Chapter 3: A Change within Her

Two weeks, three days, and two hours.

Sunako's brain on several occasions felt like it was going to fry from the intensive studying with Sensei.

And yet, all it's been was two weeks, three days, and two hours…and one minute.

Sunako set her pencil down and slammed her head on the table.

Noi and Takenaga looked at her.

"Sunako-chan," Noi asked, "Are you alright?"

"My head hurts…it's going to explode…"

Sensei returned with four bottles of juice in his hands. He set them on the table and resumed his position. "Nakahara-chan, sit up."

"Hai…" Sunako did so.

Noi and Takenaga screamed.

Sensei shook his head and face palmed.

Sunako's eyes were lined and the right one was twitching. Her hair was slightly tangled.

"Nakahara-chan," Sensei said, handing her the juice.

"Thank you, sensei," Sunako said, taking the juice.

He distributed the rest of the juice and took a look at what Sunako had done so far.

"Nakahara-chan," he said. "This isn't even that hard of a mathematical level. Half of them are wrong."

Takenaga shook his head, understanding full well where this conversation was going.

"You'll have to redo them," Sensei said.

Sunako's weary expression became horror.

"NOOOO!!!" She screamed. Before Sensei could stop her, she ran out of the room.

Noi and Takenaga glanced at him fearfully.

Sensei shrugged. "This might be more interesting then I first thought. Oda-kun," he said, looking at Takenaga. "Make sure Nakahara-chan comes back tomorrow to fix her mistakes."

"Yes, Sensei."

He let them go.

After the door closed, Sensei smirked. "This is definitely getting interesting."

His phone rang and he picked it up.

"How's the experiment going?"

"Quite well, Watari," Sensei said.

"At the moment, the best out of the three is Oda-kun, Nakahara-chan is running second, but catching up," Watari told him.

"Indeed, she only got half of the problems wrong this time. It'll be interesting to find what she'll do if she masters basic math."

"You're not going to force that poor girl to work on something beyond her?"

"No, I'm not that harsh," Sensei said. "All I want to do is see what that girl can do in comparison to her friends. I'll be heading home now."

He hung up. Sensei shook his head as he put his things back together, but he smiled. Nakahara Sunako, sixteen years old, brilliant mind, slightly strange, but she is most definitely brilliant.

Venita looked in her mirror.

Her white hair was tied on top of her head in a bun. Her lips were full and moist. Her eyes, midnight blue. Her arched eyebrows were barely visible on her skin. Her nose was pointed, but small. She was tall, lithe, and thin.

She wore a black dress that drew attention to her bosom.

She stroked the gold frame, her nails were perfectly shaped and never blemished. "Mirror, Mirror on the wall," she began. "Who is the fairest of them all?"

The mirror answered. "Though you're curse has deeply held the princess, there is one who is determined to break the spell: a wandering prince lost to his country. Your curse, beautiful Venita, will be broken. My answer is thus: Sunako Nakahara."

Venita snarled. "Show me this prince."

The mirror did so. The image was that of a man with dark, messy hair and bags under his eyes.

"You," Venita hissed. "The Black Knight who defeated Kira?! It is he who dares to break my spell?!" Venita spun on her heel and stalked out of the room. "Well," she growled. "We shall see about that."

Noi walked alongside Sunako. "Are you sure you're alright, Sunako-chan?"

"Depends on what's going on."

"I mean about Sensei? Not the math exercises he makes for you."

Sunako shrugged. "I don't know for sure. I still feel weird when I'm around him, but it's dimmed a bit; probably because I'm around him so much now a day."

Noi pursed her lips. "Either way, I'm a bit worried about you, Sunako-chan."

"Why?"

"Well…it sounds like…to me…that you're in love with our teacher."

Sunako blinked. Then she shrugged. "Better a teacher than a Creature of the Light," Sunako said. "At least I can stand being near Sensei even a little bit unlike with Kyouhei."

"Sunako-chan!" Noi snapped.

"What? It's true."

"But…but this is Sensei we're talking about," Noi said. "He's got to be at least thirty!"

"Does he look thirty to you?"

Noi sighed and shook her head. "No," she admitted. "But he's still a bit old for you."

Sunako shrugged. "Like I said, I'd rather fall for a teacher than a Creature of the Light. And if anything, I'd rather not fall back in love again."

"Oh, Sunako-chan," Noi muttered. "You're no fun. You're obviously in love with Sensei, but you're almost as stubborn as Kyouhei!"

"Not a chance, Noi-chan," Sunako snapped.

Noi muttered under her breath as they walked along. She could tell something was bound to happen—and it worried her.