A/N: Welcome back to Love Amongst the Strawberries! Hope you enjoy Chapter 3 - Introductions!
Chapter 3 – Introductions
The next day, Jamie was roused from his sleep by Adam, which caused him to swing a punch towards his younger brother, who simply ducked the fist, while Jamie fell out of his bed, crashing to the floor. "Son of a bitch!" the elder brother groaned, as Adam chuckled. "Well, I did promise Yaya you'd be up when she came for you." He explained, before looking to his watch. "You've got an hour till she shows up. Get going." He said, before kicking Jamie towards the bathroom. "Alright, I'm going." Jamie groaned, picking himself up and grabbing some clothes, before entering the bathroom, and locking the door. Smiling, Adam sat down on his bed, deciding to read a book he had stuffed in his bag…
Half an Hour later…
After a half hour had passed, Jamie came out of the bathroom, clad in his casual clothes, before Adam smirked, and placed his book back in his bag. "So, ready?" he asked, before Jamie cracked his neck. "Suppose I am." He replied, before they were caught off guard by the sound of the door being knocked. "The hell?" Jamie asked, before he opened the door, revealing Chikaru on the other side.
"Miss Minamoto. How are you this fine morning?" Adam asked, swinging his legs off his bed, as Jamie let Chikaru enter the room. "I'm well, thank you for asking. And yourselves?" she replied, as Adam grabbed his bag. "Tired, but well. Not used to being up this early." He said, slinging his bag over his shoulder, before he looked at his watch. "Shall we?" he asked, before Chikaru nodded. "Let's." She replied, gesturing out of the door. Going to walk past Jamie, Adam tossed him a key. "Lock the door when you leave, will you?" he asked, before walking out of the room, Chikaru following behind him.
With Adam…
As they walked through out of the Strawberry Dorms, and towards the building for Le Rim, Chikaru looked to her side, and smiled at Adam, who returned the gesture. "So, how you feeling about leaving Jamie on his own, Adam?" she asked, before the boy looked back to the Dorms. "To be honest, I'm…kinda worried. If it was anyone else other than Yaya showing him around, I'd be concerned for their wellbeing." He explained, making Chikaru raise an eyebrow as she held a door open for him. "What's so special about Miss Nanto?" she asked, getting a shrug from Adam. "If I was to wager a bet, I'd say Jamie has a little bit of a crush on her." He said, making Chikaru's eyes widen. "Really?" she asked, before Adam nodded. "I've never seen Jamie act round someone the way he does round Yaya." He said, making Chikaru nod in understanding. "Well, I have to admit, Yaya is a pretty enough girl." She said, getting a shrug from her companion. "Meh. Not my type." He said, before Chikaru raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Go on. What is your type, then, if not Yaya?" she asked, before he chuckled. "Now, that would be telling." He said, making Chikaru giggle. "Well, I hope you'll answer my question someday." She said, getting a smirk from the boy. "Maybe I will." He stated, before gesturing down the corridor. "Shall we?" he asked, as Chikaru stepped in front of him. "Let's. Just follow me." She said, before leading Adam down the corridor…
With Jamie…
"Guy's an absolute…asshole." Jamie grunted, as he pulled on his jacket. "Problem?" Yaya asked, walking up beside him, before Jamie smirked. "Nah. Just my brother being his regular dickish self." He said, drawing a laugh from his companion. "Come on. He can't be that bad." She stated, making Jamie shrug. "I suppose." He said, as the pair reached the door to a classroom. "This is it." Yaya said, getting a nod from her companion. "Let's get this over with." He said, as the girl opened the door...
Later that day...
"Kill. Me. Now." Jamie groaned, as he flopped down onto his bed. "Fun day, bro?" Adam asked from the desk, a textbook open in front of him. "What d'you think?" The older sibling spat back, as Adam shut his book. "Well, I'm willing to guess that the curriculum for Spica is either too hard or too easy for your skill level, and thus, you felt as if the clock had stopped. Did I get that right?" He asked, catching his brother off guard. ""How did...?" Jamie started, before his brother cut him off. "Virtu, brother." He said, before checking his watch. "I dunno about you, but I'm going to lunch." He stated, before leaving the room. "Virtu?" Jamie thought to himself, before his stomach let loose an audible growl. "Fuck it." He said, before pushing himself off the bed, and leaving the room, locking the door behind him.
After reaching the lunch hall, and getting his tray of food, Jamie looked for his brother, eventually seeing him sitting with Chikaru, an empty tray besides him, and a piece of paper in front of him. Walking over, he was surprised to see Adam pass the paper to Chikaru. "Excellent. I'll get it made for you." The girl said, before walking away from the table, flashing a smile to Jamie as she passed him. "What was that all about?" Jamie asked, placing his tray down. "Just something I thought up for the Consultation Room." Adam replied, before he cracked his neck.
"So, the stuff at Spica is busting my balls, what about Le Rim?" Jamie asked, getting a playful sigh from his sibling. "It's a breeze. I swear, the teachers in Vale could learn a thing or two from the teachers I've got." He said cockily, drawing a growl from the boy opposite him. "Lucky bastard." Jamie groaned, as he got started on his lunch. "Well, I hate to do this to you, bro, but I gotta love you and leave you. I've got some work to do on the Charger." Adam said after looking at his watch, prompting a half-hearted thumbs up from Jamie, before grabbing his bag and departing from the room. Sighing as he watched Adam's departure, Jamie returned to his food, but tensed after a few minutes when he felt eyes on him. "Can I help you?" He asked, looking up, only to come face to face with Shion.
"Well, actually, I believe you can help me." the blonde said, sliding into the seat which Adam had occupied previously. "And how's that?" The boy asked, placing down his fork onto the plate. "A few boxes that were delivered to the head sister's office are too heavy for any of the students to carry. Now, I don't mean to assume, but..." Shion started to explain, before Jamie held up a hand. "Let me stop you right there. I'm in." He said, causing Shion to adopt wide eyes. "Seriously?" She asked, before Jamie shrugged. "Nothing better to do." He said, before picking up his tray. After placing it at the collection point, he returned to Shion. "Shall we?" He asked, gesturing out of the room. "Follow me." Shion stated, standing up and leading the boy out of the room. As they disappeared out of the door, a certain black-haired girl in the Spica uniform watched them, smiling, before turning back to her circle of friends.
Back with Adam...
"Ah, there you are, you son of a bitch!" Adam growled, as he pulled out a part from the underside of his car. "That's why you were spitting..." He said, to no one in particular, before sliding out from under the Charger. "Right, I should have another of these in the toolbox..." He thought to himself, as he pulled the toolbox out of the boot of his car, only for the lid to slide open, and all of his tools to fall to the dirt. "Oh, you gotta be shitting me!" He growled, before impulsively kicking the Charger. He regretted it a second later, however, as a throbbing pain shot up his leg. As he nursed his now aching foot, a voice called out, "Did that help?" "Yes." He said through gritted teeth, looking up to see a red-haired girl in the St. Miator uniform standing . "Did that hurt?" She asked, getting a groaned "Yes.", from Adam, whose foot was now in agony. "Well, that's what happens when you kick a car. What else did you expect?" The girl asked, causing Adam to scoff.
"Pardon my French, miss, but don't fucking patronize me, especially when I don't even know your name." He growled, before the girl smiled. "Nagisa Aoi, at your service." She said, before curtseying to him. "Please, the curtsey isn't necessary. Now, is there something I can do for you?" Adam said, before the girl smiled. "Not particularly. I just wanted to say hello, as my roommate told me about you." She explained, causing Adam to raise an eyebrow. "And who might that be...?" He asked, although he had a feeling he knew the answer. "Tamao Suzumi. She was your first consultation." Nagisa said, causing Adam to nod. "So, this is the girl Miss Tamao is in love with. I can see why. She's cute enough. But still, not my type."
"Well, as much as I'd love to keep this conversation going, Miss Aoi, I have some work to do..." Adam started, only to be cut off by a shudder shooting up his spine as he leant down to collect his fallen tools. "You okay?" Nagisa asked, getting a smile from the boy. "Yeah, I'm fine. But I've got a feeling I'm being watched." He said, before he narrowed his eyes at the sight of a silver-haired girl watching him, as she walked with someone that Adam recognized as Miyuki. "Who's the silver-haired chick?" He asked Nagisa, who turned to see who he was talking about.
"Oh, her? That's Shizuma Hanazono. She's the Étoile of Astraea Hill's three schools." Nagisa explained, getting a raised eyebrow from Adam. "Étoile? I haven't brushed up on my French lately, but last I heard, the word 'Étoile' translated to 'star'. So what, she's Astraea's best pupil?" He asked, causing Nagisa to scratch at her cheek, while delivering a nervous chuckle. "Something like that. You see, there's an election to determine the best couple out of the three schools. Shizuma was one of the pair who won the last election." She explained, making Adam nod in understanding. "So, she's part of a pair. I see..." He said, only to frown when he saw the girl adopt a sad look.
"Did I say something wrong?" He asked, causing Nagisa to jump slightly at his tone. "Not exactly. Shizuma did win the election as part of a pair, but her partner...She passed away." She whispered to him, causing the boy to adopt a shocked look, as he saw Shizuma disappear into a forested area. "Shit..." He breathed out, before Nagisa smiled. "Well, I wouldn't feel too bad about it. I didn't learn about it until fairly recently. I also learned that Shizuma's been a fairly different person than she usually is." She stated, causing Adam to look at her again. "How so...?" "Well, I heard that Shizuma was a playful joker before, but after she lost her partner, she became a playgirl. She's known for being a heartbreaker." Nagisa replied, her cheeks adopting a pink hue. Unfortunately, Adam noticed that, and his brain immediately went into overdrive.
"So, if I'm reading this situation right, Tamao's in love with Nagisa, but she's in love with Shizuma. Damn, that's some tough competition." Adam thought to himself, as Nagisa scratched her cheek again. This made Adam smile a Cheshire grin. "Well, I guess I'll need to get into this Étoile's good graces, won't I? She was glaring at me a few minutes ago. Me thinks she might be jealous I'm talking to you." He stated, causing the girl to erupt in a furious blush. "Oh, that? I wouldn't worry about it. She's...kinda singled me out, for some reason." She said, as her face began to glow an even deeper shade of red. "Shit, Shizuma's in love with Nagisa as well. Sorry, Tamao, your prospects are rapidly dwindling." Adam's inner monologue said to him, before he looked at his watch. "Shit!" He called out, when he saw what time it was.
"I hate to do this, Miss Aoi, but I have to leave our conversation here for another time. Feel free to come see me anytime, so we could continue." The young man said in a panic, as he stuffed his toolbox back into the car. Nodding, Nagisa bowed to him. "Of course. I'll see you around, then." She said, before walking off. Slamming his car door shut, Adam grabbed his jacket and took off towards the Consultation Room...
Over in Spica...
"Thanks again, Jamie. You've really been a big help." Shion said to the elder Robertson, as he placed the last box down. During the time he was helping her, Jamie had taken off his shirt, exchanging it for a red vest he wore underneath. "No worries, Shion." He replied, cracking his shoulder. "Needed the workout. What is all this, anyway?" He asked, as Shion opened up one of the boxes. "New textbooks for the coming semester. Here, catch." She explained, tossing one of the objects to Jamie. Catching it, the boy turned it over in his hands.
"Jesus Christ. This is heavy, just by itself!" He explained, drawing a smile out of the girl. "Well, I'd suggest you start reading it. We at Spica pride ourselves on academic achievement. You wouldn't want to let down the school, would you?" She explained, getting a groan from the boy in reply. "Guess not." He stated, looking at his watch. "I'm away to work on my car. Unless there's anything else that requires done?" He asked, smiling when Shion shook her head. "No, that was everything. Thank you again." She stated. Bowing to her, Jamie left the room, nearly bumping into a pair of girls on his way out. "Sorry, ladies." He said, before taking off.
"So, that's Spica's new student? Interesting..." One of the girls said, causing her companion to look at her. "Kaname, my love, what exactly are you planning?" The second girl asked, prompting the first girl to smile at her. "Nothing, my dear Momomi. Nothing at all." Kaname stated, before raising a hand and knocking on the door Jamie had just exited from...
An Hour Later...
In the Consultation Room, Adam was working on a reading assignment in between consultations, when he was jolted to attention by the door being knocked. "It's open!" He called out, closing the book he was reading. To his pleasant surprise, it was Chikaru who opened the door. "This a bad time?" She asked, getting a shake of the head in response, as Adam held up the book. "Just doing some light reading. What can I do for you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow when she pulled a wrapped package from behind her. "Special delivery." She said, passing it to Adam. Unwrapping it, he smiled when he saw a nameplate, branded with the words 'STUDENT CONSULTATION ROOM', as well an empty hollow space on the bottom. "The empty space is for these." Chikaru explained, passing him three pieces of plastic. Examining them, Adam saw that one of them had his name on it, another had Jamie's, and the third had the word 'UNOCCUPIED' written on it in red lettering.
"Thank you, Miss Minamoto. This will be a great help." Adam said, getting a smile from the raven-haired girl. "No problem. And please, call me Chikaru. We're friends, after all." She said. "Sure thing...Miss Chikaru." He said teasingly, causing her to laugh again. "Well played, Adam. Well played." She replied, before the boy smirked. "So, shall we get this on the door?" She continued, gesturing to the nameplate. "Sure. Just need..."Adam started, only to stop when he saw Chikaru hold up some screws and a power drill. "Where were you hiding those?" He asked in surprise, getting a blank stare from her in reply. "You really don't wanna know." She stated bluntly, causing Adam to nod. "Bet you I actually do wanna know, Chikaru", his internal monologue piped up, but he pushed that thought away. "Down, boy." He thought, as he took the drill from Chikaru...
A few minutes later, the plate was firmly secured to the door, and the 'UNOOCUPIED' plate was in the slot at the bottom. "There. That should do it." The boy stated, stepping back from the door. "What'd you think?" He asked Chikaru, who nodded. "It'll work." She said. "Actually, brings to mind a question; I only asked for this a couple of hours ago. How did you work that fast?" He asked, before an evil smile crossed her face. "Now, now, Adam. A lady has to have some secrets." She whispered, putting a finger to her lips. "Fair enough. Now, I'm sure that the nameplate wasn't the only reason that you sought me out. What's up?" He asked, getting a smile from her in response. "Caught me." She stated, throwing her hands up. When she lowered them, she looked him dead in the eye and smiled.
"At Le Rim, I run a number of extracurricular clubs. And I wanted to ask..." She started to explain, but Adam cut her off by holding up a finger. "Say no more. It would be my honour to join your club. Meet me after school tomorrow, and you can show me the way. Agreed?" He said, causing Chikaru to smile, before Adam looked to his watch. "We should get going. Curfew's soon." He said, before taking her hand. "Adieu, fair maiden." He said in a playful tone, pressing his lips to the back of her hand. Afterwards, he locked the Consultation Room & took off, leaving a blushing Chikaru behind. "Baka..." She whispered quietly, before walking off. Little did Chikaru know, the entire exchange had been witnessed by Jamie, who came out from around a corner after Chikaru left.
"Well, how 'bout that? Seems Adam's in love with Minamoto. Something tells me I'm gonna enjoy this..."
A/N: Hope you all liked the chapter! See you all in Chapter 4 - Clubs. Madman out!