俺たちの絆~スクール革命~
Oretachi no Kizuna~School Kakumei~
A Hey! Say! JUMP fanfic
Introduction : A Miscalculation
Thud.
As Keito Okamoto’s body hit the unforgiving earth, the sole thought that crossed his mind was how the only sounds louder than his own scream of anguish were the thundering footfalls of his pursuers. Fearing what might become of him if he dared to remain in the same place much longer, Keito staggered to his feet and threw himself behind a nearby dumpster. He held his breath in apprehension as his pursuers ran past.
Why? he thought, ruffling his short, spiky hair unconsciously with a trembling hand. Why is this happening?
Chapter 1 : The New Kid
Yuto Nakajima opened the door to Class 2 and was instantly welcomed by the raucous greetings of his classmates. Smiling widely, he enthusiastically returned their greetings with louder ones of his own. Yuto had always been popular among his classmates and was well-known as a good person with a strong sense for his friends. Good looking and possessing large eyes that held people’s trust, it was no wonder that his classmates came to him whenever things went wrong.
After making his way slowly over to his desk in the first row nearest to the window, he sat down and grimaced as the morning sunlight poured in, blinding him. Just as he was about to block the sunlight with his hand, Yuto felt a sudden weight on his shoulders.
“Hey, Yuto! How’s our fearless leader doing today?”
Without looking up, Yuto knew that it was his friend, Daiki Arioka, who had put his arm across his shoulder. Yuto grinned and said, “I’m doing great.” He looked around the classroom and raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Is there something new happening today that I don’t know about? Everyone seems more excited than usual.”
Daiki leaned in conspiratorially. “From what I heard, there’s supposed to be a new kid coming today. Apparently, he’s transferred from some fancy school in England.” Daiki looked toward the rest of the class, his brows furrowed in unease. “Everyone is so eager to meet this kid, but I have a bad feeling about this. New kids that come in the middle of the semester don’t know how it works around here.”
Upon hearing Daiki’s words, Yuto turned and looked sharply at him. “Daiki. We haven’t even met the kid yet, and you’re making it sound like he’s a dead man. Besides–“
Before he could say anything further, their teacher, Mr. Yamamoto, walked into the classroom, disturbing all ongoing conversations. Without anyone noticing, Daiki slid hurriedly into his seat across the room.
“Good morning, class!” announced Mr. Yamamoto.
“Good morning, teacher!” echoed the students, some enthusiastically, others not so much.
Mr. Yamamoto nodded, acknowledging the students’ greeting. “Thank you, class! Today, I have some exciting news to tell you! We have a new student in Class 2. He has just transferred from England, so let’s all help him get accustomed to Japan, okay?” The teacher turned toward the door and made a fervent motion with his hand.
There was a brief moment of stillness. Then, the door creaked slowly open, and a boy with short, spiky hair and western-style clothes shuffled reluctantly in.
“Class, this is Keito Okamoto. Let’s welcome him!”
Keito Okamoto bowed deeply. When he straightened again, he stated plainly, “I’m Keito Okamoto. Please think well of me.”
Yuto glanced around at the class, judging everyone’s reactions. His gaze rested on Daiki, who was studying the new boy through narrowed eyes. He’s probably trying to figure out how long this kid will last, Yuto mused to himself.
“What do you think, Yuto? Is this kid worth protecting?”
At this new whisper, Yuto turned and saw Kei Inoo still staring coolly at the new arrival. He hadn’t even turned to talk to him.
Yuto sighed and turned back. “Even someone with your smarts is wondering the same thing as the rest of us.” Carefully, Yuto intertwined his fingers and rested his chin on his hands.
“It’s not like I care about him in particular,” Kei disinterestedly replied. “We just haven’t had a new student in the class in such a long time.”
Yuto didn’t answer for a moment, mulling over the idea over in his head. Finally, he said softly to himself, “We shall see.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Yamamoto had directed Keito toward a seat in the back of the classroom, saying, “I’m sorry, but we don’t have that many seats left. New students are such a rare occurrence these days. I hope you will find this one to your liking.”
Keito mumbled something in return, and sat down, looking incredibly ill at ease. He held both hands in front of him on the desk, but they were tightly clenched together, as if Keito was trying to hide the fact that his hands were not being as still as they ought to be.
Kei laughed quietly. “At least he does what he’s told.”
Yuto longed to wipe the smirk off of Kei’s face, but he couldn’t help but silently agree with him.
(End of Chapter 1)