Aaron blinked as the sunlight streamed through the curtains, signaling the start of a new day. He groggily pushed himself out of bed, stretching his arms. Lily was already up and bouncing around, her silver hair shining like a halo in the morning light.
"Are you really going to be late on the first day of high school, Ari?" she teased, throwing a pillow at him.
Aaron chuckled, rubbing his eyes. "I'm up, I'm up," he muttered as he hurried to get ready.
The usual rush of morning activities followed brushing teeth, getting dressed, grabbing breakfast as they headed out the door. The streets were filled with other students in uniforms, all buzzing with first-day excitement.
"Race you to school!" Lily shouted, her energetic voice cutting through the morning hustle.
Aaron grinned, deciding to indulge her. They both took off, running side by side toward the school.
As they ran toward Rivercrown International High School, Aaron's eyes caught a quick glimpse of a girl in high school uniform. He lost his train of thought for a second, the sight of her sparking something unfamiliar in his mind. But shaking the thought away, he snapped back to reality, increasing his pace and catching up with Lily.
By the time Aaron reached the school gates, Lily was already standing there, hands on her hips and grinning triumphantly.
"Ha! Beat you, Ari!" she said, sticking her tongue out at him.
Aaron arrived, out of breath, looking like a walking corpse whose energy had been drained the moment he'd woken up. He gave her a weak smile, too tired to retort.
"Nice job... Lily," he muttered, slinging his bag over his shoulder.
Lily raised an eyebrow, teasing him further. "Ari, you lost to a girl. Your own sister, no less. What's up with that?"
Aaron rolled his eyes but couldn't help chuckling at her antics.
After catching his breath, they both headed toward the school's notice board, where the class lists were posted. The students were divided according to the scores from the entrance exam, and the rivalry for the top spots was always a buzz. Lily quickly scanned the list and let out a dramatic groan.
"Class 1-B? Ugh, of course!" she pouted, her cute angry expression almost too much to handle. "Why am I not in the same class as you, Ari?" she grumbled, walking off with an exaggerated, gorilla-like stomp, making a show of her frustration.
Aaron shook his head, a small smile tugging at his lips as he read his own placement. "Class 1-A, huh? Looks like things are going to get interesting."
With a shrug, he headed toward his class, leaving Lily to sulk her way to hers.
Once inside, Aaron found his seat and sat down, settling into the reality of high school life.
Aaron was an intelligent student, though his looks were average. He wasn't the type to stand out in a crowd, but his grades were always at the top. As students filtered into the classroom, the room was filled with unfamiliar faces, all carrying a mix of excitement and nervousness. It was the first day of high school, after all, and everyone seemed to be sizing each other up.
Soon, the classroom fell silent as the teacher entered. Everyone stood up instinctively, and the teacher waved them down with a gesture.
"Please, sit down," she said with a warm smile. "Welcome to Rivercrown International High School."
There was a brief pause before she continued, her tone shifting to a more formal one. "Now, why don't we start with some introductions? Let's get to know each other. We'll start from the first bench."
The students shifted uncomfortably in their seats as the first person, a girl sitting at the front bench, stood up. She took a deep breath before introducing herself.
"My name is Anya. My hobbies are analyzing tech gadgets, drawing, and dancing."
Everyone took their turn introducing themselves, and when it came to my turn, I stood up and said, "My name is Aaron Gray. My hobbies are solving puzzles, writing, and I'm looking forward to making many friends."
After me, a boy who was seated beside me stood up and said, "My name is Ren Reid. My hobbies are reading and playing games. If you play video games, just reach out to your buddy Ren!"
The class burst into laughter at his enthusiastic introduction.
Then, the last girl stood up. She was sitting by the window, her long pink hair catching the light. For a moment, Aaron was lost in thought, her appearance sparking a feeling of familiarity. He quickly snapped back to reality. Nah, I don't have a chance with someone like her.
She spoke confidently, and in a soft, clear voice, she said, "My name is Ivy Mizuki. My hobbies are crochet, gardening, and designing."
After that, the usual class began. Every teacher took their lecture, and as time passed, the bell rang for lunch break. I headed toward the cafeteria, thinking to myself, It's been all day, and I haven't made a single friend.
As I reached the cafeteria and opened my lunch, Lily appeared beside me, her voice teasing. "So, my dear brother, how many friends have you made?" she asked, grinning. "As for me, I've made the whole class my friend, so what's your count?"
I sighed, trying to hide my face in embarrassment. "Zero," I muttered.
Little did I know, everyone in the cafeteria was watching us. I quickly turned to Lily and said, "People might get the wrong idea about us," hoping to stop her antics. But, of course, it only made her clingier.
Seeing her tactics, I scarfed down my lunch quickly, hoping to escape her attention. I then headed toward the vending machine to grab a drink. As I walked, I noticed everyone seemed to have made at least one friend, and here I was, still alone.
After getting a cola, I walked back to class, only to find Ren Reid already sitting there. Without thinking, I walked right up to him and said, "Hey... Hello?"
He turned to face me, and as the shy introvert that I was, I forgot what I was supposed to say next. So, I blurted, "I heard you play video games. What kind of games do you play?"
Ren's face lit up, and I could tell he was pleasantly surprised. He immediately started talking, "Come here, buddy! You play games too?" he asked excitedly.
"Yeah, sometimes," I replied.
With that, the introvert in me seemed to fade, and I was drawn into Ren's conversation. He didn't stop talking until the bell rang for the next class.
When school ended, I met up with Lily, and we started walking home, chatting about our experiences on the first day.
After reaching home, I collapsed onto my bed, the exhaustion from the first day of school hitting me all at once. Before I knew it, I had drifted off to sleep.
In my dream, everything around me was bathed in a bright, almost blinding light. I found myself running, breathless, but there was someone ahead of me, holding my hand tightly. A girl. Her face was blurry, but her voice was clear.
"Come, Ari," she called. "I need to show you something."
"Wait for me!" I gasped, trying to catch my breath as I pushed myself forward.
Her figure grew even more distant, and just as I thought I might lose sight of her, a sudden thought struck me. Without thinking, I blurted out, "What do you want to show me, Kiwi?" The name came out of nowhere, but it felt oddly familiar, as if I had always known it.
Before she could respond, a voice from downstairs broke through the dream, pulling me back into reality.
"Ari, dinner's ready! Come downstairs. I made your favorites!"
With that, I stirred awake, still feeling the remnants of the dream lingering in my mind. I rubbed my eyes, trying to shake off the odd sense of familiarity I felt about the girl in my dream.
I made my way downstairs, where my dad, mom, and Lily were already seated at the dining table.
Lily, ever the impatient one, looked at me with a playful smirk. "Hurry up, brother. I'm hungry!"
Dad looked up from his plate and asked, "How was your first day at school?"
"It was good," I replied.
Lily, ever the tease, grinned and said, "How can it be good when you didn't even make a single friend?" She mocked me lightly, her tone a mix of playful and sarcastic.
I laughed awkwardly, shrugging it off. "Heh, but I did make one friend in the end. His name is Ren Reid."
Dad froze for a moment, a surprised look crossing his face. "Ren Reid?" he repeated, his voice slightly strained.
I nodded, not thinking much of it at the time. "Yeah, he's into video games. Pretty cool guy."
Before I could dwell on the unexpected tension that seemed to have surfaced from Dad's reaction, Lily headed upstairs with Mom, and Dad made his way down to the basement. I couldn't help but wonder about that basement.
None of us were ever allowed near it. It was an area of the house that seemed to be off-limits, and I had never dared to ask why. My father, a scientist, worked for an organization I didn't know much about. He kept his work shrouded in secrecy, always coming home late and often distant when it came to discussing his job.
I sat down to dinner, pushing the odd thoughts aside for the moment. But somehow, my mind kept drifting back to the dream, to the girl I couldn't quite remember, and to the name "Kiwi" that echoed in my thoughts.
I didn't think much about the basement or the strange feelings from the dream. Instead, I headed upstairs, my feet carrying me without hesitation. But as I reached the top, a strange sensation washed over me. I felt like I had already climbed all the stairs, but there was still one more left to go. It was as if my mind was glitching, the world around me slightly warping. I blinked, and everything returned to normal. I didn't give it a second thought.
Shaking my head, I made my way to my room, telling myself I needed to watch less anime and play fewer video games. After all, if I kept on like this, glitches would start happening in real life.
I finished my homework and then, with the day's weight finally catching up to me, I headed to bed. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I closed my eyes, slipping into a peaceful sleep.