Shori No Megami

Objective #9. The Transfer

Shinai High School, Class 1-S, May 16th, 0810 hours.

“Did you hear about the transfer student 1-A’s getting today?”

“Oh! I saw her in the hall, she’s completely hot!”

“Does anyone know her name?”

“Where is she from?”

Sumire overhears the boys’ gossip as she takes her seat next to Ito. “Hello, Ito-kun!”

“Oh! Sumire-chan, how did things go last week?” He gives her a warm smile and leans towards her, all evidence of his prior avoidance gone.

“We won! Thanks to your information, Ito-kun…” She returns his smile with one of her own.

“Ito-kun’s information?” Kaito appears in front of them at just that moment and casually sits on Sumire’s desk. “What information?”

Sumire gives her new friend Ito a prideful look. “Ito-kun found information on their command structure… or I should say, lack of…”

Kaito raises a brow at this. “Oh really? Ito-kun, have you thought about joining the Sparrows?”

Ito shakes his head. “I can’t fight…”

But Kaito’s smiling now. “’Not all fights are fought with fists,’ as Banchou and Watanabe-kun say.”

Ito fidgets nervously. “W… would it really be okay?” He looks at Sumire as he says it. Her expression softens.

“It would make me happy, but I’m not going to ask you to do anything that might make you uncomfortable, Ito-kun.” She reaches out and pats his shoulder. “Just think about it for now, okay?”

Ito nods, his expression serious. Kaito is looking at Sumire. “Well… Kaede-kun apparently bumped into a new student outside. Looks like the girls’ attention will be diverted from you for a while… He… ah… made his ‘interest’ a little more obvious than he should have.”

“Ah, Kaito-sama, I don’t believe you and Kaede-sama share the same fan club, do you?” She gives him a mischievous wink, but inwardly she’s worried for the girl. She knows first-hand how scary the girls at this school can be.

“Gah, Sumire! Don’t you call me that, too!” Kaito blushes a deep crimson at Sumire’s use of the honorific.

“Ah, but Kaito-sama, you’re everyone’s Kaito-sama!” She giggles at the expression on his face, causing him to blush all the more.

Ito can’t help but join in. “Ah, Kaito-sama, please excuse me for not addressing you properly before…”  Kaito looks at Ito in surprise—it’s rare for Ito to talk to his fellow classmates, let alone share in a joke. But before he has time to think on Ito’s sudden change the teacher walks in.

“In your seats, please. Class is starting.” The teacher gives Kaito the evil eye and Kaito hurries to return to his seat, his face still flushed.

Shinai High School, Second Year Hall Bathroom, May 16th, 1100 hours.

Sumire enters the girls’ bathroom on her way to the roof for lunch with Shinji and the Sparrows. It seems her gang came to school specially today more for the sake of bragging than anything else. Several of the butterflies have promised to provide special bentos to celebrate their most recent victory. But Sumire’s attention is immediately caught by an all too familiar scene as she moves to the sink to wash her hands. Four girls seem to have cornered a fifth—however, Sumire’s view of the victim is completely obscured. The scene nettles her; her bully alarm goes off full blast.