"Isn't there something else you wanted to tell them, Umemiya?"

He blinked, that same blank expression flashing across his face. The one that made me want to scream a dozen times since he'd called Tsubakino and I to the rooftop garden half an hour ago. To talk. To seal my fate. What a great waste of time this had all turned out to be. All my pushing and arguing and studying.

I could hear the death toll for my future ringing across the graffiti-splattered courtyard below.

Tsubakino's painted fingers rested gently on my shoulder, summoning me to the front of the little group. The rest of the newcomer's eye locked onto me instantly.

The white-haired witless wonder had summoned about three dozen boys up here to join us a few minutes ago. And they were all just as odd as Umemiya, Tsubakino, and the boy with the long dark hair tending the plants. While they all wore the same coat with the gaudy green trim, the rest of the uniform was apparently both optional and unpopular. Instead, bleached hair, piercings, and awful printed button ups or graphic t-shirts littered the crowd. These, apparently, were the class reps.

This was not the Japanese school experience I'd been expecting.

"Oh, right! Everybody, I also want you to welcome our foreign exchange student from the United States!"

"But she's a girl!" The choked protest leapt from the indignant boy with the two-toned hair in the front.

Umemiya just laughed, albeit a bit uncomfortably. "Yeah…so her paperwork was wrong. Someone accidentally marked her as a guy. We didn't realize she was a girl until she showed up. And with her plane delayed for a storm in the United States, well…. With the school year already begun, none of the male exchange students were willing to trade places with her." He stopped scratching the back of his head and instead gave a firm clap, declaring the matter settled. "She came all this way. We're not sending her home disappointed. So this year, for the first time, Furin High School will have a little sister."

We're not sending her home disappointed. The words echoed in my head, a sick joke. Disappointed. I was way more than that.

This was supposed to be my head start. A bragging point to any college back home. A study abroad program to Japan, with their phenomenal national test scores. Studying with the best and brightest. Some of the most intelligent, disciplined, and driven students in the entire world! Now, it was going to be my undoing instead. How many times had I been told that this was a school for rejects? For delinquents?

If I brought this up on any college application now, I may as well be an imposter. And that was even assuming I'd have any chance of catching up when I got home. It wasn't like I would be learning anything here. The chalkboards were too covered in spray paint to be useful for teaching with. The desks were all but destroyed. I hadn't even caught a glimpse of a single adult staff member anywhere on campus since my arrival this morning.

Tasbakino squeezed my shoulder, my mood evidently visible to everyone, though I didn't bother looking for theirs. "Little Sis will be in Class 1-B with Jikoku Team. And as the Grade Captains, I expect each of you to let your classmates know:" he paused, any friendliness disappearing from his voice. Probably his face, too, if I'd had the nerve to look up. But I was frozen, the blood in my veins filled with icy daggers. "If anyone acts in an untoward way to Little Sis, they will deal with me…personally."

I caught the group's flinch in my peripherals, eyes unable to move from the tile in front of me. But then the shadow passed, and Tsubakino was back to his regular self.

He gave me another pat. "Why don't you introduce yourself?"

It took a second for my voice to return to me. I'd always been soft-spoken. But here, in this all-boys school, filled to the brim with rowdy teenage brawlers, I needed to project some kind of strength. If I didn't, they were going to eat me alive.

"I'm Kalidah Mclellen. But since nobody here can pronounce that, you may all call me Kaede." That was the name I'd decided on after seeing my Japanese instructor struggle with it the last six months. It would do fine.

Or so I thought.

Several of the guys suddenly turned bright red. One particular blonde in the front row looked ready to faint. "Your first name?"

I scoffed, looking away again. "Its not like anyone can say my last name. Besides, as an American, I find it strange for people to not use my first name."

Umemiya beamed. "Well, Kaede, welcome to Furin. Just let us know if you need anything at all." I was fairly sure the venom in my glare was apparent. I had no intention of asking any help from anyone at this school for anything. But his smile didn't falter. "Anyway, for now, I just wanted each of the grade captains to meet each other."

They split off into groups of nine then, Tsubakino calling enthusiastically for "Jikoku Team!" I tried to stay on the outside of the circle, but they gathered in such a way to include me. "Welcome!" He greeted cheerily. "So these are our first year grade captains? Go on! Tell us your names!"

His eyes locked on the three boys with only one white stripe on the arms of their jackets. I wondered if that was supposed to indicate their grade levels. Tsubakino and Umemiya both had three stripes.

One boy with shaggy purple-tinged hair and a purple t-shirt stepped up first. "I'm Motoki Azusawa. And these are my secondaries: Takehiro Ito and Ao Ueta."

"These will be your classmates, Kaede."

I waved unenthusiastically, earning an appraising look from Azusawa. Not something invasive and judgmental, just like he was trying to memorize my name and face. As though my foreign features didn't stand out around here. Well, with this student body, maybe they didn't much.

"Nice to meet you…Kaede." He was still obviously uncomfortable using the first name, but pressed on. "Welcome to Furin. If you have any questions, or run into any trouble, please let me know."

Well, he was considerate enough. Some of my anger withered. "Thank you…."

"And second years? Your turn!"

"Wataru Shiina," the tall teen with the unkempt hair grunted curtly.

One of the other boys, a smaller blonde with an expressive face stepped up beside him. "And we're Tomiyasu's secondaries. Yuto Mitoma and Kota Kamada. Let your big brothers know if you need anything, first years."

I frowned. They really took this whole family idea to heart around here, didn't they?

"And we're Tsubakino's secondaries." Two boys stepped up next. Plain-looking and…identical. "I'm Seiryu Sakaki, and this is my brother: Uryu Sakaki. Let's make this a fun year, okay?"

.0

There were, in fact, teachers at Furin High School. They appeared on the hour from nowhere, lecturing straight from a textbook or with a rolling whiteboard. They kept the lessons quick but intense, capitalizing on short attention spans. When they left, they took everything they brought with them, and there were extended periods between classes. Only the basic subjects were taught: Math, Science, History, and Language Arts.

The students were mostly attentive, though they didn't sit in rows, have usable desks, or take notes. It was a bit more challenging than I expected, given my somewhat tenuous grasp of Japanese, and I sat alone to decipher it.

Azusawa tried to talk to me a few times, but after seeing that my heart wasn't in it, he soon gave up. And none of the others guys were quite sure what to make of me. Or maybe Tsubakino's threat, which the grade captain had made clear after our meeting, had simply given them pause.

We were permitted to wander at lunch time, instructed to gather in the courtyard at 1:00. I found a cleanish patch of pavement outside to eat on. It was still chilly, but the stale air and BO in the building had overcome my last shred of patience. My host family had packed me some kind of cold rice meal with veggies. Not my favorite, but I munched on it anyway and fed the rest to a stray cat.

"Hey Kaede!" The Sakaki twins appeared first, climbing smoothly through one of the first floor windows. I was pretty sure Seiryu was the one who talked and smiled, Uryu following behind with his hands in his pockets. They stopped to loom over me, an easy confidence to the way they carried themselves. "There you are. We've been looking for you."

I pushed down the screaming warnings in my brain, refusing to be intimidated. "Why?"

He chuckled at my grandstanding, making my face heat up. "Well, since you're here to stay, we should get you a uniform. Come on."

"A…uniform?"

The shop was close, only about a five minute walk. It was a little mom-and-pop store filled with crowded racks of clothing. Most were simple white button up shirts, slacks, and plain skirts, but some crazier, more colorful things gathered in the back. A significant area was also dedicated to tailoring.

"Auntie!" Seiryu called into the depths of the shop. "Auntie Minamino, are you here?"

A small, thin woman appeared from the back room. Her skin was smooth and her hair bore no grey, but she carried herself like she was pushing 40. "Oh, it's the Sakaki boys! Not needing your jackets mended already, are you? The school year just started! Hopefully you haven't been getting into too many scrapes yet?"

He flashed her a bright smile. "We haven't met anyone capable of damaging you're amazing jackets yet this year, but we're keeping an eye out."

She waved away his teasing. "No need to rush. So what can I do for you today, then?"

"We have a foreign exchange student starting today. And she needs a uniform."

Mrs. Minamino started, brows furrowing as she peered past Seiryu at me. "She?"

"It's…a long story. But yeah. Starting today, we have our first girl at Furin."

She took her time sizing me up, and I could tell she was wondering if this were a gender identity thing. I tried not to redden. Eventually, though, she just gave a nod and motioned to an open spot by the window. "Well, we'll have to get you fitted, then. Come here and let's get you measured."

I stood on the indicated spot, waiting as she broke out the measuring tape. It was a plain white thing marked with numbers she didn't really read. Instead, she seemed to measure with her hands, knowing the centimeters more by how far she had to extend her arms than by the tape itself. And it came alive in her hands, like a pale boa seeking the best place to exert its squeezing pressure. My shoulders, waist, hips, neck, the length of my arms from the top and the armpit and the size of my biceps. After a minute or two, she draped the tape over her neck and reached beneath the counter for a coat with the same broad green trim as the Sakaki brothers. Though, as expected, there was only one stripe around the left arm.

The next part took a little longer and involved a vicious-looking pin cushion. After getting it to set the way she wanted, she turned it inside out and ran it through a sewing machine in the corner like she was a machine herself, fingers never hesitating as they skirted the hissing needle. Then a bit of trimming of excess fabric, one more fitting, and a final run through the machine.

"So, will you be needing anything else for your uniform?"

I opened my mouth to tell her no. I was wearing black slacks already, and the school didn't seem particular about what kind they had to be, but Seiryu beat me to it. "She'll need a skirt."

I balked. Part of me had resigned myself to the fate of wearing one as part of a school uniform, but not if nobody else did! I'd never appreciated the exposure of a skirt, preferring the security of a pant instead. "Why can't I just wear these?"

His eyes met mine with a cold ferocity. An impenetrable wall. One that defied the smile on his face. And when he spoke again, there was no compromise in his tone. "You'll wear a skirt, little sister."

I wasn't sure if Mrs Minamino caught the defiance still clinging to my expression, but she interrupted before I could object again. "Straight, gathered, or pleated?"

"She'd look better in a straight skirt."

I didn't even get to choose what kind?!

"You always did have a good eye, Sakaki," she told him with a smile. "We'll have to step in back, then, to change. Follow me, miss."

Growling irritably, I finally gave in under the weight of his gaze and trailed after the seamstress. She led me through a back hallway and into a private fitting room. I stood in the middle of it, hands balled into fists, trying to force down the rage that was clawing its way up my throat.

This wasn't the way it was supposed to be. It was nothing like I'd imagined and certainly not what I was promised.

I hated this place and everything about it.

"Don't you mind him, young lady," Mrs. Minamino offered consolingly as she held out a skirt to me. "He's just being protective."

"Protective?" I snapped, regretting it immediately. None of this was her fault.

Luckily, she wasn't startled by my outburst, nor offended by it. She just knelt and smiled up at me patiently. "You must understand that attending Furin High School can be dangerous. Those boys have been protecting our town from the rabble for years now. The gangs and criminals. Those trouble-makers see a Furin jacket and know that they're in for a fight. Sakaki doesn't want anyone to mistake you for a man—and hit you like one."

My fingers tightened reflexively around the fabric in my hand.

I wasn't some delicate little flower. I'd studied some self-defense—jui jitsu and grappling mostly—but I wasn't stupid enough to equate the sparring mat with a real fight. Especially a real fight with a boy whose mistaken me for one of his own.

The feminist in me demanded a rebuttal against the idea that a boy could hit harder than a girl. And a few years ago, I'd most certainly have given it. But, these days, the truth stalked me like a ravenous wolf.

All through middle school, I'd been one of the best on the mat. Certainly, a surprisingly gifted fighter despite a lack of fervency in my training. But things had changed since we'd started high school. My male classmates were not the same boys I used to embarrass out there. Now, their limbs shot out to new lengths and muscle began to spring from their bones in a way my own body refused to cultivate.

The gap had been closing these last two years. I was still better than many at the gym—most, even, if I were being generous—but I had to work much harder than before, just to stay on top.

It changed nothing. I would not admit it, even if it were true.

I glared in disgust at the skirt in my hand. That was, until an entirely different thought occurred to me.

The purpose of the skirt was to mark me. To identify me as different from the rest of Furin. And that part didn't seem so bad. To be set aside. A non-combatant. Not involved in the stupid gang war they had going on.

After all, the only thing I could think of that could possibly make this exchange program experience worse is to get arrested for assault.

Every part of me objected, but I pushed my pants off and hauled up the skirt, allowing Mrs. Minamino to check the fit, make a few small adjustments on a larger sewing machine in the back room, and then redressed.

Seiryu Sakaki gave me a once over that ended with a dissatisfied little frown. I stiffened as he circled behind me and pulled my hair tie out, releasing my frizzy, dirty blonde waves. I tried to swat him away, but a sharp sting burned across the back of my hand, forcing me to retract it. His long fingers tangled themselves into my hair and kept me from running away as well.

"Ouch!" I snarled, for all the good it did. An expectant glower at Uryu was equally useless. In the end, I just had to stand there as he tugged and twisted and combed the strands.

"There," he grunted, moving around to face me again. This time, he just gave a little nod. "That should do."

"So, what do you think?" Mrs. Minamino tilted a floor-length mirror in my direction and I actually stopped dead.

Was that…me?

I wasn't an attractive girl. There was no point wallowing in self-pity about it. Nor was there any denying it. A high forehead, short mouth, a slight hook in my nose, and a stocky build. But this skirt made my hips look quite feminine. The jacket fitted against my curves while allowing my broader shoulders free movement. And the side part, pulled back at the temple into a half ponytail, lessened the severity of my forehead. I looked…softer… and almost…pretty?

"Like it?"

My emotions soured instantly at the sound of his voice. "Are you finished playing dress up with me?"

He laughed, undeterred by my venom. "I am. We should meet up with the others. It's our day for patrol."

I frowned, not recognizing that word. So I pulled out my phone and looked it up on my translation app. "Patrol? What is that supposed to mean?"

.0

'Patrol' apparently involved painting over graffiti, assisting the townsfolk with petty problems, and glaring at lowlifes who wandered in from other areas. Boy Scout stuff. Class B had patrol every other day, sometimes during the last half of school, sometimes for a few hours after classes. When the shopping areas were at their busiest.

Graffiti was a constant problem. That we could afford to paint as often as we did was something of a miracle. They must spend a fortune.

I sighed, placing down my paint roller and stretching. Three days at this school. It was definitely not you typical place, but I was just beginning to feel the rhythm of a routine.

"All done, Kaede?" Ueta asked. Approaching with his own paint roller.

At first, I just nodded, but quickly chided myself. I had started to catch myself using gestures and nods rather than Japanese while I attempted to grasp all the slang everyone was using. But that wasn't going to help me improve my understanding. "I'm finished."

He gathered the trays, carefully scraping any excess paint back into the can. I'll say this about the quiet shaggy-haired brunette. He—and the other grade captains—at least didn't go throwing their weight around. They always helped. "Azusawa says we're done for the day." He watched me from the corner of his eye. Ueta was always watchful. "Komoku Team will be out any minute now. I'll walk you back to the school."

"You don't have to do—."

"I know. Tanaka, walk with us."

I sighed, nodding my acceptance, and fell into step with him as he passed the paint supplies back to the butcher, who made sure to always have the right color for the buildings on this block. Then we headed back to the school. I was the only one who bothered bringing a backpack and I had to go back to retrieve it.

No matter how many times I tried to slip away and go anywhere alone, Ueta caught me. Guy had eyes in the back of his head. They always made sure to have two of them escort me pretty much everywhere for protection—against the other guys at school as much as from the sketchy alley squatters in town. I felt patronized at first, but I was getting to know them a little better now. Today, it was kind of cute. Like a kid in a police officer Halloween costume who took himself too seriously.

So we walked together, all the way back to the classroom and I finally waved goodby to them on the sidewalk out front of the school, pretending to be on my way to the bus stop. And when they were gone, I circled back to the rear courtyard.

It was private back here, a place I'd stumbled upon yesterday when there was no patrol and nothing to do in the classroom. Tugging a soccer ball free from beneath the books, I tossed the bag into the corner. Along with the stupid jacket. If they thought I was going to wear that outside of school hours, they were wrong.

No teams at this school..

Back home, nobody else really cared about soccer. Not as much as I did. Guess it was the same here. Better add it to the list of disappointments.

Still.

The cityscape. The constant mechanical roar and the choking smog. It was such a contrast to the rural area where I grew up. The murmur of Japanese voices from a stereo nearby was so foreign, not just the words but the cadence of their speech too. Even the insects and the trees and the raccoons I'd seen pawing through trash in the alleys all seemed to come from some distant planet. It was utterly unlike any place I'd found myself in before. It rushed around me. Surrounded me. Set like a crushing weight upon me.

But practicing soccer…alone…? That was familiar. I set my foot atop the ball, feeling it grind against the dry packed ground of the dilapidated lot. The grass here was so thin and spotty it was practically an obstacle. And against the far wall was a goal, formed from half empty paint cans found on the sidewalk. At least something here felt like home.

I dragged the ball backward and up onto my toe, juggling it a few times. When a bad touch came, I chased it, allowing one bounce before I drilled a shot into the goal. The ball launched itself back off the wall with force, but I'd done this enough times now to know how to head it off. So I trapped it and cut sideways past an imaginary defender, picturing when the keeper was likely to be standing. A quick turn back and I lost my footing, shoe skidding along the dirt and throwing up a cloud of dust. But I wasn't down yet! A fake-out dribbled and another shot, the a direct shot from the rebound. And another. And a quick dribble before shooting again. And again. And again. And again. And again.

When the ball finally bounced over the wall, deflected off a protruding brick, I took the opportunity to take a break. My chest was heaving, breaths ragged in my throat.

What was I still doing here? I should just leave. I wasn't going to get anything I needed from Furin. So what was the point of wasting my time? It wasn't like any college was going to be impressed by my experience here.

No. Going home now would be just as much of black mark on my record. Probably worse. It would declare me ungrateful and inflexible.

Sighing, I pushed the thoughts aside, going to fetch the ball from the other side of the wall. And that was when I saw them.

"Is that…Class 1-A?"

They were all together still, and heading toward the school. But it was Class D's turn for patrol. What were they doing?

As they marched closer, I realized what rough shape they were all in. Covered in blood, with nasty dark bruises gathering on every exposed area of skin. Several of them staggered or drug their feet, indicating possible head wounds. A handful had to be supported.

My eyes widened and I ran back, stuffing my ball back into my bag before going to meet them.

The kid with the eyepatch saw me coming first. He was one of the ones from the rooftop. Offering me one of those hollow smiles, he gave a wave. "Ah. Kaede, isn't it? I don't suppose you would be willing to help us out a bit?"

"S-sure."

They were going inside the building. Quickly, I ran around to hold the door. When they made it back to their classroom and sank into chairs, I helped two of the second years haul medical supplies from the well-stocked nurses office.

"Do you know firrrst aid?" one of them asked, to which I gave a nod.

"I do…a bit."

He gave a tired smile in response and led the way back, making for the nearest chair with a bloody face in it, which was almost all of the first years save for the guy with the eye patch and the one with his hair dyed pink.

I gave a quick glance around first. They were pretty tired and sore, but a couple of them also looked a bit spaced out. I prioritized them.

My first patient was a kid with a generic fade cut and a hoodie under his jacket. It took him a minute to notice me standing in front of him. I frowned, bending down to look at him. "Follow my finger with just your eyes," I instructed, holding it up off to his left. I had to grab his chin to still it, but as his eyes moved as far left as they could they began to shake. I dropped my hand. "What day is it today?"

He blinked. "What? Uh…Sunday…?"

"And what is the name of your team here at Furin?"

His eyebrows drew together in confusion. "I don't think I play any sports…."

Strike three. I took a damp towelette and began to clean his face. "Senpai, this one has a concussion. He'll have to see a doctor."

"Is he gonna be okay?" the guy with the dreads next to him asked.

I gave him as reassuring a smile as I could manage. "He'll be fine. Just make sure he doesn't fall asleep, okay?" A cotton ball with some antiseptic earned a flinch as I applied it to the generous scratches littering his face and hands. I then left him in his friend's care and moved down the line.

The bleach blonde was the next one to be worried about, but when I approached, he turned his face away. "I'm fine," he said, smearing the blood on his face a bit more with his sleeve.

Not concussed, then, just upset. I cleaned his face with another towelette despite his objections. Aside from a busted nose and some angry bruises, he seemed okay. I held his chin and took a grip on his nose, pulling firmly and earning a yelp. "Move your hand," I growled, pulling the appendages away. It was swollen but seemed straighter. Good. I gave him an ice pack to put over it and moved on.

One more. A brunette with a ponytail. He was asleep and my heart fluttered, speeding my final strides. I took his face, lifting it to a more neutral position and gently slapping his other cheek.

"Up and at 'em!" I commanded urgently, earning a flutter of eyelids but no true waking. Sitting down and relaxing had allowed him to drift away. I reached for a pulse, counting for fifteen seconds. 90-ish beats per minute. At least his breathing was steady. He was finally starting to come to—could keep his eyes open at least—but he clearly wasn't all there. "Senpai, this one needs to go now. Do you have the contact information for his parents?"

The second year frowned, making his way over. "Takanashi? You awake?" he demanded, seizing the top of his head and inspecting his pupils. All he got in response was a slurred question about if the bath was ready. "Sakurrra, go find a teacherrrrr and get his emergency contact info."

"Uh…sure." The boy with the two-toned hair disappeared into the hallway.

Reluctantly, I walked away to continue tending to the others. A case of bandaids, three slings, two knee wraps, a dislocated shoulder, and an entire garbage bag of blood soaked towelettes later, everyone had gotten their once-over. Even the kid that I was pretty sure didn't go to Furin. After the ambulance took Takanashi, the others began to drift home. I made sure that they left in groups of no less than three and that the concussed boy would have someone drop him off on the doorstep.

In the end, the silent second year with the frizzy bowl cut gave me a firm clasp on the shoulder and an appreciative nod. I tried to smile back, but it felt more like a grimace.

All of this. It wasn't good. This wasn't just rowdy teenagers getting into spats. This was really a full-on gang war. Whoever they fought took on a whole class. And beat the daylights out of them.

Somehow, I didn't think my jui jitsu lessons were going to keep me safe here. I shoved the Furin jacket deep into my backpack before finally leaving.

"Nirei, you live out near Kaede's host family, right? Walk her home." I turned a small glare to the second year grade captain, but no matter how many bandages littered his face, his expression left no room for argument.

The tiny part of me that was relieved won out.

Nirei, it turned out, was the small blonde with the broken nose. He tried to give me a smile too, but was about as successful as I had been. "Sure. We should still be able to make the next bus." I nodded, having no idea what the bus schedule was at this hour, and fell into step beside him.

He didn't say anything along the way, which I thought was unusual of him, given the brief glimpses I'd gotten of him with his friends. He also refused to look at me, keeping his eyes stubbornly fixed ahead. After three blocks and 10 minutes of standing at the bus stop in silence, I figured I should break it.

"It's Nirei, right?"

He suddenly stiffened, rounding on me with his eyes flashing in a way that made me step back. "Why did you do it?"

I frowned, genuinely confused and a little nervous. "Do what?" I didn't know anything about this kid, after all. And he knew this town way better than I did. Could I outrun him?

"Yank on my face in front of everyone like that!" His hands balled into fists at his side, ears reddening.

I blinked. "Yank on your—you mean when I reset your nose?" His anger subsided the slightest bit. "Your nose was broken. I didn't…want it to heal crookedly."

Suspicion morphed into mounting horror as realization dawned on him. And then, suddenly, he dropped into a deep bow. "I'm so sorry! I thought…I thought you were trying to embarrass me. Not that I needed any help there…."

I saw it in the way he flinched and in the drops that hit the concrete between us. The same look from the classroom. Shame. With some hesitation, I reached for his shoulder until he raised his head. "Nirei. What happened out there?"

He straightened, but dropped his damp eyes back to the sidewalk. "Anzai had this friend who fell in with a gang called Keel. But they were beating up on him. So we went to get him back. It was a trap. They had so many guys—way more than anyone thought they had in the whole gang. And they used bats and stuff."

How many? I couldn't help wondering. How many of these guys did it take to beat and entire Furin class. Rumors said they were good. The best, even, in all Japan.

"My classmates were getting hit really hard. We were losing. I've never been a good fighter, so I tried to stay out of the way…but Suo had to protect me. He always does that…. And I always hold him back…. I just wanted to help. To do something useful. But when I got up the courage to charge in, I didn't last even a minute. And when the second year grade captains showed up to save us, they dragged me outside to hide until it was over."

I winced. So that was why he'd been so reserved in the classroom. Poor kid. Trying so hard to keep up with the others.

Tears spilled abruptly from his eyes, composure fully fracturing. "I'm such a coward! Pathetic! I couldn't do anything to help!"

He was angry at himself and I wasn't sure what I could possibly say to ease it, but I knew I had to try. So I pulled him in for a hug, hiding his tear stained face with my shoulder. Luckily, he wasn't that much taller than me. "I don't think you're a coward, Nirei."

"You don't have to say that just to make me feel better."

"I wasn't. Maybe my Japanese is just a little off, but in English, 'skill' and 'bravery' are two very different things."

His shaking shoulders relaxed the tiniest bit. "I don't follow."

"It doesn't take any courage to march into a fight you know you'll win," I explained. "You can only claim that if you actually risk losing something. And if everything happened just the way you said it did, you charged in there to protect your classmates while knowing full well that you would get hurt. That sounds like bravery to me."

He didn't say anything for a moment, just pulled in a long, shaky breath. "All the same, it's humiliating to be so useless. The only useless one."

I just nodded, understanding that feeling better than he could know. "Well, if your skill is lacking, I know where you can find a bunch of big brothers just waiting for you to ask them for advice."

He barked a hoarse laugh.

"The bus is coming," I warned as it lumbered around a corner two blocks away. He immediately pulled back, turning away from it long enough to clean his face.

"Thank you, Kaede. I'm really glad you ended up at Furin this year. And not just because my nose would have been crooked for the rest of my life."