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Kaito still hasn’t figured out how to tie his tie when the train rolls up to the station and people start scrambling to get up. In a panic, he ties it into a square knot and shoves it under his scarf, grabbing his suitcase and giving a great tug to get it out from under his seat.
The girl he’s been sharing a compartment with is still asleep as he turns to leave, and she continues to snore softly even as he pushes the curtain aside.
Uh… Kaito could leave, but he probably shouldn’t.
“Hey, uh,” Kaito doesn’t know her name, “we’re uh, we’re here.” He nudges her shoulder with his elbow, and she awakes with a small start, pale pink eyes coming open. “Hi, sorry for waking you up, just,” he gestures vaguely with the hand he’s holding his wand in, and accidentally shoots off a couple sparks, singing the compartment wall.
Yikes.
The girl giggles, pushing herself upright. She stares at Kaito for a moment too long and then nods, reaching for her own luggage.
“Thanks,” she says. Kaito shifts his weight. Is that really all she was gonna say? Still, he nods, offering an awkward smile, and waits for her to finish grabbing her stuff before he leads the way off the train.
Kaito squints to adjust to the darkness outside of the train as he steps onto solid ground, shivering slightly in the early-autumn chill. Instinctively, he presses closer to the sleepy girl from his compartment, who doesn’t react, lifting her hand to point out the large silhouette of a man in the distance. Kaito has never seen a man that size before, even from a far, and the sight of him makes his stomach do an apprehensive flip.
“You’re a first year too, right?” she asks, sleepy pink eyes darting to Kaito’s face. He nods. “Then we should go with him… I think.”
The large man is yelling, “First years, come this way, first years!” so Kaito thinks that’s a solid guess. He nods a second time and follows the girl, giving her a sidelong glance as they make their way through the chaos. Older, taller students are piling into carriages with no horses off on their right, but there are kids their age huddled around the massive man, standing in clumps, speaking anxiously amongst themselves.
Kaito should probably try and say something, too. “Uh, so, you’re a first year?” he asks, as if that hadn’t already been obvious. The girl nods, and Kaito prompts, “What’s your name, then? I’m Momota Kaito! My mom was a famous witch, y’know!”
The girl blinks at him,uncomprehending, and then nods. “Cool,” she says. “I’m Nanami Chiaki.” Chiaki stares at Kaito for another long pause, her expression uncomfortably blank, and then says, “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Why do you do that?” Kaito blurts, frowning, and Chiaki tilts her head to the side.
“Do what?”
“Like… pause for so long before you talk,” Kaito kicks at the ground with his slipper. “Isn’t that a little weird?”
Chiaki shrugs. “I’m just thinking out everything I wanna say before I’m gonna say it. It’s not that weird.” She pauses, then adds, “Probably. Nice to meet you, though, Kaito.” She smiles for the first time since waking up, and Kaito finds that despite her sleepy tone of voice, it’s a warm, friendly, smile, and he can’t help but mirror it. At least some of the people here are nice. The kids back in his hometown are all… different than the kids here, in a way that Kaito’s finding really hard to describe. Maybe ‘cause these guys can use magic.
But Chiaki isn’t so bad.
The large man who was calling to them introduces himself as Hagrid, and says that he’s the Gamekeeper at Hogwarts. He has a broad, friendly grin that Kaito decides to trust, even though Hagrid is really big, because Gran always said not to judge people for how they look. Hagrid points them towards a row of boats at the shore of the lake that overlooks the massive school, and explains that they’re to pile into them.
Kaito’s not bad on the water, but it’s dark, and cold, and he thinks he can see shapes moving beneath the surface. As he moves forward, peering apprehensively into the depths, he can’t help pressing closer to Chiaki again.
“It’s okay,” Chiaki says, “Hagrid won’t let anything bad happen to us, I think.”
“Why are you so uncertain?” Kaito grumbles, but Chiaki’s presence alone is a comfort right now, so he swallows and decides to trust her, stepping up to one of the boats. He holds it still and gestures for Chiaki to climb in first, and then follows suit. There’s room for two other people, so Kaito waits to push off of the shore, drumming his fingers against the side of the boat. It isn’t long before they’re approached.
“Hey, hey!” A small boy with vibrant purple eyes comes running over, dragging another slightly breathless looking boy, with hair so pale it shines in the moonlight, by the sleeve of his robes. “Do you have room for two more? You two totally look like good victims for my next murder!”
“Murder?” Kaito sputters.
“You’re gonna kill me, huh?” Chiaki asks, unfazed. “That’s never happened to me before, I think. We have room.”
The boy with white hair chuckles, climbing into the boat when his friend gestures for him to go first. “You think?” he asks. He sounds amused, though, looking at Chiaki. “You’re Nanami Chiaki, aren’t you? I know your family, it’s truly an honour to be sharing a year with someone with your name.”
Chiaki seems almost bored by the compliment, even though Kaito thinks he’d be pretty psyched to be told something like that. “Thanks,” she says. “What’s your name?”
“That peasant is Komaeda Nagito!” The purple haired boy declares, hopping into the boat and giving it a great shake. It pushes off the shore and the oars begin to row themselves, steering them off towards the school. Kaito gasps at the sudden movement, but Chiaki touches his arm with a reassuring smile, still entirely unaffected by all of this. If her name is familiar to this Nagito guy, then she’s probably pretty used to magic and stuff, huh? “But you don’t care about him! I’m Ouma Kokichi! I’m actually a famous dark wizard, don’t’cha know?”
“Oh,” Chiaki’s expression remains unchanged. “That’s cool.”
Genuinely, Kaito can’t tell if Chiaki believes him or not. “Famous dark wizard?” he repeats, eyes narrowing. “But you’re eleven.”
“Nuh-uh! That’s just how I look!” Kokichi insists, puffing out his cheeks. “I’m actually a thousand million! I’m coming to Hogwarts for my fifty seventh year! Y’see, I’m actually a ghost possessing the body of an eleven year old, and I--”
“Gh-Ghost?” Kaito interrupts, his face paling. He swallows thickly. “Th-There’s no way you’re a ghost, ghosts aren’t--”
Nagito looks disdainfully in Kaito’s direction. “Ghosts are real,” he says plainly, “the idea that they’re not is made up by Muggles.” His eyes narrow. “You’re not a mudblood, are you? There’s no way someone with filthy blood can flourish at a school like--”
Chiaki punches him in the arm, her expression still surprisingly mild. “Don’t… say that. It’s gross.” For once, she doesn’t defuse the statement with an I think.
Which… is cool, but Kaito doesn’t actually know what’s so wrong with what Nagito just said.
“My blood is made of iron, not mud,” Kaito explains, trying not to look at Nagito like he’s too stupid.
“Kaito’s mom’s a witch, anyways,” Chiaki continues, ignoring Kaito’s remark-- which is rude, but he likes Chiaki so he won’t say anything about it-- and frowning at Nagito. “So it’s not even true. He probably just doesn’t like ghosts.”
Yeah, no kidding. A shudder runs through Kaito at the word alone.
“Oh!” Nagito’s eyes are very wide all of a sudden, the judgement completely gone from his demeanour. “In that case, then, my apologies! Sorry, we really need to separate the bad from the good, don’t you think?”
“You’re… dumb,” Kaito decides eventually, narrowing his eyes. Nagito just laughs and waves a hand.
“Anyways,” Kokichi huffs, “as I was saying, before I got so rudely interrupted, I’m totally a ghost! Not only that, but ghosts are super real!”
Spooked once again, Kaito whirls on Kokichi and protests, his voice cracking, “They are not!”
“They are so! I would know, since I am one, after all!” Kokichi grins broadly. “In fact, I’m getting whispers from my ghostie friends right now! They’re the ones moving the boat for us!”
There’s no way that’s true-- the boats are probably enchanted-- but Kaito still jolts at the statement, looking apprehensively at the oars. He then looks at Nagito and Chiaki, who seem to know a thing or two about the magical world, and thus can confirm for Kaito that Kokichi is just playing tricks.
“Oh, how interesting!” Nagito says. “Tell me more!”
Chiaki has fallen asleep sitting up.
Kaito whines as he turns back to glare at Kokichi. “There’s no way that’s true! I-I told you, ghosts aren’t real! And even if they were, there’s no way you are one!”
“Oh yeah?” Kokichi’s grin widens even further, and he tucks his arms behind his neck, giving Kaito an insufferably cheeky look. “Prove it!”
“Fine, I will!” Kaito stands, the boat rocking dangerously beneath him, and reaches out to fist both his hands in Kokichi’s robes. Wizard or not, a man’s best friend is still his fists! That’s what Gramps always says! Kaito’s not gonna punch Kokichi though, because that wouldn’t really help. He drags Kokichi upwards by his shirt instead, and the smaller boy’s eyes widen. “See! There’s no way you’re a ghost! I couldn’t have touched you if you were!”
“Awww, silly Momota!” Kokichi giggles, his mischievous smile returning. “I already told you, I’m possessing someone, remember? Were you even listening?” He shakes his head. “Doesn’t matter, actually! I’m bored of this body! I think I’m gonna possess you now!” With that, he jumps, legs wrapping around Kaito’s middle, and Kaito loses his balance, wobbling unsteadily in the rocking boat and then falling backwards, his lower back slamming against the edge of the boat and flipping him over into the lake.
There’s commotion on the boat, but Kaito barely registers it, his entire body tensing up as he’s hit with a faceful of icy cold water.
Kaito releases Kokichi’s robes when he falls, gasping for air on instinct and sucking down a mouthful of freezing liquid. He coughs it back up, but coughing is painful because he just ends up sucking down more water when he tries to inhale, and he can’t really move because it’s so freaking cold, and Kokichi’s probably somewhere in the cold water too and Kaito should try to help him but he can’t… he can’t--
Something wraps around Kaito’s arms from behind, pinning them to his body and dragging him upwards. The air that hits him is almost more painfully cold than the water, but he’s more focused on coughing and sputtering, spewing water from his mouth and nose and screwing his eyes shut against the wind. It takes him what feels like an eternity to recover, but once he has he opens his eyes, looking around blearily, and…
Makes eye contact with a very large squid.
Unnerving as that is, the cold is decidedly scarier than the squid, especially since it lowers him down to the shore pretty soon after making contact. Kaito will deal with the shock of seeing that absolute unit of a sea creature later. For now, upon release, Kaito’s knees buckle, and he drops down into the dirt, shivering and curling his arms around himself. He registers Kokichi being placed nearby, in a similar state, his lips pale and his teeth chattering, but he’s too focused on trying to regain warmth to speak. (He doesn’t know what he’d say, anyway.)
Adults come running over, eventually, and Kaito is pulled to his feet by a woman with compassionate eyes and rounded features, who wraps a blanket tightly around him and then taps a wand against his temple, drying out his hair and his clothes, spreading a feeling of warmth that tingles in his fingertips. He shivers a little as he adjusts to the new temperature, but it’s easy to see again once he’s no longer cold, blinking around as the boats start to dock behind him.
Kokichi is facing similar treatment from the woman (who has now moved away from Kaito), but Kaito doesn’t get to walk over, because a much taller woman with severe eyes and a hawklike expression approaches and stops before him.
Uh, yikes. Kaito swallows thickly as he stares up at her.
“Can you please explain the circumstances that led to you and him falling into the lake?” the woman asks, and her tone is rather strict, one of her eyebrows raised. Kaito glances over at Kokichi again, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck, the other still holding the blanket tight around himself.
He could… tell the truth, obviously, that they were fighting, but Kaito doesn’t really want to get in trouble on the first day… and he doesn’t want Kokichi to get in trouble either, even if he is… secretly a super powerful dark wizard… or whatever.
“W-We were just messing around,” Kaito says, swallowing. “We accidentally rocked the boat too hard and I started to fall and uh,” what’s his surname, “Ouma tried to help me up, but then we both fell into the water.”
That makes sense, right? Kaito doesn’t wanna make it out like Kokichi was the one helping him, but also, would Kokichi really agree to a story in reverse?
The woman gives Kaito a skeptical look but turns to speak to Kokichi regardless, her intimidating dark eyes focused on the other boy now. They’re too far away for Kaito to hear what is being said, but at one point Kokichi glances at him, his eyebrows raised incrementally.
When they’re done speaking, the tall woman nods, and turns to look at Kaito again, raising her voice slightly to instruct them to come up to the castle as planned, and then with a sweep of her robes starts back in the direction of the school. The other woman, the one who dried them and gave them blankets, does one last fussy onceover of Kokichi before she too turns, leaving them to walk up to the school together.
Kokichi sidles up to Kaito’s side, grinning once the women are out of earshot. “Y’know, I’m impressed. I totally had Momota pegged as the kind to tell the truth all the time.”
Huffing indignantly, Kaito says, “W-Well, being honest is important! I just…” He trails off, looking up at the school. “I dunno? I’ve been excited to come here my whole life, I don’t wanna get in trouble right on the first day…”
The look Kokichi gives him at that is unreadable, and for a moment they walk up towards the school building in silence, save for the murmurs of voices around them.
The silence puts Kaito on edge, but he doesn’t break it, even to ask Kokichi why he went along with the lie. The answer should be obvious enough, shouldn’t it?
“Well, since you surprised me, I’ll give Momota a reward,” Kokichi says, grinning. “I’m not a dark wizard at all, or even a ghost. I’m just a… what’s the word Komaeda used? Mudblood? I guess the nicer word is Muggleborn, though.”
Yeah, Muggle, like… like people without magic. That does sound better than that ugly word Nagito used back on the boat. “You… are?”
“Uh-huh!” Kokichi nods his head. “I’m as new to this as you are! Almost, anyways. I’ve been doing a little bit of research since I got my letter.” He grins, putting his arms behind his head. “There’s no way I’d come into a world like this unprepared, y’know? Hey, listen, you can’t tell anyone what I told you, okay? Or I’ll kill you!”
“What?” Kaito’s eyes go wide.
“Juuust kidding! Nishishi, I won’t kill you yet, Momota, every villain needs a good rival, y’know!” Kokichi picks up speed and runs ahead of Kaito, his blanket billowing behind him like a cloak, but turns for a moment to look over his shoulder, purple eyes glittering in the moonlight. “But seriously, keep it a secret, hmmm? Bye bye for now!”
With that, Kokichi darts into the school, and Kaito watches him go, slowing to a stop as he comes up in front of the entrance hall, letting some of the first years move around him.
...Huh.
“Hey hey.”
Kaito turns just in time to meet Chiaki’s eyes as she jogs up to his side, Nagito trailing behind her.
“You okay, Kaito? We watched the squid take you and Kokichi out of the lake.” Chiaki’s expression is as composed as ever, but there’s the littlest of frowns on her face, her eyebrows furrowed together. She looks worried, so Kaito smiles at her before he responds.
“Yeah, I’m okay,” he says. He looks up at the school again. Weirdly, Kaito almost feels less apprehensive now.
Chiaki must pick up on it, because she scrutinises Kaito’s face, her head tilted. “You look different… I think. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m good,” Kaito insists, earnestly. “Takes a lot more than that to shake me! What kind of hero would I be if I couldn’t go for a little dip in the lake, huh?” He grins, punching one of his fists, and Chiaki laughs, patting Kaito’s shoulder a little.
“Yeah, you’re right. I dunno what I was thinking,” she says, a small smile on her face. “C’mon. The sorting ceremony’s about to begin.”