Chapter Text
“I just don’t understand what’s going on. We’ve been helping him with his studies for a while now, but his test scores are still abominable,” Bon states.
The Kyoto trio had taken some time out of their day to try thinking of another way to raise Rin’s test scores. His practical and oral tests had a significant increase in score recently, though still barely enough to pass the exorcist exam, but for an unknown reason, all his formal, written tests had continued to show a notably lower score in comparison. The unknown factor of the situation made everyone a bit more determined to resolve the issue because, with one look at Rin at any given time, it would be plain to see that he's giving his best effort and pouring his soul into his studies.
Joining the conversation, Konekomaru adds, “There has to be something that we’re missing.”
“Maybe he’s just not test savvy,” Shima says. He twirls a pencil around effortlessly with his fingers as he thinks, “I know you aren’t exactly satisfied with that response, Bon, but you gotta look at the facts.”
“You’re right,” Bon replies begrudgingly, “So that’s why we are going to ignore the rest of your sentence for now.” His forehead scrunching as he brainstorms, Bon thinks aloud, “I’d go to the teachers with this if I thought they’d do anything, but I’m sure Rin wouldn’t even want us to do that. He’s too trusting for his own good, but even he has a point. True Cross Academy and the Vatican have simply taken advantage of him too many times.”
“Even Okumura-sensei seems at a loss,” Konekomaru adds disappointedly. “He probably thought that Rin would average the same as the rest of the students once he start putting in the effort.”
“He’d been putting in the effort for a while,” Bon suggests, “The problem is that no one was willing to give him some extra help up to this point. Now that it’s so late in his education, it’s hard to pinpoint what the real issue is.”
“It doesn’t help that he’s still beating himself up over it,” Konekomaru mumbles in addition.
Stuck in the seemingly endless whirl of uncertainty and speculation, the three end the day with no answers, falling asleep with possibilities still racking their thoughts.
Unfortunately for the other two, part way through the night, an all-consuming sense of frustration overcomes Bon. Sitting up in bed, he reaches for his phone and unplugs it from the charging cord. After turning down the brightness which automatically stings his eyes, he opens his search engine and begins fervently typing away. Rin can’t be the only one with these struggles.
Fighting against the poor internet in the old dormitory and drowsiness, the sleepless night passes with only a few vaguely similar ideas. After spending a fair amount of time playing with his words in the search bar, however, Bon starts to recognize the pattern of which words are bringing up results he actually finds useful.
It isn’t until he’s found himself in a forum, does Bon come across a word he’s never read before. In the question displayed at the top of the page, an anonymous person explains their situation; their difficulties sound similar to Rin’s, but it’s a bit hard to compare due to the differences in the cram school styles of teaching and testing. Differences aside, though, one response in the comments reads, “The same types of things happen to me, too. I’ve got dyslexia. Do you think you could, too?”
‘Dyslexia.’ Most people had heard the word before, but Bon didn’t know anyone who struggled with it, and therefore, he didn’t know much of anything about it. He only vaguely understood that it slowed people down when reading.
At the sudden ring of his alarm, Bon jolts in place before quickly shutting it off. Throwing his head against his pillow, he takes a deep breath before making a short note in his phone and getting ready for his morning jog. He certainly had enough to think about that music wouldn't even be necessary for today's run.
While waiting for cram school to start and for the Okumura twins to get to class, Bon takes the opportunity to consult the rest of the class on what he spent the night researching. At least, he would be able to get a feel for what the others knew about the subject. “Have you guys heard of dyslexia?” He asks.
Walking into the conversation, Kamiki rests against the table behind her, “Yeah. I’ve never met someone who has it, though.”
Shima leans toward Konekomaru and whispers, “Shocking coming from the chick who’s had a solid one friend up to now.” A grimace crosses Konekomaru’s face while a slight chuckle escapes Shima.
Only after sending Shima a piercing glare, does Kamiki continue, “Anyway, since Shima obviously isn’t going to be of any help, I’ll keep talking. I mean, if I’m being honest, though, I don’t know much about it. I doubt that many people do, but it suppose it could be possible.”
Cutting the conversation far too short, Yukio walks in with Rin following a short distance behind. As the two put their things down, Yukio tells the class to take a seat. As Rin scoots his chair closer to the desk with a faint scritch , he whispers to Shiemi, “Why was everyone huddled in the back? What were you guys talking about?”
Shaking her head dismissively, she replies, “It was nothing. Kamiki just had a speculation about another student,” before placing a finger over her lips in a pleasant, shushing motion and facing front.
“Well, class. Let’s begin.”
“Man, why did Yukio have to give us a pop quiz,” Rin exasperates, “Like, he knows me! You think he could give me some heads up.” Shrugging his shoulder to push his sword back in place, he plays with his fingers in front of him.
As Bon casts a glance Rin’s way, he explains, “It wouldn’t exactly be a pop quiz if you were given advance notice.”
“But you gotta agree…” Rin’s voice trails off. “I guess you’re right.”
Rin, Bon, Shima, Konekomaru, and Shiemi walk in near silence as they approach a vending machine. A metal on metal clink accentuates the sound of birds basking in the warmth and far away voices. Each person thinks wordlessly on their own topics until the reach the dormitory again.
As they walk inside, Shiemi breaks the silence with a timid voice. They pass Ukobach making preparations for dinner, and he greets their return with a broad wave and wide smile. With a few people returning the gesture, the group walks past to the stairs. “Um, perhaps not now,” Shiemi starts, “But could one of you quiz me in demon pharmaceutics later?” A chuckle escapes her, “I’ve still got some studying to do before I have the new set of names memorized properly.”
Without hesitation, Rin offers, “Sure. You’ve got flashcards right? That shouldn’t be too hard.”
“You can’t really take the time to help someone else until you can stay afloat yourself there, Rin,” Konekomaru stresses. “You can’t use that as an excuse to shirk on your studies,” he turns to Shiemi, “I can help you with that later.”
Speaking up, Rin says, “Well, before we talk about later, what are we going to do now?”
“You are going to start the essay we were just assigned. Or perhaps, I’m not sure, you could attempt your homework from the general course classes?”
Although looking slightly distressed at his options, Rin chooses to focus on the essay his brother assigned, explaining himself by admitting, “I didn’t really understand what went on in lit anyway, so I guess it’d be good to work on something I halfway understand.” After a pause, Rin asks, “Yukio said it could be typed, right?”
“Since when has he ever wanted anything typed,” Shima deadpans.
“Definitely not,” Bon says alongside him.
With a groan, Rin heads to his room to set his things down before taking only a textbook, a small stack of papers, and a pencil to the table which has been unanimously deemed the homework and study table.
A bit later, the jingle of a doorknob alerts the room that Kamiki has come back.
She spent some time after school with Paku, but Paku didn’t have enough extra time to come all the way to true cross and meet the others. Kamiki seemed pretty content having gone by herself, though.
She acknowledges the others but walks past wordlessly, only looking over the edge of the table to see what they were working on. Although she hadn’t particularly established eye contact with Bon, he takes the takes the opportunity to excuse himself from the table, and he follows after her.
Outside the door to her and Shiemi’s room, he raps lightly on the door.
Kamiki’s voice comes from inside, “Who is it?”
“Suguro.”
After a few moments of waiting, Bon watches as Kamiki shuffles out of the room and shuts the door behind her. Though still wearing the academy skirt, she’d changed into a more breathable top.
“Can I help you?” Her voice holds its expected irritated undertone as she leans with her hands behind her back against the doorway.
“Sorry to bother, princess, but we weren’t able to finish our conversation earlier.”
She nods slowly in agreement, “Like I said, I don’t really know much — only that it exists.” Letting her gaze wander, she takes a second to think. “We’d have to do more research and take note of some of the smaller things he comes across before we draw any conclusions, but you should tell him what you think. He might know some stuff about this. At least, if I were in his position and trying that hard with a less than desired result, I’d have some questions, too.”
Gesturing somewhat with his hands, he wonders aloud, “If he knew about it, though, wouldn’t he have said something sooner? I sure as hell would want the extra help as soon as I could get it.”
Kamiki scoffs lightly and shakes her head, “I’m not sure how much you know either, but dyslexia is classified as a learning disability. Personally, I don’t care and that doesn’t change the person, but some people feel really touchy about that subject. It’s not strange for a person to deny something like that if they feel they’ll be outcasted for the label.”
“And Rin was already outcasted for most of his childhood.”
Shrugging in agreement, Kamiki adds, “If I were being treated that terribly, I’d likely hide that suspicion for as long as possible.”
A pause precedes Bon’s next words, “So do you think he knows?”
“I’m as knowledgeable as you. The only thing we could really do is ask.”
Returning to the group, Bon chooses to avoid the topic a little while longer, “I’m going to head to the academy library. There's a book I'm having trouble finding for one of the general studies classes.” A few question what he’s looking for momentarily, but he shrugs off their questions. Taking a hint, the others leave him be.
Pulling his bag over his shoulder Bon heads to the library.
Since the word “dyslexia” had presented itself to him the night prior, he felt oddly determined to learn more about it. So many people had heard about it, but no one seemed to know more than its general definition. If learning more about it could help take some of the strain off both Rin and his teachers, time would be more than of the essence. When Rin started receiving help from those around him as an exwire, it was commonplace to assume he was still simply trying to adjust to a real workload and almost a year’s worth of missed information, but as time continued to pass, it became obvious to most that there was something, something that just didn’t add up.
With some more knowledge, years of educational struggle could be eased. If Rin were faced with this difficulty, even if it became more common knowledge, things wouldn’t magically be perfect — especially at True Cross Academy — but he’d get the proper schooling that he'd been denied his entire life. The thought alone fueled Bon with an unrelenting determination to push forward.
After a frustrating search on the databases and the entire nonfiction section of the library, Bon surrenders and admits that there isn’t a book on the desired topic in the apparently-not-big-enough library. With a sigh, he reclaims his bag and heads to the exit. However, he’s momentarily stopped by a librarian behind the front desk. “Would you like me to help you find something,” the woman offers in a fair voice.
Bon hums at the unexpected question before focusing on his words. “Yes, please. Would you happen to have a book on dyslexia,” he asks.
“Dyslexia?” The woman repeats Bon’s words seemingly unknowing, and then she excuses herself for a moment before turning toward the desktop in front of her and checking. Without a moment's delay, Bon recognizes the effort as a lost cause. “I apologize,” she starts regretfully, “But we don’t have any books on that topic at our library.”
With a quick nod of his thanks, Bon is out the door.
Back at the dorms, Rin, Shima, and Shiemi have taken to reading while Konekomaru, Izumo, and Yukio continue to work on their homework. Hopefully it means they all finished their work without issue, but it's more likely that someone found themself getting frustrated and taking a break in order to calm down.
“Hey, Okumura sensei,” Bon starts as he kicks his shoes off, “Can I talk to you?” Sparing a glance at Rin, he continues, “I’ve been faced with a bit of a challenge, and I want to know what you think.”
Laying his pencil across his paper, Yukio responds, “Of course, Suguro.”
Bon nudges his head and shoulder slightly as a silent request to take the conversation to the hall. In compliance, Yukio stands and follows him. Once Bon is confident the two are out of earshot, he comes to a stop, and Yukio awaits the topic of conversation. Yukio’s expression seems unnervingly calm, yet stoic at the same time.
“I’ve got a suspicion about your brother.”
The statement is short and dry. Narrowing his eyes partially, Yukio urges monotonously, “Continue.” Given the number of things that have happened since enrolling in this academy, no one can blame Yukio for immediately becoming more alert at such an introduction.
As Bon continues, the surrounding air radiates caution and a mute sense of contempt, “It’s no secret that your brother isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, but — still in accordance with the metaphor — what if there was a way we could find a way to sharpen the knife rather than just putting more force into making it work properly.” Trying to get a grasp on his thoughts, Bon takes a deep breath and attempt to explain his thoughts more clearly, “What I mean to ask is do you think Rin could have dyslexia?” Yukio stands silently in thought for a moment as he thinks. With a stutter to Bon’s next words, he continues, “I thought maybe you’d know some more about it than me… since you’re a teacher and since you’re his brother. Has it ever crossed your mind?”
Yukio crosses his arms over his chest and sways his body almost unnoticeably. “I’ll be honest, the thought has made its way into my mind on more than a few occasions, but it’s not something that’s common. Nearly no one here knows anything about the subject,” he breathes dejectedly, “I barely know about it. I wouldn’t know where to start even if he were dyslexic.” A brief pause separates his thoughts, “Though, I haven’t exactly tried to learn anymore about it since early junior high.” Yukio lets out a frustrated groan, “He was well on his way to becoming a dropout even then, but I wasn’t the best brother I could have been either; it was easier for ten-year-old me to place blame on my brother’s so-called lack of discipline than place it on something I knew nothing about.”
Bon addresses Yukio’s words with a grim nod. “Even the legendary youngest exorcist has some fatal flaws, I see… So do you still think it’s possible?”
As he averts his gaze Yukio says, “I’m not really sure anymore.” Nervous tendencies suppressed, he doesn’t stop, “Yes, I used to be fairly knowledgeable for the average Japanese person, but now — six, seven years later — I probably know just as much as you at this point.”
“Well, would you be willing to help me research, teach,” Bon interjects.
Holding a quick internal debate, Yukio then responds, “Of course. Have you talked to Rin about it yet?”
“No. Did you ever?”
“A few times, but he either never took me seriously or denied it. I’d venture to say he probably doesn’t even remember those few conversations now.” A drawn out silence fills the air, “Could we not say anything to him yet? Not until we learn more at least.”
Recognizing that there’s something going unsaid, Bon consciously makes an effort to proceed as if he hadn’t sensed the temporary change in atmosphere. “The instant we do feel confident in a conclusion, though, we’ve got to tell him. That is my only objection.” His posture stands as solidly as his statement.
When Yukio hesitantly agrees, Bon informs him about his visit to the school library, his encounter with the librarian, and the general lack of accessibility to any quality information or studies regarding the topic.
“Oh,” Yukio suddenly gasps, “This hadn’t occurred to me until just now, but perhaps you should access English sites. There’s more studies and recognition outside of Japan. You are fairly advanced in your English studies. I could qualify as passable. I recommend you try some foreign sites. Have you talked to the others about this at all?”
“Just this morning.”
“Tell them they can join me in scouting bookshops, libraries, and databases in the surrounding metropolitan area.” At that, the two agree on a few other things before returning to the group.