"Why won't you heal?!"

Kurumu whimpered as she pressed her hands harder against the fluffy, mangled tail. Tokori whined, lying on the silty shore surrounding the lake. Her bottoms were pulled down to her knees, baring a furry rump which alternated colors like the hairs on her head. The monstrel looked over her shoulder with pained, caramel eyes. Her enlarged hands were balled into tight, furry fists.

"You have to focus, Ms. Kurono. Take command of the spirit inside."

Kurumu understood what Ms. Kiyomizu meant. After many failed attempts, the instructor had allowed Tokori and Kurumu to experience doing it within a memory. Kurumu had to subjugate the spirit within Tokori. These primal entities resided within all living beings.

"Can't she lower her guard?"

"That's not how it works, Ms. Kurono."

Kurumu grimaced as she pushed more of her spiritual power into Tokori. She tried to find the injury with her mind, but she lost awareness of her power almost instantly. It was not from a lack of understanding. This was like asking someone to push over a school bus. That sheer power she had experienced within the memory was nowhere to be found within her current body.

"I need more water."

Kurumu reached out to the shallow water, submerging her hand. She pulled the fluid into her pores, demanding it to travel to her other hand. The stagnant water yielded to her command. Her arms and shoulders felt heavy from bloat as the liquid coursed through her skin to pour into Tokori's tail.

"Withhold the urge to heal yourself, Ms. Meirowasa."

Tokori whimpered, rubbing her cheek in the dirt. In her partially transformed state, the girl had grown a second pair of breasts which pushed at the tight fabric of her top. These were about two thirds the size of the original pair with barely any separation between the sets. Her bigger torso put the stretchy fabric to the test. Her feet had doubled in size with black claws curving out from the tips of her toes.

"Can you feel the injury, Ms. Kurono?"

Kurumu grunted in frustration. She knew how this should work. She should be able to feel the injury herself. It was like making the pain her own. She closed her eyes, trying to sense the pain through this thick veil of spiritual energy.

"I can't seem to harmonize."

"You're not trying to harmonize. You're supposed to overwhelm."

Kurumu panted, feeling the weight of the water. It was too much. The excess was starting to build a puddle beneath them.

"Why won't it work?"

"That's enough, Ms. Kurono. You can heal yourself now, Ms. Meirowasa."

"No, wait! I can do this!"

A firm slap on her cheek broke her concentration. Water cascaded about as she lost contact with Tokori, turning angry eyes upon Ms. Kiyomizu.

"Stop. Now heal yourself, Ms. Meirowasa."

Kurumu balled her fists, pounding the sticky dirt in front of her knees.

"I have to. I have to heal Nerume."

"There are limitations to your spirit."

"But I'm a succubus. I can charm anybody into doing anything I believe they will do."

Slender fingers brushed her cheek before cupping her chin. The instructor turned her face to look firmly into her eyes.

"There is a difference between the mind, the body and the spirit. You and Ms. Sendou have powerful minds. You do not have the spirit to do this."

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she pulled away, shaking her head.

"I have to. I promised."

"I have had many lives, Ms. Kurono. I have not always been able to heal others. My time as a mermaid was one of the most frustrating experiences. I knew how to do many useful things but the spirit within a mermaid is much weaker than others."

Tokori whimpered as she crawled up onto her knees. She tugged her bottoms up her thighs and around her hips. She brought the fabric up to the base of her bushy tail.

"Do we have to do this?"

"It is important for you to learn your limitations. Remove your top, Ms. Kurono."

Kurumu whined, disliking the thought of doing this again. Even if it was better than having her leg or arm squished, having her wing broken still hurt.

"If she doesn't want to-"

"I am here to train you girls. I will tolerate failure but not laziness."

Kurumu grumbled as she rolled the fabric of her top up and over her breasts. She pulled her head through the opening before sliding the sticky garment down each of her arms. As she freed her hands, she eased her chiropteran wings out her back.

"Lie down on your belly."

Pitching her top in the dirt nearby, Kurumu placed her palms on the grimy, uneven shore. She stretched her legs out beneath her before pressing her body to the ground. It felt gross as she rested her chin on her forearms. Taking in a deep breath, she flexed her wings and spread them to their limits.

"Ready?"

Kurumu tensed up as she felt a force push into her body. It was a localized intrusion in her right wing, causing an extreme increase of pressure. She cried out as she felt the bone yield, snapping in two. The force immediately withdrew, leaving her mind reeling in pain. It felt so much worse than the time she had busted her wings against the trees.

"Resist the urge to heal yourself. Focus on the dirt beneath your hands. Don't think about your wing."

Kurumu opened her hands, clawing into the grimy soil. She had to ignore the pain in her wing. If she paid it too much attention, her spirit would naturally kick in and start the healing process. She had to focus.

Tokori pressed both of her peppered paws against Kurumu's wing. Kurumu let out a sigh of relief from the rush of refreshing power being poured into her tormented appendage.

"Look down, Ms. Kurono. Fight the temptation."

Kurumu squeezed the mud into her fists, trying to distract her from the wealth of healing resources. All monsters possessed stronger spirits than humans, allowing them to recover from injuries quicker. But Kurumu had learned today that those creatures blessed with the affinity to water had an even greater regenerative potential than other monsters.

"I can't feel it. Her wound."

"Clear your mind, Ms. Meirowasa. Close your eyes. It might help."

Many months ago, Mizore had accidentally shot a spear through her in a fit of frustration in the middle of their home ec class. Before she blacked out, Tokori had tended to her wound. Unaware of Kurumu's undine heritage, Masataka had commented on Tokori's prowess as a healer being greater than her own.

"I can't. The moment my energy leaves my fingertips, I lose control of it."

"And the memory? Was that of any help?"

Kurumu felt Tokori's hands leave her throbbing wing.

"I can't recreate that feeling."

"Very well. Heal yourself, Ms. Kurono."

Kurumu happily turned her attention to her broken wing. There was so much fluid and power pooled about the injury. With a thought, she willed that essence to mend and soothe the fractured bone. The internal bleeding was swept away in seconds as her bone set in place.

"I think the two of you have about the same strength of spirit that mermaids possess."

"So we can't do healing."

"No. But if you were attacked in the water, you would be nearly invincible."

"I guess that's good to know."

Kurumu winced when she flexed her wing. Grabbing her discarded top, she held it over to Tokori. The girl had already diminished in size with no trace of her second set of breasts.

"Please. Wrap it tightly for me."

Tokori promptly set about the task, causing Kurumu to grimace from the rough handling. She continued to swirl fluid about the fracture, making the fluid stiffen like a sponge inside her.

"Are we as strong as Ms. Shirayuki?"

"That is difficult to say. The powers enabled by Ms. Shirayuki's spirit are inherently destructive. It would be like comparing apples to bananas."

Kurumu winced when Tokori tightened the garment. The girl let go of the fabric, leaning back on her haunches. Her tail hung limp in the dirt behind her.

"Can she not heal herself like we do?"

"It's not intuitive to her spirit. She'll heal faster than a human but not as quickly as you two."

"It's amazing that Mr. Umizake is so good at this. He fixed her broken leg in seconds."

"I wouldn't praise his skills, Ms. Meirowasa. He had trouble healing Ms. Taniguchi."

"But she's an undine. Kokoa picked her because she was strong."

Ms. Kiyomizu chuckled, getting up on her feet. She patted the grime off her knees and thighs.

"Ms. Shirayuki isn't weak. But her performance today worries me. Her defenses to an external force should not be that lax. It betrays a complete lack of awareness of how to wield her spirit defensively."

Kurumu pouted as she timidly flexed her busted wing. It hurt but the makeshift bandage held it firm.

"If her defenses are that bad, shouldn't we be able to heal her?"

"Yes. Which is why I gave you two that memory to see if it was your lack of awareness preventing your success. Unfortunately it seems that your spirits are incapable of this feat."

Kurumu scooted closer to the water to splash some up onto her torso. She had mud smears on her breasts which she had no desire to take with her.

"Are we going to be doing this tomorrow?"

"We need to work on defenses. Most spirits are cooperative with defending itself from external forces. It will help you avoid having your blood ripped out of your body or your air forced out of your lungs."

"That can happen?"

"Yes, Ms. Meirowasa. It will mostly be adapting your ability to sense threats and communicate with your spirit. It's like tensing your body but in a spiritual sense."

"And we can do this?"

"Every living creature can. It's all about developing a strong connection with your spirit. Expect lots of meditation tomorrow."

Tokori lifted up on her feet with a slight whimper. Mindful of her tail, she patted off the dirt and grime clinging to her bottoms.

"Are we heading back to camp now?"

"Yes. We'll have Mr. Umizake heal up her wing if she can't put it away before it's time to leave."

Guessing she was as clean as she would get, Kurumu staggered up on her feet. Cupping her breasts, she walked away from the lake with the others.

"Nice bra."

"At least my ass isn't hanging out."

Tokori glanced back to check if it was. Upon realizing it was fine, she frowned at Kurumu's smirk.

"Is Ms. Genzouyaki coming to the cultural festival?"

"Maybe. Do you think you could heal her, Ms. Kiyomizu?"

"Do you understand why undines don't heal people like your little, crippled friend?"

Kurumu mulled that over as they shuffled through the grass preceding the camp.

"I know they won't heal humans. It would cause too much trouble with Fairy Tale."

"There is also the matter of there being nothing to gain in doing so."

"But you would be doing something good."

"That is your mind thinking. The spirit within you might disagree. There are cases where an undine heals a terminally ill patient only for the person to drop dead a few months later. It is difficult to tell what sort of tax your spirit will demand for this service."

"But you're having us heal each other."

"These are injuries that would fix themselves if left alone. What you are asking for is the restoration of a nervous system. It's no different than asking me to make her body grow back a lost limb."

"Are you saying that you were never going to teach me how to heal Nerume?"

"If you had succeeded today, I would have warned you about the dangers of this process."

"But you must have more control over your spirit than a normal undine."

Ms. Kiyomizu nodded at Tokori's remark.

"I do. But there are no guarantees. The greater the injury, the greater the risk."

"I'm certain that Nerume would be willing to take that risk."

Ms. Kiyomizu smiled as they neared the camp.

"If the Headmaster agrees and Ms. Genzouyaki is willing, I shall do it for you."

"What does the Headmaster have to do with this?"

"He is my employer. I'm sure that her parents would be upset with him if anything happened to their daughter because of something one of his teachers did."

Several girls were seated on the sleeping bags surrounding the ashes of their campfire. Hotaru was lying on her belly next to Hikari whom was seated with her hands behind her and her ankles crossed. Yukari and Ms. Hitori were perched on logs flanking the campfire. The phoenix nodded at their arrival.

"Finally finished with these two?"

"Yes. They need time for their bones to mend."

"We have about an hour before we have to leave."

"Hopefully that will be enough."

"Could you do it?"

Kurumu grumbled at Nagisa's grin, kneeling down beside the undine. Mizore rested on her back on the next sleeping bag with her hands folded below the swell of her bosom.

"Nope. We were likened to mermaids."

"That's not necessarily a bad thing. I've known many nice mermaids."

Tokori snorted, flopping down on her belly between Nagisa and Mizore.

"Every mermaid I've met is dumb as rocks."

"Speaking of rocks, how is your training going, Ishiko?"

The gnome looked up from the miniature Ferris wheel she had created out of dirt. She had a little crank which she turned to move the contraption.

"Fine. Practiced with Mr. Miyamoto again. Getting better at karate."

"Guess that means Kokoa was with Sabaku again."

Ishiko nodded without response, thoroughly engrossed with her model.

"So am I still required?"

Ms. Hitori chuckled as Ms. Kiyomizu frowned at Yukari's inquiry.

"Ms. Sendou feels that she shouldn't bother coming to our training sessions if Ms. Taniguchi can heal the others. She doesn't mind if we keep Ms. Toujou."

"I'm not that good of a healer. I couldn't do a thing for Mr. Umizake."

Tokori snorted, wagging her ankles close to her limp tail.

"That boy was faking injury."

"I don't think so. His arm was clearly broken."

"His cries of pain were forced."

Nagisa giggled, nodding enthusiastically.

"True. Perhaps his sense of pain is as dull as his personality."

"And I'm supposed to marry that."

"Nobody envies you."

"Don't quit on us, Yukari. It's not like you have something better to do."

"Perhaps I could have a sleepover with Moka."

Kurumu smirked, thinking about how Moka had decided against training tonight. She was having some sleepover with Kana, Akari and the other first year girls from the seventh period art elective. Ginei had shared this news with her since it was the reason why Akari and her friends had not seen mommy's butsudan yesterday. At least Ginei and Hajihachi had.

"I doubt she will take another night off. This whole training thing is her idea."

"Maybe she doesn't see a point continuing the training now that she can beat Mr. Sabaku consistently."

Kurumu sighed at Nagisa's comment. She could come up with other reasons why Moka would want to keep training but felt no reason to voice them.

"Did you ever cut down your tree?"

"It isn't fair!"

Nagisa giggled at Hotaru's fierce protest. The sylph hopped up on her feet and thrust a finger at Hikari.

"She cut one down with laser beam eyes."

"But I was asked to."

"How am I supposed to compete with her? She's already Kokoa's favorite. Now she can fly around and shoot lasers. There's nothing I can do."

"You could try focusing your powers and doing what I asked you to do."

"You're asking for me to do the impossible."

"I'm asking you to learn precision. Several days of training and you can't do the simplest of things."

"Simple? How is cutting a tree down with wind simple?"

"Because it is, Ms. Antai. I had hoped we could have started you on a new lesson by now."

"Like what? Blow a hole through a rock?"

"Crushing an object with wind."

Hotaru paused. She frowned.

"That's not possible."

"It is. You need to work on compressing air."

"That sounds like a lesson you should teach Ishiko. She could crush stuff."

"I can explode a can of juice by causing it to freeze."

"That's not what I was going for, Ms. Shirayuki. You would have to have control of someone's spirit in order to use such a technique in a fight. Blowing up juice cans would not prepare you for that."

"But today's healing lesson was."

Ms. Hitori shared a wary glance with Ms. Kiyomizu.

"Yuki'onna can't use healing techniques."

"I was having her flex her spirit to refuse healing. She needs to develop a better relationship with her spirit if she wants to fend off unwanted intrusions."

"Yea. She said we will be doing some meditating stuff tomorrow."

Ms. Hitori nodded at Tokori's revelation. Her eyes flashed golden for a moment.

"Perhaps we should be doing the same."

"Anything would be better than trying to cut down a tree."

"That lesson was important, Ms. Antai. But I am curious how strong your defenses are. We shall focus on that tomorrow."

Everyone nodded with murmurs of agreement. A long moment of silence followed which Kurumu ended with a heavy sigh.

"So… what should we talk about?"

"I don't know. You're obsessive crush on Amesuki's brother might be fun."

Kurumu was sorry she asked.

"Ms. Kurono!"

Kurumu frowned, glancing at the back door as Yano and Osakebi exited for lunch. Kagami waved happily before walking over to the start of the aisle.

"What is she doing here?"

Kurumu shrugged at Juri's query, absently pushing her history notebook into her schoolbag.

"Ms. Kurono's admirers never surprise me. Though it is a pity that Ms. Kagami didn't bring her friend."

Kurumu smirked at Ichida as Kagami came to a stop between them.

"She eats in second year class seven if you want to visit her."

Ichida chuckled as he got up from his desk.

"I'd rather not risk the ire of Ms. Nemoto. See you after lunch."

"What's he talking about?"

As Ichida departed, Kurumu grinned at Kagami's confused expression.

"Nothing. What can I do for you?"

"I was hoping you could join me for lunch."

"Don't you eat lunch with your Sadou club friends?"

Kagami rocked on her heels, fidgeting with her hands.

"I was hoping to eat with my sister."

"No chance. Kurumu is eating with Tsukune and me."

Juri sighed dramatically, shaking her head.

"And I think Kurumu should have lunch with her new boyfriend."

"You have a new boyfriend?"

"No, I don't."

"What about Mr. Burumoto?"

"That's not a thing."

"Kurumu is planning to ask Ms. Uchikawa and her friends to visit her mother's butsudan after school today. It's not just about seeing Tsukune."

"That doesn't require her to eat with him."

"You make it sound like I shouldn't be near him."

Juri sighed again, getting up from her chair.

"I'd rather you eat with Ms. Kagami."

"Yes! Please eat with us."

"Are you wanting to eat with Asuka's whole group?"

Kagami glanced aside under Kurumu's scrutiny, fussing with the locks about her ear.

"Well… it would be rude to ask Michiko to eat with me instead of her friends."

"Now that just sounds like trouble. We heard about how Ms. Hanetsume broke your arm."

"But Michiko is my sister. I want to spend time with her."

"Are you thinking that Ms. Hanetsume will behave if Kurumu is around?"

"I kind of hope she would."

Kurumu sighed, standing up. She felt for her phone and lunch card in her jacket pocket while taking a cursory glance about the classroom. They were already the last ones.

"I suppose I could eat with Asuka's group today."

"You are such a pushover."

"Juri is right. You could ask Akari for me."

"Don't expect any favors out of me."

Yukari huffed, slipping out of her seat. The witch walked off towards the front door indignantly.

"I could join you if you think that would help."

"Oh? Are you finally brave enough to eat with other girls?"

Juri smirked, turning on her heel and starting down the aisle.

"I'm curious how this will play out."

Kurumu fell in step with Kagami as they followed the sprite to the back of the classroom.

"It's good to see that you've recovered."

"My arm is sore and my hand is numb. But it's my left arm so it doesn't interfere with my schoolwork."

They exited the classroom almost at the same moment the bell sounded. Kurumu waved at the two girls lingering at the closed back door to class three with Satsuki.

"Hey Nozomi. I'm with Asuka's group today so I'm not stopping."

Nozomi favored her a snaggletooth grin as Kurumu passed by the two track girls.

"Avoiding your lover?"

Kurumu shook her head, not bothering to respond as Juri giggled. She glanced across the hall, noting that the doors to class eleven were open.

"How long has class eleven been out?"

"Maybe a minute before yours."

"And how long were you waiting outside our classroom?"

"Not too long. Maybe another minute. We let out at about the same time as class one walked by."

"You could have gone down to the line with Asuka and Taijin."

Kagami shook her head as they neared the crossover between classes five and eight.

"No. I can't do this without you."

"I don't know how to tell you this, but Hatoko isn't a big fan of mine. She thinks I'm a bad influence on the other girls."

"I wonder why she would think that."

Juri favored her a reproachful look as they started down the stairs.

"She doesn't like that I encourage other girls to find boyfriends."

"Well it can get annoying for girls like me whom have zero realistic prospects."

"Are you saying that you have unrealistic crushes?"

"I have the right to remain silent because anything I say, can and will be used against me."

"Mhm. I don't think you've ever admitted to have any crushes."

Kagami perked up with a nervous smile.

"I tend to like the same guys as Ritsu. But she's much prettier than I am."

Kurumu mulled that over for a few seconds.

"Are you interested in Ichida?"

"No! I mean… yes. But it's not like I know anything about him."

"I doubt Ritsu knows much about him either."

Kagami wrung her hands as they arrived at the bottom of the stairs. They wandered over to the end of the line which was between the doors for the home ec room.

"But it's not like I want him. I want a boyfriend but it doesn't have to be him."

"I totally get that. A boyfriend is a nice idea but I haven't actually met someone to fill that spot."

"What about those unrealistic crushes?"

Juri stuck her tongue out.

"Developing a relationship with my sister is more important to me right now."

"Is Ms. Dangai okay with you telling everyone about you two being sisters?"

"She hasn't said anything about keeping it a secret."

"Yea… but won't that cause her family trouble?"

Kagami pouted as they slowly progressed with the line.

"Why should it?"

"Because her father slept with two women at about the same time."

"But he wasn't married when my mother got pregnant."

"Maybe not. But her mother might not be happy about this."

Kurumu nodded as she thought about the close age of the two girls.

"Michiko was born on the twelfth of November."

"That's so cool! Mine is on the ninth."

"Of November?"

Juri's eyes widened at Kagami's enthusiastic nod.

"That's only three days!"

"I know. Isn't that amazing?"

"How is that not cheating?!"

Kurumu held a hand out at Juri while Kagami frowned in confusion.

"Hold up, Juri. Michiko's mother was young. Like junior high age. She wasn't attending Yokai Academy."

"But how is it possible for them to have birthdays so close together?"

"I think you are misunderstanding how tengu have babies. It's more accurate to say that they hatch."

"Hatch?"

"They don't get pregnant, Ms. Morisato. They pass eggs which can be fertilized by men."

"Wait. They don't have sex?"

Kurumu laughed, grabbing Juri by the shoulder and giving her a playful shake.

"They can have sex. Michiko admitted that her parents do."

"That's very courageous of her mother. Not many tengu women are willing to do that. There's always the fear of having an egg fertilized inside of them, which can be life threatening."

Juri nodded thoughtfully as they hovered by the first door to Ms. Yumeito's lab.

"So… they pass an egg and then the guy masturbates on it?"

"That is the traditional way of doing it. A baby tengu hatches about eighteen to twenty weeks after the egg is fertilized. They are much smaller than harpy babies."

"How do you know that?"

"Our junior high teacher brought her egg with her to school. We got to see the whole process."

"You watched a guy masturbate over an egg?"

Kagami blushed, shaking her head vehemently at Juri's smirk.

"No! It was already fertilized!"

Kurumu giggled, fairly certain that Juri knew that from the start.

"That makes me wonder if other races have babies differently."

"I give mine to another woman to carry. Twenty four weeks is the average pregnancy with a succubus."

Juri smirked, cocking her head.

"Ms. Sendou mentioned that. Something about using your tail."

"Mhm. Every succubus has three parents. A mother, a father and a succubus."

"You spoke about a half-sister on Sports Day."

"Yea. Kabuki. We both have the same undine mother."

"And she was also a succubus, right?"

"Mhm. This undine mother we share works with a succubus matchmaker that helped our mothers."

"You never mentioned having a half-sister."

"She doesn't live anywhere near here. Her mother works in the Shikoku region."

"Do you have a picture of her?"

Kurumu shook her head, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

"I have her number but I can't call her inside the barrier. She's seven years younger than me."

"I bet you would love to spend all of your free time with her if she was here."

Kurumu smiled softly, suspecting that she would. Seeing that they were near the end of the hall, she grabbed Kagami by the shoulder and leaned in close.

"I want a picture of the three of us. Get closer, Juri."

Juri giggled stepping up close as Kurumu flipped her phone open. She held the camera up and leaned her head against Kagami's shoulder. She snapped two shots before checking the images. She deleted the one that had Juri's eyes closed.

"I didn't know that phones had cameras."

"Yea but I heard that phone cameras suck compared to a real digital camera."

Kurumu pouted as they started down the diagonal portion of the line.

"I don't think my pictures suck."

"But they would be better if they were taken with a real camera."

Kurumu saw no signs of Akari's group which had her wonder if she had missed Tsukune somehow. If he had seen her, she would have felt it. She absently slipped her phone back into her pocket.

"Do you have a digital camera?"

"Me? I don't even have a CD player."

"Me either."

"Why not?"

Kagami shrugged indifferently.

"Never thought about getting one."

"It's not like they're expensive. But there is way too much music out there."

"You could just buy what you like."

"There isn't a CD Akiko owns that I don't like. I don't have the money to buy tons of CDs."

"I'm the same way. Kanari has dozens of CDs. I've never seen a reason to buy my own when I could drop by her place any weekend and listen to her stuff whenever I wanted."

Kurumu smiled at the mention of the first year choir girls whom had gone to junior high with these two. She supposed she could understand their reluctance. Even if she had the money, she would probably not spend it on CDs when she could always listen to music from Moka's collection.

They slowly made their way to the cart with the trays. Kurumu frowned upon seeing Satsuki and Tora pass by. The pair strode up to the door before the cart, disappearing into the kitchen area.

"Hey Kaede. How long was Mr. Nagamushi's lecture today?"

"He almost held us to the second bell."

"I wonder where Tsukune is."

"Nope. No talking about him."

"But he eats with Akari's group and she wasn't waiting for him."

"Maybe she was hungry."

"She's never done that when I'm eating with them."

"It's not like you eat with them every day."

While she knew that was true, she doubted Akari would ditch Nozomi like this.

They finally reached the trays. Kurumu proceeded down the shelves lined with entrée selections. Feeling famished due to a lack of breakfast, Kurumu grabbed a box of chicken teriyaki with rice and vegetables. She picked up a cup of udon soup and two bread rolls. Not in the mood for juice, Kurumu wandered over to the back of the nearest register line.

"Packing on the carbs today."

Kurumu smirked at the miso soup and yakisoba sandwich resting upon Juri's tray.

"I didn't have breakfast."

"It's not good for your metabolism if you eat all of your calories at once."

"It's not like I'll ever get fat."

"You don't know that."

"Have you ever heard of a fat succubus?"

"No. But that's probably because they die a cruel and horrible death when no men will look upon them."

"Sure. And fat pixies turn into pumpkins if they stay out too late during a full moon."

Juri giggled as they came closer to the registers at their respective lines.

"You're going to pass out during Mr. Nagamushi's lecture if you eat all of that."

"And how would that be a problem?"

"I'm not waking you up if he calls on you."

Kurumu shrugged, stepping up to the podium with the register. She surrendered her tray to the woman behind the register before fishing her lunch card out of her pocket. Holding her lunch card out, she watched Juri approach the worker at the adjacent register and do the same.

It took a few seconds for the lady to ring up her items, swipe her card and return everything. Leaving her card on the tray, Kurumu wandered over to the door to the auditorium which was behind the registers. Juri joined her a few seconds later.

"Miho is going to be upset that I don't show up for lunch today."

"Isn't she always done eating by the time you get there?"

"Most of the time. It's nice having Ms. Touzoku and Ms. Itazura with me the last couple of days so I don't feel like such an oddball trying to eat while Miho and U are chatting."

Kurumu grinned as Kagami arrived. Opening the door to the auditorium, she prompted the other girls to head through before following.

"Where are we going?"

"Asuka's group eats their lunch beneath the bleachers on the east side."

"Are we cutting through the locker room?"

"No. We can go out the gym door on the boys' side."

Kurumu started cutting diagonally across the large chamber. As the boys were playing basketball in gym these days, a steel bin lined with black mesh was pushed off to the sidelines which contained dozens of basketballs. They were already playing games, though it sounded like their homeroom played poorly in their first two games against classes four and one.

She had never paid much attention to it before, but there were three sets of hoops in the auditorium with three painted courts. The center court was painted in black lines and had some overlap with the other two courts. The other two courts were marked in red. When they had played volleyball, they had used the centerline of these two red courts as the spot to put the dividing net. This had allowed them to carry on two games in this gym while the seniors played in the practice gym.

Kurumu suspected that when the basketball season began that the team would be playing in the center court. There was plenty of room on other side of this court to put up temporary seating for fans. She probably should have asked this stuff when she had done their articles but it had not crossed her mind.

Kagami reached the exterior door by the storage room on the boys' side first, holding it open for them. They stepped out into the mild warmth of the afternoon. Kurumu cut immediately to the left, smirking upon seeing the four girls gathered in the shade beneath the bleachers.

"I hope you two don't mind kneeling in the dirt. The blanket Kiki brings isn't big enough for their whole lunch group as is."

Last term there had been at least two other groups that used the bleachers as a lunch spot. They must have found other places since Kurumu had not seen anyone else out here the last two times she had eaten with Asuka's group.

"Michiko!"

The brunette glanced up at Kagami's excited call. Michiko shared a glance with Kiki whom knelt on the white blanket beside her. Taijin looked up at their approach before resuming her meal.

"Kurumu! Sit by me!"

Kurumu giggled at Asuka's reaction. Asuka gestured beside her while sitting on her rump with her tray in her lap. She promptly stuffed the rest of a bread roll into her mouth.

"Is it wise for Ms. Kagami to join us?"

Kurumu smiled at Kiki's concern, kneeling down where Asuka had indicated once they finally arrived.

"I think that's up to Michiko."

Michiko shrugged indifferently, slipping a chunk of chicken into her mouth with her chopsticks. Kagami let out a happy cry, skipping over to kneel down on Michiko's left. Giggling, Juri hunkered down to the left of Kurumu at the corner of Kiki's white blanket.

"Afternoon, Ms. Honda. Ms. Dangai."

"Afternoon, Ms. Morisato."

"I see you're healed up. When are you going to fight back?"

Kagami laughed nervously, opening up the carton of her entrée.

"I can't do that, Ms. Shindou."

"Why not?"

"Because she's my sister's friend."

"I honestly don't know how you put up with her. That girl is crude and cruel."

"Hatoko never wrong to me. Pa's best friend marry her ma a year before junior high. We like family."

"Like a real sister."

"Naw. More like cousins."

Kagami's tone had been completely lost on Michiko. The harpy smiled, shifting closer.

"Then I would like to be her cousin too."

"Said before. Ya have friends. No reason to change."

"But you're my sister."

"Things fine if ya not here. Not like that guy that threw her party comes round often."

Kurumu smirked, recalling the time Hatoko had tried to attack Ginei.

"She'd only hurt herself if he did."

"Maybe so. But he not pushing buttons. Best if let be."

Kurumu picked up one of her bread rolls and pressed it to her lips.

"Is that why you've given up on asking Noboru out?"

Michiko cocked her head, picking up another morsel from her carton.

"That be different."

"Are you interested in Mr. Noboru from class five?"

"She was. Even asked me for advice about asking him out."

Michiko frowned, slowly chewing.

"Thought ya would keep that secret."

"Nothing to keep secret if you've given up on it."

"Timing was wrong."

"The issue with Lord Chiki has been resolved for almost a month, Michiko. It's not like Mononoke has been closed. You could have gone on another mixer or even a solo date."

"Doubt I should."

"Why?"

"Because he seems fine with it as is."

Kurumu frowned, taking a bite of the roll. She chewed and swallowed.

"Have you spoken with him?"

"Naw."

"Don't give up on him. If Ritsu saw you with Mr. Noboru, she wouldn't feel so guilty about accepting the interest Mr. Ichida is showing her."

Michiko frowned at the harpy beside her.

"I not date him for yer friend's sake."

"And here I thought Mr. Ichida was smarter than that."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That Ms. Ontoriki is very pretty. I would hope a young man of his intelligence would value more than that in a woman."

Kurumu smirked, thinking Kiki's opinion of Ichida would drastically change if she had been privy to the conversation carried out on the day Yukari and Huang swapped souls.

"Both Ritsu and Kaede are very intelligent girls. Smarter than me or you."

"I never said that she was dumb, Ms. Kurono. But I doubt he is interested in her intellect."

"Nothing wrong with that. But see no reason why I should change things so her friend can make a baby."

"But she would have such a beautiful baby."

"She's far too young, Ms. Kagami. All of us are."

"But my sister would make a good mother. Girls from big families always do."

"Not thought bouts doing that. Be fine with holding hands. Maybe kissing."

Kagami set her chopsticks aside and scooted in closer to Michiko. The harpy draped an arm around the brunette, leaning in to rub her head against Michiko's shoulder.

"I'd help you with the baby. That's what sisters do."

Michiko sighed, giving up on her efforts to finish her meal. She reached over and patted Kagami's head.

"Bah. Pa said harpies be stupid bout making babies."

"I suppose that is endearing in a simple minded way."

"Having kids is kind of important to all women."

Attention shifted to Taijin, causing the big girl to blush.

"Oh? Does Yuu have some special guy in mind?"

Taijin shook her head vigorously, stuffing her mouth with rice to avoid answering.

"What about you, Ms. Shindou?"

Asuka sighed, leaning back on her palms.

"I've only got two marriage prospects that my parents would accept. One is obsessed with little girls and the other would never talk to me."

"Sounds like one of them should be a good fit."

Asuka stuck her tongue out at Juri.

"It's not like you have anything interesting going on."

"I don't but Kurumu does. Kissing Mr. Burumoto. Flirting with Amesuki's brother."

"I was not flirting with Amesuki's brother. And I only kissed Ushio once."

"I heard about that. Are you trying to get your pussy destroyed?"

Kurumu gagged on the chunk of bread roll in her mouth. She patted her chest, trying to swallow the thick morsel down properly.

"That was highly inappropriate, Ms. Shindou."

"Have you seen this guy, Kiki? We're not talking about fingers here. You'd need your whole damn fist to be prepared to take on a guy like that."

Kurumu shook her head, rubbing her chest.

"I was only warming him up for Taijin."

"I doubt Yuu could handle him. Sure she's bigger than the rest of us, but she has about as much sexual experience as a six year old. I bet she would faint if he whipped it out."

Taijin blushed furiously, shaking her head.

"I would rather not date anyone right now."

They all shared a laugh. Kurumu sucked in a deep breath, picking up her second roll.

"I think Ms. Dangai looks comfortable with Ms. Kagami at her side."

Michiko huffed at Juri's remark, stowing away another mouthful. Kagami had scooted closer to press her head against the swell of Michiko's bosom. The brunette had her arm around the harpy's shoulder while trying to finish her meal with her free hand.

"What else ya want? Shove her away?"

"Here comes trouble."

As Kiki had warned, Hatoko was approaching them with Suzume at her side. Kagami quickly scooted away to tend to her lunch. Kurumu was almost finished with her roll by the time the pair arrived.

"Why this whore here?"

"If you can't be polite, I suggest stuffing your face."

Suzume giggled, parting with Hatoko to walk around them and sit down on the blanket between Kiki and Juri. Hatoko grimaced, slowly walking about the group in the other direction.

"I stuff yer face, fat peacock."

"I swear that's the only insult you know."

Hatoko huffed, pointedly kneeling down between Kagami and Michiko

"Only one a dumb bird like ya understands."

Swallowing down the last bit of her roll, Kurumu picked up her cup of udon.

"I know harpies and tengu girls don't always get along but this is stupid."

"Ya the stupid one here."

Kurumu cocked her head in annoyance.

"There is nothing you can do that will change the facts. They have the same father. That's not Michiko's fault. That's not Kaede's fault."

"Course a whore like ya not understand."

"Don't call Ms. Kurono-"

A sharp slap startled everyone. Hatoko scowled at the harpy whom recoiled from the backhand.

"Ya not speak round me."

"Then why did you bother sitting by her?"

"Fuck off, ya shrill ninny. I put up with yer high and mighty act. Go feather yer brother, ya ostrich."

"You sounded more intelligent when you stuck with fat peacock."

"Ostrich cause ya shove yer head up yer ass."

Juri snickered, shaking her head.

"Just stop it, Hatoko."

"Bet it yer idea to bring this whore here."

Kurumu rolled her eyes, setting her cup of udon aside which still had its lid on.

"I could put the thought of her being family into your head and you'd never call her that again."

"Doubts that. Calls her mother a whore."

Kurumu frowned at Michiko.

"What? Why would she do that?"

"She not know her pa. The guy dating her mum denied fertilizing her mum's egg."

"Any man could lie about that."

Hatoko scowled at Juri.

"Ma admitted him not the father. Makes ma a whore."

"That doesn't make your mother a whore. Any guy can fertilize an egg."

"That is unlikely, Ms. Kurono. Her mother would have to be very careless to leave her eggs vulnerable to such a thing happening."

"Says the girl that used to keep hers as long as she can."

Kiki pouted at Suzume's grin.

"I haven't been that way in years."

"Your mother had to take your eggs away the first two years you were having them because you'd keep them till they'd rot."

"They were my babies."

"Her ma only twelve at the time. Guess some girls too attached to their eggs."

"Lucky yer brother not make ya a mother."

"My brother would do no such thing."

Kurumu nodded thoughtfully, wondering if she should resume eating.

"Maybe she lied about him not doing it."

"Some folks thought that. Made the guy take some fancy test after she born. Not her father."

Hatoko scowled as she poked at her meal.

"Since she knew before and refused to say more, whole village shunned us. Stupid fucking whore."

"You shouldn't talk about your mother like that."

"Fuck ya."

Kurumu pouted, thinking how horribly she had treated her mother since her wings had emerged. She had called her mother a whore. Consistently. Frequently. It hurt, realizing how little time she had spent repairing her relationship before it was over.

"She's your mother."

"Figures. Bet ya love yer whore mother."

With a pained cry, Kurumu lunged across the blanket. She had her hands around Hatoko's head, forcing the girl's vile mouth against her bosom. The girl flailed at her torso as Kurumu scooted in her legs and cinched her hold about Hatoko's head.

The other girls cried out in alarm. A hand firmly grabbed her by the shoulder. Kurumu turned her eyes upon Michiko, staring the girl down as Hatoko protested with profanities against her.

"Let her go, Ms. Kurono. She isn't worth it."

"Kurumu. Please stop."

Kurumu tightened her hold. Hatoko whimpered against her, weakly punching at her torso.

"Is she choking her out?"

"That's enough, Ms. Kurono. She's always spewing slurs."

"Yea, but Kurumu's mother is dead."

Juri's statement silenced the other girls as Kurumu pushed her thoughts into Hatoko. In seconds she knew the truth about Hatoko because it was fresh on the girl's mind.

"So you do know your father."

Hatoko grunted at her side, feebly trying to push her away.

"What ya mean?"

Kurumu released her hold, shoving the girl down. Hatoko had knocked over her meal in the scuffle. With a huff, Kurumu got up and wiped some rice off her skirt.

"That she knows whom her father is."

"Is your mother really dead?"

Kurumu glanced at the wide eyed Suzume. As she nodded, Hatoko lunged up at her. Turning instantly, Kurumu wrapped the girl up in another grappling hold which secured the girl's arm and head.

"Stop it!"

Kurumu staggered to set her footing as she locked in the hold. Hatoko gasped and grunted, struggling to break free to no avail.

"If you don't behave, I'm going to tell everyone you're secret."

"Fuck ya!"

Michiko picked herself up off the ground, regarding Kurumu as she restrained Hatoko.

"Let her go. She not know her pa."

Kurumu released the girl which caused Hatoko to pitch onto the ground. Kurumu stepped back, prepared to defend herself if Hatoko jumped at her again.

"You should make up with your mother. She's the only one you'll ever have."

"Fuck ya! Ya not know anything bout me!"

This time Kurumu jabbed the girl in the jaw when Hatoko lunged at her. Hatoko fell back on her ass.

"Fine. You'll just call me a liar anyways. Your father is your grandfather."

Hatoko broke down in tears, shaking her head.

"No. That's not true!"

"You're mad that your mother took so long to leave him, despite knowing the truth. You only found out whom your father was because your mother was worried he might do the same thing to your eggs since she had started dating Mr. Koushou."

Hatoko sobbed, shaking her head and continuing to mutter denials.

"Never told ya the name of pa's best friend."

Kurumu turned her eyes upon Michiko. The girl had a worried expression.

"I saw her thoughts. She's hated her mother ever since she found out why her mother was shunned. She blames her for everything."

"Ya read minds?"

Kurumu glared down at the pathetic girl bawling on her knees.

"When she told her grandfather about what her evil mother said about him, he confirmed it was true."

A long moment of silence followed in which only the sobs of Hatoko could be heard.

"Too far, Ms. Kurono."

Kurumu took in a deep breath and met Kiki's gaze.

"Maybe so. But that's why she gives you crap about your brother."

Michiko knelt down and wrapped Hatoko up in a hug. The sobbing girl tried to push Michiko away.

"Mr. Koushou know this?"

"Don't know. I was only in her thoughts a few seconds."

"Maybe he knows. She moved to my village and not gone back. Never met her grandpa."

Hatoko whimpered, shaking her head slowly and muttering denials.

"Stop lying. Makes sense. And ya not fuss bout my sister no more. Done is done. No changing it. If she eats with us, leave her be."

"Do you really mean that?!"

Michiko glanced over her shoulder at Kagami's hopeful expression.

"Sure. Though think ya dumb to change for my sake."

Doubting Hatoko would try to attack her again, Kurumu wandered back over to her spot and sat down. Snatching up her cup of udon, she pulled the lid off and blew across the steamy surface.

"I always knew Hatoko was fucked up but not that bad."

Kurumu smirked at Asuka's comment.

"I wasn't in her head long enough to see any actual memories. Mostly thoughts of how angry she is with her mother for letting it happen and staying with him all those years."

"I didn't know you could do that."

Kurumu smiled at Juri, nodding.

"It's not something commonly associated with my kind. People just think we're stupid whores."

"Kurumu. About your mother."

Taking in a deep breath, Kurumu nodded at Suzume.

"I have her urn and a butsudan for her in my suite. I was thinking about showing it to you but Hatoko put me out of the mood the last time I had you all together."

"So this happened some time ago?"

"Yea. Juri and Kaede were with me at the first viewing. If you girls want to, I'd like to show it to you after school today. I do have to finish the fencing club pictures first, but I should be home by seven."

"That's probably good. We have to work on our dance routines."

Kurumu sucked in a draught of soup as Asuka scooted closer to her.

"That invitation better have been also for Yuu and me."

Kurumu managed a smile and nodded.

"Of course, Asuka. I'm in Suite 323. Don't be late."

"We need somebody to get prices for fabric. With Ms. Hitori offering to make costumes for us, it might be much cheaper than rentals."

Yukari stood in front of the blackboard holding a piece of chalk. A diagram of how to arrange the tables was drawn up on the board with the location of their kitchen and the proposed flow of traffic.

"I can do that if Yasi comes with me."

"Why do I have to go with you?"

"Because you have nothing better to do."

"Don't you have to practice dance routines?"

Hazumi pouted at Kurumu.

"I can miss one practice."

"I can do it if I'm told where to go."

"Ueda's Fabrics. It's down the street from the Clique."

Senyou grinned at Yukari.

"Where's the Clique?"

"Across the street from Authentic Antiques and Always There."

"I don't know either of those stores."

"I can't help stupid."

"I'll go with you."

"Do you know where it is?"

Abe grinned, shaking his head.

"Nope. But I need an excuse to wander aimlessly around town."

"I know where the antique shop is. I'll get your prices."

"Thank you, Mr. Hisakata."

"We should also have someone look into renting furniture."

"We can make due with desks."

Juri pouted at Ichida.

"That's so lame. We should have round café tables. And cute chairs."

"We have budget constraints."

"Yes. And we will be putting in a request to use the furniture available on campus."

"But we're not the only café. Other classes might get that."

"Renting furniture is a huge loss of profits, Ms. Morisato. We would have to pay someone for delivery and pick up."

"Can't you boys do some lifting?"

Ichida smirked at Kurumu.

"That's a long walk, let alone doing it while carrying a table."

"Maybe we could buy some cheap furniture."

"Are you even looking at the layout? Twelve tables and forty eight chairs is going to cost a lot even if you get the stuff dirt cheap."

"Mr. Ichida is correct. If someone wants to get prices for this stuff, we can submit it with our proposal. But we should assume that we will be using our desks."

Kurumu pouted, leaning back in her chair.

"Well we need to go all out on decorations to make this place look like a maid café."

"Do you have any idea what one looks like?"

"Not really but I imagine it's cute with frills and lace everywhere."

"It doesn't look like that."

Kurumu smirked at Satsuki.

"What does your place look like?"

"Not like that. You need menus. If you laminate a handful of them, you can reuse them."

"That's a good idea."

"I'll design the menus."

Kurumu grinned at Ichiboku whom was holding up his hand.

"And you're coming with us on Saturday to Ms. Hitori's place to get fitted."

"Do I really have to?"

Ichida sighed dramatically.

"It's unfortunate, but two of us will have to step up. It only makes sense that you and Mr. Shouhei take those spots since you both could be mistaken as a girl at a glance."

"That's nothing to be proud about."

"I don't want to be a maid either."

Yukari tapped the chalk loudly upon the board.

"We only have six girls. Unless we want to run this café with only two maids a shift, we need some boys to volunteer for this."

Satsuki snickered, leaning back in her seat.

"Why don't we have the dog here maid up?"

"I say we have a chat with the PSC to relieve our three ladies from their duties."

Kumiko huffed at Abe's grin.

"Not a chance. My sister won't turn me over to prevent your poor pride from being damaged."

"I'll put on a dress if Kurono gets me a girlfriend."

"One crime doesn't justify another."

"We have three shifts to cover. We can give the boys the morning shift to minimize their embarrassment. There's one less morning shift and it will most likely be the shift with the least amount of customers."

Ichida drawled out a sound as he leaned over his desk.

"Don't know if that's the right call. If we have both guys working as maids on the same shift, people might get the wrong idea. Gossip could murder our café for the rest of the day."

"As long as they don't brag about being in drag, it shouldn't be a problem."

Ichida took in a deep breath and nodded.

"Fine. I'll be one of the maids. But I doubt we'll manage with only two maids and two kitchen staff. The morning might be slow the first half, but it will pick up. We need three maids, three staff for each shift."

"We only have sixteen people, Mr. Ichida."

"I don't have family coming to the event. I can be a maid one shift and work the kitchen another."

"But you won't get to enjoy the festival."

"It'll be fine. I'll keep my evenings free. We only need one other to make that sacrifice."

Hisakata stood up suddenly with a sharp bow.

"I will request to be relieved of my duties for the mornings."

"Hopefully not because you want to see me in a dress."

Hisakata chuckled, straightening up.

"No. But I see little reason for anyone else to make your sacrifice."

"Does this mean you're putting on a dress?"

Hisakata turned flush for a moment.

"I was offering to work the kitchen, Ms. Kurono. Other brave souls shall undertake that task."

"I can't do it. I have family coming to this."

Abe snickered at Shouhei's protest.

"Just don't tell them when you're working."

"Fuck it. I'll do it."

"Mr. Senyou. Language."

Senyou chuckled at Mrs. Sunao whom frowned at him from her seat behind the teacher's desk.

"Sorry. I'll also have family here, but figure it won't be an issue if I'm working the mornings."

"Thank you, Mr. Senyou."

"That puts you in the kitchen where a cute thing like you belongs."

Kurumu had to laugh at the look Shouhei gave Senyou's snaggletooth grin.

"We still need one more guy to step up."

"I'm still waiting on that girlfriend I was promised."

"Shouhei's single."

"Mr. Wanibuchi?"

"No way, Sendou. I'll work a kitchen shift with Yakihara though."

"Fine. You two can have the evenings so I won't have to deal with you. I will be working the afternoons with Ms. Morisato and Kurumu. The other three girls shall work the evenings."

Ichida turned in his seat to regard the silent boys in the back.

"We still need one guy willing to be a maid. Is anyone not expecting family for this event?"

Yano stared at Ichida with a slight shake of his large head. The massive soccer player clearly questioned the sanity of proposing such a thing to him.

"Even if I wasn't, you don't want me as a maid."

"Fair enough. What about you, Mr. Osakebi?"

The curly haired boy shook his head vehemently.

"No way. My club's already toying with the idea of doing a haunted house."

"Sounds like a morning shift would work fine for you."

"Maybe the kitchen, but not as a maid."

Ichiboku sighed heavily.

"Fine. I don't have family coming. I can do a morning shift as a maid."

The bell sounded the end of the school day.

"I need those prices first thing tomorrow morning!"

"If you would close the day, Ms. Sendou."

Yukari hurried to her desk while Mrs. Sunao gathered up her things.

"Stand."

Everyone hopped out of their seats.

"Bow. Dismissed."

Kurumu leaned over her desk to grab her schoolbag off the hooks.

"Mr. Abe and Mr. Shouhei are on cleanup duty today."

Kurumu lifted her bag up by its strap, fishing her head through it.

"Guess you'll be running off to do your pictures with the fencing club now."

Kurumu nodded at Juri while fixing up her strap between her breasts. She tugged the flap of her jacket free of the bag to hang over it.

"Sort of. I don't know if Ms. Fukuda will be available right away."

"Who's that?"

"One of the seniors. She's on the festival committee."

"Right. Is the whole committee doing the rounds with Mr. Kaneshiro today?"

Kurumu shrugged, only knowing what the morning announcements had been. The committee had been told to gather in the student council room. They would do a round of all the homerooms to discuss the projects with each class manager.

"I'm going to kill some time in class three for now."

"Aono again?"

"He should be with the committee."

"Uh huh. I'll see you tomorrow."

Kurumu pouted as Juri stalked away to the back of the classroom. Many of her classmates had also taken off. She wandered up to the front where Ichida and Yukari remained by the podium.

"Do you two need any help?"

Ichida chuckled, shaking his head.

"I think we can handle discussing our café to Mr. Kaneshiro."

Kurumu nodded, absently toying with the strap. She smiled at Yukari.

"I'll be in class three then."

Yukari murmured a farewell, prompting Kurumu to leave.

Several students were at work in the hallway. Kurumu wandered over to the railing, noting all of the busywork. As this was not their first festival, most of the second year classes had let out earlier to allow their students to make preparations. A trio of boys were painting the pieces of a totem pole in front of class nine downstairs. A handful of other kids were cutting shapes out of colored construction paper.

Nine more days until the festival.

Kurumu glanced across the hall, spying Tsukune with Kaneshiro. They also had Hisomeru and Machida with them. The student council president was chatting with Yamashita at class twelve. She saw no signs of Akebara or Fukuda.

Kurumu absently wandered towards the back door to class three, taking note of class eleven. The doors were open but she could not see if Moka was inside. Moka had not shared lunch with Yukari today. While that could have meant that Moka had eaten with Kokoa's girls instead, Akari had also blown off lunch. This mildly worried Kurumu.

Entering class three, Kurumu deduced that Tomisaki and Izanai were the pair on duty today based on the boys holding the broom and dustpan. Tora leaned on the podium while Hiboshi had parked her rump on Kamitsuku's desk. Irewata lingered between the two with a bright smile as the trio exchanged words.

As she strolled up the aisle, she wondered where Mizore was. The snow girl had skipped out on gym, blaming weaknesses she no longer possessed.

"Here comes the topic of all the gossip today."

Kurumu smiled at Tora as she came to a stop by Hiboshi. The fox girl eyed her inquisitively.

"Are you going to date that meathead if his mother says he can?"

"I doubt his mother will say yes."

"I think he's being sincere about his mother coming to the cultural festival."

Kurumu shrugged at Irewata, sitting up on Suzume's desk.

"He probably is. But it doesn't mean she's here to give him a blessing."

"But what if she does?"

She shrugged again, smiling at Hiboshi's stern stare.

"I might. I know him better than Amesuki's brother."

"At least Amesuki's brother isn't twice your size."

"You mean like how Kuyo is twice yours."

"Shut up."

Kurumu smirked, scooting back on the desk so her feet left the floor.

"Are you two sticking around to explain your classroom activity?"

"Obviously. What other reason would I have to be here?"

"I don't know. Maybe you wanted to ask me about seeing my mother's butsudan."

Hiboshi's jaw trembled. The girl looked away.

"Haruhi told me about that last week."

"You could still come."

"I never met her, Ms. Kurono. It's not my place."

Kurumu decided not to press the issue. Asuka had dropped the bomb during home economics today since most of them were done with their pillows and Ms. Hitori had let them gossip the hour away. Hiboshi was not the only girl that had known about it without Kurumu breaking the news. Both Meisai and Shinayaka had known about it from Irewata.

"It's okay. Some other girls said the same thing."

Despite Asuka broadcasting Kurumu's loss to the whole classroom, the only girls whom had offered to join the viewing tonight was Kazehana, Uta and Mizudake. Everyone else acted like it would be impolite to visit mommy's shrine. Mikomi's brush off had cut deeper than the others, leaving Kurumu with a feeling of guilt for not doing anything about Mr. Sawayaka's passing.

"Why are you asking everyone if they want to come?"

"I don't know. I guess it's because I tried to hide it from Tsukune and he got mad at me."

"You're hopeless. Why would you ever toy with the thought of dating another guy when you're still hanging off Aono's every word?"

"I'm not seriously thinking of dating anyone right now."

"Which is fine. We're all too young to be fretting over serious relationships."

Kurumu smirked at Tora.

"I saw Tsukune out in the hall with Kaneshiro. Where did Mizore run off to?"

"She left the class with him. Your guess is as good as mine."

Kurumu nodded as a familiar group of second year girls entered the room through the back door. Seeing Hajihachi with Noboru, Shikichi and Sangi had Kurumu appreciate the height she had been trying to imitate yesterday. The lovely Negai was tiny compared to these girls whom all stood at least as tall as Tsukune. And here Kurumu was shorter than the ebony haired beauty.

"Ms. Kurono. These ladies are ready for their pictures."

Kurumu frowned at Hajihachi whom had stopped at the back of the aisle ahead of the other girls. She pushed off the desk onto her feet.

"What about Fukuda?"

Hajihachi thumbed at the other girls.

"We talked to Mr. Kaneshiro and he said that he dismissed her from duties today. She'll be at the fencing hall with the other girls."

Kurumu glanced at Tora whom shrugged.

"I guess you can tell Ginei where I'm going."

"Ginei won't be coming."

"That dog skipped school today."

"He's doing that favor for Mr. Kaneshiro."

Kurumu nodded at Hajihachi's explanation as she strolled down the aisle to join the older girls.

"I don't know why you believe that dog."

"It's not a lie, Tori. Ms. Kurono can vouch for him."

Noboru huffed, starting off which prompted the other girls to follow

"As if we should trust her. She supports your abusive relationship."

"Hey now. I think Mika and him are good together."

"You've always had a crush on him, Mitsuki."

"And you haven't?"

Shikichi scowled as they exited the classroom, shaking her head vehemently.

"I have never liked that mutt."

"Admit it, Tori. You loved having those dorks in our homeroom. You're bored to tears with how mundane your new homeroom is."

"I would enjoy my position more if that dog wasn't trying to recreate the stupidity of last year. I don't recall Mr. Kaiketsu being such a nuisance last year."

"Neither do I, but it's not like we paid that side of the hall that much attention."

Kurumu grinned at Hajihachi as they walked by the open front doors of class one and two.

"I hope you didn't have any troubles today because of your interviews yesterday."

Hajihachi smirked, gesturing at Noboru.

"No. But I've spoken with Maemi about her situation with Mr. Jiseki and have given Hazuka a hard time over Sir Utsutei's potential interest."

"Don't start that up again."

Kurumu grinned, trying to feign ignorance.

"What's this? Does the most popular tengu guy in school have a thing for Ms. Noboru?"

"Mika's just fucking with me. No way that's true."

"Why don't you try asking him out?"

Noboru scowled as they reached the end of the hall and drifted to the right for the staircase.

"Only desperate chicks and shameless harpies try to talk to Sir Utsutei. I am neither."

"So you would tell him no if he asked you out."

"That won't happen because he won't ask me out."

"Well I won't encourage him to ask you out if you're just going to tell him no."

"Since when do you talk to Sir Utsutei?"

"I could if I felt like helping a girl find true love."

Noboru rolled her honey eyes as they started down the stairs.

"Shut the fuck up."

"Is there a guy that you would want to ask you out?"

"No. Most boys are too immature to handle a serious relationship."

"Oh. I didn't think Sir Utsutei was immature."

Even Shikichi giggled as they hit the landing and turned about to head down the second flight.

"Now you're the one fucking with me."

"I don't understand. Do you not like Sir Utsutei?"

"This is about my brother, isn't it?"

"I don't even know your brother."

"You have some little harpy wanting to get knocked up by him."

"No. I've helped that girl find some other guy. The girl that likes him is a tengu."

"Same thing. My brother doesn't need to make any babies."

Sangi snorted as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

"You must be obsessed with your little brother to be thinking that teasing you over a guy has anything to do with him."

"She's trying to distract me from a serious situation or make me less opposed to it."

Sangi laughed, hitting the door and holding it open for them. Shikichi and Noboru headed out first while Kurumu followed on their heels with Hajihachi at her side. Negai silently trailed behind them. The table and chairs which Tsukune and Akari's group used for lunch remained.

"Your brother is in high school now. Let the man speak for himself."

"My brother is too young to be fooling with women."

"Your brother is the same age as my friend."

"Doubtful. His birthday is in the middle of March."

Kurumu frowned, wondering how that mattered.

"Yea. And Michiko's birthday is in November."

"My brother doesn't need to be dating an older woman."

"You're making a deal over four months?!"

Shikichi snickered as they trekked across the grass towards a wide, dirt trail which started at the edge of the forest. That smooth path passed by the kendo training hall, continuing all the way to Mononoke.

"She fussed like mad when her brother asked me out two years ago. Said I was too old for him."

"And you are. This other chick is probably dumb."

Kurumu scowled, wanting to smack this dumb bitch.

"Michiko isn't dumb. She's like a top fifty student."

"Yea. And Kuroi is a top twenty student."

"Do you want this girl to be smarter than him?"

"She's too dumb and too old. End of discussion."

Kurumu sighed heavily. She held back a comment about letting Yukari know about having Noboru's approval, imagining this girl would say something nasty about witches not being good enough.

"I think I'd be happier pointing Sir Utsutei to Ms. Shikichi. She's smarter and more attractive."

"Fuck off."

"Well it's true."

Noboru turned wide eyes upon Shikichi. When Shikichi shrugged, the pixie haired girl smacked Shikichi's shoulder with the back of her hand.

"Don't join in on this nonsense."

"I agree that it's nonsense. Why would Sir Utsutei want a tall, scrawny chick like you?"

"Traitor!"

"How am I a traitor?"

"You stuff your bra!"

"Now you're being petty."

"But it's true."

"Oh please. We had measurements done in the same gym period. I saw your numbers and you saw mine. We both know that I have bigger tits."

"You just have a fatter torso."

"We had both measurements taken, moron. Now you're talking out your tail feathers."

Noboru slapped Shikichi. The two started to exchange slaps as the rest of them carried on towards the woods without the pair. Kurumu could only shake her head.

"You poked the hornet's nest there."

Kurumu chuckled at Hajihachi's remark.

"I guess. I still don't know what he sees in her."

"Maybe he likes her attitude."

Kurumu wished she could embellish on her understanding of Utsutei's thoughts but knew it would not make any sense to Sangi.

"Probably. There are girls that likes guys with difficult attitudes."

"I hope that isn't a shot at me."

"It's not. Ginei is interesting."

"Frustrating is more accurate."

"Are you two being serious about Mr. Utsutei having a thing for Hazuka?"

Sangi's eyes widened when they both nodded in unison.

"That is crazy."

"Hazuka is pretty."

"Not saying she isn't. But still."

They paused when they reached the start of the trail. The squabble was over with Noboru stomping back towards the school. Shikichi was fussing with her school jacket as she made her way over to them.

"What happened?"

"Stupid bitch. She can't win a fist fight against me."

"You punched her?"

"Only way to stop that dummy. One sock to the mouth and she runs off crying."

Kurumu smiled apologetically as they slowly started into the woods.

"I didn't mean to cause trouble between you two."

"It's not serious. She gets worked up over dumb shit like this often."

"Maybe you shouldn't agitate her."

"And you guys weren't? She only tries to mess with me because she knows I won't hurt her too bad."

Kurumu nodded as they progressed down the trail. She could already see the training hall further up the path on the left side. It was a long, rectangular single story building with a front porch which spanned the entire length of the structure.

"You had Miyamoto in your class last year."

"We did."

"Do you have a crush on him?"

Shikichi blushed darkly, shaking her head vehemently.

"Of course not! Whom in their right mind would like a guy that talks about little girls with a creepy glimmer in their gorgeous blue eyes?"

"Gorgeous?"

"Wrong word. I meant evil."

"Those two words aren't even remotely alike."

"Don't push it, Ms. Kurono. We can't have Tori walking off in a huff."

Shikichi scowled at Sangi's amusement.

"I said it wrong."

"We know. We know."

They kept silent for the remainder of their short journey. They veered off the path a short way before ascending the three stairs preceding the screened in porch. Everyone removed their school slippers on the top stair before drawing the screen door aside and stepping up onto the wooden porch. A shelf was built into the wall directly across from the door for them to place their footwear.

The building was divided into two sections. The side to the left of the central door was painted white while everything on the other side was painted black. It was her understanding that this was to represent yin and yang though it had her wonder why the building was not a circle. Kosai could not answer that, guessing it was probably easier to build a rectangle.

They moved over to the center of the black side, drawing open the door. The walls and mats were all black but the ceiling fans were white. There were doors leading into smaller rooms on either side of the large hall. Kosai had told her about changing rooms, but had warned her about there being no showers or bathrooms. The only water they had out here was from a cooler in one of the offices.

"Ms. Kurono!"

Kosai bounded over to them. Kokoa was here with an arm draped over Ishiko as she chatted with the Akebara sisters and Zenpyou. Asakira and Naratoki were carrying on their own conversation nearby.

"Do you want us dressed up in our fencing gear for the pictures?"

Kurumu shrugged indifferently as she noted the last group. Coach Takaku had braided hair quite similar to Tadashiguchi. The sandy blond messing with the big senior was Udetama Imi. She was about the same height as Fukuda whom was wisely keeping her distance from the exchange.

"That's up to you."

Kosai turned sharply and held her hand up high.

"Does everyone think we should be dressed up in our gear for pictures?"

Kurumu was mildly surprised when every girl in the room raised their hands.

"Okay then. Let's go get changed."

Kurumu flinched when Udetama appeared at Negai's side in the blink of an eye. The blond draped her arms about the shorter girl, tugging her in close.

"Tenshi! Spar with me!"

"Do we have time?"

"Course we do. Tadashi refuses to play with me."

Shikichi huffed, strutting up beside the pair.

"We are having our pictures taken, Ms. Udetama. If we practice, it will be after."

"And I still need to do your interview."

Having favored a tongue at Shikichi, the blond turned a fanged grin upon Kurumu.

"Sure. Come with us. Doubts ya be shy bouts talking with a bunch of naked girls."

"I also have to do Coach Takaku."

The gym coach perked up at the sound of her name. She gestured towards a room the other girls were walking towards.

"We can do my interview after the pictures."

"Move it, Kurono."

Kurumu chuckled, following after the blond whom remained clinging to the smaller Negai. She reached into her schoolbag, fishing out her notebook which contained the rest of the interviews.

"I already have a lot about you. I don't suppose you've acquired any love interests since we lost spoke."

"I might make Tenshi a woman soon."

Negai giggled but made no attempts to escape the byakko's clutches.

"Don't be stupid."

Kurumu grinned, tugging her mechanical pencil out and flipping her notebook open to the page which she had already started for the blond.

"I think you're asking for too much."