Volume 1's POV: Miyuki Sekken's POV

If there is one thing to know about me, it is that I watch a lot of TV. By a lot, I mean that is all I do when I get home from school. It's an escape I always look forward to, and so much so, I have engraved it into my daily routine. I wake up, exercise, eat breakfast, check my phone to see if I got any text messages from my nonexistent friends, and then go to school for a few hours. Once school passes, I come home, eat dinner, and then head to my room where I huddle myself in blankets while watching my next action-romance show for the rest of the night.

I'm Miyuki Sekken, I am 15 years old and this has been my life since I was 5. Daily routines were what kept my head on my shoulders and kept me moving, albeit I never felt any satisfaction from it. I rarely even knew what satisfaction felt like aside from finishing a show I was watching. When High School came around, I was expecting the same routine I always did, even though my adoptive mother often told me to try and do something new. Long story short: expectations didn't become reality, and I was in for one massive life-style makeover... and one that would come quicker than I knew it.

I took my mom's word of trying something new before I started High School. From my stressful experience in Junior High, I wasn't very confident in my communication skills, so that was what I had pledged to myself to work on as soon as I got to school... and boy was I in for a treat. No amount of TV shows like Super Joe, or Sailor Luna could prepare me for what horrors laid behind the doors of Maguro High. If I were to learn anything from my first school year, it's that paying attention to yourself and your surroundings is how you get out of trouble. It might just save yourself, your friends, and/or your entire community.

-.-

So this is where it starts, my first day in Maguro High. Just like the tens of hundreds of kids surrounding me, I crammed through the gates and into the doorway that led me into my first day of high school. The school building was pretty massive, standing three stories tall and many classrooms wide. Every student enters the school through the gym, which leads them to everything else in the building. The neat part about entering through the gym was the fact that there were no other floors above the gym, so I could really gauge the sheer height of the building! Needless to say I was mesmerized by it, which everyone would notice by seeing the random first year stand in the middle of their path and blankly staring at the ceiling.

It took a bit of time and a few angered students to get me to snap out of my empty blank staring.

"Oi, get a move along!"

"What the hell is she staring at?"

When I was finally shaken back to my senses by a teacher, I quickly looked around, bowed apologetically, and then kept my head low while quickly searching for my classroom.

The classroom was on the second floor, which meant I had to get through my arch nemesis first: stairs! On my way to the classroom, I saw other students taking the elevator. During orientation it was explained that using the elevator could lead to detention, or even suspension if students who were not physically challenged utilized it. The punishment was what kept me from following the other students, because unlike them, I wasn't going to risk my school career over easier transport. One thing that struck my interest about those students were the crates they were carrying. I couldn't figure out what they were for, but they were full of boxes of some sort. I chose to disregard their crates because they weren't of my concern then, because I was still focused on getting to class.

Eventually I made it to class. I was winded, but I made it. Just before entering the class I would meet face to face with the man who would be my math teacher, Mr. Taro. I admit, I was pretty intimidated when I first saw him. He towered over me, who was already considered pretty tall (175 centimeters) for my age! His eyes were like beads but their size looked magnified under his rounded glasses. Despite his giant appearance, he still seemed 'normal'? Normal may not be the way to describe him. I would rather say he acted 'typical', gesturing to my seat which was right by the window (come on, right by the window? What am I, an anime protagonist?).

A few minutes after I took my seat, homeroom was over and class was quick to begin. Mr. Taro stood in front of the class, egregiously writing his name on the chalkboard in what could only be made out as doctor signature levels of legibility. He then began with the introduction to the class and what to expect in the coming year. Rules, what to do, what not to do, disciplines, subjects, yada yadah, all of that jazz, everything one could expect in an introduction. Meanwhile, I was sitting with a hand resting on my chin, and my foot was pacing the ground.

Truth is, I would have paid attention if Mr. Taro spoke just a little faster, but unfortunately that would never be the case with him. Just lasting a minute was draining, but I had to last over sixty. Time ticked by on the clock and I had finally zoned out. My chariot away from boredom awaited! Aaaand it was at the cost of me missing all of the vital information about the school year. He did have the syllabi passed out for us to read over, so I couldn't feel too bad about missing class. I left my seat and swiftly exited the classroom.

"Miyuki!" I was called by someone when I made my way down the hall. It was a taller boy, red-ish hair who waved a book with a smile. His uniform had a small pin on it, the picture of a black martial arts belt on it, and the same belt seen on the pin was tied to his forehead. "You forgot your book"

"I-uh, thanks!" I instantly blurted, taking the book quickly and adding it to my pile, not making much eye contact. He was obviously one of the sports kids, so I was nervous around him. I feared he would bring up something I hated to talk about, something that made me a well known name throughout the local school district. Thankfully, that wasn't the case... so I could sigh with relief.

"You good, Miyuki? You looked like you were in 'la la land' all of class"

"I-I did? Oh silly me, sorry about that, I dunno what I was doing-"

"No no, it's fine, but you should be more careful though. Paying attention is how you get outta trouble." the boy would let out a cheery laugh, then extended a hand for a handshake. "I'm Seijo, Erin Seijo."

When he smiled, I couldn't help but smile back too. Cheerful behavior was contagious for me. In this situation though, I was instead awkwardly smiling while trying to keep myself from falling apart. I only ended up making him embarrassed too, especially when I didn't take his handshake out of confusion for what the gesture was in the first place.

"Yeah, good point... Well, see ya around, Miyuki!" Seijo hesitantly said before quickly leaving me. He seemed like he had a good heart, and I stood there wishing I could rewind time to try this interaction again. Since that was an impossibility as far as I was concerned, I was convinced I blew my chances at making a good friend.