(Not So) Good Morning

"Are you trying to run from us again?" This was a bad spot to be in. Unfortunately for Yuriko, this was what she found herself in with her sister hiding behind her.

"I already told you. I don't want to deal with you anymore." She replied to them.

"Hmpf." The main girl in this gang was talking with her. "You got weak haven't you?"

"Whatever, I'm not letting you get me in trouble." She wished that she could fight her way out of this, but with Yurisa here. That might not be the best idea.

"Listen here." The girl grabbed her arm. "I don't get the big idea, what's with you avoiding us ever since you got back." Yuriko balled her hand in a fist. This might not be the type of situation to avoid physical action. Even if she didn't want to do it in front of Yurisa. Luckily, she did have to.

"You should probably lay off." Another voice entered this conversation. It was Arata. "This is hardly how I imagine people want to spend their mornings." He attempted to look cool, when on the inside, he was panicking heavily.

"Oh I see now." The girl turned her attention to him. "No wonder you're so soft now. You went and decided to make a boyfriend out of this loser."

"I'm just a friend." Arata responded in an agitated tone. "One that would rather you leave her alone." He wasn't sure what exactly he had walked into. When he found out that Yuriko had already left before he got to her house, it worried him. So he was glad he was here to help.

"Listen you punk. You should mind your own business. Or else we'll teach you a lesson again." She threatened him.

"Maybe you shouldn't…" Something caught his attention. "Wait a second, did you say again?" Arata was confused by the word choice. He took a look at this girl. She had long red hair. Though unlike Yuriko's, this was obviously dyed. She had the school uniform of their school, but he had never seen her before.

"What wrong punk? You too stupid to say anything?" The girl taunted him.

"I'm sorry, but have we met before?" He didn't know why this girl acted like she knew him.

"Ha, you hear that?" She said to the other two girls with her. "We must've beat him so hard, we gave him memory loss." They laughed at the joke, then the girl got up into his face. "We can do that again."

"Look." He tried to keep cool, or else he knew he was going to lose. "There's a kid here." He pointed over to Yurisa. "Maybe we shouldn't be exposing them to violence." For what felt like an eternity, the two engaged in a staring contest.

"Whatever." The girl backed off. "I don't feel like getting myself dirty today." She said, before turning away from him and leaving with her posse. He sighed, his body felt so light from that stressful situation.

"What are you doing here?" Yuriko asked him. Sad that he was present for this. She was certain that she sent a message telling him that she wouldn't be able to walk with him today.

"I got a little worried I saw that you were already gone." When he met her parents, they told him that she had already left. Despite the fact that it was rather early for school. The bigger thing that stuck out to him when he met them. Would probably be the shock when they saw him. As if they surprised it was him specifically.

Without much more argument, he accompanied her to drop off Yurisa. He wanted to ask about what had just happened, but felt it should be in front of the young child.

"So what exactly was that all about?" He asked her, once they started to make their way to their own school. "Who were those girls?"

"It's nothing you should worry about." She answered." They're just a bunch of delinquents." The truth was that she had been contacted by them. She didn't want him to have to deal with them too.

"But they were causing you trouble. Plus, they apparently knew me." He didn't really know why that was the case. As far as he knew, he'd never even met them before.

"It was probably a case of mistaken identity. You're not exactly a unique looking person." She rationalized.

"Okay, well what was her name? You know, maybe it might jog my memory." After some pause, she gave him the answer.

"It's Rouza Ichinose…"

"Hmm?" He racked his brain for a bit. "Nope, I got nothing." He figured that she was probably right, and dropped the subject. However, something else popped up that would give them something to talk about.

"Good morning!" Arata felt a person wrap their arms around him, from behind. "Funny to run into you today." It was Matsu, who was gripping rather tightly.

"G-good morning." he strained to say the words, with how hard she was holding. "M-maybe you could let go…" He had to pry her off of him with the help of Yuriko.

"It's not everyday I get to see you before school." She giggled. "But I didn't realize that you walked with Kikugawa." She delivered that last line, with a hint of sadness.

"This is new." Yuriko made sure to inform her, as if to try and clear a misunderstanding that didn't exist. "It's not like we've always done this."

"Yeah…" He noted that she was really acting like a tsundere with him. Though that was probably so no one else would get the wrong idea about the two. Especially Yogi.

"Really? That's interesting…" This type of questioning wasn't lost on him. He could tell she had other reasons for being curious, even if he wasn't sure why.

"Well, I guess if we're all here. We should head to school now." Walking with them, that was an interesting experience for him. Usually, he would just go to school on his own. Now here he was, walking beside a couple of girls. Cute ones, he might add.

"Now that I think about it." Yuriko broke the silence. "How come you're not at school already. Didn't you get my message?"

"Oh, sorry, but I can't get messages with now." He answered. "You see yesterday, my phone broke."

"That sucks. How'd that happen?"

"Well, it's a long story, but it happened when I got stuck with Misei in one of the classrooms." He was disappointed with those events. Now he was going to have to pay for a replacement. Maybe his dad could lend him an old phone?

"Yo-you were stuck in a room with the president?" Matsu's demeanor completely changed. "As… As in, alone? Just the two of you?"

"Um… Yeah?" He answered her, bewildered with her sudden change in mood. "Is there a problem?" The way she was acting. He was reminded of what Misei said about her, or more accurately, the way she was cold about the girl.

"Oh… Um…" She nervously darted her eyes. The tip of her thumb in her mouth, as if she was biting her nails. "Of course not. I'm sure that nothing happened…" She trailed of her voice towards the end.

"Sheesh, with the way you're acting. Do you not like her or something?" Yuriko asked.

"Oh no. Nothing like that. After all, she's the school president, and I respect her for everything she's done for all the students." That was oddly formal coming from her.

"I mean." Arata thought he knew what the problem was. "If it's about the budget and how she wasn't going to grant all your requests. She was only trying to be fair and-"

"Oh no, it has nothing to do with that!" She interrupted him. "Look, we made it to school." She changed her tone, returning to a cheerful mood. "Come on, let's go." She ran up ahead of them.

"Hey, don't just run off!" He chased after her, not wanting to let her slip out of this. Yuriko shook her head in disappointment at what she was witnessing.

He was keeping good pace with her, since she was a rather small girl. But at the same time, he was regretting not making sure to keep up his exercise. Right before they were going to enter the school building, something grabbed his attention instead.

"There you are!" He stopped dead in his tracks. Turning around to the source of the voice. He saw a girl, arms crossed, with an angry look to her. It was Ichiri Susaki, the director for the play during the culture festival.

"Oh hi. I didn't realize you were looking for me." He was not really sure why she was standing like this. Probably trying to look cool or something. "You're name's Satsaki, right?"

"It's Susaki!" She yelled at him. He was a bit disappointed in himself for mixing her with an anime character. "It's Ichiri Susaki. Get it right at least! I would hope my rival knows my name."

"Sorry, wait a second. Did you just say rival?" That was not what he was expecting this morning. Nothing that had happened was anything he was expecting.

"Yes, I did." She confirmed. "Look at this!" She held up a newspaper to his face. It was of the school's. This one was dedicated to the events of the festival they had recently celebrated.

"Oh cool, they even have something for the play." It was a picture of the final scene. He could even see himself standing besides Erina in it.

"Not so cool, if you read what they have to say." He read it, he wasn't sure what she was talking about. In fact, there was a lot of glowing praise for him and Erina's performance specifically.

"I don't know what you're talking about. It looks like they enjoyed it." He told her.

"Yeah, they enjoyed your performance. But there's not a single word about me." She responded in anger. "You stole all my attention." He was a little sorry, but it didn't really sound like a big deal."

She started to storm off from him. The stomps from her feet being rather audible.

"Listen, I won't let myself get upstaged by you!" She turned and pointed a finger at him. "I'll show you I'm bett-" In a rather cheesy sense, a gust of wind caught her off guard. It blew up her skirt, exposing her underwear. In a rush, she desperately pushed down her skirt.

"Um… I didn't see anything?" He lied, hoping to cut off that avenue before he was asked. It turns out she really likes wearing those teddy bear panties…

"W-whatever." She responded flustered. "I'll beat you anyway." She walked away from him. He could officially say that this was the strangest morning he had ever lived through. At least he could take solace in the fact that nothing else was going to happen... Well, fate has a funny way of proving him wrong.

He went over to his locker, not bothering anymore with trying to find Matsu. School was going to start soon and he didn't want to be late. As usual, he opened it up, but something different happened.

A note was placed inside, right on top of his shoes. This immediately gave him a stressful feeling. The last time he got a note in his locker, it changed his life. But maybe it was Erina sending him a note, since he can't exactly respond to phone calls.

Slowly, he opened up the note. Afraid of what was inside. As it turns out, with what he read. He had every right to be scared. In shock, he dropped it to the ground. His body unable to move. Inside was a picture he never wanted to see.

"I know your secret. So stay away from Yogi Aono."