~Sunday, the thirteenth of October, 10:54~

As Kaharu Kahari laid on the floor, with his hand stuck out in the air, he thought deeply about his issues.

In the backdrop to his thinking was a slightly concerned Tsukino, who'd returned to her work after a slightly embarrassing exchange. But she shook it off, it would be impossible for her to approach him again, with the attitude he had and the fact that she already talked to him before. But, her heart spread its wings as she glanced over.

Kaharu Kahari realized his position, and quickly stood up. It was pathetic of him to sit there and gloss over such stuff when he was supposed to be the strongest at Akumu High school. He chuckled to himself, like he usually did, as he grabbed his broom again.

- Why am I thinking about useless stuff like that!? I have a job to do! -

With that, Tsukino also revealed a smile as Kaharu lit up and started working again. She touched her face in confusion, why she smiled was unknown to her. Another mystery, and now it had spread onto Tsukino herself. It was truly strange.

…

As Kaharu worked diligently at that obscure shrine among so much else around it, he worked up an unexpectedly good mood.

Even though the shrine was very much in the middle of the city, with much surrounding it, the forest around it made it feel like an isolated place.

A site separated from that world, something that Kaharu appreciated as he finally caught a break. He sort of forgot about his problems when he was given the chance of just zoning out at that shrine, at that spot he worked at, without anything to bother him.

The cold feeling from the neighboring forest, that should've put him off, made him more comfortable. He had the feeling of not being alone, and something that he related to.

At times when he swept his spot, which had grown a bit as he got more comfortable, a strange silhouette was viewed at the corner of his eye.

It hid behind a small wooden structure, similar to an enlarged bird box, as Kaharu felt it stealing glances at him. As if it were some curious animal looking at him, Kaharu many times looked away from it as he didn't sufficiently care to look.

When he'd look back, the silhouette looking very much like a person, would disappear without a trace.

Kaharu thought it was strange, like something was going to try and ambush him again. Strange that so many things were out after him in that wanted to attack him.

"People sure like to play with fire, don't they? They just can't stand their boredom.

But they'll regret it, I'll make sure they burn themselves."

With those words uttered quietly, Kaharu sealed the thought that if they wanted to come at him, they were free to do so.

He wasn't going to worry about a potential attack, he would just crush them if they decided to show themselves.

He knew that they wouldn't though.

Animals from way back when in the stone ages always feared the fire, they didn't dare to come near it as it scared them.

There was no different even now, the scum who dared to cross Kaharu didn't have the courage to actually come up to him. They were just scared and confused animals in the end. That's what Kaharu thought to himself, with as little sympathy as possible. It made him relax.

His mind crossed a couple of people, including Kosuto.

Kaharu respected him in that aspect. He was more a person, who actually dared to approach the fire. To try and tame it.

But even though he had respect for him, it didn't mean that he was about to give him a break. Anyone who entered a conflict Kaharu would get all of him, that was in a sense in his own rules.

His mind wandered to Melliacci, whom he quickly shook his head at. He was way too confused about that to even think about it.

Like a coward, he didn't want to return to that place of self-evaluation he experienced when lying on the ground.

His shift continued like that, doing different types of duties at the shrine with mild scolding from the priest.

…

~Monday, the fourteenth of October, 8:35~

With nature blessing the city with another day of beautiful sunlight, casting the entire town with a glorious shine.

Kaharu Kahari was doing something unlike him, he was walking on the schoolyard, headed towards the school he was placed in.

Two school days in a row had he made an effort to come to school in time, with five minutes to spare nonetheless. With his grim look and tired face, he made his way through the yard, eventually seeing Tsukino with her friends talking outside the entrance.

Tsukino also noticed his existence, gathered some courage, and said loudly

"Kaharu, G' morning!"

As he approached the entrance, and got a better look at the cute expression Tsukino presented as her hand was raised high in the air, the thought about responding.

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But he yielded, after catching a glimpse of the girl behind her.

Kaori had a reluctant face on her as she averted her gaze from Kaharu, who just stared with sleepy, squinted eyes.

Deciding it wasn't worth getting so worked up in the morning, Kaharu averted his own gaze and just walked forward.

Tsukino slowly brought her hand down with a mildly hurt pride. Although the fact that he interacted in some way with them was a step of progress, that he just ignored them verbally was frustrating. It was unforgivable!

- I'll make you say it back to me, Kaharu! Just you wait and see, you--- -

Asano introduced a conversation

"Kaharu Kahari, huh? Didn't he do that thing with the Three Kings? And then beat up that guy and then turn into some weird thug? He kind of reminds of Onata..."

Onata wasn't present to hear the line that could be likened to slander, but Kaori was there to feel a dagger go through her heart. Unlike her usual self, she went strangely quiet. That drew attention from both Asano and Tsukino, who'd recovered from her shock.

"Kaori…? Is something wrong?"

She suddenly snapped out of it, with an obviously fake smile pointed at the spectators. She responded

"I'm fine, I'm fine. He really is trouble, isn't he? That Kaharu guy."

Tsukino, although reluctant to that point of view, fell into the trap of subtle peer pressure and responded

"Yeah… I guess."

Onata squinted her eyes as she looked at Tsukino. She suddenly realized something and teased Tsukino

"Oh yeah, now that I think about it, didn't you just get rejected?"

Tsukino burst out, stretching her whole body out as she exclaimed

"I did not! He looked over here."

Onata simply hummed

"Hmm, Hmm, I see. If that's how it works."

As she thought about his appearance, something stood out to her.

She had felt something strange within him as he walked past them, and it wasn't that off-putting aura he had defending him.

It was something else, something more spiritual. Like something radiating special radiating from him, although it was hard to put a finger on what exactly it was. Onata shook the thought away, she'd felt stuff like that a lot of times in her life. It was always vague, but there.

The lack of concreteness made her worry a little bit over it, as it felt so bubbly. Like it wanted to say something, but was too weak and just ended up floating in the air.

The conversation having gone of-rail, was put back on track by Kaori who wanted to change the topic

"Anyway, did you see that cafeteria by the train station?"

Onata shook her head, so did Tsukino as she replied

"No, I haven't"

Kaori put up a finger in the sky as she said

"It's super cute! They had, like, a lot of cutely made sweets. I was there yesterday, and their Danish was super good."

Both Onata and Tsukino made mental notes of the place as they entered the school building, bracing for another day of education.

…

The day was going to start with Math class, but since the teacher was absent and a substitute was hard to get a hold of that quickly, they were instructed to do math by themselves.

Sitting at his usual seat way back, Kaharu looked at the blackboard with a vein popping out of his forehead.

Why the hell was he even at school for if there wasn't going to be a lesson? He scratched his head as he thought about what to do, he might as well have ditched as there was no point in staying and doing math.

He stood up, with Tsukino and her friends getting caught up in their interest.

He didn't even manage to walk a single step before someone from the right side of the classroom bothered him.

The girl who sat on the second-to-last row, in the top right corner, had approached him.

Naomi Shirazawa, sporting a tidy school uniform, black hair that gracefully touched her shoulders like a waterfall splitting, and clear, brown eyes that stared right at Kaharu, stood behind Kaharu, and said

"Hey, Kaharu."

Tsukino looked at the situation with quiet anxiety.

Kaharu turned to his left and met those brown eyes with his own, disguising themselves with irritation and drowsiness.

"Let's study together, join my bench."

Having felt a sense of loss in the last lesson, Naomi had left the lesson with a certain impression of Kaharu Kahari.

She partially wanted some sort of revenge for what she experienced during that math lesson, but she also got the feeling that there was something beneficial for her there if she studied with Kaharu.

The aura Kaharu put out wasn't even picked up by Naomi, having been bad at social interaction her whole life and a general careless attitude for unwritten rules, she didn't really notice it as she asked Kaharu.

Kaharu looked away and just said

"Shut up, leave me alone."

Tsukino dropped her jaw again, despite it having nothing to do with her at all. As a subtle feeling of not being special set into her, she thought

- How cruel! He said that to one of the smartest girls in school!

Although, I guess he's equally bad with everyone if anything. -

The class stared in silence as Kaharu walked a step toward the classroom doors.

Naomi, not really shocked from the response, responded

"I think there's benefit to have for both of us, I happen to know quite a lot."

Kaharu slowed down as he thought about his own actions

- Even if I leave the classroom, what am I supposed to do? It's not like I can go home, I have lessons after this…

Maybe Kosuto's searching for fire…? But I don't feel like fighting today…

But math…?

Hmm, wait. I could--- -

With another shrewd smile shining from his face, Kaharu turned around and bravely said

"I know!

If you buy my lunch, I'll study with you."

An unexpected line was said, and the class acted accordingly. Many saw it as strange extortion, as whispers opened up. Tsukino as well stared at Kaharu and thought

- What an underhanded offer to make!

Well, it's not like--- -

"That's fine. Now, let's join our desks."

Tense silence was introduced as no one had expected that answer. Kaharu himself did not expect that to actually be accepted, raising his eyebrows accordingly.

Why would she even agree to that? He didn't know, but an offer was an offer.

He wasn't going to go back on his word, and walked back to his desk in conjunction with that. Kaharu looked over to the smiling Naomi as he said

"Alright, bring your desk over here. Let's study some math!"

Tsukino saw a passion she'd never seen from Kaharu before, she thought

- That worked!? Is it that easy to bribe Kaharu Kahari!? What!? -

As they sat down to study math, both Kaharu and Naomi noticed a jealous glare from Tsukino pointed at them.

Kaharu just ignored it and opened his textbook, as Naomi acted cocky and flashed a smile at her.

Studying math was an ease for them, being one of the very few subjects Kaharu was good at, he didn't really need to try very hard as they went through the chapter.

"So should I do this?"

Naomi pointed at her notebook with her pen. Kaharu drew nearer, which was unexpected to Naomi as she jolted back slightly.

Kaharu noticed it, but didn't care. Although he was promptly alerted as his elbow neared a certain area on the chest. Being taught as a child to never delve into the taboo arts of perversion, he quickly withdrew his arm as if it had lost a battle and shamefully had to return.

Kaharu then read the excerpt on the paper quickly and then said

"No way, idiot! If you're gonna square this, then you have to do this and that."

Naomi, being annoyed at the fact that her intelligence was questioned, said

"Shut up! Why can't I do this if I square it? It says right here that I can!"

Kaharu responded

"Intuition. That's what I base all my math on."

Naomi dropped her jaw as she said

"What? That's so illogical!"

Drawing a couple of things on the notebook, Kaharu answered

"Shut up! Look, it makes perfect sense. You were just wrong, idiooot!"

Having seen the proof in front of her, Naomi displayed a disturbed expression as she stuck her tongue out in protest.

Kaharu squinted his eyes as he looked over at Naomi. That someone with such an attractive face could be so annoying was inconceivable to Kaharu, he silently cursed himself for even offering the deal in the first place.

Their unnecessary rivalry continued throughout the whole math lesson.