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While I knew Saotome Academy was owned and run by a record breaking idol, I didn’t expect said idol to be jumping around from roof top to roof top like an action movie star and flying across the courtyard on wires during orientation while fireworks and other assorted lights were flashing from every direction and his voice was booming from seemingly every speaker in the school.
“What the hell have I gotten myself into?” I mused aloud.
“Saotome Academy, of course! Only the most eccentric of all the performing arts aim to go here, didn’t you know??” the girl with big, fluffy red hair beside me said with a goofy grin. Then her face turned somewhat serious. “But I didn’t expect the headmaster to put on quite that, um, exciting a performance for orientation.”
“Neither did I,” I agreed. “In fact, I never thought I’d see anything like a chubby, middle aged man flying around on wires in person at school, but hey, what else can I expect, Tomochika?” I groaned inwardly. This wasn’t what I was expecting. I didn’t know if I had what it took to get through alive, even as a student in the composition course.
Tomochika frowned at me. “Tomochika? We sat next to each other during the entrance exam and got to be good friends! Call me Tomo!” she exclaimed loudly, grabbing me by the hands. It was easy to tell she was part of the idol course with her flamboyant, outgoing personality.
“Okay, okay, Tomo,” I laughed, pulling my hands away and smoothing down my new uniform, consistion of a white shirt, a blazer, a cute box pleated yellow plaid skirt, and a pair of black thigh highs and brown shoes. I began to walk towards the building designated on my class list, moving slowly at first for Tomo to catch up. “Which class are you in, Tomo? I’m in the A class.”
“Me too!” She exclaimed brightly, giving me a dazzling smile as she rushed to my side. I was jealous of how pretty she was with her perfect face, hair, body, everything. Good thing I didn’t want to be in the idol course, otherwise I’d be even more intimidated by both Tomo and all of the other gorgeous people here. I didn’t realize quite what I was getting into, and every new thing I encountered reminded me of that.
It was scary heading into a whole new world of people I didn’t know so far from home. Especially since I’d only attended the small public schools before, but even then I spent at least half of my school career being homeschooled. Saotome Academy was an alien world to me.
“I wonder what our classmates are like,” Tomo said conversationally, seeming to have picked up on my negative vibes.
I was really glad to have her around. She was really kind and thoughtful, even though we hadn’t known each other for very long. “I don’t know,” I admitted, “but it’s going to be fun finding out, isn’t it?” I added positively, trying to keep my spirits up as well as keeping Tomo from worrying about me. These first few weeks were going to be tough.
The classroom was half full by the time we arrived. The first thing that caught my attention was a familiar flash of scarlet hair. I opened my mouth to call his name, but then I remembered that I never actually asked him what his name was when we took the entrance exam.
By pure chance, he glanced our way as we walked in, and his flawless features lit up in recognition. A wave of insecure feelings crashed around my thoughts once again as I felt horribly inferior to the person who jumped out of his seat and rushed towards Tomo and me.
“Hey! You’re the girl I met just before the entrance exams!” he exclaimed brightly, a smile lighting up his entire face. “I’d been hoping you made it! I didn’t get your name, so I hoped I’d be able to meet you again.”
“Whoa, is this Savior #1?” Tomo whispered in my ear. I nodded. She also nodded in approval. “Good for you. He’s really hot!”
I snorted. “Tell me something I don’t know,” I whispered hurriedly before turning my attention to him. I laughed nervously. “Thanks for the help back then. I really appreciated it. I’m not sure what would’ve happened if you weren’t there.”
He laughed, waving his hand dismissively. “I really didn’t do much myself. That other guy the came in late after us did most of the work. I hear he’s in the S-class, so he’s got to be someone special! But yeah, I’m glad to have been helpful! I can’t believe that we somehow managed to be in the same class together!”
The elated look he displayed melted my heart and feelings into a puddle. He was so adorable and precious.
“My name is (f/n) (l/n),” I blurted out suddenly. I just wanted a reason to keep talking to him before we had to settle for class, and I could only think to introduce myself by name. I’m really clever. At least I’d be able to find out his name and we could possibly talk later. I didn’t know anyone apart from Tomo, so making another friend would be really nice.
“(F/n), huh?” he said, looking satisfied. “I’m Otoya Ittoki, but you can just call me-”
“ELIZABEEEEEEEEETH!” a loud voice hollered over the normal din of the classroom, and a blonde streak came flying through the air. Right. Towards. Me. Before I could react, I felt a hand grasp mine and pull me away, and in a flash of black clothing and deep blue hair, I was suddenly moved off the the side and Otoya was now breaking the fall of the tall blonde man that had launched himself at me in my place.
“What the hell?” Otoya yelled, his back on the ground and voice full of irritation. “Get off of me!”
The tall man with scruffy, short blonde hair that framed his bespectacled face in crazy curls got off of Otoya, looking extremely confused. He glanced around, and when his gaze fell on me, he gave me an apologetic smile.
“I’m really sorry,” he said with a soft spoken voice, much unlike the startling scream full of emotion he had let out earlier. He pushed his curls out of his face, only to have them fall back into the same place. “I’ve just been so homesick, and you really reminded me of my Elizabeth back home!”
“Your Elizabeth?” I said, thoroughly confused. Did I look like his girlfriend, or-
“Yes! Elizabeth is the family dog!” He replied brightly, oblivious to the animosity emanating from Otoya, who was still lying on the ground in shock. “You just reminded me of her so much that I lost myself! I’m really sorry for all this!”
I gave him a blank stare, unsure of how to respond. He was comparing me to his dog? How on earth did I look like a dog?
The man clapped his hands in delight. “That expression you are making right now is exactly how Elizabeth looks at me! Oh, I just love how cute and little you are!”
“Your dog? I look like your dog?” I asked in disbelief. “You’ve got to be kidding me. And I’m not cute or little!”
“Stop comparing her to a dog,” Otoya said irritably, having finally regained his composure enough to get up. “And why aren’t you apologizing me? I’m the one you knocked down! And you-” he said, gesturing to the person who had been standing so silently at my side that I hadn’t realized he was even there, “why did you push me in the way? That was totally uncalled for!”
The man shrugged, his angular face composed and stoic. His sharp, traditional hairstyle only served to accentuate the harshness of his features. His cold blue eyes gave no hint at emotion, either. The only thing that detracted from his intimidating demeanor was a small beauty mark beneath his right eye. He was very striking. I could hardly believe I didn’t notice him standing so close to me that our hands were touching.
“(F/n) was already stressed out when she entered the room,” he said coolly. “Having a strange man tackle her to the ground would hardly alleviate those feelings. However, I couldn’t just leave the man to fall on the ground, so I had you break his fall.”
Despite his appearance and cold words, I could tell that this man was kind. He wasn’t rough by any means, and it was clear to me that he meant no harm and had taken my well being into consideration when he intervened, knowing full well that he wasn’t responsible for anything if he didn’t make a move to stop the blonde man. I turned towards him quickly and bowed my head. “Thank you very much for helping me when you didn’t have to! I caused you a little bit of trouble.”
His shook his head slightly. “It wasn’t any trouble at all.”
Pausing for a moment to look at him more closely, I swore I saw him somewhere before. For some reason, his face, now that I took a close look at him, looked vaguely familiar.
Otoya sighed. “Whatever. Its over with now, so why don’t we introduce ourselves? I mean, we’ve already met in quite possibly the most interesting of ways on the first day. I think we all would get along pretty well! I’m Otoya Ittoki, but you all can call me Otoya!“
Tomo stepped forward into the center of the group and away from the sidelines where she had been watching the scene unfold with gleeful entertainment. “Hi! My name is Tomochika Shibuya! Feel free to call me whatever you like.”
“That’s a pretty name!” The blonde man said with a big, adorable smile. I realized that this man most likely didn’t know that he wasn’t a child anymore.
Tomo glared at him. “Thanks, but the next time you nearly hurt (f/n), I won’t forgive you!”
The blonde man rubbed the back of his head. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I just got really excited!” He smiled innocently. Definitely like a child. I couldn’t possibly be mad at a face like that. “My name is Natsuki Shinomiya. by the way! I hope we can all be friends!”
“Even though I’ve been mentioned a couple of times, my name is (f/n) (l/n),” I said with a grin. What a weird day and weird people. I really liked it so far. Making friends wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought it would be.
All of us turned to the cold-featured man expectantly, as the only one who hadn’t introduced themselves was him.
With a sigh, he said formally, “My name is Masato Hijirikawa. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”
I elbowed him in the side playfully, causing him to jump. “You don’t have to be so uptight!” I said with a laugh. I might have felt outclassed by these people, but it turned out that they were all just normal people inside like me. Well, mostly.
Otoya nodded. “Relax! I know it’s the first day, and we’re all sort of stressed about it, but it’ll all be fine!”
Masato nodded, an ever so slight smile breaking through his cold façade. “I’ll try.”
Suddenly, the room went dark as the curtains were pulled shut, and flashy disco lights scattered around the room as a really catchy song started playing. I couldn’t tell whether the voice belonged to a man or woman, but it was a really pretty voice nonetheless. As if on cue with my thoughts, a beautiful woman with bouncing pink curls strolled into the classroom. She made her way to the desk and set down her books and papers, and at that moment the music and lights stopped and the curtains were pulled open again.
“Good morning everyone! Please settle down!” she said happily and loudly, causing the commotion in the classroom to cease and all if the students, including myself and the others, to head to the seats we were assigned. Luckily for me, I was right next to Tomo and wasn’t far from Otoya. “I am the idol Ringo Tsukimiya, and I’m going to be the teacher for class A! You may all call me Ringo!” she announced with a clap of the hands. The class gasped and let out several cheers.
Tomo leaned over to me and whispered, “This is so fantastic! The whole teaching staff is made up of all idols! It’s really amazing that you can’t even tell that Ringo is actually a man, even in person.” My mouth fell open. “Our teacher is a GUY?” I exclaimed, far louder than I should have.
Ringo snapped his head towards me, his face livid. He trotted over to my desk a few seats from the front, set his hands on hips and gave the cutest scowl I think I’d ever seen. It was really unfair that this person was a man and he made a better woman than I did, even though it was all for the shock factor. I could only wish to be so pretty. “Are you telling me you’ve never heard of Ringo Tsukimiya?!”
I averted my gaze a and stared at the floor. “I don’t have a television at my house, or even internet. I live far out in the countryside and no network providers extend their services that way,” I said quietly, feeling extremely embarrassed for having to admit such a thing in this day and age.
Ringo’s expression softened slightly. Then he sighed and shrugged his shoulders. “I guess there’s no helping that. What’s your name and what course are you in?”
“I’m (f/n)(l/n) and I’m enrolled in the composition course,” I said, refusing to look up. I was fighting back tears because I was upset that it was only the first day and I was already humiliated in front of the whole class. Today just couldn’t be easy, could it?
He trotted over to the desk, pulled a cd out of the sound system built in beneath the desk, and returned to my desk. He set the disc and case on my desk.
“You have special homework tonight!” Ringo said with a smile. “Listen to my album and get to know the songs! They’re all chart topping hits, so I’m sure you’ll be able to learn from them and use them to inspire your own composing skills!” He knelt closer to me and whispered in my ear, “If you ever need any help, come see me and we’ll figure something out, ‘kay?”
I blinked, not quite believing what I heard. He wasn’t berating me or making fun of the fact that I didn’t know about him. He didn’t seem to look down on me for not having some of the most important modern conveniences in human society. Ringo simply wanted to support me and help me out?
At that time, I was too busy with my own thoughts to hear the jealous murmurs from the other students.
Ringo returned to the front of the classroom. “There’s one thing I have to discuss with you all before beginning class today. As students of Saotome Academy aspiring to be idols and composers, you are all bound by the rules Shining Saotome himself enforces upon professional idols and composers. Most specifically, Saotome has forbidden dating, relationships, and love of any kind in the lives of the idols and composers in his agency. Such a thing is a distraction and will only serve to cause you trouble along the way!” Ringo explained passionately, really getting into his role as teacher and role model. “So, as a warning you all, if you fall in love, you’ll be expelled! So don’t do it!”
The class was completely silent for a moment, then the entire room burst into a whispering frenzy.
“Not allowed to fall in love?” Tomo repeated, “Did I hear him right?”
I shrugged. It wasn’t that much of a big deal to me. I was here to follow my dreams and become a composer worthy of writing for the man who had inspired me, the idol I later learned was called HAYATO. I may not have had a lot of the modern conveniences at my grandmother’s, but when I was with my mother and father on the rare occasions they weren’t traveling for their jobs, I would live in their suburban home and I had access to the internet. I used that time to research him and I finally found him. I didn’t need love if only I could repay the person who helped me find my way.
“ (f/n), (f/n) are you listening to me? Helloooo?” Tomo nagged at me, snapping me out of my thoughts about HAYATO. “Isn’t this just awful? It’s only human to fall in love!”
I shrugged. “If you say so. I’m just here to learn and make some friends for when we graduate and start working in the real world.”
Tomo rolled her eyes at me. “You’re so weird, (f/n). You’re already surrounded by cute guys and you say you aren’t falling in love. That’s really unfair.”
I gave Tomo a funny look. “What do you mean by that?”
“Now let’s get started on class today!” Ringo said before Tomo could respond, clapping his hands loudly, interrupting the talking students and signaling for them to quiet down. “You’ll be receiving your first assignment today! The last Friday of this month will be your initial recording test. These tests are done in pairs; one idol and one composer. But, you can’t just simply practice for this test. The idol group must write the lyrics for their songs, and the composition group must write the music for their songs, not simply sing or play the music. In other words, everyone, you will be writing your first songs! I’ve even gone ahead and decided the pairs via amida drawing! Come up and see who you’ve been paired with!“ Ringo tacked the long sheet of paper on the board and tore off the cover, revealing who was paired with who.
Knowing I couldn’t beat the masses, I chose to remain in my seat until I heard someone yell out my name, signaling that the someone who had been partnered with me found my name. In the meantime, I watched Tomo struggle fruitlessly towards the board and giggled at her attempts to jump forward. I could also see Otoya near the board, his red hair giving him away. I watched his finger trace down the path of his drawing, but I couldn’t see the bottom with how many people were crowded around. I heard him yell out victoriously.
“Hey, (f/n), we’ve been paired together for the first recording!” he called out, pushing through the students to rush over from his desk to mine. “How lucky is that?” He asked, setting his hands down on my desk and looking at me with scarlet eyes so full of excitement and happiness that I couldn’t help but smile and hope I could live up to his expectations.
“My luck today has been a rollercoaster of ups and downs today!” I exclaimed, “but this has to be the best thing yet today! I’m so glad I can work with you today Otoya!”
Once the class all found out who their partners were, Ringo had us sit back down in our seats. His eyes locked on mine. “Miss (l/n), would you do us the honor of playing this song for class today?” He asked, waving a couple sheets of music in the air.
I nodded and stood up immediately. “Yes, Ringo!” He walked back and set the papers on the grand piano in the back of the classroom.
As I stood up and began to follow him, the mutters of the other students reached my ears: “She sure seems to be on good terms on Ringo,” “yeah, I wonder who she knows to get special treatment,” “or who she’s related to,” “but they do say it’s not who you know, but who you blow-”
I sat down on the piano bench, utterly infuriated. It was clear Ringo hadn’t heard a word of what was said. As I looked to the music sheet to see what I was supposed to play, doing my best to ignore the other students, I found myself unable to concentrate on the notes. Rather than appearing on the bars, they seemed jumbled and scattered and I couldn’t read them for the life of me. I began to panic. How was I supposed to play if I couldn’t read the notes? What was I going to do? I took a deep breath and lifted my hands to the keyboard. I had to do this, I absolutely had to do this, otherwise I’d look even worse to the class. But, my hands were visibly shaking and I didn’t even know what to do with them if I couldn’t read the notes.
I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry, stage fright is normal for people who haven’t played in front of a crowd of people before,” Ringo said knowingly. “Just give it your best shot!”
The disparaging voices in the class grew even louder. “Stage fright? What are we, five years old?” “Does she even know how to play?” “Does she know how to read music?” “How did she manage to pass the entrance exam if she doesn’t know how to play an instrument or read music when she’s supposed to be a composer?”
A chair was moved back violently, and I saw Otoya stand up in the middle of the class, looking angry. “Would you guys give it a rest? Of course she can’t play if you guys keep muttering that negative sort of garbage. Hey, (f/n), do your best!”
“I don’t know, I’d be pretty worried if I were you, Red,” someone said, “She is your partner, after all.”
Otoya sounded like he was about to say something, but Ringo intervened. “That’s enough,” he said sternly to Otoya, who remained standing for a moment, but then sat down. “And that goes for all of you,” Ringo added.
“But Ringo,” Tomo began.
“Ah, I said to be quiet, didn’t I?” Ringo said, putting his finger to his lips. “This is just another thing that we have to deal with in the performing arts.”
The bell signaling for class change rang. Looking up at the clock, Ringo sighed. “I didn’t realize it was that time already. Very well! That’s it for now! Class dismissed!”
As soon as those words left his mouth, I went to my seat, grabbed my bag, and I stormed off.
“I’m so glad it’s lunchtime!” Tomo said, stretching her arms before reaching into her purse to retrieve her lunch card. “After a day like today, I could use a big, juicy burger! I’m going hurry up and get in line so I can get one asap!“
She rushed away as I pulled out my card and started chewing on the corner absently, unsure of what I wanted. There was so much to choose from in the massive dining hall. After a few moments of deliberation, I decided to follow Tomo and get what she got so we wouldn’t get separated. Before I got far, someone knocked into me, making me drop my card and lose balance, sending me straight onto the hard floor. I fell on my side, causing sharp pains to shoot up my left arm and through my shoulder. My head also hit the ground, though my arm took the brunt of the fall. My head began to throb as stars burst across my field of vision.
“Hey, what the hell?!” I heard someone yell as I groaned and sat up slowly in order to avoid any more unnecessary pain. I saw a pair of feet approaching me quickly. Suddenly, the worried face of a young boy, with blonde hair, a hat, and pretty aqua blue eyes came into view. “Are you okay? I saw someone run into you and knock you over, then walk away like nothing ever happened! Bastard!” the boy growled. “But seriously, are you okay? You fell pretty hard and hit your head.”
I nodded my head, sending pain shooting through my skull, and I winced slightly. “Well, I’m still conscious if that counts for anything,” I snorted. “What kind of asshole runs into someone and sends them flying then walks away without another word?”
“That’s what I’m saying!” The boy replied in agreement. He had an apologetic look on his face as he stood up. “I’m really sorry that happened to you. There’s no way you deserved that. Need a hand up?” He asked, offering me a hand with nails painted black and wrists adorned with studded bracelets.
An edgy kind of style, I observed, looking at his entire ensemble of flashy clothing. I grasped his hand and allowed him to pull me up. I stumbled into his chest as I got to my feet, getting a rush of blood to my brain and suddenly becoming dizzy.
“Easy there!” He remarked, his arms wrapped around me securely, holding me against his chest. If I wasn’t in so much pain right now, between my head and my left side of my body, I’d be so embarrassed by being found in such a position with a total stranger.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled, feeling my consciousness slipping as I laid my head against his neck.
“Oi! Don’t pass out!” He said in vain, his voice sounding strangled. Before I passed out completely, I heard a voice call my name, and another voice call me again shortly afterwards. I felt popular.
I moaned, a throb of pain in my head waking me from my deep sleep. Dragging my eyelids open, I signed in disgust as I blinked several times to clear my vision. Looking upwards, I found myself staring at a white washed ceiling, with curtains dividing the room into small spaces. An infirmary, I guessed.
An anxious face, aqua eyes wide with worry, popped into view looking down at me. A smile blossomed on his face as he said, “She’s awake!”
I heard a couple sets of hurried foot steps and the tossing aside of the curtains. With a groan, I forced myself into a sitting position, my left arm and shoulder stiff and pained. Looking around again, I saw that the boy who had been hovering over me was the one I had met in the lunchroom. He lunged at me bow, wrapping my in a surprisingly strong grip.
“I’m really glad you’re okay!” He said, sounding immensely relieved. I winced slightly because of my arm and shoulder, but I parted his back with my right arm.
“Thanks for your help back there!” I responded, eternally grateful. “I don’t know what exactly would have happened if I had just passed out on the lunch hall floor with nobody to help me.”
“Give it a rest, Munchkin,” a vaguely familiar voice said, his tone teasing. “Leave some of the poor girl for us to worry about.”
Looking over the boy’s shoulder, I recognized the man who had just spoken was also the same man who had helped me the day of the entrance exam, the one with a really pretty voice. He winked one of his brilliant blue eyes at me. “Long time no see, young lady.“
I heard a gagging noise from the opposite side of the room. Jerking my head to the side, I saw Masato standing in the corner with his arms folded over his chest. He shot the gingery haired man a dirty look before saying, “Excuse me, something was bothering my throat.”
“Knock it off you two,” the blonde boy said, letting me go and glaring at the two other men. “Can you guys not fight for at least the first five minutes that she’s awake?”
While the three of them spouted excuses and bickered, I gazed at the man with gingery hair, and my cheeks grew hot. I remembered how he kissed my for head with his soft lips and ran his expert hands through my hair.
“Hey, your cheeks are really red. Do you have a fever?” Masato observed, walking over to me and laying a long, thin fingered hand over my forehead.
“I-I-I’m okay!” I said frantically, feeling my face grow even hotter. All this attention from attractive boys I was hardly acquainted with was going give me a heart attack from how quickly my heart was racing. You’d think I was running a marathon.
“Give the girl some space,” said the school nurse said, walking through the part in the curtains. “You don’t want her passing out again do you?” Masato left my side rather reluctantly. She looked me up and down and nodded. “You should be fine, Miss (l/n). Nothing is broken and your head is probably going to throb for a while, but thankfully you didn’t fall hard enough to cause any real damage. Feel free to rest here as long as you need.” With that, the nurse exited the room. I sighed in relief. Nothing serious was wrong with me.
“By the way, Jinguji, my name isn’t ‘Muchkin’, it’s Syo Kurusu!” The blonde boy snapped. “So call me by it!”
“And I’d prefer to be called by my first name, Ren, but you aren’t doing that, so why should I call you what you want?” Ren retorted, his lips turned slightly upward into a grin. I began laughing, and the boys fell silent. “You all are so great. I couldn’t ask for better company.”
“I just have to say one thing,” Ren added, “I’m the one that carried you back here while you were unconscious, so if you feel like picking favorites, you know who to choose. I really don’t like the idea of being lumped into the group as these two.”
“Oh please,” Syo said, rolling his eyes. “The only reason you came is because you followed Hijirikawa.” “You didn’t know her before today,” Masato added.
I cleared my throat. “Not exactly,” I said, feeling slightly guilty. “I met Ren before the entrance exams, and he helped me out when I was late.”
As soon as I spoke, I knew it was a mistake. Ren’s ego swelled like a balloon and his lips twisted into a smug smirk. “You heard the lady.”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t twist my words. I only said we met before. Nothing more.”
With a seductive smile, he replied with, “Little lady has a bite to her.” He rose from his position sitting on the edge of the bed and straightened his clothes, which there wasn’t any point to, as his shirt was already half in buttoned and his tie was only loosely knotted. “As much as I love spending time with you, little lamb, I have work I must attend to, namely unpacking and furnishing my side of the dorm before that one-” he motioned to Masato, “-takes my space. Not everyone is a minimalist. I’ll take my leave now. I’m very glad I met you again, even if the circumstances were less than desirable.” With a wink, he pushed aside the curtains and disappeared.
“You two are roommates?” I asked Masato, who nodded and frowned in annoyance.
“Of all people, it had to be HIM,” Masato mused, shaking his head. He moved to leave as well. “I’ll be leaving now as well. I don’t trust him alone in our room. I’m glad you are okay, (f/n).” With formal nod, he left too.
“I’m guessing you need to unpack, too?” Syo asked, watching Masato exit. He stood up and offered me a hand. “Here, I’ll help you up and help you unpack when we get to your room.”
Placing my hand in his hesitantly, I asked, “But don’t you need to unpack, too? I’d feel bad for having you help me when you’ve still got work to do with your own room.”
An odd look formed on Syo’s face. “I’d much rather stay out of my room for as long as possible. My roommate is absolutely nuts. He keeps on tossing me around and hugging me and calling me ‘cute’ and ‘little’,” he explained, voice full of disgust. Holding my hand firmly, Syo waited until I was firmly on my feet and made sure I wasn’t stumbling before letting my hand go. “Oh, by the way-” he pulled a lunch card out of his pocket and pressed it into my hands. “This is yours. You dropped it when you fell.”
“Oh! Thank you! I had forgotten about it to be totally honest,” I said, slipping it into my blazer pocket. “Your roommate wouldn’t happen to be Natsuki, would it?” I asked, as we walked out out of the nurse’s office, heading towards the dorms. I figured that Syo’s description of his roommate sounded too much like Natsuki for it to not be him.
Syo nodded, looking surprised that I knew. “Yeah, how’d you know?”
I grinned, thinking of how I met everyone this morning. “I had a rather interesting meeting with him earlier, since he’s in class A, the same as me.“
Syo groaned. “He tried jumping on you, didn’t he?”
I nodded. Before I could say anything else, as if summoned by speaking about him, Natsuki came running up the hall and tackle-hugged Syo, who looked as if he were being suffocated by the larger blonde man. The entire scene was awful but entertaining at the same time.
“I heard you went to the infirmary,” Natsuki wailed, “I was looking for you, but then I passed by Masato who said the both of you were still in the infirmary, so I rushed here without waiting to hear the rest. I got so worried!” Oblivious to Syo pleas, Natsuki continued to cuddle the smaller boy, who’s hat now lie forgotten on the floor.
Arriving from the same direction as Natsuki, Otoya walked up to us, looking as equally distressed as Natsuki. “(F/n), are you alright? Masato told me that you got knocked into and you hit your head and got sent to the infirmary. I was already worried about you after class today, but now-”
“I’m fine, I’m fine!” I interrupted, waving my hand dismissively and giving him the widest smile I could manage. I didn’t like how depressed he was looking, especially since it was my fault. "I just ended up knocking myself out like an awkward dumbass on the first day of school.”
“When you put it that way I feel even worse!” Otoya said, his expression changing from one of worry to one of pity. Not sure which I liked least. “You fell during the lunch period, right?” he asked, changing the subject. I nodded my confirmation. “Then you missed the school campus tour. Come with me! It’s hardly 4 pm, so there’s still a lot of time to explore!” He gazed at me expectantly, his eyes shining hopefully.
I glanced at the retreating figures of Natsuki and Syo, who was still throwing a fit and making a commotion. There was no way I could help that poor boy without joining him in his predicament. I’d have to apologize later. Snorting with laughter, I turned back to Otoya and smiled. “Sure, why not? This way we can get to know each other better!”
“Yes!” Otoya said victoriously, jumping in the air and pumping his fist. “Alright, let’s go!”
Disclaimer: all the characters and the story line of Uta no Prince belong to their respective owners, not me!

:) (Smile) — Description
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While I knew Saotome Academy was owned and run by a record breaking idol, I didn’t expect said idol to be jumping around from roof top to roof top like an action movie star and flying across the courtyard on wires during orientation while fireworks and other assorted lights were flashing from every direction and his voice was booming from seemingly every speaker in the school.
“What the hell have I gotten myself into?” I mused aloud.
“Saotome Academy, of course! Only the most eccentric of all the performing arts aim to go here, didn’t you know??” the girl with big, fluffy red hair beside me said with a goofy grin. Then her face turned somewhat serious. “But I didn’t expect the headmaster to put on quite that, um, exciting a performance for orientation.”
“Neither did I,” I agreed. “In fact, I never thought I’d see anything like a chubby, middle aged man flying around on wires in person at school, but hey, what else can I expect, Tomochika?” I groaned inwardly. This wasn’t what I was expecting. I didn’t know if I had what it took to get through alive, even as a student in the composition course.
Tomochika frowned at me. “Tomochika? We sat next to each other during the entrance exam and got to be good friends! Call me Tomo!” she exclaimed loudly, grabbing me by the hands. It was easy to tell she was part of the idol course with her flamboyant, outgoing personality.
“Okay, okay, Tomo,” I laughed, pulling my hands away and smoothing down my new uniform, consistion of a white shirt, a blazer, a cute box pleated yellow plaid skirt, and a pair of black thigh highs and brown shoes. I began to walk towards the building designated on my class list, moving slowly at first for Tomo to catch up. “Which class are you in, Tomo? I’m in the A class.”
“Me too!” She exclaimed brightly, giving me a dazzling smile as she rushed to my side. I was jealous of how pretty she was with her perfect face, hair, body, everything. Good thing I didn’t want to be in the idol course, otherwise I’d be even more intimidated by both Tomo and all of the other gorgeous people here. I didn’t realize quite what I was getting into, and every new thing I encountered reminded me of that.
It was scary heading into a whole new world of people I didn’t know so far from home. Especially since I’d only attended the small public schools before, but even then I spent at least half of my school career being homeschooled. Saotome Academy was an alien world to me.
“I wonder what our classmates are like,” Tomo said conversationally, seeming to have picked up on my negative vibes.
I was really glad to have her around. She was really kind and thoughtful, even though we hadn’t known each other for very long. “I don’t know,” I admitted, “but it’s going to be fun finding out, isn’t it?” I added positively, trying to keep my spirits up as well as keeping Tomo from worrying about me. These first few weeks were going to be tough.
The classroom was half full by the time we arrived. The first thing that caught my attention was a familiar flash of scarlet hair. I opened my mouth to call his name, but then I remembered that I never actually asked him what his name was when we took the entrance exam.
By pure chance, he glanced our way as we walked in, and his flawless features lit up in recognition. A wave of insecure feelings crashed around my thoughts once again as I felt horribly inferior to the person who jumped out of his seat and rushed towards Tomo and me.
“Hey! You’re the girl I met just before the entrance exams!” he exclaimed brightly, a smile lighting up his entire face. “I’d been hoping you made it! I didn’t get your name, so I hoped I’d be able to meet you again.”
“Whoa, is this Savior #1?” Tomo whispered in my ear. I nodded. She also nodded in approval. “Good for you. He’s really hot!”
I snorted. “Tell me something I don’t know,” I whispered hurriedly before turning my attention to him. I laughed nervously. “Thanks for the help back then. I really appreciated it. I’m not sure what would’ve happened if you weren’t there.”
He laughed, waving his hand dismissively. “I really didn’t do much myself. That other guy the came in late after us did most of the work. I hear he’s in the S-class, so he’s got to be someone special! But yeah, I’m glad to have been helpful! I can’t believe that we somehow managed to be in the same class together!”
The elated look he displayed melted my heart and feelings into a puddle. He was so adorable and precious.
“My name is (f/n) (l/n),” I blurted out suddenly. I just wanted a reason to keep talking to him before we had to settle for class, and I could only think to introduce myself by name. I’m really clever. At least I’d be able to find out his name and we could possibly talk later. I didn’t know anyone apart from Tomo, so making another friend would be really nice.
“(F/n), huh?” he said, looking satisfied. “I’m Otoya Ittoki, but you can just call me-”
“ELIZABEEEEEEEEETH!” a loud voice hollered over the normal din of the classroom, and a blonde streak came flying through the air. Right. Towards. Me. Before I could react, I felt a hand grasp mine and pull me away, and in a flash of black clothing and deep blue hair, I was suddenly moved off the the side and Otoya was now breaking the fall of the tall blonde man that had launched himself at me in my place.
“What the hell?” Otoya yelled, his back on the ground and voice full of irritation. “Get off of me!”
The tall man with scruffy, short blonde hair that framed his bespectacled face in crazy curls got off of Otoya, looking extremely confused. He glanced around, and when his gaze fell on me, he gave me an apologetic smile.
“I’m really sorry,” he said with a soft spoken voice, much unlike the startling scream full of emotion he had let out earlier. He pushed his curls out of his face, only to have them fall back into the same place. “I’ve just been so homesick, and you really reminded me of my Elizabeth back home!”
“Your Elizabeth?” I said, thoroughly confused. Did I look like his girlfriend, or-
“Yes! Elizabeth is the family dog!” He replied brightly, oblivious to the animosity emanating from Otoya, who was still lying on the ground in shock. “You just reminded me of her so much that I lost myself! I’m really sorry for all this!”
I gave him a blank stare, unsure of how to respond. He was comparing me to his dog? How on earth did I look like a dog?
The man clapped his hands in delight. “That expression you are making right now is exactly how Elizabeth looks at me! Oh, I just love how cute and little you are!”
“Your dog? I look like your dog?” I asked in disbelief. “You’ve got to be kidding me. And I’m not cute or little!”
“Stop comparing her to a dog,” Otoya said irritably, having finally regained his composure enough to get up. “And why aren’t you apologizing me? I’m the one you knocked down! And you-” he said, gesturing to the person who had been standing so silently at my side that I hadn’t realized he was even there, “why did you push me in the way? That was totally uncalled for!”
The man shrugged, his angular face composed and stoic. His sharp, traditional hairstyle only served to accentuate the harshness of his features. His cold blue eyes gave no hint at emotion, either. The only thing that detracted from his intimidating demeanor was a small beauty mark beneath his right eye. He was very striking. I could hardly believe I didn’t notice him standing so close to me that our hands were touching.
“(F/n) was already stressed out when she entered the room,” he said coolly. “Having a strange man tackle her to the ground would hardly alleviate those feelings. However, I couldn’t just leave the man to fall on the ground, so I had you break his fall.”
Despite his appearance and cold words, I could tell that this man was kind. He wasn’t rough by any means, and it was clear to me that he meant no harm and had taken my well being into consideration when he intervened, knowing full well that he wasn’t responsible for anything if he didn’t make a move to stop the blonde man. I turned towards him quickly and bowed my head. “Thank you very much for helping me when you didn’t have to! I caused you a little bit of trouble.”
His shook his head slightly. “It wasn’t any trouble at all.”
Pausing for a moment to look at him more closely, I swore I saw him somewhere before. For some reason, his face, now that I took a close look at him, looked vaguely familiar.
Otoya sighed. “Whatever. Its over with now, so why don’t we introduce ourselves? I mean, we’ve already met in quite possibly the most interesting of ways on the first day. I think we all would get along pretty well! I’m Otoya Ittoki, but you all can call me Otoya!“
Tomo stepped forward into the center of the group and away from the sidelines where she had been watching the scene unfold with gleeful entertainment. “Hi! My name is Tomochika Shibuya! Feel free to call me whatever you like.”
“That’s a pretty name!” The blonde man said with a big, adorable smile. I realized that this man most likely didn’t know that he wasn’t a child anymore.
Tomo glared at him. “Thanks, but the next time you nearly hurt (f/n), I won’t forgive you!”
The blonde man rubbed the back of his head. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I just got really excited!” He smiled innocently. Definitely like a child. I couldn’t possibly be mad at a face like that. “My name is Natsuki Shinomiya. by the way! I hope we can all be friends!”
“Even though I’ve been mentioned a couple of times, my name is (f/n) (l/n),” I said with a grin. What a weird day and weird people. I really liked it so far. Making friends wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought it would be.
All of us turned to the cold-featured man expectantly, as the only one who hadn’t introduced themselves was him.
With a sigh, he said formally, “My name is Masato Hijirikawa. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”
I elbowed him in the side playfully, causing him to jump. “You don’t have to be so uptight!” I said with a laugh. I might have felt outclassed by these people, but it turned out that they were all just normal people inside like me. Well, mostly.
Otoya nodded. “Relax! I know it’s the first day, and we’re all sort of stressed about it, but it’ll all be fine!”
Masato nodded, an ever so slight smile breaking through his cold façade. “I’ll try.”
Suddenly, the room went dark as the curtains were pulled shut, and flashy disco lights scattered around the room as a really catchy song started playing. I couldn’t tell whether the voice belonged to a man or woman, but it was a really pretty voice nonetheless. As if on cue with my thoughts, a beautiful woman with bouncing pink curls strolled into the classroom. She made her way to the desk and set down her books and papers, and at that moment the music and lights stopped and the curtains were pulled open again.
“Good morning everyone! Please settle down!” she said happily and loudly, causing the commotion in the classroom to cease and all if the students, including myself and the others, to head to the seats we were assigned. Luckily for me, I was right next to Tomo and wasn’t far from Otoya. “I am the idol Ringo Tsukimiya, and I’m going to be the teacher for class A! You may all call me Ringo!” she announced with a clap of the hands. The class gasped and let out several cheers.
Tomo leaned over to me and whispered, “This is so fantastic! The whole teaching staff is made up of all idols! It’s really amazing that you can’t even tell that Ringo is actually a man, even in person.” My mouth fell open. “Our teacher is a GUY?” I exclaimed, far louder than I should have.
Ringo snapped his head towards me, his face livid. He trotted over to my desk a few seats from the front, set his hands on hips and gave the cutest scowl I think I’d ever seen. It was really unfair that this person was a man and he made a better woman than I did, even though it was all for the shock factor. I could only wish to be so pretty. “Are you telling me you’ve never heard of Ringo Tsukimiya?!”
I averted my gaze a and stared at the floor. “I don’t have a television at my house, or even internet. I live far out in the countryside and no network providers extend their services that way,” I said quietly, feeling extremely embarrassed for having to admit such a thing in this day and age.
Ringo’s expression softened slightly. Then he sighed and shrugged his shoulders. “I guess there’s no helping that. What’s your name and what course are you in?”
“I’m (f/n)(l/n) and I’m enrolled in the composition course,” I said, refusing to look up. I was fighting back tears because I was upset that it was only the first day and I was already humiliated in front of the whole class. Today just couldn’t be easy, could it?
He trotted over to the desk, pulled a cd out of the sound system built in beneath the desk, and returned to my desk. He set the disc and case on my desk.
“You have special homework tonight!” Ringo said with a smile. “Listen to my album and get to know the songs! They’re all chart topping hits, so I’m sure you’ll be able to learn from them and use them to inspire your own composing skills!” He knelt closer to me and whispered in my ear, “If you ever need any help, come see me and we’ll figure something out, ‘kay?”
I blinked, not quite believing what I heard. He wasn’t berating me or making fun of the fact that I didn’t know about him. He didn’t seem to look down on me for not having some of the most important modern conveniences in human society. Ringo simply wanted to support me and help me out?
At that time, I was too busy with my own thoughts to hear the jealous murmurs from the other students.
Ringo returned to the front of the classroom. “There’s one thing I have to discuss with you all before beginning class today. As students of Saotome Academy aspiring to be idols and composers, you are all bound by the rules Shining Saotome himself enforces upon professional idols and composers. Most specifically, Saotome has forbidden dating, relationships, and love of any kind in the lives of the idols and composers in his agency. Such a thing is a distraction and will only serve to cause you trouble along the way!” Ringo explained passionately, really getting into his role as teacher and role model. “So, as a warning you all, if you fall in love, you’ll be expelled! So don’t do it!”
The class was completely silent for a moment, then the entire room burst into a whispering frenzy.
“Not allowed to fall in love?” Tomo repeated, “Did I hear him right?”
I shrugged. It wasn’t that much of a big deal to me. I was here to follow my dreams and become a composer worthy of writing for the man who had inspired me, the idol I later learned was called HAYATO. I may not have had a lot of the modern conveniences at my grandmother’s, but when I was with my mother and father on the rare occasions they weren’t traveling for their jobs, I would live in their suburban home and I had access to the internet. I used that time to research him and I finally found him. I didn’t need love if only I could repay the person who helped me find my way.
“ (f/n), (f/n) are you listening to me? Helloooo?” Tomo nagged at me, snapping me out of my thoughts about HAYATO. “Isn’t this just awful? It’s only human to fall in love!”
I shrugged. “If you say so. I’m just here to learn and make some friends for when we graduate and start working in the real world.”
Tomo rolled her eyes at me. “You’re so weird, (f/n). You’re already surrounded by cute guys and you say you aren’t falling in love. That’s really unfair.”
I gave Tomo a funny look. “What do you mean by that?”
“Now let’s get started on class today!” Ringo said before Tomo could respond, clapping his hands loudly, interrupting the talking students and signaling for them to quiet down. “You’ll be receiving your first assignment today! The last Friday of this month will be your initial recording test. These tests are done in pairs; one idol and one composer. But, you can’t just simply practice for this test. The idol group must write the lyrics for their songs, and the composition group must write the music for their songs, not simply sing or play the music. In other words, everyone, you will be writing your first songs! I’ve even gone ahead and decided the pairs via amida drawing! Come up and see who you’ve been paired with!“ Ringo tacked the long sheet of paper on the board and tore off the cover, revealing who was paired with who.
Knowing I couldn’t beat the masses, I chose to remain in my seat until I heard someone yell out my name, signaling that the someone who had been partnered with me found my name. In the meantime, I watched Tomo struggle fruitlessly towards the board and giggled at her attempts to jump forward. I could also see Otoya near the board, his red hair giving him away. I watched his finger trace down the path of his drawing, but I couldn’t see the bottom with how many people were crowded around. I heard him yell out victoriously.
“Hey, (f/n), we’ve been paired together for the first recording!” he called out, pushing through the students to rush over from his desk to mine. “How lucky is that?” He asked, setting his hands down on my desk and looking at me with scarlet eyes so full of excitement and happiness that I couldn’t help but smile and hope I could live up to his expectations.
“My luck today has been a rollercoaster of ups and downs today!” I exclaimed, “but this has to be the best thing yet today! I’m so glad I can work with you today Otoya!”
Once the class all found out who their partners were, Ringo had us sit back down in our seats. His eyes locked on mine. “Miss (l/n), would you do us the honor of playing this song for class today?” He asked, waving a couple sheets of music in the air.
I nodded and stood up immediately. “Yes, Ringo!” He walked back and set the papers on the grand piano in the back of the classroom.
As I stood up and began to follow him, the mutters of the other students reached my ears: “She sure seems to be on good terms on Ringo,” “yeah, I wonder who she knows to get special treatment,” “or who she’s related to,” “but they do say it’s not who you know, but who you blow-”
I sat down on the piano bench, utterly infuriated. It was clear Ringo hadn’t heard a word of what was said. As I looked to the music sheet to see what I was supposed to play, doing my best to ignore the other students, I found myself unable to concentrate on the notes. Rather than appearing on the bars, they seemed jumbled and scattered and I couldn’t read them for the life of me. I began to panic. How was I supposed to play if I couldn’t read the notes? What was I going to do? I took a deep breath and lifted my hands to the keyboard. I had to do this, I absolutely had to do this, otherwise I’d look even worse to the class. But, my hands were visibly shaking and I didn’t even know what to do with them if I couldn’t read the notes.
I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry, stage fright is normal for people who haven’t played in front of a crowd of people before,” Ringo said knowingly. “Just give it your best shot!”
The disparaging voices in the class grew even louder. “Stage fright? What are we, five years old?” “Does she even know how to play?” “Does she know how to read music?” “How did she manage to pass the entrance exam if she doesn’t know how to play an instrument or read music when she’s supposed to be a composer?”
A chair was moved back violently, and I saw Otoya stand up in the middle of the class, looking angry. “Would you guys give it a rest? Of course she can’t play if you guys keep muttering that negative sort of garbage. Hey, (f/n), do your best!”
“I don’t know, I’d be pretty worried if I were you, Red,” someone said, “She is your partner, after all.”
Otoya sounded like he was about to say something, but Ringo intervened. “That’s enough,” he said sternly to Otoya, who remained standing for a moment, but then sat down. “And that goes for all of you,” Ringo added.
“But Ringo,” Tomo began.
“Ah, I said to be quiet, didn’t I?” Ringo said, putting his finger to his lips. “This is just another thing that we have to deal with in the performing arts.”
The bell signaling for class change rang. Looking up at the clock, Ringo sighed. “I didn’t realize it was that time already. Very well! That’s it for now! Class dismissed!”
As soon as those words left his mouth, I went to my seat, grabbed my bag, and I stormed off.
“I’m so glad it’s lunchtime!” Tomo said, stretching her arms before reaching into her purse to retrieve her lunch card. “After a day like today, I could use a big, juicy burger! I’m going hurry up and get in line so I can get one asap!“
She rushed away as I pulled out my card and started chewing on the corner absently, unsure of what I wanted. There was so much to choose from in the massive dining hall. After a few moments of deliberation, I decided to follow Tomo and get what she got so we wouldn’t get separated. Before I got far, someone knocked into me, making me drop my card and lose balance, sending me straight onto the hard floor. I fell on my side, causing sharp pains to shoot up my left arm and through my shoulder. My head also hit the ground, though my arm took the brunt of the fall. My head began to throb as stars burst across my field of vision.
“Hey, what the hell?!” I heard someone yell as I groaned and sat up slowly in order to avoid any more unnecessary pain. I saw a pair of feet approaching me quickly. Suddenly, the worried face of a young boy, with blonde hair, a hat, and pretty aqua blue eyes came into view. “Are you okay? I saw someone run into you and knock you over, then walk away like nothing ever happened! Bastard!” the boy growled. “But seriously, are you okay? You fell pretty hard and hit your head.”
I nodded my head, sending pain shooting through my skull, and I winced slightly. “Well, I’m still conscious if that counts for anything,” I snorted. “What kind of asshole runs into someone and sends them flying then walks away without another word?”
“That’s what I’m saying!” The boy replied in agreement. He had an apologetic look on his face as he stood up. “I’m really sorry that happened to you. There’s no way you deserved that. Need a hand up?” He asked, offering me a hand with nails painted black and wrists adorned with studded bracelets.
An edgy kind of style, I observed, looking at his entire ensemble of flashy clothing. I grasped his hand and allowed him to pull me up. I stumbled into his chest as I got to my feet, getting a rush of blood to my brain and suddenly becoming dizzy.
“Easy there!” He remarked, his arms wrapped around me securely, holding me against his chest. If I wasn’t in so much pain right now, between my head and my left side of my body, I’d be so embarrassed by being found in such a position with a total stranger.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled, feeling my consciousness slipping as I laid my head against his neck.
“Oi! Don’t pass out!” He said in vain, his voice sounding strangled. Before I passed out completely, I heard a voice call my name, and another voice call me again shortly afterwards. I felt popular.
I moaned, a throb of pain in my head waking me from my deep sleep. Dragging my eyelids open, I signed in disgust as I blinked several times to clear my vision. Looking upwards, I found myself staring at a white washed ceiling, with curtains dividing the room into small spaces. An infirmary, I guessed.
An anxious face, aqua eyes wide with worry, popped into view looking down at me. A smile blossomed on his face as he said, “She’s awake!”
I heard a couple sets of hurried foot steps and the tossing aside of the curtains. With a groan, I forced myself into a sitting position, my left arm and shoulder stiff and pained. Looking around again, I saw that the boy who had been hovering over me was the one I had met in the lunchroom. He lunged at me bow, wrapping my in a surprisingly strong grip.
“I’m really glad you’re okay!” He said, sounding immensely relieved. I winced slightly because of my arm and shoulder, but I parted his back with my right arm.
“Thanks for your help back there!” I responded, eternally grateful. “I don’t know what exactly would have happened if I had just passed out on the lunch hall floor with nobody to help me.”
“Give it a rest, Munchkin,” a vaguely familiar voice said, his tone teasing. “Leave some of the poor girl for us to worry about.”
Looking over the boy’s shoulder, I recognized the man who had just spoken was also the same man who had helped me the day of the entrance exam, the one with a really pretty voice. He winked one of his brilliant blue eyes at me. “Long time no see, young lady.“
I heard a gagging noise from the opposite side of the room. Jerking my head to the side, I saw Masato standing in the corner with his arms folded over his chest. He shot the gingery haired man a dirty look before saying, “Excuse me, something was bothering my throat.”
“Knock it off you two,” the blonde boy said, letting me go and glaring at the two other men. “Can you guys not fight for at least the first five minutes that she’s awake?”
While the three of them spouted excuses and bickered, I gazed at the man with gingery hair, and my cheeks grew hot. I remembered how he kissed my for head with his soft lips and ran his expert hands through my hair.
“Hey, your cheeks are really red. Do you have a fever?” Masato observed, walking over to me and laying a long, thin fingered hand over my forehead.
“I-I-I’m okay!” I said frantically, feeling my face grow even hotter. All this attention from attractive boys I was hardly acquainted with was going give me a heart attack from how quickly my heart was racing. You’d think I was running a marathon.
“Give the girl some space,” said the school nurse said, walking through the part in the curtains. “You don’t want her passing out again do you?” Masato left my side rather reluctantly. She looked me up and down and nodded. “You should be fine, Miss (l/n). Nothing is broken and your head is probably going to throb for a while, but thankfully you didn’t fall hard enough to cause any real damage. Feel free to rest here as long as you need.” With that, the nurse exited the room. I sighed in relief. Nothing serious was wrong with me.
“By the way, Jinguji, my name isn’t ‘Muchkin’, it’s Syo Kurusu!” The blonde boy snapped. “So call me by it!”
“And I’d prefer to be called by my first name, Ren, but you aren’t doing that, so why should I call you what you want?” Ren retorted, his lips turned slightly upward into a grin. I began laughing, and the boys fell silent. “You all are so great. I couldn’t ask for better company.”
“I just have to say one thing,” Ren added, “I’m the one that carried you back here while you were unconscious, so if you feel like picking favorites, you know who to choose. I really don’t like the idea of being lumped into the group as these two.”
“Oh please,” Syo said, rolling his eyes. “The only reason you came is because you followed Hijirikawa.” “You didn’t know her before today,” Masato added.
I cleared my throat. “Not exactly,” I said, feeling slightly guilty. “I met Ren before the entrance exams, and he helped me out when I was late.”
As soon as I spoke, I knew it was a mistake. Ren’s ego swelled like a balloon and his lips twisted into a smug smirk. “You heard the lady.”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t twist my words. I only said we met before. Nothing more.”
With a seductive smile, he replied with, “Little lady has a bite to her.” He rose from his position sitting on the edge of the bed and straightened his clothes, which there wasn’t any point to, as his shirt was already half in buttoned and his tie was only loosely knotted. “As much as I love spending time with you, little lamb, I have work I must attend to, namely unpacking and furnishing my side of the dorm before that one-” he motioned to Masato, “-takes my space. Not everyone is a minimalist. I’ll take my leave now. I’m very glad I met you again, even if the circumstances were less than desirable.” With a wink, he pushed aside the curtains and disappeared.
“You two are roommates?” I asked Masato, who nodded and frowned in annoyance.
“Of all people, it had to be HIM,” Masato mused, shaking his head. He moved to leave as well. “I’ll be leaving now as well. I don’t trust him alone in our room. I’m glad you are okay, (f/n).” With formal nod, he left too.
“I’m guessing you need to unpack, too?” Syo asked, watching Masato exit. He stood up and offered me a hand. “Here, I’ll help you up and help you unpack when we get to your room.”
Placing my hand in his hesitantly, I asked, “But don’t you need to unpack, too? I’d feel bad for having you help me when you’ve still got work to do with your own room.”
An odd look formed on Syo’s face. “I’d much rather stay out of my room for as long as possible. My roommate is absolutely nuts. He keeps on tossing me around and hugging me and calling me ‘cute’ and ‘little’,” he explained, voice full of disgust. Holding my hand firmly, Syo waited until I was firmly on my feet and made sure I wasn’t stumbling before letting my hand go. “Oh, by the way-” he pulled a lunch card out of his pocket and pressed it into my hands. “This is yours. You dropped it when you fell.”
“Oh! Thank you! I had forgotten about it to be totally honest,” I said, slipping it into my blazer pocket. “Your roommate wouldn’t happen to be Natsuki, would it?” I asked, as we walked out out of the nurse’s office, heading towards the dorms. I figured that Syo’s description of his roommate sounded too much like Natsuki for it to not be him.
Syo nodded, looking surprised that I knew. “Yeah, how’d you know?”
I grinned, thinking of how I met everyone this morning. “I had a rather interesting meeting with him earlier, since he’s in class A, the same as me.“
Syo groaned. “He tried jumping on you, didn’t he?”
I nodded. Before I could say anything else, as if summoned by speaking about him, Natsuki came running up the hall and tackle-hugged Syo, who looked as if he were being suffocated by the larger blonde man. The entire scene was awful but entertaining at the same time.
“I heard you went to the infirmary,” Natsuki wailed, “I was looking for you, but then I passed by Masato who said the both of you were still in the infirmary, so I rushed here without waiting to hear the rest. I got so worried!” Oblivious to Syo pleas, Natsuki continued to cuddle the smaller boy, who’s hat now lie forgotten on the floor.
Arriving from the same direction as Natsuki, Otoya walked up to us, looking as equally distressed as Natsuki. “(F/n), are you alright? Masato told me that you got knocked into and you hit your head and got sent to the infirmary. I was already worried about you after class today, but now-”
“I’m fine, I’m fine!” I interrupted, waving my hand dismissively and giving him the widest smile I could manage. I didn’t like how depressed he was looking, especially since it was my fault. "I just ended up knocking myself out like an awkward dumbass on the first day of school.”
“When you put it that way I feel even worse!” Otoya said, his expression changing from one of worry to one of pity. Not sure which I liked least. “You fell during the lunch period, right?” he asked, changing the subject. I nodded my confirmation. “Then you missed the school campus tour. Come with me! It’s hardly 4 pm, so there’s still a lot of time to explore!” He gazed at me expectantly, his eyes shining hopefully.
I glanced at the retreating figures of Natsuki and Syo, who was still throwing a fit and making a commotion. There was no way I could help that poor boy without joining him in his predicament. I’d have to apologize later. Snorting with laughter, I turned back to Otoya and smiled. “Sure, why not? This way we can get to know each other better!”
“Yes!” Otoya said victoriously, jumping in the air and pumping his fist. “Alright, let’s go!”
Disclaimer: all the characters and the story line of Uta no Prince belong to their respective owners, not me!