By the time Yuka met up with the guys from the swim club lunch was almost finished. The day seemed to be going by really quickly and soon Yuka found herself outside again for her art class. And although the teacher instructed that they could try sketching things that the students could see around them, Yuka preferred to draw from her own imagination.

Yuka held her sketch book away from her at arms length to look over her finished work. At first glance it looked like a detailed sketch of a pretty woman's face, though she was turned to the side with her eyes looking off-page. As you looked closer though you could see that Yuka had sketched flowers and birds into the face and hair of the woman, blending her into the background of flowers and geometric shapes. The last thing you would notice were the light pencilled deer antlers, which on first glance merely looked like part of the woman's hair, and part of the geometric background.

Yuka was proud of her work, but she had been staring at the page for too long and kept finding imperfections with it. So she leaned back on the grass and closed her eyes. She relished that the warmth of the day had died down some since lunchtime, she felt a coolness in the air which she was sure promised a cool evening.

Yuka loved art class because it was so freeing. Whatever you could see or imagine you could try and capture on a page. Yuka often found that what she created looked better on the page than it had in her mind. What was dark and vague in her imagination was intricate and colourful when set in oil or acrylic. She was also allowed to listen to her music when she got on with her work, which readily helped her enjoyment of the subject. Yuka's eyes flew open when a dark shadow blocked her from the sun. She quickly took off her headphones when she saw her teacher standing over her.

"Finished, Miss Otsuka?" she asked with a smile.

Yuka sat up to look more respectful and nodded, "Yes I think so, Sensei."

Her teacher looked at her work and smiled. "Lovely..." Yuka watched as she found the hidden antlers and looked over at the page herself, instantly finding things she disliked or thought she could improve. She'd only spent the hour on it. It was nowhere near finished by Yuka's standards. She'd just gotten bored of focusing on it so much. "If you'd like we could put your sketchbook as a piece in the class exhibition?"

Yuka blinked. "Really?"

"Of course. Only if you were okay with that?" Yuka nodded, grinning. "Good," her teacher returned her grin. "I know you prefer your paintings but personally, I like when you sketch." And with that she turned to leave. "Oh, but don't forget to write up your theory!"

Yuka's sketchbook contained almost everything she'd worked on during the year. A few double pages had a million things worked into them, hours of little intricate figures and linkings worked into them. One of the few works that wasn't included in her sketchbook was the portrait she had done of her mother. It was of her mother's younger self, in her long fur coat and pretty crystal jewellery. She looked very pretty and fancy until you noticed the small holes tattering her coat, and the moth on her sleeve, which at first looks like a butterfly. Her mother also has two small fae-like figures perching on her shoulders. One with a moth over her lips and the other with a flower over her lips. Yuka had wanted to capture her mother's illness and beauty at the same time. She'd painted it in a week using oil on canvas, though the paint took forever to dry. Yuka would have to ask her teacher if she could have her canvas put in the exhibition too. That was the one she wanted her mother to see.

Yuka quickly scribbled a made up theory for her day's work, saying how the geometric symbols were based on the school buildings and how the girl was based on someone she could see in her class, seeing as how that was the day's assignment, and packed her things away. She was looking forward to watching Rei race. She found that watching her friends compete was always exciting. Her cousin used to compete in cycling and she always enjoyed cheering him on.

As soon as Yuka entered the pool area she discarded her backpack and blazer in the spot she had yesterday. Just in case, she thought. Not putting it past Nagisa to try and hug tackle her again.

She had expected to see Haruka ignoring her and swimming in the pool but she saw someone else in his place. This guy had really cool burgundy hair, like Kou's, and he pulled it off extremely well. Not that Kou didn't pull it off... she did. It was just that Kou didn't have amazing muscles and an attractive masculine body. Well... maybe she could? And those muscles belonged to a very attractive face. Which is looking right at you, Yuka! Eek!

Yuka resisted the urge to squeak but flushed instead. "Uh... hi," she said lamely. She propped herself down at the edge of the pool, hoping this guy wanted a friendly chat. Or flirt. But I'm pretty sure I suck at flirting...

"Who are you?" the guy asked brashly.

"Otsuka Yuka. I'm a friend of Rei's and... I met the rest of the guys yesterday, too." She waited for him to introduce himself back but he just floated and bobbed in the water. "Who are you?"

His eyes kept glancing to the gate as he spoke, like he was waiting for the rest to turn up. "Matsuoka Rin."

"Matsuoka!" She grinned, forcing his eyes back to her. "You're Gou-san's brother," she explained.

"I know," he said, as if she was an idiot.

Yuka shook her head, "No, I mean... So you're the one who's racing Rei-kun today, huh?" Rin raised his eyebrow at her, still looking at her as if he thought she were an idiot. Yuka assumed that the movement signalled a "what of it" sort of attitude, when really Rin was acknowledging the honorifics. This girl had already said that she was a friend of Rei's but the shift from formally describing his sister was noticeable. Rin found himself wondering if this girl was more than just a friend to Rei. Then he scowled slightly to himself as he wondered why he cared.

"Do you go to this school, then?" asked Yuka. She was never really one for noticing other people, and it made sense for them to attend the same school, Rin and Gou. Though Yuka felt like she had asked a stupid question again when he scowled.

"No."

Feeling a little disdained by his closed attitude, Yuka decided to stop with the questions. Gou's brother didn't really seem to want to converse with her, and she couldn't really think of anything to stimulate the conversation to be in his interest so she settled with a shrug. The purple-hued boy just watched her as she toed off her shoes, set them aside before plunging her feet into the cool water. Yuka smiled, stretching out her toes under water and enjoying the small refreshment she felt from feeling hot all day.

Yuka was building up the buoyancy to ask Rin how he knew Rei and the others when they entered the pool. "Rin-chan! Yuka-chan!" Nagisa grinned as he bounced over to the two. From the corner of her eye Yuka noticed how Rin edged away from where he'd previously stood, near her, all the while the short blonde flew towards her.