A/N: Another chapter for the win! NO, but really, this is another chapter. You all can blame the frequent blackouts in our city for this. And the lack of internet.

Chapter Rating: T

Summary: Kudou uses his charms to try and open their teacher's heart. Will Kudou win or will Nozomu shut him out like what he always does?

S2-E2: Forelocks Yet to Be Opened

It was all Commodore Perry's fault…

Both Nozomu and Kudou thought of that that one day a foreigner had wanted to 'open' anything and everything in sight. After the bookworm had gotten all the books arranged in an orderly manner, he'd looked around by the window to see where and what the culprit was doing this time. By the once closed pool area, the lot had gathered along with the said Perry and their teacher. Now that you mention it, the pool was a nice spot to read something: open air, cool breeze, and copious amounts of sunlight. It was unlikely that anybody would go there since it'd been closed down for various purposes so it's bound to be quiet. The only downside was the water, of course.

*clears throat*

That aside, Kudou had just gone there and watched by the sideline. It seemed that some of the girls were wearing (or was scripted to wear) school swimsuits while talking to this Perry guy. Another thing was the language they were all speaking in this episode. Either way, Kudou had merely observed to what was happening; the sudden turn of events had been interesting:

"Commodore Perry, if you want to open things, try to open teacher's heart." Abiru asked oh so casually.

"That didn't help." Nozomu felt the dangerous twist of the story and it wouldn't be all good.

"Teacher's heart follows a policy of isolation and doesn't open his heart to anyone." The young lady in bandages spoke.

This left Perry thinking of the Dejima and the Sakoku policy from centuries ago. "Isolation. That is bad! Open up!" The foreigner had murmured, obviously plotting out how to open the teacher's heart.

"Open your heart," he said as he gave Nozomu a panda stuffed toy.

"No way." Nozomu shook his head, seated by the pool side and huddling his knees in refusal.

"This is good. Let's watch it together," suggested Perry.

"No way." There was another refusal from the uptight teacher.

Kudou could just laugh at this. 'Interesting…' he whispered to himself with a manic grin at the failure of attempts the male foreigner was doing. 'Oh, I know how to open his heart.' He said to himself, merely watching this to the very end.

+After the end of that and they had a little break.+

Nozomu Itoshiki was just alone at their classroom, reading a book that he'd just lent from the library. His relief was overly heard in the ever empty classroom, sighing occasionally at the thought of what happened that morning.

Just then, the shoji door opened, "Sir Itoshiki, you're here… aren't you going to have some lunch?"

"Aa, no. It's rather rowdy outside or at the cafeteria." The man in glasses sighed, "How about you? Shouldn't you be joining your friends for lunch?"

'I don't have that many friends…'

"Hm?"

"Ah, it's nothing. Ne, teacher, what is that you're reading?"

"It's…" The swift movement of the younger lad had surprised Nozomu; he hadn't noticed Kudou move towards the teacher's desk—or was he just too absorbed in his reading? "Whoah!" Surprised when he turned to look, the lad had a too cheerful face, "Clos—when did you get here!"

'You weren't looking at all so you didn't notice.'

"That's not important. Either way, we can share lunch?" The student showed him a bento box while he had filled-bread and juice in a plastic bag on the other hand. "My mom cooks a lot and I usually don't eat much—"

This was all too sudden, "Aa, Kudou, you know—" but could the man really help it if his stomach grumbled in protest? He forgot to eat breakfast. Jun chortled, "Teacher, it's alright. It's just lunch." He had raised the bento to the man's desk, unwrapping it to see what his mom made today: Rice, fried tofu skin, sausages that looked like octopuses and some vegetable side dish that were all neatly placed in the compartments of the lunch box. "Don't worry, there're no lotus roots there too. You seem to dislike that too much."

"Y-Yeah…" There's no way out now, "Thanks, Kudou. Let's eat then?" But for him to get flustered like this was way out of hand? It wasn't everyday that anyone would want to share lunch with him—well, aside from that, Kimori Kiri seemed to like cooking for him.

**

That wasn't the only time. Many more moments came before and after that: At the library, the cafeteria, the hot springs and the rare times they'd bump into each other on the streets. Jun was a really nice kid and didn't cause that much trouble unlike the others. If it weren't for the strong murderous intentions in the background—Nozomu had hunches as to whose it was – they'd have even more awkward moments.

'Should I plot something against Kudou?"

After that lunch, both agreed to just stay in the room, mind their own business and read books. It wasn't like they had anything to do—

"Ah~ That was delicious! Thank you very much for the meal!"

"Sir, you have some rice near your lips."

"Really? Where?" Nozomu tried to wipe it but didn't get the rice. Kudou reached his hand towards the teacher's face, "Here," he said as his thumb brushed under the man's lips, just right under the lining of it. "See?"

"I… see."

With a faint smile, Kudou kept his box and the desk clean. "See? No harm done." But really, the bookworm wanted to at least confess that he liked their teacher—not in the sense that he liked him as their teacher but as a person, as Nozomu Itoshiki. Maybe that was why he invited his teacher to lunch this time? A semester already passed and just this time that he began to act.

"There was once a magician and his apprentice, living harmoniously together in the rickety shack. Although it was small and prone to collapsing, the wizard had fortified it with his magic and with the help of his little assistant. The two were very much different, with the busy wizard always going out to complete his missions and the assistant was only there by the house, either studying or helping around with the chores.

It'd only been a year or two during his studies that he began to admire his teacher's presence—'If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have been here in the first place.' The lad spoke to himself. The next few weeks passed, which turned into months and that little admiration he had turned into something one-sided.

'I like you, teacher.'

But knowing the wizard, he didn't realize nor notice this. The superior kept on with his work while the boy only looked at him from behind the book of spells he was reading. "Teacher, do you think magicians like us would fall in love?"

"Never… we have so much work in mind and our faithfulness must only be to our Majesty's."

*Omitted*

The wizard was wrong. For the young apprentice became a wizard like himself at such a young age, and confessed something that was years old. "Teacher, I really did admire you ever since I became your student."

But it was too late- it was too late to reply for that apprentice-turned-wizard had frozen his body. The two had gone on a mission of terribly high risk. The senior wizard had done it for it was a part of his job as it was also commanded by the King, while the younger one followed to keep a close eye on his love.

And he did a very well job protecting his teacher from the cursed dungeon. He only left a 'dying' message: "There could only be one to live in a situation like this, and I want you to live. Please be happy, teacher."

The elder wizard had escaped, leaving his once student behind…"

"Why did you have to tell that!" Nozomu was in tears yet again. This damned brat had used his charms to tell such a sad story, and a hanging one at that. Unconsciously, Kudou had shaken his head. 'D-Damn. Why did I do that?' Seriously, to have confessed in a fairytale let alone give a tiny hint of what he was thinking? How low could he have been, unless the teacher hadn't realized that? Somehow though, Nozomu had gotten more flushed by the cheeks as he listened to the boy's story. "What happened next?"

The bell rang for the end of lunch break, 'Safe!' Kudou was much relieved in that. He winked at the teacher and gotten back to his seat, "Who knows? Until the next time, perhaps…"

Next time, he will have to cover up the fact that the student was a girl and not a boy. The thought of him confessing was rather embarrassing as well.

Chapter End