Writer's Note to the Readers: For the next few chapters, I will be drawing up and posting some swimsuit fanart onto my profile to correspond with "Chapter 69: The Poolside of Confusion and Envy" of this fanfic. I've already finished Shana's piece, so you can go see the artwork I've done for her on my profile page. Hecate will most likely show up with Chapter 12, and Margery Daw will hopefully show up with Chapter 13.
CapoExecutor: I went and looked up the OVA. Hilarious stuff! Yaoi fanwriters would have a field day with it. And yes, the eventual confrontation to come should be quite interesting.
JohnPeacekeeper: Yes, it would be rather odd to conceive of Keisaku facing off against Eita. They're such good buddies in reality. As for imagining Bel Peol without her third eye... Now that you mention it, it IS kinda hard to do so. I prefer just to see her face as it should be, but with her still dressed in normal business clothing. In regards to Yuji's method of killing the Rinne, were you referring to his finger-snapping? Hmm... Ike taking up two slots in the Trinity? Odd, but it IS doable... I might seriously consider that.
The Light Hidden in the Shadow: Thank you. And no, Ike's taken Sydonay's place in this turn of events. As for the identity of the Mobilizer of Ceremonial Equipment in this course of time... *grins* That's a secret.
ColinatorGX: Thanks. And I thought I'd made it pretty obvious, but I think it's safe to say now that their bodyguard is Ike, of course. Yeah, Bel Peol acting more like a normal human is rather weird to think of. Sydonay now has his hands quite full...
yumichan808: Yeh, weird, no?
"...Forty-four, forty-five, forty-six..."
The Writer of Questionable Stories groaned as he finished up another section of paragraphs that required stabilizing. Then came the bad news.
"Uh, you're not going to believe this, but..."
"What? What now?"
"We have a peculiar little distortion in regards to the next chapter."
The Writer of Questionable Stories blinked fearfully.
"Wait, you don't mean..."
"Yep. It's the kissing stuff. But the displacement's made it even worse..."
SHAKUGAN NO YUJI?
Chapter 111: Shana, Yuji, and... Frenching?
"...All right, Shana, take it nice and slow. Send out your Power of Existence into my hand, slowly..."
"Understoood."
Closing his eyes, Yuji felt the flow of energy coming from Shana's hand, tightly grasped in his own. After another moment's concentration, the Flame Haze then tightened his grasp as he focused.
FWOOSH!
Wings of fire flared outwards from Yuji's back, flapping momentarily and sending feathers of flame scattering down from the apartment rooftop. Shana couldn't help but look up at Yuji as his facial features cast themselves into intense concentration.
Alastor's voice broke in from the Cocytus.
"...Well, that's interesting. It seems that you're able to form your wings of fire with greater ease than before."
Yuji nodded.
"Seems so."
Yuji then stretched a hand up into the air. A pillar of fire then promptly flared upwards into the night sky, scattering into glowing cinders and ashes as it reached towards the full moon above. Even as he continued to perform his own form of pyrotechnics, however, there was an abrupt flurry of electronic beeps.
Shana pulled the stopwatch out of her woolen sweatshirt and pressed a button, silencing the alarm as she looked back up at Yuji.
"It's midnight."
Yuji nodded and smiled as he withdrew his hand and snapped his fingers, causing his fireworks and wings of flame to dissipate and vanish in a matter of moments with little ceremony. Shana's eyes then widened as she felt newfound energy suddenly surge through her.
The thin spark within her flared into a newfound blaze, replenished by the power of the Midnight Lost Child. Shana inhaled deeply as she placed a hand over her chest.
"The Midnight Lost Child, huh... it's quite something, knowing that there's still a future ahead."
Yuji smiled and nodded again.
"Quite something, all right."
Suddenly, Shana heard a distinct rumble come from the depths of her stomach. Blushing slightly, she looked up at the Flame Haze standing next to her.
"Hey, Yuji..."
"Hmm?"
"Want to have a snack?"
"...Satoshi!"
Yuji sat at the kitchen table, slurping down a cup of instant noodles as he watched the TV screen in rapt fascination. Shana sat on the floor, scarfing down a bag of crisps. As the two continued to watch, the Flame Haze pointed at the screen with his chopsticks.
"What exactly is this?"
"...I think it's a rerun of a lukewarm drama."
"A drama? You mean like a piece of fiction?"
"That's right. Not exactly the ideal of what you Flame Hazes might think of as intellectually stimulating material. Getting bored?"
Yuji shook his head as he continued to watch.
"No, it's... quite fascinating actually. Normally, I'd never pause long enough to watch something like this."
The female protagonist had now reached her target; her male counterpart. With a sudden rush of steps, she was suddenly standing right in front of him. She bent forwards to kiss him...
"...Waaaaaait! Shouldn't we take this a bit slowly!?"
The female lead sighed and turned away.
Shana grumbled as she stuffed another crisp into her mouth.
"What sort of idiot guy turns down a girl when she wants to kiss him, for crying out loud!? The producer or screenwriter of this piece of garbage should be taken outside and shot..."
Yuji looked over to Shana in mild puzzlement.
"Why so angry? It's just a piece of fiction."
"W-well, it's just... if a girl wants to be kissed by a guy, then it's not exactly a nice thing to just leave her hanging or reject her, especially if the guy likes her back. Honestly, no girl likes a lukewarm guy who just muddles around!"
Yuji glanced back over to the TV screen, a look of puzzled contemplation on his face as the shot faded to black, indicating that the series was yet to be concluded.
"Really? Huh, I never knew that... I wonder how I should handle that sort of situation then. So... if a girl comes up to me and wants to kiss me, should I kiss her back?"
Shana suddenly felt her cheeks turn red. She was only too glad that the lights weren't on, thus obscuring her face from clear view.
"W-what sort of nonsense are you spewing now, you pervert stalker...!"
"Huh? But Shana, I was just stating something that corresponded to the observations you just made-"
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!"
Busily engaged in another heated conversation, the two failed to notice the peculiar glint that seemed to be emanating from Alastor's Cocytus.
"Hey, Tanaka... where the heck are we supposed to be going, anyway?"
A maroon-haired, tomboyish girl decked out in fashionable street clothes crossed her arms as she stared up at the boy standing next to her. Tanaka Eita, his squinted eyes betraying a hint of uncertainty, stared back as he scratched at the back of his scruffy ash-dark hair. His clothing leaned towards the athletic slant, but was heavily rumpled.
"Y-you'll see, Oga-chan..."
Ogata sighed.
"You idiot... What sort of crazy scheme have you got squirming in that thing you call a brain this time?!"
Behind them, another young boy, sporting ruffled dark hair and oval eyeglasses, snorted.
"Hey, will you two stop with the 'Newlyweds' act? You're starting to make everyone stare..."
Indeed, quite a few nearby pedestrians were looking over in their direction, bearing various degrees of curiosity, sympathy, amusement, or annoyance at the noise emanating from the conversation.
Matake Ogata snorted as she looked Hayato Ike up and down.
"A lot of good talk coming from you, Ike-kun. We hired you to protect us, not give us the lip every half-minute. If you don't like listening to us, then get a pair of earplugs."
Suddenly, Eita stopped at a street corner.
"All right, this is it... I think."
Ogata exhaled in exasperation.
"I don't even think you know what you're doing..."
Despite her complaint, however, the maroon-haired girl quickly reached into a pocket and pulled out a small electronic device. Ike raised an eyebrow as he looked over at the object in Ogata's hand.
"Well... the 'One Engulfed in Doubting Others' is certainly one to keep up with the times."
Ogata shrugged.
"Well, I didn't quite care for the floral motif on the music box, so I had it changed into an MP3 player. Besides, it just looks nicer this way."
With that, the female Denizen hooked up a pair of earphones into the Treasure and pushed the "Play/Pause" button. Immediately, the entire area flashed with shades of sickly yellow. Time stopped, freezing every nearby human pedestrian and object in its tracks.
Hayato looked around.
"Impressive. He's setting up a trap of some sort, I assume?"
The One Engulfed in Doubting Others looked over to her counterpart. Eita reached out and leeched away a nearby salaryman, draining away his Power of Existence.
"That's what stupid Tanaka SAYS he's doing. Frankly, I think he's just trying to come up with some sort of dumb excuse to make himself look cool in front of me."
Ogata snorted and muttered under her breath, shaking her head as she watched Tanaka continue to absorb the temporal essence of the hapless salaryman.
"Idiot..."
Ike shrugged.
"Oh, I don't know... it seems as if the 'One Engulfed in Self-Doubt' does have his moments, at times."
The female Denizen slowly nodded, reluctantly.
"Well... true enough. But he's always running off and doing something stupid... and he's always trying to do it to impress me. Wasting all this time, when we could be accomplishing something more meaningful by just gathering Power of Existence."
"So what, or who, is he trying to catch with those traps anyway?"
Ogata shrugged.
"The one who forged a contract with the 'Flame of Heaven', apparently. For some reason, stupid Tanaka's been really intent on finding this guy for awhile now. I have to admit, this is the first time I've seen him so engrossed in something like this. Before, it was all kinda half-assed."
The One Engulfed in Self-Doubt looked over to Ogata as he finished absorbing his victim's Power of Existence. Standing where the salaryman had once been was now his Torch. Eita nodded as he spoke.
"We're finished here, Oga-chan... I think."
Matake sighed and grumbled as she walked over to her Denizen counterpart. Even as she walked over, she pushed the "Play/Pause" button on her MP3 player once more. Immediately, the sickly shades of yellow faded back into the temperate hues of daylight. Time resumed its flow once more.
"Beh... fine, fine. Just hurry this up. I'm getting hungry."
The clouds hanging in the overcast sky darkened to shades of grey. Yuji looked up.
"Huh... looks like it might rain."
THUD!
"Aaaatatataa..."
With a groan, the Flame Haze struggled back to his feet, wincing as he rubbed at his waist where the rubber ball had connected. Still massaging his back, Yuji muttered under his breath as he walked over to the sidelines.
"I still don't understand this human sport of 'Dodgeball'..."
Shana watched him sit down nearby. The Mystes raised an eyebrow.
I thought a Flame Haze like Yuji would be good at athletics. Then why is he getting knocked out in the first ten seconds of the first round...?
Shana's eyes abruptly narrowed however, when she noticed Hecate walk over and join Yuji, sitting next to him as she began to rub at Yuji's waist with a questing hand.
"...Are you all right, Hirai-kun?"
Yuji looked up at Hecate and smiled in mild embarrassment as he nodded.
"Y-yeah..."
Shana felt a sudden urge to throttle the teal-haired girl with her own two hands. Her thoughts, however, were cut off in an instant as she felt something impact with her hindquarters.
Glancing down, Shana found herself staring at the ball that had hit her in the butt. Not too far away, Sorath was jumping up and down, cheering wildly.
"Yeaaaah! I got her!"
Tiriel was clapping her hands nearby in admiring praise.
"Well done, brother!"
Without another word, Shana bent down, picked up the ball in her hands. She threw the ball one-handed in Sorath's direction. Flying and whirling like some sort of leaden missile, the ball spiraled towards the young boy.
Grinning, Sorath reached out with both hands...
THUD!
...and promptly collapsed into a limp heap as the ball decked Sorath in the nuts.
"Aaaaagh...!!"
Clutching at his family jewels, Sorath writhed on the asphalt as Tiriel rushed over in anxious concern.
"...Brother...!! Are you all right!? Speak to me!!"
The rest of the class simply looked on in silent astonishment. Shana glanced over to Yuji and Hecate for a brief moment, then turned away. Yuji was about to open his mouth to speak when he suddenly felt something wet spatter onto his shirt.
Sydonay, standing nearby, blew on his whistle to call an end to the dodgeball game.
"Everybody inside! I'm calling the rest of the period off due to rain. Khamsin, get Sorath a bag of ice for his injured manhood, will you?"
"Well, it's a good thing that the game got called off. It's starting to come down quite a bit now."
"Yeah, well... Can you imagine? If that game had gone on any further..."
Shana looked over at Sorath's prone form. The unfortunate kid was squeaking his words in a raspy soprano as he clutched at his injured crotch with an ice pack.
"...Mon... ster... she... monster...!!"
Tiriel, changed back into her normal school uniform, was sitting next to him. An expression fraught with anxiety and concern was on her face.
"Brother...!"
Hecate, who had also been sitting next to Sorath, blinked without expression and got to her feet. After a moment's consideration, she then walked over to Shana.
Shana scowled as she watched Hecate approach.
"...Well, what do you want, Miss Convent?"
Hecate tonelessly gave reply.
"A simple question: What is your relationship with Hirai-kun?"
Shana's eyes widened, momentarily taken aback. It took her the space of a full minute to find her voice to give back a proper reply.
"N... n... Nothing! There's nothing between us!"
Hecate's eyes narrowed slightly as she then turned and began to leave.
"Is that really so? Well... I'm not going to press the issue this time."
Shana wasn't sure, but it sounded to her as if Hecate had been sighing as she left. The only odd thing was... the young Mystes wasn't sure whether the tone in that sigh had been one of relief or exasperation.
Yuji hummed contentedly as he shampooed his hair and then rinsed it off in the running shower. Although the Flame Haze had come to fear baths, showers were somehow pleasing. As he continued to wash, however, distant voices from other guys in the showers echoed off the walls.
"Hey, hey, is that true?"
"Yeah, I finally got to kiss her yesterday!"
There was a howling hoot of triumph.
"Amazing! I feel great for ya, man! But hey, just... don't rush it too much, all right?"
"I know, I know... 'Sides, she's precious to me. I don't wanna make things quick and just leave..."
"Yeah, but then... one day, eeeeeh?"
"Yeah! One day in the future, we'll go all the way! Hurray for kisses!"
There were more howls of joy and triumph. Khamsin, occupying the shower next to Yuji, sighed and smiled vaguely as he rinsed off his hair.
"Ah... youth."
Yuji's mind, however, was still dwelling upon what the other boys had been discussing in the showers as he stepped out of the stalls and reached for a nearby towel.
Kisses? Rushing things? Huh... Shana was acting kinda oddly last night when we were conversing in regards to the whole idea of kissing... Wonder why.
The passing of morning into afternoon brought sunlight back into the sky as the rainclouds parted and soon faded away. Yuji was sitting at a desk inside the school library, busily scanning a reference volume. Piled around him were various other weighty books and tomes.
"...Well, it doesn't tell me anything new. It's the same entries and data no matter where I look. Guess that's all I'm going to get."
Yuji closed the last book and set it down on top of the heap. Leaning back in his chair, Yuji looked out a nearby window.
I don't get it, this whole business of kissing. But nevertheless...
The Flame Haze's train of thought was suddenly derailed by Shana's voice, coming out of nowhere.
"...Oh, there you are. I've been looking for you."
Turning quickly around, Yuji looked up at the young Mystes.
"Shana? Is something the matter?"
"No, not exactly anything. It's just that school's been out for a few minutes now. Aren't you going to stalk me and follow me home as usual?"
Yuji smiled as he got up from his seat.
"Ah, good point... Just let me put these books away..."
Shana looked over the volumes with a raised eyebrow.
"That's quite a pile of research you've got there. What were you looking up anyway?"
For some reason, Yuji felt his cheeks heat up as he tried his best to divert Shana's attention away from the volumes he had been perusing.
"N-nothing. Nothing really important. Just something I was curious about."
Shana shrugged as she began to aid Yuji in gathering up the scattered books.
"Well, if you insist..."
Nearby, from behind a bookcase, a pair of teal eyes watched the pair gather up the piled tomes. Hecate's mind rang incessantly with a single singsong line.
Shana, you liar... Shana, you coward... Liar, coward, liar, coward...
Margery sighed as she opened up the front door to her house and walked inside.
"Yo, kid, are you in? I'm back from teaching ungrateful little brats how to spell their A-B-Cs."
Keisaku merely grunted in reply as he looked up from a magazine. Marcosius gave a more lively response.
"Is that so, you buxom beast of the schoolyard!? I don't really think they're all that ungrateful, especially the guys! They must really appreciate being able to stare at your chest all day- OOF!"
Marcosius gave a startled exclamation of pain as the empty wine bottle ricocheted off the heavy cover of his Grimoire. Margery had a distinctly pissed-off look on her face as she spoke.
"Shut up, stupid Marco."
Margery then looked up to the Chanter of Elegies.
"Hey, kid... Shouldn't you keep a better eye on what your partner's always saying?"
Keisaku merely grunted again and threw the magazine onto a nearby coffee table. After a moment's contemplation of the scene in front of her, Margery suddenly had a strange grin come to her face.
"Say, kid... Mind coming with me somewhere? You seem to be awfully bored..."
The Chanter of Elegies scowled at the English teacher, but Margery noticed that he didn't exactly say no.
"Truly, you seem to be quite skilled at handling matters of this sort."
Even with the dispassionate tone and blank expression that seemed to dominate Wilhelmina's remark, the eyes of Shana's guardian seemed to glow with an intense glimmer that conveyed respect and wonder.
Yuji smiled in self-deprecation as he finished chopping the vegetables and scooped them into the frying pan.
"Ah, it's not much. I just learned how to do this from my mother."
"Truly, she must be an amazing person."
Yuji simply nodded and smiled, but his expression soon turned thoughtful.
"Well, she taught me a lot of things... but there was something that she never taught me about. Wilhelmina-san, do you know anything about..."
"...?"
"...Kissing?"
Wilhelmina seemed to be taken aback by Yuji's question. Blushing slightly, as if remembering some far-off memory, Shana's guardian looked out the kitchen window as she slowly spoke in reply.
"T-truly, that is an awkward question for me to answer. Have you resorted to conventional means of research?"
Yuji nodded.
"Yeah, but... all the reference works I looked up gave me the same thing."
Wilhelmina quietly nodded.
"What about novels or fictional tales? Romance novels, for instance?"
Yuji scratched at his face in embarrassment.
"Uh, erm... Alastor tells me that it's worthless to look up something that isn't backed by hard, solid data."
Wilhelmina nodded.
"Truly, is that so? This 'Alastor' person... is he your father?"
Yuji's face took on a contemplative look.
"No... not really... I guess you could call him a mentor, for lack of a better term. He started taking care of me after my mother could no longer do so."
"...Truly, that is interesting. This one knows very little about how to explain the details or raw data of kissing. Truly, much of what kissing is involves very little logic or actual data. Most of it is within your heart."
Yuji blinked.
"My... heart?"
Wilhelmina nodded.
"Truly, that would be it. Willful physical contact, such as hugging or holding hands, as you might surmise, involves affection. This one believes that you are already aware of this."
"Uh-huh."
"Truly, however, the act of a kiss is on a very different level compared to merely hugging or touching one's hand, arm, or shoulder. Truly, it is... for better or for worse, signifies something much deeper between you and the one whom you are kissing."
Yuji's face turned thoughtful as he attempted to digest the words that Wilhelmina had said. After a long moment, he then spoke.
"...So... is it something like a contract?"
Wilhelmina rubbed at her chin in pondering, then slowly nodded.
"Truly, you might say that. It is indeed much like a contract or promise... or perhaps, one could better call it a declaration."
She turned and looked over at the living room where Shana was sitting. Engrossed in watching the television set, the young girl was completely oblivious to the conversation that was being discussed between Yuji and Wilhelmina. Shana's guardian smiled slightly as she continued.
"Truly, it is a declaration of your deep affection for that person. It is a declaration of your feelings for that person and strongest wish to always be with that person, if not in body, then in spirit."
Yuji quietly nodded.
"I see, a declaration. So that means, if a girl wants to kiss you, does that mean that she's declaring her feelings for you?"
"Truly, that would most likely be the case. However, you must be ready and alert to handle those sorts of declarations. If you are not ready to acknowledge and reciprocate that declaration, then you must not kiss her back."
Wilhelmina's expression turned grave.
"Truly, for one to return a kiss without honest feelings of reciprocated declaration is an absolute cruelty. Truly, in addition, it is also an absolute cruelty to force such a declaration upon a girl if she does not harbor the same feelings for you."
Abruptly and without warning, a gleaming kitchen knife once again appeared in Wilhelmina's hands. She tested the edge with a forefinger as she shot Yuji a warning look.
"Truly, I urge you to keep that in mind as you associate with Shana."
Yuji could only nod as he rubbed at his neck and gulped in nervous agreement. Alastor's Cocytus glimmered faintly.
"Well, you certainly bought a lot of stuff, Ms. Margery."
Keisaku scowled as he struggled to balance the unwieldy boxes and bags in his arms. Margery simply winked at him as she continued on to the next store.
"Oh, please, don't flatter me like that... I'm just getting started. After all, we still need to visit the lingerie-"
The rest of her sentence, however, was cut short as Keisaku abruptly dropped her purchases into a pile on the pavement and darted in front of her. Blinking in some surprise, the English teacher noticed three figures approaching, but didn't notice anything exactly odd about the oncoming trio.
Marcosius suddenly spoke. Margery couldn't help but notice that the Claw and Fangs of Violation's voice was oddly wry and low.
"Bah... of all the times to run into THOSE folks, it has to be now...?"
Margery raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as the trio slowly walked past them. Without warning, however, the third passerby, a kid with dark hair and oval eyeglasses, paused next to Keisaku and softly spoke.
"It's been a long time, ladykilling lunchthief."
Keisaku's voice was equally soft and low as he gave reply.
"...Just what brings you here, you accursed little honor student?"
One of the other two, a guy around Keisaku's height and possessed of squinted eyes, turned and looked up in the Flame Haze's direction with some interest.
"Oh, Ike-san, you know this guy?"
Ike nodded as he turned to his two companions.
"Indeed. Ogata and Tanaka, the 'Doubting Couple', may I present to you the 'Chanter of Elegies', Keisaku Satou. Among all of the many Flame Hazes which hunt our kind, this one holds the reputation and record for being the most bloodthirsty and fearsome."
Ogata looked him over with an expression of mild disbelief.
"Him? This is the guy who's with Marcosius, the 'Claw and Fangs of Violation', then? Kinda hard to believe."
Eita looked Keisaku up and down, then shook his head.
"He's powerful, all right, but he's not what I'm looking for... I think. Let's go."
Ogata sighed and shrugged as she turned and began to follow after her counterpart.
"Meh, fine, fine... Just remember that you owe me fried noodles tonight."
With a final nod to Keisaku, Ike turned and followed after the Doubting Couple. As Margery watched the three leave, she spoke to Keisaku with a raised eyebrow.
"Those three little squirts are Denizens? Hey, kid, you're a Flame Haze, right? Are you sure it's okay to just let them go off like that? Shouldn't you be chasing them or something?"
Marcosius snorted.
"Psh. We didn't let them go. They let us go."
Keisaku gently chucked the Grimoire with a clenched fist as he looked over his shoulder and scowled fiercely at the three departing figures.
"Shut up, stupid Marco..."
"...It's midnight again."
Yuji silently nodded as Shana returned the stopwatch to the pocket of her sweatshirt. After a brief moment, the female Mystes gave a small start as she felt the Midnight Lost Child go to work within her. After a moment's consideration, she looked up at Yuji.
"Hey, Yuji..."
"Hmm?"
Shana's voice became slightly diffident and halting as she continued.
"...T-the Midnight Lost Child essentially means that I'm going to live forever as long as I hold it within me, right?"
Yuji pondered the thought as he stared up at the moon above.
"Yeah, in theory, it should. Why do you ask?"
Shana's face took on an odd, thoughtful look.
"...W-well, I was just thinking... Does that mean we're always going to be together... forever? That you'll always be stalking me?"
"...!!"
Yuji's eyes widened as he found himself taken aback by her remark. His eyes then wandered over to his hand, which was still holding onto Shana's. Noticing it as well, Shana blushed furiously as she abruptly withdrew her hand from Yuji's.
"S-sorry... I guess I was being a little too..."
Suddenly, Alastor's voice broke into the conversation.
"Shana, could you do something for me?"
Shana blinked, but nodded as she looked over at the Cocytus dangling from its keyring.
The next morning found Flame Haze and Mystes looking down at Alastor's Cocytus, strapped to Shana's cellphone with a few lengths of hair ribbon. Shana then spoke.
"Is this all right?"
Alastor murmured in approval.
"Mmm, yes. You may proceed."
Yuji nodded and headed over to the kitchen, where Wilhelmina was busily engaged in scrubbing the counter with a cleaning brush.
"Wilhelmina-san, do you mind if I use the phone for a moment?"
Shana's guardian looked up from her cleaning.
"Truly, I do not mind, so long as you do not call some distant place such as the United States or Mexico. Truly, costs for phone call rates must be kept to a minimum."
Yuji nodded as he quickly dialed in the number for Shana's cellphone. After a moment, he spoke into the receiver.
"Ah, hello?"
Over the other end of the line, Alastor's voice came back in clear, distinct tones.
"I am here. Let us proceed."
"Uh-huh."
Yuji then looked over to Wilhelmina.
"Wilhelmina-san, it's for you."
The magenta-haired woman looked up with some interest.
"Truly, is that so?"
Taking the phone from Yuji, Wilhelmina spoke into the receiver.
"Yes?"
"Ah, g-greetings. It is finally an honor to speak with you, Miss Wilhelmina. This is Alastor."
"Truly, I must reciprocate the feeling of honor. You must be the guardian that Yuji Hirai keeps mentioning."
"Indeed. And don't hesitate to refer to him simply as 'Yuji'."
"Truly, this one understands. To be honest, this one must thank you."
"Oh? For what?"
"Truly, for raising the young man Yuji so well. He is well-mannered, intelligent, and has been a good friend to my young ward, Shana. You are to be commended. He is a fine young man."
There was a tone of flattered approval in Alastor's response.
"Naturally. That is why, in fact, erm, why I must therefore request of you that you refrain from discussing subjects with him that are of a rather, shall we say, ah, delicate nature. Much like the conversation you had with him yesterday."
Back in Shana's room, the young Mystes blinked.
"Huh? Yesterday?"
Yuji remained conspicuously silent. Suddenly, Wilhelmina looked up from the phone and called to them from across the kitchen.
"Truly, excuse me for a moment, Alastor-san... It would be recommended for you two to begin heading to school now. Truly, one should not be late for classes."
Opening the door, Shana and Yuji nodded to Wilhelmina as they headed over to the entrance.
"We're off."
"Truly, come back safely."
And with that, Shana and Yuji were out the door. Wilhelmina returned her attention to the phone.
"Truly, I apologize for the interruption. Please continue."
Alastor cleared his throat as he resumed the discussion.
"Well, erm... as I was mentioning, I would prefer that you not discuss subjects such as these with Yuji. It is not that I disagree with your views on such matters, it is simply that I wish to avoid situations where Yuji might accidentally get in over his head with premature relationships, such as with your young Shana."
Wilhelmina nodded.
"Truly, this one hears, understands, and agrees with your concerns."
Alastor's voice held a note of relief in his reply.
"I thank you for your wisdom, milady."
Wilhelmina's voice suddenly turned slightly sharp.
"However..."
"Hmm?"
"...This one wishes to request that these discussions be allowed to continue, for the sake of the young man we all know as Yuji. Truly, this one noticed yesterday that he did not have much of an understanding or knowledge regarding relationships with the opposite gender."
"Mmm..."
Wilhelmina continued.
"Truly, it can be said that the magnitude of Yuji's ignorance regarding this subject is nigh-fatal. Were he to continue on this course with such little knowledge, this young man would eventually find himself hurting far more than is necessary in such relationships."
Alastor's voice now held a note of slight embarrassment.
"W-well, I'd hoped to teach him slowly about such matters, over the course of several years as Yuji grows and experiences all sorts of things from life."
Wilhelmina shook her head as she responded.
"Truly, children grow up faster than we would like. This one remembers when Shana was but a small child, giggling and crawling after stuffed animals within the reach of her small arms. These days, she makes many of her own decisions, speaks her mind with little hesitation, and swings around around her grandfather's katana. Truly, for Yuji, I can only assume that it is no different. Boys do not grow up at controllable rates. Truly, they often begin to express interest in such matters as the opposite gender in intervals that often catch us unprepared, and they often display far greater perception of such matters than one might predict."
Alastor hesitantly began to speak up.
"But..."
"Truly, Yuji trusts you, does he not? Why else would he tell you about the conversation which he held with me yesterday?"
"W-well, I... rather forced it out of him, more than anything else."
"Truly, that may be so, but the simple fact that he would consent to discuss such a matter with you only speaks volumes of the trust and regard he must hold for you. Truly, then, could you not trust Yuji Hirai in return to do the right thing?"
Alastor was silent.
"..."
Wilhelmina, hearing no response, continued.
"Truly, as this one has stated before, you have raised Yuji well. His heart, this one believes, is warm and kind. Young Shana has become far happier around him, far happier than before, when she first moved to this city of Misaki. Truly, this one cannot help but notice that she has become very drawn to that young man. Her feelings, although she yet denies them verbally, are no doubt very much inclined towards him."
Wilhelmina looked over to a small photograph of Shana, mounted on the nearby refrigerator, and smiled vaguely as she continued.
"Truly, this one feels that this young man Yuji is the best thing to have happened to Shana in a long while. He has been brought up well, and is quite intelligent. Truly, can you not trust Yuji to come to the right answer in his own way, if given the proper instruction, no matter the length of time that is used to teach him? Truly, this one firmly believes so. And in any event, I am watching over him as well."
After a long moment of silence, Alastor finally spoke.
"Miss Wilhelmina, I... I must... I must beg you to allow me to take back the rash remarks I made earlier. I cannot help but see where young Shana gets her preternatural intelligence and wisdom from."
Wilhelmina slowly nodded.
"Truly, you give this one far too much credit and flattery. And this one must apologize as well for being so... direct. Truly, however, let us trust in those two... to reach the right decision through their own hearts."
Alastor's final word were intermingled with warmth and pride.
"...Indeed."
"So, what were you and Wilhelmina talking about yesterday then?"
Shana looked over at Yuji with a curious expression on her face. Yuji stared back at Shana for a long moment before he finally spoke with a vague little smile.
"...It's a secret."
Shana snorted.
"Hmph. Idiot..."
Even as she began to turn back to her melon bread, however, Shana noticed that he was continuing to stare at her face. The young female Mystes couldn't help but begin to blush as she felt herself being subjected to his intense stare. Then, after another moment, Yuji slowly turned away, muttering a line that seemed rather... odd.
"...I wonder what it's like to make a declaration of that sort..."
Shana blinked at the curious remark, but soon shrugged it off as Hecate and Khamsin walked up. Hecate glanced over at Shana for a long moment. Shana scowled back. After another moment of exchanging deadly looks, the teal-haired prayer-nut pulled a wrapped box out of her school bag and handed it to Yuji.
The Flame Haze looked down at the box in his hands with some puzzlement.
"What's this?"
"It is a boxed lunch. I felt that it would be better for you to have some variety in your meals, rather than eating rice balls all the time."
Yuji blinked, but then quickly smiled as he turned to Hecate and nodded.
"Ah, well then... Thank you!"
Hecate blushed slightly and returned a small smile of her own. Shana looked away with a sour expression on her face as Yuji opened the box up and glanced down at the contents.
"Oh. Pretty good..."
Picking up a pair of chopsticks, Yuji was about to dig in when a plastic-wrapped object landed on top of the lunch box with a soft thump.
Yuji blinked in some surprise as he stared down at the bun of melon bread that now sat on the food that Hecate prepared. He then looked over to Shana, who simply continued to munch away at another bun with a curiously satisfied look on her face.
Hecate narrowed her eyes at Shana's little culinary shenanigan, but said nothing. Khamsin just smiled vaguely as he dug into his own food.
Even as Yuji began to dig into the food that had been given to him, however, his attention was suddenly grabbed by the sight of Sorath and Tiriel, who were busy frenching away in a nearby corner. Up until now, the Flame Haze had barely paid attention to them. Now, however, due to the recent questions and conversations he'd had, Yuji stared at them with a newly-gained interest.
Shana looked over at the two siblings as well and narrowed her eyes.
"What's so interesting about them, pervert stalker?"
Yuji wasn't really paying attention to Shana's remark as he spoke the thought that crossed his mind.
"Kissing, huh... I wonder what it's like."
Shana snorted.
"Don't say stupid things, you clueless pervert of an idiot... Besides, who'd want to kiss YOU?"
As if to answer, Hecate suddenly reached over... grabbed Yuji by the ears... and promptly locked lips with him.
Everyone present in the classroom stared in utter shocked amazement. Shana's face was as white as a sheet. A piece of half-chewed pita bread dropped from Khamsin's open mouth. Tiriel simply smiled.
"My, she's pretty good. Extra points for technique."
Taken completely aback, Yuji waved his arms in alarm as he struggled to speak, to think, to react, to do anything. The Flame Haze was finding it rather difficult to speak, however, as he suddenly felt something warm and moist enter his mouth.
...!! T-tongue!?
"Mmmphf... Mrrrgh!"
After another moment, Hecate slowly disengaged herself from Yuji and looked up at Shana with a faint expression of triumph. Tiriel chuckled.
"Good use of the tongue. My, but that was entertaining..."
Yuji swayed like a drunken metronome. As his vision cleared and senses returned, he found himself staring at a very pissed-off face. Shana's face.
Bel Peol looked up from the latest pile of paperwork and blinked.
"Another earthquake? We've been having a lot of those lately..."
Shaking her head, she returned her attention to grading student papers.
Later that afternoon...
Yuji sighed as he sat on the rooftop of the apartment complex, nursing a pair of black eyes. Shana had utterly refused to speak to him for the rest of the school day, and all attempts he'd made to apologize had ended in painful failure.
"Boy, Shana was really angry today..."
Yuji couldn't help but blush, however, as his mind recalled the absolutely indescribable sensation of Hecate's lips on his own. The Flame Haze sheepishly rubbed at his mouth as he tried to clear his brain of the not-quite-so-unwelcome distraction. He couldn't help but grin.
"I sure didn't expect that of Hecate, though..."
"Still thinking perverted thoughts about Miss Convent, I see..."
Yuji spun around and looked over his shoulder at Shana, who was standing behind him with her arms crossed and a scornful look on her face. The surprised Flame Haze wildly gesticulated with his hands as he spluttered.
"Ah, erm... ah, n-no, nothing like that. I was-"
Shana sighed and shook her head as she turned to leave.
"Never mind, you clueless stalker. Anyway, Wilhelmina wants you to come inside and have something to eat."
Yuji quickly nodded as he followed after the departing Mystes. Even as the two walked into the apartment, however, Yuji noticed that the TV was on... and was playing the same drama series that he'd been watching with Shana a few nights back.
This time... the male and female protagonist simply began to kiss as if there were no tomorrow. Yuji raised an eyebrow.
"Oooh..."
Shana, blushing up a storm, scowled fiercely as she suddenly snatched up the remote and switched the TV set off. She then glared up at Yuji for a moment. The hapless Flame Haze gulped.
"Uh, erm..."
Snorting in contempt and vexation, Shana turned away, still blushing, while irately mumbling and muttering a line that Yuji didn't quite understand.
"Hmph! I'm not going to lose..."
Yuji simply blinked and looked over at Shana in clueless, speechless wonder.
Far on the other side of Misaki City, the One Engulfed in Self-Doubt vaguely mumbled as he stared into the distance. Azure flames sparked in his hand as he left another Torch in his wake.
"...I wonder where he could be. I hope I can find the Crimson-Haired Blazing-Eyed Hunter soon. Then... then... I'll finally..."
Ogata grumbled as she stood nearby, impatiently tapping a foot.
"Hey, stupid Tanaka! Hurry it up! It's past dinnertime and you still haven't bought me those noodles!"
There was a long-suffering sigh.
"Coming, coming..."
Ike chuckled quietly, but said nothing.
"Well... I never expected THAT to happen."
"Tell me about it. Everything's shot to hell now. I wonder how Shana's going to handle this."
The Writer of Questionable Stories shrugged.
"Hopefully, nothing too rash. I'd hate to think of what would happen if she simply decided to skip the normal proceedings and just head for home plate."
There was a shudder.
"Heaven forbid..."
To Be Continued...?