Chapter 2: Reluctant Effort

Reito was seconds away from walking into a large building. It was 6 stories high and pretty wide, about a few hundred yards. It was about as grandiose as he remembered, he did at least have to register there, after all.

The email they sent a month ago says Class 3, not like knowin' that'll help me. I'm better off just wanderin' around, he figured.

Entering the school, Reito walked down the hall past faces he had never seen before, dropping his head every few seconds to avoid stares and eye contact. "So many people, shit, I feel like my heart's gonna burst outta my chest! I knew I wasn't ready for this! "Class 3, Class 3, Class 3!" he muttered, nervously speeding to his classroom. "There it is, finally!"

The room he entered was an above average sized lecture hall. It had a theater-like structure with 6 rows of seats being separated by two sets of steps leading up to the higher seats, but he was only really interested in a seat in the far corner that he thought wouldn't net him much attention . He kept up his pace, while avoiding eye contact with anything that looked like it had a pulse.

"Bingo! My recluse practices have basically made me a ninja," he snickered to himself rather eerily, making the others around him take notice and begin to whisper.

"What's that creep laughing about?"

"Just ignore him, it's probably something dirty."

There where many other comments whispered, breaking the his self indulgent moment of greatness.

Ah, guess I got a bit carried away. Push through it, Reito, you can do this! Shion only wanted me to go to school...but she didn't say I had to give it my all. So time for 20%! He encouraged himself.

He held to that loophole to laziness as the day continued on. He nodded off during class, and gave half decent readings of book sections during english. Even when his class was given instructions to run outside during gym class, the boy stuck his hand in his pocket and broke into what could only be considered a light jog if anything.

Twilight beamed into the classroom as everyone around Reito prepped to end the school day, his head wobbled left and right as he tried to keep his eyes open.

"USODACHI!"

"What the hell, can't I just enjoy my moment of triumph!?" he cursed inwardly

The voice that entered the classroom belonged to a student unfamiliar to Reito, he had silver hair, which came down in spiky tips to about where his neck started. His eyes had irises in the shape of Xs.

"You've got some nerve bastard!" he shouted, stomping up to Reito in a huff.

Fuck, what does he want? I made it a goal NOT to piss anyone off today!

The aforementioned student made his way to where Reito was sitting and grabbed him by the shirt collar. He then proceeded to stare daggers at the boy while the students around them started murmuring.

"Word got out to Zeno'o huh. Makes sense that someone like him would piss the guy off."

"Yeah, It's that guy's first day here and all he's really done is show that he's a lazy ass. Getting the attention of number 4 in the school too, hard to feel sorry for him.]

"N-now, now. I think you've got the wrong guy Mr...?"

"Zeno'o, Chikara Zeno'o. And judging from what others have told me, you seem to fit the description of the guy I'm looking for."

Reito glanced down, trembling as he noticed the armband he wore that read "Treasurer" in Kanji. "Okaaay? That bein' said, what does someone in the Student Council want with me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and tilting his head to the side.

He growled, tightening his grip. "Isn't it obvious? Reito Usodachi, according to school records you haven't set foot in the academy for actual classes until today. You accepted the invitation, registered for attendance, and then spent 50 days in the City without attending a single class! I'm sure you're still sent your mandated stipend every 2 weeks, while you use the living quarters provided by the school. It's not hard to figure out that you've just been abusing the system to live how you want! What've even been doing?! Eating, sleeping, reading manga and playing video games all day? Do you even have a good reason for something like that?!"

"W-well, the reason is." A dejected look was brought to Reito's face as he struggled against Chikara's grip, the class just watching with furrowed brows and hands held over their mouths. "I can't really get into it, just know it's for the best okay?" Reito shot back while attempting, with much difficulty, to show regret and sadness on his face. "At any rate, I'm just doin this because of a good friend of mine. Trust me, the last thing I wanna do is be around people. I'll be outta your hair by days end, so breathe it in," He proclaimed, gripping Chikara's fingerless gloves while returning him an assured glare.

"You don't get it, do you? If I let you alone, it flies in the face of what the Student Council stands for! The fact that you think I'll sit by while you just walk off. I ought to-!"

As Chikara raised his fist to strike Reito in retaliation to what he thought was spite, a smaller feminine frame appeared out of nowhere and caught the punch with two hands. Judging by the gasps from the students watching, they knew exactly who she was.

"Is that...the Flugur Shade?!"

"She seriously went outta her way to save him? Well, she always has been really nice..."

What the hell?! Where did she come from?! And she's dressed like a ninja too?! Cool as hell! Reito wondered, still in Chikara's grasp by his grey SOL print undershirt.

The red dogi and yellow loose belt the small girl wore gave her an odd kunoichi vibe. A headband with a forehead protector went in front of her long blond hair that was tied into a ponytail that spanned her upper back.

A sweet upbeat tone exited her lips. "Y'know, you could stand to have some patience, Kara. Be slow to speak and anger, why don't you?" she advised.

"Like I'll listen to someone who's always joking around, Tanaka! And wipe that smirk off your face already, you should be mad too!"

She shot him a wide smirk in return as she let go of his fist. "No can do! As long as I'm able to smile, I'll keep it going! Besides, you could learn a thing or two from me, like lightening up," She said, gesturing at the shocked faces of students witnessing the event unfolding before their eyes, the violent atmosphere causing most of them to exit quietly out of the room.

"Shoot...you got in the way..." He released Reito from his grasp, making him hit the ground with a loud thud.

"Come on, did ya hafta drop me?!" He asked, rubbing his back.

"Sorry about that, I let my emotions get the best of me sometimes," he explained, rubbing the back of his head with a frown, "there's a better way to deal with someone like you...I'll just hafta beat you so bad that even the thought of coming here again will scare you stiff."

Reito shivered a bit before asking a question. "Th-this...wouldn't happen to be a challenge...would it?"

"Well, what else would you call it? If you don't fight, everyone's opinion of you is gonna get even more strained..and .I don't think you can afford that" Hesitating, he thought back to what Shizuka had asked of him.

Normally, he wouldn't have even considered a fight if he could say no to it, but she did come to save him not only the day before, but many times as well. She was the only one he called a friend, and this was one of the only things she asked of him. He figured this could repay his debt to her, at least by a little bit, So he stood up to face his soon to be opponent with a sigh.

"Not like I really care about rep or anything, but at the same time, I've got a reason I can't do what I want and back outta this. So sure, let's go a round."

"And here I thought you'd try to talk your way out of this. Guess I misjudged you on one thing, Usodachi," Chikara admitted, a smile creeping onto his face,

"In 40 minutes time, we meet at the arena behind the school, so mentally prepare yourself."

"I've gotta hand it to you, Tochi, not many people get the courtesy of Kara challenging them. Usually it's the other way around. You're a lucky one," the small girl explained, looking up to him with a smile.

Tochi?...Whatever, not important, he thought, brushing off the sudden nickname. "Yeah, although, this is definitely the bad luck I'm familiar with," he stuttered as he addressed her, "You're Tanaka, righ-?"

She put a hand out, cutting him off "Cut the formalities right there. Kara's way too bullheaded to call me what I prefer. I like going by Evie."

"Okay...Evie? Thanks for savin' me from a black eye. Although, that's probably the last thing I should be thinkin' about now." He said, bringing a palm to his forehead.

He noticed that she wore a similar armband with the kanji for "Secretary" on it. "Hold on a sec," you're on the Council too. Don't you have a problem with me?"

"Not in particular, no. I'm not sure about the upper schools, but the Kita Student Council each have their own way of viewing things. Kara just happens to be a fiery type of guy," she explained, looking away with a finger to her chin.

The girl gave his face a close examination as Reito looked away, his face reddening.

"Hey, you alright? You're shining a mighty bright red there."

"I'm f-fine," he responded bringing his arms up to guard his face

She examined him more before snapping. "Ah, I get it. You've got some kind of stealthy type Path that lets you change color, right?! Sooooo coool!" Her eyes lit up as she was inches from his face.

He'd been a shut-in for quite awhile, and during that time, the only girl he interacted with on a daily basis was Shizuka. It wasn't that he didn't view her as a girl, though. While he does think she doubles as a guy friend when it comes down to it, it was more so that he'd gotten used to her presence. But now he was face to face with a new female face, one that he thought was actually extremely cute as well. He didn't want to show it though, being how he is, so he tried to deter her curiosity. Distancing himself from her bit by bit, his eyes darted around before he coughed and closed his eyes. "It's really nothin'...you're probably just seein' things..."

"Hmmmm..." she hummed, skeptical.

"Anyway, this Zeno'o guy...is he strong?"

"If you mean physically I'd saaaaayy, he's about 8 times stronger than me when he's trying, even though I'm one step above him, being the 3rd ranked gold at this school."

He looked at her with a dread filled straight face. "I'm dead...funeral's on a Sunday if you're goin'..."

She waved her hand back and forth in an attempt to sway his growing anxiety. "Don't get all down and out. I'm sure you can pull through. Although, you don't seem to have any stand-out defining features, besides the nick through the eyebrow. You're kinda scrawny looking, and you have about as much presence as a-, ah, well, I'm sure you'll be fine," she finished her list and gave him an innocent smile.

This is one of those moments where it'd be fine to deck a girl in the face, right? I'm really considerin' it, he clicked his tongue.

"What's with the look? I get you're under some pressure, but try to stay upbeat. Here you go. Better, yeah?" She brought two fingers to the corner of Reito's mouth to force a smile.

"BAAAH, SCREW IT!" He exclaimed in an annoyed tone, distancing himself from the girl. "...After I stood up to him, there's no goin' back anyway. Sucks, but I guess I've gotta try a bit after all."

"Do you even have a plan? Kara won't pull any punches."

"If you tell me about his Path, I'm sure I can make some somethin' up."

"Not a chance, it'll be a lot more interesting to see how you fight without info," she denied his request with a playful tone and shrug."

ARRRGHHH! I CAN'T STAND HER!! "Whatever. Plan or no, gotta make a call. Ciao! Hopefully, see ya never!" He yelled as he left Evie alone in the classroom.

"He's certainly interesting alright, I haven't had that fun teasing someone in a while. If he happens to come out on top, I'll give him a reward. Maybe treat him to a burger or two," She said to herself before taking off after him. "Wait up, Tochi!"

Reito approached the battlegrounds. It was a large dome with three entrances, the cheers of students emanated from inside it so loudly that he could hear it from the outside. He sighed, reached into his pocket, dialed a number and brought it to his ear.

"You've got Shizuka, who's calling~?" His friend's voice came through the speaker.

"You answer like I'm not the only one who would call ya. Anyway, yo. The first day went about as well as you'd expect. A buncha borin' lectures, gym classes and other dreg I don't really care about. Oh, and one of those Student Council guys ya mentioned earlier liked me so much, he wants to smash my face in, so I guess he's my first match. His name was Chikara Zeno'o, I think?"

"Cool, sounds like it went pretty well after-... Huh...? HUUUUH??!! YOUR FIRST MATCH IS WHO NOW??!!" Shizuka yelled through her smartphone with a worried expression, her scream attracting the attention of people around her as she started to rush to the Kita school.

Reito reeled back wincing. "Dude, come on, Eardrums ain't a replaceable thing...I think. Anyway, gimme a warnin' next time, ok?"

"Do you really think this is the time for your snark, you cynical ass?" she said, trying to force a lighter tone.

"My bad, it's a lot better than the constant "This'll hurt!", or "This guy will kill me!" thoughts I had runnin' through my mind," he sighed.

"Well if you had actually listen to me and applied yourself you wouldn't have caught the attention of a fucking student council member of all people! Leave it to you to find a way out of putting in effort."

"Okay, okay, I get it. As usual, I should've listened to ya. I guess not everyone took too kindly to my lax charm," he shrugged.

"You're unbelievable, Rei. Look, I know I asked you to accept should something like this happen but, even the treasurer of one of the lower schools is a bit much right now. And your Path-"

"Is a liability for me right now, I'm better off relyin' on physical ability."

"If you're that pessimistic about it, you might as well forfeit."

"No can do, Shion. You wanted me to go through with this, so I'm doin' it. Shit odds or not. I owe ya anyway, so this'll cover about ten percent of my debt, I'd say."

"Even when you're trying to be sweet, you sound like an ass. Okay, fine. Of course, this means you're gonna give it a 100% right?" She smiled.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, full effort is still a no go. Maybe....an even 55%, fair?"

"Well, I guess you've gotta start somewhere."

"That bein' said, I've got about 20 minutes before showtime, so don't be late. As for me-"

"TOCHIII!"

He sighed. "I've got a midget Kunoichi to deal with for a bit."

"Kunoichi?"

"I'll explain later. If my mouth's in workin' condition after this. See ya in a bit," he said, ending the call. He turned around to Evie and addressed her in a monotone voice. "So...is you tailin' me gonna be a regular thing?"

"Yeah! It's completely natural to wanna hangout with a friend after all."

"I don't recall me ever referin' to you as anythin' close to the word friend. In fact, pretty sure I remember wantin' nothin' to do with ya. Anyway...why would ya wanna be friends with some nobody slacker like me?"

"Well, I'd saaaayy, You're kind of interesting!"

His eyes drooped. "Interestin', huh?...Like dissectin' a frog in science class?"

"You could say that, yeah. But another reason is...well, I can tell you're a good guy," she answered him with a tone devoid of playfulness

"Pretty sure I'm not. You sure you're not talkin' about some other guy named Reito? Or is this just a joke at my expense? Cuz I ain't laughin'."

She shook her head. "I wouldn't joke about this. I can tell, the way you looked when you stood up to Kara, you were thinking about someone, right?"

Huh? How does she know that?! I've heard girls can read your mind, don't tell me that's for real?! "Y-Yeah right! Do I look like the type of guy to stick my neck out for someone else, half pint?!"

"Mmmm, not really. Truth be told, you look kinda scary," she walked in front of him. "either way, you're gonna give it your all, even though you probably won't win, which is pretty cool in my book. It's not much, but I think if you can find at least one redeeming quality in someone, I'd enjoy being buds with them. Y'know?" she told him, flashing a smile that could warm a dozen hearts.

His brain was fried at that point. His entire face was enveloped in red as he stuttered to find words of rebuttal. "You, I, Tha-! N-not the case," his head slowly turned away from her toward the battlegrounds. "No comment... Just get movin' already...I'll be late if I listen to ya spout nonsense all day," he walked off.

She threw her hands behind her head and followed suit. "Roger that, Tochi!"

Seriously...damn midget. Why'd someone like you hafta be my one of my first run-ins here? Talk about crap luck..., he sighed.