The First Day

Monday, April 6th, 2026. Six in the morning.

“Hitomi, wake up.”
My mother's voice slipped through the door.
"It's six o'clock."
My alarm clock was, in fact, showing 6:00 a.m.
Great.
The first day of school.
Just thinking about it was enough to make my stomach knot.
"Mmmmh... already? I don't wanna go..."
"Don't worry. I'm sure everything will be fine!"
Yeah, sure. I had to get up anyway. A new year, a new school... maybe this time, things would be different.

An hour and a half later, I was finally standing in front of my new high school.
The building looked huge compared to my old school. Four floors, tall windows reflecting the morning sky, and a wide courtyard where dozens of students were already chatting with each other. In the center stood a massive cherry tree, its last petals drifting through the wind.
The school was beautiful.
And all I could think about was how many people were going to look at me today.
Laughter echoed from every direction. Some students were reuniting with their friends, while others were excitedly searching for their new classrooms. I stood in front of the gate for a few seconds, unable to move.
This was supposed to be a fresh start.
And yet...
I already didn't believe in it.

The moment I stepped through the gate, that familiar feeling came back.
Stares.
Some were probably just curious.
Others felt like they were searching for something wrong with me.
I instinctively lowered my head.
Maybe I was imagining it.
Maybe I wasn't.
"Look at that girl. She's new, right? I've never seen her before," people whispered around me.
"Yeah, she's kinda cute, but doesn't she look a little weird? What's with the eyepatch?"
Muffled voices.
Ugh. Too many eyes. Mind your own business, seriously.
I eventually found the classroom map.
Class 2-B, huh? Twenty-five students in one class? That's way too many.

As usual, I ended up sitting by the window at the back. That seat suited me just fine.
I looked at all those unfamiliar faces. Even though the classes had just been rearranged, everyone already seemed to have found their place.
Everyone except me.
A blonde girl naturally drew the attention of the entire room.
The others seemed to orbit around her without even thinking about it.
Impressive.
Or exhausting.
I wasn't really sure.
Then the classroom door slid open, and a woman walked in.

"Quiet down and take your seats, please! I'll be your homeroom teacher this year, and I truly hope we can spend it together in a good atmosphere. Since I don't know any of you yet, we'll start with a quick introduction from each person. Let's see..."
She looked down at her list for a moment.
"Akane Hitomi?"
The moment I heard my name, I panicked. I hated having everyone look at me.
My throat went dry. My palms were sweaty.
With trembling legs, I stood up.
"I-It's m-me."
"Ah, hello. You're new to this school, aren't you?"
"Y-Yes. I moved here not too long ago."
I tried to avoid all the eyes fixed on me and stared down at my desk instead.
"Very well. Tell us a little about yourself. What are your hobbies?"
"Um... well, I like being alone and reading manga."
"And... um... if you don't mind me asking... your eyepatch...?"
I felt every stare in the room sharpen at once. I thought I was going to faint.
"It's personal..."
A long silence followed.
I wanted to disappear. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, and tears starting to rise.
"Alright. Next, then..."
I sat back down, still shaking.
A little later, the class burst into laughter after another student's introduction. Everyone seemed to be having fun.
The laughter filled the room.
That laughter…
My stomach twisted.

"Come on, take off your eyepatch! Let us see!"
More laughter.
A different classroom.
Me, staring at my desk.
"She's seriously a demon!"
"Get lost, demon! Leave us alone!"

"Oh... hey!"
I flinched and looked beside me.
"You're Akane, right? Are you okay?"
I simply nodded, then buried my face in my arms and slumped over my desk.
That girl must have thought I was weird.
Just like everyone else.
"QUIET, please! Listen to your classmates! Now, next... Mikage Hayase?"
The blonde girl from earlier stood up.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Mikage Hayase! I'm in the school's sports club, and I mainly do running and tennis. My motto is to always give it your all, and most importantly, to never judge someone too quickly. I'll do my best to make this class a place where everyone feels like they belong, and I'd like to run for class representative if no one else wants the position!"
Silence…
"Uh... alright. If no one objects..."
The class stayed quiet for a second, and then...
Applause?
"Yeah! Mikage-san is so cool!"
Wow.
This girl really had style.

Mikage Hayase...
I envied her.
After that, the first classes began.
Surprisingly, they were easy to follow. At least I wasn't behind in the program.

When morning classes ended, a boy came up to me.
"Hey, Akane! I'm Ryota Matsuda! Wanna go to the cafeteria with me? I can show you around if you want."
I recognized him right away.
He was one of the boys I'd overheard rating girls during the break.
Just thinking about it made my shoulders tense.

What a gross habit. He was probably popular with girls, but honestly, I didn't care. He was just a loser.

"Mmh? What?"
"Uh, I asked if you wanted to come to the cafeteria with me. I can give you a tour if you want, princess." He winked.
"No thanks."
I said it coldly and left the classroom with my lunch.
I really couldn't talk normally to people...
They were probably already making fun of me.

In the end, I went to eat in the cafeteria. It was too cold outside, so I sat alone, just like before.
There were so many people I felt like I was going to suffocate. I wasn't really hungry, but one person stood out from the crowd.
That blonde girl from my class.

Mikage.
She was surrounded by people. Everyone wanted to talk to her.

She looked kind, but serious at the same time, and she really was pretty. Her green eyes matched her blonde hair perfectly, and she wore the school uniform so elegantly it almost annoyed me.
A perfect girl.
That pissed me off.
No one is perfect, damn it!
The afternoon passed without any issues. No one came up to me.
That situation felt painfully familiar.
At the end of the day, some students were playing little games together to get to know each other.
Ridiculous.
I didn't waste any time and went straight home.
...

"I'm home."
"Hitomi! How did it go?"
"Fine, fine..."
"Did you make any new friends?"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm not really hungry. I'm tired, so I'm going to bed. Good night."
"Oh... alright. Good night."

I went into my room, took off that damn eyepatch, and looked at myself in the mirror.
Sigh.
Still there...
Sob.
Why can't I just be like other girls?
I gripped my mask with anger.
My stomach hurt.
My heart hurt.
And my eye was judging me.

I guess this is just my fate.
Moving away won't change anything.
Good night... whatever hope I had left.