Sigma/Star

Chapter 41: The Battle for Nami

"I think you're choking him Nami." Gretta barely got the sentence out through her laughter and subsequent tears. Porter's face had gone through various shades of blue and purple as he sunk to his knees, yanking at Nami's death grip on his neck. The little girl looked down at her love, realizing what was going on, and slid off of him, finally letting Porter gasp for air.

"Nami, I'm not going to the dance with you!" Porter shouted, rounding on his attacker. "And even if I did I would be torn to shreds by those three guys. They're nuts for you, why not stalk them?!"

"Aw Porter, you know I definitely only have eyes for you and am totally not going through any sort of conflict of interests that's tearing me up internally," Nami said, batting her eyelashes and trying her best to look adorable.

Porter eyed the little girl through squinting eyelids, trying to peer into her mind and understand her game. "Right well that was an oddly specific thing to say but...Anti-Nami Stalking Technique Number Three!" Porter shouted, throwing down a smoke bomb in front of himself and taking off down the hall to class.

Nami sat down next to Gretta and pulled her knees in close, crossing her arms over them and making a pouty face. "It's not nearly as much fun since Shotuku taught him those to avoid me."

"I don't know, Nami," Gretta stated, looking over her shoulder towards where Porter had run away to. "I think it adds more excitement. It's not challenging if he has no way of escape."

"You're right Gretta!" Nami declared, standing tall and proud once again. "And I will not fail in my quest to endlessly pursue Porter until he declares the love for me he has hidden within his heart!"

* * * * *

Porter sighed at the end of the lecture. His hand had cramped up taking down so many notes as he was now a dedicated student (he still had no idea what that text next week was going to be on) and he tried to organize them all as the papers slipped out and fluttered down to the floor.

Something on Goliath armour configurations, something about weapon's relays, another section on proper thrust mechanics, it was a lot to remember. Thank Ishiyama for all these concepts now being taken down at notes. Porter hadn't realized how much they had actually been learning in class while he was slacking and being late.

The student grabbed the final sheet off the ground and reviewed it. A special note on the mechanics in elbow joints and forearms on a Goliath, with emphasis on wrist capacity, usually in terms of recoil. Porter would have to take into account the White Storm now, and should probably go do a study on it as well to better understand his own weapon. With all the hitting he was doing with the blades, the wrist section of his Goliath must've taken quite a beating. If he wasn't careful he could shatter the whole thing.

"It's better not to think it through too much." Mr. Toriyama placed his hand on Porter's shoulder, looking down and beaming at the budding teenager. Porter hadn't even realized he had been sat past everyone clearing out. "You'll find the more you learn, the more you fear," the teacher continued. "The more you fear the more tentative you become."

"So ignorance is bliss?" Porter chuckled, catching his teacher admitting that being a slacker was a better pathway.

"Study Porter." Mr. Toriyama's face took on a dark and serious air and his grip on the boy's shoulder tightened. "Death because of ignorance isn't bliss. Become the star we think you can be, just lose your fear." And with that, the professor was gone, leaving the pilot blinking in a mixture of confusion and terror.

Porter left the class just behind everyone else, finding a cluster of students still hanging around, unfortunately including everyone from the Crisis Rescue Unit. Dirty glares were exchanged in every direction as the four boys eyed each other but before anyone could tear a throat out, they were interrupted by a classmate named Arthur, one of Chase's entourage.