The final days of that summer were spent with my family. Despite Yui being herself, I was able to relax. We made curry, went for walks, and ate the sweets that mother made. It was peaceful, and despite my vow to remain vigilant, I found myself slipping back into complacency. Just before it ended, Yui took me to get my uniform for Toriyama High.

  "Oh, Zuzu, you look just like a dream," she said as she clasped her hands together. "Thank you, God, for bringing him to me." She started to drool a little out of the corner of her mouth.

  "Bold of you to assume that I'll be anywhere near you at school, sis, especially acting that way."

  "You know, I'm only this way with you, Zuzu. You're the only one that gets this side of me. Don't you feel special?" She leaned in, her eyes sparkling.

  "I feel like I need an adult," I said as I pulled back a bit.

  "I am an adult, technically speaking."

  "No. No, you're not."

  To that, she pouted. "Zuzu, why are you so mean to your loving big sister?" She hung on me for the rest of the trip back.

  The air was crisp on the day of our high school entrance ceremony. Not cold enough to warrant the jacket but definitely cool enough to make one appreciate the sweater vest. Parents and students lined the sidewalks and crowded the gates to take pictures. Father had come back specifically for this day like he did when Yui's ceremony day came.

  "Let's get your picture, Kazuma," said my father, pulling out his camera. Within a single heartbeat, Yui was glued to my side.

  "There's nothing in this world that could pull us apart, Zuzu. Not for this moment, at least." She gave a peace sign and a smile that made the late summer sun seem like a candle.

  Seeing her that way, remembering how I lost her last time, knowing that it wouldn't happen again so long as I lived, I couldn't help but smile too as the camera shuttered and took the picture. The moment it was over, however, I quickly squirmed out of her clutches and put a respectable amount of distance between us. To that, she pouted again, but she regained her composure and went into the gymnasium to take her seat.

  "The first day of your high school life is about to begin, Kazuma," my mother said in her normal soothing voice. "I can't wait to hear all about it when you get home."

  My parents left, and I looked at my watch. 7:34AM. The ceremony started promptly at 8:00, so I still had a few minutes to make the short walk to the gym and my standing spot. I started walking in that direction and heard a voice call out from behind me.

  "Kazu!"

  "Kazuma! Wait for us!"

  I turned around to see Denki and Chika running up to me. Chika had put a silky green ribbon in her hair and tied it in a bow on top of her head; it was a tradition she started on her first day of elementary school. Denki had slicked his blonde hair back since he grew it out over the summer. It looked different for sure, but not necessarily bad. My own hair was parted and well kept for the day.

  "Another minute, and I would have gone in without you guys. Where are Rito and Hiro?"

  "They're inside already," said Denki as he put his arm around my shoulder. "Unlike us, they didn't think about waiting on you, slowpoke."

  "Nice to see you've all taken an interest in being early. I'd like to think I had something to do with that," I said pridefully.

  "Thanks, Kazu, I hate it," Chika sarcastically replied. "Now I get to wake up even earlier. You're going to take responsibility, you know."

  "Yeah, yeah. I'm sure I'll pay by you tormenting me on the way to and from school all the time. Now, let's go. The ceremony is going to begin soon."

  I grabbed both of their hands, and we ran to the gym and got our spots near Hiro, Rito, and Hojo. The ceremony began with the principal stepping up to the podium.

  "Good morning, students. I am Principal Kushida. Starting today, you begin your journey here at the proud and prestigious Toriyama High School. Over the next few years, you will be mentored and guided to become fully integrated and exceptional members of society. I implore you to live our motto every day: Achieving Excellence and Overcoming All Obstacles."

  As she spoke, I stood in silent awe. There was something familiar about her. She was young, especially for her position, given the requirements. Her long silver hair and piercing blue eyes added to her intense demeanor. Like a marble statue standing for eons, she held the attention of the entire gymnasium as she gave her remarks. Somewhere during the speech, I realized where I had seen her before — the day I ran away from the school.

  "I have no doubt," she continued. "...that every one of you brings a new piece of the ever-growing puzzle to our school. What that piece is, and how you will use it will help us to help you to find your place in the world. You have done well to make it this far, but, again, this is only the beginning of your journey; and the end is still far in the uncharted future. Take heart, and remember my words."

  During her final sentence, she seemed to look directly at me. I remembered the icy stare from that day. It defied the heat and chilled me to my bones. My skin felt like it was being frozen in the deepest reaches of space. Yet, there was a glimmer of comfort in her eyes as well. Her gaze seemed to speak to me, like she knew something about me that no one else knew or should know: that I would be safe here.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  "First-year representative Hiasaka Nina, approach the podium."

  A girl walked up to the podium, and I was dazed again. Nina, the meta from the mall and the water park, walked up to the podium in a pristine uniform. Her brown hair was well kept and looked almost blonde under the lights on the stage. Her eyes reminded me of honey pots glistening in the sun.

  "Honored guests, distinguished faculty, fellow students, we stand here today on the brink of a dauntless new chapter in our lives. From this day forward, we represent the prestigious Toriyama High School. It is our responsibility to live up to its time-honored name and to live its motto in all we do — from academics and athletics to public conduct and personal development.

  "These next few years will seem long as we go through them, no doubt, but when we look back, it will seem like a mere moment in time. Let us all give everything that we have to make the most of the coming days as we learn, grow, and achieve great feats together. A great philosopher once said 'The great aim of education is not knowledge but action.' Let us use what we will learn here to make a better world for all."

  She gracefully turned and left the stage returning to her spot in the front of the crowd. As she crossed the final stair, our eyes met again, and her face went pale. She managed to maintain composure and remained in place until the end of the ceremony. After it was over, we all filed out of the gymnasium and into the school.

  There was a large crowd at the class roster board. I had gone beforehand, so I knew where I was going. Thankfully, I had been placed in the same class as our group. There were three classes in my year; we were in Class B. I gathered everyone up and started to move towards our homeroom when a commotion broke out.

  "Hiasaka? Are you okay?" one girl asked as everyone else started to crowd around her.

  "Give her space! Get a teacher!" another girl called out.

  "Out of my way! Move! Nina!" Natsu's voice rose above the crowd.

  I managed to look through the crowd to see Nina kneeling on the ground. It looked like she had almost fainted. She raised her head just enough for me to see her eyes. They were terrified. She had held her reaction to me long enough and couldn't keep the facade any longer. I quickly took off towards our homeroom, and the rest of our group followed.

  "Hey, Kazu," Chika started as she walked beside me. "That girl, isn't she the one from the water park?"

  "I think so, yeah."

  "Why didn't you stop to help her?"

  "Didn't you see? She already had plenty of help, and her brother was there too. Despite everything that happened, I don't want to get Denki involved since we both know he'd get involved."

  "But I thought everything was okay after the police took that guy away?"

  "It might be, but something tells me that her brother wouldn't take kindly to us showing up out of nowhere again. He seems really protective of her and might get blinded by it. Denki gets the same way when he wants to help someone."

  "If I sneeze one more time, we're going to fight," Denki chimed in. "What are you two talking about?"

  "Nothing of consequence, buddy."

  "Liar," they both said in unison.

  There were twenty four students in our class. A few of them were already in the room when we walked in. Our teacher, Ms Kimura, gave us our seating assignments as we walked in, and our group was almost completely split up. I sat towards the back in the middle of the class. The closest person was Hojo who sat one desk in front to the left.

  The morning passed quickly, our teachers introduced themselves and laid out how the year would go. Ms Kimura describes the various clubs that were available to us and all upcoming events, namely the Hoenn City Competition and the school festival. We finally got to lunch, and our group reformed around my desk.

  "I already don't like it here," Chika started. "How am I supposed to keep myself entertained if Kazu is so far away?"

  "I have a suggestion. How about you try to learn what's being taught?" I replied.

  "Boring," added Hojo. "Everyone being together would actually help us out learning. We could rely on each other if we miss something or don't understand it."

  "At least everyone in our class seems nice," Rito chimed in.

  "I'm interested in the manga club Ms Kimura mentioned," said Rito, already nose deep in the newest issue of his latest binge.

  "I really don't like being in the front," Denki groaned. "I feel like I'm going to be called on a lot."

  "It's only the first day, guys. Give it a chance," I tried to cheer him up.

  "Um, can I ask something?" Hojo blurted out.

  "What's up?" Chika responded.

  "Can you call me by my given name? Like you do each other?"

  Hiro was the first to respond. "Sure, Kaori. It meant a lot when I asked the same thing, so I understand where you're coming from."

  Everyone agreed, and she seemed very happy and relieved.

  "I should probably mention this now, too," Rito said almost confidently. "Ino and I are dating now."

  Everyone was understandably surprised. The silence was nearly deafening until a bellowing laughter shattered it.

  "Well, look who made his choice," Denki patted his back and smiled.

  "What about Yamada?" Chika asked.

  "She and I talked, and she let me know that she didn't want a long distance relationship since she decided to go back home at the end of summer."

  "Aww, and here I thought she'd be with us until graduation." Chika sank down in her chair.

  "If it's another girl friend you're looking for, I can try to step up," Kaori volunteered.

  She perked back up and gave her a hug. "Yes, please! Being in a group of boys is unbelievably tiring."

  "You're more than a handful yourself, you know," I replied in a sarcastic voice. To that, everyone laughed.

  At the end of the day, we voted on a class representative. Denki had thrown my name out the instant the issue was brought up. Previously, I had been a class rep at Makarov Academy, but the Prestige Program used the position as a masquerade to appear normal.

  There was little that I actually did save to attend student council meetings. Other names were suggested, of course, but I won by a few votes with Denki in second. My only place away from the bro-con named Yui had become another outlet for her to ogle me.

  Fantastic.