The weekend came earlier than Rin had anticipated but she feels excited for it. Just two more days and she will start attending Catteya’s Second Branch with Tetsuya!  Rin enters the school of Bakada with Mana and her group of friends behind her. Today is the day they come to inspect Bakada’s facilities and hopefully improve its conditions.

“I’m glad to see you came, Tanaka-san,” smiles Fumie. “How do you do?”

“How do you do?” Rin asks back, returning her friendliness. “I’m quite excited to be a part of this new branch, so of course I’d come.”

“Let’s do our best to help these boys, okay?” Fumie asks, and Rin nods in return. “Let’s go, girls. Find everything that must be fixed. Let’s give these boys a new school to be proud of.”

 

~In the School~

 

                “Is this… modern art?” asks Saya, looking at the walls. Rin frowns at the graffiti and strange drawings, immediately writing down that the walls must be repainted as well as cleaning up the halls.

                “What paint colors should we order?” Rin asks Fumie, already understanding how their leader thinks.

                “Let’s go with a light color, but not white,” answers Fumie. “The boys might get too wild and dirty the white walls and then we would have to start all over.” Rin nods, adding the note next to her first bullet note.

                “This is bad!” cries Mana, running to them. “The seats have no toilet covers!”

                “There’s none of the special functions either!” Kuroki adds.

                “Could it be… they still have traditional toilets?” Sayuri suggests, causing the other girls to exclaim in confusion while Rin looks at them strangely. Haven’t they ever seen a traditional toilet before? Rin glances around in the classroom as Fumie writes down something in her notepad. The rest soon follow Rin inside also.

                “Are you okay?” Rin asks a coughing Mana. She nods weakly.

                “This air is contaiminated!” she cries again.

                “They are boys,” replies Rin, trying to lighten the mood, but falters when no one laughs. “Obviously we should fix their walls and roofs.”

                “This is a desk?” Saya observes, examining the brown, old desks as if they’re some ancient fossil.

                “I can’t believe it,” whines one of the girls.

                “Well I think they’re full of love and history,” Rin says back, defending the boys. However her confidence disappears when the girls look at her with a look of disgust.

                “The latest and newest things are the best,” retorts one of the girls. “They aren’t full of love and history; these boys were just too poor to buy new desks.”

                “Yeah, just because you have a crush on one of them doesn’t mean you should act like they’re the greatest,” another adds, huffing.

                “That’s enough,” Sayuri says, giving Rin a comforting look. “We’re Catteleya girls, not catty. And since we’re replacing all the old things, it’s best if we replace the desks to fit the Cattelya image too.”

                “What about the Bakada image?” Rin questions again. Sure the glares from the girls made her nervous, but it’s wrong to force so much change on the boys. According to Tetsuya, they didn’t even want girls at this school. There’s no way they’d be okay with changing everything. “They may be changing the name to Catteleya, but this is still their school. So shouldn’t we ask them first?”

                “It’s okay,” Saya says, trying to calm her down. “I’m sure they would appreciate us giving them new things. I mean, wouldn’t you be sick of using the same desks or ruined supplies too? And there’s no need to ask them. It might make them feel bad about us doing something so nice for them.” Despite her words, something still felt wrong to Rin.

                “Tanaka-san,” Fumie says, smiling kindly at her. “Don’t worry. I’m sure our heartfelt efforts will reach them. They won’t be mad at us.” Hearing that from Fumie forces Rin to back down, but unfortunately the guilt inside will not do the same.

                “What’s this?” one of the girls suddenly ask, pulling out something from one of the desks.

                “I don’t think it’s a good idea to go through their private things…” mumbles Rin, gripping the bottom of her skirt. Suddenly the girl screams and throws the magazine to her friend, who then throws to another. Rin sighs, watching the girls play hot potato with the magazine while Fumie writes yet another thing in her pad. The reform trip took a lot longer than Rin thought but it was definitely worth it because she got a chance to see her new school and earned merits from Fumie.

                “Thank you everyone, we’ll see you on Monday!” Fumie chirps cheerfully, waving to everyone. “Good work!”  Rin turns to walk away when a hand taps her shoulder. She turns to see Fumie and Saya standing there. “Tanaka-san, we’re also going in that direction. Shall we go together?”

                “Un,” nods Rin, smiling happily. “And please, call me Rin. After all, we’ll be a team here, right?”

                “Right,” agrees Fumie. “Rin-chan.”

                “Rin-san, one of the girls mentioned that you liked one of the boys here,” Saya brings up, causing Rin’s cheeks to flare up and the two girls to giggle at her reaction. “I see it’s true. Who is it, if you don’t mind me asking?”

                “His name is Asada Tetsuya,” confesses Rin, smiling just at his name. “He’s quite different from what I expected from a delinquent to be.”

                “Sounds like you like him a lot, don’t you?” Fumie smiles.

                “Yes, but don’t forget he is still a delinquent,” reminds Saya. “Be careful of these boys. Don’t do anything to hurt Catteleya’s image.” Rin cringes slightly at the warning, something Fumie immediately picks up.

                “But if you really like him we’ll support you,” adds Fumie, returning the smile to Rin’s face. “Won’t we Saya?” Unlike her friend, Saya reluctantly nods, but nonetheless agrees.

                “This is my stop, so I will look forward to Monday,” Rin says, waving to the girls. “Take care! And good night, Fumie, Saya.” The three girls exchange waves and farewells and Rin enters her house, thinking fondly of her new school.

 

~Monday~

 

                Rin hums as she walks to class. She can’t wait to see if she’ll be in the same class at Tetsuya. A small thud is suddenly heard.

“Quick someone!” a voice yells from the boys’ bathroom. She stands at the entrance, debating on whether or not she should enter. But if someone needs help, it should be fine, right? A boy suddenly rushes in past her, so Rin decides it would be okay since the other boy has help now. Just as she slowly passes the bathroom, she hears even more screams. Quickly she throws away all thoughts about decency and runs into the boys’ bathroom.

“What’s wrong?!” she asks worriedly. Rin slows to a stop when she sees two boys getting sprayed.

“Help us! This toilet’s attacking us!” one of the boys cries. “Make it stop!”

“Here, move!” urges Rin, gently pulling the boys away from it. She holds them by the arms for a few seconds until the toilet ceases to spray its water.

“What the hell is that?!” demands one of the boys.

“Makoto that was the attack of the robots!” the other boy cries. Rin watches them with amusement as they bicker back and forth.

“Tatsuya will know what to do!” Makoto yells and drags his friend out the bathroom, both forgetting about Rin’s existence.  Slightly confused, Rin finally comes back to reality and walks out.

“Rin-san?” asks Saya, looking at her stunned. “What happened to you? And why are you coming out of the boys’ bathroom?”

“I bet you Tanaka was doing something indecent with one of them already,” giggles one of the girls, causing Rin to look down in shame and embarrassment. “You know how the poor students are.”

“I didn’t!” she denies.

“She’s right, she probably got rejected to even get that far,” another adds. This causes the three girls in the back to laugh while some others bit their lips to hide their snickers.

“That’s enough!” Fumie chastises, shutting the girls up. “Rin is our friend and you will teach her with respect!” She and Sayuri bring Rin into the girls’ bathroom to help her dry up a bit. “Come, we’re to go greet our classmates now.” Nearing the classroom, Rin can hear the boys yelling about something.

“I was wondering if you like it,” Fumie speaks up, gaining their attention. Rin quickly scans the crowd and sees Tetsuya. She smiles, knowing they’re now classmates. But soon the smile turns into a frown when he starts frowning himself.

“You’re the toilet girl!” one of them suddenly shouts out, pointing at Rin. The name causes some of the girls to laugh at her. Tetsuya sends her a look of concern while turning toward his friend with a glare.

“Could it be you guys who did this?” Tetsuya asks.

“Indeed,” Fumie answers.

“Are you serious?!” one of the boys asks with an irritated expression.

“We changed it to fit Catteleya’s name,” Saya explains.

“You don’t need to worry about the money,” Sayuri adds.

“Consider it a greeting,” Mana chimes in.

“We were wondering what we’d find if we came,” begins Saya, explaining what they changed and why.

“We would’ve changed more if this girl didn’t go against every suggestion,” hisses one of the girls in the back, glaring at Rin. She looks down nervously. So far she has Saya, Sayuri, and Fumie to protect her, but what would happen if the other girls turn them against her? She is so lost in her thoughts she doesn’t pay attention until Tatsuya begins talking. “She didn’t want us to change your desks, go through your stuff and get rid of that garbage for you, or clearing out that one dirty room you have on the second floor. Luckily we beat her two out of three, so we were able to renew most of it for you guys.”

“The things that were here?” he asks, trying to hold in his anger.

“If you’re talking about that trash, we threw it out for you,” Fumie states.

“The desks…” Tetsuya mumbles.

“We threw them out,” Saya answers, smiling.

“To you guys it might be just trash,” Tatsuya growls. “But to us they were important things, damn it!”

“Why don’t you like them?” asks Sayuri, gesturing to the new desks. Rin sighs, watching the Bakada leader mumble over his words.

“I told you those desks had history and love in them,” Rin scolds, rubbing her arm nervously.

“Yeah!” Tatsuya yells, pointing at Rin. “They’re full of love and history!”

“I don’t understand at all,” retorts Saya, glaring at the boys.

“Of course you wouldn’t!” Makoto shouts.

“Don’t make fools out of us!” Yuuki adds, kicking a desk. The girls quickly huddle behind Catteleya’s top three.

“We are advanced members who have been chosen to return this school into an ideal school,” Saya states proudly.

“Why do we have to change?” demands Tetsuya.

“That’s right, when you enter a school,” one of the boys growls. “It’s proper to listen to your senpai.”

“You know, Shohei-san is older than you,” one of the boys say.

“Second years make fun of him too,” adds a feminine looking boy.

“Isn’t that bad, then?” questions Rin, trying to understand their simple minds. “Never mind, I do understand though. This was your school first. We just came and changed everything.” She walks to the front of the girls and bows. “I’m sorry for what we’ve done.”

“Don’t bow to them!” chastises one of the girls.

“Exactly, we’ve got no reason to apologize,” Fumie tells her. “Bakada is the worst in sch—“

“Bakada is not the worst!” Tatsuya interrupts loudly. “Bakada… is the best! We shouldn’t have to change.” They watch as the boys kick the desks, leaving the classroom.

“Tetsuya!” Rin cries, running to him. He sighs, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Thanks,” Tetsuya tells her, smiling. Even though he isn’t mad at her, seeing him so upset bothered her. He runs out of the room, following the other boys.

“Fumie-san!” Rin protests, turning back to the girls.

“If they want to leave, let them,” Fumie replies coldly. “We’re here for Catteleya and to reform this school. It’s not good if we give in to them for everything.” Hearing her tone made Rin see Fumie in a different light.

“I thought you were different,” Rin says in disappointment. Without another word, Rin runs out to help the boys find their desks, ignoring the protests from the other girls. She picks up her pace, hoping to find them soon. Luckily they started walking so it was easy for her to catch up. “Tetsuya!” The boys turn to look at her.

“You bastard!” Tatsuya yells, grabbing her by the collar. She closes her eyes, preparing for him to hit her, but feels nothing. “Damn it I can’t hit a girl!” She lets out a yelp when Tatsuya releases her and kicks a nearby trashcan instead.

“Stop it, you’re scaring her!” cries Tetsuya, grabbing his friend by the collar. He looks over at Rin. “You alright? Rin, what are you doing here?”

“I’m f-fine,” she stutters shakily. “And I came to help you guys find your desks.”

“Do you know where they are?!” asks Satoshi, grabbing her by the shoulders.

“Of course she does, she’s one of the ones who threw them out in the first place,” Maya says, rolling his eyes and hitting Satoshi over the head.

“Actually, only Fumie and Saya know where they are,” Rin confesses. “I just thought I should help .”

“What the hell then, you’re just useless!” whines Makoto, pulling his hair out.

“It’s the thoughts that count,” Tetsuya defends, standing in front of her. “Thanks Rin.” Rin gives him a weak smile.

“So should we split up?” asks Rin. “We’d be able to cover more ground that way.”

“Good idea,” Maya agrees.

“You five come with me,” orders Tatsuya. “You guys go with Shohei and…” They listen carefully as Tatsuya divides them up, leaving Rin alone.

“What about the girl?” asks Yuuki, glancing at the shy girl.

“I’ll take her,” Tetsuya volunteers. “Besides, the only person she knows is me.”

“Then it’s settled,” Tatsuya states. “Let’s go!” With that, everyone splits into a different direction, with the goal of finding their beloved desks in mind.

“Damn it,” curses Tatsuya. Somehow all the groups got mixed up and now Rin finds herself with Tatsuya’s group with Tetsuya and the other five guys. Suddenly another gang appears in front of them. Tatsuya and Tetsuya exchange a few words with them and before Rin knows it, Maya runs at them.

“Who are you calling a girl?!” demands Maya, knocking into two guys. Rin lets out a shriek at the violence.

“Ah, his switch is on,” chuckles Shohei.

“Switch?” asks Rin, hiding behind Tetsuya.

“Yeah, whenever someone mentions anything about him being a girl, he gets riled up,” Yuuki explains.

“I guess we have to back him up,” smirks Tatsuya.

“Someone protect Rin,” Tetsuya orders, going in after Tatsuya.

“I’ll do it!” Shohei volunteers and automatically pulls Rin away to the side and out of sight. Never could Rin imagine Shohei being that fast. However soon one of the guys found their hiding place, so Rin pulls Shohei to his feet. Shohei grabs the nearby trash and begins throwing them at him until Tatsuya grabs the man off them. Rin sighs with relief but soon finds herself in a hold, being choked by someone.

“Get off her!” Tetsuya demands, kicking him off. He pushes Rin into Shohei and gets back to his fight. “Shohei get her out of here!” One second Rin is running behind Shohei, but as soon as she turns to look at Tetsuya and back, Shohei is gone!

“Shohei-san?” she gasps, fearfully looking around.

“Rin, get out of here!” Tetsuya yells, pushing her away again. She obeys, running in the opposite direction until she runs into someone’s foot.

“What the hell?!” exclaims Yuuki, pulling her up. “Don’t make me waste my kick on you like that! It was a good one too!”

“Sorry!” she apologizes, ducking as a fist comes her way.

“You don’t hit girls!” Tatsuya yells at the man who aimed at her. He quickly runs over and knocks him out of the way. He drags Rin away from the fight and pushes her into a corner. “I’ll help you because you’re Tetsuya’s friend. But don’t get in the way!” Without giving her a chance to respond, Tatsuya returns to the fight to help his friends.

After the fight is over, the group continues on their quest again. Finally Rin’s had enough. These boys looked way too hard to not be rewarded. She secretly runs off as they search another junk yard. Pulling out her phone, Rin dials Fumie’s number. Even if Fumie doesn’t help, hopefully she’ll tell Rin where they threw out the desks.

“I see…” Fumie sighs after Rin’s explanation. “They’re at XXXX.”

“Thank you, Fumie!” Rin laughs with relief.

“And Rin-san?” Fumie asks. “Be careful.”

“Un,” Rin promises, hanging up the phone. She goes back to the disappointed boys who are nearly crying. “Guys, I found out where your desks are!” At this, all of them look up at her with delight and gratitude. They immediately head over to the address Fumie gave her and find their desks on the conveyor belt leading to a fire pit.

“Wait! STOOOOOOOP!” Tatsuya and the boys cry, jumping on the belt or running to the operator.

“Hey Rin, thank you for today,” Tetsuya tells her, smiling at his friends.

“There’s nothing for you to thank me for,” frowns Rin. “I was one of the ones who threw it out in the first place. It’s only right that I help you.”

“Yes, but the girls said you also defended us,” Tetsuya retorts. “You’re also the only girl that helped. So therefore, on behalf of the boys of Bakada, thank you.” Rin looks down shyly as Tetsuya smiles at her.

“Yo Tetsuya! Grab your desk!” Tatsuya calls to him, walking toward the two. Tetsuya nods and gives Rin a reassuring look before going to pick up his desk.

“For a girl, you’re alright,” Tatsuya says. Rin perks up at this and looks at him confused, causing him to laugh. “Don’t give me that look. For helping us get back our treasures, thank you, bud.” Her eyes widen at his acceptance. Tatsuya holds out his hand to her, silently telling her they’re now friends. Rin looks up at him, unsure if he’s serious or not. But with a friendly nod from him, Rin slowly brings her hand up and shakes it back.

“So we’re friends now?” she asks, just to confirm it.

“Of course!” laughs Tatsuya. “So now we’ll always be there for you as long as you’re always there for us. Although, the other guys will probably take some time to warm up to you.”

 

~Later~

 

                “I’m so tired!” Rin whines, throwing her hands up in the air. Tetsuya laughs at her cute act. “I really envy you guys though.”

                “Really? Why’s that?” asks Tetsuya.

                “You guys have something you treasure between friends and even senpais,” she explains. “I kinda want something like that too.”

                “Is that so?” wonders Tetsuya. Rin looks at him as he thinks for a moment. “Here, I have an idea.” She watches curiously as he takes off his wrist black wrist band and grabs her hand, causing her to turn bright red. He presses down to close the band, and Rin could feel her skin tingle at his touch. “We can exchange something important to us, as a symbol of our friendship.”

                “So that means I give you something too, right?” Rin asks, and Tetsuya nods. She begins thinking. She can’t give him her cell phone charm, it’s too girly. His eyes trail down from her eyes and continue going lower, causing her to blush and throw her hands over her chest.

                “I’m not looking there,” he chuckles, patting her head. “What about your necklace?” Of course! Rin looks down at her dog tab with the words ‘I love you’ engraved on it. “If it’s okay of course.”

                “It’s fine,” Rin says, blushing as she puts it on him. “Honestly I meant to give it to someone important to me, such as a lover in the future.” Tetsuya’s eyes widen at this as he goes to take it off, but Rin stops him.

                “It’s fine, you’re someone important to me too,” Rin subtly confesses. “A-an important f-friend I mean.”  She sighs in her head.

                “Oh then, I’ll take it then,” Tetsuya agrees slowly. “I’ll take care of this. You better treasure that band now. If you don’t, it means our friendship is over.” He tells her this with a smile, so she knows he’s only joking. But a small part of her believed that.

                “I’ll definitely treasure this, because it’s from Tetsuya-kun,” blushes Rin, smiling up at him.

                “Alright, well there’s my house,” Tetsuya replies, pointing at a house to their left. “Good night, Rin, be careful on your way home.” He goes past her, brushing shoulders slightly, but it’s enough to make Rin go weak. She stutters as she tells him good bye and leave.

                “I’m glad,” sighs Rin, looking at the band. She can still feel his hand over hers, and this band simply reminds her that she will always have a piece of him with her. “Thank you, Tetsuya-kun."