After nearly an hour of discussion, they took their break. Hibiki took out his phone, hoping to talk some more to Tristan. With a few taps he had opened the messages again, and he read them over as he walked out of the classroom – just so he could ignore his bodyguards waiting in the hallway.

A hand grasped his shoulder. He gasped and jolted, instinctively pulling away from the person.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." Madeline said. Still a bit shaken by the suddenness, he clutched his phone to his chest and nodded at a space right beside her waist. Even then he noticed the two imposing figures that had moved beside him. They made him feel more secure, even if they were inconvenient for conversations.

"Er,- anyhow, I wanted to tell you that it's fine if you want to join in more. Your answers were very well-composed."

From his peripheral he saw a friendly smile, and he forced himself to look at her. Her eyes were a very warm brown, and she did seem genuinely concerned about him joining in. So he smiled back and nodded – even though he wasn't sure whether he would.

The worrying and adapting had tired him out somewhat, and at the very least made him weary of these interactions. He looked forward to having a break and recalibrating. Maybe he'd get the hang of these tutorials a bit better in the second half, when everyone else had some time to figure out their approach to him too.

"So, then I'll see you after the break." Madeline said, before the silence could become awkward.

He smiled again and gave her a wave, while she walked away down the hall.

After an hour of listening to the discussion, he felt like some sort of beverage would be well deserved. So he turned towards Kazuo.

'I am going to get a coffee'

「What kind would you like?」Kazuo answered immediately, ready to go get it for him.

He shook his head. He didn't want it to be fetched for him, he wanted to get it himself.

'I can do it. Stretch my legs'

With a grin at Kazuo, he began sauntering backwards. It wouldn't be hard to grab a coffee, and the idea of doing it by himself cheered him up. So he turned towards the entrance hall, remembering there was a coffee place opposite his college.

After quickly darting across the road, he ducked into the cafe. It had a simple industrial vibe, with concrete floors and bare light bulbs, but decorated with posters, wall paintings and simple but comfortable looking furniture to give it a more artistic flair. The menu was written on a chalkboard, behind a large counter on the side that was covered entirely with posters and stickers for theatre productions and indie concerts.

It appeared that his fellow classmates had a similar craving for caffeine, as there was a short line leading up to the counter.

「I can get it for you.」Kazuo said again, but he smiled and shook his head. Instead he tossed the man his bag, and gestured for him to find him a table. Waiting in line seemed fine: although busy, it wasn't nearly as crowded as the hall had been that morning, and his bodyguards weren't far off.

So he plucked his phone from his pocket, and then checked out the menu. There were tons of options, and he wasn't entirely sure what he wanted. A simple coffee would do the job, but if he was going to sit through another hour of this tutorial, he could do with something laden with sugar and cream.

While he doubted between a hazelnut-toffee latte, or a white chocolate and vanilla mochaccino, one person from the group in front of him ordered – and apparently she was the only one who had wanted something as they all moved away.

"Can I take your order?" The woman behind the counter said. Realising he had taken too long, quickly raised one hand to say he needed a moment, and began typing out what he wanted on his phone.

He noticed her glare, but couldn't type much faster than he already was.

"You're going to have to order something." She said sternly. Very aware of that, he glanced up and nodded. He held up one finger asking for just a moment, then looked down again to finish writing his order.

He heard a deep, annoyed sigh.

"Next." Surprised by that, he looked up to see her gesture at the next person in line. He felt his heart drop, as he realised that she had skipped him over. Maybe she had thought he was texting or being rude.

In an attempt to grab her attention, he lifted his hand again, but she ignored him and continued to take orders down the line. Confused, and not sure what to do, he looked at the next person in line. The student glanced at him, but didn't help him either.

Even more lost, he tried again to get the woman's attention by raising his hand. She dismissed him again, staunchly continuing down the line.

"Excuse me." Kazuo's stern, composed voice from behind startled him. He hadn't noticed the man come up. And although he felt hurt, and insulted that Kazuo had to help him, he was glad he was there.

The woman turned to face Kazuo, and in turn he felt a hand on his shoulder. The man's grip was quite strong, but reassuring.

"I believe that he was first." He said with a frighteningly cold smile. "Have you placed your order yet?" When addressing him, the smile shifted to become caring and genuine.

He held his phone in both hands and shook his head. A deep soreness spread through his chest, as he realised he hadn't even been able to get a coffee by himself. His eyes locked with a random spot on the counter.

He didn't want coffee anymore.

The tense pain in his chest made it hard to breathe. Everyone was watching – all his classmates.

He shook his head a second time and tore himself loose from Kazuo's grip. It didn't matter if he'd fix it for him. He didn't want to be saved, not from trying to order a fucking coffee.

Before Kazuo, or anyone else could stop him, he stormed out.