Jerry looks at Terron, and Terron looks at Jerry.
In perfect sync, they say:
"We're screwed. We don't understand any Japanese."
Jerry sighs. "Hey, Terron, try not to screw up the first day, okay, jackass?"
Terron shoots him a glare. "Shut up, you emo 'I write poetry in the dark' looking kid."
Jerry smirks. "You're lucky you're a year younger than me, you little—ugh, I can't stand you sometimes. Hehe… virgin."
"YOU CAN'T BE TALKING, JERRY!" Terron fires back, half-joking and half-annoyed.
Jerry laughs in defeat. "Okay, fair point on the virgin part."
He takes a sip of his cheap coffee. "Terron, let's go inside the school, kay?"
Terron groans. "Please never say 'kay' again."
"Fair enough. Okay, let's go."
They step inside, and immediately, dozens of eyes land on them.
"Uhhh, Terron… I think we're outsiders," Jerry whispers.
"No kidding," Terron whispers back. "They probably think we came here just 'cause we watch anime. Joke's on them, all I watch is war documentaries."
Jerry raises a brow. "Hey, is it bad to like art and anime? Clearly, you can't see the beauty in fight choreography."
Terron gives him a "bro, really?" look — the kind that says, I regret being related to you.
Jerry changes the subject. "We're gonna be late. C'mon!"
"Wait up! You run too fast!—But I'm faster!"
They both start sprinting through the halls, bumping shoulders and laughing, until—
THUD.
They crash straight into a group of students. Books fly, backpacks hit the floor, and chaos erupts.
"Ow, my back! Terron, we should've watched where we were going!" Jerry groans, holding his spine like an old man.
"Jerry, you're the dumbass who wanted to run!" Terron snaps, clutching his leg.
Then one of the students yells—in English—
"HEY! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING, YOU ICE-SKIMOS!"
Jerry blinks, stunned. "What the hell—did you just call me an Ice Skimo? That's racist, bro!"
The guy, Ryo, smirks. "Shut it, maple syrup-snorting brownie."
Jerry's jaw drops. "HEY, I'M NOT EVEN THAT BROWN! I'M LIKE... toasted marshmallow color! Get it right, you Bing Bong Ding Dong Ching Ching lookin' dude!"
Ryo's eye twitches, and they glare at each other like rival Pokémon about to fight.
Then Aiko, the group's gamer girl (confident online, awkward offline), jumps in.
"Hey! Both of you—cut it out! It's useless to fight!"
She says it in Japanese, and Ryo "translates":
"Aiko said stop, shithead."
Aiko gasps and smacks him. "Stop twisting my words, dummy!"
Ryo groans. "Fine, fine. Whatever. So, who are you, kid?"
Jerry crosses his arms. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING KID? Anyway, I'm Jerry, and that's my brother, Terron. He's a year younger than me."
Terron, busy eating candy, mutters, "We're already ten minutes late for class, Jerry."
Jerry's eyes widen. "WAIT—TEN MINUTES?! WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SOMETHING SOONER?! LET'S GO, BEFORE THESE NPCS WASTE MORE OF OUR TIME!"
Ryo and Aiko yell back, "WHO ARE YOU CALLING NPCs, ASSHOLE?!"
[Jerry's POV]
I rush into class, panting, uniform sticking to me. The damn thing's itchy. I dig through the desk for a pencil and—
"OW—what the hell poked me?!"
The teacher glares over. Great start. First period: math—my mortal enemy. I swear math exists just to destroy me.
Ten minutes in and I've already failed half the lesson. The kanji looks like alien symbols. I wish life had subtitles.
Then the class president, Kaito—the calm, rich, too-perfect guy—walks over.
"Jerry, how's your first day? I expect good grades from you."
"Y-yeah," I stammer. "Math's easier here, I guess."
Why did I say that?! I'm bombing this class harder than Hiroshima—
(Wait, too soon. Damn it, Jerry.)
[Outside POV]
After school, Jerry and Terron collapse on their futons, exhausted. They open Duolingo, grinding Japanese lessons like their lives depend on it.
Hours later, Jerry gets up to use the bathroom—and freezes.
In the mirror, his reflection's bleeding. His eyes are lifeless. Three bullet holes mark his chest—lung, liver, heart.
He blinks—and everything's normal.
"...I need sleep. Probably just hallucinating. Definitely not schizophrenic," he mutters, crawling back to bed.
Terron's sleeping like he's playing Twister, and Jerry laughs quietly.
[Jerry's POV]
"Yesterday I argued with a receptionist who roasted me into oblivion, met two idiots named Ryo and Aiko, and now I'm seeing myself dead in a mirror.
Three bullet wounds—great. Just great. I hate death theories. Anyway… goodnight, me."
[Next Morning]
"Hey, Terron," Jerry mumbles. "Didn't we have like 200 yen left? Sounds like a lot… but that's like, what, two dollars?"
Terron smacks his head lightly. "Stop talking. We need part-time jobs. We're broke."
Jerry groans. "Okay, fine. After school, we'll find something that starts on weekends. Sound good?"
Terron shrugs. "That's probably the smartest thing you've ever said."
Jerry grins. "Hey, at least I can think outside the box—unlike you, the human attachment issue."
Before Terron can reply, there's a knock at the door.
It's the receptionist—Kakimi.
"Can you two shut up? My wife and I are trying to sleep! And Jerry, you loudmouth brat—keep it down!"
Jerry gasps dramatically. "OKAY, OLD MAN, HOLD YOUR HORSES! WHY AM I THE ONLY ONE YOU TARGET?!"
"BECAUSE YOU'RE THE ONE WHO WON'T SHUT UP!" Kakimi yells back.
They both glare until Kakimi storms off.
Jerry mutters, "Good riddance."
Terron grins. "Aww, the roast battle was just getting good—"
Jerry glares. "Fuck you too, Terron."
They get ready and head to school.
At the gates, they find the whole "nerd group" waiting.
Jerry raises his hands. "Okay, I didn't do anything wrong this time."
Ryo crosses his arms. "You owe us an apology, syrup snorter. You made us late delivering papers to the class president."
"You mean Kaito? He doesn't even look like the scolding type."
Aiko sighs. "Not Kaito—Mina. She's the other class president. She's nice but scary when mad."
Jerry blinks. "Oh. Great. Another person who'll hate me."
Then Haru, the tech genius who looks like he runs on caffeine and Wi-Fi, speaks up in perfect English:
"I'll be your translator. You clearly can't survive without help."
Jerry frowns. "Wait, what? No, you don't have to follow me."
Haru sighs. "That's not how responsibility works. You'll thank me later, dumbass."
Jerry squints. "Bro, you sound like Google Translate with attitude."
The group walks together toward the clubroom.
"So what are you guys, like, a nerd squad?" Terron asks.
Ryo grins. "Yeah, the Nerds Club. You two should join. Just—don't be stupid like your brother."
Jerry groans dramatically. "WHY IS EVERYTHING ALWAYS MY FAULT?!"
They reach the clubroom door.
Aiko smirks. "Here we are, Terron. And you, Jerry—try not to be you."
Jerry smirks back. "Well, fuck you too."
They all enter the club—
and that's the end of today's chapter.
Arc 0: The Homesick Arc
(Five months before the incident.)
The calm before everything breaks.