The sun beamed down on the area. Theo happily hummed to himself as he walked underneath it, reading his book as he did so. Coming into school once more, he hoped to see Koneko again. Perhaps this time he wouldn't run away. Well he knew he probably would but at least he'd get to see her. He couldn't help but let a giddy smile broke across his face as he thought about her. She was just so cute~

So cute he could just imagine her as a princess of a kingdom. Wearing the brightest of whites as she waited for her hero to come. He could see it now. Perhaps she was a healer? Hmmm, now that he thought about it. A cute little healer princess could be a great reference for his next work. Maybe he'd paint this one. There were a few color sets he could try. Hmm, better to stick with drawing it out instead. He was more familiar with that method.

So engrossed in his book, and his future drawing, that he didn't notice three forms in front of him. He bumped into one. Since he was sort of taller than everyone else there, the other guy bounces slightly off of him. Theo blinked and looked away from his book. HIs eyes widened, "I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention."

"Bastard," the student scowled, "You think you're so good that you don't even have to watch where you're going."

Theo frowned, "I'm sorry. I-"

"Don't give us that rubbish," the student took a step forward. Theo took a step back in response. The other two spread out, keeping a triangle formation around him. "We've got it hard here. The girls are so uptight and all of them want the pretty boys."

"No respect for us," another snorted as he punched a fist into a palm.

The leader of the trio, if he had to guess, snarled. "We've been here two years and not one bit of tit to show for it. Then you come along and talk with Kiyome and Koneko? You are just a rotten, greedy bastard."

Theo hesitantly looked around at the trio. They were smaller than him and probably weaker. Yet he couldn't help but feel scared. He wasn't much of a fighter. Well he had never fought anyone. That was the problem. He just didn't like hurting people. "I didn't mean to do anything. I just-"

Theo let out a yelp as he was pushed down to the ground. Another one of them kicked his shin, causing him to give a grunt of pain.

"Shut up, foreigner." The kicker scowled down at him, "Learn your place."

The leader grabbed Theo's book from his hand and looked it over, "What are you? A dino nerd? Pathetic. How could any girl like you?"

"He's even got art books," one chuckled, "Think he's trying to be a Vanchi?"

"It's Da Vinci," Theo hesitantly corrected.

"Whatever," he snorted. "Sounds like a weak name. Probably fits you though."

"He's right. You are weak. Weak."

'Please shut up. Please shut up.' Theo mentally whimpered. He held out his hand, "Give that back."

"Awww," the leader snickered, "Aren't you precious? I thought you Greeks loved fighting."

"I'm Italian."

"Same thing," the leader shrugged. "All you Europeans look the same to me. Still, how am I going to teach you a lesson?"

Theo's eyes widened as his body trembled. Fear started to catch onto him like a vice.

"Do something! Do something! Kill. Maim."

'I… I want my book back but….' He was outnumbered. He could do something. He could stand and fight. That was what he should do. His mother told him as such. His sister even had a bigger backbone then he did. He could push these guys around. Probably.

But he didn't. He just lay there numbly with his hand outstretched.

And he couldn't be more sick of himself if he tried.

'He's going to cry," another one of them said.

"Let's see how much he cries when I rip this thing to shreds," the leader grinned as he prepared to do just that to the paperback book.

Just as Theo's heart ached as he began to scream, a ball struck the leader's face. He fell backwards from the strike. The other two were stunned. So stunned that they didn't have time to react when a boy came sliding on the ground like a baseball player and smacked his sliding foot into another's leg, sending him to the ground. The boy rolled and grabbed the ball and threw it, smacking the third one in the head.

"Now that's what I call a strike!" The boy grinned as he stood up.

"That's the wrong term, you idiot." The leader held his bruised forehead, "You know what? Take the damn foreigner, Pervert King. With you around him, no girl in their right mind will want him."

"Oi," the boy shook his hand. "That's Harem King to you and look who's talking? At least I'm honest about being a pervert and I don't go beating people up."

"Yeah, yeah." The boys scowled and walked off, "You'll regret this Hyoudou!"

The boy rolled his eyes before grinning, "Shoot, I didn't think that'd actually work. Baseball practice really paid off." He turned and looked at Theo, leaning down, he lent his hand. "You okay?"

"Y-Yeah," the moment he took it, a fiery sensation ran through him. It was almost like he got angry and he couldn't think of a reason why. This guy saved him after all. He stood up, "Thank you."

"No problem, buddy." The boy picked up his book and handed it over, "I might not be fond of pretty boys, but I'm not going to let some jackasses beat up an innocent guy over it."

Theo nodded, "Well thanks."

"Kind of surprised that you didn't just push them around," the boy frowned. "You're kind of big after all."

Theo hung his head down, "I'm… not exactly that… good at fighting and stuff."

"Same," the boy huffed. "I just got lucky today. Thankfully I took a few baseball lessons to pick up chicks."

Theo quirked an eyebrow. Perhaps this person had a few ideas on how to get closer to people, especially cute girls. "Did it work?"

The boy's ability to hang his head in disappointment was impressive, "No. They even kicked me out of the club."

"Then why do you have a baseball with you?"

"Oh I was peaking on them and they threw it," the boy grinned. "Caught one of them on the way out of there."

Theo frowned as he tried to process that, "You were… peeking on them?"

"I am a man of culture," the boy thumped his chest. "To stare at boobs is my calling. I shan't shy away from it."

'I guess mom was right about guys being lecherous,' Theo thought, 'But he did save me.'

"I'm Issei Hyoudou by the way," the boy lent out his hand.

"Theo Olympus," he took the hand.

"So," Issei said after the handshake. He looked around, "Sucks there weren't any cute girls to see that."

'Kinda glad there weren't any cute girls to see that,' Theo inwardly sighed. Then he realized he was talking with someone he didn't know. Savior or not, he didn't know what to say or do.

"So," Issei clapped his hands together, "I'll be seeing you. Perhaps we'll bump into each other."

"Yeah…." Theo lowered his gaze to the ground. He was happy he made it but… He was pathetic. He couldn't do anything about those people. He had to be saved.

Again.

His hands tightened, 'Why am I so weak?'

Theo groaned as he wandered the campus. He was not lost. He just… didn't know where he was. Okay, so he was lost. He accidentally left his map at home and wasn't sure on where to go now. Thankfully it was between classes or something so he wouldn't be marked absent. He mentally kicked himself for his poor sense of direction.

That's when he spied Issei. He was standing next to a wall with two other guys. One was a big balding kid and the other was a smaller glass wearing kid. He smiled.

'Ah Issei,' he walked over. 'He'll help me out.'

Then he paused. What if Issei was in the middle of something? Would he hate him for interrupting? Was he a bad person for asking? Stupid? Maybe. Ugh, why was this so hard. He took a deep breath and pushed on. He would talk to someone, damnit.

"Issei!" Theo waved at him with a beaming smile.

Issei perked up his head before waving back, "Hey Theo. How've you been?"

"Oh you know… lost." Theo grumbled, scuffing the ground with a foot.

"Well this is the best place to get lost," The bald one gave a thumb's up.

"Oh indeed," the glasses one quirked his glasses. "The perfect spot to gaze upon a bright and happy future awaiting us."

"Course we only share it with friends," the bald one crossed his arms. "So you can leave."

Theo frowned and turned, "Okay…" It hurt a bit to hear that. Then again, he was a bit of a downer. It was best they just let him go.

"Hey," Issei spoke up and walked over to his side. "Theo. Do you have any friends here?" Theo shook his head, "Then I'll be your friend, how's that?"

Theo's eyes widened, "You'll… you'll be my friend?"

Issei grinned and nodded, "Yep. Everyone needs them so I think it's better if you hang out with us."

"This could work," glasses kid stroked his chin. "His popularity could draw girls to us like a moth to a flame."

"You'll... " Theo sniffed as his eyes started to water. "You'll be my friend?"

"As long as boobs are in my heart, I will be your friend if that's what it takes." Issei put a hand over his heart, "And that's a promise."

Theo pulled Issei into a hug, taking him off the ground a bit. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

"Let go, please." Issei said through clenched teeth, "Squeezing me."

"Sorry," Theo dropped him on his ass, "Sorry."

"No problem," Issei stood up, "Now since we're friends. I want to know how much of a man you are."

Theo wanted to question what he was going to say after that, but he didn't want to ruin his first friend in Japan. "And how do I do that?"

Theo hesitated. It was true, it had been years since he interacted with people outside of his mom and sister more than a few moments, but he wasn't sure if this was how you became a man. Then again, he never really had any guy pals or father figures to understand what it meant to be a man. Perhaps this was how. Still, he was going to go through with this. Even if he was left damaged. He was going to be a man and make his mother proud.

He knocked on the door. After a moment, a pretty girl with pinkish hair opened the door to the women's changing area. "Ummm, what are you doing here?"

Theo opened and closed his mouth a few times as he realized what he was going to ask, 'Keep it together. Keep it together.'

The girl quirked an eyebrow, "Are you lost or something?"

Theo bowed swiftly, "I WANT TO SEE YOU NAKED! PLEASE DO THAT!"

The girl blinked a few times as she stared at him, "I…" She was having a bit of trouble processing his request, "Well at least you're honest." She sighed and pinched her nose, "Did someone put you up to this?"

Theo gulped as he realized he may have just done something wrong, "Well… Issei said-"

"And there we see the problem," the girl deadpanned. She held her hands together, "Why don't you stop listening to him, okay?"

"But he's my friend."

"But didn't your mother tell you that peeking was wrong?"

"Nope."

The girl just stared at him for a moment, "What?"

/"Remember Theo," Arisa stared up at her son. "Most men are lechers and will do anything to stare at women, including peek on them in the nude. They are disgusting monsters."

"Am I a disgusting monster?"

"No, you are my special boy~" She hugged him tightly, "You're better than all of those bastards. So that's why any girl would be lucky if you took a peek. In fact, do so. I want my son to have the best looking girls to give me grandchildren. Why, I'd love it if you took a peek of me when-"

"This conversation is over."/

The girl blinked in astonishment, "Your mother is weird."

"Yep," Theo deadpanned.

And then Kiyome walked out into view, "Is something-Oh hey Theo."

Theo noted that she was only wearing her skirt and a really thin bra.

He fell to the ground in a blushing mess.

"Oh my~" Kiyome raised her leg as she held her cheeks, "I really do have that effect on people~"

Theo thankfully found another map after that incident. His face was still blushing as he tried and failed to shake away thoughts of Kiyome wearing only a bra. It didn't help that she had an impressive bust. Not the biggest he'd seen, but still very impressive.

He shook his head. Now was not the time for that. He shakily went to the usual place he ate and found Koneko there reading a book. He gulped as he walked over. He stood there, a few feet from her, for a moment before she lowered it.

"Yes?"

"Chocolate Raisins!" He bowed and held out his hand with a small yellow box of the stuff.

Koneko stared at him for a moment. Then she tentatively took the box, "I've never had that before."

Theo blushed deeper than when he had with Kiyome, "They are… They are very good, you know? Raisins with chocolate."

'Dumb! I sound dumb!'

Koneko stared at him for a moment before nodding, "Thank you."

Theo let out a happy squeal before rushing back over to his tree. He didn't have the courage to sit with her but he was happy to look at her contented face.

'One day I shall sit with her. I swear it. By the end of this school year that will happen.'

He pulled out a small notepad and a pen. Theo really wanted to capture that smile. His pen started to move, taking in every aspect of it. He hoped he could make it as cute as she was.