Misao wakes up the next morning and gets ready for school. She heads down stairs and sees her dad making more food than she usually gets.
"Huh?? Dad. What are you doing this early?"
Dad
"Mm? Hey there, sweetie. What does it look like? I'm making food for everybody."
"Huh? Are we gonna have leftovers tonight then?"
Dad
"Girl, you know better! We got ourselves a new employee! Come say hi to him!"
"Eh!?"
Misao looks out to the dining area to see Lusafana sitting at the counter filling out a paper.
"… SAY WHAT!!?"
Lusafana drops his pen from the shock of her shouting and looks to her with large cat like eyes.
Lusafana
"… good morning to you, too."
"… Uh…"
Dad
"Mm? Misao? What's wrong, hun? You know this boy?"
"… Uh… uh…"
Lusafana
"… I met her at the school yesterday. How's your head doing?"
"… better. Thank you."
Dad
"What? You helped my baby girl?? You're definitely staying here with us hun. How are you here from overseas without a place to sleep, sweetness??"
Lusafana
"You know, I'm not really sure. I do know I would like to try to attend school. Which is why I was there to start with."
"Dad"
"Oh my god. This must be fate. Honey, I will talk to the principal and make sure you get into my baby girls school. It is a really nice school, hun."
"Dad!!"
Dad
"Hush honey. Daddy making a profit. So long as you work for your bed, you're always welcome here. Mi casa, su casa. Right?"
Lusafana
"Tch heh heh heh. Then how about… ten percent goes to my rent as well?"
Dad
"… forty-five."
Lusafana
…!! Twenty!"
Dad
Thirty."
Lusafana
"Twenty-five!"
Dad
"Not only are you getting a roof over your head with a completely furnished room and computer with internet access, you get free cable, power water supply, and food. Not to mention your school budget for your uniform, booms and school supplies. All you gotta do is dress yourself and stay fresh and keep the place clean. Plus getting paid fifteen an hour part-time? Hah! Thirty."
Lusafana
"…. Alright. Fair."
Misao's dad and Lusafana shake hands on the deal.
"… you forget that he needs a state ID. So that's probably extra out of his first paycheck."
Lusafana
"…!!!?"
Dad
"Oh snap! You're right! So he only gets to keep forty percent for his first week."
Lusafana
"What?!!"
"And then if he needs a phone, he needs to save another ten percent of his income to pay that if he puts it on the family plan."
Lusafana
"I'll get my own 'plan' then!"
"You sure? It tripled if your solo. You put it on the family plan, you can save up that fifty every other week to get yourself some nicer stuff later down the line."
Lusafana
"… uoooooh~..."
"Hey. You wanted to stay here."
Lusafana
"…. You're just eager to make my life more difficult."
"Hey. You're paying less than I am to live here. It's only fair."
Lusafana
… fine! I'll add the phone with the family plan."
Dad
"Excellent!! That's my baby girl!"
Misao heads to school and sits in her usual seat in the center of class near the back. The classroom is busy and lively like normal with the students gossiping. She overheard the girls by her talking about some new students transferring in. A good many of them to be exact.
What are they all griping about? Yeah four is an abnormally large group of transfers, but it's still the start of the year. It's not that surprising.
Students
"Omg! I saw them all at the park on the way home moving into that old house on Tow road! They were so hot! I swear to god they could have been a boy band or supermodels!"
"Please! I was there! It was more like they were so unreal. Like they were cosplayers or something. Did you see was with them?"
"Oh right the rich cosplay queen of the century. They must be complete nerds then? Or at least a bit weird in the head."
"Oh come on. Guys that hot can't be that bad. I honestly think guys like that are pretty interesting, you know?"
"Yeah. Nerdy ones do have their charms too, I guess."
Omg. shut up…
Students
"Well to bad you girls aren't gonna be seeing them until they get here next week."
"Obviously."
"Urgh. I want to meet them though!"
The teacher walks in and the class quiets down for the lessons. Once lunch rolls around, Misao digs around her bag out of boredom to find her phone but with no luck. She lifts it to check again, still with no luck. Confused, she thinks of where she might have left it until a hand hands it to her from behind.
Lusafana
"Looking for this?"
"Wha!!? LUSAFANA!!? what the hell are you doing here!?"
Lusafana
"Jeezums! Stop screaming. Father said to bring it to you since it's my fault you forgot it twice already."
"What??? Oh… uh… sorry. Thanks… nice look by the way."
Lusafana
"Quiet you. Father made me wear them. Honestly why your tomboy clothes?"
"Hey the hand-me-down look fits you. Hehe."
Lusafana glares at Misao and turns to leave.
Lusafana
"Sigh~... Well I guess I should be grateful you had that "phase" instead of the princess one. Oh. He also said to give me a proper tour of the school once I'm here next week."
"Great. So your gonna be part of the new group of popular boys transferring in."
Lusafana
"Huh? There's more coming? How does that work?"
"Unlike where you're from, it's not unusual for a new transfer or two to come in after the opening ceremony. It sounds like these guys just got here recently like you and got some support from the rich kid in school no less."
Lusafana
"Oh god. You those here too? Maybe I did make a bad choice."
"Pfft. Don't worry, she's not as bad as you think. Well not as bad as your usual experience anyway."
Lusafana
"… I'm trusting you with this, you know."
"You're trusting me with a lot of things, dude. I can only do so much."
Lusafana
"… Hmph. Well, I'll see you later."
Lusafana sets a lunch box down on her desk and leaves the room.
...I am so glad he's the neutral character in the game. It makes him easier to deal with compared to the other extreme characters. God it would be so~ weird if the others were here. …. I bet every penny in my pocket just learned those words from day telling him my life stories at home.
A boy suddenly interrupts her trail of thought.
Boy
"Who the hell was that??"
"Nuh!? Urgh… come on. Not today, Mike."
Mike
"What? I only asked a damn questions. What's your problem, Godzilla?"
"Stop calling me Godzilla!"
Mike
"HAHAHAHA!!! There she is! The giant has awakened! HAHAHAHA!"
"hmph. Says the shrimp-dick of the classroom."
Mike
"What!? The hell is your problem!?"
"Oh~ nothing. I was just wondering if you were "that way" since you were asking about a guy I seem to be acquainted with."
Mike
"Hey! Fuck you! I am not!"
"Oh~ really? I couldn't tell."
Mike
"Urgh… whatever. Do you know him or not?!"
"The hell do you want to know that for!?"
Mike
"He kept saying 'father' like you knew his parents or something."
Technically I do. Though now that I think about it...
"… ugh. He works at my dads shop with me. So dad probably told him to call him that from now on. Not like I really care. You of all people should know how my dad is."
Mike
"I know he's a greedy ass piss ant."
"Wow. Wait till he hears how you've grown up to be, 'little Mikey'."
Mike
"You know what. fuck you."
"Bye now. Don't come back, ya hear? Fucking dick head."
Lusafana walks down the hall and yawns hearing some of the students whispering about the new students that will arrive around the same time he does.
Lusafana
"… not a lot of interest in who the students are, but everyone seems to want them to be a specific gender. Huh. Having a partner seems to be a common need in this world Misao lives in. A 'boyfriend' or 'girlfriend'? What's the difference between them being a simple friendship other than the obvious gender roles?"
Girl
"Excuse me."
Lusafana
"Hm?"
A small girl in The school's female uniform stood in front of Lusafana and made him stop.
Girl
"Are you by chance looking around this school as a new student?"
Lusafana
"… that's right. I came to see the school as well as find someone. I found the person I was looking for, so I'm just looking around for right now until I get a tour guide."
Girl
"Oh wow! That's good to know. I was simply curious so thank you for your time."
Lusafana
"Of course."
The girl walks off to a group of other girls ahead giggling to each other.
Lusafana
"…??"
Lusafana continues on his way through the halls past them when he hears the girls say something about him being good looking and mysterious.
Lusafana
… what?? Me? … if I'm the good looking one then what does that make the prince and nobles I'm paired with constantly? Godly? I'm kind of glad they're not here. I'd have one hell of a time dealing with all of them.
Later that afternoon, Misao gets ready to head home for the day and walks out the classroom and gets her phone out to send her dad a message when she sees a new number in it. The only other number she knew was her dad and aunt. Curious, she calls the number and waits for it to do something. To her surprise, someone answers.
Lusafana
Hello.
Eh?? Lusafana?
Lusafana
Yes?
Wait. seriously!? You got a phone already!?
Lusafana
Oh. Yeah. I did. Father took me out to go shopping earlier before I came to give you your phone. He said something about keeping in touch with you since we'll be living together from now on.
Yeah. That makes sense. How is it using your first phone?
Lusafana
I like it. It was a bit easier than I though it would be since its the same as your phone.
Getting a way too used to your new lifestyle aren't you.
Lusafana
Meh. Not as fast as I'd like, but its a good pace nonetheless.
Pfft heehee. Well, you're not home right now are you? Else you wouldn't have had the time to answer.
Lusafana
You're right. I'm still at the school waiting for you.
What!? Why!?
Lusafana
I felt like looking around while I was here so I decided to wait for you once I was done. I met some of the teachers, and a lot of them either said "stop bleaching your hair" or "try not to cause trouble" like I was some sort of deviant. I wonder what that's about?
Ah… yikes. I'm sorry. How about we get you a haircut this weekend? Guys aren't allowed to have their hair past their shoulders here, so you either have to keep it tied or cut it short.
Lusafana
What about earrings? I feel like I should be worried about them.
…? Oh! That's right! You had your grandparents ashes in them so you have to carry them around. Don't worry if you explain it to them as a family thing I'm sure they can let it slide like they did in the game. Remember you and three others were the only ones allowed to have earrings due to family circumstances.
Lusafana
So, as long as it pertains to traditions or religion they can't take them from me? That's good to know. I don't want to take them out anyway.
Yeah. That would be messed up if they did… hey! Gimme back my phone you asshole!
Lusafana
Hm?? Misao?? Misao!? What happened?
Mike
Who the hell are you calling!?
None of your business! Give it back, shrimp!
Mike
No! Hey who the hell is this?!
Lusafana
Ouch… my ears.
Mike
You better not be some pervert shit else I'm calling the cops! I'm deleting this number!
Lusafana
Huh!? Wait. what are you talking about?? And who is this??
Give that back, Mike!! That's my friend!
Mike
Since when the fuck did you get friends?
Since fuck you, that's when!! Hello?? You still there??
Lusafana
Yeah. Still here. What was that about?
Urgh. Nothing. I'm coming out now. Where are you?
Lusafana
At the entrance by the lockers. Are you alright?
I'm fine. Super fucking agitated, but fine.
Lusafana
Uh… alright.
Sorry about all that.
Lusafana
No worries. I wait for you to get here then and we can walk back home.
Sounds good to me. Bye bye.
Lusafana
Ciao.
Misao hangs up and turns to face Mike who was glaring at her waiting for her to do something.
"Who the hell gave you the right to touch my phone, dumbass!?"
Mike
"Who the fuck would be in their right mind to be friends with you!? You don't have friends!"
"And you don't have a right to butt into my life! Stay the hell away from me!"
Mike
"Oh, whatcha you gonna do, gigantor!? Squish me!?"
Misao swings her hand back at him as he approaches her and he topples back from the sudden contact to his face.
"Asshole."
Misao storms out the room with her things and goes to meet Lusafana. She finds him at the entrance where he said he was talking to a teacher. It was one of the more strict ones, Mrs. Pholey. She didn't look amused to see Lusafana at the school and was trying to make him leave.
Lusafana
"…!? There you are! Thank God."
"Hi Mrs. Pholey."
Pholey
"Misao! Do you know this boy?"
"Yeah. He lives with me and pop at the diner. He just moved in a few days ago and he works with us there too. He'll be going to school here next week."
Pholey
"… oh. That doesn't excuse him from his disrespectful attire."
"Disrespectful? What so disrespectful with what he has on?"
Pholey
"Oh please. What isn't disrespectful? His hair is atrocious. He's obviously wearing contacts yet he blatantly asks "what are contacts?'' He mocks me with his sarcastic expression and…"
"Okay.. Imma stop you right there. You did that to me too when I told you the uniform was too short for me. This went all the way to the principle and you were the one that ended up getting chewed out for assuming a student was disrespecting you by calling you out for being wrong about something. I can actually vouch for this guy. For one he's a foreigner from rural England named Lusafana Misoris. His genetic make throughout most of his family is platinum blonde with silver eyes. Being a science teacher you of all people should know how rare that is in a person. Second, he's not being sarcastic, that's his speech pattern that he learned growing up with a noble based family line. He just talks fancy. You owe my dear friend here an apology. If not, we will simply head home. Let's go buddy."
Lusafana
"Uh.. Yeah."
Misao walks off with Lusafana following her close behind like a lost child, leaving Mrs. Pholey stunned from Misao's argument.
"If you get her class, go to the principal immediately to change teachers. Especially if she starts harassing you like earlier. She's a shit teacher that's close to losing her job soon."
Lusafana
"… okay. What about the boy following us?"
"That's Mike. He lives in the apartment complex across the street. Unless he tries something with you, ignore him. It will go away soon."
Lusafana
"… I feel like I should be more concerned about him. You mentioned his name over the phone earlier. Were you two fighting?"
"He took my phone in the middle of our chat."
Lusafana
"Ah. So am I right to say he'll be the biggest pain to deal with during my time here?"
"Most likely."
Lusafana
"Fair enough. Last question."
"Hm?"
Lusafana
"…*whisper* what's it mean to have a "girlfriend/ boyfriend" relationship?"
"… where the fuck did you hear that from??!!"
Lusafana
"Aah~. Don't shout. I overheard some girls at the school talking. A few of them mentioned me in their conversation after asking if I was going to attend."
"Oh… uh… how should I put it… I guess it's like courting?"
Lusafana
"What!? It's that complicated!?"
"Now who's yelling? But no. Not really that complicated. But it's in the same concept where one of the two roles asks the opposing party to be their… special partner… I guess? But more of a try-to-get-to-know-each-other trial run. If it doesn't work out they move on. Though some take it more seriously than others."
Lusafana
"… Hm… that sounds even more complicated. But it's better than jumping to a commitment right at the start of the meeting."
"In the game that's basically what the main character is meant to do. She goes from target to target getting to know each one until she decides the one she wants. But in reality it's more ethical to take it one person at a time rather than building a harem to choose."
Lusafana
"That actually sounds tedious but it makes sense since you wouldn't want too much conflict between you and the other party. So the 'boyfriend/girlfriend' relationship…"
"Just say dating."
Lusafana
"Is that what it's called? Alright when "dating" someone, it's something like a trial run with the person of interest. If they don't meet your standards they're not marriage material."
"That's a big leap dude. But basically yeah. So if you find someone you like, just be careful not to get your heart broken or break someone else's heart. Okay?"
Lusafana
"… alright. Well this opens up a new question I think you'll find pretty bold, but…"
"Hm…?"
Lusafana
"If I asked you to be my girlfriend, would you actually take interest?"
"… are… are you asking that because of my choices in the game?"
Lusafana
"That too."
"What else would there be??"
Lusafana
"Well first would be my personal interest in a person. In accordance to your description of dating one must first be of interest. I like you as a person. You're bold, honest, and very smart with a lot of curiosity. And I've noticed that within just one day of meeting you. The fact that you used the game as a reference means that looks would also play a clear role in dating. I do find you attractive, in all honesty."
"Huh?"
Lusafana
"Well to be exact your the type of girl I'd like to have as my partner. I like tall girls, thick girls, girls with dimpled curves… hair color and eye color doesn't really catch my interest too much so long as I find them cute. You happen to be perfectly set up in all of those aspects that I find attractive. Tall, thick, and a cute face. Your curly hair makes you all the more adoring in contrast to your harsh personality, which on its own is very charming. You make me curious about you. So I want to know more about you."
"Wha…. Wh-wha-wha??? Huh??"
Lusafana
"I would like you to be my girlfriend. And before you answer, "no" won't be an option. I will simply continue asking. So take your time to think about it."
"Nyah… n-n...nyanya. Meh~! That's not fair!!! I wasn't ready for that, you quack!"
Lusafana
"Kyahahahaha!! By the way I'd like an answer before I start on Monday. It'd be nice to have you before anyone else says otherwise."
They make it home and dad sees Misao's face as red as his fresh cut tomatoes while Lusafana seemed very satisfied with her reaction. Lusafana waves at him and dad instantly knew what happened but didn't know how to react to it.