Hey Everyone! Sorry for the long wait on this chapter, currently moving house and had little to no time for anything else. Here is the other half of chapter three, hope all of you like it. Take care!

Despite the entrance of their homeroom teacher, the chatter amongst the students did not die down. It was only when Iwai and Sojiro followed behind him did they grow unnervingly quiet. Mishima took the chance to quickly address the room, hoping to appear somewhat in control.

"Good morning class, how are you all today?" His question was met with silence. "Right, sorry, didn't actually need to answer that," he nervously chuckled.

"Oh brother," Sojiro sighed out. Iwai said nothing, not showing any sign of being affected by the awkward atmosphere.

"As most of you know, I am Yuki Mishima. I will be your homeroom teacher this year."

"I was worried he would say that," whispered a male student.

"Of course we would get stuck with Captain Conspiracy over here," whispered back his friend.

"Now before we start, we also have two new students joining the school for their final year." Whether Mishima had heard the snide comment was unclear to Sojiro. If the teacher had, he brushed it off with surprising grace as he carried on. "First off, this is Sojiro Sakura. Introduce yourself to the class, Sojiro-Kun."

The intensity of over fifteen sets of eyes upon him - all judging him in this single moment - might have broken a less experienced Sakura. Yet he held firm, presenting a cocky smile with his chest puffed out wide.

"Hey there," was all he said. It was all he had too.

Collectively the class relaxed, realising quickly that this was no prey. A few of the girls started whispering among themselves, sharing knowing glances towards one another.

'Oh yeah, still got it,' he thought to himself.

"And beside him is Munehisa Iwai."

"Oh my god it's him," one girl could barely keep her voice below a whisper.

"The Yakuza kid?"

"Is that really him?"

"He looks scary..."

"Shut up! He might stab you."

The class had exploded amongst themselves. Any restraint they once had quickly departed as they openly talked about the boy before them. Sojiro threw a cautious eye towards Iwai, only to find him still stone faced as ever. He had seen this before. When Futaba didn't collapse, she would instead stare into space like a zombie. He hated that more than anything. To know that the only way someone was able to deal with the world was to willingly shut their brain off all together. He felt a paternal twinge against his heart.

"Quiet please!" Mishima cried out. He had to do this several times but eventually he was able to settle the class down. "I'm sure all of you have heard some rumors, but remember, Shujin is a fresh start for everyone."

"Yeah right," scoffed one boy loudly. "More like a prison," he muttered a little quieter.

"Now, Sojiro-Kun, Munehisa-Kun, there are two seats right at the back there. Why don't you two have those."

Sure enough, two seats remained in the very corner of the classroom. One situated at the very back, the other just ahead of it. Sojiro stepped forward but was cut off quickly by Iwai who made a beeline for the furthest seat. Boss raised an eyebrow, but continued onward as he took the other seat. Only when he sat down did it click for him. No one could sit behind Iwai, meaning he had the entire view of the room. While Sojiro now had the scary boy sitting directly behind him.

"Alright class, just a quick reminder of the assembly taking place later today," Mishima began.

Sojiro found himself quickly zoning out as he began to stare out the window. A single statement was on the forefront of his mind. One student had called Iwai the 'Yakuza Kid.' Where had that come from? In fact, why the hell did they all react that way? This was Munehisa's first day, yet somehow he was seemingly already well known.

That's when Sojiro saw her again. He spied Sadayo leaving the building and entering the courtyard. She was alone and she looked around to make sure she remained so. She sat on a bench and kept her head low. He could not see her face, but he had a feeling he knew what she was doing. Tiny droplets leaked from her eyes and landed on the stone floor. Sojiro felt something shake deep within.

"Sojiro-Kun?" Mishima's voice summoned him, breaking Boss free from his self-induced trance.

"Whu-?" He fumbled out, staring dumbly at his teacher.

"I asked you what do you hope for this year?"

"Hope for?"

"Yeah, when you look at the school year ahead of you, what is it you are most looking forward to?"

"What do I hope for?" He asked himself. The answer came to him in an instant. It was the root of his problem, his failings as a person, his unrestrained desire. "To begin again."

"Wonderful answer," Mishima praised, thankful someone actually engaged. "As a quick exercise, I would like everyone to write a few lines on that idea. What would you all do if you could start again?"

A chorus of opened notepads and ruffled paper filled the room. Sojiro opened his bag to find the same, and took a sheet of paper out. He stared at the blank piece as if the words would write themselves, only causing him to sigh in frustration. Then suddenly, he felt something tap on his shoulder.

"Hey," an unfamiliar voice whispered at him.

A shiver travelled down his spine as he realised who it was. A bead of sweat soon followed. Sojiro Sakura was a middle aged man who had faced down armed crazies and hostile officers before, but this damn kid nearly made his heart give out. Boss slowly turned an eye towards him, Iwai only giving him the same stoney expression.

"You got a pen?" The boy asked.

Sojiro caught his breath at Iwai's voice. It was a dark rumble. Uncharacteristically gruff for a boy his age. He was not threatened easily, but he felt himself reluctant to respond. Iwai's eyes drifted down to the spot on Sojiro's desk where he had taken out his notebook. Stuffed between the pages were two pens.

'Crap,' Sojiro thought to himself, realising he had no excuse not to. "Yeah, sure," Boss played it off, carefully holding the pen towards him.

"Thanks," the boy muttered quietly as he took the pen. Seemingly that was the end of it. Sojiro turned forward and began to focus back on his work, when he heard Iwai say "Not used to being unprepared."

He was unsure if that statement was directed at him, or rather Munehisa was venting to himself. Either way, Sojiro said nothing in response as he tried his best to ignore the threatening presence behind him.

Lunch could not have arrived sooner. The lesson had felt like an utter waste of time to Sojiro. Nothing presented to him was of any interest, he did not learn anything, nor did it starve off any crippling boredom that he knew would afflict him. This would be his life for the foreseeable future, so he reasoned he needed to find some way to deal with it better.

However, the moment the bell rang his stomach had grumbled. In his old body, his appetite had died off long ago. Now that his metabolism was in full swing again, his hunger quickly overtook any negative feelings that plagued him. He zeroed in on the food window and grabbed anything that would sate his ravenous hunger. It wasn't much more than a few sandwiches, but it was better than microwaved pancakes.

Finding somewhere to eat, Sojiro stumbled into the courtyard he had seen from his window. Part of him hoped he might stumble into Sadayo again but the only people here were small gatherings of cliques and groups he was not a part of. He shrugged his shoulders and found a spot tucked away in the corner, away from prying eyes. The sun was out and if there was one thing nice about Shujin, the greenery was well kept.

"Found you," he heard a rumble appear beside him.

Instead of jumping, Sojiro's body froze up as he recognised the voice instantly. Iwai had emerged from seemingly nowhere and sat next to him. He did not look at Boss, instead choosing to stare off into the distance.

"How-" Sojiro was about to ask where he had come from, but bit his tongue instead.

"Good spot. Decent vantage point actually, can see the whole courtyard from here. Makes it harder to get dropped on."

That was the most he had heard the boy speak since meeting him. It felt unnatural to Sojiro. He was still too stunned to comment on it though, and even if he wasn't, he didn't think that would be the most tactful move at this present moment. Iwai continued to keep his eyes focused forward as he rummaged in his pocket pulling out the same pen Sojiro had given him before.

"I don't like owing people," he murmured. He almost seemed embarrassed.

"Thanks…?" Was all Sojiro could muster, gingerly taking the pen.

"Yep."

An awkward tension soon settled in. Sjojiro looked between the boy and the pen as the cogs in his brain tried to sync up in place. What had just happened? It had all been so simple, yet not at all. He understood that Iwai gave him back his pen, but Boss had already accepted he would likely never see it again. Then suddenly Munehisa simply teleports next to him, sits down like their buds and just hands it back so he 'didn't owe Sojiro'.

"So… you staying?" Sojiro asked, only as the words left his mouth did he realise how bad they sounded.

Iwai had not moved until Boss spoke again, but now he finally looked at him. Sojiro felt the full force of his side eye, looking him over at such a question. He expected to either get punched or for Iwai to storm away, yet he still remained.

"Yes," he answered, turning his attention back to what lay ahead of them.

"Right…" Boss nodded, turning to his sandwich. "Oh brother," he mumbled into the bite.

"Don't need to talk. Just need to stay." Iwai assured, or at least that was what Sojiro thought he was doing. He was infuriatingly hard to read.

"You hiding from someone?"

"Maybe? Don't know yet."

"Not a reassuring answer."

"You saw the reaction. Who knows who might take a shot at me?"

As he said those words a bright light shone out just ahead of them. Both of them froze as they heard a shutter go off. Iwai locked onto a bush that gently rustled at the edge of their hideaway.

"Not the kind of shot you were expecting, huh?" Sojiro joked, his only outlet in this bizarre circumstance.

Iwai moved quicker than Sojiro expected, practically leaping towards the bushes. A soft yelp rang out as he dove into them. A coconut shaped head emerged from the other side as she dodged his attack. A young woman, likely the same age as them, rushed out with her camera in hand. Her hair was tied up at the very top, the rest styled in a cute bob. From the little he could make out of her, she seemed to have more energy than she knew what to do with. She ran away while Iwai pursued her, leaving Sojiro alone.

Boss was unsure if his frazzled mind could maintain itself against the onslaught of weird events. He returned to his sandwich as he tried his best to put the moment out of his mind. Before he knew it, lunch was over and he quickly found himself herded off towards the assembly hall.

It was the most well presented room in the school, but that was likely because it received little use. It's brown wood varnishing was surprisingly immaculate, yet it all felt strangely barren. Schools typically had plaques and trophies lining the walls, banners and other such decorative distinctions of the school's spirit. There was none. Empty as the hope that lay within Shujin.

The students muttered to themselves. Sojiro barely recognised anyone. As he was sitting beside a few students from his class, he noted Iwai was in the far back, notably with a scowl on his face. He spied the coconut girl with the camera sitting with two other… girls(?) One of them certainly was, she had long blonde hair and a camera of her own. The other one seemed slightly off to Sojiro. She had very heavy make-up and appeared quite bulky. He got a weird vibe from her, but the other two seemed entirely unfazed. He noted that they sat at the exact opposite end of the room from Iwai.

"Students, you're attention please," called a teacher standing at the podium.

A few other teachers and even a few students took the stage. Sojiro spotted Kawakami once more. She had her full composure now, standing at attention like a soldier. He smiled at her and he noticed her eyes drift his way. They locked together briefly, before she turned away and stared at a random point at the far wall.

"As we venture forth into a new school year, we begin as we always do. This assembly will dictate our hopes and plans for your futures as you prepare for your journey into the world. Without further ado, I present you your principle, Miho Saitta."

Sojiro recognised the name instantly. His eyes went wide as she emerged from behind the curtain, rubbing her nose in a strange way with her sunglasses still on her face. The congregation parted to let her through. She stood behind the podium and sighed.

"Here we are again, inmates. Another year, another third year group. Your clock is ticking downward. Every single one of you will face the realities of the world outside these school walls soon enough."

"Hell of an opener," Boss muttered softly to himself.

"Society has rejected you. It is Shujin's role to transform and mold you all back into alignment. Yet this can not be achieved unless you want it to be so. One does not fix a problem if they continue to ignore it."

Saitta, interesting last name. Boss wasn't certain, but having been a reasonably well travelled man himself, he recognised its origin as Italian. Sure enough, the harder he stared at Miho, the more obvious it became that she was mixed-race. This was of course not a problem, but Japan was a notoriously insular country. To have risen to her position was extraordinarily impressive indeed.

"Now as you all know I am a very busy woman. One has to be to live any life of comfort. You have to fight for everything you earn in life, and only once you reach the top are you allowed to enjoy the fruits of your labour. Take those words to heart, inmates. Fight your way to the very top."

"Man, everytime she speaks I feel like I'm being sent off to war," muttered a boy ahead of Sojiro.

"Shh, don't let her hear you," whispered his friend.

"Now as you know, by the government mandate, the school system has formally adopted its new point system. Shujin has the honor of being one of its trial schools."

"Point system?" Sojiro asked himself.

"This will be based on your behaviour and actions throughout the school year. All points will be deducted and added on by the faculty of the school. And of course, your final point total will be 50% of your grade for your finals this year."

There was a murmur of discontentment amongst the student body. Sojiro struggled to process what he had heard, but it didn't sit right with him. Point system? The potential for abuse was staggering. He was old enough to know that this was not going to end well, but he highly suspected no matter how this 'trial' turned out, the government we're salivating at the idea of rolling it out nationwide.

"Quiet!" Her single word was like the crack of a whip. Instantly it brought everyone into submission. "You will be able to monitor your points on the app provided. Scan the QR code presented here!"

Sadayo pulled the drape off a large board that had the code printed upon it. Sojiro was unsure what he was supposed to do. He followed the direction of everyone else around him as he opened his camera. Sure enough, an app began to download on his phone. It wasn't the only one to appear though. A familiar red app began to burn brightly on the screen. He could feel it's intensity, almost like it was calling out to him. He stared at it dumbly, positive he had deleted in the night before. Quickly he deleted it again just as the other app finished it's download.

"This app reflects your very future. And that future is in the palm of my hand. Word's to live this next year by." She looked over the students that looked back at her in a mix of fear and anger. It didn't take someone with eyes to know how much the student body detested this idea, you could practically feel their rage simmer in the air. "Remember, voting for your student council president begins at the end of this month. Currently we have three candidates so if you too wish to enter, do so before the end of the week."

A general mix of rules and regulations were read out to them one by one, but Sojiro found himself zoning out quickly. He looked over the app. It was nothing fancy, just the number five in the middle. It showed the max number, 10, and the minimum number, 0. He suspected he really didn't want to end up there. He sighed as the assembly dragged on, ending finally on a dour note.

"If you want something, you must work for it. Once you have it, only then may you enjoy it. Hold onto that feeling, all of you. You're young and foolish, bouncing from one moment to the next. Life will do the same. It will leave you behind, unless you firmly root yourself in the ground and not let go. Find your home, your life, your love, but remember, you must work for it all. You are all dismissed."

Sojiro almost began to walk away, but noticed everyone still in place. The students did not file out until Saitta had left the room. Her words did reach him though. He thought of LeBlanc, the life he had carved out for himself when he lost all else. He had taken it for granted, he wanted nothing more than to go back home.

The school day was over, and Sojiro was released from his bondage and free to embrace the outside world. Yet he had already decided to go back home. He knew no-one, barely knew where to go in this city for someone his physical age, so he'd return to his dwellings to contemplate the strange world he was stuck in. Boss had almost made it past the school gate without anything else strange happening, before he heard someone call out to him.

"Pssst," it came from his left hand side. Bright eyes poked around the corner, and a familiar tied up messy bun stuck out from the top of her cranium.

"You again," Sojiro muttered as he recognised the strange camera girl.

"You got a sec?" She asked quietly, noticing his attention on her.

"If I say no?" He countered, folding his arms at her.

"Don't be like that. I'll buy you some ramen if you're nice to me." She poked her round head out further, a cheeky grin plastered across her face. "Boy like you should be honored to go out with a pretty girl like me."

"Pretty girl? You'll have to bring her out, all I see is you." He smiled at her cockily. He had hoped it would deter her, yet the coconut girl smiled that much more determined.

"Not a simp, got it," she chuckled. "Just wanna ask you some questions about your friend is all."

"Friend?"

"Don't play coy now. I know a story when I see one."

It did not take long for Sojiro to figure out who she was referring to. Boss had not seen Iwai since the assembly, he had been notably absent from the rest of his classes that day. He stepped towards the coconut girl and pursed his lips.

"Got a name?"

"Ohya. Ichiko Ohya. I represent the school paper."

"I should have figured as much," he replied with a chuckle. "Well, Ichiko-Chan. It's nice to meet you, but I've got nothing to say to you."

"Awww, how come?"

"For two good reasons," Boss began as he started to walk away. Ohya quickly followed behind. "The first, I barely know the guy. Second, I live off a key philosophy. Don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong."

"Where's the fun in that though?" Again, Ichiko seemed entirely unfazed by his dismissal. She practically danced around him as she let her mouth wander away from her. "The more you dig, the more you find. Scandals, corruption, interesting stories, if you live on the sidelines all your life and let everyone walk by, how will you get to the juicy stuff?"

"Maybe I won't get to the 'juicy stuff,' but I definitely won't land myself in a world of hurt. Some of the things you mentioned, you know there are people who pay a lot of money to keep them buried, right?"

"That makes it the juiciest," she grinned ear from ear.

"And the most dangerous."

"C'mon, man, we all day one die. Might as well be an interesting footnote than a boring one."

"Pretty morbid for someone your age."

"Ugh, our age. We're in the same year, thank you." She pouted slightly, Boss's comment inadvertently getting under her skin.

Sojiro caught himself as he realised he slipped up. Yet Ohya mistook his accidental revelation entirely. Looking at her once more, she did seem quite young. She might have even passed for a first year. Considering that she was in the same assembly as him though, she was a third year for sure.

"Sorry, no offence meant."

"A little taken," she snapped sharply, regaining her smile.

"Come on now, as you get older, you'll wish people would think you're younger than you actually are."

"Gee, you sure do talk like an old man," she cackled. "You're so weird. I like that."

"You do?"

"That's right. You know what I also like? Not giving up till I get my quote!"

They had reached the mainstreets when Ichiko whipped out her recorder. She shoved it in Sojiro's face with malicious intent. He could see a wicked glee in her eyes, like a vixen cornering her prey.

"Now tell me, what exactly is your relationship with the infamous Yakuza Kid?"

"Huh?"

"Are you an accomplice of his? Perhaps a mere associate? A drug trafficking mule? Is it true he keeps an assortment of weapons in his desk? Are there guns in the school? Can I see said guns? Are they cool? The last part will not go in the paper, that's just for me."

The bombardment of questions came hard and fast. They broke down Sojiro's frontline faster than he could build it back up again. This girl was crazy. She had the kind of aura that could make one confess to a crime they had never committed. Sojiro was ready to pour his soul out to her. He wanted to confess things about Iwai that were blatantly untrue for nothing more than to get her off his back.

Then a thunderous crash rang out down the alleyway. Both of them froze as the sound of flesh against metal reached their ears. There was a whimper and a groan, followed by a thud to the floor and the distinctive gurgling of blood. Sojiro felt his hair stand on end. Ichiko stared down the back alley, while Sojiro refused to look behind him.

"No way…" He heard her whisper. She pulled out a small camera from her pocket. It appeared to be an antique, one far too old for a young lady her age.

Sojiro really didn't want to look behind him. All he had to do was continue down the street and pretend this interaction had never occurred. But that damn kid. Akira had worn down his jaded complacency, revealing the youthful curiosity underneath. Even in this strange new world he felt his influence upon him. Sojiro craned his neck behind him, poking an eye down the alleyway.

He recognised Iwai straight away. A splatter of blood across his cheek and a wild look in his eyes. Before him were three bodies. Were they dead or alive? Sojiro did not know nor really care. The image of the young man looking ready to kill was burned permanently into his iris. Sojiro's fight or flight instincts were kicking in, just as Iwai's eyes locked onto him. Boss grabbed hold of Ohya's shoulders and pulled her away.

The young woman was fixated on the scene. She barely inched her finger over the photo's trigger as she took the pic. Sojiro practically dragged her down the street. They continued well past the point they should have broken off until they hit the station. As soon as they stopped, Ohya began to move again and she quickly whacked Sojiro over his head.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"You ruined the shot!" She shouted, genuine anger crossing her face. "Now it's gonna be all blurry. I can't give that to the paper. Did you see the composition!? He was perfectly in frame and everything and you ruined it!"

Sojiro was left aghast as she turned away from him. She muttered obscenities under her breath and hurriedly put her camera back in it's bag. Instinctively he wanted to apologise, but was still uncertain if he had actually done anything wrong.

"Now I got to get a whole new reel of film cause that was the last one. This stuff aint cheap you know?"

"You ever consider switching over to digital?" Sojiro asked, quickly wishing he hadn;t after she shot him a dirty look. "Never mind."

"Man, you really were no help at all." She huffed and stomped away. Whether she was truly oblivious to the danger she was in or this was her way of venting, Sojiro was unsure.

He noticed his hands were shaking. The adrenaline had not settled down yet. Didn't matter how old you get, the minute danger rears its ugly head it kickstarts the body like nothing else. Boss took a deep breath, realising he was completely alone outside the train station. Iwai did not give chase, but he had seen him. That was tomorrow's problem.

One train ride later, Sojiro was back 'home'. Yet he felt like an unwanted guest in a stranger's abode. The shrill beep rang out as he stepped inside. Futaba was standing behind the counter. She did not look at him, but she did acknowledge his presence.

"Welcome back," she said.

She was still mad. He could feel it in his bones. Sojiro knew better than to engage with an angry woman, so steadily he made his way to his room. Yet the minute he crossed her eye line she spoke up again.

"Heading upstairs?"

"Yeah?" He answered, confused as to where else he could go.

"I'll follow you up. We need to talk."

That didn't sound good. Still, not much he could do, and he would do no different in her shoes. When things were at their worst, he would make a point of confronting the young Futaba the best he could. Part of life was confrontation. He knew acknowledging that was somewhat hypocritical considering how he had spent a good chunk of his own story keeping only to himself, but this was different. Between two people who care about one another, it was always best to clear the air.

"Alright, I'm not mad," she started the moment they walked through his bedroom door.

"But disappointed?" He sideyed her, knowing where that line typically led.

"Only in myself." That had taken Boss by surprise. Futaba sighed as she suddenly looked very tired. "I'm an adult, I should have handled it better. God knows I dont act like one."

"It's fine, really," he said, crossing his arms and trying to relax.

"I know you meant nothing by what you said, hell this is the first time I've seen you since the accident."

Accident. There had been an accident. Obviously he did not know for sure, but judging by what was said before he suspected it related to a car. A car accident maybe? Carefully he decided to test this theory.

"It was insensitive for me to bring up the car."

"I still can't get in one. I sometimes have panic attacks just walking by the highway." She laughed but it was hollow. A natural defense mechanism to hide her bitterness. Sojiro said nothing, letting her have her moment to get steady. That was until she said something that unbalanced him. "I still see Wakaba's face everyday-"

"Wakaba!" Sojiro felt like someone had kicked him squarely in the gut. "No, not here too."

"Sojiro!" Futuba stepped closer as Sojiro fell to one knee. It was far too late before Boss realised what was happening. He was passing out again. Before he knew it, the world went black and drew a close to a most bizzare first day.