It seems there's a new student in the year above Rin and me. 'Monster' is what people have been calling him. The cruel rumors whispered by ignorant fools circulate the hallways and inevitably become known by everyone in the school.

They say he is some kind of unnatural existence, a reaper of death, vampire, maybe even a malicious spirit. There's an aura of fear surrounding him, an aura that may or may not be well deserved.

I frankly couldn't give a rat's ass about him.

Scary? Threatening? Going to haunt you at night if you don't say a Hail Mary? Preposterous. The only thing mildly disturbing about this entire situation is the sheer number of dimwits who mindlessly believe gossip and will not hesitate to spread any lick of information that floats into their empty minds. I hate the absolute riffraff that my beloved princess has to see every day. The stifling, toxic air of stupidity that my pure Rin inhales every waking moment in this blasted school.

"Kagamine Len!" The vexing voice of the teacher cuts into my thoughts. If he ever dares to speak Rin's name, I will see to it that he is fired or perhaps strangled to death. Whichever one comes first.

I leisurely lift my head up from my hand and raise an eyebrow in response.

He pushes his glasses further up with a finger and smirks, "I'm sorry you don't find my class interesting enough to pay attention. Since I assume this is because you already know all of the material, why don't you tell the class the tense and mood of this Latin sentence on the board? Do go in detail."

I sigh and glance at the haphazardly written, rudimentary phrase on the chalkboard.

Poema a scribebatur Publio

"It's in the imperfect passive, with 'Publio' as an ablative of agent performing the action. I don't know why you chose to use hyperbaton, or maybe you just don't understand Latin word order. I'm not sure what you mean by 'in detail' with such an elementary sentence. Shall I rewrite it in the active? Or perhaps I could enlighten you on the potential and purpose of rhetorical devices in Roman poetry. Why sensei, with this level, you can't even hold a candle to Virgil." I drawled.

Latin was a language I learned at a very young age to use as a stepping stone to the other Romantic languages. Something of this caliber is laughable at the high school level. As I suspected, this place is unworthy of Rin.

The teacher's composure evaporated, and he seemed to be struggling to respond. A few snickers drifted from the back of the classroom. After clearing his throat a few times, he spoke again.

"Um, very good. But I don't appreciate the disrespect, as I am perfectly well educated and wrote this sentence very intentionally. You're off the hook this time, but if you ever give me cheek again I'll have you stay after school."

I scoffed, maintaining eye contact. Challenging his authority, I felt a sense of satisfaction when he turned away first, ever so slightly bowing down his head as he turned to the next topic. As long as he knows his place.

After the dismissal bell rang, Rin bounded up to me.

"That was kinda awesome. I didn't know you were so knowledgeable." She chirped, playfulness dancing in her irises.

Hearing her speak soothes the irritation brought on by the teacher. Her sweet, melodic voice replays over and over in my head and I can't help but smile. The desire to monopolize these traits of hers, to hold them tightly to my chest and keep with me, is overwhelming. I don't want her talking to anyone but me.

A wave of people coming from other classrooms flood the hallway, and a small boy with girlish white hair bumps into the shoulder of my princess. Hurting her. Dirtying her with his filth.

Enraged, I grab his collar and shove him up against the wall. How dare he? This crass bastard. Which part of his body came into contact with hers? Which part of his body do I need to carve out and toss into hydrochloric acid?

"Don't you ever touch Rin again! I'll kill you. I'll hunt you down to the ends of the earth and slice off your flesh piece by piece." I growl.

His dichromatic eyes fill with tears and he trembles like a mouse, unable to make a sound. A faint odor wafts into the air and I notice a dark spot on his pants slowly spreading. Pathetic.

A pair of soft hands pulls me away.

"Stop it, Len. You're scaring the poor boy." Rin pleas.

I instantly whip around. Is she defending the parasite that defiled her shoulder? Does she care about him? Is that weakling of a person a rival?

My panic is quickly quieted as she slips her hand into mine, intertwining our fingers.

She smiles. "See? This should work well against the crowd."

I grasp her hand tighter, feeling the delicate bone structure and warmth of her palm. It's very pleasant, and I make a mental note to do this more often. In the meantime, I strategically place myself between her and the incoming traffic to shield her from the walking pests in this school.

An hour of time is allotted to lunch. Normally I would have a bento prepared by a personal chef and go somewhere secluded, but Rin has persuaded me to try the melon bread in the cafeteria. Not that I would admit it to anyone, but I have a bit of a soft spot for sweets, so I reluctantly agreed. I tried placing a reservation beforehand to avoid the crowd, but apparently school cafeterias don't work like that. Plebeians.

After getting our food, I take Rin to the rooftop to eat. The door is locked, but it's nothing I can't pick. The floor, or should I say roof, is surprisingly well kept but still not up to the standards I expect for my princess. I pull out my blue handkerchief and unfold it onto the ground for her to sit on.

Rin takes out a carton of strawberry milk and drinks with relish. Interesting. Among the various rumors flowing through the hallways, there was one in particular that stood out.

"Say Rin...I overheard some girls talking about how strawberry milk helps your breasts grow. Would you happen to know of this?" I innocently ask.

Rin gasps, nearly spitting out the milk. Her face turns a bright red and contorts into anger and embarrassment.

"Len, you BAKA!" She screeches, and whacks my arm. So it appears she does know.

I chuckle. "There's no need for that reaction. You should know that I will love and cherish every inch of your body no matter or much or how little of it there is. In fact, the you right now is already very appealing."

She glares at me is response and turns away, evidently sulking. She's probably the only person in the world whose antics I tolerate.

I pick up the melon bread and take a bite to placate her. "This bread is pretty good. Thank you for introducing me to it."

"...told you." She mumbles, still not turning around.

I'll humor her for a bit more. "Is it always this delicious? This soft, spongy, moist interior contrasts perfectly with the sugar coated, crunchy cookie dough on the outside. With every bite I take, my mouth waters for more."

At this, Rin slowly peeks at me and stares at the dessert with longing. How childish and adorable.

"Want a bite?" I offer it to her.

She leans forward, then turns pink and shyly draws back. "That's an indirect kiss."

So? I scoot closer to her. "You can't possibly be shy about this after what we did in my bedroom the other day."

"H-Hey! Quiet down!" She squeaks.

"Why? There's no one here." I argue.

Indeed, we have the entire area to ourselves, meaning I can get away with whatever I want. A streak of mischief enters my mind and I crawl closer to her, until our foreheads are an inch apart. I cup my free hand around the back of her head and tilt it a bit higher, until our faces are level. She squeezes her eyes shut in anticipation and puckers her lips ever so slightly.

"Open your mouth." I command.

She gulps, but obeys.

I stuff the melon bread into her mouth and her eyes snap open in shock. She makes a muffled sound before fully realizing what happened, then tears off a chunk of the bread and voraciously chews it. Her lips form into a pout and she unsuccessfully hides her disappointment.

Her face is irresistibly cute, and I can't help but push her further. While she's distracted, I quickly snatch a kiss from her and retreat before she can react.

"You're always teasing me like this!" She whines.

"I know."

The early afternoon sun shines down on us. The light that I once despised feels warm and oddly relaxing. I'm becoming sleepy, as if my eyelids are involuntarily drooping down. Fatigue from staying up the night before pounds down on my muscles and I slump down, resting my head on her thighs.

"Eh? Len?' She stammers.

"Wake me up when lunchtime is over." I mutter.

A gentle breeze ruffles my hair and I realize that it's her hand. "Sorry, but I'm afraid that would be in about two minutes. We need to start getting back to class."

I groan.

We walk side by side down the stairs and through the halls. With the majority of the students either in class already or remaining in the cafeteria, the path is relatively empty. We pass by a certain janitor's closet that we had hid in the first day I arrived here. The memory is nostalgic, and also makes me want to create new memories in it.

I motion to the door, a sly smile working its way into my face. "Why don't we skip class and spend some quality time together in there. I've got some creative...ideas we can try out."

Rather than a flustered reply, I'm met with a strange silence.

"Rin?"

She stands still, staring at something in particular. Or someone, upon closer examination. I follow her line of sight and see a boy just a bit older than us with scraggly red hair swept into a large bang on his left side. A rough scar in the shape of an "X" resides on the bridge of his nose. Odd deformations protrude along the left side of his neck and his left hand, peeking out from his long-sleeved shirt. The single eye that peers out from his ashen skin is a deep crimson.

Is this the rumored "demonic" transfer student? Is Rin watching him frozen with fear? As I observe her facial expression, it does not seem to be the case. Her eyes are astonished, but sad and soft. The small crease between her eyebrows gives away not revulsion, but concern. Her mouth is slightly ajar, as though she is trying to find the words to say. Could it be that the two of them have history?

Rin sharply inhales. "F..."

The boy immediately cringes and looks away. What is he imagining? The word "freak" comes into my mind.

Startling both me and him, Rin exclaims "Fukase!"

Before I can reach out and stop her, my beloved runs into his chest and wraps him in a tight embrace. He gapes in shock, then slumps against her, reciprocating the hug. They start to smile and chat with tears in their eyes, absorbed in their own world. Has Rin forgotten about me? My presence behind her, witnessing it all?

It suddenly becomes hard to breath. It feels as though my ribcage was compressed by a hot iron cage. I try to scream, but the air in my lungs comes out choked and strangled. Heat rises to my face and my head begins to throb. What is this emotion?

Through labored breaths, I muster up the strength to walk forward, steps sluggish. I need to get him away from her. There's a switchblade in my pocket. I'll stab him. I'll kill him for making her smile, for making her sing her angelic voice to him. I'll...

I'm suddenly yanked back by a whirl of blue-green hair.