Interlude – "Who are you calling~?"
Aono Tsukune's return to life marked the beginning of a new set of peaceful days.
His first semester of high school ended rather anti-climatically with an expected announcement from the Chairman – he would need to stay behind and take summer classes. He had been gone too long and was too far behind in his studies. Fortunately for him, his newfound girlfriend – Kurono Kurumu, a lovely succubus – was also staying behind at Youkai Academy and taking the same classes. This made the other students who got stuck in summer classes to be the first ones to learn that he had returned from the dead. They had many questions for him, of course, but he deflected since there were parts that he had to keep secret.
And if anyone bothered him too much, Kurumu promptly chased them away.
"Mind your business!" she would shout at them, baring sharp nails as needed. While it was not yet known that Kurumu was the one who killed Kuyou, it was known that she was in the News Club and helped take the Enforcers out. So, none of the remaining youkai wanted to cross her.
Which meant that she had plenty of time to be with her darling Tsukune~!
With the other members of the News Club – including the new recruit Mizore – gone, there were no club activities to do. The two of them spent most days outside of classes together, sometimes studying, sometimes on dates. One of the few days that the two of them had planned to spend separate was one where they ended up meeting again anyway.
As it turned out, it was the day when Tsukune decided that he should finally call his parents. Tsukune had come by to the room with all the landline phones on occasion to fill his mom (and occasionally his dad, when it was the weekend) in on the goings on of Youkai Academy. But since his death, neither he nor anyone else had been in touch with them. So, it was time to fix that, especially since he was staying at the school for the whole of Summer Break.
On that same day, Kurumu decided it was time to call her mom as well. Unlike Tsukune, she had only called her mom once – just after arriving to confirm that she had arrived safely. It's not as if they weren't close. But as a youkai, Kurumu was (supposedly) safe here, so there was little need or desire for regular checkups. With all that had happened this semester though, Kurumu thought it was about time for to get back in touch.
Especially with the biggest news of all. She now had a boyfriend – Aono Tsukune, a lovely human. And he even wanted to marry her (maybe) (according to her, anyway) (well, she wanted to marry him, at least)!
"Tsukune-kun~!" She called to him as she entered the room, a receiver already in his hands. "Who are you calling~?"
"Oh, Kurumu-chan! Good afternoon. I'm calling my mom," replied the man as Kurumu skipped to his side. "Actually, since you're here, I can introduce you."
He then stopped himself, realized what he just said, and his face turned bright red.
And if anything, Kurumu's face was even redder. "I-introduce...!?"
Only a realization that this was a terrible time to freeze up got her to speak up and accept his offer. That snapped him out of it too, letting him finally dial his home phone number in and wait with baited breath for a response. The phone rang for a few moments before someone picked up.
"Tsukune? Is that you?" came the voice on the other end – Tsukune's mom, Aono Kasumi.
"...Hi, Mom. Yeah, it's me."
"Oh! It's so good to hear from you again. It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"Y-yeah... it has..."
Tsukune started trembling, the phone shaking in his hands, tears ready to fall from his eyes. Kurumu, always near, took his free hand in hers and came closer, drawing him into a hug.
"...it really has...!"
"...Tsukune? Are things okay over there? Did something happen...?"
"..."
Tsukune backed away from the phone, took, a deep breath, and then gave his mom a version of the truth. Some bullies targeted him and he ended up in the hospital for a while.
"...! Oh! Oh my... Tsukune, I know we made you go to that school... but if it's not safe there, then you should come home. We'll figure something out so you can finish school, and..."
"No!" Tsukune blurted out.
"...Eh?"
"I, uhhh... I don't think I'll have to deal with those bullies anymore." At least, he sure hoped so. "And I've made friends here, so it hasn't been all bad. Also..."
He gulped, and then nodded to Kurumu.
"...there's someone I want you to meet. I told you about her before. Kurumu."
"...oh! I see. Yes, please put her on."
Tsukune handed the phone to Kurumu... and then realized both her hands were full, and so he held it for her while she introduced herself to his mom. "Hello~! I'm Kurono Kurumu~! I... I'm... I'm Tsukune's girlfriend~!"
Kurumu could almost hear Kasumi's smile through the phone. "That's wonderful. I'm Aono Kasumi. I do hope Tsukune is taking good care of you."
"O-of course! I'm having a great time with him. I'm sorry that he couldn't make it home for the break. I... the bullies went after me too, and I couldn't... I..."
This time, Tsukune was the one who pulled Kurumu in.
"It's okay," was Kasumi's reply. "I'm just glad you're there for him now. Oh, I'm wondering, how has the summer been over there?"
Kurumu sniffed, and then promptly launched into a tale of their recent date by the lake shore. They couldn't go into all the details, of course, as a kraken (a student out for a swim, not the creepy teacher) had shown up, but Kurumu only wanted to focus on the good parts anyway. The two of them alternated in telling Kasumi all about those lovely days, and Tsukune made a point to confirm that yes, he would be staying at Youkai Academy for the whole summer.
"Ah, but you'll be back for the winter, won't you?" asked Kasumi.
"I sure hope so," said Tsukune back. "I want you to meet Kurumu in person."
Kurumu was too flustered to add anything, instead kissing Tsukune on the cheek.
"We'll look forward to seeing both of you then."
And with a bit more chatter and some goodbyes, one call was down.
Once Tsukune had put down the phone, Kurumu promptly picked it up and started dialing.
Tsukune blinked. "Kurumu, you came here to call your mom too?"
She nodded, holding the phone up to her ear. "That's right. Since you're here, I'll introduce you too~! I just hope she's not too busy to pick up... oh! Hi Mom~!"
Kurono Ageha yawned on the other end. "Good morning dear~."
"Eh, morning? You off traveling again?" asked Kurumu.
"That's right, Kurumu. Taking a little vacation, meeting some cute men... the usual for me, hehehe~!"
"Oh, speaking of men... I found him!"
"...oh? You have, have you~?" Ageha's curiosity was clear, though her tone remained playful.
"That's right! His name is Tsukune! He's here right now actually!" Kurumu declared, preening.
"Oh, put him on then~!"
Kurumu proudly handed the receiver over to Tsukune, who placed it gently near his ear. "Good morning. I'm Aono Tsukune, Kurumu's boyfriend. It's nice to meet you."
"Well, he-," and Tsukune didn't hear any more than that, having taken the phone away from his ear. Why Kurumu's mom was trying to charm him was beyond him, but he knew enough that the best thing to do was to make sure he didn't hear anything else. Kurumu, blinked, confused, before she had a realization and angrily snatched the phone from Tsukune's hand.
"Mom!? Did you just try to charm my boyfriend!?"
"Hahaha~! He realized it on his own? He's quite quick on the draw. I'm sure that'll come in handy one day~!"
The two of them were quite lucky to be alone, as Kurumu was now screaming into the phone, loud enough that Tsukune needed to back away. "MOM! THAT'S NOT OKAY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?"
"Now, now, dear..."
"ANSWER THE QUESTION, MOM!"
"My, my... that's quite the reaction for someone you've only known a few months. ...he's really the one, huh?"
"That's right, he is! So, you're not allowed to mess with him ether, got it!?"
"Okay, okay, dear... but my, you've never had a temper like this before!" noted Ageha.
"Yes, well..." Kurumu turned to Tsukune, who walked back over. "Tsukune, it is fine if I tell her everything?"
"Of course. Actually, let me talk to her again, too..."
And with that decided, Ageha was filled in on the whole truth regarding the relationship between Kurumu and Tsukune. The whole truth. Meaning she also learned about the deaths of Tsukune and Kuyou and of Youta's plans for her daughter. Ageha was currently on the sunny shores of southern Anatolia, but now wished dearly that she was back in Japan so that she could hold Kurumu in her arms for a while. And Tsukune was quite brave, being a human and continuing to stay by her daughter's side after his miraculous resurrection.
Maybe there was something to that whole Destined One thing after all? Maybe Kurumu had really done it. She'd met someone she could have happiness for the rest of her days with.
But unless Youta was stopped, those days would never come.
"Dear, you just worry about school. I'll deal with that man," declared Ageha during the call.
"...eh?" replied Kurumu. Her mother's voice had an edge that she'd never heard before. "Wait, no, I can't do that! We're going to stop him together!"
"Kurumu, I know I don't do this often, but as your mother, I'm ordering you to stay out of trouble," was Ageha's reply.
"But Mom...!"
But Ageha wouldn't hear it, and Kurumu had to accept these terms. Ageha then asked for Tsukune to be put on the line, and a now sulking Kurumu did just that, zoning out of the conversation.
Ageha spoke to Tsukune in a whisper. "Sorry about earlier~. Now then... make sure Kurumu stays safe, will you? I know you're only human, but please do your best."
"Of course!" was Tsukune's instant reply.
Ageha breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you. I concerned about these sudden bursts of violence... they're not like Kurumu at all. You must have noticed that too, right?"
"Yeah, do you know anything about it?"
"Mmmm... no, I don't. But that damn Chairman ought to, and if he doesn't then you'll want to look in that Library."
Tsukune nodded. "Got it."
"Wonderful. Between you and the rest of her friends, I'm sure you'll be fine. Oh, and don't let me take up the rest of your day~! I'll leave the two of you to it~! I'll come by to visit later!"
She then gave a warm farewell to Kurumu as well, promising to call her privately later, and then hung up. Kurumu complained again about how her mom tried to charm her precious Tsukune, but Tsukune laughed it off and gave her a kiss. Her mom meant well, after all.
"I guess... hey, what were the two of you talking about in whispers?" she then asked.
"I'm afraid that's a secret," was Tsukune's reply, leading to even more (ineffective) pouts.
Kurumu then demanded that he study with her in exchange for her dropping the matter, a deal he was all too happy to accept. He didn't want to deal with Kurumu's darker side until he was ready. Maybe at that point, they'd be able to do something about it.
The rest of the summer passed by in an almost completely peaceful blur.
Tsukune made a full academic recovery, and even managed to make it above average in some subjects. Kurumu, meanwhile, entered into the realm of the average for the first time since entering Youkai Academy. Of course, she credited Tsukune with being the cause of her success, though in his mind, he didn't do much of anything other than be there for her. But that was all that she needed~!
Closer to the start of classes, the rest of the News Club would return – Moka, Gin, Yukari, and the newest member Mizore. The summer trip was a bittersweet success. They found the hostile Witch, and stopped her, but she chose to go down fighting and died in the struggle. She also had an apprentice by the name of Ruby, and Yukari was now in contact with her, though she chose to make herself scarce for now.
Good thing too, as the four of them had also ran into Fairy Tale thugs and chased them off.
Of course, this meant that they were now on that group's radar, but that was going to happen no matter what. Now was the perfect time to start preparing for the inevitable battle!
And speaking of Fairy Tale... the one moment of broken peace came when she arrived.
It was the weekend before classes were to start. The usual trio of Kurumu, Tsukune, and Moka were out training, this time joined by Mizore (who was fighting as well), Yukari, Gin, and Araiko (who were all just watching). As the four were sparring, a girl walked over to their spot in the forest, coughing loudly to draw in their attention.
"Oi! Which one of you is Kuruno Kurumu!?"
Said girl was about Kurumu's height, with a blonde ponytail flowing down her neck and the same golden, piercing eyes as the deceased Kuyou. She was wearing a ruffled school uniform, partially unbuttoned to show off her chest, bow tie completely untied and draped around her. She was also not bothering to hide her malice, a rancid aura blazing around her.
Everyone else at once moved closer to Kurumu, but the succubus bid them part and let her talk to the new girl. She had an idea. One that was likely to fail, but she at least wanted to give it a shot!
"Hiya~!" said Kurumu. "I'm Kurumu~! It's nice to meet you, Miss...?"
The girl acted unfazed. She spat on the ground, and then gave Kurumu an stare so intense Kurumu thought she might burst into flames. "Don't act all chipper with me, you bitch! I haven't forgotten what you did to my brother! I, Akatenno Maiko, will avenge his death!"
As Maiko's hands turned into fox's claws and her teeth sharpened, the crowd behind Kurumu prepared for a fight. But Kurumu herself did not. Instead, she walked up to Maiko, as close as she dared. When she was within striking range, she reached out, took Maiko's hands in hers...
...and agreed with the enraged fox-girl.
"...huh!?" was the now bewildered Maiko's response.
"You have every right to try and avenge your brother's death," said Kurumu. "I won't deny that I did it, or that I hurt you by doing so. But... I want you to understand how that happened. I don't think your father would have told you. If you still want to fight me after you learn the truth, then... I'll do it."
Maiko, eyes dancing between Kurumu and the crowd behind her, thought it over, silently. She had been totally taken off guard. Her heart was pounding. What was this girl's plan!? Why did she look so sad!? And why hadn't she already gutted this damned succubus!? Agh...
"...Tch! Fine!" Maiko backed up and released her partial transformation, going back to appearing fully human. "I'll come find you later. Alone."
She then stomped off, now needing to deal with the whirlwind of emotions in her head and heart.
A whirlwind that Kurumu could sense quite easily as the others returned to her side.
Maybe her plan wasn't doomed to failure after all~!