The bell rang, and Sakaki finally allowed her eyes to shift away from the boy's. She spun around, her hair swirling behind her like a fan, and walked purposefully back into the school building. Walking through the hallways, she heard faint laughter, which gradually grew louder until she turned a corner and observed a decent-sized crowd of people surrounding a girl who sat on the ground, feverishly grasping for papers and books, some of which people in the crowd snatched away. She walked into sight range, and just like that...silence. A few, who she presumed to be first years, continued with their stupidity, but those who knew her, or even knew [i]of[/i] her, instantly quieted and looked at her carefully. As she walked up, the first years awkwardly noticed the silence and air of general tension, and their eyes swiveled to face her as well. With the new, total silence, her shoes making a loud [i]tap[/i] with every step. She stopped near the girl and looked down at her.

"Do you need help?"

A soft murmur spread through the crowds. Most of them had never seen her talk, bar answering in class, and very, very few had ever heard her ask somebody if they wanted help.