The alarm buzzed insistently, dragging Daiki from an overall restless and terrible sleep. Daiki's legs felt hollow. Every joint in his body was stiff. For a moment, it felt like his arms were twitching at him.
Rolling out of bed, he fell onto the floor butt-first, blimking at the ceiling. Daiki quickly noticed that Jin wasn't in his bed today. He had probably already gone to the dining hall. Daiki sat there for a second, noticing how different his mornings felt now. The independent routines from the orphanage now felt like old news, replaced by the strange and wild, but rigid order of the Shinyo Institute.
After tidying himself up and putting on his uniform, Daiki began to make his way to the dining hall for breakfast. By the time he had gotten there, the low chatter of students filled the air. Jin was already there, sitting at the same table they had sat in the previous day, scooping rice with exaggerated precision. Daiki went to grab a bowl of beef and rice before meeting with Jin.
After grabbing his food, he made his way over to his roommate.
"Morning," Jin said with a grin. "Looks like you survived Kojiro-sensei."
Daiki groaned, slumping into his chair. "Barely. Dude made us fight each other and called it his 'first lesson'. I think my muscles are mad at me right now. They're going to form a union."
Jin chuckled, shaking his head. "A union, huh? You're gonna tell me your joints are demanding better conditions for training next."
Daiki grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. "At this point... I'd vote yes. I had to go up against a two-hundred-pound meathead yesterday, so I need the better conditions." Daiki shrugged, shoving a spoonful of beef into his mouth. "Plus, my arms are acting like they have a mind of their own. I swear I saw them twitch at me this morning."
"Look at you, eating," Jin teased. "I knew you would be stacking trays like a pro, but not this quickly."
"I guess... I just don't want to be Yurei food when I have to fight a real one. If I get really big and strong, maybe they'll be too scared to attack me."
Jin rolled his eyes but grinned. "Yurei don't care about the size of their food."
Daiki leaned forward, lowering his voice as if he were telling a very important secret. "Between you and me... I might try cooking one of these days. Maybe making a surprise dinner will give me good karma and keep me alive."
Jin raised an eyebrow. "Cooking? I'm not sure about that. You may blow up the kitchen."
"Blow up the—" Daiki's grin immediately transformed into a frown. "I'm actually pretty good. For your information."
They conversed until Daiki's bowl was empty. Daiki felt kinda weird. His body was sore like hell, but he was still moving with a lightness he hadn't felt in a bit. Jin and Daiki traded jokes and teasing remarks for 20 minutes, laughter combining with the other noises in the cafeteria.
If there was a word to explain this feeling... it was comfortable. Daiki enjoyed the conversations he had with Jin, which was crazy considering he didn't even know him all that well yet.
By the time breakfast ended, Daiki felt more energized. He and Jin gathered their things, exchanging light remarks as they walked to their respective classes. The second day of full classes had students murmuring about their teachers, assignments, and things of that nature.
The moment Daiki stepped into Class 1-F, Kojiro was already there, sitting in a chair up front. Daiki sat in his seat, mentally and physically preparing himself for the chaos that was in store for today. As everyone gathered in the classroom, Kojiro's eyes sharpened like those of a snake. He unsheathed his sword and pointed it forward like a maniac. "Welcome back, lambs! Today, we shall leave the safety of the pen. Don't ask why, don't ask how. Just be ready!"
Daiki raised an eyebrow, a wave of confusion washing over him.
What the hell did 'leaving the safety of the pen' even mean?
Kojiro grinned, sheathing his sword and making his way out of the classroom. "All of you, follow me or get expelled."
The class obeyed, following after him out of the hall, across the courtyards, and toward the outer gates. When an old-looking bus came into view, Daiki's brow lowered. Kojiro climbed abroad without saying a word.
Daiki got on board with the rest of the class, managing to snag a window seat. The bus soon rumbled to life, rattling along cracked streets that stretched further and further from the Institute's clean stone walls. Ren dropped into the open seat next to Daiki, grinning widely.
"Guess we're stuck together again."
Daiki smirked. "Yeah. FYI, I'm not fighting you ever again."
Ren laughed. "Good. I already beat you once! I don't think you would survive the rematch."
Daiki raised an eyebrow. "Who said you beat me? We got separated before the fight could finish."
Ren scratched his chin like he was smart. "Yeah, that's how a loser thinks. Me personally? I'm a winner at everything I do."
A couple of seconds passed.
"Well, except when it comes to math. Or writing. Or cooking eggs."
Daiki chuckled. "That's a lot of exceptions, especially for a 'winner'."
Ren shrugged. "Yeah, but the one thing I'm undefeated at is breathing every day." He tapped his fist against his chest. "Haven't lost in my entire life."
Daiki stared at him for a long couple of seconds. "...Did you just seriously brag about not suffocating?"
Ren nodded and crossed his arms, completely serious. "Yup. Can't say the same for everyone, right?" Then he grinned, way too proud of the really dumb joke.
Daiki snickered at first, and that snicker transformed into a small burst of laughter. That made Ren grin wider, happy to have landed the joke.
He didn't know that Daiki was laughing AT him, not his joke.
"You're really stupid," Daiki said, shaking his head.
"Yeah," Ren said cheerfully. "And I'm proud of it. Being smart is too much work."
The stupid banter carried on, light and easy. It was... weird. Talking to the guy who was trying to flatten him yesterday like this. Turns out, he was just a really stupid but goofy dude. It made the bus ride to inevitable and Kojiro-led doom and chaos feel a lot better.
The ride ended at the edge of a massive, broken-down gate. The bus hissed to a stop, and everyone filed out into a desolate street. The air smelled faintly of dust and rot, the silence unnerving compared to the usually noisy Institute.
Kojiro turned to them, his grin wider than ever.
"Welcome, you little lambs, to the Hollow District."
A shiver ran down Daiki's spine as he looked at the ruined buildings stretching out before them. A disgusting and moldy must filled the air, which made Daiki's nostrils close up. Daiki already knew this wasn't going to be a normal trip, but his expectations were still beaten.
Something about this place was just... wrong.
And he had the sinking feeling they were about to find out why.