“Those are his results?”

Kuri smirked and nodded. “Good or bad?”

Are you for real? 95 and 100 was on Noriko’s level, and even she didn’t score a perfect test all that often. At least Urufu’s other results were more human.

“I was talking about his English and Japanese scores,” Kuri said.

They weren’t all that exciting. Especially Urufu’s poor English score had Ryu in bewilderment for a while.

“I guess he’d have scored better at English in Swedish.”

What are you even talking about?

“Japanese is also a foreign language for both of us.”

Ryu looked up from the phone to see if he could find out what Kuri was blabbing about.

“You’re cute when you’re stupid, you know that?”

What?

“His English score also mirrors his understanding of written Japanese.”

“But it’s awful! He’s barely able to read middle school texts.”

Kuri’s face lit up in a thoughtful smile, not the devastating one she used whenever she wanted to catch the attention of everyone within sight, but a more honest one. She was, Ryu realised, easily the most beautiful woman he had seen in his entire life.

Her hands, both of them, stretched across the table and grabbed his. “That was a year ago,” Kuri said. “We’re a year older now, all of us.”

Ryu’s breath caught in his throat. A year, and then some. Almost a fortnight earlier he spent her birthday with her, just like Urufu had done last year. Urufu, who still was foremost in her mind.

“How much could you learn in a year?” Ryu knew he sounded whiny, but her thinking of Urufu filled him with ire.

She just met his eyes with a look filled with fondness. “If it’s that idiot, probably a lot.”

Irritation finally boiled over. “If he’s so damned fantastic, why don’t you just stick to him!”

Ryu felt her hands tighten around his. “I can’t. We can’t. Maybe if I caught his eyes earlier, a lot earlier, but I doubt I’d have fallen for him then.”

For a moment Ryu felt more dumbfounded than angry. “Can’t?” he asked. He didn’t want to fight with her, but Urufu was still a sour topic.

“He has ghosts that need to go first. I can’t be the one to free him from those.”

“So you’re going to lend him to Noriko and then steal him back when he’s healed?”

Kuri’s eyes shot him a sting of anger. “Twenty years ago, maybe, but not now. Besides, I could never do that to him, or her for that matter.”

Ryu growled. He disliked how his sister had taken a fancy to Urufu. If he could prevent them becoming a couple he’d do exactly that. Right now, however, he needed to make up with Kuri.

“About his scores. I guess they’re OK. More than OK actually.”

Kuri’s mouth became a thin line of dislike. “I was afraid you’d say that. He’s going to be so angry.”

Urufu, angry? “Eh?”

“I want your help to convince him to tone down his improvements. Actually I want you to convince Yukio.”

What? “I don’t understand?”

“Urufu needs to take it easy on the finals.”

Why the adoration? Ryu clenched his hands into fists, and he felt Kuri’s confusion as he did. He looked up and stared into that golden halo that demanded all his attention. “Finals? A month and a half. What could he possibly do?”

Kuri looked like she was on the verge of responding when she suddenly changed her mind. She quickly lifted his hands to her face and kissed his knuckles. “I’ll stay with you. I promise. Will that be enough for you?”

Ryu’s heart somersaulted at those words. He nodded, and somewhere in the back of his head he knew his face must look like an overeager middle schooler being promised his first date. I’m sorry Ai, I really am. But there was no denying how quickly he’d fallen for Kuri.

Wait a moment. You’re bribing me. “Urufu, how much could he improve?”

Kuri smiled. “So you caught up on that one. Don’t worry, my promise stands.”

“How much?”

She sighed. “Too much. Enough to get us all into trouble.”

“Trouble?” Sometimes he just didn’t understand her. It wasn’t as if her Japanese was horrible any longer, but when Kuri’s thoughts ran ahead of him he was left in the dark.

Kuri looked at him. A smile that never reached her eyes played on her lips, and Ryu could feel how she fought with herself to stop crying.

“If he makes it too far into the top fifty there’s no way we can stop the accusations of cheating.”

“What? That’s ridiculous, both that he’d make the list and that he’d be accused of cheating for doing so.”

Kuri’s fingers stroked the backside of Ryu’s hands. “Is it really? He’s suspended right now you know.”

“You are as well. That’s only because our principal is a bigoted swine.”

“Even so. If Ulf makes a push he’ll score among the top thirty next time. Just as you said before, there’s no way any normal kid could improve like that.”

Ryu nodded. Kuri finally seemed to understand.

“But he’s not a normal kid, is he?” she said instead.

“But still?”

“Remember the December marathon?”

Ryu did. He collapsed trying to keep up with Urufu.

“Ryu, Ulf had both lungs punctured less than three months before that. Sometimes he can be really stubborn.”

Memories from when Urufu was assaulted during their cultural festival floated through Ryu’s head. “Fine, whatever, so we just tell him to calm down.”

This time Kuri failed to stop her tears. “I wish I really was young and everything was that easy. Ryu, I made a choice. My career came first, but he got nothing in return.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I left him with nothing, and now when he’s found the strength to pursue a goal we’re going to stop him from doing that. I hate myself!”

***

This is bad.

Ulf walked Noriko back to her home. Not that it was really needed, but given the escalation of their conflict with the headship Ulf didn’t want to take any chances.

That conflict, however, wasn’t what was bad.

By his side Noriko shook, and tears threatened to leave her eyes. Not grief, not even sadness.

“How dare they!” Fury got the better of her and she shook again.

Ulf smiled. Christina was right, and hers was the world of appearances. Thirty years younger and he would have flatly refused to do less than his best, but he saw all kinds of problems if he suddenly scored among the thirty best.

I’ll do as you say, but not for the reason you think.

Christina’s was the world of appearances. His was one of group dynamics. If his results improved too drastically he might garner a greater reputation as the foreigner with knowledge, but at the cost of resentment, since he so obviously kept the most important parts to himself.

Well, I guess it’s about appearances after all. Ulf grinned and sent Christina a mental ironic nod.

“What are you laughing at?”

Ulf looked down at his side where Noriko still hadn’t let go of her rage.

“Sorry,” he said, “but I guess Christina is right about this.”

“Of all selfish...”

“Noriko, it’s selfish, but she’s right. I’ll do as she says for my own benefit.”

“What?”

He needed to change the topic before she exploded again. Without thinking he patted her head, and she shook him off with an irritated twist of her head.

“Noriko, after high school, what are you going to do?”

She didn’t even break a step. Noriko might look a child, but as far as Ulf was concerned she was one of the most adult second years in the school.

“University.”

Which was the answer Ulf had waited for. He opened his bag and took out a small plastic bag inside.

“Want a look at these?” He handed Noriko the small one.

She just gave him a quizzical stare when she accepted it.

“Toudai. Some information. I believe you have the grades to do it. I’ve heard the entrance exam can be a bit harsh, but you should be able to pass it.”

Noriko smirked, but she silently put the papers in her bag.

“No reaction?” Ulf tried.

She gave him a glare.

What did I do now?

“So you just want to send me off there doing whatever you want wherever you’ll spend your life after high school?”

I didn’t mean it that way. “Sorry. I just thought you might be interested. It’s supposed to be a good university.”

She stayed silent for a while. “Sorry,” she said. “Entrance exams are supposed to be hell.”

Ulf shrugged. It was only an exam. You could either cram it the brain dead way people did here, or you could try to understand the material. As far as entrance exams went, cramming was the way to go. They weren’t designed to properly work as vetting machines anyway.

“Look, don’t try to change the topic!”

Damn, she’s too perceptive. “I wasn’t...”

“If you think I’m a moron you’re an idiot.” This time she turned and grabbed him. “I might be in love with you, but that doesn’t turn my head to mush.”

This time Ulf caved in. Besides, she deserved better than a half arsed attempt at pretending nothing happened.

“Look, Noriko, I’m royally pissed that she’s interfering with my studies, but I have a reason to do what she says.”

“She chose her modelling career over you, but now when you’re...”

“No, Noriko!”

Whipping out his voice like that was too much. Ulf regretted it as soon as he had done so. Not because he refused to bark at her, but because he’d just reneged on a promise.

To his surprise she didn’t recoil. “Don’t try that with me! Dad’s a jodo san dan.”

“Jodo?” Ulf said just as he realised he’d fallen into Noriko’s trap and now danced to her tune.

“I’ve trained some, and Ryu as well. You used his staff you know. When we met.”

When we met. What a way to describe it. But it was correct. Someone had a weapon he’d used to send the kids to hospital.

“I don’t...”

“So don’t try to order me around by shouting. It doesn’t work. Now convince me Kuri’s not a first class bitch.”

Fine, I’ll do so. “Noriko, we can’t blow our cover too blatantly. She’s afraid us arrivals get pushed into the open.”

“Yeah, and so?”

You don’t really mean that. “I don’t care all that much,” Ulf lied. He didn’t intend to spend the rest of his life as a military experiment in US custody if he had a chance to avoid it. “I do care if what I do would destroy the club though.” Which was a truth.

“Destroy?”

This time she didn’t react with irritation when he placed his hand on her head. He did that almost reflexively, and it showed how hard it was for him to treat her as the woman she still hadn’t grown into. Cursing himself he removed his hand.

“Noriko,” he said after she grabbed his hand and put it back on her head. “I’m effectively the acting principal of a very small cram school, as well as a teacher.”

She nodded, and he could feel her fingers caress the back side of his hand.

Opportunist! Ulf thought, but he didn’t take back his hand. Through his insensitive stupidity she had earned the right to use it as her plaything for a little while.

“Mmm,” Noriko purred.

Damn you! But there was no anger in that thought, only the affection for an important friend. “If my own results improve too drastically, the club members are bound to think I’ve been keeping things secret to get ahead of them.”

Noriko immediately stopped playing with his hand. With a movement Ulf felt was filled with reluctance she removed I from her head.

“Why, Urufu, why are you putting the club ahead of you?”

He had waited for that question. “I’ve never done that. In my world I come first. The club is a tool. I plan to make every member gain immensely from being part of it, but in the end it’s my tool.”

Noriko looked at him. For a moment Ulf saw the woman she’d become. “Shoot! I want in.”