As Miyamoto finished his class, Celeste was walking around the halls of Ukiyo Koukou.

  I don’t really have anything to do here, so I’ve just been dropping in and out of different classes. Feels like I’m back at Tsukikage Koutougakkou. Well, I got to check out Miyamoto's and… V's classes.

  I heard he fought all his students for some fucking reason. It sounds like something the crazy bastard would do. My mind returned to what V had said earlier, “Everything’s a puzzle, but most of the time you don’t have all the pieces.” I need to ask Miyamoto why the fuck V speaks in such a weird goddamn way. Miyamoto probably won’t know, just like how none of us know why V calls himself V.

  My mind also bounced back to thinking about why the tears were turned on. I don’t even cry that often, only like two times in recent memory. The day I met those two and early today. Like I brought up, it must have been due to my mind wandering back to Keyser and all that shit.

  And V being around.

  V always has this odd intensity in his eyes… I mean eye. I don’t think I actually ever seen his eye before due to the fact he always has those glasses with blood-red lines… I know, how can I say it has an odd intensity when I've never seen it…

  Well, I can just feel it.

  Also, I have never seen V not drunk. The whole time I’ve known him, and I don’t know how that’s possible.

  I remember trying to get Miyamoto to talk about his life, or to say anything about V, but he was tight-lipped. Of course, V never talks about himself. That must be why those two get along so well. It's not like I ever talk about my shit.

  Four people and a dog brought together by chance and stay together for some reason.

  All I hope is that Violet is doing all right. She has Bear with her, so she should be safe. And this is a school; I hope she learning something. I can talk to her at any time, so I’m not sure why I’m even worrying.

  The kid is easy to get along with… Miyamoto isn’t too bad. He's a quiet, serious guy, the direct opposite of V.

  This school smells like dust and age. I don’t know how age has a smell, but old stuff always has that same smell. After walking through the halls for about five minutes, I turn into the library.

  The library was two levels with thousands of books. There were about a dozen wooden tables laid across the room. A stained glass window stood in the back of the room; a blade was created in the glass, casting a shadow that formed a blade. And students were spread across the tables, studying, talking, and reading—around a dozen of them, I'd say. It was only a year ago that I was doing all that. Talking to those the same age as I, learning different things, and just scrawling around.

  A boy's voice spoke up behind me.

  “Hey, I've never seen you around here.”

  “What?”

  I turned around, seeing this guy behind me. He was about my height, wearing a school uniform, and his hair fit his overall aura, this golden, straight, short cut. Where a single hair created a cowlick.

  “Oh, sorry… Let me introduce myself.

  I’m Hirano Yuto.

  I guess my former comment was a bit rude.”

  He reached out his hand, wearing a pure smile, “It's nice to meet you.”

  I reached my hand to accept his hand, “No, I was just confused. When a random voice just rings out behind you, it's just a bit strange.”

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  “Oh, I really am sorry for that; I really didn’t mean anything by it,” the blond boy said.

  “No, it’s fine really,” I replied.

  “May I ask your name?”

  “It’s Celeste.”

  “Ah… Celeste, it’s a nice name.”

  “Oh, uh, thanks… Did you need something, or...?”

  “No, I was just bringing up that I haven’t seen you around.” The boy placed his right hand to the back of his skull.

  “Yeah, I just came here; this was my first day.”

  “Hey, it was Mr. V and Sensei Musashi’s first day too.”

  “It’s not bloody, Mr!”

  “Did you hear that?” Yuto asked.

  Godsdamn!

  “Yeah, I heard it.”

  “You know, that voice sounded like Mr. V’s…”

  “Yuto, I told you in class not to call me Mr.”

  The man who seems to be named Yuto started to look around the room, trying to find the voice.

  “I’m up here, Yuto.”

  We clocked our heads up.

  Seeing the slender bastard dressed in a trench coat, red tilted sunglasses, and the hat never took off.

  Leaning on a railing with that fucking look.

  “Oh… Hey, Celeste.”

  “Jesus fucking Christ.”

  “Celeste, I didn’t know you knew Mr. V.”

  “Yuto, why do you deem it necessary to call me Mr.?”

  “Even if I don’t agree with your teaching method, you are still older and deserve my respect.”

  “Age doesn’t mean shit, Yuto. I would beat the shit out of a two-hundred-year-old. Piss on a five-hundred-year-old. And shit on a thousand-year-old. Also, I told you to call me Mr.”

  “V, what the fuck are you talking about?”

  “All I’m saying is age doesn’t mean shit.”

  “Then why do you have to rant about it? Just say what you mean.” I said.

  “Are you still edgy about what I said yesterday or this morning?”

  “Oh, shut up,” I replied.

  “Nice comeback.”

  “HMRR!” I stormed off, and for some reason, Yuto followed me.

  Thud.

  Thud.

  I bashed my head against the bookshelf.

  “Nice job, V.

  Real fucking mature.”

  Goddamn, I’m thirty-fucking-two, and I’m acting like a fifteen-year-old. I don’t know why I always act that way with Celeste. Maybe it's just because she reminds me of my younger years

  None of it matters right now; I should be getting back to studying.

  Trying to find anything about fucking Yūgen is my top concern.

  “Celeste, why did you get so angry?” Yuto asked.

  “I don’t know… I just don’t know; even if I did, it would probably be too much of a bitch to get into.

  Let’s just say V and I had a discord last night, making me rather sore. And V is rather difficult to be around even when I’m not in a bad mood. I don’t know how Miyamoto is able to spend so much time with him and not go insane.

  “Yeah, Mr. V does seem like the hard person to get along with.”

  “Whatever, why did you follow me?”

  “Oh, I just wanted to see if you were alright before I left.”

  “You must drive V crazy, Hirano.”

  “Why that, Celeste?”

  “You’re too damn nice. Why are you here?”

  “Well, I’m not the most booksmart person, so I was going to get help from my friend Takeshi and this girl named Yuki, that’s in my class.”

  “I wish you luck with your studies.”

  “And I wish you luck with Mr. V.”

  “Thanks. I’ll need it.”

  “Well, bye,” Hirano said.

  “Yeah, bye,” I said.

  Probably should see what V is doing; helping may get us out of this place faster. I mean, I don’t have a vendetta against this place; it’s just that I just hate schools.

  And we are still Conrads, as V would say.

  I walked up to the second level and found a room where I think V is and opened the door.

  The room was covered in books and pieces of paper. V sat behind a desk that was in the middle of the room.

  “Um, oh, hey, once again.”

  “Yeah, hey,” I replied

  “Hello, Celeste,” Miyamoto said.

  I jumped back a bit and looked at the corner of the room.

  “Miyamoto, I didn’t even see you there. What are you guys researching?”

  “V has been trying to find the county of Yūgen and anything about a healing pool of water. I joined in after finishing my classes and getting them ready for tomorrow... I could have sworn I once held the name within my mind, but it seems as if it disappeared.”

  “Oh, shit, I gotta make class plans too. Oh well, whatever happens, happens.”

  “Aren’t you always ranting about something? Just do that, but do it about whatever the hell you're supposed to be teaching.” I said.

  “Maybe I’ll do that.

  Did you need something, kid?”

  “No, I just thought you guys might need any help.”

  I passed Celeste a book.

  “Here, kid. If you find anything about Yūgen, tell us.”

  I was thinking about saying something to tell Celeste, but my mind couldn’t fill my mouth.

  It's time to study.