Previous trivia: In a 'high school AU', who would be the MOST popular among their fellow students?

Answer: Jiro

All of the elites would undoubtedly stand out, but because he has an insanely high capability for empathy, Jiro would be the most popular among the students. Jiro can make friends instantly and with anyone (*cough* except Rei)  and he obviously thrives on making connections and relating himself to others.

Ryuu would be resident troublemaker among the class. Not to be confused with the class clown (that would fit more to Jiro) Ryuu would be that guy who pulls off the craziest shit and the one everybody either hates or loves, no in between. Ryuu is the kind of student that lives on the edge (translation: in detention 24/7)

Shin would be, as expected, the brightest student in class. He wouldn't be the class rep because he wouldn't give a shit about the rest, and it's that type of cold attitude that will attract so much attention. He'd be the cool, silent type of student who sleeps his way through class but scores 100% on tests. And the one who always finds strange, anonymous love letters (*cough* totally not Ryuu) inside his bag for whatever reason

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"I used to be taller than you." Emi giggled, her voice light and soft as it flew through the air and right into the snow haired boy's ears.

The waiting area had become a bit too crowded with stares and whispers, all too curious to know what was going on yet not daring to ask. They had become too annoying for the group to handle, and so they decided to move to one of the empty training rooms the facility held. The two scrappers had spent the majority of the time making sure not to leave the other's sight.

"I've grown." Rei exhaled a small laugh, his crimson gaze running across the girl, taking in every single feature that had changed, matured, making Emi into the girl who now stood before him.

"Your voice used to be so gentle and soft, almost magical." He whispered, his lips curling up as a delicate smile spread through his features. "It hasn't changed at all."

As if proving his point, Emi let out the most angelic laugh he had ever heard, unconsciously covering her face as she hid from his view. Rei shook his head immediately, reaching out to lace his hands between hers and pulling them away.

"I haven't seen you in forever, Emi. Don't do this to me." His smile was a mix of playful and pleading, finally making the girl offer a shy smile before looking directly at him.

There were no words to describe the feeling dancing between their bodies. A state of pure bliss enveloped them, making the outside world melt away as they only found comfort in each other.

She was about to answer with reassuring words, ready to promise she was never leaving his side again, but was interrupted by a loud clearing of the throat that made both figures look up to where a lilac haired boy stood. His gaze was calculating as it locked with a bright crimson one, and both males stood silent and unmoving for a few seconds.

"Hello." The snow haired boy offered a smile at the older boy, hoping to figure out the reason behind his abrupt interruption.

Ryuu remained quiet staring him down, his real motives hidden as he only seemed to be trying to intimidate the younger.

A little intake of air went through Rei's throat, not big enough to be a gasp yet showing a bit of surprise. The boy suddenly got up, attempting to rise to Ryuu's height but only managing to be at eye level with his nose.

"Your eyes..." Rei whispered, curiosity shining like a mid day sun in his own crimson ones. "They're beautiful! I've never seen someone with that eye color before."

Ryuu was frozen in place, his lilac eyes wide in shock as he processed the snow haired boy's words. He was astonished by how the pair of eyes he loathed so much had been complimented for the second time in his entire life. It made his skin crawl with a foreign feeling, and he wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not.

Ryuu suddenly took notice of the close proximity Rei was standing from him, and immediately stepped back. Then, without warning he dropped the knife to the floor right between the two scrappers.

"You knew my brother."

Rei furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, not knowing the meaning behind the foreign boy's words. He then looked at Emi who seemed to remember something as she suddenly dug her hand into her pocket and pulled out a small silver necklace.

"What's this?" He mumbled, taking the object between his hands. A delicate letter hung from the chain, and upon seeing it Rei immediately recognized who it belonged to.

His eyes widened in disbelief, twirling the necklace between his fingers as he looked up to the lilac haired boy.

"I thought..." He whispered, mind racing as his stomach clenched, a feeling of guilty relief running through him. "Where is he?"

"Dead."

Ryuu's clear gaze lacked the usual spark it carried, making it seem emotionless as he delivered the news. Rei closed his eyes at the response, taking a deep breath as he gathered words in an unstable sentence.

"If Ayato did make it to your base, who did I-....?"

It was completely unremarkable how the redhead managed to get there with his organs completely ruptured. Rei was also relieved because if Ayato did make it to the base, it meant the human flesh Big Madam had forced down his throat had not been him.

"Both of you had it rough." Emi sighed, noticing Rei's hesitation to speak. She walked behind Rei as she undid the clasp of the necklace, bringing it around his neck and putting it back together behind his pale skin.

"Ayato asked us to give this to you. Take good care of it." Emi smiled.

"I will." Rei looked down at it, admiring the bright, silver A that sat against his chest. His gaze traveled toward the smiling girl, and now he finally noticed the similar necklace hanging from her own neck.

"They look alike." He mumbled, trying to remember if he'd seen Ayato with more than one necklace. He came up with nothing, eyebrows knitting together as a bitter taste unconsciously invaded his mouth.

"Who have you yours?"

A cheshire smirk spread widely over Ryuu's features. He nonchalantly spun on his heel, whistling cheerfully at the turmoil he created as he made his way to Shin's side.

"So..." The coal haired boy spoke as soon as Ryuu reached his position. "What do you think?"

"I don't like him."

The words were blunt and delivered with a simple shrug by Ryuu. His arms crossed above his chest, body turning to face the two scrappers as they both watched whatever exchange of words they were having.

"Emi does."

"Such an in-depth analysis." Ryuu mocked a gasp. "Your intelligence surprises me Shinnie poo."

It was enough with a silent glare from the dark haired boy to make Ryuu tone it down and control himself.

"Big Madam tried to make him hate Emi, but it turned out to have quite the opposite effect." Shin whispered, his blue gaze shifting between the two figures.

"Maybe those two don't hate each other, but I sure know someone who turned into a salty little ball full of hate." Ryuu mockingly pointed out.

The two shifted their attention toward the blond who was standing just a few feet away from them.

"Jiro hasn't said a word since we got here." Ryuu mumbled. "I think he might explode."

The blond was leaning against the wall, body rigid, his usual warm hazel gaze was now locked on Rei and could very well trap him in a block of ice. Jiro's hand never shifted position, it remained hovering over his weapon as his fingers twitched ever so slightly toward it.

"Hey Barbie," Ryuu called, stepping closer until he got hold of the blond's shoulders. "Keep staring at him like that and he'll think you're into him."

It was when Ryuu recieved no reaction at all that he realized Jiro was just a bit more pissed than usual, which was definitely not good.

"Jiro, snap out of it." The lilac haired boy moved his hands in front of the other's face, but it seemed as if he was staring at Jiro through soundproof glass. Upon recieving the same response Ryuu sighed, spinning toward Shin.

"Hey, we have a broken Jiro over here."

"Do I look like a doctor?"

Ryuu's smirk seemed to widen at the words, completely ignoring the fact that it was always Shin who took care of the elite's wounds after missions. His mind was working fast as he moved even faster.

"I'll tell you what you do look like, Shinnie poo; like the man of my dreams. Now come here and let me have your babies." Ryuu sang, making grabby hands at the older boy who only pushed him away, a deep scowl on his face.

"Can you behave yourself for just a minute?" Shin growled, rubbing at his temples as his pure crystal gaze pinned Ryuu down.

"Why are you being so immature?"

"Me? Immature?" Ryuu mocked an offended gasp. "I'm simply taking care of myself!"

The younger boy rolled his eyes at the confused look he received from Shin.

"You know she's not coming back to us, whether your smart little mind likes it or not. I'm simply letting her be." Ryuu said, although his voice was a bit dull, almost pained as the words left his mouth.

"Our princess is finally getting her happy ending."

And Shin would never admit it, but perhaps Ryuu was right. Maybe he too, just like Jiro, was holding on a bit too tight.

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Heyo! Here's a new update to feed my scrappers 💜💜

Now that the book is coming to an end, what do you guys think will happen?

I had a really interesting conversation with Ameliah96 regarding the elites' strengths and weaknesses and 'what would happen' situations against Rei. We even talked about Emi's character development. The comment line has a lot of useful information about all the characters, so if you guys have time you can check it out! The comment is in the previous chapter (ch 71) close to the bottom:

TRIVIA: Who begins the iconic phrase the elites use when they're starting a mission?

A. Ryuu
B. Shin
C. Jiro

This one is hella easy XD