[SS] A Certain Unexpected Incident (Incomplete)

June 19th

"Good morning, class!" Komoe announced cheerfully with a bright smile and a slight bounce in her step. She set her books down on the desk.

"You seem happier than usual." Motoharu quipped, leaning back in his chair with his characteristic wicked grin. It was hard to tell from looking just what the boy was thinking, his ever present dark sunglasses hiding his eyes from view.

Komoe nodded.

"I've just had some good news." She smiled, glancing subtly towards Touko. She turned to face the blackboard behind her and started to clear it. It soon became apparent that she was having trouble reaching the top of the board, straining on the tips of her toes with a grunt.

"Need a hand with that?" Guy asked as he strolled into the classroom.

"Ah. Li-san, good timing!" She handed him the eraser, returning to her papers.

"Just Guy, please." He corrected her. "I'm not too big on formalities." Komoe nodded again.

"Now before we start, I've been hearing rumours about some of our students being spotted out late at night in some of the more dangerous areas of the city." Already the students were preparing themselves for another lecture, their shoulders sinking collectively. Motoharu and his blue haired cohort shared a nervous look.

"Kamijou-san. I'd like to speak with you after class about proper conduct outside of school."

"Don't be too hard on her. I mean, we all-" Guy started.

"I'll get to you eventually." Komoe glared darkly at him. "You're not blameless."

Guy froze, a sudden chill running down his spine. He obediently silenced himself. A hushed laugh circled the class.

Today was just like any other. Well, perhaps not EXACTLY like any other. This was Milo's first day at a science school. He had to blend in more with society and he wasn't exactly welcomed in the company of other Magicians for the moment, not since he was hunting and killing them on a nightly basis. He also worked part time as a store clerk in order to earn money to support himself with. Milo was able to keep up a rather normal life, even though it was just a façade and wasn't how he normally was. Or was it?

Milo had been rather different in the old days. Though that was back when Aleister Crowley was still on the side of Magic. They had been friends, so Milo had thought. As a fellow Magician, who was now within Academy City, he didn't see the appeal that the science side had to offer. It had been his goal to find out why the only person he had ever trusted up and left, betraying the side of magic and becoming the most hated man in the world.

Enough on that. He had to focus right now. If he dwelt too much on that then he might possibly blow his cover during his time at the school he was about to step foot into for the very first time. It took him very little time to get into the appropriate uniform. He took one last look around his apartment room to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything. All was in order, he had finally decided before leaving his apartment and locking the door behind him.

Milo walked to school. It wasn't that far but he was still far enough from the school to where he would end up being late but he didn't really care all that much. He kept telling himself that this was all for Aleister's sake and it was necessary in order to save him. School, itself, wasn't necessary but Milo told him that it was in order to motivate himself enough to go.

After the walk to the school came the task of locating the proper classroom. That only succeeded in making him even more late to a class that he was already late for. Milo eventually managed to locate it and, after a moment of hesitation, entered the room.

"Forgive my tardiness. I misjudged the time it would take to arrive." he stated.

His voice was soft, almost timid but not exactly shy. It was just the way he was. He was a soft-spoken and quiet person. Loud noises bothered him, even the sound of his own voice would bother him if he raised it too much. Bright lights were also annoying. They hurt his eyes because of their peculiar pigmentation and even the lights in the classroom were nearly too much. He, however, hid his eyes behind green-colored contact lenses. His hair, though an odd color, he didn't bother with. Milo had a rare form of Albinism, much like Accelerator, but his eyes were what set his albinism apart from the others.

Touko turned away from Motoharu when Komoe entered to greet her with the rest of the class. Unlike her friends, Touko was a diligent student, though her performance in school rarely reflected that fact. She sank into her seat as Komoe demanded to see her after class.

It was only when Guy turned around that she recognised him, jumping up from her seat.

"You!" She pointed at the boy.

Why does everyone react that way when they see me? Guy wondered. He didn't seem to be making a good impression. His second day in Academy City an already he was being labelled a troublemaker.

"Oh. Hey." He waved to Touko.

"Everyone settle down." Komoe sighed as she returned to addressing the class. The sudden arrival of Milo interrupted her and she turned to greet the boy. "Ah. You must be Lorelei-san." She said. "Please take a seat."

"Oi, Sensei, just who are all these mysterious newcomers?" The blue haired boy asked with a confused expression.

"I was about to introduce them, actually." Komoe raised her finger to silence the boy. "Class, I'd like you to meet your English teacher, Guy-san." She gestured to the tall young man who waved nonchalantly. "He just moved here from Hong Kong, so please do your best to make him welcome." She knew full well that was just a dream. With a class full of troublemakers and underachievers the young teacher had his work cut out for him.

Next she turned to Milo.

"And this is Lorelei-san. He'll be transferring to this class. Please take care of him." Komoe asked the class. "Lorelei-san, please tell us more about yourself." She asked.

Lorelei took a seat in the first open spot he set his eyes upon. The teachers didn't seem too bad yet so this might not be as bad as he first thought it would be. He had been expecting a bunch of rude, uncivilized barbarians. Though, was he really one to think that about people? After all, he was the one killing his fellow Magicians at night. So, he decided to take all of that back. He wasn't expecting them to be so kind to him even though he had only just arrived, and it was a late arrival too.

"My name is Milo Lorelei. I'm not exactly sure what it is you all would like to know since this is my first time in a school. I was home schooled before I came here so I'm new to this kind of situation." he explained.

It was a lie but Milo could lie with such a calm that his lies were almost always bought. Though, it also helped that they were mostly white lies and it's easier to pass those off as the truth rather than a huge lie. The fact that he was home schooled was the lie. He had been to schools but never a science school. So, the home schooling was a believable lie in this matter.

Milo knew that he should probably stand up and bow as a show of politeness but that was something he wouldn't do. Never had he bowed to anyone. No one, that is, except Aleister. Aleister Crowley was the one person in all of his life that he had respected and he was also the only person that he had ever bowed his head before. Nothing would ever make him bow his head before someone else.

Touko realised her sudden outburst had made her look foolish. She sank back into her seat with a defeated grumble. She watched the new boy take his seat and felt a growing sense of something odd. She couldn't quite place the reason, but the boy was different from the rest of their classmates. As though he had a strange aura about him. She didn't hear what he said, frowning as she tried to put her finger on it. It took her a moment to realise she was staring and she turned away, her attention returning to her teacher.

Still, she had a foreboding feeling in the back of her mind.

Komoe seemed satisfied, perhaps mistaking the boy's taciturnity for shyness. The lesson continued uneventfully, with Guy diligently watching Komoe's example as the small woman taught her students. Still, having to just stand there with nothing to occupy him he felt himself grow restless. He stifled a yawn.

The bell rang and Komoe hurriedly finished off the lesson as her less than captivated students made their way for the door.

Guy fidgeted absent mindedly, leaning against the wall as Komoe turned her attention to Touko.

"Sit down, both of you." She said sternly. Guy pointed to himself with a confused expression.

"Me too?" He asked.

Milo could feel a pair of eyes upon him, staring rather intently. He glanced over at Touko for a moment before looking back ahead of him. He was certain that they had never met before so he knew that she wouldn't be able to tell he was a Magician. Was it just his hair color that caught her attention? She wasn't the only one but she was the only one staring that intently at him.

It was a bit unnerving but he didn't let it get to him. He listened in on the teacher's lesson. It was rather fascinating but he had to be extremely careful or he'd lose his ability to use magic. He had heard of Magicians who went through the Esper curriculum and became unable to use magic. Milo couldn't afford to have that happen to him.

The bell then rang. Milo figured that the bell signified the end of class since everyone was getting up to leave. So, Milo did the same. He didn't really have anything to gather so he was ready to leave rather quickly. He headed for the door and gave Touko one last glance before exiting the room.

"Lorelei-san." A girl called out to the white-haired boy. She was tall, with a mature figure to match. Her hair was long and black, with loose waves falling over her shoulders. Fukiyose did her best to look approachable despite her typical stern behaviour. "I'm Fukiyose, the class representative. If you need anything just ask me." She said politely, extending her hand in greeting. An odd move for a girl, but Fukiyose had never been known for her femininity.

***

"And you should know better!" Komoe berated Guy. It had been nearly ten minutes as the small woman lectured Touko and Guy on their reckless behaviour. "Even after I warned you how dangerous it was, you still went snooping around. You're both lucky you didn't get hurt or worse!" Her face was turning red, her words gaining pace as she worked herself up into a frenzy. Apparently satisfied she relaxed visibly, smiling pleasantly. "That's all." She started to attend to her desk.

Guy glanced at Touko as if to ask 'is it over?' He stood to leave and as they both neared the door Komoe spoke up.

"Oh, and thank you both." She was humming as she returned to her work.

Milo paused when he heard his name called. He looked over his shoulder and noticed a woman running towards him. The Magician turned to face her, it was only polite. He didn't want to come across as a jerk. However, he didn't exactly want to come across as friendly, either. Both scenarios would bring him unwanted attention. All he could do was go along with this 'Fukiyose' in the hopes that it wont give everyone the wrong idea.

He stared at the others hand for a moment but only a moment before slowly reaching out to take it. It was just a handshake, right? Besides, no one here knew who he truly was so there was no need to constantly have his guard up. Milo gave Fukiyose a small, crooked smile. Smiling was something he didn't really do unless he was with Aleister and no one else was around.

"I will bare that in mind, Miss Fukiyose." he stated.

Milo wanted to come across as a foreigner so he didn't use the Japanese honorifics but he could understand and speak it perfectly. Though, being a foreigner was actually kind of true. He had moved from Ireland to Japan many, many, many years ago. So, he was a foreigner but he had still lived in Japan for quite a while, especially during his search for Aleister. Only the faintest trace of an accent was left but it was hardly noticeable at all in conversation.

Touko sat with weary resignation as Komoe lectured them both, occasionally glancing over at her partner in crime. He seemed to be taking it well, if his expression was anything to go by. Touko winced as the teacher turned her attention back at her. For such a small woman she could project a fearsome aura.

It wasn't the first time Touko had been in trouble with Komoe. Far from it in fact. She had never been a particularly talented student academically and her bad luck meant she was never far from trouble when it occurred. Still, Komoe was the one teacher who had never given up hope in Touko. To others she was just an aimless troublemaker, another Level 0 who would never amount to anything.

As they left, Touko's heart lifted at the words of gratitude.

Fukiyose shook Milo's hand firmly. She didn't suspect for a second that his appearance was a facade, taking him at face value as someone who was simply shy and nervous from finding themselves in a new place. All very natural, she thought.

"Don't worry Fukiyose." Motoharu said from behind Milo. "We'll take care of the new guy." He slapped Milo in the back firmly.

Fukiyose frowned with suspicion. Who knew what game those jokers were up to.

Touko spotted Motoharu and the others the instant she left the classroom. Had they waited for her, she wondered? Or were they just trying to avoid their next class. It wouldn't be the first time they'd performed a 'tactical escape' in the middle of the day.

It was only when she noticed the new boy with them that she felt herself worry. A glance at Fukiyose told her that the class representative was having the same thoughts. She moved quickly to intercept.

"Sorry about that... Lorelei-san, was it?" She smiled warmly, jerking Motoharu away from the white haired student by his collar. She still found herself oddly conflicted about the new arrival. He didn't seem like a bad person, just different in a way she was unfamiliar with. "We should head to class before we get in any trouble." She laughed nervously. The last thing she wanted was another lecture. "Here, I'll show you the way." She offered.

Milo was a little confused as to what was going on because he wasn't used to contact with people. Why were so many people wanting to help him? This wasn't all all what he had expected from the enemy. He nodded slightly when the girl asked his name. She then said that they should get to class but hadn't the just come from class? Was there more? He was just so unused to this.

"Okay." he replied.

The young Magician would follow after the girl since he truly had no idea where to go since he had been sure that class was over. The students of the Science side must attend multiple classes a day. This would take some getting used to but Milo was certain that he would adapt.

"That sounds pretty boring." Motoharu shrugged away from Touko's grasp, tugging on his shirt to straighten it. Fukiyose fixed him with a stern look.

"Don't even think of skipping class again. Your actions don't just affect you." She placed her hands on her hips. For a girl she was surprisingly tall. Her implacable stare and strong posture gave her an imposing presence. Motoharu seemed as flippant as ever.

"Such an accusation!" The boy sounded appalled at the very suggestion.

"You have a duty to set a good example for our new classmate." She gestured to Milo, the unfortunate boy had apparently become the newest battleground in the war between the stoic class president and casual delinquent.

"Don't worry." The blonde haired youth whispered to Milo. "We'll get you out of here." He sounded like he was organising a prison break.

"Well, we should get going." Touko smiled inoffensively at Fukiyose as she corralled the others off towards their next class. Already she had a bad feeling about today. True to her fears, Motoharu was nudging Milo to join him in skipping their lessons.

"You must have something better to do than listen to some boring lectures, right?" He asked the new boy.

Milo was completely unsure of what was going on. He was caught in the middle of something, that was for sure. But what WAS that something? He looked at Motoharu when the boy nudged him. What was it with these people and feeling the need to touch him? At least Milo was collected enough to let it pass. Both the blue-haired boy and the blonde seemed to want to help him in some way but what were they trying to help with. And why did the blond seem somewhat familiar? He was on the side of Science, wasn't he? There was no way he would know him, then. Maybe the blond just reminded him of a Magician who's name is currently escaping him?

"Is there something better?" he asked Motoharu.

What was this boy's idea of 'better'? Milo found that he was a bit curious. These two didn't seem bad but they were still on the side of Science and that made them his enemies. However, he knew that he had to try and blend in and that meant that he couldn't go around causing trouble. After all, no one here knew he was a Magician. No one other than Aleister, that is. And no one else could find out. The results could be disastrous if that were to happen.

"Well, you're new here, right? It's our duty as your new friends to show you the ropes, right?" Motoharu replied a little too quickly. Apparently he had already declared himself Milo's newest friend. "You came here to learn about Espers, right? Then you need to learn by doing!" He voiced his reasoning, such as it was, for ditching class.

"Say, what level are you, anyway?" he scratched his chin, realising they were still clueless to Milo's ability, if he had one at all.

***

Guy sat at his desk, slouching lazily in his chair. He folded his arms behind his head and stared out of the window. Komoe had set him up in a small, cramped corner of her office. His small desk was already littered with loose papers. His 'office' measured fewer than three feet in any direction. Not even small enough for him to fall over in, he realised with a despairing frown. Even his chair was barely able to recline half way thanks to the filing cabinets behind it. Still, better a dark corner than in plain sight. At least here he could catch up on some rest.

The irresponsible teacher was interrupted from his distracted daydreaming by the sound of a heavy stack of papers landing on his desk. Komoe stood by his desk, smiling.

"I need help marking these tests." She chirped happily. Guy wondered whether she knew how much she was ruining his day. That sweet smile, he realised, was just a front. The stack of papers beside the small woman was nearly a foot tall.

"Sure thing, boss." Guy forced a smile.

Friends? Friendship required a certain amount of trust between two people. That was something that couldn't have formed in such a short time. They couldn't possibly be friends, not when they had just met and not when they were supposed to be enemies. However, the blue-haired boy didn't know that he was a Magician and he hoped that it stayed that way. He would hate to be found out and driven from Academy City before he could achieve his goal of freeing Aleister.

"Level 0." he replied.

It would be best if the other thought that he had no powers at all. Milo was only familiar with the ranking system because he had fought against some Espers in his time. Quite a few of them, actually. So, he figured that calling himself a 'Level 0' would be best in this situation. If he had said anything else then Motoharu might have asked him what his ability was. That would have lead to him being revealed as a Magician...and an enemy.

Touko watched as Motoharu bombarded the shy exchange student with leading questions. She felt bad for him, but there wasn't much she could do to convince Motoharu to stop at this point. He had never been good at listening to reason when he had set his mind on something. She turned to their blue haired friend, who simply shrugged as though to say 'it can't be helped.'

"It's not too long until lunch, can't you just wait?" She asked with a huff, ruffling her short. dark hair.

"Then it's decided!" Motoharu slammed his fist into his palm, ignoring Touko's complaints. "First thing's first. We'll need to break out of here."

Touko sighed with weary resignation as she followed her two 'comrades' outside. The three idiots, people called them and Touko shook her head at the realisation that the name wasn't entirely unfounded. The group crept cautiously through the school hallways, occasionally ducking behind cover at the sound of someone approaching. Motoharu waved at them to signal the way was clear and before long they had reached the perimeter of the school. As usual the gate was closed.

They looked up at the wall in their way. It was too tall and too steep for a single person to scale. And since none of them had any useful powers they would need to find another way around. Motoharu looked to the others.

"Someone give me a boost." He cracked his knuckles with a confident grin.

Touko nodded in understanding. It seemed she had already committed herself fully to this course of action. There was no turning back now. She knelt down in front of the wall, cupping her hands to give Motoharu and the others a lift up over the wall.

As expected the blonde boy went first. Touko grunted as she heaved him up into the air. As soon as he was over she prepared for their blue haired friend who likewise went over effortlessly. Finally she looked to Milo. She silently apologised to the boy for letting him get involved. Breaking out of school on the first day was not going to look good on his record. She grimaced to herself in shame. Was this boy just another victim of her bad luck?

Milo watched as Motoharu went over the wall first. He then looked at Touko as she looked at him. Why was she wearing a look of apology? He didn't exactly understand but he didn't question it. He turned and walked away a few steps before turning back around. Milo didn't need help getting over the wall. It was a small barrier that he had already learned to overcome early on in his life. All he needed was a running start. He was planning to run far enough up the wall to grab the ledge in order to pull himself up. It was an easy task for him, even with his limited physical strength. He then reached back down and offered a hand to Touko in order to help her up the wall, as well. The last thing Milo wanted was to come across as rude. He wanted to fit in, at least for a little while.

Motoharu and the other boy kept a look out while Milo and Touko made their way over the wall. As Touko scaled the wall to follow them a voice cried out at them.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" the familiar sound of an enraged Fukiyose Seiri rang out. The two boys ran in the direction of District 15, only slowing once they were out of sight of the school. Panting, Motoharu braced himself against a wall, waiting for the others to catch up.

"Kamijou, if you hadn't been so slow we would have gotten away clean." The blonde delinquent gasped as he caught his breath. "Now she'll be hot on our trail."

"Ugh. Class President is scary..." The blue haired boy lamented.

***

"Guy, how are you coming along with those papers?" Komoe peered around the corner at the boy's desk.

It was empty.

Komoe's voice reverberated through the corridors of the school as she raged against her irresponsible subordinate.

"Kamijou, if you hadn't been so slow we would have gotten away clean. Now she'll be hot on our trail."

Touko managed to regain her breath enough to snap back at Motoharu.

"What? It wasn't my bone headed idea to stage a break out" She stepped towards him with a clenched fist and an angry grimace. "If it were up to me we'd be in class right now!"