Hi, Everyone!

A second of awkward silence passed before Himeko pulled herself upright, her artificial knuckles taut with how hard she held her bag. She wondered how she looked, standing at their mercy, and stopped her train of thought before it dipped headfirst into the abyss.

Out of all the seats and all her classmates, there was only one more seat than them. Himeko was fascinated by how different the teenagers of this day looked, how they all stuck out in their own unique ways, free of the pain of her time. Their uniforms were altered with the latest and greatest fashion trends, from sparkling hologram projections over their sleeves to moving nail polish and color-changing makeup. They wore piercings and glimmering contacts. Most looked back at her with the same fascination, but only three really caught her eye.

Two of them sat together, two shared bento boxes between them. One had wavy purple twin tails, her expression amused yet guarded, and the girl across from her was slightly shorter, her shoulder-length hair sunflower yellow and falling into her face as she played a game on her phone. The other girl sat alone by a window. She read as she ate, her lovely green eyes bright in the sunlight as she looked at Himeko and then looked away.

She wondered why.

“You found another weirdo, Hanami?” asked the purple-haired girl, breaking the silence. She held her chin in her hands, smug as she looked at Hanami, silently challenging her. Himeko faltered, shrinking into herself. It was like her worst fear was being confirmed.

“I’d rather talk to someone weird rather than outright nasty,” Hanami spat back. The purple-haired girl wilted as she took her seat at a desk behind the two girls, beckoning Himeko to sit with her, who did.

Their classmates swarmed Himeko like locusts, full of admiration as they fired off questions faster than she could answer, and only dissipated when the purple-haired girl shooed them away. She was tall, slim, and beautiful, like the quintessential model. It made her feel inadequate. She stood next to Himeko, hand outstretched and her expression haughty.

“I’m Gakugi Ume,” she introduced herself, shooting Hanami a nasty look. “You really should sit with me, rather than her. You know, Yuutsuyu doesn’t have the best reputation. She’ll just end up dragging you down with her, and someone like you shouldn’t be there.”

“But I like Hanami.” countered Himeko.

“She’s making you look bad by proxy, Zaiyabōto, and we can’t have that.”

Before Himeko or Hanami could respond, the yellow-hair girl, who’d somehow managed to sneak up on them without a sound, leaned against Gakugi, her fingers curled loosely around her wrist. Her golden eyes were puffy from a lack of sleep. Gakugi took one look at her, peeked down, and her cheeks flushed red as she looked away. It was like she’d been reduced to a harmless kitten in her hold.

The yellow-haired girl’s voice was as soft and gentle as a cloud. “Ume, don’t be mean. Maybe they’ll want to sit with us eventually if you’re nicer.”

“Yeah, fat chance.” Hanami said, her lips curled into a sneer as she looked at Gakugi.

The yellow-hair girl looked downcast, but she pepped up when she began to drag Gakugi along with her. “There are a few minutes of lunch left, Ume. That’s enough time to get a quick nap.”

“Ten minutes is not enough time for a nap!” Gakugi said. “You stayed up all night again, didn't you?” The yellow-haired girl let out a whimper. “You did. I told you to stop doing that-!”

Himeko let out a small laugh, turning back to Hanami as she tuned out Gakugi and the girl’s conversation. She reached across their shared desk to place her hands over Hanami’s in a show of support. “I’m sorry for what she said. Are you okay?”

“Fine, honestly. Gakugi’s just mad that I got an internship at Nakamura Labs when she didn’t, and her family’s money can't buy her a spot in.” Hanami laughed, flicking something over wrapped in cute, biodegradable packaging across the desk. It landed in Himeko’s lap, and she held it up, head tilted. Hanami nodded. “I had a feeling you would be the type to forget to buy lunch on your first day. Eat up.”

Thanking her with an affronted laugh, Himeko opened the package to reveal a simple yet tasty sandwich, biting into it as the yellow-hair girl came into view.

“I didn't get a chance to really introduce myself before, but here I am now!” she said, a sweet, girlish expression on her face. She wore her uniform at its normal length, unlike Gakugi, who wore the skirt rather short. “I’m Koiki Hirune. I’ve always admired your work. It’s so cool to meet you. I hope we can be friends.”

“I hope so, too.” Himeko smiled, watching as Koiki’s face bloomed into pure joy as she bounded off through the classroom door.

Gakugi trailed behind her, stopping to at Himeko before continuing to follow Koiki. “Stay away from Koiki, old hag.”

She cast a hard glance to Himeko and left the classroom herself. Himeko watched her, still looking in her direction as Hanami laughed in disbelief. “Just ignore her. She’s insane.”

“I can’t help but feel like there’s something else there, though.” Said Himeko, biting into her sandwich.

Hanami shrugged, holding a lollipop before popping it in her mouth. “Who knows? She’s just a bitch from my perspective, but you’re smarter than me.”

“Language!”

“Ugh. You’re my age; you’re supposed to be like me, not my aunt.”

Himeko laughed behind her finger. “You forget I’m both your age and…what did you call me yesterday? “Ancient?’”

“Are you going to hold that over my head forever?” Hanami let out an exaggerated sigh, slumping over the desk. “If only Kōrō was here, he’d defend me.”

“Who’s that? Is he the one who’s missing from class?”

“Yep. I wonder why he's not here. He’s one of those kids that have near-perfect attendance. I could ask Hengawa over there,” Hanami said. pointing to the back of the room. Himeko’s gaze followed it, landing on the girl with the green eyes and even greener curly hair. She adjusted her earbuds as she wrote, the expression on her dark brown face even sadder than before. “But she’s just so weird!”

“Why’s that?”

“She's antisocial for one, and she never talks to anyone or participates in anything! If you do manage to get her to talk, she can hardly do it! Kōrō says she's a good person, and while I don't doubt that, she's just so…off-putting.”

Himeko laughed. “They used to call me weird for the same reasons, y’know. Maybe you should just give her a chance?”

“Maybe,” muttered Hanami, still laying over her desk.

The bell rang. The two rushed to clean up and fix their desks, and Himeko took one last glance at Hengawa as their teacher began to speak, lost in her thoughts about her and the mysterious Kōrō.

✦✦✦

“I’ve got practice with my band tonight,” Hanami said, sipping a can of glittering soda through a straw. Himeko drank a similar one. She finished it, crushed it between her hands, and tossed it into a bin as they made their way across campus. “Will you be okay going home by yourself?”

“Yes, but why don't I tag along?” asked Himeko.

“Too close to an important gig for that. We have to practice like we're performing, and a new person, especially you, is going to distract them. Next time for sure, though.”

Himeko frowned, walking a little behind Hanami as she thought. Was this really worth it if she would constantly be treated as someone - something – to gawk at or distract or try to win over? Could the constant push and shove between the two halves of her new life still let her live?

She took a glance at the normal, human body of Hanami and laughed bitterly to herself beneath her breath. What did Himeko Zaiyabōto know about living? She was a machine then. She was a machine now.

Hanami turned around, her expression pinched with worry. “You alright, Himeko?”

“Yes,” said Himeko smoothly, catching up with her after hoisting her bag back up from where its straps had begun to slip off. She had hoped the smile she offered was enough to hide her inner turmoil, and it seemed successful judging by the smile she received in return. She moved beneath the shade of lovely trees with bright green leaves to avoid the sun’s glare as she stopped parallel to the station of New Urania’s educational district and looked at Hanami. “Looks like we’ve made it to my stop.”

“Are you really sure you’ll be okay, Himeko?”

“Worried about me~?” she teased. “I’ll be fine.”

“I know you will be, but a girl can’t help but be worried about her friends, right? See you tomorrow at 8:30 am sharp. And I mean sharp this time!”

Laughing as she promised she’d be on time, Himeko waved goodbye to her friend and stepped through the station’s sliding doors. It was busy, but not nearly as much as Shiroume, filled with students and staff of the several schools within the district. She waved to the classmates she recognized as she took her seat on the train leading to Shiroume Station.

A music player Hanami had given her, preloaded with the music she liked best, sat in Himeko’s pocket, and she pulled it out to listen, managing to get her earbuds in just as the train began to move.

The moment she got off the train, she bought two of the buns she was starting to become rather fond of, biting into one as she made way to her second train. She took her seat and listened to music again, flicking through her shiny new phone until the train stopped. The walk out of the station was equally uneventful…until Hengawa walked up to her, not stopping until they were rather close.

Up close, she was strikingly pretty and a little shorter than Himeko. Her legs were long and graceful, and even Himeko could tell how strong they were. Beauty marks rested below her eye and bottom lip. Her expression, though not unkind, was guarded yet curious and hopeful, and she held her hands together at chest level.

“I’m Hengawa Midori. Would you like to walk home together?” she asked.

Himeko blinked, taken aback. Hengawa stepped back as she responded. “I’ll walk with you. I didn't think I had any classmates that lived over here.”

“Most do not, which is a shame since the pier’s over here.” said Hengawa, walking. “Speaking of the pier, would you also like to go there with me?”

“The pier? You don't mean the amusement park, right? I’d love to, but I’d want more time than after school…”

Shaking her head, Hengawa turned, not towards where the neighborhoods closest to the station, but towards the loud pier flourishing under the spring sun. “Maybe at some point, but not today. I want to share something with you, is all. Consider it thanks for being kind to me with Yuutsuyu.”

“Okay then,” whispered Himeko with a smile. She could hear the sea, feel the need to see its sparkling surface echo in her artificial veins. “Lead the way.”