The next day Adam awoke in pain. His body ached all over, and he struggled to get himself out of bed.
"Ugh…" [Adam]
Though he wished he could've stayed in bed, Adam forced himself to sit up.
("Damn… Aurora could've held back on those punches…") [Adam]
Going through the daily routine as usual, he was on his way to school.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
"Agh… my back hurts." [Felix]
On their way to school, Felix stretched as they walked. The two had slight bruises on their faces, but it wasn't anything worth worrying over.
"Hey, Adam. Be honest with me. Does it look bad?" [Felix]
Felix tapped his face, unsure whether or not the injuries he sustained had worsened.
"Didn't you check the mirror? You have one in the bathroom you know." [Adam]
"Yeah… but it's better to have another person's opinion." [Felix]
Seeing as how Felix was pushing the subject, Adam decided to take a look.
"Hm… Not "too" bad." [Adam]
"What do you mean not "too" bad?" [Felix]
"Just a few scratches. Don't worry about it." [Adam]
"...If you say so." [Felix]
They continued the rest of the walk in silence. Once they had entered their class, Adam and Felix mingled with the others.
"Morning." [Adam]
"Good morning." [Sora]
After greeting his classmates, Adam took his seat. While waiting for the class to start, he decided to ponder within his thoughts.
("...I guess Sora is warming up to the class.") [Adam]
"What do you mean by that?" [Krino]
("He managed to reply to me without stuttering for once.") [Adam]
Krino went silent. It was not until several seconds had passed that he spoke once more.
"To think you're able to notice small details like that, but not realize the feelings of another..." [Krino]
"What was that?" [Adam]
"Nothing." [Krino]
As the clock ticked, the bell rang. Within moments after the class had started, Mr. Frank entered through the sliding door.
"Good morning." [Mr. Frank]
"Good morning." [Class]
Mr. Frank stood at the front of the class, pulling out an electronic tablet out of his coat as usual.
"I'm taking attendance. Just say "here" if you're here. If you're not here, then it sucks to be your grade." [Mr. Frank]
("Harsh…") [Adam]
Continuing on, Mr. Frank began to call names.
"Adam." [Mr. Frank]
"Here." [Adam]
"Brandon." [Mr. Frank]
There was no reply.
"...Brandon?" [Mr. Frank]
He looked at Brandon's seat, but there was no one there.
"Weird… There goes his perfect attendance." [Mr. Frank]
Though Mr. Frank found it strange, he shrugged off Brandon's absence.
"Felix." [Mr. Frank]
"Here." [Felix]
"Katherine." [Mr. Frank]
"Here." [Katherine]
"Jessica." [Mr. Frank]
"Here." [Jessica]
Mr. Frank went down the list unimpeded. That is, until he reached Orion.
"Orion." [Mr. Frank]
There was no reply.
'...Orion too?" [Mr. Frank]
Looking up from his tablet once more, he checked Orion's seat.
"...Eh, guess I'm marking two people absent today." [Mr. Frank]
Just as he was about to write on the tablet, the class door slid open.
"I'm here." [???]
There came Orion, but there was something off about him.
"...As much as I would like to ask why you've come in that shape, I simply don't care." [Mr. Frank]
Orion had arrived with a battered face, along with messily wrapped bandages around his hands.
"Are you going to mark me absent or not?" [Orion]
"Oh, don't forget me too. Mark me as present please." [Brandon]
Popping out from behind, Brandon made his appearance. Similarly like Orion, Brandon also had cuts and bruises around him.
("...What happened to them?") [Adam]
"Did you two get in a fight?" [Mr. Frank]
"No." [Brandon] [Orion]
The two shook their heads in unison, but Mr. Frank simply stared at them.
"Haa… Whatever the two of you did… Nevermind. Just… Just go to the nurse's office." [Mr. Frank]
"But are we marked present-" [Orion]
"Yes, I did! Don't worry about it! GO!!" [Mr. Frank]
He waved them off, allowing them to leave.
"Ngh…!" [Orion]
"Ow!" [Brandon]
The two made an awkward scene of stumbling outside, making Mr. Frank sigh with a slight hint of worry.
"Damn it… Hey, Felix. Wait, no. Scratch that. Adam, can you go escort them to the nurse's office?" [Mr. Frank]
"...Me?" [Adam]
"Hey, why not me?" [Felix]
"I was thinking of sending Felix since he has good grades, but since Adam is a minio- member of the student council… Ah, screw it. It's too hard to explain. Just go damn it." [Mr. Frank]
Too bothered to deal with the rest, Mr. Frank shooed Adam outside.
("What the hell is up with that teacher…?") [Adam]
"He was pretty accurate though." [Krino]
("Shut it.") [Adam]
Ignoring the living sword in his mind, Adam approached Orion.
"Wanna borrow my shoulder?" [Adam]
"..." [Orion]
Orion looked down at both his arms and shook his head.
"I'll pass. It'll only hurt more if I lean on someone." [Orion]
"If you're not taking it, then you mind if I do?" [Brandon]
"Go ahead." [Adam]
Walking over to Brandon's side, Adam helped support Brandon's weight.
"Thanks." [Brandon]
"No problem. Just tell me if it hurts." [Adam]
The group moved down the hall with no problems whatsoever. They moved slowly due to the injuries, and Adam thought it a good idea to start questioning.
"So… How did you guys get hurt?" [Adam]
Though he asked them a question, the only reply he received was silence.
"...Did I say something wrong?" [Adam]
"Not really." [Orion]
"Then why are you so quiet?" [Adam]
Orion turned his head towards Brandon and nodded.
"You wanna say it, or should I?" [Orion]
The two stared at each other, neither speaking until at least a few seconds had passed.
"Let's just say… It's a long story." [Brandon]