Rowdy Beginning

Promising to show up after school, Masashige and I meet up in front of the school building; yet as we stood there, Asano didn't show up. Trust me, I was going to leave, but Masashige here said that it would be rude if I left early and didn't wait for her. So I waited. We waited. School ended at 3:15 pm, but yet we stood in front of the gate for so long, it was already 4 pm by the time Asano came back.

"Look Suzuki! A wild Asano has appeared!" Masashige said to me, jokingly.

"Whatever you say, pal." I replied, in a stale manner.

"Ah! It's you two! I never forgot about the promise, I swear!" said Asano, as she slowly approached us."

"You made us wait 45 mins for you. I was going to go home, you know."

"You're a jerk, Suzuki... Leaving a girl hanging on her own." Asano softly said while pouting slightly.

"Okay, and?" I replied, with a smug expression.

"Anyways, what did you call us here for, Asano—" 

"First of all, stop calling me by my last name! This is an international school, so we should be going by western tradition and address others with their first name!" Asano said, interrupting Masashige. "I want you two to be my actual friends, not some damn followers who address me like a superior being!"

While it's true that Mayu Asano of Class 11A is the ace of the whole grade, she never seemed satisfied in a manner. Maybe it was just me looking into this too much, but in my eyes, Asano never seemed to be at peace around her 'friends'. They were always asking her things and praising her, so much that it seems pointless...

"Oh, the fulfillment I feel! Of course we'll oblige, Mayu!" Masashige said, while facing towards me. Am I supposed to comply? Actually...

"I can propose a better idea."

"Hmm? What is it, Suzuki?"

"How about we all address each other with our first names? It's fair, and I believe that can strength our ties to each other."

Well then? What are they gonna do, I wonder? In Japan, the honorific system here states that first names are usually only used when you know about the person properly. Permission should usually be given before addressing someone by their first name. I am actually more of a 'western boy' to say the very least, so this would mean nothing to me. 

"I agree! That's a great idea, Yoshimitsu!"

They're being way too overenthusiastic, but it's not like I can do shit about it anyway. I guess their tastes are aligned with mine, which makes this all the more interesting. I guess I'll address them as Yuta and Mayu now. 

"Is that all there is to it, Mayu?" I asked, knowing that she probably has something else to say.

"Nope! I also wanted to state, that those people who are always around me are nothing but simps and students trying to get clingy with me!"

Damn, she went out and said it.

"I always thought they were your friends! If that's the case... Mayu, am I your first friend?" Yuta asked curiously.

"Yes! You and Yoshimitsu are my first two actual friends!" Mayu replied happily.

Never have I thought that the princess of class 11A was a loner; have I really been indulged with my own thoughts so deeply that I failed to understand the people around me?

Meh, not my life, who cares.

"Now that we've got this settled and everything, Do you still have things to present to us? You made me stand out here for 45 mins after all."

She wasted 45 mins of my life; I hope she's ready to pay for it.

"Oh right! Sorry about that by the way, but yes there is something that I'd like to show you two." Mayu said, as she pulled out something from her bag.

"Friendship bracelets? Aren't we a bit too old for that?" Yuta said, with an awkward expression on his face.

"Aw, come on! It'll be fine! I even hand-crafted these as well... Please accept them!" Mayu shouted in a panicked manner.

"I'll gladly do so. Yuta, you should too."

"Alright... Man, this is kind of embarrassing."

It's surprising how Yuta, the one who was on about 'a lady's request' earlier, seems so flustered as of now; meanwhile, here I am, standing here and realizing what world we live in.

"Well then, shall we go home now?" Mayu said cheerfully.

"I guess so."

"One more thing, you two. We should log each other's phone number, so that we can keep in touch!" Yuta said.

We then left for our separate ways. Yuta takes the bus home, and Mayu lives right next to the school. Unfortunately for me, I have to take the Shinkansen line back two stations, so it takes some time to get home. Well, it's not like there's anyone waiting for me there. Like the typical anime protagonist, I live alone. That's because, technically I'm studying overseas in Japan right now. My parents left me to my devices, and I was to complete the IB Diploma program here.

Taking on the subjects of English A: Language and Literature (SL), Japanese B (SL), Maths AA (SL), Physics (HL), Psychology (HL) and Computer Science (HL), I hope to become someone that could make a change in our world. While it's true that this is unlikely, I still want to be able to develop something that I could be proud of.

Yet at the same time, I find myself wondering: Why does one even try? I tell myself, that people try, because they wish to succeed in this world called 'Reality'. The rules set in stone in the society around us, gets us to do so. They say rules are meant to be broken, but at the same time once a rule is broken, a new one is set in place; constricting more and binding us towards it. There's nothing to be done about that system, because for millennia, the world has operated this way.

Upon arriving home after three flights of stairs, I unlocked the door and flicked on the lights; the apartment barely had any windows, and it was only the size of 4 king-sized beds in a grid pattern. I'm lucky that it included a washroom, but unfortunately there's no kitchen, which is why I bought a microwave and loads of instant noodles. Sure, it's not healthy, but what stops me from eating them? Nothing. Besides, I go out for a jog every once in a while, so I'm fine. I'd also take a shower the moment I get home, because every single time I'd be filthy and sweaty when I get home.

This apartment actually belonged to a friend of my cousin Itsuki, but they moved out and so rented the place to me, for a special discount. It's all thanks to him being able to help me afford this place. To help develop my own independency, I take on a part-time job at the local convenience store as a cashier, earning my own income that helps pay off the rent. Of course, my parents also send me cash every now and then, so this would be a perfect life—

—If it could last forever. We grow, and eventually become the adults running the world; that is how the society we live in works. 

After a totally healthy dinner, I went to my computer and completed my assignments. I also revised for a short amount of time. After that, I hopped on Discordant and started dissing and debating with a bunch of online randoms for fun. I'm such a horrible person sometimes. Just when I was about to head to sleep, I got a call from Mayu.

"Hello Mayu! How may I assist you in your endeavors today?"

"What's with that weird way of speaking? Anyways, can you help me out a bit? I've got some maths homework that I don't understand."

Maths homework, huh.

"Which class are you in again? I only vaguely remember you taking the IB diploma as well, but other than that I have no clue."

"I'm in the same class as you, you dummy!"

Man, my eardrums.

"Oh... right. Sorry, I never noticed the fact that you were in my class. The homework for today would be revision regarding simple trigonometry, wouldn't it? I'm surprised that you don't understand the questions, though. Aren't you one of our grade's top-scorers?"

This girl, although she's quite academically talented, appears to not understand simple trigonometry. It's weird though, since I'm fairly certain that she scores higher than me in the subject, even if it was just a little.

"I don't do well in maths! The only reason I'm ranked high is because of my other subjects, Literature and History!" Mayu yelled, hurting my precious eardrums again.

"You're really loud, you know that? Anyways, let's begin. The solution to the first question would be..."

I ended up spending over an hour teaching her the fastest way to do trigonometry.

"Thanks a lot, Yoshimitsu!" Mayu said cheerfully.

"My pleasure." I replied sincerely.

"You know, we should talk again!"

"We're seeing each other tomorrow, so don't fret over it."

"It's Friday tomorrow right?"

"That is correct. I'm going bowling over the weekend, would you like to join?"

I'd honestly kill to get someone to go bowling with me. Bowling is a great sport; it doesn't require too much effort to move around, and the satisfaction of hitting a strike beats every other sports game if you ask me. I usually go every other weekend to go bowling, because the bowling alley is a haven for me; It's not too expensive for a session, and I don't need to expend too much physical energy.

"That sounds like a great idea! I'll try and get Yuta to join as well."

"That would be great. I get to flex all over him once I win." I said, in a smug manner.

"You never stop making those comments, huh?" Mayu asked me, and so I told her:

"It's part of my nature."

"You should tell me more about yourself sometime; I'd love to hear about what made you so socially unappealing."

"..."

Socially unappealing? Damn, that one hit hard. It's not like she's wrong though; I was an outcast before I met these two.

"Well, it's getting late; I'll see you tomorrow, Yoshimitsu!" Mayu said happily.

"Same to you, I guess."

I ended the call, and then went to bed.

It's so bizarre, interacting so much with these people. Maybe more social interaction isn't a bad thing. It's refreshing to leisurely talk to another person from time to time, seeing how boring and dull it is whenever there's no one to talk to. Even at home, I'd spend my time daydreaming sometimes, not doing a single thing. I would simply lie down on my bed, and just stare at my apartment roof with my mind blanked out, not thinking of a single thing. It's either that, or the other way round, where my mind is tired from thinking of too many things.

Staring at the roof, I realize that I still felt isolated; it didn't feel real. I never felt connected with another peer. Whenever I say this to someone else, they'd say that I was being too possessive about friends. That's why, the isolation still gets to me.

Just as I was about to fall asleep, another person called me.

It was Yuta.

"Yuta, it's nearly 1 AM you airhead."

"OH! I misdialed! Sorry!"

"Try looking at the num-pad next time, you suspicious idiot."

Honestly, who the fuck misdials the number these days? And who was he intending to call at 1 AM? Was it someone unbeknownst to us? A friend in the western part of the world? Whatever it was, I couldn't care anymore. I just wanted sleep. I guess that's the trouble you have with interacting with other people; your contacts fill up, and more of these events happen. Not that I'd care too much anyway.

"Well geez, my bad alright? Since I've called you and all, can I ask for your help in something?" Yuta asked conspicuously.

"Do explain."

"Well, there's this 'friend' of mine at school who really wants to meet you for some reason. He's kind of an oddball, and he's not really my friend... I just couldn't get myself to decline his request."

"As expected of the kind and forgiving Yuta. When am I supposed to meet him?"

"He said that next Monday he'll drop by our classroom." 

"Ah, alright. I'll be expecting him then. Please send him my regards."

"One more thing. I would love to join your bowling session this weekend, but my family and I have other plans. You can go alone with Mayu; it'll be like a funny date, you know?" Yuta said teasingly.

He should know fully well that I don't care much about this stuff.

"Man, it's a shame that you can't make it. Anyways, good night."

"Wait! No response from my joke? Hello—"

I cut the line. Sorry Yuta, but you'll get no response from me.

I guess having friends would be more tiring and rough than I anticipated. My schedule for Saturday has been booked. I also have to look out for that weird kid he mentioned. I hope he's not the kinky type, but then again, who knows what will happen?

"God, I'm tired. Gotta sleep, and get ready for tomorrow."