The bell rang and Kimura adjusted his glasses before informing the class to enjoy their lunch. Sakaki sat still in her chair as the man headed for the door, followed by most of the class, the youngsters gripping a few coins and crumpled notes tightly in their hands. A faint commotion caught Sakaki's attention and she turned to see Tomo gesticulating something to Yomi, before nodding once, gripping money tightly in one hand, and suddenly sprinting out of the door. Sakaki decided that there were some strange people in this class. Seemingly good people, but strange nonetheless.

"An hour lunch" said Sakaki to herself, looking down at her small watch. Plenty of time to eat her lunch- too much time in fact. If she ate the lunch too quickly, she'd have to find something to do for half an hour or more. She knew she'd just find herself sitting at her desk, trying to look as though she was doing something- so people wouldn't think she was being weird, just sitting around. She looked around, a few people were still here, and some would return soon. Perhaps one or two might talk to her briefly so she didn't look like a loner.

Quietly and carefully she lifted her bag upon to her lap and unzipped it. She nodded faintly to herself- she had managed to remain quiet, not attract any attention. Slowly she reached in and gripped hold of her small plastic lunch box and placed it on the desk. She took hold of the small note her mother had left for her.

Good luck in your first day Sakaki! Do well, have fun! Take care and try not to worry too much! Sakaki tightened her grip on the slip of paper and looked down at it once more.

"I'll do my best" she said quietly. She carefully folded up the note and tucked it away into the side pocket of her backpack. She thought it would probably be safe there, she wanted to keep it. Slowly she unclipped the lunch box, pausing as she spotted the shirt of another girl. Slowly she looked up.

"Hi, I'm Chihiro" said the girl cheerfully. "Who are you?"

"I-I'm Sakaki" said Sakaki nervously. She glanced around. There were still quite a few people here, why did this girl have to pick out her? She didn't have anything to say, she'd been caught by surprise, she knew she'd say something stupid. That's how it starts, make one mistake and then the reputation hangs around…

"Wow, that's a cool looking lunch box" said Chihiro. She leant down and looked at it. "Cool the colours look a bit different if you look at it from another angle!"

"Y-yeah, I saw it- and, I thought it was nice" said Sakaki. "My parents brought it."

Chihiro stood back up and laughed, Sakaki leaning back in her chair. Was she laughing at her? Perhaps she shouldn't have mentioned her parents, perhaps Chihiro brought her own stuff, was independent. Chihiro stopped and looked back at Sakaki.

"I've got a really old lunch box, it looks horrible" she said, grinning. "I should get a new one, but I'm too lazy to look for one. Plus today I'm buying stuff from the canteen instead."

"Oh, well…"

"It's strange being in a new school though isn't it?" asked Chihiro. Sakaki nodded. Strange, nerve wrecking, yet at the same time slightly exciting…

"Though I have to admit it is a bit annoying" said Chihiro. "We've gone from being the oldest to being the youngest again."

"That's true" said Sakaki, not very good at maintaining long conversations.

"I bet they'll probably be some people in the upper years looking to mess around with us" said Chihiro, "My sister told me it always happens every year. Try to be careful huh?" she joked.

"Oh, yeah" said Sakaki smiling faintly. "You too."

"Hey Chihiro!" called out a voice suddenly, Chihiro and Sakaki turning as a girl walked over to them.

"Oh, hi Kaorin" said Chihiro as the girl stopped next to her.

"Come on Chihiro, we have to hurry up or there might not be any food left by the time we get there!" said Kaorin nervously. "I'm hungry!"

"There will still be food there" said Chihiro smugly, "You're just paranoid."

"Ok, but how about good food, as opposed to the stuff no one else wants?"

"Good point" said Chihiro. "Come on lets go. Kaorin, this is Sakaki. Bye!" said Chihiro before heading for the door.

"Bye Sakaki" said Kaorin, quickly following after Chihiro, turning her head slightly to see Sakaki on her own again, slowly prodding a piece of food in her lunch box. Kaorin paused for a moment before turning away. She thought the tall girl looked lonely…then again perhaps this Sakaki person just liked her own company. How was she to know anyway?

The two girls stepped outside, narrowly avoiding being trampled by a sprinting Tomo, a teacher yelling something at the opposite end of the corridor. Sakaki saw her enter and sprint across to Yomi, panting slightly.

"I got bread!" she said proudly, standing still by Yomi, as though waiting for praise. She stood still for a moment before holding up the items of food. "I got bread!" she repeated, more loudly this time.

"Oh good for you" said Yomi sarcastically, not looking up from the book she was flicking through.

"Fine then, no bread for you Yomi, you can just go hungry" said Tomo, sitting down in her chair. "I guess I'll have to have your helping, no point in letting it go to waste."

Slowly Yomi's head rose up from the book. The look in her eyes allowed Sakaki to finally understand the phrase "shooting daggers". She wasn't sure how this could end out well.

"Oh Tomo" said Yomi, in a dangerously calm voice.

"Yeah?" asked Tomo, munching away on her own portion, crumbs spilling across her skirt and the desk.

"Could I have my food please?"

"But I thought you didn't want it" said Tomo. "I don't want to force it upon you or anything. It's like- GAARGH!" Yomi, in a fluid movement had got from sitting down in her chair, to standing behind Tomo, gripping the girl in a headlock. Tomo wheezed something, and finally gave Yomi the food. Yomi looked down at it and slowly returned back to her chair.

"Isn't it fun to cooperate?" asked Yomi, as Tomo rubbed her throat. Tomo still continued to eat though, chomping away, swallowing, then rubbing her throat.

Sakaki turned away, and focused back on her own food. Slowly she opened the plastic bag and took a hold of the food within, resting it over the lunchbox, so as not to spill crumbs everywhere. It tasted good. Slowly she began to eat.

Alone.