Ding, ding, ding!
That was the sound of my alarm–it abruptly woke me up but I slammed on it so it would stop making noise.
I had just woken up, and I was late for my first day of school at Japan's top high school.
I was not fond of school, but it was better than staying here, especially since he was dead.
Six years had passed, and yet I had never found myself gasping for air in sorrow, never felt the crushing weight people talk about.
It was like I had skipped that part entirely.
Then again, it's me we're talking about
I hurriedly took a bath, brushed my teeth, and started putting on my uniform, a rather glamorous uniform.
A black blazer, a white shirt, a brown tie with white stripes, and black shoes.
The school wasn't strict about the dress code—you could wear the uniform however you like.
I knew all this as I read the school handbook last night. The school was so lenient that students could modify their uniforms without fear of punishment.
Of course, this meant you could wear accessories like bracelets and hairpins.
I monopolized this school's leniency on the uniform arrangement.
I wore a black shirt under my white one, left the first button undone to show it slightly, untucked my shirt, and wore a blue tie with white stripes—loosening it just a little.
I also slipped on a black bracelet and a watch, though I chose not to wear the blazer.
I did all this to look as friendly as possible. I never really had friends throughout my life except Hiro, of course but he was my childhood friend, so he didn't count.
Though too much of black might be counterproductive.
After putting on my uniform, I checked my travelling box (suitcase) to see if I had left any of my essentials, but it seemed I hadn't, so I left for the door.
Goodbye Haruto, till we meet next. And Ayato... I hope you're doing ok.
I called a cab on my way out. I could tell you a million reasons why I didn't want to ride the bus—one being the stench—but the main reason was, I simply didn't want to.
As I was in the taxi, I re-read the school handbook. It stated how the school was founded in 2012 and was already Japan's top high school by a reasonable margin in only 7 years—that was in 2019.
In 2020, the school was abruptly shut down because of renovation as they were over-capacity. Then in 2023, they re-emerged under government control.
As a government-owned school, it boasted the best curriculum and the largest educational campus in the world though that was highly debatable.
The school's prestige attracted admiration from students in America, Korea, China, Soviet Union, and beyond. However, only Japanese citizens were allowed to enroll.
The handbook also listed the school rules, and I have to say—some of them were downright bizarre.
Rules that banned personal phones, all forms of currency, and any interaction with the outside world—the last one being only made possible by the school's isolated campus–making the campus a self functioning society, the first of its kind.
This school was in a league of its own; its campus was so large that it housed malls and other recreational centers—it was basically a city—as it was about 10 square kilometers in size.
It was on a separate island connected to the mainland by an underground tunnel; it truly embodied the word 'prestigious'.
Getting into this school was also a hassle. The entrance exam was something else entirely—something only elites could pass.
The school was targeted at geniuses, the gifted, the exceptional, or just the very lucky. At any rate I didn't fit in said criteria.
Now I can have a fresh start and maybe even make friends. No, I have to make friends or else I'll...
I stared out the window, admiring the bustling city of Tokyo. I had lived in Tokyo for 16 years—my entire life, but I had never seen this city, not once.
To think that I finally escaped from that cage… It filled me with pure ecstasy.
I was slowly approaching the designated area that would take me to school.
But before that, I would like to ask a question that one could only call philosophical.
Do all humans have free will?