Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
At five in the morning, Mu Sanlu woke up.
He had a habit, formed when he was very young, of waking up early every day to exercise with his grandfather, who had been a soldier. After his grandfather passed away, he went to live with his aunt's family. His aunt and uncle had met through boxing, and whenever he had free time, he would always pester them to teach him.
Mu Sanlu's father and mother were both special operatives; practically from the moment he was born, he had scarcely ever laid eyes on them.
Mu Sanlu knew they kept their distance entirely for his own safety, and he never resented them for it. He had always been proud of them—even though he couldn't share their surname, even though children his age could grow up constantly by their parents' sides, and even though he sometimes faced the sneers and taunts of his classmates.
None of that mattered.
Mu Sanlu changed into the uniform of Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High School.
Even if occasionally, just occasionally, he shed tears of longing, he still felt no hatred. He only felt worry. Every time he saw news reports about uncles and aunts in the same profession as his parents dying, his heart felt as though it were being squeezed by a giant hand. He was truly terrified—terrified of hearing any news from them, yet at the same time, truly yearning for it.
Even if, even if it was just knowing what they had eaten for lunch today, he wanted to know.
Mu Sanlu sat on the shoe rack at the entryway, tying his shoelaces.
"I hate goodbyes the most," Mu Sanlu thought. A long, long time ago, that was how he had watched his father leave, and then his mother.
Whenever he recalled their retreating figures, Mu Sanlu felt a sadness that made him want to weep.
Back then, he was still young—at an age before he could properly form memories. Even his grandfather had been baffled as to how Mu Sanlu managed to remember it all.
Yet remember it he did, and he could never forget it again. In the dead of night, waking from dreams, the pain still felt unbearable.
Mu Sanlu pulled the door open.
He had called the taxi driver in advance, and right now, the driver was waiting for him outside his door.
"Sorry to trouble you," Mu Sanlu said.
"It's no trouble. You're not a local, are you?" the driver asked.
"Yeah, I'm a student from Huaxia," Mu Sanlu replied.
"Hahaha! I could tell from your face you didn't look Japanese," the driver laughed and nodded.
Mu Sanlu propped his cheek in his hand and forced a fake smile.
It's a good thing he didn't assume I was Japanese; otherwise, I probably wouldn't have been able to resist punching him.
Even though the motherland in this world was immensely powerful, Mu Sanlu wasn't from this world. He could never forget the wounds suffered by the motherland in his own.
His mood instantly worsened.
Mu Sanlu continued to fake a smile.
"Here we are, guest," the driver slammed on the brakes, and once the car came to a complete stop, he turned his head to say.
"Thanks," Mu Sanlu nodded, unbuckling his seatbelt and getting out of the car.
He had already paid the fare in advance, so he could just walk away now.
After getting out of the car, Mu Sanlu raised his head. Standing right in front of him was a sturdy-looking middle-aged man in a black suit.
He doesn't look like an upstanding citizen.
Mu Sanlu walked over toward the man.
"Hello, I am Mu Sanlu. Are you Teacher Yaga?"
"It's me," the man identified as Teacher Yaga nodded.
He lowered his head slightly to look the exchange student over.
"I'm sorry, Teacher Yaga," Mu Sanlu bowed.
"Am I late?"
You couldn't really blame him for thinking that; this teacher looked like he had been waiting for quite a while, and moreover, he seemed displeased.
"No," Masamichi Yaga finished his assessment. The student looked quite well-behaved, and his expression softened slightly.
"You're the earliest one to arrive," Masamichi Yaga explained.
"Oh, okay." Hearing him say that, Mu Sanlu breathed a sigh of relief.
Well, it was only seven in the morning, after all.
He had thought his classmates would turn out to be a bunch of eager, model students.
That really gave him a scare.
"Here is a school map. Go get your things settled first and take a rest," Masamichi Yaga handed him a map.
Mu Sanlu accepted the map but didn't leave.
"My luggage isn't much. Let me stay and keep you company," he said.
In his world, there was simply no such thing as letting a teacher stand alone in the sun waiting, let alone when the teacher looked like he had been waiting for ages.
"Alright," Masamichi Yaga's expression softened even further.
This student wasn't bad. Not only did he look obedient and sensible, but he was actually thoughtful in practice too.
It made for a pretty good start to the day.
As for the other three students—not to mention Satoru Gojo—it would be great if the other two could be just as well-behaved.
They didn't have to wait long before the second student arrived at the destination.
"Teacher, I'm Suguru Geto."
The newcomer wore his hair tied up in a bun, his narrow, fox-like eyes half-curved, and a smile resting at the corners of his mouth.
"Mm, hello," Masamichi Yaga nodded, pointing at Mu Sanlu standing behind him to introduce him to Suguru Geto: "This is Mu Sanlu, one of your classmates."
"Hello, classmate Suguru, my name is Mu Sanlu." Mu Sanlu curved his lips and extended his right hand.
"Hello, classmate Mu, I am Suguru Geto." Suguru Geto shook his hand and returned the smile.
"Ah..." Hearing Suguru Geto's form of address, Mu Sanlu was momentarily stunned.
"What's wrong?" Suguru Geto asked.
"Would classmate Suguru mind calling me Lu instead? I am from Huaxia, and my surname is just Mu," Mu Sanlu explained.
"Alright," Suguru Geto smiled.
"Since that's the case, Lu, you might as well just call me 'Geto'. I don't mind at all."
"Okay," Mu Sanlu nodded.
Seeing that they had finished talking, Masamichi Yaga reached out and handed Suguru Geto a map.
"Go get your luggage settled and take a rest first."
"There's no need, Teacher," Suguru Geto accepted the map and shook his head.
Lu had arrived earlier than him, and yet he was still standing here with his backpack on; that could only mean he had chosen to stay and keep the teacher company. He himself was too lazy to go figure out the layout just yet, so he might as well stay and help wait for the remaining classmates.
It was also a good chance to get to know each other.