Campus Sanctuary 1

Study Partners

After dinner, Ikki calls out to Shiryu, asking if he can be his occasional study partner. Shiryu asks why, as Ikki says he's the best fit because Ikki is looking for someone sane and neutral. Shiryu seems to understand this. Ikki thanks him. They'll agree to meet at the third-floor library someday.

Class topics for this week: Recap for finals.

The weather is sunny, cloudy mix.

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[July 12, Thursday - week 2]

"Shiryu, sorry to interrupt, but are you free to talk now?" Ikki asks upon noticing Shiryu reading a book on the sofa after dinner. The others have gone upstairs, so this leaves the two alone.

"Sure, I'm okay to talk. I'm not reading anything vital for school. Just a random book I took."

"That's what I want to talk with you about."

Ikki sits on the sofa, and Shiryu sets the book aside to offer his full, undivided attention.

Ikki takes a deep breath. "This will be weird coming from me, but I need a study partner."

"What? A study partner?"

"I know. A loner like me who has no problems facing tough enemies is asking his friend to study together. But I really need a study partner."

"I would say so, but why do you need one now?"

"Not right now since we're focusing on our upcoming final exams that we study as a group. But when school resumes, I do need one."

"Okay, that makes sense now."

"Exactly!" Ikki nods.

Silence looms except for the few sounds coming from the wind outside.

"Doing school work in an empty dorm must be difficult." Shiryu nods.

"It is. It's not just school work but homework and tests, too. I don't mind being alone, but this type of loneliness feels too uncomfortable."

"It should be. You're being kept here to avoid liability," Shiryu says with arms folded.

"The school thinks I'll burn the building to the ground." Ikki huffs.

"It was the school's PTA who ordered this."

"PTA?" Ikki asks, confused.

"It stands for Parent Teacher Association. Schools have this group to keep children safe. While keeping you here is absurd, it's justified, given how you were at the Galaxian Wars tournament."

"I guess I understand why this happens."

"That aside, I'm curious why you ask me." Shiryu smiles. "Wouldn't you ask your brother to be your study partner instead?"

"Well..." Ikki sweat drops.

Ikki has a mental image of SD Shun clinging to him adoringly with sparks in his eyes, much to the chagrin of Ikki, who's trying to study. "Shun, I'm trying to study here..."

"Okay, I think I get it..." Shiryu sweat drops.

"The other two aren't any better. Seiya's a bit loose in the head, and then Hyoga... That's why I'd rather ask you because I'm looking for someone sane and neutral. You just happen to be the perfect fit!"

"Thank you for asking. I'll be happy to be your study partner. By the way, you said you do your schoolwork in the library. Well, sometimes I do my homework there too. This allows me to borrow some books without grabbing one and returning to my room, which is a bit cramped."

"That's great! We can do our homework there! Since the work we get is the same, we can aid each other in completing them. Plus, we can go over any blindspots we miss. I'm not in the classroom, so I may miss out on some obscure lessons by them."

"No worries, Ikki, you're not missing out much. Our teachers are pretty much on the spot with their lectures and schoolwork. They know you're here and can't afford to leap too far ahead."

"That so? That's reassuring. Thanks."

"Shaka-sensei talks about you sometimes, though. He says he sees the vision of a young boy with the fiery aura of the Phoenix."

"He said that to me when we first met. I wonder if he's really Shaka."

"The two of you met? I didn't know."

"Yeah! We met during lunch, and I asked if he was Shaka. Then, all of a sudden, he went around the courtyard demanding every student to call him Shaka-sensei because he assumed I complimented him on being Buddha. I'm embarrassed to this day. I should've not asked that."

"I can understand why. Shaka is Buddha's Japanese name, and for a monk like him, that's a huge compliment. I found it confusing as to why a monk would refer himself that, but now I know."

"I suppose it's easier to call him that than his real name. But I'm going to call him Shaka-san. There is no way I'm addressing him as sensei!"

Shiryu laughs a bit at Ikki's nervous gesture.

"We call him Shaka-sensei, too, because he looks so happy whenever someone addresses him that. He's blind but has enough enthusiasm to make us students pay attention to his lectures. He probably knows more than what his blindness and monk status suggests."

"Yeah, I get the feeling too."

"Shaka-sensei even has the rosary beads."

"What?! Are you saying the beads from Virgo Shaka now belong to the teacher? How is that possible?"

"Yes! Shaka-sensei doesn't know how it got there. He said it appeared at the door of the temple he lives in. His fellow monks didn't know either. The beads seem to have returned to their color."

"Yeah, I think he knows a lot more." Ikki nods.

"But now's not the time to be asking that. Not with final exams coming. We must know him first."

"Right! We have two years. We still have time."

Many hours pass, and it's close to bedtime.

"It's close to midnight. We walked that much?" Shiryu notices the digital clock on the large radio in the corner of the partition wall.

"You're right! We have school tomorrow."

"Well, then. I'm heading to my room."

"Same here. Hey! Thanks for talking."

Shiryu stands up. "Not a problem."

Shiryu heads upstairs first. Ikki follows suit after turning the lights off. 

To be continued...