Hiraeth

5

You were perfectly settling in your new surroundings.

Everything was absolutely how you wanted it. It was peaceful and quiet; no one to bother you and no one to hurt you.

While the only time you had ever interacted with your roommate was on the very first day you had arrived here, you didn't exactly care. You were naturally introverted and hardly spoke up unless spoken to. So her silence actually wasn't that bad.

But you were wonderfully getting along with Kuroki-san, the receptionist. She was sweet and gentle, sort of reminding you of Xeno's kind mother, who always treated you like a daughter. She would often help you with honing your Japanese skills, since you were still a beginner in the language.

You were just grateful that you had to teach your lessons in English.

There weren't that many students taking Toxicology either, probably since it was still a newly introduced subject in their institution. But at the very least, there were 23 students in your class.

After you had checked out your work place and even met up with the principal, he was kind enough to hand you the curriculum and give you a run down of how things worked around there.

Before you even knew it, April had already arrived.

With those simpler problems behind you, you took a deep breath as you looked over yourself one final time. You wore a simple white, loose shirt that was tucked in your black pencil skirt, while donning a simple khaki coat.

Minami watched as you gathered your files, checking once more that you had everything. She mentally wondered where you were working. After all, she never exactly talked to you ever since you both introduced yourselves. Maybe it was awkwardness that stopped her from approaching you, but... she didn't know why there was something about you that just screamed misery.

Everyday, she would plan on at the very least greeting you, but the moment she would catch sight of you, she would chicken out. This continued on up till today.

Today, she had made up her mind to at least wish you good luck. After all, even if you seemed like those stuck up foreigners who think that they're better than everyone else, she could be judging you too quickly.

Just as soon as you were about to leave, she let out a small yell, "H-Hey!!" You halted in your steps, turning your head over to look at the blonde. She took a huge gulp before starting, "Uh... B-Be safe!" Your eyes widened for a minute before returning to their normal size almost immediately.

However, a kind smile slowly took over your lips as you nodded graciously towards her, "Of course. Thanks, Hokutozai-san." She nodded robotically and you continued your way out the door.

You passed by Kuroki-san and she gave you a smile, along with a wink, signalling her encouragement. You smiled back and bowed slightly before you finally left the building.

Thankfully, the college wasn't too far from the hostel, and you didn't have to change any trains on your way there (something that was quite common, in accordance to Kuroki-san). You got on the train and took a deep breath to calm your nerves.

Sure, this is the first day but before you even know it, you'll probably get used to your new job. After all, you did get used to Japan, so hopefully adapting to your teaching job will also be easy.

It took you about 6 minutes to reach the college, but once you were close, you managed to easily catch sight of the tall building. It towered over most of the buildings that surrounded it so it was kinda hard to miss. You quickly made way towards the entrance and towards the Principal's office, who seemed rather glad upon seeing you.