Staphylococcal Epidermolysis Xeroderma (SEX). A skin disease unknown to 99% of the world.

Description; the host suffers immense pain with the opposite gender when conducted via skin contact. All past users have suffered death and as a result, little is known about the disease.

Symptoms include: rashes, accelerated heart rate, numbness of the body, Exposure may lead to death.

Remedy: There is no known cure.

"Ichika and Nino… Nakano."

Immediately, their captivating beauty struck the male. Ichika more than Nino on account of her friendlier personality and short hair. Yes, he preferred short over long hair. He had his preferences and he'd be damned if being a little injured would disorient his taste in the opposite gender.

"Yup." Ichika nods, placing a drink on a nearby counter. "If it helps-"

"Ichika, we're wasting time!" Nino pushes through, beginning her survey of the room. "Where the hell are they…?"

Yup, Ichika was already more tolerable than her sister.

"Please excuse my sister. She can be…" Stopping as said girl whirls around sporting an irate look, Ichika can only chuckle. "Well, you know."

Indeed he did. There was no need to defend someone if that was just the kind of person they were. As long as they kept their distance, no issues would even occur. The sooner they left, the better. Speaking of which…

"If you're looking for something to wrap your finger, they're in the cabinet above you."

Heads turning to the stoic male, Nino peers up to the area in question. Opening it, her eyes gleam in delight.

"Bingo! Thanks."

Nodding, he was at least thankful that she didn't seem completely stuck up. So semi-tolerable when she felt like it he supposed.

Watching the long-haired girl make for the exit, she pauses in the doorway.

Why had she stopped? She got what she wanted so why wasn't she being on her way?

Arching a brow, Ichika watches as Nino whirls back to give the lone male an odd look.

Why was she- Oh. He didn't need to sport any curious expression or look over himself to realize he still had a number of bandages on.

"Why are you here? And what's with those bandages?"

Blinking as her obvious question is processed, he eases himself thankful for the space between them.

"I like to rest here before school starts. No one ever comes by so… yeah. As for these, I got hurt. Nothing really."

Giving a once over, eyes momentarily going to his gloves, she shrugs.

"Let's go, Ichika. The others are probably waiting."

Not awaiting her sister's reply, Nino vanishes around the corner.

Yup, somewhere on the snobby scale.

"Nino, wait!" Sighing, Ichika gives an apologetic look before she too vanishes.

At least Ichika was a lot nicer.

He could never understand how some people were just rude, arrogant, and whatever else without seeing how morally unjust that was. Like, who just decided to act like a prick? To them, they may not grasp it but to others, he surely could see the somewhat mean streak if she was like that to her sister.

"Sister, huh…"

There was no reason to linger on such depressing thoughts, much less worthless ones. It was just his mother and himself. Not counting Fuutarou and his family at least.

Finally exhaling a held breath, the tension in Relon's body vanishes for the boy to lean against the wall.

"She started to get too close." He sighs a breath of his own for it to hitch. "Wait…" Carefully getting to his feet, he peers out the hall at the two. "They're both Nakanos?"

Homeroom

Entering the half-filled class, Relon wastes no time in taking his seat.

"You missed a bandage." Fuutarou mumbles from behind.

"Where now?" He sighs in annoyance.

"Your wrists." Not responding, Relon only continues to prepare for class. "I'm taking that silence as acknowledgment."

"Shut it, Fuu."

"If you keep going on like this, your body will collapse. Then who'll be able to help your mom, Rell?"

Snapping to meet the calm and collected gaze of his best friend, Relon can only click in defeat before burying his face in his arms.

He hated it when his best friend used logic on him. They both knew they each had enough shit. He both appreciated and hated how caring the guy could be when Relon was exhausted. Which just so happened to be practically 24/7.

"I know…"

Something needed to change. Soon.

This was something they both knew.

Lunchtime

"You left your notes?"

"Yeah. My notes must have fallen in the clinic."

"How the hell does that happen?"

"I don't know. Unless that asshole Barou took 'em, the nurse probably has them. Not like he can make sense of it. The dumbass."

"Don't take too long. We need to quiz each other."

"We can never just eat in peace, can we?"

"If you have time to talk and eat-"

"Then you have time to study and blah blah blah. Got it, Dad." Relon gives a roll of his eyes before departing.

Seriously, aside from his own safety and his own family, all Fuutarou ever thought about was studies and work. Then again…

Pausing a short distance at the door, he peers at the male still gathering his belongings.

"That's just the kind of mentality we need…"

Dismissing the thought, he departed. Down a few halls and up one flight of stairs later, Relon found himself coming up on the clinic. Hand touching the slider, a familiar voice calls his name.

"Ah, Lucinance-kun!"

Eyes shifting back down the hall, his eyes take in the familiar short-haired twin approaching.

"Nakano-san." He mumbles, instinctively pre-opening the door as she nears. "What brings you here?" He asks heading in as she finally reaches him.

"I forgot my drink from this morning." She answers by gesturing to the now-claimed beverage. "No school sells coffee like this. Plus, I'm making sure I get my money's worth. What about you? You didn't hurt yourself again did you?"

Judging by the slightly perturbed demeanor she wore, he'd guess she was showing genuine concern.

"No. Not this time." He offers a dry chuckle finding his own object of interest. "I left my notes. A friend of mine wanted to do some studying."

"But it's lunch period."

"Yeah. And?" He tilts his head, a famous trait amongst the Lucinance family.

Inwardly blinking, an awkward chuckle of her own escapes as she scratches her cheek.

"I just… haven't seen anyone willingly study during lunch is all."

"I personally would prefer to just eat but he's a stubborn one." Relon offers a sigh in tandem with a shrug.

"I'm sure he means well." She offers stepping out as Relon begins to follow for her to stop as does he. "Since we're both heading to the lunchroom, why not walk together?"

Immediately, that sinking pit he knew as his stomach churned. Not at the prospect of a female walking with him. Rather, at the act being done when he left his blazer with Fuutarou. Meaning side-by-side walking was bound to happen. Something he could not afford given his arms being exposed.

Instinctively, he takes a step back. Something that goes noticed by the sister. Eyes raising back to meet him, a coy grin becomes plastered across her face.

"Could it be… you're nervous to walk next to a girl?"

There was his out.

"Actually, I am. Quite self-conscious you could say…"

"Huh?" Rubbing his head bashfully playing into the act, he averts his gaze. Looking on in bewilderment, her cheeks rise a shade or two before she conforms. "O-Oh, is that so? Well, I could walk ahead if you want?"

Now Relon was the one to blush slightly.

"Um, it may be better if I'm the one ahead. I… don't want to come across as a perv or something."

"What do you- Oh." She blinks in realization.

"Yeah…"

"Ah… You make a good point. Lead the way then." She gestures.

Approaching her, eyes weary of her hands, he scurries past and ahead for a hidden breath of relief to escape. Without wasting time, they depart.

"So… what's this school like?"

Head lifting up in those, his pursed face full of thoughts quickly dries into a look of distaste. Thankfully, Ichika doesn't catch it.

"Nothing special, honestly. A pretty straightforward school with average students. You have the common dummies, casuals, and smart students. Some keep to themselves and those that gossip. People who act like class clowns and people who have more respectable popularity. Nothing unique since I've been here at least. Of course, like everywhere else, there are the toxic ones. People are ready to judge, humiliate, or bully others at the first chance. To any freshman that is too unfortunate, they could be swallowed up by those vicious piranhas lurking around." He shivers as a phantom pain runs across his temple.

Hearing his own steps be the sole echoing sound within the hall, he stops to catch sight of a blinking Ichika.

"Nakano-san? You good?"

"That… was more detailed than I was expecting…"

"Oh, sorry if that was too much." He offers a curt bow for the young woman to dismiss it frantically.

"No, no! Usually people would answer with simple stuff. Dummies like me are more used to those. You just caught me off guard is all." In spite of her own awkward chuckling, he couldn't hide the slight embarrassment that began to stir. "You really know your stuff, Lucinance-kun."

Averting his head disregarding the slight annoyance he's caused himself, Ichika's own fits of laughter only grow louder by the second.

"We kinda have to know things."

Laughter dying down, she refocuses to the teen looking off at nothing in particular. To her, it was odd given how embarrassed he was mere moments prior.

"What do you mean?"

It was a genuine question like the one before. The only difference was she saw only one actual answer that would come. Not a silly remark that would alter the atmosphere once more.

"Life is full of surprises. We'll be graduating in two years so… may as well start learning about life as an adult before it's too late." With a shrug, he returns to walking with the young woman following behind.

It was normal to ask such a thing given being a supposed transfer. Though he'd have to make a mental note to be more curt and to the point when giving such broad answers to strangers who know nothing.

Life as an adult, huh…

That statement held merit. Time waits for no one and before long, they too would enter that world. Still, wasn't the time now supposed to be young and experience as much as they could? Take every opportunity they could before such things were shut off?

"Hey." Head popping up out of his peripheral, a momentary lapse passes for him to register the closeness. Following one second later, Relon's eyes snap wide as he puts space between them. "Huh, you weren't joking about being so self-conscious."

"I-I told you-"

"Don't you think you shouldn't be all stiff all the time?" At her words, his frantic train of thought comes to an abrupt halt.

"What?" Eyes doing a careful once over, she steps back to give a curious tilt of her head. "Nakano-san?"

"So… How are you feeling?" She asks to take the lead.

Furrowing at the sudden change, he relents. The sooner they got to the cafeteria, the sooner he'd be away from this risky situation.

"You mean my injuries, right?" He inspects himself. "More or less fine now. No bandages needed aside from a few minor scratches."

"That's good. Walking around with a sore body sounds like agony."

"That's for sure. Sometimes you just have to work through the pain. Doesn't mean it still sucks regardless."

"Haha, right? Though with how you look, you certainly don't seem so bothered…"

"Well, yeah, I work- Wait. Are you checking me out?"

Emitting the common Lucinance trait of tilting his head and blinking in repetition, a chuckle escapes the girl.

"Haha, not necessarily. Your body doesn't really hide it. You have some muscle so whatever workout you got going on sure is working. Besides…" She hums turning to face him, a mischievous smirk plastered. "Is me looking at you that much of a bother~?"

"Hua-I-Uh, n-no! It's…"

"Pfft, I'll admit, your reactions are pretty cute Lucinance-kun."

"You… Ugh." There was no point in fighting someone in their element. He was too open, his guarded front had been demolished by the teaser that is Ichika Nakano. "Has anyone told you you're a tease?"

"Haha, I get that a lot from my sisters."

Head perking as the layered voices grow steadily louder, he arches a brow.

"Sisters? You have more than one?" Getting a happy nod, they stop looking down the hall where chatter is sure to bombard their ears. "Must be hectic at times."

"We're definitely something, that's for sure. What about you? Got any siblings?"

"No." It was a swift, but curt response. Any emotions in reaction to the coming question had already been suppressed the moment the topic of family came up. "Just Mom and myself."

Had Relon been looking at her instead of forward, he would have seen a flicker of forlorn etched upon her demeanor. Like him, though not as fast, her softness mellows back into her jovial energy.

"I see."

"Yeah, we're managing. One day at a time. What about you?"

"Our dad is always too busy so we barely see him nowadays. Being the older sister, I have to sometimes make sure the others aren't bickering."

"Sounds like it's a tough job. I'm sure you're capable of doing it."

"What makes you say that?"

"You've been holding out this long, haven't you? Besides, you're all still together, aren't you? If that's the case, then it shows how much faith they have in not only each other, but their big sister."

He hadn't planned to come across as charming, flirtatious, or anything of the sort. It was just another genuine expression of his thoughts to her. Wordlessly, they exchanged their own struggles and profiles without directly stating the entire picture. He was without siblings or a father, she was without a mother. Their own struggles were their own but that didn't mean he couldn't offer support in the only way he could.

In doing that, unbeknownst to him, Ichika's heart stirred. It was only a slight bit of movement but it was a kind sensation all the same.

"Lucinance-kun."

"Yeah?" He wonders looking over to go speechless.

Hand parting several stray strands from her frame, he's graced with a kind smile. The gesture is only amplified by the sunny rays hitting her back.

"Thanks, you're a nice guy." All he can do is bask in her indescribable beauty as she slowly steps forward once again.

"Y-Yeah. No problem." He manages out once a short distance is made between the two.

"Thanks for walking with me. We'll have to do this again sometime. If I'm ever in need, should I go to the clinic?"

"Why there- Oh. Ha, knowing me you'll likely find me there more times than the normal person." Smile remaining from his response, she gives a small wave.

"See you around, Lucinance-kun."

"Welcome to our school, Nakano-san."

Handing lowering as she vanishes, his expression softens.

The risk was high. He'd thankfully been cautious once she came closer but with how friendly she is, things would certainly be difficult if that closeness remained. Whether he liked it or not.

Nakano… huh.

Gazara12: Seems like an interesting first chapter; the skin condition (lol at the name) seems like it could be an interesting plot device. Looking forward to more!

I brainstormed for like 3 months on that name and I laugh every time I use it lol. The idea has definitely been an interesting one that I thought of and was wondering which story to implement it in. Seeing as how normal QQ is, figured this would be where it would shine. Hope you enjoy!