A/N: This story will be told as realistic as possible. Translation notes at the bottom.

A/N: Please stop it with the spam reviews. I keep getting notifications on my phone about getting my characters to fornicate or how it feels really good to push a shit up your ass. It is disgusting and un-fucking-holy.

First Day of School

The car ride from the airport was a pretty long one. It was good though because it gave me time to look through my books about Japanese culture and traditions and basically how to act in this strange new world. Well, it was a new world for me anyways.

I looked back again at my new school ID. It said my surname first and given name after. They have even written it in a Japanese translation. I read the name to myself. "Lee Sawyer."

I guess I should introduce myself since you are going to be spending a lot of time with me. Hi, my name is Sawyer Lee. I was supposed to go into my senior year back home in Hawaii, but I was part of this program at my school called the Global Degree programme, which really focuses on preparing their students to be a diligent member of society by indulging them in many aspects of society.

I guess you can call me serious about school and this program even if it is a massive pain. Because of my seriousness, my school asked me and four other people to be a part of this foreign exchange program. The good news was that I get to skip my exams for junior year because of doing this exchange program. The bad news was that I had to go start in April and skip summer vacation. Might as well do it, get it over with. Part of the reason why I said yes is because of my small otaku nature... Okay, I guess it ain't that small.

I spent my entire junior year staying after school to learn Japanese stuff, including the language. That, along with my anime, actually help me hold a decent conversation in Japanese. But, I can't speak as fast as some of those guys talk. Hell, I can't even speak English that fast myself. I just know enough so that I don't make a total fool out of myself.

The cab stopped right in front of a two-story gray house. Identical houses line the road. This house had a small sakura tree in the front yard, as well as a short wall. A white fence gate sat in the middle of the stone wall, with a brick pathway leading up to the door of the house. It was almost night when I got there, so the sun was setting and the town was getting a little darker except for the street lights and the light inside the houses illuminating the street. "We're here," announced the driver.

I opened the door and stepped out. I thanked the driver again in Japanese and stretched my arms out. The door to the house opened. Out of it stepped out a couple. The man was a little taller than his wife. Both of them wore jeans and jerseys and had black hair. I bowed to my waist as a show of respect. These Japanese really love that stuff.

I stood back up. The couple started walking to the cab. They stopped when they got to the little door at the gate. They were about as tall as me. "Hello, you must be Lee-san," said the man, "My name is Kobayashi Aiko. This is my wife Sena."

"Hello, Mister and Misses Kobayashi. Nice to meet you. I guess you know that my name is Sawyer Lee. You can call me Sawyer." I went forward and shook their hands.

"It is nice to have you here, Sawyer. I hope we can make you feel right at home," Ms. Kobayashi said as she smiled.

"It's a pleasure to be here. Thank you for letting me stay in your wonderful home as I take my last year here." I stepped away from the gate. "I should unload my stuff right now."

"Oh, let us help you with that." Mr. Kobayashi unlatched the gate, which swung open. We made our way to the trunk of the cab and opened it. The two took my two big and black suitcases while I grabbed a beat up Army messenger bag and a black Nike duffel bag. I took care of my messenger bag because it had my gaming laptop in it. If I am to be going to school here for a year, might as well bring some entertainment for me.

I paid the driver the fare in Yen and then followed the couple dragging my suitcases to the Kobayashi household. I stopped at the gate because I could've sworn I was being watched. I looked around but found nothing. I shrugged and started following the couple again. I looked to the house to my left and caught a glimpse of the second story window.

I could've sworn I saw the curtains rustle... as if someone was watching me.

The room they gave me was a pretty nice bedroom. There was a small bed in the corner with blue blankets and comforters. There was a wooden desk that had a pencil caddy and a lamp. It was perfect for working and lazing around. The closet was large enough to hold all of my clothes. Other than that, nothing else. I like it like that, though. It helps me clear my mind.

As the Kobayashi couple was eating dinner downstairs, I was still tired and jetlagged from the flight. I asked if I can go to sleep early because of said flight and they let me. I thanked them again for their hospitality and said goodnight before getting ready for bed. Before I turn in, though, I might as well check my computer. I opened it up and accessed my Skype to see if my family called or anything. They didn't, but I figured they were already asleep. I typed in a little report and climbed into bed.

The next day

I woke up to the sun beaming down onto my face from the window. The bright yellow light was peering into my eyes as if it was beckoning me to stand up and go outside. To be honest, I would like to just explore this town for a while.

It was Sunday today. Tomorrow was supposed to be my first day to school. Today, though, I was supposed to get my uniform and then go down to the school for an orientation meeting with the rest of the foreign exchange students. I climbed out of bed and put on a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt. I went to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, washed my face, yadda yadda yadda.

The Kobayashi couple was already up by the time I descended the stairs. Ms. Kobayashi was just watching the news on the couch while Mr. Kobayashi was cooking breakfast. Nothing special. My nose just compelled me to go to the kitchen and eat whatever Mr. Kobayashi was cooking, but I figured that was rude, even in American standards. I just went to the living room.

The living room did not have a lot of decorations as a normal house would have. The decor was pretty sparse, no pictures and vases with flowers. There was pretty much nothing except for a TV, a coffee table, and a couple of couches.

"Oh, Sawyer! Good morning! Didja sleep well?" Ms. Kobayashi asked as she picked up a green mug and sipped coffee from it. She patted the other couch that sat adjacent to her couch, suggesting that I sit down.

"Yes, ma'am. Slept like a log. Gotta tell you though, jetlag can really mess with your head," I said. I pointed at the couch she was motioning to. "May I?" I asked.

"Sure! Go right ahead," Ms. Kobayashi said as she placed down her mug back onto the coffee table. I sat down onto the plush blue couch.

"Mornin' Sawyer! Just cooking some bacon, eggs, and bread!" exclaimed Mr. Kobayashi from the kitchen, "I would cook something Japanese, but we're running kinda late!"

"Not a problem!" I exclaimed back.

"My, you sure got yourself quite comfortable already," Ms. Kobayashi commented.

Oh crap, they probably think that's rude! "Oh, sorry about that," I apologized.

"No need! We want you to be as comfortable as you can since you are going to be here for a while. As long as you are as polite as you are right now."

"Thank you again for letting me stay here. I hope that I do not bring you guys trouble."

"Breakfast is ready!" Mr. Kobayashi called. He set three plates of food down onto the table. We took our seats, with the couple sitting across from me.

The couple had placed their hands together as if they were praying and then said "Itadakimasu", which is basically giving thanks. I proceeded to do the same thing.

I had a couple of strips of bacon and a couple of Shokupan toast with jam, just like the couple. Shokupan was a type of sweet Japanese bread that basically is like their version of fluffy pancakes. I also had a bowl of rice with a raw egg yolk on top.

"Usually, us Japanese would not make such big meals. We would just focus on making a nutritional and balanced breakfast. But since this is the first meal you are sharing with us, might as well make it a good one. So dig in, Sawyer!" Mr. Kobayashi exclaimed.

I picked up one of the slices with jam and bit into it. It tasted like a buttery pancake, with a satisfying crunch at the end. It tasted really sweet as if someone had put sugar directly into the bread.

Swallowing my bite, I exclaimed, "This is really good!"

"I'm glad you like it. Now, we gotta hurry if we are gonna get to the orientation on time," Mr. Kobayashi commanded.

"Yes, sir!"

The meeting was pretty boring. The only thing that I learned from that meeting was how to navigate the halls and where to do what when. It wasn't much, almost fell asleep. I also got my uniform, which was a white buttoned down shirt, an orange vest, a red tie, and a gray suit with matching gray pants.

When I got to the Kobayashi household, I was tired. I was sitting in the back seat of the car, struggling to stay awake. I wonder who I'll meet on the first day tomorrow.

The car pulled up to the driveway of the house. Everyone stepped out of the car. I yawned and Ms. Kobayashi stretched out her arms.

"Hooh! That was a long day. I'm gonna go in to take a shower," Ms. Kobayashi said as she started walking towards the house. Mr. Kobayashi, on the other hand, was rummaging through the trunk of the car.

"I'll just stay out here and just take in the fresh air," I said as I leaned against the car. Mr. Kobayashi closed the trunk and stood right next to me.

"Hey, Sawyer. Did you notice this morning that there weren't many decorations in the house?" asked Mr. Kobayashi, who crossed his arms.

"Yeah. I did," I responded. I took a deep breath and put my arm on the car roof.

"The reason why we don't have much in our house is that we just moved in a couple of months ago. I moved because work wanted me to. This is a nice neighborhood, but rumor has it that this house is unlucky. The first family lived here. Apparently, though, a lot of stuff was happening for their child who was in high school. One day, out of the blue, they packed up and left. No one knows why. It's weird if you think about it. You know, we haven't been getting anything abnormal lately."

"That sounds pretty spooky," I told Mr. Kobayashi. Packed up and skipped town one day? Maybe the kid was going through something at school? Hell, I knew someone who had to move because they were having a hard time at school.

"Us Japanese are really superstitious. We really believe that this house is unlucky. It may not be so unlucky to us, but the stuff that was happening was because of people at school. Just... watch out. Don't do anything stupid while you're here."

"Yes, sir," I responded. Always heed the old man's warnings. Just like in video games.

"I'm gonna go back inside. Gotta freshen up." Mr. Kobayashi walked to the door and entered his home.

Huh. Of course, I'm not gonna do something stupid... Right?

I looked around the neighborhood. The row of houses lined the small two-lane street. The afternoon sun turned the sky a brilliant orange and yellow. The smell of cherry blossoms filled the air. I looked at the house next to mine. There was a pair of eyes facing back at me from the second story window. The girl had short, peach colored hair, although that probably was just from the afternoon sun. There was a flash of red somewhere when she moved her head. That was all I saw before the girl closed the window curtains.

I shrugged and went back inside the house to get ready for school tomorrow.

Monday

The alarm clock on my phone rang loudly. I opened an eye and groaned. "Ugh, five more minutes please." I guided my hand to my phone. It seemed like my arm could barely lift itself.

The beeping had gotten to my head, clouding my thoughts. "Ok!" I exclaimed to no one in particular, "I'm up! I'm up!"

I turned off my phone and groggily padded to the bathroom to get ready for school. Today seems like the perfect day to sleep in. Why did I agree on coming here?

I turned the knob on my room and stepped out. I look at the end of the hall and I saw Ms. Kobayashi watering some tulips in a vase. "Hey, Sawyer! Ready for your first day of school?" she asked excitedly.

"I'm still kind of tired, but I am ready to take on the day," I smirked and pumped a triumphant fist up in the air.

"That's the spirit!" Ms. Kobayashi snapped her fingers and swung her arm. "Go get dressed and make yourself look presentable. Aiko is making breakfast downstairs."

"Yes, ma'am!" I turned around and headed for the bathroom.

"Remember to make a good first impression on that school! You are representing your home country!" Ms. Kobayashi called out to me.

I went to the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. My blond hair was all messy. That was my first part of my routine. I combed my hair and parted it to the right. I used some gel that I brought so that I can keep that hairstyle for the day. My blue eyes matched my yellow hair. Can't do anything about my eyes anyway.

I brushed my teeth and got dressed. Back in my room, I tried to adjust my tie. Well, more like it was me fumbling with it. I never wear ties, so I don't know how to use it. "Get in there you piece of ribbon!" I exclaimed at the tie. I got pretty pissed at the tie and gave up. I'll just ask Mr. Kobayashi to teach me how to tie this thing later.

I placed the tie onto my bed and left the room to eat. It was also a little too hot to wear a vest, so I just didn't wear it. Those guys at school aren't complete uniform neat freaks, right?

I went downstairs and went to the dining table, where the food was already cooked and ready to eat. Today, it was a lot of Japanese foods, such as miso shiru and natto. Might as well try something new for a change.

"Mornin' Sawyer. Go ahead and sit down already, I'll be there in a few." Mr. Kobayashi was still tidying up the kitchen. Ms. Kobayashi approached the chair opposite of mine and sat down as well.

"What is your plan for today?" asked Ms. Kobayashi. She picked up her metal chopsticks and examined them.

"Um, I don't know. You guys don't have to bring me to school. I'm just gonna walk, enjoy the scenery and the smell of cherry blossoms," I said. Besides, the school isn't that far from the Kobayashi household.

"Mmhm? Anything else?" asked Ms. Kobayashi. She put down the chopsticks and folded her hands, resting them on the table.

"Uh, oh right! I almost forgot. I have to stay after school for the first-day meeting. I'll probably come home in time for dinner by then."

"That's not a problem. Just be safe."

Mr. Kobayashi took the last chair and sat down, rubbing his hands together. "Let's eat?" he asked.

"Let's," Ms. Kobayashi picked up her chopsticks and started eating. I picked up mine and tried to pick up some food.

"Sawyer, I packed you a bento box for lunch. Good luck on your first day," Mr. Kobayashi had told me. What's a bento box, you may ask? It's basically a box with food crammed in it. It's a Japanese Lunchables package... Wait, Lunchables packages are bento boxes sold in America.

"That sounds neat. I never had a bento box," I said as I put another serving of food in my mouth.

I checked the time and saw that it was eight o'clock. School starts at eight thirty in Japan, but I gotta get there early to at least meet up with some of the exchange students.

"Well, I'm sorry to be leaving you this early, but I have to get to school early today. Please excuse me, sir," I politely sat up from my chair and pushed the seat into the table.

"Alright! Good luck!" exclaimed Ms. Kobayashi.

"Yeah! We'll see you later!" exclaimed Mr. Kobayashi right after.

I went back up to my room to grab my messenger bag and went back downstairs. I waved goodbye to the Kobayashi couple and left the house.

I turned left and walked down the road. There were some more students walking with me, wearing the same attire as me. They looked at me and pointed. Already, the first day at school and I'm already bringing attention towards myself.

I turned the corner a couple of blocks later and walked in that direction. I was enjoying the peace and serenity of the morning cherry blossoms until...

"Heeeey! Wait for me!" a voice shrieked out behind me. I turned around and see a girl running towards me from the distance, waving her arms in the air like she's totally oblivious to any attention she might draw to herself.

I pointed at myself and asked, "Me?" She was approaching me at the velocity of a freaking cheetah. I don't even know if she even plans on stopping. My eyes widened in shock, but I didn't even move an inch. It just... kind of happened.

"Oof!" I grunted as this chick's body crashed into my chest. I felt myself fall back onto the hard asphalt. My back hit the pavement harder than a wrecking ball knocking down a wall.

Opening my eyes, I saw that girl from the window. Upon closer inspection, her hair was really coral pink. That was probably not a real hair color, but this girl has it. Her short hair was adorned with a cute little red bow. Her sky blue eyes matched mine. She also wore the same school uniform, except without a tie and she was wearing a blue skirt. She also wore white knee highs.

Wait, wait, wait. She's on top of me. And there are people looking at us. What should I say? What should I say? "Um," I managed to say. I could already feel the blood rush into my cheeks. To be honest, though, I was fine with a girl on top of me, but I wasn't fine with doing it in public.

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" she pretty much yelled as she scrambled to stand up on her two legs. She started bowing apologetically from the waist.

I, on the other hand, did not move a muscle. I was completely dumbfounded. I did not know what to do when some energetic-ass girl tackles you from out of nowhere. What was I supposed to say? Also, this feels like a real clique from an anime. God, is this how my time here will be like?

"I- uh, I don't think you're supposed to tackle random people," I said. She probably wasn't listening to me though because she kept bowing and apologizing for the gazillionth time. How big of a freaking airhead is this girl?

After five minutes of frantically trying to calm her down, we introduced ourselves.

"I'm sorry, can we just start over?" the girl asked.

"Yeah. I'll forget this ever happened. Hi, my name is Lee Sawyer." I held out my hand to offer her a handshake.

"Hello Sawyer-san, I'm Ono Sayori. I live in the house next to yours." She took my hand and shook it.

"Nice to meet you, Ono-san." I withdrew my hand from her grip and let my arm dangle down.

"Nice to meet you too, Lee-san!" Sayori enthusiastically exclaimed. Oh. I think she's one of those Genki girls. Those types of girls are the excited and energetic kind, always jumping off of the walls. Remember not to feed her any sugar.

"Shall we get going? I don't think either of us wants to be late for school," I said. Ono-san and I started walking down the road on the way to school. We made some small talk while walking, with her talking about the school and what activities you can do in the city.

We kept talking for five minutes, just getting to know each other for a little bit. Then I asked a question.

"I got a question," I said.

"Yes? What is it?" Ono-san replied. She looked up at me with those brilliant blue eyes and a small smile.

"I hear that the house I'm staying at is unlucky. Something about the former family skipping town out of the blue. Do you know anything about that?"

Ono-san stayed silent. She just looked down, as if she was longing something dear to her that she lost. She dropped the Genki act and just started sulking. Oh dear, did I say something wrong?

"I-it's okay if you don't wanna answer. You don't have to anyway," I tried to salvage what was left of the conversation. This is my first friend coming here. Don't ruin it, please.

"I-it doesn't matter anyway." Ono-san brushed a hair that was getting into her eye then tried to pick up the Deredere gig as quickly as possible.

"It's all just silly superstitions that people have made up!" she grinned from ear to ear. She flapped her hand as if she was fanning the mere thought of it away. It looked like she was trying to avoid the subject entirely. I guess it's not a good idea to be talking about that topic since we just met, so I dropped it.

As I approached the school, there were already a number of students there, waiting for class to start. I entered with Ono-san by my side. I don't know why, but it already seemed like we were some couple. There were some people pointing and whispering among their peers. It was either because I was another exchange student, or if it was because of us entering the school gates together. Oh God, I am already attracting attention to myself.

Deep breaths. Breathe in for four seconds, hold for seven seconds, release for eight. Repeat. I tried to calm myself. I am not exactly good with attention. I was that quiet kid reading manga and light novels in the corner of the classroom. Basically being your weeb with little friends. Hell, I could fit all of my close friends on my bike, so I don't think that I was popular.

Now, I was the new foreigner in this new world. Fear finally began settling in, derailing my train of thought.

Ono-san must've noticed that I was panicking on the inside and rushed in to try to help calm my frayed nerves. "Hey, Lee-san, I know you're nervous, but don't lose your cool just yet. Please. For my sake."

"Oh, please! As if!" I tried to cooly say but ended up sounding like a psychotic robot. I even started laughing like a mental dude as my eyes widened trying to gather my wits.

Ono-san led me to the office, where I was supposed to meet up with the other exchange students. The bell rang and she had to go to her homeroom, so she left me with the rest of the exchange students.

After a few minutes of a quick debrief of the day, one of the staff led me to my supposed homeroom. She grabbed the handle of the door and slid it open. They don't have sliding doors in America.

"Class, we have an exchange student with us today! Please be kind to him!" exclaimed the teacher. I entered and faced the students, who were wearing the same uniform as I was.

I bowed down and said, "Hello, my name is Lee Sawyer. I come from my home state of Hawaii from the United States. Pleased to be here."

The teacher approached me, saying, "Go ahead and sit down at that empty seat." She pointed at a seat that was nearby the window. Hey! I got a seat with a view!

All of the student's eyes were on me, but as cool as I can, I walked over to that empty desk and sat down. I smiled and nodded at the other students who were waving at me. In the column that I sat in was full of boys. The column to my right sat the girls, then to boys, then the girls, etc.

Speaking of, when the teacher started talking, everyone looked forward, ready to start the day's learning.

All except one student.

The girl right next to me on the right kept staring at me. She, to be honest, was very beautiful. She, of course, wore the gray blazer uniform like Ono-san. She wore black thigh highs instead of white knee highs. Well, you know what they say, thick thighs save lives, but thigh highs are my demise. She also wore pink and white uwabaki slippers.

The girl had eyes as green as emerald. Her long brown hair was tied back in a ponytail, with a big white ribbon holding the hairstyle.

"H-hi," I stammered.

"Hello, Lee-san," the girl replied, "I hope you'll love it here."

"I really do hope so. Otherwise, I would've wasted all that money," I smiled.

The girl laughed. "Ha ha! In this case, you'll love it even more if you join a club here," she told me.

"Alright. I'll think about it!" I exclaimed quietly, as so I wouldn't disrupt the class.

"I am the president of one small club. Would you like to join?" she asked, propping up her elbows so she can rest her chin on her folded hands.

"I guess I'll check it out!" I responded.

"Great!" The girl started going through some of the papers on her desk.

"Oh, by the way, I didn't catch your name," I said.

"Ah, ok. My name is Takeuchi Monika," the girl replied.

Takeuchi is her family name and Monika is her given name.

"Nice to meet you, Takeuchi-san," I said.

"Likewise," she replied, grinning.

"Wait, your given name is Monika, right? Like as in the English name Monika?" I asked. I had asked her because her name was from a game I play. That character was Monika "IQ" Weiss from Rainbow Six Siege. I was just trying to make the connection to a video game. I don't know why I was doing that, but I don't make sense in the morning anyway.

Takeuchi-san smiled. "Yup. That's me. Just Monika."

Honorifics: (Underlined honorifics are the ones used in current chapter)

-san: Most common, it is an all-purpose suffix that can be used in any situation where politeness is expected. Basically the titles Mr. Ms. etc.

-sama: This suffix is one level higher than "-san" and is used to confer great respect.

-kun: This suffix is commonly used at the end of boys' names to express endearment.

-chan: Feminine version of -kun.

Senpai: Superior/Upperclassmen.

Sensei: Master.

Translation notes:

1. In Japan, the family/surname (or last name) is said first, followed by the given name (or first name).

2. The Japanese love their respect and politeness.

3. Itadakimasu is said to give thanks for the food.

4. Shokupan is a fluffy Japanese bread.

5. Miso Shiru is a traditional Japanese soup consisting of a stock called "dashi" into which softened miso paste is mixed, Natto is a traditional Japanese food made from soybeans fermented with Bacillus subtilis var. natto.

6. Bento boxes are lunch boxes with food stuffed inside them.

7. Uwabaki slippers are a type of slippers meant to be worn inside buildings such as home, school, work, or any other building that does not allow the use of street shoes.

A/N: Hello reader. Thank you for reading the first chapter of my DDLC fanfic.

As you saw above, if there is anything that is not practiced in any country outside of Japan, or if there is a word that is in Japanese, I would put translation notes at the end to help you understand what is going on.

As for the news, if you have been reading my other stories, they are still being written. I might have to put one on hold for a bit because I want to work on this one for now. This is also my first non-military (except for that Army bag that Sawyer carries, more about that in later chapters) and PTSD-themed story.

As you also can see, first names and last names are reversed for the sake of realism. People are most likely being referred to by their last names, at least for the first few chapters. Also, there's the honorifics part, which is from Japan. That is also for the sake of realism. Sayori will be referred to as Ono-san until further notice, etc. The exception is Mr. and Ms. Kobayashi so that you guys can understand who's who.

Speaking of names, I will explain Monika's name because no one will most likely get it. Monika's name Monika Takeuchi is a reference to the Japanese music producer and pianist Marika Takeuchi.

Anyhoo, this author's note is long as hell, but I had to get all that stuff out of the way. Again, thanks for reading!