They both get in the cafeteria, trying to make friendly chat and get in their own genders food lines.
Today for girls; yogurt mixed with cinnamon and a banana.
For the guys; A Thin wrap with a filling of cheese, smoked deli, meat and an egg scramble.
They both look at their own options. Shiko looks kinda uncomfortable.
Shiko: "Oh god... Is there something wrong with me? I know the disgusting stereotype of girls being thin is shown here but that food doesn't look enough at all for anyone to me..."
She looks over to the male food area as the trouble trio enter the cafeteria with smirks on their faces, all three of them look at Shiko. Shiko accidentally sees them while looking at the male food line. As Nagisa and Shiko's eyes meet, Shiko feels her body taken over by stress and just before she looks away, the trio all smirks mischievously, turn their backs and sit somewhere in the corner of the cafeteria which they can see the line from, not getting food yet. Shiko looks at them kinda confused but then let's out a short sigh of relief before realizing that Kuro has gotten his food and is waiting at the place where both of the lines meet, looking at his phone. She takes a deep breath, gets out of the female line and goes in the male line, she silently gets male breakfast and catches up to Kuro, Kuro is just smirking like spongebob's "you like burgers don't you squidward" face
Shiko gets slightly pink
Shiko: I-it looked better... my option just seems like a snack... she says giggling slightly uncomfortably and heads to their previous table, Kuro follows and they sit in front of eachother at the same spot from yesterday. Kuro looks at his phone for bit.
Kuro: Man... Haru must have really slept in again.. he sighs
He's probably gonna skip most classes and play games in his room or something... he rolls his eyes and looks at Shiko to see she's already digging into her food with sparkling eyes
Heh, look at you! Breaking stereotypes~ he giggles a little, Shiko looks at him with a slightly pinkish face
Shiko: N-nevermind That... why would Haru-Kun skip....? Just to play around....? He still has to enter the exams himself after all... she says, trying to get to know Haru a little too as Kuro also starts eating slowly
Kuro: Welp, The entire day is just language classes or classes that need lots of talking and listening. English, Japanese, History, Literature and more. Not that he's bad at any specific class when he really tries but he's just always been better at science-y stuff. Since his mother is a teacher of all sorts of science.... Hmh. A woman worth of respect. No wonder his brother is such a Momma's boy. He giggles slightly as if he's making fun of the Pres, Shiko looks at him confused
Shiko: U-umm.... Haru-kun said that at the announcement too... What do you guys mean with that? She says as if she's missed something, Kuro smirks
Kuro: You see, the president used to have no friends at all because he was too rule crazy even for them. Now in his position, he gets whatever he wants but his mother is literally the only person who can stand him. Not his father, brother or even I could bare his bullshit for more than a day or two. Yet they were never on bad terms with his mother. So he sorta had a protective attitude develop overtime for his mom. Poor woman just smiles and tries to bare since he first got his position. He sighs and giggles slightly. Shiko doesn't really say anything and thinks a little bit about the President's mommy issues before she gets slightly pushed from behind, it's a slightly overweight freshman girl. It's as if she almost fell on her.
Freshman: I'm sorry. I'm sorry. She bows a few times before steadily leaving, Shiko just looks behind her, confused.
Shiko: It's...Fine? She looks at the direction she went and then back at Kuro while returning to eating her breakfast
What was that all about..? She says, weirded out but doesn't get an answer because Kuro is just looking at the girl from waaaay afar with the corner of his eye
Kuro: "Hmm... Freshman eh?"
Shiko waves her hand in front of him and snaps him out of it, he looks at her
Hm...? It's very clear he didn't hear Shiko before, Shiko smiles lightly and sighs
Shiko: Nothing... she finishes her plate and puts it away to the side.
Kuro also finishes very shortly but notices something odd. He holds one of Shiko's hands, turns it facing to the ceiling and looks at a circle like hand mark that happened in the Council Room
Kuro: What happened here?. His voice seems kinda heavy which makes Shiko kinda uneasy. She uncomfortably pulls her arm away slowly without saying anything. Kuro snaps out of the heavy aura he created and simply smiles a little
Vice Pres? He says very sure of himself, Shiko gets a little pink from embarrassment of feeling useless and frail. She silently nods
Shiko: How did you...know..? She says kinda hesitantly. Kuro slowly gets up. He smirks slightly as if he's having fun and says
Kuro: Let's Just say I know his ways. And games and tricks he always plays. He's a dangerous man it's easy to see.
So if you plan to get close, then first, ask me. He says like a poem or a rap out of a musical and giggles slightly while doing a small bow. Shiko is kinda caught off guard and eases herself without thought. She giggles as and gets up. Suddenly her face freezes slightly as she feels something weird in her hair
Now, Shall we leave no- he stops mid sentence when he sees Shiko has an odd look on her face
Ummm... what's wrong? He says confused. Shiko gets kinda pink like she's embarrassed
Shiko: N-Nothing! I've got to go to the bathroom. that's all! You can go to your classroom...
Kuro: But there is like...an hour?
Shiko: T-then do whatever you want~ but I gotta go now... Umm... bye!~ she runs off in a hurry, leaving a confused Kuro behind
Kuro just looks behind her trying to figure whats going on, he looks in the direction the Freshman just went and sees her talking with Lucy and Erika while Nagisa just smirks in a corner, Erika taps the overweight freshman's stomach and Erika plays with her hair as if she's their friend. As if.
He squints his eyes, looking at them before finally looking back away.
Kuro: "I suppose it's none of my business? Something is off though.." he looks in his bag for a second
"Welp, I have an English book to read with me anyway so I suppose I can just go to class and practice English that way before the main lesson." He slowly walks to his classroom lost in thought
-Meanwhile in the bathroom-
Shiko looks at the behind side of her hair at where she's feeling uncomfortable to see a big piece of gum stuck horribly in their
Shiko: W-What...? No! How...? Why...? When...!?!? She stops for a second and recalls what happened with the freshman
"Still... why..."
she tries getting the gum off but fails miserably, it's now stuck even more in there
Someone enters the bathroom. It's... the freshman! She looks at Shiko and their eyes meet.
Freshman: H-hey...... she says hesitantly
Shiko doesn't want to say anything and just sees this as another bully situation, she looks back at the mirror with slightly teary eyes, trying to force the gum out.
Freshman: H-hey... I know I did something bad.. I was just trying to fit into the school... Will you forgive me if I fix it..? She says and gets close, with a slightly annoyingly big smile, as if she's trying to make up, Shiko hesitantly looks at her. She sighs and lets go of her hair
Shiko: No.... it's okay.... I'm used to it. But unfortunately this doesn't seem to be coming off... I don't know how you'd get it off either.... she says silently and averts her eyes
the Freshman slightly smirks and takes a pair of scissors from her bag which she was carrying on her back. She puts her bag near the faucets and turns to Shiko.
Freshman: I'll cut it!~ don't worry I'm good! I have always wanted to be a hairdresser.. she smiles as if she knows Shiko which makes her a bit uncomfortable
Shiko: W-What..? No...! I like my hair.. she says silently and hesitantly but then looks at the gum one last time, realizing it's the only easy way. She gulps and slowly nods. The Freshman excitedly jumps a little and gets behind her, she wets the scissors a little bit and starts cutting Shiko's hair. In like half an hours or so, she cuts half of it while Shiko just closes her eyes shut, kinda in fear. The Freshmen finishes and backs off, looking at her work
Shiko: "I can't believe I let a student I don't know do this.... Could this be another bully act..? A scheme? Was a too naive..? What is going on...!? I'm scared to open my eyes..."
Kinda scared, She takes a deep breath and opens her eyes very slowly. She looks in the mirror. She looks surprised and shortly after, her eyes start to glisten very slightly
Shiko: Wow... This looks so- the freshman cuts her off
Freshman: Good? Yea, yea.. Thank you. it'll do. She says quickly, puts her scissors back in her bag, puts the bag on her shoulder and leaves the bathroom without saying anything else
Shiko is just looking behind her at the door she left from, trying to understand WTF just happened. She looks back at the mirror, surprised that she actually likes the new style. It's slightly shorter than shoulder length and pretty straight
Shiko: Well... maybe she just doesn't want to be late for class even if she felt bad for me about the gum? She just keeps trying to think up a reasoning why everything happened the way it did
She gets her stuff and leaves the bathroom to catch her History Class. She makes it in last second and sits at her desk in the very corner of the classroom, she's one of the last people who enter the class to see everyone glancing at her but keeping on to talk with eachother. She can't help but think deep down they are making fun of her new hair, her clothes that aren't a dress etc. Her anxiety gets the better of her as she sinks herself in her chair silently and hides out of her social life till the end of classes. After two lessons of history she spends stuck to her chair quietly; she actually falls asleep and sleeps through even two more lessons before being woken up by loud people exiting the classroom after bumping into her desk during Lunch Break.
She slowly wakes up and holds her head.
Shiko: Did I...? She says silently to herself and before she can say anything else... Erika looks at her while she passes by her desk
Erika: Sleep? Yup. She doesn't say anything else and walks off with a slightly disgusted expression. Shiko looks down and sighs
Suddenly their is an announcement. It echoes through the hall and classrooms that have open doors
Zero from Speakers: he speaks in an overly exited, annoying attitude
"ATTENTION EVERYONE! You have one lesson free after the lunch break! During the last three lessons, all of you are to come to the conference hall above the music hall. If any students are missing even if they are at school, THEY Will be expelled! If Teachers see students and don't bring them; drumroll pleaaaase.... he does a drum role on a desk or something
THEY WILL BE EXPELLED! The entire student council will be there to make TWO important announcements that will heavily impact our beloved system! Stay safe people!~ if you can. He giggles mischievously before finally closing the speaker
Shiko looks at the hall from inside the class at the open back door and sighs
Shiko: "For the better or for worse... I wonder.."
Kuro and Haru come in the classroom, Haru has his arm on Kuro's shoulder, they sit on the desks in front of and next to Shiko since the students originally sitting their went to lunch
Haru: Hey Ghosty~ he says in his usual overly cheerful tone with a big smile, Kuro is also smiling very lightly
Kuro: Yo.. he salutes with two fingers and giggles slightly
Shiko looks at them with a slightly pink face and lets her head fall on her desk, she sighs
Shiko: God...... you guys confuse me so much......... aren't you both seniors..? Why are you even being nice to me..?
She says silently. Haru innocently smiles as Kuro smirks slightly
Haru: I'm here just because my friend is!~ Aaand wanted to practice fighting with me!~ he says with no shame
Kuro: Heh, I'm here because I wanted to show you fighting with a ginue pig so you understand better. He also says with no shame, smirking at Haru. Shiko slowly lifts up her head and looks at them, she giggles a little
Haru: H-hey! He puffs his face, annoyed and gets up from the desk, Kuro looks at Shiko
Kuro: Heh, You hungry? Or do you just wanna go fight? He giggles a little since it's so weird to ask something like that to Shiko, she looks at him and shakes her head in disagreement
Shiko: I'm actually still pretty full from Breakfast... she smiles a little
Kuro: Now care to tell me whaaa happened to your hair? He plays with the bottom of Shiko's freshly cut hair and smiles a little as if he has no idea what's going on. Shiko only then remembers it's cut.
Shiko: O-oh! Umm... I got gum in it... so a nice freshman gave me a haircut..? She says very slightly panicked being as vague as possible
"I can't bother him with my problems anymore... I have to deal with them myself.." Kuro's face turns slightly blank and silent
Kuro: Okay. Now, wanna go practice? Haru puts his arm on Kuro's shoulder
Haru: Yea Let's! He says enthusiastically as Shiko silently nods
They head down outside and come to the side of the school on a path area that connects the back and front yard, a small parking lot in fact. There are very few students around. Shiko sits at a bench on the side of the parking lot. Kuro puts his jacket next to her and gets in front of Haru, Haru takes fighting position and smiles cheerfully
Haru: Don't beat me too much now okkay buddy?~ he sticks his tongue out like the goof he is, Shiko giggles
Kuro: Oh please. You know this is supposed to be educational, not tough or painful. His eyes and stares turn blank. Shiko looks at both of them and stays silent
Shiko: "oh god... what am I doing here..? I'm in such a wrong place... they both seem to have a style of their own even before starting..." she sighs and starts watching them carefully
Kuro: Shiko, watch my arms and legs. Look at how I move while not taking my eyes off of Haru. He says without looking away from him, not realizing she called Shiko only with her first name, she blushes very slightly. Haru keeps smiling like they're playing a game.
Haru: Of course in a real fight, we wouldn't really need to or have time to take a position. Or wait at all in that matter. He says and quickly rushes head on at Kuro, keeping that smile on his that is starting to get annoying.
Kuro swiftly starts dodging him, stopping his attacks with his arms, drifting himself to left and right and not using his legs much, Haru also isn't using his legs at all for attacks. Kuro is just looking at him with a blank expressionless face. Shiko just watches them in awe.
Shiko: "H-he isn't attacking! It looks like he is but he's just blocking.. B-but still! How can he think I can possibly do this!?"
After a while of attacking and blocking; Haru finally breaks his smile and looks a little pissed
Haru: Geez! Don't you respect me enough to at least go a little hard on me?! Hrrr... he tries to attack first from below and then from above but keeps his legs in balance just like Kuro, after failing many times he charges his Knee towards Kuro
Kuro's expression stays blank as he catches and roughly pushes Haru's knee to the side, twisting his leg a little and making him fall to the ground. Haru falls on his back trying to catch his breath without getting up, Kuro stands straight, dusts himself off and smirks slightly. Shiko just looks at them, shocked that this is just practice, she slowly and shortly claps a little
Kuro: Lost your cool there a little buddy~ looks at Haru and lends him a hand with a small smirk
Haru: Heh, hush... I almost broke you too.. he takes Kuro's hand and gets up. He looks into Kuro's eyes which finally developed expression again. He holds his hand roughly, pulls him down a little and try's to punch him quickly with his other hand.
Kuro opens his eyes wide and lowers his body a little in an instant and holds Haru's Punch with his other hand; right in front of his face, he smirks.
Kuro: You aren't gonna be a sore loser on me now are you?~ Haru lets him go, Backs off and smiles innocently
Haru: Hmph! We should do this often so I can blow some steam.... you know I've beaten you before. He crosses his arms, annoyed.
Kuro: Yup, you're just a little out of practice bud. Crosses his arm, mimicking Haru which makes him even more annoyed, he puffs his face and sits next to Shiko on the bank with crossed arms like a child
Shiko: Y-you both were great... I'm amazed it wasn't a real fight... she says hesitantly, trying to swoop in to avoid more tension, Kuro points at her to come close with his hand
Kuro: Come in front of me and show me what you realized.. he smirks slightly
Shiko: I.... don't know... she hesitantly gets up and comes in front of him
You really think I can do this...? She says while 99% sure she can't possibly do anything like what she just saw, Kuro nods slowly
Kuro: I know you can, now show me what you remember.. he smiles very slightly and takes a fighting position
I'm not gonna attack. He smiles slightly, Shiko gulps
Shiko: "W-Why didn't that feel honest at all.....??"
U-umm... okay... she takes a fighting position, trying to keep her legs parallel to both the wind and to eachother. She lowers herself slightly
I... realized that keeping balance is important...? She says as she starts looking down
Whoever loses his temper first has the lower hand.. she lifts her head up and looks directly in Kuro's eyes, she slightly gets pink
M-must keep eyes on opponent...
Kuro: Very nice.... and if this was a real fight? He aligns his foot better parallel to himself and smirks looking at Shiko, she tries her best not to take her eyes of of him, she slightly let's go of her position
Shiko: In... a real fight, I have to be aware of anything the opponent is doing..? Haru looks at them, confused
Haru: I mean yea but we didn't really say that now? Did we- he stops mid sentence when Kuro suddenly attacks a little, without warning yet not as fast as how he did with Haru
Shiko opens her eyes wide and blocks him with two arms in a cross like position, wobbling a little but then fixing her posture. She looks surprised. Not because Kuro attacked, but because she actually blocked. Kuro smiles and lets himself loose
Kuro: Heh, see? He giggles slightly
My point here is that you are an aware person. It was obvious from how you were watching me and Haru that you realized we had our own techniques. Then when you said you had to be aware, you noticed I slightly took position and even if I said I wouldn't attack, you could hear the lie in my voice which made you think twice. He smirks
Plus we already knew from before that you do have good reflexes. He ruffles Shiko's hair. She's still standing there surprised
Shiko: I.... I actually did it... how did I....?
Haru: HOW DID U DO DAT!? He literally screams loudly
Isn't it your first lesson!??? Am I just shit at this...? He ruffles his own hair and gets up, Shiko and Kuro both look at him and get close
Shiko: N-no! Of course not... Kurosaki-kun was being easy on me... He was slower than when he attacked you.. she says kinda hesitantly and looks at Kuro
R-right......? Kuro smirks and nods
Kuro: Yup! See you are aware! Many wouldn't realize that!~
Haru puts Kuro's jacket on his(Kuro's) shoulder and puts his own hands in his pockets, Shiko and Kuro both look at him
Haru: Careful Kuro. You are changing. He looks deep in his eyes as if he's trying to tell him something. Kuro silently nods as Haru turns around and leaves, he waves to Kuro and Shiko without looking and gets out of sight. Shiko looks at Kuro.
Shiko: What was that all about...? She says, kinda confused
Kuro: Nothing. He lets out a breather and collects himself
Now, let's review what we learned while walking towards the conference hall. We still have time yea, but we are slow when it comes to chatting and walking... he giggles helplessly, making fun of both of them.
Shiko nods a little as they start walking in that direction.
So, how would you describe our fighting styles if you'd have to compare Haru and mine? He smirks a little
Shiko: she looks down as if she's reading a story while explaining it with hand motions
W-well... Haru's style feels a little... fake? He puts on a smile yet doesn't act on it so it makes him look scary and confident. As if his face is a mask... I suppose that can make him hard to read, therefore not knowing how he can attack next.. A-and; He seems to try to get you to break first since he probably knows how long he himself can keep his cool. Temper would play a big role then... Yet when you both aren't technically mad or losing your cools; you seem to move swifter and lighter... she says slightly making it sound like a mumble, Kuro is actually surprised, he laughs a little
Kuro: Y-you got all that from a 5 minute fake fight between two friends!? Y-you really do have a gift with this don't you?~ he says mid laughing and collects himself after a bit, Shiko blushes a little, embarrassed. She keeps looking down.
Shiko: I... just read too many books... she says silently, wondering if she's speaking too much
Kuro: ...And what about my fighting style? He smirks, Shiko takes a deep breath
Shiko: You seem to be more on the defensive side. I could feel like you were only doing that to keep my attention on self defense but seeing you both made me realize the importance in balance.. she thinks a little
Generally, your moves don't look planned. They all look like responses to whatever the person you're up against is doing. Even when attacking yourself, you think about the possibilities of what your opponent can do based on their previous attacks. She scratches her head a little and speaks slightly more silent after this
Umm... you are not easily readable Because in a regular fight your expressions kinda disappear. Sometimes they feel heavy like they can cut through ice, sometimes they are full of rage making your opponent terrified and sometimes they are simply gone as if you don't have expressions at all then. You feel like a blank page......?
Kuro looks at her surprised, silently
W-what......?
Kuro: Umm... nothing. I just don't really know how to respond to that I guess.... after a few seconds of awkward silence and Shiko blushing
That.... was deep. He lets out a breath and smiles slightly
So, on a lighter note, you were great on your first practice! It's amazing how much you've changed in two days... Well, We've changed I suppose he giggles slightly, gets his jacket off of his shoulders and around his waist, they are almost at the conference hall, Shiko is also smiling a little
Kuro: Oh and remember what I've said, if someone has bad intentions, most likely; you will feel them. You just gotta trust your gut a little. He pats Shiko on the back
Shiko: Thanks... she lifts her head up, takes a deep breath and hesitantly looks at Kuro
Really, Thank you... Kuro.. she finally says his first name by itself without stutter, Kuro smiles a little, he falls into thought and when they both step into the conference hall, he giggles a little
Kuro: This is weird. You are my friend yet I feel like I'm acting like your protector or teacher... something like that.. he ruffles the back of his hair blushes slightly
Shiko: I-I felt that too... she says hesitantly
"I just still hope it's not because of my lack of parent attention... I don't want to see my first ever friend as someone like a big brother.." she looks up at him
"No.... he doesn't feel like a brother... maybe like a guardian I guess?" She sighs a little
"I suppose I'll have a lot to think and write about once again tonight.."
Kuro sits somewhere around the middle of the conference hall, few rows back of the very front. Just before Shiko is about to sit down, she gets a message. She looks at her phone.
Message from Lucy
Lucy: "Come to the changing room behind the conference hall. I'm not doing this because I want to. Erika wants to talk, I'll be helping her out a little. Important."
Shiko looks at the message silently and gulps, she takes a deep breath as her body starts feeling hot from stress, Kuro looks at her
Kuro: Something wrong? He says with a half blank expression
Shiko: I.... have to go do something close by...It won't take long, I don't think... She says kinda hesitantly as she looks toward the small corridor by the stage leading up to the Changing rooms
Kuro: Go. But remember not to take people lightly. I think you get controlled a little too easily.. he says with the same half blank expression and starts looking at his phone
Shiko: H-hm? She looks confused, she turns around and takes a deep breath
"He himself said I should be my own person. I'll go but won't let them take advantage of me..." she's shaking very slightly. She gulps and heads towards where the girls are, she enters the changing room and sees Lucy and Erika sitting on the mirrors side table, Lucy is fixing her make-up while Erika was just looking at the door, her eyes meet with Shiko as Lucy looks back at her as well. Shiko gulps as the two girls smirk slightly. She takes a deep breath.
Shiko: I-I'm here...
..........