Seat Number Zero

Part 7

"Gah!!" Yumi screamed. Loud enough to be heard by everyone on campus. 

Currently in a state of hyperventilation with one hand on her chest in an attempt to calm the shocked heart. The culprit of her near heart attack jumped down from the ceiling of her room, which almost sent her soul into the afterlife. "Isshiki?" She managed to spit out, still not recovered from her shock.

"So you passed the applicant's test, not surprising of course." He said approaching her. 

Yumi on the other hand quietly whimpered and scurried away from him, not at all trying to be discreet. Pressing her back against the head of her bed, she adverts her eyes. 

Startled by her actions not entirely sure why she is acting this way. He stepped back away from her, attempting to give her some breathing space.

When she finally relaxed a little, he tried to speak to her again. "You want dinner? I heard you didn't eat, would you like me to cook some-"

"No!" Yumi yelled hugging her knees closer to her chest, causing him to flinch at the unexpected malice in her voice.

Concerned he watched the girl in front of him wear a fear-stricken face. It caused a vague pain within him, one he does not know the origin of.

"I will cook for myself." She said quietly before rushing out of her room away from him and into the safety of the kitchen.

Watching her fleeting back, he let out a bitter smile, "I thought you told Ms. Fumio that you didn't feel like cooking today..."

*************

"Why do you refuse to eat with us in the Dining Hall." One of the dorm's residents confronted her. "What you think you're better than us, is that why? You refuse to breathe the same air as the rest of us." She only spared him a momentary glance before proceeding to walk away, which angered the other party.  

"Hey answer me." He said grabbing her shoulders.

"Do not touch me," She coldly glares at him. "How did you expect I would act around you guys? Hang out? Dine together? Pull pranks? Braid each other's hair?"

"I am here against my will, I feel trapped in this dorm. And thanks to a certain someone I feel as if my wings were cut off." 

He took a step back, stunned by the hatred in her eyes.

"I didn't come to this academy to make friends, that's why I don't speak to my peers, and why I choose to live alone." Yumi gave him one last icy glare before walking back to her room with her platter of food in hand. "Why would change that now."

Unknown to both, Isshiki was there listening to their entire conversation. He wasn't sure how he felt about the whole situation but he knew he felt a tang of guilt for making her join the Polar Star. He had no ill intentions towards her... he only hoped that socializing with the dorm members might bring life back into her eyes."

***************

In the first few days, she stocked up her mini-fridge to its full capacity and got herself an electric portable stove. With these items, Yumi was able to lock herself in her room for 3 weeks isolating herself from everyone around her. Even Fumio's threats of breaking down her door were ignored and Isshiki seems to have enough of her isolation and invaded her privacy.

"Hey, I'm coming in" He announced himself, giving her enough time to scurry around in her room. After a decent amount of time has passed he lifted one of the ceiling tiles and jumped down.

Isshiki was content to see that Yumi didn't run out of her room, but that didn't stop her from making a sloppy 2 pillow barricade on her bed. She hid behind her 'very' protective fort making every effort to avoid eye contact.

"What do you want?" She murmurs.

"If you don't want to socialize that's fine," Isshiki said while sighing. "But at the very least talk to Ms. Fumio, she's in a very foul mood because of you and she's venting her rage on the rest of us."

"I'm sorry." She apologized then looked up to properly face him. 

Tightly gripping onto her pillows for whatever protection it provides she finally voiced what she wanted to say. "Please leave."

"Why? Do you hate me or something," He doesn't understand why this girl fears him so much. "Have I done anything to make you upset?"

"No, you did nothing wrong," tears start forming in her eyes as she desperately tries to cover them.

Isshiki saw this and reached out his hand, ignoring the barricade she had set up against him. Carefully he slowly removed her hands from her face, Yumi tensed up under his touch. He gently held one side of her face, gingerly wiping away her tears with his thumb.

For a moment it seemed as if she had finally relaxed a bit, leaning further into the hands that are caressing her face, enjoying the warmth. However, this feeling didn't last long, she immediately pulled away from him and retreated further behind her pillows, turning her back towards him.

He sighs in defeat he spoke, "Come join us for dinner at the Dining Hall, there will always be a seat saved for you." Then left her room.