It wasn't even lunchtime, and Diya and Hayato sat on the bench outside of the principal's office. Kato was in the office already, speaking with Principal Hirano.

After Diya's doppelganger disappeared, a teacher turned the corner to find Kato on the ground, and two roughed up students on the other end of the hall. The teacher came to the conclusion that Diya and Hayato must have beaten up Kato together. To be honest, the teacher may have agreed that Kato needed to be taught a lesson. However, it was her duty to report the scene to the principal, who called the three boys to the office 20 minutes later.

Diya wanted to be the first to speak with Hirano, he knew that the first person to tell their side gets the benefit of the primacy effect. Whenever someone hears a piece of information first, it sticks in their brain just a little harder and is harder to disprove. Especially when the "proof" was an invisible evil version of himself that only two of the three boys could see.

Unfortunately, Kato had been in the school nurse's office right next to the principal's office. Kato has the advantage.

Diya couldn't look at Hayato. Hayato didn't want to look at Diya. The receptionist sat at her desk, clicking away at her computer. Diya closed his eyes to focus on the sound. He took deep breaths as he tried to piece together what happened between him and Kato.

Was that a Stand? Rohan just told me that I didn't seem to have one. Even if it was, isn't a Stand supposed to protect you? Mine didn't even attack until ten seconds later!

He heard Principal Hirano's door knob turn. Exiting first was a timid Kato, with bloody tissues still shoved into his nostrils. He looked at Diya and tried taking the longest route around him possible as he left the room, even if it only saved him about a meter in the small office.

Next out of the room was Principal Hirano, a paunchy, white haired man in his early sixties. He wore a pair of brown dress pants and a matching brown blazer. A small pair of wire frame glasses sat in his nose. His white hair needed to be combed over his head, but he had no issues in growing a full white beard, neatly trimmed along his jawline. The man was the picture of academia.

He was silent as he pointed to the two boys, following up with a beckon. Like criminals to the gallows, Diya and Hayato rose and sulked into the office.

Upon entering the large office, it almost seemed unfair that the district office, where the principal's office was located, was so small and difficult to navigate in. Hirano's office seemed to be twice as big as the waiting area was. On the wall were Hirano's certifications and degrees from different colleges and learning institutions. His desk sat in the exact middle of the room. Although it was in the middle, the large cedar desk gave the office an asymmetrical look. This was because of the two, uncomfortable looking chairs opposite his desk, shoved between the desk and the door from which they just entered. Behind Hirano's desk however, was nothing to impede his movement or space. The goal was never to make the office symmetrical, but to convey power. Diya gulped.

Hirano sat in his grand chair and motioned to the two, ugly chairs. Hayato and Diya sat down. There was a deadly silence. Diya was certain that his rapid heartbeat and heavy breathing were audible, but neither Hayato or Hirano mentioned it. Hayato remained unphased by the world around him.

"Would either of you like to tell me what happened?" Hirano asked calmly. Hayato and Diya didn't respond. "Boys," Hirano sighed, "I like to think of myself as fair," the Principal said as he rose from his chair and began pacing back and forth. "I have a teacher who found a student beaten on the ground, and that student saying that you two had something to do with that. No one else was around." Hirano stopped pacing and put his hands on the back of his chair and leaned in. "I'm afraid if neither of you can explain yourself, I'll have no choice but to believe his story. Beating up a student like that with no remorse? That's grounds for suspension," Hirano said fiercely.

Suspension. The word stung Diya through the air like a cold, winter wind. If he was suspended, he was almost entirely certain that his father would kill him. Tears began to well up behind the student's eyes as he began to panic. Thoughts flooded his mind like water out of a broken dam, and so the words began to spill out of Diya's mouth.

"Sir, I know that what I'm about to say may sound bizarre and unbelievable," Diya wheezed. He could barely speak through the pain of stifling his sobs in his throat. "He was all the way on the other side of the hall. Then I saw thi-"

"We saw Kato trip over the garbage can!" Hayato quickly interrupted, silencing Diya immediately. Hirano raised an eyebrow.

"He tripped over a garbage can?" Hirano was suspicious of the two teenagers' behavior, but it was true that Kato was typically a horrible child that Hirano could not stand. "Why didn't either of you say that when I first asked?" He pried.

"Because sir, if it's only our word against his, we were afraid you wouldn't believe us," Hayato continued to explain as Diya tried to catch his breath.

"I suppose that makes much more sense than two, well behaved students beating up an older student." Hirano rubbed his bearded chin. "I will not be taking disciplinary action with the two of you. However, I still need to contact both of your parents and let them know this incident happened."

Diya breathed out a sigh of relief, but still knew he couldn't relax yet. His father would not be happy being contacted by the school, regardless of why.

"The two of you are free to go," Hirano took some papers from the side of his desk and began working on them, waving the two of them out of his office.

Diya and Hayato left the office and began walking back to their respective classes. Hayato continued to show little interest in Diya, but Diya knew that Hayato had just saved his skin.

"Thank you for covering for us," Diya turned to Hayato as they walked down the hall.

Hayato stopped and clenched his fists. He turned to Diya and wagged his finger in Diya's face angrily.

"I know what you are, Diya Nagata!" Hayato yelled at Diya. "You are a Stand user. Worse yet, you're a Stand user that seems to have no idea what he's doing. Do you not understand the danger that you bring to others with that power?"

"You know about Stands?" Diya was shocked. "Do you have one? Did you see mine too?"

"Enough!" Hayato drove his finger into Diya's chest. "I don't trust Stand users, Diya. Not unless they give me a good reason to. You know nothing of the power you possess, what if you had killed Kato? We wouldn't be leaving the office with just a phone call, I can tell you that much." Hayato's breath was heavy with fury. "Stay away from me Diya Nagata. Stay away from me and my family."

Hayato turned away from Diya and stormed down the hallway. Diya was left standing in the hallway, demoralized and alone.

Okuyasu checked the clock at the back of the Kame-Yu. 11:56. He hadn't even been at work for two hours yet. Today had been a miserable day so far. He forgot to wash his uniform the night before. The clothes didn't stink, but they never got the day washed off of them. After putting on the wrinkled uniform, he accidentally smashed his dad's favorite coffee mug. His dad cried for ten minutes, and Okuyasu was nearly late for his 10 A.M shift after consoling him.

At the store, his boss Sato had been a cranky bastard all day, barking orders at Okuyasu more so than usual. First he had to stock the shelves, then Sato had him mop the entire store. Afterwards, he had to change the cash drawer himself, count the drawer, and change the advertisements in the window. During all of this, Okuyasu was also in charge of taking payment from customers.

Okuyasu dusted off his hands as he looked up at the final advertisement he had just finished placing in the window. It was finally time for a cigarette break, with three minutes left before the old folks' bus got there at noon.

"Mr. Sato!" Okuyasu turned to the paunchy middle-aged man. Sato looked meaner than ever. His brows were furrowed as he flipped through the pages of the newspaper, unconcerned with helping his struggling employee. He took a long sip from his cup of coffee, then looked up at Okuyasu from his chair.

"What do you want Okuyasu?" He growled at the young man.

"I'm going out to have a cigarette before the lunch rush gets here," Okuyasu called to his manager, already lighting a cigarette in his mouth out the side door. He heard Sato grunt as the heavy door slammed behind him, walking into the crisp October air.

Okuyasu stood in the alley where he had met Diya just the day before. He silently smoked his cigarette, thinking about Rohan's warning.

Does Rohan truly believe that Diya could harm me? Rohan says Diya doesn't have a Stand. Heaven's Door is probably right, Okuyasu grimaced and looked to the side, but I know in my heart that there's more to this mystery. I won't give up on Diya!

Okuyasu flicked his cigarette butt into the dumpster and went back inside to see an empty store. Sato still sat behind his newspaper. He looked at the clock, discomforted by the silence. The clock read 12 o'clock noon.

That's strange. I've been working here for nine months now and this bus is always here at noon. Where is the bus?

The clock hit 12:01 and Okuyasu heard the wheels of the bus screech to a stop. He rushed to the window and watched the senior citizens unload one by one into the store. The bus driver, usually waving and saying goodbye to his favorite passengers, sat miserably in his seat, bags under his eyes. Okuyasu watched the driver close the doors and drive off to his next stop.

An everyday person like Ryogi Sato would never notice such a small deviation from the norm. Ryogi Sato had managed that store for six years, and he didn't notice the bus was late by one minute for the first time. He didn't notice the friendly bus driver annoyed by his passengers. He barely even noticed his own level of exhaustion.

Okuyasu was not an everyday person though. He may not have been smart, but in his gut, he knew something was off; an instinct that served him well in the past.

"Okuyasu!" Sato barked. "We have customers, stop looking out the window like a buffoon!" Sato took another sip of his coffee and put his feet up on the counter and yawned.