A New Beginning

It was a spring season, when a boy couldn't fall asleep during the night time, kept rolling on his bed several times restlessly. He couldn't shake off the nervous energy that had been building up since he realized tomorrow would be the new term of the school. This would be a truly new beginning for the boy, not just because he would be a high school student the next day, but also because it would be his first day going to school after his parents lost a few weeks ago.

As he lay in bed, the memories of that fateful day came flooding back, like a sudden downpour on a spring morning. He remembered the sound of his neighbor's sobs, the shock and chaos in the hospital, and the numbness that had taken over his body. It was as if he had been transported back to the moment when he was told that his parents had been lost in an earthquake disaster.

The words still echoed in his mind: "They're gone, Yuki. You're all alone now."

The weight of those words had crushed his, leaving him feeling lost and alone in a world that seemed too big and scary. At that time, even the physical injury he received from his collapsed house seemed to be nothing as he felt numb, realizing he lost everything from the earthquake.

"Are you still awake, Yuki-nii?"

The boy's eyes snapped into focus as he turned his face around just to find a little girl, his heart still heavy with memories. The girl's big brown eyes looked up at him with a gentle smile, his curly hair mussed from sleep.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" She whispered, her small voice barely audible.

A soft, genuine smile curled on the boy's face as he heard what the girl said. "Sure, Mai-chan. Come here." The girl jumped immediately into his bed, giggling and snuggling up close, wrapping her small arms around his waist.

Her name was Higawa Mai, about six years old if he remembered it right. She was just like him, one of the victims of the cruel earthquake that hit their hometown the last couple of weeks. He could still remember the first time he saw the girl; the hollow expression on her face as she walked around the shelter, kept hugging the bear doll while asking where her mom was, her face was full of dirt and the trace of tears could be seen all over her chubby cheeks. He cringed, still haunted by that memory. Fortunately, she was still too little to remember the depressed feeling at that time for too long as she turned into a cheerful girl right now.

"So, what do you think about tomorrow? It would be your first day going to school, right?" He asked softly.

"Um!" She nodded, her hair bobbed, showing her excitement. But then, her face suddenly turned somber, an expression that was not fitting for a little girl like her. "Do you think my mum and my dad will be happy seeing me going to school? Or do you think they will be sad they couldn't accompany me for my first day going to school?"

'Ah, so that's it.' The boy widened his eyes in realization. Sometimes, it was hard to forget that behind the cuteness of the six-year-old girl, she just lost her parents too in the disaster. There was no way she wouldn't miss them.

"Come here, Mai-chan." He invited the girl into a big hug once again. "I am sure your parents would be happy and proud of you for tomorrow."

"Are you sure?" She snuggled into his body, hiding her face so that he could see her tears. However, the boy could feel his shirt starting to get wet, so he hugged the girl tighter.

"Yup, I am sure of it." He whispered softly, rubbing the back of her head fondly. "Tell you what, how about I go together with you to your school tomorrow?"

The girl's eyes lightened up. "Are you sure?"

"Yup!" He nodded firmly. "I will ask for Aiko-obaasan to accompany you tomorrow. That way, I can also know where is your school and I will also be able to pick you up."

"But tomorrow is also your first day, though.." She said hesitantly.

"Don't worry, I can handle that easily." He waved his hand nonchalantly. "So, what do you think?" He offered his pinkie.

The girl giggled, wrapping her pinkie around his before she nodded, hugging him tightly once again. "Thank you, Yuki-nii." She mumbled through her shirt.

The boy nodded, rubbing the back of the girl lovingly as he stared outside of the window. In this moment, he forgot about the sorrow, the fear, the nervousness, and all the negative feelings that had haunted him for so long. All that mattered was the gentle rhythm of the little girl's breathing, the soft whisper of her voice in his ear, and the knowledge he just realized the moment he stared at the little girl on his lap, that he was no longer alone in this world.

----------------------

"Did you bring your snack?"

"Yes."

"What about your water?"

"It is here."

"Do you remember what I told you?"

"Always listen to the teacher."

"Remember to wash your hands before having lunch, okay?"

"Yes."

"Remember to wait for Obaasan to pick you up and don't go back alone, okay?"

"Yes."

"Remember-"

"Yuki-nii!" Mai glared with a slightly red face as she glared at her new big brother. "I remember everything, stop reminding me again!" She huffed.

She felt a bit embarrassed at his constant overprotective nature, something she just found out this morning. It didn't help when she could hear some of the other kids' parents smiling over at them, whispering how sweet and loving her brother was. Aiko-Obaasan, the matron of the orphanage they stayed in right now also giggled uncontrollably, amused to no end at the boy's nagging.

"You sound like a young father, Yuki." She commented, her lips trembled. "Don't worry, she would be careful and listen to her teacher. Right, Mai-chan?"

"Yes, Yuki-nii! I will be careful!" The girl nodded.

The boy called Yuki sighed helplessly, couldn't help but feel worry for the little sister he just found out about last night. He rubbed her hair lovingly before saying, "Well, what are you waiting for? Go!"

"Um!"

The girl waved her tiny hand at them before running energetically toward the building. Yuki and Aiko stared at her for a while until she disappeared from their sight before the older woman turned to him and asked softly, "What about you, Dear? Will you be alright?"

Yuki sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose under the glasses. "To be honest, I don't really know." His eyes had a distant faraway look as he thought of how life seemed to make a joke of him.

It was just a month ago that he had a perfect life. He graduated as the best student from Yasuka Middle School in Fukushima, having two loving parents who always supported him no matter what he wanted to do. But with just a single vibration deep inside the ocean, all of that was swept, buried under the ground. Now, here he was, living in an orphanage, on the way to his new high school in the capital city of Japan.

He would lie if he said he wasn't nervous.

"Don't worry, everything will be alright." Aiko patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Just don't go crazy with the girls, okay? One girlfriend is enough!" She giggled teasingly.

Yuki sighed, knowing that she would bring this at some point. It was no secret that he was such a handsome boy. There was a saying among his peers in the past that only blind people wouldn't admit that. His uncommon bright cerulean eyes sparkled behind a pair of round, black-rimmed glasses that made him look even more endearing. With his short, spiky black hair perfectly messy and his cheeks flushed with excitement, Yuki was a picture of innocence and charm.

It was no wonder girls would always flock to him, something that annoyed the boy sometimes.

"Well, don't forget to be happy too, okay?" Aiko hugged him affectionately. Even though Yuki was the recent addition in his orphan, since he was the oldest there, it didn't take a long time for him to blend in with the other kids. He quickly took the role of the older brother for everyone, helping her take care of the children sometimes. That was why she was so fond of him. "Don't worry about Mai. I will take care of her."

"Thank you, Obaasan."

After saying goodbye to the matron, Yuki started walking, trying to remember the way to go to his school. Fortunately, it wasn't too far from Mai's school and the road was pretty crowded, filled with the students with the same uniform as him. It didn't take Yuki too long before in front of the gate of his new school.

Tsunemori High School.

That was the name of his school. It was a small school located in the middle of West Tokyo, side-by-side with the Edo River. Unlike Yuki's expectations about the school in Tokyo that usually was portrayed as massive and luxurious, the building in front of him looked pretty old, yet the aura radiated from it was so majestic, as if saying how long the building had been standing there, the silent witness of so many historical events in Tokyo.

It was still a bit early when he arrived, yet he was already surrounded by a lot of older students who gave him fliers, promoting their clubs.

"Come on! Let's join the anime club!"

"No way! You are too handsome to join that! Go to the cultural club! We can have a tea party together!"

"You are pretty tall, why don't you consider joining the basketball team?!"

"No, come to the football club!"

It was like being the center of the war. The whirlwind of invitations left Yuki's head spinning as he tried to keep up with the rapid-fire pitches. It seemed he wasn't the only one though, as he found out there was also a crowd on the other side of the gate, surrounding another freshman to invite him to join their club.

After struggling for a while, he finally was able to get out of the uncomfortable situation and went straight to his classroom.

Fortunately, it wasn't too far from the entrance gate, the first room on the second floor. He glanced for a second at the room that would be his place to study for the rest of the year before noticing there was an empty seat in the front row near the windows. Without hesitation, he chose to sit there before anyone could pick that spot.

Even though there was still a lot of empty space behind, there was no way he would pick that, especially the spot far in the back row near the windows. He wasn't the main protagonist of an anime, there was no way he would do something that cringe, especially for a not-so-strategic spot like that. The only students who would go to the back row were the ones who tried to hide from the teacher or the one who arrived too late it was the only spot left remaining.

"Hello, may I sit here?" Yuki asked politely to the girl who sat behind him, trying to strike up a conversation.

"A-Ah!" The girl stuttered, not expecting someone to start a conversation. "S-Sure!" She nodded frantically, her face beet red.

"Thanks." Yuki smiled, putting down his bag on the floor. "My name is Yuki, by the way. Kobayashi Yuki. Nice to meet you."

"N-N-Nice to meet you too, Kobayashi-san!" Yuki cringed, pitying the girl for being a nervous wreck. She shouldn't be that good at socializing with other people. "M-My name is Ayaka Kato!"

Yuki smiled politely at the first person he knew in this school, then decided to turn around and not bother her anymore. He knew a bundle of nerves like her wouldn't be too comfortable having a conversation with a stranger like him, so Yuki didn't force himself to talk to her again for the rest of the morning.

After a while, the entire seats in the room were finally filled in. Yuki didn't strike up another conversation with his soon-to-be classmates though, since almost everyone had their own group of friends. It seemed a lot of them came from the same middle school.

'Well, it seems I am destined to be a loner in the beginning.' He sighed.

Five minutes later, the sound of the bell rang loudly, echoed through the entire building. It was the sign that the first class of the day would begin. And as if she didn't want to be late and give a bad impression to the new students, the teacher appeared immediately the moment the sound of the bell was gone from the air.

She was a woman with a warm, radiant smile strode in, her bright brown eyes twinkling behind the frames of her round, tortoiseshell glasses. Her dark hair was styled in a neat bob, framing her heart-shaped face, and a sprinkle of freckles danced across her cheeks, adding to her approachable charm. She wore a crisp white blouse and a fitted skirt that fell just above her knees, exuding a sense of authority and professionalism. As she made her way to the front of the room, her confident stride seemed to fill the space with an air of quiet determination, leaving the students with no doubt that this was someone who knew exactly what she was doing.

"Well, good morning, students." She smiled, pushing up the glasses on her nose. "My name is Handa Emiko, but you might as well call me Handa-sensei. I will be your homeroom teacher for the rest of the week, so I hope we can get along well, okay?"

And that was the beginning of Yuki's colorful life as a student at Tsunemori High.