Mr Banana was an obedient little monkey. He just sat there, unmoving as Haruna chided him. With unflinching eyes, he watched as his new companion flopped into her bed with dramatic flair. But nothing Haruna did would get the monkey to move. Not her squeezing another stuffed animal right in front of him, not her movements to and fro, not even eating a nightly snack in his presence caused him to move at all. It wasn’t until she dove off the balcony and the doors swung shut that the little stuffed monkey did anything. The doors caused a small vibration, and it caused the precariously perched monkey to roll off the side of the bag and land on his back. Mr Banana was looking straight at the ceiling. He would not move again without Haruna’s assistance. … … … [center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/aef3087a-5b67-4c7a-b700-3c45c3052f60.png[/img] [color=tomato]"I’m too much of a chadette for my own good.”[/color] [color=888888]— Suki Oyama[/color][/center] Why were so many teen romance novels based around school life? As the years ticked by, school was starting to feel less and less important. Nothing interesting ever happened, her teachers wanted her to drop out already, even the detention club meetings were starting to feel increasingly tedious and pointless. At least she could look forward to going on a hunt with Rei later, even if some of the others were going to be there. Speaking of, what the [i]hell[/i] was up with the meeting yesterday? Seeing everyone show compassion for someone who [i]absolutely[/i] didn’t deserve it was going to confound Suki for a while. After a good night’s rest, she decided that Tsubomi deserved a pass. She had learned that Tsubomi could be a little weird sometimes and couldn’t fault her for wanting to eat some emotions. The emotionless girl was still her partner and treated her the best out of everyone else present. Speaking of which, she needed to meet with her later today for various reasons. Additionally, she needed to take a look at all the new transfer students today. She had no idea what any of them were like, but when you had already burnt bridges with nearly everyone outside of the detention club, you needed to keep your options open for new prospects. Even if school life sucked, there was always a chance it would turn around. Probably. Maybe. Not likely. This created a bit of a dilemma. It was lunch time, and of course Suki was first to the food court. She could stay here and see if some new face showed up, or she could try to visit their classroom. It wasn’t unheard of for students to eat their lunches in their classrooms. The roof was also a possibility, but not for normal girls. Going to the roof level was forbidden in most schools, and it was crazy how many school dramas featured scenes in such a location. Of course that hadn’t stopped Suki from eating up there in the past, but she always had to do so alone. Tangent aside, it would be her luck to visit the classroom of said girls and miss them because they decided to go to the cafeteria to eat with their new friends. [i]and[/i] she could miss Tsubomi. Not a great plan. With a groan, Suki sunk into a chair and started to unbox her lunch. At the very least, she could be sure that Roche and Shuuko would be eating with each other and wouldn’t harass her too much. But ideally, Roche would eat out by the track or something without gracing the cafeteria. [hr] It was lunchtime, and Shuuko had just left her classroom. Her selves had not been feeling at peace since [i]that[/i] happened, but she had to do her best to seem normal in front of the rest of the students. Her personal imbalance would rob her of her focus at the strangest times, such as now when her selves could scarcely decide what to do next. It was in this confusion that Shuuko ran into someone. It was nothing serious. A student had suddenly stopped and Shuuko hadn’t put on the breaks fast enough. Both of them had managed to keep their balance, but it felt horrible that it happened at all. Because it [i]shouldn’t[/i] have happened. [color=90EE90]”Um…”[/color] Shuuko took a look at the student she had collided with. It was Misoka. It was easy to recognize the popular girl. They had never spoken, but it was hard not to remember someone with so many accolades. [color=90EE90]”I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cut you off! I’m glad you’re alright.”[/color] She looked to the ground, but nothing had been dropped. Though there was something off in her appearance. Someone who was revered for their abilities and beauty usually had a glamor about them, but this girl looked tarnished. Her uniform was less than tidy, and there was dirt under her long, slender nails. [color=90EE90]”Ah, I don’t mean to pry, but Takeko mentioned that you looked a little agitated recently. I think she’s worried about you.”[/color] Takeko was someone from Shuuko’s homeroom classes. They spoke infrequently, and were an acquaintance at best. She couldn’t even remember what she looked like. [color=90EE90]”Is something bothering you?”[/color] [hr] As much as Nyxia would love to be shooting up miseria,there was nothing to shoot. Not only that, but Norika couldn’t leave her home at this hour. There were too many servants that could enter her room, and her parents would notice she wasn’t there. If only the view from her window could have been better. It faced the road and was lined with the cars of every servant who worked at the household. But the cars weren’t even that interesting. They were all new cars with the exact same model with the exact same white paint job. Her parents were obsessed with the color white, so they were likely gifts or Christmas bonuses for their hard work. But it looked so ugly and redundant from her room, and they were always there, every day, without fail. Which was what made the [i]black truck[/i] coming down the driveway so unusual. It was old, worn out, and had a diesel engine that rumbled unapologetically. It was a gigantic middle finger to prissy electric cars that were parked nearby. Norika’s home was too far out of the way to reach on foot, but most guests would arrive in a white car or by bicycle. It was rare for someone to bring their own vehicle. Who stepped out of the truck was just as unexpected as the truck itself. The man’s outfit was probably more expensive than his truck, which was not saying much. His suit had just come out of a heat press this morning, and his shoes had been freshly waxed. His tie wasn’t tucked under his dress shirt, and his shades were trying to keep his hair out of his eyes. His right thumb was looped inside his pocket, and his left hand swung at his side as her approached the door. After ringing the doorbell, he took a step back and waited. He reached inside his suit to grab a pack of cigarettes and popped one out with his thumb. He was about to chomp down on it when he noticed Norika through the window. He slid the cigarette back into the carton and looked back at her. It was difficult to read anyone’s thoughts, but harder still when they wore shades.