"You won't answer, you pervert!" She demanded again, her voice cutting through him like a sharp knife. The girl standing in front of Ren was a lot shorter than him but she had that vibe about her that made her seem much taller.
Her most striking feature was her red hair. She styled it in a ponytail which revealed her brown eyes that Ren could clearly see were full of fury. She had the normal Sakura High girls' uniform on, but somehow she made it look more intimidating than it actually was.
"Scary. " He thought to himself.
Ren tried to wriggle free of her hold but her grip on his wrist didn't loosen one little bit. The noise of the courtyard was quickly starting to get snuffed out as a few of the students slowed down their pace curious about what the commotion was about.
"I... " Ren started but his words only tripped over themselves.
"It's not what it looks like. "
"Yeah, right," she snapped back at him, tightening her hold of him.
She twisted his wrist downwards pulling him to the ground. "You think you can just grab random girls?"
Ren yekped. "The paper!. " Ren pointed desperately. "That paper on your friend's bag, I just need, I just need it back. "
"Save it, creep. " The girl's grip tightened.
"I saw you chasing her through the crowd." Her eyes flicked to his outstretched hand, then back to his face with disgust.
"What, you can't even wait until classes start before harassing girls?. "
Ren looked around and a crowd starting to form as other students stopped to watch, whispering to each other.
Perfect. Great first impression, Ren.
"Is he harassing someone?. "
"On the first day?. "
"Should we call someone?. "
"Someone get a teacher.. "
"You don't understand.. " Ren said, trying to keep his voice calm even though his heart was racing.
"I wasn't chasing her, I was chasing the paper. "
"The girl's eyebrow arched skeptically. "A paper? Really. That's your excuse?"
"Yes believe me.. " His words barely made it past his throat before another voice cut him off again.
"What's going on here, Hana?"
Ren turned to see a tall young man approaching, broad-shouldered, with the kind of calm presence that drew attention without him even trying. His tone carried a quiet authority that made the students move aside without realizing it.
"I look away for one second and you two are both gone." His gaze shifting between Ren and Hana with curiosity and concern.
"This guy here said he was trying to grab something from Nino's shoulder, but I don't believe him one bit. " Hana explained, her tone still sharp as she shot Ren a pointed glare.
"He was definitely trying to do something bad. Just look at his evil looking eyes, creep, gross. "
The young man's eyes flicked to Ren, his gaze probing and intense, his eyes narrowing with suspicion as he sized up Ren.
He was tall.. freaking tall, Ren thought. Ren was no slouch either at 5'8 but in front of his guy, he looked small. "What is he?... 6 inch , 6'1 nah he has to be 6'2 " Ren wondered.
"What were you trying to grab?" the young man asked, his voice firm and commanding.
"He's even taller than Kaito… " the thought slipped through, absurdly out of place but impossible to stop.
Great. Exactly what he needed.. a six-two judgmental referee.
Ren hesitated for a moment very much aware that based on his answer this situation could turn ugly very quickly.
"I was trying to grab a piece of paper " Ren explained, his words measured and deliberate. "It is very important to me. It belonged to someone important.
For a moment, there was only bleak silence and nothing more between the three of them. This uneasy truce was broken when the third girl noticed the paper stuck by the side of her bag.
"Hana... he might be telling the truth. " The other girl Nino finally spoke
Ren nodded in agreement, his throat suddenly too tight for words.
The soft-voiced girl studied the paper, eyes widening slightly as she noticed the brown stains.
Blood.
Dry blood.
She looked at Ren with something like understanding, then carefully held the paper out to him.
"Here."
Ren took it with one trembling hand, pressing it against his chest like it might disappear again. Now that the precious paper was safely back in his posession once more, Ren felt a wave of relief wash over him.
He quickly tucked the paper back securely into his front pockets. "Thank you," he managed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you girls. I just. This is.. "
"Personal," the second girl finished softly. "I understand. "
The young man's expression softened, his features relaxing as he regarded Ren as not a foe. "I see," he said, his voice gentle and reassuring. "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. I'm glad you where able to find your paper. "
Hana's expression softened abit "Just be more careful next time," she muttered, a hint of apology in her tone.
"Uhm can you can let go of my arm now." Ren laughed.
With that, Hana released her grip on Ren's arm.
The school bell rang in the distance. First warning.
Hana sighed, running a hand through her hair.
"Let's go the thre of you, you are going to be late on your first day." the young man gestured for them to follow him.
"Great start to the year." Hana looked at Ren properly for the first time, really looked, and some of the anger faded from her expression. "You're a first-year too?"
Ren nodded.
"You don't look familiar. From out of town?" Hana guessed.
"How did you..."
"Lucky guess." She turned to start walking. "Come on. You'll be late. And stop grabbing random girls, even if you have a good reason."
"I wasn't—" Ren blurt out before he finally gave up.
The soft-voiced girl fell into step beside him, offering a small smile. "I'm Fubuki Ayase. Sorry about Hana. She's... protective."
"I'd probably react the same way," Ren admitted. "I'm Ren Ryūhara."
"Ryūhara..." Fubuki's eyes widened slightly. "What class are you in?. "
"Class 1-C. " Ren answered.
"Oh! We are all in the same class. Class 1-C."
"Great," Hana called from ahead without turning around. "Now I have to keep an eye on you."