Chapter 4: The New Semester
[Tenbi Academy, Front Gate 8:30 A.M]
It was a bright and cheerful day at Tenbi Academy as the second semester had just rolled in. Following the brief but enjoyable summer vacation, many students were eagerly anticipating the upcoming second term, as the yearly Hime-Kagura Festival was going to take place; a joyous school cultural event.
Hundreds of students began to pile in as they made their way past the front gates. More than half of them were transfer students that came from all over the world to enroll in one of the most prestigious institutes that nourished natural born element users.
What played a big part in attracting all of these new freshman were no doubt the rumors speculating of several famous Maken users that were enrolled here, such as Haruko Amaya, Kodama Himegami, Azuki Shinatsu, and Akaza Chacha. These girls were like idols towards their juniors that were captivated by their beauty and strength and wished to follow in all of their footsteps to join the Enforcement Committee, otherwise known as the Maken-Ki.
Speaking of these girls, their summer vacation had also ended and they were seen relaxing in the central courtyard.
"Kyaaaa! It's the Maken-Ki!"
Numerous squeals could be heard among the freshman girls as the figures of their idols standing nearby drew quite the crowd.
"God, do they all have to be so loud in the morning?" An annoyed response came from Himegami as she was sitting down on a bench with her arms crossed.
"They're all worshiping you, Ojou" Himegami's shikigami of fire, Kagezuhi spoke with a hint of amusement.
Next to him, the shikigami of lightning Igazuchi spoke with his usual stoic outlook. "Ojou is amazing so this is only natural.
A sense of pride came over Himegami as a faint blush was apparent on her face and she huffed in the opposite direction.
"But mannnn, there sure are a lot of freshman here. All of them are plain looking though... how boring" Akaza Chacha, the energetic but clumsy dark skinned girl was looking around the courtyard with an anxious gaze. Chacha was always on the lookout for new students that were just joining the academy and she had a knack for picking out the most promising ones.
Next to her, a woman with fierce red hair and a bandage strapped to her nose smirked, pounding a fist into her open palm. " Even if they're plain looking, some of them might have decent skills. As their senior, I'll be more than happy to put them in their place" Azuki Shinatsu was fired up and itching to throw down after her intense training during the summer.
"I don't see Takeru-kun anywhere…" Inaho Kushiya, Takeru's self proclaimed "fiancée" and devoted friend had a sorrowful expression at being unable to catch a glimpse of Takeru who had left the dorm rooms early in the morning, way before anyone had gotten up. It was odd, even though she was rejected by Takeru who clearly held feelings for Haruko, her feeling for the man had remained unchanged. She wanted him to be happy but she just couldn't give up on him, not until Haruko at least acknowledged she liked him back.
Speaking of Haruko, as usual an irritated glare was presently on her face as she held her prized sword and one of the eight original Maken,『Murakumo』in her hands. "If I know that idiot, he's probably out somewhere doing some last minute training " Haruko gently brushed a strand of her ebony locks and gripped her sword with a bit more force than necessary. "He could have at least told us he was going out…"
Himegami took notice of the disappointed look in Haruko's eyes and smiled playfully. "Aren't you just pouting that you didn't get a chance to show off your new hairstyle to him?"
Just as Himegami predicted, a blush was now apparent on the startled Haruko's face and she swiftly threw her hands to deny it. "W-What!? N-No! I just wanted to try out a new hair style! It has nothing to do with Take-Chan!"
Every girl around Haruko directed a doubtful look towards her. "Sureeeee…"
Trying to shift the attention off of her, the flushed Haruko coughed. "I-In any case, we should get moving to the gymnasium for the opening ceremony. You know how the principal gets if someone's late"
They all hesitatingly nodded, recalling the dreadful experience of witnessing the enraged Principal chew out a bunch of students last year. The group proceeded to leave the courtyard and head to the gymnasium, tuning out the voices of admiration they received from students around them.
Azuki, who had both of her hands behind her head and lost in thought, suddenly remembered something and turned to her friends. "Did anyone else feel that earthquake yesterday?"
Chacha enthusiastically threw her hand up. "I did! I did! It was a really big one!"
"I didn't feel anything" Inaho had cocked her head to the side, barely recalling such a thing occurring during her peaceful nap.
Himegami huffed. "The world could end tomorrow and you'd still sleep right through it"
Inaho stuck her tongue out playfully at that comment.
"I also felt something last night but I didn't think much of it because it was so late" Haruko mentioned as she gripped her precious sword in her hand more firmly. "Do you think it's anything we should ask the principal about?"
Azuki shrugged. "Maybe. Unless it had something to do with those Kamigari bastards then I don't really care"
Chacha was of the same opinion and nodded vigorously. "Same here!"
and Himegami nodded. "Same here"
Haruko wasn't all too thrilled at their lack of interest regarding anything other than Kamigari but nodded. She'd ask the principal about it later anyway so it didn't really matter for the time being.
[Tenbi Academy, Front Gate, 8:45 A.M]
All of the students, both returning and new, had already made their way inside the Academy to the gymnasium, leaving the front gate void of any people. Well, except one.
"Damn it! I took too long with today's morning exercises, I'm already late!"
Slightly panting, a brown haired youth wearing the Tenbi Academy uniform was standing outside of the gate with a frustrated expression. He wiped a few drips of sweat falling from his forehead and cursed his bad luck. The plan for today was to wake up early and run a marathon around the school followed by a few muscle exercises for a morning workout. Things had gone according to plan so far... except for the one miscalculation he had forgotten to consider; the time.
The frustrated boy looked at his watch, his eyes widening in horror at the current time. "Shit, the opening ceremony already started. Haru-nee is going to chew me out for missing it" He slumped thinking about the eventual lecture he was going to receive.
"Oh? If it isn't Takeru!"
A huge shadow appeared over the distressed young man as he turned around to meet face to face with a gigantic wall of muscle in the form of another student. Takeru had a hard time understanding how this walking pile of bravado knew his name and cocked his head to the side.
"I'm sorry, do I know you?"
The huge man chuckled wholeheartedly before he pointed a finger to himself and grinned. "You haven't forgotten about me have you? It's me, Kai Kuragasa"
It didn't register to Takeru immediately but the faint memory of a person by that name crossed his mind. If his memory was to be believed, then this man was the same one that suffered a severe beating from his senpai, Azuki and also that girl from Venus Academy, Yan-Nim.
"Ah! You're that guy who got beat by Azuki-Senpai and Yan-Nim!"
"Oi, don't remember the bad things about me!" Kai growled. He wanted to wash away his embarrassing defeat's and star fresh this semester.
Kai regained his composure and smiled at the figure of the man whom he now held some respect for. After learning that Takeru had been engaged in a fight against the Yamato family during the summer, Kai had started to see him in a better light, and by that he meant more than just a shameless pervert.
Takeru smiled as he examined Kai from top to bottom, noticing the impressive muscles now apparent on his biceps and torso. He was always a physically dominating man but now, he seemed to have gotten even bigger. It kind of made him jealous ash Takeru still hadn't developed any hard muscles yet.
"You must have been doing some hellish training this summer, I can tell!" Takeru was a bit anxious to see what kind of training his friend had been up too.
Kai laughed a bit in embarrassment. "Well, you're not wrong. Azuki-Senpai and Yan-Senpai are my goals so I've got to get a lot stronger to match them". It was now Kai's turn to examine Takeru as a glint of curiosity shined in his eyes. "What of yourself? Surely you've done some training of your own?"
Takeru laughed awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his head. "Hehe, you could tell?"
Kai nodded. "Mhm, I can feel that you're different, your element has gotten stronger"
Takeru was honestly a bit surprised that Kai could deduce that kind of information just by glancing at him. He didn't think he looked that much different but was confident in his element manipulation skills since he practiced day in and day out over the break.
"Forgive me if this sounds rude but I'd like to see what level your at now" Kai admitted as he dropped his school bag and took a fighting stance, drawing his huge arm backwards as if he was about to punch him.
Fighting right before the graduation ceremony wasn't the wisest choice of action, Takeru thought that as he threw his hands up. "Aw come on, we're already late already. Let's do it some other time"
Kai had stopped listening and then in one swift motion, threw his arm forward towards Takeru who flinched in response at Kai's new profound speed. His body couldn't react in time as he thought Kai's fist would hit his face before the fist abruptly stopped. Takeru's hair was blown backwards as the wind pressure from Kai's arm was tremendous, even having enough power to forcibly open the large gate behind the two of them.
A prideful smirk graced Kai's face as he watched the stunned Takeru in odd silence. "Surprised, aren't you?"
"Wow! How'd you get so strong, Kai!?" Takeru was ecstatic at Kai's newly obtained strength and was generally curious to how he was able to make such a leap.
"You probably won't believe it but I paid a visit to the Oyama dojo and studied under Takeshi-sensei, your father"
Immediately, Takeru's facial expression darkened when Kai had mentioned that man and he scowled while pouting, averting his eyes from the husky man who raised an eyebrow at Takeru's odd display.
"Something wrong?" Kai had asked with concern since it wasn't like Takeru too act like this.
"No, nothing at all. How good for you to study under that idiot"
If Kai hadn't known any better, he could have sworn that Takeru held some sort of grudge against his father. Kai wasn't all that interested in their history to cause such a rift but he did faintly remember Takeshi constantly asking about his son and whether he was doing fine in school. He hadn't acted any different than normal, which was a hard word to describe Takeshi-sensei in the first place so Takeru's current disposition left Kai a bit perplexed.
A sigh came from Takeru as he scratched his cheek. "Well whatever, at the very least it's good to see you've gotten stronger. Of course, I'd still say I'm a bit ahead" Kai flinched at Takeru's sudden cockiness and a wide grin formed on his face.
"Oh, is that a fact? Well, why don't you show me what you've learned, huh?" He was practically daring for a match, right here and now.
Takeru smiled as well before he noticed a group of girls behind Kai that were heading right towards them. "Perfect timing! Now behold my new powers!"
Reaching deep within, Takeru harmonized his body to control his flow of element and in doing so, created a strong updraft current that blew up a large gust. One of the girls who was walking nearby shrieked in embarrassment as her underwear was revealed, causing Takeru to stick out his chest in satisfaction, a less than innocent smirk now showing.
"How's that!? I can now manipulate natural element to do things like these!"
Kai looked at Takeru with a blank face, filled with both surprise and disappointment with a little pitch of gratitude as a small blush appeared on his face. "That's nothing something you should be proud of…"
"Dear heavens, to have to deal with such filth in the morning. Ooyama Takeru…"
A unforgettable voice ran through Takeru's mind, forcing the troubled teen to snap his head towards the direction of where he had unleashed his divine technique. A group of five girls that all possessed odd quirks between each other strolled right past him, a familiar face seen sitting on the shoulder of a frighteningly tall and obese woman.
"How repulsive"
That snarky voice belonged to no one other than Otohime Yamato, a person Takeru could never forget after what she and her family had done on that island about a month ago.
Kai narrowed his eyes at the mysterious new girls, trying to figure out who they were. "Isn't that girl…?"
"Otohime! How dare you show your face around here!" Takeru had exploded in an outburst of rage as he jumped towards the stationary girl being carried. "You're going to tell me where the hell Takeru Yamato is!"
Otohime sneered. "Still as loud mouthed and unrefined as always, Oyama Takeru" She snapped her fingers. "Espada!"
Before Takeru could even reach Otohime, he was forced to stop dead in his tracks as the sharp edge of a rapier blade was thrust towards him and he barely caught it with his mouth.
"You're deplorable, young boy. To attack a fair lady without a justified reason"
"Tch…!"
The two landed back on the ground and Takeru jumped backwards to gain some distance from the woman who had taken him by surprise. He hadn't even sensed her approach coming and if it wasn't for Otohime calling out her name, he probably wouldn't have been able to dodge that attack.
"She's fast..." Takeru thought as a few drips of sweat fell from his face.
The woman who had taken Takeru by surprise elegantly brushed a strand of her luscious blonde hair out of her eyes before sheathing her rapier. She then looked directly at the alerted Takeru with a small blush on her face.
"In accordance with the heavens, please rid your mind of that disgraceful screech you heard. It was caused due to my lack of discipline"
"….Huh?" Takeru was absolutely puzzled at what the gorgeous blonde was saying, only then realizing that the screech he had earlier must have come from her. He then turned to focus his attention back on the smug Otohime who looked down on him from her elated position.
"As charming as this reunion has been, and I do say that very loosely, I believe I don't have any more time waste on the likes of you. Let's go, Kujira"
"...Kay"
The obese woman responded as she continued to walk forward, with the others girls soon following suit.
Takeru grinned his teeth and clenched his fist at being ignored. "Wait right there you!" He was going to charge at them again but before he could do so, a hand was placed on his shoulder.
"Stop it you idiot!"
Takeru turned around to see the face of one of his closest friends, Usui Kengo behind him with a worried expression and slightly panting. When did he even get there in the first place?
"Usui…"
"Look, you need stop and think about your actions before you go and get your ass kicked. Trying to take on all four of them at once is reckless, even for you."
"But-
"He's right" Kai had chimed as he walked towards the duo with a hardened expression. "I could feel tremendous power coming from those four. They must be unbelievably strong"
Usui nodded along with Kai. "Not only that, but those four girls over there… each of them possess one of the original eight Maken"
"What! Seriously!?" Takeru was stunned.
"Even I wasn't aware of that…" Kai grimly spoke as he swallowed his spit.
Takeru only grunted in frustration as he felt annoyed at having a perfect chance to learn about his arch enemy, Yamato Takeru's whereabouts but had to let it slip away. He sighed and calmed down, realizing that he could get another chance. He'd just have to be patient.
Usui studied his friend and put on a warm smile in satisfaction. It seemed as if the idiot had not only gotten stronger physically over the break. He playfully punched his arm and leaned his body over his friend's shoulder. "Looks like someone's matured a bit over the break, hmm?"
Takeru awkwardly smiled. "Y-You think so?"
"Don't get ahead of yourself, your still a good for nothing, plain looking pervert"
"And your're not!?" Takeru snapped back as Usui distanced himself away from him.
"Don't be ridiculous" Usui dramatically flicked his hair and gave Takeru a smile with a thumbs up. "I'm a good for nothing, good looking pervert"
"..."
Both Kai and Takeru were stunned into silence as they narrowed their eyes at Usui with a pitiful gaze.
A few seconds passed by before a dark realization had just hit the three boys and they paled. "Crap! We're late! The Principal is going to kill us!"
They scurried past the front gates and prayed that the Principal wouldn't notice their absences. It was their only chance for survival.
[South of Tenbi Academy, Near Oyama Dojo]
After receiving their orders of investigating the flash of light that crash landed near Tenbi Academy, Yuuka Amado and Kimi Sato had already taken off. Since they needed to report back as quickly as possible, Yuuka had decided to travel via running while Kim had used her Maken,『Comic Star』to write the word『Flight』to grow a pair of wings and traveled next to Yuuka through the air. Unfortunately, the effects of『Comic Star』would eventually wear off so they made haste in their pursuit of the disturbance.
Based on the information they received from the principal regarding the location of where the ball of light had landed, it was near an area south of Tenbi Academy that belonged to the Oyama Household. When asked on the history behind the dojo, Minori had explained to them that their former instructor who worked at the academy, Takeshi Oyama and Takeru's father owned the dojo with his late wife Atsuma.
The dojo surrounded a large part of the southern forest of Tenbi and anything in that area was under its jurisdiction. Minori had also asked the two of them to give her former instructor a hello on her behalf since she had been worried about the old man now that he was living alone without his wife or son.
"Are we almost there yet, Yuuka-san?" Kimmy had asked as she flew through the air a few inches behind Yuuka.
After jumping over a tree branch, Yuuka faintly smiled at the worried Kim. "Yes, we've covered a lot of ground in the past few minutes. It should be coming up soon"
True to her predictions, a towering group of stairs came into view as Yuuka along with Kim stopped on a nearby tree branch. What also caught td heir attention were several limousines that were parked next to the flight of stairs, guarded by numerous middle aged men wearing black suits.
"I wonder who they are and what they're doing here... could they be also investigating this area?" Yuuka theorized.
Kimi, who was next to her let out a sigh of relief as her Maken's powers vanished."Phew, I thought the word was going to run out before I reached here" Kim expressed as she landed softly on the ground and brushed off a few specs of dirt on her skirt.
Yuuka wasn't the least bit fatigued as she was a trained ninja, so running long distances was nothing short of child's play for her.
"Shall we go, Kim-san?"
"B-But what if they stop us?"
"If they stop us we'll explain that we're under orders from the principal. I'm sure they'll let us through if they know we have the authority of Tenbi"
Kimi wasn't completely convinced but nodded. "If you're sure..."
The two of them jumped down and marched onward, flinching slightly when several sets of eyes were directed at them. They didn't back down however as they passed by the older men who just kept their gazes firmly on them, watching them climb the long plight of stairs. The girls were curious as to why they hadn't said anything and just let them pass but weren't complaining and took the opportunity to quick their pace so they could meet the famous Takesh Ooyama, a well respected martial artist that even their principal held in high regard. To say they were anxious towards meeting such a figure was an understatement and made sure they'd properly show their respects on behalf of Tenbi Academy.
As they were walking, Kim frantically looked around the area for any signs of anything unnatural. "Uhm, I don't see anything that would have caused that earthquake, Yuuka-san"
Yuuka's usually closed eyes slightly opened as she frowned. "It might be further in at the top of the stairs. Be prepared."
Kim knew that look on Yuuka's face meant that she wasn't playing around and gulped.
When the duo finally reached the top of the stairs, the appearance of an unfamiliar woman, with a dynamite figure and beautiful cerulean hair walking towards them with a flushed face, took them by surprise. She seemed to be in some sort of daze before she noticed the pair and shook her head, regaining her composure.
"Pardon me, are you two here to see Takeshi-sama?" Her voice was stern and sophisticated, having a great sense of maturity within them that matched well with her elegant stature.
Yuuka judged by her uniform that she was a student at Tenbi Academy, or was going to be since she had never seen her around before. She was probably a transfer student.
"Yes, we've come to speak with the owner of the dojo to investigate a certain matter"
Kim, who was standing slightly behind Yuuka in a defensive manner walked forward and bowed. "I-It's nice to meet you, I'm Kimi Sato"
The woman herself bowed as well as a sign of respect. "The pleasure is mine. I am Isabella Garret, second daughter of the Garret Family and a transfer student aiming for Tenbi Academy"
Yuuka nodded and gave a warm smile. "Yuuka Amado, member of the enforcement committee of Tenbi Academy. Nice to meet you"
Isabella's eyebrows raised in astonishment when she learned of Yuuka's stature. "Oh? Please forgive my rudeness; I wasn't expecting to meet such esteemed individuals as yourselves here" The sudden formality caused Yuuka and Kimi to raise their eyebrows in curiosity. "I assume you are here on important business?"
"Yes" Yuuka didn't want to reveal too much information and kept it quick and simple. "We're under orders from principal Rokujou to survey this area"
"I see" Isabella folded her arms and looked around the dojo, as if she was trying to help them with their search. "Though, I haven't witnessed anything around here that has been out of the ordinary"
Yuuka blinked a few times before she frowned. "Are you certain? The coordinates we received were pretty decisive about something unnatural occurring in this location. Anything that might have caught your interest could be useful in our search"
Yuuka wasn't buying Isabella's story as there would be no way that anything that had enough power to be felt all way from here to Tenbi Academy wouldn't have left some sort of trail. Not to mention, those men down below must have also felt the same thing and come here to conduct their own investigations. Yuuka was going to get to the bottom of this!
Isabella cocked her head to the side as she playfully put a finger on her soft lips, contemplating in her head on Yuuka's questions. After arriving here in the morning to give her usual greetings to her sensei, nothing else had happened.
"Was there anything else? Everything seemed normal… well except for…." The image of the ridiculously handsome red haired man appeared in Isabella's mind as her face light up like a tomato and she shook her head, causing both Kim and Yuuka to raise their eyebrows.
"N-N-No, there was nothing out of the ordinary here…yup, nothing…" She had trouble keeping eye contact with them as she was trying to hide her flushed cheeks.
"...Are you alright?" Yuuka's alertness spiked up at Isabella's odd behavior. This woman is definitely hiding something, but Yuuka just couldn't figure out what.
"Eh? I-I mean, of course I am alright. For one to be called a Garret, they have to be composed and in control at all times. I am perfectly fine!"
Both Kim and Yuuka traded glances between each other and awkwardly nodded, deciding it would be better not to engross her any further.
"W-Well if you say so, we're just going to pay a visit to Oyama-sensei before we head back to report to the principal" Yuuka stated, inclining her head towards Kim to signal that they were leaving.
"Oh, is that right? I see, well give him my best regards-
"Hoh... I've never seen you girls before"
Yuuka, Kim, and Isabella all turned around simultaneously as the one and only, Takeshi Oyama was standing behind them wearing his lime green yukata and a welcoming smile on his rough looking face.
Isabella was the first to speak as she bowed respectfully. "Ah, Takeshi-sama."
Takeshi waved his hand to greet the overly formal woman before his eyes turned to Yuuka and Kim, a pair of girls he had no memory of.
"And you two are?"
Yuuka and Kim both bowed in his direction to show their respect.
"It's an honor to meet you, Oyama-sensei. I am Yuuka Amado, the finance of the Enforcement Committee"
"I-I'm Kimi Sato, the secretary. It's so nice to finally meet you!"
"Oh, so you're the new generation of the Maken-Ki huh? Hmm…" He looked at both of them carefully and studied them, causing them both to flinch inwardly at his piercing gaze. Was he trying to see if they were worthy enough to hold their titles?
"Gahahaha, such cute girls! The Maken-Ki sure have blossomed haven't they?" Takeshi's unexpected outburst caused both girls to look at him with disbelief while Isabella coughed in embarrassment.
After he stopped laughing, he folded his arms. "So, are you two here on some official business? It's not like I get many visitors around here that aren't looking to become students"
Yuuka nodded her head. "That's correct. Principal Rokojou asked us to investigate a disturbance in this area that caused an earthquake last night."
It was brief but Yuuka could have sworn she saw Takeshi wince when she mentioned that but his facial expression remained blank and made her wonder if she had imagined it.
"Oh, is that right? How strange, I didn't feel anything…" Though he said that, Takeshi had no doubt that Nagi's crash landing in his garden was the cause of their investigation and was at a loss on what to do. Should he tell them about him and explain the situation? It's not as if he was going to be in trouble or anything, they were probably just sent here on precaution so that nothing unexpected would happen. Still, Takeshi didn't want people to know about Nagi's whereabouts and the fact that he came from another world unless Nagi himself said it was alright. Respecting someone else's private information was a principle that Takeshi and his late wife prided themselves on.
Kimi looked a bit worried. "A-Are you sure, sensei? We're just here to see if anything strange has come up near sensei's living quarters. Any little thing would be appreciated."
Isabella, who had remained observant of their exchange glanced back towards the dojo where she had met that man whom set her heart ablaze and wondered if he was related to this. Of course, it was just a silly theory but she sensed something different about him… something otherworldly.
"Of course, his looks could be considered out of this world…" She seriously wondered how any man could be so gorgeous; he made even the most handsome men she had seen look average in comparison.
Takeshi shook his head and gave the girls a comforting smile. "Sorry girls, I'm afraid I won't be of much help in your investigation. As you can see, everything around here is fine and no disturbances have come up"
Yuuka and Kim followed Takeshi's finger as he was pointing to his garden and the two could only reluctantly accept that this man was speaking the truth. However, Isabella's attitude earlier still made them wonder if they were hiding anything.
"We understand, we'll report back to the principal that everything is fine and there aren't any problems. Does that sound acceptable, Oyama-sensei?"
Takeshi grinned. "Sounds perfect…" He thought about it for a minute before a better idea popped into his head. "Wait no actually, I'll handle it. I'll be heading over to the academy with a guest so I'll stop by to let Minori know what's up. It'll be good to see my old students again, Gahaha!"
Yuuka and Kimi definitely weren't expecting that and traded confused looks while Isabella narrowed her eyes in curiosity, wondering if the guest he was planning to bring along was the person she was thinking of.
Kimi beamed happily at hearing that one of the greatest instructors Tenbi ever had was planning to pay a visit. "O-Oyama-sensei, will you allow us to accompany you?"
Takeshi saw no problem with it and smiled. "Sure, the more the merrier I say"
Yuuka looked at the elated Kimi who was practically doing cart wheels and smiled. Even if she still held her suspicions, she felt glad knowing Kimi was enjoying this.
"By the way, where's this guest you spoke of? Is he a student of yours or…?"
Takeshi pondered that question for a minute and gave them thumbs up. "Let's just say he's an old friend of mine that came in from overseas. I gave him some new clothes to fit in so he'll be out in a jiffy"
Isabella's eyes widened at hearing that news and she mentally saved that information. So he was a foreigner? Well, that must have explained why he felt so different and had such a unique atmosphere around him.
"I wonder what his name is…Gah! I should have asked him! Stupid!" She cursed herself inwardly at having embarrassed herself in front of that man and breathed in to calm down, realizing she could still make a good impression of herself the next time he came.
"Yo, old man! Where'd the hell you go?" A loud and brash voice came from the dojo as all three girls turned their eyes to the source.
Takeshi frowned at the unnecessary nick name and shouted back. "Over here, slow poke! We've got some company!"
The sliding door in front of the dojo opened up and from it, a young red haired man appeared in front of the trio as they all tensed up in his presence. He was wearing a slim black muscle shirt that highlighted his toned biceps and pectorals that matched well with black jeans. He yawned a bit and walked down the stairs to the front yard, the thin blue necklace around his neck swaying side to side with each step. In one hand, he was carrying what appeared to be a brown cape while his other free hand ran itself through his vibrant crimson hair.
"I'm not slow, your house is like some sort of jungle." Nagi stated as he stood next to Takeshi who held a analytic gaze towards the young magician.
"Darn, I was hoping my clothes wouldn't fit you but they look damn good on you" Takeshi lamented.
Nagi's eyebrows twitched in annoyance at hearing that. "Well sorry to disappoint you, next time I'll try to meet your oh so high expectations" Nagi exclaimed with sarcasm that made Takeshi chuckle.
The two of them hadn't even noticed that the three girls standing right before them had been petrified to say the least by the appearance of the mysterious man. For Isabella who was meeting him for the second time, she felt a bit more relaxed but couldn't stop the flush of her cheeks rising again at the sight of him. Yuuka and Kimi on the other hand were both in a state of amazement at meeting such a handsome fellow who was also apparently an old friend of a famous Tenbi Academy instructor.
Of course, Yuuka quickly regained her mind and stepped forward to greet him. "You must be the guest of Oyama-sensei. It's a pleasure to meet you, I am Yuuka Amado"
Kimi was still in a trance before Yuuka nudged her on her shoulder and she jumped up in surprise and bowed as well. "P-Pleasure to m-meet you! I'm Kimi Sato!"
Nagi stopped arguing with Takeshi and faced the two bowing girls with a neutral expression. "Sup. I'm Nagi"
"So Nagi's his name…" Isabella wondered as she finally regained her composure, flinching when she saw Nagi's deep crimson eyes now directed towards her.
"You…"
"I-It's nice to see you again!"
Nagi scrunched his face, as if wondering if he had seen her before. "Who are you?"
Feeling as if a bolt of lightning had struck at her hart, Isabella dramatically slumped at having being forgotten and Takeshi shook his head towards Nagi.
"You dummy, how could you forget her face? You met her an hour ago"
Nagi playfully tilted his head as if trying to remember. "I did…?"
"Oi…" Takeshi couldn't believe how simple minded Nagi was and sighed before a hardy laugh could be heard coming from Nagi, surprising the older man.
"I'm just messing with you, of course I remember you. Your name was Isa, right?"
Isabella's expression improved greatly and she blushed at having being given a nickname so quickly and averted her eyes away from him. "W-Well my name is Isabella but I'm fine…with you calling me Isa…"
Nagi raised his eyebrows. "Hah? You have to speak up, I can't hear you"
Isabella couldn't face the man as she kept her head down with her flustered cheeks, wondering how in the world she could be reduced to such a state just by speaking with another man.
Yuuka and Kim who were observing the spectacle were amazed at seeing a woman of Isabella's maturity act in such a cutesy manner and giggled.
Coughing to clear the awkward mood, Takeshi stepped forward and patted Nagi's shoulder. "Well, we better get a move on. The opening ceremony has already started hasn't it?"
Isabella paled when she realized that she was incredibly late and lost track of time. "Y-You're right! We must quickly make haste towards the school, tardiness on the first day for a Garret is a bad example!"
She then turned to face the group. "My transportation has been prepared outside, would any of you like a ride?"
"Oh so they were just her escorts..." For some reason, Yuuka's heart felt a bit relieved at having learned that they weren't here to also investigate but she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that whatever caused the earthquake was still roaming around. If it wasn't in this area, just where on earth could it be?
Yuuka looked at Kimi who seemed eager to ride in the fancy limo as she had stars in her eyes and sighed. "We'll have to take you up on that offer" She then looked towards Takeshi and Nagi. "Will you guys be travelling with us?"
Takeshi nodded and looked at Nagi who shrugged as if he couldn't care less, ignoring the anxious eyes that were directed at him from Isabella.
Takeshi chuckled. "That sounds wonderful, lead the way"
Isabella, who mentally pumped her fist at having been able to invite both her sensei and Nagi, nodded courtly and ran towards the stairs from where they had come from with the group.
Nagi, who was running beside Takeshi, whispered towards him."You know, I could just fly there."
Takeshi, who normally would have been surprised by hearing such a thing, merely shrugged. "Riding in a limo with a bunch of cute girls isn't so bad, is it?"
"….I guess not"
With that, the five of them made it to the cars parked outside and proceeded to head to Tenbi Academy, with the mysterious stranger Nagi ready to begin his search on how to get back to his home world.
Chapter 4 Ladies and Gentleman.