"Psst! Kasumi Yonamine!"

My eyelids fluttering, I stopped in the middle of the hallway to glance over my shoulder. Without even the chance to find the face who'd said my name, I was seized by the arm and dragged elsewhere.

My neck whipped left as they came to a halt, and was immediately blinded by a bright flash. My vision splotched up, and my eyelids batted rapidly. "What in the flying—"

"Kasumi Yonamine!"

I opened my eyes to find a big-eyed, eager girl inches from my face. I lurched backwards, my eyebrows ascending on my forehead. She stepped closer anyway, holding a pen to a notepad.

"I'm Sakura Kayano from the News Department!" she introduced in a rather hasty frenzy. "You're involved with the Student Council aren't you? Can I request you tell me everything you've learned about them? What do they individually like, dislike—their hobbies or preferences! Even how the inside of the SC sanctuary looks like! Also—"

—Holy scattering shit biscuits. This girl was rambling so fast I barely understood a single thing she was saying. She was getting closer and closer to me, too!

Everyone at this high school—me included—knew the News Department was bad news. They interrogated students and twisted their words to say whatever they wanted them to. They'd sabotaged countless clubs and people in this school—me and my various troublemaker tales especially—and this girl herself was the mastermind behind it all.

Not to mention Sakura loved Student Council gossip more than anything. I should've anticipated she'd come after me eventually, but all this attention really was suffocating.

"I have to get going," I told her, spinning quickly to run away.

Before I could, she grabbed my arm. "Wait!" She was breathless. "Please tell me the Student Council's secret! They cannot be that perfect. I know they're hiding something."

"Let go of me," I snapped, swivelling around to give her a glare.

Sakura stiffened like a statue, her fingers flying off my sleeve in a millisecond. Her expression had warped in fear as I patted down my blazer. Jeez, the girl needed to chill.

I was going to take that as my cue to bolt but Sakura had regained herself. She was near once again, a twinkle in her eye.

"Yonamine, is it also true you sucker punched Mr. Jael? Students say you knocked him out cold!"

I whipped my head around in case somebody heard. Luckily, as it was a good half hour before classes were to begin, the hallways were nicely cleared. "I didn't do anything like that!" I scoffed. "Shut your big-ass mouth."

She didn't, and my threat didn't stop how invigorated she looked. "Seeing as you're so defensive... it is true isn't it?" She elatedly scribbled something on her notepad. "Oh gosh, a new scoop then! 'Transfer Student is at it again; Kasumi Yonamine strikes the principal down with her own two fists!'"

My heart fell to my gut. Oh no. Gritting my teeth, I swiped for the notepad but she dodged my hands with ease.

"This is making the front cover!" she gleefully said.

"No, it is not!" I ran at her. Holy fudgecakes. My dad read the school newsletters! "It's not true! Give me whatever you're—"

"Stop picking on her."

It took Sakura and I off guard when somebody from behind ripped the notepad from her fingers. I jerked my head up to find Koga to be the cause, her notebook in his hand.

"Picking on?" Sakura furiously shook her head. "I am merely on a mission to seek the truth!"

"Your mission is stupid," Koga said, furrowing his eyebrows into a fierce glare. "Now take a hike before you get me angry."

Sakura's lips caved inwards, legs buckling from fright. Then with whatever courage she could muster, she stammered, "Koga Ashikaga, you're apart of the Student Council too, correct? Please, I need information! Details! Even if it's from a pervert like you—"

"I'M NOT A FREAKIN' PERVERT!"

Koga's yell rang like a bell in my ears, nearly sending me out of commission. I guessed Sakura was the same because she also plugged her ears, terror morphing her face.

She inched backwards, nearly tripping over her feet as she rounded and dashed off, squeaking in the act.

"Th-this isn't over you hear me! I will get it out of you one way or another!"

Her whimpers echoed off the walls as she disappeared down the hallway.

Amusement oozed from my laugh. "Wow," I said. "You're such a charmer."

Koga rolled his eyes and sauntered forward, hands tucked in his pockets. "Shut up. Don't forget I saved you."

My eyebrow twitched, but I didn't take that as an affirmative. I made up my mind to be open-minded, remember? "You might've, but I was going to be just fine without you."

I was nearly thwacked in the face with the notepad if it wasn't for my reflexes reacting in time. I glared at him, to which he snorted through his nose.

"I don't think grovelling for this stinkin' book would've done you any good."

My mouth pursed together. "I wasn't going to grovel."

"Oh, you were going to sucker punch her then? Accidentally, of course."

I sneered. "Like you have the right to look down on me. I bet you thought you'd have the experience of a lifetime peeping on those girls—"

"I DIDN'T—" I teetered over with stars in my eyes just as he grunted in frustration. He tried again, lower this time, "I wasn't... peeping."

His face was enveloped in colour, humouring me to no end.

"I WASN'T!"

I shielded my mouth to stifle a snicker. "I didn't say anything."

He gritted his teeth, the foul glower of his not slipping for a moment. It suited him a lot, and could send both girls and boys here running for the hills. I wonder how I'd never noticed him even though he was in my grade.

I aimed my gaze forward, ignoring our united footfalls. I knew the both of us were headed to the same place. Why else would we be here so early?

"I'm surprised you didn't tell her," I finally spoke up.

He scoffed in response. "I'm surprised you didn't. You've been suffering from those lunatics longer than I have."

"Touché." My attention flitted to the open window beside me, where the track and field club was having practice. "I just know that baldy of a principal will devour poor, defenceless old me if my only protective shield disappears. And I really don't want to get expelled, you know."

He clicked his tongue. "You say things like that about our principal and don't expect to be punished?"

"I have the right to freedom of speech," I responded, framing my chin to him. "Just like you assume to have the freedom to peep on women."

Koga swerved in my direction so quick I stumbled. His foul look had escalated to one more ominous, to which the corners of my lips quirked upwards.

"Kidding."

"Tch."

Spitting to himself, Koga stomped forward. Rolling my eyes, I proceeded with tentative steps from behind.

"You're interesting, Ashikaga," I said, eyeing his lean figure and broad shoulders. He carried himself with much confidence. "I bet you're revered here so why did you do something as stupid as I did?"

"Nothing can be as stupid as what you did."

"I'm already looking at him."

Koga grumbled under his breath to which I produced a sigh.

"Look," I said. "What I'm trying to say is—we shouldn't be on each other's throats like this. I know we barely know each other, and we've made pretty brutal jabs already, but we're facing that hellhole together. We could use some teamwork against them and you know it."

Koga remained quiet as we rounded the next corridor.

"You know teamwork doesn't mean jack in front of those lunatics," he eventually spat.

"But it is something." I picked up into a jog until I manoeuvred my way in front of him. I twisted on my toes so that I was standing before him on the outside courtyard, placing my hands on my hips and staring him right in the eye. "I don't want to be expelled for reasons a delinquent like yourself doesn't want to be suspended. And we're the only outcasts who know what those devils are truly like. We have nobody but each other in this."

Koga eyed my outstretched hand with contempt—his jaw high in the air, amber eyes squinted due to either a habit or the sunlight outside. "You're pathetic, Yonamine," he finally said.

I grinned as he, regardless of his undermining words, clasped his hand in mine. "Ashikaga, considering our situation, that makes the both of us."