After the orientation, Miyuki and I attended our classes for the day, and when the school day was over, we headed towards the Science Club Room, where we would hang out until the club period was over and students could head home.

I followed behind her, entering the club room, and threw myself into a chair while doing the same for my bag. On the other hand, Miyuki began to tinker with the strange test tubes she fixed in a contraption that I decided I wouldn't question, fearing an overbearing explanation that I wouldn't understand a single sentence of.

"So Arata, how are you feeling?" She asked without taking her focus off her lab.

"Huh, I feel fine. Why do you ask? "

"Oh, no reason."

"You know Miyuki, I've been ignoring it, but you've been staring at me all day," I sparked up from my seat. "Could it be? That you've seen how I've matured since middle school and you've fallen in love with me!? "

"Hmm, maybe." She nonchalantly responded.

"Im... I'm flattered, Miyuki. Gosh, I don't know what to say. "

"Then don't say anything."

"You're not making this fun, you know...."

She paused from her experiment and sat in the chair across from me, peering her grey eyes into mine, causing me to jerk back in surprise.

"Could it be? M-My first kiss?! "

I excitedly closed my eyes and puckered my lips, expecting pure bliss to happen within the next few seconds, but I stopped and opened them back up when Miyuki called out my name.

"Arata, are you sure you aren't feeling weird or anything?"

"What?" I asked, my lips still in prime position for a smooch.

"You don't feel nauseous or anything of the sort?"

"Miyuki, don't tease me like that." I sighed as I dejectedly slumped back into my chair. "I feel normal. I'm not sick or anything. Why do you keep asking? "

"I guess it was a dud then. Don't worry about it. "

"Worry about what? Actually, never mind, don't answer that. I feel like if you told me, something bad would happen right after. "

The door of the club room unexpectedly slid open, revealing someone else I knew from my middle school days: my best friend Hibiki.

"Yo." He greeted us with a raised hand as he plopped down in the seat next to mine.

"Hibiki? What are you doing here? " I asked. "You weren't even in school today."

"Crazy story, man, you wouldn't believe it."

"We might as well hear it," Miyuki said. "Not like we were doing anything anyway."

"I wouldn't say that, Miyuki," I said as I fiddled with my thumbs. "We were about to have our first."

"Our first what?"

"You're going to make me say it?!"

"Anyways," Hibiki started. “I was binging the whole season of a show and ended up falling asleep late, and I missed today. Crazy right? "

"No." Miyuki and I responded at the same time. "Just stupid."

"Well, at least you managed to find your way to school." Miyuki praised.

"Oh yeah, I guess that is an improvement. Great stuff, Hibiki. "

 "Just how dumb do you guys take me for?  Well, anyways, " He threw his arm around my shoulder and smirked. "The gang's all back together, huh?"

"I guess it is." Miyuki acknowledged.

I stood up from my chair and made a fist, raising it to the ceiling. "Things won't be like middle school, I'm sure of it. I've come too far for a repeat of the last three years to happen."

"Same here," Hibiki agreed as he stood up next time, beaming with the same determination. "I even got a buzzcut and changed what shampoo I used. It's all about the little things. We were pretty popular too in middle school, wouldn't you say, Miyuki? We even had our own group name. "

"I believe the word you're looking for is infamous." Miyuki corrected. "And "The Loser Bunch" isn't exactly a name to be proud of."

"Well, I took pride in it."

"Because you're you."

"Anyway," I chimed in. "This is the start of our high school lives and I am not letting anything get in my way. Hell, I even joined a regular club like the Science Club just to not stand out. Being a member of the Gaming and Anime Club all my years of middle school was a costly mistake."

"Well, if you guys are going to be a part of my "normal" club, I expect you guys to help me with my "normal" experiments. Now grab a coat and goggles and follow me. "

"Your experiments are anything but normal." Hibiki and I both groaned as we reluctantly obeyed her command.

A few scientific mess-ups and some miniature explosions later, the day was over and we all headed home. On the way home, I felt a little queasy, but I waved it off and didn't let it overshadow my huge success on my first day. I even got back at my annoying brat of a sister for her earlier stunt by slipping some hot sauce into her juice at dinner. I thoroughly enjoyed her face turning red and her spitting it out, though I'm sure I was going to pay for it later.

After some late-night show watching,  I hopped into bed with a prideful smile on my face.

"Ah, Arata, you've outdone yourself today. "

"Thanks me, all in a day's work of normal high school life."

"Keep it up and maybe you'll be talking to a girl next time instead of yourself! "

"Odd words of encouragement, but I'll take it." I muttered as I closed my eyes and went to sleep. Looking back at it, if I knew what was in store for me the next morning, I would've cherished that sleep to the best of my ability.

-----------------

I woke up the next morning to the sound of my alarm clock that I had little sister proofed by hot gluing the battery casing to the device. That brat wouldn't be one-upping me that way ever again. 

It was early morning; five forty-five to be precise. In addition to other various activities I had brainstormed before school started that would help me achieve normality, an early morning run was included in the agenda, so today was the first day of trying it out. I slowly climbed out of bed and was about to grab some jogging clothes when I noticed something extremely odd. When I walked past the mirror, there was the unthinkable reflected in it. A girl had somehow gotten into my room.

"What the hell!" I quickly turned around, expecting to be ambushed by her, but when I did, there was no one there. "Where did she...." I turned back around and there she was again. "No, no, ,no, this isn't happening." But it was. I raised my right hand, and the girl in the mirror did the same. I then raised my left. Same result. In silence, I slowly walked back to my bed and sat on the edge, motionless, debating a thought in my head.

"..........-"

After a few moments went by, I returned to the mirror, holding my hands square in front of my chest area, my shirt being stretched by two C-sized.....no-D-sized obstacles. I grabbed them tightly, eliciting a cute-sounding yelp.

"This is ..."

I gulped as I cautiously lowered my hands towards the opening in my boxers, feeling nothing but a void. A void that I didn't dare trespass any further.

"This is ..."

I slowly cleared the messy brown hair that partially covered my vision and revealed the face of the cutest girl I've ever seen in my life. And that girl was me.

“This is Miyuki's fault!!!"

Without hesitation, I slipped on my uniform, charged down the stairs, and out of the house screaming. 

"What the hell happened?" I yelled in a rage at the early morning sky. I wasted no time getting to the school, whose doors were open for early club activities. I ran up the stairs and through the hallway, zipping past the other students who had arrived early. In a dash, I opened the Science Club room door and violently slid it shut. I turned around and saw Miyuki, who looked confused as ever.

"Can I help you?" 

"Miyuki, what have you done!?" I cried out as I marched toward her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Look at me!"

"What have I done? What do you mean? Do I know you? "

Devasted I fell to my knees, letting the tears roll down my face without resistance. 

"It's me." I sobbed, "Arata."

Miyuki paused and just stared at me for a while, before turning around and trying to muffle a clearly audible chuckle.

"Are you laughing at me?" I whined as I stood up and stomped my feet in anger. Moments after realizing the girly mannerism I had just naturally performed, I fell back to my knees and buried my face in my hands. 

"Everything's going to be okay......Akari." She turned her back and started to laugh, not trying to hide it this time.

"It's not funny!"

"Sorry, Akari." Miyuki apologized while wiping tears from her eyes. "I guess it wasn't a dud after all."

"So this is your fault! I can't believe you! Making me drink that, that...." I uncontrollably started to wail again.

"Now, now, Akari, why don't you just grab a chair and relax, and let me figure this thing out. I'm sure we can fix you. "

"Really?" I asked, wiping the tears from my eyes.

"Really. But let's get you cleaned up first. "

"Okay.......but stop calling me Akari."

And thus marked the second day of my high school career, while at the same time, marking the first day of my life's craziest journey yet.