To say Kyoya and Koro-sensei didn't get along was an understatement.

Correction. To say that Koro-sensei disliked Kyoya was an understatement. No one, apart from Kyoya maybe, knew the reason behind Koro-sensei's hostility, but they were sure it existed, and it wasn't their misconception. In fact, the students were intimately convinced that had Shimamori-sensei, and Bitch-sensei not stood up for him, the raven head would be long dead— killed by their homeroom teacher.

At first, when they saw the yellow octopus' distorted face as he kept Oshiro-sensei in a tight grip, tentacles black from hatred, and anger, they thought the hitman provoked him. After all, their first impression of the man was him mindlessly dashing and stabbing at their assistant teacher. The idea wasn't too far fetched.

Either way, there was lingering tension whenever the two met, to the point that the 3-E students decided against mentioning the raven head in front of their target. Some wouldn't admit it out loud, but they felt a bit scared whenever they remembered the way Koro-sensei so casually held their newly appointed nurse in a deathly grip.

Another thing they learned was that Oshiro-sensei and Shimamori-sensei, apart from their early spat when they first met, got along strangely well. Oshiro-sensei didn't need so much as a glance to understand what Shimamori-sensei meant and vice versa. Even Irina had to say she was surprised.

Although she knew Kyoya wasn't antisocial, he wasn't the type to make friends either, even more so with someone from the military.

The most surprising, in their combination, was the way they addressed one another. Shimamori-sensei called Oshiro-sensei by his first name, something Irina rarely did, and Oshiro-sensei called the raven head "senpai."

Excuse the 3-E students and staff, but if they remembered correctly, Shimamori-sensei was a few years younger than Oshiro-sensei. From this strange relationship sprouted the rumor that perhaps, both learned Martial Arts under the same master, and Shimamori-sensei happened to start before Oshiro-sensei.

It wasn't the best of reasons, but it satisfied them nonetheless as they couldn't get further information. Irina, on the other hand, felt even more bewildered. How to put it, in a way, Kyoya was both her childhood friend and big brother of sorts. Although when she joined the organization, Kyoya was already here, both were closer in age than anybody else. Lovro tasked him with taking care of her, and she still remembers the days she would spend following him around.

She wouldn't say it to Kyoya's face, but she felt slightly betrayed by this relationship he shared with Shimamori. And may, just maybe, she was a bit jealous of Shimamori for understanding and knowing the raven head so well.

::

Mitsukuni mutely listened to the ongoing history lesson, the last before the bell rang and announced recess. He gave the teacher in front of him more attention than usual as the second terms' midterms were coming up, and didn't allow his mind to wander around.

Sweets was stuffed under his desk, leaving only her black fluffy head to peek out of it, and the black buttons that made up her eyes to stare at him unblinkingly.

Like most of the 3-A students, Mitsukuni's motivation regarding the upcoming midterms was at its peak. He didn't have a revenge to take against 3-E as he simply didn't take the last midterms seriously, but he needed to take his top spot back. It was more to boost and satisfy his ego than anything.

What's more, the fact that Takashi was back lit a fire under his butt. He didn't want to get beaten by teenagers in front of his best friend. It was his pride as a wise old man. He couldn't allow children who hadn't seen the world to step in front of him. Add to that the fact that Kyoya was supposedly back too, he didn't want to shame himself in front of his underclassman— he needed to keep up the image of a responsible, and cute, upperclassman!

In the end, Mitsukuni's mind wandered. He thought of Takashi and Kyoya. Although they hadn't managed to meet yet as both adults were quite busy, they promised to meet up in the weekend. The thought excited Mitsukuni to no ends, he couldn't wait for the weekend to come. His mind on his two friends, he didn't notice the wide genuine grin that broke on his face as he lightly chuckled under his breath.

Whoah, so excited!

From the corner of his eyes, he saw the teacher give him a probing glance before resuming his lesson. As a top student, although one that 'failed' his latest midterms, teachers usually cut Mitsukuni some slack, so long as he didn't disturb the others.

The one to reprimand him was Gakushu. Sat right behind his strawberry blond childhood friend, the Student Council President felt no qualm in nonchalantly kicking the shorter's chair in a warning.

The kick brought a sudden shake through Mitsukuni's body, successfully snapping him out of his daydream. He pouted, exaggeratedly pursing his lower lip out as he wanted to complain to the blond, but caught himself when he noticed history class was still going. Acting as if nothing happened, he brought his pen to his notebook and began to take some superfluous notes.

And here he told himself he would focus for the upcoming midterms!

He hid his embarrassment under a childish front, his honey-brown eyes gleaming under the artificial lighting as he began to seriously take the teacher's words. About time, when about three fourth of the class already went by.

Soon enough, the bell rang, and with it came recess— not any recess: lunch break. Mitsukuni packed his history notebook and textbook, neatly storing them in his school bag. He put his pen and scattered stationery in his pencil case, zipped it, and stuffed it in his bag. Of course, he didn't forget to take Reiko out. He secured his grip around her waist, slung his bag over his shoulder, and stood up.

Gakushu already stood next to him, with Ren right behind. Both waited for him to finish packing as they had chemistry in the laboratory this evening. The three males usually ate together as they got along best, but sometimes joined the other Virtuosi and vice versa. It wasn't that they didn't get along with other students, but there existed an invisible wall between the Virtuosi and the other students. Apart from the time one of the top students invited them, the Virtuosi usually remained in their closed group.

Perhaps it was a form of segregation. Similarly to the way 3-E didn't mingle with the main building, the Virtuosi also didn't interact with them much. It wasn't painted the way 3-E was, with ostracization coating the canvas, but the Top Students weren't better off. In their small world where only the strongest survived, they probably were the loneliest, trying to desperately patch this hole with useless pride and needless haughtiness.

Today's meal was fried rice, Mitsukuni brought some to his mouth, happily chewing it before swallowing. He was in a brilliant mood today, nothing would stop him from smiling— apart from Gakushu hitting his chair in the middle of class, but he could ignore it. 

He was magnanimous enough.

"My, oh, my, were you starving, Kannazuki?" Ren asked with an amiable smile on his face as he looked at the shorter's face. Mitsukuni's cheeks were puffed out like that of a hamster as he kept on stuffing his face with more and more rice. The comment to some may sound offensive, but coming from Ren, it was only some friendly teasing.

Mitsukuni swallowed yet again. He gave the raven head a big nod, a large childish grin on his face. "Mhm!" was the only sound that managed to slip past his lips as he continued to ravenously eat his meal.

Gakushu merely shook his head at the display, he heaved a defeated sigh as he calmly brought some rice to his mouth. He rinsed it away with some water and wiped his mouth with the paper napkin on his tray. "Eat slower, Mitsukuni," he reminded as he set his napkin aside. "We don't want you to choke on your food."

As if to jinx it, Mitsukuni began to choke on his fried rice. Gakushu sighed, he facepalmed and began to rub his temples to calm his nerves. He didn't make a move to help Mitsukuni out as Ren was already on the move.

The Student Council Secretary began to pat the strawberry blond's back, applying more force each time until Mitsukuni finally stopped choking. Ren gave him a glass of water, one Gakushu prepared while Ren patted Mitsukuni's back, and the short blond downed it in one gulp.

"Whoah! Thank you, Ren-chan!" Mitsukuni beamed as he put the empty glass down. His honey-brown eyes were slightly red and watery from choking, and his voice a bit raspy, lacking its usual mellow undertone. He cleared his throat a few times, keeping a hand on his adam apple— as if it could help his throat, before sighing.

"Mou, Shu-chan, don't scare me like that! Look, you jinxed me!" he accused, his voice tinted with childish reproach as he exaggeratedly pursed his lower lip out. He hadn't wiped his eyes, and so when he crinkled them, some physiological tears fell out. As if to add to the drama, Mitsukuni brought Reiko on his lap, tightly squeezing and nuzzling her as if he had been wronged.

Ren could only laugh from the sidelines, knowing that Mitsukuni's reaction was over the top and that he wanted to raise a reaction from Gakushu. It wasn't the first time, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

Gakushu looked at his childhood friend in disbelief. He didn't know how Mitsukuni sometimes managed to change from overly childish and sweet to the point of getting cavities, to wise and unfeeling as if he had already seen the world and its every secret. Well, he supposed, it was part of Mitsukuni's charm.

"You're still alive, don't sweat it, Mitsukuni," Gakushu half-heartedly answered, a sly plastic smile on his handsome face as his eyes glinted with unhidden mischief.

Mitsukuni could only whine at that. He stuffed his mouth with another spoon of fried rice, ignoring Ren's chuckling and Gakushu's snorting.

::

"Oooh, you're so tall, Kyo-chan! Almost as tall as Takashi!" Mitsukuni marveled as he brought Sweets closer to his cheek. His honey-brown eyes were wide open, shining with joy and curiosity as he took the raven's new figure in. An excited smile bloomed on his lips as he happily skipped to the sweet shop. 

Kyoya gave a light nod, he readjusted the rim of his glasses in used practice before giving Mitsukuni a small but heartfelt smile. "If I'm not wrong, I am a bit taller than I used to be, Honey-senpai," he told the shorter boy. To outsiders, a full-grown adult calling a teen senpai sounded strange, but to the trio it was normal.

Mitsukuni's eyes shone. "Really? How much taller?"

Kyoya pondered over the question for a few seconds. "A bit less than five centimeters I think," he provided. "I used to be about a hundred and eighty centimeters tall, but last I checked, I am now a hundred and eighty-five," he explained a light smile on his face. The conversation was aimless, but it allowed a peaceful atmosphere to settle between them.

Takashi walked right ahead of the duo, leading the way to the bakery. He didn't say a word, simply listening in with a satisfied simper.

The conversation on height went on for a few more seconds until they reached the bakery. It was one Mitsukuni didn't know, but Takashi told him the cakes were good and the tea commendable. What Mitsukuni didn't know was that this bakery was one of the many shops Takashi took note of before regaining his memory.

The three, two adults, one with an unreadable face, the other with an amiable smile on his lips, and a teen with an overly childish air, sat at a round table. They made quite the team, and more than one person stopped to observe them as they ordered tea and pastries.

Kyoya had on his face the expression of the former vice-leader, and puppeteer of the Host Club as he tasted the tea and pastries to assess them. He gave a light nod, face unimpressed. "The tea is surprisingly well made," he acknowledged. "But the cakes are overly sweet, too much would lead to tooth decay," he pointed out.

Takashi was sure that if Kyoya had his notebook, he would write it all down. Overly sweet cakes weren't bad, but they weren't best either. It wouldn't be good if the customers got tooth decay and couldn't consume in the Host Club anymore, or so went Kyoya's train of thoughts.

Mitsukuni didn't think as much. Of course, he liked tea and cakes, but he wasn't as picky regarding the sugar dose. What's more, he was much too happy to spend time with his two friends to care about such details. Then again, Kyoya wouldn't be Kyoya without his quirks.

Takashi gave a small nod at Kyoya's words. "Don't eat too much, Mitsukuni," he reminded the blond, not wanting a repeat of the tooth decay episode. His answer was a nod before Mitsukuni brought another piece of pudding to his lips.

Kyoya had a cup of black tea and a piece of opéra cake in front of him. The beverage perfectly balanced the sweetness of the chocolate layered cake, making for an agreeable snack. Takashi opted for some black tea too, the same as Kyoya as they share the pot, but instead ordered some fruit tart. Mitsukuni was the winner, with three different desserts laid out in front of him, the only non-sugary thing he ordered was another type of tea— until he added three sugar cubes to it.

After finishing his pudding and licking off the sweet caramel left behind, and eating half of his strawberry shortcake, leaving an untouched platter of appetizing brownies, Mitsukuni finally set his fork aside. No, he wasn't full, only doing a pause.

"So, Kyo-chan, are you and Takashi working together then?" he chirped with a tilted head. Kyoya sat to his left, Takashi to his right, and Reiko between his two friends, a chocolate éclair and a cup of milk in front of her.

Kyoya brought his teacup down. He lightly hummed, stealing a glance at Takashi before looking down at Mitsukuni's figure. As Takashi made no move to stop him, Kyoya spoke. "We are," he agreed. Unlike Takashi, Kyoya had no qualms in telling Mitsukuni everything.

He didn't coddle the teen, and he trusted Mitsukuni to be smart enough to know how to and not to act. If he wasn't wrong, from the way Mitsukuni worded his question, Takashi hadn't told him about the mission. Maybe it was due to the confidentiality agreement that tied him to the government, Kyoya didn't sign such a thing.

Koro's case in the underworld was a common tale, the number of people that new it didn't stop growing. The number who knew the whole truth was limited though.

"In this life, Honey-senpai, I am a surgeon, and underground surgeon to be precise," he explained. He noticed the way Mitsukuni's expression lost its childish edge along his sentence and continued, feeling somewhat gratified. "Mori-senpai should be part of the Ministry of Defense, but I admit my information is limited," he said.

Mitsukuni gave a grave nod, the pieces slowly falling into place as he listened to his former underclassman. "Then, 3-E should be on some mission for the government?" Mitsukuni probed. He wasn't a stranger to the way of the army and the Ministry of Defense. As someone who used to work with them, he knew most of the ins and outs of it.

Kyoya lightly hummed before sipping on his lukewarm drink. "They are, precisely, I suppose you took notice of the Moon in this world? Isn't it, uncommon?"

Mitsukuni's brows creased into a frown. Of course, he noticed.

"The culprit supposedly is a yellow octopus-like creature that moves at high speed," there was a mocking glint in his eyes as he uttered the words, but Mitsukuni was too focused to see it, and Takashi kept his eyes downcast. In the end, nobody but Reiko maybe saw it.

"And this thing is linked to 3-E?"

Kyoya nodded. "Yes, he is their homeroom teacher," he admitted as he finished his cup of tea. "And the class' goal is to kill him before the end of the school year, lest he makes Earth burst like he did the Moon," he explained, seemingly unbothered by the impending doom.

"I see," Mitsukuni whispered, absentmindedly bringing some strawberry shortcake to his mouth. "Then, Takashi and you are there to assist them," he deduced.

"Well, Mori-senpai is," Kyoya confirmed as he cut his opéra with his fork.

Mitsukuni nodded, everything made sense. From Takaoka's appearance to 3-E's unexpected athletic performances, the way that Irina was so skilled and Karasuma so guarded, the assassination diary in Karma's room, or the weapons found in his house— every piece of the puzzle fell into place, leaving a clear picture behind.

"I trust that you won't blabber these things to anyone, Honey-senpai," Kyoya added with a sly smile, glasses glinting under the light.

Mitsukuni blinked, a childish grin overtook his features and he giggled. "Of course, Kyo-chan! You can trust me!" he boasted before stuffing his face with strawberries and cream.

Since I don't think I'll be able to update tomorrow, here's an early update ^^