Kurumu tugged the wicker hamper tighter to her side, freeing up a hand to open the door to Moka's suite. Her breasts shifted in the confines of her pink halter top as she pushed the portal open with her shoulder and hip. Wearing the curve hugging, white denim jeans mommy had bought with this top, Kurumu strolled into the room.

"I bring fresh laundry to you ladies."

Yukari was in Tora's lap, allowing the sphinx to braid her hairs about her ears. The witch's denim skirt would be knee length when standing. The white blouse she wore with it could almost pass as one of the school uniforms if not for the short sleeves.

"You can leave my things on the table."

Sitting against the back of the black couch, Tora kept her attention on her braiding. Her olive green buttoned up blouse with short sleeves was tucked in loose, pristine white slacks.

Placing the hamper on the table, Kurumu knelt down and sorted through the warm garments for Tora's belongings. Normally she would do this task after lunch but she had been excused from kitchen duties today. Accustomed to the early rise time, Kurumu had wandered down to the kitchen in her pajamas around seven thirty to inquire why nobody had come for her. After being shooed away to get dressed, Kurumu had endured an oppressive breakfast because Mrs. Shuzen demanded silence.

After the meal, Mrs. Chinoashi had directed her to laundry duty while Moka accompanied Mrs. Shuzen outside to see her off. The president was taking a flight to Tokyo to have a discussion with Lord Zensa, region commander of Kanto whom happened to be Issa using an alias. Mrs. Shuzen had her suspicions that this Issa was an imposter, though this fraud was powerful enough to slay Lord Gun, Eldest Son of the Shuzen Household, on the day of Kahlua's wedding.

Setting out the pajamas and outfits Tora and Yukari had worn this past day, Kurumu smiled as she did the same for Rubi. The older witch was seated nearby, holding a manga volume for Great Teacher Onizuka. The young woman frowned as her lips moved slightly with her attempts to decipher the words scrawled in the panels of the comic.

Having been raised by a witch whom had murdered Rubi's parents at the age of six, the young woman was sadly illiterate. She could speak Japanese, but had never been pushed to develop her reading skills. While Rubi was versed in magic, Yukari had enlightened Kurumu that magic was not a real language but an exertion of will to shape energy. There was no such thing as an arcane book of spells. The literary work Ms. Chuujitsu had done for the witch community was written in Japanese. Yukari had likened it to reading an instruction manual.

Rubi's brow furrowed as she turned a page reluctantly. The young woman was wearing a white blouse with long sleeves. The cuffs and collar had additional, lacy fabric to make it more frilly and extravagant. It resembled something those gentlemen wore in that pirate movie Kokoa owned. The blouse was tucked in a black pair of sailor pants with four brass buttons stitched at each side.

"Do you think Ms. Aimai would buy Rubi some pajamas?"

"We don't even know if she will pay for her lingerie."

"Well… we could always ask Moka."

Yukari glanced sidelong at Kurumu.

"I would rather ask my parents for money when we get back to school."

"It's really no trouble. I don't mind."

Kurumu smirked at Rubi.

"I thought you wanted to be punished."

Rubi pouted, setting the manga aside.

"I do, but I'm willing to work for my discipline."

"Ms. Toujou intends to seek employment when we return to Yokai."

Kurumu nodded, glancing at the comic. Their illustrator, Zukkutani Kana, had been loaning out her manga volumes to Yukari. At first it had been the Nana series, but Yukari had quickly exhausted all the volumes before turning to this title. On the day before departure, Yukari had borrowed the last five volumes of this series. She had completed reading them earlier this week.

"Do you have any ideas what kind of work you want?"

"Anything would be better than waiting for Yukari to return home from school. It would also be nice to have some money to buy my own clothes. While I appreciate the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Sendou, I feel wrong about accruing more debts when I have done so much wrong."

This particular outfit was a donation from Mrs. Sendou's wardrobe. While Rubi was more endowed and taller, the differences only made the fabric of the blouse define more of the witch's curves.

"When you do have some money, you have to come with us to Bows and Strings. We can help you pick out some lingerie and pajamas."

"Are pajamas that necessary?"

"I doubt Yukari is comfortable with the idea of you sleeping naked in her room."

"Why not? We're both girls."

"Most girls don't sleep naked."

Kurumu smirked at Tora's remark. Picking up the hamper, she wandered around the couch and headed over to her luggage which rested near the butsudan still masked as a jewelry box.

"Where's Moka?"

"She's in her room, emptying her closet."

"Why?"

"I guess the other Moka wants her to take everything this time."

Kurumu nodded, kneeling down by her suitcase. Unlike newer luggage, this old thing did not have an extending handle or wheels, forcing her to carry it by the handle stitched in its side. As she had left the top flap unzipped, she drew it back and placed her clean clothes within.

Discovering she could not zip her suitcase shut with all her new acquisitions, Kurumu had stored her laptop and CD player inside her schoolbag. She had stuffed socks inside each of her yunomi, squeezing them into her new shoes. She hoped her platform sneakers and booties were thick enough to protect the glass from any falls.

"I'm curious how she has all this stuff here, considering she used to live in an orphanage in Chiba."

"Moka came here for spring break this year."

Kurumu frowned, zipping up her suitcase. The only contents left in the hamper were clothes for Moka and Mizore since she had already stopped by the studio and set aside the laundry for the boys. She had no idea where Mizore was, considering the snow girl had not shown up for breakfast.

"She did? Kokoa acted like she had not seen Moka in a long time."

"I didn't ask if she visited with her family. I was merely curious why she had clothes here. She admitted stopping by here for a couple days before she got on the bus to Yokai."

Kurumu nodded, supposing this was unimportant. Tucking the hamper to her side as she got to her feet, she regarded the butsudan and her other box of belongings. The bus would cancel out active illusions.

"Hey, Yukari. Do you have any idea how I'm going to get all of my things on the bus?"

"We will have to put that inside my pocket dimension."

Yukari had her bag and suitcase linked to a pocket dimension which she used for storage. Kokoa had bought Kurumu a crimson hoop dress with golden trim for the wedding which Kurumu had left in Yukari's care due to her inability to pack a ballroom gown in her suitcase. Kurumu had little clue how the magic worked, only aware that Yukari's bags appeared empty and that the magic canceler on the bus had no impact on the spell to access the pocket dimension since it was inactive.

"Will we be able to fit everything into your suitcase?"

"Of course."

Kurumu sighed, walking over to the side of the couch. Tora was nearly finished with braiding Yukari's locks on the right side of her head.

"Can you put people in there?"

"Why would I want to do that?"

Kurumu shrugged, mildly curious how it worked. She had seen Yukari use magic to make objects pliable, allowing her to stuff furniture into her suitcase, but Kurumu had no idea where the things went.

"I was curious how big that space is."

"It stretches to accommodate whatever I put in there. When I activate this spell, I make a request to put something in or take something out. Short of someone being unconscious, I doubt I could force someone inside there."

"What if someone wanted to go inside it? Like if we needed to hide Otonashi from Kamiya."

Yukari frowned.

"I didn't create that space with a breathable atmosphere. She would most likely die."

"Huh? I thought this was like a room with stuff in it."

"It sort of is but it isn't. This space is like a restricted access folder stored on a USB drive. The spell is the password to access the drive which is not part of the main computer."

Kurumu shrugged, not knowing enough about computers to care for the analogy.

"Wouldn't something like this take a lot of energy considering you are working around barriers?"

"Barriers have nothing to do with this. This space doesn't exist anywhere, so I'm not crossing a barrier."

Kurumu remained confused but supposed it hardly mattered if it worked. She absently started for the door to Moka's bedroom.

"I'm going to check on Moka. I'll be right back."

The girls made slight sounds of acknowledgment as Kurumu made her way over to the door. Pushing it open, Kurumu spied Moka seated on her bed laden with her things. She was using the silver suitcase with the rollers as a writing surface. The vampire glanced up from the paper she was scrawling upon.

"Oh. Hey."

Kurumu strolled over to the bed and sat down. Putting aside the hamper, she pulled out Moka's clothes and placed them next to her paper.

"I didn't know you owned any jeans."

Moka smiled, resuming her writing. The vampire was dressed casually in this thin, caramel blouse which hung loosely upon a pair of faded blue jeans. The short sleeved garment bared most of her shoulders and the black straps of her bra. The collar had strands which Moka had tied in a bow above her bosom, minimizing the view of her exposed cleavage.

"It's the only pair I own."

"You should have brought that to school."

"I wasn't sure if I should wear too casual of things."

"What are you up to?"

"I'm writing a letter to Father. When Mother mentioned speaking to him, I felt I should do the same. I'm sure our Headmaster or Mr. Nurari will be able to get this letter to him."

"Do you think he's an imposter?"

"I don't know. She also has her doubts about this man being Father, but we shouldn't use that as an excuse to ignore him. I'm inviting him to visit the school during the Cultural Festival."

Kurumu nodded, supposing that was reasonable.

"Did you pack up everything?"

"Mhm. Well… almost."

"Almost?"

Moka paused with her writing to reach behind the bag which her schoolbag rested upon. She fetched a black leather bra and matching bottom which she placed on the clothes Kurumu had set out. Moka bit her lip, arranging the fabric.

"Do you think this will be an acceptable swimsuit?"

Kurumu smirked, picking up the bra.

"I thought you didn't own a swimsuit."

"I never said that."

Kurumu drawled out her disbelief, causing Moka to pout.

"I bought it on a whim last year and didn't feel comfortable about bringing it to school."

Kurumu allowed her amusement to pass before returning the bikini to the pile.

"I don't think there will be an issue. It's not like you're planning to go swimming."

Moka smiled, gathering up the pile of clothes.

"Good. I was worried since it does look like Rubi's swimsuit."

Kurumu laughed at that remark, recalling the one piece thong which served as Rubi's swimsuit.

"The only thing this has in common with her suit is color. I'd argue that yours has more fabric."

Moka grinned as she moved aside her schoolbag to unzip the bag. She stuffed the clothes inside.

"I'm thankful that it still fits. Did you try on that new suit Ms. Aimai bought you?"

"I didn't see a point. It's not like she will run out and buy a new one."

"You probably should."

"I'll put it on tomorrow morning and wear it underneath my clothes if it fits."

Moka sighed, zipping up the bag and turning her attention back upon the letter.

"Do you think we should turn me over to the Headmaster?"

"Nope. I think we should give Yukari time to figure out a means of removing the seal without Tsukune. That seems to be your mother's biggest issue with the seal."

"She seems more relaxed this morning, even around Mother. I saw that Mother gave us the portrait so I guess something good happened."

Kurumu smirked at the antics from last night. She doubted Ginei would ever put a hand on Moka's body in a lewd manner unless he wanted another rough encounter. The vampire had pinned him to the wall before he recognized the seriousness of her threat, giving his tenders a squeeze to remember. He had hobbled into the dining room this morning, boldly blaming his injury on an unfulfilled fantasy which descended upon him in the night.

"I certainly wouldn't nominate your mother for the best parent of the year, but I believe she will learn to accept you when we fix that spell to work more like a limiter."

"It would be nice if we could be a family again."

Moka set her pen aside before folding up the sheet. She tucked it inside an envelope which was laying by her thigh. While the vampire pulled her schoolbag into her lap, a knock sounded upon the open door.

Ms. Aimai slipped into the room, closing the door behind her. The fiery haired succubus was wearing a beige blazer over a moss green blouse with a dangerously low cut. The strained shirt was tucked in textured gray slacks with a slender black belt about her waist.

"It seems you have things handled with your jewelry box. Out of curiosity, whom all knows about that illusion you placed on it?"

Kurumu frowned as the woman hovered by the door.

"I don't recall ever mentioning that to you."

"Narau told me about your situation when she asked me to find that yunomi for you."

"Oh. Okay. Yukari and Moka both know about it. Tora too."

"Tora?"

Kurumu nodded, offering Moka a smile.

"A couple days ago. I decided to let her know."

"Well that older witch girl might know something is up too. Or she has no clue what a jewelry box is."

"Who knows what is going on in Rubi's head?"

"You should wrap that urn tight with a blanket or a towel."

"I was going to use one of my maid uniforms and put it inside the butsudan."

Ms. Aimai let out a heavy breath.

"I'm guessing you don't know much about Buddhism."

"What makes you say that?"

"I know I haven't been in here hawking your every movement, but usually one would at least light the incense for their family shrine during obon."

"Well… I'm not trying to broadcast the loss of my mother."

"Those two boys haven't been upstairs once this week. Are you that concerned about the yuki'onna outing your secret?"

Kurumu paused. She imagined Mizore would tell Tsukune about this if the girl did find out, considering she had revealed other important secrets.

"I haven't allowed myself to think much about it."

"There's not much to think about. She's gone. Life sucks. But if someone buys you a butsudan, you have to show some respect. Narau said she picked up one of the nicest ones that funeral home had to offer. That's a lot of money thrown at you so you have an obligation to not run away from this."

Kurumu flinched at the accusation.

"Kurumu's mother passed away only a couple weeks ago. She needs some time."

"Let me enlighten you about this time garbage people always cough up in the face of tragedy. It's bullshit. Time does not change facts. Something that happened thirty years ago can hurt as much as something that happened last week. There is no expiration date on emotional trauma."

Massaging her chest to fight off the ache of her heart, Kurumu grimaced.

"What do you expect me to do? Nothing changes the facts."

"Chest pains?"

Kurumu hesitated to respond. Glancing aside, she continued to rub her breast.

"I'm going to ask you a simple yes or no question. Could you tell me the name of the person you love the most in this world?"

Kurumu paused, momentarily confused. A couple names popped in her head but she realized that was not the answer she was being asked for. She felt like she should be able to say yes.

"When your answer is yes, you should consider having your heart fixed."

"But Ms. Kiyoshi said that operation was dangerous for someone my age."

"Being able to answer yes to that question at any age is dangerous for a succubus. You can never place your heart in one person. Not a friend. Not a lover. Not a parent."

Mrs. Aimai crossed her arms as her topaz eyes glistened.

"Not even a twin sister."

Those last lines felt personal. Kurumu recalled Ms. Kiyoshi talking about the hardships in her life and how losing her father had been real hard on her older sister. She had mentioned another succubus woman whom worked the Kanto region had been in a coma for years after losing her mother.

"Ms. Kiyoshi said that you had your heartstrings removed when you were only sixteen."

"Actually that was Ms. Juunan."

Kurumu pouted at Moka's correction.

"I was almost seventeen. The operation was in April and my birthday is in May. It doesn't surprise me that Juunan boasts about my survival as some sort of success story."

Many questions swirled about as Kurumu pondered over this woman's revelations. It was difficult to say if the woman was for or against the operation, but she supposed that could be said of Ms. Kiyoshi too. The argument was over when it should be done.

"Did you have a twin sister?"

Ms. Aimai snorted, rolling her eyes.

"Obviously. Her name was Momo. Optimistic little shit. Always running about the damn village with a bright smile and laughing over the dumbest crap. She would often promise to help the other ladies of the village and then I would end up dragged into these unwanted chores, else they would never get done. Girl was all heart but no brains."

Ms. Aimai sighed, crossing her arms below her ginormous bosom.

"It always baffled me how we could be so different but physically identical. Her outlook on life was so much different than mine, despite us living through the same shit. We watched our birth mother burn at the stake for bearing demons."

"I thought your birth mother was a salamander."

"Yes. It takes hours to burn a salamander to death. Hours."

Ms. Kiyoshi had warned her that none of the older ladies had good stories to tell.

"Is that how your sister died?"

"Oh. No. We were only five years old at the time. I guess those heartstrings aren't strong enough to kill us at that young age regardless of how traumatic things might be. I often questioned if Momo fully comprehended how shitty that was, but she would say how it was a good thing that the torture had taken hours since that allowed Kaiga to find us before the angry mob burned us next."

Kurumu grimaced, thinking she would also be frustrated with that sort of optimism.

"If you were so young, how did the villagers know you were succubi?"

"I don't know what they thought we were. They called us demons because we had no father. It was also unusual for a salamander to give birth to twins, though a succubus having twins is entirely dependent on the birth mother. Since they had a shitty summer harvest and our mother was hated, they killed her. It was sheer luck that Kaiga stumbled upon us. She charmed the villagers into selling us to her."

"Whom is Kaiga?"

"Kyuusai Kaiga. She's the woman whom helps me manage the Kansai region."

Kurumu nodded, vaguely recalling this was one of the two oldest succubi working under Mrs. Shuzen.

"My mother said you were born on the twelfth of May in 1950. I found that strange since she doesn't have a specific date on Ms. Juunan whom she has lived with for years."

"Well… that was another thing the villagers had against our mother. She worshipped us, smothering us with kisses every chance she could. I didn't understand what was wrong with her behavior until I heard a few horror stories from the women in Elder Hajinai's community. Girls born from humans have it worse."

Ms. Aimai paused with a heavy sigh.

"Anyways, our birthday was important to her so we both knew it well. They offered to rename us in our new home but Momo insisted that we keep our birth mother's name. The spelling of my surname is the on readings for the kanji characters of love and red."

"So did Ms. Kyuusai become your guardian?"

"Inadvertently. Kaiga was a merchant whom sold goods made by the community to nearby villages. She had dealt with the salamander village before and actually knew our birth mother. She could sense what we were but had no idea whom impregnated our birth mother."

"Why would a succubus randomly impregnate a salamander?"

"I have no idea. Kaiga has thrown up many possibilities over the years, but it's not like we will ever know the truth. Anyways, she brought us to the community and left us there. We were meant to be children of the community, since that's safer on the heart. But Momo thought the world of Kaiga, which made her spend more time in the village than she normally would."

"What's Elder Hajinai like?"

"She's an old bitch. Elder Hajinai abandoned the village Kaiga grew up in, allowing her to be captured by Fairy Tale. In the aftermath of Hiroshima, Kaiga finally escaped Fairy Tale. Kaiga only put up with Elder Hajinai because she offered an organized asylum. I could tell Kaiga wished for an alternative, which made it difficult for me to see that village as anything but a prison camp filled with unwanted women."

Kurumu frowned, not anticipating a poor opinion of Elder Hajinai.

"Did Elder Hajinai have something to do with your sister's death?"

Ms. Aimai snorted.

"No. That was Momo being an idiot. She took a bad fall and died instantly."

"A fall?"

"Sad, right? Despite having great constitutions and superior regeneration, we are susceptible to instant death. That's why we can't afford a war with humans. Most races can't survive bullets."

"What happened?"

"Well… after I realized my twin was gone for good… my heart started to squeeze. I didn't see a point to live in a world without her. As much as I hated her attitude and called her childish, I felt I was needed. I had to be here to help my silly sister navigate this cruel world."

Ms. Aimai paused.

"And then she was gone. My reason to live was gone. I didn't love anyone else. The closest person I had was Kaiga and it never crossed my mind that she needed me. She was a strong, individual whom put up with us. If anything, we were holding her hostage to that village."

"So… Ms. Kyuusai took you to Fairy Tale?"

"She had to. I had given up on myself. While there were women in that village whom could use those heart soothing tricks Narau is good at, it can't fix someone whom has lost the will to live. Elder Hajinai decided I was a lost cause and told Kaiga to let me go. Kaiga told that bitch to burn in hell and stopped at the nearest Fairy Tale office."

Ms. Aimai smirked.

"What Elder Hajinai did not understand was that Kaiga had never broken contact with Tenshi. Those two grew up in the same village and survived the horrors of Fairy Tale together. Tenshi stayed behind to help those she could within Fairy Tale. She kept Kaiga informed of Fairy Tale's movements, allowing them to avoid detection. She also informed Kaiga about the new procedure of removing heart strings."

Kurumu nodded, recalling this other succubus was Ms. Miburui whom operated in Tokyo.

"Unfortunately Kaiga was too desperate to properly negotiate. She gave up everything for me to live. She pledged both of us to Fairy Tale and sold out Elder Hajinai's village. According to the reports, they killed them all, including Elder Hajinai. That does make me question how many of them were actually killed, but I'm guessing it was enough to ensure those two women would never speak to each other again."

"This was during the reign of the Taizai regime."

"The tail end of it. I was given a few months to recover before assigning me to work under someone. And I do mean that in the literal sense. Lost my virginity on August tenth of 67 to Lord Tanaka, prefectural officer of Wakayama, two weeks after they had torn my baby maker out."

"You know they can replace that if you want children."

Ms. Aimai laughed, lowering a hand to pat her belly.

"Already done. When I joined Mrs. President's division back in 93, I agreed to work under Kaiga on the condition that I would be fixed. Had the operation a couple weeks after my birthday in 95. Ten years of being fertile and I have as rotten luck as Narau in finding a mate."

"Does this mean you didn't want to work with Ms. Kyuusai?"

"It was difficult being around Kaiga. Those first years with Fairy Tale I was contemplating suicide daily. My only purpose in life was to have all of my orifices filled with Lord Tanaka's sperm. I probably would have killed myself if Lord Tanaka had not made me aware of Elder Hajinai's village being wiped out."

The succubus paused.

"Funny how that works. He said that shit to make me suffer. My survival had not been worth a whole village. So when I thought about killing myself, this voice in my head would ask me if everyone had died for nothing. And then I couldn't do it. Living was my punishment. So I had to live."

"Wasn't Ms. Kyuusai with you during your time with Lord Tanaka?"

"No. She would drop in once or twice a month to check on me. The roles of succubi in Fairy Tale at that time were either you were being fucked daily or you were covering up shit to keep humans ignorant of monsters. Kaiga was too experienced to be degraded back to sex toy, so she was busy helping the Kansai region. Being transferred into Mrs. President's division only changed whom she was reporting to."

Ms. Aimai smirked.

"When the Taizai regime was overthrown, Lord Tanaka had an unfortunate accident which prompted my reassignment under Kaiga. She spent a year training me and three other girls how to be something more than pleasure slaves. It was not an easy transition."

"Do any of those girls still work with you?"

"Ame didn't survive the heartstrings operation. Kaori was killed on an assignment seventeen years ago. And Haruka was never cut out for our line of work so Kaiga reassigned her to Lord Ishibashi, prefectural officer of Kyoto, back in the late seventies. Very amicable fellow, though married. He treats Haruka well."

"So… you've worked under Kaiga for a long time."

Ms. Aimai chuckled, shaking her head.

"No. I requested my transfer the moment my training was complete. I couldn't stand being around her back then. I started working for Lord Kitakawa of Gifu in April of 72. Beast of a man. I'll warn both you girls right now that you should reconsider ever dating a minotaur. After sixteen years of serving that man, it's almost impossible for me to be satisfied from sex with a human."

Kurumu blushed as the thought of Burumoto Ushio popped in her head. He was the young minotaur whom had greeted her on her first day at Yokai Academy.

"Oh. I will keep that in mind."

"Sorry. But anyways… I did keep in touch. I'd see Kaiga three or four times a year. As hard as it was for me to be around her, I still worried about her."

"Did you need time to forgive her?"

Ms. Aimai snorted, favoring Moka with an annoyed glance.

"I've already stated that time isn't a factor. If I was mad at her, I can always be mad at her. I suppose you could argue that time makes it easier to choose not to be mad, but that's coincidence. You might as well blame breathing for getting over trauma."

Ms. Aimai paused, glancing aside as Moka muttered an apology.

"I wasn't even mad at her. It was hard because I came to realize I was the hope keeping her alive."

"Doesn't Ms. Kyuusai have her heart strings removed?"

"She might not physically die if anything happened to me, but I wouldn't vouch for her mental health."

Kurumu nodded, feeling she could relate to that. She had started feeling pressure around mommy in those last months.

"How are things between you now?"

"Still difficult. During the New Year celebrations of 90 a whole year after Lord Kitakawa retired, Kaiga dumped a butsudan on me. She had discovered religion and wanted me to take care of Momo. I tried to dodge that responsibility but she insisted that I had to do it because I was family."

Ms. Aimai hesitated.

"I told her that she could do it but she had it stuck in her head that since she wasn't our mother, she had no right to do it. That hurt and I fucking hate hurting, so I took the stupid thing. I've been caring for it ever since, so that's why you have to respect yours. It's the right thing to do."

"I guess. I will try to do better."

Ms. Aimai nodded with a slight smile. She took in a deep breath and patted her belly.

"Anyways… I was thinking when I joined Mrs. President's group under Kaiga that the best thing for me to do was get myself a baby. Of course Elder Hajinai won't help us because we're traitors to all succubi, but I want to bring a new life into this fucked up world. I think that might finally justify why I survived at such a high cost and ease the burden of guilt I'm sure Kaiga feels every day."

"Have you ever thought about having a lover?"

Ms. Aimai snorted.

"Sex was never that important to me. And a lover is nothing more than a friend you have sex with, so I would argue that Lord Kitakawa was my first and only lover. He didn't share me with anyone the entire time I served under him."

Kurumu smiled, supposing it was best not to push further on that.

"I hope you find a mate."

"Well… I completely forgot why I came in here. I told the other girls to take their luggage downstairs to the foyer when the butsudan and magic bags got brought up. I guess I wanted to confirm that was your plan. Make sure you have everything packed since I don't want anybody lurking upstairs after lunch."

Kurumu chuckled, pulling the hamper in her lap before slipping off the bed.

"Yea. I need to find Mizore to hand over these clothes."

"That snow girl is in the back fooling around with the boys."

"Are you serious?"

"That boy with the sword is trying to show her proper stance. I have no idea why they are trying to teach hand to hand combat to a girl whom can summon a wall of ice about her."

Kurumu smiled as the succubus opened the door.

"Well… they can only teach her what they know."

"With men, ignorance has never been a deterrent."

Kurumu chuckled as she left the room.

Kurumu gripped the strap of her schoolbag near her bosom as the bus rolled down the drive. She had confirmed the time was four after three with her watch on her left wrist moments before the bus had pulled into view. Her lavender purse which contained her phone and wallet dangled on a slender leather band tucked in the crease of her left elbow.

Moka groaned as she stretched her arms over her head. The vampire had been using her luggage as a chair up until a few seconds ago, chatting with them about random things since they had parked out here after lunch. She had asked for suggestions on which CDs she should purchase and wanted to learn more lyrics for their future karaoke outings. Yukari, whom was on Moka's other side with her laptop satchel and schoolbag hanging by straps on opposing shoulders, had offered to accompany them, provided they refrained from teasing her singing capabilities.

Rubi was the other side of Yukari with her gray suitcase and Yukari's black one. Yukari's smaller black bag was also slung over Rubi's shoulder. Nearly a half hour of their conversation had been discussing what sort of jobs Rubi could acquire in Mononoke. Yukari had made some amusing suggestions which they assured Rubi to not take seriously. Kurumu hoped Meirowasa Tokori, a local monstrel girl whom worked as a waitress in the Mix it Up diner, might be able to help Rubi out.

"Here come the boys."

Tora whom was standing on Kurumu's left was looking behind them. The sphinx absently tugged out the extendable handle of her faded blue suitcase. Her schoolbag hung from her shoulder against her hip. The sphinx had not offered much to the conversation but had brought up the topic of their upcoming paper which Ginei planned to release during their first week back. She was done with her articles concerning the popularity contest they had held prior to term exams. Kurumu and Moka had both confirmed the completion of their articles, neither having a clue how far along the others were with their articles.

Following Tora's attention, Kurumu first took note of Ginei as he jostled Koike. The werewolf had his blue duffle bag tucked to his side while Koike had a similar black duffle bag. Ginei was wearing the lush green dress shirt from the day they had went to Kofu and his dark bangs pushed back by a red headband. He had left the top buttons undone to bare the wolf medallion. His shirt was tucked in black cargo pants.

Koike was wearing a white jersey with a shield printed in the center. The shield had three diagonal stripes with the center being yellow while the top was red and the bottom was green. A white dog was standing in front of the shield with its right leg lifted and its silhouette marked with the same green border which surrounded the shield. He had mentioned at lunch that it was for the JEF Chiba soccer team. The jersey was long enough to hide most of his black cotton shorts.

A couple steps behind them crossing the veranda was Ms. Aimai flanked by Kitajima and Miyamoto. She was borrowing the image of Yoshino Inari, Ginei's homeroom teacher and advisor for the PSC. Her long, wavy hair had been replaced with an auburn ponytail with her bangs swept up in a pompadour. Her topaz eyes had softened to a pastel yellow and her features had become more foxlike. The boys had complimented her transformation at lunch, though Ginei had playfully complained about the breast reduction. The succubus was pulling a crimson suitcase behind her.

Neither Miyamoto nor Kitajima had surrendered laundry this morning, both wearing their same outfits from last night. They did have their schoolbags which both had assured contained their homework and school uniforms for a proper return to Yokai Academy. Neither had brought anything else.

Tsukune had on a dark green tee Kurumu had not seen in months. He was wearing those navy blue jeans he had worn to the amusement park on her birthday. He had a schoolbag on one shoulder while carrying his black suitcase by the handle in his right hand. He admitted to emptying more of his closet this time around since he had more time to prepare, though he still planned to talk to Mr. Nurari about stopping by his home for a proper farewell to his parents before his return to Yokai Academy.

Following in his shadow, Mizore was dressed in her usual outfit. She had her schoolbag slung over her shoulder and a black knapsack on her back.

The last out of the broad doors of the estate was Ms. Nekonome. Their teacher was wearing a spaghetti string camouflage shirt which might have been the same one she wore to Kofu. The shirt was tucked in a black miniskirt. The teacher's heels clipped loudly as she hurried to them, pulling her white suitcase.

Kurumu heard the bus come to a stop. She reached down to haul up her luggage by the grip stitched in its side. She managed a smile as the door to the bus swung in. The bus driver hopped down the stairs, wearing his usual dark uniform and driver's cap. He waved at them with a hand swathed in a white glove as he briskly made his way to the back of the bus. Kurumu started off a half step behind Tora.

For all of Yukari's chatter about the convenience of using magic to store things, she had repacked most of her belongings properly in that gray suitcase Rubi was dragging. The other suitcase was empty, serving primarily as a reasonable opening to fetch large things from her space. While the smaller bag could also do the same, Yukari had packed the rest of her belongings normally in it. Her reasoning was that if she regularly pulled things out of her pocket dimension, the energy spikes might get noticed. Only large things unlikely to be needed this week were currently stored in her pocket dimension.

The driver was leaning against the open back door when they arrived. He had fished a cigar out and was lighting it as Tora hefted up her suitcase and pushed it underneath the seat on the left side. Kurumu crowded in on Tora's right, grunting as she heaved up her luggage to slide it underneath the other seat.

"Doing well, Ms. Kurono. All things considered."

Mr. Nurari chuckled in a puff of smoke as Kurumu scooted back to give room for the other girls. She frowned at him as Moka tried to squeeze one of her suitcases beneath the seat next to Tora's suitcase.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm saying you look healthy, Ms. Kurono."

The driver paused to puff on his cigar. His carefully trimmed moustache was black as ink like the locks peeking out from beneath his cap. Mr. Nurari glanced away, nodding slightly at the others' approach.

"Afternoon, Mr. Morioka. Out to right the wrongs in the human world once again, I see."

"The work of a champion of truth and justice never ends."

Koike snickered, shoving Ginei aside by the shoulder.

"Go run a lap around the mansion and reflect on the nonsense you uttered."

Moka had crawled up onto the bus and took a suitcase from Rubi to set aside in one of the back seats.

"If you boys don't have any large items, go ahead and take a seat on the bus."

Ginei chuckled as Moka promptly took the other suitcase in Rubi's possession.

"I was thinking to offer my assistance, but it looks like Moka has it handled."

"Me next."

Kurumu chuckled as Yukari held her hands up to Moka. The vampire grinned, hauling the witch up onto the bus and setting the girl down on her feet in the aisle next to her before taking Rubi's last bag.

"Let's go to the front."

Kurumu made no protest as Tora grabbed her by the arm.

"How long do you think this drive is?"

Tora shrugged as they walked alongside the bus. Kitajima and Miyamoto were boarding the bus while the others were making their way to the back. Kurumu waved with her free right hand.

"Mizore! You don't need to put any of that in the back."

The snow girl paused as Tora steered them to the bus door. Without a word, Mizore parted ways with Tsukune's shadow. Kurumu grinned, slowly following Tora up the steps.

"Are you wanting to sit with her?"

"Sure. Unless you want to."

Tora smiled as she grabbed the steel post at the top of the stairs. She shook her head as she started down the aisle.

"I'll sit across the aisle from you two. Three seats back sound fine?"

Kurumu shrugged as she ascended the last step. She had no opinion as she followed the sphinx down the aisle. It looked like Moka was committed to helping everyone with their luggage. Tora took the third seat behind the driver. Kurumu lingered in the aisle a moment longer, taking note that Kitajima and Miyamoto had commandeered seats three more rows down but were not sitting with each other. Smiling absently, Kurumu turned about and stepped out of the aisle.

Ginei bounded up the stairs, laughing as Koike stumbled behind him.

"Told you I would get here first."

Ginei tightened his grip on his duffle bag as he started down the aisle. Koike followed on his heels, shaking his head with a toothy grin betraying his inugami race.

"I see you are still in one piece, Mr. Aono."

Kurumu glanced to the back but she couldn't see the driver or Tsukune. Moka was handling Ms. Aimai's crimson suitcase, stowing it in the next seat up from the back.

"Think fast!"

Kurumu whined as a sudden jolt of pain tingled her spine. She grimaced at Ginei as the grinning werewolf took the seat behind Tora.

"You pinched my nipple."

"A week of training and I can still get my hands all over you. That's your fault."

Koike smirked as he walked through her line of sight, slipping into the seat behind her.

"I'm telling Lady Otonashi all about your descent into degeneracy."

"And I shall tell her all about yours."

"I'm sure the witnesses are in my favor."

Kurumu smiled as Mizore gripped the silver post and stepped up the last stair. The snow girl glanced about as she slowly started down the aisle.

"You can sit with me, Mizore. Would you prefer the window?"

Mizore wandered over as Kurumu slipped back out into the aisle. The snow girl shrugged as the white stick nestled in the corner of her mouth drifted to the other corner. Mizore scooted over to the window, loosening her knapsack and turning it about as she sat down. Smiling, Kurumu took the aisle seat as Mizore rested her knapsack in her lap.

"How are you doing, Mizore?"

Mizore glanced at her. She made a slight sound before settling against the window.

"I'm fine."

"Tora mentioned that you completed all of your summer homework this week."

"I finished my homework days ago. Before Ms. Nazohashi arrived."

"Oh? I thought you worked on it with Tora."

"I never said that. I offered to work on it with them because I had finished mine before coming here."

Kurumu smiled sheepishly as she heard footsteps clamber up the stairs.

"I guess that means you had a lot of free time. Did you write anything for our next paper?"

"I've been working on a story."

Kurumu nodded, noting Rubi had taken the seat in front of Tora. She heard the door close up, drawing her attention to the back. Moka set aside Ms. Nekonome's white suitcase before walking up the aisle a couple steps behind Yukari.

"Hey, Rubi. Do you want to sit with Tora?"

"Huh? Why?"

"I'm guessing Yukari wants to sit with Moka."

"Oh. Okay."

As the older witch got up to take a seat with Tora, Kurumu smiled upon seeing Tsukune in the aisle. He walked by the first row of seats, hesitating upon seeing Kurumu and the other girls.

"Do you want to sit with Ginei?"

Tsukune chuckled, shaking his head as he took the seat in front of Kurumu. Kurumu frowned as Ginei and Koike both chuckled.

"That's the mark of a true man. We prefer sitting alone."

"I recall you sitting with him on the ride to Kofu."

"You can have the window, Moka."

"That doesn't count. I was messing with him about calling his mommy."

Kurumu giggled as Moka took the window seat in front of Tora. Yukari sat down beside the vampire.

"Okay! Quick headcount. Raise your hand or speak up when I call your name."

Kurumu smiled as Ms. Nekonome wandered up the aisle to stand next to Yukari.

"Aono Tsukune. Akashiya Moka. Kitajima Danuja. Koike Kousuke. Kurono Kurumu. Miyamoto Haiji. Morioka Ginei. Nazohashi Tora. Sendou Yukari. Shirayuki Mizore."

The driver ascended the steps in the middle of her counting, taking his seat and closing the bus door. The bus continued to idle as Ms. Nekonome made checks by each name. She smiled at the end of the list.

"Looks like we have everyone here."

"You… didn't call me name."

Ms. Nekonome smiled at Rubi, lowering her notepad.

"You're not a student, Rubi, so I wouldn't call your name. I didn't call Ms. Aimai's name either."

Rubi nodded with a sound of disappointment as Ginei chuckled.

"So everyone knows, Ms. Okumura called ahead to rent three rooms for us. There will be one for boys, one for girls, and one for us ladies. That will be including you, Ms. Toujou."

"I'm ready to go when you take your seat, Ms. Nekonome."

"Thank you for your patience, Mr. Nurari."

The teacher walked back up the aisle, taking the seat behind the driver. With a chuckle, the driver shifted gears and eased the bus about the drive.

"So… what's your story about?"

Mizore glanced at her, offering a slight shrug.

"I have one about a depressed girl becoming friends with an enthusiastic girl."

Yukari snorted.

"Is this a biography?"

"No. There's no children molesting teenagers in mine."

Kurumu quietly laughed as the bus straightened out and picked up speed down the private road.

"So what happens in your story?"

"Whatever comes to mind."

"That's a recipe for disaster."

"Nobody knows how life will turn out."

Yukari huffed.

"That's not the point of writing. Realism is fine but you don't want to make it pointless."

"Everything is pointless."

"So is this going to be your story for the paper?"

Ginei had scooted over to the aisle and was peering around Kurumu. The bus passed by the small storage shack near the edge of the woods where Nagi's weathered sedan was parked. The lighting within the bus flickered as the bus trundled into the forest.

"No. I have a couple shorter stories for the paper."

"If possible, I would like to read them."

"I haven't typed them on a computer yet."

"That's fine. I can read from a notebook."

Mizore nodded, unzipping her knapsack.

"I have it here."

"You can hand it over after we settle down in our rooms. I'm not reading in a moving vehicle."

Mizore nodded, tugging the knapsack tight to her bosom as she settled back in the seat. A short silence followed before the world was cast into darkness. Kurumu shivered, aware that they were traveling in a tunnel which would magically dump them in Okinawa.

"I liked Mizore's last story."

Kurumu smiled at Tsukune's admission. She had read Mizore's hologram story. It was about a young man coming home to a warm house with a lovely wife and child. He was late so he had to eat leftovers sitting in the fridge. He would chat with his wife and tuck his child in bed. And at the end of the story, he turned off the program to sleep in his house alone.

"I had mixed reviews on that."

"What was wrong with it?"

"Mood. Most people felt it was too depressing."

"I read the paper you released in my absence and did not feel her story was abhorrent."

"I'm just saying that Mizore has a pretty dark reputation and writing these things don't help her even if they are done well. She needs to write more uplifting stories."

"I'm not going to write meaningless stories."

"Who put it in your head that happiness is meaningless?"

There was another moment of silence which ended when they came out of the tunnel into sunlight. Trees and foliage stood up on either side of the road.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. It's quite understandable from your position. But I'll tell you right now that happiness is as interesting and realistic as sorrow. Life is never full of one thing so you're not being realistic if you only focus on the negative aspects of life."

"It's hard to believe that when only the bad things matter."

"You are fooling yourself if you believe that."

"How would you understand when all you ever do is feel girls up for fun?"

"Don't make your sorrow into what makes you special. It's not worth it."

"Stealing a page from Lady Otonashi's lessons."

Ginei smirked at the grinning Koike as the bus drove onto the bridge given them their first view of Okinawa. The bridge had white guard rails on both sides. There was nothing but wooded hillside on Mizore's side of the bus but on the other side were the tops of many buildings. Further out was the wispy blueness of the ocean.

"I don't know how to write anything else."

"You have talent, Mizore. I'll look at what you have and maybe we can polish it up so we get less of those dismissive remarks. It's the paper after the next one that I want you to try something different. I'll even help you out if you like."

They were back to being flanked by trees on both sides though Mizore's side was steep with shoring. The bus was quickly approaching a blue sign for Ishikawa.

"What sort of story are you wanting?"

"Erotica."

"Your writing is fine, Ms. Shirayuki. I will help you."

Kurumu chuckled as they blew by the sign. The green sign coming up indicated the Okinawa Expressway.

"I should get a yunomi for Okinawa."

Yukari barked out a sharp laugh, shaking her head.

"Don't you have enough of those?"

"One more won't hurt."

Silence settled over the group for a short while as they passed by a road on Mizore's side which had signs for the expressway. In moments they passed under a bridge which likely was for the expressway. The road veered off to the right with a town on the other side of some fields on the left. As they ducked back into the remnants of a forest, Kurumu smiled at Mizore.

"Mizore needs some real clothes."

"I have clothes."

"Something different. Thin stuff for hot weather but still able to protect from sunburn."

"I think chiffon is the material you want."

Kurumu shrugged at Tora's remark, unfamiliar with terms.

"I don't mind buying her a blouse or two."

"You are far too generous, Moka."

"I don't need clothes."

"It's depressing seeing you wear the same things over and over."

"I concur with Kurumu. I would rather you wear nothing instead of the same outfit all the time."

Tora sighed, shaking her head as they passed by the elevated expressway on Mizore's side of the bus.

"Ignore him. I would offer to buy Ms. Shirayuki a blouse, but my parents might freak out if they see a charge on the card for a store in Okinawa."

"I have money. But… yea… My parents would cancel my card if they saw an Okinawa expenditure."

"Maybe I could buy it and then you pay me back."

Mizore frowned at Moka as they passed by fields on the left. They were coming closer to civilization.

"I don't think I can withdraw money with my card."

"Well… maybe you could buy CDs for me at the music store in Mononoke?"

Mizore shrugged, leaving the suggestion unanswered. The road cut back into the trees, denying them vision of the nearby city. Kurumu sighed, glancing at Tsukune.

"Tsukune should think about upgrading his wardrobe."

"What's wrong with my clothes?"

"It's kind of lame. You should buy clothes like the stuff Ginei wears."

Koike snorted out a laugh, shaking his head. The young man crossed his arms about his broad chest as he leaned into the aisle.

"I'll have you girls know that this bum used to dress like a bum on the weekends."

"You mean like what you're wearing now."

Koike smirked at Ginei.

"At least my clothes are new."

"I'm sorry for not being a rich boy."

"I'm not rich. But I don't go around looking so poor that I become a charity case."

Tora perked up.

"Charity case? Are you implying that Senior has someone buy him clothes?"

"Not an implication when it's true."

"Please tell me that you're not having Ms. Hajihachi buy clothes for you."

Ginei smirked.

"I'm not having Mika buy me clothes."

"Nope. That would be Miya."

"Miya?"

"Zanzou Miya, formerly from class four. She's in Ms. Okimune's class this year."

Tora sighed dramatically as the bus approached some tall buildings on the left side.

"Why is this the first I've heard about this girl?"

"Probably because I barely spoke with her last term. Like Kamoko, she was ran off by Kuyo."

"She wasn't in your club, so don't blame that on the PSC."

"She was a part time member."

Koike smirked at Ginei, shaking his head.

"She's the younger sister of one of the former seniors of the film club. We invited her to attend the farewell party but she declined."

Having passed by what had probably been apartment buildings, the bus continued down this road, driving by a bunch of small residences on Mizore's side.

"She donated those nice velvet shirts to me back at the start of June before Tsukune's birthday."

"Maybe she was the secret admirer you were so worried about."

Ginei chuckled at Tora, shaking his head.

"Not a chance. I doubt Zanzou has ever turned a stove on."

"I'm surprised such a generous woman was never mentioned by any of your other admirers."

"I doubt anyone interested in Morioka would think of Ms. Zanzou as competition."

"I told them not to fuss over it unless Zanzou started buying boxers for me."

"Dear God, I hope she wasn't doing that."

"Nope. This wolf goes commando."

"What's commando?"

Yukari snorted as the bus drove by a bunch of buildings on both sides of the road. The bus slowed down as they started a slight descent.

"That is how you dress, Rubi. It means without undergarments."

Kurumu giggled as the bus finally came to a stop at the end of this road. An intersecting road went left and right. There was a brown multistory building on the left and several white multistory buildings on the right. The driver was waiting on the light.

"I think I agree with Tora. That sounds like an admirer to me."

"You may as well be including yourself in this list of his admirers if you think that way."

"She's buying him clothes. Would you buy clothes for a girl you didn't like?"

"If I had the money and a girl let me, I would."

"That's like girlfriend boyfriend stuff. You don't buy clothes for a member of the opposite sex."

"I would buy any girl a thong whether I wanted her as a girlfriend or not."

Kurumu sighed, thinking these boys were completely missing the point. The light turned green and the bus turned slowly to the right.

"Zanzou Miya was not listed on the boards for the top hundred second year students for either exam. She was also not nominated for the popularity contest with Ms. Okimune. That was Ms. Yaisoku from tennis whom is the classroom representative."

"She is very easy to overlook."

Kurumu nodded, realizing this girl shared her gym hour.

"What does she look like?"

Ginei snorted.

"Like a boy. I'm not remotely attracted to Zanzou."

The bus veered off onto a drive on the left. They slowly drove by more multistory buildings. Kurumu could not tell if these were apartments or hotels.

"Would you buy her a thong?"

"I'd be afraid to see her wearing it. She might be packing."

"Don't be silly. Her brother assured us that she was a girl."

"And you trust him?"

Kurumu felt inspired to meet this Zanzou. The bus was slowly following the road which veered off to the left once more. She could see the ocean through Mizore's window. Passing by one more structure, the bus pulled into the parking lot for the adjacent building. A sign over the front entrance declared this was the Seaside Hostel & Cafe.

Mr. Nurari turned the bus about in the lot so Mizore's side faced the entrance before parking the vehicle. The hydraulics hissed and the driver pulled the crank to open the door.

"Before anyone hops out, let me check on our reservation."

Ms. Nekonome waved at them before descending the stairs and stepping out on the pavement. The teacher walked over to the front entrance of this two story wooden building. The wood was painted white. A couple windows faced the lot. There was nothing special or charming about the place. It looked like every other rundown property they had passed.

"I don't know what she's fretting over. Even if there is a problem with the reservation, I can make the owners do whatever I want. Everyone unload your things."

Ms. Aimai sauntered out of the bus as Mr. Nurari chuckled.

"You heard the woman. Get moving."

The driver followed the succubus out. Taking a deep breath, Kurumu got up on her feet. She smiled at Rubi, gesturing for the witch to go first as Yukari and Moka walked down the aisle to the front. It was not long before Kurumu filed out of the bus behind Tora, stepping away so Mizore could exit behind her.

"I just realized I have no idea what Lady Otonashi looks like."

"I'm sure Ms. Aimai has a picture of Lady Otonashi in that folder."

Kurumu nodded as they started towards the end of the bus. She took in a deep breath, enjoying the scent of the ocean drifting in on the gentle breeze. When they arrived at the back of the bus, the driver was already smoking a cigar and leaning against the open back door. Moka struggled to free one of her suitcases from beneath the seats.

"I could summarize Lady Otonashi's looks."

"Oh? Should we brace ourselves for something inappropriate about to be said?"

Kurumu grinned at Tora's remark. Chuckling, Ginei slipped around Tsukune and sprung up onto the back of the bus with ease. Ginei fetched Ms. Nekonome's white suitcase first, handing it down to Tsukune. Kurumu glanced across the parking lot, noting the other three boys had headed straight for the door.

"Shall we be getting this description or not?"

"I probably couldn't do her justice, but I will give it a shot. Try thinking of Nerume without her offset ponytail. That's a close resemblance."

Kurumu laughed as Ginei handed down Ms. Aimai's crimson suitcase.

"That isn't that helpful."

Ginei shrugged as he reached around the seat to tug Tsukune's suitcase out.

"It's not too far off. She's short with long, black hair. And both girls would be stretching the truth if they claimed they wore an A cup bra."

Tora pouted as Moka handed over her faded blue suitcase.

"Being an A cup doesn't mean you have nothing."

Ginei chuckled as he handed over Tsukune's suitcase.

"Sorry. I probably should have said AA cup."

"Now that's insulting. Ms. Genzouyaki is not that flat."

"This is yours, Kurumu."

Kurumu nodded as Moka held out her luggage. Tugging the bag to her side, she glanced at Tora.

"Should we go inside?"

"May as well."

As they approached the front entrance, Kurumu noted there was only one other vehicle in the lot. A white, two door car was parked in the corner closest to the back of the establishment. An elevated gazebo which consisted of a roof and half height walls had been attached to the back of the structure. A wooden gate was built along the supports beneath the gazebo, which also had patio furniture arranged in this shade. Part of the second floor hung over the back patio.

Tora reached the door first, drawing it aside for Kurumu. They stepped into the genkan which was flanked by the front counter on their right. The counter was built into the right side wall with a door a couple paces after the end for access into the office. The wall on the left side passed the edge of the genkan before opening up for another corridor. This main hallway seemed to cross the entire building.

"Here are more of our students."

Ms. Nekonome and Ms. Anzu were standing by the counter addressing a sandy haired woman about the same height as the teacher. The woman looked like she had crawled out of bed with how her shoulder length tresses hung about in a mess. The thin, soft blue blouse she had thrown on barely hid enough of her bosom to be acceptable. She regarded them with reddened hazel eyes.

"Oh? More friends of San?"

Moka and Yukari joined them in the genkan as Kurumu wandered over to the edge, setting her luggage down. Tsukune came up beside her, doing the same.

"No. These are first years but part of her Newspaper Club."

"This is Kawamoto Marin, the owner of the Seaside Hostel."

"I'm Nazohashi Tora. Thank you for taking care of us."

In unison, they all murmured their appreciation and offered a slight bow.

"Take off your shoes, students. The rooms are upstairs. Boys are in 203 while the girls are in 202. Here's the key to your room, Ms. Nazohashi."

Tora took the offered key which was attached to a green wooden block. Everyone proceeded to remove their shoes. Kurumu had on her shiny black Mary Janes with the black bows upon the straps which crossed over her foot. The soles were extra thick, giving her a couple centimeters to be the same height as Tora. She unbuckled the silver latches on the sides.

"I really am sorry for not being more prepared. The lady said she would be coming tomorrow."

"It's no trouble."

"I can call Mrs. Wayama and see if she can stop by to make dinner for you."

"We can manage one night if you have suggestions for delivery."

"Such pretty hair. Are you naturally blond?"

Moka nodded, setting her gray sneakers with pink laces aside.

"Yes. I'm Akashiya Moka and my young friend is Sendou Yukari."

"Is she related to one of the other students?"

Kurumu laughed as she stepped up from the genkan.

"No, Ma'am. She's a high school student and in my homeroom."

"That's Kurono Kurumu. She's a deviant."

Kurumu balked over Yukari's accusation as the older women laughed.

"Why am I the deviant?!"

"That is Aono Tsukune. He has sex with Kurumu."

"No I don't!"

"And the creepy girl in the shadows is Shirayuki Mizore. She wants to be impregnated."

The door slid open before anyone could comment on the blunt introductions. Ginei gestured for Rubi to head in before him. The werewolf had the white and crimson suitcases at his side.

"I should get going. I need to stop by a car rental before our driver leaves us."

"You seem to have a large group so you should get a van."

The flustered Ms. Nekonome had slipped outside before the innkeeper could finish her sentence. Ginei closed the door behind him after wheeling in the suitcases for their escorts.

"Ms. Okumura will be arriving tomorrow with a second rental, so that should not be an issue. Where is Mr. Kawamoto?"

The innkeeper smiled softly.

"He passed away four summers ago."

Ms. Aimai hesitated.

"My condolences. The records on file did not indicate your husband was deceased."

"It's fine. I know these things happen."

Ms. Aimai nodded, turning and gesturing down the hall.

"You should all head up to your rooms."

"Where is Lady Otonashi?"

Mrs. Kawamoto turned a smile on Ginei.

"She's been absent for days. I think she may have finally left me."

"Why would you say that?"

"Because I'm sure this whole experience has been a complete disappointment for her. She had high hopes and I haven't been able to do anything for her."

"Do you have any idea where she may have gone?"

"Maybe she finally found that family she was looking for."

Ms. Aimai snorted, shaking her head.

"That is unlikely. She would have to get that information from the prefectural office in Umishita."

"Where is that?"

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Kawamoto. Normally a representative of Happily Ever After would check in once a month to see how Ms. Otonashi was doing and compensate you for your troubles. I will be putting a word in at the main office that things in Okinawa are more disorganized than they thought."

Mrs. Kawamoto sighed again.

"Just one problem after another. Maybe Shuei Industrial offered her a job. They've managed to take almost every other employee I have."

"What is Shuei Industrial?"

"Some annoying company which has been trying to buy me out for three years. When that didn't work, they started buying off anyone whom worked for me. The only two I've managed to keep are Wayama and Takahashi because both have been with me since we opened this place eight years ago."

"Do they have an office?"

"They have several in the new city of Uruma. Takahashi says they have been trying to expand into Onna and Kin for years and that I should consider giving in."

"Maybe we can swing by one of their offices tomorrow and see if they know where she is."

"I wouldn't want to trouble you."

Ginei laughed heartily, setting aside his shoes.

"If it involves Lady Otonashi, it is no trouble. The boys and I will handle this."

"We should take this discussion to our rooms instead of congesting Mrs. Kawamoto's doorstep."

"Don't worry. It's unlikely anyone else will come through that door on a Sunday afternoon."

"All the same, I would prefer to unpack first. I will be back down to discuss dinner options in a bit."

Mrs. Kawamoto smiled as Ms. Aimai retrieved her crimson suitcase from Ginei. Needing no further prompting, Kurumu hefted up her luggage and started down the hall.

"You can take the stairs up on your left. Your rooms are at the end of the hall."

Kurumu nodded, turning left into the narrow corridor. There was a door immediately on her left, likely for a storage closet. She could see the end of the corridor but no stairs, guessing this closet was beneath the stairs. Right before she reached the end of the corridor, it turned up onto a landing. As expected, the stairs had been on the other side of the left wall and went up in a long flight.

"What do you think happened to Ms. Otonashi?"

Kurumu shrugged at Tora whom ascended the stairs beside her.

"This thing is a huge fuck up. The program in Niigata should have never sent her to Okinawa without contacting the agents in Umishita. Someone should have a word with Lord Chiki."

"I hope Ms. Otonashi is okay."

Kurumu smiled at Tsukune's soft remark. Once up the stairs, they were in a short hall with windows facing the parking lot. A double door was ahead of them which opened into that gazebo thing she had seen outside.

"Should we start looking for her?"

"We wait for Ms. Nekonome to return with the rental. Depending on how long that takes, we might be eating dinner and calling it a day. There's no reason to wander the city aimlessly on a Sunday night."

Kurumu nodded as she turned left in this corridor which was lined with glass windows. Square overhead lights were mounted to the ceiling as they had been in the other hallways. Off to the right was a lovely ocean view. Beyond the patio was a small beach which they shared with the adjacent building. Jagged rocks marked the edge of the beach further up in the direction she was headed.

As she passed by the first door on her left which was marked 208, Kurumu realized this entire corridor overhung the patio. She slowed her step as they neared a narrow intersecting hall, gesturing to the left.

"Did she mean this hall?"

"Keep going. Mrs. Kawamoto said the inn has eight rooms upstairs, though she only rents out seven. The first one we passed she loaned out to Ms. Otonashi."

Kurumu nodded, resuming her steady pace. In moments she walked by another door marked 205. When she passed the next door marked 204, Kurumu quickly deduced that earlier hall must have crossed the inn for rooms 206 and 207. As expected, they came upon a second narrow corridor.

"It's this way."

Kurumu turned left in the corridor, prompting Tora to follow.

"Ms. Toujou and Mr. Morioka. You're following me."

Kurumu spared a glance over her shoulder as Ms. Aimai walked by the corridor. Tsukune lingered at the intersection indecisively. Giggling, Kurumu turned her attention back to her path. There were two doors at the end, one on each side. The right side door was marked 202 which Tora drifted over to with the key in her free hand. Kurumu came to a stop, waiting for the sphinx to unlock it.

"What are we going to do for the next few hours?"

Kurumu shrugged as Moka and Yukari came down the corridor to join them. Tsukune had overcome his indecision and was walking on their heels. Mizore remained comfortably in his shadow.

Hearing the latch release, Kurumu smiled as Tora slid the door aside and entered the room. Their new quarters was an empty rectangular room with a large light fixture in the center. Two windows faced the street while another was on the far wall. Wandering further inside, Kurumu noticed another sliding door on the same wall as the door to the hall. She surmised this was for a closet, walking over to open it.

"Don't worry, Kurumu. I'm sure that's big enough for us to stuff Ms. Shirayuki inside."

Kurumu pouted as Yukari stalked over to a corner of the room. Moka sighed, shaking her head.

"You shouldn't say such things."

"She's not safe to sleep around."

"Ms. Shirayuki has incense to help soothe her while she sleeps."

Kurumu nodded in agreement with Tora, aware that the sphinx had spent at least one night with Mizore.

"Are we sleeping already?"

Kurumu smiled as Mizore entered the room with an inquisitive look. She laughed, shaking her head.

"Not yet. Right now, we're going to unpack and listen to some music."

"I would rather hang out with Tsukune."

"Well… you should give your writing to Senior today."

Mizore nodded, slipping out of the straps of her knapsack. As Kurumu set her luggage down beside the door, she grinned at a thought.

"Have either of you tried on the swimsuits Ms. Aimai bought you last night?"

Tora grimaced as Mizore shrugged indifferently, sifting through the contents of her knapsack before tugging out her notebook. Grinning wider, Kurumu skipped over to the hallway door and closed it.

"We should fix that."

Kurumu sighed as she rested in one of the many chairs set out on the patio. All of these wooden chairs were painted white and had rounded backs. A faded black cushion was embedded in the back and seat, though it was made of plastic instead of cloth. There was a mix of white wooden tables scattered about the patio, most being round but a few were rectangles. The table Kurumu's chair flanked was round.

The other three chairs about this table were occupied by her friends. Tora was on her left while Moka was on her right. Yukari had scooted her chair to be closer to Moka. They were all dressed down in the white robes provided by the inn, the four of them having finished their bath a few minutes ago. The stars were starting to peek out from the darkening sky as the sun continued to sink below the horizon behind them. Kurumu imagined this was a lovely sunrise view, though none of the bedrooms had windows facing the ocean. The view from the windows in their room which faced the street was nothing to brag about since the sun would fall behind the hills of the island long before the actual sunset.

Not much had happened since settling in. They had tried on their swimsuits, which Kurumu was happily pleased about hers fitting. Ms. Aimai must have bought something huge for her since there was so much left to the straps Moka had tied for her in the back.

Mizore had a striped swimsuit which was much different from the one she had worn to Tsukune's pool party. This was a bikini which bared a lot more skin than the striped tank top and shorts the girl had bought in Mononoke for his birthday. After trying it on, Mizore had started writing a will in case this mistake proved fatal.

Tora was not thrilled with her swimsuit either, though hers was more like a tube top and bikini bottom. Both stretchy, periwinkle garments were stitched with frilly white lace along the upper hem, drawing some attention away from her slight bosom and curvy rump. There was enough fluff that the bottoms almost passed as a very short skirt.

After the impromptu swimsuit fashion show which Kurumu had goaded Moka into participating, they had winded down with music and cards until Ms. Nekonome returned around six. Mizore surrendered her notebook to Ginei before dinner which had consisted of beef bowls ordered from a nearby Sukiya. Kurumu had no complaints, her stomach still full from a meal they had finished less than two hours ago.

The glass door behind them drew open. Kurumu glanced over her shoulder as Ginei stepped out onto the patio. That door opened into the interior dining area next to the kitchen.

"Have any of you young ladies seen Mizore?"

Kurumu made a dismissive sound as the others answered with similar ignorance. Kurumu had not seen the snow girl since they came down for their bath. Unlike Moka whom had to alter the chemical balance of water to bathe in it comfortably, Mizore had an issue bathing with others because she could freeze the water with a sudden mood swing.

Having brought her chemicals, Moka had bathed with them, though the fumes had been overwhelming. Sadly the bathroom lacked a window to open up and ventilate the enclosed space, forcing them to cut the activity short of the half hour mark. After five minutes, Yukari had become too lethargic to do much beyond snuggle. The witch had barely been conscious when they had brought her out here.

The bath for the girls was on the other side of their toilet room, which meant there would be no juggling a bathing schedule like they had done in Kofu. All of the plumbing was downstairs with both bathrooms accessible from a small service corridor intersecting the main hall. Across this corridor was a tiny laundry area with two dryers and two washers.

Ginei stalked over, placing his hands on Tora's shoulders.

"What are you doing?"

"I see tense muscles in need of a firm massage."

Tora groaned, closing her eyes as the werewolf started to squeeze and push on the sphinx.

"Can't you keep your hands to yourself?"

"I finished reading one of her stories and wanted to speak with Mizore."

"That was fast."

Ginei chuckled at Kurumu.

"Not for something meant to go in a paper. Anyways, I didn't see anyone in your room or 201."

"Mrs. Kawamoto took the other ladies out with her. Ms. Aimai said not to wait up for them."

Ginei grinned at Moka as Tora made a soft moan.

"Sounds like I should station one of the boys at the front entrance. Unless Tora wants to put down her barrier tonight."

"No. I'm not doing that."

"Where's Tsukune?"

"Upstairs. Haiji is showing him the proper way to throw a punch."

"Couldn't you have done that?"

Ginei shrugged slightly as he continued to work his hands on Tora's shoulders.

"For me, proper means putting emotion into it. I've never approved of the thought of reducing fighting to emotionless movements."

Moka sighed, reaching over to pet Yukari's locks.

"It is better to attack with feeling, but that creates harmful intent. I don't know if Tsukune is fast enough to telegraph his movements with strong feelings."

"He is getting faster, but you're probably right. I'll try to convince Ms. Nekonome to take us to that prefectural office in Umishita tomorrow. Seems as good a place as any to start looking for clues."

Tora groaned, reaching up to grab Ginei's hands.

"Stop. You'll put me to sleep if you keep that up."

"Are you wearing anything beneath these robes?"

Kurumu smirked at Tora's whimper.

"Maybe I'll convince Mizore to switch rooms. This cute girl might part her robe for me once more."

Tora blushed, holding his hands.

"She does not approve of you handling her friends so poorly."

Ginei frowned at Moka, relaxing his shoulders.

"I agreed to keep my hands off of you."

"I can only relay the message, Ginei."

Ginei chuckled, making no further attempts to massage Tora though her hands kept his in place.

"Do you think Fairy Tale kidnapped her?"

"I think that's more likely than Lady Otonashi deciding to work for Shuei Industrial. For that matter, I can't imagine them offering her a job unless she suddenly overcame her handicap."

"Handicap?"

Ginei smiled softly.

"Lady Otonashi is afraid to speak. She's terrified of accidentally harming people with her voice."

"That's… different."

"She's not actually mute, but most of her communication with me was done by writing in a sketchbook. She carried that thing around with her everywhere."

"That's the sketchbook you asked Mrs. Kawamoto about during dinner."

Ginei nodded. Kurumu had not followed the dinner conversation entirely but she had realized Mrs. Kawamoto knew nothing about Fairy Tale or monsters. Her husband had enrolled them in the Happily Ever After program through some friend of his whom she had only met a couple times. She had forgotten about being part of the program until Otonashi had been brought to her doorstep.

From the description, it was obvious Mrs. Kawamoto remembered Ms. Okumura. There could not be that many platinum haired, blue eyed women running around Japan. The third year teacher had basically told Mrs. Kawamoto the same thing about how the program was supposed to work. The only reason why Otonashi had not enrolled in Ryukyu University was because their Happily Ever After representative had never shown up to authorize the funds. Otonashi had refused to take Mrs. Kawamoto's money, aware of her financial situation caused by her husband's passing and Shuei Industrial's interference.

"It felt like half of the things she wrote to me were admonishments for being stupid."

"That's not surprising."

"Anyways. We'll check in Umishita to see if anybody has seen Lady Otonashi. Then we'll try following up on those family members she was hoping to find."

"Should we try looking about the city for her?"

"Can I have my hands back?"

Tora bit her lip, glancing up.

"Will you behave with them?"

"I won't massage anything else unless you ask me to."

Tora let out a sigh, releasing his hands. Ginei chuckled, stepping back and crossing his arms.

"I don't know what you guys can do. We only have one vehicle unless you convince Mrs. Kawamoto to join in on your search. You'll have Ms. Aimai with you so I guess I shall defer to her judgment."

Kurumu snorted, guessing that meant they would do nothing since Ms. Aimai had been ordered to keep a low profile with minimal interaction.

"Ms. Okumura will be arriving tomorrow."

"Yea, but nobody knows when that will happen which means somebody will have to be sticking around here to meet Ms. Okumura."

Moka sighed as she continued to stroke her fingers through Yukari's hair.

"Whatever you decide to do, make sure that Ms. Nekonome takes Yukari's phone with her. It won't work through barriers which means you might not be able to use it in Umishita."

"You could give it to me."

"Are you sure you want to carry around a Hello Kitty toy phone?"

"I'm not worried about what those boys think about me."

"I'm thinking Yukari is done for the night."

"Shall I carry the young lady up to her room?"

"I have her."

Moka slipped out of her chair, smoothly picking the limp witch up. She shifted the young girl about in her arms, prompting Tora to get up out of her chair and help fix Yukari's robes before too much of Yukari's legs and thighs were bared in the porchlight. Moka murmured her thanks as Tora guided Yukari's arms to comfortable perches.

"Pity. I thoroughly enjoyed carrying a sleeping girl in my arms."

"I don't know the details, Ginei, but she seems to think you've recovered too quickly."

"She's being too serious. Flirting has always been harmless."

"Harmless to the one doing the flirting. You need to place more value on the feelings of women."

"But I do value feeling women."

"Oh, shut up."

Kurumu chuckled as the pair started for the door, slipping out of her sight.

"Are you coming with?"

Kurumu took in a deep breath, enjoying the scent of the sea.

"In a bit."

She heard the door slide open.

"Senior is looking for you."

Kurumu perked up. Glancing over her shoulder as the door closed, Mizore strolled over to them wearing the same white robes from the inn. She did not have the usual lollipop stick in her mouth as she came over to take the seat Moka had vacated. Ginei had settled in Tora's former chair.

"Where have you been?"

"Waiting."

There was a slight glisten to Mizore's purple locks, implying the girl had bathed.

"Some things are worth the wait."

"What did you want?"

Ginei chuckled, relaxing back in the chair.

"I was wanting to discuss your story with you."

"Go ahead."

"I was hoping we could do it in private. I could swipe one of the keys for a vacant room."

"Do you ever stop?"

"I've been feeling the packaging for a whole week and I'm curious to see what's inside."

Kurumu smirked as Mizore blushed, glancing away.

"Why don't you buy yourself a girl magazine if you're that curious what a naked girl looks like?"

"I know what a naked girl looks like. But I want to know what this girl looks like naked."

Mizore tightened her robe about her torso, only making the swell of her bosom more apparent.

"I can't."

"Ginei, don't. Unless you plan on keeping her, don't cross that line."

Ginei held his hands up.

"My bad. I am letting myself get carried away."

"It's annoying."

"Don't let it get to you."

"His training. It's annoying."

Kurumu chuckled, not disagreeing at all.

"I heard you were working with Mr. Kitajima today."

"Yes. He is easier to learn from."

"The only thing Kitajima knows how to do is thrust his sword"

"Maybe you should talk about her story."

Ginei clapped his hands, decisively getting up.

"No. I think I will save it for another night. I should read the other one before passing judgment."

"Okay. Good night, Ginei."

"Don't do anything I'd want to record."

Kurumu laughed softly, shaking her head as the door opened behind them. In another second the door closed and they were alone on the patio.

Kurumu sighed, taking in a deep breath as she relaxed in the chair. She closed her eyes, listening to the soft ebb and flow of the waves tugging on the sandy shore. She did miss living by the ocean. It reminded her of the childhood she had abandoned.

"Do you think a baby with Mr. Morioka would work?"

"You can't be serious."

"Right. Probably a monstrel baby."

That had nothing to do with Kurumu's protest, though she understood it made a difference to Mizore. Having a monstrel child might have her exiled from her family in Yukimura. Having an acceptable though illegitimate child had been Mizore's hope to get her out of her arranged marriage and unwanted destiny of becoming the village's next Snow Priestess.

"Are you okay, Mizore?"

"I don't know. I've been thinking a lot. Maybe it is impossible to avoid getting married."

"Tora doesn't know what Fairy Tale might do."

There was a long moment of silence. Kurumu thought about Umizake Aoi, the young man Mizore had been promised to seven years ago. The boy had been sent to Yokai to keep an eye on Mizore, but he rarely interacted with her. He had allowed the entire thing with Kotsubo to happen and did not interfere with Mizore's efforts to convince Tsukune to impregnate her. He had even allowed Mizore to spend the summer with Tsukune, telling his parents that Mizore would be staying at their place. She imagined his parents would have a few things to say to him after learning about this deception since they had attended the wedding and Kokoa could not keep her mouth shut about her classmate.

The only time Umizake had stepped in was to save Kurumu and Mizore from a pair of akaname boys whom had been eating the kappa boys on his dorm room floor which he shared with Tsukune. Since he killed the two boys, the faculty had suspended him for the remainder of the school year, only allowing him back in school to take his term exams.

"You know… Umizake is a nice person."

"I guess."

"You both like the same music."

"That's true."

Kurumu nodded, unable to think of anything else to say. She felt it would be wrong to start praising Umizake when she lacked a strong opinion about the guy. While he was a top ten student and a member of the PSC, he was extremely apathetic and socially awkward. Mizore needed someone more passionate to be her partner.

"I don't… help."

Kurumu frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't help. Yukari says I'm selfish, but… I can't help. The whole thing with Akashiya…"

"Nobody can do much about that."

Mizore shook her head.

"I… I've never seen a parent talk that way. To their child. It was… horrible."

Kurumu sighed.

"Well… that's a weird situation. The seal and Moka are different things. Even if they were the same person, Moka isn't Mrs. Shuzen's daughter by birth."

"It was complete rejection. I… I don't know how I feel anymore. It was easy blaming her for everything that went wrong with Tsukune. With you. With Yukari. It was her fault everyone got hurt."

Kurumu nodded, crossing her arms. She knew saying anything to the contrary would start an argument.

"I felt sorry for Akashiya. To have a mother whom completely despised her. I… I should have gone home this summer. I miss my mother."

Kurumu reached up to massage her breast as a dull ache flared up inside.

"Yea… I miss mine too."