A crowd of students huddled at the board, some sighing in relief and others looking on in shock. No matter the initial emotion however, they always changed into a sort of awe as their eyes traveled to the number one. The best way to describe it probably, would be the current scenario:
"Ahh, top fifty, whaddya know," cheered a student as he pointed at his name to a a rather irked looking friend. "Hahah man, suck on that! Goes to show, you can do anything so long as you put your mind to it."
"Stop tryna act cool," groaned the friend, pushing the boaster partially as a joke and partially with malice. "'Sides, you got nothin against the top."
"Ugh whatever. It's probably that student counc-"
A pause. Their eyes meet the midterm score list and find with a surprise that the name wasn't what they expected. "HAAAAHN???!!!" the two shouted incredulously, "Who the heck is Akashi??!?!"

"Yes, that would be me," commented a silver haired student whose arms were filled with bread of the same kind, his face deadpan as he lay all the baked goods over his desk. A group of students meanwhile surrounded him, each exclaiming their surprise at his score and how they didn't know he was so smart and wow did he cheat? Hayato cheerfully answered their questions with a simple, "I'm gonna grab a drink! Please watch my food!" before waving a cheerfully childish goodbye and heading out.
Meanwhile, kids gossiped about there no doubt being cheating happening, and out of spite, some bookworms even decided for revenge by stealing a roll or two off his desk. That ought to show him, they decided.

In front of the vending machine, meanwhile, surrounded by students who yet knew he was /that/ Hayato, the silver haired student sneezed.

"Is it even any use to check the stupid list, you already know that yo-"

A hand lifted, silencing the pink haired flower enthusiast, and it shook with anger. Silence, thick and growing, the class behind had ceased their murmuring when Aoi had entered, and Tsukimi scanned the list with growing dread. The top of the list... It wasn't Aoi. Kiriyama Aoi, the class prodigy, the student council prez, the prideful studying monster, was number two on the list. Tsukimi slowly rose up to stare at the number one spot, and a smile of fear broke out against her flushed face. Arashi Hayato. Who the hell was Arashi Hayato. Tsukimi turned slowly, a sheepish smile planted on her face,

"A-Aoi-chan... Uhm... It's alri-" But upon seeing her friend's reaction she froze up. The black-haired prodigy was staring straight ahead at the list, unseeing, and around her an aura of malice licked at the air. When Aoi turned to look back into the classroom a cry of fear broke out and almost every student was up and cowering, as if she were going to up and attack right then and there, but instead of doing that she walked gently to her seat in the front corner and settled down into it.

Silence.

And then the rest of the class began to pile in, prepared for lunch break. Tsukimi had taken up the seat behind Aoi, who glared angrily out the window. Words came and went about the list, but one conversation seemed to catch her attention. Two boys seemed to be having a rather heated conversation about the list, as one had made it higher then the other, but their argument was quickly squashed when they noticed who was number one. And then the number one appeared. And Aoi once again broke into a cold glare, this time scanning Mr. Number one up and down as if he were a criminal. This boy, this Arashi Hayato, he took everything she had worked for in a singular day. And she knew him too, he came in late almost everyday, he jumped around school as if it were a playground, and had just transferred in this year. Arashi Hayato, Aoi watched him take a seat and then lost sight as he was swarmed by people, all spouting questions and giving praise. Tsukimi quickly pulled her attention from the crowd with a tap on the shoulder.

"Want me to beat him up for you? I'll teach him a lesson for being smarter then Aoi-chan!" Aoi made a visible showing of the pain she felt as the last words were uttered, and with a dark smile she shook her head,

"Bullying is no good, Tsukimi." She stated matter-o-factly, turning her attention back to the crowd. Seems as though Hayato was running to get a drink.

'Huh, I'm pretty thirsty myself...'

A frown met her lips as she stood and turned to Tsukimi, muttering that she was off to get a drink. They conversed about what drinks she should bring back, and then Aoi was off, running after the stupid silver-haired transfer student with questions spilling from her mouth like water.

Upon reaching the vending machines, another group surrounded the transfer student. Breath left her lungs in heavy gasps, running was never one of the prodigy's strong points, and with her sudden appearance some of the students in the crowd backed off. Many whispered,

"Look out, it's the Prez." While most just looked from her to the transfer student. After a moment of breath-catching and glare-giving, Aoi pushed through the crowd, arriving to stand just behind Arashi Hayato, and with a loud cough she caught his attention.

"Excuse me..." She began, voice high with withheld, prideful anger, "Arashi Hayato... Can we talk somewhere private?"

After the machine had failed to produce the strawberry milk he'd desired, Hayato had turned to kicking the machine hopefully, as well as slamming with his hands. A group gathered around the silver haired teen and just as Hayato was about to start bawling, the machine thudded out a clunk, clunk. He didn't even notice the dispersing group behind him as he leaned over, a grin on his face. "Lucky, lucky~" he sung gleefully, all signs of his earlier near-tantrum gone when he noticed the machine had apologized by throwing in another drink.

Grabbing the two boxed drinks in hand, he straightened, jumping at a loud cough. It was only then did he seem to realize how hushed his surroundings were, and sheepishly, turned around. In front of him was, perhaps, the cutest thing he'd seen since that one vending machine full of angry fluffy stuffed animals. It was a girl, shorter, leaner, with brows that seemed to furrow naturally, and a stance no less than a queen's. Her hair, black and straight, almost seemed to whip with anger as she spoke up. And oh gosh, her voice was absolutely the cutest darned thing.

"Excuse me..." She began, and Hayato couldn't help but smile and nod his head to usher her on, the redness of her cheeks and ears seeming to accentuate her fine features. Sure she was angry, and sure Hayato didn't know why- if she was who he thought she was, though, he had a good idea- but damn was she adorable. "Arashi Hayato," she continued, and the voice, no matter how cute, forced the unkempt second year to straighten his back, "Can we talk somewhere private?"

"Uh," was the instant reply Hayato managed, before his faltering smile broke out once more into a grin. "Yeah! Sure!" Cheerfully he walked towards her, following as she led the way, waving at the students that gawked as he walked past them. They seemed to look much more scared and unsure than they should've, and since the transfer student didn't seem to understand the position he was in, it was understandable that the others were just being scared for him. The two rounded a corner and found themselves outside, near a blocked window of the school, the hum of student life barely audible. The fence between the school and private grounds was only a few steps over, but even then it was still private, the wires covered in lively greenery. Birds crowed above their heads as though having private conversations of their own, the rattling wind causing Hayato's appearance to become even more disheveled.

Before anyone said anything, Hayato finally offered his second lucky drink to the girl. "Want it?" he chirped politely as he waved the strawberry milk towards her. Inwardly, the silver haired student hoped she'd turn it down, if only to see how he could convince her to take it. Besides, he was already sipping into his own opened box of milk, and another one really couldn't hurt.

The boy's cheery, obviously unknowing behavior only helped to nourish Aoi's rage. As he invited her along, away from the crowd, she rose her head high and pushed through the bodies of students. Familiar remarks met her ears: "Ah, what a bitch", "Poor Arashi", "She just had to ruin the fun". Oh well, oh well. Aoi didn't mind their words.

The walk was short and silent, and she made sure to keep her eyes locked ahead as they wandered to a student-less area, just outside the school. Wind ruffled the already riled up Aoi, and she shoved a stand of hair behind her ear with harsh movements. The initial politeness that had been smeared on her face as a front quickly melted away, furrowing her eyebrows further, forming her mouth into a straight, annoyed line. This was Arashi Hayato. The transfer student was rather... Handsome, to say the least. Disheveled silver hair, sparking green eyes, lean body. His voice was bright and inviting, the perfect kind of voice for someone who likes being surrounded in crowds. And just then, that voice pulled her from her thoughts, asking if she would want some milk.

Aoi felt her eyebrow twitch, and then with sudden fierceness she slapped the offering hand away, forcing the strawberry milk box into the air. It landed without spilling, skidding against the concrete path they stood on, and Aoi took a step towards Hayato. Her mouth formed into an angry grin, blue eyes gleaming behind thin-rimmed glasses,

"Arashi Hayato!" Aoi cried, pointing at the cheerful boy with a shaking finger, "you have disgraced me! For that I must make you my rival!" Aoi was well known around the school for being proud. If anyone were to try and take her down, she wouldn't allow it. She would declare them her enemy, a sworn nemesis, and then she would destroy them verbally. An artillery of words. The finger lowered and a low, frightening laughter escaped her lips,

"How..." She started, glasses gleaming in the spring sunlight, "how the HELL did you beat me in the exams. You're a transfer student, a dumb-looking one at that! I've seen you around, you play sports and kick vending machines and messing around with girls and... And I can't stand friendly people like you! It's obviously a façade, just for attention. If you have attention then why do you need to be better then me at exams! Academics are all I have-" her speech continued on in quick, frantic thoughtlessness, rage burning on her face clearly. Black hair swarmed in the wind, like smoke, enveloping her face in swaths of night, and then she let out a breath, relaxing just a bit, freezing her rant mid-sentence. The bell signaling that lunch break was now over made her turn instantly, and without another word she was off, back down the hall, passed crowds of students and staff.

The classroom B-3 was half full. Tsukimi was gone, probably left to return to her own class, and Aoi took back her seat in the front, ignoring the murmurs and glances she received. The talking slowly settled, halls emptied, students rushed to their seats, and Aoi stared out the window with a harsh glare.

'Maybe I went overboard...'

As the bell echoed in the crisp morning air, all Hayato could manage was a blink. Well. "Uhm, alright," he said to no one as he sipped at his drink, the straw hitting the side of his lip as he fumbled to aim for his mouth. That was... that... A loud laugh ended up escaping the silver haired teen's lips as he walked towards the slightly damaged carton of milk, picking it up as his long legs wandered back into the school. What was that? He didn't know, oh geez, that was an experience- "Haha," he giggled to himself as he made his way into the building, heading up the steps, his slow lumbering causing students to run around him like a river flowing around a rock. Except you know, rocks don't typically move. As he headed to his class, he passed by a B-3 and, with the corner of his eye, caught sight of familiar straight black locks.

"Ano, excuse me," he said to a girl who was about to enter the classroom. He pointed at the black haired stranger who's back was currently facing him, "Can you deliver something for me?"

---

A girl trembled as she made her way to Aoi's desk, a damaged strawberry milk in hand. Resting it lightly on the smartest kid in school's desk, she instantly apologized- "Sorry, someone said to give this to you! Uhm, yeah, okay-" before bowing in apology again and heading back to her own seat, talking in hushed relief with nearby seatmates. The carton was the same one that the number one- or rather, ex-number one - had tossed earlier, only this time, had something sloppily scribbled along the open spaces:
"Milk helps with studies! ^ 0 ^"
"So do smiles!!<3<3"

---

For the first time that week, Hayato managed to enter his class barely on time. Usually he'd be late, but when he arrived, he arrived with a handful of others, so it couldn't have been that bad. "Oi, Akashi, clear out your desk," scolded the teacher as the transfer tried sneaking his way past, Hayato merely nodding and offering a weak salute in reply. "Aye, aye," he replied in an accented English as he made his way to the desk which, noticeably, had less bread than he'd left earlier. He opened one and stuffed it in his mouth before shoving the rest into his bag, taking his seat behind a pink haired girl. Jam dirtied the edges of his lips as he tried to scarf down the meal in silence, the classroom's mutterings slowly dying down as classes started to resume.

"Sorry," Aoi jumped slightly as one of her classmates placed down a carton on the corner of her desk, "someone said to give this to you!" She glanced down at the dirtied box, then back up at the girl, and she smiled slightly, nodding. The student then vanished to her seat, and Aoi picked up the carton, curiously looking over the dented surface until she saw the words scribbled on its larger sides:

"Milk helps with studies! ^ 0 ^"
"So do smiles!!<3<3"

Aoi felt her eyebrow twitch again, and with sudden rage she slammed her free hand into the desk. Those within earshot turned quickly, then burst into a flurry of curious murmurs. She blushed furiously, and then the milk carton was opened and drunk down quickly, just as the teacher walked in and began the first lessons.

---

Tsukimi kept an eye on Hayato, watching with curiosity as he munched on one of the many sandwiches he had brought to the class. Her mind groped for reasons on how this stupid, bread eating, later arriving, transfer student could beat out her genius friend.

But none could be found. Tsukimi grinned a devilish grin before turning back to stare at the front of the class, which had started only a few minutes before.

---

The final bell rang, and the sudden chatter of school-wary teenagers filled the room. Aoi slowly began to pack up her belongings, a tired sigh escaping her lips. She had little time to dawdle, as the student council was having a rather minor meeting about student appearances and how they should handle all of the piercings and hair dye. It was a rather serious topic to most of the children on the council, which was basically why Aoi set up the meeting in the first place, but Aoi herself could careless. Caring was something she had found difficult to accomplish.

"Kiriyama-san!" A familiar voice caught her attention, and the perky vice-prez, Iki Yuko, waved her over from the classroom door. Aoi rose, snatched up her bag and the empty milk carton, and then ran over. They spoke about the meeting, nodded continuously, shared glares at certain students, and then made their way to the student council meeting room.

Or, they would have, if not for the three familiar figures standing in their path. They were all almost identical, and seemed to be grinning at something funny.

"Katsu triplets." Yuko hissed, her perkiness forming into utter disgust. Aoi stared blankly ahead, and the triplets seemed to find this hilarious, breaking into a flurry of laughter.

"She's so...!"

"And... Right, right?!"

"Yeah! Hahaha!"

They spoke as if there were words in between their jumbled phrases. Such strange children. Aoi was just about through with their giggles of idiocy, but just was she took a step forward one of them clenched at her hair and pulled. A cry of surprise and pain filled the hall and more laughter followed after.

"Stop that, harassing females is against the rules!" Yuko yelled, just as Aoi threw her head back and nailed the one clutching her hair with a headbutt. Blood spurted and the laughter quieted,

"Hey, idiot triplets," Aoi snapped, clutching her now beat-red forehead, "move on before you get in actual trouble." And with one final glare the three stumbled off, clinging to their fallen comrade, smiling their never faltering smile.

"Come on, Iki-san." She sighed, and entered the room as if nothing had gone wrong. Yuko sighed, grinned secretly to herself, then followed.

"Skipping again?"

Hayato's head rose, his bangs falling over his eyes as he did so. Before him stood a gentle faced red head who offered him his bag. "Ah," noted the transfer as he rose, patting dirt off of himself- he'd spent his skipped time plucking at weeds at first, it developing slowly into digging holes- "Thanks."
"No problem," smiled Hitomi Yoda, Hayato's senior and benevolent housemate. They were 'cousins', in the loosest form of the word, what with family issues here and there. Nevertheless, they were as close as non-blood related cousins got. "I went to check up on your class, but surprise surprise- you weren't there."
"I wasn't skipping-"
"I know you've got your issues, but at least try to stay in the building?"
"-I was on school grounds technically, so."

The red head laughed, patting Hayato's arm as the silver haired teen was already much too tall for head petting. "Hey, I've got club after school," commented Hitomi, changing the subject, "So you can head home first."
"Ah, no, I'll stay and wait for you," said the younger student as he took hold of his back and slung it over his shoulder, following Hitomi towards the dojo. "Your dad would give me hell if I went home without you."
"I doubt you would've gone straight home anyways," grinned the gentle kendo captain, "But practice'll only last an hour or so. Just wait by the gates for me, if you want? Do you have the keys to the house yet?"
"Uhm," paused the silver haired student as he patted himself down, the two stopping short of the practice building, shouts escaping through the open doors. "No. But if I leave I'll just text you, so..."
"Alright then," smiled the older student, reaching up and patting Hayato on the head, height or otherwise, "Don't get too crazy on me, now."

---

"Too crazy my ass," sighed Hayato as he walked into the school building. Ironic as it may be, the times he spent in school were usually /after/ school was out. Sometimes to frequent the library, other times to frequent a certain nurse's skirt. "Everything's always too crazy for that Hitachiin," Hayato pouted childishly, kicking pretend rocks off of the school's tile floors, making his way past a group of three identical looking kids.

Although he very obviously moved aside for them, he still somehow managed to brush against one of their elbows. And the following outcome was both surprisingly threatening and borderline hilarious. "Hey-" they shouted in unison before going down the line and exclaiming: "Watch-" "-your-" "-self!" Naturally, Hayato managed a cheerful small laugh before apologizing, "Sorry, I really was trying to~ Nice chains~" He threw the trio finger guns, both to be dorky and both to point at the glittering paraphernalia carved in the trios' ears. He finger gunned his way out of there, backpeddaling till he reached the nurses' office, opening it and shutting with a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

"Hey," said a mildly surprised nurse, her light brown hair curling over her face, her wheeled chair by the window causing the sunlight from outdoors to wrap her in a halo. Breathlessly, Hayato smiled, replying, "Hey. I'm. I'm just gonna take a nap."

"Kiriyama-san, you really should get your head checked out." Yuko whispered from Aoi's right. To her left was the remaining student council, all in a row, whispering among themselves of choices and ideas on how to deal with the dilemma that was hair dye and piercings. Aoi glanced at them with dull eyes then returned her stare to the front, rubbing the red-mark on her forehead gently. It stung at even the smallest touch, and a smile of malice pierced her lips at the thought of what that one triplet was feeling, but was quickly wiped away as her head throbbed against the beating. The student council room was was rather quiet, thankfully, despite the constant whispering, and Aoi took a moment to appreciate it's size and fullness, trying to distract herself from the forming headache. The mid-day sunlight gleamed form the massive windows, casting shadows across the long table that stretched out in front of her podium and throwing particles of dust into the air, which shimmered down like snow.

And then the room faded and Aoi was staring at the wood podium she had been leaning on. Her head screamed out in pain, and the throbbing beat at her brain as it normally did after a full night of studying. The whispering quickly quieted and a hand clenched her shoulder tightly, almost too tightly,

"You must be tired from all that studying for the terms." Yuko began, and Aoi felt her face form into a horrified grimace, "plus you just banged your head. "Go. To. The. Nurse. Get some rest." The first-year begged, hauling Aoi up into a standing position with brute force. She gave Yuko a stern glance, then bowed her head lightly, face burning as pride was replaced with a thumping in her head, and with a soft voice she gave Yuko the ability to look over the council before vanishing back into the hall. Empty, most of the students were probably in their after-school clubs and teams. Aoi clung close to the wall, eyes dull behind her thing-framed glasses, and traced the way to the nurse's office from her very location. While she normally didn't travel to the young woman's room, Aoi had made sure that she knew the way, as she did with everything else. Rest stops, hospitals, parks, Aoi had memorized all of their locations, making her a rather gifted direction-giver.

And while thinking of her skill at directions Aoi nearly passed the nurse's room.

"Uhm..." Aoi slowly slid open the door, glancing around the brightly-lit room. The smell of medical chemicals and clean sheets made her falter slightly, but once she caught the eye of the nurse the young Prez pulled open the door fully and staggered into the room. The whiteness and medical smells of a patient's room or doctor's office often made Aoi feel a bit uncomfortable, but it seemed to be rather nice in this particular place. Perhap thew younger nurse had something to do with it.

"Nanase-sensei," Aoi began, eyeing the white sheets that hid the few beds that were normally available, "I'm sorry to bother you but, ah, could I rest for a bit." She muttered quietly, bowing her head politely. The nurse lifted her head slowly from the paper-covered, metal desk, and turned around in her wheeled chair, smiling,

"Luckily, I have one extra bed. Go lie down for now." She said with a light voice, and Aoi nodded again and turned towards the beds, glancing in curiously to see who else could possibly be lying down in here. At the sight of Hayato, though, she turned on her heels and returned to the door, visibly shaking with rage,

"Sorry for bothering you, I am feeling much better." She chattered, clenching the door frame with tight fingers. Nanase glanced at her with worried eyes, but before she could ask what the problem had been Aoi was already falling back from the door, all of her rage fading within the moment she had suddenly become to dizzy to stand. Nanase was up within a second, catching Aoi's arm to halt her descent, and the Prez grimaced in pain and slowly managed straighten herself, ripping her arm from the nurse's grasp out of impulse,

"Sorry." She repeated, turning back to the door slowly, "I'm fine, I'm fine." Sweat dripped from her forehead, and the mark continually throbbed painfully, but Aoi tried her best to ignore it. She was fine, she was fine.

Hayato groaned at the sound of nearby stomping, his eyes slowly fluttering open. That nap had seemed like forever, no matter how short, and he was feeling well refreshed. Now, if only he could get back to sleeping... his head perked sideways, however, at the sound of the clattering chair and high heels rushing hurriedly. Groggily, Hayato pulled himself up, wondering what the commotion was, yawning as he lightly pulled at the curtains, catching just in time the black hair that billowed weakly as the girl pulled herself up from gravity, muttering assurance. "I'm fine," she said, contradicting the breathy weakness in her voice, "I'm fine."

"Clearly you're not," Hayato said, having picked himself up and making his way towards the girl, just as the nurse straightened herself out too. "Nanase-san," he called to the teacher as, with swift gentleness he wrapped an arm around the weak girl's retreating figure, easily carrying her up and sauntering over to the bed he'd left as disheveled as his uniform, resting her on it gently, "Can you make sure your patients actually get their proper rest? Honestly." The silver haired transfer student pouted, as though a child playing house and pretending to be the scolding mother.
"Haha, Hayato, you're not too careful yourself," smiled the nurse as she made her way to the cabinets, looking for a cold patch to rest over that awful looking bump on Aoi's forehead, "You don't just carry hurt people around like that all willy nilly."

Wait, hurt? Oh, right. Right. That's probably why she came into the nurse's. Turning to the president he'd seated on the bed, he instantly got on his knees so that it was him looking up and her looking down. That way, she wouldn't have to excert too much effort. Besides, youch. Look at that forehead. "Woah, what happened there?" he asked, almost reaching for it before remembering why he'd gotten on his knees. Straightening himself he offered a quick apologetic nod of the head before saying, "Kiriyama Aoi I apologize for my insolence. Feel free to punish me as you see fit!... Or you know. Just smack me on the cheek. That's fine, too."

He lent her his left cheek, puffing air into it so it was larger, but instead of Aoi's hand- whose name he found out after finally deciding to visit that list of test scores in the middle of his skipping- Nanase-san's hand struck him from the back of his head instead. "How bout instead of screaming, you actually do something useful?" she sighed, giving him the compress, before turning to the student council president and offering an apologetic smile that seemed to say 'I'm-so-sorry-for-this-idiot'.
"Ah, right," Hayato grabbed at the cold press, slowly peeling at it, dropping the peel onto his lap. Holding the edges gingerly, he ushered with a nod for Aoi to come forward, asking, "Do you mind if I...?" Wondering if it was okay for him to press it onto her or if she'd rather do it herself.

After all, in his two meetings of Aoi, he'd learned she was quite the prideful person.

The room spun and Aoi let out a low grumble as she realize her feet were no longer attached to the ground, and hat someone who wasn't the nurse was carrying her back into the room. Once she felt the bed on her back, though, Aoi found that she was capable of relaxing just a bit... Until she locked eyes with Hayato. Her cheeks instantly began to burn with rage and her hands tightened into fists, but he didn't seemed to be focused on the anger she felt, instead his eyes traced the bump on her forehead. She turned away slightly when he asked what had happened, narrowing her eyes at the far wall of the office, but she quickly turned back when she felt him shifting right beside her. His head was low, an apologetic bow, and then he said,

"Kiriyama Aoi I apologize for my insolence. Feel free to punish me as you see fit!... Or you know. Just smack me on the cheek. That's fine, too."

A smirk met her lips as he puffed out his left cheek slightly, awaiting a smack, but Nanase quickly took care of that for her. The two conversed a bit, and Aoi let her head sink back into the warm pillow, staring up at the ceiling through tired eyes after viewing the pretty nurse's apologetic smile. Her rage had easily subsided after the silver-haired boy's amusing apology, but now she was left with a feeling of anger against herself. If only she had studied harder, payed more attention. Then, she would be on top, and all her hard work would feel paid off and her mom would be proud and... And. Aoi let out a soft sight, glaring at the panels above, and then Hayato entered her field of vision once more, holding out an unpeeled cold press gingerly.

"Do you mind if I...?"

"I'll do it." Aoi said blankly, slowly sitting up and carefully taking the press from his grasp. She angled the item on her right hand while her left pulled her bangs back, and then with unneeded force she slammed the press onto her forehead, wincing slightly. Almost instantly, most of the pain began to disperse, but her thumping headache remained, and slowly she lowered herself back down to the pillow and let out another sigh, removing her glasses.

Silence then filled the room, and Aoi appreciated it greatly. The cheers of students out in the early summer sun was distant and peaceful, and the shared breathing of the three in the room was gentle and relaxing, it had been awhile since she had felt so... Serene. Sleep was quickly overcoming her, but Aoi withheld the need, and instead opened her eyes and glanced around until she caught sight of Hayato.

"Hey," she began, blue eyes wider without their frames, "you do seem pretty idiotic. How the hell did you do so well on the exams?"

Hayato let Aoi take hold of the compress, watching with mild amusement at her application process. She took off her glasses as she slowly receded back into her sleeping position, and the silver haired boy couldn't help but admire how her eyes looked much bigger with them off. At the sound of the chair creaking, Hayato turned to Nanase-san and put a finger to his lips, urging her to be quiet, the nurse replying with a roll of her eyes before looking through her paper covered desk once more.

"Hey," the small voice cut in the silence, catching Hayato's attention. He turned from making faces to the unamused staff member back to Aoi, tilting his head as he hummed in a questioning tone. "You do seem pretty idiotic," continued the girl, bits of black hair sticking to her slightly sweaty face, "How the hell did you do so well on the exams?" At this, Hayato couldn't help but grin like the idiot he was, scratching his cheek as he thought about it. He wasn't a complete idiot, he knew that what he had wasn't a normal thing, but at the same time, he really liked getting on Aoi's nerves.

"Mm, I'm just smart like that, I guess?" he replied in a low whisper, careful not to speak too loudly in case the noise hurt the president's head. Apparently it wasn't low enough, because from behind him the nurse snorted in disbelief. Grinning sheepishly, Hayato continued, "Kidding, kidding~. I just have a good memory is all, heheh." Which was pretty true, considering his good memory came along with his IQ of 185. But as much as Hayato liked to tease this sour faced student prez, he still lived by the policy of being humble. That, and he didn't wanna hurt Aoi's feelings somehow by saying too much about studies and boring dumb book stuff.

"And you?" he asked, changing the subject, mimicking Aoi's tone as he continued, "You seem pretty smart. How the hell did you get so hurt?"

Aoi listened to his explanation quietly, keeping direct eye contact at all times. Memory, huh, Lucky. Aoi could only memorize something after looking at it at least five times. Her curiosity only grew after he finished explaining, and she had a sudden need to preform some... For lack of a better term, experiments, on the silver-haired transfer student. Nothing grim, just a few quizzes and the likes. After finishing up their discussion on the exams, Hayato quickly changed the subject, this time centering it around the injury on her forehead. A small smirk appeared and she quickly averted her stare, face flushed with embarrassment.

"I, uh, well," she twiddled her thumbs, eyes locked directly on the wall opposite of Hayato, "I kind of... Head butted a guy cause he was pulling my hair." Aoi felt her grin widen and her face deepen in color. The act had been rather unladylike, and she felt that, as president, her appearance should be that of a cool and just ruler, not as a bully. She had planned to just do it and leave it to rot with the rest of her unflattering actions. A snort quickly interrupted her embarrassment, and she glanced passed Hayato to see the feet of Nanase-sensei, who must have found the story to be rather funny.

"It was one of the Katsu triplets, the one who pierced here..." She used her middle and pointer finger to point out two spots just at the base of her neck, right before the collarbone. Her face revealed her true disgust for the triplets, but her voice was rather hesitant, "they often bother me like that, I was in a bad mood, though." She flashed Hayato an icy glare then turned away again, "I probably did some real damage to him if I ended up like this." Her smirk reappeared, detestable and pleased. Aoi rarely found pleasure in beating up annoyances, but today it just felt wonderful. Another sigh escaped her mouth and she settled back into the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling,

"You're rather friendly, Arashi-san," she noted, reclaiming his eye contact, "I expected another annoying brat like the Katsu triplets, but I suppose my judgement was off." If Tsukimi were here, she might note that Hayato had the personality of lavender, aloof and relaxing, though Aoi could barely understand what exactly her friend meant by flowers having personalities. The pink-haired girl often compared Aoi to hydrangeas, the bushel of pink or blue flowers that were currently in bloom, saying that they were a proud flower, but Aoi would often wave her off and say,

"Flowers cannot think, let alone have a personality, how could one be proud?"

But she silently enjoyed her friend's interests and knowledge of the flower language. Aoi slowly left behind the thoughts of her friend as her brain began to thump painfully again and returned to staring at Hayato. He was nice to look at, she thought once again, and then with a soft sigh and a frown she quietly whispered,

"Sorry for yelling at you earlier." And turned away, closing her eyes once more.

Oh? Pulling a girl's hair? The hairs on the back of Hayato's neck bristled at the idea, and what annoyed him even more was the realization that he'd run into the trio earlier. Their triplet act had creeped him out earlier, what with talking in consequence and unison and whatnot, but now that Hayato understood that they were creepy because they were douchebags, he wanted to headbutt them, too.

His attention was distracted by another of Nanase-san's wordless commentary, both he and Aoi turning to glance at the nurse, Hayato in the better position to see how the older woman was trying to hold in her laughter and keep a straight face. At the return of the president's voice, the silver haired student returned his gaze, nodding at the explanation. Well, he knew now who to bump into in the hallway. A grin appeared on his face when Aoi commented with a smug smirk, "I probably did some real damage to him if I ended up like this." He decided not to say anything regarding his run-in with the triplets, considering he didn't know which of them had been the one with the piercing and if any of them had been hurt. Admittedly, Hayato had been too busy finger-gunning and backpedalling it out of there to make any observations.

"You're rather friendly, Arashi-san," Aoi seemed to say in a low voice as her eyes met with Hayato's curious ones. He laughed at her additional comment, interjecting with a, "Thank you, I think? I think I might be annoying in my own way, though." His voice was caked with childish pride, as though egging the student council president to say otherwise. And it was true, Hayato really was annoying in his own way- especially to hardworking students considering how Hayato did a lot of things with ease.

The two shared a comfortable silence, Hayato gazing into Aoi's eyes, realizing that they looked straight at him but at the same time seemed so far away. What was she thinking? Or, perhaps, she'd already fallen asleep? As expected of the school's (ex)number one, she was able to sleep with her eyes open-

"Sorry for yelling at you earlier."

It had been so soft, the transfer almost missed it in the middle of his thinking. He stared, slack faced and a bit late in his shocked reply, watching as Aoi turned her back to him. "Ah.. eh?" was all he managed to say at first before he smiled. Oh gosh, she really was too cute! It was like straight out of a manga, he swore, and Aoi was a total tsundere! "Ahhh," sighed Hayato happily as he reached over and enveloped the girl in an overly enthusiastic hug, "It's okaay~!! I'm so sorry for beating you during tests~~!!"

"Oi," called out Nanase, annoyed, "No flirting in my office, Hayato. And stop suffocating the injured girl, I swear- get out of here since you seem perfectly healthy!"

With a swift kick Hayato was suddenly outside of the Infirmary doors, bag in hand. Kiriyama Aoi. He grinned to himself as he practically skipped down the hallway- seems as though he'd found a fun new friend to play around with.

The hug took her by surprise, mostly because she could barely see at the time. And yet, despite being touched when she had no wish o be touched, despite her pounding headache, and despite it being Arashi Hayato, Aoi felt that she didn't mind. Instead of fighting back she just allowed herself to be squeezed tightly, face burning, and then it was over and Hayato was being pulled forcefully away. Aoi let out a small sigh and slumped back against the pillow, listening to Nanase scold Hayato about flirting before kicking him out fully, and then it was quiet again. Aoi glanced around the office one last time, wincing at the mid-day light that filtered in through the half closed blinds, scoffing at the cat calls of sport players, and then she shut her eyes and allowed herself to drift off into a light nap. Thoughts turned to white noise easily, and the pounding began to subside as her consciousness faded. The last thing Aoi thought about was the green eyes of Hayato, filled with sparking energy.

Arashi Hayato. Would he be another trouble child?

---

The school day ended without another problem. Aoi had missed all of the meeting thanks to her extended nap, and had not managed to find any of the council to see what the verdict was, so she simply began her trek home. While her head ache had subsided, Nanase had warned her to take it easy for the rest of the day, and so she would. The outside air was thick and warm, a warning of late spring rain approaching, and the town of Yakumo was bustling. She passed plenty of shops, filled to the brim with house wives and students, yet kept her attention drawn forward, towards the department and workplace streets, where the stairs that led to her home sat. Shops turned into offices, trees into lamp posts, and eventually Aoi was surrounded by men and women in suits, chatting like robots into their phones and other devices.

The sun had been swallowed by the clouds then, darkening the town landscape, and Aoi allowed her emotionless eyes wander across the sea of suits and skirts, as if she were looking for someone in particular. No matter how hard she looked though, it always seemed that she was left with only a feeling of abandonment, and then she was on the stairs that lead up to her apartment building, head bowed. Then, one final time, she turned and stared off at the town below, blue eyes once again searching the landscape for someone or something. The clouds had faded, blowing far off into the distance, and sunlight dotted the homes and shops and buildings of the town below. And no one appeared. S, finally, Aoi turned back and glared up at her apartment complex.

The building itself looked rather... Old. Old and dirty. The bricks were worn from endless days of rain, snow, hail, wind, or whatever else nature decided to pelt down. Some windows were broken and patched hastily with tape or wood, and the front door was covered in graffiti and scratches. It wasn't much, but to Aoi, it was home, so she pushed through the door and greeted the empty lobby with a nod before heading to the closest hall. The florescent lights glared down upon the ugly carpeted hall floor, flickering ever so slightly, and Aoi shook her head slightly before turning to the final door at the end of the hall. A list was tapped to the wood, and Aoi ripped it off without mercy and entered the room.

The apartment was, for the most part, clean, save for the pile of books just next to the closet and the slowly growing dirty dishes in the sink. It was a two room apartment, with only a conjoined kitchen and living/bedroom and a bathroom to act as a home. She moved comfortably into the room, sighing as she finally settled down onto the tatami-mat floor. Her mind was blank, save for the materials she had recently learned in classes today, and her eyes were narrowed and tired, yet she couldn't relax yet. The owner of this dump had left her a list of choirs to attend to, mostly cleaning and tending to the empty rooms. While it was hard work, Aoi couldn't just skip it, simply because these choirs were the only reason she was still able to live here. And so, with a final sigh, Aoi stood back and began to prepare herself for the rest of the day.

"Yoda-chan!"

Hayato waved from the gates, much to the embarrassment of his housemate who'd been busy talking to a few younger students. "Arashi," greeted the captain as he came closer. Nodding to his juniors he said, "This is a friend of mine. Arashi, these are some first years from my club." Hayato greeted them enthusiastically and the group continued past the gate where they separated, the older students heading one way and the first years another.

"Speaking of clubs," started Yoda, "Are you seriously not joining any?"
A sigh escaped from Hayato's lips, his hand rising to ruffle at his hair. "I mean, I'm kinda already a bit late," he answered. "What with being both a transfer and a second year. Maybe I will, if people need more club members, I guess."
"Haha," laughed Yoda, "Somehow I expected that sort of wishy washy reply from you." The red head merely grinned as Hayato answered his comment with a playful punch to the side.

The two continued to talk about easily forgettable things as they made their way home, the sunlight slowly darkening along the way. They passed by small neighborhood shops and greeted familiar faces, buying popsicles from a sweet old lady and avoided groups of energetic elementary school kids. As they walked past a park littered with shouting children, the surroundings changed gradually from shops to houses lined side by side. Cats loitered the clear streets, mingling over walls and disappearing over fences. Eventually the duo made their way to an empty house, each greeting their entrance only to be met with silence.

"I'll take the first shower," said Hayato as he made his way upstairs, Yoda heading to the kitchen. The older red-head absently hummed in response, adding as an afterthought, "Don't forget to call your mom later."
"Un," was the silver haired teen's hard to hear response, masked by his thudding footsteps. He'd probably pretend to forget to call, as he usually did. Man he hated talking to her.

---

"Arashi, hurry up!"

The chair clattered as Hayato's bookbag accidentally crashed against it, the boy losing control of everything the more he rushed. "Bye guys, see you later," he waved to the two adults currently busy with their adult stuff. He rushed then to barely slip out of his slippers and into his outdoor shoes, following after Yoda who, by now, was at the front gate. "Sorry, sorry," sighed the second year in exhasperation as he caught up, the two finally making their way to school. "Man, who's bright idea was it to have me actually show up to school on time."

"Your mom," Yoda answered the statement, only to release a sigh from his annoyed junior. They made their way to school with quick steps, waving at the men and women opening up their small shops and caring to stay out of speeding cyclists' ways. Their path eventually led them to a mass of similar school uniforms, all leading to their school. Hayato fought back yawns as Yoda threw spatters of conversation here and there, but most of their morning was spent in silence.

Finally at the school, the two separated with a wave, and it being a while since Hayato actually came to school on time, he decided the first thing to probably do was sneak out. Haha, nah, he made his way instead to his homeroom, eager to surprise classmates with his earliness. As he did so, he found himself accidentally knocking into another student, having been busy caught up in trying to sleep and walk at the same time. "Ugh, sorry," he groggily apologized.

Yuko let out a soft grunt as a much taller body connected with her's. She quickly flashed her sharpest of glares upwards, but it quickly faltered when the unfamiliar silver haired boy gave a tired apology. A sweet smile then claimed her face and the dark-haired first year stepped back and nodded,

"It's quite alright," Hayato's looks had obviously smitten the vice pres, and because of this her voice was filtered to be honey-drenched as flirty, "it's my fault for not looking. I'm very, very sorry." Her head lowered, hair shimmering over her shoulders, and then Yuko straightened and slipped passed Hayato, exiting the room with one final smile. Tsukimi, who had been the only reason for Yuko to come to a second-year classroom, watched the whole ordeal with curious eyes. In her hands was a cluster of paper, all for Aoi as the first-year had explained very thoroughly, and on her tongue was a variety of questions for Hayato, but she had no reason to ask any of them yet.

'Oh well, better put these away for now...'

But just as her mind displayed this thought, a familiar bespectacled girl peeked in through one of the hall windows and waved. Aoi. Her face was expressionless as it normally was in public, but Tsukimi easily read that the girl wished to talk a bit before classes started. A small, mostly unfamiliar smile met the pink-haired girl's lips and she stood, sliding between the desk until she reached the door where Hayato had entered through. Aoi quickly approached and nodded in greeting.

"Here," Tsukimi held out the papers quickly, "stuff from the meeting yesterday, Iki-san brought them." Aoi accepted them with a soft sigh of reassurance, then nodded towards the almost empty halls,

"Let's walk around, until classes start." Aoi whispered, blue eyes wide and friendly behind her glasses. Tsukimi nodded and grinned, grabbing the black-haired Pres by the arm. There was slight hesitation in her friend's steps though, and Tsukimi glanced back once and realized her friend was focused on the back if Hayato, who was still somewhat in the doorway, and then with a wide smile she tugged the smaller girl forward and took of sprinting down the hall, Aoi in tow.

"No running in the hall, Tsukimi!" She cried out between breathing, mouth a gap with confusion.

"He's cute, isn't he?"

"What?"

"Nothing! Lets go see the flowers!"

And the two girls continued down the hall at a near break-neck speed, giggling quietly.