[Tuesday| August 28, 2012| 12:10 AM]
[Eyes of Zetsumu Tenha]
She stands surrounded by these dark creatures. She holds up her scythe and swings it in a circular motion cutting through everything around her. Facing me she raises her scythe, and charge towards me. "Guh?!" Barely managing to block with my overweighed sword her scythe's blade is nearly touching my mask. Her speed is something that surpasses even my eyes. "Why the hell are you trying to kill me?!" I ask her now face to face with her but all I get are the silent stare of four eyeholes on a white mask. As she continues to pressure me with her scythe, I focus my strength and push her back. "She's surprisingly light despite that over-sized scythe of hers." I managed to put a few feet between us but in the school's rooftop there isn't much space to run around. "The range of that scythe is not good for me either."
As I think about my options, the girl walks towards me, lit by the moonlight her white mask stands out in the darkness, as her hair sways in the wind and her dress fades into the night making the white patterns appear vivid under the moonlight. "Look whatever you are I have no intention of fighting you…" she stops upon hearing my words and put a hand on her mask, then at that moment she twists her body sending her scythe spinning towards me. "Too damn close~" her scythe was so close that it touched my mask. "Alright. Who are you and why are you trying to kill me?" I point my sword at her as I ask. Then, I hear her click her tongue and lowers her hand. And just when I thought I'd get answers I see a white line in my vision which seems to be widening, my mask, is breaking. I hold my mask with my left hand as I slowly get near the girl her hands still lowered.
"You're wide open!" she speaks for the first time then disappears from my field of vision, slipping beneath me then delivers a kick towards my chin. Her speed really is something as I barely dodged her kick which sends my mask flying off. "Tsk~" she clicks her tongue again and send another kick towards me. "I have you now." I hold her leg and swing my sword near the ground but as observed earlier, she really is faster than me, pushing herself into the air and evading my sword. She lands behind me ready to dash towards her scythe, "It's now or nothing…" I throw my sword spinning towards her and make a run towards the other end of the roof for my escape. Jumping off the school rooftop, I land safely by the front entrance and run towards the business district. "That should be long enough… I need to get home quickly before something crazy happens again tonight."
I have waited and remained well hidden for the past hour until I am certain that I wasn't followed. Then, I walk towards the residential district and back into my house. "Tadaima… Oh. What's the point in saying this time and time again when there's no one to greet me back home��" I remove my shoes and change my clothes then head to my room. "Still, why do I feel like I'm forgetting something…" as I lay in bed I think about the tasks I am supposed to do. "The date has changed yet why do I feel like… oh crap…" I was supposed to visit my parents earlier but then that girl showed up and well… here I am. "Nothing I can do now though. I'll just have to visit them tomorrow." I shrug my shoulders with a sigh, close my eyes and drift off to sleep.
7:00 AM and my alarm ringing annoyingly in my ears wakes me up. "Ugh… shut up will you." I reach for my alarm clock and turn it off, with my eyes a bit blurry I continue to lay in bed for a few more minutes to let the new day settle in and get my priorities set. "Let's see. I have to drop by the student council office later, go to work, visit my parents and find that girl with the scythe. Long day ahead… Better get started." I stand up on my bed and neatly fold the sheets then prepare my breakfast. "Itadakimasu~" I put my hands together and begin to eat through my breakfast comprised of bread eggs and jam, a rather normal day for a normal student like me, but with what has been going on for the past three months… "I doubt I can even be considered as normal anymore. Besides, what was her problem suddenly attacking me like that?" I mutteri while putting on my uniform. "7:45… guess like I can drop by the student council early and get things over with. Ittekimasu." I close and lock the front door as I leave for school. Taking a small book from my bag, I continue to read the light novel our class' representative lent me yesterday as I walk towards the direction of our school.
"Ah, good morning Tenha-kun." On my way towards the school gate, I meet up with the student council president, Jihyou Ensui, "Great timing. Here, take this. You weren't at your office yesterday when I finished it so I'm giving it now." He takes the folder and checks the list if all club presidents have got the notices yesterday. "Good job, Tenha-kun. Now let me tell you a little something…" he leans over near me as if we're talking about something confidential. "Your class is having a new transfer student, and a foreigner at that." "And why are you telling me this of all people? Shouldn't this be more useful for some like… I don't know… more social?" "Now, now, Tenha-kun. He could be a good friend to you. I mean, you were always alone since we were first years so… why not try to socialize?" I wave my hand at him saying "No, but thanks for the offer." as I enter my room, still reading the light novel that was lent to me by our class rep.
"Before we begin homeroom, I'd like to announce that you'd be having a new classmate today. Please enter." And at our teacher's words, the door opened revealing a boy with a certainly foreign hair color ranging from light brown to dark blonde. "Everyone this is Fukuki Genhou a student from Italy." Everyone seemed awed at the new transfer student, hearing the girls chatting about 'things' as I continue to read. "For now, take that seat near the back. Zetsumu-san, do be an active student and show our new friend around. And keep that book otherwise I'll confiscate it." I close the book and stow it under my desk and turn to the transfer student. "Hey---" [wait what if he can't understand Japanese and speak to me in English…] my thoughts are frozen for a proper greeting while I look like an idiot with my hand half raised. [Holy crap what do I do?! Come on… English… English… that would work.] "Ha-harro… hao doo yu doo?"(6) At that moment, the entire class that was looking at us turned silent. "I can understand and speak normally. You don't have to force yourself in English." The class lets out a long sigh of relief seeing the transfer student able to speak our native language. "You were going to ask me something earlier, are you not?" he asks as I organize my thoughts, "Uh, yeah I was going to introduce myself before anything else. I am Zetsumu Tenha, pleasure to meet you, Fukuki Genhou-san." He takes my outstretched hand and shakes it lightly. "Pleasure is all mine, Zetsumu-san. Ah, you can call me Genhou, no need to be all formal with me." "Then you can also call me by my first name. And if there is anything you'd need to know, don't hesitate to ask." He gives a nod which may mean that we'd be stuck with each other for a few days or so.
"About that, you don't really have to do this for me. I've already went around the school and I'd hate to be a nuisance to you." "Now wait just a minute here… the teacher instructed me to show you around meaning we ought to be seen together for at least a few days." "It'll be fine, If he asks I'll just tell him you already told me everything I need to know around school and besides, I originally lived around here before I moved to Italy a few years back so there'll be no problem." Normally, I'd leave him alone but with our homeroom teacher's order, I cannot just leave this to our class rep. "But… you see, there are still a few things that you're unaware of and-" "Okay… why don't we do this?" he cuts me off with his hand and in it was a cell phone. "If I have any questions, I can just mail you." I hold my phone next to his and we exchange e-mails. "That's one way to solve an issue. No you'd better keep that phone before the teacher sees you." I say as I keep my own phone inside my bag. "What about you? Didn't he told you to keep that book earlier?" he asks slipping his phone in his pocket, I lean slightly to him, quietly saying, "There's no way he'll notice it." "Zetsumu-san!" "Sir!" At the call of the teacher I quickly slip the book under the table and stand up. "Mind doing these problems on the board? Let me see if you did your homework." I face Genhou and we grin at each other. As he gives me a thumbs-up, I make my way to the front of the class. And thus, as I returned to my seat we both remained silent until lunch break.
"I'll be having my lunch on the rooftop as I always had if you're free drop by. "Got it, I'll just get some food at the cafeteria and see if I can get up there. See ya around." We wave at each other and the moment I leave the room he suddenly gets surrounded by our classmates, asking him a lot of questions about how is Italy like et cetera, et cetera. I make my way up the stairs and pass the third year classrooms on the way to the rooftop, where a metallic door was usually unlocked. I open the door and the cool autumn wind blows inside, "Fall really is the one of the best seasons~" I say as I close the door behind me and sit on one of the benches. "Itadakimasu." Joining my hands, I open my lunch box and start eating my lunch composed of rice rolled inside scrambled eggs and some ketchup for some sauce all made from leftovers of this morning's meal.
"Still, I wonder who was that girl last night." I try to recall the events last night but all I can remember was her mask which had four eyeholes and her scythe. "Oh well no point in worrying about it now better enjoy what I have right now." 'Live the present to the fullest and make sure to have no regrets' is what my father always told me when I was young. "I really didn't know what he meant by that up until I ended up living alone." As I become engrossed in my thoughts, the door slowly creaks open with its metallic sound and on the other side, no other than 'princess' Amagawa Rinko. [Strange to see her here at this time… I know the rooftop was her turf after school but confessing at lunch break seems… strange.] She sits next to me on the bench even though there is a lot more space.
"Uhm… Amagawa-san, it may be rude to ask you this but might you be waiting for someone up here?" I ask her sitting a few inches beside me. "I am not waiting for someone as the person I am looking for is already here." She says calmly sitting there. "Zetsumu-kun, it might be my imagination but I'll ask you to confirm. Where were you last night?" My chopsticks stop at her question, no... my whole body freezes at how casual her question was. "Well, I was at work then headed straight home. Why would you ask such a question, Amagawa-san?" I managed to make an excuse that's believable enough. "Nothing really. I just thought I saw you wandering along the shopping district so late at night." [Wait, she saw me?!] "Ah, you might have mistaken that person for me, but let me ask what are you doing around the shopping district so late at night?" I put down my chopsticks and ask her, "You may not know it, Zetsumu-kun, but I live around those parts, and as for the reason as to why I am awake so late at night is that I have insomnia. Any other questions, Zetsumu Tenha-kun?" she asks me in a way that seems emotionless rather than calm. [If that's how she usually talks, then I feel sorry for the guys that ask her out.] "Nope, I'm all done with asking, Amagawa-san." I shake my head while taking a small book resting below my lunchbox. "In that case, then let me ask you a favour. Come see me after classes up here on the roof. I'll be waiting for you." She stands up after saying what she needs to say and leaves the rooftop. "So this is the 'Princess of the Ice Fortress'. I don't get why the other guys would… no it's none of my business I'd better finish this book and return it to our rep." I continue reading the light novel lent to me but after a few minutes of unable to focus partly due to my thoughts wandering I close my eyes and let out a sigh.
"That is rather one deep sigh Zetsumu-senpai. Is there something bothering you?" opening my eyes I see the first year girl that called me to the student council yesterday. "Ah, it's nothing. I just have a lot of things to think about lately." I close the book and wrap up my lunch box. "So what brings you here? Does the student council have another job for me?" she sits next to me, taking something out of her plastic bag. "Not really, I just came here to eat lunch. We'd been pretty busy lately at the council because of the lack of manpower. Itadakimasu." She opens a plastic wrapped bread from her bag and begins to eat, "I see, the president has been giving out more incentives as of late so that wouldn't be a problem." "There isn't, but you see Zetsumu-senpai, the problem isn't with the manual labour around the school. It's all the paperwork we have to go through every day. Ah, speaking of going through I just saw Amagawa-senpai come down from here. Did you have a meeting of some sort, a confession perhaps?" "Now don't you get too carried away with your thoughts." I lower the book on top of her head soft enough but not to hurt but hard enough to bring her back into reality. "That was mean senpai… I was just lightening up your mood because you sighed so heavily earlier, I thought I was going to get blown away. Ah! do excuse my rudeness I wasn't able to introduce myself, I am Fujimura Aya of class 1-B, it's a pleasure to meet you again Zetsumu-senpai." [This girl is spontaneous as an excited electron…] I thought to myself while she gives me a light bow. "Wait Fujimura… how are you related to Fujimura-sensei?" "Ah, she's my older sister who also used to be a student here." She smiles then continues eating her melon bread. [If these two are sisters then that would explain her constant reactiveness to stimuli…] "I see well you better finish eating fast 'cause lunch break isn't going to last any longer than five minutes. In any case I'll be going ahead, see you around Fujimura-san" I stand up and take my lunchbox along with the book I have yet to finish and walk towards the door. "See you around, senpai~ ah, and Aya will do. You don't have to call me so formally~" she says while waving at me as I close the door and head towards my classroom. In the end Genhou never got a chance to leave the classroom due to our classmates' 'hospitality'.
"Ah ,so that's what happened…" after hearing Genhou's explanation as to why he wasn't able to leave it, actually seemed that he had caused quite the ruckus. "Well, it's only normal for you to attract the attention of other students starting with that hair of yours, which makes you stand out in the crowd." "It's not my fault that one of my parents are foreign, and besides I tried to dye it darker yet look! There isn't any difference." He raises a part of his hair to emphasize the point. "Now, now, your hype would only last for a few days, unless you do something that'd make you remembered by the people here, it'd probably last even after we graduate. Ah, by the way, I suggest you join a club before the student council takes an interest on you." "Takes interest? What do you mean?" I explain to him the things the student council president made me do when we were still at our first year and the things he makes me do every now and then at our second year. "Must be a tough job… by the way, if the only way to avoid those is to join a club, why haven't you joined any?" he asks me with a low voice as we are still in the middle of our lecture. "I don't have time for work if I join a club. I need money to buy myself food." Genhou tilts his head trying to understand what I just said. "Working? As in part time? Are you living alone for some reason?" "Yeah, something like that… well I do make sure to visit my parents every now and then so there would be no problem right?" he gives a nod as a reply and discreetly points to our teacher prompting the both of us to stop our conversation and listen to the lecture. "Now then, to try and finish this book…" I open the light novel and continued reading until the end of our seventh subject, which marks the end of our normal school day. "Genhou, you might want to take a tour around the campus around these times. It'll help you decide a club faster. I'll be going on ahead as I still have some things to do before I go home, see ya." With everyone grouping up on their way to their respective clubs, I give him one last piece of advice for the day before I leave for the rooftop. "Time is 15:30… still no signs of her…" I sigh as I check my cell phone. "Well, I still have about five chapters to go so there really is a lot of time to waste up here." A cool breeze blows by as I flip my page and continue to read through the book lent to me.
Making a guy wait for thirty minutes alone on the school roof is understandable… but making me wait for two and a half hours is bound to be something else. [Then there is only one explanation for her actions…] "I've been stood up." I close the book with a thud and stretch my arms as I stand. "Well, I already called my boss I won't be working today so all that's left is to visit my parents. And get some food for tonight…" I put the book in my bag and slip my phone in my pocket, the time is now 17:00 and almost all of the students and staff have left the school. "The only ones left here are those who have business around and about and some of the sports club members who stay behind to use the showers in the pool area. And of course, people who got stood up like me…" I say to the wind as I reach for the door to leave the roof top, I hear a familiar voice calling me.
"And where do you think you're going, Zetsumu-kun?" my hand stops immediately upon hearing her voice prompting me to turn around. "You sure took your time to get here, Amagawa-san. It must be hard for you to get by me while I was immersed in reading waiting for you." Amagawa Rinko, the so-called 'Ice Princess', stands on the opposite side of the rooftop. Against the orange light of the sunset, I can clearly see that what she's wearing isn't our school uniform.
"Amagawa-san, I hope you don't mind me asking but w hat is with the GothLoli (7) dress?" I ask her as she fixes the left side of her hair being blown by the wind. "It seems like you have forgotten. But I am sure that you were the one… the one with the large sword last night…" she quickly rushes towards me and swings her arm which suddenly happens to hold a scythe. "Now then, let's not get hasty… let us talk this through for now." I hold my sword on my left side blocking her scythe's blade. "So, it really was you last night, Zetsumu-kun." "Would you mind lowering your weapon for now? I really am against fighting women." "Oh my… quite the gentleman we have here." She says in her usual monotonous way as her scythe disappears like dust and my sword fades like the sunset light. We sit down on one of the benches nearby and somehow, our distance now was the same distance we had earlier at lunch break. "Amagawa-san, this may seem incredibly rude for me to ask but given both our circumstances, I think I should ask first. Just who are you, Amagawa Rinko?" I ask her as the cool wind blows and her long black hair sways, her blue eyes gaze upon me ever so calmly.
6. Assume everyone speaks Japanese
7. GothLoli a combination of the Gothic and Lolita fashion characterized by darker clothing