As school let out, you were just happy and hopeful that you did not have to be enclosed in a building. Not only he was unbearable, but the atmosphere of normal students caused for people to inevitably give you the occasional hard time for things you couldn't really control, like clothes or hair colour or the state of your skin. You picked the backpack up from your chair and went to retrieve your shoes, rolling your eyes.There was no sign of the little shrimp, which was optimistic in itself. You waited for the rest of the friendgroup to follow, but it seems two of them had managed to leave without alerting you, so you tagged along with the kid with darker skin.

" Man, did you understand any of the math? "

" I guess. " He shrugged, laughing a little. " Uh. You look like you seen a ghost. "

" I did. " You grimaced, walking beside him down the school corridors. " A very ugly one. "

" Oh man. How many teeth did it have? " His lips curled into a cute smile.

" None! " You lurched at him playfully, jokingly giving a yell. He jumped, and tried to mark it off as a joke. " Not cool. Too bad he didn't eat you. "

" Too bad he didn't pick you up and squeeze your bones out. "

" Euuugh. Too bad he didn't rip your arms and legs o- Oh wow. "

" Eh? " You turned to mirror him, looking for what he was confused about.

" Mom's here. Catch you tomorrow [Name], I do wish I could've walked with you. "

" It's no problem. " It was not. You've walked home for the most part of this school year, as your friends obviously lived in all different directions. It's not a crazy or eloborate way. If it was suspected unsafe, you had an opportunity get a police escort home from the school... but that was just too much trouble for everyone involved. Besides, you're almost 12 now. Soon enough you'll be a teenager, and going to highschool and.. Oh god.

As you kept the walk up, the sky seemed to make no attempts to dim at all. In fact, it was still so brilliantly bright that you wondered if you'd let out at 12 instead of 3. Regardless, you carried yourself across the street, down the road, and slowly approached the forestry part of the sidewalk. Before you, you see two figures. You slowed and hid behind a tree, making note that the two figures resembled someone(s). But who? They were familiar. Why.. was soon to be answered. Doing your best to stay concealed, you shadowed yourself and listened carefully to the conversation. " -no hope for people like you. I am so entirely sick of it! " Whoever the aggressor was, threw down the seeming aggresse, and they just laid on the floor and took it. A dust cloud fluffed in their wake, you watched the aggressor stand over the other person. " Now come on. We're going home. I pity Mom. "

It was a much older dude, older than you. Maybe a highschooler even. You were very curious, what was a highschooler doing out so early? The person stood back up, unphased by being covered in dirt. Oh man, it wasss... Souichi. Souichi and some guy. Probably his brother? You watched solemnly as they crossed the street and went diagonal, fairly far from your house. Good. If he was following you, you'd know atleast. When they were completely out of sight, you cut through the trees home, doing your fairest to avoid any altercation with either of those two goons.

-

There today is again. Hairbrush. Shower. Pick at your face, or something. Uniform. Hopefully breakfast. Then you take your happy self to school. Christ.

Lunch and bookbag inhand, you shut and locked the front door. There was no sense in dreading over something, especially today. This was truly and recognizably hell. For months, this will be how it is and how it will be forever; Until you can move away, that is.. No sign of obstructions. Perfect start.

You make sure to leave a little early to have a snack in the less dense part of the forest. It smells sweet in the morning, and the birds are always there having a bath in puddles if it rained overnight. And today, it did! You enjoyed your portion of fruit, chips and a drink, carefully watching a few different varieties of bird fly around the feeder. It was stationed just across from the log you liked to perch on. It was peaceful to have a place you weren't pressured into living in, while no walls or doors were involved. Butterflies also seemed to be in season, as they were taking their sweet 'ol time getting from place to place. The only downside to this area was the occasional raccoon or wasp, but even those were interesting animals of their own respects.

Finishing your breakfast, you exit the forest and dispose of the food properly. Simply taught better than to litter. Again, the stroll to school was no hustle, and you arrived a little bit before the rest of your classmates did.

" Hullo. "

" Heyy, Misaki.