Brand New World!

"Hey... Hey.. HEY! Toshiko, we're here!" Toshiko jolts awake from his uncle's shout as he wipes the drool from his mouth. "Wha- huh? What year is it?" Toshiko says. "2076, we got an evil corporation to hack into and take down." His uncle eagerly replied. Toshiko gasped in surprise. "Woah, okay, I'm not a rebel! I'd prefer to not deal with that.. Anyway, I'm awake now! We're home right?" He asked, rubbing his eyes. His uncle stretches a bit from the long car ride. "Yup, here we are! Nakano Ward! Oh, by the way, I'm your uncle, Renjiro Kimura! And welcome to your new home for the next few years!" He exclaims.

Toshiko steps out of the car and looks up at the average-sized apartment building with a modernized design, sleek concrete and ample window space for natural light. "What the?! Is this one of those skyscrapers that they talk about?!" Toshiko exclaims. "...If you think this is a skyscraper, you're gonna lose your mind. Anyways, c'mon. I'll show you the inside!" Renjiro proclaims. Toshiko closes the car door behind him as they enter the building. They walk up a few stairs before entering a spacious living area. 

The apartment is littered with photography and artwork from various different places. Toshiko steps forward onto the plush carpet covering the hardwood floor. "This is... amazing.." he whispers in awe. Renjiro chuckles. "Oh, it's nothing special! I just get paid pretty well!"

"What DO you get paid to do?" Toshiko ponders. "...Yeah. Anyway, you got the living room to do whatever if you wanna play something. I heard you liked cooking so I went all out with cooking supplies! Go nuts. And best for last..."

Renjiro leads Toshiko upstairs to the Apartment's roof, where the moon shines down through the glass panels in the spacious room with only a singular bed at the end. "This USED to be my attic, but I revamped it into a guest room! It's a bit barren, but I left it like that for you to decorate with whatever you want! It's your room, so do whatever you want! No Judgement here!" Renjiro continued. "What do you think I'm gonna put in here?! I don't really have any ideas like whatever you're probably thinking man?!" Toshiko declared. "What AM I thinking?" Renjiro responds playfully. "I would to use my rights as a citizen of this country and decline to comment."

"Pfft- hahaha! Okay, kid! Get some rest, you got a really long day tomorrow! Hakuryu is a pain!" Renjiro said cheerfully, leaving Toshiko to his own thoughts. Toshiko sighs, feeling exhausted. "I was never the type of guy to get tired again after taking a nap.. Tokyo sure is something else.." Not having much else to think about, Toshiko goes to sleep. In what felt like an instant, he wakes up to the sound of knocking below him. "Hey, Toshiko! You're gonna be late!" Renjiro shouts. He slowly gets up, looking extremely tired and slowly walks downstairs. "Mornin'.." he greeted with a yawn.

"Jeez, did you sleep at all?" Renjiro says. "Oh, I did. It was amazing actually... It was such a good sleep, it left me feeling more tired after it?? I don't know how that works, but at this point I'm not questioning my life." Toshiko retorts. "Huh. Anyway, take this, this is Hakuryu's uniform." Renjiro tosses Toshiko a plastic bag full of fancy looking clothes. "That does remind me, when's the opening ceremony? I should have some time to spare!" Toshiko remembers. "Opening Ceremony starts in 30 minutes by the way."

"WHAT." Toshiko yells, immediately running upstairs and getting ready as fast as possible. He throws on the school uniform and runs downstairs. "IALREADYKNOWTHETRAINROUTESILLBEFINEOKAYBYE!" He shouts in a frenzy, running as fast as he can to Nakano Station. Toshiko just barely reaches the train, beginning his journey to school. From the train window, he looks at all of the shops below. The sheer scale of Tokyo being almost too much for his brain to comprehend. 

The cafes, the skyscrapers, the green parks. He tears up a little, looking at the endless horizon. "I've only ever heard about places this big in books.. Mom and Dad were right... There is more beyond Matsukawa.. I think I get it now." His inner monologue stops just as the train does. As soon as his journey began, however, it comes to an end. Just in front of him, he spots the glimmering gates of Hakuryu Academy. The Emblem of a White Dragon in a golden orb with Cherry Blossom petals falling around it. 

"Did they seriously just etch "Hakuryu" into the dragon in Kanji? Like, talk about on the nose.. at least Matsukawa was proud when they blatantly named stuff..." He whispers. He slaps himself suddenly. "I can't keep getting distracted! No more, I just gotta go and do it! GRYAHHH!" Toshiko sprints past the gates and joins a crowd of people, all wearing the same black and red accent blazer. Toshiko looks on, and the opening ceremony begins. 

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Faculty Members, and Our esteemed students of Hakuryu Academy. Today, we come together to mark the beginning of an academic journey! My name is Kenji Matsuda and as the principal of this prestigious school, it's my honor to lead you all to a brighter tomorrow. First and foremost, I'd like to welcome the new students joining our ranks! At Hakuryu Academy, we strive for development! Not only academically, but also concerning your character! Our school is a place where you will find Growth, Inspiration, and Endless Possibilities. Furthermore-" 

Toshiko's mind drifts off, clouds filling his mind as two versions of himself appear to his side. His daydream fuses with reality. "I'm so BORED... You've played the Speedy games right?" Left Toshiko asks. "Speedy? We haven't thought about that guy in a while. Doesn't he like collecting gold or something?" Right Toshiko retorts. "Oh, you mean Speedy the Porcupine? I'm a fan! I liked Speedy Borders, Kota and Hana are crazy for saying it's just ok!" Main Toshiko shouts. 

"Classical or Modernized Speedy though, what're fighting for?" L. Toshiko says. "Pfft, Modernized all the way. I'm so tired of hearing Speedy fans argue about what shade of green he should be or whatever.." Toshiko adds. "Maybe if you got a good game every once in a millennia.." R. Toshiko says. "Oh, here we go! The only one I hated was that one where they made Flyer a terrible character.. And Dr. Omelette? Jeez, don't get me started on how they turned her into secondary character before the Monstrous Twelve.. I could ramble on and o-" Toshiko says, before Left and Right Toshiko shush him. 

"Hey, shut up man! This part sounds important!" L. Toshiko says as the actual Toshiko shakes his head violently and wakes up, wiping the drool from his mouth. "I am VERY proud to tell you all some exciting news! Starting her second year of high school here at our very own school, I introduce to you all... Emi Watanabe!" Kenji exclaims. A girl with Long flowing Chestnut Brown hair steps onto the stage, wearing the Hakuryu Academy uniform proudly as she exudes elegance with every step. She reaches the middle of the stage and bows. 

"As explained by Kenji-san, I'm a new student here. I hope to get along with you all, seeing as we're all of similar social status." Emi says. The crowd claps and cheers for her words. Toshiko stares at the girl for a few seconds. "Tokyo sure is uh... different." He whispers. "That Watanabe girl is loaded isn't she?" A nearby boy says. "Yeah! I've heard her family makes like, Trillions! Her family just makes so much from trading, it puts me to shame.." Another boys adds. "Nah, don't worry. All you gotta do is date her! Once you get into that family, don't even worry about anything else! You're set!" A different boy exclaims. The trio near Toshiko cause him to clench his fist. 

"Hey, are you seriously gonna talk about her like that out loud?! I don't care what you say in your head, saying that out loud is weird man!" Toshiko shouts. The three turn around. "Huh? Why should WE care? Who the hell are you, what family are you from?" One of the boys asks. "I'm Toshiko Kimura, and I ain't from a famous family or whatever! I'm from the Village of the Cherry Blossoms, Matsukawa!" Toshiko exclaims, posing as cherry blossoms fall behind him dramatically. From the point of view of the boys however, Toshiko just poses awkwardly. 

"Eh? A kid from the middle of nowhere in a school like this? You sure you didn't just walk onto the wrong ceremony, you couldn't afford this school in a thousand years!" All of the boys start to laugh. "Whatever you say, I got into this school fair and square! I'm gonna do better than a bunch of losers like you anyway!" Toshiko taunts. "Oh, you sure have spirit. I'll give you recognition for that. I'll be looking forward to shattering it when the time comes." One of the boys threatens him, before walking off. 

"...That went better than I could've expected! I'm not too mad about that! In fact, let him bring it on!" Toshiko declares. "We still have certain precautions we have to take care of, so your first day begins tomorrow! Welcome to Hakuryu Academy, once more!" Kenji yells, as the entire crowd claps as the opening ceremony ends. As quickly as he arrived, Toshiko leaves. "...I stressed out to not even go to school? Jeez this school sucks already.. But that girl.. something about her was just.. radiant? I don't know how to put it." He thunk, holding onto the feeling. His stomach growls suddenly however, breaking his train of thought. "Yeah, nevermind.. I hate thinking.."

As Toshiko opens the door to the house, he's greeted by a note on the counter. He begins to read it. "Dear Toshiko, I have a very normal and not mysterious whatsoever job that has me traveling for awhile. I'll be back pretty soon! I'll send you whatever you need, so hold down the fort please. Thank you, appreciate it. - Renjiro." Toshiko sighs. "Uncle Renjiro.. What kind of idiot leaves a teenager home alone? I know what bed I'm sleeping in tonight!" He gleefully exclaims, running into the room and laying on the large queen-sized bed. "First day tomorrow... I won't mess this up guys. I promise."

Chapter 2 - The End.