𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐃

UNSETTLED

"She's... unsettling." The statement was hesitantly stated, almost as if worried she would get caught. The words fell cautiously from her lips as she looked aside, folding her arms gently. Maki stood with a generally skeptical look, and judgement in her voice as she spoke bluntly to her other classmates.

"Really? I think she's kind of nice." Panda said with a rising confusion, he didn't exactly know the reasoning behind her words, but kept wary knowing Maki wasn't usually unnerved. "How?"
She asked with a raised brow, her eyes narrowing at the bear who could defeatedly respond with his thumb pointing at the vanilla haired boy beside him. "Toge mentioned she told him she thought he was impressive and a fine example of tenacious behavior."

"She said I was one of a kind — which was pretty nice of her, it seemed fairly genuine too." Okkotsu smiled a little, though his questioning gaze still remained, wonder in his eyes and voice as he pondered what exactly could be worrying Maki. "I don't know, Maki, that's 2v1..." Panda lightly snickered with a shrug, his natural carelessness made her look away all over again. "Well she's not prying into your life like she did to me..."

Panda raised a brow, the bear beginning to reason with a steady cautiousness, prepared to defend both sides. "I don't think she has any bad intention — obviously it's rude to be so personal on your first day — "

"Right?" Maki interrupted looking back to him with an expression that seemed obvious she was annoyed. "But who knows how mean she was being." Panda finally said, finishing his previous words with a slightly irritated Maki. "Isn't just a contradiction?" She asked looking at him with a faint confusion hidden in her frustration.

"Yeah, kind of, but if she meant any harm she would've done the same with the other two." Panda said simply, earning a nod from the two other boys, but before he could let his friend down, he spoke up. "I'll be wary for you, Maki."

"Salmon." Inumaki added with a nod, Okkotsu following the same action but remaining silent a look of worry in his actions.

"Yeah, okay..." Her sigh was greatly relieved and her shoulders fell downwards, the gossip slowly trailed off and so did her stress.

She was right to be wary, but wrong to interfere...

♛

"Anything on the agenda for you?" I asked calmly, a look of curiosity on my face as I stared at the ravanette boy. Okkotsu flinched slightly at my sudden appearance and let out a shuddered breath, holding the sword tightly.

"Huh — oh." My voice had driven the boy from his thoughts with a sudden ring in his ears, I leaned into his peripherals with a small grin. He pulled the scarf around his neck up and sunk into its warmth with a sigh. "Not very much, I'm supposed to go on a mission, I think..." His voice trailed off and his pace slightly faltered, a rising pressure in the atmosphere had his eyes searching for an answer. He seemed suddenly perturbed, a look of concern on his face as a familiar feeling washed over me. I knew what was coming.

But everyone else remained oblivious to my annoyance.

"Hey, you two! Catch up will ya? We've got a class first!" Panda called out ahead of us, a slight look of impatience on Maki's face as she adjusted the strap across her shoulders. "Right, sorry! I thought I sensed something weird..." He reasoned taking a few hasty steps pass me, I began to follow after, a look of suspicion on my face as I looked around with skepticism.

"It's probably nothing." Maki shrugged stepping ahead as the group began to move again. Panda nodded to her unbothered words with his own heedless tone, "Yeah, your awareness of curse energy is whack." The bear earned a glance from the boy, he looked almost insulted but also slightly surprised by the bluntness of the comment. "Salmon..."