Just like any other day, I could feel the cold of the afternoon sky with bits of snow pressing against the window. As my hand was set against it, I used the shock of the cold to keep myself attentive.
Notaro Sato, better known as the head of Literature amongst first years, class 2-C was at the front of the classroom and doing a reading from our book.
“Now, can anyone detail the meaning behind the King's question?"
The teacher spoke aloud, trying his best to keep the attention of his students. It was obvious that the man was trying, though it was also clear a majority of the students didn’t pay him the time of day. A collection of teens in an overcast room filled with several motivational posters and a few windows, one of them next to my desk. A distraction, though not unwelcome. It wasn't the same gaudy teal, at least.
“C’mon, It's not a difficult question!” Declared the teacher, annoyance burning in his voice.
It was likely that they could guess if they tried reading the book past the cover. Going over the chapter again and focusing on the passage the teacher was asking about would solve the problem.
"Can you win a war with only a single weapon?"
Looking up for a moment on instinct as the older male scanned the students, our eyes met. It was clear that the teacher needed a volunteer but I still looked back down at the book. I was hoping he wouldn't elect me.
Brown eyes typically filled with annoyance, clearly at the wits end. He just wanted to end this farce. I didn't need to look to know he was running his hands through his matching hair, he wasn't hard to read.
“Mr. Toudou, would you happen to know?” When he called my name, a few of the people turned back and looked at me. It felt like their gazes burned into me, like they’re a bunch of hawks on prey. "You didn’t care about me 10 seconds ago, why pay attention now?" I thought to myself, staring down with a small groan.
“Y-Yeah…” Nervously giving a nod, I stared down at the book and my eyes scanned the pages again. I knew the purpose but It took me a few moments of hesitation to be able to say it aloud. “Can you win a war with a single weapon? is rhetorical, it doesn't matter how many are used, a single weapon raised is reason enough to fight." My hands gripped the slacks of my uniform, biting my lip as I recited the reasoning.
My tone was weak and I likely looked as pathetic as I felt. At least I spoke clearly this time.
Their eyes were all the same, they wanted to mock me. I was always one of the four the teacher actually called on to answer the questions. It was so easy to assume that he liked us more. It's why he wasn't as strict.
‘Look away dammit.’ I thought, looking into the window once more.
My eyes moved back after a few seconds, seeing a majority of the eyes taken off but a few still kept their attention on me for a few moments longer.
The Teacher nodded, only to check the time. The older man turned away from the class before beginning to write names on the board. At the very top was my name.
As the teacher finished, he began to list a few chapters ahead of our current position in the book. “If your name is on this board, you are exempt from this. This is just some extra work for some slackers who need to raise their grades.” He commanded, a loud and booming voice that took up the classroom.
There were only about 4 names out of roughly 15 students, supposedly the 4 students who actually put forth effort in the class. Distraction over new homework instead of thinking about how lame I looked. I truly did appreciate it.
A collection of groans came out as the bell rang. The teacher waved his hands, motioning them to leave in time with the bell ringing. “Boo Hoo! Do your work.”
As the students began to empty, I reached around feeling in my pockets before taking out a small flip phone. Beginning to untangle a pair of earbuds as people broke into conversations. This phone normally wasn’t allowed in high school but this wasn’t a traditional school. It was made for special needs students, they made exceptions and let students have certain privileges.
Less uniform restrictions, less personal restrictions, and easier work but most just took advantage of the system.
I was halfway done when the teacher stepped over, patting my shoulder. “Thanks for giving everyone a proper lesson Amane, I appreciate it.” Mr. Sato was one of the few I was able to get along with, he actually cared as a teacher— even if a little rough around the edges. Not only that. He was actually pretty lenient with those who were current with the materials.
“It was easier than It looked, most just don't try.” My tone was more than a little pessimistic and quite dour. As I looked up at him, I inspected his outfit with visible curiosity. His suit was different, it fit better. He was originally a bit on the heavier side, and, while he still had a bit of a gut, he was starting to fill out more.
“Well, you’d do better in higher level classes? You’d outperform most kids in regular schools, let alone a school like ours.” He spoke with clear attempts at kindness but that didn’t add what was building in my chest.
“Being special in a more relaxed school isn't the same as being special at a normal school. I'd prefer staying like this.” My tone was far ruder than I meant, he wanted to help me and I appreciated it. That doesn't change the fact I was fine where I was. Standing in a bit of a hurry, I grabbed my bag and began to walk away. It was an uncomfortable conversation for me, something I’d rather avoid for now as I left the now empty classroom.
The long hallway was lined with students of all shapes and sizes, concrete walls covered head to toe in a rather boring shade of white. With the various bulletin boards on one side, the wall of windows gave us a very nice afternoon shine with the sun piercing the snowy clouds and giving the countless papers a nice shine. Almost like a scene from a movie, the clouds suddenly obscured the sun and made the windows more reflective. There was about 10 minutes between classes, most using it to hang out.
I was able to blend in with the others, it was less scary despite how many people there were. Like I was any other blade of grass in a lawn, no eye was on me specifically. This feeling vanished when a hand reached out— setting a cold drink against the back of my neck.
"Wha?!" Jumping, I turned as my hand swiftly rubbed the cold. I looked over at the girl, her dark blue hair was put up In a ponytail and the color of it likely added to her "disciplinary record". People were convinced that her purple eyes were contacts but never were able to prove it. My focus stayed on her uniform’s tie after I figured out who it was, the style of more lazily worn attire fit her too. “Hi Hana…” Pulling out my earbuds, I put my phone away to give her my full attention before the assault beverage was put into my view.
"You look half dead, you'll pass out in trig if you don't get some caffeine in your blood." As she spoke, my eyes half wandered before settling on her tie. It was the same navy blue as mine, though her shirt was a solid black instead of the traditional uniform white. "You know, some girls would consider that harassment." I glanced up to see a grin on her lips as she straightened her uniform's tie, though upon matching her eyes, I couldn't help but notice her incredible confidence; almost like she was the sun, beaming down with absolute force.
"Sorry…" Looking away from her entirely, my gaze settled onto the window and staring down at the drink in my hand.
As she began to check her phone like clockwork, seemingly scrolling through some messages, I took the time to flip my phone open, pausing the song.
Hana Arikawa, new student with some kinda behavioral issues. Now I think we're friends? Eri says that she counts.
“Then where should I look?” I asked with a small blush covering my cheeks, shifting my gaze to the window and staring into my reflection. Black hair that was bare and empty, matched with blue eyes, hollow as a metal wall. Practically the definition of boring compared to everyone else.
Especially Hana.
She knew why I did what I did but to an outside perspective, it probably did look creepy.
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“I’d usually ask you to look into my eyes. Though I’m also not trying to give you a heart attack. Try focusing on my hairline? Or my forehead? It’s less creepy than staring at my tie.” She quipped with a cheeky tone and cheeks reddened further, reaching through my bag for a moment as my eyes turned down into it, starting the song on my phone once more.
"You really should upgrade your phone, that thing died in the 90s…"
"I'm not in a hurry to change it…" My tone turned more cold, I wasn't in a hurry to waste time on some random conversation so she could work up the nerve to ask for my notes.
"Did you hear about the Masked fighters? Shihai is rising through the charts." She began to ramble on, some kinda superhero stuff by the sound of it. What the hell are Masked Fighters? Why bother with this? I knew what she wanted.
Hana wanted my notes, it wasn't hard to guess why she pulled me aside and this small talk was a buffer to make it less awkward. It was easy enough, she was one of the students that Mr. Sato could be particularly hard on. She was a "slacker" in his eyes and it was easy to guess what she saw me as: A tool for notes. This masked fighter's crap was a distraction to keep my mind off the topic so she could suggest it without seeming rude.
Taking out a small notebook, I shoved it onto her with more force than I intended. I wasn’t trying to be mean, I just wanted to cut out the middle man.
“Nope, and thanks. I’ll try that.” Beginning to walk off and cutting her off mid sentence.
"Hey!" I stared at the floor as my music drowned out the conversations of everyone around me as my grip tightened around the cold metal can before setting it against my forehead. My eyes closed for a few moments until all I could focus on was the music. I wanted to ignore everyone else, I wish I could just be sent books and self study at home.
It was so peaceful but all great dreams must come to an end.
My feet got caught up in someone else’s, it was quick but painful, feeling my body slam into the floor. I let out a small noise as I fell forward, visibly confused as I opened my eyes. My phone was knocked away, the earbuds falling out as I looked forward and into the floor.
The shock of my body hitting the floor.
The mix of chemicals and dirt from everyone's shoes filled my nose.
The sound of their hushed words.
The feeling of their eyes on me.
They were tearing into me.
I caught the eyes of so many sympathetic people. Trying to not step on me, trying to help me up, trying to not look down on me.
"Stop looking…." I was trying to keep it together. I kept my eyes forward as I dug my hand in the floor. Staring at the white concrete, I tried to ignore it as I felt every eye in the hall land on me.
I was going to be shattered.
My heart was pounding in my ears like a machine.
I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. I couldn't—
"Stop looking at me." Grabbing my head and tightly covering my ears, allowing my heart beat to overtake It— I could still hear them all. My chest tightened as I closed my eyes. It felt like they shot through me, like hooks ripped into me.
"Please stop." I begged, my knees buckling into my chest as the pain began to subside.
Gasping for breath, my eyes shot open when I heard Hana's voice. "Give him space!"
As her hand was set onto my shoulder, an opening that had been made from how they stepped back for her and I couldn't stop myself from taking it. I could feel her hand hold me tightly but I was already leaving her grasp. Running off, pushing through the crowd.
Too many, far too many.
I stopped thinking, I couldn't even remember what I wanted.
As I started to recognize my surroundings, a strong sense of frustration formed deep into my soul. I was on the rooftop, tears staining my cheeks as I stared up at the snowing sky with the cold stinging my face, my back against the cold of the floor. A few people were inside, I could hear them. Hana's voice was prevalent above all.
"Will you guys go away?! He'll be fine! Get to class!" She ordered them without hesitation and while I could hear some of them leave, I didn't take chances. The door was locked and I didn't want to see anyone.
"GO AWAY!" I cried aloud, trying to hide in my jacket for a moment before I felt myself crumble into a hollow pit. My arms bracing my head as I fell onto my side.
I wanted to be alone but everyone suddenly decided to care! Why do people pretend that they care when it's convenient to them? Hana was one thing, but everyone else should've just kept walking.
"Amane, we'll call Eri here, please just come inside. You're gonna be cold out there." Hana's voice was more soft, I knew she was worried. I should at least listen to her but I could still hear other people.
I began to turn to the door before pulling myself to my feet, opening it to ensure I could be heard. I only left a crack in it, though I could see Hana on the other side along with a few teachers. "5 minutes, please." My voice was far weaker than I thought it'd be, I wanted to make my request clear but I could barely get out a word.
She gave me a rather reassuring smile, only to hand me back my cell phone along with her scarf. "5 minutes, I'll be counting." She was trying to be there for me, I appreciated it but it felt impossible to show it.
Taking the scarf and my phone, I wrapped myself in the long, checkered fabric before I sat against the door.
When looking down at my phone, I saw a few texts begin to come from one of the few contacts I had stored, immediately pressing the call button as I tried to talk to someone I could trust.
Ring…
Ring……
Ring………
As the click was heard, I felt a bit of stress unravel and vanish when Eri's voice came over it.
"Amane! Are you okay?!" After a few moments, my grip on my phone shifted as I cupped my hands together to help deal with the cold.
"Fine, I think. I had a really bad attack…" I recalled the events aloud for her, staring forward to the empty roof as my dried tears began to freeze against my face. It wasn't uncommon for me to have sudden anxiety attacks at school, this was why I spent a majority of my time in the library when not in class. Though none were this big, I also didn't usually have the eyes of an entire hallway on me.
"Alright, I'll be at the school in a bit, let's grab some lunch together." Despite how troublesome I was to deal with, she never once raised her voice or got mad, she always showed me her best and never expected it back.
It was part of why I loved her so much, she actually wanted to know who I was.
"Sounds good, how about sushi?" A small smile managed to find itself on my face, thinking over a few things.
"Ooh, good pick, but Ramen would warm us up. We can order some Sushi for dinner? Just hang out, watch some TV?" She was trying to plan ahead, to make me feel more comforted and simply rest.
Part of me felt pathetic, needing all this attention, though Eri always tried to ensure I didn't go through pain when it could be avoided.
"Sure, Ramen it is." I said, looking up at the snow clouds.
"Alright, I'll be there soon!" My hands gently closed my flip phone, staring off.
The lower half of my face wrapped up in her scarf, it was still warm. Smelled nice too. "She'd probably call those creepy thoughts." I muttered aloud as I felt my cheeks begin to heat up once more, trying to take my mind off what happened before looking forward as I noticed something.
The snow was frozen in place.
"What the hell?" My eyes widened in confusion before I stood up. I wasn't sure what was happening but it couldn't be natural. Standing, I began to walk further out into the roof to inspect this.
The normally falling snow was stuck, almost like I paused a video. It was impossibly perfect, like nothing could've touched it.
Reaching out to one of the snowflakes with my finger, I felt more lost than anything else as it began to glow in a white light. The snow turned multi-colored, glowing bright like neon as I stepped back. My phone began to crackle and heated up and I instinctively dropped it in the snow before it made a new puddle.
"Wha- Hey! Hana! HANA!!!" Slamming into the door as my feet fell out from under me, I tried my best to pull on the handle but it was fused in place. A similar heat formed from the handle, causing me to let go in pain, instinctively setting my hand in the snow piles to calm it.
'What's going on!?'
Looking back, the wind kicked up more fiercely as the snow began to collect together. The Neon light began to conglomerate into a single mass of light, too bright to look at.
My eyes closed tightly as I tried to cover my face with my arms. For moments, I waited for something to happen. Moments became minutes before I looked at the now empty space, a single rock resting on the ground.
A crystal with a more distinctive pink and blue mixed hue. A gentle glow forming from the sun that peered from the parting snow clouds. The rock almost looked like it was broken away from something.
A shard of a bigger stone.
".....What?"
Approaching it, I took off my jacket. It felt like spring had come, I couldn't help but be a little curious. Tapping it with the ends of my coat, the crystal didn't do much for the first few seconds. It was seemingly inert.
".....I'm going insane." Leaning down, my fingers made contact with the Shard and everything got worse. A bright blast of Light came through from it, covering my arm in a complete layer of crystal.
"AAAH!" Jumping back, I tried to grab my arm to rip it away but the instant I made contact with the crystal on my arm, my other hand was covered. Like a parasite, the crystal had covered my body, consuming me. Everything became solid and I couldn't move.
The crystal was cold and getting colder, my body locking up as I stared towards the sun, tears welling as I felt my chest tighten violently. I let out a final scream of terror until my head was suddenly covered in a flash and everything went dark.
That was how I had awakened. Everything was pitch black. Like I fell into the bottom of a cave without a light, untouched by the rest of the world.
I could move but I couldn't see or feel anything at all.
What felt like hours passed, while initially terrified, as the time passed, my focus slowly grew.
This focus didn't last long, slowly opening my eyes, I looked up to see a massive wall of white.
"Huh?"
I was staring forward into the sky, though for a few moments I thought It was just the snow clouds. As I sat up, it was clear that I was staring at the untouched sky, white as snow.
"Where am I?" Looking down, my hands sunk into the sand as I pulled myself to my feet and began to dust myself off. Trying to find my way around. The sun was missing and there was no way to tell direction. It was an empty desert.
The sand was a strange black, though cool to the touch.
A world of black and white, endlessly far and without an ounce of civilization to be seen.
That emptiness didn't last.
As I stared forward, the crumbling remains of a castle began to form from the sand. Rising out in a swift motion, until It was an unmistakable part of the scenery. Ruined windows that once likely held immaculate designs, a weathered and destroyed surface that was certainly once beautiful. I was beginning to approach, only for someone or something to stop me by catching my scarf.
“So, you’re to be the next user.” A young girl’s voice was behind me. Turning in the sand, a girl that was a good bit shorter than me was standing in front of me. She only came up to my chest and that was with heels, wearing a ruined…gown? She looked like a princess. She was certainly captivating like one, the ruined outfit could’ve been an immaculate black dress, coated with pink highlights. Something that would've been befitting her beauty. Her black hair fixed together into twin tails, stopping about even with her shoulders, and her eyes, practically raspberry, looked filled with a strange fire.
“Sorry, I don’t know who you are…” Glancing aside, my eyes instinctively turned to the sand. I couldn't find anything appropriate to look at, along with the fact she was so intense. She was the first person I had seen in hours, I couldn't just waste this opportunity.
“Oh? Is my beauty so captivating that you couldn’t match my gaze?” Her tone turned smug as she moved to match my eyeline.
Burning eyes stared up at me, a strange confidence practically dripping off her.
“That’s certainly a way to put it, what’s your name?” If I was going to be stuck here, I may as well get to know her.
“You may call me: Kurohime! (Black Princess).” At least her name fits her attitude.
“Okay, I'm Amane. Nice to meet you.” While beginning to approach the Castle, a strange feeling entered my head, unable to end the thoughts as I suddenly developed a headache. My hand pressed against my head while blood began to drip from my nose while the girl scoffed, a strange sound releasing from behind me.
“No way you’ll be strong enough to win.”
“Win what?" I reflexively just asked, not thinking too much about it. She wasn't too quick to share many details.
Looking back in confusion, I turned just in time to see her manifest it. A sword, some kind of broadsword. Almost like it’d be the focus of an epic tale to slay some dragon, a perfect sword. It was practically shaped from nothing, almost like magic. A strange gleam was radiating off the metal and filling it fully, practically shaping around the blade.
A black metal blade that was covered by various pink marks, an appropriately sized guard that ended with…spikes?
Less than a moment later, she was suddenly in front of me. It was faster than a blink, practically an instant. Though that wasn’t the part that took my greatest focus.
“Wha-” Coughing roughly, I raised my hand to see blood release from my mouth and dribble onto the sword.
It ran through my chest, the same crystals from before forming from the point I was stabbed, a chill forming, more violent than the darkest winter night.
Unable to say anything, my brain practically shut down. I couldn’t comprehend the burning pain, my senses were slipping until I fell onto my knees. I could barely understand anything she said as she began to ramble on. The two of us were linking eyes and I was unable to break her gaze.
A single word somehow coming through that burned itself into my mind.
What would I win?
“War.”