"Why are we descending here?" Ruby asks, confused as she follows Gohan downward on her broom, "...we'd be on time if we just head directly to the school."
They find a fairly empty street, not knowing that it's due to a nearby barricade a mile out. Regardless, Gohan looks around to make sure, then sighs regrettably as he jumps off Nimbus.
"That's true," Gohan admits, "...but, don't you think it's a bad idea to catch attention?"
Ruby cocks her head and hums, "I guess so, but I've always cloaked myself on the way to cram school in West City."
The half-saiyan's eyebrow rises. "Wait, you can make yourself disappear?"
Ruby blinks, then realizes what her new friend is probably thinking. She laughs apologetically. "Only myself, I'm afraid. I would've certainly let you know if that were the case."
Gohan smiles bitterly, "Magic sure is convenient."
"Caw..."
Gohan ears perk up, then remembers the bird on Ruby's shoulder. Even the witch herself had forgotten, but at hearing her familiar's snarky comment, she growls and grabs the bird's body with her hand.
"Cwak!"
The crow doesn't dodge her hand in time, then struggles as she holds him in front of the half-saiyan.
"Don't mind him. In fact, you can have him for dinner if you want," Ruby urges with a small grin.
The familiar squawks in panic while Gohan drops a tear of sweat and chuckles lightly. "I think I'm good. Besides, you two seem to be on good terms. What did he say?"
"Nothing good," Ruby scoffs and lets go of her familiar.
The crow flaps out as soon as it can and distances itself away, eying its master bitterly. Before long, it sounds off with a flurry of complaints.
Ruby ignores her familiar's sharp sounds and from her hand, she stretches out two fingers. Light surrounds her hand for a second, then a rectangular paper talisman materializes in between her fingers with a strange symbol.
It glows a faintly and Gohan stares at in wonder as the witch flings it. Leaving a small trail, it flies straight to the crow, and in turn, he cries in panic before catching the talisman with his beak.
"Go to my master and tell her we might be a little late. If she can set up a circle with that talisman as its core though, we could jump straight to her," she explains.
The crow flaps irritably but otherwise follow through for its master and leaves the two alone. With the annoying bird out of the way, Ruby breathes out while muttering grievances under her breath.
"Uh...so if you don't mind me asking?" Gohan begins hesitantly while watching the bird fly away.
Ruby hums questioningly towards the half-saiyan and then recognizes she should explain. She rubs her head, embarrassed for becoming too comfortable around him. It's clear that the half-saiyan isn't too exposed to magic, so her strange actions would cause anyone to have questions.
"Sorry, I don't mean to keep surprising you. Since the director is a witch, I'm hoping she can set up a circle for me to teleport next time..."
She pauses, then winks favorably. "...of course, we can both use it if we ever become in a hurry."
Gohan breathes through his nose and shakes his head in disbelief. "Well, if it's that easy, but would she agree to that?"
"Why wouldn't she?" Ruby smiles innocently, unknowing of a reason.
The half-saiyan suppresses a small, worried chuckle and looks to the sky for a moment. Seeing the witch act so naturally about her own power, it does concern him.
'Ah...I wonder if this will be alright?'
It's still too early to tell since it's just them, but he hopes that the witch understands that she should be more discrete. Even though they promised each other to keep their respective origins a secret, he's not really reassured by her urge to create a shortcut.
Granted, he hasn't said anything explicitly about himself, but the witch's intuition has already figured out he's an energy user and possibly a martial artist as a result.
Sighing, he decides to trust the witch for now, then turns to his awaiting Nimbus and strokes its soft body. "I'll carry on from here and call you sometime later, buddy."
The Nimbus responds with a twirl. Seeing this, Ruby gasps. "So it can understand you, is that right?"
Gohan nods. Seeing how he'll have to explain now, he answers with a smile.
"A little. I don't know the specifics, but it's been with our family for a while."
Gohan looks away from the cloud and glances at her broom. So far, it has been floating slightly above the sidewalk by her feet. Oddly, he wonders about her ride more. Of course, everyone's heard about the traditional witch that wears a pointy hat and flies with a broom. Baba would fit part of that description, at least.
"What about your broom?" he asks.
Ruby glances at the old hand-me-down from her master. She closes her eyes and dismisses it with a laugh.
"This old junkie? I wish! It's just a magical tool that was handed down by my master, that's all. I would normally not even use it..."
"Um..."
Gohan's uncertainty exposes itself. Worried that she might have said something wrong, Ruby opens her eyes only to see that the broom she had verbally bashed is now positioned vertically in front of her with its bristles shaking a little.
Ruby stares dumbly, unable to recall commanding her broom specifically. As its bristles shake more, something strange grows in the pit of her stomach.
"Wait, are you-Puah!?"
The broom promptly smacks its brush into the witch's face and Gohan reacts with a stunned expression. It takes a few unguarded swipes at the disrespectful witch as it glows ominously. Feeling the sting from the brushes, Ruby manages to pull up her arms in defense after receiving some unexpected blows.
It finally occurs to her that Oyakata's broom may be more special than she thought. Letting out a gasp as the bristles sting her face, she can't help but smile even as tries apologizing.
"Ah, ha! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she cries out, her voice rising with an odd giggle.
Gohan recovers from his initial shock thanks to Ruby's strange tone. Not to question the witch, he grabs the broom by its handle with ease.
"Whoa there," he calls out, his tone slightly amused as the broom wiggles in his hand with anger.
Ruby recovers easily and lets out a fresh breath, her eyes wide with amazement.
"My master never told me about this!"
Gohan shakes his head, unable to believe her. "How could you not have known about this?"
The witch scratches her head, rather ashamed. "Eh, well.. as I said, it's usually left in a corner, back in my cabin."
The half-saiyan frowns. "Well, no wonder it's mad. Why did it only now start attacking you?"
Ruby doesn't know the answer, but she made it a priority to talk to her master about it at some time.
Eventually, the broom loses its steam in Gohan's grip. It turns the flat side away from its rider as if sulking. It's an odd thing to see and Gohan isn't sure how to feel right now.
After all, he's holding a sulking, magical broom.
'This day is becoming weirder now,' he thinks before smiling to himself, '...but I'm not sure if I can say much more since I've been riding a magical cloud.'
As the broom is forced to calm down, the half-saiyan blinks as it appears to have returned its attention back to his Nimbus. Although he doesn't understand, he has a strange feeling it won't bother the witch again.
Testing his feeling out, he lets go. Sure enough, the broom doesn't attempt to attack and calmly floats down to the Nimbus's level. Unexpectedly, its bristles whistle to the cloud.
The yellow cloud perks up in response to the magical broom's approach, then it twirls around the wooden stick without hesitation. After one circle, the broom does the same in kind.
After just a few seconds floating side by side, the cloud and broom float away from their riders into the distance without another word.
In fact, no words are needed.
Observing the strange interaction, Ruby and Gohan watch their rides leave them with visible confusion on their faces.
"Impossible, my ass! This is a demon we are talking about here!"
Baba's voice rings in the large office of King Yemma. Many of the assistant ogres drop a tear of sweat as they see the familiar witch yelling without concern. Knowing that the judge of the dead was in a good mood today, her presence naturally worried them.
Indeed, King Yemma grows a little ticked off by the Fortune Teller Baba's disrespect, even though he knows she's like this. Regardless of her concerns, he wants her just to accept his word and go before the line of souls backs up even more.
"You think that I can just check up on who's from the Demon Realm and who's not?" he scoffs, his voice rising as he stares down at the small witch from his large desk.
He continues, "...Where they come from in the universe doesn't matter here. You know I only see their list of deeds, not their connections to others. They'd have to be more noteworthy for me to tell otherwise."
Baba scoffs, glancing to the side. "How convenient."
King Yemma clears his throat. "If you had a name, then I might be able to send a guide to help find him in Hell, but it seems you just met some lowly grunt. It wouldn't be worth your time anyways!"
Baba's pupils return to stare at the ogre and her eyes narrow. "Yes, some grunt perhaps, but it forebodes something bigger. Do you want your workload to increase, King Yemma?"
The ogre's eyes twitch with his patience running out. He slams his fist on the table. "Of course I don't, but it is what it is! You'd have to clear through thousands of deeds just to find a match, and that's not even a guarantee you'll find your so-called demon. I think you're better off working this out on Earth, Baba."
"It's always on Earth..." she mutters, cleaning out one ear against the ogre's booming voice.
King Yemma recomposes himself seeing how the fortune teller isn't pushing it any longer. He collects some paper and realigns them with a tap against the table.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I have souls to judge-"
"Hey, King Yemma!"
"Oh, for the love of Kai!" King Yemma cries out, placing his head into his hands as Goku arrives by the Snake Way entrance.
Then a snickering is heard and sure enough, King Kai pops out from behind the saiyan unable to help chime in.
"You called?" he smiled, snicker at his impeccable timing.
Goku, wearing his typical orange gi, grins with the usual air of unawareness. Of course, he would not know that his presence was causing more grief to the king ogre who slowly sighs and lifts his head.
Baba raises her brows in surprise as she turns to the hero of Earth. "Goku?"
"It's been a while, Baba," the saiyan greets with a swig of his hand, then asks, "What's this about demons?"
Before she could explain, King Kai snaps out of his giggle fit, catching the familiar eager tone of Goku. He wouldn't allow a potential problem to enter his former student's ear.
"Oh no," he snaps and points a finger at Goku, "...let's not go there right now! We've got to get moving now, alright?"
Seeing King Kai weary of a potential threat exciting the saiyan, Baba decides to downplay it for the sake of the Northern Kai.
"He's right, Goku," she begins, "...just know we're handling it. Right now, it's too early to tell anything and it might not even be worth your time."
Goku frowns but doesn't press. In his head, he remembers that many people referred to themselves as "demons", but none were alike. It seemed quite the desired title for many of his villains he faced.
King Yemma clears his throat once more, agreeing with Baba's words. "That's right and I have nothing more to say, so would you all go elsewhere please?"
The souls outside the entrance appear restless as the various staff tries to calm things down. It would seem that they had taken too much of his time.
Baba sighs and turns towards the red ogre. "Very well. I'd like to mention though that this is all a request from Mikogami."
At this, both King Kai and King Yemma freeze in place. Tension suddenly fills the room and the North Kai's antennas wiggle in disbelief. Goku simply cocks his head, confused.
"D-did you say Mikogami?" King Kai questions first, his mouth wide, "By the gods, he's still alive!?"
It's not that Baba can't understand their disbelief. After all, the former guardian of Earth went off the grid for a few hundred years. Still, she replies with annoyance towards their change in attitudes.
"Of course he's alive! You think he'd just be a nameless wandering soul around here?! If he's taking this serious, why do you think I'm here?"
King Yemma slams his desk resulting in the whole room shaking. A few ogres carrying some paperwork collapse and cry out in horror as their papers fall disorderly to the ground.
The ogre king pays no attention to the problems he's created for his employees and yells at the witch.
"Why didn't you say that sooner! Yama, where are you?"
Calling out to one of his trusted assistants, a blue normal-sized and thin ogre wearing a grey uniform rushes out.
"Yes, King Yemma?"
"Go through the records of the past day and work with Baba to find this so-called demon!"
Yama flinches, his mouth goes wide with disbelief. "B-but that's at least a hundred-thousand records!"
King Yemma slams a fist on the table. "Just do it!"
Yama jumps a little and salutes, "Y-yes, sir!"
He moves quickly to another room, but the witch doesn't follow yet as her eyes twitch towards the large ogre.
"How rude! You think my word means nothing if I just say it?!" she shouts in indignation.
King Yemma sees that he's truly offended the witch and tries to laugh it off. "O-of course not, Baba! Like I said, I just did not think your time spent here would be useful, that's all. If it's that important to that man though, and especially after such a long time, it would be really impolite!"
Baba grumbles at the one-eighty turn but ultimately lets it go since she's finally getting some assistance. She looks to the curious Goku one last time with a smile.
"By the way, Goku. I hope you've prepared for our special little arrangement," she reminds.
Momentarily putting his curiosity in the back of his mind, the saiyan's eyes shine and he nods very quickly while bringing up his hands into a fist. "Yes, of course! Once the time is right, I'll let all my friends know. I'd appreciate it if you could keep it a secret from them."
The old witch snickers at his child-like excitement. "Don't worry, I haven't said a word."
King Kai coughs and pats Goku on the back, his expression calmer now after processing Baba's news. Despite feeling happy for Goku, they've spent too much time already lingering at this judging station.
"Come on Goku or else we'll be late. I don't want further embarrassment from those bastard Kais."
"Oh, right!" Goku blinks, before his mind focuses on the discussion before, "...by the way, who's this Mikogami?"
"To put it simply," King Kai begins as he starts pushing Goku to start walking, "...he's Kami...er, Piccolo's predecessor."
"WHAT?!"
Goku's eyes are hysterical as he understands that as being the former guardian of Earth while Kami and Piccolo were one being. Suddenly, a thousand more questions enter his mind.
King Kai can't help but snicker at Goku's shock. "I'll tell you more on the way, but speaking of..."
He pauses and glances at Baba. "...how is he?"
Baba smirks and shakes her head. "Still an ass."
King Kai snorts. "The same as ever then."
"In breaking news, thanks to the heroics of Videl Satan and another mysterious martial artist, the Satan City police were able to capture the remaining Red Ribbon army men from the West City auction house. There still remains skepticism that these are simply a group of men using the Red Ribbon name, but nonetheless, fears are raised by many who wonders if this is a sign of what's to come."
Gohan's ears perk up as he and Ruby pass by an electronic store with an assortment of televisions playing the news at the storefront. Although he wants to stick around a little to listen more, he figures he can find out more later.
'Maybe Ruby knows more?' he thinks.
His head turns towards the witch who seems otherwise uninterested by the news as she keeps her eyes forward. Curious as she could provide any sort of insight, he asks.
"Have you heard anything about this?"
"Um...not really," Ruby lies, figuring there's no point in revealing her involvement. That said, she's admittedly curious as to the individuals that stopped the escaped men. For it to happen within the same city, it's a little surprising.
Gohan hums, believing her words, and then remembers some of their discussion up in the air.
'That's right, she told me she lives far from any city, just like me. She's probably unaware of a lot of stuff. Still, should I be more worried about hearing about their possible return?' Gohan thinks, his brows furrowing as he recalls the troubles of Dr. Gero.
"Ah!"
The half-saiyan's thoughts are interrupted as the witch gasps, her head pointing up towards the sky. Mirroring her, Gohan sees a crow circling above.
"Oh, is that your friend?"
Ruby shakes her head. "No, that's my master's familiar. It's calling for us."
Seeing that it has grabbed the two's attention, the crow descends into an alley away from the public street. It caws as it lands on a side balcony railing and beckons them.
Ruby doesn't hesitate to follow. On the other hand, Gohan shows some concern but follows and grabs her shoulder midway as soon as they enter the darkness of the gap.
"Hold on, is there any reason to do this now? We're only ten minutes away and we'll be later to class if we become distracted!"
Truthfully, he could arrive there much quicker if he used some of his internal energy to give him a boost, but unfortunately, there were too many people around them. Plus, he isn't sure if Ruby would be able to do keep up and he obviously doesn't want to leave her behind.
"Caw."
The witch smiles without concern as the crow speaks. "We'll be fine! The crow just said it'll teleport us to her now."
"Wait, how-"
Before Gohan could finish questioning, the crow doesn't wait after determining the coast is clear and flies straight down at them. It appeared that it would hit the ground, but as soon as it did, it's black body expands and forms a gaping black hole beneath their feet.
Gohan gasps while Ruby giggles, grabbing hold of the half-saiyan and making sure he's pulled with her as they fall into the hole. Their disappearance occurs without anyone to notice as the hole shrinks to nothing, leaving a small black feather behind.
In a matter of seconds, darkness invades the half-saiyan's sight just before a burst of light blows up. As the light dims, he sees a sudden change in scenery and finds himself falling from the ceiling of a large office.
Quickly getting his bearings, the half-saiyan hits the carpet floor easily and witch does the same, only floating mid-air a little before her feet touch the ground.
"Ho?"
A curious gasp is heard next to the two. While Ruby feels clear as ever, Gohan takes a moment to recover from the sense of disorientation before his eyes follow the voice.
The witch and the saiyan see a glimmering pair of pink eyes staring back at them. Their confusion only grows together as they see what looks to be an effeminate looking boy, sporting a white martial art gi and a long, braided ponytail. Above all else, a notable imprint of a hand can be seen across his cheek.
The boy gasps, leaning forward. "So you two are the other transfer students, huh? Nice to meet you, I'm Fang Fang Huang! I couldn't believe the new director's words when she said that I wasn't the only special person joining!"
Wait, what?
Those are the half-saiyan's thoughts as he blinks a few times. In all honesty, he feels like this boy just appeared out of nowhere and is now crashing on him like a wave! If his appearance doesn't speak volumes, Gohan can already tell this guy is not your average martial artist. In fact, the boy's pink eyes catch on to his and he smirks, voicing a similar thought with just a look.
"In fact, you're quite strong, aren't you? Both of you are..."
"Er..."
Ruby sounds off, a little uncertain about this strange boy as she moves closer to Gohan's side. The half-saiyan can't blame her given the child-like excitement that even unnerves him.
A cough pulls everyone's thoughts away and eyes to the front of the office, where the director sits amused. "Excuse me, I believe introductions can be performed later, don't you think?"
"Master!" Ruby exclaims, "...Congratulations on your promotion!"
Oyakata smiles warmly at her apprentice, but it doesn't last long before she squints her eyes.
"You forgot, didn't you?"
Ruby flinches. "Eh?"
"You were about to miss your first day of class, even after all the trouble I made to enroll you. Am I right?" her master asks, raising one eyebrow.
"N-no, I-"
Ruby pauses as she sees her familiar appearing from Oyakata's side and flapping onto her shoulder. If a crow ever could show a smug face, Ruby would see it and she finally realizes her error.
'That little...'
She should've never sent her familiar off.
Oyakata snorts a little as she sees her apprentice's cute, bitter smile. No doubt, her underling wants to strangle her own familiar but thanks to it, she understands the situation of what went on between her and Gohan.
"Well," she sighs, "...what matters is that you're all finally here."
She closes her eyes for a moment, before opening them with a hard gaze.
"Before you all say anything," she begins, her voice level while her hands collapse together in front her face, "...know that you're already causing me some headache."
All three flinch and confusion are matched on their faces in different ways. The first to speak is Fang Fang, who places his hand on his chest earnestly.
"I apologize if I did anything wrong, but I would not have known that such a master of magic is the director! I've heard stories of you from my grandfath-"
"Oh, spare me!" Oyakata interrupts, her eyes twitching, "Fang Fang Huang, is it? I didn't want to believe it but to think that man has a grandson! Considering your family's reputation in East City, I hoped none of that would travel with you, but here you are with the news of your heroics. You think that's fine?"
Gohan's eyes become fixed on Fang Fang, recalling the mysterious martial artist on the news.
'Wait, it couldn't be, right?' he thinks.
Fang Fang fidgets, starting to understand the director's issue with him but nonetheless, he still feels his actions are justified.
"I only did what was right! Besides, even if that girl Videl could handle it, how could I do nothing?"
Gohan pales as his suspicions are confirmed. Just what exactly did he get himself into?
"I have my own reservations about that girl," the director answers, "...so I don't approve of her so-called crime-fighting breaks either, even if she's the daughter of that fool."
Gohan blinks, surprised to see someone holding an unfavorable impression. Of course, if she is a witch, then it'd make sense that compared to other people, she'd see something off.
'Would she know about my father and me?' Gohan wonders. He isn't sure whether to bring it up since he doesn't exactly want the attention.
"There's one thing you all must know about this school..." Oyakata continues, her gaze sliding between the three.
She lifts a finger. "...This is a school that is filled with people who aren't as capable physically or otherwise spiritually compared to people like you three. While I've made it my duty to protect and progress this school, drawing attention will complicate things. It's important to be discrete and unfortunately, flinging coins at bad guys is the wrong approach!"
Calling out Fang Fang, the boy lowers his head, feeling a little embarrassed. Admittedly, he could've played that out less dramatically.
'Ah, maybe that's why she was angry,' Fang Fang thinks on Videl, rubbing the back of his neck.
"...and you, Ruby," Oyakata points at her apprentice, "...Do you have no sense of discretion? Gohan might be someone you saw flying a magical cloud, but does that mean everything must be fine and dandy? What if it had been someone in a flying vehicle catching you going to school on a broom!?"
Ruby's face turns a little red. She recognizes that she may have been a tad bit relaxed. To her credit, meeting Gohan was a nice, breath of fresh air since she worried about how she'd have to fit in.
At the mention of the cloud, Gohan takes a deep breath. Looking at Ruby's crow, he figures that's the only way Oyakata found out. While he's not really upset since he already acknowledged it might be hard to hide in front of Ruby's master, it does make him more curious given her lack of surprise.
Or maybe she just had time to process it all. Either way, Gohan raises his hand carefully, unable to help confirm her knowledge so far.
"Um..." Gohan hesitates before he starts with an apology, "...I'm sorry in advance for any trouble I may have caused. What do you know about me though?"
Oyakata blinks before she grins and the mood lightens in a surprising way.
"What do you want me to know, cloud boy?"
The half-saiyan doesn't expect a cheeky response and he stammers. "Um...I don't..."
The master witch laughs heartily before she answers him clearly.
"Just taking a guess, you're probably a martial artist similar to Fang Fang, but that's quite far from what I've read from your reports. Your mother dearly wants you to be a scholar and from your entry tests and home grades, it definitely looks that way."
Gohan grows embarrassed by her analysis. "Um...yes."
"That aside," she brushes off to her next point, focusing back on all three, "...I don't care what kind of abilities you have here. This school is meant to help you grow and develop as a person. I, myself...have certainly grown in the time I've taught here as well."
There's a deep meaning behind her words which only Ruby could understand as she smiles in comfort towards her teacher.
"Point is," Oyakata concludes, "...don't try to draw too much attention."
She then pulls out the talisman that Ruby's crow gave her and rips it without a second thought, causing the younger witch to flinch.
"...and try to avoid taking shortcuts," she adds with a smirk, "...You guys are still young, after all. There's much you can still enjoy in life by taking it slow."
Her eyes twinkle towards her apprentice and Ruby can only slump in resignation, smiling back weakly in response.
Gohan also smiles with disappointment. While being careful is a good thing, Ruby's offer of being able to teleport to school was appealing, but perhaps this is for the best.
Seeing that her word of caution has filled the young students' head successfully, Oyakata focuses her attention back to Fang Fang.
"By the way, how is your grandfather?" she asks.
Fang Fang's head lifts up, then he widens his eyes. "Actually, he's more specifically my great-grandfather. Do you know him?"
Oyakata nods, leaning back into her chair. "I met your father when I was young. He has some...interesting tastes last I saw him."
Fang Fang drops a tear of sweat and laughs with some shame. "It's not the greatest, I'll admit."
Ruby cocks her head, curious about this effeminate looking boy and his family. She could ask her master later, but she was never told about such people from her. Similarly, Gohan also wonders as he recalls a large portion of East City was disintegrated when Vegeta and Nappa arrived on Earth twelve years ago.
Oyakata claps her hands, recapturing their attention and to reset the mood. "Alright, that's enough chatting for now. I'll guide you to your classes but first, a final warning. Unfortunately, you three are not the first above-average students. We had some transfer earlier last year who somehow heard about me teaching here."
Ruby raises her fists and breathes through her nose. "That's because you're amazing, master!"
The older witch smiles bitterly. "I'm not that amazing, plus I don't even know how they found out. Also, don't call me master, Ruby. I'd prefer it if you called me director here."
"What kind of people?" Gohan asks, somewhat worried now.
"Who knows?" Oyakata shrugs, "...I'm not in the business of identifying, but I'm sure all three of you will notice something off. Regardless, I've made sure that they wouldn't go about making trouble just as I'm telling you now. So far working here as simply a chemistry teacher, I haven't had any issues."
She gets up from her desk and knocks on it, a sign that she does not want to tempt fate. "Let's get moving already since I don't want to make you later than you already are. You can always come to me later after school if you have more questions."
All three agree with that offer and the witch moves ahead of them, opening her door and standing beside as a way of inviting. Following, Fang Fang approaches Gohan and Ruby closely.
"Gohan, Ruby, is that right?" he asks, wanting to confirm their names.
The half-saiyan and witch nod as the three walks together. Admittedly, even after knowing Fang Fang is a guy, his clear and feminine complexion really does make him second-guess himself.
Although he doesn't say it, Ruby is less reserved as she moves her head to the side, her hair slightly dangling.
"So, Fang Fang...are you a boy or a girl?" she asks curiously.
Gohan gapes at her. "Ruby!"
The forward question causes Fang Fang to drop his head a little and some tears to follow from his eyes. He laughs weakly.
"N-no, it's okay Gohan. I-I'm one-hundred-percent boy, I promise."
The witch narrows her eyes, still confused. "Are you sure? I've never seen someone like you before with such a pretty face! Is it a curse?"
Fang Fang feels his heart being stabbed but he bears with it and shakes his head slowly. "Who knows? All I know is I simply resemble my mother a lot. A-anyways..."
He clears his throat, not wishing to pursue a discussion of his genetics, "...I have my reasons for coming to this school, but I'd love to catch up with you guys more! That is if you don't mind a person like me?"
Gohan blinks before he smiles. Although the guy seems strange, he also feels very earnest. The half-saiyan couldn't possibly turn him down.
"Sure," he answers with a light-hearted laugh. In response, Fang Fang grins with an embarrassed chuckle while Ruby smiles approvingly.
Gohan looks forward, thinking of everything so far. Even though he's met two strange people, he feels more optimistic than before, perhaps thanks to Oyakata.
Things might go fine for his school life.
"It's you!"
Things are not going fine.
Videl does not sit still as she sees Fang Fang near the podium. It seems the misunderstood boy didn't expect to be in the same class as her so soon, so he can only weakly wave at her. He still is reminded by her slap, but it doesn't deter him to have a chance to make amends.
The class quickly grows wild towards the three new students as each one of them is impressed upon with their gazes.
"Who's that girl? She's kind of cute."
"Is that a martial artist? Is she the one that helped Videl earlier at the gas station?"
"Wait, that's a girl? Doesn't she look...a little off?"
"No, no...that's totally a girl no matter how you look at it."
Fang Fang internally bleeds as the words continuously stab him. Not willing to stand this humiliation, he quivers and raises his hand. "I...I'm actually a guy!"
Silence reigns for a few seconds by his shout before the crowd bursts even louder.
"Holy shit! No way!"
"W-what am I feeling inside? This can't be right!"
"Haha, Videl, you've met such a weirdo!"
The daughter of Mr. Satan sits back down and crosses her arms, harrumphing. Much like Fang Fang, she's embarrassed herself as she remembers his declaration to her.
'T-the nerve of that guy!' she thinks, blushing a little.
While a lot of attention is naturally focused on Fang Fang, it's not all lost on Ruby...
"Wow, that girl's hairstyle is pretty cute!"
"Can we be sure that she's a girl, though?"
"What the hell are you saying?! Look at that bump on her chest!"
"She looks pretty nice to me."
The impressions are mostly compliments and yet, Ruby is unused to the attention as her eyes begin to swirl.
"G-Gohan," the witch whispers, tugging at his shirt while her legs quiver.
Seeing the witch nervous, it somehow lessens his own anxiety. Chuckling, he pats her shoulder in comfort.
"Hey, it'll be okay. I'm nervous too since I haven't been around this many people either."
Ruby's face flushes and she lowers her head while a small, shy smile grows on her face. "B-but it feels like I'm being violated by their eyes..."
"Eh?"
Gohan has no idea how to respond to that and he looks away, scratching his cheek. If only the classroom could hear Ruby, their positive impression might change drastically.
As for the impressions on him, Gohan can only chuckle to himself and try his best to avoid eye contact.
"He looks kinda cute too, in a dorky kind of way."
"Looks like my type, but...I don't know."
"Doesn't it look like he could be ripped? He looks a little big on the shoulders or is that my eyes?"
"Alright, that's enough!"
Oyakata shout can be heard and although nobody could tell, it booms while magically amplified, causing most to shut their mouth in an instant. Only some small whispers still remain with the attention drawn to the new director.
"So she's the new director? I've never taken a class with her before."
"You missed out then; she's absolutely the best! It's a shame she won't be teaching anymore."
"I love you, Ms. Oyakata!"
The last one is not a whisper as one of her former students cries out with genuine support.
The older witch smiles warmly and waves, forgiving the interruption this time and then clears her throat.
"In case it isn't obvious," she begins, "...these three will be part of our wonderful school. I ask you to treat them with respect as you do with your own classmates. We have here: Fang Fang, Ruby, and Gohan. Now then, where should we have you sit?"
"Over here! We've got an empty seat for the pretty boy!"
"What? No! What the hell, Erasa!"
Oyakata lifts her head to see a blonde girl with blue eyes raising her hand. She sits beside Videl who protests, but it appears the girl is eager to have Fang Fang sit next to her regardless.
The older witch hums for a moment. Putting the martial artist near Videl might invite some trouble given their first encounter, but she already learned earlier from Fang Fang of his intentions to apologize to the girl.
'It might do that girl some good,' Oyakata thinks. Although she hasn't questioned her yet, it's likely she already knows about some showing of Fang Fang's abilities. She might be able to use Fang Fang's interest to help reign in that girl.
Closing her eyes, she nods. "Alright."
"Yes!" Erasa cheers while Videl drops her head into her arms at the table and groans. There's another blond and long-haired, muscular man beside the female fighter who glares at Fang Fang with suspicion.
Both Gohan and Ruby are surprised by Oyakata's decision given what they've heard from the events earlier in the morning. Although they didn't have much time to talk together on the way, the effeminate martial artist glances at Gohan and Ruby, then smiles cheerfully.
"We'll talk later, alright?"
Ruby cocks her head while Gohan smiles back earnestly. They follow his footsteps up the stairs to the middle row of the seating arrangement.
Watching him settle down, Oyakata hums before she looks around for available seating for the remaining two.
"Now, let's see, for you two..."
"Director!"
Another voice calls out with his hand raised. Closer to the back wall, Oyakata sees a young man with silver hair and long bangs. He smiles confidently towards the new students with two seats open beside him.
"Kiria?" Oyakata whispers to herself, then shakes her head quickly.
'No, no...there must be a better seating,' she thinks, unwilling to let the two meet that guy.
Except, it would mean that Gohan and Ruby would have to be split given the remaining seats available. Glancing at the two, she sees her apprentice clinging to the half-saiyan and then staring back at her with a worried expression.
Oyakata internally groans. She obviously wants the best for her, but given that she's not comfortable with this crowd yet, it makes sense to keep her with Gohan.
The witch sighs and lets her shoulders slump. "Alright, you two may sit next to Kiria."
Gohan lifts his head to see the strange silver-haired boy, his eyes closed, and his expression welcoming. Behind that smile though, he couldn't help but feel something is off.
Looking back at Oyakata, she nods at him, not saying anything more. It finally occurs to him why she felt reluctant about seating him there.
He tries to be optimistic. 'It can't be that bad, right?'
Gohan takes a deep breath and climbs up the stairs to the back row. Ruby follows with relief seeing how she wouldn't be put into a position where she'd have to get to know a stranger.
Obviously, she knows she has to make more friends beyond people like Gohan or Fang Fang, but that would be for another day.
Upon meeting each other, Kiria extends his hand with professionalism and opens his eyes. Much to the half-saiyan's surprise, he sees the boy having asymmetrical colored eyes, one red and one green.
"The name's Kiria," he greets.
The half-saiyan recovers from his shock and he smiles back as he takes Kiria's hand.
"Gohan."