he tore in between them, and her eyes widened a bit. Did Saburo get hurt? She was so embarrassed and angry that she had nearly forgotten his well being. She felt bad, and decided to make sure that Saburo didn't get hurt either, "Are you alright, Inoue-san?" She asked, giving him a once over to make sure that he was alright, tilting her head in different directions to get a good look at him. Then her attention turned to Ryou, who got stepped on as well. She gave him an apologetic look, then bowed very quickly, "I'm so sorry, are you alright?" She asked with a curious expression on her face, though she knew he probably wouldn't realize why she was apologizing for something Kazuki did, she felt the need to do so anyway.

Arietta felt bad for sitting next to Ryou without asking for permission. If Saburo had seen her somewhere else, the maybe he and Ryou would have been spared from this incident. Miyamoto only had to go through this crowd because of me... If I didn't come over here, there wouldn't have been a crowd.. It's all my fault that everyone nearly got trampled just now..

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"Let me sleep
as I do, I will have dreams
in them, I could get to see you
smiling at me so serenely and happy
so, let me sleep like this
never wake me up."

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"Come on wake up!I want to show you something, Ryou... Something very beautiful."

The voice he wanted to hear so much faded into nothingness and instead, it was replaced by a feeling of pain radiating from his feet. It felt that something or probably someone stepped on it. That's why slowly but surely, his eyes opened to the image of reality. He didn't utter any recognition of it by releasing any sound. This spoke volumes on his tolerance and exhibit of control. He is such a composed person as he simply opened his eyes and then looked to his right side where he felt presences of people nearby. It made him wonder if he will be welcomed by the sights of those hounding girls. They might be the cause of him being stepped on to wake up.

But, he just saw two people, a pair composed of a girl (Arietta) and a boy (Saburo). The female was a familiar one to him. The male was not. His eyes of silver gray reminding one of the moon's light gazed at them. There was no blame in them as it still was faintly hazed with sleepiness, but he did hear the girl, Hakushiro that's her name if he remembered correctly, apologized. That was odd in his understanding. "I'm fine." He answered in a soft yet casual manner as he stood from his seat, finally showcasing his full height. His eyes landed on his foot as he moved it around. "But, why are you apologizing?"

Once more, his eyes fell on her. Then, he heard a familiar voice which he wanted to avoid for the duration of his day. He looked towards that direction seeing Miyamoto surrounded by the school guards and the known school idol (Aeon) and the kind Cassiopeia. Somehow, he now understood. It doesn't take a genius to figure out the scenario. "It's not your fault." He stated without any pretense, but it was enough to silence any argument as he looked at Hakushiro. His words had always have weight about them whether he noticed it or not. There was still a smudge of dirt at the hem of skirt and he knew she was just a victim as anyone else from Miyamoto's rampaging scene. He deduced the girl must be blaming herself for whatever happened which he had a clear reason to believe was done because he was here. Miyamoto had always did everything in his power to issue fights or challenges to him in different ways.

"Here." Ryou took out a clean handkerchief from his pants' pocket and handed it to her. "There's still some left." Whether she took it or not, he continued after she made her response. "It's a thanks for your concern." He said to give reason for his gesture. Most people feel more comfortable when there are reasons behind actions and especially when they're stated. Ryou then looked to the unfamiliar face, the boy (Saburo). "Welcome to Airdalen." He assumed that the new face was a freshman if he was wrong, then it's his bad. He then looked from the boy (Saburo) to Hakushiro. From his observation, they seemed to know each other. He must be interrupting them. "I guess, I'll see you two around then." Once he said that, he took his leave by walking away from that spot. He didn't want to be noticed by Miyamoto any more.

This was one of the days that he didn't want to be bothered by that fellow rowdy senior of his. He had a beautiful dream and that was shattered because of his self-proclaimed rival wanted to bother him with useless things. Anyway, he walked along the pathway as the Sakura blossoms were being blown by the wind. He looked at the falling petals as some landed on his shoulder and head. It was a beautiful contrast against the blackness of his hair and the paleness of his skin. It was like a painting when it involves him. Then, there it was again that voice he wanted to hear always.

"Did you know that the sakura petals can make wishes come true? It made mine into a reality. See, you're here with me."

His eyes held a hint of sadness and had an image as if he was looking across time. Just like that, he reached for one petal which landed at the palm of his hand and then closed his hand as if impaling it with an unspoken wish. Then, he released it to the winds, hoping it would be true, his dream.

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STATS

Popularity + 1 (Cassiopeia)
Popularity + 1 (Aeon)
Notoriety + 1 (Kazuki)

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Saburo wasn't really sure what was going on, but Arietta was acting pretty weird for some reason. Apparently she didn't want anyone else to know about the tutoring because someone might think she was a nerd. He didn't really think she was a nerd though, just smart. There was a difference. Last year there was this smart dude on the team who helped a lot with the plays and stuff. A nerd is like a person who doesn't have a life and just reads sci-fi comics or something.

"You're not a nerd." Saburo lowered his voice for Arietta's sake. "Nerds are the guys who really out of shape and just play otome games all the time." He assured the Senior. "But yeah, I'll keep it low key if you want."
"Though, when you need during school homework help, you can send me a text instead of asking it face to face. It's more discreet that way. Do you think you'll need my number?"
Saburo smiled, pulling out his own phone. "Sure, I'll take it."

Before Arietta could reply the conversation was interrupted. "Hot stuff, coming through!" before he got a chance to look up some random guy (Kazuki) pushed between him and Arietta. Luckily, Saburo was able to catch himself from falling. "Hey! What the hell!" He yelled at the dude after regaining balance. Who was this guy to be pushing him around? If they ever had a run in again, Saburo wouldn't cut the guy any slack.

"Are you alright, Inoue-san?" Saburo's head snapped back towards his tutor. In his short lived anger, he had sort of forgotten about her. From the looks of it, Arietta wasn't able to right herself in time from the flustered look she portrayed.
"Yeah...thanks." The freshman paused for a second, recalling his anger. "Who was that asshole?"

"That was Kazuki. He's pretty well known for pulling stuff like that. He's not that bad once you get to know him though." Tsuyoshi had followed the wake left by Kazuki, finding Saburo in the process.
"You know him?" Tsuyoshi nodded.
"Yeah, we hung out a couple times. I thought you'd like him." Saburo paused to stare at the senior for a moment.
"No, seriously." Tsuyoshi broke a smile. "When your not on the sharp end of his crap it's not that bad."
"Yeah, okay."

Sabruo's attention was diverted to a towering senior (Ryou) who was asleep just a moment ago. "Welcome to Airdalen."
"Uh...thanks man." For whatever reason, he remembered something his father had said once.
"You gotta know the line between being confident, and being stupid. Once you get that down, I think you'll do alright."
Starting beef with this guy was definitely on the stupid side.
"I guess, I'll see you two around then." With that, the giant took his leave.

"So...How's it going Arietta? Saburo tells me you got me in science. I mean it's kinda hard to get the class when the teacher doesn't either right? ...Well you gotta know the stuff to be tutoring it...right?" Saburo glanced at his friend, then at Arietta. He gave the blonde girl a shrug.

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+1 Notoriety Kazuki

"Yeah...thanks."

"No problem." She chimed in a happy-go-lucky tone. Unaware that he noticed she'd lost her balance in the incident. Though what she didn't know definitely wouldn't hurt her. She'd probably drive herself crazy with embarrassment if she knew. It was better that she was oblivious to the fact.

"Who was that asshole?"

"That was Kazuki. He's pretty well known for pulling stuff like that. He's not that bad once you get to know him though."

...Not bad? Arietta's expression grew skeptical, and she wanted to lean forward and check Saburo's friend's temperature. There was a lot bad about Kazuki, and she kind of wanted to give that loud cocky asshole a piece of her mind, but then again, that would totally shatter the image she'd created for herself. Cute, popular, cool. She didn't do much of anything that would ruin those three aspects from describing herself, at least in public. Sure, she'd lose her temper now and then, but she never let herself get too out of hand. She didn't want others to hate her after all, "I guess you could say that.. In a way..." She laughed nervously, though she didn't mean a word of it.

"You know him?"

A boy she met once or twice at school named Tsuyoshi nodded in response and Arietta sighed, "Who doesn't know Miyamoto-san if they're a Senior? He's a major troublemaker. Some girls find him attractive, but I think he's simply annoying." She decided to add her two cents in while pouting. Her tone was a irritated, but she wasn't letting it get the best of her. She didn't recognize him at first, seeing as he wasn't as popular as most of the people she hung out with or was aware of. Then her mind began to wander, tuning out of the boy's conversation.

"Nerds are the guys who really out of shape and just play otome games all the time."

Those words rang through her ears in repetition like a broken record. He didn't realize just how close he was to her description. She was skinny, but she wasn't necessarily in shape.. She played Otome games.. the only part of his definition she definitely lacked was being a male... Though her mind was brought off of her depressive thoughts when Ryou spoke up.

"I'm fine. But, why are you apologizing?"

"Etto.. he might have avoided this spot if there wasn't a group of three here?" Arietta replied in a sheepish manner. Now that Ryou called her out on her apology, it didn't really make any sense in the end. She felt fairly stupid in the end. It made more sense in her head, but most things usually did, including her white lies she told to vamp up her life.

"It's not your fault."

Arietta was a bit shocked, but relieved that he didn't blame her. He also didn't ask them why they were standing so close to him while he was sleeping, so Arietta felt that this situation diffused rather well. She was glad that he was so understanding. If it had been someone else, she feared that it wouldn't have went so smoothly. Ryou seemed to be a lot nicer than he let on sometimes.

"Here."

"Eh?" Arietta was completely taken aback. Where did she miss? She was certain that she'd wiped down thoroughly after her fall, but apparently she missed a spot. She accepted the handkerchief, opening her pocket mirror. It wasn't her face, nor her hair.. so it had to be her clothes. Arietta turned, checking her uniform. Her jacket was clean... so it had to be..

"There's still some left."

H-how embarrassing!! Arietta's eyes widened a bit in shock, trying to find the spot on her skirt. She honestly thought she'd gotten it all... She used the handkerchief and wiped it off once she'd found it. A light blush formed on her cheeks, not necessarily because of Ryou himself, but because he noticed her in less than pristine condition.

"It's a thanks for your concern."

"A-Arigato, Giou-san..." Arietta replied, a grateful smile on her face as he explained himself. She honestly wasn't looking too far into it, since they were only acquaintances after all. She figured that he was just caught up in the habit of having to explaining every single act of kindness, especially since he had his own personal fan club that followed him almost everywhere he went.

"I guess, I'll see you two around then."

"See you later..." Arietta replied with a cheerful expression, waving to Ryou, "Thanks again, Giou-san!" She called out, glad that he didn't let her roam around school with dirt on her clothes. That would have been so horrible... She would have been too humiliated to face anyone after she found out about it if a lot of people would have noticed it.

"So...How's it going Arietta? Saburo tells me you got me in science. I mean it's kinda hard to get the class when the teacher doesn't either right? ...Well you gotta know the stuff to be tutoring it...right?"

Arietta, tilted her head and laughed a bit. She shook her head immediately, "I just stole the teacher's notes and we read them over.. Apparently they're not as hard when Sensei doesn't speak. Though I barely remember it. Do you really think I could remember all of that? School is not my strong suit." She lied and asked Tsuyoshi with a charming smile. Though on the inside she was fuming, she managed to keep her sweet and girly exterior in tact. Arietta's acting classes were really paying off, because at the moment she looked very friendly, yet there was nothing she wanted more than to strangle Saburo right now. Saburo already told someone!? How many people did he tell?! The day barely began and he already spilled her second biggest secret? This was going to be a long day, if not a long year. She immediately shot an angry glare at Saburo when Tsuyoshi wasn't looking, twitching a bit in irritation. She was definitely going to get him back for the lie she had to tell to keep her reputation protected, especially one that was on the spot like that..

"You never gave me your number, Inoue-san." She stated again, an innocent blink on her features as she held out her girly phone in his direction to put his number in it. She wasn't sure how he'd respond in front of his friend, but she brought it up now, because she would forget if she didn't. Not to mention the event would start at any time and she wouldn't get another chance soon, "I'll text it so you can have mine."

Johnny watched the rowdy individual (Kazuki) get "detained" by security. Judging from the speed and the harshness put behind the words, Johnny imagined the shouting included much swearing. There was an odd feeling in the towering foreigner’s gut as he watched the situation play out. What was it… nostalgia? Johnny knew for certain that he saw something familiar in the events that unfolded the many metres away.

A fair number of the words, Johnny managed to recognize on account of his recent cram-reading of the booklet. He determined that the kid was not pleased about being at this school. Who knows? Johnny thought, Maybe there is something about this school that guy doesn’t like? It was then that he felt that he might have the thousand-yard stare again. Pre-emptively, he shook his head and returned to studying his dictionary.

Thanks to the enclosed space where little outside sound pierced the perimeter walls, Johnny heard many a dialogue delivered in Japanese from a few of the groups of students that had formed. He was barely able to catch to a handful of the words. What words he did catch, he sometimes managed to decipher what was being discussed between the other students. Most of the dialogue he caught was the clear, deliberate dialogue between two who appeared to be actresses. (Gen and Vika) Johnny did enjoy the performing arts, as they were similar to sports... and his personal interests... Plus, the clarity in their speech made it easier to decipher the individual words being said, which was great practice.

Amongst the students, Johnny saw the one who was taller by a measly inch. (Ryou) That one was awake and apparently mingling with the others. Johnny pondered if the near-clone would make an interesting rival to mutually hone each others’ skills with. If there was one thing he learned from his old schools, it’s that having no challenge bored him greatly. It was the main reason why his grades were so… average… Having someone potentially superior to him in some way would certainly give Johnny drive to do better throughout the year. Perhaps moving to this school was a good idea after all.

A little further away, the one with the pink hair stood out like a sore thumb, (Cassiopeia) obviously because of the pink hair… which was pink like a sore thumb. Johnny had seen people with dyed hair before in the States, mainly during family reunions in California. He never understood the appeal behind it. Was it a ploy for attention, like how some treat the idea of fitness? Johnny suspected not, because unlike fitness, dyed hair doesn’t directly benefit the wearer. The way others seemed to swarm around her was ample evidence for Johnny to determine this stranger was a very popular girl, much like he was back in his old schools. The foreigner had no clue how "school hierarchy” functioned in this country, so he wasn't sure what to think of this girl.

The rest seemed like individuals whom Johnny would properly meet soon enough. For now, the foreigner needed to get more familiar with the language. After setting his messenger bag next to him, Johnny leaned back on the bench and crossed one long, muscular leg over another. With one hand, he continued reading the dictionary. The other hand lay stretched, yet relaxed across the back of the bench. He was the picture of relaxation to onlookers, and the stretched nature of his pose allowed his physique to more easily show through the uniform.

As he continued reading, and trying to absorb as much information as he could, he bobbed his head to a tune only he could hear, one of many rock ballads by Jimi Hendrix and his old ‘Band of Gypsies’.

—

+0 Intelligence (since it’s still the same stuff he’s been doing last post)

+1 Popularity to Ryou
+1 Popularity to Kazuki
+1 Popularity to Gen
+1 Popularity to Vika

================================

================================

"I have wondered
what they see in me
whether they imposed
their dreams on me or
do they make me their illusions
because, I can only be me."

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██His attention was swayed from the floating cherry petals by the echoing announcement from one of the teachers. Silver gray eyes landed on the source to whom he identified as the English Teacher, Araya. It was one of the subject that he excels in which is justified as he had been raised in America for the majority of his life. In his opinion, English is his mother language while Japanese which had been taught to him, but not seriously enough until he came to this country as a second-hand language.

Anyway, what matters right now was the announcement. They were being called to the hall. There was no trouble about that, but he did wonder why they weren't informed beforehand to go there in the first place. It would have save time and even avoid such scenes from a certain Miyamoto Kazuki. Thinking about it, it could possibly be one of the reasons why they were told to stay at the school grounds to minimize the delay so to say, if he would take into account his so-called rival's uncle, the Math teacher, involvement. But, he was just speculating and would not air it out. So, they were all just in his head.

As for the rest of the announcement about helping the lost Juniors, he wasn't sure about that part. It's not like he's completely unwilling. It was more like his presence had finally been noticed by the other students, specially the girls who began to crowd around him. They greeted him with that over-trying voice of theirs and blasted away with questions of how his vacation is or where he went and many more. It was during these moments, he would appreciate to have earplugs.

He looked at them and answered them with one sentence. "What I do or where I go is none of your business. Excuse me." There is the finality in his words which left no room for any debate. It delivered what he wanted a reprieve as the girls looked at him with surprise and apology. He took that moment to walk towards the school hall, but the girls were able to recover from that blunt answer of his and began to follow him again. Somehow, they were more determined than ever. He was really sure that women from Japan are very different. The more he pushed them away, the more they evade his space. They definitely have more screws loose than he anticipated, so he does what he had always done, ignore.

It would be very helpful if the school idol (Aeon) was nearby. The attention on him will be lessened greatly, but he remembered earlier, that guy is with Cassiopeia, a powerful deterrent. That was probably the reason why the girls had shifted their focus on him at the moment. It was because they believed him to be completely unattached which is not true, that's what he believes in truly. Anyway, he tuned them out as he continue his pace towards the appointed destination by the announcement. It was a good thing that they do not block his path, because he really does not like to address any of them. It seemed to only encourage them which is never his intention to begin with.

He could feel their eyes on his figure which was not really hard to look among the people bustling towards the hall. He was very tall which was hard not to see and by far still the tallest within Airdalen. The eyes lingering on him were mostly from the girls, but he could also feel some from the guys looking at him whether by envy or admiration, he could care less. They could take his position anytime. He would even thank them for it. Really, when would they get sick of always looking at him. It would do them no good in anyway. They should focus on themselves than on other people.

Eventually, Ryou was able to arrive at the school hall and quickly picked out a seat at the last row at the right side. It was not because he does not like being at the front or was the irresponsible type looking for a quick getaway. His decision was out of consideration. If he had taken any of the seats in front of him and beyond, someone behind him would definitely suffer from being blocked. His stature would have made sure of that and to avoid that, he took his seat at the farthest row at the farthest corner. There should be no problems for him as he could see and hear well enough even from this position.

Anyway, he waited patiently in his seat as he could hear the girls arguing among themselves who was going to seat next to him, since there is only one chair for that. He closed his eyes briefly and wanted to ignore it, but he knew that it was causing unnecessary noise which was interrupting others who were just quietly bidding their time. He opened his eyes and did not even glance at anyone. He was simply looking forward. "You are bothering everyone. Be quiet or get out." His voice was enough though to relate his annoyance and the seriousness of his words. They were not spoken loudly, but it was enough to cut through the rabble of noise and was quickly followed by silence. The girls hushed up but not before offering their apologies and leaving him alone. Just like that, Ryou crossed his arms over his chest and finally regained his semblance of peace.

---

“R-really?”

"Honestly." Akira reassured the small girl with a nod of her head. Akira didn't realize all the harm she could cause posing as a boy, especially to Mai's feelings. She wasn't exactly strategical, and this plan was only half baked when she came up with it. She wasn't even thinking of the consequences that could follow being discovered by the school staff. It never really even crossed her mind that she could get in trouble for disguising herself as another gender.

“Oh. I-it’s p-pre-tty.”

"Yeah, it was." Akira responded to Mai, although she was giving a thoughtful look to the nearby Cherry blossom trees as she spoke to her fellow freshman. She wasn't sure why she enjoyed looking at the Cherry blossoms so much, but something about them was nostalgic. It made her feel a bittersweet sense of peace, which was something she seldom felt since the loss of her parents. It didn't feel like it had been too long ago, but it had been years since her mother and step-father died in the car crash. Some days she woke up and completely forgot that her parents were dead, and other days it was just as heartbreaking as the day of the accident itself. She didn't believe any of that 'all wounds heal' bullshit. It wasn't true, and it gave teens the wrong impression when it came to pain. For years she felt like a oddball for not 'bouncing' back immediately from losing her family. A bit of therapy and the move helped a lot, but still there was a gaping hole in her chest, and it was a weight she felt she would carry for the rest of her life.

“ATTENTION, ATTENTION, ALL SENIORS AND JUNIORS PLEASE HEAD OVER TO THE SCHOOL HALL FOR ANNOUNCEMENTS."

"Looks like it's starting.." Akira chimed in an energetic fashion, definitely excited to begin her new year at school, though she was also putting on a strong face. She was still distracted by thoughts of her parents, but no one wanted to befriend the kid that constantly whines about their dead parents, so she had to suck it up, and move along, even though it hurt. Announcements? Why do we have to go inside for that? Are we doing something special? She mentally asked herself, although the question was definitely rhetorical. Her face held a baffled expression, though she decided to just go along with whatever this school had planned. Besides, she didn't want to stand out much to the staff, because she didn't want anyone to go digging into her student records, because if they looked closely, most of them said 'female' clear as day on the papers.

"SENIORS, PLEASE HELP GUIDE THE JUNIORS SHOULD THEY GET LOST."

How far away is the building? Immediately her eyes turned to Mai, then the surrounding students. Everyone else around them was very tall compared to them, sans some of the female population. She didn't want Mai to get lost in the commotion, especially since she now felt a sense of responsibility for this girl. They just met not too long ago, but Mai was just so fragile that some sort of instinct kicked in that made Akira want to do everything that she could to support her.

"WE’RE RUNNING BEHIND ON SCHEDULE SO STAY SHARP.”

Stay sharp? Why? Akira tilted her head, definitely at a loss. Was something bad going to happen or was she talking about keeping an eye out for that maniac (Kazuki) that the guards dragged off a few moments earlier? Though, she could somewhat relate.. back in Britain she was always getting into fights, and labeled a delinquent. She understood him a bit, but she couldn't get over the fact that he'd put girls at risk of harm to make his escape. She unconsciously clenched her fists, causing her knuckles to turn white again. If that guy (Kazuki) ever ends up hurting Mai, I guess I'll have to fight him. She wasn't exactly a steroid cage fighter, but she was fairly good at fighting, thanks to all the workouts and sports activities she took place in. Carrying heavy supply boxes at work also helped define her arm muscles, so that was a plus. I might lose, but who knows? Perhaps next time he'll watch where he's going, or at least think twice...

“Ah I g-guess w-we g-go no-now?”

"So it seems..." Akira nodded her head in agreement and stood, buttoning her male uniform jacket as Mai dusted herself off. Akira dusted her pants, a dirt spot on the back would definitely be embarrassing to say the least. Though after Mai was done, and she'd checked her own uniform for wardrobe malfunctions, she led the way towards the building and Mai seemed to follow her. Suddenly she realized they would be sitting down again, and pointed over towards a dark haired male (Ryou) He seemed to be mostly minding his own business and was close to the back, a low key spot that she felt would make Mai more comfortable than being surrounded by people, "You can sit with me if you want... I'm going to go ask him if it's okay to sit over there." She informed the small girl, not wanting to make her feel left out, especially since Mai was the only person she knew here so far. Freshmen had to stick together, right?

Without hesitation, Akira approached the tall dark haired male, taking a moment to check to make sure that Mai was still following her as well. Here it goes, just be cool. You're a dude now, so this should be easy. Akira mentally repeated at least three times in her head before she reach the row where the tall male was sitting, "Hey, do you mind if we sit in this row? I'm not too worried about seeing, so long as I can hear them, plus this is close to the exit.. so it's a bit more convenient.." She responded, rubbing the back of her neck, causing some of her short ivory hair to shuffle and tussle around from her nervousness. She was a bit worried that a real guy would be able to tell she wasn't a boy, so she made a mental note to keep her neck concealed by her uniform collar. She definitely didn't want someone to notice her severe lack of an Adam's apple this early in the game. Once people got to know Akira as a boy, she was fairly certain they would no longer be searching for minor details that would give clues to her true gender.. at least she hoped so.

She was a bit worried that the ebony haired male would refuse their company, because he definitely came across as an older student, but she wasn't entirely sure. He turned down a group of girls moments before their approach, but perhaps it's because they were bickering and being a bit obnoxious? It was then that her eyes landed on the tall male once more, noticing that he was very aesthetically pleasing, though her attention at this school was not going to placed in flirting, so she didn't let herself notice his appeal any further. Calm down. Calm down... She reminded herself, also reminding herself that here, she was a boy, and she couldn't check out other boys, regardless of if he reminded her of a magazine model. Perhaps he was one? This school was very elite, and the tuition cost was painful... she luckily got in free, on a fluke scholarship.. so she'd have to work hard from now on.

---

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---

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"I have wondered
what they see in me
whether they imposed
their dreams on me or
do they make me their illusions
because, I can only be me."

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██The silence did not last long and somehow, he was used to that. Whenever he is at school or even at his work, the peace he would like to have does not exist in such generous lengths, so, he does appreciate the ones he could have even at small amounts. His arms were still crossed over his chest as he looked to the one who asked whether they could sit in this row. That was an odd thing to ask someone, especially him. He doesn't own any of the seats nor would he deny them. If the event with the girls would be put up, he didn't told them not to sit here or anything. He simply said to be quiet and if not, leave. They were disturbing not only him, but the others too.

His eyes landed on the source of the question and he could not help but be still. It was because he was rather confused. The person before him was a female from the physical features, but this person was wearing a male uniform. That only means that this is a he. It seemed that his first impression is wrong then. This guy (Akira) is just probably very pretty just like how others would call Aeon at times. That made him remember one of the stories that Hikaru and Trixie told him once, about a trap. In that conclusion, he did not pry into anything further about the person (Akira). "Go ahead, make yourselves comfortable. I don't own them." That is all he said. There was no negativity behind it as he returned his attention to the front.

There he noticed a noise at the front which was caused by the known Hellion of Airdalen. It seemed he was fighting with his uncle, the Math teacher. Well, that should be enough to distract Kazuki from hounding him or causing anymore ruckus.

Ryou took the moment to glance at his seatmate as something familiar was caught from the corner of his eye. He recalled an image of a little girl (Mai) who came to buy seeds and flowers from his part-time work during the course of the summer. That very customer who he had assumed to be a student from middle school was presently here at Airdalen and without a doubt a high school student. "Wait, aren't you the girl..." He stated without much thinking as he was taken surprise by her appearance. It meant that his part-time job might be revealed and he meant it to be a secret as much as possible. It was not because it was not allowed by the school or something. This was more of he didn't want the word to get out and be surrounded by girls coming from this school. He already has his hands full from the the ones not from here.

"Excuse me." Ryou addressed the feminine boy (Akira) with those eyes of his that seemed to exude gravity as it reflected the white-haired boy's form (Akira) before he looked towards the small girl (Mai). He leaned forward and whispered into the girl's ear. "Keep my job a secret." His voice so soft, so gentle, and did not hold any kind of animosity. His words were a whisper as it caresses the girl's ear in secrecy. He then moved away as he did not want to make things awkward or uncomfortable for anyone especially her (Mai). There were also the stares going towards them as the girls vying for Ryou's attention were now casting daggers of glares at the two people nearest to him, especially of the little girl, (Mai). "Oh..." He suddenly remembered as he looked at the two. "Welcome to Airdalen." He assumed they were freshmen seeing they were not familiar faces here at school and he should say that, it would make things less awkward. Well, that is what he was told by a special person.

---

STATS

Popularity + 1 (Akira)
Popularity + 1 (Aeon)

"Go ahead, make yourselves comfortable. I don't own them."

"Arigato, Senpai." Akira replied, laughing casually at his strange response, but did not hesitate to take the seat next to Ryou. Though she was just generally excited about being at a new school, rather than flirting with Ryou. Showing interest in guys would only prove awkward, besides she promised herself that she wouldn't fall for anyone at this school. Most of the guys here were wealthy, and she wanted nothing to do with someone who had money...at least not romantically. Her father's wealth is what made it so easy for him to abandon her mother.. It is what made her meet her step-father, and led to her mother's death. She did not want anything to do with that kind of lifestyle. With an energetic smile, Akira ushered for Mai to sit down to the seat on the left of her, thus putting herself between the tall male (Ryou) and small Mai.

She noticed the noise towards the front, but she chose to not pay attention to it. Instead, Akira leaned back in her seat, enjoying the air conditioning. It was a pleasant change from the direct sunlight outside, and it almost had her dozing off a bit. The cool air was just so relaxing, she couldn't help but feel a little drowsy. Besides, she didn't get a lot of sleep, ever. Household chores, her job, plus school? She didn't have a lot of time to get proper sleep.

"Wait, aren't you the girl..."

Immediately Akira's eyes shot open as she was overwhelmed with almost suffocating fright. As she caught on to the situation, she was immediately relieved. She realized that the dark haired student (Ryou) was addressing Mai, and not her at all. Her heart nearly shot out of her chest when she thought Ryou recognized her as a girl. T-thank goodness.. I was about to have a heart attack.. Akira thought, placing a hand on her chest as she tried to retrieve her composure. Her chest ached from fear and dread, and she doubted the feeling would go away any time soon. Though, Akira had to admit that she was definitely a bit surprised when their seatmate appeared to recognize Mai. I wonder where these two met.. She thought as she looked between the two, trying to get a mental picture of a place these two would realistically meet. She somehow only got an image of a chance meeting at a fast-food restaurant. Mai and this male student just appeared to be from two completely different worlds. Though Akira knew better than to judge, many people wouldn't assume that she had a slightly delinquent past either...

"Excuse me."

Akira's eyes widened a bit as she was tugged back into the real world by the ebony haired male's words, and she turned her head to make eye contact, "Eh?" She was a bit confused as to what he meant by his words. Was he getting up or something? Although his words aside, something about his gaze sent chills down her spine. What is this feeling? It's kind of hard to explain.. kind of scary..? Her eyes still were a bit wide as she tried to make heads or tails of the stranger's gaze (Ryou's) but Akira broke eye contact shortly before he did. She couldn't handle it anymore, even if he was about to break his gaze on her and switch to Mai. What was that..? She wasn't blushing, but there was definitely something different about this guy, he was a bit scary.. even if he was polite. Though, she wasn't even sure why his gaze was so intimidating. Maybe it was his height? She was baffled, but totally taken by surprise when the tall male leaned over her to whisper to Mai.

Immediately Akira's face broke out into a dark red blush. Sure, talking to him was okay, and the eye contact was alright as well, despite the fact that it sent a cold feeling down her spine... but this was a little too familiar and she definitely couldn't compose herself in time to avoid getting embarrassed. It was the first time since she'd came to Japan that she'd been this close to a guy.. (unless the crammed trains and subways counted..) She turned her gaze to watch those entering the building, her blush dying down as she distracted herself from the other two. She glanced over for a second, catching them whispering still, and Mai was blushing as well, making Akira feel a little more reassured, even though she knew she shouldn't. She was supposed to be a boy, so she had to get used to stuff like this, she had to harden her feminine weaknesses or risked being exposed as a girl.

Then she noticed the glares shot towards Mai and herself, and Akira glared right on back. She wasn't going to be pushed around just because she chose to sit by someone, and she'd answer anyone with a fist if they tried to tell Mai she couldn't speak to whomever she wanted. Akira hated bullies, and she wasn't going to let anyone tell her or her friends who the could hang out with. Once Ryou returned to sitting properly in his own seat, Akira addressed him, "Those girls trying to have a glaring contest with me and Mai-chan... fans your's by any chance? If so, I feel very sorry for you, dude.." She asked, not angry with the senior male, but definitely irritated with the girls that seemed to always flock nearby. It was obvious that the white haired 'boy's' irritation was towards the girls based on the way 'his' tone changed to a more kind and gentle tone when she finished hissing out the words 'Those girls'.

"Oh..."

A quizzical look spread across Akira's face as the older student began speaking once more, causing her to blink a few times in confusion, a lot faster than normal. What else did he have to say? Was he going to lean over her again? She hoped not... That was embarrassing enough the first time around and she wasn't looking to experience it twice in a ten minute time frame.

"Welcome to Airdalen."

She blinked a few more times, a grin forming on her face afterwards. That was all? She began rubbing the back of her neck, glad that she'd chosen a seatmate that was polite and not very complicated... kind of like Mai, but also different in his own light as well, "I'm Blake, Akira nice to meet you-" Though her words cut off as she realized that she'd never gotten the tall male's (Ryou's) name.

Mai followed after Akira, making sure to stick close to him lest she lose sight of him. Considering the height of everyone else and the amount of people, Mai was certain that it wouldn’t be very hard for them to be separated without even realizing it. The small girl was tempted to just grab hold of the back of Akira’s jacket but that wouldn’t be quite right. There was no way she could enact something so intimate. They had finally reached the inside of the school hall and already there were quite a few students sitting down or milling about the large room. Mai couldn’t remember the last time she had been in such a populated place, well aside from the farmers market. She nearly walked ahead of Akira and had he not pointed out to something she wouldn’t have noticed he stopped. Green orbs followed the direction of where h was pointing at and she saw that it was one of the male students. He was sitting close to the back which was nice at least this way she didn’t have to worry about having to get past the bigger people. The only downside to sitting so far back was that she wouldn’t be able to see up front. "You can sit with me if you want... I'm going to go ask him if it's okay to sit over there." Nodding in response, Mai continued to trail behind Akira.

She admired the way Akira was able to just go straight up to the boy with ease. When she thought about it Mai wondered why she would have thought otherwise, it was just a boy talking to another boy. Polite as he was, Mai wasn’t sure how the other boy would respond and it wasn’t until she had gotten closer that she realized that not only did he make the chair he sat on look a little small but he was the young man she always saw at Paradiso’s. Mai frowned trying to figure out what his name was. She had heard him being called a few times while she had been there but since she wasn’t there to gawk at boys she never really payed too much attention. Eventually Mai remember something but it was only that his name started with an R.

"Go ahead, make yourselves comfortable. I don't own them." Mai bowed quickly to the dark haired student before sitting down. Clutching her bag close to herself, she glanced at him (Ryou) from the corner of her eyes. The possibility of him recognizing her was low since she wasn’t all that memorable. It wouldn’t surprise her if he didn’t say anything to her and to be honest Mai would be more than happy that he didn’t say anything. It was one thing to befriend such a pretty boy the first day of school but to be speaking with someone who might as well be a supermodel, Mai wasn’t sure she could take it.

While she had been deep in thought worrying about such a petty matter, Mai hadn’t realized what was going on in the front rows. She just barely heard him (Ryou) address her then again she wasn’t sure he had been addressing when he said girl. Mai looked up towards his general direction and hadn’t expected him to be leaning in so close. “Keep my job a secret." His voice was exquisitely soft and so unreasonably gentle for someone with that kind of appearance. Only giving a nod in response, Mai seemed to shiver despite the fact that her skin had turned a bright shade of red for due to him whispering in her ear. So, so close! Mai really wished she could just hide but there was nowhere for her to go.

Finally he leaned back into his own seat; Mai released a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding. This was even worse than Akira taking that cherry blossom petal out of her hair. Never had there been a reason for anyone, let alone a boy, to whisper in Mai’s ear in such a way. No one ever thought of telling the incredibly timid and small girl their secrets even though she was probably the safest person to tell. It wasn’t like she had anyone to tell their secrets too and when she thought back to what he had just said to her, Mai wasn’t entirely sure as to why he wanted to keep it a secret. It was just a job after all.

It was then that Mai looked up and almost on cue Akira commented on what was happening. “Those girls trying to have a glaring contest with me and Mai-chan... fans your's by any chance? If so, I feel very sorry for you, dude.." Her eyes looked around quickly until they settled on the group of girls who were indeed glaring at her and Akira. Upon making eye contact with one of them, Mai visibly flinched and looked down at her hands. She wasn’t used to people glaring at her as she generally made sure not to get on anyone’s bad side. Is it because we sat next this senior? Mai risked a glance at the senior and blushed again. The fact that Mai was so fidgety and was completely red would no doubt give the other girls the idea that Mai liked this senior even though she knew nothing about him. From the way Akira had spoken she could tell that he was irritated by the girls glares, And just like Akira, Mai did feel a little bad for the senior. It must be rather troublesome to have to deal with so many people vying for his attention all the time.

“Oh . . . Welcome to Airdalen."

She hadn’t expected him to say anything to the both of them but she was almost glad that he had welcomed them. At least I know he holds no ill feelings towards for knowing where he works at. Leaning forwards a bit more so that she could be seen pas Akira, Mai gave the senior a small smile. “O-Ohayō” came the soft yet shaky response. It was the typical greeting her mother had taught her to use and Mai felt a little bad that she only now remembered to use it; even though it wasn’t the response she had intended to use. Hopefully Akira didn’t notice it. Shortly after Akira introduced himself and Mai opened her mouth to speak but wasn’t sure if she should. After all Akira did end his introduction with a question. They didn’t know his name yet.