A Strange School

"I'm telling you, Mom, will you really not reconsider? This school feels so unreliable!"

"Is this really not some kind of pyramid scheme?"

In front of the clean, imposing campus, students streamed off buses and headed into the school. Only one black-haired boy stood at the entrance, speaking on the phone with a helpless tone.

"Don't worry. I already looked into it. This school is very famous in Japan, and it even has government support. You're just overthinking it."

"But..."

"There's no 'but.' All right, I have to go—your dad's rushing me. Enjoy the next three years of high school! Your father and I are going on a trip, too~"

Beep~

The boy opened and closed his mouth, staring at the now-dark screen in his hand. His lips twitched, but in the end, he couldn't bring himself to say anything.

"They're ditching me, aren't they? My parents are definitely ditching me."

"They just shipped me off to Japan to go to high school for no reason."

An Xiao rubbed his aching temples hard, glanced at the phone in his hand, and finally handed it over to the teacher checking students at the entrance.

"How could a school like this even exist?"

Looking at the words "Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School" written in Japanese above the entrance, An Xiao once again questioned his mother's decision.

Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School was famous outside the school for its excellent teaching resources and 100% college admission and employment rate. Only students who were recommended and passed the school's strict screening were eligible to enroll, and its education was fully residential for all three years.

On top of that, the school promised not to charge tuition or any special fees, and to cover all of its students' living expenses while they attended. Their parents wouldn't have to pay a thing.

An Xiao looked up at this "unique" school. The information he'd found online flashed through his mind, and the more he thought about it, the tighter his brow furrowed.

Just as An Xiao stood there in a daze, a lively girl's voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Hey, are you having some kind of trouble?"

An Xiao turned around and saw an orange-haired girl standing behind him with a bright smile.

"I'm Kikyo Kushida. I saw you standing there for a while. Is something wrong?"

"Huh? Oh, no. I was just thinking about something."

Realizing how he must have looked, An Xiao awkwardly scratched his cheek.

"I see. Still, you should keep an eye on the time. The opening ceremony's coming up soon."

Kikyo Kushida lifted her wristwatch to show An Xiao the time.

"Right, thanks... I'm An Xiao, a first-year student in Class B."

"Oh, you're in Class B. I'm in Class D. If I ever visit your class, remember to introduce me to your friends!"

After saying that, Kikyo Kushida jogged a few steps forward, waved to An Xiao, then ran into the school.

"She's right. I'll be stuck here for the next three years anyway, so why am I thinking so much? I'll just take things as they come."

An Xiao sighed softly and decided to stop worrying. He checked the time and saw that he had plenty to spare, so he took the school's enrollment guide from his backpack and wandered around, familiarizing himself with the campus.

When it was about time, he headed to the gymnasium for the opening ceremony.

By the time An Xiao arrived, the students in Class B had already split into two lines, one for boys and one for girls, arranged by height.

After a quick look, An Xiao went straight to the back of the boys' line.

As soon as he'd taken his place, the sunny-looking boy in front of him turned around and greeted him with a smile.

"Hey, nice to meet you. I'm Soh Shibata. Welcome to Class B."

An Xiao froze for a moment, but quickly recovered and introduced himself in turn.

"I'm An Xiao, a student from China."

The two chatted on and off until the school administrators took the stage.

Perhaps every school's opening ceremony was more or less the same. The administrators' speeches were always a bunch of pointless drivel. Still, because he was curious about the school, An Xiao listened here and there, only glancing at the student council president once.

In the end, An Xiao didn't learn anything useful.

After listening to all that pointless drivel, An Xiao felt groggy. His head kept bobbing until Shibata patted him on the shoulder and brought him back to his senses.

He followed the crowd to the Class B classroom, found his seat by the nameplate on the desk, and immediately slumped over it like a puddle of liquid.

Back row, by the window—the king's domain.

Feeling the faint coolness of the desktop, An Xiao finally shook off his hazy thoughts.

He blinked hard, turned his cheek where it rested against the desk, then propped his chin on the desktop and idly studied the classmates he'd be spending the next three years with.

As An Xiao passed the time like that, the girl seated in front of him suddenly turned around. She had straight pink hair and strikingly delicate features. She paused when she saw him sprawled across his desk, but soon smiled and said, "Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Honami Ichinose, and I'll be sitting in front of you from now on."

"I'm An Xiao..." He sat up and repeated the introduction he'd given Shibata earlier.

How many times have I introduced myself today?

Why does it feel like I've had to introduce myself so often since coming to Japan?

An Xiao complained silently to himself.