firefly 【kurokiba ryou | shokugeki no soma】

01; HOTARU NAKIRI

"Bye, papa," I say, solemnly.

He walks up to me and grasps me in a hug. "You don't have to go if you don't want to," he says with a sniffle.

"I want to," I let go of him and smile. "I better get going now--don't want to be late on my first day."

He nods and he gives me one more hug before I walked out of the door, holding my suitcase behind me. I gave a sigh and looked back at my home, recollecting the memories I had made here in the few moments I stared. I turned to the car, the driver opening the door for me and taking my suitcase to place in the trunk. As the car started, I leaned my head on my arm that rested right beside it.

I exhaled a deep, throaty breath. I'm not even surprised that dad didn't smile, I thought and closed my eyes in an attempt to catch some sleep for the long car ride.

•••

I snapped my eyes and jumped up at the sudden bump the car had. The driver spoke up, "Sorry, Miss Hotaru! There was a pothole."

"It's okay," I waved him off and sat back in my seat. "Are we almost there?"

"Just another turn or two and we'll be there," he announced.

I nodded, even though he couldn't see it. I slowly began to sit up in anticipation, watching as the green scenery passed by and then how there was a building, then another, and another. I beamed, excited. "Hey, driver, do you know what those buildings are?"

He look a quick glance at what I was talking about and shrugged. "They look like the dorms."

I was shaking in anticipation. The place looked so big; that means more to explore!
I'll hopefully be able to meet Erina and Alice, its been years since I've last seen them.
Oh! And Alice's aide--the guy who looks like an Uchiha.

I remember them both having cook-offs all the time. I forget his name at the moment, but I do remember little be having a cute crush on him. It was so cute, now that I think about it. Even cuter the day I first met him in Denmark with Alice.

flashback
(because I need to waste some space in this chapter)

Me and Alice walked into the empty pub. No lights were lit, the only source that allowed us to see where we were going was the sunlight through the windows. I walked behind Alice, hald my face covered by a beige scarf. I kept close to her as she stopped.

A boy stood in front of us and both he and Alice had begun a conversation. "You're not from mere," he said and Alice huffed.

"Don't be so rude!" she said, hands linked behind her back. "I have a name--I'm Alice."

He looked at me as I looked over her shoulder. "Hotaru..." I said slowly, my voice muffled by the scarf.

"Uh-huh." He turned his back and took a step away.

"You should tell me you name, too!" Alice said.

He stop and turned to us. "Ryo."

"Ryo? What's your family name?" Alice asked. I stayed quiet and observed what they were saying.

"Oh, it sounds kind of Japanese," I spoke up.

"So. You'd better have money to pay for the food," he stated.

"Of course I do," she boasted.

"How about you?" he looked at me and my cheeks went rosy.

I looked at Alice and she nodded. "I'm paying for her, too."

"That's fine, then."

Just then voices were heard outside, "Man, I'm starving," and things such as that. Customers? I thought and looked in the direction of the door. Outside the windows there were people flocking to the pub, hungry.

"The regulars are showing up," he said.

I was a bit overwhelmed at the sight of so many adults there. I was a shy girl after all. I looked back at Ryo and saw him putting on a bandanna, his facial expression changing into a somewhat crazed look. Little me blushed, he changed but he's still cute.

He's so cool!

end

And that was the day I met him. I had forgotten all about him when I went back to Japan, but a little part of me kept him at the back of my mind, along with all the other forgotten semi-important people I've met in my life.

"We're here," the driver said, parking by the front gates to the literal mountain with like seven giant building sicking out of it.

I stepped out of the car and stared in agony. "The hell? I have to climb up a mountain," I said with a sigh.

Let's just go meet Gramps, I thought and crossed my arms, giving myself a determined nod.

•••