Toma Tanaka - Warakuma High School, Track Field

Toma was spotted the instant he stepped outside. Kimura Arata, the track club's leader, was in the middle of a warm-up, lightly jogging around the oval track. He immediately broke off, turning towards Toma and Aiko.

"Tanaaakaaa!" he half-yelled, half-whined. "You're late!"

"Only by a few minutes," Toma answered as Arata slowed to a stop in front of them.

"Nearly a quarter of an hour is not 'a few minutes'," the boy said in mock anger, hands on his hips.

"I have a good excuse," Toma said, nodding towards Aiko. "This is Yamamoto Aiko, a classmate of mine. He'd like to join the club."

Arata instantly lit up. "Ah! That's great, we'd be glad to have you, Yamamoto!" he said excitedly, taking Aiko's hand and shaking it with both of his. He then turned back towards Toma. "I guess I won't kick you out for your tardiness, then."

The tall boy snorted softly in response, knowing that that was something Arata would never do.

"But, you still need a punishment. Run ten 50-meter suicides, so out 'til the half-line of the soccer field."

Toma sighed through his smile. He turned and walked towards the door that lead to the change room.

Arata suddenly turned to face Aiko again, realising he hadn't introduced himself. "Oh! I'm Kimura Arata, from class 3 - 2, but feel free to call me whatever -- as long as it's not an insult, obviously," he said, speaking more than a little hyper-actively. "We do all of the basic events that'd come to mind when you think of track and field: high jump, long jump, all distances of running, but we don't really have the resources to do stuff like pole vaulting and javelin and stuff -- the teachers said it'd be too dangerous or something stupid like that -- I hope that doesn't disappoint you too much. Most of our members focus on running, which I guess I can sort of understand, but me, I love to practice as many events as I can -- it keeps things fun and interesting, and being well-rounded is always a plus. Oh, and -"

The boy's enthusiastic ramble was cut off by a young-looking female student poking him in the cheek. She wore track shorts and a t-shirt, just like Arata, making it clear she was a member of the club.

"Stop it, Arata-kun. You're going to scare him off," she said, unimpressed. After Arata recovered from the shock of her coming up on him out of nowhere, he opened his mouth to protest, only to be cut off again when the girl addressed Aiko. "I'm Yamada Tsuruko, in first year," she said with a bright smile and a bow. "Don't be afraid to tell Arata to shut up -- I do it all the time." With that she jogged back towards the track.

"Tsuru-chaaaaaan!" Arata whined after her. "Stop making me look uncool!" His eyes lingered on her receding figure for a moment longer, before he turned back towards Aiko with a soft sigh. His bright grin quickly returned. "If you've got a change of clothes and are feeling up to it, you can join us today," he said. "If you don't, you should still stick around and watch, maybe talk to some of the members. I hope you like the club!" He then also ran off.

---

Toma had kicked off his shoes and taken off his shirt when he received a text from his mother. He stood in the change room and read it, frowning. She was asking him to pick up ingredients she needed for supper, apparently feeling the urge to cook tonight. While it was slightly unusual for her to make a full meal, that wasn't what bothered Toma.

In the text, she called him Taiki. These instances were even fewer and farther between than his mother cooking, but they happened, and it always left him feeling... uncomfortable? Whatever the feeling was, he didn't like it.

And it was evidence that she was still hurt by his brother's death. That she hadn't gotten over it yet. Maybe that was a ridiculous thing for Toma to expect of her, but he had done it well enough. She was older and wiser -- she should understand that death is a part of life. She shouldn't let it pain her as much as it did.

But she also shouldn't have had to deal with it in the first place. Clicking his tongue, he typed out 'sure thing', even adding a stupid smiley-face for good measure.

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School Grounds

The silence between the two girls remained in place for a good two minutes while the three boys were a little ways off; talking among themselves. Kotori had assumed that Inoue would most likely head back to her friends together with Noboru - but that wasn't the case; her senpai instead staying beside her the whole time. Finally breaking the silence, the older girl spoke; asking her about any clubs of her own. Shaking her head at first, Kotori then gave a bit of a surprised look toward Inoue as she then asked if she wanted to join their club.

Glancing between the three boys and Inoue, then down at herself, Kotori couldn't help but feel that she would be most out of place in such a club - even as her senpai went on to explain that they weren't trying to be a strict or forceful club but rather one to simply enjoy physical training in various forms. Inoue seemed to like the club - that much was apparent from the way she spoke about it; her words sounding honest when she said them - making it a little hard for Kotori to find a way to say that she really didn't think she was cut out for such a thing; most likely just being in the way even if she did join. Inoue then went on to apologise for her spirited approach - probably having seen Kotori's unease at the proposition.

"Ah, no, it's fine," Kotori said, shaking both her head and a hand she had raised when her senpai began her apology. "I... I'm afraid I'm not really suitable for you, though," she continued, an apologetic tone in her voice, "I'm not very good with physical things and I have to help out at home after school, so..." Kotori's already quiet voice trailed off; an apologetic half-smile on her lips as she wasn't quite sure she should be declining a senpai's request like that - even if she was certain that it was the best course of action for all of them.

Akane Hanazawa - Warakuma High - Anime/Manga Club Room

As he answered her first question, she reached for the shelf behind her and grabbed some more paper and another pen, in-case he wanted to draw. "Great or not, as long as you enjoy it, it's all that really matters. I love it. Not only because I enjoy its also gives me a release from reality for a short time. The real world can get real stale sometimes. It's also one of the few things I'm good at." She laughs. Of course, can't really come out and say that other than drawing and getting good grades, she's good at beating the shit out of people and has a strong love for blades, especially japanese swords. Heh...

Teiji then rubbed his head as he answered her other question. With a smile, "Not at all. There's quite a lot of people that are like that. They just don't go out and say it. I'm one of those kinds of people after all. Though, obviously I don't wish to be a princess and what not, of course." She laughs again before continuing, "As evidence, my reputation for going out and saving 'damsels in distress'. Thanks to that, I've been getting called, 'The Prince of Warakuma High'." With a sigh, "It's my own doing, I know but it can get tiring. But I just can't help myself when I see guys trying to force themselves on a girl and get violent. It's also thanks to that I've gotten pretty popular with the girls, so it's not all bad." she laughs again before pausing. "Anyways, back on-topic, personally, I also love the medieval-fantasy genres with kingdoms and empires. I find it quite thrilling and exciting. Though, my personal favorites are those dealing with mythology. I love historical settings."

---

Akira Kirigakure - Warakuma High - Archery Range

Lost in thought thinking of what to eat once club activities were over, he was brought back to reality when he heard the thwack sound of an arrow hitting the target board. Looking over, he saw Rokoru with his bow out as it looks like hes trying hard not to give one of his little smirks. With a snicker, he lowered his bow as he started watching Rokoru shoot. As easy as always, he never could resist the urge to show me up. Time to see if he gotten any better. Will he 'show me up' or fail? "Wouldn't want to embarass yourself in-front of your fan girl now. Eh Rokoru?" He muttered silently under his breath as he grins. Rokoru than preceded to hit the target 2 more times in a row. He must be over the moon now, probably already planning his 'victory' speech...However...

He missed. Like Akira's final shot, it was just outside of the red. There goes his bragging rights. Pity. As Rokoru began to draw another arrow, his bow started to shake. Was his nerves getting to him? Who knows. He's going to have to hit the next one if he's to save face. But if he continues to shake like that... As if on que, Rokoru found a way to himself down and fired his shot. From the get go it looked like it was going to hit the target, it was looking good until it lodged itself in an arrow that was next to the target. Instead of recovering and making the 5th shot, Rokoru has now missed twice in a row, as he stood there with a blank look.

Setting his bow down, Akira stretched and walked over towards Rokoru. Putting a hand on his shoulder, as if to make it look like he was consoling him. "Can't hit'em all 'Cap. Boy did I get lucky." Moving closer, he whispered something that only Rokoru could hear. "Man, just when you finally had the chance to show me up to." Showing Rokoru a knowing smirk, indicating to him that he knew what Rokoru's motives were. Taking his hand off his shoulder, he wiped his sleeve across his for head, feigning exhaustion. "Whew, worked me up a sweat. It's what I get for being out of practice for so long. Well...." Raising a hand up as he made his way towards the exit. "I'm going to get a drink and cool myself down from the work out. Great work today Captain Ishiara." Adding more fuel to the fire as he makes his leave.

Akari and Noboru

She was quickly losing her audience and that was totally unacceptable. She would be the center of attention no matter what. She gave an over exaggerated gasp, almost as if she was choking.

"My my Noboru. You never told me you joined the Drama club. We would have loved to know about this. Why did you never tell us you sly dog? Did you want to make your older siblings proud? Because you sure have! What a good little brother here, wanting to give us a nice surprise."

Akari started rubbing Noboru's head roughly, almost too roughly.

"Wouldn't you two be glad about this, a sibling trying nothing but to impress his siblings. Such a good kid. But it's soo sad he didn't get into the boxing club eh? Little kid loves his punches."

Akari launched a flurry of words, hoping to keep the two enraptured slightly longer, and distracted away from Noboru.

While Akari chattered on, Noboru turned to Kotori, mouthing to her to help him, anything to save him out of the situation.

Aiko-Yamamoto

Aiko wobbled into the household, tired and sore from the running. He was still on the fence about joining. There were both pros and cons to it. On one hand, he had to run. On the other, he got to see Toma. From the kitchen, he could make out bits and pieces of the conversation between his parents.

"Maybe next year... No more motion... Possibly never..."

Aiko was enraged, furious. He stormed into his room, slamming the door. From outside the door sounds could be heard of objects hitting walls, doors and the occasional window, though with not enough force to break.

Inoue Matsuhita

The younger girl gave a half smile as she reluctantly put forth her proposition. She had her doubts about her ability and her contribution in the club as well as an activity that kept her busy post school. Though Inoue understood her she still thought she needed to clear a thing for this girl. Maybe it can strike a chord and even though she may chose to decline joining their club but Inoue felt compelled to put things in the clear.

She held the girl from the shoulders, a firm but gentle grasp and looked into her eyes. "I apologise if this may sound patronising but, never judge your worth by judging others. Whether you join our club or not, I'm not that interested in what you contribute to the club because that is not our point in forming this club. We are not snobs, throwing our weight around asking others to be our bitches just because we maybe able to do something slightly better than them because we were trained earlier. It is what we can contribute to you, will a greater control over your body give you greater self-confidence? Will the knowledge that you can put any of those gutless stalkers and trash talkers give you self-belief? If the answers to these questions is a simple yes or a probable yes, then we have achieved what we set out for, if it is a no then maybe we can keep you interested in this long enough to get an even better coach. It is that simple."

She paused for a bit after the long monologue, feeling she may have overdone it but at least she got out what she wanted the junior to know. "Know this Kotori-chan, you maybe hiding a talent you are unaware of, just because you aren't able to tap it at his moment doesn't mean that you can't in your lifetime. Just give it a try if your schedule permits, rather drop this. Do anything that fills you up with a feeling of accomplishment, I really hope that it'll be a good step forward in some direction. Okay" Inoue finished with a warm smile, her eyes twinkling a bit from a bit of moisture that appeared on the edges. This was serious heart-to-heart talk she felt pushed towards. Hopefully, Kotori doesn't mind her overbearing nature.

--

Alexei Dragunov

Akari's last comment just rubbed Alexei the wrong way, though it was harmless but still his expression hardened. Ektrina's face appeared in front of him, lit in a faux smile trying to do something she never felt game for yet wanting to please her elder brother for all his hardwork for their family. A wave of anger hit him and he clenched his teeth, a knock in the ribs broke him out of his vision as Sagat was the one to notice the sudden darkening of the atmosphere around him. Immediately bringing things under control, he replied to the beautiful girl in a chilling deep voice, "That would be shame, doing nothing but impressing your siblings even if it is something that goes against you. I wouldn't like a sibling like that, I would love them to be themselves and find happiness, it would give me peace knowing that all my sacrifices as an older one weren't in vain. But that's just me, I guess people are rather different."

With it his hand came on Noboru's shoulder and gripped him firmly "It would have been better had you challenged the vice captain or something to make it into the boxing club. I personally would have thrashed the clubhead silly or started my own club. It's never too late though and then there is a lot of space in our club, maybe you can practice on the bags in your spare time. No one would bother you unless you come seeking for input." he said truthfully, putting the idea and concept behind their club in brutally honest detail.

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School Grounds

Turning back to see that the three boys had been joined by yet another girl in the time she'd been talking to Inoue, Kotori wondered just who this Noboru really was - first the Idol Club girl, then Inoue, now this new girls all had come to talk to him; the third in a row noticeably taller than him and casually leaning on top of him in quite a familiar way - it seemed that they already knew each other. The connection between the two unbeknownst to her, Kotori couldn't help but wonder at the odd motions and soundless words he was sending in her direction - only for her to suddenly feel two hands place themselves on her shoulders as Inoue entered her field of view with a determined look.

Taken by surprise at that, Kotori tensed up at the sudden contact - and almost missed the first few words when her senpai began talking to her; her voice an earnest tone. It seemed that she was most serious in her attempt at recruiting her - making it clear that what they were after was neither a new gopher or some prodigy to carry their club but rather just anyone who wished to spend their time getting into shape in whichever way they saw fit; not caring whether they were a complete amateur or a serious pursuer of martial arts. Inoue was honestly convinced of her words - that was clear from the way she spoke as she asked her a pair of questions; not giving a hint of either malice or lying but just honest truth.

Following that, the older girl paused momentarily; giving Kotori just enough time to think on her words before she spoke on again. Perhaps to take the edge off her previous words that had come quite out of the blue with their force, Inoue finished with an honest and friendly smile. Kotori, on the other hand, was quite overwhelmed at the older girl's forwardness; her first response merely being a surprised blining of her eyes from behind her glasses before catching herself. Casting her gaze aside rather than her senpai's face who was at mere arm's reach from her, Kotori only answered after another moment's pause. "Uhm... th-thank you, Matsuhita-senpai," she said, clutching her school bag a little tighter as she spoke, "that sounds really great," Kotori continued, glancing up at the older girl - before then lowering her eyes down at herself again. "But... it really wouldn't be possible for me," she concluded; this time without her voice trailing away to nothing.

Realising that declining in such a curt manner was hardly appropriate after Inoue's rather passionate speech, Kotori raised a hand to placate any potential follow-up before speaking on. "It's not because of all of you," she reassured her, including the other two club members, "or anyone else. Really." Shaking her head to emphasise the point - her soft voice holding no hint of dishonesty - Kotori looked back up at Inoue. "But thank you for your offer. But... I really can't. I'm sorry," she finished, giving an apologetic bow as she did - for though she could see that Inoue really did speak the truth when she was talking about her club, it simply was not something for Kotori; something only she could really know. 'At least... not right now...'

Straightening herself again, Kotori noticed that, from behind Inoue, Noboru was still motioning toward her - seemingly trying to catch her attention. Was he trying to tell her something? Glancing between the group of now four and her senpai before her, Kotori decided that such was perhaps the case. "Shall we get back to the others, senpai?" she asked, raising a hand to point back at said others - the two male MMA Club members, Noboru and his newest female companion - without even realising just how much it sounded like an attempt at changing the topic and focusing the attention on someone else.

Teiji Ishihara- Anime/Manga club room
Being handed a piece of paper and pen, Teiji got ready to draw, listening to her tell him that his little fantasy wasn't childish at all, although their was always the chance she could have just been saying that, as to not upset him. It didn't matter that much, it made him happy to hear that and that was all that mattered. She even told him about her acclaimed nickname of prince of Warakuma High. And how she hated men being forceful on women, as they had no right to get violent and in helping the females, she ended up becoming quite the popular one among the females. Probably the opposite for the males however, although they were to blame for such things. She wen back to the whole reason they were in the club and stated what her personal favorite was History.

Teiji nodded as he listened to all of this. It seemed like everyone he meet seemed so important to this school somehow. If they chose to help with the student council, or if they saved others from bullies pretty much. And here he was just a guy that was decent at soccer and fantasied about knights. He couldn't help but feel insignificant to others. But to stay on topic he looked at her and thought of something related to the club to ask. "So..... Does anyone ever ask you to draw something for them? Or is this more of a whatever we like kind of thing?" Teiji asked as he began drawing what would be pretty obvious.

Noboru and Akari

Despite her attempts to draw attention to herself, the bigger guy kept directing it towards Noboru. Akari huffed. At least she had enraptured one guy. Now that he was wrapped around her finger, she could use him to her own advantage.

"Wellllll. Since you're alright and everything, I guess it's time for me to wave goodbye to my little brother. Bye bye little Noboru. Bye bye sir."

She waved in Sagat's direction, giving a very reserved wave, trying to draw him in further. She slinked off, heading home to go relax.

Noboru gave breathed again, letting all the air he held in while Akari was still present out. He considered Alexei's offer, but decided to turn it down.

"No thanks. I already have a punching bag at home, and I don't think it would really be best for me to be bothering you guys."

Noboru felt the back of his neck, and sitting there was a note for him, from Akari. On it read a very simple message.

How unfortunate about today's club meeting hmmm? Too bad you embarrassed that girl. -Akari.

Noboru thought about what Alexei said for challenging.

"Nahhh. Challenging someone isn't my thing. Besides, I don't want to take a spot from someone who worked hard to get there. It would bother me too much."

Inoue Matsuhita

The cute and polite junior softly declined what seemed like another more fervent attempt at recruiting on Inoue's behalf. Inoue just let out a defeated sigh as the girl went on to elaborate that it wasn't something to do with the members particularly but her situation. She then noticed some movement from Noboru that made her offer to join the others, who seemed to have been joined by the drama queen of Warakuma, Akari Yamamoto herself. Inoue felt a slight wave of displeasure in her as her name crossed her mind, even the name of those abominable twins seemed to leave a bad taste in the mouth.

Before she could consider the thought of having to bear her presence, Akari already made her way out leaving her spell on Sagat judging by the stupid look on his face. Alexei on the other hand seemed rather unmoved, the guy was literally a placid lake. Even though Inoue tried her earnest to probe deeper he never gave anything away, he was like water, there would be ripples but what lay beneath never surfaced.

She turned to Shirohane and agreed to her suggestion, "Yes Kotori-chan we should join the others. And If I may, you don't have to be sorry for anything. I knew from the moment you said that after school duties to your family kept you busy, that you won't join the club. Truth be told, you don't have to if you don't want to. Real life, family and ambition are more important than these distractions anyways. But do hang out with us from time to time, you certainly seem like you can teach me a lot from just observing you. I'm shameless to admit that I haven't seen such gentle grace from my peers. Also drop by the Thai restaurant at the corner sometime, the treat would be on Sagat after all he's looking to overtake the place." She said with a bashful smile before turning around to walk towards the boys.

--

Alexei

It won't be wrong to say that Akari was successful in ensnaring Sagat for he continued staring at her retreating form for a good few seconds as Alexei and Noboru talked. A flustered expression plastered on his face when he got back with them. Girls usually shied away from him because he was too dark, too big and delinquent-looking. To have such a beautiful woman like Akari take interest in him was certainly flattering.

Meanwhile, Alexei responded to Noboru " Well it's no bother but do as you wish. Sagat goes through bags at an alarming rate, I think I should start repairing and filling them with sand rather than sawdust. In the last three days, he's already blown all the spares this school had."

As Noboru let on his philosophy, Alexei just shrugged after all everyone was different.

"I can't say I agree with you but it's your choice, If they worked hard and lost the place to you, it just means they need to work harder. You may have talent but in these kind of sports, hard work trumps genius 99% times, that's the simple truth. No matter how much they may twist this fact in fantasy settings and mangas. As for me, I like to be the alpha, if there is even one challenger, I like to see him grovelling before me for even thinking of besting me. that always keeps you on the edge, forces you and drives you to be the best you can be. Life is no fun until there is a blade at your neck and any false steps means you are dead." he said in a calm tine, too calm even for someone to be talking so casually about life and death but that was Alexei, growing up taking care of his family, protecting them from any harm whether actual or imagined he had developed such a mentality.

Just as he finished Inoue walked in "Hieee!! seems like you guys hit it off quite well. So Noboru, I already offered this to Kotori-chan here, would you like joining us for lunch at Sagat's restaurant?"

Sagat spoke up hesitantly, "It's not mine yet, Inoue-san."

"Oh! quit it, it will be soon" she said with a bashful smile.

Leiko Hamada- Warakuma Shopping Complex

Leiko had been completely, undeniably, irrevocably bored out of her mind.

Her lips twitched into a scowl as she felt the soles of her feet ache slightly from their long perusal of the mall, the weights of the bags filled with meaningless accessories slowly digging into her arms with a slight sting. The trip had been long and arduous with the absence of Saya, whose boundless enthusiasm and bloodhound-like capabilities made the whole experience much more tolerable. Instead, Leiko was expected to dictate the pace, and she just wasn't good at it. Leading people was one thing, but trying to do it while feigning interest in something she just didn't care about was a chore. And when the conversation topic started going somewhere awkward, she was quick to dismiss herself.

Glancing down at the time on her phone, Leiko ignored the strange people who walked past her with an air of indifference as she walked the block back to her home. There were some weird people around in Warakuma these days, and for anyone who had lived there long enough, it was obvious. It was all some sort of cliquey nonsense, spreading across the youth demographic like wildfire, and Leiko had no patience for it. Why were people fussing about it? Teenagers' moods changed all the time.

Letting out a small huff of air, Leiko noted that it was a little cold for an April evening. Well, it wouldn't be long until she was home anyway, she mused, slightly regretting her choice to walk home with her school things as well as her bags of shopping as she crept up the street closer to her estate.

---

Saya Ueno: Warakuma High- Archery Range

After dismissing Rokoru-senpai's concerns over her Archery skills, Saya couldn't help but notice that something else was distracting the Club President. Sulking slightly at how quickly their short-lived conversation ended, her eyes followed the trail of his gaze to an unfamiliar student that Saya had never met before. Lean with short black hair, the male gave off an air of arrogance as he cocked his bow, aiming for one of the targets down the range. For a moment, Saya could swear that his eyes flickered over to her and Rokoru for a brief second, before he let loose of the arrow, the projectile whistling straight into the dyed red bullseye.

He's good. It was a helpless observation, and an accurate one at that, as the mysterious male pelted three more 'bullseyes' with what hardly could be called effort. Saya couldn't help but be impressed by the show, and the sentiment was shared with her other clubmates as she heard them immediately break into gossip about this new archer. It wasn't long until Saya learned that this student was a third year with some bad history within the Archery Club, and apparently had a fight of some sort with with the leaders at the time, which culminated in an outright fight and a ban. Or, so it had seemed. So his name is Akira Kirigakure...wait, that Akira?! Realization dawned on Saya, as the blood quickly drained from her face. Akira was notorious in the school for being a troublemaker with a lust for fighting, and of course, she had endeavoured to stay out of the way of people like that as much as possible. And now she was going to be in the same club as him?

Trying not to fly into a panic (after all, it would look seriously uncool in front of Rokoru-senpai), she merely watched on in stunned silence as the senior called Akira loaded his bow with another arrow and-

Thwack! A near miss. It would have been hard for Saya to tell, if not for Kirigakure's loud lament about the fact. Still...Saya couldn't help but admit to herself that the rebel teen was good with a bow, and it made her wonder briefly if she could ever get as good as that. It was a far off dream, but the thought of slinging arrows with the same effortless precision was enough to get Saya pumped all over again, her fingers twirling the arrow in her hands in anticipation as she quickly planned her next attempt.

Or...she would have, if she hadn't noticed Rokoru suddenly raise his own bow, instilling awe from the small gathering crowd as the sound of pelting arrows suddenly stilled. The tension was thick, and Saya could feel her heart leap in her mouth as he drew the arrow back against the string with a powerful flex of his arms and a determined glint in his eyes. He was going to shoot. Right in front of her!

Clapping her hand against her mouth to keep herself from letting out an excited squeal, Saya's eyes absorbed the powerful way he held his stance, every second notching into her mind. It wasn't difficult to notice how the fabric of his jacket strained against his sinewy build, every tendon stretched and firm from holding the poise of the shot.

As a hot flush crept onto her cheeks, Saya was quickly brought back to attention as the sound of metal piercing wood broke the tense silence. A direct bullseye. Not only did Rokoru-senpai look cool holding a bow, but he was seriously good at it too. And she got to watch him in action, up close. Saya felt a little dazed as she watched on quietly, suppressing the gasps of excitement that threatened to bubble forth with every successful strike.

Two more arrows joined the first, the force of the shots clapping like thunder as the crowd bustled into quiet murmurs of praise. Amongst them, the name Kirigakure surfaced again, and as Saya glanced over at the aforementioned student, she finally realised why. It seemed as if Rokoru-senpai was challenging Kirigakure's performance with one of his own.

Saya couldn't help but grin at that fact, her eyes returning to the club president as she waited for the inevitable. Rokoru-senpai was most definitely the best archer in Warakuma High, and Saya would severely disregard anyone who said differently. Especially someone like Kirigakure, no matter how technically skilled he was.

Biting down on her thumbnail from nervous excitement, Saya watched with bated breath as Rokoru aimed another arrow at the target. Every bone in her body ached to cheer him on, but she fought to hold her tongue, in case she distracted him from landing another perfect shot.

With another flex of his arm, Rokoru fired again, and for a brief moment, Saya honestly believed he had struck the centre like the previous three. It would have gone totally unnoticed, had it not been for the tutting sounds from the more senior members of the club. Ah, so Rokoru-senpai's shot had actually slipped slightly out of the red. It was no big deal! Kirigakure had done the same, so Saya would merely enjoy and watch the show whilst the rivalry ended in a nice clean draw.

And then...he missed.

It took a few seconds for Saya to process as she blinked dumbly at the arrow, lodged into one of the outer rings of the target. Not only had he missed the centre, but he had struck a different target altogether.

She didn't understand. Did Rokoru-senpai throw off the shot on purpose? Was he worried about making that other guy look bad? She entertained the notion for a moment, adamantly refusing that her senior would make such a juvenile mistake, but one look at Rokoru-senpai's face told her that the shot had been anything but intentional. And for once, Saya was at a complete loss on what to say.

Awkwardly, she drummed her fingers on the arrow in her hands, inwardly debating on whether she should say anything to him. She felt a strong impulse to say something encouraging, or to at least make him feel better, but Saya wasn't completely without tact, and she had a feeling that being comforted by a novice would only make him feel even more insulted. When that Kirigakure guy decided to approach him to add salt to his wounds, that only convinced her even more that it was a bad idea.

Slowly, Saya felt her concern wash away into anger, her eyebrow twitching as she watched Akira give a cocky wave before saying his piece and dismissing himself from the range. The nerve. Suddenly bolstered by an unforeseen resolve, Saya set her bow and quiver of arrows aside before quietly slinking away from the field.

"H-Hey, y-you!" The confrontation was a far cry from the intimidating showdown that Saya had imagined as she chased down Kirigakure, her face a contorting image of rage and apprehension as she jabbed a wavering pointed finger in his direction. "Y-You didn't have to be such a jerk back there, you know!" As soon as the insult left her lips, Saya felt her body freeze in horror. Oh god, what did she just say to Akira Kirigakure? He's going to kill me...! I'm gonna die I'm gonna die I'm gonna die...!

After waiting what seemed like an eternity, Kami finally showed his face in the warehouse. Sachiko had been spending her time mucking around with her new sword, and so when Kami showed his face in the room, she came right over, sword drawn in hand, to confront him. "Kami, what the hell? You're 30 minutes late! You better have a good explanation for this!" As she spoke, she found herself waving the sword around a bit unintentionally. She didn't actually plan on using the sword on him, but with the way she moved, it might've looked just a little like she was threatening him with it.

---

It was a shocking end to their first day of practise. Misaki didn't expect Chiaki to suddenly become so angry over what had occurred, and that sudden outburst made her avert her eyes for a moment. But all was well; Misaki already had the pictures she needed, and she wasn't going to let go of them. She did briefly wonder if it wasn't cruel of her to take pictures of what must have been a very embarrassing moment for Noboru. But then again, she planned on keeping these pictures completely secret. What Noboru didn't know wouldn't hurt him, and there could've been countless others that had taken just as many pictures. In any case, she was going to take these and keep them safe in her own house. It's not like she had anything to gain sitting around in the abandoned clubroom. She wondered if, since today was essentially canceled, this would excuse Sachiko's absence from the meeting? She could only hope that was the case.

Making her way out of the school building, she made the uncanny discovery of spying Noboru once again. And this time, he was standing with at least two other guys that were as muscular, if not MORE muscular than he was. Taking a moment to absorb the spectacle, Misaki's face flushed with thoughts of the possibilities this entailed. In thinking on this, she essentially forgot she was just standing there, staring like a gawking idiot at a group of people....

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School Grounds

Following her words, Inoue simply gave a sigh - perhaps disappointed in not having been able to secure another member for her club after all. However, the older girl didn't seem to let it get her down - despite giving a momentarily displeased look as she turned to see that the previous group of three had grown to four, she still turned back to Kotori and agree to join them; at least once the other girl had left her friends to head off and to whatever business she may have to attend to. In spite of her previous sigh, Inoue went on to make it known that she wasn't all that surprised at the outcome - or really that disappointed.

At her offer thereafter to come by occasionally - even calling her gentle and graceful, causing Kotori to avert her eyes in embarassement at the unexpected words - Kotori wasn't sure if she really could agree. Before she even could say anything, Inoue already spoke on; inviting her to visit a Thai restaurant that Sagat was looking to take over - this Sagat being one of the two MMA club members, Kotori assumed. Giving a weak nod in reply, Kotori still kept her eyes to the ground as they began walking over to the other three.

Looking back up half-way there, Kotori could see that Noboru and one of the MMA Club members were talking whilst the third held a sort of vacant look on his face. The former meanwhile seemed to be on an earnest topic, judging by the looks they were sharing - but such an thought was easily conjured just from the atmosphere that hung about the three noticeably well-built boys. This, however, didn't perturb Inoue; the older girl instead walking right up to them and greeting them; showing no sign of hesitation in offering Noboru to join them at the Thai restaurant she'd mentioned before.

Giving a small bow as she heard her own name mentioned, Kotori was almost relieved that she didn't have to speak up to introduce herself on her own - before looking back up in surprise at the offer to visit being extended today, rather than sometime in the future. Judging by his reply, Kotori could surmise that the shorter - which was clearly a relative term, given that the two of them towered over just about everyone else - one of the two male MMA Club members was called Sagat and the presumable future owner of said Thai restaurant; most likely a family business. Kotori, meanwhile, was preoccupied with whether or not to accept the offer - weighing the options of coming home late, getting to know a place she didn't know about in Warakuma and spending time with these people she'd only just met against one another.

Ultimately, she decided to wait and see if Noboru would accept; it being hardly polite to be the only one to decline - or to pressure him into joining along, too.

Akira Kirigakure - Warakuma High - Archery Range

Making his way to the exit, he goes to make the final turn out of the range when she heard a girl's shout coming his way. Stopping, he slowly began to turn around, only to see Rokoru's fan girl standing there. Standing there with her finger waving and face contorted with rage. Though, as soon as he turned around he face looked like she was a bit scared. Scared of me? he thought. Looking at her face, he can pretty much assume that the girl was trying to be intimidating but well, didn't exactly go as plan. It was cute if not anything else. He was dumbfounded at first but broke into a laugh. Not a cold-un-feeling one but a warm one.

"A Jerk, huh? Heh, Just a game, that's all. All in good fun." Walking a little closer, he stopped."You've got nothing to be afraid of, Despite what you may have heard, I'm not that bad. I won't hurt you. Though, I must say, you've got quite the backbone. And also, look quite cute when angry." he finished with a laugh. "Unless, you've got more to say, I should be on my way." Akira made for the exit once again before pausing, "You're free to join if you'd like." he teased as he began turning around to leave.

Rokoru Ishiara // Warakuma High, Archery Range

It wasn’t long after the shot did Akira scuttle over to him and spout some more sarcastic bullshit out loud, just to create a show of how amazing he was compared to everyone else. Akira gave Rokoru a grin and turned to the exit as he mocked being exhausted from the few minutes of “practice” he had done. The tension in the room released as soon as the black-haired boy left the building. The crowd surrounding him and where Akira was silenced, sensing the anger in the air, though that didn’t stop a few people from murmuring to each other about the events that had just unfolded in front of them. Everyone seemed sorta stunned to Rokoru, who just made the stupidest mistake ever in front of the cockiest and most talented archer in Warakuma, all in an attempt to show him up that blew up in Rokoru’s face.

Rokoru loudly cleared his throat, dismissing everyone who had been watching the whole ordeal. Most people just stepped back a bit and some returned to what they were doing prior. He looked over at Ueno, observing the awkward look on her face. Or maybe it was embarrassment due to being associated with the failure that was him. Rokoru clenched his fists, feeling the wood of the bow he for some reason still held. Like hell she was gonna stick around after that if she couldn’t handle handing in her admission forms, and almost on cue, Ueno put her equipment off to the side and left the range in a flustered way. Rokoru let out a long sigh as he watched her scoot away from everyone. There wasn’t much of a point to practicing any more today. His arm ached, and so did his ego. There was no way that Akira was going to let it go.

A few of the seniors approached him and provided both advice and consolation, and hell, one even invited him to go to the café with him and some of the other members, but Rokoru disregarded it for the fact that he was not in the mood. At all. He swung himself around with gusto and walked over to the exit, throwing the arrows and bow into a locker he passed by without much care. A few first-years lingered around on some chairs but they sunk into their seats at the sight of the PO’d senior sulked by them, though they continued their chatter when he was at the door.

The metal door swung open wide, slamming against the frame before recoiling back. Rokoru shoved his hands into his school jacket’s shallow pockets and walked to the door with his eyes directed to the ground in front of him, mulling over all his thoughts, before noticing the Ueno girl again. She stood with fright before Akira with a finger weakly pointed at him. The boy laughed in response to whatever she said and Rokoru caught his words. “I’m not that bad. I won’t hurt you.” Rokoru intensified his glare at what he had said. He had no idea if either of them knew he was watching from the other side of the room, but he would be okay with starting a fight with the prick. Nobody was around to witness it, after all, and thus neither of them would get in trouble if they beat the shit out of each other. Of course, Rokoru wasn’t a fool, for he knew that Akira was—for lack of better word,-- experienced with knocking a bitch out, and there was no way in hell he’d win without luck. He lowered his eyebrows again as he dismissed the idea of starting something, especially in such a public place like the range when there were a couple dozen people in the other room.

Akira turned around to finally leave, but stopped to invite Ueno to come with him. At the idea, Rokoru rushed over to her side, albeit a bit in front of her. He withdrew his hands from his coat and shot Akira a look full of disdain. What he was doing was only going to fuel his annoying “Rokoru’s fangirl” comments, but there was no way he could let her even consider hanging out with a shit-faced person like Akira. Rokoru didn’t say anything though, and only glared at him with a look that showed everything he was thinking.

Toma Tanaka

Toma's legs felt like jello. He had to make a conscious effort to not wobble with every step. That was fine with him, though. It was proof that he had done something today.

The ten suicides he had been told to do by Arata had been tiring, but for whatever reason, he had decided to continue going. He'd lost count somewhere in the thirties, only stopping once Arata came up to him and told him to, wondering what was taking him so long. Toma had been blacking out by that point, the edges of his vision slowly going dark.

And then he had spent another hour with the other members, running around some more.

A gust of cool wind kicked up, ruffling his thrown-on uniform and displacing his messy hair -- which was even worse than usual after all the running and sweating.

As he pushed his bangs away from his forehead, he noticed a girl further up ahead, wearing Warakuma High's uniform, though instead of the jacket she had on some kind of sweater.

It was the sweater that helped him recognize her as Hamada Leiko. She seemed to be fairly popular at school, as whenever he saw her in the halls, she always seemed to have an entourage. Not only that, but he had heard about her from some of his classmates he had spoken with over the week. He had heard some not-so-pleasant stories, but felt that they were likely exaggerated or altered. Perhaps he could find out for himself by talking to her and seeing what she was really like for himself.

Toma decided there would be no harm in saying hi. Maybe she'd even recognize him, if only by his face. After all, he liked to think he had a presence. Maybe not as prominent and dominating as Leiko's, but a presence nonetheless. Holding onto a small plastic bag that held the things his mother had asked him to get, he quickened his pace until he caught up to her.

"Hello," he said with the subdued cheeriness that seemed to define him. "You're Hamada-san, right? I'm a third-year at Warakuma, Tanaka Toma. I just moved here this week."

There we go, he had introduced himself. Now he'd just wait for her reaction, and use that to judge whether she was up for a conversation or if he needed to make a quick exit.

Leiko Hamada: Warakuma Streets

Cool wind combed through Leiko's hair, eliciting a slight shiver to tremble through her body as she hugged one free arm to her chest. As much as she disliked the cold, Leiko could be grateful that the summer months were still ahead of them, as the upcoming nights would only get warmer and lighter. Aimlessly, her thoughts wandered onto what she would be doing during the summer holidays this year. Perhaps her family would actually go on vacation for a change, rather than the usual excuses that rose from her father. God forbid they could afford it...

Her meandering thoughts were unexpectedly interrupted as she felt someone's presence draw suspiciously closer, her hand clenching into a fist as her steps started to slow. Leiko was indeed a privileged girl, but she was also no pushover by any means. There was a reason why the 'Hamada Hook' urban legend existed within the school, after all.

Her head turned quickly as soon as the presence was accompanied by a voice, a light greeting thrown her way as she met eye-to-eye with a tall, unkempt-looking young man. His hair looked messy and windswept; as did the rest of his appearance, Leiko noted, as his uniform hung loosely off his body with little care, whilst his jacket looked as if it had never seen an iron before. Cocking a raised eyebrow, Leiko rested a free hand on her hip as she waited to hear what the man wanted to say. He began with identifying her as Hamada, before introducing himself as Tanaka Toma, a recent third year transfer student at Warakuma. The conversation ended at that, and the boy seemed to watch her expectantly for a reply.

Wait. He had stopped her on the way home for an idle chat? Nothing else? Leiko could barely contain her disbelief, fixing this Tanaka person with an intense stare as if she was trying to read another meaning behind this meeting. Either he really was just a friendly, overbearing person, or there was a purpose somewhere that she wasn't picking up on. Deciding to keep her guard up for now, she broke the awkward silence by answering his question with a crisp reply. "Indeed I am. I see my reputation precedes me," she answered with a perfectly sculpted smile, even as her eyes appeared somewhat distant. "May I help you with something, Tanaka-Senpai?" She quickly adopted the honorific as she spoke to him, showing him the utmost courtesy and respect even as she thought little of him at present. "Perhaps you've lost your way? We are approaching the higher class estates, you know."

---

Saya Ueno: Warakuma High- Archery Range

Kirigakure's laugh suddenly broke Saya out of her mental breakdown, blinking slightly in surprise at the sight of the unfriendly male laughing so...genuinely. He was obviously making fun of her attempt at scolding him, but it didn't appear as if he was angered by her words in the slightest. She wasn't sure whether to feel insulted or relieved.

Deciding on the latter, Saya watched cautiously as he dismissed the rivalry between himself and Rokoru as a 'game', instead choosing to step just a little closer to her with a teasing smile playing on his lips. Unsure of what to do with herself, Saya felt rooted to the spot, her hand tugging at a loose strand from her ponytail nervously. He said he wasn't going to hurt her, but the rumours about him resurfaced in her mind, and they were difficult to suppress. This guy was perfectly capable of hurting people, seemingly for no reason at all in some examples that she heard, so why should she believe him?

What came next however, completely disarmed her. Carelessly, Kirigakure moved on to complimenting her for confronting him, even going as far as calling her cute before suggesting she leave the range with him. Dumbfounded, Saya shot him a completely blank stare, her brain refusing to process what was happening. She had just chased down the resident Bad Boy of Warakuma High and called him a jerk, and in return, he wanted to hang out with her. "H-Huh?" Her response was sluggish, a confused and bewildered expression painting her features as she felt completely and utterly embarrassed by the situation. So much for taking initiative and helping Rokoru-senpai, you idiot!

Her newly found dilemma would only become more complicated as she felt someone suddenly appear at her side, her eyes darting in mute surprise at the imposing figure of Rokoru Ishiara, staring down Kirigakure with what could only be described as cold fury. She was intently aware that he was essentially standing between her and the rival archer, almost as if he was protecting her from his influence, despite saying nothing to suggest it. Perhaps, in normal circumstances Saya would find the concept to be appealing, particularly since Rokoru-senpai cared enough to help her out in the first place, but the purely volatile energy that radiated from the two men was enough to convince her that this was a very bad situation. "U-Umm..." Saya coughed somewhat pathetically, trying to steel her frayed nerves and resolve the situation before it quickly spiralled out of control. "I don't think that's a good idea, K-Kirigakure-san. I think you should just go..."

Letting out a shaky breath, her attention then turned to Rokoru, who still appeared to be facing Akira with an all-too-eager desire to get into a violent confrontation with the fellow senior. "Senpai?" Her voice was quiet but unusually steady as she tried to break his concentration away from the other male. "We should get going too, right?"

Akira Kirigakure - Warakuma High - Archery Range

Just as he turned to leave, Rokoru came out of nowhere to stand in front of the girl and glare at him. Akira couldn't help but laugh again. "Your reactions are honestly too much." Glancing at Rokoru, "Took you long enough to show yourself. It's quite rude to leave a girl hanging, ya know? Better be careful you don't continue to lose anymore points. Lost enough today as it is."

As the confused and nervous finally spoke up and responded, Akira raised his hand. "Have no fear, only a joke. But by looking at His face, it seems that it went better than expected. It's been fun." With a smirk, he finally leaves and heads towards the vending machine.

Akane Hanazawa - Warakuma High - Anime/Manga Club Room

As she wrapped up what she was saying, Teiji, who was patiently listening, asked her a question as he started to draw himself. "Does anyone ask me to draw for them, eh? There has been a few, however, most of them have already graduated and the others don't even go to this school, though, they always asked me to draw some really boring things."[/b] Picking back up her pen, she began working on the last panel of the page.

Toma Tanaka - Warakuma Streets

The first thing that went through Toma's mind is that it seemed that there was at least a little truth to the stories he had heard of this girl.

Or maybe she was just having a bad day. Or maybe he had gone about introducing himself wrong, thanks to having gotten used to meeting exceptionally friendly people like Kotori and Aiko.

Being this close to her, he could clearly see how put-together she was. Her clothing was tidy and clean and she wore a fancy-smelling perfume. Even the way she carried her bags seemed sophisticated. Meanwhile, he looked like he had just walked through a car wash.

Maybe he hadn't thought this through all the way.

She spoke to him with a practiced politeness -- a politeness that was no where near as genuine as Kotori's. Leiko clearly wanted nothing to do with him, and Toma was certain that she was intentionally trying to convey that fact. He gave the smallest of sighs as she continued.

And then she dropped the thinly-veiled insult, causing Toma to raise an eyebrow and give a small laugh. "Do I really look that out of place? That's unfortunate, but I guess that's what happens when I don't spend every waking moment worrying about my appearance," he said, meeting Leiko's stare with a confident and ever-so-slightly smug grin. A moment passed before he averted his gaze and sighed again, more audibly this time, deciding that being stupid and confrontational would get him nowhere.

"I thought it'd be nice if I offered you a hand with all the stuff you're carrying, seeing as we go to the same school and all," he said tiredly, looking back towards the girl. "But if I'm just bothering you, let me know and I'll piss off."

Noboru

Noboru thought about the offer. He was indeed hungry, and any lie he could conjure up was betrayed by the rumbling in his stomach. Against his better judgement about what he should have done, he took up the offer.

"Sure. I'm a little bit hungry. Are you up for it Kotori? Wouldn't be fun if all of us weren't there."

He looked at the note once more, disgusted with the tone, knowing now that she had been the one to cause all the trouble in the first place. He was confused with the animosity she was showing towards him now. Just a few days ago, she was being nice. It could have easily been a ruse, but it was such a sincere gesture, under the evil gaze of Overlord Aiko. She had everything to lose, as Aiko was the favorite of their parents. He shook his head at the thoughts, not wanting to get too confused about the whole situation. Crumpling up the paper and tossing it aside, he perked up.

"Guess i'm ready to go then."

Akari-Yamamoto Houshold

Akari opened the door into her house. She was tired and wanted to kick back. Walking up to her room, she passed by Aiko's room. It seemed as if he was a throwing some sort of tantrum. She could already guess what it was for, as their parents had told her about it too. She walked up to his door and rapped on it.

"Hey you little shit! Knock it off in there! I wanna relax and it isn't gonna help if you throw something through the wall into my room."

Stepping into her room, she slipped out of her clothes into something more relaxing, and kicked back in her chair.

Rokoru Ishiara // Warakuma High, Archery Range

Akira commented on Rokoru’s expressions, getting a laugh out of how serious he was about it, and further going on about how he was losing cool fast. Typical stuff that didn’t even get a notch into Rokoru’s steel stance, keeping both her away from him and him away from her. It frustrated him a lot that this prick wouldn’t just leave the members of the archery team—let alone the club—for good, and instead staying around pretty much just to torment and show off to everyone.

Ueno spoke up shortly after, suggesting that he should leave right away, and Rokoru shot her a glance of approval. Akira coolly shrugged off the nervous feeling of the girl’s voice and stated that the whole thing was just a joke. A really, really fucked up joke, that’s for sure. With little more than that, Akira turned away from them and headed off towards the main building. Rokoru let his body relax as he walked off, before Ueno said the same to him. “We should get going too, right?” He sighed loudly and elongatedly, as if to vent off the frustration in him. Going to the range ended up being the exact opposite of calming.

“Look,” Rokoru started, though he felt awkward talking to her in such a downcast tone. “Don’t try to get into my battles. What would have happened if he beat the shit out of you? I would be responsible.” The idea of such a girl in a fight against one of Warakuma High’s Most Wanted riled him up a bit, though he remained composure to save face. “I should probably get going,” He adjusted his jacket to be straighter before taking a few steps away from the girl. The situation had been grim in its entirety, but he had to admit to himself that protecting Ueno had been a bit… pleasing. If she realized the half-smile on his lips were related to that, he could use his position of president as a scapegoat to keep his guilty pleasures secret.

He slipped his hands back into his coat pockets and stared at Ueno for a bit, contemplating why she even wanted to join the club. She didn’t seem like she particularly enjoyed it, but then again, it wasn’t like he could judge character well anyway. Maybe she was really excited to poorly shoot those arrows. Maybe she just did it to get out of comfort zone and try something new. The possibilities were endless, and Rokoru could never come up with good guesses, so he pushed the thought train out of his head and averted his gaze from the underclassman. He felt awkward in his own skin as he waited for something from Ueno before heading off. Part of him hoped that she would suggest they go somewhere so that he could not go home, and part of him wished she would just leave and let him fester in his malice and pent-up frustrations.