the_big_ol_book_o_stories

For Ritsuka

The first day of is a harrowing even for some but it gets harder the farther you are from what you know. A new school, a new city, a new class, any one of these is a challenge for most teens and this is only harder when the pressure to succeed hangs on their shoulders like a weight. One Noah LeClair feels all of this anxiety and more.

A foreign learning program where only the brightest can qualify. He'd worked hard, harder than he ever had in his life and he had made it - the third slot of only three open spaces, but he couldn't be relieved just yet. The program brought him to Japan, the other side of the globe and worlds apart from what he knows, but he was told to learn the language beforehand so some part of him expected it. What he was not expecting just how hard the culture shock would hit. The night he arrived already had him furrowing his brow in confusion, then there was how cramped the streets were, then all the people in those outrageous outfits but the weirder thing was that no one was paying attention at all. Information overload was an understatement but thankfully he could hide in his apartment and focus on just prepping for school.

Once there, which was an effort all on it's own, he was late and with no good excuse other than "I got lost". His teacher was understanding enough but it didn't stop her from laying it on him for being late and wearing outdoor shoes indoors. Oh boy. There were expectations of him and he can't afford to betray them. Still, he made it and soon enough he was waiting outside the room where he'll have to figure out how to be a highschool student.

"Come on in." He was called and he stepped into the room as confidently as he could, though the bit of sweat at his neck and brow may tell a different story.

"Please introduce yourself." He took a breath and looked out the crowd of students, their eyes looking like they're about to roast him alive.

"Noah LeClair. Fr-" He stopped, nearly introducing himself in English. "F-From England. Please call me Noah. Nice to meet you." His accent was very very apparent in his speech, not to mention he raised his hand to wave. "Noah-kun, here in Japan we bow when we meet new people." The advisor corrected and he quickly did as told....a bit too much as he bowed three times. A few giggles and chuckles reverberated around the room and his face turned a slight slight shade of red. "Well, now that we've finished, why don't you sit down over there in the back." "R-Right."

Such is his first day, walking awkwardly to the back of the class, avoiding gazes and quietly taking his seat....and wanting to see where he can hide.

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Honestly speaking, Ritsuka is one of those students who's often the bane of all her teachers: someone who does very well on tests, and who picks things up easily and quickly... but only when she's interested enough to pay attention. More often than not, she ends up dozing off in class, or forgetting to turn in assignments; it's only her test scores and in-class work that keeps her solidly in the middle of the of the road. She does perk up a little for the new student and his introduction, looking him over curiously.

When he picks the seat next to her, she leans over and whispers to him, in English--the benefits of having family overseas--"Don't worry about the teacher too much. She's a stickler for the rules, but she's pretty willing to look the other way if you pay attention in class."

But then she has to straighten in her desk, to play the part of a good (or at least decent) student when the teacher shoots them a sharp look. But she does smile at Noah, in a way that she hopes is properly reassuring.

He was more than a little surprised to already meet someone who could speak English and it was a welcome relief. "Right. Thanks for that."

He's quick to do the same when she gives them a look and crossed her arms. "Well, Fujimaru-san, since you're getting to know Noah-kun, why don't you show him around after class?"

He felt a little bad about getting her in trouble but that feeling was quickly replaced in the day as the class started and he had to dart back and forth between the textbook, the teacher, his notebook, then to the little worn out paperback Japanese language manual. Poor soul.

At the very least he didn't mess up anything when he was tasked to recite or answer. At least he thinks he didn't, there were a few giggles and sneers after he spoke. Lunch break is a welcome relief but, from the way he deflates in his chair and struggled to sit upright, he was tired.

Ritsuka, for her part, doesn't seem terribly bothered by the teacher's snide suggestion; at lunch, she turns towards Noah again, her smile more sympathetic.

"It's a lot, huh? I usually feel like I have no idea what's going on, half the time."

She says it without any shame, leaning enough to fold her arms on his desk. Sometimes, you just have to acknowledge you're only a so-so student, and mostly coasting by grace of certain scores.

"But it looks like you were doing pretty good. Practice makes perfect, that's what my team captain always says."

This part, she punctuates with an exaggerated eyeroll. Maybe he hasn't had the chance to learn about the school's sports culture, but if there's anyone here who qualifies for "should have been the protagonist of a sports manga," it would be the captain of the girl's volleyball club. Unfortunately for Ritsuka.

"You can say that again. I feel like my bloody brain is going to start leaking out me ears."

He runs his hand all across his face, probably in attempt to erase his facial features out of stress.

"That's good advice. Lord knows I need it." Japanese is still an active memory he has to keep on the forefront and it takes a lot of effort. "I don't think I got your name. 'Fujimaru', yeah? That's your....family name, right?"

"That's right. But you can call me Ritsuka, if you want--most people do."

Someone nearby makes a vaguely scandalized noise, but nothing that's overtly aggressive or judgmental; it's more exasperated than anything. No one really tries to make Ritsuka obey polite conventions, and if she wants to tell a stranger he can refer to her in such a familiar manner, no one is going to dissuade her.

"If you want a practice partner, though, I'd be glad to help. I usually have volleyball practice after classes, but that only goes for like an hour or two. Unless the captain's really gotten going..."

"That'd be great, thanks." Lord knows he could really use the practice, although he does vaguely remember something about names. He's sure he wrote it down somewhere but he can't seem to find the note.

"By the by, did I...do something wrong?" He asked bringing his voice to a whisper. "A bunch of folk have been starin' at me for a good long while. I was just thinkin' I did something wrong." Not quite and Englishman in New York, but still quite lost. People were indeed looking at him, mostly girls, but the look they had was more about curiosity than anything.

"No," she says, with immediate confidence. She looks around, deliberately catching the eyes of a few people peeking and holding those gazes until the other person turns away first. When that's done, she gives Noah a sympathetic look. "It's not anything you've done, just... uh. This is gonna sound kind of rude, but... you're exotic? You don't get a lot of people with blonde hair or blue eyes around here. You can usually tell when people are just dying their hair."

To demonstrate, she tugs at her own bangs, holding them out to the light. "Me, I'm half-Japanese, but I was born here, so most people in this class have known me since we were in kindergarten, so they're used to me. And I still get it sometimes, with new teachers. They'll get used to you in a bit, just--right now, you're the most exciting thing that's happened in this class for a while. Probably will be until one of the sports teams starts winning a lot of games."

"Oh. Right. That makes sense." Once more, he remembers being told that by his language teacher and his overseas program officer. Funny how things like that are the first to go when you need them the most.

"I've never been in a normal school, so this is all really new to me." He takes another gander around and spots a group of really flashy girls who, unlike the rest, are outright staring at him and he smiles and waves. "I reckon I should start by showing I don't bite, yeah?"

Someone tell him that he's waving to the class gals, because most of the guys in class just reacted.

"It's okay to bite back a little." Ritsuka's still sympathetic, though she winces a bit at the reaction. At least no one is going to pick a fight with Noah over this just yet... maybe later. She makes a mental note to check on him after the school day is over, before she heads to the volleyball club, just to make sure he doesn't get jumped. "Be friendly, but don't let people push you around, okay? That's worked for me."

She may or may not have gotten into a few scraps in the past, defending some new student or other, but he doesn't need to know that yet. The important thing is that she does at least have an established reputation for exactly the attitude she's advising him to have.

"And maybe for the first couple of days, stick to observing how people act... that's what I'd do."

Noah just smiled at the remark. "Right, blend in don't do anything untoward. Got it."

The gals he was waving at all waved back, then started to obviously gossip. Some other guys also started to whisper amongst themselves before going off to find their lunch or move their tables together.

"You're allowed to do that? Move the tables for lunch?" A beat. "Oh bloody hell, speaking of. Which way is the cafeteria? We should probably get some grub too."

"Ah... there's usually a cart, but most people bring their lunches. I'm guessing you didn't know that part?"

But as to his first question, she nods, gesturing to her desk, and then his. "But yeah, most people bring their lunch and then they just push their desks together for the meal. More importantly, though, we can see if there's still anything left from the vendors? If not, I know a couple of vending machines nearby that do cup noodles. We'd have to sneak, but even the teachers tend to ignore when students do that. Forgetting happens."

Not being told also happens. For her part, Ritsuka has a bento box of her own, dark blue in color with a few small cartoon bunnies printed on one side. It's a very typical cutesy sort of thing.

"Wanna go? I bet if we run, we'll get there in time."

"Aye, that sounds good."

He rises to his feet and lets her lead the way while observing the school. The vendors were indeed quite empty so the cup noodle vending machine were the only option left and thankfully, there wasn't much sneaking to be done when it wasn't really guarded very well.

He took a minute or two to choose and once done, he settled with her on the nearby table surprise writ all over his face. "Oh bloody hell, this is not what I was expecting at all!" Holding the styrofoam bowl filled with ramen, he sets it down and started to eat - using a spoon and fork of course since chopsticks were a bit out of his abilities. "You sure this is instant? Doesn't taset like it."

"Surprise!" she laughs. There is something charming about his shock, and Ritsuka herself isn't much of a cook, so she can understand being startled at what gets put together for the sake of convenience. "Sometimes, the cheaper option isn't actually the worse one."

Her own lunch is relatively simple--rice and a few croquettes (from the combini, of course), and some carrots cut into the shape of stars. But honestly, it's more entertaining to watch him experience something that for her, is familiar... it's just fun to see people have new experiences.

"If that's got you going, I know a few other places we should hit up later. People around here take food really seriously."

"I'm starting to really get that idea. The languagr tutor I had back home, she said that the Japanese really have another level of dedication and towards things. Some mundane, some more practical like this."

He refers to the food, of course. "You mentioned you were half-Japanese. Where from, if I may ask?" Meaning of course to her other ethnicity. "I have a guess, but I don't want to look anymore like a fool than I do already."

"American." She laughs as she says it, shrugging a little at the same time. "But I mostly grew up over here. People look at me weird sometimes, but we're used to each other by now."

In demonstration, she waves to the same group that had been eyeing them earlier, grinning when one waves back automatically.

"Sometimes it's bad advice to just tough it out... but in this case, I can pretty much guarantee they'll lose interest soon. Then you can make actual friends because of who you are as a person, not just being a novelty."

"Ah, thought as much." She didn't speak with an accent like his, though when he thinks about it - there about a hundred accents per square mile in his home town alone.

"...So deal with the attention like I'm some escaped zoo animal until I've become yesterday's news." He says before taking in a mouthful of noodles. "Thrilling."

There's that famous sarcasm.

"Anyone I should keep an eye out for whilst I'm stumbling through all this?"

"Yeah, it's not great, but it's what it is." She shrugs a little, amused by his sarcasm. He isn't wrong, after all; it might not be as widespread as the movement of governments, but the politics of high school has always seemed rather intense to her. "As for who to look out for..."

She leans back in her seat as she considers. "The soccer team as a whole is pretty insular. Male and female teams, really, so don't worry about what they say. They'll only care about you if you're good at sports and don't pick to join the club. The computer club acts meek but they'll destroy you on social media if you cross 'em. Be nice to the girls in this class, 'cause most of them have fan clubs. Present company excluded."

That she says with some good humor, no resentment. She's not terribly interested in having a fan club, personally; it seems more embarrassing than anything else. "I can introduce you to some people too, if you want."

He makes mental notes of all those details while making snide remarks.

For the football club. "They sound desperate."

The computer club. "They sound sad."

And the girls fan club. "Sounds pretentious." Because it is.

"Right, duly noted. Not that I think I'd have time for some football anyway." He finishes up the ramen and stifles a burp, promptly whispering "excuse me" under his breath.

"What's the school policy on students working part time? I was supposed to have an orientation this morning, but I got lost and the rest was history."

His commentary makes her laugh; without really thinking about it, she gently shoves at him by the third. It's the kind of playful low-level roughhousing she does with friends, though nothing so noticeable that it would draw more attention.

"You can work part time as long as you get a permit," she says. "You can ask the teacher for a meeting with the headmaster, and he'll just do a little interview to go over your current schedule. They take the whole 'your education is your job' thing pretty seriously here."

Since the lunch hour is starting to draw to a close, she straightens her desk, though she leans in to keep the conversation going. "--Not that I have a job. But one of my best friends does. I can introduce you, if you want to hear more of what the process is like."

"That'd be great. Thanks." He glances at the nearby clock and tosses the styrofoam bowl and utensils where they should go.

"Right, we should head back before we get our arses chewed out." He says with a tone of someone not afraid of having that happen to him.

Making it back just in time, the class and the day proceeds as normal, though some attention was given to Noah by the teachers just to see what he can do. He does well enough with math, English - obviously, and science. Japanese and History were his weakness showed, though once again expected. By the time classes were over, Noah let out a soft sigh as he adjusted his neck tie and reclined in his seat.

"Bloody hell, I am exhausted." And he had the idea of asking of a part time job after work? He might be a masochist.

"It's a lot, right?" Ritsuka's laughing as she says it; she'd wandered back in time to hear the complaining, and it's both laughing with him and at him. "But it's got its own rhythm to it, too. You just gotta get used to it."

Other students are filtering out of the class as she speaks. A few call good-byes to Ritsuka, and she waves back before she turns her attention back to Noah. "Anyway, I don't have practice today, so I'm gonna be part of the go-home club. Did you wanna talk to the headmaster today? Or tomorrow? I can walk you to his office if you do."

"Go-home club? Is that the term for just leaving?" He's so confused if that's a legitimate club or not.

He paused for a moment and looked up at the ceiling while weighing the options in his head carefully.

"....I think I'll save that for tomorrow. I want to try and get acquainted with the area and how normal goes on about here. I was late this morning and I'm pretty sure that's gonna reach my probation officer." He doesn't want to say that everything in the residential side looks the same and it took him a while before he finally found the bus stop.

A few of the girls in class linger around staring and whispering about him, something which catches his eye and he just waves and smiles at them who giggle and wave back before turning and headed out. "Are girls here normally this skittish, or am I just a special case?"

"They think you're cute."

She says it completely casually, the same way someone might announce the weather. She's busy packing her own things, glancing at the girls and then back at him.

"For one thing, the fact that you're new is definitely a plus. And light hair is kind of exotic around here. I wouldn't worry about it too much, unless you're interested."

Not my business, her tone implies. They've only just met, after all; she's more than happy to be his friend and guide, but his love life won't be her business ~~unless he makes it so~~.

"--Anyway, yeah, the go-home club is just a way of saying you don't have any club activities. Most people who use it don't have any, but I've got a swinging membership. I'm taking advantage of it today."

He hums in thought as he tilts his head and catches a glimpse of the girls from earlier peeking at him from behind the door.

"That right?"

He didn't even notice her tone or lack thereof and instead started to pack up his things. "I guess I'll be joining you for that. Though won't be headed home just yet. I also need to get some stuff. Groceries, a few supplies, body wipes, and....maybe some cologne." He says trailing off a bit as he peeks out the door again to see another of their classmates leaving while waving and smiling at him.

He watches them leave, smiling the whole while and waiting a full second before finally responding. "Have you got anything after this? I mean, I know you said you're headed home but, you know, still daylight out."

"Definitely not my homework."

She says it innocently, though she does look around quickly to make sure there aren't any teachers around to hear her saying that. The thing about Ritsuka as a student is that she's not even the worst--when she applies herself, she does well. It's just the getting her to apply herself that is the problem.

"Other than that? Nah. I was thinking maybe I'd hit up the arcade, but my usual karaoke group is busy this whole week, so I was gonna go for a walk. Just 'cause I don't have my club activities doesn't mean I don't wanna move around, you know?"

There's something refreshing about someone being so open that homework is not going to be a thing. Also slightly panicking.

"In that case, do you mind keeping me company a little bit longer? New city and all. I took a wrong turn and ended up elsewhere, if it weren't for bumping into this American fella, I probably wouldn't have made it to school." It's a bit bitter for him to admit that, mostly out of stupid pride as a man.

"I live...here." He says fishing out an identification card. "The landlady said that to get here to school is just a fifteen to twenty minute commute from there, but I royaly messed that up. Hoping you could show me around. Even just the immediate area." And then his cheeks turn a shade of red and his smile turns sheepish. "I know I've been relying on you all day, so if you'd rather not I understand."

"I don't mind!" she says cheerily. She doesn't bother padding it with the fluff of oh, it's just the nice thing to do or anything like that; Ritsuka just genuinely likes hanging out with people in general, and she deeply enjoys the getting-to-know-someone point in time.

Plus, as someone who lives alone... it's nice to have company for a little bit longer. She reaches out a hand to take the card, if he'll let her.

"If anyone knows their way around here, it'll be me. I wrecked my bike a few months ago and I haven't gotten around to getting it fixed, so I walk a lot. I can definitely show you all the shortcuts you'd need."

"Brilliant!" He hands over the card without any hesitation. Indeed the location would just be a quick commute by either bus or subway, though the station still has a bit of a walk to the school.

If she knows it, she'd know the place is close to the shopping district in the area and known to have generally old houses and studio apartments. Not quite the expected dormitory for a student on an exchange program.

Noah finished packing his bag and checking his desk to make sure he left all the heavy items there, along with other things he'd need for class. He's organized, meticulously so as he fixes up his books and notebooks, arranging them by order of when the class is and what day. Even the pencils are arranged in order and dense.

"Right, I'm all set. How's about I treat you to something nice, for all the trouble. The landlady showed me this nice bakery cafe sort of deal yesterday. I think I remember where that is." A beat. "Well, from where my apartment is at least."

"Those're the magic words right there!" Ritsuka laughs. She takes the card to skim it, then nods a little in recognition. She's familiar with the neighborhood's general location, if not the specifics. Easy enough. "As long as food is involved, I'm pretty easy."

Once he's got his stuff gathered up, she starts to walk, half-leading him out of the halls and out of the building. As they walk, other students call greetings to Ritsuka as they go; no one tries to actually stop them or engage in conversation, but she clearly at least has a friendly reputation with a large part of the student body.

"It's pretty straightforward, once you get used to it," she tells him as they walk. "But if you really wanna treat me to snacks, I'll never say no."

He's going to remember that. Lure with food.

He notes all the people that pass, particularly noting that some of those guys they passed gave him...looks. He wasn't sure if it was agressive or resentful, but they were looks. Clearly, she isn't aware of how popular she actually is.

"Well, I grew up in the poor side of London where the streets barely make sense, the alleys even less, and the locals call that straightforward. So, you'd have to navigate assuming I'd lose my way down a straight alley." He pauses for a long while. "Which may or may not have actually happened this morning."

It happened.

He's not wrong: Ritsuka has no real idea anyone might be looking at her with any sincerity or seriousness. She's mostly content to drift and scatter her affections thoughtlessly and happily, unpinned by anyone's field of gravity just yet. What she's doing instead is listening to his story, laughing outright at his may or may not. She knows what's implied there.

"I'll try and make it easy, then. Most of the streets here are pretty simple! It's just a matter of getting used to a new setting. Y'know, like in a game, when you move on to a new area. Some of the enemies are new, but some of them are just reskinned from earlier. And when you recognize that, you've already got an idea of how to deal with them."

She points. "Like that four-way intersection up there? You'll wanna go the opposite direction from that laundromat. And the next one, you'll be going opposite of the combini. Same action, same kind of building, but different spots and different cosmetics."

Noah takes quiet note of everything she pointed out, as well as some landmarks that he could use and of course, street names. He does so as best as he could since the video game analogy is a bit lost on him given he's touched a video game only a few times in his life.

"Everything here is a bit copy pasted, innit? Lots of places back home are the same but even this kind of throws me off." A beat. "And it's so bloody clean. There's a bin at every corner. How do you lot manage to keep it this way all year round?"

He asks just as they pass by a homeowner outside their abode, fittingly sweeping the front.

"Nevermind. I got my answer." Another lesson in looking before opening his big mouth. "Do you live around here? You know this place like the back of your hand."

She laughs, though it's more teasing than mocking. "People here are just tidy! There's lots of rules about that kind of thing." She nods in greeting to the homeowner, who nods back, though she doesn't slow her stride.

"--But yeah, I live a couple of streets over. I've lived in this city my whole life, so I'm really used to it! And I've got friends who like to hang out in different areas, so I've learned lots of shortcuts and tips about getting around."

In fact, she lifts a hand to point as they round another corner. At the end of the street is the bakery he'd mentioned, or so she hopes. It's the one she'd been thinking of, at least, when he'd mentioned. "See? Jackpot! That didn't take too long, right?"

He waved to the old gal as they passed, idly listening to Ritsuka until he saw the bakery.

"....Well, look at that. It is." He said dryly before looking at her. "How convenient that we ended up here as our first stop." He wasn't born yesterday, girlie.

Noah just sighed despite feeling like he got played somehow. "Alright, come along then. I did promise a snack." He grumbled as they approached the bakery, the smell of freshly baked goods already filling the air along with the scent of sweet breads and coffee. The shop is a simple one, just like one would expect of a fairly small shop in the residential area, but cozy with cakes being displayed in the airconditioned counter, with their pastries and bread products to their left, and to their right a few tables where customers can dine and relax. The lady behind the counter looks to be about their age but she was relaxing on the counter while reading a magazine before she greeted them.

"Right, go on. Go pick something out."

"Don't mind if I do!" Ritsuka says, in cheery singsong. There's no embarrassment or repentance for what she chose to lead him to first. She's an active girl! She needs her snacks! So with his "permission," she makes a beeline for the counter to peer at the cakes. They're the sort of cute aesthetic thing that one might expect from popular spot, and Ritsuka is not immune to things that are cute.

After a moment, she waves him over, still grinning. "I'll take that one," she says, pointing.

It's not the biggest cake, or even one of the more expensive ones; it's just a small single-serving round thing, with just a bit of decorative piping and several glossy red strawberries on top. Frankly, it's one of the most basic things in the whole case.

"I'll split with you, if you want, but it's the best thing they've got."

He takes a seat when she dashed to the cakes, putting his bag down before going over when she beckons.

"That's alright. You can have it. Excuse me." He paused with an 'ah' before switching to Japanese to make his order. The strawberry cake for her, a slice of apple pie for him, and two cups of coffee. He manages to order well enough as the cashier girl goes to prepare their order.

"So other than volleyball, going home, and ignoring homework, what else do you do, Ritsuka? Hobby-wise I mean." A beat. "Oh! I actually managed to say your name right. I must be getting better."

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