Chapter Text
The entrance gate of Seirei Academy loomed before Carlo Ramos, its grandeur a clear testament to the school's prestige. At sixteen, Carlo had become well-acquainted with new beginnings, but this one felt different…brighter, perhaps, or maybe it was just the promise of a new environment that made him feel optimistic.
He adjusted the collar of his freshly pressed uniform and took a deep breath. Today, he was determined to be the best version of himself, the engaging, enthusiastic student that everyone would remember. His parents had once again expressed their excitement and belief in his ability to thrive. His mother’s cheerful encouragement earlier that morning played in his mind:
“Seirei Academy is a wonderful opportunity, Carlo. You’re going to do great here.”
His father’s supportive tone followed, “This school is top-notch, and I’m sure you’ll fit right in.”
Carlo smiled at the thought. He had played this role many times before, and if anything, the consistent repetition had made him even more adept at it. His smile was genuine, his attitude upbeat. For a moment, he allowed himself to bask in the excitement of a new start, embracing the façade he wore so well.
As he stepped onto the academy’s meticulously maintained grounds, he took in the impressive surroundings with a sense of wonder. Seirei Academy was everything he had hoped an elite Japanese school would be, a sprawling campus with gleaming glass, immaculate lawns, and state-of-the-art facilities. The gymnasium stood proudly off to one side, while the library seemed to beckon with its promise of knowledge and quiet retreat.
Carlo’s steps were purposeful as he made his way to Building 1, where his new classroom awaited. He exchanged polite nods and bright smiles with the few students he encountered along the way. His outward demeanour was that of a charismatic and optimistic newcomer, eager to make friends and embrace the new opportunities before him.
As he approached the classroom, he noticed the bulletin board filled with vibrant flyers and announcements. It was a small touch, but it spoke volumes about the school's active student life. Carlo’s gaze lingered on a flyer for a Kendo tournament; he smiled to himself.
Now I KNOW I’m in a Japanese high school…
As he approached the classroom door near the front of the class, as there were two, the teacher inside instructed him to wait a moment. Due to the door being shut, he couldn’t fully hear what was being said, but when he saw a hand gesture through the glass, he entered the classroom where the atmosphere was calm and curious. The homeroom teacher, a well-dressed man in his forties, greeted him with a welcoming smile. “Everyone, please welcome our new transfer student, Carlo Ramos. He’s joining us from Korea.”
Carlo stepped forward, flashing a friendly grin. “Hi, everyone! I’m Carlo. I’m really looking forward to getting to know you all.”
The students offered a mix of polite nods and curious glances as Carlo looked back at them in anticipation. The teacher meanwhile moved behind him. “We often have a lot of foreign students joining us, so I hope you’ll settle quickly. Speaking of that, Kujou?”
A cold, yet even voice towards the back of the room beckoned his attention, “Yes, sir?”
The teacher once again turned to Carlo. “See the empty seat in front of her? That’s yours. Please take your seat.”
As he passed the other students to make is way to his new seat, he noticed that the nods and glances had all vanished into the focused gaze of students ready to listen and learn. He quickly moved to his seat, although the girl from earlier was still standing, probably to ensure he didn’t get lost. How he could actually get lost in a small classroom like this, he wasn’t sure.
Either way, she remained standing, and he felt the urge to reach out a hand in greeting.
“It’s nice to meet you,” he politely said.
The girl looked at his hand curiously, before hesitantly returning the gesture. Carlo could sense the politeness in her response, but an icy cold demeanour laying under the surface. The girl opened her mouth to speak, “A pleasure to meet you, Ramos-san. My name is Alisa Kujou.”
…and all he could think for the next hour was how transfixed he was by her accent.
Alisa Kujou…
Maybe Seirei won’t be so bad after all…
Opening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddo9uNqdjYY
As each class rolled into the next, Carlo did what he always did on his first day and quietly focused. Not drawing any attention to himself, but being sure not to shrink into himself either, maintaining a confident and composed body language throughout the day. As lunchtime rolled around, the other students in his class all went off in their different directions. He, however, had no real reason to wander off anywhere, so he simply retrieved the bento box his mother had prepared from his bag, got out a book that his little sister made him take up and began to read.
He could sense the presence of some students wanting to strike up a conversation, but they somehow seemed to be scared off by…something. In retreat, he’d heard ‘Kujou’ come up a few times. Perhaps this girl he sat in front of, the girl who he so effortlessly got to greet him earlier in front of everyone has an aura that he’d somehow penetrated without trying. Or maybe he was overthinking things...the fictional world thrust upon him by Sofia Ramos blurring into reality.
“Ta-da! Look, it’s this week’s gravure magazine cover!” Carlo was snapped out of the book mid-sentence by a boy near to him overexcitedly holding up a magazine to his friends. “Hey, Masachika. Who’s your favourite?” Casting a quick glance, he could see that the magazine had a series of swimsuit-adorned women on the front cover, causing him to check out immediately.
“To be honest, I don’t know anything about idols.” Masachika responded calmly. Masachika was the boy sat behind him, to Alisa’s right. Similar to Carlo, he hadn’t moved from his spot when lunch started, but he had fielded more interactions than Carlo had. No bother, it’s always that way at first.
“Don’t talk like an old man,” his short-haired friend replied, “just look at their appearance.” Masachika considered the request for a moment, before finally looking properly at the front cover. Despite being jolted out of his story mid-sentence, Carlo couldn’t concentrate on the fictional realm anymore as reality became more interesting.
Because the boys were so hyper-focused on the girls on the page, that they hadn’t realised that the silver-haired girl in their class had returned from wherever and was staring them down.
“Let me see.” Masachika said thoughtfully. He surveyed the page for a moment, judging the girls on their superficial beauty, all while Kujou was surely judging Masachika on his chances of living. “Well, if I had to choose one of them, it’d be her, I guess.” The two friends of Masachika simply stared at his answer thoughtfully, meanwhile Kujou gazed towards them, her eyebrow beginning to twitch.
The long-haired friend finally responded, “The girl Masachika picked kind of resembles Senior Kujou.” I’m sorry, SENIOR Kujou? Carlo had to fight the urge to begin laughing at the revelation as he could clearly see Kujou…well, JUNIOR Kujou beginning to lose her mind.
“Is that so?” Masachika said sternly, before grabbing the magazine again to have a closer look. That was before Alisa’s eyes met Carlo’s as the two shared a surprised look. Her features quickly snapped into anger, bringing a startled red to her cheeks.
“Now that you mention it, she does look like her. Masachika, is Senior Kujou your type?” Meanwhile, Carlo was desperately holding it all in, on the one hand begging Masachika to look to his right and see what Carlo could and save himself; on the other, for him to hold firm to his shovel and keep digging his grave.
“No, not at all. Besides, Masha has a boyfriend.” Alisa continued to fume silently, knowing that her sister was being considered alongside the scantily-clad girls in whatever magazine it was, effectively making these three teenage boys fantasise about her older sister.
“So, if she didn’t, would you go after her?” the long-haired boy inquired.
Before he could respond, the short-haired boy chimed in, “By the way, when did you start using her nickname? Aren’t you getting too close to her?”
That question was finally the one that pushed Alisa towards the boys, her fury contained no longer. “No, it’s just a coincidence.” Masachika answered, “I’ve never looked at Masha that way.” He could try to defend himself, but it was much too late. Alisa was on the move and finally arrived by his side, making her final steps loud and deliberate.
Masachika jolted upright as he realised what he’d done. Meanwhile, Alisa cast a gaze toward him that was cold enough it felt like it could freeze fire into an ice lolly.
“Ты скот.”
[You beast.]
Alisa spoke dangerously. Carlo blinked in confusion. Wh-…what did she just say?? She resumed with a frosty tone. “Do you really think it’s okay for a student council officer to bring that to school?”
Masachika responded, a little too quickly, "Well, actually, Takeshi was the one who brought it."
Alisa nonchalantly looked down her nose at him, replying, "then you should tell him off."
Masachika nodded dutifully. "Yes, ma’am." She haughtily strode behind and reclaimed her seat, resting her head in her right hand and staring angrily out of the window. The reflection of her gaze met Carlo’s, and he saw her eyes narrow at him frighteningly, before Carlo once more grabbed his book and pretended to resume reading.
A moment of uneasy silence passed, before the short-haired friend (Takeshi?) spoke up once more. “Okay, change of topics. Ever thought about dating Suou-san?”
Alisa’s eye twitched fiercely at the mention of her rival, but Masachika responded with a firm shake of his head. “Never. Not in a million years.”
The long-haired friend raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. “Why not?”
Masachika hesitated, his gaze drifting as he mulled over his answer. “I mean…” He took a moment to gather his thoughts before continuing, “Anyway, I want a girlfriend who can also be my best friend.”
“Так что, кто-то вроде меня?”
[So, someone like me?]
Carlo’s head snapped to Alisa. There it was again, what language IS that??
Now that he was sure that Alisa was speaking…something to herself, she had officially piqued his interest. Well, two can play at that game. “Hey, Kujou-san?” She glanced at him, bored and without response. “Eu também posso fazer isso, 한 가지 방법만이 아니라 여러 가지 방법으로.”
Alisa blinked dumbly at him, trying to mentally process if the boy she was looking at was casting some kind of spell, or just had a stroke. “What…was that?”
Carlo, grinning smugly, said “I said, ‘I can do that too, in more ways than one.’ The first half was in Portuguese and the other in Korean. I noticed you’re speaking a foreign language too.”
Alisa was taken aback for a brief moment, before composing herself, “ah…yes, I was raised in Russia so I’m fluent in that and Japanese. What languages can you speak?”
“Well, Portuguese and Japanese I inherited from my parents,” he said proudly, “English and Korean I picked up along the way.”
“I can speak English to an extent through school as both Russia and Japan teach it there.” She then attempted to speak in English, however it was mildly broken. “It’s very good you talk…speak more languages. Impressive.”
“Maybe; I heard that once you learn one, it’s easier to learn more than one. I learned two from birth, one after 9 years and one after 7.” He replied matter of factly, “if I carry on this trend, I’ll learn my tenth language in about 4 days.” Alisa cracked a wry smile at him, a hint to Carlo that he was beginning to thaw her icy exterior. “What about you? How does a Russian silver-haired ice queen find herself in a place like this?” He noticed her brow begin to furrow and sharply jumped in, raising her hands and opening his palms in defence, “s-sorry, I only said ice queen for your hair, I swear.”
Alisa, presumably defused from her imminent tirade, relaxed a little, “It’s fine. I take issue with that, but you couldn’t have known. My father is a diplomat for the Russian embassy and my mother holds an office-based job in the city.”
“Oh cool, you have one too?” Carlo asked enthusiastically, leaning in towards Alisa, who instinctively leaned back, her head finally removed from her resting hand.
“Er…one, too…? One what?”
“A diplomat dad! My dad’s a diplomat as well. Damn good one as well, apparently. Everyone wants him to work at their embassy…” Carlo suddenly felt a little solemn, “probably why he’s found so much work in so many different places.”
“You’re well-travelled then?”
“Guilty as charged.” He said playfully, allowing the statement to linger. “A better question is, are you suitably distracted from the horny-boys club over there?”
Alisa’s brain stalled for a moment, before turning to Masachika and his friends, seeing that they’d moved to a different seat, the magazine still bouncing between them. She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Honestly, is that all teenage boys care about? Are women really just something to stare at??” She turned to Carlo, a pleading look forming, “are you like that?”
“Staring at girls in magazines? Heck, no.” Alisa sighed in relief, but Carlo resumed “don’t get me wrong, I like boobs as much as the next teenage boy-“ she jolted in response “but boobs should be earned, you know? Through wit, charm and romance,” he turned to the side “’you’ve behaved properly, here are my breasts’” he turned back, “’thank you’, you understand?” Alisa nodded dumbly, “not
‘aqui está o dinheiro, tira os peitos para fora’.”
[here is the money, take your breasts out]
*DING DONG DING DONG*
The bell snapped them both out of their stupor as the next teacher sauntered into the class. Carlo turned quickly back to Alisa, noticing the light blush on her face, “o-okay, to be continued.” The following afternoon seemed to drag on for him, but for her, she could barely focus, for the boy in front of her posed so many questions…namely…
“Кто этот парень???”
[Who is this guy???]
[3 hours later]
As the hours ticked away, it wasn’t long before, for potentially the twentieth time in his life, his first day was over. As the students filed from the classroom, some hung around to talk to their friends with the odd couple tidying chairs and cleaning the board. Tempted to jump in, he decided to simply observe for now.
That was until he heard movement behind him, and he trailed Kujou leaving her seat, bag packed, and head turned to Masachika. “Are you coming along?”
“Или у тебя есть еще девушки, на которых можно смотреть?”
[Or do you have any other girls to look at?]
Masachika turned to Alisa, disheartened. “What…was that?”
“I’d said we’re going to be late. Come along now.” Kujou ordered, walking out of the room, not even waiting for him to follow along, but knowing that he sheepishly would. Carlo watched curiously. The way those two conduct themselves, they’re both probably in the student council; if he isn’t, why would she say he was? If SHE wasn’t, why would she care about some tacky magazine?
Either way, he knew what he needed to do next. He’d promised his sister after all that it would be his next step. Whether it was successful or not didn’t really matter, but the mere fact of making an attempt would be enough to satiate her.
Carlo stood, mumbling to no-one in particular, “ok, off to join the student council…again…”
After a few false starts and taking the wrong stairs more times than once, he eventually found his way over to the council room, it looking completely identical to the other nearby rooms from the outside. If not for the plain-looking sign sticking out from the wall, it would have blended in perfectly with its surroundings. Carlo could hear murmuring from inside, probably Kujou and Kuze from earlier.
He quickly rehearsed what he was going to say and how exactly to phrase it; getting the tone just right would be important here as it needed to be convincing. After the minor pep talk, he slid the door open and instinctively bowed.
“Good afternoon, may I please speak with the president? I would like to be considered for a role here.” He raised his head and looked around the room, knowing who he was about to find sat at the table and lock eyes with, “oh, Kujou-san, Kuze-san…I didn’t know you were in the council.” Delivered to perfection.
Alisa mumbled to herself as she stood, “Он либо глупый, либо лжец,” before collecting her thoughts. “I can give you an application, but we can’t approve it without the president saying so.”
With how she was acting earlier, I thought she WAS the president… “Oh, I see.” He added, “will he be available today?”
Masachika jumped into the conversation, “Kenzaki went with some other council members to talk about some inter-club issues, he’ll be back later.”
“Okay, cool. I’ll take an application and hopefully I can finish it before you guys leave.”
Alisa returned to her seat and opened one of the folders strewn across the table and began to flick through the pages; eventually, she unclipped a plastic sleeve from the folder and pried it open revealing a surprisingly single page…well a single double-sided page, but still a single piece of paper.
“Fill this in and return it later. Don’t rush it. Any mistakes you make will be taken into consideration when you apply.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Carlo said knowingly. He was goading Kujou into a response, specifically by using the same phrase Kuze used earlier, dropping a hint that he was aware…not knowing that Alisa had literally just told him that to his face.
[“Он либо глупый, либо лжец.”]
[“He’s either stupid, or a liar”.]
Carlo nodded before leaving, not fully knowing when to bow but reasoning it was probably proper timing, when he turned towards the door to leave at the precise moment someone else entered with the doorframe catching him squarely on the forehead. While not hurt, he was so caught off guard that he went sprawling onto the floor, with his body landing with an almighty thud.
Blinking away the stars in his vision, he was greeted by an unfamiliar, concerned face hovering over him.
“Oh my gosh, are you ok!?” the voice shrieked in panic.
As his eyes focused, he thought it was Alisa for a moment due to the similar accent and facial features but, either Carlo hit his head harder than he thought and Alisa’s hair colour changed, or this was someone else…a sibling maybe? Or a cousin?? Either way, looking at the girl and seeing her face filled with worry, should have helped. However, while his vision restored, his head was still cloudy, now for a different reason.
Damn, she’s pretty…
He was so unfocused on the situation at play that he hadn’t responded to her questions. In a moment of alarm, she grabbed him by the shoulders and began shaking gently. “Hey, can you hear me?” she said, her voice calmer than before but still with a tinge of fear.
“Ah…yeah…I’m ok,” Carlo stammered out, “just surprised, that’s all.”
“Oh, thank goodness.” She helped Carlo to his feet, who gingerly returned to a standing position, only to be surprised that he towered over the girl. “Sorry, I’m so sorry!” She said, bowing and visibly nervous.
“No, really it’s fine,” he said, the back of his head disagreeing, “nothing’s broken so I’ll live.” The girl appeared to calm after hearing that, her face falling into a relaxed smile.
“But…”
Alisa interjected abruptly. “Ok, before this turns into more apologising, I’m going to stop you both and make introductions.” Tired of the situation brewing, she stood between Carlo and the girl. “Masha, this is Carlo Ramos; he joined our class today from South Korea. Ramos-san, this is my sister, Maria Kujou; she’s the school council secretary.”
“Ah…yeah…” Maria stuttered, before playfully clapping her hands across her cheeks to collect herself. Returning with a gentle smile, she said, “It’s a great pleasure to meet you, Ramos-san. I hope to get to know you better.”
So adorable! “Yeah…It’s a pleasure.” Carlo held out his hand for a handshake, which was quickly appearing to be his go-to greeting when unsure, which Maria did not hesitate to return.
This time, Masachika jumped in “Ramos-san, weren’t you about to go fill out the application form?”
“Oh, really?” Maria answered, looking confusedly at Masachika, “in that case…” she returned to Carlo, “you should get going, I hope you get to join us.” She smiled sweetly at him.
Oh god, stop it!! “Ah…ok, I’ll get going now…so, bye.”
Carlo left the classroom a touch too quickly as he could feel the heat rushing to his face. The council application would have to wait a moment as now his thoughts were dominated with other ideas. Between Alisa’s icy-cold beauty and Maria’s total adorableness…what are they feeding these girls!?
[10 minutes later]
In a random, empty, classroom, Carlo claimed one of the desks for his own and was filling in his paperwork. The dingy classroom strangely showed signs of disuse, as if there used to be a club here but it now sat virtually derelict, cobwebs lining the corners of the room and some of the lights not functioning.
He wondered for a moment to himself why the cleaners or site staff hadn’t fixed these things yet, but then remembered that a lot of that stuff in Japanese schools is student-led, so maybe it looks like it’s abandoned because it actually was…
Either way, the application was actually quite straightforward for him. He wasn’t really sure what Alisa was worrying about so much. Maybe for someone who was new to this, but he was not; if successful, this would be his third stint on a student council, and his second in consecutive schools.
“Good afternoon.”
Carlo’s head snapped to attention and looked ahead of him…but he saw nothing. Maybe I’m just hearing things…he decided to carry on; he was nearly finished, and it was nearly time to go home.
“Good afternoon.”
…Ok, I definitely heard that. He looked at both entrances to the room and saw no-one…but he certainly heard someone speak. Was he going insane at last? He looked forward again, but still nothing. He turned to his left and-
“Good afternoon.”
“WAGH!” Carlo yelped, almost falling from his seat. A dark-haired girl had managed to sneak into the classroom without him seeing. How focused have I been on this?? “Can I…help you?” he asked nervously.
“No, thank you.” The girl added stoically. “I noticed that you’re working on an application to join our council and wished to inform you that the council is due to leave soon.”
“Yes, I know, that’s why I’m trying to hurry.” Carlo replied sharply. “Not to be rude, but you’re making me lose time here…”
“I’m sorry,” she added politely. “I was asked by the president to stay with you until your application was completed to ensure it was returned in a timely manner. I shall await your completion outside. Goodbye.” The girl then bowed her head delicately and walked to the door before gently sliding it open and, staying true to her word, standing silently outside waiting for him.
Oooookayyyyy… he confusedly finished up the application and gave it one more read through. He gathered his things and left the classroom, greeting the girl. “It’s all done. Shall we get going?”
“Yes, let me guide you back to our council room.” She said, walking away the second her sentence ended.
“Thanks…er…” Carlo stated, baiting a response from the girl. When 10 seconds passed and none came, he tried again, “My name is Carlo Ramos. And you are?”
“Ayano Kimishima.” Ayano coolly replied. “That was an official greeting, yes? In that case, it is a pleasure to meet you, Ramos-san.” Carlo simply nodded his head and continued walking behind Ayano; unlike Alisa who was interesting to talk to but would feel like a sparring match and unlike Maria who, after only meeting for about thirty seconds, would be a delight to hang out with if not for her attractiveness being so distracting, this girl exuded an aura of ‘will only speak when needed’, so he reasoned conversation might not be a worthwhile endeavour.
Upon returning to the council room, Carlo could hear some voices that he couldn’t place, one significantly deeper than the other. Without knocking, Ayano opened the door.
“President Kenzaki. I have brought Ramos-san back to you with his completed form.”
“Wonderful, come in Ramos.” The President boomed joyfully. Carlo had a closer look at the room and surveyed the scene. Sat around the big table in the middle of the room were Masachika and Alisa pouring over some papers; by the small table near the door was Maria writing something down where Ayano joined her. Yes, she’s smiling cutely, but don’t think about that now. But at the main desk where the two new characters. The boy spared no time introducing himself.
“I am Touya Kenzaki, the student council president. And this is my girlfriend, Chisaki Sarashina, my Vice-President and a member of the Disciplinary Committee.”
Chisaki jumped in. “The others were saying a lot about you, considering it’s your first day here.”
“A lot, huh?” Carlo asked. “So, what did you hear? My multi-lingual prowess from Alisa or how I was KO’d by Maria?” He glanced at Maria as he said this, a mild fright crossing her mind, before he winked at her, being clear he was joking which she picked up on. She pouted in response to the gentle rib.
Meanwhile, Kenzaki erupted into laughter. “Haha! Yes, I’d heard how Elder Kujou decided to introduce herself to you. I trust that you are actually ok?”
“Well, I’ll let this do the talking there.” Carlo walked around the other sitting students to hand the application to Kenzaki. “If I started rambling about space aliens or something, then it’s a sign that something is wrong.” Kenzaki started to read, but- “and I’m glad you’re here to be honest…I was starting to think Kuze-san was a little too lucky being by himself with so many girls.”
“Ah…yes, the council is rather female dominated at the moment, isn’t it?” Kenzaki conceded. “With that in mind, you find us at a rather fortunate time for yourself. With the student council elections upcoming and four of our seven members involved in that, it leaves us a bit thin on the ground. Let me just see if there’s anything obviously wrong here…” Kenzaki scoured through the document as he was talking, flicking through the questions and learning what Carlo chose to consider. He put the paper down, before raising his head, “and I don’t see anything immediately obvious that’s wrong.”
He stood up from his seat and addressed the room. “With a supervisor, does anyone object to Ramos joining us?” Carlo looked around the room tensely, seeing if there were any disagreements. It didn’t actually take long for Alisa’s hand to rise. “Yes, Junior Kujou?”
“He’s been in the school for less than twenty-four hours,“ she stated bluntly, “while I believe he is competent, he’s far too new to rise to such a level so quickly.”
“Yes, I agree.” Kenzaki replied. “That’s why I want to assign him a supervisor…” he scoured the room, “I can’t ask any of you first-years as you’re all busy with election matters, which leaves Sarashina or Elder Kujou. If either of you are up to it, we can bring Ramos into the fold. If not, then…” he turned his attention to Carlo, “I’m afraid Junior Kujou does have a valid concern.”
“I’ll take care of him.”
Carlo turned to the source of the voice behind him to see that Maria was now standing with a hand raised.
“Серьёзно, сестра?”
[Seriously, sister?]
Alisa spoke to no-one in particular. Maria turned her head to her sister, giving her a disapproving look.
Presumably, something not helpful was said just now…
“Great, then that’s settled.” Kenzaki addressed the room. “In order to increase our numbers, and also address the concerns raised, I hereby announce Carlo Ramos as a probationary member of General Affairs. You’ll be under Elder Kujou’s wing until she’s satisfied you can perform your duties on your own.”
“Wow…ok, thank you so much.” Carlo responded, bowing gratefully, “I won’t let you down.”
As the rest of the day wound down, there wasn’t really much time left for Carlo to do anything of note, so he sat on the table next to Maria and waited.
“Would you like some tea?” she asked.
“Oh, I’m more of a coffee guy, sorry.” Unexpectedly, her smile widened in response.
“You haven’t tried MY tea. I’ll get you some anyway.”
Carlo’s eyes followed her as she walked past him to the tea set on the other side of the room. He watched Maria as she gracefully worked, the porcelain clanging as she spooned liquids and solids into cups and teapots, stirring and whirring away.
He was distracted by a cough from behind him. He turned to the source to see Alisa looking at him grumpily. Carlo tilted his head in confusion, before turning back to Maria…then returning to Alisa wondering what he’d done wrong.
That’s when it hit him.
He spent a huge while talking to Alisa earlier about not ogling the girls and yet (in her eyes at least) here he was, openly staring at her sister’s butt right in front of her. Rather than take time to explain, he adjusted his seat and looked squarely at the table instead, his face beginning to grow warm from the implication.
“Ta-da!” Before long, a cup of odd-looking tea was presented to him. It was doubly strange to him as, not only was the colour a deeper red than he expected, but the consistency was thicker. As someone who grew up in Britain, the land of tea, this seemed like someone was being violated. “I added raspberry jam for you. Drink up.”
Jam? …IN THE TEA?! Somewhere, somehow, an Englishman just died. Carlo was taken aback by the admission from Maria which was basically Moscow and London drawing their weapons on each other, but he couldn’t say no to her hopeful gaze, so he gave it a try and…
“This is…really good actually! Thanks.”
“Hehe, no worries! I love tea, so I’m glad you like it too.” Maria beamed. “I made it a little colder than normal so you can drink it quickly before-“
*DING DONG DING DONG*
All of the council stopped what they were working on and pivoted to tidying their things away.
“Well…before that.” Maria passively added.
Strangely, the meek Ayano stepped up. “Ramos-san was not introduced to Suou-san,” she stated matter-of-factly.
“Oh, yeah. That’s right.” Sarashina responded, “guess it’ll have to be next time then.”
“Well, thank you for your time today, everyone. Have a nice evening!” Kenzaki boomed.
“Have a nice evening!” everyone replied.
Carlo panicked, blurting out “Er…what they said!” The response earned chuckles from most of the room, with Alisa only going as far as a grin and Ayano not giving anything away at all.
With the first school day officially over, he took stock. He’d made 6 acquaintances, joined the council, met one of the cutest girls he’d met in a long time in Maria and found an intellectual sparring partner in her sister, Alisa.
Not bad for the first day…definitely a top 3.
[5 hours later]
After returning home, the familiar scene greeted Carlo: the dinner table laden with store-bought sushi, a casual chaos of stories from his family filling the air. Carlo, his 14-year-old sister Sofia, and their father, Bruno, animatedly recounted their first days at school and work. Unlike previous evenings, their mother, Rina, had stayed home with their five-month-old sister, Ami, leaving a noticeable shift in the evening’s energy.
A lot of this felt like going through the motions for Carlo as he’d been here so many times before. However, he’d learned from prior experience that moping around after a move was a quick way to bring the mood down; honestly, they had all learned that, so there was an air of forced jovialness around the dinner table before everyone had retreated to their safe spaces: the children to their rooms, and the adults to the living room.
Carlo had been considering the day’s events when a knock at the door disrupted him.
“Yeah?” he called out.
“Are you decent, bro?” came Sofia's cheerful voice.
“Yeah, come in,” he replied.
Sofia burst into the room and plonked herself onto Carlo’s bed in a dramatic pose, letting her hair billow across the sheets. Similar to Carlo, her dark hair and skin tone immediately pointed to their heritage but, while Carlo picked up a few of their parents shared qualities making him…not a knockout but still fairly attractive, Sofia seemingly inherited all of her parent’s qualities: the cuteness of her mother, but the physical build of her father, standing at an impressive 5”5’, despite only being 14.
“Well, big bro, here we are again.” She said passionately.
“Yep, another day down. Ready to say your number?” Carlo asked, a smirk forming.
She shot upright, crossing her legs as she prepared. “Ready!”
They both counted down, voices merging in excitement.
“3…2…1…!”
“6,” he said.
“10,” she declared triumphantly.
“Fuck!” he shouted, half-laughing, half-exasperated.
“Yeaah babyyy! 10 friends! Whoop whoop!” Sofia cheered, bouncing on the bed.
“We’re saying best of 9, right?” Carlo asked hopefully.
“You’re just saying that because it’s 4-2 now!” she teased. “But honestly, 6 is pretty good for you. You should be impressed!”
“Not my fault you’ve always been Little Miss Charisma,” Carlo retorted, rolling his eyes.
“What are you talking about? You’ve been just as charismatic these days,” she countered, leaning forward, her expression playful.
“Yeah, because it’s a competition now. You remember what I used to be like,” he shot back.
“Oh, pfft. Stop selling yourself short, bro.”
He took a moment to steal a glance at her. While he always opted for simple clothes because he didn’t want too many symbols of the roads he travelled, Sofia went the other way and always made sure she personally bought all of her clothes and styled her hair however she wanted. In this world of such limited control for the two kids, they clung to whatever semblance of control they could.
Sofia’s vice was her style. Her pyjamas tonight were a pair of floral leggings, and a T-Shirt adorned with cartoon bones scattered around baby blue and a big puppy in the middle. Her hair, her pride and joy in life, hung in a long-flowing ponytail which, even when in her upright sitting position, easily reached the bedsheets and looped around a little. When standing, her hair almost reached the back of her knees; lots of passers-by stopped to stare when she passed because of it.
“Well, I bet I beat you on the club front,” he said, crossing his arms.
“Doubt it, bro. I got onto the football team!” she exclaimed.
“Again? Isn’t that your fourth school in a row?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Sofia donned a humorous accent. “You can take my freedom, but no one takes my freaking football!”
“Except Americans, who call it ‘soccer,’” Carlo added, slipping into an exaggerated American accent.
“I’ll throw hands if you say ‘soccer’ again!” she threatened, mock-serious.
“Sure, sure,” he replied with a laugh.
“What about you?” she prompted.
“I got the council gig again,” he said, his pride shining through.
“In JAPAN? You got the JAPANESE school council gig on day one?” Sofia exclaimed, eyes wide with disbelief.
“Sure did. Told you I’d apply.”
“Yeah, because it’d be hilarious when they said no. I never expected them to say yes,” she remarked, smirking.
“Well…there is a catch. I have a supervisor. A second-year named Maria Kujou.”
“Maria Kujou, huh…” She paused, contemplating. “She hot?”
“Hey, sister. Just because you’re playing for the other team doesn’t mean you can come into my territory.”
“Oh shush, hot girls are hot girls. You might be able to touch, but I can still look,” she quipped, winking.
“Yeah, yeah…” he chuckled.
“Wait, you said a second-year is your ment—OH! That’s a good one! I’m sure that’s on our bingo card! Where are those again?”
“Middle shelf, inside the bigger box,” Carlo directed.
Sofia jumped off the bed, rummaging through the box and emerging with two sheets of paper. She skimmed them eagerly. “Yeah, there, see? ‘Become a follower of an upperclassman’.”
Carlo reviewed the bingo card. Indeed, on the top row, fourth from the left, was ‘Become a follower of an upperclassman,’ next to ‘Steal a bite of a teacher’s food’ (unticked) and ‘Be best in class for a test’ (ticked).
“You know, bro. It’s a shame that you got such a good thing, but you’re still losing,” Sofia said, her tone teasing.
“I have more ticks on there and you know it,” Carlo replied, grinning.
“Yes, but I got a line first. That’s how bingo works, bro.”
They continued their friendly banter, comparing their days, reminiscing, laughing, and enjoying each other’s company. But eventually, the conversation turned serious, a familiar heaviness settling in. No matter what joy happened, the reality always settled in eventually.
“How long do you think we’ll be here?” Sofia asked quietly.
“Not sure. Nana lives in Akihabara, and Mum wants to head over there soon,” Carlo replied, trying to keep his tone light.
“So, is that like a month?” she wondered.
“Doubt it. Both your school and mine are expensive; they probably paid a lot for us to go, so they wouldn’t pull out for a couple of months at least,” he said, glancing at her.
“Then we have to restart again…” Her shoulders slumped in defeat.
Seeing this, Carlo knelt beside her, holding out his arms for a hug. Sofia melted into the embrace, and they held each other tightly. In a world filled with upheaval, their bond felt unbreakable. No distance, no people, and no circumstances could keep them apart, at least emotionally.
“Kids, lights out!” Bruno called from downstairs.
“Ok!” Carlo replied, reluctantly releasing Sofia from their hug.
She walked slowly toward the exit, waiting for her brother to say their comfort mantra.
No matter what happens in the world, one constant remains the same. Her night always ends with her brother saying,
“Doces sonhos, anjo.”
[Sweet dreams, angel.]
And she always responded, saying,
“Doces sonhos, diabo.”
[Sweet dreams, devil.]
Carlo watched as his dejected sister closed the door with a soft click, leaving him alone in the dim light of his new room. The silence enveloped him, and he was once again left in the darkness of a new place, reflecting on the whirlwind of the first day.
Thoughts swirled in his mind, each one pulling him deeper into a mix of excitement and anxiety. He replayed the moments from dinner…his family’s laughter and the forced joviality that masked their unease. It felt like they were all putting on a show, pretending that everything was fine while beneath the surface, a current of uncertainty flowed. How long would they be here? Would he have to say goodbye again, just as he was starting to feel at home?
He thought of his new friends, the council, and the warmth of the connections he was beginning to forge. Yet, each thought came with the nagging reminder that these relationships could be fleeting, just like the countless others he had left behind. Would he let himself get attached, only to be uprooted once more?
Sofia’s playful banter echoed in his ears, but even that couldn’t mask the lingering feeling of isolation that came with being the new kid. It was a familiar ache, one he had grown used to over the years. He wished for stability, for a place he could call home without the fear of moving on. The weight of it all felt heavy, an invisible burden he carried, and in that moment, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of longing for something he couldn’t quite define.
As he lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling, Carlo closed his eyes and allowed the thoughts to wash over him. There was a fire within him, a desire to break free from the cycle of change and find a sense of belonging. Yet, as always, he was haunted by the fear of losing it all. The fear of this house…this school…becoming just another hotel.
It was a dizzying combination of hope and despair, a battle that seemed never-ending. In that quiet darkness, Carlo realized he was an addict…an addict for connection, for stability, and for the fleeting moments of joy that came with each new beginning.
And yet…it was always just out of reach…