Leiko Hamada: Warakuma Streets

Leiko stared at Tanaka in slight disbelief as he laughed in response to her question, a subtle insult of his own rolling off his tongue as he met her with a show of bravado and a smug grin. It was slightly jarring; after all, despite how snobby Leiko must have sounded, it had been a genuine concern upon looking at the boy. He was completely out of place from the more affluent people in Warakuma, and after mentioning he had only lived here for a week, for someone like Leiko, that was a natural assumption. However, he had taken her the wrong way, and instead made a passing remark on her vanity.

Leiko felt her lips twitch slightly at that. "Well, as they say, 'appearances are everything,' hmm?" She drawled, leaving the barbed conversation at that as she turned to carry on her way.

"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," Her senior's next words were enough to make her stop and look at him again with a perplexed frown. First he had stopped her out of nowhere, then they were throwing passive-aggressive comments at each other, and now this? He actually wanted to help her? She lingered hesitantly on the spot, noting how the bag handles were rubbing sore red welts in her palms. It would be nice to take him up on his offer, but wouldn't that mean she would have to keep up a decent conversation with him? She wasn't entirely thrilled about the idea; after all, it was already fairly noticeable that Leiko's intrinsically stuck-up attitude was rubbing him the wrong way.

Leiko sighed, weighing down the possibilities in her head, before deciding that she could at least leave things at an amicable state with her senior. "It's not so much as a bother. I was merely trying to understand what you wanted," she explained with a shrug of her shoulders. "You are new in this town, and I assumed you were lost. I would have helped you if that was the case, but you've made it abundantly clear that it's not," she said with a wry smile. "Perhaps I came across as a bit curt? Trust me, you wouldn't be the first." She frowned slightly as she looked ahead at the darkening streets. "I really don't need any help with my bags...but I wouldn't be averse to it, if you're offering."

---

Saya Ueno: Warakuma High- Archery Range

"It's been fun."

With that final cocky remark, Akira Kirigakure turned heel and left the range.

A long sigh of relief expelled from Saya's lungs as soon as he closed the door behind him, her knees still wobbling slightly from the nerves that had taken hold during her confrontation with Kirigakure. She couldn't believe that she had just done something so reckless. Saya was the last person who got into fights and such, and there she was, mouthing off to one the most dangerous students in Warakuma High. Still, the impulse had been impossible to resist. Seeing the way that Kirigakure was talking down to Rokoru-senpai and publicly shaming him in front of his club members was enough to awaken something visceral within Saya, and she couldn't help but do something about it. Heh. Perhaps Hama-chan's confidence is rubbing off on me a little...

"Look.." Rokoru's voice suddenly brought Saya out of her stupor, her heart clenching with dread as she noted the serious tone in his voice. This was only going to get worse. She stared at the floor silently as she allowed Rokoru-senpai to lecture her on her actions, warning her that getting hurt by Kirigakure had been very much a possibility. It was a really stupid thing to do the more she thought about it, even though that Kirigakure guy had promised her that he hurting her wasn't his intention. She felt herself sink even further into despair as Rokoru reminded her that if she had gotten hurt, then he would be responsible. Of course, as the Archery Club President, it would have looked really bad if the members of his club started fighting in the very first week, but she hadn't even considered that far ahead. All she wanted to do was help him somehow, and it had almost backfired dramatically.

I'm such an inconvenience, Saya thought sullenly as Rokoru shot her a strange half-smile before making his way for the door himself, announcing that he needed to get going. Why couldn't she do anything right? "Umm..." Saya played with the fabric of her sleeve as she started making her heartfelt apology. "You're right, Senpai. I'm sorry. I wasn't...really thinking. I didn't mean to trouble you." She looked up at him then, a wafer-thin smile on her lips as she tried vainly not to show just how badly she felt about the whole situation. "I'll see you at practice next week, yeah?"

Inoue joined up shortly with the shy girl that stood at a bit of a distance from them, giving a bow as her name got mentioned. Alexei was simply floored with the grace she showed, he had always hoped to get Ektrina be like the girl, maybe he could get some tips observing the girl from a safe distance. Points on body language, politeness, conduct etc. He quickly looked up from Noboru towards the girl and introduced himself.

"Hello! Kotori-san, I'm Alexei Dragunov and he is Sagat Shrichapan" he said pointing towards Sagat who for the second time was tongue tied.

"And before you ask, yes we aren't from around this place. We're both in Inoue-san's class. It is nice to meet you." he said with a polite bow, not as elaborate but still a bit surprising for his size and build.

Noboru soon agreed to join them on Inoue's offer and Sagat let out a mock grunt. Though he just followed it with a stupid grin and rubbing the back of his head.

"You both are very much welcome." he said with a start before going all rigid again. A smile crossed Alexei's face as he witnessed his friend's misadventure. He decided to get to know the girl a bit better. "So, Kotori-chan! if you don't mind me asking what do you busy yourself with?" he asked in a polite tone before letting out a general information to the two juniors.

"Just so you both know, if you need any utility work done at your place whether it be plumbing or restructuring or bricklaying. Let me know."

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School Grounds

Following Inoue's brief introduction of her, Kotori felt the attention shift to her - something she'd never been very good with. Fortunately, rather than let another silence fall like before with Inoue, the tallest of the three males students - Alexei, as he introduced himsellf with his full name as well as his friend, Sagat - spoke up. Truth be told, it would have been hard to notice that they clearly weren't of Japanese descent; at least not entirely - though Kotori was hardly one to ask such a thing. Instead, she was far more surprised at when Alexei followed his words with a polite bow of his own given that he gave a far more gruff feeling based on his appearance to care for such things.

Kotori quickly followed suit, giving a quick bow in return before formally introducing herself, too. "I'm Kotori Shirohane from Class 2-2. Nice to meet you all too," she said before straightening herself again. Thankfully, the attention soon shifted away from her again as Inoue passed on the offer of a meal over to Noboru - who decided to accept it. This. in turn, made Sagat - who'd remained both silent and unmoving up until then - speak up, if only briefly; perhaps similarly unkeen on being the center of attention much like herself. "Thank you, Shrichapan-senpai," Kotori said in her ever quiet voice, giving a small bow as she did - whilst having silently pronounced his name a few times in her mind to make sure she wouldn't stumble over her own tongue as she said it.

Kotori blinked through her glasses in surprise when Alexei thereafter addressed her directly; not having expected as much as he then asked her what it was that she did in her free time - perhaps for the same reason that Inoue had spoken to her, the hope of gaining a new club member? Rather than extend an invitation, however, he then instead offered up his services, it seemed, in utility work - likely being his own part time occupation - to both Noboru and her; a field of work for which he certainly seemed cut out for given his build - something that really could be said for all three of the boys.

"I mostly study or help out at home. My family runs a flowerstore," Kotori said, answering Alexei's question from before. Given that both Sagat and Alexei weren't from Warakuma, they likely hadn't been around the Shopping District much she guessed - and they didn't quite look the type that would be very interested in flowers of all things. As such, Kotori left it at that - even though her mother always was insisting that she should tell her friends at school to come by.

Teiji Ishihara- Anime/Manga club room
Teiji nodded to show he was listening, so according to what she said, very rarely do they get asked to draw thing, and when they did it was a boring thing to work on. So truthfully this club was mainly used just for the members to have fun he assumed. Not that it was wrong, so far it seemed like they were pretty accepting of what their members decided to draw and what they chose not to draw. Yet he was curious as to what they asked her to make that could have been stale enough to make her, someone who loved most genres bored. "What did they ask you to draw? Self portraits or something?"

Rokoru Ishiara // Warakuma High, Archery Range

The Ueno girl seemed upset due to his words, but it hardly bothered him. The expected happened, to him. She fiddled with the strings of her uniform as she gave her apology with a weak smile. It was an innocent way to hide her guilt, but it worked, for Rokoru ignored the fact that she felt bad for causing such a confrontation. “I’ll see you at practice next week, yeah?”, she said after. Rokoru merely nodded in confirmation. He was always going to be at practice so it wasn’t like she wouldn’t; nobody would ever not see him at practice if they themselves went.

Rokoru gave the girl a wave good-bye before turning on his heel and walking briskly away. It was then that he realized it; he was beginning to associate Ueno with Akira. An unfortunate thing, really. He considered her a good candidate for a friend of sorts, but there was no way he could keep his mind in good faith around her if she reminded him of Akira. The idea of teaching her archery faded out of his thoughts almost as quickly as it came. Someone else can deal with it, someone with a little more patience and a little less associations.

As soon as he couldn’t see anyone anymore, he whipped out the phone in his pocket and checked the numerous missed calls he received. It had been on mute the entire day and Rokoru tended to forget about its existence if it didn’t ring or anything, much to the dismay of others. A majority of the calls were from Mika in the timespan of ten minutes, while a few others were from his concerned mother. The phone lit up again after a few long moments, signifying a call incoming. A bit surprised by the suddenness of it, Rokoru focused his attention back to the actual phone screen. Moriyama read the text above the incoming address. A faint smile later and he answered the call.

---

Sato Hashimoto // Warakuma High, Sport Club Storage Room #2

The door to the equipment room stopped half way, as it sometimes did. Sato put his elbow against the side and forced it open with a sickening grinding-wood sound. The screech alerted the girl inside, tearing her away from her phone. She shot him a short glance and returned to reading something without much more. Sato knocked on the wood in a joking manner before entering the room and idly searching a few boxes for nothing. “We really need to clean this place.” Sato said in a soft voice, unsure of what else to say. It was common practice to go to equipment room to be alone or get some quiet, and typically there was a reason behind doing so. He looked over at Mika, studying how her features portrayed melancholy.

Sato walked over to the broad windowsill at which Mika sat and placed himself on the opposite end of it. He rested his head against the wall behind him, faced out the window. It was getting pretty late for students to be still at school outside of practice. The main building remained eerily quiet except for the occasional stragglers and the teachers hurrying about to get work done. People littered the field, members of the club that occupied the area earlier lingering for possibly no reason. It was a nice thing to look it accompanied by silence, albeit an awkward kind.

An irritated sigh from Mika pierced the quietness, and Sato turned to face her once again. She put her phone down by her feet and looked at him as she wrapped her arms around her knees. “Do you know what’s up with Rokoru?” She said it like the set-up to a joke. Sato lowered his brow. He really didn’t, and he felt bad for not knowing.

“No,” He said quietly, subconsciously suppressing his voice due to the tense air in the room.

Mika bit her bottom lip for a second. “He says his family might be moving to Tokyo. His dad got a job offer, and apparently it’s way better than the one he currently has.” And that was the punchline. She averted her gaze after delivering the news, but Sato kept his focus on her.

“That sucks.” Sato finally broke his stare when she frowned at his words, turning his head back to the sparse field. It was evidently not what she wanted to hear at the moment due to the obvious nonchalance in his tone. He hadn’t really known Rokoru for that long, and even then they hadn’t exactly hit it off well. They were just co-workers in a company of friends. Mika had probably known the boy for her entirety of her school life, feeling betrayed that he would leave on their last year of highschool when they had spent the other eleven years together in Warakuma.

The silence from before returned without warning, bringing with it even more awkwardness. He was unwanted company and he felt it. Though he tried to think of something to say to comfort her or change the subject, nothing came to mind and he just sat there uncomfortably on the cold hard wood of the windowsill. There was no point to being there anymore, he decided. In fact, he had probably been a detriment, having shown his lack of understanding and sympathy. So, without a word, he rose from his seat, Mika locking eyes with him for a second until he walked over to the door, though he stopped before leaving.

“I’m sorry I don’t know what to say. I wouldn’t know what this feels like.” Sato said, pronouncing every word carefully. He didn’t wait for a reply, however, and left the room, starting down towards the stairwells that lead to the main exit. A strange shitty feeling consumed his thoughts as he went descended down the staircase, having walked in on her feeling even shittier than himself and then walking off with nothing more than a “That sucks” and a “Sorry”. He justified himself but reasoning that didn’t know, and some how, that cleared his conscious, and he managed to walk home without thinking.

Toma Tanaka - Warakuma Streets

Toma couldn't completely stop his eyes from widening when Hamada accepted his help -- he had fully been expecting her to either ignore him or tear him to pieces. Instead, she explained why she had asked him if he was lost. And he really did look awful, so he couldn't very well fault her logic. He had spoken to her to see what she was actually like, instead of blindly believing the stories he had been told, but had unintentionally let those stories affect his first impression of her by automatically taking her words as an insult, completely defeating the purpose of talking to her in the first place.

Minute embarrassment flashed across his face as he scolded himself for his quick assumptions and stupid insult.

"I'm, uh, sorry. I'm not usually like this," he said, referring to both his appearance and more subtly his less-than-stellar attitude so far. "I've just... had a long day, I guess." It was a weak excuse, but at least she'd know he was apologetic.

He held out his hands, ready to accept any bags she decided to offload onto him, replacing his slight frown with a small smile which, despite his best efforts, came out a little sheepish. "Feel free to dump as much stuff on me as you'd like -- you'd never know it just by looking at me, but I happen to love menial labour."

Perhaps he'd be able to fix up her first impression of him yet. He'd certainly try his best to do so.

Abandoned Building
10/4/2015

"Why yes, there are all kinds of shadows", Kazuki responded, quite quickly no less. It was an easy question.

"Some will have different weaknesses, some will just be outright stronger than others, and so on, but me and Megami are here to assist you all", he assured. As he finished his sentence, he heard the doors swing open after a brief click from the keys. Sachiko exclaimed he was late, by quite awhile too...

"I don't want to explain myself again... One of your friends here will explain what we're about to do, so take a weapon from the table... Oh and don't forget to close the door behind you", Kazuki did not sound pleased at all. After a few brief moments and Kami finally caught his breath and such and such, the group followed Kazuki and Megami through and into the mirror world.

Mirror World - Wayward River
10/4/2015

Upon entering they arrived to the usual place, but Kazuki beckoned them to keep following, until they reached a very... Beautiful river, hauntingly so. It had a dark atmosphere yet was littered with the most beautiful and lush trees and flowers. No animals to be sure, not even shadows right now, Kazuki soon explained this was a kind of safe area.

"This is a dungeon. Entrances are usually safe normally... Explore it a bit. If you get lost, ask Megami here", the group kind of looked to the two as if they were crazy. They didn't have communication devices... How can they ask her? In a few moments, a Persona appeared behind her.

"Me and Cliodhna can speak with everyone telepathically, so don't worry... Besides, this dungeon has been explored by us already, so there shouldn't be anything unexpected", everyone heard this voice in their minds... It was definitely her, but it had an unearthly ring to it. Nothing for it though, as the party walked forth and into the dungeon.

---

"Kazuki and I have hidden a treasure chest somewhere on this floor, please find it as a group. Once you do, please make your way back to the entrance. While we have already explored this dungeon, there'll still be shadows, as they spawn inside of dungeons, so we cannot get rid of them", Megami's voice was nice and clear, they were pretty far from her already, having walked a good way into the dungeon. It was featured as a forest, and occasionally there'd be a bridge to cross the river that sped alongside the rest of the dungeon. From the corner of everyone's eyes they could already see the shadows she had mentioned... None of the tongue things, but there were some kind of blobs, fairy-looking types, some had little sprouts on their heads...

"I already sense shadows... Be careful, they may be weak, but they are still dangerous, good luck".

Alexei

As Kotori answered his query rather politely both Inoue and he exclaimed almost simultaneously "Wow! Really!!" they almost said it in unison. Sharing a look Inoue let out a giggle as Alexei motioned her to speak first.

"I had a hunch but this is bang on. It rather suits you as well. Surely the sales would be really good with you around." Inoue said with a bit of admiration in her voice. Before being cut by Sagat, "Umm...Inoue-san that's a bit blunt and rude to say like that." Inoue just gave an embarrassed look to Sagat at this and bowed in apology.

Alexei, sensing that Inoue was mostly through with her part added. "I know his maybe sudden Shirohane-san since we just met. But does knowing you or being a regular customer earn a bit of discount. Actually both the girls in my family really love flowers and getting them a good Ikebana bouquet everyday messes my budget a bit." he said rubbing the back of his head as a bit of embarrassment was evident in his tone. Well admitting to a junior that you don't handle cash well was quite damaging to your reputation.

He recovered quickly though "We should get going, I'll be late for my shift otherwise. We can chat on the way if that's fine by you both."

Saya Ueno: Warakuma High- Archery Range

The senior seemed to accept Saya's apology, and said little more as he gave her a wave before leaving the room.

As soon as he did, Saya felt her legs go numb, to the point that she had to find a seat just to collect her composure for a moment. There was an old box coated with dust by the corner, so she settled for that. Wrinkling her nose slightly, she wiped the dust away with a sweep of her palm, before letting herself sit lightly on top. Her head was still spinning from the events of the past hour. It had started so innocuously, with Rokoru-senpai offering his help with her Archery skills (an offer she was starting to regret refusing), and then the sudden competition between him and Kirigakure that had sprung out of nowhere and left the club reeling in a state of shock. She still couldn't believe that Rokoru-senpai had lost in the way that he did. There had to be a reason somehow!

Her thoughts wandered then, to the other senior that she had chosen to confront. Akira Kirigakure. From the get-go, she was told that he was a bad person. He was violent, he was sarcastic, and he was outright mean. The way he had spoken to Rokoru-senpai at least exposed the two latter sentiments. However, when he was actually talking to her, he seemed kind of...warm. A bit mischievous and most definitely forward, but he didn't seem like the guy that she had heard so many bad things about. Was he really just that good at hiding his bad side? Or was there something more to him?

"Ugh..." Saya rubbed her temples as she felt her head ache slightly. Perhaps she was overthinking things. The important thing was that Rokoru-senpai and Kirigakure didn't break into a fight right in front of her. That would have been disastrous. Still... Saya felt a guilty smile appear on her lips as she remembered the way Rokoru had appeared out of nowhere to protect her, standing with such confidence and determination as he warded Kirigakure away from her. She had been so caught up in the direness of the situation that she hadn't even thought about it much, but now that she did...

It doesn't matter if he did it because he's the President, Saya thought to herself, her smile growing even brighter. When it mattered...when I was in trouble, he was there. He protected me.

There was no doubt now. Rokoru Ishiara was the one for her. And if she tried hard enough, she could be the one for him too.

Dusting herself off the slightly squashed box (in which she seriously hoped contained nothing important), Saya let out a quiet sneeze as the dust tickled her nose, before shaking her head with a sniffle. She really needed to get home now.

As she started to make her way out of the room, she withdrew her phone out of her pocket with a glint in her eyes. Hama-chan wouldn't hear the end of this tonight.

---

Leiko Hamada: Warakuma Streets

The boy looked sheepish as Leiko finished her explanation, stammering out some kind of excuse for his behaviour before offering his services with an outstretch of his hands. Leiko couldn't help but barely conceal a smile. It wasn't often that people took her attitude in stride, and even less would actually apologise without making a quick exit. "Very well. You may carry this and this," she instructed, her tone somewhat nonchalant as she handed him practically all of her bags, with the exception of one, which also happened to be the lightest. "Shall we?" She asked with a light smirk, and they soon fell in step as they headed to Leiko's home.

Of course, now came the end of the bargain that appealed to Leiko less. The means of starting a conversation with this stranger. Leiko wasn't exactly the best at small talk; after all, until a few years ago, she never had to bother. She preferred conversations that held purpose and were straight to the point. But the young man was carrying her bags at the moment, so the least she could do was indulge him. "So what brings you to our quaint little town of Warakuma?" She asked inquistively, fixing Tanaka with a searching look. She was actually a little curious; after all, there really wasn't all that much to do in the town, and there was a suspicious amount of new people transferring here these days. "Was it the nature? The run down amusement park? The delinquent cults?"

Toma Tanaka - Warakuma Streets

Toma accepted all of Hamada's bag without a single complaint, mainly because, if anything, he liked the extra weight. It made him work harder. With all the energy he had been spending today, it was a possibility that he'd pass out sooner than he usually did, meaning he'd get extra sleep.

Hamada prompted them to start moving. Toma couldn't help but feel like he was sort of being made fun of, judging by the girl's mannerisms, but he didn't pay the thought much mind, instead happy to just be out-and-about with something to do. Besides, there seemed to be no malice behind her actions -- Toma felt that that was just the way she was. Sort of like how he spoke with his tired cheeriness and always threw in stupid, noncommittal phrases like 'I guess' at the end of every sentence. It was simply what they did, without realizing or thinking about it.

As they were walking, the girl spoke up, asking him why he had moved. It was a standard enough question, one he had been asked a dozen times in the past few days. Every time, he had given his default answer: his father's work. He'd then steer the conversation away from the topic as best he could. While it wasn't completely an outright lie, it was very far from the truth.

He almost reflexively gave this answer, but stopped himself short. He wasn't entirely sure why - maybe he still felt bad about insulting her, or maybe he just felt like talking - but he decided to give the girl a decent response.

"You'd be better off asking my parents -- they were the ones who decided to move," he began. "My father insisted that moving here would help him out with his job, but he works from home, and deals with all his clients over the internet, so I don't know what he was talking about. My best guess is that he and my mother just wanted a change of scenery. They were both born and raised in Osaka, so maybe they finally got tired of all the hustle-and-bustle of big cities."

He shrugged and looked away, worried that he was rambling on too much, but decided to finish his train of thought. "I wasn't thrilled to move at first, but I think it's done me some good. Warakuma, at the very least, fits my... 'pace' better, I guess. In Osaka, everyone's always speed walking everywhere, looking all busy-like. Here, people seem to enjoy just strolling around. It's nice," he finished with a smile. What he had said still wasn't entirely truthful, but it was a lot closer.

"But what's this about cults?" he asked, amused. "I've heard about all the kids acting up, but I thought the cases were unrelated. I sort of just figured it was stupid people acting stupid."

Leiko Hamada: Warakuma Streets

Leiko made noncommital nods and murmurs of assent as Tanaka explained his reasons for moving to Warakuma, his answer appearing fairly straightforward despite the vague way in which he phrased it. Basically, it had been his parents decision to uproot from Osaka, and he was obviously expected to follow suit, despite not really understanding the reasons why. He seemed to trail on the subject for a bit longer than what was necessary, but Leiko didn't mind in the slightest. In fact, she rather preferred people who could hold up a conversation well as it simply meant that she could avoid having to talk too much herself. It was one of the likely reasons why a motormouth like Saya happened to be one of her closest friends.

Expectedly, his attention drew to the last thing Leiko mentioned about cults, his sentiments about the subject appearing not too far from her own. "Oh, I very much agree with you," Leiko nodded with a roll of her eyes. "In all honesty, people are blowing up the situation far more than they really need to. Warakuma's always been a fairly peaceful town, you see, so the sudden surge in delinquent activity is drawing quite a bit of attention." Her eyebrows knitted together as she cocked her head slightly in thought. "I heard there is kind of a pattern between them. Some kind of phrase or something? Either way, it's really nothing to be concerned about. The media are merely giving these people more publicity than they deserve," she sniffed with a hint of indignation.

As they walked closer to her house, Leiko spared a glance at her senior for a moment, her expression creasing into a frown as she noticed the dark shadows under his eyes. "You don't sleep well at all, do you?" She said bluntly, her tone disapproving as her gaze swept up and down his appearance once more. "Tch. No wonder you look so awful." She tutted to herself before reaching over and rummaging for something in one of her bags. "Ahh, here it is." She retrieved a packet of tea leaves before stuffing it into the boy's pocket, the look in her eyes warranting no room for complaint. "It's a particular brand of chamomile tea. It helps me when I find it difficult to sleep," she explained with a simple shrug of her shoulders. "Think of it as your...reward."

She stopped abruptly by the corner of the road and turned to him expectantly. "We can part ways here. I'd prefer that my parents didn't see me walk home with someone like you, or things will become quite uncomfortable."

Akane Hanazawa - Warakuma High - Anime/Manga Club Room

With a sigh, she stopped drawing. "Yea kind of things like that. Along with cutesy-romantic crap, for 'lovers' trying to impress their boy friend or girl friend, far too many of those kinds of requests, there was some people that requested quite revolting things that I'd rather not say. I only take requests from people if the subject is interesting enough." Pausing, Akane dipped her pen in the ink. Starting to draw again, she resumed talking.

"That said, we draw for ourselves not for others. Well, in the sense that we don't really do requests. We draw whatever we want to. It was just some of my senpai did because they were too nice to turn down a request, despite how they acted. Though, there was only a few of us that actually drew manga. This is the Anime and Manga club, after all. The others spent their time reading or watching something, though, occasionally, they assisted us."

Toma Tanaka - Warakuma Streets

Toma couldn't help but give a small laugh at Hamada's offended little huff after she spoke about all the attention the strange teens were getting. He looked over at her out of the corner of his eye, pausing long enough to note that she looked pretty cute when she was annoyed -- at least, when her annoyance wasn't directed at him. "Probably because there isn't much else to report on," he said, mainly to keep the conversation going.

The girl then looked over at him, prompting his eyes to quickly dart away, focusing back on the street ahead.

"You don't sleep well at all, do you?" she asked, causing Toma's brows to move up in surprise. "Tch. No wonder you look so awful." He gave an embarrassed smile at this, not entirely certain of what to say. She turned to look through her bag, pulling out something and moving her hand towards him. He simply stared dumbly at her hand as she did so, unsure about what she was doing or what she held. Before he could identify the object, she stuffed it into his open jacket pocket, taking him by surprise again.

Toma looked up at her with an innocent, questioning look. She quickly answered, explaining that it was a kind of tea that helped her when she was having trouble sleeping.

"Think of it as your...reward," she said.

A small, but bright, smile spread across his lips. "Thanks. I'll give it a try tonight."

Hamada then stopped suddenly, and in his state, Toma didn't even notice until she spoke.

"We can part ways here. I'd prefer that my parents didn't see me walk home with someone like you, or things will become quite uncomfortable."

'Someone like you.' Ouch. While Toma had already accepted that she probably didn't mean any harm, and despite the fact that he kind of agreed with her, her comments still stung a bit. Though he could appreciate her blunt honesty. There weren't many people like that. Probably for good reason. But it made her interesting and fun to talk to.

"Oh, um, yeah, sure," he said, his smile wavering for only an instant. He stepped up towards her and carefully handed her back her bags. "I guess your place isn't much farther, but take care the rest of the way, mm?" He gave her a lazy salute as he turned away. "I'll see you around."

He shoved his hands into his pockets, to get them out of the cool air, as he inspected his surroundings and backtracked. His right hand fingered the tea packet.

Toma thought about the interaction, and realized something strange. She had so nonchalantly given the tea packet to him, like it hadn't meant anything, but she had noticed his lack of sleep. And she had correctly assumed that it wasn't a one time thing. That it was a perpetual, daily issue of his.

And it had apparently concerned her enough to motivate her to offer him some help. Despite the fact that they had only just met and had had a rocky start.

Slightly dumbfounded, he looked over his shoulder, though Hamada was of course out of sight by now. A second passed, and the boy continued on his way.

She definitely wasn't as bad as what he had been told.

Leiko Hamada: Warakuma Streets- Hamada Residence

Tanaka gave her a shaky smile as he returned her bags, Leiko's expression flickering into a brief scowl at the dead weight on her arms. Well, at least her house was only around the corner from where she stood. The young man had helped her most of the way, and surprisingly enough, he held up a decent enough conversation to keep her interested, so overall, the experience hadn't been at all unpleasant.

The senior gave her a sort of mock salute (a silly gesture that made Leiko smirk slightly despite herself), before he left on his way as well. Leiko gave his retreating form a polite wave before turning the opposite direction back to her estate. What she had said regarding her parents wasn't entirely true; Leiko's father was away on business at the moment, and it would be an accomplishment if her mother did notice anything at all. Still, she didn't trust that housekeeper to spot her with a boy and start making nasty, unnecessary rumours. Leiko had far more important things to do than be scolded over nothing.

Eventually, she reached her doorstep, sliding her key into the lock before stepping inside, allowing her bags to land on the wooden panelling with a soft thud. She stretched her tender arms, recalling what Saya had been nagging her about a few weeks back. Drama isn't enough to keep you fit, Hama-chan! You need to start exercising more or you'll grow up fat and lazy! Saya's words of 'wisdom' echoed in her head, as Leiko rubbed her forehead with a tired sigh. She wasn't at all athletic, but she supposed it wouldn't hurt to get into some kind of workout regime. Eventually.

A clattering noise in the kitchen drew Leiko's attention, her lips thinning instantly as she gathered her bags and made an impressive sprint up the stairs. She did not have the patience, nor the drive to deal with her mother right now. Entering her large bedroom swiftly, and closing the door behind without a moment's haste, Leiko propped her bags in a pile by her wardrobe before sinking down onto her feathery mattress. She was surprisingly tired after doing what could only be classified as a whole lot of nothing. Still...that boy she had just met gave 'tired' a whole new meaning. She wondered briefly why he had such trouble sleeping, but it was neither her business, nor interest to know. As long as he stepped up and started doing something about it, starting with the tea suggestion that Leiko had given him.

Leiko rolled to her side, allowing her eyes to flicker shut for a moment as her fatigue started taking hold. Well...he certainly needed those tea leaves more than she did right now...

Ring Ring! Ring Ring!

"Hmm?" Leiko sounded groggy as she raised her head back from the pillow eyeing her phone grumpily as she snatched it out of her bag. "Hello? H-Hamada speaking." Her polite words fragmented into a yawn, despite her best efforts.

"Hama-chan! You finally picked up, geez!" Saya's impatient, annoyed voice echoed from the other end of the line, causing Leiko's eyebrow to raise slightly. "I've been calling for like five minutes! Did shopping really wear you out that much?" There was a tinge of envy in Saya's tone, and just as Leiko was about to make a snappy retort regarding the matter, she was interrupted again. "Anyway, that doesn't matter right now!" Wait, something mattered more than shopping to Saya? Now Leiko was interested, settling herself into a comfortable sitting position on the bed as she listened with a degree of interest. "You won't believe what happened in Archery Club today!"

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School Grounds

Kotori nearly jumped - not for the first time that day - when Alexei and Inoue exclaimed in near-perfect synchronicity at her answer. Looking a little confused between the two, Inoue went first - causing Kotori to avoid looking them in the eyes out of embarassement as she said that it both fit her well and was most likely helping the sales; even if Kotori couldn't help but feel that someone more forward such as Inoue herself would be a lot better in the task. Sagat then spoke up - causing Inoue in turn to apologise with a bow. "Ah, no, it's no bother," Kotori quickly said, shaking her head to emphasise that it was of no matter - only for Alexei to speak up thereafter.

His question was rather unexpected to Kotori - he certainly wasn't the first person who would come to mind when she thought of a usual customer, after all. He then went on to explain the reason for his asking - causing a small smile to form on Kotori's lips when he said that he was asking on behalf of being able to give the girls of his family - his sisters, she guessed - a bouquet each day. Alexei seemed almost embarrassed at the question - probably due to it being a little at odds with the gruff appearance he gave off - and quickly mentioned that they should get going; seeing as they had already been lingering on school ground for a while now.

Letting the three MMA Club members who knew exactly where the restaurat in question was take the lead, Kotori thought on Alexei's request for a moment - before coming to the conclusion that there probably was some way to help out with his situation. "I think it should be possible, Dragunov-senpai," Kotori said tentatively, putting a finger to her lips thoughtfully before nodding to herself - seeing as her mother had always been asking for her to bring some friends by, this was as good an opportunity as any; even if they had only just met - and she had a feeling that her mother wouldn't mind at all after hearing the same story.

"Yes, definitely. Just come by the Shirohane Flowerstore in the Shopping District when you have time," she said after a brief pause - before remembering that both Sagat and Alexei only recently had come to Warakuma, prompting her next question. "Have you been there before?" Kotori asked, seeing as there was little sense in telling someone to come by a place they didn't even know how to find - much less if they hadn't even been to the Shopping District, if that was the case.

---

"Yes, Infact my employer Mitshuro Constructions has a dealership office there. I have been around there a few times. Always eyed the shop from the outside, it had some beautiful peonies that caught my eye." Alexei said to answer Kotori. He had a mildly embarrased look on his face as he reflected back on his initial words regarding this flower business.

"I dont wanna impose on you, I mean you hardly know me for me to be asking such a favor. My apologies." he said clearing up. Sagat meanwhile was fairly bemused seeing this side of Alexei. From the amount of time they had spent with each other, he looked like a man of strangely artistic tastes whose body language conveyed the exact opposite. Inoue held a surprised expression too, she hadnt fancied him to know anything about flowers and yet he was there, talking like he knew what was what.

"I will drop by if you dont mind. What time does the shop open? Do you guys deliver on request?" he asked curious about the flowerstore that the junior ran.

---

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma Streets

Kotori nodded with a quiet "Ah" in understanding as Alexei mentioned the name of the company he worked part-time for; walking past it regularly on her way to the mall whenever she headed out from home for errands. Another small smile followed when he then mentioned having seen the store from the outside - "Ah, yes, those are coming into season right now," she confirmed - not even picking up on the discrepancy between Alexei's appearance and his knowledge of the flower's name. As he then went on to apologise for the suddenness of his question, Kotori shook her head to show that it was no bother. "It's fine, really. It must be hard looking out for your family," she said, her honest tone making clear that she really was speaking what was on her mind.

When Alexei continued, Kotori nodded at his mention of dropping by before answering his questions. "We're open from half past seven until half past six, Monday through Saturday. And yes, we do morning and evening deliveries. Both on Sundays, too," she said, realising that her mother always said these lines with such enthusiasm and a great big smile whenever she talked with a new customer compared to her quiet, matter-of-factly way of stating things - Kotori really wasn't much of a salesperson, after all.

---

As the junior replied in an earnest voice about the schedule ofthe shop run by her family, a small smile crept on Alexeis face, now he wont have to go to that shop out of town to get the flowers and that the timins were particularly conveinient for him.
"I will certainly drop by with my request soon. This is a lot of help, thank you. As for looking after my family, well I am the only one who can, so I stopped fussing about it and accepted it." Alexei told with a matter of factly tone.

"We all do our little bits to help our family, what I do is nothing special like you. The responsibility of running a family business is tough job. I know because I see how hard Sagat works." he said, drifitng a bit in his own thoughts.

---

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma Streets

At Alexei's words, Kotori gave a simple nod before he thanked her, prompting her to shake her head in turn. "It's no big matter, really," she said before he went on to talk about how he supported his family - because he could and because he had to. It seemed that, compared to her, who helped out because she could, wanted to and even liked to, even if it wasn't strictly necessary, he had it a lot rougher - yet he assumed that it was less of a task than her own. Quickly bringing a hand up to wave it off, together with a shake of her head, Kotori said "Ah, I just help out. It's not really that much." Which, indeed, was true - she really did only help out, and even that only when she wasn't at school, meaning that it was still her mother who kept the shop running; something she had been doing for the last three years. For a brief moment, Kotori's expression dimmed - before shaking her head; instead looking back up at her surroundings to make sure she'd remember where exactly they were going.

---

Noboru

Noboru looked on as the three conversed between each other. He didn't want to interrupt, they seemed as if they were having a fun time. His mind couldn't focus as he looked off, not watching where he was going. His shirt felt a little tight, stretching across his bosy. It wasn't meant for him, but it was given to him to wear, so he wore it. Deciding that he wasn't hungry anymore, Noboru slipped away, without anyone noticing, deciding to pay a small visit to someone.

---

"We're here." Sagat announced in a monotone. Their walk had been pretty uneventful barring the conversation between Alexei and Kotori. Inoue had been looking at the road blankly all this while, still recovering from her gaffe. She snapped back in reality from the announcement.

"I'll have Pork Ramen" Alexei declared before Inoue announced having the urge to eat riceballs and soup. Sagat was hungry but decided that taking bites off tye two orders was what he'll do. With this Alexei asked Kotori politely "what is it you would like to have, Shirohane-san."

He just noticed that Noboru had suddenly gone missing. No one catching his absence till they made to the restaurant. They wondered when he slipped by.

---

Kotori Shirohane - Thai Restaurant

Following the short conversation, Kotori excused herself from it for a moment, citing having to phone home as a reason - as she had yet to let her mother know that she would be back a little later than usual and wouldn't be needing dinner. Little did she notice, in the meantime, that Noboru silently snuck off - the fact that he had only coming to light when she apologised for having to make a call in the presence of others. Looking about, she couldn't see the fellow Second Year anywhere - did he perhaps have some urgent business to attend to? Seeing as she didn't know much about him, there was little point in trying to guess his reasons. Deciding to put off doing so, she instead followed the Third Years as they drew near their destination.

Entering the restaurant, it turned out to be a comfortably-sized one; a number of guests already inside ranging from a fellow student or two to other residents of Warakuma. The three MMA Club members seemed rather at ease, most likely having come here fairly often - leaving only Kotori to sheepishly follow behind them, trying not to look too out of place or draw any attention. After deciding what they'd be getting for themselves, Alexei turned to her, asking her what she wanted. Thinking on the question for a moment, Kotori decided to go with something simple. "I'll have some curry," she said - before adding "but a small one" as she looked between the three MMA Club members and herself, considering the difference in their builds.

Alexei Dragunov

The party ate their food in silence, not much to talk about since they had mostly exhausted whatever small talk they could think off. Kotori had been served a half plate of curry on her request while Alexei and Sagat had ended up devouring two plates of Fried Pork. There was a mini chopstick war on Inoue's plate as all three classmates wrestled for the only fish in the soup before Inoue's mastery shown through and she showed a triumphant grin after she chomped down the fish. Smiles were exchanged and the goofing around continued regardless of being joined by a very well-mannered junior.

"Inoue-san you have to watch your weight!" giggled Sagat as she took a piece of pork from Alexei's plate, she only rolled her eyes in response before laughing.

"On a serious note though, what do you think of today?" Alexei asked in a bit serious tone changing the mood.

"I'll think about it. Don't think you two can get away so easy. I'm sure we can find a way." Inoue replied wishfully.

"You're not getting the point Inoue-san! Fighting a Muay Thai girl or a jiu-jitsu girl won't be that bad. But training with us, sooner or later you can get seriously injured." Sagat said with a hint of concern in his voice. Forgetting that Kotori had joined their little band today and may take a wrong impression from it.

"So you are saying that I'm not good o train along you guys." Inoue said with a hint of mischief. Making a long face to sound convincing.

"You know I'm not saying that Inoue-san!" Sagat retaliated.

"This is no joking matter, Inoue-san" Alexei added in his deep voice, finishing of his plate. "It is not a boy-girl thing. Rather our weight classes and experience is rather different."

"Yeah, yeah I get it. Seriously, you guys are such party poopers." Inoue said in a light tone.

"Inoue-san, people die from foolish mistakes and you are really skirting with danger here. The last thing we want is to hinder your career or in the worst case your life. Believe me, we both are willing to help you improve but the way we have been going about is wrong." Sagat said in a serious tone. The grin vanished from Inoue's face as she observed both her classmate turn serious.

"Sorry, Kotori-chan. You maybe in the dark with all this. We should have talked about something else. Maybe we can make up for this. Do you live near the mall." Alexei asjed the girl who had been silent this whole time. Concentrating quietly on the plate before her.

"I'm gonna walk Inoue-san home and pick my bike from the office before I go to the site. Maybe you can join us if you are willing." he asked her politely.

-Kaminari, Sachiko, Rui: Abandoned Building-

As soon as he walked in, Sachiko waltz over to him with a sword in her hand. He anxiously eyed the sword as she began waving it around his face while she began questioning him on where he was. Kami nervously began backing away from the girl, stumbling around as he distanced himself away from the seemingly irritated girl. As he backed up, Kami put his hands up as a sign to her to stop waving the sharp object around while she spoke to him. He didn't want her to suddenly slice at him in sheer annoyance due to the personality shift she had thanks to her accepting her true self.

"Sachiko, calm down and put the sword down before you impaled or slice someone with that sword on accident, then I'll explain why I was here late ok?!"

He was shaking a tiny bit, as the girl wielded the sword. Just like her real personality, it was completely derived based on her feelings and emotions toward others. He was afraid that he might hurt her on accident if he said the wrong thing to her, however why was he worried? It wasn't like the girl was infatuated with him or something and was jealous of Ayano... Then again, she might be a bit irritated that Kami has been worrying about Ayano ever since he told her about who he was in love with. He quickly and quietly put that though on hold as he refocused on the two main thoughts on his mind - his duty and the truth.

Realising that she had been acting recklessly with the blade in her hand, she sheepishly lowered the weapon. But she still needed an answer. 

"Sorry. Anyway, we're waiting...."

As the girl lowered the weapon, he became less taut than before, relaxing himself. He felt that a scene was averted for now as the girl and himself began calming themselves down before they got too excited. He let out a small breath of air before he began telling the firl his reason for being so late. Hopefully she wouldn't lash out at hIm in annoyance, and quickly glanced at the sword before returning his gaze to the girl.

"Uhm, well you see... I... I decided to acompany Ayano so I could talk to her, and finally let go of the past... Before receiving a text about being here. I didn't know about it, so I contemplated on whether going with Ayano home or coming here. Took too long and I was left with one decision... Thats the whole story."

Sachiko didn't know what she was going to hear at first, but as he spoke, it just became so clear. More than being angry, it just made her laugh. Kami really was just like a love sick little puppy when it came to Ayano. After having a bit a laugh at the story, she became quite serious again.

"You need to pay way more attention to your cellphone, Kami. And while I can understand you wanting to spend more time with Ayano, I would like to think that this might be a little more important than that, okay?" She thought it was a LOT more important than pursuing some romance, no matter how deep Kami's feeling were. But she also didn't feel the need to lose her temper over it. She wasn't exactly happy about it, but for some reason it didn't piss her off.

As the two chattered, Kazuki walked over to the duo speaking to each other. He sighed in dissatisfaction at what he heard Kami say. He should of been here precisely or a few minutes late, but taking thirty minutes to talk with a friend of his? He felt that was a bit unacceptable due to the fact that he didn't give heed that this event.

Kqzuki said his word, and then gestured to the girl as he pivoted around, and traversed towards the mirror with Megumi in tow. She began talking to him about something unknown which pertained to Kami. Before anyone could hear anything else about their conversation, they disappeared into the mirror, leaving ripples behind In their wake.

In the wake of Kazuki telling them he didn't feel like explaining himself again, Sachiko took it upon herself to explain the situation to Kami. "We're pretty much going to have our first controlled taste of delving into this mysterious world we've uncovered. Kazuki and that lady over there - called Megumi - will be supporting us, but I'm pretty sure we're doing this mostly on our own. So yeah, like he said, grab a weapon and let's go."

He nodded to Sachiko, sighing while nodding to the girl. It was embarassing that it was his first day on duty, and he was already falling behind in his own way. He caused Kazuki to be disapointed by his own actions, but hey, he was being himself. Kami knew that wasn't a good reason to not do his job, and saw as nothing more as an excuse. As he neared the weapons pile, he recalled that he still had the gift Ayano gave him. He could always use that, most likely as back up for the time being if he lost his weapon. He snatched a weapon from the rack, and gestured for Rui and Sachiko to follow him.

"Come on, we don't want to keep them waitIng. We should be able to learn more about the mirror world once we get some experience. (And we can learn how to safeguard the people from entering thIs horrid, and cruel place.)"

The duo nodded, and followed after the boy into the mirror world, leaving the room with no visible occupants.

The day waned by rather quickly, making it seem almost instantaneous to the beholder. Soon night fell upon the citizens of Warakuma, shrouding them in the bleak and sabled shadows of the night. Most people headed home for the day, eager to see loved ones, and the comfort of their house. However, multiple things were happening behind the backs of many of the characters inhabiting this town. There were rumors of the cult gaining more members over the day, along with a very few people going missing. They were most likely recruited by this elusive cult which evaded the police for so long. However, there was one victim the cult was aiming for now in their endeavors.

The other secret was the group of people aiming for investigating the mirror world in secret, and saving this who were thrown in. It has unknown what their true nature is, but from the looks of it, they are benevolent from their actions of saving this thrown into the mirror world. It seems they opposed the place and its creation due to the malevolent shadows which dwellers within. They didn't have as much power as the cult in general, but it was strong enough to go against the mirror world and the oppression that it heralded. There were three new recruits today which fought for their very lives while the two veterans watched them in their training. Despite how harsh it was, they managed to grow from the experience and were becoming much more fit for the place. They were rather interested about one thing he said in particular to them, and he kept them curious by telling them to wait until the morrow. For now, the trio heads home, exhausted and beat up from their day of training, preparing themselves for whatever Kazuki had to throw at them.

((Time skip now! This is to get us moving on, so get ready guys! Sword, it seems the cult needs to, heh... Bara Noboru for a bit!

The trio didn't gain any new abilities btw, also you have Megumis number now!))

---

-Kaminari : Sutoraiki Household-

The boys eyes fluttered open, as he lied there, exhausted from the day. From what he saw, he had awoken from his slumber a bit earlier than usual, and shook the remaining dust fromnhis eyes. From what he felt, this was going to be a rather long school day, and probably one of the more tiring ones which strangled every strange ofenergy he had within the confines of his body. He pushed himself up, and yawned loudly, stretching his arms straight up in the air. He took a look around the solemn room, and grabbed his pad. Kami looks at the thing, and began scribbling down a few notes about the mirror world and the types of shadows he encountered yesterday, before putting it into his bag. He then grabbed his school clothes from the closet, and prepared himself for the day.

His sister was was surprised to see him awake ahead of her, and prepared for the day ahead. She stared, bemused and surprised at what she saw and heads to the bathroom to prep herself for the day ahead. He ignored the girl, and continued to eat his breakfast. After a few minutes, Mayu came out in her school uniform, studying Kami eat. The boy noticed her as he finished the last remaining parts of his breakfast, and set the plates down in the sink before going over to Mayu with a rather neutral and uncaring expression on his ahead.

"You know, its kinda rude to stare at your brother that way Mayu."

"And you've been acting kinda off lately oniisan, what's going on? First you join theater and wow a crowd, you come home later than usual, and your talking to Ayano-san again! Seriously, did you get over your guil gain some courage or something?"

The boy stared at the girl for a bit before chuckling to himself for a bit, before she annoyingly demanded what was so funny. Kami brushed her off just to tease her, which infuriated the girl even further. She was going to find answers one way or another, and decided to munch down her breakfast. The boy brushed his teeth in the bathroom, his eyes jutting between the mirror and the water gushing as he cleaned the food from his teeth. He then exited from the bathroom, with his sister passing by him, Mayu giving him the evil eye. Kami worried if she would try and do to procure what info he had out of him about his shift in personality, but dismissed it before reading one of his comics he stowed away in his bag.

The time quickly passed on by with the duo leaving the house, Mayu shuffling ahead of her brother to catch up with her friends. He looks onwards, and gave out a brief sigh as he continued onwards to school. Maybe he would meet Sachiko, Rui, or another one of his friends on the way to school... Heck, even a new person that he didn't know existed.

((Also, the death arcana is available again xD))

Sato Hashimoto // Hashimoto Residence
April 11 2015, SATURDAY
Early Morning

The ring slowly got louder until it was too obnoxious to ignore. Sato rolled over onto his side and reached to turn it off, only managing to do so after a few long moments of stretching his arm as far as he could. The room was filled with an utter silence except for the trace sounds of nature outside. When he felt his eyes slowly closing again, the boy flopped over to the edge of the bed, sitting up and waiting to let himself wake up more before he started his morning ritual. As he did so, he checked his phone, having only turned off the alarm the last time he looked at it. No new calls or texts besides a “I’m working late today” text from his mother. Not a big shocker, since she typically did that every other Saturday for a reason unbeknownst to Sato.

He lifted himself from his blanket-padded bed as soon as he felt alive enough to move and went through his morning routine: shower, brush teeth, eat breakfast, get everything he needs, and leave when it was time to do so. The same as every other morning. Though, he found it uncomfortable to be in his household without any other people there. Not a pet, not a parent, not a sibling. There was nothing to break the silence except for the morning news he put on to watch as he ate a bowl of rice from last night with a fried egg on top of it. No particularly interesting or relative news was covered during the short time he paid attention to it, though there was a short bit involving a phenomenon in teens lately that’s been causing cults, gangs, and the like to pop up around Warakuma.

It didn’t seem a big deal to Sato, being a city boy at heart and birth, but he could see how it was a bit concerning for such groups to be appearing in a town like Warakuma. He mulled over his plans for the rest of the day and short bits of news he had just watched as he quietly opened and closed the door, heading off to school.

---

Sato Hashimoto // Warakuma High
April 11 2015, SATURDAY
After School

Sato leaned back in his chair, waiting for the crowd of students rushing to get out to disappear before he himself left. The first full week of school was over and everybody was ecstatic to get their first weekend of the school year, even if everyone in his class had homework assigned due the next school day. Nothing could put a damper on such a relaxing moment, after all, and it showed in the entire class’s overall positive atmosphere throughout the entire last period.

He gathered his books up into a pile and slid them into his school bag before getting up and going around to take it off the small hook of the desk. There wasn’t much to do on Saturdays, since Archery had no meetings and Drama’s dress rehearsals wouldn’t be happening for a while. Having been spending time with them throughout the whole week, Sato wasn’t quite keen on hanging out with the usual group (consisting of Yuki, Mika, Rokoru and himself), and instead decided on talking to one of the other several new people he had met throughout the recent past days if he somehow saw one of them. Otherwise he would merely go home and relax in preparation of another week of school after Sunday was over.

Walking out the front entrance, Sato peered around through the crowd of students idling around or making their way through the crowd the same way as him. It was nearly impossible to distinguish a (relatively) unfamiliar face with such a dynamic cloud of people in the way. Someone would come up if they wanted to talk. Sato justified giving up the search with that reasoning, and just as he returned his eyes to his actual walking path, he saw the body directly in front of him too late to stop himself. Instead he simply collided with the person, knocking them forward a bit and recoiling himself. It didn’t take long to distinguish the victim as Rokoru, due to the “official” Archery Club jacket worn by them with dim yellow—“Archery Club yellow,” according to Rokoru and Mika— stripes running down the arms. Who made it or why, Sato had absolutely no clue, since literally nobody else had any similar articles. It honestly seemed kind of ugly to Sato but it wasn’t his place to judge others’ choices in wardrobe.

Rokoru turned around to face Sato, a look of ‘Why…?’ on his face. Sato rubbed the back of his head as he explained the reason why that just happened, and the older boy snorted a bit at the stupidity of it before continuing to walk off, though Sato awkwardly walked alongside him, letting his school bag dangle precariously from his hand. The two followed with the crowd out until the gate where people broke off from the flow to go their owns ways to home, and Sato stopped in his tracks, Rokoru stopping as well in surprise of the sudden halt in the side of his view. Sato looked at the club president. “Mika told me about your situation.” Rokoru’s eyes narrowed at the words but his typical unimpressed expression didn’t change.

“Honestly,” Sato started, voice in a very matter-of-fact tone, “you should probably just let your family move. Your father and family would be glad to have the extra cash that comes with the job.” At first, Rokoru seemed tolerant of the answer he gave that wasn’t asked for, and Sato felt a bit proud of himself for being able to help his troubled friend, but the fist that struck him straight in the jaw told him otherwise. The answer was, in fact, not a good one and the shot pushed Sato back a bit. He touched the spot where he was hit and felt his forehead crease as he wiped blood from his lip. Unsure of what to do with the blood stain on several of his fingers, Sato returned his attention back to his assailant, who had already left, walking away at a strong pace. His comment may have been a bit out-of-nowhere and possibly not the thing he wanted to here, but if Rokoru was just going to rudely fly off the handle like that when he didn’t hear what he desired to hear, then that was his problem.

He took a quick breath and wiped off as much he could of the blood on his darkly colored pant leg, the part where his jacket overlapped in particular. He was going to wash his uniform later in the day anyway. There was still the issue that his lip was still bleeding, but after a quick wipe of the hand again, he realized there was only blood on the bottom lip and barely any on his chin. Still an issue but it would likely stop bleeding after a few minutes anyway, so Sato felt no hurry to go put something on it or clean up immediately, and instead opted for continuing his way out of the school, albeit at a much slower pace.

- Saturday 11th April, 2015- Early Morning

Leiko Hamada: Hamada Residence

"Hmm? Wha-? I'm listening..." Leiko slurred softly into her pillow as the alarm rung shrilly in the background, a hand reaching over to slam the device silent with a lazy, heavy thud. Slowly, the girl began to stir into full consciousness, her eyes fluttering open hazily as she glanced down at her own haphazard state.

She was sprawled on her back across the bed, still clothed in her school uniform from the night before with her right hand tightly clasped around her cellphone and pressed to her ear. A shadow of confusion crossed Leiko's face at her peculiar position, before realization finally sunk in and she flopped back against the bed with a groan. Of course that's what happened. Saya happened.

The girl had called her not long after getting home, ranting incessantly about some guy in her new club, before describing some kind of contest and rivalry drama within the club. It didn't interest Leiko much at all, but Saya was like a dog with a bone, telling Leiko every excrutiating detail like it was some huge event. Eventually, Leiko had been lulled into a state of apathy, merely making noises of assent as her friend went on and on about the subject. Somewhere amongst her ravings, Leiko had fallen asleep, and she genuinely couldn't remember how their conversation had ended. It was possible that Saya would be annoyed with her when Leiko saw her in class, but she highly doubted it. Saya just wasn't the type to take offence in that way.

Glancing over at the clock again told Leiko that she would need to be quick with her morning routine today, or she would be late for school. Swiftly, she wasted no time in divesting herself of her creased uniform, tossing it hastily in the washing basket by her door before dashing into the bathroom to begin her typical preening regime. It was only when she was sat in front of her vanity mirror, wearing a fresh skirt and blouse and untangling her curls with a brush, did she stop for a moment to catch her breath. In that moment in time, her mind drew to what the boy she had met yesterday had said to her.

"I guess that's what happens when I don't spend every waking moment worrying about my appearance." At the time, it had obviously been a barb at Leiko's expense, and considering how their initial interaction had started, Leiko didn't entirely blame him for it. Still, the words settled uncomfortably in the back of her mind as her eyes pierced into the ones staring back at her in the vanity mirror. Did she really appear so obsessed with her own self-image? Perhaps justifiably so; she did spend a laborious amount of time and effort to look clean and presentable, and considering her somewhat notorious popularity in school, she was always expected to pertain to a certain public image to the student body. But did people really credit that to vanity?

Why does it even matter? She questioned her own reflection with an annoyed frown, choosing to push Tanaka's words out of her head for now and concentrate on more pressing matters, like getting to school on time. Once she applied the finishing touches to her appearance, she reached for her freshly laundered sweater, and swiftly made her way to school.

---

- Saturday 11th April, 2015- After School

Leiko Hamada: Warakuma High- School Grounds

"I am sorry about last night though." Saya was in the midst of her apology to Leiko shortly after the bell signalled the end of classes, following her dutifully to the lockers with a contrite expression. "I mean, I was the one that called you, and yet I completely left you hanging by falling asleep like that. I guess I was more tired than I thought," she smiled sheepishly, oblivious to the telltale smirk on Leiko's lips. "Too much excitement, I suppose. Can I make it up to you? Ooohhh, I know, let's go get cake!"

"Don't you have work?" Leiko reminded her with a lilt to her usual droll tone, her eyebrows flying up in amusement at the picture of despair on Saya's face. "Somehow, I think your parents would be less than pleased if you didn't show up."

"Awwww..." Saya's lips drew into a pout that was aimed at no one in particular as she shrugged on her boots with much less enthusiasm. "You're right. I guess I did promise to help out this weekend.." She let out a heavy sigh, but her smile was unweathered as she shot Leiko a playful wink. "Then I'll see you Monday then, Hama-chan! Don't have too much fun without me!"

And with a burst of energy, Saya merged into the stream of people leaving the school, each one flooding the exit of the school in a desperate bid to escape so that their weekend could finally begin.

Leiko wouldn't be too far behind, slinging her bag over her shoulder and stepping into her outdoor shoes before making her own way out of the school. She took in a deep breath of fresh Spring air as she did, her thoughts trailing towards her weekend plans. There was homework to do of course, but more importantly, she needed to leaf through her literary collection. She was still uncertain on what play the Drama Club would perform this year, and whilst the show was under her direction, it simply needed to be the best. So the sooner she started, the better.

Falling deeper into her musings, Leiko approached the school gates, oblivious to the blurring crowd of students surrounding her. It wasn't until she heard a loud smack that Leiko's concentration was broken, her head snapping up in surprise at the sound. Standing few metres away was a familiar looking male, staring off into the distance with a look of shock. What was more notable however, was the stream of crimson that he cradled with his hands. Leiko couldn't spot the person who had attacked him, but if the boy was upset about the encounter, he certainly didn't show it, as he merely wiped the blood off and went on his way.

Normally, Leiko wouldn't step out of her way just to help a complete stranger when she didn't even have the facts of the situation in front of her. For all she knew, the boy had been the aggressor in the first place after all. However, it was at that moment that Leiko finally recognized the fellow student. It was none other than Sato Hashimoto, one of the seniors that had auditioned on Tuesday. She remembered liking his emotive performance, although his odd quirks left her a little baffled.

Still, it was Leiko's duty to care for her own fellow performers, and with that in mind, she strode over to him with a sense of purpose. "Excuse me. Hashimoto-san?" She tapped his retreating back lightly, her expression creased in a myriad of concern and disapproval. "Please don't tell me you plan to go home in that state. You should be heading straight to the nurse's office, don't you think?"