I stared at my reflection in the mirror, frowning at the ugly brown school uniform I had to wear now.
This school sure has a questionable fashion sense, I thought, adjusting the collar.
As I finished dressing, I looked at my old navy-blue school uniform sitting in the corner of my closet, or more specifically, at the pin in the image of a black bear sitting on the right-hand chest area.
"It's a gift, from me to you." echoed the voice of the person who gave it to me.
Simply remembering that day made me feel upset.
Let's get going, I thought.
I made my way through the mountain of unpacked boxes scattered all around my house until I reached the living room.
It's at moments like these that I envy the people who wake up to an already-made breakfast by their parents. Instead, what I'm greeted with are the loud snores of my older sister who's on the living room couch about to fall off at any given moment.
She always brags that she used to be popular in her high school years, but looking at her right now, reeking of booze and drooling all over the place, makes me think she was just talking about a dream she had.
"I'm off for school!" I yelled; despite knowing I wouldn't get a coherent response.
"Ughahhg" my half-asleep sister groaned back.
I stepped outside, with the crisp morning air hitting my face, and made my way to school.
Even these morning walks are calming. The singing of the chirping birds, crossing a bridge over a busy road, the breeze of the nearby ocean and walking under the warm sunlight as leaves crunch under your feet.
What?
You want to know about my philosophy in life?
Hell no.
Don't you know that's trope #11? The protagonist's philosophy?
You know, when they share their thoughts on society or relationships or some crap like that. Something usually deep and intriguing… yeah, I don't got nothing like that.
You expected me to go on a rant about my opinion on relationships too?
Listen, my name isn't Hikigaya, I'm just an average guy who is trying to lead a simple peaceful life. Besides, not everyone has a tragic backstory, a mysterious past or a controversial and cynical view on relationships.
I just want a quiet life, what can I say.
Which is exactly why I woke up an hour early today to head to school.
Why is that important?
Heh. Behold my expertise in the matter of cliches you naïve viewer.
If I was running late to school, I'd run the risk of bumping into someone with a piece of bread on their mouth.
Believe me, the last thing I need is for a girl to be like "ah you're that boy from before!" on my first day of school.
Anyways, by going to school early, there should be no chance whatsoever of someone coming at me full speed around a corner.
"Kyaaa!" A scream rang out behind me, sharp and excited.
Before I even turned around, a shiver crawled down my back.
What?! An event this early in the morning? I thought in a panic while a drop of sweat slid down my temple.
I looked over my shoulder getting ready to dodge.
"Please give me your autograph!"
…Oh. False alarm.
I let out the breath I'd been holding and relaxed my body which was ready to dive to the side.
The girl who had yelled was already sprinting toward the nearby beach.
But she wasn't the only one. Down on the shoreline, under the early morning sun, a huge crowd had formed a circle around someone.
"Please sign my shirt!" a guy shouted.
"Please look this way! I own all your albums!" another screamed.
I could barely make out a team of bodyguards in black struggling to hold back the growing mob.
Thank God.Just a random celebrity.
I wonder who it is…?
No, pay it no mind me!
I straightened up and kept walking.
Maybe last year I would've gone to see what the fuss was about, but I've learned the hard way that getting involved in scenes like that only leads to disaster.
That's why, for a moment, I panicked and thought it was the beginning of an event aimed at me.
What's an event you say? Well I'd rather not talk about it and risk jinxing myself, but simply put it's a big pain in the-
"Ah, Mr. Whiskers! Come down please!" an elderly woman shouted, staring up into a tree.
Dang it.
In front of me a very suspicious scene was unfolding. A black cat was stuck on top of a tree with an agitated grandma below begging for it to come down.
This felt like one of those NPC encounters you get in an RPG game, and I was not trying to take on a side quest so early in the morning that would snowball into something bigger.
Maybe if just walk past really fast…
I picked up my pace, staring straight ahead, trying to avoid making eye contact.
But it was too late.
The old lady turned at a lighting quick speed, her eyes locking onto me like a heat-seeking missile.
"Oh dear young man, would you mind helping out an old lady?" she pleaded with her hands clasped together.
Sigh.
I looked up. The black cat sat on a branch, perfectly relaxed, licking its paw and glancing down at us with the smugness only cats can pull off.
"Sure thing, ma'am." I replied with a smile.
What? Did you think I'd refuse? I'm not a monster you know.
But before I even touched the tree, the cat casually hopped down and bolted away like it had planned this the whole time.
"Ah! Mr. Whiskers!" the old lady exclaimed as she fruitlessly reached out to the cat.
"Oh young man…" she said turning to look at me with puppylike eyes.
Ha~ I let out another resigned sigh,
"I'll be right back."
I hope you're starting to see why I just want a peaceful life.
I chased after the cat, running around different neighborhood streets and intersections until the cat eventually turned a corner and entered an alleyway.
I stopped at the entrance leading into the narrow passage where the sunlight did not reach.
Yeah… this place is bad news… I thought as I stared at the ominous vibe the alley was giving off.
It was a tight, dark, narrow and obstructed place.
The perfect place for delinquents to smoke and hangout at…
Crash!
As I stepped into the alley, a loud sound like a bunch of trash cans falling, came from around the corner.
Please don't be something dangerous…
I carefully peeked around the corner.
My palm met my forehead with a sharp smack.
Mr. Whiskers, that dumb cat, was sitting peacefully licking its paw on top of a trashcan.
But surrounding the trashy throne Mr. Whiskers laid on, were the knocked-out and bruised bodies of many students.
It seemed that a brawl had broken out and these guys had lost. They were all clearly trashed, injured and some in funny dramatic poses.
It was clear that whoever did this had some unresolved anger issues.
However all the students seemed to wear distinct black uniforms, different from my own brown uniform.
A turf war?
"Mr. Whiskers!" I called out to the cat, slowly and carefully stepping over the bodies of the students, making sure to not step on any of them.
"Mr. Whiskers! Get over here!" I called out once again, but to no avail. The cat gave an annoyed look at me and continued licking its paw.
Seeing that he wasn't coming over, I quietly and swiftly made my way to him.
Just as I was about to reach him, a hand tightly held my ankle, scaring me and forcing me to cover my mouth to stop myself from screaming.
I glanced behind me.
A bald dude on the floor, struggling to speak, looked up at me. "Please… save our boss…" he said, shortly passing out once again and loosening his grip on my leg.
Save your boss?
Was this my chance to become the new Banchō of my school? The start of my thug career where I start my own gang and I go on to face other schools in epic brawls?
I looked around me and at the 15 guys lying on the floor.
Hell nah.
How does this guy expect me to beat a guy who takes down a whole crew by himself?!
Maybe if I was built like a character from a fighting manga like Baki or something I'd stand a chance… but I ain't him.
I finally reached Mr. Whiskers, who started rubbing himself against my chest affectionately, despite having given me the bombastic side eye a minute ago.
"You're a big pain in the butt you know? Trying to be cute won't get you any points" I said to the cat.
And despite the cat's previous arrogant attitude, he let himself be picked up with no trouble.
"HEEELP!!! SOMEBODY HELP ME!!" A voice shrieked in horror.
C'mon… what is it now…
I looked further up ahead, only to see a guy with a mohawk, desperately clawing and dragging himself away from whatever was around the corner.
A mohawk? In this economy?
The poor fella had an extreme look of horror on his face, a mixture of fear coupled with desperation.
That is probably the boss…
As he slowly clawed away, he looked in my direction and spotted me.
"YOU!" He exclaimed, having a brief glimmer of hope in his eyes.
"PLEASE HELP ME! SHE'S CRAZY!" he yelled out.
After spurting out that line, he quickly looked behind him and his face turned a ghostly pale, "WAIT NO, I DIDN'T MEAN ANYTHING BY IT! MERCY! HAVE MERC- AHHH!"
As he continued screaming in horror, he began to be dragged back around the corner leaving only the scratches made by his fingernails.
Yep. That guy's dead.
I remembered the parting words of his loyal subordinate who asked a stranger such as myself to help his boss out. Such acts in this day and age are truly respectable, to the point that I couldn't help but contemplate the idea of helping out.
"Welp, not gonna ruin my day" I murmured as I walked away.
…..
"Oh thank you so much young man! How can I ever pay you for bring back this little rascal" the old lady said as she patted her cat who enjoyed being pampered.
"Don't worry about it ma'am, it wasn't a big deal." I replied.
Although I am running tight on time…
ha~ so much for waking up early. I thought, looking at the clock on my phone.
The lady then began to browse through the purse she had on her, "Oh please at least let me give you this."
I shook my head side to side, "Seriously ma'am it wasn't any trouble, you don't need to give me anything."
But the old lady completely disregarded what I said, "Please, you youngsters are so humble!" She said as she grabbed my arm and forcefully placed the item from her bag into my hand.
A cold, hard and sturdy item.
I stared at it for a long moment, then glanced back at the old woman who handed it to me.
"A wrench…" I said in disbelief.
"A wrench indeed." She answered.
What the hell am I even supposed to do with this.
The grandma just looked at me with a sinister smile, "Just take it, no need to be so shy."
"Thanks…" I answered hesitantly.
"Well I hope you have an excellent day young man; I can see fortune follows you wherever you go" the grandma said before walking off at a speed that shouldn't have been possible for someone her age.
Let me be clear, this isn't normal. People don't just hand out wrenches to strangers on the street. This isn't a video game where you pick up quest items for later use. This is real life.
...Well, kind of. My life might be the exception.
I let out a sigh.
How troublesome, but at least nothing crazy has happened.
I had a little more distance left before reaching my school.
Just the shopping street to get through.
"Limited! Today only! Mokuro & Mashiro cream-filled pastries now available at Pâtisserie Lumière!" a cheerful voice boomed from a loudspeaker.
Mokuro? Mashiro?
I glanced at the shop window.
Cookies, cupcakes, the whole display, each one shaped like either a black bear with a clover on its left cheek or a white bear with a heart on its right. A lady outside was advertising enthusiastically while a person dressed as Mashiro handed out flyers.
So Mokuro is popular here too, huh…
If Shizuko were here, her eyes would've been sparkling already.
I let out a small scoff.
Right… if she was here.
THUD.
Before the nostalgia could settle, I crashed into something soft.
No, someone soft.
I stumbled back and found myself face-to-face with another mascot suit.
A Mokuro.
This Mokuro turned its oversized head toward me.
Slowly.
Silently.
Staring.
A cold shiver crawled down my spine.
"Uh… s-sorry?" I managed to say.
The mascot continued staring.
…Alright. Totally normal…
In one sudden motion, it extended its paw, offering me a flyer with a coupon attached.
"Oh. I'm alright, but thank you."
No reaction. No wave. No cutesy head-bob. Just pure, silent murder-bear energy.
Reluctantly, I took the flyer and edged past it before things got any weirder.
I could feel its gaze drilling into my back as I walked away.
Can this morning get any odder…
Just then, a frantic voice erupted ahead.
"The young miss will be late at this rate! This is a disaster! A catastrophe! Why today of all days?!"
I rounded the corner to see a man in a perfectly tailored black suit panicking in front of the hood of a sleek, absurdly expensive car.
Beside him, a woman in a matching suit looked mildly annoyed and indifferent.
"Well," she said with her arms crossed, "if it makes you feel better, she's happily eating pastries inside anyway."
"That does not help at all! I mean she has to walk to school! Walking to school is unacceptable!" the man barked back. "Someone of her pedigree!"
A puff of smoke drifted from the engine.
"Stop being so dramatic," the woman muttered.
"And we don't even have tools…" the man wailed.
I stared at the wrench in my hand.
Of course.
Of course this was happening.
"It's too early in the morning for this," I muttered, stepping forward.
"Excuse me," I said. "I overheard you're having trouble. Would this help?"
The man's eyes lit up like he'd just been reunited with a long-lost relative.
"YOU—! YOUNG MAN, YOU ARE A BLESSING FROM THE HEAVENS!!"
I handed him the wrench, and he immediately dove under the hood.
"You can keep it," I said. "A teacher would probably interrogate me if they saw me wandering around with that thing anyway."
The woman approached, bowing slightly. "Thank you, young man. You have no idea how much this helps."
"For real, kiddo," the man added. "Good things are definitely coming your way."
The man as if having a realization froze mid-tweak, "Ah—but what were you doing with a wrench in the first place…?"
The woman also paused, with her eyebrows raised.
"A grandma gave it to me," I said.
"…Oh. Okay. It's fine if you don't want to tell us the real story," he mumbled, looking away like I was the suspicious one.
Damn it, that IS the real story!
Forget it, I'd rather have nothing to do with this anyways.
"Well, good luck with the car," I said, and quickly walked away before their judgmental stares burned a hole in me.
As I got farther, I heard the woman whisper, "What a strange kid… let's hope he never meets the young miss."
I DIDN'T ASK TO MEET HER ANYWAY.
One tries to help, and suddenly you're the weirdo…
….
"Ha~" I let out a sigh.
What are first days even supposed to look like anymore? I can't seem to remember.
I continued walking and finally got closer to my new school.
As such, I found myself passing and being passed by boys and girls alike, dressed neatly in brown school uniforms.
Some gleefully greeted their friends and walked together, whilst others joked and played around, and of course some were still half-asleep dragging their bodies to school.
Before I knew it, I found myself at the entrance of a large, gated school campus.
Kamakura High, and the new school I'll be attending. A new beginning and a refreshing restart to my highschooler career.
"Round two." I muttered to myself.
….
"Everyone, please pay attention!" The homeroom teacher, Ms. Aoi, announced.
"I'm delighted to tell you all that we have a new student joining us today. He missed the first couple days of school, but I hope you'll show him around and help him adjust."
Her voice carried clearly into the hallway where I waited.
The door opened a crack, and Ms. Aoi peeked out.
"Kurogawa-kun, you can come in now!"
I stepped into the classroom, where a class of around twenty students all had their sights set on me.
Now, this is probably the part where you're thinking: wait isn't this also a cliché?
To which you would be correct!
Cliché Number Seven: The Transfer Student!
You've seen it, you know it.
No need for some bothersome explanation.
But you must be wondering why a guy such as myself who wants nothing to do with tropes has willingly partaken in one.
Unfortunately, this is a necessary evil for the sake of my peaceful school life!
On the bright side, there isn't a girl who will dramatically stand up and claim to recognize me.
However that does not mean I don't have to be careful here.
One wrong word, and I risk triggering a flag or something.
See, the class transfer-student trope almost always goes wrong because the character says something weird or quirky in their self-introductions
So the secret to avoiding this trope is simple.
To be as boring and unremarkable as possible!
With that in mind, I stood at the small podium and delivered the safest introduction known to mankind.
"Nice to meet you all, I'm Naoki Kurogawa. My given name is written with the kanji characters 直樹. 直 (Na) means 'straight' or 'honest,' while 樹 (Ki) means 'tree'. My family name, Kurogawa, 黒川, consists of two kanji characters. 黒 (Kuro) as in 'black,' and 川 (Kawa) as in 'river'. I hope to get along with everyone."
After bowing down, everyone did the usual courtesy clap and just like that I was free to sit and relax.
Exactly as planned. I thought to myself with a devious smile forming on my face.
"Thank you for your introduction, Kurogawa," Ms. Aoi said warmly. "As for your seat… hmm… you can take the back-corner seat next to the window."
…Hmm?
The… back…corner…?
A shiver ran down my spine.
I slowly turned to look.
There it was.
A single open seat with a light breeze billowing the curtains gently, next to a girl with her head down.
Worse yet, there was a suspiciously dramatic ray of light being shone directly on that very same seat.
Oh for fuc-
It was that stupid seat again.