Chapter Four: Cassius:

I looked in the open room before me. I had to back up when I first smelled pot. Cassius glanced over and noticed my face.

“Aw, don’t mind the smell,” he said. “The last roommate we had smoked pot all day long in here.” I blinked in discomforted.

“Oh, so that’s it,” I mumbled.

“Hang on,” he said. Then, Cassius went into the room and opened up the windows.

“That should help get the smell out,” he said. He turned his attention back to me.

“Well, come on and get a good look around,” Cassius said. I glanced down at my feet and walked inside. To my surprise, this room looked cleaner than the living room did. The only things inside were a desk, bed, chair, and chest for clothes.

“This is the quietest room in the whole house,” Cassius told me. I perked up at that sentence.

“This is good,” I said. “I can study in peace!”

“Oh, for the entrance exams?” Cassius asked.

“That’s right,” I said.

“Which university?” he asked.

“Tokyo,” I replied. Cassius gave off a low whistle.

“Wow, that’s elite!” he said. I nodded at him.

“It’s hard to get into,” I said. “A couple of people from my neighborhood had to retake it twice to get in.”

“Why do you want to go there?” Cassius asked.

“It’s one of the best schools in the country,” I replied. I noticed the looked on Cassius’ face. “What?” I asked. He shook his head at me.

“Nothing,” he replied. “I didn’t say anything.”

“You made a face at me,” I pointed out. Cassius threw up his hands at me.

“That’s all you,” he said. I turned around to face him.

“And what about you?” I asked him.

“Went to college, moved to Japan, and ended up here,” Cassius summed up. My face became a rather confused one.

“Why?” was all that I could ask him. Cassius shook his head.

“I was in love,” he replied. Suddenly, he held my interest.

“What about it?” I asked. Cassius sat down on what was to be my bed in a few moments.

“I had always had a fascination with all things Asian,” he explained. “Japan in particular is a personal favorite of mine. In fact, my first love got me here. He himself was Japanese. Best times that I had with him.” I held up my hand rather confused.

“Wait! Are you…” I began to ask. Cassius leered at me.

“Am I what?” he asked. It took me a few seconds to try and piece together what I wanted to say. I brought my face closer to his.

“Are you gay?” I whispered. Cassius raised an eyebrow at me.

“And what if I am?” he asked. I couldn’t come up with a comeback for that once. Cassius gave me a smile.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “You’re too skinny to be my type.” I looked up at him.

“Heh?” I asked. Cassius laughed at my response. I could see his gold tooth towards the back of his mouth.

“Now if you were someone like Yamapi, I’d be all over you right now,” he said.

“Gee, thanks,” I mumbled.

“Then again, Akemi-san would probably kill me,” he added. “She’s really protective of you like that, you know?” I looked at him quite surprised.

“Does she?” I asked. Cassius straightened up his black-rimmed glasses.

“Yes, yes,” he said. Then, he rose to his feet. “Well, if you need anything, my room will be across from your room,” he said. “Akemi-san’s room is just two doors down from us.”

“Okay,” I said.

“We’ll have to get you some sheets and stuff,” he said. “I’ll go get the bed stuff right now.” I nodded at him. Cassius paused and glanced over his shoulder at me.

“Oh, there’s one more thing,” he said. I looked up at him from where I stood.

“What?” I asked.

“Watch out for Sakura-hime,” he warned me. “It would be best to lock your door at night.”

“Why is that?” I asked, blinking.

“You don’t really want to find out right away,” Cassius said in a serious tone. “Just lock your door, okay?” I nodded at him slowly.

“Okay…” I mumbled.

“You’ll do fine here,” the black man in white told me. “If you need to eat, the kitchen is open to everyone in the house. Plus, it’s two people per bathroom. You’ll be sharing with Isaac. Is there anything else?” I shook my head at him.

“No, I’m good actually,” I said.

“I see,” Cassius replied. Suddenly, we heard the door shut downstairs.

“I’m back!” a man’s voice followed behind. Cassius perked up.

“Ah, speak of the devil, Isaac’s back,” he said. “Just let me know if you need anything, okay?” I put up a thumb up at him.

“Sure,” I said, unsure of my own answer.

“I’ll go tend to Isaac now,” the Yamapi fan said. Then, he went out the door, closing it behind him. I gave it a small wave. He’s not bad, a little strange, but not a bad guy. I wondered how he came to live in a place like this with my sister and those people. And what is this Sakura-hime person like? Why would I have to lock my door at night? I shook my head of these thoughts. I can’t focus on that. Now that I have a room in this weird place, I might as well try to study. I sat down at the desk and set up my notes and textbooks. It didn’t take me long to get right to work.