When Inchou finally returned to his room, he sat on his bed and took out the scroll of paper that Yomi had given to him. He shook it and his mouth gaped open as he watched it scroll across his room. With trembling hands, he picked it up and scanned through the list. He was both surprised and amazed that Yomi could write so many words with her neat and tiny handwriting. He giggled when Yomi included some ridiculous things on the list. Among the things written in the list were:

To-Do List for my trusty slave

1.  Wait for me every morning.

2. Always accompany me anytime and anywhere throughout the Academy.

3. Carry my books.

4. Always sit with me during mealtimes and academic hours.

5. Be my tutor during study hours.

6. Greet me with a bouquet of roses every Monday morning before going to breakfast.

7. Always have time for me.

8. Always there for me.

The list went on and on until Inchou reached at the bottom of the scroll:

100. Treat me like a queen or you'll be sorry... very sorry

Good luck for being my partner. You better hope that you'll be alive until the end of this term.

He smiled and sighed.

"Natsume-kun's right," he said to himself. "She's a tough cookie. Maybe I could ask Natsume-kun for help." He was going to keep the scroll away when a scribble at the bottom of the scroll caught his eye.

P.S. Don't you dare report anything bad about me to Natsume. If you do report to him, I'll make sure that you'll regret your actions. I really mean it.

"Oh dear," he said. " I guess I have to leave Natsume-kun out of this as well." He looked at the scroll again and smiled.

"Yomi, Yomi, Yomi," he sighed. "You sure love to make things difficult, don't you? I won't lose heart to your challenges and I'm willing to do anything for you. Anything for you." 

(")(0_0)(")

The next morning, Yomi was combing her hair in front of her mirror when someone knocked on her door. Smiling, she twisted the doorknob. Inchou stood outside her door with a heartwarming smile on his face.

"Good morning, Yomi," he greeted her.

"Morning," she replied stiffly. She glanced at her watch. "Hmmm... not bad," she said. "You're very punctual today." Before Inchou could give any response, Yomi turned around, grabbed her bag and ed it into his arms.

"Just don't let it get into your head," she sneered as the door slammed behind her.

Silence hung in the air around them as they walked down the corridor towards the dining hall. Inchou wanted to talk to Yomi but she always looked at the other way. They walked in silence until they reached the dining hall. The dining hall was already full and all eyes on the awkward pair as they made their way towards an empty table. Inchou shuddered uncomfortably while Yomi acted cool as if nothing happened. She noticed Inchou's behaviour and smiled.

"You're my partner, right? Get used to it."

Inchou nodded as he put down their schoolbags. He was puzzled as Yomi was still standing beside her chair.

"Ahem! Are you forgetting something?" She pointed at her chair.

"Oops!, I forgot. Sorry," he stammered as he pulled her chair for her. Yomi just smiled.

"Now that's much better. Go and get my breakfast." Inchou nodded and obediently went to the buffet table for the Three-star rank students. Since the meals were already in individual trays, students can easily pick their own food without much fuss. He took two trays; one for Yomi and another for himself. While Inchou was busy picking up their breakfast, Yomi sat down and waited for her meal. She knew that annoying whispers were arise and she can felt the stares of disdain piercing at her back.

"Poor Inchou-san. He's being bullied by the new girl."

"She's a girl version of Natsume. No wonder their behaviours are alike."

"Well, at least Natsume-kun didn't act like a bossy spoiled-brat."

"The new girl acts like she's the boss."

"A pretty face with an ugly attitude. Go figure."

Yomi sighed as she listened to the whispers. Her heart ached as those words pierced through it. She acted stone cold towards Inchou because she had her own personal reasons and those reasons were kept deep down in her heart. She stared at the pink lace tablecloth and her eyes traced the intricate patterns as she tried to hide her emotions.

"Breakfast is served. We better eat quickly before the bell rings."

Inchou brought their breakfast trays and sat down facing Yomi. She jumped by his sudden actions but quickly gained her composure. She stared in amazement at her breakfast tray; a wide variety of scones, sandwiches, pastries, omelettes, sausages, fruits, cakes, to fruit juice and hot chocolate.

"All of this for breakfast? It's like at a five-star hotel!" she exclaimed while munching on a plate of sandwiches and omelettes. "Yummy!"

Inchou smiled as he ate his meal. "Since we are Three-star students, our meals are somewhat more varied than the other three ranks. The higher star-rank, the better meal choices that you have. It's the same with other facilities."

"Eh? Really?" Yomi was surprised and wanted to know more about the rank system but at the same time she tried to hide her enthusiasm.

"Yes. The star rank determines the student's facilities such as their accomodations, their meals, their allowances, their responsibilities and also their ability to graduate."

Yomi said nothing as she sipped her tea. "He's sure a genius," she said to herself. Inchou stood up and glanced at his watch.

"Oh dear," he gasped. "We'll be late for our class. We need to go now, Yomi."

Yomi stood up, grabbed her bag and shoved it into Inchou's arms as she left in a huff, leaving Inchou struggling with their bags behind.

Suddenly, she stopped not far from him.

"I don't know where the classroom is. Can you please make haste?" She tapped her foot impatiently. "You're the one saying that we're going to be late for class."

"Yes, yes, yes. Sorry."

"This will be a long day. Oh, Yomi," He muttered under his breath as Yomi walked in front of him.

Yomi turned around. "What did you say?" she demanded.

"Oh, nothing."

(")(-_-)(")