Mairimashita! Iruma-kun: Shadows of the Past, part 2

Late that night, Kalego awoke in the school's infirmary. His head was pounding and his chest hurt like he'd somehow injured his ribs. Hazily sitting up, he realized he wasn't alone. Balam was sitting beside him with a book, looking relieved to see his best friend regain consciousness.

"How are you feeling?", he asked, offering some fresh tea. Graciously accepting the drink, Kalego sighed with his head in his hand. He could see his torso was well bandaged. His memories were fuzzy, but he was also already familiar with that uneasy feeling from previous encounters with Victoria. He downed his drink gratefully to wet his throat before speaking.

"Shichiro, how did I get here?", he asked softly. Balam set his book aside, giving his friend his full attention. "I carried you after you passed out", he replied. Kalego stared into his empty cup, embarrassed. "How many saw?", he asked stoically. "It's all right. We used detection warding and had the student council close off the popular areas first. We waited until it was after the last bell, so most students were at their batras", explained Balam.

Kalego smirked deprecatingly at himself. He was thankful to his best friend for the consideration, but he also knew that more of the staff had to be involved. "What did did the principal tell the council members?", asked Kalego, trying to plan a cover story. Balam shook his head. "Nothing yet that I know of", he ceded. Becoming more serious, he looked over his disheveled friend with concern.

"Does it still hurt? Have the herbs finished burning off?", he asked, worried. "It's fine", replied Kalego, his pride more wounded than anything. "How did that woman manage to get into the school?", he uttered, angrily thinking aloud. Balam looked to his hands in thought. He had wondered the same thing. First Kiriwo and now Victoria. It couldn't be a coincidence. "At least this time", thought Kalego, "the students aren't the target."

Trying to get out of bed, he stiffened in pain. Victoria had done more harm to his body with her 'drain' than he'd realized. Balam fretted, trying to convince him to rest. "Stay in bed. It'll take a few days for your strength to recover", he chided. Kalego grimaced, knowing his friend was right. At least he was in a private room. Any students reporting to the nurse would be none the wiser. Still, that left the misfits unattended.

Understanding his thought process, Balam gently touched his arm. "Don't worry. Your class is covered", he assured. "Who would - ?", began the wounded demon, before seeing an annoying yet friendly face appear in his mind. Assuming his usual dour glare, Kalego stated, "I don't want that rookie any more involved", positive his class would tear the young teacher apart. An odd look from Balam caught his eye.

"What is it?", he asked carefully. "He's already involved", replied Balam a little darkly. Dismissing the concern with a curt wave, Kalego grumbled, "He's seen too much. Bringing the herbs and all...the less he knows, the better." Balam stared at his friend anxiously. "Kalego-kun, you don't remember, do you?", he asked carefully. "Remember what?", retorted his worn friend, annoyed.

Balam stared into his tea silently. He knew this might happen. Victoria's curse and bloodline magic had taxed Kalego's mind and body. To top it all of, the herbs he had applied as an emergency effort to subdue the dark magic had a recoil. It was a very rare herb known as "heaven's kiss". It was exceedingly hard to grow in the demon world, but it was the last line of defense against anguish curses, even if it attacked a demon's body as much as it helped. The combined shocks to his system had caused Kalego's body to shut down. When Balam had stepped over to examine Robin's eye, his wounded friend went down hard. It was no surprise he didn't remember.

"Robin-kun was attacked in my study… She marked his eye", said Balam sullenly. Kalego clenched his hands in frustration. "That wench", he spat, annoyed. "What could she possibly want with an idiot like him?", he vented. Balam glanced aside, knowing the answer. "The same thing she wants with anyone - to get to you", he stated.

Kalego tightened his jaw. Victoria was certainly fixated on him and she was more than willing to play dirty to stack the odds in her favor. She had done so before. "How many marks?", inquired Kalego, taking everything in. "Just one", stated Balam. His battered friend seemed to relax a little in relief, but they both knew she would be back.

The following school day, the abnormal class assembled in Royal One. No one knew about the events from the end of the previous week or that their teacher had spent the weekend doing some serious recovery. They took their seats and waited for the inevitable, "Silence!", to be bellowed as Kalego entered the room. However, today was different. Their strict teacher was somehow late.

"Irumachi! If we get the day off, let's go play!", said Clara, already making plans for games. "Don't be ridiculous. Sensei is clearly testing us, right, Iruma-sama?", offered Azzkun. "What kind of test would it be?", ventured Jazz. "I bet he thinks we can't handle being on our own", smirked Lied. "I hope everything is all right", said Elisabetta.

Just then, everyone glanced at the sound of approaching footsteps. They were light and fast. Robin-sensei practically fell in his hurry to get to the front of the oversized classroom. "Sorry I'm late!", he said with a nervous smile. Everyone looked at him in confusion. "I'm not complaining, but where's Kalego-sensei?", asked Agares with a yawn. "You're not Eggy-sensei", stated Clara, suddenly appearing beside Robin with a childish poke.

Robin waved his hands innocently. "Something came up, so I'm filling in for a few days", he explained, keeping his usual cheerful demeanor. Quiet washed over the room, followed by roars of excitement. "Finally, a break", muttered Allocer, followed by agreements from his friends. Only Iruma raised his hand. "Excuse me, Robin-sensei, but what about your classes?", he asked. "Everything is fine. I trust the student body to conduct themselves accordingly during the allotted hours for familiar studies", he grinned. With few other questions, class went on as normal.

Elsewhere, Kalego stared out his window. He was annoyed that he was still regaining his strength. A demon his rank shouldn't be in such a state. Still, Victoria had stolen quite a bit. Part of him wanted to know what she was using it for and part knew it was better not to ask. All of their past encounters played through his mind, especially those when she had targeted those close to him.

He closed his eyes with a disgruntled sigh as a familiar perfume wafted over him. "What is it now?", he ventured, knowing she wouldn't be quick to finish the job. She much preferred to watch him suffer. "No warm welcome?", grinned Victoria, suddenly appearing on his lap. She crossed her legs and leaned into his shoulder. He didn't bother looking at her, simply staring outside. After all, she loved attention. Ignoring her was the small resistance he could currently muster.

"You know, if you came to serve me, you could see some old friends. I'm sure they're dying to see you", she said, stressing the word 'dying'. Kalego stiffened visibly. She had taken some demons he cared for and simply killed others. One, particularly, still stung. Seeing him react that way made her relax against his chest. She knew he was weakened and was taking advantage to get close.

"Why don't you come play with me?", she asked, turning his face toward hers. "I'd rather die", he stated flatly. Pouting, she traced his lips with her finger. Mana was starting to crackle around them. As his familiar formed, she disappeared from harm's way, reappearing elsewhere. "Cerby, it's been too long", she grinned. "Don't call him that!", spat Kalego.

It didn't take long to notice that the powerhouse he usually summoned wasn't quite right. While it had tried to bite its target, the jaws were far too small. It was more of a lightning pup than a beast. Kalego fought off an eye twitch. "He's so cute, just like his master", chuckled Victoria. The familiar growled at her. Her smile fell and an icy glare crossed her face. The mark she left on her victims shone brightly in her eyes. Cerberus whimpered and backed behind Kalego's chair before vanishing.

Rubbing his temples, Kalego was exasperated. Resuming her obnoxious grin, she teased, "I drained your mana, too. You didn't think I'd leave it intact, did you?". A mild glare met her gaze. "Speaking of remembering, it was so cute of Shichiro-kun to remind you about my newest pet", she boasted. Gripping the arm of his chair tightly, Kalego barely contained his dismay. Trying to change the subject before she could really get under his skin, he said, "That teleportation spell of yours is new." The ploy worked. She much rather desired to crow of her achievements than talk about Robin.

"It's wonderful, isn't it?", she beamed. He continued to look unamused. "Its owner put up quite the fight", she said idly, standing before him. He glowered darkly. "Of course", he thought. He knew she could steal bloodline magic with some dark ritual, even if he wasn't positive of the exact method. Honestly, he preferred not to think about it.

Leaning close, she placed her hands over his with a sadistic smile. Blushing, she said, "It's familiar, isn't it? His little brother is one of your precious students." That did it, igniting the rage to fuel a rebellion. He shoved her away. Suddenly standing over her sprawled across the floor, he demanded, "What did you do?". Her surprise didn't last long. She knew it was all for show. She'd seen the cane resting beside his chair. "Who cares if that clan is missing an heir? They have another", she smirked. Kalego sent every bit of anger he had through his eyes as he glared at her.

A knock at the door interrupted them. A quick fwoosh and she was gone. Opera stepped in, understanding the situation. Collapsing into his chair, Kalego sighed in annoyance. That was the last person he wanted to see. "The chair demon asked me to check in on you", stated the cat demon. Waving them off, he said, "I'm fine. It's just a headache." Opera narrowed their keen eyes. Victoria's perfume was still in the air.

"I see. Then I will tell Balam-kun not to worry. I also wanted to inform you that your class is none the wiser, so rest while you can. If you're gone too long, they'll start asking questions", replied Opera. With that they set some water beside the distressed Kalego and left him with his thoughts. Once outside, their phone rang. It was Sullivan. They updated their master accordingly.

On Sullivan's end, he said, "I see. Thank you, Opera. Make sure Iruma-kun does his homework. I'll be home late", before hanging up his cell from speaker mode. On his desk phone, the conference call was silent. "Then it really is Ai. She's back", trailed Lady Levi. "Sullivan, can we leave this up to you to take care of?", asked Belial. "Of course", grinned the principal.

To be continued...