Chapter 4: The Staring Problem

Morning light filters through the bedroom curtains, and the sound of ruffling sheets fills the air. Yakubo slowly shifts from lying down to sitting on the edge of the bed.

His hands come to his face, curling into fists and rubbing the corners of his eyes. Yakubo sits in silence for a moment, absorbed in the unfamiliar quiet peace of his new home.

It is 6:30 a.m a little over an hour before he has to go to the academy. He hadn't spent the money the Oshinsu had given him yesterday. The money wouldn't have been enough for Onmitsu gear.

Yakubo already knew this, so he had prepared before he ever stepped into the country. He grabs one of the many scrolls placed on his nightstand.

Unrolling it reveals the sheer length of the scroll. It is covered in handwritten marks, sealing dozens of items in a single scroll.

Moving his hand under a section of the scroll, the ink begins to melt off the scroll. It turns back into a dark liquid that drips off the paper.

As it hits the floor, the ink begins to take shape. Instead of staining the floor, it shifts on its own, forming into different sets of clothes stacked upon one another.

He grabs the top pair, rolling the scroll back up, and places it on the nightstand. He starts his morning heading to his new bathroom.

When he enters, he sets the clothes down on the sink and turns the shower to its hottest setting.

He stands there for a long while, staring at his reflection in the mirror, watching as the edges begin to fog from the steam of the hot shower.

He doesn’t move until the fog closes around his whole body, leaving only a blurry outline of what is him.

Yakubo strips down to nothing before stepping into the shower. Hot water scalds his skin as he washes for the first time in days.

He is long overdue for a proper clean, weeks traveling on the road were not kind to him.

He takes his time, methodically scrubbing himself down with the bar of soap that had been in the shower already.

Yakubo never wastes anything, yet when he finishes washing, he doesn't turn the shower off immediately.

He stands in the middle of his walk-in shower, basking in the hot water spraying against his skin.

Only after his white skin has turned red, his fingers pruned at the ends, his body raw, does he step out of the shower.

Exiting the shower, he grabs a towel to dry off and dress.

Yakubo starts with plain, skin-tight underwear, then moves to basic black tactical pants. They have all the essentials that an Onmitsu would need, durability, comfort, and many tightly sealed pockets.

His hands move to a dark violet string, he wraps it around his waist, tying it tight. The string holds up his pants and allows him to carry a sword.

Yakubo finishes pulling a shirt over his head, it sticks to his torso like a second skin. It is completely black besides the red writing over his left chest.

The writing reads in Izumi dialect ‘resilience’.

Yakubo’s body, while thin from the journey, still has muscle to him. The shirt fits his biceps and shoulders, outlining the first signs of early manhood.

With a final tug, his hair, the spiky black strands with the red streaks, fits evenly on his head. The slightest natural middle part styles his hair.

Yakubo steps out of the bathroom, almost prepared to depart. He walks back into his room, picking up another scroll.

He opens it and begins the same process he used before. The scroll produces the utilities.

Tools such as shuriken for throwing, kunai for multipurpose use, durable strings, ration bars, a medical kit, and even a fire-starting uchitake.

Once he has gathered all his things, he glances at the clock on his wardrobe. The sun has fully risen now, and it is past 7:15.

Yakubo has thirty minutes to make his way to the academy. With that, he walks out of his front door, shutting it behind him.

He sets off for his first day in his new home, the stakes today are his opportunity to stay permanently in Ojika.

***

The walk to the academy is peaceful, the city has yet to awaken fully.

The streets are empty, devoid of almost all the spark Yakubo had seen when he first arrived.

Except for the merchant stands opening, the few Onmitsu traveling atop roofs, and a few civilians completing mundane tasks.

He remembers the direction Oni had pointed him towards, south of the deer statue. Lucky for Yakubo, the refuge complex is close to the academy.

Yakubo’s walk to the academy is completely uninterrupted. Though not without glances from the few who are in the streets, he sticks out like a sore thumb compared to the style of Ojika.

By the time he reaches the gate, no one has approached or spoken to him. Yet a subtle curiosity, mixed with hostility, still comes with seeing a foreigner.

Yakubo stands before the academy gates, looking at the wall that wraps around the front of the building.

A clock on the gate wall reads 7:39. Yakubo is six minutes early, giving him six minutes to find the classroom.

He holds the piece of paper the Oshinsu had written on, the classroom he needs to go to is 317 A.

With that knowledge, he pushes through the front door of the building, and it is silent. Yakubo stands in the doorway for a second, looking around.

The whole hallway is empty, not a single student is out walking this hall.

Yakubo doesn’t think about any of this, he has places to be. So he begins walking through the halls, searching for Classroom 317A.

After about two minutes of following signs, he deduces that the letters are the age group. A means the oldest class, which is unconventional at the other end of the school.

As he walks, he sees the three hallways split with multiple classrooms on each. The one he is after is the three hundreds.

Yakubo finds the classroom door and hears nothing inside. For a second, he wonders if he has just entered the wrong building.

Instead of pondering, Yakubo opens the sliding door to an empty classroom. Well, not entirely, behind the desk at the front of the classroom sits a man.

This man is wearing the same jacket as the guards at the gate, as all Onmitsu do above Goshinin. This must be the man Oshinsu told Yakubo about, Hiroshi.

Yakubo doesn’t say a word when entering, just standing there watching as the man writes on a piece of paper silently.

This goes on for about a minute, during which the man is unaware Yakubo is watching him. He leans back in his chair, having finished whatever he was working on.

The man stretches his arms up past his head and lets out a yawn, believing he is alone until he catches Yakubo in the corner of his eye and physically jerks his whole body.

“AAH!” the man lets out a half-finished scream as his leaning back is interrupted. His chair tilts over as he hits the ground with a dull thud.

Yakubo simply stands and watches, completely blank-faced and unfazed by the sudden reaction.

Hiroshi quickly scrambles up from the floor, slightly dazed and thrown off by this.

Yakubo watches the man, taking in his every move and dissecting his appearance. He is about five-eight and wears black-rimmed glasses. He has brown hair and eyes and is slightly tan.

After a few seconds of silence, as he fixes his chair and takes a deep breath, he turns to Yakubo.

“Who are you? What are you even doing here?” Hiroshi asks, still tidying himself up from that jump scare Yakubo had just given him.

“I am Yakubo Kageyama,” Yakubo responds in a completely flat tone, still staring. “The Oshinsu told me to come here,” Yakubo explains, still unfazed.

“Wait, you're…Yakubo?” Hiroshi does not believe what he is seeing, this is Yakubo. Sure, he had been told the kid was suspicious, but this is almost comical.

“Wow, you really do have a staring problem,” Hiroshi mumbles to himself, looking at Yakubo, who again doesn’t react.

Hiroshi realizes what he just said and quickly shifts his tone and attitude back to professional sensei.

“Why are you here so early, Yakubo?” Hiroshi asks, attempting to push past what he just said.

“The Oshinsu told me to arrive at 7:45. I have been standing here since 7:43,” Yakubo answers.

He has been standing there for almost two whole minutes just watching Hiroshi work.

“Oh,” Hiroshi utters, blinking rapidly as he tries to compute the fact that this child just stood there watching.

“The gates of the academy open at 7:45. The academy class doesn’t actually start till 8:15,” Hiroshi tells Yakubo. That's why no one is here, and now it is just the two of them.

Yakubo doesn’t answer, only stares, something that the Oshinsu has informed Hiroshi of. With a deep breath, Hiroshi tries to recover from this mess of a conversation.

“Students don’t typically arrive till about class start time,” Hiroshi informs Yakubo. Hiroshi stares at Yakubo, who stares back.

The silence is awkward, at least for Hiroshi. He had expected something from Yakubo, a response, an acknowledgment. All he gets is staring and an awkward silence thick enough to choke on.

“Okay,” Hiroshi exhales sharply, trying to fill the silence with something. “I’ve been instructed to give you an identifier.” Hiroshi turns towards his desk, shaking his head slightly at this strange interaction.

Hiroshi sits back down in his chair before opening a drawer on his desk. After he digs in his drawer for a few seconds, placing multiple wrapped items onto the desk, he stands again.

“You can choose whichever you like,” Hiroshi says, unfolding the wrapped items on top of his paperwork.

A wide variety of identifiers is shown to choose from, with no set standard. One is a waistband, one is a pin-on, another is for the neck, one is for the chest, and the last is for the forehead.

The only thing that all the identifiers have in common is the Ojika design engraved on the metal.

Yakubo stares for a moment, his eyes searching for the proper one to choose from. Finally, he moves and grabs the identifier meant for the forehead.

When he raises it, he does not move to put it around his forehead. Instead, he wraps it around his arm, placing it right above his right bicep.

“That’s a weird way to wear it,” Hiroshi mutters under his breath, watching as Yakubo finishes tying it around his arm.

Yakubo merely glances at Hiroshi with the same look. Somehow, the stare makes it feel like he is always judging, when he in fact doesn't care.

“Umm…I mean.” Hiroshi has not been faring well in this conversation. There is nothing he can say or do to make this any better.

So with a sigh of defeat, he takes his losses and moves on again. “You can take any seat you want. They are not assigned.” Hiroshi says, turning back to his desk to just do paperwork instead.

Yakubo stares at him for a while longer before turning away as well. He scans the rows looking for the best one for him.

He picks the desk at the front of the class, right next to the window at the very end. Here, he can stare out the window and zone out.

Yakubo puts his head down on his arms, cheek pressing into the cold metal of his new village identifier wrapped around his bicep.

Watching the world pass by through the window, waiting for the class to truly begin.

***

The sound of shuffling feet makes Yakubo glance up from his spot. He watches as Hiroshi leaves him alone in the room to do something.

Yakubo doesn’t react to this. He stays seated at that desk, leaning on his arm, looking out the window.

The minutes tick by, and he hears the growing noise coming from the halls as more students arrive.

The first one enters the class around 7:55. Yakubo does not look up whoever they are does not speak.

After about five minutes, students start to pour into the classroom fully. Most of the first ones are quiet when they enter. It progresses, students come in in larger groups and with louder voices.

None of them bother Yakubo…at first.

As more and more students fill the class, people notice. Kids start to whisper to each other, stealing glances at him.

Yet none sit next to Yakubo, the two desks in the row are vacant. They speak, but still no one has the gall to approach him, at least until one student in particular shows up.

The door slides open loudly, the last group that fills the classroom. One of them is particularly loud as they enter, and the first thing they lock onto is Yakubo.

The boy stops his loud mouth for a single second, his face knitting into confusion at the new person sitting there. He glances at his friends, two of whom have stopped as well, noticing he's stopped talking.

“Who the hell are you?” the boy asks loudly, his voice projecting enough to make the closest people stop their conversations and look at him.

Yakubo, of course, does not look up from his spot sitting down. He doesn’t react because, of course, he couldn’t be talking to him like that.

“Hey!!” the boy squawks, approaching right in front of the desk, looking at Yakubo sitting there. “I asked you a question!!” his hand slams down right next to Yakubo’s head on the desk.

Yakubo doesn’t flinch, doesn’t jerk away, doesn’t react. He remains with his head down for a second, completely unbothered by this boy.

Now the boy has caught the whole class's attention with his yelling. The boy's friends, who stand a few feet away, look confused. The others don't understand what is happening, only that an altercation is brewing.

Just when the boy is about to touch Yakubo to get his attention, a new voice calls out in the class. “Cut it out Kaneto. He ain’t bothering anyone,” the new person says lazily, catching Kaneto’s attention.

The new person who speaks sits in the middle of the middle row, his black hair tied back. He has tiny bags under his dark eyes, and his posture is slumped slightly against the desk.

“Stay out of this Tomoaki!” Kaneto snaps at him, raising a finger to point across the whole classroom. “He’s not listening! So Im gonna teach him a lesson!”

“More like embarrass yourself again,” a new female voice from the other side of the classroom. “Remember what happened yesterday when you challenged Satsuki,” the girl scoffs slightly, a wound clearly still fresh in Kaneto’s mind.

The girl sits two rows up front, leaning against the wall. One foot on the other seat next to her, long dark blue hair cascading down her back, her grey eyes locked onto Kaneto.

Kaneto whips around so fast to glare at the girl, his finger still pointing, now aimed at her. “Hey screw you Hazumi!! She was cheating and ya know it!!” He snaps at the girl, Hazumi, that one definitely hit a nerve.

“Cheating,” Hazumi snorts, her eyes trailing upwards towards the upper desks. “What do you think, eh, Satsuki? Think you were cheating?” Hazumi asks, looking at the girl, Satsuki.

Satsuki sits higher up, alone as well, she has been here the whole time. She was the second one to enter the class after Yakubo and had been waiting silently.

Her hair is raven black, in the light, it can have a bluish tint. Her eyes are jet black, and she has sharp facial features and perfect posture.

“Hmm,” Satsuki hums only slightly, in acknowledgment of Hazumi's question. Clearly, she believes that this is a waste of time and doesn’t concern her.

“I think he did great,” a girl in an oversized jacket shyly adds. She sits in the back upper sections, not far from Satsuki.

Her jacket is fluffy around her neck, her posture timid as her green eyes avoid contact like the plague. Her black hair is short, shaped into a bob, as she wears her identifier around her neck.

“That's cause you're too kind to say he got his ass kicked Natsumi,” a male voice sighs out from a row in front of the girl, Natsumi.

The boy wears clear-framed square glasses, his hair and eyes are both brown. He leans calmly back in his chair, not affected by the classroom banter.

“I did not get my ass kicked!!” Kaneto squawks louder this time, waving his arms aggressively in response. “ Y-y-you did!! Yea you got your ass kicked Minoru.” he stammers trying to think of a comeback, and lands on that one.

“Wow…real nice one Kaneto,” Minoru says, completely unfazed by his insult. He keeps staring blankly at Kaneto as he flushes red with anger.

Kaneto gives up, with everyone else turning his attention back to the boy who still has his head down and has been through all of this.

“Are you going to answer me!!” Kaneto yells at Yakubo, whose head has been down the whole time. If you couldn’t see the slight movement of his back with each breath, one could’ve assumed he was dead.

“I don’t think he's going to respond Kaneto,” one of Kaneto’s friends, who has been standing there awkwardly by the front desk, finally speaks.

“He’s gonna answer Mitsuru!! Even if I have to make him!!” Kaneto snaps at mitsuru who wilts slightly.

“I say we just beat it out of him,” the third taller one scoffs, glancing at Yakubo still just sitting there doing nothing.

“What?! Why would we do that Katsuki?” Mitsuru asks, his voice cracking slightly at the sudden turn of violence.

Before their conversation can continue, arguing they are cut off right in the middle.

Yakubo, after all this time, slowly begins to raise his head to look up at Kaneto. His face is completely deadpan as he locks eyes with Kaneto.

Yakubo is finally looking at the boy who has been yelling this whole time. He is shorter than most kids, he has a pug to him.

This boy, Kaneto, has bright green eyes exactly like the Oshinsu Yakubo had spoken to yesterday. His hair is fiery red, messy and all over the place, he has a very distinct look to him.

“Were you talking to me?” Yakubo asks in the most unbothered, slow voice ever. His dark violet eyes pierce, but his expression is deadpan and emotionless.

The room goes silent enough to hear a pin drop, everyone is silent when Yakubo finally speaks. Of all the things to say, of all the ways to react, that is the single way no one had expected.

Stunned silence fills the classroom because Yakubo is a complete mystery. His hair is black but with red streaks that seem too natural to be dyed.

He wears his identifier on his bicep, his body is slightly toned in a way others are not, and his eyes. His eyes are dark violet, but they pierce and stare so completely it’s uncomfortable.

Kaneto takes a long pause to register his words, the moment he does, he flares. His face turns an even brighter shade of red, he is ready to explode at Yakubo.

“What did you just say?!” Kaneto yells furiously, his hands curling into fists as he lunges at Yakubo. His friends move to hold him back before he can actually hit Yakubo.

Yakubo simply stares, he doesn’t even flinch when Kaneto comes close to hitting. He is so completely unbothered by Kaneto that it only adds fuel to the flame.

The moment it looks like a fight will actually break out, Kaneto gets out of his friends Mitsuru and Katsuki. A voice cuts through the whole room, authoritative and directed right at Kaneto.

“Kaneto!! Leave Yakubo alone!!” Hiroshi snaps from the doorway, where he now stands with a stack of papers. Hiroshi gives them all what they are looking for, a name, and his is Yakubo.

“Sensei Hiroshi!! He started it!!” Kaneto whines, pulling against his friend's hold to get free. He turns his head, pouting slightly as if he's the victim.

That could not be further from the truth, Yakubo had sat there and didn’t move a single time. Kaneto started it, all of it, everyone had watched him do it, and Hiroshi is not falling for it.

Just as Hiroshi is about to reprimand Kaneto for his unacceptable actions, the school bell rings. Hiroshi takes a sharp breath to control himself before starting to move towards his desk.

“Everyone, take your seats!!” Hiroshi commands the whole class as he strides towards his desk. Kaneto glares at Yakubo a final time before he begins to shuffle his way to his seat.

Hiroshi drops the stack of papers onto his desk with a loud thud, then turns toward the classroom.

“Prepare yourself for team assignment,” Hiroshi says to the class, with a final sigh, gathering a few separate papers, ready to get this day over with.

***

Hiroshi shifts to the front of the classroom, holding a clipboard, as the class begins to settle. Students sit down where they wish to, no one sits by Yakubo.

The tension in the room hasn’t disappeared, it’s been put on pause. Hiroshi prepares to explain the next steps to the class.

“First off, I want to congratulate every single one of you for making it this far. You are now joining the ten percent of the world as Onmitsu.” Hiroshi starts with the impressive feat they have all just committed to get here.

“As I am sure you all know, the typical Ashinin team consists of three Ashinin and a sensei.” Hiroshi drones on, shifting to lean against the board.

“However, these are loose terms. You can and will be paired with Ashinin from other teams for specific missions. You will work in collaboration with two teams together.” Hiroshi tells them these teams aren't strict, they are the base that will be modified as needed.

“I would suggest that you all learn to get along,” Hiroshi recommends, looking specifically at Kaneto. “Some more than others,” he mutters before looking down at his clipboard.

“We will start from the bottom,” Hiroshi states, flipping the clipboard paper to begin reading off names.

“Team 5: Hazumi Kutsuki, Mitsuru Yatsurugi, Takumi Shina.” Hiroshi reads off the first team on his list. “Your sensei will be Koga Kyohei,” he tells them, but without pause, he moves to the next one.

“Team 9: Katsuki Shirogane, Minoru Kinjo, Natsumi Hoshimiya. Your sensei is Morinaga Ryosuke.” Hiroshi drones on, moving down the list. “Team 11: Tomoaki Hazama, Kentaro Kurogane, Ayumi Oboroya. Your sensei is Shiba Renji,” he tells them.

He pauses at the very last name as if rereading it multiple times to make sure he is getting it right. He takes a very deep breath as if preparing himself for what he knows is to come.

“Team 13: Satsuki Kusanagi, Kaneto Shinozaki, and…Yakubo Kageyama,” Hiroshi says, flipping the clipboard in his hands to look up at the class. “Your sensei will be Genki Sano,” he finishes, his eyes looking at Kaneto as if waiting for something.

When nothing comes, he takes another small, relieved breath before speaking again. “With that out of the way. If I did not call your name, then you were placed in the other room. You will follow me after this to said room, where you will have your teams named and wait for your sensei,” Hiroshi informs all the students.

“Those in this room will stay here until your sensei arrives to take you,” he gives a sweeping look over the class. “If anyone has any questions, ask now,” Hiroshi tells them this is their chance to ask.

No one speaks at first, the instructions were clear from the beginning, until Kaneto speaks. “Who the hell is this guy and why is he on my team?!” he snaps, standing up and pointing a finger at Yakubo.

Hiroshi’s eye twitches at Kaneto's outburst he has had to handle him far too many times. “Kaneto, do not disrespect a comrade,” Hiroshi says with a sigh he’s not angry anymore, just tired.

“Comrade!! We don’t even know the guy!!” Kaneto waves his arms, something he seems to do a lot. “I mean, how do you even say his name?! Yakobo Yakobuu!!” he continues his rant, really not giving it up.

Some mutter things, others are done with him, most just want to get out of here. Yakubo himself doesn’t even look at Kaneto, he has already put his head back down after Hiroshi read his name.

“Yes comrade. Yakubo has come from Kusabue, the Oshinsu has deemed him capable of being an Onmitsu. If you have a problem with this, you can bring it up with your father yourself.” Hiroshi has had enough of him, he drops his own father's name.

“Now that it is settled, all those that were not called, follow me.” Hiroshi turns on his heels and begins to stride out of the room.

Kids shuffle out behind him, leaving twelve kids waiting for their senseis.

***

Time passes slowly, most of the students speak amongst themselves. The environment is calm, safe for Kaneto to glare daggers at the back of Yakubo's head.

More than just Kaneto is interested in Yakubo, all of them are curious as to who this boy really is.

None of them attempt to do anything against Yakubo, except for Hazumi she does not fear these things.

She walks over calmly before slowly sliding into the desk next to him. Her dark blue hair covers her back, her grey eyes looking down at Yakubo.

Yakubo does not react, his head staying down in his arms, he really doesn’t care.

“You're from Kusabue?” Hazumi asks, not in the standard language that all Onmitsu use.

Ojika has been at the forefront of all three great Onmitsu wars, with immense power. Power means control over things, and the globally adopted language was Ojikan.

That does not mean other people stopped teaching their language, and this girl Yakubo has never met. Hazumi has just spoken perfect Kusabue dialect, asking him.

Yakubo reacts, he slowly tilts his head, half his face exposed. Hazumi is the first person to catch his attention.

“You speak Kusabaic?” Yakubo mumbles from his spot in his arms, though his head is now turned towards her.

“Yeah, have for years,” Hazumi tells him, shifting her body to face him more completely.

Yakubo, for the first time, shifts up completely to look at Hazumi. “Are you from Kusabue?” he asks her, raising an eyebrow and looking her up and down.

“No, but my mother was,” Hazumi says, putting an elbow on the desk, her fist pressed to her cheek.

“She taught me when I was young. Said it was a dying language, valuable or whatever.” She scoffs, looking away from Yakubo for a second.

“I’ve never met someone else who speaks fluently,” Hazumi mutters under her breath, it is incredibly rare to find people who speak it.

“Your mother was right, most back in Kusabue don’t speak it anymore,” Yakubo tells her, his voice accented in perfect dialect.

As they speak, they catch the attention of the other students. They can not understand what they are talking about.

But Hazumi has managed to get Yakubo to start speaking, which has to mean something.

Before their conversation can continue, there is a slide of the door that quiets the whole room instantly.

The person stands in the doorway for a second, looking over the classroom. A young woman with deep red eyes and black hair stands there, wearing a specific tag.

This woman is a Taishini, identified by the lack of a standardized jacket and the band wrapped around her waist with writing on the metal.

“Team 5, follow me to training ground 3.” The woman finally speaks after having scanned the classroom.

This is Koga Kyohei, Team Five's sensei, and she isn’t wasting time because she’s already turned to leave.

“See ya around,” Hazumi says to Yakubo before standing, fixing her shirt and smoothing it down. She turns to follow her new sensei out of the classroom, joined by Takumi and Mitsuru.

Yakubo watches her go, tilting his head slightly at that, he had not expected that ever. He stares long after she has left as if expecting her to come back through.

When nothing else happens, he puts his head back down to take a nap while waiting.

Slowly, the other sensei come picking up their teams. First, Team 11's sensei, Shiba Renji, and then Team 9's sensei, Morinaga Ryosuke, both come to pick up their teams.

No one else remains in the classroom besides the members of Team 13.

The three sit in silence for quite a long while, Kaneto fidgeting, Satsuki writing in a scroll, and Yakubo with his head down.

“Ughhhh, I’m so bored,” Kaneto says out loud, leaning back in his chair. He does not get a response from either of them.

It has been almost an hour of waiting. Kaneto is getting extremely bored now that everyone else is gone. So he glances at Yakubo, then Satsuki decides she is better.

“Whatcha ya working on Satsuki?” Kaneto asks, having moved to right in front of Satsuki a bit down. He now sits leaning against the edge of the higher-up desk, looking at the scroll.

“It’s complex theories, something you wouldn’t understand.” Satsuki flatly says without looking up from her scroll. The pen is flying across the scroll as she writes in perfect cursive.

“Hey! I can do theories, I’m just not book smart.” Kaneto says, crossing his arms and leaning back in the chair away from her.

Satsuki looks up slowly, her expression deadpan as she pauses her writing. “Sure.” Satsuki returns to writing as if nothing happened.

Kaneto scoffs, turning his head away, but his eyes trail down the classroom to where Yakubo sits.

“Say, does this guy give you a weird vibe?” Kaneto asks Satsuki, his voice dropping into a low murmur.

“He’s better than you. At least he knows when to shut his mouth.” Satsuki grumbles while still writing. Satsuki, like most people, has had enough of Kaneto’s loud antics.

A silence goes between them for a second as Satsuki glances at Yakubo. “Yes, he does have a weird vibe,” Satsuki answers Kaneto.

“But that doesn’t matter, weird or not. As long as he’s not a liability, I don’t care.” Satsuki says, turning her head down to scroll again.

“Yea I mean, what type of guy just sits there?” Kaneto questions, looking down at Yakubo, who hasn’t moved yet.

“The kind that doesn’t like people.” Satsuki scoffs under her breath. Kaneto doesn’t reply for the first time all day, he is completely silent, staring at Yakubo.

Another chunk of time passes, their sensei still hasn't shown up. Kaneto is dying of boredom by this point, so to distract himself, he does something.

Kaneto moves to the front of the classroom and starts drawing on the board. What does he draw? Of course, what every immature prepubescent teen does.

A penis, specifically a few small penises at random on the board. With that, he makes a drawing of what he thinks his sensei will look like.

He labels it precisely, with a massive arrow pointing at it and the word Genki, so everyone knows who it is.

Satsuki, who had been ignoring him, finally looks up, beginning to roll her scroll up when she sees it. For a single second, even she is stunned by the sheer audacity of it.

“What are you doing?!” Satsuki hisses, standing up to move towards the front.

“Calm down Suki. I’m just drawing a little sketch.” Kaneto, unbothered by her tone, keeps drawing like nothing is happening.

“Just a sketch?!” Satsuki spits, having reached the front of the class. “I am not going to be seen as an idiot by my new sensei because you do! Whatever this is!” Satsuki, typically always composed, waves her arm at the board, at whatever abomination Kaneto has just created.

“Take a chill pill, Satsuki, he’s not going to see it. And if he does, it’s his fault for being so late.” Kaneto, unbothered, keeps drawing like Satsuki’s concerns aren't important.

Satsuki has had enough of his shenanigans, and she finally snaps. Moving forward, she rips the chalk out of his hand, chucking it out the open window.

“You are not going to tarnish my clan's reputation and name to my sensei with your terrible antics.” Satsuki snaps aggressively she is completely done with Kaneto.

Before Kaneto can respond, Yakubo slowly raises his head for the first time since Hazumi had left. He doesn’t look at Kaneto or Satsuki, nor does he care about their argument.

Yakubo stares at the door as if he knows something they don't. Sure enough, after a few seconds, the door slides open.

In the doorway stands Team 13’s sensei, Genki Sano. He stands tall, wearing the Ojika jacket, though the metal on his left chest shows his rank.

The three Ashinin take in Genki, their sensei, he is over six feet tall. His eyes are bright blue, his skin is pale, and his hair is spiky and dirty blond.

Genki stands there with sharp features, a relaxed posture, and a calm demeanor. He is also taking in his new students.

He sees Satsuki and Kaneto about to fight, and Yakubo is staring at him unblinking, unflinching. His eyes slowly trail to the board, where he sees the amazing creation Kaneto has made.

There are penises spread across the board, the massive arrow with Genki written over it pointing to the centerpiece.

Himself drawn on the board, with massive lips, big gnarly hands, one leg, a choker on, and a massive top hat.

“My first impression of you all.” Genki starts looking between his three students again, blinking slowly.

“You’re an idiot,” Genki brutally assesses Kaneto as he squawks, waving his arms some more.

“You’re too serious,” Genki says, his eyes bored as he looks at Satsuki, whose eye twitches violently.

“And you.” Genki turns to Yakubo, who is still watching Genki. “You definitely have a staring problem,” Genki mutters as Yakubo continues his unblinking stare.

The moment passes in heavy silence as all three Ashinin absorb his assessment. “Meet on the bridge in five minutes.” Genki vanishes in a cloud of smoke like he was never there, being extra dramatic.

The three young teammates are left alone with their first mission, get to the bridge in five minutes.

***

The walk to the bridge is a scuffle, Kaneto darts out of the room after Genki. Satsuki slowly begins to walk towards the bridge. Yakubo stays still, staring at the doorway for a while.

The bridge connects the two academy buildings on the third floor, arching over the school's open central garden. It has a nice curved walkway with a bench in the center and a tiny step to get onto it.

The race to the bridge has only Kaneto in it, both Yakubo and Satsuki take different routes to get there.

“I’m going to win, screw those assholes,” Kaneto says to himself as he rounds the corner of the stairwell of the third floor, seeing the door to the bridge.

When Kaneto bursts onto the roof, he freezes. Looking at the step right in front of where the bench sits, Yakubo is already sitting there somehow.

“What the? How the hell did you get here so fast?!” Kaneto yells, finger extended in an accusatory point.

Yakubo doesn’t turn to look at Kaneto. Instead, he glances around, taking in this new environment.

When he doesn’t answer, Kaneto’s face burns before he can do anything. Satsuki steps onto the bridge from beside him, hands in pockets, paying no attention to the screaming Kaneto.

Satsuki sits down slowly next to Yakubo on the steps, keeping her eyes locked on Genki. Genki has a magazine open, doing a crossword puzzle, without looking at them.

With a shift of the paper, he folds it quickly and looks up at the three students. Genki gives an intense scan over the three of them before leaning back against the rail of the bridge. His lips turn into a small, lazy smile.

“Good job being on time all of you. Though Kaneto could use some work.” Genki teases him. Kaneto’s immediate response is to squawk, but Genki is already moving on.

He doesn't listen to his protest, turning his eyes down toward Satsuki and Yakubo. After about a minute of rapid-fire complaints and insults, Kaneto grumbles under his breath but sits down.

“Alright, now that we are all here properly.” Genki lazily draws, giving Kaneto a small glance. “Why don’t you tell each other about yourselves?” he presses his back against the rail, waiting for them to get started.

“Could you give us an example, sensei?” Satsuki asks, her posture perfect on the open step.

“An example?” Genki mumbles to himself. “I suppose that would help, yes?” he tilts his head at the three students before answering.

“My name is Genki Sano. I am 21 years old. I am a Taishinin of Ojika.” Genki says, his hands sliding into his pockets. “My likes are none of your concern. My dislikes are none of your concern. And my goals,” he tells them, brushing them off instantly.

“Lemme guess? None of our concerns.” Kaneto finishes for Genki. His voice is angry at that awful example of what to say. “This guy is useless, all he told us was his name,” Kaneto whispers to Satsuki, sitting next to him on the step.

Satsuki gives a sharp nod in agreement, Yakubo says nothing.

“Since you asked for an example, why don’t we start with you.” Genki drawls his eyes, locking onto Satsuki as he speaks.

Satsuki shifts to a more upright position, if that is even possible. She looks at Genki, preparing to introduce herself.

“My name is Satsuki Kusanagi. I like to train to get stronger, animals because they don’t talk back, and cooking proper meals,” Satsuki says, her voice clear and sharp. “My dislikes are loud people, incompetent Onmitsu, and people without standards,” she glances at Kaneto when she speaks about dislikes.

“My goals are to become the leader of my clan and lead it back to being the strongest clan in Kazuma.” Satsuki finishes, that is her introduction to her teammates. Yakubo watches her the whole time, taking in every word.

“Very good.” Genki compliments her, then turns slowly toward Kaneto. “Alright, you're next, big boy,” he calls on Kaneto.

“Hey! I’m not big!” Kaneto yells at Genki, his voice cracking and high-pitched. “I’m well fit in my own skin,” he counters as if it is a fact that he isn't big.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Satsuki mutters under her breath.

“Great to see we are all getting along perfectly,” Genki interjects, stopping it before the two can get into another one of their matches. “Continue, well-fit boy,” he steers the conversation back to introductions.

Kaneto bristles, but he doesn't go after Satsuki instead, he turns to introduce himself. “My name is Kaneto Shinozaki. My father is the Oshinsu and the strongest in the village,” he loudly announces to the group.

“I like my friends, food, training, movies, games…” Kaneto lists many things. Yakubo himself has turned his attention away.

Yakubo stares at Genki, he is more interested in this man. Genki is a Taishinin, a title held by the one percent of Onmitsu. Only those who stand at the pinnacle can be considered it.

He tilts his head, blocking Kaneto’s loud talking out while he examines Genki. Genki doesn’t look at Yakubo, but he does see him staring.

In silent scrutiny of the Taishini, Yakubo dissects everything from his posture to the gear he has on him, and even how his eyes move across the three of them.

“Are you even listening to me!” Kaneto snaps at Yakubo over Satsuki. His face is flustered, his eyes are angry, this is now the second time Yakubo has ignored him.

Yakubo slowly turns his head not because Kaneto had yelled at him, but because the bridge went silent after his loud voice. Yakubo tilts his head at Kaneto as if he is the most fascinating creature he has ever seen before speaking.

“Were you talking to me?” Yakubo repeats the same question he had hours ago when Kaneto first confronted him. He hadn't heard Kaneto, believing he was rambling about himself.

“Was I talking to you?” Kaneto's voice is quiet, his whole face contorting with fury as he’s about to explode. “I’ll show you who I was talking to!” he flails his arms, attempting to go through Satsuki to get to Yakubo.

Satsuki doesn't let Kaneto climb over;\, instead, she puts her hand out and presses it to Kaneto’s forehead. She holds him at a distance while he swings at air, still half on the ground from the sitting spot.

“Stop protecting him, Suki. Let me at him!” Kaneto snaps, attempting to wiggle around. Satsuki doesn’t budge, keeping him held at a distance.

“I’m protecting your dignity. You’re acting like an idiot.” Satsuki is used to the antics, so she holds him there.

“Such a fiery persona,” Genki mutters, not even attempting to get between the two, finding it more amusing than anything. “It would be in your best interest if you could finish soon. I have a cat to feed.” he has pulled the newspaper back out to do more of the crossword puzzle while Kaneto was speaking.

With a final press, Satsuki pushes Kaneto back. Kaneto takes a deep breath, as his father taught him to do to work on his anger.

“My dream is to become strong like my father, and one day be the Oshinsu to protect everyone,” Kaneto grumbles under his breath, finally finishing his introduction.

There is a moment of silence as Satsuki and Kaneto turn towards Yakubo, waiting for him to speak. Yakubo blankly stares back at them, blinking slowly as if there is nothing else to say.

“Well,” Genki folds the newspaper again, putting it back into his jacket's pocket. “Your turn, quiet kid,” he instructs. Yakubo stares for a second longer as if thinking of what to say.

“My name is Yakubo Kageyama.” Yakubo starts, his voice carrying the slightest accent on the vowels. “I like a few things. I dislike many things. And my goal is to pass whatever test you will give us.” his voice is firm and flat, with almost no emotion when he speaks.

Silence falls over the bridge because Yakubo’s answer was just as bad as Genki's, it is almost impressive.

“Nice answers,” Genki praises Yakubo for his simple, quick answers.

“What!!” Kaneto’s head whips to Genki, his temper flaring again. “He didn’t even answer!! He might as well have said fuck you!!” he sputters. Kaneto is mad that Yakubo got praised for doing nothing, even though he gave such a long answer.
“What can I say? He’s got a way with words.” This amuses Genki, Yakubo is interesting. Everything about him is unknown to them, and that is how he speaks.

“A WAY WITH WORDS!!” Kaneto yells loudly, making Satsuki cringe back from the noise. Yakubo barely tilts his head, like an interested dog hearing a new sound for the first time.

“HE DOESN’T EVEN SPEAK!! H-HE HE JUST STARES!!” Kaneto counters with his voice turned up to max volume. His finger pointing right at Yakubo, who is, in fact staring at him having this episode.

“He is a man of few words.” Genki gestures at Yakubo. Kaneto sputters aggressively at the idea that Yakubo has nice answers when he didn’t even answer.

“Anyway moving on.” Genki continues taking a bite of an apple. Where did he get an apple? “It is great that Yakubo has brought that up,” he tells them while taking another bite of the apple.

“I have been instructed to test the three of you,” Genki informs them, sitting up straighter on the bench. “But considering it is already getting quite late. I will push it to tomorrow morning.” his eyes glance at the lowering sun as it is reaching late in the evening.

“7:00 A.M. Tomorrow. Training ground 5. Don’t be late.” Genki orders them, standing up from the bench, tall over the three young preteens.

“Alright, great first day everyone. You're dismissed,” Genki finishes, flinging the apple over his shoulder and off the bridge.

After a few seconds, Satsuki is the first to stand, beginning to leave. She does not linger, she has more important things to do, like train.

“Hey! Wait up!” Kaneto calls after her, scrambling after the young girl. His voice fades as they enter the building and retreat downstairs.

With their departure, Yakubo and Genki are left on the roof in silence. Yakubo continues his staring, looking over every bit of him.

After a long moment of the silent standoff, Yakubo finally speaks, “Where did you get the apple from?” he asks. Yakubo had been watching him closely the whole time, but he didn’t see him move to grab anything at all.

“Don’t ask questions you aren’t ready to hear the answer to.” Genki teasingly states before leaning down slightly. “But between you and me, apples are great fiber. Really help on long missions,” he tells him.

With that, Genki leans back away before vanishing into a cloud of smoke again. Leaving Yakubo standing on the roof alone, staring at the spot he was just in.