He felt a headache coming at him.

There was something inherently disgusting in 3-A that made Byakuran both want to vomit and applaud. He appreciated how they'd carry themselves, not sparing those unworthy any time. They had their priorities straight and the means to reach their goals. All of them were not apex predators, but together they formed a pack strong enough to intimidate all underneath.

With the finals' results out, Byakuran's opinion of 3-A, formerly good, dropped to a freezing degree.

He felt sickened by their behavior, finding marks of his dictatorship in them and some baseless pride grounded by a useless sense of self. They were like pitiful insects trying to assert their dominance over even tinier and dumber creatures. They wanted to rule and show they stood at the top, but they weren't even capable of doing so against the supposedly worst class of the institution.

Byakuran would not mention how he failed against Tsunayoshi.

Byakuran did not fail against Tsunayoshi during the war.

Byakuran fought to the bitter end, surely overconfident but always brimming with the want to kill and achieve his ultimate goal.

Byakuran gave his all in this all-out battle. He was ready to offer all of his Wreaths' lives to achieve his desired end in this fight.

Byakuran gave up his life in this war. Although it hurt his pride to admit he was defeated, Byakuran can proudly state that he never gave up or reported the responsibility on someone else.

Byakuran wanted the war. He got a war. From this point onward, Byakuran took responsibility for every outcome and each battle.

He loathed how 3-A was currently reporting their loss on the Virtuosi.

Maybe, deep inside, he detested 3-A for failing because it reminded him too much of his own failure.

It wasn't that he still wished to rule over the planes. Byakuran, although internally bitter, didn't dream of becoming the one and only ruler. Maybe, a previous version of him did, the one that birthed his ability to see. Still, the current Byakuran, after failing in this self's endeavor, didn't have the impression of his long life project shattering.

He leaned his cheek against the palm of his hand in pure unbridled boredom, annoyance bubbling in the pit of his stomach as irritation started to roll off of him in waves.

He honestly couldn't wait for the break to start. At least then, he wouldn't have to see these people all week long.

He scoffed. "Pitiful."

Silence fell over the class at his distinct mutter.

Byakuran did not care for the impression he had just made on his classmates. Straightening his spine, he packed his stuff before standing up.

"You guys are giving me such a big headache," he called to no one in particular, purple gaze sweeping over the class as a taunting sneer painted his lips. "Gakushu," he addressed, turning to the Student Council President, "I'll be going back ahead."

::

The school assembly soon dawned on the students, this time with 3-E coming out on top, the main building wasn't as rowdy, and when Summer vacation got announced at the very end, it was with a repressed excitement that they cheered.

And of course, what would Summer vacation be if August did not come with it? So with enthusiasm only the month of August could provoke, July came to its end, and 3-E and the rest of the student body began their first week of break.

Of course, vacation wasn't a thing that anybody could benefit from. After diving into the previously ignored reports and conveniently omitted meetings, Koro found himself almost as free as a bird.

Following his memories, 3-E followed some Summer classes before the trip to Okinawa. Like this, Koro found himself atop the hill, overwatching the students as they trained in the art of assassination one last time before they would pack for the trip.

Standing a few feet away from Lovro, Irina's master who came specifically to give them his insight, Koro silently listened as the students began to tell the hitman dealer about their plan to assassinate their homeroom teacher. It was both an interesting and embarrassing experience for Koro as he eavesdropped on them. Once again, he thanked the heavens for giving back his ability to hold a perfect poker face.

Who wanted to hear their student diss them about the face they made while reading porn?

The day progressed smoothly, with Chiba and Hayami honing their marksmanship and earning praises for their accuracy and balance. From the corner of his eyes, Koro also noticed how Nagisa went up to Lovro for counseling. It took him a second before he wondered if it was then that he learned his clapping trick— the one he'd used on the Okinawa island in his former life to defeat Takaoka in their one on one duel.

"Uhm, excuse me, Sensei?"

The small, timid voice of one of his students pulled Koro out of his musings, forcing his green gaze to turn to look at the person behind him.

"How can I help you, Okuda?" Koro asked, an amiable smile on his lips as his eyes gently overlooked the raven-haired girl.

Okuda bit her lower lip. She twiddled with her fingers for a moment, probably searching for her words as Koro patiently waited for her to open her mouth again.

"I— Ihavesomequestionsaboutthepillfromlasttime!" she finally admitted in one breath, her cheeks reddening at the last syllable that left her mouth before she began to gasp in apparent embarrassment.

Koro blinked, taking less than half a second to process her words. "Well, I already told you I wasn't the one who created them, but if I can be of any rudimentary help, then I'd be more than happy to answer your questions," he reassured her, gently patting her head. His eyes swept over the vicinity, and he gently ushered her toward a slightly more isolated corner of the training grounds. "Shall we go over there and sit down, Okuda?"

The eyes on them, Koro cleverly ignored them as he guided the girl under the shades of the trees.

"So, what is it that you wanted to ask, Okuda?" Koro began, knowing that, sadly, his student wasn't one to take the initiative just yet.

"I-I, uhm, well, I was thinking of grinding the pill you gave me after the Kyoto field trip," she began, her voice unstable and unsure at the beginning but slowly growing steadier and more confident as she went on. "I was skeptical because what if there was a special liquid component inside, but after trying one," her cheeks flushed at the memory of her beating the high schoolers back in Kyoto. "—ahem, I realized that wasn't the case."

Koro hummed, he wasn't about to vocalize an answer, but seeing her fret as she waited for his approval to go on, he couldn't help but chuckle. "I see, what you say is correct," he confirmed, awarding Okuda with a new breeze of confidence.

The girl beamed, a blend of self-satisfaction and pride as a sense of joy began to bubble in the pit of her stomach. Her cheeks gained a healthy pink tint as giddiness overcame her. She cleared her throat to regain her composure.

"I— thank you," Okuda smiled to herself for a second, her gaze previously riveted on her fingers, now turning to look straight into her teacher's green orbs.

"So, will you grind the pill?"

Okuda nodded. "Yes! A-actually if that were okay with you, Sensei, would it be possible to have a sample of the other pills?" she wondered, her voice steady yet smaller as she reached the end of her sentence.

Koro paused for a moment. He took the time to look at the girl, wondering if she'd shy away from his silence before grinning when he saw her stand her ground.

"I suppose that could work, yes, but you'll have to do the testing with me around," he agreed, pulling a wallet from the pocket of his coat.

Okuda beamed at his approval, eyes shining in unbridled joy before she hurriedly shook both her head and hands. "I-I already have the samples. I just wanted your approval before beginning anything, Sensei," she explained.

Koro's eyes narrowed, he knew one of his students had taken a tablet while he wasn't looking, but he hadn't expected the student to be Okuda. Nevertheless, the smile on his face did not fade and only turned more dotting.

"Well, good job in getting your hands on it by yourself then?" he praised, ruffling her hair in the process.

Okuda confessing her crime reminded him of when she tried to poison him in his former life—coming up to him with the dangerous substances in hands before asking him upfront to drink them— strangely confident and unafraid of rejection.

Okuda gave an embarrassed laugh, and in the way her gaze dodged his, Koro easily guessed that she hadn't taken those pills by herself. His eyelashes were minutely lowered, shading his green lenses before he awarded the girl with a reassuring smile.

Well, there was only so many students that would dare steal one of their teacher's possession only to ask Okuda to work on them.

Koro smiled. "Shall we go back to the others then if there is nothing else you want to ask?"

With a simple nod of Okuda, the teacher and student duo went back to the more crowded part of the training grounds.

::

Byakuran casually leaned against the doorframe to Koro's room, hands in his sweatpants' pockets. He let his purple eyes follow his brother's figure as the older one packed for his upcoming trip to Fukumajima resort.

Noticing how the blond did not forget to add more than a few weapons to his luggage, Byakuran couldn't help but raise a curious eyebrow. Casually, he made his way to the large bed in the middle of the room and slumped on it, making himself known to the room owner.

"Ah, Ran-chan, do you need anything?" Koro asked, his eyes devoid of their colored contact as he looked over his brother. His hands did not stop moving, disassembling and reassembling a handgun in used practice to check if there were any problems with it.

Byakuran's purple eyes followed his brother's nimble fingers as they went through each weapon, and he hummed in disinterest. "Just bored, don't mind me, Nii-chan."

Koro hummed. He put the gun down and carefully closed the compartment with firearms before reaching out for the briefcases underneath his bed that contained his knife collection. "Aren't there some students from 3-A that are free?" he casually asked, somewhat probing to see if his baby brother got some new friends.

"Ugh, I don't wanna talk about them," Byakuran grimaced.

Koro's hands minutely paused before resuming their motion. He grabbed his knife sharpener and brushed his thumb over each blade to check if they were too blunt.

"They're all stupid."

"Of course," Koro concurred, a light smile dangling at his lips as he slid one of his selected knives in their sheath before placing it in his suitcase. "My Ran-chan is definitely the smartest," he praised.

Byakuran hummed, his eyes crinkling in satisfaction as his lips twisted into a repressed grin. "Well, that's a given."

The fake blond could only chuckle in answer to that, allowing a peaceful silence to settle between the two brothers as the oldest continued to pack his surprisingly large amount of weapon.

Is he going on another mission during the field trip? Byakuran wondered to himself, noting that with his skillset and the number of weapons he packed, his brother could probably commit a few massacres on his way to Okinawa.

The thought calmly made its way through Byakuran's mind as he began to play with his brother's dyed hair. Blond wasn't an ugly color per se, but well, Byakuran was truly partial to white. He brushed the thought of Koro committing genocide for the sake of the Varia or a contracted client and focused on the much more interesting subject that was his brother's hair color.

"Aren't you going to bleach and dye them back white?" he asked, absently twirling the blond strands around his fingers.

Koro hummed, his purple eyes looking over the mirror to meet his brother's gaze in the reflection.

"Should I?"

Byakuran gave a nod, grinning as he let go of the hair in his hand. "White would look best on you, Nii-chan~."

"Nyurufufu, is that so?" Koro rhetorically asked, closing the suitcase containing weaponry and locking it before turning to face his brother entirely. "Why does it feel like we already had this talk before, I wonder?" he laughed, ruffling the younger's hair.

Byakuran gave a mischievous smile, his eyes thinned, glinting a calculative light behind his lowered lashes before he rolled away from his brother's hand.

"Maybe ya just old, Yucca-niichan~" he mocked, standing up from the bed and making his way outside. "Just remembered something I have to do. I'll see you later, Yucca-nii!" he sang, exiting the room in seconds.

Koro's gaze followed his brother's figure until it disappeared from his view. He allowed his eyes to rest on the doorway for another few seconds before he shook his head in mock defeat, allowing his hair to sway and brush against his lashes.

His mind minutely focused on his blond locks, a slight stalemate coming up in his mind before he resumed his packing: a second, smaller piece of luggage to put some clothes and toiletry bag.

Fingers flew across the tactical screen of a phone in a used practice. Going over app icons before selecting one and directly selecting the desired contact that stood amongst the most recent ones, the fingers came to a halt.

ring ri—

"How may I be of help to you, Byakuran-sama?"

Byakuran's lips stretched into a broad grin. "Ne, Kikyo, organize a trip for my school break."

Σ(ノ°▽°)ノ

Next chapter: destination Okinawa!