fics I read

Aikawa-senpai's name is Aikawa Ruri. A second year student attending Tokyo Jujutsu High… and the only second year student in the school, as it turns out.

That's quite unfortunate. Being the only student in her class, that is; a fate that Shiki herself had only narrowly escaped thanks to Hoshi-san. It does help to explain why Aikawa-senpai had volunteered to watch a first year underclassman run up and down the mountain stairway the other day.

'Loneliness.' Or something akin to that, Shiki surmises.

… Or it could also be that Aikawa-senpai simply doesn't mind doing small favors for Takagi-sensei here and there. It's not particularly difficult to notice the easy way they converse with each other, the way that Aikawa-senpai is comfortable in Takagi-sensei's presence and smiles as she speaks to him. From what Shiki can see, it's clear that Aikawa-senpai trusts and likes Takagi-sensei.

It also belatedly occurs to Shiki that this might very well be because Takagi-sensei had taught Aikawa-senpai last year. What was it that the man had said during his introduction again? This is my third year teaching first year students in the Tokyo school. So if Aikawa-senpai was one of his students last year, then it would definitely explain the clear familiarity between them.

Shiki wonders if it's normal for a second year student to spend as much time with a first year teacher as Aikawa-senpai does. It's a familiar sight to see Aikawa-senpai constantly following Takagi-sensei around on campus. So… maybe? Shiki wouldn't know.

Then again, Kusakabe-sensei, the dark-haired man who's the actual teacher for second year students, certainly doesn't seem to mind it.

Shiki twists, sidestepping the downward swing of a practice blade that just barely brushes the loose strands of her hair. Then, she darts forward with a strike of her own. If the one sparring with her were Kiyohira-sensei, Shiki has no doubt that her teacher would've reacted to this by parrying her attack directly, leaning into the advantage of physical strength and stature that he has always held over her.

But it's not Kiyohira-sensei who serves as a sparring partner for her right now.

Kusakabe-sensei dodges the blow, much as Shiki had avoided his own strike mere seconds ago. It's not altogether surprising, because Kusakabe-sensei's body is built very differently from Kiyohira-sensei. Generally, as long as Shiki isn't aiming for Kiyohira-sensei's lines, and as long as she doesn't augment her physical strength with cursed energy, Kiyohira-sensei can easily shrug off nearly anything she throws at him. The same is not true in Kusakabe-sensei's case here, given that Kusakabe-sensei is most decidedly not a solid wall of muscle towering over Shiki.

If anything, Kusakabe-sensei appears to favor agility instead, rather than overwhelming strength.

Shiki favors agility over strength, too.

She turns the edge of her weapon, spinning along with the movement to outmaneuver the slash aimed into her side. The older man's blade is knocked just so slightly askew by the momentum, and Shiki capitalizes upon the opening that's presented to her, pressing in and–

"Alright, that's enough!" Takagi-sensei's voice suddenly rings through the air.

Shiki's wooden sword stops a hairsbreadth in front of Kusakabe-sensei's throat.

… To his credit, the man doesn't so much as even flinch. Which is more than what Shiki can say for various other individuals that she's held at swordpoint before. It probably helps that this is only a wooden practice blade that she's using right now. From the corner of her eye, Shiki can even observe that Kusakabe-sensei's sword was already half-raised in another counter. Would he have made it in time to drive her back?

Maybe they'll find out some other time, when Takagi-sensei is a little less… jumpy.

Shiki lowers her practice weapon and steps back politely. Across from her, Kusakabe-sensei straightens and does the same with an audible exhale, rolling back his shoulders as tension seeps out of his frame.

"It's my loss," he concedes, seemingly unbothered by the result. There's no simmering anger or resentment that Shiki can identify in his words. But if Kusakabe Atsuya were a man to react in such a thoughtless manner, then he probably wouldn't be a teacher in the first place. The sorcerer reaches up with a hand and absently rubs at his shoulder, where Shiki had scored a clean hit earlier. "You're faster than I expected."

"So are you." Shiki hadn't expected Kusakabe-sensei to move nearly as fast as Kiyohira-sensei did, but it was a welcome surprise. "We should spar using techniques next time."

No techniques had been one of the rules of their spar just now. No cursed technique, no sword techniques, and no drawing blood. Takagi-sensei had been very insistent upon the last point in particular, which is why Shiki ended up bemusedly agreeing to it eventually. Privately, she still thinks it's a silly rule. Because it's perfectly normal to see a little blood in practice spars, right? Perhaps Takagi-sensei was just worried about either of them incurring serious injuries? … But a spar is a practice match, not a duel to the death where such risks would be a very real worry.

Shiki really doesn't understand what's going on in Takagi-sensei's head.

Then again, accidents happen, so maybe he'd just wanted to be careful. Shoko-san would not be amused at any needless additions to her already-busy workload, although Shiki thinks it's going to be a long year if her teacher is averse to seeing blood. He's a sorcerer, shouldn't he be used to it?

Or… was this something about lingering trauma from his dead student last year?

For a moment, Shiki is seized by the impulse to just ask Takagi-sensei, but–

Don't be insensitive.

… The quiet voice that admonishes her in the back of her mind sounds suspiciously like Yuzuki-san. Shiki decides to listen to it.

"A spar with techniques?" Kusakabe-sensei doesn't sound particularly eager, but it doesn't appear that he's entirely averse to the prospect, either. He looks at Shiki for a moment, assessing, then sighs and looks up towards the ceiling with the look of a tired man submitting to his inevitable fate. "… Sure. Why not, I guess."

"Kusakabe-sensei, you don't need to–"

"No, no, it's alright. Don't worry about it, Takagi-sensei," Kusakabe-sensei shakes his head and cuts off the other teacher with a casual wave of the hand, letting out a gusty breath. "Really. It'll be good for both of us… probably. No cursed technique though, yeah?"

"That's fine," Shiki agrees amiably. She doesn't mind. Kusakabe-sensei nods, seemingly much more at ease.

It's good that the second year teacher is open to the prospect of another spar sometime. He's not Kiyohira-sensei, but Kusakabe-sensei is someone who knows his way around the sword quite well, and Shiki thinks it's nice to sharpen her skills against another sword user. Especially when there is a dire shortage of other sword users in Shiki's life.

Kiyohira-sensei is still re-learning his sword techniques with his prosthetic arm, Satoru-niichan is uninterested in swordplay, and Ken-jichan prefers that unwieldy cleaver of his instead of an actual sword. Megumi just flat out isn't interested in swords at all, deeming it enough to just be proficient in the basics of how to handle one. I'm a shikigami user, I need to be able to keep my hands free for my technique, was his reasoning.

Which… made sense, but hadn't stopped Shiki from doing her best to convince him to always keep a knife or two on him anyways. Swords are better than knives, but having a knife is better than having nothing. Right?

Kusakabe-sensei here would probably agree with her.

… Shiki might've won their spar just now, but it had been interesting to pick out new tricks from the other sword user. Kusakabe-sensei fights very differently from Kiyohira-sensei, and Shiki actually hasn't had very much experience fighting Shin Kageryu users in the first place. Kusakabe-sensei is actually the first serious practitioner of Shin Kageryu that Shiki has encountered.

It's a little funny when she thinks about it like this, because Shin Kageryu is actually the style that's most commonly practiced by most sword-wielding sorcerers nowadays. Out of the existing styles, it's one that's acknowledged to both be easy to teach and easy to learn, which would be the reason why it's so widespread. A sharp contrast to Kiyohira-sensei's Kageryu, of which Kiyohira-sensei was the sole remaining master.

There were rigorous, demanding requirements for learning Kageryu. Strictly speaking, Shiki didn't even meet the physical requirements as an apprentice.

… And yet, Kiyohira-sensei had taught her anyways, taking into account her circumstances and adapting his techniques for her without a single word of complaint.

Shiki owes Kiyohira-sensei a lot. She hopes that he's taking care of himself back at home, and remembering not to leave his prosthetic out on the cushions where Mi-chan can pounce and leave cat hairs on it. Tsumiki is usually good at keeping an eye on that cat, but Mi-chan can also be very sneaky at times.

Also prone to napping on Kiyohira-sensei whenever they can get away with it, much to Kiyohira-sensei's suffering.

"I can't believe you beat a teacher," Hoshi-san says to her later, as they leave the training room together. There's an awed note in his voice, and it's… nice, that there's no underlying air of calculation behind it. "I know you use a sword, but… you're really good with it, aren't you?"

Shiki hums.

"I suppose. I've been specifically trained to use a sword in order to complement my abilities," she tells her classmate. "Kiyohira-sensei is the best swordsman I know."

… Prior to the loss of his arm, at least. But despite the physical disability, the experience and knowledge remains. Kiyohira-sensei is the best swordsman that Shiki knows, and that's not a lie.

"'Kiyohira?' Who's that?" Hoshi-san asks quizzically.

Ah, right. Hoshi-san wouldn't know Kiyohira-sensei. "Gojo Kiyohira. My… teacher. He trained me and taught me how to use a sword."

"Oh, that's cool!" The boy smiles. "Are you guys family, then? If he's also 'Gojo,' I'm guessing you're from the same clan?"

"Yes," Shiki nods. Then, with some degree of satisfaction, "We're in the same branch family."

"Ah! So close relatives, then."

"Not at all, actually." In fact, Shiki and Kiyohira-sensei are nowhere even close to each other on the family tree. She's probably a closer relation to Satoru-niichan than she is to Kiyohira-sensei, and Shiki and Satoru-niichan are already very, very distant cousins.

Hoshi-san makes a confused sound.

"Belonging to the same branch is just a technicality," Shiki explains to him. "Because Kiyohira-sensei is helping me with paperwork."

"… What?"

Clearly, she's not explaining things very well.

"Clan stuff," she tries instead this time. Because while Hoshi-san might be confused, Shiki doubts that he's looking for a convoluted run-down on her family tree, mixed in with a healthy dose of clan politics. Thankfully, this time Hoshi-san accepts her answer with a slow nod instead of another look of baffled confusion.

"Okay. Clan stuff, sure," Hoshi-san mumbles indistinctly, then roughly shakes his head. "Sounds like you have a good relationship with your teacher, though?"

"Mhm," Shiki nods.

"Must be a nice guy," her classmate comments. How very perceptive. Nice is typically not the first descriptor that someone would use to describe gruff, brusque-mannered Kiyohira-sensei, but it doesn't change the fact that her teacher is nice, despite outward appearances. Because Kiyohira-sensei is someone who cares, in a way that Shiki has never quite understood, not really. "You said he's the one who taught you how to use a sword, right? It seems really different from how Kusakabe-sensei fights."

"It is different," she confirms. "Kusakabe-sensei practices Shin Kageryu. Kiyohira-sensei doesn't, and neither do I. The style I use would actually be a derivative of Kiyohira-sensei's–"

Shiki pauses at the sound of a light cough. Something that's a cross between an offhand scoff and deliberately clearing one's throat, and Shiki immediately places it as an indication of someone attempting to interject themselves in an ongoing conversation without being too overt about it. It's not so hard to recognize, considering Shiki's extensive experience dealing with various members of the Gojo Clan over the past years.

She turns around. Aikawa-senpai strides past them in the hallway without stopping, despite her pointed cough to interrupt Shiki just now.

… Was this a power play? If Shiki is interpreting this correctly, was Aikawa-senpai trying to get either Shiki or Hoshi-san to speak first and stop her before she left? … But what's the point in that?

Part of Shiki frowns, and thinks it would be better to just ignore Aikawa-senpai and let the other girl go her merry way. The girl was probably heading towards Takagi-sensei's office, anyways, judging by the direction that she was walking in. But Shiki had promised Tsumiki that she would try to make new friends, and ignoring someone is probably counterproductive towards that goal.

So the right thing to do in this case would be…

"Is there something that you'd like to say, Aikawa-senpai?" Shiki asks politely, offering the older girl the opportunity to speak her mind.

"What? No." Aikawa-senpai denies as she glances back over her shoulder with a slightly pinched expression marring her face. "Not everything is about you, Gojo."

Shiki tilts her head. Had she misinterpreted things?

That was… entirely possible. It wasn't as if Shiki was an expert on interpersonal communications to begin with, after all. She'd thought that she'd been getting better at reading others after taking up the position of branch head, but… clearly that's not the case. Even now, there are days when she's still not entirely convinced that it's not all just Daisaku-sama's elaborate way of messing with her.

… But that's a little neither here nor there at the moment. Yes, Shiki might be terrible at reading social cues, but if Aikawa-senpai's tone was anything to go by… it's obvious that the girl is still upset with her. Unfortunate, especially given that Shiki still wasn't entirely sure how she'd offended her upperclassman to this extent.

She makes a mental note to herself that Aikawa-senpai is someone who clearly holds grudges.

Hoshi-san frowns, shifting slightly so that he stands between the two of them. "Aikawa-senpai, that's not what she–"

"Save it," Aikawa-senpai clearly isn't interested in listening to Hoshi-san's words. That's rather rude of you, Aikawa-senpai. The girl seems to realize her own attitude after snapping at him, though, because she promptly shuts her eyes and rubs at her face. "… Never mind. I shouldn't have said that."

"Are you… okay, Aikawa-senpai?" Hoshi-san asks cautiously.

The girl lets out a short bark of laughter, "No one who's a sorcerer is ever okay, Hoshi. I just… whatever. It doesn't matter. Keep sticking with that little princess. You'll see, in the end."

"You're not making sense, senpai," Hoshi-san squares his shoulders. "Look, if this is about Shiki somehow–"

"Not everything is about her!" Aikawa-senpai snaps, with a sudden ferocity that has the boy taking a startled step backwards. Shiki idly lends her classmate a hand in remaining upright, curiously studying Aikawa-senpai's unexplained rage. A flash of anger that leaves almost immediately after its outburst, leaving the older girl with nothing but a tired expression on her face.

"You don't get it yet, Hoshi," Aikawa-senpai's voice is quiet, drained of its usual energy. "… But Gojo understands. She just couldn't care less about people like us, isn't that right?"

… From Shiki's perspective, Aikawa-senpai is making even less sense than the politicians back in the Gojo clan compound. Which should really say something about the situation here.

"I'm confused as well, Aikawa-senpai," she opts to lay things out clearly. "Would you please elaborate?"

"I won't play your word games." What word games? It's an honest question! … Not that Aikawa-senpai seems to believe Shiki even slightly, which is a problem. It almost makes her feel like she's talking to a rock. "Clan sorcerers… tch. Isn't it obvious? Not everyone has the support of a clan behind them. Not just anyone gets to be specially trained in a fighting style that's custom-tailored to them."

By this point, it's become abundantly clear that Aikawa-senpai's grievances with Shiki goes well beyond however she may have wronged her upperclassman in their initial encounter with each other, or even the brief exchange that they'd had on the stairway.

Aikawa-senpai doesn't like clan sorcerers, Shiki realizes. The why is a little ambiguous to her, though. Because clan sorcerers have a natural advantage over those not affiliated with any sorcery clan? … But it's not even like sorcerers are in competition with each other. The clans might vie over influence and resources, but out in the field, it's not like individual sorcerers are competing with each other to see who exorcises more curses or anything.

There are far too many curses that exist in this world, and not nearly enough sorcerers to deal with them all. It's less a competition to see who can kill more cursed spirits, and more a division of labor among existing sorcerers. Each individual performs to their best ability, contributing what they are able to in mankind's endless war against the curses spawned from humanity's own darkness.

… Maybe Aikawa-senpai had a bad encounter with a clan sorcerer at some point before, which then colored her judgment when it came to Shiki? That would make sense. Clan sorcerers generally do tend to be stronger than those with no connections to any sorcery lines, a natural result of combining inherited abilities from old bloodlines with resources accumulated throughout a clan's history. So it's not strange for clan sorcerers to have a sense of superiority over others, which could easily lead to various problems with other sorcerers. Raised tensions, pointless antagonization. One didn't have to look any further than the Gojo Clan to see numerous examples of such unpleasant attitudes.

Shiki didn't intend to follow their example, though. So in this case, the best option would most likely be…

"Would you like to spar with me, Aikawa-senpai?"

Sparring would be a good solution to smoothing things over. Aikawa-senpai had specifically mentioned clan sorcerers having access to resources that a non-clan sorcerer would have no way of obtaining –or at the very least, they would experience many difficulties in doing so. Towards that end, a friendly spar would be a good idea.

Certain things were specifically kept as clan secrets, locked away from outsiders. Kageryu did not originate as a sword style developed by the Gojo Clan, for example. But Kiyohira-sensei had been required to swear a binding vow to his own master that he would not divulge the secrets of Kageryu to anyone not of Gojo blood, and nowadays Kiyohira-sensei was the sole master of Kageryu remaining. Which effectively meant that Kageryu was a sword art belonging exclusively to the Gojo Clan.

Shiki had been required to take similar binding vows to keep the Gojo Clan's secrets. It means that she isn't permitted to teach the various techniques that she's learned, but it doesn't mean that she can't use the skills that she has learned in a friendly spar against another sorcerer. And if said sorcerer happens to pick up a trick or two from her…

Well, that's none of Shiki's business now, is it?

Ken-jichan had shaken his head at her with a wry smile, but eventually he'd learned not to protest any of Shiki's deliberate efforts to involve him in her training sessions. Particularly once she'd moved out of the clan compound, and had a greater degree of freedom and privacy from the ever-watchful Gojo Clan.

So, Shiki can't teach Aikawa-senpai anything. The secrets that she holds are not hers to share. And to be perfectly honest, Shiki doesn't think that she would teach Aikawa-senpai even if she were permitted to. For one, based on what she's observed, it's unlikely that her techniques would be suitable for Aikawa-senpai. There was also the glaring matter of her upperclassman's questionable attitude towards her. Shiki might understand it better now, and she acknowledges her own shortcomings when it comes to communications, but she's still rather miffed that Aikawa-senpai only hears what she wants to hear. Shiki isn't interested in endlessly playing nice with someone who clearly doesn't like her.

But Shiki is willing to make an effort to see if it's possible to bridge the gap.

Similar to Satoru-niichan, she finds it difficult to understand and relate to others, but it's not as if either of them are unfeeling. And… there are people whom Shiki genuinely cares for. People whom she hadn't cared about at all when she'd met them in the beginning, but now are important to her.

There's no guarantee that Aikawa-senpai would turn out to be the same. At the moment, Shiki isn't invested in Aikawa-senpai at all beyond 'being on amicable terms' and 'maybe potential new friend to present to Tsumiki.'

A spar would help towards those ends. Not a spar like the one between Shiki and Kusakabe-sensei, which had been two sword users getting a rough measure of each other. Aikawa-senpai is most decidedly not a Grade one sorcerer, so it would inevitably end up as more of a teaching spar on Shiki's part. But from this, Aikawa-senpai would be able to see that Shiki was open to friendly exchanges, even despite being a clan sorcerer. From Shiki's end, she would be able to get a better idea of her upperclassman's skill level, which would help to keep her from making any insensitive comments that might aggravate her fellow student unnecessarily.

Two birds, one stone. Yuzuki-san would surely approve of this plan.

"You want to spar with me?"

"Yes."

Aikawa-senpai's eyes are wide. The offer of a spar has caught her completely off-guard, it seems. "I… I'm just a Semi Grade Three sorcerer."

Shiki doesn't see the problem here, "And?"

The shock fades. Aikawa-senpai's open jaw snaps shut, and her eyes narrow. "You have a cursed technique that's touch-lethal!"

"Not exactly." It's not Shiki's cursed technique that's lethal the way most people think. More importantly, she doesn't kill based on a single touch. Shiki needs to cut the lines if she wants to actually kill something, so that's not quite accurate. Besides, she's had extensive practice over the years in making sure that there are no accidents when she spars with others. What sort of rumors has Aikawa-senpai been listening to?

… Oh, this is supposed to be where Shiki provides some reassurances to the other girl, right?

"I don't make a habit of killing humans for recreation," Shiki says helpfully.

Hoshi-san makes a strange sort of choked sound from the side.

Aikawa-senpai lets out a short, disbelieving laugh, shaking her head slowly as she bites her lip. "… So you just want to beat up a Semi Grade Three for fun?"

"No." Where in the world did she get that idea? Yet again, it seems that Aikawa-senpai has grossly misinterpreted Shiki's intentions. "I'm offering to spar in good faith, Aikawa-senpai. Please don't make me regret my decision."

"Good faith? Good faith?" Aikawa-senpai scoffs incredulously. "You're a Grade One sorcerer. Do youreally expect me to believe something as ridiculous as that? You want to spar with me out of genuine goodwill?"

Well, if it's the yawning gap between Grade One and Semi Grade Three that has the girl so concerned…

"I can refrain from using my cursed technique. And cursed energy, too. I can also forgo using any weapon." It wouldn't truly do anything to make up for the difference in strength between them, but it should help to put Aikawa-senpai a little more at ease. That is the entire point of this spar in the first place, isn't it? "Would that suffice?"

The upperclassman stares at Shiki in silence. Her jaw is clenched, and there are two spots of angry red colored high upon her cheeks. She looks… upset. Did that mean Shiki's suggestions were no good?

"… I can blindfold myself too, if you'd like?"

Aikawa-senpai lets out an inarticulate, strangled sound, glaring at Shiki. "That is not what I mean, and you know it!"

Shiki does not know, actually, which is probably also a significant part of the problem here. She's starting to get really tired of the other girl's assumptions about her, though.

"I do not. Kindly explain, Aikawa-senpai."

Aikawa-senpai takes an aborted half-step towards Shiki, mouth opening and–

–freezing in her tracks, all of a sudden. Aikawa-senpai stares at Shiki with wide eyes, and Shiki can't tell if the other girl is angry or scared, or even why she suddenly just froze like this in the first place.

Shiki tilts her head questioningly.

The older girl grits her teeth, expression crumpling, then spins around and takes off down the corridor at a dead run.

…

Mildly perplexed by the nonsensical reaction she'd just witnessed, Shiki turns towards Hoshi-san for assistance, "So… was that an agreement to spar or not?"

"… A question for you, Gojo-san," her classmate says slowly, after a beat of silence. "Are you… you're not actually threatening Aikawa-senpai, are you?"

"Of course not," Shiki responds, puzzled. Was that not obvious…?

The next several minutes are spent explaining the context of her exchange with Aikawa-senpai to Hoshi-san. By the end of it, the boy has his face buried deeply in his hands. That's… not very promising.

"What the hell, you were actually trying to be friendly," he mumbles incredulously, voice muffled behind his fingers. "That was… wow. Wow. I'm really sorry. Next time, maybe just… I dunno, try not to say anything to Aikawa-senpai?"

"Why?"

Hoshi-san winces. "I hate to tell you this, but Aikawa-senpai probably thinks that you're looking down on her and intentionally trying to make things difficult for her by this point."

Judging by Hoshi-san's words, Shiki sees that she may have fumbled things with Aikawa-senpai, yet again. Conversations with Yuzuki-san and the Fushiguro siblings were never so hard…

Since when was 'sparring' equated with 'beating someone up in order to affirm one's own sense of superiority,' anyways? Was this such a commonplace phenomenon that it really was the first thing that naturally sprang to Aikawa-senpai's mind when Shiki brought up the topic?

Shiki rubs at her head tiredly.

"So…" she gestures vaguely in the direction that their upperclassman had run off in, "Should I tell Aikawa-senpai that I don't want to spar with her, then?"

Hoshi-san lifts his head. The boy slowly reaches over and puts his hands on her shoulders, infinitely gentle, and takes in a deep breath.

"When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging."

.

.

"… is what he said."

"Oh my god, Shiki," Tsumiki's voice crackles from the other end of the cell phone held to her ear. The other girl's voice is a little awed, and… greatly exasperated, at the results of Shiki's attempt to improve her relationship with Aikawa-senpai. It's looking to be a lost cause, at the current rate things are going. "I guess I can see where Hoshi-san is coming from. Your senpai probably thinks that you have it out for her or something."

Shiki huffs, "That is most certainly not the case, I assure you."

"I know, I know! You're definitely not the type to go out of your way to make someone's life difficult 'just because.'" Tsumiki says firmly. "Besides, from what I'm hearing… it's not entirely your fault, either. You didn't say anything too outrageous. Plus, it also sounds like this Aikawa-senpai seems to be taking everything you say in bad faith anyways. And sometimes there's really nothing you can do, if the person you're trying to reach out to won't even try to meet your efforts halfway."

"I see." Shiki exhales slowly. Hearing this from Tsumiki… helps. "… Have you been taking tips from Yuzuki-san?"

"Hey, I'll have you know that he's not the only person with proper social skills and good advice!" Tsumiki's exaggerated faux-outrage brings a small smile to Shiki's lips. "Well, aside from this prickly senpai of yours, I'm glad that you seem to be getting along well with your classmate. Hoshi-san, right?"

"Hoshi Kirara, yes."

"You should introduce us sometime!" Tsumiki says brightly. "And on that note, didn't you mention something about maybe sparring later with Hoshi-san today? What time is it right now?"

Although Aikawa-senpai had refused to spar with Shiki –ever since that particular encounter, the other girl had also started actively avoiding Shiki, which is a clear indication of her feelings on the matter– Hoshi-san had been much more amenable to a friendly spar, despite being very nervous about it in the beginning. The boy still has a long way to go, though. Right now, Shiki is pretty sure that even Megumi could wipe the floor with him ten times out of ten.

She tilts her cell phone away from her ear to look at the time. "… Late."

Tsumiki laughs, "I'm sorry?"

"Hoshi-san is late." And so is Takagi-sensei, on that matter. Takagi-sensei had deemed Hoshi-san to be ready for his first mission today, and the two had departed together in the day… although it was entirely possible that Hoshi-san would be too worn out for any sort of proper sparring with Shiki, he would come by to tell her that in person. Or send a text message, at the very least.

There are no new texts on Shiki's phone. Hoshi-san and Takagi-sensei have already been out for the better portion of the day, and it's currently twenty-three minutes past the time that Shiki and Hoshi-san had originally agreed to meet up at.

It might be nothing. Maybe they were just stuck in traffic. But…

Shiki deliberates for a moment. "Is it alright if I get back to you later, Tsumiki?"

"Of course, Shiki. Do what you need to do! Hopefully everything is alright over there."

Hopefully, yes. After hanging up on her call with Tsumiki, Shiki carefully navigates to her list of phone contacts.

Hoshi-san doesn't answer his phone. Neither does Takagi-sensei, when she calls him next. Shiki waits a few minutes, but neither her classmate nor her teacher returns her calls.

Sighing, the girl finally scrolls down to another contact on her list, and raises the cell phone to her ear again.

"… Hello, Choki. I hope I haven't caught you at an inconvenient time…? Yes. It's about Takagi-sensei and Hoshi-san, actually. I can't get in contact with them, and they're late."

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.

…

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