Chapter Two

Aella adjusted well as a week passed in Rikkai Dai. She had no more encounters with Niou, though she wasn't sure whether it was because she was subconsciously avoiding him or if he was subconsciously avoiding her. She began to consider Hanako as an official friend, though Aella used the term loosely, and she learned more about the brown-haired girl as the week passed.

Like, for example, Hanako used to play volleyball before soccer, she was afraid of heights and stunk at English, and she absolutely loathed the president of the Niou Masaharu Fanclub for reasons unknown to Aella. Aella observed most of these, taking in how the members of the volleyball team said a hello to Hanako when they passed in the halls, how she always blanched and refused to look down when they were near a high place, how their English teacher always slowed things down or repeated them for her, and how her nose always, always wrinkled in distaste whenever Matasuri Chiyoko came within sight.

Aella also learned the name of the girl with ebony hair that sat behind her—it was Shiratsu Minako—and the nice-looking boy in front of her—Sanada Genichirou—and the sporty-looking girl was Moko Kizaki. Aella had chatted with her for a while on her second day and had said a quiet hello to Sanada and Shiratsu.

So, despite being a transfer student, Aella thought, as her first week at Rikkai passed, that everything was starting off smoothly—which was something she couldn't say about her first week at Florence Middle School…

She heaved a loud sigh and leaned her cheek on the heel of her hand, erasing the bunny scribble from her math homework. She and Hanako were at the library, trying to finish that day's homework early. At least, that was what they were trying to do, she sighed, turning her gaze to the example in her textbook; her eyes glazed over as soon as she started trying to understand it. Why was math so frustrating?

Hanako leaned over; breathe fluttering against Aella's arm. Her mouth curved into a frown when she saw that her page was blank. She sighed. "I was hoping you could help me."

Aella looked at hers and saw that she had filled half her page with expertly drawn cartoons of Tekumi-sensei quite literally blowing her top, volcano-style eruption of the brain and everything! Contrary to Hanako's reaction when she'd seen Aella's paper, Aella smiled and was forced to bite down on her tongue to keep from giggling."I'm glad to know that you've been productive."

Hanako scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Hardly. I've been on this problem forever."

Aella shook her head. "No, I mean your pictures. They're good."

Hanako looked down at her drawings, made a face, and looked up again. "You sure 'bout that?"

Aella laughed. "Well, it's certainly better than my bunny roadkill pictures."

"I'm shocked," Hanako deadpanned, eyes lidded. "What can beat bunny roadkill pictures?"

Aella shrugged. "I didn't know until now. Those pictures of Tekumi-sensei freaking out are amazing."

Hanako stared at her, then, moved to cover her pictures, giggling.

Aella fixed her with a confused look. "What's wrong? I mean, I know I'm hilarious, but it was just one sentence."

"Ah—um…Houshigawa, I was drawing horses…farting," Hanako laughed.

Aella's eyes widened in surprise—and then in mirth. "But—but, what about the face?" She pointed to the mushroom-cloud eruption.

Hanako's brown eyes grew so wide Aella thought they would pop out of her head. "That's the butt."

Aella dissolved into a fit of giggles, keeling over her math homework. The librarian looked up from her book nearby and shushed them with an irritated finger to her lips. Aella nodded and reigned herself in, biting down on the inside of her cheek to keep from bursting out in raucous laughter.

"I'm glad to know that you think our math teacher's face looks like a horse's butt. Tekumi-sensei will find this information interesting." Hanako had a wicked look in her eyes as she arched an eyebrow teasingly. "She might have to consider getting plastic surgery. A pig's butt might be more her style."

Aella kept a firm grip on the inside of her cheek as she reached across the table to flick Hanako in the forehead. "You know that's not what I meant. But…" She got a mischievous look in her eyes as she rubbed her hand under her chin in a contemplative fashion. "There is quite a resemblance, no?"

At this, both girls diffused into another round of giggles, hands clamping over mouths in floundering attempts at muffling their laughter. The librarian glanced up once again and told them sharply to be quiet or risk getting kicked out of the library. Aella then straightened her face and imparted Hanako with her bite-the-tongue strategy, and each time both girls even thought about a horse or a pig or Tekumi-sensei, they bit down hard on their tongues and refused to look at each other for fear that they would start laughing and get kicked out.

When they finally finished their homework, it was already rather dark. More time had passed in the library than they'd thought, for the sky had been a light baby blue when they'd arrived, and now hues of orange and pink swished on cotton ball-clouds. The sun was already disappearing along the horizon, and the moon was high up in the sky, hardly visible but still there.

Aella looked up, observing how serene the sky looked. It looked like a picture that had jumped from an artist's canvas into real life. She could see the brushstrokes the painter had used to create a cloud hovering in the distance, the yellow and white he'd mixed to create a light spot that tipped of the dark cloud near it.

Hanako looked up too, though her expression was of confusion at what Aella was looking at. She voiced that in a sardonic "Is there a pterodactyl I can't see, or something?"

Aella laughed and turned her eyes to Hanako. "Yeah, actually, there is. There was, like, this giant time rip thingy, and a pterodactyl flew out. If you keep looking, a dragon might follow."

Hanako rolled her eyes, but she laughed. "Everyone knows that dragons don't exist."

Aella got an affronted look on her face. "I bet you say the same thing about aliens. And yet, here I am." She made a sweeping gesture down her body.

"Oh—so you're an extraterrestrial being, now?" Hanako bumped her hip to Aella's

Aella nodded so solemnly that she almost burst out laughing. As they boarded the bus, they kept the light bantering going until Hanako had to get off at her stop. Aella bade her goodbye by flicking her forehead and leaned back into the seat, hands behind her head in a careless manner. She would've propped her feet onto the seat in front of her, but there was an old lady with a really heavy-looking purse sitting there, and she didn't think she would sleep well with a swollen cheek.

A very happy smile worked its way onto her face as she got off the bus, and she bit the inside of her cheek to conceal it. She was grinning like a fool, and she didn't feel like losing whatever street credibility she had (which wasn't a lot).

But…things were going well in Rikkai Dai, and she had a good feeling about the coming year.

…She just hoped that she hadn't jinxed herself by thinking that.

"What was it like? You know, in America?" Hanako prodded the next day when they were on their way home. She didn't have soccer practice today, as it was the boys' team's turn to use the soccer field.

Aella contemplated the question. A lot of things had been different, but there were very few worth noticing and taking into account. "Well," she began thoughtfully, "it wasn't really that different from here. I mean, we didn't have to wear any uniforms, and our sports teams weren't half as good, but there's really nothing to tell."

Hanako knitted together her eyebrows. "Still, didn't you have any friends?"

"Yeah, but they weren't super close friends," Aella answered, waving her hand in the air absently.

"Oh." Hanako shifted her bag from one shoulder to the other. "So, basically, you didn't do anything different in America?"

"The food was different," Aella pointed out. "And the clothes. I have a few shirts that I got there. They still fit. I wear them on the weekends."

Hanako nodded. "Why did you have to go there in the first place?"

Aella's pace dragged at the question. She hadn't expected to have to avoid the inquiry so soon, and the answer was one that she did not want to share with anyone—or think about, for that matter. She went back to a normal speed quickly before Hanako could notice and purposely bumped into a person that had been walking in the opposite direction, scattering her books and homework in the process.

"Oh, oops," the person said. He had magenta hair and lavender-colored eyes, with a tennis bag slung around his shoulders, which he let plop to the ground as he bent to help her pick her stuff up.

Aella noticed Hanako's blush out of the corner of her eye, and her lips quirked upward. She took her friend's hand and dragged her down beside her before giving a small and subtle nudge so that she was next to the boy.

"It's fine," she told him, shuffling together all of her homework while she kept a close watch on Hanako's growing blush out of the side of her eye. She reached for a book, but he got there before her.

"You're reading this manga?!" he asked, eyes bright as he stood up.

She stood up too and snatched it from him, shrugging. "It's pretty good.

"I love that manga!" the boy exclaimed. He was chewing bubblegum, and after he said this, he blew a bubble and let it pop in her face.

"Well, then you have good taste in mangas." Aella smirked at him, inserting the graphic novel into her bag. She looked at Hanako and nudged her. "Hmm, Hanako, don't you think so?"

Hanako blinked in surprise and fought to keep the blush from spreading across her face like kudzu. "Mmm, oh yeah, it's great," she murmured half-heartedly.

The boy gave her a crooked grin, and looked down at his wristwatch. He blanched, seeing the time, and said, "Oh, shit. Fukubuchou's going to kill me." Looking at Aella and Hanako, he gave them a sheepish grin. "Sorry, 'bout that. I have to get to tennis practice." Then he was off, weaving through the crowd nimbly.

Aella watched him go and shrugged, turning away to continue walking. Hanako followed her, a tinge of pink visible on her cheeks. She seemed to have forgotten all about her earlier question. After a few minutes of silence, Aella nudged her and gave a cheeky grin. "So—what did you think of him? Pretty wild, eh?"

Hanako looked up, startled, and nodded. "Yeah. That's Marui-san."

"Oh, so his name's Marui?"

"Uh-huh. He's a regular on the boys' tennis team. Marui Bunta."

"What did you think of him?"

Hanako's blush, which had deteriorated a little by this time, returned at full-force, lighting up her face like a Christmas tree. "Uh, yeah, he's pretty nice. A lot better than his friend, Niou-san."

Aella's ears perked up at the mention of her old friend. She was tempted to ask why he was so bad, but she was sure that she could figure out why without Hanako's help.

"So, you like him?" she asked, making her eyebrows wiggle suggestively.

"N—no," Hanako spluttered defensively.

Aella laughed. "I can see right through you, Hanako. And the color of your face isn't helping much."

Her face lit up even more, looking like a roasted lobster. She ducked her head and let her hair fall over her face so Aella wouldn't be able to see her blush. "I don't," she mumbled, though without much conviction.

"Hah-hah." Aella patted her back. "It's okay. I'll help you catch his eye." She winked, though she doubts that Hanako was paying enough attention to notice.

"Don't you dare," Hanako hissed.

"No, no, I won't tell him that you like him. I'm not that direct. I'll be subtle, I promise," Aella swore, right hand on her heart solemnly.

Hanako looked up at her, eyes narrowed. "I seriously doubt that you will. This is coming from the girl who asked a boy if he was on his period last week."

Aella cringed. "Look, it was supposed to be a joke. Also, he was really grouchy, and he was squirming around in his seat a lot, like there was blood coming out of his butt."

"Boys don't get periods, Houshigawa," Hanako sighed, smiling.

"I'm just sayin' that he could've fooled me."

"You were the only one that was fooled."

"Excuse me for having an imagination."

"You're excused."

"Really? That's all you got. You're gonna have to work a lot harder if you wanna catch that Marui guy's eye."

"I—I don't."

"Mmm-hmm."

"Really."

"Save it for someone who believes you, Hanako."

Silence.

"Good."

A few more days passed in Rikkai Dai, and all went well for Aella. Hanako was a different matter, her cheeks practically tinted permanently pink as Aella took every chance she got to tease the other girl about her "Marui Bunta infatuation," as she'd taken to calling it, eyebrows waggling and elbow nudging.

Of course, one would think that all Hanako would've had to do was stop producing opportunities for Aella, but every word that she blurted from her mouth, every action that she did, every expression or color that arose on her face, Aella would find a way to exploit it into something related to Marui Bunta. "I'm just that good," Aella would then brag, before resuming her merciless teasing.

To Hanako's credit, though, she was taking it better than Aella had predicted, her only reactions being the occasional frustrated scream outside of class and the all-too occasional pulling of hair. "You'll go bald early," Aella had pointed out once, smirking wryly. Hanako had bitten the inside of her lip, to keep from laughing and screaming at the same time, and only shook her head, glowing red from the roots of her hair to her toes.

Houshigawa was too delighted at Hanako's reaction, any passerby would think or comment. Who could blame her, though? It was well known all throughout Rikkai Dai that Hanako Miyumi never blushed or got embarrassed.

Except around Marui Bunta, that is.

Surprisingly, the genius himself hadn't heard about this. When Aella realized this, two days into knowing about her friend's crush, she'd crossed her arms across her chest and snorted, "Some genius," to which Hanako had responded with a defensive "He's just naïve."

And then the cycle would start over again, and their classmates would only be able to sigh and return to their work or lunch.

It was on a particular day like this that Aella finally made a breakthrough with her stubborn friend and managed to convince Hanako that she wouldn't stop bothering her until she admitted that she had a crush on Marui Bunta.

"You'll have to accept this if you want to make any progress with him," Aella had chided in a patronizing tone. "You already admitted that you want him to notice you, you just need to admit that you like him."

"When did I admit that?!" Hanako asked shrilly, throwing her arms above her head.

Their classmates paid no attention. Breaks were short, though frequent, and taking a minute to wonder what could possibly be so interesting to the usually levelheaded Hanako Miyumi was considered a waste of time ever since Houshigawa Aella had come along. Now, these outbursts were more frequent than ever, occurring at least once every ten-minute break.

"You admitted it when I found out about your crush. You didn't say anything," Aella explained.

Hanako huffed. "Just because I was silent doesn't mean I admit anything." She folded her arms across her chest, lips forming into a pout, and met Aella's amused gaze like a defiant child.

Aella felt the need to mimic Hanako's previous movement and fling her hands up, but she remained composed, a hand covering her mouth to keep her smile hidden and an eyebrow arched.

Sensing her pleasure on the subject, Hanako's pout deepened as her crossed arms tightened protectively around her chest. "I do not," she repeated forcefully. And then, probably for the sake of maintaining her dignity, she lifted up her chin.

Again, Aella's lips quirked up at her friend's behavior. Who would've thought that the same cheerful girl that had greeted her on her first day of school would be so easy to tease? Of course, the thing that she was being teased about also came into question, Aella pondered. She'd needled Hanako about the boy that had winked at her during lunch, and her friend hadn't batted an eyelash. The same result had been reached when Aella had tried guessing Hanako's crush, though Marui Bunta hadn't been one of the people on her list. Aella supposed that, despite her amazing poking and prodding and prying and people skills, a week and a half was not enough time to get to know a person.

This brought her train of thought to another, much less interesting but whose answer Aella wanted more than anything, question: Why would Hanako want to be friends with her in the first place? Because, as hard as it was to believe (for her), Aella wasn't the type of charismatic person who just drew people to her like a magnet. She was generally friendly, and a bit arrogant; she liked to tease and make people squirm, usually finding pleasure in their reactions; and she was especially fond of manipulating people, though only if the outcomes suited her. But despite all those traits, Aella lacked a certain charisma that certain people had.

Aella shrugged, drawn out of her stupor when Hanako's pouty face morphed into a bemused face. She decided to hold that question in her mind for a later time and focus on convincing Hanako to confess her crush on Marui Bunta. She only had several minutes before the teacher arrived, and she wanted to finally make a breakthrough.

"I think," Aella drawled slowly, "you're too prideful to admit that you like Marui Bunta." When Hanako opened her mouth to speak, Aella held up a hand. If she wanted to get this done quickly, she would have to do most of the talking. "That's not the most obvious reason—the obvious reason is that you're embarrassed—but it's the second reason, I think. The third is that—" Aella cut herself off in the middle, reminding herself that she had a time limit.

"Why can't you just leave it?" Hanako whined in that brief moment.

"Because, Hanako," Aella said, smiling, "it's a challenge."

Hanako winced at Aella's use of her words from the week before.

"Now," Aella continued, "I know you have a crush on Marui-san. You do, too. You just have to say it. No point in hiding something that's already been unveiled. Besides, I can help you."

Hanako let out a giant sigh and she dropped her hands to her lap with a plop. "Fine." She raised them again, both on either side of her head. She rolled her eyes. "I admit it." She leaned in. "I do have a crush on him." There was a small pause. "But I don't see how you can help."

Aella patted her on the back. "If that is a challenge to my matchmaking skills, I bet that I can get you a date with him before summer break starts."

Hanako snorted. "Fine. But, if nothing progresses between us, you have to…You have to do something that has yet to be determined."

Aella pretended to spit on her hand and extended it out for a shake. "Okay. If I win, then you have to…You know what? Your punishment is yet to be determined as well."

Hanako laughed. "Fine." She shook Aella's hand just as the teacher came in and class started.

Aella smirked. She'd managed to convince her friend to admit her crush and form a bet in the span of five minutes. Was that skill or what?

Aella: Yo.

Author: So—people who read this chapter, I know that nothing really happened during this chapter, but I still hope you found it interesting.

Aella: I thought it was pretty good. I got to watch someone squirm.

Author: Yeah, okay. But anyway, this was basically a filler chapter. It was supposed to show how Aella was adjusting to Rikkai.

Aella: I think I did pretty well.

Author: Yes, yes you did. But chapter three will be up shortly—

Aella: I hope.

Author: —and it will be a lot more interesting. I promise you.

Aella: 'Kay. Well, without further ado, goodbye.

Author: Don't forget to leave a review or something. Bye.