Ch 5 - The First Day Pt. 2

We made our way to A-2B. She closed the door and locked it, making sure us 2 had the privacy we needed. We sat down facing each other.

"I'm glad you made some friends, and what's more, you got 12 of them right off the bat! 13, rather!"

I kinda looked away. My eyes almost landed on her chest, so I had to divert it to one of the tables in the room.

"If you're talking about Subaru, it's only 'cause she's a tomboy..."

She giggled.

"Look, I know you have some trust issues with women. Maybe you don't trust me that much either."

"W-Well, Akina-sensei, you're our teacher, so I do need to trust you..." I scratched my head.

"I see. I'm glad you trust me, but Shiro-kun..."

She held my hands, and raised it up.

"Can you promise that you'll soon get along with the girls? I don't want you to be that lonely kid in class."

I looked down.

"...I won't promise anything, Akina-sensei, but I'll try."

She released my hands, and clapped her hands together.

"I'm happy!"

She looked at me in the eyes with a huge smile.

"Eat your snack now. Snack time's almost over, by the way. It'll end at 10:40 AM. Just put your trash in the trash bin. Don't worry, I won't look if it makes you uncomfortable to see what's under your mask."

"Ah, h-hai."

'I see...40 minutes for snack time...That's prolly long enough.'

Akina-sensei turned around, facing her back towards me, and I quickly unpacked my sandwich, and got my mask off. I took a big munch on my sandwich as my stomach lowkey growled, and....

'...Mmm.~ This is the shit, yo.' I thought to myself as I faced upwards.

~~Akina-sensei's POV~~

I kept on with the smile, but it was short-lived after I faced my back towards Shiro.

"..." I recalled what Yagoo told me earlier when he whispered some things into my ear.

"1st: Don't mind Shiro if he doesn't pay attention to class. He'll have a tendency to write lyrics whenever, so let him be. He's smart too, so he'll pay attention anyway when it counts for it. 2nd: Make sure to let him have friends. It's been tough on him since his past life, so please treat him with kindness. I don't want him to be that loner guy, especially knowing he doesn't look at girls the same way as before now."

'I may not know his past, but I'll do my best to at least make him happy! I want to be stuck in his memories as an unforgettable teacher!' I thought.

~~Shiro's POV~~

"Nom...nom…" I finished the whole sandwich, and made sure to chew it nicely before swallowing.

I put my mask up to my nose again, and said "Okay. I'm done. You can look this way now, Akina-sensei."

She finally faced me and still kept on with the smile.

"How was it?" She asked.

"It was a good snack. I expected it to be around average like those sandwiches you buy off of stores, but this was actually…"

I crumpled the pack and threw it in the trash can in the far left corner of the classroom.

"Tasty. Like it has a distinct taste from those other sandwiches I would usually buy in stores."

"I know, right? Tanigo-san did a good job in hiring staff members!" She said as she stood up and went to the door to unlock it.

'Ah yeah. You need to unlock that. It'd cause some "misunderstandings" if the students find that the room is locked with a male student and a teacher with big "personalites"...oh, boner, stay the fuck down. YOU STAY DOWN.'

I went to my seat, resting my middle finger on my forehead with a tick on my head, and by the time I sat down, the girls went inside the classroom.

I got my notebook, and I scanned the lyrics real quick.

"Alright, where was I...? Oh yes, the 'goner' rhyme scheme."

"Right! Let's continue where we left off, everybody! Just a quick closure for our lesson." Akina-sensei said.

"Hai!" The girls said.

Akina-sensei started recapping everything in the lesson, from the types of rhymes, the history of it, methods in coming up with rhymes if we happen to have a bit of writer's block, and just a bit more advice in rhymes.

"Do you all remember what I said before you all went for snack time in the cafeteria?" Akina-sensei asked.

We all nodded.

"The concise version of that was: Message before rhymes. Of course, rhymes are nice to hear, and plus that's basically essential to a song. However! A song is supposed to be poetry mixed with music, right? And there's no point in making all these rhymes if you can't even express your real thoughts and feelings through poetry. So remember, everybody. Message before rhymes!" Akina-sensei clapped her hands together.

"Hai!" Everybody said.

"Well then. I guess before you all go to your dancing lessons, maybe some of the Hololivers here have some advice for all of you. Sora-chan? Do you have any advice to give?" Akina-sensei asked.

"Hmm...well…" Sora said as she stood up from her chair and turned towards us.

"All I can say guys is to not give up on your dreams! No matter how hard it is, even if it looks impossible, we have the power to make the impossible possible! Hololive wouldn't be here right now if we never worked hard for it!"

"Mhmm. That's correct! Actually, Sora-chan and her genmates has gone through so many challenges that if it were somebody else, they might've given up. Even Sui-chan almost thought of quitting at one point. But hey, look at Hololive now! It's gotten a solid foundation, and everybody here has become successful! Well, Shiro-kun hasn't reached that point yet, but he will reach that at one point!" Akina-sensei said.

Everybody giggled and clapped at Sora's advice.

"Alright! Well, Sui-chan? Rushia-chan? Do you two have any advice to give?" Akina-sensei asked.

"Well...I think Sora-senpai said what I would've said." Rushia giggled.

"Yeah, same here." Suisei giggled.

Akina-sensei finally looked at me.

"Shiro-kun, what about you?" She asked.

"Heh...well, I do have some advice to give." I said as I stood up.

I looked at everybody, seeing if they all paid attention to me, which they did. They all looked at me.

"So...who here sings at a decent level? I don't want anybody who's as good as Suisei, nor as bad as me in singing. I want somebody here who's at least better at singing than the average singer."

I looked around, seeing if anybody would raise their hand.

"...M-Me!" A girl said.

"Oh? What's your name again? Yuuna, or something?" I asked as everybody looked at her.

"M-My name is Miyasaki Yua! Please call me Yua!"

"Alright, Yua-chan....you sing better than average, right?"

She nodded.

"Now, tell me...how do you practice singing?"

"U-Um...I just practice...?" She tilted her head.

I giggled a bit.

"Lemme elaborate more. What method do you use when you practice singing?"

"E-Eh...? Method...?"

"Like...do you actually 'practice'?" I quoted with my hand.

"Or...do you just pull up any songs you just like and sing it over and over again, hoping you can sound like them? Be honest here. I wanna really give this word of advice of mine."

Everybody "oh'd" at what I said earlier. I think their mind got opened up a bit. Even Akina-sensei. Well, this is exciting as hell...!

"W-Well...I do practice stuff like scales, but for the most part, I did what you said. Pull up random songs."

"Do you have any weaknesses in your singing? Like, do you have bad breath control? A limited vocal range? Falsetto problems?"

"Well...I do have some trouble with sustaining long notes, and I also do have some trouble with my vocal range. Not that it's too limited, but I want to be able to sing higher notes!"

"Well, if that's the case…"

I looked at everybody.

"Here's my advice for you all. Don't practice in general. Practice your weaknesses. That may sound simple at first, and you guys might think 'Well, Shiro-kun. We do practice our weaknesses. What are you talking about?' But here's the thing…"

I looked at Yua again.

"Do you practice widening your vocal range?"

"Y-Yes! I do!"

"Well, lemme ask you. When you practice that...do you actually have a method for that? Or do you just do a simple warm-up, then pick a song that has higher notes than your voice can handle?"

"W-Well, I do warm up my voice, but I would usually just practice the higher notes, then test it out on the songs, and slowly work my way until I can reach it."

"When you do that, do you allow yourself to 'bail' out of that and practice something you're comfortable with? Like, do you do a high note and then drop your voice down cause you 'can't' do it?"

Everybody's eyes widened more here and I chuckled.

'Oh yes, everybody here is getting an epiphany.'

"I-I do! I try to lower my voice by an octave lower to make singing easier!"

"Well, I guess that's enough questions to ask, Yua-chan. Everybody clap for her." I said.

Everybody clapped and she sat down while holding her face. She's probably embarrassed, seeing her smile quite widely and looking away.

"Well, lemme tell you guys about my past experience, everybody. I'm a rapper, right? And one skill that rappers need is the ability to do freestyle raps. There's this one technique called 'Setup, Punchline', where we say one line, then say another line, but the latter is a clever line. A simple example would be…"

"Ore ga ningen janai. Inu no you dayo. (I'm not human. I'm like a dog.)"

"Korone janai, demo anata no yubi kamou. (I'm not Korone, but I'mma bite your fingers.)"

"You all get it, right?"

They all nodded.

"Then I have to do the same thing, thinking of clever punchlines over and over again, for as long as I could. But I would NEVER bail out. I would either complete the two lines, or I'll just stop and rest for a bit. But I will NEVER 'bail out' and do something I'm more comfortable with if I can't achieve it. You all get it?"

"...AH! SOU KA!" They all said, except Akina-sensei.

"See? In Yua's example, she would 'bail out' and sing lower pitches to sing the same thing but in a more manageable vocal range. Now, I do know how hard it is to practice vocal ranges. Being a beginner singer myself. Matter of fact, I probably am one to talk, nitpicking on Yua's singing practice, but…" I chuckled.

I looked at Yua.

"Yua-chan, next time, try not to bail out. Either accomplish widening your vocal range, or just stop and take a break. NEVER bail out and do something you're comfortable with if you can't do what you're aiming for. Of course, reinforcing what you learned is good so that you can achieve better mastery, but we're trying to practice something we're learning! We're 'focusing on mistakes', and we're striving to get better on ONE THING, right? That's all I can say for my word of advice. Practice, and don't bail out to something more comfortable!"

Everybody clapped, and even Akina-sensei.

"Eh?! I didn't know Shiro-kun actually holds that much knowledge…" I heard a classmate of mine say.

"Man, even though he doesn't like girls, he still went through the trouble of teaching us that."

"I'm seeing 'practice' in a whole different light now!"

"I never thought I'd see a student of mine that is good at teaching! And not only that, but also knows the same thing as me!" Akina-sensei said.

She looked at me.

"Shiro-kun, when did you discover this?"

"Hmm...around 15 years old."

"Eh?! You learned that at such a young age!"

"Oh, please. I wish I learned that when I was 13." I chuckled.

"Well, everybody, give applause to Shiro-kun for amazing us once again!" She said as she clapped.

"AH-" I said before cutting myself out and everybody clapped.

'...ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!' I blushed.

"Grr...! Stop, please…" I blushed and closed my eyes while leaning on my table.

"Wow...I should've discovered that years ago. I would've improved so much if I knew that…" Suisei said.

'Suisei, no offense, but you're speaking utter gibberish. Your voice is hella amazing.' I deadpanned away from her.

"Alright! That's enough, class! It's almost time for dancing lessons. Since you all specialize in being idols, I'll give you all one piece of homework!"

"Aww!" The class said in annoyance.

"Don't worry. It's not hard. You can even copy the melody of known songs, but here's your homework for today. Write 8 bars of any topic. If you decide to copy a song, then feel free to do so! All that matters is that you can sing 8 bars. The Hololivers, like last year, shall be free from homework."

"Eh...?" The girls said.

Suisei giggled at them, and I also saw Rushia and Sora giggling from it too. I chuckled.

"Well, the deadline is tomorrow morning. Don't feel pressured though. Whoever is ready can recite. Whoever isn't can still write lyrics until lunchtime. I expect to hear your beautiful melodies and nice lyrics."

"Hai!" We said.

"Well, everybody. Please follow me to the building where you all shall practice. Bring your bags if you want!"

We stood up, and got our bags. I put my pen in my pocket, and we followed Akina-sensei.

As we went to the building, there were students that went out of their own buildings too. I estimate about the same number as us. Roughly 30.

"Ooh? Wonder who they are?" I mumbled.

We finally got inside the building for dancing class, and we were shocked to see the inside.

"Simple and white, but spacious..." I mumbled.

Despite the emptiness, it feels ironically lively.

"Well, minna-san, this is where you will learn dancing! I've still got more classes to teach. Take care!" She waved.

"Hai, Akina-sensei!"

So Akina-sensei is our songwriting teacher. Makes sense.

I looked at the 2 women in front of me. One was a woman, but the 2nd teacher was a tomboy. The 1st teacher wore a dri-fit shirt, but the tomboy wore an...oversized crop top.

"Ohayou, minna-san. My name is Hayakawa Shiori. Please call me Shiori-sensei!" She said as she put her hand on her chest.

'....Dekai. (Big).' We all thought.

"Hello, Shiori-sensei!" Everybody said except for me.

Shiori-sensei looked at me.

"Shiro-kun, this is gonna be the teacher that'll teach you Holostar members exclusively." She said as she pointed with her palm.

"Yo. My name's Kono Akame. Pleased to meet you, Ishijin Shiro. Call me Akame-sensei, please."

"H-Hai."

"Well, everybody. Are you ready to learn some dancing?" Shiori-sensei asked.

"Yes!"

"Well, let's get started! First, go into your changing rooms."

"Hai!" The girls said.

"Hai." I said.

We went into our changing rooms. I was the only one in the boys' changing room.

I went to a locker labeled "Shiro"

"Huh, this school keeps on surprising me."

Every locker has a name to it. I opened my locker, and I saw my outfit.

"...What the hell-"

There's obviously a shirt, and there's also pants here, and even a brief, but...a mask...? When did this get here?

"Welp, I ain't complaining. Time to get dressed, I guess."

I got rid of my clothes, and changed into the dancing outfit, as well as wearing the brand new mask that came with my dancing outfit.

I then went outside, and I saw the girls dressed in an outfit similar to mine, yet theirs had an idol aesthetic to them. Mine, on the other hand, was more flashy.

"Yo, Shiro-kun."

I looked to my right, and Akame-sensei went up to me.

"Well, time to put on the big boy pants and learn some dance moves. Follow me."

I nodded.

I went with her, and I glanced at the girls. Their stares penetrated me, once again. At this point, I can't even tell why they keep looking at me. Misogyny? The advice I gave earlier? A Holostar member? Who knows?

I went into the room that was labeled 'Holostars' dancing studio', and it was air-conditioned, like those other rooms.

"Damn, it's bigger than I expected..." I said to myself.

The floor looked wooden, one side of the wall was just a wide mirror, there were a couple speakers around, and there also happened to be benches on one side of the wall. Not only that, but even the ceiling looks fancy. There were fancy curves, and that's also where the lights of the ceiling rested on. This is one hell of a studio.

"Never been into a dancing studio before?" She chuckled.

"Y-Yeah…"

"Anyway...time to start. I don't know your dancing background, but we're gonna go back to the basics, okay?"

I nodded.

"I mean, I can shuffle dance, but I never tried actual dancing like those choreographies." I said.

"Sou ka. Well, let's get going, Shiro-kun. Let's practice Turning Up by ARASHI."

"Hai, let's practice-wait, what? Turning Up? Basic-" I cut myself off and blinked twice.

"Trust me, it's simple. Now...let's go!" She said.

She taught me basic footwork, and basic arm movements. I like this kind of dancing, since it's not the waltz thingy, or the classical dances, but it's something that fits modern society, especially "idol" stuff.

I got footwork done quicker though, since shuffle dancing is all about footwork, but the arms did take some time. I'm stiff. This body was made for killing and strangling, not dancing.

"You look a bit awkward, extend your arms a bit more and act as if you're adding emotion. You also tend to not raise your arms that much. Remember, your arms are as important as your footwork. Try to also think of it as fighting. You don't do a weak jab, do you? Put a bit more force into your actions like your life depended on it! C'mon! Do the 'we got that something' part once more!"

"E-Eh? O-Okay." I sweat dropped at her last sentence.

I did what she told me to do. The 'shoulder shrugging', the arms in a running motion, and of course, the fancy footwork.

"...There we go. Let's go back to the start!"

"Hai!" I said.

We practiced more of the dance, from start to finish, and even completed the whole song in one go. Albeit there were a few mistakes made along the way, I apparently did a good job.

"I expected you to do more attempts, but you learn quick. You exceeded my expectations, Shiro-kun."

"Arigatou."

"Though, I'll admit. Your footwork is very good, really, but your upper body is a bit stiff. Let's try to recap and see what your weaknesses are, okay?"

"Yup. Let's see what needs improvement."

And for the 6th time, I heard Shiny Smily Story play on the outside.

"Don't mind them. Let's continue more and master the dance until you get everything down."

I nodded.

We danced more. I was getting more used to the movements, but gotta admit, this wears me down like the military training, except that this is less tiring than that, but it does require you to act like JPEGMAFIA everytime he goes on stage live.

"Hoowee! That was nice." She said as she took a sip of her water bottle while also wiping herself with her towel after our dancing session.

"Yeah...it was a nice training session." I said as I got my towel and wiped my face.

We went back out to the main area of the building. I was sweaty as hell, and Akame-sensei was too.

"Welcome back, Shiro-kun!" Shiori-sensei said.

"Y-Yeah..." I said.

"Well, was today fun for you all?" Shiori-sensei asked her students.

"Yes!" The girls said.

"He had a lot of fun too. He's quite a fast learner, not gonna lie." Akame-sensei giggled.

"My, he's a fast learner? Well, hopefully you can exceed our expectations, Shiro-kun!"

"Yup."

"So, we just taught you all how to individually dance. Tomorrow, we're gonna do groups. Don't worry, Shiro-kun. All of the Holostars, including you, will be taught by Akame-sensei here and there." Shiori-sensei said.

I nodded.

"Yeah, I'll be teaching you guys every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Afternoon time, of course, since you guys most likely have streams to do in the morning." Akame-sensei said.

"Dewa, let's go back to our normal clothes, okay?" Shiori-sensei said.

"Hai!"

"You don't have to worry about your current clothes. The staff will take care of it later." Akame-sensei said to the girls.

We went back to our places, and I changed back to my clothes, even my mask.

I went out, and I saw everybody standing near each other.

I just leaned against a wall that's not too far from everybody and from the entrance, and Akame-sensei and Shiori-sensei announced something.

"Alright, so we're gonna wait for your teacher. For now, you all can relax."

"Yatta!" The girls said.

I looked up, and thought of some lyrics right now.

'Killin' them like Krillin. In an instant, you're a goner. You barely stand a chance with a knife to a goner...like summer, every day that passes, I get hotter. You cannot take cover, ask Yagoo for your bothers…Okay, that "Yagoo" line is a bit weak. I'll think about that later.'

While I was thinking, my mind was also aware of my surroundings, so that meant I sorta eavesdropped at everybody's conversations.

"What's your inspiration?"

"Have you listened to Calli-chan's 'Off With Their Heads?'"

"Ne, what's your type of guy?"

"Ugh...'type of guy' is always a turn-off." I said to myself.

I swear to god, I find it hypocritical. Why talk about your type of guy when you 1: Fall in love with a guy that's the opposite, or 2: Even when you do find your type, you don't take action. It makes no sense.

"Hmm...to my surprise, snatching lives...no. To my surprise, all your lives got a couple minutes 'till your death arrives….hella nice...I'mma pop you fucking bitches-OOH! That's a nice line." I mumbled.

Man, my brain is quite active today. Thank you, brain. Writer's block can go stick a dildo up its ass.

"Minna?" I heard Akina-sensei's voice near the exit of the building.

"Ah! Akina-sensei!" The girls said.

I turned around and saw her.

"It seems everybody is good now! Shiori-sensei, can I take my students back?"

"Un!"

They giggled, and I sweat dropped.

'So these 2 are the friendliest teachers in the school, huh?' I thought.

Might be wrong, but I know these 2 for now.

"Well, everybody, follow me!" Akina-sensei said.

We followed her back to our classroom. When we arrived, we sat down, and Akina-sensei stood in front of the whole class.

"So, before you all go to the dorms this noon, I shall give you all the keys to your rooms."

She then got out some sort of crate and opened it. I saw a lot of keys on it. Especially seeing the keychains with numbers on it.

"Some of you might notice there are color-coded keys with a name on it. Those are for the Hololivers. The rest that are plain keys with numbers on it are for the normal students."

She got a couple keys inside the crate.

"Those in the front, can you please pass these to the ones in the back?"

"Hai!" The girls in the front said.

They got it, and passed it to us. One by one.

"Arigatou." I said to the girl who passed me my key.

She nodded a bit, and went back to her seat quickly.

I looked at my key. The keychain was white, and had "Shiro" written in black.

"Hmm..."

I looked at Suisei's. It was like a night sky, then a white plate with the name "Suisei" on it, written in black.

I looked back at Akina-sensei.

"So? Did you all get your keys now?"

We nodded.

"Shiro-kun, Sui-chan, Rushia-chan, Sora-chan, you got your keys, right?"

We nodded.

"Can you all please guide Shiro-kun to the dorms this noon? Tanigo-san told me to remind you 3. By the way, he said that Shiro-kun's room was beside Kira-kun's room, so if you can, please tell him where Kira-kun's room is as well."

The Hololive girls nodded, and I sweated a bit.

"Well, now that everybody is here, you can go to your dorms once the bell rings!"

"Hai!"

"In the meantime, I'd like to know my students more!"

She put her hands on the table.

"Shiro-kun, you're first!~" She said.

"What the-me?!" I said as I pointed at my nose while raising my voice's pitch a bit.

She nodded.

The girls looked at me, and whispered their own thoughts to each other.

"Man, Shiro-kun is really becoming her favorite quickly, isn't he?"

"Shiro-kun is being pampered right now..."

"I will admit, he does look kinda cute...."

I sweat dropped a bit.

"Now 2x, I love everybody in the class, but..." Akina-sensei said.

She looked at me in the eyes, and I looked away a bit.

"I want him to socialize more!"

I blushed a bit and clenched my teeth.

"At least if you want me to socialize, don't force me..." I mumbled.

I stood up.

"So, what is it, Akina-sensei?"

"Mind telling us your favorite song?"

My face lit up a bit.

"Man, there are way too many to choose from..." I crossed my arms and closed my eyes.

'Juice WRLD, Harry Mack, XXXTentacion, Eminem, Biggie Smalls, Tupac, N.W.A, Rakim…'

"...Ooh, I got one in my head that I'd like to show."

I got my phone, and I played the intro part of the song while putting my volume high.

I played it, everyone listened to it, and I bopped my head to it.

"Ooh, that's a catchy song. What is it called?" Akina-sensei asked.

"Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD."

"It sounds nice to my ears actually. Reminds me a bit of Takayan. Except that this does use some autotune."

I then stopped the music and looked at Akina-sensei.

"Sounds nice, right? The production of the music is nice, the lyrics are good, the emotions are presented well, and-actually, lemme stop."

I put my phone back in my pocket.

"What is the song about?" She asked.

"Well...it's about how Juice broke up with his girlfriend, but still thinks about her."

"Ooh..." The girls said.

"Normally, people listen to their favorite songs 'cause they relate to it in some way. Have you ever gotten a girlfriend before?"

I jumped a bit.

"I-I rapped about that this morning. I did have 2 exes before, but I broke up with both of them, so..."

"Ah...that kinda sucks..." The girls said.

"....Does that mean you're single now, Shiro-kun?" Akina-sensei asked.

"Hmm? Of course it means I'm single."

"Hmm....sou ka, sou ka!"

....I looked at the whole classroom, and it seems some girls were gossiping. This time, I blushed a bit from their responses.

"Huh....he's single, huh?"

"I dunno....I mean, he's cute, but his attitude...."

"I'm not sure....I'll give it some time. He's just soooo my type."

'...Begone, thots.' I thought.

"Well, that's all, I guess." I said as I sat back down.

"W-Well, sorry for asking that insensitive question, Shiro-kun." Akina-sensei said.

"Nah, nah, it's okay, Akina-sensei. Don't mind it."

"Well, if Shiro-kun says so, then...you, Rushia-chan!"

I looked at her, and she stood up.

"It's very dear in my heart. It's Toy - Takayan."

She pulled it out, and played it for everyone. She skipped to the chorus, and some were vibing hard to it.

As I looked at her face while she's playing it, I could see her smile, but it looked...forced. I don't know if anybody, or maybe even Rushia, noticed it.

I scooched a bit closer to Suisei, looked at her, and signaled her to come closer. When she did, I cupped my hands on her left ear.

"Ne, Suisei, have you noticed anything odd about Rushia before I came here?"

"Hmm...not really, but I remember, about 4 months ago, she was sitting at a pier on a bench looking at the sun around the afternoon, which, if I remember correctly, was where she and her genmates went to one night. Why?"

"Nothing. Arigatou."

'Welp, now I socialized with Suisei. I am kinda curious as to how she knows that, but whatever.'

I leaned on the table with both of my arms. After a while, I heard Rushia stop the music, and I looked at her.

"I like this song a lot cause...I want to find a good relationship with a person, regardless if it's a girl or guy, but I can't seem to ever get it."

"Poor Rushia-chan..." The girls said.

She made a bittersweet smile, and I saw her true emotions there. That smile there is enough to let me know what she went through. It's not like a "NOBODY UNDERSTAND ME!" smile, but more of a "...I'm fine" kind of smile.

'Hmm...I wonder what's going on with her?'

I may be misogynistic, but I'm not a complete dick.

"I see. Everybody wants to fall in love at some point in time. How wonderful!" Akina-sensei said.

Akina-sensei started asking everybody about their likes, and after the last student she asked that answered Akina-sensei's question, the bell rang.

"What a surprise! The bell rang just in time! You all can now go to your dorms! Goodbye, everybody! Have a nice lunch! You, Hololivers, have a nice day! You 4 are free for the whole day, remember?"

"Hai! Goodbye, Akina-sensei!" The girls said.

'Hmm? We're free for the whole afternoon, huh...?' I thought.

I sighed and got my bag. I carried my sling bag and looped the shoulder strap around my left shoulder.

"S-Suisei, can you guide me to the dorms? Akina-sensei told you girls, so...."

She glared at me.

"Something's missing..." She crossed her arms.

"A-Ah...please?"

"Close...."

I sighed.

"...Suisei-senpai, can you please guide me to the dorms?"

"There we go. Seriously, you really do have a bad attitude, don't you? I thought you were lowkey a good guy, but uh...it seems you really are sorta bad-mouthed."

"Sorry, I'm just very bad-mannered. That's just for women, by the way..." I looked away.

"Aren't you taught good manners by your parents or something? Chivalry? Acting gentleman-like?"

I frowned, hearing the word "parents".

"...Y-Yeah...I guess I didn't listen well." I scratched my head and giggled a bit.

"Well, let's wait for Rushia and Sora-chan."

I nodded.

I looked at Sora and Rushia who are currently getting some stuff into their bags, and when they were done, Sora looked at me and waved. Suisei waved back at Sora but I just raised my hand a bit and lowered it again. Rushia and Sora finally approached us.

"Well, should we go now?" Sora asked happily.

We nodded.

"Shiro-kun, please stay close to us, okay?" Rushia said.

"Yeah yeah."

We then went to the dorms. Sora led us, and I stayed behind Rushia and Suisei.

For the most part, they talked with each other. I just stayed silent the whole way.

Our dorms were actually located in the middle of all the dorms. The dorms were located left and right. Right here in the middle is where the Hololive dorm is located.

When we went in, there were doors with the name of every Holostar member on the doors. I was assuming that one of the rooms that are vacant must be mine, but I didn't know which one was mine.

"Over there is the Holostars' rooms. You can see the name "Kagami Kira" on one of them. The room next to it that doesn't have a name is your room, okay?" Suisei said.

"Hai. Thanks." I said as I ran towards my room.

~~Suisei's POV~~

I sighed and pouted.

"Shiro-kun baka." I said as me, Sora, and Rushia kept walking to our own rooms upstairs.

"Well, don't mind him. I don't think he'd get along that easily with us anyway. Besides, Yagoo said so that he'd open up for himself." Sora said.

"Well, I guess if you say so. That guy has no respect anyway...!" I pouted more.

Seriously...we're dealing with a guy who has trust issues with women, AND is misogynistic! I feel like there's gonna be some sort of disbanding that's gonna happen, but who knows? That's just me.

But I know something... I think I hate him, and I think Yagoo's just being kind to him.

~~Shiro's POV~~

"Ooh…" I looked at the door beside Kira's room.

'So this is my room…'

I did notice something about all our rooms. It has some sort of metal plate with a handle on it at the side of our doors. I wondered what it was, but I'll check it later.

I was about to open my room's door since I already grabbed the doorknob, but then I heard a voice to my left.

"Yo!"

I looked to my left and saw a tiny girl with green hair...oh wait, that's not a girl. That's Kira.

"So Yagoo set us up as roommates, ey?" Kira said and giggled..

I chuckled.

"Yeah..."

"Well, I think our stuff is already inside our rooms, so...all we have to do is just set everything up!"

"Got it."

I see a couple more guys near the door of the Hololive dorm.

"Yo! It's Shiro!" Roberu said.

"Huh, so I was first here?"

"I don't think so. Some of them are probably in their rooms, and some of them went outside to eat lunch." Kira said.

"You wanna eat outside with us too?" Aruran asked me.

"Well, I'm not really sure. Since I'm gonna set up my stuff, you guys should probably go on without me."

"Eh? Really?" Kira asked.

I nodded.

"Just go on. I'll go eat lunch alone. Don't worry."

Kira looked at them and frowned a bit. Same went for the others as they went near us.

"You sure, man? I mean, we could wait." Aruran said.

"If you want to, you can eat with me. I got extra food in my lunchbox." Kira said.

"Hmm? You got extra food?"

He nodded.

"I cooked more than I should've, so...yeah." Kira scratched his head.

"Um...I'm not sure, Kira. For me to eat your food like that is kinda..."

"Don't worry about it! I'm the one offering you, so just give me the 'yes' and it's done!"

"Oh? You two are gonna eat together instead?" Izuru asked.

"Yup!" Kira said as he turned to them for a second before turning back towards me.

"So? Wanna eat in my room afterwards?"

~Author-kun: "eat in his room"~

I scratched my head, and sighed.

"Fine, but-"

"Yatta!" Kira said.

I sweat dropped from Kira's sudden outburst.

"Welp, I can't do anything about it." I giggled nervously.

I grabbed my room's doorknob and looked at the boys.

"See ya guys later!" I waved.

They nodded and waved too as they went off in the distance.

"Remember to come into my room for lunch after you're done!" Kira said as he held his door's doorknob.

I nodded, and entered my room the same time Kira entered his room.

I widened my eyes and looked at everything as my jaw slightly dropped.

"Woah…"

I closed my door, took my mask off and hung it on the door's hook, and checked everything.

"So...simplistic...and spacious..."

There's also some acoustic panels to reduce white noise, echoing, reverb, and noise itself. It was just enough. The bed looks comfy as hell and it also looks like it could fit 2 people if you two aren't massive. This room is hella nice! And the Hololivers have been living in this for a year? Damn...

"Hmm..." I held my chin.

I would've preferred it to have more acoustic panels. Then again, I did buy some acoustic panels for myself, so I could add more if I wanted to.

"Oh sweet! My stuff is here!" I saw some boxes at the side near my bed.

It was also nicely labeled. Knives, guns, fragile stuff, work stuff, and other stuff.

"Well, I guess it's time to set up everything."

I'll set up necessities. I'll set up the other things later.

"Wait a minute...I just realized..."

Does that mean the others have to set up theirs too?

"Well, I'll see later on when I go into Kira's room."

I put my guns and knives underneath my bed (and my special pornos), since they both are in crates, and they're labeled too. I set some books on the bookshelves, along with other stuff, and I set my other miscellaneous stuff in a box for now.

I also set up my laptop and my computer on the desk. I didn't do the wiring yet. I just positioned everything so that I can wire this later. I also set up my instruments like my bass, guitar, and MIDI keyboard.

"Well, that's done." I wiped my forehead.

I undressed my top, and changed into an extra shirt. I made sure to hang my uniform on another hook.

"So, I guess this is my life now." I said.

'I gotta do my best when I make my debut. Cause let's face it, Holostars is really underrated. I'm their hope now if I want to show everybody what Holostars is really all about. These boys deserve the love too.'

I then got my mask that I hung on the door, and went in front of Kira's room.

"Kira?" I said through the door.

I heard footsteps, and the door opened wide as I saw a short happy Kira in a...cute ponytail. He wore a white shirt, and a green short.

"Shiro! Come in!"

"H-Hai."

I stepped in, making sure to get rid of my shoes and only have socks on.

"Why're you still wearing pants?" Kira asked.

"Just a preference, and also 'cause I'm gonna take a shower later."

"Just to be clear, you do know there's no classes for us anymore, right? We're only going to have lessons, and even then, it'll happen at fixed schedules."

"Yup." I said.

Kira finally sat down and before I was able to take a seat, he asked me something.

"Um...Shiro-kun?" He said with a slight frown.

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

"Well, since we're gonna be eating, you'll need to take off your mask. Maybe you're okay with it? I mean, I don't wanna force you, just that...you know...it's us two here, and I was wondering if you're comfortable enough for that..."

"Hmm….I'm sorry, Kira, but I think I'll show it soon enough...maybe tomorrow? Who knows? I just need to find the right time." I said as I patted his head.

He blushed a bit and also made a slight sound.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"N-Nothing..."

I sat near him, and he opened his lunch box up. I was amazed, and my stomach couldn't help growling a bit.

"It smells amazing..."

If I could, I would take my mask off in front of him and just smell it all day...

"I know, right? My food is very good, I tell you!"

I gulped.

"I-Is it time to eat now...?" I asked.

"Yup! Let me get an additional plate for you!"

"A-Ah, I can get one myself!"

"Nope! You're the guest! it's my job to make you feel welcome!"

I heard dishes clanking each other, and sighed a bit.

"H-Hai…" I said as I lowered my head.

I was given chopsticks, and a plate. I don't mind, since I can eat with both chopsticks and spoons and forks.

"Don't hold back! This is why I invited you over! Eat to your heart's content!"

"O-Okay..."

We both put our hands together and prayed.

"Itadakimasu."

I got some food on my plate, and once that was done, I looked at Kira.

"Mind if I face my back towards you?" I asked.

"Hmm? Let's switch places!" Kira said.

"A-Ah, please don't mind. You've done a lot for me. Besides, I'm used to eating like this..." I said as I turned the chair and faced my back towards him.

...

...

The memory of the night sky being pitch black as crickets chirp all around us while the campfire is being lit fills my mind. The MREs that we ate, me and my mom talking with each other, along with Subaru and my other pals, and just chilling overall...gave me a slight bittersweet smile.

I took my mask off, and put it in my pocket.

"Time to eat!" I said happily and grabbed my chopsticks as I clacked it together.

~~Kira's POV~~

I kinda frowned, knowing that Shiro is not comfortable showing it, and it's restricting him. I don't wanna force him, but the fact that he can't show his true face to me is kinda sad...

"Ne, I'm sorry if I forced you, Shiro-kun." I said.

"Don't mind it. I love the fact you gave me free lunch. That much, I am very thankful for. Besides...your fried rice is really fucking tasty! Seriously! You're a good cook!"

"Oh? Really?! You're welcome, Shiro-kun!~"

Well, I guess if he's happy with it, I'm happy too.

~~Shiro's POV~~

I gulped down every single thing on my plate. Down to the last bit.

"...I want seconds, please!" I got my mask, and turned around with my plate at hand.

"Hai 2x! Douzo!"

He gave me, bit by bit, the rice and all the meat and veggies I wanted. Even a bit of egg.

"Thank you very much, Kira. I'll repay you someday." I giggled.

"Oh, please don't mind. I did this 'cause I don't want it to go to waste, and plus I wanted to have somebody to eat with."

"Well, I'll still repay you someday. Gratitude, you know?"

'Funnily enough, if Kira was a real girl, he could be a good wife, no cap.'

I went back to my seat, and gulped down my 2nd plate.

I finished it, and put my mask on.

"Gochisousama deshita." I said.

"Gochisousama deshita...!" Kira said.

Me and Kira put our dishes in the sink afterwards, and the tap started running.

"I'll wash the dishes with you." I offered.

"Really?" Kira asked.

"It's the least I can do."

"Well, that's enough for expressing your gratitude." He giggled.

"Oi, what kind of logic is that, omae?"

We laughed from my little comment. We finally washed the dishes afterwards. I took care of the washing part, he took care of drying it.

After doing all of that, I bowed as I stood outside of his room.

"Thank you once again, Kira."

"Un! See you later, Shiro-kun!"

He closed the door, and I went back to my room.

I sat on my bed and breathed out.

"...Well, since I'm free for the whole afternoon and evening..."

Let's set everything up in my room and hustle, huh?