After a long and eventful winter break, finally school is back in session for inhabitants of Inkopolis. At Squid Academy, many students were already heading to their classes despite being hours early, most of them looking to share their experiences and stories of what they did over the winter with one another. Seniors drove into the school parking lot-well, those that lived off campus at least, many others were dressed in their winter garments thanks to the wintry weather still present despite the snow melting subtly over the last couple of days. Azule, Cobalt, and Reice leave their dorm together with Cobalt standing in between the other two boys. It's an awkward feeling for Cobalt, since he genuinely like Reice quite a lot and although he didn't approve of his meddling, he felt somewhat sorry that things turned out this way. All three of them don't attempt to make a conversation, since it was too cold outside and the thought of expending even more energy to absorb the cold didn't quite sit well with them. Arriving at the main building a dozen minutes later, the warmth from the heaters punch them in the face as they enter in, taking off their garments and placing them in their lockers. Since it was still cold out, they were wearing their winter uniforms of the black jackets with cream white vests and grey slacks.
Noisy and lively, the excitement heard throughout the halls was overwhelming with the indistinct chatter filled with cheer and enthusiasm. Despite it being early in the morning, everyone seemed fully awake and ready. Perhaps the excitement of a new year? Walking past the giant board where the student rankings were displayed they learned what all the fuss was about. Shuffling through the crowd the trio of boys stopped to check where they landed for their winter exams Azule and Cobalt both seemed satisfied with their ranks, being at 26 and 29 respectively. Reice however, turned pale like a ghost-feeling his soul escape him as he peeked at his score.
"N-ninety third!?" He gasped, crashing to the floor. "Sally's...going to kill me."
After taking a look at where Sally ranked, Cobalt closed his eyes and nodded in agreement. "She's in the top twenty. She's definitely going to kill you once she finds out you're not even higher than fifty…"
Azule shrugged his shoulders with the least of care, "Who knows, maybe she'll go easy on you. At least you made it into the first hundred, right?"
Taking a look at the senior rankings of the third years class, Cobalt also comments on Azule's progress, "Your sister is going to kill you as well, captain. She's ranked at third in her grade…You know how she feels about your education."
Darkness swirled around Azule as a strike of lightning shot through his mind, fear enveloping him in response to the stunning news. Breaking out in a cold sweat, his face turned purple and his forehead black, "W-what…? S-she's in the top three…?" He stuttered leaning forward with widened eyes, breaking into a cold sweat as an image of his sister's evil side materialized in his mind. Already he could see her fangs bared with a ravenous smirk ready to snap at his neck for missing the top 25. Petrified by what punishment she'd give him he began breathing heavily to the point where his chest bulge out from the intake of air. Exhaling calmly, he relaxed and closed his eye to think of a plan to avoid his sister for the day-the week even.
Cobalt nodded in response to the teeth chattering Azule. Azule's eyes rolled back in horror, realizing what would be in store for him the next time he saw his sister who surely will learn about the class rankings.
"Ok, Hopefully we don't run into her. I don't think I cou-"
"Good morning everyone!" Sky said, sneaking behind her brother; Azule shrieks in horror, running away immediately with his hands in the air. Dashing away like a madman, refusing to look behind, he screamed in horror while saying the same words over and over again.
Sky had an appalled expression in response to her brother's capability of reaching a pitch so high in his tone. Watching him run away, she crosses her arms and turns her attention to his friends for a possible answer on what was up with her brother. Many of the students nearby already had their eyes on her with everyone surprised by her new haircut. Some people passed by and complimented her while others were genuinely frozen from utter shock and infatuation. Wearing her uniform with her blazer unbuttoned, it showed off her feminine features more with her bust appearing bigger than before, her shiny legs giving off a glow despite wearing medium length black socks, and her hair seemed a lot lighter in the way it swished.
"Morning, Sky." Cobalt said with a respectful bow, suppressing his biological urges. For him, Tangie was the only girl in his eyes but even Sky's mature beauty proved a challenge for even him to resist.
"M-morning…" Reice also bowed, already feeling the same effects most of the others nearby felt. The overwhelming pressure of natural beauty made the air feel light.
Becoming self conscious of the stare and gazes in her direction, she begins to blush, "D-does it look bad…?" she said with downcast eyes, her cheeks red as she put her arms behind her back. Both the boys melted on the inside, struggling to take their eyes off of her.
S-s-s-so cute! Both of them thought with blushed cheeks, trying their best to remember that Sky was their captain's older sister and taken with someone already. She was off limits by all means necessary, but her beauty still served as an ambush.
"No. You look quite nice with short hair…" Cobalt said solemnly, trying his best to stay strong, but even his voice didn't sound as calm and sincere as usual; Sky was satisfied with the response however, feeling better thanks to a compliment from a trustworthy friend that she knew was "strong" enough to never fall under her curse of infatuation.
"Thanks, Cobalt. I wanted to see what Azule thought, but then he ran off hysterically…" tilting her head to the side with wonder, she tried guess why he ran away like that.
"A-ah, we should probably get going. Our classes…" Reice nudged Cobalt, who in-turn agreed. "W-we'll see you later, Sky!" Cobalt added, both of them making their escape before she could look at the ranking board.
Watching them leave, Sky crosses her arms with a slight chuckle finding their behavior adorable. She thought they were in a hurry because of classes, but when she turned her attention to the class ranks, she knew the entire truth almost immediately-narrowing her eyes to see the rankings. Seeing her name at third place already irritated her since she had slacked off and dropped from first, but it was the first years ranking board that sent her blood boiling. Not seeing Azule's name in the top twenty five, which was the goal she set for him during one of the weekends they spent together, sent her eyes hot with static. Clenching her hand into a fist and raising her chin, she had veins protruding from both her fist and her forehead as her eyes went white with rage; all the other upperclassmen nearby cowered in fear, knowing that when the Queen got angry, there was going to be a victim.
"I'm...I'm…"-Shaking her head in disappointment, she grits her teeth, narrows her eyes, and raises her eyebrows-"I'm going to dropkick that boy the next time I see him!" She said in a demonic tone, her smiling face resembling the mask of a demon as she turned around to give the nearby students a glimpse of her terrifying smile; the nearby students froze with fear.
Running away, Azule felt an unbearable shiver down his spine. Knowing very well he was dead meat the next time he saw his sister. Nearly crashing into some oncoming traffic, Azule swerves into his homeroom and crashes to the floor-face first. The other students in the room are puzzled and slightly concerned by his sudden entrance, but no one got to him fast enough to help him up since he springed up and did a pose as though he was a gymnast sticking the landing. Everyone looked at him as though there was something wrong with him.
"Azule…?"
"..."
Looking over to his left, his sight on the right rear corner where he usually sat were five familiar colors. Fuchsia, Tangie, Sally, and Kosami welcome him with a morning greet, while Violet sat at her desk, unresponsive with dulled eyes. Tangie couldn't contain her laughter after watching Azule's folly, holding her arms around her gut and guffawing to the point she nearly fell over, with Sally trying to remain composed while also holding back laughter from seeing Azule in an unusually clumsy moment. Violet turns her gaze elsewhere once she spots him closing the distance between them, preferring to avoid eye contact with Azule. Shifting her feet and clutching her right arm, she casts her eyes downwards as her captain makes his way over.
"Yo captain!" Tangie said cheerfully with a two finger salute, imitating her beloved Cobalt.
Azule nodded, "Morning Tangie, Ready for this semester?"
Tangie's sunshine immediately vanished as she fell to her knees in shame, "A-about that…"
"Tangie's got a lot of work to do for this semester. She saw her recent grades and I don't approve…" Sally interjected walking over to the duo and placing her hands at her hips.
"I'm planning to tutor Tangie. Kosami also wants to help out." Fuchsia added, joining in the conversation.
"Ah, really? Wow Tangie...I'm rooting for you!"
Tangie shuddered, "N-no...I just wasn't being serious is all…" she said trying to wave away her failures.
Just at that moment, the other students arrived. Filing in like working people on the subway, their feet clattering on the hardwood as everyone took to their seats. Cobalt and Reice arrive a moment later to greet their friends; Tangie overwhelms Cobalt with a strong hug, leaping in the air as though she hadn't seen him in ages. Their homeroom teacher came in moments later, waiting at his desk for the morning bell to ring. Todd enters the room afterwards, the atmosphere changing completely as the future pride of the school made his presence known before taking a seat. Indistinct chatter fills the room until the morning bell, in which Mr. Asuka addressed the plans for the new year. Referencing what happened over the break regarding grades and showing the students a ray of hope for the upcoming Rank Wars after seeing the mood in the classroom turn gloomy after bringing up the defeat in the recent finals. But after viewing the entire room and seeing light in the eyes of two particular students, he knew that the future was bright. The rest of Homeroom proceeded as schedule with the class beginning their usual studies and lectures. Once the first period was over it was on the next class…
"Whew, I nearly forgot how long these classes can be!" Azule sighed with exhaustion. Along with Cobalt, Tangie, and Kosami, they enjoyed their lunch together. They'd been sharing their stories about how their first day back went.
"I'm surprised they still allow us on the rooftops to each lunch..." Tangie responded.
"I guess that's one of the perks to going to a special school like here." Cobalt said, taking a bite into a pastry. "Mmmm...so schweet!~" he said with his mouth full of the doughy food with a hint of fruity jelly.
"Ughhh I need a job." Azule groaned belching and hiccuping right afterwards.
Cobalt's eyebrows raised with surprise, "Were you not satisfied with that job you did with Kosami…?"
Kosami shook her head, "It worked out well for me, but Azule isn't a big fan of doing retail." she grinned warmly and a slight laugh remembering some of the clumsy moments Azule had while working. Azule puffed his cheeks and crossed his arms, his face beet red with embarrassment.
"Well excuuuuuuuse me for not being cut out for doing customer service. The numbers we had were crazy. And what was worse, because you did such a great job on the days we came, Jelfonzo desperately tried to hire us full time."
"W-well…" Kosami closed her eyes, forcing a smirk. "We make a good team…?" she shrugged in a shrunken voice.
"No need to try and force it Kosami, be proud of your talents. Polish them, and soon you could run that store in a no time." Cobalt said optimistically, looking to spark a sense of motivation for his friend.
Forcing another smile because her passion still lied with technology "Thanks Cobalt...I'll do my by best."
"Oh!" Tangie shouted out of nowhere, slamming her fist on the palm of her other hand. "Azule, try doing some Salmon Run!"
The pair of blue haired boys and teal haired girl stare at her with slight confusion and wonder, "Salmon...Run?" all three of them say together, each of them making a sour expression.
"Yeah!" Tangie said holding up her right index finger, "I remember reading about it in an add on my news app that said they were hiring for part time. Apparently they'll reward you with gear and other bonuses the longer you work."
"Exactly what do I have to do?" Azule inquired while nodding his head in acceptance to the current description given.
"Er-collect eggs? Doesn't specify much what you'll be doing."
"Hmm." Cobalt hummed while chewing chuckling a little at the possibilities of what Azule might have to do. "Seems as though it'd be a surprise what you find yourself doing there."
Azule had a skeptical expression while thinking over whether to try out this shady job while also genuinely curious. Now that he didn't have to do transporter runs for Spyke his time should be spent doing other things. However, he wanted to do more than just turf wars. So, the temptations of signing up for Salmon Run were rather substantial-adding in the bonuses he'd make and the main reward being a free clothing item. There wasn't any real flaw to this move…
"I'll do it." He said with a greedy smirk, hungry for a new experience.
"If you want, I can come along, captain." Cobalt insisted, secretly wanting to come along personally to see the job for himself.
Tangie frowned, seeing both of them already making plans without her as they picked a day to go and visit, deciding to go the day after tomorrow. "Wha-hey! I'm going, too! I'm the one who told him about it." she said in a spiteful tone, hissing at the boys for planning to go without her.
"I guess I can stop by since I'll probably do a shift at the galleria…" Kosami muttered under the commotion of the trio, entertained by their childish quarrels.
The rest of the day went by smoothly for the students, although many were assigned homework despite it being the first day back from break. The evening remained uneventful for the most part for those in Squidcom. After class, Reice went straight home to catch some shut eye after an exhausting first day with his classes. Violet went to a library to go and study, even though it was the first day she was already thinking weeks ahead and wanted to get another head start; she became even more studious than before, dedicating chunks to gaining new knowledge. Sally spent her evening with Tangie, both of them going sightseeing into the city. Kosami stayed in her dorm, working on some freelance work on her laptop while streaming some funny videos on her monitor. As for Azule and Cobalt…
The medium length cut grass sways calmly as a rough wind blows over as though a god was doing it themselves. The mellow light reflected from the moon shines pleasantly down below adding a fresh element of scenery to the field. Laying down looking at the stars surrounded by flowers of different types were the two boys. Philosophically discussing about life, death, friendship, and the future. It was a magical destiny they had in being reunited and forging a strong bond. The two friends who once spent their days of youth in a disgusting shelter with musty humid air, nasty floors, and barely any sunlight were now under the fresh illumination of the moonlight taking in the delicious breeze that tickled their heads. One had already gotten past his demon of the past having killed the demon itself, for the other, their battle against their demons of the past was just about to begin…
"Wow…" Azule muttered wide eyed, mesmerized by the way fate worked. Listening to Cobalt recall their history together shocked him to the core. It felt like it was destiny that everything has happened up until this point. Azule couldn't help but laugh in response, happy and thankful that this life was continuing, although he knew it wouldn't last very long.
Cobalt narrowed his eyes, curling his lips upward in response to Azule's beaming expression. He felt a warm sensation in his chest, placing his hand there. Smiling, he wondered if this was the feelings that brothers had when they shared a laugh together. His lips trembling, overjoyed at the deep feelings he couldn't describe. Patting Azule on the back, he tried to hint at Azule at the greater purpose of the message, "Would you call me insane if I felt that the connection between us was on the same level as that shared between brothers?"
But Azule didn't hear his question clearly since he was dazzled by the flashy marshes surrounding them with some of the flowers reflecting the moonlight, Azule couldn't help but see his mind wander from sight to sight. "Cobalt, how did you even discover a place like this…?" he said still unaware of the question.
"Hm? You mean this arboretum park? I discovered it during one of my patrols through the city. Quite the wonderful view, eh captain?"
"Yeah...hey, why do you call me captain all the time now?"
It took him a few seconds to gather a response, but after replaying the question in his head, his head turned red like a tomato. "Was it that obvious…?"
"Yeah…" Azule smiled while scratching the side of his face with a chuckle.
"Well truth be told, I've become very fond of you. I know it may not seem like much but there are some feats you've pulled off that I can't fathom anyone else doing. You've overcome so much and you're still so young. You've brought everyone together; people of diverse backgrounds and ethnicities and you've made them into a tight unit. You're a true leader, and it is because of that that I must address you with a title fitting of your stature." he said in a solemn tone with fondness expressed at certain parts, he couldn't help but smile a little as he delivered his reason.
"Cobalt…" Azule's cheeks flushed red, remembering the brotherly moments they had when they were younger. "I feel like this has been done before somewhere between us. Either way my feelings haven't changed either. You're like the brother I never had-er, although I technically do have a brother per say…"
Cobalt laughed, "I said that earlier, but you didn't hear me, hahaha."
"Oh...my bad." He waved his hand. Looking up at the sky, Azule's mind turned to the future for Cobalt and his family selection. "Say Cobalt, any updates on your selection thingy?"
Cobalt nodded, "After getting a bunch of scrolls from my uncle. It appears I'll be leaving quite sooner than expected, more than likely I'll leave next week."
"Next week!?"
"Yes. I must leave for next week. Some-changes…have been made to the format for the selection so I'll be leaving as soon as possible. Because of this, I want to change my previous deal between us. About keeping this a secret from everyone."
Tilting his head with wonder, "So should I tell them everything?"
"No. Instead just tell them I won't be returning for a bit due to some family matters. But, make sure Tangie doesn't ever find out. Lie to her if you have to."
Azule felt a little worried seeing Cobalt try to be so secretive-especially with Tangie, "Are you sure about lying to her? You do know that she loves like crazy, right? The moment you're gone she's going to fret."
Cobalt gave tiny smile at the thought of Tangie and the way she acted towards him, "I'm aware of the relationship between me and Tangelina Citra."-his smile fades- "It is because of that same relationship that I cannot allow her to ever see the side that I'm about to show at this selection. I made a promise to myself that I'd never let her see that side again…"
"Understood."-Burying his hands under the patches of flowers and pushing up his shoulders in a shrug- "Are you sure you'll be back soon?"
Cobalt's eyes trembled at the question. He had no idea if he we would win, nor did he think he might even make it out alive...but nonetheless he turns to his captain and gives him a look filled with confidence, "I'll never lose as long as I'm a member of the team. It took a while, but I'm a samurai again…"
"Hmm? Weren't you a samurai to begin with?"
Cobalt laughed a little, "Of course, a samurai always will be a samurai once he has something he needs to protect."
"Well, I hope to continue seeing that samurai be happy. I'll look forward to your return…" Azule laughs rubbing a finger under his nose, "Looks like we should try sparring again when you come back. Wasn't our score tied?"
"No. I won every match, captain." Cobalt smirked, crossing his arms.
"Bah!" Azule stuck his tongue out making a face at his comrade.
Both laugh together, neither of them realizing that what lied for them in the near future would produce a completely different result. Looking up at the moonlight, they both felt the brotherly bond between them deepen as they exchanged a strong handshake. Elsewhere under that same moonlight sat Sky on the rooftop of a building overlooking the Inkopolis skyline. Dressed in her Agent attire and sitting with one leg crossed over the other, her trusty weapon by her side-she patiently awaits the arrival of somebody. The person of interest she waited for wasn't anyone that's been seen up until this point and even has greater secrecy than Agent 3 herself...A fellow agent was on her way back to Inkopolis after being absent for many years during her missions elsewhere...
