1. Int. Unknown location - unknown day
A dark aura falls upon a room. Our protganonist Masanori lies on the ground, wounded. Using what’s left of his strength, he tries to stand up.
„C’mon, Mori. This can’t be the end already. Not here, not now“, he tells himself.
Covered in wounds, he tries to get up - slowly but surely. He almost falls back down, but catches himself in the last second.
He gazes into the direction of his opponent with blurred vision. A dark silhouette. A human, tall and terrifying, almost comparable to a monster, gets closer to Masanori with every step. His monstrous aura encapsulates the entire room. „Props to you, you’re still standing. But you’re not getting past me that easily.“ The room trembles due to his deep voice.
Masanori closes his eyes, collecting himself for a moment.
He opens his eyes with a confident and determined expression. „You’re but an obstacle in my way of becoming the Small Talk King!“
The monster growls deeply. „So it shall be.“
???
The weather’s nice today, isn’t it?
An overwhelming force of energy hits Masanori, drastically increasing with every step his opponent takes.
His intimidation tactics grow stronger with every step he takes.
Masanori starts coughing up blood. He wipes it off his mouth using his right arm.
Masanori
True, the sun is finally out again! Not like the last few days.
He takes on his fighting stance with a smile on his face.
2. Ext. SCHOOLGATES - Small talk academy - DAY - 8:00 AM
It’s a sunny day. Birds are chirping, people are laughing.
We see a big open gate that leads to a huge campus, busy with students. All of them are wearing a school uniform.
The impressive school building catches everyone’s eyes - combining traditional and modern ways of Japanese designs.A gigantic building forms the centre of the area. A few hundred metres to the left we see a library, as big as the school itself. To the right hand side of the main building we see a huge sports ground.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Masanori is stood in front of the entrance gate. The jade amulet around his neck emphasizes his emerald green eyes. He wears his uniform quite leisurely.
He walks over to a crowded assembly spot, filled with students and teachers. Everybody is talking.
The principal takes the stage. Silence falls over the crowd immediately. His incredible height of 1,97m and his bear-like built make the old man, 71 years of age, stand out. He wears a traditional Jukata and shoes with heels.
He takes a quick look at the crowd, before his deep voice booms through everyone. „Hello and welcome, students. We have yet to see so many new faces at once! My name is Takeru Kumagai, and I am the principal.“
Masanori listens closely, but gets distracted - a boy his age with fiery red hair pushes him, sending him flying into a blond boy. Masanori bumps against Jason.
Masanori turns to Jason an wants to apologize. „Sorry-“.
Jason interrupts him in an instant. „No worries. You see that girl over there?“ He points to one of the female students in the crowd. „Think she’s gonna give me her number?“
Masanori, confused, looks at Jason. „Where did that come from?“ he asks himself.
Jason extends his hand towards Masanori, a big grin on his face. „I’m Jason, by the way!“
Masanori is a little overwhelmed, although he pulls himself together quick enough. „Pleasure, I’m Masanori!“ He smiles.
„Masanori? That Name’s way too long. I’mma call you Mori.“
Masanori laughs. „You’re not from here, are you?“
Jason shrugs, „I’m from the States, but my parents wanted me to go to this school. What about you?“
Masanori grins, „I’m from Kyoto, I moved to Tokyo for this.“
Jason laughs, „Man, look at us! We’re both misfits then. The foreigners.“
Masanori shakes his head in disbelief, „That’s not how that wor–“
Jason interrupts him again. „Rent’s crazy expensive, and those household chores are pissing me off. Do you also live alone?“
Masanori sheepishly brings his hand up to his head. „I live with an old friend of my dad’s, but he’s always on some business trip. So it’s kind of like living alone.“
Jason seems euphoric. „Awesome! I’ll move in with you. No rent, and no chores!“
„Bro, what?“ Masanori laughs.
The focus circles back to the prinicpal, the boys are now focused on him.
PRINCIPAL
Are you having fun at school?
The crowd goes crazy. „WHAT?!“ „How is that possible?!“ „THIS SMALL TALK IS EXTRAORDINARY!“
Jason turns to face Masanori, „This guy has some crazy good vibes.“
A drop of sweat rolls down Masanori’s forehead. „Yeah; he’s out of this world.“
The principal clears his throat, „There is a reason we’re all gathered here today. Every single one of you wants the same thing: powerful Small Talk, coupled with ambitions that exceed everyone else’s. You want to be better than everyone else, you want to be better than yourself! You want to be at the top. You want to be the Small Talk King.“ The crowd cheers. „I’m going to be the Small Talk King!“ „That title will be mine!“
The principal clears his throat. The crowd falls silent.
„You will face a lot of challenges over the next three years. You will have to overcome these challenges. Soon we will know who belongs to the elite.
If you make it through this hell, you will be best prepared to become Number One. Only one question remains: are you part of the 1% that graduates, or are you one of many failures?“
People in the crowd whisper amongst themselves.
The principal’s booming voice can be heard once more. „A WARM WELCOME TO SMALL TALK ACADEMY!“
The crowd erupts into cheers.
Masanori turns to Jason, looking at him with a nervous smile. „Damn. So this is it.“
Jason grins at Masanori as he responds. „Break a leg, Mori!“