Stars in a New Sky

Chapter 2: Isolation

Mamoru ignored the stares and whispers as he walked through the halls. In his haste to change schools, he had forgotten about the cliched allure of the "new transfer student". He'd been gawked at all day by everyone. If he'd wanted to be the center of attention, he could have just stayed at his old school. Collapsing in his desk for his final class of the day, Mamoru prayed it would go by quickly.

He closed his eyes and waited for class to start. A quiet cough drew his attention. Sighing, he opened his eyes. Standing in front of him was a girl with long waves of red hair. She smiled hesitantly as he met her gaze. "Something I can help you with?"

The girl flushed and stammered. "I-I just wanted to introduce myself. It's hard being new and not knowing anyone. I'm Masako Mori." She wasn't wrong, Mamoru thought to himself. It was hard. Especially since he wasn't keen on sharing details of his life with people he barely knew. He eyed her closely. He didn't see the same morbid curiosity his other classmates possessed. She seemed to be genuine. 

Offering a tight smile, he replied. "Mamoru Chiba."

She blushed a red as deep as her hair. She took a seat next to him, whispering as their teacher walked into the room to start class. "Why did you transfer to our school? I heard you had the highest entrance exam score. You could have gone anywhere."

An innocent enough question to any transfer student. Despite its innocence, Mamoru tensed. He clenched his jaw in an effort not to be rude. "Needed a change of scenery." He smiled stiffly. He hadn't thought about what to say to people when they asked about himself. It wasn't as if he could tell them the truth. My parents are dead and I'm alone. I was tired of people asking if I'm okay. I was sick of their understanding smiles and words of encouragement. I didn't want to accept that from now on they'll only see me as a sad boy with a tragic past. A change of scenery was the best he could do.

Masako's eyes widened with wonder as if he'd just said something incredibly profound. Ignoring her and the rest of her dewy-eyed friends, he tried to focus on the lesson. Despite his best efforts, his mind drifted. The work was easy. Too easy. He'd completed it quickly and was left to contend with the more difficult problems lurking in the corners of his mind. His empty apartment...the nightmares...the princess...

"Mr. Chiba?" 

Mamoru jumped, drawing a few snickers. "Yes, sir?" 

Mr. Hayashi peered at him over his glasses. "See me after class. There's something I'd like to speak to you about." 

He nodded, sighing inwardly. Great, way to draw more attention to yourself, Mamoru. The last half hour of class seemed to drag on for an eternity. When the bell finally rung, he remained in his seat. Masako gave him a sympathetic glance as she left, while the other students pointed and whispered behind their hands. No doubt glad it was not they who were asked to stay behind after class. He darted a glare in their direction that silenced them and hastened their departure. Honestly, it didn't matter to him how late he stayed. There was no one waiting for him at home anyway. Only an empty apartment. 

Mr. Hayashi approached, a slight frown on his face. He leaned against the desk across from Mamoru. "You're bored, aren't you?"

Mamoru looked up sharply. "I'm not--"

"It's okay, if you are." He interrupted, raising a hand. "I've seen your entrance exam scores. I'd be surprised if you weren't. I'm guessing most if not all of your course work is too easy. Sitting in this class is probably mind-numbing."

Mamoru shrugged. "I'll try to pay better attention next time."

Mr. Hayashi chuckled. "I'm not reprimanding you. Since this material is too easy, I'll make you a deal."

"A deal?" He could help the dubious tone in his voice. 

"I'll get assignments from the university, something a little more challenging than what you're used to, and in return you'll join our after school tutoring program."

Mamoru arched a brow. "After school tutoring?" 

Mr. Hayashi laughed at Mamoru's expression. It was such an adult look for a young man of 16 to have. He needed at least 30 years of living before developing such a skeptical expression. "Don't sound so eager. It's not as bad as you might think. The high school offers subject based tutoring for the middle school students. You can pick your subjects and we don't require you to do it everyday. Just a few days a week."

When Mamoru didn't look very enthusiastic, he continued. "We could really use smart students like you to help. Just think about it. If you're interested, let me know. We have a session starting in half an hour."

***

After school? Mr. Hayashi's offer echoed in his mind. He stared out the window of his classroom at the sun sinking low in the sky. The shadows deepened and stretched. Normally, he wouldn't have even entertained the notion. Not because he didn't want to help people, more because he never had time. He'd always been busy with club activities and sports. Now...he had no intentions of joining anything. He didn't want to be around people. People came with questions. Questions he didn't feel like answering.

Even so...an after school program would stall the inevitable journey home to the empty apartment...and his teacher had been right. He was bored. His options were limited. Risk having to answer questions about himself or spending more time alone. The choice was simple. His footsteps echoed down the hall as he ran after his teacher. He caught up with him at the library entrance. "Mr. Hayashi!"

His teacher smiled knowingly. "I take it you made up your mind?"

He nodded. "I'll do it."

Mr. Hayashi grinned. "Good. I've got a fresh batch of students just inside."

***

"Usagi! You need tutoring. Just come with me." Naru pleaded, tugging her best friend down the cracked pavement. Ms. Haruna had just given back their English tests today and the results were less than stellar. While Usagi was no genius by any stretch of the word, her test grade was lower than usual.

"But we just got out of school! Shouldn't we get a break?" Usagi pouted, dragging her feet. She'd never been at the top of the class, but she'd always found a comfortable cushion in the middle. She was a decidedly average student. However, her grades had recently taken a sharp nose dive.  Lately, she'd found it harder to focus than usual. Her mind wandered off to beautiful palaces among the stars and handsome princes.

Naru narrowed her eyes at her. "Do you want to show your mom that English test with no plan to improve your grades?"

Usagi sighed and stared at her shoes. Naru had her there. She couldn't bring home another test covered in red. "No." She couldn't bear to see the looks on her parents' faces. Or the embarrassment at the hands of her snotty younger brother. 

"Then come on!" Naru gained more ground before she thought of her trump card. "Besides, don't you want to see cute high school boys?" Naru teased. As predicted, Usagi's face brightened.  

"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to check it out. I do need to improve my grades." Usagi replied slyly.