The Sakura bloomed all around Metro City as the new school year began for everyone. By 8:45am, everyone sat in their seats, ready to start the day. Everyone except for....
"Come on, Tobio! Hurry it up or we'll be late!" Reno urged as he ran ahead of his roommate. Tobio breathed in heavily as he struggled to finish his piece of toast.
"I-I'm shtill eating!" He cried with a full mouth. Reno quickly ducked back and took a huge bite out of his piece of toast before running forwards.
"You've gotta eat faster than that! Seriously, this is your first day of school and you're already late." He mumbled. Tobio gaped at him disbelievingly.
"Me!? You're the one who broke my alarm clock!" He snapped and raced after the athletic boy who was a good few steps ahead of him. Just as the pair turned the corner, Reno ran face first into the person in front of him and fell back with a grunt. Tobio slowed to a stop and winced. "Ouch, are you okay?" He asked and held his hand out to his friend.
Reno rubbed his sore nose and nodded.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine. What about the person in front of me...?" He trailed off as he watched Ajeero quickly gather his books and stand up. "Ajeero!? This is surprising, you're never late!" He cried and stood to his feet. Ajeero looked back at him with a riceball in his mouth, and blinked. He then quickly swallowed his food and adjusted his glasses.
"I may have been a bit too excited last night and didn't get enough sleep." He admitted. Reno pulled a face while Tobio eyed him curiously.
"As in excited, you mean...."
"School, I was excited about school." Ajeero stated, clearing any doubts Reno had. He then shook his head and gestured for the two boys to follow behind him. "Come on, or we'll be even more late!" He cried. Both boys' eyes widened and they shot forwards, resuming their late marathon.
As the three ran, a new face jogged beside them. They turned their heads to their right and saw Kennedy stuffing his face with a bowl of soba. Kennedy saw them looking at him oddly and turned his head towards them with soba hanging out from his lips.
"What?" He asked with stuffed cheeks. Ajeero pressed his lips into a thin line, and blinked.
"Dude, why the bowl of soba?" He asked. Kennedy took another bite of his breakfast and swallowed it in one go.
"Gotta stay nutritional." He responded. Reno grabbed the bowl and threw it to the side, making Kennedy gasp. "HEY!"
"It was holding us back, come on men! We gotta pick up the pace!" He cried and ran even harder. Just as he said this, something sped passed them on the sidewalk, surprising them. As the speeding object got to another corner, the four boys watched with wide eyes as you jumped onto the fence and ran along it.
"It's Y/n!" Tobio cried. Reno's gaze hardened and he turned towards the fence next to him.
"We gotta follow her example. Let's go!" He cried and threw himself onto the fence. Reluctantly, the three boys followed and together, they ran after you while dodging all sorts of animals lounging around on the fence.
As your group got closer to the school, you raced towards the school gates and grabbed the top of it. The attending teacher watched with wide eyes as you threw yourself over it, and landed on the other side. The others followed suit and together, the five of you raced into the school building. The female teacher merely blinked, and readjusted her glasses.
"Just who on earth were those students...?" She wondered out loud. She must have been new if she didn't know about the trouble makers of Fujisaki high.
Inside of the entrance hallway, Astro stood at the billboards with Abercrombie just as you lot had arrived onto the scene, absolutely exhausted. You collapsed onto your knees and breathed in heavily whilst the others mimicked your actions. Astro and Abercrombie looked down at the five of you and raised their eyebrows at you.
"Are you guys alright?" The larger boy asked just as Ajeero collapsed to the ground, completely drained of his stamina. Reno sucked in a huge gulp of air and sat up.
"L-late...school...classes...!" He wheezed. Astro and Abercrombie shared a look. The two then bursted into a fit of laughter, making you frown.
"W-what's...*pant* so *pant* funny?" You breathed out and clutched your stomach as you struggled to regain your breath. Astro wiped his tears of laughter away and calmed himself. He then looked down at you with a cheerful smile.
"Guys, us seniors have the morning off. They're introducing the first years to the school." Astro stated. Everyone looked up at him with wide eyes. They then collapsed onto the ground and let out sighs of relief.
"Man, I ran here for nothing." Tobio mumbled. Realisation then hit him and he shot up. "Wait I'm a first year! Gah gotta go guys!" He cried and shot to his feet. He then ran out of the school building and made a beeline for the opposite direction of the gymnasium. Abercrombie rolled his eyes and hurried after him.
"I'll go take him to the proper place." He offered and chased after his friend. Everyone nodded in agreement, and let themselves relax. You then looked up at the Billboard and stood up.
"So, are we all in the same class?" You asked. Astro nodded and rested his hands on his hips.
"Yep! Abercrombie and I had a look earlier." He stated and brushed his fingers over the wooden board.
"That reminds me, why are you here so early if we have the morning off?" Ajeero asked while Kennedy and Reno eyed the class list.
"Well I have student council prep I needed to do, and I think Abercrombie just forgot." Astro explained. Ajeero nodded in understanding while you looked off to the side.
"You're still in the student council? Isn't it boring?" You asked. Astro shook his head and smiled at you.
"No, not at all. I quite like it, getting to know what all of the students of Fujisaki high are up to." He admitted. You shrugged off his interests and held your arms behind your head.
"Whatever you say."
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Tobio kept his head lowered as Abercrombie escorted him towards the school's stadium.
"Sorry about this..." He trailed off. Abercrombie waved off his apology and shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Nah, it's all good. It's your first day here, wouldn't want you getting lost." He admitted. Tobio smiled up at him just as the pair stopped at the doors leading into the gymnasium. Abercrombie then gave him a good slap to the back, and waved him off. "See ya at lunch I guess." He said and turned his back to him. Tobio nodded and faced the metal doors. He then swallowed hard and pushed the doors wide open.
'Please don't notice me please don't notice me...!' Tobio silently prayed as he entered the quiet gymnasium. As if god was against him, which he usually is, almost everyone in the room turned to face him, making him go stiff with fear. 'They noticed me!' He inwardly wailed and forced himself to take a step forward.
At the front of the stage, a man who Tobio assumed was the principal cleared his throat, and addressed Tobio with a raised eyebrow.
"You're late. And on your first day too. Please take a seat, anywhere is fine." Tobio bit his lip and nodded. He then made his way towards the closest seat he could find, and sat down in it. The gazes from many students, especially the girls, lingered for a moment more before they were forced to turn their attention towards the principal as he gave his speech.
Tobio felt himself tear up out of the sheer embarrassment he felt at that moment. 'I can't believe I got a scolding the moment I get here.' He thought negatively to himself and let his head drop. The person beside him looked at him from the corner of his eye, and smiled.
"Let me guess, did you have issues with your alarm clock?" Tobio flinched. They were spot on. He then looked up at them from under his bangs, and furrowed his brow. This kid was about the same height as him, and he had a bald head with big round chocolate brown eyes, around the same shade as Tobio's. The most noticeable feature Tobio noticed about him was the bandage taped to his forehead.
The fellow first year held his hand out to him and smiled.
"My name is Sharaku Hosuke. What's yours?" He asked. Tobio bit his lip and spared a quick glance to the teacher. He then reached forwards and shook his hand.
"T-Tobio Tenma." He whispered. Sharaku's smile widened and he grinned.
"Pleasure to meet ya. Man, you looked like a nervous wreck out there. But I saw the way the ladies were eyeing you." He teased as he nudged Tobio in the side. Tobio felt himself redden and he faltered. He then looked to the side and clutched his seat.
"There's no way they'd be interested in me. I acted like a total loser." He muttered. Sharaku blinked at him and leaned back in his seat.
"Can't deny that. Don't beat yourself up over it, it's not like this will affect your social standings." He assured. Tobio flinched and sweat dropped.
"Ah, with the people I hang around, it just might..." He trailed off as he immediately thought back to you and Reno high-fiving each other whenever the two of you paired up. Sharaku couldn't help but smile at Tobio's statement.
"And as students of Fujisaki high, you must follow these expectations. Now, a word from our esteemed student council president, please welcome Astro." The principal spoke. Tobio looked up as everyone began to applaud just as Astro walked onto the stage, and smiled at everyone. Sharaku's eyes widened in surprise at his appearance, and he constantly flickered his gaze from Astro to Tobio.
"Hey, the president looks just like you! Are you guys brothers or something?" He asked. Tobio inched back in his seat and shrugged.
"S-something like that." He muttered. Astro's smile seemed to light up the entire room as he stood before everyone. He then leaned onto the podium and began his small speech.
"My name is Astro, and I am a 3rd-year student as well as the student council president. My job is to watch over the well-being of all other students and to ensure they're safety during their time here. As you may or may not already know, I am also the representative of all robots in Metro City." He introduced himself. Tobio crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back.
"He sure does love to brag." He mumbled, making Sharaku turn towards him questioningly. Tobio waved him off and smiled.
"As the student council president, I would like to give everyone a few...warnings. Here at our school, although we are efficient in our work and the activities we do, we also have some problem children." A dire look appeared on Astro's face, and everyone eyed him with concern. "I would like to send out a warning for your safety in the near future. If you are to ever encounter these people, immediately divert your attention from them. Being with them results only in disaster." Astro spoke and he presented pictures of the 'disaster' people he was talking about.
Tobio nearly choked on his spit at the images he saw. The images were mug shots of you and Reno. He couldn't believe he had to warn students about the two of you. Were you both that bad!? On closer inspection, Tobio noticed Ajeero's picture in a much smaller size placed just beside Reno's.
Astro shut off the images and smiled at the first years.
"I hope you enjoy your time here at Fujisaki high. Make all of the best memories you can, and I hope to see you in the near future. If you have any future concerns, please come and stop by the student council room. We'll be sure to help you out. Thank you for listening." He spoke and bowed his head to everyone. Everyone applauded for him as he left the stage while Tobio hung his head in his hands. Sharaku glanced down at him and rested his hand on his back.
"Uh, you okay?" He asked. Tobio looked up at Sharaku with a tired look and chuckled nervously.
"Yep! Doing great. Um, is the assembly over?" He questioned as everyone stood out of their seats and piled towards the door. Sharaku nodded and pulled himself to his feet.
"Yep! Now we go to the entrance and our classes should be posted on the Billboard. Hopefully we're in the same class." He hoped and smiled at him. Tobio gave him a small smile of his own and nodded in agreement. He then stood out of his seat and moved towards the door with Sharaku following behind him.
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You shook Astro by the collar whilst the others laughed at the mug shots Astro had taken of the two of you earlier.
"I can't believe you warned the entire school about us. Now they're gonna think weirdly of us!" You wailed and shook him much harder. Astro raised his hands in defence.
"But you are! Besides, it was the principal who wanted your pictures up there, not me!" He defended himself. You gave Astro a blatant look while Reno ran up to your group with a USB.
"I've got the pictures!" He exclaimed and held the USB stick out to you. You took the stick from him happily and slid it into your pocket. Astro furrowed his brows in confusion and eyed the two of you warily.
"Wait what pictures?"
"Astro!" Tobio called out to him, making him turn towards him. A smile then appeared on his face and he faced him.
"Tobio! How was the assembly?" He asked. Tobio stopped just before him with his new friend behind him, and smiled.
"It was alright. Other than embarrassing myself right in front of the principal. Oh! But I did make a new friend. Here, meet Sharaku Hosuke." Tobio introduced and gestured towards his new friend. Sharaku waved to him and smiled.
"Hey Prez! Nice to meet you. And..." Sharaku faltered slightly when he saw you and Reno standing just behind him. You raised an eyebrow at him while Reno waved. Astro realised why he was giving the two of you an odd stare and chuckled.
"Ah, don't worry about those two. They're only a problem when I'm not around." He stated. Sharaku laughed and nodded.
"That's a relief. But wow, you guys really do look alike. You're like twins!" He exclaimed as he looked between the two. Tobio and Astro both shared a look, and smiled. You interrupted their festivities by leaning an arm over Astro's shoulder and eyeing the two first years with a smile.
"Shouldn't you guys be in class?" You pointed out. Sure enough, the two were. Both boys gasped in alarm and raced down the hallway. You laughed and straightened.
"Tobio's not doing so good for his first day, is he?" Reno commented while the others nodded in agreement. Astro's face contorted into worry and he hummed in thought. He hoped that Tobio would be okay.
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Tobio slumped forwards as he and Sharaku stood outside of the classroom in the hallway. Clasped in their hands were two buckets, both filled to the brim with water. Sharaku stared ahead of him with a straight face while Tobio's face drooped.
"Didn't think this punishment was still a thing." Sharaku commented while Tobio frowned.
"I doubt my dad would be too impressed with this." He muttered under his breath. Sharaku nudged him in the side and smiled.
"It's the first day, you'll get used to it." Tobio smiled and looked up at him with a glint of hope in his eyes.
"Yeah, I'll find my way around the school at some point." Sharaku raised an eyebrow at him and shook his head.
"No, I was talking about the bucket holding. We've got no hope for this place." He commented. Tobio faltered, and frowned slightly. He then sighed and looked forwards. It wasn't like he wanted to get used to this. Who knows, maybe he could build up his arm strength by doing this.
As Tobio stared ahead of him, he noticed a girl much shorter than him crouched beside him, making him jump in surprise.
"WAH! H-Huh?" The girl beside him looked up at him through her silver wavy hair, which covered most parts of her face except her large fish-like eye, which looked kind of dull. Her skin looked pale and the bags under her eyes rivaled yours by a long shot.
Tobio felt his legs shake as she slowly stood to her feet, her head just stopping below his shoulders, and he swallowed hard. Sharaku noticed his ungodly shaking and he raised a curious brow at him.
"Tobio? What's up?" He questioned. Tobio opened and closed his mouth and turned away from her as he gave his friend a terrified look. He then felt the girl's tiny hand clutch his sleeve, making him shriek and drop the bucket.
Before the bucket could spill, the young petite girl caught the bucket and held it in her hands. She then looked up at Tobio through her fish-like eyes, eyes which bored into his soul, making him flinch. It was then that Sharaku also noticed the girl, and a bright smile broke out across his face.
"Yui!" He exclaimed, making the small girl look up at him. A weary smile then spread across her face, and she let out the creepiest laugh Tobio had ever heard of.
"Shara...ku..." She whispered, sending shivers down Tobio's spine. Sharaku laughed and turned towards Tobio.
"Tobio, this is my friend from elementary school. Her name is Yui Fujinaka. She comes from a family of cultists." He spoke. Tobio instantly paled at this.
"C-cultists!? Are you sure you should be saying that so openly?" He whispered, and eyed the young girl wearily. Hopefully she wouldn't put a curse on him for knowing. Sharaku chuckled and nodded.
"Don't worry, the fact Yui appeared before you proves she's taken a liking to you. Isn't that right, Yui?" He said. Yui nodded and clung onto Tobio's arm as she nuzzled into him. This made Tobio shiver and he inched away from her touch. She felt unnaturally cold for a human.
"She isn't a ghost, right?" Tobio asked and turned towards Sharaku. Sharaku frowned and shook his head.
"No, of course not. How could you say something so mean. She's a student just like us. If she's nuzzling into you, then...." Sharaku pressed his lips into a thin line and patted him on the shoulder. "It was nice knowing you buddy."
"What is that supposed to mean!?" Tobio cried. Yui tugged on Tobio's arm, making him look down at her. She then leaned up to him and whispered into his ear.
"Death surrounds you." She whispered in an eerie voice, making Tobio shriek. Tobio shot back and clutched his racing heart with wide eyes.
"D-death!?" 'Wait, now that I think about it, I've already avoided my death. So that's probably it.' Sharaku watched as Tobio sighed in relief and whiped the sweat off his forehead.
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By the time lunchtime came, Tobio had brought his two new friends to the usual group where they sat and ate lunch together. Oddly enough, you, Ajeero and Astro weren't present at this time.
Abercrombie dug into his food while Sharaku conversed with Reno. Kennedy sat and ate his food silently while Yui eyed him with her wide, fish-like eyes. This made him incredibly uncomfortable, and he shifted in his seat. Finally, he piped up about his complaints.
"Isn't anyone going to do something about this girl? I can't eat my lunch like this!" Kennedy cried. Yui blinked at him ever so slowly, and she clutched the desks with a fierce like grip.
"You have very slender arms, Mr Dai-kyou-san." She spoke and touched his arm, making him shriek.
"S-stop it with the great curse!" He wailed and clutched his head. (Note: Dai-kyou means great curse. Refer to the new years chapter.) Tobio laughed at their interaction and he leaned back in his seat. He then opened his lunch box and to his surprise, there was a letter in it.
Everyone crowded around Tobio as he held the letter up in his hands, and looked down at it with furrowed brows.
"A letter? How did that get here?" He wondered out loud and slipped the letter open. Reno leaned over his shoulder and frowned at this development.
"Damn, it's only your first day here and you already get a love letter." He commented while Sharaku nodded in agreement. A giant blush exploded across Tobio's face and he swallowed hard. He then shakily opened the letter and began to read it out loud.
"T-To Tobio T-Tenma- hey!" He cried out as you snatched the letter from him and held it before you. Abercrombie looked up at you in surprise as you read over the contents of the letter.
"Back already?" You nodded and smiled to yourself.
"Yeah I got bored. So I left our 'problem' for Ajeero to deal with." You spoke, making everyone frown. Of course you would have. You then waved the letter around and leaned over Tobio's head as you smirked down at him. "Aww, our little kouhai has a fan. Doesn't that excite you?" You teased. Tobio huffed and snatched the letter from your grasp.
"Don't read my mail!" He shot and clutched the letter to his chest. You laughed and leaned back. He then looked down at his letter and bit his lip. "I didn't expect to get a letter on the first day..." He admitted and smiled a little. Sharaku sat beside him and looked at the letter's contents from over his shoulder.
"Are you going to respond?" He asked. Tobio turned his head towards him and looked down at the letter thoughtfully. He then frowned and eyed the letter.
"There's no sender... So I can't exactly respond to it if I don't know who sent it." He stated. Sharaku hummed in thought and leaned back.
"I suppose not."
"Aw, I wanted to see who sent the letter." Reno complained. Tobio smiled fondly at the letter and he folded it. He then slipped it into his bag and began to eat his lunch. Oh well, maybe some day his secret admirer would gain the courage to confess to him in person.
From behind the door, a girl watched him from afar. Many other girls stood behind her with their own letters in their hands. The war for Tobio's heart had begun.
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After school, Tobio walked along the sidewalk with Sharaku and Yui walking by his side. Sharaku crossed his arms behind his head and turned his head towards his friends as he struck up a conversation.
"So, you guys gonna join any clubs?" He asked. Yui shyly nodded her head and smiled.
"The cult club." She spoke in a quiet voice. Both boys laughed. Of course.
"I'm surprised that club still exists, with Astro-senpai as the president. Well I'm going to join the soccer club." Sharaku told and pointed a thumb to his chest. He then turned his attention towards Tobio and smiled. "What about you?" Tobio jumped slightly and clutched his bag.
"M-me? Well, uh," Tobio scratched his cheek as he looked forwards, contemplating his choices. He then smiled and looked up at the sky. "I'm going to join the student council." He revealed. Sharaku's eyes widened as well as Yui's, and the pair shared a look. They then smiled and nodded, happy with Tobio's decision.
"I can tell this is going to be a fun highschool life with you guys." Sharaku admitted and chuckled. Tobio beamed at him and nodded in agreement.
"Yeah!" He exclaimed. Yui chuckled softly under her breath and twiddled her fingers together.
"This...will be interesting." She said in a low voice, dampening the mood slightly. Sharaku and Tobio shared a look, and laughed. Despite getting in trouble twice, today had been a very good day for Tobio.