A Memory of Starfires

04

You would think a comet had just flown into the room. Everyone was gaping at the transfer student, and Kari, realizing this, quickly closed her mouth shut.

The newcomer was a sure sight to behold. Slim of build and not unusually tall, he wore the gray and black uniform well. But what was so arresting was his silvery-white hair with wisps that seemed to stick out in all directions, refracting the light. That and his eyes, which were completely covered by thick, Coke bottle glasses! What was strange was it actually looked good on him!

Now every girl was wondering what was behind those glasses. With a perfectly chiseled face, even with the thick lenses he looked to Kari like he had just stepped out of an anime. The guy could easily pass for every girl's dream and every boy's nightmare!

Professor Tanaka cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "Leinier-kun, why don't you tell us a little about yourself?"

The boy nodded and faced the class with a genuine smile that exuded confidence.

"Good morning, I'm Taren Leinier, nice to meet you. I grew up traveling a lot with my parents, later settling in Germany. I last attended the Metropolitan School in Frankfurt before moving to Osaka with my family for a business opportunity. I'm hoping to stay for a while. Please take care of me." He bowed.

"Wow..."

"Oh my..."

Kari could hear whispers of amazement. The transfer student spoke in fluent Japanese!

Kenshin Academy was one of the few international schools in the country that had an extensive English curriculum and requirement on entry. Most of the students speak and understand the language, albeit in varying degrees. So it wasn't much of an issue if students from out of the country make their introductions in English. But a foreign student that can speak Japanese down to the honorifics and formal speech was extraordinary indeed.

Tanaka-sensei, trying to hide his surprise over the student's proficiency, cleared his throat again. "Alright, Leinier-kun. You may take the empty seat on the fourth row to your left."

'Shoot! He's sitting right behind me...!' Kari ducked her head self-consciously as the boy walked towards his assigned seat.

Before she could react, the transfer student dropped to the floor beside her chair, folding his long legs in one swift motion to pick up the pen she had left, forgotten, on the floor. She saw his hand miss the pen once, twice, rolling slightly before he finally caught it.

"This yours?" He asked, holding up the pen, his face at a level with hers and only a foot away, for heaven's sake!

"Uh--yeah. Thanks." Kari nodded, trying to avoid looking at his face as she took the pen from his hand.

"Don't mention it." The boy said with a smile.

The first period ended in a whirlwind of distractions. Sighing, Kari got up to head to her next class, ignoring the girls that had flocked around the transfer student as soon as the bell rang.