"I've tried -- at my best. But there are things that just are too splendidly made with barely any effort at all, and seemingly no feelings and consideration required to make them. It's a pity that it was all for materialistic purposes. But after all, Yamada-san, they had unconsciously brought happiness to people like me," said Arina gaily. She was at it again, and there were people like the cashier Yamada who was weirded out by her tendency to romanticize everything. After all, it was only a popsicle...

Arina walked out of the convenience store, giving her passionate eyes a chance to admire the clear red popsicle, and beyond into the whole dear world before her. And what a coincidence, hadn't it? She just had to tear her gaze from the red popsicle to confirm there was a redhead just across the street from where she was at.

"My dear self, it seemed like you had succeeded!" Arina almost burst into tears of joy when she saw Matsuda Hakaku merge out from the redhead's side. Oh, wasn't their relationship just lovely?

Karma was informed by her presence the moment she began to betook herself in their direction, with her arm waving in the air, beckoning.

"Oh wow, another coincidence meeting with the news superstar this time. How lucky are we, eh, Matsuda-senpai~?" purred Karma, wrapping his arm playfully around Matsuda, who looked rather annoyed.

"It had been a while, my lovely old friends," said Arina merrily. "So much had happened ever since, and while so much had been happening, I reckon you two might've forgiven me for my sin. Oh, boys, I am a master of procrastination and I wouldn't afraid to admit it. But I've improved now for that essential oil cake incident had haunted me deeply until today and I shall always keep it to my heart that I ought to be diligent! I've declared to Asano-kun that I never make the same mistake twice and I meant it. Anyway, what are you up to?"

"I just happened to discover senpai's little secret recently, and Arina, guess what? As they say one can only grow closer to another when they understand each other's weaknesses, we're now inseparable buddies~ Would you like to go shop for some high-end stuff? Senpai had got us covered," said Karma devilishly whilst flexing Matsuda's wallet, making the poor guy grit his teeth in bitterness.

"Oh, Matsuda-senpai! How gallant you are," remarked Arina dreamily. "But well, as you see, I must hurry now or else these popsicles I bought right here are going to melt (The guys eyed down to see her carrying a big bag of popsicles) OH wait! Matsuda-senpai, Akabane-kun! I have this sudden splendid idea! It's a blessing that we coincidentally met this time. As I'm going to see Ito-senpai, would you two tag along? What do you mean you don't remember him? He IS the one from class 3-E! I am perfectly disappointed now!"

"Chill, Arina. Of course I remember who Ito-senpai is considering me and senpai would never have met if it wasn't for him, isn't it buddy?" he choked Matsuda's neck by overdoing the friendly arm wrapping around neck pose, making the guy almost die from a comedic death. "But it's a shame that my buddy doesn't remember who he is *sighed* well Arina, you have to punish him for your disappointment then. Do you prefer wasabi or chili?"

"Why, Akabane-kun, are you out of your mind?" confronted Arina wide-eyed, who was too used to being around decent peers.

Eventually, Karma smiled and agreed to come with her to class E's building on the hill to visit Ito Itachi. For Matsuda Hakaku, he tagged along just so he can be with Arina who he simped for.

"There's a horrible, sickening feeling I'm enduring right now for only buying enough popsicles for everyone in class E but you two lovely people. Perhaps we could meet up sometime again and I'll treat you to something else."

Karma laughed and assured her it was fine since Matsuda can take care of that. And ever since Arina appeared in his life again, all the bitterness and hatred Matsuda had for Karma just turned into a blind spot.

"That Red Cedar Sugi over there is my first tree friend here on this hill; isn't it just lovely to have a tree friend? They listen to you attentively and nurture your words into their life, and then grow along with it. A human friend might betray, but a tree friend will always stay loyal. But the best of it is that a tree friend provides for you and never asks for a thing in return."

"But then a tree friend can't play video games with you and all the other cool stuff," returned Karma playfully. "And they are impossible to prank for how stoic they are and they can't surprise you with visits either, because they can't move."

"Oh, yes they can play video games with you and any other stuff, Akabane-kun! What're you saying? As long as you still have your mind with you, you and your tree friend can play plenty of mental games together, even if you're as close to them as now or as far as a thousand kilometers."

"But what if you lose to the tree friend in the mental games and are itching to beat them up afterward? They wouldn't respond to you at all and that will be frustrating," smiled Karma, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Haven't you any imagination, Akabane-kun? You can carve something, for example, 'Cut me down, please' on them and they will forever be humiliated among their peers. That's so much better than using physical force."

'What are they even talking about?' sweatdropped Matsuda, who couldn't keep up with the conversation.

Arina led them up the hill and eventually reached the class 3-E building where the students were waiting after school for her like usual. But this time seeing two other people with Arina made them rather nervous than excited.

"Oh~ So this gonna be my future classroom hm?" smirked Karma, wandering around observing the place, with hands still in his pockets.

"Alright, Matsuda-senpai, you are going to meet up with Ito-senpai and apologize for bullying him last time, aren't you just excited?" said Arina gleefully to Matsuda as he unreluctantly nodded. It was a blessing that he was a simp for Arina or else she would have had a much harder time dealing with him.

"Oooh, princess Adeliya!! Who are these two untrustworthy people!? What if they turn out to be spies for the evil Corps of Nightmares!? And why aren't you with your guards?! But don't worry, princess. The honorable Scarlet Knight is present now and you can rely on him to protect you from these evil spies," the chyuunibyo guy whose real name was plain Yamada Taro fled to her in an alarming state, carrying his Invisible Sword with him. Matsuda was confused as to how he can see things through the pirate eyepatches that covered both his eyes.

"Don't be very worried, my Knight. They're no spies from the Corps of Nightmares but allies of our White Kingdom. Now pardon me but can you go find King Itachi? There's a Treaty of Peace that must be signed now," announced Arina heartily. Taro, 'Blade the Scarlet Knight' obeyed her and ran to fetch the King.

In the meantime, Matsuda Hakaku -- an outsider to all these things -- was weirded out and thought to himself that these E-scums might've gone crazy for staying at this shitty place for too long.

While Arina was generously giving away the popsicles, he took the chance to quietly observe these shitty human beings in contempt and found out that they were not too different from his imagination.

The two that stood out the most to him were 'Neko' the feminine guy and 'Baba' the masculine girl. They looked like an eccentric couple indeed. Neko was reapplying his red lipstick after finishing the popsicle and was sitting on Baba's lap while she was lifting a weight. Matsuda was freaked out by Baba's tan and big biceps and scars and tattoos. What in the world?

And another one that caught his eye was a seemingly black student, was she? Perhaps she was half-black, but nevertheless, colored people were always being looked down at, even if she wasn't placed in class E.

But it bewildered Matsuda to see how kind Arina was to everyone. Her heart was as pure as the driven snow. She overlooked the qualities an average person would scorn, and instead, perceived them as a unique traits.

"Because everyone who is born to this life is special!" proclaimed Arina stubbornly, even though her father kept telling her then no one is special because everyone is special. Though he was missing her point here, in her eyes, everyone is special in their own way.

"What does the letter E in class E make you think of?" asked Arina dreamily to Matsuda, gazing into the lovely environment and all the bountiful tree friends of nature accompanying the old campus of Kunugigaoka.

"It's obvious that it's the End class," replied Matsuda without hesitation.

"Why, Matsuda-senpai, why" -- she drew a long breath, clasping her hands together -- "obviously a class of Ecstasy is more like it! See -- an E for Ecstacy, isn't it just brilliant?"

"A class of Ecstasy?" sweatdropped Matsuda. Was she being serious? He would rather die than attend an ecstatic class then.

Taro, or 'Blade the Scarlet Knight' then reappeared announcing to both of them that the King (Ito Itachi) was on an emergency call and couldn't meet Matsuda to sign the Peace Treaty just yet.

"What emergency thing?" asked Arina wide-eyed. Without waiting for any response, she simply fled into the class E building to see Ito, seemingly the word 'personal matters' didn't exist in her dictionary at all. Matsuda and Taro followed after her.

"I-I will come to see you straight away!" said Ito in an alarmed state, putting his phone away. It was then that the other three barged into the classroom to witness his face getting even paler than usual.

"Your Majesty!! What is the matter!?" asked Taro, only to find out that the reality was far more serious than his imagination.

"My mom...is dying..." Ito stared soullessly down the floor. On a normal occasion, one wouldn't have believed he was only fourteen of age due to his abnormally fast aging process, he always looked as though he was in his mid-fifties with a body of a student. Although at this particular time, he looked like he was above sixty, and it scared the hell out of Arina.

"Oh dear," she blurted, covering her mouth, then marched toward the soulless-looking guy and grabbed his hand.

"Then let's hurry, shall we?" said Arina, forcing a smile to comfort him.

Karma was summoned back from his exploration and opted to come along with them. Taro, 'Blade the Scarlet Knight' seemed to haven't snapped out of his imagination yet as he insisted on staying to protect his 'Kingdom'. Matsuda of course had to tag along with them since he can barely stand being surrounded by a bunch of E-scums.

Turned out that Ito's mom had been fighting cancer for years and the fact that their family was suffering from extreme poverty had made it worse. The reason Ito was sent to class E was due to being exposed for having a part-time job. Even though his mom's health insurance covered most of the expenses, they still struggled to pay for all her fees.

Arina was so devasted to hear Ito's story that her sensitive self burst out crying along the way to his home. Karma was silent the whole time and dropped his usual carefree exterior. Matsuda, however, didn't even pay a mind to the poor guy's circumstances.

Arriving at Ito's home, the others couldn't even believe what they were seeing. He lived in a tiny apartment, in which the living condition was extremely poor. There were cockroaches, spiders, and rats living among them. The wallpapers were peeled in certain areas. The doors were falling out of place. There laid the single mom on a mattress, as Ito hurried beside her.

"Mom," his tears began to take up most of his face, grabbing his mom's hands, "Mom...how are you feeling now...?"

His mom slowly delivered her dead eyes to her son, her lips were white, as well as her skin. And her head was hair-free. Arina hadn't ceased her crying ever since but only felt like it kept spilling more than before. She quietly approached and sat down next to Ito, who was in a real depth of despair.

Karma was as silent as Arina. He hung his head low unlike usual, keeping a tense face. Matsuda for now was having the environment impact him, as he finally acknowledged how serious Ito's poor circumstance was.

"My boy..." the mom murmured weakly, "I'm sorry...for you to have me as a single mom...they don't believe in paying high salaries to people like me, and you have to suffer for that..."

"It's not your fault, mom!!" Ito cried out, feeling his mom's hand against his teary cheek. "It's not your fault! It's the society that needs to be blamed!"

"I'm sorry...for sending you to Kunugigaoka...I've always thought to myself, 'I wouldn't have to suffer from poverty anymore if my son goes to that school and come out successful'. I'm sorry for being selfish all along..."

"Don't. Be. Sorry!" he cried, but unfortunately, his mom's presence was no longer there to hear what he just said. Her breath stopped, and so was the hand on Ito's cheek, becoming lifeless and cold, no longer having its control to caress him.

For a moment those kids froze in places for failing to react to a sudden farewell. It was merely a blink, and she was gone. There Ito realized the line between death and life was simply as thin as a piece of paper. And Arina, who hadn't been exposed to death for quite a time now as opposed to her earlier state, was as shocked as Ito was. Had this happy and warm environment made this young girl weaker and more sensitive? Well yes, but it certainly did make her more compassionate than ever before.

She leaned forward and gently placed a kiss on Ito's mom's forehead, then, thanked her wholeheartedly for doing her best to raise her son until now.

The funeral was organized in Ito's hometown, Okinawa. There were extra attendees, including a foreign girl, a redheaded boy, and most surprisingly, the boy who used to bully the guy whose mom's funeral was also there.

"I didn't pay much attention to this at first, but I reckon we shall cherish our lives whenever we still have the chance to do so. It's wonderful to wake up every day and to be able to breathe and live and laugh and imagine how the rest of the day would turn out and up to tomorrow and the future. That's what makes life so interesting, isn't it? You never know what would happen, whether it will be full of sunshine or tragedy. But that's also what makes it so difficult, as you have to rush with everything you do. You won't know if there will be a promotion tomorrow or the death of your loved ones or yours waiting for you. That's why, boys, that's why I have to hurry every moment to live the most meaningful life I could've lived, or else the same horrible, sickening feeling I had when I didn't buy two of you popsicles will stop me from enjoying the next moments of my life."

After his mom's death, Ito had no other choice but to move back to Okinawa to stay with his relatives, and that meant he had to quit school to help his family out with their businesses since they were still financially struggling.

Arina, of course, sobbed for having to be apart from him from now on. 'Oh, you ought to know that you'll forever be a part of my heart and I shall always remember you as the greatest class monitor classroom of Ecstasy has ever had,' was what she mourned when she, Karma, and Matsuda were preparing to take the train back to Kunugigaoka city, bidding farewell to Ito Itachi.

Matsuda had apparently made up with Ito and was forgiven by him. Meanwhile, Karma gave away Matsuda's wallet to Ito with a mischievous grin, as it drove the guy to grow more hatred toward him. And before leaving, Arina stayed and cooked Ito's family a massive meal and donated a large amount of money to them. Not to mention, she gifted Ito a whole album of the photos she took with him and class 3-E this year, as he happily received it, only to open the pages to see it soaking wet with her tears.

Back to daily life. Today Arina attended a soiree with the Big Fives in the name of their band and met up with countless famous and significant figures. It was like two different worlds, the one from her side and the one she experienced from Ito Itachi's.

Asano especially took care of her and bought her fancy clothes, cosmetics, food, and everything that had ever slipped out of her mouth. But was Arina happy about it? Well she was, at least in the beginning. Although eventually, she began to see the materialistic nature in him was too unbearable and told him to stop impressing her with his money. There were countless things out there that needed the money he used to keep to himself to show off and impress others yet he simply neglected them all.

But fortunate for Arina that Asano was so devoted that after hearing so, he started to donate his money to charities, the environment, and animal protection as gifts for her instead.

Today soiree was full of ultra-rich people. From the finest wines they drank, the newest Rolex watches on the men's wrists, to the jewelry as the women's accessories, everything screamed money, as a single pair of earrings those women wore cost even more than your house.

Among them, Seo felt suddenly shy and insecure and frightened and countrified. His vest, which, had seemed so expensive and high-end, now was not even a quarter of what those figures had on their bodies.

When the soiree was over, Arina came merrily out into the calm, white moonshine radiance along with the boys. She breathed deeply, and looked into the clear sky beyond the dark boughs of the tree friends.

Oh, it was good to be out again in the purity and silence of night! How great and still and wonderful everything was, with the murmur of the nearby river sounding through it.

"Hasn't it been a perfectly splendid time?" she asked. Seo took a no for it and said:

"We're rich, aren't we? But I suppose it's still nothing compared to those people we saw during the soiree! DID you see all the diamonds those ladies wore? They were simply too dazzling. As long as we still can not afford those things we aren't rich then."

"We're rich, aren't we?" giggled Arina, "Oh, yes -- yes, we ARE, Seo! Why, we have almost fourteen years to our credits, and we're as happy as kings and queens, and we've all got the imaginations, more or less. Look at that river, boys -- all silver and shadow and vision of things not seen. We couldn't enjoy its loveliness any more if we had billions of yens and ropes of diamonds. Even if we are empty-handed, though in our mindset we're rich, then we truly are. To have different aspects in life and to not only look above but to look underneath is a blessing for you to keep a firm mindset about so."

"Oh, and also, Asano-kun, what will our class do for the upcoming culture festival?" Ren turned to ask him.

"All I know is the money we will be making from it will go to donations," said Asano, with a smirk. "Because we are rich enough already."