In the bathroom, Akira stared at his reflection, fiddling with the necktie that now felt like a leash. Even if it was just a tour of the school, he still had to wear the damn uniform on campus—a rule that annoyed him more than he cared to admit.
He thought today would be simple. A quick walk through the halls, a few classes, maybe even some time to get in a bit of exercise.
He'd hoped to scope out a spot for a part-time job, too—something to feel like he was actually building his own life, not just following someone else's plan.
But looking at himself in the mirror, tie crooked and eyes tired from early morning jogging, he realized that "simple" didn't exist anymore. Not here. Not in Kuoh.
Deciding the tie was a joke, he popped his collar like it was some kind of flex. Honestly? He wanted to ditch the blazer too, just rolling with the dress shirt.
Twisting a white-dyed dreadlock, he sprayed some water conditioner into it, ignoring the mirror's judgmental stare.
look back at the mirror looking over himself.
His hairstyle—a set of short dreadlocks with a taper fade, a style popular back where he grew up—framed his head neatly. His eyes, a rare mix of blue and silver, flickered in the light. A single mole marked the left side of his cheek, giving his face a sharp, memorable edge. Both ears were pierced, small silver hoops catching the sunlight that filtered through the bathroom window.
"Akira, you need to hurry! I can't have you starving on your first day. Come downstairs and eat breakfast," Anko called. Sighing, he did what his controlling mother said.
Heading downstairs, he saw a plate of eggs on top of toast. He sighed again as he sat down, already having learned the day before to wash his hands before eating. His two siblings—still new to him—sat at the table, dressed in uniforms almost identical to his.
"Why do they have the same uniform as me, but slightly different?" he muttered.
Anko stepped closer, her voice sharp. "Kuoh Academy isn't just a high school—it's a school for all ages, including college. The fees are incredibly high. Lucky we can cover it for the twins. And now you'll be attending the same school as well. I want you to walk with them to school for me. That's something you can handle, right?"
She adjusted her office suit, grabbed her purse, and gave him a look that brooked no argument.
"Yes, I don't see the problem," said Akira, munching on his toast.
Anko nodded her head. "Well, at least we can finally agree on something. But don't teach them any of your bad habits, got it?" she warned sharply.
"Yeah, yeah, I got it, Mom," Akira said coolly, shrugging as he finished the last of his toast.
"Well, I'm off," she said, planting a kiss on each of the twins' cheeks. "Be good, my darlings, and listen to Akira, okay?"
"Yes, Mama," the two said in unison.
Anko left. The house was quiet.
Alright, Hikari, Kuro—hurry up and eat your breakfast, yeah?" Akira said casually, already pushing back from the table.
"I'm gonna head back upstairs for a bit."
The twins nodded in unison, mouths still full as Akira turned and made his way up the stairs.
Inside his room, Akira reached into his bag and pulled out a vape pen. Fully charged.
He exhaled quietly through his nose.
Yeah... he had a feeling he was gonna need it today.
Running down the stairs, Akira grabbed his bag, his jacket, and slipped his vape pen deep into his pocket. He glanced at the twins and tilted his head.
"You ready?" he asked.
The two nodded, innocent looks plastered on their faces.
Grabbing their hands, the three headed out the door together.
As they walked, Akira realized something uncomfortable—he didn't actually know much about his younger siblings. Not their favorite food. Not what they liked. Not even what kind of kids they were.
So, on the way to school, he cleared his throat and tried to make small talk.
"So... how do you two like school?" Akira asked, a faint smile tugging at his face.
Hikari stayed quiet, instinctively slipping behind Kuro. Being the youngest of the twins, she was shy—withdrawn. Not scared... just careful.
Akira clocked it immediately and filed it away in his head.
Good to know.
Kuro, on the other hand—
"School is amazing!" Kuro shouted, nearly bouncing on his feet. Then he added quickly, "Today it's me and Hikari's turn to take care of the bunnies. I've been excited all week—though Hikari's been talking about it way more than me, right?" he said, grinning up at her.
Hikari flushed and looked away, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Even as the older twin, she shrank back a little, letting her little brother take the spotlight.
Akira felt something in his chest loosen.
A quiet chuckle slipped out, followed by a small, genuine smile as he glanced down at Kuro.
"Yeah?" he said.
"Tell me more."
****************************************************************************
After dropping the twins off, Akira finally stood in front of the black gate leading into Kuoh Academy's high school division.
He would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous.
And he'd be lying if he said he didn't think these stuck-up kids would try to look down on him.
Standing at the gate was a woman with pink hair, a single thick braid resting over her shoulder. The color was strange—almost unnatural—and her porcelain skin made her look nothing like the local Japanese students, more like someone from back home.
Total bombshell... Akira thought, trying his best to focus on her amber eyes instead of her tits and body.
"Are you Mr. Walker? The new student taking a tour today?" the older woman asked, smiling.
Akira nodded, throat tight. "Y-Yeah... that's me," he said, trying not to sound like a dumbass.
Her eyes curved into a friendly smile. "Great. Shall we start the tour? And forgive me—how rude of me. My name is Roygun van Salavr. I'll be your homeroom teacher."
She pushed open the onyx-black gates and motioned him forward. "Shall we?"
"Uh... yeah," Akira said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Lead the way."
They stepped through the gates.
Right in the middle of the academy stood this huge statue—some important figure, probably. Akira didn't recognize the face, but the thing gave off a heavy vibe. Cherry blossom trees lined the paths, petals drifting down like soft rain, the smell hitting him clean and fresh.
Too clean.
He felt eyes on him.
Whispers followed as they walked. Some students glanced over, others straight-up stared like he didn't belong there.
Akira clicked his tongue under his breath.
Yeah... figures.
Still, he kept walking.
He couldn't understand Japanese very well, which made everything more annoying than it needed to be. He caught fragments here and there, but most of it just blurred into noise.
The girls didn't look hostile—far from it. But that didn't mean he liked the way they stared.
It felt like they were raping him with their eyes, sizing him up, checking him out like he was on display
Still... he'd be lying if he said they weren't hot.
Holy shit...
It was like half the school was stacked.
Akira kept walking, hands in his pockets, jaw tight.
That's when he passed a group of guys posted near the path, all three of them staring a little too long. Whispering. Smirking.
That shit rubbed him the wrong way.
He stopped and turned just enough to look at them.
With his broken Japanese and zero patience, he snapped,
"What the fuck you starin' at?" he said, voice low and sharp. "Got a problem—or you tryna handle business?"
The words weren't perfect, but the intent was.
The three guys stiffened, eyes narrowing, but none of them stepped forward. After a tense second, they backed off, throwing silent glares his way as Akira turned and kept moving.
He didn't look back.
Mrs. Roygun looked at Akira.
It wasn't the warm, polite smile from before.
This one made something crawl up his spine.
"Walker-kun," she said calmly, her voice still sweet, "please watch your language. We don't use those kinds of words here. Okay?"
The fine hairs on the back of Akira's neck stood up.
"Y–Yeah," he muttered, lips smacking together. "I'll watch what I say."
A quiet tch slipped out before he could stop it.
He rubbed the back of his neck, averting his gaze—one of his many bad habits.
For some reason, that smile still didn't fade.
Akira went on ahead, stepping inside a school that looked less like a campus and more like some fucking museum fused with a mansion.
Behind him, Mrs. Roygun watched him go.
That once-sweet smile slowly faded into a faint frown.
She had heard what the group of boys whispered as he passed.
"That guy looks like he's in a gang," one muttered.
"He's a halfu... probably some ghetto baby," another whispered, followed by a few low, ugly laughs.
Her fingers tightened around the clipboard in her hands.
She sighed quietly.
At least Walker-kun seems capable of handling himself, she thought, straightening her posture as she made her way inside the academy after him.
But that didn't mean she approved of the way the students looked at him.
Not at all
****************************************************************************
Akira and Mrs. Salavr's tour was almost over.
They checked out the gymnasium, the extracurricular classrooms, the cafeteria, and even the student council president's office—though unfortunately, he couldn't meet her at the time.
They stopped by a few clubs too. The kendo club especially.
And oh boy... the girls.
Some were blushing the moment he stepped inside. Others scoffed under their breath, muttering things like "Ugh, another pervert boy."
Either way, Akira could feel the energy in the room.
If he had to be honest, the tour itself wasn't that bad.
What he hated were the stares—like he was some kind of science project under a microscope.
He wasn't used to that kind of attention.
But it was bearable.
Walking down the pearl-white halls of the second-year building, Mrs. Salavr began explaining how Japanese schools worked. Apparently, instead of switching classrooms for every subject, students mostly stayed in one room—kind of like elementary school back in the States.
Teachers rotated in and out instead.
Some taught multiple subjects too, since a lot of them held more than one degree.
Akira nodded along, half-listening, eyes wandering as he took everything in.
"Walker-kun, did you catch all that?!" chirped Mrs. Salavr.
"U-Um... yeah, I got all that," Akira said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Good!" she said, beaming. "We've arrived at our homeroom class."
Instead of the usual 2-A or 2-B, it was a special class for exchange students.
He guessed it was for people like him—students whose Japanese was broken or barely there.
A stranger in a country that felt completely unfamiliar... just like himself.
And little did he know, some of these classmates were about to make his life a lot more complicated.
Stepping inside the room, Akira noticed two girls. One of them looked familiar, like he'd seen her before.
Wasn't that the girl from yesterday? he thought to himself.
Mrs. Roygun—clearly noticing the two girls—clapped her hands to get their attention. "Girls," she said.
The two looked up from their phones. One of them, however, kept her eyes on Akira. Their gazes met, and he noticed her face flush a soft pink.
The other girl gave him a quick once-over, then returned to her phone, seemingly absorbed in whatever she was doing.
Akira blinked, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him—but the flush on her cheeks was real.
Roygun nudged Akira forward, practically buzzing.
"Go on," she said. "Introduce yourself."
Akira paused, eyes flicking to the two girls now staring straight at him.
Damn it... the stares, he thought.
He shut his eyes, muttered something under his breath, then opened them again.
"My name's Akira. Akira Walker," he said smoothly. "Nice to meet y'all."
Roygun tilted her head. "Anything else you'd like to add?"
"Nope," Akira replied flatly. "Can I sit down now?"
She blinked. "Well—yes, but first, girls, please introduce yourselves."
The girl with silver hair—shaved clean on the left side—lazily lifted a hand, eyes never leaving her phone.
"Loona," she said. "Just Loona."
Her fingers kept typing like she was killing time.
"We don't do last-name bullshit here. We ain't Japanese." A brief pause.
"And no, you don't get my full name."
Her red eyes flicked up for just a second, locking onto Akira.
Not hostile.
Not friendly either.
Just... curious.
Roygun smiled before turning to Octavia.
Octavia groaned inwardly, steadying herself. She straightened her posture, doing her best not to look like a complete mess.
"O-Octavia Goetia... n-nice to meet you," she said quietly.
Her expression hovered somewhere between nervous and distant, as if she couldn't decide which feeling to show. A faint blush—rare for her—lingered on her cheeks, refusing to fade.
"Hey—didn't we meet yesterday? Coffee girl, right?" he said, scratching the back of his neck. "My bad again for the coffee," he added, turning away.
Loona snorted under her breath. "Coffee girl," she muttered, earning a quick glare from Octavia.
Roygun's smile didn't waver. "Good. Now... Loona?" Her voice sliced through the room, cold enough to make Loona's skin crawl.
"Y-yeah... sensei," Loona said, voice clipped, shoulders tense like she was ready to bolt.
"Watch your language. I've said it before, and I'll say it again—it's not appropriate here." Roygun's eyes flicked toward Loona's phone. "And that thing? Put it away."
Loona muttered something under her breath, but didn't move. She could feel Roygun-sensei's
Presence pressed down, and even Octavia and Akira seemed to shrink a little under it.
Standing from his seat, Akira pushed his chair back under the desk. He almost forgot he wasn't staying the full day.
"Sensei—or Mrs.? I forgot to let you know that I won't be staying the full day. I need to handle some business... like finding a job," he announced. "Is that okay?"
Roygun just nodded, her chill smile never fading. "Absolutely. See you tomorrow," she said.
Akira grabbed his bag and glanced at the girls.
Like damn... two goth baddies in one class. I don't know if this is luck or what.
He stole a quick glance at their curves, especially their chests, and immediately looked away, cursing himself internally. Even if they were a bit moody, he couldn't deny these girls were hot.
Octavia's rare shade of pink lingered faintly on her cheeks, making her look delicate yet untouchable, while Loona's sharp glare made her seem like she could snap at any second... which only made her more intimidating—and enticing.
Swallowin' his spit, he stammered, "Y-Yeah... see ya!" and bolted outta the classroom before he could get himself all flustered.
The room with silent.
"What a perv... I guess boys will be boys... But at least he ain't like the others, just droolin' over us every day," Loona muttered, pickin' at her nails.
Octavia just rolled her eyes, a faint pink still lingering on her cheeks, and muttered under her breath, "Yeah... lucky him, I guess..."
The tour wrapped up, and class slid back into session.
End of the chapter