Yukio's Students

At the Campsite...

'Alright, we will set camp here.' Yukio told the Exwires. 'The men will set up the tents. Kamiki, you will make a protective barrier circle with Okumura. She will guide you. After that, men will chop firewood, ladies dinner. Let's set up a base camp before sunset as by then, this tranquil forest will become a nest of demons.'

'Ah, Yu-chan, no need for firewood but the guys can do something else.' Rin smiled.

'Huh?'

'Dig three holes. One for our rubbish, and two for our latrine areas. A nice deep one.' Rin told Yukio. 'A five feet deep hole should be good.'

'E-ehhhh?!' the Exwire boys croaked. Dig a hole that deep?

'Come on, boys should have muscles.' Rin smiled beatifically as if 'refuse or else'. 'That, and while we do have bushes around us, not that we can use them at night anyway...demon bugs will crawl up our butts.'

With that, how can they complain now with an image like that in their heads?

'Er, what about toilet privacy?' the lone girl Yukio identified as Kamiki sputtered, red-faced.

'Oh, I have something for that later but the boys should dig first so I can measure the space the privacy curtains will take. Just big enough for an old school style toilet.'

'O-old school...you mean those ancient toilets people squat over?!' blonde-streak gawked as he imagined it now. Even in the present date, some schools still have those kind of toilets, the schools from the countryside that's waaaay out there who have YET to hear about the existence of toilet bowls!

'Yup. Its not like we can bring a toilet bowl out here...so old school it is.' Rin chuckled as she took out the compasses. 'Saa, let's make the circles Kamiki-san.' she said kindly. 'And as you draw, memorize it as well. It could come in handy one day incase you got separated and forced to camp alone.'

'R-right...'

'For now, we make a simple one...since we have to make dinner.' Rin mused as she looked at the sky to judge the position of the sun. 'If we don't have to cook, I could have let you seen a stronger barrier circle base but that's time-consuming it'd really be dark by then...'

'I guess...' with that, Kamiki Izumo drew the Barrier Circle with Rin explaining it away to her clearly and patiently.

'Sooo Okumura, you're in Cram School with us right?' Izumo asked her.

'Yes.'

'Then how come you're not in the same class as us when there's only four students this year?'

'Well, you know that compulsory education in Japan is until Junior High only wherein by then theoretically, all students mastered complete Japanese required to get by in life.' said Rin. 'Students who chose to go to high school have two reasons; to enjoy being young for a bit while longer and you need a high school diploma to go to College for more lucrative careers. I didn't attend High School like you and your classmates. I only attend Cram School in the mornings because after that, its my time for my job.'

'Your job?'

'Yes. I'm a supplier.' said Rin, still cheerful about it. 'A weapons supplier.'

'H-huh?!' Izumo gawked. 'W-weapons...?' she squeaked, stunned.

'Yup~I also make supportive and defensive magical tools and other things.' said Rin as they drew the barrier. 'Just like Yu-chan who works as a teacher, I too, work.'

'But he's in high school?'

'His dream is to be a doctor so unlike me he needs to go on.' Rin explained. 'Graduate High School and enter University.'

'Ah...but are you OK with just being a supplier...?' Izumo frowned.

'Not really. I need money to hone and further my craft so being a supplier is just for gathering funds, research and make better things that can make a difference between life and death in the battlefield. Suppliers need money to go high. Easier said than done, no?' Rin pointed out. 'As a supplier, you only need skill and recognition and the higher ups already approved of my creations but still, I could make it better as the materials aren't exactly cheap.'

'I guess...'

Once the circle was done...the girls went to make dinner...or so Izumo hoped.

Rin opened the big wooden box she had with her tied to a stroller. She took out two small chests the size of a hand and each had a jewel on it. By pressing the jewel, the chests grew ridiculously big.

'WHAAAA?!' the camp yelped as Rin kicked it open and took out a stove, gas with a linking tube, a working table, pots, pans and utensils...then in another chest was the ingredients and condiments.

'W-waitaminit, how do we wash the food?!' Izumo yelped, bug-eyed. 'The meat and vegetables and the rice too!'

'Oh, I have something!' Rin smiled as she took out a small table with a hole in the middle, but covered in metal mesh so fine hardly any solid will go through it. She placed it over the garbage hole, then took out a wooden plank...and stuck it on the ground near the table. The last step was a paper talisman labelled 'Spout' and the markings around the word indicate water element. Rin formed a one-hand seal and the water came out in an arc as if there was a tube, faucet and hose, with the water pouring straight onto the mesh. 'Well, back to work, Kamiki-san...let's get some rice first.'

'Er teach, what IS your sister?' the boys stared at Yukio, wide-eyed.

'She's a magic specialist but her best field is magic tools crafting.' said Yukio. 'If we're camping with her, it'd be always a luxurious camp it'd be no different from having an outdoor barbeque outside our houses.'

'No kidding, she brought the whole frigging kitchen with her!' blonde-streak sweatdropped. 'You twins musta be geniuses!'

'Ehehehe geniuses...not really.' Yukio shook his head, amused. 'Hard work and tenacity got us to where we are. Me a doctor and a pharmacologist. Neesan a craftsman of magical tools and items.' he told them. 'So in the end, there is no such thing as genius. If she were to hear you she'd deck you as she believes the word genius is merely a form of flattery excuse to explain away that someone is better than that person when in reality if you exerted effort, you can go just as far.' he explained wistfully. 'She hates the word 'genius' so don't mention that around her. She hits hard.' he warned them.

'Ulp...'

'Well, we're almost done with our jobs at any rate, keep going.' said Yukio. 'Its almost dark. You can also ask her for another water spell to wash yourselves with in safety.'

And so...when the boys were done with their jobs, all that's left are the girls.

Prep work...or rather, its more like Rin teaching Izumo how to cook. She would demonstrate/guide, and let Izumo do the rest. Even explaining away rationale for rather odd methods...and then had her do the presentation herself. She had her do the Buttered Fish Foil Wraps and make a vegetable soup containing burdock, potato, taro and dried mushrooms that were boiled into reconstitution, then after its use in making dashi was used up, it was chopped so it didn't go to waste. Last was rice.

'There we go...not so hard huh?' Rin stated encouragingly.

'Y-yeah...but this is way too good...the smell alone makes me weak in the knees...' Izumo stammered out as the result of the prep work smelled too good when fully-cooked.

'She's not the only one...' pink-head gulped down the pool of saliva that pooled in his mouth.

'Ah, neesan is a really darn good cook like you wouldn't believe.' Yukio chuckled. 'We've been spoiled by her since she was ten years old...and restaurants pale in comparison.' he said. 'After tasting her cooking, everything else that wasn't done by her feels bland in contrast. Well, you'll enjoy your two weeks here.'

"Food alone, no kidding!"

Dinner was...swoon worthy.

On the other hand...

'Rin's camping trip, extended to two weeks?!' Astolfo cried in horror as he looked at the whiteboard where schedules are listed down and edited any time. 'I thought I can endure one week! Noooo!'

'Aren't you spoiled.' Karna shook his head. 'We'll have to do it ourselves.'

'Oh yeah, can you cook Karna?' Astolfo asked hopefully.

'I could...I did see her life you know.'

'Yay! Its not so hopeless after all!' Astolfo cheered in relief. 'Everything that wasn't cooked by Rin tastes disgustingly bland in comparison...with you knowing how Rin does it, its like a taste of home!'

'...'

Well, Karna made curry for dinner.

'...isn't french for dinner?'

'I don't know french dishes.' Karna said. 'The Master-Servant bond of dreams only showed strongly what and where she feels strongly in when it was war back then.' he said as the food Rin makes is influenced by people around her. 'The french food she makes are only a recent development when you joined our family so I have yet to dream about that.'

'Ah, its OK. Learning takes time but the smell is just so sweet!' Astolfo swooned happily at Karna's cooking that definitely had Rin's flair. 'Let's eat!'

xxx

'Ahem, now that we had a good dinner, I shall now explain our current task.' said Yukio. 'From this base you are to depart in separate directions.' he told them. 'You are to light a lantern somewhere in this forest before you can return. You are given three days for this task. However, there are only three lanterns. The only thing I will tell you is that its somewhere near this base by 500 meters.' he said. 'Next is this.' he took out several shoulder bags. 'We have prepared survival gear for you. In each bag contains three days' worth of food and water, a towel, camping necessities as well as compass, a torch for moving around at night, a firework for eliminating demons, one matchstick, and other things.'

'Yu-chan...unless they are sorcerers like me, one match stick yet they have a wooden torch and a firework?' Rin asked in amusement.

'Precisely...if they choose to light the firework...its game over.' Yukio smiled a smile that SCARED his students. 'It means you failed this test.'

The Exwires paled.

'Worry not. The firework is solely for emergency if you somehow encountered an unprecedented event.' Yukio said. 'We will come to the rescue.' he told them. 'As for our main point...you will use that torch as both your source of light, and also to light your lantern. I only spoke of one way to flunk, but there are other ways to fail and only one way to pass this test.' he continued. 'For failing, two; your lit lantern goes out before you get to home base. Three; you light it near the base. You must light it as soon as you find it, and take it back all the way to the base while well-lit. If it does, you can move on to the next task. Now then...on position!'

The students grabbed their bags and picked a direction.

'On your mark...get set...!' and he fired his gun and they dashed out.

'This test is surely tough on those who clearly have no skill, hence the three days...huh?' Rin mused.

'Yes, but a semester is sufficient to prepare them for that but they should also know that they must have their own initiative to gain skills.' said Yukio. 'If they only relied on school and did nothing else, then this will be really hard for them to the point we have to mobilize too.'

'Hummm...who designed this test?'

'Oh, the Round Table Council designed the curriculum since the founding of the Organization...at least that's what father said and very few know about that.' said Yukio. 'Most everyone presumes teachers did. This is supposedly an 'easy test' but easier said than done...hence, three days. We didn't include you as an exam taker because this is way too easy for you.'

'Yup. Ask Zelretch to make an exam, almost nobody will pass...he mastered messing with people's heads to the point even the 12 Lords lose their tempers but can't do a thing about it for all their wealth and power. He's just that crafty.'

'12 noble families of magic users can't do a thing to a vampire?'

'They can fight and defeat a vampire...but not a vampire with limitless access to infinite source of magical energy enough to cause wanton destruction. He is a Magician who has access to one of the Great Five True Magics...the operation and access to Parallel Worlds. He can go there for information, take things there what his world doesn't have, so many possibilities...in fact, when I asked him just for kicks, there are worlds where we are both never born or killed at birth considering what our bloodline is, but shisho wouldn't know that, both of us girls, both of us boys, you're a girl and I'm a boy and the reverse, even personalities are different...even our accomplishments are different...heck, in one world you're a hot-blooded delinquent and I'm your enabler and supplier of chaos and mayhem until father sent us to a Reformatory School, fed up with us. The you I know who speaks so formally yet in that world your potty mouth scares even me!' Rin giggled.

Yukio's eyes widened at the possibilities of their circumstances. 'T-that's...'

It also dawned on him what that power can do and the many possibilities both amazed and horrified him.

'That's the terror of Parallel Worlds Access which is why he doesn't take students interested in learning that True Magic...if in the hands of the wrong person who has access to complete different information and information is power, woe betide his world...you get an omnicidal maniac with a god-complex in your hands. He and the other magicians are painfully aware of it. Heck, one can control time like Mephisto can but has yet to master it and yet she's badgered to teach them and she avoids everyone like a Hikikomori as a result because once you got that power, you would instantly understand you can't trust anyone else with it or you can destroy the world with it.'

'Sou ka...then, what of your power?'

'Fufu, I studied arts that are within my finances, but my sole passion yet so expensive I can only dream of making them was Magical Weapons and Tools crafting. My transformation wands, shisho funded me. After that, everything else, I had to earn and hunt for it.' Rin told him. 'Making things is fun, the hard part is getting what's needed. Hunting for the materials is difficult which is why even a single material causes enough money to pay for a six room house mortgage in Japan.' she said. 'I had to earn the approval of the higher ups so they'd supply me with what I need.' she then took out a box with a glass casing and contained two semi-automatic, beautifully-decorated pistols with eight jewels. By the bottom left of the handle was the carved kanji for 'Yukio' in one gun and 'Okumura' on the other gun.

'Neesan, this...'

'Its a pair of Spirit Pistols I made for you.' said Rin. 'Being the first one to touch it after the magical treatments settled in will make you its sole owner not even I can touch it without deadly consequence to myself since I applied deadly anti-theft spells to it.' she smiled darkly. 'If a human touched it, they're charred alive by a massive electric shock.' Yukio squawked. 'If its a demon that touched it, they will draw power from my flames and incinerate them from inside, leaving them a hollow limp shell of just a skin neck below. If I, its creator touched it, I'd get fifty-fifty of both since I'm a half-demon after all...' she explained as Yukio stared at his new guns in horror.

'What makes it invaluable? I compared the prices of Spirit Bullets and ordinary bullets from a Firearms store.' said Rin. 'Ordinary Bullets for semi-automatic pistols are below 2000 yen yet the Spirit-Blessed ones you buy are 5000 and above depending on what you're up against so you really had to conserve even in a pinch.' yeah, Yukio would know that...that was the downside to being a Dragoon. 'In these guns, you can use any bullets from any gun as long as its from a semi-automatic type. As for elemental advantages and disadvantages? See those jewels by the nozzle?'

'Yes...' Yukio looked at the nozzles. There are different jewels.

'Each represents a King.' said Rin. 'Color-coded in Hierarchy Order. Just press them down like buttons to bless an entire cartridge with an element you picked. To turn it off, press it again, just like those multi-colored pens. The ninth jewel represented by a pearl turns them back into ordinary bullets again to be converted into another element. You have to change the bullets to normal before switching to another element.'

'Got it...thanks, neesan.' Yukio opened the case and took out the guns. Touching it with his hands triggered three magic circles. 'Whoa!'

'That means it accepted you as its owner and activated my anti-theft functions.' Rin explained. 'I also gave one to father. They recognized its threat levels that its decided that they really have to choose who can have it for some reason...'

That made Yukio wonder. Only chosen people can have Rin's guns?

What's going on? Why not mass-produce it?

xxx

It took various differences in time.

The first to come back, was Izumo. She did the task in just a matter of hours. Apparently, she's a tamer from a family that specializes in Foxes...for her, the test was easy.

As for the other boys?

They waited...

And waited...

Slept that night and had breakfast the next day...

But that night, the boys came back in a really bad shape together. With their lantern.

The twins scrambled to treat their injuries and their mashou, and treated to a delicious, but medicinal curry.

'Now then, now that everyone has had their fill of dinner, I want all of you to write down your reflections on this first task.' said Yukio. 'What happened to you and how you did it so we can grade you properly. After tonight, tomorrow is a one day break and the day after that will be yet another three day task.'

It just got tougher in fact.

However, Karna came to the Camp on the second break. He jumped down from somewhere, carrying a roll of carpet.

'Karna, what is it?' Rin asked him as Karna laid down a fancy-looking carpet.

"First-name and casual-basis with a teacher?!" Suguro, Konekomaru, Shima and Izumo gawked.

'This camp is to be terminated due to a State of Emergency in Kyoto.' said Karna seriously. 'You are to report back to school, immediately. The other employees will handle what's left behind that cannot be packed in a hurry.'

'Everyone get on the carpet now!' Rin barked her orders. 'We're flying back to school like Aladdin!'

'A magic carpet?!' Shima squealed as they got on. 'That's so cool!'

They took their personal belongings and flew back to school.

'Hang on a minute, State of Emergency in Kyoto?!'

'Yes...we have had an Insider in the Saishinbu that's supposed to Guard the Left Eye of the Impure King and yet there's a theft.' said Karna. 'The other eye is in the Kyoto Branch. The left and right eyes are said to be the Heart of the Impure King that if merged, along with taking it to its sealed body, the Impure King will revive.' he stated. 'Not only that, there's an attack in Kyoto, most of its personnel ill with poison. The Right Eye its guarding is clearly next, so we are tasked to Guard Kyoto and heal the infected. All Exwires are to return to your dorms and pack necessities as well as change of clothes good for at least, four days. We teachers will prepare immediately.'

'Yessir!'

'As soon as you pack, meet at the Shinkansen in XXXX. The Headmaster reserved it just for us.'

'HOW THE HELL DID HE PULL THAT OFF?!' the students yelled.