The Best Days of Our Lives [Aoi/Seiji/Kenji]

[Seiji Dalton]

Mozart always helped to pass the time. As countless buildings rolled by, the train Seiji was on made its way towards the district where his school was. His backpack was in his lap, his gray eyes were half closed, and the compositions of a composer dead for half a millennium almost were making him droop. Compared to the high octane tracks he usually sustained himself with, these classical affairs were pleasant, light morsels. His nights as of late were long. If he was lucky, given his extracurricular activities, he'd maybe fall asleep half past midnight. More often than not, it was at one or two in the morning. Fatigue lingered after a few days though, and even the rest he'd given himself the previous night didn't do him much good.

Checking the clock on his phone, he saw that the minutes were slowly trickling down. The more studious members of his school were likely already there. If the things he'd heard about proper Japanese schools were to be believed, they'd probably been there since four or five in the morning. Personally, he lacked the constitution to put that much effort into most things.

As the train turned around a curve, Seiji got another glimpse at his school. His brother and he had gone there previously the day before to get him ready and registered for classes. Seiji didn't know much of anything about the culture of Japanese schools, though. A normal person would probably feel nervous. Seiji himself wondered if he'd have felt nervous a few days ago. Whatever the reason, as he gazed out at the school that grew ever closer as the train came to a stop, he was left with a resounding feeling that everything was going to work out for one reason or another. Maybe it was just the mingling smell of the concrete, perfumes from girl students here and there, and the cold flavor of the air as Seiji stepped off the train. Things smelled fresh, like something new was beginning.

The walk to his school didn't take long at all. His good sense of direction helped him navigate the streets. The people in their uniforms navigating through the streets in the same direction were also helping. Seiji noticed that a few students stood out with uniforms that were colored differently while no one seemed to bat an eyelash. He was thankful for that considering his school jacket was colored dark blue instead of black. Standing just inside the school gates, he looked up at the school. It had a nice, modernized design. He started walking towards the main building, wondering if the school would send someone to greet him or if he'd have to find his own way around.

[Aoi Kandou]

That fucking asshole. It was his responsibility to greet and show around new students from his year, and where was he? He had freaking made up some lame ass excuse like his cat got away, and he just had to find him before class started. If his cat was so important why did he let it get away to begin with!? He was the third year's representative! He was suppose to be more responsible damnit! If she didn't have a reputation to keep up, she'd have kicked his ass days ago! The new school year had just started, and she was already having to pick up the slack for him. She didn't have time for this!

As the girl stood in front of the school's main building, her outer appearance displayed no hint of the violent and angry thoughts swirling around her. There was an aura of kindness and pleasantrys. The smell of a soft cherry like perfume drifted through the air around her. She stood properly, both hands neatly folded in front of her and her feet were together. Her long dark brown hair swayed gently behind her as she reached into her pocket to take a look at her phone. Going through her messages, she sighed softly.

She was suppose to be showing a student from her own grade level around today. Having another student would be a hastle- especially because he wasn't even in her grade level. He was a senior. All he should have to know is where to find the library and his homeroom! Now, she had to drag his ass all around the school. This bugged her so much! Not only that but he was some weirdass foreigner! She couldn't even pronounce his fucking last name. Everything about today was just pissing her off. Still, no matter how annoyed this made her, the girl's appearance betrayed none of her true thoughts. She'd lower her phone, smiling softly as she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath.

When she opened her eyes, Aoi caught sight of the senior she was suppose to meet with. His student files had held a picture of him in them to make it easier for to find it. Approaching him, she'd raise her hand to wave him down. "Darton-senpai!" She smiled gently as she approached, jogging lightly to meet with him. Her voice was soft and rather feminine. Tilting her head she'd claps both hands in front of her as she dipped her head into a bow. "I'm Aoi Kandou!" she'd introduce herself, looking up with another smile. "The third year represenative became busy suddenly, so I was asked to show you around!" she spoke, noddding brightly. "I hope we can get along!"

God he was already pissing her off with just his stupid blue jacket. Why did some students feel the need to change the color of their school uniforms in a hapless and pathetic attempt to get attention? Aoi herself wore the female blouse and skirt with the school issued black sweater. It was a proper and conservative outfit. People like him who had childish wants to stand out in the crowd pissed her off. Still, she continued to smile, taking out her phone to look at the other student's picture. Aoi would nod happily as she spoke once more.

"We'll have another student going on the tour with us senpai. He's a second year like me, so I hope you'll take care of us! His name is Osagawa-san."

[Seiji Dalton]

There was a God. Or at least a creator with a sense of humor. A girl walked up to him and said 'Darton-senpai' with a straight face. It was only the stoic mask that Seiji showed the world that kept him composed. With someone directly addressing him, he turned his MP3 player off all the way and gave the girl his full attention. She was very pretty, he noticed. "I am pleased to meet you, Aoi-chan." Seiji said with a polite nod. "Is that the correct way to address an Underclassman? My transfer here was on short notice and I am kind of lost." 'Kind of' lost was, in fact, very accurate. There were some intricacies that were lost on him but others were picked up on right away.

"I am sure you will do fine showing me around the school." Seiji said with a nod as he looked around at the other people making their way towards the school. Not many of them held themselves in the same prim, proper way that Aoi did, he noticed. He'd heard a few things about this school in the brief span of time before he'd started attending class, like how it was only recently that it even became a proper school rather than some vocational place. That made him curious about a few things. "Are there many clubs and teams here? I am interested in joining the kendo team and the health club. If everything works out, I am hoping to enter medical school after my tenure at University."

The scent of her perfume rolled onto his nostrils. It was nice, not that he'd tell her that. Nothing would get someone creeped out quite like a stranger commenting on how they smell. There was something altogether pleasant about the girl. The malevolence that was lurking beneath her surface was lost on Seiji and he just saw an eager, pleasant second year. "I hope this Osagawa-san gets here soon. Punctuality and all that. Do you get many transfers throughout the year?" He asked with a tone that was either cold or formal. He looked out across the sea of students and wondered which one of them would be this fabled Osagawa. Would he turn up, or would he go the way of the Kappa and have societies built around finding him. Wait. That was Bigfoot.

[Kenji Osagawa]

Whoooooo boy, here it was at long last. The first day to attend a new giant social experimentation center for the up and coming smucks called "high school." Wait no, a better way to describe it that it was the first day back to the giant hellhole that imitate a social experimentation center for smucks. Yes, that sounded far more accurate. To be honest, they all seemed the same to him. With his backpack on his back and a stiff upper lip, the Osagawa son found himself staring outside the window of the train. Judging from the last time he checked the time on his phone, he is going to be early, just like his mother said but seriously- if this guy does not stop nudging his elbow between Osagawa’s lungs and colon then he didn't know what he was going to do.


This was exactly why he was against taking the train to begin with. All of these people packed into each car like sardine cans, it would even get hard to breath and if there was anyone with a foul stench on board then one could kiss their behind good-bye. Eventually, the train would reach the next station and when it came to a complete stop, the double doors slide open and with it Kenji bolted out of there like he was shot out of a gun. Now that the worst part was over with, he’d fix the collar of his uniform shirt and tighten his tie before a sigh of relief escaped his lips.


As he began to walk out of the station, he would pull his cell phone out the back of his pocket and go into his e-mail account. Reading one of the messages about had made him frown since apparently he now had to meet up with someone to give him a tour around the school. Okaaaaay, why? It wasn't like he couldn't just ask someone where his home room was right? Last time he checked, he wasn't so emo that he couldn't speak up for himself and asked for directions. Well whatever, he’d worried more about it when he actually gets to the main building. So he closed his phone and slipped it back to where he found it before he began his stroll over to the school.


Fortunately, it didn't take long to actually reach the school and when he arrived he heard part of his name being called out. Eyes of medium brown slowly slid towards the direction of the voice and what he saw was a chick speaking with another, foreign looking fellow with a blue jacket. Wait, he can wear a blue jacket?
What!? He had been dying to wear something other than this lame uniform but knew he couldn't or he may end up being told not to. For a moment he watched the two speak to each as he slowly made their way towards then, eavesdropping on their conversation. “Excuse me…” When he finally approached him, he had a friendly smile on his face and formally bowed to them. “Forgive me for interrupting but by Osagawa-san, you wouldn't happen to mean Osagawa Kenji-san would you? Because that would be me.” He’d introduce himself in a soft tone of voice and formally bow to the both of them.


“Pleased to meet the both of you.”

[Aoi Kandou]

Did this little half foreign idiot just call her 'Aoi-chan'? The girl's smile never faltered as he spoke, but inside, rage was bubbling. Who the hell did he think he was!? Calling her such a formal name! Even if he was a foreigner, this was going too far! Using her first name like they were friends or something! The only people who could use her first name were those she was close too, and Aoi was not close with anyone named Seiji Dalton! Her eyes would look down with a weakening smile as she rubbed the back of her head nervously.

"Ah... actually, Darton-senpai... um..." she'd look to the side, placing a hand on the side of her face as she tried to find the proper way to tell him that if he ever called her by her first name again she'd stomp on his neck. "It's actually really improper to use first names with people you've barely me..." she spoke, looking at him with a weak smile. "Your files say you were raised in Okinawa, right? I guess it isn't too surprising you wouldn't be sure of what to call others..." Her voice lowered as she nodded to herself.

"Okay! You should only refer to others by their last name unless they say otherwise. As an upperclassman, you can use any honorific you find most comfortable, although most just use san." As she explained this, she slipped her phone into her pocket, her gaze shifting about to look for the other student. When he asked about the clubs, Aoi nodded. "Yes! We have a lot of clubs here. I'm actually a member of the student council myself..." As he mentioned the clubs he was interested in, she looked up thoughtfully, as if trying to remember. "I think we had a few students filling out the forms for a health club, so it'd be small, but it'd be there... We do have a kendo club, but... um... most seniors dont really do club activities. I'm a bit surprised you want to."

As soon as he asked about Osagawa-san, a voice would suddenly make itself known. Turning, Aoi smiled brightly. "Yes! I was talking about you," she'd speak, nodding. She'd dip her head in a polite bow before leaning up to hold her hand out for a hand shake as well. "My name is Kandou Aoi! I'm the student body president and the class representative for your class," she explained, nodding. After shaking hands, if he did that, she'd turn to begin trying to lead them towards the main building.

"I know a tour of the campus might seem a bit silly, but all incoming students have to have it... Er, most students had theirs last week with the opening ceremony. So you two get a special private tour!"

[Seiji Dalton]

This Darton-senpai thing was going to kill him. God damn was it ever funny. It made him so happy to have been born in this part of the world under the circumstances that he was. It'd be even better if his name ended in something that wasn't a vowel or a n. He'd heard Japanese people had problems with names structured like that. He felt bad for thinking about this so much though considering how she was being nothing but polite to him so far. "My sincere apologies. Kandou-chan, then? I hope that will do. I was raised on a military base and people usually used last names as a sign of familiarity." The culture clash interested him a bit. If nothing else, it was something to muse over when he was bored.

Apparently the third years didn't do much in the way of clubs and the like. "Eh. I'd like to have something to do. Kendo gets the blood flowing. Some kids played on the base. People said I was pretty good at beating others with bokken so I may as well keep it up." Of course, he kind of felt like he'd missed an opportunity by not joining some official team earlier. Oh well. No time like the present. He'd fingered her for a member of the student council. She carried herself like someone who took on a lot of responsibility.

Before he could continue the conversation further, Osagawa Kenji showed up. Seiji regarded the other boy with the same cold interest he showed most people. All Seiji had to say when he saw this guy was finally. It seemed like every guy he ran into on these mean, mean Tokyo streets broke six feet or more in height. Here this guy was coming along even shorter than him. Not that he wanted to brag because it certainly wasn't by much. "Pleased to meet you, Osagawa-san." Seiji said with a nod before turning his attention back towards Aoi. "There are worse ways to start a semester than being led by the nose by a pretty girl. Lead on, Kandou-chan."

[Kenji Osagawa]

When the offer was placed before him, the Osagawa son took Kandou-san’s hand for a pleasant hand shake. Well she seemed nice enough, maybe a little too much so but then again who was he to complain when it made her look kind of cute. On the other hand there was the guy who looked like a blank slate and Kenji could have sworn the temperature around him was a few degrees colder than it was when he was speaking to Princess Aoi Aoi Sunshine over here.

Would it really kill him to smile? Well whatever, if he let all these envious people get to him then it’ll be middle school all over again. Best to play it cool and courteous whenever possible and besides, he’d probably going to go ahead and try to bury himself in Kandou-san for most of this tour and that sure takes a nice slab of slack off of the Osagawa son. When he heard the dude flirt with Kandou then he would chuckle, satisfied that he was as right as rain. Oh and not just about his predictions but it seems that the Aoi Aoi Princess pretty much confirmed that this tour idea was kind of dumb but the sweet thing just had to put it mildly didn't she?

When he followed Kandou-san into the main building, he’d lazily take a look around at the environment and the more students, faculty and overall dull blue design of the interior the disinterest in his eyes would be far more apparent. Just as he thought, the vibe of this place was just about the same. How he managed to make it through his first year in this snooze fest almost seemed to be above him but then he remembered; he was a freaking genius. The thought kept his smile from fading away and his efforts kept it from mutating into a cocky grin.

“Say I don’t think I caught your name.” He would say after he turned his attention to… shoot, what to call him in the meanwhile? Thinking of a name for someone who looked so ordinary aside from a clear disregard for the uniform- Aha! We’ll just have to settle for Blue; crude and simplistic yeah but sufficient as a temporary name holder. Part of Kenji wanted to get a good conversation in to help pass the time but then again, he knew that he was going to have to pay attention. Grrr- wait, it wasn't like he was sitting in a chair right? Getting a good walk in would be good for his health in the long run and besides with all the hours he spends on his behind in the last couple of days playing Kamen Rider, it was only a matter of time before Ka-san would tell him to go get some exercise. This could be used as a good excuse. So Kenji guessed the tour, wasn't going to be a total waste of his time after all. In his thoughts, Kenji looked rather detached from reality.

[Aoi Kandou]

Aoi smiled brightly as he spoke. "Right! It's Kandou-chan since you're older than me," she explained, nodding along as he continued to speak. "Oh I see! How interesting Darton-senpai! I was raised in this area my whole life, so I've never really met or dealt with military people. You'll have to tell me stories about the base sometime!" Still, this was pissing her off quite a bit. This idiot had lived in Japan all his life. He should have picked up at least the most basic fucking manners. As she steamed with rage inside, Aoi continued to smile, nodding as he spoke.

"Ah I see... most seniors focus on their studies, especially those aiming for high tier schools like medical ones..." she explained, tilting her head curiously. What kind of idiot would put their studes in jepordy just to get their blood flowing? Did he have any idea how much work clubs and school activities were? Were all foreigners this relaxed!? What the heck!? This was really starting to piss her off. When he complimented her, she'd rub the back of her head. Her cheeks grew a soft shade of pink. "Haha, senpai, you're too kind!" she'd laugh nervously, turning as she waved for them to follow her.

Was this asshole seriously flirting with her? What a shameless guy! As she turned, her face away from them, she'd frown deeply, a murderous glint filling her eyes. However, it'd be gone in a moment as she turned to open the door to the main building. Smiling brightly and cheerfully, her appearance gave away no hints of her inner malice. "Alright then! We'll start by showing you the kendo club room and the library since it's on the way!" she spoke, nodding firmly. "Osagawa-san, did you have any clubs you wanted to join too?" she asked, tilting her head.

As she spoke, she'd begin to lead down the clean halls of the school. Eventually, after taking a right and walking down a long narrow hall, they'd pass several class rooms. As they passed each of them, Aoi would explain which room belonged to which. "This is the class for 3-A, it's where the students with the top grades study, the one next to them is 3-B, which is where you'll be Darton-senpai. You'll notice all the senior home rooms are in this hall, the library is all the way at the end of it," she explained as they walked. Eventually, they'd come to the end of the hall and a door with a simple name panel next to it would be appearant. This was the library.

"It's closed right now, but it'll be open during lunch and after school."

[Seiji Dalton]

They were quite the motley crew, making their way through the school. Aoi was the picture of a prim and proper student, Osagawa Kenji looked like he was trying to fit in with that lame, standard uniform, and here Seiji was, their senpai, looking like a total slacker. At least neither of these second years were making some lame remark about how he needed to be more mature or shape up. The only difference between him and them was a birth date. Oh look, another aspect of this culture he found weird upon closer inspection. The fascination he'd once had with it was wearing off after a day or two actually living in their culture. "The name's Dalton Seiji, Osagawa-Kun." He said with an nod. "You can call me Seiji, I guess. No need for formalities." He wondered how Aoi would take that. "What's your reason for transferring, Osagawa-kun? I'm here living with my brother. He works in some manga and hobby shop over in Akihabara."

Aoi's remark about how most of the students in the school focused their studies simply made Seiji shrug. "Eh. I'll be fine. Things have a way of working out for me." The lack of emotion in his voice was very on point for once, because he actually didn't care. He studied when he could. The nervous, awkward laugh she gave fueled Seiji. Making people feel awkward gave him a certain thrill. He tried to not be an asshole. He really did. "I had to show someone around a school once. It's tougher than you think. The kid had taken some PCP or acid or something and swore up and down a catgirl was trying to steal his wallet. He got us both suspended for a week. " Surprisingly, he wasn't making that up. It was one of the strangest incidents that happened to him back on the base. His dad wasn't happy when he showed up with a note saying not to come back for a week.

Oh she was going to love his remark about how the classes were ordered. "It's based off of grades? I thought that was just how it worked in that one anime. Baka and Test I think it's called. A lot of the guys who work in my brother's shop like that one. Students killing each other with good grades is interesting, I suppose. What are the students in 3-C like, then?" He asked while trying to take a quick look inside the library. Were they the slackers? If so, he was really glad he hadn't ended up in there. A relaxed person in a sea of relaxed people didn't particularly stand out. "For that matter, if you don't mind me asking, what are you two hoping to do when the best days of your lives are behind you and you're all done with school?" Nothing passed the time quite like delving into the personal lives of others. Maybe, Seiji reflected as he waited to see what they'd say, there was a reason he hadn't had many friends.

[Kenji Osagawa]

So Dalton Seiji was his name eh? By hearing a name like that, the Osagawa son would have honestly though he’d be a tad bit more judgmental in this situation. You know since it was half Japanese and half American sounding but now that he thought about it, it didn't really matter what his name was or even he was from for that matter. For the most part, he seemed like the kind of guy who isn't the first to start problems or at least so far as he seen. However, he still shouldn't get so comfortable just because Kenji had to settle for acting like he was sewn in to the dull quilt that was the students of Toshima Gakuin High School. They weren't friends; not by a long shot so Kenji was just going to honor the honorifics and pray that he gets the idea that they are going to be all comfy cozy like buddies just because he answered his questions or maybe, just maybe he didn't really care much for how things around here works?

Once again, either way, it didn't matter in the long run but this time, that would be true if he made that clear with his upcoming response. “…You believe so? Well-“ It was then he caught himself and thought a second before he continued speaking. “…It’s good to have gotten a pal so soon.” He said in a stilted manner, having his eyes trail off to the left. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!! Kenji just needed to laugh inwardly, take this crap like it was a joke. Yep, having to hold back and sounding like a punk while doing so was just a dumb, necessary joke. “Me? Personal reasons. Definitely not as cool as having a brother work in a manga and hobby store. Is he an artist too?” Oh sweet mother of Kamen rider, he didn't want to get into explaining that ordeal again, that was why he commenced plan change the subject! “Oh a club Kandou-san? I’m actually not sure what to pick. There are a lot of choices that are put on the table and I wanna find something I know I will really stick to and enjoy.” He’s say as he took a peek inside of Class 3-A.

“Well the classes assigned aren't exactly based on a certain student’s grades Dalton-san. In the Japanese school system, classes are assigned by year number, then letter. For example, any Japanese high school student might be assigned to class 3-C. That means that the student is a third-year high schooler, and is assigned to the third class of that grade. The first class being A, the second B, and so on. That’s just how they are identified down here.” Well, hopefully that explanation would cut Kandou-san some kind of slack since Kenji would know that he sure would be annoyed if someone fresh off the boat started walking around a school without even the most basic knowledge of how things worked. Now with that said, he’d gotta admit that his next last question was pretty interesting. What was he going to when the best days of his high school days were behind him? That one required some actual thought.


“Well I don’t have everything planned out to the last detail but I’m looking to settle down, get a good paying job and raise a family in a mansion. Be the king of my world or something like that.”
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