"Name?"

I stand up slightly straighter. "Tsukune Aono."

The interviewer looks down at his papers and shuffles them about.

My eyes dart around the room, noting the drab gray interior, all the way from the gray carpets to the gray walls and blinds. The interviewer is wearing gray, and the desk is a gray metal slab. The only splash of color is the fern in the corner.

"What are you planning to study?" The interviewer suddenly starts back up.

I can feel a drop of sweat roll down my neck, staining the collar of my button up shirt. "Business Management. I want to-"

"That's fine." The interview flips a page in his book and scribbles some things down in his book. "Next, why did you choose Raakshas University?"

"I heard lots of good things about Raakshas. My best friend's dad also obtained a degree-"

He holds up his hand and scribbles more notes on the paper.

There's enough sweat beading on my face and neck that the interviewer would have to blind to miss it. I can't tell how this interview is going at all.

In fact, isn't this strange? Why did I have to meet this guy in person? Don't most colleges do this through a computer nowadays?

"Alright Mr Aono. You're free to go." The interviewer closes the file with a slam.

It takes a second for my brain to catch up. "W-Wait. Did I pass?"

The man glares at me over his half moon spectacles. "The board will review your application, and we'll get back to you."

"Oh. Um, thank you for your time." I fumble my words and hastily back out of the room.

The door closes behind me, and I stand still for a few seconds before opening the secondary door into the reception area. I can feel the chances of me getting accepted flying away from me. That was a travesty! Can I get a do-over?

The reception area has a few other students here, all of them waiting for their turn to come around. Well, all but one.

A pink haired beauty with a rosary around her neck looks up from her magazine, her gray eyes somehow still more colorful than the office I had just left.

As I approach, she stands up and places the magazine down, grabs her purse and meets me at the door. "How did it go?" Moka asks.

I push through the door into the midday glare. "Bizarrely. He barely paid any attention to me, asked me three questions, then dismissed me. He didn't even listen to my answers."

She frowns. "Weird."

"You're telling me."

Moka pulls her keys out of her bag, presses the lock button, and her Lamborghini beeps in response. "Well, don't worry too much about it. I'm sure you'll get in. He was probably dazzled by your enthusiasm."

Yeah, right. I climb into the passenger seat of the Moka's luxury car and close my eyes.

"And hey, I got in, so you can too!"

A laugh escapes before I can stop it.

I can feel her glare on my face. "What's so funny?"

"Moka, you're rich, kind, and smarter than most people in the area. Not to mention you're knockout gorgeous. Raakshas would have to be insane to refuse your application."

The car starts to move, and I open my eye just enough to see that she has a faint pink tinge on her cheeks. "Oh, stop."

"So," I decide to change the subject. "How is your dad doing?"

The conversation flows to less collegey subjects and onto our daily lives, which is less painful to talk about.

When we get to my house, she pulls up to the curb and sets the car in park. "Make sure to tell me as soon as you know the results!" She gives me a big, confident smile.

I can't help but smile back. "Don't worry. It shouldn't be for a few days anyway."

I get out, exchange goodbyes, and wave as she pulls away, the Lamborghini rapidly speeding away down the street. Moka is really kind-natured, driving me to my interview despite her own busy schedule.

I head inside to find mom is busy at the stove in the kitchen. "Tsukune! How did your interview go?"

I sit down on one of the chairs around the table and rest my head on the cool surface. "It didn't go that well. The interviewer was so disinterested, I don't even know if he did anything other than doodle on my paperwork."

"Aw, that's too bad. But hey! You got to go on a date with Moka!" The glint in her eye...

"I keep telling you-"

"It's not like that. Of course, of course." Mom turns and smiles knowingly.

No, seriously. Not dating. In truth, Moka's the reason I want to go to Raakshas in the first place because I do have a crush on her, but hell would freeze over before she would feel the same way.

We met three years ago during our second year of high school. We were put on a group project together, and we became friends while doing the project. She's the kind of person that gets along with everyone though. Heck, she used to be treated like some kind of movie star. Yet she always had time for me, the quiet introvert in the back.

There's no doubt in my mind where my crush came from. Attention from a member of the opposite sex will do that to you, and if that member is Moka?

The door opens again, and dad walks in holding the mail. As he walks past mumbling greetings, he drops an envelope in front of me. The return address is… Raakshas Admissions?

"What?" I murmur, already reaching for a knife to open the letter. I slice open the envelope and pull out three pieces of paper. Without meaning to, I start reading out loud. "Dear Tsukune Aono, Congratulations on being accepted-"

Dad grunts. "See? Told you you'd get accepted."

"But I applied earlier today!" I look back at the papers and look for some official seals. Some really convincing looking gold sticker-seal things are plastered on the paperwork. On one of the papers, I have been given an ID, an ID number, and a dorm room number. "They can't have processed the paperwork already."

Wait, dorm room number?

Dad opens an envelope, reads the contents, and shove it towards me. "Look, you even got full scholarships, including a dorm room. Your interview must have been really impressive."

...What? Okay, when do the cameramen come out and start yelling about how I've been pranked?

Unfortunately, normal business hours are over, so I can't the administrative offices to confirm the prank until tomorrow. I look over the information again. It still looks official, and a quick search on my phone shows that the seal is either legitimate or a very good forgery.

I tuck the mail away when mom brings the food to the table, and finish quickly.

Once finished, I head back to my room and start googling around to see if scam letters had become a problem recently.

When my phone buzzes, I almost jump out of my skin. The custom ring-tone I have for Moka rings for a few more seconds before I can recover my wits enough to actually answer the thing.

"Hello Moka."

"Hey Tsukune. You left your backpack in my car." She says.

I glance to the corner where I usually keep the bag. "Oh. Whoops."

"Yeah. I'll drive by tomorrow to drop it off, okay?"

"That sounds fine." I take a breath. "Um, so..."

"Yes?"

"It looks like I might have gotten accepted."

"Yay! I knew you could get in!"

"But how did they process the paperwork so fast?" I muse aloud. "I fact, I was just checking to see if it was a prank or something."

"Who cares? Now we can attend together!" Moka cheers on her end of the phone, maxing out the microphone and causing some feedback.

My heart quickens at her words. Can't really help it.

"When do you move in?" She continues.

"According to these papers, one week."

One week later, I find myself outside a large building. It has a brick facade, about ten floors, and the words "Raakshas Residence Hall" written in big letters on the side.

Mom, still in the car, winds down her window. "I'll be back with your mattress and the rest of your stuff tomorrow."

"Okay. Thanks for dropping me off."

I hike the duffel up on my shoulder and head into the lobby. The receptionist calls over to me and checks my ID, then hands me a room key. Sixth floor, room six-twenty-seven.

Apparently, the layout of rooms in this dorm is four bedrooms connected to one bathroom, kitchen and living room, so I'll be sharing living space with three strangers. It's kind of exciting.

I take the elevator up to the sixth floor and search for my room number. It's one of the farthest from the elevators, in the corner of the building.

When I open the door, it turns out I'm not the first person to arrive. Two women are chatting to each other at the table.

One of them has jet black hair tied up in ribbons to form a ponytail off either side of her head. Her eyes are a light pinkish-red, and she has on some elaborate black gothic dress. The other woman has blue hair held in place by a headband, and is currently facing away from me. She's wearing a yellow sweater and a skirt.

"Looks like we have our next roommate." Says the woman in black.

The blue haired girl turns around-

Okay, those aren't real. No way. I manage to pry my eyes away from her chest long enough to see that he has violet eyes.

"Let me introduce myself." Says the woman in black. "I'm Ruby."

The blue haired bombshell smiles. "I'm Kurumu. I hope we can get along."

"Ah, likewise. I'm Tsukune."

Ruby points to one of the four doors in the back. "That one will be your room, The two to the left of that are my room and Kurumu's respectively. Off to your left is the kitchen, and to the right is the bathroom."

"Thanks." I head through the indicated door and into my living space for the foreseeable future. Worn hardwood floors, could probably use a new paint job, but it doesn't smell bad. There's a spring frame waiting for a mattress dominating most of the room, with a small desk off to the side. A dresser sits against the back wall, and a window sits beside that.

I set my bag down, and sit in the chair in front of the desk. It's all starting to really sink in. This is my new room. I'm no longer in that room back at home.

"What smells so good?" I hear Kurumu ask from the other room.

"I don't know. I can't smell it." Ruby starts sniffing.

"Wait… I know that smell." Kurumu's voice comes to my ears as I start to unpack my bag. She comes into my room and taps on the door frame. "Tsukune, was it? What are you doing here?"

What kind of question is that? "Um… going to college, hopefully. If not, I'm really confused right now."

My small joke fails to make her laugh. "Aren't there a lot of other colleges you could go to?"

I stop unpacking my bag. "Do you have a problem with me?" Oh crap, I made the mistake of looking at her. She's not even dressed provocatively, but I have a hard time dragging my eyes away from her… features.

The front door opens and I hear Ruby greet someone at the door.

"Not a problem, just questioning your common sense. People like you tend not to last long in these kind of environments." She shrugs, and her smile comes back, along with a strange glint in her eyes. "Oh, whatever. It works out to my advantage anyway." She sits on the edge of the bed frame, holding her hand up to her mouth.

Then she licks her finger slowly, the movement hypnotizing me.

Ruby bursts in. "Our last roommate has… arrived..." She trails off as she sees what is going on. She sends a sharp glare at Kurumu.

Kurumu sighs and drops her hand.

Suddenly, I realize I can move freely again. My cheeks color, and I quickly go back to unpacking.

Kurumu sighs. "Aw, and I was just getting started. So who's our new roommate?"

"Nice to meet you, I'm-" Comes a familiar voice. "Tsukune?"

"Two people named Tsukune? That's odd." Kurumu comments.

I turn around to find a familiar head of pink hair. "Moka?"

"We're in the same dorm? What a coincidence!" She walks right up to me and gives me a hug from over the back of the chair. "This is going to be great!"

"Yeah." I have to smile at her overeagerness.

"So, you two know each other then." Kurumu pouts. "No fair."

Moka lets go and formally introduces herself to the other girls. Meanwhile, I continue unpacking my bag. Hold on, I didn't pack this bin. I open the lid to find some cookies and a note from mom.

"Wow Kurumu. You must have some nose on you to be able to smell these cookies."

The three girls look at me. Kurumu even tilts her head like a puppy. "Huh?"

"You smelled these earlier, right? You said something smelled good."

She blinks. "Oh. Oh! Yes, that's what I smelled. Can I have one?"

I offer the bin out, and they each take a cookie.

It looks like I'll be able to get along with my roommates. One less thing to worry about.

Classes start tomorrow, So I have the rest of the day to muddle about and get used to campus. Ruby is on her last year of classes, so she volunteers to guide us around campus and get us familiar with the area. She takes us to the campus center, the library, and the science building before just pointing us around to various buildings. I had a list of where each class would be held, and I'm pretty sure I can figure out where each classroom is, at least.

"So, any questions?" Ruby asks as we head back to the dorms. The sun is about to set, so we've been out here well past dinnertime.

"Yeah." I point to two girls wearing pointy hats with wide brims. "Is there a coven on campus, or what?"

Ruby smiles. "Yes there is! I'm a member."

"Wow."

Somehow, despite her apparent enthusiasm, she seems anxious to move on, so I drop the subject.

Right as we enter the next building, Moka's phone rings. She gestures for us to move ahead.

"So, you're a witch then? Hat and everything?"

Ruby nods. "Yep! Wanna see them?"

"Yeah!"

When we get back to the dorm, Ruby heads into her room to get her stuff.

I sit down at the table in the kitchen, and Kurumu sits down next to me. "You seem to not mind that she's a witch."

I shrug. "Hating witches is outdated. I'm sure she has enough people on her back that I don't need to add to that."

Kurumu frowns. "You already know about witches?"

Something isn't sitting right. I can't put my finger on it, but it seems like Kurumu and I aren't on the same page.

Ruby comes back before I can question her, wearing a large black witch's hat and holding a short staff with a purple gem inserted into the crook at the top. She twirls around and point the staff at me.

"Oooh." I clap a few times.

She twirls the staff a few times before sitting down across from me. "I'm glad you like it."

Kurumu examines her nails. "She's not even that flashy compared with other witches."

Ruby points her staff at Kurumu. "Hey!"

"What? Were you a witch too, Kurumu?" I ask.

"Hell no! I'm a succubus!"

...What? I mean, sure, she could probably pass as one, but I've never heard of a girl that would voluntarily call herself-

Ruby's eye twitches. "Uh, he might not-"

"He knows." Kurumu sighs. "He says he knows about witches, so..."

"Everyone knows about witches, Kurumu." Ruby grimaces.

"Hold on a second!." I protest. "And calling yourself a succubus… isn't that a bit harsh on yourself?"

Kurumu turns back to me, confusion playing across her face. I look between the two women. They exchange glances.

Ruby starts slowly. "Tsukune, do monsters exist?"

"Of course not. If they did, somebody would have noticed by now." I answer immediately.

"And if I told you they did exist?" She continues.

"I'd say you were-" I bite my tongue. I was going to say crazy, but for all I know witches might believe in monsters.

Kurumu's face drains of color. "No wonder you were so nonchalant about coming here."

Ruby clears her throat. "Okay, let's pretend this never happened."

"No, you got me interested now." I protest. "What do you mean, monsters exist?"

"Er, it was a joke." Ruby starts tugging at her collar.

"Yeah, it's not like this entire college was designed with monsters in mind." Kurumu says in a thoroughly unconvincing manner. "That would be absurd."

I look between the two of them. "You don't look like you were kidding." I fold my arms. "And what was that about this college being made for monsters?"

They both deflate slowly. Ruby glares daggers at Kurumu. "This is your fault."

Kurumu sighs and snaps her fingers to get my attention. "Well, I guess there's no helping it." She snaps her fingers.

I turn to look. Aside from my constant battle to keep my eyes aimed at her face-

Leathery bat wings sprout from her back, and her fingernails suddenly grow to six inches long each.

But… what? Huh? How is that possible?

Ruby stands up and twirls her wand around again. This time, little sparks of light trail from the jewel as it moves through the air. "Let me reintroduce myself. My name is Ruby Tōjō, witch. Nice to meet you."

Kurumu yawns. "He already knows us. Introductions are stupid." She taps one elongated fingernail on the table.

"So… there are monsters here?" I say weakly.

"Yeah, and only monsters." Kurumu straightens up in her chair, letting her wings fold back and disappear behind her, her nails shrinking back to long, but not freakishly long. "Humans aren't supposed to be able to enroll."

"Some monsters eat humans, so it might cause an incident." Ruby elaborates. "Not to mention our secret might get out."

"Speaking of which," Kurumu looks back to me with an appraising look. "Can we trust that he won't tell people?"

"Yeah… I-I'm gonna go to bed now." I manage to stammer out. "The world stopped making sense."

"I guess we can leave the matter until tomorrow. Sleep well?" Ruby calls after me.

"I can help with th- OW!" Kurumu yells as Ruby presumably hits her. I can't help but briefly consider how nice that would be-

I get to my room and close the door behind me. What the… what is going on? Monsters are real? This is too crazy! It makes no sense! Wait, maybe this is some sort of hazing thing. But then, how did Kurumu sprout wings? Those looked very real, not to mention the nails. And Ruby's staff was sparking, or something.

After turning it around in my head a few more times, I reluctantly give in. Okay, monsters probably exist, or I'm just that gullible. Somehow, they haven't managed to be discovered despite modern technology. I'm currently boarding with two of them, a witch and a… succubus.

Well, that would explain some things about Kurumu. Two big, jiggly things.

I grab a thin blanket from my bag and lie down on the floor, resting my head against my duffel bag. Like hell I'm sleeping on the bare wires of the bed frame, though I might not be getting much sleep tonight. Too many questions floating around my head.

Outside, I can hear the other two cook some food, clean up, and go to their rooms. Eventually, Moka comes back, calls out softly, and apparently finding the rest of us asleep, cleans up and goes to bed herself.

It's only much later in the night that I realize what must be the scariest question of all: If I'm the only human, what does that make Moka?

Morning comes slowly. When my alarm clock reads six AM, I decide its fine to get up. I only have two classes today, both of them in the afternoon, so I'm free for a while. Maybe I can actually get some sleep now that it's daylight?

The fridge is full of normal foods at least, so I grab some eggs and start scrambling them. The smell makes my stomach growl, which makes sense since I haven't eaten in over half a day.

"Making enough to share?"

I turn slightly to see Kurumu walk out of her room, dressed in a nightgown. It's not even that elaborate, just a short, opaque blue dress, yet I can feel my face heating up, so I turn back to the stove. "No, but I can make you some if you want."

"Thanks." I hear her pull out a chair and sit down at the table. "So… sorry about dropping that bombshell last night."

"No, well, it's better I know about it, right? After all, it's best I don't provoke anyone and get eaten while in class."

"You're staying? I would've bet money you'd leave once you found out."

I scrape the eggs from the pan into a dish and place the dish in front of the blue haired girl. "I... actually didn't think of that."

"You're either brave or stupid, dunno which." She spears a bite and sticks it into her mouth. "Mmm!"

"Probably stupid." I crack two more eggs into the pan and sprinkle some salt over it. "So, what other monsters are there?"

"Besides succubi? Lots. Anything you've read about in stories, probably. It's kind of hard to tell you which ones are here though. Most of the time we all walk around in human form in case some random human sees us. Hell, Ruby took us all around campus and you didn't realize anything was off." She answers between bites. "It's rude to just ask what someone is as well."

I finish my own batch of eggs, turn off the stove and sit down across from her. "How many monsters eat humans?"

"Well… most of us can eat humans, but very few need to eat humans." Kurumu hedges. "A lot of monsters get their energy from humans without eating them though. Hey, as long as nobody figures out you're human, you'll be safe. It might be hard with the smell though."

"Smell?"

She nods. "You smell a lot tastier than most humans."

I snap my fingers. "That's what you were smelling when I came in yesterday."

"Hmm." Kurumu hums in affirmation while she finishes her eggs. "Don't worry, I won't eat you… at least, not in the way you're thinking." She gives me a wink, which bring blood to my face. "I'm taking a shower. Feel free to peek."

Yeah right. I finish my eggs in peace and wash both dishes quickly. Mom said she'd be here around nine with the rest of my stuff, so I have… two and a quarter hours to kill until she gets here.

Moka comes out of her room. "Hi, Tsukune!" She comes over, smiling as usual.

I start to greet her as normal, but last night's question rings in my head. Instead, I just stand there with my mouth hanging open.

She gives me an odd look. "Are you alright? You look pale." She reaches out and grabs my arm. It takes a lot of effort not to flinch away from her.

"I… I'm fine." I finally regain control of my mouth. "W-Would you like some eggs?"

She continues to give me the odd look before shaking her head and plastering her usual smile on her face. "Sure! I haven't had you make me breakfast in a while!"

"Yeah." I turn the stove back on. "What was that call about yesterday?"

"Oh, dad just wanted to make sure everything was alright. Then he made me go back home for dinner, and mom took me last minute shopping."

"Sounds like fun."

"What were you doing? Getting friendly with our new roommates?" She asks with a teasing tone.

"Hah. No, I was too tired last night and called it early, shortly after you got the phone call."

"Yes, absolutely no fun." The bathroom door opens. Moka and I both turn to look.

Kurumu is dressed only in a towel that is barely enough to keep her modest. I feel something on my lip, touch my hand, and it comes away bloody. I thought that only happened in comics.

"Tsukune! Look away!" Moka yells.

I instinctively turn back to the stove.

"Aw, why are you trying to spoil my fun?" Kurumu playfully asks. "It's not like he's yours or anything. And if he is, I can fix that."

"What are you guys yelling about?" Ruby's voice comes from somewhere behind me.

"Moka objects to me getting close to her boyfriend." Kurumu says nonchalantly.

"He's not my boyfriend!" Moka retorts.

"Then what's the problem?" Kururmu ask innocently.

"Ruby, do you want some eggs?" I ask, deciding to ignore the conversation at the table and resolutely staring at the stove.

"Eggs? Sure. Four please."

"The problem is that you can't just claim him!" Moka stamps her foot under the table. She's not that strong, so her stomp ends up being closer to cute than intimidating.

"Uh, Kurumu, your towel is slipping." Ruby interjects.

"Well, I don't see any problem with it."

Moka huffs. "How would you like it if I walked around like that?"

I lose if I answer. I lose if I answer. I lose-

"And there goes the towel." Ruby comments.

"Tsukune, if you look I'm going to hit you." Moka threatens me.

"Tsukune, if you DON'T look, I'm gonna hit you." Kurumu says, clearly enjoying herself.

I stop cooking for a second to hold my head in my hands. I have a sneaking suspicion that this is a small snapshot of the rest of this semester.

"Have you met your dorm members yet?" Mom asks as I pull a laundry basket with my PC onside it out of the back seat of her car. Dad is busy untying the mattress from the top of the car.

"Yeah. Moka actually ended up in the same set of rooms as I did." I reply.

She grabs my other bag of clothes and follows me into the building. "And who else?"

"First, there's Ruby. She's a senior, and she's a witch."

"A witch? Wow, I didn't know people still take Wicca that seriously nowadays."

"You and me both." I deadpan. "The other girl is Kurumu. She's just starting like me."

"All girls, huh?" Mom elbows me. "Sounds like you'll have a fun semester."

I can feel my face heating up. "Come on, mom."

I open the door to the common room to find the three girls chatting around the table. Mom promptly drops my bag when she's standing and heads over to the table.

Whatever. I drop off my computer basket and head back to grab my bag, deposit that and head back downstairs to help dad.

He's gotten the mattress off the car at least.

"Hey dad. Need help?"

"What kind of college requires you to buy your own mattress, anyway?" He grumbles.

"Monster college." I mumble.

"What?"

I shake my head. "It was a joke, dad. So, do you need my help?"

"Yeah. Grab that corner."

Ten minutes of maneuvering later, the mattress is on the bed frame. At least I have a real place to sleep tonight. I follow dad back out to the car.

"Who's that hot bluenette?" He asks once we're on the lobby floor.

"Kurumu."

He shakes his head. "She certainly draws the eye, doesn't she?"

"Yep. And she knows it to."

"Make sure not to get tangled up with her. Those kinds are always trouble. If you do get tangled up with her, at least use a condom."

"Dad!"

He grins and gets into the driver seat of the car. "Can you go up and send your mom down? She only took a half day today, and I'm going to get chewed out if she's late."

"Got it." I turn and head back to the building.

"Son?"

I turn back.

"Good luck. I'm confident you'll do fine, just watch yourself."

"Thanks, dad." I wave and head back into the building.

When the elevator opens to send me up, Moka steps out.

"Tsukune! I'm headed off to my first class."

"Yeah? Which one?" I step into the elevator and press the six, but hold the door open with one hand.

"Calculus I."

Right. Moka's a lot smarter than me. "Have fun with that."

"I will! See you later."

I let the doors close and head up to the sixth floor.

"...and then he- oh, hi Tsukune." Mom says.

I look between the three women at the table. Kurumu is smirking, Ruby is barely containing her laughter, and mom has an innocent look on her face.

Great. What embarrassing thing was she talking about? Please be something other than the zoo incident. Please, please, anything but that.

Kurumu schools her face to be as neutral as possible. "So Tsukune. Why giraffes?"

God damn it.

My first class is History I. I sit somewhere in the middle of the room and watch as people fill in. A thought strikes me as more people come in. All of these people are monsters disguised as humans.

A few of the new arrivals visible sniff the air and stare in my general direction. Thankfully, the area around me filled in fast enough that the later arrivals probably couldn't pinpoint me out of the crowd. Though, I should probably try to find a bestiary of some kind to figure out what I'm up against.

The teacher comes in, shuffles a few papers and clears her throat. "Hello, students. I'm Shizuka Nekonome."

She proceeds to give out the syllabus, tell us what textbook to buy, and outlines the topics we'll be covering.

This course seems like it will be interesting, at least.

"...and with that, I'll let you guys out early. I'll see you Thursday." She finishes.

The volume of the class immediately grows to a dull roar. I pack my pencil and notebook into my backpack and head to the front of class to exit the room.

Shizuka notices me quickly. To my surprise, she takes two sniffs in my direction and cat ears sprout out of her hair. She doesn't seem to notice the ears herself. "Um, you." She points to me. "Can I see you for a minute?"

It occurs to me for the first time that the teachers are monsters too, seeing those ears. It puts me on my guard. "Yes?" I respond.

"You've spent most of your time in the human world, right? I can tell by your scent. If you don't want some of our wilder friends coming after you, you might want to change that."

My eye twitches. "Ah, thanks for the advice." Unsolicited, but useful I guess.

She smiles, revealing two slightly elongated canines. "Happy to be of service. I was almost mauled when I first came here smelling like a human." She dismisses me and walks out of the door.

I walk out of the classroom a moment later and look at my sheet with my next classroom. "Let's see, after this is..."

"Basic Economics."

"Yeah, Basic economics." I blink. Who said that?

A girl with light purple hair, blue eyes, an extremely baggy sweatshirt and a skirt is standing next to me, staring at my face. She has a lollipop in her mouth, which she slides from one corner of her lips to another.

"Hi?"

She smiles. "Hi."

"Who are you?"

"Mizore."

"Mizore, huh. Nice to meet you. I'm-"

"Tsukune Aono."

"-Tsukune…" It appears she already knows my name. Suddenly, I'm really uncomfortable.

"Our next class is Basic Economics." She says.

I look back at my paper. Yes, my next class is economics. "Huh, you're right… Our?"

She dips her head a bit and blushes. The lollipop stem swirls from one side to the other and back. "Same classes." She eventually elaborates.

"Well, I guess being new students, we would have some of the same-"

"All of the same classes." She pulls a crumpled sheet of paper from her skirt pocket and hands it to me.

...The paper is a bit moist. I hope it's just from sweat. The paper is a schedule sheet just like mine, except it has the name "Mizore Shirayuki" at the top. Scratch that, identical to mine. Every class is the same.

I can feel a cold sweat breaking out on my back. I'm going to get eaten, I just know it.

"Tsukune!"

I turn to see Moka come up. "Hi."

She gives me a smile before turning to Mizore. "Who is this?"

Mizore moves the lollipop around in her mouth a bit more before suddenly grabbing my arm. "Mizore. Tsukune's wife."

Time appears to freeze. All the sounds of late summer, birds and insects, have stopped. Even the sky seems dimmer all of a sudden, leaving only one thing, one person lit. Moka's eye twitches, and a black aura seems to surround her. Her eyes flash red she comes right up to Mizore with terrifying grin. "What did you say?"

Mizore blinks, then looks down. "Ah."

Moka suddenly recoils and covers her mouth. "S-sorry! I didn't mean…!"

"Jeez, Moka, you don't have to bite her head off." A pungent smell starts to fill the air, and I follow Mizore's gaze.

A pool of liquid is rapidly freezing despite the warm weather, having trailed down her legs and-

Moka throws her hands in front of my face. "Look away!"

I quickly turn away. "Right, I'll go-"

"Don't." Mizore says, her dull tone of voice almost pleading. "Scary."

Moka sighs. "I… I'm sorry. We need to get you to a bathroom quickly, and get you a change of clothes. Tsukune, you can handle that, right?"

"Handle what?"

"Get her a new set of clothes."

"...No? No, I'm pretty sure I can't handle that."

"Room six-twenty-six." I hear something jingle. Mizore must have handed Moka her key.

Moka moves past me. "I'll go get her a change then. You escort her to a restroom."

Eh? But-

Mizore grabs my shirt from behind with two fingers. Moka's eye twitches, but otherwise she pretends not to see it.

Oh-kay. If I remember correctly, there are bathrooms… that way.

I lead Mizore to the nearest girls room, and gesture her in. She smiles very slightly and heads in.

...My legs almost give out form under me. What the hell was with Moka? She's… she's usually so gentle, so nice to everyone. What… is she?

A monster. Right, a monster.

It's just now sinking in. My friend of three years. A monster. Not human. It's hard to wrap my head around it. And what was that? She had an aura! How powerful do you need to be to have a freaking aura?!

"...Tsukune?" Mizore's voice comes from behind the door.

"Yeah?"

"Scary friends."

"Moka's not usually that scary, I swear. She's- I think she's just getting used to college life."

She's quiet for a while, then her voice comes from the doorway again. "Yuki-onna."

"Huh?"

"I'm a yuki-onna. Snow woman."

"Oh. Okay." That explains the freezing... Why is she telling me?

Moka comes back, her face flushed. She's holding a bundle of clothes and a plastic grocery bag. She walks past me into the bathroom.

That was fast. Like, four times too fast. Maybe Moka can teleport.

I wait for the two of them to come out, fiddling with my phone. The idea occurs to me to look up snow women.

Huh, mostly just monsters that cause snowstorms, at least in classic folklore. Nothing about them eating people. That's a relief. Mizore's still a bit worrying though, what with her knowing my name… and my schedule… and she apparently knew my schedule far enough in advance to set up hers the same way...

The little bit of relief fades away.

The two come out of the bathroom, Mizore in a new set of clothes. She swirls her lollipop around a few times, in what I suddenly realize is her "thinking" motion. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." I say. "No, seriously. Don't."

Moka nods vigorously. "Mizore, come with me. We'll drop these off in the washing machine."

I wave to them and start walking away.

"Joke." Mizore says.

"Hmm?"

"Wife. Joke."

Moka laughs. "Oh, yeah. Don't worry about it, I just overreacted."

I walk around the next corner to find a bunch of students walking around a suspicious, now completely defrosted puddle in the middle of the tile floor.

Maybe I should call a janitor?

Moka is in my economics class, and she and Mizore sat on either side of me. I might have appreciated it more if I wasn't to busy trying to write notes while I keep feeling glares from all round the room from monsters that can smell me. Seriously. If I didn't know better, I'd assume this was allergy season what with all the sniffing.

The three of us got some pizza before heading back to our dorms. There's a pizza place operated by the campus with dollar-per-slice, which made it pretty crowded. The food is good though, even if the selection was odd. I've seen some odd topping choices in my time, but who eats pizza with fresh sushi on it? Or grasshoppers?

Mizore took out her lollipop for the first time that I had seen to eat a bite, and immediately put it back in her mouth when she was finished chewing. Either she doesn't have taste buds, that lollipop is flavorless, or it somehow makes a tasty combination.

When the three of us finish eating, Mizore follows us all the way to our room. Or, it seemed that way until she turned and opened the door across the hall. Huh, she lives right across the hall. I say goodnight, and she tilts her head slightly before disappearing into her dorm's living area. She's very odd, and quite possibly a stalker, but she seems nice enough.

I open the door to Moka and my rooms.

Inside, there are three people. Ruby and Kurumu are currently hiding behind the couch, and some younger girl that I don't know is standing in the middle of the room brandishing a wand with the end shaped like a heart. It has a star shape in the center of the heart, which is glowing blue. She seems to be saying something.

"...which means I deserve to be here just as much as you do!"

Ruby grabs my sleeve as I enter the room, pulling me down behind the cover of the couch. "Get down!"

"What's going on?" Moka asks, squeezing in beside me.

Kurumu points an elongated fingernail over the couch just as a washbasin of all things is flung overhead. Her nail catches on the edge, but instead of her fingernail getting caught, the basin edge she was touching is sliced apart. "Ruby's cousin came to visit."

"Yukari's at a delicate age." Ruby says mournfully. "I told her that she would be welcome to visit, but she wants to move in."

I peek around the top of the couch. Yukari looks like she's fifteen at most. She has her hands on her hips, her wand still clenched in one hand. "If you don't let me live with you, I'm going to blow up this entire building, and make sure I get your entire 'collection'!" She waves her wand and another washbasin forms in midair and suddenly starts towards me.

I barely duck in time.

"No! Not my collection!" Ruby jumps up, exposing herself to washtub fire. She raises her staff and the next tub to appear is stopped right before it hits her, then sends it back to sender.

Yukari gives off a squawk and the basin hits the back wall with a clang.

I slowly stand up to find Yukari on the floor, panting. Ruby is advancing on her with her staff drawn. "Never threaten my collection."

I look to Kurumu. "What collection?"

Kurumu shrugs, her fingernails returning to normal length. "I'm just glad it's over. I need to take a shower."

Getting a better look at her, I can see her clothes have some greenish goop on them. "Uh, what happened?"

"Slug tried to get too friendly with me. Next time, I'll slice him to ribbons." She growls and swipes with her hand, which is just not intimidating with her claws sheathed. In fact, it's pretty cute. Replace the growl with a "rawr" and-

I hope my nose isn't bleeding. By the time my focus has come back to reality, the blue haired girl has disappeared.

Ruby waves her staff again and suddenly Yukari is wrapped up in chains.

Moka turns to me. "You… don't seem surprised."

Oh. she doesn't know I know. "I was told about monsters yesterday. It seems I'm one of the few humans on campus."

Moka frowns. "Oh. I wasn't... er, I didn't think you'd find out. At least, not this quickly." For a second I think she might tell me what she is, but instead she heads to her room, shaking her head.

Ruby drags Yukari upright and sets her down at the table. "You're going to tell me what you're doing here." Ruby commands.

I walk over to listen.

"I'm joining Raakshas! You can't stop me!" Yukari says defiantly. "I passed all the tests!"

Ruby deflates slightly. "You passed all of them? How? You're only fifteen."

Yukari puffs her tiny chest out, to very little effect. "Yep! I have all the paperwork and everything! I was told to room with you since the rest of the dorms are full."

"Then why were you attacking when I walked in?" I ask.

"Ruby started it! All I did was change the color of her door and she flips out!" Yukari rolls her eyes.

"If I went around changing the color of your things, you'd flip out too!" Ruby accuses.

"Would not!"

"Would too!"

...I decide to leave the five-year-olds alone.

Kurumu's face appears from behind the bathroom door. "Um, Tsukune? Grab me my clothes, would you?" She points to a neatly folded nightgown.

I head over to the indicated garment, the plain thing she had worn this morning. It's surprisingly light, and I carry it back to the bathroom.

Kurumu's hand stretches out towards me, and I hold out the nightgown. Instead of grabbing the cloth, she grabs my arm and yanks, pulling me into the bathroom.

I can see her dirty clothes crumpled up in a ball in the corner, and I'm still holding her new clothes, so…

"I needed someone to wash my back, so you'll have to do." She whispers into my ear, before blowing into it.

I can feel my blood rushing to my face. My lip gets coated with blood from the nosebleed. She's a succubus, have to remember that. Meanwhile, I'm doing my best to look upwards, the only direction I know is safe.

The door bursts open to reveal Moka. Her cheek is puffed out and she's glaring at Kurumu. "He's not going to wash your back! I won't let him!"

Thank you for the resc-

"If he's washing anyone's back, it'll be mine!" She finishes.

...Moka, you just said something dangerous.

Moka stalks up to Kurumu (who is wearing a towel, at least) and they start glaring at each other. I take the opportunity to exit the bathroom and head to my room. My room has a lock, with which I can hold out all the craziness.

Theoretically. I'm not sure the door could stand up to Kurumu's claws.

I pull out my key and open my door, quickly shutting it and locking it behind me. Only then do I let my breath out.

"Loud."

I spin around to find Mizore lying on my bed, hugging my pillow.

"...I thought I locked my door."

She nods. "You did."

"Then how did you get in here? When did you get in here?"

She shrugs.

My door shakes with an impact. A second later, four red spikes poke through the wood and slash downwards, validating my concerns about the ineffectiveness of the door in stopping Kurumu.

Who had lost her towel somewhere, as the crumbling door reveals.

"Tsukune! Don't look!" Moka shouts at me. She barrels into Kurumu, who falls over into my room, knocking me over onto Mizore.

Yukari runs in and jumps on top of us, yelling about dogpiles.

Ruby starts waving her staff around, creating... something that was grabbing at us with tendrils.

Me? I passed out from a knee to the head. I think it was Kurumu's.

Welcome to the fic that hopefully isn't going to turn into an angst-fest. I make no promises though.

I wondered what would happen if you decided to throw poor Tsukune into college instead of high school, and this was my answer. I have plans for this series, oh yes.

Plans, I say!