Chapter II: The new boy

Byron Howard was born in America, his parents worked in multinational companies, they maintained an enviable economic stability, Byron had an older brother, Daniel, the pride of his parents, and why his family neglected him.

When he was a child he envied him, the attention of those who gave him life was something he always craved, but his brother Daniel was never cruel or mean to him, he was kind, playful and very funny, he considered him his best friend. the.

Always studious, a born athlete and attractive to girls, people in his city always raved about him, Byron followed in his footsteps with success, people also raved about him, how handsome he was, his superior intelligence and physical abilities. remarkable for his age, but the stigma of being compared to his brother never left him alone.

Byron wanted to ignore that his achievements would never be seen as something that he had achieved with effort, it hurt him that people always said: "He is the same as his brother, although he needs to improve more" "You can tell that he is Daniel's brother, both they are identical" "It is good to see what he wants to be like his brother", it was not his brother's fault, people only wanted to see in Byron something that would make him look like Daniel, he would always be the copy or the inferior version of him, the minor he had accepted it when he decided to follow in his older brother's footsteps, he had focused on being recognized, he was waiting for the day when his achievements stood out more than his brother, and they would finally value him. But he knew that it would never happen, every day he realized, when he looked in the mirror he did not see someone superior to Daniel Howard, he saw Byron, a boy with insecurities about whether his achievements were his or just a copy of his brother, was afraid to give up the image he had built for himself to be something he didn't even know existed.

Could Byron Howard be a better person than Daniel Howard? The question terrified him.

One day, in his room, while thinking about how to improve his skills in class, he received news from his parents, they would leave the country, create a new life in another place with new opportunities. The feeling that went through his body was confusing, but he was sure of something.

He didn't want to leave.

It was a pity that he had clung to not being someone, his parents did not take his opinion into account, they only criticized him and expected him to always be the best. His brother, on the other hand, was excited, he wanted to go to a new place and have new experiences.

With all their things ready, they traveled to the other side of the ocean, in an industrial city that was known in Japan.

Misaki, a prosperous place located a few kilometers from the coast, with a rich land, with forests surrounding it and one of the most beautiful beaches in the country, although restricted to the upper social classes.

Its cultural influence was very striking, the American features together with the delicate Japanese style gave the feeling of a fantasy metropolis, with temples on the hills, well-ordered streets, buildings with bright signs, places of entertainment and leisure, as well as districts of houses. urban with small backyards with cherry trees, apples, oranges and more, it was a beautiful place to live, at least on the surface. With two official languages, English and Japanese, they had a high level of tourism, although this decreased or increased at certain times.

For Byron, the city was beautiful, he recognized that although he did not want to come, the place was perfect to live comfortably, although he still felt dissatisfied.

Just a few days after returning, he was told that he would be studying at a prestigious institute in District B, one that housed 5,000 students each year, graduating thousands all the time. It didn't sound bad, he hoped that in this new place something would change in his desire to be better than his brother. They gave him a tour of the entire building and he signed up when they finished receiving him.

His brother Daniel his was still the same, he was happy even in another place, but Byron never thought that he would find something that was beyond his imagination.

A girl with blond hair and blue eyes was looking at him with a gleam of surprise, Byron never thought to see in someone else that feeling that he was just like him.

Without realizing it he squeezed one of his fingers suspiciously, he was worried that he had been discovered, but he was also excited, he finally felt that he could find answers to some doubts he had had.

"She must be like me, I have to get closer somehow"

Although the idea of ​​talking to him was vague, the boy's desire was clear, he had to try.

"My name is Howard, Byron Howard, I hope to get along with everyone" he said with a sincere smile, winking, he looked away from the girl who was looking at him and checked everyone's expressions trying to find something different in another person, but the feeling only arose when that girl had seen him.

"My first goal will be to talk to her" thought the boy walking to the place that indicated his teacher, although Byron felt strange around him, he still kept up appearances.

"The others seem to be used to having such an extravagant teacher, in America having such a strange man would be worthy of suspicion" the boy's thoughts differed from what his classmates thought of Professor Fomu, for them it was not bad to have such a marked personality , although they internally accepted that it caused them discomfort at times.

After the short presentation the class went smoothly.

Byron avoided looking at Midory to arouse suspicion and the girl did the same looking to calm what she felt.

The bad feeling about her remained for a long time.

A few hours later the break bell rang and the curious students chatted with their new classmate, Midory taking the opportunity to sneak out onto the roof.

"Midory I'm going to the cafeteria, can I get you something?" Sunimi asked knowing her friend's habits

"No thanks" answered the blonde without looking back. Sunimi just nodded walking with her friends to the cafeteria

Meanwhile, Byron politely answered the questions they asked him, having a sharp ear he listened to the conversation of a black-haired girl and the blue-eyed girl, finally knowing his name.

After a while of talking Byron apologized to most saying that he had to go to the bathroom, some offered to accompany him thinking that maybe he did not know, but he politely declined the offer assuring that they had given him a tour when he had left. registered.

Byron knew where Midory had gone.

"The roof" he thought with a smile and walked towards the stairs, people looked at him curiously but they didn't approach him, they thought the boy was new and they didn't want to bother him, they saw him go up the stairs to the second floor and they let him be, surely he was going to see someone from the older grades.

Arriving at the second floor, he waited a few moments for some students to walk past him and he continued on to the third floor while everyone was talking and joking with each other.

Walking slowly towards the roof, he thought about how to start a conversation with that girl, thinking that maybe she would get scared if she didn't address the problem well, understanding that complication she was already regretting having gone, but it was too late.

He was in a space with a gray sky and bars around it, it was the roof.

With a glance he noticed the girl from behind observing the landscape near the edges, she was holding on to the metal wires in a kind of concentration. Suddenly Midory felt the presence of someone and turned around with a look that conveyed nothing.

Byron smiled instinctively not knowing what to say, his mind had gone blank.

Next Chapter: We are equal.