Shortly after Yano ended his 4th period and left the classroom, he walked through the halls and into the teacher's office, where some teachers were preparing to leave for the day, and others, preparing for Boken's afternoon Adventure Course classes. Drained, he walked over to the far left of the room, to the corner, where his section was located, and sat down. Shortly after he sat down, he was greeted by his fellow colleague, Ms. Tomita, with a cup of hot coffee in hand.

"Good work today, Mr. Yano." She told him as she handed the coffee to him.

"Oh, Tomita. Thanks. And you don't have to call me Mr. Yano, Yano is fine." He replied as he accepted the cup of coffee and put it on his desk, which was covered with papers and other documents.

"Sorry, it just feels natural to call you that. After all, you were my teacher when I attended her a few years ago."

"Oh, well, do as you please. Anyway, how's my homeroom class treating you? Your second period. I know you've only started teaching here a week ago. Hopefully they aren't giving you any trouble."

"Oh, not at all." She answered. "They honestly might be my favorite class to teach. There're very uh.....very energetic."

"Oh, is that so." He picked up the cup of coffee, took a sip, and put it back down. "Energetic, you say? They don't seem very energetic when I'm the one teaching them. Actually, it seems like there're just waiting until the bell rings every time I’m in front of them."

Tomita laughed a little before replying. "Well, English and History aren't the easiest subjects to learn. Even I struggled with them. I think there're nice kids at heart though." She told him before sitting down at her desk which was located directly next to his.

"Maybe you should be their homeroom teacher then. They seem to like you more anyway. It would be better for them, from a teaching perspective."

"That's not true at all Mr. Yano!" She responded emphatically. "You're a great teacher. Our class loved you. You were everybody's favorite teacher. Yeah, you were kind of strict and all but you taught us everything we know. I'm sure those kids will understand soon enough."

"If you say so, though, I would much rather be in a dungeon, hunting Class A monsters then spending time here, teaching."

Tomita sighed. "You would always say that back then in front of us too, Mr. Yano. I hope you aren't saying that in front of them."

"It's the truth."

"You still shouldn't say that though."

The door connecting the teacher's office to the hallway slid open and walked in, a man with long grey hair that reached the top of his shoulders, wearing the same suit that Yano and Tomita were wearing but instead of black, it was the same color of the blazers the students who attended the academy wore, burgundy. Upon seeing him walk in, all the teachers in the office immediately ceased what they were doing and stood up. He raised his hand and they all resumed what they were doing prior to when he first walked in. He then, made his way to where Yano and Tomita were seated.

"Principal Nomura," Tomita addressed him. "Good afternoon."

"And to you too, Tomita. Or should I say Ms. Tomita. You're no longer a student here now.

"Please, Tomita is fine."

"Alright." He turned his attention to Yano. "How's the second week of school coming along? Still wishing to be part of a guild again?" He asked him in a jokingly manner.

"You ask me the same question every year and I keep giving you the same response, Principal Nomura."

Nomura let out a loud laugh that roared through the teacher's office and so loud, that the students walking the hallways probably heard it as well.

"Even with age, he never changes huh?" One of the teachers asked another.

"He's always so lively."

"Well he did hold the position of being the number three adventure on the Adventure's Rankings for some time."

"Still the same as ever, Yano."

"I could say the same about you too, Principal."

"Where was I? Oh yes. Has your class went through the awaking process yet?"

"Not yet." Yano answered. They haven't even went through “The Forest Maze” yet, let alone received their grimoires. I'm planning to take them tomorrow."

"Ah, “The Forest Maze”. I remember our class going through it when I attended here." Tomita told her former teacher. "Though, I don't think we did it this early into the year. Are you sure they're ready for it?" She asked.

A small, sly, smirk appeared on his face. "Oh, they better be." The smirk widened into a malicious looking grin. "After all, they don't have a choice."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘏𝘢𝘭𝘭...

"Shiina, I-"

"She told you to stop calling her that." Fumiko Interjected.

Shiina darted her eyes toward Fumiko momentarily before placing them back onto her other childhood friend. She put the tray of food she was holding onto the table, flipped her long, golden hair behind her, and continued to pester her.

"Perhaps they were bottom feeders as well, barely getting by, as you currently are yourself." She let out a chuckle. "Must run in the family."

"That's it." Fumiko attempted to stand up but once again, Akira put her hand on her knee, pressing down on it. Fumiko didn't let her friend's hand stop her this time however. She swatted away her hand, and rose up, face to face with Shiina, mere inches separating them.

"Woah, woah, woah," Hibiki let out as he and the rest of the class who finished getting their lunch from the line, approached the table. "What's going on here?"

"Are they about to fight? Right here?"

"Aren't they childhood friends? Shouldn't they get along with each other?"

"Well then again, no one gets along with Shiina."

"You're right about that."

At that point, Fumiko and Shiina had garnered the all of the students who were eating in the hall attention.

"Shut up!" Shiina retorted at her murmuring classmates. She looked back towards Fumiko. "Get out of my face, Rei. We both know that you aren't going to do anything. It's just not in your nature. No matter how old we get… actually." She stepped closer until the two childhood friends were nose to nose. She stared her emerald colored eyes into Fumiko's ruby's and spoke. "No matter how old you get, you will always be that scared little girl who's all talk. Or did you forget that too? Along with everything else?"

Fumiko had no idea what Shiina was talking about but, she didn't care. She didn't appreciate somebody who she had deemed an annyoing person, get into her face. She attempted to throw forward her right arm but someone held her back.

"What are you all doing?" The voice from the person who had restrained Fumiko spoke. Quickly, Fumiko turned around to see who had grabbed her. It was Narumi. "You guys are just going to watch your classmates fight?" Narumi scolded her class as she struggled to pull back Fumiko, who, was attempting to break free.

"She's right." Miyuki agreed as she appeared from behind Shiina, who was still surprised that Fumiko actually tried to hit her, and grabbed the top of her shoulder. "We're a class. You guys shouldn't be fighting no matter the reason. Especially, not in here." Shiina looked around and noticed that everybody was looking at them. She shook Miyuki's hand off of her shoulder, picked up her tray, and walked away, but not before turning around and giving Akira and Fumiko a mean look.

"What's going on here?!" Saburo exclaimed as he went over to the gathering of his classmates, with half of a piece of lettuce hanging out of his mouth.

"Dude, you already missed it." Arata told him. "And finish whatever you're eating before you start running over."

The commotion being over, the members of the class spread out to their own tables, trying to finish their food with the little time for lunch they had left. The students who were watching, as well.

Narumi let go of Fumiko. "Reina, it's not good to be fighting with her. I don't think she's the nicest person ever but still. Doing stuff like that might get you suspended, at worst, expelled. Fighting Shiina isn't worth it."

"Thanks, Narumi." Akira told her as she pulled Fumiko back to her seat. "If you weren't here, Rei might not be a student here anymore."

Narumi giggled a little. "No problem.” She turned to Fumiko. "As much as I wanted to see you bash in Shiina's face, I couldn't let you do it here. But I'm sure you'll get to do so without the risk of getting expelled soon." She picked up her tray that she left on another table, and went to join her other classmates at the next table.

Once she left, Akira let out a sigh. "Rei, you shouldn't have done that. You were lucky Narumi was there to stop you."

"Shiina started it though. You're okay with letting her walk over you like that?" Fumiko asked her friend in disbelief that she wasn't on her side.

"Of course I'm not. I wanted to punch her too, for talking about my parents like that. But, it’s not worth getting suspended or worse. Though," A slight smile spread across her face. "It wouldn't have been too bad to see Shiina get what she was asking for."

Shortly after the two finished eating, the bell rang once more, signaling the end of lunch, and the beginning of Boken's Adventurer Course