Chapter Three: The Stalker

The air was cold; it was always cold. She looked out her window, feeling the snow whipping through her hair, moving it with a gentle motion and feeling. She looked out onto the landscape below, watching it as the snow seemed to twist and distort it with its motion.

She carefully studied the ground right below her, hoping the snow was deep. Her room was up high on the tower, but it wasn't like she was forced here. She knew it was a drop she had to chance. She took her sheet, already cut to reasonable strip sizes, tied nicely and neatly, but firmly. She tied it to the anchor she had set to keep it from sending her plummeting, and threw it out the window.

She turned to give one last look at what she was leaving. She held in her hand a fistful of candies she'd made, tucking them into her pocket. They would come in handy later. She climbed out onto her homemade rope, the snow freezing and solidifying the rope and strengthening it. She made her way down carefully, dropping to the snow below. It hurt, causing her to wince in pain, but she knew it wouldn't last long. She pulled on the frozen sheet, causing it to bring the anchor with it. Both she hid in the snow around the window, keeping it from view. With luck, the snow should hide it.

It was with somewhat of a heavy heart she left, but not something that was too heavy. She began to trudge through the snow, knowing it wouldn't hurt her. She ran a hand through her icy blue hair, turning to put it behind her ear for one last glance. She saw figures moving in the room that had once been hers. She turned once again, moving quickly, slinking behind dead trees that littered the landscape, nearly buried in snow. They would surely begin looking for her. It was only a matter of time.

The world slowly began to warm as she moved through the snow. She knew that the further she got from home, the warmer it was. For her, it was still tolerable, pretty much until she got to the barrier. She rubbed her arms, enjoying the fact that it was less wet here, near the edge of what she had called home; her entire world.

At the border, she saw the slightest trickles of grass, green and persistent, quickly beginning to wither near the barrier. It was a strange sight, to see a mix of snow and ice directly touching green grass and trees. To the outside world, this did not exist, but this is exactly where the place she called home was.

Perhaps it was petty she had organized her escape like this. But, such was the life she wished not to live. Freedom was within her grasp, her choice so close, yet somehow seeming so far.

Were she to return in any capacity, it would be called petty. She would be told she was petty, selfish even. She would be told that her actions might cause them problems later on. But, at this point, she didn't care. It wasn't anyone's choice but hers to make, even if it was a problem. She had only known this world, but she wondered what the human world was like, a place she had never been. Was it burning hot? Was it arid and dry in places? Was it humid and muggy? She had heard many stories from those who had been there. But, she never had the chance to.

By sheer chance, she had learned of the bus that came and went from that world to this and back again. It was here she was making her journey, to reach that bus station. It was hopefully in her luck to see the bus.

As she walked further along the barrier, she saw the markings of a sign, frozen over in ice. She moved closer, looking at the sign. It read 'Bus Stop'; this was the place! She hoped that the ice was merely from no one taking care of the sign rather than the bus being abandoned completely. She stole along, looking for any sort of thing to indicate whether or not a bus came through. As she searched, she heard a rumbling like she'd never heard before. It was a curious sound, like that of a motor. But, it seemed far bigger than any she'd heard before.

Rumbling into view, she saw the object causing the noise. It was a yellow bus, which pulled up to the sign, opening its door like a doorway to hell, beckoning the sinner to enter its eternal resting place. She looked inside to see the driver, cigar in hand, leaning back in his seat.

"You goin' some place?" He asked nonchalantly, his glowing eyes staring into her soul. She trembled in place at that, giving the smallest of nods as if to indicate her desire.

"Well, you gonna hop in or stand there till you catch cold?" It seemed like it could be a joke; she was unable to catch cold after all, but there was always the case it wasn't. she carefully made her way onto the bus, taking a seat.

"Might wanna put away the claws. Most people don't really like those out."

She looked down at her hands, which were in the traditional fashion of her people, covered in ice, her natural 'flesh'. She concentrated, the ice receding into the skin that formed over it. She looked down to make sure it was completely gone. She'd practiced this before, in an attempt to understand exactly what it was humans were used to seeing. It was actually pretty easy to maintain, especially if the place she was going was a good deal warmer than this.

"Better. Now, sit tight. Gonna be a bit bumpy."

She looked back, images flashing through her mind, wondering if she'd see anyone trying to find her. There was the hope in the deepest part of her mind they wouldn't. She didn't want to be found; that would defeat the purpose of leaving in the first place. She was going to make sure it didn't happen.

"Goin' anywhere in particular?" The driver asked.

She shook her head, continuing to stare out the window and not into his eyes, lest she think her soul would be devoured.

"Suit yourself then. I'll take you somewhere you'll prob'ly like, prob'ly not. We'll see, won't we?"

The bus pulled away slowly, taking her to her new destination.

At Yokai Private Academy

Kurumu woke up, yawning as she sat up in her bed. It was a good night sleep for her, having dreamt of cotton candy and rainbows. Sometimes, being a succubus wasn't so bad, being able to have agency over dreams. Sometimes something pleasant, even if it was overly pleasant, was good to give her a bit of peace. Her mother would always ask her if she dreamed a smutty dream and Kurumu would always respond with no. Even the dreams she couldn't control never veered into the true nature of a succubus, a fact she wasn't about to give up. She would find someone to get her mother off her back, one way or another. Perhaps her friends had some ideas…

She put on her school uniform, tying her hair with a red ribbon Moka had given her. She liked to let it down, but she wanted to try this ribbon instead of that today.

She grabbed a snack from the mini fridge she'd charmed her way into being allowed to keep, the one selfish use of her powers she'd admit to being not so ashamed of, nibbling on it as she opened her door.

Tumbling into her room was Kyoko, a plastic cup on her ear as she leaned on the door.

"Wh-What are you doing outside my door?!" Kurumu shrieked.

"I'm investigating to gather information on you to see why you managed to grow that pair of wings and tail." The older girl pushed her way in, pulling the back of Kurumu's sweater vest up before the succubus could process what was happening, poking around on her bare back. She then lifted up Kurumu's skirt, poking around on the base of her spine.

"Y-You pervert!" Kurumu punched her in the face, knocking her into the wall, face red. "How dare you touch a lady like that?!"

"Pretty bat goes flying round." The dazed reply came from Kyoko, eyes spiraling. Kurumu clenched her fist, puffing her cheeks as she thought of payback, but decided to come to a better method of punishment. She picked up the dazed Kyoko, carrying her off and shutting her door behind her. She hoped that she wouldn't have to explain the dent Kyoko's body had left.

The succubus arrived at the News Club room, dumping Kyoko in a chair and locking the door. She took some rope Miss Nekonome had left for such occasions like the Scouts' Club, which was originally in this room before being moved to a different room. Working with knots the best she knew how (which was better that she would like to admit, thanks to her mother), she managed to fasten Kyoko to the chair before she could fully recover and wake up.

"Where am I?" She asked, mumbling as she shook her head. She looked up to stare into the face of a very pissed off Kurumu… at least what wasn't covered by her breasts. The succubus had her arms crossed and was giving her a look that could kill.

"You're in the News Club room," Kurumu gave her time to look around and realize the truth to those words. "I'm the earliest one here since I live on campus. You, however, aren't here because you're joining… yet. You're here because I'm going to make sure you never pull a stunt like you pulled earlier."

"Wh-What are you going to do to me?" Kyoko gulped, realizing how in over her head she was.

"I'm going to give you exactly what you want."

With that said, Kurumu spread her arms out, her wings emerging from her back, tail snaking out from the back of her skirt. Her nails and fingers lengthened, becoming claws that were sharp enough to slice through a tree trunk.

"Wh-What are you?" Kyoko leaned back, trying to escape.

"I'm a succubus," Kurumu straddled Kyoko's bound legs so she could pull Kyoko to her by her shirt collar. "There are so many ways I could teach you a lesson, but the one, surefire way is the only way to truly convince you to leave me alone."

She stared deeply into Kyoko's eyes, her pupils forming into the shape of a heart. They lifted off of her sclera, landing in Kyoko's eyes, a small spark as it took effect.

"Now, you are under my Charm spell," Kurumu said, releasing Kyoko. "As my puppet, you will do anything I want. Now, for starters, you will no longer investigate me to see what is weird about me. I have enough self-esteem issues to deal with without you poking and prodding me. You will also stop coming to my dorm at all. The last thing is that you will lay off of guarding Tsukune. He's a big boy and he can take care of himself."

Kyoko nodded, blinking once as the spell faded from view. Kurumu returned to her human form, stretching and popping her back.

"Wh-What did you do to me?" Kyoko asked, blinking to clear her vision.

"I simply Charmed you to leave me alone. Seriously, you creep, leave me alone. A succubus can Charm men, but if we alter the spell a bit, we can affect females."

"But, someone who can grow wings and a tail is a strange thing at this school I must investigate." Kyoko said. "There have to be other weird things at this school."

"What would Tsukune think?" Kurumu looked down at her. "That you were harassing his friends because you're too overprotective?"

"You say you're a succubus, but how come you hide that?" Kyoko asked. "I mean, you charmed Tsuki to make him come with you."

"That was for personal reasons." Kurumu stomped her foot like a toddler. "You're just a creep who's going around touching underage girls because they're different than you."

"Well, it's not every day you meet an actual monster," Kyoko tilted her head. "But, if you don't want me to investigate you, you gotta tell me about yourself. I wanna know it all."

"Most of that is none of your business."

"Then, explain how your powers work, what you can do, how it works."

"Later, maybe. For right now, you are going to go home and not bother me. If you come back once this Charm wears off, I'm not sure what I'll do to you."

"Well, can you untie me?"

"I don't think I should, but fine," Kurumu rolled her eyes, undoing the ropes. "Now, behave. If you keep acting like this, there may come a monster who'll do worse than Charm you to leave them alone."

"Yeah yeah," Kyoko left, Kurumu being alone in the News Club room. Unbeknownst to her, there was someone watching.

The watcher in the window hid once Kurumu had sat down in her seat she usually took, hiding her face as if to keep anyone from seeing her. Her icy blue hair helped hide her face as well.

She couldn't believe the bus driver had taken her to this town in the human world. She had thought she would be sent to a bit quieter of a town. But, the fact that there was a succubus there was something she didn't count on. Of course, she was concerned for that. The bus driver had told her this was her new school, but she had no idea how she was supposed to make it here since she'd not been taught any of the current subjects from the same perspective.

She didn't quite care for the school uniform, thinking the skirt a bit short for her liking and the shirt a bit tight, but she supposed it could be worse. The shoes were a bit cute and she would customize it a bit more to her liking later, finding something to fit her own style.

Though, she could always ask this succubus, who seemed to be doing well from there… though there was the question of why she had tied that girl up to the chair and Charmed her. It was a bit odd, but she couldn't hear her very well, so there may be a misunderstanding. She didn't want to assume the succubus was evil. People always assumed they were, so she didn't want to be like them. She gave a strange feeling, like she was just like her.

She peeked her head up again, only her eyes and forehead visible if one were looking. Her icy blue eyes stared into the window, seeing the succubus sitting in the room. Perhaps this was her club room. The bus driver had mentioned clubs the students were attending. Perhaps she could join the succubus' club? Having another monster to help her out would definitely be a good think in the long run.

She looked as she saw two more people enter the room. One was a boy and the other a girl. The girl seemed to be a bit different as well. Though it was hidden, she could sense something in her. The boy seemed to be a pure human, though; unless he was extremely adept at hiding even the slightest hint of his youkai energy. But, that was extremely unlikely; he was most likely just a human. But, she could gather more information from joining them. She nervously sucked on the refrigerant lollipop she had brought. There were a lot she had back at the room that she had been given.

But, what was she going to say? She couldn't just say that she was a new student and had been watching the succubus through the window. She didn't even know if these two knew she was a succubus. She figured that girl who was bound to the chair did, but she couldn't be sure of anything at this point.

Human and monster relationships were difficult to understand, even in groups like the Snow Fairies or witches, who were the closest to human, witches even more so. It was a hard thing to understand because different monsters had different goals. Her mother had told her of a time before she was born, of a battle she had taken part in that was between two factions of monsters; ones that wanted to have peaceful relations with humans and ones who wanted to destroy humanity. It wasn't something talked about much, but it was something she was proud of.

Mother… she sat there, blinking back icy tears as she thought of her. Was she alright? Had she discovered her absence? Did she worry about her? She had to push those thoughts aside. She had come here to escape her fate, not to have regrets about it. She needed to at least establish some form of attachment here before she even thought of checking in on the people she had left back home.

She peeked back into the window, looking at the group. It seemed to be a newspaper, at least that's what the chalkboard that was wheeled into the room seemed to advertise. She had noticed the newspaper on her first day here and had taken one while she looked at her homework. She had liked the illustrations, which were handled by a Kurumu Kurono. She thought they were quite well done and they were her favorite part of the paper. She even had today's copy in her hand. She would figure out which person that was if she were to join. But, for right now, she was content with watching them through the window. Learning how a newspaper worked from an observer's perspective was enough for her at the moment.

Unfortunately for her, she was spotted. The succubus turned in her direction, noticing her. She quickly ducked, covering her head with her hands. She hadn't meant to be spotted. She wanted to quietly observe, but she didn't want to seem like a stalker. That wouldn't do at all. She had to stay hidden or else they might get mad.

The window opened, causing her to gasp, covering her mouth with her hands. There were no bushes this close to the building to hide in, but she could only hope they didn't look down.

"Why are you opening the window, Kurumu?" A voice she guessed belonged to the boy came from the room. Her eyes widened as she heard the name of the illustrator for the newspaper. She didn't want to seem like a stalker even more now.

"Because it's hot as blazes and these puppies need air," The one she believed to be called Kurumu replied. She liked her voice. "Speaking of these puppies, could you give me another massage, Tsukune? We got interrupted by your intruding cousin last time."

"Are you kidding? Kyoko would kill you if she knew you did that." The third voice, likely the other girl, piped up. "She already's suspicious of both of us."

"Look, a girl needs a massage. Besides, I made sure she doesn't bother me, at least for another little while."

"How?"

"How do you think?"

"Kurumu, you can't be doing that. How did that even work on her?" The boy's question made her eyes widen; that meant Kurumu was the succubus, if the method in question was referring to her Charm ability. To think the illustrator of the paper was a succubus all along.

She didn't know why she was obsessing over the illustrations… perhaps it was because this Kurumu and her shared a kinship of sorts, both being monsters… or maybe she just liked illustrations too much. Pictures were always a good weakness of hers.

"But" Kurumu's voice sounded even closer. "There's one other reason I opened the window."

This puzzled her until she heard the next part of the dialogue. "It's so I can catch the Peeping Tom outside this window."

Before she could escape, understanding that it was she they were talking about, her collar was grabbed and she was forcefully pulled through the window. Fortunately for her, she didn't have any scrapes as she was pulled up and over.

She had squinted her eyes shut, curling up into a ball on instinct. When she was finally compelled to open them, she noticed she was face to face with the succubus, Kurumu, who was holding her with one hand, the other held by her side as the other girl stared in interest. She was worried what they would do to her, especially if they were both monsters.

"So, Peeping Tom, why were you outside our window?" Kurumu's accusation caused her to blush, covering her face. She didn't like how it was an accusation, but she was sure that it was justified in some way. This wasn't how she wanted her meeting with the illustrator of the paper to tell her she liked her illustrations, but she couldn't bring up the nerve to say that at the moment.

"Kurumu, I think a Peeping Tom would imply she was looking in to see us changing," The other monster chimed in, her pink hair shifting as she tilted her head. "All we're doing is the work for the paper."

"Right, but there was something I did earlier that if she saw, it would be bad?" Kurumu replied.

"Wait… what did you do?" The only boy asked.

"Oh, Tsukune, don't get any ideas like my mother," Kurumu waved him off. "I simply dealt with your cousin in my own special way."

"So, you think she saw you do that to my cousin?" Tsukune asked. "Well, how about you put her down first? She's clearly terrified of us. I'd rather not send someone to a psychologist because we traumatized her for spying on our newspaper."

Kurumu shrugged, setting her down on the ground. She immediately curled into a ball; this was the best position for her at the moment. The copy of the newspaper fell to the floor, falling open to a page with markings. On it she had circled a particular illustration from that day, writing her notes on it. She had planned to place it in a scrapbook of newspaper collections, but she hadn't had the time, being content to stare into windows for a bit. Kurumu reached down, looking at it.

"I think she's harmless," Kurumu looked. "I think we just have a stalker on our hands. But, she seems harmless. Not gonna worry about her."

"You're not worried she saw you earlier?" Tsukune asked.

"I could easily handle that," Kurumu shrugged. "But, this girl's pretty harmless. I mean, she's shaking like a leaf."

"Well, if someone yanked me through a window and called me a Peeping Tom, I'd do the same." Moka said, putting a finger to her chin.

"Are you kidding?" Kurumu rolled her eyes. "Moka, every guy in the school and probably some of the girls would be totally okay with you doing that. The only male exception is Tsukune, who is your best friend."

"I'd be more concerned she'd be trying to bite me," Tsukune laughed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Now, what should we do with our little fan?" Kurumu asked, nudging the blue haired girl. "I must say, she seems a little different than anyone I've met here before."

"Well, first let's start with her name," Moka knelt down, tilting her chin up. "So, what's your name, sweetie?"

"M-Mizore," She stared into those green eyes, trying to guess what power she sensed. She couldn't place it, but she knew she didn't want to be on the receiving end of it, whatever it was.

"Is that your first name or your surname?" Moka asked, smiling sweetly.

"F-First name," Mizore gulped. "Mi-Mizore Shirayuki is my full name."

"Well, I think that's a very nice name." Moka grinned.

"It sounds chilly," Kurumu mused, looking her up and down. "I guess it fits. You're dressed like you're freezing."

"Well, I'm Moka Akashiya," Moka put a hand over her chest, giving a small grin and revealing something that for a split second looked like fangs to Mizore. She pushed that aside.

"I'm Kurumu," Kurumu pointed to herself with her thumb. "Judging from your notes, I'm your favorite person in this room."

Mizore felt herself blush as her notes were laid bare to the world. She supposed it was fortunate it was only this paper and not the entire scrapbook she'd made. But, she wasn't going to make mention of that.

"My name's Tsukune," The boy waved. "We're the Newspaper Club and we write the newspaper."

"So, what were you doing outside the window?" Kurumu asked next.

"I-I just like to look in windows," Mizore felt herself admitting; for some reason, with this group, she felt a bit at ease, despite how they were introduced. Perhaps it was because there was at least one more monster in this group to make her feel more at ease. But, she wasn't going to look a gift in the mouth.

"And we're the most interesting?" Tsukune asked. Mizore nodded, hands on the sides of her head.

"S-Sorry," She whispered. "I-I disturbed you all."

"Well, it's alright," Tsukune waved his hand. "Look, sometimes it gets boring here."

"Plus, I like your feedback," Kurumu read through the notes. "It's honest, yet flattering at the same time."

"Th-Thanks," Mizore felt her face heating up, something that would normally be a sign of sickness. She wasn't used to praise like that, but hoped it would keep coming.

"We should have her as our editor," Moka suggested. "I mean, she seems to have a great understanding of our styles. I mean, she knows ways Tsukune could improve his writing and I can improve my organization and heaps plenty of praise on Kurumu."

"I think the better term would be consultant," Miss Nekonome walked in, eating a fish sandwich and moaning in ecstasy about how good it tasted. It was a usual sight to see, the woman usually acting very catty. It would surprise no one if she secretly hid a cat tail and ears on her person, whether real or fake.

"Miss Nekonome," Moka turned to her. "Where did you come from?"

"The fish stand," The teacher replied, moaning into her next bite.

"She sounds like my mom," Kurumu made a disgusted face.

"I just came to check up on you three and heard your conversation. The term is consultant. Now, you all behave, so I don't have to send Gin in here to babysit you. You better not be hazing."

"We're not," Kurumu waved her away. The teacher continued eating, making her nigh orgasmic noises as she ate her fish.

"Well, I suppose you're our consultant," Kurumu looked at Mizore, who was blushing. "You don't have to come in, but we'll just ask you what you think about certain layouts and our setup."

Mizore nodded; she managed to contain herself from shaking at this. She was glad they weren't mad she was spying on them through the window.

"She's taking this awfully well," Tsukune mused, watching as the two girls looked at Mizore.

"Well, with a face this cute, you just have to not be yelled at," Moka grinned, pulling Mizore's cheek a little. "I think she could also be our club mascot too."

"We need a mascot?"

"Well, this will be a mascot to show what cute girls are running this club."

"Moka, I'm not a girl."

"Well, if we find a cute boy, we can use him as the other mascot."

"Do we have to have a mascot at all?"

"Oh, come on, Tsukune, we need to have someone we can dress in cute dresses and stuff to promote our club."

"I don't think you know what a need is, Moka."

"I second that notion."

"Kurumu, why do you second that?"

"Because I happen to like cute things. What, you think because I'm the way I am, that I like only the sexy stuff? I mostly love cute things and things that make me say awwww."

"Well, that sounds as good a reason as any to me, right Tsukune?"

"I think you should ask Mizore what she thinks."

"Okay," Moka turned to the icy haired girl. "Mizore, do you think blue or white is a cuter color for you to wear?"

A light smack to the back of Moka's head from Tsukune caused the vampire to giggle.

"I-I prefer blue." Mizore blushed.

"Could we maybe get her one of those big lollipops?" Kurumu asked.

"I-I prefer this one. The smaller ones are better."

"What's that flavor?"

"Ch-Chilled Blue Raspberry."

"Do you have any more?" Moka asked.

"N-No."

"Okay then! So, what classes do you have today?"

"I-I don't know. I just got my schedule yesterday, so I don't have all my classes s-set yet."

"Oh. Well, I think you'd make a cute mascot."

All eyes focused on Mizore, who had tilted her head in confusion, not understanding why they were arguing over whether she was cute. She knew she needed to respond somehow, and to keep the blush off of her face if she was to survive here. It wouldn't do to have nosebleeds.

"Well, I think the next step is to find out what the next big story is at the school." Kurumu crossed her arms.

"I mean, the fact the lunch lady hasn't been fired for the food she's serving sounds good," Moka stuck her tongue out and made a face. "That stuff is totally gross and I don't know how anyone eats it. I have to use other methods of eating to survive."

"You could bring your own lunch," Tsukune suggested.

"N-Not to interrupt," Mizore cut in. "B-But, is this how you normally work in this club?"

"No, this is just a dry week for us." Moka pouted. "Nothing's happened that's a big deal in a while."

"Wh-What about that monster that was sighted?" Mizore asked. All eyes turned to her in shock, though it didn't seem to be shock from not having known about the monster. Mizore then realized the meaning that could be implied from her words.

"There was a monster sighting?" Tsukune asked.

"Y-Yeah, I heard some monster destroyed a wall at the school near the cafeteria. I-It was pretty smashed up."

"Hmm… this could be interesting to cover. I mean, we'll never know unless we look."

"Well, we'll have to report on what we find out. Is that the same wall that—?"

"No, that was by the dorms. The cafeteria's on the other side of the school. We'll just take a look though."

"B-Be careful. I-I heard that some nasty people go to this school."

"Well, you wanna come with us and see?"

"Y-You want me to come?"

"Well, duh, silly, you're part of this group. You gotta come with us."

"O-Okay," Mizore put on a smile as she stood up, the others walking in front.

The group of three made it to the destroyed wall, looking at it.

"Hey, this looks pretty strange," Moka narrowed her eyes. "It looks like it was burned. What could have done that?"

"Hey, where's Mizore?" Kurumu turned around.

"I see her over there," Tsukune pointed to a tree about twenty yards away, where Mizore was peeking out quietly.

"There's something about her…" Kurumu muttered. "I feel something off about her."

"She just seems shy," Tsukune shrugged.

"That's not what I'm talking about," Kurumu looked back at the wall. "Moka, you get where I'm going with this, right?"

"Yeah," Moka nodded. "But, she seems harmless. There's no point in making an enemy when we don't need to."

"It could be an act," Kurumu touched the burned portion of the wall, feeling it to see how recent it may have been. "Remember how I was when we first met. But, aside from that, I'm not liking how many monsters may be at this school. You, me, and that witch girl is one thing, but this girl is something I can't place a finger on. But, aside from her, there's something going on at this school. Why is this school containing so many monsters?"

"Maybe it's just a place monsters can hide easier. I mean, if you hadn't revealed yourself to Kyoko, I'd never have figured it out and you'd still have Tsukune charmed."

"True, but I don't like it. Almost as much as I don't care for those enforcers the school has."

"Enforcers?"

"They're like the student police," Tsukune joined in. "But, there's rumors they're a bit corrupt."

"My moms told me a story about dealing with a corrupt group of student police," Moka crossed her arms. "I didn't understand what they meant, but it was a fun story. I would love when my birth mom would tell it and my step mom would correct her on how she was really the cool one in the story and they would fight and wrestle each other and my papa would sigh and read me a chapter from Jojo's Bizzare Adventure because I always thought the vampires were cool even though they were the bad guys."

"Well, let's just try to find out about this," Kurumu began taking notes. "This will make a great scoop."

"But, what if it's a monster?" Tsukune asked.

"Well, we'll have to try to spin it so we don't reveal the identities of monsters here. But, we can't just choose not to report on this as members of the Newspaper Club. It's our duty as members of this club."

"I guess you're right."

"Now, the real question is where to start looking for clues."

"We could ask the Chemistry club if they know anything about this particular flaming. Perhaps they can point us in the right direction."

"Not a bad idea, Kurumu. Hopefully, we can handle this one."

Mizore watched them, her keen eyes catching a glint of something nearby, something in the shadows. She blinked and it was gone. She shook her head, her paranoia coming to her in full force as she tried to rationalize it. She continued to watch the Newspaper Club, fascination filling her gaze as she watched them, saw how all of them came up with theories on the damage to the wall.

"We'll have to watch our backs," Tsukune said after a moment of deliberation. "There's just something in the back of my mind… something I can feel, almost like someone breathing down my neck."

"What do you think it is?" Moka asked. "I mean, Mizore is watching us from that tree over there."

"No, she's too gentle seeming to get me this on edge," Tsukune looked around. "I don't know what to say, but there's something that I feel in my gut."

"Well, be careful," Kurumu glanced around. "Now, you've got me having the willies as well. I don't want there to be anything."

"It's not unreasonable," Moka narrowed her eyes. "This is clearly a significant amount of damage that was done to this wall, but for some reason, the school hasn't blocked off this area yet. I wonder why they haven't made sure no one goes near this wall."

"That's something we'll have to find out."

Elsewhere

"Sir, I was surveying the wall that was, *ahem*, compromised the other day," The voice said to the shadowed figures. "And, I saw those brats from the Newspaper Club investigating it."

"The Newspaper Club? I thought they were defunct after those three members committed suicide last year."

"Well, it seems they're taking a look at it."

"Well, keep an eye on them. Keep them from finding out much. They don't need to know what happened. Even though I'd rather be rid of them, so long as they don't reveal the existence of the monster filth in this school, I believe they should be harmless enough."

"As you wish."

The shadowed figure looked at the book on the table, looking at the list of students in the school.

"Seems there are a lot of familiar names here… Can't be too much of a coincidence, but I'm not one to believe in fate. We'll see how this plays out."

And, here we have a new character added (my favorite character, Mizore best girl) to the roster. I wonder what she brings to the table in this iteration. I know Yukari comes first, and I planned to have her in this chapter, but I felt this chapter was getting long enough as it is. If I added the Yukari moments I wanted, I might as well add another chapter for it. Plus, now I can add some suspense and a threat looming. I know I wanted to do slice of life more, but I do want small arcs of threats rather than an overarching bad guy that ultimately was a dumb idea.