As the fight reached its climax, Nishikiri cried out, stopping Katashi in his tracks. He took a quiet sip of his mug and sighed.
"It was just about to get good!" Hayoku let out.

Aya Mashaka entered the room and briefly chuckled.
"How about instead of watching first-years duke it out, you try stopping them before something crazy happens."

He placed his hand on his face and felt a wave of dread.

"We already went over this. The best way they can learn is by competition! Pain is the best teacher after all."

"Could you refrain from using your past life as an excuse to subject first-year students to such an environment?"

He smiled.

"Heh, you don't seem to be really trying to stop me."

"That's because I can't."

He swayed his mug around.

"Oh yeah, true, true."

"Don't get all cocky now! I'm fairly strong myself!"

They both calmly laughed and enjoyed the moment. Hayoku took another sip of his coffee and rhymatically swung it around.
"So, have you found any intel on the group I faced when I brought Zenatori and Akari to seal the barrier?"

"I searched through dozens of syneji artist combat logs, and none of them faced a person with the ability to stun someone like you."

"For the record, I only got stunned in the first place because I wasn't taking the other guy seriously at all. The slightest bit of isotonic force reinforcement would have completely negated that."

"Ahh, I see." Silence momentarily filled the room before Mashaka continued. "But yeah, it's looking pretty bleak."

Hayoku leaned back in his chair, resting his mug on a coaster.
"Yeah, you could say that. But as it stands, it could be possible that this faction is after me. My eyes were closed when they attacked me, but I think they tried to touch me. I don't know if they said an incantation or anything because I couldn't hear anything under the sound that deafened me. Sorry, I'm not really being helpful."

Hayoku suddenly realized in his thoughts.

"But that wouldn't explain why they targeted me on the board of a day out of nowhere. It wasn't until- wait, could it be..?"

"Hayoku!" Mashaka said with her voice raised.

"Sorry, I was just thinking this stuff over deeply."

He felt a light wave of frustration, mainly due to his burning curiosity, but also due to the realization that he truly knows of nothing going on at the school. It made him feel slightly ignorant, yet it wasn't his fault.

He slowly trotted alongside the hallways as if it would give him the answer he was looking for.  He couldn't describe what he was feeling anymore, was it anger? Was it sadness? Why would it be any of those feelings? Paradoxically, it would have to be one of them. Had he been confused due to these impending dooms stacked up against him? He would never let that get to him because he still had to save his mother from poverty.

Even so, he slightly furrowed his brow because of his conflicted thoughts and trotted alongside the corner. He faced a girl with the same brown hair and who had such a familiar face. She turnt to Zenatori and let out a soft smile. 

Despite their small disagreement when Zenatori was on the nurse's bed, he couldn't tell if they were on good terms anymore. Not like it would matter to him, at least, why would it? Still, the small but thoughtful smile Akikyo Yachi let out gave him all the reassurance he needed.

He let one of his hands out of his pockets as if it were a breather. Calmly, he walked to Yachi and questioned her.
"What are you doing?"

She leaned forward and placed her hands behind her back.
"Nothing really, I was just about to make my way out of the courtyard and admire the sky. Do you want to come with me?"

Zenatori normally would perish the thought, but due to the circumstances, he didn't have a reason to decline. He then followed Yachi outside the doors and admired the sky. She lay on the ground and stretched her body on the soil. Zenatori looked at her, slightly confused, and said.
"Won't that get your uniform dirty?"

Yachi slightly chuckled at the thought.
"The grounds at this school are maintained really well, but yeah, I guess it'll still get a bit dirty after a while. It is dirt after all."

Zenatori looked at the sun, embracing its blaze quietly. He looked at Yachi and asked her a question.

"You know, are you like strong or something?"

Yachi paused and looked at him.
"Strong..?"

"Like, do you have any combat feats or anything? Like, why did you even become a syneji artist?"

She scoffed.

"Well, that's awfully blunt, but to answer your question, that depends on what you mean by strong. I'm not really that good of a syneji artist, to be honest. I'm probably on the lower percentile."

Zenatori then looked at her, slightly taken aback by her straightforwardness.
"Well, are you good at anything?"

"I'd say I'm average academically, but I'm honestly really bad at syneji artistry. Everyone learnt how to imbue isotonic force in the 1st week, and it took me the 3rd. You usually unlock your isotonic core during puberty, so girls usually are able to use isotonic force a few years before boys can. Even with that, I still suck at this thing."

"Really? Then why did you even become a syneji artist?"

"Listen, Zenatori, I only came here to relax. You're getting a bit personal with all of these questions."

"Oh, I see."

Yachi sat up and looked at Zenatori.
"You know, how about I ask you some questions since you're asking me so many. You're quite the enigma."

"What? What reason would I have to answer your questions?"

"I told you some of my life, how about you tell me some of yours?"

"Well, I don't have particularly anything interesting going on in my life worth noting."

"Ok, how about, why did you become a syneji artist?"

"Well, I figured out that I could use isotonic force, and there wasn't any demerit for me not to become one. The pay is good, and I get to save people. Why not?"

"Is that really it?"

Zenatori suddenly darted his eyes at her and couldn't tell what her game was. What was it she was trying to get out of him? Before he could think any further, she let out a loud sigh.
"Man, you don't have to be so trapped, Zenatori. But, I'm glad I learned something about you today."

After Several more minutes had passed, Yachi finally got up and let on a strong yawn, stretching. 
"I suppose we should get back to class."