Classmate

The Classmate


The air was hot and muggy, hanging around me like a twenty tonne weight that sat on every inch of my body, as I strode through the high iron gates of Nataco High Academy from the cab that had carried me here.

I was not use to the heavy humid heat of the pacific, being from Canada. Japan was foreign to me, even though My mother, who was Japanese born and had taught me to read and speak the language all through out my life, it was a culture shock. My father was a German, by descent, so I had quite a mix in me. At five foot nine and a half, I was not too small for my age of 15, even though I looked most adults here in the eyes. Another point that made me stand out, beside my lighter olive skin that accented my still prominent oriental features and black hair.

When I was chosen to go to Japan to go through up to four years of school at this upper classed School, I was nervous as all hell, even though my parents were pleased as anything with the news. This was suppose to be such a good experience to live and be educated into and including my final year of high school. In theory, it is, but being away from my home in Toronto would not be easy.

I just thought this might be one of those life experience everyone was suppose to have in their lives, but even though I had been in Tokyo for only a scant hour or so, I still felt homesick already. I just sighed and just figured I would have to see what this will all bring me.

I picked up my class schedule at the main office, and was given the four school uniforms that were mandatory for me to wear, then headed back out in to the heat, for the few blocks walk to the rooming house that was going to be my home for the next few years.

I read the list of classes as I made my way down the street. I snuffed loudly to myself as I found that I would be a very busy boy, even for a newcomer like me to NHA.. I folded it up and put it in my pants pocket, and just took in my surroundings as I made the short walk to my new home.

The old styled imperial structure of the boarding house was gorgeous. It was gold and red painted with the curved roof and old style stone look. I was told that it has been used for everything from a community government hall and it also had been a hotel in the mid seventies. It had the look of a temple in some respects, yet it still held it’s past elegance like some emperor’s palace or a refurbished temple.

The rooming house was filled with boys and girls on alternating floors that were going to the school from out of the Tokyo area. This was way different than Canada. The children were basically living on their own, the only chaperons were the Middle aged couple that own the Boarding house, Mr and Mrs Tanaka and two unmarried sisters of the man and a cat that seemed to be very anti-social as it hissed at me when it saw me.

The couple were nice, but seemed like they would be strict with us. They had given me a list of do’s and don’ts when I arrived very early this morning, and explained each and every one to me in detail. I would adhere to the rules, even though some of them seemed way over the top. Culture differences, I put it down to and would have to learn to adapt to anyway. At least they were the cooks here, but we still might be recruited for helping out in the kitchen.

Not a bad trade off in my book, especially when you can’t cook too good like me, and the free cooking lessons I was sure to get would become very valuable in my adult years. On the schedule it was mandatory for me to learn.

My third floor room was a fairly large one. It had a bed, side table, a dresser and a desk with one hardbacked chair. Only a footlocker and a small tv on a little shelf over the desk were the other things that were in the room. It did come with a computer already installed, I was thankful for that.

It was a typical room for this type of private schools in Japan, I had been told, but I was glad that it was decorated in a ordinary western way. I never could sleep on the traditional mats, even though my mother made me when visitors came to stay the night, so as to steal my room away.

The window of the room over looked the street. I could see the tall modern buildings of the downtown core in the not to far off distance, along with the older buildings that housed assorted shops and restaurants that lined my bustling street. It seemed like people were every where, although it would be logical in a city of millions.

I turned and then looked around at the mess that was piled high all around my room. My suitcases were not even unpacked, and my other boxed belongings were stacked under the window and on the desk in a half assed attempt at order.

Delivery people were not in understanding of being neat, even in Japan I realized. I really hated it when I had to send my stuff ahead of me, relying on others to deliver them
“ Guess I’m going to have to do something about this... fuckin’ mess. ” I muttered to myself, as I put my school papers down on the desk and hung my plastic covered school cloths in the closet.

I busied myself to the chore of unpacking, even though the jet lag was starting to hit me all at once. I just gave a shake of my head, and started moving around the boxes and bags that held my life. I wished that I had a good strong cup of coffee at this time, it would wake me the hell up so I could finish my organizing faster than I was doing it.

The door burst open all of a sudden, giving me a start. A very petite girl, probably only fifteen like me, raced in giggling..
“ Akiro!!!!” She called out loudly as she, until she came face to face with me. Her hair waving passed her face when she stopped dead in her tracks. Guess she was not finding this Akiro person in me.”

She stared at me for a few moments, as if to register in her mind who I was.
“ Your not Akiro...” She stammered, her face blank for several seconds.
“ I’m not Akiro!” I smiled broadly, trying to make sure it was a friendly one.

She seemed to be a bit scared of this foreigner that was me, yet there was another look in her eyes as she looked at me. She seemed not to be able to say another word, as her mind possessed the situation. I waited for long moments, hoping that she would say something.
“ I’m Hal Turberg.” I said, introducing myself, as it seemed that she could not say anything at the moment..
“ Arisa Tonnoi.” She said, realizing I spoke her language. She blushed, as she looked in to my eyes. “ You must be the foreign student.” She giggled nervously, as she grappled for her next words. “ I thought my ...friend... Akiro would be in this room. He usually gets this room,”
“ No, The head of this house assigned this one to me.” I said, noticing the girl’s captivating beauty.

She was not even close to five foot tall, with a small lithe body that was very well portioned as I could see through the school uniform she wore. I just smiled, trying to stop from staring at her body, and her beautiful cherub type face that glowed with exuberance. She seemed to be oblivious that I was checking her out... which was good. I could get slapped for what I was eyeing back in Canada..

She smiled, looking at me with bright brown eyes. I could see sweat beginning to beading on her forehead, and she seemed to starting to blush too. She suddenly burst into giggling without any humorous provocation, and then raced out of the room without a explanation.
“ I will see you at school then...” She said just as her beautiful legs turned herself. She called over her shoulder as she disappeared out the door as suddenly as she had entered a few minuets ago.

I just closed the door behind the strange girl and went back to my unpacking. I had only today to do all of this, for my school started at eight tomorrow morning... And that would come all too soon for me. This life experience would be one hell if a trial.

As I worked, the wonderfully beautiful image of Arisa came to me. I shrugged it off and continued to unpack so I could go for a walk to just relax before going to bed. This was just one long( actually two) days. Travel had taken up one hell of a chunk of that.

After unpacking, I went outside into the small courtyard in front of Mr. Tanaka’s boarding house. Everyone was staring, whispers abounded as I exited the boarding house. I could see Arisa with two girls and a boy near the sidewalk. The seemed to be just hanging there, the lad smoking a cigarette.

They were looking over at me too, yet it seems that Arisa was the one talking and the others listened. I just sat down on the steps and tried to ignore the stir that I was causing my new classmates. I hated being the center of their attention, but I just assured myself that was bound to happen to a new kid... even if they were from Japan too.

One of the girls that were with Arisa broke from the group and made her way over to me. She stood in front of me and smiled.
“ Hi.” She said, boldly, with a assuredness that was different for the Japanese, hand on one hip. “ I am Remi Yosachi.”
“ Hal!” I replied.
“ Arisa said your that Foreign student from Canada.”
“ Yes... I am”

She paused, looking at me up and down, a mischievous smile on her face. I looked at her, puzzled at the scrutiny the girl was staring at me.
“ Arisa was right...” She finally said, with a titter of a giggle in her voice. “ You are cute.”
“ Uh...” I stammered, unknowing what to say to this little bit of information. “ Thank you..” Was all that I could think of saying.
“ Arisa is just overly shy...” Remi said, her smile still in plain view. “ I just wanted to say that, and that I agreed with her... And to meet you right off too.” She winked coyly and added as she left. “ We’ll talk at school.”

Remi left, and I just shook my head, as she rejoined her friends, and they all moved over to another cluster of kids near the gate. That was a unusual meeting, I said to my self as I just looked around the multitude of people that was in this courtyard. This place was definitely going to be interesting

Opting not to go for the walk, but to just enjoy the warm evening air here on the steps of the rooming house. I just sat took in everything around until the sun disappeared from the sky. Most of the others had headed in for the night. I just stood up and yawned, thinking that was a hell of a idea.

I padded upstairs to the floor which had my room on it. As I walked down the hall, I could hear the low sounds of tv’s coming from each of the doors that lined the hall. I just smiled, as this simple maze of noise made me feel a little better about the fact that I was here. It was homy, in a very odd sort of way.

Once inside, I just locked my door and suddenly was assaulted by a huge wave of fatigue. I guessed that the just lag was finally gripping me fully. I undressed and decided not to look for something to wear to bed, climbing in to the bed that was in the farthest corner of the room.

I layed down, and found myself sailing off to seep in seconds.