𝟭. 𝙃𝙀𝙍 𝙎𝙄𝘿𝙀 𝙊𝙁 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙎𝙏𝙊𝙍𝙔 || 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐤𝐲𝐮𝐮 [✔]

chapter 10: First Day

𝖘𝖚𝖓𝖓𝖞𝖘𝖎𝖉𝖊𝖇𝖆𝖇𝖍𝖊'𝖘 𝖋𝖎𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖆𝖑 𝖘𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖞
#022423
•••

Like anyone else, Aeris despised mornings. Mondays were even worse. The transition from the warm, comforting cocoon of blankets to the cold, relentless reality of a new day was never pleasant.

There had been a brief time when she tried waking up with the sunrise, claiming it gave her a sense of purpose. That time, however, had passed. Lately, her days had bled into nights, and nights into days, leaving her sense of time in a perpetual fog. She often had trouble remembering if she had eaten breakfast, or if she had already finished her homework, or even which day of the week it was.

Her abrupt awakening, however, wasn't caused by the sun—or some miraculous burst of self-discipline—but by the relentless ringing of her phone. Aeris squinted at the screen, wincing at the harsh glow that stabbed her still-sleepy eyes.

"Hello?" she mumbled, her voice thick and groggy, as if it came from someone else entirely.

"Nanachan, are you still asleep?" Tobio's voice came through the line, crisp and surprisingly alert, as if he had been up for hours.

Aeris rubbed her eyes, trying to wipe away the remnants of her dream. "Why do you ask, Tobio?" she murmured.

"It's Monday," he said, a small smirk audible in his tone.

In an instant, her body jolted awake. She shot a glance at the clock on her nightstand. The numbers glared back mercilessly: 7:30 AM.

"FUCK!" she hissed, flinging her phone onto the bed. In one swift motion, she threw the covers off and practically vaulted out of bed.

The sudden movement sent a rush of blood to her head, making her stagger slightly. She grabbed the edge of her desk to steady herself, swaying for a moment as the room spun. The dim morning light barely pierced through the curtains, leaving the space half-shrouded in shadow.

Her bare feet met the cold floor as she stumbled toward the bathroom, nearly tripping over a pair of discarded shoes from the night before. "Great start," she muttered sarcastically. Maybe I should actually start tidying up after I get used to this new routine... she thought, silently promising herself that she would eventually.

Aeris splashed water on her face, hoping it would wake her fully. She brushed her teeth, applied lotion and cream, and ran a brush through her hair with hurried, uneven strokes. Thankfully, she had prepared her uniform the night before—a small mercy in a morning already spiraling out of control.

By the time she threw on her socks and hurried downstairs, she felt like she had just survived a minor marathon. She dashed out the front door, nearly colliding with the lock in her rush, and sprayed herself with perfume as she ran, hoping it would disguise the disheveled chaos of her appearance.

Halfway down the street, she froze. She had completely forgotten the way to school. Even though she had gone with Tobio the night before, exhaustion and panic had wiped the memory from her mind.

'Where the fuck is that school? This street... I know it's familiar, but which way?' she thought frantically.

Her heart pounded as she tried to recall every turn from the previous night, each one twisting and tangling in her mind. She forced herself to move forward, hoping instinct would carry her in the right direction. Just as panic threatened to overwhelm her, the familiar shape of the school appeared at the end of the alleyway. Relief washed over her in an almost physical wave.

"Matte!" she called, her voice sharp and urgent, carrying through the quiet morning.

The teacher in charge of the gate, a tall man with a permanently furrowed brow, paused mid-motion, his hand hovering over the lever. He turned, glancing at her with a mix of suspicion and impatience.

"Name and year, and why are you late?" he demanded, his tone stern and unyielding.

"I—... I..." Aeris panted, barely able to catch her breath from the sprint. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she tried to form coherent words.

"You... what?" the teacher prodded, his gaze sharp, scanning her face for honesty.

Aeris took a shaky breath, steadying her voice. "I... lost my way," she admitted, still gasping.

"Lost your way? Are you a new student or something?" The man's tone softened slightly, shifting from irritation to mild curiosity.

Aeris nodded vigorously. "Hai! I am a new student."

"New student? But we started last week," the teacher said, skepticism evident in his voice.

"Yes, but my aunt forgot about it, and my flight was delayed," Aeris explained, her words tumbling out in a hurried rush.

The teacher blinked, then let out a small sigh. "Okay... I'll let you pass this time, since you're a new student. What year are you in?"

"I'm in the second year," Aeris replied.

The gate swung open, and she followed him inside, her steps still shaky from the frantic run. Relief settled over her like a warm blanket—the hardest part was over, at least for now.

"Fumiko-san, your new student is here," the teacher called as they approached the faculty office.

Aeris's heart still raced from the mad dash. She stood outside the door, fingers nervously fidgeting with the hem of her uniform, as the teacher knocked lightly and waited for a response. The anticipation and exhaustion mingled into a dizzying cocktail, leaving her both anxious and oddly exhilarated.

« ֪ ׅ ֹ =͟͞ ♡ 𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗗.