The Other Transfer Student

Chapter 1: First Day

"Are you sure you have to go?" I sighed.

"Yes, but grandma said you and Makoto would come visit me. Okay, pumpkin?"

"But I don't want you to leave." Emily looked up at me, still holding my leg. She began to audibly sniffle. I bent down to her height and wiped her eyes.

"If I go to Asagao I can get a better job to support Makoto and you. Then I can buy us a nice house and I won't have to leave you with grandma as often."

"I know. You've told me this before." Emily messes with the bow I made in her hair earlier, needing a way to release her nervous energy.

"And I mean it kiddo." I say, pulling her into another hug. She eventually loosens her grip on me, so I stand and walk to where grandma and Makoto were watching us.

"I'll miss you Mako, be good to grandma and Emily, okay?" He shakes his head. I pick him up, spinning in a circle as I ruffle his hair. Grandma clears her throat, pointing at the large clock on the wall.

"Oh! Thanks grandma!" I quickly put Makoto down and give my grandma a kiss on the cheek and a light squeeze. "Make sure Emily goes to sleep on time, and don't forget to take her to school at 7. Oh! And Makoto tends to not brush his teeth in the morning, I usually make him pancakes when he does it without being reminded. And als-" Grandma cuts me off, telling me she knows all of this anyway, and that I wouldn't want to miss the train. I smile embarrassed, and give the kids a kiss before running out the door and onto the platform. Emily and Makoto follow behind me, probably wanting to watch me as I go. I file onto the train with a few other students, and search for an open compartment. (Thankfully) finding and empty apartment, I place my backpack on the seat after placing my suitcase under it. Out the window, I spot Makoto and Emily looking through each window. I knock on the glass, sending the two a wave. Their faces begin to glow, and they race towards my window, but the train begins to move. The kids frown, but continue to run towards me, waving as the train speeds up. I send them a wave and a kiss, then motion for them to go back to grandma. Their flushed faces fade out of my sight, the greenery replacing their image. Sighing, I turn away from the window, sitting down. As a turn the other way, I notice someone has joined me in the compartment, Startled, I give a little squeak and jump in my seat. The person and I make eye contact, a smirk rising on his face.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I was going to ask if I could sit here, but you seemed a bit preoccupied." He smiles.

"Oh, um, yeah it's fine, not like anyone else is taking up space in here?" I gesture to the row of open space.

"Thanks," He sits across from me to the far right, so that I would have to turn my head to the left to look at him. "I'm Satch, nice to meet you."

"I'm Yuri, it's reassuring that the first person i'm meeting from Asagao is so polite." I smirk at him, looking at him fully for the first time since he spooked me.

"I had a feeling you were a transfer, we don't get many at Asagao."

"Oh." I say slightly disappointed, I don't want to stick out.

"Not that it's a bad thing," Satch senses my unease, "I find transfer students make the school more interesting." He offers me a smile. This guy is really friendly, it's kind of off-putting, but nice.

We fell into a comfortable silent, Satch pulled a book from his bag so I grabbed a planner-book that my grandmother bought for me as a going away gift. I left a note to myself to write to my grandpa, thanking him for going on a business trip that would help keep the kids financially stable while I was gone. Asagao has a strict policy against out-of-school work, so I had to quit my job. My grandparents were reaching their mid 80s, so working was becoming increasingly difficult for the two. We live in a two room house that is attached to my grandparent's tea shop. Even with the money we made off of my old house, it wasn't enough to secure enough for college, a new house, or the children's education. I was lucky to get a partial scholarship from the Academy. For whatever reason the school's reputation went up when they fostered poor students, yet they haven't have many middle class or under students. It is sort of intimidating going to a school full of rich teens though.