Lunch: not the most important meal of the day, but the one thing people needed to function for at least half of it.

  And at Sac High, lunch schedules were strict, ensuring nearly everyone ate at the same time.

  In theory, it was an efficient way to keep things on schedule.

  In practice…

  “Quit shoving, asshole!”

  “Hey, I was here first!”

  “You really wanna do this!?”

  “I bet you don’t even have any decent skills to make me move!”

  “Oh really? I beg to differ… Standy—”

  BAM!

  It was pure chaos.

  Mako sighed, gncing up from his phone just in time to see some poor schmuck go flying across the courtyard. He barely had time to process that before turning his attention back to the thinning—yet still obnoxiously long—line ahead of him. The kiosk he’d chosen, though far from the main food court, was still packed with impatient, irritable students, literally willing to throw hands for the sake of a better spot.

  “Haze really set me back with that little scuffle…” he muttered, cursing the redhead for deying him long enough to nd him in this mess.

  After Haze had shaken him down for the pudding,he’d originally pnned to head straight to the cafeteria. But the moment he started walking, his gut instincts kicked in.

  Mondays, especially in the first week back, are known for serving premium Grade-A Burgers. That meant the Cafeteria would be swarming with students desperate for that grilled goodness. And in a school like this? That meant the entire building would turn into a war zone.

  BOOM!

  Case in point.

  Mako turned just in time to see a dazzling dispy of absolute mayhem erupt from the cafeteria. Energy beams, shockwaves, and a mess of elemental bullshit spewed across the building as students were quite literally sent flying through the air. One such attack let out an explosion so wide that it rattled the entire school’s foundation.

  And the worst part?

  This was them holding back.

  One look at that, and anyone with even a shred of common sense, knew to nope the fuck out of that nonsense.

  So here he was— at a dingy little kiosk, waiting in line for a soggy, microwaved burger instead of the real deal inside.

  Sac High was massive, boasting not just a cafeteria but several smaller kiosks scattered across campus, all serving the same food as the main area—albeit at worse quality. The idea was to prevent a single massive bottleneck and to minimize the damage by spreading students out, so they wouldn’t all be crammed into one impossibly long line.

  Of course, that didn’t change the fact that every single line was still packed with cranky, short-tempered students, more than willing to throw down over the slightest inconvenience.

  People can be very different when they’re hungry.

  As for why nobody ever tried to stop this fire, well that’s because they stopped giving a shit.

  After years of property damage caused by careless teenagers combined with minimum wage, the faculty have long ceased actions to police the students during lunch time. Preferring to have their lunch in peace away from the youthful savages. And so, for a full thirty minutes, Sac High became a wless zone where hormonal, super-powered teenagers were free to wreak absolute havoc.

  Though, occasionally, there were some advantages to this temporary new world order.

  WHAM!

  BLAM!

  CRASH!

  Mako stepped up to the front of the kiosk just as the rest of the line was swiftly thinned out by the ensuing brawl. Miraculously, he remained untouched—probably thanks to his Dynamic Luck. Not that he was compining, mind you. The sooner he got his food, the better.

  "One burger with fries, please," he ordered, hoping to secure his meal before fate had a chance to turn on him. But, unfortunately, the die seemed to have already been cast, and his perfect sixes flipped into a pair of mocking snake eyes.

  "Sure thing, amigo, and—wait. Is that you, Mak?"

  Mako froze at the familiar voice.

  A head peeked out from the kiosk window, revealing a dark skinned young man with a pair of fancy shades perched atop his head.

  “It is you man! How ya been!?” The guy behind the counter grinned like an idiot, clearly thrilled to see him.

  "...Hi, Sunny," Mako sighed, forcing a small, uncomfortable smile as the recognition settled in.

  Sunny Deyes—ace of the football team, one of the most popur guys in school, and one of the st people Mako wanted to run into today.

  Unlike most of his social clique, Sunny was actually a decent guy. Friendly, big on charity work, and always willing to make time for everyone.

  The spitting image of the perfect guy.

  And, ironically, a former friend of Mako’s.

  “So how was your Spring break? Py any good games?” Sunny tilted his head, eager to chat.

  Mako, on the other hand, wasn’t feeling nearly as enthusiastic. He wanted to leave immediately, but since Sunny practically held his food hostage, he decided to humor him.

  "...Me and a guy I hang out with online have been repying RvK, but we’ve been getting into True Rivals. It’s pretty good." He admitted with subtle irritation.

  "Sick!" Sunny ughed, seemingly unaware of Mako’s displeasure. "I’ve been meaning to try True Rivals, but I just haven’t gotten around to it. Hopefully, I can get my girlfriend to py, but y’know, she’s more of a Cozy Gamer.”

  He said that st part with casual air quotes. “She’s into rexing stuff like Creature Junction and all that. So, what about Buddy? How’s Arnold holding up? BAMBS still a thing with you guys?”

  Before Mako could respond to Sunny’s barrage of questions, a fresh round of shouting erupted behind him. The lunch line had reformed just as quickly as it had scattered, and people were getting impatient. If he didn’t move soon, they’d probably make him move.

  "Ah, crap—sorry, man, gotta get back to work!" Sunny grabbed a paper tray, spped a ft-looking burger and some soggy fries onto it, then shoved it into Mako’s hands. "Food’s on the house, Mak! Be sure to keep in touch!"

  Mako stared at him incredulously before giving a small nod. He took the tray and slipped away from the chaos, walking aimlessly as he eyed the ckluster meal.

  “... Keep in touch huh?” he muttered begrudgingly. “Yeah… you sure did a great job of that.”

  With Sunny out of sight, Mako finally let out a loud groan, releasing all the frustration he had been holding back.

  Much like Buddy, Sunny had been a close friend once. But, just like his other old friends, Boli and Arnold, time and circumstance drove them apart.

  Sunny had a certain gravity to him—a warmth that pulled people in. The type of guy who made socializing look effortless, charming his way into every social circle, and drawing people to him like moths to a fme.

  But he hadn’t always been like that. When he first moved to town in elementary school, he had trouble fitting in, unsure of how to make new friends. It wasn’t until Mako’s group took him in that he started to come out of his shell. And once he did, everybody wanted to be around him.

  As the years passed, and his social circle grew rger, Mako and Buddy saw less and less of him. He kept apologizing for missing their usual hangouts, but it was becoming clear that he had better things to do than spend time with them.

  The final nail in the coffin came when Mako’s curse with girls became infamous around the school. And it was around that same time, Sunny got a girlfriend—one who didn’t like the idea of him hanging around a supposed pervert.

  With his social status on the line and peer pressure mounting, Sunny caved—cutting ties with the first real friends he’d made since moving to Sacramentokyo.

  Never trying to reconnect.

  Never bothering to reach out.

  Yet, whenever they crossed paths, Sunny still tried to act like they were friends.

  But Mako knew better.

  As far as he was concerned, they were strangers now.

  A part of him resented Sunny for it—betrayed by the way he had let go of their friendship behind. But at the same time, Mako’s conscience reminded him that Sunny wasn’t antagonizing him or anything. Just… indifferent now that he found new people to be around. Apathetic to Mako’s struggles, the same way Arnold was.

  His other former friend, Boli, though?

  He was just a straight-up asshole to him now.

  “Hey Bottom Feeder!”

  Speak of the Devil…

  Mako turned, locking his gaze with the bulky jock standing a few feet away. His face was red with barely restrained fury.

  Mako exhaled sharply. Yeah, this wasn’t going to be a pleasant conversation.

  "What do you want, Boli?" he asked, keeping his tone ft but cautious. He took a few slow steps back—ready to bolt if things went south.

  Boli gred at him, indignant at his question. "Don’t act like you don’t know!"

  He stomped forward, jabbing a finger towards Mako. "How the hell did you dodge my shots!? A Roleless Wonder like you couldn’t have pulled that off in dodgeball! And now, because of you, everyone in the Role Course is mocking me!"

  "I didn’t even do anything! You’re the one who nailed yourself in the crotch!" Mako shot back. "It was all just luck so—"

  Before he could finish, Boli moved at blinding speed. His hand clenched at Mako’s shirt colr, hoisting him into the air like a piece of tissue paper.

  "Don’t think you can talk back to me, asshole!" Boli snarled, his grip tightening. "A freak like you should know when to shut up and—"

  BONK!

  A loud crack rang through the air, as Mako flinched at the sound.

  He looked at Boli, who suddenly froze until his eyes rolled back. His grip sckened as Mako was let back down to the ground. The next thing he knew, the jock colpsed face-first onto the pavement like a sack of bricks. A cartoonishly rge bump swelled at the back of his head as he id completely motionless on the ground.

  Mako blinked beneath his bangs, brushing himself off.

  What in Dimension H just happened?

  Before he could piece it together, someone cleared their throat.

  "A little Thank You would be nice," a voice huffed.

  Mako jolted in pce, looking up to see Ashita standing over him. She looked a little banged up but otherwise fine, casually resting a bck baseball bat on her shoulder.

  "A Sorry would be nice too," she added, scowling at him. "You could’ve warned me lunch here was a warzone before I walked straight into a battlefield! I barely managed to grab a burger before some lunatic tried to cut me in half!"

  Mako averted his gaze, scratching the back of his head. A faint shade of red crept onto his face as he muttered, "...Sorry. I forgot."

  Ashita tilted her head, dumbfounded. "... Are you serious?"

  "Yeah," he admitted, lowering his head in shame and twiddling his fingers. "I guess I’m just so used to it that it slipped my mind."

  Upon hearing that response, Ashita could only let out a sharp exhale as she shook her head.

  She had one thing to say about that:

  "... You’re an idiot."

  Mako winced at the remark, but despite the jab, he couldn’t help but chuckle. "I usually aim for a C+ at best, so I’d say I’m above average."

  "... You’re lucky you’re hot."

  Mako’s body instinctively leaned forward. "What?"

  "What?"

  He squinted behind his locks. "No, seriously, what was that? You said something was ho—"

  "Yeah, it’s hot today!” Ashita blurted out, cutting him off. “I said it was hot today!”

  Mako tilted his head skeptically. "... You sure? ‘Cuz I could’ve swor—"

  "I KNOW WHAT I SAID!" She stammered, turning away and fanning herself. A light shade of red enveloped her face as small beads of sweat trickled down her forehead. "I’m used to cooler environments, and with summer coming up, I’m starting to sweat, that’s all! I’m not gross, I swear!"

  "Ah… yeah, that makes sense," Mako nodded, scratching his cheek. Despite his submissiveness Ashita continued to gre at him, as if to warn that he shouldn’t push any further or the bat she’s holding could find his cranium next. "Maybe the heat’s messing with my brain."

  "Gd we could come to an understanding, friend." Ashita gave an approving thumbs up as sparkles radiated off of her. She grinned—a dopey, almost innocent smile that completely cshed with her usual demeanor.

  Mako sighed, a cartoonishly rge bead of sweat rolling down his head.

  "Anyway…" He rubbed the back of his neck, remembering why they even met up in the first pce. "You ready for lunch?"

  "Yeah, I got my burger. You?" Ashita casually pulled out her sandwich from seemingly nowhere. The greasy morsel glistened in the sunlight like a prized treasure.

  "Yeah, it should be over… here…" Mako reached for his own meal—only to realize his hands were empty.

  Panic set in as he frantically patted himself down. He gnced around for his lost meal when a bad feeling crept up his spine. Though every instinct told him not to look down, he did anyway. And, right below his feet, his worst fears were confirmed.

  There, smeared across the pavement, was the sad, soggy remains of his burger.

  His shoulders slumped as he realized Boli’s interference had cost him his lunch.

  Ashita, who was silent the entire time, followed his gaze to the food crime before looking back at him. She rubbed her chin, as if weighing her options before, with a calm yet slightly exasperated sigh, she closed her eyes. "...Alright, I can give you half of mine if you want."

  Mako turned to her, armed at her proposal. "You sure? I don’t want you running on an empty stomach because of me."

  "It’s fine." Ashita waved her hand dismissively. "I don’t eat much greasy food anyway. Plus, I’d rather you eat actual food than, like, those gutter scraps or something."

  "Wouldn’t be the first time." Mako muttered without thinking, earning him a pause from Ashita.

  "Did not need to know that." She muttered, lightly smacking him on the arm. "Alright, how about this? The whole school’s a battlefield right now, so you probably know some quiet spots to eat, right?"

  "I know a few, yeah." Mako admitted, already seeing where this was going.

  "Good. So, take me to one of them, and I’ll give you half my burger as payment. Deal?"

  Mako considered for a moment, then nodded. "...Deal."

  "Tits!" Ashita grinned, holding out her fist.

  Mako chuckled and bumped it. As their knuckles met, Ashita opened her hands, mimicking an explosion effect.

  He couldn’t help but chuckle at her antics as Mako turned and led her away from the chaos. Behind them, distant explosions and shouting echoed through the school.

  But as they left the pandemonium behind, neither of them noticed the faint sound of footsteps trailing close behind them.

  Rooftops hold a special pce in high school—especially in anime. They’re the go-to retreat for main characters, and a quiet escape from the chaos of school life.

  In reality, though? They’re usually off-limits, with strict rules against students trespassing.

  But at Sac High? Rules don’t mean much during the wless lunch period.As long as you made it to css on time when the bell rang, the faculty couldn’t care less where you went.

  Which is exactly why Mako and Ashita now sat on the edge of one of the school roofs, legs dangling freely as they watched the mayhem unfold below. The only sounds, aside from the distant explosions and shouting, were the occasional crunches of their burgers as they ate in silence.

  Well as quiet as it could get in this school

  Mako wasn’t one for semantics, but right now, the awkward silence was his biggest concern. While the peace was nice, he couldn’t shake the worry that Ashita might not be having any fun hanging out with him. This was his first new friend in a long time after all, and he didn’t want to blow the opportunity by being boring.

  But this required bance. If he did nothing, he’d seem dull. If he came on too strong, he’d be annoying. A careful, neutral approach was the best option—though, judging by his st conversation with June, his social skills were definitely rusty.

  Taking a mental deep breath, he decided to speak up rather than wait for some miracle to happen.

  “So, how’s your burger?” Mako asked after swallowing a bite, hoping to stir up some conversation from her.

  Ashita gnced at him, wiping grease from her fingers before looking back at her sandwich. Taking a moment to think, she simply shrugged. “It fills me up, but it’s nothing special.”

  “Seriously?” Mako tilted his head. “These are some of the best burgers in school and that’s all you gotta say? People literally fight for them, you know.”

  “Yeah, I witnessed that firsthand.” She scowled. “But like I said, greasy food isn’t really my thing.”

  “Fair enough.” Mako sighed, taking another bite and chewing thoughtfully.

  As they psed back into silence, he started to realize something about their dynamic—something that hadn’t quite clicked until now.

  Mainly, that he didn’t know much about her at all.

  That was to be expected of course, considering they’d just met. But that didn’t change the fact that it still bothered him.

  So, rubbing his chin, he began to mentally jot down what little he did know about her:

  * First, she pretends to be uptight and sweet but is actually brash and foul-mouthed.

  * She’s a bit of a tomboy, but teasing her brings out a girly streak.

  * She likes Peach Parfaits and has a rich dad who wants her to behave while she’s here .

  * The main reason she transferred to Sac High was because she got some jackpot of a Role he still didn’t know the details of.

  It wasn’ bad for a day’s worth of intel. But was that enough for him to really call her a friend?

  Mako gulped down a bite of his burger, sneaking a gnce at Ashita.

  Despite only meeting her a few hours ago, a lingering anxiety made him doubt his ability to socialize. Maybe it was because he’s made so many enemies these past few years that he wondered if he could ever make a new friend. So a part of him remained skeptical, wary that this would end like all the others.

  Then again, maybe she should be the skeptical one. Every conversation so far had been about her after all—her past, her interests, her quirks, nothing about Mako. She didn’t know much about him at all, so maybe he was being shrewd for no reason.

  Should he tell her about himself then? That seemed like the logical next step if he wanted her to know him better.

  … No.That’d be arrogant.

  Mako shook his head, dismissing the thought. It felt narcissistic to start talking about himself out of nowhere and seeing himself do that made him internally cringe.

  Besides, what was there to say? She was rich. He was barely middle-css. It wasn’t like he had much to brag about. A part of him didn’t even want her to know more due to all of the rumors involving his perverted luck with girls. If she heard even an inkling about the stuff he somehow managed to pull, he could probably kiss this friendship goodbye.

  But then again, maybe Ashita wasn’t that bad.

  She took the time to check on him back in the infirmary after all, and she even saved his ass from Boli. The way he took the brute down so easily with a bat was incredible, whereas Mako could barely throw a punch before being sent into the horizon.

  If anything, Ashita was an amazing person compared to him.

  … Which made him feel a little guilty since someone like her shouldn’t be wasting time with someone like him.

  Mako couldn’t help but let out a long sigh, breaking the silence.

  Ashita turned to him, brow raised. “You got indigestion or something?”

  “Nah, I’m just thinking about a lot of stuff.” he muttered, taking a break from the spiral of thoughts battling in his head. “I guess I just feel stuck is all, an object in motion that’s lost all emotion.”

  “But your two legs aren’t broken.” Ashita added. “So you can still dance.”

  Mako’s eyes widened beneath his bangs. “You seriously understood that reference?”

  “Well duh, JAR is pretty good.” She smirked. “They’re my favorite band right now.”

  “...Me too.” He chuckled awkwardly, scratching his head.

  Silence settled between them again until Mako cleared his throat. “...Sorry if I’m being weird. I just don’t know how to act around you, is all.”

  He exhaled, rubbing his temple. “I’m kinda rusty when it comes to making friends, if that wasn’t obvious.”

  Ashita blinked before stifling a chuckle. “Wow. Could’ve fooled me.”

  “What?” Mako tilted his head, caught off guard at what she said.

  Seeing his puzzled face, she let out a sigh. “Look, you don’t have to force yourself to interact with me. You’re actually a natural at talking to people, so seeing you struggle like this is just… weird.”

  “I’m not a natural.” Mako immediately rebutted. “I barely have any friends to talk with.”

  “And I bet your chemistry with them is great.” Ashita surmised, crossing her arms. “You might not see it, but back in the infirmary, you had me barfing words out of my mouth before I even realized it. I was hesitant at first, but somehow, you pulled me out of my shell.”

  Her st words came with a slight blush, but Mako just rubbed the back of his head. “Well I was just saying whatever came to mind in my head.”

  “Try to do that more often.” she replied, poking him in the shoulder. “And if you fail, at least I’ll have something to ugh at.”

  Mako winced at the jab but couldn’t help chuckling along with her.

  “...”

  “...”

  “Hey, Ashita.” Mako looked at her with an unexpectedly warm expression.

  “... What?” Ashita tilted her head, wondering what he was going to say.

  “...You’re actually kinda cool,” Mako smiled, fshing a surprisingly cute smile despite his eyes being hidden beneath his bangs.

  Ashita blinked, her mouth stood agape. “What?”

  “I said you were cool.” He repeated. “You’re a lot more confident than me, and honestly, you could make way more friends if you just acted like yourself. But… I think it’s nice that you’re here, hanging out with me of all people.”

  “...”

  “...”

  …Did I say something wrong?

  Ashita was frozen, completely silent after his confession. Panic crept into Mako’s gut as he realized how corny that line sounded. But before he could backpedal and apologize, her face flushed pink, and she suddenly punched him in the arm.

  And then, without warning, she burst into ughter—loud, uncontrolble, hyena-on-one-hundred-coffees ughter.

  “Hah! Duh! Of course I’m a badass! Took you long enough to notice!” she huffed, turning away as she tried to regain control of herself.

  Mako, stunned by her reaction, let out an awkward chuckle, rubbing his freshly bruised arm. “Yeah, well… I may get average C’s across the board, but I’ve got an A+ in Dumbass 101.”

  “Sounds like a fun elective!” Ashita snorted. “I would’ve killed to take that instead of Physics!”

  “Physics ain’t exactly fun here either!” Mako blurted. “It absolutely fucking sucks!”

  “Amen to that!” Ashita ughed even harder. And Mako, who had only been chuckling, finally caught her contagious energy and broke into cackling as well.

  Their conversation quickly devolved into back-and-forth jokes shortly after, trading absurdities about school, life, and everything in between as they simply had mindless fun.

  But just as their ughter hit its peak, the sound of footsteps echoed from behind the rooftop entrance.

  SLAM!

  Mako and Ashita turned to the entrance to the roof, as the door violently swung open.

  The second Mako saw who was stepping out, his stomach dropped. His good mood vanished in an instant, and sweat beaded on his temple.

  What are they doing here?

  Charlie_Bones