Once again, it was test season. Arid wind sucked away any bit of moisture in the air, making it hard to breathe. As if that was not enough, students were flooded to the neck with homework and examinations, rushing to get all the required scores for the end of the year. All of this pressure is the pinnacle of education, allowing it to pick out elites while dumping the rest into the depths of stress and anxiety. Still, in a school such as NK high, there was no time for depression.

Kyoya`s injury did slow him down, literally and figuratively. Fortunately, Eirin has been escorting Kyoya from his train to school every day. Takumi would always leave them be after throwing Kyoya a complacent smile.

“Come on specimen, lean on me more!”

“Eh… Wouldn`t that be too heavy?”

“You`re so small and thin the wind could lift you up into the sky. If you want to suffer fewer injuries from using martial arts you should put on some weight. That extra layer of flesh would absorb more impact before your bones get damaged.”

“Oh… I see.”

Kyoya slowly shifted his balance to the left. The grip on his walking stick loosened. Emiko smelled something strange, and she turned away:

“H-How does your… h-hair smells so… g-good? Y-You are a male, a-aren`t you?”

“Eh… Well actually I do take care of my hair. Having a long hairdo means you need to clean your head thoroughly. I shampoo my hair twice a day, before going to school and after I got home.“

“U-Uhm… Is that so…”

Eirin faced his nape and took a sniff, before blushing pink again.

Semester tests started a few days after. The three would meet and go home together every day. Even Kura became familiar to the sight of another girl carrying her son home after asking why Takumi didn`t help. Eirin happily did her self-given chore until the exams were done, after which she used her medical knowledge to persuade Kyoya into using the walking stick even when he felt that his ankle has already recovered.

May 5th, 20XX. Summer was already on the doorstep, as students restlessly prepare for the upcoming activities and festivals. Academics became secondary, with a few special exceptions. Not only did Kyoya review his semester tests, but he went as far as studying the new concepts for next year. Takumi had been nagging him to do something else every day, but Kyoya would not listen. Little did Takumi know, Eirin has already studied enough to get into any prestigious medical schools. Her various science projects has won her many prizes, mostly in biology, with some in the field of chemistry. She was by far the most aspiring student NK has ever seen, and is bound to have a great future.

She didn`t tell that to anyone, though. Ueda Eirin requested the school to be silent about her achievements, denying any kind of endorsement of her talents.

“Kyoya!” Takumi stared at his friend in the eye.

“I`m right here, you don`t need to be so loud.” Kyoya curved his lips.

“Happy birthday!”

“Enjoy the celebration of the day when you exited your mother`s uterus.”

The cute girl next to him and the tall guy in front of him said at the same time. Takumi cringed at the sentence he just heard:

“What kind of congratulation was that?!”

“Eh… Thank you so much, Eiri-san”

“Chotto! How can you thank her like that? And you call her Eiri-san now?”

“Fufufu, don`t mind, specimen. I have something for you.”

“Hey! Don`t ignore me! Stop flirting in board daylight you two!”

Eirin gave him a fancy leather wallet that was tightly sealed inside vacuum packaging. It had a synthetic smell, much like the girl herself. She told him to absolutely not open it until he was home, and Kyoya pondered. Takumi suggested that there might be money inside, and Eirin nimbly rushed at him to cover his mouth. Kyoya opened it anyway, and as expected there was money inside. A lot of money.

“Wait, Eiri-san, I can`t accept this much!”

“You must, specimen! It is from me!”

“B-But I…”

“I have a lot of these currency sheets at home, so this is nothing.”

“B-“

“Take. It.” She threw Kyoya a death stare.

“Haa… well my turn. I texted my gift to you, Kyoya. It`s a game”

“Eh? You can text games now?” Kyoya`s eyes became white circles.

“No, just a code. It`s for one of the most popular shooters these days: Player`s Unknown Battle Environment.” [hey what`s the abbreviation for that?]

“Eh? How does this code have anything to do with a game?”

“Do you have a computer at home?” Takumi asked.

“Yea but… I don`t play games. It`s a waste of time. I use the internet to browse assignments and such…”

“You are a sage or what? Eirin-san plays this game too, so you need to learn and play with her!”

“Eeeeeeh?”

The hot air outside was warded off by a series of flashy gaming posters and air-conditioners. Inside the pc-café, Takumi picked three seats next to eachother in a quiet corner. Eirin instructed Kyoya on how to play while Takumi was busy opening in-game crates. Then they created a room. Kyoya clicked into the invitation bubble on his screen. He was transferred into a room with another player whose username was “Eirian”. Another player entered, this one went by the name “[email protected]_Ɛdge_L0rdƐ~”. They played, and Kyoya was horrible. Still, he had fun. Lots of fun.