Chapter Text
Pink sakura leaves and the fresh scent of spring in Japan are things that Tzuyu still isn’t quite used to. Standing in front of what will be her new highschool for the next three years, she could feel her chest tighten up, and the penting stress growing slowly but surely in the pit of her stomach.
The reason for her stress? Well, today is Tzuyu’s first day in her new highschool, and it’s safe to say that she feels frightened about it. It’s not like she’s bad with people, but she just has a really hard time opening up to others and feeling comfortable enough around them to the point of behaving naturally.
And to add to this already overwhelming pressure, Tzuyu comes from Taiwan, which means that she knows nobody in this highschool. Lastly, as if the universe was blatantly mocking her, this school is a korean-japanese one, that is mixed with a middle school, meaning that everyone most likely already knows each other.
“Those years are gonna be great, I can just feel it,” she sarcastically thought.
After what felt like hours, she hesitantly took a step forward and entered the school’s field. As she approached the building, she felt some intrigued looks towards her. Being tall really wasn’t in her favor when all she wanted was to appear invisible to all those strangers. Not wanting to make any more of a fuss, she swiftly approached the boards situated at the entrance of the building to see in which class she ended up.
“Dubs look, we’re in the same class!,” she heard a small girl shout in front of her.
Intrigued, she looked at what the smaller one was eyeing, and she finally saw her name written on the board. Glad that she finally found her class number, Tzuyu rapidly flew away from the entrance, hoping the day would pass by quickly enough for her to go back home to comfortably cuddle with her dog.
***
The second she arrived inside the classroom, Tzuyu immediately went for the seat at the last row, next to the door. Don’t get her wrong, she is a very serious student, always chasing after star stickers and good marks. However, for some unknown reason, she always felt the most at ease in the last row, so she’s very much glad to see that her favorite seat wasn’t already taken.
Finally feeling complacent enough, she started to relax in her chair, patiently waiting for her homeroom teacher to arrive. However, the door on her right abruptly opened, revealing the small girl from earlier, accompanied by her peer that she supposed is this famous “Dubs” she heard about when she overheard the tiny one shout some minutes before.
As a wildlife and animals nerd, Tzuyu couldn’t help but to find a lot of similarities between her tiny classmate and a tiger cub. In fact, she had shoulder length blonde hair and a rather disheveled uniform. However, the delinquent aura that this girl could give off was immediately broken the second she started smiling, making the cutest dimple appear at the side of her mouth.
Not realizing she was staring, Tzuyu eventually made eye contact with “Dubs”. The girl had long jet black hair and an abnormally white skin, somewhat resembling the color of a piece of tofu. While she didn’t seem to be that tall, she gave off really serious vibes, illustrated by her neatly put uniform and her light makeup.
However, Tzuyu suddenly got out of her daze as she saw the pale looking student flashing her a gentle smile and approaching her. There was no doubt. This girl was definitely coming to talk to her. Although she was in a state close to a complete panic attack, Tzuyu somehow managed to keep her usual poker face, and mentally steeled herself for this new challenge.
“Hi, did you do your homework?,” stated Tzuyu, leaving the girl in front of her dumbfounded.
Good job Tzuyu, you managed to make things awkward already.
“It’s our first day, did we really have homework?,” lightly chuckled the other.
At that, Tzuyu felt her face burn a little, although she tried really hard to keep a composed face. Gladly, in some way, the other student caught the hint and brushed off this scrawny introduction.
“You look new, did you just enroll here today?,” she eventually asked.
“Oh, yeah. I come from Taiwan and just arrived in Japan recently.,” managed to reply Tzuyu, not daring to break their shared eye gaze, in fear of appearing rude in front of her classmate.
“That’s so cool! My name is Dahyun and this dwarf behind me is Chaeyoung, nice to meet you.”.
“Hey Dubs, I heard that!,” shouted the loud voice that could be compared to a cub’s roar, coming from behind the black haired girl.
“My name is Tzuyu, nice to meet you too.,” she responded, softly giggling at the antics of the pair in front of her. Before she knew it, Dahyun sat at the table on her left, while Chaeyoung took her seat at the desk in front of Dahyun’s.
It seems like Tzuyu somehow managed to already make friends during her first day; a record for her, truly. Having prepared herself to spend the next three years alone, she felt a bit of warmth in her heart, knowing that maybe those years wouldn’t be so bad if she tagged along those two.
***
However, her joy was short-lived. Having established a friendly basis with already two people, Tzuyu was almost sure she wouldn’t have to spend her long awaited but feared lunch break alone. Sadly, this illusive dream hastily started to break when Chaeyoung announced that she promised to eat with her fellow art club members. And as if the little of luck she once had completely gave up on her, Dahyun then explained that she had to meet with the student council during the break.
And this is why Tzuyu is now eating alone on the rooftop of the building. She wanted to find a quiet and peaceful place, as eating in the middle of the classroom’s chatter would have felt too overwhelming for her.
As she was about to take a bite of her sandwich, she saw the door flung open; the second one of the day apparently. There stood a girl. If Tzuyu had to describe her in one word, she would say that a princess had appeared right in front of her.
Indeed, her sole aura gave off royal and chic vibes. She had chestnut brown chest length hair, and two chocolate orbs that looked like they were peering right through Tzuyu’s soul. But her intimidating vibe was somehow completed by a warm and kind aura, making the tall girl’s heart full.
“Oh, I didn’t know that someone was there already!,” exclaimed the mysterious girl. “Are you new? I don’t recall seeing your face before.”.
It took some seconds for Tzuyu to focus back on the situation at hand. She was already stunned to have been found by someone in this isolated place, and the fact this person was already casually talking to her was even more of a surprise to her.
However, she steeled herself to try to make a decent conversation, and not mess up her introduction like she did with Dahyun some hours prior.
“Hello, my name is Tzuyu, I’m a first year transfer student,” she managed to reply, feeling proud of herself for not becoming a fumbling mess.
“Oh I see! My name is Sana, I’m a third year student. Nice to meet you Tzuyu!,” she responded with a smile. “Sorry if I’m intruding on your lunch break but is it okay if I sit here too?”.
Tzuyu was taken aback by this sudden question; why would this girl want to sit with her even though they knew nothing about each other? But before she could even open her mouth, Sana approached her and took a seat next to Tzuyu, all while keeping a comfortable distance.
“Sorry for forcing myself here, but this is actually where I usually eat on Mondays.,” Sana started, putting a hand to her mouth, hiding a soft giggle.
“Oh! I’m the one who’s sorry, I didn’t know I was invading your special spot.,” muttered Tzuyu, feeling embarrassed.
“It’s okay don’t apologize, you didn’t know and it’s not like it’s my personal place!,” laughed the brown haired girl.
And somehow, after that, they easily fell into a pleasant conversation. As the flow of the discussion went on, Tzuyu eventually learned a lot of things about Sana, seeing how talkative the girl was.
For example, she now knows that Sana is an only child, and that both her childhood friends, Momo, a fellow third year, and Mina, a second year student, are in their highschool as well. Sana also told her that she loves spicy food, but is absolutely frightened of thunders.
But, even if Sana was talking a lot, for some reason, the conversation didn’t feel one-sided at all. In fact, Sana left her a lot of room to express herself and to slowly open up on some things, like life in Taiwan or her beloved dog Gucci. Overall, their interaction was going much more smoothly than Tzuyu could have ever imagined.
With that, the lunch break passed by far quicker than Tzuyu thought it would. When it was time to go separate ways, Tzuyu felt a little bit sad; being around Sana was surprisingly making her feel content. However, her worries quickly got brushed away by the older girl, promising her that they would hang out sometime soon, and that she would introduce Tzuyu to her other friends.
That evening, after she came back home, Tzuyu felt strangely energized and positive, catching herself gushing about her day to her dog. Maybe transferring to this school could actually become a pleasant gift in disguise.