After buttoning the crisp white dress shirt, he finally tackles the absolute worst part. The deep crimson blazer feels ridiculously heavy. Gold buttons gleam sharply as he slides both arms right through the thick sleeves. Staring at the mirror, he roughly adjusts the striped necktie.
"This fabric is way too stiff," he mutters, rubbing a hand over his scratchy collar. "I definitely can't take a proper nap inside this rigid thing."
Today is the day. The final escape to the island of concrete.
The streetlights still hum loudly overhead. It is exactly 5:00 AM.
Renjiro walks down the empty sidewalk, his rolling suitcase rattling violently against the uneven pavement. Mako walks right beside him. Her own suitcase rolls much faster, matching her relentless, energetic stride.
"Can you believe it?" Mako says, clapping her free hand against her thigh. "High school! We're finally high schoolers! I wonder what our classmates will be like. Do you think they'll be super smart? It's an elite school, so they have to be geniuses, right?"
"Probably."
"I need to introduce myself right away. First impressions are super important. If you don't make friends on the first day, you get left out of the group chats. Being left out of the group chat is social death, Renji."
"Group chats are a trap. People expect you to reply."
"You're a trap," she retorts, making zero logical sense. "I'm going to find the smartest girl in the class and sit right next to her. Then she can help me with the math homework."
So much noise. Renjiro keeps his eyes half-closed and lets his shoes memorize the familiar route to the train station.
My whole week of peace is completely ruined. I haven't taken a proper afternoon nap in seven days. My energy reserves are operating at a critical deficit.
"I heard the campus is huge," Mako chatters, wheeling her bag over a large crack in the pavement. "They have their own movie theater and a shopping mall! Do you think we get free tickets?"
"Nothing is free."
"We get a monthly allowance, remember? The brochure said the school provides allowance for us to spend. We don't even need our parents' money."
"Which means I can buy premium delivery food and never leave my room on weekends."
"You have to leave your room because we need to explore the mall!"
"I will explore the back of my eyelids."
"What club are you going to join, Renji?"
"The Going Home club."
"It's a boarding school. You already live there on campus."
"Then I will excel at it. I'll be the club president."
"I'll probably joining the track team again," Mako declares proudly, spinning around to walk backward down the sidewalk. She points a finger directly at his chest. "And you have to come cheer for me."
"I will be busy."
"Doing what?"
"Staring at the ceiling."
"I'll drag you out by your ankles."
"I'll bolt my door shut."
The automated glass doors of the train station slide apart with a soft mechanical hiss. They tap their transit cards and walk down the long escalators to the underground platform. The air down here smells heavily of ozone and stale coffee.
A silver commuter train pulls up, the brakes squealing loudly against the tracks.
They step inside. The car is mostly empty this early in the morning, holding only a few businessmen sleeping quietly in the corner seats.
They take two empty spots near the middle doors. Renjiro slumps back against the hard plastic divider, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. Mako sits on his right side, her legs swinging back and forth.
The train lurches forward. Steel wheels clack rhythmically against the metal tracks beneath them.
"I read an anonymous post online that the school groups people by merit," Mako says, looking up at the illuminated route map above the door. "Class A, B, C, and D. I wonder how they decide who goes where. Do you think it was our middle school grades? Or the interviews?"