There had been cats, just outside the terminal, and Sakaki probably should have known better. But she couldn't help thinking that maybe American cats were different, maybe they were nicer than Japanese cats, kinder, more affectionate and used to being pet.
They were not.
Luckily, they were very helpful at the first aid station with patching up her wounds, so it was with a bandaged hand and one across her cheek where she'd been scratched that Sakaki made her way over to where the shuttle was going to take them all to their new school, clutching a map and brochure and double checking both before feeling certain she'd arrived at the right place.
And even though there weren't many people there, Sakaki felt seized by a strong anxiety about the whole thing, causing her to stalk off for a seat that felt out of the way of everyone else, clutching her English language guide tightly and rehearsing some of the more basic phrases in her head to distract herself.
Re: Wait for the shuttle
They were not.
Luckily, they were very helpful at the first aid station with patching up her wounds, so it was with a bandaged hand and one across her cheek where she'd been scratched that Sakaki made her way over to where the shuttle was going to take them all to their new school, clutching a map and brochure and double checking both before feeling certain she'd arrived at the right place.
And even though there weren't many people there, Sakaki felt seized by a strong anxiety about the whole thing, causing her to stalk off for a seat that felt out of the way of everyone else, clutching her English language guide tightly and rehearsing some of the more basic phrases in her head to distract herself.
Or just making herself more nervous.
That. It was definitely that second one.