"I wish I could go to the beach. Hot sand, cool breeze… babes in bikinis… Man, it sure would be nice."

Junpei had, unknowingly, provided Mitsuru with the perfect way to make amends for nearly maiming him. She'd been very courteous to him since the incident, even picking up his kitchen messes during finals, but his aloofness had made her worry he wasn't accepting her unspoken apology. Once he spoke those words and she learned her father was vacationing at Yakushima, vacation plans were made for all of them.

The last day of exams, Ikutsuki leaves him a voice mail asking him to wait by the school gates after the bell to introduce a potential recruit.

The juniors, finally winding down from the week's stress and in full vacation frenzy, are making their way over to join him when the chairman makes his entrance.

"Adolescence is such a wonderful thing! So full of vibrancy! Don't let me interrupt, I just stopped by to pick someone up. I might as well introduce you to him now."

A young boy steps from behind the chairman's shadow, with a brown mop of hair and a subdued expression on his face. He looks so small in that orange vest, almost as much as he did in his black vest at that wake.

No…

Akihiko double takes in shock, this is something he never expected. Takeba immediately greets the kid familiarly.

"Oh, hi Ken-kun, what's up?"

He whips around, stunned.

"You know him…?"

The rumbling in his mind storms in like a fury and he clenches both his fists. The last thing he wants is to cause a scene but this…

Why? Just, why?

Ikutsuki smiles pleasantly at all of them.

"He doesn't leave during the break because of his… circumstances."

Yukari sighs, looking down at Ken in compassion.

"Oh, I heard about that…Something about his parents."

Ken nods at her, looks at the twins, then in the distance.

"It was only me and my mom, but she got in an accident, and she… she died. It happened two years ago."

The chairman rambles on, but Akihiko can't help but picture Shinjiro's tormented face. The screams, the dorm front door banging in the frame, Mitsuru's howls of anguish... There's so much tension in his neck his shoulders are getting numb.

"…So, I decided to move him to your dorm for the summer."

Minako jolts at this one, looking over at Ken with a pointed look, speaking up.

"To OUR dorm?! Do you really think that's a good idea?"

"Why, of course. He has the potential."

She still doesn't look convinced, pursing her lips. Even Minato seems taken aback, looking from Ken to the chairman incredulously. Akihiko exhales slowly.

"Then, he's the new candidate…?"

Ikutsuki nods like it's not a big deal.

"Why, yes. But, as you can see, he's still just an elementary school student. So, it is merely a possibility for now."

Ken is looking at him with bright eyes and he gulps his emotions down painfully.

"Are you... Sanada-senpai?"

There's a level of excitement and admiration in that question that gives him nausea.

"Um… yeah."

"I've heard a lot about you… You haven't lost a boxing match yet. It's a real honor to meet you!"

It's not. It's really not. If you knew...

The tone of wonder is clear, and it makes it all so much worse. Ken is just an innocent kid though; he tries not to let emotion cloud his response, but his voice turns out distant.

"Yeah, well… It's nice to meet you."

The chairman, Ken in tow, leaves the school and they start making their way back to the train as a group, but jolts running up his spine just intensify. Yukari and Junpei are having an animated discussion with Minako about swimsuits, that is, the girls are talking and Iori is getting jabbed repeatedly because of his inappropriate comments. It feels a bit forced, like Junpei is purposefully trying to distract them; the girls had been a little too lost in thought earlier. Minato stays silent, looking out the window, but his face is scrounged somewhat and he sends a few glances his way.

Akihiko is still trying to keep his emotions bottled inside, for the sake of the others, but there's a repulsion at the whole situation he can't quite keep down. The teen finally turns toward him and speaks softly.

"Wanna hang out?"

"This is a bad idea; I hope the chairman reconsiders."

He hasn't seen Minato this forward in expressing his opinions before and it takes him aback. Apparently, Akihiko's not the only one with reservations, although his are based on entirely different reasons on top of the unease at involving children. They're picking at the soggy fries slowly, he's tapping his foot on the seat's base like he wants to chip it but his companion doesn't comment on it. At least there isn't much of a crowd at the back of Wild Duck at this hour, everyone out of school is probably gallivanting outside to start their vacation.

"He's just a kid, nobody that age needs to..."

Minato's candor is surprising, but with what he knows of the twins he can understand where he's coming from. He nods in agreement, perhaps they can get the situation reversed if that possibility solidifies. They need everyone they can get to vanquish the shadows, but the idea of pitching a young orphan into the fray screams of desperation. Is the chairman doubting they can get the job done? And for this kid to be him of all people…

I can't let that happen.

His face must have been grim indeed because Minato cracks a real joke at him.

"Or we can just unleash Junpei on him. That might make him go back to his own dorm running."

Akihiko chuckles, that was unexpected and the mental picture is somewhat funny. The humor doesn't last though and he sighs in resignation, it's like he can never catch a break. As if there weren't already enough sources of stress and chaos at the dorm, he'll have to look at Ken all summer, every day, like a refresh slap in the face.