Yosuke decided that today he didn't want to be the Rolling Student, the one stuck in a trash an thrashing about as passerbys either completely ignored or laughed at. No, for he was Yosuke Hanamura of the Magician Arcana and he was going to get to school on time if it was the last thing he did!

He was pedaling away on his bike as fast as his legs would allow, and once he flew past that accursed blue trash can he turned his head and stuck his tongue out at it. Just as he began to look forward again, he heard a loud crack from underneath him, and out of shock, he immediately hit the brakes. Slowing to a stop, Yosuke looked over his shoulder to see his homeroom teacher, Ms. Kashiwagi, standing on one foot and cradling the other.

Oh crap.

After a careful thinking process of what he should do in the situation and what the worst outcome might be, he decided to swing his leg off the bike and walk to the school, whistling like nothing happened. Yeah, really subtle there. Of course Kashiwagi would not have that. A few steps later and Yosuke heard her huff loudly and then scream, "YOU STUCK-UP REBELLIOUS BRAT! HOW DARE YOU SCAR MY BEAUTY!?"

Even though he was scared, Yosuke had to fight back a laugh. Kashiwagi? Beauty? Those two words just didn't go together.

"YOU BETTER APOLOGIZE NOW BEFORE I HAVE YOUR ASS EXPELLED!" She yelled louder, and several students around them began to stare and whisper. Getting expelled for running over a teacher's foot? Great way to start the day!

"S-Sorry?" He tried, sounding more pathetic than anything else.

"You should BE!" Kashiwagi spat, finally letting go of her injured foot and limping towards him. "I never want to see that damn bike ever again! Throw it in the trash! Do you hear me!?"

Yosuke froze. His precious bike!? The only way that he could ever possibly think to make it into the school without being over 5 minutes late? Yosuke just looked at the ground and nodded, not wanting to at all but not wanting to get in trouble either. He knew how his dad would react if he found out, regardless of Yosuke's protests. Adults weren't fair.

"Good," She seemed satisfied at least, "Oh, don't look so miserable. It's not the end of the world. I'm being enormously generous to you. You should make it up for me sometime," Kashiwagi winked and then tried to walk away in her usual, high-strung, hip-swaying manner, but it looked downright ridiculous with her limp.

Yosuke walked with his bike down the little ways to that annoying blue trash can, and hurled his old rusty friend at it. He stared for a minute before sauntering back over to the school, not looking forward to the rest of the day at all.

He was one of the last ones to enter the classroom, but it was better than being dead last like usual. With his arms crossed tightly around himself, he walked to Souji's desk to rant to him about how much of a horrible person Kashiwagi was. But on his way there Yosuke realized that Souji wasn't in his seat. His breath caught in his throat and he instantly began scanning the room frantically for his best friend.

But he wasn't there.

'He's just late,' his happy thoughts told him, 'for the first time ever,' his meanie thoughts added.

"Oh shut up!" He growled, hitting himself on the head. "His alarm clock didn't go off, that's all!" Figuring that he could just wake Souji with a text, he plopped down in his seat, set his bag on his desk, and hurriedly flipped open his phone.

"Did Yosuke just tell himself to 'shut up'?" Yukiko whispered to Chie, who nodded.

"Yeah... he does that sometimes."

'WHER R U!?'
Was the first text Yosuke sent, hoping the answer would be something along the lines of " I'm on my way".

Yosuke looked up to see Yukiko and Chie giggling and glancing back at him. He gave them a confused look and was about to ask them just what was so funny when he felt his phone buzz in his hand.

'Right behind you :P'
Yosuke's eyes widened and he shot up straight in his seat, feeling goosebumps run across the skin. He whipped his head around, despite his panic, only to see some random guy he didn't even know the name of sleeping and drooling on his desk. Frowning, Yosuke turned back around in his seat and ignored the girls' laughs in front of him.

'WHAT THE HELL!? WHY YOU LIE? :('
Yosuke smiled to himself because he knew that the frownie face would get to Souji and make him tell the truth. He got another text just as Kashiwagi strolled into the room with little grace. He hid his phone under the desk and quickly checked it.

'Sick. Can't come today. Sorry.'

'Oh my god...' Yosuke thought, 'It's his first absence ever...'
But more importantly than that, that meant that he'd have to suffer through SEVEN full hours straight without seeing Souji! Sure he could text between classes and lunch, if his Partner wasn't sleeping, but it wasn't the same! Yosuke groaned miserably. This day sucked so very very much. Kashiwagi gave him the stink eye for making a loud noise.

1st period would've been semi-tolerable, had Kashiwagi not decided to only ask questions to Yosuke. He knew she was still mad about the accident earlier, but geez, people usually just forget those sort of things after a few pain-filled moments. Kashiwagi was one to hold grudges, apparently.

Yosuke didn't know the answer to any of them. How was HE supposed to know what ressentiment mean!? And what the universe's tallest mountain was!? But Kashiwagi picked on him constantly and Yosuke had barely any time to doodle with crayon like on normal days. This was horrible.

When it was finally over, Yosuke gave the biggest, most heaving sigh he had done in his entire life. He felt like he just got out of some torture endurance test in Phys Ed, he was sweating that much. Luckily, the other teachers didn't have some undying hatred for him so the rest of the day went by smoothly, although slowly.

During lunch, Yukiko, Chie, and Rise came up to him while he was sitting alone and asked if he wanted to join them on the rooftop. Yosuke knew that they noticed how completely lost he looked without his precious Souji, and he appreciated that they were worried about him, so he accepted. But talking about girly stuff wasn't all that fun to him, and after the first few minutes they ignored his existence.

Yosuke walked home alone, too. When he first exited Yasogami, there were moments of panic when he realized that since he was so used to Souji walking him home everyday, he completely forgot how to get there himself. But, after a few seconds of serious thought, he planned out a mental map and found his way back home soon enough.