Friendship 101

Chapter Two: Let's Meet Once More! Can We Start Over?

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Disclaimer: I do not own Assassination Classroom. If I did, Nagisa would not be a shota. Shouta? Shōta?

Itona grumbled to himself as he tapped his fingers along the surface of the rail. Ryōma, Kirara, and Taisei looked at him with worry. Well, at least Ryōma did. Kirara could feel a tick forming on her head and Taisei seemed equally annoyed with all the tapping.

"Will you stop that?!" Snapped the gloomy girl. She quickly shut her book and glared at Itona. "How can anyone read with that racket?"

"Put a sock in it Hazama. It's not even that loud." Itona retorted in an equally annoyed tone.

"That doesn't make it less irritating." She scowled and began reading again. They were currently seated outside on the stairs that led the field of class 3-E. The four of them were waiting for Takuya who was still inside the classroom talking to Sumire. Though the group didn't look like it, they never ate without one of their own.

And that was how Takuya found them a few more minutes later. Waiting for him. Except without insults being thrown his way for taking too long as per usual, Kirara and Taisei were not so subtly ignoring Itona's existence. Itona himself was slightly turned away from the rest of the group as Ryōma sat behind them all, a frown etched onto his face.

"Uhh.. Hey you gu—" He began to say but was stopped short by Kirara's glare. The cowardly blonde gulped and just sat down next to her. He warily began to eat his lunch (it was noodles, not to anyone's surprise).

Uncomfortable with the atmosphere of their gang, Ryōma cleared his throat. "So, what took you so long, huh?" He asked and turned to look at Takuya from above.

"Nrmph mrch." The blonde slurped. Kirara hit him in the back of his head with her novel. "Ow!" Grumbling, the he wiped at his mouth and looked back at his friend. "Nothing much." Takuya continued. "Hara-chan and I were just talking about our families cooking background for a bit. But on my way here, guess what I saw?" There was a glint and a slyness in the blonde's eyes as he finished. Ryōma noticed how Takuya glanced quickly at Itona before riverting his full attention back to him.

He raised a thick brow. "What?" He asked as the two leaned in.

"I saw Okuda-san with Karma." He whispered. Itona heard this and his tapping stopped. Takuya leaned in further to Ryōma. "She was crying." He said even quieter.

SLAM!

Ryōma and Takuya quickly looked up and saw their short friend walking away from the group, his steps hard and fast as he made way to the field. Shaking his head, Ryōma stood up and followed after him. "Hey shrimp! Slow down!" He shouted.

Takuya looked to Kirara and Taisei. "I didn't think it would bother him that much. Did I miss something?" He asked. Kirara shook her head and Taisei rolled his eyes.

"What do you think?"

:::::::

"Hey! Itona-kun! Wait up!" Ryōma continued to call out for the short boy. Itona only sighed and slowed his pace but did not stop. Not too long after he did, did Ryōma catch up. After catching his breath, Ryōma knocked Itona in the back of the head. "Thanks for waiting for me!" He growled.

Itona rolled his eyes and glared at the larger boy. "Whatever." He grumbled out. Ryōma frowned.

"What's with you? Why are you so irritated?" He asked with concern. Ryōma watched as Itona's shoulder tense for a moment and then relaxed. The expression on his face was that of irritation and then guilt. "You okay?" Asked Ryōma as he fell step in step with Itona.

The white hair boy shrugged his shoulder, as if hesitant. "I'm fine." He lied.

Ryōma tolled his eyes. "It's not usual for you lie." He replied back. Itona stopped walking and looked at the boy next to him.

"What do you mean?" There was a hint of accusation and amusement lined in his voice.

"I mean," Ryōma reiterated, "that you always tell the truth. No matter how blunt of inconsiderate you are. You're rubbing off on Takuya by the way, stop that." Itona smiled in response to this. Ryōma looked at Itona sternly. "So for you to lie, it's weird. You know?" He finished.

"I guess." He replied.

Ryōma gave Itona a long, hard look. "So do you wanna tell me about it?"

"About what?"

"About Okuda and why you two don't seem to get along." Ryōma stated. Itona flinched as if that statement alone was enough to hurt him. It was quiet between the two. Biting his lower lip, Itona finally gave a long, deep sigh.

"I... Didn't mean to snap." Itona finally said. His voice was soft. "She kept scooting away. I didn't like it. I feel as if..." Itona gulped. "It was like she was scared of me. I didn't like it." Itona's eyes seemed to sparkle in a sad way. "And so I got kind of mad and... We didn't exactly click. I want to get along though." Itona admitted with a sigh. "Me and her together, we'd make the best partners for this project. We would kick you and Yada-san's fine ass out of the park."

Ryōma pretended he didn't hear that.

"I know she's usually quiet and soft spoken, but... I don't knooow." Itona suddenly whined. He put a hand over his eyes. "This sucks!I don't even know how that happened in class. And now she can't even look me in the eyes." Itona groaned and crouched to the floor. "Why did this happen?" He mumbled to himself and shaking his head.

Ryōma couldn't help but to smile at his friend.

"It's okay then." The older boy comforted and put a hand on his shoulder. Itona looked up with curiosity.

"How is it okay? The project just started and we can't even be two desks apart without her trembling." Ryōma laughed out loud at this. The short boy narrowed his eyes. "Why are you laughing, you damn ape?!" He snapped.

"It will be fine. You seem as if you want to make up with her." Explained Ryōma as he helped Itona off the ground. "As long as you feel like you want to be friends, I'm sure everything will be fine." This perked Itona's interest.

"F-Friends?!" He repeated. Ryōma nodded his head.

"That's right. Friends." Ryōma pat Itona's head. "You want to be friends with her, right?"

Itona stayed silent. It's not like he disagreed. But is that what I want? He asked himself. From what Itona had heard about Manami from other classmates before, it seemed as if they shared the same interest and weaknesses. He always thought that was interesting but never made a move to want to get to know her.

Until this project.

Itona remembered hearing how they were to be partners for the next week.

Interesting. Is what he thought. Itona felt a small smile try to fight its way to his lips.

"—na? Itona? Hey!" Ryōma shouted, snapping the younger boy from his thoughts. Looking up to meet Ryōma's eyes did the short boy smile.

"Yeah, I want to be friends with her."

Not understanding what happened within the small boy, Ryōma went with the flow. Nodding his head, he said, "That's good. I believe no matter what, you two will be friends."

"What if she runs away from me though?" Asked Itona as he took the hand from his head away. Ryōma shrugged.

"Why would that stop you?" He asked back. Itona immediately felt his mood lighten at the words and nodded his head.

"You're right. It wouldn't." Itona's smile grew as the two started to head back to their group. Ryōma chuckled at the fact that Itona seemed lighter and brighter after their conversation. "Thanks, Terasaka." Itona said suddenly, stopping the older boy. "Thanks to you, I have an idea of how to approach her after school." Ryōma hmph'd in good nature.

"Glad to hear it."

"Although..." Itona began with a hint of deviousness. "When I really think about it, you are reason we argued in the first place."

"Wait, what?" Ryōma pressed, disbelief on his face.

"Yeah, you totally need to make it up to us later." Itona continued and started to walk faster.

"No way! What did I do!?" Shouted the older boy. "What will I do!?"

"I'm sure I'll come up with something later." Itona promised.

Meanwhile...

Karma waited inside the hallway, crouched in front of the girl whose tears would not stop. "Okuda-san." He spoke softly and tried to lift her head up. Manami only shook her head and did her best to press herself more against the wall. It was as if she thought she could disappear if she did.

Manami had hidden herself away in a corner as soon as most of her classmates disappeared for lunch. If Karma wasn't serious about looking for her, he would have missed her. The redhead didn't like to admit it, to her or himself, but if Manami wasn't being upfront or blunt with you, her existence in class was almost nonexistent.

Only people such as himself, Rio, and Nagisa would be able to spot her.

"Okuda-san..." Karma tried again. Manami hiccuped and the redhead felt his heart break a little at the sound. He waited patiently in front of her despite the small cramp he was starting to feel in his calf. Karma's foot was also quickly falling asleep. Still, he wanted to listen.

A few moments after, Manami's crying started to slow down and she began, "I didn't... Want to argue with Hori-ribe-kun." She cried quietly. "H-He hates me! It's really all my fault." Manami choked back a sob and her shoulders shook.

"That's not true." Karma immediately defended with a soft sternness in his voice. "He just doesn't understand you. He wasn't patient enough." He placed his hands on Manami's shoulders, wanting her to look at him.

Hesitantly, the timid girl lifted her head and Karma internally winced at her red and puffy eyes. "Look," he gulped, "Manami-chan." Said girl did a slight pout with her lips. She knew Karma only uses her name when he is about to tell her something important. "I don't know what happened between you two but please don't cry, okay?" He asked. "I believe you when you say you didn't want to fight with him. But I don't think it's just your fault.

"Maybe both of you were wrong. But don't beat yourself up for it. I don't believe he's angry at you. He's probably thinking the same things as you. You two are really the same side to the same coin, after all." Karma ruffled the top of Manami's head and smiled. "You're both a little awkward and fairly blunt," Itona more especially, Karma mentally added to himself, "you two only don't know how to treat each other. That's all."

Manami nodded her head in understanding. She wiped at her cheeks with the sleeve of her gray blazer and smiled up to her good friend. "So... Do you think he'll still want to be my partner? Even after...all this?" She asked, a little hesitant and very shy. Karma shrugged his shoulders.

"Who knows? You'll have to ask him later." The redhead said in a soft tone. "But don't worry, if he doesn't want to be partners, I," Karma began to smile, "have no problem throwing Nagisa his way to deal with him. Then we'll be partners, hm?"

Manami giggled at that and Karma couldn't help but soften his heart some more to the girl. She looked up brightly at him. Karma decided at this moment she looked so much better smiling than she did crying.

"Y-You said we were the same side of the same coin." She stated. "How sure are you about that?"

"One hundred percent." He answered. Manami felt a grin starting to form.

"Okay. Then... I'll talk to him." Letting out a long breath, Manami stood up. "Thank you, Karma. Everything is less scary after talking to you." At the confession, Karma felt the tip of his ears turn red in embarrassment. He rubbed the back of his head.

"Ah, yeah. No problem." Karma halfheartedly said. Manami laughed a bit and began to walk away.

"I think I know what to sa—" She began but was interrupted by a frantic, Wait! Turning around, Manami tilted her head and wondered why Karma was still crouched on the ground. "Karma?" She asked and walked back. "What's wrong?"

Karma flashed Manami an embarrassed grin before sheepishly saying, "My foot fell asleep and I have a cramp." Manami's mood lightened considerably as she sweetly helped the redhead off the ground. After thanking her, the bespectacled girl grinned evilly. Ever so subtle, Manami nudged Karma's foot causing pain to shoot up his leg. "Ack!" Karma shrieked (he would deny it for the rest of his life) and tried to lean on the wall to balance himself.

Looking up, sharp eyes narrowed on a very smug Manami. Karma scowled. "Manami-chan!" He scolded. "You know I hate it when you do that!" Sticking out her tongue, Manami nudged his foot again causing the redhead to cry out. "Stooop!" He pitched and grabbed his legs. Laughing out loud, the petite girl ran down the hallway and out the doors. "Hey! Get back here!" Karma shouted.

He tried taking a step to go after her but a ticklish pain started to travel up his leg. Karma shuddered. He was very thankful no one was there to see him.

Well... He thought to himself as he rested along the wall. If she's able to tease me, she must be feeling better. Karma smiled at the thought. As far as he knew, it was only to him Manami would even dare to try to pull a fast one on. He had to admit that she could be very sneaky when she felt up to it. Still, Karma grinned.

She wasn't going to get away with this.

"Nurufufufu~!" Koro-sensei spoke as he looked to Manami and Itona. They had just exited the classroom and both were doing their best to ignore the other. It wasn't out of hate, for the most part, but the two of them were uneasy and uncomfortable. They didn't know what to do.

They also didn't like how the class was listening in.

"Come you two." Koro-sensei said quietly, with a smile. "Let us get away from the classroom, neh?" He asked. Before Itona and Manami could refuse, they felt tentacles wrap around them and they were suddenly placed inside Koro-sensei's garments. Faster than they could blink, Manami and Itona felt rush of wind and the two suddenly found themselves standing on top of hard stone.

They were suddenly hit by the intense heat of the weather as the two separated from Koro-sensei.

"Where are we?" Itona asked on shaky legs as he tried to remain standing. Koro-sensei chuckled.

"We are on the Great Sphinx of Giza at the moment." He spoke with such a carefree attitude. Manami felt nauseous while Itona narrowed his eyes.

"And why are we on top of the Sphinx, sensei?" Itona bit out. It didn't sound as ferocious as he wanted it to since he almost stumbled. Koro-sensei only laughed.

"To get away from class more efficiently!" He said as if it was that obvious. "I can't let others interfere in your private affairs. You know, Itona-kun, there are just some matters that must not be known to other people. This is a skill assassins learn once they move on from a normal life." Itona raised a brow at that but kept quiet. Koro-sensei continued. "I also thought that Okuda-san would have liked to visit the Sphinx once more." Manami waved her hand at the comment, as if saying "Don't mind me."

Itona just fidgeted a bit. "Yeah, well... What is it you want from us?"

Koro-sensei smiled. "Oh, nothing really." Admitted the octopus of a teacher. "I just thought that you two needed time away to cool down."

"A-And so you took us to Egypt? For a c-cool down?" Manami dead panned while fanning herself. Itona found himself agreeing with the pig-tailed girl completely.

"Nurufufufu~!" Koro-sensei wrapped a tentacle around the two student's shoulders, bringing them closer. "Now, here's a secret for the two of you. I put you two together on purpose." At the confession, Manami and Itona looked to their teacher. Both wondering exactly why their teacher would do, or even admit such a thing. "You see, I personally took an interest in your lack of a friendly relationship. Everyone in the classroom is fairly close with one another, but you two never seemed to interact or even talk to each other much. Which I had found odd, seeing as you two are both similar.

"You two are the best students at science, are great at math, and have this unique social tendency." Itona and Manami knew that Koro-sensei was calling their blunt manner in a nice way. "I guess you can call it a selfish teacher's desire to want to see two students who are so similar work together for the first time. I had thought that you both would have been great friends due to this project I threw out there, alas... That was not the case."

Koro-sensei patted their heads and Manami could've sworn she saw something of a wistful look in her teacher's beady eyes. "I apologize for my assumptions. But I do sincerely hope that you two manage to work things out. I know that people can start off on the wrong foot, but it would be a shame if people never let themselves show who they are because of a misunderstanding. I do believe that you two would make amazing partners." Koro-sensei smiled and patted Manami's head. He leaned in and whispered, "Okuda-san. Don't give up. You have the purest heart in class, belittling yourself will only hurt you." Manami's felt her heart pound loudly inside her chest as a weird kind of strangle forced its way around her heart. "Kindness is not a weakness." Koro-sensei whispered ever so softly.

Manami felt tears gather in the corner of her eyes. Slowly, she leaned closer into Koro-sensei's chest and nodded her head. Itona watched their interaction with questions in his head but found it hard to invite himself in. He saw his classmate's shoulders shake and started to feel a little awkward.

Before Itona could even think of what to say or do, Koro-sensei said, "Time to go to class now." Ever so quickly, Itona felt tentacles around him again and as a rough wind swept past him. In a moment, he saw the familiar broken down building of their Class 3-E. Just as before, Itona staggered once his feet touched the ground.

I can't get used to it. He thought a little bitterly as he tried to stand again. He noticed Manami's face was flushed as she also had a hard time regaining solid footing. We're really not made to leave the ground after all. He faintly thought as Koro-sensei began to walk away. "Hey!" He called out, trying to walk after the yellow octopus but only managed to stumble. "Don't just leave us here!"

"Nurufufufu~! Don't take too long in class Itona-kun. You and Okuda-san still need to agree to an element to work on for this project. Right now, you're failing!" Laughing, Koro-sensei continued. Itona growled.

"Why can't you just assign us one then?"

"That would not be fun." Koro-sensei lightly scolded as he reached the door. Looking back, Itona could have sworn that his teacher had a smirk on his ever non-changing face. "There are many more elements in this world that can't be found or have not yet been explained."

Itona raised a confused brow. "What do you mean?" He asked. Alas, the small boy finally seemed to have regained a good stability of the ground as he found that his legs weren't wobbling anymore. "Everything has been found."

"Is that really the case?" Koro-sensei asked and opened the door.

Frowning, Itona replied, "Yes."

"Nurufufufu~!"

I think I'm starting to understand that octopus. Itona told himself as he stood outside the classroom door. School had gotten out just a few minutes ago and Itona had only walked to his locker to switch his shoes. He had spent the time to tell his friends that they could leave without him for he has something to do after school.

He only hoped his reason was still here.

Why didn't I look for her? I'm not even sure if she's still here. Cursing his lack of a plan, Itona still readied himself. Slowly, he opened the class door.

"Oomf!"

"Ack!"

Feeling a pain on his forehead, Itona rubbed his temple and looked up to see Manami doing the same. Noticing her first, he straightened himself. "O-Okuda." He called out. Hearing his voice, Manami stopped rubbing her head and looked down a bit to see the person she wanted to meet the most.

"H-Horibe-kun." She gasped, stepping back.

Silence ensued between the two as they both waited for the other to speak. Manami shuffled her feet and twirled her fingers while Itona rocked on his heels a little. Feeling a bit awkward, Itona began.

"I—"

"So—"

He stopped just as soon as Manami started and stopped as well. They looked at each other. Itona could see the nervousness in his partner's eyes. Itona felt his heart squeeze a little. Clearing his throat, he tried to speak again. "Okuda." He said, tone soft. "I'm sorry for the way I treated you earlier in class." There, he thought, that was good, wasn't it? Manami's eyes widened a bit. This urged Itona to continue. "I know I was a bit impatient with you and in turn, was really rude. I shouldn't have treated you that way. I'm really sorry." Itona bowed his head but stopped short when he made contact with something very...soft.

And squishy?

How nice. Itona liked the feeling.

"EEK!"

Oh my gosh, please don't let this be a boob. Was Itona's first thought as he quickly stood straight. Terror filled his small body as Manami had her hands covered over her chest. Her cheeks were rosy and her eyes were wide with surprise, shock, disbelief, and embarrassment. "Oh my... God, I am so very sorry!" Itona apologized and stepped back. Heat spread through his cheeks like wildfire and Itona found himself speechless. "I really didn't mean... I am so sorry. God, am I sorry. I-I..."

Manami felt her lips twitch at Itona being so...flustered. He reminded her of herself most of the time. The bespectacled girl found herself trying to fight down a smile as Itona continued to apologize.

"I-I would never on purpose... To y-you, I-I... Least, misunders—"

"I...believe you." Manami spoke softly. Itona felt relief flood through him at the very words but still couldn't help but feel embarrassed. The raven haired chemist smiled a bit. "I-I'm also sorry. For... For snapping at you." Itona, not daring enough to lean in, tried to fix his ears on the girl's words. She was speaking softly but this time, he could see the sincerity in her violet irises. "I-I'm too shy and i-introvert. Dealing with people is h-hard. But..."

Ever so shyly, Manami held out her hand. "P-Please by my friend." Itona hesitantly shook her hand. Her hand was smaller than his even though she was taller but very soft too. This made the blush on Itona's face deepen a little bit more. Manami quickly pulled her hand back and started to go through her bag. "I-I, um, have something for you!" She exclaimed a little too loudly.

Itona was suddenly presented with a piece of paper. It was neat and folded in half. He could faintly see an outline of a bold word on the sheet. Curious, he took it.

"What is it?" Itona asked as he began to open it. Manami stopped him by placing her hand on top of his.

"A-An idea." She whispered. "I-I, um... Thought that... Even if we d-didn't really agree to an element in class. I was hoping maybe... Y-You'd agree to this?" Manami suddenly blushed. "I-I guess I should have talked to you first. We are in this...to-together." She added timidly, her hands falling to her sides.

"Ah, no. It's...okay." Itona replied. "I'm sure it will be good." Without another second to spare, Itona opened the paper. His eyes scanned the sheet before it landed on the black ink. It was one word. One simple word centered perfectly on the paper.

Itona smiled.

FRIENDSHIP

Manami watched eagerly for Itona's reaction. Is it okay? Did I do too much? What if he doesn't like it? The sound of boyish laughter soon filled her ears. He's laughing? Why? "I-Is it that bad?!" Asked Manami with worry as she began to take the paper. "S-Sorry! When I heard what Koro-sensei said to y-you as we got back... Thinking about it... I'm really s-sorry."

"No, no!" Itona interrupted and grabbed the paper back. "It's okay."

"Then why are you laughing?" She sulked.

"I was thinking the same thing." He replied. A cute sound was released from Manami's lips as she tilted her head. "I... Also want to be friends with you." Itona admitted. He watched with amusement at how Manami's eyes brightened.

"Really?!" She asked eagerly. Itona nodded his head and Manami clasped her hands together happily. "This is! This is so...great!" She cheered.

"Y-Yea—" Itona started to say but was stopped short as he felt arms wrap around him.

"Thank you! Horibe-kun!" Manami cried happily. Itona blushed at the sudden hug and flustered, tried pushing the girl away.

"Wh-what're you?!" He stuttered. The blush which had fade away moments ago came back with a vengeance. Manami just seemed to squeeze Itona even tighter. He noted at this very moment, Manami was fairly strong. Far stronger than she looked. Clearly, her size didn't justify the grip she currently had on him. "S-Stop!" Cried the younger boy, pushing (to no avail) her away.

On her own time, Manami finally let go and smiled down to her new friend. "I'm sorry for surprising you. You just made me so happy!" Itona nearly whimpered at the sight of the chemist's smile. It was so bright, Itona found it nearly blinding. And her words...

People thought he was more blunt.

Mentally shaking his head, Itona laughed nervously. "A-Ah, y-yeah." Scratching the back of his head, Itona cleared his throat. "S-So... Ah, since w-we're friends... Umm, c-can I walk... You home?" He asked nervously. Manami giggled and nodded her head.

"Mm!" She agreed enthusiastically. Quickly, she walked past him and made way to the shoe lockers. Itona stood there, dumbfounded.

What the hell just happened? He wondered. Shaking those thoughts, he closed the classroom door and ran up to Manami. "W-Wait!"

:::::::

Walking home together gave Itona and Manami the time to talk more about their element for the class project due in a week's time. Even though they finally decided on something, the two were trying to make up for lost class time on how to go about this.

"Testing the element of friendship isn't as easy as I thought." Manami confessed after a while. Her feet started dragging behind her. "Especially since we have nothing to go by or have anything to test our element with." She sighed. Itona hmm'd and put a hand to his chin, thinking.

"Testing..." Itona furrowed his brows. He looked to his left and watched the girl beside him frown a bit. She was thinking really hard about this. Itona could relate to her thoughts. If they were as similar as many believed, then she was thinking how hard it was to test something that had no numbers. No numerical data or facts to by on. No numbers? He thought suddenly."Th-Then... H-How about we test on...ourselves?" Itona suggested.

Manami looked to him with bright eyes. A smile grew on her lips as her teeth showed for the first time (that he's seen at least). "That's... A great idea!" She encouraged with a nod. "I think... We can do that." Manami stopped short as she looked up. "Ah, I live here." She stated.

Itona looked up and saw that Manami lived in a very modest looking apartment. In fact... It was a little more than modest. It was actually quite large. Manami lived in what looked like a skyscraper and Itona noticed right away that she lived in the heart of the city.

Is she...rich? He wondered absentmindedly. "Whoa..." He whispered. Manami gave a nervous laugh.

"My brother gets paid good money since he's a scientist." Was all she said. Itona looked to her and saw that she was twirling her fingers. He raised a brow.

She must do that when she's nervous. Itona remembered in the beginning how she was always so fidgety. He decided to talk to her about it later. "I see." He said. "Then... I'll go home. I don't live too far from here."

"Really?" Manami questioned. Itona nodded his head as a reply. "Then... That's good."

"Mm." With a small wave, Itona began his way home.

"Wait!"

Itona didn't get very far as Manami called after him. He turned around and gave a questioning glance. Manami's stance was tense and a little...cute in a way. Her hands were in fists in front of her skirt and a blush painted across her cheeks. Looking closer, Itona saw that she was trembling a little.

Why? What'd I do this time? He thought as he waited for Manami to speak.

"N-Name..." She muttered.

"What?" Itona called out. Manami sucked in a breath.

"N-NAME!" She shouted. Itona stepped back in surprise. "W-We're friends now! So!" She gulped and quickly shut her eyes. "CALL ME MANAMI!" She yelled.

Itona could have face palmed. Instead, once again, he felt a rush of heat gather in his cheeks. Itona slightly feared that his blush reached the tip of his ears and the base of his neck. All he could manage was a splutter of the word, "Wh-what!?"

"CALL ME MANAMI!" The chemist yelled again. "We're friends! Call me MANAMI! I-ITONA-KUN!" Manami's voice pitched at the end. Itona, rooted in his spot, was shocked.

Oh my gosh. He thought with embarrassment. The people along the sidelines shot the two small students teasing smiles and some even laughed. Itona did his best to ignore it as he tried processing what Manami had done.

Manami.

Itona found that her name suited her fairly well and... It's my first time calling a girl by her name. Blushing, Itona could only nod his head once before dashing off. "BYE MANAMI!" He shouted without looking back. It was all the girl needed as she smiled after the boy. Her mood was light and she was fairly content with how today had turned out for her. Giggling, she made her way into the apartment building.

"See you tomorrow, Itona-kun." She whispered to herself.

"Nurufufufu~! That's what I like to see!" A yellow octopus grinned mischievously from a top a random building. He quickly wrote down in a yellow handbook labeled, Student Relationships.

And like the wind, he was gone.

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(A/N: I'm just kidding. That last bit with Koro-sensei is not really in the story. ...it actually can be if you want it to, I just found it cute. It's up to you. Whew, long chapter. It was kind of hard to write but I liked the ending. Hope you liked it!

Also, can someone please explain to me what an uke kisser is? Ah, it's for possible plot development. Please and thank you!)