Krieg, in fact, did not meet Mihawk at lunch to hear him out about the bracelet. While that wouldn't bother Mihawk normally because he normally couldn't care less about the reactions of other people, it did when it came to Don Krieg. Like A LOT. Like "A LOT" A LOT. The thing was his kendo demonstration was from 10 to 1 with concessions being provided. The purpose of Mihawk bothering Krieg during his cram session was to invite him to it. Because of his stupid mouth fumbling at the opportunity to invite him, Mihawk had to write the invitation on a post-it note instead since it was too late to just print up another official card. A pink post-it note no less! So girly! And that ASS WIPE stood him up! Him! The prodigy of the sword next to Gol F. Shanks! He didn't care how cute Krieg was anymore! One does not stand Dracule Mihawk the f*** up! Completing his routine performance for the audience and closing out the demonstration, Mihawk was met with a great applause from the audience and his uncle and aunt (a.k.a. "his adoptive parents"), Rayleigh Silvers and Shakky. They were a cute couple and always supported him, but he didn't want their support right now. He demanded to see the new kid and challenge him to a duel like a regular star athlete versus a newbie! That's how he wound up dating Vista and that one girl! It's like a tradition! For him...!

"Why do you have that awful frown on your face?" Shakky questioned, folding her arms with suspicion. "What have I told you about wrinkles? You're going to ruin that perfect skin!"

"Birdman, it's impolite to ignore your auntie. What the hell?" Rayleigh asked, taking notice to the red forming in Mihawk's face.

"What time is it?" Mihawk asked in response to his relatives.

Rayleigh checked his watch and then replied, "1:15. Why?"

WHOOSH!

"Jesus Christ!" Rayleigh shouted as the smoke from Mihawk's burst of speed filled his mouth. "*cough cough* Bleh! What was that about?"

"... Someone was supposed to be here and they're not," Shakky answered, following after Mihawk's burnt rubber trail. "Get the girls, hun."

"Women's intuition?" Rayleigh asked.

"Women's intuition," Shakky replied, strutting passed the crowd.

He had fifteen minutes left before second lunch was over. He just had to make it to the cafeteria. That prick! He'd kill him! Mihawk was just about to burst through the cafeteria doors until he heard Krieg's voice above him. He was talking to a teacher as she was coming out of the lounge. It looked like he wanted an explanation on something. Once they were done talking, the teacher pointed Krieg down the hall for whatever reason and watched him go. She nodded and waved at him once he found whatever he was looking for. So, that's it, huh? He spends half the day in one spot then fifteen minutes before the bell rings, which is when students are allowed to go to lockers for books, he goes on his hunt for a new location to study for the other half of the day. Clever boy. Cute, charming, clever boy. Now, what room was he going to study in? That was the direction of - ! No way...

Picking up his high-speed chase again, Mihawk ran to the stairs in the back and bolted his way up. Krieg was down the hall for the student organizations! At least half of them had offices, or meeting rooms, on the second floor in the west wing. He was allowed to study there? Wait, he found the Student Council's room! Wait, he's looking at the members' list! WAIT, HE'S TURNING AROUND! HIDE!

Poof.

This was so stupid! Dracule Mihawk doesn't hide from people. How is the new kid able to do this to him? It makes no sense!

"Guess he's still at the demonstration. Oh well," Krieg said to himself. He smiled softly before whispering, "Sorry I couldn't go to your thing, Mihawk. I have to turn in a couple of reports today. I might have to be here on Saturday for half the day. My school records came in. I'm super behind on stuff. Maybe one day I'll go. Just not right now. Thanks for the stapler, though!"

His heart was beating a mile a minute. Who told Krieg his name? The teacher from before? So, he did see the invite! He really was going to come! Seeing Krieg smile like that, Mihawk finally did the one thing he vowed to never do. It was the one thing that separated him from the idiots who believed in the romantic, feely good feels. It was even the one thing that separated him from the "horny" crowd, in Krieg's words. He let out a swoon and sigh before looking down at his social availability bracelet. He didn't drink Krieg's tea yet. Was there really nothing anyone could do to convince Krieg to just get the bracelet. At least everyone would know that he's not really ready for a relationship, but... you could get him things like school supplies or more tea. If everyone wasn't so into smashing him, Krieg might've given the bracelet a chance! Friggin idiots!

But..., was it really that bad to be attractive to other people? Mihawk had gotten a compliment or two since freshman year, and his popularity had grown with his status as a Student Council member. A romantic relationship wouldn't interfere with his studies so grossly..., he didn't think. It didn't stop him from continuing his athletic training. Plenty of students had life goals like Krieg. What made Krieg's situation so different? What made him so... unbelievably attractive? The politeness, the rebelliousness, the persistence? All of it? No, for Mihawk, it was definitely his smile. It was so full of hope and determination. Whatever his goal was, he wanted it more than anything like anyone else. He should've just invited Krieg to the afterschool snack bar when they met, but he didn't think about it! Even with Moria's suggestion, he missed his shot. Could he... maybe study with him or something instead? That's an easier way to get to know him. Would it even help? Biting his lip, Mihawk took a deep breath and made his final decision to confront Krieg. But, the boy was already walking to the stairs in the opposite direction. He must be headed to his next study destination.

"He's very sweet."

"Why is he so behind in school? Did he move from a totally different part of the country or get into trouble?" Mihawk asked, thinking his inner voice was talking to him.

"I don't know, my little black bean."

Wait what? Mihawk snapped his head around only to be face to face with a smirking Shakky. "WHOO, SHIT!"

"Young man, language," Shakky reprimanded, narrowing her eyes. Smirk growing to an amused grin, Shakky then asked, "Why are you hiding behind the wall, nephew? You're not the shy type."

"It's nothing!" Mihawk replied curtly, fixing himself and standing straight like nothing happened. Well, this day couldn't get any worse.

"Oh? Very well. I'll keep your little secret," Shakky said, walking down the stairs. "You're going to be late for the family dinner, though. We're going to Fire in Brazil."

"B-b-but, there's food at the concession stands. The school paid for all of that," Mihawk tried, not understanding his aunt's celebratory mood and... wanting to go find Krieg, personally.

"Your peer has a lot of work to do. Don't bother him," Shakky said, continuing her walk but turning back to him with a knowing smile. "No, you can't tutor him. You'll be too distracted to concentrate on such a thing."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mihawk questioned, folding his arms with displeasure. "My academic performance is in the Top 10 along with my athletic performance! I'm up for magna cum laude. Tutoring another person is not difficult."

"Mihawk, you hid behind a wall when he was just coming to apologize for missing your demo. He's practically seven feet away from you at this distance. You think you can handle an entire hour with him sitting right next to you?" Shakky questioned, making Mihawk blush with some outrage and some embarrassment.

"It's just studying! Of course, I can focus on what's important!" Mihawk argued.

"Young man, the answer is no. At least until I figure out why Roger accepted his enrollment this late in the year and with so much work to catch up on," Shakky said, closing her eyes and proceeding on her walk.

Always the supportive one, his aunt. Mihawk didn't say anything else to her. He only looked in Krieg's direction one last time before following his aunt.

As it turned out, Krieg not only had to be at school on a m***f***g Saturday, but his cram session got extended to a third week and his summer school hours got extended. BUT! But, he got to start school a bit later for a proper break, which was baller, so he didn't complain. Because of this new update with his situation at school, he really couldn't be bothered with school activities. He was lucky to have gotten half credits on all of his courses because, otherwise, he would have had to repeat the year. THANK GOD, he didn't have to do that. However, the cram session was now simply a makeup session. Gradually, he would be reintroduced to normal sophomore and junior classes, depending on the results of his weekly reports and his exam. He just had to be in class for each missed lesson during his sophomore year. It wasn't a daily thing. He just had to check in for the day, get the teacher's signature, record what he learned, and he was done. He'd be in mainly sophomore classes first until the other half of his cram schedule was completely reviewed. They added the extra week because they were worried about him missing the half credits necessary for his junior year of school. If he couldn't finish his sophomore year studies with the session's time limit or earlier, he definitely would be starting junior year next year. Krieg did not want that, so he was even more focused than before. Damn that.

A crowd had built up in the front of the school. Had to be those bracelets again or something. Ignoring the crowd completely, Krieg dodged a couple of suitors until he was forcefully stopped by a gang of... Vespa scooters. Pardon?

"Don Krieg. It has come to the Junior Geek Squad's attention that you've been tinkering in the computer science lab aaaaannndddd that you've been avoiding your responsibilities as a student. As president of the future of technology, I, Vegapunk, am hereby flagging you in accordance with Article 3 Paragraph 18. Failure to engage with your peers in a social setting. Have you an excuse, Don Krieg?"

Are you f***g kidding me? Krieg thought.

But, Krieg didn't say anything. He reached in his bag for his tea, popped the top, stirred its contents calmly, and took a nice sip. He basically treated the Vespa dude like coupons on a fridge - something to be thrown away once you came to terms with the fact that you were never going to use them. Some of the geeks were blushing at Krieg because of the way he was blowing the steam. Those perfect red lips puckered up seductively. When he swallowed his tea, Krieg closed the lid, took a deep breath to calm his fury, and put the tea away. He noticed that the students were quiet and looking at him and the geeks standing off with each other. A couple of parents were confused by the sudden Children of the Corn scene. Everything may as well have been in black and white for a proper Western film mood. He did not have time for this, so Krieg decided to do the one thing he probably shouldn't have and flashed the geek squad a killer smile that made them more attracted to him. The radiance of his charm almost forced people to look at him.

He said, "I'm so sorry, guys. I was so busy with my studies; I just couldn't make the time. I didn't mean to offend you. Please give me another chance... to really be with you. I want you to watch over me and help me make this my new home. Will you do that with me?"

Sparkle, sparkle, blush, blush. Classic anime fall scene with the leaves falling down perfectly around teen Krieg and classical, romantic music playing to add to his charm. It was just enough sweetness to make everyone forgive him but just short of honesty to make them believe that he'll fall in line soon. In fact, the suitors who were interested in him before were really crushin' on him now. They ran right up to him to try to invite him to things for the weekend. Though he mentioned that his studies were more important, he was polite enough to ask them for an escort when he had to turn things in for grading. He even offered a trip to the bookstore to shop for school supplies. A certain someone was kind enough to give him a stapler kit. A decent number of the suitors agreed without question. Zeff and Moria were sitting on the Student Council bus, watching the scene unfold. They were there to mainly keep tabs on Krieg for Mihawk's sake, and they were happy to send him a text about the new kid mentioning him. He spent about two to three hours stressing out over the right colors and styles of different staplers and staple removers. He deserved to know.

Mihawk: He mentioned me?

Mihawk: When? Where?

Zeff: Just now. The Geek Squad was on his ass about the bracelet, and he made this cutesy apology to them and his little fanbase. You should've seen it. They ate it up!

Moria: If he didn't look like a vagrant, I'd agree with everyone else and say he's a hottie. But he's a vagrant.

Mihawk: You're an idiot. What'd he say about me? You said he mentioned me. How?

Zeff: He just said there was a guy who brought me this "cool stapler kit" while I was studying. All those hours you spent picking and choosing paid off in the end.

Mihawk: Meet me at the strip mall he frequents.

Moria: Mihawk, no. Don't make me go back to the used underpants section! Nausea!

Mihawk: Besides failing miserably to score a date with Kaido, what do you have to do that's more important?

Moria: Okay, FIRST OFF, low blow. Second, you're not having much luck with the new guy either. Neither you nor him are at the snack bar.

Mihawk: The correct pronoun is "he". Check your context. SHUT UP AND MEET ME AT THE MALL.

Zeff: Uuuuugggggghhhh!

"... Impressive," a Student Council member said. He was sitting in his chair on the touring bus.

"What's up, Crocodile?" another member asked with curious eyes.

"He might be rough around the edges, but the new guy has a lot of potential. He'll make a good businessman, but his friendships will be scarce. Doesn't look like he trusts people easily. There's a specific reason why he doesn't want to wear our bracelet and pins. He's not stalling," Crocodile analyzed. "He's outright telling them that he's not getting it. They just don't see it."

Meeting up with Ellie and his other friend was a welcome treat for Krieg. They would be shopping together for a while since the apartment, or rather the one and a half story condo, had to be furnished. Krieg's main focus for today was completing the kitchen, so pots and pans, appliances, and the like had to be at least ordered. A cooler and dry ice could only go so far, but he would definitely keep the donated cooler for parties or outdoor playdates with the kids. It has a use, and he has a spot in the storage/garage complex right behind the apartments to place whatever was not in use until he was ready for a car. Even though Nanny's apartment complex was only ten legit condo setups, she invested her money well in the area's construction. There was a recreational area with a standard outdoor pool and gazebo, small playground and dog walking trail, a small garden park, and a barbecue area. She said it was for emergencies when power outages occurred or if someone just couldn't pay the light bill due to financial hardship. She didn't find it fair to punish anyone who genuinely didn't make enough to survive, but she had no tolerance for those who abused anyone's kindness to get out of their responsibilities to pay things. He respected that, so Krieg vowed to earn a steady keep and be honest to Nanny. She did so much for him, Gin, and Pearl and continues to do a lot for them.

Entering a store called VinFeed, Krieg was escorted to the used appliance store with some advice from Ellie. Hey, beats going to some high-end Home Depot. No, thank you. Actually, he found some pretty good refrigerators. He only needed the basics, but Ellie suggested something with plenty of space for snacks, leftovers, and any meal prep stuff for dinners meant to stretch for a few days. Though Nanny doesn't host a lot of parties, in case anyone invites Krieg to one, he can take party food home for some variety in the kitchen. Plus, who doesn't love a pint of ice cream in the freezer? Or extra bacon?

"Oh, cool, a couple of 'em have ice dispensers already," Krieg said, slurping on a tea chiller. He bought a new flavor. Same price and count, though.

"Don't waste your time. All they do is make you pay more for someone to come and fix it," Ellie complained. "What about that cute mint green one?"

"Too Easter Sunday for me. Either standard or earth tones work better for me," Krieg said.

"Thoughts, Anya?" Ellie asked the other girl.

"I think that French Door one is pretty fetch. It's closer to brown. Oh! That one's a nice red. Let's go to that corner. All the colored ones are in a section!" Anya cheered, hopping over to it cutely.

"Whoo! That price tag's tellin' me stories, though!" Krieg complained. Even a used appliance was still the price of an appliance. Some of them were really nice, though, and they included information about the warranty. The really cheap ones had little warranty left or none at all, so repairs would really be out of pocket in a short amount of time. Now, if you're desperate, fair enough. Krieg, however, needed his shit to last until graduation so higher price bracket it is. It was lookin' like Anya's choice in fridge hit the nail on the head. He then said, "I'm kinda diggin' this blue one. You can put designs on the handlebars with that applique wrap. Warranty's good for four years, which is fine by me."

"Pop it open! Let's see if it's any good," Anya said with excitement. They opened it up, evaluated it, and everything checked out. "Looks good to me. It's almost new! So, Krieg, are you saying yes to the fridge?"

"Yup. Excuse me, can I order this?" Krieg asked quickly.

He caught a salesman right on time. After signing all the necessary documents and getting an estimated date of arrival, he was escorted to the stove and oven sections. May as well pay it all in one go instead of piecemealing it. Gin and Pearl weren't old enough to stay home alone, so a toaster and/or microwave wasn't an immediate need just yet. Krieg typically cooks in the evening, so, if nothing else, he'd probably only really need a crockpot, which could hold dinners for hours while he was out at school and be fully ready by the time he got home. With everything properly purchased for the kitchen, Krieg went up to the register and prepared for the worst.

"Alright, Don-Don, your damage is $1,931.65 for appliances. Everything should be at your address within three days at the latest. We can plug everything in for like $10," the salesman said, shrugging at the small amount.

"Oh, well, I ca - "

Push. Someone paid the small fee in complete silence. Krieg turned around slowly, not recognizing the hand, and was met with... Dracule Mihawk in a button-up black shirt, chocolate brown pants, and black boots. Only his blazer was a brighter color, but it was a deep red to match the fall aesthetic. Coupled with a wide-brimmed fedora hat, Mihawk looked like a male supermodel. Krieg was used to the drop in temperature in the middle of November, so he didn't even notice the coolness much, but seeing Mihawk dressing warmer made the air suddenly a degree cooler. Everyone was dead silent around the Student Councilman until Ellie spoke up.

"Oh, uh, thank you! What a kind man!" she complimented.

"He's so cute, too!" Anya complimented, nudging Ellie and giggling.

"Don Krieg. Food Court. Now," Mihawk ordered.

"Look, man, I don't have time to worry about your school's rule book. I'm trying to - "

"I'm only telling you this because you're going to wind up failing for the year if you're not more careful," Mihawk interrupted, narrowing his eyes.

They were at ReeFuel, the food court of the thrift superstore. Ellie and Anya were just a table away, hoping everything was alright, and Moria and Zeff were also a table or two away to make sure Mihawk didn't do anything stupid. Since Krieg missed lunch with Mihawk, the dark prodigy bought what he felt was appropriate for an afternoon to evening snack. Krieg protested a lot and tried to stop him, but he didn't know how persistent and stubborn Mihawk really was. He would with time if he kept it up, though.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Krieg questioned, getting quiet with suspicion.

"The social availability bracelet isn't just how the students at school find dates. It's a business arrangement, promotion meeting, and oftentimes an outlet for more... risqué behavior. Yes, you do learn how arranged marriages work through a form of simulation program, but you also learn how to network with your peers and beyond. It's really a form of social training to be the best in any situation given to you. You're an elite, Don Krieg. Your network is a lot larger than others, and you will meet some strong people in the Grand Line."

"The what now?"

"Grand Line. It's a term we use to describe the parallel from the classroom to the real world and the harshness of the working industries you're trying to gain recognition in. For example, I'm training to be a master swordsman. I intend to start a school in the future, and I want to go toe to toe with the best there is. I had a relationship with another swordsman and a girl who aspired to be a scientist and own her own consulting firm. I, too, wish to start a second business in security. My studies are just as important as theirs and yours. There's no need to deny the bracelet's uses. You dodging it is only hurting your career path and putting you in a position you don't want to be in. Denying the bracelet means the students get to decide how they want to use you. This could be sexually."

"WHAT!?" Krieg roared. "You're promoting harassment and assault! Are you insane?"

"I didn't make those rules. I merely agreed to the business aspect of things. Sexual outlets are just the equivalent to a perk. Obviously, your GPA plays a huge role in this. The higher it is, the more access you get to simply sexual benefits. The lower it is, the less access you get to it. In fact, dating is the only thing you're allowed. No physical contact beyond a handshake is permitted."

"That's bullshit!" Krieg argued, rising to his feet. "You're all a bunch of psychos!"

"Oh? Let's see about that. Prove to me that you can survive next week without that bracelet. The grace period is seven days. This is day four for you..." Mihawk challenged. "Each day I see you starting from now will earn you more information about the whole system. Good luck..."