Yuujin woke up to Misaki's scream. He jumped out of bed quickly and rushed out of his room to see what was going on.
"WHAT HAPPENED?! DID YOU GET HURT?! DID SOMETHING BREAK?!" he shouted, panicked.
"Look at this!" Misaki said in an overly dramatic tone, showing him her fingernail. "MY NAIL BROKE! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" She started a fake, exaggerated cry, and Yuujin clicked his tongue.
"You've got to be kidding me! I thought something serious had happened! Don't pull these unnecessary stunts again!" Yuujin said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"But something DID happen! My nail broke, don't you see this as an emergency?!" she kept her dramatic tone, going back to the mirror to continue what she was doing.
"The only emergency here is that my sleep was interrupted," he muttered, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. From the kitchen, Emi called out:
"Dinner's ready! Don't let it get cold!"
"I'll leave you to… deal with your grand, ridiculous emergency. I'm going to eat. See ya, clown Barbie." Yuujin waved her off and headed for the kitchen, hearing her yell behind him.
"CLOWN BARBIE, HUH?! YOU CAULIFLOWER-FACED LOSER, I'M GONNA END THAT LITTLE ATTITUDE OF YOURS!" she yelled as Yuujin sat at the table and blew on his food to cool it down.
"You and Misaki are going to your parents' funeral this Tuesday, right?" Emi asked, glancing at him.
Yuujin swallowed his food calmly, but his hand with the chopsticks dropped slightly, and Emi noticed him trembling a little.
"Maybe I should go alone. I think it's too much for you both," she said, going back to her plate without expecting Yuujin to say much.
"No, I… I think I'll go. But I don't know about Misaki. It's confirmed for the day after tomorrow?" Yuujin asked, raising his hand slowly before returning to his food.
"Yes, but the exact time hasn't been set yet." She blew on her food and kept eating.
"Doesn't matter the time. I'll be there," Yuujin affirmed, gripping his chopsticks tightly—one even slipped from his hand.
He thought it was going to hit the floor, but Misaki caught it just as she approached the table.
"You two look like abandoned kittens. What's going on?" she asked, noticing their faces.
"I'll explain after dinner. For now, let's just eat. Tomorrow I need to get you both enrolled," Emi said, keeping them focused on the meal. Misaki sat down and quietly watched them, but didn't add anything.
After dinner, Emi was washing the dishes when Yuujin started helping her.
"You don't need to do this, I'm already used to it. Well… not with more than one plate, but you get it," Emi said, trying to stop him, but he kept helping anyway.
"I can help. Mom taught me how to do this." He gave her a small smile—something rare for him.
"Well, look at that. We've got a young man with a bright future here," she teased, smiling, and together they finished the dishes more quickly.
Meanwhile, Misaki was still complaining about her nails. Yuujin, now with a towel around his shoulders, was waiting for her to leave the bathroom.
"What's your problem?! Do that in your room! You have a mirror there!" he protested, trying to kick her out.
"BUT IT'S NOT THE SAME!" she yelled back.
"Same or not, it's bothering me. OUT!" He snapped, and she huffed, finally leaving him alone.
He stood there under the shower, thoughtful, letting the water run down his hair.
"I'm gonna have to make new friends… but I don't want new friends. I liked the ones I had. Why do I need others?" Yuujin thought, just letting the water flow over him.
Minutes later, he threw himself onto his bed, staring at his lamp.
"I remember when Dad gave me this lamp… I used to be afraid of the dark…" Yuujin whispered, recalling a comforting memory.
"I've got a present for you!" his father had said.
"For me?!" Little Yuujin's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Here it is!" His father opened a box and revealed a lamp.
"Yay! Now I can defend myself from the monsters at night!" Yuujin jumped on the bed, delighted.
"Exactly! Good heroes can't be afraid of monsters, right, son?" His father motioned him over for a hug.
"Yes, Dad!" Yuujin grinned, and his father picked him up like a superhero, carrying him around the room as they laughed together.
Back in the present, Yuujin smiled faintly at the memory before his face returned to its usual neutrality.
"It feels so strange to think I'll be watching them get buried…" he whispered as small tears fell. He turned on the lamp, rolling over to face the starry patterns it projected on the wall.
In just a few hours, they'd be in their new school, a new environment, new things to discover… and those hours passed like minutes for Yuujin.
The next morning, they were in a taxi headed for the new school. Yuujin stared out the window, observing the shops and all the movement.
"You look pretty entertained. You weren't like this back in Osaka," Misaki teased, punching his shoulder lightly.
"Maybe it's because Osaka wasn't as lively as here, even though it's also a huge city," he replied, still lost in the scenery.
When they arrived, Emi asked if they could explore the school grounds, and permission was granted.
"So, your nephews are older than I thought. You take good care of them?" the principal asked Emi, who already worked there and was known for chatting with everyone.
"Oh yes, they're pretty grown up. I try to care for them like I would my own kids… which includes letting them fight on their own," Emi chuckled with the principal, while Misaki and Yuujin wandered off to explore.
As they walked, Yuujin suddenly felt uneasy.
"I… I need the bathroom," Yuujin told Misaki, but she scoffed.
"Seriously?! I'm going to check out the clubs! Good luck finding it!" She dashed off, leaving him behind. Yuujin sighed.
The bell rang. Class was over, and it was now lunch break. Yuujin found himself in the middle of a hallway as students poured out of classrooms.
He started sweating, backing away, but most of them headed straight in his direction. He trembled, moving slowly until he accidentally backed into someone wearing headphones.
"Ah! S-s-sorry!" Yuujin stammered, reaching out a hand. The boy accepted it and pulled out his earphones.
He was blond, blue-eyed, smaller than Yuujin, and looked a bit younger.
"You must be the new guy. No uniform, dressed neatly, and you've got an… interesting smell," the boy said, analyzing Yuujin closely.
"Uh, yeah… I was just exploring…" Yuujin muttered, blushing and looking away every few seconds. He flinched when the boy extended his hand.
"I'm Shizuka Aoki, and I'm interested in our little interaction," Aoki said with a carefree smile.
"Why does he talk like that?" Yuujin thought.
"Nice to meet you… I'm Yuujin… Suzuki Yuujin…" He raised his hand hesitantly, blushing harder when Aoki raised an eyebrow at the sweat on his palm.
"Alright then… you'll be starting here tomorrow, right? Out of all the lower classes, you caught my attention. Want to talk more once you officially start?" Aoki offered in a friendly tone as they let go of each other's hands.
"I… uh… really?!" Yuujin asked quietly, while Aoki glanced at his phone.
"Oh no, I'm late for my club! Meet me tomorrow in the center of the courtyard!" Aoki said, putting his headphones back in and heading off, leaving Yuujin standing there.
Yuujin clenched his sweaty fists, realizing he still hadn't found the bathroom.
He kept walking with his head down, blushing as some students laughed around him. He quickened his steps until another voice called out.
"You look lost," said a boy about his age.
"Uh… yeah, I am… can you tell me where the bathroom is?" Yuujin asked, scratching the back of his neck nervously.
"Haha, I'm headed there now. Come on." The boy led him inside, and they each went into separate stalls.
Through the wall, the boy spoke up:
"I'm Max. And you, weird kid?" He chuckled, waiting for a reply.
"Weird?" Yuujin repeated, confused.
"Ah, sorry, I didn't mean to offend you," Max said, finishing up and moving to wash his hands.
"You didn't… I just…" Yuujin remembered some of Misaki's teasing nicknames, then shrugged it off. "Forget it. I'm Suzuki Yuujin." He joined Max at the sink.
"Pleasure to meet you, dear Yuujin. Hope to see you again." Max smiled, gave Yuujin a playful tap on the chest, and left.
"What's wrong with the people in this school?" Yuujin sighed.
After wandering a bit more, he returned to the entrance where Misaki and Emi were waiting.
"So, how'd it go? Need a pacifier since I left you alone, baby brother?" Misaki teased, making faces.
"You little—" Yuujin stopped himself because of the principal's presence. He leaned closer to Misaki and whispered, "Not here."
"Fine, but tell me, how was it? I already met some really cool girls from my class," Misaki grinned.
"I… uh… made a friend, I think." Yuujin scratched the back of his neck again, giving a tiny smile while staring at the floor.
"We'll be happy to have you both join us tomorrow. It'll be an honor to welcome Professor Emi's family here," the principal said warmly.
"Thank you, Yumi. I just hope they'll like it here and adjust well," Emi replied with a final farewell.
On the ride back, Yuujin rested his head against the taxi window, lost in thought.
"It's not far from our building… I liked that blond boy, he seemed nice. I still can't believe he invited me to talk. I hope I can get used to this…" Yuujin thought, full of expectations for the next day.
How will my new… life turn out?