Chapter Text
"Nothing Can Last Forever. But That, Too, Include The Darkness."
It started when a fresh morning breeze greeted Osamu Mikumo as the school year began.
He and his family have been in the United States for four years now. The boy could still somewhat recall the first day he went to class and met tons of unfamiliar faces after going through the entire different neighborhood.
It was pretty awkward to say the least. At that point, he was still struggling to speak the new language and adapt to the environment. Osamu couldn’t even bring himself to fully look at anyone in that classroom, but now, that same boy had for himself a new pair of glasses and officially became a fourth grader.
Well, minus the glasses. His mom wasn’t particularly fond of the fact that their neighbor’s kid, a ninth grader, got Osamu hooked on a genre of game called “Visual Novel” and caused him to spend hours every day reading it. The result was obvious. The teenager was asked not to associate with him anymore. Even the guy’s parents agreed.
Anyhow, Four-eyed (a nickname some people at school began calling him) was fine now. He had gotten familiar with the neighborhood, the people, his peers, and whatever was the largest city in the world that his average-sized town seemed to be a part of.
However, there was one thing that he lacked. Friends . That’s right. For three years straight, his peers remained as peers and classmates. There was no one for him to call “friend” yet. And though Osamu didn’t think it was anything wrong, his parents were worried. All Four-eyed did was: wake up, go to school, study, head home, and spend the rest of the day inside.
There was simply nothing interesting that ever happened. Even on Holidays, while every other kid was either having their friends knocking on the front door or going and knocking on their friends’ front door, Osamu Mikumo was just sitting all day inside or ride his bike all by himself.
But sure enough. Things were changing rapidly. After all, before the storm, there’s peace.
Today was a special day. A year-round class assignment for fourth graders and above was going to be announced. There were rumors of what it would be and who would oversee it. Some kids thought it’d be related to their favourite activities of LARP-ing, while some believed it to be an increase in test frequency. But the moment they saw what was hung on top of the school gate, all gossips were shot down.
Silver Star Elementary was quite a prestigious all-boys school for a public one. It had a long history that went back to when the land they were standing on right now was recovered after twenty years since a giant meteorite hit the US. If Osamu was right, then this city was supposed to be called New York , but ever since the disaster on 22 December of 1767, the people decided to call it something else.
New Million.
Back to what Osamu and everyone else saw. The antique brick gate with a wide black iron gate was decorated with an absurd amount of flowers and plants, while a large banner with lime green and yellow colors that read: “Early Springtime” hung on top.
People immediately understood what the educational board was up to with this, as he heard right away, a guy whose name was Yoshito Hanzaki, was groaning to his friends. He complained about how he knew that they’d ask the students to take care of or grow a plant in groups.
It didn’t sound so bad. Osamu thought. Unless the entire group somehow ended up to be a horrible bunch, for which the boy couldn’t think of who to be the candidate, then it’d turn out just fine. The teachers and whoever was selected to oversee the assignment would probably instruct and provide them with materials good enough to bring most of the students to pass.
By the time he entered the school, Osamu could see that his drama teacher, Ms. Schubert, was already instructing the kids from grade four and above to go and head toward the cafeteria. She had her usual elegant white dress, silky smooth emerald green hair that she claimed to be natural, and her pair of fierce purple eyes.
“Quickly, kids, you should be honored that I came down here directly to lead your way.” She said in a full-of-authority tone while smiling proudly. A part of Osamu believed that it’s her nature as a drama teacher, but another part of the boy felt as if it was her personality that way. “C’mon. Hasten your steps, children. Especially you, Osamu Mikumo.”
“Y-yes!” Osamu replied before rushing past the teacher. He couldn’t help but feel afraid of her sometimes. If there were people who could somehow dare to respond to her in a disobedient manner, then Osamu would be glad to know.
If they exist in the first place. He thought.
He entered the cafeteria and quickly went to a table in the center. Osamu then sat there while watching as everyone else instead of picking his empty and full-of-space table, they chose to squeeze in with their buddies and acquaintances instead.
It felt a little sad for him. Maybe there were indeed drawbacks to not having close friends. Osamu sighed while watching a kid named Leo Valdez lunging himself at his friend in the same table.
“...”
Also, a little ironic. For no reason at all, if someone asked, Osamu could definitely name a quarter of these people in the cafeteria right now. But they didn’t know him. None of these people knew who Osamu Mikumo was. Except for his classmates, of course.
After sighing and patting his chest, calming the anxious feeling that he usually had down, Osamu directed himself toward the teachers. They were excited, much like some students. Everyone was having a good mood, which cheered him up a little.
But there was a man who caught his attention the most. An unsettling feeling rushed through Osamu as he looked over to a chubby, middle-aged, and almost-bald guy who had a hilarious double chin. He wore a three-piece suit, but it didn’t exactly fit him. The Four-eyed couldn’t explain it, though. All he could think was that the vibe was off.
Then, a blond man with glasses stepped forward as his Latin teacher, Mr. Brunner asked everyone to settle down.
“Good morning, everyone. My name is Oliver Sprout. It’s my pleasure to meet you today.” Oliver said in a warm, friendly tone that Osamu felt weirdly comfortable when listening to.
Everyone then clapped their hands, whether ecstatically or for the sake of politeness.
“A brief introduction if you don’t know who I am…” Oliver continued with a cheery smile. “My family and I have been running a small flower shop in New Million for a decade now…”
“Oh, please, Mr. Sprout!~” Ms. Schubert spoke up. “You don’t have to act humble. Everyone in this city must’ve at least heard once about the World Tree that you own. Brilliant effort needs recognition.”
“Ahem…yes… Ms. Schubert…” Mr. Brunner said. “But I believe that Mr. Sprout here is the one to has something to…share…!”
“Right…right… Please, excuse me.” She chuckled and sat back on her chair.
“What a lovely school. I guess it’s the right choice for my son to attend here after all.” Mr. Sprout smiled. At the same time, a blond kid sitting a few tables away from Osamu laughed a little. “Anyway. As a part of your educational program, the board had invited me to collaborate and bring you a new experience in learning.”