Leigh's hair brushed back as the wind flowed against it, revealing her fox-like eyes and slender jaw. Her face was quite... perfect... as if crafted by an artist. As such, she had no trouble getting stares from the people around her. Asahi felt a little vulnerable being within her intense aura. He could feel the animosity of the people around shroud him as he walked by her.

Hey, guys, I'm just going to maths class!

He sat down next to her and realised Nishita wasn't at her desk

"Is she ill?"

"Well, that's what she says, but she's probably out flirting with some rich men."

"A-Really?"

"Yeah, she's a fox, but she says she likes the adrenaline of it."

"That's quite exotic,"

"Oh, can you show me how to form the argand diagram for this?"

"Sure, you just have to multiply by the conjugate..."

Leigh listened to him intently as Asahi taught her the basics of complex numbers. For such a popular girl, she was rather focused on her studies. Asahi thought that was quite admirable of her, and he'd started garnering a lot of respect for her.

After the lesson, Asahi and Ari went out of school to stop by some fast food. Of all the boys in the class, he was the only own he felt comfortable talking to. All the others seemed rather loud, and he didn't like the amount of potential entropy on hold.

"You know, Evelyn told me something quite disturbing the other day,"

They both sipped their chocolate milk as Asahi brought up his conversation.

"Yeah, you've been quite hesitant since she took you out of the classroom. Is everything okay?"

He placed his hand on Asahi's shoulder.

"Yeah, but, it's about Dr. Lakem."

Ari's face looked pale.

"Wait... does she think you killed him?"

"No, nothing like that, but they're looking into it very carefully. They just found out it wasn't Soriya who killed him."

"Wait, seriously? I thought they trialled her clinically insane and just called it off?"

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"They were completely wrong. Apparently, the actual murderer had sex with her and made her paint the flower,"

"Okay, what the hell."

"Yeah, it's a bit of a strange case."

"What should we do?"

"Well, I brought this up to tell you to pretend we never met each other that day. I'll figure out everything myself, so basically, just forget about it."

"... Are you sure? I don't want to put that whole burden on you."

"Don't worry, about it. I'll get it sorted out."

"Alright, I'll leave it to you,"

They soon switched to a more light-hearted topic and spent away their lunchtime. They were both a big fan of anime, so they had a lot of things to talk about. Thematic executing, plot writing, and complex dialogue: Asahi felt rather nice having a person who shared such deep fondness for the one thing he enjoyed most. In fact, it reduced the sense of solitude that being a complete introvert tended to come with. They both finished their meals, and went back to the classroom.

Asahi had a free period in the afternoon, so he simply strolled around the campus, looking at the trees and taking in the aura of the atmosphere around him.

"Hey, Asahi, I didn't know you were in my free,"

Leigh was sitting on a bench, with her hair tied up in a ponytail.

"Oh, me neither. Do you usually stay outside?"

"Well, yeah- I'm not an indoor person."

"Looks like I'll have to contradict you there. I hate the sun."

"Whatttt, literally nobody hates the sun!"

"So I'm 'literally nobody' now?"

"Wow, very funny,"

They laughed for a bit, and as Asahi sat at her bench, they both stayed still in the breezy atmosphere.

"Hey Asahi, what do you think the actual purpose of life is?"

"That's a rather vague question,"

"Well, it's just that, I keep changing my mind. Sometimes, I think it's about using my talents to advance myself into the best person I can be. Other times, I feel like just trying to make myself happy. But realistically, what is the point of doing all that? I'm just going to die anyway, right?"

"Yeah, you're not wrong about that. But there is definitely a purpose. I don't think it's possible for so many nuanced factors to mesh so perfectly as to bring about such an advanced form of life. There is coherence in everything we do, and I think the aim is to decrypt that coherence. If we can understand our social mechanics, we can further it and carry on prospering. I don't know for sure what comes after that, and I can keep making guesses, but I will never be able to realise what it is that lies ahead of me. I'll carry on thinking about it, as that's what we all naturally tend to do, but it shouldn't be a source of distress or agony - there are other things we can do with our emotions that would further our own enjoyment,"

"How very insightful, but you're basically saying 'I don't know', right?"

"Yeah, maybe,"

He felt quite open talking to her. She seemed to have the aura of an enticing plant, that gently tended to the scent of others, and encaptivated its admirers' attention. Yet, underneath that superficial scent, there lay a beautiful fruit, that touched the very core of his emotions. Ever since Evelyn had become internationally recognised, he lacked the delicate touch of a loving woman. His own parents weren't exactly very affectionate to him, and that hurt him. Perhaps that's why he felt so strongly about Ayana. She interacted with him so much that all of his anger and emotional dissonance were outlet on her. As Wiesel said, the opposite of love is indifference, not hatred.