I woke up with the sunlight streaming through the window, casting a warm glow that pulled me from sleep far gentler than any alarm. My body still felt heavy from yesterday, the weight of what I'd learned sinking in deeper than I'd thought it would.
As I pushed myself out of bed, I noticed Aisha had already left my room; I must have slept right through her morning wake-up call. After getting dressed and grabbing my bag, I found her waiting for me in the kitchen, already suited up in her school uniform, her hair tied back neatly, and a mug of tea warming her hands.
"Morning, Saki," she greeted me, her voice as calm and bright as ever. She handed me a thermos, already packed and ready for the day ahead.
"Thanks, Aisha." I took it, meeting her gaze as she studied me with that familiar look of quiet curiosity. It seemed like she had a dozen questions about yesterday's trip still on her mind, but she kept quiet, only giving me a small smile as she watched me grab my things.
After a quick breakfast, we made our way out the door and down the path to school. The air had a coolness to it, a faint reminder that summer was ending, though the day promised to grow hot as Hanma had mentioned. Walking beside Aisha felt strangely grounding, especially after everything that had happened.
She didn't press me for details, though I could tell she wanted to know. "You're quieter than usual," she finally remarked with a glance.
"Just… thinking." I hesitated, feeling the weight of Hisu's revelations settle over me again, but I forced myself to give her a small, reassuring smile. "I guess I didn't sleep as well as I thought."
"Hmm." Aisha's gaze lingered a little longer before she looked away, her steps quickening slightly, as if satisfied for now.
When we arrived at school, the usual morning buzz filled the air. Students chattered, some still half-asleep, while others were already gearing up for the day ahead. Aisha gave me a parting nod, slipping into the courtyard to meet up with Rebecca, Emma, and Naomi, and I made my way down the hall, feeling an odd sense of calm return.
Just as I reached my locker, I caught a glimpse of Otsuki standing nearby, her face partially hidden by her books as she approached me. She looked like she was about to say something, but her gaze flicked away when our eyes met, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
"Hey, Otsuki," I said casually, shoving my things into the locker.
"Oh… hi, Motosaki," Her voice was quieter than usual, almost like a whisper. She fidgeted, her hands clutching her books a little too tightly. "I—I just… wanted to make sure you were okay after yesterday, from the storage house incident..."
I glanced over at her, surprised at her nervousness. Normally, Otsuki was easygoing around me—friendly, sure, but nothing out of the ordinary.
"I'm fine, really. You don't need to worry. Yesterday was… it was strange, but we made it out alright." I gave her a small smile, hoping to ease whatever tension I thought she might be feeling. "Thank you for helping back there with putting away the basketballs with me though. I guess I never really got the chance to truly thank you yesterday."
She nodded, but her face reddened, her gaze darting around like she couldn't quite bring herself to look at me directly. "I—I was just worried, that's all. I didn't know… if you were okay…and you're welcome..."
Her voice trailed off, and I couldn't help but wonder if the storage house incident had unsettled her more than I'd realized. It was a bit awkward, yes, but I didn't think it was that awkward. I chalked it up to the shock of the experience—of course she'd be a bit on edge after that.
"It's alright, really. I'm all good," I assured, looking at Otsuki with a gentle smile.
For a moment, I thought I saw her glance down at my hand, her fingers twitching slightly, almost like she wanted to reach out but was holding herself back. But she quickly hugged her books closer to her chest, giving a soft, almost shy smile.
"If… if there's anything you need, just let me know, okay?" she murmured, her eyes meeting mine for just a second before she quickly looked away again.
"Will do," I replied with a grin, a bit amused by her sudden shyness. "But don't worry. I'm alright, Otsuki."
She nodded, finally stepping back with a small, flustered wave. "Alright… I—I'll see you later, then," she mumbled, giving a small, almost reluctant smile before hurrying outside to the courtyard to sit with the girls.
As she disappeared into the crowd, I found myself wondering if I'd missed something. But I shrugged it off, chalking her behavior up to a mix of the storage house incident and the absurdity of the entire situation. I pushed the thought to the back of my mind, heading outside to meet up with the girls as well.
{Chapter 15: First Signs}
"Ugh, I'm so not ready for this pop quiz my teacher is threatening us with," Emma groaned, laying her head down on the table.
Rebecca let out a soft giggle, gently patting Emma's back. "C'mon now, Em~ I'm sure you'll be able to pass this test wirh no worries at all!"
"Easy for you to say, Mr. Hoshido doesn't even give our 'surprises' like Ms. Yuna. Stupid pop quizzes...they are just the bane of my entire existence," Emma sighed, closing her eyes.
"Hey girls," I greeted, making my way to the table.
Each girl turned their gaze toward me and greeted me, their greetings coming in at different times. Otsuki watched as I sat down at the table, my presence causing her heart to beat a little faster than usual.
"Look who decided to show up, Mr. I'm Gonna Skip Hanging Out With Five Beautiful Girls For A Scavenger Hunt," Emma teased, crossing her arms as she looked at me.
I rolled my eyes at Emma, a soft chuckle escaping my lips. "I told you I'd call for a rain check. Besides I'm free today so I'm able to hang out after school."
"You better! Anyway, since today is Uniform Day, we all have to meet in the gym for our Spirit Day," Emma informed, glancing down at her phone to answer a text message.
"Spirit Day?" I asked, glancing at the other four for an answer.
Rebecca nodded, smiling at me with an excited smile. "We have Spirit Day once a month which includes loads of activities for us to do. It's been a Matsugaya High tradition since forever. It's really fun actually! It starts during Lunch Period."
"Ahh, I see. I think I understand. It doesn't sound nearly as boring as Spirit Day in America where we just had to wear the school's merchandise," I chuckled, leaning forward against the table.
"Trust us when we say that when we mean Spirit Day, we actually mean Spirit Day~ Today is one of those days where we get a chance to show off our Matsugaya Pride, especially since in a few weeks the Creative Arts Festival is happening at the end of the month. Gives us something tonloom forward to," Aisha added, her excitement bubbling to the surface.
I nodded at them, my own excitement for today building up within. "Well, I guess I'm getting all excited for today now. Can't wait for this to start!"
With that, the first bell rang for everyone to get to their first period, everyone gathered their things and got up, each of us making our way inside. The girls talked as we climbed the stairs to the third floor, Emma splitting off to enter her class while the rest of us entered Mr. Hoshido's classroom.
We all took our seats and waited for class to start, Rebecca, Aisha, Naomi, and Otsuki taking a moment to talk with each other while I leaned back in my seat to think everything over from yesterday. I wasn't ready to learn about the truth so soon, but if knowing about the truth of Nanako and my mother was necessary I was ready to hold onto it.
While the other girls were distracted, I took the Tomodachi Book from my bag and set it on my desk and began to reread over the information I had so far. I couldn't help but to shudder at the information I had, the fact that the spirit of Nanako would use Tomodachi as her name...it was so haunting.
'I wonder how my mom actually was if she wasn't affected by the Tomodachi...And how do I even beat this spirit? She sounds very cunning...for now I guess I should just appease everyone until I find a sure answer,' I thought, flipping through the pages.
Soon, the bell rang, signalling for the start of classes and everyone began to get ready as Mr. Hoshido walked inside. He looked at everyone, his presence commanding undivided attention.
"Good morning class, as you know Spirit Day is today but before we focus on that, I would like to get our work done first so that you may be able to think about the fun stuff later," Mr. Hoshido said, adjusting his glasses on his face.
"Today, we will be working on a group assignment so if everyone can find one partner, we can then get started," He continued, taking out a few papers from his bag.
The class began to become filled with the sounds of moving chairs and a bit of chatter as everyone began to find their partners. I knew I immediately had four people to choose from, but as I was about to choose, something in the back of my mind told me to choose Otsuki.
I glanced over at Otsuki, giving her a warm smile and waved at her to come over to me. "You want to be my partner Otsuki?"
Otsuki stared at me for a moment, a soft blush forming on her cheeks. "I don't mind at all.."
Shyly, she got up and made her way over to me, pulling a seat next to my desk. I smiled at her, but couldn't shake a sudden chilling aura that came once Otsuki sat beside me, the same chilling energy that I got from Aisha last night. Chalking it up to be the air conditioning, I ignored it for the moment and prepared to do this assignment with her.
Aisha and Rebecca grouped together for the assignment while Naomi got one of her loyal "servants" to group with her in a heart beat. I couldn't help but to shake my head as I noticed it was Benji who was the lucky servant to day again.
"Alright, since everyone has their partner, I'll be going around and passing a worksheet to everyone. This assignment is very easy and simple," He began, walking around the class and setting down a worksheet.
"Since today is Spirit Day, we will be focusing on how different qualities in two different people can still be close friends. It's cheesy, I know, I thought so as well, but the board has us doing this every year with a different prompt. Don't know how they keep finding prompts but here we are," Mr. Hoshido continued, walking around the class and passing out work sheets.
The sound of soft laughter filled the class from Mr. Hoshido's statement. I couldn't help but to let out a soft chuckle from his statement, sharing the same sentiment as him that this was a bit corny, but it was a good exercise to learn more about your chosen partner.
"Alright, you may begin and once we are finished, if you want to share, you may present what you wrote for the class," Mr. Hoshido said, starting the timer.
Immediately, the class was filled with the whispers and soft conversations as every student began to work. I looked over at Otsuki, noticing she was still a bit shy and quiet, fidgeting with her skirt as she tried to find the right words to say.
I decided to say something, anything to break the silence between us. "So... different qualities huh? Well I'm rather chill and the go with the flow type of guy. That's a good start right?"
Otsuki glanced at me, her heart seemingly racing a million miles per hour, but she took a deep breath and began to calm herself down, noticing I was waiting for her to respond. "Yeah..~ I-I can definitely see that...as for me..I am more serene and graceful, but not because I choose to be, I have to be..."
"Really..? Is it because of your bloodline?" I asked leaning back on my seat, my attention focused on Otsuki.
Otsuki nodded, placing her hands gracefully upon her lap. "Yeah...I am heir to the Head of the Nagagami Clan when I become fully of age, which is 20. I have to be poised and perfect, and it doesn't help that I am also a prodigy within my family..."
"Mmm...I see. I can also kinda see that you do seem a bit stressed after classes. I'm guessing you have to be a straight A+ student as well?" I asked, more curious about Otsuki now.
Otsuki nodded, looking down at her hands. "I have to uphold my standards and expectations or else, but I've learned to keep calm under pressure..."
I stared at her for a while and smiled at her. "Well, I understand what you mean...but my dad always taught me something. Too much of something good can become bad...or something like that..."
Otsuki let out a soft laugh, glancing at me with a raised eyebrow. "What?"
I chuckled softly, rubbing the back of my head. "It's basically a saying that means if you focus too much on a single purpose, you'll lose sight on other things that matter too."
"Mmm, he sounds like a very wise man," Otsuki said, a warm smile tugging on her lips.
I nodded and closed my eyes, faint memories of me and my father hanging out playing in my head. "Yeah, he was a very wise man..."
I opened my eyes again, turning my gaze to Otsuki and placed a gentle hand on top of hers. "Listen, Suki...you don't need to act perfect or be overly poised around me, especially in situations where we are meant to have fun. It's okay to be what you want to be inside, all you need is a bit of balace.."
Otsuki's body shuddered at my touch, her breath hitching slightly. She gave me a slow nod, her eyes meeting mine and her heartbeat increasing once again. "O-Okay...I'll try..."
I smiled at Otsuki and took my hand off her then leaned forward against my desk. "Alright, let's get this done before time runs out~"
Otsuki nodded, but her gaze remained on me, her eyes gaining a certain light in them that made her feel...alive. At this very moment, Otsuku felt enabled, her guard finally lowering and her persona of perfection finally becoming more lax.
As we continued working, the timer began ringing, signalling for everyone to finish the final touches of their work and Mr. Hoshido stood up at the front of the class.
"Alright everyone, that's time. Would anyone like to present their work?" He asked, slipping his hands into his pockets.
A few groups rose their hands and Mr. Hoshido took note of everyone that rose their hand. He nodded and began to write down the names of everyone who wanted to present.
"Alright, for everyone else, you can keep those worksheets. Since this was basically a free assignment, everyone gets an A for the day. Now, let's start those presentations," Mr. Hoshido said then sat down at his desk again.
With that, the presentations began and most of the groups that presented were already close friends. It was nice listening to everyone's different qualities and what brought them into becoming close friends. As I listened, I couldn't shake this feeling that a pair of eyes were looking at me. I turned my head to glance at Otsuki, noticing her staring directly at me and got a chill down my spine.
"Is... something wrong?" Otsuki whispered to me, a soft smile playing on her lips.
I shook my head, returning her smile, but couldn't wash away the chill that crawled down my spine. "No, just thinking about our project..."
Otsuki's smile slightly widened, a soft blush playing on her face. "Me too..~"
I turned my attention back to the presentations, clearing my throat and focusing ahead. 'That was weird...but it's whatever...'
Soon, the bell rang for the lunch period to start. Everyone gathered their things and stood up to leave the class together. As I followed the girls out of the class, I noticed Otsuki sticking close to me, making small talk with me as we walked down the hall to meet up with Emma. I engaged with her as well, but couldn't help but to feel the chilling energy slightly intensifying.