*Orion*

I played my reed while sitting under a tree. Me and the others on Team Wanikiya were currently taking a break from festival stuff.

"Sitting by yourself, huh?" Ayawamat said as he held a brown bag in his right hand. "You were always a loner."

I lowered my reed and smiled. "Wanna join me?"

He turned away. "No. I was just wondering why you aren't eating with the others. Don't you like people?"

I nodded. "I do. But I also like my alone time too. Gives me time to practice my hobbies."

He sat down next to me and took out a sandwich and a bag of chips. "I see."

I blinked. Didn't he say no to my invitation just now?

"Is that all you're eating?" I asked.

"It's what we were given, so of course."

I took out some granola bars and an apple from my bag. "Here. You can have these."

"Why?"

"Because you're a human and humans need nutrients to survive."

He looked at the food, then me, then the food, and me again. "You aren't going to charge me later, are you?

I shook my head. "Nope. It's on me. Enjoy."

He hesitated for a moment before taking the snacks. "Thanks."

As he ate, I went back to my reed.

He turned to me as I played. "Your reed playing has gotten better since kindergarten."

I stopped and looked at him. "You think so?"

"I'm not just saying that because you gave me food, but yes, your reed playing is actually bearable."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks for the compliment."

He laughed before taking a bite from his apple. "You're welcome."

I sighed. Why was he like this? One minute he acted like he didn't care about anything, then he showed glimpses of compassion and kindness. He sure was an enigma. His cousin was the same way. It made interacting with him as roommates a bit awkward last year. As I never knew when I would step on a landmine.

After he finished his snack, he got up to leave.

I finished my lunch as well and put away my reed inside the bag. Strapping my bag over my shoulder, I rose. My eyes widened as soon as I had stood up all the way. Ayawamat was coming back.

"Almost forgot, Wanikiya asked me to give you this," he said as he dug something out of his backpack. 

I laughed. Didn't think he would play the role of errand boy. Usually he would leave that to me. Although, guess I was the errand boy in this instance as well.

He handed me several stapled pages.

"Thank you," I said.

I scanned the paper and saw that it had information on the purchases Wanikiya had made for our little stall as well as original budget. It was remarkably through. Seemed the prince had ensured we hadn't gone over the budget. In fact, we had spent less than originally anticipated.

"Hey, boys. Fancy seeing you together. I'm not interrupting your little moment, am I?" Sowk asked, smiling as she walked over.

'Interrupting our little moment? Oh, does she mean us getting along?'

I smiled and shook my head. "Not really."

Ayawamat glared at me. "I don't think you get what she means."

I scratched my head. Had I gotten Sowk wrong? I sighed. She was another difficult one to read.

"Anyway, I wanted to see if you guys were done with the stuff for the festival. We still need to make the signs and decorations for the stalls," she said, glancing at me. "Since you're the artist of the team, you have the most important job."

I grinned. "I'll get to it once I take this!" I said, raising the wad of pages Aya had given me.

"Can I join? All Wanikiya and the others are doing is counting merchandise to ensure everything is alright for the day of the festival."

I nodded. "Sure!"

Ayawamat rubbed the side of his neck. He did that whenever he wanted to ask something but was to shy to do so.

"Wanna come?" I asked.

He shrugged. "It's okay."

"I think you should come too," Sowk said. "We can hang out and talk about life."

He sighed. "Alright. Let's go then."

I smiled. We walked back inside the building and headed for Ms. Key's classroom. She would take over the process from here. Although, Carter and Kanja had beaten us there.

"This seems pretty good," Ms. Key said, smiling.

Carter laughed a bit. "Huo and Li made it."

"Huo did most of the work. Li just reviewed it," Kanja clarified.

"No matter," Ms. Key said. "What's important is that it was made with care."

Kanja nodded. "Agreed."

"Although, you sure this is enough material?" she asked, looking back at the paper.

"We got some stuff from one of our seniors."

Ms. Key glanced at her. "Who?"

"Shiromaru," Cart responded.

"Shiromaru? Isn't that the guy who Haroun said would be like the tenth strongest student if he participated in rank matches?" I whispered.

Aya nodded. "Yeah. He might not look like much, but he is strong. Even I couldn't take him down."

"Eh? You fought him? When?" Sowk asked.

He scratched the back of his head. "A few days back. Although, I hadn't completely recovered from my match against Nyima. Not that my chances of victory would've been that good even if I was at full power."

"So, you're on a losing streak."

Aya lowered his head as if Sowk had just put a pile of bricks on his back. "You could say that. But it won't go on forever. I won't let it."

She shrugged. "We'll see."

He clenched his fist.

That girl sure knew how to get under his skin. I wasn't sure what was going on between them, but I hoped it didn't escalate into anything worse.

"Here to turn in your budget too?" Kanja asked as she and Cart walked out of the class.

I nodded. "Yeah. Wanikiya asked me to turn it in."

Ms. Key walked over to us. She smiled as she went over the report. "It's well organized. He's really stepping up as a team leader."

"He's still a bit awkward, though," Sowk commented. "But he's learning."

I laughed. "Well, we all start out somewhere."

She looked at me and smiled. "True. Zy struggled too in his first year. It wasn't until his second year that he started to get a handle of things."

"Zy?" Sowk asked, tilting her head.

"Think that's her husband's name," I said.

"Woah, you're married?" Carter asked. "Wait, but you're a Ms., not a Mrs."

Ms. Key snickered. "I still use my maiden name for work. But I am legally Mrs. Opus."

"Opus? Isn't that Alto's surname?" Kanja asked.

"Yeah. He's my husband's little brother."

"That's a pretty big age gap between siblings," Sowk said.

"I have a pretty big one with Sis too, but we're still close," Cart said.

Ms. Key smiled. "Age doesn't matter when it comes to siblings. What really matters is the amount of time one puts into getting to know the other. Sadly, much older siblings do tend to be busier."

I nodded. "That's true." I was close with Big Sis as she played with me and took me places. Although, there was a point in which I felt left behind when she started spending more time with my bro-in-law. While they tried to give me attention, I couldn't help but feel like a third wheel.

"You okay?" Sowk asked as she put her hand on my shoulder.

I blinked. "Huh?"

"You just went quiet."

"Ah, sorry. I was just thinking about something."

She smiled. "Okay. As long as you're alright."

I snickered.

Sowk furrowed her brow. "What's so funny?"

"You friendlier than I originally thought."

She put her hands on her hips. "Wah? You thought I was mean? I'm the friendliest person around." She wrapped an arm around Ayawamat. "Right, Aya, buddy?" 

He sighed. "As if. You're more annoying than Carter at times."

"Hey!" Carter said, pouting.

She let go of him and laughed. "Well, I'm heading back. Got some posters that need decorating."

Ayawamat sighed and followed after her.

She stopped and giggled. "Aww, feeling lonely without me already?"

"No. I just don't trust you with posters and the like."

She grumbled. "I won't mess up stuff on purpose!" She turned away. "Well, not anymore."

I laughed nervously. She was a chaotic one, that was for sure.

Aya took a deep breath. "Maybe we need to put you on a leash on the day of the festival."

I glanced at Ms. Key. "By the way, have you figured out if Alban or Sokw will be remaining at the academy yet?"

"I'm not sure. It depends on performance. If Sokw were to ruin stuff, it would make her chances of staying less likely. But right now, Koukyuu is thinking of letting both stay."

Sowk popped up in front of us, causing Carter to jumped back. He would've tripped if not for Kanja grabbing him.

"Really?" Sowk asked, eyes glistening.

Ms. Key nodded. "Yes, but like I said, it's still tentative. You both have to prove yourselves."

"I'll be sure to work hard!" Sowk said, flexing her right arm. She had more arm muscle than I did...

"Say, how did you get toned arms?" I asked, pulling my hands inside of my long coat sleeves.

"My adopted mom had me help her carry heavy stuff around. She's an elderly lady, so she needed all the help she could get. Over time, I got some arm muscle."

I smiled slightly. So it took years. Maybe I needed to continue working out. Even Hikaru who was as much of a twig as me has gained some.

Sokw sniffed me. "Hmm, your scent is still familiar. It reminds me a bit of Grandpa's and my step-Grandmother."

I blinked.

"Is Sowk a doggy?" Cart asked, chuckling.

She huffed. "I am not a dog! My auntie is!" She gripped her head.

Ayawamat turned around. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah. Carter reminded me a little of my past is all."

Carter tilted his head.

"Think I mentioned it before, but she was found in Wahkan by her adopted mom when she was five," Aya said. "She barely remembers her childhood. Her Tortorchi plushie is the main thing she has left to remember her family by."

I smiled. "Tortorchi? Papa has the tiger-cat plushie." 

"Tiger cat? Lee is a tiger kitty!" Carter said. He sighed. "Wished I had some pictures on me to share."

Kanja patted his shoulder. "I'm sure you cat is as cute as its owner."

He blushed. "I-I'm c-cute?"

Sowk chuckled and hugged him. "You're adorable!"

"Hey! Hands off him," Kanja said, glaring at her.

Sowk smirked. "Oh, jealous?"

Kanja averted her gaze. "N-no! But he's weak around girls. Surprised he's even been able to talk normally until now."

Carter looked dizzy as his face was super red.

"I think Kanja has a point," Ms. Key said, pulling Carter away from Sowk.

He mumbled something unintelligible.

"I'll have him sit down until he's feeling better." She carried Carter back into the classroom and sat him down on her desk chair.

"Why does that Rhys kid still have your precious plushie?" Ayawamat asked, crossing his arms. "Not that I care or anything."

Sowk gave him a sad smile. "He needs Torchi more than I do. It keeps away the nightmares."

Nightmares? Poor kid.

"Why not get him a dream catcher?" I asked.

"He told me Nahimana used to give him some, but they wouldn't last. From the sound of it, they took in too much negative energy."

"That's concerning," Ms. Key said, returning.

"Who is Rhys?" Kanja asked, tilting her head.

"He's a friend of Kun, Nahimana, and my cousin," Ayawamat said. "He snuck into the island for some reason. I'm not sure where he is, or what he's doing."

Kanja furrowed her brow. "Shouldn't he be in school? Or did he sneak in because he failed?"

"He's around ten or so," Ms. Key said. "I tried getting him and Saiyu enrolled at the local elementary, but since they don't have proper documentation, it's difficult. Kun suggested falsifying some like how he did with his identity as 'Nuk', but I rather not do that."

"Kun knows how to make false documents? I better keep that in mind for the future," Kanja said, whispering the last part.

"That Kun's a master of many talents," Yuzuki said, laughing as she walked toward us.

I smiled. "Seems like a reunion of teams. Only Hika or rep from his team is missing."

"My brother already turned his in earlier. Although, Yen made it for him. She's pretty good with money."

"Given her name, I bet," Kanja said, smirking.

Yuzuki snickered. "She was called that because she was the roundest of the triplets. Or so Eri says. She certainly was the most plump growing up." She looked down and sighed.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

She gave me a fake smile. "It's nothing."

"Here's my group's paperwork. I better get going now. The second round of the tournament will be starting soon."

"Tournament!" Cart said, jumping to life. He stood up from the seat. "Let's go, Kanja!"

"Hey!" Kanja yelled as Cart dragged her away.

I laughed. That guy sure was energetic. Not even Lei was that upbeat.

"Let's go too," Kanja said.

Ayawamat smiled. "Oh? What happened to working hard?"

She huffed. "I'll do that once the matches over!" She ran off. Guess Aya had a point about her being similar to Cart.

Aya sighed and ran after her and the others.

"Aren't you going as well?" Ms. Key asked.

I nodded. "What about you?"

She smiled. "I'll watch it on my phone. Have to multitask."

I grinned. "You sure are a hard worker, Ms. Key!"

"I have to be. Without hard work, it's difficult to make something of oneself. Especially in my country." She sighed. "Even then, even the hardest working person can sometimes remain at the bottom."

I furrowed my brow. That didn't sound fair.

She patted my shoulder. "But don't worry about me. Catch up to your friends. Enjoy your high school life. Once you'll my age, you'll look back to these days a lot. So make them joyful ones."

"Thanks for the advice!" I said, nodding. I waved and ran after my friends. Ms. Key was right. I had to make the most out of this time.

**Solar Note: Small parts of this chapter were written with the help of A.I. (more so around the beginning and early middle). I hope that you enjoyed it ^^. Pardon the lack of updates until now.**