"What are you doing, Ms. Sendou?"

Without looking up at Mrs. Sunao, Yukari continued cutting a thick piece of construction paper.

"I'm working on a project."

Their homeroom teacher frowned. The tiny woman was seated at the desk, wearing a long sleeved, cornflower blue blouse tucked in a long black skirt which she had tripped over twice today. Her ashen gray tresses had been left down for a change, nearly reaching her waist.

"I can see that. What sort of project?"

"Obviously something she forgot to do in grade school."

Yukari huffed as she set her scissors down. She carefully folded the cut section before rolling it in the shape of a cone. She then tugged on her tape roll, tearing off a piece before securing the ends of the sheet together to maintain the conical shape.

"No, Mr. Senyou. This is a project for immortality."

Kurumu smirked at the instructor's nervous reaction. Yukari continued to crease and shape the cone till it looked more like a bell. She then snipped out the back tip. Setting the cone aside, she pulled a ball of yarn out of her schoolbag.

"Um, Ms. Sendou. I don't think that's something you should worry about."

Yukari measured out a length of yarn before cutting it. She then tied one end into a massive knot.

"Learning how to cheat death is important."

"Isn't that something older witches do?"

Senyou snickered, nodding in agreement with Abe.

"Well our genius class manager is ahead of her time."

Mrs. Sunao wrung her hands.

"Students, please. I asked of you to study independently for the rest of the hour."

Yukari had announced her intentions this morning to create a magical device to house the forbidden soul swap spell. While her primary goal was to move the soul of the rosary Moka to a living body lacking a soul, she felt the device should be more flexible. It was her hopes that by using this device, she could bypass the issue of needing to move her soul into the body of another witch. She had torn apart her blender this morning, saying the base was perfect for this project.

"I'm sure Yukari will perform well on her midterms, Mrs. Sunao."

"I agree with Ms. Kurono. Assuming her academics won't suffer greatly, I see little harm in allowing Ms. Sendou to continue working her dark magic."

"I'm surprised you would encourage behavior which strays from the model student image."

Ichida set aside his textbook, grinning at Juri.

"I'm merely saying that it won't harm anyone if her academic performance dips slightly."

"And if you happen to pass her in the rankings, then so be it."

"Precisely, Ms. Hineri."

Juri laughed softly, setting her pencil down in her notebook.

"We have a lot of ground to cover if we want to catch her."

Kurumu sighed, not wanting to talk about academics. They had studied for hours last night, continuing even after Moka turned in around ten. It had been a little after midnight when they had went to bed with Mizore staying up even later to finish the draft of her story. The snow girl had barely been coherent this morning. They had almost forgotten to stop by Moka's suite so Kana could retrieve the Gravitation volumes Kokoa was finished with.

"How did your nationals go?"

Abe grimaced at her question.

"We lost."

Kumiko snorted, turning a page of her textbook.

"Obviously. If our team had won, everyone would have found out by breakfast."

"How far did you get?"

Abe sighed, slumping in his chair.

"We lost our first game."

"Who did you play against?"

"Tokuji Tech."

"That's the Yamaguchi prefectural school."

While Kurumu was not the best with geography, she knew that Hongu where Ichida was from was in the Okayama prefecture adjacent to Tottori. She also knew that the Shimane prefecture where Hatoko and Michiko came from was in the same region.

"Is that a school from the Chugoku region?"

"Yea. They were the first place team from that region."

Kurumu frowned at Abe.

"You played a first place team."

"That's how it goes. They divide our regions into north and south. Then they have the second place teams from the north play the first place teams in the south and vice versa. Those are our brackets to prevent any second and first place teams from the same region from playing until the final."

Kumiko huffed.

"Not that it matters. The Kanto region's first and second place teams have played in the finals for the past four years."

"It is the toughest region."

Kurumu nodded, curious about her former region.

"Did Sankei High play in the nationals?"

"What school is that?"

"It's the one in Tottori where I used to live."

Ichida chuckled, shaking his head.

"You clearly didn't follow high school sports while you were there. Sankei High and Shuugen High were free wins for my Iretsu Tech."

"Shuugen High?"

"Shimane prefecture. What was the second place team for Chugoku region?"

"I don't recall. They were in a different bracket."

"Well there's only five teams in the Chugoku region. Seizan Academy in Hajougazou of the Hiroshima prefecture is the other big team."

"I swear some regions have an easy path to nationals. The Shikoku region has four prefectures while Hokkaido only has three recognized schools. It's rare to see any teams from those regions survive the first round even if they are a first place team."

"Was it a close game?"

He paused, eventually nodding.

"We were ahead by one in the last inning. But first place teams are always given home field advantage."

"Is this another two out, two strike loss?"

"Not really. It was the top of their batting order. Their first batter got on base with a bunt."

"Did the next batter hit a homerun?"

"No. But he did run the count up to full. And that first batter is one of the fastest runners on their team so he managed to steal second and third on us."

"Stealing third is hard."

"It isn't when your catcher overthrows second. We're lucky the guy didn't try to score off that."

Kumiko grimaced.

"That's rough."

"Yea. And then Mr. Gizatochi walked the second batter. So we have runners at the corners and the third guy hits a hopper to third base."

"That should be a double play."

"Yea. Mr. Zokubu should have done that. But he threw home and they tried to do a rundown on that first batter. We didn't get the out."

He paused, shaking his head.

"It was demoralizing. Game was tied. They had runners on first and second. No outs. Their clean up batter was up next and he'd already hit one solo homerun off Mr. Gizatochi with his second at bat."

"Did he hit another?"

"Almost. Long shot to center which Mr. Oshaberi snagged at the wall. Amazing catch. The guy at second tagged up and made it to third."

"And I'm guessing the fifth batter hit a deliberate sacrifice fly."

Abe nodded at Kumiko's conclusion.

"Yea. Clean shot out to left field. Easy catch and easy tag up."

"That is a tough loss. They could have gone to extra innings if they had turned that double play."

"Yea. Mr. Zokubu was devastated. Guy was in tears for the rest of the weekend. And Mr. Touremasen swears that he was the one that messed up, overthrowing second and botching the rundown. With Mr. Gizatochi graduating, he's saying he'll let one of the first years take the starter catcher position since he doesn't deserve it."

Kurumu nodded, recalling that the big catcher was a second year. Naturally most of the starters like Zokubu, Gizatochi, Kitamori and Oshaberi were seniors.

"Who won nationals?"

"I don't know. We left after Imoshinai lost their game in the semifinals to Keikai High."

"The number one team in the Kanto region?"

"Yea. They blasted Imoshinai. It wasn't even a close game."

"Who was playing in the other semifinal?"

"That was Maboroshi High from Osaka prefecture and Shinsui Technical from Saitama prefecture."

"Saitama is Kanto region, right?"

"Yea. First place Kansai against second place Kanto."

"What teams did Imoshinai beat to get into the semifinals?"

"Their first game was against Minato High from Nagasaki prefecture. We didn't see them play that one. Their second game was against Gaikitsu Institute from Miyagi prefecture. That was a close game that did go to extra innings."

"Who did Tokuji Tech lose to?"

"They got spanked by Shinsui Tech."

"Maybe it's better that you lost a close game than playing against a team like that."

"Hey now. I played the bench as good as anyone could. But I agree that my seniors deserved to go out on a close game like that compared to being steamrolled."

"The real difference in high school baseball is the depth of your pitching roster. Big schools have two or three guys that can pitch a whole game and use as relief pitchers if things go poorly. Iretsu Tech could never compete with that in the years my older cousin played."

"So how did your tennis meet go this weekend?"

Ichida smirked, glancing back at his textbook.

"I also play bench, Ms. Kurono."

"Did our team win?"

"We won eight of the ten matches."

"Have our team lost a meet?"

"Not officially, Ms. Kurono. We had to forfeit the week we would have played against Imoshinai due to Lord Chiki's travel restrictions."

"And you play Shimote Technical here this weekend."

"It seems I don't have to remind you after all."

"I might need a reminder after midterms melts my brains."

As Ichida chuckled, the bell sounded the end of the period.

"Thank you all. I trust you will use your free time more wisely in the future."

Mrs. Sunao bowed slightly to them before scurrying over to the door. Wanibuchi was up out of his seat and opened the door for the teacher to depart before taking off with Yakihara.

"Do you think she's upset?"

Kurumu shrugged at Juri.

"I hope not. I was up late last night studying so a few extra minutes here would not change anything."

"That's a poor attitude to have."

She frowned at Ichida.

"But it's true. I also have a study session planned Tuesday night with Tora."

"I suppose you want praise for your efforts but I shall reserve such comments till after I see the results."

Pouting, Kurumu wondered if she should even care if he made any progress with his love life.

"Did you find anything out about Sports Day?"

"Don't you live with Ms. Akashiya and her sister?"

"Technically I don't."

"I'm also curious."

He sighed at Juri's remark.

"We settled on a list of events and how we will divide the students into teams. After the last test on Friday, we will have a meeting where everyone will sign up for what events they want to do. We'll turn in that list the following day."

Putting aside her project, Yukari turned in her seat.

"They're combining our homeroom with classes one, three and four. We'll all be on the same team."

"Yes. Every grade will have three teams divided by their gym periods. Each grade will be given different colored shirts and each team will have different colored bandanas."

"What events will we have?"

"I suggest worrying over your studies first, Ms. Kurono."

The sound of low heels clacking against the floor drew Kurumu's attention to their next instructor. Ms. Shuzen stalked over to the podium, dressed in a crimson blouse with a black jacket draped over her shoulders. A silver buckle rested at her navel while skinny black pants hugged her slender legs. The woman placed her portfolio on the podium, flipping it open.

"I suggest anyone whom might need to use the restroom to do so now. I intend to lock the doors the moment the bell sounds and will not tolerate any interruptions for these important lectures meant to prepare you for your midterms."

Kurumu paused to examine how her bladder felt. She stood up.

"I think I'll pee."

Juri giggled, hopping out of her seat.

"In that case, I'll go with you."

Grinning, Kurumu linked arms with the sprite and headed out into the hallway.

The bell sounded the end of the period, startling Ms. Nekonome whom had been writing dates on the board. Garbed in a long sleeved, pinstripe blouse tucked in a navy, pleated skirt which graced her calves, the teacher quickly scrawled out the rest of her notes.

"I'm so sorry. But please write this down in your notes."

Kurumu ignored the suggestion, stuffing her history notebook into her schoolbag. She fished her other notebook for her article interviews out. As she was wearing a sweater vest today, she also grabbed her purse which had her lunch card and phone. Yukari had not made bentos today so she would have to get lunch in the cafeteria.

"And don't let Mr. Nagamushi erase this."

"May we go?"

"Yes, Mr. Wanibuchi."

Hanging her purse from her elbow, Kurumu clutched her notebook to her bosom as she got up.

"Off to finish your volleyball interviews?"

Kurumu nodded at Juri as she started down the aisle towards the back.

"Yea. I'll see you after lunch."

Kurumu hurried out of the classroom into the busy hallway, noting the doors for class three were already open. She ducked in through the back entrance, hoping she had not missed her quarry.

"Ms. Irewata!"

The mousy haired girl paused at the front door. As usual, she was sporting the sweater vest. Little Hiboshi lingered beside Irewata as the buxom girl regarded Kurumu.

"Ms. Kurono?"

Noting Tsukune was still in the room with Mizore and Tora, Kurumu briskly walked up the aisle. The two girls absently moved away from the door, allowing the big Hedoyami to exit the room.

"I need to finish your interviews today."

Irewata smiled brightly, clasping her hands at her navel.

"Oh, that's right. You'll be having lunch with our seniors?"

"I believe so. You're the only underclassmen I haven't interviewed."

"I'll do my best."

"Come on, Haruhi. She can do this while we walk."

Kurumu followed the kitsune out into the hall, walking alongside Irewata. Many students were making their way to the stairs at the crossover by class five. She was curious why Arashimideru was not with them as she flipped open her notebook and readied her mechanical pencil.

"I know you're from Aranoiji and that you have choir as your elective. When is your birthday?"

"December thirteenth."

Kurumu jotted that down next to Irewata's name and other information that she had filled out earlier.

"Do you have any love interests?"

"My body and soul belongs to Netsuki."

"Leave that blank."

Kurumu smirked at Hiboshi's curt demand.

"Okay. What about any plans for your future?"

"I will spend my life serving my love."

Hiboshi blushed, shaking her auburn curls.

"She's asking you serious questions."

"And I'm answering them."

"You need to think about this."

Irewata draped an arm over Hiboshi's shoulder, causing the little girl to tense up.

"I have thought about this. I don't want a future without you in it."

Hiboshi huffed, shrugging off Irewata's arm.

"I don't mind you tagging along, but you need to have other goals."

Kurumu smiled, doubting she could write any of this without embarrassing Hiboshi.

"Do you have any favorite things you would like to mention?"

"Netsuki is my favorite everything."

"Don't listen to this idiot. Her favorite color is yellow."

"Like your eyes."

Hiboshi shivered, wagging a finger at her companion.

"Her favorite singer is Utada Hikaru. She borrows my Utada CDs all the time."

"I have her compilation CD. It's one of the three CDs I own."

The moment the comment left her lips, she remembered Tsukune had bought her that CD along with her CD player. She smiled softly as they started down the stairs.

"What's your favorite song?"

"Sakura Drops."

"I love that song too."

"While most of her kind are omnivores, Haruhi gets sick if she eats any kind of meat."

"Yea. I stick to noodles, rice, soup and vegetables."

"What about eggs?"

"I can't."

"Any other favorites?"

Irewata shrugged as Hiboshi tapped her cheek.

"She likes to sleep. Fufi and Nyanya always have trouble waking her up for their morning routine."

"But it's too early. We don't need to be up at six."

"Fine. I'll just walk to school without you."

Irewata pouted as they neared the bottom of the stairs. It felt strange to hear Hiboshi use the nicknames of the other gyokuto girls.

"I feel like I should write more about you."

"Why is that?"

"Because your mother is a friend to Ms. Nekonome. And my mother spoke fondly of yours."

Hiboshi paused at the bottom of the stairs.

"I wasn't aware that you knew her family."

"I also know that your mother's name is Koukyuu."

Hiboshi eyed her warily. The kitsune started off, intent on the back of the line to the cafeteria.

"My mother didn't attend Yokai Academy. Did you ask Fufi for her name?"

"Lord Chiki told me about her."

Hiboshi flinched but maintained her pace. In moments they were standing in line.

"Is there anything else you need to ask Haruhi?"

"Nothing in particular comes to mind. If neither of you object, I'll put down her future plans as wanting to attend the same college as Hiboshi."

"I don't care what you write about her."

Irewata smiled sweetly.

"I'm fine with that."

"I hope that someday Hiboshi won't be as embarrassed about being in love with you."

"I can hear you."

Kurumu chuckled, closing her notebook and bringing it to her bosom.

"If you think of anything else to add, let me know."

A long moment of silence followed as they slowly progressed with the line past the first doors to the home economics room. Other students joined the line behind them as Kurumu tried to ignore the lecherous thoughts bored boys lavished upon her. She sighed, wishing these guys still thought of her as Tsukune's girlfriend. Now many of them indulged in fantasies that made her body tremble.

"Kurono. Did you chase Lord Chiki off?"

"What makes you think that?"

"Because it all stopped when he captured you."

Kurumu smiled softly.

"Promise not to tell?"

"So you did do it."

Clutching her notebook tightly to her bosom, Kurumu held a hand out to Hiboshi.

"Take my hand."

Hiboshi regarded the offering dubiously. After a moment, the kitsune acquiesced. Keeping her eyes on the line, Kurumu split her awareness as she tugged Hiboshi forward with the slow progress towards the cafeteria. A mental copy of herself popped into existence.

"It wasn't me. The Headmaster brought in another succubus."

"What is this?"

"An illusion. Only you can see me, so Irewata will think you're talking to yourself."

Hiboshi glanced at Irewata whom regarded her curiously.

"I can read your thoughts so you don't have to respond."

Her illusion grinned at Hiboshi's surprise.

"I know it's amazing. Do you want to see what this succubus showed me? There was a good part which involved the sexual abuse of your mother."

She could feel the anger. Hiboshi promptly released her hand, causing her double to vanish.

"No. I only wanted to know if you did it."

Kurumu managed a smile, withdrawing her hand.

"I'm sorry."

"You're a scary person, Kurono."

"Netsuki."

"It's true. She fooled us all with Aono."

"I'm sorry about that."

"You make no sense. It's like you decided to lose."

"I haven't lost."

"Oh please. That idiot might forgive you for that trickery, but he won't ever date you now."

Kurumu sighed.

"I couldn't keep on lying."

"Most of life is a lie, Kurono. People don't want the truth. They want the illusion of perfection."

Kurumu was in no mood for a lecture. They were steadily approaching the second door to Ms. Yumeito's science lab. The second year teacher was another high school friend of her mother.

"Some things you can't lie about. You can't pretend that you're still sixteen."

"Of course I can. It's not like that spell changed the year I was born in."

Kurumu smirked.

"Okay. You can't pretend your body is sixteen years old."

"So what? I'm 144½. Don't be surprised if I'm taller than you in two years."

"Don't get ahead of yourself."

"She's not joking, Ms. Kurono. She was over one sixty when she was thirteen."

Kurumu frowned at the thought of this smug kitsune being taller than her at graduation.

"I wonder if Yukari will be taller than me in two years."

"Her body is older than mine. She might be a late bloomer."

Kurumu sighed, not wanting to think about that.

"So… Irewata. Are your parents coming for one of these events?"

"Only my mother is coming for Sports Day, but the whole family will be here for the cultural festival."

"What about you?"

"My family won't come."

"Why not?"

"The only reason I'm attending Yokai Academy was because of my engagement to Kuyo. Both of my older brothers went to Mimori High. This is not my father's choice of high schools."

Kurumu nodded, sensing she should not push this issue as they started walking along the diagonal stretch of this line. She saw no signs of Akari's trio, making her wonder if they had gone ahead without Tsukune and Nozomi. Or maybe they had walked by and she had failed to notice them.

"Are you still engaged to Kuyo?"

"Yes."

"Is he going to marry you after you graduate?"

"No. Over the summer, he stopped by our village to check on me. I guess he saw you at some wedding and decided he should check up on me. He dragged me to the elder council and requested that our wedding be delayed until my body was mature enough to give them an heir."

"How considerate of him."

"It's not like he wants to marry me. He only picked me because they demanded him to choose someone. He actually expected the elder council to reject me since I was so young and my blood isn't as pure as other kitsune."

Kurumu frowned as a thought crossed her mind.

"I recall Lady Hineri saying that your mother was his Aunt which is how you're related. Doesn't that mean his blood isn't pure?"

"No. My mother is his Aunt by marriage. My father is the younger brother of Kuyo's father."

"But Kuyo is his surname. Why isn't it the same as yours?"

"Because his mother is of more importance. There is an Elder Kuyo on the council. They are the oldest family in Aranoiji."

"You seem to be asking a lot of questions that have nothing to do with volleyball."

Kurumu smiled apologetically at Irewata.

"You don't mind, right?"

"As long as you're not trying to steal her away, I'm fine."

"I wouldn't think of breaking up your love."

Hiboshi huffed, allowing a pair of third year guys to merge in ahead of her. The short line of third years stretching between the cafeteria and the glass doors leading out to the inner courtyard was often forgettable. Many seniors found alternative means to get lunch.

"Have you guys been to Mononoke lately?"

"We all went to the movies and karaoke yesterday with Nyanya and Fufi."

"Oh? What about Shinayaka?"

"Her too. We have a huge group now with Netsuki's new friends."

Kurumu grinned, recalling how Hiboshi had befriended the tiny Dakuhime. Dakuhime Mayumi was a mujina from class twelve whom had joined the choir with her shy friend. The two were from the Tsunan area and lived on the same dorm floor as Hiboshi. Back when Kurumu had lived on that floor, she had introduced Hiboshi to the girl a couple of days after the omamori incident.

"How is Dakuhime doing? I haven't talked with her since the concert."

"Fine, I guess."

"I don't know why but I can never remember the name of her quiet friend."

"Yokumoto Toshiko."

"Does your large group include girls from tennis?"

"Of course Ami is with us."

"I guess I meant to ask if Arashimideru still hangs with you guys."

"She was with us yesterday."

"But it was the first time Ami's sister and Ms. Arashimideru's cousin was with us."

"What about Taniguchi?"

"She never hung out with us before Ms. Mizumi died. I'm not going to ask her to."

The mention of a dead girl had strangled the mood. They walked most of the remaining distance in silence as Kurumu tried to think of something else to say.

"Did the Hineri sisters join your get together?"

"I have no idea what her older sister does on the weekends, but Kumiko was with us."

Kurumu smiled, stepping over to the stack of trays. She flipped one over, setting her notebook on it. Picking it up with one hand she grabbed another tray and handed it to Irewata.

"Did you do any shopping?"

"Not really. We tried out that mini golf place your paper recommended before the movie."

"I haven't actually done that yet. What's it like?"

"It's more fun than the driving range."

"We didn't try that out either. At Nikki's party, we only did the batting cages they have there."

As Kurumu glanced over the Styrofoam cups and platters which contained entrees, she wondered if Ginei and Hajihachi had played a paintball game last weekend. The indoor arena of Warzone was next door to Sinkhole, the mini golf place.

"Will you guys try out the paintball?"

"Maybe if everyone is dressed appropriately. That's not something to show up in a skirt for."

"They put this heavy gear on you which covers most of your body."

"I'm not risking any of my cute clothes for a paintball game."

Grabbing a cup of miso and a platter of yakitori on rice, Kurumu wandered over to the fresh bread section. She seized a bread roll before wandering off to the refrigerated carts to pick up a can of juice. With everything selected, she made her way to the end of one of the four register lines.

She offered Hiboshi a smile as the other two picked a different register line. Not wanting to talk around the young guy between them, Kurumu silently waited for her turn.

It only took a little more than a minute for her to reach the register and surrender her tray of goods to the worker. She fumbled with her purse, fishing her lunch card out to hand over. In seconds she was done and wandering out into the cafeteria.

Supposing she had no real reason to wait for the two, Kurumu started down the wide aisle. Some kappa boys from the arcade and fishing clubs had already taken notice of her and were licking her up with naughty thoughts. Ignoring them, she continued to favor the right side of the aisle, not wanting to catch the attention of the male athletes on the other side of the cafeteria.

Passing by the swimming club and track team, Kurumu noticed that Kokoa was already at the table for the fencing club. The vampire's back was to her while Kokoa chatted with Zenpyou and the Akebara sisters. Both sisters were class representatives and had their rust colored tresses styled in hime cuts. The older sister had a ponytail while her sister had pigtails. Zenpyou had her orchid locks styled in a pixie cut.

After the fencing table was the boy's table for tennis. Kurumu ignored their glances, focusing on the pair of tables after theirs. Many volleyball girls had already arrived for lunch. The table closer to the aisle had Shinayaka, Meisai, Makiba and Hibiki. The other table had five girls of which Kirisame was the only one she had done an interview for.

Kirisame was sitting beside a big girl on the far side of the table. The undine was gorgeous with wavy, indigo locks which touched her slender shoulders. Her salmon pink eyes and ample bosom had caused her to be mistaken as a gyokuto by an amorous bunny boy from band back in April.

The tall, stocky girl seated at the end of the table against the wall had her ebony tresses pulled back in a slick ponytail which fell below the bench she was seated upon. She had broad features and a voluptuous frame. Kurumu smirked at the thought of the girl flexing and busting out of the sleeves of her jacket.

Sitting across the table from the big girl was a curly haired brunette. Beside this nondescript brunette was another girl with glossy black hair featuring a cowlick. Kurumu surmised she was a tanuki.

The last girl at the table was the infamous bouncy bunny, Haneru Ashiri. The buxom girl had wavy, curly, burgundy locks which danced along her bosom and shoulders despite having pulled much of it back in a ponytail. A gesture from Kirisame caught Haneru's attention and she turned a bright smile upon Kurumu.

"Ms. Kurono! I hope the weekend has been pleasant for you."

Grinning, Kurumu set her tray down beside Haneru.

"It's been fun. I've fully recovered and ready to do your interviews."

After taking a seat by the captain, Haneru patted her shoulder.

"Don't neglect your lunch for our sake."

"Is it okay if she sits there?"

Haneru grinned at Kirisame.

"I don't see a problem."

"But Wakana sits by you."

"It's a full table. Someone will have to sit with the first years."

"Ms. Sazayama can sit with her peers for one lunch."

"Yea. I doubt Ms. Iwadake will want her sister to be the odd girl out."

Sazayama Shiori and Iwadake Megumi were the two big first year girls Kurumu had interviewed last week in seventh period home economics along with Kirisame. Sazayama from class twelve had attended the junior high in Akichi and had an older sister in the choir. Amusingly her sister was named Megumi.

Iwadake also had an older sister, Saiko, whom was on the volleyball team. Iwadake from class ten was from Chouten. The two first year girls lived on the sixth floor of Baratoge and had become fast friends.

"I don't know if you were introduced to everyone at the pictures last Friday."

Kurumu smiled as she tugged off the lid for her soup.

"I don't even remember how I got home that day. I was so tired."

"We can start with the lovely lady sitting beside me. This is my roommate, Ine Ginko"

Kurumu perked up at the name. Setting her soup aside, she flipped open her notebook.

"I've heard of her. She's in Moka's art class. I hear she has trouble with Mr. Kyuushutsu."

Ine laughed nervously.

"He does demand my affections often."

"It's more troublesome than he thinks. I've heard her call his name while sleeping."

Ine blushed, glancing aside.

"I can see why my cousin was so fixated on him despite no longer being in his class."

"Why are we talking about that shameless womanizer?"

Haneru grinned, gesturing at the brunette whom had spoken up.

"This is Yamaguchi Nagisa. She's roommates with Ms. Iwadake."

Kurumu frowned, glancing at the other big girl at the table.

"Really? I figured the older Iwadake would be with this other senior."

"Why?"

Kurumu was reluctant to voice her reasons why.

"This is Kouyama Tama. She lives with Ms. Kettou from the track team since they grew up together."

"Oh! That's right. You and Ms. Ine are from Aranoiji. That girl from the tennis team whom lives with Lady Hineri mentioned that all of the volleyball seniors lived in the same building."

"That's Ms. Kinasute."

Kurumu picked up her cup of miso, taking a sip as she thought about the students living in the only full building in their section. Eight of the ten track seniors lived there but the younger Samurakami lived with her sister. Each building at max capacity could only house twenty students and nine of them were from the track team. Adding these five along with Lady Hineri, Ms. Kinasute, Ms. Shikikawa from archery and her roommate, Ms. Bousui, whom was the acupuncture club president meant that Kurumu knew nearly all of the girls living in that building. She wondered whom the last two were.

"Where are we sitting?"

Uta had arrived with Nazenara. Nazenara was a buxom gyokuto about Moka's height with auburn twin tails which curled down to her shoulders. In her interview, she had asked Kurumu to list her boyfriend as Geijutsu whom was a senior gyokuto guy from the cheerleader squad. While Nazenara waited for an answer, Uta made her way over to sit down next to Kirisame.

"That's up to you."

Nazenara hesitated before taking the last open space on Kurumu's side.

"I guess Ms. Sazayama will have to sit with the first years."

Sucking down another mouthful of soup, Kurumu set the cup aside and grabbed her pencil.

"I should start writing down your information. Which homerooms are you from?"

"I'm from class two while Ms. Yamaguchi is from class four. My roommate is in class eleven and Ms. Kouyama is from class ten."

Kurumu nodded, jotting all of that down along with three names. She had already written down the names for Haneru and Iwadake and was aware that both were in class two since she had them in gym. She supposed she also had Yamaguchi in gym but that girl was quite forgettable. There was something familiar about her name though. Kind of like how Nazenara's name had been familiar because Funsui, a senior tennis guy, had told her about Nazenara and Geijutsu being an unofficial couple.

"I'm a little surprised Ms. Iwadake isn't with you. I know she's in your homeroom."

"She usually goes upstairs and waits for her sister and Ms. Sazayama."

"Okay. What electives are you all taking?"

"Ms. Iwadake and I share the health and wellness. So does Ms. Kouyama though she has the seventh period class. Ms. Yamaguchi is in the business program."

Adding that to her notes, Kurumu paused to take another drink of her soup. Realizing she was nearly done with it, she quaffed down the rest before setting the empty cup aside.

"I won't add this in the article, but I'm mildly curious which rooms you girls live in. I'm in 323 and Yukari is in 317 while Moka is in 413."

"I didn't realize you had your own suite."

Haneru smirked, nodding in agreement with Ine.

"We thought you were hanging out with Ms. Akashiya since we know she lives with her sister."

"No. I actually do have my own suite."

"Well the two of us are in 304. Ms. Kouyama is in 307 while Ms. Yamaguchi is in 310."

Adding that to the margin for her own personal information, Kurumu glanced at Kouyama.

"You said you grew up with Ms. Kettou. I'm guessing that would be Atsuen?"

The big girl nodded, slurping down a wad of noodles.

"That means I just need the village for Ms. Yamaguchi."

Yamaguchi glanced at her with hazel eyes.

"I'm from the city but I went to junior high in Ashikantai under my father's insistence. He's a graduate from here so that's why I get the joy of attending this cursed place."

Haneru giggled, shaking her head.

"Glossing over the fact that she bombed her high school entrance exams."

Yamaguchi scowled, glancing aside.

"Human schools are tougher."

"Says a girl consistently on the board of shame."

"I wasn't bottom thirty for midterms."

Kurumu grinned, taking the pause to open up her platter. A trio of skewers rested upon a pile of white rice. She seized one of the yakitori skewers in one hand while wielding her pencil in the other.

"So does anyone else here have a boyfriend like Ms. Nazenara?"

"None of us do."

"Though Ms. Haneru gets propositions all the time."

"No I don't."

"She does. I think she's been asked out ten times this year. It's so bad that she has me answer the door."

"That's still not all the time."

"That's more than everyone else at the table combined."

Uta and Kirisame shared a glance and giggled.

"That depends on what you're counting. Like I haven't been asked out once this year but I have been asked if I would have sex."

"Some of the locals are downright sleazy. Does any girl ever take older guys up on those offers?"

"I think it shouldn't count if you're being asked by a guy you can't be with."

Kurumu frowned at Haneru's declaration.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Almost every guy that has asked me out since I've come to Yokai had no business dating a gyokuto."

"You won't date other species?"

"I won't put my family through that trouble. Our race is looked down upon as a bunch of horny rabbits, too stupid to do anything but breed. If we didn't have a male counterpart, we'd be seen as poorly as harpies. The last thing we need to be doing is opening our legs for guys of all races."

Kurumu absently chewed off some meats and veggies on her skewer. She felt that stance was prejudiced but she understood Haneru's position. She was a buxom, sexy girl. Most sexy girls would get called sluts simply because they could sleep with any guy. Any girl would be reluctant to open their dating options if it could be seen as validating that opinion.

"I'm sure there are some gyokuto guys whom would be willing to date you."

"I'm a third year, Ms. Kurono. I know all of the boys from Aranoiji and most of the ones from Aserutani. I'm not about to date the one or two first years I might not know about."

"Where are we sitting?"

The tall Iwadake sisters and Sazayama had arrived. The trio towered over everyone with the older sister being the tallest. Saiko looked almost identical to her younger sister with charcoal locks trimmed short like a boy. She even had the same rich chocolate eyes. Sazayama resembled her sister in choir with slate black, shoulder length tresses and sapphire eyes.

"Ms. Kurono is finishing her interviews today. Ms. Sazayama can sit with the other first years today."

As the girls settled in to their seats, Kurumu noted that Hiboshi was with the other first years between Irewata and Hazumi. It was not the first time she had seen Hiboshi eat with these girls. In truth, she could not recall ever seeing Hiboshi eat with the tennis team since the omamori incident.

Absently grabbing up her second skewer, Kurumu regarded the girls.

"Does anyone here have college plans?"

"I'm thinking of becoming a teacher."

"I thought you were planning to be a dietitian?"

"There are more teaching jobs than dietitian jobs. I'm being practical."

Ine paused to ponder Haneru's statement.

"I honestly haven't thought about attending college."

"Isn't everyone here taking that college exam prep course?"

"We are, but it doesn't mean we'll run off and take that test."

"I wouldn't have enrolled in the business course if I thought I had a chance at college. If I can't get married in the next three years, I'll see what sort of jobs Fairy Tale is willing to offer me."

"What a waste. You can blend in with humans better than any of us."

"Yea. Tanuki can't have their babies in human hospitals. More often than not, we're born with tails."

Haneru giggled, swatting Ine on the shoulder.

"Watch it. You're not supposed to blab about your true form."

"I don't need to hear that from you. You flaunt your true form and even have a nickname about it."

"I can't help that those idiots chanted my junior high nickname at our first home game."

Kurumu smirked, making quick work of her second skewer. Setting it aside, she glanced at Kouyama.

"What about your future plans?"

"My father wants me to marry instead of going to college. If I bomb the college exam, I'll let him put my name in the system."

"Do you have anything you want to go to college for?"

"Avoid marriage."

Kurumu chuckled, grabbing the last of her skewers and wagging it at Yamaguchi.

"You mentioned getting married in the next three years. Are you using the Fairy Tale system too?"

"I don't need to do that. I'll just help my parents for a few years and see if my mother can set me up with someone. Fairy Tale is my fall back option."

Kurumu nodded, absently taking a bite from her last skewer. She still had to get their birthdays and favorite things. She wondered how much time she had left.

"Ms. Iwadake. I know from talking to the judo boys that there is some interest in you."

"There is?"

"Maybe not romantically, but you have friends in the club."

"I wouldn't say Daichi is a friend. He's our cousin."

"I know this might sound a little out of place, but I have to say this. Mr. Motoharu has perhaps the sexiest deep voice I have ever heard."

Both of the big girls shared a laugh. With a rosy glow on their cheeks, they nodded.

"He does have that."

"He's nice to be around. It's a shame they were gone the whole weekend."

"I heard they were at regionals with the track team. Any idea how they did?"

The moment she asked that question, she realized she was going to be late for her English lecture.

With Juri holding her hand and leading the way, Kurumu enjoyed the beauty around her. The greenhouse was full of pretty flowers and plants. Rows of elevated planters created dozens of aisles in this sprawling structure with a curved glass roof. Piping riddled with holes hung over these planters with the ability to deliver water with the twist of valve.

"I want to thank you so much for agreeing to do an article for us."

Komeshita Nabiki was a lovely young woman whom could have passed as a student if not for her attire. Sporting a long sleeved black blouse tucked in a black pair of cargo jeans, the fair haired, buxom woman guided her small club towards the back of the facility. Her thin tresses were a pale blond like corn silk and had been pulled in an offside tail while the tresses on her other side hid her ear and left eye. Her bared right eye was a deep indigo.

The homeroom teacher of class eight had been hired back in 97 to teach English when that frustrating language had become part of the core curriculum instead of an elective. By the next year she had been suckered into becoming the club advisor for the Ikebana club despite knowing nothing about flowers. But due to the enthusiasm of her club members, she had grown a love for the hobby.

"We will do what we can."

Ginei had his arm linked with Hajihachi's. His camera dangled by its strap around Hajihachi's neck.

"I honestly was worried we might disband this year. I'm glad our juniors convinced their sisters to join."

The last time Kurumu had spoken with Denshou Hakaru had been at Kiki's birthday party. The only senior and club president had creamy eyes and cornflower blue tresses which reached her waist. Of the six club members, the sprite was the only one from Okataiyou. The rest of the club hailed from Shizukana.

"I know what you mean. I often think it was a miracle that my club wasn't disbanded."

"I think this is a good spot for a picture."

Ms. Komeshita gestured at a row of blooming flowers. The teacher whom stood about as tall as Moka was the tallest of this club. She gestured for the president to join her.

"Crowd in girls. We want everybody in the shot."

"I'm not a girl."

Bujiyo Arata was the only male member of the group though he hardly looked the part with his wavy, voluminous mint hair which he had held up in a high ponytail. This boy from class one was about the same height as the teacher. Supposedly a medical condition kept him from participating in gym, explaining why Kurumu had never noticed this girly boy in gym before.

"You know what I meant."

The girls giggled as they gathered around the teacher. The two with the cerulean hair and amber eyes were the Hanahara sisters. Mimi, the older sister in Kurumu's sewing class, kept her locks in a French braid while Momo, the younger sister in Moka's homeroom, had hers in a braided bun.

The younger Dokiniji, Hana, was from Tsukune's homeroom. Hana was a blond while her cousin, Kiku, had sable hair. Both had curled bangs and fine tresses but Kiku's hair was longer, almost reaching her rump while Hana kept hers trimmed at her shoulder blades. The similarity was in their eyes. The iris was multicolored with bands like a rainbow. She had never noticed that about Dokiniji before.

The four girls had admitted that they were dryads much to Kana's delight. Kana had chatted with much enthusiasm all the way from the Ikebana clubroom which happened to be first year class eight. Most of it was talk about Shizukana since none of the girls betrayed interest in anime or manga though they were aware of it. It sounded like Shizukana was similar to Chirasu, having all of the amenities humans enjoyed.

As there was no such thing as a male dryad, Bujiyo was a sprite. While it might have seemed suspicious for him to join a club with a bunch of girls, he claimed his reason was mostly due to having no clue which clubs were safe to join. He knew about Ikebana from his mother, having helped her on many occasions.

"There we go. Everyone look at the camera."

Hajihachi held the camera ready as the small group smiled. The older Dokiniji was the shortest of the bunch, standing about the same height as Kurumu. The younger Hanahara was about Mizore's height while the other three girls were slightly shorter than Bujiyo and the teacher. He could complain all he liked but it would look like a picture of a group of girls.

"And that's that."

Hajihachi grinned, lowering the camera.

"If you girls agree to vote me in as your next student council president, I will see what I can do about bolstering your numbers."

The girls giggled at his remark. Hajihachi smirked, backhanding his shoulder.

"Stop your silly campaigning."

"It's not silly. I'm seriously going to give it a shot."

"Nobody will agree to run with you."

"Including you?"

Hajihachi blushed. Shaking her head, she lifted the camera.

"Would you like more pictures?"

"If you want more pictures, why don't we take some with our more exotic flowers? Come this way."

The teacher slipped free of the group, gesturing for them to follow.

"This place is so cool. I can feel so much life energy in here."

Kurumu laughed as Kana wandered over to them with a wide grin. The girl had brought a notebook but had yet to write anything down.

"You know this is your article, right?"

"I know, I know."

"My cousin says they take real good care of the kodama in here."

"Come on you three. We're leaving you behind."

Kurumu grinned as Ginei slowly followed after the members of the club. She let Juri tug her along as they made their way into the next aisle.

"Would you believe this is the first time I've been in here?"

Kurumu was mildly surprised with Juri's admission.

"Well it's my first time."

"Mine too."

"Yea, but you two don't have a reason to come in here."

"Hey now. I'm a dryad."

Juri grinned as they passed by rows of beautiful lilies and nerines.

"A dryad whom spends most of her free time on electronics."

"Yea… Ms. Dokiniji said the culture class doesn't require you to take home economics. I think I'll take it next year with you guys."

"Oh? Not going to take art another year?"

"Honestly, I feel like I'm wasting my time in that class. And I definitely don't want to spend another year with Mr. Kyuushutsu if he takes art a third year."

Kurumu smiled softly, wondering if Moka would be willing to try a different elective next year. As she glanced at their surroundings, she took in a deep breath and sighed.

"What's that sigh about?"

"Just thinking how I'm done with my articles."

While she had missed some of her English lecture, she had finished the interviews for the volleyball seniors and found out how the judo team had fared at regionals. Or at least, how well the three giant guys had done since those were the ones the Iwadake sisters had information about. Not a single one of them was going to nationals as an individual. Motoharu had been a quarterfinalist while the second years Daisen and Miyagi had both been eliminated in the second round. The team had lost to Imoshinai whom won the team competition.

After gym, Kurumu had asked to interview Coach Hoshineru Fumiya. To her surprise, the woman had never been in a relationship and had no desire to be in one. She was so pretty. It bothered Kurumu.

"Hey. Do you think it's possible to go decades without ever meeting anyone?"

"Maybe if you're trapped under a rock or in prison."

Kurumu frowned at Juri.

"I'm being serious."

"You are gorgeous, Kurumu. You don't have to worry about being alone."

Kurumu groaned as they came to a stop. Hajihachi was taking pictures of some plants with the girls standing about them.

"Yea, but my body doesn't respond to everyone. Ms. Kiyoshi has spent decades without finding a mate."

"Can't Fairy Tale help with that?"

Kurumu grimaced, aware of how Fairy Tale regarded her kind.

"There is a matchmaker for my kind. But from what I heard, it's all trial and error."

"But that's life, Kurumu. Unless you're going for a straight up arranged marriage, most of dating will be trial and error."

"You both want to be mothers, right?"

Kana smirked and Juri giggled.

"If I have a kid, I don't get to call myself a father."

"You know what I meant."

Kana shrugged indifferently.

"If I'm married to a guy, I'm not going to refuse to have his children."

"Yea, that's kind of a given, Kurumu."

Kurumu sighed, unsure if she had lost her point somewhere.

"Would you marry someone you knew you could not have a kid with? Could you tell him at the start that you'll never be able to give him a child?"

Juri squeezed her hand, leaning against her shoulder.

"Some guys are fine with that."

"Would you settle for a guy that could never give you a child when you know you could have one with someone else?"

Juri groaned as the group started moving along again. She tugged on Kurumu's hand, prompting them to follow the club.

"I'm fifteen, Kurumu. That's a lot to put in my head."

"I'm fifteen too. When do you turn sixteen, Ms. Morisato?"

"January tenth."

"Nice. Mine's the first of January."

"It's not like I'm way older than you two."

"That's not my point. We are too young to be fretting over having babies."

"But Ms. Kiyoshi-"

"That's her problem. Don't make it yours."

"What's with all the serious talk now?"

"It's just… there's a chance Tsukune might be the only guy I ever meet that I can have a baby with."

"I should have known this was about Mr. Aono."

"There's no guarantee that I'll ever meet anyone else like him."

"There's no guarantee that you won't."

Kurumu groaned as she shuffled her feet. The teacher was having the group pose around another pretty flower and all she could think about was how empty and uncertain her future was.

It was the end of Monday. From their short club meeting before parting ways, Kurumu had picked up that the lunch with the Sadou club would be tomorrow. Tsukune, Mizore and Moka had left to do his article for the astronomy club while Yukari had gone home to work on her immortality project.

They could tell her that she was worrying over nothing, but she had a good idea how the rest of the week would play out. They would finish their articles, study for exams, take tests and start preparing for Sports Day. There was even a small chance Ms. Kiyoshi would show up and she could give her mother a proper funeral in front of her friends. And if that did not happen at Sports Day, it was certain to happen during the cultural festival.

Nothing good was going to change this month. None of their big problems would be solved.

"I want to be happy now."

Juri sighed, leaning against her as Hajihachi took another round of pictures.

"Give it time, Kurumu."

But time would not change facts. She could still feel the pain of mommy's death if she wanted to. Letting go of him would always hurt until she somehow convinced herself that she no longer cared.

"Have you ever been in love?"

"I would have told you by now if I had anyone like that."

"And you believe you'll find someone?"

"I try not to think about that. And you need to stop thinking about it too. You'll be happier if you don't think too much about the things you don't have."

"That's so right. If you think too much about the future, you'll miss out on the present."

"Why do I get the feeling that you three are not talking about flowers?"

Kurumu managed a smile as Ginei strolled over to them.

"She's fretting over her breakup with Mr. Aono."

"Well, technically they were never dating."

Kana smirked at Ginei as Juri pressed her hand to her slight bosom.

"She was in her heart."

"That's a thing?"

"Unrequited love is a heavy burden. I've seen many friends struggle with it."

"Damn. I wonder how many girlfriends I've had without knowing about it."

Kurumu had to laugh, shaking her head.

"Oh, shut up."

"What about you, Mr. Morioka? Do you plan to marry Ms. Hajihachi?"

He smiled softly, glancing back at Hajihachi as she followed after the group. Gesturing for them to follow, he started off.

"If her mother approves, I will."

"So you want to have children with her."

He faltered a step. He chuckled, turning down the next aisle.

"I think there are a few things I want to do before we jump to that."

"Like what?"

"Taking her to meet my parents. Getting a job."

He laughed to himself.

"I wonder if that would work."

"What would work?"

He tossed a glance back at them.

"Okinawa. If that inn hasn't shut down, I think I'd like to help those two."

Kurumu smiled warmly.

"Otonashi would like that."

"Yea. But I have a few things to cross before getting there. And then… yea… I'll have a kid when I feel like I can be a dad."

"So how many kids are you planning to have?"

"Mika! These girls want to know how many babies you want to bear for me!"

Hajihachi whirled on her heel, turning bright red.

"What are you talking about?!"

"Babies. Though I guess you call them puppies in the throes of passion."

Hajihachi stammered a few unintelligible words as the club girls around her giggled. The teacher shook her head, walking alone towards a massive flower which was growing on a vine. It was a huge bulb with five petals. The circular center had a hole in it. The stench of rotten meat grew as they approached.

"I'm sorry. I don't speak gibberish."

Hajihachi whined, fidgeting with the camera as he came up beside her.

"What if mother refuses?"

"I just stumbled upon the idea of running away to Okinawa. Want to?"

Hajihachi's eyes widened. He grinned, placing his hands on her shoulders. She backed out of his grasp.

"I think we can discuss that later."

"Is there a reason why your mother would refuse?"

"My lovely fiancée here has told her mother all sorts of horrible stories about me. I understand that she regards me as the spawn of the devil."

"I cried a lot over you last winter break after your whole tease the girls in heat stunt. Mother didn't sound happy about hearing we are dating."

"And I will do my best to make a good impression on her when she comes this weekend."

"Her mother is coming for Sports Day?"

Ms. Komeshita let out a sound to catch their attention. She gestured to the flower.

"This is a rafflesia. Where they are native, they can bloom once every nine months which lasts for about a week. This lovely imported parasite has bloomed only twice in the past four years we've had it."

"Parasite?"

"Yes. The flower gets its nutrients from this vine it grows upon."

"Take a picture of that."

Hajihachi grimaced at him. She took off the camera and handed it to him.

"I'm not getting closer to that. You do it."

"Is it safe?"

"Completely."

"I thought rafflesia was a type of plant monster."

"What makes you say that?"

"It was a boss enemy in final fantasy six."

The other girls giggled at Kana's admittance.

"You play video games?"

"I've watched friends play video games. Does that mean malboros are also plants that actually exist?"

"I've never heard of that species. Girls?"

As all of the girls shook their heads, Ginei made a sound of disgust when he neared the bloom.

"Is that awful smell coming from the rafflesia?"

"Yes. The smell is meant to attract pollinators."

"Pollinators?"

"Little bugs, birds or animals that get the goodies inside this hole."

Kurumu grimaced but was curious to see what the teacher was talking about. Leaving the rest of the girls behind, she came up to join Ginei as he snapped pictures of the flower. The smell was horrid, but she could see lighter splotches on the petals and rim. Inside the hole was a nest of spires. She could not imagine anything wanting to feast on that.

"Are you sure it's not carnivorous?"

"This is no durian, Ms. Kurono. While there might be a carnivorous rafflesia somewhere out there, it won't be this beautiful thing."

It might be beautiful in looks but the smell was rotten.

"What's the point of attracting bugs?"

"You must not be that familiar with flowers. Pollination is the means by which many plants reproduce."

Ginei chuckled, bumping his shoulder against hers.

"See. Plants are such naughty things, bringing in all sorts of strangers into their bedroom."

"It can't be helped, Mr. Morioka. Unlike animals, plants can't move to take care of business."

Kurumu smiled softly, regarding the rancid bloom.

"Is this the only rafflesia here?"

"It is the only one in Mononoke."

"Then why is it blooming?"

"That's how nature works, Ms. Kurono. The rafflesia doesn't know it has no chance of reproducing."

Feeling a twinge of sorrow, Kurumu wondered if she was like this flower, blooming in vain.