✍🏻 Little Matchmaker

26 - 1st Day of School

They walked - no they strolled, painfully slow - to the principal's office, and to his relief, his new teacher was already there to pick him up and his amazing, yet excruciatingly sluggish mum stayed behind to settle some more paperwork.

"Don't forget to add Elliot on the list here as well," he whispered into her ear, and before she could answer he was already in the hallway, waiting for the teacher to catch up.

They walked through the long hallway, passed by dozens of kids and he grabbed the straps of his backpack with both hands, straightening his back and trying to match the height of the other kids that seemed his age.

"So," the teacher said with a smile, "are you looking forward to your first day, Akira?"

"Just Aki, please," he corrected her, "and yes! I can't wait!" quickly adding, "Mrs. Wooldridge."

"And you do figure skating, right?"

"Correct!" he exclaimed happily, "I will win the next Olympics!"

"Oh," she chuckled, "that is a very admirable goal!"

He inhaled to also name drop Yuzuru but the school ring interrupted him and all the kids from the hallway scattered away, hurrying into their classes.
The teacher opened the door to his classroom and he quickly eyed the number on it to memorize it, his fingers around the backpack straps tightening.

"Good morning, children," the teacher said and all the kids gave her their greetings as well, though with much less enthusiasm, "as we discussed before your holiday break, let's welcome your new classmate!"

She pointed at Akira and he made his way in the middle of the elevated floor in front of the blackboard.

"Hello!" he said with a wide grin and bowed deeply, seeing some of the kids chuckle with their hands over their mouth when he straightened up.

Ah! Stupid me! People don't bow here!

"So," the teacher took over, "would you like to say a few things about yourself? For example what---"

"My name is Akira," he eagerly jumped in, "but everyone calls me, Aki. I am a professional figure skater," he puffed out his chest, "and I also have a large collection of Pokemon cards," he heard some kids snicker in the back seats and quietly added, "if any of you would like to trade...."

The teacher patted his back and pointed at one of the seats in the back next to a girl with hair that looked like sunrise.

"That is Violet," the teacher explained, "you will share the desk with her, and I am sure you will get well acquainted with the others during the break."

She flashed him another smile, and he nodded, quickly striding to the desk and sitting down next to the girl.

"Your hair is so cool!" he whispered to her and she looked at him with her eyebrow raised.

He wasn't sure what she meant with that reaction but when she huffed and rolled her eyes he rather turned away and opened his backpack.

"As always," Mrs. Wooldrige said loudly, "we will start with Math, while your brains are still fresh."

Akira quietly whined and fished out his Math workbook and notepad, neatly arranging them on the desk. Violet took out her things too but messily threw them on the table, making her pen roll all the way to his side.
He caught it before it could fall off, handing it back to her with a wide grin but she snapped it from his hand and turned to face the blackboard.

The hour was nothing short of torture and he gulped on empty finding out they are exactly at the same level where he ended in Japan, his hopes of being ahead destroyed. He was also astonished when during the lesson he could hear several of the kids quietly chatting and the teacher completely ignoring it as if it was okay to talk during class. He didn't agree with the school system in Japan of everyone wearing uniforms and defined hair cuts - killing individuality - but he would never dare to talk over the teacher like that.
He wondered if all teachers will be benevolent like Mrs. Wooldridge when the school ring finally announced the end of the mathematical agony and he immediately straightened his shoulders.
The kids started to pile up at his desk and he happily wiggled in his seat, flinging his hair.