“That’s the spirit! Now, since you all are pumped up,” Neigh started before bringing out a book from behind his desk, “English is up next, and Mari-chan’s been super excited about teaching this one. So, who’s ready?!”
“..................”
“.......................”
“...What? You’re all silent, suddenly! Where’d that enthusiasm go?!” Neigh asked, looking around.
“Seriously, you talk about all this exciting stuff, then we go to learning English from a pillow? Super lame.”
“Can’t we just skip to studying Path Enhancement Theory?”
And, just like that, the class groaned and jeered at the mention of a “normal” study.
“No way! I may double as a teacher here, but at my core, I’m a scientist! To us, skipping a step in a formula could be a matter of life or death, so no dice!” He made his case, making an X with his arms.
Everyone sighed.
“Guess he’s done being cool Mr. Banner...”
Yeah... maybe this place is too much for me to handle... Reito began to second guess his decision to attend.
***
After a round of classes from his new teacher, it was time for the lunch break before Reito knew it.
As he exited the classroom, Neigh called out to him. “Enjoy lunch, kid. Mari-chan and I wanna make sure you absorb the month and a half worth of knowledge that you missed on your hiatus, so hurry back!” He goofily smiled, bringing his pillow closer to him.
Still weirded out because of the body pillow he was holding, Reito responded with a raised hand and a put-off look. “S-Sure. Can do, Teach.”
Taking a few steps from the classroom door, he was face to face with Evie once again, the hallways swelling with commotion and students making their rounds.
“Hiya! Miss me?” She greeted him with a warm smile.
“As if,” Reito replied with his eyelids hanging low. “So...what now? We gonna eat lunch on the roof like we’re in some crappy rom-com?” He asked.
Evie swiftly put her index finger in the front of his face. “That sounds tempting, but nope! We can eat later! For now, don’tcha wanna look around the Academy? There’s a lot of facilities here that are super cool, y’know,” she stated while putting both her hands to the back of her head nonchalantly.
He gave a deep sigh. “...I guess it’s fine as long as I get some food in the tank before too long; lead the way.”
“In that case, let’s go!” Evie said, doing just what he asked.
Reito could’ve refused, but with how overbearing her personality seemed to be, even if he did, they would’ve ended up doing so, anyhow.
Evie led around him in a peppy walk, nodding her head from side to side as she hummed a tune that Reito could’ve sworn he’d heard before.
Before he could place the melody, though, the two set foot on a rather large courtyard filled with many students walking to and fro. A grassy field took up most of it, with a grand-looking fountain in the middle of it. On each corner of the field, benches were in place. There was a rather nice social area with tables that sat multiple people. Some conversing, some eating, and others doing both at once. Reito thought he could smell a spring breeze on the wind, but he ignored it as the sounds of flowing water hit his ears.
“Stop numero uno on School Guide Evie’s Mystical Tour: The Grand Courtyard!” She exclaimed, gesturing toward the area with a smile.
“Great, a social area...my favorite type of place,” Reito sarcastically said with a straight face, his finger trembling a bit before he stuffed his hand into his pocket.
Even after all this time, he still wasn’t used to being around large crowds. So, understandably, he was uneasy about being in such a place.
Evie pointed at him exaggeratedly and winked. “Knew you’d love it! This is the place where students can relax, although it’s mostly used when lunch break hits. It’s the primo place for anything social!”
Well, I guess it might be nice; if I can find a quiet spot to sleep, then I guess bummin’ it around here wouldn’t be so bad... “Alright, I get the gist of it. Where to next?”
“That's the spirit, Tochi! Next up is one of my favorite places!”
“She’s so peppy... I feel drained already,” Reito slumped over, mumbling to himself, “it’s like she has some kinda energy-sappin’ ability...”
***
Minutes later, they ran into a crowd of students clamoring, shoving, and trying to get ahead of one another. As Evie and Reito got closer, the scent of bread and jam wafted to their noses and only got stronger the closer and closer they got.
“I’ll take three sweetbreads!”
“Tough luck, buddy, I’ll take five! And could you hurry with that? I wanna be able to enjoy it before class starts again!”
“Hey! Down in front! No cutting!”
“Here we are, the School Snack Store!” Evie excitedly introduced. “They sell the tastiest sweetbread around; it’s ten times better than regular old convenience store stuff!”
Reito scratched his cheek. “Even if ya say that, seems like a hassle. Especially if lines always devolve into huddles o- Ah...annnnnd she’s gone,” he looked around, unable to find Evie.
A tap on his shoulder seconds later made Reio turn around to see she’d popped up behind him, stuffing her mouth with sweetbread. “Mmpphh, mmmphhh! (It’s even better than it usually is! Lucky me!)” She tried to speak with her mouth full.
“...Dude,” he started, looking back and forth between the crowd and her, “how the hell are ya even able to move like that?” And weren’t you the one sayin’ save the eatin’ for later?
Evie paused to swallow her food. “Elementary, my dear Tochi! It’s all thanks to the power of ninjary! Now that that’s outta the way, on to the next stop!” She directed, happily skipping toward the next destination.
Reito‘s head sank. That...didn’t explain jack... But I guess I shouldn’t expect her to be easy to understand...
The next area was a bit different. It was a long hallway. On the left and right were doors next to horizontally long one-way glass panes that lead to rooms with a grid-like structure.
Evie turned toward him with arms extended as if she was doing a showcase. “Welcome to the Kita Academy Training Rooms! Here you can spar to your heart's content. Y’know what they say, practice makes perfect!” She exclaimed, playfully shadowboxing.
“Now we’re talkin’! Fightin’s one of the few things I give a damn about! This place is perfect!” Reito thought, his eyes lighting up like a kid in a toy store.
“There’s a glint in your eye... You’re pretty excited, huh?” She teased, shooting him a cat-like grin.
He fake coughed to deny her observation. “Ahem... Just wanna get back into brawlin’, is all. The quicker I get better; the quicker I can become king, after all.”
Her smile grew a bit. “In that case,” a bit of electricity sparked around her middle and index as she raised them, “how’dja feel about going a round with me...?”
Before Reito could respond, an all too familiar voice boomed out from behind them.
“Tanaka! Usodachi! I’ve been looking all over for you guys!” Chikara called out, running towards the two.
“Oh! Hiya, Kara! You’re on your feet!” Evie waved.
Turning around, Reito sighed, thinking an even more tiring person had entered the picture. “Meat Tank, huh? You’re up and about, now?”
“I can’t exactly be down and out forever with my rank on the decline. I got discharged a little late, so I couldn’t be here right away, but as soon as I was, I bolted here to see you two again. Especially you, Usodachi,” Chikara divulged, turning to Reito.
Hearing that, Reito gave a befuddled look. “You've already cost me time I could’ve spent finishin’ Reborn! by sendin’ me to the hospital; what else couldja possibly want...?”
“Right here, right now, I’ve made up my mind. From this point on, you and I are rivals,” Chikara declared, smirking.
“...Huh?”
“I know it’s kind of selfish of me, but...you’re good, maybe an even better fighter than I am. Thing is, you’d definitely slack off when it comes down to it. And if I surpassed you at your worst, well, I’d feel like I never got a chance to win,” he explained with a serious expression on his face.
“So, in other words, you’re just bein’ a self-servin’ bastard, huh?”
Chikara scratched his cheek. “Well, I can’t exactly say you’re wrong about that.”
Reito chuckled a bit under his breath. The last time they saw each other, Chikara was trying his hardest to beat the daylights out of him, angrier than a raging bull. Not a second had passed where Reito didn’t think he hated his guts. He’d been clouded by anger, and mostly underminded Reito. But now, he’d approached him calmly, making a selfish declaration while somehow being respectful all at once. Reito tried, but he couldn’t help but find it comical.
“Heh-heh... You’re kinda funny, y’know that? ...Eh, guess it wouldn’t hurt. Just rivals, though. Don’t start thinkin’ for a second that this makes us buddies,” he said, raising his fist up to fist bump Chikara’s.
“I didn’t think for a second you’d agree to that anyway, even though I think of you as such,” he said while turning to meet Evie’s eyes. “And thank you for the other day, Tanaka. If you hadn’t stopped me, my anger would’ve gotten the better of me, completely.”
“A-okay, Kara,” Evie accepted his gratitude with a thumbs up. “But if you really wanna thank me, just call me Evie, already!”
Chikara chuckled. “You’re right, sorry. Thanks a lot, Tanaergh...Evie!”
“Hee-hee-hee! You’re super-welcome!”
“Gra-ha-ha! I feel like we just got a little closer! Thanks, Usodachi!” He jovially said as he and Evie draped their arms over one another’s shoulder.
“Umm...I didn’t really do anythin’ for ya to thank me, guy... He goes Gra-ha-ha...? Shion goes Sha-ha-ha, and the little miss stealthy has a weird one. Am I the only one who laughs normally...? Reito observed.
Not a second later, the three heard a loud noise two training rooms down the hall.
“Who in the...?!”
“It’s nothing to be worried about—Forte probably just overshot an attack by a bit again,” Chikara explained, shrugging.
Evie looked away, furrowing her brows. One of their sparring matches. Not good... “Hey, Tochi, why don’t we just come back another time?” she asked, tugging on Reito’s shirt.
He shooed her off. “Huh? What’s with ya all of a sudden? Just a second ago you were stringin’ me along for a view of the place. What happened to ‘Mystical School Guide Evie’, huh?”
“Let’s just say...this tour got cut short on the grounds of unexpected interference,” she said with a shaky smile.
“How about no. If those two're strong, then that’s even more of a reason to check it out.”
“I’ll come too, I was gonna check on ‘em, anyway,” Chikara said, following his new rival down the hall.
“Hey! Don’t walk so close to me! You smell like a butcher’s shop!”
“Sorry about that! Can’t go too long without a meal!
As Reito went to the noise’s source,
accompanied by Chikara’s chuckle, Evie clutched the sides of her pants.
Maybe I should’ve avoided taking him here. I mean,
Maestro may be easy to deal with, but Gold, on the other hand... For whatever reason,
Evie had started to have some second thoughts about the whole thing. “Hey,
guys! Wait up...!”
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