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Rhys rubbed the back of his neck after listening to Shiori describe her familial constraints. He expected as much from the bits and pieces of their days together that she was financially well off compared to him. She insisted to pay the train fare and her house was huge but all the talk and responsibility behind it about successors? politics? I thought money was supposed to make shit easier not harder. He looked up from the table to observe her, leaning her chin in the palm of a hand as her violet eyes drifted in thought, taking small bites as the conversation flowed and she opened up about the life that was hers that lead to who she is. His senior confessed she envied him then she stuttered, "....I-I meant those who do not have to suffer through the scrutiny. T-The freedom." Rhys looked away. His life was so different from hers. His single mom never put any pressure on his shoulders. Any pressure was all his, trying to make her proud and be a better guy than his irresponsible dad somewhere out there. He never realized how blessed his life was until Shiori said that.

"It would be better to distribute at the study group, taking evidence of a present home, even though I have quite recently acquired a place of my own, would be unwise. Thank you for the suggestion." Rhys lifted the small box for the cake off the table and looked over at her in confusion. Place of her own? Unwise? The guy who carried her and Tsukiko's words about someone called Kazuhiko came flooding back. He looked away, unable to ask the questions lurking in the back of his mind. Shiori already opened up to him a little and he couldn't force her walls down even if he wanted to. It was her decision and all he could do as her junior and friend was practice patience and continue the long climb up. "Sure."

The quiet walk bugged him and he gave his two cents on her goal to improve. "Until this year, the two have always been mutually exclusive." Rhys didn't know what to say. He didn't know if it was mutually exclusive because she wanted what her parents wanted at some point in time or because she now had the willpower to build a life away from walking in their footsteps. Shiori lead the way, crossing the road from the park back to school territory. "Browning-san is doing the lecturing now. Interesting. Perhaps I've stumbled into an alternate plane of existence somehow." Rhys raised an eyebrow, watching Shiori cover her mouth to hide away her laughter. He understood the role reversal and sighed in defeat. He doubted he was meant for advice giving but opened his big mouth anyway. "...Laugh away." he mumbled and turned his sight ahead. "Laugh as much as you want. I just want you to be happy." he added, their lives different by miles but sharing in her burdens by feeling bothered whenever she was.

Shiori looked up at him and he looked back respectfully. "It wouldn't just be for me though. It's for the people I wish to get to know better, too. Like you." His brown eyes widened in surprise. For me? He couldn't name a single person in his life who wanted to improve to get closer to him. He smiled sincerely and gently for a few seconds, resting his other hand that wasn't carrying anything atop her black hair for encouragement. "Then there's no way you won't succeed." Because I'll be trying too, for you Kitogawa-senpai. Rhys removed his hand and was prepared to continue off to class but Shiori tripped over the sidewalk. Rhys stopped walking immediately but before he could act, his senior picked herself up and dusted off. He breathed out in frustration as she tried to brush the whole incident off like nothing. Rhys saw her land on her knees and hand on the cement. He wasn't the best judge of pain and injury with his secret condition but that just pushed him to stay mindful.

"Kitogawa-senpai." His voice took on a serious tone as he moved to block her path. He wasn't going to accept moving on when she might be hurt. He crouched in front of her and lowered the box to sit on his lap, inspecting her legs but the knees were covered by her dark thigh-high tights. His hand instinctively reached out to go lower them but he stopped in time and reeled himself back. They had danced and held hands but touching her lower was not advisable even if his intentions were pure. His face was blushing slightly upon realisation of what he had come close to doing. He stood back up, almost dropping the box for a split second forgetting that it was on his lap and looked away embarrassed. "If you're hurt, say something.. don't make me lecture you more." He tried to play off his embarrassment with a joke and ruffled his hair. The bell rang and echoed throughout the school to signal class was almost underway. He sighed because now they were out of time. "Don't forget. You should get that checked just in case." He insisted and the red color subsided, initiating the walk back to the front of their respective classrooms but repeatedly checking that she was able to keep up too. If there were any signs that she wasn't finding it easy to walk, he'd offer his hand to help steady her.

Charm +1 Shiori

”I have always been deficient in passion.” Now that was an interesting statement. He took a note of that fact and references it with the past experiences he’s had with Sora seeing some consistency with it. However the invitation was unexpected but he should have. "I don't mind if you wish to try. You are not my junior but I am your class president. I would not stop you from a learning experience and perhaps you can also teach me the passion part I am lacking."

Eyes flashed into two different colors. The right turning mostly red and left turning mostly purple in shock, a soft blush crossed his cheek. Very gracefully he recovered his social repose, but there was a small sweet drop at the corner of his brow. ”I appreciate the offer and will consider it. Kissing boys is something I don’t tend to do frequently. But thanks you Sora.” With the offer deflected Tadashi was being too polite and hadn’t realized that he didn’t actually say ‘no’, the minor miss-step in his words might come back to bite him later. But he pressed on with the spotlight being taken off him at least for the moment.

<Wait- did he say junior? Did he and his junior kiss? What? What?!> Tadashi wasn’t a prude for rules, but the ingrained customs of Japanese etiquette had taught him that was..... Well it wasn’t normal. It depended on the person. He let that go and kept this little nugget of info to himself, he wasn’t the type to meddle in others’ affairs.

On his quick reply Tadashi had completely forgotten that Sora literally took everything at face value as fact and if something is a theory he (Sora) thought up then he’ll chase it down relentlessly. He was a little dumbfounded by the sudden barrage of information regarding sex laws, age of consent, the age of when a person is tried as an adult or as a minor and how that affects the consent laws. Sora seemed to have not noticed that not even once did Tadashi even mention an orgy, nor extended any sort of invite. Sora was really troublesome, but he wasn’t going to correct the boy seeing as when the lesson was over he (Sora) dropped the issue. Tadashi took the issue with a sigh but smile, finding the whole experience... Interesting. People were certainly very interesting. ”Maybe we should all swap numbers?” Tadashi agreed and would offer the both of them Tsukiko and Sora his phone number to contact him if they pleased.

When the apparent junior-senior pair went by themselves he would wait politely, not minding being the third wheel. Sora left the both of them to change and it appeared that Tsukiko was a girl that was definitely unafraid of physical contact. His time in Canada has broadened his horizons to such things so he took to it naturally. "Shall we go then, Oppa~♥?" Well that was a term he never heard before.... Not something he could identify, making himself think that the girl (Tsukiko) was a bit more foreign than he recalled. Either way the angle she worked was effective in being ‘cute’. She’d see his eyes shift from an even red-purple to slightly more red. ”Let’s, Kitogawa-San.” He was noticeably more formal in addressing her (Tsukiko) but compensated by being so close to her.

As they walked there weren’t plenty of looks and seeds of future gossip but he paid little mind, being used to it but in a more negative light from his past. As they walked Tadashi would make some minor small talk. ”That term... Oppa. Where, or what is that from?” He kept smiling as they walked, it was small but held comfort and a very gentle confidence. She’d see his eyes were analyzing her the entire time when he was escorting her to class making sure she avoided being bumped into.

Finally they arrived at her class. "I wouldn't mind meeting up to share a bite with you too, Oppa. My treat to make it up to you?" He tilted his head curiously at her, having a very good idea of what the junior (Tsukiko) was taking about but he wanted a clarification. ”Make up for what exactly?” Was this about the kiss? She (Tsukiko) she did seem to be a fast pace maker, but not once was he thinking less of her for it. From what he could recall Tsukiko was much different from her cousin Shiori He had so much respect for Shiori; she was probably the smartest girl he knew. Gen was up there as well, but the new class president (Shiori) had distinguished herself for her academic success.

But right now Tsukiko was in front of him and she would have his complete and undivided attention. He leaned forward slightly to make sure he heard what the girl said, his eyes shifting to more red again as he listened. There was a tiny bit of devil behind the smile while he waited. Somewhat baiting her out for a reaction. He just wanted confirmation or that’s how he justified it, but of course it was more complex than that. He and the habit of psycho-analyzing every person he met, Tsukiko wasn’t no different. This was fun.

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Charm +1 (Tsukiko)

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And the truth pours out. Kaori explained she barely knew the blonde on her phone and it was just yesterday that they had become acquaintances. You really should know better than to nudge me by now. He let her phone hang up slide but this girl never seemed to learn her lesson. Didn't he warn her already that he wasn't a good person? The sinister look in Rocco's eyes didn't fade although Kaori glared back just as stubbornly. He was used to that look. He got on a lot of people's nerves instead of appealing to their good sides. It was a miracle he wasn't isolated from his peers like the freak he was but maybe his luck would run out and it was just because he was new and fresh and people were still getting to know him behind the deceiving innocent face. He was as bad as Ursula or worse with his firsthand dirty work.

Rocco took a step away to test her confidence in dealing with the senior alone. If he was wrong about her and she had some confidence locked away that decided to unlock now then it wasn't a huge loss. There were other girls to occupy his time and it was easier to mess with them in single status. Koari caught the sleeve of his blazer and he paused. It was the same as before in the morning. She wouldn't admit it but she did need him after all. “I never said that. You’re putting words in my mouth again. What will change your mind?” Rocco bit down his tongue to resist the urge to laugh at getting his way but the corner of his mouth moved upward to form a temporary smug smirk once his tongue was freed.

He turned around to face Kaori, his anger greatly lessened judging by face value like a feint that all was forgiven and forgotten. "Come over here." Rocco smiled and motioned her to come closer. He was headed for the classroom and the senior was approaching from behind them. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the gesture with the chance they'd continue making their way for class but once she was close enough, he shot an arm out to rest his hand against the wall in front of her that would crush that hope.

"This might." He closed in on her quickly until their bodies were pressed up against each other, Kaori's back forced against the wall. He had made advances on the junior class president Yuuki in the bathroom and Devone in a classroom which were both private instances but Kaori was pretending to be his girlfriend. He was going to have his way in the public eye and in front of that stalker senior too. His left hand stayed on the wall and his right boldly went under her skirt. He lifted her leg as his fingers slid down her thigh stopping at the back of her knee, holding it firmly against his side.

Rocco whispered in her ear as the senior finally caught up to them, "You can use me to hide your face but behave." His threat was dead serious but attentive to her embarrassment. The position he put her in was sensual but it also settled any doubts they were a couple to go that far. He said he couldn't take her and he meant that in his own twisted reasoning. He wasn't taking any of her firsts that really mattered but he was teaching her a lesson with a moment that was memorable. Rocco waited for the senior to disappear into a classroom, released her leg and hopped back as the bell sounded. He smirked at her, kept his thoughts to himself and his guard up for possible retaliation, leading the way back.

Charm +1 Kaori

While she expected a number of things to happen, being cornered against the wall really wasn’t one of them. She wasn’t among the girls at this school who were entirely innocent. She knew of a number of things, even if she hadn’t tried them. Rocco was far too close for her comfort but shoving him away would surely hurt their lie about being together so she simply glared up at him. He knew she had trouble merely holding hands and yet they were standing far closer than she’d ever been to anyone in her entire life, “If he wasn’t a problem I needed your help with..." Kaori began, but the sentence caught in her throat halfway through. Upon feeling his fingers brush bare skin, a soft gasp left her lips before she could stop herself, her eyes closing tight. Even though his hand was going downward instead of up, thank god, she could feel her heart pounding. She could feel herself shivering. One of her hands pressed at his chest trying to put some space between them in her embarrassment, but she refrained from pushing too hard as the senior was close by, "I’d introduce you to my other knee...” she warned him under her breath, finishing her threat after she managed to grasp onto some of her nerves. She wasn't completely all talk. She used to practice gymnastics, her kick might have meant some serious pain at one point, but it wasn't so terrifying anymore. She spoke all the words in English, something she could speak rather fluently even though she never quite managed to learn to read or write in it. Her father was a businessman so it helped to at least learn how to speak in it during their travels. Rocco's name was certainly not Japanese, but even if he wasn’t a native English speaker, at least she was able to vent her frustrations aloud if he didn't understand it would simply be a bonus, but she wasn't counting on it. She was simply betting on the senior being unable to read her lips. It was hard to do when the language being spoken was not one’s first language and she assumed the senior creep was at least as much of a slacker as she was if he had time for his lame antics. She knew her cheeks were extremely red. She could feel it. Making matters worse, there were plenty of people around. This was only her first year at this school. What if this makes it online too? Her heart immediately sank in panic. She didn’t want to be a laughing stock and seen as a cheap tramp for the entire world to criticize.

“You can use me to hide your face but behave.”

The range of emotion she was feeling was overwhelming. She was angry, embarrassed, exhausted, and so much more. Was that supposed to be comforting? If it was, it wasn't helping. It wasn't the least bit reassuring. Just hearing him deliver his warning she felt her free hand twitch. It was so tempting to make an attempt for a low strike or a high one. The lower would be more effective physically speaking but the higher one would be more satisfying. The stronger person she remembered, the one she used to be before she was met with true pain and humiliation would have already done so. She would never have tolerated being treated like a game or some pet to be trained. Neither option would. A girlfriend wouldn't do that. It was already happening. She needed to breathe. She needed to relax. She needed to play the part, to pretend. She could pretend. She was getting painfully good at doing that. Only a second or two passed from his offer, but so many thoughts crossed her mind. Another choice that didn't really feel like much of a 'choice' in the end. Relenting, Kaori hid her forehead gently against his chest, tilting her head down until she was satisfied her eyes were hidden behind her bangs. Hidden from him if no one else. It was not her first choice to lean on him when he was the person causing her need for someone to obstruct her face from view in the first place, but she did so if only to hide the tear droplets lingering in her eyelashes that were dangerously seeking to fall. At least this way he wouldn't see it. It wasn't much, but she held onto that.

When they parted, it felt like the tears had either fallen to the ground or fluttered away between bats of her lashes, either way, if there was any evidence behind, it was little more than glossy eyes and flushed cheeks. As they made their way to class, Kaori simply pulled a thin notebook from her bag and swatted at his shoulder, "This isn't some lewd teen manga. We could both get in trouble for that." she hissed quietly, but otherwise dropped the issue with an annoyed sigh. It was a pointless and laughable reprimand, but at least there was one in her opinion. As much as she wanted to hate him, he was a temporary necessity, at least until she learned to breathe again. The bell rang and a momentary reprieve for one of the 'new kids' that weren't 'meshing well'. they needed to go to their seats. Her fake 'boyfriend' aside, Kaori now had to deal with class. While English was an interesting subject and her favorite as far as books were concerned, she was dreadfully behind in her studies. Kaori's father was a successful investor with his own company, Kaori realized she couldn't completely neglect her brain. She would have to use it in the future if she was to lead the company. She couldn't slack off much longer. Time to make a change where I actually have some control. This part of me I can fix.. Kaori reminded herself, even though she knew it wouldn't be easy. Speaking a language was one thing, reading and writing in it was a totally different story. One fraction of her life at a time. Building a new story for herself wasn't going to be easy, but she was finally ready to put in the work. She wanted to get back to standing on her own two feet. Even if she couldn't do that now in the halls, inside the classroom it was a totally different game and the stakes were not as serious, and to think, this used to be the scariest part of her life at one point yet here she was ready to face it head on instead of the part of her life that used to come as natural to her as breathing. It was funny how a few months could change everything. If it could change for the worse so dramatically, she would just have to work hard to do the same, but in her favor As she claimed the seat behind the one Yuuki chose, Kaori pulled out pen and paper and exhaled nervously. This was going to be a long day. All she had to do was channel her anger, her helplessness, and all her negative emotions into this one positive goal for what...an hour? Any sign of improvement was progress with her past grades.

As time passed more students filtered into class, cementing the fact that he was one of the earlier students to arrive. Plenty of faces he didn't recognize came in, until several familiar ones did. Akira entered with a boy (Kei), who he vaguely recognized from science class. Two others (Rocco, Kaori) stepped in recognizing Kaori as the girl he was partnered with in science class. What he noticed was a slight uptick in conversation when they entered, first Rocco then Kaori. He eavesdropped, having good enough Japanese to catch that the two were- dating? Well that was a bit surprising, it seemed that they were together or that's what the appearance was. For Bishop, their charade was a success. Interesting seeing as he perceived Rocco as being a bully, after what he did to that violet haired girl (Yuuki) in class with her phone. But honestly, what did he know?

Keeping his chin rested on the his wrists, Bishop was slouched forward in his seat just patiently waiting and thinking to himself. A tall figure caught his eye seeing Johnny enter and nod at him, Bishop reciprocated with a nod seeing his other swim club team mate. One person he actually didn't notice in the class was Yuuki, well that was up until she scolded a group of course which made him grin. "Geeze, is she always like that?" He would mumble to himself in English quiet enough for most people, especially Yuuki to not hear him. The girl with the social skills of a porcupine (Yuuki) was summoned by Johnny it seemed. Well it seemed like everyone was getting along fine. Glancing forward he noticed Akira was sitting in front of him and was about to toss a small object at him to get his attention, but he noticed the headphones and decided against it. He didn't like bothering people when they had headphones in, he knew how it could through somebody off their rhythm and it was frankly annoying.

The bell rang for class making the blonde sigh, pull out his book and prepare his desk for study. English was his first language so he wasn't overly concerned about the class, but he was curious about how a foreign English class was to be taught. In the military bases he went to school at while in in a foreign country all used the American system. He only went to the Australian school system before moving here and enrolling into the Japanese school system. He remembered how stressful that test was, but his scholarship supplemented that. He needed to maintain that scholarship by keeping his grades up and having to adapt to this new system was already proving difficult socially.
He looked around the class one more time seeing the students sitting in class, in various states of preparedness and sighed lowering his head. He wanted this week to be over already.

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Notoriety +1 (Yuuki)

xxxxThere was a short staring contest as she was sure if she blinked, she would lose. She really didn't understand Ryou which made observations vital. His simple genuineness flew right over her head as she persisted to try to pinpoint a selfish gain or desire that motivates him. "I am a monster." His answer took her off guard that her eyes fluttered to finally take a much needed break and blink. Other than that, there was no other sign of her surprise and her posture stayed just as poised as before.
She dropped her hand from her face to rest comfortably on her lap. It was an unexpected description but she was wise enough to not dismiss and refute it. Undoubtedly, fans of the basketball captain would not label him a monster but they only see what everyone else sees and majority opinion does not equate to truth. "Hmm..." she murmured in deep thought. He does have a way with anger from what she has seen when he defends her but there was no other quality that she is currently aware of that aligned with monster. It seems I'm missing some piece of the puzzle or he is joking. Gazing back, Ryou did not match with the latter. His silvery eyes were too focused for jest. Not joking then.
xxxx"Would that be a problem for you?" Devone placed her hands behind her as she slowly slid off the desk to resume a standing position. Her slightly risque pose was no longer attracting attention after the threats and the girls were jealous enough at the potential date. "Hardly. I can't fault you for that." Just like Ryou, she talked as if the conversation were a normal one and not out of the ordinary in any way. There were very few topics she did not delight in.
xxxxAfter a pause for thought, she bent forward and steadied her hand by his ear to whisper into. "Aren't we all.. monsters?" Once she pulled away, she closed her eyes and chuckled like she had shared the most devious secret but it was far from one. She is also deemed a monster by her nickname Ursula but she truly believes behind every saint is a sinner. In her heart and in her mind, those words spoke volumes. Somehow, her words may even be a comfort and one of the nicest things she can say to such a statement because it implies he is not alone in his hell. But it is a question he is free to interpret differently.

The bell rang and she pulled out her chair, sweeping her skirt underneath properly before sitting down. The teacher for English lessons was Ms. Araya, the brunette entering the classroom with echoing footsteps from the high heels she wore. "Good Afternoon, please be seated. Let's cut to the chase. The evacuation already took up too much time. This is our first task for English to be completed in pairs due next class." The teacher wrote on the board the pairs and the assignment: "Design 100 flash cards together that cover both the English and Japanese language of words/sentences that may be used in a business meeting." She had set a similar task on the board for the juniors prior but of "words/sentences that were useful for tourists."

Intellect +1

Time was wasting since the bell rang, but he didn't really care either way. Kaito didn't give a damn if he went to class or not at the end of the day, his education wasn't really important as he planned to go into the limelight like his father. He didn't want to do the work, and he certainly didn't want to see some of his classmates. From the annoying and pushy pinkette (Tsukiko) to the raven-haired prick (Kei), the only inspiration Kaito really felt to attend at all was to be in the same room as Akira. To be seen and acknowledged. Perhaps if he was around her five days a week it would help her adjust when he finally revealed to her that they were siblings and he wasn't just some uncanny random doppelganger. Right now, he felt it might have been too soon to reveal himself or that he actively searched for her. It was possibly too much for her to take in all at once.

"Not at all darling~ The fault is mine. It's been a long day."

Although he wasn't actually going to do it even if she were to accept, Kaito decided to provoke her just a bit more, "Want a shoulder rub~?" He sang, making it clear in his tone that he wasn't going to actually invade her space, raising both hands beside his head like he was being arrested to prove he wasn't going to try anything funny for real. It wasn't all in good fun if he actually did something unwanted, it prevented a major headache and a police interrogation. When she took the bite, Kaito blinked, half expecting her to decline.

"Delicious~ I guess that makes me your first customer. Thank you for your service."

It was a bit of relief to Kaito that Gen turned around because he felt a hint of color spreading to his own cheeks. It wasn't very obvious, but it was still more appealing than he expected it to be and his reaction was one that he didn't want anyone to notice, ...I think that almost affected me as much as it did her... Rubbing the back of his neck he moved to dispose of the fork and plate properly, returning just in time to hear her choke on her words.

"Oh and Miyuu-san? Please refrain from.. str--"

That was it for him, he couldn't help it. Chuckling quietly, he covered his mouth to silence his amusement. It was rude, but he couldn't hold it in anymore. Her dilemma with his 'performance' was just adorable. Girls, he didn't spend too much time with, often hanging out with other guys and goofing off. They were often more trouble than he was willing to put up with, and the ones he did choose to spend time with were very submissive and not very opinionated. However, the girls that he met at this school were so far a drastic change compared to the ones he usually preferred. Some had been more interesting than others though.

"Excuse me. Strip teasing next time. It's more distraction than I can handle in this club."

Hearing her admit it was entertaining, but not seeing her face was a bit of a buzzkill. Perhaps if she wasn't so quick to protect him he might have lost interest in stirring her altogether, but he wanted to busy himself while he was here with interesting people, "I'll do my best to not to be a distraction to you, Senpai." he halfheartedly apologized to her, he wanted to say more, just to rile her up, but he didn't want to push it, he could save it for later, there would be plenty of times that he would need to occupy himself with diversions from his true goal of becoming a part of his sister's life. Most of his offensive and difficult behavior was learned from his father, the only role male model he really had growing up.

"That will be all today. I apologize you weren't able to show off the suit more."

Shrugging his shoulders, Kaito really didn't mind. Plenty of people saw him remove his shirt, thanks to the commotion. He achieved what he set out to do, he had some fun. He killed time. What more could he ask for? He was relatively content with how things turned out, "I thought you said I showed off enough, Senpai? Or would you prefer Kaichou? I'm not sure which to use." He retorted, referring to how he had stripped briefly, but changing the topic to what honorific he should use. While he was born in Britain, he didn't spend much time there. He spent more time in Japan than Britain. The best part of his father keeping the appearance of Kaito a secret, it was easy to keep that under wraps. He could string along any story he liked.

"Is there anything else I can assist you with before class?"

Tilting his head, he smiled a bit, "I might get lost. Mind walking me to class?" He asked, seeing as everyone else was heading out already. He went to change, only removing only his blazer and releasing his bowtie in front of her. If he was being honest, he was relieved to have both off. Despite normally dressing formally in public, it wasn't his first choice for comfort. He kept to his word, well, mostly. No skin was really shown. That is what mattered, right? Once he was back to his own uniform Kaito joined her again if she chose to wait for him. Walking to class was quiet enough and Kaito kept his hands buried in his pockets. He had no interest in actually breaking the touch barrier most of the time with people. Every now and then he would, if he felt so inclined, but it usually had to be under his own terms. Once they were outside of her class, he removed his right hand to wave with his index and middle finger before continuing on to his own. He made his way into class, not really paying any mind to those around him. Sitting down in the back of the middle row he sighed to himself.

They had some dumb assignment where they would be paired with someone else? Just great. He recognized the name of his partner, but kept a straight face and didn't make a move to find him. He didn't care if the assignment was done or not, he wasn't a scholarship student, he could afford to be a slacker or a total flunkie. Laying his head down on his desk, Kaito yawned and decided to take a nap. It was far more interesting than doing any assignment about tourists with that guy from tag rugby. What was his name again...Ronnie? Rico? No... Hm.. I feel like that was close... Not like it matters.

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“If he wasn’t a problem I needed your help with..." There was a pause, a soft gasp at his touch, closed eyes and glowing red cheeks. "I’d introduce you to my other knee...” Rocco wasn't discouraged and smirked at the personal threat directed at him in English. He didn't say anything more when Kaori's head rested against his chest, briefly enjoying a warmth there where he felt most empty. He did his part and stepped back when the senior had left them, walking off and receiving some retaliation with a notebook hitting his shoulder. "This isn't some lewd teen manga. We could both get in trouble for that." Rocco shrugged like he didn't have a care in the world. He already got in trouble for hurting a senior and there were rumors spreading around that he started the fire. Getting in trouble for being intimate with his girlfriend was the least of his concerns. "Maybe I like trouble." he replied with a cocky smirk, letting her go take a seat ahead of him. They didn't need to be joined at the hip. Rocco's mobile started vibrating and he stopped walking to stand at the doorway. He pulled the device out of his pocket to check the caller ID. Miss Taylor...

Flashback

Rocco's nails dug into the door frame of the classroom as he struggled to stand. His body was in unbearable pain but he tried to endure it without drawing attention to himself. His knees wobbled and his legs wanted to give way and fall to the ground. His father had really beat the crap out of him that morning but at least school was a reason to be away from home. There wasn't anywhere else he could go. Students walked past him like he was invisible as he breathed in deeply, the worst of his bruises underneath his uniform. He just needed to stay strong enough to get his ass to a seat.

"Rocco." He breathed out, reluctantly looking over his shoulder as a teacher called out to him. The woman smiled warmly and waved him over to follow her down the hallway. He didn't know her. She was just a pretty face in the crowd and a teacher for another class. He had no clue what business she had with him until they rounded a corner, out of sight with all the other students in class already and he stumbled. She helped steady him, another warm smile on her face as Rocco stared up silently in wonder. It was the first time since the fall of his father's career, since the abuse that anyone had helped him and unknown to him, the start of his long term relationship with Miss Taylor.

Rocco was laid down on a bed in sick bay with ice packs placed over his stomach, chest and arms where his bruises were. It was cold everywhere but it was better feeling cold than broken. He didn't have to move. "Just rest a while. I'll inform your teachers that you're unfit for classes." Miss Taylor stood up from the chair beside the bed to excuse herself as Rocco stared up at the ceiling, mumbling. "You're wasting your time. There will be bruises on bruises... They won't heal."

End Flashback

By the time he had snapped out of the memory, his nails were digging into the door frame again like before and his phone was about to vibrate for the last time. Rocco managed to take the call, raising the phone to his ear. "Hello, Miss Taylor." His voice was solemn as she proceeded to ask about his condition after the fire evacuation at Airdalen. Listed as his emergency contact, she was informed. "I'll be fine. Inhaled some smoke but..." His eyes scanned the classroom for the girls he escorted out of the building that time. Another boy (Johnny) was calling for Yuuki's attention and Kaori was sitting behind her. "I'll be fine. We all are." A slight smile sneaked out but vanished as they said their goodbyes and the call ended, the phone returning to his pocket. His life was different here but the wounds from those years still didn't heal past skin deep.

Rocco messed up his hair as he took the seat in front of the male class president Akira when a teacher started writing up the lesson on the board. He searched for his name, leaned back in his chair and groaned. Paired with Dopey. There were a number of reasons to be unhappy with it. The guy was difficult and no fun in tag rugby plus he was a guy. He wished he got partnered with a girl instead. He turned around, reached out and pulled out one of Akira's earbuds. "Hey, azarashi." He already called Yuuki prez and settled with calling the other class president a seal after the image he got from the energetic clapping that he compared with the animal. "The teacher left and I don't like my partner. Do I complain to you?" he said bluntly, starting to swing the earbud around while he talked. "Huh... you two really look alike." Rocco said, looking back and forth between them with their pale hair, blue eyes and even height. He only knew for sure that the one he was talking to was Akira because Dopey entered the classroom last and Kei and Akira were ahead of him and Kaori.

Intellect +1
Notoriety +1 Kaito

================================



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"When someone lacks something,
when someone loses something,
when someone desires something,
they say that it is just being human,
but monsters are also the same,
so, who do you want to see now?"

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██Kim was nonchalant in the way she received Ryou's words. He did not see anything wrong with that, but somehow it was refreshing in a sense. Most of the time, people would look at him as if he had gone crazy or they would laugh considering it to be a joke, more or less, no took it seriously even when he was sincere in those words. They paid more attention on what was on the surface than what lurks beneath.

She however seemed to take it in, a way she only knows. That was no issue with him. There was no need for him to understand the things she does. He could not care for her reasons or her goals for that matter. They mean little to him. That is why he could act on his words without much concern for right or wrong since he only took priority the person itself, not deeds, not origins, not anything trivial that most think of the world of. The person is all that matters for him.

It is why he watched her every movement and listened to every word. His silver eyes rippled for a quick second when he heard her whispered opinion of monsters, before it settled into its normal calm. Whether those words were for comfort, fun, or a confession, he only took it as for what it is which is her words. She stated that everyone is a monster, maybe in some form or another. He does believe that among the living species in this world, humans are the cruelest, so there is truth in her statement.

The question is whether the monster is something that one can afford to see. Because a monster after all, is not meant to be controlled. Yet, he finds the irony in that as he tries to do so, knowing that someday, he might become someone that is no longer the Ryou everyone knows. At that point, would this girl that he considered his comrade-in-arms, and his promise would still be able to recognize him then? Would she be able not to run away? Then again, she should not be concerned with that. She must only be concern with what she wants. That does not include him. No one needs to be concerned about him.

After all, those who are concerned with him... would be devoured just like her... That is why she should only be focused on herself and her desires. She cannot be devoured. He will make sure of that. He will stand by her as he said.

"Kim-san." He started. "I didn't know." He leaned on his chair and propped his chin with the back of his hand in a seemingly languid manner. "That monsters could be a blessing." His eyes solely gazed on her. Nothing else exists, his current position was not a show of boredom, but instead of a show of comfort in her presence. He removed the hand beneath his chin and sat properly as the teacher finally entered the room. His eyes finally moving away from Kim as he focused at the class.

He read what the teacher wrote and it seems he was paired with the School Idol, Belrose. Well, he has nothing against the guy. Actually, he could be at ease, because the attention on him would be shifted towards that guy. Moreover, Belrose never bothers him in any way, so this activity should go smoothly. He then looked for that fellow blonde-haired senior within the classroom to get this all over.

---

STATS

Intellect + 1 (Ryou)

Why were his words so ridiculously effective? She knew it shouldn’t have been a big deal, but him being alright with her laughing at him, him telling her that he wanted her to be happy, it was all exceeding what Shiori was equipped to hear or to endure. The fact that his hand laid atop her hair only increased her flustered state. Embarrassment was one reason she tried to move on without making it known that she might have hurt herself when she fell, but it was also due to her misunderstanding with Tsukiko, Kaito, and Rhys the day before it was difficult to handle things the same way. Keep your silly expectations of people to yourself, you idiot... Shiori reprimanded herself. It wasn't fair to anticipate things from others, she told herself that, she knew it to be true, yet why was it so hard to accept?

"Kitogawa-senpai."

Coming to an unexpected standstill, Shiori's violet gaze lifted up to look at Rhys in surprise. He was always hyper-aware of things like this, she knew she should have expected as much, but it wasn’t something she was accustomed to. Aside from Kazuhiko and her younger siblings, it was hard for Shiori to accept that anyone cared about her. Not only that, the two of them only knew each other for a short time, so it wasn’t easy to figure out what would trigger his concern. Are all boys this meticulous? Shiori asked herself, baffled by his attention to detail. When he descended to the ground though, Shiori’s cheeks finally crimsoned and spun her head to look to their right to avoid meeting his gaze. She only caught him reaching out to her legs in her peripheral vision, much to her distress. She took an instinctive step back, her entire face on fire, “W-What are you doing?” She almost demanded an answer, but when she returned her gaze to view him directly she was startled. He was blushing. Her hostile and defensive response receded upon realizing it wasn’t out of intent to abuse the situation. While she shouldn’t have questioned his motive, his way with Cassiopeia the day they met and the recent incident with Tsukiko swayed her resolve. She wasn’t sure what he was going to do at any given time, and that was more than a little scary. It kept her on guard a little more than usual, even though she was trying her best to establish a friendship and trust. She wasn’t very good at apologizing, but she was certain she needed to fix things. Her reaction was a little too much given he was only expressing concern for her well being, something very few people did.

“If you're hurt, say something.. don't make me lecture you more."

Nodding her head, Shiori heard the bell and realized they needed to get going. It was not good for her to arrive late to class as one of the class presidents, but there was still the matter of her overreacting to his worried action, “..Arigato... There's no need for that though, I'm okay I think. I'm honored to have such a competent Kouhai.” She responded shaking her head. Shiori was pretty sure she was alright, but she wasn’t going to argue with him. They didn’t have time for a lecture and she knew that she needed to be more careful. I don't have any health issues like Thrombocytopenia, so I don't have to worry too much... She kept that thought to herself, even though she was curious to know if her junior would even know what she was talking about if she used a word like Thrombocytopenia. It was one of the effects of having both parents in the medical field. As the Kitogawa family owned several hospitals, she was groomed to take over, and thus she knew more than she cared to, not that her knowledge was without fault, it was mostly tidbits of information gained in passing.

“Don't forget. You should get that checked just in case."

“Hai, Hai. Tou-san." Shiori copied what her brother would often call her in a similar situation. It slipped out before she had time to think it through, not to mention she was oblivious to the trend where girls called their boyfriends or guys they were interested in 'Daddy'. It wasn't until after she parted ways with Rhys and rushed in to class that she understood what she said. Faceplanting her desk once she sat down, Shiori began pulling at her hair as her cheeks lit up. She didn't recognize the name of her partner, and honestly, she was too flustered to even bother sitting up to look for them. She needed a moment to compose herself.



Haruhi decided to ask around to find out who her partner was, and thankfully the first student she asked about 'Kitogawa, Shiori' seemed to know who she was. He had a grave expression on his face, but pointed her in the right direction and Haruhi smiled warmly, totally oblivious to his reaction. Without hesitation, Haruhi took the seat next to Shiori. The assignment was going to prove difficult for her, but she was confident they would be able to get through it if they tried hard enough. Haruhi was always an optimist, even though she had very little reason to be one.

Pulling flash cards out of her bag, Haruhi placed six markers down in front of them as well. Designing one hundred flashcards was going to be fairly time-consuming, especially since Japanese wasn't her first language, but at least she knew English rather well. It seemed her Russian would not be very useful anywhere anytime soon, "Morinozuka, Haruhi. Nice to meet you Kitogawa-chan. I figure we can add a little color to this? I didn't hear any rules against it." Haruhi giggled, letting Shiori choose her colors first out of Red, Blue, Green, Purple, Pink, and Orange. If they had to do this assignment, they could at least make it colorful and alternate between the six. Shiori retrieved the Blue, Purple, and Red with a sigh. As the other girl already knew her name she didn't bother to introduce herself. It would be monotonous.

Thinking of something that would be valuable for a business meeting was hard, Haruhi had never attended a business meeting... Her father was a coach for professional ice skaters and her mother was unemployed. From dying his hair back to black and wearing contacts, he had to do his best not to arouse suspicion. He couldn't mention that he was a silver medalist Olympic skater, he couldn't go by his original name anymore, all of his credibility, all of his hard work was reduced to nothing and her mother gave up, she wasn't even trying to improve their family's financial status, leaving it all to fall upon her father, "How about... 'When does this meeting end?'" Haruhi giggled a bit. Shiori frowned a bit, shaking her head but wrote it down in Japanese, leaving the English to the foreigner.

It wasn't very hard to tell that the other girl was not a local, given her accent, but Shiori didn't bother pointing it out. She was still torturing herself over her Freudian slip. The next one Shiori wrote was more on point, "The next one is 'What is the timeline, and how can we shorten it?' In a business the best thing you can do it get something done efficiently, but it's beneficial if you can get it done expeditiously without sacrificing that efficiency. It's a competitive world, so time is money. You can't twiddle your thumbs to get a promotion.... unless you have connections, but nepotism is deplorable." Shiori explained so the other girl could begin writing the second one on the English translation side of the card. She was criticizing her classmate for not taking the assignment seriously, but she was also just in a sour mood after her mistake, making her a little colder than usual, for seemingly no reason. Haruhi let it brush off, seeing as she didn't know what was going on in her classmate's life.

Thinking about the Kris Kringle event, Shiori glanced to Ryou. What was she supposed to even ask for...? Was there any way that she could just ask him to donate the money he intended to spend on her to a charity or to program her father began for the financially troubled? That branch of their family business was always in need of funds. It felt selfish to ask for something when there was nothing that she needed. A spoiled rich kid didn't need anything for Christmas when there were so many people struggling. Sighing to herself, Shiori bit the inside of her cheek. Would that be an insult? She wasn't sure what went on in the mind of others. If it wasn't possible she would have to come up with another idea. Being asked to pick her own gift was very troubling.

---

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Upon having one of her earbuds forcefully removed, Akira's pale blue eyes shifted to meet Rocco's. Her brow raised quizzically, not even noticing when he sat down. Her mind was lost, and she shifted her attention to the board. Chase Kaufman... wasn't he the guy she met outside before the fire? Well, that would be fine. She could get along with him well enough she assumed.

"Hey, azarashi."

What kind of nickname was that? It took her a moment just to verify it was her that he was talking to and not mistaking her for someone else, Azarashi? Seal? What in the world? Akira thought to herself baffled, but she remained quiet, seeing as it wasn't necessarily a terrible insult. Seals were actually really cute, especially the baby ones. Still, she had no idea where the nickname even came from, not correlating that her clapping her hands together at lunch sparked the entire thing.

"The teacher left and I don't like my partner. Do I complain to you?"

Tilting her head to the side a little, Akira scratched her head as she tried to think. Would that fall under her responsibility as a class president? Maybe? She wasn't sure. She was still getting the hang of a lot of Japanese customs, even though she had been there almost a little over a year. She didn't say anything as Rocco toyed around with her earbud, slowly pulling out the other one to give him her full attention, "I'm not really sure... I don't even see my partner yet..." Akira responded, doing her best to be helpful. She looked over the board again to see who Rocco's partner was, eyes widening when she noticed Kaito's last name. There was no way this was happening. She had to read it twice. Three times. Even four, M-Miyuu!? What were the chances of that?! Was he like some sort of cousin her grandmother neglected to mention? She knew the old woman was still in contact with her father, even though the two were not under great terms. Would she have to ask him who this boy was...or would Kaito be willing to explain? Now that she knew his last name there were so many questions in her head. Just who was he...? Why did he look just like her? The obvious answer didn't register, her mother never mentioning that she had another brother, not even once. Akira knew what her father looked like, a google search made that easy enough, but she never saw anything about this Kaito kid a few years ago when she got curious enough to look.

"Huh... you two really look alike."

Upon being reminded of what she had already noticed, Akira pouted a bit. Unable to deny the similarities Akira stole a glance at Kaito before meeting Rocco's gaze again, "It's annoying. Don't remind me." Akira sighed, quirking a brow right after. She wondered how the boy she just met was able to tell them apart when they both wore the same uniform but dropped the thought just as quickly when she remembered she wore a class presidency badge. Maybe that was how? If not, she was drawing blanks. At least there was something about her that set her apart. At least that was one thing Kaito couldn't copy. As fleeting as the position was, at least if someone looked close enough there was one easily located difference.

Running a hand through her hair, trying to wrap her head around what she should do, Akira missed the days when she had zero responsibility, "I'm not going to ask because I've met him... but is there really no reconciliation to be had? I can go see what I can do to help... but the teacher might say no." Akira asked directly this time, explaining the process to clarify that she didn't think that she had the authority to switch the partners at will. Not aware that his problem was the lack of girls as she was one herself and wasn't concerned with superficial things like that, Akira rubbed the back of her neck, trying to come up with some sort of solution. Technically this was a minor problem... she was voted for this position and as Bishop stated when her presidency was announced, someone had to believe in her ability...right? Was this some sort of joke? How was she supposed to take a role of leadership if she couldn't come up with a solution to something this trivial? Then an idea hit her, "Alternatively you're both welcome to sit with me and my partner? I doubt my partner would mind... and I don't see any rules stating we -only- can work with our partner." Akira mentioned, not really noting that she was implying that she wasn't a complete stickler for the rules like Yuuki was. While Yuuki had voiced her unwillingness to help the day before, more heads on an assignment meant less room for failure in Akira's mind. Her grades were nothing impressive and she was determined to try harder so if they had multiple opinions it would get done in no time, right? Tapping her cheek with her pen between ideas as she wrote a few questions down in English preparing for the assignment. A few of her ideas were:

• What is the number to contact the authorities?
• Where is the nearest Hospital?
• Turn left at the intersection.
• Where is the bathroom?
• Where is the police station?

There was still the issue that she was not very good at writing Japanese, "Not that I have a lot of confidence in this assignment. Speaking a second language is one thing, writing in it is something entirely different." Akira laughed a bit, dreading writing anything in her second language. It was a relief that her nerves weren't really bothering her now. He didn't seem to be holding too much of a grudge that she walked his girlfriend to class without him knowing about it... which made her wonder just what Kaito did to earn his displeasure. Now that she threw her own solution out, Akira realized there was another choice as well. "...Or you could try your hand at finding another willing pair that wouldn't mind forming a group, it may be more people, but it's also more brain power." Akira added. Maybe it wasn't allowed, maybe it was, but she didn't see anyone of authority in the room to protest. Perhaps she wasn't the best choice for this job? She wasn't a troublemaker or a problem child, but she also wasn't married to the rules either.. especially now that she was placed with this bogus role. Jesus. How was she supposed to make new friends with a stigma of narc on her shoulders? No one really -wanted- to be friends with the class president, even she wouldn't if the circumstances were different.

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______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chase voiced his concern and observed Mao with blushing cheeks and a clueless look in her eyes. As they laid on the picnic blanket face-to-face almost intimately, Chase only smiled with bright blue eyes like everything was right in the world. It was easy to forget about the evacuation, the fire and all other commotion surrounding them until the announcement was made and it was time to pack up and resume reality. Kawaii. He thought as he tidied up, Mao's expression a freshly painted portrait in his mind.

"O-Oi... it was your conviction that made us late. I offered to help."

He looked up from the picnic blanket to Mao as she mumbled over, reflecting on that time. Chase waited patiently for Mao to put away her selected food items in her bag first before folding the picnic blanket and replying, "I'll take the blame for wanting to spend more time with you." He tilted his head and smiled at her. He wasn't upset about her comment or that they had missed class. Her company was a pleasure and he was willing to take the blame too. He did insist that they walk back together when he could have just let her go ahead without waiting for him.

They walked together to class and Chase's smile remained on his lips not growing weary running on a solid battery of happiness. They were on time, this time. It was a blessing to be away from Hollywood and the drama that accompanied stardom to live a normal student life. He was soaking in the moment but Mao suddenly stopped walking on the way. Chase stopped also, turning around to give her his full attention. His feelings took the backseat and Mao's were at the forefront. He hoped that nothing was wrong.

"I could never ask anyone to do that."

Chase was confused because they had walked in silence for some time but he didn't interrupt and let her speak what she had to get off her chest at her own pace. The classroom was just a few steps away in reach so there was time to spare for a chat. There was no telling as juniors what kind of teacher was in charge of English and the level of strictness involved. Setting foot in the classroom, they may be assigned a seating arrangement or be told not to speak during the lesson at all. He combed his fingers through his long orange hair, positioning the locks away from his eyes in anticipation.

"It wasn't that bad. I am considering going to the doctor soon anyway. I haven't felt very good lately, it's probably just that..."

Chase paused briefly to show he was thinking carefully about her and not taking the situation lightly. Did I overstep? Mao's answer took long to formulate and he was beginning to think the silence between them while comfortable for him had not been comfortable for her if that is what she had on her mind all along. Chase bit his lip but the smile returned before he started speaking again. "I trust you." He lowered his head to look her in the eyes as he stood a few inches taller than her. If she said it wasn't that bad then he would have to take her word for it. Chase was caring and clingy but not pushy enough to risk the relationship and disrespect boundaries. He already almost lost Aeon and he still didn't know what he had done wrong. Chase walked onward and opened the classroom door, holding it for her. "Gomenasai. You don't have to ask me.." Chase said in a low mumble that was almost disheartened before brightening up again like the sun peeking out from the clouds. "I'd take care of you anyway, Nozomi-chan." He gestured for Mao to go through with the door opening an example of one of the nice gestures he does without being asked to and without expecting favors. It is just who he is.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Stat Summary

+1 Popularity point [Mao]

xxxx"Want a shoulder rub~?" Gen blinked twice with uncertainty if she heard Kaito correctly. She was conservative and the idea of a boy's hands, particularly a boy she had just met rubbing her shoulders made her feel very uncomfortable. Although most of her body stayed firm in place in surprise, one of her shoes subtley moved to point towards the nearest exit. His singing tone didn't really convince her after his near strip show but his raised hands did the trick in lessening the tension. She put on a smile as it was simply a joke and she can take a joke. She'd be a terrible hostess to lose her cool so easily."Thank you for the thought but I'll manage~" she replied politely in an upbeat tone, showing appreciation but also making it clear she wasn't interested in being touched. The shoulder rub was a joke but what kind of boy starts stripping in public? Gen wasn't going to risk a misunderstanding while she balanced between being a likeable club leader and where she stands as a conservative girl.

xxxxKaito quietly stifled laughter as she stuttered to say the word strip but she continued to press the matter because it was important. She was trying to keep an open mind about the odd behavior but the chuckling was not leaving a good impression. He was beginning to rouse suspicion from Gen that he had aimed to create chaos. "I'll do my best to not be a distraction to you, Senpai." Gen smiled and nodded, keeping her thoughts to herself. For now, Kaito had the benefit of the doubt; innocent until proven guilty. She even complimented him again for his suit and the trouble he went through to get changed properly. "I thought you said I showed off enough, Senpai? Or would you prefer Kaichou? I'm not sure which to use." Gen would have sweat dropped if she wasn't a good actress. She didn't want to talk or think about the embarrassing incident for longer than necessary. Was he trying to get her to stutter or blush more? She addressed only the latter. "Either is reasonable. You may also call me by first name. We'll be working closely together with our shifts aligned after all. Thank you for asking."

xxxx"Excuse me, Fukui-kaichou." It took all of Gen's self control to stop herself from twitching at the sound of Aeon's voice. She didn't want her dislike of him to be obvious in front of another club member like Kaito. Aeon aided her bleeding ear and she agreed to his temporary membership but her opinion of him was not water under the bridge. The gymnasium incident was cold and dangerous. "I would not take much of your time. I am only here to say that I would be leaving now." She turned and nodded, keeping it brief. "Good work today." It was his first day and he was handicapped. It seemed only normal to compliment him and strange if she did not. Once he left, she returned her attention to Kaito.

xxxx"I might get lost. Mind walking me to class?" His request after her offer of help was sound even though his jokes had her on edge. Her pink-purple eyes gazed into his aquamarine pair trying to get a read on him before she gave in as a fellow club member, senior and overall kind person. "Okay, let's meet back here?" She suggested. Her posture tensed a little when Kaito proceeded to remove his blazer and bowtie because she was concerned about a strip repeat. Thankfully, that was all he did before heading over to the changing area. Out of sight, she safely sighed in relief and went to get changed herself.
xxxxGen lead the way to their classes and Kaito showed a more well-behaved side as he kept quiet and his hands away. "I believe this is it." She gestured to where the English classroom for juniors was and waved as he did. Gen was so relieved to be on her own for a change. On the way, she spotted Tadashi with a pink-haired girl (Tsukiko) clinging to his arm intimately. Gen giggled lightly as she thought they looked lovely together before entering the senior classroom just in time to hear the activity and read the partners on the whiteboard. Cassiopeia.. She looked around but the popular senior was nowhere in sight.

xxxxGen left her bag underneath a random desk and out of the way after taking out her pencil case and notebook. She hugged the items against her chest, turning her head in every direction and trying to look over others getting up to sit with their partners just in case she had somehow missed sight of Cassiopeia with her unique green hair. She felt small and lost in a sea of people. A lump grew in her throat as she considered her options. The easy option was to stay seated and work on the assignment by herself until Cassiopeia returned to classes but she didn't know when that would be. The one person who might know was..
xxxxShe closed her eyes and gulped until the lump was gone. English was her best subject and she wasn't going to start slacking now. Gen weaved through the crowd until she reached Aeon who was sitting in the corner. She took a deep breath in before speaking, standing next to her enemy's desk. "Belrose-san, apologies for disturbing you. I am Argyris-san's partner for the assignment but she isn't in today it seems." She tilted her head, curious but cautious. It was strange to see the school idol without the pink princess by his side. "Is there a way for me to contact her so we may work together still? If not, I understand and I'll work it out." Gen said with a polite smile because she didn't want to invade anyone's privacy if contact details cannot be shared. She wasn't close to Aeon or Cassiopeia personally and if she had to work alone on the assignment, she would do it without complaints. Trying to reach Cassiopeia just seemed like the responsible thing to do first before making any assumptions.

xxxx

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|| NOTORIETY +1 KAITO ||
|| POPULARITY +1 TADASHI, TSUKIKO, CASSIOPEIA ||
|| INTELLECT +1 GEN ||

The girls seemed to quit their gossiping, but it had very little effect on Yuuki's distracted mentality. What a pain... Yuuki thought to herself with a silent sigh. It seemed that the brunette she met earlier that day, Kaori, was sitting behind her. Why the girl chose to sit with her instead of Rocco was beyond Yuuki, but as long as the girl didn't bother her outright there wouldn't be a problem.

"Fujioka-san, Could I bother you for your help on this word here?"

Feeling her nails digging into the palm of her hand, bringing just a little pain, but focusing all of her annoyance under the surface, Yuuki looked up to see who the owner of the voice was. She vaguely remembered meeting him the auditorium, as well as him carrying off that juvenile brat that assaulted Sora. Slipping out of her seat without a word, Yuuki decided that it was worth putting her book down. At least his question seemed to be school related and helping students was one of her new responsibilities. Upon being winked at, Yuuki took her phone out to briefly write down the names of the misbehaving girls that were mocking Johnny, following up on her threat as Akira seemed to be too busy listening to music. If she didn't serve detentions, she wouldn't be taken seriously, and that just wouldn't do. One way or another, she had to get her emotions and the situations she was finding herself in under control. Letting strangers in, losing her focus, it couldn't happen. She would have to be hyper diligent, her guard would have to remain up at all times, especially at Airdalen as it seemed there was little to no avoiding Rocco, Sora, or both during most of her time there. Kyudo Elites with Sora, she had classes with Rocco and gym with both. It was suffocating.

"Are you alright? You seemed out of it there, and I don't think it was those girls who caused it. As a fellow student, I wanna make sure you're alright."

Was it really that obvious? For a moment she hesitated, but realized that it would only make his suspect more, "...I'm fine." Why couldn't she just say it naturally? She WAS fine. What did it matter to her what boys at this school did with their time here? It shouldn't... It didn't! Biting the tip of her tongue harshly, Yuuki reminded herself that she had goals and she was above this kind of behavior. If she was being honest, she was disappointed in herself. If someone who didn't really know her at all could catch on, she was definitely slipping. She needed to get ahold of herself and fill the cracks in the emotional barriers she set between herself and other students before her figurative walls came tumbling down for good. She worked too hard, came way too far to let something like that happen. Elite academy or not, she had to persevere. Blocking them out, if that is what it took, she'd do it happily. There wasn't anything Yuuki wouldn't do if it meant moving up the academic ladder a little bit faster.

"Also I really do need help with this word,"

Adjusting her glasses as a physical representation of adjusting her composure. Going back to the matter at hand, Yuuki tapped the characters on the page, "Etto... (Meaning: Uhm...) This is... ...Pro.." It took her a moment to remember how the pronunciation worked, a moment of hesitancy making sure that she was about to say it right as she switched from Japanese to the English word. Now that she was the female class representative and the club leader of the school's study group, she felt pressure to get it right the first time, "..Progression.." It was a bit struggled as English wasn't her first language, but she managed. From cram school to studying all on her own, Yuuki spent a lot of time practicing English. Even so, the word wasn't one that was frequently used in everyday conversation so it was a bit of a challenge to her.

When class began, Yuuki waved over her shoulder fleetingly as she began to return to her desk, "If that is all, there is an assignment and a partner I must attend to." Yuuki spoke in a courteous but clearly aloof manner as she delivered her parting words. She wasn't the type to open up, but the fact that someone tried to check on her wasn't completely lost on Yuuki. It was a nice sentiment all the same, despite her completely shutting down his attempt to lend an ear. Why do so many people at this school involve themselves in other people's business? Why bother? Why even care in the first place...? Yuuki thought to herself cynically, wondering if there were ulterior motivations behind the intentions of those who seemed to continually intrude upon the matters that did not pertain to them. What did they want?

Sitting down, she spun around in her seat to face Kaori, "Alright, do what you can, but I am not getting a bad grade on this, so if you can't do it, hand it over to me." Yuuki instructed indifferently. She wasn't going to argue this, she would check over each flash card for mistakes before submitting them. Another person being required for this work was not going to ruin her grade. She wouldn't allow it. Pulling out blank flash cards from her bag, Yuuki wasted no time in filling out the cards in both English and Japanese. This assignment was almost too easy for someone who went to cram school and practiced the language. Questions and phrases useful for daily life or travel were the main things such classes taught you, so she was confident in her translations.

Feeling her eyebrows shift as an uncertain expression crossed her features, Kaori hesitantly nodded, "Sure thing..." She agreed, still rather spaced out. She wrote a few questions on the cards, but when her ability to write in English failed, she scooted the paper over to Yuuki. It was better to entrust that part to the class representative, as she seemed to care quite a bit about getting a good score, "Gomenasai, Kaichou. I'm not good at English..." Kaori apologized realizing that the brunt of the English was being placed on Yuuki's shoulders. Still, her apology felt a bit like lying because Kaori knew that her struggle academically wasn't kept to only the one subject. She had trouble all across the board, even in gym class now that she quit gymnastics a few months back. She was not very strong in any of them. She had to make a lot of improvement, but the motivation just wasn't there.

"Perhaps if you had a less disruptive boyfriend you would be able to focus. None at all is ideal when one wishes to focus on improving though." There wasn't resentment coating her words despite how vehemently Yuuki had shut down the girls gossiping about Sora before. Those girls were spreading gossip, wasting valuable time, but it seemed that Kaori was actively trying to do something, in class at least, so she held her with at least some regard for the girl sitting with her. Yuuki was simply stating her own personal beliefs, as it was how she managed to get a scholarship despite coming from such a poor family. Her middle school wasn't the best place to get an education, the books were severely outdated so she had to make up for it with hard work in her free time. Cram school, tons of time in the public library, her life revolved around her studies, and in the end it seemed to have paid off for the most part now that she was sitting among the rich and elite. Still, was it overstepping to say something like that to her classmate? Yuuki wasn't used to offering advice, but she could see that the other girl was making an effort. From the crumbled up flashcards on the desk that were failed attempts at writing the English translations to her determined expression, it was obvious, "...That was probably out of line, Gomenasai." Yuuki apologized, but in her inexperience with that as well her tone wasn't as sincere as it could be and it was presented in a way that was as nonchalant as discussing the state of the weather with a stranger.

Dropping her marker, Kaori quickly bent over and fumbled to pick it up off the floor, "H-He's not-" She couldn't say that. Who could and couldn't be trusted with that information was unclear. She didn't know her classmates well. Even if the class representative wasn't a bad person like the senior was, what if she came to judge Kaori for entertaining a feigned relationship just to avoid an aggressive senior instead of reporting him? She remembered how prickly that class president had been earlier that day. The last thing she wanted was to get on her bad side, "You weren't... " Kaori sighed in defeat. What else could she even say that wouldn't sound like a pathetic excuse or incriminate her situation? Still, it felt nice to discuss things with another girl, especially one that wasn't holding back just because she was the 'girlfriend' of the guy in question. Either the class president was confident or fearless, either way, she could respect that, "He really is...distracting." She thought back to what happened in the hall and visibly shivered. It was the last thing she wanted to think about in class, but now that Yuuki brought him up, it was an unavoidable thought. Just what was he thinking? How could he do something like that without even a trace of difficulty? Kaori didn't even realize she was clenching the marker until the joints in her thumb began to ache as it pressed firmly into the plastic. Slowly loosening her grip Kaori quickly scrawled down her next idea for the assignment in Japanese to busy herself, "You would know too though, right?" Kaori may have taken several steps back in her social abilities, but she wasn't an idiot. He went to sit with Yuuki after getting Kaori's number, and he threw a bit of a tantrum about her denying that he was special, comparable to the two he had thrown with her already, but there was a crowd of potential witnesses and she was the class president. While she was mostly speculating, she assumed that there was something that he had to have done to inspire the class president's comment, well, aside from what little she knew that Yuuki witnessed in the hall. Still, Kaori was almost certain Yuuki didn't even see the worst of it. Given Yuuki's status as a student elected authority figure, she figured that they would have received a stern talking to from the violet-haired girl if she happened to see the problematic side of what happened. She saw that Yuuki went wide-eyed and her suspicion was verified, a brief knowing smile crossing her lips. Watching the class representative clam up and retreat into homework was disheartening, but at the same time at least she wasn't the only one struggling. It left Kaori with an odd sense of camaraderie.

At first Yuuki wasn't sure if that question would lead to unnecessary conflict, so she did her best to avoid it altogether and drown in the assignment, but that was even more suspicious than any stammered answer would have been. Is this going to be a problem now...? Yuuki thought to herself wearily. In the past, she might have felt threatened if this discussion had been about Kei or about any potential sincere and dedicated relationship in the past for that matter... but she wasn't deluded enough to get hung up on a guy so easily, not anymore, especially when it was baseless and fabricated. Boys were unreliable after the novelty of a girl wore off. She knew that all too well after what Kei did to her, but it was something she barely had to remind herself of as she witnessed it every day from overhearing as a relationship ends because of cheating on the side of a street for all to hear all the way to watching grown men buying last minute jewelry and knockoff purses from shady vendors for their wives because they forgot some special occasion or another. She wasn't going to let a boy get in between her and other girls. Girls needed to stick together because they needed someone on their side. She wasn't going to let a boy injure her odds of making a new friend. Not a lot in common, but it's a start. Kaori thought to herself, a little amused by their shared predicament, but only a little. She would have ultimately preferred a conflict-free school life.

Somehow, it seemed even though the conversation cut off that it wasn't necessarily awkward. There was an unspoken understanding in the silence that Yuuki was somewhat confused by. Why wasn't she angrier? More offended? Yuuki couldn't even deny that something had happened, yet the other girl could still smile at her like that. As baffling as it was, they had an assignment to do. Shaking her head with a quiet laugh, Yuuki doubled down, "You're certainly... very strange when it comes to your boyfriend, Himewari-san..." Yuuki replied a little delayed, softly laughing afterward as she wrote, but there wasn't another word on the topic from either of them. It was settled. They each knew what they needed to about the other for now.

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Walking holding the arm of someone she barely knew anything about did not bother Tsukiko a bit, which was not great for her PR manager. It was a thankless job keeping Tsukiko's name from getting dragged through the mud. It wasn't her problem so long as she didn't get caught taking it too far, at least that was Tsukiko's take on it. All she had to do was let people snap a few photos of her at events or photo shoots and sing at scheduled performances. Her only other responsibility was to at least -try- not land herself in a scandal, at least not those of the indisputable variety. That was fair enough, considering she wasn't looking for a relationship and the only scandalous thing she had done up until now was her walk of shame, but if that had gotten out she was certain Miyuki would have already said something to her about it. As she did not receive any angry phone calls or a personal visit for one of his trademark lectures, she assumed that she was in the clear. Being an unknown in a country didn't seem to be such a bad thing after all. A little anonymity could be a good thing after all. When the bell rang, Tsukiko silently chuckled to herself, shaking her head. Was she ever going to learn to make it to a class on time? Oh well. The worst that could happen was getting written up and detention couldn't be that bad. She watched 'The Breakfast Club' just like everyone else, there was a good chance she'd meet interesting people there at least. Getting in trouble wasn't high on the list of her concerns.

”That term... Oppa. Where, or what is that from?”

Biting back a smile when he asked about the term, her caramel eyes fixated on his, not even wavering under his observation. She was used to being under the scrutiny of sometimes hundreds of people, "South Korean. Ask me again next time we see each other and I might tell you." She responded playfully as her lips curved into a smile. Giving him an incentive to either look the term up himself or to find a reason to see her again soon was Tsukiko's attempt to keep herself at least in the back of his mind. Giving him the answer immediately would be too simple, too boring. Now he would have to think about what she said and in turn, her, at least a little. If he took the bait, at least they would have something to talk about, and if he didn't, he'd have to work to find the meaning or spend his time not knowing.

”Make up for what exactly?”

Even if the day started off poorly, the only reminder was the dull ache of her eyes from the crying, but she planned to fix that with some eye drops once she made it to class. Her fear upon arriving at school was beginning to feel like a distant memory as her golden eyes were scanning him. He didn't come across as the naive type before, so she wasn't going to underestimate him now, "You didn't get to try the chocolate~" She chimed in a sing-song tone, not skipping a beat. She already decided he was pleasant enough to invest a bit of her time in after how he kept up with the fun chat during lunch, so she didn't pull her usual more subtle stops before offering to hang out. Tapping her cheek as if she was thinking when she began the next part of what she had to say, "Or would you prefer to go with Harigae-senpai after all? Both?" Tsukiko gently teased, unsure of his sexuality so she knew to tread lightly. Despite being heterosexual, she kissed a girl or two in the past and would easily do so again if only for the shock factor. While it didn't do anything to arouse her per se, she knew that guys liked to see it and there wasn't any harm in a little kissing between ladies now and then.

Judging his physical cues, and recognizing that she was the only person he was looking at, Tsukiko reach up to brush her free hand across his cheek boldly, "Thanks for escorting me, Oppa~♥" Tsukiko chimed in a cheerful manner before releasing Tadashi's arm and withdrawing her hand from his cheek slowly. They had a class to get to, and keeping him too long would only spoil the morning that they shared. She knew it was time to make a proper exit. Monopolizing someone's time was not an effective way to garner interest. Upon a final parting wave matched with a playful wink as she looked over her shoulder at him, Tsukiko made her way into her classroom. It seemed the teacher was not around, a stroke of luck if she was being honest and she scanned the board. Crap. She wasn't good at English. Her Korean was her strong suit and her Japanese was rusty, but she was fairly confident with speaking it at least. She knew how to sing and speak a little English, but she had no confidence in her ability to write sentences in it. She also recognized the name of her partner and let out a feminine groan to voice her disapproval, not caring if anyone overheard.

Taking a seat behind Kei, Tsukiko tapped the dark haired boy on the shoulder, "Let's just get this done, `kay?" She forced a smile despite their bad first impression. Even if they didn't get along, they would have to make an effort in class. Tsukiko twirled some of her hair around her finger, struggling to come up with ideas. While she herself was a foreigner, she never really had to behave like a tourist. Miyuki was a Japanese citizen and he drove her just about everywhere she ever needed to go. She didn't have to ask menial questions like directions nor did she ever have to do her shopping in stores, it was either purchased for her or she bought it online, "What kind of questions....?" Tsukiko thought aloud, baffled with how to begin the assignment.

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A moment’s hesitation, followed with the words “I’m fine.” Sometimes Johnny wished he had never learned to read microexpressions, it was akin to learning Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny weren’t real. Once one learned it, they could never go back. Most students wouldn’t notice the tiniest movements and muscle contractions, but Johnny could. He didn’t quite believe Yuuki’s provided answer.

Still, she seemed to close up and calm down, and the foreigner wasn’t about to make a scene to get the girl on-edge again. He simply nodded with a warm smile. “I’m glad to hear that,” he replied in a low voice. “Progression,” He added the English word very naturally. “That’s a great word. Arigato, Fujioka-san.” He returned to his work as Yuuki left. She was a good girl at-heart, but something was definitely bothering her. Despite his uncertainty on how different Japanese customs were, and how he shouldn’t butt into the business of others, Johnny had a desire to help solve whatever problem there was. … No... Bottle that up for later. I gotta focus…

One hundred flash cards, covering an English word or phrase and the Japanese equivalent. Not only that, but with a focus on words and phrases that would be useful for tourists. The foreigner could not ask for a more useful assignment for someone in his particular position. With the help of his textbook, Johnny identified his name and Bishop’s name together under “Partnership”. And he got to moving to the more easily identifiable blonde-haired boy with the toned body. “Konichiwa~.” Johnny greeted as he lifted a desk with one strong arm. As the rest of the juniors milled about, minding their own business, Johnny set the desk next to Bishop’s before grabbing the accompanying seat and sliding it casually under his bum with a smooth movement.

With his plan to make up to Gen-chan only applicable later, all Johnny had left on his mind was his joy over saving that girl from the fire. Tapping into that joy, the foreigner felt laser-focused toward this class. Johnny immediately got to jotting down some phrases in English. His handwriting was typically messy, yet legible. For this assignment, however, Johnny made sure to write each phrase in as clean a print as he could. His mind fired on all cylinders as he recalled all the times he met tourists in Los Angelas who had asked for directions, as well as the phrases Johnny had asked for himself as the so-called “new blood” in this country. Visits to coffee shops, bus stations, even restaurant orders, Johnny remembered as many as he could, and easily got at least fifty set up with English phrases. In English, all the phrases filled his mind… but he needed to write down the Japanese equivalents; that was the hard part.

The foreigner then laid his textbook open on the new desk. As he thought up the Japanese equivalent of saying the things he had written down, Johnny looked over his textbook to find the written character equivalent. Over the past two months- and even before he had moved to Japan, Johnny primarily focused on the spoken language. Reading and writing the language was a whole other ball game. That said, Johnny felt he could do it, especially alongside Bishop-kun.

“How’s things with Fuyu-chan, by the way?” Johnny asked, “Were you safe from that fire?” He was particularly focused on the schoolwork, but it couldn’t hurt to break the ice. Johnny didn’t even need the microexpressions knowledge to tell that Bishop-kun had something on his mind. Between a tired look in the blonde’s eyes and his head hung low, It was like Johnny could literally read the words, Bishop-kun just wanted the week to be over.

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Intellect +1
Popularity +1 to Yuuki, Fuyuki

"I trust you."

You really shouldn't though... was the first thought that came to Mao in response to Chase's words, but thankfully she managed to avoid voicing the thought aloud to Chase. That would have been a difficult exposure to squeeze her way out of. While she wasn't sure if she qualified as a bad person or not, how could someone who habitually lied to everyone in her life that mattered be someone deserved any amount of trust? If she was thinking objectively, she wouldn't want to be friends with her, nor would she trust herself after everything she knew she had done. Her only saving grace was that no one knew what her nighttime activities were, no one knew of her betrayal aimed at her father or the shame she risked bringing upon her family by doing it. Regardless of her reasons for being so secretive, Mao was well aware that the end did not justify the means. Lying was still lying, and she flat out lied to Chase's face. With guilt clawing away at her resolve, Mao couldn't hold his gaze for long and before she knew it her golden eyes instinctively shifted their focus to the right. It would have been easier to convince herself that the choice to deceive him was sound if he didn't accept her words as truth so readily. It made her feel like a crappy human being, but she managed to keep a majority of the disgust she began to feel toward herself inside. It wasn't his problem that she was becoming a compulsive liar. Noticing that he opened the door to their class, Mao peeked at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Gomenasai. You don't have to ask me.."

Why was he apologizing? Did he truly believe he had done something wrong? Just what did she portray when she spoke to him? She may not have been the most charming when speaking to others, but it wasn't her intention to brew tension between them. She only wanted to make it clear that she wasn't the type to rely on others or to abuse another's kindness except where food was involved, but that was a completely different matter and completely beside the point. Mao wasn't accustomed to holding a serious conversation with anyone aside from perhaps her mother and father, and especially not with those of the male variety. The guys that Mao spent her time with were constantly discussing skateboard tricks, video games, or recreational drugs, even though she did not really partake except on extremely rare occasions. It seemed that she would have to find a new way to handle stress though, in case the school practiced random drug tests to make sure that it's athletes were clean. She didn't want to bring unnecessary scrutiny to the swim team, especially as she still had a lot to learn. But if her friends did happen to talk about anything else, they were usually just loosely bitching about their parents or teachers. It was pointless small talk, it didn't prepare her for genuine conversation in the least. It was a casual and unspoken arrangement among her usual crowd that no one spoke of politics or feelings, nothing real or concrete. It just wasn't how their group's dynamic functioned. Mao opened her mouth to say something, feeling almost as though she had kicked a puppy, but she wasn't sure what she could even say. What would even begin to correct what she had already said? Her words could not be reversed. I didn't mean it like that, well, not exactly... Mao thought to herself, realizing she was stressing over this far more than she normally would have permitted herself to.

"I'd take care of you anyway, Nozomi-chan."

Feeling her shoulders go rigid, Mao bit the inside of her cheek and refused to look up at him. She couldn't see it, but she just knew that a blush was beginning to form on her cheeks, "O-Oi! Things like that ... how do you say it so naturally to just anyone?" Mao answered in a low mumble to avoid letting any of the other students overhear what they were talking about. She hoped that no one overheard Chase, but she could only regulate her end of the discussion. Despite how she was working to keep her outward reaction under control, Mao was staggered by his benevolence, freaking out on the inside. Keeping her head low in order to allow her ebony hair to shield her features from the view of the students already settled in the English room as well as Chase, Mao made her way inside, only stopping to get one final point across, "...Arigato." Mao thanked him, unsure if she meant for him holding the door open or whether she was referring to his confirmation of concern. Either way, it merited words of appreciation.

With only a second of hesitance, Mao found a seat toward the back of the classroom by the windows and looked to the board when she felt that the blush had died down enough. The assignment didn't really pique her interest and she would have written it off until she realized it was a partnered assignment. As much as she hated school, knowing her actions would reflect poorly on someone else completely changed her tune. Looking through the list of pairings, Mao tilted her head when she realized her partner for the assignment was the Upstream Captain Browning, Rhys. While she didn't know enough about him to know if he cared about the assignment at all, or if he was even studious, Mao refrained from pulling out her sketch pad. If he didn't care about his grades she could go about her day and work on a few sketches, but if he wanted to attempt it, she didn't want to hinder progress as dead weight. I'm not going to be of much use. English isn't exactly my thing... Mao lamented, brushing her fingers through her hair. It seemed he wasn't in class just yet, but she knew she should at least wait a little while longer before giving up on his attendance. With the chaos from that morning, she knew several people were taking their sweet time, the accident a reminder that anything could happen at any time. While no one died or was rushed off to the hospital, it could have been much worse. Something tourist... Something for tourists... Mao wracked her brain, writing down her first ideas in bullets on a separate sheet of paper, in Japanese as she struggled to write in the other language quite a bit. It may not have been beneficial to the assignment's completion just yet, but she wasn't entirely sure if it was worth writing on flash cards, deciding it was best to wait for Rhys before making any definitive choices. Brainstorming was the best she could do on her own for now.

Possible Important Locations:
• General store
• Hospital
• ATM

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He was in his own head for the most part as students filtered in and got themselves situated. When the bell rang, he more or less snapped out of his daydreaming and glanced around to see what was going on. In all honesty not much had changed, but he did notice that there was a list on the board giving them all directions on the day's assignment. <Oh so... I guess there's no teacher for this class?> In truth, this was a relief seeing as he had a lot going on and a teacher to pick on someone and put them on the spot was a small relief. He read the list and instructions finding that this was kinda simple; or at least the project was straight forward. Also he was with Johnny which made him smile. The taller junior was smiling most of the time, so seeing a friendly face right about now was a huge relief. “Konichiwa~.” The deeper voice made Bishop turn to see his new partner (Johnny) make his way over with desk in hand. "Ohayo."

Easily the two got to work, both having a master of English they thought up of dozens of English phrases. It seemed that Johnny struggled with the Japanese equivalent so Bishop helped, he wasn't as fluent as he liked to be but his mother had taught him Japanese since he was little making the project go by easier. In some cases, there weren't any clean translations so they had to investigate an alternative together. In the mix, Bishop would learn a few new phrases as well in the process. The two were working well together.

“How’s things with Fuyu-chan, by the way?” "Hm?" Suddenly his face shot red after understanding the question. “Were you safe from that fire?” There was a pregnant pause with Bishop's mouth slightly agape looking to Johnny. "Y-yeah we're fine!" He'd state that comment entirely too loud in the class then sat up. "Well, not- well. 'We' isn't the proper term. Not that we- no uhh.... W-we were fine, wasn't even in the building. Hah." In a rush Bishop lowered his head to just a few inches above the table going back to diligently working. "Did- were uh. Were you anywhere near the fire? I mean you're here now so- you're fine. Right?" Johnny's guess that Bishop was tired of this week was right on the nose. He was an awkward mess, very happy to work on this and get this day over with.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Intelligence +1 (Bishop)
Popularity +1 (Fuyuki)

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Rocco smirked as the other earbud came off. Most people wouldn't take kindly to an acquaintance disturbing them but the male class president for juniors showed tolerance. "I'm not really sure... I don't even see my partner yet..." Rocco shrugged before folding his arms and slouching over his chair to get comfortable. It was nice having no teacher around to pressure them to study so he wasn't going to dive right into the project. He wasn't enthusiastic about making stupid flash cards and especially not with Dopey (Kaito). If it was a familiar female face or a fresh one he was partnered with, it might have been a different story altogether.

"It's annoying. Don't remind me." Akira sighed at his observation as Rocco shrugged again. It was fun annoying people sometimes. "It's just a look and I'd never mistake Dopey for class president material." Akira and Kaito looked identical almost to every detail but their personalities weren't aligned. There was a different atmosphere talking to either one of them too that he felt in his gut from a few seconds of talking. "I'm not going to ask because I've met him... but is there really no reconciliation to be had? I can go see what I can do to help... but the teacher might say no." Rocco tilted his head thinking over what Akira said. "Reconciliation.." he muttered under his breath in a bored tone that made it clear he thought it was a ridiculous idea. "How to put this delicately? There was no fight, yet." Rocco barely knew Kaito but that guy wasn't any fun since tag rugby. It wouldn't be a surprise if they clashed.

"Alternatively you're both welcome to sit with me and my partner? I doubt my partner would mind... and I don't see any rules stating we -only- can work with our partner." Akira suggested before writing away and getting started on the assignment. "Not that I have a lot of confidence in this assignment. Speaking a second language is one thing, writing in it is something entirely different." Rocco quirked a brow as Akira laughed, mentally comparing him to Yuuki. Yuuki was seriously studious and Akira was laid back and open. Did he get voted for class president off a popularity contest?

Rocco turned to take a quick look at the board to read who Akira's partner was and it was another lame male name. He sighed aloud in disappointment. "I'll pass on the sausage fest." The assignment was becoming less appealing by the second. "...Or you could try your hand at finding another willing pair that wouldn't mind forming a group, it may be more people, but it's also more brain power." Rocco smirked and stood up from his seat as a few options came to mind. "Cool. Thanks for the permission, Azarashi." He intentionally said permission to express how he expected Akira's backing if a teacher disapproved later on.

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Rocco walked to the back, middle row where Kaito was taking a nap. We both don't want to work together huh? Guess we have that in common. He stood behind then with both hands, pulled out the chair from under Kaito swiftly. "Haha rise and shine, Dopey." He laughed it off like an innocent child just having fun even though he purposefully wanted the guy to land on his ass. Kaito wasn't making this assignment any easier. "That's for making me take the initiative and chase after you like.. a guy courting a girl playing hard-to-get." he joked, trying to insult and challenge Kaito's masculinity. He didn't know his fellow classmate was bisexual. Rocco offered his hand to help him up with a cocky smirk playing up on his lips. He was only offering to make the stunt out as just a joke between boys to anyone who witnessed any of it but he was ready for Dopey's adverse reaction.

Intellect +1
Notoriety +1 Kaito

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Chase didn't know what was on Mao's mind but he knew she was uncomfortable as soon as she broke eye contact the way she did. Clueless to her secret and guilt, he combed his fingers through his hair, blamed himself and tried to remedy the situation. He was a people pleaser and he always meant well. He didn't want to make anyone including Mao uncomfortable or unhappy. Keeping people pleased was what he was best at and yet his confidence was swirling down the drain after his recent encounters with Aeon. There was no pleasing that person. Chase did as he was told to do but even then, there was a wall blocking a friendship from forming that his charm and good intentions couldn't climb over. To say it hurt him would be an understatement especially as he held Aeon in high regard.

"O-Oi! Things like that ... how do you say it so naturally to just anyone?"

Ocean blue eyes stared at Mao. Between his confidence that took a hit and her reaction, he was baffled for a moment. Say it so naturally to just anyone...? It was in his nature to be nice to people and his family was the same but as a Hollywood poster child, he knew there were people who just pretended to be nice. Mao's question picked apart could mean many things but of all meanings, he was worried about how it questioned his true character and who she really is to him. Although they hadn't been acquainted long, Chase valued others even above himself. So, it bothered him as he could tell it was bothering her. Mao's head was hung low with her facial features covered by her hair. He wasn't able to see her blushing or flustered as reassurance that he hadn't said something wrong to offend her and she was so different from the girls he was usually surrounded by. Do I say that to just anyone? He reflected deeper and started to second guess himself.

"...Arigato."

Chase snapped out of his confusion and resumed a smile as Mao walked through the door he forgot he was holding open still. She wouldn't thank him if his worries were right and he was very relieved. It was delayed but he did have something to say after all that thinking. "You're not just anyone." he said in a low mumble, whether she heard it or not. Chase' eyes turned to the board to read his partner's name before he released the door and walked into the classroom to find Akira. He was glad that his partner was the class president. The first impression was memorable but it had been talked out already and he was going to leave it at that unless it was brought up. "Ah Blake-san. It's good to see you again. How was your lunch?" He smiled brightly as he stood in front of his desk. The last time they had spoken was before splitting ways during the emergency evacuation. Chase listened and pointed to the chair beside him. "May I?" Chase asked permission politely before sitting down and holding up his copy of the English textbook. He read who his partner was off the board but not the assignment as he was distracted. His gaze wandered to Mao's direction as he held the textbook upside down.

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Stat Summary

+1 Intellect point

Intellect raised to 1 point for Aeon
Popularity raised to 1 point for Cassiopeia

Johnny stared thoughtfully at Bishop from the sudden volume shift. He blinked once, then his mouth spread once more into his typical easy smile. “That’s good to hear.” he replied as his lips curled into a grin. The foreigner was fairly certain that he and Haruhi were the last ones out, but "fairly" and "absolutely" were different words for a reason. Johnny was genuinely glad to hear that everyone was alright, Bishop included. That said, Johnny couldn’t help but chuckle at how cute Bishop was suddenly acting. “Gomen, that was rude,” he pinched a cheek with a free hand to regain composure.

“Anyway, yeah, I’m all good, man.” A sudden tug in his heart. A sudden familiar tug in his heart. I can’t… shouldn’t tell a lie- No. You are fine. You may have fucked up earlier with Gen, but you still saved Haruhi-chan! But don’t brag about it. Be stoic and strong, like Superman!

“I just helped someone get to the park, N-B-D.” As the foreigner learned more of the written language, he started writing some of the first symbols he determined would fit. While his English handwriting was perfectly solid, the calligraphy of the symbols was incredibly sloppy. When he compared his work to that of his partner's, Johnny stifled laughter at the sheer juxtaposition of skill. Hi gaze moved from Bishop’s own work to the blonde-haired boy himself. Johnny could almost feel the heat radiating from a brain that desperately tried to maintain composure.

“Chin up, my friend,” He softly pat a large hand on Bishop’s back. “I think it’d be strange if a first week at school turned out perfect, you know? I know I’ve done some dumb-ass things this week. You just gotta hold your head high and keep moving forward.”

Easier said than done in my case, but I’ll figure it out- I have to.

Intellect +1
Popularity +1 Bishop

xxxx"Kim-san." Devone looked back at Ryou with her trademark smirk. Their conversation topics weren't normal especially for two people who were still getting to know each other but that's what made it more interesting to her. She'd choose not normal over boring small talk any day. "I didn't know." The dark-haired girl remained quiet, observing as he leaned forward and propped his chin. Didn't know what? she wanted to ask but withheld, practising patience. "That monsters could be a blessing." Her reddish brown eyes widened ever so slightly as the words sunk in. His gaze that focused solely on her like a spotlight made her feel... strange. Devone wasn't shy of attention, admiration or any of the sort but usually, such a look towards her is fake, deceptive and riddled with selfish desire. Ryou's eyes however, raised a mountain of questions if perhaps not everyone was the same. "Neither did I." she replied before settling in her seat and secretly trying to wrap her head around what was said.

xxxxSora didn't outwardly react to the name paired with his, Devone Kim. Although he had a widely known habit for speaking his mind without holding back, he still didn't say anything. He had heard of her and taken notice of her and Ryou spending time together more recently but he didn't have any memorable firsthand experiences with her to form a personal impression. The soaked class president simply and quietly gathered his belongings and walked to the rear of the classroom where she was seated. Devone in an unenthusiastic manner looked to the board to read that she was paired with in her opinion, the nerdiest and weirdest boy in the entire school. She was familiar with all the rumors on the A.S.S President and Senior President which were comedy gold. Fortunately for both of them, they hadn't a need to cross paths until now. While she was safe to assume that he would be humorous company and more than capable of completing the assignment, a girl like her did not want to be associated with a loser like him.

xxxxThe cyan-haired boy approached in his unkempt appearance, "Kim-san." Sora greeted with a standard polite bow of the head then occupied the available seat beside her, organizing his pens and paper to start on the assignment. Even though he was not comfortable in wet clothes, his focus was on the class task before them and his responsibility to complete it. If all goes well, it could be completed all now. Devone raised an eyebrow then began to laugh at the boy who looked like a joke but continued so seriously with the work. "What happened to you? Did you hear about the fire then hose yourself down as a precaution?" She was in the building at the time of the fire and none of the sprinklers set off. She also didn't see anyone else in the room in such a state. "Actually I jumped into the pool." Sora corrected her, clicking his pen and writing down some ideas for the flash cards but Devone just laughed more. He turned his head to look at her and was about to apologize for his poor appearance and share the full story but a trivial detail caught his eye and interest. "I can ask you the same. What happened to you?"

xxxxThe question lead Devone to be lost in thought as she began to recall the evacuation and the moments before and after. It had been quite an eventful day. Sora reached out his hand, his question actually directed to the hickey on her neck. "It looks like a.." He wanted to touch it to figure out what it was. Devone sensed him attempting to invade her personal space and spoke up when his finger tips were an inch away. "Stop right there." Her voice was assertive, almost as if she held more authority than him despite his two presidency positions. Devone's eyes narrowed and there was no trace of forgiveness in those pools of blood red. Bringing up the hickey, brought up Rocco and she was still bothered by that junior and how she should deal with him.

xxxxSora retracted his hand and tilted his head. "Why?" he asked like a curious child. Breaking the touch barrier was not an issue for him and he means no harm. Then he remembered how he talked to Tadashi about sex and minors. "It's not against the law for you to be sexually active." He said, believing that the mark on her neck really was a hickey. Devone snickered because the hickey was not a result of love making and he doesn't know about her disregard for the law. If she cared about the law, she wouldn't be able to catch up on leads about her mother's death to begin with. "You really are an idiot.." Sora was crushed because he believes everything he's told but what about his grades? "I'm at the top of my class and I've always been but I am an idiot in other areas." He came to terms with his major flaw, smoothing the top of his wet hair back that it looked slick. "I don't understand anyone." It was sad of him to say yet his facial expression was neutral because it was a fact. Many times over he had misunderstood others or situations and been hurt brutally for it. "But from what I can tell, you're no different than me. You may even be worse because who do you understand and who understands you?" He boldly stated his thoughts. He was bad with people but at least he was putting in effort to try and get along. He joined the Social Society and other clubs to meet people. Devone was not a member of any club. He also had friends and she barely had any. The rumors pointed him out as weird but the rumors pointed her out as a bad person.

xxxxDevone's eyes aligned with Sora's. Being compared to him was an insult. She wasn't a wimp in any fight and while she was different from other students, she wasn't crazy weird. "Who do you think you are talking to me like that--" Sora cut her off. "I am Harigae, Sora. President of the Senior year and President of the Airdalen Social Society." Devone didn't know if she should laugh or get angry anymore but she learned that his mind was easily distracted.. that was not what she meant exactly. "And who do you think I am?" She managed to calmly ask back. "Kim, Devone, Ursula--" He listed the names she is known by as she doesn't have any presidency positions of her own. "And what do you think will happen if you upset me?" She felt like she was talking to a child as she lead the conversation, entwining her hands together tightly on top of her desk with residual annoyance but hoping they could reach a mutual understanding. "I don't know but I've heard--" "Do you want to know?" Sora had a natural curiosity and was always learning but then what he had heard about his fellow senior was not pleasant, causing him to pause.

xxxxDevone smirked at the moment of silence. "That's all I need to hear. Let's get started on this assignment and by let's, I mean you." Devone playfully tapped his book, waiting for him to get the message and continue working. Sora shook his head. "It is a paired assignment Kim-san. We are to complete it together and are equally responsible for the grade we receive by the end of it." Students had tried to trick Sora before into making them cheat sheets and completing their homework for them but he was too aware of the school rules and his responsibility to follow them. It was more important than ever now as a class president. Devone's annoyance was developing into a headache. Just when she thought she made herself clear, his idiocy was back. "Did I stutter?" she said angrily in a low voice. Sora registered that something was amiss but didn't back down, leaning forward so their faces were brought closer. "No but did I?"

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|| NOTORIETY +1 SORA ||
|| INTELLECT +1 SORA, DEVONE ||

Collaboration with Tinkers~

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Kazuki was a mess. Well, when did he ever become not a wreck? His thoughts were all over the place and seriously speaking, he has no intentions of straightening them out. The small voices in his head? He always drowned them in liquor, noise, and sex. They never made sense to him anyways unlike the things he could touch and see personally. That's why he loses himself in the things he can reach, but there will always be an exemption from that. He actually wanted to beat himself up really. He always talks about not caring and here he is... stuck in a classroom with a lesson he could not give a rat's ass about.

"Oi!" Kazuki stopped before a wafer stick of a guy. Some girl pointed this 'guy' to be that... He looked at the board again. "You, Kiomine, Tadashi?" His golden eyes did not hold the usual sly mirth that is known for the 'Hellion'. Instead, there was that coldness resembling that of a seething magma of sorts. "Ugh, damn it!" He was not really patient and didn't wait for the confirmation of identity. He just grabbed a seat and then sat in front of the guy's desk. He really doesn't care if he got the wrong person. He had just decided that this stick guy is that 'Shi-kun'. That nickname annoys him... Because, it means that this guy whatchamacallit is known to Fuyu and probably even close as well, knowing her personality.

Kazuki clicked his tongue and was clearly annoyed. "Let's get it straight, bud." His eyes narrowed as those gold color of his eyes seemed to ripple with life. "Do. The. Work." He tapped his fingers at each word giving it an emphasis. There was no way he'll waste his time over such a useless activity. Actually, he didn't read what they were going to do. It was to be expected since, he never did any class work until recently. He also really didn't care. He was never present in classes and when he does it's just him running away to escape his uncle's wrath.

"Get to it, then." After saying that, Kazuki leaned back on his chair and crossed his arms behind his head. He really wasn't going to help at all. Instead, he was relaxing as if he was in his house or something. But, he never cared about what inconsequential people think about him anyways. They never register to him. "Oi stick figure, make it quick." He looked at his so-called partner with that sharp eyes of his. Then as if a light bulb turned on inside his head, those lips of his curved deadly upward. "Unless, you don't have the brains for it."

Kazuki's eyes gleamed with malice. His smile had its own allure, but one could see that it never reached his eyes and such expression had always been his warning. "Or you have the balls to go against me?" He was actually looking forward to a collision. It would be a perfect excuse to get out of this class and to make his head stop thinking and thinking. "Your choice, candy stick." He removed his arms behind his head and placed it on the desk while propping his chin on top of his hand.

"Hmm..." Kazuki leaned forward with his face just a mere inches from the so-called 'Shi-kun'. His golden eyes gazed like daggers drilling into one's inside. It was paired with his devilish smile that seemed to be a seductive lure to the dark side. "You remind me of my toy." That's right he has someone to drag out to have fun with later. When, this is all over, he would pay the junior class a visit. "You look too girly." He grinned in sadism. "I have an idea, want to play with me?", then he smiled with that hypnotic lure.

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Intellect + 1 Kazuki