Before we begin…
"Talking."
'Thinking.'
"Flashback quotes. Text from paper. Speech from intercom."
"Monster form dialogue from some monsters depending on their appearance."
When we last left off, Tsukune Aono has become a student at the mysterious Yokai Academy. But as it turns out, it's a school for monsters, and if anyone were to find out that he's a human, he's as good as dead. However, despite his human nature, Tsukune can defend himself just fine, especially with a black mark known as Karma that grants him power equal to that of a strong monster. But will it be enough for the rest of his time at Yokai Academy? Find out now.
~CHAPTER 2: THE SUCCUBUS AND THE WARLOCK~
It was early in the morning. Tsukune's eyes barely open as he awakens from his slumber. But despite that, he still remained in his bed, mentally wanting to rest for a little while longer.
PECK-PECK-PECK-PECK-PECK-PECK-PECK!
"ACK! Son of an Arlian whore!"
Tsukune shoots his head up off of his bed and clutches onto his forehead with one hand as soon as he felt a sharp pain ring through it. Zipping his head around, he looked to see his bird Nero flying at his head level, now realizing that it was her that was hitting his head.
"Really, Nero? I have my alarm clock to wake me up."
As if on cue, Tsukune and Nero hear his alarm go off. After turning it off, Tsukune looks to see the bird cringing at the loud blaring noise the clock made, making him sigh in slight understanding on why she woke him up like she did.
"Alright, I get it. But at least try to be more gentle, will you?"
Nero didn't respond as she watched Tsukune get up from his bed and went over to fix himself some breakfast. After eating and brushing his teeth, he dons his school uniform. While checking everything, his eyes stop at his Karma mark on his right hand's palm and stay there for a few more seconds before balling that hand into a fist with a stern expression.
'If I'm gonna stay at this school full of monsters for three years, I need to be careful and make sure no one knows I'm human. I mean, it'll be kinda easy because of my Karma, but still, better safe than sorry.'
Tsukune is now outside walking his way towards school. As he was treading forward, he noticed that some of the students were whispering to each other while keeping their eyes on him.
What they were murmuring about, he didn't know, and he didn't care. He was not in the mood to attract any attention today, so he decided to keep quiet and continue to walk, making sure to not stare at those who were muttering.
"Hey guys, look!" Tsukune snaps his head left to hear a fellow student talking to his friends with a blush on his cheeks. "It's her!"
The boy's friends look over to where he's pointing and share the same redness and smiles as him.
"Oh yeah! It's that new cute exchange student, Moka Akashiya!"
"She's so hot, it should be illegal~!"
After rolling his eyes at the boys' comments on Moka, Tsukune turns his head to see the pink-haired girl in question, looking as stunning as when he first met her.
As she walked closer, Tsukune decided to wave his hand to her in hello.
Seeing the kind gesture, Moka beamed in joy and lunges towards Tsukune to bring him into a hug, shocking the boys who were just talking about her.
"Good morning, Tsukune~!" Moka greets while tightening her hug with one leg kicked in the air. "It's so good to see you~!"
Tsukune chuckles with her with a smile back and some red cheeks of his own.
"Good morning to you, too, Moka-san."
Hearing their interactions from afar has agitated the boys.
"Dammit! What the hell?!"
"It's that Tsukune Aono guy!"
"He might not look it, but I heard that he was able to kick Saizou Komiya's ass with some crazy powers!"
Tsukune sweatdropped at the three boys, having heard their shouting.
'Well… They're not entirely wrong, but…'
"Tsukune, what's wrong?" the brown-haired boy looks over to see Moka "We're going to be late, let's go."
The three boys from earlier shout in bewilderment when they watch Moka do something they did not expect.
"Shit! Now she's holding his hand?!"
"No way! And they just met, too!"
"Why couldn't that be me?!"
While the boys were balling their eyes out at the sight of Moka and Tsukune walking together, they failed to notice a certain blue-haired girl watching the duo from behind a tree near them. With a jiggle of her breasts, she leaves the scene, but not without keeping her narrow-eyed stare on the two.
'Well, that was something I never thought I would witness today,' Tsukune thought to himself while walking with Moka, recalling the three jealous boys from earlier.
"Hey, Tsukune?" Hearing his friend speak to him, he turns his head towards her. "I'm sure it must be lonely being the only human here. But I'm here for you. If there's anything I can do for you, just ask, okay?"
Tsukune gasped at Moka's kindness before laughing sweetly.
"Nah, you don't have to worry about it. While I may not be a normal monster, I'm pretty sure I'm not entirely human if yesterday was any indication." Tsukune shows Moka his Karma and points at it before continuing. "And while you did scare the hell out of me when you turned into your true form, I'm glad that you're still the same kindhearted friend."
Moka blushes at his praise while shuffling her feet, something that made Tsukune's smile widen, finding her to be cute when she acts like that.
But as he was looking at her, his friend suddenly stiffened with her cheeks turning redder.
"I can't…" Moka utters while poking her index fingers together and slowly walk towards him, making Tsukune tilt his head at her. "I overslept and haven't had much breakfast, so…"
Tsukune shivers lightly when Moka leaned towards Tsukune, forcing him to catch her in his arms before she could fall.
"Uh… Moka-san?"
"I'm sorry…"
Capu-chuu!
"AAAAAAAAAAACK!"
Tsukune yelps when Moka bit into his neck and began to suck his blood. After two more slurps, he forced her off of him and began to run around like a headless chicken.
"OWIE-OWIE! SHE DID IT AGAIN! SHE DID IT AGAIN! DAMMIT! DAMMIT! DAMMIT!" Tsukune sprints for a few more seconds before pointing a finger at Moka with white eyes and shark teeth while some blood was squirting from his neck. "Moka-san! I am not your personal cafeteria!"
"Ts-Tsukune!" Moka tried to call out to him, but he immediately darted off while clutching onto his neck with one hand, making her frown with a glint in her eyes. "I'm sorry…"
After getting pretty far in the woods, Tsukune slowed down his movement and stops at a pond to get another look at the bite mark on his neck. When he looked, he saw that once again, it wasn't so bad of a bite.
"Geez, I still can't get over how her saliva has healing properties. Even so, the bite still didn't hurt much." Tsukune then sighs with thick horizontal lines for eyes. "Still, I wish she'd ask permission before taking a swig. But then again, Moka-san is a vampire." He then looks up towards the trees that had some crows with glowing red eyes resting on the branches. "And then there's Moka-san's true form…"
Tsukune remembers that form pretty well. Her curvy busty figure, her taller height, her silky silver hair, and of course, her spooky blood-red eyes and her much sharper fangs.
Those last two features he remembered made the boy shiver and think about his current situation.
"Ugh! Why the hell did I decide to stay here again?! Oh, right! I have the powers of an Otsutsuki literally at the palm of my hand to fend some evildoers off and a pet bird that surprisingly understands everything I say! Yeah, if a monster tries to hurt me and my new friend, I'll summon more tattoos and kick their asses with my fists and magic! No big deal!"
"Kyah!"
Tsukune's rants to himself were cut short when he heard the sound of a girl cry out. Looking around the area he was in, he found one with light ocean blue hair held up by a purple ribbon in a short ponytail near the edge of the pond, looking as if she had collapsed.
"Someone… please…"
On instinct, Tsukune immediately jogged to her aid and knelt to her.
"Hey, you okay?" Tsukune asks her with concern.
With an exhausted sigh, the girl brings a hand towards one of her bangs and brushes it aside.
"I don't know what happened… I just… felt so faint…"
Watching her lift her head upwards to look at him, Tsukune's eyes widen with some red dusting his cheeks when he saw that she had an adorable face; almost as cute as Moka's. Just one stare at the girl's purple eyes was enough for his cheeks to turn redder.
And unlike Moka and most girls, the blue-haired student wore a pale yellow skirt and vest and a white polo shirt with a red bow tie above her bountiful breasts.
Realizing what he's thinking, Tsukune shakes his head rapidly and offers the girl a hand.
"H-Here. Let me help you back on your feet."
The blue-haired girl looks up at Tsukune and gives him a grateful smile.
"Thank you very much," she says before taking his hand, allowing him to pull her up so she can stand.
With her smile growing, the blue-haired girl scoots closer to Tsukune.
"I want to apologize for the trouble. You see… I've always been a little delicate."
"You have?" Tsukune asks with a tilted head.
"Yes," the girl confirms before widening her smile with a darker blush and sweeter eyes. "It's my chest. See, sometimes, I would have these spasms~"
"Eh?!" Tsukune exclaims with a blush and shark teeth. "Sp-Sp-Spasms in your chest?!"
The blue-haired girl grins and nods before pushing her bust against Tsukune's chest while wrapping her arms around him.
"Yeah. And it always feels so tight like someone is squeezing them~ And with how tight my shirt feels, it's like they'll burst at any moment~!"
Tsukune's eyes whiten as the girl continued to rub her breasts up and down onto his body.
'J-J-Just what the hell is she doing?! I mean, her boobs feel amazing… No! Don't think about that, you idiot!"
"Hey…"
"Hmm?!"
Tsukune zips his head towards the blue-haired girl while she locked her arms around his left arm.
"Please look into my eyes…"
Doing as she requested, Tsukune's cheeks turn darker when he sees that once again, her eyes were a delight to see. They were almost hypnotizing to look at.
"I'm Kurumu Kurono, let's be friends, okay~?"
SHKEEEEEEEEEN!
"Uh..!"
Right after Kurumu made her request, Tsukune's eyes remain glued onto hers as if he was lost in a trance.
'Her eyes… so pretty… want… to hold her..?'
Without thinking straight, Tsukune brings Kurumu in a tight hug and nuzzles his chin onto her head, making the girl giggle and hug him back.
"Hee hee hee~! Thank you, Tsukune-kun~!"
'What the hell am I doing?! And why can't I stop myself?!'
Tsukune tried everything he could to snap out of whatever was controlling him, but it was proven futile because of how strong this force is.
"Alright, now that we're friends, would you kindly walk me to our class?"
Tsukune tries again to get a hold of himself, but his head ended up nodding on its own before walking inside the building with locked arms.
Moka finally caught up with Tsukune. And to her surprise, he found him walking with another girl inside of the school.
'Who is that girl he's walking to school with?' the pinkette wondered as they were no longer in her view. And with how the blue-haired girl behaved towards him, it got her a little worried.
"Heh heh heh, the women here can be dangerous, Karma boy," a male voice spoke. "You better be careful around them."
"Huh?!" Moka zips her body towards the source of the voice and saw that it was a familiar middle-aged man smoking a cigar.
"Wh-Who are you?!"
"Oh, just… a passerby," the bus driver answers before taking another puff. "Besides, I'm mostly here for a special event~"
Moka was now more confused.
"Special event?"
"CAW! CAW!"
"Up, here we go~," the bus driver speaks with more excitement and a wider grin.
Following his stare, Moka's eyes widen in bewilderment to see a flock of crows charging towards Tsukune's bird, Nero, who just happened to be sitting on a branch minding her own business.
But as a crow was about to reach her, Nero slits her eyes at the crow and effortlessly kicks it in the face, sending it landing towards the ground with a comedic thud.
And from there, Moka watched in amusement to see Nero holding her own against the crows as they attempt to attack her. With one crow, Nero jumped out of the way and pecked its head three times before backflip-kicking another crow from behind and uppercutting another one with her beak.
"Ha ha ha ha! Get em', little birdie! Get em'!"
Moka sweatdropped at the bus driver when she saw that he was enjoying the sight of Nero kicking the crows' ass.
She would stay for longer to keep watching her fight them, but she didn't want to be late for school and hurried inside. Plus, she has a puzzle to figure out on why Tsukune was walking with that girl arm and arm.
During class, Tsukune was currently thinking about what happened minutes ago, now that he's got control of his mind again after he was suddenly forced to be attached to this girl he knows as Kurumu, whom he just learned that she was also in his class along with Moka.
'What the hell was that all about?' Tsukune wondered as he kept his stare on his Karma. 'I wasn't in control of how I interacted with her.'
It was mind-boggling to Tsukune. As soon as Kurumu asked to be friends, he lost all control of his body and started getting lovey-dovey with her, which he found to be very strange.
'I'm not sure what kind of monster Kurumu-san is, but from now on, I'll try to be more vigilant.' After making that declaration, his eyes shift over towards Moka and soften. 'I still need to apologize to Moka-san for earlier, too.'
Unbeknownst to the boy, Moka was glaring daggers at the blue-haired girl, who stared right back with a grin and narrowed eyes.
'She's looking at me,' Kurumu thinks as she giggles through her lips. 'Good. I want her to know that I've got a bone to pick with her.'
After class has finished, Moka can be seen walking through the hallway by herself, still thinking about that Kurumu girl who was with Tsukune.
'I don't understand… the way they were holding onto each other… it's almost like…' Moka shakes her head with furrowed brows. 'No. Why am I so shocked right now?'
With a sigh through her nose, Moka then remembers what her friend shouted at her before taking off at the speed of light.
"I am not your personal cafeteria!"
Moka's hands clench at that moment before she reached for her rosary with a sad expression.
'Why do I always feel like sucking blood when I'm with Tsukune? I never mean to… but why..?"
As she continued to think about her situation, the gem of her rosary suddenly glowed a brighter red with a black slit appearing in the middle.
"Will you quit moping about yourself? You should keep your guard up."
"Huh?!" Moka jumped when she suddenly heard a mature woman's voice somewhere and zipped her head around the hallway, looking for whoever spoke to her.
"So, you're a vampire, eh, Moka Akashiya?" Moka's eyes broaden when another girl addressed her. Looking up, she gasps to see Kurumu sitting on the railing while looking down with a sneer. "It's quite the gossip at school lately."
With a snicker, Kurumu grabs hold of the railing and vaults over it, landing in front of Moka on her feet while impressing some of the boys from behind her.
"Holy hell! Did you see that?" one guy asks another
"Yeah! They were bright blue! And check out those tits!"
"Her body is so small, yet her boobs are so big~!"
"She's so amazing~!"
Kurumu grins at the praises the boys say about herself before locking her glare onto Moka.
"You see, I've come here to challenge you."
"Eh? Challenge me?" Moka questions Kurumu as she walked closer to her.
"Indeed. I've got this grand plan going great, and you've gotten in the way of it, sweet vampire."
"What grand plan?"
"Oh? You wanna know?" Giggling, Kurumu makes a sexy pose with her arms behind her back and makes her breasts bounce with an upwards shift of her torso. "My goal in this school is to turn all of Yokai Academy's male students into my personal love slaves~ And it's been working, thanks to my flawless beauty, and my booby trap~"
Moka sweat drops when Kurumu makes her boobs jiggle in a rhythm, seeming to have hypnotized the boys with them since they now have hearts for eyes.
"Plenty of guys have fallen into it," Kurumu continued. "And why wouldn't they, I am a Succubus after all~"
Bite-Size Monster Encyclopedia: Succubus
A female spirit identified since the Middle Ages who enters the dreams of sleeping men to seduce them.
"W-W-Wait a minute!" Moka interjects nervously. "Aren't you aware that revealing your monster identity is against the rules?"
"But then," Kurumu interrupts with a jab of her finger before getting in her face. "You came along, and all those boys started to fall for you instead! I refuse to lose in a battle of feminine charm! You hear me?!"
"I… I don't understand. Why would I want to charm the boys at school?"
The boys watching start to sweat bullets as they watch Kurumu glare daggers at Moka with an aura of energy surrounding her.
"Whoa… the jealousy is strong with this one…"
"You think there's gonna be a catfight?"
"Shut up, and we'll see, dude."
With a click of her tongue, Kurumu takes a step back from Moka and smirks with her hands on her hips.
"That's why I decided to show you that you don't have a chance against me by stealing your little boyfriend from you!"
"Eh?!" Moka puts her hands up in defense. "L-Leave Tsukune out of this! What does he have to do with what you're talking about?!"
Kurumu snickers at the vampire before resuming.
"You know, Moka, when I felt that boy up, not only does he have a great build, but he seems to also have a pleasant scent, doesn't he? It can be comparable to a Human's."
Moka's eyes twitch at Kurumu's statement, not liking where the Succubus is going with this.
"Is his blood tasty?" Kurumu asks with a more smug expression. "Is that all you keep him around for? Good luck finding another food source after I take him from you!"
"No! You're wrong!" Moka snaps with a shivering hand. "I don't 'use' him."
"Moka-san! There you are!"
The two girls gasp when they hear a familiar voice from Moka's left. Turning in that direction, Moka sighs in relief when she sees the one person she can call her real friend.
"Tsukune…"
Slowing down his pace, Tsukune waves a hand at Moka while Kurumu watched the boy closely with a smirk. But little did he know, that the boys watching were predicting some carnage going down since they heard the succubus mention his name earlier before he showed up.
"Hey, I'm sorry for disappearing like that." He says before scratching his cheek. "And… There's something else I want to apologize to you for."
Moka was ready to hear him out. But before he could speak, Kurumu jumps onto him with her bust pushing against the boy.
"Tsukune-kun~! There's my sweet, strong hero!"
A tick mark appears on Moka's cheek when Kurumu latches herself tighter onto Tsukune, much to the jealousy of some boys.
"I've been meaning to thank you for your help back there," Kurumu says while wiping her breasts on his chest side to side with a wink. "How can I ever repay you~?"
Tsukune grits his teeth while averting his eyes from Kurumu's admittedly gorgeous boobs while Moka growled at the sight of the succubus flirting with him.
"H-H-Hang on, Kurumu-san! I'm here to speak to Moka-san!"
Seeing how out of hand this was getting, Moka quickly cuts to the chase before Kurumu could try anything else with him.
"Tsukune! Kurumu's tricking you! She isn't really nice! Get away from her!"
"Eh?"
"Oh! What a terrible thing to say to me, Moka," Kurumu whines with a faux sad face. "I… I think I'm about to faint! Tsukune-kun, catch me!"
"Oi! What the hell?!"
Before Tsukune could question what was up, Kurumu quickly grabs Tsukune's head by the chin and locks eyes with him.
"Allure!"
SHKEEEEEEEEEEN!
At that moment, Tsukune's eyes widen as he felt his control slip from his mental grasp again with his face appearing to be dazed.
'Shit! Not again! Just one look into her eyes and… I feel strange…'
Moka sees that Tsukune isn't budging from Kurumu's grasp, so she tried to warn him again.
"Tsukune… you have to believe me. She's going to devour you!"
"Devour me..?" Tsukune utters while slowly turning towards Moka like a zombie. "So says the girl who sucks my blood every now and then."
Moka gasps at how ruthless and cruel Tsukune sounded when he said such words while Kurumu flashed a peace sign and a toothy grin at the vampire.
Tsukune was able to snap out of the control again, but it was already too late. His eyes widen to see that his friend has tears rolling down her cheeks as she sniffed in sadness.
"M… Moka-san… I can explain."
Just as he said it, Moka darted off with an arm covering her face, shocking the boys because of what just happened, especially Tsukune, who began to feel very guilty right now.
'Dammit… Why me..?'
'Yahoo-hoo! I did it!' Kurumu cheers to herself on the bed after bringing Tsukune to the infirmary with her with long purple pointed tail wagging at her victory. 'I made that vampire bitch cry~! That face she made when I made Tsukune-kun diss her is just priceless! Serves her right for stealing all the attention!'
While she continued to celebrate by herself, Tsukune just sat on a chair beside the bed, recalling the hurtful words he was forced to say by that sudden mind control with a grimacing expression.
'It happened again… first, the mysterious mind-control made me hold onto Kurumu-san like we're lovers, and now, I've said such a terrible thing to Moka-san…'
Tsukune continued to feel the guilt course through his body. But as he was, he thought of something that was related to Kurumu.
'Now that I think on it, every time I did or said something I didn't mean to, Kurumu-san looked me in the eyes.'
That was the guess Tsukune had since the only reason he said such a mean thing to Moka was after she forced him to lock eyes with him. She even told him to look into them after she flirted with her with a chest massage via her boobs.
'Either way, I need to make things right. I can't just leave it like this.'
Having made his decision on what he will do next, Tsukune sits up from the bed and starts to make his way out of the infirmary, an action that Kurumu was able to see from the corner of her eye.
"Where are you going, Tsukune-kun."
Tsukune's eyes were hidden behind his bangs, not bothering to bat an eye to the blue-haired girl.
"I need to find Moka-san. I'm sorry, but what I just said to her…"
"No, wait!"
Kurumu quickly grabs onto Tsukune's head in both hands and buries his face into her cleavage, stopping him from leaving.
'Oh, come on!' Tsukune screams mentally with furrowed brows, small dots for irises, and a bright red face as he felt her soft boobs on his cheeks.
"I see… You're feeling a little down from that feud with Moka-san, huh? Well, don't worry," with a wider smile, Kurumu places a hand behind Tsukune's head and strokes his hair. "Your bosom buddy here will make it all better~"
"MMMMF! MMMMF!"
Tsukune tried to free himself from Kurumu's grasp, but surprisingly enough, her grip was too strong as she laid her head on top of his, continuing to pet his head and shift her eyes down on him.
'And now, Tsukune-kun… you will be mine~'
Outside of the school, Moka continued to sob to herself because of the prior events at the hallway. She felt miserable about what Tsukune has said to her back there. But despite that, she began to wonder about her intentions on her friendship with the human with magic powers.
"Do I really just want Tsukune's blood?" she wondered out loud, getting close to producing more tears as she kept thinking about it. "Is that really the main reason I'm friends with Tsukune? Am I really just..?"
Before she could finish, Moka's rosary suddenly flew upwards and yanked its chain, making the pink-haired vampire gasp at the silver object.
"Are you really that stupid?! Tsukune's under a spell!"
Moka squeaks when she hears that same woman's voice from the hallway as she stared at the cross.
"That succubus casted 'Allure' on him. It's a typical spell her kind uses for enslaving men."
"That… That voice… it's coming from my rosary?"
"I am your other self. I'm speaking from deep within your psyche by using the seal as a medium."
"My other self..?"
The glowing red gem blinks before revealing the black slit of a Vampire within it.
"Succubi are demons who confound men. It's said that a man who is kissed by one will eternally be her slave."
Moka gasps in horror at the information her other self gave to her.
"Eternally?!"
"You must find Tsukune quickly!" Moka's inner self instructs. "Before he gets lost by that vile woman!"
Understanding fully, Moka clutches onto her rosary and peered deeply at its gem.
"But where can I find him?! Please tell me!"
Her pleas fell to deaf ears as the gem on her rosary stopped glowing with the slit pupil vanishing with it.
The vampire began to stress. Just where could she possibly find Tsukune with the dangerous succubus, Kurumu?
But as she mentally asked herself that, her eyes widen in realization, knowing one place that she could have taken Tsukune to perform her task as a succubus.
So with no time to lose, Moka stood up with her serious face and began to sprint back inside the school.
'Hang on, Tsukune! I'm coming for you!'
Back at the infirmary, a blushing Tsukune was pushed down on the bed by Kurumu, who straddled on top of him with a face as red as his.
"K… Kurumu-san…"
"Don't move," the succubus instructs before caressing his cheek with her hand.
"But, I… I…" Tsukune tried to get out before Kurumu presses a thumb onto his lips.
"I know… I'm nervous too~"
Tsukune could feel his right hand twitching. With every shake it made, he tried to do what he could to escape from Kurumu's advances. But right now, all he can do right now is stare at the very girl that was holding him hostage in such a perverse manner.
'Fweeeeeeeeee~ I just love this moment~," Kurumu thought as she leans her head closer and closer to Tsukune's. 'This will be the kiss that seals the conquest and slap that vampire bitch's face!'
With her crotch pressed up against Tsukune's, Kurumu puckers her lips as she got even closer to Tsukune's face, getting ready to seal his fate with a kiss. She was inching closer and closer with her lips about to make contact with his, until…
'No!'
Before she could peck him, Tsukune used all of his willpower to sit up on the bed and quickly pull Kurumu into a hug, catching her off guard as he rests his head on her shoulder to avoid eye contact just in case.
"W-Wait! Don't be so rough, Tsukune-kun!" Kurumu cries out because of how tight he held onto her. She tried to get out of the hug, but he wouldn't let go, making her place her arms around him with a sigh.
Sighing a breath of his own, Tsukune carefully guides his right hand over towards his face so he can get a look at his palm. Once he did, a small smile forms when he saw that he managed to make his Karma glow bright blue during his struggle with the blue-haired girl, as the mark was still shining that color.
"Finally," Tsukune whispers, but Kurumu was able to hear him. "I was wondering if my Karma can snap me out of spell-like trances, and it looks like my gamble paid off."
'What?!' Kurumu quietly gasps. 'How can that be? Maybe with one more Allure!'
Kurumu attempts to get Tsukune to look at him, but he stood his ground and held on tighter, making his grip that of an iron-clad.
"I said such horrible things to Moka-san. Even though it wasn't actually me, I still need to find her and show her how sorry I am."
With a shaky breath and contracted irises, Kurumu's breath gets shaky as her eyes are hidden by her bangs.
"Do you really want her so much more..? Do you really prefer her over me?"
Tsukune was shocked by this string of questions the distraught Kurumu asked him.
"You misunderst-"
"Shut up!" Kurumu snaps as she shoves Tsukune off of her with tears starting to well up in her eyes. "I humiliated myself for you! I went head over heels for you! I even acted weak for you!"
With a growl, a pair of purple demonic wings sprout from Kurumu's back, making Tsukune scoot back quickly and be on guard.
'Just what type of monster is she?!' Tsukune questions while a tail sprouts from Kurumu's tailbone.
"All this time… I never lost to anyone! But it all changed when that bitch of a vampire transferred to this damn school!" Kurumu aims her glare at Tsukune before allowing the nails on her hands to grow longer, forming into claws. "Now I'm really mad!"
Tsukune grits his teeth with a cocked brow and a furrowed brow.
'Is that what this is about?!'
With her wings opened, aims her claws for Tsukune and prepares to attack.
"I'm going to take everything that vampire bitch adores and smash it all into pieces!"
With Kurumu lunging forward, Tsukune was about to activate his Karma in preparation for a battle, but before either two could make a move, the infirmary door was thrown open.
"Stop!"
Tsukune and Kurumu pause their actions when a familiar girl runs inside the room.
"Moka-san!" Tsukune speaks, surprised that she arrived here after what he said to her that was out of his control.
"You…" Moka grumbles with her shadowed eyes at the succubus, who glared right back at her with her claws ready to cut her down.
"Get away from him!"
Before the succubus could attack, Moka shoves Kurumu out of the window with all of her strength. And because of that vampire strength, she was able to send her pretty far as she crashed through the glass window.
A few seconds pass before Tsukune and Moka then hear a rather loud thud from outside, followed by Kurumu groaning "My leg…"
"Tsukune! We need to get out of here now!"
W-Wait! Hold on!" Tsukune says. "What the hell's going on here."
Moka softens her expression before answering.
"I'm sorry. But I got you into this mess. That girl is a succubus. She has some grudge against me and she's trying to get back at me by going after you."
"Well, I had a feeling that was the case after she snapped at me. But why me?"
"Remember that one time you said those mean words to me?" Tsukune flinched with some guilt returning to him but nodded nonetheless. "She made you say those things with her Allure ability. Just one gaze of her eyes and she can enslave you and any other men she chooses to hypnotize."
That was when realization hit Tsukune like a ton of bricks with his right hand twitching at the new knowledge.
"That explains so much…"
He was about to process this further, but Tsukune and Moka hear Kurumu's laughter, signaling her return. And by the time they turn towards the broken window, the succubus lashes her tail out at Tsukune and grabs him by the neck before pulling him out of the infirmary through the open window.
Not wanting him to be kidnapped or killed, Moka ran towards Tsukune and managed to hold onto his leg.
While Kurumu was able to keep flying for a long distance, the weight of Tsukune and Moka was enough for the strain of carrying them to take its toll. And it was at that moment where her tail gave out, allowing Tsukune and Moka to fall into the middle of the woods.
But with quick thinking, Tsukune quickly grabbed hold of Moka and landed in a crouched position while carrying his friend bridal style.
Safely on the ground, Moka looks up at her hero, who kept facing forward with a stern expression.
"Are you okay, Tsukune?"
Before she could get her answer, Moka and Tsukune hear more laughter from the dream demon as she made her presence known above them.
"Excellent," Kurumu says while grinding her claws together. "Looks like I'll be killing both of you together!"
With her wings extended, Kurumu flies towards them in an attempt to cut them to shreds. But with Moka tightly in his arms, Tsukune leaps out of the way while keeping his glare locked onto the succubus.
After dodging successfully and setting his friend down gently, Tsukune and Moka hear a loud crash from behind them and look to see a few of the trees fall down in one swoop.
'Holy hot damn! Her claws are strong enough to cut through that?!'
"Tsukune!" The brown-haired boy turns to Moka and sees that she has a serious expression. "I need you to take my rosary off my chest!"
Tsukune's eyes broaden a bit at her suggestion, but he quickly shakes his head.
"No. Leave Kurumu-san to me-"
"No, Tsukune! I'm responsible for that succubus coming after you! So please, get the rosary off and let me face her!"
Tsukune saw how insisted Moka was to fight her instead of himself. And her face told him that she's not taking no for an answer again.
"Oh, alright!"
Tsukune grabs hold of the silver cross on Moka's chest and gently gives it a tug. But when he starts to pull on it harder, he and Moka saw that it wasn't popping off like it did last time.
"What?! Why is it not coming off?!" Moka asks in confusion.
"I don't know," Tsukune replies. "Maybe I was able to do it when I had my Karma active. Hang on a moment."
With his right palm facing upwards at the sky, Moka watches the black diamond mark enlarge itself into a circle before more markings etch themselves onto his skin like a tattoo needle applying them very quickly.
After having his Karma spread up his arm only, Tsukune was about to try and yank the rosary off again, only to be interrupted by another cackle from the dream demon herself.
"Moka Akashiya. The rumor of you being a vampire is only to trick guys into liking you, yes?" Just from hearing Kurumu ask that, Tsukune could tell that her ego on beauty was getting the best of her. "It's just as well. You two can die in each other's arms!"
Kurumu charges for the two again, making Tsukune get ready to protect her.
"No!" Moka cries out before pulling Tsukune toward herself, surprising the Karma-marked boy. "Spare him and kill me instead!"
"Moka-san!" Tsukune yells in protest while Kurumu forms an evil smirk from her lips.
"There you go again, little vampire. Trying to protect your precious food, aren't you?!"
"He is not my food!" Moka roars in anger and determination. "He's not my friend because of his blood! He's my friend because of how kind and caring he is to me! If he's gonna protect me, then I'll be more than happy to protect him too! Because that's what friends do, and I don't ever want to lose him because of how precious he is to me!"
"Moka-san…"
Tsukune's eyes open in shock at his friend's words. And with a small smile, he steeled his resolve on what to do as her friend.
'Thanks a bunch, Moka-san.'
"A friend?! Don't make me laugh!" Kurumu barks before rushing for her targets again. "There's only one thing a man exists for, and it's to be a slave! Men are slaves meant to submit to you just like they submit to us succubi!"
'She still considers me a friend,' Tsukune thought. 'Even after I explained everything about myself.'
With the will to fight, Tsukune grabs onto Moka's shoulders, gently pries himself off of her, and stands up to face Kurumu.
"I'm not gonna be a burden to Moka-chan!" Tsukune exclaims before ripping his jacket off and throwing it to the ground at his left.
As he did, Kurumu looks to see a set of black geometric tattoos from Tsukune's hand to his shoulder, leaving her wondering if he had those the whole time before getting back to her current goal.
"Ooh la la, somebody's manning up to save the damsel in distress! What are you gonna do to face me, Tsukune Aono!"
Without uttering a word, Tsukune lifts both hands up with their palms facing the sky. After doing so, two Rasengan form above each hand.
'Is that magic?' Kurumu quizzed in her thoughts as she saw the blue balls with white swirls on the insides get bigger and bigger.
Getting them to the size of beach balls, Tsukune's eyes slit at the dream demon before he throws his first Rasengan at her, getting her to gasp and dodge to her left to avoid getting hit. As she watches it fly by, she gasps to see the orb crash into a tree and form a crater so deep, if one touches it with a push, they could bring it down.
Shocked at what his magic attack can do, Kurumu turns back around and plots her next move to defeat him. But by the time she did, her eyes go as wide as saucers when Tsukune's second Rasengan was already thrown, hitting her right in the stomach.
With whitened eyes, Kurumu felt the Rasengan go deeper without it piercing her before the ball exploded, sending the succubus flying across the woods.
"Tsukune…" Moka mutters when she saw how he was able to distract Kurumu with one Rasengan before throwing his other one while her back was turned.
Unbeknownst to the vampire, her inner self was watching the battle through the rosary with the red gem serving as her eye.
"She ain't done yet," Tsukune says.
And as if on cue, Kurumu came back to where he is while still in flight, much to his and Moka's surprise; Tsukune's because she's still flying, and Moka's because she thought that attack would be enough to finish the job.
"Lucky hit," Kurumu snarls. "So despite your human scent, you're actually a witch." She pauses to giggle dangerously. "Or should I call you a wizard because you're a boy?"
Tsukune's expression didn't change.
"Actually, I prefer to be called a warlock."
"A warlock?" Kurumu repeats with a cocked brow and a tilted head. "Well, either way, I'll be on to your magic tricks from now on. You can try again if you like, but this time, I'll dodge them all."
"I agree."
"Eh?" Kurumu was caught off guard by that. "Y-You do."
"Of course," Tsukune confirms with a humorous smile. "And even if I hit ahead of where you're gonna fly, I'm sure you'll be fast enough to avoid all my Rasengan and other magical projectiles I can shoot from my hands."
"Ha! That's right, Tsukune!" the succubus shouts with a wider smile. "And don't even bother on relying on physical combat. No matter how strong you are, you can't reach me up here!"
Tsukune's eyes are covered by his bangs as she stuck her tongue at him while forming an L from her hand.
"Is that what you think?"
After hearing him whisper that question, the girls and the inner Moka from the rosary look to see that the two black circles, one on his palm, and the other on top of his hand, have started to glow blue. And as they did, they wince a bit when the markings gave off a continuous ring that they would usually hear when their ears would ring.
Their ears weren't actually ringing, but the sound the two circles were making sounded like something close to that.
While the circles continued to radiate blue, the two Mokas and Kurumu see black streaks spread up Tsukune's face in the pattern Moka recognized perfectly from his battle with Saizou.
Kurumu was the most surprised at this, not realizing that there were more tattoos that can appear on his body than just the ones on his right arm.
Once they appeared on his face, Tsukune tightly balls his Karma-marked hand into a fist. And right after he did that, a small crater is formed from his foot as he took that step before the rest of the markings on his hand flare blue.
And as they did, the very same blue light traveled up the markings, coating them dark blue from its trail while a sci-fi screech can be heard from the Karma in the process.
Moka and Kurumu tense up at the large power increase that was caused by this color change in Tsukune's tattoos.
After feeling more power from the mark flow through him, Tsukune casually glances up at the lightly shivering dream demon.
"Kurumu Kurono, you claim that your flight gives you an advantage over me, is that correct?" Kurumu, still shaking from his power and change in attitude, nods her head ever so slightly. "Then allow me to even the odds."
Tsukune walks two more paces towards the succubus in the air. And with his third step, girls become bewildered when he began to levitate above the ground with little effort for a moment before floating further upwards to get to Kurumu's level.
"So, his Karma also grants him the ability to fly," the inner Moka comments with her outer self nodding with the voice in astonishment of the new power she was showcased. "I wonder what else he's capable of with the power of an Otsutsuki?"
Kurumu continued to stare at the floating Tsukune with her claws twitching every second. Her widened eyes trace the dark blue pattern of his Karma from the streaks on his cheek to the angular curving shapes on his arm.
'All of that magic… is coming from those tattoos…'
The succubus' breath almost got caught a few times because of how scary she was starting to find Tsukune to be because of all of that power, his narrowed stare, and the markings that accompanied them both.
"I… I will not be intimidated!"
Out of terror, Kurumu slashes her claws at Tsukune only for him to easily dodge them without blinking. She tries again multiple times, but would always be avoided by the Karma-marked boy with some attacks being blocked with the careful movement of his arms.
'That look in her eyes…' Tsukune observed as he kept ducking and blocking her attacks without getting cut. 'I can't help but think there's more to her than what I've seen so far.'
With a frown, Tsukune grabs onto Kurumu's right arm in both of his hands. Gasping, she tried to get out of his grasp only to get kneed in the stomach, preventing her from impaling Tsukune's skull with her free hand.
Retracting his knee, Tsukune spins Kurumu around in a clockwise motion four times before throwing her back in the infirmary through the broken window.
Knowing that it won't be long until she returns, Tsukune takes the time he's got to hover back to Moka and lands to place a hand on her shoulder.
"Moka-chan, you've got to get out of here, now! I'll hold her off long enough for you to escape."
Moka shakes her head in negative.
"I'm not leaving you alone to fight! The only reason this whole thing happened is that I treated you as a blood vending machine! But I don't want to use you like that! I really do care about you, and I want to prove that here and now!"
"I already know that you care!" Tsukune counters. "And I care about you too, but…"
Before he could finish his sentence, Kurumu's enraged scream drew their attention away.
Lightly baring his teeth, Tsukune turns around to refocus on the fight. But as he did, his right hand unknowingly caught hold of Moka's rosary around her neck, and it was only until the two heard a soft ping noise that their attention drew to the vampire's chest.
And then, in a flash of red energy, Moka began to transform in the same way Tsukune witnessed during his duel with Saizou before both he and Kurumu were forced to cover their eyes because of how bright the light is.
Just like before, Moka's pink hair changed into silver, her eyes went from green to blood red with slit pupils, and her body became curvier.
As soon as the transformation was complete, the inner Moka moves some hair out of her eyes before turning towards the shocked Kurumu with a smirk.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," she said with a calm tone as if she doesn't see the succubus as a threat.
Tsukune was about to do something, but the vampire immediately blocked him with an extended arm, telling the Karma-marked boy to stand down.
"I don't believe it…" Kurumu utters with wide eyes. "It's just like the legends. It really is her! The extremely rare S-class super monster! A vampire!"
Tsukune and Moka can see how terrified the dream demon was right now, making the vampire's smile widen as she places a hand on her hip.
"Whether the rumors are true or not will be determined with your own body, little succubus."
Kurumu scoffed at how confident Moka was sounding.
"Don't joke with me! I won't lose to you! I can't! I shoulder a very important mission, for the fate of my entire race is at stake!"
Hearing that got Tsukune curious, especially after earlier when he recalled that strange look in her eyes.
"What do you mean about this important mission?" Tsukune asks Kurumu. "What even is it, anyway?"
"We succubi are dying out! Therefore, each of us has one great mission: to find a male worthy of fathering our offspring! That's why I wanted to enslave the boys of Yokai Academy in hopes that one of them would be monster enough to become my destined one!" Kurumu pauses with a more angry expression before flying towards her opponent. "But you got in the way of that, Moka! That's why I'll make you pay!"
Moka's smile drops into a frown while placing a foot backward.
"So that's it? That's why you've decided to pick a fight with me? All just for 'interfering' with your selfish little plans?" Moka's eyes widen with contracted pupils in anger. "How foolishly immature."
Kurumu was irked by that comment, getting her to raise her claws at the vampire as soon as she got close enough to her. But when she brought them down, Moka leaped over her strike in a blink of an eye."
"S… So fast!"
Kurumu's body twitches when she feels her tail being grabbed by Moka.
"And you're slow!" the vampire says. "Now you'll get to experience the power of an S-class monster first hand!"
With her fangs out, Moka yanks Kurumu's tail upwards and flings her high in the air. And when the succubus fell back down, Moka spun around once and planted a powerful kick in her face, sending Kurumu through several trees before crashing into a larger and thicker one a good dozen yards away.
Kurumu slowly slid down the tree with swirls for eyes before being sat on her butt by gravity.
"I fully understand…" Kurumu groans out weakly. "She's incredibly strong…"
Looking upwards, Kurumu sees Moka walking calmly towards her with a pink aura flashing around the vampire's body.
"You're an especially unpleasant sight," Moka comments harshly with a steely face. "So to make sure you don't do anything stupid again, I'll tear off your wings and your tail. Perhaps if I do, you'll be reduced to a human."
"N-N-N-No… Please…" Kurumu pleads with a shiver in her voice and fear evident on her face. "Anything but that, please."
Moka ignored her and continued moving forward with her eyes turning more dangerous.
But just as she was about to reach Kurumu, Moka stops when Tsukune dashed in between the two girls and holds his Karma marked arm out in a protective fashion with the rosary in his right hand.
"What do you think you're doing?" Moka asks him with a raised brow. "Not only did you get hypnotized by that witch, she almost killed you too."
"I'm fully aware of that, Moka-san," Tsukune states as calm as he can, hiding his slight nervous feeling caused by Moka's power. "But despite everything she's done, Kurumu-san didn't have any dark thoughts."
Moka didn't seem to buy that.
"And how exactly would you know that?"
"I could see it in her eyes while I blocked off some of her attacks before you got unsealed," Tsukune explains before he allows his Karma to recede. And as they did, Moka and Kurumu saw the markings revert to black with every piece of the pattern being "erased" off of him. "And it was within those eyes that I saw that Kurumu-san isn't really a bad person. She's someone that genuinely does care for her race despite doing so in the wrong way. Hell, right now, she's not that different from you right now. So why don't we become friends with her, just like how you and I have become friends, Moka-san?"
Kurumu's jaw drops at how kind Tsukune was being. Even after she used him just to get back at Moka, he was still willing to forgive her and wants to truly be friends with her.
Unable to hold it, Kurumu broke down into tears and started sobbing.
Tsukune saw this and his expression softens for the girl. But when he turns back to Moka, he's left surprised when her expression adopted the same expression, but more sorry.
Slightly shaking her head from those thoughts when she notices that Tsukune saw her, Moka approaches Tsukune and gently takes the rosary out of his hands.
"You definitely have guts, 'warlock'," Moka says with a small smirk before holding the cross close to the chain in preparation to reattach it. "But don't get the wrong idea, I just don't want anyone else to take your blood away. Okay, Tsukune? I'm not like that other weaker Moka."
Tsukune rose a brow at that statement. As he watched Moka put the seal back in place, he couldn't help but feel that this Moka's words were slightly false.
But before he could think about it further, Tsukune catches the unconscious Moka into his arms and held her close to support her.
As soon as he did that, he and Kurumu blink with broadened eyes when Tsukune hears a familiar "Curr! Curr!" chirping sound and looks over to see a certain bird flying towards him.
"Oh! Nero!" Tsukune extends his left hand with two fingers out so she can land onto them. After she did, he brought the bird closer to his face and cocked a brow at her. "And where have you been this whole time?"
Extending a wing, Nero points behind herself, guiding Tsukune and Kurumu to a pile of knocked-out crows that appeared to have fallen off a standing tree from very far away. Some had swirls for eyes, and some had bats and stars flying above their heads as they twitch in the pain caused by the bird's impressive combat skills.
"Okay…" Tsukune utters as he watches Nero tilt her head side to side at her fight with the crows. "Fair enough."
It was the next day. Tsukune and Moka can be seen walking to school together with Nero perched on top of his hair. While they were, Moka explained to her friend how she was able to find him yesterday.
"Really? The rosary spoke to you?"
Moka nods in affirmative.
"It did. And it was the exact same voice as the other me that appears when you remove the seal." Moka looks down at the silver cross before grabbing the bottom of it in her hand. "I wonder if the magical seal is weakening?"
Tsukune and Nero peer at the object in question, both feeling just as curious as Moka. While Tsukune did research the supernatural, he never found anything related to seals like the vampire's.
"Uh… Tsukune? Please be honest with me."
"What's up?"
Moka was hesitant for a moment, but she finally got her question out.
"If the rosary stops working… will you still like me?"
Tsukune was surprised at what she asked, but he gave her a smile of reassurance.
"Moka-chan, no matter which form you take, you'll always be my precious friend." Turning his whole body towards her, Tsukune's smile widens. "So giving a little blood every now and then isn't a problem for me."
"Tsukune…" Moka blushed in surprise at his sweet words.
"I… also want to say sorry about yesterday," Tsukune resumes while scratching the back of his head sheepishly, making sure to avoid hitting Nero in the process.
"Ufufu~ Tsukune, didn't I tell you that it wasn't entirely your fault?"
Tsukune laughs back with her.
"Well… I can't help but think a part of me thinks so, so…"
"Morning~!"
""GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!""
Tsukune and Moka leap high in the air with Nero forced off Tsukune's head as the two landed with their hands on their hearts.
After the bird landed back on Tsukune's hair, she along with him and Moka, turn around and become more shocked to see none other than Kurumu, holding a small basket in her hands.
"Hi, Tsukune-kun! I baked some cute delicious cookies for you! If you'd like, we can eat them together~"
"Eh?" Tsukune looks at the basked of cookies before shifting his eyes towards Kurumu. "Wh-Why me?"
Kurumu giggles kindly with a hand on her blushing cheek.
"Come on, Tsukune-kun, didn't I mention that I was looking for my 'destined one'?" Tsukune and Moka nod in unision, allowing her to continue. "Well… I've decided that it's you~!"
""WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?""
Tsukune and Moka's eyes whiten in shock while Nero's expression remained neutral.
"Hey, you did risk your life to protect me with those sexy magic tattoos, after all," Kurumu reminds Tsukune before rushing towards him and pushing her bust right into his chest. "Now I've officially fallen for you!"
Tsukune's cheeks turn dark red when he feels Kurumu's breasts press tighter as she guides his head towards her cookie basket.
"Now go ahead, sweetie~ Try my cookies~"
"I-I-I'm flattered by your offer, Kurumu-san, but I've just had breakfast-" Tsukune pauses when he catches a whiff of the cookies inside of the baskets. "Wait, is that gingerbread?"
Kurumu watches Tsukune reach a hand to take a cookie for himself, excited to know what he thinks of them.
But before he could take one, a pouting Moka grabs Tsukune's arm and pulls her away from the succubus and towards herself.
With a tick mark on her forehead, Kurumu carefully sets the treats down and retaliated by grabbing onto Tsukune's other arm and yanking him back to her.
With the girls glaring daggers at each other with a few sparks zapping from their eyes, they begin a tug-of-war battle, causing Tsukune to be swayed side to side, which made Nero have to get off him again and fly above the trio, appearing to shake her head at them as she kept watching.
With another tug, Kurumu manages to catch Tsukune's arm into her chest, making Moka growl at the sight and tighten her grip on his other arm.
"Stop it, Kurumu! Tsukune is mine! Mine, you hear?!"
Lunging forward, Moka grabs hold of Tsukune's head and sinks her fangs into his neck.
"AAAAAAAAAACK! FIND ME IN THE ALPS!"
While Moka continued to suck his blood with Kurumu trying to get her off so she doesn't drink too much, Nero lands on the edge of the succubus' cookie basket and takes one for herself with her beak. Once she did, she consumed the treat at the speed of a race car and swallows the last small bit of it whole.
Nero brushes her wings against her beak, appearing to have enjoyed the treat. She then looks over to Tsukune and sees that Moka and Kurumu are still fighting for him with the succubus grinding on his back and the vampire trying to pry her off while calling her a pervert.
The bird narrows her eyes at the girls, wondering how long they will keep this up until they realize that they will be late for school if they don't stop now.
But then, Nero focuses her gaze on Tsukune, or more specifically, his right hand, where it bears the Karma Mark. As she kept gazing at it, the bird wondered where things would go from here, especially since she watched Tsukune research everything he could about that mark, and the Otsutsuki.
To be continued in the next chapter: "Mermaids and the Warlock."
Tsukune's current harem: Moka, Kurumu, Mizore, Ruby, Nekonome
Until next time, Folks~!