Chapter 4

The next two days passed quickly. Takumi didn't test him Tuesday, spending the day watching him instead, but Wednesday brought another prank and a strike on Takumi's record. Saguru could feel Takumi's eyes on him, challenging him to do his worst, but that was part of the problem. No one knew what they could and could not get away with yet, and until they did, there would be students like Takumi testing Saguru's limits. Teaching in Japan was very different than England, but it brought back nostalgia along with a healthy helping of sympathy for his teachers. There was all the more reason to appreciate the attentive students when students fell asleep, passed notes, or blatantly read manga, used to this being mostly ignored. Saguru planned to introduce the manga readers to English comic strips. That way if they read in his class at least it would be something English related.

Troublemakers aside, things were settling into a pattern the way things always did. Saguru always felt better with a routine. His currently routine wasn't the healthiest of patterns at the moment. He woke up, had tea and breakfast, went to work, came home, sat in a daze, made dinner, and went to bed, but it was a pattern nevertheless. Kuroba's presence was welcome as a variable in the pattern. He could see the year stretching ahead in a set formula, and it might not be where he thought he'd be a year ago, but it would be a stable formula. That was what Saguru needed most at the moment.

Saguru heard sirens that night as he sat up, grading his first homework papers. They went on for half an hour, passing in one direction and then another. Saguru was sure KID was leading the task force on a merry chase. Ten minutes after midnight as Saguru laid in his futon, he heard Kuroba return. He only noticed because he was listening for it, the light click of a door opening, a few seconds of water running on the other side of the wall. There was a series of faint popping noises Saguru classified as the glider being packed away. The tiny, quiet sounds next door continued for another ten minutes and then all was still. Saguru wondered if Kuroba still had a partner. He had had one during high school, but now? Saguru could only hope Kuroba had someone watching his back that he could trust not to put a bullet in it.

*o*o*

Homeroom had been suspiciously quiet. In the past two weeks, Saguru had found that homeroom tended to be a bit chaotic. After morning tasks were over, students tended to chat and, inevitably, Saguru would find Takumi studying him across the room whenever classmates weren't occupying his attention. The most intent scrutiny would eventually lead to a prank, something small, like the chalk going missing from the blackboard or pens replaced with odd colors some time during his English class. Twice Saguru had caught Takumi pulling something more elaborate, intercepting a glitter bomb before it made its way into his desk and easily tracing back the hoard plastic spiders that fell from a propped ceiling tile to their source. Takumi didn't seem to be trying hard to hide his efforts, and his classmates seemed torn between humor and confusion.

It was enough to guess that this wasn't usual behavior.

Which meant Takumi definitely didn't like Saguru or was trying to prove something, and it wasn't clear what that was yet.

But today had been quiet and Saguru was on edge because of it. Takumi had focused on his desk instead of staring him down, and the break of pattern was enough to have Saguru braced. Saguru's back was to the class, diagramming a sentence with notations in Japanese. He reached the end of the line, the itch between his shoulder blades leaning toward paranoia, and turned in time to see the room fill with a puff of smoke. A light weight settled around him, barely noticeable except that his senses were on overtime. When the smoke cleared, Takumi wasn't even bothering to pretend that someone else did it. He met Saguru's eyes and smirked. It was such a Kuroba expression that Saguru wanted to laugh. Unfortunately that would be both inappropriate and counterproductive at the moment.

The classroom was so quiet he could have heard a mouse run across the floor. Then one girl toward the back of the room started giggling, trying and failing to stifle the sound as she slumped down in her desk.

Saguru sighed and pulled out the hand mirror he had in his pocket just in case he needed it for moments like this. There was a thin, rather tastefully done layer of makeup on Saguru's face and a chin-length wig on his head which explained why his head felt heavier and his cheek itched. For the life of him, Saguru couldn't figure out how Takumi—who sat in the middle of the room—had managed to put a wig and makeup on Saguru in ten-odd seconds it took for the smoke to disperse without Saguru feeling him do it. Surely he should have felt the lipstick at the very least? Then again, Saguru had never figured out how Kuroba managed to dye his hair green on multiple occasions and (a memory that still had Saguru feeling embarrassed) dressed him in women's lingerie during a Kid heist. So it was an impressive prank, and were it to someone else at another time, Saguru would have appreciated it for the skill it held.

Instead, Saguru snapped the mirror shut and pulled a wet wipe from his briefcase to clean the makeup off. He took the wig off, a bit amused at how it had brought out his resemblance to Mum, and made a notation in what he'd heard at least one student call the 'black book.' That taken care of, he let his gaze travel across the classroom, one eyebrow pointedly raised. Their giggling trailed off uncertainly. Obviously they expected an explosion. He wasn't giving them one. "Kuroba-kun, please see me at the end of the school day."

"Sports tryouts are today, sensei," Takumi said, shoulders rigid.

Well he should have thought about that before choosing today to pull that prank, Saguru thought. Outward, he smiled thinly. "Then please come see me during your lunch break."

He turned back to the blackboard and continued on with the lesson like nothing had happened. The class was quiet for the rest of the lesson. Takumi spent the whole time slouched at his desk with a scowl breaking through the edges of an imperfect impassive face. If it was Kuroba, Saguru would be worried that an escalation of pranks was coming at any moment, but Saguru hoped there was more of Aoko's temperament in Takumi than Kuroba in this regard. Aoko had disrupted class in high school too, but it had always been in an attempt to control Kuroba and follow rules.

*o*o*

The rest of the morning passed without incident. It was quiet enough that Saguru had to wonder if rumors were flying already. When he reached the teacher's room for lunch, Takata was already at her desk, flipping papers idly.

"So, rumor has it you stone-walled your way through a prank and kids are throwing rumors that you wouldn't react if a bomb went off."

"Is that what they're saying?" Saguru sat heavily at his desk, rubbing at his bad knee. It was doing better than last week, but a persistent, dull ache wasn't much better than the sharp and sudden pains that over-stressing it brought about.

"Did a student really get a wig on you?"

"And a face of makeup."

"Damn." Takata looked impressed. "I'm glad he's in your class not mine."

Saguru snorted. "I doubt he'd give you problems; I seem to be the only person he takes issue with."

"Well that sucks."

At the door, Saguru could see Takumi debating whether or not to walk over. "Speaking of said student, I need to have a talk."

Takata followed his eyes. "Good luck." There was an aborted motion that probably would have been a supportive pat on the shoulder, but it was reigned in almost immediately. If they were more familiar, he doubted she'd have thought twice, but after years of teaching and living in Japan, she was probably more hesitant about casual contact. The thought was appreciated though.

Saguru made himself comfortable and waved Takumi over. Takumi crossed the space between them with his head held high and his shoulder braced for whatever might come.

"Well?" he said once he was next to Saguru's desk. "I have three marks now. What's the penalty?"

Saguru waited a moment before answering. Takumi had relaxed into a casual slouch beside Saguru's desk, but he was no expert in hiding body language; his shoulders were curled forward a bit and his hands in his pockets to still any instinctive fidgeting. He had a faint bruise on his chin that was only noticeable this close, probably from lacrosse, and his jaw was too tight to be anything but nervous and defensive. He was probably ready to be indignant no matter what the punishment was. Saguru laced his fingers together in his lap and sat back.

"For one, I plan to speak with both of your parents. While it is your responsibility to control your actions in school, I prefer to speak with family as well as my student when an issue arises."

Takumi snorted. "Good luck getting them in the same room long enough to listen."

"I can speak to them separately just as easily."

"That's it?" His shoulders relaxed minutely.

Saguru narrowed his eyes. "No." He pulled a printout from the meager pile of papers on his desk. "If you can translate this by the end of the week and answer the questions on the back, your count will return to zero and you'll gain an extra credit point."

"And if I don't do the sheet?" Takumi asked.

"You lose a point from your grades and have a detention after school. In addition, your count remains the same—meaning we'll be having a lot more discussions with any future class disruptions." At Takumi's disgruntled expression, Saguru added, "I will also be less likely to consider your convenience in scheduling future talks." It wasn't a perfect system and Saguru knew it could be exploited. It was more to make his students think before they kept acting out. With an added bonus of small rewards for cooperating. If they didn't, well, Saguru's translation projects only got harder as the checks increased.

He held out the worksheet. Takumi took it with a scowl. "I'll be calling your mother tonight, and I can meet with your father at his convenience. Do you want to be present for either discussion?"

Takumi looked at him like he grew a second head, all silent defiance gone in a moment of teenage horror. "No. I'd have to put up with Kaa-san's eye rolls and Tou-san's thumbs up whenever you look away. Tou-san likes when I play pranks." Takumi went red and clamped his mouth shut like he hadn't meant to say any of that.

Saguru raised an eyebrow, laughing inside even as he kept as straight a face as he could. That sounded like Kuroba all right. "Unless your mother has changed a lot over the last sixteen years, I can't imagine she'd be near as...supportive as Kuroba."

Takumi frowned and after a moment Saguru realized he must have been puzzling over the lack of honorific and whether it signified intimacy or a lack of respect.

Saguru cleared his throat. "That's due Friday at the start of homeroom." Saguru waved a hand at the paper getting wrinkled in Takumi's grip. "Before you leave, may I ask why you decided to pull these pranks in my class?" They weren't for attention, though Saguru supposed that could be at least part of the motivation. The fact that it was only Saguru getting pranked meant it was something personal, a challenge perhaps, but he wanted to hear Takumi's motives in his own words.

Takumi looked at Saguru and for a moment there was a glimpse of emotion in his expression, something like desperation and anger and hurt before it was locked away and Takumi's eyes flickered between Saguru's light-colored hair and bad leg.

"You're different and I don't really like you," he said, but the words didn't hold any of the emotion hidden under his bland expression. They rang hollow, false. Gut instinct said it was a lie, but Saguru didn't call him on it. "Can I go eat lunch now, Hakuba-sensei?" Takumi asked, for all the world looking like nothing more than a petulant teenager with nothing more complicated than irritation at authority going on.

Saguru sighed. "You may go."

Takumi left with only the barest sketch of a bow, walking away like he was afraid Saguru might try to pry his secrets from him.

"Wow," Takata said once he was gone. "I hope he isn't like that for me next year."

Saguru hummed, noncommittal. She wasn't likely to have any problems with Takumi at all. Whatever this was, it was personal, and until he figured out what to do about it, he would have to see where events would unfold.

*o*o*

"So," Kuroba said from Saguru's chair when Saguru arrived home. "I hear Takumi got in trouble at school?"

Saguru blinked at him, one hand still on the light switch. He sighed, continued the motion of stepping into the room and dumped his briefcase on the counter. "It is nice to see you're still consistent in your breaking and entering, Kuroba," he said, going and filling the kettle with water and preparing things for tea.

Kuroba pouted, looking remarkably similar to when Takumi interacted with a friend that afternoon. "You didn't even jump."

"I'm more than used to your antics," Saguru replied with a small smile. Or at least he used to be and some part of his brain still expected the unexpected with Kuroba. "Well. At any rate, this saves me the trouble of asking to meet with you." Kuroba looked comfortable and immovable in Saguru's chair. "You're not giving up the chair are you?"

"Nope," Kuroba said. There was the tiniest bit of sadism in his cheerful smile. Saguru sighed and went to the bathroom for painkillers to go with the tea. Because he needed them after so long on his feet without any sign of resting his bad leg in the near future. If he tried to sit on the floor, Saguru was sure he wouldn't be able to stand back up because his knee would lock up. Kuroba watched the process and didn't budge an inch from where he lounged in the chair. Saguru really needed to invest in another chair.

"So," Saguru said once the tea was prepared and steaming from two Sherlock Holmes-themed novelty mugs students had given him some five or six years ago. "How did you find out? I haven't called Aoko yet, and Takumi-kun isn't likely to tell you without prompting."

"I keep track of the school gossip network. And I might be friends with some of the other faculty due to happy coincidence of being in a hostage situation with them at one point or another."

"As yourself or someone else?" Saguru asked to cover for his discomfort at the thought of anyone holding Kuroba hostage. Actually, no, he pitied anyone who tried. They probably regretted it quickly.

"Myself thankfully, so it's not strange to keep in contact with them as Kuroba Kaito." Kuroba rested his chin on his hands, his cup of tea set aside for the moment. "But that's not what we're here to talk about."

"No, it isn't." Saguru let the mug warm his fingers, wishing the warmth would sink into his bones so that maybe they wouldn't ache. He leaned against the counter awkwardly, balancing the curve of his spine against it so that most of his weight was on his good leg.

"What did Takumi do?"

"If your rumor network was any good, I would think you would already know."

"Oh I do. I just want to hear your impressions of it."

Saguru scowled at him. Kuroba looked entirely unrepentant. "Takumi-kun performed a series of pranks against my person that disrupted the learning environment, presumably with intent to humiliate me publicly. I do not believe that was the original intent of the first prank. That was more of an initiation to test my reaction, but subsequent pranks were aimed at me in a personal manner."

Kuroba nodded. "And?"

"And today he magicked makeup on me and waited for a reaction. He's trying to test something, and I think he dislikes me for reasons beyond me being his English teacher and… being 'different.'"

Kuroba sat up straighter, looking serious for the first time. "He said he pranked you because you're different?"

"Yes." Saguru took a sip of tea, letting the sharp taste roll along his tongue and down his throat. Good thing, tea. It was a constant no matter the rest of Saguru's life being turned on end. "I do not think you need to worry about him becoming a bully," Saguru said, following the troubled expression on Kuroba's face to a line of thought that would be its cause. "It might be the reason he gave, but I doubt it was the actual reason. Now other students I can believe it from, but it doesn't ring true with what I've observed of him in other situations. He gets along with just about everyone else so far as I've seen. Including the eclectic group in the literature club and its leader."

"You met Shiemi, then?"

"I'm the literature club advisor."

"Oh." Kuroba tilted his head. "Well that'll be interesting. Shiemi's a force of her own. Takumi's been friends with her since they were born more or less. She was a pretty quiet kid. Don't know what changed, but she's...definitely not quiet now."

Saguru chuckled into his teacup. There was a story in Kuroba's expression, but he wasn't going to dig now. "I gave Takumi-kun two passes where he did not get any punishment, and the third lead to parental discussions and extra homework. I think I've been more than fair in the situation."

"Three strikes you're out, huh?" Kuroba sighed. "He doesn't usually act out. I can count the number of times we've gotten complaints on one hand for him disrupting class with magic. I was getting calls every other day and the only reason I didn't get kicked out was because Kaa-san had connections."

"Could you perhaps talk with him about it?" Saguru asked. "Perhaps you could find out what is bothering him."

"He probably won't talk with me." Kuroba shrugged. "He thinks I don't take anything seriously."

"That is likely your own fault, Kuroba."

"It is." Kuroba shrugged again. "It keeps him from looking too closely, and sometimes it's better that way than him finding out all the secrets Aoko and I have buried between us."

"Takumi-kun is your son, I am not going to judge you for how you raised him."

"Sure you're not." Kuroba stretched and hopped out of the chair. "All yours. Sorry for the inquisition. Had to make sure you weren't projecting me on Takumi."

"When have I ever judged someone for their parents' behavior?" Saguru asked mildly. He moved to the chair and sat. Blissful relief.

"You haven't had a history with anyone quite the same way you had a history with me so far as I know."

"Point." Saguru finished off his tea. "By the way, you're back early."

"I took off early to talk to you. I have plenty of time off saved up. I can get away with going home early every once in a while." Kuroba stretched and yawned. "You'd better call Aoko soon. She can tell when Takumi is in trouble and will get his whole story from him by the end of the night."

"I was planning on it after dinner." Saguru glanced at the clock. Six thirty-four. Another late meal then.

"Well, I won't keep you any longer. I have to make my own dinner." Kuroba waved and sauntered toward the door. His empty mug was left near the dish drainer. "Oh," he said from the doorway. "I got your groceries. You should really go shopping once a week rather than letting the list get that long. You can't get all that in one trip with that leg."

He took a step out, then popped his head around the corner. "One more thing; that prank. How did it rate?"

Saguru blinked at him. "...A four using you as a measure."

Kuroba grinned. "I knew he was working on something new. He inherited the talent. Later, Hakuba!"

The door clicked shut behind him. Saguru stared after him before levering himself up and opening his refrigerator. Sure enough there were fresh vegetables, strawberries, and takeout ramen with a note on top with a Kid caricature grinning up at him. It was a bit surreal and reminded him of high school when he had gone home after a heist and found cold medicine on his desk with orders to take two pills before going to bed to keep the case of sniffles he had had that day from becoming a full blown cold. The cupboards were similarly stocked. Saguru returned to the note in the fridge and found that it was a list of prices and an explanation that Kuroba had borrowed his bank card to pay for the cost. Delivery was "free of charge." Saguru wasn't sure how to feel about Kuroba getting ahold of his bank card.

Saguru reheated the takeout and ate it feeling safe that Kuroba hadn't dosed it with anything this time at least. He wouldn't have bought Saguru groceries just to drug takeout ramen. He would have to ask Kuroba where the ramen came from. It was better than most places he had tried and, if the price next to it was any indication, it was much more affordable than his first choice for ramen in the past—a place that might not even exist anymore.

*o*o*

After washing the takeout bowl (it could always be used to store leftovers) Saguru called Aoko. It took a bit of searching to find her number. When Saguru was assigned his homeroom class, he was given their phone numbers, but he hadn't memorized them, and the paper was stuck to another one with rice. He couldn't fathom how rice had gotten on the paper as he ate neatly and did not leave his work papers lying around, but by the time he finally found it and dialed Aoko's number, the only thing Saguru wanted to do was sleep. And really, really not think about how he hadn't even pretended to get angry at Kuroba for breaking into his house and buying food with Saguru's money. Not. Going. To think about it.

The phone picked up on the other end after the third ring. "Moshi moshi, Kuroba residence, Takumi speaking."

"Good evening, Kuroba-kun, is your mother available? It's Hakuba."

"Oh." The other end of the line went silent and for a second Saguru thought Takumi had hung up, but then there was a sigh. "Just a minute."

Saguru yanked his ear away from the phone as it shrieked, coming in contact with some surface as it was set down. There were echoey footsteps and then voices, just far enough away from the receiver that only the inflection could be heard.

"Hello? Hakuba-san?" Aoko said on the other end of the phone. She sounded tired. It might have something to do with the Kid notice that had appeared in the paper this morning. Her task force would be running around deciphering the note and preparing security the best they could.

"A—" He stopped. He had no idea how to address her. Kuroba-san? Nakamori-san because that was how he knew her in school? Aoko—especially without an honorific—was too familiar and disrespectful even if it was how he thought of her in his mind. "Hello."

"It's been a long time," she said, taking the problem of words out of his hands. "You're Takumi's English teacher aren't you?"

"Yes. It seemed…best to leave England for the time being. I had a teaching license."

"Ah."

It wasn't like with Kuroba. Maybe he had never really gotten to know Aoko. Back then he had found her cute and mostly overlooked her. She was a factor in understanding Kuroba so he had gotten to know her only so far as he needed to learn more about Kuroba. Saguru regretted it a bit now. He never saw what Kuroba did in her, and he doubted he would get the second chance to get to know her.

He cleared his throat. "I'm calling because there have been a few incidents in class with Takumi-kun. Of, ah, our high school days variety."

Silence from the other end.

"Na—Ku—damn it, how should I address you?"

Aoko made a noise, one that sounded alarming over the phone without an expression to reference against.

"Are you all right?"

The noise became recognizable snickering. Saguru frowned at the wall trying to figure out what on earth was going through her brain.

"And all—this time," Aoko said between giggles, "I thought Takumi took more after Kaito except for his disciplinary record. I guess not."

"Ah."

Aoko's giggles trailed off with a not so happy sigh. "Call me Aoko-san. I'm sure it's a lot easier than trying to think of me as a Kuroba." She sighed again. "So Takumi was doing magic tricks in class. Do I want to ask how bad?"

"A four on Kuroba's scale of mayhem," Saguru said, trying to keep his voice light. "They were directed at me, however, which both disrupted the class and undermined my position of authority. I expected to have students test me, but Takumi-kun's methods tend to attract more attention than most students who act out."

"I see. I'll have a talk with him. He knows what I think of him getting his father's record. I can't promise that it won't happen again."

"I don't expect you to promise that." Saguru felt a smile on his lips, genuine and nostalgic. "I think living through Kuroba in high school prepared me for anything."

"You'd be surprised. Takumi has caught Kaito off guard before." She sounded sad again, though with the same nostalgic tone Saguru had. "Was there property damage or…?"

"No, nothing like that. Mostly flash and dazzle. No injuries or destruction, and no hurt feelings." So long as no one was counting mild embarrassment as hurt feelings.

"I'm glad." Silence hung heavy through still air. Static crackled faintly. Saguru listened to Aoko breathe, slow and steady. She cleared her throat. "Um, Hakuba-san…I'm sorry I never believed you in high school."

Saguru clenched his phone tight enough that the plastic creaked against his ear. "I'm sorry," he said.

"Why are you apologizing?" She laughed, and it almost sounded like it rang true. If he didn't hear the slight catch in her inhale, he would have believed it. "You knew. Before anyone else figured it out you knew and I suspected, but I pushed that suspicion aside. It was Kaito. How could I have trusted your word over his?"

Something in her voice made Saguru want to hug her. To hold her and tell her that it would be okay, not in a romantic way, but because she sounded like a woman who had had the rug pulled out from under her. He had met people who sounded like that on murder scenes with their loved one the victim. But he couldn't give her a hug, and even if he had been by her side, he doubted she would have accepted. Aoko was stubborn and had her pride. He couldn't deny her that. Instead he said, "You loved him."

"I still do," she whispered. "I just hate him more."

"I'm sorry," he repeated.

"Don't." Aoko sighed. "You aren't going to arrest him are you?"

"I'm just an English teacher," he said gently. "I haven't been a fully licensed detective in almost fourteen years."

"He's mine," Aoko said, strangely calm now. "If he gets caught. If he gets shot by anyone. It's going to be by me. Okay?"

"Yes." He had long given up any claim in chasing Kid.

"Good. It's good to hear from you Hakuba-san. I hope we can talk again sometime. Keep an eye on Kaito. Just in case."

Saguru felt a bit cold. 'If he gets shot…' "I'll do that. Have a good evening, Aoko-san."

The phone line clicked off on the other end. His cell phone beeped at him. He hung up. The phone slid through his fingers and thudded against the tatami. Saguru ran a hand through his hair. There was a spill on the table in a crescent shape from his earlier bowl of ramen. Next door was the murmur of a television, kept thoughtfully low in Kuroba's apartment, and more cheery pop music coming from the other neighbor. Saguru ran a finger through the spill. Now it looked like a circle; a full moon that Kid favored. He smeared the circle across the table with his palm. Now it was just a wet streak, no meaning at all. Saguru leaned from his chair to pick up his phone.

Nearing nine. He had homework to grade. He would do it tomorrow morning as he sipped his tea and tried not to think about the tin of coffee in his cupboard he never drank but had bought from habit. He'd try not to think about the person he had been as a teenager and compare him to the person he was now. He would try not to remember how stubbornly Aoko had defended Kuroba or how desperately Kuroba tried to keep his identity hidden…or how eagerly he, Saguru, had crowed that identity to the world. Saguru pulled out his futon, brushed his teeth, and went to bed. There was always morning.

OMAKE

Momoi wasn't quite what Saguru was expecting. For one, she was tall—she almost met Saguru's eyes, and he was taller than most people in Japan. For another, she wore her hair in braids—which for most people it made them look younger—that were short and fat and somehow reminded him of ram's horns from the way they poked forward. They framed her thin face right at the level of her cheekbones and seemed to aide her frown directed toward the books Saguru had brought in case the literature club needed any ideas. The other members were closer to what he had expected, more introverted than their peers, but the type that would open up around friends. There were two more women than men, also not a surprise, but Momoi Shiemi projected confidence and control Saguru didn't see often with teenagers.

"So you're Yumi-sensei's replacement, huh?" Momoi said, eyes narrowed behind wire-rim glasses.

"Hakuba Saguru, yes. I'm—"

"I know who you are. There are rumors across the whole school about you." She smiled, thin and challenging. "Most are crap, but from the reputable sources I see they got it right about you once being a detective. You sized us up when we got here. You notice details." She shook her head and her braids tapped against her cheeks. "You have terrible taste in books though. You're not going to get anyone interested in Faustus here. Well, maybe Kenta, but he plans on studying foreign literature."

"Your group read Shakespeare," Saguru said, bemused. "Marlowe is his contemporary. It isn't that much more difficult to read, though I will admit that this particular translation is a bit antiquated in its word choice."

"But Shakespeare is Shakespeare." She shook her head. "I give you points with The Hound of the Baskervilles though. That is a good book even if Conan Doyle can't seem to keep his canon straight."

Saguru bristled. "I beg your pardon? Sir Conan Doyle wrote one of the most iconic characters in detective literature."

"Doesn't change that Watson had a traveling wound." Momoi stared him down. Saguru scowled back. The other club members shifted nervously, but made no effort to intervene. Saguru swore one of them, the girl toward the back was rolling her eyes.

The door rattled, and someone entered saying, "Sorry I'm late I had—oh."

Saguru broke his staring contest. It was Takumi at the door. They blinked at each other. Momoi grinned.

"About time. Takumi, help me get Sensei to understand that Doyle sucked at keeping details straight." She slung an arm around Takumi's neck, using his shoulder as a prop.

Takumi groaned. "Are you serious? Argue it yourself."

"Where would be the fun in that?"

Saguru twitched. He…he wasn't sure if he wanted to be the advisor of the literature club anymore. A Kuroba and Momoi—who looked like she was getting ready to rope the whole club into attacking Saguru's favorite author's writing—were going to make his life…interesting. And worse, they seemed to be close. God, if they were like Aoko and Kuroba in high school, Saguru was giving the club to someone else, responsibility, pride, and faculty opinions be damned. He cleared his throat. "Well. My apparently poor taste in literature aside," he speared Momoi with a frown, "please give me a list of new members from the involvement fair, and if you need any help or resources, do not hesitate to ask. Yumi-sensei led a book discussion once a month about an English book, and if you are interested in continuing that, I am willing to lead a discussion as well."

Momoi sized him up. "If you can come up with something that won't put us to sleep, then sure. Go for it. If you suck leading a discussion, we'll just discuss it on our own."

Saguru grit his teeth. Takumi looked at her like this just made his day. She didn't even have a reason to dislike Saguru yet. "Fine. Please keep me to date on what your group is reading. I'll continue Yumi-sensei's list."

"Until she gets back," a short girl with cat stickers on her notebook hiding behind a tall, long-haired boy murmured. "From maternity leave." The others looked at her, some shrugging, some nodding. Momoi looked sad, like she didn't expect her teacher to return. Yumi-sensei might not return, or at least not until after the group had graduated. Saguru could remember teachers that left on maternity leave and then never came back, deciding to stay home to raise their child instead. It was more common in Japan than England, but he had seen it often enough both places to feel a bit sad for the students. Yumi-sensei must have been a good teacher to have so many students that liked her.

Takumi coughed. "Yeah. Until she gets back." He glared at Saguru over Momoi's shoulder. Did he really think Saguru would tell the girl otherwise?

"So!" Momoi said, cutting through the uncomfortable silence. "Everyone brought their lists right?"

Each club member pulled out a slip of paper, some longer than others. Book lists? Saguru supposed they must come with ideas and vote. Momoi grinned.

"Takumi, the cards." Momoi held out a hand. He placed a deck of cards in her hand. She walked over to the club room's table and bridged the cards while shuffling like a pro. Saguru's eyebrows crept up into his hairline. Well. This was going interesting directions. "Sensei," Momoi said through a shark's smile as the club members took seats around the table, their lists in front of them. "How are you at poker?"