The morning sun hung low over the commute to Shunji High, casting long, sharp shadows across the sidewalk.
Tachibana Rei walked with her head down, her usual energetic bounce replaced by a distracted, heavy stride.
The past few days had been surreal.
Suzune, Rindou-senpai, and the others had all returned from their mysterious "training" looking different—sharper, more intense, and possessing a strange air of authority that Rei couldn't quite grasp.
Yet, Seijirou and Retsu-sensei has yet to return.
Rei was so consumed by her worry that she was basically almost always in a daze.
Just yesterday, she had been sitting on a bench, staring into space, completely oblivious to the fact that her archenemy, Erina, had sat right next to her and casually finished half of Rei's bento.
'That tiny purple-haired devil,' Rei grumbled internally, her fist clenching. 'She's a millionaire! Why is she stealing a commoner's sausages?!'
