Kurumu groaned at the sound of her alarm. Something warm was pressed to her side and she was lying on something softer than usual. She shifted, aware that a sheet was drawn up to midriff. Hot breath tickled her bare skin.
That was not her alarm. A thin arm was draped across her breasts. Her moment of panic quickly subsided as she glanced over at the weight pressed to her left side. Yukari's cherubic face hovered close, cheek resting upon her shoulder. Eyes closed, the girl breathed softly.
After nagging her for days, Yukari had convinced her to spend the night. It had been a difficult thing to promise since Ms. Kagome's special lessons left her in such an unresponsive state. Yukari must have guided her here as she had promised.
The girl had not mentioned stripping her naked. At least Yukari was wearing her silky white chemise with the panda heads. As Kurumu brushed aside Yukari's bangs, the little girl shifted, squeezing Kurumu.
"Mommy."
It was Thursday. Tsukune had returned to school and things had calmed down. The rumor of him being a vampire had circulated quickly. Despite being forewarned, Tsukune had trouble confirming the lie. Most that confronted him directly passed off his hesitance as trying to observe the rules against discussing true forms.
Kurumu took in a deep breath, rubbing her palm against her right eye. It sounded like the alarm clock was sitting on the kitchen counter. Yukari had mentioned setting it earlier to allow them time for experimentation. Hopefully her nude state did not mean such things had already happened.
"Get up, munchkin."
Her nethers were itchy. Such was the joys of shaving. She hoped it would grow back soon as this annoying sensation had persisted all week.
Extracting herself from Yukari's clutches and the sheets, Kurumu crawled out of bed. She felt her long hair brush against her back as she shuffled across the room to the bathroom. Slipping inside the tiny compartment she sat down on the toilet and relieved herself.
She stared at the shower, wondering if she should. Probably not yet. Things were bound to get messy. She yawned, padding herself dry before flushing.
With the PSC matter settled, they had all been working in earnest on their articles. Tora was doing a piece for the PSC concerning recruitment as well as a second article introducing their student council. Ginei was running his own student police article concerning their dispute, cautiously smoothing over the details without mention of any deaths. Of course there would still be rumors but the official statement would be that the student police seniors had been expelled and that Kuyo had been dismissed from his position due to blatant misconduct. Ginei had done most of the footwork for a second article that would properly introduce their Newspaper club, though he had not written it yet for them to review.
Kurumu had arranged a lunch tomorrow with the choir instructor, Ms. Tomarigi. She had caved in to Ginei's insistence over taking pictures. As the choir consisted of twenty four girls, everyone had agreed to help. Well… everyone but Yukari.
She had considered doing the soccer team first, but Coach Kotsubo had been unavailable Monday and Tuesday. She had heard from Burumoto that the coach had been hospitalized over the weekend. The boys did not know all the details, but promised to let her know when things were squared up and ready.
The coach had not been the only one absent those first couple days. According to Tobuyoku, Hanetsume had been absent due to it being that time of the season. The flush girl had admitted to narrowly dodging that bullet herself, having passed hers late Sunday night. During that awkward conversation Kurumu had confirmed her two classmates were Tengu so she had quickly talked Tobuyoku into lending a hand with Tora's flight lessons.
Hiboshi had also been absent. Irewata had assured them that her friend was not feeling well and would be coming back to class. The auburn haired fox girl had returned to class yesterday, notably grouchy.
To Kurumu's surprise, Irewata had attended the same Junior High as Hiboshi and Tomisaki in Myoko. When she had first heard about Meirowasa being in the same class as her childhood friend, Kurumu had figured that was an exception due to them being from Mononoke. Clearly that statement Burumoto had made about mixing people up for the sake of anonymity had been bogus.
Kurumu had pestered him about it, to which he had laughingly admitted not wanting to look completely ignorant to a pretty girl. He had reminded her that he was an out of prefecture, with only two other guys from his hometown in Yokai's attendance, one being that third year on the soccer team whom he admired. He did have a cousin, Makiba, whom was in Kurumu's home economics class. She was from the Junior High in the Sekikawa district, which Kurumu was somewhat familiar with.
The only absence that had bothered her was Shirayuki's. After their tense encounter this weekend, she had worried over the possibility of Shirayuki dropping out. She had this nagging feeling that something had happened between Shirayuki and her secret boyfriend. When the quiet girl had returned yesterday, Kurumu had politely said nothing, hoping that everything was okay. Shirayuki was her usual distant self, so perhaps things had all worked out.
A slight knock on the door roused her from her stupor. She realized the alarm had been silenced.
"I have to pee."
Kurumu got up and opened the door. Yukari quickly pushed around her, fluffing her chemise up as she sat upon the toilet. It was clearly all the witch was wearing as the sound of tinkling greeted Kurumu before she could leave the room.
Kurumu stretched her arms over her head as she wandered about the apartment. She had brought some sleep clothes and a spare uniform, figuring her bag was over by the entrance. She saw yesterday's clothes discarded on the floor next to the bed. They must have kicked the cerulean comforter off.
It was eight minutes before five. Yukari had wanted an extra half hour to not disrupt her normal morning routine. Kurumu still had mixed feelings about taking Yukari's offer. The idea of making Tsukune lunch was wonderful, but it would come at the price of breakfast. Then again, Moka had been honest about the futility of getting up earlier than seven. Short of being the one to drag Tsukune to breakfast, her time with him in the morning was always rushed.
"Kurumu?"
The witch was standing at the door, beckoning to her. The club had yet to figure out what Yukari would write for the club. Ginei was toying with the idea of having her put together some historical school facts article which they would dump on the back page as filler content.
Kurumu wandered back over to Yukari, allowing the girl to seize her by the wrist and tug her back into the bathroom. The shower door was open and it was clear by Yukari's hands that she wanted Kurumu inside.
"What are we doing?"
Yukari shut the bathroom door.
"Sit down."
"In the shower?"
"It will be the easiest to clean."
Kurumu eased her tail out as she turned about in the shower. It was a small space, but it was not like she took up that much more room sitting as standing. She frowned as Yukari pulled the silky chemise over her head, placing it in the small sink.
"What are you doing?"
"It would stain."
Kurumu glanced aside, not wanting to register the details of Yukari's nude figure. The girl stepped over the rise, closing the opaque shower door. The girl turned her tight little butt in Kurumu's face before settling down in Kurumu's lap. Yukari rested her head back on Kurumu's breasts.
"Okay, I'm ready."
"Yea. If this was a bath and we had water."
"The double suites have baths but they wouldn't let me have one without a roommate."
"Would you like a bath, Yukari?"
"They're better than showers."
Kurumu smiled, running her fingers through Yukari's hair.
"You could have stayed dressed. There was no reason to come in here with me."
Yukari's small hand reached up to touch her wrist.
"This is fine."
Kurumu chuckled, glancing at her tail. She opened the spade end, the stigma turning slowly as she eased the end of her tail over to her left ear.
"Any reason why we were both sleeping without panties?"
"You do not want to hear about last night. It would only disturb you."
"That's not comforting."
Yukari sighed.
"I don't know what she has you taking, but you were extremely docile and lethargic. It was difficult feeding you and I was too annoyed to dress you after you stripped yourself."
Kurumu relaxed against the shower wall. She reached up with her left hand, grabbing her tail below the open spade end. She pressed it firmly to her ear, aware now that the stigma pushed in when she did this. It was difficult to move the stigma by itself, let alone with enough force to puncture her lobe.
"She probably gave a bigger dose knowing that I had an escort home."
Kurumu reached over her head with her other hand, grabbing her tail as she pushed her earlobe about with her left hand.
"She's trying to avoid revealing her true form."
"Huh?"
"I left a small charm on your keychain figure to spy on your session. You don't need to worry."
"But she is teaching me, right?"
"The charm was for visual only. I could not hear what was being said."
"Well… why would I be disturbed?"
"Her true form is intimidating but harmless. Are we going to do this soon?"
Kurumu smiled, resuming her efforts. That felt right. She took in a deep breath, closing her eyes as she felt it push through that sensitive spot. She pulled Yukari in closer, relaxing.
"The transition is almost seamless. If I didn't know what to look for, I would never notice."
With a thought, they were in a real bath. Warm water enveloped their bodies as she leaned back against a smooth tile wall. Bright lights flooded the large chamber which was divided in two major sections, one being the large bath they were lounging in. The walls of the other section was lined with little alcoves that had shower heads on flexible hoses, stools and towels. They were the only two in the room.
"A memory?"
"When I lived in the human world, Mother and I would come here to bathe. We lived in a small apartment that didn't have a shower."
"I wonder how time works in here."
Kurumu chuckled, pulling the bewildered girl back against her. She closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of the water while surrounded by the pleasant aroma of different bath oils.
"We're not here to take a bath, Kurumu."
Kurumu smiled. She thought about the first time she had brought Yukari into this strange realm, recalling the image of an older Yukari. She felt the girl's body shift in her arms, becoming larger and more womanly.
"It's so real."
Yukari's hands were moving, caressing herself. Kurumu peered over the girl's shoulder, mildly curious. Yukari was squeezing and pinching her nipples so that they would harden.
"They're even as sensitive as my real ones."
Kurumu smirked.
"Do you need some time alone?"
Yukari let go of her breasts. She twisted about in Kurumu's arms, her face close. The witch smiled as she let her hands touch Kurumu's sides.
"So how do we get Tsukune here?"
Kurumu sighed. She had sort of mentioned it was possible during their last sleepover after writing her letter to mother. It had been one of those offhand jokes about taking Tsukune in his dreams which the others had quickly dismissed as her usual teasing.
"I guess if we go to his room he might be there. I've only done this once."
Yukari lifted back, causing Kurumu to let go but the girl quickly grabbed up her hands.
"Get up. We don't have time to waste."
Kurumu stumbled as she tried to stand. She was shorter than this Yukari, though the witch would not be taller than Moka. She giggled, grabbing Yukari's shoulders for support as the water sloshed about their thighs. Steady, she leaned in to hug the girl, pressing firmly against Yukari.
Yukari relaxed, returning the embrace. The witch sighed.
"You can even feel heartbeats. Yours is almost as fast as mine."
She could hear drops of water hitting the floor.
"I think mine is faster."
"Scared that Tsukune will find me more attractive?"
Kurumu snorted out a laugh.
"I'm scared that we're doing something crazy and stupid."
"It's not real. It's just a dream."
Kurumu shook her head, rubbing her cheek against Yukari's shoulder.
"Not to us. What if Tsukune tries something?"
Yukari laughed nervously. After a long pause, she pulled back and smiled.
"I think we will be fine."
Kurumu's thoughts wandered to last weekend and how Tsukune had reacted. He had wanted so much more. She had felt it, craved it. In the real world, his kindness had won out. Would it be the same here?
"Tsukune's a young man. I'm frightened he will lose his inhibitions if he thinks things are just a dream."
Yukari smiled.
"But it's not real. We're sitting in a shower."
Kurumu wet her lips, thoughts drifting to last Christmas and the haunted look in Tora's eyes.
"Some things you can't take back, Yukari. Just because it's not happening in the physical world, does not mean it can't hurt."
A hand caressed her cheek.
"Kurumu. Give us some clothes and let's go see Tsukune."
Kurumu sighed. She closed her eyes and with a thought moved them to somewhere warm and bright with a fresh breeze. The gust was tinged with the smell of wildflowers as it kicked up her sundress about her thighs. She let go of Yukari, effortlessly breaking free of the witch's lax grip. She walked into the wind as she stretched her arms overhead.
They were standing in the flower field near the tree that overlooked the sea. The tulips were exactly as they had been this weekend. Yukari sighed.
"This is not Tsukune's room."
Kurumu smiled softly. She recalled her last letter from her mother. It was like she could feel her mother's tears. Are you still my little girl? For some reason that silly question had hurt. Was there anything left of that little girl her mother had adored before the world had turned on its head?
"Isn't this good enough? You can feel this world with your older body."
"I don't need an older body to masturbate. I've been doing it a couple years now and I think I got it figured out."
That was not the direction she had been going, but okay. She turned about, regarding the witch. Yukari was dressed in a matching yellow and white sundress, though hers was a little shorter due to her height.
"Does your mother know about that?"
"And my father. Kurumu… I want to be acknowledged."
They had mentioned this about Yukari last week while walking to school.
"Yukari, we all understand that. Tora, Moka… even Kana."
"I want to be acknowledged by Tsukune."
She was to chaperone. She had full control of this world. Still… she felt uneasy. People could exert their wills here. Kuyo had been able to continue fighting.
"What if this ruins your relationship with Tsukune?"
Yukari laughed, shaking her head. The wind brushed her straight hair across her shoulders.
"What relationship? Are you that worried he might fall in love with me and be willing to wait for my body to catch up to this dream?"
Because once you cross a line, there is no going back.
"What if he can never talk to you the same way again? Never look at you the same way again? Are things that bad now that it has to change?"
Yukari stared at her, eyes unwavering.
"Yes. Even if he never talks to me again."
The witch smirked.
"Besides. I'm more attached to Moka and you. Losing the friendship of a boy that often patronizes me is worth the risk."
Kurumu sighed.
"You shouldn't think like that."
"Be real, Kurumu. Before I turn sixteen, that boy is going to end up married to Moka or you. Maybe both if he adopts vampire customs."
Kurumu laughed despite her grim feelings.
"So you think getting dream nasty with the man that will marry one of your best friends is the right course of action?"
Yukari blushed.
"Dating. Dream dating. I'm not going to put out on the first date. What kind of girl do you think I am?"
"A pervert that molests her friends regularly."
Yukari took a deep breath and held her hands out, palms to the sky.
"Come on. We don't have all morning and I at least want to enjoy a walk with him. Nothing special."
A walk did sound safe enough. She did not have any personal walk experiences to draw from, what with Kengamine being small and boring. She did have those steamy videos her mother had watched. A romantic walk along the beach with waves rolling in under the darkness of night with a bright full moon. She could leave out the part where the girl gets taken in the sand.
Steeling her resolve, she walked up to Yukari and clasped her forearms. They were instantly inside Tsukune's small dorm room, standing next to his closed door. She smiled, noting Tsukune was sprawled on top of his bedding, a hand on his stomach. His white tee had been drawn up to the bottom of his ribs.
"He's actually here."
Kurumu shrugged, not understanding how this worked for people outside of her trance. When she had walked about the hospital, she had only found Tsukune. Somehow he had been the only person in her world.
"Do we wake him?"
"The last time I touched him. He woke up without any effort."
"You should change location the moment he rouses. I would prefer him to think of this visit as a dream."
Kurumu smiled, supposing she could do that. It would also be nice for him to be wearing something more fitting for a date. She knelt down next to his pillow, reaching out her hand to brush the bangs across his forehead.
As he stirred, they were instantly seated on each side of him in the side bench of a train. The clouds moved across the sky as the train hurtled forwards to an unknown destination. The passenger car was empty. She quickly reached for his hand, entwining her fingers in his before resting it upon his khakis.
"What happened?"
She smiled, leaning her head against the black, silky sleeve of his shirt. It was unbuttoned with a white tee beneath.
"Do you recognize me, Tsukune?"
Tsukune regarded the older girl with a moment of confusion.
"Yukari?"
Yukari's eyes beamed as she lifted her hands to caress both sides of his face. He flinched, lifting his free hand to sort of ward off an advance.
"Where's Moka?"
Did this mean he had been dreaming of Moka? That was disappointing.
"Were we meeting Moka somewhere?"
"I don't know. I…"
"I'm all grown now, Tsukune. Is this better?"
Yukari had caught up his free hand in hers. She was pulling his hand to her bosom. Tsukune gasped, his body tensing as he tried to yank free.
"Yukari! What are you doing?!"
Kurumu nuzzled up against his shoulder. She lifted her head and breathed across his ear.
"Calm down, Tsukune. It will be fine."
"You say that, but what if my mother walks in on us?!"
They were no longer on the train. She was sitting on a bed next to him, Yukari still on his other side. She let go of his hand, confused. There was nothing familiar about this room.
A thick black sheet was drawn over the bed. A window with a white sill was on her right. On the other side of the window pushed up into the other corner of the room was a black writing desk. A silver CRT television was centered on the desk against the white wall, cords hooked to a Play Station 2. A handful of games were haphazardly stacked about the desk. A black stool with a white cushion tied to the seat was pushed under the desk.
She looked beyond the bewildered Yukari to note a closet door with a poster for SOAP on it. A brown dresser four shelves high was pushed against the wall next to a door that opened out to the hallway. A digital alarm clock and a pair of model cars were perched upon the dresser.
"Kurumu?"
"Let me see if we have some tea or something."
Tsukune got up and quickly hurried out of the room. She could hear the sound of his footsteps hurrying down a flight of stairs.
Kurumu slowly got up, glancing about. Yukari slouched back on her elbows, fetching a pillow to tuck behind her head before lying down. With a thought, Kurumu changed the color of Yukari's sundress to black, while turning hers red. She also added matching anklets with bells on both of them.
"What is going on?"
"I'm not sure. I think this is his house."
"Okay, but why did you bring us here? I thought we agreed to a long walk on the beach."
"As soon as he comes back, I'll take care of it."
She felt she could do that. The train had been her idea. She might have pulled this room from his thoughts. That was possible, right? She heard his approaching footsteps up the stairs.
"I'm sorry it took so long. I don't know what happened, but it looks like my parents went out."
He walked in, holding a tray with a kettle and three cups. His eyes passed over them, his gaze settling upon Yukari whom was stretched upon the bed. The short sundress had pulled dangerously up her torso and his angle gave him an eyeful. Kurumu was suddenly aware that she had no lingerie beneath this dress. He swallowed as he walked further into the room, kneeling down in front of his dresser to set the tray upon the floor.
Kurumu decided it best to kneel down across the tray from him. She smoothed out her sundress for his sake, smiling kindly to him. His attention was to the bed. With a glance, she could see that Yukari was the same as her. It would be hard for Tsukune not to acknowledge Yukari as an adult with that view.
The pillow thumped against the wall out of view before Yukari crawled out of his bed. The witch placed a hand on Kurumu's shoulder, holding the other one to Tsukune.
"Shall we go on that walk?"
Kurumu smiled as she forced the surroundings to change in the blink of an eye. They were now seated upon a beach towel spread out beneath a blue and white striped umbrella. The waves rolled in slowly with the sun setting off in the blue horizon. The ocean scent wafted in with the gentle breeze.
They now were wearing bikini tops with sarongs tied about their waists, similar to those she had seen in fashion mags. Yukari's was a dark cherry red and her sarong had the white and red print of the Tokyo rising sun, while Kurumu's had a lush green top with a yellow and green striped sarong. The underside of hers was melon pink with black dots. Tsukune was topless wearing a pair of orange swimming trunks that loosely fit him.
"I suppose we can."
He picked himself up. Once standing, he held a hand down to her. She smiled over to the pouting Yukari, taking his offer.
They walked down the beach, each of them holding a hand. For what felt like a good five or so minutes they said nothing. The cool breeze brushed against her skin, causing it to prickle and her hair to flutter. The sand felt warm and yielding beneath her feet. She squeezed his hand.
"This is nice."
"It's too bad Moka couldn't be here."
Yukari giggled.
"You shouldn't talk about other girls when you're on a date."
Tsukune laughed.
"It doesn't quite feel like a date when I'm with both of you."
"Kurumu has to be here or you would do naughty things to me."
Kurumu smirked, feeling the reverse was equally true.
"You're definitely not a little kid anymore."
"I haven't been a little kid for as long as I've known you, Tsukune. Little, but never a kid."
"Is there anything else you'd like to do, Yukari?"
"Skinny dipping."
Kurumu snorted.
"Anything legal?"
Yukari tugged on Tsukune's arm, pulling him closer to the shore.
"Come on. There's nobody here."
Tsukune looked towards the land with concern.
"I'm not sure we should."
"That's not exactly first date stuff, Yukari."
"It's not like I'm going to kiss him or anything. Just for a few minutes."
The girl reached over her back with her free hand to pull at the strings holding the knot of her top together. With a sharp tug, the knot gave and the cherry garment fluttered to the sand at her feet.
"Wait up, Yukari!"
Yukari paused when they reached the edge of where the sand was darker from the water. She let go of Tsukune's hand to fumble with the strings of her sarong. It was not long for Yukari to free herself of the last garment clinging about her. Having no bottoms to these swimsuits, Yukari gave a playful shout as she rushed out to the water, the waves licking around her calves.
His hand now free absently moved to the hem of his trunks as he glanced back over his shoulder. His trunks bulged from his reaction to seeing a girl prance about in the nude, beckoning them to join her.
Kurumu sighed, supposing she could humor the girl. She let go of Tsukune's hand, reaching back to pull both string ends. The top fell off and then she loosened the bindings at her hip. She was thinking that these swimsuits should have had matching bottoms, but no point fretting about it now.
Two fingers traced down her cheek, turning her face up. He was standing in front of her, staring at her with his rich brown eyes. She smiled, realizing that she could actually see him without worry of her allure. She was so accustomed to avoiding eye contact that she had forgotten it did not matter here.
The kiss caught her off guard. She whimpered at first, letting go of the strings at her hip. The garment slipped down to her ankles as he leaned into her, his head moving, his tongue pressing against her lips.
She whimpered again, closing her eyes as her lips parted. She reached about his waist, unable to use him for support. She felt like she was about to topple backwards as he pressed more against her, his tongue moving firmly inside her mouth. He knelt down, letting her ease to the sand before finally lifting his head up for a sharp breath of air.
She felt light headed and dizzy. She gently touched her head while her other hand limply rested at her breast. He shifted over her, a knee forcing her legs apart.
"Wait."
Where was Yukari? She was still on the beach, right? No. That was a white ceiling she was staring up at in her daze and this was a bed she was lying on. Her other leg was hefted up by the underside of her thigh as he settled between her legs.
"Yukari?"
"She's taking a shower."
She could hear the sounds of a shower somewhere outside of his room. They were in his room. What?
She gasped in sharply as he pushed inside her. She mewled, her back arching as she became desperately aware how close she was to climax. This was more amazing than the sex dreams that often visited her. She felt everything. In a couple thrusts her body was convulsing on him. She knew he would soon follow.
Kurumu groaned as her head ached horribly. A piteous whimper echoed hers as the tiny girl in her lap brought both her hands up to her temples. Her tail smacked the shower wall, spade end closing as reddish brown fluids spurted out the tip, staining everything in the shower compartment.
"This hurts."
Kurumu nodded, swallowing sharply. Her pain was mixed with pleasure, as her body had genuinely orgasmed from that dream. That had never happened before.
"What happened? I was on a beach, then a hot shower and now here. And my head hurts so fucking much."
Kurumu reached over to rub her hands against Yukari's. She could not relax. Her body was twitching and her head was pounding. She thought about turning on the water, but doubted she could muster the strength to stand.
"I think he woke up."
Kurumu managed a smile, hoping he would not mind the mess in his sheets.
Yukari had been late to school. Well… both of them had been, but Kurumu being late, missing school and being a delinquent was kind of expected at this point. Ten minutes was not the end of the world, but Ms. Nekonome's playful jab about repeating the school year had hit hard.
By the time they had showered up and dressed it had been twenty after six. Refusing to back out of her promise, Yukari had helped her cook lunch for the four of them, while preparing breakfast. The taste test had confirmed hers would be good, but damn did Yukari know how to make a meal. That breakfast had been divine for simple eggs and rice. Asking how Yukari had managed such amazing results had turned into a scientific exposition. It had been best to simply nod and feign understanding.
The witch had been helping her mother with meals for over three years. She had brought a set of nine different colored bento boxes, which she switched around on a daily basis despite refusing to leave a dirty dish in her sink overnight.
Kurumu had chatted with her friends between classes, mostly over how Moka could possibly manage without her. It was obvious the glowing Moka had taken a nip of Tsukune, given how pale and haggard he had looked the first couple periods. His drained condition had not escaped Ms. Kagome's notice, the teacher playfully stating he needed to stay awake of he might fall behind.
Most teachers were content to give their lectures from the podium, but it seemed like Ms. Kagome was starting to enjoy roaming the aisles. Kurumu would have sworn she had done something wrong with how Ms. Kagome had hovered near her all of Monday.
She had passed today's algebra quiz, so maybe those lessons were working. While 56 was not something to brag about, it was better than the low thirties that she had been averaging the first month. Of course Moka had knocked out a 92, but Tsukune had only managed a 64. She simply had to remind Moka that she had more in common with Tsukune.
Tsukune had given no indication that he remembered the dream from this morning. Kurumu decided against asking about his dreams, doubted her ability to do such without incriminating herself. At least he was talking with her like nothing had happened.
She scribbled another English phrase in her notebook, glancing at the watch on her wrist. It looked like Mr. Nagamushi was going to talk all the way up to the bell.
Kurumu glanced across the classroom to the seat near the door in the front. The raven haired Tora had her hair fixed up in her usual braids. The class rep had been spending her past three lunches with what remained of the student police. While it might have been initially related to the article, Kurumu suspected Tora was exploiting the PSC privilege of skipping the long lunch line. Kurumu felt too uneasy around the mischievous Deshi during their breakfast talks to consider accompanying Tora.
Her eyes wandered over to the back corner, noting Nerume was sprawled over her desk with her ponytail hanging off the side. As usual the girl faced the wall as she brazenly snoozed through the lecture. Mildly disappointed, Kurumu wondered what sort of expressions crossed her friend's face.
She had lunched with Nerume and her friend, Unari, on Tuesday. They had reminded her about talking with Meirowasa for the drinking thing this weekend. The PSC trainee had been reluctant about the whole idea, wanting to get her mother's permission before agreeing to anything. Hopefully Meirowasa would have some news today, since the local girl had forgotten to ask her mother the day before.
Shirayuki was staring at her. Kurumu smiled, turning a page in her notebook. She scrawled a short message on the corner of the sheet, scooting the notepad over to the edge for Shirayuki to see. The girl glanced it over as the bell sounded the end of the hour.
"Later."
Mizore. She had cheated by asking Ms. Hitori for the girl's name on Monday, concerned that the girl had not shown up even for Home Ec. She had pointedly used the Hiragana in her short message, which she remembered was the correct way to spell Shirayuki's name. She had no idea if that later was an agreement to talk or if it simply acknowledged she would see her later. Kurumu sighed.
"Kurumu."
She turned to Moka smiling. Slipping out of her desk, she scooted it over to touch against Moka's. Tsukune was turning his desk about to face theirs. Most of their classmates were heading out the doors.
"I've been wondering, but what do you girls do at Yukari's?"
Kurumu glanced at Moka and shrugged.
"Probably not much different than what guys would do."
Tsukune touched his temple, shaking his head.
"I kind of doubt that. We might play some video games or watch a movie, but by eleven or so we are all back in our own rooms. It's not like any of us would sleep in another guy's room."
Moka frowned.
"I don't think we are doing anything strange."
"Says the vampire whose either sleeping or being molested by Yukari."
She smiled as Moka blushed. She felt the warm surge of Tsukune's desire, aware how he secretly enjoyed Moka's reactions to Yukari's antics. She glanced over to the door, assuming the witch would be joining them soon. Yukari had the satchel with all their lunches.
"That's because none of you stop her!"
Yukari walked into view with Unari by her side. Unari's sienna ear tufts wagged with irritation as the girl forced a smile. Unari waved and moved over to poke Nerume's shoulder as Yukari strolled across the room to them.
"We aren't doing anything like that!"
Kurumu smirked at Tsukune's protest, having seen some of Zukkutani's sketches yesterday. Their illustrator did not have an issue with crossing the line of conventional relationships.
"Aw, you're breaking poor Kana's heart."
Tsukune's flush face darkened a deeper shade of red, also aware of the things their quiet blonde doodled. He got up from his seat, shaking his head as he grabbed up the vacant seat in front of hers and turned it about.
Yukari glanced over her shoulder as Nerume finally responded to Unari's prodding. She absently set the white satchel down on Kurumu's desk as Tsukune finished arranging the desk. She turned back to them and smiled, unzipping the top flap of the insulated bag.
"Are you pestering Ms. Unari to talk to me?"
"Maybe."
"Don't. She doesn't want to."
"You need to socialize more with your classmates, Yukari."
"I'm fine."
She pulled out the periwinkle bento with the white daisy petal pattern first, handing it over to Kurumu. She retrieved the faded pink bento with the red hearts riding on white clouds next, holding it out for Moka.
"Do you think what we do at sleepovers is weird, Yukari?"
"We don't do anything."
She handed the black bento dotted with cherry blossoms over to Tsukune before setting aside the white bento with the red bird hovering above the blue rose on the empty desk. She moved the satchel to the floor, taking her seat.
"Tora did your hair."
Tsukune chuckled, opening his bento. Each bento had three compartments. The large compartment was stuffed with a cheese, green onion and sausage omelet. Kurumu had sliced up some carrots for one of the side compartments while the last held a decent serving of rice.
"That's something guys wouldn't do."
Yukari shrugged as she bowed her head to give thanks for the meal. Everyone else quickly followed suit.
After a couple bites, Kurumu stared absently at the chunk of omelet in her sticks. It had tasted better this morning when it had been warmer.
"I don't know. I've never been friends with anybody before."
Kurumu smiled, reaching over to rub Moka's shoulder.
"I doubt anyone in our group is an expert on normal friend behavior."
"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to make anyone feel uncomfortable."
Kurumu shrugged, returning to her meal. It did not take that long to polish off the rest of her omelet before moving on to her rice.
"Kurumu made the meal so if anyone gets sick, you can blame her."
Kurumu snorted, not feeling in the mood to comment on that. Her mind was still lingering on how she felt about her behavior around the other girls. Tora had called it excessively clingy, which it was. Because this made her feel closer, something she had not felt in years.
"Tsukune. If you could take three people with you to anywhere you wanted over summer break, whom would you take?"
There was a pause as he considered his answer. She favored Yukari with a smile, thinking she had a good idea what he would say.
"I guess it would depend on where I was taking these three."
Kurumu chuckled.
"In general. Any place."
"I guess I would take Moka, you and Kamitsuku."
That was somewhat unexpected, but reasonable. Yamabato was their classmate and lived on his floor.
Yukari huffed.
"I would take Moka. The other two don't matter."
Kurumu giggled, shaking her head.
"I don't know how I could choose. I know I'd want to be with Tsukune, but the other two would be hard for me to decide. I'd be too worried about hurting someone's feelings."
Tsukune laughed.
"I know what you mean. What about you, Kurumu?"
She smiled, regarding his shoulder to avoid the nuisance of her charm.
"I suppose I would take Moka, Yukari and Tora."
She could feel his disappointment, smiling softly.
"If it was just one, I'd take my boyfriend."
Moka sighed, but did not bother to correct when Kurumu glanced at her.
"But with three, I'd prefer the group that would be most comfortable."
Tsukune grinned.
"I guess the three of you are close, though I don't think that would be comfortable for Moka."
"Are you implying that I make my Moka uncomfortable?"
Yukari brandished two glowing fingers menacingly at Tsukune.
Kurumu grinned as she let her gaze wander over to the front of the class. She had noticed this in the first couple weeks, but none of their classmates came back here for lunch. She had an idea where half of them were either by observation or being told.
Her interest perked up as a familiar black haired woman stepped through the open front door. Her thin lips turned up as her slender eyes spied them. Unlike the male student police jackets, her black, short sleeved outfit had a collar that wrapped tightly about her neck with a white zipper that slashed down in the center before angling down above her right breast. The line continued to her side before it went straight down. The jacket had three rows of two buttons fastened in the front, though they did not appear to serve any functional purpose.
Behind Lady Hineri, the new leader of the student police, stood two young men that were vaguely familiar. They had been present during the confrontation a week ago, but she had not seen them since. One was taller than most of the boys on the basketball team. He had short, unruly black locks and a long face divided by a broad nose with large nostrils.
The other young man was much shorter, but he still towered over Lady Hineri and was twice as robust. His ashen hair was feathered at the sides and trimmed neatly in the back. His angular face was sharp with unmistakably golden eyes peering around a hawkish nose.
Kurumu rapped her knuckle on her desk before pointing her finger in the direction of the approaching trio. Taking note of them, Yukari turned in her seat with her arms crossed about her torso.
The Lady Hineri halted at the empty desk nearest them. She let her arms rest at her sides, wrists touching her hips as she bowed her head in deference.
"My apologies first. For a moment, I allowed my emotions to get the better of me. It was never my intent to directly bring harm to your club members."
Kurumu smirked as Yukari huffed indignantly.
"I don't know what happened, but I am glad that you are no longer in the hospital. I know Yukari was worried over that."
Yukari blushed.
"No I wasn't!"
Lady Hineri leaned back, cupping her elbow beneath her breasts as she held her other hand limply beneath her chin.
"I don't wish any further trouble with your club. Quite the contrary. You were instrumental in removing that tyrant whom I've put up with for the past two years."
Kurumu smirked.
"All according to plan?"
Lady Hineri rolled her eyes.
"Not exactly. But a club that consists of a werewolf, vampire and sphinx is not one to be trifled with."
"Aren't you forgetting the succubus and witch that defeated you?"
"What on earth are you talking about? You just happened upon me when I was having a seizure."
Yukari snorted. That was the story the other Moka had suggested to the woman, though they had not been able to sell it what with Yukari's injury.
Ginei stealthily wandered in through the front door, eyeing the unsuspecting trio as he approached.
"So what brings you here, Lady Hineri?"
"Apologies and invitations. But first, allow me to introduce Kusutate Tsuya."
She gestured to the ashen haired man on her left. She then gestured to the other on her right.
"And this is Utsubari Shun. I understand you have already met Lord Koike and Lord Sabaku."
"We have."
Kurumu gestured for Ginei to come over. This caught Lady Hineri's attention, whom smiled upon noting their club president.
"Mr. Morioka. I thank you for your decision to assist us in our recruitment efforts. The discipline and pride of our school is an important feeling to instill upon those that attend our beloved academy."
Ginei slinked over to Burumoto's vacant seat, leaning against it. He thrust one hand in his pocket as the other drifted to the back of his head.
"Is there something you are needing?"
"Members. I was hoping to extend an offer to any of your club to join our cause. Just as taking in Ms. Meirowasa was an excellent decision to rebuild our relations with the outcasts, I was hoping you could spare one of yours. Of course, our club does have academic standards such as scoring above eighty percent for their exams."
Kurumu smirked, aware this ruled her out. She recalled Tsukune was exactly at the eighty percent mark, but doubted he would jump at such an opportunity.
"I refuse the offer."
Lady Hineri smiled at the indignant Yukari.
"I shall contain my disappointment. And you, Ms. Akashiya?"
"I would prefer to remain in this club."
"You could technically do both. There are only conflicts when the second club is an organized sport."
Ginei smirked.
"It sounds like you won't find any takers here. Tora is their class rep, and there's a clause against that. And I have a feeling you would not be interested in taking Kana off our hands."
"Technically the clause is about the student council, but I'm sure the council would encourage her to step down if she did take our offer. It's not like the class rep is a fixed position that can't be renegotiated whenever the class feels it would be appropriate."
"All the same, I think you are done here."
Lady Hineri smiled, her eyes flickering to his hand in his pocket.
"What is it you have there?"
Ginei shrugged as he pulled on the black cord while withdrawing his hand. The yellow omamori charm with the red flame pattern dangled by the cord. He reached over to Tsukune, tapping his shoulder with the back of his hand.
"Just some good luck charm Ms. Yoshino reminded me to give Tsukune."
Lady Hineri frowned as Tsukune took the charm, confused.
"What is that woman thinking?"
Yukari slipped out of her seat, glancing at Tsukune before turning her gaze upon Lady Hineri.
"Do you know whom that belongs to?"
The woman grinned, a tinge of mischief in her eyes. She slinked around Yukari, placing a hand on the desk as she leaned closer to the boys. She stared at Ginei before turning her attention to Tsukune, reaching up with her other hand to cup his chin.
"This belongs to the victor, Mr. Aono. It is tempting to take this from you."
Tsukune pulled away, clutching the cord to his chest, the charm dangling against his belly.
"I don't understand."
The woman straightened up, favoring them with a smile. She turned about, gesturing for the two young men to accompany her as she departed.
"A word of advice, Mr. Aono. Don't lose."
Making frosting and applying it to the cake they had baked yesterday was not a time consuming task. Ms. Hitori had only herself to blame for the excess frosting that ended up everywhere but the cake. Did she honestly think they would quietly behave while she read her magazine oblivious to her students? She was lucky they only had so much frosting.
Meirowasa Tokori wore the same sleeveless style of jacket as Deshi with the long coattails that skirted the back of her knees. Unlike Deshi whom usually wore a tight fitting black capris pant, Meirowasa often switched up what she wore for her bottoms. Today she was trying out a pair of black spandex that cut off at the top of her calves. The white band signifying her authority was tied tightly about her left arm about her elbow like a bandage.
Meirowasa was the second tallest girl in their group at the wraparound station at the far end of the home ec room closest to the pantry and cooler. Their two groups shared an island counter which they often used as it was the largest amount of counter space. They also shared a two compartment sink, which often made dishes a difficult chore.
Kurumu was the shortest, though Meirowasa only had her by nine cm, which was less than her difference with Moka. It was difficult to say if the girl's hair was white peppered black or vice versa, as she had so many alternating strands, some changing color as they fell down to brush across her shoulders. Only texture gave away the bits of frosting that had found their way into her shaggy tresses.
One of the quieter girls of their group, Meirowasa was grinning as she wielded her frosted spatula against the clingy redhead. The slightly shorter Sakamori cared little about the threats, clutching the fabric of Meirowasa's jacket as she staggered in close, wagging her silver flask at her captive.
"Fun wif me. I take good care."
Kurumu chuckled from across the counter. Technically the curly haired Sakamori was part of her group, but the clingy drunk often wandered about the two stations, pestering Meirowasa the most because she had mentioned familiarity with the shojo species. At least Sakamori did not roam about the class like she did in gym.
A dollop of cool frosting smacked Kurumu's cheek. Her antagonist was the feisty blonde whom was the shortest of group fourteen, which was about the same height as Sakamori. The blonde grinned as she spooned out another chunk of goo from the bowl she clutched protectively to her chest.
"How have you not run out yet?"
Shindou Asuka had seized up the bowl a couple minutes into their play, declaring herself the frosting fairy whom would sprinkle joy upon them. Half the time when she shook her spatula at them, the sticky missiles ended up everywhere but her intended target. The blonde had tagged herself as much as any of them, even managing to get some in her short, jagged hair.
Asuka deepened her voice to make an evil laugh. She pulled out the spatula, rolling her wrist as her blue eyes sparkled with flashes of white.
"This is what happens to dirty, shameless girls. Now be quiet and accept my gift of white, sticky joy."
Kurumu smirked as the blonde flicked the spatula, watching the chunk sail off to the side to strike that hollow above the sternum of the seated Shirayuki. It had almost hit the golden locket Shirayuki wore about her neck. Shirayuki glanced up from her notebook with her sapphire eyes, touching the tip of the white stick nestled in her lips.
Asuka sheepishly grinned, placing the spatula back in the bowl to rub the back of her head.
"Sorry."
Kurumu suspected if the tall Taijin was not part of their group, Asuka would have taken the offer to join them this weekend. Tokori had let her know at the start of the class that things were fine with her mother as long as they kept quiet. She had an eight year old half-brother whom usually turned in by nine, so they could do what they wanted after that. There was no father figure for them to worry about.
Asuka's junior high friend, Taijin, stood almost a full twenty cm taller than Tokori. The quiet track girl had dark brown hair that flopped over the sides of her head like the ears of a dog. The girl had assured her that her true form was not canine related and Asuka had respectfully agreed not to tell.
"So what is your mother like, Tokori?"
Kurumu smiled, still getting used to the name. Meirowasa had a spatula in one hand and Sakamori's flask in the other. The redhead was snuggling up against the girl, arms wrapped about Tokori's torso.
"She's a hard worker."
"Is she also a waitress?"
Tokori rolled those caramel eyes.
"No. She's a nurse at the local hospital. She works a late shift, so she can homeschool my brother during the afternoon."
Kurumu perked up.
"We'll be home alone?"
"She leaves after eight and works a simple nine to five. Don't forget I have a little brother. I'm sure he will be riled up with so many people around."
"I wonder what it's like having a younger brother. My brother is five years older than me and pretends like I don't exist."
"Don't lie. He used to dote on you all the time."
"Yea, and then he left for high school and I only saw him a couple of months out of the year. Now he's run off to Doshisha University in Kyoto for no good reasons. There are plenty of closer universities that offered degrees in his field of interest, and would have been cheaper too."
Kurumu smirked.
"Maybe he tired of your frosting fairy ways."
Asuka grinned.
"Hey, Hinoko. Do you have any siblings?"
Sakamori relaxed her grip, lolling her head back to regard Asuka.
"Nope. Only me."
"Can you go hug Kurumu? You're getting frosting all over my uniform."
Sakamori had several frosting trails smeared across her green jacket and a couple splotches in her curly hair. With Asuka hoarding the frosting bowl, Kurumu and Tokori had only the bit of frosting on their spatulas to fight with, most of which had been turned on the clingy redhead.
Kurumu set her spatula down on the counter and gestured for Sakamori to come over. The redhead let go of Tokori and smiled. She wandered over to Kurumu, her heterochromatic eyes glazed over. Kurumu reached out to pull the girl the last couple steps, cradling the girl's head as she felt arms wrap about her torso. Sakamori was gentler when they let her be close.
"Any siblings for the seductress?"
"No, but Mizore has two younger brothers."
Asuka grinned, wandering a step closer to the girl seated on the floor in the corner. She wagged a spatula threateningly.
"You've been holding out on me. It's selfish to keep two younger brothers. You should give one to me."
Shirayuki continued scribbling in her notebook, not bothering to look up.
"They aren't Raiji."
"I'm not that picky when it comes to a little brother."
Shirayuki shrugged, content with ignoring the girl. Tokori chuckled.
"Is she a shotacon?"
Kurumu shrugged, unfamiliar with the term.
"If so, I'm not sure I would want her around my little brother."
Kurumu smiled, stroking her fingers through Sakamori's curls.
"She's not coming anyways."
"She did tell her brother that she would marry him when she grew up."
Asuka turned about, promptly tossing the spatula at her tall friend.
"That was more than six years ago. I think we can all agree that I'm not thinking like that now."
"What about summer break?"
"We don't know he's coming back for summer break. My next news about him could be an invite to his wedding."
"Is Taijin an only child?"
"She has a little sister two years younger."
"She's not as little as you."
Asuka waved her hand dismissively.
"If everyone is finished with their cakes, you should start washing up. You may leave early as long as you don't disturb the other classes in session."
Ms. Hitori was regarding the white watch on her wrist before turning her attention back to her fashion magazine. The woman had her reddish locks shaved short about the sides with the top somewhat long in a pixie style while the back was gathered up into a single ponytail cinched at the nape of her slender neck. She had a yellow blouse today beneath a crimson jacket.
They had already sliced up the small cake and stowed it in containers to take home. It was way too much for three girls to eat, especially when one would rather drink and the other was busy writing random thoughts. There had been too much for the three containers, so she hoped Ms. Hitori would not notice the extra two she had taken out. She could leave them with Moka or Tsukune before Ms. Kagome whisked her away for those special lessons.
"Do you want to stick around for dishes, or go to gym?"
Sakamori groaned.
"Gym already? Thash no fun."
Asuka dropped the frosting bowl into the sink, grinning.
"Have you been following the boards?"
Kurumu shrugged, aware that the results of each match were being posted on the door of the coaches' office. She knew Asuka's class were undefeated, only because the girl boasted about it daily.
"There's only five undefeated teams with two games remaining. I'm so excited."
"It's not that big of a deal."
"It is when we're one of the five teams. The only first year team left standing. Two more games and we can have that party."
Kurumu shrugged, not really caring. They were like four and four or five and three. She honestly did not remember. She spent most of her gym hour talking with Nerume and Tora about random stuff.
Nerume was always alert and active during gym, so it bothered her to be thrown to the sidelines partly because she was the shortest girl in their class. Even with Hiboshi's absence, the girls had put Natsudera in before considering Nerume. This was not being mean. Nerume was bad at volleyball. She had good hustle, but that was it.
"It's four teams now."
"Huh?"
Tokori gestured to the three girls at station sixteen.
"The trio of volleyball girls from class six beat class 2-7. We only have one undefeated team left in our gym hour."
Only two of those girls at station sixteen were in volleyball, but Kurumu was aware that Makiba, Burumoto's cousin, from station thirteen was the third. It was surprising that a team that had half of its players as actual volleyball players had lost a game, let alone two, but it sounded like one of those losses was a fluke and that the class 3-5 team was outstanding despite not having any volleyball players.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Asuka. The two teams you play next are both good. Class 3-3 has only lost to Class 3-2, the other undefeated team from our gym period."
"Isn't that even better?! The most important games coming down to the very end. That's awesome!"
Class 3-3 was the team they had played yesterday. Despite Hiboshi's return, they had been stomped. And this squad led by Kettou from the track team was not even in the same league as Class 3-2. That team had two seniors from the volleyball team. They were rolling over all opposition like clockwork.
"I hope you guys do better than us. Class 3-3 is tall. Like the shortest one on the team is taller than Moka."
"Size isn't everything."
Kurumu shrugged, aware that was true but it was not like height was the only reason that team was playing well. She absently patted Sakamori's head.
"Are you doing dishes, or gym?"
Sakamori groaned piteously.
"Fine. Gym."
"Does either of you young ladies wish to escort her to gym?"
Monday this silly girl had wandered off. According to Taijin, the girl had not made it back for last period.
"I can take her today if Yuu carries the containers. Do you mind doing our dishes? There's not much."
Kurumu shrugged and nodded.
"Okay, then come here, you tipsy gypsy."
Asuka walked over before Sakamori could detach from Kurumu. The blonde grinned as she tugged the girl by the arm. The girl whined a moment before slinging her arms about Asuka's neck. The blonde grunted under the sudden weight, her breath rasping out.
"It's like we're passing around a supersized koala."
Kurumu giggled at the thought, shaking her head. Taijin had gathered up three containers, holding them close to her chest.
"Are you heading out, Tokori?"
"I'm in no rush."
They both walked over to the sink as the other three girls made their way to the door. Kurumu turned on the faucet, squirting a bit of soap into the basin. She did not need to fill the whole basin. Waiting only for the suds to start forming, she reached down to grab a spatula and a sponge.
"How are things with the PSC?"
"Hard to say. We haven't done anything but eat lunch together. I heard that Lady Hineri has returned to school, so we will have our first club meeting today. I guess that means no Sadou today."
"Is a club for tea ceremony that interesting?"
"It's relaxing and I get to hang out with Mikomi."
Kurumu smiled, aware that was Ms. Sawayaka's first name. She had spoken a little with the elegant beauty at station eight, and this affection of Tokori's was unrequited. Ms. Sawayaka acknowledged Meirowasa was an acquaintance and nothing more. The subtle way in which she pronounced her words gave Kurumu this impression that she wished to be left alone.
She turned off the faucet. Having already finished the spatulas, setting them aside in the other sink, Kurumu started working on the bowl.
"I'm glad you're doing this with us on the weekend."
Tokori leaned in to turn the faucet back on to wet a rag. Turning it off, she dabbed the rag against the white smears on her uniform.
"I hope she behaves herself around my family. I don't want to explain to my mother why we have a shojo girl with us."
Kurumu shrugged.
"I guess she might send us home."
"Naw, she probably would give her a shot of the strong stuff to knock Sakamori out. She may be a shojo, but I doubt she has much experience with strong alcohol. My mother could easily drink her under the table and still function at work."
Kurumu smiled as she reached back over to the island to fetch the cake pans and the cutting knife.
"We could still do a sleepover. Do you have things for us to do like music, games or books?"
Tokori nodded as she wetted down a white streak. She reached over to rinse out the rag and try again. It probably would not be a good idea to have any stains on her jacket for her first official club meeting with the PSC.
"Whatever happens it will be fun. These girls, Nerume and Satsuki, are both nice. I'm sure you can make friends with them if you want."
Tokori chuckled.
"I'm already juggling two clubs and a weekend job. I'd feel bad trying to make friends with a couple girls I don't have any time for."
"I suppose that's fair."
"Did she get any on my back?"
Tokori turned about, reaching behind her neck to fluff her hair out. There were three notable fingerprints at the center of her back.
"Yea, let me get that."
Taking the rag from Tokori, Kurumu carefully removed the white smears from the black garment. Figuring it was as good as it was going to get, she dropped the rag into the sink and went back to work on the cake pans.
"You sure you don't need any help?"
Kurumu chuckled, gesturing to the small pile of dishes in the rinse sink.
"There's barely anything here."
"Okay, well… I'll see you tomorrow then."
Tokori placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing once before moving over to retrieve her schoolbag from the corner of the countertop. Slinging it over her head she headed out.
"See you, Tokori."
It looked like more than half of the class had filtered off to their next class. Those that remained probably did not have gym, so there was not much fun returning to an empty classroom like Tokori was doing. Shirayuki was still doing her thing, though that was not a surprise. The girl had never participated in gym.
She drained the dishwater from the sink and quickly rinsed what she had set aside in the other sink. Grabbing a towel from one of the drawers, she pulled the bowl out to dry it.
"It's good that you came back to school, Mizore. I was a little worried after what happened this weekend."
Shirayuki glanced up from her notebook. She tilted her head aside, their eyes meeting as she hung her pen by the small cord that marked the page. She moved her right hand to her side as if she was petting an imaginary dog.
"Sit."
Kurumu glanced at the dishes. The chore could wait. She set the towel and dish aside, moving over to Shirayuki and sitting beside the girl. She leaned back against the counter, aware that they could see nobody from this vantage. The girls from station sixteen had already left.
"Mr. Aono is your boyfriend, right?"
Kurumu sighed. She knew this had been discussed in their group, but Shirayuki was privy to how Tsukune acted around Moka.
"Yes, he is."
"Why do you let Ms. Akashiya be so close to him?"
Kurumu forced a smile.
"I can't help it that he's popular. It means you have a good guy if other girls are interested in him."
Shirayuki touched the tip of her white stick as she leaned her head back.
"Would it not be easier if she disappeared?"
"No!"
Kurumu cringed at her volume. Shaking her head, she scooted in closer so her shoulder touched against the chilly girl.
"I don't want to think like that, Mizore. If Moka disappeared, I would be losing a precious friend."
"You don't have problems making friends, Kurumu."
Did it look like that? Maybe. It did not feel that way.
"Is something wrong, Mizore?"
The girl shrugged, pulling away from her to sit tighter to the corner.
"How far have you gone with Mr. Aono?"
"I tried having sex with him."
"Is that normal?"
"Isn't it? When you love someone, you should want to make love to them."
"I guess."
Kurumu sighed. It probably was more normal for a guy to push than it was for a girl.
"Did your boyfriend try to have sex with you?"
"Yes."
"Did you?"
"No."
"Is everything okay, Mizore?"
A slight crystal had formed at the corner of Shirayuki's right eye.
"Is everything okay with you?"
No, not really. She was getting by because somehow they had salvaged the status quo.
"I'm still his girlfriend."
Shirayuki smiled forlornly.
"He must be an amazing guy."
"He is."
Kurumu could feel the air about her rapidly lose temperature.
"I don't think he will ever talk to me again."
Her breath came out in small white clouds as a layer of frost materialized on the floor and counters around them. Impulsively she grabbed Shirayuki by her blouse, hauling the girl up against her. Her cheek was colder than ice, causing Kurumu to gasp in shock as she folded the girl in a painful embrace.
"No!"
She was shoved harshly back, a wall of ice shooting up between them. The ice slammed up against the ceiling, swinging around to enclose the girl in a box. Shirayuki pulled her knees up, hiding her head as she sobbed.
"That's enough fooling around you two."
Ms. Hitori walked over, shaking her head.
"Ms. Kurono. Please go to your next class. I shall handle our little ice princess."
"But Ms. Hitori. She's crying. I was only going to hold her."
The woman glanced at her, hazel eyes flashing gold for a moment.
"You'll only aggravate her. A yuki'onna cannot be comforted. She'll kill you, which will make her feel worse."
Kurumu shook her head, confused.
"What?"
"Run along, Ms. Kurono. Unless you absolutely want to watch this girl cry till she loses her consciousness."
She hated this feeling, but knew Ms. Hitori was someone she could trust. Gritting her teeth, she walked away. She hoped the teacher would not mention all the dishes and containers she was leaving behind. A pity. That would have been a good cake for sharing.