It was a warm summer day in Yamaku, and Hisao could see dozens of students enjoying their off day around the campus, walking into town, or cooling off in the library. With Lilly on a trip to Scotland and Hanako spending most of the week holed up in her room, Hisao had quite a bit of free time on his hands. Deciding to take advantage of the good weather, he gathers a handful of books from his room and strolls down to the courtyard, taking a seat on a warm wooden bench. Down the hill he spots Yamaku’s track and its resident track star, running daytime practice laps on her springy metal legs. Nearby another track member, the infamous Miki Miura, finishes up her own stretches, accompanied by her sea-haired friend Suzuki. He cracks open a book and runs a hand over the page, taking a deep breath and relaxing. It hadn’t been easy adjusting to life at Yamaku, but ever since he met Lilly and Hanako things hav-
 
*thwack*
 
        Hisao’s inner monologue is shattered by a small, hard object smacking against his head and landing in the open book.
        “Eh? An acorn?” He looks up at the tree above him, bereft of acorns. “That’s odd. Maybe the wind blew it ove-“
 
*thwack*
 
        Again, an acorn strikes Hisao in the head and lands on the pages of his book.
        “What in the…?” Hisao cranes his neck and begins to search for angry, acorn shooting ghosts when an entire handful of the nuts sails over the bench and scatter everywhere. Hisao bolts to his feet, fists clenched.
        “Hey! Can you please stop thr-“
        “Hisao!” comes a hoarse whisper from just behind the bench. He takes a deep breath and turns on his feet, hoping to get his assailant in view. Crouched not-so-stealthily behind a shrub is his hallmate, Kenji Setou. Clutched in one of his hands is a pair of binoculars (can he even use those?) and at his feet, a pile of acorns.
        “Kenji, what the hell are you doing? Why are you throwing acorns at my head?”
        “Shhh! Keep quiet, I’m on a mission! I needed to get your attention without being spotted.” Hisao glances at the shrub obscuring about 20% of Kenji’s body. Hisao sighs and lowers his head in defeat.
        “Right…and what do you mean by mission?”
        “Recon, man, recon! Information is power! Ever since I confirmed the identity of one of their agents, I’ve been out in the field.” He pauses dramatically to check over a (currently blank) notepad. “The hunter has become the hunted.” This causes one of Hisao’s eyebrows to rise in response. Unable to resist, he presses further.
        “Oh? You found a feminist agent?” Kenji contorts his face to look more incredulous than usual.
        “What are you talking about? You were there, remember? The other day in the library when I discovered her hidden documents! Oh, those broads are clever alright; the pen is mightier than the sword.” Hisao ignores him and strokes his chin.
        “Library? Oh…”
 
 
 
        It had happened a few days before. Hisao had joined Hanako for some light studying in the library. While there, they had run into another handful of people from class 3-3; Miki, Molly, and Suzu. Outgoing as ever, Miki had insisted they share a study session and loudly pushed two tables together, much to Yuuko’s dismay.  They’d been studying for about an hour when someone loudly cleared their throat. They looked up to see Kenji standing beside the table, holding a pair of books: The Modern Patriarchy and Liberation: Re-examined.
        “Whose are these?” asked Kenji in a demanding tone. Shocked by the outburst, the people at the table did little but look at each other in confusion. Kenji sighed and raised the books higher.
        “I said, whose are these?!” he asked again, even louder. A muffled thump and screech came from the librarian’s desk. Suzu, who had her head resting on one of her hands, didn’t even pause writing to speak.
        “They’re mine, Kenji. Do you have a problem with them, or can you put them back?” Kenji looked taken aback.
        “You should be careful with this stuff, lady, this is bonafide feminist literature!” He shook the books menacingly.
        “Yes, I know. I am one,” Suzu responded unconcernedly, filling in bubbles on a practice booklet. Kenji took a breath and adjusted his glasses.
        “…what did you just say?”
        “I said…I…am…a…feminist.”  She paused writing to fix Kenji with a withering glare. For a moment, Kenji’s placid face failed to betray the torrent of fear that gripped his body. He glanced down at the books he was holding, then to Suzu, then back to the books once more. After a deep breath, he delivered his response.
        “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” The books fell to the floor with a crash, and Kenji sprinted from the library.
 
 
 
        “Yeah, the library. I, uh, remember now. You screamed and threw some books.” Kenji scoffs and slams his fist on the grass.
        “Damnit, I had to draw her attention somehow to make a tactical escape!” Hisao brushes a few acorns out of his hair and sits back down on the bench.
        “Well, you sure succeeded on that first part. So now you’re spying on Suzu?” He pulls his book back out and tries to remember the page he was on before the interruption.
        “Heh, you’ve got that right, my brother. I’ve scouted prime observation posts to watch her wherever she goes, class, town, the showers, the whole school! If that scheming feminist thinks she can use her cute looks to pull the wool ove-“
        “You think she’s cute?” Hisao smirks and looks up from his book as Kenji’s face takes on the complexion of a tomato.
        “I-that’s not-I wasn’t… gah!” In his anger, Kenji throws his clipboard out onto the path, though the wind ensures it doesn’t fly more than a few feet away. “Anyways, just leave me alone and let me keep up my observations.”
        “She’s walking this way now.”
        “She- wait, what!?” Hisao watches as Kenji tries to hold one of the shrub’s branches over his face.
        Suzu and Miki begin to head past the bench, Miki almost skipping along, while Suzu tiredly trudges behind.
        “Hey Hisao!” comes a bubbly greeting from the track runner, while Suzu makes do with a muted “Hisao.” She looks over Hisao’s shoulder and lets out a small sigh. “Hello, Kenji.” Kenji mutters something ungentlemanly and shrinks himself against the back of the bench. She lowers her head again and begins to walk towards the school. Miki gives Hisao a bemused shrug and follows after her. Smiling, Hisao turns a page.
        “Well, I think that went very well. Did you get any good data?” Hisao turns expecting an answer, but instead sees Kenji standing, watching the departing pair.
        “I gotta hand it to her, girl’s got a real pair of balls.”
        This would not end well, Hisao thought to himself.
 
 
        “Why didn’t you say anything!?” asks Miki after elbowing Suzu a few too many times.
        “Hey!” shouts Suzu, batting away Miki’s good arm. “What are you even talking about?”
        “I saaaaaaaid~, why didn’t you say anything?” A predatory grin leaps from Miki’s mouth. Suzu stops and adjusts the strap on her backpack.
        “T-to who?” Miki wraps her arm around Suzu’s shoulders.
        “To who? To Kenji of course!” Suzu angrily shakes off her friend’s arm and stomps forward, gripping the straps of her pack as tightly as she can.
        “To him? To that boy? W-what would I even have to say to him?”
        “Oh, I don’t know, but from the way I’ve seen you look at him you want to do more than talk~.” Winking at her friend, Miki skips ahead to the school’s entrance, followed swiftly by a ranting Suzu.
        “That’s absolute nonsense! To think that… I-I would… just, shut up, okay!” She pushes past Miki and heads inside the school. Miki only giggles.
        “Whatever you say, sister.”