01. The first day
The bell rang loudly as the brown leaves fell slowly off the trees on the Yosen High campus. It was Autumn, the students walked around in warm clothes while everybody found their way into the school. Included Io. It was her first day at the Yosen high and nervously she stepped from one feet onto the other. With her face cuddled up into the scarf she watched the other students that walked with friends and in groups into the building. Two girls were chattering excited about some events and a huge group of boys passed her. Kind of lost, Io took out a piece of paper where the floor and class was written on. "Urururu what should I do?" The second bell ring pulled her out of her thoughts. "Oh no! I will be late!" hastily she ran into the building where a row of safes were standing. It took her a while before she could find her own one, pulling out her shoes and putting on those for indoors. The school building seemed huge, for Io almost like a palace! Her heart was pounding against her chest as she went through the empty hallways. Everybody was already in their lessons, she was the only one who was sneaking around the different classes. "I wonder where the number is", she muttered when a door opened right in front of her. A young men with short black hair was saying good bye to an teacher before he closed the door. "hm?" the young men looked down after a second, seeing the lost Io and smiled at her. "Hi there." He was just about to turn around before Io tugged on his shirt. "uhm, e-excuse me!" The Men turned around to her again. "What is it?" Embarrassed she avoid his eyes. "I-I'm new here and I don't know where my class is. Could you maybe help me?" she asked, blushing slightly before showing him her paper. He took it and looked over it. " Close enough, just follow me I will show it to you." With that she followed the student, looking around the huge hallways. "So you are new here? My name is Himuro and yours?" Io jumped a little step to walk beside him, looking up into his eyes. "My name is Io Seiya. It's my pleasure to meet you, Himuro-sempai." She bowed shortly. "Oh my, so polite. It's nice to meet you too Io-san. Here is your class." Without a word she stood in front of the door, hesitating to open it. "What are you waiting for, don't be so shy!", Himuro said before opening the door with a swift movement, making io almost fall into the class before walking in after her. Immediately it got silent in the class and the teacher stopped in the middle of the sentence. "Himuro-kun, I was already wondering where you would be", he muttered while shoving his glasses up his nose. Himuro bowed to the teacher. "My Apology, I was called in early to the director. On my way I found our newbie." Completely perplex Io was standing between them, looking back at him and back to the teacher. "Oooh, so you are Io Seiya. I already got worried that you might got lost." Himuro sat down onto his seat as the teacher went to the front. "Class, please welcome the new student, Io Seiya. From now on she will be part of our group and I hope you treat her well! She probably can not orientate herself here in the school, so I would like to ask if someone of you could take care of her and show her around." After a while Himuro lifted his hand. "Thank you Himuro-kun. Do you have anything to add Io-chan?", the teacher asked her kindly and Io bowed to the class. "P-please take care of me!."
Io got a seat beside a purple haired classmate that had his head lying on the desk, rested on his arms. He shortly glimpsed at her with an eye before closing it again. During the whole lessons Io wrote every word the teachers said down into her book with bunnies on it. She concentrated so much, that she didn't even realized that the unknown student next to her was staring at her all the time. Only after some time she slowed down and tilted her head to the side where the tired eyes were eyeing her up. She jumped a little after realizing it, looking around before smiling at him. "sweets", he muttered silently so only Io could hear it. That was the only thing he said to her during the lessons, leaving her completely confused.
After the bell rung for the break, Himuro went over to the purple haired student beside her and gave him a little hit with his book on his head. Grimly the guy looked up. "Don't sleep all the time Mukkun", he said playfully and smiled at him. Yawning, the boy called Murasakibara Atsushi, stood up, showing his full-size. Io watched him as he grew taller and taller until she saw herself sitting in front of a tower. An expression of pure shock took over her face. "Why are you looking like that, Io-chan?" stuttering she pointed at Atsushi who looked down at her lazily. "You are a midget", he said and scratched the back of his head. "Mukkun! don't be so rude to the new one!", Himuro warned him. "I apologize Io-chan, he can be quiet rude at some points.. So shall we show you around?" Slowly Io nodded as she stood up and followed the giant and the smile face.
The cafeteria was completely full but other than her old school no one seemed to fight about the food. At her school the break always turned into an battlefield where everybody fought about the best food, eventually leaving a giant chaos. Here though, everybody was standing calmly in line, chattering or sitting with the friends at the table. "So different", Io whispered in awe and almost got lost again. Hastily she went after the two guys which couldn't been overseen. "What would like to eat Io-chan? we have-" Io lifted a bento box and looked up at him with an apologizing smile. "I-Im sorry, Himuro-sempai, but I brougnt myself to eat." The both guys looked at her in silence. After the silence slowly turned awkward, Io got nervous and panicked a bit. "W-What is it? Did I do something wrong? Is that weird?" "Ah sorry Io-chan. Its just that most people just buy stuff. Come, we will sit down at that table." The little group sat down at the empty table after Murasakibara and Himuro bought themselves something to eat. Slowly Io opened her bento box, put a cloth on her lap an took out a couple of food sticks. "so perfect!", realized Himuro who looked with Atsushi at the bento who almost drooled a bit. "Eheh you think so? I always ma-" before she could finish her sentence Atsushi just took a bit of her bento with his fork before putting it into his mouth. "A-anno, Murasakibara-san? " angrily Himuro hit on the table. "What are you doing?! how can you just steal her food...without giving some to me?" An expression of seemingly pure bliss appeared on Atsushi face as he swallowed the yummy rice before his expression turned into the lazy one again. "You can cook so good, I want to crush you." Io jumped a little but at the same moment Himuro took a bit of her food as well. "Sugoi Io-chan. and you make that all by yourself?" Io, who still was perplex , nodded before coming to her senses again. "M-My mother is working early in the morning so I make food for me and my brother. Uhm, since you like that, w-would you want to try out those?" With a kind smile she took out a little bag with hard candies. Atsushis eyes began to sparkle as he took one and popped it into his mouth. Nervously Io waited for a response. "Where did you learned that?", Himuro asked her and drew her attention to himself. "I taught it myself! I want to open a pastry and sweet store in the future! that's why I always try out new things!" her expression drifted into an excited one as she talked about food and she got even more happy as Atsushi nodded in approvement and took the whole bag for himself. "Then you have the right person right here", he pointed at Atsushi. "He just loves snacks and sweets." Io looked back at the purple haired guy and clapped her hands lightly together. "So? that great! Murasakibara-san? would it be okay for you if I would make you sweets for every break? for a sweet tooth like you I would love to do some and get to know what is good and what could be better!" The young men nodded after popping in some more of the candies.
So the school day went by and it didn't took long till the end bell rung. The students went out of their classrooms and put on their warm clothes again like Io. Tightly she wrapped her scarf around her neck and put on her outside shoes. But a shadow crept from behind to her and as she turned around she faced two girls who wore a thick mask of brown make-up. "Oooooi, you are the newbie huuuh?" one said and tipped on Ios chest. With a kind smile Io took a a step back. "Y-Yes! I'm from the cl-" the girls snorted. "We know from where you are! you were with Himuro-kun all the time weren't you? We saw you! Listen, he belongs to us so stay away from his magnificent face!" Perplex Io stared at the two girls.. "magnificent.....face?" "Are you deaf or "What?!" The girl hit against the safes again and looked at her challeging. "B-but Himuro-sempai only-" "Don't call him like that!" just as she wanted to grab Ios clothes, a hand packed hers. In fright the brown girl looked up. "Like what?", the lazy voice of Atsushi filled the surrounding as he let go of her, his shadow covering the girls. "tch, nothing!" The other makeup girl was immediately taken by Atsushi and turned all happy as if nothing happened. "You are annoying. Get lost before I crush you", the tall man muttered and the two girls ran off. "What strange girl", Io said to herself and put her shoes into her safe. "Sweets." Again that word came from Atsushis lips and again io was wondering what he meant. "You want more? I will bring some tomorrow for you, that's a promise, Murasakibara-san!", she smiled at him happily, taking out her umbrella as it started to rain outside. He himself took one out as well as he walked past her to the exit. But then he turned around one last time. "You have the scent of sweets." With those word he left Io behind who was staring at him until she couldn't see him anymore.
He said she has the scent of sweets. As she thought about this sentence over and over again, a little blush was appearing on her cheeks.
On the way home her thoughts were circling all the time around those words. As she opened the door of her house, it was dark but some shoes were standing in the front. Her brother seemed to be home. With a little movement she got rid of the last drops of rain on her umbrella, pulling off her shoes and sneaking through the hallway. Loud music was coming from her brothers room and she looked through the small gap. Io saw him lying on the bed with a comic in his hands and wearing headphones. She smiles to herself and walked upstairs to her own room. As she turned on the small lamp the warm and cute atmosphere welcomed her. The book shelf held up all the books she read and the bed was filled with stuff animals and fluffy blankets. Io let herself fall onto her bed and cuddled her big strawberry whale. Her eyes closed slowly and soon she was drifting into a light but comfortable sleep.
