"Could you close the doors? I shall hand out the retakes after announcements are made."
Wanibuchi and Nakai got up from their seats to do as Mrs. Sunao asked. The diminutive teacher stood beside the platform, holding a short stack of papers against her slight bosom. She was wearing a cream jacket over a peach blouse tucked in white slacks.
It was not the first time Kurumu had seen this ensemble. Like Ms. Nekonome, the tiny instructor owned at least enough outfits to not wear something twice in two weeks unless she wanted to. And like most teachers, Mrs. Sunao never wore dresses to school. It was always a blouse paired with a skirt or pants. This small woman owned at least six suit jackets.
"As we don't have any subject matter to cover in our coexistence class today, I am willing to have my lecture last period if the class prefers to discuss their cultural festival plans now."
"Wouldn't it be better to wait until after all classes have ended for the day?"
Mrs. Sunao absently straightened one of the gold pins speared through her ashen gray buns.
"Every homeroom teacher will be extending this offer. It makes no difference to me."
The PA system squealed, heralding the morning announcements.
"Good morning, Yokai Academy. It is I, Tashikana Ichigo, your Voice. I hope that everyone enjoyed this week even if you had exam retakes. We are only a short two weeks away from the cultural festival. With me this morning is a special guest whom wants to speak with you about this occasion. Without further ado, I turn you over to Mr. Kaneshiro, our student council president."
"Thank you, Mr. Tashikana. It's always a pleasure to work with you."
"Aw, stop it. You'll make me blush."
"Foolery aside, I want to remind the class managers to provide a proposal for your class activities at the meeting tomorrow. I'm also requesting that all club presidents with intentions of doing something at the festival to attend this meeting."
Kaneshiro paused with a deep breath.
"I'm aware that the meeting place might get crowded with so many showing up all at once. So I will be arriving early and will start taking suggestions the moment the other members of the student council arrive. This shall be a first come, first serve environment, so I encourage all that can arrive prior to the usual starting time to do so."
"Won't that put the tennis club and track seniors at a disadvantage?"
"Not at all. I'm extending an open invitation to Ms. Horie, Ms. Shiruba, Mr. Nagashima, Ms. Kurukaze and Ms. Yoseibi to a meeting with the student council at the conclusion of classes today. They will be allowed to share their plans for the cultural festival at that time."
"That seems more than just the club presidents."
"True. Those five are class managers so I'm also hoping to hear their homeroom proposals. The younger class managers in the tennis club will have to rely on their vice managers to represent them tomorrow."
"Sounds like I need to get up early on a weekend if I want something for my broadcasting club."
"At least I won't have you arrested for sleeping in."
The boys shared a laugh over Tashikana's detainment by Lord Chiki for missing a morning roll call.
"So have you decided upon the members for your festival committee?"
"I will encourage my class managers to stick around so I can make an official announcement of my staff. I want to ensure that there are no objections to any of my selections."
"No hints for the masses?"
"I'd rather wait for approval before giving out names. While I know I don't need their blessing, I would prefer to operate things with full cooperation."
"Understandable."
"I should also remind everyone that this is a fund raising event. The money we earn goes to clubs and future cultural festivals. We will need budgets for your ideas no later than the twenty fourth. My festival committee will be working closely with our student council treasurer, Mr. Okumatsu. Any personal financial investments for the festival can be reimbursed upon approval."
"A word of caution to the first years. Don't get too crazy. Only half of our budget got approved during my first year and we were not allowed to keep the profits to cover our investments. Keep it simple."
Kaneshiro chuckled heartily.
"We are not made of money. That being said, I do hope that we can make this a memorable experience for everyone."
"I hope so too. It is our last one together."
"That it will be."
There was a pause and a shared sigh.
"Thank you again, Mr. Kaneshiro."
"Of course, Mr. Tashikana."
"I don't have any major announcements to make. I hope everyone has a lovely weekend."
The speakers went dead. Mrs. Sunao flipped open her portfolio resting on the podium and grabbed a mechanical pencil.
"First is Mr. Abe. Please come to get your tests."
Abe grimaced, hopping to his feet. He hurried over to the teacher to retrieve his retakes for Algebra and English. The teacher made a mark after handing off his tests.
"Ms. Deshi. Ms. Endo. Ms. Hazumi. Ms. Hineri. Mr. Hisakata."
Mrs. Sunao paused, glancing over at the effeminate boy behind Tandoku.
"Mr. Ichiboku. Come get your exam."
The slender guy quietly approached as Mrs. Sunao made a mark on the sheet upon the podium. The teacher presented the boy with his English retake before sending him on his way. Holding the sheets to her bosom, she started down the list again.
"Mr. Ichida. Ms. Kurono. Ms. Madosuki. Please come get your test."
This had always been an embarrassing moment that Kurumu was pleased to not be sharing today. Madosuki blushed as she took her English makeup exam from Mrs. Sunao. With her head bowed, she hurried back to her desk.
"Ms. Morisato. Mr. Nakai. I have two exams for you."
The small young man stealthily made his way up to the teacher. Mrs. Sunao smiled softly, surrendering his exams for Algebra and English. The moment she let go of the papers, she looked up.
"I also have an exam for you, Mr. Osakebi."
The curly haired boy sprung from his seat. He trotted down the aisle to snatch up his English exam. As the two boys returned to their desks, Mrs. Sunao made marks on her attendance sheet.
"Ms. Sendou. Mr. Senyou. Mr. Shouhei. Mr. Tandoku. Ms. Unari. Mr. Wanibuchi. Mr. Yakihara."
The teacher paused, making one final mark on her sheet before smiling at the class.
"Mr. Yano. Come retrieve your two tests."
The big guy in the center of the back row got up and slowly approached the front podium. The tiny teacher presented him the pair of exams which he took with a slight bow of his head. He turned about and methodically walked away.
"I shall turn the class over to you, Ms. Sendou."
Yukari sighed as the instructor retreated to the teacher's desk. The witch slipped out of her seat and made her way to the blackboard. Seizing a piece of chalk, she turned to face the class.
"Does anyone other than Kurumu have an idea?"
Juri giggled as Kurumu frowned. Kumiko and Satsuki shared a smirk as most of the guys looked confused.
"Clearly we missed something."
"I'm curious what she wants to do."
Kurumu pouted at Ichida's amusement.
"It's nothing bad. I suggested a maid café."
Ichida coughed up a laugh, promptly covering his smile as he looked away. Senyou snickered, sharing a grin with Abe. Both boys nodded in unison.
"I'm cool with that."
"Likewise. I'd let Kurono service me any day."
"Why would you want to do something like that?"
Ignoring Abe's remark, Kurumu turned in her seat and grinned at Ichida.
"I was thinking we could try it out and show Satsuki what her new job would be like."
"I'm going to be too busy with security to worry over what our homeroom is doing."
"I'm more intrigued about this job."
Kurumu grinned at Senyou's interest.
"Satsuki was offered a job at a maid café."
"We have a maid café?"
"Yea. It just opened up last weekend and they need girls to be maids."
Senyou smirked at Satsuki.
"I think this kitten would make an adorable maid."
"I'm not taking the job."
"Don't you want to become independent?"
"Not that bad."
Kumiko huffed, reclining in her seat and crossing her arms.
"I don't know why you're pushing for this when you know that three of us have PSC commitments."
"That's true. We would only have six girls."
Yukari sighed dramatically, having scrawled maid café upon the board.
"She is aware of this, Ms. Morisato. She's pestered Ms. Unari about this all night long."
"You guys had a sleepover?"
"Something like that."
Hazumi held her hand up.
"I don't have an issue with the idea, but I'm worried how it would work. I will have family here so I can't be working a café nonstop."
"Well we might be able to make things work with just two girls working at a time. That new maid café is managing with only two girls."
"I guess it depends on how busy we are."
Ichida chuckled, shaking his head.
"If word gets around that Ms. Kurono is prancing about in a maid outfit, we are bound to be busy."
"Well it's not like I will have family here. I could work a whole day."
Ichida smiled softly at Kurumu, turning his attention to the board.
"I think we should come up with some alternatives."
"Agreed. Though I must remind the class that Mr. Tandoku and I will also be assisting the security detail."
Kurumu smirked at Hisakata's casual dismissal of his involvement in this matter.
"Well I'm cool with the maid café but I guess I can suggest a haunted house."
Abe sighed at Senyou's suggestion.
"I guess a haunted house would be something the whole class could do."
"It's not like a café would just be ran by us. We'd need someone to make food and manage the money."
"Quite true, Ms. Kurono. But I would like to propose an auction."
Yukari frowned at Ichida as she tapped the board with the chalk.
"Auction? What sort of auction?"
"We could make things or give away things that we don't care to keep. We could even auction off our time if we like."
"Time? I don't follow."
Ichida chuckled, gesturing at Kurumu.
"I bet lots of students would want to be Ms. Kurono's boyfriend for an hour."
"Hold up. I'm not for sale."
"It would be an inexpensive way of raising money."
"I might be able to charm a guy into behaving, but what about the other girls?"
Hazumi nodded with concern.
"Men might think buying a girl for an hour allows them to do whatever they please."
"I doubt guys would take advantage of a school auction like that."
"I agree with Ms. Hazumi. I don't want to be sold for an hour."
"I'm assuming we could only auction off willing participants, Ms. Sendou. And remember that I was also suggesting that we auction off goods. Even those in the PSC and kendo club could participate in this."
Senyou snickered, shaking his head.
"I'm thinking only guys would feel safe getting auctioned off."
"As if any of you would be worth buying."
Ichida smiled at Kumiko's huff.
"I think I might fetch a fair sum."
"Oh? Are you hoping a certain harpy is willing to buy you?"
"The thought did cross my mind."
Yukari added auction to the board, shaking her head.
"I wouldn't count on that, Mr. Ichida. I would be too embarrassed to buy another girl, let alone a guy."
"You clearly don't know too many harpies, Ms. Sendou."
"Do we have any other ideas?"
"What about a kissing booth?"
Juri giggled, shaking her head at Wanibuchi's interjection.
"That's as bad as an auction."
"It depends on how you run out. What if we let a dice roll decide whom you kiss?"
"How would that work?"
Wanibuchi grinned, leaning in his seat towards them.
"We have six kissing partners working each shift. We then charge people to roll a six sided die which will determine which person they get to kiss."
"But we only have six girls."
"Exactly. We have four of those kissing candidates be guys."
Juri busted out in laughter, shaking her head.
"No way. Girls aren't going to pay to kiss a random guy."
Wanibuchi snickered, nodding with a wide grin.
"I'm aware that most of our customers will be guys."
"So you're fine with a guy kissing you?"
"That won't happen, Ms. Morisato. Guys will take the loss and walk away."
Kurumu grimaced at the thought of a huge line of guys trying to get a kiss from her.
"I'd rather not be kissed by random guys."
"Yea. I don't know about the other girls, but I haven't had my first one yet."
"That's surprising to hear."
Juri pouted at Ichida.
"What's surprising about it? I've never had a boyfriend."
"I'm saving my first kiss for Mr. Kyuushutsu."
Satsuki scowled, glancing back at a blushing Endo.
"Don't waste it on that man whore."
"Don't say that. He's a good person with a broken heart."
"Well. It wouldn't be my first but I still wouldn't want to kiss some random guy."
Hazumi nodded at Madosuki's remark.
"Agreed. Even if it's not my first, I'm not about to kiss someone for money."
"I'm not writing your idea down, Mr. Wanibuchi. None of the girls want to do it."
Wanibuchi huffed, slumping back in his seat.
"Fine. Put yourself up for auction and I'll buy your tiny ass."
Yukari rolled her eyes.
"Are there any other sensible ideas?"
"What about an exhibit?"
Attention shifted to the blushing Endo. The girl smiled, fidgeting with her fingers.
"We could bring things but not to auction off. It could be anything important to you. Like a get to know you sort of thing."
"And like my idea, those in the PSC and kendo club could participate."
"But how would we make money off that?"
Senyou laughed at Abe's inquiry.
"The same way we do with a haunted house. We charge for admission into the exhibit."
"It sounds like a cheap and easy thing to do."
Abe grimaced at Ichida.
"It sounds boring. At least the café and haunted house would be fun to do."
"This is about making money with the least amount of resources required."
"It's about having fun, man."
Yukari cleared her throat, having written down exhibit on the board.
"Do we have any more ideas?"
"I think four is more than enough to pick from."
Yukari nodded at Ichida, pressing the chalk under the space below the kanji for café.
"So whom all wants to do the café?"
Kurumu threw her hand up as Mrs. Sunao squeaked in protest.
"It would be best to have a silent vote, Ms. Sendou. People might be reluctant to openly oppose a popular girl like Ms. Kurono."
Kurumu pouted as her classmates murmured in agreement. Yukari shrugged indifferently.
"Fine. I'll walk around and pick up votes from each of you."
Kurumu yanked her notebook out of her schoolbag, flipping to the back to tear out a sheet of paper. She jotted down café before folding up the sheet. Then she waited for Yukari to make the rounds, handing off her sheet when the witch passed by.
Kurumu nervously waited for Yukari to finish walking about the classroom. After taking the last scrap of paper from Senyou, the witch returned to the blackboard. She unfolded the papers and started making marks on the board.
Kurumu was mildly surprised with how many votes were going to the exhibit idea. In the end, there were seven votes for the exhibit and seven for the café. Three votes had gone to the haunted house with the other three going to the auction.
"It looks like the votes are a tie."
Ichida laughed warmly.
"You are forgetting your own vote, Ms. Sendou."
Yukari paused with a blink.
"Oh. Right."
"Be a maid with me, Yukari."
Yukari huffed, adding a mark in the café column.
"I'd never hear the end of it if I didn't."
"That's not fair. Kurumu pressured her into doing it."
Kurumu turned in her seat and pouted at Juri.
"Come on, Juri. You can be a maid with me."
Juri huffed, crossing her arms and sticking her tongue out at Kurumu.
"I didn't want to be a maid either."
"It would be fun, Yasi."
Madosuki eyed Hazumi warily.
"Did you vote for the café?"
"I agree with Mr. Abe that this should be fun."
"What's fun about a café? It just sounds like work."
"It sounds like half of our girls didn't vote for the café. Perhaps we should do the exhibit instead."
"You seem to be vocal about shutting down the café despite it having the most votes."
Ichida smirked at Kurumu.
"I'm thinking about the financial success of the endeavor. If I had known my auction idea had no chance to win, I would have picked the exhibit."
"And I'm sure the café would have got more votes without the haunted house as an option."
"The café won't work with just three girls wanting to do it."
Abe pounded his chest.
"I'll take a bullet and be a maid if we're short on staff."
Juri giggled, shaking her head.
"You would dress in drag?"
"If it means we get to do the café, I'll even wear a bra."
"Damn dude. I think we have better looking guys to do drag if it comes to that."
Shouhei wilted under Senyou's smirk.
"But I wanted the haunted house."
"Just pretend that you're a ghost in a dress."
Juri grinned with flush cheeks.
"I suppose I can be a maid if the boys are helping out."
"Are you in, Yasi?"
Madosuki sighed dramatically.
"I guess I could work a shift or two. We better not be super busy. I'll have family here."
"It sounds like we'll be doing the maid café. Do we have any objections?"
"I object that you're going to be a maid. Nobody wants to see your tiny body in a maid outfit."
"Duly noted. Mr. Wanibuchi wishes to work the kitchen all shifts with no breaks so he doesn't have to see me in my maid outfit."
"Hey!"
Ichida chuckled, gesturing at the board.
"Do we have any ideas of what food and drinks our café shall be providing?"
"We can discuss our menu at a different time. The student council only requires our idea."
"Fair enough, Ms. Sendou. We will have to decide on that and how we want to split up our workload."
Yukari circled the café on the board and set the chalk down. She turned to Mrs. Sunao.
"I believe we are finished, Mrs. Sunao. If you can squeeze in your lecture now, I'm sure we would prefer that over having a study hall."
"Speak for yourself, Sendou. I'd prefer a study hall."
Mrs. Sunao smiled at Senyou's fast response.
"Whom all wants me to do my lecture now?"
To Kurumu's surprise, several students held their hands up with Yukari as the witch returned to her desk. It was not a majority but at least a third was in favor of it.
"It seems it will be a study hall. Please keep your voices down to not disturb other classrooms."
Yukari sighed, pulling out the fifth volume of Hellsing from her schoolbag. Doubting the witch would appreciate being bothered right now, Kurumu decided to flex her new language skills.
"What did you vote for, Deshi?"
Deshi turned with a sly grin.
"I voted for the haunted house."
"I still think you would make a cute maid."
"I don't need a part time job."
"But I'm sure Satsuki would do it if you or Tokori would work there with her."
"My job is to keep an eye on Ms. Akashiya. Make sure that she's safe."
"Doing a poor job."
"Not much I could do against the many threats you have faced."
"I doubt Huang would have given you much trouble."
"Mr. Huang is a special case. Akua owes his family much so I doubt she would appreciate me causing harm to any of their family."
"Is there a reason why Kurono is speaking Chinese?'
Kurumu grinned at Abe.
"Cantonese. China has multiple languages."
"When did you learn how to speak that?"
Kurumu smirked, stealing a line Deshi often used.
"That's a secret."
The sound of bell startled Ms. Nekonome. The teacher shook her head, closing her portfolio. Garbed in a lavender, short sleeved blouse and long denim skirt, she adjusted her glasses.
"I'm so sorry. I meant to let you leave five minutes early."
Wanibuchi and Yakihara were out the door before the teacher could depart, having Kurumu question if they had been taking notes. Shaking her head, she stuffed her history notebook into her schoolbag.
"Are you having lunch with your boyfriend?"
"He's not my boyfriend Juri."
"Which guy are we talking about?"
Kurumu shrugged at Ichida's amusement.
"Mr. Amesuki."
"Who is that?"
Kurumu shook her head at Abe's confusion before turning in her seat and wagging a finger at Juri's grin.
"Don't start rumors like that. I haven't even spoken to that guy."
Ichida chuckled, getting up from his desk.
"And here I was wondering if Mr. Burumoto finally wore you down."
"He is just a friend."
"If you're looking for a boyfriend, I'm in the market."
Kurumu smirked at Abe, making a shooing gesture.
"Go get your lunch."
"Kurumu!"
Kokoa stalked into the room from the back door.
"What does that brat want?"
Kurumu shrugged as the vampire walked by Hazumi and Madosuki. Kokoa stopped beside Juri as Ichida took off, leaving the classroom on the heels of Senyou and Abe.
"You're eating lunch with me today."
"Aren't you eating with your fencing club today?"
"Yes. And you're doing my fencing club article next."
Yukari snorted, getting up from her seat.
"We won't be releasing our next paper before the cultural festival."
"I don't care about that. Do our interviews today."
Kurumu pouted, glancing at her schoolbag.
"Is your club even ready to be interviewed?"
"I have several club members waiting in the hall for you. What else are you going to do? Have lunch with my sister and that loser?"
Juri giggled, patting Kurumu on the shoulder.
"I'll see you after lunch. We should talk to Ms. Amesuki in gym."
Kurumu pouted as Juri pranced down the aisle towards the back door.
"What was that about?"
Kurumu sighed, leaning over to tug her interview notebook out of her schoolbag.
"Another girl teasing me about Mr. Amesuki."
"I only said he would be a decent suitor for you from what little I know about him."
"What are you still doing here?"
Yukari huffed at Kokoa.
"I'm heading to the school store."
Kurumu slipped out of her chair, tucking her notebook beneath her armpit. She felt in her jacket pocket, confirming that her phone and lunch card were still present.
"What do you think about Mr. Amesuki?"
Kokoa snorted, walking off which prompted Kurumu to follow.
"I already told you that I don't know the guy. Nagisa never pointed him out to me at any of the meetings I've been to."
Three of the fencing club first years were waiting for them in the hallway. Asakira stood tall with her fiery orange curls spilling upon her shoulders. Hanging in the shorter salamander's shadow was Zenpyou. The girl had her orchid locks styled in a short pixie cut. Akebara was the shortest of this trio with her rust bangs cut in the hime style while her tresses were pulled in pigtails.
"I'm seeing that you're back to doing your articles."
Kurumu smirked at Nozomi's declaration from nearby. Surprisingly the doors to class three were still closed. Kurumu gestured at the door.
"In case Yukari forgets, tell Tsukune that I'm with the fencing club today."
"We should not dally."
Asakira started off, prompting the rest of them to follow. As they walked by the front door of class three, Kurumu flipped her notebook open and pulled the mechanical pencil free of the binding.
"I suppose I can start with your interviews."
"Which one of us do you want to do first?"
Kurumu shrugged as she started writing down their names and other relevant information.
"I kind of know a lot about your club members already. Asakira Yume, manager of class one from Moegara. I don't recall which elective you're enrolled in."
"I'm in Art with Mr. Aono."
"And when is your birthday?"
"The twenty seventh of June."
Kurumu nodded, jotting this down as they neared the crossover between classes five and eight.
"Shuzen Kokoa, manager of class nine in the computer program. Would it be fine if I put down Itsuki of Kumamoto prefecture as your home village?"
Kokoa shrugged as they started down the stairs.
"I don't care."
"You were born on the thirteenth of May, a year and three days after Moka."
"You remembered that?"
"Of course, Milady."
"I'm pleased that you know important things about me."
"Mhm. And your likes are fighting and drinking blood."
The other girls giggled as they reached the landing and started down the second flight.
"You seem to like red and green which is probably why you like Hikari so much."
Kokoa blushed, wagging a finger at her.
"That has nothing to do with why I like her."
"Her favorite music is whatever Nagisa tells her to listen to."
"You'd like it too if you listened to it."
"She likes food with Kyushu seasonings. Spicy food like curry she'll never turn down."
Still blushing, Kokoa shook her head as they arrived at the bottom of the stairs.
"You can write all of this stuff about me later. Do the other members of the club."
The girls giggled as they started for the end of the line which was behind the second door to the home economics room. Once they arrived at the end of the line, Kurumu wrote down the facts about Zenpyou.
"Zenpyou Manako from class eleven. I saw that you were in the home economics class after mine. And you attended the junior high in Aranoiji."
"Correct on all accounts. My family moved to Aranoiji right before my fifth grade year."
"Where did you live before that?"
"Some tiny village in the Yuzawa region. My mother was homeschooling me at that time."
"And when is your birthday?"
"I was born on April twenty ninth. Showa Day."
Kurumu nodded, adding that information in the margin.
"Akebara Kaori, manager for class twelve. You and Naratoki both come from Shizukana."
"Yes. We've known her for a long time."
"You're sister's name is Azami and she's also a class manager. I don't recall which one."
"That would be class eight."
"And what is Naratoki's first name."
"Izumi."
"And she's the vice manager for class six. Would you happen to know the electives of your sister and your friend?"
"Izumi is in the computer program and my sister is in the culture class."
Kurumu paused, favoring the girl a frown.
"Are you in the computer program?"
"No. I'm in the business program."
Kurumu nodded thoughtfully.
"Kind of strange that you're not in the same program as your sister or your friend."
"Well… my sister struggles with domestic chores. She was hoping she could learn how to cook."
"Oh. And you're not troubled by that."
Kaori giggled, glancing aside.
"Home economics was full so I got my second choice."
Kurumu smiled softly, aware of how popular home economics and the computer programs were.
"I'm hoping that you know your sister's birthday."
"She turned seventeen on the seventeenth of May. Mine is the twenty fifth of January."
"I'm less than four months younger than Kaori."
Kurumu chuckled, jotting down the birthdays.
"Would you know Naratoki's birthday?"
"Hers is the twenty third of this month. Did you know that it's the exact same day as Ms. Sawayaka's?"
Kurumu paused in shock, looking up from her notes.
"Actually no. We didn't discuss birthdays with the Sadou club."
"I suspect that's part of the reason why they became such good friends after being rivals."
"I wasn't even aware that they were rivals."
"Izumi wanted to be the class manager like I was but she stood no chance of getting the position from the daughter of the homeroom teacher. She was so mad at Ms. Sawayaka for weeks."
"Did she say what changed?"
Kaori shrugged as they neared the first door to Ms. Yumeito's lab.
"She never told me anything specific. Right before midterms, she started attending the class manager meetings with Ms. Sawayaka. Izumi decided that her jealousy was dumb and that Ms. Sawayaka was a good person."
Kurumu chuckled, thinking about how her relationship with Moka was somewhat similar.
"I guess girls can fight over the dumbest things and still end up friends."
Kurumu glanced over her notes, realizing that she had a good chunk of information down for half of the club. She started writing down the names of the other club members whom were all older.
"I'm going to try to fill in some information about your seniors. Could you guys help me?"
"What do you need to know?"
"Well I know that all three of your seniors have fourth period gym. I also know that Kosai Mira is a class manager. I just don't know which class that is, or what classes your other seniors are in."
Zenpyou chuckled, shaking her head.
"I doubt any of us will know their exact birthdays but I know Ms. Kosai and Ms. Fukuda went to the junior high in Akichi. They told me about it when I mentioned I had been born in the Yuzawa region."
"Would you know Fukuda's first name?"
"Sure. It's Ikuyo. And they both turned eighteen in August. We celebrated their birthdays that first week back in school before they shut Mononoke down."
Kurumu nodded, adding this to the margin.
"And homerooms? Electives?"
Zenpyou shrugged with a smile.
"All three of our seniors are in the computer program."
"So are Ms. Udetama and Ms. Negai."
Kurumu perked up at Asakira's contribution.
"I didn't expect Ms. Udetama to be in the computer program."
"I would have been in the program if I could have been. I certainly didn't intend to take art."
Kurumu smiled softly, sensing Asakira's frustration.
"What homerooms are the seniors from?"
"Ms. Kosai is the manager for class eight and Ms. Fukuda is in class six. I don't recall which homeroom Ms. Tadashiguchi is from but I know it's not the same as the other two."
"I think she's in class five but it might be best if you ask her yourself."
"Would either of you know Ms. Tadashiguchi's first name?"
Asakira nodded as they reached the second door to Ms. Yumeito's lab.
"Hokono. I believe she comes from the same village as Ms. Udetama."
"Yea, I've heard that. Some place in Amami not far from Okinawa. Do any of you know the name?"
All four girls shook their heads as they slowly approached the end of the hall. Kurumu shivered, feeling his gaze as he passed by. She waved her pencil at Tsukune as he walked by with Nozomi and the PSC girls. He sheepishly returned the gesture.
"I guess I'll ask her. Udetama Imi is the manager for class five. I recall that her birthday was early in December. Before Mizore's."
Kaori gasped, nodding enthusiastically.
"That's right. We're having a birthday party the weekend after our November tournament. Both Ms. Negai and Ms. Tadashiguchi have birthdays in late November and Ms. Udetama's birthday is soon after."
Kurumu smiled as she scrawled down these notes.
"Negai Tenshi is from class ten and is from Kabashita. And Shikichi Akatori is the manager for class twelve and hails from Hongu Okayama."
"I didn't realize that you knew so much about our second years."
Asakira huffed at Akebara's surprise.
"That much was written in their entries for the popularity contest."
Kurumu chuckled as Akebara blushed.
"Well I don't know Ms. Shikichi's elective."
"Ms. Shikichi is in the business program."
"I don't believe she's told anyone in the club when her birthday is."
Kurumu nodded as they started down the diagonal stretch of the line.
"Now I'm to the good stuff. Does anybody here have any love interests they are willing to share?"
"I'll save you the trouble. Every girl in our club is single."
"That doesn't mean none of us have a crush."
Zenpyou perked up at Akebara's protest.
"Oh? Is there something you wish to share with the group?"
"No. But one of the other girls might have a crush."
"Milady has four girls that she's intimate with."
Kokoa smacked Kurumu's shoulder rather painfully.
"Don't write that junk about me. We're close friends and I drink their blood. We're not lovers."
"Well I don't have any girls or boys I'd call a love interest. What about you, Ms. Asakira?"
The salamander huffed at Zenpyou, shaking her head.
"I don't find boys interesting. The ones I grew up with are childish."
"What about plans for the future?"
"I plan to go to college and get a computer related degree. I may not have ended up in the program I wanted, but my dreams have not changed. Kiyomi is letting me work on her homework assignments."
"Kiyomi?"
"Kirizumi. My friend from track whom did get into the computer program."
"You're doing her homework?"
"No. I'm doing copies of her homework. This way I can learn the course material without having to worry over the course exam."
"That doesn't sound like too bad of a deal."
"Agreed. I might just take choir next year to be with Yuko."
"Why do you want a computer degree?"
"Why did you want to be with Mr. Aono?"
Kurumu grimaced, wondering why Asakira had brought that up.
"That's difficult to explain."
"Likewise. I simply am fascinated with computers. I doubt there is a good explanation for it."
Kurumu supposed that made sense as she added that to her notebook.
"Does Milady have any plans for her future?"
"I plan to become the strongest vampire in the world!"
Kurumu chuckled with a shake of her head.
"I guess you've never thought about getting married and having a family."
"Why would I? Marriage is for losers."
"Wait a second here. Aren't your parents married?"
Kokoa huffed at Zenpyou's confusion.
"Of course they are."
"Then why would you think marriage is for losers?"
"A woman only gets married when she is defeated in combat. I don't plan to lose."
Kurumu could only smile at the looks the girls favored the haughty vampire.
"Do you have any plans of settling down, Ms. Asakira?"
"If I meet the right person in college."
"Oh? Does that mean you are willing to marry a human?"
"It is not frowned upon, Ms. Kurono. If I'm still unmarried a decade after I graduate, I might turn to Fairy Tale to find a husband. But I hope it won't come to that."
"So you prefer ending up with a human."
"I don't want to live in communities withdrawn from society any longer than I have to."
They were almost to the cart with the trays. She decided to hold off on the questions, adding Kokoa's college plans to her notes. Kokoa planned to go to the most prestigious college with all four of her girls. She had no idea what degree she would pursue. Kokoa expected Hotaru and Kurumu to come with her even if they failed the college entrance exam.
Taking a tray from Zenpyou, Kurumu slipped her notebook beneath it as she started down the selection aisle. She grabbed a box of nikujaga with rice, aware that the rice was there to soak up all the stew. She grabbed a cup of miso soup and headed for the lines, deciding against adding a can of juice to the mix. She smiled as Zenpyou lined up behind her.
"So what about you? College? Marriage?"
"Kind of just going with the flow of things. Ms. Goto told me about that beauty college in Tokyo. Yamano, I think. I might go with her."
"That's right. Goto talked about that once."
"Yea. She wants a familiar face with her since she doubts Ms. Kakeru will go with her."
"What do you think about Mr. Kitamori?"
"I think he's kind of cool."
"Do you think he might get married to Kakeru soon?"
"That all seems crazy to me. I guess we're at the age where we can get married, but I've never had a guy I've found interested enough to make me think about things like that. Maybe that will change in college."
Kurumu chuckled as the guy in front of her handed his things over to the woman behind the register.
"I don't know about that. What sort of guys would you meet in a beauty college?"
"I'm guessing it would happen at parties. This is Tokyo we are talking about. It's not like I would spend every hour of my life in school."
Kurumu grinned, walking up to the register once the guy had left. She surrendered her tray before fishing her lunch card out of her pocket. The woman promptly totaled up her selections and swiped her card. The lady returned the card which Kurumu pocketed before gathering up her tray and notebook. She wandered off to the side to join Asakira, waiting for the others to ring up.
It was not a long wait with Kaori arriving last with a murmured apology. Asakira wordlessly took off, prompting everyone else to follow.
"May as well ask what Kaori has planned for her future."
"Nothing special. My sister and I plan to get jobs within Fairy Tale if we don't get married."
"Are you two going to college?"
"My father doesn't see a reason to waste money on that."
Zenpyou chuckled, shaking her head.
"Are you being serious?"
"I don't have any careers that I feel like pursuing. I'm okay with being a mother."
"That seems strange to hear from a top student. Does your sister think this way too?"
Kaori shrugged as they walked by the tables for the swimming club.
"We'll go to college if Fairy Tale pays for it, but there's no reason to spend what little money our father has on something temporary. Getting a job with Fairy Tale is just something to do to pass the time before we get married. It's not like I'd keep a job if I have babies to take care of."
Kosai stood up from her aisle seat and waved at them. The ginger had her long mane of hair pulled off to the side in her usual ponytail.
"I didn't expect Ms. Kurono to drop by."
Azami had been seated beside Kosai. Her rust tresses were also cut in the hime style but she had her tresses pulled back in a ponytail. Naratoki scooted away from the older sister to make room for Kaori. The girl had let her honey curls down for a change, allowing them to spill down below her shoulders.
"Milady insisted that I get started on your interviews immediately."
Kosai nodded as Kokoa took her vacated spot. Asakira and Kaori slipped behind her to take up their usual positions at the table.
"We'll need to make room. Will either of you ladies stand for Ms. Kurono?"
"Sure. I'm done."
Tadashiguchi vacated her spot across from Kokoa. Kurumu smiled graciously at the broad girl with many raven braids cascading down her shoulders. She took a seat beside the tall, dark haired Fukuda. The girl shared a smile and nodded.
Shikichi was the only girl present whom had not finished her lunch. Her short cinnamon locks had that feathered look common among tengu. Zenpyou took the last vacant spot between Shikichi and Negai. The elegant beauty with long, ebony tresses and amethyst eyes murmured a greeting to Zenpyou.
"So how far along have you gotten?"
"I haven't gone through the list of favorites yet."
Zenpyou chuckled, gesturing across the table.
"We were just learning about the traditional values of the Akebara family."
"There is nothing wrong with wanting to be a mother."
"I didn't say there was. It's just odd to hear you talk about college like it's a waste of time."
Azami giggled, rubbing her pouting sister's back.
"It's a waste for anybody that goes simply for the sake of going. Our mother stays at home and we've never been encouraged to be anything but mothers."
"Parenthood is a solid goal for any person. It's just that guys have been taught from the start that they're the ones that need to make the money so that the girls can take care of the kids. I doubt half of the guys give a crap about how they make the money."
Fukuda nodded in agreement with Kosai.
"When have you ever heard of a guy wanting to stay home with the children? I know my parents have never told me I have to go out there and get a job. The most I've been told to do is not to marry a bum."
"Well I know at least one guy has taken home economics."
Azami giggled as Shikichi snorted.
"That dog better get a job. Mika deserves better than that."
Kurumu smiled pushing her tray aside and flipping open her notebook. She added several notes about the Akebara sisters and Zenpyou's college plans.
"I heard that Ms. Kosai and Ms. Fukuda both have summer birthdays."
"That's right. Mirai is born on the sixth while I turned eighteen on the twenty fourth."
"And I don't have a clue when Ms. Shikichi was born."
"It's the last day of June."
Kurumu nodded, adding that to her general information.
"I understand that you will host a birthday party for three of your members after your next tournament."
Tadashiguchi chuckled, crossing her arms below her bosom.
"Yea. Though there's no guarantee that Imi will show up for it. That brat is never around."
"What's the name of the village in Amami you two come from?"
"Urakomo."
"And when is your birthday."
"Mine's on the thirtieth. Ms. Negai here has her birthday on the twenty third a week ahead of me. Imi's birthday is on the third of December."
"Is that dog trying to release a paper before the cultural festival?"
Kurumu looked up at Shikichi after finishing her notes. With a smile, she shook her head.
"Not before. I don't know if he wants to do one right after. It depends on how busy the rest of our club members are."
"I have some juicy news about the cultural festival. Ikuyo has been selected for the festival committee."
Fukuda frowned at Kosai's wide grin.
"That is not meant to be shared with the public."
"Nobody will challenge your spot. It's a guaranteed thing."
"I didn't even ask for the spot. You recommended me."
"It'll be good for you. This is your last year of high school. You need to get your face out there."
"I hope that wasn't an attempt at a bad pun."
Kosai smirked, crossing her arms.
"It's a good pun for those that know you."
Kurumu frowned, glancing at Fukuda. The girl rolled her eyes.
"It's stupid, Ms. Kurono. You don't need to understand it."
Nodding dumbly, Kurumu tapped her pencil upon the blank space below Fukuda's name.
"Do you have a boyfriend or a crush?"
Fukuda laughed with another shake of her head.
"I think I would rather explain the joke."
Kurumu trudged through the grassy field which separated their campsite from the lake with Tokori and Nagisa at her side. She was exhausted and thoroughly discouraged. Even standing half submerged in the lake, Kurumu could not match the skills of her training companions.
Kurumu flinched when Nagisa draped an arm across her shoulders. The undine giggled, pressing against her side as they crossed the last stretch to the campsite. Yukari was perched on top of a log they had placed near the campfire.
"Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll figure it out soon enough."
"I don't want to hear that from you."
"No kidding. This is hard for us."
Nagisa smiled at Tokori, wagging a hand dismissively.
"You're doing fine."
"Sometimes. I still don't know what I'm doing differently when I do succeed."
"It's all about feeling the water."
"Yea. That's not helpful at all."
"I don't know how else to explain it."
Yukari looked up from the Hellsing volume in her lap when they arrived. The seven sleeping bags were arranged in a circle about the campfire. Lady Hineri was lying on her back with a mask drawn over her eyes. Kumiko was curled up at her side, possibly asleep. Deshi was kneeling in the dirt by the sisters with her staff resting across her thighs.
"How was your training?"
"Horrible."
Tokori grunted in agreement, flopping onto the nearest bag. Nagisa pranced over to Yukari's side to peer at the comic as Kurumu settled down beside Tokori.
"Which volume are you on now?"
"The sixth one. I wish they hadn't killed Rip Van Winkle off. She looked cool."
"Don't say that. I haven't read this comic."
"Well don't get attached to any characters. Not that there's much character development to begin with, but I wouldn't be surprised if they kill Father Alexander."
"They can't kill the crazy priest. He was too cool in the anime."
Yukari sighed, closing the volume. She gestured towards the lake.
"Where are the others that train with you?"
"Ms. Kiyomizu is having Mizore and Umizake train through our break."
"Yea. She's trying to make up for lost time."
Tokori groaned, rolling onto her back.
"I can't believe how much that girl has improved."
"It helps that she isn't passing out every few minutes."
Kurumu smiled softly at Nagisa's remark, absently toying with Tokori's peppered locks.
"Mizore could always make ice projectiles from the air. She might be as good as Umizake now that she can regulate her temperature."
"I wouldn't say that but she's definitely better than us novices."
Tokori snorted, folding her hands on her stomach.
"Everything we throw at her gets turned into snowflakes."
"Yea. And good luck turning her ice pellets into water before they hit. I've got so many bruises."
Nagisa pulled up the side of her top to reveal three welts on her midsection.
"I know I got one hell of a mark on my tit. It felt like my nipple was bleeding for a whole minute."
"It was better to swat them aside than try to change them into water."
"That wasn't the exercise, Kurumu."
"As if I could do that. I can't even make a decent sized ball of water to throw at her."
"Do you need healing?"
Tokori waved a dismissive hand.
"Naw. That was over a half hour ago."
"A little rest and we'll all be fine."
Kurumu smirked, gesturing at Yukari.
"I think it's ironic that there is an Alucard in the Hellsing series."
"But that's like a common thing. Alucard is Dracula spelled backwards in English."
Kurumu frowned at Nagisa's comment.
"Why would I know that?"
"Because it's common knowledge, Kurumu. Dracula is a story written by Bram Stoker in 1897 based off of Transylvania folklore and history."
"Well… I didn't know all of that. I thought it was an old American movie."
Yukari glanced at Nagisa. With a shake of her head, she sighed.
"I suppose that isn't something we would need to know for a test."
"Ms. Shuzen told us that Alucard either borrowed the name of Vlad the Impaler or was the man himself. That he wasn't Japanese."
"All legends have some truth to them."
Kurumu nodded at Yukari's remark.
"When I was inside Ms. Kiyomizu's memories, I saw Alucard. He looked frighteningly similar to Lord Fujisaki. He even had the same eyes."
"He could be a descendant. It would explain why he wants to revive Alucard."
Kurumu paused, wondering if she should mention the other thought on her mind. She turned to Deshi, electing to speak this in Cantonese.
"Akua also had the same eyes. Lord Fujisaki might not have lied to her when he told her about her history. Lord Fujisaki could be her uncle."
Deshi nodded thoughtfully.
"I will inform her of this possibility in my next message to her."
"How is your training going?"
Deshi giggled, lifting her staff up and draping it behind her head across her shoulders.
"Slow. Mr. Kitajima still hasn't recovered from the young lady's vicious attack."
"Kurumu!"
Kokoa strolled out of the woods with Ishiko at her side. The gnome had her goggles secured over her eyes, creating the impression that she was about to go diving.
"How was training for you two?"
Ishiko held a thumb out to them before taking a seat on the first sleeping bag she came across. Kokoa huffed, coming to a stop and crossing her arms.
"I need your help. Nagisa told me that you taught that snow girl how to use her powers in an instant."
Kurumu glanced at Nagisa whom waved a dismissive hand.
"How else could I explain how the girl was no longer fainting?"
"What exactly are you wanting me to do?"
"Could you teach me all that karate crap Miyamoto thinks I need?"
"Are you planning to cheat?"
Kokoa huffed at Nagisa's amusement.
"I'm using the resources available to me. I'd rather not endure more training sessions with that guy. He looks at me in ways that make me uncomfortable."
Kurumu's eyes drifted down, noting Kokoa's tight leggings had wedged in a place that was not flattering.
"Well… boys are boys. It might suck to be stared at, but you'd feel worse if everyone ignored you."
"Whatever. I don't see the point in training with that guy longer than I have to."
"I'm not going to give you his years of karate training."
"You probably only need to do a few basic lessons."
Kurumu frowned at Yukari.
"Are you on her side?"
"I wouldn't want to train with Mr. Miyamoto either. And it's not like he has decades of memories to worry about. This will be safer than your time with Ms. Kiyomizu."
Grimacing, Kurumu got up on her feet.
"I suppose I wouldn't mind learning karate myself. But I'm not going to do this if Miyamoto refuses."
"Then what are you waiting for? We can ask him before he finishes his session with those other girls."
Kurumu sighed, following after the vampire whom took off.
"Tell Ms. Kiyomizu that I'll be over with the boys."
Hearing a murmured acknowledgment, Kurumu hurried to catch up with Kokoa. Her bare feet was still not used to this abuse, forcing her to remain mindful of her step.
"So how has your training been?"
"Boring. The only person fun to fight with is Big Sis. The rest of these trainers are either too weak or act like I'm made of glass."
"But it's training. You're not supposed to try to hurt each other."
"I'm a vampire, Kurumu. You've seen me take a beating. It's insulting to have an opponent whom refuses to lay a finger on me. It's like saying I'm beneath them."
"Have you beaten Miyamoto yet?"
Kokoa huffed, pushing aside a branch as they trekked through the forest.
"All he does is dodge when I have to train with him. He won't fight me seriously."
"If he beats you, will you have to marry him?"
"He's not a vampire, Kurumu. He'd have to demand for my hand and the right to become a vampire for a marriage between us to be acknowledged. My elders won't allow a cowardly tengu to become a noble vampire just because he's good at dodging attacks."
Kurumu nodded thoughtfully. Deciding not to agitate Kokoa, they walked in silence a good distance.
"Thanks for doing the interviews for my club."
Kurumu smirked, thinking about the lunch today. It was not like anything relevant had happened after that. She had made some progress on her pillow while Orochi had finished hers. Juri had thankfully not said anything to Amesuki in gym but Kurumu imagined the rumor would get around to her eventually. Tokori had told her about Kisurusu running her mouth in class today which meant several kids from classes two, five and nine knew about this thing with Amesuki's brother. Whatever this thing was.
"I'm not done yet. Maybe one more lunch and we need to schedule pictures with Ms. Takaku."
"I've never seen Ms. Takaku at any of our practices."
"Really? I guess you guys don't have a schedule like other athletic clubs. It's just three tournaments."
"It's more than what your club does."
Kurumu smirked, unsure why Kokoa was trying to belittle her club.
"Does Ms. Takaku handle the registration of your club for these tournaments or does she leave that to her seniors?"
"How would I know?"
"I'll have to ask your seniors. I'll eat lunch with you guys on Monday. That should wrap everyone up."
"We should tell Ms. Udetama about it at the class manager meeting tomorrow."
Kurumu snickered, recalling what she had heard about the second year.
"Will she be there?"
"She better be."
Kurumu figured she could do the interview with that girl at the photo shoot if Udetama missed out on the next lunch. From what she had heard, the fickle second year was attending their practices.
They finally emerged from the woods into the clearing where Ms. Hitori was training Hotaru and Hikari. With Ms. Kiyomizu relocating her lessons to the lake, there was enough open space for Miyamoto to host his karate sessions here. He was currently draped over Satsuki's smaller frame while Tora held a defensive stance not far from the pair.
"Watch your hands."
"I'm correcting your posture."
"Does that require touching my ass?"
"It does when you slouch."
"Miyamoto!"
The karate captain looked up, leaving a hand on the small of Satsuki's back.
"Ms. Shuzen?"
"I'm bringing Kurumu with me for my training session with you."
Miyamoto frowned, backing away from Satsuki as Kurumu and Kokoa joined the trio.
"I was planning to take a break when I was finished with these two."
"Oh? You aren't done molesting me?"
"I swear. Training men is so much easier."
Satsuki dropped out of her stance, turning a smirk upon the captain.
"So you like touching guys butts too?"
"If it happens, a guy doesn't immediately whine about sexual harassment."
"I'm sorry that guys are more tolerant of your sexual advances."
Tora chuckled, relaxing her stance as Miyamoto fumbled over denials.
"You should have denied that right away, Mr. Miyamoto."
"He can't deny it when he's as hard as a rock."
Flush, Miyamoto backed off a step and took in a deep breath. Relaxing his shoulders, he closed his eyes. His straining leggings lost some of the tension though his package remained quite thick.
"Oh God. Why was I looking at that?'
Kurumu smiled at Tora whom shook her head.
"It's okay. I looked too."
"Of course we looked. If someone says 'Fire', everyone naturally looks for it."
"An excellent observation, Ms. Shuzen. I will do my best not to disappoint you this time."
Kokoa snorted, clapping a hand on Kurumu's shoulder.
"Yea. I'm having Kurumu dive into your mind to learn how to do all of your silly karate."
"Excuse me?"
"She wants me to give her the memories of your training. That way she can experience how to do it."
Miyamoto stroked his chin at her explanation as the other girls regarded her with concern.
"You mean like what you did with Ms. Shirayuki?"
"How does that even work?"
"I take Kokoa's consciousness and bring it with me into his mind. I then go through his memories of learning karate. It would be the same as us learning karate from his master. It's how Mizore and I learned Cantonese from Ms. Kiyomizu."
Miyamoto shook his head.
"But this is different, Ms. Kurono. This isn't intellectual. This is physical. Your body won't be the same as mine so the lesson won't feel the same."
"True. But Mizore was able to figure out how to regulate her temperature."
"And that was spiritual. There are some lessons that simply won't feel right."
"Are you saying that the lessons you learned as a kid don't work for you now that you've grown up?"
Miyamoto paused at Kokoa's question.
"I concede your point, Ms. Shuzen. But I feel like this would be a crime to those who have dedicated years of their lives to learning this discipline."
"She'll call you Big Brother if you agree to it."
"It's a deal."
"Hey! I didn't agree to that!"
Kurumu chuckled at Kokoa's distress. She patted the blushing vampire's head.
"Is that too big of a price to pay?"
Satsuki snorted, crossing her arms.
"I know I wouldn't fucking do it. No way am I ever addressing anyone as Big Brother."
"I was under the impression that you had an older brother."
Satsuki grimaced at Tora, glancing aside.
"I do. And I'm not about to have Kurumu wandering about in my head, even if it could spare me this awkward training. I just have to put up with it for a couple more weeks."
"I was unaware of your status as a little sister, Ms. Unari."
"Is that going to be a problem?"
Miyamoto chuckled, patting Satsuki's head.
"Not at all. I absolutely adore little sisters."
"Perhaps he subconsciously detected your little sister status."
Satsuki swatted his hand away, scowling.
"Maybe so. He can't seem to keep his hands off of me."
"That is your poor posture to blame. I've barely had to touch Ms. Nazohashi."
"Well… I'm an only child."
Miyamoto nodded thoughtfully at Tora's declaration.
"I see. Maybe it truly was a subconscious act."
"How can you admit that so casually?"
"This is dumb. I'm heading back to camp with Nazohashi."
"But the three of us will be vulnerable while we are doing this. I was hoping that Tora would put a barrier down around us?"
Satsuki huffed, stalking off towards Ms. Hitori's group.
"Fine. I'll go wait for those two to finish their session."
Tora grimaced, glancing about. She sighed with a shake of her head. Willing one of her fingers into a claw, the sphinx tensed up before dragging the tip across her claw.
"What are you doing?!"
Tora looked up with tears in her jade eyes. She balled her fist which was dripping with blood.
"Well I'm not going to piss in a circle around you. Sit down."
Miyamoto was first to comply with Tora's demand. He sat down cross legged with his hands on his thighs. Kurumu knelt down on his left, gesturing for Kokoa to take a seat.
"Form like a triangle with him."
Kokoa nodded as Tora walked in a wide arc around them. The vampire settled down, holding her hand out to Kurumu.
"Do I have to hold his hand?"
"Is that any way to treat your Big Brother?"
"I'm not calling you that until after I get my karate lesson."
"We should both hold his hands. That's how it worked with Mizore and Ms. Kiyomizu."
Kokoa pouted but acquiesced. Miyamoto grinned wide as he took both of their hands in his own.
"Such a sweet, simple thing."
"Don't get weird on me."
Once the sphinx had made a complete oval, Tora touched two fingers to her lips, turning her bleeding palm to the sky. Blowing a kiss across her hand, the environment changed subtly as it was turned into Tora's domain. The sphinx was nearly invulnerable while inside this barrier.
"Thank you, Tora."
Tora wandered over to take a seat behind them.
"If this works out, I might consider learning karate in the same way."
Kurumu smiled, squeezing his hand.
"Focus on your training. When I enter your mind, your thoughts are going to be where I have to start."
"I will do my best, Ms. Kurono."
Kurumu relaxed and took in a deep breath. Closing her eyes, she reached out first to grab hold of Kokoa. She shivered as the vampire latched onto her. It was quite different than how Mizore had behaved. There was eagerness and excitement. Pleased that it would not require as much attention as Mizore's spirit, Kurumu turned her attention upon Miyamoto.
The grief threatened to swallow her heart the moment she entered his mind. The world was filled with rain. It was dark despite it being the afternoon. It was March seventeenth. She was eight years old today. She looked down upon the box in her hands, wrapped in blue paper and tied with a golden bow.
Her heart sunk as her eyes turned upon the grave before her. Miyamoto Hina. February fourteenth. Gone for more than a year now. She reverently placed her birthday gift on the stone marking her little sister's existence. It was her fault that Hina would never have another birthday.
"I will get stronger."
"Come along, Haiji."
She turned to regard the strong man whom had accompanied her to the cemetery in Koutoukumo. He was wearing a black gi and was holding a white umbrella. His short dark locks were feathered and he had warm brown eyes. He held a hand out to her.
Taking his hand, Kurumu split off. She let Kokoa continue with a copy of herself into the lesson the sensei would teach them for this day. She would give Kokoa the training she promised.
But she had to know more.
"Ma! Hina won't leave my fighting rangers alone!"
It was May of 1994. He was six and the kyouryou sentai zyuranger was the coolest super hero squad on the planet. His best friend Dekisho Umeji owned the entire season on VHS. Dad had to go to the human city to find the complete set since the local shop only had half of them in stock.
He snatched his pink ranger away from the whimpering brat. Hina pouted at him with big sky blue eyes similar to his own. Her ashen gray locks were held up in pigtails with bright red baubles. A yellow dress hung by thick straps from her plump shoulders. Tiny wings matching her hair color flexed behind her.
"Bubba."
"Don't bubba me. These are mine!"
"Pway me. Pwease."
"No. My toys."
"Haiji. Play nice with your sister."
He scowled as his mother entered their living room. She was short haired with golden eyes like so many others in this village. Dressed in a simple blouse with a pleated skirt, the mother walked around the couch to pat him on the head.
"Pway nice."
He hopped to his feet, clutching his red and pink rangers to his gray tee shirt.
"No. She has her own toys."
"You shouldn't leave yours out."
"I didn't. They were in my room."
"Pway me."
Hina dropped his green ranger to push up on her feet. She pranced over to him, wrapping her tiny arms about his torso as he lifted his arms to avoid her.
"Pwease."
"Stop your baby babble."
"But it's cute."
He scowled at his mother, shaking his head. He grimaced as the little brat rubbed her nose on his shirt, leaving a streak of snot.
"She's almost four."
"You should cherish your little sister. It'll be up to you to protect her when she goes to school."
He pushed out of the brat's hold, causing the girl to drop on her rump. Hina pouted at him, holding her hands up to him.
"Pwease."
"Who would want to protect her?"
"Because she loves you."
"If she loved me, she wouldn't grab my stuff when I don't want her to."
His mother laughed, tousling his hair much to his displeasure.
"Nonsense. Love isn't about always doing what someone likes. You love mommy and daddy, don't you?"
"Yea."
"And it's not like you always do what we want. Now I got supper to attend to. Play nice with your sister."
He grimaced as his mother walked off, leaving him alone with this whimpering brat. Angrily he walked over to grab up his blue and yellow rangers.
"Fine. I'm taking all my toys to the base."
"Bubba."
"Don't you dare tell Ma."
Tucking the four figures into his arm, he stalked over to the sliding door. He creaked it open to avoid alerting his mother, slipping out onto the back porch. He crossed the short stretch of white wood, hopping down onto the cherry blossoms which littered their yard.
"Wait! Bubba!"
Hina was struggling to get through the crack of the door due to her wings. He smirked, crossing the yard to the base of the huge cherry tree. Setting the figures down in the dirt, he grabbed the collar of his shirt and tugged it over his head.
"Bubba."
"Go back inside. Ma will get mad at you."
And probably mad at him too. But if he got his toys up into the base, he wouldn't have to worry about this brat playing with them.
Dropping his shirt on the ground, he eased his wings out. He grabbed up his four figures and peered up. Father had built him a small base in the upper boughs of this large cherry tree. It was his gift for learning how to fly without help.
"Bubba."
With a strong push of his wings, he shot up into the air. He pumped his wings three times to get up to the level of the base.
"Bubba. Can't fwy."
Ignoring the brat, he glided through the open side of the base. Tucking in his wings, he touched down. He quickly put his toys on the small shelf father had made for him. He hoped his figures would be okay left outside like this. While the base had a roof, he had no idea if it kept out the rain.
"Ma! Ma! Ma!"
Knowing his mother would answer that brat soon, he rushed back out. He pumped his wings to slow his descent, touching down the moment his mother came outside.
"What are you doing?!"
"Took toys."
His eyes widened upon seeing Hina was holding his green ranger again. He rushed over to shove the whining girl down.
"Stop touching my things!"
"Stop it, Haiji!"
Kurumu shivered as she felt the boy get punished for his behavior. A part of her remained with Kokoa, learning karate from Mr. Tsuyoshima, his sensei. But there was no way to separate the training from the emotions. Even if Kokoa was spared the experience, she felt the motive.
"Haiji. Please come down."
She was sitting in the base, hugging her knees to her chest. It was February twentieth. Monday. Last Monday her little sister had been alive.
"Haiji. You have school."
She clenched her fists. Her base was littered with pink and red banners. She had no idea where Hina had gotten them from. Or how the stupid brat had gotten up here. On her shelf, there was a Valentine's Day card. Signed by Hina. Telling her she was the best big brother.
Why did she come up here for something so stupid?
"Haiji! Get down here now!"
She shivered at father's angry tone. He had not taken the news well. It was the first time Haiji had ever seen his father hit his mother. He wondered if his father would hit him too.
"Haiji!"
He flinched upon seeing his father standing in the base. His father had piercing blue eyes, filled with anger. The topless man stalked over and grabbed him by the shoulder, hauling him to his feet.
"You either get your ass to school, or I will tear down this base. Do you understand?"
She nodded, unable to find her voice. Her father set her down on her feet.
"Good. Now get going."
Grabbing the Valentine's Day card from the shelf, she clutched it to her breast before stepping out.
Kurumu shuddered as she relived the following weeks, witnessing the death of Haiji's family. The base was destroyed within days of his father's initial threat. A week after his March birthday, his father took a job in the human city. Without his father around to scare him to school, Haiji remained in his bedroom. He held tight to the Valentine's Day card. The last message from his sister. Words he did not deserve.
Months passed. His friends tried to visit him, but he refused to let them enter his room. He only opened his door when he knew his mother was not around to fetch the cold meals she left at his door. And he learned to use the bathroom in the late hours while his mother slept.
"Haiji. I have a visitor for you."
He swallowed thickly, setting down the card. He peered at the door from the safety of his bed.
"Go away."
"His name is Mr. Tsuyoshima."
"I don't care."
"Young man. Would you be interested in learning karate?"
She frowned, glancing at the door.
"Why would I want to do that?"
"To protect yourself."
"I'm perfectly safe here."
"To protect your mother then."
She shivered at the thought of something happening to her mother. She glanced away from the door.
"My mother doesn't need me."
"That is not true. Parents always need their children."
She wanted to challenge that. He had not seen his father in months. She doubted he needed her.
"Mr. Tsuyoshima opened a dojo over the summer. He's looking for students."
"I'm willing to give you free lessons for the first year, young man."
"I don't want to go outside."
"Is this what your little sister would want you to do?"
She flinched, feeling her heart twist with painful memories. She looked down at the card, feeling the tears start to well up.
"Please don't agitate him."
"It's an unpleasant thing that happened, young man. Despair is not good for anyone. In the darkness, you must find a purpose. Allow karate to be your purpose."
"I don't know about that, Mr. Tsuyoshima. I just want him to go outside and start living again."
"Our purpose is not to survive, Mrs. Miyamoto. It is to serve. I will leave my information with you."
Her first lesson was in late October. The dojo became her school. His sensei helped him find a firm footing back in this world.
He was not the only student. His classmate, Kiyohara Tsunade, was here along with his little sister Mukudori. There was also Megumareta Yudai whom was in the grade below him. These three helped him muster the courage to go back to school.
As Kurumu merged back with the part of her accompanying Kokoa, she realized that she had been held back a year due to missing the whole school year. It was fine. Yudai was a good friend.
She felt Kokoa's urging. The vampire felt confident that she could beat Miyamoto with karate. She reached back for her body, pulling Kokoa along. They left Miyamoto's mind.
Kokoa took in a sharp breath, followed by a sniffle. Kurumu let out a heavy sigh, noticing that Miyamoto was still staring emptily at the space between them. She glanced at Kokoa, noting the vampire was rubbing her eyes.
"Crying?"
"Shut up."
"There you two are."
Kurumu grinned, glancing over her shoulder. Tora was sitting back on her palms with her legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles. Perhaps out of boredom, the sphinx had taken her braids out.
"How long were we out?"
"Hours. The others are almost finished with their next session."
Miyamoto stirred with a slight shake of his head. He swallowed.
"Is it over?"
"Why would you force us to see your sister's grave at the start?"
Miyamoto chuckled nervously, glancing aside.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Hina. Her name was Hina."
Miyamoto stiffened at Kokoa's words. He bowed his head.
"I am truly sorry for you to have seen that."
"Experienced it, Miyamoto. We experienced it."
"Again. My deepest apologies."
Kokoa sighed dramatically, getting up on her feet.
"I hope you don't expect me to call you Big Brother after seeing that."
Miyamoto hopped up, wagging his finger at Kokoa.
"Hold up. That seems hardly fair."
Kokoa huffed, turning away from him while crossing her arms.
"I refuse to be Hina's replacement."
"At least call me Big Brother once."
In a blur of motion, Kokoa floored the boy while holding his arm in a familiar lock.
"Fine. Big Brother."