We arrive at this big grey block cube building multiple times larger than the other blocky cubes behind us. It looks like it covers the entire block with its windowless blocky-ness and is hard to miss the blockity block since it was at the end of the road.

Blockysaurus cubi I dub thee. Thine? Thee.

“I’ll take my leave. Beast. Ophelia.”

Sophia disappears into thin air.

Where did she go?! Oh right, teleporter.

That left Papa and me standing in front of this perfectly symmetrical block thing, blocking the view of the block less barrier.

Last time I swear.

Wait. How does she know my name?

Oh yeah, I.S.D. My data was there too; I wonder what’s on it? I’ll check later.

“We’re here.”

Right. The moment I’ve been waiting for; all I have to do now is enter the building and meet all my potential friends.

We enter the building, I’m still latching onto him the entire time, and it is, well, I don’t want to say bland, but let’s say the inside matches the outside. The walls were barren and uniformed colors, er, color spanning from one end to the other. Luckily, I had my Papa to guide me because I would’ve gotten lost by myself.

My homeroom was on the second floor, 2-3-R, and was the third door down on the right. There were doors on both sides of the hall with signs labeling the rooms.

I want to go inside full of confidence to make a good impression, but my stomach twists like a bunch of noodles boiling in my gut pot. I squat down, holding back my breakfast as I stare at the ground and to make things worse, my blood runs cold as my vision becomes shakier by the second.

Dang it me, why now?

I knew why I felt this way.

I tried to hide it the entire time I was going here, yet now I had no choice but to face it. Terrified now that my Papa has to leave me. Even if it was only for a couple of hours today, this was the first time he left me alone and even worse while others were around me.

“Ophi.”

“Mmm.” I murmur.

“Want to go home? This is your first time out in a long time, and you’ve already made it this far. That’s more than praiseworthy.”

Shaking my head, I knew that if I had made it this far and quit, then I didn’t want to face myself in the mirror tomorrow.

“Are you going to be okay? Want me to stay with you?”

“Mhm.” I nod, desperately holding back the breakfast erupting up my throat.

“Okay sweetie, I’ll give you a minute to breathe.”

I nod again. I was sure that if he left me at that moment then I would pass out and, as embarrassing as it was and unending disappointment in myself, I had to bear with it.

“Okay then.”

He sat down beside me with his hand on my back, gently and silently rubbing me to ease. Thankfully, no one was around to see me, or it’ll lower my chances of making a friend.

After about ten minutes, I started feeling better.

I mean, if you go from absolutely awfulness to slightly less awfulness, it doesn’t change much, but I couldn’t just sit here all day.

“Ready?”

I nod, sweaty palms clasp on my cheeks and steeling the little courage I had left that might leave my mouth in the next minute.

“Great. If you need anything, and I mean anything, just touch your screen with three fingers and I’ll be there in a jiffy.”

I nod again.

Papa’s right. If anything happens, he’ll be right there to help me, so focus up me. First impressions are important and it’s finally time to show the results of all that practice in the mirror.

But before I did anything, Papa slams the door open, revealing and attracting the full attention of the class and the professor, who was in the middle of his lesson. He was in front of a large screen at the front of the class as the ten students lined up in three rows of four, all wearing the same uniform. If I weren’t in shock from Papa’s action, I’d think it was a little creepy how similar everyone looks.

“So-hallo ev-a-ri-one! Syrus Akachi here and pada-dadada presenting my ever superior to every one of you daughter, the cutest Ophelia Akachi! Applause applause.” The classroom remains silent. I think they were just as overwhelmed as I am. “I said,” And here he is, at it again with that red scary aura of his, "Clap you tools."

As they slowly clap, because of Papa, I presume, I feel my life flash before me. Conveniently, it shows me where I lost my stuffed monkey a month ago.

“Professor Akachi, you are late again.”

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Papa shoots an intimidating glare before returning to his playfulness. “She’s a little nervous, but I expect you pawns to move in accordance ooor,” Slapping his hand together causes sparks to fly across the room then place the tips of his right hand on the screen causing the glass to shatter, “That.”

The contrast between his actions and the tone of his voice made Papa even more scary to them. I knew because one boy in front fainted clean off of his chair. Clapping his hands and fixing the screen in an instant like nothing had happened and yet with all that power, he can't even pick up his clothes or clean the dishes, huh? While Sophia, seated on the left wall five rows back, and my classmates and I were all trying to process what was happening, the professor remained unfazed.

“We are fully aware, Professor. May I resume class?”

“As long as you understand, I’ll take my leave, but not because you asked me to.” He kisses me on the forehead, adding the final nail in my reputable coffin. “Bye Ophi, and if anything happens, I’ll take care of it, okay? Have fun, make friends and most of all, enjoy yourself. Too da loo.”

And just like a rampaging hoard of wild pigs, or so I’ve heard, Papa left for his classroom upstairs, pointing to his right forearm to relax me. It didn’t work and weird, but that’s just Papa.

However, I am still freaking out on the inside because of the literal storm Papa caused, but at least I felt like I could move again. So that’s nice. I enter my class and finally begin my first day at school, only thirty-nine minutes late…great.

“Miss Akachi, as redundant as it may be, but now is the time to introduce yourself.” The monotone professor instructs.

Hey, he sounds a lot like Sophia. Not as pretty, but I-not now me! Focus up Ophelia Akachi!

To my left, a bald man wearing a grey suit and tie signaling me again to introduce myself.

Oh no. W-w-what do I do?!

I creak my neck to face the class. They were silently analyzing my every move. Of course they were. I am the only daughter of the previous ace, Syrus, who just made a gigantic scene, and I was someone that any of them would wish to be born into that position. I couldn’t let them think less of him for my actions now. This is my redeem Papa’s and my reputation to make things right.

Good impression. Good impression. Breathe and here goes. H-hello, m-my name is Ophelia Akachi. My power is Emotional Recognition using colors. Nice to meet you.

“Yes.” Clenching my fists after my success, but when I turn back to them, they all just seem so disappointed.

“So, this is the ace’s child, huh?” A blonde boy, silver eyed, said aloud.

“I figure as much.” Said another boy in the front row.

In seconds, they all lost interest in me returning to their devices.

I turn to Sophia, hoping that at least she’d be able to understand, yet it was no different. She wore a look of dissatisfaction before returning to her own device. Without skipping a beat, the professor continues his lesson, completely ignoring me standing in front of it.

Oh. I messed up again.

“Take your seat, please.”

Typical me making the same mistake again.

As the professor spoke, I could feel my head ring again like this morning as I stood there, too terrified to raise my head.

But I had to hold back the tears and try again.

“M-my na- “ My voice was refusing to come out, “O-o-ophe.” I tried again.

I look at Sophia, focusing on her device just like everyone else, ignoring me like I was invisible to them, and it only worsens the pain in my chest.

“My. My.” The only words strong enough to leave my mouth, but I want to say the whole thing that I practiced so many times in the mirror at this moment. It took months to memorize and now I can’t even let out a single word.

Why was I like this? So useless and pathetic that I can’t even introduce myself properly. I just wish that I could disappear so that I didn’t have to be this way anymore. I want to go home.

I walk towards the door, reaching for it to leave, when another loud slam opens the door wide.

I hope it was Papa so that he could take me home already. I messed up so badly that I didn’t want to be here anymore, but my hope shattered as the person standing at the door was definitely not my Papa. It’s a rugged looking dark-skinned white-haired girl wearing a dirt-stained fur coat over her male uniform yawning with her mouth wide open.

“Fre-fre-freezin. *Brrrr* I’d kill for an extra coat of—” Her glassy like blue eyes lock with mine stopping mid-sentence, “fur. Ah.” She scans me from head to toe, then rapidly smells me, sniffing faster and closer until she was right by my neck, taking in the longest inhale I've ever seen.

“Smells good.” She finally says with a light nod, licking her lips and extending her right arm, smiling widely, waiting for my response. “Nice to meetcha.”

I couldn’t help but silently stare at her arm, then back at her face.

Weird. Really weird. A second ago I felt like I was gonna collapse, but now I feel…fine. Oddly enough, I feel relaxed in front of her. Her presence alone relieving my headache and unwinding my stomach. Just like Papa does.

The more I gaze into her eyes, the more I become ensnare like something is off about them I couldn’t put into words. The best way I could describe it was her eyes didn’t match her smile. Her smile is gentle, warm, like freshly cooked bread right out of the oven, but her eyes seem so cool and cold as the sweetest frozen dessert. The more I thought about it, the more curious it made me.

“Oookay… see ya.” She backs away with both of us still locking eyes until we reached our seats next to the window the back right of the class. By the time I realized it, I was already sitting down in my chair.

Something in me attracts to her, but I couldn’t figure out what. This is the first time we’ve even met, yet I feel like I know her. A familiar mysterious feeling resonating in my chest telling me to learn more.

“So that was fun but, uh.” She waves her hand in front of my face. “Are ya gonna keep starin’ or say somthin’.”

“Gah...”

“Gah? Hmmm. Yer a funny one, right Ani?”

Like lightning striking my spine, I recoil in shock by my actions. I’ve done nothing but stare into her eyes the entire time.

How embarrassing is that! First um, what do I do first? First step to making friends: introduce yourself. That’s right! Thank you, Papa!

But when I turn back around to enact my plan, she slouches down on the desk before I can say anything, using her arms as a pillow and her pelt coat covering her head fast asleep.

Isn’t that a little too quick?!

What should I do? If I wake her up, she might get really mad, and it’ll destroy any chance of me becoming her friend. Then again, if I do nothing, then what would be the point of me coming here?

I extend my hand out before stopping above her shoulders and pull my hand back. Her breathing was soft and serene, like an untouched glass of juice.

If I had been sleeping so comfortably, would I want someone to wake me up? No. No, I would not.

I let out a sigh of sadness, lamenting my mistakes. Each one just piling on just how disappointing I really am. I couldn’t even introduce myself, speak properly, or even respond to a potential friend.

Just how pathetic can one girl be? They were right to ignore me if someone who’s related to Papa just comes in and flops like that. All I did was confirm their already preconceived rumors about him and accept their irreverence.

I sat there staring at my desk wallowing in my self-doubts until I took two seconds to listen to the lecture, which promptly made me fall fast asleep, too.