Chaos and madness, that felt abht as descriptors. The battle for normalcy smashed against what qualified as reality for him. Reje disappeared as an option the momearted turning his world into meters of grass. Which of the options he’d seen so far, definitely a good pibsp; But it really begged the question. How did this all end for him?

  A walk to school wouldn’t be answering it. However, a different answer seemed to be following him. Wheurned around there was Ken and Jun smiling up at him. “What are you two doing here?!”

  “You walking to school together today?” Ayumi said cheerfully as she arrived from dowreet.

  Jun o her and Ken jumped up holding on to Yuki tightly. “Yup! Saki said we could at any time.”

  “Just remember when you o turn for your school.”

  “We will!”

  They had all decided to walk together and Ken and Jun took up sides on Yuki with Ayumi smiling quietly to the side. However, as they came to the interse in the road Yuki came to a stop. Saki came up from the street and he hesitated for a moment, but ged quickly to a smile. “Hey, Saki!”

  Chapter 33 – Those Above

  Saki briefly looked at Yuki before away. “Hello.” She walked into line alongside Ayumi, eyes forward.

  With the teenagers distracted, Ken squeezed out more time with everyone boung. However, it was half way down the street he noticed. He pulled away from Yuki and rao Saki, grabbing her hand. “Are you sick?”

  Saki broke stride for a moment. “What? No, I’m fine.”

  Ken stared at Saki, narrowing his eyes up at her. “But you’re wrong!”

  “Wrong?” This moment halted Saki from her course and stopped. She gnced over at Yuki for some help.

  He looked down at his little brother and back to Saki. The silent demands from Saki rushed him over. “Um, Ken, it's fine.” His little brave him a rejeg look. “Everyone just has off days. You know, you don’t always feel like pying everyday after css, right?”

  “No!” He hopped over to Yuki pointing a finger. “It’s you too! You’re both wrong!” Saki and Yuki exged cautious looks at each other. “See! Something’s wrong!”

  By then, Yuki figured it out along with Saki. It made the awkwardness between them increase further by turning away. ‘I was just trying to give her space after everything with Seiji.’ He k down to look straight at Ken. “Thank you for w about us, but it’s just something that ime. I did something that upset Saki.”

  “Why would you do that? Saki’s your bestest friend!”

  “Well…um…” A quick look up at Saki saw she had no more of an ahan him. “Yes, but even friends disagree.”

  “Are you still friends?”

  “Of course! Nothing like that would break the bond we share, right?”

  Saki felt the tug of Yuki’s words kneeling dowo him looking at Ken as well. She nodded softly while the words struggled to form. “Y-yes. It’s a normal thing, Ken. Thank you.”

  “If you promise!”

  “Definitely!”

  Ken bounced over to Jun grabbing his hand. “See! They’re still friends!” Silently, Jun agreed. The two then darted off from the group back up the street to the interse. They waved back at the three before darting on to where they were supposed to go.

  Standing up, Yuki crossed his arms looking a little embarrassed. “So they knew…” He looked back over at Saki who started walking ahead. ‘But it’s hat easy, Ken… She’s got stuff to work through.’ With Ayumi at his side, they pushed their step to catch up.

  A quiet walk to school ended with the te arrival of Yuki and Ayumi. He didn’t mao go unnoticed with the creaking door. Their teacher gred at him. Yuki smiled baly. “I’m sorry I’m te, Miss Kuniyoshi!”

  She looked him up and down, taking a read of the situation. “Were you in a fight, Hayashi?”

  Yuki backed away from the teacher’s accusations. “I slipped and tripped oairs rushing to css.”

  “Tripped?”

  “Uh huh!”

  “Tripped?”

  He smiled nervously. “I tripped and fell back dowairs. A lot of stairs. I’m sorry!” His hand started brushing the sleeve and parts of the dirtied uniform. The rest of the obvious marks couldn’t be so easily removed. Yuki just ughed it off.

  Miss Kuniyoshi’s brow pinched watg him fidget. All she could do was sigh. “If you insist. Ayumi walk with him to the nurse’s offiake sure he gets there.”

  “Y-Yes! I’m sorry, I couldn’t…”

  “I know… I’ll mark you tresent.”

  “Thank you, teacher!” Ayumi lightly pushed on Yuki, whispering to him as they left the . The injured sight of Yuki ran as a murmur through the students.

  In the middle, Saki sat at her seat with a wrinkled expression matg the teacher. She stared at the closed door. ‘Why did I do that? I should have stayed…’ Fingers scratched through her hair shoving it around. ‘Dammit, Seiji!’

  “Hey, Saki…” Hiroshi leaned over in his chair a little. His eyes watched carefully the teacher. “Were you at practice?”

  Leaning on her hand, she gnced over at him. “No.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “Ask me ter.” She looked back to the front. Hopefully her focus could remain oeacher.

  As the day passed, things fell into the usual routine. Rogue powers, lectures and quizzes, those were all normal school activities. Yup. The out of trol aspecreased dramatically today making Ayumi work for every minute.

  When school ended for the day, Yuki stood at the entrance for Saki to finish with ing duties. Ayumi hovered around quieter than normal. The door suddenly opened, snapping Yuki babsp; “Hiroshi? I thought you already left.”

  He gnced in and o himself, but then looked back at Yuki. “Not helping?”

  “She insisted.”

  “Yeah, that checks. Why did you go on ahead, Ayumi looks like she’s about to colpse.”

  Yuki flipped betweewo, notig just now she did seem to be getting worse. “But…”

  “It’s fine, man. Besides, maybe talking to me will help her.”

  “Please. This whole Seiji stuff is eating at her still.”

  “Of course!”

  Supp Ayumi, he guided her out of the . ‘She’s more exhausted than I’ve seen her before…’ He gnced baore time praying that Hiroshi could succeed where he failed. “Let’s go, Ayumi…”

  “Right…” She blinked and tried to force herself back awake. It didn’t matter how many times mental fatigue hit, there was no esg its effebsp; No training or coffee could fix it. She kept a hold of Yuki as they walked, feeling her legs like lead.

  “I’m sorry. My mind wasn’t focused today.”

  “Clearly…”

  “But you look really bad. Do you o sit for a bit?”

  Gesturing with her arm half hearted to keep marg, she looked forward to the end of the day. Then she remembered that training. A bit of gloom fell over her. It was a bad day.

  “Is there a time limit for how long you keep it up?”

  “It's…a variety of variables. I go longer, but…I had to switch stantly. Plus staying stantly o…”

  Yuki aking it all in while slowly walking through the hall. But they only made it down to the sed floor before Ayumi buckled. He found the chair for her. “I’ll go get you some water or tea.”

  “Fine…” Ayumi dropped down into the chair and leaned her head back.

  Watg her briefly, he smiled before turning to head to the vending mae. ‘For being a military hardass most of the time, it’s sort of f to know she be normal and not be ag.’ Small forts aside, he snapped himself back to focus on his mind. No Ayumi meant his power could do anything and he wouldn’t be able to stop it.

  He returned with bottled water and green tea, pyer’s choibsp; But as he approached, there was a voice he didn’t reize ing from Ayumi. “What’s going on?”

  “Aw, e on, don’t you want to e have some tea with us?” As Yuki came around the er, he spotted three boys, older, crowded around Ayumi. She made no efforts to escape or push them away.

  “P-Please…”

  Yuki dropped the bottle and . He ran down the hall focused only on Ayumi. No pns came to mind. He wao slide iween them, but two of them grouped tightly together stopping him. Instead, Yuki stumbled in bumping against them. “Hey guys! Looking for dires?”

  The two he tapped gred back pushing him away. “Get lost kid.”

  “But I don’t want to be lost. Could you be?”

  “Yetting on my nerves. Beat it.”

  Suddenly, there was a rge shadow cast over everyone grouped together. As everyone looked back behind them all they could see was a dark figure with gleaming eyes of a demon staring down at them. The boys all fell backwards against the wall. The demon leaned forierg them with an intense aura. “What do you think you’re doing? The girl doesn’t want you b her, uand?”

  “Y-y-yeah!” They froze in time caught by the looming presenbsp; A stamping of their foot sheir paralysis away. Quickly, all three bolted for the stairs.

  The dark figure leaned in a hand out to Ayumi with the shade breaking through revealing the person to be a female student and a third year by the uniform. “They shouldn’t mess with you anymore. Are you alright?”

  Ayumi cautiously accepted the haing pulled up to her feet. “T-thank you…” Ba her feet, the height difference became all the more apparent. Whomever her rescuer was, they were the tallest Japanese person she had seen, limited as that might be. She had very long dark brown hair down to the edge of her skirt, w in trast treen eyes. “Umm…”

  Yuki turo look up feeling smaller than usual. He tried to recall if he had seen them around. Someone so notable should have stood out, literally. ‘She’s tall! I think she’s even taller than Seiji! Is she really a student?’

  “Uh…thank you!” Ayumi bowed quickly to the girl. Though she found herself staring longer into her eyes. Her voiapped her out of her haze.

  “I’m just gd you’re safe. No thanks is needed.”

  “I’m Ayumi Nishimura.”

  “Oh, well I’m Fumiko Terauchi. It’s o meet you.” Fumiko politely bowed back to them.

  “Thank you for helping, Ayumi. Oh, Yuki Hayashi!”

  “I’m sorry you had to deal with that, Nishimura. I’ll report them to the Student cil when I get back.” Fumiko o Ayumi to give her reassuranbsp; Fshing a dashing smile, Fumiko bowed once more to Ayumi. “I’d advise stig with your friend and not walking alone as much as I hate to say that. But if you’re ever in trouble I’ll be there to protect you.”

  “…uh…al-al-right…”

  “I’m sorry for taking up so much of your time.” Fumiko stepped back quickly, letting Ayumi go. “My club is meeting today, so I must be going.” She turned around and rushed off down the hall disappearing as fast as she appeared.

  Yuki blinked, still processing everything that happened. Then he jumped over to Ayumi rememberiate. She already sat back down. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t imagihat would happen.”

  “It’s fine…”

  He remembered the drinks and ran babsp; Alone once more for the brief moment, Ayumi stared down at the empty hall. The oddly galnt image of the senior fresh in her mind still. “…Fumiko…Terauchi…”