"Congratulations. I got 90%, you beat me. I think you're beyond my league and on par with the top aces of Orihara Academy."
"He means Namie and Mikage."
"And Mikado, I think."
"But he's been skipping class lately. Strange, it's not like him."
Shizuo shrugged. He did not fully grasp what Mikado's standing in the complicated dueling system was but he did not like being lied to and had a strong disdain for shady characters.
Aoba tossed a letter on the round white table.
"I'm sure you've received these as well. Apparently, End of the World does not like fixing duels so as of now Mikado is banned from the Student Council."
He could barely contain his gloating. Namie crossed a leg and threw a dart at board, hitting bull's eye and swishing close to Erika who was busy catching up on the latest June publication.
"I wonder what you'd do if End of the World ordered you to jump off the balcony."
Aoba chuckled. Namie could not do humor, clearly.
"We must take into account that there are new players in the arena. Apart from us there is the black ring duelist and the current Engaged."
"Neh, if Namie-san beat Shizuo, and Shizuo beat Aoba-san, doesn't that mean Namie-san can beat Aoba-san?"
It was Namie's turn to chuckle. Aoba's dart struck the inner circle.
"Now is not the time to be fighting among ourselves. It is in our best interest to act for a common goal."
"Don't get too cooperation happy or you may end up suspended as well."
"I am not proposing anything that pedestrian. But we should make sure that one of us wins over the Rose Bride to the Student Council. Once that is accomplished we can fight it out."
"And you assume you'll win."
"But if Namie-san defeated Shizuo then I don't see what Aoba-san can do. Namie-san has upgraded and is at least on super Seiyan level now."
Aoba knitted his brows. He could not even begin to understand Erika's random tangents.
"Our numbers are dwindling so we must take a stand."
Namie smiled coldly.
"As if you aren't jumping for joy inside. You hate Mikado."
"So do you."
"And that's the only thing we have in common. It's hardly enough to make us friends. Besides, I heard that Shinra is supposed to be coming back soon."
Both had realized that it might only matter to own the Rose Bride when the timing was right.
"Say, who or what is this End of the World character? Is he like the Wiseman in Sailormoon R? Or Casshern? Maybe a collective penname for the entire cast of X."
"No one knows."
Namie lifted an eyebrow.
"Do you really believe that?"
"Of course. What, do you know who he is?"
Erika turned another page.
"Why does it have to be a 'he', anyway?"
Namie drummed her manicured fingers on the table.
"I have no idea. But I suspect that someone does know."
"Like who? The new guys?"
"Orihara Izaya."
Aoba rolled his eyes. He expected at least some intelligence from Namie.
"The Rose Bride doesn't know a thing. I've asked him many a time."
"And he said 'who knows?'"
"Precisely. And it's his duty to obey the Engaged."
Namie and Erika exchanged one quick glance. Had Aoba been paying attention he would not have failed to catch it but he was too busy shooting down anything Namie had to offer, his ego demanded it of him. What both girls had realized instinctively was not so much that Izaya could very well lie – it had occurred to them more than once – but that Aoba was oblivious to such a possibility.
"I think he looks pretty in a red dress. He's just missing Kyubei."
It crossed Erika's mind that the analogy was off. Perhaps Izaya was Kyubei, in his own way, full of half truths and yet so very cute. So cute and harmless.
Shizuo expected that himself and Izaya would be the only two boys attending cooking classes (and in his mind he could not help but feel that it was as if Shizuo was the only male, Izaya's gender identity being so absurdly neutral. Not necessarily girlish but blank) so he was very surprised at realizing that the blonde duelist had enrolled as well.
"It's a great chick magnet! Girls really dig guys that can cook."
Kida already had a yellow apron one. He winked at Shizuo as Izaya put on a pink apron.
"Ah…didn't know that."
"Shizuo, do you have a girlfriend?"