Chapter 6 : 'Is my poker face that bad?'

The red haired teen didn't like that but everything felt normal. 'Did I imagine that?' He thinks to himself for a few seconds and just shakes his head.

Strange things happen but he can also make mistakes, most importantly the smell was gone and that actually helped to forget what that was.

It would be strange if he just jumped at shadows because he suddenly smelled the smell of burned earth and sulfur.

…..

"I am changing schools next year." Issei, his friend for a long time, had told Shirou while they ate in the council room, there were only the two of them there.

"You are?" Shirou didn't hide his surprise. Ryuudou Issei was dedicated to his job on the student council and there was no secret he planned to run for president in his first year of high school, a first if he manages to win in his first year.

The young man had squared glasses, well kept black hair, his uniform hadn't a single defect and is the son of the main monk of a temple that he cared the same name as him. He was serious and when Shirou offered to help repair some stuff it was he who took Emiya seriously.

They hit it off from there, almost everyday Shirou ends up going for the student council to ask if they needed help with something and it was Issei who would work with him, getting tools or just showing him what needed to be done.

They also talked with each other about the future, school, their colleagues and such. Shirou was the only person that Issei trusted with his intentions of becoming president and now he also just told him he essentially quit.

Issei didn't quit, he was not super competitive but Shirou knew that there was a thing Issei was proud of was his position on the student board with his grades and his work in the student council.

"Why are you changing schools? Something happened? Can I help?" Shirou was concerned but Issei just gave him a small smile.

"Nothing severe happened, Shirou-san, but an opportunity showed up." Issei stopped talking to take a bite of his own lunch.

"An opportunity?" Shirou raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Yes, a friend of the temple showed up just the other day with a bit of interesting gossip." Issei came close to Shirou to whisper in his ear. "Kuoh Academy is going to be co-ed next year."

"Kuoh?" Issei lets out a sigh and a shake of his head.

"Shirou, I expected you to know the biggest school of Fuyuki, if not Japan."

That sounded like something that Shirou should know about. "So? Are they that great?" He almost wanted to suggest that it was because of some sport or something but Issei was not the type to focus on that.

"'That great'? Shirou, Kuoh academy is a huge campus outside of town, it has a great reputation, the best facilities and all the women that have graduated from there are said to have gotten excellent jobs. It has produced many politicians and athletes of renow." Issei got excited talking about it, much to Shirou's amusement.

"So, if I got it right, this all girl school is going to be co-ed?" His friend gave him a simple nod.

"Exactly! But it still is a prodigious and expensive school, normal tuition…" Issei gave a small shiver, just thinking about it must bother the guy.

"That's expensive?"

"I don't want to talk about the zeros. But they want to incentivize the entrance of males and there are going to be discounts." Discounts?

"Why the discounts? No, wait! Why is a school that has always been for girls suddenly decided to be co-ed?" Shirou wanted to say he smelled something fishy but he was going to wait for Issei's comment.

"It was not out of nowhere. There have been talks since last year from what my father's friend told me." Issei looks pensive while talking. "From what I gathered they made some reforms that expanded the campus a bit too much and they want to use the full capacity."

"It must be a huge school." Shirou's comment snaps Issei out of his musing.

"Huge is an understatement, it has its own college."

"What?"

"Yeah, no joke. The college said it has always been mixed but the school can use the superior installations for their clubs if they want." Issei snaps his fingers, remembering something. "Because of how the whole thing is designed, there are lots of clubs to the point that there is a club for everything."

"Everything? Is that possible?" That was hard to believe.

"It may be propaganda but with two huge campuses, a middle school and students working together on both sides…" Enough had been said.

"No offense but that sounds too good to be true." Issei nods.

"I agree but it made national news more than once and the fact that such a scholarly endeavor is unic gave it a lot of scrutiny. So far there has been no big troubles or scandals either." Then Issei moves to put away his lunch box, Shirou didn't notice he was finished. "And trust me, I have been researching them for a week. But is there something wrong with you?"

Shirou looked at his own lunch, he barely touched the thing. "I am just not hungry today." His stomach was almost there but it was still doing flips.

It spoke of his mother's skill in driving that even hours later he was still feeling the effects.

"Isn't what I said right?" Issei showed his concern but Shirou tried to smile to calm him down.

"No it is just… I was a bit late tonight and my mother drove me here."

Now the main secretary looked at Shirou confused. "You aren't lying aren't you?"

'Is my poker face that bad?' "I am telling the truth, my mother drove me here in a rush and I am still feeling the effects." Now the black haired boy looked convinced.