The Same as Usual.

- G-Good morning…! - The ten years old girl hesitated slightly on the threshold of the kitchen, glaring at the older boy sitting at the table across.

- Uh… - Roy moved away the smoking mug from his face to look at his little sister, chuckling at her messy look. As always, she had overslept and dressed up in her school outfit in a rush. Even if he had been blind he could've easily guessed by all the noise that had come from upstairs for the past six minutes. - What's with all the din?

- I don't know what you're talking about…! - Said the dirt-blond haired child, stomping to sit to the other side of the table with a pouting face.

- When you're moving around the house, it sounds like there is a monster inside… - Replied the boy, taking another calm sip at his mug.

She immediately stood up from her chair and dashed around the table to charge him. - I'M NOT A MONSTER!!

The black-haired boy placed the mug on her head, keeping her down with a small pressure of his hand. - Such a small monster, though…!

- Getting buddy-buddy from the very morning, huh? - Their father walked to the table, placing down two sealed lunch boxes. Roy let his sister go and stood up to pick one of them, before carefully putting it in his book bag. The little girl gave their dad the good morning, her fury already gone.

Just as his sister started to eat breakfast, Roy picked up the school uniform's blazer from the back of the chair and put it on. - I'm done…

He grinned hearing the girl gulping at him. He knew what was coming.

- You're leaving early? - She asked weakly.

- Yep. Got basketball team forming today. The captain graduated last year, so all the seniors have to be there if they want to candidate for the role. - He slid the book bag on his back and said bye to his father, before walking outside, holding the urge to turn and look at his sister trying to eat the rest of her breakfast at hyper speed.

Outside, he walked to his mountain bike and removed the locker around the wheel, silently counting the seconds of every action. After short, he got on the bike and exited the small alleyway in front of his house. He had counted about ninety-six seconds when his sister's voice came from behind, a pained cry as she was still in the process of swallowing the last mouthful of cereals and run at the same time.

- Wait for meeeeee!

Shaking his head, he stopped and patiently waited for her to climb on the carrier behind. - You know, you still had a while…

She didn't say a word, and just kicked his calves to give him the 'go'. The boy snorted, but complied. He knew he hadn't been much different from that tomboy to his older sisters when he was her age.

And also he knew that if there was anything he couldn't stop at this world, that'd be a girl in love.

–––––––––––––––––-

Roy's bike stopped about ten minutes later, next to a sweet-faced blond boy, also with a white and red-striped mountain bike.

He was already waving his hand, as he had spotted them the moment they had turned around the corner. His new eyeglasses were doing a good job. - Good morning!

- Hey, Hikari. - Roy greeted to the younger boy, leaning against the handlebars. Behind him, his sister was looking up at the Junior, her face as red as flames.

- Hello Roy. - The boy looked down at the little girl. - Good morning, Felicia. I see you're quite the morning person today.

- Y-Yeah! - She blushed even more, looking away.

- Yeah, apparently monsters are able to have breakfast in less than five minutes…

Rapid and relentless Felicia's kick came, and Roy hid his head against the arm on the handlebar, suffocating a cry of pain while his friend got on his bike and prepared to follow them, completely blind to the ten years old's move.

- So Felicia, is it true you've been always waking up late lately?

- Huh? Huh!? W-why do you ask?

- Roy told me… Yeah, he told me you're always waking up late because you go to sleep late in the evening… - Hikari glanced at Felicia before looking ahead again. - Is there something that won't let you sleep? Are you troubled?

- Eh… - Roy breathed as they approached the elementary school. - Stupid little girls can't possibly know what 'to be troubled' means… Here we are, off you go.

Felicia hopped off the bicycle and made a couple steps towards the gate to her school, before whirling around to wave at them. - Bye!

- See you around! - Hikari tossed something in her direction, and the girl caught it, looking down at the gift in her palms as the two started to pedal towards the High Gardens.

- You're spoiling her with this habit of yours of always giving her all kinds of treats when we drop her at school… - muttered Roy.

Hikari laughed softly. - Well, someone as to, since you like pretending to not be the kind-hearted big brother she has when she isn't looking.

Roy stared dully at him while reaching to the back of his head to scratch it. - Whatever… So what's your plans for the year? You're not going to sign up to every club again, are you?

- Actually, I already did…!

- … Always one step ahead. So should I even bother asking you if you're going to try and actually 'play' some? The Juniors could use a point guard…

- I don't know. I didn't mind my role last year.

- … You did nothing but gather the balls after our training…!

- AND I've learned a lot by watching you guys. One shouldn't underestimate such a free point of view in the field. - Hikari smiled brightly. - Wouldn't you agree, Mr. Power Forward?

Roy rolled eyes and didn't say another word until they reached the High Gardens gate. Everything was the same as usual…

The Troublesome Boy

The young Elvaan took a deep breath and dashed resolutely, counting his own strides: one, two, three… at the seventh he jumped, bringing his hands over the pommeling horse and spreading his legs to leap past it. The landing worried him, but he had trained hard for that evaluation and he felt confident: bringing his feet together, he touched the sandy-like ground and slightly flexed his legs before straightening with his arms up to the sides, as he had seen others doing before him.

- Well executed. Good job, Kyokuto. - Unfazed, Ms.Grim wrote the grade on the folder.

- You're really a good gymnast! - Exclaimed a human classmate with big green eyes.

- Heheh! It's just because I like it…

- Sit down.

The Elvaan shivered at the sound of the calm voice coming from under Ms.Grim's hockey mask, dark and gloomy as the one of a specter. Staring at his feet, he made a quick bow with his head and trotted to sit cross-legged with the rest of the classroom, while the next student stood up dusting off the back of his shorts.

Too busy staring at the lecture, he didn't even notice the girl from before scooting next to him. - So you're the one of the cultural exchange?

He moved his golden eyes on her. She didn't look any particular, even though that might've been because during athletic classes everybody had to wear the same outfit. Though he noticed the ponytails to the sides of her head, and a pendant shaped like a three-leaf clover hanging from her neck. - Yes. - He quietly replied, glancing at Ms.Grim to make sure she wouldn't be staring at him… as if seeing where her eyes were pointing at could be any easy. Such a mysterious teacher.

- I don't think I caught your name, earlier. - The hume tilted her head, slightly embarrassed.
He smiled. - Shion. You?

- Sephirya. I live near Windurst. You stay at the dorm, right?

Shion nodded, turning to look at another student trying the exercise.

The girl gave it but a glance before talking again. - How is it?

- Hmmm… - Shion took a moment to think. - It's a little strange. The bed is comfy, but I'm not used to have a room all for myself. - He paused. - And they said that I can't sneak out for a midnight snack.

Sephirya giggled. - Maybe you could take something from the Cooking Club. You've signed in for that too, right?

He nodded frantically. - You too?

The Hume nodded, and he turned his head quickly at her.

- And is your cooking good!?

- Kyokuto, Idavoll. Last call. - Said emotionlessly Ms.Grim. The class turned to stare at them and the two winced, bowing down their heads.

- S-Sorry… - said Shion weakly.

Sephirya bit her lower lip with a guilty look, and waited for everyone to turn back to stare ahead, before slightly peering at the red-haired boy.

- I can handle a few recipes. - She whispered, without looking at him.

He glanced at her and imitated her motion. - Would you make me food then?

- … Did you ever cook?

- Not really. But the Cooking Club sounded like a good way to get an extra snack.

The Hume clapped her hands over her mouth to suffocate a laughter. - Ok, I'll help then…!

- Great! Thanks a lot.

She nodded again and then they watched the lecture together.

- You like athletics a lot, huh? - She asked after a while.

- Mhm.

- You're really good at it.

Shion looked to the left, past the wire mesh keeping the track circuit separate from the outer basketball court. - Yeah, but they're better.

She blinked and turned her head in the same direction, watching the ongoing match. - Oh, but they're Seniors, it's normal.

A black-haired guy scored a field goal right then. Almost immediately a small chorus of exclamations and cheers aroused, and Shion only then noticed a group of girls watching the match with sparkling eyes. He frowned, vaguely envying the upperclassman's attentions.

- You're both very good. - Sephirya seemed to be comforting him, with a smile.

He looked away. - When I'll be his age I'll be much taller. - he muttered.

In the basket court, the match was over. Sephirya perked her head up, noticing the black-haired boy talking with a blond one. The blond one was about his same height, and was wearing a blazer over his jersey, keeping hands in the pockets.

- Hey, I know that guy. It's… - She spun her head around to glance at Ms.Grim, before waving animatedly in their direction.

The blond hume noticed her almost immediately from over the black-haired classmate's shoulder, and with vague perplexity stepped towards the wire mesh… only to slip on a basketball and fall face-first to the ground. Both Shion and Sephirya covered their mouths not to scream in surprise at the scene.

They watched the basketball team quickly approach the check the blond's conditions. The black-haired boy crouched down to look at him in the face. - Mathias… - he called, with an half-amused, half-perplexed tone.

Massaging his head, the blond pointed towards Shion and Sephirya, perhaps explaining what had happened, but his voice was too low for the two ninth-grade students to hear him.

The black-haired guy looked at the pointed direction and blinked at them, and his curious expression quickly turned into a big grin. Grabbing Mathias's shoulders, he spun the blond boy around towards Shion and Sephirya, and then hooked his index fingers to the corners of Mathias' mouth, stretching them in a ridiculous grimace. The rest of the team around them burst out laughing.

Shion blinked for a few seconds, before bursting out laughing along with Sephirya.

Shion almost immediately stopped, sensing the looming aura of Ms.Grim right behind him, he started to turn to look up at her in terror, but a sudden scream of pain and fear coming from the main building of the school made many heads turn, Ms.Grim's included.

There were several minutes of silence, before three figures walked out from the building. Shion recognized only the second: it was Mr. Idavoll, the school's vice.

- You can't quit like this, professor Naji. - He was hissing, keeping up a quick pace to chase the first figure. - The year just started! You signed a contract with us to…

- I didn't sign a contract to die! - Yelled the other man, marching furiously towards the elevator leading to the ground level of Ro'Maeve Square. He was covered in chalk powder, his clothes ripped, with a fresh black-eye and blood dripping from his nose. The third person was who Shion guessed to be the school nurse. She kept patiently trying to dab the man's nose with some medicament, only to be continuously dodged.

Mr. Idavoll scowled at all the students watching the show, to then whip his head back in direction of professor Naji, his ponytail furiously flying from his shoulder to his back. - We don't have a substitute for your faculty yet! Give us at least the time to find one.

- I guess your students will have to do without Law lessons this year then. - Professor Naji reached the elevator and pushed the button to activate it, before turning to point at the building at the center of the structure. - And if your headmaster has even the smallest bit of common sense, he'll do without that son of a Shadow Lord, too!

- He's just a troubled kid. - Said the nurse quietly.

- With a demon inside. - Muttered Mr. Idavoll, earning a scowl from the woman. He rolled eyes and grabbed the other hume's shoulder before he'd step in the elevator. - Professor Naji, get a hold of yourself! What do you even think you can possibly do with your miserable curriculum, anyway!?

- I don't know! But rather than risking my life with the Freshmen again, I'd rather spend my life as.. as… as a doorman! Good day, Mr. Idavoll!

And he stormed in the elevator, quick to move it downwards. The other two just stared at the closed doors in silence for a good minute, before the man spun around and started marching back towards the building, yelling at the students. - What are you staring at!? I don't think I've heard the ring bell yet! Keep going with your endeavors!

- I hope you're not going to do what I think…

- Oh I so am, Ms. Sant. - Cut her off Mr. Idavoll. - I'll go to talk to the Headmaster right away. - He stopped to look up at a window of the building. - AND YOU!

Shion and Sephirya looked up. Only then they noticed the boy sitting with one leg hanging over the windowsill, his right arm resting on the other knee, staring down at the courtyards. He was too high and far for Shion to see his eye color, but he had dark chestnut hair cut just above the shoulders, with two locks swinging to the sides of the face.

Mr. Idavoll whipped a finger at the boy sitting up there. - I TRUST YOU KNOW THE WAY, YOU TROUBLESOME RUNT! TO THE COUNSELOR, NOW!

The boy didn't even blink. Or he didn't seem to, from down there.

Mr. Idavoll's right eye twitched, and he glared at the nurse out of the eye corner. - Get that whimsical slacker out of wherever he's wasting his time and our school's money and tell him I want that kid in his office within five minutes. - He hissed.

Ms. Sant looked about to reply, but just let out a scoffing noise and left in a separated direction.

- HEY UNCLE AARON! HIIIII! - Sephirya stood up to wave enthusiastically towards the vice. Shion looked up at her startled.

Mr. Idavoll gave but a glance at the little girl before walking in the building at full speed.

- He's your UNCLE!? - Exclaimed one of Shion's classmates, his jaw dropping.

- Mhmmm! - Sephirya turned to look at him with a big grin, which then faded as she started straight at Ms. Grim's figure towering over her.

- Miss Idavoll.

- Y-yeah…? Erm, yes, Ms. Grim? - She stuttered.

The mithra handed her a bucket. - Fill it, and carry it for ten laps.

- B-but…

- You interrupted my lecture three times. - Ms. Grim turned to look at the others. - Keep going.

A Tarutaru student whispered at Sephirya. - Don't cut the corners or she'll cut you!

She and Shion exchanged a worried look, and then the girl sighed before walking to the water pump used to wash the track. Before lowering his head down, Shion noticed Ms. Grim staring back up at the building, in direction of the chestnut-haired boy who was still sitting on the windowsill.

Quite a troublesome boy, indeed…