Daiki woke up to pain. Not a sharp, stabbing kind, but the kind that seeped into every muscle fiber, the immediate and glaring reminder of a body pushed too far. His arms felt unnecessarily heavy, his back ached, and even his fingers tingled with faint soreness.
For a second, Daiki had forgotten where he was.
The ceiling above, instead of the chipped and run-down plaster of Hanamori were smooth wooden panels. It immediately reminded him that this place wasn't home. Then the memories hit him. The simulation room. The Yurei that almost killed him. Matsuda's evaluation. "Surge", the energy that carried him to fight.
"Ugh...."
He groaned, rolling onto his side. "What kind of school tries to kill you before you take your first class?"
The door to the dorm creaked open. Jin leaned in, his uniform already on, hair clean like he'd been awake for hours. "Still alive? Good. For a second, I thought I was going to lose my second roommate this year."
Daiki squinted at Jin from under his blanket. "What do you mean by second roommate? What happened to the first one?"
Jin smirked, leaning against a wall with his arms crossed. "He lasted about three days or so. He packed up in the middle of the night after crying about how 'dangerous' it was here. I don't think he read the brochure."
Daiki groaned, dragging himself upright despite the ache in his shoulders. "So I'm just a rebound? That's great."
"Pretty much," Jin said, grinning. "But hey, I like you way better than I liked him. You got through your evaluation, so you're a tier above him."
Daiki rubbed the crust from his eyes. "Yeah, I guess. When do I get my schedule?"
Jin tossed a folded sheet of paper onto his lap. "Here. Matsuda dropped them off earlier. Congrats, you're officially one of us."
Daiki unfolded the sheet with stiff fingers, his joints still weak. His eyes locked onto the paper, noticing only one class being on the paper.
Homeroom: Kojiro — Class 1-F
His eyebrow raised. "I only take one class?"
Jin stared at him like this was normal. "That's how it works here. You have one Instructor that teaches you and supervises your development. What class are you in?"
"Class 1-F. My teacher is some guy called Kojiro."
At the sound of that name, Jin leaned over to peer at the page. When he saw the name for himself, his grin faded into something closer to sympathy. "Ohhh. Him."
Daiki glanced up. "Oh? Why are you talking like that?"
"Let's just say Kojiro-sensei isn't exactly... normal. He's been here for a pretty long time, but he only teaches Late Bloomers, or students who can't control their Reiki or Ketsugojin. You know..." Jin gestured vaguely at Daiki. "...people like you."
Daiki dropped the schedule onto his lap, a frown on his face. "You guys say 'Late-Bloomer' like it's a slur."
"Look on the bright side," Jin said, smirking again. "Kojiro's may be a lot of things, but he's definitely not boring. You'll see for yourself."
Daiki squinted. "What does that even mean?"
"You'll know him when you see him," Jin replied, heading toward the door. "Long hair, beard, kinda dresses like a Samurai. And he always, always, carries a sword."
Daiki blinked. "...He's allowed to do that?"
"Not really. That's why he's special. But anyway, get ready. Breakfast is gonna be in about 30 minutes. I'll see you."
"Wait, breakfast?"
"Yeah. You live here now, ya know that, right?" Jin said with a half-smile, leaning against the doorframe. "You eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner here until you decide to leave... or die."
"I... uh, usually skip breakfast," Daiki muttered, getting up so he could get into his uniform.
"Figures," he said, shaking his head. "Well, you're not skipping today. You're gonna need the energy for later. Don't worry, I'll even save you a seat." And with that, Jin left for the cafeteria.
Daiki began to fumble into his uniform, tugging his uniform blazer over his shoulders, wincing as his sore muscles yelled at him. The fabric still felt heavier than it should, especially stiff around his shoulders and chest, but he wasn't as uncomfortable as before. He adjusted his collar and fixed his sleeves, glancing at his reflection.
Not bad... for a guy who almost became a cautionary tale the day before.
By the time he reached the cafeteria, the room was alive with the chatter of students, trays clattering, and the faint smell of rice, miso, and grilled fish filling the air. From across the room, Jin waved him over from a table near the corner, already seated and casually digging into his food.
"About time," Jin said, grinning. "The line wasn't gonna wait for you."
Daiki shuffled forward, grabbing a tray and selecting a slab of grilled fish, a bowl of rice, tamago, and miso soup. He hadn't eaten a breakfast this elaborate in a long time, especially at a place that he was supposed to call school, making him feel a little awkward when walking back to his seat. Looking around, there was a sea of students in this cafeteria.
Daiki placed his tray down, sitting across from Jin. He poked the food with his chopsticks, the feeling of awkwardness not shaking off of him.
"Do you usually just poke around at your food?"
"...I told you earlier, I don't really eat breakfast," Daiki mentioned.
"And I told you," Jin muttered, shaking his head. "That you don't have a choice in the matter. You're going to eat, and you're going to need the energy and protein for later." He slid a portion of rice for Daiki to add to his food across the table. "Here. Eat."
Daiki awkwardly poked at his food with his chopsticks before finally grabbing it and putting it into his mouth. The fish was warm, flaky, and... surprisingly flavorful. He chewed slowly and cautiously. "...Okay, that's not bad," he admitted.
"See?" Jin smirked. "By the end of the week, you'll start stacking trays like a pray. But trust me, you're gonna need all the food you can get. I've heard Kojiro's class can be a bit straining."
Daiki frowned. "Is he really that bad...?"
Jin leaned back, arms crossed, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "He's a bit of a maniac. I've heard he physically punishes students when they fail. Challenges them to duels, and other crazy shit you would see in a movie or something."
Daiki's chopsticks froze midair. "Duels? What the hell?"
"Don't worry," Jin said, chuckling. "He's weird as hell, but he gets pretty good results for the most part. You'll see it for yourself."
Daiki sighed and returned to eating his breakfast, feeling the warmth of food spreading through him and the dull ache in his muscles starting to finally ease up a bit. For the first time since the simulation, he felt... grounded. Normal, almost.
After eating in silence for another minute, Jin spoke up.
"Ya know.... I never got your name."
Daiki looked up, blinked, and then let out a short laugh. "Oh, shit. My fault. It's Daiki Fushino."
"Nice to finally meet you, Daiki. Up until now, you were just Late Bloomer."
A laugh escaped from Daiki's mouth.
After that, a comfortable silence settled back between the two.
It was less awkward this time.
Daiki leaned back in his chair after finishing his food while Jin flipped through a book he brought with him, the quiet only broken by the louder voices and energy of the students around them.
Before long, a bell echoed across campus.
By the time class started, the hallways were packed with students, some in groups, others rushing to their first period. Daiki approached the door of Class 1-F cautiously, Jin walking beside him. The class sat at the very far end of the first floor.
"Brace yourself," Jin muttered. "I gotta ditch ya now. See ya later, Fushino."
"Yep, see ya."
Daiki slid open the classroom door. The room itself was quieter and smaller than what Daiki expected. Tatami mats lined the floor, worn from probably years of use. Shoji screens filtered the morning light, giving the space a soft, golden glow. The class itself was pretty small, with only about a dozen students in the room. Daiki began to make his way towards an empty seat near the window, trying to ready himself for the nonsense this class would bring.
He couldn't even make it to the chair before it began.
A man came crashing from the ceiling, slamming down into the front of the classroom. It was a muscular man with long dark hair tied loosely, a recently trimmed beard, and a hakama draped around him, a katana resting lightly at his hip. His posture and expressions were both wild-looking and unpredictable. He landed on the ground in wild fashion, as he bent his knees into a low crouch and put both of his hands into the ground.
He looked exactly as Jin had described him, aside from the fact that he had probably shaved his beard.
It was most definitely Kojiro-sensei.
"Welcome to my pride, you wandering lambs!" Kojiro cried, his arms flailing out to his sides in one wild motion. "Beginning today, I am your guide, mentor, and the leader of this pack! Your journey through chaos begins now."
Daiki blinked. This is... not what I expected.
Kojiro hopped onto a chair with knees bent, one hand on his katana, the other pointing towards them. "You are all here because the world has yet to see your potential. You're sheep! Prey with no control! But I am here to change that. I will break you, bend you, and carve you into lions!"
Daiki exhaled slowly.
Life at the Shinyo Institute was ONLY going to get stranger.