"Kirihara!"

I grinned to myself. Sakako-sensei had seen through my mask, apparently. Literally. I was wearing a mask with eyes and a mouth drawn on it. The nose . . . didn't really look like a nose. It was a little trick I used to pull in junior high school. Never got me through even five minutes of class, but it was worth a shot. "Yes, sensei?" I asked charmingly through my mask.

"Take that darling little mask of yours off, if you please."

"But sensei! I can't just peel off my skin, you know."

"Want me to peel it off for you?"

I feigned a surprised gasp. "I'm flattered, sensei. I never knew you felt that way about me."

The class roared with laughter. I snickered, proud of my accomplishment. Some would say I spend too much time around Niou-senpai. If you ask me, they're just jealous they don't have an awesome senior who knows how to build an atomic bomb.

My teacher shook her head slowly, as if she had given up. "Go to your fifth period class!" she announced. Then, quietly, she added, "I need a new job."

"LUNCH!" I cheered happily, running out into the courtyard. The field was shared by Rikkai High and Yuki University, a branch of RikkaiDai University. We – that is, my teammates and I – always thought of the college name as something of a pun. Yukimura was the president of the student council, and so we always referred to him as President Yukimura. Coincidentally, the name of the university changed from Navy University to Yuki University the same year my teammates entered it.

Yukimura really was God.

"Yo!"

I looked up. Niou was waving to me. The rest of the team followed closely behind. "Hi," I replied, smiling.

The first thing Yukimura noticed was the mask lying on my book-bag. "Caught?" he guessed.

I nodded shamelessly. "Sakako-sensei has good eyesight."

"Hiroshi could see that from a mile away without his glasses!" Niou averred. I proceeded to kick him in the shin. Yagyuu gave me an approving smile.

That was when I noticed someone was missing. "Where's Jackal-senpai?"

Sanada seemed just as confused as I did, despite his stone-faced expression. "Apparently, he had something to discuss with his family members and principal. He had to leave in the middle of science class."

"Lucky him," I grumbled.

Yanagi shook his head. "He seemed very upset. He must have had some idea of what was going on, but he didn't say anything when I saw him in the hallways."

Yukimura seemed amused. "You aren't in their science class, Renji. Were you skipping?"

Yanagi turned red. "No! I had some . . . business to take care of."

Seeming dismayed, Marui inquired, "You've been copying Inui's freaky potions, haven't you?"

"Would you care to try it?"

"No!"

They were all returning to normal, but I was confused. Jackal would never keep any secrets from us. From what Yanagi and Sanada had said, it was something big.

I knew Jackal was the most honest person in the group. It was impossible he didn't say anything. "Didn't Jackal-senpai tell you guys anything?"

Marui shook his head. "Not them. He didn't tell me much either. Then again, that's hardly surprisingly," he added wryly. When he saw my confused expression, he explained, "Jackal and I got into a disagreement a few days ago. About . . ." He trailed off.

It dawned on me. "You said he didn't tell you much. But he told you something?"

Marui shifted uncomfortably. "It was nothing, really," he offered. "Just some family stuff. Finances, conveniences, etcetera. I'm sure it doesn't have to do with anything."

But the troubled expression he wore told me he wasn't telling the whole truth.