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• • • • • The next two weeks blurred past. Annabeth and I have been hanging out more with Kindaichi and, occasionally, his teammate from volleyball, Kunimi who had just about the same amount of liveliness as a paper plate.
We've unpacked most everything at our apartment and were currently in the process of decorating and making everything look semi presentable. We've gone grocery shopping but mostly for microwaveable dinners and stuff. We decided we'd actually go nutritional food shopping when our commission from camp came in May.
In volleyball, we've been prepping for a practice game against the Shirato Girls' High team. Ella has got coach running around, scheduling practice games just about everywhere. Amara says that ever since we showed up, Ella's drive for going to Nationals has multiplied tenfold.
Percy's been really invested in volleyball, too. Leaving early in the morning and staying late at practice. He seems to be really enjoying it which I was glad to see.
• • • • •
I groaned and clawed at my face.
Kindaichi agreed to help Annabeth and me on our kanji since we sucked pretty bad at it.
"Why do I need to do this?" I complained, "I'm already—" I paused and counted my fingers, "—Quadrilingual! English, French, Greek, and Japanese!"
"I don't think quadrilingual is a word," Annabeth said, "Is it? I dunno I've never heard someone use it before—"
"Both of you, focus," Kindaichi scolded as he tapped the worksheets in front of us, clearly regretting his decision to tutor two ADHD girls. He scanned my sheet, "Agh, y/n, you're not supposed to put a stroke there!"
He took the worksheet away from me and began writing the correct form of the symbol.
"We have a practice game tomorrow," I told him as I watched him mark up my paper, "You should come."
"Maybe if you actually write more than 40% of these symbols correctly, I'll consider it," He scolded as he shoved my paper back at me, now blotted in red ink.
• • • • •
Kindaichi offered to walk Annabeth and I home since it was dark. Percy was already back from practice and waiting for us at the apartment. We got the last of our things and started to head out.
The night sky was starless, the only light being the full moon above us and streetlights along the sidewalk. The roads were for the most part barren and quiet, a car zooming past occasionally. I wasn't sure what it was, but something about tonight didn't seem right. It felt—I don't know— sinister. I looked at Annabeth and could tell by her face that she was also on edge, her grey eyes analytical as if already planning an escape if something were to go wrong. I wanted to say it was nothing, to brush it off. But too many times I've done that, and too many times it ended in disaster.
