The Mentor Programme [Closed/R/Erich]

Tokyo University.

Considered the most prestigious university in all of Japan and all of Asia to boot. Somehow, someway, and likely through a little coercion the young Quincy man had gotten himself enrolled there. Now he was in his second year there as a sophomore at the Komaba campus; the campus where all students were required to spend their first two years. The studies were general and it was during this time that they were prepared to choose what their graduate studies would be, which would determine where they would go to school for the rest of their time with the University. Erich longed after the Law and Politics program as offered by the University. A lawyer one day—or perhaps go after politics right away? There were so many options and this is what excited Erich most about University life. Anything and everything he could want to try was at his fingers. He just had to reached out and grab it.

One such thing was the mentor program as offered by the University. Here they would take some of their finest sophomore students of the Junior Division and send them to area High Schools with high numbers of interested Tokyo University attendees. Here he would offer to setup individual appointments with the students to answer their questions about what the first year and some would be like at Todai. Already Erich had visited a number of schools today, about two others, and it had brought him near the end of the school day. He had been instructed to drop by a couple of classrooms at Tokyo Metropolitan High and address some classes that had interested students. Whoever decided these kids were interested is an ass. Erich decided for her had gotten nothing less than empty, albeit polite attention. No one there really cared about a thing he had to say. Either they thought they had it all figured out or were not truly interested at all.

“Hopefully these little brats will get it in gear.” Erich mumbled as his hand gripped the handle and turned. Immediately his more plain expression shifted to a rather upbeat one—one thing that was true was that he did enjoy the mentor role among people who wished to go to the college he sought. A few steps took him in front of the classroom with a friendly, sincere smile, a wave, and a common “Good evening.”. Erich then exchanged greetings with the professor of the class and shook his hand before he turned back around and let his eyes gaze over the classroom before him.

Just a bunch of normal Japanese kids.

For some reason Erich had thought that he would actually run into someone note wort-Ooooh, what’s this? He thought as a spiritual pressure larger than his own suddenly weighed down on his mind. Given the close proximity his eyes immediately darted over the host of such impressive spiritual fortitude—a young girl. Long, light brown hair complemented a fair complexion and equally brown eyes. Nothing spectacular, definitely cute, and close to his age as were all of the students there. In Japan, and most of the world anymore, a difference in age of three years meant very little. Why Erich’s own parents were separated by seven years! “It’s nice to meet you all!” Erich said energetically as he brushed some of his long violet hair back behind his shoulder where it belonged—someone had to keep the stuff in line these days.

“My name’s Masaru. Erich Masaru, though most of you will find Kenzo simpler to pronounce. I’m a Japanese citizen, born and raised just outside of Tokyo, who studies at the University of Tokyo. I had been told that a number of people in class here were interested in attending the university?” Erich opened simply as he delved into his usual routine for this sort of thing. He explained to the students that the University of Tokyo was rated the best in Japan and all of Asia, twenty-first in the entire world. He gave the standard examples of student life in the first year, how the Junior Division and specialized studies worked, and even the lifestyle many students at the university enjoyed. With the end of the school day approaching Erich made sure to keep his explanation brief to the class so they could get the gist of the information and be done with it—it was clear that no one there really wanted to know. These students were probably, what, sixteen? They still had another full year of high school ahead of them yet. So he offered them one last tidbit and stole one more moment of eye contact with the mysterious spiritualist girl in the class before he made his swift escape.

“I’ll be in front of the building as school lets out. Anyone who wants to have a chat with me and learn more about the University is free to drop by. We can set up an appointment to talk later. Do try to enjoy the rest of your day!”

*****

853 Words/17 GP
Total GP: 17 GP

She didn't know what to expect of the man--or woman--who paying them a visit.

Alright, maybe that wasn't wholly true. She had expected a classic nerd; one of those wizened, shrimp-like men with thick glasses and haystack hair. The man who stepped into the classroom was nothing like what she had envisioned. Long, purple locks fell well past his waist, down to his knees held back neatly in a single ponytail, contrasting starkly with his violet orbs. She had to wonder if the colour of his hair was the result of hair dye or a similar hair care product. She doubted people--even non-Asian people, for that matter--could naturally possess such hair. It was rude to stare, she reminded herself and averted her gaze back to her desk. A few students had taking to whispering to each other about him, commenting mostly about his hair; it really did stand out amidst the sea of black and brown heads in the class. The man greeted them politely, his tone light and friendly, his smile courteous and sincere. Hm ... He actually seems interested in this ... I definitely will stop by to ask him questions--hey wait, what? She had only noticed it as he started speaking, but she could tell he possessed spiritual pressure, possibly somewhat lower than hers, but present all the same. Another ... another abnormal human being? Right here, in this very classroom? She would have more than just university applications to ask him about.

He introduced himself as Erich Masaru, a student at Tokyo U who had been raised outside Tokyo. His tone was energetic, brimming with enthusiasm which surprised her, for she had expected him to be sullen or bored. He probably had much better things to do than to help a bunch of sixteen-year-olds with college applications and the like. He spoke about Tokyo University's remarkable record and the quality of life students who graduated from there led. She found herself drifting off again, thinking more about what she would do at the end of school than on what Masaru-san was saying. She would stick around and talk to him--that was for sure. She wondered what he was studying at the moment--law, perhaps? He didn't seem like the type ... maybe she was being too stereotypical. He just didn't strike her as the serious, practical law student sort of person. At the very least, she wasn't giggling about his lovely hair like the girl two rows down from her was. He was handsome, certainly, and he was not much older than they were (He couldn't have been more than nineteen and three years was a rather small gap, she noted) but it was weird to harbour romantic feelings for your senpai. He's not even half as handsome as Kim Beom her mind supplied unhelpfully, conjuring images of the dashing Korean star. Masaru-san left their class after stating his offer; should anyone feel the need to ask him questions, he would be waiting outside the school building and was more than willing to make an appointment with said person to discuss things. She could have sworn his gaze landed on her right before he left but ... what could he want to do with her? Just as she had guessed he possessed spiritual pressure, he had probably concluded that she was a spiritually gifted person as well. Did it mean anything to him, though? She just knew she could see ghosts and dead beings--and it was nothing short of a curse for her. Did he accept his abilities, though?

The bell rang and in mere moments, the class was empty and the schoolyard was bustling with teenagers desperate to leave the school grounds. Gathering her books and shoving them into her school bag, Akemi slowly sauntered outside, her keen, brown eyes sweeping around the area for Masaru-san's bright, pink hair. It was the best--possibly the only--way to identify him from a distance. She had been looking for fifteen minutes now and had failed miserably to locate him. The brunette heaved a sigh of frustration when she noted that it was five past four and she had not found the pink-haired man. If she waited any longer she would miss the train back home--there was always the train at five, but she would get home late then and ... Oh, give up already. He's probably gone home or something. Makes sense ... I wouldn't want to hang around middle-schoolers so why would he put up with high-schoolers? She ambled over to the school's large, wrought-iron front gates and stepped onto the pavement. As soon as she turned to the right, she collided with what felt like a rock-solid chest. Rubbing her head sheepishly, Akemi took a step backwards and bowed apologetically. "I'm very sorry. I did not mean to do that." She murmured quietly before rising to meet the man's violet gaze with her own, brown one.

"I'm Koizumi Akemi, from Class 3-A. You stopped by during our last lesson--I'd like to ask if senpai would be willing to help me with creating a university application." Fake a smile. Call him senpai. You can do it! She cheered herself on internally. It was not that she disliked him; thinking about the future was a difficult topic for her and to have to share it with a complete stranger was not a pleasant notion.
---
888 words/17 GP/29 total

No one.
Not a single soul.

Of all the classes he had visited today not a single student from any of them had shown up. A couple girls gave him some winks (even some guys) as he stood and waited for someone of interest to show up—no one ever did. Of course this was the typical result. Erich had been told that the chances of actually being approached by an interested party were slim to none. Students were just like that the world over. So he paced about the front of the school as the setting sun of the evening cast an orange glow across the campus. He would usually wait thirty to forty-five minutes after the end of classes before he’d take off for the next school. In this case he would get to go home or do whatever else it was he wanted to do with his evening. So Erich continued to pace around the front of the building and take glances at the various students—oh how similar college and high school life could be, yet how vastly and indescribably different. That may very well have been the greatest challenge that people would face in the transition: There are as many differences as similarities.

Maybe I’ll call Ria and see if she’d like to have a night out? After this headache of a day I could use good compan-
“Oof!”

What the…? Just who had run into him? Erich had turned his head for just a moment and someone walked right into the guy. He certainly was not the short type so that would not be a valid excuse in this instance. A couple steps back and Erich finally got a good look at th- Well whaddaya know? Erich thought as his eyes caught the brown locks of the young spiritualist girl from earlier. Somehow he had not really expected her to seek him out, why would she? To other spiritualists the idea of running into another of their kind was no unheard of. They existed all over the place! At least she smells nice. Erich thought. Some people could be downright odorous, but not her. That was perhaps one of the nicest things about girls: They tended to have better personal hygiene. “Oh! Excuse me.” He said after he got a good look at the girl, a small smile on his face. Friendly, helpful, friendly, helpful—just remember those two things and this will be just fine.

Of course she had apologized as well. Polite, brunette, not a bad start. Erich joked to himself as he waited to hear just what it was she wanted. Of course that came very directly: She was from Class 3-A and wanted to know if he could help her setup a college application. Blah, blah, blah. You felt it too, then. There was little doubt in his mind that she was aware of his own spiritually gifted nature. Thought what else was there for her to say in such a public venue? The charade would need to be continued for a while longer. She might smell nice, but damn it—why did she have to be a girl? I could give a dude a ride to a coffee shop without attracting undue attention. She might look my age but I don’t want to get into a tussle with the cops. Japanese law is ridiculous in these sorts of situations. Although not yet into his specialized studies Erich had learned a bit about Japanese law in this regard almost for his own safety. The national age of consent was thirteen years old. This federal law would be overridden by prefecture laws on the matter. Here in Tokyo these Youth Protection Laws make all the cops jittery. Even just taking her somewhere public to talk this over I could attract undue attention. Bastards, I’m not even considered an adult, not until I’m twenty. So I wouldn’t even be breaking the law and I bet they’d crawl up my ass.


“At least someone wants to. You’re the only one to show up, Koizumi-san.”

As if it were not apparent enough Erich felt a need to verbalize the fact. Of course it was also possible that he had simply setup future times to meet with other students and let them go on their way. It was not at all unreasonable to presume that many students would have plans for their after school evening and be unable to pal around with a random University tot for the day. “But of course I can help you out. Todai is a picky place so I can see about helping you spruce up your application. Erich said, his voice upbeat and friendly. He might get to meet someone new today, certainly a plus. That and she was both cute and spiritually gifted. Two things so commonly linked. Weird. He concluded. Erich looked around a few more times to see if there was anyone else by any chance that wanted to speak with him. If they happened to not show up in the first ten minutes, though, they typically did not at all. Koizumi here was the first and only to break that pattern.

“No one else was gonna show so I planned get out of here. We could setup a future appointment if you’d like or you can tag along with me. I’ll take you home afterwards so don’t worry about that either.” A bold offer but not unheard of. His gaze then sharpened and he looked at her knowingly. “If you’re comfortable, of course! Though I think you could probably handle me if I got out of line, right?” His voice was full of playful, friendly teasing. To anyone else it would not appear to be anything out of line, though he hoped she would catch his meaning—her spiritual pressure was greater than his. If nothing else she would possess the simple physical acuity to escape if not best him should he got violent.

“I was thinking an early dinner, something light. I’d pay for you under one requirement.” Erich went on to explain as his hand slipped into a pocket on his black pants. “You’re out of school, don’t call me senpai. I’m just a friend now, my project was complete simply by making the trip—actively offering to help you guys out with your applications was a completely optional decision on my part.”

*****

1,070 Words/21 GP
Total GP: 38 GP

She had expected him to be surrounded by numerous fangirls or various other students desperate to learn about TouDai and how gruesome the application process to gain entry into TouDai could be. As many teachers had already explained to the student body at her school, Akemi was fully aware of how difficult it could be to gain admission into Tokyo Daigoku and how many all-night study sessions it took to pass the entrance examinations. It was astonishing to be told that she was the only one who had approached him--it singled her out, which she didn't like, but it also made her feel special in a strange sort of way. "Really, senpai? I find that incredibly surprising." She remarked, cocking her head to the side innocently. So far, she quite liked him--he was polite and decent, a rarity amongst boys, especially at Tokyo Metropolitan High School. In addition he was well-mannered and genuinely wanted to help Akemi out--she was sure that couldn't be his only intention, however. She was certain he knew about her possessing abilities regular teenage girls did not.

Akemi was concerned about her future, without the shadow of a doubt. She was glad he was willing to help her as well, because she really would need all the assistance she could get if she intended to study at TouDai. She was, however, more curious about Masaru--senpai and his abilities. She knew she was capable of things you average teenager was not, though she didn't know the specifics of her abilities yet. She did know that she possessed the capacity to see spirits--or dead people, in other words--and monstrous beings called hollows that perturbed her immensely. There was more to it than just that and she couldn't wait until she somehow managed to tap into her full potential. Since Masaru-senpai was older to her--and stronger than her as well--he probably knew more about his abilities and how to use them. That was what she wished to learn more about. How to bring it up was where she drew a blank; if she was mistaken about him being spiritually strong, then she would make a fool of herself in front of him. If she turned out to be right, then how would she explain her situation to him without seeming like an idiot? And what a wonderful first impression of her that would give him!

She snapped herself out of her thoughts as she heard his voice again. "Thank you very much, Masaru-senpai." She bowed gratefully as he agreed to help out with her application. "And if you don't mind, I'd rather tag along with you today as I'd like to get started working on it as soon as possible." And I'd like to know more as soon as possible too. She looked away momentarily at his joke, blushing slightly as he said it. "I trust you, Masaru-senpai, don't worry!" She smiled brightly, innocently, lifting her gaze upwards so as to meet his. Somewhere in the back of her mind she was worried about how they would appear to others--it was strange for a girl and a boy as young as them to wander about alone, and they were not too far apart in age either. To a lot of people, they would seem like a couple, which was embarrassing. It couldn't be helped, she supposed.

A light dinner? He really didn't need to go that far ... "Masaru-senpai is so kind! There's no need to take such trouble for me ... " Akemi grinned, slowly beginning to feel more and more at ease around the pink-haired man. "I mean, Masaru-san is so kind." She corrected herself after hearing his request--if it were up to her, she would continue calling him 'senpai'. "Thanks, once again. If you don't mind me asking, was it very hard for you to get into TouDai? I've a cousin who was denied admission there last year and she told me the process was horrible!"
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658 words/ 13 GP

This girl was a refreshing break from the norm.
Genuinely, even. Young ladies like this still exist?

Not particularly vain but Erich did admit he was an attractive young man himself. Naturally many young men and women typicaly took two stances when he waltzed into their life, built up the by stereotypes and expectations they had come to development of people who seemed beautiful and successful: They were stuck up, unapproachable jerks. That was option one. Option two was debatably worse: They wanted to get in their pants. Not an inherently foul thing, but not very tasteful when you make the desires of your flesh so unabashedly apparent. My classmates have clearly forgotten the excitement of a true romance. Erich admitted himself a romantic a while ago, though he did not downplay his own lingering…baggage, after what had happened to him. Wait, what was the point of all of that? Erich thought as he realized he let his thoughts get away from him.

“A relief, you have no idea. Offered the same to a young man a few days back and the poor boy got so intimidated he claimed his cat had surgery that day and he almost forgot. A shame that I met his older brother in high school and knew they didn’t keep any pets—the whole household is allergic.” Erich offered an entirely innocent, not terribly funny, and completely honest story. One of the first schools he had went to was his old stomping ground, Karakura High. He began to walk towards the parking lot only a few meters away and took a spot at her side as they went. The afternoon sun, still hot, beat down on them as it lined itself up for a gentle descent into the horizon.

“And it’s really no trouble. I’ve got a blank application that I can run you through, give you a few tips. The entrance exams are gonna be the kicker, though.”—he wagged his finger at her with a bit of a smile to make a point, many students tend to slack on those—“Really gotta do well there, so don’t take it lightly. It can get you pretty far with the admissions process. And it isn’t exactly done on a point system, so don’t expect things to be handled objectively. You’ll be judged by how good you make the school look, what they think you can achieve. They want to be able to brag about you having been a student there, it’s how the University gets good attention. Grant money and what have you.” Erich explained, though things were never quite as Spartan as these application processes made them out to be. Put the effort in, be sure it is what you want, and everything will go your way. Most people stumbled at the ‘put the effort in’ part.

Click.
He pulled open the bright red door of his car. Nothing fancy, nothing expensive, but comparatively new. It would comfortably seat four people. “2010 Mitsubishi Lancer--got it a few months back for a surprising seven-point-seven million yen. Well, a bit more. But impressive when it usually goes for something closer to eleven-point-six million yen. Another thing about college: Learn to budget like a higher being. I come from money but my parents insisted on throwing me into the fray with the average college student budget. So this was a total steal.”[/color] He said as he hopped behind the wheel, encouraging Koizumi to join him on the passenger side. “Just toss your bag or whatever in the back. I keep this thing clean so you won’t pick it up with an additional stain tagging along.” He offered as he recalled just how…lived-in many college student cars were.

Erich sat back in the seat and held his left arm out, palm to the ceiling. Dangled from the wrist was the yin-yang reminiscent medallion of the day and night cycle. “Alright. No one’s around, we’re damn near the only car in the parking lot.” A slight shift to his demeanor. Friendly but more focus, he had no reason to make small talk now. “Seeing ghosts is pretty scary, right? Got harassed by those buggers for a long time, let me tell you. So allow me to more completely introduce myself.”

A loud hiss.
A series of violet spiritual particles, darker in hue than his long hair, swirled about his arm and formed into a compact short bow in seconds. The construct was entirely physical and not made of unrefined spiritual particles like many less adept practitioners of this particular art.

“Erich Masaru, Quincy.”
He smiled again as he kept a steady gaze on Akemi.
“We’re totally still going to dinner, I hope you know that.”

*****

787 Words/15 GP
Total GP: 53 GP

So far, so good.

She giggled at his story, politely covering her hand with her mouth as she did so. A part of her wondered if it was a mere exaggeration to lighten the atmosphere or if it was a true story, but she discarded the thought immediately. Seemed an awful lot like something that would happen at a place like Karakura high--why, that whole town was weird. Akemi was always hearing things on the news like UFO or ghost sightings in Karakura and prior to her discovery of her ... abilities, she had found the whole thing extremely idiotic. Now ... well, she knew half those things could not possibly be true, but perhaps a portion of those incidents having occurred was plausible. A friend of hers used to attend Karakura high as well and from what she had heard, there was no end to the nonsense that took place in the school either! Had he stopped by at Karakura high? Speaking of Karakura High, which other schools had he visited before arriving at Tokyo Metropolitan High? She doubted he had anymore left to visit for most schools would have closed for the day by now.

"Oh? I really would appreciate that very much, Masaru-san." Another bow, her grin widening, her eyes sparkling with both gratitude and happiness, mixed with a hint of curiosity. "I'm really going to need all the help I can possibly get--I will stop at nothing to get into TouDai. But I think I understand what you mean ... I've heard they're not interested in simply academically gifted students. They want all-rounded ones, don't they? The sort they can brag about in magazines and whatnot, right? I'm just going to try my very best though ... " her enthusiastic rambling screeched to a halt as she realised she had probably been dominating the conversation for a while now and he was bored witless from listening to her drone on about her plan to enter TouDai. "Sorry about that. I'm just very passionate. Unhealthily so, even." She apologised, a faint blush colouring her white face. She had been so lost in her speech that she had become oblivious to her surroundings and where she was being lead to. They were already in the car park--and the last place she could remember being were just behind the school gates. Funny how time could fly by when you were enjoying yourself.

Upon first glance, he did seem like your stereotypical rich kid. He was well-dressed and possessed an air to him that suggested classiness. He wasn't narcissistic or arrogant, just confident of himself in an almost charming way. She expected a fairly fancy car and wasn't surprised at the bright red Mitsubishi Lancer. Sure, it wasn't the most expensive car in the Japanese market, but it definitely wasn't one that a lot of people could afford. 'Oh wow. I mean, that's a beautiful car you have ... and the price is just right too!" She chuckled, admiring the car even more as Masaru-san unlocked it. She was about to take her seat in the back when the pink-haired man asked her to toss her bag in the back ... meaning, wait. Did he want her to sit beside him? But ... but ... oh well, he couldn't do anything to her--that she would ensure. She tentatively took the seat and buckled the seatbelt as Masaru-san placed his palm on the roof of the car, revealing to her a ying-yang-styled bracelet on his wrist. She was about to comment on it and ask where he had gotten it from when he brought up--out of the blue--the topic of ghosts.

She let out a nervous laugh.

She wasn't ready for this. She wished the topic wouldn't come up, that they could rewind time and erase ever having spoken about ghosts but that was impossible. Akemi almost felt like she was choking from the tension that filled the car. "Gh-ghosts? Sure, they're very annoying. Scary too, 'cause well, most people can't see them ... " she wasn't even sure of what she was saying. It was a subtle, yet desperate attempt to make it seem like she couldn't see them when the worst possible thing happened. Violet sparks began to form in the car, gathering around Masaru-san's arm and forming a bow-like structure and she knew instantly from the colour and the aura of the bow that it wasn't an ordinary one. He couldn't have summoned it like that and created it out of mere particles if it were just a bow. A quincy, he said. That was a term she had never heard before. On the plus side ... her suspicions had been confirmed. This man was no ordinary human.

He was a quincy. Whatever that was.

"Koizumi Akemi. Your average human with the ... uh, ability to see ghosts. Among various other apparitions." She re-introduced herself, finding her panic beginning to settle slightly. She could do this. She was in control. She was always in control. Besides, now she would get what she had always wanted! Answers. Why could she see these things? Could she stop being able to? Was there anything else in store for her? "Oh, good." As if on cue, her stomach betrayed her and let out a low rumble.
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871 words/17 GP