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Cometa grumbled as class started the next day. At the front of the classroom was Ms. Amakata. Right beside her, wearing black trousers and a white long sleeved silk shirt, was Nixen. He seemed unaware of the several female students that were looking at him longingly. Instead, the ice dragon smoothed back his white hair, taking a moment to pour tea in a cup on Ms. A's desk.

Cometa raised her eyebrow. She wasn't sure if he did this for every girl he met, or if he was simply trying to impress Ms. Amakata. The teacher herself seemed rather oblivious to his actions, instead preferring to stand in front of the chalkboard and recite different philosophical sayings.

A tap on her shoulder drew Cometa's attention to Makoto. "Hey, Cometa? Isn't that your cousin? What's he doing here?"

"He was looking for work, and applied here yesterday. I just hope he doesn't cause all of the students to fail with the distraction he's being," Cometa whispered back. The dragon glared at Nixen, who merely waved at her and smiled. He quietly began twiddling his thumbs with a strained smile.

Cometa ceased her fidgeting, sitting straight. Prim, proper, dignity. Sit up straight, be still… Makoto tried tapping on her shoulder again, only for her to shake her head slightly.

"Oh, I see. Well then meet us on the rooftop for lunch, please. There's something all of us want to discuss with you," Makoto whispered, going back to the lesson. Out of the corner of her eye, Cometa saw Haru nod in agreement.


Cometa sat on the school's roof. Nixen had given her a lunch before leaving. The young dragon wondered what he was up to. Her thoughts were interrupted as Nagisa shoved a piece of paper in her face.

"Alright, here's the deal! Since everyone's on board, I got us an application sheet," he said proudly.

"Um… I'm afraid I don't follow," Cometa spoke quietly.

"Oh, that's right. You couldn't meet up at Haru's place like we usually do. Well, we decided to start a swim club!" Nagisa said happily.

"That's why I wanted you to meet us at lunch right away," Makoto added with his signature smile.

Haru remained silent, though Cometa wanted to believe he was agreeing in his head.

"Thank you for including me in this conversation. I'm displeased that I haven't been able to talk to Gou yet," Cometa growled. Nixen seemed to be in league with the worst possible timing. She needed to be able to keep up with any social developments in this new friend group of hers.

"Well, uh, anyway…" Makoto said awkwardly, trying to change the subject. "We were wondering if you wanted to join the team. Maybe you could help find a way to advertise the club. Or… maybe we could form a separate team of swimmers for girls…" Makoto went pale, immediately shutting up.

"That might be a good idea, Makoto. We have the application right here after all," Nagisa, with a determined smile, once again shoved the application in her face. A new hand suddenly got in her vicinity and smacked the paper away.

"Nixen!" Cometa growled. The ice dragon now had Nagisa chasing to catch the windswept application sheet. Immediately getting up, Cometa quietly caught the paper with one hand and handed it back to Nagisa.

"Why did you do that? That was so mean, you jerk," Nagisa began to pout. Nixen nervously sweated as Cometa's teeth began to sharpen. She glared pointedly at him. The ice dragon quickly got the hint.

"I apologize for that, Nagisa. However, I cannot allow Cometa to sign up. It wouldn't be proper for her to do such a thing," Nixen had a firm look on his face as he looked at the young dragon. "However, if you really want her to participate in some way for your club, you should know that she dances. Perhaps she could be a cheerleader of sorts for your team."

Cometa, all the while, was making waving gestures with her hands. It was a futile attempt to get Nixen to shut his mouth. She stopped as soon as Nagisa looked at her with a happy smile. Oh no…

"You can dance? Nixen actually has a point. Not to mention, it would e a great way to get more members to join if we had a cheerleader to help advertise," Nagisa had the most innocent and oblivious eyes. Cometa blushed at the implications of what her "advertisement" might be.

"I suppose… If I'm needed that much…" Cometa gathered her confidence. "I won't let you down."

Nagisa cheered. Cometa looked over to see Makoto smiling kindly at her, while Haru merely looked down, unreadable expression on his face.

"Alright, let's get back to filling out his sheet!" Nagisa said resolutely.


"What?!" Ms. Amakata and Nixen exclaimed.

"That's a sweet offer, but you know I don't teach physical education. Sports aren't really my thing," Ms. Amakata tried to turn down the offer, but Nagisa was persistent.

"Yeah, but, I thought you liked swimming. I was told that until last year you had a job in Tokyo that had something to do with swimwear…" Ms. Amakata tensed. She began questioning Nagisa about where he got his information.

Meanwhile, Nixen had gone deathly pale. Silently moving to where Cometa stood, he began to whisper things in a state of shock. "Such horrible rumors for such a classy lady…" Sweating, he drew a new conclusion.

"It is my duty to uphold the dignity and class of the ones around me who desperately need it…" Nixen began to say. He walked over to Ms. Amakata's side and bowed to her.

What a hypocrite, Cometa thought as she looked over to the boys. She couldn't help but wonder if they were really so gullible to not understand the implications of that rumor, or if they were cunning enough to use the rumor against her.

"I suppose if I'm genuinely needed…" Ms. Amakata said hesitantly.

"Do not worry, Ms. Amakata. I am your teacher's assistant, so I will assist you in this as well," Nixen assured, a charming smile on his face.

"Both of you, thank you very much," Makoto said with a bow.

"Alright!" Nagisa cheered.

Cometa smiled. She glanced back at Haru to see him looking out the window. Perhaps he is so excited that he must hide his face from me, so he can remain unreadable, Cometa thought. She felt Nixen begin their journey back home.


Cometa sat on the chair closest to the coffee table. The new lavish apartment they now stayed in had room for much more luxuries. While she hated to admit, Nixen had really done her a favor. He had taken on the job as her servant with no complaint, and went above and beyond the expectations others had placed on him.

"M'lady, the tea is almost done. Let me cool it down for you," Nixe walked in with a tray. Setting it on the coffee table, he took a few deep breaths. His eyes now slits, he breathed a soft misty vapor out of his mouth.

Now that they were in the safety of the apartment, they could partially release their human disguises and relax. Their eyes now both held the quality of snakes. Nixen's skin was now much smoother and blue, while Cometa's was scaly and fiery orange. Taking a sip of her tea, Cometa was the the one to initiate a conversation.

"Thank you for everything, Nixen. Might I ask what you think being a part of this club will be like?" She set her cup down as she began pondering herself.

"Well… I took on the role of administrative assistant to help you, as well as Ms. Amakata maintain dignity. I will not stand for beguiling rumors!" Nixen had a cold look of determination. Cometa was sure that he was envisioning himself as a superhero as they spoke. His sole duty to protect young women from humiliation.

"I simply hope I can do a good job as cheerleader and advertiser. It seems like a pointless job to me, honestly. Still, I intend to do my best," Cometa was resolute. She would lead the boys to victory with her encouragement. Her advertisements would pack the house. Nothing would stop this dragon from helping the boys she held so dearly to her heart!

"If you succeed here, perhaps your family will finally see your interests as more than a waste of time…" Nixen suggested.

"Maybe they'll finally accept me back into the clan," Cometa said with a dreamy look in her eyes. She looked down at her cup, a small smile on her face. "May I have some more tea, please?"

A heavy aura had started to settle over the room. While they both wanted to hope for the best, neither was willing to let their guard down. Bad things could happen at any time. Cometa had learned that lesson. Her brother had taught her well.

Hope you all enjoyed that. Please read, review, and I'll see you next time!