Chapter Text
The sun rose in the morning, through a small gap in the curtain a small ray of sun passed into the room falling right on the face of our protagonist.
A boy with long blonde hair shifted on his pillow trying to hide from this sudden attack of mother nature, after moving for a few more seconds, he finally found a comfortable position in which to continue his rest... unless someone were to knock on the door of the room.
And as if it were a clock, at seven o'clock like every morning, soft knocks sounded in the room followed by a voice that Aether had already gotten used to.
“Aether? Are you awake?” said a soft voice through the door, Aether just grunted and started to move to get out of bed, he would not like to repeat the incident from a few weeks ago.
“You know I can hear you through the door right?” The girl sighed softly before continuing “I'll wait for you in the kitchen so I finish preparing our breakfast” The girl just heard something similar to an okay, she couldn't help but laugh softly before continuing towards the kitchen of the house.
The boy continued lying on his bed for a few more minutes until he finally gathered the energy to start the day, putting his right foot on the ground first, the boy finally got up, walked to the coat rack near the door, the boy grabbed the hanger where his new uniform hung, this year the boy would start going to a new school, after attending middle school at the city of Liyue, their parents decided that the best thing for the family would be to move to the island of Inazuma due to their work, Aether and his sister had no choice but to accompany them.
The family had already lived here a few years ago, when the twins were 6/7 years old, but due to the profession of the boys' parents they had to move to the city of Mondstadt, then again for the same reason they moved to Liyue and again for the same reason to Inazuma again, thankfully the parents already told the twins that this would be the last move, their work made them travel a lot but they had decided that the children would stay here while they worked.
Going back to the uniform, this was the first time Aether had looked at it closely, it contained a white shirt, a dark purple jacket that had the school logo embroidered on the left side pocket and black pants, it was more formal than what he had worn at his previous schools, but the boy had to admit that it didn't look bad on him.
Once he was completely changed, the boy went to the bathroom to finish getting ready. As he walked, he could hear a soft voice coming from the kitchen singing a sweet popular song that he heard a few times on the TV these past few weeks.
After a few minutes he finally finished getting ready, the boy went to the kitchen where in front of him, a girl with a white shirt and a school skirt the same color as the boy’s pants was with her back turned at him, her long silver hair it was tied in a ponytail with a small ornament.
“Good morning Ayaka” said the boy while he went towards the table where there were cutlery and plates for two people, a little further away there were more cutlery and plates but they seemed to have already been used.
The girl turned to Aether with a smile “Good morning Aether, did you rest well?”
“Mhm, yes, I slept well, but I should remember to close the curtains completely at night... I woke up a little earlier this morning due to the sun” Ayaka chuckled softly as she made her way to the table with a couple of plates full of food, one for her and the other for Aether.
For Aether this had already become routine, Ayaka and he already knew each other from the first time his family had moved to Inazuma and they had been childhood friends, the twins (but especially Aether) remained in constant contact with the girl through text messages and video calls for the last eight years, when they told Ayaka that they would be back, the girl couldn't contain her excitement, but after learning about the situation that Aether and Lumine's parents were in and that they would leave the two alone while they worked, Ayaka's family soon offered to help with the care of the little ones, Ayaka offered to help them to cook in the morning after hearing so many stories about the times Lumine tried to cook for Aether and their family...
These last two weeks before school started, Ayaka was in charge of giving Aether and Lumine a tour of all the new places in the city, they ate at their favorite places and visited the main attractions of the city, not much had changed in recent years, but the twins also appreciated the tour to catch up on everything.
The relationship between Lumine and Ayaka was very good, the two were already great friends and they became even closer when they saw each other again, Ayaka considered them both as her first friends and as people who were not friends of Kamisto Ayaka, but of just Ayaka, but with Aether things were a little different, the girl was still very friendly with him and was just as close as with Lumine, but it seemed as if the girl forced herself to do everything perfectly in front of him... sometimes she would even turn red if they were closer than normal, the boy's sister would just laugh as if she suspected something.
Meh, It's probably just his imagination, there's no chance someone on the Kamisato family level would be interested in him, besides, it's Ayaka, she's his childhood friend.
“Are you excited about going to a new school? I know it's not impressive at all but I'm happy that we can finally go to school together again” The girl said this last part softly, almost like a whisper, but it didn't go unnoticed by the boy who gave her a smile.
“I'm also happy to be able to go to school with you again, the last time we went together was a bit after preschool, but I'm a little nervous, I don't know many of my classmates and it's the first time Lumine and I won't go together” The older twin had decided to go to a different school, one specializing in acting and dancing, this was her passion and she wanted to start as soon as possible so maybe one day she would be able to pursue it professionally.
So that left Aether with only Ayaka, the girl had already told him that all his classmates would welcome him with open arms, but it was normal for the boy to feel nervous before meeting his classmates for the rest of the next three years.
“I'm sure you'll be fine, I already told you that most of my classmates were good people, I hope we're in the same class... so at least we'll have each other to support each other” Said Ayaka with a bit of hope, Aether would like that too, it would make everything much simpler and smother “Alright, enough with that, let's finish with our breakfast so we can go, Ayato already left a little earlier to finish some council things and Lumine had to go a little earlier, something about an entrance ceremony for the new students so its… just the two of us” the two teenagers began to eat their breakfast, from time to time Aether could feel Ayaka's gaze on him, when he looked back at her the young woman lowered her gaze to the plate again as if nothing had happened.
“Breakfast is delicious as always” Aether guessed that the girl was waiting for his opinion on the breakfast.
“Oh! Thanks, but it's nothing special, I learned it from my mom, I could teach you someday if you want”
“I'd like to, but I'd rather eat your food, I'd love to eat it forever” Aether continued to eat in silence, but when he didn't hear a response after a couple of bites he looked forward to his companion, Ayaka had her mouth open, her cheeks were flushed with a soft reddish color.
“F-F-Forever? D-Do you mean it?” The girl asked as best she could.
“Of course, It's delicious” Ayaka didn't answer anything, she just stared at her plate with her cheeks flushed, the boy decided not to bring it up anymore and finished eating his breakfast before it got cold.
After the girl managed to calm down, she also finished eating her breakfast and the two got ready to go to school, they both grabbed their backpacks and went to the door to put on their shoes.
“The school is not far away, we are about a 15 minute walk away, so we can take our time” Aether agreed to her friend's comment and the two left the house, along the way they both talked about different topics, such as what classes they were going to have this year and some recommendations to which clubs he should join, in where she put special emphasis on her Japanese culture club.
When they were almost halfway, the two had to slow down to wait for the traffic to finish passing, but suddenly Aether felt a bump that knocked him to the ground.
“Aether!” Shouted Ayaka as she moved to her friend’s side to check if he was okay.
“I’m so sorry! I was lost in thought and didn’t see where I was going!” A strange voice was heard by the two friends, when they looked to Aether's side, a girl in a white school uniform with blue details was also lying on the floor, her hair was long and red, next to her, a little piece of pie was laying heads down in the ground, completely ruined.
“D-Don’t worry, I'm fine” The boy said as he got up with Ayaka's help, once he was up he walked towards the red-haired girl and held out his hand to help her up, the girl gladly accepted the help and grabbed the boy's hand to stand up.
They each cleaned their uniform with their hands, Ayaka's helped Aether to clean his back as he couldn’t reach it, once the two finished, the girl in blue and white put her hands together in an apology to the blonde.
“I’m so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going, I was completely lost in my thoughts” the girl apologized again, Aether simply shook his head.
“Its okay, stuff like that happens, don’t worry about it, you didn't get hurt did you?” The girl shook her head.
“No no! I'm perfectly okay!” The girl stared at Aether for a few seconds until she suddenly approached him, her hands going straight to his chest. "Sorry, but I think I messed it up for you, let me fix it" The red-head grabbed the collar of Aether's purple tie and began to adjust it, moving his hands gently along the length of the tie, his fingers brushing the boy's white shirt.
Meanwhile the blond didn't know what to do, a girl he had never met had collided with him and now he was very close to him, there was nothing wrong with his situation, but he is a healthy teenager and he couldn't help but get nervous about the situation that for the girl in front of him, didn't seem to bother her in the slightest, at least that’s what he thought until…
“And there! Done! Sorry if this was sudden, but I was getting upset seeing your t-“ The girl looked up for the first time, her face was just inches from the boy's, if she tiptoed, her nose would brush against the boy's, she lowered her gaze and saw where her hands were placed, right on the boy's chest, she turned back to the boy's face, a reddish color adorned the girl's cheeks.
The two continued to look at each other, Aether's golden eyes looking directly into the girl's green ones, both lost in their own world, this moment would have continued if not for…
“AHEM!” The two could hear, it was Aether's partner, Ayaka who was trying to get their attention, the other girl finally let go of Aether and moved a few steps back “Thank you for your concern, but as you can see Aether is completely fine, now if you'll excuse us, we have to go to school or we'll be late, right Aether?” Ayaka’s eyes looked a lot more aggressive than usual to the boy who only nodded.
“School! I’m so late! I have to go! Sorry for everything!” The girl grabbed her bag from the ground and started running, the two friends looked at her for a few seconds until Ayaka couldn't help but sigh.
“Not only does it collide with you, but she also messes up your tie, let me” The silver-haired girl stood up on tiptoe and with her soft hands adjusted her friend's tie, once satisfied with the result, she moved away from him a little “There, now, let us continue” And without looking back, Ayaka continued to walk towards the school with Aether having to catch up to her.
*School Entrance*
After walking the last stretch to the school without further incident, the two friends finally arrived at the entrance of the school. In front of it, a dark purple haired girl with a list was standing right in the middle, looking at every student who passed.
“Ayakaaa!” The two friends turned around, in the distance, a girl was running towards them, her hair was blonde tied in a ponytail, but several strands surrounded her face, she was dressed in a white shirt, the school skirt and with the blazer around her waist, the girl ran until she was in front of the two friends, looking at them both with a smile.
“Naganohara-san, it’s good to see you again, so I want to assume that we're going to be classmates again?” Aether noticed how Ayaka's way of speaking had changed, she was in her Kamisato mode, an elegant girl from one of the most influential families in Inazuma.
“Of course! You all aren’t going to get rid of me so easily, even though the store and the workshop take me a lot of time, I still have to finish my studies!” The cheerful said as she looked at Ayaka, but with the corner of her eye she was looking at the boy who was next to her friend “And who de we have over here? Don't tell me this is the so famous Aether!"
Hearing this, Ayaka's cheeks were painted a soft pink color, with her head she nodded as she began to introduce her friend “Ah! Yes… Nahanohara-san, he is A-Aether, my childhood friend. Aether” The girl said as she turned to look at the boy “This is Yoimiya Naganohara, she was a classmate in middle school” The blonde girl smiled at the boy and moved to his side, wrapping her arm around his neck.
“Nice to meet ya Aether! Any friend of Ayaka's is a friend of mine! I hope we get along!” The two looked at each other for a few seconds with a smile, the boy didn't usually associate with extroverted people, but there was something in Yoimiya that caught his attention, he couldn't put it into words, but there was something different with her, also, if someone had managed being Ayaka's friend, surely she would be a good person.
“Nice to meet you to Yoimiya, I'm sure we'll get along” A big smile appeared on the girl's face who wrapped her arm even more around the boy's neck, practically jumping on him while Ayaka looked at the scene a with a little frown on her face.
“Great!” The boy felt the girl slowly touch his arm with her free hand, her gaze drifting there before returning to his face “Wow, you are stronger than you seem! We could use your help in the workshop! Pops can't move the heavy boxes like he used to, I'm sure you would be a great help to us if you ever have the time!”
“Sure! I don't know when I'll have time, but as soon as I have it I'll give you a hand” With each passing second it seemed that the girl's smile did not stop increasing, while she thanked him, a scene that seemed very familiar to Aether occurred, a cough interrupted the conversation between Yoimiya and him, the two looked towards the origin. From this cough, Ayaka was staring at the both of them with a smile that seemed more empty than happy.
“Aether, Naganohara-San, don’t you think we're going to be late? Let's enter the school and then continue your conversation” Instinctively, the two blondes separated from each other, looking at each other and then at Ayaka, they both just nodded and followed the girl.
While the three were about to enter towards the school grounds, The girl with short purple hair stood in front of the group blocking their way, Ayaka braked in place almost colliding with the chest of Aether who was walking behind her while Yoimiya moved from Aether's side to behind him as if she was trying to hide from that girl.
The purple haired looked at the girl in front from head to toe before writing something in a little notepad “Kamisato-san, it looks like your uniform is in order, you may pass”
Ayaka sighed in relief as she made her way towards the school grounds, waiting for her friends at the other side of the entrance.
“Naganohara-san, I had been warned about you, the rules of the institution say that you cannot wear your blazer that way, I recommend that you put it on or I won't be able to let you pass, if you try to object I will have to write you down on the red list and give it to the principal” Yoimiya she came out of hiding very slowly, scratching the back of her neck nervously as she untied the blazer from her waist and she pulled it on correctly.
“Ha ha ha… Kujou-san, good morning, I don't think it's necessary, okay? I already put it on!” And with her head down, the girl hurried towards the school, joining her friend a few meters inside the school grounds as the two waited for Aether.
Meanwhile, this Kujou girl looked at Aether, from head to toe, analyzing every corner of the boy's body until reaching his face, the two stared at each other for a few seconds until the girl looked down at her notebook, writing something that Aether could only imagine “What is your full name?” asked the girl.
“Aether Teyvat” the boy answered with all seriousness, the girl continued writing something down in her notebook, once she finished, she looked the boy in the eyes.
“You can come in, your uniform is in order” And with that Aether entered the school grounds, joining his friends that sighed in relief as the saw him approach them.
But while they were walking, the boy felt a strange sensation, as if the girl who was at the entrance was still staring at him, but when he turned around the girl was looking towards the street… it surely was his imagination playing games with him once again, it had the habit to do that lately.
The group continued walking towards the main building, several groups of students chatting as they headed inside, Ayaka and Yoimiya explained to Aether who the girl at the entrance was, she was Kujou Sara, a second-year girl who made sure that the rules were followed to the letter, all ordered by the student council.
“So the daughters of the school principal are the co-presidents of the student council, and they are the ones who ordered that all students use the same uniform?” Ayaka nodded.
“Yes, the Raiden sisters were in a class above us in middle school, I was only able to talk to one of them, the eldest, her name is Makoto, in fact she is a very nice person, but her sister... I have been told that it is very difficult to talk to her, she is someone very strict with everyone and with she herself”
“Yes, when I was about to join the kendo club I was able to see her train... it was scary, that's why I ended up joining the archery club, speaking of clubs!” Yoimiya looked at Aether “Do you plan to join a club? I'm going to join the archery club again! Would you like us to do it together? tried to convince Ayaka in the past but she doesn't seem very enthusiastic about the idea” the girl in question poked her head form behind Aether.
“Naganohara-san, don’t you think Aether should choose a club of her own free will? There are a lot of them at school, besides, I'm sure he/she would have a great time in Japanese culture with me”
“Hey! What happened to letting him choose a club on his own huh?” A tender pout appeared on the blonde's face.
“My My, already trying to get people to join your clubs aren’t you? Then let me present my to this new face” The faces of the two girls froze, slowly both of them turned their heads to look at the source of the voice, Aether did the same.
In front of him was a girl with the same school uniform as Ayaka and Yoimiya, but the girl's physique made her seem more... older and developed than his two friends, she had long pink hair with two small earrings on each of her ears.
The girl approached the boy slowly, moving her hips from one side to the other in a very seductive way with each step she took, she stood right in front of the boy's face, crouching down a bit to be at the same height as him.
"So... what do we have here?"