Naoki stood outside the doorway of Class F and listened in horror. How was anyone supposed to learn anything amid that din? The teacher was lecturing in a monotone, not even looking up from his notes, while the students' antics ranged from nail polish application to the throwing of a rubber ball. The instigator of the whole mess involving Kotoko sat slumped at his desk glumly (as well he should!) while the two other delinquents appeared to be trying to cheer him up with lingerie photograph magazines. One of Kotoko's female friends had her head down on her desk, apparently taking a nap, while the other was redoing her makeup with a small light-up mirror.

He thought of the studious atmosphere in his own classroom, where the only sounds other than the professor were the students taking notes. He had almost decided to retreat and seek out the persons he needed in the staff room instead of interrupting class, but the barely audible drone of the lecture stumbled to a halt when the teacher noticed him at the doorway. A few of the students turned to follow his gaze and their startled gasps made him the cynosure of all eyes.

"I-Irie?" the professor stuttered.

Naoki bowed. "I hope I am not interrupting at a crucial time…?"

"No, no! Please! Enter!"

He noticed that the servility of the teacher had set off a series of murmured conversations among the students, and he proceeded to the podium, ignoring a set of killing glares from Megaphone Man and his cohorts. "I would like to get assignments for Aihara Kotoko, covering the next week," he spoke softly.

"Ah—yes!" The man's eyes grew wide as he recalled the situation of Kotoko's suspension. He thumbed through his binder and muttered to himself. "Chapters 22-24, all the review questions. Do you need me to write this down for you?" He looked up at the student.

"Not necessary. I can remember that," Naoki assured him. "Could you tell me who her other teachers are?"

While the names were listed off, Naoki overheard, "What is that stuck-up genius doing here? Doesn't he feel any responsibility for Kotoko?"

"You shush, Kin-chan! Leave him alone."

"Yeah, you had your chance and blew it, making such a fuss!"

Naoki winced and closed his eyes. He had been afraid of this. Now there was going to be even more useless talk and speculation. Realizing that the teacher had finished speaking, he bowed his gratitude. "Thank you, Sensei." He quickly exited.

It cannot be said that the tutoring sessions went smoothly. Naoki was appalled at Kotoko's lack of background knowledge in most of her subjects.

"How can you have arrived at the last year of high school and not know the two fundamental theorems of calculus?" he inquired in irritation. Said irritation only increased when she replied with a careless shrug. With a sound that would have been a snarl if made by any other being on the planet, Naoki turned to the front of the textbook. "I might as well start at the beginning, then."

Mrs. Irie, so overjoyed that the two were spending time together, did not regret losing Kotoko's training for part of the day. Not that that meant she left them alone—and not that she was trying to keep them from doing something they weren't "supposed to"—but she just couldn't resist witnessing and chronicling the "advancement of their romance," as she put it.

After the third interruption one afternoon (once to snap a quick photograph, second to deliver a tray of fruit and cheese, and third to ask if the temperature was comfortable) Naoki muttered a profanity under his breath. When Kotoko failed to stifle her giggle completely, he glared at her.

Audaciously she grinned and taunted, "Regretting your bargain already, Naoki-kun?"

He sighed. "Even though your education is woefully deficient, the problem is not insurmountable. If Mom would just let us get down to business—!"

Kotoko stretched. "Imagine how I feel while you're gone. It's not as if I can be rude to her, considering that your family has given us a home."

"Be as rude to her as you like. She probably wouldn't even recognize— What the hell is it now?!" he roared as a knock was heard on Kotoko's door.

"Onii-chan?" Yuuki's face appeared in the crack.

Naoki sighed. "Sorry, Otouto. It's just that Mother—come on in!" He waved him over.

Yuuki closed the door and approached warily.

"Hey, Yuuki-kun!" Kotoko greeted him enthusiastically. "How was school today?"

He glanced at her. "It was okay. But I was wondering if Onii-chan could help me with my homework."

"Ha!" Kotoko responded. "Third grade, right? Let me look at it." Wordlessly he handed over the workbook. Naoki covered his smile as he watched Kotoko turn it sideways and upside down while her expression changed from confidence to consternation to bafflement. "They teach this in third grade?!" She gave an over-dramatic sigh, then handed it across the low table. "All yours, Naoki-kun!"

"Have a seat, Yuuki," he ordered. "I can teach two just as easily as I can teach one. Although," he added with a glint in his eye, "that one requires twice the patience as you!" Yuuki smirked at Kotoko and she stuck her tongue out at him. Naoki hit them both over the head with a stack of papers. "Behave!"

The next morning Naoki and Watanabe halted their approach to the school building when they heard, "Irie-kun?"

Naoki turned and recognized Kotoko's two female friends. "Yes?"

There was a brief pause while they elbowed each other, then Satomi asked, "Hey, Kotoko tells us that she's okay, but how is she really doing?"

"Fine," he replied tersely. "Her scrapes are healed over and the more severe injuries are improving." Noticing the expressions of relief on their faces, he managed a small smile. "Are you the ones who brought Kotoko's bags to the nurse's office?" At their nods he added, "Thank you for that. She would have been in more pain if she had to travel back upstairs to retrieve them."

"More embarrassment, you mean," Jinko muttered.

"Embarrassment?" Watanabe interjected. "I don't think Aihara-san had anything to be embarrassed about. After all, she was the one attacked."

"Right," Satomi responded. "But what Jinko meant was that Kotoko—despite our attempts to civilize her—would have been embarrassed that she couldn't take them all out."

Watanabe looked confused. "But Aihara-san did quite a bit of damage. I saw the young ladies when they were called back to the office."

"Yeah," Jinko glared darkly. "But it was five to one and those bimbos only got two days suspension!"

He shot a look at Naoki, whose face had tightened at the comment. "Well," he added quickly, "they were going to be let off scot-free, but Irie here created a small ruckus about the situation."

"Come on, Watanabe," Naoki countered. "When have I ever been associated with a 'ruckus'? I just strongly suggested that the lack of punishment did not appear to be fair."

"In a superior tone that implied a threat of lawsuit," his friend added.

Satomi and Jinko eyed Naoki with admiration. "Huh? You finally used that coldness of yours on the side of good!" Jinko observed.

"Why does everyone see me as cold? Is a calm quiet high school life too much to expect?" Naoki asked rhetorically.

"It is if Kotoko's involved," Satomi answered. "Even if she's not actually here."

Both boys looked at her quizzically, although it was Watanabe who asked, "What do you mean?"

Jinko smacked a fist into her palm. "Those skanks are coming back to school today, while Kotoko is still imprisoned at home."

"Not that we're insulting your house, Irie-kun," Satomi assured him quickly.

Naoki nodded as Jinko continued staunchly, "Our Class F girls are going to show Class B that we stand by our own!"

Watanabe held out a hand. "Let me assure you, as someone who is going into the legal profession, that violence is not the answer."

"But we want justice for Kotoko!" Jinko insisted.

"No," Naoki broke in, one of his rare grins creeping across his face. "This isn't Class F's fight."

"Well then, whose is it?" Jinko demanded.

"Leave it to us. Let Class A put Class B in its proper place."

"Ooh," Satomi looked admiringly from one to the other, "I like that idea."

"What? What idea?" Jinko asked.

Satomi hustled her along. "I'll tell you later." She called back to the boys, "They're usually grouped in the central courtyard right now!" She tugged again on Jinko's arm. "Would you hurry up? I want a good seat!"