Amu looked back at me.

"…And?"

I shook my head quickly.

"Nothing. Sorry."

"Now, Tanaka-chan, please sit in the empty seat next to Hinamori-san."

"Y-yes… Okay…"

I put my books on the desk and sat down. A girl next to me nudged me.

"You're so lucky!" she whispered into my ear. I jumped slightly.

"Uh?"

"The desk next to Amu Hinamori has been empty since she transferred here." Another girl pointed out.

"It doesn't matter. Who cares." A tiny girl with long, wavy blond hair mumbled.

"Rima-senpai! Don't upset Mie-chan!" one of the girls whispered loudly.

Rima turned round and looked at me. She raised her eyebrows, and took a long glance at Amu. Amu nodded, at both of them stared at me.

"Huh? W-what?" I asked. They didn't reply.

"Okay, Tanaka-san. Do you want me to show you round. Not that I want to, at all."

"Um, yes please, Hinamori-san…"

"You can call me Amu-chan. I don't care much about what you call me."

"Y-yeah. Okay."

She didn't say much, She walked around the school with her bag over her shoulder, saying the names of the rooms as she went.

"Happy now?" she asked, smiling a little.

"Yeah. Thanks, Amu-chan!" I smiled back.

"Oh, and by the way, what can I call you?"

"Well, I don't care much about what you call me." I replied, imitating her voice, smiling, "But feel free to call me Michan."

"Okay. Will do. And there's one thing I wanted to give you."

Amu passed me a letter.

"T-thank you."

"Yeah, it's okay. You can open it somewhere else. Bye now, I've got to go to the royal garden."

"R-royal g-garden? Huh?"

"I'm one of this school's school council. The Guardians. And we have a meeting at the royal garden now. So, bye!"

I watched her run down the corridor.

"Bye…" I muttered to myself.

As the tail of her shadow disappeared down the stairs, I started following her.

She turned round.

"The other stairs leads back down. These go to the Royal Garden."

"Y-yeah." I stopped, peering through the banisters at her.

For some reason, I wanted to find out where she was going. I sat at the bottom of the stairs, watching her from a long distance away. Then I remembered the letter. I opened it.

Mie Chiyoko Tanaka

Is invited to the Royal Garden at Seiyou Elementary.

Time:

NOW.

'What kind of letter is that?' I thought, as I ran after Amu-chan.

"Why are you following me? What's wrong with you, Tanaka?" she shouted grouchily.

"Amu-chan!" I panted, "I g-got an i-invite!"

"Yeah, and?"

"It was to the royal garden! Now! It said now!"

She stopped and did that 'I'm-studying-every-intricate-bit-of-you' stare that she and Rima had done to me earlier.

"…Thought so." She said quietly, pulling the thumb-creased letter out of my clenched hand.

"Come with me." She added, tugging me by the arm.

Panting heavily, I ran after her, wondering what it could mean. Why would I have to go to the royal garden… now?