"It's okay to bite back a little." Ritsuka's still sympathetic, though she winces a bit at the reaction. At least no one is going to pick a fight with Noah over this just yet... maybe later. She makes a mental note to check on him after the school day is over, before she heads to the volleyball club, just to make sure he doesn't get jumped. "Be friendly, but don't let people push you around, okay? That's worked for me."

She may or may not have gotten into a few scraps in the past, defending some new student or other, but he doesn't need to know that yet. The important thing is that she does at least have an established reputation for exactly the attitude she's advising him to have.

"And maybe for the first couple of days, stick to observing how people act... that's what I'd do."