After school ended, Eito picked me up and drove me back home. He didn't say much at all—instead he kept his gaze locked onto the road the entire time we were on our way back.
I was greeted at the door by Keiichi, who was wearing a warm smile when I came inside.
"Welcome back, Himiko." he said happily.
"I'm home," I muttered before walking past him and going to my room. Keiichi watched me go inside. His smile faded when I shut the door behind me.
"What's up with her?" Keiichi asked.
Eito shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure she's just tired from her first day at school." He replied bluntly.
Kioshi nodded in agreement with him. Keiichi looked concerned. "You're probably right," Keiichi muttered before heading toward his own room.
I flopped face down on my bed without changing out of my uniform. Why did things turn out this way? My mind began racing with questions I didn't have answers for.
I couldn't stop thinking about everyone. Especially Aya. She was so mean and she didn't even care about me at all.
The others kept on laughing too. I could hear them even though I didn't want to. Their words were hurting my heart so badly. I couldn't stop the tears from forming in my eyes.
I wish I was dead. It would've been so much easier that way. I wouldn't have had to go through all this pain anymore. I wouldn't have had to feel anything.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Hey, you okay? It's me, Keiichi." I got up from my bed and opened the door. Keiichi stood there wearing a worried expression. "Come in," I muttered.
He entered without hesitating and closed the door behind him. His eyes glanced over toward my desk and then the rest of the room. "Is everything alright?" Keiichi asked me softly.
"No...not really," I muttered while staring down at the floor. "I'm not cut out for school." I added. Keiichi walked over to where I was standing and gave me a soft, warm hug.
"Tell me what happened." He whispered in my ear. His voice was soothing, yet comforting at the same time.
I let go of him after a few minutes and explained everything that happened at school today.
Keiichi nodded slowly as he listened. He looked at me with a bit of sympathy in his eyes. "You'll be fine," he said reassuringly. "As a matter of fact, how about I attend with you? Would that make things better?" he added.
I started to chuckle a bit. "Aren't you older than me? You already graduated." I told him.
Keiichi laughed. "That doesn't matter. Anything is possible when you're in Rising Phoenix."
I laughed. "Okay, I'll take you up on that offer."
"It's a deal then!" Keiichi shouted happily. He reached out to shake my hand, but then changed his mind and hugged me instead. "We'll get through this together," he added.
With that said, Keiichi left the room and shut the door behind him. I sighed heavily as I got back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling.
"It's going to be okay." I muttered to myself. There was another knock on the door. It was Kioshi this time. "U-Um..come in." I said nervously.
He opened the door and stepped inside. Kioshi didn't say anything to me at first—instead he just looked at me for a few seconds.
"Setsuna made dinner..." Kioshi muttered before turning around and walking away. "You should come eat soon."
I nodded silently. He shut the door behind him.
"It'll be okay," I muttered softly before getting out of bed and walking over toward the door.
Everyone was already seated and eating when I came inside the dining room. Setsuna noticed me and smiled softly. I sat down next to him and started eating.
"How was your first day of school?" Setsuna asked. His eyes were locked onto mine.
"I-It was great. Everyone was very kind. And Keiichi agreed to come with me." I replied while smiling.
Setsuna flashed a confused look at me. "Keiichi?" he asked.
"Oh...um...well-" I started stammering.
"Hahaha! Wouldn't it be great if I could look after Himiko?" Keiichi spoke up while smiling at Setsuna.
Setsuna turned his gaze toward him. "Aren't you, like, 20?" he asked bluntly.
Keiichi chuckled and replied, "Well, that's not important. The important thing is that Himiko can count on me."
"I don't think that's legal." Rin interjected. "And besides, it's not like I can trust you to keep your hands off her."
"Awww, you're so cute when you're jealous, Rin," Keiichi replied back playfully.
"Fuck off." Rin muttered under his breath. I laughed while looking at the two of them. "I'll be looking forward to attending school with you tomorrow." Keiichi said with a wink.
"How would you even manage to do that? Aren't you too old?" Setsuna asked.
Keiichi started laughing. "You really think I can't pull it off? Let me handle it." he replied while smirking.
Kioshi spoke up, "I can just do it myself."
"Nah, I've got it all covered. It'll be fine," Keiichi insisted.
I looked over at Kioshi. "You're going to school too?" I asked him.
Kioshi just nodded silently. He took another bite from his bowl while staring straight ahead.
"Okay, tomorrow morning then!" Keiichi said while pointing his finger in the air.
"Wait. Kioshi goes to the same school as me?" I question.
"Yeah, he does," Keiichi replied.
"Why didn't you say anything earlier?" I ask Kioshi. He just shrugs his shoulders. "It's not a big deal." He mutters under his breath.
"I can't wait for tomorrow, Himiko. This will be great." Keiichi says with a huge grin on his face.
"Yeah, I don't think so." Setsuna interjects. I grin as I watch all of them bickering back and forth. It makes me feel so warm inside.
"Himiko, please eat up before the food gets cold," Eito says as he watches us all.
I finish eating quickly and wash the dishes afterward. Everyone is already going to bed by the time I'm finished.
I can't sleep though. I stayed in the living area for a while longer after cleaning up.
I turn on the TV and watch a random variety show for a bit. "Shouldn't you be sleeping? It's getting late."
I turn my head to see Rin standing there with his arms folded across his chest. "I'm trying." I reply bluntly.
He walks over to the couch and sits down next to me. "What's on your mind?" Rin asked.
"Nothing in particular." I replied.
"You're a horrible liar," Rin muttered while leaning back against the sofa. "Just tell me the truth."
"Okay. I'll tell you." I said. Rin turned his head slightly to glance at me. I could sense his stare boring into me. "I don't like it. The school, I mean."
Rin furrowed his brow. "Why's that?" I couldn't avoid his gaze. I knew he would want a serious answer. "I'm not made for school. You all have to know that."
"That's not a reason," Rin replied. "Your new life starts now. If it weren't for Boss, you'd still be living in that crappy apartment."
"I know that," I said bluntly.
"Do you?" Rin asked. He leaned forward in his seat, his eyes still focused onto mine. "Do you really? Because it doesn't seem like you do."
I sighed. He was right. I was still scared of everything around me. Even though I had left my old life behind, there was still a part of me that wanted to run back. "To tell you truth, I was getting picked on for being poor earlier." I said bluntly.
Rin's eyes narrowed slightly. He shifted his body and sat upright, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "What happened?" He asked.
I explained what happened to Rin in detail. When I finished talking, Rin let out a sigh.
"Don't worry about those guys," he said. "I'll kill them," Rin said. His tone was serious, but there was no sign of anger or malice in his words.
"T-That's not necessary." I stammered. Of course he didn't really mean that, right? Rin moved closer to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder.
"Don't worry," Rin whispered softly. "I'll make sure they never bother you again." My face began to heat up and my heart raced.
"U-Uh..." I stammered and quickly moved away from him. "Right. Thanks. Goodnight!"
Rin watched as I got up and left. His expression was unreadable. "Goodnight," he muttered under his breath.
***
The next morning came quickly. I was nervous to head to school. As much as I didn't want to go, I knew I couldn't let everyone down. Especially Seiji.
He would never forgive me if I didn't graduate high school. "Good morning, Himiko." I turned my head and saw Setsuna standing there. He had a big smile on his face and held a piece of toast in his hand. "Hey." I greeted back.
Setsuna took a bite of his toast and chewed slowly. "Breakfast is on the table. Eat something before heading off."
"I'm not hungry," I said flatly. "But thanks anyways."
"You need to eat," Setsuna replied. "It'll make you feel better."
"Alright, alright. I'll eat a little," I replied.
I walked past him and headed toward the kitchen. Kioshi was sitting at the table eating his breakfast. His eyes followed me as I sat down.
"Good morning," I greeted.
Kioshi didn't respond. He simply glanced at me and then went back to eating. I ate my food silently. I could feel Kioshi's gaze upon me the entire time. It made me uncomfortable.
When we were done, I grabbed my bag and walked towards the door. "Wait! Wait Himiko!" Keiichi shouted. He ran up behind me and threw his arm over my shoulder. "Let's walk together." He grinned widely.
"No, the train is faster." Rin grumbled as he strutted over. "I'll be going too," he stated.
"Fine," Keiichi sighed. He put his hands in his pockets and started walking ahead of us. "Come on, Kioshi!"
"B-But, Eito said-" I began to protest. "Right, Right, you'll be fine let's go." Keiichi interrupted.
Keiichi walked off without waiting for an answer. Kioshi shrugged his shoulders and followed after him. Rin sighed heavily. Coming," he muttered. We all headed outside and towards the train station.
***
We arrived at school and it was a blur. Rin and Keiichi were bickering the whole time while Kioshi just stood there awkwardly.
"Are you sure you two are good to come in? This seems really sketchy." I ask.
"Don't worry, Himiko. Just leave it to me." Keiichi answered proudly. Rin rolled his eyes and continued walking. We walked into the classroom and everyone was already there. Well, almost everyone.
"Good morning," Keiichi greeted the class. "Sorry for the intrusion." The students looked confused. Rin elbowed him in the side and hissed, "Could you be any weirder?"
"More transfer students?" One student asked. "At least they're hot," another said.
I went straight to my desk and noticed there were mean comments written all over it. I quickly tried to hide them.
"Hey, Himiko, are you okay?" Keiichi asked as he noticed the graffiti on my desk. "It's fine. Don't worry about it." I muttered.
"Holy shit. It's like a real life drama."Rin blurted our. "These kids are ruthless."
Aya soon walked into the room and saw Rin and Keiichi. Her face flushed and her mouth opened wide. "Oh, um. Are you two the new transfers?" She stammered.
Rin and Keiichi stared at her. Rin narrowed his eyes and glared daggers at her. Aya flinched. "Yes, we are," Rin said dryly.
"That's wonderful. I hope we get along well." She said cheerfully. She held her hand out and introduced herself. "I'm Aya."
"Rin," Rin replied curtly. He crossed his arms and glared at her.
"Keiichi!" Keiichi shouted while holding his hand out. Aya took his hand and shook it. I laid my head down on my desk, hoping she wouldn't notice me.
"Well if it isn't the little poor girl. You still had the guts to come crawling back to school? Wow. You must be stupid."
Aya's voice made me jump. I lifted my head up and saw her standing next to my desk. She wore a smug smile on her face. "Go away," I muttered.
She snickered. "You're pathetic." Aya taunted. She started to walk away, but then stopped. "Oh wait. I brought something for you." She pulled out a bottle of milk from her bag.
"Here. Take it. I bet you're hungry, right? Poor little lamb." She said with a smirk as she began to poor the while thing over me.
I sat frozen as I watched the milk splash all over me. Aya laughed. "Hey!" I heard Keiichi yell.
I felt a hand grab my arm and pull me up. It was Rin. "What the fuck is wrong with you!?" He snapped. Aya stepped back. "You better leave her the fuck alone," Rin snarled.
Aya laughed. "Are you actually sticking up for the poor girl? Oh my god."
"Shut up," Rin hissed.
Aya smirked. "Whatever. Have fun being friends with trash." She turned her back to us and walked over to her seat.
I quickly wiped my eyes and tried to keep from crying. Rin's grip tightened. "Himiko, are you alright?" He asked softly.
"I'm fine," I said as I sniffled. I didn't want him to see me cry. I knew if he did, he'd feel sorry for me. I didn't want his pity. Class soon began once the teacher walked in.
After the first class ended, I got up and headed towards the door. "I'm heading to the bathroom."
Rin and Keiichi nodded, and sat there quietly. I rushed out of the room and headed to the nearest restroom. I walked inside and saw a couple of girls. They glanced at me and started laughing. I ignored them and went straight into a stall. I locked the door behind me and sat down. I couldn't hold back the tears anymore. I buried my face in my hands and cried silently. I hated myself. I was weak. I couldn't do anything. I was useless. All I ever did was drag people down.
"Why? Why did I have to be born this way?" I sobbed. After a while, I calmed down a bit. I wiped away the last remaining tears and stood up. "I need to pull myself together." I muttered to myself.
"Are you okay?" I heard someone ask. It sounded like a girl's voice. "Yeah, I'm fine," I said.
"You sure?" The girl asked.
"I said I'm fine." I said a little harsher than intended.
"Alright, alright." The girl replied. I unlocked the stall and stepped out. There was a girl standing in front of me. She was short and had long brown hair. She smiled kindly. "Are you a new student?" She asked. "Yeah, I'm a transfer." I answered. The girl was chewing on some gum and popped it loudly. "Cool. My name is Nami."
"Himiko."
"Nice to meet ya, Himiko." She said with a big grin.
I smiled back. "I'm going to wash my hands," I said.
Nami nodded. She followed me and washed her hands as well. We left the bathroom together. "Hey, you wanna hang out sometime?" She asked. I was confused. This random girl wants to hang out with me? "Why?" I asked. Nami shrugged her shoulders. "Just thought you might like some company." She replied.
I hesitated for a second. "Sure," I said. Nami smiled brightly. "Great! Let's exchange numbers!"
"Okay," I said. Nami pulled out her phone and handed it to me. I took out my own phone and gave it to her. We exchanged contact information and headed back to class. I was feeling a bit better now. At least there was one person here who didn't think I was worthless. Maybe school wouldn't be so bad after all.
"I'm back," I announced. Keiichi and Rin were talking amongst themselves when they noticed me. I chuckled a bit. "Kioshi does his best to avoid me, doesn't he?" I joked. They both looked at each other nervously.
I sat back down in my chair and looked around the room. Everyone was busy chatting away. A few girls were gossiping about the boys. A couple of guys were playing video games on their phones. Some were reading manga or listening to music. It was all normal stuff. No one seemed to care that there were three strangers sitting among them.
I pulled out my homework and began working on it. "You're doing your homework now?" Keiichi asked. "I have nothing else to do," I replied. Both Keiichi and Rin looked on as I did my homework.
"Wow. She's actually pretty smart." Rin commented. Keiichi nodded in agreement. I smiled at his comment. It made me feel good. Classes continued on normally. I was very surprised that Aya didn't mutter another word to me. When the bell rang, we all stood up and gathered our belongings.
"Let's go out to eat," Keiichi suggested. "I'm starving," he whined.
"We just had lunch a few hours ago," Rin reminded him.
"So? Let's go get something quick. Please? Pretty please?" Keiichi pleaded. Rin groaned.
"Fine," Rin agreed.
"Yay!" Keiichi cheered.
While those two were chatting, I was wondering how Kioshi was doing. I didn't understand why he didn't like me. He probably thinks I'm a burden. I'm not worth his time. I sighed. "You okay?" Rin asked. I nodded. "Yeah. Fine."
"Let's go," Keiichi said excitedly.
We left the school and headed towards the nearest cafe. It looked very cozy and cute on the inside. I'd never been to a cafe like this before. Rin and Keiichi both sat down opposite of each other. Both of them gestured for me to sit next to them. They put me in a pretty tough position. I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. Ultimately, I went with Rin since I figured a little more bonding couldn't hurt.
"What's good here?" Keiichi asked as he studied the menu. Rin shrugged. "Who knows. Order whatever," he said. Keiichi hummed. "What are you getting Himiko?" I looked over the menu carefully. There were so many choices that sounded so good. "Umm. I think I'll just have a matcha latte."
"How boring." Rin scoffed. "You can afford something a little better. Here. Let me order for you." Rin grabbed the menu from me and pointed at the most expensive items. "These look great. You should try one." I politely declined, but he wouldn't let it go. "I'll pay." Rin didn't listen. He called the waitress over and ordered several different dishes.
When the waitress came back with the food, I realized that everything was too much for one person. "There's no way I can finish all this." I stated. Rin chuckled. "Don't worry. Just eat what you can. It's on me anyway. Just enjoy." He winked. I thanked him sheepishly. We ate and talked about random things. After we finished eating, Rin paid the bill.
I was so full. I knew there was no way I could finish everything he'd ordered. While I was eating I thought about Kioshi, and decided to give him the castella. I was hoping, that in some way, this help our relationship a bit. I'm sure he'd appreciate it, right?
"We should probably head back home," Rin said. Keiichi pouted. "Already? Can't we stay a little longer?" He begged.
"No," Rin replied firmly. Keiichi whined. "Fine," he grumbled.
The three of us got up and left the cafe. We walked together towards the train station. "Thanks for the food, Rin. That was really kind of you." I said. He grinned at me widely like a child, saying that it was no problem.
***
When the train finally reached our stop, We hopped off and headed straight for home. I had the cake in my hands, and hoped that Kioshi was already home. As we got closer to the apartment, I grew nervous. What if he rejected the cake? What if he doesn't even like sweets? I took a deep breath and steeled my nerves.
We arrived home, and I went inside first. To my surprise, I saw Seiji sitting on the couch. My eyes lit up when I saw him. I ran up to him and gave him a proper bow. He patted my head gently. "Welcome back, Himiko," he greeted. The others looked on as he pat my head like a little kitten.
"Hey, where's my welcome back pat on the head?" Keiichi protested. Seiji laughed lightly. "You don't get to have one, old man." Keiichi frowned and puffed out his cheeks. I laughed at their silly interaction.
Seiji stopped petting my head. "Himiko. I would like to talk to you privately."
I nodded. Seiji led me into what looked like his office space. It had a nice warm atmosphere. "Please, have a seat," Seiji instructed. I nodded my head and sat down on the sofa. "How're you getting along with everyone? Any problems?" He questioned.
"It's been okay, and no, no problems." I replied.
Seiji looked relieved. "Good. Good." His face turned serious. "Now then, I'd like to discuss a couple things with you," he began. I nodded my head. "Now that you're part of Rising Phoenix, you'll have a target on your back. We've done all we could to hide your identity. However, we cannot guarantee your safety. Do you understand what that means, Himiko?"
I swallowed hard and shook my head no. "You will need to learn to defend yourself. The more time you spend with us, I will gradually introduce you to other things that you could do for the benefit of Rising Phoenix. You will also need to learn the basics of using a gun."
My eyes widened. Guns?! "Isn't that a bit much?" I blurted out. Seiji's expression changed into a stern one. "This is no laughing matter, Himiko. You are under our protection, which means you will need to pull your own weight." He's right. I knew coming here wasn't a get out of jail free card. I sighed. "I'm sorry."
Seiji's face softened. "Do not apologize. I am only thinking about your safety and ours. You are my responsibility now, and I take that very seriously. Understand?"
I nodded obediently. After all, I owe Seiji a lot.
"Um...but who will teach me?"
"Ah. Right. About that," he began.
"Me," a familiar voice called out.
"K-Kioshi?!" I stammered. Kioshi smirked. "What? Did you forget about me already?" He teased. My heart rate increased. Oh no. He overheard everything, didn't he?
"Kioshi will teach you the basics," Seiji explained. "He's excellent at hand-to-hand combat, as wells as marksmanship. I believe he will be the best teacher for you." I didn't know whether or not to feel relieved or terrified. There's no doubt he's going to make this difficult for me. "Okay." I replied hesitantly.
Seiji looked pleased. "Good. You may go," he dismissed. Kioshi and I exited the office together. I was still holding the castella in my hand. I had completely forgotten about it. I held the box out towards Kioshi. "I brought you this. I hope you like castella."
He eyed the box suspiciously. "We went to a cafe after school. I thought you would've gone with us, but I was wrong. So, I brought this castella back for you." I smiled brightly.
He took the box of castella and stared at it for a minute. "Thanks." He mumbled. "You're welcome," I chirped.
"We'll get started tomorrow since it's the weekend. I'm only doing this because Seiji told me to. That's all." He said coldly. I felt like someone had punched me in the gut.
"O-okay," I said quietly. Kioshi started walking away from me, leaving me standing there feeling utterly useless. Why is he being so mean to me? Was it something I said? Was it the castella? He must not like it.
I was about to go after him, but I hesitated. Maybe I should leave him alone. I watched as Kioshi disappeared into his room. I didn't know what to do. I decided to go back to my room and change into more comfortable clothing. When I opened the door, I noticed that there were a few new things inside.
I examined the room carefully and saw a bookshelf filled with all kinds of books. I picked a book up and skimmed through the pages. "Eh." It was a book all about the art of combat. I guess Seiji wasn't kidding.