"Please understand, Minami-san, we're doing our best with her... but with her parents being distinguished alumni and her grandfather making generous financial contributions to the school, there's not much we can do."

Kotori frowns, visibly displeased. "You don't want me to give her detention," she says plainly, and it comes out more as a statement than a question. The principal breathes out an imperceptible sigh of relief, thinking Kotori understands after all, but the teacher continues, "Sonoda-san fractured the girl's wrist! This happened because Sonoda-san intended to hurt her!"

"We've tried to expel her, honestly," the principal professes tiredly, and Kotori is almost convinced, "but if you look past her... violent tendencies, Sonoda-san is one of the highest achieving students in our school. She's been captain of the archery team for the two years she's been here, leading them to victory at Nationals each time. Not to mention she ranks consistently in the top three for academics..."

The principal takes one look at the expression on Kotori's face and knows she has already lost. In a final effort to stop whatever her teacher plans on doing, she starts, "Look, I know you're new here, but I don't think this is a good idea—"

She's cut off by the harsh screech of Kotori's chair being forced back. "Sonoda-san will be serving detention with me from four to six tomorrow afternoon. Please excuse me."

"Run that by me again?" Maki grins and leans forward intently.

"I said," Umi grits out, slapping a palm to Maki's forehead and pushing her back, "that I got detention."

Despite being a year younger, Umi considers Maki one of her closest friends. The majority of girls in her year level are only interested in pursuing something romantic with her, and while it comes with as many benefits as it has drawbacks, Umi tends to keep her distance. It helps that she's known Maki since she was a child, too.

"Who?"

"Minami-sensei."

"And what—"

"Why are you so nosy today?" Umi grumbles, fiddling with the straw in her milkshake. Maki is rather miffed.

The bell of the diner signals the arrival of a new customer, as does the owner's loud and enthusiastic greeting. Honkytonk was originally a small bakery, but the large volume of Otonokizaka students passing through had Honoka renovating her family's old store into a popular high school hangout. Umi doesn't normally like to loiter at the busy joints, but she's been a regular customer since the bakery was around, and Honoka's approach to making friends is nothing but tenacious and unrelenting. If it wasn't for Honoka, she doesn't think she would have lingered.

Umi feels the seat of the booth sink next to her, and there's no time to ponder until a strong arm is placed around her shoulders and pulls her in for a side-hug. "Umi, Maki!" Eli beams. She is genuinely excited to see them and Umi can feel herself smiling, but Eli ruins it with the onset of a grin followed by, "Heard you've got detention, Umi?"

She shrugs off Eli's arm and takes a long sip from her milkshake, brooding. "I was trying to prove a point," she argues.

Maki snorts. "You don't have to break bones to do that."

"Who got her?"

"Minami-sensei."

Umi is totally unprepared for the slap on the back Eli gives her and chokes on her milkshake. "Oops, my bad," Eli apologizes, not sounding the least bit sorry. "Look on the bright side, though," Eli continues cheerfully, "at least it's Minami-sensei you'll be looking at for two hours. She's easy on the eyes, you know?"

"And you have a girlfriend, you know?" Umi counters.

Eli holds her hands up defensively. "Nozomi is the best, really! Just because I'm with her doesn't mean I can't evaluate the physical attractiveness of another person, though."

"I think I'll be the judge of that."

Nozomi sidles into the seat next to Maki and ruffles her hair affectionately. "Aw, Maki-chan! It's been too long!"

Maki attempts to swat Nozomi's hands away. "Cut it out." Done antagonizing Maki, Nozomi rests her elbows on the table and rests her chin on clasped hands, her gaze steady and all traces of playfulness gone. "Now what were you saying about Minami-sensei, Eli-chi?"

"Wait, Nozomi, listen—" Eli rambles on unintelligibly, making over exaggerated hand motions to help Nozomi understand, and completely oblivious to her girlfriend's teasing grin.

Umi looks across at Maki whose exasperated expression mirrors her own.

"Oh, speaking of Minami-sensei," Nozomi says suddenly, directing her attention to Umi, "I heard she gave you detention?"

Umi lets her face hit the table.

When Kotori arrives at five to four the next afternoon, she doesn't expect Umi to be there already. If it weren't for her student smoking outside the open windowsill, she wouldn't have placed her as a delinquent student at all: Umi's uniform is neatly pressed and her general appearance is immaculate.

"It's against the rules to be smoking inside, Sonoda-san."

Umi looks over her shoulder briefly. "That's why I'm smoking outside the windowsill."

Kotori frowns, placing the papers she plans on grading down as she passes the desk. She pulls the end of the cigarette out of Umi's mouth with two fingers, dropping it on the floor to stub it out with the heel of her shoe.

Umi does nothing to stop her.

At half-past four, Umi lights another cigarette and moves to stand beside the windowsill. Kotori goes to pluck the cigarette and stub it out a second time, but not before Umi blows a lungful of smoke into her face.

Umi smirks faintly as she watches her teacher turn around calmly and return to the desk, grading papers while occasionally tucking loose strands of hair behind her ear.

She's pretty, Umi thinks.

At five o'clock, Umi runs out of cigarettes.

Over the next forty-five minutes, Umi has memorized every nick and groove in the surface of the desk.

"Sensei, why am I staying until six? The other teachers only keep students until five thirty," Umi asks coolly. "It's also Friday afternoon - don't you have some place to be? Out on the town, perhaps?"

Kotori refuses to react to her student's taunt and instead chooses to feign ignorance. It's Friday afternoon, she's tired, and Umi gets under her skin more than she'd like to admit. "I'm not like the other teachers."

"You're right about that," Umi comments, getting up from her desk. Kotori looks up at the sound of her student's approaching footsteps, who takes advantage of the situation to tilt her head up with a thumb and forefinger.

Kotori's penetrating gaze is enough to make Umi shiver slightly... but she perseveres, hoping it didn't show.

"You're pretty," Umi murmurs over Kotori's lightly ragged breathing. "Do you date?"

"That's none of your concern." Kotori brushes Umi's fingers away with the back of her hand, her breathing returning to normal. She stands up to gather her papers and says evenly, "You can go now, Sonoda-san. See you in class tomorrow."

Umi watches as her teacher slides the door shut. She glances at the clock on the wall and grins when she realizes there's still ten minutes left until six.