"Have a good day!" Caboose calls out as Kouta, Yuka, and Kaede leave for the school.
"Geez, Caboose. Not so loud." Tucker rubs where his ears would be on his helmet.
"Thank you Caboose, we'll be going now." Yuka calls back as the group leaves. 'Finally, a bit of normalcy and time with Kouta.' Although that time wouldn't last, since once Kaede was done with her entrance exams, she would likely join up with them. Better enjoy it while it lasts.
"Uh, Yuka? You wouldn't happen to have a map of the school?" Kouta asks.
"I do actually, why?" Yuka asks.
"Kaede's going to need someway to get around and you know the way right? I figure I'll just stick by you as she goes for her exam." Kouta explains.
"Yeah. Here, Kaede." Yuka reaches in her bag and produces the map, which she hands to Kaede.
"Thanks Yuka. Geez, I've never been to a traditional school in eight years. I wonder if I'll come across as weird or something." Kaede muses.
"I'm sure everything will be fine. This shouldn't be too different from homeschooling, right?" Kouta asks.
"With her family, I'm sure it'll be different." Yuka absentmindedly says.
"Yuka!" Kouta scolds at her insensitive comment.
"No, she's right. I'm pretty sure the teachers don't regularly argue with each other for hours on end about whats actually factual and whats bullshit." Kaede laughs.
"They did?!" Kouta exclaims.
"Yeah. Church, Tucker, and Caboose went at it for 4 hours straight one time." Kaede adds.
"Who's Church?" Her two companions ask.
"Oh yeah, I forgot to introduce you to him. Strange he hasn't spoke in the time we've been with you. He's usually the loudest put of everyone." Kaede says.
"You introduced everyone that was there. Was one of them just invisible?" Yuka asks.
"In a way, Yes. But also no. Its better just to show you as I explain. I'll do that when we get back to the inn." Kaede explains.
Meanwhile, Donut stood in the Maple Inns entrance looking the place over.
"Oh geez. What are you doing?" Simmons asks once he enters.
"Hmm, I'm just thinking." Donut says.
"Thinking about..." Simmons prompts.
"Redecorating this place before Kouta gets back." Donut says.
"I had to ask." Simmons mutters to himself. "Do you think he would want that?" Simmons asks.
"What do you mean?" Donut questions.
"Well... some people have different tastes. Very different... especially concerning you." Simmons haphazardly explains.
"So...?" Donut asks.
"Don't you think you should at least make plans with him first?" Simmons asks.
"Oh! Right! How unthoughtful of me." Donut exclaims. "Thanks Simmons. I'm gonna go make a tone of plans to show Kouta." Just then, there is a timid knock on the door. Donut is the first to open it.
"Uh, hello." The girl on the other side, Mayu nervously answers. "I found this music box and the houses name is on the bottom." She then notices who is on the other side of the door. "Oh! You're those soldiers from earlier."
"Yeah! Nice to see you again!" Donut agrees.
"How'd you know to bring that here?" Simmons asks, referring to the music box.
"Uh, it had the name of this house on the bottom." Mayu shows them what she is referring to.
"Wait, this place is Kaede house?" Simmons questions.
"Didn't Yuka day this was Maple Inn?" Donut brings up.
"Kaede means Maple." Mayu supplies.
"Oh..." Simmons stops.
"That's a pretty funny coincidence." Donut adds. "I wonder if anyone else has realized." Donut is interrupted by the sound of Mayu's stomach grumbling.
"Sorry! You didn't hear that!" Mayu exclaims.
"It's quite alright." Donut smiles. "How about you come inside and I make you some lunch. It's the least I could do for someone who's returned lost property."
"At this rate, Kouta's gonna run out of food in no time." Simmons quietly grumbles. "I better go make sure Grif is still asleep."
"No no, I- I couldn't do that." Mayu says as Simmons leaves. "No, I insist. It's a pleasure to cook for someone else."
"Well... Okay... since you offered." Mayu says before quietly stepping into the house.
Meanwhile, at the college, science class was about to get started. Yuka and Kouta sat together as they waited for the professor to arrive.
"Hey, guys!" The two year. They turn to see Kaede quickly take a seat beside Kouta.
"How was it?" The boy asks.
"It went well. Simmons prepared me well." Kaede says.
"That's good. I thought you would have had a harder time considering your teachers are a bit weird. No offence." Kouta says.
"Yeah, they are weird." Kaede agrees.
"Speaking of weird, we should be extra aware. Rumour has it that Professor Kakuzawa is really weird himself." Yuka brings up.
"Weird, how?" Kaede asks.
"The rumours didn't say. He's just weird." Yuka replies. "I think its best that we don't draw any attention to ourselves until we get a better idea of what he's like."
"Don't have to tell me that." Kaede mumbles. With that, the Professor walks in and begins asking the room random questions much of which, the students didn't have the answers for. He seemed regular enough, though Kaede did get a strange creepy vibe from him. She was able to follow along with his lesson well enough, though not without trouble. Kouta seemed to be struggling also, but Yuka seemed to understand everything being taught, well enough that she was able to help the girl with short black hair sitting on her other side.
"I guess I should have expected this. Science isn't my strongest subject." Kaede hears the girl mutter.
"It's alright to not get it at first. Just follow this here and you should be fine." Yuka whispers to her. After awhile, the class eventually ended. prompting the students to pack up.
As this was happening, Kakuzawa made another check at the class roster and the students now in the room. His eyes widen in recognition as he spots the one student not listed on the roster. It was her! The Queen! He recognized her from the photo from the orphanage he recovered. She was obviously older, but it was definitely her! But how? Why was she here? Did it matter? He thought best of how to approach her when he noticed she had already left. No! He quickly rushed out of the classroom to search for her, but she was long gone. No sigh of her.
The professor quickly ran over what he was going to do. His father and the staff over at the island facility didn't need to know the queen was here. As soon as he could, he would go out and search around the town for her. She couldn't get far, and perhaps there is a reason she is here. If he couldn't find her, maybe she'll return the next day. She came here after all. Maybe she went to school as she traveled around to better learn about humanity and create her own society of diclonius. A society he will be king of.
"So, what were you doing around?" Donut asks as he gives Mayu her simple lunch.
"Oh, uh..." Mayu sputters.
"Whats for breakfast?" An apathetic voice asks. An orange soldier comes through the door way and plops himself down on the table, paying the newcomer no mind at all.
"Its lunch. You really need to fix your sleep schedule, Grif." Donut says firmly.
"Pass." He simply responds. "Give me food." Donut simply passes his plate of sandwiches. Grif gives Donut a pointed look.
"This it?" He asks.
"Grif! This is Kouta's food! I'm sure he would have a better time if we didn't have to keep leeching off him." Donut scolds.
"Fine." Grif mutters before eating through his helmet. "When'd you become such a mom."
"Sorry about him and his lack of manners." Donut apologizes.
"N-no. Its fine." Mayu nervously says. "I- if you don't mind me asking... why do you all have armour on?"
"Because we forgot how to take it off." Grif offers as he chews through his sandwich.
"No, thats not it at all." Donut says. "Its cause we gotta keep that iconic look!"
"Thats gay." Grif says, finishing his sandwich. "Its cause Sarge would kick our ass if we so much as take our helmet off."
"An unprotected ass is vulnerable to an assault from behind. Yeah, best to leave that stuff on." Donut says. Grif groans and face palms.
"Do not say that. We don't need this girl knowing how lame we are." Grif says.
"Lunchtime!" A blue soldier exclaims as he throws open the doors to the dinning room.
"Hey Caboose! Grab a sandwich." Donut says to him. Caboose did so and sat down right next to Mayu.
"Hello Mayu! Its good to see you again!" Caboose exclaims.
"Uh... its g-good to see you too." Mayu stutters, off put by the soldiers volume.
"You don't have to lie to the man, Church says he hates him straight to his face and he's his best friend." Grif says. Soon, the room fills with more and more soldiers, each starting up their own argument in someway. When she wasn't being made the centre of it, Mayu found their bickering actually pretty funny, she needed all her self control to keep from laughing at the coloured soldiers.
As Kouta, Yuka, and Kaede approached the Maple inn, they noticed a dog tied just outside the entrance.
"Did... did one of them get a dog?" Yuka questions.
"It would surprise me if Caboose did." Kaede smiles at the pup. He was adorable, fast asleep like that. She then frowns upon remembering the trouble that might bring. "If he did, I'll make him return it. I understand having us around is already pretty troublesome."
"Lets go find out first." Kouta suggest before stepping inside the yard. They go through the door way to find an extra set of shoes along with being in earshot of a heated argument.
"Whats the argument topic today?" Kaede wonders aloud. The three get to the dining room to see it unfold.
"Sir, I see what you're saying, but-" Simmons is promptly interrupted.
"The armour stays on! That is an order!" Sarge exclaims.
"No complaints here." Grif says in passing.
"I will forever be a blue man!" Caboose shouts.
"But we need something casual to go walking around!" Tucker explains.
"Where is Carolina, Wash, and Church! Shouldn't they be arguing with us and somehow getting final say?" Simmons asks.
"They went out to look for the ball through out the town." Tucker explains.
"So as the ranking officer on site, I have final say." Sarge declares. In the middle of the verbal fight, the three spot a teenage girl trying her best not to laugh at all of it.
"Uh, so who's the guest?" Kouta asks the room.
"Ah, thats Mayu. She came here to return the music box and Donut gave her lunch for it and then people started yelling and then some other people started yelling and now you're here." Caboose explains in his run on sentance.
"Music box?" Yuka asks.
"Yeah, you dropped this." Donut says to Kaede, holding up her music box. Kaede grows a look of panic while frantically searching her pockets.
"Uh-uh th-thanks. Were did you find it?" Kaede asks as she snatches up the small box.
"I-it was in the shrine." Mayu responds.
"Must have dropped it. Girl pockets, right?" Yuka asks.
"Tell me about it." Donut agrees.
"Donut, shut up!" Grif exclaims.
"You have a music box?" Kouta asks.
"Yeah. Donut gave it to me. Its Lilium, the same song you played for me when we first met." Kaede explains.
"Oh yeah. I actually brought that with me and unpacked it yesterday. I really like that song." Kouta says.
"Really? Its so sad though." Donut questions while Yuka silently agrees with him.
"I was pretty sad once I first heard it, but it cheered me up." Kaede says.
"You were?" Kouta questions.
"I... I can tell you about it later." Kaede says, feeling strangely uncomfortable.
"Any way, they haven't made you to uncomfortable, have they?" Yuka asks Mayu.
"Uh, no. I found their banter quite enjoyable." Mayu responds. "Ah! But I don't mean that in a bad way!"
"Don't apologize, a lot of people find us entertaining." Caboose says.
"So, where do you live?" Yuka starts.
"Uh..." Mayu is silent for awhile. "Sorry, I have to go." She then, as politely as she could, rushes out the door. "Uh, thanks for the meal!" She calls back as she exits. Tucker takes on a thoughtful look, his thoughts confirmed from that interaction.