Mio quietly sat atop a picnic blanket in the middle of a grassy green field while Tanya and Destiny were valiantly fighting the tent components as they struggled to assemble it. Mio let out a meek sigh, pressing her hands against her face and she lightly squished her cheeks as she watched the other groups, who were not having a life-or-death battle with their tents.

"This sure takes me back...," Reku muttered faintly as he watched Tanya get swatted in the face by a pole of the tent's frame. Mio swung her head in Reku's direction, rested her chin on her hands, and listened to Reku speak. Reku deeply sighed as he saw Tanya trip over the tent and undo all of the work she and Destiny had done, not that they got very far anyway. Mio stared at Reku, quietly watching Reku as his face bounced between mild sadness and a natural resting expression.

Mio lightly coiled her fingers around her opposite hand's pinky finger and softly rubbed the back of her hand with her thumb. Her lips quivered as she slowly opened her mouth in anticipation of the words she was trying to force out; however, she mentally sighed when she couldn't even make an audible whimper, and before she could try again Reku loudly sighed as Tanya and Destiny were re-sorting the components of the tent.

"Should probably get off my as-butts and help the fumble fingers," Reku remarked as he jumped to his feet. Mio freed her index finger from her coiling fingers and placed her hands on her crossed legs. Mio glared at the back of her hands and tightly grasped her skirt as Destiny and Tanya made loud ohs when Reku directed them to the buried tent instruction manual.

At the end of the school day, Mio and Reku, with Destiny sitting on Reku's shoulders, excited the premises of the academy building. Destiny hummed a melody to herself and lightly patted Reku's head like a bongo drum in time with her humming.

"You sure seem in high spirits, princess,". Destiny froze and locked her arms and legs around Reku's head as the group looked upwards to see Magistrate Zuno Zulcrestus (in casual clothing: a black tanktop, dark cyan jacket, darksteel thread leather trousers, and darksteel boots) descended in front of the group. Destiny started to sweat buckets and lightly whistled as she looked in every direction except directly in front of her. Zuno placed a hand over his mouth and loudly coughed to force Destiny to reluctantly look at him. Destiny hung her head defeatedly before she warped next to Zuno. Destiny waved goodbye to Mio and Reku before Zuno levitated Destiny into the air with telekinesis. Zuno took a brief glance at Reku before he floated off the ground (not using telekinesis).

"Highcrest, right?". Reku flinched in response to the abrupt question from Zuno but barely managed to mutter.

"... no wonder the princess ditched the escort,". Zuno (with Destiny by his side) ascended into the sky and flew off towards the royal palace at the centre of Lumios. Reku let out a strained exhale and rubbed his forehead. Reku moved his thumb from his eye and looked to his side to see Mio staring him in the eyes.

"Look... I have no clue why....". Reku scratched his forehead and snapped his fingers before a swarm of Techno Cube coagulated into his motorbike. Reku looked into the distance and watched as the sun was close to touching the horizon.

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Later that day, as the sun was setting, Reku parked his motorbike in front of Mio's grandma's bungalow, and Mio hopped off the motorbike.

"Want me to pick you up same time tomorrow? Preferably in front of your house, of course.". Mio gently nodded her head; Reku gave Mio a thumbs-up before he rode off. Mio watched Reku ride off into the distance as he waved at her until he disappeared behind the tall hills.

Mio walked into the garden, and after a few steps, she bumped into something hidden by the dim lighting. Mio rubbed her nose, shuffling around the path block before realising she had bumped into her tall older brother. Mio collected a small bundle of light mana and formed an orb of light to illuminate her brother (he has slightly long scruffy black and white hair, white left eye and black right eye, with a dark rose pupil, super pale skin, and two large horns on the sides of his head [a black left one and a white right one]; he's wearing a trench coat long black hoodie with white fur trimming around the cuffs and hood, darksteel thread sweatpants, fingerless gloves, and darksteel boots).

Mio gazed into her brother's open eyes as he leaned on the rake he was holding. She deduced her brother was sleep-standing, thanks in part to his snoring. Mio raised a hand to her brother's face, pausing for a second when her hand was inches away from his face; she slowly moved her hand, to the other side of her brother's face, before lightly tapping his face with the back of her hand. Her brother's eye twitched, darting around, and locked onto Mio as he straightened his posture.

"Oh... you're back...," Mio's brother coldly uttered. Mio's brother tightly grasped his chin and wrenched his neck over ninety degrees with a chorus of bone cracks echoing through the air as his head snapped back into place. Mio's body shivered as her brother clicked his neck one last time, him noticing he was freaking her out.

"Sorry... about. Oh, mother came over earlier with our stuff but had to... skedaddle... for important business.". Mio nodded and looked around at all the dead leaves scattered around the garden.

"Yeah... looks like the leaves I collected escaped... again.".

"Maxi...," Mio whimpered.

"Don't you Maxi me, and I don't need no sympathy, I ain't caught in a-....". Maxi paused when he realised he was beginning to reference a song. He groaned deeply, not letting his emotionless resting face show the slightest hint of any feeling.

"Just... go inside already.". Mio's brother strode off and began raking the leaves, only leaving Mio with the option of going inside. Mio entered the bungalow and was greeted by the faint lingering fragrance of fresh pastries. Mio hastily removed her shoes, placed them on the wooden shoe rack, and hurried further into the house.

A few minutes later, Mio, Maxi, and their grandma sat around the round tables in the living room as they ate dinner.

"Did you have fun at the academy, sweetie?". Mio slowly nodded in response to her grandma's question.

"That's wonderful. So, did you see any of your high school friends?".

"I assume she saw Reku, given I saw him drive by a few minutes after she left," Maxi remarked, which made Mio's grandma lightly giggle.

"My, Maxikrose, for you to know that must mean you were up before seven...; although I should've guessed as much since I didn't see you in your room.". Maxikrose lowered his gaze to his plate and spun the last of his pasta around his fork.

"That's one way to put it.".

"R-right.... So, Mio, how's Reku doing....". Mio's grandma paused when she noticed that Mio had conked out and was resting her forehead on the table. Maxikrose sighed defeatedly as he rose from his chair, walked over to Mio before hoisting her over his shoulder, and carried her to her room.