"Mou, you should clean up your apartment more, Karma-kun. You'll suffocate yourself in dust~"

The redhead didn't even need to glance over to the door to see the blue-haired girl enter; gloves already stretched across her hand ready to purge his home of dust and junk. A grin did widen on his face as he continued watching the American movie though,

"There's no need to when I have a little coon always doing it for me, Arai-chan. Besides, where's the dust going to be when you wash the place up twice every week without even asking me?"

Blue darker than Nagisa's covered his vision for a moment as she scolded, "Dust accumulates everywhere until it becomes mountains, Karma-kun. Be more responsible and stay healthy — I bet this mess around here is the reason why your brain's so corrupted. And I heard you got suspended again."

"Yeah, perhaps." He nonchalantly, noncommittally said, moving his head to the side to continue staring at the moving pictures with golden eyes. Her wide purple ribbon tying that long silky hair that reached her knees even when tied high fluttered as she pouted with a Pocky stick in her mouth before she walked across the room to the closet for the cleaning supplies that his mother constantly sent him. He never had to use it with her around though.

Once the movie was over, he didn't even have to look around to feel the sparkles around him as everything glowed fresh and clean. The girl already left after fixing a quick meal of yakisoba for him in the kitchen.

As always, Arai Koon was a neat freak.

He didn't mind though. Hey, free food and finished chores.

…

"Ah," A girl stopped before waving, "Oiii, Nagisa-kun~!"

The boy with sky blue hair and eyes infinitely lighter than her own midnight blue locks and eyes jolted; hands accidentally released the joystick, causing the ball to drop from the two prong claw. He tearily gazed back at her in mild depression,

"Hey… Arai-chan…" The girl stared blankly before flusteredly waving her hands,

"Oh geez! Did I disturb you? I'm so sorry!" Taking out her wallet, she gave him enough for more arcade coins, "Here."

The boy waved his hands, "Ah, no, it's alright. I was going to drop it anyways—" He sheepishly confessed, "Actually, I already spent about a thousand yen on this claw machine. I guess it's a sign to quit."

She stared incredulously at the boy before glancing though the glass to see a limited edition DVD on display. A small laugh escaped her as she recognized the director, "You and Karma-kun both — just yesterday, he was watching another American movie by the same director~" Nodding her head in decisive mirth, she walked into the arcade center, "Wait here" and came back with tokens of her own, pushing in four and biting into another Pocky stick. Nagisa gazed at the cloth bag around her left elbow — which as always contained a multitude of sweets within. A majority of them were her favorite Pocky. Arai always ate sweets, probably making every girl jealous with her still lithe hourglass figure.

"Are you sure? I think it's impossible with just two prongs, probably even three." Especially because the target was small, spherical, and plastic. Still, Nagisa really wanted that limited edition DVD prize that contained extra scenes and bloopers not found in theaters. Plus, the DVD hadn't even come out yet in stores though it ran in the theaters just recently. His hands ached for the goal which was probably why he didn't really try convincing her away.

Besides, he knew that she had good hand-eye coordination. She and Karma were both geniuses and overall laidback about the world with their great intelligence and physical abilities. Though she did try harder than that lazy Karma to get to where she was. Like how she earned her skinny figure through the daily runs in the nearby mountainous forests with her pet dog, a German Shepherd named Inuou.

A playful grin lit her lips as she crunched confidently on the Pocky, shuffling into a lower stance as the music started and lights blared on. Her dark eyes narrowed in focus and excitement as she moved the crane, speaking all the while, "The trick with these babies and everything is that they all have a weakness — you just have to look for it." The dark eyes glinted brightly as she pressed the button, watching as the claw swoop down in a painfully long movement before she moved the joystick to the side, slowly and gently, depositing it into the hole, from where the ball came out of. She tossed it to the awed boy, grinning largely, "See? Can you feel it? The dents perfect for grabbing? Those are the dents of a thousand players, Nagisa-kun, and you're the first winner! Congrats~!"

His own eyes glowed as he felt them, gazing down at the seemingly smooth ball to see shades of green in the rays of light. They were the imperfect shades — the bruises from its long history of use.

Observation and analysis was the key to all victory.

He smiled, beaming at the DVD that was soon to be his and then at his friend, "Thanks, Arai-chan!" This time, it was he who left to run inside for an exchange, shouting excitedly, "Wait here! Let's go to Karma-kun's house to watch it on the big screen! I'm sure you'll love it! It's a great movie!"

"Yeah!" She shouted back while grabbing a chocolate bar from her bag to chew all the while. Idly, Arai wondered how many new friends the boy made now that he was in Class E.

Not like she cared though — cared of the Class E status he now bore, of course. Classes never changed a person's identity. They were just boring things taught by boring teachers who did it for a living. Then again, she was probably biased with the only teachers she knew in Kunugigaoka Junior High for the past two years; the five being their two Class D teachers and her three Class A teachers.

She'd love to see a teacher that actually taught something worth learning.

…

"Boss! We ran out of confectionary sugar!"

"Again?" A deep, hearty voice answered, a fat man appearing in the back kitchen to frown at the empty bags. He wore a la torque hat along with a white pastry chef uniform like her's except she prefered the head wrap bandana for hair coverage. He then chuckled at the sight of the cakes all ready for packaging and selling, "Good, good — this shows that we have good business, running out so fast~" He patted her on her hat, "As always your pastries and desserts are so popular, Koon~!"

She blushed mildly at the praise, but gazed at the incomplete batter. He grinned, promising, "I'll send Sakaki out on a quick trip right away for now and then later order specially in bulk. For now, you can help Charle and Chane run the cashiers; it's getting busier out there~"

"Thanks, Boss!" Nodding at her new instructions, she washed her hands to help man a cashier on the frontier of rush hour war. She passed two more kitchens before finally reaching the door leading to the front counter of the big bakery that sold handmade candies to chocolates to breads, pastries, and cakes! There were still more types of sweets that they sold, even gelatins and gelatos — really anything that could be counted as a baked good or a sweet. Their bakery's name was quite famous in the nation as they even offered mail orders and online purchasing. They were Chiffon and she was really lucky that the Boss generously took her in as an apprentice and part time worker already almost two years ago.

"Ah, Koon-chan~!" The twin girls beamed in relief at the help that came from the back. They worked quicker with the same enthusiasm as always as they helped customers.

"Charle-chan, Chane-chan~" She replied in turn as she turned the money machine on, taking the next person in line. To her surprise, he was tall — unnaturally figured with his seemingly lack of joints and distinctly yellow skin. Not to mention that fake nostril on his face…

Still, she wasn't one to judge customers as she counted the cheap breads and sweets bought with her own enthusiastic smile. All in a day's work.

…

"Arai-chan!"

"Hm?"

She gazed up in surprise at the voice that entered her kitchen. Then again, she shouldn't really be surprised. The only reason why she had the furthermost back kitchen was because of it being closest to the backdoor where some three people were trusted and allowed to visit her even while she was working. Karma and Nagisa were two of the three, coming once in a while for fun (and to eat freebies) or to invite her for somethings that was 'urgent'; her cell phone laid in an isolated corner with her bags away from the food.

Boss was really too kind to trust and allow three strangers into his bakery — especially that good for nothing Karma.

The boy, Nagisa, panted, grinning as he looked up, "Can I ask you something?"

"...pfft." She laughed away as she continued decorating cakes with the theme of spring, "Isn't that something already?" He sheepishly blushed while she nodded, "Well, of course — go ahead and shoot; your Class E teacher didn't teach you a lesson right or something?"

"Ah, yeah…" Her eyes flickered to the side to see his sweatdrop, obviously remembering something out of the ordinary, "Something like that." His eyes beamed though, "Anyways, Arai-chan's brother was in the army, right?" He started, not even waiting for her confirmation as he shouted, "What's the best way to hold and use a knife and gun?!"

"..." Her brow arched ever the higher. Not only was that a weird question… To think that such a question would come from Nagisa of all people. He wasn't even interested in fighting or physical activities like Karma and her would be. The boy must have realized it as well as he was suddenly able to rethink his question, probably having dashed here right away when the thought to question her came. He waved his arms hurriedly,

"I mean — I, I—"

She sighed, deciding to leave Nagisa to his own devices. After all, there must be a reason why he didn't want to tell her. There was always a reason for each of the many secrets people didn't want to admit. And it wasn't as if innocent Nagisa was going to kill someone like Karma could and would. Yeah… There was no possibility of that. Her lips curled as she held her kitchen knife, fancily twirling it in the air before slicing the strawberries and other fruits for her cakes. Nagisa imitated a fish in awe as she spoke,

"Of course, while cooking and self-defense both use a knife, there's different ways to get a grip fitting each. For example…" Giving him an excuse to use against her for learning more, she continued talking while working, watching as Nagisa took notes and even a knife to practice under her observant eyes. The gun was more troublesome to teach (she disliked all loud noises and metallic smells) and she really wondered why he even thought of using one with how harmless he seemed to be. Then again, you couldn't judge all books by their covers. Having already began and finished other goods while she talked, she wrapped up the conversation and macaroons together, "Finally, just remember that if you ever do need to use a gun, then do use a silencer. Those things are loud and I don't want you to break your or my eardrums."

"Haai," He stopped his note taking as well with a quick stroke of his mechanical pencil, "Thanks, Arai-chan!"

She teasingly called out before he left, "Before you can even think about using a knife or a gun though, you should first train yourself. If you're too slow, then anyone could just dodge your blows or knock you out~!"

To her surprise, he just murmured something about everyone being too slow in front of some guy as he left deep in thought and reviewing the notebook.

…

"Arai-chan," She gazed at the black haired student with a big nose as he bashfully asked, "Can we talk in English again? For practice?"

Seo Tomoya was the English talent of the Five Virtuosos in Class A. They had met by chance in Los Angeles, California once; he had been there for a year because of his parent's work and she had been there for a week, visiting her brother. That was many years ago, but it turned out that the guy still remembered her and the three days they spent together touring all over California. Though he seemed to think they were friends, she thought he was shrewd with a hidden motive — not at all cute like he was in the past.

Knowing that they were in study hall now with the teacher answering individual questions rather than speed writing while talking, she agreed but once lunch started she used it as an excuse to get away, taking her bag with her to the cafeteria where she generally ate alone rather than hang out with superficial friends. None of them were like Nagisa or Karma or her colleagues at the bakery. She could get along with them, but there was no intimate feeling of actual connecting or caring about each other.

"Tch. Playing hard to get as always." Seo grumbled as he sat with the other four. "She should just be happy that a Virtuosos, top man, is talking to her and be mine already."

"Maybe your words aren't beautiful enough," Sakakibara Ren sparkled literally as he talked poetically, "Flowers only bloom in the best of spring, blossoming to the warm sun that fills the heart with beams."

"Hahaha, she really is different from the others~" Araki Teppei chuckled, "And prettier than the others as well."

They glanced around to see the ugly guys and girls, only a few of them appearing decent. There were still flaws though — black bagged eyes from lack of sleep, pimples, some white or gray hair from stress, cosmetic covered faces of girls to hide skin imperfections from late nights, obvious looks of worship towards them, and more. She however was natural — no perfume or cosmetic on her being while she still held a healthy body with smooth skin and vibrant silky hair. And she always she still managed to place in the Top 10 despite not going to cram schools and despite having a part time job.

Arai wasn't like any of them in that she didn't care about her grades or education as much. She was normal, giving them looks as if they were just like the others. She saw them for themselves, something they quite appreciated. And she was interesting with her aloof mysterious coolness and the challenge she posed; them being people that could get almost anything they wanted being rich, handsome, charismatic, and smart.

For that reason, Asano Gakushuu also found her interesting.

…

"...Why are we up here again?"

"Datte, you shouldn't be in the house all two weeks long — sure, you're some super robot that can do anything easily, but even robots need to exercise or they'll get all rusty!"

"Actually…" Karma paused for a moment to breathe, stubbornly not wanting to pant or sweat before the girl did as they ran through the forest with the big dog ahead of them. "Robots will rust faster if they exercise. And I did leave the house."

"Oh for how long? One hour per day?" She challenged before adding as she managed to still eat snacks while running, "And fine. Robots will grow older and dustier if they stay in one place for too long."

"Well, I'm not a robot so it's fine." He shot back before almost stumbling over a large tree root as the sky grew darker and he grew more tired. Still, he continued running as if nothing happened. She only knowingly smirked — he could sense it even if he couldn't see much anymore with the night's reign on Earth; the forever crescent moon, their only witness.

"Well, since you're not a robot, you have to exercise more!" She jumped over an especially large root, laughing as she dashed across the obstacles of bushes, tree trunks, tree roots, and little forest critters. The rocks were her stepping stones while the wind was her accelerator, "That's why you're in E as in End Class — you made the end yourself, not training any further!"

Finally, he huffed as he caught up to her; it was harder for him to adjust to the dark. After all, the girl really was like her namesake, a raccoon. And she knew the forests and mountains like the back of her hand, having ran all over it many times before with that accursed dog.

"Then you must be A as in Ass Class since you're pointing out something incriminatingly not true and rude." Standing to his full height after catching his breath from the slowed down pace, he said, "Besides, I don't need exercise. I'm E as in Extraordinary."

"Then I'm A as in Awesome." She twirled, shifting the air currents, "That doesn't mean anything. Point is…" She extended a hand towards him, grinning once again, "You're up here because you have to and I want you to. Got a problem? Or do you need help for the last meter to the clearing?"

He smirked as he walked past her and pushed back the large leaves blocking the large circular clearing that nurtured shibazakura and had cherry blossom petals meld in with the green grass. She walked beside him, gazing at their clearing which moonlight lit up to give a magical quality. She hummed,

"My two favorite flavors of Pocky. Green tea and strawberry."

Karma scoffed as he walked to the center, plopping down on the grass to stare at the multiple stars in the night sky, the stars mixing in with those midnight hues of purple and blue,

"It's too pink here. And leave it to you to ruin the sight by comparing it to sweets."

"I'll have you know that sweets are the food of God and anything should be honored to — Stop laughing!"

But he didn't as he felt high from the energy flowing in his veins from the long run and the nature around welcoming him back from his inclusive stay indoors. She sighed as she laid her head on the grass beside his though she laid in the other direction. The stars filled her vision — each of them so bright and beautiful. Each of them so insignificant yet powerful.

Even she had to stop eating at the sight that filled her mind.

"Karma-kun…?"

"Yeah?"

"...stop getting yourself suspended. Actually enjoy school and life — you can be with so many friends yet you always scare them away."

"..."

He made no promises. He no longer talked. They silently stared above at the lone yellow moon surrounded by multiple stars of weak lights; it was overcomed by the weak lights of individuals so close together that they glowed together into one powerful statement. In her opinion, the round yellow ball was eaten by the stars into the forever crescent it now was. While the invincible moon was beautiful and inspiring, this was humanity's hope that the impossible was possible… and unexplainable as they had yet to say what destroyed the moon. She smiled. There was still hope.

"Tomorrow…" She began, "Tomorrow… what kind of dessert do you want? I'll make something for you. For the end of your suspension."

"I'll take a wasabi cake then." He answered without hesitation.

"..." She paused and then shifted so that her head faced his, "Who are you going to give it to?"

"You don't need to know." He chuckled mischieviously.

"...right."

Or maybe there was really no hope in Karma ever changing his irrevocable ways. Still, for now, they laid in peace.

Published April 22, 2014

Edited May 10, 2014