"Alright, Mr. Don, that is all seven of your classes and their respective syllabi. Think you can handle all of that in such a short timeframe?" the advisor asked, leading Krieg to the cafeteria.

He stopped just outside of the door and looked at teen Krieg. Honestly, Krieg was a little nervous and excited to be able to actually focus on school again. Last year was a disaster, but we won't talk about that. It's all in the past. Right now, he had to make the most of his time. He still had two little brothers to worry about and an apartment to properly furnish for the next two years. Unfortunately, due to the events of last year, Krieg missed a majority of his sophomore year's studies, so he had the sheer pleasure (insert sarcasm where applicable) of having to mix sophomore level classes with junior level classes and go to summer school until graduation. Bright side, he wouldn't have to do the whole walking across the stage thing with everyone else. He could just collect his plaque, go home to his kids, and have a nice barbecue with the few people he knew. Oh, and the puppies! They'd be dogs by then, though. Perfect for an invisible guy like him.

Krieg nodded in response to his advisor and said, "Yeah, it should be fine. Sucks I have to be stuck in remedial like this."

"I wouldn't worry about that. You'll still be able to enjoy school functions, and we're here to support you. Speaking of which, I will be showing you the study rooms for late-night studiers and giving you the keys. Please be sure to return them every Friday evening or Saturday morning to the Front Desk attendant. On Monday, you'll be able to pick them up whenever you're ready. Once you get through this cram session, we will need the keys to be returned; however, if there is a study room that you used frequently or that you simply enjoyed the most, you may apply for total access. If accepted, you need merely pay a fee for the key and up to three replacements if your key is lost or stolen."

"... ... Your name is algae eater from now on. How much is the fee?" Krieg asked, frowning at the idea of another fee. These people just nickel-and-dime you to death!

"Beg your pardon," the advisor said with an amused grin.

"What's the fee, man?" Krieg asked impatiently.

"Just a meager $75 a year with a $125 added penalty fee for replacement of the lost or stolen key. Failure to keep the study room keys in your possession will result in a $300 fine," the advisor happily informed.

"So, basically, that's a deluxe perk for the school simp skin."

"Ah, another gamer reference, young Krieg?"

"LIBRARY! WHERE IS IT!?"

"Good show, Mr. Don! Good show!" the advisor complimented while clapping gleefully. "You'll find that the library is the better source for community, academic improvement, and - "

"WILL YOU PLEASE JUST - !? *deep breath* Please just show me where I pick up my Scooby snacks. I don't know what I have access to with my meal plan," Krieg said professionally and calmly.

"The good news is you have access to the breakfast and lunch programs at the buffet section. You are allowed to buy snacks and other foods outside of the cafeteria with your free allowance of 200 pirate belly. That's our school's currency. To upgrade your meal plan and receive three meals, you merely have to - "

"NEIN!" Krieg roared with a firm stomp. "I will stick to the starter pack for broke bois! When is lunch?" Krieg asked, fully over his situation with this school and money.

"You have second lunch so 12:30 every day. When you've completed your cram session with at least an 83% success rate on the cumulative exam designated for you, you will begin the seven-course introductory schedule for roughly one and a half months. Afterwards, you are expected to follow a block schedule for the rest of the year. Summer school will be very different as you're only allowed so many hours during that time period. Have you and your parents or guardians discussed your room and board situation? By you being in the elite rank, you are allowed to live in the dormitories on campus. This is a privilege only they have."

"I'll be living off-campus. I'm largely responsible for two dependents until my guardian's paperwork is complete with the authorities. Did the headmaster inform you of this?" Krieg asked very seriously and quite professionally.

"Only briefly. We were unsure of the court's final decision. Please keep us informed about any changes with that. Though I've been screwing with you about the hidden fees we'll be slapping you with at every turn, you are a very brave and very inspiring young man. You did what was best, and I believe you were within your right to protect yourself. I'm sorry that you had to be in that situation. Please, don't hesitate to ask for assistance when needed. We are here to help you, and I believe in you, Mr. Don."

"... Thank you," Krieg said gently, looking away for a moment to escape the stranger's kindness. "I should probably start working now. Why am I being sent to a study room and not a classroom for this?"

"The classrooms will be too distracting, we believe, and it wouldn't be ethical to put a new student in a classroom where he has to learn new material while simultaneously trying to catch up with older material. It's too overwhelming, and we do feel you are a promising student. I think you have a lot of potential, personally, given your interest in chemistry and your natural affinity for construction projects," the advisor answered, folding his arms behind his back. "Both of those lead to an astounding career path!"

"Alright, algae eater," Krieg sighed with that accusing grin he was infamous for. "I know you're just trying to butter me up so that I'll spend money, but I'll take the compliments for today. Let me try the library for today. I guess I have to prove myself to you now."

Algae eater smiled warmly, nodded, and then led Krieg to the library. That feeling of being watched came again after the bell rang. Having had enough of that, Krieg looked around more thoroughly this time. Who was it? Some kids were looking at him and waving to Algae Eater the Advisor, but they weren't giving off those "spy eye" vibes. He did, however, notice a lot of kids wearing strange pins and bracelets. Thinking it was just some weird trend that inexplicably grew in popularity at the school, he ignored it. He couldn't find the creep giving him these ominous vibes, so he shook his head and followed his advisor to the library. Mihawk and another classmate were standing on the bridge of the second floor, watching Krieg speak to the advisor. He still wasn't given his proper pins and badge. This time, Mihawk was with another friend of his named Gecko Moria. A weird name but a cool dude with it.

"What're we doin' here again?" Moria asked, adjusting his school beanie.

"We have a new student here. He's with the elites," Mihawk informed.

"And why are we just spyin' on 'im like creeps?" Moria questioned, leaning on the rails to lock eyes with Mihawk.

"Because Sambas Regional doesn't accept new students this late in the semester. The holidays are in two weeks, and he'll be trying to catch up forever with that being the case. I also saw a dormitory room on hold for him on the third floor in the back. Benn was given very minimal information about it. All of our events start soon. That's unusual for a new student to be here just before holiday break in November. Plus, new elites are rare to just squeeze in. He got accepted despite exceeding the deadline and not having to deal with orientation or a proper tour of the school for new students. His advisor was given the responsibility of handling it all. He is an odd one," Mihawk explained in detail.

"... So, basically, you're obsessed with the guy," Moria remarked with a smirk.

"Wait, what? No!" Mihawk said with disgust.

"Okay, then you're jealous. He got in on a technicality. You had to haul ass, Mr. Kendo-Fencing-Longsword Regional Champion of the World," Moria responded with a shrug.

"You know I don't give a shit," Mihawk commented, folding his arms and waving a hand.

"Oh! You're butt-hurt because he missed your speech. That's so cute!" Moria teased with a coo.

"Don't turn away from your food at lunch, Mori," Mihawk threatened, narrowing his eyes murderously.

"Hey, you're the one crushin' on the new guy, not me," Moria complained, walking away in the direction of their next class.

"What?" Mihawk questioned angrily.

"Him not wearing the new student badge is one thing. It's a cool, little arm wrap for the transfers, high-rankers or whatever," Moria replied, pulling an invisible string from end to end to emphasize his point. "Okay, I get that. I'm just now finding out that the dude is even here. You knew before he even showed up first thing this morning. Strike one, bro. No pins? Alright, weird to mention it, but he's new. He doesn't know about the bond thing we have here. That's a-whole-nother topic in and of itself. No bracelet? Hold on... hold on. You only wear that when another student has shown interest in you for either an alliance or an 'encounter'. Strike two, bro. YOU finding out he has a dorm on hold from Benn Beckman, the dude who usually relays info to the darling of the Student Council, Gol F. Shanks? Alright, squash that! What is going on really? You don't even like 98% of the people off rip."

"I tolerate you," Mihawk responded, gripping his biceps.

"I'm in the 2%, fam! Why do you even care about the new guy?" Moria asked, ignoring the late bell.

"... He looks like he can fight," Mihawk said lowly.

"... That's it. You want another rival?" Moria asked with some annoyance. "THAT MAN AIN'T GOT TIME TO WASTE ON YOU!"

"He's an elite! He can make time!" Mihawk argued, childishly stomping his foot.

"NO! Let him study in peace!"

"I'm bored, okay!"

"Hey, you two," a security officer called. "You're late for class."

"... You're not harassing that man," Moria said finally, leading the way to class.

"It's not harassment!" Mihawk argued.

"This is so harassment..." Zeff said, sitting with Mihawk and Moria at their lunch table.

"No, it's not!" Mihawk argued, aggressively eating a small sandwich.

It was first lunch in the cafeteria. Most of the Student Council ate at first lunch, so they were at their designated section. Around second lunch was when the magic happened..., but Mihawk couldn't care less. He may not have gotten the new guy's name, but he knew what he looked like. Unkempt, lavender hair, deep brown eyes, strong jawline, dressed like a boring sponge. You really couldn't miss him. With the lack of badges and pins, you really couldn't miss him. Everyone else at school wore the traditional suit or the occasional school colors in the form of athleisure. Mihawk would've thought the new guy would've liked wearing the school stuff, but he opted for the basics. Regardless, he'd at least get his name and introduce him to the Student Council. Then, he could test his swordsmanship skills, if he had any, and that would be that.

Only problem was he didn't show up to first lunch, which meant the new guy had second lunch, and he was in remedial, which meant no one knew him or where he was just yet! Shit! Frustrated, Mihawk went to his locker with Zeff and Moria in tow until other members of the Student Council started appearing. As they walked together..., Mihawk was able to catch the new guy in socks and slides walking over to the bookstore for something. A bunch of squealing girls and cheering boys were admiring them as everyone walked like celebrities in a group. New guy needed more paper and... crayons? Oh, he was getting other school supplies, too, but... crayons? Checking the time on the wall, the new guy double-checked his collection of items, paid for a few things, and walked straight passed the Student Council like they didn't exist. That bothered Mihawk tremendously. You don't just get to ignore him.

"U-u-um, Mihawk-senpai, you haven't given your red pin to anyone in a while. Won't you think about sharing it with me?" a girl asked shyly. She seemed quite sweet.

"Hey, out of the way, nerd! I'm trying to see Hancock-kouhai!" a guy said in the distance.

Mihawk turned around at that to see what the new guy would do. He didn't budge at first, but he did pick up his dropped materials and returned to the library in utter silence.

"Aaahhh, it's little Shanks! He's so cute!" a girl squealed.

"Hug me, Shanks-kouhai!" another girl pleaded, bowing at Shanks's feet.

He was only twelve and people were literally falling on themselves to get at him.

"Hello!" Shanks happily greeted, drinking out of his favorite juice box.

With everyone distracted, Mihawk snuck away to follow the new guy to his library carrel. Krieg was burning through his math materials to reach his checkpoint for the day. His desk wasn't personalized much, but he had a picture of two kids in front of him and the crayons and small toys surrounding it like a small shrine. Soft music was playing overhead since he was in the open carrel on Level 2 in the back by the study area. While cute, Mihawk didn't like being ignored, so he strutted up to Krieg's carrel and tapped on the window to get the boy's attention. Right then, he gasped involuntarily and stood in place. Krieg hid a fairly handsome face despite the messy bun of hair and glasses. It was easy to see some features giving way to manhood while others kept the innocent attractiveness of a child. He had almost forgotten how to breathe... and definitely how to talk to strangers.

"Is this space for you?" Krieg asked, checking for name tags to make sure he didn't invade on someone else's territory. He had keys to study elsewhere. Wasn't a big deal, honestly.

"N-no," Mihawk said lowly. He was kicking himself mentally at how he sounded. He shook his head about two times before he said with some anger, "You're an elite. Why aren't you studying in the other areas?"

"Cuz a bruh ain't got the money," Krieg joked with a small smirk. "Library's free and no one's in here really. Peaceful. This is a dumb question, but do you have a stapler I can borrow? I totally forgot about it, and I just ripped my papers apart."

"Th-the-there's a station by the printers. You can take one of them," Mihawk said, cussing himself out for stuttering like an idiot. He was Dracule Mihawk! Swordsman extraordinaire! Why was he stumbling in front of a... nobody?

"Oh, cool. Do I just ask the people at the front desk for it?" Krieg asked, rising to his full height to stand up.

Jesus, he was tall. He looked so much smaller from far away. Okay, so Moria might be onto something. He was... different up close. Mihawk swallowed a bit, shook his head again to refocus, and said calmly, "You pass up the printing station on your left. The doors are just closed."

"Oooohhhh, he told me everything was upfront. Good lookin' out, man. Can you show me where it is? I'm new here," Krieg said professionally.

Mihawk wasn't sure if the new kid was just that confident in himself or if he was genuinely just that polite, but he blinked about three times before nodding to follow him. He took his skeleton key out and opened the printing room's door to show Krieg. It was like going into an Office Depot! Fearing for his wallet's life, Krieg sneakily just took a singular, small stapler with the smallest bundle of staples he could find while hissing and looking over his shoulder just in case. He chuckled at himself before whispering a thanks and sneaking out of the room to return to his carrel. He was funny. It wasn't until Moria appeared about two to three minutes later with a smirk on his face that Mihawk realized... he still didn't get the new kid's name.

"You are so falling for him," Moria said, grinning and leaving the room.

Zeff came in and asked, "Did you get his name?"

Deep breath, sigh, groan, "Noo."

"Did you tell 'im you were with the Student Council?" Zeff asked.

"No."

"Does he have his pins or bracelet?"

"No."

"But he was so hot, dude!" Moria joked from the distance.

"F***!"