The Argument and the Rebuttal

Oh! A Mystery!

     The earlier interaction with the delinquent biker clouded Kiyotaka's head all evening! That's all he could think about throughout his nighttime routine.

     Surely Oowada understood why he wasn't supposed to carve into the school property!

     Ishimaru wasn't necessarily opposed to small pocket knives, for protection or as a tool, but they were against the school regulations. Maybe that's another thing he can mention to the headmaster; he should really make a list of all these things.

     Once he was finally able to get to sleep, though, his alarm clock woke him all too early. He's hardly ever tired in the morning, but the first day took a lot out of him. That doesn't mean he should slack on his morning routine, though!

     He has exactly two hours before his first period (which is their homeroom class!), and he'd better use that time wisely!

     He washes his face and brushes his teeth, dresses himself neatly, and eventually has everything else done with exactly 25 minutes to spare. However, he'd probably need at least... 6 of those minutes to walk to class.

     Although he doesn't know what he's required to bring to class, he grabs his shoulder bag with everything in it and is out of his dorm to find his locker. They had passed a set of lockers on the first day that was theirs but nobody had interacted with them that he knew of. Once he got there he scanned all of them to check his knowledge and saw that they were in-fact all the same as they were yesterday, having unlocked locks hanging off the latch.

     He chose the one closest to the classrooms (for obvious reasons!) and put everything but a notebook, a folder, and his miscellaneous tools in the locker in his bag.

     The halls were pretty empty this time of morning, which surprised him. There's only 17 minutes left until class starts, for god sakes!

     There were a few straggling students; he spots Fukawa sticking to the wall next to the water fountain, it looks like she's waiting for someone.

     Maizono is also in the hall, and she seems to have made fast friends here already! To her right is a very extraordinary girl, she has an 'alternative' style with bright, multi-colored hair. Kiyotaka feels like he's seen her on TV before, but he cant't quite place it. She's being very enthusiastic and Sayaka is consistently smiling. On her other side is a nice looking girl, and the prefect thinks she may be a grade above him! Her family name is Nevermind, and he knows that she is the current princess of Novoselic, yet she is attending school here!

     Maybe Ishimaru could talk to her some other day? He would love to learn more about her kingdom and how it operates, as well as be friends with her of course!

     Not today, though, he decides as he looks away from the trio. He didn't notice the pair of deep blue eyes that followed him for a number of seconds. All he is noticing is the student in front of him dropping some papers and pencils.

     He immediately springs into action, kneeling down with the guy to gather everything.
   
     "Ahah, of course this'll happen on the first day," His voice is light without any real concern.

     Kiyotaka hands him some papers and notices the rings adorning his fingers, "No worries! It is, statistically, more likely that embarrassing things will happen on the first and last days of school." He tries to be supportive.

     The green haired boy just smiles lazily and straightens up, "Hm, that definitely sounds true. How would they have tested that?" The question is sincere and almost takes him off-guard, and Kiyotaka waits until they're standing next to each other again to answer. The other has maybe an inch on Ishimaru, but his presence is as calm as can be. He slings his now filled backpack over his shoulder and the other hand is in his pants pocket.

     "Mmm... I assume that they would have released an online survey asking the public for their stories!" He smiles a little, he can feel it, as he recognizes that this is a conversation— a good one!

     The other chuckles under his breath before his eyes widen like he's just realized something, "Ah, shoot, where are my manners? I'm Amami Rantaro, the Ultimate Adventurer if that matters."

     He holds his hand out for Kiyotaka to shake, and so he does, "Ishimaru Kiyotaka! I am the Ultimate Moral Compass, and this school's hall monitor, it is a pleasure to meet you!" The handshake is firm and leaves the moral compass with a warm feeling in his chest, but he can't place why.

     Amami seems intrigued in the conversation, or in Ishimaru, because he keeps it going, "Moral Compass, huh? I never knew these ultimate talents could affect the mind that much," His voice is like if you mixed sweet jazz with a cool morning breeze.

     What he said makes Kiyotaka think, though. Does everyone not think as passionately about their talents as he does? It's obvious that some do more than others if you watch Fujisaki, or even Owada. Did his talent come before he did, developmentally? That's certainly a possibility since the developmental process is very complex.

     By chance, looks down at his watch and notices that it is 7:57! "Oh god, sorry, Amami-san! It's almost class-time, I'd better go!" He bows slightly and hurries off to class— but he's not running, of course! Amami shoots him a wave and a 'later!'.

     Kiyotaka isn't the first in class, which is okay, and it seems like everybody currently just kept their same seats as yesterday!

     There was no teacher here, but there was writing on the board:

This is a student taught class period, use your time however you see fit.

     Huh, that is interesting! Their "eighth" period, which only lasts 30 minutes as opposed to an hour, is also labeled as a homeroom period. It seems that this school likes to focus on independence and building close relationships!

     He pulls out his notebook and a pencil, and looks around to his fellow classmates once the clock hits 8 o'clock. He's glad that everyone is present on time, but nobody seems particularly thrilled or ready to start the class.

     Kiyotaka sees what he has to do, and he stands up to address his classmates, "Good morning, fellow classmates! I gladly volunteer to get us started with our student-run class period! What is everybody's favourite class subject and we can work on it?" No response. For many uncomfortable seconds, Kiyotaka just looks at all of them as they look back.

     It's Fujisaki that speaks up first, timidly, "I.. I like math," A chorus of groans is heard after that, but Ishimaru smiles widely and clasps his hands together excitedly, "Definitely! Math is my best subject, and my favourite so-"

     He gets interrupted by Togami scoffing and standing up, his arms crossed with an annoyed look on his face, "What's the point with this 'student-run' class anyway? Is the school really that poor that they can't afford a teacher for every class?"

     His comment takes Ishimaru aback, but he doesn't have time to form a response before Kuwata chimes in, "Yeah, what's stoppin' us from just leaving?" He says that as his legs are propped up on Hagakure's desk.
    
     "This is still a class period marked on our schedules! And, Kuwata, feet go in the floor, not on Hagakure-kun's desk!" The prefect points at the ginger with furrowed brows. He just rolls his eyes but puts his feet down regardless.

     It's Enoshima's turn to speak up, "Like- can't we just /sleep/?! It's eight in the flippin' morning!" A couple people make noises of agreement with that. "Besides, we don't even have to listen to you~" She crosses her arms and legs with a smirk on her face.

     Suddenly, Kirigiri's voice cuts through the noise, despite her speaking at her normal volume, "Aren't you all supposed to be highschoolers? You're bickering like children." Kiyotaka is thankful for her intervention since he was quickly losing control of the situation, "Though, instead of schoolwork, could I suggest an alternative activity?"

     Ishimaru eventually nods, although reluctantly, while everybody eagerly jumps at her question to say yes. Even Togami sits back down to hear this.

     She smiles softly and stands up, "I say we figure out why they left us a folder labeled 'read together' on the front desk," She holds up said folder between two fingers.

     How did Kiyotaka not notice that? There's murmurs of excitement and a few people from the back move closer to Kirigiri to hear what the folder says. "Do you care to read this aloud, Ishimaru-kun?"