"...𝐧...𝐘/𝐧...𝐘/𝐧, 𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐮𝐩!"

"Y/n? What a pretty name..."

You shot up from your bed at the sound of the strange voice, head whirling from side to side across your empty room, searching for where it came from. Must've been a dream. You blinked the sleep from your eyes. You hadn't even realized you'd fallen asleep until you noticed the rising sun casting a low light in your room. There was a light shining from your floor and you peered over your bedside to see it was the light of your phone. You picked it up, turned it off, set it down on the nightstand, and prepared to go back to sleep. As you lay down, you allowed the sound of cars driving along the road outside your window and the distant chatter of people as they passed your house to lull you to sleep.

Wait, was that always there?

"Y/n!" You jumped, quickly turning to see your grandad standing in the doorway you could've sworn you closed. "Get up, or you'll be late for school!" Your brow furrowed, still half asleep as you tried to remember the conversation you had with him yesterday.
"But I haven't decided-"
"Here's your uniform." The old man walked further in and placed an outfit wrapped in plastic on the foot of the bed. You looked down at the label.

Y/n L/n

Namikaze High

You couldn't even remember if you'd seen that school on the list.

"Breakfast is ready when you get downstairs." He left.

You sighed, pulling the outfit out and frowning at the sight of it. It was a white uniform shirt with a black tie and vest. It came with a plaid black and white skirt that was shorter than you'd have preferred for school and hideous brown dress shoes. You stood up, feeling too confused and honestly too tired to question it as you took the uniform and went to the bathroom. While you previously didn't go to a school that required uniforms, you had friends that did which helped you learn how to style them. You dug around through the second bag you brought to carry smaller items. You took out some hair ties and some braiding jewelry, thankful that you decided to get your hair done just before you came here, you put your hair in a high ponytail, rummaging through the gold ones to pick some silver charms that would pair well with your outfit. You dug through your bag before finding two matching gold and silver necklaces, and then you stacked as many silver bracelets as you could on one wrist.

You didn't know if they provided backpacks or not, but the only bag you brought that would match your outfit was a pursuit with a matching wallet. Guess that'll have to do. You stepped back and frowned. The uniform wasn't bad now that you had added some accessories. But even still, you were less than fond of having to look the same every day and made a mental note to go out for some vests and stuff that would match.

You headed downstairs where your grandfather stood in front of the stove, a plate of homemade french toast on the counter beside him as he hummed along to the soft music he had playing. You glanced out the window at the building across the road. view, you could see the sign that read, Namikaze Private Highschool.

"Well, look at you, getting all dressed up," your grandfather said as he set a plate down on the table, and you were quick to sit down and dig in, frowning at his compliment.
"I look plain," you said with a mouthful of food. "Just like every other girl walking right outside our door." Your grandfather glanced out the window before looking down at you.
"Nah, you know how to add a little touch to what you wear," he said "Your mother did the same thing. A necklace or ring or bracelet can make all the difference." You knew there was truth to that. From the looks of it, the girls outside had put on their uniforms and a little makeup and gone. right out the door. But even so, you doubt you'd stick out much because of a little piece of jewelry.

You perked up at the mention of your mother.

"Has she called?" You asked quickly, only to be met with a sigh that was enough to answer that question.
"She's been sleeping since you left," he said. "Your dad told me the doctor said she was in for a long road to recovery. Radiation therapy and all that stuff." You lowered your head, staring down at your reflection in the syrup, the memory of your mom in the hospital bed made your stomach churn, and your appetite vanish. You grabbed your bag and laced your shoes.
"I'll be back soon," you said glumly.
"Try to make some friends, alright?" He called behind you as you shut the door.

By now, the bell was ringing loudly, signaling that school was about to start.

Shame. If I had been earlier, I would've tried to find my classes beforehand. Now I'm gonna have to ask around.

The path to the campus was lined on the left and right with rose bushes, and past them was a beautiful garden. Pretty fancy for a high school. You briefly wondered how much it had cost for you to attend this school and how much debt your dad had to be in for him to pay for this as well as your mom's procedures, but knowing your grandfather, he's probably taking care of that on his own.

You frowned as you saw the numerous students walking together, some friend groups and some couples, and a few walking alone. The downside of joining a new school in the middle of the year was friend groups had already formed, and if anyone there was like you, they weren't looking for new friends. You walked inside the building where students sat at the large fountain in the middle of the school. There were people walking in every direction, up and down the stairs, in and out of rooms, but you kept moving so you wouldn't block the others walking inside.

You briefly thought of asking someone where to find the main office or the guidance counselor's office, but pride and stubbornness helped you convince yourself to be independent and find it yourself.

It couldn't be that far from the entrance. You noticed a separate area with windows all around it where you could see a man sitting at a desk.

I'm so smart, You thought to yourself as you maneuvered through the crowd and walked into the room.

"Excuse me," you said, and the man looked up at you curiously. "I'm here to pick up my schedule." His brow furrowed in confusion, making you shift awkwardly. "I'm a new student." You tried to clarify, but it only seemed to make him more confused. Suddenly, he grinned, letting out an understanding ' oh ' as he laughed.
"I think you have the wrong place."This time it was your turn to stare at him in confusion. "I'm the athletic director." You mentally facepalmed, but before you could apologize, you heard a knock at the door.

"Hey, Mr. Takashi, I'm here to drop off my physical." You turned to see a boy walk by you and set a paper on the desk.
"Thanks, Isagi," he said. "Do me a favor and show this young lady to the front office."

Isagi?

You turned to face the male to see him mirroring your surprised expression as your eyes met.

"Y/n?"

Isagi looked you up and down in disbelief.
"Wh-what are you doing here?"
"It's my first day. My mom and Dad sent me to live with my grandfather," you explained, taking in his appearance. To think that you were once taller than him.

Of course, he had grown significantly since when you were ten, but you never thought that he'd grow to be pretty tall. But other than his height and voice, he hadn't really changed. His hair was the same, and he still looked away quickly when the two of you held eye contact for too long. The thought brought a small smile to your face.

"Oh, the two of you already know each other?" Mr. Takashi asked, and Isagi nodded.
"Yes, sir, we were childhood friends when we were younger," he explained.
"That's great, then. If you two show up at the office together, they'll probably ask you to show her around. Having someone you know in this school makes things a lot easier," Mr. Takashi smiled at you. While it was supposed to be welcoming, you found it somewhat off-putting and smiled wearily.

"Welcome to our school."

"I'm so stupid," you groaned as the two of you left the main office which turned out to be located right across from the athletic director's office. You gripped your schedule tightly.
"It's okay," Isagi assured with a laugh. "More people get them confused than you think." You found that hard to believe as you looked down at the paper.
"Oh, you're in AP courses," Isagi noted as he read the paper from over your shoulder.
"My parents insisted I take 'em. They want me to get as much of a head start as I can-" You stopped when you noticed a certain class in your schedule.

"Guidance ?" You read aloud. "What is that?"
"Oh, you probably weren't able to choose an extracurricular activity. So you'll be meeting with the guidance counselor for her to help you decide." A twinge of annoyance made your eye twitch at the thought of talking to someone who thinks their life goal is to lead people in the right direction even if they're not lost. "You should be the manager of the soccer team," Isagi suggested, and your face scrunched up as you turned to look at him like he was a madman.

"First of all, the only soccer experience is when you tried to show me when we were kids, and all I remember is falling on my face every time." Isagi laughed at the memory of smaller you trying to dribble the ball only to lose your balance and fall. You'd usually end up cheering him on while he played with the other kids in the neighborhood, and whenever you were there, he never lost. "As a manager, you won't be playing," he said. "You'll just be taking stats and a few other things." You hummed skeptically at his lack of knowledge of the job. "Look, I don't know it exactly, but with your organizational skills, you'll be perfect. for it." He stopped in front of a classroom that, according to your schedule, was your AP math class. "Just think about it, alright?" You nodded dismissively as he knocked on the door. A tall woman opened it. She frowned at the sight of the two of you for a moment, but then Isagi motioned toward you.

"Um, this is a new student," he said. "Y/n L/n." You smiled awkwardly, and the woman's hardened gaze relaxed.
"Oh, my apologies. I thought you were tardy to my class. Thank you for bringing her, Isagi," she said. "Please wait here. I'll make an announcement to the class." She closed the door again, and you could hear her calling everyone's attention.
"I have my own class to get to," Isagi said, and you sighed. Just your luck that you wouldn't have any classes with him. "But I'll meet you here once the bell rings to take you to your next period."

You took a deep breath to calm your nerves as you saw the teacher approaching the door.

Let's get this over with.