First Day at Rakuzan

Ryder was amazed by the stunning scenery and the vastness of the school, which had buildings for different levels of education, from elementary to high school. He barely paid attention to the directions the old man gave him, as he was too busy admiring the view.

The old man told him that he had to go to the principal's office in the middle school building, where he would receive his uniform and introduce himself. The principal was a woman who was also in charge of the other schools, but she preferred to work in the middle school. Ryder nodded, but he did not remember much of what the old man said.

He walked back from the high school, where the old man had left him, to the middle school. He knew that the principal's office was on the fifth floor of the building for seventh to ninth graders, but he did not know how to get there.

He got lost several times, and had to ask some of the school's guards for directions. They were helpful, but they also looked at him with curiosity and suspicion.

He also encountered some students in uniforms, who gave him the same kind of glances. He felt self-conscious and awkward, as he was the only one wearing casual clothes.

He was nervous, but he tried to ignore them by plugging his ears with music from his headphones and focusing on his destination. He had never been comfortable around crowds.

He finally reached the middle school building. Two guards in uniforms, red tops and black trousers, were standing at the entrance. They stopped him as he approached.

"What's your name?" the first guard asked with a stern look on his face. The other guard stared at him expectantly. Ryder did not hear his voice because his headphones were still on and he did not bother to wait for him to take them off before he spoke, but he could read his lips. It was a question he had anticipated, so it was easy to answer.

"Good morning. My name is Ryder. I'm Captain Byakuya's little brother," he replied. The two guards looked at each other and burst into a fit of laughter.

The guard who had previously looked serious came close to him and patted his head gently. "I've heard a lot of things, but this is the first time I'm hearing a kid bold enough to lie with the name of the Captain of squad one, of the Vanguard."

Ryder felt humiliated, but the joke was on them. Byakuya had given him a badge to show them in case they doubted him. He rummaged through the cross-bag he was carrying. While he was searching, a boy with black spiky hair, who was about the same height as him, passed by.

"Good morning," he said in a soft and gentle voice as he flashed them what looked like a school identity card. The guards let him pass without question and turned their attention back to Ryder.

"Byakuya asked me to give you this," he said, in a slightly smug tone with a hint of pride, as he pulled out the badge from his bag. The expression on the guards' faces changed and their voices became shaky. It turned out the badge was a special accessory given to captains.

It was shaped like a tiny shield, with a star at the center. Each badge had a different color depending on the squad and the captain. Byakuya's badge was a combination of purple and black.

"Oh... Uhm... I... I... I'm sorry," the guard who had patted his head moved back while stuttering. "We... We didn't know," the other guard opened the door and gestured his hand like a butler opening the door for his master. Ryder did not mean to scare them that much, but they deserved it.

He entered the building and took the elevator to the fifth floor. He pressed the button with the number five on it, but nothing happened. He realized that the elevator also accepted voice commands, so he said "fifth floor" and the elevator started moving. He felt a slight sensation in his stomach as he went up.

He stepped out of the elevator and looked around. He saw signs above the doors that indicated the rooms: staff room, counselor, teacher's cafeteria, etc. He followed the sign that said principal's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in," a female voice said softly from the other side of the door. He opened it and entered. He saw a young woman with short purple hair sitting behind a desk. She had a friendly and welcoming aura, and she smiled when she saw him.

"You're from Captain Byakuya, right?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, standing upright.

"I'm Layla. That's Principal Layla, for you," she said.

She pointed at a small stool behind the door of her office, where a blue trouser and a white shirt with buttons and short sleeves were neatly folded. "There's your uniform. Welcome to Rakuzan," she said with a smile.

He bowed and thanked her. He picked up the uniform and held it in his arms.

"You should head to your class. I'm placing you in class 8-C. Depending on how you perform in your entrance tests, you may be moved to a higher or lower class. For your type, the tests are both physical and intellectual. Good luck," she winked at him.

He nodded and turned to leave. As he was leaving, he bumped into someone. He recognized him by his scent. It was Byakuya. He looked surprised to see him.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Byakuya asked.

"I came to see the principal. She gave me my uniform," he said, showing him the clothes.

"Ah, I see. I thought you would've taken care of that already," Byakuya said.

"Well, I came to talk to her about something. Wait for me outside, okay?" He added.

Ryder nodded and stepped outside. He closed the door behind him, but he was curious about what Byakuya wanted to talk to the principal about. He tried to eavesdrop by pressing his ear against the door, but he couldn't hear anything.

He gave up and waited for Byakuya to come out. He came out three minutes later and escorted him to his class. He didn't tell him what he had talked to the principal about.

"So, how do you like Rakuzan so far?" Byakuya asked him as they walked.

"It's amazing. It's so big and beautiful. I've never seen anything like it," he said.

"I'm glad you like it. It's one of the best schools in Astrovia."

"You'll learn a lot here, not just academically, but also physically and mentally. You'll meet a lot of people, too. Some of them will be your friends, some of them will be your enemies, and some of them will be your rivals," Byakuya said.

"You'll have to be careful, though. Not everyone here is nice. Some of them will try to hurt you, or use you, or manipulate you."

"You'll have to be strong, and smart, and brave. Trust your instincts, and your abilities, and your allies."

"Be yourself, and not let anyone change you. Do you understand?" Byakuya concluded.

He nodded. He understood, but he was also scared. He didn't know if he could handle all of that. He didn't know if he was ready for it.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine. Just be yourself," Byakuya said, sensing his fear.

They reached his class. He opened the door and everyone turned their gaze towards him. The focus of their eyes was not on him, but rather, the figure behind him, Byakuya. He felt a surge of nervousness and embarrassment.

Byakuya gave him a slight gentle push into the classroom. He whispered in his ear, "Don't worry, you'll be fine. Just be yourself."

"Oh, I almost forgot," he turned around and gave Byakuya his badge. He had forgotten that he still had it in his pocket. The whispers grew louder after he did this. He realized that he had just done something that made him stand out even more. He wished he could disappear.

He scanned the classroom for a vacant seat and he found one at the back. It was the perfect spot for him, as he liked to be away from the crowd. But that perfection was ruined by the level of attention he had already attracted.

As he got close to the seat he picked, he noticed the boy he saw earlier at the entrance, while the guards were interrogating him, sitting to the right of his. The boy had black spiky hair and a gentle voice. The seat on the left was empty. They were still expecting more students.

While they waited, everyone chatted with each other, making friends and bonding. He, on the other hand, kept to himself. He didn't know how to start conversations, and he was shy.

He sat down on his seat and put his bag on the desk. He looked at the boy next to him. The boy looked at him, too. He smiled and extended his hand.

"Hi, I'm Silver. Nice to meet you," the boy said.

He hesitated for a moment, then shook his hand.

"Hi, I'm Ryder. Nice to meet you, too," he said.

"So, you're Captain Byakuya's little brother, huh? That's pretty cool. How is he like?" Silver asked.

"He's... he's nice. He's kind. He's strong. He's smart," Ryder answered.

"I see. He sounds like a great brother. I don't have any siblings, so I don't know what it's like," Silver smiled.

"But I have some good friends, and they're like family to me. Maybe you'll make some good friends here, too. Maybe we can be friends,"

"Maybe," Ryder replied.

They continued to talk for a while, until they were interrupted by three figures who stepped into the classroom. They were all wearing Rakuzan uniforms, indicating that they were students. Their uniforms, however, consisted of a blue jacket with long sleeves, a white top underneath, and a black trouser, which meant they were high school students. They were their seniors.

Everyone fell silent and turned their gaze towards the three seniors, two guys and a girl in between them. The boy on the left was of average height and had short dark hair which covered his eyes. The other boy was a bit taller than the rest of them.

He had a wild smile and hair dyed orange. The girl in their middle had long silver hair that matched the color of her eyes, and she had a bright smile to go with it.

"Good day, everyone. I know some of you might be wondering who I am. My name is Olivia, and I am the current President of Rakuzan's Middle and High School Student Council. It is an honor to stand before you," the girl said, and bowed for a few seconds, then rose to continue.

They learned from Olivia, the student council president, that class 8 was special. It was where they could train their powers, if they had any. They could choose between special classes and normal classes, or both.

Ryder wondered what the special classes were like. He listened to his classmates' questions, but he didn't ask any. He already knew most of the answers from studying in the library at the castle.

He watched Olivia and her two friends, Leo and Max, talk to the students. They were friendly and enthusiastic. They made everyone feel welcome and excited.

"Hey, you're Ryder, right?" Olivia approached him. "I saw you with Captain Byakuya. He's your brother, right?"

"Y... Yeah," Ryder nodded. He felt nervous.

"That's amazing. He's a legend here. He's practically the leader of the Vanguard. He's also one of the strongest and smartest people in the world. He's one of my two idols. How is he like?" Olivia asked.

"He's Calm, kind, and strong," Ryder replied.

Olivia nodded. She sensed his discomfort.

"I see. Well, I'm glad you're here. Rakuzan is a great place to learn and grow. You'll have a lot of opportunities and challenges here."

"You'll also have a lot of fun. I hope you'll enjoy your time here. And if you ever need anything, you can always come to me. I'm here to help you," Olivia said.

She smiled and moved on to the next student.

A man entered the class. He was tall and slender, with brown hair. He was wearing a pair of glasses and a brown fitted suit. He had an aura of authority and strictness. He looked at Olivia and her friends.

Olivia and her friends noticed his presence and knew it was their cue to leave.

"Good morning, sir," they said and bowed before leaving the class.

His voice was low and deep. It echoed through the classroom. It pierced their souls.

"Good morning, class. Welcome to your beginning."

The classroom fell silent as they stared at him.