The next week passed in the blink of an eye. Pakin made progress on his quest to find out every pillar’s name, and Gera introduced him to a ton of shops, restaurants, and acquaintances. His practice was going well, and they’d moved onto full-speed motions with his kusarigama, and Toshi had even shown up for one lesson to give Pakin some tips. It was truly enlightening. Gera was a master of weapons, but Toshi clearly had far more experience teaching and guiding others in the way of the blade.

  Now, on the first morning of his third week in Kumo, Pakin was practically vibrating in his seat at the kitchen bar. Gera and Kintaro smiled softly at Pakin’s obvious excitement, as Chie joined them from her room and giggled upon seeing the young boy humming and bouncing in his seat as he ate his breakfast.

  “Well, someone is enjoying their breakfast.” Chie commented.

  Pakin stopped fidgeting, and a light blush colored his cheeks as he muttered, “Good morning, Chie.”

  The teen chuckled as she walked over to her seat by Kintaro, who glared at her and whispered something in her ear. Her eyes went wide, and she looked over at Pakin and exclaimed, “It’s your first day of school! Pakin, I’m so sorry, I totally forgot what day it was!” Chie hopped up from her seat and ran to her room before returning with a package wrapped neatly in light blue paper.

  Gera pointed accusingly at Chie and said, “Hey! No fair! You told me not to get him anything for the start of school!”

  Chie stuck her tongue out at Gera and said, “That’s because you already got him something! Plus, I said you shouldn’t get him a gift, I didn’t say anything about me.”

  Gera harrumphed, and Pakin took the rectangular gift from Chie, turning it over in his hands to inspect it. Pakin found the seam to the paper and carefully pulled the wrapping apart. Inside was a leather pouch, which was long and boxy, with a single flap covering two separate pockets. Attached to the sides was a strap made of similar material to the pouch, ending in a metal buckle. The buckle was sturdy, reminding Pakin of a seat belt, only the release was two small metal prongs instead of a single button.

  He hopped up from his seat and gave Chie a quick hug, which she returned. “Thanks, Chie! It’s awesome!”

  Chie chuckled and said, “I’m glad you like it. I figured every shinobi needs a leg pouch, and I happened to have an old one lying around. So, I got it fixed up by the guy who does my gear, it should be ready for use.”

  Pakin released her from his hug and returned to his seat, marveling at his new piece of gear. Chie moved to her seat at the bar and added, “I’ll show you how to wear it after breakfast.”

  Gera sighed and said, “He shouldn’t wear it on the first day. It’ll set him apart too much from the other kids, and they probably won’t be doing throwing weapon practice for a few days.”

  Chie shoveled some sausage into her mouth, chewing quickly and swallowing before saying, “I know, it’s still good to teach him how to wear it. Besides, being different isn’t bad, they might think he’s cool!”

  Gera spread jam on her toast and scoffed, “Yeah, or trying too hard. Do you remember Kuro?”

  Chie chewed on some more sausage, thinking for a moment and then frowning. “Oh yeah, he was a total dweeb. Thought he was so much better than the rest of us, just because his grandpa used to be a shinobi for the Hidden Leaf.” Chie sighed and conceded, “I get what you mean.”

  Pakin let his roommates converse as he chewed thoughtfully on his breakfast. I wonder what it’s gonna be like? I hope they’re more like Hika than the other kids from Fuwayama. She was always much more fun to hang out with, since she acted less like a kid. He felt a bit fondness at the memory of his friend from back home, thinking I wonder how she’s doing? She said she was training for something before I left, but I don’t remember what it was.

  “Finished up Pakin?”

  “Huh? Oh, yeah.” Pakin had mechanically eaten the last of his breakfast while he’d been thinking. He hopped down from his spot at the bar and started to clean up before Chie shooed him off, saying, “Don’t worry about it, you should head over to the Academy, it’ll be good to get there early. Trust me.” She winked and took the plates from him.

  Pakin let Chie take over the clean-up and walked to the front door, Kintaro waving goodbye and Gera following him to the foyer.

  He sat down and put on his boots, letting out a big sigh as both nerves and excitement about the day ahead tumbled around in his stomach. Gera bent over and tousled his hair, somehow sensing his anxiety. “Don’t worry about it, kiddo. You’ll do great.” She stood up straight and watched him exit out the front door, a soft but proud grin never leaving her face.

  All right! Pakin thought as he made his way to the elevator. A second shot at my first day of school! I’m gonna make it count.

  Pakin followed another of the many signs posted around the Academy. Each sign had two arrows pointing in different directions, one labeled ‘Polisher’ and the other labeled ‘Normal’.

  Rather straightforward, but that’s a weird way of labeling the other academy students. Pakin couldn’t help but think to himself as he walked down another hallway, passing dozens of students and parents along the way. As he moved further into the building, he passed an open set of double doors leading into an auditorium-like space, where all the ‘Normal’ students congregated. After he passed it, no one else joined him on his walk towards the annex. It left him unnerved to be in such a spacious building without anyone else.

  Pakin moved through the academy until he reached a familiar-looking hallway, where a single shinobi stood watch. He wore the standard Kumo tactical gear, with the white flak jacket, open-toed sandals, and a black one-piece. His hair was grey and moppish, covering one eye, the other half closed, and barely paying attention. He had a medium build and looked rather young for a teacher, probably in his mid to late twenties if Pakin had to guess.

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  The dark-skinned man spotted Pakin, and his visible eye shot open. He stood a little straighter and waved at Pakin as he approached, saying, “Hey there! Are you looking for the Polisher Program orientation? What’s your name?”

  Pakin stopped before the man and replied, “Hi, yes! I’m Pakin, it’s nice to meet you.”

  The man smiled wide and gestured down the hallway towards the annex beyond, saying, “Well, it looks like you’re the first to arrive, Pakin! Go down this hallway and keep following the signs. They should take you to a big lecture hall. Take a seat, and hopefully, the rest of your new classmates will be joining you soon.”

  Pakin nodded and smiled brightly, walking down the hall and following the signs that continued through the annex.

  Oh, I didn’t catch his name! Pakin quickly turned around and returned to the man, finding him giving another child the same set of instructions. Nice! I get to meet my first classmate.

  The girl in question was rather plain-looking, with dark skin and red curly hair, parted to the side and shoulder-length. She wore a light grey shirt with blue lightning patterns tracing her shoulders, tucked into a pair of light grey capris, on her feet were a pair of chunky army-style boots, with bandages wrapped up past her ankles and into her capris. As the older shinobi gave her instructions, the look on her face remained serious and focused, her brown eyes never leaving the man’s face.

  Pakin waited for them to finish and said, “Hi! Sorry to interrupt. I realized I forgot to ask you your name, sir.”

  The shinobi smiled at Pakin and replied, “Excellent, well that works out well! I’m Kohei.” He turned to the other kid and said, “You guys can walk to the lecture hall together! Kanae, this is Pakin. He came just a little earlier than you.”

  Pakin thought he might have imagined it, but Kanae seemed to tense up when Kohei mentioned that Pakin was earlier than her. Probably just nervous, like me. He grinned politely and stuck his hand out, saying, “It’s nice to meet you!”

  Kanae shook his hand, but didn’t return his smile, saying “Likewise.”

  Kohei waved them along, and Pakin started back towards the annex with his new friend in tow.

  After a few seconds of silence, Pakin tried to break the ice by asking, “So, I’m from Fuwayama, it’s a little ranching village by the Land of Frost. Where are you from?”

  Kanae didn’t turn to look at him, just continuing to walk ahead as she answered, “Yoshino.”

  Pakin waited for her to continue, but she just kept walking. So, he asked, “Oh, cool, where is that?”

  “Far from here. Near the northern border of Lightning.” Kanae responded.

  Once again, she offered nothing else, walking silently beside Pakin as he thought, Yikes. Is she just nervous? Casting a sidelong glance at her, he took in her stiff, straight posture, eyes locked ahead of her, while her arms and legs moved with purpose towards their destination. Nope, just a serious kid. How do you even get to be that serious at the age of twelve? As the thought formed, an image of one Sasuke Uchiha came to the front of his mind. Christ, I hope that’s not the case here.

  Pakin kept his questions to himself for the rest of their walk, taking in the rest of the building as they walked. As they turned the final corner, he couldn’t help but compare the annex to the main academy. It reminds me of the social science building at the university I went to. In his previous life, most of his classes had been in the newer social sciences building that had finished construction right as he started his degree. Clearly, the building had cost a lot of money to construct. However, there was a distinct lack of charm that a lot of the other buildings had. No posters or flyers were hung up in the hall, showcasing student projects or events. There weren’t any personalized decorations for the various offices or classrooms assigned to specific teachers. The annex gave him a similar sort of vibe, like there hadn’t been enough time or energy left over at the end of each day to decorate the bland hallways.

  Kanae and Pakin followed the final sign to a door leading into a large, amphitheater-style lecture hall. I’m getting deja vu all over the place here. Desks were built into the stairs surrounding a lectern and a large blackboard at one end of the hall. They were split into three separate columns, with an empty space for moving up and down the sloped seating. Like the desks, the benches jutted out from the level above and behind them, leaving just enough room for someone to shuffle their way in or out of their seat. As Pakin was taking in the room, Kanae walked away from him and sat in the middle of the front-most row at the bottom of the ascending desks.

  She probably doesn’t want me sitting right next to her. Pakin was getting a rather stand-offish and serious air from Kanae. There was either something about Pakin that made her uncomfortable, or she just wasn’t the greatest socializer. Either way, Pakin figured he’d give her some space. So, he picked out a seat at a desk in the right column, around halfway up the full height of the hall.

  Sitting down at his seat, Pakin wondered why Kanae was so curt with him. Maybe she doesn’t like boys? That’s a thing at this age, right? Being scared of boys or girls? However, he quickly threw away that idea. The way she talks and holds herself is too mature. If it were that kind of juvenile nervousness, she’d be more apprehensive. It feels more like she just doesn’t want to talk at all. Hopefully, she’ll open up more as we take classes together.

  As he considered her cold attitude, Kanae turned around to stare back at him. Oh shit, I was probably staring at her. He tried to play it off and waved at her, a goofy smile plastered across his face. She simply stared at him blankly and, speaking loudly, asked, “Can I help you?”

  Her increased volume put Pakin on edge a little, but he replied calmly, “No, just curious about my classmate. How do you like Kumo?”

  She took a moment to consider him, the sharp focus of her eyes never abating. Then, she seemed to reach some sort of conclusion, nodding to herself and saying, “That makes sense, we will be spending a large amount of time together if we are placed into the same class.” Kanae turned to more fully face Pakin and said, “I have enjoyed my time here in Kumogakure. It’s rather different from my hometown. Much more… peaceful.” She said the word like she wasn’t sure if it was correct.

  “Oh, cool! Kumo feels a lot more chaotic than my hometown. It was pretty small, though, so anywhere with more than fifty people feels huge to me.” Pakin offered, following up by asking, “Is your hometown big?”

  Kanae replied, “I’m not sure. It is definitely bigger than the towns I passed through on the way here. However, it is not larger than Kumo.”

  Pakin giggled and said, “I don’t think anywhere in Lightning is bigger than Kumo, except for maybe the capital. I wouldn’t know, though, since I’ve never been.”

  “Indeed, I have heard that the capital is also quite large.” Kanae stated with a definitive tone.

  It’s like she’s reading from a Wikipedia article, or like she’s one of those weird robot voices from the internet. Pakin smiled awkwardly at Kanae as she sat staring at him in silence.

  “Well, this has been… informative. Once again, it is a pleasure to meet you, Pakin.” Having said her piece, Kanae turned around in her chair and stared at the blackboard in front of them.

  Double yikes. Pakin let his gaze drift from Kanae and towards the door, thinking to himself, Please, someone else get here soon.