"Wait! You're serious?!"

"Of course, I am! Why am I not?"

"Because this is.. Wait! Is this because Ryoji's grades weren't that high and he had to stay a year before he could apply again for a transfer?"

"…"

"Oh it totally is! Why couldn't you just say so?"

"…You're just going to tease me."

"Pshaw. Minato, I'm over teasing you. I'm just waiting the time you will admit that you have a crush at him."

"I. Don't. Have. A. Crush. At. Ryoji!"

"Deny all you want. You know in your heart it is true~"

" Augh!"

"Man, you're so easy to tease~ Anyway, thanks for the heads up, Minato! I'm gonna try and convince the people at Gekkoukan to hold your application 'til next year. You better start convincing that blockhead to study hard in order for him to get the scholarship they had. It wouldn't be the same without him there, right Minato?"

"…Whatever."

*click*

Hamuko shut her phone and placed it back inside her bag. Riling up her brother was the best way to calm her nerves. Even though the train was shaking and its vibrations were affecting its passengers, they stand no chance against the shaking nerves of hers. It would be the first time she would be coming back to the place where she was born and raised for 8 years. Back to the place where Minato and she lived at before their parents' death.

The moment the train came out of the underground tunnel, she felt something went through her, making her shiver more pronounced than ever and a very weird urge to turn around and run. Hamuko steeled herself, reminding herself it was only her nervousness coming through. Soon enough, the train stopped at a station called Iwatodai Station. She checked the train map on the train.

It was the designation for the train in the Shinonome area and it was the only station connected to Port Island Station, the sole station on the man-made island of Tatsumi Port Island. Hamuko looked out of the train and saw the glistening shine of the strait made by the mainland and the man-made island. She checked her phone, it was 7:42.

Soon enough, people were coming in the train. Hamuko moved, allowing other people to know that she wasn't taking up the entire space of the seat. Some students wearing a uniform with a peculiar logo came in as well and the sight reminded her of how lucky she was. She doesn't know how Auntie Himiko did it, but she somehow managed to get an excuse slip for her from their school. The students of Gekkou-kan were slowly filling the majority of the seats on the train, with some occupied by workers of the establishments in Tatsumi Port Island. Hamuko turned her attention to the folder she had on her lap, hidden beneath the bag she was carrying.

She didn't pay any attention to the seat beside her, focusing on the papers Auntie Himiko had given to her. There, Hamuko found papers of her school transcripts, certificates of good moral and a copy of her birth certificate. Minato's was there as well, which made sense since she was bringing in copies of their credentials to another private school. She also noticed there were papers inside the envelope that couldn't be classified as their credentials, but instead as… utility bills?

"What the…?" she muttered, picking out an electric bill she had personally paid at the Bills Payment Center just a few weeks ago. "Why would Auntie need to send me these?"

"Maybe it's because the school could decide whether or not you are qualified for a scholarship, or at the very least, a reduced tuition fee."

Hamuko looked at her side where the voice came from. It was the same guy from the library.

"Oh, Senpai! Good morning," she said, returning the paper back inside the envelope. "W-What a surprise."

"My thoughts exactly. Why are you here instead at your school? Its Saturday." He pointed to the attire she was wearing. "You even had the gall to wear your uniform even when you aren't attending."

"H-Hey! I have a legit reason to be here!" she said indignantly. "I'm here to personally deal with my education! I just wore this because of the discount. And I'm not really skiving off, Senpai. I'm excused from my class today just for this."

"Heh. So you came from your school but got excused to leave afterwards?" Hamuko nodded. "Sounds a lame excuse but whatever. It is legit, especially when you have those utility bills with you."

"Hmm? You have an idea about this Senpai?"

"Yeah. My friend and I are scholars of Gekkou-kan, so we had to deal with showing proof that we need the scholarships every month or so. Well, technically I am the one doing the dealing while he goes to do his club activities."

The train lurched and began to move, slightly shaking its occupants when it started to leave the station and cross the bridge to the man-made island.

"Wow. That's… amazing. A scholarship. You must be smart, Senpai." He just dignified her with silence. "My parents had set up our high school education be at Gekkou-kan 10 years ago, I just came here to confirm it. Honestly speaking though, we all forgot that they had prepared our education all those times."

"…What happened?" Hamuko turned to the window behind her. The school campus of Gekkou-kan could be seen from their position on the train, allowing Hamuko to see the campus compost almost half of the entire area of the island. There were even small and large windmills peppered at the coasts of the island, probably to supply electricity to the entire island. "…It's okay if you're not going to tell me. I understand."

"Huh?" That caught her attention, prompting her to turn around and stare at him. "…Oh. That makes sense. Scholarship." A small smile came to her lips. "Seems that we have much in common huh, have to watch out a little brother all by ourselves, right?"

"Not much of a little brother but more like my sole indispensable sibling," he said, smiling as well.

"You got that right," she replied, the memory of reminding Minato to follow her and Ryoji instead of taking pictures of the festival sights a year before coming to her mind. "By the way, are you okay, Senpai? I heard of the fire and you left a note to Margaret-san quite early in the morning. Oh, and before you scold me, our school had a day off that day so you can't tell me that I've been skiving off."

"You heard about the fire huh. Not really that surprising since it was big enough to burn all those buildings." He shuffled a bit on his seat, earning a grunt of discomfort from the salaryman beside him. "Me and my friends were out that night, doing patrols since we are members of a neighborhood patrol in these areas, and we were there when it happened. We rescued a kid before it all went worse but his entire house went up in flames. Along with its occupants."

Hamuko gasped. "Is he okay? No, obviously, he isn't," she remarked, her own experience with loss reminded her of the feeling of hopelessness. "So that's why you weren't able to visit the Library. Margaret was so moody the day after, you know, and she targeted me because of it."

Aragaki-senpai must have noticed her changing the subject, with him smiling lightly. "Did she had you rearrange the books by topic?"

"She sure did!" The train stopped, followed by a system announcement voiced by an electronic female voice, alerting Hamuko. "Oh, we are here," she remarked, waiting for the other passengers of the car to empty the train. She also noticed that Aragaki-senpai had stayed behind, probably having the same idea as hers.

"Hey," he said, catching her attention. "You're going to the school, right? Follow me then, it's better to have a guide than you fumbling around the entire place."

"T-Thanks a lot, Senpai."

"Hey, if anything else, you'll be my Kohai next year and I could really use a helper. No, minion would be better," he said, placing his hands at his pockets.

"W-What did you say?!"

Aragaki-senpai didn't bother to answer her demands, instead he simply shrugged and gestured her to follow him out of the station. Hamuko, finding no reason not to, huffed and patted down her ruffled up skirt and dress shirt. She started to follow the older guy's footsteps, taking in her new surroundings at the same time.

With a theater, a flower shop and two hidden bars at the alley next to the station, Hamuko could imagine how hectic the entire place be after 5 pm, or after the school on the island ended their classes. The flow of people continued on the street, just pass by the theater, and ending at the front of what she identified as a pedestrian lane with streetlights. Aragaki-senpai was standing a few meters away from the main bulk of pedestrians, looking around in search of something. Or someone.

The girl immediately scrambled towards the older guy, just in time for the streetlight to turn green and the bulk of people to cross the street. The guy with a beanie shrugged at her flustered state and went on to cross the street, silent throughout the entire walk. Hamuko couldn't find in herself to talk either, the buildings in the small-scale city was impressive. There were shops, offices and many more she could even think of. At the distance, she saw an impressive looking building complex that she vaguely remembered being a construction site 10 years ago.

As if a veil had been lifted from her eyes, the moment she had turned around a corner where Aragaki-senpai had passed by, Hamuko was in awe at the school's façade. The main building had the grandest glass windows she had ever seen on a school building. There were even cherry blossoms lining the school courtyards that she just had to make a remark.

"Did I just went in a manga series or something? Next thing I'll know is that there's a very expensive vase in the middle of the hallway."

"Sorry to break your dreams but there's no host club in this school. Though there is a very expensive vase in the middle of the front hall, I'm sure it was excavated somewhere here when the Kirijo Group started building the island."

Quickly turning around and ducking, Hamuko recognized the person that spoke behind her. She almost cursed his name but she took a deep breath instead.

"S-Stop surprising me like that, Senpai!" Hamuko exclaimed, releasing the tension through her voice. "But seriously, there's no host club like that here? At least, the cherry blossoms aren't blooming all year-round here, unlike in that manga."

"Some tried once, it didn't get through the school board. You could try and appeal when you start here next year, if you're brave enough. It would be amusing to watch, to be honest," Aragaki-senpai said, shrugging. "Come on, the Administrative Building is around here. This building here is where all classes are held and the faculty office is found. The one where all the records of the school's students and faculty members are here at the left."

Instead of going through the front hall's glass doors, Aragaki-senpai had led her to adjacent building on the left of the building, one that looked quite similar to the previous building she had passed. He opened the glass doors for her and she immediately noticed the vast difference the Administrative Building had compared to the one she saw through the windows. First, it was empty of students lingering except for the ones that were paying over what Hamuko assumed to be a Cashier Booth. Most likely to pay their tuition fees or whatever expenses they have raked over the entire year.

There were rows of steel chairs, the one she usually found at terminals, and 4 booths that caught Hamuko's attention. That was the second thing she had noticed. Third was that it was only the first floor, there were more floors above her and Hamuko theorized that those at the upper floors were the school's archives, school board meeting room, General Superintendent's Office, Accounting Office and much more. Private schools the size of an island surely must have the same faculties as the universities Auntie Himiko had brought them at one day.

Aragaki-senpai approached the booth with a number 1 on it and tapped the glass. She couldn't hear much from what he was talking but from the expression the man had across the glass, he was absolutely familiar with Aragaki-senpai. There was no apprehension and instead, there was familiarity.

"Oi, Arisato! Come here. Give you papers to Kasai-san here and sit down there. I'll handle this for you."

Hamuko gave him a stare. "A-Are you serious Senpai? Won't you be late in class?"

Aragaki-senpai shrugged. "Not really a problem."

"If you say so," she muttered, handing the large brown envelope she had to him. The man took the envelope from Aragaki-senpai after he slid it under the glass and took out its contents, examining one by one while making inputs at the computer in front of him. "Do I want to know why the man across the glass knew you?"

"Member of the school's owner's daughter's club, dormmate and a friend."

"…Ah." If she remembered correctly, he did say he had connections with a certain family. Gekkou-kan Gakuen is owned by the Kirijo Group and the Group was led by the family of the same name so… that made some sort of sense why the man knew him, to the point he was already accustomed to him. "That's… something."

"You have no idea."

Silence returned as Aragaki-senpai leaned on a pillar while Hamuko stood patiently for the processing of her and her brother's credentials. The man behind the glass was calling someone on the phone when he tapped the glass, gesturing Hamuko to come closer.

"Well, all things are in order. The payment for your high school education is in order and your school already agreed to accommodate the transfer. Your brother on the other hand, decided to transfer the year after…? Why?" the man asked.

"I can't say for my brother, sir. Personal reason. Is something wrong?"

"Ah, no. No. This is a private school; we have dealt much worse like a transfer in the middle of the school year and surprise drop-outs. Just curious. and the Principal wanted to know why. Background information, you know. Well, Arisato-kun, welcome to Gekkou-kan Gakuen. I hope you will enjoy your next three years with us."

"T-Thank you so much, sir. I do hope so, sir. I really hope so."

"Hm… Oh, before I forgot, can you give me a bank account that is connected to your brother, yours or your guardian? Since he won't be coming until his 2nd year, the tuition spent will be reimbursed."

"Oh, alright."

After she gave Minato's bank account, one that he apparently made about a year ago all thanks to one Ryoji Mochizuki, Hamuko searched for the guy that accompanied her to the school's Administrative Building. He was nowhere in sight, leaving Hamuko confused as to where he might have gone to. She checked her phone's clock. It showed: 8:37.

"Huh, time sure flies. Should I… Hmm… Let me check my checklist," Hamuko muttered, bringing up the list she made on her phone. "Enrollment, confirmed. What's next…? Uniforms. Okay."

"Um, sir?" She tapped the glass on the booth, alerting the man beyond it who was typing some documents on the computer. "Is there a school store here? For the uniforms and the like?"

"Check the Food Center, it is where the Cafeteria and other stalls allowed by the school to operate are found. It's the third building from here, passing the Gekkou-kan Main Building. There's a map there at the wall, if you haven't noticed it yet."

"Thank you, sir. Sorry to disturb you."

Sure enough, there was a map of the entire campus. Hamuko gaped at the proof of how large Gekkou-kan Gakuen was. There were lots of buildings in the campus and it was divided into three locations: Elementary, Junior High and High School. And there was also the unofficial and secret 'University Campus', which was the rest of the island, according to the forums she had lurked the night before, that was exclusive only to those that caught the eye of the Kirijo Group's higher-ups.

It basically worked as an internship, though how that even worked in reality since it was only a rumor, racked Hamuko's head all night long.

"There's the Elementary Campus… The Junior High… Oh, here's the High School. Wow, a track and field and a swimming complex? Better check that later. Where's the Food Center…? Oh, there it is!"

She memorized the route to the said Food Center and walked out of the Administrative Building. Putting on her own set of headphones that Minato bought for her, she made her way to the Food Center, admiring the beauty of the new school she'll be attending the next year. A bitter smile then forced itself on her face as she got reminded that her brother won't be attending with her there.

But it soon disappeared, with Hamuko saying softly, "He sure did take his time, getting the courage to act on his own feelings at the very last minute." Good thing Minato had told their teachers about his plan to stay for a year before she got to Gekkou-kan. He would have been gloomy all year round without Ryoji with them, much more being in Koto-ku. Minato, for the lack of words, raged when she told him about their enrollment at Gekkou-kan.

He did simmer down the next day but his feelings about not coming to the place until he is ready to come back stuck hard to her, Auntie Himiko and Uncle Hisame.

She spent the entire day touring the school after a member of the school's staff approached her at the Food Center. It happened after she had checked the school uniform that was being sold at the school store and had her early lunch, courtesy of the food being sold at the Cafeteria. Students were in their classes during the tour, which meant Hamuko wasn't able to see what kind of classrooms she was going to be in for the next 3 years. It would be rude of her to barge in a class just to see the classroom, especially when there's a class going on inside.

But there was one thing that caught her interest: the library. She read on the online forums how rich it was, but to see it personally was amazing; Hamuko swore she saw some college-level books on the shelves like the ones Auntie Himiko had brought back home in order to finish an exam. She was then reminded of the foreign girl she met a week before and the tips she had taught to her. The redhead resolved to use the same tricks Granger had taught to her.

All in all, the school tour was severely limited due to how it wasn't the time for a school tour to be held. But it was enough for her to understand why her and Minato's parents decided to have their high school education be at Gekkou-kan Gakuen. The facilities were great and the education was of high quality. Sure, there were some schools out there that could rival Gekkou-kan but it was the school their parents had wanted for them. Literally their actual last want for them.

After she said her farewells to the teacher that made various questionable remarks, Hamuko strolled down the streets of Tatsumi Port Island to the site where she remembered to have a mall being constructed 10 years ago and she was surprised to see the mall constructed and bustling with life. Inside, she noticed there were several shops for her to shop, an arcade to play, and even a club and a karaoke bar to… hang out. The last two were questionable for how it was even open so near at a school but Hamuko knew some things couldn't be explained easily, just like how she couldn't explain why she was caught by their Aunt outside their house when a minute ago, at her perspective, she was sitting at the couch and watching midnight replays of television shows.

Surprisingly, she discovered just why she couldn't find the same model of her favorite Jack Frost doll in Tokyo; the one she had for almost 8 years could only be found at Tatsumi Port Island. Hamuko questioned the owner of the arcade where the said doll was being presented as a prize came from and discovered she had an exclusive contract with the manufacturer of the said dolls. Since her doll was already worn out, Hamuko decided to get a brand-new version of her favorite doll.

"Come on, little Jacky~ Come to mommy and together we'll show the people of Shibuya who's the best in the costume department~" she sing songed, inserting another token in the crane machine. "You know we are meant to be~"

"Just what are you doing?"

"Getting a new Jack Frost doll, that's what I'm doing~"

"…Since when?"

"After lunch, of course~ Just, come one game, let me get him~"

"Arisato, it's almost dark."

Hamuko whipped her head and noticed that the streetlights outside the mall's doors were not lit. She looked up and saw the glass roof of the mall showing the stars.

"…Oh crap!" She pulled out her phone and cursed inwardly. She forgot to turn off the silent mode, all thanks to that teacher, and now her phone was full of e-mails and missed calls. Hamuko skimmed through her inbox and winced. They're all from Minato and most contained: 'Hamuko? Where are you? It's late.'

"Minato's going to be so mad at me. Thanks for the interrupting me," she said, looking up to thank and only to be surprised to see the person responsible. "Senpai?!" Aragaki-senpai was there, plastic bag on one hand and his school bag on the other, and wearing the uniform of his school, just like the morning earlier, only modified with replacing the dress shirt with a turtleneck sweater.

"Now I'm going to think you are skiving off, Arisato. It's almost dinner time. Don't tell me you've spent the entire afternoon trying to get that doll?" he asked, disbelief evident in his voice.

"I-I… Maybe? I didn't notice it was already that late! Oh my god, does the station have a direct link to Ueno Station?!" she asked while composing a reply to Minato detailing how her phone was on silent mode and got caught doing something important. She pressed 'Send' and then realized the mistake immediately after it was sent. "Oh my god. What should I do?! I told Minato I was busy doing important! Is 'playing at the arcade' doing important?!"

Aragaki-senpai placed his hand on her shoulder, stopping her from shaking around. "Uh, come one, let's get you on the train. My friends are waiting for me outside. Maybe they can help you with your problem," he said as he picked up her bag at the foot of the crane machine. He also pushed Hamuko forward towards the mall's exit.

"B-But! My doll!"

"You can try again next time. If I remember correctly, you have the next 3 years to try and get one. Besides, you need to get home. I'm sure your brother is worried mad now."

When they came to the mall's exterior, Hamuko noticed two teenagers standing together, waiting for someone while having a talk. Instantly, they noticed them approaching, with the girl giving Hamuko a quick once-over while the guy was smirking at Aragaki-senpai.

"Hm…? Who's this, Shinjiro?" the girl with hair red like it was a cupcake Minato bought for her one day asked. "First Amada and now this girl?" she said, amused. "Are you picking up strays now? I thought a dog would have come first but this is far beyond from my expectations."

"What happened? Someone bullied this girl? Where are they?" the guy with short silver hair asked, cracking his knuckles.

Aragaki-senpai sighed. "This is Arisato Hamuko. She's going to be a freshman next year. She's the girl I met at the National Library a week before and apparently was going to transfer to Gekkou-kan for… Wait, I thought you were going to be in Rikkyo Ikebukuro? What happened?"

"Uh, parents arranged it beforehand?" Hamuko answered.

"Right, her parents apparently arranged that she and her twin will have their high school years here in Gekkou-kan. Now, she's in trouble because she spent the entire afternoon in the arcade-" The real redhead had her eyes tensed up at that. "- and at the moment, she needs a valid alibi. Any ideas? By the way, she's also late, probably past the time she promised to go home, and need to take the train straight to Ueno Station. Mitsuru?"

"While I am in no position to demand such things about your education to you, I would first want to know why are you even here in the first place, and what made it possible for you to come here." Mitsuru-senpai asked, indignantly.

Hamuko shuffled lightly. "I-I, uh, I was excused from school. I had to confirm my enrollment here personally. I just… lost track of time."

"Hm… Well, I have a couple of pamphlets of the school here in my bag. You would find them very useful in showing your brother and your guardians the greatness of our school." She took a couple of pamphlets from her bag and handed to Hamuko, which she immediately took. "But listen this, right now I have no right to demand to you, however the moment you've become a student of our school, I'll expect proper behavior and conduct from you. You hear me? Especially now that you have caught my attention."

"Mitsuru, you're scaring her. Tone down the chill, Miss Ice Queen."

"I am not an Ice Queen, Shinjiro. Despite it being my affinity, I do not like being referred as such."

The silver haired guy interrupted with a wave of his hand between them, saying, "Oi, you two. Let's get to the train station. We have a middle schooler here with us and it really doesn't make a very nice impression of Gekkou-kan's students to her." He turned his attention to her and smiled. "Sorry for those two, name's Sanada Akihiko. You've met my best friend, Aragaki Shinjiro. Our ' Ice Queen' here is Kirijo Mitsuru. A pleasure to be your acquaintance, Arisato-kun."

"Likewise, Sanada-senpai," she replied, bowing her head.

"Akihiko's right. Let's get to the station. It is quite unbecoming of us to be seen fighting in front of what will be our future underclassman."

Hamuko was then accompanied by the friends of Aragaki-senpai, who were busy interrogating him about her origins, to the Port Island Station. Their interactions with each other reminded Hamuko of her own interactions with her brother and Ryoji, concern hidden beneath seemingly insulting jabs. With Kirijo-senpai between the two taller guys, Hamuko was then reminded of a memory of three seniors of her older self, smiling despite having bruises and small wounds covered with bandages, limping slightly to a pair of foreboding doors.

Although she was initially nervous being around with Aragaki-senpai's friends, she found herself comfortable in their presence as they walked to the station. It reminded her of a memory about her older self walking with a group with peculiar looking red armbands and curiously heavy fake guns at their sides under the light of a yellow green moon. She was genuinely sad when the three seniors had apologized and said their goodbyes to her when the train stopped at Iwatodai Station, which was apparently their stop due to how they had a dormitory near area. A fact that Sanada-senpai made known by groaning out loud. She doesn't know if there's a reason for his cry, though, since both of the two seniors with her rolled their eyes at the act.

"T-Thank you very much. For sending me off, that is," she hastily said before the train's doors closed. The three upperclassmen nodded and waved in response to her as the door shut and the train began to move.

Hamuko sat down on the seat, gripping tightly on the pamphlets she had on her hand. She then opened her bag to store the pamphlets inside when she saw a small piece of paper tapped under its flap. Curious, she tore it and smiled when she read its content.

'He wasn't like this back then. Then again, things must have changed.'