"Do the two of you want to fill me in about what's going on? Or maybe, you know, I've turned invisible and neither of you can hear me." Yukie sat down her plastic tray rather forcefully onto the cafeteria table and glared at her alleged friends.

They continued to ignore her, something rude they'd been doing all morning. Yukie wasn't sure why they were doing it, but it was starting to annoy her. She rolled her bright eyes and picked up her fork, attempting not to think about it. Time wouldn't stop for her problems, and she had more to worry about than them; like her math test. It was next period, but since Yukie came home mentally drained after her brief chat with Karma, she didn't make an effort to study.

She huffed a deep sigh and poked at her food with uninterest. "I'm going to fail this test, I know I am."

"Don't say that. You're going to do better than the two of us ever will," Ayame snapped. Once she realized what she had done, she pursed her lips and focused her attention on her lunch.

Yukie smiled impishly. "So you can hear me. That's a relief. I thought I may have developed Adolescence Syndrome like Mai in Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai."

"I love that show," Ayame chirped. She flinched in discomfort as Sayuri elbowed her in the arm.

"Well … now that I know neither of you is mad at me, what's the reason for this act?"

Sayuri pushed back her tray and sat her arms on the table. She leaned in so that Yukie could hear without her having to raise her voice above a whisper. "We're not supposed to talk to you."

"Why is that?"

"Asano made a deal with us," she answered with a wide smile. "He said that he'd go with us to the parlor for ice cream, if we do him a favor; not talk to you until you've sat down and talked to him."

Yukie scoffed in annoyance. "That's really immature guys. We're not in elementary school anymore."

Ayame agreed with her, nodding her head. "I swear, little miss lovebird is obsessed." She huffed a sigh and gave Yukie a supportive look. "It's only one chat, Yuki. If not for you, then do it for us."

She certainly wouldn't be doing it for her own sake. Frankly, she had nothing to say to Asano. It was unclear to her why he'd make a deal with her friends, but to satisfy them, Yukie agreed. She knew it would be better to meet with him on lunch break – on his own terms – rather than waiting after school.

Luckily for her, Asano usually ate his lunch in the 3-A classroom with the other members of the Big Five, so she knew where to find him.

Yukie pushed back her chair and stood, glaring at her two friends. "I hope you both know you owe me. It's not like you had to do this; he doesn't have a gun to your heads."

"No … but he has my heart," Sayuri countered. "And you said not to let him say no. I was just doing as you asked me to."

"Actually, you said that. Yuki was only giving you inspiration by telling you to go for it," Ayame clarified.

The desperate, orange haired teen stuck out her tongue, making Yukie laugh. She tossed them a brief wave and left their table, heading towards her homeroom. It was a short walk from the packed out cafeteria, situated down A hall. This is one of the reasons she loved Class A so much; the grade had its own section of the school that none of the other grades had the right to use. It was unethical in theory, but Yukie liked not having to push her way through a crowd of people each day.

She made it quicker than she would have liked to her classroom doorway, which was slightly ajar. All the time she took getting there was intentional; she took it to prepare herself. Taking a deep breath to compose herself, she knocked and waited patiently until someone gave her permission to enter. Upon doing so, Yukie was for the most part surprised by the display before her.

The desks on the far side of the room were rearranged, pushed together so that they formed one long table. To the front of them was a single desk, facing the other five. In those five desks were seated the masterminds of Kunugigaoka Junior High.

Yukie frowned, hating to be put on the spot like this. She was under the assumption that she'd be speaking to Asano alone, not going into a job interview. The powers that be had a strange and meticulous way of doing things.

"Have a seat, Sarugaki. We've been expecting you." Asano motioned towards the open seat and smirked once she took it. He stared at the white haired girl and noticed that she was unusually relaxed for someone who was under his scrutiny. This both pleased and insulted him. "Looks like you've been expecting us as well."

"I knew that it would lead to this, but not to the extent of putting me through an interrogation." Yukie was being honest; she had no reason to hold back.

Ren Sakakibara – a rather attractive teenager with coy eyes – beamed at this. "We just want to gauge you, is all. This meeting isn't meant to intimidate you."

"Obviously, we're not against the idea of making you feel uncomfortable," Natsuhiko Koyama stated. "It's necessary, as you can see."

Yukie nodded in agreement. She couldn't stop her lips from curling up into a smirk. "Because I might replace one of you."

Her confidence annoyed Koyama. He bared his crooked teeth and glared at her. "Might is the keyword. Don't forget that we too are going to be taking the exam. The stakes are high for someone li—

"Koyama … chill out. You're letting her get the best of you," Tomoya Seo claimed, setting his hand onto the disgruntled teen's shoulder.

Asano narrowed his eyes. All this foolish razzing was giving him a headache. Had he known that Yukie would go and make a spectacle out of this, he wouldn't have brought her in front of the Virtuosos. She obviously knew what she was doing, riling them up. It made him value her more, but he also couldn't allow this to continue.

"Leave us. I want to speak with Sarugaki alone," Asano said. He gave a confident look to his four allies, pleased when they got up and left without so much as a word.

Alone with her, Asano sat back in his seat and stared at her; Yukie was an alluring girl, unmistakably, but her attitude was in need of some fine tuning. He understood where it spawned from, though. "You were close friends with Karma Akabane at one time, were you not?"

Yukie frowned and silently nodded. She didn't understand where this was going.

"How close?"

"If you're asking if we've dated, then no. Karma and I just shared common interests," she clarified. "Besides, we've had a falling out since his suspension." Yukie opted to mention that she'd been in contact with him a short time ago. Honestly, the student council president didn't need to be made aware of this information.

Asano smirked, "Then you weren't aware that his suspension was revoked? He was dropped to E-Class this semester. A waste, don't you think?"

"I wasn't aware," she lied. Sure, it was a waste. Karma was extremely smart; even more than Asano gave him credit for. He just slacked for the sake of it. "But honestly … what does this have to do with Karma?"

"Nothing really. I was merely curious," Asano said. He was lying, of course. Faking a smile, he stood up and made a b-line for the desk Yukie was sitting in.

She suppressed the urge to lean back into him as Asano laid his hands on her shoulders. He was so close, hovering just over the back on her chair.

"Don't you understand the severity of all this? Being a Virtuoso holds a lot of power in this school; the respect and recognition you've been seeking. I don't want to see you tarnish it because of your mouth – a defensive mechanism you clearly learned from Akabane." Asano leaned into her, whispering into her ear. "For me, Yukie, buckle down and do your best."

Yukie was speechless. She felt as if Asano already knew so much about her; her ambitions and her dreams. Something about him terrified her. Like it or not, he was exactly like his father when it came to intimidation tactics. This made her wary of her feelings. Could she trust herself around Asano?

Speaking of Asano, he had moved himself to the front of the desk, staring at her with a content smirk on his face. He knew he had convinced Yukie to push herself beyond her limits. Frankly, he thought she had no chance in hell to become a member of the Big Five, but making her believe that she did benefited his plans.

"It was nice talking to you, and I know you have a lot to ponder over, so take your time and consider my offer. I'll see the response to that offer after the exam," Asano recited. He sounded almost like a robot; almost like he'd done this hundreds of times before.

Yukie wanted nothing more than to get away from him. She stood up and bowed, then left the classroom without so much as a peep. Moving hastily down the empty hallway, she felt uneasy and vulnerable. Yukie wanted to vent about it, but her friends were pro Asano, so the biased teen couldn't trust them to console her. She honestly needed someone who would listen and give her advice if she asked for it.

Karma came to mind. But she didn't know if he'd agree to meet with her again. His advice was always crystal clear; always expressive, even when she didn't want to hear it. Yukie, of course, tried to convince herself that Karma was a terrible source of company, but something about him made her feel confident. She figured to hell with it,and fished her cell phone from her pocket.

His contact had been long since removed, but Yukie still remembered it – all those times she called him during his suspension; times he never answered. She wrote out a quick message and hit send, reading over it just in case it sounded too urgent.

It's Yukie. I was wondering if you'd call me later tonight. You won't guess the kind of day I had.

Content, she put away her phone and marched back to the cafeteria to finish lunch. All that was left to do was wait.

Karma chuckled over the line, making Yukie smile. "Did he now? I'm flattered … had no idea that the big cheese had such a crush on me."

"He claims it was mere curiosity, but you may be right. Someone like him doesn't seem the type to concern himself with someone he doesn't consider at his level," Yukie retorted. She rather enjoyed hearing Karma razz on Asano – the self-centered teen unquestionably deserved it after being the first to bring Karma up when he had no business being mentioned in the conversation. "Asano is a textbook kamidere. He has a god complex, but he's also very much in love with you."

"Or in love with you," Karma stated.

This made Yukie snort. She was happy that Karma couldn't see her face; it felt warm. "Don't try and change this around on me."

"Hear me out. You said he asked to speak with you alone, then proceeded to ask about me. I agree that he's not someone who puts himself on the level of those below him, but the fact he spoke to you alone means that he likes you," Karma mentioned. He honestly loved to rile her up. The fact that she was probably red in the face right now made him smirk in triumph.

"I doubt that," Yukie huffed. She'd done explained to him that the only reason Asano had any interest in her was because of her rank. It was nothing more than this. Yet, sometimes she hoped for it to be.

" … earth to Yukie. I asked you a question."

The annoyed teen glared and laid back on her bed. It was about time for her to call it a night; they had school in the morning. She'd been on the phone with Karma since after dinner, and so far, all he did was crack jokes at her.

"Sorry … miles away."

"Want my honest opinion?"

She did, but not at the expense of her feelings. "If you answer sincerely, then by all means."

Karma couldn't quell his amusement. "Clearly I'm not going to do that without a small act of kindness from you first."

Yukie was flabbergasted for a second, which was a silly thing, considering she knew Karma would offer his opinion for a price. There was always a motive to his madness. She knew better than to indulge him, but she honestly wanted to know what he thought. Agreeing, she dreaded what he had in mind.

"That's the spirit," he chirped. "Meet up with me at Taito Station this Saturday. I have a little game I've been wanting to play."

"Is this a low key way of asking me out on a date?"

Karma laughed again. "Nothing gets passed you does it? In that case, wear something girly for me. It's essential for what I have planned."

Her face burned in mortification. Yukie had no idea what he was getting her into, but she agreed regardless. She had just the ensemble in her arsenal – the skirt and blouse that Hiromi gave her. Settling on a time, she ended the call and rolled on to her side with a frustrated huff.

Whether it be Asano or Karma, both had a way of making her feel vulnerable and embarrassed. To each, manipulation was second nature – they used their gift of silver tongue to keep her compelled. It sounded much worse when she thought about it, but honestly Yukie didn't mind.

She liked having someone covet her. With two possible routes – happiness or devastation – she just hoped that her heart was ready for whatever came next.