Tetsuro peered at the train schedule, feeling slightly frustrated. He should have done a trial run of the route to school. Now he was unsure which train would take him to the right station.
It didn't help that his school uniform felt impractical. He felt restricted by his dress shirt and school vest under his jacket, and the addition of his blazer only made him feel more frustrated.
People hurried past him, oblivious to his problem. There was something strangely methodical in the way people seemed to deliberately ignore one another as they rushed toward their destinations. Only focused on where they needed to be and tuning out the rest of the world surrounding them.
Thankfully, he didn't have to stare at the train line routes and schedule for too long. Tetsuro noticed other students quickly boarding the train on the opposite platform. Hoping they were from the same school, he took a leap of faith and boarded the same train.
Tetsuro glanced at the students from the corner of his eye as they continued their conversations. He realized he would be behind when it came to making new friends. As a second-year transfer student, most of the bonds in his class had already been formed the year before.
The train ride lasted about twenty minutes, but it was calming and soothing. He appreciated the coordination of public transportation in Japan. No strangers causing a fuss over seats. There was a quiet harmony in the unspoken traditions and rules everyone seemed to follow. If an elderly person entered, a younger passenger would typically offer their seat without hesitation.
Tetsuro continued to observe the other students as they exited the train. He then followed at a distance. He made sure not to appear too obvious. He was wary of seeming like he was stalking them. The last thing he needed was to be labeled the school creep a reputation he definitely didn't want as a transfer student.
The walk was relatively short, and Tetsuro made a point to memorize the street names and the turns they took. They turned the last corner, and Tetsuro realized he had arrived at the right school. He let out a sigh of relief.
The entrance was marked by an elegant archway that led into the school courtyard. The elegant archway featured Kenryoku High's name and crest. In the distance, Tetsuro spotted the baseball diamond, its field blanketed in snow. The soccer fields, large and open, were also covered in layers of snow.
The campus consisted of a series of low-rise buildings, each about four stories tall. The exterior walls were made of neutral, monotone concrete, giving the structures a clean and polished look. Large windows were in abundance, allowing natural light to flood the classrooms. The gardens and trees, without any leaves, were neatly trimmed and well-maintained, adding a sense of order to the surroundings.
Teachers lingered at the entrance of the main building, helping new students find their way to the entrance ceremony. Slightly intimidated, Tetsuro wasn't sure whether to simply enter the main building or ask a teacher for guidance.
"Excuse me, do transfer students enter with the first-year students for the entrance ceremony?" Tetsuro asked, quickly overcoming his intimidation.
The teacher was slightly shorter than Tetsuro. A wool coat shielded him from the cool wind and covered his traditional suit. His hair was neatly combed to the side, and his spectacles were fogged from the differing temperatures,the warmth inside the building and the chilly outdoor air.
"Name?" The professor adjusted his spectacles as they slipped down slightly.
"Tetsuro Arbour" he responded.
Tetsuro watched as the teacher fumbled through a stack of papers in his hands before pulling out what Tetsuro assumed was his sheet.
"Here we are." the teacher handed the sheet to Tetsuro.
"You will stand with your assigned class. Transfer students are usually not introduced, so you don't need to worry about giving an introduction," the teacher assured Tetsuro, pointing him towards the school's auditorium.
"Welcome to Kenryoku High" the teacher gave Tetsuro a warm smile.
Tetsuro nodded in acknowledgment as he passed by him. He walked through the narrow hallway, the scent of freshly polished wood and chemicals filling his nostrils. The walls were full of pinned posters for clubs.
The hallways leading to the auditorium were filled with students, busily chatting as they waited for the entrance ceremony to begin. Some gave him side glances before resuming their conversations.
Yup it's definitely going to be difficult to make friends. Tetsuro thought to himself.
The auditorium had a high ceiling, with a stage framed by heavy curtains and a single podium at its center. The room was dimly lit, with only the stage illuminated to draw attention to the podium.
Tetsuro glanced at his sheet of paper and saw that he was assigned to Class 2-C. He scanned the auditorium and noticed sheets of paper scattered around, marking where each class would stand.
Some of his classmates were already standing in the designated spots. He stood at a distance, careful not to intrude on their conversation. As he surveyed the entire auditorium, he realized that the school was larger than he had initially thought, judging by the number of students present.
"So, you're new too, huh?" Tetsuro was interrupted from his internal thought process, a seemingly growing habit.
His hair was a dark blonde, and his piercing silver eyes stood out sharply. They were about the same height, though the stranger's hair made him slightly taller. His skin was pale and creamy yet held a refined handsomeness to him.
"You can tell?" Tetsuro asked, surprised.
"Pretty easily. You're the only one not talking to anyone." Tetsuro caught a slight smirk on the blonde stranger's face from the corner of his eye.
"Anyway, Tetsuro, I hope we can become friends. I'm also a transfer student. My family moved here from Fukushima. The name's Masashi Mizuno." Tetsuro turned to face him, confusion evident on his face.
"How do you know my name?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I was behind you when you were talking to the teacher at the entrance," Mizuno explained. "You seem to be unaware of the people around you."
"I was also on the train you took to get here. I'm not sure why you were walking so slowly, but I passed you and the group ahead of you." Mizuno added casually.
"Well—" Before Tetsuro could explain, he was cut off by a loud voice, presumably from the director of the school.
"Welcome, students. The entrance ceremony is about to begin," the director announced, quickly capturing the attention of the student body. Some students shushed their peers in response.
The next few minutes of the director's speech went in one ear and out the other for Tetsuro. His attention span for things that didn't interest him was relatively short. Even the student council president's opening speech failed to capture his interest.
The only thing Tetsuro managed to take away from the president's speech was that this year was their chance to make it to Koshien. The only reason he caught that part of the speech was due to the loud cheers from the student body. He wondered where they found that kind of optimism. Even he knew how difficult it was to achieve such a goal. If anything, it only added more pressure to the baseball team at Kenryoku. Then again, he wasn't sure how good their baseball team was. If they were strong, perhaps making it to Koshien was a realistic goal.
The entrance ceremony wrapped up shortly after the student council president's speech. Tetsuro followed Masashi and the rest of his class to their classroom on the second floor. Both Masashi and Tetsuro were seated in the center of the room. Their teacher believed that being surrounded by classmates who could assist them if they had any questions was the best arrangement for them.
They both introduced themselves to the class. Thankfully, the teacher didn't ask them about their goals or what they hoped to achieve by the end of the term, none of the generic questions you'd find in a sports manga.
The majority of their classes flew by in a blur. Tetsuro hadn't brought lunch, so he headed to the cafeteria to buy something to eat. He was starving.
"Hey Tetsuro, if you're heading to the cafeteria let's go together. I didn't bring lunch and needed to head there too." Masashi quickly rose from his seat catching up to Tetsuro's pace.
"You didn't pack lunch on the first day of classes, Mizuno?" Tetsuro asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Both my parents don't really have time. They work high level jobs. They just give me money to buy food" Masashi explained. Tetsuro nodded satisfied with his answer.
The cafeteria was located on the main floor, spacious and lined with long rows of wooden tables and benches. The walls were adorned with display boards featuring the lunch menu and school announcements. Students moved in a chaotic flow, carrying trays of food as they navigated through the bustling room.
Tetsuro had expected it to be noisy, filled with the buzz of multiple conversations. However, he didn't anticipate clubs actively trying to recruit new members.
"Join the cooking club and hone your culinary skills!" the cooking club representative called out.
"The baseball team is looking to fill its dugout! You heard the student council president's expectations, we're aiming for Koshien!" the baseball team representative shouted next.
There was a wide variety of clubs he hadn't even known existed. As he scanned through the options, he suddenly spotted someone he recognized.
"It's you!" Tetsuro called out, stepping forward with Masashi in tow. Mina Oshiro was busy attempting to convince another student to join the club she was promoting.
"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, the hockey club has a long and proud history here at Kenryoku High. Did you know they won the championship before?" Mina continued, trying to persuade the student.
"How long ago was that?" the student asked skeptically, clearly not impressed.
Mina shifted nervously from foot to foot. "About twenty years ago."
"I'll pass." The boy quickly dropped the sign-up sheet onto the table and walked away.
"You messed it all up!" Mina quickly pointed towards Tetsuro.
"I didn't think so. He wasn't exactly thrilled to hear the last time this school won a hockey championship was twenty years ago," Tetsuro replied.
"He was so close to joining," Mina muttered, still beating herself up over it.
"Why are you promoting the hockey club, though? Shouldn't the players be doing that?" Mizuno chimed in.
Tetsuro noticed, once again, how uneasy Mina seemed when the topic of the club came up. It was clear that it was a sensitive subject.
"Well, all the third-years from last year graduated. They made up the majority of the roster," Mina explained, her voice heavy with frustration.
"We might not even be able to field a team this year if we don't get more players. Plus, I'm the team's manager so I have to help out in any way I can" Mina concluded.
As Mina mentioned the need for more players, Tetsuro was reminded of his mother's constant questions about whether he would join the hockey team. Questions he had been delaying an answer to.
"How about you? What's your name? Maybe you could join us?" Mina asked, her voice filled with hope as she turned to Mizuno.
"Uh, sure, I played at my old school in Fukushima," Mizuno replied, a bit uncertain.
"You did, Mizuno?" Tetsuro asked, raising an eyebrow in skepticism.
"Hey, I didn't say I was any good at it," Mizuno shot back, his gaze flicking to Tetsuro, slightly defensive. "But my skating's decent enough."
"Thank you, thank you, Mizuno!" Mina exclaimed as she handed him the paper.
"Mizuno, you're serious?" Tetsuro asked, astonished.
"I have to join a club anyway, there's nothing to do back home," Mizuno shrugged.
"How about you, Tetsuro? I know you play hockey. I hope you've kept up with my training regimen," Mina added, half-scolding, half-encouraging.
"I'm still not sure about joining," Tetsuro admitted, scratching the back of his head.
"This isn't an exam; it's a simple yes or no," Mina insisted.
Tetsuro paused, wrestling with his thoughts. What if his father called him back to Canada next year? He couldn't shake the feeling that leaving a team midseason wouldn't sit right with him. In hockey, your teammates were like family; it was a brotherhood. Hockey requires commitment.
"Alright, fine. Pass me the pen," Tetsuro finally relented.
"Yes! Just a few more players to go. Our first practice is in a couple of days. We'll do weigh-ins, measurements, and light practice. Don't forget your gear!" Mina reminded them as Mizuno and Tetsuro headed off to grab lunch.
Tetsuro wasn't sure what the future held, but for now, he would take it one step at a time. He was determined to make the most of the present and enjoy himself, whatever came next he would face head on.