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Back at school
Ayumi pulled up a chair in front of me, spun it around, and sat facing me. And just as she did, another chair slid in beside her. Kaito, pulled it up casually and sat down, directly across from me, Ayumi looked confused and speechless, her eyes flicked between Kaito and me, not sure what to say. My expression didn't flicked, because deep down, I knew someone was gonna come and ask me about the Ike and Hanazaki situation since my name was also mentioned during their fight, I just didn't expect the first person to be Kaito. Ayumi, what do you want?" I asked casually.
"Well... could you guide me in making the forms?" I raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you go to a First Gen for that?" Ayumi frowned slightly. "The groups are too crowded. I don't want to go over there." She said shyly as if trying to shrink in her seat.
I shrugged. "And how am I supposed to help? I'm not a First Gen either." She lit up trying to convince me harder. "But I'm sure you can guide me in your own way," she said with quiet confidence. I stared at her for a moment while she shyly cought my gaze. "...Alright," I sighed. "I'll try my best." I gestured for her to hold out her hand where I could see it. "Now summon it." In an instant water formed from thin air above her palm.
For a moment, we got absorbed in what we were doing and completely forgot that Kaito was there. He was silent while staring at both Ayumi and me in turns, although neither of us spared him a glance. Eventually, Ayumi noticed. "Um... Kaito, do you want something?" He gave a faint smile. "Don't mind me. I just came to watch. I'm one of the odd men out, remember?" I turned back to Ayumi. "So, what do you want to shape?"
"A cup," she answered with a small smile. "A cup? Seriously? I muttered silently, how funny, is that even helpful in combat."
She was having a hard time with it, and honestly, I couldn't see the point... but Kaito looked oddly interested. Then the classroom door burst open, and Kyoko dashed in like someone trying to save a burning dinner, everyone's gaze turned to her.
"Guys, please tell me I didn't miss much," she asked, slightly out of breath. One of the girl's eyebrow twitched. "Girl, you were gone for one and a half hours, what do you expect? Yuna-sensei gave it some time to start the lesson but you didn't show up." Kyoko caught her breath. "But don't worry," another added. "What we're doing is easy to explain... though kinda hard to do." I got up from my seat and whispered to Ayumi I needed the restroom. In the hallway, I crossed paths with Hiyori heading back to class. As usual, I walked right past her, she stopped in her tracks, paused for a moment, and called out my name.
"Nageya!" I heard her loud and clear but I didn't stop, I wasn't interested in anything she had to say. Still, I could imagine the look on her face exactly the way it tightened when someone ignored her. In the boys' restroom, I noticed a quarter-full coffee cup on the sink, it still had steam evaporating. "Huh... someone had coffee in here? At this time?"
I scoffed. "Whatever." When I came back, Ayumi had finished shaping a beautiful teacup plus it's saucer, I paused, genuinely impressed. She smiled proudly. "Kaito helped me figure out the trick." It was the first time I'd seen Ayumi so relaxed around a guy who wasn't me, maybe... Kaito has a different energy, one that doesn't pressure her.
---
Meanwhile...
At the Generation Hunter's Guild, a man with deep red hair stood in the shadows of a briefing room. Mr. Luka Masharake, he glanced at the old academy crest carved into the wall. "It always starts there," he muttered. Suddenly footsteps echoed on the black shimmering tiles, —CLACK. CLACK.CLACK— He was Luka's scout approaching. "Excuse me, sir. I bring a report," said the scout. "Go on." He urged. "Five dungeons... in one spot, completely empty." Luka narrowed his eyes. "Were the monsters killed?" The red-haired man asked, voice low. "No. There were only a few in one dungeon... and they were killed brutally. It didn't seem like a hunter's work."
Luka grinned. "Interesting, gather more." He said, curiosity flickering in his tone. "Yes, sir." And the scout excused himself. As the scout left, Mr. Luka whispered to himself. "...He is back, I presume, how unfortunate of you Yanamu?"
---
Back at school...
It was lunchtime and Kaito approached me and Ayumi standing next to each other. "Mind if I join you for lunch?" he asked, trying to sound casual, but something was definitely on his mind. Ayumi answered before I could. "Sure." All I did was stare at them in turns. Before we walked off, I leaned toward Ayumi and whispered a favour, she agreed instantly and walked away, leaving just me and Kaito behind. We both stood there for a moment, sizing each other up in silence. Finally, I asked, "Do you mind if we have lunch with Ike too?" He blinked. "Not at all."
Nageya really has a poor memory. Kaito thought. He kept staring at me like I was some interesting dish he couldn't wait to take a bite. We headed to the cafeteria and sat down at a quiet table, Kaito looked around. "Aren't we getting our food?" I shook my head. "As part of the favour I asked Ayumi... she said in return, she'd bring the food." He frowned. "Isn't that two favours?"
"Yeah... I don't really understand Ayumi sometimes myself." He leaned forward slightly. "So, what exactly did you ask her to do?"
"I asked her to take our food to Ike's table." Kaito looked at me thoughtfully, like he was trying to read between the lines. It was clear what he was thinking was if not getting the food ourselves was really Ayumi's idea? Or mine? The plan was for Ayumi to take the food to Ike's table first, then we would come later. But just as she approached him, she bumped into Renji and his gang, and the food went flying all over the floor.
Kaito immediately said, "Shouldn't you help her?" I was still debating whether to get up or not when Renji just walked right past Ayumi without saying a word. That was unexpected for everyone. It turns out that the day Renji punched me, Ayumi had gone to meet Natsuki after school and told her everything. She begged her to talk to Renji and ask him to stop coming after me. But Ayumi never told me any about it. Around us, students murmured, "Did you see that? Renji just walked away." And Natsuki was right there watching his every move. Honestly, I don't know anyone who can make Renji back off like that, so whatever Natsuki told him... it must've been serious.
Ayumi quietly picked up the spilt food, tossed it in the trash, and went to get clean plates. Kaito turned to me, "What just happened back there?" It was obvious "I have no idea." I said voice low while my eyes traced Renji. By the time Ayumi finally brought the food to the table, Ike had already finished and walked off silently.
"Well, that didn't go as planned," Kaito said. "We might as well just eat now," I replied. As we began to eat, something was getting on my nerves. Kaito hadn't stopped staring at me since he walked up to me, he probably thought I didn't notice, but he was overdoing it. "Kaito, could you stop staring at me like that?" I said. "Like what?" He asked. "Like I'm some attractive girl you just saw on the streets and can't take your eyes off her."
He raised his eyebrows and grinned. "Well, maybe you are that attractive to me. It's intriguing, really." I clenched my teeth, tapped the table with the bottom of my fist, and leaned in closer. "Are you implying I look like a girl to you?" He raised his hands in mock surrender, still smiling gently. "Calm down, I just meant you're beautiful, that's all."
I let out a sigh and relaxed on my seat. "You idiot. No guy calls another guy beautiful.' Are you gay or something?" I pointed my spoon at him. Ayumi, sitting across from us, was laughing with her head low over her plate like a mother amused by her kids being dramatic. We both turned at the same time and looked at her, and she quickly straightened up, trying to hide her laughter with a serious face. Lunch break had come to an end, yet Kaito and I still had food left on our plates. We began eating faster like it had suddenly turned into a contest. Ayumi couldn't hold back her laughter anymore.
I stared at her and realized it was the first time I'd seen her this open and expressive around anyone else besides me at school. It meant she trusted Kaito enough to be relaxed around him, she looked cute like that. Ayumi had always been insecure around boys and even some girls. Maybe because she's beautiful in that quiet, vulnerable way that makes people stare with something more than curiosity. But her biggest fear is to ever experience her childhood trauma again. She had been drugged several times in back alleys during her childhood but each time, someone saved her before the worst could happen.
But with me... she got close and trusted me, maybe the way I look at her is different from how they did. And now, seeing her around Kaito made me wonder if she had seen that same difference in him, too.
As we returned to class, a boy from Class A called out to us. He came over and said our homeroom teacher needed us in her office except for Ayumi. Kaito and I headed to Ms. Yuna's office both of us in silence, after a few turns, Kaito asked if I even knew where I was going since he'd never been to a teacher's private office before. "There are fifteen private offices," I explained, "one for each homeroom teacher from each grade and class, so relax, I know the way."
Eventually, we reached the door that had Ms. Yuna's full name on it. "You really know your way around this huge academy," Kaito said. As I opened the door, we caught sight of Ike and Hanazaki already standing inside. On Ms. Yuna's desk sat the same coffee cup I had seen earlier in the boys' restroom. Ms. Yuna spoke. "Three girls from your class came to report that someone poured coffee all over their lockers. This note was found in one of them." She handed the note to Hanazaki. "And someone claimed to have seen a boy leaving the restroom shortly before the discovery." Hanazaki read out the note. "Stay away from Kyoko if you want to live."
I wonder how this involve me? She has called out four boys. Is it a hunch?
She explained, "The girls who reported it are Kyoko's close friends. They believe that if not all four of you, then at least one of you is interested in Kyoko. They suspect this is a setup, either to frame someone else or make Kyoko hate that person." Ike asked, "And what exactly is their point?" She scared our expressions. "That perhaps one of you would try to make the other look bad in front of her."
It may sound petty, but her friends might have a point to think that way. And if one of us did it... then that could be the only possible reason. But I don't see why I'm also being dragged into this.
"So... who did it?" she asked her eyes stack on me. "Because this cup was found in the boys' restroom and..." Suddenly Ike cut her off. "Do you think they meant to say I did it? Just to make Kyoko hate Hanazaki and stay away from him so I could have her for myself?" We all turned to Ike, confused, he had just indirectly admitted something. Ike was trying to direct suspicion away from me although I couldn't understand the reason behind it or maybe to keep both Kaito and me out of trouble. Ms. Yuna narrowed her eyes studying Ike. "I'll leave this matter to your class to resolve."
I am sure even Ms. Yuna can tell Ike isn't the culprit, but just someone trying to protect someone else.
She dismissed everyone, but just as I reached for the door, she stopped me. "You stay behind." She said. Ms. Yuna had the authority to penalise any of us if found guilty or even with expulsion if she ever thought of it. It might look trivial, but their lives were threatened.