Ever since I was little, I've always wanted to go to Artem Academy. It's a private middle & high school in the center of the Neturus region, most known for its slogan: "A Place of Infinite Possibilities". This school heavily values the legend of the ancient warrior who defended this region against vicious monsters by fighting against them with her magical, artistic abilities. As such, it aims to bring out the hidden talents in its students, especially ones involving cooking, music... and, of course, art. Not only do I admire the warrior of legend, I've also always loved painting and drawing. It's the only thing I have that's even close to a "talent", and thought this school could help me in my dream to become a professional artist one day... And after long last, the day has come; the day that I finally transferred into Artem Academy and became a high school student at this school...
... But it isn't any cause for celebration, as my reason for transferring here has changed.
There's something very important I feel I have to do... and I wouldn't be able to do it if I didn't come here. Coming to a place like this, especially all by myself, is r-really scary... B-but no matter what happens, I have to find a way to accomplish my goal.
N-no matter what, I have to be strong!
--
Tear |
I can't believe it, I'm actually here...
Tear |
... A-at Artem Academy...
I looked up at the enormous building, facing towards the school entranceway. I had imagined standing in front of the school like this time and time again beforehand, but actually experiencing it for real felt completely different. All of the other students walked in without hesitation, as they've most likely made it part of their daily routine and thought nothing of it, but I felt nervous about even taking another small step forward.
I looked up at the enormous building, facing towards the school entranceway. Even though I was the only one standing there, staring at the school, the other students walking by didn't pay any attention to me and went inside without hesitation. It may have been easy for them to do, but the thought of me even attempting to enter the building made me extremely nervous.
Tear
I-I knew this would be really scary for me, b-but I've always known this day would come eventually! I-I've mentally prepared myself for this already; I-I can do it! N-nothing's going to stop me!
Still shaking from nervousness, I slowly walked one step forward.
Tear
"S-see, this'll be easy! J-just gotta keep going until I get inside and make it to my first class... Class 208..."
Tear
"... E-er, or was it 207? U-um, it actually might've been 108... Or even 107...?"
Tear
"O-oh no, what was it again? I-I can't remember anymore!"
I took off my backpack and layed it down on the ground, rummaging through it frantically to look for my school map.
Tear
D-did I seriously forget where my first class is!? I even made a big deal about making sure to remember it, too!
Tear
I-I can't believe I'm doing something so stupid already... I haven't even gone into the school building yet!
Thankfully, it at least didn't take me very long to actually find the map...
Tear
Yes, I found it!
... But before I had a chance to open it, a strong gust of wind suddenly blew towards me and caused the map to fly out of my hands.
Tear
"Oh no!"
I looked behind me to see where the map flew. Fortunately it didn't fly too far away... but that was because it ended up pressed against someone else's face.
???
"..."
Tear
"U-u-uh, I-I'm really sorry, sir!"
I stood up to try and help him, but he took it upon himself to remove the sheet of paper that had previously tried to glue itself to his nose. But instead of handing it back to me, he squeezed it in one of his hands and glared at me, obviously pretty annoyed by what just happened.
???
"..."
Tear
"U-um, I-I'm so sorry..."
He was a boy around my age, presumably a student here like me. His hair was kind of messy, and he was wearing simple clothes; his T-shirt was just a dark blue one with a music-note on it. In constract to his attire though, his face was notably scary-looking.
???
"Do you normally toss random pieces of paper at people you don't know?"
Tear
"N-no, the wind did that, h-honest! A-also that's m-..."
???
"What's this anyways? A map?"
He asked me, opening up and looking at the (now-crumpled) paper in his hands.
Tear
"U-um, yes. Y-you see sir, I-I jus-..."
???
"It's Ail, not 'sir'. I'm not an old man."
Tear
"O-oh, right. I-I'm sorry..."
Ail
"Whatever. Anyway, what were you saying?"
Tear
"U-um, I need that map. I just transferred here today, so I haven't remembered where all of my classes are yet..."
Ail
"Transferred?"
Tear
"Y-yes, that's right... I-I know transferring at this time of year is pretty weird..."
Ail
"... You too, huh?"
Tear
"H-huh? 'Me too'...?"
Ail
"The thing is, I'm also transferring to this school today..."
Tear
"W-what!? Y-you're also transferring to this school today?!"
Ail
"Yeah, that's what I just said..."
Tear
This is a really odd coincidence... I didn't think this school was all that popular...
Tear
... Well, at least I don't feel as uncomfortable transferring here at this weird time now...
Ail
"... It seems that we have the same homeroom class, too; room 208, which I guess makes sense. They're probably going to have us go through some of their previous lessons, so it'd be a lot more sensible to just have one class do it instead of two."
Tear
"Y-yeah, I suppose you're ri-..."
Tear
"W-wait, how did you know what class I'm in!?"
Ail
"Your map? There's a big red circle drawn around room 208, with 'DON'T FORGET!' written next to it..."
Tear
"O-oh yeah... N-now that you mention it, I did write that..."
Unsurprisingly, Ail looked at me like he thought I was an idiot. As I hung my head in shame, I accepted my map back from Ail without looking at him.
Tear
J-jeez, this is super embarrassing...!
Ail
"Speaking of room 208, it's about time I headed over there. It'd be kind of embarrassing to be late on my first day."
Once he had said that, I noticed there weren't as many people walking into the academy as before.
Tear
"U-uh, right. I'm coming, too!"
Ail
"Do whatever you want. I'm not gonna wait for you."
Tear
"O-okay..."
After I had finally decided to move again, I had made it into the school building at last. Even though this boy was kind of intimidating, I felt a lot better to follow him than to go in by myself.
Ail
"Since our class is in the 200's, it should be on the second floor, right?"
Tear
"U-um, yes. That sounds about right..."
Ail
"That means we'll have to climb up the stairs every single day for homeroom?! That's gonna be a pain..."
Ail began to groan, as we started climbing the stairs.
Tear
To be honest, I've always wanted to climb these stairs one day... But I guess this could get exhausting after a while. I'm glad summer is ending soon...
--
Ail and I made it to the door of class 208. Ail casually opened it and walked in, me nervously following behind him. We seemed to be two of the last people to make it, as almost all of the desks were already occupied. A few of the other students looked at us in mild surprise, probably because they weren't expecting to see some unfamiliar faces.
Ail
"Darn, looks like the best seats have been taken already..."
Tear
"Huh?"
I took a closer look at which desks were actually vacant, and noticed there were only a few left in the very front row, most of them being in the middle of the room.
Ail
"I'd rather sit somewhere that doesn't draw so much attention to myself, but oh well..."
Tear
I don't want to sit anywhere that'll make me stand out either... I would've liked a window seat, at least...
Having no choice, I sat at one of the remaining desks, next to Ail. Despite where we were sitting, the other students seemed to lose interest in us and kept to themselves, which helped me relax a bit.
However, that made me take more notice in something else: it was warm. Really warm. I noticed it a little as I entered the school, but it was especially problematic in the classroom itself, most likely because we were in a smaller area with more people. And the fact that I happened to be wearing a rather warm sweatshirt didn't make things any better.
Although it seemed to bother the other students too, as I saw some of them attempt to fan themselves with their hands or pieces of paper. But seeing that just made it feel worse.
Tear
It's already September, so why is it still so hot? I hope it starts getting colder soon; I don't know if I can handle this heat every day...
Tear
I honestly wouldn't mind another distraction...
As if right on cue, the teacher walked in...
And another one.
... And another one...!
Tear
"W-whuh?! That's...!"
Ail
"Wait, does this class have three teachers...?"
The two of us weren't the only ones confused. The other students, in their confusion, began talking amongst themselves so loudly that they began to drown out each others' voices.
Female Teacher?
"Silence, all of you!"
Upon hearing one of the teachers yell at them, they all settled down immediately. I didn't blame them, as she seemed pretty scary.
The first teacher, the one who had just shouted at everyone to be quiet, was the least unique-looking of the three. Her formal attire was typical of a normal, academic high school teacher. She was wearing glasses that looked as worn out as her face, although her age didn't seem to make her glares any less intimidating.
The second one to walk in was a fancy-looking man, with fancy clothes and a fancy mustache to match. He had a seemingly permanent suave expression of his face. He honestly looked more like a music teacher than a regular academic one.
The third and last teacher to walk in was a woman with colorful hair, a yellow beret, and a brown painter's smock. With her attire, she was without a doubt an art teacher, so I had no idea what her reason was for entering the room with the others.
Male Teacher?
"If you all aren't already aware, two new faces have joined this class today. You see, they both have made the decision to transfer to our fine academy! As a transfer student has already joined this class previously, we thought by putting them in this class it would be easier for them to adjust to this new environment, and for the rest of you to adjust to your new classmates."
Ms. Pensil
"And that's why I, Ms. Pensil, and he, Mr. Musico, have decided to pay a visit to your class today! For those of you that don't know, Mr. Musico is a music teacher, and I'm an art teacher. We'll have one of them each as part of our own class from today onward, and we can't wait to see what talents and potential they possess!"
Ms. Pensil
"To my new student, hello and welcome~!"
Tear
So Ms. Pensil's going to be my art teacher...
Mr. Musico
"I offer my greetings to my new student as well. I look forward to seeing you again in my class later today."
Tear
So Ail picked music, then. I guess it's not very surprising that he picked that class...
Ms. Reachet
"I'm sure everyone is wondering who these new students are. So, could the two of you in question stand up and introduce yourselves?"
Tear
E-ehhh?!
That statement of hers sent shivers down my spine, and not just because of how cold her voice sounded. I knew that my introduction to the class was inevitable, but it didn't make me feel any better or more prepared. I was so nervous, that even if I had remembered to come up with something to say, I would've completely forgotten what it was at this point.
Ail didn't seem to be too happy about it either, as I could hear him silently groaning to himself.
Ms. Reachet
"You. Introduce yourself first."
Ms. Reachet stated, as she sat down at her desk and pointed her finger in Ail's direction.
Ail
"Ugggh. Of course I got picked first..."
Ail groaned even louder this time, and got up slowly. I breathed a sigh of relief.
Tear
Phew, thank goodness... Now I at least have a bit more time to think over what to say...
Ail walked up to the teacher's desk and turned around to face the rest of his fellow classmates. With as little enthusiasm as he had before, he began his introduction.
Ail
"I'm Ail. I'm 16 years old, and I recently moved here from southern Neturus. Nice to meet you all or whatever..."
Seeming to be satisfied with his intro, he decided to make his way back to his desk...
Ms. Reachet
"Wait a minute. Is that really all you're going to say?!"
Ail
"Why, wasn't that enough? What else do you need to know, my blood type?"
Mr. Musico
"It would be nice if you told us about your hobbies or interests. Things of that nature."
Ail
"Interests? Well, I like music, I guess..."
Mr. Musico
"..."
Ms. Pensil
"..."
Ms. Reachet
"..."
Ail
"... Um, that's it."
Ms. Reachet
"You call that an introduction?!"
Ail
"Yes, I do. Can I go back to my seat now?"
Ms. Reachet sighed, releasing all of the tension she had built up conversing with Ail.
Ms. Reachet
"... Very well, then. Return to your desk."
Ail said nothing, casually going back to his seat without being fazed by Ms. Reachet's stern tone of voice.
Tear
Wow, Ail is so cool... I kind of wish I could be like him...
Ms. Reachet
"Alright, then. You, the other transfer student sitting next to Ail. It's your turn, now."
Tear
E-eep...!
Now that she was done with Ail, Ms. Reachet turned her attention to me next. I stood up slowly, looking downward as I walked towards the teacher's desk. Although I wasn't looking at any of my classmates, I could feel their gazes on me. I was trying my best to not catch too much attention, but that didn't seem to be working.
Ms. Reachet
"Introduce yourself, please."
Tear
"U-um, okay..."
While I thought up what to say to them, I looked up, and noticed the other students eyeing me curiously. They were probably hoping my intro would be more interesting than Ail's was.
Ms. Reachet
"... Well?"
Tear
W-what do I do? I-I'm so nervous that I can't even think straight, let alone a-actually say anything...!
Just then, I felt someone's hand touch my shoulder gently.
Ms. Pensil
"What's the matter, sweetie? Are you alright?"
Tear
"M-Ms. Pensil..."
Ms. Pensil
"There's no need to be so nervous. All you need to do is talk to them from the heart, and the words will flow out naturally. Imagine you're creating a work of art for them, with words instead of paint."
Tear
"I-I'm sorry, but I don't really understand what that means..."
Ms. Pensil
"In other words, just be honest with them, sweetie!"
Tear
Be honest with them? That's a lot easier said than done...
Tear
But Ms. Pensil was trying her best to cheer me up; I can't let that go to waste...!
Tear
I can't think of anything great to say, so I'll just focus on doing the best I can...
I took a deep breath, in an attempt to calm myself before I spoke to them.
Tear
"U-um, h-hello. M-my name is Tear... I-I'm a 15 year old boy that's just m-moved here to Neturus. N-nice to meet all of you..."
Ms. Reachet
"... And?"
Unsurprisingly, Ms. Reachet wasn't completely satisfied with my intro.
Tear
"O-oh... A-and I, u-um, like to paint..."
I looked over at Ms. Pensil uneasily.
Ms. Pensil
"... I see! Thank you for coming up here to introduce yourself, Tear. You can sit down now."
I could tell Ms. Reachet wasn't happy with my introduction, but since Ms. Pensil gave me the okay to let me go back to my desk, I did so without any objections from her. Like with Ail, the other students seemed to lose interest in me after hearing me speak, which I was more than okay with...
... However, there was still one other person who wasn't too happy about what I had to say.
Ail
"You..."
Tear
"H-huh?!"
Ail
"You totally copied my intro, didn't you?!"
Tear
A-augh! I-I knew he'd get mad about that!
Tear
"S-sorry..."
Classmates
"Uh oh, he's dead meat..." "That scary new guy's already starting to pick on the shy new guy!" "He's totally a goner!"
The other students took notice of us again, conversing with each other about the two of us.
Tear
O-oh no! I-I'm starting to attract their attention again!
Fortunately, Ail turned his attention away from me to glare at the noisy students instead. They quieted back down immediately as a result.
Tear
O-oh, good. I guess Ail didn't like that unwanted attention, either...
Ail
"..."
However, Ail then turned his attention back at me again...
Tear
"H-huh...?"
Ail
"... Hmph..."
... but only briefly, as he decided to let it go and kept to himself afterward.
Tear
Phew... I hope that means he isn't mad about it anymore...
Ms. Reachet
"... Well, that's it for the introductions, I suppose. I had hoped they had been more... proper, but I hope you all are able to accommodate yourselves to the new additions to our class."
Tear
She doesn't seem very happy about how our intros went... I-I hope she doesn't hate me now...
??? "If you need someone to show our new classmates how to do a proper introduction, then just leave it to the Master Chef!"
A boy suddenly stood up and yelled out to her from the back of the room. He had both well-kept hair and clothes, and had a smile that exuded confidence in himself.
Ail
"The heck...?!"
???
"The given name of yours truly is Barry Fesch. But the title that I should be always be referred to as is, of course..."
He suddenly took out and held up a spatula, with a confident-looking pose to match his grin.
Barry
"... the Master Chef!"
Ail and I were startled by the sudden outburst he had made, but everyone else remained silent, as if this was far from the first time he had done something like this.
Barry
"The Master Chef's favorite passion in life is cooking, an-..."
Ms. Reachet
"I never asked you to introduce yourself, Barry. Sit down, please."
Ms. Reachet didn't seem to be very amused by what he was doing. I could hear a couple of the other students silently giggling to themselves.
Barry
"The Master Chef is aware that you did not ask for his assistance; I merely wanted to help show our new classmates how to properly introduce oneself..."
Barry
"Not only that, but these two transferees have not had the pleasure of hearing the Master Chef's introduction, have they? The Master Chef merely felt sorry fo-..."
Ms. Reachet
"I don't care. Sit down please."
Barry
"Y-yes, ma'am..."
Following Ms. Reachet's order, Barry eventually sat back down.
Tear
That guy... Could he be...?
Ail
"What an imbecile..."
Ms. Reachet
"Alright, now that the introductions and that unnecessary interruption are now finished, let's begin today's class. As you might have already guessed, the reason this class is listed as being double the length as normal on your weekly schedule is to help your new classmates keep up with our current lesson. Of course, we will spending all of today's class going over previous material, but I hope you all still pay attention to today's lesson as they'll be a pop quiz for the rest of you before the class ends."
As a result of this, all of the students in class groaned.
Ms. Reachet
"Silence! You will be quiet for the rest of the class."
Classmates "Yes, ma'am..."
Ms. Pensil
"... I suppose it's time for the two of us to go, then. I look forward to seeing you in my art class after lunch, Tear!"
Mr. Musico
"I look forward to seeing you in my music class later as well, Ail."
Ms. Pensil waved at me happily and Mr. Musico politely bowed before leaving the classroom.
--
The first lecture of the day was a really long one, almost lasting three hours. It wasn't a surprise to me though, as this was mentioned on the schedule I was given along with my map. Because the lesson was so long, we all had our lunch break right after.
Tear
I'm so glad it's time for lunch now. I'm sooo hungry!
I noticed that a lot of the tables had been taken by a couple groups of students already. Since I made it there fairly early, I was still thankfully able to find an empty table to sit at.
Tear
I still don't feel ready to talk with the other students yet, so I'm glad I can have this table all to myself...
Tear
Well, it's not like they would ever want to talk to someone like me, anyway...
I took my bag and placed it on one of the chairs, and sat on the one next to it.
Tear
Phew... Okay, time to ea-...!
Tear
W-wait, what am I doing?! I haven't bought my food yet!
I looked over at the lunch line. Fortunately, it didn't seem to be very long yet.
Tear
G-good, I can still make it! I'll just go an-...
Tear
W-wait, if I go now, I'll have to give up my table...! If only I had someone here that could save it for me...
I looked at my bag.
Tear
M-maybe if I leave this here, no one will take it...? I suppose it's my best option right now...
Leaving my bag behind, I went to where they were selling food. Thankfully, there were only a few people waiting in line.
Lunchlady
"Enjoy your lunch!"
I heard the lunchlady say to another student while I was waiting in line. I continued to walk forward while each person received their food, not really focusing on what I was doing.
Tear
I wonder what I should have for lunch today...?
Lunchlady
"You're up next, young man. What're you going to be having today?"
Tear
I hope they have food I like here. Not that I'm really picky or anything...
Lunchlady
"Uh, excuse me! Young man?!"
Tear
"W-wha!?"
I looked up, and noticed I was at the front of the line now. The lunchlady looked upset, and the people waiting behind me were starting to grow impatient.
Tear
"U-um, I'm sorry. W-were you talking to me just now...?"
Lunchlady
"Yes, of course I was! Other people are waiting in line too, so please hurry up and get out your ticket, please."
Tear
"R-right, sorry..."
Tear
"W-wait, what ticket...?"
Lunchlady
"Your lunch ticket of course! I need it to know what you ordered! You should've had it out beforehand!"
The lunchlady was beginning to become angry with me, and I could even hear the people behind me start to complain.
Tear
"I-I just transferred here today... I-I didn't know I needed one..."
Lunchlady
"... Oh, is that so? In that case, I ca-..."
Tear
"I-I'm so sorry!"
Before she could finish, I rushed out of line, the others looking at me in confusion.
Tear
Wah! I-I'm so embarrassed!
I tried to run as fast as I could back to my table, but I eventually had to slow my pace since it started to become more crowded on the way there.
On my way back, I noticed a familiar face conversing with three girls at a nearby table.
Barry
"So, how does the Master Chef's food taste? Delicious, is it not?"
Girl 1
"Very delicious, Master Chef!"
Girl 2
"It's, like, suuuper deliiish, Master Chef~!"
Girl 3
"Like, it's, liiike, um... O-omega hyper mega delish, Master Chef~♡☆<3"
Tear
... Barry...
I decided to pass by the table without saying anything, and continued to make my way to my own table. I walked slowly, approaching the chair I placed by bag on.
Tear
"I can't believe I did something so embarrassing in front of everyone... And I didn't even get any food in the end..."
I sat on the chair next to my bag, like I had done before.
Tear
Even if I wasn't too humiliated to go back there, I'm sure it's too late to go and buy lunch right now...
Tear
"W-well, at least I still get this table all to myself..."
??? "Sorry to disappoint you, but you're wrong."
Tear
"E-eeeyah!"
I exclaimed in shock, realizing that me and my bag weren't the only ones occupying seats at this table. That person was...
Tear
"A-Ail...?!"
Ail
"Yeah, that's my name."
Tear
"W-what are you doing here?"
Ail
"Eating, obviously."
I saw that he had a half-eaten sandwich in one hand, and some bottled water in the other, which he guzzled down immediately after answering me.
Tear
"Um, I n-noticed that. That's not really what I meant..."
Ail
"This was the only table I could find that wasn't occupied by anyone... Well, unless you count that bag as a 'someone'. But since bags don't talk, I figured I could have a nice, quiet lunch at this table."
Tear
"A-are you uncomfortable sitting with people you don't know?"
Ail
"I wouldn't say it makes me 'uncomfortable' per se, but I'm not too fond of chatting up a storm with any random group of people I meet, especially on my first school day."
Tear
"I-I see..."
Ail
"That being said..."
Ail
"I don't care if you put that bag there in order to claim it for yourself; this table's mine now, fellow newbie. So beat it, or else."
Tear
"W-wha...?! I..."
Tear
"I-I-I'm so sorry! I-I'll leave right away!"
I hurriedly grabbed my bag, got up, and attempted to leave...
Ail
"Where the heck are you going?!"
I looked back at him in confusion.
Tear
"U-uh... huh?"
Ail
"You do realize I was joking, right?"
Tear
"E-eh?!"
I sunk back into my seat, still hugging my bag.
Tear
"U-um, yeah. O-of course I knew that... Heheh..."
Ail
"Oh, is that so?"
I didn't say anything, choosing to instead place my bag on the seat next to mine once again while looking away from him in embarrassment.
Ail
"You're kind of weird, but you're also pretty quiet, so I don't mind if you sit here with me."
Tear
"O-okay..."
Tear
I-I'm not weird! ... A-am I...?
Ail
"What about you, though? Are you okay with me sitting here?"
Tear
"I-it's fine..."
Ail
"Good. Glad that's settled."
He stated, although I don't think he would've actually left if I'd asked him to.
After that, Ail went back to munching on his sandwich. Having nothing else better to do, I stared at him eating, partially jealous that he had something to eat and I didn't.
Ail
"... Hey."
Tear
"H-huh?"
Ail suddenly took another break from his food to talk to me again, which surprised me a little.
Ail
"Aren't you going to eat anything...?"
Tear
"O-oh, well, I went to the lunch line to buy something, but I didn't know I needed to get a lunch ticket first... A-and I don't think I'll have time to get one and go back in line before lunch break ends..."
Ail
"You need to get a ticket just to buy lunch?! That's wicked stupid..."
Tear
"I didn't know it was like this for high schoolers..."
Ail
"Uh, I don't think you being in high school is the issue here..."
Ail
"Well, at least you know that now... And I guess I do too. Not that I really plan on ever buying cafeteria food, but it's still nice to know, I guess. Sure sucks for you, though."
Tear
"I-it's not a big deal. I'm not that hungry right now anyway..."
Right after those words came out of my mouth, my stomach made a loud growling noise, making it pretty obvious to Ail that I'd just lied.
Tear
"A-ah!"
I hugged my stomach and looked away from him in embarrassment... again.
Tear
S-stupid stomach! Why couldn't you be quiet?! T-this is sooo embarrassing...!
Tear
"O-ouch!?"
Ail then decided to randomly throw something in my direction. Because I wasn't paying attention to him, it ended up conking me on the head.
While rubbing my head, I picked it up and looked at it in confusion.
Tear
"A-a... pear?"
Ail
"Yep. What, you've never seen one before or something?"
Tear
"What's this for?"
Ail
"For eating, obviously. That's what you normally do with pears."
Tear
"Y-you mean... Are you giving this to me...?"
Ail
"That was the idea, yes. If I wanted to chuck something at your head that badly, I wouldn't have picked a fruit, of all things."
Tear
"I-I..."
At that moment, I had lost control of my emotions, and tears began to run down my face.
Tear
I-I thought I would end up all alone at this school... B-but I've already met someone so kind, on my first day, no less!
Ail
"H-hey! What's with the waterworks?!"
Tear
"I-it's just... You sacrificed some of your food just for me..."
Ail
"It's no big deal. This sandwich should be enough to satisfy me for now, anyways."
Tear
"B-but, I..."
Ail
"But nothing. It's yours now."
Tear
"I-I..."
Tear
"T-thank you... T-thank you so much!"
Ail
"W-whatever... It's no problem..."
Tear
"I'll treasure it forever...!"
Ail
"Don't! Eat it, you moron!"
I did as he asked, and took a bite of the succulent fruit. It immediately created a strong, tangy taste sensation in my mouth.
Tear
"Sooo good~!"
Ail
"Calm down; it's just a pear..."
Tear
"W-well, it's a really yummy pear~!"
Ail
"Is it now...? Maybe I should've kept it for myself after all..."
Tear
"..."
Ail
"Don't worry, I don't plan on taking it back. Especially since you already took a bite out of it..."
Ail
"So hurry up and finish eating it; lunch break is going to end soon."
Tear
"O-oh, okay..."
Even though I wanted to slowly enjoy eating the delicious pear, I did as he suggested and tried my best to eat it quickly. While I was doing that, Ail took out a bottle of water from his bag to drink while he finished his sandwich.
Tear
"U-uh, wait. That water..."
Ail
"No way, this is mine. You should be happy enough that I gave that pear to you..."
Tear
"U-um, that's not what I meant..."
Tear
Didn't he already finish drinking another bottle of water earlier...?
Suddenly, the school bell began to chime.
Tear
"A-ah! That's the school bell!"
Ail
"Yes, that is indeed the school bell."
Once the bell finished ringing, all of the other students had got up and headed to each of their next classes. As Ail was already done with his lunch at this point, he did the same, grabbing his bag and getting up from his seat.
Ail
"Well, time to go."
Tear
"W-wait! I-I'm not done yet...!"
I hurriedly finished the pear, almost choking on it as I took rather large bites out of it.
Ail
"Jeez, slow down! Don't kill yourself over that thing!"
Once I was finally done, I quickly wiped my mouth with a napkin I found on the table, and stood up.
Tear
"P-phew..."
Ail
"... You done? See ya, then..."
Tear
"W-wait!"
Ail
"What?!"
Ail looked annoyed, but he still stopped to look back at me.
Tear
"U-um, uh... W-will... Will I... s-see you around...?"
Ail
"Listen, don't get the wrong idea here. Just because I gave you that pear doesn't mean we're pals now or anything."
Tear
"Y-yeah, you're right... I-I understand..."
Ail
"..."
Ail sighed, then turned back around.
Ail
"... But sure. Maybe."
Tear
"A-ah!"
Before I got the chance to say anything more, Ail walked away to his next class.
Tear
O-okay... Thank you, Ail...
--
After lunch, there were only two classes left according to my schedule, one of them being a "Special Lesson". I was kind of confused about what exactly this special lesson was supposed to be, although I assumed it had something to do with me transferring here. But I didn't really care about that at the moment, as I was excited for my other class; that class being Art.
Art class has always been my favorite, and I've always looked forward to it whenever it was time for it at school. Of course, today was no different. Knowing that Ms. Pensil was going to be my art teacher, and with me already being in a good mood... My first day as a high schooler at this academy was going a lot better than I ever could've hoped. It's possible that I could have a lot of fun at this place...!
... But I know that no matter what the future holds, I couldn't ever forget about why I came here. Whether I go through happy times or hard times, it's too important for me to ever forget...
Ms. Pensil
"Okay class! Today's art assignment is to draw something you've seen in your dreams! No matter how great of a dream you've had, you may someday recall it differently from how it originally went, or you may even forget about it entirely. Because any past dream you've remembered, like the rest of your memories, can sometimes be lost over time..."
Ms. Pensil
"... But as with all other memories, if turned into drawings and paintings, they can last forever! And you can even show them to other people, too!"
Ms. Pensil said to us as we had all taken a seat near an easel. I was fortunate enough to get a seat near a window this time, but that didn't end up mattering in the end, since I was too focused on my drawing to want to gaze out at anything outside. I was really happy about the assignment she had given us, as I'd had an interesting dream recently and had wanted to draw it, and this gave me a good opportunity to do so.
Tear
"Mmm hmm hmm~♪..."
Ms. Pensil
"You seem to be in a good mood, Tear."
Tear
"Huh?"
Ms. Pensil seemed to have come over to check how I was doing.
Ms. Pensil
"Are you having a lot of fun drawing? Or did something good happen to you before you came to class?"
Tear
"Um, I guess it would be a bit of both..."
Tear
"You know the other student who transferred here; Ail? During lunch today, we ended up eating at the same table. I wasn't able to get anything to eat, but he was nice enough to share some of his food with me. I wasn't expecting him to be so kind, so it made me really happy..."
Ms. Pensil
"Oh, you already made a friend? How wonderful~!"
Tear
"W-well, I'm not sure if he actually considers me a friend... It'd be pretty nice if he did, though..."
Ms. Pensil
"I'm sure that if you asked him, he wouldn't mind at all! You seem to be a very nice boy, after all!"
Tear
"Y-you really think so...?"
Ms. Pensil
"Of course!"
Tear
I hope me and Ail really can become friends. Actually having someone I could call a friend at this school would be pretty nice...
Ms. Pensil
"So, what've you been drawing? It looks lovely!"
I had drawn a large, triangular-shaped tower, overlooking a wide field of grass. Just like in my dreams, I made it glow as it did every night.
Tear
"I see this place a lot in my dreams. I thought it was pretty, so I decided to draw it..."
Ms. Pensil
"Really? I've never seen anything like this before, whether in my dreams or in real life!"
Tear
"I've never seen anything like it before, either. Yet, I dream about this place a lot... I wonder why..."
Ms. Pensil
"Heehee, you almost sound like a modern day Tistacho!"
Tear
"Tistacho...?"
Ms. Pensil
"You've never heard of him? He's a famous painter who lived over a thousand years ago."
Tear
"Really...?"
Tear
"Actually, now that you mention it, I think my grandpa told me about him once..."
Ms. Pensil
"He was really famous for not only creating life-like paintings, but everything he drew was of things that no one had ever seen before. Everyone was in awe of not only his talent, but of his vivid imagination."
Ms. Pensil
"But oddly enough, he claimed that everything he drew were actually visions of things he had seen in his dreams. And he was sure that these dreams of his were actually the memories of another person from a long time ago..."
Tear
"A-are you serious?!"
Ms. Pensil
"It does make some sense; no matter how crazy the dream, human beings are only able to dream about things they've already seen, or at least some sort of variation of things already witnessed. But to dream about locations never seen by anyone, especially as many times as Tistacho did... Is almost unheard of..."
Ms. Pensil
"But even if they really were past memories as he claimed, every single one of them were visions of things that didn't seem to exist anywhere in the whole world... So, just how far back in the past did those memories originate from? And why did he see them in these dreams?"
Ms. Pensil
"These were the questions Tistacho spent his whole life trying to figure out, but he was sadly never able to in the end. Because of this, he was considered to be a delusional fool, although his paintings are still well loved and admired even to this day."
Tear
"That's really interesting... I'd like to see some of his paintings one day."
Ms. Pensil
"I've heard that there is an art museum somewhere in this region that have some of them on display. We should go there sometime and see them together! Maybe I can even arrange a field trip to that museum~!"
Tear
"Y-yeah, that'd be pretty nice."
Ms. Pensil
"It's possible that you might've seen some things in your dreams that Tistacho drew. Maybe you could even solve the mysteries that he was never able to!"
Tear
"U-uh, I don't know about that... I mean, the only strange thing I seem to dream about is that tall, glowing tower..."
Tear
"I'm not like Tistacho... I-I'm not... special at all..."
Ms. Pensil
"Don't say that, Tear. You are very special! More than you could possibly know..."
Ms. Pensil
"After all, you're..."
Tear
"... Huh?"
Ms. Pensil
"U-um, nothing, never mind! I can't wait to see your drawing when it's finished!"
Tear
"U-uh, yeah. Okay..."
Ms. Pensil left me to continue drawing, as she went over to check on the other students. Oddly enough, she seemed to have an uncomfortable look on her face as she left my side, a lot unlike the usual happy smile she always showed everyone.
Tear
I wonder what's wrong? I-I didn't say anything to make her upset, did I...?
--
Once art class was over, we all turned in our drawings to Ms. Pensil's desk. She looked delighted to see all of the drawings everyone brought to her, including mine. After everyone was done, they all went to their next classes... but I stayed behind.
My next and final class of the day was that "Special Lesson". I still had no idea what it meant or where I should go, so I decided to ask Ms. Pensil about it.
Tear
"U-um, Ms. Pensil?"
Ms. Pensil
"Yes? What is it, sweetie?"
Tear
"W-well, my schedule says my next class is a 'Special Lesson'. But what is that, exactly?"
Ms. Pensil
"...!"
Ms. Pensil
"..."
Tear
"U-uh, Ms. Pensil? Do you not know what it is?"
Tear
"I-I'm sorry to bother you..."
Ms. Pensil
"N-no, that's not it. I apologize, sweetie. Come with me, I'll show you to your next class."
Ms. Pensil got up and went over to the door, me following behind her without a word. We both left the room and walked through the halls, eventually ending up at a familiar location.
Tear
"I-isn't this... my homeroom class?!"
Ms. Pensil
"Yes, that's right..."
She grabbed the handle to the classroom door, getting ready to open it. But for some reason, she hesitated.
Ms. Pensil
"..."
Tear
"... Um, is something wrong?"
Ms. Pensil
"A-ah, no. Nothing's wrong! Let's go in, Tear."
Ms. Pensil turned the knob slowly, opening the door and entering the room. Inside were five other people. One them was Ms. Reachet, which I expected, but the presence of some of the others surprised me.
Ail
"Huh?! You...!"
Tear
"A-Ail!?"
It wasn't just Ail though; his music teacher, along with Barry, and a portly man wearing a cooking apron and a chef's hat, were there as well.
Ail
"Not only Tear, but his art teacher, too?! What's going on here?"
Ail exclaimed, but at no one in particular.
Barry
"How interesting! So these new transfer students are the ones that shall become the Master Chef's comrades, then?"
Ms. Reachet
"Possibly. We don't know for sure yet, though."
Mr. Musico
"I don't know about Ms. Pensil's student, but I have a good feeling about mine. Yes, indeed!"
Cooking Teacher
"Both of these batches of darling cookies look absolutely wonderful~! I am Mr. Kooc, Barry's cooking teacher. Nice to meet the two of you~!"
Ail
"Uh, so... Can someone please explain what this is all about...?!"
Ms. Reachet
"Be patient; it'll all be explained shortly. For now, everyone follow me."
Ms. Reachet walked over to the blackboard behind her desk, and grabbed hold of the ridges in the center of it. She pressed two buttons on each side, at the same time, and the blackboard pulled itself apart, revealing a hidden metal door.
Tear
W-what's that door for...?
Ms. Reachet immediately proceeded to move her hand over to a number pad near the door, pressing on the buttons so fast that I couldn't even attempt to guess what she had just typed on it. Once she was done, the door opened up, revealing a small, blue room.
Ms. Reachet
"Let's go."
We all entered the room, all of us barely fitting inside. After a few seconds, both the blackboard and metal door closed automatically.
Tear
W-we're closed in!? There's nothing in this room! W-what are we supposed to do in here...?
As it turned out, there actually was something in the room, another set of numbered buttons on the wall, which Ms. Reachet walked over to and began typing on as with the previous ones.
Ail
"Wait, is this an elevator?"
Mr. Musico
"That is correct, my boy."
Ail
"But why would there be one here of all places? And where does it lead to?"
Mr. Musico
"Fret not lad; everything will become clear soon enough."
Ail
"I wasn't 'fretting' about anything, I was just curious..."
Tear
An elevator? I-I've never ridden in one before...
When Ms. Reachet finished typing on the buttons on the wall, she returned to the center of the room with the rest of us. Shortly afterward, the room started to move.
Tear
E-eep!
While I was sure we were moving downwards, the rumbling of the elevator's movement almost made it seem like we were also moving forward slightly. As we were in a boxed-in area with no windows, not actually being able to see where we headed felt kind of terrifying. Everyone else seemed to be fine though, so I tried my best to hide my fear...
Tear
"Mngh..."
I didn't think I was doing anything to stand out, but then Ail started to look at me curiously.
Ail
"..."
Before I could wonder what I did exactly that caught Ail's eye, I suddenly felt something touch me from behind.
Tear
"A-AAHHH!!!"
I jumped back in surprise, only to realize that the person who wanted to get my attention was...
Ms. Pensil
"Sorry sweetie, I didn't mean to startle you..."
Tear
"U-um, it's alright. Did you need something, Ms. Pensil?"
Ms. Pensil
"Well, it's just... You were looking a bit uneasy. Are you feeling okay? I know this all may seem confusing and sudden, but..."
Ms. Pensil gently grabbed one of my hands comfortingly.
Ms. Pensil
"... I promise that everything will be alright. You have my word."
Tear
"O-oh... Thank you, Ms. Pensil..."
Tear
I don't really get what's going on, and I'm kind of scared, but... With Ms. Pensil here with me, I shouldn't have anything to worry about...
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Ail was still looking over at my direction...
Ail
"..."
... but as soon as we made eye contact, he looked away from me immediately.
Tear
C-could it be? Was Ail... worried about me...?
--
After a few more minutes, the elevator finally stopped moving and opened up on the opposite side that it did previously. In front of us was a long, azure corridor, almost matching its color with the elevator's interior.
Ms. Reachet
"I apologize for the wait. Let's hurry along and not waste anymore time."
We did as she asked and began moving forward. There wasn't anything very interesting of note in the corridor we walked through, aside from the lights on the ground keeping this place lit up. The weird texture of the floor, walls, and ceiling made me wonder how they worked. It wasn't like anything I'd seen before.
Ail
"Seriously, why is this taking so long?! All of this better not lead up to something stupid or I'll be really pissed."
Barry
"The Master Chef admits that even he was confused by this at first, but this'll all make sense once we reach our destination, he assures you."
Ail
"It'd be nice if you all at least explained where we're going and why before bringing us all the way here..."
Ms. Reachet
"There's no need to be impatient. We're almost there."
She was right; only shortly after that we had made it to another metal door, identical to the one we had seen in the classroom, with a number pad next to this one as well.
Ail
"Another number pad?! What's here that's so important that you need to have such tight security like this?"
Seeming to ignore Ail's question, she typed on the number pad here as well. Once she had finished, we were able to see what was beyond this door... It was a very large room, much larger than any of the rooms I had seen in this school so far. Or any building I'd ever been in, for that matter.
Ms. Reachet
"This is the place. Let's go in."
Other than Ail and I, everyone casually walked in, unfazed by the design and size of the room.
Ms. Pensil
"There's no need to be scared, Tear. C'mon in."
Mr. Musico
"There's nothing to fret over, Ail my boy. Come on inside."
We both decided to do as they said without questioning it and stepped in with the rest of them. Once we were actually inside, I decided to look around the room a bit more carefully...
Continued in Part 2 >