[SS] A New Tutor! Roam Free, My Imagination!

July 23rd
3:30pm

"...And if you don't get in shape, Kenji, you're going to be stuck EXACTLY where you are!" It was hard to gauge the expression on Kenji's face as his homeroom teacher lectured him. His face was buried deep in a book; but nothing involving any of his classes. The title, plastered in English, "3,000 League Under the Arctic!" The cover displayed an old submarine, with what appeared to be a never ending cascade of an iceberg floating above it, the book's cover darkening at the bottom to show a loss of vision. Today especially, being the last day of school, Hayama Kenji was looking forward to any setting but the stuffiness of the classroom.

Yet here he was, everyone else dismissed, and he was still in class. It was already half an hour after everyone was dismissed, the students chatting away about their summer plans as they left the class in groups. Kenji's homeroom teacher was doing everything possible to make sure that Kenji wouldn't be stuck where he was. It was frustrating have a student that showed any medium of potential just waste his time while he was being afforded the best education he could maintain. Had he known any better, with the level of genius that Kenji entered Academy city in, he could have easily made it into any of the top High Schools Academy City had available.

The homeroom teacher was writing something on the blackboard while lecturing Kenji, but as soon as it appeared that Kenji wasn't paying attention, the chalk snapped in the teacher's hand, with the piece that was still in the palm being chucked at Kenji. It hit him square in the forehead, causing Kenji to drop his book more out of surprise than anything else. Kenji quickly stood up, pointing an accusing finger at the teacher. "Hey! Be careful! The library only has one copy of this edition!"

Seeing the upset look on his teacher's face caused Kenji to frown, and he sat back down in his seat. He was hearing everything being told to him; he just didn't want to register it as truth.

"I don't need remedial courses! I'm passing, I'm attending classes regularly again! What more do I need... to do." He trailed off at the end there. He knew his performance wasn't enough. Since he started High School, he had done nothing with his time there. It was as if he had entered a slump he couldn't get away from. The only time he felt alive was outside, when he could feel a cool breeze hit him as he ran through the city. Even games were beginning to bore him. He felt trapped, and didn't know what to do with himself. His homeroom teacher had recognized this before the end of this year. And it had finally culminated to this point.

Another piece of chalk was drawn from the teacher's desk, as the chalk once again tapped on the black board. "Here. Everyday. Consider yourself lucky that someone is making this time for you. And don't you dare miss out on a single session; I've asked to be given a weekly report of your performance. We don't have a lot of time left together, Kenji. Make. The most. Of your time."

--Half an hour ago, as everyone was leaving the class--

July 23rd
2:58pm

Knuckles embedded deep into his right cheek, Kenji stared out the window as the class was wrapping up. There were groans and complaints of students be given orders to attend remedial courses, and there were giggles and joyous voices of other students who were making plans for the summer. Festivals were going to be attended, family was coming to visit, dates were being planned. Kenji could count the things he had planned for summer on one finger. Check out this new arcade he had found on one his runs. It looked to be a fairly popular place, offering a variety of games outside of the normal carnival type games. Being more of a console gamer himself, he never really touched arcades before, especially seeing as it involved interacting with other people, but he was willing to give it a chance this summer.

Just as he was getting out of his seat, his homeroom teacher walked over and laid a hand on his shoulder. "We need to talk. It will only be a few minutes." Waiting for the teacher to return took long enough. By then, Kenji was already deep into the book he planned to finish today before returning it to the library. It was getting to the good part; the end being a perfect culmination of the entire submarine's crew's adventure. The teacher came back scribbling directions on the blackboard, talking and explaining things to Kenji as he did so. Grades could be better, it was a shame for a mind to be wasted, what about the hopes of developing Impulse Drive, didn't Kenji have dreams outside of his imagination.

What was being offered to Kenji was tutoring. Not the normal kind either - this was a special favor the homeroom teacher had called in. Apparently teachers had friends outside of teacher faculties. Such a comment was another in the many chops to Kenji's head that he had suffered over the years he'd had this homeroom teacher. As he nursed his head by rubbing it gently with his hands, the teacher got very serious. "Kenji. You aren't in danger of being left behind at all. You can continue the way you are right now, and just pass school. You'll then get out in the world, and realize you're still here in the class. You'll have nothing to show once you're out of here. And if you don't get in shape, Kenji, you're going to be stuck EXACTLY where you are!"

--

July 23rd
3:35pm

Kenji was now staring at the desk in front of him. The English title was a blur on the book in front of him. He had no witty quip for the teacher, no thought out response. He only nodded, packing his things away as he did so. "Fine. When does this start? And who am I even meeting with?" "Tonight. At the mentioned place. You'll see when you get there. Just make sure to meet exactly where I told you to. You have an hour until your first session. You guys can hash out the details later. And Kenji? Have a good summer." The homeroom teacher left that last part with a sigh, and left the classroom. Kenji sat there a while, contemplating what to do. At least it was the library - he could return the book.

Strapping on his book bag snug against his frame, Kenji made his way out of the school, and began plotting a map to the library. He had less than an hour, and if he just walked there normally, would just barely make it on time. Not that he was concerned with being late, but he knew he could get there faster cutting through a couple of parks and school yards. Tapping his shoes as he changed out of his school shoes, he hustled his way through his school yard, taking leaps over fences and dives through as many openings as possible, barely missing several students on his way out.

Once at the library, Kenji took off his jacket and threw it on the table along with his bag. He leaned back in his chair, finishing off the last of the book as he waited. There was about 15 minutes before the aforementioned time of meeting was to take place. He wouldn't be done with the book by then most likely, but he'd be even closer than before.

Kana was currently en route to a library, though not the one she usually went to herself. Just a couple hours earlier in the day she had been asked by one of her teachers to tutor as a favor. She commonly tutored students who asked her directly, or when her teachers had wanted her to. What made this case unusual was that they attended a less than notable school. Her teacher had a friend who taught there with a student who didn't seem to be living up to their ability. She wasn't told much, other than the student seemed to be having some difficulty in several fields.

She had spent the last hour and half in her library plotting out a schedule and strategy for the student. While she wasn't certain of the material in question, she had brought along about a dozen books which she figured would have a broad enough range to cover all the bases, given the classes she figured he would be in. The only problem she now faced was that she had spent a bit longer than she had meant to working everything out. As a result Kana was about to show up late to their very first tutoring session. She would be reluctant to admit it openly, but this was actually a common trend.

For the future sessions maybe I'll have them send me a message early.

Though she was roughly 30 minutes late, finally, Kana arrived to the library. She wasn't given the students name, and wasn't even sure what the school uniform looked like, but she kept a look out as she walked into the library. She herself was still wearing her own uniform, with her jacket worn on her shoulders. She was carrying a large bag over her shoulder today as well, though it was of course full of the supplies she had for tutoring. As she walked into the library, though, she also slipped on a pair of glasses. Many in her classes often regarded this as her entering some sort of 'serious mode', but it more like a self suggestion. The library was a little bit emptier than she had expected. Since school was out, she figured there would be more students coming to read up on material.

Maybe they decided to go to an arcade today? Well, that'll just make it easier to find the problem student She scanned the room again, noting one student, likely around her age sitting around at a table reading a book. What stood out to her most was his posture, along with the way he had laid everything on the table. When combined with his appearance she was certain he must've been the one. She marched over to the same table Kenji was sitting at, ready to begin tutoring.

"Are you the student here for tutoring?" She asked, as she began to set her bag onto the table, and began removing various books into nice and neat stacks with their bindings facing towards Kenji so he could see and read them. Books such as Basic Algebra, Geometry, local history, and world history included. She also laid out some other books more related to power development, though they were all just as basic as the ones she pulled out for general studies, such as "What is an AIM field?" and "Understanding your Personal Reality." "Hopefully some of these will help us, but we are at a library, so if they're a bit above where you're at we can always go get something else."

The book ended in what Kenji could only call a cliffhanger. Sure, all the adventures were wrapped up, but the crew suddenly found themselves in a new location - escape never possible. He smiled as he closed the book, noting the time as he did so. Kenji's lips pursed to the left. The whole arrangement was bizarre in the first place. If his homeroom teacher just wanted Kenji to do better, wouldn't finding a means to motivate him be better? The tutor was probably thinking the same thing, possibly blowing the whole thing off. If Kenji were in that same place, he

Noting the time - 5:30 - Kenji began getting up to leave when he noticed a girl looking around with a large bag attached to her body. With her small frame, she looked like a goblin with a large treasure bag strapped over her chest. As was normal, she was in her school uniform... school uniform. Dark attire. White cropped sleeves. And that emblem. You've got to be kidding me... It didn't take long to recognize the girl was from Nagatenjouki. And those students would never normally grace the rows of books of this library.

Shoving his things further to the side, Kenji added his book on top of everything, making space as he saw the girl heading towards him. It seemed she had recognized him as well; they were, after all, practically the only people in here. He knew his homeroom teacher had chosen this library for that very reason; Kenji already didn't like being around too many people, and the students who normally would have come here would have decided to take today off. It was a Friday, and classes were over. There were much better things a student could be doing but spending their evening within the confines of the library walls.

The girl seemed eager; didn't even introduce herself. Kenji watched each of her movements carefully, and the amount of books she began laying out. His mouth hung open for a moment, before he noticed and immediately shut it. The girl came prepared. She spoke quickly as well, getting straight to the poiunt at hand. Kenji didn't even know how to respond to her. She dropped a lot of bare basic books; things he had gone over since middle school, back when education still gave him a thrill. The Math and History books stood out the most - were these the subjects high school students had to go over?

His eyes also drifted over to some other subjects she brought over as well. One particular title, "Understanding Your Personal Reality" caught his eye.

--
October, A few years ago

"No way. This is really awesome." Kenji was standing before a large cork-board. There were a bunch of spilled books behind him, with one opened title "Understanding Your Personal Reality". There was also a bag of marbles splayed out behind him, and several lengths of straight cut materials such as chains, ropes, and threads. Currently, he was standing before the board, as marbles were scattered over the floor in front of it, or embedded into the cork-board itself.

In his left hand, he was currently holding a length of velvet. Placing it down, he picked up what appeared to be a cleaned bike chain. With no specks of oil on the material, he was able to grip it firmly in his left hand. He began spinning the chain to his side, doing so for about half a minute. At one point, the chain dropped from mid air, facing the ground as he held it in his hand. The chain made no sound, and suddenly something was shot out of Kenji's right hand.

Another marble embedded itself directly into the cork-board. "I can't wait to tell Rei about this!" He beamed brightly as a pair of researchers wrote things down in their notebook, nodding at Kenji's enthusiasm.
--

July 23rd, 5:32 PM

Kenji fingered at the book and looked up at the girl. He once again noted her eagerness to start right at this moment. He also noticed the glasses that were held up on her nose. She had the complete look of a studious student. Given that she also appeared to be around his age, he figured she was some sort of professional tutor, someone who probably furthered herself by helping others with studying. Not only that, seeing as she was from Nagatenjouki, that already qualified her as a genius among students.

He explored how strange this setup was once again. Did he have to treat her politely? What type of person was she? Was she getting anything out of helping him? He looked back down at the books again and pushed away any that were near him. He knew what he was told, but he didn't want to waste his time. Or this girl's, for that matter. He immediately took the stance that neither of them belonged here, and neither would benefit from each other's company. She did make the time to come all the way out here though, and he wasn't about to be rude. He was told he was often enough.

Closing his eyes, he pushed himself up by bracing his arms on the table. Letting them fall back to his side, he placed his right hand on his hip as he looked at her directly. "Hayama. Hayama Kenji. Seventeen years old." He waited for her reaction, keeping a direct gaze on her. He was curious as to how she would respond.

As Kana was grabbing the last book from her bag, and setting it into the table the young man introduced himself to her. She realized then it was something she had forgotten to do herself, and while it may have been a bit rude she didn't feel particularly bad about it. "Nice to meet you Hayama-kun. I'm Tsukomata Kana. I'll be tutoring you in your lessons for a while, and make sure you get back on track. Your teacher seems to expect a lot more from you than you're giving."

After her brief introduction she pulled out a chart from her bag, and held it up triumphantly in the air for him to see. At the top, it was titled "Beginning steps; The path to Academic Success." The page listed various material and reading for every other day. In addition it had assignments for those same days. For each day listed on the program, it expected two hours to be spent studying, not including the time spent on the homework. And on each weekend, they were to meet up again so she could help him with any issues he had, and make sure he's making the expected progress. The listed material was the same as on the books she had brought with herself, still sitting on the table.

"As you can see here, I've already written out a detailed program on how we can best get you up to speed with your peers. I've given you time off every other day, so you shouldn't feel too overworked. As long as you stay on schedule everything should be fine."

As Kana went over the program, she seemed quite proud of the work she had done on it, beaming with happiness. She handed the sheet of paper to Kenji for him to look over. She wasn't sure what kind of a lazy student he was, but she expected that the schedule would be agreeable enough. She was prepared for him to be an even worse delinquent as well, though. In such a case she was prepared to play the "You'll ruin your future," card.

After Kana had introduced herself, Kenji reached out to the books that were distributed on the table. At the same time, she had displayed her chart with a very... hopeful title. To see someone so enthralled at the idea of tutoring, and not only that, being the tutor, threw Kenji off. The only issue was that he was no where near as eager as she was, but he was offended that she thought he didn't know the subjects she had laid out on the table.

Can't blame her though... He pointed down at the math and history books in front of them. "These are not problems for me." Picking up the Geometry book, he began spinning it around on the table slowly. He frowned as well. He didn't know what to ask her to help him with. Maybe it was best to just start with the last few tests he had done in class. The end of the year was his worst performance in school by far, even going as far as failing a few of the test.

He then reached to his bag, and started shuffling through his notes. Finally finding one, he grabbed a test paper that had a grade of 55 on it. The subject material had to do with scientific theory, asking students to apply different methods of solving for problems using the stated methods. Instead, Kenji had just answered the questions with no computations done on the paper, or anywhere. "Alright bright eyes. Maybe you can help me out with this. What's the point of using these theories if I can already solve the question?"

Without missing a beat, he reached in and grabbed a few more test papers out. Grades varied from 70s-80s for the most part, but a few dipped into the 60s. He didn't bother explaining why he got the grades he did for the other subjects. He sat back down on the chair and pulled the schedule away from her to take a look at it himself. "Every other day... weekends too?!" He looked back at Kana, his mouth pursed in amusement, but no laughter came out. "You must have better things to do than tutor me. This is our entire summer! There's no way--" Just then his phone rang. He had forgotten to take the volume off, so the tune came on that he had for his sister. It was an 8-bit chiptune version of a theme from a side-scroller beat 'em up game Rei and him used to play, "Anger Highway".

He stared at his sister's face for a while, putting the volume down on his phone so that it only vibrated in his hand for now. He almost forgot Kana was there, flipping the phone open to text her that he would have to call her later that night. He knew he was taking a chance there - she might be asleep once he has a chance to talk to her. He frowned again, sadness displaying on his face for a mere moment before he remembered where he was. Kenji looked back up at Kana.

"Sorry. Uhm. Where we again?"

Kana frowned a bit, disappointed the books she had picked up wouldn't all be useful, but she wouldn't let it to get to her. She had already accounted for that possibility anyway, it would just be some minor adjustments to correct it. As Kenji pulled out a few of her tests and handed them to her she began to read them over, to see where the faults currently were.

She was a tad surprised though that Kenji didn't seem to be satisfied with the schedule she prepared for him. She wasn't going to let him get out of it, but just before she responded the young man's phone went off.Ah... keeping a phone on in a library? Guess we'll have something else to go over, too. Just as she was adding it to her mental list of points to go over, she realized it was the theme from Anger Highway, a retro game she used to play when she was younger. Not that it was surprising, but it seemed Kenji had interests in video games as well. Kana nodded to herself as she came up with a good idea that may benefit Kenji's progress.

"Okay, so first thing is first." She held up the test paper he scored 55 on in one hand, and pointed to it with a thin pointer stick she had drawn from her jacket, although it was obvious what she was discussing without the need for it. "I see why you would question the need to understand all the theory, just because you can solve the answer for this particular question. However, that is a narrow minded view. The purpose of this test was to show your understanding of the theory, not to simply answer the material itself. There could be many applicable situations where you would be unable to get to an answer in this same manner with your shortcuts, and it would be best if you took the time to learn it in full. With this very same material I could write up a similar exam and you would be completely stumped, even though it's the very same theories."

Kana expected Kenji to be able to understand the depth of her words, and went on to the next topic without much time between, now using her pointer to indicate the schedule Kenji was looking at. "Next is the schedule. It's only every other day that you would need to go over everything. It is only a few hours every other day, so it accounts for a very small percentage of your summer. While I only would see you on the weekends, I have other students to tutor on other days as well. As far as better things to do, I will still have plenty of time to study myself.

Kana now directed her pointer to the phone Kenji had been using. "You shouldn't have your phone turned on in the library, however, it helped me come up with an idea which may benefit your progress. If you can show me satisfactory results after each session of our tutoring, I will give you the opportunity to decrease your workload, if you are able to beat me in a video game we can both agree to have a fair contest in."

After her offer she twirled her pointer before returning it to her jacket. She wasn't sure if she would need to play her final trump card against delinquents here. While he seemed to resist the idea of the schedule he didn't outright deny it, so she held some hope for him yet.

Putting the phone away, he listened to her reasoning about the test being about the theory and not the answers. It of course made sense to him, he just didn't understand why it had to be restricted to such. It was one of the many issues he had with schools, a sense of narrow-mindedness that didn't allow the student to explore other possibilities and solutions. Still, the test was about the theory itself, and he wasn't impressing anyone with his reasoning.

In fact, Kenji understood full well the impact his behavior was having not only on his grades, but himself as a person. Within the last year, he had been drained of any reason to move forward, bordering along the lines of a depressive and negative mindset. He reasoned it was the purpose of this tutoring in the first place. As Kana was pointing to the schedule, he looked back and forth between the two with interest. Here was a person who was the complete opposite of him; clearly, not only did she do her school work, but she had afforded time to be able to help others. And not just him, from her last statement.

When she mentioned the cellphone again, he began looking up at the ceiling, wanting a moment to just phase her out and think about Rei. He almost didn't catch that last bit. "Into video games yourself, huh." The prospect of being allowed more free time resonated with him, even though it probably wasn't true. He thought back to playing Anger Highway with Rei and how much fun he had. Ever since he came to Academy City, he hadn't played any cooperative or competitive games, so he wondered where he stood on that front. Role playing games were his bread and butter, but he did have an interest in competitive games a while ago. It would also be a good chance to check out the new arcade. "Studious, well scheduled, and she plays video games. Must be the envy of everyone at Nagatenjouki, aren't you? Fine, then I have a proposal for you!" Kenji then stood back up, just as Kana was putting her pointer away. He pointed a finger directly at her.

"You get to choose the game. I get to choose a single subject. After we're done for today, we're going to a nearby arcade, and I'll show you what I'm made of!" Kenji then gave it more thought. The terms weren't challenging enough, and he wasn't getting much out of it. So he added another stipulation. "Let's do this. I choose this same test I got the 55 on. We go over the theory right now, and while I'm studying it, you create me that test you said I wouldn't be able to pass. If I win, tonight's games are on you. Deal?" He sat back down, leaning the chair back so that it was tilting on its back legs. He didn't think it was an absurd challenge, and maybe it was interesting enough for her to try.

"As for your schedule... fine. I'll stick to it. But when I do start winning, don't hold back on your word!" he grinned, but more to himself than in response to Kana. He was going to have some interesting stories to tell Rei tonight. His phone buzzed in his pocket again. She had responded to his text. He hoped it said that she would be around later tonight, but he didn't keep his hopes up on it. Tomorrow was the weekend anyhow, so he could always give her a call in the afternoon in the hopes that she would be able to pick up. The grin turned  to a smile as he imagined their conversation later.

"Of course, I'll hold up my end." Kana smiled, happy with progress made so far. She was satisfied that it seemed like Kenji may have a bit of a competitive spirit. Thanks to that it shouldn't be too much trouble to work with him, or take the tutoring in the direction needed. She reached over for her bag, and pulled out a few sheets of paper, and a pen.

"I'm going to go grab a book, and then we'll get started." Since she had misjudged Kenji's academic level, she didn't have any books on hand to help with the scientific theory he had wanted to go over. She walked away from the table, and despite having almost never been to this library, seemed to know exactly where she was going. She headed immediately to a certain section, and row, grabbing a particular book before returning to Kenji's table.

With her newfound book in hand, she took a seat by Kenji, and sat it down in front of him. "This book should help you a bit, but I'll go over some of it with you." She opened to a specific chapter, and went over a couple of the more complex ideas, before assigning him a couple chapters to read.

"Okay, I'll go ahead and write up the test, just let me know when you finished those chapters."

Kana walked around to the other side of the table and began writing the test. To anyone who would happen to see her, it would seem as though she were enjoying it, not unlike a kid coloring in their art book.

He had to have said something right because Kana looked happier than a girl her age should look in a library. What was it about her that liked studying so much? He then remembered a few years back when he was assigned his ability's name. Understanding was a key point of developing an ability. Ever since he learned Rei was bed ridden, he hadn't given his ability much thought or practice, outside of seeing how far he could propel himself. He gave minimum effort these days when researchers came by to test their ability level.

One of the worst things he'd been going through recently was lying to Rei about how he was doing in school. Preferring not to worry her, he just said everything was fine, and he was doing really well. Thankfully, even on the rare occasion that family could come visit their children, Kenji didn't have anyone coming over. As long as he kept just passing, it was enough. He didn't have sort of incentive to do better anymore. He couldn't even dream of one day running through parks with Rei, or showing off his ability to her. He bit his lower lip. No one in his family was talking about it, but he was wondering how much Rei's treatment was causing. He was living on a stricter budget than most other kids, sending any funds he could to his family, hoping that at least it was helping someone else, if not Rei.

Kenji's mind shifted focus once Kana returned with the book, seeming like her smile was bigger than before. Kenji blushed a moment and looked away. It suddenly dawned on him that this was the first time he had ever been this close to a girl other than Rei. Once she sat down next to him, he stared intently at the book, refusing to look at her even when she directed a statement or question to him. He had fished a pencil out of his bag, and had focused on distracting himself by twirling it around over his left hand. His heart had quickened ever so slightly, but he was worried it would be beating visibly through his shirt not unlike how one would see in a cartoon.

Eventually, she left his side to write up the test and left him to read on his own. "G-got it! I'll be done with this reading so quickly!!" He glanced through the text, but found himself intently focused on his reading for once. In his mind, he saw his own eyes widening with understanding. As he read more of the text, he began to understand why using this theory was more prevalent than anything more complex. Kenji did all he could to hold back a snort at his own arrogance. He considered himself smart, but never gave himself a chance to apply his intelligence anymore. A sudden realization hit him. Some of the basics of this theory actually helped him think about a few things differently. He thought about how he was practicing, giving him an incentive to look outside once he had finished up reading.

Done with the said reading, he looked up and over past Kana. It was getting darker outside, the sun already having the appearance of setting down for the night. Had he actually not noticed the time passing by? His eyes shifted back over to Kana. "Okay... Okay! I'm ready for whatever you've got... bright eyes." She didn't seem bothered by the nickname last time, so he figured that would be the best way to refer to her now. Besides, he had already forgotten how she introduced herself. Tsunami? Tsudenko? Ah, he'd remember soon enough. Perhaps.

While Kenji was spending his time studying, she was still working on the test for him. The test itself would be pretty straight forward, and not contain any trick questions. Normally she was a fan of them, to make sure one stays focused, but she deemed it a bad move so early in the tutoring. It didn't take her too long and she had already filled the two papers she had pulled out, both front and back with her test.

After that, she just waited for Kenji to finish up reading. She took notice that it looked as though Kenji were actually taking it seriously. While she had noticed his competitive trait before, this seemed a little different. It didn't look like he was just trying to learn this to overcome the trial alone. She wasn't entirely sure what his motivation was, but she was thankful it was driving him.

Since Kenji was still studying, she reached over her the schedule she had written earlier, and decided to update a few bits and pieces on it. She had a better idea where Kenji was academically, so now she could set it up properly. Roughly around the time she had finished updating it, Kenji declared that he was ready for her test.

"Oh? Are you sure? Well, here you go Hayama-kun" She handed the test papers across the table over to him. While looking over the paper, Kenji would likely notice she had even left a name field for him to write into. Completely unnecessarily, it would look like a fully detailed paper you would see in an actual class.

"Heehh.. Look at that." Kenji accepted the test and put it down before him. He closed his eyes for a moment. Okay, Kenji. You'll get some free games out of this. How hard can a test made up so quickly be? He opened his eyes with a sigh and shifted the pencil he was holding onto the paper. "Name. Date. Nagatenjouki really is a whole other level. Okay bright eyes. We start... now!" It may have sounded condescending, but Kenji was genuinely impressed with Kana's level of specificity. He jotted down his name and the date, as if he were taking the test in a classroom setting. His focus then dropped down to the first question.

Within a few minutes, he had gotten through the first side of the first sheet. He hadn't noticed there were two pages initially, but did so just when he was about to hand the paper over to Kana. The second sheet dropped as he lifted the first one up. He gaped momentarily, but figured she was just intent on not paying for the games. The heck?! Alright short stuff!! I'll show you... For the love of-, are there more questions on the back of EACH paper?!" His fingers lingered on the paper momentarily. He looked back up to Kana, who appeared to be staring directly at him. He quickly looked back down at the paper and blushed with embarrassment... and then with a furious rage to finish the test.

Kenji then flipped over the first paper. His gaze lost focus for a moment, feeling overwhelmed by the amount of questions. In his high school, there was never anymore than what was on the first sheet. She basically just handed him 4 full tests to do. And it had been years since he even fully finished one test successfully. A frown pursed on his lips, but he brought up the eraser of his pencil to that same frown. He nibbled on the eraser, nodded to himself, and got back to the test. He began right where he had left off, doing his best to make any extra equations on the sides. A lot of the calculations were performed in his head, but Kenji remembered to put what he did down on the paper to 'prove' he knew what he was doing. It was an annoying concept, but the offer of free gaming brought him right back to focusing on the test.

Eventually he finished all 4 sides of the test. He had already lost complete track of time. Was the library even open still? Had someone locked them in? He knew he was over exaggerating the time spent - there was still some light outside, no matter how dark it appeared. He decided it best to go over each page once more before he'd hand it over to Kana - while straight forward enough, he wanted to make sure she wasn't trying to pull a fast one. The test should have been all about the theory only.

Confidant with himself, he handed the test over to Kana. He was able to answer each question successfully using the theory. There were one or two where he had to use a different version of the equation, or bring in another equation, but it was straight forward enough. It reminded him of just a few years ago in middle school - being on point and on track with everything. "And you better choose something other than the claw machine. Those things just rob you blind." At this point, he just wanted to get out of the library. He began to feel antsy, tapping his right foot on the ground rapidly. It had been a long time since he sat still for this long.

During the time it took for Kenji to finish the test, she hadn't had much to do. When she wasn't patiently watching his progress, she was jotting down notes and ideas for ways to tutor Kenji further, and the habits she had taken notice of. After a while, she had run out of anything to do, and she had left the book she was in the middle of at her room. She could've grabbed another book to read, since they were after all in a library, but that wasn't appealing for the moment.

Finally after some time had passed, it seemed Kenji had finally finished with the test. She eagerly grabbed the papers from him. Before responding to what seemed to be a joke, she just looked over all of his answers. While reading, there were several times when a "hm" escaped, or times when she nodded to herself. It only took about three of four minutes, but afterwards she turned to face Kenji, and gave him a thumbs up and wink. "You did well. We'll have to go over a review next time, though, to make sure you really took it in."

She stood up from her chair, and stuffed most of the papers and books back into her bag. She left out the modified schedule, and the new book she had gotten for Kenji, of course. "This is your new schedule to follow, though if you have any concerns or any other areas you wish to study, just let me know and we can rearrange it."

She threw the bag over her shoulder, and took her glasses off, stuffing them into her jacket. She didn't have any particular game in mind, but if she was allowed to choose she figured there was no way she could lose. "Well, lets go ahead and go to the Arcade then, before it gets much later." She looked at the time on her phone, and realized it was already later than she realized, but not too late for their plans. Before even waiting for Kenji, she began to walk to the door and step outside. After walking out, she just stood out front waiting for Kenji to follow.

"Hey, hey, what the hell, I thought you said there was a Level 0 hunt going on... Where the hell is this punk?"

Natsuki spoke irritatedly, three others trailing him as he met up with a second year from his school. He was agitated because it would be a waste of effort to gather up even these guys, if it was a dead end, on a friday.

"L-look, it's over there. It's that library! I saw one of those Nagaten elites with Hayama from our school... I think..."

"You think... You saw?"

"I mean, come on boss, they've hunted around here before, I wasn't going to..."

At this point, Natsuki suddenly grabbed his underling by the collar and brought his face close, speaking slowly, and clearly, making sure he caught what he said. He was smiling, but his tone displayed his displeasure.

"You weren't going to what? Risk your precious neck for someone from our school? Someone you KNEW?! You're going to have to grow a pair if you want to Protect. What really. Matters." He said, cutting each word into the boy's ears through clenched teeth, "All you had to do was keep an eye on them... If I see this "Hayama" in there, beaten to a fucking pulp by this Nagaten punk..? I'll beat you myself. So you better hope he's alright." He finished lightly, letting go and giving him some distance as he continued walking. The library was in sight, and this small group of five increased their pace.

It did ring suspicious to Natsuki, though, an elite coming to this area, of all places... The upper levels had everything they need prepared for them, ready at hand so they could continue their studies; compared to the lower classes who would have to travel to a library like this. It was a small injustice that Natsuki set aside for now, as he pondered the elite's motives.

1. This Nagatenjouki student clearly wasn't here to study, they had much better facilities they could access easily.

2. What was Hayama doing here? Natsuki didn't know the guy, but it's a goddamned Friday, and it's already pretty late.

3. Why this library? It isn't even that close to our school. And it sure as hell isn't close to Nagatenjouki. Few probably even come here.

Putting the three points together, Natsuki unveiled a plot in his mind that reeked of injustice. Perhaps he got called out? Blackmail? Money? There was no end to the villainy Natsuki could imagine some pompous elite would do to someone from his very ordinary school. He would get some answers, and soon, he thought with no small excitement as he saw the distinct uniform come out the doorway.

He and his group climbed the short stairs up towards where... She? A girl? Well, I suppose it doesn't matter for espers. He'd seen females just as vicious as any street thug, and in some cases, their arrogance was all their own level, spending their lives in environments that treated them like princesses. Regardless, it didn't take long for their group to arrive as she came out the door, seemingly lingering about. He didn't see a guy with Natsuki's uniform on, so he expected the worst.

Picking a winning smile, Natsuki opened his mouth to ask her what she was doing here so late at night, but an underling on his right spoke first, "Hey, Nagaten bitch, the hell are you doin' around here?" Natsuki closed his open mouth slowly, his smile frozen on his face as he slowly craned his head to the right to look his comrade in the eyes. The two men on his right froze up seeing his expression, while the two on the left shuffled about uncomfortably. Good. Quickly turning back to the girl with his smile back on his face, he cleared his throat once and asked her politely, "It's a bit late in the night, don't you think? For someone like yourself to travel this far from your school. I don't mean to ... er... Pry... But it begs the question my comrade intended... What exactly are you doing around here? ..." He paused a moment before making his threat clear, "Surely a girl like you weren't looking for... Trouble?" He had no proof, none at all, that she had come here with ill will, but he had already assumed the worst and if any of her actions confirmed her surely villainous intent, he would have to be ready to strike first. Who knows what kind of powers she hid, especially coming from such a prestigious school.

Kenji picked up the schedule as Kana left, taking a look at the changes. Dreadfully, the time still remained exactly the same, but he did notice a few things that interested him. A lot of the subjects they never went over in class. He took it in momentarily. He didn't know how well he would keep with her study schedule, but it's not like he had anything else to do over the summer. No job, no other studying plans, no job. He shrugged, putting the schedule away with only one of the books Kana had picked up from the library. If he needed the others, he'd just return to the library himself.

While he stood there debating whether or not he should put the books away, he heard some yelling outside. He would have gave it no mind, but he heard the Nagatenjouki out there. He grabbed his things and headed towards outside. From the doors, he saw a group of young males, some wearing a uniform similar to his. There was one guy in the middle, with 4 more, 2 flanking either side. He raised an eyebrow and he pushed the door open. He tossed his uniform shirt on the ground, but held his backpack behind him with his right hand. He leaned forward, gauging the people in front of him.

Two of the guys he recognized well enough. He didn't remember their names, but he had seen them pushing around some kids around outside of school. Were they here to harass him? No... their focus seemed intent on Kana. What the heck was going on?

"Hey, you punks. The hell you guys doing here?"

Kana was waiting patiently of Kenji to exit since she had rushed ahead, partly just to get some fresh air. As much as she enjoyed the library's atmosphere, she was ready to move on. She watched as a few other students began to approach her. Based on their expressions and general atmosphere she decided it would be best to be ready for trouble. She began to concentrate her power onto the area, not to move anything, but simply to create a field where she could feel movement against her power.

After the first one spoke, it was pretty clear that they were trying to start trouble. "Are they from skill-out? They seem like they are probably low level espers or level 0s, based on their attitude." She stared silently while the one who seemed to be the leader of this small group spoke to her. She couldn't help but find it ironic that he asked her if she were looking for trouble. It seemed more fitting to ask it back even. "Is that not what you're doing now? Looking for trouble? There was a student I had to work with here today." Despite what should be a stressful or otherwise terrible situation to find oneself in, Kana was actually completely calm. Infact, while it wouldn't be easy to tell by her expression she did feel a tinge of excitement as well.

"May I ask what business you have with me?" After asking her question, it wasn't too much later that she heard Kenji come out and shout at the men around her. She wasn't sure how they would react, would they leave now?

"Is that not what you're doing now? Looking for trouble? There was a student I had to work with here today."

"May I ask what business you have with me?"

Natsuki kept his smile on his face, but internally, he was just about to lash out. This small girl's coolness under the situation all but confirmed that she was an esper of level, and worse, that she was used to a situation like this. Even a mid leveled esper would show more signs of worry or readiness against five opponents in close range, but this one was calm. Collected. Calculating. All mental states that worked against Natsuki's fighting style. He could tell his underlings were unnerved too, but they had less experience than him. They tried to hide their tenseness with irritated and restless motions, shifting their weight around or cracking their knuckles, leering, lightly chuckling. While only polite words were shared between the two, the air between them seemed even more volatile than before, now that Natsuki had seen she wasn't afraid of them.

" "Work with", huh. Is that what the elite at Nagatenjouki call it now? "Working" with your "students?" You seem rather... Young. To be a teacher. In fact, I'd suspect there's a little too much you have to learn before you could "teach" any of us. You know what? I think Hayama can handle his own "education", thank you for offering. How about you leave, and don't show your face around Hayama again?"

Even smiling, he was riding the brink of intimidating her and simply throwing a punch, bringing himself almost uncomfortably close to her to make sure she understood their size difference. His underlings approached as well, though remained a step behind Natsuki. If he could drive her off from whatever malicious acts she was pulling over Hayama without a fight, that would be... Slightly less than ideal... But her confidence simply shouted that she might have the power to back it up. Natsuki just wasn't particularly confident in his selection of comrades today.

Interjecting into the delicate situation like a bowling ball through a house of cards, there's a shout from the doorway: "Hey, you punks. The hell you guys doing here?" At this, Natsuki snaps his head up to see who it is, and recognizing his school's uniform, he realizes that this had to be Hayama. A quick glance was all Natsuki needed to judge Hayama's healthy state, belongings, and expression, all supporting the simple truth that the the girl's words were to have been taken literally. The realization quickly dawning upon him, Natsuki snapped his hand out to block the two on his right from lunging at the girl, as they were the most eager of the bunch, his mouth opening to shout at everyone to stop and cool off for a moment while they processed this anew.

However, this sudden movement would have an effect opposite to what Natsuki had wanted. Hayama's shout and Natsuki's sudden reaction together were the flint and steel needed to ignite this explosive situation. Immediately moving on the sudden movements and shouting, the two on Natsuki's left moved in to subdue the girl, opening with immediate violence to try and keep her from her calculations. The one to Natsuki's immediate left, the second-year who knew Hayama, would attempt a simple, but powerful right body blow, warning her belatedly that she "-shouldn't have messed with us!" The underling to the further left would attempt to step behind her and grab her by her upper arms, seeking to restrain her arms through sheer force. The two to Natsuki's right were held back, for the moment, but would soon push forwards to try and smother the girl with their fists before she could use her powers. Though it was Natsuki holding them back, at this heated moment, they hardly noticed and only wanted justice for a crime that had not been committed, cursing out loud in frustration at the temporary obstacle Natsuki's arm provided.

Natsuki, in all this, was mortified at what was erupting around him, and it was all he could do to try and hold the two at his right back while he processed what was happening. It wasn't the first time the zeal of his gang had put them in a fight with the wrong opponents, but this was definitely an all-time low. Here, an elite amongst espers had decided to lend a hand, seemingly, to someone from his school, and they were going to attack her for it. Even Natsuki, known amongst his group for his quick thinking and even quicker decisions, was stricken speechless this time when he was needed most.

Kenji had seen bullying before, but he never encountered a fight with an actual gang. It never even occurred to him that the five people in front of him would be members of Skill-Out. He'd missed most of the conversation before heading outside, but clearly jumped in when the situation was at its most aggressive. He caught the movement from Natsuki, when the two to his left suddenly made a move for Kana. Without dropping his bag, Kenji stepped over to Kana's right side, ready to intercept the first attacker. "Five versus one? Eh, I'll try to even out those odds."

Kana's calm appearance helped to relax Kenji. She wasn't freaking out or anything like that at the prospect of being assaulted by these guys. Still, he didn't want to take the chance that she was doing it for show. "Hope you can handle yourself in a scrap, Bright eyes. You still owe me a game!" Kenji then ducked low as the initial attacker came charging at Kana's right side. Instead of sweeping out or uppercutting, he instead reached out and grabbed the assailant by the shirt collar, putting a grin on his face as he did so.

"Oy... You're way too hot blooded for the library." This wasn't Kenji's first rodeo, so he did have a few tricks up his sleeve, and knew very well how to deal with being outnumbered. Keeping with the momentum of the charger, Kenji spun around on the heel of his right foot as he began to stand back up, throwing the assailant towards Natsuki and the remaining two. During this time though, he had no clue where the second person went, and quickly spun back around to face and help Kana.

Kana was surprised that they seemed concerned with Hayama. Was he a part of their gang? It was the most likely possibility, since why else would they be so concerned with him being at the library? As she listened to them, she was having trouble understanding why she shouldn't help Hayama with his education. Perhaps their gang had some kinda cult like mentality? Suddenly before she even had much chance to respond, one of them jumped at her. Even if she hadn't seen it, due to the active use of her ability, the pressure against her field made it very clear.

While she wasn't physically active, with the advantage of feeling motions within her proximity with her power, it did make up for it, even allowing someone like her to evade swings from thugs like these. She stepped back dodging the body blow entirely. While the other tried to get behind her, she was fully aware of his position, and just shifted away keeping both of them in front of herself while backing up.

She heard Hayama shout out as he came out of the library, she turned momentarily to see him coming to help fight them.  Rather than try to figure out exactly what their relationship was, or why he would fight against these guys who seemed to be concerned for him, she simply would accept the situation for now. When she had looked back and seen Hayama, she had seen a trash can outside the building. With her attention back on the thugs approaching her, she used her power to lift it up, and send it hurtling towards the one who had tried to get behind her.

While the trash can flew forward, she reached into her bag which she still had over her shoulder. It only took a moment, but she pulled out three baseballs. Almost immediately after pulling them out, they began to levitate around her. To some degree it was meant to intimidate them, but if they were to continue fighting, she would retaliate immediately.

"I don't know why you're doing this, but I will make sure teach you the difference between us if you continue this."

"Oy... You're way too hot blooded for the library."

Considering the way things turned out, he had considered Hayama might have this reaction, but was still shocked to see him so quickly push his way into the scrap, snuffing out the small chance that Natsuki held for a peaceful, if apologetic, resolution. The moment Hayama stepped into his underling's swing with an annoying grin on his face, preparing a grip for what appeared to be a typical judo-esque throw, Natsuki gave up holding back the two on his right and stepped forwards to receive his comrade. While this was one hell of a misunderstanding, it was his own misunderstanding, and Natsuki could hardly stand by while his friends got hurt for it. As predicted from by Hayama's peculiar action, Natsuki's underling was effortlessly turned off balance as his momentum was used against him; but only briefly, as Natsuki was ready to catch the man and hold him up just long enough for him to regain balance.

Deciding to tactfully ignore the pathetic mix of confusion and embarrassment vivid in his comrades face, Natsuki turned his focus onto the ominous creaking sound coming from the side. "Ah, so that's your power..." Natsuki mumbled to himself, as he saw the large trashcan lift into the air. Depending on it's velocity, something that large could easily do a lot of damage. If it hits, that is. Luckily, even those with powerful abilities still needed to be aware of what they were aiming at in order to manage the intricate calculations necessary. In this case, the effect was lifting and throwing a projectile, meaning the Elite was almost assuredly tracking her target visually, running the necessary calculations to hurl her projectile at a moving target. It only took a quick glance at her face to confirm that her target was infront of her... Perfect. The two coming at her from the right had taken Natsuki's teachings to heart and had come to the same conclusion, slowing down a moment, wary of the incoming projectile and ready to avoid it. The one circling around her on the left darted in to attack, his arm pulled back, confident that this time, he would land a - - -

*CRASH*

To the entire gang's shock, the boy who had triumphantly circled around was swept off his feet with a resounding blow, as the trashcan flew to the side, striking him in the body by surprise. Natsuki barely had time to register his underling's look of shock and grimaced as he watched the blow bowl the boy into the ground, tossing the poor guy into a short series of rolls, speckles of blood following his path. It wasn't a large amount, perhaps the boy cut himself when he hit the ground, but just seeing the red on the floor unsettled the gang, stopping them momentarily. In the din of the metal garbage can tumbling down the stairs behind them, Natsuki watched to see if his underling would move. He didn't. Natsuki felt the adrenaline drain with the realization, a deep sinking feeling plunging his body into a sudden chill. The one who had been thrown by Hayama quickly pushed back past Natsuki to check on his friend, roughly shaking him. "Oye, Yuri! The hell are you doing, get the hell up! Hey!"

"Unnngh. I... I'm fine... Shit... Shit, shit shit. God damn..." The boy moaned, moving again, cursing indiscriminately to cover the pain. A brief feeling of relief broke over Natsuki, and he realized he had been holding his breath. A new fill of air brought a familiar, almost comfortable feeling to his body. It was a single minded fury that honed his mind and senses upon the job to be done, pushing out the earlier indecisiveness. It looks like I'll have to teach this Elite a thing or two before clearing up this whole misunderstanding. Yes. Justice first, righteousness later. Picking up a pace towards the girl, he tapped the boy still kneeling over Yuri on the shoulder as he passed, giving a simple order: "Take Hayama." "Yeah... Leave it to me boss." he responded, climbing to his feet with grim resolve to approach Hayama steadily. He had been easily thrown by Hayama just before, but now, with his fallen comrade fresh in his mind, Natsuki trusted him to fight with a ferocity that Hayama couldn't simply toss aside.

As he turned his newly focused attention to the Elite, he noticed the floating baseballs lazily spinning around her. Was that a threat? An amused smile crept across Natsuki's face, completely unfitting for the focused anger he felt inside. "I don't know why you're doing this, but I will make sure to teach you the difference between us if you continue this." The threat was effective. Just her words and the floating balls froze the two thugs, both larger than her and undoubtedly stronger physically. Instead of rushing forth to begin pummeling her, they only nervously shifting their weight about, tracking the balls individually with their eyes, their feet planted and unwilling to move forwards, their hands free for anything. Heck, one of them was even shaking, even though he tried hard to hide it; Natsuki supposed he couldn't blame him, considering he was rather new... But... This simply wouldn't do. Power? How did she do that in the first place? As Natsuki caught up to the two facing off with her, he ran it through his head.

Her power was clearly to lift and throw objects, but it also allowed her to deal with things she COULDN'T see. It's possible that she had known Yuri's general position by sound, but would sound be enough to know Yuri's complicated trajectory? He had been circling around... And from the look that Natsuki could recall on her face when she did it, she had hardly calculated something so complicated. It looked exceedingly easy for her, even, to aim and throw that.. As if she had already known the correct trajectory, even without looking. It must be, then, a sort of sense that told the Elite of Yuri's direction, as well as his position. Immediately dismissing the possibilities of Sight and Sound, Natsuki decided that it could very well have been Touch. She was, quite possibly, constantly grasping EVERYTHING in the area in order to tell where they were, as well as manipulate them. A strategy surfaced to the front of his mind, though he wasn't certain how effective it could be with such limited resources to exploit within their surroundings.

Reaching the two frozen in place before the Elite, Natsuki cleared his throat once to announce he was breaking the standoff, perhaps saving himself from a jumpy reaction from his underlings or the Elite, and rested a hand on the shoulder of the one that was shaking. "Go help with Hayama.", Natsuki muttered to him, almost kindly. Hayama likely hadn't discovered his power yet or couldn't do much with it and would probably be a more suitable opponent for that particular underling. So relieved at the change of opponents, the boy didn't even notice as Natsuki dragged his hand along the boy's shoulder as he left, deftly lifting the school bag strung there. Satisfied that it was as heavy as it had looked, Natsuki suddenly changed his grip on the bag to grasp the bottom with both hands, and swung it with full force out towards the Elite, it's contents spilling at her, quickly covering the short distance between the two. In the mess were some harmless material such as papers, folders, or gym clothing, but there were also definitely heavier objects that flew further, such as books and canned drinks. The boy had been carrying the bag to use as a bludgeon if needed, so it wasn't surprising that it had such objects in it. The trajectories of the objects were indiscriminate, and they likely didn't have enough force to cause lasting harm, but the point was to confuse the Elite's senses by saturating the small area with new moving objects. If they could delay or confuse her calculations for even a moment, it would be a major advantage to the two of them now running to close the short distance. Natsuki would attempt to slide low and then sweep her feet from under her while his companion would end his charge by pouncing on her with a flurry of blows.

As for the underling attempting to disrupt Hayama from assisting the Elite, he would rapidly approach while keeping his fists up in a tight stance, ready to strike out at Hayama with full fury if he tried any reaching movements such as another grapple.

He recognized him now, the boy in the middle. He had heard the rumors in his class, but seeing as he held a clear leadership role, he was confidant he knew who was before him. "Fudou Natsuki." He mumbled the words as he watched Natsuki grab the boy he just tossed. Hayama backed up a bit, realizing that he was facing an actual Skill Out gang, people he had heard were a dangerous group. He looked over to his left, as the trashcan came hurtling towards the one behind Kana.

That should have surprised him, but he realized Kana did have powers on her own. She was small, clearly a girl who never actually fought, but it seemed she had a power and knew full well how to use it. Hayama looked at the boy on the ground - he appeared to have been dealt a pretty bad blow. He was bleeding on the ground, but was able to get up and talk. Kenji took a look back to Kana, relieved that she didn't seem affected that she caused such harm. Perhaps the girl was more deadly than he first realized.

Kenji dropped into a stance, knees bent, and arms out to the side. Realizing it would get in the way, he reached up and grabbed at his jacket, slipping it off and tossing it to the ground. Underneath revealed a t-shirt that hardly held back his muscular physique. He took a moment to flex, hoping that the sight of someone who could easily physically do what Kana's power did to the trashcan and the bleeding kid's head would instill some sense into the gang.

He had no idea the extent of Kana's power yet, and only had a rudimentary idea of what it was; something along the lines of telekinesis. It would have to be enough for her for now, as he didn't think he could actually stay by her side and protect her. Being grouped next to each other would make it easier for Natsuki and his gang to easily switch between attacking the two of them. Distance is what was needed right now. Plus, she seemed more than strong enough to deal with her opponents by herself. As the same boy he earlier threw approached him quickly, Kenji spun a pivot on his right foot, turning back towards the library, giving Kana a nod as he did so. He was going to trust her for now.

He began a slow run to the library, making sure the boy running after him kept pace. As he reached the doors of the library, his pace suddenly picked up very quickly. It appeared he was going to run straight through the doors, but that would've been impossible, as the doors opened towards the outside. Kenji instead placed a foot on the door, and quickly ran up it. Once he was about halfway up, he kicked off of the door and spun around, landing a kick to the side of the boy's neck.

Realizing that he the boy falling could be pretty bad, he started absorbing the force as he fell, so that the he would land harmlessly on the ground. Hoping the initial damage he caused would be enough to keep the boy down, he started heading back towards Kana when he noticed a second gang member heading towards him. He did notice how shaken he was though, so instead of doing anything fancy, he just ran forward and launched a punch towards him. However, the punch stopped just in front of the gang member's face.

Kenji had been building up the energy within himself since he landed the kick on the other boy. The vibration within himself was violently shaking now. He knew what this would mean. He stretched two fingers out so that his hand formed the shape of a gun, touching it just to the gang member's forehead. "Bang." A sudden impact of force hit right at the gang member's head, smashing at that small point of impact like an anvil's corner hitting him directly on his head after being thrown.

This would send him sprawling backward and down, likely knocking him out as well. Kenji lifted his fingers up to his lips, blowing as if he was blowing smoke out of a gun. "She ain't the only one here with some fancy tricks, punks." Kenji placed himself in a defensive stance again, standing with his side facing the remaining two members that included Natsuki. His right hand was held up defensively, with his left hand hidden behind it. He bounced from side to side, waiting for another attack, hopefully scaring off the other two from Kana.

Kana looked over the scene, the rest of the thugs did seem as intimidated as she had expected, other than the one who seemed to lead them. Whoever he was, he didn't seem afraid despite her power. It was unusual for a thug like him, but it was possible he had a power as well. She would need to be on guard against him. He sent one of the two thugs away, to stop Hayama.

She wasn't sure what their source of confidence was yet, but assuming the chance that one of them had a power, she couldn't let her guard down. She watched as they began their assault, the leader picked up a bag, and hurled it's contents towards her. If it wasn't enough to see it, the pressure of the various items against her power would each grab her attention. Based on their weight and speed, which she gauged with her field, she could tell that nothing should reach her. However, it didn't seem like he threw this as an attack to begin with. Was it just a distraction to visually confuse her? Or did he realize that she would feel the items float through her field. She quickly moved on from then, and directed her attention to them, as they were now charging at her. She held her left hand out towards the first thug, and actively used her power to lift him off the ground about 5 meters and then propel him backwards. Although she had been aware that the leader was closing in on her, she had mad a slight judgment error, she tried to propel a baseball towards him, but right as she had begun to, he began to fall into a slide, so the baseball flew over his head.

As the leader had intended, he easily swept Kana off her feet. In a panicked state she took the only action she could think to do, and used her power to stop herself mid air, before she hit the ground. After just a moment longer, she reasoned the situation out, and while she didn't like to use her power like this, she didn't have much of a choice. Staying this close to him would be dangerous. She used her power to float back and away from Natsuki, the two remaining baseballs still orbiting around her. It wasn't as fast as the speed at which she threw objects, but it should be quick enough to avoid any retaliation. As she was floating back she launched the two remaining baseballs towards Natsuki. She only distanced herself roughly 2 meters away.

As she was quite confident that the baseballs wouldn't be enough to handle the situation, she reached into her bag and pulled out some of her various school supplies, such as pens, protractors, which might be able to look threatening enough to be used as weapons. She realized that Natsuki still hadn't demonstrated any sort of power, even after coming in as close as he did against her. She was now certain that he didn't have a power. It wouldn't make sense to have kept one secret at this point.

"Do you still think you can beat me? You don't seem to have any power, and as your numbers grow thin, you won't have much chance of catching me by surprise." While it may seem like bluff like she tried before, it was more like a distraction. Rather than simply wait to be attacked again, she reached her hand out towards the trash can she had used early, and hurled it towards Natsuki to force him onto the defensive this time. She didn't think it would catch him by surprise, however, given that he may have already deduced the nature of her power. That was part of the idea, while it was a distraction it had a 2nd layer to it. While the trash can would fly towards him, near the ending of it's motion, as she ceased to control it, she would try to direct her power as he would try to avoid it, to hurl him back. She would need to accurately read his movements, but given the situation, she had decided it was her best move for the situation, where she didn't have enough objects to use against him.

"You're mine!" Natsuki let out in triumph as he felt his sweep connect. Expecting her to crash to the ground, Natsuki quickly flipped into a position to launch himself on top of her where he was confident he could finish the fight with a simple pummeling. "... The... The hell?!" now that he was focusing on offense, Natsuki didn't have the luxury to cover his surprise with his signature composure as he saw his prey quite literally floating away a few meters away. She can even use her power on herself?! The hell is that?! Standing to his feet in bewilderment, he noticed his friend to his right didn't make the charge and was now laid out flat, curled in pain. The hell happened... Natsuki clicked his tongue, trying to fathom what got him. Just as he did so, Natsuki picked up a low whistling noise and on reaction, managed to sway out of the way just in time as the remaining two baseball flew past his face at speed. Watching them fly down the stairs behind him, he noted that they weren't propelled particularly fast. It was possible she had some limit to her power that was being used in moving herself. Thinking on this as he faced where she was, Natsuki began to formulate a different plan before Hayama stepped inbetween them.

"She ain't the only one here with some fancy tricks, punks.", he said cockily, clearly no worse for the wear. Natsuki gritted his teeth. Ah., Natsuki thought to himself bitterly, So this one has got powers too. Greaaaat. From the tone of Hayama's voice, the two he sent to deal with him were likely taken by surprise by Hayama's power and removed entirely from the fight. Probably didn't put up much of a fight either, considering the speed in which he got here. A groan from both the boy that had suffered the sudden kick from above as well as the one that took the brunt of Hayama's flashy power confirmed Natsuki's assessment. The latter mumbled, disoriented, from the ground, "T- That one... Boss... He..." Natsuki didn't have time to hear the rest, however, as he readied himself for Hayama to attack, realizing that he would not be able to reach the elite without dealing with Hayama first. As it looked, though, things seemed fairly hopeless.

"Do you still think you can beat me? You don't seem to have any power, and as your numbers grow thin, you won't have much chance of catching me by surprise." How irritating. She still had the cool to taunt him. More than anything, Natsuki was irritated she would imply he was powerless. That was the mindset of someone who sorely needed reeducation about the limits of esper powers. Begrudgingly, Natsuki was willing to admit she was right in this case though, as Natsuki noted the objects in her hands. While he duked it out with Hayama, she could likely put one of those in his arm or leg at great speed, now that she didn't have to worry about her own defense; Natsuki would have to keep ready to dodge even while somehow fighting toe to toe with Hayama. No large swings, quick and close jabs, and definitely no kicks. Gotta stay light on my feet and ready to ... "B- Boss! Behind you!" A different shakey voice, Yuri's actually, interrupted his thoughts as he snapped his body back to see the trashcan being lifted into the air again with Yuri pointing it out unhelpfully from a prone position. It looked as if he had gotten up at one point but seeing the can floating again, decided to duck. A good decision, as it turned out, as the heavy can hurtled at Natsuki, passing over Yuri, eliciting a pitiful yelp from the boy.

Thinking quickly and watching the incoming can, Natsuki tried to position himself between it and where he last expected Hayama to be, attempting to even the odds a little even in such a desperate situation. As it hurtled towards him, Natsuki mustered the courage to throw his body sideways towards it, generating enough momentum to roll under it. He knew the elite could still control the can, so he hoped that by closing the gap sooner than she expected he could manage to evade it, even if she adjusted it's course. A brief chill of adrenaline as it scraped over his body, and he was safely in a roll on the other side of it.

Seeking to get up in preparation to fight Hayama, now that the elite's projectile was dealt with, Natsuki twisted his body to try and end up in a crouch, but found he simply did not stop rolling. "Wh- what the-" He barely managed to say, as he found he had much, much more velocity than he had expected and in fact, it felt like there was a crowd of people pushing his back, shoving him to keep going, faster and faster. Trying desperately to stop, Natsuki brought out his arms and legs to scrabble at the ground, but he simply could not gain traction, as his roll bounded a full foot off the ground due to the unnatural force pushing him linearly. "Shiiiit-!" He cursed out loud, as his mind raced. Soon, he was sent past a cowering Yuri, over the edge of the short flight of stairs, the elite's power beginning to fade as gravity took over, promising a painful skidding impact with the ground racing now 3 or 4 feet below him.

Complete luck. That's more or less what saved him. His arms still scrabbling through the air for anything at all, he found his hand conveniently, but painfully, sliding along the railing on the stairs, as it sloped downwards to the floor. Grasping onto this lifeline, Natsuki managed to slow himself to a much more tolerable speed as he reached the end of it. Not quite strong enough to stop himself, however, Natsuki still fell into a tumble at the end, but at least he wasn't a bloodied mess along the floor, probably only stopping himself at the other end of the path.

Left prone, face up, Natsuki took a few breaths into the night sky before slowly climbing to elbows, then his feet. Shakey and out of breath, he began a slow trek back up to the rest of them. The fight was very much over, and it seemed the members he brought with him had accepted that, as he saw they were helping each other up by the time he arrived. Two pairs of dejected and defeated underlings stared back at him, seeking some reassurance this particular fight was done. Nodding at them, he told them boldly, suppressing the fact that he was out of breath: "Get out of here... Leave the rest to me.", a trace amount of his smile reappearing on his face. The older two members were wholey unconvinced, as they had seen this before, but they managed to push the younger two into obeying, the four of them slinking off into the dark, the older ones keeping the younger ones from looking back. They knew what was up.

Breathing out steadily as he slinked towards the two students that he had kept waiting, he stopped a medium distance away from them, his hands in his pockets. He slowly tested his shoulders with a roll, but found them sore from the the incident with the railing. He then removed his hand to check his chin and find there was blood on it, likely cut somewhere during the rolling. Other than that, he seemed wholey intact, faring much better than his comrades. After deciding he had left the two waiting long enough with this charade and that putting it off any further would likely grant him Hayama's fist to his face, Natsuki sighed once, looked the two in the eye one at a time...

...

And then bowed a perfect 45 degrees.

In respectful Japanese, he stated loudly while bowed, "The fault is all mine, and I accept the blame for what happened." Facing Hayama now, since he was closer, Natsuki raised his head and changed his standing stance to a straddle with his arms behind his back to show he was prepared to let Hayama hit him; A typical stance for a delinquent submitting himself to the judgement of another delinquent. "I had misunderstood your ... Friend. 's intent at showing up here, and had believed she may have been participating in a Level 0 Hunt and that you were in danger. I... I was wrong." He finished quite lamely, with gritted teeth. He truly didn't have much else to say to cover the story in it's entirety and would await their judgement. Though it tore him up inside to see such an arrogant pair of espers come out on top, he knew when he was outmatched, and even more importantly, now that the adrenaline of the fight had drained, he knew when he was wrong. The relationship between the two was not something Natsuki should have interfered with and was counterproductive towards the greater goal of equality amongst the classes. Natsuki was properly ashamed of what had transpired, though he kept that from his face as he waited.

Kenji had a few moments to watch Kana use her power in full for quite a while. Having dealt with the previous two thugs, they no longer seemed interested in attacking him at all. Kenji didn't particularly enjoy fighting or hurting other people, but he couldn't think of a better way to react when he saw five people surrounding Kana earlier.

The actual moment he was able to start paying attention was when Natsuki was able to land a sweeping low kick to Kana, knocking her backwards. Kenji made a move towards the two, though he knew he wouldn't make it to Kana in time. He gritted his teeth, angered and ashamed at himself for letting such an attack befall his comrade, especially someone he had just met.

Instead, his eyes fell on a sight to behold. Kana was floating in midair, her head barely above the ground, saving herself from meeting the same fate one of the earlier thugs had met. She also managed to be able to keep two of the three baseballs she had out earlier, moving them along with her as she moved herself backwards to retreat from a position where Natsuki should've been able to hit her. He sighed, and stood still once again. The fight had become a one on one fight, and Kenji was about to interfere. Not only did Kana seem capable, but he never saw the need to do anything when his side would outnumber the other.

From what he could tell now, finally, none of the others had any sort of powers save for himself and Kana. While Kana and Natsuki continued their fight, he let that though sink in. He missed anything that Natsuki had mentioned earlier, but he began to put things together. Were they here to beat up Kana because they figured she had powers? Also, how would they even know any of that if they never met her before? He began to suspect other plots, stalking, and other conspiracies.

Next thing he knew, though, Kana had sent Natsuki flying back, to a terrified bunch of guys. His face softened for a moment, unsure what was happening. For a gang, they sure showed fear fairly easily, save for their leader. Natsuki was the true backbone of the group here. He'd have to keep that in mind if they were to ever cross paths in such a way again, but for now, he also looked over to Kana. Clearly, the fight was over now. He hoped she understood that as well.

This fact was solidified with Natsuki yelling out orders to the other four to retreat, and that he'd stay behind to deal with them. With that, Kenji stuck his hands in his pockets and knelt down, showing that he was, at least, out of the fight for now. If things needed to continue, it would only consist of Kana and Natsuki. Once the others had retreated far enough, and with Natsuki eyeing the both of them, Kenji was unsure what would happen next.

And then Natsuki bowed, and his tone of voice, words, and even manner changed. He submitted to defeat. He then said something strange that Hayama was unaware of. Level-0 Hunt? Perhaps there were rumors around, but Kenji had never paid attention to the hearsay of people before. Natsuki was standing there in full defeated position, arms wrapped up behind him. Kenji launched off from the ground, making his way over to Natsuki. He knew he was waiting for something, and Kenji planned to deliver.

Kenji then shot his arm forward, patting Natsuki on the shoulder. "Hahaha what the hell, guy?!! Here I thought you guys had come to beat up bright eyes over here, and you're just looking to defend others?!" Kenji couldn't help himself and stepped backwards from Natsuki, arms on his stomach as he laughed. "If anything, I should be accepting a hit in the face from you! I completely misread the entire situation!"

He took a moment to look back at Kana, hoping that she wouldn't want to continue the punishment anymore. He had no say for her, though, and figured it was perfectly valid for her to do so if she wished. She was the one who was initially attacked in the first place, after all. He took a step back from Natsuki, but kept a slight grin on his face. He wanted to know more about this Level-0 Hunt, and what exactly his group had to do with it in the first place.

Glancing down at the watch, he knew his free game wouldn't be happening tonight. Kana would certainly be wanting to head home after these events, and he had studying he needed to do. His lips pursed, as he realized that in just a few hours, his life had taken a complete turn away from what he was used to. Rei was going to get an earful tonight.

Kana was sure that the fight should be settled now. Kana didn't think it was likely any of them would wish to continue, though on the off chance they did she continued to stay ready. She looked over and say Hayama still looked to be fine. She didn't get much chance to see how he was doing, after he jumped into the fight, but the fact he came out okay is what mattered most. Kana was glad everything seemed settled.

She walked closer to the two after the leader bowed and apologized. As she did, she used her powers to move the trash can back into it's original location, and to gather her baseballs and everything else back into her bag. Afterwards she stopped actively using her powers in the area, and immediately she felt tired, as though the entire ordeal hit her at once. "Despite Hayama-kun's opinion, you were certainly at fault here. There isn't any reason to punish you though. If I see you starting any trouble in the future though, you had best be careful. I will not be a merciful again." She sighed, it had been a while since she had been in any sort of a situation as that. She found it a little fun in the end, but she was tired.

Kana turned over to face Hayama. "I do apologize, but I think I'll need to call off the game tonight. I'll make it up to you next time, though. Okay? I'll see you at our next tutoring. And do stick to our schedule, alright?" She smiled and performed a very small bow. She turned to look at Natsuki one last time as she began to walk off towards to pick up her meal for the night and head home. Most of the walk home, her mind occupied by the events that had just transpired. When would something else as interesting happen again?

"Hahaha what the hell, guy?!! Here I thought you guys had come to beat up bright eyes over here, and you're just looking to defend others?!" Hayama laughed. "If anything, I should be accepting a hit in the face from you! I completely misread the entire situation!" Though Natsuki relaxed a little, he couldn't help but furrow a brow at how lightly this was being taken. He had just attacked them over ... "Despite Hayama-kun's opinion, you were certainly at fault here. There isn't any reason to punish you though. If I see you starting any trouble in the future though, you had best be careful. I will not be as merciful again." ... and then SHE SIGHED. The last line rang through his head as he felt the blood rising to his temples.

And then Natsuki stepped forward, giving her a fierce jab to the stomach, knocking the wind out of her! Neither of them had time to react to Natsuki's sudden attack. In a flash, Natsuki brought his knee up to her face as she was doubled over, then proceed to... ... ... ... And then Natsuki breathed out, letting the fantasy slip away, taking the edge off his fury as he forcibly calmed himself. Arrogant and pretentious, I'll teach her a thing or two in the future... But that was the future. In the present, Natsuki would recall that he was in the middle of apologizing for overstepping his bounds, and would now notice Hayama's unconscious motion towards the phone he kept in his pocket. He seemed distracted, but this gave Natsuki a new idea, Natsuki's practiced smile reappearing on his face.

"Hayama-san. I... Realize this might be sudden, but do you believe we could... Exchange numbers? Even if you forgave me, I cannot forgive myself for ruining your plans tonight. I would like to make amends in the near future." All things considered, Hayama was a bit cocky, but he seemed like a good sort of guy. Also, he was a very competent fighter. It wouldn't hurt Natsuki to expand his contacts outside of Under-Level and Skill-Out if he was thinking about bridging the gap between the levels... And best of all, he would see the Elite again in the future, from the sounds of it. This means that Hayama knew who she was, and when they'll meet up next, she had mentioned a schedule etc etc etc. And then I'll... More than a few nefarious thoughts flitted through Natsuki's mind, but he would remind himself that it was simply to teach her a lesson on humility in the future, nothing any more dangerous than that, even if she might deserve it.