Osoro looked over at the group of idiots as they fooled around, then looked back at Ayoshi, asking, "Why were you with that idiot?"
"He came to me trying to fight over the girl he liked. She is my friend, so I offered to help."
Osoro let out a sigh, "That idiot is always doing too much. I'm sorry."
Ayoshi shook his head, saying, "It's fine. I can tell he genuinely likes her." As the two talked, he could smell something unpleasant. With a slight frown, he asked, "What is that smell?"
Osoro sniffed around, but couldn't smell anything out of the ordinary. "What does it smell like?"
"It smells like smoke."
Osoro's face turned red as he let out a violent cough. Ayoshi gently rubbed his back, trying to help him calm down. After calming down, he said, in a hoarse voice, "Who knows… what that smell is…" Ayoshi sniffed around a little, getting closer and closer to him, causing beads of sweat to form on his forehead. "Ok! Look at the time, you should head back with Togo!" He looked over to Togo, yelling, "Togo, don't you want to go now!"
Confused, Togo said, "No, I still want to talk wi–" Osoro glared at him with a dark look, giving off a terrifying aura. This scared him, causing him to stutter out, "Bo-boss, what's wro-wrong?!"
Through clenched teeth, Osoro said, "I said, don't you want to go."
Togo nodded his head so hard it looked like it would fall off any second. "Ye-yes, I want to go!"
The frown on Osoro's face slightly loosened, he then slightly pushed Ayoshi towards Togo. "Ok, go now!"
Togo continued to nod his head, grabbing onto Ayoshi to run away, not allowing him to get a word in.
After their backs left Osoro's sight, he looked towards the others, yelling, "Quick! Get me a new uniform shirt and some cologne!"
Out of fear, they yelled out, "Yes, boss!" Then quickly ran off as fast as their legs could take them.
Osoro reached into his pocket, taking out a half-empty box of cigarettes. With slight hesitation, he crushed up the box in his hand, remembering the look of disgust Ayoshi had from the smell of smoke. He let out a deep sigh, calling his brother. "How do you quit smoking?"
***
After the two left, Togo asked, "Well, I quit the gang, now what?"
"How are your grades?"
Togo scratched his chin as he thought long and hard. "Umm… probably not good. I skip class a lot."
"We need a precise understanding of what your grades look like. Let's go talk to your homeroom teacher."
Togo let out a loud groan, "Fine." After some inquiring, the two had a detailed packet of all of his grades and how he's been doing throughout the year. He always knew he didn't do well, but seeing all of his terrible grades together made him feel… ashamed. It was not a nice feeling seeing all of his failures put together. His eyes were downcast as he asked, "Why are we doing this?"
"Don't you want to make yourself a better person for Uekiya-chan?"
"Yeah!"
"Then you need to start focusing on your schoolwork so you can get into a good university."
Togo frowned, saying, "But my grades are so bad. I don't know how to make them better?"
"You need a tutor."
"Tutor?"
"Yes, and your tutor is going to be Uekiya-chan."
Togo's jaw fell open as he filled with panic. "What?! She can't!"
"Why not?"
Togo started throwing his hands all around. "We-well, because… because she just can't!"
"This will be a good opportunity for you. She's already tutored your brother, which shows she's a smart girl and can help you. Not only would your grades improve, but you would also get to spend some alone time with her."
Hearing this, Togo started to waver. "Do you think she would agree?"
"We won't know if we don't try."
Togo let out a shaky breath. "Ok."
"This also means no more skipping. You have to come to school on time and arrive at class before the tardy bell rings every day. Understand?"
Togo deflated like a balloon, saying, "Understood."
"Good, now let's deal with your uniform."
Togo looked down at himself, asking, "What's wrong with the way I look?"
Ayoshi's eyes raked over Togo's outfit. "You look like a delinquent, basically asking for trouble. Also, have you and Uekiya-Chan ever talked?"
Togo remembered all the times he tried to talk to Engeika, causing his heart to fill with sadness. "I have tried to talk to her, but she always seemed reluctant to say anything to me. She always looked at me with unsure eyes."
"Maybe she was scared of you."
"Scared?!"
"A lot of the students are scared of delinquents, you can be intimidating. If we change your appearance a little, you'll get a more welcoming look."
Togo thought about it for a second before nodding. Then his hands launched to his hair, asking in a panic, "Will we have to change my hair?!"
Ayoshi looked at Togo's silly hair, saying, "No, it gives you a certain… charm."
Togo let out a relieved sigh with a smile. "Well, where are we getting the new uniform?"
"I know someone. Follow me."
After some walking, they arrived at the infirmary. Ayoshi knocked on the door, causing Mujo to open the door. Mujo smiled at Ayoshi, asking, "Is there something wrong? Are you hurt?"
Ayoshi shook his head, explaining, "My friend needs a new uniform."
Mujo looked at Togo. His shirt was a graphic tee instead of the usual button-up the school had given out. His uniform jacket sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and it was tattered from fighting.
"Where is your uniform shirt?"
Togo awkwardly scratched his head as he looked to the side. "At home, I never wore them."
Mujo let out a sigh, "At least we don't have to replace those. Your pants are also slightly dirty, but they can be washed."
With a red face, Togo coughed into his fist. "Umm… these are my only good pants…"
Mujo shook his head as he walked back into the infirmary. "Wait here, please." He soon came back with neatly folded clothes in his hands. He handed them to Togo, asking, "May I ask why you want new uniforms?"
"I want to become a proper student."
Mujo gave Togo an encouraging smile. "I'm glad you wish to better yourself. I wish you luck."
The two gave Mujo a thank you and walked away, looking at the clothes given to them. "It looks like he's also given you the sweater vest. Put that on tomorrow, it'll make you look friendlier," Ayoshi said. Togo pouted, but still reluctantly agreed.
***
The next day, Togo and Ayoshi met at the entrance of the school. Togo wore a nice white button-up shirt that was clean of wrinkles and the soft blue sweater vest over it with brand-new black pants. If it wasn't for his silly hairstyle, he would look like a regulator student. He pawed at himself in discomfort. "I feel strange."
Ayoshi gave him an approving nod, saying, "You look good."
Togo grew a small smile, asking, "Really?"
"Yes, Uekiya-chan will definitely find you handsome."
After receiving Ayoshi's encouragement, Togo felt determined, yelling, "Let's do this!"
A few seconds later…
"I can't do this! I just can't!" Togo had tears and snot running down his face as he yelled.
Ayoshi listened to Togo's mental breakdown as they stood in front of his classroom. Engeika, inside the classroom, smiled at her classmate as they talked. He flicked Togo on the forehead, shocking him into silence. "Stop being a big baby, go in there and talk to her."
Togo nodded and walked into the classroom without realizing. Once he was finally in front of Engeika, he snapped out of his daze.
Engeika looked at Togo in surprise, feeling unsure. "Hello, do you need anything?"
Togo's face turned tomato red and bullets of sweat ran down his face. With a high-pitched voice, he stuttered out, "My na-name is Ata-atatsuma Togo!"
Engeika couldn't help, but let out a laugh as she relaxed. She couldn't help but think he was a little cute. "Yes, I know. You're Botan's older brother."
Togo tried to talk again, but his voice was still high-pitched, so he let out a loud cough. "I was wondering if you could tutor me?"
Engeika looked at the silly boy standing in front of her, gave him a gentle smile, and said, "I would love to."