Ran
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! My alarm clock rang atop my nightstand.
"Uggh..."
I awoke sluggishly, slamming my fist down on the "snooze" button. Without getting up out of bed, I checked the time on the clock.
"7 o'clock?! Why so early...?" I uttered, still feeling drowsy.
... Oh, right! It's my first day at my new school today!
I forced my body upwards out of bed, which caused my long locks of hair to fly over my head and practically latch onto my face.
"Good morning, hair..." I stated, annoyed that I could no longer see a thing.
I lazily swept my hair back to behind my head, where it belongs, without regard to how messy it was.
I'd really like to eat breakfast, like, right now, but if Run sees my hair like this she'll kill me...
"What a pain!" I bellowed, walking out of my room to the bathroom, which was right across from it.
I wet my hair in the sink and began brushing it, trying to straighten out all ten gazillion of my cowlicks.
This always takes forever... Having long hair stinks!
"Need some help, Ran?" Ren giggled, leaning next to the bathroom door while watching me struggle with my bedhead.
"Thanks, I'd really appreciate it..." I answered, handing her the brush.
"So, are you 100% sure you want to transfer schools?" She asked me, while gently combing my hair.
"Yeah, I am. I've already packed everything."
"What about your alarm clock?"
"Well, besides that..."
"And your toothbrush?"
"... And that..."
"And your comb..."
"You know what I mean, Ren!"
"Heheh." She giggled again. "But are you sure you want to stay at the dorms instead of at home?"
"Of course. The school is too far for you to keep coming to pick me up all the time."
"Won't you be lonely without us?"
"No, I'll be fine. I'm old enough to take care of myself."
"You're only 13, Ran!"
"14, Ren."
"Really? Wow, time flies..." She stated. "What about your old school? Won't you miss it?"
"Not really. I have no interest in the fashion or designer classes, anyways."
"Hm... that's pretty disappointing, especially since you're an Orchid." She sighed. "But that's alright. You should decide your own future for yourself, Ran."
"Thanks, sis."
"Okay, I'm done!" Ren told me, after straightening out my last loose hair. "Heheh, you look so cute!"
"That's not funny..." I uttered, grabbing a random hair tie from the cabinet and using it to put my hair in a ponytail. "You know, I'm surprised you're so good at combing my hair, since your hair is so short."
"That's because I'm used to combing your and Rin's hair all the time!" She said with a smile. "But when you move to the dorms, you'll have to comb your own hair from now on, you know."
"Actually, I was thinking about cutting it down to the same length as yours..."
"Oh, no you don't!" Someone yelled, from behind Ren.
"R-Run!" I stammered nervously.
"Uh oh, you got big sis mad at you!" Ren said, backing away toward the bathroom door. "Later!" She added, before running off.
"W-wai-..."
"Ran!" Run exclaimed angrily, moving her head closer to mine and glaring at me.
"Y-yes?"
"I'm being lenient enough by letting you go to a different school and living on your own." She stated sternly. "So what's this I hear about you cutting your hair?!"
"But it's such a pain. I hate having long hair!"
"Your long hair is beautiful. Gorgeous hair is the pride of the Orchid family..."
"I know, I know. You tell me that all the time..."
"Then what's not to understand?!"
"B-but... Y'know... Ren's hair is short!"
"She has developed a fashionable style even without long hair. You have not."
"Why do I even need to care about fashion or whatever?!"
"Because you're part of the Orchid family, naturally."
"But I'm-..."
"Enough! No more excuses!"
I groaned. Whatever, I can just wait until I move to the dorms to cut my hair, I guess...
"And don't even think about cutting your hair after you transfer to the dorms, understand?"
H-how did she know?!
"Hey, Raaan~!" Rin chimed, suddenly popping her head out from the bathroom entrance. "Hurry up, or I'm gonna eat all of your breakfast!"
"You'd better not, Rin!"
"Ren made you lots of bacon! Lucky; you two know how much I looove bacon..."
"I love it too, so you'd better not touch any of it!"
"I don't know why Ren always insists on making such greasy food." Run stated grumpily. "And I don't know how either of you can enjoy it! Hmph!"
"I know; I shouldn't eat too much unhealthy food because it might ruin my hair!" Rin chirped. "Right?"
"That's right!" Run hugged Rin, with a much happier expression than before. "That's our pride and joy~!"
Does bacon count as unhealthy? And why does Run only act like that towards Rin?!
"Heehee, I'll be as pretty as you someday, Run! Right?"
"Of course~!"
Well, at least Run is too busy glomping Rin to yell at me anymore. In a way, Rin is kind of my savior...
"By the way, Ran." Rin said to me suddenly. "Your hair looks so neat and pretty today."
"That's because Ren combed it earlier..."
"Are you gonna show it off when you go see your new classmates today?" She asked me. "You should try putting on some makeup, too!"
"M-makeup!?" I shouted, disgusted at the thought. "No way, no way, no way!"
"Why not?! You'll look even more pretty if you do!"
"Ran, what am I going to do with you?" Run sighed, still hugging Rin. "Why won't you ever appreciate anything about fashion?"
I think you're missing the point as to why I don't want to wear it...
--
I'm Ran Orchid, the second-youngest of five siblings. The "Orchid Fashion & Beauty Salon", or just Orchid Salon for short, is a pretty well-known area in west Neturus. It's also the place I call home. The products the salon sells generally falls into three categories: Cute, Cool, or Elegant. An Orchid sibling is in charge of showing off products from each one.
The one in charge of the first category, Cute, is Rin, who is just 10 years old, and my only younger sibling. The stuff she sells are mostly for girls growing up who are just starting to get into fashion. A lot of girls around her age see Rin as a role-model of sorts, but I only really see her as a spoiled brat.
The one in charge of the second category, Cool, is Ren. She's 18 years old, and the youngest of my older siblings. The stuff she sells are for girls who prefer a more sporty or tomboyish look. Her style is pretty unorthodox for a fashion salon, but it's still pretty popular nonetheless. Out of all my siblings, I definitely get along well with Ren the most.
And the one in charge of the third category, Elegant, is my eldest sister. She's 22 years old (although she doesn't like to be reminded of that fact). The stuff she sells is your typical, mature fashion stuff. Her style is what the average person would think of when you think of my family's salon. Run can be really strict with me, and that's because she's pretty much been me and the others' guardian for the past nine years. Only a year after Rin was born, my parents died in a mysterious accident, leaving us with no one else to watch over us.
That's everyone I live with, but I actually have one more sibling. His name is Ron, and he suddenly left the salon 11 years ago. I have no idea why, as I barely remember him. No one in our household talks about Ron, as Run has made it a taboo just to speak his name. The only thing she's told me is that he was only 15 when he left, so that would make him 26 currently. He was also apparently training to be a barber, so when a customer asks us if we do haircuts, it makes Run very angry. I have no idea if he's become a barber somewhere else in the world, if he found another occupation, or he's even still alive...
... After I finished my breakfast (which Rin thankfully didn't touch), got dressed, and prepared the rest of my stuff, I threw my bags in Ren's car and hopped in myself.
"You ready?" Ren asked me, already sitting in the driver's seat.
"Been ready for a while." I responded without hesitation.
"Don't say that! It sounds like you're dying to leave this place..."
"Well... I am." I uttered bluntly. "I'm not interested in that fashion stuff. I want to find my true calling in life... or something like that."
"I see... I understand." Ren sighed. "But I bet if you told Run that, it'd make her very upset."
"Pfft, no way. I doubt she even cares..."
"Of course she does! I bet she's trying her hardest not to come out here and give you a big hug goodbye. She'll miss you dearly, Ran."
Doesn't sound like the Run I know...
"I mean, she's probably afraid you'll end up like..." She started, then shook her head. "No, this is you we're talking about here. I'm sure it'll be fine."
"Huh?"
"You'll make sure to call us every once in a while, right?"
"Yeah, yeah... Let's just go already."
"Okay. I suppose there's no point in dragging this on anymore..."
Ren started the car, and we finally hit the road.
--
"Say, Ren?" I began to ask her, while she was driving.
"Yeah, what is it? Having second thoughts?"
I groaned. "No... I was wondering how you know these roads so well."
"I come to central Neturus all the time." She explained. "Advertising our salon in central Neturus is a good way to make better business."
"Wait, it's not just the westerners that buy our stuff?!"
"Heh heh, nope! The Orchid Salon is more famous that you think it is."
"Wow, I had no idea..."
"I'm sure with your cute looks, and you being an Orchid, will help you become really popular in your new school!"
I'd better try to make my last name a secret as much as possible, then...
"Speaking of your new school..." Ren stopped the car suddenly. "... Look! We're here!"
Upon our arrival, I immediately opened the door and sprinted out of the car. I stood right in front of the school entrance, taking in the sight before me.
"It's Neturus High! The Neturus High! I'm actually standing in front of it!" I exclaimed, a feeling of ecstasy washing over me. "It looks even more amazing than in the pictures!"
"Hey hey, don't forget your luggage!" Ren told me, after getting out of the car and handing my bags to me. "You sure seem excited."
"Of course I am! This is Neturus High, the school of infinite possibilites!"
"Did you make that up just now, or is that the school slogan?"
"I'm gonna go check it out right now!"
"Wait...!" Before I could run off, Ren grabbed me by the arm.
"What's u-..."
My sister suddenly hugged me as hard as she could.
"Take care... I'll miss you lots!" She said, with a bit of sadness in her voice.
"Yeah... I'll miss you too."
"Call me tomorrow and tell me about your first day, alright?" She added, after letting go of me and walking back to the car.
"Yeah okay; I will!"
"You'd better! It's a promise!" Ren waved goodbye through an open window, before driving away.
I turned back around, facing the school again.
I can't believe it... I'm actually here, all on my own!
I began to walk toward the school, moving rather awkwardly. I was having a hard time containing my excitement.
--
"Wooow!" I shouted, as soon as I made it inside. "It's so big in here! It's looks even more grand than it does outside!"
I walked a bit more through a few halls, while looking at a map I was holding, which I found near the entrance of the school.
Thanks to the map, I found my way to my destination: the dorm staff office.
"Hello, sweetie." The secretary lady sitting at the front desk greeted me. "Do you need help with something?"
"Actually, I'm transferring today. I'm here to get my dorm key."
"Ah! You must be..." She paused briefly, to glance at a sheet of paper. "... Ran Orchid, correct?"
"Yes, that's me!"
"Heehee, you sure seem excited. Is this your first time living in a dorm?"
"Y-yeah, that's right..." I scratched my head in embarrassment. "Is it that obvious?"
"Heehee." She giggled again. "Here you are." She handed me my key.
"Thanks." I looked at the number on the key. "Room 39, huh?"
"I can't believe we're giving that key to someone else already; we just got it back a short while ago..."
"Really?"
"Yep. You're actually pretty lucky to have decided to transfer now, since a part of that room just became vacant."
Hm, does that mean that a lot of people come to this school? I guess I lucked out...
"... Eh? Wait, 39...?!" She suddenly uttered in alarm.
"Is something wrong?"
"N-no, never mind. I must be remembering things wrong, that's all." She sighed, regaining her composure. "Well, good luck! I hope you enjoy your time at our school!"
"Thanks!" I waved goodbye, leaving the office.
I wonder what that was about? Is there something weird about room 39...?
--
With, once again, the aid of the map, I proceeded to the dorm room halls. If it weren't for the dorm numbers being plastered all over the walls, you could get lost in this part of the school very easily.
47... 45... 43... I counted the numbers I saw in my head, while passing by other dorm rooms.
Before I reached my room though, something else caught my attention.
"You okay?"
"Ergh, this is heavy... Oof!"
I saw two people out in the hallway. One of them, clearly a girl, was struggling with a large bag, and ended up dropping it lightly on the floor. The other one, a guy, ran to her aide.
"Maybe we should get some more help..."
"Um, excuse me..." I decided to call out to them.
The guy turned around, facing my direction.
"Who're you?" He stated, in the most blunt way possible.
Before I responded, I had just noticed what room he had come out of.
Room 39.
"Your... new roommate." I ended up answering him.
The two of them just stared at me, like I had said something incredibly stupid.
"Um, by 'new roommate', you mean me, right?" The guy finally said.
"Yes, that's right. Room 39 is your room, isn't it?"
"Well yeah, but..." He started scratching the back of his head. "... are you sure you aren't mistaken?"
"What do you mean?"
He sighed. "Listen, even though there's no specific gender preference per room, a girl and a guy can't share one together. It's against school rules. Understand?"
"... So what? What's that got to do with me?"
"Well, you are a girl, right?"
"G-girl...?" I stared at him in shock, now looking at him like he said something stupid. "No way! I'm a boy!"
"EEHHH!?!?" Both of them exclaimed in unison.
Yes, that's right! Despite my cute face and long hair, I am 100% MALE!
"Is it really that unbelievable...?"
"A-ah... I'm really sorry! W-we didn't mean to offend you. Please forgive us..." The girl pleaded.
"U-um..."
Now that I take a closer look at her, she's actually pretty cute...
"D-don't worry about it. It's not that big of a deal..." I said nervously. It's not like this is the first time someone's thought I was a girl, anyways...
"I'm sorry, too." The guy added, sounding more sincere than before. "I'm going to help her carry out the rest of the bags; feel free to make yourself at home."
The two of them proceeded to carry the large bag out of the hallway together.
"What are we going to do about the rest, Ail?"
"Let's ask Mac and Chels to help with the rest." I heard them both say before I entered the room.
--
"So... this is my new room..." I said, looking around every nook and cranny. "It's actually not as small as I thought it would be."
On the left side of the room, was an ordinary bed. It was already made, but it looked slightly messy, like someone had been lying on it earlier. I assumed that bed belonged to the guy I saw before.
On the right side of the room, was another bed, except this one had no sheets on it. Instead, there were a few bags of stuff scattered all over it.
I see... So the previous dormer hasn't finished moving out yet? Is that why those two were moving that bag?
"But that guy wasn't the one moving out... Then who is? It couldn't possibly be the girl, right?"
I thought about it some more, not being able to make sense out of the situation.
"Hey, Raena! Let me help you finish packing!" Someone shouted, bursting into the room.
"W-wha?!" I stammered, startled by the sudden intruder.
"Eh? She's not here..." The little girl (aka the intruder) stated, looking around the room in confusion.
"Uh, excuse me..." I started. "Who ar-..."
"Ah!" She yelled, noticing me, before I could finish. "Who're you?"
"That's what I wanted to ask you!"
"Are you one of Raena's friends? Have I met you somewhere before?"
Why is she asking more questions instead of waiting for me to answer her first one?
"Strange, I don't remember ever meeting you..."
"That's because you haven't. I just transfered here today."
"Oh, I see! That explains it!" She looked like she got it, but then looked confused again. "Wait a minute... But why are you in this room?"
"Because this is where I'm going to be staying from now on..." Shouldn't that be obvious?
"Eh, really?! Raena's not even done packing yet, and there's already going to be someone else staying here?"
Raena? I've heard her say that a bunch of times, but isn't that a girl's name?
"Wait a sec, 'not done packing'? Isn't all that stuff on the bed...?"
"Ah!" She exclaimed, noticing what I was talking about. "She already finished?! But I wanted to help her..."
"Well... Why didn't you just come here earlier?"
"I overslept!"
Isn't that your own fault?!
"Aw, man..." She looked down, trying to hide how sad she was.
"By the way... I don't mean to bother you when you're feeling blue, but can I ask you something?"
"Sure! What is it?" She perked up, looking a bit less upset.
"I saw a girl out in the hall earlier carrying a bag... Was she the one who stayed here before, by any chance?"
Naw, couldn't be...
"Yep, that's right!"
"F-for real?! But how could a girl have been here previously? That doesn't make any sense..."
"Well, you're a girl, and you're staying here now. Right?"
"Actually, I'm a boy. Not a girl..."
The girl looked at me in shock, not uttering a sound.
This again?!
"A-a boy...?"
"Yes, a boy."
"Ah, you're..." She paused, then suddenly leaped towards my direction and glomped me. "Sooo cute~!"
"W-wha?!" I exclaimed, struggling to free myself from her grip.
"You're a boy and yet you're so girly and cute? That's amaaazing~!"
"There's nothing 'amaaazing' about it! Get off!"
"What's this? An X?" She grabbed my hairclip and yanked it off, my tied up hair coming loose. "Wow, your hair's so long!"
"Why'd you do that?! Give it back!"
"No!" She whined stubbornly, hugging me harder than before.
"Stop it! Get off me already!" Man, why's this girl so freaking strong?
"If I let go, will you be my friend?"
"Um, sure?"
"Yay!" She said happily, finally releasing her grip. "I'm Taffy Fesch! So, what's your name?"
"It's Ran..." I uttered.
"Ran?!" Taffy yelled, then proceeded to glomp me again. "Your name is cute, too!"
"Argh!"
Jeez, I bet Taffy and Rin would get along like two peas in a pod...
The guy and girl from before entered the room, along with two other people.
Thank goodness, I'm saved!
"Taffy, what are you doing?" Another girl with them asked, stating probably the most normal response to this situation.
"Chelsea, look! Isn't he cute?" The glomper girl said, still not letting me go.
"'He'? That's a boy?!"
These misunderstandings about my gender is already getting really old...
"N-no way..." Chelsea went to a corner, curled herself in a ball, and started sobbing.
"What's wrong? Are you alright?" Raena asked the now-gloomy girl.
"H-he's cuter than I am..."
"Okay, that's enough, you." The guy from earlier said, finally pulling Taffy off of me. "Hey, what happened to your hair?"
"That little cretin stole my hairclip..."
"Sorry about that, bud. Lil' Taffy there always gets excited about meeting new people." The fourth one, a larger guy than the others, stated apologetically.
I don't get what that has to do with her being a thief...
"I'm Mac Kenzie, but you can just call me Mac." He continued, introducing himself. "Nice to meet you, bud!"
He's fairly tall and burly looking, but he seems friendly, I guess.
"And I'm Raena Taehat. Nice to meet you." Raena added, giving me a gentle smile.
W-wow, she really is cute...
"That over there is Chelsea Rox." Taffy pointed at the girl still sobbing in the corner. "She's not usually this weird!"
You of all people shouldn't be saying anything about someone being weird!
"If everyone's going to introduce themselves, I might as well do it too... I'm Ail Diluvi, and as you already know, we're going to be roommates from now on. I hope we can get along with each other in the future."
Ail looks kind of intimidating, but he seems like an okay guy.
"Thanks. I'm Ran. Ran Orchid... Ah!"
Oh no, I said my last name without thinking!
However, the others didn't seem to care.
"Orchid? That's a cute name too, Ran!" Taffy told me.
Well, my last name is out, but at least no one is reacting to i-...
"D-did you say Orchid?!" Chelsea bellowed suddenly, coming out of her corner and crawling towards me. "Like, Orchid Salon Orchid? The one in west Neturus?!"
"Y-yeah, that's right..." I said nervously. I guess there's no point in hiding it anymore...
"Orchid Salon?" Ail questioned.
"It's run by a group of siblings that are fashion experts." Chelsea explained. "They sell the best accessories! I order stuff from there all the time."
"You're a fashion expert, Ran?" Taffy asked me. "Is that why you look so cute and have such long hair?"
"Wait a sec, I thought the Orchid siblings were all girls..." Chelsea started glaring at me. "Are you sure you're a boy?"
"Yes, I am! And I'm not like my siblings; I have no interest in fashion!"
"Yeah, I wouldn't either..." Ail uttered.
"B-b-bu-... Why nooot?!" Taffy complained. "You're so cute, though! What a waste!"
I groaned. "Leave me alone..."
"Ah!" Raena exclaimed suddenly. "The rest of my bags! I need to finish packing. My sister's waiting for me!"
"Oh, that's right!" Ail added, then turned his attention to me. "Sorry about your bed being a mess. We should be done moving the stuff off the bed soon."
"You still need to get the bedsheets that are in the wash too, right bud?" Mac said. "I'll go get 'em."
"But you told Ail you'd help with Raena's bags..." Chelsea reminded him.
"Oh, that's true. If only I could make duplicates of myself, bud..."
"Don't worry, I'll get them!" Taffy chimed, springing up off the ground. "Let's go, Ran!"
"But I wanted to unpack fir-..." Before I could finish, she grabbed my arm and forcibly dragged me out of the room.
--
"H-hey, wait!" I was trying to remove Taffy's grip on me, who was dragging me through the dorm halls.
"Heehee!"
"Taffy!"
"Hey, Ran." She said, stopping randomly and letting go of my arm.
"What? Can I go back to my room now?"
"Do you want to meet some more of my friends?"
"Weren't we supposed to be getting my bedsheets...?"
"We can do that later. C'mon!"
"Sorry, I'm not interested. I've had enough for today..."
"If you agree to meet them, I'll give you this!" She held out a familiar X-shaped hairclip.
"That's mine!"
"You want it back, right? Then let's go!" She grabbed my arm and continued to drag me through the hallway, until we reached another room. "This is room 36."
"Yes, I can see that..."
"This is Mac's dorm room, but some drummer guy also lives here!"
"Drummer guy? You don't even know his name?"
"Nope! Let's go say hi!" She suddenly forced open the door.
"Don't just barge in like that!"
"Hey Mac, you done helping them out already?" The "drummer guy" said. "Wait, what? Taffy?"
"Hey, drummer guy! Meet my new friend!"
"I told you a bunch of times; my name is Rud! Why can't you ever remember that?!"
"U-um, hello..." I said nervously.
"Oh, hey. Nice to mee-..." He paused, beginning to look at me with a strange expression on his face. "M-m-meet you..."
"Uh, you okay?"
"N-nothing, I just think you look c-cu-... cool! Yeah... that's what I meant..."
Oh great, another weirdo...
"Okay, time to meet more people!" Taffy chimed, dragging me out of the room and slamming the door. She pulled me through the hall again until we reached room 32. "This is Tech's room!"
"Who's that?"
She ignored my question and forced open the door again. There was a guy in there, working on his laptop.
"Hello!" She called out, but he didn't seem to notice. Rather than try to get his attention, she decided to close the door instead. "He's boring; next room!"
She kept pulling me down the hall, much to my annoyance.
"Could you stop already?"
Taffy stopped.
"Oh good, you're finally listening to me."
"We're here!"
"Here? Where's 'here'?" I looked at the room of front of us, room 30.
"This is a special room!"
"And why's that?"
"'cause it's my room, duh!"
"Oh, of course! How could I have forgotten?!" I uttered sarcastically.
"One of my friends lives here, too! She's-..." Taffy was interrupted by... something in the room exploding.
"W-wha?! What was that?" I asked her, panicking.
"Oh, that happens all the time! Don't worry about it!"
How can I not worry?!
She casually opened the door, a corner of the room being charred. There also appeared to be a girl in that same corner, covered in soot.
"Hey, Leia!"
"Oh, hey Taffs!" The girl greeted back, taking off her soot-covered goggles. "Jus' workin' on some new explosives!"
"Oh, okay." Taffy said, like Leia had just stated the most normal thing in the world.
What's wrong with the people in this school?!
"Wanna help me out today?" Leia asked her.
"No thanks, I'm helping my new friend find the sheets for his bed!"
"I see... Nice ta meet ya, Taffs's new pal! Be seein' ya!"
"Later, Leia!" Taffy waved goodbye, leaving the room with me. "Okay, next is...!"
"Taffy, I'm getting tired. Can we call it quits for today?" I asked her, exhausted.
"Huh? Oh sorry, Ran! I didn't realize!" She responded, letting go of my arm.
"Okay, let's go get the bedsheets, so I can finally go back to my room..."
"That's alright, I'll take care of those! You can go back if you want!"
"R-really?" Why's she being nice all of a sudden? "If you're fine doing it yourself, why'd you drag me around everywhere?"
"I just wanted to help make this place more homey for you!" She told me, a big grin appearing on her face. "Didn't it work? I know moving to an unfamiliar place can be scary, so..."
S-seriously? She was just trying to help me all this time? I guess I've misjudged her...
"Thanks for your help today, Taffy."
"Heehee, you're welcome!" She held out my hairclip. "I hope we can be good friends during our time here together!"
"Sure thing!" I took back my hairclip, putting it in my pocket for now. "As long as you promise not to pull me around anymore..."
"Okay, I promise! Later, Ran!" She waved goodbye, running off to get my sheets.
Jeez, I'm so tired... I hope Ail is done moving those bags, because the first thing I want to do when I get back is crash into bed for a while...
--
I had managed to make it back on my own, thanks to the numbers on the walls (I left my map behind). There was no one there when I got back, but there were no bags in my bed, either.
I lied down on my new bed, my hair annoyingly sprawled out under my body.
"This bed smells nice... I guess Raena must've taken really good care of it when she lived in this dorm room..."
... Wait a sec, I completely forgot! What was she doing living in a boy's dorm room?! Just what is going on...?
"Well, I can't ask now; no one's here... I'm all alone..."
All alone? Come to think of it, this is the first time I've been alone for pretty much anything...
"If that's the case, I actually have a chance to do something I've always wanted to do!" I immediately rushed into the bathroom.
Now that I think about it, this is my first time in this dorm's bathroom... But who cares about that now!
I rummaged through the drawers in there, looking for a specific item.
"Scissors!" I exclaimed happily, feeling like I'd struck gold. "Now I can finally get rid of this annoying, long hair! And there's no one around to stop me!"
I separated a certain part of my hair with one hand, the part I wanted to cut off. I held the scissors to it with my other hand, my heart beating faster from nervousness and excitement.
"I-it's happening! I-I'm actually gonna do it!"
It'll probably look weird to the people I've met already, but I really don't care at this point!
I closed my eyes, deciding not to look at my "transformation" in progress...
... But before I was able to do anything, someone behind me swiped the scissors away.
"Huh?"
"What do you think you're doing, naughty boy?" An unfamiliar voice said to me.
I looked behind me, and saw a guy wearing pitch-black sunglasses, and a suit the same color.
"Where'd you come from?" I squealed in alarm. "W-who are you?!"
"You can just call me... Taser."
End of Chapter 1 of RART
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Writer's Comments:
The year of 2014 is almost over! A year very significant to Paint & Treble, as sooo many chapters were written for it in the ongoing months (including its last one!). So what better way to end it off then for my last chapter of the year to be a Paint & Treble one as well!?
This is the first chapter of Paint & Treble: RART, the second saga of P&T. It introduces a new character, Ran, into the mix. What is in store for him and the others? You'll have to wait for the future new chapter to be written to find out! ... Which probably won't happen for a while, as my other series will be taking priority over this one first. This one already has a completed saga, after all.
This is a bit off-topic, but today, December 23, just happens to be CS Universal's anniversary (currently its 6th as of me writing this). When I'll end up writing that, even I don't know. Hopefully in less than 10 years.
Well, that's all I have to say. Enjoy! Happy New Year! (Oh, and Merry Christmas, too.)
- CS-Masyet