The sun was setting on Covenant Academy's school day. Students from all different clubs were finishing up their meetings and heading out for the day. There were some where cleaning and finishing up would drag them on for a bit longer, and the security team kept an eye on things while students were exiting the school in such numbers. On one hand, many of them were feeling pretty good after a nice, successful meeting with their club or clubs. On the other hand... this was the most likely time for trouble. Indeed, Covenant Academy's Security team was most likely to be busy right about now. After all, it was when students were leaving the Academy, free for the rest of the day. If they wanted to cause trouble at the school, this was the time.

Certainly, it was a nice day. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, it was a beautiful day for anyone to do just about anything they wanted to that required being outdoors. But with clouds on the horizon and the wind picking up, it seemed that the weather could certainly worsen that night.

Placing the box on her lap, Sakura headed out of the clubroom. That had been a really fun meeting, they'd spent a lot of time on some new games. She'd brought in one of her favorites, as well as played the other member's games. To put it simply, it was really pretty fantastic! Smiling cheerfully, Sakura continued down the hallway. Oh, what to do for the rest of the day... maybe talk with her friends? Unfortunately, this wasn't one of her better days physically, so too much physical activity wasn't on the table... but it was pretty easy for her to find something fun to do otherwise.

Ah, there she was...

Artemis stood silently outside the doorway. Sakura thought that the goddess was a little bit too overprotective, sometimes, but she admittedly appreciated the sentiment. The purple-haired girl had decided it was important to protect her... regardless of whether or not she was in danger.

"Are you well, Tomoe-san?" asked Artemis. Her voice as she spoke the honorfic was rather awkward, even now. It simply wasn't a word that she was used to. However, Artemis desired to treat her summoner with respect. Which meant, in this language, getting to know the honorfics.

"I'm fine, Arti-chan, " said Sakura, her smile growing slightly. It grew even more at Artemis' confused expression. Oh, it was really kind of fun teasing the goddess... and easy, as well. Simply referring to her with that honorfic worked!

"I do not understand why you refer to me like that... it means you see me as cute, correct?" Artemis raised her eyebrow, frowning slightly.

"I do! You dress pretty awesome, too!"

Artemis let out a sigh, as Sakura cheerfully headed onward. The goddess followed.

---

Waum...

Idly, Mira strummed her guitar outside of school. That had gone... very well. Rehearsals were perfect, so she had a lot of confidence for the future. She picked up her guitar case, and began to pack it away. Carrying both at once wasn't an issue when she had demonic strength from her contract, but it was pretty awkward and being kept in the case made sure her guitar was protected from damage. Buckling it up, she lifted the now encased guitar.

... And felt two soft things rest atop her head. She immediately knew what the source of them was. It wasn't hard to guess, certainly.

"... Cut that out. Right now, " her tone was flat. Mira wasn't in the mood for this.

"Hehehe... but you're just the right height for this~! Besides, don't you like how it feels~?"

Mira sighed. Lily... oh, contracting with Lily was certainly useful, she couldn't deny that was the case. However, the demon was a pervert. A pervert who liked resting her chest in awkward places, like on top of Mira's head.

"Shut up. I... I don't want people seeing this!" snapped Mira, pulling away and turning to face the demon girl. Lily frowned, folding her arms under her chest. Mira was certain that was on purpose, emphasizing it like that...

"Are you afraid someone will take me away~? Don't worry, I'll stay with you no matter what!"

Mira quickly turned away with a huff. "Let's... let's just go!"

Stupid Lily...

Edward was walking through the school carrying a book on his right hand. Though he was not noticeable due to the fact that he was currently invisible. He mostly did this to walk around without being bothered and that if he came across any trouble that a student was causing, he could catch them red handed.

"Well, another day finished. Maybe I should hang around and see if some student tries to do something and see if he or she needs a lesson." Edward said in a small quiet voice.

I hope so. I swear, while some students around the Academy have potential, most are too bloody green and rely on their summons way too much. Rigen said to Edward, who was literally Edward's shadow, through their mental link.

"You're telling me. Good thing you made me train myself to not rely on you all the time. " Edward said back to Rigen.

Edward just kept on walking, still nobody in sight.

The Mystery Research & Investigation Club Room, with the walls pretty much lined with many books - novels, encyclopedae, reports, anything with words really - was abound with activity. And by 'abound with activity', the place was, in actuality, quiet and sparsely populated. By about two people. The reasons for this were truly mysterious, but not the topic for that day. No, a far greater subject had taken precedence and needed immediate resolution. Naturally, Mana was hard at work solving this great puzzle.

"...Clothing matches this era, lending credence to this person..." she muttered to herself, nose almost scratching the book she closely perused, "on the other hand, her physical appearance looks nothing like her, but if I assume that..."

Indeed, ever since that vampire had been summoned, Mana's hands had been full with the task of discerning her real identity. Why her Contract wanted her name to be hidden, Mana had no idea, but no doubt that answer would be immediately clear, once she discovered the actual name of the vampire.

"...Yes, that's it!" Mana suddenly cried, rising from her seat, and sending the towers of books resting precauriously on her tower over the edge and all over the floor. Paying this no need, Mana lifted the book and flipped its contents towards the vampire in question, a triumphant look on her face, "I got it! You're really Agnes Swanson, aren't you?!"
It had been a difficult trial, but finally, Mana had found out her Contract's identity; a random woman with a matching dress sense who lived aout seven hundred years ago. A commoner who was actually a little girl because records of her existence - if an off-hand mention in an ancient celcus could even qualify for 'records' - were spotty at best. Still, it clearly explained everything! She just didn't like revealing her name because her unremarkable human life was so boring and bland!

Mana awaited confirmation of her conclusion with a smug smile, glad that her excellent mystery-solving prowess had come through for her in spectacular fashion.

The vampire smiled. Oh, so her contractor believed that she had discovered her identity? She had to admit, there'd been some educated guesses previously...

"No."

... And this was not one of them. She smiled pleasantly at the girl, in spite of how she had just shot down her most recent attempt at guessing her nature. It was one of her worst attempts, really. Nothing about it made any sense, especially considering how contracts worked and all. The vampire gently swirled her glass, the crimson fluid within gently shaking. It was blood, obviously. What else would it possibly be? She was a vampire, after all. She sat, her legs crossed, across from her contractor, currently with a rather wonderful wide-brimmed hat and an elegant frilled dress. The hat was both functional and attractive, keeping the awful sunburn far, far away when she went outside. The vampire leaned forward, resting her elbow on the table and her chin on her head, still smiling pleasantly.

"You seem to be slipping," she began, crimson eyes fixed on the taller girl, "This is one of your least accurate guesses. Contracted beings can't have been human previously, after all. I expect much more than this from you."

The vampire took another sip from her glass. Oh, it was quite a delicious sample, really. The girl she had taken it from had even been rather willing. By the end, she was in quite a daze as a result of how much blood she had lost, but the vampire had hardly gone so far as to kill her. What was the point in that? Her blood had been so excellent that the vampire had kept some with her.

"GOOD EVENING, COVENANT ACADEMY!~ I! ROLAND WRIGHT, HAVE ARRIVED!" The source of this voice was standing atop one of the school buildings, shouting out for all to hear at the top of his voice so he could be heard despite the height he was at. He posed dramatically as he yelled out to the student body from on high. A grin was on his face as he did this, and he hoped for the sort of dramatic wind appropriate to an entrance like his.

"THOSE OF YOU WHO WOULD DO EVIL AND HARM, I CHALLENGE YOU! THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE INNOCENCE AND FRIENDSHIP IN YOUR HEART, HAVE NO FEAR! THOSE LONGING FOR FRIENDSHIP AND LOVE, MY PHOENIX FLAMES WILL WARM YOUR HEARTS! THE HERO IS HERE!"

Following that he jumped straight down from the roof at full speed, flipping in mid-air and then slowing his descent with a burst of flame like a miniature rocket, a big grin on his face as he touched down. The whole thing probably would be much more dramatic if he didn't do something similar every other week.

Jordan walked out of his entrepreneur's club as he pocketed a ten dollar bill he got from selling one of his club-mates a gemstone. "Another day, another opportunity." Jordan took another one out of his pocket and tossed it around like it was a baseball. With his free hand, he put his index finger to his chin. "Now, who to make a profit off from this time?" He said.

That's when one of the students screamed at the top of his lungs and jumped off a roof, though nailing the landing with a well-timed burst of fire. Jordan had noted that Roland doing some similar feats. He stopped tossing around the the gemstone. "Hm..." Jordan considered who he considered the school's self-appointed superhero and began to wonder if a partnership could be struck between them. He looked at the gemstone and shook it around. He had a brief partnership with Carbie, but in that short time, he was able to discern what gemstone could do what just by shaking it and feeling it. The warmth that came from the mineral caused Jordan to sigh. "Selling a fire stone to a fire-based contractor just seems redundant." He muttered. He pocketed away the gemstone. It was at that moment that his Contract, Carbie, came forth.

"Cooo..." Carbie murmured.

"Hey, Carbie. Ya got another gem for me?" Jordan looked at the gemstone on Carbie's forehead. It had been growing for a few days and was due to come off any moment. Carbie only sighed a bit and snuggled itself onto Jordan's shoulder, as if to say, 'no, not yet'. That was the biggest downside with Jordan's contract. If Carbie had been dispensing stones like mad, Jordan would be set for life... Well, more set for life. Instead, raising Carbie and getting one or two gemstones from him every week was like playing Farmville. Still, Jordan appreciated Carbie for the opportunity it gave him. He still had to consider who to sell to, though considering how everyone is out in the school campus, chances are fights will break out, and chances are, advantages will be desired.

And when there's desires, there will be opportunities.

Dblade26 said
"GOOD EVENING, COVENANT ACADEMY!~ I! ROLAND WRIGHT, HAVE ARRIVED!"

"THOSE OF YOU WHO WOULD DO EVIL AND HARM, I CHALLENGE YOU! THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE INNOCENCE AND FRIENDSHIP IN YOUR HEART, HAVE NO FEAR! THOSE LONGING FOR FRIENDSHIP AND LOVE, MY PHOENIX FLAMES WILL WARM YOUR HEARTS! THE HERO IS HERE!"

Edward was still walking while invisible when he heard that. This made both Edward and Rigen sigh.

"I know that kid means well and all but seriously." Edward said to Rigen.
That kid needs to get laid. Rigen said bluntly.
"Tell me about it. But what are the odds of finding a female in this school that is in the same level of fan/geek/otaku that boy has, and more importantly, has the stamina to keep up with him?" Edward asked.
You never know. Weirder things have happened. Rigen said.
"I will take your word for it." Edward said.

The indisputable evidence remained aloft for several moments as Mana tried not to groan in frustration. It was quite difficult, given the non-chalant dismissal of her guess, but... it wasn't like her Contract didn't have a point. Mana had ended up ignoring the fundamental basics of the summoned beings in her attempt to deduce the vampire's identity, which tended to not yield the answers one sought.

Finally, Mana decided to let her head collide with her desk, her mumbling excuse inaudible and pointless to decipher. This was just unacceptable! Such a trivial matter should not be bringing her spirits down! She was... yeah, MAna was just a little tired! And probaly in the midst of solving far more important mysteries! Yeah, totally! Making a mental note to create a few puzzles which she could claim to be focusing on at a later date, Mana lifted her head and stared at the vampire from behind her slightly askew glasses, "...Just a joke guess. To throw you off. Anyway, are you just gonna sit there drinking that stuff all day? You could at least find a murder case for us to do."

"I should certainly hope there haven't been any murders on this island," the vampire began, raising an eyebrow. As if to respond to what Mana had said about her drinking habits, the blonde girl took another sip of blood from her glass. She needed blood, so really, what was the issue with spending some time on drinking it? She leaned back in her seat for a moment, looking over her contractor. She was obviously distraught over her failure to guess at the vampire's identity correctly. It was plainly displayed in her reaction, her inarticulate mumbling, her attempt to distract from said reaction... "... And I'm certain you'll figure it out eventually."

She smiled sweetly, once more, at Mana, before continuing.

"However, I am quite, quite bored," continued the vampire, leaning forward once more, her eyes still fixed on the dark-haired girl, "Perhaps we could go out and attempt to find something more entertaining to do then lie about in this room discussing my identity?"

---

The guitar case swung as Mira strolled along, followed by her perverted demon contract. Frankly she felt irritated when Lily followed her. It just felt like the demon was giving her perverted looks the whole time. At the same time, it felt irritating seeing Lily go ahead for entirely different reasons. And so, the small guitarist simply walked onward, trying to ignore the weird looks Lily was surely giving her. The demon was flapping her wings, using them to hover above the ground behind the smaller girl as the both headed onward.

There was some guy yelling about fighting evil and friendship... was that... Roland? She didn't know the guy too well but given his total level of hamminess it was hard not to at least have an idea about him... She at least had to commend his gusto. And hey, somebody needed to handle the idiots who thought they'd get away with causing trouble, right?

"Ohhh I can't take it!"

And suddenly she felt something soft press against her and arms wrap around her body. Eyes widening, she immediately looked over her shoulder and began to struggle.

"Lily what the hell are you doing?!" cried Mira, thrashing in the grip of the demon girl.

"You're too adorable!" declared Lily, rubbing her cheek against the top of Mira's head eagerly, "I just want to pick you up and take you home and-GAH!"

Mira was strong from her contract, naturally. Lily was stronger, but even this boost meant that she could handle some things herself. Those things being swinging her guitar case hard enough to smack the demon on the head.

"Don't do that!" yelled Mira, facing Lily. The demon girl was pouting and rubbing her head.

"Fine, fine... I'll just wait until we're at your room," replied Lily, her smile returning.

"... I barely have words to describe how much I want to hit you again."

"Hehehe~"

Sitting quietly in the empty club room, Kane sat at the far end near the windows with the sun on his back. Several desks were joined together, creating a monster of a table, for he needed the size. The desk were completely covered in papers and report's about the daily coming and going's of the Covenant academy. The others had left some time ago, leaving him and one other by themselves. He had forgotten time passing as he was trying to finish the last of the reports and organizing them to hand them to the teachers on the way out. Checking the time on his watch, he swung his head around gazing at the sun with a question look on his face. Checking the position of the sun once more time, he wandered if he might have stayed a little to long this night. Shaking his head slightly, he gathered his belongings and place them in his backpack. Nodding to his Companion Gage that he was ready to leave.

Looking over at the desks still clutter around the corner, Gage shook his head "they going to get mad at you again' he remarked with a sardonic smile that only wolves could do. Pausing for a few seconds to look at the desks he shrugged "payback for ditching me" he responded back with a slight smile. Entering the hallway, he looked around in a causal way, wandering on how the school would look tomorrow, and what headaches he would receive in the morning from whatever happen tonight. Walking with brisk steps he headed off towards the teacher lounge with his wolf lounging around him, always in a different spot.

"So what sort of training are you thinking about tonight" Lakota lightheartedly asked them, which in turned made them wondered the same thought. He had been making progress every since he gain Lakota, but he wasn't sure what he wanted to gain next. Shrugging it off he replied "I think i'm going to work on the martial training. Been ignoring it for the last few days" nodding approval, Gage picked up the pace even more, forcing Kane to walk fast to the point of jogging.

Dblade26 said
"GOOD EVENING, COVENANT ACADEMY!~ I! ROLAND WRIGHT, HAVE ARRIVED!" THOSE OF YOU WHO WOULD DO EVIL AND HARM, I CHALLENGE YOU! THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE INNOCENCE AND FRIENDSHIP IN YOUR HEART, HAVE NO FEAR! THOSE LONGING FOR FRIENDSHIP AND LOVE, MY PHOENIX FLAMES WILL WARM YOUR HEARTS! THE HERO IS HERE!"

Perking his ears to the disturbance he recognized it instantly as who it was and where they were located, he was nonchalant about the one doing it, for it was seeming becoming a regular thing at this school. "Got to admit, that boy know's how to howl"Gage gruffly spoke, but Kane looked down at the dog with the knowing look. It had been a compliment either way, so Kane wasn't going to do anything about it unless he got complaints about it,which he wasn't sure he would get or not. Japan was funny like that, and he was still getting use to their more obscure customs. Finally reaching the teacher lounge, he slid open the door, and to his surprise was empty at the moment "Must have just missed them it seems" He thought to himself. Placing the reports on his homerooms teacher desk, he start winding his way outside the school.

...Taking a break from this particular mystery certainly sounded like a good idea. It wasn't like she was admitting defeat, after all! Besides, she'd been focusing on this puzzle almost exclusively for a little while now. No one was bringing them anything to solve, so it was probably about time for them to start hunting for themselves.
"Very well!" Mana leaped to her feet and rounded the desk. Adjusting her glasses in a deliberate attempt to have the lights glimmer on her lenses (why that never worked was yet another great mystery), the detective-in-training said, "then, where do you suggest we go, then?"

"Hmm, well..."

The vampire's crimson gaze directed itself to the ceiling as she contemplated her next move. Where to go, where to go... there were plenty of options, that was certainly impossible to deny. But which was the best? Perhaps a cafe... Oh, nothing there would be nourishing for her, but that didn't stop it from tasting good, did it? Hmm... or perhaps a clothing shop? The human world did have a wonderful staple of gothic lolita for her to select from. And she looked so utterly perfect in all of it... oh, it was a difficult decision indeed. However, what stopped the vampire from selecting both of the locations? Nothing, really.

"... We should pay a cafe a visit," the vampire began, smiling cheerfully and pleasantly as she did, "And afterwards, perhaps a shop? I do so love the human world's gothic lolita, it fits perfectly into my wardrobe."

Momoko stared in awe at the monster before her. A large dragon, easily fifty foot from head to tail, maybe more. The creature's body was covered in crimson scales, forming a natural suit of armour. Occasionally, the beast opened its gaping maw, revealing razor sharp teeth that could easily crush bones...well, when they weren't obscured by a large gout of flame, hot enough to cook a person alive in seconds. Of course, it didn't even look like it would need to use those, as its limbs each ended in a set of claws that seemed sharp enough to tear through flesh and armour with equal ease. The brunette swallowed hard. Someone had to defeat this monster, it had caused too much pain and suffering to be allowed to continue living, and she was the only one willing and able to do it.

To anyone looking her way, Momoko's current activity looked far less heroic. She was simply playing with a portable gaming device as she left the anime club's room and began on her way home. What might not be immediately obvious was just how little attention she was paying to her surroundings. Having taken basically the same way home each day since she started high school, she was more or less on auto-pilot. Generally, this wasn't an issue and she got back to her apartment with no problems. Today, however, there was an obstacle she wasn't expecting. Obliviously, she continued on a collision course with a certain guitarist.

Every self has a different way of making a Form. A room containing a set of tapestries which thrum with the life of their crafter. A forest overgrown with Eldritch abominations that only exist within a twisted mind. A flawless sky, overladen with the white-gold light of the sun.

Now wipe it all away. Wipe it away and picture a void. A black void, endlessly expanding in all directions.

Litter this void with stars, stars of every conceivable size and color, myriad to the point where merely trying to understand their impossibility of quantity could break your mind and shatter your soul.

This is the inside of the devil's die.

You stand in the center of this void, an empty husk.

Set.

-Initiate.

The starting penalty is three.

Death by madness. Death by happiness. Death by love.

To begin, understand that the world is an illusion. Understand that you are a sleepwalker, blind. Understand that the web of interactions you believe to have constructed with other selves is a mere falsehood created by a monster dangling a reflective surface before your nonexistent eyes and that the second you close your eyes to escape the monstrosity you have created for the most transient instant when you reopen then to see your good work you find that it has all been wiped away.

You are the Other. You are the world. You are the demon of Laplace who creates the illusion.

You must understand this. You must, because soon it will begin. Soon the damned event of your own devising shall begin and it will all come shattering apart.

You created something. Thus, the intermediate penalty is five.

Death by electrocution. Death by suffocation. Death by burning. Death by stabbing. Death by dehydration.

Do not curse your world, for to curse it is to curse yourself. Do not curse yourself, for then this game will all be for naught.

Have you understood yet? I hope so.

For if the world is an illusion.

If the man is an illusion.

If the knife is an illusion.

There is nothing wrong with it. There is nothing wrong with nothing killing nothing.

So then, go forth. Go forth and explore the depths of depravity you sought to create. Nobody will blame you but yourself.

The end has not yet been given.

The starting penalty was for understanding. The intermediate penalty was for creating.

-But you created something greater than your mind could comprehend.

Thus, the true penalty is one.

The final penalty is a hapless suicide which you yourself will perform in the evanescent dance to the end of eternity.

---

"What sort of drivel is this?"

A dissatisfied sigh emanated from the existence known as Shuugen Naijou as he closed the book in his hands, standing up to return it to the library shelves.

"Last time I take any advice on reading from anyone involved with the Maniae. First Faulkner and now this..."

Sitting back down, Shuugen crossed his arms behind his head and loosed a second sigh, closing his eyes and attempting to get some enjoyment out of the library's relative silence. However, unlike the majority of the Contractors at this academy, Shuugen's "partner" so to speak was not present. The reason for this was obvious to anyone who knew what sort of being he had contracted with.

Genocidal and misanthropic monstrosities made of metal weren't the best conversation partners, put simply.

Such was life.

Natsuki looked like the epitome of annoyed as he stood in front of a bench outside of the gym the volleyball team used for practice. Arms crossed, face pulled into a pout, he looked on at the sight of Yuki, still in his human form, curled up basically in Hypnos's lap, both sound asleep. Natsuki could put together what had happened rather quickly. He'd told the two of them (more Yuki than Hypnos) not to get into any trouble. Hypnos, being the lazy ass he tended to be, had decided that he just wanted to stay on the bench and wait until volleyball practice was over. (The two had been banned from volleyball practice after more than a few mishaps.) Yuki, being the overly energetic being he was, had not been happy with that decision and more than likely had decided to annoy Hypnos in hopes for getting him to do something. The end product had been Hypnos using just a little bit of his powers to knock the tanuki out, and then Hypnos had gone to sleep of his own free will, because that was what gods of sleep tended to do.

Natsuki figured that some people got lucky with their contracts. They got awesome demons, fearsome spirits, or great warrior gods. Of course he couldn't be so lucky. Well, he had gotten a god the second time around but his favorite hobby happened to be napping. Well, at least they weren't malicious. Actually, as far as he could tell they were pretty harmless.

Unceremoniously, Natsuki threw his bag at Hypnos's head. It just so happened that it landed right on top of Yuki's face. Two birds with one stone then. He wasn't complaining.
Hypnos rubbed his eyes, letting out a yawn as he did so. Yuki, on the other hand, accidentally rolled off the bench in surprise, floundering on the ground for a bit before glaring up at his contractor. "Come on you two," Natsuki said as he reached down to pick up his bag from the ground. "We're going to get something to eat."

"Woo! What are we eating? Steak? Lobster? I want dessert too. Don't cheap out on us Natsu-chan!" When he'd first summoned Yuki, the nickname had annoyed him. The brunette learned to accept it though. After all, there was no point in fighting it. "Dream boy here looks like he's wasting away to nothing. It's probably because he sleeps too much." Hypnos didn't dignify him with a response.

"Could they actually die from not being fed? I bet not. At least, Hypnos probably won't. Although maybe Yuki would. It would be kind of cruel to not feed them." He let the thoughts drop. The two of them were a hassle, but he wasn't cruel enough to not feed them. "Too bad. You're getting burgers because you," Natsuki pointed to Yuki "spent like half of my food money for the week on a video game. Maybe I'll buy you a milkshake."

"Worth it."

"Sometimes I feel like the only reason you're here is for my money, which is saying something considering I'm pretty poor." Part of Natsuki really believed that that was why Yuki was here, but then there were moments that made him think he was here for other reasons.

"I want books."

"Of course you want books." Natsuki's wallet groaned. "Fine, after fastfood for Yuki, we'll go to a bookstore for Hypnos. And then I've got homework, so then we're going home." The two contracts nodded, seemingly happy with the plan.

"Oh, don't try and say that, I know you're a ma-"

Mira cracked her knuckles. "Don't say it. Don't say another damn word, or I will punch you very, very hard and-"

Someone bumped into her back. Bewildered and surprised, Mira tried to turn as she fell, also attempting to regain her balance. What just happened!? Who did... this girl with a portable game system?! Idiot! Not watching where she was going at all... what a total moron! However, her anger and attempts to write herself... were only making things worse for Mira. Her legs ended up shooting out in a rather awkward position, rather highly likely to trip up the person who had bumped into her and send them both to the ground.

It had been a good rehearsal, in Miku's opinion. She'd managed to sing without either tripping over the words or the bass in her hands, and Mira had played well, too. Of course, a gloomy voice in her mind reminded her, it wasn't anywhere near as bad as a live performance: she'd been able to wear her school uniform rather than those clingy suits that the small girl was so insistent about, and there was no pressure from having to deal with a live audience. In the long run, though, Miku hoped that they might be able to acquire a fourth member--both bringing their band up to the 'traditional' size of a rock group, and freeing her up to focus on only one thing at a time.

Thus consumed in thought, the girl with the dyed hair made her way towards home, heading for a grocery store that got a lot of traffic due to being placed at the end of the sloping road towards the campus proper. Especially at lunchtime or after school, it was flooded with students--and thus Miku often had some trouble getting upstairs to change into more casual clothing. It was simultaneously useful and problematic to have always lived here: she didn't have to stay in dorms or the like, but it meant that she didn't share as much in common with the other students as she would like.

She saw a familiar face sat outside the shop; Miku knew Sakura quite well from their contracts' being related and had been introduced through being bodily carried once Heracles had spotted his older sister. She'd vetoed any decision to try and restore her contract to adulthood, even though Heracles had refused to speak to her for the next week before giving in and continuing as if nothing had ever happened. Strangely, Artemis didn't appear to be around--but with the press of bodies inside the shop, due to most of the school population having just gotten out, perhaps it wasn't all that surprising.

Carefully, both due to her natural shyness and not wanting to startle a girl so absorbed in the console in her hands, Miku made her way up to the unsurprisingly-seated girl and said, "U-U-Um... h-hello?"

Alex Quilldrake stood by the school's front gate, gazing back towards the school. While far from the worst work he'd done with the security team, keeping watch for anyone starting a fight like this was...well, boring. Sure, occasionally, one of his friends or classmates would come up and chat for a minute before heading home but soon enough, the boy was back to watching absolutely nothing happen.

Then Roland made his entrance.

A small smirk worked its way onto Alex's face as he raced towards the other boy's location. Sure, it happened every other week, but he wasn't going to risk a brawl breaking out this time. The fact that it meant getting away from watching nothing happen by the front gate? Definitely not part of the reason he was so keen to check the situation out. That would just be irresponsible. As he got close, a light began to form in the blond boy's right hand, which was quickly replaced by the legendary sword, Excalibur. It was better to be safe than sorry, right?

"Fool!" He exclaimed, pointing the (still-sheathed) weapon at the other boy. More for dramatic emphasis than any interest in fighting him. "What kind of hero goes around looking for fights?!"

Artemis had volunteered to head into the shop and handle groceries herself. This was... well, Sakura had a feeling the goddess's shopping methods would leave something to be desired, but she had faith that she would manage and Artemis had seemed so determined to help. It was frankly quite adorable in the blue-haired girl's opinion. And so she had given her the go-ahead to shop, waiting outside and occupying herself with a game of Super Mario Bros on her handheld. The old platformer was always fun to revisit. However, she looked up the moment she heard a voice close by.

"Oh, Miku-chan!" Sakura smiled brightly at her friend, "It's nice to see you, how are you?"

She paused her game and laid the handheld on her lap, turning her wheelchair to face the shy girl better.