Spring Awakenings

Mass Destruction

Monday, 4/28/12, Yasogami High School, Late Afternoon

"And that's when the Pharaoh got so mad that he-"

*RINNNGGGGGG*

"Aw, shoot! Well, don't forget that your test results are posted up in the hall outside. No retakes, you got what you got! Remember, denial isn't just a river in Egypt! Ha ha, goodbye!"

Ms. Tofue hurriedly left the room, holding onto her headdress as she passed through the door. Rise sighed in relief; she had been telling a story about a Pharaoh in Egypt for so long that she had forgotten to give the pop quiz that was scheduled for that day. There was at least one upside to her incessant yammering about ancient Egypt.

Quickly, Rise leapt up to her feet, her checkered skirt bouncing as she grabbed her book bag and almost leapt out of the room. She was eager to see her score; the test they had taken was the one she had studied for with Naoto, and Rise wanted to see if the studying had paid off. It didn't feel like it when she took the test, so she was cautiously optimistic at best.

Besides that, she was extremely anxious about seeing Naoto, as well. She couldn't get a hold of her the whole weekend, and she was starting to get even more worried. If Rise was right, and Naoto was truly upset with her, then there was no time to waste. She patted the front of her bag, feeling the bulky mass of the special weapon she had managed to cram in there. If that didn't work, she hoped that it would at least remind Naoto of how special she was to RIse. Moving quick to avoid Kanji, who she could hear give a mild "wait up!" as she stepped out the door.

In the main hall of the 2nd floor, many students were crowding around the bulletin board adjacent to the stairs. Steeling herself, Rise marched toward the massive throng and attempted to make her way closer to the board so she could see.

Having been in more of a support role during the Investigation Team's adventures in the TV World, Rise was not exactly a physical specimen. Her dainty figure was well suited for modelling, but was fairly ineffective when it came to shoving her way through anxious and wild students who all wanted to see their test score. Nevertheless, she pressed onward, making use of her elbows and hips to shove people out of the way.

After what felt like a deep ocean dive, Rise finally emerged, unscathed, at the front of the board. Smiling, she quickly began scanning the paper that was taped there, looking for her name. A shout from the back of the mob broke her concentration.

"'Ey pigtails! Down in front!"

Rolling her eyes, she cast a wicked glance behind her, not about to be heckled after her endeavor.

"Pipe down, plebe!"

She made a point to flick her red ponytails, causing some laughter and groans from her not so adoring public. After a minute, she found "Kujikawa, Rise" on the paper. With a gulp, she looked to the right to see her score.

...

87%. B+.

"Wooo hooo!" she yelped, leaping for joy and landing with one foot popped up cutely. Of course, because she was Risette, she got a smattering of applause from the student mass. She mock curtsied before looking back and seeing "Shirogane, Naoto" on the paper.

100%. Of course, she thought, not surprising in the least. Naoto was top in the class in almost anything she participated in, even art. She had explained to Rise that a detective must know how to sketch a perp even with only a minor glance, and do it well enough that any normal citizen could identify them. Sure enough, Naoto was an exceptional artist, doodling an accurate picture of Rise not more than 10 minutes after she had asked.