Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma | Friday, April 10 2015 - After School

Having ordered their respective meals and taken a seat at an empty table, it wasn't long before the food was brought to the Warakuma High Students at the Thai restaurant. Giving a small "Thank you" when her curry was set down before her, Kotori remained silent for most of the remaining time; merely speaking up if the conversation at hand was directed toward her - which it hardly was, seeing as the attention seemed mostly centered on the small chopstick battle that went on between the three MMA Club Members; though that was quickly resolved as Inoue's win.

Soon after, the three began talking again - with Kotori simply listening, though without any foreknowledge of the topic, staying away from joining in. It rather quickly went from light-hearted to a serious tone, however - leaving Kotori a little worried about the matter. Had there been some kind of accident? Or were they just worried that something might happen? Before she could ponder this, however, Alexei turned to her, apologising for bringing such matters up; leading her to quickly wave it off with an added "Oh, no, it's no problem." As he then asked whether she lived near the mall, Kotori nodded; the flowerstore being within easy walking distance from it.

As he then offered they walk home together, she saw no reason to decline, nodding in agreement instead. Once they were ready to set out, they bid farewell to Sagat who remained behind at the restaurant before the three of them began walking home. Kotori remained much her quiet self on the way back, too; only speaking up if one of the two directed a question to her or when they reached Inoue's home as she bid farewell to her senior. Once Alexei had retrieved his bike at the office, it was time for them to part ways as well; leaving Kotori to give a polite bow before wishing him good luck with his job - though she wasn't quite sure if it really was something that required luck.

Either way though, it was just a two minute walk before she reached the Shirohane Flower Shop. Stepping inside, Kotori saw her mother moving a few small potted flowers about before stepping back to see how they looked before she noticed who'd just arrived home. "I'm home," Kotori said in her usual quiet voice as her mother gave a wide smile. "Welcome back, Kotori."

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma Shopping District: Shirohane Residence | Saturday, April 11 2015 - Early Morning

A soft beeping sound filled the room, causing a stir in the figure laying underneath the covers of the bed. "Nnnh..." was the only sound coming from her as she pulled the covers a little closer to herself. The beeping seemed to take offense at that - and in turn began to sound more frequently and at a more urgent pitch; causing the sleepy Kotori to rise into a half-sitting, half-lying position in order to softly tap her alarm clock before it went into its cacophonic third type of incessant beeping. Still sluggish from having just awoken, Kotori sat herself up fully, stifling a yawn as she did before groping for her glasses on the nightstand next to her bed. Still drowsy, she nonetheless swung her beds out from underneath the covers and immediately into her slippers beside her bed; suppressing a shiver when the air hit her pajama-clad legs that were still used to the comfortably warm bed.

A few minutes later, Kotori was standing in the kitchen, preparing her lunchbox for the day - the usual morning routine consisting of a quick splash of water in the bathroom to fully wake up, getting dressed, eating breakfast and cleaning her teeth thereafter having been done as usual. Halfway through, her mother stepped into the kitchen, one hand before her mouth as she tried and failed to stop a yawn as she saw Kotori already up and about. "Ah, you're up early as usual. Good morning, Kotori," she said with a smile as she went to pour herself a glass of orange juice. "Good morning. So are you," was the simple reply before the two Shirohanes went about their usual morning business - which, as every morning, ended with the mother sending her daughter off to school at the front door with a wish of "Take care.2

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School: Classroom 2-2 | After School

"Alright, Class dismissed" - and with that announcement, the class burst into its usual fervor to be the first out of the room and school; all to eager to get on with their weekend. At least, most of them did - some took it more slowly and yet others, such as Kotori, remained seated for their own reasons; finishing up her notes of the day's classes in her case. Taking another minute or two to write everything down, she closed her notebook after having gone over the homework that she'd be doing over the weekend. As expected, it wasn't that much - yet, given that it was only the start of the year.

As she packed her bag, Kotori thought about what she'd heard during the lunch period - that a student hadn't shown up today; a first year if it was a classmate of the two who'd been talking about it. As she hadn't heard any more of it though, she thought it a shame for whoever it was - to catch a cold so early in the school year, that is, and to have to miss school because of it. Thinking nothing more of it, Kotori picked up her school bag before she headed out of the classroom; only noticing the occasional glances in her direction by the time she reached the main entrance - but didn't think much about it; believing them to be club recruiters that were still on the hunt for the last few yet-undecided students to bring into the fold as she simply kept her eyes down so she wouldn't have to waste their time.

Sato Hashimoto // Warakuma High, By The Front Gate

The senior almost jumped a little when he felt a tap on his back, but he suppressed it and instead turned around on his heel with gusto, causing his entire coat to swing a little. Instead of who he thought it’d be, the person that managed to get his attention was no other than Ms. Drama President herself, Leiko Hamada. Sato immediately assumed it was official club business, like maybe there was Drama club on Saturdays already, due to how he tried to brush it off like it was nothing, but the unease written on her face told him otherwise.

“Please don’t tell me you plan to home in that state.” Sato stopped a smirk from appearing on his lips at that. It was just a cut lip, not a broken nose. Her words confused him a bit though. Ever since she started to Warakuma High as a first-year, there were all sorts of rumors, and enough that they had managed to spread to her upperclassmen. One of the more memorable ones was that she got in fist fights often, but Sato never thought that to be possible based on his extremely limited knowledge of her. Everybody knew that her parents were rich and all sorts of malice towards her spawned from that since most of Warakuma was middle-class at best. The “affluent” part of town where she likely lived was a common subject of jokes with some of the less popular guys in his class.

Sato shook his head at her statement after a long moment, ambiguously answering what seemed to be a rhetoric. She continued with little hesitation to go on about how he should head to the nurse’s office for such a scuff. The same weird and suppressed smirk from before reappeared, though he tried with little effort to wipe it off his mug. It really wasn’t a big deal to him. When they lived in a particularly scummy city, street brawls were easy to find, and his father had always said “That’s what boys do.” In hindsight it was a stupid thing to say to a child, but the idea that guys should be able to take a punch or two always stuck with him as “right.”

“I heard the nurse was a creep,” Sato replied casually, though a pang of sharp pain ran through his jaw as he talked. His hand instinctively went to touch it but was only met with a tiny trickle of crimson liquid on his fingers again. “But that’s only a rumor, like I’m sure most of the ‘information’ I’ve heard about you is. Have we formally met one-on-one yet, Hamada?” He extended his right hand out for a shake but quickly retracted it when he remembered the smear of blood on it. “As you know, I’m Sato Hashimoto, a third-year, and member of the Archery club.”

Leiko Hamada: Warakuma High- Front Gate

Leiko didn't really know what to make of Hashimoto, besides the obvious fact that he found her concern for his condition to be highly amusing for some reason. She considered herself well-versed in the art of language and expression, so it was quite rare for subconscious habits and personal tics to escape her perceptive eyes. This particular case was no different, as it became abundantly clear to Leiko that he wasn't taking her seriously at all, evident by the subtle way the corner of his mouth started to twitch. It was brief, but it was there.

He shook his head at the suggestion of seeing the school nurse, shrugging off the notion with an amused smile that crept across his lips and clearly brandished his disregard for her fretting. Honestly, all this nonchalance was starting to irritate Leiko, and she strained to hold back from chastising him for it. He was bleeding for heaven's sake! Was he seriously going to walk home looking like a common thug?

"I heard the nurse was a creep." Hashimoto's reasoning soon followed, causing Leiko's unamused expression to dissolve into one of surprise. That was his reasoning? She opened her mouth to immediately argue his point, but he beat her to the punch as he quickly dismissed it as a rumour, whilst also curiously comparing it to the ones that circulated around her. It appeared as if everyone had an opinion on her at this school, and it both annoyed and frustrated her for multiple reasons. Not to mention that from what she understood, Hashimoto hadn't even been at the school that long, and yet it certainly sounded as if he had heard enough about her reputation already. She clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth in irritation at his words, her arms wrapping around her chest as she stared him down with a flinty glint in her eye. Most people would normally take this as a clear warning sign to back off, but the senior merely went onto introducing himself (a fairly redundant gesture, since she already knew who he was), and stretching his hand out for a shake. Leiko nearly jumped at the gesture, recoiling slightly as she glared at the blood stains on his fingers. She could only imagine what would happen if some of that blood splattered on her favourite sweater, and she could be well-assured that the senior would have more to worry about than a bruised lip.

"I see. Then I suppose that if we're doing things properly, then I'm Leiko Hamada, a second year. President of the Drama Club, although you should know that already," she sniffed.. "But I'm afraid we're diverting from the point here. In regards to your reservations about the school nurse, I wouldn't really value that as an appropriate reason, Hashimoto-san," she stated simply, her eyes meeting his with an impenetrable sense of calm. "You really can't believe everything you hear these days."

As she said that, her mind briefly recalled the buzz that had generated around the school that day. Namely, revolving around one Noboru Yamamoto, another boy that happened to be in her Drama Club. He failed to show up in class that morning, which was considered as something of an anomaly for the fellow classmate, according to certain sources. Leiko was sure that he was fine, though; after all, he was clearly the active type, and those kinds of people tended to brave all weathers. It had been particularly chilly last night, so it would be no surprise if he was just suffering from some kind of cold. As long as he showed up for Drama Club on Tuesday, Leiko didn't really find it a pressing issue.

"Look, if you're uncertain on where the nurse's office is, I can take you," she sighed, breaking away from her brief moment of distraction and back to the matter at hand as she looked at the older male unflinchingly. "The very least you can do is make yourself look more presentable. Quite frankly, Warakuma's getting a bad enough reputation without people wandering around bruised and battered." She was also mildly concerned that the male was slightly concussed- did people really act so calm about being hit?-but she wasn't particularly fussed on voicing it aloud. "And anyway...if you're really concerned about your safety..." Just the slightest hint of a mocking smile curled her lips. "They're unlikely to do anything to you with me there, hmm?"

Alexei Dragunov

A slight shiver ran out down his spine has he placed the last piece of clothing on the drying stand. The pleasant chilly morning of April, the last night was rather snug for Alexei. He slept like a log after coming back home. Once he was finished with the clothes, food was next. He got into the kitchen and decided to cook Teriyaki for his sister. He took out the pork from the fridge and began the procedure.

It took him nearly an hour to get things done. He packed in the choice cuts for his sister and packed the leftovers for himself, he had also cooked salted fried rice to go with it and together with freshly made soup it was the complete healthy lunch he put up. He went to the storeroom to get the uniforms ready, ironing expertly the clothes the duo will don today.

Proceeding to his morning workout, it was about 6:45 he woke Ektrina up. He quickly took care of other things as she got ready, they had breakfast together before heading out to school.

He parked his bike at the shopping mall and took a peep towards the Shirohane Flower Store, it was his day off work today so maybe if he was lucky he could probably meet Kotori-san today.

After School

The day continued its usual drawl, the classes got over and Alexei got out just behind the crowd. Barring Sagat and Inoue it seemed the students still ignored him mostly and with Inoue absent today, it wasn't like the two of them had much to talk. They silently walked out of the halls out into the front. With a nod they both parted ways then, Sagat taking a right and Alexei continuing onwards towards the gate.

As he walked on, largely ignored he noticed a immaculately dressed girl, on second look he knew who she was as she talked with a boy whose back was facing him. Her stern expression making her stand out in he crowd. As their eyes met for an instant, Alexei just gave a small simper and short bow before continuing onward. He believed that Leiko Hamada was a woman that had a certain aristocratic air around her and thus would appreciate formal gestures well. Plus, he was hoping to meet Kotori-chan and that woman had grace in loads so it was a good way to get used to it.

Not far, he saw the familiar figure. His pace quickened a bit as he closed down the gap. Kotori continued forth without much of a presence.

"Umm.....Shirohane-san?" Alexei said in his trademark low grumble, enough to be audible. He had stopped a few paces short of her so as not to intrude on her person as well as to avoid startling her. He hoped that she heard him.

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School: Main Entrance| After School

Kotori hadn't exactly expected anyone to be calling out to her after she'd almost cleared the main entrance, yet she still heard her own name being spoke from behind her. Surprised at the fact, she looked up before turning around to see who it was that had called for her. It took her another moment to realise that it wasn't any of the students that kept on walking right past her but rather the noticeably taller Alexei whom she'd met just the other day and who'd been overlooked in her brief search precisely because he stood so much taller than the average boy his age. Looking up, she gave a quick bow before greeting the third year: "Ah, good day, Dragunov-senpai," she said, albeit with a brief pause before uttering his name to make sure she got it right; still unused to foreign names.

Stepping a bit closer and into a more comfortable talking distance given the hustle and bustle still about them, Kotori had a questioning look about her as to why Alexei had called out to her - only for him speak up about it: "I have a request to make if you'll allow me?" he asked, the rather formal way of asking despite speaking to a junior taking Kotori a bit aback, though she still gave an affirmative nod; all the while blinking inquisitively from behind her glasses - until the matter became clear with the request in question: "Could you introduce me to the shop. I'll like to make my request if possible."

Kotori was quick to nod in agreement when she remembered the matter from the previous day; the reason for his floral needs in particular - that the parttime job of his made it hard for him to provide the girls of his family with flowers every day, even now bringing a small smile to her lips for a moment. She still thought the gesture was quite at odds with his gruff appearance - but the thought of flowers being used to bring a smile to the faces of others, together with the fact that he'd asked her help in the matter, made it impossible for her to decline. "Of course. It's in the Shopping District," she said in her usual quiet voice, a little belatedly after already nodding, before realising that Alexei had mentioned that he already knew where the Flower Shop was previously.

Seeing as she was already headed for home - like most every day after school - there was no reason they couldn't take the same way, given that their destination was the same. "Shall we go right now or do you need anything beforehand?" Kotori asked, seeing as she didn't know if the MMA Club perhaps had meetings on Saturdays or if he had to work his parttime job today.

Sato Hashimoto // Warakuma High, By The Front Gate

The gesture of going out for a handshake was an obvious mistake, as the mere action caused the girl to repel away a bit, for good reason too. Getting someone else’s blood on you, however little, isn’t exactly a healthy thing to do and instead it merely amused Sato a bit. The girl quickly regained composure however and promptly responded to his redundant greeting with unlike snarkiness in hers. Hamada jumped back to the main point of her encounter to remind him of how he should really go to the school nurse, and though he wasn’t too fond of the idea personally, the girl before him probably wasn’t going to give up now that she was involved in an almost admirably way, though her pressing attitude didn’t make for friendly first impressions.

After a moment of consideration, Hamada spoke up again, and came up with an idea that elicited a chuckle from Sato immediately after she suggested it: she’d escort him there, like he’d been heavily concussed by the blow and was hopelessly disorientated. He knew from their short time together she wasn’t the type to joke often, and the steel look she had gave it away that she was 100% serious about the matter. The idea itself wasn’t bad to him, since he admittedly wasn’t keen on finding out how the nurse truly is, and going with another meat shield person would make it a much more approachable task. “Task”.

The younger girl went on to follow it with several mocking comments about the situation and him and ended with a mockingly slight smile to rub salt on a wound that wasn’t there. Sato matched the look, resting a hand on his waist to both stand more comfortably and to add on to the evident sass in the air, but the bits of blood on him made it look more awkward and unnatural than anything. “I’ll take you up on that actually, Hamada. It’s shameful to admit, but I will say that I don’t have a clear idea on where the nurse’s office actually is, so having you escort me there would be nice.”

The words, again, caused a reaction of him touching the subtle pain in his lip with his fingertips, which in turn caused more pain. Hamada’s insistence on going to the nurse seemed a little better once the shock of the event faded and a static pain replaced it. The walk home was across the entire town from where the school was, so the walk wasn’t exactly brief nor long, but having the consistent bother of the cut would be annoying to put up with the whole way there. With a bit more purpose in his step, he walked off a bit towards the school’s front doors, inciting a few incredibly brief looks from the students that were still headed away from the building, and they both made their way to the nurse’s office with a little bit of direction from Hamada.

---

Sato Hashimoto // Warakuma High, Outside Of The Nurse’s Office

While it looked almost exactly the same as the other rooms besides a few signs denoting its purpose, the nurse’s office was there, looking slightly more intimidating than the rest of the doors for an unknown reason. Sato glanced over to Hamada in a childish way, playing along with her mocking attitude from earlier, though his joke was ruined when his lips broke character and formed a self-satisfied smirk. For some reason he just really did not to go in there first. He’d go over what he’d say, but there was nothing coming up that wouldn’t sound lame. “Miss, I got a booboo!” The senior parted his lips absent-mindedly like he was going to say something, though nothing came out and he instead turned to face Hamada once again.

“You can do the honors if you’d like.” Sato motioned towards the door with boths hands and glided out of the way, showing her that’d he been idly staring at nothing but wood for the past few long moments. She’d have to initiate if she was so adamant on getting him ‘looking presentable’.

-Kaminari : Warakuma High-

The boy sighed as he made his way to his high school, traversing down the lonely path. He didn't really notice any one of interest, hell even Yakudatsu wasn't there to chastise him for his actions. He felt that this was a rather unusual turn of events as someone usually went down the same path as him when heading to school. He felt the need to socialize with some on in some way, but was a bit socially inept due to the isolation over thepast few years. He very rarely talked with anyone, other than Sachiko who always had a perky attitude due to her facade. Kami felt he should maybe try and converse about something with someone, but who? He didn't really know how to hold a conversation, plus he could only talk about cases and that world. He scolded himself on depriving himself of making friends on during his second year, as he was running out of time. As he pondered on how to address this, he saw the school within his sight. Maybe he should try conversing with someone different, but who?

He took a look at the difference people he could strike up a conversation with, but he felt it would be rather awkward. I mean, a random stranger butting in and talking to you out of no where? Then again, that probably worked sometimes, but maybe now was a bad time. He ruffled his hair, accidentally bumping into someone as he headed to his homeroom. As he made his way there, he felt that this was going to be a long, unenjoyable day.

---

After a rather short class day, the boy watched as most of his classroom members disperse themselves from the general area, leaving a few students behind in their wake. Kami shook his head due to a rather irritating headache that struck him a few minutes before class ended and began packing his bag up. It was time to head out and talk to Ayano, however he felt he should linger around the school out of sheer boredom. He didn't really have a job to attend to at the moment, but he felt he should complete the task that he came up with this morning. As he got up, and left the classroom, he took a look at the remaining students be for leaving.

As he walked around the building, he noticed a few lingering students talking about rather strange things. They briefly mentioned something about the cult and left, chuckling about something ambiguous. This had Kami gather some interest and restimulated some of the paranoia he held a week ago. He grinded his teeth before grunting in annoyance at what he had heard. As he began walking, he was approached by a rather displeased Makoto, who appeared rather annoyed at some unknown event.

"Uh, hey Makoto you ok?"

The boy did his best to refrain from blowing up in Kamis face and explained to him the current predicament. The Kendo Club was going to be shut down due to its lack of members. He began explaining how most of the members began losing interested after being drawn into some sort of organization. He didn't know exactly whothey were, but he also blamed himself on his incompetence in leadership before leaving the premises. Kami definitely became more suspicious of the cults misgivings, wondering how many people in town they had influenced. He felt that he needed to deal with them soon, and began wondering on how he could find them be for returning to reality.

As he wandered around the school, making small talk with a few of the students, one thing certainly bothered the boy. He had heard that most students from a specific class were talking about this boy and if he was ditching.

Kami was rather bothered by the temporary disappearance of Noboru, the boy who he pushed away a few days ago.

---

-Noboru : The Other Day-

Noboru wandered around the town, finishing his visit to where he went. His mind wandered all around, not able to focus on any one thing.  He walked down the street back to his house, the roads dark and quiet, making the mood rather unsettling due to there being a few people who traversed the streets at night. As a few chills went down the boys spine, a piercing shriek pierced the air around him, possibly startling the boy. The sound seemed to have resonated from the alley, and Noboru, despite being tired, walked towards the sound. "What the hell was that? Guess it can't hurt to go look." Noboru stretched, his shirt bending beyond possible belief. his shirt almost tore, and he qucikly stopped stretching, so it wouldn't tear. Entering the alley, he yelled out to the scream. "Hey, uh is everybody alright down there? What's going on?"

As the bky made his way down the alley, the shadows began flickering away from him, prompting him to follow after them. He gave a shout out, but the man made no attempts at acknowledging the young man. The girl however kept screaming and begging for the boy to save her. She even screamed Noboru once or twice, prompting this to be a girl from the same high school he attended. As he made his way down the alleyway, he quickly turned to a dead end. Noboru was rather surprised at the transpiring events, prompting him to wonder what was going on.

Noboru broke into a full sprint, flexing his muscles, ready for a fight. Running into the alleyway, he ran towards the shadow, yelling at the top of his lungs now. "What's going on?" He yelled.

Before he could react, a cloth obscured his mouth and nose from the air around. Before he knew it, he was out cold, his body seemingly limp and lifeless. Snicker was heard by the two consious assailants who quickly struck up a fleeting conversation with each other.

"That was rather easy to pull off with you playing the victim! How do you know exactly if this guy is the target? We can't exactly tell who he sees in that mirror of his, so its rather difficult to find the ones... I mean he is the only one who can properly see who it is."

"Hey, despite how ambiguous it is, most of the members have been able to pinpoint the targets. We are at least eighty percent of the time right on who we grab, plus i know its him judging on the description our master gave us. Thank god i've been watching his movements and predicting his patterns on where he goes. Plus, that brat who held the auditions for her club made it a lot easier to identify who was who."

"Are you sure you didn't mix him up with someone else from the auditions?"

The banter went on as the duo slowly made their way to the hideout with an unconscious Noboru in tow. Surely their leader would be pleased with them if they collected the correct target. If not, they would release him back into Warakuma as if nothing had happened... Sadly, the boy wouldn't be seeing his friendly and familiar realm for a few hours as he was faced with the harsh reality of being thrown into a dangerous place known as the mirror world.

Alexei

"No, nothing." Alexei replied with a thankful bow as Kotori accepted his request. On this they both turned and began their walk to the shop. Having exhausted most of the topics the day prior, there wasn't much of a small-talk between the two. Kotori was naturally reserved and Alexei was curt. As they walked away from the school, he finally decided to ask a doubt that had been bothering him ever since he had formed the notion of visiting the Shirohane Flower Store.

"Shirohane-san!" came a low grumble as he looked at the junior to face him. As she faced him, he looked at her straight and ask, " There is a query I need your assistance with."

He didn't wait for her to accept as he knew that she was too polite to decline.

"Do you like flowers?" he asked with a pause. Giving her enough time to register his words and form an answer. Afterall, it maybe taken as a weird question coming from a literal stranger whom you have met once. Plus, walking together they hardly looked to be suited to each other.

"What I mean is, would you appreciate a Ikebana bouquet if someone close to you gave it to you. Would you like the said person to present himself in it or what he sees you as?" he asked in an even tone. It didn't hold any allusion to a romantic chat-up. It seemed he was asking it out of genuine curiosity. His stoic face may throw one off, but his voice was something that held a lot of suppressed emotion in it.

"Please do not take it the wrong way, I just want your honest answer as it will help me decide with what I should do." it was a subtle hint to the fact that he wanted to inquire it for his order, but he didn't voice it openly because he felt it was rude to do so.

Aiko-Morning-Yamamoto Household

Aiko woke up and looked around. his room was a wreck, the result of his rampage last night. He got up and changed into his uniform, and quickly straightened out the wrinkles. He walked out of his room. It seemed as if Noboru was still in his room.

"Hey Noboru. Get up you little shrimp. Hurry up."

With no response to his call out, Aiko walked into the room. It was empty, and it seemed as if he hadn't been home, and if he had, he was very quiet about it. He woke up Akari and asked her about it. "I don't know." She sighed, annoyed that he had interrupted her sleep. "He probably snuck out so you wouldn't bother him. Now leave me alone."

Aiko got prepared and walked to school, his mind focusing on Noboru.

Aiko-After School

Aiko packed up his bag and walked out of the class. It bothered him for sure now. He couldn't find his younger brother and it bothered him terribly. He wouldn't be avoiding him, would he? He didn't torture him too bad. Looking around for Noboru's friends, Aiko wandered around. By chance, he happened upon the girl that Noboru had been exercising with before. He couldn't remember her name but he could definitely recognize her. He approached her, his steps brisk.

"Hey you. Modelling girl. Do you know where Noboru might be? he hasn't popped up at all today. He wasn't at home, I haven't seen him at school. He seems to have just disappeared. Any ideas where he might be?"

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma Streets | After School

Kotori's question was answered quickly and simply, thereby leaving no reason for either to remain any longer at the school. Turning on the spot, the two headed toward the main gate - the masses of leaving students thankfully having lessened at least a little compared to the usual initial wave - and from there, on toward the Shopping District. The walk was a quiet one for the most part - Kotori was hardly one to strike up a conversation by herself whilst Alexei remained similarly silent. That is, at least, until they left the school gate behind them.

Looking up - and noticing that recently, she only seemed to meet people either clearly taller or equally shorter than herself - she gave a questioning look as the older student spoke her name, not even having the time to add a curious-surprised 'Yes?' before he already spoke on, stating that there was another matter that he needed her help with. Barely blinking once in surprised wonder, Alexei already went on; asking her whether she liked flowers. Kotori blinked again once, twice in confusion at the sudden question. "Yes?" she answered tentatively, though truthfully - even as it sounded more like a question, given that she was unsure what he meant by it. Either way, though, it was just so - and also a reason why she actually enjoyed helping out at home.

The Third Year quickly went on to explain his question, going into her thoughts on the particularities of an Ikebana arrangement - whether, if being presented as a gift, it were better for it to represent the gifter or the giftee. Impassive as he may seem at first glance, he really was trying his best for his family's happiness it would seem - warranting a moment's thought on the matter, as Kotori guessed that it most likely pertained to, even before Alexei clarified his question further. A thoughtful expression crossed Kotori's face, a finger lightly tapping her lips as she considered the matter - it certainly wasn't a question that she got asked regularly.

After a moment's pause, Kotori answered: "I don't think there's such a big difference, really. I mean, if you wanted to give someone a present as a friend, that would mean you saw them as a friend, too," she explained her view of the matter, a little unsure whether if would be a sufficient answer given the more clear-cut question that Alexei had posed.

Leiko Hamada: Warakuma High- Front Gates

Eventually, the senior seemed to comply with Leiko's suggestion, despite the casual and standoffish stance he was attempting to portray before her, made evident by his sassy smile and body language. Honestly, it was a little weird to Leiko, and part of her wanted to point out why he was acting so strangely around her, but she momentarily lost her grip on her words as she felt someone's eyes on her. Turning her head ever so slightly, she looked into the crowd and noticed the thickly built and muscular foreign student from before, looking over in her direction: the latecomer to her club, Alexei Dragunov. Leiko's first impression of him as a person had been poor, so it took her quite by surprise when he made some kind of formal bow towards her before carrying on his way. Leiko didn't really know what to make of it, so she merely felt herself stare blankly at his retreating form, before finally turning her attention back onto her injured senior.

Hashimoto clearly hadn't noticed her brief moment of distraction however, as he held his bloodstained fingers to his lips and began to flinch from the pain that was obviously starting to bother him. Very briefly, a flicker of concern crossed her face as she eyed his smarting lip, but as soon as it came, her features returned to her default frown. "Come on then, let's not waste any more time...", she sighed, and soon the two of them headed back into the building.

---

Leiko Hamada: Warakuma High- Nurse's Office

Leiko tapped her foot impatiently, her arms tightly folded around herself as she watched Hashimoto stare down the nurse's office door like it was some kind of gateway to hell. This is getting ridiculous, she thought grumpily, wondering how someone who acted so cool earlier could be so awkward now. Her disbelief would only grow when he turned his head to look at her with a disconcerting smile and said "You can do the honours if you'd like."

A look that was nothing short of incredulous appeared on Leiko's face at his suggestion, her eyebrows knitting into a disapproving scowl as she turned and knocked on the door primly.

City boys were such babies.

"Come in!" A chipper voice that was steeped in an obvious Kansai accent answered her knock and Leiko wasted no time in opening the door and entering the office.

The office itself was nothing out of the ordinary; the usual human anatomy posters decorated the walls, along with medicine cabinets, a bookcase full of medical textbooks, an observation table, and a decrepit model of a skeleton lurking in the corner of the room. Basically, exactly what you would expect to find in a nurse's office.

As for the nurse himself...well...

"Hmm? Oh, Hamada-chan!~" A tall, burly looking male in scrubs turned away from his computer and looked over to her with an undisguised look of delight, before standing up from his desk chair to approach her.

The nurse's rugged and muscular frame towered over the young girl, his mouth widening into a pearly white grin as he eyed Leiko head-to-toe. "Oh my, look at you! You look as beautiful as always Hamada-chan! Tell me, is that new perfume?"

"It's certainly not old," was Leiko's response, seemingly undeterred by the nurse's somewhat... extravagant nature. Some would perhaps find it strange that someone like Leiko could deal with the eccentricities of the school nurse in such a way, but she was the Drama Club President both by name and by nature. Dealing with colourful personalities was almost a normality for her. "But anyway, I have a request to make."

"Anything for you, sweetie. Wait, don't tell me...you sprained your wrist again?" The nurse sighed, shaking his head disapprovingly as he crossed his arms, pulling the material of his shirt tight against his ripped body. "Honestly, girl, you need to watch that temper of yours..."

"I was rehearsing that time," Leiko replied swiftly, narrowing her eyes in such a way that only made the nurse chuckle. "I just...really got into the role. Anyway!" She turned her head and gave a pointed look at Hashimoto, who was still lurking by the door. Plotting whether or not he needs to make a swift exit, no doubt. "I'm here on behalf of one of my club members."

"Oooh?" The nurse crowed, looking over Leiko's head at the young man with an excited gleam in his dark eyes. "I see, I see! I haven't seen this one around before." He strode over to Sato purposefully, an unbreakable grip tightening around each of the boy's arms as he strong armed him into the office. "Please, feel free to sit down and relax and let me look at you." Firmly, he pushed Sato's shoulders down so that the boy had little choice but to fall backwards onto the observation table, the nurse's eyes roving over the student's much smaller frame unscrupulously. "My, my. He's a cute one, Hamada-san. Your taste is impeccable."

"Please." Leiko sounded dismayed at his words, rolling her eyes to the ceiling even as she leaned herself ever so casually against the door until it closed with a soft click. She had a feeling that Hashimoto might attempt to make a quick exit, and there was no way that was happening until he was treated. "I found him wandering out of school like a lost puppy, covered in blood. So I took him here," she answered simply. "Can you help him?"

"Of course I can," the nurse beamed, looking over at Sato appraisingly, his eyes grazing over the cut on his lip as he gave a soft tut. "Please lean yourself back, sir, and relax. I need to be thorough in my ahh, assessment of your physical condition." He reached over and picked out a pair of latex gloves, stretching them over his fingers with a foreboding snap.

Toma Tanaka - Tanaka Residence | After School

Toma stepped into his house, and slid the door shut behind him, happy to be out of the chilly air. He kicked off his shoes, and took a deep breath, giving an "I'm home!" that was far happier and more energetic than he felt. He stared discontentedly at the shoes for a moment, before bending over to place them together neatly. As he looked back up, he saw his mother's face peering at him from around a corner. She smiled softly at him. "Welcome back, Toma," she said with a quiet cheerfulness, not unlike her son's.

He returned her smile, doing his best to appear bright and happy. "I got what you asked for," he said, holding up the bag he held. He stared at her for a moment, and forced back a frown. As was usual, she looked... depressed. Her shoulders sagged and she stooped forward ever so slightly. Her face was etched with wrinkles and she kept herself compact, almost making it seem like she was perpetually cowering.

"Sorry for being a little late," he said. "I'll make supper."

Disapproval flashed across her face as she stepped fully into the hallway. "No no, I want to do it. You and your father are always working hard everyday, keeping you two fed is my job."

Toma's eyes widened in surprised at how strongly she spoke those words. "Oh, uh, sure. If you need any help, just ask, okay?" He handed her the bag, earning him a satisfied smile.

The two went into the dining room, Toma plopping down into a chair at the table and his mother continuing into the kitchen. The boy laid out his homework, and started on it, though he paid more attention to his mother cooking away, her back turned to him.

At the moment, she seemed... not necessarily 'happy,' but content, at the very least. Toma had a hunch that she was like him, in many ways. She was happier when she was doing something. The issue now was that she stayed home everyday, saying that she "wasn't fit for work" anymore.

Though judging from the way she looked most of the time, it wasn't difficult to believe that that was the truth.

The boy turned back to his work.

---

Tanaka Residence | Late Night

As per usual, Toma sat at his desk as the day changed. He sipped at the tea he had made using the leaves Hamada had given him. While it did taste good, he was skeptical that it'd do anything for his sleeping habits. He didn't not sleep because he couldn't, but more because he didn't want to. Or something. He wasn't sure himself.

Perhaps the tea was having some sort of effect though. He seemed to feel drowsier than normal. Maybe it was all in his head.

Tanaka Residence | Morning

Toma's eyes blinked open, and to his surprise, he found himself not at his desk, but lying on his back on his mattress. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, vaguely remembering turning off his computer and crawling into his bed.

Not something that happened often. He checked his clock -- and by his best guess, he had gotten a solid 5 hours of sleep. A lot more than usual.

He felt... good. It was a strangely uncomfortable feeling, one that he wasn't accustomed to. Sleeping hunched over his computer always left him sore, but today there was no pain.

Unsure whether he was happy about the good sleep he had gotten or not, he got up and ready for the day. After shower he paused, looking at his messy hair in the mirror. Remembering the interaction with Hamada the night before, he frowned. Spotting a comb on the counter, he picked it up and ran it through his hair, straightening it out and pushing his bangs away from his forehead.

He stared at himself for a moment. He looked so... so professional. Clicking his tongue in disapproval, he brought his hands up to his hair and ruffled it back up. To his annoyance, however, he couldn't quite get it back to how it looked when it was freshly towel-dried.

With a defeated sigh, he decided to go drink his coffee and stop caring about his mop of a head.

---

Warakuma High School, Class 3 - 1 | After School

As Toma packed his things into his bag, he took the time to remind himself how much he disliked Saturday evenings. Not only did he have to find things to do tonight, but he'd have a full day to fill tomorrow. It more often than not became a chore to keep himself moving.

He turned to face Aiko's desk, but saw the boy already leaving the class. Toma frowned as he got up and slung his bag over his shoulder. Aiko had seemed to be bothered by something during the day, so Toma decided to follow after him, to find out what was wrong.

A minute later, he caught up to Aiko, who was questioning an unfamiliar girl. Toma caught Aiko's last few words, and he frowned in concern.

"Hey Aiko, you're looking for someone?" he said as he walked up to the two, turning the statement into a question as he wasn't entirely sure he was correct.

Alexei

"Hmm.." the voice escaped from the giant as he considered Kotori's response.

"That seems right but what if the difference in personality is great." he asked her reflexively. He hadn't even considered the full detail of the simple answer, but it struck him that he hadn't been clear enough in his question.

"Please don't mind, but if someone gave you a bouquet that wasn't to your aesthetic tastes and yet meant a lot to the giver would you still cherish it as much as something you would have liked. That is my question. Would you rather value the emotion behind it or entity in front of you. Also, considering it came from a person, friend or family, that you have known for a long time, would it have any other effect mentally?" he asked a bit more strongly, it may put the junior off with how passionate he was about such triviality.

But, before she could reply he added, "Kotori-san, I'm sorry for being overbearing. You don't have to answer if you don't want to." he then straightened himself to remove himself from her personal space and kept on walking towards the mall, wondering if she would answer.

April 11th 2015
Present time
Akiko Asakura: Warakuma High – After School

“Go to the school nurse he says…the old man is such a worrywart.”

She just had to get caught by her grandfather while on her way out of school. The old man had noticed the bruises on her face and hands. Well she did get beat up pretty badly in the morning which was why she was a little late to school. He had practically dragged her to his janitor office which stunk of his cleaning supplies. Akiko was already irritated by her grandfather’s continued dumb questions and the smell of the room was not helping things. At times, she just wished she could just whack the old man out cold but that would only complicate things and make things worst afterwards.

So she reluctantly told him so he could just let her go to the only place she felt she could be at peace.

---

Flashback
Akiko Asakura: On the Way to School – Early Morning

She had woken up late but unlike most students, Akiko did not rush to school. Even if she had ran, there was a possibility she would not be on time so she took her time to walk. The streets of Warakuma was bustling with people rushing to work, school and wherever they had to be for the majority of the day. Looking at the variety of shops nearby, Akiko wondered if her stupid excuse for parents had already started opening the shop for business.

From what she overheard from their dinner conversations with each other, the business seem to be doing just fine. Her presence was always ignored when she was at the dining table with her parents so she started taking her food to her room to eat alone. Scratch that, she was non-existent in her own household now. Her clothes if left in the laundry basket would be left untouched while her parents’ clothes would be removed. Her mother would cook for only two forcing Akiko to cook for herself. When Akiko was in the kitchen, her mother would try to pretend not to see her and would acknowledge Akiko if she had no choice.

Akiko was a little surprised that people had not linked her with the couple in charge of the new shop in town. Well, she did not care enough to find out. Akiko did not realize a teenage boy was in front of her while she was lost in thought. She not accidentally push the boy who for some reason fell down headfirst on the ground quite comically. Akiko raised an eyebrow and decided to just walk away as she found what transpired to be a weird and idiotic.

Of course, such an act would cause the victim to become furious. The boy got up and put his hand on Akiko’s shoulder to get her attention. Akiko turned her head to glance at the boy. The boy demanded an apology which Akiko swiftly gave but it sounded insincere to the boy who insisted on her apologizing again. This made Akiko snap and she slowly turned her body to face him. Then without warning, Akiko punched him in the face and the boy fell on the ground butt first this time.

“Oh for the love of….”

Akiko realized she had just attracted a crowd of people and saw boys in the same uniform as the one she just punched running to the scene. Instead of getting scared, Akiko felt her blood boil and adrenaline pumped. She quickly ran to a more secluded spot so she could enjoy her morning ‘exercise’.

---

Back to Present time
Akiko Asakura: Warakuma High – After School

After telling her story, the old man berated Akiko on being such a reckless fool and resorting to force. Furthermore, he lectured her as she was definitely in the wrong. Akiko just pretended to listen to her grandfather’s nagging before he finally released her since he had work to do. However, he ordered Akiko to at least visit the nurse’s office before she leave school.

---

Akiko Asakura: Warakuma High – In front of nurse’s office

Akiko walked the hallways of the school till she reached the nurse’s office. She had often visit the office since her transfer to Warakuma but the nurse was always not in. Thus, Akiko always helped herself to some painkillers in stock for her pain due to bruises, headache and vice versa. So far, nobody had actually complained about the lack of painkillers in the office so Akiko just continued taking them on her own since the nurse was always absent when she came. She had hoped the case to be the same now.

However, it would seem there were already a few people in the office and the nurse seemed to be in. Akiko grumbled and considered just leaving and coming back another day. However, her grandfather would probably find out the following day if she had heeded his instruction or not. Akiko sighed and opened the door of the office. She tried to at least be as polite as she could be since she needed the nurse to give her treat her.

“Excuse me. I’m here to-…”

Akiko silently cursed to herself multiple times she saw that the nurse was a man and the first word to describe him which came to Akiko was ‘disturbing’. Furthermore, he seemed to be treating another student…in a ‘disturbing’ way. There was another student, a girl, looking on. Realizing its bad to just stand and stare, she continued.

“I would like some painkillers…and maybe a bandage or two?”

It was so hard for Akiko to be polite…it had been too long.

Akira Kirigakure - Warakuma High - Class 3 -1 / After School - April 11th 2015

It was another long and dull school day. There was no archery today, which meant his source of amusement, riling up Rokoru, was out of the question. "Hah..." With a sigh, he started packing up his things. Deciding whether he should hit the arcade or the ramen joint, he made for the door when he saw Aiko pack his things up and head out of the room. It was odd, the way Aiko was acting, that is. He seemed totally out of it. As he watched another one of his classmates following after him, with his curiosity getting the better of him, Akira decided to follow behind as well and see what's up. It wasn't out of concern for his well-being or any of that crap. Akira was bored and Aiko was acting suspicious, so naturally he'd follow him and see if anything interesting happened. The day was long and he has a lot of time to kill, so he might as well.

Sato Hashimoto // Warakuma High, Nurse’s Office

At his suggestion, Hamada walked forward and knocked on the door with little reservation. A masculine voice, with an obviously non-standard accent, responded to the sound by inviting them in. The girl before the door swung the door open immediately after and Sato followed the girl in, lagging behind by a pace and shutting the door behind them.

The room was like the other offices he’d seen before. Various anatomical models rested on a counter beside posters depicted more specific parts of the body. Sato glanced over the bookcase full of books on medicine and treatments as he walked by it, noting the variety of medicines accompanying them. At the moment, he decided he’d much rather read those than get treated for his mild, but irritatingly stingy cut. A “Hamada-chan!” pulled him away from his wishes of escape and towards the other half of the room, though the one thing that attracted his immediate attention was the thick-set man clad in the typical uniform for a nurse who easily stood a head taller than Sato himself. It wasn’t exactly what he expected, but it was… a nicer sight than he’d thought he’d get. No old and broken skeleton-of-a-man (besides the disturbingly worn model hung up in the corner) and no uncomfortably sexual thirty-something woman.

Sato took a slow step back from the two. The school nurse appeared young, probably only a few years out of medical school, and was obviously absurdly muscular, perhaps even too built. There was no telling what levels of man-handling and force this man could dish out. The third-year took another step back instinctively from the thought but found himself walking into the cabinet behind him. A sterile-looking set of cups rocked around for a bit, a few nearly falling over, but settled without incident. He felt a burn of anxiety and slight embarrassment creep onto his face and slunk over back to the door, feeling the wood for the hand as he observed Leiko striking conversation with the looming nurse.

Just as his hand clasped around the grip of the door, the nurse removed him from the doorway through an iron grip on his shoulders. A soft whimper came from Sato as the man wrestled him over to the observation table and shoving him backwards onto it. “He’s a cute one, Hamada-san.” The nurse said as his eyes ran Sato over. A click was heard as the door slid shut from Leiko’s body weight against it. He felt a bit uncomfortable at the comment, though he directed a spiteful look at Hamada when she referred to him as a lost puppy. The nurse turned to Hamada for a second, in which time Sato pushed himself back up into a sitting position, though the nurse returned his attention back towards Sato.

The man, standing high above him at that point, requested Sato to lean back for an “assessment”. A snapping sound alerted the boy, who noticed the nurse had just put on a pair of latex gloves on his hands, and immediately, Sato feared for his purity. He swiftly threw his legs forward, directing a kick at the nurse’s upper legs in a desperate attempt to convey his deep denial. The shot missed as the nurse took a short step back, narrowly avoiding it with a practiced precision. Acting as if nothing happened, the male nurse leaned forward close to Sato’s face, close enough for Sato to notice the recently shaven hairs lining the man’s jawline and upper lip. The man prodded Sato’s face up by the chin and observed the split lip, briefly touching it to gauge the extent of it. Sato broke free from the nurse after recoiling from the graze of his fingers. The nurse walked over to the cabinet once Sato did so, swinging open the doors as far as they would go.

He pulled out an antiseptic lotion and small packaged towellete before returning to his patient, handing the moist towellete to Sato, who immediately cleaned off the bloody wound. The nurse immediately stood back from the table, admiring the fact that he tamed the student, and handed the boy the ointment to him after disposing off the blood-smudged towellete. “Just apply that to the affected area and you’re golden, honey!”

Just as the nurse backed off from the visibly unsettled Sato and began to say something to Hamada, the door opening and a student voicing her request attracted both his attention and a soft coo from his lips, muttering a “So busy…” under his breath. The girl didn’t look familiar to Sato at all. From a distance, she appeared younger than him and his peers, though the bruises on her face didn’t help his judgement.

Sato creeped over to Leiko, ushering her away from the door. “You saw that, didn’t you?” He hissed the words in a clearly upset tone. “I could feel his breath on me. His warm, husky, breath, Hamada. How often do you deal with stuff like this to stay so composed…?” Questioning his club president over the matter seemed useless, but talking to a normal person seemed a good way to reduce the tension in his body.

Rui Shinichi | Warakuma High After School
11/4/2015 Saturday

School ended early today, and most clubs were off too. So maybe just hit the arcade on the way home...? He was a bit tired from the dungeon raid practice the other day and probably a more relaxed day would be good. Still begs the question what these mirror worlds are anyways. They were in a rather thematical dungeon that day... Well in any case he was going to get going. Maybe the anime manga club decided Saturday was another club day? Likely not.

"Hm... Maybe I'll just go to the arcade today...", he resigned himself to that. Everyone seemed to be off doing their own thing, and clubs weren't on so this was pretty much a day off.

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma Streets | After School

Much like she'd expected, her answer wasn't quite satisfactory - as Alexei was quick to try and make the heart of his question clear. Rather than simply a general question, it seemed he was asking about a more specific case - perhaps he wanted to give a gift to someone but wasn't sure what they'd appreciate so he was asking for advice? A thoughtful expression crossed Kotori's face in the brief pause following Alexei before he went on, saying he was sorry for asking such things so suddenly, causing Kotori to shake her head in response. "It's no bother, really," she said before going silent for another moment, contemplating the question.

What was preferred, the thought or the object of a gift? It didn't take long for Kotori to decide on the thought being what was important - but was there also a difference to be found in who gave the present? Would one feel differently about it if it came from a close friend or one's family? After a moment, she came to her conclusion as she spoke up: "I think the thought's what's most important. And if it were from someone important, I think it would probably also be that much more of a treasured thing." Her voice was quiet, even if a bit slow as she wasn't sure if that was what Alexei was trying to find out, even as the two drew near to the Shopping District.

Chiaki was in her own little world for the time being. Thinking back to the event from yesterday, she sighed deeply.
"Perhaps I shouldn't have reacted how I did..." Thought Chiaki. Her thoughts were interrupted by the annoyance of Noboru's older brother, which was honestly the last thing she wanted to hear.

'Modelling Girl!' He shouted as he ran across the street to interupt her in her time of greif. Aiko asked her, rudely, if she knew where Noboru was, apparently he hasn't beem seen around today. Trying to dodge the question, she evaded the twin but failed to keep moving without being interupted by another person, whom Chiaki did not know.

"Look, I haven't seen him since yesterday, when... When he ... Nevermind, we haven't spoken simce yesterday afternoon. He sent me a text but I was too upse- busy, I was too busy to reply." Bringing her phone out of her pocket, she turned it on went to her messages.

"I'll just send him a text, asking him where he is... Huh?... It can't be sent?" Chiaki tried again, but it was to no avail, the message failed every time. There was the possibility that he turned his phone off, but the message would still send...

She began expressing her concern to Aiko. "Look, I know you hate Noboru or whatever your problem is, but just like, call him... I don't feel like talking to him right at this moment." Chiaki offered her phone for use to Aiko.

Alexei

Kotori's reply was an affirmation to his own answer. He had mulled over it for a good amount of time and reached that conclusion but having more support never hurts.

"Hmm.Thanks a lot, Shirohane-san. It puts my mind at ease now." he said in a calm tone. They had reached the shopping mall by now and stood at its entrance looking at their target. Something about the sight of flowers made Alexei smile a bit. He turned to face Kotori once more "Shall we" he said pointing at the shop.

They walked inside the mall and straight towards the flower store, past the coffee shop which was a popular hanging spot for students of their school. It was nearly empty seeing that they were the first among those who left the school.

"So Shirohane-san, does your mother make an Ikebana herself or does she have someone making it. Also do you sell seeds for flowers or potted ones?" Alexei asked, a bit more curious as they neared their destination. As he waited for her reply they went through the entrance, he gave a polite bow to whom he thought was the incharge of the shop.

"Good Evening, Madam."