"Those are Deneb, Altair, and Vega." the 8-year-old boy told the young girl while pointing to the brightest stars of constellations Cygnus, Aquila, and Lyra. It's almost midnight; the girl's family is holding a summer party, inviting many prominent personalities in the field of business, entertainment, and politics.
The boy went outside for some air; he doesn't like social gatherings at all. The young girl followed him— it was the first time that they met yet she insisted that he should accompany her in stargazing.
"Onii chan, I found Orihime sama," the young girl then pointed to the star Vega. She tugged the boy's sleeves. "Where is Hikoboshi sama?" she asked.
"There he is," he said pointing to Altair. "That's Hikoboshi sama."
"But why aren't they together? Aren't they lovers?"
"I don't know. Maybe they weren't meant to meet each other yet." he answered. "That's sad," the young girl then looked down in disappointment.
"Come Onii chan, I will show you something!" She immediately run into the garden, with the boy following her.
"Where are we going?"
"It's a secret! You will like it there!"
When they arrived at the huge gazebo in the garden, the boy was caught by surprise...
☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆
"Ah, same dream. What time is it?"
Bridgette had her adrenaline all in rush after she overslept for her first day as a high schooler in Japan. She'd spent half of her childhood in England due to her father's work; she then wished to study in the school where her parents' met after hearing from her mother the legend of the rose garden. It is her first time living alone as she insisted independence from her parents. Since she had arrived in her place two days before the school opened, her sunday was spent on fixing things, wearing her out, eventually forgetting to set her alarm for school.
"Ohayou!" greeted the old lady who lives next door. Bridgette just nod at her while biting on a piece of bread as she headed towards the exit.
"Yoshi! I can do it!" she mused to herself as she stepped out of the building. She just learned traveling alone from her apartment to school as she always have a chauffeur driving her around in her Bugatti. Having no sense of time due to the thrills of her first time experiences, she arrived to school 45 minutes late.
★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★
"Ah, finally. I am a Japanese high schooler now!" Bridgette giggled as she walks through the gates of Sarayashiki Gakuen. "The cherry blossoms are in full bloom! Well, since I'm already late, maybe I should just search for the rose garden-"
"You're late on your first day, too?" a voice chimed in from her back. Bridgette spun around to find a ravishing face to greet her—his silky, blond hair flows readily with the chilly, spring wind as his hazel eyes smiled upon her.
"You're a freshman, right? The ceremony had already started—"
"I'm on my second year," Bridgette answered to that cute guy who never took off the smile from his face. For a moment she thought he might be just toying her, then she realised that he's just being kind, knowing that she's new in their school.
"Ah, so you are new here."
He's slow to notice, Bridgette thought. "Unless you've seen me running around this place before, then I'm good as new," she sheepishly answered to him. The guy stared at her for a while then began to laugh, much to her annoyance.
"Baka," she said, and the guy laughed even harder. Bridgette started to walk away from him. "Where's the rose garden?" she asked. "You are pretty interesting. What's your name?" he asked her back.
"No way!"
"Nice name, no way. I'm—"
"Ren! What are you doing here? If that android catches us... who is she?" A tall guy with a dark, brushed up hair appeared. He looks scary that Brigette flinched at sight of him. "No way," the guy named Ren answered.
"Haaa?"
"Her name is no way." Ren started laughing again. Bridgette was flustered with what was happening; she can't blame the guy because she had given him the wrong answer to the right question. "Stop fooling around! Hey, don't you think you should go to the opening ceremony while it is on going?" said the tall guy.
"I'm not a freshman. While you're at it, kindly tell me where the rose garden is?"
"Haaa?" Ren and the tall guy both answered. Bridgette just stared blankly at the two guys.
"The rose garden, the one with a legend," she explained. "Oh well, fine, I'll find it myself."
"Ah, you mean that place. Why would you want to go there?" asked the tall guy. "Shuu, obviously she believes in the legend, she just said it, ne, no way?" Bridgette once again flinched when Ren called her 'no way'.
"Baka," she blushingly replied. She was embarrassed on how things had turned out for her first day of school.
"Hirasawa brothers! You're both late again!" another deep voice boomed from behind.
"Hirasawa?" Bridgette asked. She turned around to see the person who spoke only to find her jaws all loose at the sight of a very fine looking man with a set of hazel green eyes looking at them.
"I told you we should hurry before he catches us!" Shuu, as Ren called the taller guy, scolded at the latter. "But we can't just leave her alone, can we?" Ren answered as he smiled to Bridgette.
"I'm fine alone, and I'm not asking you to look after me."
The guy, who Bridgette safely assumed as the head teacher, went up to them and pinched both Ren and Shuu's ears. Bridgette almost laughed hearing the two guys protest when the teacher looked at her.
"O-ohayou gozaimasu..." she greeted.
"Ohayou gozaimasu," the teacher answered in return. Ren laughed again.
"Don't make that face, Oniji. You're scaring her." Ren picked up his bag and started to walk with Shuu following him.
"Urusai! You go to your class, now!" Oniji replied.
"Yada!"
"Then I'll have your big bike chained and you can't get the keys from me," threatened Oniji. Shuu spanked Ren at his head then apologised to Oniji. "See you later, no way!" Ren shouted as Shuu dragged him away from them.
"No way?" Oniji asked Bridgette, looking confused.
"Long story, sensei."
"Let's go to the principal's office. Amano san is waiting for you." He led Bridgette into the main building.
☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆
Bridgette and Oniji sensei entered a room with the smell of brewing tea all over the place. She recognised at once the man sitting behind the table—his father's bestfriend, Masahiro Amano, who serves as the principal of Sarayashiki Gakuen as well as her guardian during her stay in Japan. He, too, studied in Saragaku, as they call the school, together with her parents.
"Bridgette, hisashiburi!" Masahiro cheerfully greeted her as they entered the room. He stood and gave her a big hug then gestured for her to sit down. "How are you, Masa ji-chan?" Bridgette greeted the principal.
"Fine, fine! Look at you! It's been only three years since I last saw you and yet you had turned into a Yamato Nadeshiko!" the principal exclaimed while admiring his bestfriend's daughter. "How's Enishi and Mai? Is Heiji coming home, too?" He poured some tea in a cup and gave it to Bridgette and Oniji.
"They were good. I think they'll be here for a summer vacation." She smelled the aroma of her tea. "Lady Grey?"
"Yes dear. Your favourite." He turned to Oniji. "By the way, this is Reiji Onimura sensei, head of our disciplinary office." he introduced Oniji to Bridgette. "This is Bridgette Tsukishiro."
"Please to meet you, Onimura sensei."
"Likewise," he answered, for which Bridgette described it as 'cold'.
"She is the ambassador's daughter," Masahiro continued.
"I see. Until now I was wondering why he didn't run for the prime minister position instead," Onimura mused. "He had done a good job as head of Sangiin, though."
Bridgette just smiled for the praises Onimura said about her father. Eight years ago, Enishi Kisaragi was the head of the House of Councillors in the Diet as well as the Jyuminshuto party. When his term in the congress has ended, he was persuaded by his colleagues to take a shot on the highest position in the government: the prime minister. Despite his qualification, he declined the position and took the British embassy instead to put him and his family away from Japanese politics and some other things that might threaten their safety.
"You could have your high school in Juilliard if you want to." Mai Tsukishiro, her mom, said to her when she told her of her decision. She's a well-known pianist. After her family flew to England, she got a job as a professor in the prestigious Royal College of Music.
She recalled how they reasoned themselves for her to stay with them in London, but something is pulling her to Japan—a long, lost memory that she wanted to find.
"Daijoubu?" Masahiro asked, noticing that Bridgette was spacing out. "Uh, yes. I'm sorry."
He whispered something to Onimura sensei of which she couldn't make any out of it, but assumed that it was about her as she read the expression in Onimura's face.
"If that's the case, then why let his daughter wander here alone?" the teacher asked. Bridgette felt a pang of guilt over his words. True enough, her dad doesn't want to let her go. He just can't say no to her when she starts disconnecting herself from them. She thinks that only Heiji understands her more than they do.
"Otousama believes that I'd be in good care here in Japan. He wanted me to experience how is it to be an ordinary Japanese teen, studying in a Japanese school, eating Japanese foods, and having a plenty of Japanese people to be friends of. I want to live a Japanese life. I am Japanese afterall." Bridgette said without batting a single lash. It made Masahiro and Onimura silent for a while.
"Very well, then, Tsukishiro Bridgette. We will ensure your safety and well-being during your stay here, so please cooperate with us." Onimura stood and went to the door. "I will have Tachibana show her around the school."
Bridgette stood and bowed. "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!"
★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★
"Minna san! Please keep quiet!"
The students of Class 2-A are all excited to see that Touya Aikawa remains as their homeroom teacher. Aikawa sensei was called by the principal to bring along his new student to his class. He's the exact opposite of Onimura sensei: cheerful, high spirited, and very positive.
"Touya chan is still our teacher!" a guy from the back of the class shouted. "Ah, ecstasy!" shouted a familiar voice. "Oh, its nice to see that most of my students here are from my class last year," Touya chan (as he preferred to be called) said. "Today, another friend will be joining our class."
Everyone fell silent when Bridgette entered the room. After a split second of silence, a sudden burst of laughter rang around the room.
"No way!" Ren shouted as he stood and waved to Bridgette. She instantly turned beet red at the sight of Ren. "Oi Hirasawa. Isn't it rude for you to shout no way to your new classmate?" Touya chan said to Ren. Everyone was looking at him like he had done something mean.
"Hey, wait, don't be too fussy about it. Her name is, you see-"
"My name is Bridgette Tsukishiro. I will be your classmate from now on. Please treat me nicely." Bridgette introduced herself.
"Eh? But you said-"
"Aho! She never told you that her name is 'no way'. She just doesn't want to tell you her name." Shuu explained to Ren, who is pouting so cutely. "You really are no fun, no, Shuu? I was just teasing her, of course I know that her name isn't no way." Ren said, making Shuu blush.
"But still, it is not right to tease her." Touya chan said.
"I'm sorry... uhm..."
"Bridgette Tsukishiro."
"Bridgette chan, gomen ne." Ren said while smiling at her. Shuu just shook his head.
"Okay class! Do you have any questions for Tsukishiro?" Touya chan asked the class.
"Ne, Tsukishiro san, what school did you came from?" asked a pretty girl who seems so talkative.
"Uhm, I'm from St. Marylebone School."
"Where is that?"
"In London." Bridgette answered. Everyone was echoing 'ooooh!' upon hearing she studied overseas.
"Tsukishiro here was raised in England due to her father's work."
Everyone's looking amused at her. They all wanted to ask her questions.
"Are they kind in London?"
"Yes."
"Do they really like to drink ochaa there?"
"Yes."
"Do you speak in British accent?"
"Somehow."
Bridgette is starting to get confused with the questions thrown to her. She's a bit embarrassed; Japanese schools are way too different from British education system.
"Is there a person you like?"
The last question picked her attention. She disregard answering all the other trivial questions for the one thrown by Ren. What should I say? Bridgette asked herself.
"Yes."
Everyone, again, said 'ooooh' in amazement. It seems she had answered all of their questions at once. Questions rained on her again until she heard the follow-up for the one she had answered.
"What is he like?" Ren asked her again. She stared at him in disbelief that this guy is grilling her with personal questions nobody had even asked her, yet she's very willing to answer it.
"He is... a wonderful pianist."
Another round of 'oooooh' buzzed in the room as they were all intrigued about who she might be talking about. Very fortunately, Touya chan had asked the students to refrain from asking questions so they could start their class.
"Tsukishiro, since you seems to be acquainted with Hirasawa-"
"No, I'm not," she protested.
"Yes, you are," Ren replied.
"I don't know you."
"Yes, you do."
"No, I don't."
"My name is Ren Hirasawa. Now you know me," Ren finally introduced himself.
"Tsukishiro, you sit next to Hirasawa." Touya chan said, breaking the start of maybe an endless conversation. "Which one?" Bridgette asked.
"The younger one." he answered. "Who is younger?"
"Enough of these crappy talks," Shuu finally let out a word. "I am the older Hirasawa. Ren is younger."
"Onii chan, you're scaring her." Ren said to Shuu. "Shut up! It sounds weird when it came from you." Shuu answered. Bridgette sat next to Ren Hirasawa who's very delighted of his new seatmate.
"Yoroshiku, Bridgette chan."