Ryan stopped and turned back around. He wasn't totally sure what to do in this situation. "I guess its my turn now. My name is Ryan Alon. I'm 16 years old and in Year 1. My hobbies are..." He hesitated. He didn't really have any hobbies. Better just make something up. "Watching anime and playing videogames. I hope to one day be a great programmer." Ryan finished his introduction. "It's nice to meet you two. I hope I don't offend anyone." Ryan walked back to his seat and sat down.

"So... did everyone decide to skip today? It seems kinda empty around here." Ryan asked as he looked around the empty room. When he first walked in he kinda thought that he came in on the wrong day. The place was a ghost town.

Monday, May 4^th - 2015

Warakuma Hospital - Parking Lot

The exchange did not last more than a few minutes. Once directions were given, the mysteriously helpful senpai turned around and prepared to leave. Yes, Gen knew him from school, but he could not put his finger on it. Was he a second-year or a third? He definitively was not a first-year, or else Gen would have recognised him instantly. His surname started with... K? No. M? No. It was hard putting names with faces together, specially when the only clue one had was the bulletin board at school that announced test results and class placement.

Ah! It wasn't on purpose, I swear!" Gen rushed to say as he picked up the class notes from the ground. He needed to give him back the towel, and to thank him for the help. "I'll give it back to you. Clean, of course!" There was no way in hell Gen would bring back a dirty towel. He might as well do senpai a favour and clean it. "Thank you!" He exclaimed with a quick bow and turned to the hospital. That scene made him forget about what the person he was supposed to visit was, as though it had been, quite literally, a splash of ice-cold water on the face.

Gen knocked on Chiaki's door. "Hello? Chiaki? It's Gen Itoshi, from school. I have your homework... May I come in?" He waited for a response.

Ayano put up a slight smile on her face, "Don't dwell on it too much." she said to Akane. A few minutes passed and the two had finally finished their introductions, looks like this was the right (?) thing to do after all! She gave herself a pat on the back for a job well done, who knows what could've happened if she hadn't...Probably just tons of dead silence. Her interest was piqued at Akane's ambition, Mangaka, eh? The girl got curious and decided to ask, "Are you creating your own manga right now? Would it be fine if you show us?"

When Ryan finished his introduction, Ayano simply nodded as she placed a hand under her chin. "Don't worry, we're not going to eat you or anything." Surely she and Akane aren't terrifying by any means now, right? When he was finished, she bowed in return and everything was back to the way they were in the room; dead silence. Now that she thought about it, Ryan was right, where IS everybody? The three of them can't be the only ones who applied for this club right? "Ryan's got a point, Akane. Where the hell is everybody?"

As Rui was leaving Chiaki's ward there was a knock on the door. He was the one to answer it, and it appears it was a student from the same school. He didn't recognize him, but he did recognize the work sheets in his hand. So he was to deliver this week's work to Chiaki. He announced himself as Gen Itoshi, a first year no doubt from the badge on his uniform.

"Gen is it? I was just leaving. It'd probably be best to hand those and go home quickly, she might still be tired", he advised. He opened the door a little wider before stepping out and leaving completely.

---

Chiaki was discharged yesterday, so today she was attending classes again like normal. Rui wasn't surprised with the attention she got. Compared to the last kidnappings, she got the most attention, likely due to her status and popularity... That was a strange thing about this school. Popularity wasn't flaunted or made obvious, there were simply 'select girls' or 'select boys' who had their own fandom among some of the student body. Chiaki was one of those 'select girls'. In any case, he should get to club... This might be the last week before all clubs decide to down their activities until midterms were over and done with...

Noboru woke up and stretched, his yawn long and deep. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, turning off his alarm and he started getting ready for school. Once all his morning procedures were done, he reached for his door. Near the door, on his dresser, was a small folded piece of paper he hadn't noticed before. He was intrigued, and unfolded the paper. A small silver necklace fell down. Noboru let out a small gasp. It was his favorite necklace. The one he had gotten years ago, but he had figured he'd lost it. He palmed it, his finger tracing the small silver outline of a deer. Snapping the necklace into place around his neck, he read the hastily scrawled note.

Listen Noboru. I found this necklace while rummaging around in Akari's room for a shirt of mine. Also, I know you've been rather wary of how i've been acting recently, with the sudden change of attitude I have. I want you to know, i'm not trying to set you up for something. When you were kidnapped, it made me realize. No matter how much I could've hated you, that doesn't change what happened way back when. It won't ever changed what happened, even if I wanted it to. And I wouldn't be forgived if I was seen doing that kind of thing to you. Slowly torturing you and putting you on edge. I guess all this meaningless rambling is leading me to say one thing. I'm sorry I acted the way I did. I don't ever plan on acting like that again. The kidnapping made me realize that you are a living sentiment. Please forgive me.

-Aiko

Noboru clutched the note, folding it and keeping it in his pocket for safekeeping.



Noboru stood outside at the front of the school. In his hand, the deer necklace. He palmed it over and over, feeling the smooth ridges of it and the cool silver. He thought back to when he first received it, as a gift.

----
"Noboooooooooru, who is itttttt?"

"Cmooooooon I know it's you. I'm old enough I don't wanna play these games."

"Oh cmon Noboru you just turned eight, stop acting so mature. You're a little boy. Anyway guesssss what I gotttt?~"

The hand brandished a silver necklace, in the outline of a deer. It wasn't that big, but it was beautiful. Noboru gasped. It was so nice looking. He grabbed it quickly and put it on.

"It's so pretty! But why did you buy it for me? You're the one who loves deers."

"Because it reminds me of you. Brave, strong, and proud. You never let anything get you down for long. You always come back stronger. That's how my little man should act. Like a majestic deer."

----
As Noboru thought about that, his clutch grew tighter on the necklace. He stopped gripping it, afraid that he would shatter it into pieces. He shook the thought out of his head. He looked around. He was almost ready to head home. He didn't feel like doing much today.

Ryan sat in front of the school and ate some food quietly as he thought about what he would do today. There was no anime and manga club today as far as he was aware so he would just have to wing it. His mind then wandered to earlier. Ryan's mom had called to tell him she was going to be gone for a few more months. The bills would be automatically be played for and money was transferred to his debit card so he could buy food. It was amazing how neglectful she was yet she still made sure everything was taken care of.

Ryan shook his head and got up. It didn't matter. He walked into school and headed to class. He made sure he brought a book with him today so he didn't get bored. He stopped in front of class 1-1 and opened the door. He sat down and got to studying for the midterms.



Ryan was back at the front of the school and he thought about what he was doing today. He was just going to have to play it by ear. He walked back into the school and began wandering around. If he was in Tatsumi Prof Island he would have looked eerily like one of The Lost.

Akane Hanazawa // Warakuma High // Manga Club Room
Monday, May 4th, 2015
After School

When Akane finished, Ayano asked about her manga. Puffing up with pride, she tapped her chest with her fist. "Of course, I'm always working on something, mostly one shots about random things I see or imagine about. I like to draw different things, no matter how strange or plain something maybe. I like to challenge myself to see what I'm able to draw and whether I do a certain thing poorer or stronger then the next thing." Pausing to stretch a bit, she resumes.

"I've long been working on something I'd like to make a series of, for whenever I get my big break, as kind of a rough draft, but I've hit a wall with it so I left it at home until I get some more inspiration for it. I can probably continue with cliche things, but I'm quite picky and want each chapter to be interesting. Maybe when it's finished I may show it, only if I'm pleased with it, that is." she laughed.

As Ryan began introducing himself and got to his 'hobbies', a blank expression appeared on his face. She couldn't help but think that he was forcing it. Sheesh, if you don't like it, no need to force yourself. Is he trying to appease me or something? She was close to saying this out loud, but refrained and thought better of it, wanting to get this out of the way and get drawing. After the introductions, they finally asked about the lack of presence in the room, causing her to chuckle to herself. "Have no fear, there are a few others in the club, there's a ghost member and the rest are busy with other clubs, like me and kendo. It's just a matter of catching them on the right day."

After drawing for some time, she saw the others out and left for the day.

As if he could sense the worry in the club members' voices, the president spoke, "Hey, don't worry about it! It's something I chose to do for the sake of the club, I didn't force myself to." Matt flashed his signature carefree smile to reassure the girls that he was alright with cutting down some work hours. The freshman nodded in agreement with a light smile of her own, feeling a similar sentiment to the upperclassman. It was her first club in high school, at least some excitement was expected. Perhaps, it might even be a step forward to overcome her timid nature!

After a brief discussion on what the club could start on during the next club session, including the preparation of the given land for cultivation, the club was dismissed. Shizuka had originally hoped there could have been a few more new people to meet in the club but figured it was better this way, being a little more comfortable with acquaintances she had met previously. When farewells were bid and they all separated to their own ways, the raven haired student headed home.

---

Arriving home from a long day at school, followed by her part time job at Star Drop Cafe, Shizuka settled her belongings down in her room before walking along the corridors of the family mansion, heading towards the dining room. A servant stationed at the door to the room bowed as she pushed the door open for her young mistress. The scenery before Shizuka caught her in surprise: both her father and mother were home, and eating together for once. No, they are not in ill terms with each other, but... Both of them were always too caught up in their own respective jobs that it was either one of them was home or neither, the latter at most times.

Feeling joy at this rare occasion, Shizuka paced towards the edge of the long table where the two dined and greeted with a gentle curve upon her lips. "Good evening father, mother! What a delight to see both of you home for once." She took a seat at the chair across her mother, as one of the servants organized utensils on the dining table mat before her. The youthful mother, who Shizuka inherited most of her physical traits from, responded first with a mature yet bright tone, "My, my, we have the whole family on the dining table after such a long while! I wouldn't mind getting used to this. So how has school been treating you lately?" She inquired, before rolling a small amount of pasta and elegantly placing it into her mouth. The solemn, bespectacled father, with the same hazel eyes as his daughter, quietly yet firmly inserted his comment into the topic. "Is it not nearly exam week for your school? I have been informed by patients from the same school, asking for medical certificate as proof to be exempted from classes for a couple of exam days. Some of their conditions... are not as bad as they claim to be. Skipping exams I suppose, unethical children these days..." He muttered the last statement to himself in a frustrated tone as his middle finger readjusts the position of his glasses before returning to the utensil he held.

It was nice to have such a small talk over the dining table with one's family, Shizuka rarely experienced such so she would appreciate each time she was able. It momentarily caused her to forget the loneliness she experienced every time she had eaten alone, and no doting mother or father to check what she was up to in her room. Her share of pasta had arrived but before digging in, she parted her lips to reply to what her parents had said,"Ah yes, father is right. I've been studying from time to time inbetween breaks from classes and the little time before work. Preparation for the exams aside, I joined a club--"

Before having the chance to finish her statement, a servant came bursting in and hurried to her father's side, "Sir! An emergency call from your hospital just came in, they require your immediate assistance! A traffic accident just occured involving more or less a dozen victims. We shall ready your car, sir." With how dire the situation seemed to be, the bespectacled doctor had no choice but to leave immediately without finishing his meal. "Forgive me, but I must go. Enjoy the rest of your meals and a pleasant evening to the both of you." With that, he was gone. As if on cue, after a small sip of her wine, a grandfather clock rings as the mother glances up from her drink to the time it displayed. "Oh my, is that the time already? I'm sorry Shizuka, my darling, but my flight to Osaka for the fashion conference is but a mere hour away. Please take care of yourself for me and I'll be calling you once I arrive, alright? Farewell for now!"

.......... What was Shizuka expecting? One way or the other, it usually ended up this way: being alone. But she was an obedient child, she knew her parents worked hard for her sake and for other people's sake. She never complained then, nor will she now. Even then... Maybe she had hoped for an ordinary family like any other, eating meals together, watching television together, going on outings together, any normal family activity. This was the reason she succumbed to the dark world of otaku (or so others say) in the first place.

After quickly finishing her meal, Shizuka returned to her personal room filled with all the manga, anime DVDs, and otome games any otaku would die for. Picking up the handheld console in her hand, a little droplet fell onto the unlit screen. Just where did it...? Streams of tears trickled down the surface of her cheeks. But why? This was nothing new to her yet... Why did tears fall? Attempting to control the flow of tears with rubs against her eyes, it was futile. Before long, the tears became uncontrollable, Shizuka continued to quietly weep in the painful silence of the Otonashi residence.

MAY 6TH 2015, WEDNESDAY
Midnight

“Rokurou…” A soft voice whispered, a gentle hand running down the boy’s exposed back. He groaned, not bothering to lift his face from the pillow he was sleeping on. The girl pushed herself onto her side and shook Rokurou a bit to wake him up. Silently, he rolled onto his back and looked over at his companion, eyes only half open. “I need to get home soon.”

The third-year scratched at his jaw. “Why? I thought you said your parents weren’t coming home?” Rokurou replied, dreading the idea of getting out of the warm nest of blankets. Plus, he didn’t remember where he’d tossed his clothes and finding those would be an awkward adventure in the dark.

“Sorrryyy… I forgot my dad got back before school…” She ran her fingers across the male’s chest, for no real reason. It was almost counter-productive, in a way. Rokurou stretched his arms above his head, letting out a yawn as he did so. With a grumble he dragged himself out of bed and stumbled blindly forward. Though he was still in the buff, he didn’t make any effort to cover himself. There wasn’t any reason to, in his eyes.

“Alright, just lemme find my pants…” Rokurou said, right before bumping into the drumset in the corner, a loud clamoring cringingly resulting. It took him a while but he did eventually find his jeans, pulling them on swiftly as soon as his hands found the denim. He threw on his black shirt and cracked the door, making sure nobody had woken up before he and his lover absconded from the house.

---

MAY 6TH 2015, WEDNESDAY
Afterschool

Sato Hashimoto was rhythmically tapping a pen against his textbook. That is, until someone gave him an ugly look. The boy returned to studying whatever was on the current page— some type of math— but it didn’t take long for him to lose interest again. Today was not a studying kind of day. He almost wished he had went to archery instead, but after the last time he’d gone there, it seemed better to let it cool off first. Hopefully it wasn’t long-term damage or anything.

Sato looked over at his study partner. Naomi was hard at work, writing down neat notes after looking at the page for a bit. He still hadn’t gotten over that phase where his face would start burning a bit if he looked at her soft features for too long. Even the light brown bedraggled head of hair she had at the moment was enough to trigger the painful blush. The girl across the table kept shooting him glares and he’d try to return to studying each time to no avail. Sato eventually ended up just staring at the textbook like he’d absorb just by watching the writing long enough even though he was busy in his own thoughts. Was she even interested in him or was this just a friendly friend friendship? Where were the clues?

Whatever, Sato thought, it’s not like any relationship I start would last past the end of the year.

Today was a pretty average day at school after she had been discharged from the hospital. Happy to have her strength back Chiaki was eager to return to her social life at school, being away from all of the students put a downpour on her mood. Especially after the whole confession incident... Shrugging it off she finished a conversation she was having with her friends and approached Gen Itoshi, a boy who came to deliver school work while she was in the hospital. Not exactly the best way to introduce himself but nonetheless, she decided to thank him for bringing it in, since she wasn't in the mood to talk at the hospital"

He was sitting at his desk, she tapped him lightly on the shoulder, as he turned around, Chiaki happily smiled and began to apologies for her apathetic mood the other day. "Itoshi-san, correct? You delivered me that school work the other day. Sorry, I didn't really say anything or thank you, I was really weak. Not really in the mood for talking, normally I'm quite chatty. Anyway, as a thank you for the other day, would you like to have lunch get and better acquainted? It'll be my treat. That is, if you're not doing anything of course." After she asked Gen out to lunch, there were a few murmurs and whispers in the classroom.
She could feel the intense jealousy of some of the male students in the room.

Noboru stood for what seemed like forever, thinking about whether he should go home or not. He took the necklace from his hand and snapped it back around his neck. It felt soothing, like a hand on his back, supporting him all the way. It was a calm in the raging storm that was happening in his life. Despite all these things coming towards him with a raging fury, the deer necklace felt like a ward for him, protecting him. He thought for a moment about the necklace, and made a decision. He wanted to make a visit. He took a slight jog and headed down the road.

Looking down the road, he approached his destination. He looked up at the sign.

"Warakuma Hospital".

He looked around, making sure no one was following him, and headed inside.

Alexei was up to his regular routine. The clothes were neatly hanging on the clothesline. The vegetables had all been chopped and he had prepared the bacon for the lunch and it was still just 5.45 AM. He was about to put things together and get to preparing things for the day. It was a big day today, his mother was do have another surgery. Her health had been stout throughout the Golden Week but doctors had found a few alarming developments.

They had informed him about it and he had given his consent regarding the new line of action though his mother did the decision making. Though Elena was upset but she quickly calmed down about learning the seriousness of it.

As he was mostly done and was about to get started on breakfast he was greeted by the surprise of Elena at the Kitchen's doorway. From the looks of her disheveled appearance it was clear that she hadn't bothered to wash herself up before coming to see him. It was clear that something was eating at her mind and with the event of today it was hardly any suspense as to what it was.

"Good Morning! Eli." Alexei greeted her, acknowledging her silent presence as she just stood there watching him cook.

"Nii-san!!" she started but paused. There was a pregnant silence as Alexei just waited for her to finish what she wanted to say, " I am not going to school today." she said finally, letting out a deep sigh.

"Why? Aren't the exams around the corner." he said without looking at her, she was an obedient little child. He hardly had any complaints, if any, with her. She wasn't always so, she was indeed quite a brat in her growing years. But, after the incident that made them leave Tokyo. Her behavior did a complete 180.

"I wanna be with mum." she said meekly. She knew how hard her brother worked to keep the family together. To her, he was a saint whom she can't repay for the burden he carried on her behalf, without ever letting a complaint slip his mouth. All he expected out of her was her complete focus on living a normal school life and doing exceedingly well in exams so that she could get in at Tokyo University. Though, it was just a day off from her routine, she knew that he never took one and there was a bit of guilt but at the same time the worry that she may never be able to see her mother alive ate at her. There was always that risk and while she didn't know of how much it troubled Alexei, she knew how much it affected her.

Alexei stopped what he was doing for a moment as he heard her. She shook slightly expecting an order from her elder brother. In the end, she would do what he said even if it would not be what she want.

"I understand." he said quietly. She stood with her mouth agape, she hadn't expected that in the least. Yet again he had managed to exceed her expectations.

"Even better, I'll drop you at the hospital while I go to school." he said turning around to look at her with a slight smile.

"Oh! Thank you, Onii-san!" she said as she ran and hugged him. He returned the embrace as he patted her head. After that she went to get some more sleep and he packed her lunch. He proceeded to workout a bit before they both got ready and went out of the house.

He dropped her at the gate of the hospital.

"Say a prayer from my side too." he said as he patted her cheek and planting a peck at her forehead before departing. She watched him turn the bend before going inside. A big day waited ahead.



It was practice time again. Lately Alexei's interest had waned in the other clubs he was part of. Especially as the kidnappings intensified, he couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy and on the edge. Meanwhile, Sagat had put Inoue on a tough circuit for the past few weeks and the results were starting to show.

Through her gym vest one could see the contours of newly formed muscle. Inoue had dropped a few percent of body fat and looked more ripped, her jawline had gotten more prominent and a fierce aura emanated from her as beads of sweat sparkled in the afternoon light that filled the musty hall they called the MMA Club Room.

The change had started a few weeks back, Sagat had come to the conclusion to put her mental will to test by giving her dream a shot. It was decided that over the course of next four weeks Sagat would try and imbibe some of his technique into her game before Alexei would take over and try the same.

"Okay, Inoue!" Sagat clapped his hands loudly to snap him out of his thoughts and gather attention.

"I think you are mostly ready, it is now time to test that." He said with his laidback drawl that was his style. It was hard to believe that a man who acted so laid back and relaxed was such a brute.

"You have 3 minutes to score a clean hit on Alexei. Elbows and Knees are allowed." he said, looking over at Alexei to motion as if he could handle it. Alexei gave him a thumbs up to mark his accent. Inoue had a confident look to her as she took stance, it was a Muay Thai stance instead of her regular Tae-Kwon-Do one. Alexei also stretched a bit before getting ready. Sagat was to act as referee.

With his signal the bout started, immediately Inoue went on the offensive with a high thrusting kick. Alexei leaned into the attack to catch it on his shoulder before grabbing the offending leg tightly and spinning Inoue mid-air with a twist before going for a leg lock. Immediately Sagat blew whistle to signify his victory.

Soon the three minutes passed. In the end Inoue didn't manage to get even one clean hit on Alexei but unlike times before, Alexei had to think on his feet to counter her. She had gotten a lot more faster and ridiculously stronger apart from a fly like agility that was hard to counter normally. It was just that she had played into Alexei's close quarters game with her over-aggression but it was a good lesson learnt.

"Inoue! Unless you are confident that you can get in and get out quickly. Don't go for a thrust kick against a floor specialist." Sagat said as he leaned next to a prone Inoue who was still catching her breath. Even with her extreme effort, Alexei had been a wall not easy to surpass.

"Also why didn't you use elbows? I said it was allowed. Were you scared?" he asked curiously.

"I..hunh..I..Didn't want to hurt him." she said exhausted.

"Do you think him to be this weak? Or you think that just in a month you have closed down the gap in strength?" he continued his little investigation. Though it sounded rude, it was necessary. A fighter's main job was to fight but to fight within rules. So it was essential that one knew of every rule and every exception.

"Umm.."

"Don't answer. But trust him, he isn't mad that he would volunteer for such an activity. Also, I have hit him harder when we spar." he said with a grave expression.

"You know that our target is not women's MMA, right? It is to be the complete fighting machine. Irrespective of it being a boy or a girl." he said with a hint of pride. " So you wash those doubts and try again."

They rested for a while before going for a pullup contest which obviously Sagat won. Inoue came in second to her own surprise.

Monday, May 6^th - 2015

Warakuma High (Class 1-1)

Gen was closing his textbook when Chiaki came up to him. At first, he was unsure as to the reason why she would do such a thing, but when she started explaining, it made even less sense. She did not have to go as far as inviting him to lunch. In fact, he had brought his own lun- Oh, he left it at home. Great. He could try convincing her to pay just for her food. He would be lying if he said he had money for the two of them. He had to stop that habit of his to only bring just the necessary money for essentials. He was starting to look mean rather than thrifty.

Nevertheless, Gen straightened up in his seat. "Ah, well, yes I'm free." As though he was on a busy schedule. "You don't have to pay for everything, though." He stood up, a slight shiver running down his spine as the death glares pierced his very soul. Gen could get kidnapped just for that. "Are you ok, by the way? I mean, you're feeling better, right?" He started walking towards the class door, as he was anxious to stop being watched like some moving target. Gen would never see the archery club in the same light. "Oh wait, you don't have to answer that. If you don't feel like it." He did start talking to her yesterday, and even then, they did not talk much. Gen was not aware how much he could ask, though he would obviously avoid anything kidnapping-related, because, if anything, he had common sense. Somewhat.

Kendo Club was on today. Just yesterday he briefly attended Drama and Leiko seemed to be doing okay. In any case, he was at Kendo today instead, and things went pretty much okay. As expected everyone was trying to get some technique training out of the way before activities would lay low for a bit before midterms. In that sense, Rui wasn't too concerned about the midterms, he had kept up on the material well enough... Maybe if he studied a little extra... Well in any case, Kami was here too briefly but left early. Rui could guess why, it was the investigation task he took up for himself, then again he had always done this even before.

The day finally came when Ayano heard the good news, Chiaki was all fine and well and was able to get right on track as soon as she left the hospital. She was overjoyed to hear that she had not suffered any serious injuries or displayed any abnormalities that warranted attention, she just can't wait to finally be able to talk to her once again, but for now that will have to wait. Focusing her attention on her lessons once more, Ayano made the valiant effort to listen attentively to every single detail her teachers had to say today, midterms were coming soon and she's not the one who's aiming to fail.


The lessons were finally over and Ayano felt like she was in an utter trance as she tried to process each and every single lesson they discussed today, time felt like it was moving so slow compared to the things that were going on in her brain. She kept on mumbling things about how what this and that were and how that was relative to this and so on so forth...Only when her seatmate snapped his fingers in front of her did her trance stop. Looking around the classroom, Ayano slowly tried to regain her composure from the sudden influx of knowledge she had learned today. At least now midterms won't be as hard. As she began to leave the classroom, the idea of visiting her cousin passed by her train of thought, it wouldn't hurt to check on her, right?


Peering her head through the front door, the girl surveyed the room in search of her cousin, only to find her talking to a stranger. Realizing that she probably had plans for the day, she slowly retreated into the shadows and headed straight home.

Akane Hanazawa // Warakuma High // Kendo Club
Wednesday, May 6th, 2015
After School

Akane, Finally back at Kendo with golden week over, after assisting in the cleaning, immediately began warming up. Well, she came yesterday but didn't stay long as she decided to hit the books, with midterms coming up. She wasn't worried in the slightest about her grades but even the smartest people can easily slip up after doing nothing for a given amount of time. She never needed much time to study, 2-3 days of solid studying and shes good to go but in this case, she needed to make up for lost time given all that went down during golden week.

Having finished warming up, she began training, deciding to challenge herself by timing her techniques in an attempt to have them done faster, even if only by a millisecond, without having to sacrifice power and form.

Ryan Alon: Warakuma High: After School

Ryan continued wandering around the school as he pondered what to do today. It didn't seem like there was any clubs he would be interested in today. Everyone had already left, unless they were in clubs. He should probably go home to be honest but he didn't really want to. He might as well stay a couple more minutes. Maybe someone would talk to him. "Doubtful." Ryan muttered under his breath. He checked his watch and shook his head. He left the school and went back home to make some food.

Rui greeted Akane as she entered, pretty soon they were practising techniques in pairs after the initial warm-up. There was a bit of talk about preparing for summer, why one would ask? Well, it was the tournaments between highschools in the Kanto region mostly. It was annual and Rui knew it. It appeared to be held in a place called Tatsumi Port Island this year. He'd heard of the place, but only because of something called Apathy Syndrome spreading around the news a couple years back. Apparently it was a small incident, but it did cause a fair amount of grief. Not to mention they apparently had a very prestigious school, so likely they had state of the art facilities and all... Once he thought about that, the location choice came as little surprise.

"Akane, what do you think about the tournaments coming in summer?", he inquired. When he practised Kendo in middle school he barely managed to make the cut onto the team. His school lost unfortunately, but they made it pretty far so no one was really upset. Probably not the best time to ask either though. Midterms were in two weeks after all, everyone was more focused on studies.

Akane Hanazawa // Warakuma High // Kendo Club
Wednesday, May 6th, 2015
After School

Breaking her out of her trance, Rui greeted her and asked about her thoughts of the upcoming tournaments this summer. "What do I think? Hmm," pausing, she briefly remembered her days in middle school and how she never gotten the chance to be in a tournament let alone a team. "Honestly, I'm quite excited. I was never able to try out for my middle schools kendo team let alone compete in a tournament, so the upcoming ones will be a first for me. It may be my first time but I plan to make up for lost time and win. Not going to let Midterms get in the way of that!" Akane began grinning ear-to-ear. She knew she was going to do fine on the exams, after all.

"I see, that's good to hear. I'll probably try and qualify to be on the teams too this year", he responded. He didn't say to be on the same one though, since they would be assigned in different gender divisions. That's just how it is. After they concluded training, they left for home. Some people went earlier today and Rui expected this to be a common trend for the next week and two. In any case, he should probably revise a little for the midterms coming up. He was solid on the material, but he had the freedom to make sure. If things were as they were for the last few weeks though, someone was going to be being rescued this Sunday... He hoped this would slow down, since Mondays were becoming tiring for him. Hopefully Kami's investigation may assist in this... In any case, he spent the rest of the day revising some of the material.



It was another normal day today. Rui was considering instead to go down into town, mostly to just unwind today. Drama club was on the down-low so not much was going to happen anyway. Hmmm... Maybe he should try cooking something new today... In any case, school was over for the day and most clubs weren't active on Thursday anyway. Rui packed his bag and headed down to the shopping districts.