Anzu and Emara met back up with Yugi, Honda, Jonouchi and Bakura for their second period History lesson. Emara did not sit with them, as she did not want to force her person onto them. She sat at the front of class and soon was ringed by a crowd of oversexed adolescent males.
Yugi and his friends took their usual back-row seats and watched in awed fascination while the boys around Emara all jostled for her attention. They all at one point offered to show her the school.
Emara wore a depthless smile. 'You all are very kind.'
Class started soon thereafter. The current syllabus covered World War Two.
'What was the Japanese Army's main weakness?' asked the teacher. Nobody raised a hand. 'Anyone?'
Emara sighed and lifted a pale hand.
'Yes, Bakeshii?'
'Its main weakness was that it needed to keep moving to gather more resources as Japan is almost completely depleted of iron and oil. Thus to the Japanese Army, Australia was a prize: rich in iron, gold, silver uranium- an untapped mine worth a sum of money over nine digits long in any currency.'
The class was shocked into silence. Even the teacher.
'That is the correct answer,' said Emara. She was not asking a question, but making a statement.
'Y-yes Bakeshii. A college-grade answer, in fact,' stammered the teacher. He continued the lesson.
Emara answered all of his questions flawlessly. She second-guessed most of his facts with her more accurate ones. The teacher was quite relieved when the bell rang to end the period and his bewildered students went to lunch.
The students either went to the cafeteria or to their homeroom. Yugi and his group went to their homeroom, appointing Anzu to stand in line at the cafeteria to buy their lunches.
Emara drifted in soon after, surrounded by a buzzing sward of boys. They sat around her desk, boasting and chatting her up.
Honda and Jonouchi felt their eyes drift over to her.
'We should help her,' said Honda. 'She might be hurt by one of those blockheads.
'Good idea,' agreed Jonouchi.
'Are you sure that's your only motive?' asked Bakura.
'No,' said Jonouchi absently and he and Honda shoved their way through to Emara. 'I don't think we've been introduced.'
'Yeah,' said Takeshi, the most popular boy in grade ten. 'And I don't think you will be.'
Jonouchi grabbed him by the lapels. 'I'm sick of you always screwing with me and my friends-'
Emara lifted her hands to her mouth and her green eyes darkened fearfully. Honda put his hand on Jonouchi's shoulder. Jonouchi relinquished his hold on Takeshi and straightened his own school jacket. Takeshi scowled and walked away.
'I'm Honda,' said Honda. 'And this is Jonouchi.'
'I didn't mean to scare you,' said Jonouchi sheepishly.
Emara's mouth tweaked up at the corners. 'It's okay.' She jumped as her cell phone rang. 'Hello?' she said softly. She listened to the person at the other end of the connection, her face paling. 'Not again. You can't skip school, he wouldn't want-' she stopped and whoever she was talking to snapped at her so loudly that Jonouchi and Honda could hear his voice. 'Please don't speak to me like that, Bunny.' Her eyes filled with tears. 'I'm just trying to help,' she whispered and paused again. 'Okay, I'll be there soon.' She snapped her cell closed and stared down at her desk, fighting away her tears. 'Does anyone know that way to the office?'
'I do!' said Jonouchi, a bare millisecond ahead of every other boy around him. 'Me and Honda'll take you!'
Emara stood up and followed Jonouchi and Honda out of the classroom. She let her guides return to class without her after thanking them for showing her to the administration office. She did not go to any of her other classes.
Honda explained what had happened to Anzu after she brought her friends their lunches. She and everyone else were concerned about the phone conversation that Jonouchi and Honda had overheard.
'She must be under a lot of stress,' said Anzu empathically. 'We should visit her take her mind off it!'
'Nice idea, Anzu,' said Bakura. 'Where does she live?'
'Uh…' said Anzu. 'I never asked her.'
'I know how to find out!' said Jonouchi excitedly. 'We can just follow her home.'
'It's worth a try,' said Yugi and Anzu shook her head in despair.
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Yugi went home after school and pulled his homework out onto the kitchen table.
'How was your day?' asked Mrs Mutou
'Fine, Mom,' said Yugi. 'There's a new girl at school called Bakeshii and we're going over to her house tomorrow.'
'Oh, how nice,' said Mrs Mutou. 'Bakeshii, I think I've heard that name before.' She shrugged and brought Yugi a glass of milk and some cookies.
What do you think of her, Yami? asked Yugi of his second spirit.
I think she is more complex than she lets on, replied Yami. I feel intense waves of grief radiating from her.
Did someone die? asked Yugi
I know not the cause of her sadness, but perhaps a visit will do her well.
I hope so, thought Yugi
