"I suppose that congratulations are in order," Gakushu began as he led the white-haired teen through the corridors and away from the Chairman's office. A polite smile, a blend of newfound appreciation and surprise danced on his lips as he took in the other's figure in a new light. "How was the examination?"

Byakuran hummed. He brought another marshmallow to his mouth. His mind went to his brother, left in the Chairman's office before his violet eyes slid to look at the strawberry-blond in front of him. Both the student and Chairman shared similar features as well as the same last name. He supposed they were related.

Father and son, most probably. However, they did not seem close.

Undeterred by the transfer student's lack of answer, Gakushu added: "I suppose there was no need to worry. You did mention that it would be a breeze," he reminded with a light chuckle. Previously, he thought that the white head might be overconfident, but now, he couldn't help but be more indulgent. It was a well-known fact that placement examinations were more demanding than the actual entrance exam. If Chouku passed, it meant he was more than brilliant.

It was always better to keep competent people next to oneself, especially when in Gakushu's position.

Byakuran blinked, minutely analyzing the confident teen before he nodded. "Well~ I'm just very confident in my abilities," he admitted, a Cheshire grin blooming on his lips as he decided to humor the boy. The teen in front of him was one of the 'power figures.' There was no harm in befriending him. Who knows? It might make his days less boring.

Gakushu's smile stretched at the answer. At least the boy wasn't ignoring him anymore. They went down a flight of stairs to the third floor and the end of the corridor. "The third floor makes up most of the third-year classes," he indicated, gesturing to the silver plates hanging atop each door. "There is also the student council room, a few study rooms, as well as the broadcasting lodge on the other end of the corridor," he explained with ease. The enthusiasm in Gakushu's voice was much more genuine than when he welcomed Byakuran, probably because he now knew where the teen stood in their hierarchy.

Byakuran gave the hallway a cursive glance, taking note of the layout to prevent getting lost before he raised a confused eyebrow. "Oh? I thought you had a class E as well?" he chanted, leaning forward to look up at Gakushu's unfaltering smile.

The strawberry-blond merely hummed. "We do, but their classes are held in a different building," he explained. "It's a restricted area, more or less, but you'll learn more about them during the next student assembly," he lightly dismissed.

"Okay then."

A small chuckle went through Gakushu's lips, his eyes minutely thinning in appreciation before he stopped in front of a door, the one at the very end of the corridor. "Here is class 3-A's homeroom. We currently have an English lesson. Don't take offense if the class is a bit dry at first. It's not often that we receive a transfer student straight into 3-A," he added with a thoughtful nod.

"Mhmm, noted," he sang before picking another marshmallow and throwing it in his mouth. He ignored Gakushu's pointed look at his bag of sweets, opting for eating yet another one. As he chewed, he noticed Gakushu's lack of movement and quizzically tilted his head. "Yes? You're not opening?" he asked, voice muffled by the treats in his mouth.

Gakushu bit his lower lip. His purple eyes flitted from Byakuran's face to the bag of marshmallows before he sighed. "I guess I should, yes," he admitted, a wry smile on his face before he cleared his throat. An amiable smile overcame his lips. He brought his knuckles to knock at the door.

::

Closing the door behind his son and the new student of his establishment, Chairman Asano graced the blond teacher with a genial grin. "I suppose it is only the two of us now, Professor Aarden," he said, his voice relaxed and familiar. With large and confident strides, the man came back to his position behind his desk. His hands laced in front of him, he casually leaned his chin atop of his interlaced fingers. "Should we get down to business?"

"Ah— yes, please!" Koro answered, almost tripping over his words in his hurry. He brushed his blond hair back, lightly biting on his lower lip as his green eyes carefully looked up from his lap to gaze into the Chairman's purple orbs.

Gakuho chuckled as if entertained by Koro's display.

"Yes, from my understanding, you were sent by the Mafia," the strawberry-blond asserted as he picked up a manila folder from his locked drawer.

Probably the one containing his information, Koro deduced.

Gakuho flipped through the pages at an unhurried pace before stopping and pulling a few files out. "Here we go," he said, sliding them in front of him and storing the manila folder away in his drawer.

Koro observed the man's movement, a curious and quizzical expression on his face as he feigned innocence. "T-the Mafia, Chairman?" he muttered, voice tinged with disbelief and growing smaller with each syllable. "W-what do you mean?" he asked in fright.

"My, yes, what could I possibly mean?" the taller of the two echoed with a dismayed shake of his head. His smile doesn't slip, turning into an obviously calculating smirk instead as he lets his purple eyes dive into Koro's lenses. "Let's cut the chase, shall we?"

Silence came from the blond. Sorrel Aarden was a man who wore his emotion on his sleeve. He feared and respected hierarchy and, when at a loss, answered with silence most of the time. Currently, Koro was Sorrel. Therefore, he wouldn't vocalize an answer.

The Chairman ignored his lack of response. Looking back at the file, he resumed: "Although you were issued by the strongest Famiglia and are part of their Elite Assassination Unit, I'd like to remind you that while on Kunugigaoka's school grounds, everything is under my authority," he explained.

Koro gave a timid nod.

Gakuho smiled. "Therefore, in case you were to step out of your bounds, I am in the right to fire you or limit your movements within the institution. This was agreed upon by the government. I trust that there shouldn't be any issues."

His answer was a mere smile and oblivious tilt of the man's head.

"Now, shall I give you a tour of the school grounds, Professor Aarden?" Chairman Asano asked as he stood up. He picked the files on his desk, stuffed them in the manila folder in his drawer before locking it and taking his phone from the corner of his desk. "Although I won't be able to show you class 3-E's building where you will be teaching, it shouldn't hurt to know how the main building looks," he affirmed, leading the way to the door before pulling it open. "After you."

Koro crossed the threshold without a word of complaint, uttering a low thank you and bowing his head. He hurriedly came out of the office.

Chairman Asano did not comment on the blond's behavior. With a smile on his face, he locked the door to his office and began walking down the corridors.

"As you might have noticed, the fourth floor is where most of the administrative part of the school is located. Here are the primary teacher lounge and my office, and a few other essential elements of the school organization," he led them to the said teacher lounge, knocked on the door before pulling it open.

After Koro stepped into the room, Chairman Asano introduced him to the teachers present. All seemed quite curious about this new addition to the team, wondering how he got a job only now when the term already began. Yet, the moment Chairman Asano explained that he would be teaching 3-E, the air changed, the looks sent his way blending with pity and condescending undertones. It was clear they thought the male was getting reprimanded or lacked skills which led to teaching such a pack of misfits. Koro received a few encouraging words, all dryer and more sinister than the previous one, before exiting the teacher lounge.

Koro did not doubt that he'd be the talk of the teacher lounge for a small while. By now, every teacher should know of him in name if only. Group chats were a powerful weapon that teachers regularly used, after all. His green eyes flicked to look at Gakuho, and he did not doubt that this was a subtle way of telling him where 3-E stood within the teachers' heart and, per extension, most of the building's mind.

"Shall we continue?" the strawberry-blond asked, unaffected and unconcerned by his staffs' aversion to the mere mention of the End Class.

Like this, Chairman Asano gave Koro an almost full tour of Kunugigaoka. As it turned out, the main building still consisted of four floors. The ground floor or first floor welcomed the first-year classes, the second floor the second year, and the third floor the third year. The fourth floor grouped most of the administrative instances of the school.

As one would expect from a middle school such as Kunugigaoka, each floor had its own nurse office and teacher lounge, guaranteeing its occupants' best comfort and infrastructures. The library was on the second floor, occupying more than half of it by its imposing size and the collection it offered. As for other empty classrooms, most were reserved for self-study, advanced classes, or club activities. There was also a laboratory and home economic class on each floor, all highly equipped, showcasing Kunugigaoka's wealth and standards.

Koro keenly noted that there, class E was usually situated at the far end of the corridor, in regular classrooms.

The Chairman led him outside. They toured the multiple sports grounds. From the imposing main gymnasium and track field, mostly reserved for P.E. classes, to the multitude of dojos and smaller gymnasiums, Koro found himself impressed.

It hadn't changed from his memory of the place, but he couldn't help admitting that Kunugigaoka indeed was the cream of the crop. Behind the infamous image class 3-E had of Chairman Asano, the man in question still brought Kunugigaoka to its height and created its prestige. It was a shame that to succeed in his endeavor, he made a class of abandoned students. Chairman Asano believed in the policy that it was better to sacrifice a part of his soldier to make the remaining ones stronger— he long gave up saving them all.

There was some sense in the man's thoughts. It was impossible to win a war without sacrifices most of the time. Losses were often a necessity, and although painful, leaders had to get accustomed to them.

As one of the Varia executives, Koro had his fair share of sacrifices and suicide missions given to his subordinates. He did not relish in losing members, but he had to admit that it was impossible to save all of them.

Chairman Asano Gakuho was so accustomed to loss that he simply didn't consider it one anymore. 3-E was not a loss to him; 3-E was the foil that would guarantee his students' success.

Koro disagreed with Asano Gakuho's mentality.

Class 3-E did not decide to become a class of misfit. They were mere students and, as such, needed guidance to know which path to take. The Varia members were different; they chose this life and knew that they could die from it every moment. 3-E did not decide on their fate; someone else told them they were lost causes before they even questioned it.

"—And here is the hill that leads to class 3-E's building," Chairman Asano said as he pointed at the rocky pathway at the bottom of the small mountain. "Depending on how fast one climbs, it should take between thirty to fifty minutes at an average pace, I suppose," the man explained.

Koro's eyes trailed up the path to stare at the faraway top of the mountain.

"Although, once you get used to it and built up some stamina, climbing the hill in a dozen minutes is evidently doable," he added with a friendly grin. "This layout was made to encourage physical activity inside of 3-E as we wouldn't want them to stray from their classes too much by favoring extracurricular activities. The hike up to their class aims to compensate this loss of activity," he justified, the words rolling off of his tongue with ease.

"Now, shall I show you the way to the cafeteria? It is past lunchtime already. You must be famished, Professor."

Koro gave the man a grateful smile. "Fufufu, yes quite," he sheepishly agreed.

::

Byakuran listened to his classmates with one ear as he leaned into his seat. In front of him was Gakushu, the male who chaperoned him throughout the day, showing him every relevant place to third years before dragging him to his friend group with whom Byakuran currently sat.

It was their last class for the day. Lunch had been uneventful. Apart from boring introductions and curious stares, the rest of the day was just as dull. Byakuran could easily discern the probing gazes of his classmates, challenging and envious.

They probably challenged the fact that he was in 3-A and envied that he hung out with their dear student council president.

That was the problem with transferring. They didn't know him, so they didn't know to fear him either. Byakuran was not some rabid mut that barked and bit every passerby, adding to that the fact that he snacked on marshmallows whenever— he didn't seem frightening.

If only they knew.

Byakuran, otherwise known as the Millefiore Don, former Great Leader, Dictator, President, King, Emperor, and many more, did not appreciate people disrespecting him.

Unfortunately for him, his Funeral Wreaths, his closest aides when he ruled over the world, were not by his sides. If they were, he wouldn't even have to worry about breathing the same air as those little pests. Sadly, this was the price to pay to accompany his brother on this mission. He could not compromise.

Sighing, Byakuran stuffed his face with marshmallows, the sugar soothing his nerves and system as he tuned out the world and chatter around him. He needed to display his power for 3-A and the main building to fear him or at least respect him. It was only mid-April, and he did not want to wait until the end of Mai to pass the midterms. Who knew when the results would come out and put these people in their place? He couldn't guarantee the safety of the school if nothing was done before.

"Is something troubling you, Chouku-san?"

The voice broke Byakuran out of the progressively dark spiral of his mind. He blinked, focusing on the raven head, Sakakibara Ren. "Nuhu, nothing just thinking," he dismissed with a smile before going back to his brooding and marshmallows.

Ren gave a wry laugh. He raised a quizzical eyebrow before shrugging the whitehead's behavior off and turning his attention back to Gakushu.

Byakuran hummed.

A display of power.

Σ(ノ°▽°)ノ

Is Byakuran going to be a violent student?— no, never