253 Chapter five, 2017, years end: 1 (1/2)

”I knew your parents when they were students here.”

'Students here? Yes, almost forgot that.'

”They haven't told you yet?” Principal Nakagawa asked, as if he had read her thoughts. ”You'll find them in the news club archives.” His face turned serious and sad. ”I wish we could have done more for them,” and then he brightened ”but I guess they turned out all-right in the end.”

She loved her parents. It made her warm inside knowing other people did as well.

”I was a teacher here during those days, and now I'm nearly done here.”

”Done?”

”Yes, I'm retiring.”

'Things will change. The next principal will be, eh, less lenient I guess.'

”Off with you. You don't want to miss class.”

Noriko bowed and made to leave the office.

”Give my regards to your parents,” Principal Nakagawa said just as she was about to close the door. ”Tell them I'm sorry. I'll apologize properly at a later date.”

'After he has retired. When he has severed his connections to the school. What's going on?'

She quickly walked to her classroom. Thoughts of worry and wonder danced in her head all the way to her desk.

Inside her classroom the mood was different from the usual, had been so for a week now. Kuri was absent again.

'One more month. Kuri, you can't afford staying away from here.' But Noriko knew all too well why her friend never came to school. Breaking up with someone you love must hurt. Still, one more month until year's end. Those exams decided whether you passed the year or not, and Kuri wasn't exactly one of Himekaizen's best students.

Noriko threw a glance at Kyoko's seat. The two of them had grown closer in Kuri's absence. 'You know, you should run to Yukio more often.' Much more often, and she would have, Noriko knew that, if it wasn't for 3:1 and 6:1 not being on the best of terms with each other.

In 3:1 Urufu was a loser who had done something bad enough to their celebrated beauty to force her to break up with him. In 6:1 Kuri was the bitch who played with and hurt their hero.

That was it, their hero. Noriko had missed out on what kind of reputation Urufu gained in his class after the cultural festival. They had experienced death among them as well, and only now she learned he'd been there, sitting in his hospital bed, comforting those who couldn't keep silent any longer.

That made Kuri the villain, and Kyoko was Kuri's best friend, and only after Urufu shouted at his own classmates did they agree that Kyoko wasn't bad for Yukio, Urufu's best friend.

'When did things get this bad?'

Some of that animosity even crept into the club, with the difference that there an overwhelming majority saw Kuri as the evil villain. Noriko could see why. With a third of the members former Red Rose middle schoolers, Urufu could do no wrong.