Not going to bargain for now. I will update whenever I like.

Sandshrew Master 317=There can only be one Harem Protagonist. But if I have to say it, it will be the smallest Harem you'll get.

Titanmaster 117=Thank you for your sympathy. You're the only one who keeps sticking around, I appreciate it.

Shina Kina - Owned by Twirltheflag
Others more will follow for diversity.

Friend Again.

Ahh~~~

That felt like bliss. Every frustration I ever had pent up on my unwanted stay in F-Class was blown out from all the screaming I did at Rep's motivational speech, and now I was empty; just ran out of repressed anger, absolutely nothing in my mind that reminds me of the horrible details of the class, or even something that could make me doubt the success of our war. Now, I was only full of the motivation to study harder than I ever could.

To be honest, what I expected to do here in F-Class was to just look at downloaded videos in my phone or be lazy by sleeping off any given hour. I never expected myself to actually be studying my brains to maximum overload, much less even have hope with all the people in this classroom, dumb or not, to do a very good job of fighting off other students.

And it was all thanks to one person. Rep did a very good job at giving everyone here some reason to study (well, most of us since hardly everyone else in the classroom was studying after Yoshii left). Sir Fukuhara had left the classroom so we could 'intermingle' and it might take a minute or 2 till Yoshii comes back after he finished the declaration of war to D-Class that shall come to be our first enemy. So I settled to studying my best subject, English. Complicated subjects will wait, especially Math (and by 'wait', I mean after 10 years where the subject Math would not exist in my life).

I do not mean to brag but if an English Summoning match was put in a fight and I am in it, the victor would certainly be me. Both in grades and control of avatar, two perks of advantage, even an A-Class student would certainly be the loser. In what I believe in, the number of perks one could have are the insurance in victory; you use one for a while and you use another when necessary.

Never mind that, let us study hard and win a war, shall we?

Opening my text book…..

….I know this part already….flip 60 pages…this one too….page 100…..same….300…still this one…second semester pages…..too easy….bibliography.

Close the book.

I think the English subject might have ended up being my only God-like ability in terms of Summoning Battles. If I were to say that in some English sentence: it became my bitch.

Maybe the next subject would not be so simple.

Science or Japanese….Science shall do.

There is something sad about all these text books in Japan in my opinion: with the exception English every other subject in every text book are all written in Kanji. Even though I am fully versed in the Japanese language and kanji, just looking through those symbols were SO taxing and translating them was way worse for my head. Even my other favorite subject, Science, was potentially and mentally killing me. Thankfully, all those text books in my grade 7-9 and 1st year managed to forge a sense of tolerance and endurance and adaption to read the text on these books without any more complaining.

Opening my science book pages, a wall of text going from right to left was there.

…

I wish all these were English texts. It would have been easier.

Let's see.

|Code of Life.

DNA and RNA.|

Hmmm, I thought we were through with this last year. Oh well, might as well revise for the hell of it.

|After Gregor Mendel (1822-1889) discovered the mechanism of inheritance, scientists began to search the molecule involved in inheritance. At first, it was believed that proteins were responsible for hereditary information; thus, scientists began searching for the molecule.

In 1928, Frederic Griffith (1879-1941), upon trying to create a vaccine for pneumonia conducted an experiment using rough and smooth strains of Streptococcus pneumonia and mice. The smooth strain had a polysaccharide capsule that is used to protect the bacterium from the host's immune system, thus killing the mice. The polysaccharide capsule was something that the rough strain did not have.

In one of his experiments, he killed the virulent smooth strains of the bacteria using heat, and thus the polysaccharide capsule was left. The mice lived. However, when Griffith combined the nonvirulent rough strains and the heat-killed smooth strains, the mouse died. He discovered that the nonvirulent rough strains were able to use the polysaccharide capsule from the heat-killed smooth strains, thus earning the rough strain its virulence.

This experiment led to the discovery of—|

"Student hard at work, I see."

Perfectly morphing my body into stone, but my heart betrayed me that it jumped so high that it hit the roof of its chamber in surprise from the sudden eruption of noise beside me. Keeping my body language under check and calculating it to appear unfazed, I faced the person who began speaking without any warning with a deliberately slow turn of my head.

It was the blonde woman again, and she had moved to the broken table again. She was looking at me coolly and her own table held no text books (what the hell?), was she not eager for this fight?

I fixed her with a glare, annoyed. "….You are not doing any better." I shot back at the blonde, Japanese woman.

"Nah, I don't need studying to keep me smart. I'm already covered." She said with very suspicious pride, flipping her braid that hung on her right shoulder to her back with her hand in a very showy and boasting manner.

I narrowed my eyes, (un)fortunately because of my bangs she will never see it. "….You literally just enrolled, and have no absolute idea of what this school is apart from normal schools...and you say you can just DEAL with it?"

She smirked, almost appearing shit-eating, "Yes."

"….Without any idea of the concept and practicality of an ESB?"

"Yes."

"….And you just believe me?"

"Yes again."

I felt something snap in me.

"….And you expect me to think you can manage it in an impromptu manner?"

"That's what you said moments ago, right?" She asked rhetorically, the smirk on her face was almost infuriating to my sights.

"….Without even studying?"

"Keep asking, boy."

"….And you expect yourself to survive on the First FUCKING Day!?" I spatted out.

Do you still have the nerve, now!?

She smirked, "Yes."

….

You annoying little shit.

"….I dare you to answer me 3 questions to guarantee my admittance." I challenged her with a growl and I flipped my book a few pages before I picked it up and hid the contents from her view; the back of the book facing her.

She was being cocky, and I am really having the urge to murder the entirety of her own person.

I have been raised, and learned to never brag about anything I am capable of because there was no guarantee of how good I am. I only agree to what was true and be fine with it, such as my height and personality trait.

To think that this girl began talking just to tell me that she can handle a test when she had just enrolled here, and the fact that a summoning war was about to commence, and she had not even summoned her avatar yet, I will see about that.

She is doing nothing but annoying the hell out of me.

"Fire away." She said briefly and without any thought, she is way too cocky to receive any of my mercy.

The amount of people who I had met that had the same attitude were never the same after they were beginning to go too far with proving themselves in front of ME. I plan to do the same treatment to her. If she does not get even one question right I am swearing to lash at her with every profanity I have in mind. This woman has been nothing but a piece of annoying waste of air in my presence.

Glaring at her behind my curtain of hair, I start with the first question, "….what is the process of making RNA strands from DNA strands?"

Looking down at the book, I scanned the book for the page I was looking–

"Transcription." She answered briefly after one second.

I looked up from the book, my stony face still but my eyes show the look of disbelief; it was at times like this that I was thankful I have very long bangs. It would not show anyone how I felt and use it against me, especially to not give them the pleasure.

Her face still had that same fucking smirk. Looking down once again, I searched frantically yet silently for the statement I forged into a question.

It was a correct answer.

But I am SO not telling her.

But because of my silence, she knew that she was correct and she was doing silent celebrations; doing arm movements that are equivalent to pop dancing from her kneeling position.

Silently growling, I flipped several pages for another question. Hmm this one shall do. Show me how you would escape this.

See if you can remember your lessons, little lady. I know this theory very well since last year and I did a pretty good job of explaining.

"….Explain the Kinetic Molecular Theory."

"In that theory, gases are made up of tiny particles that move in a random and straight-line motion. These particles move very fast and can only change direction when they collide with one another or with the walls of the container. There are more assumptions set by the kinetic molecular theory to explain different properties of gas."

She said all that without even time to think about it.

…...

Again, I was staring at her with disbelief. Her statement wasn't in the text book nor it was matched to what I have in mind but her statement did indeed match the actual concept. It was almost like she read it from the library.

Did she memorize it from another book?

"Bull's eye?" She inquired with a smirk, sounding rhetorical. ALMOST rhetorical.

I never felt so noncompliant before, I ignored the inquiry. Very frustrated, and NOT in the least impressed, I looked down to the book, for probably the last time, to search for the most brutal question I could ever find that would potentially be make her learn her place.

Completely ignoring the dab pose she was doing at my peripheral vision, I flipped near the end of the book. The complicated ones go near the end.

This one, definitely this one. I never knew about this before and there are several symbols that I literally have no clue of what the hell they were. This is definitely our level of knowledge that is yet to be learned and it's possible this girl had not gone through this topic either. This might do, most definitely it shall.

Glaring, I dared, "Enumerate all the protein structures and explain them."

She was about to answer but she froze the sooner she opened her mouth, free from the surprise of such a question her eyes frantically looked around; the was the sign of a mental overload, she was racking her brain for the answer. Recalling? Processing personally learned facts together, perhaps?

...….

She still has not stopped processing.

I will give you 10 seconds...

9..

8..

7..

She began to show the look of dread on her face, reaching her hand up and gripping her hair in desperation. The sight was such a pleasure to my eyes.

5..

4..

3...

2...

In a sudden snapping speed, she slapped her face with both hands, head hanging low and she was very, very still. She looked utterly pathetic.

Have I done it? Hopeful and eager to know, I slowly widened my eyes, fully expecting her that she had given up.

Her head lowering even further, I finally hear her groaning in heartbreaking agony. The sound was so fucking mesmerizing to my ears.

Ha! Sorry, Kina Shina-san. It seemed you are not so well prepared for thi-

She snapped her head to face me and recited.

"Primary structure, Secondary structure, Tertiary structure, Quaternary structure."

…Fuck…..

"The primary structure refers to the polypeptide chain. It identifies the sequence of, ah– amino acids in the chain, which is essential for protein function. The secondary structure is for the geometric pattern of the chain. The patterns were caused by the…..hydrogen bonding made between nitrogen that was inside…..the amide group and the oxygen in the carboxyl group within the polypeptide. Tertiary structure is characterized by, uh–3D folding of the polypeptide chain, I think, yeah–it was caused by interaction between different side chains of each amino acid in the polypeptide. The last one, which is the Quaternary structure, is more like the protein resulting from interaction in the first 3 structures. It only refers to oligomeric proteins, which had more than one polypeptide chain. The structure proteins include collage and hemoglobin."

...

…..I have no idea what the fuck she just said.

And I doubt myself looking at the book to see it for myself. Learning about a new science concept take a lot of damn time. I could tell that she explained them with her own words, and I doubt she said all that out of impulse and in random.

"Is that right?" She asked, her inquiry had evident doubt and hesitation. She clearly did not have enough knowledge for the topic.

At least the sign of honesty in her voice dissipated my anger along with my surprise. I will spare her from the profanities even if she was wrong.

I lowered my head, my bangs hanging. Not bothering to look it over, I gave the book to her to find that out herself without so much as looking at her. I doubt she would lie and say she had it right when I could just read the correct answer once she returns it.

But if she lied, and I have found that out,she will learn what the drawback of fooling around a hot-headed Filipino.

She takes the book from my hand and scans over the page with the topic in question. Her eyes scan over it in an impressive speed (similar to mine when I study English), sometimes she was frowning and sometimes it would turn into wide eyes of interest.

After a few seconds she closes the book and returns it to me. I promptly took it and instead began opening my bag to place the book back in instead of placing it at the table, I will not bother looking it over. I was feeling the unfamiliar feeling of defeat.

"I'm right." She said in finality. I calculated my actions to appear like I was ignoring her, I peeked beneath my bangs to look at her face, there were no traces of deceit that are evident. Her eyes were half-lidded and tired, her smile was obviously tired and seemed forcefully appeared to look triumphant.

She won...by a lucky guess.

I sighed and clicked my tongue underneath my throat: I fucking lost. This never happened before.

"Well?" She inquired, waiting for my admittance.

I snapped my head back to her, giving a hard glare, expecting her to get my message to just leave me alone.

I should not have done that. I just gave her the pleasure of seeing me reacting like a sore loser. She gave me that shit-eating smirk again, the amusement in her eyes were not hidden and instead leering all over my defeat with pleasure. No sign of fear at all like the majority of the receivers I threw on had.

I could have done something, either tell her to piss off or just tell her to leave me alone but….

But being angry about it is not a good action anymore. She proved herself and I have absolutely NO right to say anything against her anymore.

Fuck...

Exhaling a sigh, I kept the book back to my bag, "….I will believe that, Kina Shina, my classmate, is prepared for the fight that is set to come." I declared dryly with a grudge, my motivation to study eaten out because of her very good success.

"Yeeeh~" The form of a 'yeah' she celebrated sounded lethargically corny.

"….You're annoying...!"

To be honest, if I a teacher and her my student, I would give her full marks and heartfelt praises. Not even I could do such a feat, much less on the first day of class. I only know one person who could do the same without any necessary mental work but with just a simple stroll to memory lane, and that was the valedictorian. Kirishima Shouko.

If I have to doubt anything, it would be fighting her in an overall Exam Summoning Battle and winning. With all grades combined, she dominates mine in a very wide margin. I really doubt I would win against her, even with an advanced control of avatar movements. Being a top 8 had nothing to do with strength, much less with grades in a fight. That was my insight from the experience of defeating several A-Class candidates last year. But when it comes to Kirishima Shouko, it will not go that way.

She would certainly destroy my pride of being undefeated.

"You wanna know my secret?" Shina asks me, snapping me to harsh reality. Peeking to the side with an angry glare and the intention to ignore, her smile had that amazing effect of making me compliant, making me banish the intention. It was the same kind of smile Ma'am Takahashi used when I met her.

Psychological effects sure were wonderful yet equally horrifyingly dangerous.

I stared back at her, my face as stony as usual. I was not showing it but I was genuinely eager to know how she managed to learn all the knowledge she had.

"Sheer, iron grip memorization." She answered. "'You have to remember the material because you would not know the time when it is ultimately necessary to you.' Most of my last teachers say shit like that." She stated, her finger pointing up and twirling for some reason. "My last school was tough like that, average people wouldn't last the first semester there." She added with a distant yet disdainful look on her face, remembering her experiences.

...Goodness.

"You know what else they do, they take away our text books right before the exam and they said we have to rely on our own knowledge to answer the freaking test! In other words, stock knowledge." She said, her face contorting from smiles to incredulous grimaces with her voice lapsing from mirth to exasperation. "I barely made it past the fucking semester! It just happened all of a sudden without anybody so much as TELLING me!"

"….Shocking." I muttered, no sarcasm. I have to be very grateful I am not enrolled there. Sheer memorizing? All those subjects? I certainly would not last long enough if I ever made the worst decision of enrolling there.

"Just at the start of every fucking morning, we are always forced to do a fucking seatwork the sooner we get there! Then when we were done, a lecture comes in, followed by a fucking quiz the sooner it was over!" Her voice was starting to grow fiery in absolute anger, she clearly hated the experience. "They emphasize everything about being competent and being disciplined." She mentioned, pointing a finger at me for some reason. "You are not forgiven for being worthless." She growled, but I could feel that she was impersonating someone, most definitely her own teacher. "Some kind of a teacher I had, started saying I was a 'woman with capabilities'. He says that the first time we've met. I was flattered at first, then all of a sudden, he throws the entire closet of test papers at me, expecting me to fill them all and have a score composing of 3! Fucking! Digits!" She was starting to look very vengeful, her voice was becoming fiercer. "Just because I was a fucking valedictorian in my middle school doesn't mean I wanted go that far! How would everybody make it through that!?"

I have figured out a few facts from her rant.

One, she had a frustrating time in her first year.

Two, she regretted going there.

Three, given her irate attitude, her friends did not give her support. Either they were just as busy, or maybe her schedule was packed with so much school work that she does not have time for friends.

Four, taken that she was a valedictorian in her middle school, I will assume that she had pride in her own competence.

Five, because of that pride, she challenged herself with a difficult school.

Six, she clearly failed that challenge.

Seven, she actually bottled up the frustrations she received that year.

Eight, she did not release them until this day.

Nine, she exerted those feelings on me.

Ten, I was not even mad for that.

...….

Odd.

"….You deserve a congratulations for lasting long enough." I complimented her with a monotone, genuinely I was very impressed that she managed to even go through all that without even making the decision to drop out of that school or even failing. Taken that she declared preparedness in our fight that included grades without any sense of hesitation, she does not see our school system as anything new or a surprise. She had went through harder trials than heading into unfamiliar environment without preparation.

"Well, technically I didn't last long enough." She objected, waving her hand to deny my claim. "I was only there for my 1st year and I made the decision to switch schools once the school year was over."

"….Have you accomplished better than most of your peers?" I asked passively.

She gives a dry chuckle before she answered, "If it was another school, I'd still be valedictorian." She said with a very critical tone as she smiled snidely at me. Then she looked to the board with her normal expression back, albeit the anger was lingering with a frown on her forehead. "But yeah, at least, technically, I did."

'At least'? 'Technically'? You are not making any sense here.

She continued as if my doubts are heard, "But in you guy's cases, I'd prolly be part of the top 10 by now. In my school that's an equivalent to a fucking below average, or maybe even below it." She explained, doing her twirly-finger-pointed-to-the-air hand gesture. Seriously, what does that mean?

No longer surprised, I believed in every exaggeration she mentioned to be true. I forgot that our school was no different. If our school can make students create super powerful monsters, either with good grades or not, with merely a mutter or a shout, what else can be a surprise better than a school meant to school the children of government officials?

"….If that is the case, I would hate to meet your top 1."

She suddenly snapped her head into facing me, looking at me with an expression that I could not read. I thought I had said something wrong but….

"PPPPBBBBBBHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!"

She suddenly explodes to a disturbing cackle as if the comment I said was a joke, drawing stares from other classmates around me and her.

I raised an eyebrow, one eye wide open and my mouth gaping open. I was not trying to be funny, I was telling the truth. I would genuinely hate seeing her top 1. What if that person was looking down on the others?

Her mirthful laughter was actually creepy, and it was drawing the strange looks of the others while smacking the broken table with her hand, further damaging it (I was not sure if she noticed that she was reducing the construct to a rubble), "I can't believe somebody in this class had the same thoughts as me!" She shouted with her smile broader than a half-crescent moon, still making a disturbing cackle. Her hand continued to pound on the chabudai table, I never thought the sound of flesh beating against wood could ever sound so destructively easing to my ears.

The table was long gone. Now it is just a pile of chipped and shattered wood, decimated from the force of a woman's hand.

Then she subsided the humor, wiped the tears away and spoke in an even voice, "AH~~ That felt good~~~" She moaned, not in a suggestive manner but in a way as if she felt an internal weight finally lifted off her shoulders. She clearly blown out her raging emotions by laughter and physical blows. She actually destroyed the table on purpose. "Yeah, that's what I thought the first time. But at least she wasn't some cocky bitch." I stared wide-eyed at her verbal curse towards the mentioned valedictorian but any form of malice was hardly felt. "She's actually just some all-around normal girl. You know: kind girl, likes music, healthy body, no big knockers but she's got curves though. And obviously she was smart as fuck. She's cute, I'll admit. She doesn't have a boyfriend last I remembered. I got her number if you're interested." She said, looking at me and gave a one eye blink.

What was she trying to imply?

Ignoring the 'unknown' implication, I diverted to another talk, "….What was her attitude towards you if you create conversations?"

"Eh, you know." She shrugged, as if the answer was easy to guess. "She actually gave me some stress relieving techniques, and even fixed my schedule for me so I don't overwork myself."

I lowered my head in slight shame, I regret saying such words earlier. That person clearly was not conceited.

"She was the most competent girl I ever met. She can handle those tests like they're from elementary school. she got a lot of responsibilities on her back yet she finishes them all under 3 days. She could take favors from anybody and she barely breaks a sweat."

"….It might be possible that she does not understand the concept of 'Play'." I pointed.

She chuckled, "My thoughts exactly. That sort of mentality could send her off to the government office."

I nodded. If such a thing happens, she could have many privileges as her former classmate.

"….Did making friends become a little difficult?" I asked, adding another conversation.

She looked to the side, squinting her brows, "I don't...think so. Everybody I've met was as pissed off at the system the school had as me and we ended becoming close because of that."

"….Did they grant you their support—"

"AACHHKK!" She cut me off in a mixed sound of a growl and a bark, the fact that a woman like her made such a sound left me flabbergasted. "They apparently had the same thoughts as my teacher, thinking I could become the top among them." The amount of stress in those words were clear with irritation.

So they expected too much from her because she was a valedictorian before? Such presumptions were unjustified and very unworthy of praise. Elementary, Middle school, and High School are very distinct things. The differences among them are quite obvious.

"At least when I showed them my grades did they stop expecting much from me." She leaned back, keeping herself upright with her hands supporting her from her back. "Then we created a group mentality, we work together and survive together."

Hm...

"….Did you all make it through?"

She was silent for a little, the expression of her face was almost unreadable for a second. "...yes."

Then, no more. The conversation suddenly ended. I was having this certain feeling that she was lying to me.

For whatever reason, I did not want her to stop talking.

"….Do you miss them?" I asked softly. Somehow, despite her attitude earlier, especially with our impromptu oral exam, I was strangely appreciating the conversation I am having with her. Which was odd, because my usual action to similar situations before was to shrug off the conversation and ignore everything what was said. Conversations in my life hardly occurred for a long time, I always focus on the task at hand and put aside useless slander. Do believe me, whenever I try to talk to someone it is always about business. Whenever I was the one being talked to, the conversation was always cut short with a blunt and direct reply and the awkward silence sooner made the second party back away.

How could this one be different? She only had useless topics and I did not have the instinct to ignore. How was I gliding along the momentum of her words? Why was I keeping the conversation between us continuous?

Oh, never mind, I know the answer….

It was because of the way she talked to me, the way she disposed herself and her vocabulary to me. It was unrestrained and free, completely unbounded and she could say whatever she wanted with whatever personality she had. It comes along the fact that she does not display the slightest trace of fright of my appearances. It was similar to how Sir talked to me. Talking to me without any worry, personal bounds, or even caring about what I look like.

I find it very welcoming and pleasing. If there was something I respect on another person, it was their sense of freewill.

I am starting to grow on this girl. No one has been able to maintain a simple conversation with me because their fear towards my appearance before, and sometimes I find it very frustrating, especially when the matter at hand involves something serious.

She was silent for a while, looking away with a distant look on her face. Then she spoke to me, "Yeah, all the times I went through with them, we were always together. Tests, memorizations, hangouts, even a debate. We always think that together with our matching smarts we are stronger than the government." She said, her voice growing melancholic. She dearly misses them, the decision to leave must have been quite hard. From choosing to stay with her friends and work even harder in her second year or to leave the torturous school for her own benefit, it must have been really hard on her to choose the latter "But unlike them, I'm not strong as they are. They were so daring to take another year in the place but me?" She scoffed, "I could barely last a year in that school, you know." she continued with a frown and an empty smile. "So I did what I wanted, move out of the damn place and pick an easygoing school where you don't gotta memorize something every fucking time before a fucking semester test." Her voice had gotten strong by the profanity, I clearly understand why. I would have done the same if my teachers had done something horrendous as that. With one final sigh she said with finality, "We did cry but I gotta follow what I want. And make do with what I can do."

I gave a nod, with or without her notice.

That was quite…..sincere. And respectable as well, following your own wishes instead of the persuasion of others, it was an act of freewill. It was a contradictory to mine, my going to Japan. But to a more different circumstances, my uncle and aunt's persuasions were downright convincing that I had no choice but to obey and come live in Japan. I did aim to go to the same school as my friends after I graduate elementary back in Philippines, but my relatives had plans for me. Not an act of freedom at all. But I did have an interest in Japan so technically I came here with my own decisions, yes?

But what I see in her decision to come to Fumitzuki Academy now that she's here, I think she brought herself another challenging high school year.

"….Do you realize the similarities of your times in your last school with the school you put yourself in now?"

Shina looked at me with a confused frown, she looked around the classroom for a little. Comparing the differences maybe, the circumstances? The situation? Or rather, she might be trying to foresee the coming days in her life as an F-Class student?

After a few seconds, that knowledgeable brains of hers figured it out, her eyes widening in realization to what I mean.

Kina Shina's logic was almost impeccable.

"Did I just..."

I nodded, "….You will now go through the hardships of being a student of the poorest class." I find it too amazing to be a coincidence, she went through the hardships of being an honor student in her last school and now she is facing the opposite life in another one.

"Daamn!" Shina said, her tone first going impressed then it became being mildly violated. "And I thought things were gonna get easy."

"….The rewards in the easy life are good but the rewards in hell are grand enough to be taken with you to heaven." I said, somehow surprised with myself for managing to say such a sensible sentence. "….You became a competent and hardworking woman thanks to that school. F-Class would need that kind of caliber."

"Doesn't mean I'm going to appreciate it." She whined, a slight red on the cheeks forming.

I know. I would do just the same.

"….Then again, the things you went through will repeat itself. Just in different ways."

Shina-san raised an eyebrow, "How different?"

Ha, I don't know myself. But I was certain that everything will reveal itself.

"….You will know that yourself." I said with an assured nod. "….But some things would not change, that much I am confident to assume. You will learn certain things that an honor student sitting at the top could never understand."

"Really?" She asked rhetorically.

"….You will still be needing some acquaintances again. Being an F-Class student gives you the harsher end of our school's biased treatment, and companions that you can drag with you is needed." I advised. "These people—" I paused, gesturing to every person in the room, especially Himeji. "—are good candidates to be your companions."

I CANNOT believe I just said that. Was I granting possibilities to another person? So preposterous, very unlike me.

She gave me that teasing smile again, she is about to say something I do not expect,

"Do you wanna be my friend?"

...

I did not expect that at all.

I could have refused her. Just like among the others that had tried, because I thought they were hiding something. The last time someone considered me a friend by taking advantage of the amount of time I spent with the person, plus the occasional school work, I was taken advantage of. I offer assistance and endless support, it was exploited. I was never given credit nor did I see a change of difference in treatment. I was never treated as someone to be free around with; a friend. But this time, I am reconsidering this.

Because no one would ask for something like this because they were afraid of me.

Those who were afraid of me yet still trying to make an effort to get into my space were always people with bad intentions.

My life was never normal; I was raised in an alien way and everything I do is not considered usual to these people. It was hardly a surprise, I was raised from a different country before coming here, after all. Not only that, I was a hot-tempered boy who would not hesitate to cause violence just to settle an argument. It was sad to say, but I have the good potential to even hurt friends, in so many ways that did not include physical injuries.

Everything was not the same when I came to Japan, making friends became difficult. My personality was not compatible to their liking. Since my arrival, hardly anyone was a friend, just school acquaintances, existing just for school business, projects and assignments. I even done things that even friends would not find it acceptable, even if they were desperate. Middle School was hard, everyone eyed me like an outcast, unfit to walk in the foundations they step on. Some of them showed me even signs of fear, evading my space and quickening in theirs steps when I am right behind them in stride. It was frustrating, and very depressing.

When I came to Fumitzuki Academy, I decided to change; be the 'Different Person' they thought I was. Slowly I adapted to take pleasure over the fearful signs they display in front of me. Then, eventually I made no consideration to make friends afterwards. I just settled to being the lone wolf of the class, working alone and independently, never making friends or earning praises the moment I achieve something. Because everyone in my first year just see me as a target for their bullshit. I fell for it once, I must do everything I could to never let it happen again: They make their way into bullying the loner, they gave me the satisfaction of releasing my anger.

I might consider Sir Nishimura a friend, but there was no way that is possible. He is just a teacher.

But this time, it was something different. Shina-san's proposition was entirely different. It was an opportunity to be a friend again, the chance to have a friend again. This time, I was certainly sure that there was no ulterior motive behind it. This girl was just a student with grades beyond average, expecting a few friends to be with her in the new school she chose. She had received the end of my harsh words, displayed her the worst of me, even did my best to keep her out of my space, yet she was giving me a chance to be the first friend she will ever have, despite all that.

I would not waste this chance.

I gave her a challenging look but I doubt her to read it from my curtain of dark tresses, "….Would you (say yes if I had)?" I hate to finish the sentence but with Shina-san's brain she would figure it out. "….It will not be easy. I am not like most men." I forebode with finality, genuinely meaning every word.

And if Shina was to ever say yes...

...I will pray to God that this friendship will not fall apart.

She gave me the most knowing grin she ever made since I have seen her, "I'll take my chances." She said with her hand extended to me. "You look like the interesting guy to know."

I gave a nod, the light in my mood ever bright for her acceptance, and I let my hand meet her soft, fair hand instead of the wrist like usual to every people I meet who are not fit to be in my company. "….It will be a pleasure." I declared, genuinely meaning it.

We shook our hands; our new friendship towards each other is now made.

"Cold." She blankly said, looking at my hand while squeezing with more strength than necessary.

I knew that she was talking about my hand. Her hand was warm to the touch so it meant that mine was cool, common action-reaction result. I gave a small smack to her arm, she does the same to me in the same strength, all with a smile.

And I am not even mad. I was happy, rather.

Ahh, friendships are so beautiful.

"YOU LIED TO ME!"

Someone blatantly yelled from the front door.

Both of us whipped our heads (except Shina, she coolly turned her head) to the source of the yell. It was Yoshii Akihisa, his state of wear looked horrible than the last time I seen him walk out the classroom. Graffiti, tatters and torns, rips and scratches; Yoshii's uniform made him appear as if he ran through a forest of horrors where the branches of trees were purposely gratified for molesting and grabbing any passersby and he just managed to escape their clutches.

"You can let go now, you know?" Shina's deadpan voice snapped my attention back to her. She had a smirk on her face and—Oh, I was still holding her hand. I raised a free hand in apology and fervently let go, the warmth disappearing. "The hell happened to him?" The blonde asked me, gesturing to the idiot that looked like he got stuck in the brick wall while some mischiefs were about to spray paint it.

"….Who knows."

"Or rather, does declaring war really take that long?"

"….Who knows."

"It's just as I thought." Rep commented with an assuming nod, clearly referring to the victim's dangerous journey of declaring war.

"What do you mean 'just as I thought'?! You knew that this would happen!" Yoshii yelled, almost sounding literally and figuratively violated. How he managed to make such a sound possible just after doing a simple task was beyond me. Rep must give him praise for such a feat.

"Of course. How else could I be class leader?"

"At least feel guilty about it!"

Rep simply ignored his violated friend's demands and walked over to the back door of the classroom.

"You two!" Rep called to us from a peer to his shoulder as he slid the door open, "Come with me. We're gonna discuss some battle plans and agreements." He ordered to us, he turned to Yoshii Akihisa and the two other women with him and called, "Don't dawdle; we're having a meeting, pronto."

I comply without question and stood up from my kneeling position, feeling a satisfying snap resonating on my knees. I extended a hand to Shina who was about to place her knee down to stand up, gesturing her to take it so I could help raise her up.

My first step of being a friend to Kina Shina.

She stared at my hand, eyeing it as if it was stained in blood before she took it and I heaved her up.

"'S been a long time since I've done that." She commented as she stretched her back.

I frowned at what she said; had anyone ever helped her to her feet, or even gave her a helping hand at all? But I thought better than to ask she meant. I easily presumed that it was an influence from her school that she has to help herself up and everyone has to be independent.

Tough school she had. But yet again, the situation I put myself in was most probably compatible to her experiences.

I wonder what influence it would do to her and to me.

A few additions joined the meeting as we walked through the corridor to be at the place Rep wanted the meeting to commence. There was the Kinoshita boy. Looking behind me I see Tsuchiya. The ones who Rep called are with us: Himeji, Yoshii and Shimada. Rep was walking ahead of us, leading the way.

Tsuchiya, Shimada and Yoshii argued with each other behind us. Everyone else was being silent, especially me. However, I cannot stop glaring at Himeji's figure as she walked, what she did is still fresh in my mind.

…

Walking.

…

Still walking.

…

Sure is a long way to where Rep is leading us to. These talks and meetings of strategy are to be taken somewhere secluded and safe from eavesdroppers of other classes, but how would anyone expect other classes to start a war so suddenly on the first day, especially since we are F-Class?

Sigh, not like I will bother asking, Rep looked like he knows what he was doing, or maybe he was just picking out a place where he personally liked?

I should try and start a conversation, maybe it could help pass the time. Considering that I have earned myself a friend after 4 years of being alone, I have to regain the social skills I have lost 4 years ago.

"….If I may ask…." I began, walking in stride beside her.

"Hmm?"

"….How did you manage the third question? Was it memorized or have you made the explanation all on your own, molding other useful information together and conjured the answer as a result." I asked curiously, looking at her braided golden hair.

When she decided to say it after a few seconds of thought, she looks up at me, her grey blue ones staring back at me through her glasses, she gave the most direct answer that potentially destryoned all the pleasantries and chances of making this conversation animated between us.

"Science is my bitch, bitch."