The tall, white brick building loomed over the thick stream of students trickling through the massive school gates of Kunugigaoka Junior High.

Walking towards the school were two students in particular, who were slightly grouchy. Well, one. The other was trying to make the grouchy one happy.

‘I don’t like school. It’s sooo boring.’, November grumbled.

‘November, you’ve said that every year, for four years and you’ve got along just fine. You are being too pessimistic.’, Skylar sighed exasperatedly.

‘It’s especially boring this year. They have that dumb talent show that basically has the whole school perform... and it’s mandatory.’, November sulked.

‘Okay, so yes, that’s ter-ri-ble, but we have art and drama this year instead of dance and sculpture.’

‘So what?’

‘Don’t you like art?’

‘But we have to do those annoying acrylic paints, watercolours, and charcoal and all this jibber-jab-jab. Like, it’s so much more simple to just use a laptop and draw.’, November grouched.

‘At least the school uniform is prettier this year.’, the school uniform had a few tweaks every year, and this year’s tweaks had been for the better.

‘So what?’

‘Stop grouching, you pessimistic, pernickety ding-dong, and think about good things!’

‘I’m not.’, November stretched while walking, flicking her long hair.

‘Great.’, Skylar facepalmed herself on the inside. Back to square one.

As they strolled in through the front gates, the two kept on arguing.

Two boys were also talking, ironically about the two girls arguing about school.

‘Hey, those girls must be the only decent-looking girls at this school.’, one with black hair started.

‘Mmm.’, the one with blue hair in sticky-up pigtails didn’t reply.

‘The one with brown hair is pretty.’

‘Mmm.’

‘But the blondie is okay.’

‘Mmm.’

‘They’re both pretty cute.’

‘Mmm.’

‘What’s up with the ‘Mmm’?!’

‘Mmm.’

‘Okay, fine, you, talk. Which chick do you prefer, Bell?’

‘Mmm…’, Bell sneaked a glance at the girls.

‘I like the blondie.’, he declared quietly.

‘Okay, finally!’, Nathan nodded. ‘I guess the blondie is pretty good…’

‘Mmm.’, Bell was back to old ways.

‘COME ON!’, Nathan exclaimed.

‘Mmm.’, Bell innocently continued mmm-ing.

As a matter of fact, the four of them were in the same class, and all of them felt like going to the loo for some reason.

‘I don’t need to go, but I feel like skipping drama anyway.’

‘Okay.’, Skylar was used to November’s odd whims, and went along with her unintentionally.

Nathan had a slight twinge as he passed the bathroom.

‘I feel like going even though I don’t need to go.’

‘Mmm.’

‘Okay, let’s go.’

‘Mmm.’, Bell followed, mind wandering elsewhere while being able to stay in reality. It was a Bell thing.

So all four of them were in the bathroom. The moment their cubicle locks clicked, an aquamarine swirl began to rise, and soon they were engulfed by it, swirling until being deposited onto a beanbag. Skylar’s chain necklace emitted a light yellow light as they dropped. November’s clip, however, began to shine a brilliant blue.

The beanbags led them through a roller-coaster slide, twirling and flipping until the stomach-turning ride was over and they were promptly dropped onto cushy armchairs.