At the Finish Line [Haiji Kiyose] - Run With the Wind

one - "new girl"

From the front of the class, the teacher claps his hands together, gaining the attention of the students. Their laughter and chatter die down when the teacher clears his throat.

"Attention everyone, listen up." Mr Michimiya places his hands on his hips. "We have a new student joining us."

The students begin to whisper to one another when a young girl walks in and all eyes fall on her.

Shoulder-length, wavy brown hair, honey eyes and pink lips, she brushes down her school skirt and waves a hand to the class as Mr Michimiya motions for her to walk forward.

"This is Chiyo Yoshida." He tells them. "She just moved from being in France for 10 years. Treat her well. There's an open seat at the back next to Kato, wave a hand."

Nodding, she weaves her way through the rows of desks and sits down on the chair. Placing her bag to the floor, Chiyo pulls out her notebook and pencil case.

The teacher turns to the blackboard. "Kato, show Chiyo your notes from the lesson. Everyone continue working through the textbook."

Tapping her pen against her notebook, Chiyo purses her lips and turns to the boy next to her. "Kato-san? Sorry, could I look at your notes?"

The scruffy haired boy shrugs, slumping into his seat. "I wasn't paying much attention to the lesson. But you're a 'halfer', right?"

Chiyo raises her eyebrows. "Um, yeah, I am. Well, does anyone else have any notes I can borrow?"

A voice from behind her catches her attention. "You can look at my notes if you want?"

Looking back, she smiles at the boy, turning in her chair. "Really? Thank you."

He nods, handing her his notebook and she leans against his desk as she follows his writing.

"Take your time, don't worry." He tells her.

She taps the pen against her chin. "Oh, does this say 'green'?"

He laughs lightly, pointing to the lettering. "No, it says 'edge', like a veranda of a house. It can seem pretty confusing, huh?"

Nodding, Chiyo writes down the next sentence. "I was born here, so it's my first language. But I've primarily spoken and written in French for the last ten years."

"I'm sure you'll get the hang of it." He says, watching as she jots down the notes. Her nose crinkles as she concentrates and his mouth turns up into a smile. "What's it like in France?"

"Different to Shimane." She laughs, looking up at him. "I like them both, but it'll take some getting used to being back in Japan."

He nods. "That makes sense. Your dad is Japanese, isn't he?"

She raises an eyebrow. "So, you've seen the signs?"

Scratching the back of his neck, he shrugs. "They're everywhere in town, it's hard to miss."

"It's a pain, that's what it is." She shakes her head. "Now I'm known as the daughter of the mayoral candidate. I just hope he doesn't get it."

"That would be pretty stressful." He agrees.

Glancing up from the paper, Chiyo smiles at him. "I didn't get your name."

"Oh," He laughs. "It's Kiyose. Haiji Kiyose."

"Nice to meet you, Kiyose." She nods her head. "Thank you for the help, by the way."

As he opens his mouth to answer, a pair of girls walk over to her desk, smiling at her. "Hey, Yoshida? Do you want to sit with us at lunch today?"