Author Note: My work schedule is constantly changing from working nights to working mornings. So, I can't guarantee a specific time that I'll be updating at anymore. Don't worry thought I will still update on Tuesdays the time just will depend on the week. I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

Chapter 31:

Dense and Trouble

"I'm sorry I can't date you." Ana bowed her head.

Genji, her sempai from last school year, who'd graduated in April and went off to college, frowned at her. He'd asked her out the day she'd been abducted and was still waiting for her answer. Don't give me that look. I've turned you down as politely as I could every which way since they abducted me. I just don't like you. Please get it and give up!

He'd come to visit during the weekend and she'd met up with him outside the school.

"Alright, I get it—" Thank goodness "—you need more time to think on it. I'll wait."

"Eh? Genji-sempai, I—"

He smiled at her and patted her on the shoulder. "I understand. You went through a lot the last couple months. I'm sure it's hard to date anyone right now."

"Wha? No, I—"

He held up his hand to stop her and grinned. "It's fine. I'll wait for your answer until you feel more ready."

She couldn't get a word in as he walked away. What just happened? Why is this guy so dense? Even Amin-chan's weird non-confession made me feel less awkward. Her mind drifted back to Seto as she thought about her prior weekend's fiasco. After he'd dumped his feelings on her, but not asked her out, they'd gone to a room filled with board games and played Chess. He really had annihilated her, even though she was a beginner. It had been distracting, and they'd soon fell back in to their normal routine of how they treated each other.She groaned and walked to the corner of the school wall to where Sanae was waiting for her.

"How'd it go?" Sanae pulled her headphones out of her ears. Ana still couldn't go out by herself, but Sanae had wanted to give them privacy while they talked.

"Bad. He thinks I'm still suffering and won't give him a proper answer. In fact, I couldn't get a word in. I didn't think Genji-sempai was so weirdly hard headed." Ana lightly rubbed her head. Her cut had healed. She still was healing from the concussion, but it was apparently mild enough that it should be fine in ten days. Ana pinched her arm and frowned. "I've missed so much training, I feel like I've gained some weight."

"You've taken a lot of beatings over the last two months. I think you could do with the rest." Sanae chuckled.

"I'm tired of rest. I just want to get back into training. I don't want to get weaker." Ana paused at this comment and sighed.

"Well, if anything, you can use this time to focus on studies instead. We'll need to pass college exams next year."

"True… I missed most of the first month and a half of school. Summer break starts in July too, so I don't really have much time to catch up over the next month." Ana walked with her friend and pondered how much work she'd have to get done this year.

The next day Ana went to class as normal. Since it was their senior year, the school hadn't switched the class roster, so that they could stay focused on studying during this time. She walked into her regular class and took her normal seat. The seat Seto had been in last year was still empty.

As she sat down, Arata hopped over to her side of the room. "Hey, hey, I was delivering papers to the teachers when I overheard that we're getting a transfer student."

"What? During senior year?" Sanae frowned.

"Apparently. We're taking bets on if it's a boy or a girl. Do you want in?" Arata asked while grinning.

Ana glanced around the classroom and could hear the buzz already. How nostalgic. It's almost like the day Amin-chan transferred in. Except not as cold since it's summer. Wait… Surely not.

Goda walked in and everyone took their seat. "So, today we have a—"

"We're not repeating that." Seto walked in before Goda could introduce him.

"W-wait, Kaiba-san, your introduction." Goda tried, but Seto ignored him. He walked back to the back of the classroom and plopped down in his old seat.

Wha… What the frick' is going on! Ana kept her composure but let loose a stream of curse words in her head. She turned along with the entire class to look at Seto, who'd pulled out his tablet and started working. He noticed her staring. He looked up at her, smirked and shrugged before returning to his tablet. You asshole! How long have you been planning this! She wanted to punch him, but resisted and turned back to the board.

Goda seemed a bit overwhelmed. He cleared his throat to get the class's attention back. "Right, well… Let's start class."

Ana did her best to ignore the stares and tried to concentrate. When their lesson ended and Goda left, Arata got out of his seat and walked over to Seto. The class seemed to hold their breath. You all can stop that. He's not going to bite anyone unless you abduct his brother. He just has a foul mouth.

"Hi, Kaiba-san. Long time no see," Arata greeted him with a friendly smile.

Ana couldn't help herself and peaked over her shoulder to see Seto's reaction. He looked up at Arata and groaned, then went back to his tablet. Oh? That was a rather passive reaction from Amin-chan.

Arata didn't seem deterred and in fact seemed to take Seto's lack of verbal abuse as a go ahead. "Whatcha working on?"

"Blackmailing a company and taking it over." His eyes flashed, and he gave a small smirk before his poker face fell back into place.

She could feel the temperature in the room drop. If she hadn't been spending more time with him, she wouldn't have understood that he was partly joking. Calm down everyone. That's his I'm-sort-of-serious-because-normal-people-might-consider-it-blackmailing-but -it's-still-legal face. She realized she couldn't say this thought out loud without drawing attention to herself and having people ask her later what she was talking about.

The bell rang for the next class and Arata took his seat. Honda, their crotchety history teacher, walked in. His eyes immediately fell onto Seto and he scowled. The class tensed up at this, but Seto just kept typing away. Ana tried to focus on the lesson, but about ten minutes in she noticed their teacher's eyes narrowed in her direction.

"Kaiba-san, come up to the bored and explain the strategy during the battle of—"

"No." Seto interrupted him.

Ana could see the vein on Honda's neck throb. Really, Amin-chan? Some of us are trying to learn.

"What did you say?" Honda's voiced dropped an octave.

"I said no. I will not teach your class for you." Seto kept typing and didn't even look up.

Honda's mouth twitched. "You're being disrespectful. Do you want detention?"

Seto laughed. "Detention? It's funny that you think you have any ounce of power to keep me here."

The students in the class were looking in-between Honda and Seto. Ana kept her eyes glued to the front of the classroom, but she squeezed her pencil tip so hard the led snapped. Amin-chan shut up.

"Go out into the hall right now, get two buckets of water and hold them until I say otherwise. Or would you rather I bring your attitude to the dean and have you suspended?" Honda growled.

"Oh, no. Time at home to get useful work done. What a punishment." Seto's sarcasm couldn't have been more obvious. The class seemed to freeze over. No one breathed.

Ana, however, had lost her last shred of patience. She turned around, reached over, and smacked Seto on the head. There were a few gasps from people in the classroom. The mouth of the guy next to them had dropped so far Ana felt like a fly could easily land on his tongue. Seto looked up from his tablet and raised an eyebrow. He was giving her a look of "What? There better be a reason for that." She hadn't hit him hard, just enough to draw his attention.

"If you're so bored, then go out into the hall, hold the buckets, and see if you can take over that company by typing with your feet." Ana's mouth pulled tight and the classroom waited for Seto to flip his lid.

He didn't get mad. In fact, he seemed contemplative. Finally, he stood up and took his tablet and left the classroom. Honda seemed confused as to what just happened and tried to stop him, but Ana spoke up this time.

"Sensei, he's going to hold the buckets like you said. Can you please continue the lesson?" Ana was passed the point where even her patience with her teacher was running thin.

Honda stared at her opened mouth as well as did a few other students. I need a nap. A really, really long nap. I want my pillow. Honda resumed the lesson, but halfway through Goda walked into the classroom looking baffled.

"Um, sorry to interrupt, but is, um, Kaiba-san being punished right now?" Goda asked, confused.

Honda huffed and put his hands on his hips. "He was being disrespectful. He should be out there holding buckets filled with water. Unless he ran away."

"No, he's out there… holding the buckets and typing with his foot. Ok, well, I just wanted to make sure I hadn't gone crazy." Goda left, and the class exploded. A few of the students ran to the door before Honda could stop them to see this spectacle.

Sanae turned to Ana and looked more perplexed than interested. Ana covered her face. I want to see, but I don't want to see. I'm pretty sure I'll lose it and laugh at him in front of everyone. As it was, she was holding back laughter. He really took me seriously. He must have been bored… Though maybe he just thought it might be fun to rub it in a company's face that he didn't even need his hands to take them over. I wonder if the sadist in him got excited about the thought of stepping on a company?

Honda finally got the students back to their seats, but before he closed the door he peaked out into the hall. The look on his face was as funny as her trying to imagine what Seto looked like holding buckets and typing with his foot. After Honda's class ended, they expected Seto to come back in, but he stayed out in the hall for the next class too. It wasn't until lunch that he came back in. He was flexing his arm and cradling his tablet in the other. There was sweat on his forehead as he retook his seat and carefully placed his tablet on his desk.

Arata skipped over as he sat down. "That was awesome! I don't think I've seen anyone hold buckets for two classes straight before."

Seto didn't look entertained. In fact, Ana could tell he was hiding it, but his arms and hands were shaking a bit. Amin-chan… He probably got so focused on work that he forgot he was holding the buckets.

Before Arata could start singing his praises, despite Seto making it clear he didn't want to talk, Sanae spoke up. "Kaiba-san, why did you transfer back?"

Ana looked at Sanae gratefully. Thank goodness someone had the sense to ask something logical.

Seto shrugged. It didn't seem like he could lift his arms. "Because I felt like it."

Ana groaned internally. She put away the rest of her lunch, not feeling all that hungry. She laid her head on her desk. Screw it. I'm taking a nap. Someone wake me up when it's over.