Chapter 2: The First Day of School - Part 1

Damn, why did I wake up so early? I was supposed to wake up at seven, but I woke up at six in the morning.

Wait, maybe it's because I went to sleep early last night or I'm just not used to the timezone over here.

I should get ready; I have my uniform already. I know what Ayano said, but I'm still really nervous about actually going to school.

On the other hand, I'm also excited. I wonder what's so different about Japanese schooling than American schooling.

I usually get up at six and take a shower, then I go dress myself and get to the kitchen to make myself something to eat.

Finally, I brush my teeth after I eat because I hate the taste of stuff when I brush my teeth before eating.

I don't even know how to get to school from where I'm located. Maybe I should use my GPS app on my phone to get there.

***

"Hey! Want some toast?" Mom asked while cooking up some eggs on the frying pan in the kitchen.

"Sure, but aren't you supposed to be at work?" I replied, giving myself a seat at the dining table.

"Well, I have to start working next week because of something in the system since we're new to the country."

"By the way, did you figure out a way to get to school? I can't exactly take you there," she asked.

"Yeah, I'm probably going to be walking there or taking the train." I responded.

"Here, take some yen. I'm pretty sure you'll need to for lunch and the train there and back home," she insists while already handing me the money.

"Oh, thanks, Mom!" I smiled.

"Here, don't burn yourself! I just took it out of the toaster." Mom was worried about putting the toast on my plate; she had handed it to me without my noticing.

This is really good! The flavor of the bread is overwhelming!

"It's delicious!"

"Here! I made this bento for you; I know a common lunch over here is this. So enjoy it at lunch!"

Wow, I've never seen a Bento Box before in my life; in anime's, I've seen them, but not in person at all, nor has it ever been made for me before.

"Okay, I'm heading out now!" I shouted while dashing towards the front door to grab my shoes to put on.

"Okay! Have a good day at school!" Mom shouts with a big smile on her face.

Part 2

Okay, my phone is telling me to take the Ginza line.

Why are there two of them?

"Hey, are you the new transfer student?" A girl's voice asked from my right.

"Yeah, how do you know?" I responded while confused.

"Well, you're wearing a second-year uniform, and my homeroom teacher was talking about a boy coming in from outside Japan," she explained while making eye contact with me.

Her eyes. It feels like I could just look at them all day. They're so beautiful, as is her long black hair.

"Are you okay?" she asked while looking straight into my eyes.

"O-Oh! Yeah, I'm fine."

"I'm just confused on how to get to the school; it's confusing because most of the signs in the train station are mixed with Japanese and English." I explained with my hand on the back of my head.

"Oh! Just follow me; I'm heading there right now."

Her English is spot-on. And her accent isn't showing that much. That's really impressive for a Japanese student who's in high school.

"It's really packed! I can barely fit between these people!" I shouted through the loud noises of trains passing and people chattering.

"Here, I need you to see where the platform is for me since you're tall!" she shouted while pointing.

"Alright!"

Ginza Line... Ginza Line... Got it!

"It's over there, and it seems like people are already waiting for the train to come!"

"Okay, let's head over there!" she shouted in a joyful way.

***

"Phew, we got out of that crowd." I commented while taking a seat on the bench.

"Yeah, that was really bad. It's usually like that most of the time," she added.

"How come?" I asked with a curious face expression.

"Mostly students, workers, and normal civilians use the trains rather than cars because it's so much easier to get around on."

"Then, in times like this, it's usually packed because it's the morning," she explained.

"Oh! That makes sense!" I blurted.

"By the way, I didn't catch your name." I muttered.

"It's Nakamura; over here, we use last names for people we aren't very close to."

"Well, my name is Martinez!" I shouted with a serious face.

"You're funny! Smile a bit more!" Nakamura chuckles while having a wide smile on her face and blushing.

"Sorry, I'm still trying to get used to stuff over here."

"It's okay; you're doing good for now! Trust me, once you get used to living here for a while, you'll be better at it." she responded.

***

"Wow! The school is bigger than I was expecting." I shouted while being amazed.

"Well, what did you expect? It's Tokyo, not the countryside!" Nakamura commented.

"Well, I'm going my own way! I have other stuff I need to attend to before class starts! Head to Class 2-B!" She shouts while running towards the side of the school.

"Okay! See you later!" I responded.

But, seriously, this school looks so much different than schools in America. First, the atmosphere is way different, as is just how the streets and layout are set. It's crazy, but I still feel nervous about going to school. Knowing that I know someone in class now kind of makes me less nervous, though.

Well, I'm not going to run, so let's start the day.

Part 3

Class 2-B...

Wait, this is 2-C, so my homeroom class should be down the hall.

"Martinez, over here!" Nakamura shouted from the homeroom class.

"The bell is about to ring!"

***

"Class, this is Alex Martinez. He is a transfer student from America. He will be joining us this year in school," the teacher explained while having me next to her.

"Martinez doesn't know any Japanese, so I will be asking for someone to guide him through his time here."

"Does anyone know English and is willing to teach him Japanese?"

I can't understand a thing the teacher is even saying, except for the part that includes my name. This is pathetic; I'm going to be treated like an outsider.

"I can help him out!"

"Nakamura? I didn't know you knew English," the teacher responded.

"Yeah, I wanted to continue learning English more, so I kept learning from class." Nakamura explained.

Nakamura is going to teach me. But we barely even know each other.

"Nakamura, it's going to be hard for you." I blurted out.

"Look, I got this! I want to help you out; I can tell you're a nice guy to be around with." Nakamura told me in English while smiling.

"I think Nakamura likes him," a girl gossips quietly to a student next to her in Japanese.

"Okay," I muttered.

I feel like I'm going to piss myself; everyone is staring at me as if I were a creature. There are people whispering to each other. I hate being upfront like this!

"You can go take a seat next to Nakamura in the back of the classroom." The teacher pointed towards the back.

I think she wants me to go sit with Nakamura.

Okay, people finally stopped paying attention to me; that was truly embarrassing for me.

"Hey, you good?" Nakamura asked me in English.

"Uh yeah, why?"

"Well, you were looking really nervous up there; I mean, I would too, so I wouldn't blame you at all."

"I was kind of nervous up there."

More like beyond nervous! I was going to die up there!

"Hey, I can show you around the school. I'm pretty sure you don't know where our next classes are, so I'll bring you with me." Nakamura suggested it with that same memorable smile she has on all the time.

"Will you actually do that?" I asked.

"Of course, why would I leave a person I'm supposed to be looking after like that?"

"Thanks for helping me." I smiled back.

Nakamura, she's so kind. Even from the train station until now, she keeps doing things people wouldn't do for me ever in my life. Her smile—it's so cute.

Wait, why am I paying attention to details about her like that? It's not like she likes me! I should be focusing on school instead of that type of stuff!

NEXT: FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL - PART 2