Inside of a small, cramped office in Shibusen, I scanned my pocket calendar. Inscribed on it's four by three inch pages in outstanding detail was my busy, hectic life. Written back-to-back without spaces were a multitude of things that enabled me to perform my job to it's fullest; meetings, conferences, classes, phone numbers, addresses, notes, and lesson plans.

Needless to say, I had very small handwriting.

Although I prided myself on my ability to organize, prioritize, and utilize time, there were often tasks that I simply was unable to carry out given the limited twenty-four hours in a day. It was regrettable, really.

Today was different, however. I smiled at the little blank spot on my calendar.

This day had been completely set aside for recuperation and relaxation. Which meant that I would be spending it doing leftover paperwork.

In other words, life was good.

I grabbed a heavy pile of completed tests I had given out the week before and set it on my desk. The crappy school-budget computer wobbled as I sat down and pulled scooted forward in my chair.

I chose a brand-new, shiny red marker out of the desk drawer, and began to hum happily. Optimism radiated from the tuneless melody. Today, I might actually get to eat three meals as opposed to an energy drink and granola bar. Maybe I would finish up in time go shopping for once. It was even possible that I could finally except my colleague's invitation to go out drinking with them.

As I finished grading a round of mostly good test results, I heard somebody fiddle with the handle to my door. A little peeved that they hadn't bothered to knock, I decided to stay quiet. After all, the door was locked and a 'Do Not Enter' sign had been taped to it. They'd get the idea.

"As if something as insignificant as a locked door could stop the man who will surpass god!"

…Oh, no.

The sliding door to my office exploded off of it's railing and clattered down the hallway. Judging by the surprised shrieks in the distance, it undoubtedly continued on to mow down innocent students who had every right not to expect to be beaten brain-dead by airborne pieces of wood.

I decided NOT to turn around, and resumed grading exam papers. He always knew how to make an entrance, didn't he?

The moronic student who was unable to grasp the simplest concepts. The egotistical failure that refused to conform to my wonderful schedule. The loud-mouthed monstrosity for whom my patience had long faded…

Black Star, the boy who seemed to run on his own twenty-five hour clock.

The walking headache invited himself in. It wasn't that surprising, considering that he'd ignored that the door was locked in the first place. Which should have been his first clue that he wasn't welcome.

"Oi, Sensei! Hurry up and give me the make-up test." He commanded, after plopping himself down in the small chair squeezed between a trashcan and a copy machine.

"I told you to come to my office after school, Black Star. It's lunch hour right now." I twitched.

"So what? You're not eating lunch." He pointed out. Obviously, I thought.

"I'm busy. Come back after school's out."

"I've got more important stuff to do, then! You should just be happy that the great Black Star is sacrificing his lunch to take your test!"

The test. That stupid test. I should have just passed him when he had failed the first time. Then he could have graduated from my course, never to darken my classroom with his vile, disruptive presence ever again.

But, no. Back then, I had still believed there was hope for the boy, that he was actually capable of accomplishing something. Teacher's ethics. That naïve ship has sailed.

Furiously, I dug into a filing cabinet. From a folder labeled 'Re-takes', I pulled out the last remaining copy of the despised exam. There had been about fifty before, but that boy ran through them faster than I'd thought possible. I had begun to suspect that his tiny brain was just unable to retain the simplest of information.

For the first time since he had entered the room, I looked at Black Star. He lounged comfortably, leaning the chair back on two legs, his eyes casually meeting mine.

Who the hell did this kid think he was? I might have asked him that in indignation, but I feared the outrageous rant that he'd spew at me for an answer.

I tossed him a pencil, a notebook to press on, and the test.

"If I fail this time, so help me, that's IT. You'll never make Tsubaki into a Death Scythe, and you can forget about graduating."

"Something like this is simple for me!" He snorted, and sent me a smug look.

"Tsh. You have half an hour." I looked at my wristwatch, counting the minutes.

The painfully slow seconds ticked by. I refused twice to give him a hint, he called me a hag and told me he was too "big" for my office. Business as usual. Eventually, with only thirty seconds to go, he'd once again managed to assign an answer to every question. Too bad that wasn't enough to pass, I thought. They have to be correct, too.

I took the paper from his hands and skimmed it, checking off a number for every wrong answer.

Sighing heavily, I wrote his score at the top of the page and he gulped.

Then, it dawned on me. Twitched furiously, I stared down at Black Star. I couldn't believe it.

"This time, somehow, you actually passed?" I gasped, in near denial.

"Don't make it sound like a question!" He yelled, tearing the paper from my hands and looking at it himself.

"If you had missed just one more question, you would have failed." I stated disbelievingly. He had been so close to losing all of his privileges as a Meister. But he hadn't failed, which meant that the time he had spent in my class wasn't a complete waste of time, which meant I wasn't a failure as a teacher after all.

…Not that my intense dislike of Black Star was actually just me feeling inadequate and needing to blame someone for it. Nope. Impossible.

He opened his mouth and you felt an obnoxious scream coming on.

"YAH-HOO!"

"Yes, yes. You did well." I cut him off, smiling. I were sincerely glad he had passed my class, for both of our sakes.

"Eh?" He blinked owlishly, looking both confused and embarrassed.

What? I've given him praise before… Haven't I?

You flinched at the realization that you hadn't ever encouraged him, not even once. Wasn't that a teacher's job? I did fail as a teacher, after all. He was just so grating on my nerves…! But I supposed that I did owe him an apology, at least.

"Black Star. I'm sorry if… if I never helped you like I should have. You… aren't a bad student." Geez, was that the best I could do?

For a second, Black Star blushed. Then…

"Aha! So you've finally noticed my gloriousness?!"

…What?

"That isn't really what--" I tried to explain. He blatantly ignored my protesting and posed.

"No one can resist falling for Black Star! I'm the man who has surpassed god!" He took off running, laughing hysterically as he went. I followed, desperately calling after him.

"I didn't SAY that! Don't put words in my mouth!" The distance between Black Star and I grew. He was just so much faster than me. Office work was not conductive to a healthy lifestyle.

"Don't worry! If you swear your loyalty to me, I'll let you be my servant!" He yelled back. Black Star leaped down Shibusen's front staircase and headed towards town.

At this point, I had to save my energy. I didn't want to waste my breath and reply. He was almost out of my line of sight. I couldn't let him waltz away, telling anyone who would listen to him (and also everyone unwilling) strange things. Damn him and his misconceptions!

"Perhaps one day, you can hope to be awesome enough to stand by my side!" He shouted, as he faded into the distance.

I stopped running and blushed more deeply than he had.

…But not because I actually liked him, or anything.