@sho minazuki

"I must be." Jun replied with a courteous smile and a slight bow of her head as the boy entered. She didn't know his name, but she'd seen him around school. "I remember most of it. Being chased by assassins and hooded weirdos. Falling through a mirror in the Hall of Mirrors. That strange mountain I woke up on. The weird knight that turned into... my Persona? That's what Nose Guy called it, correct?"

She had lowered her voice so her guard outside wouldn't hear the conversation. It wasn't about the man himself as much as Jun not wanting anything she said getting to her father. She looked out her window. "I also remember that everyone who came to save me were former abduction victims. I'm guessing this is what you guys have been up to."

She sighed and turned back to the boy. "If you're here to recruit me, I hope you realize by now my situation is a little... complicated. The rumours floating around school are true, not that anyone needs confirmation. I am the daughter of a yakuza boss. After I get discharged, my father is unlikely to let me walk around without an escort. I won't be of much help if I have eyes on me all the time."

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School | After School

The bell signalled the end of the lesson and beginning of the usual commotion as many of the students practically fled the classroom; eager to meet up with their friends, clubs or just getting home after a Monday. And, much as usual, Kotori was still in her seat finishing her notes for the day as most everyone filed past her; occasionally looking up and giving a passing greeting if anyone happened to speak to her as they went by but mostly focused on her writing. The classroom was mostly empty by the time she was finished and finally packed her things too - though not with near as much enthusiasm as those before her as a sigh escaped her lips, and not for the first time that day.

Exiting the classroom, she glanced up at the clock and, seeing as there was still a little time before she'd have to head out, decided to at least pay the Agriculture Club a visit - whilst she wouldn't be able to stay for long today, she might at least be able to help with checking up on the by now dozens upon dozens of different flowers and plants that were growing in the clubroom alone. That thought at least brought a small smile to her face as she headed down the hallway - only to abruptly halt in midstep when she heard a familiar voice. In particular, it was Matthew's - and it came in the form of a yell that could be heard down the hall even as she was only approaching the clubroom.

Her pace slowed, Kotori dithered on whether to draw closer to inspect - but after a few moments of deliberation, bit her lip and slowly turned back around. Between having been reassured that letting whatever it was that was happening between her two fellow club members best be left for them to work out between themselves and not knowing what to do or say even if she were asked, Kotori saw this as for the best - even if it didn't feel like it. As she passed through the main entrance, Kotori saw the other half of this predicament, Shizuka, currently preoccupied with the outside garden in the school courtyard - but for much the same reasons, Kotori continued on with but a small wave; unsure whether the other girl would actually see her as she did.

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma Hospital | After School

"Take care," the receptionist said cheerfully with a smile as Kotori gave a quick bow and hurried back outside whilst trying not to look too rushed doing so. It was only once outside and taken a seat on one of the benches along the path leading up to the hospital that she took a deep breath and started to feel her inner tension slowly loosening up again. No matter how many times she went, she just never could get used to hospitals - they always gave her an strange feeling of unease, even though she knew rationally that there was no reason for it. Still, at least the check-up had shown no sign of a worsening condition and indeed been mostly positive - but at the same time, she couldn't help but feel a ill at ease knowing that this meant that her forthcoming operation was getting ever closer.

Kotori's malaise was not helped either by the face that she also knew that the two most recent kidnappees were currently in the hospital - and that she hadn't visited them despite having every opportunity to do so. She felt no small measure of guilt at that, but she really didn't want to spend more time inside than she had to. Looking back up at the hospital, she gave a small bow of her head and whispered an apology - it seemed like the least she could do.

"I suppose... That's fair", Akane was a different case, but he wasn't hoping for a yes or no or any sort, it seemed only right that they be informed, and be given a chance. He felt that the power they now possessed was also a symbol of a responsibility, after all, no one else can do what they're doing, and obtaining the power seemed to require a fair level of risk too.

"However, that's just the circumstances around it... Not that I don't understand, but I suppose I'll simply leave you with my number", he began, scrawling his number on a note and handing it over to Jun.

"You don't have to join us immediately, or even at all, we wouldn't want to force anyone to do this. As 'cool' as it seems, your life really is being risked", it was clear he was going to give Jun some time to think. He understood she didn't have just her own choice to think of, but also her family. Plus, there may be some things she wants to discuss with her family too, given what he heard during her dungeon.

"If you have any questions, just call me", and with that he left Jun to her thoughts.

---

"Hm...? Is that Kotori...?", he saw the little timid girl walk off the hospital premises on his way out. That's right, she has a heart condition. Perhaps she was here for that. Still she seemed to want to leave this place as soon as possible, so it may not be wise to approach and keep her here. Hopefully nothing was going badly, in fact considering the stressful nature of the mirror world, he was impressed that she never showed any signs of having problems... His thoughts were interrupted as he remembered the date, followed by how close it was to a certain something,

"Oh right. Exams... I need to catch up", Rui began heading home on that thought.

It was chilly, for early July. It was still bordering 20 degrees, but the humidity felt piercing combined with the cool breeze. The sky was clear besides some rolling clouds, and the moon, despite waning, still looked full. Sato couldn't really say why he wanted to go look at it, though. It wasn't anything special, but maybe it was just the concept of moon-watching that appealed to him. Spending the evening alone together, silence blanketing them. The shrine was devoid of life apart from these two clockwork hearts.

It all... This whole thing felt like a blur, really. Sato's head was still pounding, hands still shaking. He didn't even remember what they had said back in the arcade, just the feeling, the warmth, of Mako. Crying in the back of arcade was so stupid, but he couldn't help it. It took all he had to not start crying again even now. Maybe it was the kiss, maybe it was the embrace, but it was just... a lot of firsts, and it was hard to keep up with the night. Maybe it was the honesty that struck him the hardest; none of it was a lie. Chests cut open and beating hearts showing.

Was that overly dramatic...? It was apt, at the very least.

It was weird, the fluttering in his stomach. Sato had felt it before, of course: the nerves, the heat in his heart, complete lack of a desire to go home. This type of thing wasn't new to Sato. But, infatuation and school crushes couldn't ever hold a candle to this. The ferocity of it, the concoction of new and old feelings, was overwhelming. Those eyes felt like a riptide pulling Sato into an ocean of Mako, those hands sirens dragging him under the surface. All of that, and they were just sitting together on the steps to the shrine.

He didn't want to seem like a baby about it, but watching the moon, Sato felt a million emotions he'd never felt before. Like his chest would explode with butterflies flying out, leaving a crimson stain on the velvet sky they were watching. What a stupid thing love was, to make someone think that exploding wouldn't even be that bad.

"We should head back soon," Sato muttered, but instead of moving to get up or anything, he just leaned onto Mako's shoulder again. It didn't feel as cold that way. "It's getting late," He said, but it didn't really matter. He could just sleep in class.

... Aren't exams coming up?

Oh, well. They'd rather study eachother anyway.

The week had gone by quite quickly, it was rather quiet, as most students were heading home early to study, or silently studied in their clubrooms, Rui kept himself studied while at home so he spent the day going out instead. Exam started in exactly two days, and go for the whole week, and then immediately after that was the summer break, which everyone's been looking forward to. It was also more reason to study hard as the first half of summer break would be taken up by remedial classes if you got a failing grade. He can imagine who may get such, but that aside... He was wondering what to do for today.

Shizuka Otonashi || Warakuma High Classroom 1-1 || July 11 SAT: After School

The sound of school bell. Students rushing for the exit. Sigh. The examination period is soon coming yet Shizuka had not an ounce of confidence in her studies or notes. The bangs covering her eyes might've caused a slight blindness to the chalk board in front of them but even then, the words coming out of her teachers' lips did not register in her mind. Of course, this led to humiliation in front of the class when the teachers asked Shizuka to answer or simply read the passage on the text book, only to stand abruptly in shock and blush hard from the embarrassment.

Nozomi and Rinko, the two best friends of Shizuka have been worried about the friend ever since her return from the kidnapping case. Not only for the well being after such a traumatic incident but something about her seemed.... off. The reveal of her obsession over otaku things considered, there was something behind the smile she beamed, they couldn't say for sure but it felt melancholic. If it was a concern Shizuka was comfortable to talk about, the two friends were sure she'll come to them for consultation but that didn't stop Rinko from attempting to ask her, just to be stopped by the more mature friend, Nozomi.

It was evident Shizuka badly needed to do some catching up on studies but it just so happened there was an emergency call for waitress back up from the cosplay cafe she worked at. Conflicted on whether to go to the cafe to work or library to study, the freshman walked out of the classroom door.

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School | Saturday, July 11 2015 - After School

As the bell rang, the usual hectic hustle and bustle broke out - even if everyone seemed a little more apprehensive given that it was the last day of regular school before the finals began in earnest next week. Whilst some had already given up hope of avoiding the remedial classes, others seemed to have taken a particularly keen interest in their studies - some had adopted meticulous note-keeping, much like Kotori had been doing all year round, whilst others seemed to be rushing off to the library or other study group - at least, that's how Kotori interpreted the odd change in habits of some of her classmates including Mako.

As for herself, she mostly kept up her usual routine - including today, as she finished her notes from the last class and began packing her things in the by now noticeably emptier classroom; albeit whilst glancing about to see if any more of her classmates or even students from other classes happened to be approaching - with the exams drawing ever nearer, not one day went by without someone asking her for help in their studies. Much to Kotori's chagrin, she'd had to apologise and explain that that was unfortunately - mostly citing things like club activities or helping out at home.

Though these weren't untrue, in truth she also felt far too nervous at the prospect of actually trying to teach someone else - which only served to give her more of a guilty conscience every time she declined such a request. It was a times likes these that she really wished that the results from the mid-terms hadn't been announced for everyone to see - perhaps then she might have been able to stay unnoticed more easily. A small sigh escaped her lips as she headed out of the classroom - thinking on all this wasn't exactly going to help her in any way, she realised and tried to push the thoughts to the back of her mind, limited success though she may have with it.

As she made her way to the school entrance, Kotori passed by several other students who were still hanging about. Though she didn't mean to eavesdrop, it was difficult not to hear the occasional words of ongoing conversations - but unlike at the start of the week, it seemed that the kidnappings had been dropped out of the pool of topics in favour of the upcoming exams or the summer break thereafter. Pushing open the main door, Kotori slowed after just a few steps as she thought on what to do with the rest of the day - besides having set aside some time later in the evening to keep up with her regular studies, she realised that she didn't have anything planned.

Thus Kotori found herself standing not far from the school entrance, internally debating whether to pop into the local library or to head home and hopefully finish the novel she'd been reading for the past few days.

Matthew Harvester || Agriculture Club - Sat 11 July

The week silently passed for Matt has he bore the realisation that exams were soon not long after his dilemma within the clubroom, so upon realising his clubroom had become a nice place for solitude he decided to head there to study nearly every day. While doing that Matt avoided invitations to go to study groups or hang out, he really bad at focusing in groups and needed to focus by himself.

Well that's what he said anyway, he just didn’t feel like dealing with people at the moment, which seemed to raise brows within his class due to his usual loudness.
In the end he was now here sitting in the clubroom again studying…. Kinda.
Matt was able to read through notes and textbooks but not all of it was sticking like normal, sometimes he had to go through something multiple times, his head just wasn't in the right place.

The studying didn't go terrible but it could have gone better, but certain thoughts kept coming through his mind when he focused for too long.

With a sigh Matt mumbled to himself,
“....I hope this works out”

Track During the Test

The test week was intense, especially since it was before the summer break, most if not everyone was focused on getting through it so that they didn't have to do summer classes. The routine was attend, exam, go home, study, sleep, wake up, then rinse and repeat, for the whole week. The routine was a test and subjects for each day, Math, Japanese, English, History, Science, Literature. Rui was fairly well-studied in all of them so he fared quite well.

As soon as the routine was over, they were informed results would be posted next week, and so everyone went home after the test on Saturday, hoping they passed.

---

Students attended the last day of school today before summer break, today may as well be a day off as there were no classes, everyone was simply here to see what their result was. As Rui approached the noticeboard and looked for his name, he seems to have scored about as highly as last time.



"Ah", as he was checking the names of his friends, he spotted that Noboru was the only one who failed. By one point no less... He can almost hear in the background the anguished cries of Noboru as he was dragged to the faculty room, like the other few students who failed, to induct them to summer classes. Rui clasped his hands together in prayer for a brief moment before leaving to go about his day.

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School | Monday, July 20 2015 - After School

With both the finals and the last real school day already in the past, there was really only one reason for every student to be at the school - which was also why there was a rather large gathering just beyond the main entrance, centered around the noticeboard. Kotori could already see the crowd before she entered the building - and the prospect of having to navigate it just to see the results of the finals didn't exactly appeal too much, causing her to slow her pace. Even before this, she hadn't been looking forward to this day - with the constant distractions, worries and mirror world excursions courtesy of the Junsei Sekai Tensei, Kotori hadn't felt too confident going into the exams. Besides that, she was somewhat torn between wanting to somehow keep up the results form the mid-terms yet also not drawing as much attention as she'd done - which, all told, had left her somewhat nervous throughout the exam period and thus now even more worried that she may have made some avoidable mistakes.

Reaching the main entrance and stepping inside, Kotori suppressed a yawn before rubbing her eyes behind her glasses - the uncertainties hadn't allowed for very good sleep. Still, she was here now and with good reason - even if that meant trying to somehow make her way through the constantly moving sea of fellow students all with the same goal in mind. It took more than a few minutes and several more whispered "Excuse me" and "Sorry" before she somehow managed to make it all the way to the front. On the way, the students she passed seemed to be in quite a wide range of states - whilst some seemed quite proud of their achievements, most seemed to just be happy to have passed; quite unlike those few whose dejected faces immediately let anyone know that they were bound for remedial classes - a fate that Kotori very much hoped to avoid.

Once at the board, Kotori quickly looked over the list to locate the second year rankings and scanned it for her name - this time starting at the passing grades and slowly working her way up. As she worked her way up, she grew ever more nervous as her own name didn't show up - but just as she was starting to fear that she would have to find herself in the failing section, it turned out that quite the opposite was the case. The surprise at finding herself at 99 points was quite plain to see as Kotori blinked several times just to make sure that she was seeing right - but when nothing changed even after re-adjusting her glasses, a sigh of relief finally came over her lips as she made her way back out of the crowd.

Though she did feel a little guilty for scoring lower than during the mid-terms, Kotori was mostly just relieved to see that not only had she passed but also that she could finally lay to rest all the concerns about her studies throughout the year. It was only when she stepped out of the crowd that she realised that in her search she had neglected to see how either any of her classmates or the other members of the investigation team had done, much to her immediate guilty conscience. However, glancing back at the ever-present crowd, Kotori decided against trying to make her way through it a second time and instead headed for the main entrance to get some fresh air before deciding what to do with the rest of the day; though she did spare a glance over the crowd to see if she might recognise a familiar face therein - though that was a tall order considering the sheer size thereof.

The corridor was packed with people as Katsuro turned into it, all crowding around the piece of paper on the board that explained their exam results. A small groan escaped his lips as he looked into the crowd, all trying to get to the paper to look at it, scan it for their results, act with joy/dismay as they would, and manage to shove their way out. He couldn't help but smile. This had been his first exam in a while, and it was one of the few things that he looked forward to here. He had heard that being top of a class felt good, and would make you popular.

...the last one was unlikely, but he still felt a tinge of excitement as he joined the group around the board, followed by a tinge of irritation. Why couldn't these people come later, when it wasn't so crowded?. Why did they feel the need to come right n..oh. Right. Katsuro shook his head as he managed to get close, with someone knocking into him and almost making him fall over. He swore under his breath before finally managing to stand up straight and look at the sheet.

His eyes moved down the page, passing various people he didn't care about, with several scores proving themselves to be fairly high. Hell, even a few 99's, with one of them being in his class! It turns out the people here got a better education that he...

95.

...thought.

There was a moment of silence on his part for a moment, ignoring the people around him, his eyes fixed on that little five on the page. Two lines, and a single curved one, almost like it was a mocking smile aimed at him. Albeit a sideways one, all joined together to make a little number that reduced him to utter silence, even in his own mind.

"..WHAT?!?!?"

He read it again, and again, and again. The five did not change. He missed five points??!?!? Five fucking points? That was five times as much as he allowed himself to get wrong! What the hell was going on? And how the hell (or whatever that other place was) did some people get more than him?

He didn't know what to do. He had never been beaten in academic score. Granted, this was the first time he had ever competed, but he had worked almost constantly, apart from that little trip to fuck-knows-where! Instantly, he began to think. Hopefully this was a spelling error, but what if it wasn't? How could his standards have slipped by so much? He didn't have access to any of his tutors, he had already studied a lot, what was he supposed to do? Was he becoming stupid?

Suddenly, he stopped and looked up, noticing someone leave. He barely knew anyone here, and was even worse at linking names to faces, but he recognized this one. Kotori. Someone in his class. Shy, but evidently knew something he didnt if she had got higher than him!

He pushed his way out, walking quickly towards her. "Excuse me!" He asked, trying to control his rage at the score and surprisingly succeeding. He caught up to her, caught his breath, and spoke.

"Excuse me, you are Kotori, aren't you? I dont know if you know me, but im Katsuro Takuma. I'm in your class. I'm sorry to bother you, but i wanted to ask something..."

He took a deep breath.

"I noticed your...excellent score in the test." He said, managing to get the "Excellent score" through his teeth. "You evidently have some excellent study methods, so i was wondering..."

He pulled a wallet from his pocket and pulled out a pile of yen notes.
"Could you give me some private tutoring lessons? I would like to know how to study as well as you as well as get better at subjects in general." He waved the wad of notes.

"How does 10,000 yen per lesson sound?"

Jun had spent the better part of last week keeping a low profile. The kidnapping of a yakuza's daughter was just an escalation in the series of abductions. Her father had been furious and sent people out looking for those responsible, as well as the rival family that had sent its men after her. Needless to say, there had been a fair amount of violence in the past week. Then, the police got involved.

Jun had been pretty far removed from all this. She had eyes on her everywhere now, of course. From police officers making sure she wasn't caught up in the inter-gang war, hoping to catch another attempt on her safety, to her bodyguards, and everyone at school. She hadn't even dared to talk to the boy who had visited her in the hospital.

Not that she tried to anyway. The finals had come and gone and she was a rather bit more focused on her exams. Thankfully, she always kept her grades decent so even with the additional pressure, she had pretty much gotten A's on all her tests, albeit just barely. Her ranking wasn't all that great, but she honestly didn't care. Her new power had given her a new purpose. She was going to do well in school, find a good university and do something with her life that didn't involve being a gangster.

Her kendo training helped, and she vented her stress out on her instructor. He praised her effort even as he was massaging his shoulder from the force of her strikes. Everyone needed a hobby and Jun had to admit she like parts of her life being raised among the yakuza. The fact that she could beat up someone and not apologize as part of her training, for example.

She silently moved past the crowd gathering at the scoreboard, giving a few customary greetings to people she recognized. She left for home immediately, texting Rui as she walked home with lighter steps than she ever had taken. One obstacle down, one more to go. He had given her his number and asked her to consider. It had taken a while but she made up her mind. No more hiding, this time anyone who came after her and her principles would fight Jun head on, and not anyone or anything else.

I'm in. Give me a few days to persuade my father.



Dinner was tense. Jun's father was still trying to track down the cultists to no avail, while fighting retaliations from a rival yakuza. His sour mood would usually have the blonde girl trying to leave the dinner table as soon as possible, but tonight was an exception. She kept steeling herself, repeating the mantra she always did in her head during kendo. Eyes forward. Look for a chance, and strike.

"Father." Her tone was dead, stiff, and betrayed the seriousness of her resolve when she tried to sound casual. The man looked up, eyes glaring at her knowing she was about to say something to piss him off. Jun hated to admit it but her father at least knew that part of her well enough. "Call off your lapdogs and let me handle myself. They're a nuisance, and it's bad enough you have them lingering outside my school."

Her father opened his mouth to speak, but the girl didn't let him. She smacked her bowl upside on the table and looked him in the eye. "I am not helpless. As much as I loathe saying this, I am the daughter of a yakuza. Let anyone who comes after me try their best. I will exact my price in blood before I let anything happen to me again." Was that... pride?

"I am not your pawn, some treasure to be kept hidden away until you're ready to marry me off for power. I am not a son like you hoped for, but I am my own person nonetheless. If you insist on treating me like on, meet me in the dojo in ten minutes. Your Masamune against mine." She had thrown down the gauntlet. It was extremely disrespectful of her to challenge her own father to a duel, but his glare was met with her own.

The man, for once, backed down. "I'd normally strike you for such insolence. But I see your ordeal has only tempered your strength. This isn't petulance. I'll allow your request, as long as you remain within Warakuma. Venture outside, and I will have my men follow you."

Jun nodded. Fair enough, she wasn't intending on going out in to the city anyway, not so soon. In Warakuma, any assailant would be hard pressed to ambush her before she could react. Out in the crowded streets of Tokyo, that was a different thing altogether. She was stubborn and bold and hot-tempered at times, but she wasn't an idiot.

"Oh, and this does not mean I approve of your taste in partners. Try and use this opportunity to shame the family, and I will lock you in here until I find a suitor."

Her fists clenched at the insult he just had to deliver. Always had to have the last word. Still, that was a battle for another day. She had gotten what she needed for now. She'd fight that war later. There was a far more important one going on right now.

That night, she sent the confirmation to Rui. I'm in.

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School | After School

Between the fact that most students were trying to get to the noticeboard and thus had their backs turned and that those returning seemed far more interested in talking with their friends or else just heading straight out, Kotori didn't immediately see anyone she recognised before she turned to leave. As she did, a voice called out in her direction, causing her to glance back to see that the assumption she'd just made turned out to be wrong when she saw that the person calling was in fact a classmate and recent kidnappee in the form of Katsuro. Seeing as they'd not spoken very much either before or after said kidnapping, Kotori assumed that he was calling out to one of the other students around him and started to turn back around - at least she noticed that he was both heading towards her and looking straight at her.

"Eh?" she went, blinking in surprise as he reached her in short time given his rather brisk pace. As it turned out, she really was the one being called out to as he then spoke up, introducing himself formally and then asking if he could pose a question. Unsure of what exactly he was going to say, Kotori just gave a small nod; the quizzical look upon her face easily giving away her confusion. This confusion immediately turned into embarassment when he mentioned the test results - enough that she barely noticed the calm of his voice and face becoming a little strained.

"Ah, n-no, I..." she weakly started when he mentioend her study methods - but before she could respond that all she did was take notes during school and study at home, he already went on to pull out his wallet to Kotori's further confusion before he explained himself whilst thumbing through a substantially larger number of notes than would be expected of an average highschooler.

Kotori's immediate reaction, besides giving a rather confused look from behind her glasses was a moment of silence followed by another "Eh?" It was a rather strange situation after all - whilst she'd grown somewhat used to requests for studying help, it was the first time someone had offered to pay for them - which was not exactly helped by the fact that they were standing near the main entrance, Katsuro holding out a small stack of notes in her direction much to the murmurs of other passing students; leading Kotori to realise how many eyes were on her.

"N-no, I-, uhm, that is..." she started, quickly waving her hands in front of her to try and deny the request; embarassment evident both in her voice and face. "I-it's not anything special, really, s-so..." she said, trying to find a way to explain. All the while, she kept her eyes firmly locked on the ground before her in an attempt not to notice the other students passing by whilst her unconscious habit of playing with the hem of her skirts made itself known once more.

"I... I don't really know how to... uhm, teach someone, so..." she said, her voice trailing off towards the end - and wishing very dearly that she could be just about anywhere but here at this very moment.

As he waited for the strangely shy girl to give her answer, Katsuro couldn't help but notice several people give him odd looks as he waved the money around, but didn't give them a second thought. He still had his scars and the damaged eye, people often stared when they didn't think he was looking. For goodness sake, it was just some burns and a damaged eye, everyone would look like that with a bit of fire involved! That said, where they looking at the money? Did they want to tutor him? Well that would be stupid, he probably got a lot more than they did, even with the...five.

He shuddered slightly as he turned back to Kotori, only to react with shock and then irritation when she began to stutter, then look at the ground as she played with the hem of her skirt. Katsuro noticed all of this, and raised his eyebrow in confusion at the strange mannerisms. Finally, she spoke, stuttering in a way that made it quite difficult for Katsuro to hear her over the noise in the background of the room. From what he could hear, she muttered something about how her score wasn't anything special, and how she didn't really know how to teach someone. At hearing this, Katsuro's eye narrowed ever so slightly.

"I see..." he said quietly, a moment of silence passing between the two as the people around them continued to to move around and make a horrible noise. People still had their eyes on them. Hadn't they seen enough? What was so interesting about a boy with an eyepatch waving a pile of yen in someone's face?

"You may not have tutored before, but i need to know what you did in order to get such a good score! Its hardly going to be difficult. And fine, ill raise my price to 15000. I don't know how much the average tutor makes, but i'm pretty sure that's quite a lot. Is that enough? Please?" He said in a cheerful voice, completely missing the point of her stuttering and nervousness.

"I hope she doesn't try and go much higher...i only have 20000 yen with me today."

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School | After School

Kotori was still trying to find the right words to somehow convince her classmate that she was the wrong person to put his request forth to - until he spoke up again, more quietly this time. She felt no small measure of relief when he seemed to understand and thus withdraw his question - though she couldn't quite help but feel her guilty conscience creep into her thoughts at not helping someone who was asking something of her. Still, she did prefer this outcome, even if it unfortunately meant that she had to decline her probably dejected classmate's request, as it at least meant that they wouldn't be continuing to undoubtedly draw any more attention to themselves.

Yet just as Kotori was about to thank Katsuro for his understanding and apologise for not being able to help, the boy spoke up once more - with a cheer to his voice that was quite the turn from his previous brief muttering. As it turned out, he hadn't understood what she was trying to say at all - though Kotori couldn't really blame him, considering her attempt at conveying her point hadn't exactly been a shining example of conviction - and instead seemed to be redoubling his effort to get her to somehow teach him when she had no idea how to do so; even going so far as to increase the amount of money he was offering - which only served to further Kotori's embarassment as she was fairly certain, though she daredn't lift her gaze to confirm, that at this point, half the school was either throwing them strange looks or whispering among themselves about the whole scene.

She felt a small pang of guilt when he added a final please to his words - even if his methods seemed a little odd, he still seemed to genuinely want to better himself and was asking her to help him. "N-no, I-, uhm, it's..." she tried, her voice even quieter than usual - only to realise that rather than denying his request, it sounded more like she was answering his question of whether his price was enough. "Ah, ehm, I-I mean i-it's not about that," she quickly added, shaking her head as she did, "A-all I do is, uhm, in class I-I take notes a-and review things at home, s-so, uhm, t-there's really nothing special..." Kotori's ever-growing embarassment and discomfort, which was not exactly hard to see at this point, did not help either the volume of her voice nor the smoothness of her speech in the slightest - in fact, at this point she was already starting to glance around to see if there was perhaps someone else around who might be able to help Katsuro in a way that didn't require her presence or, failing that, just how far exactly they were from the main entrance.

Katsuro listened to the shy girl talk again, saying that she took notes and reviewed things at home. His eye narrowed again ever so slightly. Was that really all she did? He did that! How did she get any more than him? It didn't make any sense, at least not in his mind at the moment. Quite a lot of people were standing and whispering nearby, and even he could figure out that it was about this conversation.
"One moment." He said to her, his voice going cold before he turned around.

He didn't say a word, he simply looked at them, his single vivid blue eye staring at them. His scarring was mostly covered by his hair, but even then, him staring at you made a somewhat disconcerting sight. Eventually, some of them shook their heads and moved away. After this, he looked back at Kotori.

"...i see." He spoke at last, the ice still in his voice before getting cheery again almost as if with the flick of a switch. Quickly, he stuffed the Yen back into his wallet. "May i walk with you for a moment then on the way from this place? I am interested to hear more. I'm sure tutoring will not be necessary." He said once again with a smile on his face. The exam results might still have been stupid, but at least he could hopefully guide her into remembering what she did on the way home. At least that wouldn't involve paying anything.

While standing out front he reached for his phone to check his messages. It seems Jun was now a part of the team, or had agreed to be. He thinks it's about time they decided on a proper meeting place, besides the abandoned warehouse. A meeting place before the gauntlet, so to speak, where they can meet up freely. Now with school out of the way for the time being, they had ample time to do that.

Speaking of school being out of the way, he heard a familiar voice and another familiar exasperated voice. He turned and saw Katsuro speaking with Kotori, although being as she was, it did not seem a fun experience. He stepped over to enter the conversation,

"Good work on the tests. Scoring so well are you sure you two need to be talking about doing better...?", he questioned, also because summer break was starting. Given they had summer homework too, as they were handed that on the last day of exams, but it was all revision stuff as always.

Shizuka Otonashi || Warakuma High => Warakuma Park || July 20 MON: Morning

....... Shizuka paused at the number before her name. The noise of students in the background was filtered out and everything else in her sight blurred. 68. It wasn't a failing mark but how could she have been careless in her studies? The whole kidnapping incident a few weeks before might've contributed to her stress but... she knew that wasn't the main cause of her lack of concentration.

With the desire to shake off the depressing mood, the maiden left the exam bulletin board area and wondered what could lighten the mood. The mall... no good, the cosplay cafe... Kenji would bring up the topic of her exam result. Somewhere peaceful.... Hazel eyes lit up at an idea and with that, her feet moved forward out of the gates of Warakuma High.

---

The trees that were once dyed in a pink hue months back were now a vibrant green color. Spring had passed and mid summer was about to begin. Chirp chirp. The weather was pleasant and there was a bird singing atop a tree not too far away. The scenery soothed Shizuka's soul at how peaceful it was. It had been awhile since her last visit at the park, she thought to herself as she walked aimlessly along the path.

The girl's feet stopped. The eyes blocked by her raven hair stared at what laid before her. The wishing fountain. Even if she refused to reminisce that one fateful day, the landmark was too symbolic for the event. 'It was where I first met Harvester-senpai....' The images started flashing in her mind, the fallen clumsy upperclassman, an embarrassing outburst, crimson color of the cherry blossom petals.... A striking pain in her chest caused tears to stream down her eyes.

'If... If miracles do come true, please... grant me just one wish.' A shiny 100 yen coin flips into the air and-- Plop.

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School | After School

Following her words, a brief silence fell between the two students - though the same could not be said for everyone around them as such a large number of people in one spot inevitably made for a lot of noise. Still, when Katsuro didn't reply immediately, Kotori began to faintly hope that he finally realised that there really wasn't anything she could do to help him - but that hope vanished just a moment later when he spoke up again; albeit only to excuse himself for a moment. "Eh?" Kotori went, bringing her eyes briefly up from the ground to blink in confusion - focused as she was on her own troubles, she hadn't quite caught the slight shift in tone and was left to wonder exactly what he was doing as he slowly looked around. It was only when the first few of the previously whispering students slowly backed away or started moving that she realised that he wasn't looking for someone but instead seemed to glaring at them, if only with one uncovered eye given his asymmetrical hairstyle.

Kotori couldn't help but feel a slight bit nervous when his focus turned back to her - and the relief at hearing him finally agree that there was nothing for her to do easily outweighed the cold hint in his voice as he stopped practically waving the money around in front of her. But just as she was about to silently sigh - not having noticed that she'd been holding her breath quite a few times - Katsuro spoke up yet again; this time though asking to instead accompany her and to continue talks on the topic as he did and leaving Kotori rather conflicted. On one hand, she was only too glad to get away from the school after what felt like every single student having witnessed the embarassing scene first hand and he even seemed to have given up on the whole tutoring idea - yet he still seemed quite persistent on somehow trying to get something out of her that she didn't know how to give.

In her discomfort, Kotori was more than a little thankful when a familiar voice made itself heard. "Eh?" she went once again as she looked over to see Rui coming closer, praising their test results and questioning the need for any improvements. Though she couldn't quite suppress further embarassment at the words, she was still glad that he was here - as she would have been for anything which might somehow get everyone's attention focused on anything but herself, even as she gave a small bow in greeting. "Ah, th-thank you, Shinichi-san," she said - though she couldn't help but add "Keeping up studies is important, even during breaks. A-at least, I think..." Her voice trailed off toward the end as she realised, a moment too late, that his had been a rhetorical question.

Still, with Rui's timely arrival, she had yet to answer Katsuro's question - which just left her back in the most unfortunate situation of wishing to decline yet having no way to do so without being rude when all he did was ask nicely. That is, until she realised that perhaps there was no need to: "Ah, uhm, m-maybe Sh-Shinichi-san might know a... better way? I-I mean, there's really nothing special about m-me, so... Her quiet voice had an almost apologetic tone to it as, once more, her gaze was fixed firmly on the ground and her fingers were playing along her skirt's hem; her guilty conscience returning almost immediately in full effect when she realised that it was sounding rather much like she was trying to just push Katsuro's problem onto Rui just because she didn't know what to do about it.

JULY 12TH 2015, SUNDAY
Evening
It'd been a while. To all of it. Studying, Rokurou, Mako, worrying about school. Exams were tomorrow.

He and Mako hadn't talked much since that day at the arcade. Well, they texted and stuff and all that, but they hadn't really... done anything together since then. Maybe he was trying to rush it-- the chemicals in his head screaming for treatment. That was all love was, right? Just a series of fires in your brain, but it really felt like a lot more to Sato.

"Hey," Rokurou muttered, erasing everything he'd just written. Sato narrowed his eyes as he watched the numbers fade away; most of it was actually right, it was just a few things that had been forgotten. Maybe he should've said something before Rokurou erased it all, but then again, he was too lost in thought to think of words. "How'd you do this one?"

Sato sighed, picking up a mechanical pencil and scribbled everything they had just done again. "You were on the right track, you just forgot the exponent rules again. It shouldn't be that hard, Rokurou." Rokurou knit his brows and watched Sato write out the actual answer. Nothing seemed to click in his head, so after a moment of praying, Sato pointed to where Rokurou had messed up originally. "Right here-- two similar terms multiplied together add together their exponents. Come on, this is middle school stuff."

"Sorry I don't remember stuff good," Rokurou huffed, leaning back and staring down the remaining questions Sato had written out. "How're you so good at this stuff?"

"Because I study, Rokurou."

"I'm pretty sure I'm naturally a piece of shit and you ain't, bud." Rokurou said, leaning forward once again. "It's hopeless, man. I'm not passing this."

Sato, at this point, was visibly frustrated. Studying was a lot more obnoxious when you were trying to tutor someone who could barely understand why a negative times a positive is a negative. Maybe Rokurou was right, maybe it was in their genes to be good or bad at math, but something in Sato couldn't stomach the notion. At the very least, he wouldn't let such a thing stand in their way of passing a stupid exam.

Sato looked up from the papers suddenly, eyes snapping directly to Rokurou's. The sudden directness surprised Rokurou, causing him to left his eyebrows out of amusement. "I don't really care that bad at math at this point, the fact is that you have to pass this exam and I'm not going to let all the studying we've done together go to waste because you got upset. We will both pass this regardless of whether we're 'good' or 'bad' at it. The only thing we need is you to belief in yourself for fucking once in your life, okay?"

Rokurou couldn't help but give a wide grin at this, and Sato suddenly felt his face go red. That was definitely too much. But...

"Okay, okay," Rokurou chuckled, picking up a pencil once again. "I'll try, but I still think this is a waste of time."

---

Once Monday started, the entire week was nothing but exams and studying. The more studious students would of course, study all evening in preparation for the next subject. The less serious ones might also do a bit, but ultimately, the evenings were recovery periods for a lot of people. Rokurou would've fallen into the latter if had not been for Sato forcing him to study together.

The first exam was Math. Sato, of course, excelled here; he was confident he didn't get a single question wrong. Rokurou, on the other hand, almost cried when he got out of the exam. Key-word almost. The following exams followed the sequence of Japanese, English, History, Science, and Literature. Rokurou reported that he did best on the English one, which was both surprising and disappointing. Sato felt confident about all but Literature. He had forgotten to really study for it much at all and found himself having to cram as hard as possible on the night before. If there was a place where he lost most of his points, it was definitely there.

Soon enough, though, exams were over. For what felt like the most cathartic of all the times, everyone rushed out of the room as soon as possible, flooding the halls in staggered bursts. Anxiety permeating the school with the scent of nervous sweat and the tears of students who knew they failed. All that remained between them and the dreaded results was Sunday, but Sato didn't really realize that until Monday. As soon as he got home, as far as he was concerned, he woke up Monday morning.

---

JULY 20TH 2015, MONDAY
Noon
July 20th meant two things to the students of Warakuma High: One, school was finally over for the summer and they had weeks of break to enjoy! And Two, exam results were posted. For some they were a beacon of their accomplishment, but for some they were a damnation to hell. It wasn't the final test at least, so anyone could still raise their marks with the rest of the school year, but Sato doubted any significant change could be made in half a year-- after all, the third-years were graduating by the end of it.

That realization hit Sato like a truck. He'd been so focused on getting good marks so he could go to medical school for his family, but after everything that's been happening... All he knew was that the path he'd been on was no longer the one he walked, and while it may have concerned him normally, the only part of the future he could concern himself about was the cult and the mirror world. It was like bleeding out on the road and worrying about the kid you left at daycare.

That was pretty a ham-fisted metaphor, Sato thought. Or was it a simile?

Anyway, Sato found himself arriving at pretty much the same time as everyone else. The crowd around the noticeboard was huge, but Sato slowly made his way in as people left once they got their results. Once he could see, Sato checked a few things first: Several people had failed, mostly in the lower grades. Most notably, Noboru, who was being dragged away by the remedial teachers as everyone watched. He had failed apparently, just by a point. Would that conflict with mirror world stuff? Either way, second of all was Mako-- he did pretty well at a 95, but was outclassed by other students who scored significantly higher. Not bad. Third was Rokurou... Sato felt his heart beating as he searched for Ishihara on the list, but felt the relief flood over him once he saw the 82. The same result as the midterm.

Sato oddly found himself less concerned about his own mark, but he was still pleased to find that familiar 97. Considering the finals were harder than the midterms, Sato was pleased with the result. All that studying had paid off for both of them, even though he still felt a bit of bile rise up in his throat when he saw Ayano's 99. That was better off left uncommentated, though, as he was trying his best to move on from... all of that.

A lot of people stepped to the side to discuss in groups, and Sato even recognized people he knew from class or from the investigation team. He spotted Kotori, Rui, and that guy that had just recently rescued, Katsuro, chatting together, but he decided against it, seeing as it felt rude and they were underclassmen anyways.

Whatever. Sato quickly decided that he'd much rather go home and watch some shows anyway. Self-care and all that.