I'm going back to something.

Guys, I don't feel that great. I'm laid off my summer job and I got a funeral today.

I'm just gonna write this off, maybe watch some tv and go sleep.

Drained doesn't come close to describing me.

And where did this come from?

Happy Sugar Life.

Mattheus and Joel had woken up, relatively early. The kid had been clinging to his side as he was restless.

The Flemish man had gotten long used to it ever since. And he was not alone. Ichika walked out the shower with a towel drying his hair. The Japanese boy looked at him and gave him a nod.

"Morning, Mattheus." Ichika said as Ichika stifled a yawn.

"Don't you know those are contagious?" Mattheus asked when he yawned as well. Taking up Joel in his arms plus a set of clothes for both, Mattheus walked to the shower. Undressing himself first, he shook Joel to wake up.

"Joel. Wake up kid." The boy blinked and wiped the sleep out his eyes. After that, he shook his head and the punk yawned.

"Hey, Mattheus. Can't I stay?" Mattheus grinned but shook his head. "Nope, boy. You need to wake up. Take a shower, I'm gonna shave and take care of my own needs. Afterwards, get dressed in your clothes."

Neither Mattheus and Joel liked showers so when Joel walked out in ten minutes and Mattheus followed suit after five more, Ichika was not surprised.

The three walked out. They had agreed to meet their friends in the cafeteria. Besides Kizuna and Houki, the rest wasn't there. Mattheus and Joel took some cereal and Ichika went for a Japanese one.

When they got there, Ichika gave Houki a kiss on her cheeks while Mattheus and Joel both gave Kizuna a fistbump.

Didn't take long before they all ate together. As one big family.

Besides Tatenashi, the rest moved to their class.

They had all been this for a while and had entered a comfortable pace of going to class, have lunch, go back and work things out.

Kizuna just took a look outside. "I think we're going to eat inside." Outside, one huge storm was brewing and thick raindrops fell out from the sky. The whole day was gonna be a stay indoors day.

Not that anyone minded.

After the crazy shit from last week, most of them craved for such a day.

When they ended up at their class, they did not make themselves comfortable at one desk but went to their own. Ichika at the front, Houki to the side, Yurishia next to Cecilia in the back, Charlotte and Laura next to a window, Mattheus to the side of the hall with Joel, Rin and Kanzashi in the later half of the middle, Aine and Hayuru next to Kizuna in the opposite side of Rin and Kanzashi.

Chifuyu Orimura entered the room with Maya Yamada following.

"Stand up." Everyone did. "Bow." That was followed. "Sit."

Chifuyu arranged her papers. "Before we begin, Adjzof." Mattheus turned his head up and looked at his teacher.

"The principal has asked you come to her office." The older guy groaned but he stood up. "Come on, Joel."

"Only you." Mattheus raised an eyebrow.

"Do you mind keeping track of the stuff?" Joel nodded and Mattheus moved away from the place.

He wasn't sure what Reiri wanted from him.

Joel didn't like the idea of letting Mattheus go alone but hey, it is what it is.

Years of feeling safe around Mattheus had made Joel apprehensive but with friends around them and the rain coming down, he wasn't really scared.

Mattheus moved with his hands in his pockets around the place. The office was pretty far away from his room and he wasn't gonna hurry it up.

Taking a turn, he looked in the blue eyes of Natasha Fairs.

"Hello." Her voice was soft and warm. Her long hair tied up in a pony tail.

"Hey." Mattheus said. He still was not sure how to act around her. They stood looking at each other.

"So you started teaching here." The guy finally said and the American Ace nodded.

"Kid is still on probation. I'll find who did that to her. But I had other reasons to come here."

"Is it possible I am one of those reasons?" Natasha smiled at him.

"You are one and that cute boy of yours is another one."

The snort came out fast as Mattheus couldn't help but chuckle.

"Joel? My Joel. Cute? Sure." Natasha crossed her arms.

"He is. There is something about him. He's young and yet fragile. Something makes me want to hug and cuddle him."

She was surprised to see Mattheus moving in front of her face.

"Good tip. If you want to be alive, don't do that. At least, not until he trusts you. Me. I'm okay. You? Give it time." Mattheus said and now made his way.

Natasha wasn't lying when she saw him leave. The two boys were a good reason to come here.

When Mattheus finally reached the office of Reiri, he gave two knocks and when he heard enter, he moved in.

Reiri Hida sat behind her desk and next to her sat Shiina Kei. Mattheus had heard she did several jobs with Reiri.

"Adjzof-kun. Glad you come could so fast." Mattheus shrugged and waited until he was told to take a seat.

"Adjzof. I am sorry but I had to call you here for a good reason."

With a raised eyebrow, Reiri continued. "You were not here this summer but there was a tragedy here."

Before he could ask what she was talking about, Mattheus got a few articles on virtual screens. He could not understand the words written down but he could see the pictures.

"You're talking about the Matsuzaka / Kōbe case, right?" It was clear given the pictures of the two girls.

"And you don't have to act surprised. Made headlines at my place as well. Crazy high school girl kidnapped a kindergarten girl and so far I know, that little one lost her mind."

Reiri nodded on the blunt way he spoke.

"Indeed."

"Kay but what has this to do with me?" The woman sighed and Mattheus was getting a bit fearful.

"Adjzof. During this event, there have been several things shaken up. Especially the relationship that has several years between them."

The Hunter rolled his eyes. That kind of shit happened all the time. He had seen a news report of an old man who played chess with an elementary school kid. Nothing wrong with that.

But Mattheus made the link.

"Hold on. Orimura-sensei wanted me solo, you have this case, you're comparing my relationship with Joel to this one here, don't you?"

Reiri nodded. "Indeed. Now, Adjzof. I know you and Pearce. But I have to make sure."

"What the fuck?"

When she was shocked, she reminded herself that this guy was twenty years. Just four years younger than the students.

"Me and Joel, okay. We have an unorthodox relationship. Sure as hell. We love each other. Sure. As brothers, as protector and protégé. But not like them. Sides, both me and Joel got a good working brain."

Shaking his head around, he had to make a bit of abiding.

"Okay. We're not completely sane but hey, that is what it is. But besides that, do you have any evidence?"

[Pearce sits in your lap in class] Kei typed in and Mattheus glared at her.

"Yeah cause there is no other chair. Matter of convenience."

"You sleep in the same bed."

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to wake up in night terrors? Both me and Joel are each other's life line. We didn't have anyone else before we got here. We were just the two of us. So yeah, we are pretty much a package deal. But let me tell you this. Me and Joel. We don't have any sexual attraction to each other."

[The shows of physical action.]

"Are relegated to hugs, ruffles of the hair and an occasional cross on the forehead. Okay, in your eyes, extremely. In the eyes of me and Joel. Normal. I'll admit. My relationship with Joel is unorthodox. Sure. But ask in Amaterasu, ask in our class. No one will say that me and Joel are in any sort of that relationship."

Reiri couldn't help but agree. Still.

"Adjzof. There are journalist out there who want to write about the fact that your engineer is a twelve year old boy. Therefore, I think it is best for Pearce to move out."

Reiri's words had left her mouth and she felt the muzzle of a cold gun pressed against her forehead.

"Take Joel away from me and you don't live much longer. Joel is my kid. I got everything filled out. Second. That boy is our engineer. Not just mine. He's the one who pulled shit that all of you thought impossible. Communication between our machines. He did it. Improved weapons on Byakushiki. He pulled it. Upgrade of Eros. Easy. That kid saved our lives. All of us. More then we ever could imagine. Believe me. Even if you survive and I am taken away. The others are gonna be pissed."

He dissolved his handgun and looked at his principal.

"And if any fucking journalist has the sick mind of writing that shit out, believe me. I'm going kill that son of a sick bitch."

Reiri shook her head. "Please don't but fine. I'll let it in your hands. You're dismissed." Mattheus left with his hands in his pockets.

"Reiri, was that a good idea?" The voluptuous woman looked at her old friend.

"Adjzof is not wrong. He and Joel. Sure, they're rocky but so far, I think that his influence on Orimura and Kizuna has improved them. They needed something like that."

"Something that you and Chifuyu can not provide." Reiri nodded. And she was sure that Chifuyu felt the same.

Mattheus looked to the rain and glared to the clouds.

"You are causing a lot of problems for me."

Not the greatest things I have written but I'm just drained.

Tomorrow, I hope that I got more energy. Got chapters to finish.

After Brave New World, I'll work on En Route. After that, Afraid to Shoot Strangers is on the next one.

Saluut.