Airdalen Academy

"Kitogawa-san, head."

Akira's eyes shifted to Rhys as her fellow Junior chose their own senior. Though she didn't have time to watch Shiori hit the balloon, because before she knew it, Rhys was sending one in her own direction. She had her own responsibility to worry about, and it kind of bummed her out that she couldn't gauge everyone else's skill very well. Looks like this game is going to get very fast paced as people get eliminated.. I wonder if I'll be able to match up.. She thought to herself nervously, tugging on her uniform's tie a bit to loosen it. It was more comfortable and it restricted her concentration less to be dressed a little more casually. She could always return her uniform to perfection later.

"Blake-san, nose."

Akira blinked a bit in surprise once 'nose' registered in her brain. She wasn't really sure how it could be done, but quickly accepted the challenge presented to her. We'll see how it goes I guess.. She thought to herself with an amused smirk. Apparently Rhys was just as competitive as she was, and she felt that she would thoroughly enjoy his company. It was always good to have a rival, especially as far as progress was concerned, "I see that the warm up stage is over..." She responded back with a determined expression. She was feeling a bit competitive and every bone inside of her body screamed at her to work harder. She did not want to lose to the rest of her team, or anyone else for that matter. She stepped back to give herself a bit more time, then turned her head sideways so she could smack it with the side of her nose, sending the balloon in Shiori's direction, "That wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Hang in there, Cassiopeia-Senpai, Kitogawa-Senpai. Oh, Kitogawa-san, wrist!" Akira grinned, a childish and ecstatic expression enveloping her features when she realized that she forgot to name a body part.

Hitting the balloon with her nose was definitely difficult to do, but the challenge was totally worth it. She could hear a few whispers about the 'short kid' and how she'd managed to properly receive Rhys' pass, but she didn't turn around to acknowledge them. She was kind of glad that he wasn't going easy on her, perhaps it would clear up any and all doubts that others had about Akira Blake and 'his' athleticism. She couldn't help but laugh now that she was in the clear, and she rubbed the back of her neck a bit. Her eyes shifted to the other girls, Shiori and Cassiopeia, wondering if the two were fairing nearly as well as her. Most girls weren't focused on athletics all that much, so she was curious about their abilities. They both said that they weren't very athletic, but she knew that plenty of people were overly modest about their own abilities. Come on guys, lets do our best. I don't want to be the asshole who went too hard on the girls... It'll make me look bad as a guy.. She immediately closed her eyes with a silent sigh as the thought crossed her mind. It was then that she knew pretending to be a boy would be the death of her mentality. She was going to develop an identity disorder. Sometimes it was easy to forget that she was not actually a male. When everyone addressed her as a boy, it was simple to believe it herself. I'm going to need a shrink for multiple personality disorder at this rate. Though she couldn't worry about her own problems right now, she was in the middle of a game after all, and she had to showcase her skill. She did not want to be taken lightly, it made her angry when others underestimated her due to her small stature. She opened her blue eyes quickly, hoping that getting lost in her own thoughts for a moment didn't distract her from swatting any incoming balloons. Thankfully the coast was clear, and she was still in the game. Thank goodness.. I need to get my head in the game.. That was a risky move..

“Jay,” Ryou called, “Chin.”

You got it, Johnny thought. He considered his options for accomplishing the challenge posed to him. He could jump up and bop the balloon at the right time, but even with a good jump, that would only send the balloon a certain length. The force behind the jump would be spent on pushing his body, and not transfer properly into the balloon to send it high enough for him to send a command, let alone let the next student react.

One other option: Johnny stepped swiftly to the estimated landing zone for the incoming balloon, and dropped onto his back. From there, he pulled both legs up with a slight bend. His flexibility allowed his legs to cross over his head. When the balloon was mere feet away, Johnny thrust his legs out and forward without grazing the balloon. Performing a well-practiced tip-up, Johnny tilted his head upwards to poke out his pointed chin. His core tensed up as the force applied to his legs transferred to his torso and neck like a bullet. With the sudden change in force, Johnny’s torso lifted off the ground. Though a tall, lean boy, Johnny performed the recovery surprisingly well. It seemed it wasn’t the first time he had to get off his muscular back. Indeed, in his old schools, Johnny was often targeted by the heavier athletes in games, since they knew just how much of a threat Johnny was on the field.

More importantly, however, the timing could not have been more nearly perfect. The swing of the foreigner’s back, neck, and head allowed the chin to whip the balloon with enough force to propel the balloon higher than his initial idea of a simple jump. The wish-container was once more in the air. Hell yeah! he thought as the feeling of the thin rubber membrane propelled away from him. His feet stamped lightly against the floor as he righted himself from the jump. He felt a sense of pride in his physical prowess for a good couple of seconds, only to realize that he hadn’t called out a name and body part yet.

Most importantly, the maneuver send the balloon slightly outside the perimeter of their circle.

Shit, he thought as his mind raced. Next up would have to be the girl, who had introduced herself as Katsumi Kurosawa. She appeared to speak with a similar accent to Johnny’s. Could she know English? It would make this game easier… But she still had to make her wish-balloon.

Best to keep it safe. He went with Ryou once more. “Ryou-senpai,” he called. In English, he added, “Inner elbow- like volleyball.” Of course, he did not know that particular combination of words in Japanese. Johnny knew little about Japanese, as if that ever needed to be stated. Quickly, while he was still clear of incoming balloons, he asked Katsumi, [b]“Hey, do you know English?”[b]

It was then that he realised that there was a light layer of dust that had settled on the waxed floor over the night after the waxing took place., and the backside of the black uniform held an imprint of dust where his muscles pressed down against the floor. Thankfully, the task did no damage to the buttons. If the foreigner's uniform had been any tighter a fit, that would have been a different story. His flexible arms managed to reach behind him and pat away some of the dust... only some, however.

Aw man, are there customs discouraging dusty uniforms? he wondered.

Katsumi tried to ignore it, but... 'Why is this guy staring..' She thought, feeling green (Johnny) eyes study her, and whether it was a conscious or unconscious examination of her person, she couldn't help but feel nervous, 'Is something on my face..?' As casually as she could, she brushed her cheeks, only to feel nothing out of the usual. 'huh...' She frowned, frustrated with herself, 'This is a waste of time'

Was she really worried about how these men saw her...? Katsumi would have normally scoffed at the thought, but it was true one way or another and who could blame her, she just didnt want the past to replay, especially with this chance God seemed have given her... They barely seemed to recognize her.. 'Thats good..' Her frown was replaced with an unusually soft smile, 'Perhaps-'

"Giou, Ryou." A deep voice introduced, causing her to snap out of her train of thought, and instead focus on the man named "Ryou". "Here." He showed her balloons. She blinked, listening in. "Pick one and then write on a piece of paper what you wish for. Put it inside the balloon after, then inflate it." Nodding between his words in understanding, she finally confirmed her new found knowledge of the game with a thumbs up- "Got it.. thanks.." She murmured, still uneasy around the new group, but the upperclassmen did something that caught her off guard. "Kurosawa-san." She looked at him in question, "hm?"

"Welcome to Airdalen." Her eyes widened a fraction, before a lopsided grin pulled at her lips, "Thanks!" Feeling a bit better, her feelings of the game went from "apathetic" to "eagered"- she was ready! Taking the balloon, and paper, she took a moment of thought before quickly jotting down her wish and blowing up the balloon, soon good to go.

"Kurosawa-san, knee."

"Easy!" She replied with her usual confidence but also with newfound hope, perhaps this really was a chance of redemption. 'And these men.. are my angels..' She paused, laughing at her own cliche thoughts before shaking her head, 'But really, karma is on my side today.'

Now hyped with good feeling, she tossed the balloon up and began to knee the balloon, casually showing off her skills in the athletic category. It was rather impressive, watching her spin and move before hitting the balloon with much precision. But it looks like she wasn't the only one with such skill, for her eyes found themselves on the tallest man (johnny) of the group who was moving in such rapid motions that it made her laugh, 'ha is he dancing or something?'

“Hey, do you know English?” She blinked, taking a moment, before tilting her head, (She will be speaking english from here) "e-english? Me no s-speak the a-american.." Her voice was broken, while her expression remained clueless, but it was only for a second before a chuckle escaped her, "Ah Im kidding, yes I speak English, its way easier then Japanese, thats for sure." She said, darkening at the mentioning of the damn language- it was so damn difficult for her to learn, and it caused her so many problems, but now that she found another that spoke english, perhaps it wouldnt be so frustrating? "We're on the same boat huh?" She laughed, noting his odd accent as well.

[note: A little rushed, but lets keep going! Ill be adding stat points soon]

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"I guess that this year
will be different from last one
I'm more talkative than I have to
but, I don't mind it
as much I had thought otherwise
I'll just see what happens."

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██Ryou duly noted that both of the juniors in the group have athletic prowess. That was a good thing to have. He understood others who lack in that department, but never cast a judgment on them. Everyone can't have all, so those who have should do their best with it and as far as he could see. These two were rather at ease with their physical abilities.

His eyes then drifted for a moment to Shintaro, seeing that his fellow senior was rather quiet throughout. He did have a thought that he would be the far more talkative between them, but it seemed that he had taken that responsibility. It wasn't something he would blame anyone for. He just didn't like any work left unfinished in a sense. His attention was taken when he heard Jay calling for his name.

It was his turn once more as Jay managed to rely the words of receiving the balloon with a gesture used in volleyball. That wasn't a problem as much he could provide. His silvery eyes like the moon looked for the balloon which was rather given quite the toss by his junior. The balloon itself was moving outside their perimeter, but that was part of the game. It wasn't something he would quarrel with anyone.

He took a step back as his eyes never left the balloon, but he also did mind his surroundings. He wouldn't want to bump into anyone so recklessly. Seeing that the balloon would be within his reach, he prepared himself to receive it with the body part asked of him, unlike the juniors who added theatrics in their movements,

Ryou didn't have those. He was simple and definite, but it was always enough to do the job. He then bumped the balloon with his inner elbow with a force enough to propel the balloon back into their inner circle and enough time for anyone to receive it.

"Kurosawa-san, forehead." He stated and then looked at Jay again. "Jay, back." He didn't call out to Shintaro because he wasn't sure if the other senior was already in the game or was having a hard time. He wouldn't want that and simply focused on the two who seemed pretty hyped with the activity. It was actually nice to see that they are enjoying themselves. If that was the case, he would not stop them. He also noticed that Jay started a conversation with Katsumi. That's good. Jay should build his social circle other than him. He had already remembered what happened with the other girls earlier. It seemed that there would be no repeat since Katsumi's answer seemed to be favorable.

He didn't interrupt or say anything. He just focused himself on the game while noting that the female was also a foreigner based on what she said. Well, it seemed that Airdalen was indeed a melting pot of many nationalities, isn't it? It's not bad, really.

---

"Somehow, I wish to do
This again, because,
I really want my wish
To come true."
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◄At her cue, the game finally began, she was very happy about it as she could see that everyone was rather enjoying it. She was also rather envious because they seemed to be very adept in it as well as athletic. She has great admiration for people who do well in physical activities, because it was something she could not participate in so freely or rather, she's not allowed to do so in the possibility of her health failing. Still, she was a bit happy for the fact that she is able to experience much of a normal life ever since she began studying here and also meeting a lot of a people. It's why her eyes were bright and filled with excitement as she watched the two boys of the group.

"Clio Rawr! Clio Tigers! Clio Grrah! Clio Panthers!" Clio also added its own form of cheer as it jumped up and down excitedly with its ears flapping in rhythm. "Clio is also having fun!" She noted while looking at Clio. That's why she was caught unaware when Akira called her name, making her join the circle of balloon bopping. "Eh?? Oh!" She was startled a bit when her balloon was returned to her. Akira mentioned head, so she will be using that right? But, how? "Head, right?" She was panicking a bit as she looked at the incoming balloon. She closed her eyes as she waited for the impact. It soon came which she felt something soft touching her head. This made her tilt her head a bit and opened her eyes. That action of hers made the balloon bounce back and unfortunately, there was not enough force as it landed on the floor.

"Oh..." She blinked a couple of times and looked at the balloon on the floor. She remembered being said that it meant her wish was eliminated. Somehow, that made her feel sad as her eyes of mauve blue became a bit teary. Clio noticed this. "Clio no cry! Clio no cry! Balloon bop again!" Clio jumped in front of Cassiopeia as it tried to console her. She noticed this and remembered to pick herself up. She smiled warmly and then laid out her hands for Clio to land on which it did. "Don't worry, Clio. I'm fine. Thank you very much." She then looked at the others and gave out a rather embarrassed and disappointed expression. "I apologize. It seems that I'm out of the game." She then bowed her head in apology. She wasn't able to even do her best in that activity. It was very lame.

She wasn't doing a very good impression to her junior. There was no doubt about that. "I hope that the rest of you do fare better." She then looked towards Shiori. "Ganbatte, Shiori-chan, you too Akira-kun, Rhys-kun!" Well, she would have just to wait now on who is going to win this game and just like that she bounced back to her cheery self again.

---

Gen's short fuse to uncalled for cussing didn't waver even as Kazuki started to laugh freely at the situation. She was primarily focused on her assigned junior and waiting for his behavior to either desist or persist. Maybe it was her father's occupation as a butler that had made her detest swearing so much. She had just been raised to find such language very rude and improper. Gen could come around to understand and let it go if the situation was asking for it. There were such instances that could not be described as easily. Taking for example, Shakespeare who had made up many words even with the large vocabulary he was known for. Still, there were no excuses in plain sight for her poor junior. He had sworn at her or the group she wasn't sure, for no good reason. It definitely was not a good impression but would leave a lasting negative one in the back of Gen's mind.

"Don't sweat it too much."Gen's eyes moved off her junior and to the shoulder she felt a weight on. The weight turned out to be Kazuki's hand as he continued to address her. No harm done there. Plus..." She froze in place as he poked between her eyebrows, the motion shattering her cold demeanor and replacing it with her usual more friendly expression. She couldn't possibly remain cold towards her love interest. "We wouldn't want you to have wrinkles all over that pretty face." Gen's eyes locked on his hopelessly as if she had just been shot by cupid. His smile is so perfect..."'Kay?" Her heart was pounding like a drum. She didn't stand a chance of staying upset at this point. "If you say so, dear~" She had to hold herself back from spinning on the spot with glee. Gen was really happy to have received that almost pure smile from him. It made her feel stupidly special even in that short time frame.

“D-do w-we form a c-circle?” Gen snapped out of her lovesick self when the little one Mai beside her, brought her back to earth. Oh, right.. the activity. Gen had been completely distracted between her junior and Kazuki to realize that everyone else had already begun. They were greatly falling behind. "Let me do this quickly~" she mumbled to herself, using the pen in her hand and some paper tucked in the folder to quickly write her wish.

'I wish for a romance like no other this school year...'

She tapped the pen lightly against her cheek as she thought it over before tucking it inside a purple balloon - her favorite color. It was just like her to make a wish like that with no names, no specific request and a bit of mystery. She would leave it up to fate like she had always done. Gen blew up her balloon smaller than the average balloon in a hurry as her and the group started to form their circle. Standing between Mai and Saburo, she balanced the balloon on top the palms of both hands a little anxious but trying not to show it. Gen was aware she would not be able to demonstrate prowess in this certain activity. In fact, she had never done anything more with balloons beside hoist them for party decorations. This would be new to her.

"So, who'll start this game?" Gen gulped and looked away as Kazuki brought up the question. It wouldn't be ideal of her to lead an activity she was destined to perform poorly in. Unfortunately for her, it appeared the group was turning to her for instructions and the start. "Gen...?" She sighed, bringing up a hand to caress her chin as she spoke looking downwards. "Well... we throw a balloon and call out a name, and a body part of our choosing. The person called out must hit the balloon with the body part and the game goes on like that in repetition until the last balloon in air I suppose?" Gen returned both hands to her balloon and closed her eyes, breathing out. She was very unsure about participating in this but it was part of the program. Just grin and bear it! She opened her eyes and called out, "Saburo, ch--" Gen was about to say chin but unbeknownst to her, there was still a grudge taking toll. Her balloon was struck too hard it'd either pop or hit her junior's face harder than expected. She laughed sheepishly, her hand lightly tapping her forehead. "Oopsy daisy~

---

---

Stats:

Popularity (to Kazuki) + 1
Charm (to Kazuki) +1

"Yuu- er uh. Fujioka-san! Forehead! Arietta-senpai, back at you. Right hand!"

When she heard Bishop's words, Arietta couldn't help but smile. If he had made the mistake, she would have surely been very entertained, Ooo, he nearly called the firecracker by her first name. She surely wouldn't have enjoyed that.. Arietta was a bit taken aback when Bishop told Yuuki to use her forehead. This was going to get very difficult, and she knew that she wasn't going to last very long in this game. She was not athletic, at all. Sports was the only subject that hurt her GPA the year before, and she completely detested Gym class for that reason.

Without warning, a balloon came flying in her direction, causing her cerulean blue orbs to widen in shock. Right hand? She swung at the quickly approaching balloon, but felt nothing touch her hand. The balloon flew past and landed on the ground, thus she was out of the game. She had a disappointed pout on her face for a few seconds, despite feeling a sense of relief, "I did my best everyone. Gomen ne~" She giggled, stepping out of the circle quickly so she wouldn't interfere with the ongoing game between Yuuki, Bishop, and Aeon.

She couldn't just stand on the sidelines like a lump on a log, because that would be depressing and likely hurt her popularity, "Go Wolves, Go Bears!" She chimed out, doing a small and simple cheer. She was clapping and even doing a few arm motions as she cheered them on, but nothing complicated. She wasn't a cheerleader, but she knew a tiny bit about it. She wouldn't cheer if she didn't have at least basic knowledge, that would make her look like an idiot, and that wasn't an option. Thank god I'm not in there anymore. That game... only Kita-sensei could have come up with such a ridiculous game for High School students to participate in.. Though she had to admit that Aeon seemed to be rather swift and aloof about it, having no issue with returning the balloon whenever it came his way earlier on.

She ran a hand through her blonde hair, stretching a bit. Her limbs were already getting a little sore, seeing as Arietta was a bit of a prima donna and did not participate in sports or any other form of exercise often. She wasn't considered fat by far, but she also did not have an athletic and toned figure either. She was simply skinny, seeing as there was not a lot of muscle or fat on her body to be considered. She looked around the room for a moment, seeing several familiar faces, but also a few fresh ones that she wished to meet sometime in the near future. She made a mental note to approach them, hoping that they would be just as interesting as her gut assured her they would be. New year, new faces, more fun.. I can't wait to dive in and mingle. She thought to herself with a genuine smile on her face. It wasn't a smile she often displayed, seeing as she often used her stage smile when interacting with others. It wasn't genuine, but her stage smile often fooled those around her into thinking that she was always a friendly and bubbly person, somewhat like Cassiopeia, but at the same time, completely different. She wanted to be seen somewhat like the pink haired senior, but she did not want to come across as naive to the world or as overly altruistic as Cassiopeia. This year is going to be great, it has to be...

"Kitogawa-san, head."

Shiori's entire body froze for a few seconds after being chosen. Sure, she knew it was going to happen eventually, since it was part of the game and all, but another part of her still hoped that it wouldn't happen. Wishful thinking or not, she had partially convinced herself that they might accidentally skip her, for like, the entire game if she was lucky. She managed to snap out of her thoughts in time to hit the balloon with her forehead, but the force behind it was incredibly weak. Her bangs became quite scattered and messed up afterwards, but she was still in the game! Part of her suddenly grew to be incredibly happy and energized, but she was also intensely nervous now. She knew that she was horrible at sports, and she knew that this luck wouldn't last for much longer. Though she made it one round, so she couldn't help but be at least a little proud of herself, "Browning-san, left elbow." She didn't think that she'd achieve making it past 'Go'.

"Browning-san, knee."

She was a bit amazed by what Rhys did next, he was showing off a little by repeatedly bouncing the balloon on his knee, just as Akira had ordered him to. She wished that she could be that good, but she just wasn't the type to be athletic or that confident. She envied him, but she also admired him in that moment. She couldn't help but stare for a few seconds. He looks so cool right now.. She thought in a daze, once again realizing just how attractive her junior partner was.

"Blake-san, nose."

Then her eyes shifted to Akira. Would the small boy be able to return the balloon using his nose? She was a bit worried about him, seeing as Rhys was much taller and seemed to be extremely athletic. She overheard Akira saying that he was good at sports.. but Rhys seemed to be good as well. Which of the two boys was better? She couldn't help but wonder which boy would beat the other. Though aside from Akira's initial shock, the boy didn't seem too concerned about the pass.

"I see that the warm up stage is over."

S-sugoi.. He's so calm. These two are insane.. She thought to herself in amazement as Akira smirked in Rhys's direction. The two were like fire and gasoline. Neither of them seemed to want to bend to the other. They both had their eyes on the challenge and neither was backing down. It was inspirational, but it also left her feeling bewildered. Why were the two boys getting so worked up over a mere game? There wasn't a grand prize, just the notion that their wish would come true, which held no scientific validity... Why were they trying so hard for nothing in return? She couldn't wrap her head around their determination to win at all. Her violet eyes followed Akira's petite form as he took a few steps backward. He swiped the balloon into the air with ease, but her heart skipped a beat frightfully, just a moment before Akira made contact with the balloon. For a second, she almost thought that he was going to miss.

"That wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Hang in there, Cassiopeia-Senpai, Kitogawa-Senpai."

"Hai!" Shiori responded in an anxious tone, her eyes shifting between her enlarged team slightly in paranoia. She wasn't sure where a balloon was going to come from, but she felt mostly apprehensive about Akira and Rhys. She knew she wouldn't be able to handle their onslaught. The two boys seemed to be extremely serious and she knew that their determination would annihilate her.

"I apologize. It seems that I'm out of the game."

Shiori's heart nearly leapt out of her chest when Cassiopeia brought herself to the ebony haired girl's attention. When did Cassiopeia miss? She had been so focused on the boys, mainly Rhys, but that was another story entirely... ANYWAY... She had been so focused on the two boys that she had entirely missed Cassiopeia's performance. Knowing that she was the only girl left on the team was a lot of pressure and that only made her nerves far more intense. She gulped silently, trying to shake off her anxiety, but it was determined to undermine her efforts at every turn. T-They're going to destroy me! I can't keep up with these two! She could feel the dread creeping up on her, and the pressure was beginning to close in on her. It felt like the room was getting smaller and she found her breaths growing shorter. Am I.. going to have a panic attack..? she asked herself worriedly, seeing as she often had them, and they were incredibly painful. She experienced them often in her early childhood and they grew less frequent as she grew older, but not because of her condition getting better. She simply learnt to avoid what made her anxious rather than facing her problems head on. She was running away from difficulties, but that wasn't a way to live. She couldn't keep going like this, existing, but not living her life. She wanted to make friends, and if possible, fall in love, but those goals seemed unreachable. It felt like other people were always trying to hurt her, and her words were like the quills on a porcupine. She was like a human porcupine, she wanted to let others close, but if they tried to reach out to her, they got pricked by her barbed words.

"Oh, Kitogawa-san, wrist!"

How am I supposed to hit the balloon with such short notice? She immediately panicked, though on the outside she appeared to be simply frozen stiff. She swung her wrist at the balloon, but felt nothing against her wrist. She immediately knew the outcome, she had completely missed the balloon and now she was disqualified. With slightly messy bangs and a downhearted expression, Shiori removed herself from the game and stood beside of Cassiopeia, "Hmph. No big deal. This is simply a child's game anyway.. Who cares?" She sighed out in a disinterested tone, despite her eager participation just moments before.

Johnny did not quite catch the thing about dancing. Though he did know a few dances himself, the idea to perform some of them did not cross his mind. After all, he did miss Katsumi's quip about dancing. To the false stereotypical accent, however, Johnny did hear, and he responded in kind with a hearty chuckle. “Oh for sure! So many words to memorize, dude! and that’s not even counting the-“ He stopped when he noticed the balloon closing in on him.

“Jay, back,” was Ryou’s call. Johnny bent forward and propelled himself into the air. This stunt was a lot easier than the one with the chin, and the balloon bounced off his back with ease. He naturally arced forward from the jump, and risked landing on his face. His legs, however, bent quickly, and brought his feet directly beneath his body. He landed on his feet, and righted himself once more. The balloon was sent not nearly as high- pretty much the bare minimum of acceptable height to make a call. It went far from Ryou-senpai, towards the girl Katsumi.

“Kurosawa-san, other knee!” Johnny called to the girl in English. He deep-down wondered how ridiculous that mix of Japanese and English terms sounded.

It had to sound ridiculous, like one of those pretentious American kids who learn a fraction of the language to understand their cartoons. Those cartoons are weird, though. Johnny never watched any of them. He wondered if any of these students watched those things… Come to think of it, Johnny had yet to watch any TV throughout his first month of living in Japan. The tiny TV set in the kitchen was never on when he was home.

Not that he minded, though. He spent his first month learning the layout of the land, the location of stores, shopping for supplies for school, reading the dictionary, his daily routine for maintaining his perfect bod, and his personal hobby especially. He never had time for TV, and many conversations his father had with the local store clerks seemed to involve TV shows.

Wait, what was he saying earlier…? “Oh yeah, that’s not even counting proper grammar and stuff,” he continued as he continued trying to dust his back. He couldn’t tell that he finished wiping everything off several swipes ago. He could reach every nook and cranny with his flexible shoulders, after all.

“I’m Johnny, but you can call me Jay.” Johnny said, “How long have you been in Japan?” Though one could have a different take on his demeanour, Johnny was simply trying to strike a conversation after that embarrassing failure with those two girls earlier. Despite initial thoughts, he didn’t have anything untoward in mind at the moment.

Good on him, his parents would think if Johnny was aware he wasn’t thinking about such things. He was only focused on something normal. A conversation that would land him in a decent, not at all strange standing in school. As he currently was, no one even wanted to speak to him unless it was mandatory. Indeed, it was very much the opposite of his old school. Of course, he didn’t know the details on the darkness in the girl’s eyes. He honestly didn’t much care about that. All that mattered now were the flying balloons.

"Yuu- er uh. Fujioka-san! Forehead! Arietta-senpai, back at you. Right hand!"

Yuuki noticed that Bishop was getting psyched up, and she didn't understand that mentality at all. It was just a child's game with balloons, there was no prize, so why was he so excitable? Then he nearly called her by first name. Her eyes widened a bit, a look of stupor on her face for a moment. She definitely would have had to slap him if he had gotten so casual as to address her by first name. That would have been mortifying, especially after Arietta's extensive teasing. What on earth gave the blonde female senior the idea that her and Trander shared romantic feelings? Did Arietta somehow happen to miss the hostile vibes that Yuuki had aimed towards Trander outside?

Forehead? How am I supposed to... He really just gave her right hand as a body part? Why is her's easier than mine? Yuuki pouted a bit with a slight glare into empty space. Would they constantly be making jabs at each other? It was fine with her, so long as he never interrupted her studies again. She returned her attention to the impending balloon, blinking a bit in shock when she realized the balloon wasn't coming directly at her. The aim was kind of curved, so she couldn't help but sweatdrop. Do I really look like the kind of girl that could manage to hit that? she gulped a bit, remembering that she promised Aeon that she would do her best. Sure, she wasn't a team player, but when it came to giving her word, Yuuki was a dedicated individual. She at least had to try, for the sake of her promise.

Yuuki took a few steps to the side jumping to hit the balloon back toward the two boys. Arietta was already disqualified, so she felt a little less self conscious, but now she felt pressure to preform since she was the only girl remaining in their group. She managed to make direct contact with the balloon, but it landed somewhere in the center of herself, Bishop, and Aeon. Well that was disappointing.. Yuuki thought to herself with a look of shock and disbelief. (better described in this picture) The expression faded nearly as fast as it came, bringing up the interesting question of whether it ever happened in the first place.

"Come on guys!"

"Gomenasai. It looks like I am disqualified. Excuse me." Yuuki bowed in a formal Japanese fashion with her signature blank expression. Despite her exterior's calmness, she was still quite upset with her performance internally. She couldn't help but feel as though she had let the two boys down, so she quietly joined Arietta on the sidelines with both of her eyes closed. Even though she wasn't exactly fond of Bishop or Arietta, especially Arietta, Yuuki felt a sense of resonsibility to them as their temporary teammate. I blew it... I was in the game for only a hot minute.. I knew games like this were a waste of time.. She let out an inaudible sigh, not even sure if she could watch the two boys compete. Suddenly she regretting even agreeing to participate in the first place.

Dad, can you believe what this school has me doing? She asked herself mentally, smoothing out her uniform and unkempt hair. Now that her day wasn't running in an ideal manner, Yuuki missing her parents finally setting in. She couldn't bury herself in homework to avoid it. Standing next to Arietta, she was forced to face a few of the many emotions she attempted to hold at arms distance. She couldn't help but wonder if she could go home and tell her father about this, if he would have agreed with her that this entire game was incredibly childish. She wasn't sure, because his illness was changing his personality drastically. He was no longer the man she used to know. He was far more compassionate and kind these days.. Part of her wished to be with him, but she knew that if her education panned out, she'd be able to spend a lot more time with her father than she would if she sat by his bedside. She had to make the sacrifice, for her father. How am I supposed to study to get a great job when they have me batting around balloons? I'm not an athlete or a kindergarten student, I can't do this bizarre, asinine crap just because it is expected of me..

Before she even had time to blink, Yuuki suddenly realized that she was far more homesick than she had expected herself to be. Sure, on paper moving out on her own seemed to be the logical thing to do, but now that she was in school, now that problems and drama were surfacing, she really wished that her parents were around. She never complained to them often, other than about school activities or assignments, but to Yuuki, just having them in the same room was comforting enough for her other issues.

She made up her mind rather quickly, but she knew she would have to keep things quite brief. She was going to call her parents when she got home, because she wasn't sure if she could return to normal without hearing her mom and dad's voices. Then, once this nonsense wore off, she'd get straight back to her assignments. I just can't do stuff like this... This isn't what got me into this academy, my grades did.. Why can't we focus on what we already excel at? Why must I unnecessarily make a fool of myself?

"Omoshiroi..."

Akira couldn't help but feel a little cocky knowing that Rhys was so shocked by her nose shot with the balloon. She wasn't even certain that she'd land it herself. Heh, not just a little pipsqueak now, huh? she thought with a satisfied grin on her face, but she refused to let her cockiness turn into full blown arrogance. Rhys wasn't to be taken lightly, or at least that's what her gut told her anyway.

"Ganbatte, Shiori-chan, you too Akira-kun, Rhys-kun!"

"Arigato, Cassiopeia-Senpai!" Akira grinned, an excited expression on her face. Despite feeling very competitive against Rhys where winning was concerned, Akira was also having an absolute blast playing against him. He was just around her level, not a push over, but not exceedingly difficult to compete with either. She felt that she'd finally found a friendly rival. Having someone to beat always increased results in the end.

"Thanks!"

Akira was glad that Cassiopeia didn't pick a side now that it was between the 'two males' of the group, but she also was a bit depressed knowing that she was deceiving her senior from square one. She felt bad for keeping her true gender a secret from these people, people she was already beginning to consider her friends, but she had to have a fresh start, she needed it. This school gossiped beyond belief, and she couldn't handle rumors of her ordeal in Britain ever catching up to her.

Akira was startled when she heard Rhys chuckle, her eyes shifting to him, finally noticing their 'audience' of students who already lost their own games. A light blush formed on Akira's face, a sheepish grin forming as well. Were they really good enough to draw in this kind of crowd? S-sugoi...[W-wow...] Akira thought breathlessly to herself, but when her eyes returned to Rhys, a nervous laugh exited her lips. He looked pretty scary... She sweat dropped at her situation, but shook off her nervousness with a quick shake of her head, messing up her already unruly ivory locks of short hair. Her hair was very spiky now, coming across as far more boyish than she appeared when she first arrived at Airdalen academy that morning. The way she looked in that moment, it was actually easy to believe that she was just a small statured male.

"Then I'll play even harder."

"Mada mada dane.. [Not done yet..]" Akira stated under her breath, bracing herself for anything that Rhys had to throw her way. She was not going down without a fight, and she was prepared to give it her all, or die trying. She had a lot to prove as the 'small fry' boy, because if she didn't prove she was tough, she'd constantly get berated, and that would piss her off.

"Browning-san, left elbow."

Akira was surprised by Rhys' tenacity, and somewhat inspired. If he was trying that hard, she felt that she had to step up to the plate as well. She skidded her heel against the floor, psyching herself up for the incoming command. Whatever body part he threw out at her, she was going to hit that balloon with it. Do or die, she had no choice but to make the shot. Akira's blue eyes were on Rhys and the balloon, surprised that he actually landed the hit, then a huge grin crossed her lips. She was not disappointed. Rhys' skill was impressive. He was definitely someone she wanted to play basketball against, recreationally at the least.

"Mouth."

Akira was completely unaware of Rhys' injury, because of his extremely difficult challenge. How was she going to hit anything with her mouth? She let out a quick breath and stepped back and when the balloon lowered, she lifted her head so that her nose would not get in the way, and launched forward, 'kissing' the balloon in a jump to add force to the action. Akira landed on the ground, her elbows and knees taking most of the blunt force.

Her attempt sent the balloon about a foot towards Rhys before it slowly descended toward the floor. Akira blinked a few times, then broke out laughing. She rolled over onto her back arms crossed behind her head as she stated up to the ceiling and spoke, "Browning-San, I guess this means you win, but I still landed that hit." Akira smirked, closing her eyes, completely satisfied with the outcome, even if she kind of wished she could have won. She preferred having a challenging opponent than someone who was no competition at all. Losing to good competition was far better than winning against a novice in her book. Before she could say anything else, Ms. Araya made an announcement. Akira stood up, finally feeling a stinging sensation in her left elbow. She didn't realize how hard she had hit the floor until she felt something trickling down her arm. Eh? I'm bleeding? Akira touched her elbow through her blazer and immediately winced from pain. O-Ouch! She thought with a quiet, but audible hiss.

"We will be concluding the junior/senior program early today due to an unexpected last minute arrangement with a neighbouring school. Tomorrow will be half club day, half regular school day to make up for this. All students dismissed."

Then she remembered something, the throbbing pain in her left elbow being enough of a reminder to her that Rhys' fall was worse than hers. She remembered that Rhys even skidded across the floor, bare skin at that, "Wanna go to the nurse and get some antiseptic on these battle scars? I'd say you're bleeding too.. I already feel it down my elbow." Akira asked in an innocent tone, no pretense hidden among her intentions. Then she looked to Cassiopeia and Shiori, a warm smile on her face, "Another Photo after we doctor up? We could meet up out front by those cherry blossom trees and take a picture before we all go our separate ways home." She figured that the outdoors would make a better picture than inside, plus they would only have a picture of the four of them. The surprise picture that she took had a few people in the background who were walking around.

---

---

"Well... we throw a balloon and call out a name, and a body part of our choosing. The person called out must hit the balloon with the body part and the game goes on like that in repetition until the last balloon in air I suppose?" Saburo nodded in understanding, that made sense. Well considering the childishness of the activity anyways. He watched as the Senior closed her eyes and breathed out in preparation. Did this activity really need the mental preparation to do properly? No. It was for elementary school students. The Junior kept his thoughts inside though. He brushed them aside as Gen opened her eyes, preparing for her toss. "Saburo, ch--" Saburo's hearing was interrupted by the abrupt contact of Gen's balloon with his face. Obviously it didn't hurt, the balloon only weighed as much as the small rubber pocket that the air within it was trapped inside. However, it did take the Junior off guard a bit, leaving a bewildered expression on his face for a moment.

Anger overtaking surprise, he snatched the balloon, which was still in the air after bouncing off of Saburo's face. The balloon popped at the strength of the pissed student's grip, revealing the paper inside. His senior's wish was clasped in the hand that had popped the balloon, though remnants of the rubber device were scattered on the floor. "''I wish for a romance like no other this school year...'" Saburo scoffed after reading the wish aloud. "Real cute." If His senior really wanted to play this game, she was going to lose. Saburo knew plenty of ways to prank and embarrass his victims In fact he almost got suspended a couple years ago because someone had told a teacher who had pantsed the loser hanging from the basketball rim the day before in gym class. Luckily, he had got out of it with a little help from some friends...and a bat... But in all honesty he hadn't thought of reading his senior's wish from the beginning, just snatched at the balloon on impulse. Luckily, the thought of revealing the silly secret entered Saburo's mind just as spontaneously when he spotted the slip of paper in his hand.

"Sometimes, you need to stop and think Saburo. Making decisions on impulse or emotion are really easy to regret later. You're pretty smart, but you just need to work on impulse control. Okay?" Father's words found their way into his head...and were a bit late at that. Saburo slowly realized that he had probably just made irreparable damage to his relationship with the senior he'd be spending the rest of the YEAR with. "Well shit. I fucked up again. Just another reason to try to make some friends, I'll need them with all the enemies I'm bound to make." Standing there, the boy looked from face to face of his group members. "What the hell, why don't I just follow through? The damage has been done anyways." The Junior spoke with a shrug. "'Oopsy daisy~'"

"We will be concluding the junior/senior program early today due to an unexpected last minute arrangement with a neighbouring school. Tomorrow will be half club day, half regular school day to make up for this. All students dismissed." A teachers voice granted a sense of relief to Saburo. He could split from this mess now. On his way out, the Junior stopped next to Kazuki. He had come to sorta like the senior in the last few...minutes. "There's gonna be a party at Tsuyoshi's house later today if you wanna come and chill. You know Arietta right? If you got any questions just ask her, aight? I'm out." With that, Saburo made his exit. Slowly, he walked out of the scene that was of his creation.

---

+1 Notoriety: Gen

"I know that a bit bruises and scrapes
Is good for growth as they say,
But would it be wrong that
I worry still, after all, they're my friends."
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◄Cassiopeia was enthralled by what she was seeing. Everyone seemed to be having fun, but it was a bit different when Shiori was also eliminated from the game. Her fellow senior appeared not to care, but she couldn't help but sensed that Shiori was just a bit disappointed. It was the same for her as well. "You did your best Shiori-chan." She gazed at the shorter senior with a sincere smile. Shiori did far better than she did and that was an accomplishment in her opinion even how little it might be. "Let us do better next time!" She encouraged the other senior. Clio was of the same mind. "Clio amazing! Amazing!" Cassiopeia nodded in agreement.

She then turned her attention back at the remaining members of their circle which were the two boys. She was dazzled by their movements that her eyes were literally sparkling in awe. "They are wonderful!" She noted with a clap of her hand in excitement. "Go Akira-kun! Rhys-kun!" She cheered them on as well as Clio who joined the scene while bouncing in a very excited manner. "Clio Tigers! Clio Panthers! Clio Go! Go!" It may be a silly little game from other people's point of view, but she was certainly enjoying it and was glad the others were doing the same thing in their own way.

She was all in toes when the boys were throwing their best out there. She also envied them a bit as they could do such things without much worry. It was not the same for her, but she had gotten used to it, and Aeon does help her to enjoy physical activities without pushing herself too much. Then, there was the final phase which Rhys took the win. "Congratulations Rhys-kun!" She approached the two males and looked at Rhys with pure joy. "That was really amazing to see and I am glad that your wish would come true." She added with sincerity as she then looked at Akira. "You were really good out there, Akira-kun! I am very proud to have you as my Junior! I have to toughened up so, I would not be left behind." She stated while nodding her head in a stern manner as to also encourage herself.

That's when the teacher announced that day was over for now. It seemed they were going to be allowed to leave early. She was certain she could hear many joyful commentaries about that from the students. She didn't focus on that much as she heard Akira saying something about 'Battle Scars'. Concern immediately appeared on her face as she looked at the two boys. "Oh my! Are you both okay?" She went towards Akira and then reached for his arm in such a gentle manner. "If you would please let me see." She tenderly lifted his sleeve and looked at the bruised skin. "It's fine to enjoy, but don't be too reckless..." Her eyes looked at Akira with such pure concern and then gazed at Rhys. "How about you Rhys-kun?"

She gently released Akira's arm and went towards the other. There was that moment he skidded the floor. "Is your stomach fine?" There was no need for her to lift it since, she could see the damage. Her hand reached as her fingers gently touched the skin around the scraped portion. "We should take you both to the doctor's office first." It was then Clio piped in again. "Clio hurt! Clio treats! Clio doctor!" Cassiopeia agreed to that with a strong nod as she removed her hand on Rhys' skin. "That's right, Clio. All right Akira-kun and Rhys-kun, let's go. I'll show you the way." She stated with a soft yet stern tone. One would recognized that she does have a serious side to her at times. She then looked at Shiori. "If it's fine with you Shiori-chan, would you like to accompany us too? It would be nice to have a picture afterwards to commemorate this day with everyone like Akira-kun suggested." She asked with a kind smile.

Whatever, the respond was. Cassiopeia accompanied the two boys to the doctor's office.

Bishop's eye's remained alive and full of youthful energy and zeal anticipating the next balloon to come in his direction, or to cheer on his team mates which he was already accomplishing on his own. His eyes widened in eagerness as arietta lunged to hit the balloon he directed towards her. Several other boys were looking as well but with a much- different- motivation to stare at the jumping girl compared to his. His expression changed to one of distraught however when she missed and that fateful balloon descended down until it made contact with the ground. His heart sank a bit, honestly having expected Arietta to be a touch bit more athletic in the least. That was a difference he would have to learn from Western schools compared to Japanese schools. Sports and athletics were essential in American school culture and were officially endorsed by the schools and even the states they were in. It was quite different in Japan, most sporting groups were restricted to clubs and societies that some schools endorsed but others didn't depending on the school specifically. However personally, Bishop took his fellow blonde (Arietta) as the cheerleading type. She was charming and peppy enough, it seemed like a no brainer. But he did appear to be mistaken this time around. I did my best everyone. Gomen ne~" He couldn't help but smile and at his senior, eye flitting about every few seconds or so. "A-Arietta senpai! Don't sweat it!" He smiled wider and gave her a 'thumbs up' "My wish has us both covered... And everyone else's as well. -So I won't lose!" He laughed in a care free manner, closing one eye in a charming wink towards the older girl (Arietta). He shined with a radiance of positivity and genuine care for her and everyone in their group. However in all honesty, he didn't believe that any actual wish would come true. It was a nice idea though, something to strive towards and hope for. "Trander-san, left foot." His eyes snapped to the direction of Aeon then tracked the balloon adjusting his body position appropriately. He was right footed so he would have to take a bit of extra care not to mess it up.

"Right~!" He stepped forward boldly and swung his foot back only to kick forward again with monetum. He gritted his teeth slightly as the tip of his toe hit the balloon causing to go directly up in the air by several meters. "Alright! Fujioka-san use your- er.." It was then that he saw the same balloon he struck towards Yuuki was laying on the ground next to his left foot. "Uhhhh-" "Gomenasai. It looks like I am disqualified. Excuse me." Bishop blinked then looked up to the last balloon in the air which was just now changing it's trajectory to head straight back down towards them all. "We will be concluding the junior/senior program early today due to an unexpected last minute arrangement with a neighbouring school. Tomorrow will be half club day, half regular school day to make up for this. All students dismissed." Bishop remained frozen in place, his left leg raised in the air, balancing on his right with his arms in different positions to help maintain his balance. He blinked trying to contemplate everything when the balloon delicately landed on his head causing some static and making it stick in his blonde locks as well as some hair stand up. "Uhhh...." Lowering his leg finally he looked around at his group and slowly reached up tot rub the back of his head in a confused manner. "So... That's it? They're gonna build us up only to let us down?" It was obvious that the blonde freshmen was confused. He had that 'lost puppy' expression on his face again looking to the people around him for answers while many others were already getting their things to go and leave.

---

---

The foreigner was distracted for a good portion of time when the teacher announced something regarding a “neighbour school” and “students dismissed”. When he remembered that his own balloon was coming right back at him, he reacted as quickly as his reflexes could possibly allow. He did not use the intended body part; there was no time. He instead used his fist. The clenched fist connected at a speed only his fitness and lightness could help him accomplish. The amount of force applied through the point of his knuckle was barely enough to make the flexible balloon finally give. The proximity of the clap caused Johnny’s ears to ring for a couple seconds.

The folded slip of paper drifted to the floor. It spun haphazardly, like a damaged maple tree seed, as it approached the waxed wooden floor. Johnny’s expression was perfectly neutral, betrayed only by a disappointed sigh. “Guess I ain’t getting my wish then,” he finally laughed as he snatched up the paper and the rubber remains.

At that point, a pair of posh-looking men in suits appeared and began talking to that one dude with the long hair. That Belrose-san person with the slick hair. Caretakers? Man, I really dig that dude’s hair, Johnny caught himself thinking. He did not reprimand himself, however; was really nice hair. Johnny already planned to grow his own hair out once he’s out of high school. Seeing a preview beforehand made Johnny feel pretty good about the future.

“Anyway, I guess I’ll be-” Johnny paused for a second. He did, in fact, recall how to say the following in Japanese: “See you later, Ryou-senpai,” Johnny raised a clenched hand for a fist-bump, only to realise part-way through that the more obscure gesture might be lost on his senior. The foreigner quickly switched to a thumbs-up… which was hopefully universal? Hopefully it wasn’t something obscene in Japan. Again in Japanese, Johnny also added to Kurosawa, “See you later, Kurosawa-san,”

He had to keep practicing his language, or he’ll fall behind in his studies very quickly. Only now did he begin to consider what kind of clubs he would wish to join. Obviously I pick a sport, Johnny thought, that would satisfy my parents. But then I’ve got my hobby, and then I need to get my grades up. Question is… which sports…? Swimming? B-Ball? What other ones did this school offer? Is there even a limit?

Johnny had many questions, and they made his head hurt. This was a very fast, yet emotionally exhausting first day, Johnny thought as he considered what to do for the rest of the day. He decided to wait until he got to see some of the club booths before coming to a decision. Until then, the foreigner had the rest of the day left to his own devices. After Ryou's translation of what exactly was happening, Johnny’s music was once more playing in his ears. The Blues drowned out all other sounds as he strolled out of the gymnasium, right behind a kid wearing a toque and a headset around his neck. (Saburo)

“Hey dude,” Johnny greeted rather excitedly. His eyes had a glitter to them that only seemed to show whenever he had the art of sound on his mind, “Sick headset there, man! Where’d you get it?” Silly foreigner, Johnny forgot to try to ask that in Japanese. He had yet to realise he had even made the mistake.

+1 Popularity to Aeon
+1 Popularity to Saburo

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

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

"I guess that this year
will be different from last one
I'm more talkative than I have to
but, I don't mind it
as much I had thought otherwise
I'll just see what happens."

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██His attention shifted towards the front where Araya-sensei had announced that the activity was over. It seemed that a neighboring school would be using their facilities and Airdalen was known to allow such thing from time to time. It also meant that everyone is dismissed early. That was a good thing for him. He could use the time to visit the hospital before doing his shift at Paradiso. The only thing he was a bit uncertain about is tomorrow in which the clubs would be having a presentation and booths in order to have new members from the freshmen.

He was not really keen on that and in his opinion he did not even seek the position of being a captain. Ryou was not even aware that he was a candidate for leading the team. It was something thrown at him by the former captain and the strict suggestion of the coach. That's why in the end he really had no other choice but to take it. Now, the responsibility falls down to him in a sense that he would be required to perform some activity stunt tomorrow. He might split the team into two and have a practice game with each other. He has a feeling that the court would be filled with unnecessary noise on that day. It had always been since he had joined the basketball team.

He would just brief the team tomorrow about their presentation. His attention then was directed at Johnny who said about his wish not coming true. "You'll have to do that on your own." He noted as he caught his balloon with a hand to the side and glanced at it for a moment. It also carried his wish though his was not something that could be done with just physical effort. If it was, It would have been done a long time ago.

"Kurosawa-san." He looked at her. "It seemed that Tanikaze-san has been taken away for important matter." A teacher approached him while the two Juniors were busy with the activity. He was informed that Shintaro would be removed for the program due to personal matters. Kurosawa's senior would be replaced with someone by tomorrow, for now, she would be under his care till then.

"I'll assist you for today, if you have any questions. That also goes to you Jay." He directed his eyes on his junior and the decided to explain the details to them, since he might not have time for that tomorrow. due to his classes and of course, club responsibilities. "Tomorrow there would be classes, but later on there would be a time for club activities. There would be various of clubs that can be chosen by you, freshmen. There will be booths and even presentations, so that you can choose better. You can have three clubs at most if you like, just make sure you can handle it." He noted and then was silent for a moment. He was pondering whether to tell them where to find him, but that was already a given isn't it? "You can find me tomorrow at the Basketball Gym if you need something both of you." He looked at them. "Kurosawa-san, you can come to me if you also need help, but I've been told that another Senior would replace Tanikaze-san tomorrow. Still, I'll assist you if you want."

Ryou then believed that there was nothing left to be said. Johnny took that hint as he made his goodbyes. "Yeah, see you tomorrow, Jay." He then looked at Kurosawa. "See you tomorrow too, Kurosawa-san." He then walked away as he exited the hall. There were no other reasons for him to be there anymore. He stopped briefly by the gates and looked at the fluttering cherry blossoms as the wind blew. It was a sight that he wanted to see and reminded him of her, but that pause of his also allowed other students to look at him in a trance state. He did look quite handsome and appealing at the same time as his hair was played by the breeze and his black features contrasted with pink blossoms, making him pop up. Others wanted to approach him, but lucky for him, they seemed to notice the solemnity that shielded him, not to be approached.

He then moved again leaving the school grounds as he went to the hospital where she will be waiting for him, as always.

---

"You did your best Shiori-chan."

"Yes, but does doing my best one time truly compensate for all the times that I haven't?" Shiori replied back in a flat tone, not really trying to snap at Cassiopeia, but she still couldn't get over her performance. She never realized just how much she lacked physical potential. I shouldn't snap at her for what I'm mad at myself for.. Shiori's trail of thought waned when she noticed the crowd that the two boys were attracting, but who could miss their aura? Rhys was intimidating naturally, but the exact moment that the boy realized that the game was narrowed down to the two males of the group, his intimidation factor had increased exponentially. Akira's attitude had visibly changed as well, and it became perfectly clear to Shiori that the boys had gone easy on Cassiopeia and herself. The kid gloves were thrown off, and the thickness of the air was comparable to a Texas standoff.

She had to admit that the two boys looked incredibly cool, but she couldn't help but let out a sigh. She found this kind of behavior to be somewhat primitive, especially considering that the only thing at stake was the Pride that the two boy's held in their own capabilities. She never understood why men felt compelled to compete and prove their 'alpha' status. Rhys had an attractive bad boy appeal, and Akira was a cute Shota type, so why did they feel obligated to rustle their feathers? Despite evolution, they were showing off, as if to smack evolution in the face, like human peacocks. Despite feeling disappointment in the boys, she was also disappointed with herself, because despite her opinion, she couldn't take her eyes off of the game either. It's stupid, but did they become a lot cooler all of a sudden? ...I am a total hypocrite...

"Then I'll play even harder."

Shiori's eyes widened a bit, amazed by Rhys' words. Why was her junior trying so hard for nothing? The event had been going on long enough, and as far as Shiori was concerned, she felt that both of the boys had thoroughly displayed their athletic abilities. So why were they still going? If she had to compare Akira and Rhys to an animal, they were like two raging bulls waiting for the other to charge. Their competitiveness was so intense that it made her skin tingle. Did they both really hate losing that badly? Shiori felt a blush creep into her cheeks after she noticed that she had zoned out, staring at Rhys in awe for far longer than she felt comfortable to admit. All she could do was deny it if anyone brought it up, because she would never, EVER, admit to something that embarrassing. T-That did NOT happen!! I hope no one saw that...

"Let us do better next time! Go Akira-kun! Rhys-kun!"

Next time..? She didn't allow herself to get her hopes up, in fact, Shiori's attention shot back to the two juniors that Cassiopeia and herself were in charge of when she heard the crowd shriek in a mixture of excitement and fear. The Ebony haired Senior's eyes widened in horror as Rhys dove for her balloon, the one that she sent his way before being taken out. It was incredibly low, and she felt that there was no way that Rhys would be able to make the shot, with his elbow no less! He would only injure himself, and for what?! Though she had to erase her doubt only moments after it arose, because Rhys made the shot. Rhy- B-Browning-San!! T-That had to be painful.. Shiori completely froze when she saw Rhys risk his physical state over a dumb balloon.

"Mouth."

Shiori was amazed that her junior still wanted to continue the game. Akira seemed just as eager, quickly responding to Rhys' command, which looked kind of silly, but she couldn't deny the white haired boy's resolve. There was no way that Akira was going to land well, yet the boy went for the shot anyway. These two left Shiori in a state of absolute bewilderment. Akira seemed happy, because even when his shot didn't make the cut, he ended up laughing it off. How is he laughing? He's definitely hurt, and he lost... so weren't his efforts in vain?

"Browning-San, I guess this means you win, but I still landed that hit."

The boy was bragging, and smirking despite his loss, and Shiori found herself to feel quite envious of Akira and Rhys. They both put every ounce of themselves into the activity and displayed valor, tenacity, and self-confidence far beyond any scale that Shiori could have accomplished. While she couldn't take the game seriously, these two approached the challenge with absolute certitude.

"We will be concluding the junior/senior program early today due to an unexpected last minute arrangement with a neighbouring school. Tomorrow will be half club day, half regular school day to make up for this. All students dismissed."

School is out for the day? That was fast.. I was kind of hoping to get a little bit of class time in... Shiori thought to herself with a sigh, a little bummed that she wouldn't get to attend actual classes until tomorrow, and even then it would only be half a day of actual studies. ..Clubs.. I hadn't really thought about it.. She really had to start thinking about which she wanted to join. She preferred to be at school instead of being at home, so she could pick quite a few.. but she had to be careful, because she wasn't exactly what most would define as a team player, nor was she particularly good at physical activities.

"That was really amazing to see and I am glad that your wish would come true. You were really good out there, Akira-kun! I am very proud to have you as my Junior! I have to toughened up so, I would not be left behind."

Shiori turned her gaze to Cassiopeia, Akira, and Rhys as Cassiopeia congratulated and praised the boys for their hard work and tenacious efforts. She wanted to show positive recognition toward their exertion, yet she was powerless when it came to battling her tyrannical pride and sense of fear. Despite her best of intentions, she could not breathe a word of encouragement or commendation.

"We should take you both to the doctor's office first. If it's fine with you Shiori-chan, would you like to accompany us too? It would be nice to have a picture afterwards to commemorate this day with everyone like Akira-kun suggested."

"I have no qualms with it. It's not like I'm in a rush or anything. Besides, as Browning-san's Senior, I have a responsibility to take care of him. It's not like I am going to shove him off on someone else or neglect the role I've been assigned. " Shiori responded in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, before following behind Cassiopeia in a calm and orderly manner. She glanced over her shoulder once, just to make sure that the boys were still behind them, but otherwise she said nothing until they arrived at the infirmary. Shiori entered the nurse's office, and noticing the nurse's absence, she retrieved some gauze, cotton balls, and rubbing alcohol on her own. Shiori handed a portion of the gauze and cotton balls to Cassiopeia, before ushering for Rhys and Akira to sit. She was a bit nervous about being in such a close proximity with Rhys, but in the end, Rhys was her junior. He was her responsibility, and at the moment her responsibility was to make sure that his wound received proper treatment.

"Raise your shirt, Browning-San." Shiori ordered, turning her gaze away. She could feel the rate of her heartbeat gradually increasing, as if she needed a reminder of how nervous she felt. Rhys was still quite technically a stranger, she didn't know much about him, so being nervous was natural right? It definitely had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he was quite aesthetically pleasing. Not at all. No way! Of course not! Shiori thought to herself, completely in denial of her attraction to her Junior partner. In her defense, she wasn't fully aware of what was going on, because she had never experienced a crush up until now. This was all relatively new to her, and she was finding it to be quite stressful to say the least.

Akira noticed that Shiori wasn't in high spirits, which she could definitely relate to. Sure, she wasn't holding any hard feelings about the loss, but losing always sucked, and it never felt good to be the loser. What she currently felt was mostly just a swift blow to her pride, and although she would recover, she still disliked it, "Congratulations, Browning-san. That was really fun. I look forward to playing against you again sometime." Akira nodded, agreeing with Cassiopeia. She couldn't help but wonder what Rhys wished for, but she did not bother to ask. She was just a tiny bit superstitious, so Akira decided not to ask for Rhys' sake. She didn't want to jinx his wish after all.

"You were really good out there, Akira-kun! I am very proud to have you as my Junior! I have to toughened up so, I would not be left behind."

Akira rubbed the back of her neck as Cassiopeia spoke. It really felt like a participation speech, but she forced a smile for her senior's sake. Akira knew that it was her own fault that she lost and that she would simply have to work harder to get better. Busting some ass tonight.. Akira thought, closing her eyes before replying to Cassiopeia, "Arigato, Senpai. Just don't overdo it... Torn muscles or ligaments are counterproductive. Take it slow, kay?" Akira warned her, because many teens seemed to believe that exercise was something they needed to rush into over night, often resulting in an injury. She didn't want Cassiopeia to feel pressured to preform and to forget the fun of it all.

"Oh my! Are you both okay?"

Akira gave Cassiopeia's question a moment of consideration, bending the arm in question and nodded a bit, "I think so at least. It's definitely not broken, see? I just am a firm believer of disinfecting cuts and scrapes." Akira responded to her senior, biting her lip softly. She probably should have pulled Rhys aside, because the look of worry in the two senior girls eyes made Akira realize that she made them worried for no legitimate reason. Akira rubbed the back of her neck with her good arm, an apologetic expression on her features.
"If you would please let me see."

Akira nodded to her Senior approvingly and extended her injured arm. It wasn't long before she winced again, as Cassiopeia moved the fabric of Akira's sleeve to get a better look. blinking a bit at her wound. There wasn't a lot of blood, but it did stain her white button down. Thankfully it wasn't as bad as it felt. Perhaps if she was easy on her arm she would be in tip-top condition by the time her work hours rolled around? A girl had to hope, especially when her income was what paid the bills, "Thank God, it's not that bad." Akira chimed in relief, but also to ease Cassiopeia's thoughts. She noticed how worried her senior had been when she mentioned that Rhys and herself were hurt, and it put a pit in her stomach knowing she was the cause of that worry.

"It's fine to enjoy, but don't be too reckless..."

Somehow, the distress in Cassiopeia's eyes managed to make Akira feel even more guilty than she already felt, "Gomenasai, Cassiopeia-Senpai. I apologize. I didn't mean to worry you, but I'm okay. I promise." Akira responded with a thumbs up and a childlike grin. She wasn't too concerned with the wound, but she knew that all wounds were better off to be cleaned with antiseptic to avoid any future problems.

"How about you Rhys-kun? Is your stomach fine?"

"If it is, I say disqualification is in order, because that'd be madly super human." Akira chuckled a bit, smiling to both Rhys and Cassiopeia as she teased Rhys. She hoped that he didn't take it too seriously and realized it was just a joke, but she was prepared for misunderstanding as well. She still didn't have a good gauge of character when it came to her teammates, so she wasn't really one hundred percent sure on what was okay to say and what wasn't just yet. Akira turned her gaze away when Cassiopeia touched Rhys' stomach, finding the gesture to be a little intimate, which embarrassed her, yet she wasn't sure why, especially since it had nothing to do with her, at least not directly. It was kind of like watching a love scene on TV or reading it in manga, she felt embarrassment for them. It was a sort of vicarious embarrassment, or 'Fremdschämen' as the German would put it.

"We should take you both to the doctor's office first."

"Hai, I agree. We should make haste, I have have to cook for my Oba-chan and go to work.." Akira looked to her phone to check the time then pocketed it again. If they hurried, there would be no real issue with a short trip to the nurse before their photo by the Sakura trees. She couldn't wait to take the picture however, because it would be a constant reminder of the positive year to come.

"Clio hurt! Clio treats! Clio doctor!"

"A Clio-kun doctor? How nice." Akira lightly teased with a chuckle. She wondered how well that would work, given the orb's clear lack of hands or anything of the like. She doubted that Clio would get a lot done as far as his current structure was considered. Though Akira was fairly certain that robots would preform surgery in the future, mostly because technology was scary like that, but perhaps she watched far too much science fiction.

"That's right, Clio. All right Akira-kun and Rhys-kun, let's go. I'll show you the way."

"Arigato, Cassiopeia-Senpai! You're right, we probably would have gotten lost.. I forgot for a minute.." Akira smiled sheepishly. Her blood was still pumping from the game, so much so that she'd nearly forgotten that she didn't know where a single room in Airdalen was located. The two freshmen would have undoubtedly gotten lost, and made her late for work if Cassiopeia hadn't chimed in.

"If it's fine with you Shiori-chan, would you like to accompany us too? It would be nice to have a picture afterwards to commemorate this day with everyone like Akira-kun suggested."

"We should all stick together. Whaddaya say, Browning-san?" Akira asked with an innocent grin on her face, genuinely wanting the group to accompany each other. They had to get a photo soon after all, because the day was coming to a close soon.

"I have no qualms with it. It's not like I'm in a rush or anything. Besides, as Browning-san's Senior, I have a responsibility to take care of him. It's not like I am going to shove him off on someone else or neglect the role I've been assigned. "

Akira followed behind Cassiopeia, heading to the nurse's office quickly, but Shiori's words had taken her by surprise. She spoke as if Rhys was simply a pet she had an obligation to, but Akira noticed that Shiori's facial expressions voiced concern, just as well as Cassiopeia's did. Despite the dark haired girl not voicing it, Akira could tell that she was worried about her Junior. Perhaps Shiori is just having a bad day?

Akira blinked a few times upon arrival because Shiori seemed to know where all of the supplies were. She did not question this however, and simply took a seat as instructed. Akira removed her blazer, revealing her white button down top. The left elbow was bloodstained, but as they had agreed earlier, the wound was not serious and did not require any special attention.

"Raise your shirt, Browning-San."

Apparently Cassiopeia would be taking care of her wounds, seeing as Shiori was preparing to tend to Rhys. Akira felt a nervous pit in her stomach, but she was fairly confident that her ace bandages hid any indication of her true gender. She couldn't help but feel a little nervous however, considering all that stood between her classmates discovering her true gender was a single knot tied at her lower back. However, the knot of ace bandage was concealed by her position, so Akira's anxiety was mere paranoia for now. Akira lifted her left sleeve, tilting her head, "I can clean and wrap my arm myself if you're squeamish about blood, Cassiopeia-Senpai." Akira offered in a cheerful manner, examining her elbow more closely now that the lighting was better.

“Oh . . . Mai-chan~~~ " A shiver running down her spine for the uptenth time. The petite Junior peeked from behind her balloon at Kazuki, seeing herself reflected in those beautiful eyes of his. The expression on his face was extremely playful yet had an underlying dangerous tone to it. She wasn’t sure if she would ever get used to those eyes then again she had little intention of actually looking him in the eye if she could. "You should do your best, so your wish comes true." About to give a nod of determination Mai withheld her tongue. On closer inspection it really did sound more like there was some kind of sinister plot he had for her if she did win this game. Or maybe he was warning her not to mess up and make him look like a fool. A whole bunch of other things came to mind such as her incompetence, her height and stutter, her inability to do anything for herself. All these thoughts made the joy Mai had been feeling earlier dampen and eventually it was gone altogether.

Will I even be able to play adequately? Mai thought back to her elementary school days. Even back then she had been incredibly small compared to the other kids although it didn’t become apparent until they were all getting their growth spurts but her. Not many kids wanted to play with the cry baby so she got used to playing on her own when the it was necessary. "Circle... Circle... Circle..." His words brought her back from her rather depressing memories. While she had hoped Kazuki wouldn’t stand next to her but there he was on her right. Mai peered up at him. Her head practically tilted all the way up just to see the lower half of his face. "Come on people, let's get a move on." Mai shifted on her feet before taking two small steps back to give everyone room.

It looked like Kazuki was excited for the game to start but it would appear her himself was not up for the task of actually starting it. Gen looked to still be writing but she was quick to finish it up. Just in time to hear Kazuki’s question on who would start. Mai could tell he didn’t really want to when he spoke Gens name in a questioning manner. The ebony haired Junior glanced at Gen from behind her balloon, wondering if she would be willing to start them off.

"Well... we throw a balloon and call out a name, and a body part of our choosing. The person called out must hit the balloon with the body part and the game goes on like that in repetition until the last balloon in air I suppose?” While she hadn’t expected Gen to explain it all again, Mai was thankful that she did. She herself wasn’t entirely sure as to how the game worked really but she hoped by Gen explaining this she was going to be the first to throw the balloon.

In waiting for Gen to possibly start Mai thought about how she would actually be able to do this game. Considering the fact that she was the smallest out of all of them, she really hoped that the height at which they hit the balloons wouldn’t be too high for Mai. While the young woman was stronger than she looked, her actual physical ability was in carrying bags of compost and groceries and that was about it. She couldn’t jump to Kazuki’s shoulders like her Rangers could although she certainly wished on rainy occasions that she could. It would be pretty cool to fit crime and without realizing it Mai had started to hum the theme song quietly to herself.

Once she noticed however Mai stopped. Quick to look up she really hoped no one had heard her and if they did they didn’t recognize the song. Heck the small Junior was so devoted to the crime fighting team that she had even made her bento lunch according to their colors and symbols. My lunch!? Mai looked around her but didn’t find the lunch box she had carried with her to the gymnasium. Did I lose it somewhere? Laughter brought her attention to the game again as Gen was laughing before saying oopsy-daisy.

She wasn’t entirely sure as to what had occurred but she did notice the bewildered expression on Saburo’s face. It quickly changed though from being surprised to what could be nothing other than anger. Saburo held a balloon in his hands and the pressure he exerted on the ball of latex caused it to pop. Mai jumped in surprise. She wasn’t expecting someone in their group to lose by popping the balloon in their hands. ''I wish for a romance like no other this school year...'" Hearing Gen’s wish made Mai feel a bit better about her own although she felt a little bad for thinking that. It was a really sweet wish to have. The kind Mai wouldn’t mind making herself but she didn’t have time for concepts like love, not if she couldn’t get rid of her stutter. Looking to Gen, Mai offered her fellow female companion a shy smile despite her wariness of the Senior.

"Real cute." Now this was definitely not what she had been expecting to hear. A look of shock crossed Mai’s face at how easily Saburo had belittled Gen’s wish with his words. She desperately wanted to say something but nothing came out. Saburo looked at each and every one of them, making Mai flinch slightly when he looked at her. "'Oopsy daisy~'" Her fellow junior was quick to just brush it off with a shrug as if his words weren’t hurtful or anything. Although Mai didn’t expect much from her Senior, she hoped Kazuki would at least reprimand him for being so mean to Gen. They were friends after all, right?

"We will be concluding the junior/senior program early today due to an unexpected last minute arrangement with a neighbouring school. Tomorrow will be half club day, half regular school day to make up for this. All students dismissed."

Mai looked over to where the announcement was being made. She honestly didn’t think the activity would be concluded so quickly and she was hoping that maybe the others would stay. Mai looked over at the rest of the group but it would seem Saburo was already leaving after having invited Kazuki to a party. Maybe Gen would stay to play with her but seeing as she had lost the first round Mai wasn’t sure if she would want to continue. Which only left Kazuki to play the game with her.

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"Alright! Fujioka-san use your- er..Uhhhh-"

Arietta couldn't help but giggle, apparently Bishop didn't realize that Yuuki was out of the game at first. Arietta shook her head, "It's just you two boys now, make us proud." She called out to Bishop and Aeon. She wasn't a team player, but she definitely knew how to be a cheerleader.

"We will be concluding the junior/senior program early today due to an unexpected last minute arrangement with a neighboring school. Tomorrow will be half club day, half regular school day to make up for this. All students dismissed."

"So... That's it? They're gonna build us up only to let us down?"

"I guess we ran out of time... The game has went on a lot longer than I expected it to.." Arietta stated, tapping her chin as if to ponder on the cancellation. She was actually happy that school had been cancelled for the day, because she was definitely tired of hearing balloons bopping around.

"There would be other times." He noted as he extended his hand to catch his balloon in such an effortless manner.

"Belrose-san is right, this school is always doing wacky things to set itself apart from the rest. Don't worry about it, Bishop-kun~" Arietta attempted to cheer up her junior, blinking in surprise when Aeon caught his balloon. A small smile formed on her face, totally amazed by her fellow senior's athletic prowess. She couldn't get over how effortlessly Aeon seemed to do every task given to him, making everything appear incredibly simple, even when people like herself, Yuuki, and several others struggled.

"Hakushiro-san. Trander-san. Until we meet again."

"Sayonara, Belrose-san~" Arietta replied back in a cheerful manner, waving him off calmly. After Aeon left the three of them to their business, Arietta wrapped her arm around Yuuki's shoulders, "Did someone just get the school idol's digits...?" Arietta purred in a teasing voice, her blue eyes narrowing a bit before a large grin painted itself across her features. This was truly interesting, and Arietta did not want to be left out of the circle. She let go of Yuuki fast enough, only to tap her index finger on the Freshman's nose, "That's what I call Lu-cky~" Arietta practically sang out.

"Oi! Blondie!"

Arietta immediately whipped her head around, searching for the owner of the voice. She assumed that he was referring to her, mostly because blonde hair was slightly less common at Airdalen than black or brown hair, and she was one of the only naturally blonde female seniors that she was aware of. The voice calling out to her was notoriously familiar, unfortunately enough. Once her eyes landed on Kazuki, Arietta's arms crossed over her chest and she quirked a brow, "To what do I owe the pleasure, Miyamoto?" Arietta asked with one arched brow, curiously examining him. Why was he talking to her all of a sudden? She couldn't recall talking to him much during her time at Airdalen, so this was an odd occasion indeed, "Ari-et-ta. I have a name, and it's Arietta." The blonde girl responded with an extended sigh as she explained her irritation to the arrogant male. Arietta wasn't particularly fond of Kazuki, so she didn't really want him calling her by her given name, but she was constantly trying to keep everyone's attention off of the fact that she was a descendant of new money. She didn't want to become just 'Hakushiro's Granddaughter' after all. Looking Kazuki over up close, he was a fine specimen as far as aesthetics were concerned, but he definitely needed some super glue to correct that mouth of his.

"Inoue told me to ask you about Tsuyoshi's party."

"What about it?" Arietta asked, quirking an inquisitive brow at Kazuki. She didn't trust guys like him at all. Guys like Kazuki were always up to no good, and his body language told her that her suspicions were sound. He was trying to intimidate her, and she did her best to resist, despite feeling highly uncomfortable in his presence. She knew of his reputation with women, and didn't like what she was told about him.

"Hmm..."

His eyes were the most intimidating part, for some reason she couldn't avert her gaze. His eyes practically demanded that her's meet his. She felt that if she turned her gaze for even a fraction of a second, that he would devour her. This definitely felt like a game of cat and mouse, and it wasn't hard to guess which of them were the mouse. Kazuki leaned in, and every single one of Arietta's instincts told her to back away, but she stood her ground despite herself. She didn't want him to have the satisfaction of knowing that he made her nervous. I swear if he kisses me or pulls anything funny, I'm going to introduce him to my right hook.. However, her resolve did not prevent her from blushing, so a dark pink tint adorned her face shortly after he leaned in towards her face.

"Are you sure can handle a party like that?"

Arietta's eyes widened when she realized he just planned to whisper something cocky into her ear, and she took two sharp steps away from him. Her eyes narrowed into an annoyed glare, "I can handle myself, Miyamoto." Arietta mumbled defensively. Why was he asking her something like that? She doubted that it was genuine concern, because it wasn't like she was close friends to him or anything. Part of her believed that he was mocking her, which only irritated her even more, "I can also handle my alcohol, thank you very much, so get that cocky look off of your face." She responded, placing one hand on her hip. Suddenly she was getting quite sassy, mostly because she hated when others treated her like a porcelain doll. She was a bit of a feminist at heart, and did not like it when guys treated her like a damsel in distress, especially slimy guys like Kazuki who were only after one thing.

"I might lend you a hand if I'm there. See ya!"

"Eh??" Arietta replied questioningly, a baffled expression on her face, her rosy pink lips slightly parting as she tried to gather what he was referring to, "W-What's that supposed to mean!? I don't need someone like you!" She called out to Kazuki, but he was already walking away. Arietta twitched a bit, irritated that she didn't get s straight answer, but also because Saburo got her involved with someone she wasn't particularly fond of. So Miyamoto is going to be at the party as well...? I have to go to raise my reputation, but I suppose I should be careful about how much I drink.. I don't want to become infamous like Miyamoto...

Arietta let out an annoyed huff, an annoyed pout on her lips as she returned her attention to Bishop and Yuuki, "You're both welcome to come. I'll text you the address..." She offered, before turning her attention to Cassiopeia, whom was leaving the Gym with her junior, Shiori, and Shiori's junior. Since she would have no chance to catch them, Arietta quickly pulled out her phone and sent her a chat message on Facebook.

From: Arietta H.
--- Do you want to go to a party at Tsuyoshi's? If so, I'll message you the address. Get back to me soon, and invite anyone you want~ ---