Chapter 1 - The First Day of School

Pai stared nervously at the class lists. She had looked over the lists at least four times now. It was the first day of eleventh grade[second year of senior high school], as well as her first day at an Earth school, and Pai was terrified that she'd be put in a class away form Trinity, Aqua and Kairi. What if her school enrollment hadn't even been processed?

"I can't find my name!" She whispered frantically into her watch-communicator.
"Relax, it'll be there." Adam's voice echoed with static from the watch, probably because the apartment that they lived in that Adam was safely and warmly curled up in front of the fireplace of, was so far away from Pai's school.

"Pai!" Pai turned around to face the owner of the familiar voice.
"Trinnie!" Pai wrapped her arms tightly around her friend.
"What's wrong?" Trinity Tsukino asked, catching sight of Pai's anxious face. Then she smiled in understanding. "I was too scared to look too, but Aqua and Kairi are checking for us."
"It's not that-" Pai tried to explain, but was cut of by a cheerful squeel from behind her. Before she could turn to respond to the squeel, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist.
"Kairi!" She hugged the pair of arms back, and turned to face the shorter girl.
When Kairi had finally let go, Aqua The Squeeler moved in for her hug.

"We looked at the class lists." Kairi told Pai.
"That's right. Apparantly some boys covered someone's name with white paint." Aqua continued. Pai's heart raced. She knew it had been her name. But why would anybody play a prank like that on her?

Kairi smiled. "But thankfully we're all-"
"TOGETHER!!" Aqua and Kairi shouted. Tears of relief came to Pai's eyes.
"I'm so glad! I was really, really nervous!" She admitted.

The school bell rang, and the girls hurried to their class.

Pai raced through the doorway of the classroom and planted herself in the front-middle chair.

"Look at her!" Trinity giggled affectionately. "You'd almost think she's excited to be at school!"

Aqua strolled over to where Pai was sitting.
"Don't do that." Aqua tugged at Pai's arm, pulling her up. "We'll probably have our seats assigned to us. But just in case, let's sit up the back anyway so we can pass notes and stuff."
"Oh." Pai followed Aqua to the back of the classroom.
"Sit here." Aqua pulled the chair out from the desk of the back seat next to the window, and indicated to Pai to sit down. Aqua herself sat at the second-to-last desk of the next row.

As the students slowly filled the classroom, Pai and Aqua were joined by Trinity who sat behind Aqua, and Kairi who took her seat in front of Pai, next to Aqua.

"You know, it really sucks that Sally's older. I would have liked going to school with her, too." Pai said, a little sadly.

"You know, Sally got a part-time job at that big video-games store." Trinity said thoughtfully. "I think they're still hiring, because they've just opened up. Why don't you try getting a job there?"

Pai's eyes sparkled. "Then I could work with Sally!"
"Well, probably, but I think it would depend on when your shifts are..." Kairi tried to explain, but Pai was off in a fantasy world.

Soon after the students were all seated, a tall man entered the room and stood behind the front desk. His long, blond hair was tied back with a silk ribbon, and he was wearing what looked like a nineteenth-century dress-suit made of red velvet.

"Good morning!" The man said cheerfully. "My name is Mr. Black. I'll be your teacher for both Homeroom and History. If you'd like to ask me any questions, please raise your hand."

Pai raised her hand. "Are we going to have assigned seats?"
Trinity, Aqua and Kairi simultaneously raised their hands to their foreheads and groaned with exasperation. Mr. Black stepped out from behind his desk and walked to the back of the classroom to where Pai was sitting.
"Do you like where you're sitting now?" He asked.
"Um, yes." Pai answered. Mr. Black turned to Trinity.
"Do you like where you're sitting? " He asked her.
"Yeah." She answered.
"And how about you two?" He said, gesturing to Aqua and Kairi. "Do you both like your seats?"
Aqua and Kairi both nodded.
"Good!" Mr. Black exclaimed loudly. "Everybody's happy!"
A boy raised his hand. "But-"
"Everybody is happy." Mr. Black said sternly. He strolled back up to the front of the class and took his place behind the front desk.

"Now I'm going to take the roll." Mr. Black opened a folder and took out a sheet of paper. "Aoyama, Mikoto."
"Here!" A girl with short red hair raised her hand. Mr. Black continued calling names.

"Why do you think he singled us out?" Trinity whispered to Aqua. Aqua leaned back in her chair so that she could whisper to Trinity.
"It's probably just because we're sitting near Pai. I mean, it's not as if he knows us or anything."
"Here!" Kairi raised her hand, and Trinity and Aqua realised that they'd better pay attention for when their own names were called.

"And finally," Mr. Black said when he go to the end of the roll, "No family name given, Pai."
"Here!" Pai shouted.
"Pai," Kairi whispered, "What's your last name?"

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