First Problem

Walking into the art room, I was immediately greeted by the familiar scent of paint, a mix of acrylics and oils, mingled with the faint, woody smell of sharpened pencils. The classroom was bright, sunlight streaming in through large windows that overlooked the courtyard, and various art supplies were neatly organized on shelves along the walls.

Canvases of all sizes leaned against the far wall, while a collection of student artwork decorated the room, adding a splash of color and creativity to the space.

As soon as we stepped inside, Emma hurried ahead of us, sliding into her usual seat by the window with a dramatic sigh. She slumped in her chair, putting on a show of exaggerated exhaustion.

"Ugh, I can't believe we have to work on that project today. I didn't sign up for this level of effort," she groaned, though I could tell there was a hint of excitement in her voice.

I couldn't help but smile at her theatrics. "I thought art was supposed to be relaxing?" I said, settling into the seat beside her, feeling the slight texture of the wooden stool beneath me.

"It is… when you're not being graded on it," she retorted, shooting me a look, raising an eyebrow then turned her attention to Otsuki, who was setting her supplies down on the desk across from us. "Right, Otsuki? Tell him about the horrors of art projects here."

Otsuki, as elegant as ever, neatly laid out her sketchbook, pencils, and a few brushes, her movements precise and graceful. She gave Emma a soft, knowing smile. "It's not so bad, Emma. Besides, I thought you were looking forward to this one?"

Emma huffed, crossing her arms. "Yeah, but only because my masterpiece is going to put everyone else's to shame. I mean, what's the point of art if you can't flex a little, right?" She gave a playful grin, clearly enjoying her own words.

I chuckled at that. "So, I guess I'll be seeing a lot of abstract masterpieces with hidden meanings from you, then?"

"More like a monument to my greatness," Emma replied, flipping her hair back dramatically. "You'll see."

The room started to fill up as other students trickled in, chatting and setting up their materials. There was a gentle buzz of conversation, a contrast to the quiet focus I was used to in other classes. Unlike the structured order of Mr. Hoshido's lessons, this room felt more… free.

After a few minutes, a cheerful, middle-aged woman entered the room, carrying a large canvas under her arm. She had short, curly hair, streaked with a hint of gray, and wore a colorful scarf over her shoulders, which matched the vibrant patterns on her dress. She placed the canvas on the easel at the front of the room and clapped her hands together, instantly grabbing everyone's attention.

"Good afternoon, class! I hope you're all feeling creative today," she said, her voice bright and encouraging. "For those who don't know me, I'm Mrs. Mori, your art instructor. We'll be working on a collaborative art project for the next couple of weeks, something to showcase at the upcoming Art Festival. Think of it as your chance to really express yourself and show what you can bring to our Matsugaya community."

The mention of the Art Festival seemed to stir some excitement in the room, and I could see a few students exchanging glances and murmurs. Mrs. Mori picked up a piece of chalk and started writing on the blackboard, "Theme: Transformation."

Otsuki's eyes lit up at the word. "Transformation… That sounds interesting," she said quietly, mostly to herself, but I caught the hint of curiosity in her voice.

Emma, on the other hand, seemed less impressed. "Great, more symbolism. Just what I need," she muttered, but I could see the glint of a challenge in her eyes.

Whatever reservations she had, she was already thinking about how to make her mark on the project.

Mrs. Mori turned back to face us, a warm smile on her lips. "Transformation can mean many things—change, growth, adaptation. It's up to you to decide how you want to interpret it. You'll have the freedom to use any medium you'd like, and I'll be here to help guide you along the way."

She gestured to a table in the corner, covered with various art supplies: paint, clay, fabric, and even some sculpting tools. "Feel free to experiment. This is your space to explore and create. Now, pair up or form small groups, and start brainstorming some ideas. I want to see what comes to mind when you think of 'transformation.'"

I glanced over at Emma, who was already scribbling something in her sketchbook, her brow furrowed in concentration. Otsuki, still sitting beside me, looked thoughtful as she opened her own sketchbook, her fingers lightly tracing the edge of the page.

"Transformation, huh?" I said, more to myself than anyone else. It was a pretty broad theme, and I wasn't entirely sure where to start. "What do you think, Otsuki?"

She looked up at me, her eyes bright. "It's a theme that can go in so many directions. I'm thinking of something that shows different stages… maybe a series that tells a story through the change of seasons, or even abstract colors representing emotions."

Emma leaned over, still drawing something in her book. "Yeah, yeah, that's cool and all, but I'm thinking bigger. Like, something that just grabs your attention the moment you see it."

Emma looked up at me with a sly smile. "Think you can handle that, America?"

I smirked, picking up a pencil and twirling it between my fingers. "Guess we'll have to see, won't we?"

{Chapter 6: First Problem}

I began working on a few rough sketches on my project, entering a complete focused mode and leaning against the table trying to come up with a perfect sketch to work off of. Most of my sketches were just small doodles, big and small, but I didn't know what to do for this project.

'Transformation..? What can I draw to symbolize transformation..?' I thought to myself, gently tapping my pencil against my sketch book then began to look around the class for inspiration.

I glanced over at Emma, noticing her sketching a Sailor Moon-esque character and stifled my chuckle, understanding what she was going for. I took a glance at Otsuki's work, wondering what she was making. As I leaned over to her sketch book, I noticed one of the most beautiful artworks I'd ever laid eyes on.

"Wow...that's really amazing..." I said, albeit aloud which caught Otsuki's attention.

She glanced at me, a warm smile on her lips. "You think so..?"

I looked at Otsuki, a small embarrassed blush settling on my face. I sat up straight and cleared my throat. "I didn't mean to say that out loud, but...yeah it's beautiful. I can see you're going for a Season Theme.."

Otsuki smiled at my comment, nodding then looked back at her art piece. "I call it, Seasons of Emotions. Each season correlates with one another, similar to how emotions can as well. Depending on how you look at it, it can mean many things."

"Summer for Happiness and when it cools into Autumn, Happiness cools into Contentment, then Winter arrives where it's at its coldest and Contentment chills into a time of rest and recharge, finally Spring the seasons where flowers bloom, a sense of Rebirth," Otsuki explained, her tone a mix of pride and joy in her work.

I looked at Otsuki's work once more, feasting my eyes upon her work. "Wow...that's actually pretty deep."

"You think that's deep? Feast your eyes on this bad gal!~" Emma said, holding up her sketch book to show her artwork. "This is true Transformation!~"

"Is that Sailor Moon?" Otsuki asked, tilting her head.

Emma puffed her chest out, letting out a prideful and cocky chuckle and placed a hand on her hip. "Fufufu!~ This is true Transformation! The type of transformation that takes the meaning to a literal sense!"

I glanced over at Otsuki, our eyes meeting for a moment. I turned my gaze back to Emma, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's very well made."

Emma smirked at me, a triumphant chuckle escaping her lips. She set her sketchbook back down, gazing at her artwork with pride. "Of course it is! The Great and Mighty Emma Chisaki made this! No one will ever top such a piece!"

I smiled at Emma, shaking my head slightly and went back to focusing on my rough sketches. I didn't really get any inspiration at that very moment, but I was more eager to get at least one perfect sketch down.

As I worked, I heard a group of girls giggling to each other, glancing up and noticing them gossiping and plotting with one another. I decided to ignore them, focusing on my work and furrowed my brows in concentration, putting my mind at work to make a perfect piece.

Suddenly, I heard Emma gasp loudly, Otsuki and I looking up and noticed paint had been thrown on her and her sketchbook. I turned my gaze back to the girls, noticing them laughing amongst each others.

Emma stood up and scoffed in shock, looking up at the three girls in front of her. "What the fuck?! What the hell was that for, Reiko?!"

"Oops, sorry~ My hand slipped. Let me help you clean that up," The girl said, standing up and walking toward our table then poured water all over Emma's sketchbook.

Emma's eyes widened in disbelief as Reiko defiled and ruined Emma's hardwork. Reiko, with a smug smirk, then ripped the page out of her sketchbook and tore it into tiny pieces. Emma, too stunned to react, could do nothing but just watch in disbelief.

"Reiko Satamori! That behavior is unacceptable! Bullying will not be tolerated in my class, go to the Headmistress's office right now!" Mrs. Mori demanded, pointing at the door.

Reiko smirked at Mrs. Mori then glanced at Emma. "You're lucky that's all I did, Poverty Girl..~ Maybe if your pathetic mother paid off her dues to my father, I wouldn't have to take... collateral."

I watched as Reiko and her clique left the class then turned toward Emma. Before I could say anything, Emma grabbed her things and ran off with tears welling in her eyes.

"Emma, wait!" I called out, standing up then looked at Mrs. Mori. "Excuse me, Mrs. Mori. Is it okay if I go check on her?"

Mrs. Mori looked at me, a small smile playing on her lips. "Go ahead."

I nodded and grabbed my things then hurried out of the classroom to find Emma. I couldn't help but to think about how messed up it was for Reiko to just throw paint at her and ruin Emma's entire piece like that. I knew I had to find Emma fast and try to help her feel better.

I hurried down the halls, glancing around quickly for Emma then heard sniffling nearby coming from the vending machines. I came to a stop, noticing Emma sitting against the wall, hidden away next to machine with an chocolate bar in her hands.

I made my way toward her, my steps slow and cautious. Once I got close enough, I crouched down in front of her, gently placing my hand on her arm. "Emma? Are you alright?"

Emma wiped her eyes quickly, sniffling and looked away from me. "Yeah, I'm fine..! I wasn't crying or anything! Hmph!"

'At least she knows how to keep her strong front...' I thought, a soft smile playing on my lips.

I moved to sit next to her, setting my bag down beside me. I looked over at Emma, watching as she nibbled on her chocolate bar and grumbled softly to herself. "Who were those girls...if you don't mind me asking."

Emma paused for a moment then lowered her chocolate bar. "Those three bitches are what Naomi would be if she wasn't as humble as she is! They want to be Naomi so badly, pretty, rich, and dominant but in reality they are just thorns in my side!"

"And the group leader...Reiko, I hate her so much. I don't know if you heard, but my mother is in a lot of debt. 1.5 million yen in debt...which is honestly some bullshit because all we did was rent a house, but that bastard has it out for my mom!" Emma groaned, hugging her knees.

"Why..? What did she do?" I asked, genuinely curious now.

Emma stayed silent for a moment then sighed, leaning her back against the wall. She looked up at the ceiling, pondering on if she should tell me or not. "If you weren't Aisha's friend and had I only met you today, I wouldn't tell you...but I'll tell you since I consider you an... acquaintance."

I nodded at her comment, listening closely. Emma took a soft breath before beginning to talk about her mother's situation.

"So my mom used to be a big time real estate agent like Mr. Satamori, and she used to be nearly at his level of wealth, but that all went downhill when a rumor spread about my mother's past. She used to be a uhm...a uh..." Emma began, her voice quieting down, and I could see the hesitation on her face.

I gave Emma a moment, staying silent so she could have the courage to tell me herself without the need to pry.

Emma finally calmed her nerves and looked down, fiddling with the counters of her sketchbook. "My mom used to be a sex worker...and that news spread around because one of her old clients was Mr. Satamori. Because he was jealous of her progress in the real estate business, he leaked their sex tape and got her shunned by even her close friends."

"Ever since that day...my mom hasn't been the same. We lost all of our money, our goods, and my mom lost some of her dignity. Luckily she works in a good office job now, but the house we rented is under Mr. Satamori's real estate business and he's making us pay triple the normal amount," Emma finished, closing her eyes and sighing.

"What a jerk..." I said under my breath, shaking my head slowly.

"You're telling me...now his little cunt of a daughter is targeting me because she thinks she has the rights to. She doesn't bully anyone else to the extent that she does to me. She treats me like I'm less than human," Emma scoffed, aggressively nibbling on her chocolate bar.

"Oh look babe~ If it isn't the future prostitute in the making and her little emotional supporter~" Reiko laughed, walking toward us, looking down at us with an air of superiority.

I looked up at them, seeing Reiko and her boyfriend then scoffed lightly. "Hey, leave Emma alone. She has done nothing to you so just leave!"

Reiko looked at her boyfriend, stifling her laughter but ended up bursting out laughing. "Satori~ This new kid is surely a tough guy~ Show him what happens when you try to mess with me!~"

Satori looked down at me, walking forward and cracking his knuckles. "Should've kept you mouth shut..."

I glanced up at Satori, my gaze firm and fearless. I stood up from the ground and stood face to face with Satori. "I'm not scared of some delinquent who hides behind some prissy princess who wallows in Daddy's money. Your self-centered trick is bullying my friend and I won't stand for it."

Satori smirked at my boldness then handed Reiko his bag. "Tough guy with some tough words huh? Well let's see how tough you really are."

I watched his body language, noticing his fist fly to my face but I weaved to the side to evade his punch. He launched two more punches, but I dodged both strikes, countering with a direct blow to his gut and followed it with a right hook.

Satori grunted as he stumbled back, holding his jaw. "Shit...this guy hits hard..."

I stepped forward, standing in a protective way in front of Emma. "Just so you know who I am...My name is Motosaki Izuna. I am more than just a new kid, I am a military child. You had no chance to begin with."

Reiko held Satori's arm, scoffing at me as she pulled him away. "This isn't over, Izuna! Satori will get you back for this!"

I scoffed as I watched them walk away then turned toward Emma, noticing her staring at me in awe. Emma's eyes shimmered as she looked up at me, her expression a mix of awe and gratitude.

"Are you okay, Em?" I asked, crouching down in front of her.

Emma nodded, her gaze meeting mine for a moment then she blushed and turned her head, crossing her arms. "Hmph! Yeah I'm okay, but I could've totally spoke for myself!"

I blinked at her for a moment, letting out a soft laugh then shook my head. "Yeah, I believe you. C'mon, I'm sure Otsuki and Mrs. Mori are concerned about us by now."

Emma watched me stand then took my hand, allowing me to help her stand up. The two of us began to make our way back to our Art Class, Emma feeling slightly better after watching me beat Reiko's boyfriend with relative ease.

Along the way, our conversations we're mainly about who taught me to fight and I was more than happy to tell her. It was nice seeing Emma back to high spirits, and it felt nice being able to help her and protect her.