Speaking with classmates during the lunch hour was becoming easier by the day. Though he still wasn't sure what they were talking about when the subject of popular media came up, Ishimaru was at least able to comment without fear of awkwardly ending the conversation. Oowada had told him that he was getting better at communicating, but the prefect held the mindset that his classmates had simply built up a tolerance to his abrasiveness. Either way, when Kuwata brought up the upcoming math test, the prefect simply had to give his two cents on how prepared he felt.

"Yes, I feel as though I should do very well! I have been studying diligently, and the material isn't even that difficult!"

Kuwata looked dumbfounded at the prefect's confidence. "Are you serious? That shit's really hard! I don't understand it at all. I really can't fail this test, either!" He looked down at his unfinished meal, more upset than Ishimaru had ever seen him before.

"Um.." Fujisaki spoke up, as meekly as she always did. "If you want, I could help you study."

"What? Are you sure?" The baseball star looked up from his plate, blue eyes full of hope.

Fujisaki smiled. "Of course, that's what friends are for, right?"

"Oh, man, that would really help me out a lot! Thanks so much!" He seemed almost relieved.

Ishimaru, of course, was never one to turn the other cheek when he saw a fellow student taking their studies seriously. "That is very responsible behavior fitting of a student, Kuwata! And I commend you, Fujisaki, for offering to help!"

"Actually," Oowada chimed in, "do you mind if I join you?" The gang leader's eyes were averted away from the other students, indicating that he was perhaps a little embarrassed to ask for help. It didn't surprise the prefect, Oowada was one of the proudest men Ishimaru had ever met.

"Brother, that is an excellent idea! In fact, why don't I help you two study with Fujisaki?" The hall monitor felt excitement course through his veins, eager at the idea of holding a study group with his brother and other classmates.

Oowada gave a silent nod of approval to the prefect before confirming the matter with the other two. "That okay with you guys?"

Fujisaki gave a shy smile, nodding in approval. "Yes, that sounds alright!"

Kuwata also seemed content. "Sure, I mean with you two helping out, I'll pass for sure!"

The four students decided to meet in their homeroom class after the school day had ended. It was the same classroom that ill behaved students served detention in, however Ishimaru knew there were no detentions to be served today so the room would be completely free for them to use, and the two biggest trouble makers had planned to study so the chances of a detention being issued later in the day were low.

Ishimaru and Fujisaki stood at the front of the room by the chalk board while Oowada and Kuwata sat in the two seats closest to the front of the room. The hall monitor had shut the door to ensure that their study session would not be interrupted by outside distractions.

The outspoken hall monitor lead the study session, albeit unintentionally as Fujisaki stood quietly. Neither the baseball player nor the gang leader seemed to be able to understand the prefect's instructions, much to his dismay. He tried explaining the material as simply as he could, beginning to feel flustered as the two under-performing students just looked at him as though he was speaking a foreign language.

They had barely made it through one problem when Oowada made a suggestion. "How about you let Fujisaki speak, Bro? She hasn't said a word this whole time."

Ishimaru was taken aback at the observation. "Oh! I'm sorry, please forgive me! Yes, Fujisaki, how would you explain this one?"

"Um, well..." Fujisaki seemed hesitant as always, but she tried simplifying the problem for the two boys. "You just need to remember the equation, then replace each letter with the number provided. Try putting the equation to the tune of a song you like."

Kuwata and Oowada both stayed quiet, appearing to be focused very intensely. Ishimaru could only assume that the two had taken Fujisaki's advice and were trying to think of a song to memorize the formula to.

"That was an excellent idea, Fujisaki! How did you think of it?" Ishimaru was impressed, knowing he never would have been able to think of a strategy like that.

Fujisaki smiled, her cheeks turning red. "You really think so? I just figure that if you aren't able to relate to something, you should apply something that you like understand it better."

"Very smart, Fujisaki. You should lead study sessions more often." He was a little disappointed in himself for not being able to reach the two under-performing students as quickly as the computer programmer had, though he figured she probably had an easier time relating to the other boys since she actually knew about popular music, or at least more than the hall monitor did.

Just as Ishimaru was finishing his thoughts, Oowada spoke up. "Sorry, I don't think this is working. I still don't get what the fuck number goes with what letter."

"Brother! Language!" Ishimaru scolded.

Kuwata interjected. "He's right though, none of this really makes any sense, still. We're not smart like you two are."

Fujisaki sighed, a look a disappointment appearing across her face. "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought it would work, but..." It seemed as though she was disappointed in herself.

Oowada immediately stood up, slowly walking over to the distressed programmer. "Hey, don't worry, it's not your fault. We're just dumb."

"Brother, do not say such things about yourself! It is not true!" Ishimaru hated to hear anyone speak negatively about themselves, and he especially did not like it when his closest friend did as such.

"Hey, shut the Hell up, will ya? I'm trying to make her feel better!" Ishimaru nearly flinched as Oowada snapped at him, feeling a little hurt.

Fujisaki slumped her own shoulders forward as Oowada spoke out, her face starting to quiver. "Oh... Th-that's okay..."

"No it ain't! You're tryin' to teach us this shit, and we can't even fuckin' get past the second problem!" Oowada's face started to turn red as he yelled out, his hands balling up into tight fists. What was wrong with him? Was he angry?

Kuwata reached out for the enraged gang leader's wrist. "Dude, calm down, it's not that big a deal."

Oowada immediately spun around, towering over the baseball player. "Don't you tell me what to do! You think I give a shit what you think?"

Kuwata held his ground but was obviously intimidated, and Fujisaki looked as if she were about to cry. Ishimaru almost felt it was his fault, and he decided to make himself responsible for calming his brother down. "Brother, cease your yelling at once!" The hall monitor marched over to Oowada, placing a firm hand squarely on his shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" Oowada smacked the prefect's hand away, turning to face him.

Ishimaru's stance was unwavering, and he raised his voice as he stared the taller boy down. "You are getting out of control! You have scared Kuwata and Fujisaki is on the verge of tears! You need to calm yourself, Brother!"

Oowada's demeanor immediately changed as he looked over to a water-eyed Fujisaki, unclenching his fists and letting out a sigh. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"What the Hell, man!?" Kuwata burst out.

"Dude, I said I was sorry." Ishimaru could sense the gang leader getting angry again, though it seemed as if his rage was directed more toward Kuwata now, whereas before he couldn't quite place what his brother was so mad about.

"Brother, please just have a seat and let us continue." Ishimaru wanted to diffuse the situation as quickly as possible. "Are you alright, Fujisaki?"

"Umm.. I think so... I'm sorry..." The programmer was still slumping her shoulders forward, indicating that she was still frightened.

Thankfully, Oowada seemed to get control of himself and attempted to cheer her up. "Hey, I'm sorry. I'm just so nervous about this test, and I lost my cool. I promise I won't yell again, okay?" He proceeded to wink at her. Ishimaru had no idea why he would do such a thing, but it seemed to work.

"Are you sure you aren't mad at me?" She started to stand up straight again.

"Of course! It's my fault, so don't blame yourself! And like I said, I won't yell anymore. That's a man's promise!" He smiled widely at her, and Ishimaru could feel the tension dissipate. It seemed as if Oowada was good with speaking to others even if not a minute earlier he was shouting at the top of his lungs.

Fujisaki smiled wide, letting out what seemed to be a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness! I'm sorry you still don't understand, though. I wish I could help."

Kuwata yawned. "Don't worry about it, you did what you could. Let's just take a quick break and come back to this stuff afterward."

"Good idea, Kuwata. We do not want to overwork our brains so that they become useless! Also I have to use the restroom, please excuse me!" Ishimaru excused himself to take care of business, returning to see Oowada and Fujisaki sitting and talking side-by-side while Kuwata was nowhere to be seen.

"Excuse me, Brother, but where is Kuwata?"

Oowada turned to face Ishimaru, a puzzled expression on his face. "I thought he said he was going to the bathroom with you?"

Ishimaru looked out into the hallway, noting the emptiness. "No, I did not see him. Did he...?" An idea popped into Ishimaru's head, and he instantly cried out at the though of it. "Did Kuwata leave the study session early!?"

Oowada didn't seem bothered by Kuwata's ditching the study session at all. "Calm down, Bro, we were actually thinking of leaving soon. Fujisaki asked if we want to go see that new movie out about the dog."

"It's supposed to be really good, Ishimaru. I just figure that Oowada and Kuwata are tired of studying... so..." The programmer had a shy smile, and her posture was much more open than usual. It was as if the person she was just alone in the room with hadn't been shouting loud enough to scare her earlier. Simply put, Ishimaru found it odd, but he saw no reason to press the issue. There was a more serious issue at hand.

"Are you sure you want to stop when you haven't even learned anything? What about the test? Why are you not more upset with Kuwata for walking out when he was the one who suggested we study in the first place?" Ishimaru could feel his brow furrow in discontent, and he crossed his arms together.

"I mean, if we're not gonna get it, we're not gonna get it, right? Plus he's a creep, Fujisaki offered to help so he probably thought he could be alone with her." His brother was being very frustrating. Very frustrating indeed.

But it couldn't be helped. Kuwata had left, Fujisaki seemed okay with it, and Oowada was not the kind of person to be persuaded to do something that he did not want to. Ishimaru gave in, hoping that he would be able to convince the gang leader to take his studies more seriously in time.

"Very well," the hall monitor sighed. "But I still feel that we should have studied more diligently today."

"Sorry, Ishimaru... I guess I'm partially to blame for this." Fujisaki averted her eyes to the floor, as she often did.

"Do not blame yourself, Fujisaki, Brother and Kuwata are the ones who are giving up on themselves so soon."

"We'll try harder next time, alright Bro?" The gang leader stood up to take his leave. "You comin' with us to the movie?"

"I'm afraid not. I planed to study today and that is what I shall do."

"If you say so. We'll catch ya later then."

The three students said their goodbyes, Fujisaki and Oowada walking out of the room and down the hall. Ishimaru could have gone to his room, or the library, but for some reason he decided to stay put in the classroom. A strange feeling came over him as he watched the other two leave, listening intently as their footsteps and voices became quieter and quieter.

Once they were no longer in his hearing range, he sat down in the desk that his brother had been sitting in. It was still warm, which makes sense because Oowada was a very large and physically warm person. He opened his book to review the material he had already thoroughly memorized once more, the idea of Fujisaki and Oowada together still on his mind. He let out a sigh, unable to focus on his book.

"What's wrong with me?"