Chapter 02: Genji Academy High

Eddie Yoshio woke up; his energy diminished without a hint of proper sleep. Opening the blinds, he was greeted with blinding rays of sunshine pouring through the room. Then a loud alarm clock could be heard making its rapturous noise on the desk next to him. He slammed the top two buttons with his left hand, causing the alarm to drop in silence.

The fatigued teenager turned his head to view the scene around him.

Wait, whose bed am I in?

His thoughts and memories began to flood; clouding his mind for that morning.

Oh yeah right… What time is it?

He looked at the alarm clock, registering the bright red LED lights: 7:00 AM. School did not start for another hour and a half. It was certainly possible to sneak in a few extra minutes of well-deserved sleep.

Eddie forcefully pulled on his bedsheets to shade the eyes from the invasive rays of sunlight. A few minutes later, he heard the door slam wide open as Dojima came in shouting, "IT'S SEVEN FIFTEEN! YA GOTTA GET UP FOR SCHOOL!"

Eddie whined and cried out, "Dojima, I wanna sleep for just fifteen more minutes! I barely got to sleep!"

"I know I know," Dojima responded, yawning long and loud. "I wanna sleep too. But I am gonna be late for work if I don't go now. Oh, wait..." He took a glance at his smartphone. "I'm already late!" Dojima rushed out the door, possibly to get himself situated.

Eddie slept some more before Dojima, once again, bursted through the door. He was mid-way brushing his teeth, saying, "I can't take you to school every day cause my shift starts early. You're gonna have to take public transport." He handed Eddie a 5000 yen bill.

"Dojima…" Eddie began, looking at the bill with his eyes wide open. "If you can't even afford to get yourself a new car, how do you even have money to spare?"

"Just take it Eddie. Use it for your bus fare," Dojima explained. Eddie broke out of his trance as his right hand snapped at the bill. "It should be more than enough for the rest of the month. Now get dressed bud. Your fifteen minutes are up." He immediately removed the bedsheets off his lap and stood upright.

As Dojima rushed out the door a second time, he closed it across from him to search inside his black luggage case for the school uniform. After a few minutes of heavy digging, he eventually came across a few pairs of white shirts and black trousers. Putting them on for the first time, he fumbled with the sleeves and the legs because of their odd sizes. After getting situated, he checked the side pockets of the suitcase for a black leather belt. He slid the long leather slip out of the compartment and hooked it around the hem of his trousers. Once he reached the door, backpack strapped over his shoulders, he turned back before facing the hallway.

There in the living room, Eddie spotted Dojima watching a Tokyo news channel on the television. He looked back at where the footsteps came from, and turned off the television before heading straight for his belongings on the kitchen counter. "Tokyo traffic is very rough. Ya gotta leave at a time like now!" He turned around. "Just get to school on time and you will be all good!" He ran towards the front door promptly, leaving Eddie in the house all by himself.

It was 7:45 AM. School would start in another 45 minutes. He removed the straps and laid his backpack by the front door, entering the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator door, he found a bag of cereal and a half-empty milk jug. He then took a small bowl from the stack of silverware nearby and poured the cereal into it with the milk following suit. Taking a bite, he made his way to the couch before turning on the television.

Another kidnapping incident occurred last night in the auto shop near Tokyo's Haneda International Airport.

He immediately changed the channel.

Well, it seems that crime has been rising throughout metropolitan Tokyo for quite some time now. People are beginning to call last night's incident "The Night Napping"-

He changed it again.

Police are trying to investigate these crimes before they become too overwhelming. But it remains to be seen if their tactics of dealing with these crimes are effective-

Eddie had enough, shutting off the television set; devouring the rest of his cereal in silence. All this publicity from last night's incident was a lot and worse yet, unneeded. It was just one crime to him; not like a whole war was happening.

He took a look at the public transit schedule on his Digit. Noticing that his bus was arriving at any second, he snatched at the backpack straps; dashing out in a hurry.

It was visibly sunny outside as Eddie stepped out to be alone. The neighborhood was not as busy as expected. It felt eerie and silent like the night before. There was the occasional sight of birds flying around and the doors closing from time to time. But oddly enough, there were no cars within the vicinity. His fingers flipped through a few music tracks as he plugged the wireless earphones into his ears.

He went on to jump and hit any metal signs with his hands to lessen the boredom further. It felt like old times for him in the midst of a broken life. After a few minutes of his strolling, Eddie approached the neon lighting of a few signs displaying a blue bus on them. There was a banner or two dropping down from the rods below the signs.

Eddie took a look at the schedule again.

What the- I'm early???

Approaching the wooden bench; he dusted off the dirt before taking a seat.

Actually… I wonder how Japanese buses work now.

The thing was, just like in America, buses were different in this new decade. There was no such occupation as taxi drivers. Instead, people welcomed the use of robots and self-driving AI vehicles of today.

Looking at his Digit again, the time etched closer to 8:30.

Man, I'm going to be so early, my teachers will love me.

He kept on staring intently at the road, waiting for the bus to arrive at any moment. Seconds shifted into minutes as the pavement and the music served to entertain him.

Then it finally came.

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Genji Academy High (II)

"Hello, my name is Eddie Yoshio and I am a transfer student from America," he introduced to the class. A few minutes ago, it took a while to find his homeroom class. But thankfully, he made it just before the bell rang.

"I asked you to say your name, what school you came from prior to Genji or if you were here in Genji during Junior High, and three hobbies," his homeroom teacher clarified. Her voice was like pure ice, making him shiver. It was crystal clear with a poignant menace to it. "Discipline is always key so answer exactly what I ask of you. Please tell me what you haven't shared about yourself: your hobbies."

Eddie grew nervous. The monotony of the class was growing on him. His voice quivered when he explained, "I have no hobbies." The whole class continued to give blank stares as his anxiety grew.

"Now Eddie, I don't want to give you detention on the very first day," she smiled weakly, reaching for a yellow slip of paper in one of her desk's cubbies.

"I used to have some hobbies," Eddie began, after taking a deep breath for several seconds. The teacher held the slip intently in her hand. "They were video games, biking, and…" He lost his train of thought, rushing to finish his sentence. "Some martial arts as well."

"I like how you used to have hobbies. But you apparently don't have them anymore." Eddie's teacher pointed out. She slid the yellow slip back into its cubby.

The truth was, his old hobbies died with the old Eddie.

"See Eddie? Giving an introduction is not that hard." The teacher gave off another one of her weak smiles. There was an added fakeness to it. Eddie walked away from the front of the class; stumbling into the seat at the left of the classroom near the windows.

"Emi!" the teacher gave off a cheerful smile. It seemed genuine this time. Or worse yet, a sign of favoritism. Everyone looked at the girl in front of Eddie

She had long black hair. Not only that, her eyes were glistening like a clear ocean as she mesmerized everyone into a trance. He looked at her aghast.

Wow… she's kind of cute.

"Please introduce yourself with your full name, the fact that you came from Genji's Junior High, AND three of your hobbies."

She placed her hands on her lap, giving her full undivided attention to Emi. "Oh and make sure not to do it like how Eddie over there did it." She pointed at Eddie, who froze in shock as the young girl walked past toward the front of the class. He was in disbelief. The teacher was that ridiculous to call him out again for something so small.

Once Emi reached the front, she began her introduction. "Greetings Class T1-T5," she gave off a beautiful smile that magically warmed Eddie's stone heart. "My name is Emi Ezura. I'm sure that Mrs.Tanaka has already delightfully revealed to everyone that I graduated from Genji's Junior High School." Her voice was warm and soothing like how a mother talked to their child. The words she spoke took hold of the entire classroom. "A few things I like to do are... math... sewing... and… being with family."

After a few minutes, a random boy shouted into the classroom, infatuated with Emi, "I LIKE MATH, SEWING, AND BEING WITH FAMILY TOO." The class seemed to erupt into conversation the moment the boy stopped talking.

"Be quiet dude!" Eddie overheard. "Emi's boyfriend is gonna mess you up mentally and physically! Leave her be!"

"You are good as dead Haruto."

"Man, her boyfriend is gonna have a fun time real soon."

"Why does the class always seem to blow up over Emi-"

"BE QUIET! ALL OF YOU!" a scream arose from the teacher's desk. "I WILL NOT TOLERATE THIS INTERRUPTION OF THE CLASS. DETENTION FOR YOU HARUTO!!!"

After the crowd seemed to die down, Eddie realized Emi was already the teacher's pet hands down. With her sweet talks and gratitude, she seemed to be someone who profoundly influenced other people. Or worse yet, the people with power. Eddie tried not to think about it; about all the things that Emi might do to him. Just now, she had turned the class into an uproar over three innocent sentences. He mentally noted down not to cross paths. Or if it came down to it, unintentionally mess up his interactions with her.

Emi returned to her seat, feeling crushed as she laid her head down on the wooden desk. The introductions of everyone in class continued. Once the last student finished speaking, Mrs.Tanaka took a yellow sheet and proceeded to write Haruto's name in clear black letters. "I believe this is for you Haruto," she dropped her pen as she walked over and placed the slip with a chilling grin.

Another student began to speak to his friend across from him within Eddie's earshot, "Ya know, I heard Mrs.Tanaka was not always like this. But then her husband died around a year ago-"

"I have many more yellow slips that I am certainly willing to hand out," the teacher called out. She walked back to her desk, eyeing every single one of the students before pointing. "Interrupt my class… AND IT WILL BE A DETENTION FOR YOU!"

No one spoke for the rest of the homeroom period. They were scared more of Mrs.Tanaka than of her math class. Eddie was boiling as he felt the tension in every single student around him. He almost got a detention slip from Mrs.Tanaka a few minutes ago. And now there were far worse possibilities with her as a teacher.

Would she... could she... get me suspended for something small?

He did not want to think of it. But the very thought terrorized him. Mrs.Tanaka may be the very one to get Eddie sent to a place far worse than where he was now.

The bell rang, ending Eddie's thoughts in their tracks. Homeroom was finally over. He breathed a huge sigh of relief along with a few others as Mrs.Tanaka exited through the door. The students looked at each other, knowing that she would be back during the Lunch period. The room kept its silence for a whole five minutes before another teacher, Mr.Maxwell, entered the room along with the bell ringing once more.

"Good morning class," the teacher greeted.

"Good morning Mr.Maxwell," the class greeted back.

Then there was an awkward silence. "Man," the teacher began. "Are you guys the class Mrs.Tanaka had for homeroom?" Mr.Maxwell chuckled when he spoke those husky words. "I was able to hear her yelling on the other side of the building!" He laughed some more, lightening the mood of the classroom. "Man oh, man. It is funny to see her get so angry over little things!"

People were beginning to laugh at their teacher's humorous approach to everything. "Hey, Mr.Maxwell," a student in the classroom greeted. "Is it ok if I eat my snacks?"

"Yeah sure go ahead! Eat your cookies and your chocolate bars. Who cares? This isn't my classroom or Mrs.Tanaka's. It's pretty much your guys' classroom. Do whatever you want with it as long as you remember you're gonna have to CLEAN IT UP after school and after Lunch!" He chuckled a bit more as he leaned backward; placing his hands on the desk behind him.

The student immediately took out his snacks, munching on them. Mr.Maxwell seemed like the most relaxed teacher from Japan. It was easy to speculate that maybe this teacher was not born and raised in Japan, but maybe in America or Britain. Although it did not matter where Mr.Maxwell was from. The only thing that mattered to Eddie was feeling relieved.

Now that I think about it. Maybe the people here won't be so bad after all.

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Genji Academy High (III)

It took about half an hour for Eddie to find the boy's restroom due to it being in a more run-down area within the school. The rundown area had a reputation with the many rants, painted windows, and messy atmosphere altogether (unlike the rest of Genji).

It's a bit dark in here.

Feeling uncomfortable and foreign, he immediately ran back towards the classroom. Then, he witnessed something which was peculiar in Japanese schools. People were lingering in the hallway. But just outside the classroom stood a tall boy with a mohawk-style haircut and an intimidating figure. Eddie's eyes darted between a tiny girl pushed to the corner and the brawny looking guy.

Through the loud clamor of the other students came a voice filled with rage. "Hidaka, you lying little bitch!" said the huge, muscular teenage boy with a spiky mohawk. "Look punk!" His voice was intimidating the girl as well as Eddie. "I'm not here to play some silly little games with you Hidaka. Just tell it to me straight you- you- bozo!" That boy seemed utterly crazy, throwing his arms and hands everywhere; moving his face to the rhythm of his own words. Everyone around the two were careful not to look, but at least attentive enough to listen.

"I- I thought it was," Hidaka stuttered, her voice fearful. "Please, I'm r-r-really sorry!"

I should try to stay out of this.

Eddie kept walking across the hallway, avoiding anyone and anything. However, he was subtly paying attention to the conversation.

"You'd better not slip up again!" the punk roared.

You're really just embarrassing yourself.

"If you pull something like this again, there will certainly be… consequences," he threatened.

"Y-Yes O-Of C-Course," Hidaka stammered, immediately running away to blend in with the rest of the crowd. In her haste, she ran straight into Eddie.

"Ow," he cried, stumbling backwards.

"Sorry, very sorry." She quickly rushed away before Eddie could say "It's fine", or something else comforting.

Is this school nuts? At this point, I just want to go home. These problems are dumb.

As the punk-like boy seemed to approach Eddie, he immediately felt the claws of intimidation reaching out to him. So he backed away steadily before opening the classroom door. Turning around, he spotted Mrs.Tanaka at the teacher's desk. The scene was unreal as everyone socialized without worrying about the strict teacher nearby. Then he noticed something rather peculiar. Another student was sitting at his four-seat table.

Eddie instantly recognized the long black hair and slender figure to be Emi Ezura's. He approached his seat, with caution, noticing Emi scrolling away at her digit. There was something he did not like about the situation at all. It felt as though some mysterious force pushed Eddie to be more social by talking to the popular person.

He eventually sat down directly across from Emi. Looking downwards, he was unable to bat an eye, eating his school lunch in silence. Eddie paid more attention to how he was gonna eat his food and how it tasted over the girl's presence. It was to the point where he forgot she existed.

"Hi there," Eddie heard a soft voice.

He looked up from his food, immediately beginning to panic on the inside. "Do you need something?" was all he could muster.

"Oh no, I don't," she responded quietly. "My name is Emi Ezura. I just wanted to get to know a few of the new kids."

"You want to get to know me?" Eddie questioned, clearly feeling suspicious, saying that out of pure instinct.

"I like meeting new people. It's fun and interesting to get to know them." One of those signature smiles appeared again as Eddie could not help but think:

Maybe this won't be so bad.

"Um, it's nice to meet you," he said plainly. "But I didn't really expect to talk to anyone today and I kind of want to keep it that way."

"Don't be so glum," Emi chided. "I thought people hate being alone." Eddie shot a look then looked back down to his food. "As I said, I just wanted to introduce myself and also welcome you to Genji."

I feel like she's messing with me. But then again, It's not much of a surprise.

Deciding to take her greeting in good spirits, he looked up at her face.

"Oh, so NOW you look straight at my face," Emi told Eddie. "At least you know what I look like now." She took a bite out of her rice bowl. He was slightly abashed but decided to carry the conversation on. She did make the effort to introduce herself after all.

"My name's Eddie."

"Nice to meet you. "

"So…" Eddie began, trying to think of something. "How does this school work?"

"First off, are you from Japan, or are you not?" Emi asked. Eddie paused, overthinking what to say. "If you don't respond, then I can't help you".

"Well, I-" Eddie fumbled. "I used to live in America, but I was born and raised in Japan mostly." He was trying to be as blunt as possible.

She is such a nuisance.

"Then, I don't need to tell you everything," Emi replied, mimicking Eddie's mood. She stood up with her food finished. "I have friends I'm supposed to meet. Bye." She made a slight wave as she got out of her seat, leaving Eddie alone.

At least, she's the only one who came by.

Eddie breathed a sigh of relief. He took the last bite out of his rice bowl and pushed his food tray to the side, laying his head down on the table.

I'm still tired from last night's whole ordeal. Today has been an interesting first day… somewhat. The moment I get back home, I'm going to sleep. Screw my homework.

Just as his head was about to touch the surface of the desk, Someone else came by, "That guy out there was Terry Johnson. He's a big ass bully in my opinion."

"Are you talking to me?" Eddie asked, slowly raising his head from his slumber.

You have to be kidding me right now. How does this person even know I saw him?

"Yeah, I am," it was a boy's voice but hard and jumbled. But the boy almost sounded like a man, someone who shouldn't even be attending this school. "I just wanted to warn you about a few things. If you wanna get by at this school, the number one rule you should always follow is to NEVER defy Terry's authority. He has as much power as the vice principal!"

"Terry is that bad huh?" Eddie felt like his thoughts were being read. It was a creepy encounter.

"It's not just him that's part of the problem. That girl you talked to earlier, Emi Ezura. Do you realize that Emi just throws bs at teachers to make them like her?" his voice turned into a whisper. "I have no problem with it. But it's funny for them all to think she is a goodie two shoes!"

"So I need to avoid Terry and Emi?"

"For heaven's sake, YES avoid Terry. And YES avoid Emi. Although, Emi is a good person. Terry is just the reason why everyone is scared to approach her."

"How so?" he actually started enjoying the conversation a bit more. After all, the boy was helpful rather than taking away his precious time. "What does Terry have to do with avoiding Emi???"

"Terry is over the top high over heels in love with Emi Ezura," the boy warned. "He's so insecure that if he sees another boy talk to her, he would go as far as to beat up that boy. It also may seem like they're dating, but you gotta realize they're not; it's just some 'idea' Terry forces on Emi."

"I saw how Terry deals with people. That Hidaka girl I saw out in the hallway, what did 'she do' to Terry?" Inside, Eddie couldn't help but find the situation all too funny or familiar. He expected Japan to be different but it seems like Genji was just another part of problematic schools.

"I overheard a bit and it was about where you sit in class. He's mad that Hidaka said the seat behind Emi was open. The truth was, the seat was actually taken by you."

"He's mad at Hidaka about it and not me?" Eddie chuckled slightly, his expressions seemed to be a mix of shock and realization of true expectations.

"Not everyone is like Terry," the boy comforted. "But you MUST remember to never get in the way of their relationship. Or." He paused for a second to find the right words.

"You're fucked."