Light filtered through the open windows, attempting to lure the room's occupants outside. The sunshine alluded to both the upcoming summer break and upcoming high school entry exams. Both were rather ordinary events for the members of the Kiyo Cross Paranormal Investigation Squad, yet they were making study plans and break plans just like their classmates.
"Aren't you studying a little too much?" Maki questioned of Torii, whom was positively glued to a text.
Torii shook her head, not looking up. "If I'm going to become a doctor, I need good test scores." After a long pause, she asked, "Do you know what you want to study?"
"Of course not." Maki twiddled with a few tubes of lipstick, deciding which was her favorite colour.
Without being asked, Kiyotsugu turned away from his schedules and chimed in, "I want to study literature, anthropology, religions, history, sociology, and folklore and myth! Then I can teach the world about the legends of the night! I'll spread awe for my master's clan."
Rikuo chuckled shyly, as embarrassed by Kiyotsugu's treatment as ever. "That's an awful lot! I think it's great to be ambitious. You have a great goal too, Natsumi."
"What will you study, Rikuo?" Kiyotsugu asked, bubbling with excitement. "Math? Science? Politics?"
Rikuo shrugged. "Probably management."
"Oh, oh, I'm going to be a great soccer player, Kiyotsugu!" Shima battled for his friend's attention.
"You already are. What about you, Kana, Yura?"
Yura was looking around. Several other students had heard their conversation and were now engaged in discussions of their own. Each had a bright future ahead of them, a unique livelihood. At the mention of her name, her head snapped back to her friends.
Kana said, "Ah! There are too many choices. I've always had trouble with that sort of thing."
Yura looked at her thoughtfully. "Perhaps I'll study management as well."
Kiyotsugu beamed, "As expected of our clan heads! So diligent, even though your futures are already secured."
Kana frowned. "I wish my future was that straightforward. I don't know what I want to be."
"Don't worry!" Rikuo reassured her, "I had to decide who I wanted to be, too. It was tough, but I'm happy with what I chose. I'm sure you'll figure it out too!"
Looking up, Torii added, "When you make the right choice, you'll feel really good about it!"
Yura nodded in agreement.
Predictably, Kiyotsugu's study plans involved the Squad working together at the Nura mansion. While the gang walked inside, Kiyotsugu explained the study material he had prepared. Distracted, Yura looked around at the inhabitants of the mansion, no longer hiding as they once had when the humans visited. The yokai all paused when they passed to bow to Rikuo, and a few even bowed to her. Without pause, they went back to whatever activity they were engaged in before, not minding the interruption.
A woman with a second mouth on the back of her head debated whether she ought to wear two different colours of lipstick, though the faceless mujina she spoke with had little opinion to offer. A stout oni shared a colorful tale about the day's adventures with a few other yokai. The minute sannokuchi, sporting a scratched arm, sat on a chocolate box while the equally minute kusuritsubo attempted to help it get patched up, but both creatures had short arms.
Yura stopped and kneeled in front of the tiny yokai. Tentatively, she dipped a finger in the kusuritsubo's salve and applied it to sannokuchi's scratch. The pale creature mumbled a sort of thanks, though the pot looked a little wilted. She nodded and stood.
Rikuo was leaning against the wall nearby, watching the oni. The others had already disappeared. "That was very kind of you," he said, turning to look at her.
They walked together. "Was it?" Yura asked. "I think I made that clay pot sad. It wasn't able to help."
Rikuo frowned. "We've both felt like that before, huh?"
Yura bobbed her head, her gaze losing its focus. The kusuritsubo was certainly an insignificant creature, a spirit contained by a clay pot. "But it has a goal, and a friend; it's own story."
Rikuo's face lit with a mix of wonder and loneliness, not unlike Yura's usual distant expression. "Everyone does. I'll protect those stories."
Yura nodded, as determined as her friend.
A/N: I debated whether to use the term soccer or football. Given the amount of influence various Japanese and American subcultures seem to have on each other, soccer seemed more appropriate. Additionally, if you are curious what just happened, look up sonder.
