Hidden Affections (HerWhisper x Aurelia)

[Aurelia]

From the moment she walked through the double doors of her new high school, Freya Erikson felt out of place. That might have had something to do with the fact that she started in the middle of March of her junior year, or maybe with the fact that she was very different from all the other students. She, a girl who grew up in the suburbs of big-city America, had been uprooted to small-town Japan by her father's job. She knew barely anything of the language, and she got a lot of unwanted attention because of her honey-blonde hair and light blue eyes. And it was only the first day.

Freya scurried through the halls, trying to keep her head down and rush through the crowd of students. She had to get to the staff room before school started, but had no clue how to ask where it was. She was supposed to be meeting someone who would help her get through the next two years and learn the language, but she was unclear as to what this person would be like. She hoped he or she would be nice.

Suddenly, Freya was jolted by her thoughts by a rough collision with another person. She fell back to the floor, bewildered, murmuring as many apologies as she could think of while she tried to gather her things and get to her feet.

[HerWhisperIsTheLucifer]

Kyosuke Harima, the Japanese man Freya had ran into, gently picked up her things and handed them to her before helping her to her feet. "Sore wa daijobuda," he said, "It's alright. As long as you are okay." He had a thich Asian accent when he spoke English, and when he spoke Japanese there was a difference in his tone. He was laid back and almost bored sounding when he spoke his first language, but when speaking English he sounded like he was trying hard and didn't seem as uninterested. He kept a soft smile on his soft-looking lips, his caramel colored eyes understanding. He had dark brunette hair in a haircut typical for a Japanese man, not too long but not too short, and he stood at 5'9, about average for Japanese men. He wore the colors of the school, but it was obvious that he wasn't a student. He looked about twenty four years old and was attractive, according to the Japanese standards of beauty.

[Aurelia]

Freya blushed and took her things back from him nervously. "I'm fine, but... are you alright...? I hit you pretty hard, and..."

Her eyes wandered from her books up to his face, then down his lean frame, then back to his face again, all in a split second, and her cheeks flushed even more. She fidgeted uncomfortably, waiting for his response, hoping that he would be patient with her for speaking in English, and for being so out of place.

[HerWhisperIsTheLucifer]

He shook his head, smiling softly. "Do not worry, I am fine. Takes more than a little bump to take me down." He grinned softly, eyeing her. "I'm going to guess you are the new foreign student we were to be receiving...Freya Erikson, right? From the States?"

[Aurelia]

She nods shyly, smiling nervously up at him. "That's me... sorry I'm so lost... I was told I'm supposed to go to the teacher's lounge..? I'm meeting someone called Harima-sensei..."

[HerWhisperIsTheLucifer]

He grinned happily. "Well, look no further~! It's a pleasure to see you again Miss Erikson, I'm Harima Kyosuke." He bowed before holding his hand out.

[Aurelia]

She awkwardly imitated his bow before taking his hand daintily and shaking it. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Harima-sensei...... wait, did you say 'again'..? Have we met before..?"

[HerWhisperIsTheLucifer]

He chuckled. "I suppose you wouldn't remember, but I used to live in the States with my parents when I was younger. I knew you when you were a baby."

[Aurelia]

"O-oh...! I'm sorry, I don't remember..." she replied with a nervous laugh. "You'd think my parents would've mentioned something like that to me, right..?"

[HerWhisperIsTheLucifer]

"Actually, I think it may be the whole reason they had you enrolled in this school. They knew I worked here as a teacher and would make sure to take care of you."

[Aurelia]

"Really..? Well, I'm glad they thought that through, at least.... they didn't even tell me we were moving until a month ago. I barely had any time to prepare..."

[HerWhisperIsTheLucifer]

He nods. "Perhaps they didn't know. Work related moves can come pretty suddenly sometimes." He smiled. "So what does your schedule look like?"

[Aurelia]

She nodded and pulled out her binder, showing him her schedule. "I did my best to translate the names of the classes, and I got the times down, but I couldn't read the teachers' names... I think my first class is Japanese Literature, which should be... interesting, since I know about two kanji and am completely unfamiliar with the language in general..."

[HerWhisperIsTheLucifer]

He nods. "Well, your first class is with Michinaga-Sensei, who speaks English as well. I'm sure she wouldn't mind helping you."

[Aurelia]

Freya nodded hopefully and quickly wrote down Michinaga-sensei's name in romaji next to the kanji on the schedule. "Thank you so much for your help, Harima-sensei... Do you happen to know if any of my other teachers speak English, or...?"

[HerWhisperIsTheLucifer]

"Well we did our best in matching you to the English speaking teacher's, but we had to fill your schedule with the necessary classes and not every teacher speak the language. I think third and fourth period will be the hardest for you there."

[Aurelia]

"Math and physics...? I think I should be fine for those, as long as I'm allowed to use my Japanese-to-English dictionary for the assignments and tests," she replied confidently, smiling up to him.

[HerWhisperIsTheLucifer]

"You should be able to. The staff here have all been made aware of your situation." He cleared his throat. "Would you like a tour then? So you know where to go and don't have to struggle with reading the signs."

[Aurelia]

She nodded quickly. "That would be incredible. Thank you so much..!"

[HerWhisperIsTheLucifer]

"Alright, well first off the cafeteria is just down the hall." He started walking. "You can eat in the cafeteria, but the outside court yard is also open to students."

[Aurelia]

"That sounds nice... the courtyard is really lovely, from what I saw of it on the way here," she replied happily. As they walked, she tried to pay no mind to the stares she was continuing to garner, but managed to keep her head held higher because she was no longer alone. At least she had one person who was being kind to her now.

[HerWhisperIsTheLucifer]

"Lunches are usually about an hour long, so it's a perfect opportunity for you to make friends." He smiled.

[Aurelia]

"O-oh, wow, that's a really long lunch break..! I'll have to try and learn a few more common phrases to try and converse more in Japanese, too... I don't want to stress anyone out... Oh, gosh, I hope I'm able to talk to someone....."

[HerWhisperIsTheLucifer]

He smiled. "Don't worry, we offer English here as a second language, so many of the students here know at least some of it."

[Aurelia]

"That sounds promising...." she sighed in relief. "It's still unsettling to have everyone stare at me like this, though..."

[HerWhisperIsTheLucifer]

"I'm sure the states aren't bad. You have rounder eyes, and round eyes are considered very beautiful here. I'm sure everyone is admiring you." He turned the corner and smiled. "To your left is your first period class."

[Aurelia]

She blushed slightly and smiled back to him. "Thank you... I really really appreciate this.... um.... doesn't class start in a few minutes..?"

[HerWhisperIsTheLucifer]

He nods. "Yes, it does. Second period you have me for history. I'm just down the hall, alright?"

[Aurelia]

She nodded once more in response. "I'll make sure to be on time~ Thank you so much, again." She waved to him and went into the first classroom, spirits high.

[HerWhisperIsTheLucifer]

He waved back before heading to his classroom.

The female teacher smiled to Freya as she walked in, speaking to her with a thick accent. "Good morning. You must be the new student."