Japan

"Because you've changed."

B-Baka!!! Kurumi was almost enraged by the answer Kurou supplied her with. Sure, she was a bit flattered, but also so angry that she had to suppress the urge to slap him. What was that supposed to even mean? Was he talking about her physical appearance? Her attitude? There were so many different ways she could interpret his words, and trying to decipher them only irritated her more. What was with Kurou? Wasn't he the one who dumped her? She figured that he would have been more than grateful to pretend that they didn't know each other, yet here he was stirring up a pot that was so neglected that he had to blow cobwebs off of the mixing spoon. She didn't understand a minute of this. It felt like he was ripping open old scar tissue. Although she felt like crying, she held it all in. There were plenty of reasons she couldn't let Kurou get under her skin. Her mother was marrying his father, so all chances of a relationship between Kurou and herself would be thrown out the window in two days time, but also because she had been diagnosed with MS, and she definitely didn't want him to find out. The last thing she wanted was his pity.

Wait a second... Does he think that I went through this makeover because of him!? It was true, but she definitely didn't want him to know that! Immediately she shook her head, trying to gather up her resolve, "I changed because Shouta-kun's mom gave me a makeover when I was his date to her wedding two years ago. I liked the look, so I kept it. Everyone changes, that's just life." She responded in a level tone, her last sentence holding a bit more weight than the rest. Also, whether he knew it or not, Shouta was the name of Kurumi's boyfriend that she dated a few months after Kurou, but a few years before her third, and last boyfriend, Yuuji. She dated the other two no longer than half of a month each, before ultimately breaking up with them.

Kurumi was definitely more than startled by Kurou's response, even taking a step backwards for good measure. She wasn't sure what she said to set him off, but she knew that look, and it was always dangerous. She had received that very same gaze a few times by her ex boyfriend Yuuji, but that was another story, one she'd never tell anyone.

"If your mother was interested in happiness, then she wouldn't have decided to marry that man."

"She's a bit of a masochist, I guess. So long as she's alive and smiling, she can marry the man from Fifty shades of Grey for all I care. Gomenasai." Kurumi stated, returning her gaze to the window, her cat still in her arms. She kept her distance, hoping it would make it easier on Kurou. She'd already witnessed one outburst, and she'd hate to have to get in between him and Ryouta, but she'd do it in a heartbeat.

He seemed to calm down, judging by the aura of the room. She didn't make eye contact however, still a bit shaken by his reaction. She wasn't trembling or anything, but it just brought back memories she didn't want to think about. She wasn't even sure why she apologized. Maybe it was out of habit? It was always the easiest way to calm Yuuji down. She didn't realize that she was still conditioned to attempt to defuse spouts of intense anger.

"Yes, I am allergic to cats and they make my eyes irritate and swell up."

I see... Kurumi had been afraid of that answer and Ryouta gave a soft meow, as if in disapproval. Shiori knew that cats couldn't understand humans, but the timing was too perfect. The cat was indeed very fat, causing her arms to wobble. She lacked the muscle to hold him for very long, so she placed Ryouta on her bed, and the cat immediately flopped on it's side, purring happily. She wasn't sure why Ryouta was so heavy... She fed him two normal portions daily, but the cat never did have a lot of motivation to exercise. She blamed the cat's weight on chronic laziness.

"I don't care much for going blind, you know..."

"I understand that." She stated, biting the inside of her cheek. She couldn't help but tense up as she thought about it. She turned her gaze to her poor, obese cat and wondered how much he would hate her for having to sleep in the shed. She couldn't ask to keep him inside if Kurou's allergy was that severe... but she still felt bad for the car. She wouldn't want to live with a cat either if it was her. .. but Ryouta's never slept alone before, and she couldn't remember the last time she slept without him.

Kurumi literally jolted when she heard Kurou sigh, having completely lost herself among her thoughts when she mentally pictured a soaking wet Ryouta in the rain.

"As long as it doesn't leave your room, then it should be okay."

"Eh? Really? A-Are you sure? Arigato!" She blinked a few times, unsure if she really heard him correctly. Why was he being so nice..? After she was certain, her entire face lit up with happiness. For a second, she was so grateful that she almost leapt over to wrap her arms around him in a very big hug, but two factors immediately saved her from the embarrassment that would have followed. One, she remembered that he was still in fact, her ex.. and two, she also had just touched the cat. She pretended to have lost her footing to cover up the fact that she nearly hugged him, "Oops. I must be a little lightheaded from the drive..I nearly fell." She laughed, backing up and putting a hand on her chest. She was an affectionate person these days, typically seen hanging all over her friends, quite literally. She hugs on, cuddles, and touches just about everyone that she cares about, and nearly absentmindedly did the same to Kurou.

"Just try not to leave your room with fur all over you as well."

"Got to stock up on Lint rollers. Got it." She replied sheepishly, saluting in a slightly mocking manner. She was saved by the bell however, quite literally.

"Hey guys, dinner is ready. Come on down, okay?"

The voice scared the living hell out of her, and she immediately turned a shade of bright red, "Does that thing work both ways!?" She asked in a mortified tone. She definitely didn't want either of the boys eavesdropping in on her conversations to her friends.

"I'll see you downstairs or whatever. Perhaps you should grab your sister before you do."

"Hai, always." She replied, waving him off casually. She always checked in on Nemui. The younger girl was the only thing that kept her going after their breakup, but that was yet another detail she'd never share with anyone, at least not willingly.

She wiped her clothes down as good as she possibly could, leaving her bedroom and entering her sister's only to realize Nemui had stepped out. Shiori made her way down the steps and joined the two boys, "Did Nemui tell either of you guys where she went..? She stepped out apparently.." She announced to the two. She shot them both a curious look, wondering if anyone knew where her younger sister had run off to. She felt bad for not noticing, but she did have Kurou in her room ripping open old wounds.. Could anyone really blame her? She was slightly avoiding eye contact with Kurou, especially since she nearly dropped her guard... at least she didn't actually hug him, right?

"Don't worry about it."

[color=Navy][b]"O-oi!!" She called out in a embarrassed tone, her voice squeaking from her initial shock. It had been a long time since she'd seen a boy's abs other than her late brother's, but even her brother Ren had been dead for several months, "I-It's strange to just flash a stranger!" She snapped, a dark blush on her face, covering her eyes with one hand. What was this guy, some kind of pervert?!

"See. I'm fine. You don't have to pay me."

"I noticed.. so did half the block.. Are you sure you about the money?" She replied in a distant tone, biting the inside of her cheek, peeking between her fingers to see if it was safe to look. Once she saw his shirt returned to it's proper place, she lowered her hand, "Thank god.. That coffee was fresh. It could have burnt you really bad." She stated, her hand on her chest now as she let out a sigh of relief, glad that the stranger was alright. The last thing she needed was to deal with an angry pedestrian. She was further surprised when he picked up her groceries, and she tensed in humiliation. She totally forgot about the groceries due to the accident!

"Here."

"You didn't have to do that, Arigato!" Himeko stated in an awkward manner. She didn't really feel comfortable talking to a guy, especially one that was so comfortable flashing his abs around.. but she did spill her coffee on him, she was the villain in this saga.

"You're more of the victim than me. Sorry."

Himeko flinched when the handkerchief touched her reddened skin, a faint and muffled hiss escaping her lips. She wasn't even aware that she was hurt. She knew that she spilled it on her coffee, but she was so worried about the silver haired stranger that she didn't even feel her own burn until he brought it to her attention.

"I didn't realize I was.. I ran into you, I did this to myself." She stated in a matter-of-fact tone, taking full responsibility for her actions. Himeko hated being at fault, but she hated irresponsible individuals more.

"Put some ice on it. It would be bad if it scars you."

"I'll do that if I can find some at the house.." She then looked to the milk in her grocery bag, then back up to the silver haired stranger. She wanted to leave now, mostly because in the end, despite being polite, he was still a man. She had bad luck with men, and grew to detest them. The guys she liked never seemed to like her, and she was constantly harassed by creeps. It was annoying, and she grew to dislike men in general, despite being physically attracted to men alone. She was equally unaware that she would have her fifteen minutes of fame, but tomorrow, all hell would break loose.

"Watch where you are going next time. Bye."

Despite the lack of judgement in his tone, the words still rubbed her the wrong way.. Though she held her tongue and waved, "Bye-bye." And she ran off in the opposite direction. She didn't even care that she had coffee on her favorite hoodie, she was too concerned with the stranger she met. He was exceptionally good looking, which was rare for this part of town. How old was he..? Immediately she stopped in the middle of the sidewalk before she got to her house, her face exploding into a blush. What if he was some kind of adult who was trying to seduce her?! He did pull his shirt up.. and he looked older than her..

Himeko managed to make her way to the house, putting away the groceries in a daze before she remembered that he told her to put ice on her hand, "What does he care if my hand scars or not..?" She asked herself, only to be overheard by the last person she wanted to eavesdrop, well, aside from her father. Make that second to last!

"My Himeko is talking about a boy? What is his name? How old is he? Have I met him?" She began bombarding her daughter with questions, retrieving ice for her daughter's burnt hand. She pressed the ice to the burn, waiting for answers. It wasn't often that she heard her daughter speak about guys, at all. She wished to be as involved as possible, hoping to live vicariously through Himeko's experiences.

"No! ..I mean, well.. he is a boy..." She trailed off, a blush creeping it's way back across her cheeks. She turned her gaze away, shaking her head, "I don't know his name or his age... I doubt it.. It's not like that!! I don't want a boyfriend, so don't turn this into something it isn't!" She snapped in desperation. She really wished that her mother would simply accept that she didn't want to put herself in harm's way anymore.

"You don't have to have a boyfriend to have a little fun, sweetie." Her frail mother winked at her, and that was the end of the conversation as far as Himeko was concerned.

"We're done. Gross, mom." Himeko hissed out in disgust. Her nose was crinkled as she strutted to the bathroom, stripping as she made her way through the house. She ran some warm water and took a long bubble bath. She soaked for what felt like forever as she thought about her first day at Aiyazaki High tomorrow, cheerleading, and what her mother said.

Himeko swirled the bubbles around with her index finger, sighing to herself. She relaxed in the water, leaning back until she was staring at the ceiling, "Guys only chew up your heart and spit it back out in the end.." She muttered, blowing away any bubbles that dared to approach her face. The water was definitely relaxing, but she still couldn't get the accident out of her head, "No thank you.." She added in a depressed tone, closing her eyes. At this rate she would never get out of the tub, but she had to settle her thoughts. The tub was the only calming place she had to think.

"Not ever again..."

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He turned around to see that the first one down the stairs was his older brother. There was a moment of silence from his end as he assessed Kurou's demeanor. Yukito tilted his head to the side slightly to emphasize that he was thinking about something. "Ku-nii." He called out to his brother as he remembered the message of their father in full detail. Sometimes, he hates that everything he hears are perfectly preserved in his memory. "Thanks." He simply stated. It referred to his older brother's attempt of at least doing his best to be accommodating. There was no point mentioning to Kurou about their father's message. He knew well that his older brother resents the man very much.

"Oh, Kurumi-san." His eyes shifted from his brother to the blonde-haired girl. The girl joined them as well, but where was the other one. Speaking of which, that girl seems familiar to him. He wasn't able to mention it earlier. He just wasn't sure where exactly. Well, he could get to it later, but before he could answer where the other girl is, Kurumi beat him to it. "No, she didn't. I also didn't hear her go out." He answered while noticing something strange of Kurumi. She was avoiding to look at Kurou which was suggested by her body gesture, so something did happen. He inwardly smirked about this while glancing at Kurou. "Kurumi-san, why don't you try calling her?" He suggested as she should have the number of her sister while keeping the observation to himself.

"While you're doing that, I'll take a look around outside. Ku-nii text me if she answers." Yukito offered as he grabbed hold of jacket that was hanging at the coat rack and the gate beeper by the entrance. He wore it while looking at the two with a smile that was considered friendly, but inside he was having a mischievous thought. "Behave yourselves while, I'm out okay?" He gave them a playful wink and stepped outside. There was no need for him to wait for their replies. It seemed that leaving those two alone tend to cause certain moments, as they feed more wood to fire. Anyway, he went towards the courtyard as the sakura blossoms littered the ground. It was a beautiful sight. His mother had designed this actually. She fell in love with these trees when she came to Japan, so she wanted one at their house.

He walked through the gates as he opened it and then began to wonder which direction he should go first. It was night so, there were less people out on the streets. This was rather quiet neighborhood really, but this was enhanced more by the chill in the air. There was still some traces of the winter cold even if it was spring. "Let's go here." He finally chose a direction as he walked through the streets. It didn't take a while before he noticed an odd scene and the focus of his search. "Nemui-san?" He called out to the girl who seemed to be apologizing suggested by her actions to a black-haired boy. He could only guess it was about something since she was literally inside the yard of another house. "Excuse me. I'll barge in. I'm Kitomura, Yukito. Did she cause you any trouble?" He entered the yard and looked at the boy. He had never seen him before around this area, but it's not like he roamed the neighborhood.

The boy seemed to be roughly around their age group which he judged by appearance alone. Yukito stood beside Nemui and offered him a gentle smile before looking at the other boy. "I'd like you to forgive her. She didn't mean any harm. I'll take full responsibility. She lives with us at the Sakura Square." Apparently, they're neighbors. That's when he remembered. This is the Suzuki residence. His mother would often visit her when she was still alive. "This might be a bit forward, but are you related to Mari-baachan?" When the boy answered or not, he spoke again in politeness. "Well, if it's not too much, please say hi for Mari-baachan from me. I would like to do it personally, but..." He glanced at Nemui. "I have to get her back. Someone's worried about her." He then returned his attention to the boy again. "We'll see you around then. Sorry for the intrusion and thank you. Have a good night."

His eyes of orange were on Nemui once more. "Shall we go, Nemui-san?" He then lead the way back to Sakura Square. "I won't ask what happened and this is probably shouldn't be my business, but girls shouldn't be out at night especially if no one knows. There is not much of a crime here, but we could never know." He told her with concern reflected in his eyes, but of course, he is a very effective actor, whether this was true or not, only he knows. That's when he changed the subject. as he remembered something that he should ask her. There was nothing wrong in his question in his opinion. "Nemui-san, I don't want to sound rude or anything." He glanced at her as he stopped before the main entrance of the house. His hand was at the door knob ready to open the door. "But, do I know you from somewhere?" He leaned forward as his face was now close to hers, but there was still a gap between them, but if anyone had seen them, they would think that they were going to kiss.

"I feel terrible forgetting someone cute as you." He then pulled away as he now had an embarrassed look on his face and this was not really hard for him to do. "Anyways, dinner is ready. I hope you'd like it."

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Kurou Kitomura

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Something Kurou began to realize as he descended the staircase was that after all that had happened today, he was especially hungry now. The aroma of food did not go unnoticed by the older Kitomura as he reached dining room, which had already been set. He might not have been a big fan of his younger brother's music, but Kurou hada to admit that he could also whip up a great meal, contrary to popular belief. It would just barely be an overstatement to say that his mouth was watering just by looking at the dinner that had been laid out.

"Ku-nii, thanks." Yukito said to him, temporarily distracting his gaze from the food.

Although he did not feel like his actions really warranted gratitude, Kurou didn't feel like making a deal about it either. He answered with a "Yeah" before turning his attention to the source of footsteps coming into the room. It was Kurumi, of course, however it was duly noted that she was missing her younger sibling, and that was not good. Kurou wanted to eat as soon as possible, and unfortunately his mother had made it quite clear that family had to eat together. This meant that for every second that Nemo wasn't with them, Kurou spent being hungry. Like most people, Kurou didn't like being hungry. In fact, he got even more irritable when his belly was not satisfied. Kurumi's question did not help to ease the situation at all.

"Did Nemui tell either of you guys where she went..? She stepped out apparently.."

So the first thing you do when you get to your new home is get lost?

At this point, Kurou had all but forgotten about the events that transpired just a few minutes ago, now simply angry and focused on the dinner, or lack thereof. So Kurou himself didn't seem awkward at the moment, in contrast to Kurumi. No, he just seemed to be in a foul mood. "Where'd she even go?" he rhetorically asked, knowing that if either Kurumi or Yuki knew, that they wouldn't be in this situation in the first place. Still, his patience was shorter than anybody else's, and he made it quite obvious. But that being said, he... really couldn't do anything, could he? Perhaps he should go outside and---

"Kurumi-san, why don't you try calling her? While you're doing that, I'll take a look around outside. Ku-nii text me if she answers." his younger brother stated, before grabbing a coat and leaving a house. That was, however, not before he made one last comment.

"Behave yourselves while, I'm out okay?"

Now, on top of the partially swollen eye he had, he was beginning to develop a headache from his brother's shenanigans. Kurou rubbed his temples in response to the comment, seemingly unaffected himself. That was because he knew giving his young brother any form of reaction was more or less a confession to the boy's suspicions, whatever they may be. And, after living with him for about his entire life, the older Kitomura had little trouble dealing with him. Whether or not the same could be said about Kurumi was a different story entirely. But Kurou didn't even bother to really check to find out what kind of face she was wearing. He instead made his way towards the nearest available couch and laid himself down on it. He wanted to eat now, but he didn't really have much to contribute to the search since Yuki had already gone outside to look, and Kurumi was calling Nemo. Nobody could blame him for laying down, right? Well, unless they wanted him to cheer them on, but anybody should know that Kurou would be the last person to shout "Ganbare, Kurumi/Yuki" as they worked. It would even be creepy.

This had better finish up quickly.

"No she didn't, I also didn't hear her go out."

"Eh..? I wish she'd quit doing that.." Kurumi responded, though her words were somewhat rhetorical.

"Where'd she even go?"

"She likes to wander around.. I've found her sleeping in a tree before.. One time in her closet.. It's hard telling." Kurumi replied in a worried tone, letting out a distressed sigh. Kurumi was losing her cool, she wouldn't even know where to begin looking for Nemui.. She didn't know the neighborhood and would likely get lost in the process of looking for her.

"Kurumi-San, why don't you try calling her?"

"Good idea.. She's probably just in the yard.." Kurumi nodded, trying to reassure herself more than anything. She reach into her shirt pulling a very pink and girly phone out of her bra, considering her outfit didn't have pockets. She dialed immediately, but the call went straight to voicemail after a single ring. Was Nemui's phone dead? She ran a hand through her long blonde hair, pacing now. What if something happened to her?

"While you're doing that, I'll take a look around outside. Ku-nii text me if she answers."

"I'll try again.." Kurumi knew it would do no good if her sister's phone was dead, but she couldn't help but hope that it was simply turned off and that her sister would realize it and turn it back on. She could be hopeful though, right?

"Behave yourselves while I'm out, okay?"

"Why wouldn't we?" Kurumi retorted with a roll of her eyes, whether Yukito could hear her or not. Thankfully Nemui's disappearance was enough of a distraction to keep her from losing confidence. If it were under any other circumstances, she would have blushed like crazy from that statement. The chaos actually kept Yukito's suspension at bay, but she immediately realized that he was on to them. First Kurou gave it away, and now she did? They were really making a mess of things, even without arguments. Kurumi noticed out of the corner of her eye that Kurou went to the couches, and she had to keep her mind off of the current situation. She'd drive herself crazy if she kept obsessing over scenarios. One involved the black market, and the outcome was a bit cinematic.. She definitely needed a distraction.

She approached, sitting down on the arm of the couch, but on the opposite side than him where his feet were, "If you're going to be a couch potato, at least put something good on the T.V... Or, you can surrender the remote..." Her tone was innocent as she gave the ultimatum, as if she'd done this a million times. She was obviously fairly social nowadays judging by her casual presence and confidence, whether it was fake or not was another conversation that was not to be had. Either way, Kurumi was typically used to getting her way, "What'll it be? Shall we wage war or can we come to a peaceful compromise? We can switch it to a music channel when dinner starts." She chimed, holding her hand out in case he chose to give up the remote, but she doubted that he would. Her eyes shifted to the window as she waited for his response. She knew if Nemui didn't want to be found, that sometimes even she struggled to find her little sister.. How would a stranger be able to if something was wrong with Nemui?

"I'm not going to tell him anything, but he totally has noticed we've been weird. How can we get him off our backs?" Kurumi sighed, letting her legs dangle as she got comfortable on the couch's arm. It was her favorite part of the couch, ever since her father made a habit of letting her sit on his recliner's arm rest while they would watch his favorite TV shows together.

"Suzuki, Ren."

"O-Ohayo, gozaimasu. It's a pleasure to meet you, Suzuki-San." Nemui replied with a polite and formal bow to respond to his own. It wasn't often that she talked to boys, so Nemui couldn't help but be more than a little skittish.

"It's fine. You should get going. You might catch a cold."

"H-Hai... I didn't mean to stay out this long.. G-Gomenasai.. You seem cold too..." Nemui shifted her eyes to Ren again, and the fact that his hands were pocketed again. She felt bad that he was getting cold on her account..

"Nemui-san?"

"K-Kitomura-San?" Nemui's voice grew questioning, and she tilted her head at him. What is he doing here..? Immediately it triggered in her mind, he was here because she had taken longer than she'd thought. Dinner was ready, and she was holding everything up, wasn't she? Now she was really embarrassed, she never meant to cause a delay to the dinner plans.

"Excuse me. I'll barge in. I'm Kitomura, Yukito. Did she cause you any trouble?"


"E-Eh..?! I-I didn't do anything really.." She immediately responded, waving her hands side to side in a dismissive fashion. She didn't break anything, just a bit of trespassing.. The situation was defused and everything, definitely nothing to see here.. yet Yukito kind of made her feel like a delinquent all of a sudden when he put it like that.


"Not really."

The words brought a small smile to the shy girl's lips. She couldn't help but feel glad that he admitted to not being bothered by her, thus proving her innocence. She kind of thought that she was irritating him, but apparently she wasn't.

"I'd like you to forgive her. She didn't mean any harm. I'll take full responsibility. She lives with us at the Sakura Square."

He's playing Judge, Jury and Parol Officer.. Nemui twitched for a moment, sweat dropping as he excused her and tried to take responsibility. For what, she wasn't sure.. Though she looked up and rubbed the back of her neck. She noticed the smile on Yukito's face, wondering what he believed that she truly did. It wasn't like she skipped through the flower bed and used the daisies for target practice.

"No need for taking responsibility. It's all settled now anyway."

"A-Arigato, Kitomura-San, but as Suzuki-San said, everything is fine n-now.." She managed to stutter out, gazing over to Sakura Square awkwardly. She began to wonder what her new brother thought of her, and it made her nervous. Would he tell Kurumi and Kurou? Would it get blown out of proportion?

"This might be a bit forward, but are you related to Mari-baachan?"

Eh? Now he's striking up conversation? Nemui shifted her balance back and forth, fiddling with the headset around her neck as the two boys conversed.

"Yeah, she's my grandmother."

Oh.. He's talking about the owner of this house? I'm glad I met the boy instead of the older woman.. She might have not been as understanding.. Nemui thought to herself, chewing on the inside of her cheek. Her stomach silently rumbled, and she knew it would soon let out an embarrassing growl if they did t get a move on.

"Well, if it's not too much, please say hi for Mari-baachan from me. I would like to do it personally, but... I have to get her back. Someone's worried about her."

"Gomenasai." She stated in a guilty manner, not wanting to get in between Yukito and anyone else. She could walk home alone if he really wanted to, but Nemui also took into account that it could have just been an excuse to leave sooner, so she remained quiet.

"Okay, I'll tell her."

Nemui looked between the two boys. They were getting along well enough, but she was a bit jealous of them. They conversed so freely, as if it was as simple as breathing. She wished she could be more like them when it came to that aspect.

"We'll see you around then. Sorry for the intrusion and thank you. Have a good night."

Despite overcompensating for the situation, Nemui realized that Yukito really was fairly skilled at apologizing. Who did he spend so much time apologizing for? Did he learn to get himself or someone else out of trouble? She wasn't sure, but she definitely didn't plan to forget this tidbit of information. Just who are you, Yukito Kitomura?

"Good night."

"Oyasumi Nasai, Suzuki-San. Gomenasai." She apologized again, just for good measure. She didn't want to earn a bad reputation with her neighbors over once incident, so she definitely wanted to make it clear that she was apologetic about using his yard as a panic room.

"Shall we go, Nemui-san?"

"Hai." Nemui followed Yukito back, lagging behind him a few steps, just in case any of her classmates were watching. She didn't want to be seen getting too casual with him, just in case there were any of his fan girls spying. She remained quiet, and wouldn't have said anything the entire walk if he hadn't sparked up a conversation. She couldn't ignore him, that would be beyond rude..

"I won't ask what happened and this is probably shouldn't be my business, but girls shouldn't be out at night especially if no one knows. There is not much of a crime here, but we could never know."

"I-I'm out at night all the time.. We're both kind of used to it." Nemui admitted as she followed him back to Sakura Square. She knew she should probably elaborate, considering that leaving her confession as it was made the two sound a bit scandalous, "W-What I mean is.. Kuru-chii works as.." Her words came to an abrupt halt as she realized her sister wouldn't want the two to know that she spent some of her free time working as a cosplay cafe maid. She laughed a bit awkwardly and immediately continued, hoping he wouldn't ask, "Well... that's her business.. but, I work at a bookstore part time.." She wasn't sure how to respond to the concern that she saw in his eyes, seeing as this was a whole new experience for her. She never had to deal with others worrying about her before, and to be honest, she wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel about it. It was just awkward, sure it was sweet, but it didn't mask the awkwardness between them.

"Nemui-san, I don't want to sound rude or anything."

"Eh..?" She looked to Yukito in a questioning manner, her golden eyes blinking in curiosity as she stood there patiently waiting for him to get to his point. What did he have to say that would be rude? Did she do something to anger him?

"But, do I know you from somewhere?"

Nemui froze as she realized that Yukito was leaning in towards her, her eyes widening a bit at his closed in on her. She knew that this situation looked bad, from any angle, so she had to act fast. There were always paparazzi idly waiting to snap a compromising picture of Ichigo Fuwa. Nemui slightly nodded her head to respond to his question, "W-we were in the same class a c-couple of times..." She had to force the words out, remnants of the chocolate pocky that she'd ate earlier still lingering on her breath.

"I feel terrible forgetting someone cute as you."

She was glad that he pulled away before she had to put space between them, and she bit her bottom lip gently, "T-There is no need!" She quickly assured him, shaking her head quickly. She didn't understand why he felt bad, especially since they never even spoke to each other until today. She averted her eyes for a moment, trying to get her emotions in check, "W-we've never even said hello at school, I don't blame you. Y-you don't have to say stuff like that." She totally dodged the compliment, but she wasn't unaffected by being deemed as 'cute'. However, Nemui didn't believe that she was attractive in any form or fashion, nor did she believe that Yukito actually thought of her as 'cute'. He probably said it to make me feel better...

"Anyways, dinner is ready. I hope you'd like it."

She wasn't sure why he looked embarrassed, but she didn't ask either. She was embarrassed enough on her own, in more ways than one, and it wasn't just because of Yukito. She really didn't like getting caught by the neighbor.. He wasn't a super model, or an idol like Yukito, but she still found Ren to be a more approachable type of attractive.

Once inside of the house she came to the living room and board respectfully to Kurumi and Kurou, "I-I'm so sorry for holding up dinner..." Nemui apologized in a very sincere and slightly humiliated tone of voice. She did not rise from her Japanese style bow for nearly an entire minute, "S-Shall we eat now? I-I really look forward to trying Kitomura-san's cooking... Plus Kuru-chii and Kitomura-Senpai have a big test tomorrow.." She announced, quite possibly throwing them both under the bus.

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|| Current Location ✦ Studio 9 |||| [ Theme ✦ [Fly On The Wall ] ||

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Yukito raised an eyebrow about Nemui mentioning about working part-time. It seemed both sisters do it. He wasn't opposed to it at all. That was their business and he wasn't going to stop them, but he did notice that stop in regards to Kurumi's work. There's a story to that. He would get to than in another time. For now, he was a bit disappointed. It's just that he already had his mind set that his brother would have companions to hang around the house and to have him gain a sense of responsibility towards the girls would be a fun thing to watch. There goes his source of entertainment, but he could do something about it to make it still worth the fun. He could also suggest to his brother to work part-time too. His thoughts made him inwardly smirked while his mask still perfectly intact. "I see, I'll give you and Kurumi-san keys for the gate and the house then." He noted casually. "If it wouldn't be too much, would you tell me what time do you and Kurumi-san get off from work?" His question came out as normal as day without a hint of anything. "I just want to have a baseline so, I wouldn't worry about you girls too much." He ended it with a smile and a playful wink.

Another point of interest for him was the affirmation of his suspicion. That's why Nemui looked familiar to him. They are classmates. He missed her probably because she was a wallflower. It fits her current appearance which he wouldn't tell her right now. There are other times where he could use those descriptions. "Classmates, if that's the case. Would you like to go to school together tomorrow?" His words came out of his lips as if they were the most common thing to say in this situation. It's like he's unaware of the implication of him being seen together with a girl or maybe he just didn't care, but that was one-sided. He might not, but the other party might care a lot. "We're going to be siblings by the end of this week. I've always wanted to walk with a pretty sister by my side." Usually, there should be a wink at the end, but he simply had a warm smile on his face and then entered the house without another word about it.

"We're back! Did you two behave while we're out?" He announced as he found Kurou and Kurumi at the living room. His orange eyes locked on to the two, but nothing was revealed about his current interests or intentions. He was just being playful and cheerful as he had been depicted so far. "Don't worry about it too much, Nemui-san." He stated while looking at Nemui's very formal bow. "It was no trouble at all." He noted with an airy smile before walking on ahead of her. "Let's have dinner before it gets too cold." But Nemui's words about a test, did earn his attention for a bit. He wasn't that worried about Kurou's grades academically. The guy was good with it. There's a bit of a decline, but that was understandable with what's going on in their lives. Anyways, Kurou was in no danger as much as he could tell. Their mother had always taught them to have a good education, so it kinda stuck on them. "Is that so? Well, I guess it's best for Kurumi-san and Ku-nii to get to bed early then." He noted as he took his seat and waited for everyone else to do the same. "Go ahead and dig in!"

Truth be told, it had been a while since he had cooked for anyone. This past vacation, he was busy with work that he often called Kurou to ask for deliveries or make his own meals. They barely ate together nowadays since he began his pop idol career. He wasn't pleased about the whole remarrying idea and being family with such dimwitted girls who shouldn't be here in the first place, but he was thankful for them for one thing. He was able to cook for his brother and have dinner with him along with the added spice. May be, this wouldn't be that bad as his brother was probably brooding about. Still, he couldn't blame Kurou for hating the arrangements. For now, he was enjoying the thoughts of having new toys to play with. He would make great effort to always play with them. "Itadakimasu!" He announced as he grabbed his chopsticks and began his meal along with the others. Well, food seemed to taste a bit better than before.

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On another area, someone was having a rather lonesome dinner. This was none other than Shin. It wasn't that lonely. He had been used to it for a long time. He had just returned from his grocery shopping and was now lounged at his couch while watching some movie with aliens and predators. He just popped in the first DVD he found and just rolled with it. He was living on his own at an apartment he rented through his earnings as a model. He didn't want to depend on that man who was mandated as his father. He grabbed a few chips from the snack he was holding and then looked at the nearby wall clock. It was too slow for his comfort. He wanted it to be morning already. The idea made him smirk. Who would have thought he would be so excited to go to school? He never pegged himself to be. He stood from his seat, turned off the movie, and then decided to take a shower.

Once inside, he removed his shirt and noticed a very pale red mark around his stomach. That's right. He bumped into that girl. It didn't do much damage and his clothes are going to be sent to the dry cleaner's. The girl was flustered by his action, but that was normal. It made him smile, just a small one. It's meaning only known to him and then he ended that encounter with that. He had no idea that tomorrow was going to be more than he bargained for. But as of now, he placed his phone at the sink as he played some songs installed on it. The song playing was actually Yukito's as he stepped on to the shower and just relaxed. Tomorrow was going to be a great day, that's what he assumed. If only, he would know.

Kurou Kitomura
Tactical Espionage Action

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Kurou was just minding his own business when all the sudden some.... wait, I really need to find new material. This is getting old, isn't it?

Originally, the television had a rerun of Kurou's favorite show on and despite being quite Famished, it proved to be a satisfactory distraction. The show, titled "Unliving Book", was a deep and suspenseful thriller about a highschool student with the power to kill whomever he wished by merely writing a name in a book. He is confronted by the greatest detective in the world and it only gets better from there. However, his pleasure was short-lived. As if owning the place she had just moved into this very day, Kurumi took it upon herself to insult the show he'd watched many times over, without even batting an eye. Was she aware of what she'd just said!?

"If you're going to be a couch potato, at least put something good on the T.V... Or, you can surrender the remote..."

B-but it's one of the highest-ranked anime of all time.... ! How dare she!

Kurou inhaled deeply, looking at her as if she'd insulted him. In his eyes, she did. What she said could never be taken back, no matter how much she wished for it to be.

"What'll it be? Shall we wage war or can we come to a peaceful compromise? We can switch it to a music channel when dinner starts."

"I don't care." he said, tossing the remote to Kurumi. It wasn't hard to tell he was lying, but if it wasn't going to be Unliving Book, then the statement was actually partially true. "Watch whatever." That said, he figured that she'd put some weird reality TV show on. Most girls liked that nowadays, right? Kurou was one of those guys who kinda filtered out a lot of the talk girls did, even on dates. That was probably why he couldn't hold a girlfriend for more than a couple weeks at a time.

No matter what it was that Kurumi had put on the television, Kurou simply watched it with lifeless eyes. His stomach had been calling to him for quite some time now. It hurt. Despair overtook the Kitomura as he questioned whether or not he would die right here.

Hungry......

"Eh?"

Oh, she's talking.

"-e totally has noticed we've been weird. How can we get him off our backs?"

It almost sounded like she suspected that he knew a reliable way to do such. He did know his brother, sure, but the best plan Kurou had at the moment wasn't that great if you were bad at acting (which Kurou was). Sighing a turning his gaze from the TV to his new sibling, he told her the best plan conceivable in this scenario.

"Nothing happened, remember? If there's nothing for him to get out of it, he'll get bored eventually.... probably. Just remember not to---" Kurou was cut off before he got the chance to finish his sentence by the sound of the door opening. It almost even seemed like he was going to say something important.

"I-I'm so sorry for holding up dinner..."

Kurou had jumped up immediately upon hearing the door open and by the time Nemui had muttered those words, he was already near the table. "You'd better not do it again." he snapped. Fortunately, Kurou was more interested in eating than being angry at Nemo, so he found his seat and sat down immediately. His "Immunity to Yuki's Teasing" buff was still very much active. Whether or not it was because he didn't actually hear the tease or because he was much more interested in the food before him was anybody's guess.

The only thing respectable about Kurou's table manners was the "Itadakimasu" before almost literally lunging at his food to devour every piece in sight. He honestly ate as though he hadn't seen food for the past two weeks. Kurou had probably noticed he wasn't the most beautiful person in the room during this period of time, but he also had little care for what people thought about him either. He just really wanted to eat. And also leave the table, but eating came first. So, it went without saying that Kurou finished the food race in first place. Unsurprisingly so considering him being the only participant of the race. But the most surprising thing of all is that despite his animal-like consumption of the food, he was perfectly clean after a few rubs of a napkin on his face.

"Bed does sound good." Kurou suddenly said as if continuing the expired conversation before presumably heading off towards his bedroom. Little did his siblings know, this was all a stealthy act to not have to clean the table.

"I don't care."

"... I won't even go there." Kurumi replied back with a sigh, and a shake of her head. He definitely wasn't the Kurou that she remembered, and it was still taking a while to get used to it. She caught the remote, but it nearly slipped through her fingers as she received a jolt of pain from her finger tips all the way up her arm. She closed her eyes for a moment to collect herself, to avoid a pained expression from making it's way onto her features. She opened them a little bit later, switching the movie to Scream, the TV show. She liked horror movies, never romance. Chick flicks always reminded her of what she didn't have, and despite the nightmares that would surely come with watching a horror based TV show, it was better than watching a romance movie with her ex, she hated them on their own, but that would be a million times worse.

"Watch whatever."

"Depressing." She stated amongst a sigh followed with a frown as she looked over to Kurou. Was he always like this, or was it because of her? Would he be like this from now on? She decided to attempt making amends, seeing as Yukito did request that they behave, but mostly because the victory was too easy? "I was only half serious." She stated, tossing the remote back to Kurou, not making eye contact with him as she continued on, "I don't understand that show you were watching, so I got bored of it." She explained, leaning back against the couch, but remained only on the arm of the couch so the two of them remained at a distance and did not touch at all. She began rubbing her upper arm absentmindedly, the same arm that nearly dropped the remote earlier, "You can change it back. I just wanted to see if this show was worth watching to be honest. My mother recommended it." Part of her felt a bit guilty for demanding the remote, seeing as Kurou didn't seem to see the lightheartedness behind it, and another part of her wished that Yukito and Nemui would interrupt, to make the awkwardness in the room dissipate.

"Nothing happened, remember?"

Kurumi nodded her head when he said that bit, the words stinging again. It stung when she said them, but somehow when he repeated them it managed to sting a bit more, "I know that, he just has a knack for making it more awkward than it should be." She confessed, but a lot more relaxed now, perhaps because she was tired, but she blamed it on the pain that shot through her arm. It was hard to fully focus on anything now when her arm was searing with pain, even her Kurou and Yukito problem fell as a close second on her priorities.

"If there's nothing for him to get out of it, he'll get bored eventually.... probably. Just remember not to---"

Kurumi was listening to his advice when her earlier prayers were answered, yet now she was angry. She wanted to hear Kurou's advice, but he couldn't give it now that Yukito and Nemui returned. She'd have to figure it out on her own, or lie. Either way, she was determined to keep it a secret from Yukito, "Thanks for the advice, Kitomura-San." Kurumi replied with a smile to Kurou, not daring to call him or Yukito by first name until this all blew over.

"We're back! Did you two behave while we're out?"

"Why wouldn't we?" Kurumi tilted her head in an innocent and oblivious manner, even batting her eyelashes in confusion for good measure. It was a little easier now, seeing as Kurou's sour mood was getting on her nerves. She wasn't as embarrassed anymore, because he didn't seem to have a lot in common with the Kurou she had such strong feelings for, aside from similar physical features, but even those changed. He looked older and was taller, but little else seemed to change about him.

"I-I'm so sorry for holding up dinner..."

"Ne-chan, you could have been.." At first Kurumi's voice was concerned sharp as she spoke to the younger girl, but toward the end it cracked a little. She was definitely upset, but she wasn't sure if it was more about Nemui wandering off or Kurou. Kurumi shook her head, letting her worries float off into the wind, because there were more pressing matters at hand.

"Never mind. You're safe, so let's just eat, okay?" Kurumi responded to her sister in a relieved tone, but didn't get the chance to say anymore, too startled and angered by Kurou's next words to say much of anything pleasant.

"You'd better not do it again."

Kurumi immediately shot a warning glare at Kurou, doing next to nothing to be discreet. She wanted him to know she wouldn't put up with his snarky attitude towards her innocent and timid sister. She wouldn't start trouble for no reason, nor would she expose their past, but being rude to Nemui in front of Kurumi was comparable to taunting a momma bear's cub. She wouldn't sit by and twiddle her thumbs, whether she currently felt weaker than an empty egg shell or not. Do that again, and you'll wake up with baby pink hair tomorrow... or none at all if I'm feeling particularly vicious today.. Kurumi thought to herself in a harsh manner, paying close attention to the moments to come.

"It was no trouble at all."

"Thank you for understanding, Kitomura-kun." Kurumi responded with a grateful expression, smiling to him, then at Nemui. She was glad at least one of the brothers wasn't being a total asshole to her little sister. Nemui was bullied enough at school, she wouldn't allow it to happen here too. Home was meant to be a sanctuary after all.

"Is that so? Well, I guess it's best for Kurumi-san and Ku-nii to get to bed early then."

"I'm going to go shortly after dinner so that I can get a little studying in on my own." She wasn't much for studying, so to Nemui this was obviously a lie. She was confident that her sister would not call her out on her choice, at least not in front of the Kitomura brothers. Honestly she just wanted to call it a night.

"Itadakimasu." Kurumi stated, her words forced and almost too synthetically sweet to utter. She was definitely faking it, still very ticked off that Kurou snapped at her sister as if he had the right. As far as she was currently concerned, she'd never accept him as a friend, so she'd never consider him family, especially if he couldn't tame that horrible personality he kept expressing. She almost wondered how she ever fell in love with such a vile person, but remembered that he was a far different person back then, and mourned the boy she knew. The Kurou that she knew was already dead, she did not know this person at all, so she suddenly didn't feel so much like a liar anymore. Perhaps this was the mindset she'd needed all along to get Yukito off of her back?

Kurumi remained otherwise silent and put a decent sized portion of salad on her plate, and nothing else. She'd chalk it up as being a vegetarian, but honestly she simply was terrified of gaining weight, and wished to eat as few preservatives as possible. She missed hamburgers, chicken, the works, but she had an image to uphold as school, seeing as she was the most popular girl there. Her altruistic behavior and ballet skills definitely did a lot to boost her popularity, she was the complete opposite of the mean girls that typically held her position in school.

It was hard not to notice Kurou's savage methods of eating, but she ignored him to the best of her ability, "Thank you, Kitomura-San. You really worked hard." Kurumi complimented with a very kind smile. A lot of the boys from school would describe her current smile as a gift from the angels. Kurumi never understood why they had a habit of over exaggerating, but she did find it a bit charming at times.

"Bed does sound good."

Kurumi put her plate and glass away quietly, bowing to Yukito and Nemui, "Excuse me, I am turning in early tonight. Goodnight Ne-chan, Kitomura-kun." She didn't feel awkward about leaving shortly after Kurou, mostly because she planned to long before he mentioned it. She left Yukito and Nemui to their dinner, making her ascent up the stairs, refusing to let her eyes wander in the direction of Kurou's bedroom. She went straight to her own, shutting the door behind her and changed into this {LINK HERE}.

"Ne-chan, you could have been.."

Nemui nodded her head, fully aware of what could have happened to her. She'd watched far enough Law and Order and CSI: Miami to know what happened to girls who weren't careful. Her eyes shifted from her sister in shame, "I know Kuru-chii... Gomenasai.." Her voice was soft, as if she were about to cry. Honestly she could have, but she didn't want to embarrass herself in front of her brothers twice in the same day. She withheld her tears to the best of her ability, gripping the oversized sleeves of her light blue jacket.

"Never mind. You're safe, so let's just eat, okay?"

Nemui nodded her head, closing her eyes as she delivered a kind smile to her sister, glad that she seemed to understand. Kurumi always understood, regardless of her mistake, and it made Nemui feel more than lucky to have her as an older sister. She couldn't imagine life without someone as kind as Kurumi as her sibling, but suddenly, she didn't have to imagine...

"You'd better not do it again."

Nemui blinked a bit in shock, tilting her head a bit. She wasn't sure if she had imagined it, but Kurou was far less kind about it. She finally realized that it wasn't her imagination when her eyes flickered to Kurumi, who was gazing at Kurou viciously. Nemui chewed the inside of her cheek, but decided to ignore Kurou. There was no point in engaging if he would respond harshly. This was definitely not the family she envisioned the past few nights, and she couldn't help but feel disappointed. Grumpy pants (Kurou).. Kuru-chii... and My death warrant (Yukito).. What kind of joke is this..? Was I a horrible person in my past life? She followed her sister and went to sit down, but was startled by Yukito's voice.

"It was no trouble at all."

Nemui couldn't conceal the small smile that formed on her lips when Yukito was reassuring that it wasn't a big deal. It was ironic that the brother who was nice to her would also be the brother that got her slaughtered tomorrow at school. This scenario came across as very rom-com to her, so much so that she almost wanted to laugh, just almost. To get a move on with dinner, Nemui sat beside of her sister at the table and waited for someone to start things off. She didn't look up, but Kurumi definitely seemed to be in a slightly better mood after Yukito's comment, so Nemui felt a little more confident in the group than she had been before, perhaps dinner wouldn't be a complete disaster?

"Is that so? Well, I guess it's best for Kurumi-san and Ku-nii to get to bed early then."

Nemui nodded in response to Yukito's question, but also to agree that their older siblings needed a bit more rest than they did. She let her gaze shift to Kurumi to gauge her reaction, but to her relief, Kurumi didn't seem angry with her for blabbing it out. She didn't even bother to look over to Kurou, not really appreciating that she was already getting harsh remarks at home. He didn't know her, and he was definitely not her boss. He wasn't her step brother yet, and even when he was, he would have to earn respect from her, she wouldn't simply hand it out freely. If anything, he lost a decent portion of her respect for his rudeness earlier.

"I'm going to go shortly after dinner so that I can get a little studying in on my own."

Nemui knew that Kurumi was lying, but she couldn't say otherwise in front of Yukito or Kurou. If she were to, both of the boys would know that Nemui was insinuating that Kurumi was a lying. Nemui refused to do make her sister out to be a liar.. even if Kurumi's grade depended on it, she wouldn't stain her older sister's reputation. Kurumi had to have a good reason to lie to every point blank, didn't she? Nemui hoped so, she also hoped that this wasn't some sort of bad influence from being around the brothers.

"Itadakimasu."

"I-Itadakimasu..." Nemui's tone was definitely more genuine and organic, and she did her best to pretend that Kurumi's version wasn't a bit.. overdone. She let out a soft sigh, closing her eyes before putting food on her plate. She grabbed a small portion of everything, gingerly eating with her chopsticks. She noticed Kurou's eating habits, and crinkled her nose before she could reprimand herself.

"Thank you, Kitomura-San. You really worked hard."

"I-I agree... It was very good..." Nemui complimented, but she did not make eye contact, she instead ended up staring down at her plate awkwardly, so she decided to finish off what little was left on her plate. She didn't want to be so awkward, but ever since her father died, her entire life was Topsy-Turvy.

"Bed does sound good."

Nemui said nothing, assuming that he just didn't want to clean his corner of the table which he'd somehow turned into a pigsty over the course of one dinner. She was utterly disgusted. There was no way in hell Nemui was going to clean after that slob, no one could pay her enough. She hated being this negative, but so far he wasn't making a very good impression, especially after how he acted when he was first introduced to them. He was rude to Kurumi earlier that day, and now he was rude to Nemui just before dinner? She couldn't help but feel that her thoughts were justified.

"Excuse me, I am turning in early tonight. Goodnight Ne-chan, Kitomura-kun."

Nemui grabbed up all of the dishes aside from Yukito's and began washing them, "I'll get the dishes, and you get the table then, Kitomura-san?" Nemui inquired, looking over her shoulder for a moment as she awaited his response. She couldn't let all of the work fall onto Yukito, especially where he had cooked dinner for everyone.

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Nemui sat in class with the girl's school uniform on (Boy's is also in the pic), and waited for class to begin. She left extremely early, so she would have an excuse to not walk to school with Yukito or Kurou. She didn't want to add to any of the bullying she would surely already experience this year. She tapped her fingers on the desk, reading a random page out of her history book as she waited. The classroom was completely empty, but considering how early she'd come in, that wasn't out of the ordinary. This is ridiculous... My life has come to dodging my new family like landmines every morning...

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It cannot be helped at all as people stared, gawked, or even ogled at the female walking by. That is because she was a vision in the simplest sense and it is something that comes to her very naturally. There was no doubt that she was a foreigner as her stock, coloring, and specific traits are not synonymous to the natives of Japan. That was one of the factors, she was hard not to notice along with how all of it comprises to a stunning and voluptuous beauty. Her body was curved into a perfect hourglass shaped with the fitting proportion of bust, hips, and butt. It was probably also why some of the girls had envious gazes at her to have such a glamorous physique neither too slender nor too meaty. Adding to that, she does have a beautiful face with those mysterious mauve eyes and sensual curly locks cradling her face.

However, the source of the attention was oblivious to the looks she is receiving. It is because she was looking at the piece of paper on her hand. This held the directions she needed to do to get enrolled or better yet to arrive at her new school. She actually had a late start since she had emotionally calm herself first thing in the morning. Speaking of which, it was a bit hard to believe that she had been living in this country for quite a long time now. To her, it was the first time. Everything was new and strange even if she had read what was written by her own hands on her journal. Her grip tightened on the paper before someone pulled her from behind. It startled her as a speeding car passed by her. "Are you alright? You better look where you're going missy." She looked behind her and saw the one who saved her was an elderly man.

"I'm sorry, but thank you very much." She noted as she properly faced the gentleman and then gave him a hug which surprised the other bystanders. "Miss!?" It seemed that this country was not that bad at all. "Thank you!" She released the man who was rather embarrassed as she then ran off once the pedestrian crossing was once again available. Somehow, she was rather lively than before and was looking forward to this day. She should write down on her journal which she was determined to do as she walked once more while jotting it down. By the time she finished writing it down, she finally reached the school. There were quite an amount of students already there. Some were holding a newspaper and had rather surprised look on their faces. They also seemed a bit agitated by what they're reading. It made her wonder what it was about. Others were gathered as if waiting for someone. Was there something going on? She looked at the school building for a moment. But, it seemed so quiet. Shrugging her shoulders, she entered the school gate after she showed her papers to the guards.

One of the guards just gently ushered her inside. She accepted his kindness and proceeded to the principal's office where she could process her papers. It was also kind of the guard to tell her directions to it as she followed it by ear. In any case, she soon reached the office as she prepared herself to enter the room. She softly knocked and opened the doors. "Excuse me... I'm here to submit my enrollment papers." She said and found that she was just the only student there. It made her think that she would be the new student this year. Somehow, she felt a bit shy all of a sudden. It was like her being a goldfish out of the fishbowl. In any case, the secretary looked at her and gestured for her to come close.

Approaching the desk, she introduced herself with a smooth and elegant move. It seemed completely natural and fitting for her. Some of the staff can't help but look at her; she was a very pleasant and exotic sight to see. " Good morning, I am Aina Malik. I have been told to submit my papers here." The secretary looked at her from head to toe and seemed to be pleased. "We've been expecting you. I'll get you ready." She nodded gingerly at this. "Thank you." She softly smiled and somehow it appeared Aina had wings and a halo. It didn't take long for her to be done as she left the principal's office and began to trace down her homeroom. It was actually nearing time for classes to begin as the hallways crowded with students who instantly attached their eyes on her. "It should be around this corner." Oblivious and absorbed in finding her homeroom, she didn't notice that she was basically categorized as an IT girl.

She turned around the corner and finally found her homeroom. She smiled triumphantly at this. It seemed that she has a good sense of direction, at least that wasn't damaged. She entered the homeroom. There were already some students grouping together indicating that they were friends or classmates from last year. It was not the same for her as she lowered her head a bit and looked for a possible vacant seat. She soon found one which was located at the middle. "Excuse me, is this seat taken?" She politely asked the students nearby who shook their heads. Some seemed to be blushing and others seemed very enthusiastic in answering her. "Thank you." She said with a gentle smile before taking her seat and she then decided to write down on her journal. There seemed to be still some time before classes start, so she would put down everything that she had learned for the past hour and so. The directions, her seat, the people she had encountered, the small things, she really didn't want to forget, that's why at the very least...

She didn't want to forget writing it down.

Himeko fell asleep shortly after her soak the night before. She woke up rather early for school the next morning to the sound of her mother screeching in horror. Himeko jolted out of bed, falling flat on her face in her rush. She pushed herself onto her feet and rushed to the laundry room, her bare feet loudly tapping against the wooden floor as she ran. However when she made it to the source of her mother's scream, she immediately found herself disappointed, All that over a barrage of soap bubbles? She really woke up this early for this? She felt that this was at least a level two crisis like a huge spider or a rogue bee had come in the house. This was a total let down and more than a little irritating. Himeko let out an annoyed growl and snatched the box of detergent from her mother, "Let me do this. It's been so long that you've forgotten how much to use this. Just cook breakfast, alright mom?" Himeko responded, trying to not be as harsh as she wanted to be at this hour. She knew her mother was doing her best, but it was far too early to deal with teaching her mother how to be a proficient housewife again.

Once Himeko tamed the washing machine, she entered the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee, cautiously taking a sip. She closed her eyes with a satisfied smile, glad that her mother got this much right. Himeko took her seat, staring at the perpetually empty spot that was once occupied by her older brother Ren Katsukawa. Her mood immediately plummeted as she thought about her dead brother. She still had so many questions, there was so much about his death that was left unanswered and it drove her mad not knowing why her brother died. She forced herself to take another drink of her coffee before sitting her cup down. Himeko's eyes returned to her brother's empty chair, and she thought about how much she missed him. I'm a Freshmen now, Ren.. This is where you walk in and tell me you're going to kick a lot of asses today if any boys flirt with me like you always did.. Why did you leave me alone..? She thought to herself, as if Ren would step out of his old room. She was still a bit in denial at times, but it was reasonable. She was only fourteen after all. How was she supposed to respond to her older brother's death? Himeko was on the brink of tears, but her mother glanced over just in time and chimed in, "Tell me more about that boy from yesterday, Hime-chan~" She felt her daughter's mood shift and she knew that bringing the boy that Himeko bumped into up would surely get Ren off of Himeko's mind at least for a little while.

Himeko blinked a few times as she registered her mother's question, her cheeks immediately burning a dark red. Himeko scooped up her coffee cup, taking a big gulp to buy herself some time. Why is she bringing up that guy again!? Himeko asked herself, completely humiliated and successfully distracted. She was kind of using her coffee like men did in those Twix commercials. She needed a chance to level her head, but how was she supposed to? Her mother was constantly blowing everything out of proportion, especially since Himeko swore off 'love'. Now her mother was a bit of a fanatic about teasing her when it came to boys.

"I told you I don't know who he was!" She desperately snapped after swallowing her last gulp of coffee. Now she had no excuse for further silence and had to face her mother's vocal attacks head on. She was practically begging the eggs to finish cooking so breakfast could start, but she was not that lucky, "People bump into strangers all the time. I doubt I'll ever see that weirdo ever again." her mother finally placed her plate in front of her and Himeko ate as quickly as possible without being slobbish. Himeko washed her plate and was out the door before her mother could say anything else. She even had to tap her shoes on mid-run because she didn't even stop to lace her shoes.

The walk to the train felt like it took forever, but once she was on board she relaxed and took a seat. Thankfully she woke up so early that it was relatively empty. She received a few perverted stares and she glared a bit at the creepy old men. Just because I am in a school uniform doesn't mean that it gives them the right to be blatantly disrespectful! She mentally hissed, clenching her fist a bit, but she couldn't help but smile. She was home, and was going to be in class with kids she went to school with in seventh grade, but with a fresh start. No one would likely remember her, but she was certain she would still remember everyone else.

She got off at her stop and ran the rest of the way to school, because they sky was turning a dark shade of grey. She did NOT want to be caught in the rain. Yesterday was bad enough, she didn't want to repeat the occasion and show up to her first day of school soaking wet. She could hear the roar of the thunder, threatening to send a downpour upon her and Himeko picked up her pace, Hajime Academy in sight. Thankfully she made it into the building before the rain started. She went to the Principal's office and retrieved her school schedule, passing a foreign looking girl in the hall. Himeko went to her assigned classroom, noticing only an ebony haired male and a short haired girl, "Ohayo."

Himeko stole the main back seat next to the windows, the black haired boy in the seat in front of her, and the short haired girl was beside of her. She didn't speak, but she simply smiled to the duo who seemed to be mid conversation. She didn't want to interrupt, that would be a nightmare of a first..no...first-second impression? She wasn't sure how to put it, but she didn't want to ruin whatever impression she was about to make.

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It was not that hard for Shin to wake up in the mornings. He had gotten used to it because of his line of work, and also, he's looking forward to attending the first day of school. He was already done with his morning rituals and was donned in his school uniform. The black color contrasted greatly on him. He wasn't a prim and proper dresser with his jacket not buttoned at all showing his white shirt and necktie, but it suited him which wasn't that hard to do. He is a model after all. He grabbed his school bag and exited his flat. It didn't take him long to reach the lobby of his building where a familiar figure is waiting along with a familiar car. "I don't need a ride, tell him that." He walked passed the figure who released a small sigh and turned around to look at Shin who was about to exit the premises.

"I'd like to do that, but you got a bit sloppy, squirt." Shin wasn't fond of being called names, but this person was given the privilege for he was the closest to a relative he has in this country. It was a middle-aged man working as the agency's driver. He looked over his shoulder only to be met by a picture on a newspaper. "You're in the headlines. EDGE having a romantic rendezvous with NEW Lover." He narrowed his eyes in irritation as he grabbed the newspaper and began to read it in detail. He didn't notice anyone tailing him and from what he could determine from the picture this happened last night after the fashion show, specifically this was when he bumped into that girl. Whoever took this picture made it look like that the girl was leaning for a kiss and being flirtatious towards him as written.

"This is just an accident. I don't even know her. Tch." He clicked his tongue in annoyance. He was fine with the speculations of the media about his love life and so. He was a rather popular one being single and him being attached to other female celebrities by assumptions. The one thing that really irritates him is that getting this kind of news early in the morning and having a total stranger get involved in this which was a big fat lie. "Well, these kind of stories don't care about the truth, just the spark, the tension, and the thrill." He released a big sigh as he crumpled the newspaper and threw it at a nearby trash bin. "It's idiotic." The stranger couldn't help but agree, and still. "That's just how it is, so the boss' order is to give you a ride. Commuting won't be good and stay clear of the girl. The agency thinks that she might be involved in this fiasco to entrap you." He narrowed his eyes dangerously at those words.

"Ease down boy, it's not my words. Anyway, let's go, can't get you late for school." At that point, Shin can't help but to agree as he followed the older male towards the car. He had always thought that he was happy for the first day of classes, but right now, not so much. Anyways, he would just put this matter aside for now. It's not like he could meet that girl again and if the agency's accusations were true, that girl would just disappear. So right now, he could focus on the reason for getting back to school, and that is none other than Yukito.

It wasn't that long when he arrived at Hajime School. The students who were already there looked at the car in curiosity. It was quite a luxurious one, so the passenger must be some rich person. "We're here sport, good luck and keep a low profile, kay?" Shin shook his head at that incredulously. "Yeah, with this car? I don't think so." The elderly man laughed a bit as Shin stepped out of the car which earned quite the 'oohhs... wows.... ahhhhs...'. The girls recognized him as some squealed in delight and was in excitement of his appearance, especially with him wearing the school uniform. "Isn't that the EDGE?" He could hear some whispers. "Our school is becoming a hot spot for celebrities!" They must also be referring of Yukito's attendance to the school. Well, that is also the reason why he is here.

"Hey sport, I'll pick you up later, kay?" Shin looked over his shoulder and gave a curt nod. "Fine." He then went towards the guards who looked at his presence in awe. He was quite the male specimen after all. "Excuse me, where's the Principal's Office?" He stated as the guards gave him instructions where to find it. He muttered his thanks and went ahead. After a few while, he soon reached the office and processed his papers. The secretary was obviously flustered and eyeing him like some candy. He was used to it especially being a model. "Here are your papers, Shin-kun." Shin raised an eyebrow at how the secretary called to him, but he didn't say anything else other than, "Thanks." He then exited the room before the secretary could say another word. He didn't like people who quickly assimilate themselves to him in such an overly casual manner. It would be another story if he was working or he couldn't find a suave way of getting out as not to damage his so-called reputation.

For now, he focused on where his classroom could be. Shin looked at his class schedule as he began his search. The students he passed by all looked at him while hearing words like another new one, EDGE, Lover, handsome, and so on. He was used to it, so he just takes it in stride. He turned around the corner and instantly stopped on his tracks. Students began another string of talks, because in front of his eyes was his light.

Kurou Kitomura
Not even close, baby

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There too much stimuli to properly comprehend what was going on.

He heard yelling, screaming, and then suddenly a loud bang. A large splash of red painted the floor right next to the young Kurou, followed by the large thud of something dropping to the ground. "What was going on here?" one might ask. But not Kurou. Even though everything was too much for him the first time it happened, he had relived this particular nightmare more than once. He knew exactly what just hit the ground and why.

It was his mother. His mother was murdered.

He slowly attempted to look at his mother, but his sight grew dimmer the closer he got to looking at her face. He wanted to see if she was alright, despite knowing the answer to this. Unfortunately, that is where the dream always ends. Just before he could get a proper view of his mother's face, he snapped awake.

Kurou was covered in sweat and breathing heavily. Traumatic experiences weren't something people should have to relive, especially more than once. He couldn't remember exactly how many times he had woken up from that nightmare, but at the very least, it was more common back then than it was now. In fact... hadn't it been a while since he'd seen this dream? While he hadn't forgotten it, he tried to pretend that it was never a problem in the first place, so he was almost surprised that he'd seen it now that it had been so long.

But why dream about it now? Was there a reason?

There probably was not, at least Kurou thought so. Pain didn't need a reason to exist, it just did. He sat in his bed for a solid three minutes before finally deciding to get up. Lucky for him, he took his shirt off before going to sleep so he needn't worry about it sticking to him. That always made him feel gross. Glancing around, he found a "clean clothes" pile before taking a new set of apparel for the day. He would need to take a shower before he did anything else though, so he simply grabbed the clothes and made his way for the shower, which was not occupied at the time. At this moment, he was just worried about cleaning rather than time or anything else.

The shower was warm and felt wonderful, as did his body after it had been cleaned.

This was his one luxury in life that was assured. A clean, fresh new Kurou who didn't have to wear evidence of the nightmare he had just had earlier. But even after the shower, something felt relatively wrong with him. A nagging feeling that he forgot something that would send him into the very pits of complete despair if he did not succeed in remembering it. But what could that be? By the time he'd left the bathroom, he already put his new clothes on and brushed his teeth. He was more or less ready to leave for school, whenever that was------

School?

Wait, what time is it?

Kurou became anxious. He might not be the nicest of people but surprisingly, he did not want to miss school. No, rather, he couldn't miss school. It was impossible unless he was sick, and he bad dreams weren't an illness he could use as an excuse. If he did then she would be upset with him, and he didn't want to bother her. Rushing downstairs, he spotted a clock in the kitchen as he completely forgot his phone existed, it still being upstairs. The time made him jump out of his skin, what with him only have just enough time to reach school without being late, if he ran. It was likely that unless somebody else had slept in so dangerously late, he was the last one out the house. He bolted out and locked the door before sprinting as fast as his legs would take him.

So much for not being sweaty....

Though his physical abilities had deteriorated over time due to his preference of playing games, he was still fairly quick. He knew he could reach school with just a minute to spare if he didn't slow down that much, which was perfect because he had no intention of doing so. Now all he had to do was----

*BAM*

Kurou froze instantly. His heart ached and he began sweating again.

He was terrified.

But this was only for a moment. Noticing he wasn't dead, he looked up to notice that the sky was grey. So the culprit of the sound was thunder. Kurou inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly before starting back up on his sprint to the school. He needed to get out before it rained. However, fortune did not favor him. As he thought that, the rain began, and it hit hard. The school was in sight and it only took another two minutes, but even then, he was pretty damp by the time he got to safety under its roof. He jolted down the hallways, ignoring the fact that if any staff were in the halls at this time, they'd probably angrily tell him to stop or he'd get detention. Nobody was there though. They were all in class, and if the bell finished ringing before he was.... well, he wouldn't be happy in the least. But in a fortunate turn of events, he had opened the door and stepped inside with just a couple of seconds to spare!

Flawless

Ignoring the stares of a few students due to his quick and abrupt opening of the door, Kurou sat at the nearest available desk, happy that he was victorious. If he was even pretending to pay attention to anybody, he might have noticed the teacher was giving him strange looks as well. However, he was in before the bell ended and that was all that was important, wasn't it? How lucky he was.

But this day really wasn't off to a good start, was it?

Seeing as she struggled to fall asleep the night before, Kurumi woke up a little later than everyone else. She knew that she would have to hurry if she wanted to make it to school on time, but she refused to sacrifice a single portion of her daily routine. She would rather be late than start off her morning inappropriately, any day. She found herself sprinting back and forth between her bedroom and the bathroom as she rushed to get ready and found it a bit exhausting to say the least. Nemui was already gone, and from the looks of it, so was Yukito. She figured that since Yukito was gone, that she was the only one still at the house. She assumed that Yukito and Kurou would have left together, but she wasn't entirely sure. Once she showered Kurumi quickly got dressed. She was almost certain that she was home alone now, because she didn't hear anyone else's footsteps in the house. She was done, and wasn't entirely late, yet. She quickly straightened her hair, then sprinted downstairs to put her shoes on. Once she was ready, Kurumi locked the door behind her only to be taken aback by the weather outside. Oh man.. Seriously? She thought to herself with a huge frown. She HATED thunder. It was terrifying. Kurumi pulled ear plugs out of her school uniform and pushed them inside of her ears before she ran to her bike and guided it out of the gate. Once she was clear of the gate, Kurumi used her beeper to close the gates to Sakura Square and hopped on her bike and began peddling away as fast as she could. She knew that it was going to rain judging by the color of the sky, but if she rode on her bike she felt that she might be able to beat the storm.

Seeing as she left some time after Kurou, Kurumi was caught in the middle of the storm, but managed to make good time on her bike. She put it away and ran into the school building as fast as she could. She almost slipped a few times on her way to her classroom, seeing as she was soaking wet. She managed to quite literally slide in right after Kurou. She almost bumped straight into him, but thankfully she slid in on her feet and managed to slip past him without chaos. She almost lost her balance on her way in, but she managed to maintain her balance for the most part. To most of her class's surprise, Kurumi didn't have any makeup on today. She was typically seen wearing at least mascara and lip gloss, but today she was attending class entirely natural seeing as the rain had washed away any attempts she had previously made to doll up. A close friend of Kurumi's worriedly approached Kurumi and put a towel on her head, and the blonde laughed a bit as she took her seat next to the other girl, diagonally behind Kurou's chosen spot. Shizuku, who was the friend that loaned Kurumi the towel sat on the right side of Kurumi, so Shizuku was directly behind Kurou as a result. Kurumi removed her earplugs reluctantly, wishing that she wouldn't have to, because the ongoing storm left her uneasy. She hated the sound of thunder, it completely terrified her and chilled her to the bone.

"Arigato, Shi-chan." She thanked her friend, doing her best to dry herself off. She didn't want to catch a cold after all. The teacher shot her a disapproving look, and Kurumi shot him an apologetic look despite silently laughing about her situation afterwards. She had to admit that the rain felt nice, but if the thunder got too loud, she'd definitely have to excuse herself from class. considering that she was a girl, and shouldn't have rode her bike out in the rain. The fact that she was soaking wet was definitely distracting some of the classroom's male population, but Kurumi was to busy trying to pat herself dry with the small towel that her friend had loaned her. She didn't make eye contact with Kurou, despite the fact that they both had been seconds from receiving detention, but also despite the fact that they now lived together. It was too much for her to wrap her head around, especially since her feelings towards him were complicated to say the least. The teacher began row call, and her name came up in the alphabet before Kurou's, seeing as Fujioka came before Kitomura, "Hai. I'm here, Sensei." She responded to the teacher. There was a quieter clash of thunder, and Kurumi tensed up in her seat, eyes shifting to the floor. She was doing her best to conceal her fear from the others, but if it got louder, she'd have no choice but to flee from class if she wanted to keep her phobia a secret. How mad would the teacher get if I randomly run out of class..? Kurumi asked herself hypothetically, biting on the inside of her cheek as she braved through the quieter bursts of thunder. She knew that her fear was unrealistic, especially since she was indoors, but human fears never seemed to answer to logic in the end. No matter how many times she tried to overcome it, something about thunder always was bone chillingly horrifying, at least in her opinion.

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This time the alarm did its job and brought Yukito back to the real world, but he stayed in bed for a few seconds while staring at the ceiling of his room with a disturbing empty eyes. He closed his eyes briefly and muttered in a rather bored tone. "School..., huh..." He then finally got up and prepared his morning rituals. It was still a bit early and he assumed the his brother and the new residents of the house were still sleeping. He had no idea that the girls were already gone. That's right, it's not just him and Kurou. He exited his room with his clothes and toiletries in tow. It seemed that no one was in as he entered and did his every morning hygiene. He was soon done and returned to his room to pick up his things for school. He did offer to walk in the mornings with that Nemui girl, but she never did give a definitive answer.

There goes his fun...

Anyways, he needed to prepare breakfast and took a look at his cellphone. There were a lot of messages and missed calls again, most were from his manager. She was a busybody as always, he scrolled down through the messages as he went towards the kitchen, now donning his school uniform for the first time as a high-schooler. "Work,,, work... work... oh... wedding... that's right." He looked at the nearby calendar hanging at the wall. It was tomorrow. His father sent him a message to have him arrange everything for the girls and his brother, there was also the request of him to sing for the reception. He released an annoyed sigh as he also clicked his tongue. "Tch... a hassle." He scratched the back of his head to show his frustration of the situation and then he took a deep breath. He must keep his mask on after all.

It was only at that point, he answered the messages and was no longer in the mood to make breakfast. He went to refrigerator and found a box of cereal and a breakfast meal which could be made through microwave. "This would do." He then made a note saying that breakfast is in the ref and placed it on the kitchen counter which could easily be seen by anyone. He just grabbed a few strawberries and munched on them as he exited the house. He didn't bother to check if anyone was up. He wanted some time to his own before he goes to school because once he's there, well, he would have to entertain full-time. Once he was at front, he hailed a cab, using public transportation won't be good for him. He actually did that and he got an earful from the agency and Haruko. He was literally mobbed by fans. Haruko offered to give him a ride, but he declined and chose this alternative.

He couldn't wait to be an adult and have his own car to drive.

The drive to school was quiet as he looked out the window, enjoying the scenery in his own way. He did notice though that the driver was looking at him through the rear-view mirror. "Something wrong?" He queried while finally meeting the cab driver's gaze. The older man was a bit flustered for being caught and managed to answer nervously. "Ah! N---Nothing's wrong... I---It's just that you're that famous Ichigo Fuwa, right?" Oh, the guy recognizes him? He gave the older man a bright smile. "Keep it a secret mister, okay?" The driver nodded in full agreement and finally got to the point. "Of course! My daughter is a huge fan of yours! So..., could I have your autograph?" Typical. He gave an energetic nod. "Sure, no problem at all." He was soon done with it at the exact moment they arrived at the school gates. "Here you go and my payment. Say hi for me to your daughter and thank you for supporting me." The driver was very pleased. "Absolutely!" He exited the cab and was instantly welcomed by amorous, envious, and curious eyes of the student body. There was even some excited squeals and chatter in the background.

His mask already intact as he welcomed the girls who immediately circled around him with a cheerful smile. "Good morning, Yukito-kun!" He answered them with such cordial and friendly manner. "Good morning, everyone! How's your vacation?" There were various answers and a lively conversation started around him. The guys also approached him, they were his classmates last year in middle-school, though he hadn't spend much of his time in classes, because of his current career. As expected, he was the center of attention. It was that point the clouds were getting darker and the rumbles of thunder echoed. He looked up and said, "We should go inside, we wouldn't want to get soak at the first day of classes." Everyone agreed with him as they enter the school building and began changing his shoes when a question perked his interest. "Yukito-kun, you know the model EDGE, right?" He looked at the one who asked.

"Yeah, we worked together and have the same agency." The girl asked was extremely happy at his answer. She was probably a fan of that guy. "Then... do you know if he really has a girlfriend? The news said he has one!" Then, he was shown the newspaper article as he looked at the incriminating picture and the article attached to it. There was silence around him as they waited for his answer, the confirmation. He couldn't help but smirk inwardly. This was something nice to play with him. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I could confirm or deny anything. We don't usually talk about private things, but if this is true, shouldn't you be happy for him?" The girl seemed to be taken down by a peg by his commentary which was done with a gentle smile.

After that, he continued on his way to the hallways. There were still a lot of people around him, engaging him conversation, but it soon stopped when they seemed to be interested in what was in front of him. He followed their gaze and saw the guy he being asked about. This day was certainly not boring. "Good morning, Leech-kun. I did hear you'd be attending school. This is a surprise." His voice was cheerful and friendly, but somehow there was a tension between the two. Shin seemed to finally regain his senses and answered back. "Yeah... Good morning." He approached Yukito within a few paces. It wasn't hard with his long legs and then placed his face near Yukito's ear. "It's Shi-Shi, remember?" The mere gesture and the closeness between the two made those around them blush and squeal in excitement. Yukito was unfazed as he looked at Shin, not minding the closeness between their faces. "You should be more mindful of your actions, I wouldn't want your lover to get a wrong impression." His smile didn't show anything dark, nor he's demeanor. But his words were enough to put Shin into a state of surprise as the older male took a step back. "That's not---"

Shin wasn't able to continue as Yukito cut him off. "Congratulations! Well, time to go to class. We can't be late now. Leech-kun." There was a sing-song tone ending to that as Yukito went on his way. Shin's appearance was surprising to him, but he would deal with that later. He went to his classroom and found familiar faces there. One was Nemui, so she was already here? Then, the neighbor guy. They seemed to be talking, but he was never the kind to find awkwardness in interrupting. "Good morning, Nemui-san," He started and then looked at Ren. "Good morning to you too, I didn't get your name last night. But, isn't this a coincidence, we're classmates." His expression than changed into something thoughtful. "Oh, Nemui-san. I forgot to give you this." He gave her the gate and house keys. He knew well what it meant doing this in front of many and he's going to enjoy it. "I did say I'll give you one, right?" His smile was very pleasant and good-natured as if what he's doing is completely right, but his intentions were not at all perfectly covered with that mask of his.

Then, the rain fell.

"Hey."

Nemui's eyes shifted from the history book to the owner of the voice, finding it slightly familiar. Her golden orbs found the source to be none other than the boy from the night before. Suzuki, Ren...? That was his name, wasn't it? Nemui scrambled, not wanting to make his impression of her any worse than she already had, "H-Hello." Nemui responded with a nervous smile, raising her hand to give a slight wave. It was a bit awkward for her to talk to him like this, considering that the room was relatively empty, but it was gradually filling up, but for Nemui, just talking to a boy was relatively new to her. She found it a bit exhausting, finding it difficult to remain calm when talking to the opposite gender. Most of the time she was a wall decoration and went unnoticed by girls and boys alike, it was only her bullies that seemed to have her on their radar up until recently. Is it because I ditched those glasses? Nemui couldn't help but wonder, because she had never received this much attention until recently.

"Fujioka, Nemui-san, right?"

"H-Hai... You're Suzuki, Ren, correct?" She responded with a nod, verifying that she'd gotten his name right as well. It was better to be corrected now rather than later after all. She didn't want to make a bigger fool of herself than she had to. She noticed when the girls she was hiding from the day before entered the class together, her eyes shifting nervously as she grew a bit panicked.

"Ohayō."

"...O-Ohayō.." Nemui responded in a delicate tone of voice, biting the her lower lip. She hoped that the girls would just take their seats and overlook her this year, but she wasn't exceedingly hopeful. She wondered if she was still wearing a smile on her face, and if so, was it believable? She was so distracted by her tormentors that she wasn't certain what expression she was currently displaying. She hoped that she wasn't making a strange face, so she quickly shook her thoughts, running a hand through the back of her hair with a silent laugh, "I-I didn't know that we would be in the same class..." Nemui added, but sweat-dropped a bit afterwards. The words sounded better in her head, and now that she heard them out loud she realized just how badly she had been grasping for straws. A light blush crossed her cheeks as she realized this wasn't going very well. She wasn't very accustomed to talking to boys, aside from her work as a cashier. Even so, her job didn't involve a lot of people skills, considering that the boys who bought comics were typically socially inept as well.

"Ohayo."

A very beautiful and friendly looking girl approached and greeted them, taking the seat next to Nemui, much to the wallflower's surprise. She's...so beautiful. Then Nemui heard the whispers about the long haired beauty. Apparently she was dating a famous model!? Nemui's eyes shifted to the girl again, now wondering if the girl was a model as well. The girl could pass for one, because she was everything that Nemui wished she could be, "...O-Ohayō gozaimasu.." Nemui responded to the girl with a smile nearly as nervous as the one she had presented to Ren. Nemui was not the best when it came to socializing with either gender, obviously.

"Good morning, Nemui-san,"

Nemui's skin immediately crawled as she heard a very familiar voice. Did he SERIOUSLY just address her on a first name basis in PUBLIC? She wanted to sink into her seat, crawl into a crack in the tile floor and die. Was Yukito some kind of an extreme sadist or was he truly oblivious to the torment he was unleashing on her by associating with her in front of his fans? She couldn't ignore him, because that would only anger his mob even more, "O-Ohayo gozaimasu, K-Kitomura-san.." She responded as if she'd seen a ghost, almost not finding the courage to say the words at all. Her blush was not present, in fact her face was mostly a mix of mortification and astonishment as she spoke to the idol. She somewhat lost herself in thought as Yukito turned his attention to Ren, and she felt her fingers gripping her history book, which definitely wasn't a sufficient stress ball. I'm dead. He just served my death warrant and threw me to the coyotes..

"Oh, Nemui-san. I forgot to give you this."

As soon as the keys landed in her hand, Nemui practically jumped out of her skin. Did he REALLY just give her the house keys? Her mother sent her a copy in the mail... She couldn't explain, nor could she give them back, because either way his fans were definitely going to scalp her for this. Their minds definitely had to be going somewhere far dirtier than the reality of the situation, and it was more than likely going to make her life a living hell, "A-Arigato... Kitomura-san" she responded in a quiet tone, literally sinking in her seat under the intense glares she received from all around the room.

"I did say I'll give you one, right?"

"H-Hai..." She responded, chewing on her lower lip now as she panicked. She'd never seen the fangirls this angry before, and she felt a nervous pit forming in her stomach. Living with Yukito was going to give her ulcers at this rate. She could have sworn that she heard the girls sharpening their pencils into wooden stakes against their desks, but she did her best to brush it off as her overactive imagination or as comic relief. She was too smart to fall for her own reassurances, but it was worth a shot. The amount of fear and stress alone was enough to make her hair turn white. Every bone in her body wished that her sister would come in the room and save her from this situation. At least Yukito didn't touch her or anything... Perhaps the girls would understand if Nemui told them the truth now that Yukito forced her to cross the point of no return?

"Everyone, take your seats! I am about to begin roll call. Anyone not in a seat by the time I call their name will receive two evenings of detention with the principal." The stern old man that taught their class began. He called roll, then he began class as scheduled, but thankfully the old man's hearing wasn't as good as he'd have everyone believe, so talking commenced shortly after he turned his back to begin the lecture.

They're going to kill me..

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|| Current Location ✦ School |||| [ Theme ✦ [Revolution ] ||

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Shin could not say anything else as he watched Yukito walked away from him. His eyes narrowed into annoyance as he scratched the back of his head. This stupid tabloid just destroyed his good impression on Yukito. He couldn't help but click his tongue. "Tch. I hate those rags." He muttered under his breath as he decided to get to his class. The students murmured if the truth of rumors that Yukito and him being more than friends have any truth. He cast a look at them which effectively silenced them while taking their leave. It wasn't threatening or anything really, his look. He didn't like to display himself irresponsible especially with Yukito around. He would just think of a way to make it up to Yukito, but he couldn't help but be a bit disappointed. The younger male appeared to be unperturbed about him having a lover even if it was just a bunch of lies. "He could show a bit of jealousy." He stated inwardly as he soon found his room, but at that time, it was already raining and the school bell rang. There was also a suspicious wet trail by the door.

The teacher seemed to notice his presence by the door and determined that he must be one of the new students. Apparently, this is the best time to introduce the two new additions to the class. The teacher could already see the commotion about to happen, the two new students were very appealing in every angle. "Quiet down. This year we have two new students who would join the class." The teacher motioned for Shin to enter and then looked at the very exotic student present in the class. "If you two would come here in front of the class and introduce yourself." Shin entered the room where the female populace immediately swooned at his appearance, some squealed in delight knowing who he is. As for Aina, he stood from her seat and the males inside the classroom couldn't help attached their eyes on her form. "Settle down!" The teacher shouted to silence the class while pinching the bridge of his nose. He then looked at the two. "Go ahead."

Shin looked at the girl standing beside him who also glanced at him. "Would you like to go first?" Aina asked in a very gentle manner. Her presence was extremely hard not to notice and makes one very docile and comfortable. At the same time, Shin knew for a fact the girl was natural in every way. There was no make-up in sight at all. "Ladies first." Shin noted and Aina nodded gently as she faced the classroom. "Good morning, my name is Aina Malik. It is a pleasure to meet you all. I hope I can be friends with everyone." Her smile was sweet and gentle. There was no air of malice or a signature of her faking it. Her eyes of purple glistened with sincerity. She definitely stood out in terms of physical assets without doubt and probably even the inner ones. The class immediately roused to liveliness as questions were thrown at her way especially by the boys, like 'do you have a boyfriend" and so on.

Aina was a bit overwhelmed by the reaction as she did her best to answer the questions being thrown at her. She also seemed a bit troubled, but did her best to accommodate. The teacher began to get annoyed once more as he silenced the class. "Shut it!" He then looked at Shin when the class quieted down. "Your turn." Shin nodded at this and looked at the class. "Morning. Ogawa, Shin. I'll be in your care." This time, it was the girls' turn. Shin did his best as well to cordially answer the questions. He was used to it. Somehow, the teacher could not help but shake his head. It seemed that those reactions couldn't be helped with these two students. It made him wonder how the other homeroom teacher where Yukito is in charge is holding up. "Anyway! That's enough. You two take your seats. Malik-san, you can seat in the chair you already have. Ogawa-san, take that seat beside Fujioka-san." They both nodded as they made way to their seats.

Shin took his seat beside the one known as Fujioka. He cast a glance at her earlier at the front since the teacher pointed at her. She was obviously wet and from the water trail he found at the entrance, she must be part of the cause. He took his seat and kept to himself. The students would occasionally steal glances at him especially the females. Others would do their own way of getting his attention with the offer of friendship. He of course, answered in amicable manner, but not before the teacher would scold them as the lessons were underway. It was also the same for Aina who was apparently sitting beside Kurou, but this was put to a stop with the teacher's intervention. It was only now she noticed that his seatmate was soaking wet. It must be rather cold especially with the rain still pouring outside. The kind-hearted person as she is. She took out a towel inside her bag. Her mother reminded her to be always prepared. That flash of memory brought a tint of sadness in her, but she shook it off for now. "Excuse me, here please dry yourself." She offered her towel to Kurou with a gentle smile. "It would be terrible if you catch a cold." She was seriously worried about his health and nothing else. She was also unaware of Kurou's temperament, but this is simply how Aina is.

As for Shin, he removed his jacket which made the girls looked at him as some kind of eye candy. It's true that the girl beside her was having herself dry with a towel, but it wouldn't be enough to cover the wetness of her clothes in which most of the boys were liking the spectacle. "Hey." He called out to her. "Here." He then unceremoniously wrapped his jacket around her. It smelled rather good probably from his perfume, but then again, it seemed to have sweet scent seemingly natural. After doing that, he returned his attention at front and didn't say another word. Classes were starting after all.

Himeko heard the rumors as well, right after she greeted the two students she chose to sit near. She blinked a bit as a few of the girls stared her down, holding the same exact magazines as they pointed and glared. Her expression was baffled, that is until one hyperactive and brave girl (Image here) approached, holding the article up so that Himeko could read it. Himeko blinked in shock as she read the contents, her eyes widening like dinner plates as she read the outrageous lies written. She didn't even know the guy's name, she surely wasn't dating him! What is with that horrible near kiss picture!? A dark blush engulfed Himeko's face as she got a good look at what it would look like if the two of them actually were about to kiss. The two made a believable couple, but that only enraged Himeko even more! The brave brunette girl gave Himeko another moment before she asked her initial question, "Is that you with the model EDGE?! Do you really know him? Are you two seeing each other?! Did you two kiss?! Is he a good kisser? He's an amazing kisser, right?"

"I don't know him. We are not dating, we never will date, and never have. I've NEVER kissed him and NEVER will. Do I make myself clear?" Himeko asked in an irritated tone as she crossed her arms. She spoke in a articulate manner, loud enough for the class to hear, but not so loud that she would come across as shady. She didn't want anyone to think that she had something to hide after all. If she ever saw that guy again, she'd give him a good piece of her mind. He totally set her up to boost up his own publicity! Or so she believed, "I just spilled my coffee because we bumped into each other. I didn't even know he was a model. I don't care about snobby rich guys...or any guys for that matter. Don't feed the media, it's full of crap." She stated loud enough for anyone in the class to hear. She wanted to squash this lie as soon as possible. Of course she'd never be able to get rid of it entirely, seeing as apparently the whole world now had a copy.. but she did wish to exorcise it from her educational environment. After she made her point clear, she realized that there was another conversation going on. From the looks of it, the guy was giving the girl a hard time, making her nervous and the girl even slithered down in her chair! Didn't the guy know how to read body language at all? Himeko would admit she was pretty dense, but this was a whole new level of oblivious.

"I did say I'll give you one, right?"

"H-Hai..."

She had seen quite enough, Nemui's distress was beginning to physically pain Himeko, and she had to say something. Before she could think it through, Himeko had already stood and slammed one hand down on Nemui's desk, the other pointing a finger directly at Yukito, "Oi! Can't you tell that you're making her uncomfortable? Cut it out." Himeko snapped at Yukito in a strong tone. She wasn't nervous or timid like Nemui, in fact she was full of confidence and did not realize the severity of her actions. Himeko was completely unaware of who Yukito was, nor did she realize that she'd just placed a large target on her back for yelling at him so rudely. She had eyes that functioned at 20/20, so she could obviously tell that he was extremely attractive, but as far as she was concerned that didn't give him an excuse to make the timid girl a nervous wreck. Himeko put a reassuring hand on Nemui's shoulder, still glaring at Yukito with hatred in her eyes, "Anyone who decides that it's okay to mess with her, has to go through me from now on." Himeko spat with a serious expression on her face as she stuck up for the quiet girl. She hated bullies, especially after her last experience at this school. She couldn't just watch as this girl was fed to the wolves. The look of hatred in Himeko's eyes wasn't necessarily for Yukito, but for men in particular.

Little did she know, there was some irony to this encounter. Himeko might have given this a second thought if she had known that she was shouting at the younger brother of the boy who turned her down, Kurou Kitomura. Kurou's denial of her confession made her the school laughing stock just a few years prior, and she meant to keep a relatively casual profile, yet here she was, sticking her neck out like her older brother would have done. This isn't really like me... This is more like how he was....

"Everyone, take your seats! I am about to begin roll call. Anyone not in a seat by the time I call their name will receive two evenings of detention with the principal."

"C-Crap. We'll finish this later. I'm Katsukawa, Himeko by the way." Himeko stated in a rushed manner and shot a warm smile to Nemui, her expression the exact opposite of the one she had when speaking to Yukito. She quickly returned to her seat, right next to Nemui and behind Ren before roll call began, having no intention of getting in trouble on her first day. Sure, Himeko was definitely biased when it came to gender, but she had good reason to be. She didn't have a whole lot of luck with men, casually or romantically speaking. She was turned down by Kurou and was bullied for an entire year until she moved schools, Her brother died, and now there was a scandal flying around about her and that guy who seemed a little too concerned about whether or not the coffee burn would scar her hand.

When the teacher began his lecture, she leaned over a bit to whisper to the shy girl, hoping to apologize, "Gomen.. I hope I didn't make things worse for you.. I got carried away.." She added with a sheepish grin. She knew that most would have been scared off by her intensity, especially since she was an outsider to the situation, but she had to give it a shot. She didn't have any friends here, and somehow she felt she lost a lot of possible friends by going off on that arrogant pretty boy. She didn't regret it though, in fact, she hoped that she helped the other girl, if only a little, "How about the two of us start over, okay?"

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"Quiet down. This year we have two new students who would join the class."

Kurumi felt her interest increase a bit as the teacher mentioned new students. She blinked a bit, her blue eyes scanning the room for new faces, but didn't notice anyone new, except for a foreign looking female. Where is the other new student? Her question was immediately answered when an ivory haired male entered the room. Kurumi's eyes widened slightly at the sight of him, but not for the same reason as the other girls. Kurumi tilted her head a bit while she tried to wrack her brain. This boy was vaguely peeking through her memories, and it was driving her nuts that she didn't remember anything else about him aside from the fact that she definitely had met him before.

"If you two would come here in front of the class and introduce yourself."

The girls around the room went into a frenzy, and she blinked in surprise. Was she supposed to know who this guy was from the get go? He looked familiar to her, but not on television like the other girls were yapping about. She felt as though she'd met him before, but she wasn't sure when. She didn't know him well enough to remember his name, but his presence was strangely familiar. Why does it feel like I've met you somewhere before..? Kurumi thought to herself as she dried her hair to the best of her ability. She wasn't worried about how she looked, she was the 'it' girl after all. Most of the girls in their school copied her fashion and makeup style, so she didn't care if they saw her natural skin for once, it'd only give them another reason to be jealous. The boys seemed to notice the dark skinned girl, and it caused Kurumi to quirk a brow. Would she be like the other girls? If she challenged Kurumi, she would knock this girl down a few pegs.. but if the girl didn't try to steal her crown, she'd share some of the limelight with her, so long as she didn't get too greedy.

"Settle down!"

Kurumi smiled a bit, silently giggling at the teacher's irritation. Then her attention turned to the class and she pressed a finger to her lips with a wink before turning her attention back to the two students. She was very interested, and she wanted to hear them without the annoying chatter of the class as well.

"Would you like to go first?"

The girl's voice sounded sweet and welcoming, but Kurumi knew better than to judge a book by it's cover. Kurumi wasn't nearly as cheerful or energetic as she portrayed herself to be, so she wouldn't trust her first instincts when it came to this girl either. Her own facade was enough to make her skeptical. It was at this moment that Kurumi realized she wasn't the only one who wasn't wearing makeup today. The dark skinned girl wasn't wearing any as far as she blonde could tell, and that was enough to make her grin. The girls at this school would put her through living hell if she didn't stand up for herself. Nemui experienced it enough, so Kurumi knew what other girls would do to a cute face if they weren't confident enough to defend themselves.

"Ladies first."

The boy told the girl to go first, and Kurumi felt his voice clawing at her memory. His voice was just as familiar as his presence, but she still couldn't remember anything. Not knowing how she knew him was quite maddening. She wasn't sure if he was trying to be a gentleman, or if he was stalling, but she tried to have a little faith in chivalry. Ironically enough, Kurumi was currently sitting mere feet from the ex boyfriend who mercilessly shot her view of chivalry in the head.

"Good morning, my name is Aina Malik. It is a pleasure to meet you all. I hope I can be friends with everyone."

...Well isn't she a dreamer. Kurumi thought to herself, but couldn't help smiling a bit. She was a bit envious of the dark skinned girl's ability to honestly believe such a delusional fantasy. Kurumi was slapped with reality a long time ago, and she opened her eyes to the harsh truths of the world. She wasn't naive enough to think that she could get along with everyone in the class, and she hoped the other girl would wake up from that assumption before someone else crushed that aspiration with their cruelty. The boys asked their typical questions and Kurumi rolled her eyes. A girl like that would never date average guys like them... Did their father's forget to explain what 'out of your league' means? She asked herself with a hint of curiosity, but her mood was laced with irritation more than anything. The boys of the class were being annoyingly disruptive.

"Shut it!" The teacher snapped at the class before returning his attention to the new male student, "Your turn."

Kurumi's eyes landed on the white haired male once more, growing a bit anxious. She was so upset that she could have punched herself in agitation. She couldn't place her finger on it, but she was absolutely certain that she'd met this guy somewhere before.

"Morning. Ogawa, Shin. I'll be in your care."

Everything finally clicked into place as he spoke his name. Kurumi finally remembered him! She had seen him around her mother's studio. They did a photo shoot together! Him and Mama, it all makes sense now. Kurumi thought to herself with a nod. She knew that it wasn't a big deal, especially since Nemui and her were just doing their homework just a few feet off of the shooting site. It wasn't something that should have been very memorable, but she did remember him. She tilted her head, wondering how disruptive Yukito and Nemui's class was compared to this one, especially since the Junior class was typically the boring class aside from girls swooning over Kurou every year.

"Anyway! That's enough. You two take your seats. Malik-san, you can seat in the chair you already have. Ogawa-san, take that seat beside Fujioka-san."

Kurumi couldn't help but tense up. Did he remember her? She doubted it, but she hoped that he didn't. She'd gotten in a huge argument with her mother that same day, and she didn't want anyone outside of her mother's fashion agency to be aware. That day was one of many where she'd completely shut down her mother's attempts to recruit her as a model. Shizuka always spends half of her time around Kurumi begging her to do a photo shoot, and if her classmates knew that she was turning down a chance for fame, it would bring up unnecessary questions.. She didn't want anyone to find out about her health or self-consciousness. If all went well, she'd be just another new face to Shin, and that is what Kurumi prayed to be.

"Excuse me, here please dry yourself."

Kurumi overheard the new girl as she spoke to Kurou, bringing it to Kurumi's attention that Kurou had gotten rained on as well. He ddidn't seem to be near as drenched as she had been, but in the midst of her haste, she hadn't noticed him much at all. He looks so different now.. She thought to herself with a solemn expression, turning her head so that she was now facing the front of the room. She closed her eyes and let out a silent but heavy sigh. Was it all just a lie? She rhetorically asked herself, fingers gripping at the towel she was still gently massaging over her now damp hair.

"It would be terrible if you catch a cold."

A cold..? That's not unlikely.. especially considering how cold it is in here.. Kurumi thought to herself, a shiver running down her spine. She didn't even realize that she'd been trembling this entire time, but the air conditioning in this building was top notch so she wasn't all that surprised.

"Hey." She heard Shin call out, but she wasn't aware that she was the recipient of his words. She was so lost in thought that she didn't immediately realize she was the one that Shin was currently talking to, "Here."

It wasn't until he spoke again that her head quickly turned to look at him directly. Her blue eyes shifted to Shin and a questioning look adorned her face. She still wasn't certain if he was referring to her, and she was even more confused about why he was half dressed, at least by the school's dress standards. Shin came across as even more aesthetically pleasing without the school's jacket than he did with it on, and she noted that the whispering got a bit louder now that he'd removed it. Though when he draped the jacket over her shoulders, she finally responded as any girl would have. Her cheeks exploded into a deep shade of pink, and she blinked several times just to be sure that this wasn't a figment of her imagination. EH!? J-Jacket? This is really embarrassing.. Everyone is staring! She realized that her mind definitely wasn't playing tricks on her, and she found herself at a loss of words.

She could smell faint traces of cologne or perhaps shampoo, she wasn't certain which it was.. but it was a relaxing scent, especially during the ongoing storm. She could almost physically feel the envious glares against her back, and she bit her lower lip in response. It was a little embarrassing wearing his jacket, but he definitely restored a lot of her faith in chivalry. She finally found her voice so she leaned over just slightly, one hand grasping the jacket to keep it from falling off of her shoulders, "I'm Fujioka, Kurumi and I'm very grateful. Arigato, Ogawa-san." She whispered in a hushed tone to Shin. She avoided making eye contact so that the teacher wouldn't catch them, but also because she was still blushing. She at least owed him her gratitude, so she forced the words out before she lost her nerve.

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So, the guy's name is Ren. From what Yukito could tell, the guy is not that much into talking. Ren only speaks in words that can be counted by fingers which he finds entertaining really. He doesn't see much of a problem from that, but most people would see it as him being socially awkward or arrogant. "It's a nice coincidence to meet you here Suzuki-san." He said while listening to what Ren said about Mari-baachan saying hi. It made him smile as the girls present swooned at the sight. He remembered the elderly female neighbor. She was a nice lady and his... mother got along with her very much. He left those thoughts aside for now as he didn't allow his sudden wave of nostalgia to spill through outwardly "Oh... thanks for delivering the message. I hope you don't mind me dropping by to see her."

His attention was briefly taken by a girl speaking loudly with such fervent denial. His eyes of orange landed on her. She was quite pretty. He had never seen her before, probably a new student, but, it's like he had seen her before. It seemed that this year, there were a lot of newcomers which included that of Ren and of course, the Leech which he had met at the halls. In any case, the girl was speaking about never kissing or dating someone. His eyes drifted to a nearby reading material held by one of his nearby classmates. "So, that's her. No wonder, she's familiar." This is the girl being linked to the Leech. This school year appeared to be an exciting one. Her words were something he would like for the Leech to her. It made him wonder what that guy's reaction or rather both of their reactions when they meet again. It was highly likely to happen they do attend the same school.

But, he has other fun things to do. That's why he focused his attention on Nemui who appeared to be clearly bothered by his rather friendly approach. She did say that they had been classmates before, but he hardly noticed her. Of course, he was well-aware of that. He simply wanted to have fun with her for a bit at her own expense. That was then he heard someone interrupting the conversation between him and Nemui. It was the same girl who was earlier stating her clear rejection of being linked to the Leech. But this time, he was the main subject of her words. It wasn't that hard to guess. The students around them were all shocked about the manner how he was being treated. It was a common reaction really, no one had after all spoken to him like that before.

From what he could gather, this girl was telling her off and everyone else was expecting him to get angry or something. His expression was that of astounded surprise as the girl glared at him with spite and went ahead to declare that she's Nemui's protector. It ended at that and then Ren asked if he was alright. That was the trigger which made him finally snapped into action. He... LAUGHED. It was ridiculously cheery which reflected pure humor. It was so bright and unrestricted making him childlike and innocent. The students around them blinked their eyes as they didn't expect that from Yukito, but the girls couldn't help but be very delighted by such a carefree laugh. Others were taking pictures and videos, while some apparently got dizzy.

He managed to settle himself while wiping a tear from the corner of his eyes implicating he was laughing himself to tears. "So-- sorry..." He continued to giggle while covering his mouth a bit. "Okay... sorry about that." He was finally able to gather himself with a smile on his face. He was clearly not angry from the looks of it. "You're an interesting girl. I've never laughed that hard for a long time. I like you." He stated with an innocent and heartfelt smile, but when it comes to him, it really doesn't mean as simple as that. He the looked at Nemui. "This is a good thing isn't it Nemui-san?" He then looked back at the paranoia girl. Yeah, he would be calling her that from now on. "Please take good care of my onee-san, then. It's good to see her having such a nice friend." His words seemed to echo inside the room as his smile remained without faltering and his words without a hint of doubt. There was a moment of stillness and eerie silence. Everyone else was truly shocked by that revelation of his and then there was a collective 'WHAT!!?' If it was possible for the entire classroom it would have.

Everyone would have started to ask questions if the teacher had not arrived indicating that class was about to start. Through it all, Yukito was completely unperturbed as if what he had said was the most common fact in the entire world. He was about to go to his seat but before doing so, he looked at the paranoia girl. "Thanks for the advice and laugh." He was about to go but stopped as he reached for something on the paranoia girl's hair. "It seemed you have this on your hair." He dropped a piece of cherry petal on her desk before leaving her alone. He passed by Nemui's chair and took the seat right beside her. Once he was situated there, he looked at Nemui and mentioned something he was supposed to a while ago before the paranoia girl interrupted him. "Nemui-san, just call me by my name. We're going to be family, right?" After that, he looked at front as the teacher stated that there were two new students.

It was apparently Ren and the paranoia girl. He knew for a fact that what he had done will start many occurrences for the two girl. Though, it was very very very hard to see if his actions were intentional as his mask was perfection, but as he said before, he'll be enjoying this year with his new toy.

"Same here. It's good that I know someone already."

"I-I'll do my best to be of help... My sister might be more useful though. Her name is Fujioka, Kurumi." Nemui replied with a nervous smile, doing her best to hold conversation, but it was difficult for a girl like her. This was her first time holding a conversation with a guy, so she couldn't help but feel that she was making a fool of herself. Though Yukito barged in on the conversation, and before she knew it, the girl from earlier broke into the conversation between Yukito and herself.

"Oi! Can't you tell that you're making her uncomfortable? Cut it out."

She would be lying if she didn't admit that she was grateful.. but it did make her a bit sad that Yukito was being scolded. He was just being friendly, even if it was causing the other girls to glare daggers into the back of her skull as a result. The girls were now glaring at the new girl, making Nemui feel even more guilty. She wasn't in a lot of danger anymore, but now the other girl would be. She didn't want to see anything happen to such a nice girl.. No one ever stood up for her like that before.. even if it was only against Yukito, Nemui nearly cried from being overwhelmed with gratitude.

"Anyone who decides that it's okay to mess with her, has to go through me from now on."

This caused Nemui's eyes to shift between her bullies, Yukito, and the new girl. Did this girl really know what she was signing herself up for? She was making a lot of Freshman class enemies on her first day, was she aware? Nemui couldn't help but wonder if the other girl was aware of Yukito's celebrity status. Nemui bit the inside of her cheek, sweatdropping a bit before addressing Himeko directly, "A-Arigato.. but.." (No one hears this.)

"You alright over there?"

Her tone before his words had been so soft that no one really heard her, and by the time Ren was done speaking, Yukito had begun laughing. It wasn't really the reaction that she had expected, but she was glad that the situation didn't escalate into a full-on fight between Himeko and his fans, well, at least not yet. The day was far from over and she was confident that the fans would retaliate against her and the other girl.

"So-- sorry...You're an interesting girl. I've never laughed that hard for a long time. I like you. This is a good thing isn't it Nemui-san? Please take good care of my onee-san, then. It's good to see her having such a nice friend."

Did he just announce our to-be sibling status to everyone.. or did I imagine it..? Nemui asked herself, blinking with a vacant expression. It wasn't until everyone in the room began freaking out that Nemui realized that it actually happened. Well, at least the girls would realize she stood no romantic chance with Yukito, right? Dating her own stepbrother would just be weird, complicated, and not to mention confusing. There was no way something like that would ever happen, Nemui was absolutely certain that they wouldd never get romantically involved, they were far too different.... She was far too plain and ugly for a guy like that, not to mention her mother was marrying his father. Even if they had more chemistry, it was too late now.

"Everyone, take your seats! I am about to begin roll call. Anyone not in a seat by the time I call their name will receive two evenings of detention with the principal."

"C-Crap. We'll finish this later. I'm Katsukawa, Himeko by the way."

"I-I'm Fujioka, N-Nemui.. It's very nice to meet you Katsukawa-chan.." She responded to Himeko, but wasn't certain if the girl heard her or not. She knew that it was a possibility, seeing as she wasn't a very loud person. Her father used to tell her to speak up all the time, but the habit worsened after his death. There wasn't a lot for her to celebrate or get excited about anymore, and how could she speak up and be confident when the only person in the world that made her feel beautiful was already dead? Her confidence died with him, and despite her best efforts to revive it, she was never able to reclaim her self-confidence.

"Gomen.. I hope I didn't make things worse for you.. I got carried away.. How about the two of us start over, okay?"

Nemui nodded with a blink of her eyes as the girl leaned over to whisper to her, a small smile on her face as the girl asked for a do-over. She understood what that was like, Nemui constantly wished that she had the ability to turn back time.. She didn't see why she felt the need to ask for one, in fact, Nemui admired Himeko even more now that she stood up for her in front of the entire class.

"Nemui-san, just call me by my name. We're going to be family, right?"

Nemui jumped out of her skin when she realized that Yukito chose the seat next to her, which meant that they would be seatmates for at least the rest of their first term. That would make everything much more complicated, and she let out an inaudible sigh. Her face erupted into a blush when he told her to call him by first name, something that she definitely was incapable of doing, "I-I couldn't possibly d-do that, K-Kitomura-san.." She replied, staring at the front of the room taking notes from the teacher's that was written on the board. She could feel the heat emitting from her cheeks, but despite her efforts, she couldn't banish the red tint from her features. She hoped that he would just lose track of the subject. T-That would be too embarrassing... She only addressed Kurumi by first name, not even other girls in her class.. How would she ever be able to call out to Yukito as Yukito?!

"We have two new students, one a transfer and another a returnee attending today. Would you two introduce yourselves up front."

She knew who the two students were, as did most of the class. Well, she just found out that the long haired girl was named Himeko, but she did know both of their names now. She waited for them to begin their introductions, because something told her that the girl's would be very interesting...

"Ohayō. I'm Suzuki, Ren from Nagoya. I look forward to the school year with you all."

Ren bowed politely, and it brought a small giggle from Nemui, a smile on her lips afterward. He was so polite and conservative compared to her brothers, it was like a breath of fresh air being around him. He was... very normal, and that was definitely a good thing compared to the craziness that surrounded her daily. Suzuki-kun reminds me of a nap under spring sunlight on fresh cut grass..