"That is incorrect, Ms. Kurono. You ignored the existence of i."
Kurumu frowned, looking down at the worksheet. She wondered if that was what this little character was next to the numbers in most of the problems. That might explain why her answers were not matching with any of the ones her peers were coming up with.
"What am I supposed to do with it?"
Ms. Shuzen Kuzu sighed heavily. The vampire had on a black cherry jacket over a carnation pink blouse. Black slacks hugged her hips with a simple tan belt with a chrome buckle encircling her waist. Her ebony tresses were held back in a high ponytail.
"It's a variable, Ms. Kurono."
"But I'm not asked to solve for it."
"Because it has a known value. The square root of negative one. You treat it like a variable and when it becomes squared, you factor it in."
Kurumu stared blankly at the teacher.
"Sure. I can do that."
Juri, Satsuki and several other girls started to giggle as Ms. Shuzen wagged her answer sheet.
"This was the subject of the entire lesson yesterday. Were you not paying attention?"
Kurumu honestly had no idea what had been discussed in any of her classes yesterday.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Shuzen. Though I don't understand why this i variable even matters."
"It's an imaginary number which allows for a complete mathematical system."
"Can't we just deal with real numbers?"
"Numbers aren't real to begin with. They are a concept created to understand the amount of things."
"When will I ever have the amount of the square root of negative one?"
"This is algebra, Ms. Kurono. It isn't difficult. The existence of i allows for the application of formulas that involve measuring a deficit."
"I'll never need to measure a deficit."
"Your spending habits suggest otherwise."
Even Kumiko snickered at Yukari's offhand remark.
"Settle down, ladies. Ms. Kurono isn't the only student with wrong answers. You may sit down, Ms. Kurono. The correct answer for question seventeen is four. Please stand up, Ms. Utsumi, and provide us the answer for the next question."
Kurumu pouted as she knelt down beside her schoolbag. Glancing at the worksheet, she did see how they had come up with the answers for at least the first three problems she had missed. Multiplying negative one would change the sign in front.
"That is correct, Ms. Utsumi."
Kurumu looked up in alarm.
"I didn't hear the answer."
Kurumu blushed as the giggles about her resumed.
"Please take this course seriously, Ms. Kurono."
"I'm sorry, Teacher."
"The answer was negative three fourteenths."
"No disrespect, Teacher. But I also wonder when we will ever use this in our lives."
"Assigning variables to unknowns is an important skill, Ms. Morisato. Some mathematicians even assign zero a value so that they can divide by zero which is otherwise impossible."
"Why would anyone want to do that?"
"Because they can, Ms. Sendou. What is important is that this shall be on your exams. Now, Ms. Anko. Can you provide the next answer?"
"Yes, Teacher. Four x squared i plus twenty seven x plus seven i."
"Correct. You may be seated. Ms. Nomura. Next answer."
Kurumu sighed as she looked over the worksheet, doubting she had any of them right.
"You look glum."
Kurumu forced a smile at Juri's smirk.
"I bombed this worksheet."
"It's not hard when you treat it like another x or y."
Kurumu flinched at Satsuki's comment, wondering if she was the only idiot to miss every single problem.
"At least it's not graded."
"Kurumu was thinking more about having a y shoved in her x."
"Enough chatter, girls. Ms. Endo. Next question."
Kurumu wagged a finger at Juri and the sprite responded with a finger and hole gesture. The sprite had been teasing her all morning after her complaint about not seeing Nijiro since Saturday. She wanted to be held. She wanted to feel loved. She wanted to have that satisfied expression Niiya had possessed last night. Why did they not have sex last weekend?
She sort of knew the answer. Term exams were coming up. She should be focusing on her academics. There was also the student council election on Saturday and she needed to join her new club by the following Saturday. This was not the time to think about being pounded into blissful oblivion.
"Very good, Ms. Yotsumure."
Ms. Shuzen glanced at her wrist as Yotsumure sat down.
"There is not much time left so I will conclude the lesson for today. If you have any questions about this assignment, I trust that Ms. Sendou and Ms. Anko can help you understand."
"Yes, Teacher."
"We will have a graded quiz next Tuesday covering the final subjects that will be on the exam. Starting tomorrow we will be discussing cubic roots and roots of higher powers. You can find examples in your textbooks if you wish to come to class prepared."
The teacher strolled over to the corner, bending down to pick up her black leather satchel. She stuffed her portfolio into it before slinging the satchel up onto her shoulder. She turned to face the class.
"I thank you all for your time. And Ms. Unari. Please wake up Ms. Genzouyaki."
Several girls giggled as the teacher stiffly walked out of the class. Kagami wisely allowed Ms. Shuzen to leave before running out to visit her sister. Sighing, Kurumu stuffed her worksheet into her schoolbag.
"Lunch yet?"
"No. We just finished math. It'll be a few minutes before Ms. Uchikawa gets here to start chemistry."
Ms. Uchikawa had her second period lecture in Chikara, the first year boys' dorm. Figuring she had time to kill, Kurumu set her schoolbag aside and pushed up onto her feet.
"Come walk with me, Nerume."
The kirin covered her yawn with her eyes mostly closed as Satsuki put away her worksheet.
"What do you want with her?"
"I was thinking a little physical activity would wake her up. And I wanted to check on a few things with some girls in class eight."
"What do you need in class eight?"
"Akiyama didn't know if her acupuncture club was changing their meeting times. And I may as well confirm with Ms. Andou if her club is having their weekly meeting tonight."
Nerume stumbled upright, using the wall for support.
"Should be at five in Mr. Katouishi's room."
"No harm in checking. And it's not like I've ever met Ms. Andou. I'd like to be properly introduced."
"There is a girl in this school you haven't made friends with?"
Kurumu stuck her tongue out at Juri's grin as Satsuki huffed with a shake of her head.
"I'm more surprised that she wants to meet with the acupuncture club."
"I've always wanted to meet Ms. Kubo from Kana's homeroom."
"You're supposed to be looking for a new club. Not making up reasons to expand your acquaintances."
"Yea, yea. Do you want to tag along?"
Juri sighed, leaning against the wall.
"Nah. I'll just chill here with Ms. Unari and talk trash about you behind your back."
"Not like we need her to leave to do that."
"Very funny. Come on, Nerume."
The kirin yawned, clinging to Kurumu as they turned about to start towards the door. Her offside ponytail brushed Kurumu's shoulder while her left hand pressed firmly against Kurumu's left hip. Kurumu guided the shuffling girl behind Madosuki, Endo and finally Yotsumure. Since Nomura had left, the remaining path to the door was clear.
Stepping out into the hall, Kurumu noticed that the door for Tora's group was closed. They were still having their history lecture since Ms. Nekonome had her first period in Chikara.
Kurumu steered Nerume down the hallway, seeing a blond teacher dressed in a white blouse and a navy pleated skirt which almost bared her knees. That was Ms. Komeshita and she was hanging out by the door to Kana's group. The English teacher was the advisor for the ikebana club. The teacher did not have a class second period so she often waited in the hall for Ms. Huang to finish her chemistry lecture.
"Morning, Ms. Komeshita. Is Ms. Zaiten finished with her lecture?"
Kurumu came to a stop, gesturing at the closed door across the hall from Ms. Komeshita.
"Yes. One of the girls absently closed it when she left for their break."
Kurumu voiced her gratitude as she slipped out of Nerume's grasp to open the door. From what she heard from Akari, the class had twenty two girls. Upon entering, Kurumu guessed that half the class was absent. The buxom Akiyama was sitting by the wall behind a very plain looking, short haired girl. Beside Akiyama was Kaimura with her long, magma tresses almost brushing the floor.
"Have you met Kaimura and Akiyama?"
Nerume shook her head as they started across the room.
"Then I'll introduce you."
Though Akiyama was one of the girls she needed to talk to, Kurumu wanted to chat with the two girls seated in the front of the nondescript brunette. The girl next to the wall with curled bangs and her honey locks pulled in an updo was Naratoki Izumi from Shizukana. She was one of the girls in the fencing club and she shared the same October birthday as this other girl.
"Hey, Mikomi. How is the campaign going?"
Sawayaka Mikomi smiled warmly upon her while Naratoki frowned.
"Aren't you being rude to address her so casually?"
Kurumu shrugged as she absently placed an arm about Nerume's waist.
"I don't particularly think so."
"It's fine, Izumi. As for my campaign, I think I'm doing okay. I've spoken with several clubs."
"I heard that you talked with the fencing club and the choir."
"I have and hope to speak with the track, band and auto clubs before the end of the week."
"All of the big clubs."
"They do have the most votes."
Kurumu nodded, mildly curious what Nijiro was doing to sway votes to Mikomi's cause.
"Have you met Nerume?"
"Not officially though I do know about her."
Nerume detached from Kurumu's side to bow respectfully.
"Genzouyaki Nerume. Pleased to meet you."
Mikomi and Naratoki quickly got to their feet to return the gesture and echo the sentiments. With a grin, Kurumu patted Nerume on the head.
"This girl will be doing an article about the swimming club."
"Swimming club? I thought the newspaper already did an article for them."
"This one is a little different. We helped free a merman from captivity last night."
"We saw a girl get raped."
Kurumu threw her hands up at the alarmed looks in the girls' eyes.
"It's not as bad as it sounds."
"What exactly happened?"
Kurumu chuckled sheepishly, embarrassed that Nerume had opened with that.
"Well Ginei was trying to rope me back into the club. He was thinking if I helped save this guy from the mermaids, I would be cool with writing the article."
"She asked me to do the article and we brought Satsuki, Ms. Hineri and Ms. Nazohashi along."
"I didn't ask Kumiko to tag along, but it was good that she did."
"How does this result in the rape of a girl?"
"I'm also confused. While Morioka is a misogynist, I can't see him raping a girl in front of the PSC."
Kurumu's eyes widened at Naratoki's conclusion.
"It wasn't him! It was the merman."
Both girls frowned, sharing a look.
"The one you were rescuing?"
"When we tried to release him into the ocean, he decided to rape Ms. Niiya. It happened real fast so there wasn't much we could have done to stop it."
"She had her babies right after that. We were stuck there for more than an hour since she refused to leave without them. I was late to dinner."
Kurumu sighed at the puzzled expressions.
"I honestly don't know what happened afterwards because I left. Hopefully Nerume's article about this adventure won't be too confusing."
Mikomi smiled softly, turning her powder blue eyes upon Kurumu.
"What exactly was Mr. Morioka thinking? I can't imagine that the swimming club will be happy with this."
"We had Mr. Ashimizu with us. He's been mad with Ms. Ichinose since she allowed the slaughter of a bunch of girls last year. He wanted an article to expose Ms. Ichinose's crimes."
Mikomi nodded thoughtfully.
"I see. Am I correct in thinking that this favor will get Mr. Morioka the bowling club's support?"
"That did sound like the arrangement."
"Then I should thank him. I believe that the entire bowling club attended school in Umiman. They were more likely to support Machida than my campaign."
"There's Ms. Fujinuma. We should talk to her."
Naratoki pointed behind Kurumu. Fujinuma had just entered the room with Yarimizu. The mermaid had dark blue, swirly locks which were short. Yarimizu's hazel eyes met Kurumu's and the blond started towards them.
"I will leave you to that. I need to have a chat with Ms. Andou about her astronomy club. Is she here?"
The plain girl looked up and raised her hand with a sheepish smile.
"Um… that would be me."
"Can I talk with you?"
Kurumu turned and wagged a finger at Yarimizu as Mikomi and Naratoki strolled away.
"In a moment. I need to properly introduce myself to Ms. Andou."
"I'm pretty sure she knows whom you are."
Andou giggled, getting up to her feet.
"I do. I'm Andou Ayano. Pleased to meet you."
"Kurono Kurumu. I understand that you have a meeting tonight at your senior's place."
"We do. Though we will not stay there. We were thinking about going to the school."
"We were?"
Andou laughed at Nerume's confusion.
"I met with Mr. Kokutan during dinner last night. I was going to run to the school after classes to see if we would be allowed roof access. It would be much better than watching the stars from the roof than Mr. Katouishi's balcony. Less trees obscuring the horizon."
"That sounds like fun."
Andou smiled at Nerume's remark. She turned her brown eyes upon Kurumu.
"Will Ms. Shirayuki also be joining us tonight?"
"Mizore is going to stick with her drama club."
"But she'll be on campus. She could stick around and watch the stars with us."
"We don't even know if we are going to the school yet. We can ask her if we are."
"I do hope that you are pleased with our small club."
"Ms. Kurono."
Kurumu held a hand at Yarimizu as she turned her attention to Akiyama.
"I also wanted to visit your club, Akiyama. Did they change the meeting time?"
The buxom girl's lilac eyes met Kurumu's and she nodded. She clambered up onto her feet with her vibrant, maroon tresses dancing down to the small of her back.
"Yes. It will be at two thirty starting today. I'm glad that you're considering us."
"Of course. Have you met Nerume?"
"I can't say that I have."
"Genzouyaki Nerume. This is Akiyama Ume and Kaimura Yuko."
"I'm not getting up, but pleased to meet you."
Nerume giggled at Kaimura's remark. She nodded her head.
"Pleased to meet you both."
"Did you speak with Yamabato?"
Kurumu sighed, turning to address the blond.
"No. I thought you were letting the boys handle it."
Yarimizu pouted, wringing her hands. Hikari slipped behind the blond, taking a seat beside Andou.
"Hey, Kurumu."
Kurumu nodded at Hotaru whom promptly took a seat next to Hikari. A cursory glance of the room confirmed that many of the absent girls had returned to the room during her conversation. Fujinuma was smiling and nodding at whatever Mikomi was telling her.
"I did give that Tanboshi fellow the poetry but I don't know if they handled it."
"Did you get another love letter?"
"Well… no."
"Then there's no reason to assume that they didn't embarrass him. I'm sure that they would."
"Maybe you're right."
Kurumu felt relieved when Ms. Huang stepped through the open doorway. The foreigner was dressed in the same outfit as always which bared much of her milky white cleavage. Kurumu grabbed Nerume by the arm and started for the door.
"Looks like you're class might start soon. We can talk about your boy problems at lunch tomorrow."
Yarimizu pouted as Kurumu steered Nerume towards the door. Nerume favored her a frown but dutifully followed along. Once they were out in the hall, Kurumu let go of Nerume. She slowly walked back in the direction of their classroom.
"What was that girl talking about?"
"Just a girl whom will regret leaving a good guy behind for stupid reasons."
"Do you have something to say to Ms. Kurono?"
Anagume Kosame clung tightly to the side of her older sister. Her black hair was trimmed in a simple bowl cut which hid her ears. She peered intently at Kurumu with void black eyes.
"Would … … … … … … club?"
Her mumbled words were adorable and barely comprehensible. Kurumu grinned, glancing at the older sister, Arukune. The second year was about the same height as Kurumu. She looked almost identical to Kosame, but had her dark hair pulled back in a pair of braided pigtails. Both girls hailed from the Tsunan region, attending the junior high in Aserutani.
"I didn't catch what she said."
Kurumu smirked at Nozomi whom sat on the other side of Mizore. The hazel eyed okami favored the small girls with a snaggletooth grin. Arukune patted her sister's head when Kosame turned her back to them, placing her face against her sister's chest.
"Go on. You can say it again louder."
"I think it was about her club."
Nikki shushed Kiba whom was sitting across their lunchroom table from Kurumu. Nikki shook her head reproachfully at Kiba's frown. Akari whom sat on Nikki's right smiled warmly.
"Do your best, Ms. Anagume."
Kosame eased away from her sister, stepping closer to Kurumu. She timidly placed a hand on Kurumu's shoulder as she glanced at the floor behind them.
"Would you like to join the Greetings club?"
Kurumu could feel her heart melt at the softness of the request. She impulsively hopped out of her seat, startling the small girl. Before Kosame could bolt, Kurumu snatched the girl up and pressed Kosame's head into her bosom. The girl immediately went limp.
"Oh, I would love to. But I have no clue what your club even does."
Arukune snorted, crossing her arms about her underdeveloped chest.
"Nobody really does."
"Is she going to be okay like that?"
Kurumu giggled at Nikki's concerned tone. She held Kosame tightly, rubbing the back of the girl's head.
"I'm afraid if I let go of her, she'll fall."
"Did she faint?"
"Death by breast induced asphyxiation."
Kurumu stuck her tongue out at Mizore as the other girls giggled. Arukune stalked over, gingerly grabbing hold of her lax sister.
"Give her to me."
Kurumu eased the girl into her sister's arms. Kosame instantly recovered, hugging her sister tightly with her face pressed to Arukune's side. The okami girls giggled.
"Looks like she was playing dead."
"Some animals do that when faced with a scary predator."
Kurumu laughed at their playful accusations.
"I'm not a predator."
"You keep telling yourself that."
"I must say that was easily the most adorable club request that you have gotten."
Kurumu grinned at Akari's declaration. She absently ran her fingers through the little girl's thick hair.
"Definitely. Do you know whom will be the next president of that club?"
Arukune shrugged, relaxing her hold on her sister.
"Not really. Though I'd wager Hitsuji taking it over before Ekizo."
Kurumu perked up at the mention of the airhead beauty.
"Ekizo? I didn't know that she was in the greetings club."
"Those two are the only second years. And as far as I know, Kosame and Hitsuji's sister are the only first years. So it kind of has to be Hitsuji when you think about it."
"Ekizo. That name is familiar."
Kurumu grinned at Mizore's contemplative remark.
"She's from our home economics class. We spoke in the hallway with her when we had that sleepover in Ms. Hajihachi's room."
"The pretty blond."
"Do you have any idea when her club has meetings?"
"After the festival fiasco, they've been meeting Tuesdays and Thursdays at Okutomo's suite which really sucks for me. We either have practice or we are performing for a game. I have to leave her with Ekizo."
Kosame mumbled something unintelligible against Arukune's chest, causing the sister to smirk. Kurumu smiled, already suspecting this was not going to work. She had found out earlier today from Tora that the choir was meeting every Tuesday and Thursday in the band room at four thirty.
"What time do they meet?"
"Five."
"I can't. I'm meeting with the choir tomorrow. But I could swing by on Tuesday."
"I'm surprised your cheerleader squad didn't try to recruit her."
Arukune waved a dismissive hand at Kiba's remark.
"It was brought up but we decided to let her approach us if she wanted to be in our squad."
"Which I won't. Ginei suggested your club so that makes it impossible."
"What does Morioka have to do with this?"
Kurumu huffed at Nozomi.
"Because he'd rub it in my face if I followed his suggestion."
"You should be more worried about your boyfriend's opinion."
"Nijiro wouldn't have an issue with me being a cheerleader."
"Thought it sounds like he'd prefer you to be in a club without guys."
Kurumu frowned at Kiba's offhand remark.
"It's not like that."
"I'm going to be the next captain of our squad."
Kurumu blinked in surprise at Arukune's announcement.
"You are?"
"Yup. We voted for it on the bus back from Katame last night."
"Congratulations, Ms. Anagume."
Arukune grinned at Akari, nodding.
"Thanks. Though it's not like I planned to take over. I just impulsively volunteered since Shirenai refused to be nominated for it."
Kurumu chuckled at the mention of the popular gyokuto guy from Aserutani. The current captain of the squad was another gyokuto guy, though Geijitsu was from Aranoiji. He was dating Nazenara, one of the second years on the volleyball team.
"It must have been a close vote between you and Ms. Kagayama."
"Naw. That lazy bum backed out the moment her cousin suggested her. The vote was between me and Tsubuyama. And it was a close vote."
"That reminds me. How are our teams doing?"
"Both the boys and girls won last night."
"Which means both will be going to regionals."
Kiba snorted at Nozomi's declaration.
"Big deal. Even a fourteen loss team can go to regionals if there is a sixteen loss team."
"And you are both wrong. This isn't baseball and softball."
Nozomi frowned at Arukune.
"What does that have to do with it?"
"Volleyball and basketball regionals are arranged differently. The two teams with the best season records get a bye with the next four teams playing in a first round. If by some chance our teams lose all of their next five games, it is possible that we would be one of the three schools that don't get invited."
"That makes sense. Soccer only had the top four teams go to regionals."
"Nobody cares about your boyfriend's soccer club."
Scowling, Nikki elbowed Kiba. Kiba promptly responded with a slap which made Nikki whimper. The girl pouted while holding her reddened cheek. Arukune giggled, leading her sister away.
"Well I think I'll be going now. Good luck in finding a club, Ms. Kurono."
"Thank you. I'll try visiting your sister's club next week."
Arukune sounded a response, walking off as Kurumu waved farewell.
"Other than the cheerleader squad, are there any other clubs that haven't requested your presence?"
Kurumu chuckled at Nozomi's amused inquiry. She settled back down in her seat, grabbing her can of yuzu juice which was almost empty. It looked like Nikki was content with sulking.
"The auto club hasn't tried to recruit me."
Akari politely smiled as Nozomi giggled.
"I know that you promised that sweet girl's club a visit, but you really should have your new club picked out by the end of this weekend."
"I still have time."
"This isn't something to put off until next Friday."
"She said Tuesday."
"That is cutting it too close, Ms. Kurono. I already know that you aren't seriously going to join that club. Just like you aren't serious about joining the astronomy, acupuncture or sewing clubs. I understand your hesitation to join the gymnastics club, but it is the right size of club for you."
Nozomi drummed her hands on her tray which was laden with emptied lunch cartons.
"Yea. You are running out of time. Most clubs are picking their next captains and presidents this week if they haven't already. Akari was right about Kenshin getting the basketball captain spot."
"Of course I was right. And Ms. Meisai confirmed that Ms. Nazenara will be the next volleyball captain."
Kurumu sighed, thinking about all of the clubs she could possibly join.
"I really want to try the choir."
"Choir isn't karaoke."
Kurumu stuck her tongue out at Kiba.
"I know that. They have a club for karaoke. I'm mildly surprised that they haven't asked me to join them."
Akari politely giggled, covering her mouth to hide her snaggletooth.
"I'm not."
"I'm sure that you have a lovely voice."
"This isn't about her voice, Nozomi. I genuinely have no idea what Ms. Kurono's singing is like."
"Unlike yours."
"Hey! You shut your muzzle as your voice isn't much better!"
Akari waved a hand in a placating manner.
"This is about Ms. Kaimura. It probably hasn't crossed her mind to ask you to join her club."
"True, but Kaimura isn't the only girl in the club."
"How much contact do you have with the other members in her club?"
"Not much but that hasn't stopped random students from talking to me. And Sonoda sort of is a friend."
"Ms. Sonoda? From archery?"
Kurumu realized why Sonoda would have not thought about asking her to join her casual karaoke club.
"I guess it's whatever."
"Shirayuki mentioned that you got a flute. You could join the band if your boyfriend is cool with it."
Kurumu smirked at Nozomi's smug grin.
"I'm not that desperate to embarrass myself again."
"I'm still disappointed that Coach wouldn't let you join track. You know that you could join just about any club. And many wouldn't demand you to be an active member."
"Because most clubs are barely active at the moment."
"Exams are coming up, Ms. Kiba. Academics are always prioritized over athletics."
"May I have your attention! I understand that the fine ladies of our prestigious school may possess some reservations about voting for me as the next student council president."
"What is that dog up to now?"
Kurumu shrugged at Kiba's inquiry, mildly curious what Ginei was plotting. She got to her feet, lifting up on her toes to have a better view of Ginei. The werewolf was wearing a red bandana and had his jacket parted while holding a megaphone. He stood in front of a table which had three boxes stacked upon it. Posters were taped to the table with colorful slogans which were impossible to read from this vantage.
"With that in mind, I have come to make a peace offering. You may help yourselves though I request that you limit yourselves to two items so that every lady may have some free apparel."
Ginei gestured to the boxes which Kurumu guessed would be filled with campaign paraphernalia. Zanzou stood beside the table, looking very much like a boy from junior high.
"What is he talking about?"
"He said apparel. Sounds like he's giving away tee shirts."
"The fact that he said apparel and not shirts is worrisome."
Kurumu chuckled at Akari's response to Nozomi.
"Come on, Mizore. Let's go check it out."
Mizore lowered her hands protectively upon her belly.
"I fear for my baby."
"No need to be shy, ladies. It's free merchandise with the hopes that my generosity will sway your votes in my favor. A blatant bribe. At least humor my efforts. You are not obligated to actually vote for me."
"At least he's honest about it."
"True, though Akari does have me wondering if it is shirts."
"If it was shirts, he would have invited the boys to have a look."
Nikki nodded at Kiba's conclusion as the inugami and Nozomi got up from their seats.
"Maybe it's like hairbands or bracelets."
"If it's stuff with campaign slogans, no girl is going to take it even if it's free."
"Are you going to check it out?"
Kiba shrugged indifferently at Nikki.
"Why not? It's not like that dog can cause much trouble with a room full of witnesses."
"I'm a little worried, but if Kurumu is going, I'll tag along."
Kurumu grinned at Nozomi before she reached down to grab Mizore by the upper arm.
"Get up, Mizore. It's not like you have anything better to do for hours."
"Don't you have a meeting with the acupuncture club?"
Kurumu frowned at Akari's remark, relaxing her grip on Mizore.
"At two thirty. I doubt this will take long."
Akari pouted as Nikki got up with a reluctant groan.
"I suppose we could take a look. Isn't Mr. Morioka here a bit too early? It can't be two yet."
"You're right. Ginei must have cut out of his last class early."
"We should go to my room. Listen to music. Ms. Kurono can practice her singing."
Nozomi snickered at Akari's suggestion.
"You can't be that desperate to avoid an encounter with him."
"I said Ms. Kurono would be singing. Not you."
"Off your butt, Akari. You too, Shirayuki."
Kurumu giggled as Mizore sighed dramatically. The snow girl brushed off Kurumu's hand, slinging her legs over the side of the bench before standing up. She needlessly fussed with her thin blouse which betrayed the outlines of her black sports bra.
"Back off boys. This event is purely for the ladies."
Nikki laughed nervously as Akari finally stood up.
"It does look like the crowd is amused."
Kurumu grinned, noting that several first year girls had gathered about the table. Many had covered their mouths as they giggled.
"It's Ginei. You're either laughing at him or strangling him. Sometimes both."
"Since you all insist, let's get this over with."
Nozomi chuckled as she stalked around the table to drape an arm across Akari's shoulders.
"It won't be that bad. Let's get our cheap knockoff wristbands and then I'll sing for you."
Taking Mizore's hand, Kurumu fell in step behind Akari and Nozomi. Kiba walked ahead of Nikki with her hands thrust in the pockets of her slacks.
A familiar trio walked away from the throng with flush smiles, clutching black baggies. All three buxom girls were gyokuto from the Tsunan area. The girl with the wavy, platinum blond tresses was Kyubane whom was the spitting image of her older sister. The girl with the pleated, vermilion locks was Juntaku. Both were cheerleaders from Kokoa's homeroom.
The blushing girl between them with the glasses and chestnut hair which threatened to touch the floor was Kochimaru Usagi from gymnastics. The cheerleaders were reassuring Kochimaru about something.
"He didn't."
Kiba snickered at Nikki's gasp as they came to a stop at the back of the crowd.
"He did."
Kurumu frowned, unsure what they were talking about as she lifted up on her toes to have a better look at the posters. The nearest one was yellow with black lettering which read "Morioka and Hajihachi. Change into a New Pair for Student Council". The next poster was black with white words stating "M&H. Our Job is to Make You Feel More Alive". The red poster with blue characters declared "Morioka and Hajihachi. Covering What Matters Most".
These slogans seemed harmless until Kurumu saw what the Takeuchi twins from softball were holding as they spoke to Ginei. The tanuki girls, whom were identical in every way except how they styled their jet black hair, had a thin strap of black fabric in their hands.
"And we don't actually have to vote for you, right?"
Ginei chuckled at the pigtailed twin. He took the black fabric from her hand and placed it in a small plastic bag before giving it back to her.
"I can't force you to vote for anyone."
"Feels kind of wrong though."
Ginei smiled at the ponytailed twin, doing the same for her as he had her sister.
"Simply knowing that you will wear these is reward enough."
"I think we should leave."
Nozomi snickered at Akari, dragging the girl closer.
"Only because you don't need more thongs."
Letting go of Mizore's hand, Kurumu pushed her way through nervous, giggling girls whom were unsure how they should react to this situation. Kurumu murmured apologies as she slipped to the front. As the twins made their exit, Kurumu walked over to the grinning Ginei.
"What do you think you are doing?"
"Campaigning. Come on, ladies. Be bold and brave."
Kurumu smirked as he gestured at another of his posters which was green with yellow letters. With a shake of her head, she stepped around him to regard the contents of one of the boxes. Sure enough, it was full of black thongs. She snatched up the box and shook it at him.
"You call this campaigning?"
He favored her a fanged grin.
"I have them in white if you prefer a more innocent look."
Kurumu huffed, dropping the box on the table.
"Thongs kind of defeat the whole purpose of being innocent."
"Yet a majority of lingerie is white lace."
Kurumu had no rebuttal for that as Arashimideru stepped between them. The silvery haired sylph picked out a white pair, turning it over.
"Would a medium skirt size be the same as a medium thong?"
"I honestly have no clue. You can take two of different sizes if you are concerned with the fit."
"Do a size down. There isn't much fabric to a thong. The last thing you want is for that thing to be loose."
Arashimideru nodded at Kurumu's suggestion, exchanging the thong for presumably a smaller one. She presented it Ginei whom promptly placed it into a plastic bag.
"Thank you for your time."
As the tennis girl stalked off, Kurumu thumbed at the collection of boxes.
"How did you get all of this stuff?"
"I was doing a little research before Darling and I stopped by the city pool. I asked the clerk of Keep it Casual about the cost of these things and he confessed to having a surplus of stock that he has been trying to get rid of for years."
"And he just gave it to you?!"
"Of course not. The owner would have killed him if he had done that. He checked with his boss before giving us some of the extra boxes at a discounted rate."
"How did they have a surplus stock?"
Ginei turned a grin upon Kiba whom had joined them. Nikki was trying to look uninterested as she rummaged through the box of white thongs.
"Order error that this poor guy made. He meant to order five boxes of each but in his haste he missed a few lines and ended up with nine of each."
"That doesn't sound like that big of a mistake."
"It is when he was ordering surplus to begin with. Normally the store only sells a box of each a year but they had a good deal at that time. He was kind enough to sell us four boxes at that rate."
Kurumu eyed him suspiciously, glancing at Zanzou.
"Did you have Zanzou buy you a bunch of thongs?"
"Forty thousand yen for two hundred forty thongs isn't a bad deal. Considering a four pack of cotton briefs runs a thousand yen, I think we did well."
"That's not the point!"
"Stop caressing the fabric, Nikki."
Nikki flinched, tossing the thong back into the box at Kiba's remark.
"I wasn't!"
Nozomi strolled over to Nikki's side, pulling a white pair out and rubbing the fabric between her fingers.
"This is just cotton."
"Unfortunately true. But if I ever was to update the dress code for you ladies, simple cotton attire would have to suffice. The cost of lace thongs is drastically higher. Some of the cutest designs at Bows and Strings were tagged at seven hundred yen each."
Kiba snorted, crossing her arms below her breasts.
"It's a thong. What does cute have to do with it?"
"My apologies. I should have said sexy."
Nozomi giggled, displaying the white thong in front of her skirt.
"Don't know if this silly thing is sexy. I only bought them for Akari as a gag."
"Do you even own a thong?"
Nozomi favored Kurumu a snaggletooth grin.
"Actually I don't. Though Akari has threatened to buy me a pair."
"Ah yes. Where is our thong wearing expert?"
Several girls giggled when Nozomi pointed into the crowd. Meisai hopped over to the blushing Akari, timidly touching her shoulder and gesturing towards Ginei. When Nagisa and Shinayaka joined in with encouragements, Akari sighed heavily and stepped towards the werewolf's beckoning gesture.
"What exactly do you want from me, Mr. Morioka?"
Ginei grinned as the girl struck a standoffish pose just out of his reach.
"Just a testimony about the benefits of wearing thongs."
"What benefits? It's just something you get used to."
Kurumu giggled as Mizore skulked over to the table to quietly peruse the goods.
"There's more to it than that. In tight outfits, thongs won't have panty lines."
"No girl is going to vote for you if you make thongs a mandatory part of the dress code."
"This is not the focus of my campaign, Akari."
"Don't address me so informally, Mr. Morioka."
Ginei paused, gesturing to the assembled girls which mostly included the ones from the athletic clubs. The fencing club was pointedly absent which disappointed Kurumu. She imagined that Kokoa's reaction to this situation would have been amusing.
"The first grade year alone has over a hundred twenty girls. Even if girls decided to wear their thongs more than once a week, we would need at least three thongs per girl. Short of enrollment being way down next year, there will be over three hundred fifty girls at Yokai Academy. That's over a thousand thongs. This donation won't even reach a quarter of that number even if I manage to get rid of all of the extra large and extra small thongs that came in these boxes."
"You actually have thongs in extra small?"
Ginei grinned, pointing at the crowd.
"I do. And I'm inclined to let that little cutie have twice my stated minimum."
The little kitsune blushed when several girls turned their attention upon her. Hiboshi huffed, fluffing her auburn tresses as she turned away.
"I don't need your thongs."
Irewata quickly stepped in front of her friend, grabbing Hiboshi by her shoulders.
"But you were worried that they wouldn't be in your size."
"I said no such thing!"
Ginei chuckled, turning about to fish through the boxes.
"Bring Miss Mini Minx over. I've got two of each color for her."
"I don't want it!"
Despite her protests, Hiboshi hardly seemed to struggle against Irewata's guidance. She allowed Irewata to turn her about and propel her towards the werewolf. As Ginei stuffed the thongs into a plastic bag, Irewata came to a stop next to Akari.
"Here you go, little lady."
Hiboshi huffed, turning her nose aside when he presented the bag to the diminutive fox. Irewata smiled, holding her hand out to accept the package.
"Would you like a pair of thongs too?"
Irewata giggled nervously, glancing aside.
"I suppose I could."
"She'll need a large since she has a fat ass."
"Um… if a size down works a medium would be fine."
Ginei chuckled, turning about to fulfill Irewata's order. He quickly stuffed one of each color into another bag which he presented to the girl.
"I hope that when you put these on, you think of me."
Irewata's blush deepened as Akari's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Uh… I'd rather not. But thank you."
"You sick pervert."
Hiboshi and Irewata quickly hurried away as Akari wagged a finger at him.
"I'm trying to be civil. I'm trying to be polite but you are incorrigible."
"That's a big word. I'll have to look it up."
"It means you can't be made into a good person."
"I wasn't aware that you were trying."
Akari sighed in exasperation at his smirk. She gestured at Nozomi.
"Are you done?"
"I was thinking of getting one of each color. What about you?"
Nikki laughed nervously.
"Me? I don't know. Would Fusamina object to me wearing a thong?"
"No real man would ever object to a girl wearing a thong."
"No offense, but I won't be taking your word on that."
"Get two pairs of black if you're getting them for a man."
Nikki whirled on Kiba.
"At least I don't wear animal print panties!"
"Why you-"
Akari grabbed Kiba which startled the girl. She nodded at Ginei's grin.
"Don't give him a reason to break it up. If you two are getting thongs, do it quickly."
Nikki smiled apologetically, looking through the box. She pulled out two black pairs which she handed to Ginei. The werewolf grinned, putting them into a bag and handing them back to her.
"Would your friend be interested in acquiring some mature lingerie?"
Kiba huffed as Nikki retreated back to them without comment.
"Nope. If a guy doesn't like my childish panties, he can try taking them off."
"In the past, some student councils have talked about making the school skirt mandatory for girls."
"If you make skirts and thongs mandatory, I will find out where you live and end you."
"Remember that this isn't the focus of his campaign."
Ginei grinned at Nozomi's sarcasm as he took the different colored thongs from her, placing both into a plastic bag. He presented the bag to her.
"Precisely. The student council could never afford to provide thongs for every girl. And it's not like the school pays for our uniforms. If it became the dress code, it would be expected of the girls to cover that cost. That hardly seems fair to have the girls pay more for dress code adherence than the boys."
Kurumu shook her head as Nozomi wandered over to join her friends.
"You have put way too much thought into this."
"Making girls wear thongs means no girl would ever vote for me."
"I think you're guaranteeing that with this display."
Ginei grinned at Akari, gesturing at his boxes.
"But this is an offering of peace."
"Don't you have any in stripes?"
"I'm sorry, Princess. Black and white was all the store had."
Mizore sighed dramatically, tossing a black thong back in the box.
"I would get some but Kurumu would declare plain black cotton as being too boring."
"A thong is never boring."
Kurumu smirked at his remark.
"If you really want some black thongs, you may as well take them. They'd match your boring black bras."
"Allow me to pick them for you. I'm confident that I know all of your sizes."
Ginei snatched up two black thongs, stuffing them into a bag. Mizore impassively took the offering, drifting over to Kurumu's side. As the other girls murmured indecisively, Kurumu shook her head.
"You've really outdone yourself here, Ginei."
"Thanks. I'm rather proud of myself."
"What does Mika have to say about this?"
"I doubt she even knows."
Ginei smirked at Akari's accusation.
"Actually she did find out when I set this booth up during our lunch hour."
"You didn't!"
"I did. We nearly gave away a third of our stock."
"Sir is neglecting to mention that he was not allowed to speak for most of it."
Kurumu laughed at Zanzou's input, causing Ginei to frown.
"It isn't that funny. They took my megaphone away and ran the whole thing without me. I had to skip Mr. Hiramatsu's class today, else they would have denied me the pleasure of interacting with the first years."
"You're going to put that poor girl into an early grave."
"Don't worry, Ms. Kurono. I suspected Sir might try this so I'm here to ensure that his actions are within the realms of suitable boyfriend behavior."
"Don't look at me, Kurumu. Mika and Tori got into her head on the walk back to the dorms after lunch about how I should be acting."
"Good luck with him, Ms. Zanzou."
"One second, Akari."
Akari sighed, pausing her retreat to look back at him.
"I insist that you don't speak so casually with me, Mr. Morioka."
Ginei grinned, taking in a deep breath.
"I noticed that your scent is different this day. Much like Mika's."
Akari blushed, turning about and resuming her retreat.
"Good day to you, Mr. Morioka."
Ginei grinned as the four girls took off through the crowd.
"Now, which one of you ladies will be next? No reason to dally. I don't have long before my girlfriend shuts me down."
Kurumu snickered as she walked off with Mizore, leaving Ginei to continue this ridiculous mission.
"Is it strange to get lingerie from a guy you're not dating?"
Kurumu laughed, feeling the cool stone of the roof beneath her. She glanced at Nerume whom rested beside her. They were above the third year wing, since this side of the school had sustained less damage in the mirror incident. The dark expanse of sky overhead was filled with countless stars.
"Normally I would say yes. But this is probably about Ginei."
"Yea. He showed up at the meeting today with a box of thongs. He gave two pairs to all three of us."
"Tora agreed to this?"
"Ms. Hajihachi said we should since she had no idea how Mr. Morioka would get rid of the leftovers."
"Well I doubt that Tora will ever wear them."
"Yea… … … I still haven't worn the pair I bought before summer break."
Kurumu giggled, squeezing Nerume's hand. She glanced over at the trio hovering by the telescope. She could tell by Andou's body language that the girl was attracted to Kokutan. The guy with wavy, shoulder length black hair was clueless to her subtle signs of interest. He kept stealing glances at Kurumu which her succubus senses easily picked up on.
His cousin, Zanzou, lingered by the couple with her attention buried in a horoscope book. The walk from Mr. Katouishi's suite had been a surreal experience. Kurumu had never seen Zanzou chat so animatedly and behave so girly before. She was fascinated with astrology. She was a Gemini, born on the fourth of June. She was a half year older than Ginei and Mika.
Mr. Katouishi had opted against joining them this evening, blaming his need to study. The other senior, Mr. Hanadzura, had not even shown up. While it was nice that Andou had gotten permission to have their viewing up here, Kurumu could not see herself joining such a small, lackadaisical club.
"What club do you think I should join?"
"I'm sorry. I know this club isn't very interesting."
"I don't regret coming. I got to see a new side to Zanzou and those other two make a cute couple."
Nerume sighed, scooting in closer to rub the side of her head against Kurumu's shoulder.
"Yea. I noticed that but Mr. Kokutan doesn't seem to."
Kurumu suspected that talking about those two becoming an official couple would only upset Nerume.
"You never said anything about Zanzou being such a chatterbox."
"Well I can't say that I attended that many meetings before my accident. Ms. Zanzou was always quiet and kept to herself and her book. I think she only acted like that because you showed interest in it."
"She's never behaved that way around you?"
"Nope. Though the other two weren't surprised so maybe I just missed her being like that."
Kurumu nodded thoughtfully, wishing she could have recorded that moment.
"I wonder if Ginei has ever seen her like that."
There was a long moment of silence which ended with the growl of Nerume's stomach. Kurumu giggled.
"Is that the sign to call this a night?"
"No. We'll leave when Ms. Andou concludes the meeting."
Kurumu grinned as her thoughts bounced around. She was pulled in so many different directions from finding the new club to her concerns about Mizore's baby.
"You haven't said anything about the acupuncture club."
Kurumu chuckled, recalling how most of the chatter on the way here had been about Zanzou's interests.
"I probably should have brought that up before pretending like I knew something about horoscopes."
"Was it that bad?"
Kurumu shook her head, thinking about the short meeting she had almost been late to. While Ginei's antics were embarrassing, going to Baratoge for even a few minutes had been unwise with her needing to be back in the dining hall at two thirty. At least that dumb wolf had cleared out by then.
"Kubo is far more serious than I expected her to be."
"What did you think she would be like?"
"I guess I thought she would be more laid back. Easy going. She readily accepted Kana into her group. And everyone that talked about her made it sound like she was easy to get along with."
"And she wasn't?"
"She's like Tora. Focused. Determined. She knows exactly what she wants to do with her life."
"That's a good thing."
"Yea. She wants to be a professional masseuse."
Nerume shifted beside her, favoring her with a curious look.
"Masseuse? What does that have to do with acupuncture?"
"It's the closest club they have on campus that does what she wants to do in life."
"I'd rather have a massage than needles jabbed into me."
"No argument there. I almost laughed in her face when she told me her life mission."
"That would have been rude."
"You try keeping a straight face when a girl tells you that her goal in life is to bring pleasure to others."
Nerume snickered, turning her head away and quickly covering her face.
"Okay. That might have been hard."
"Because we're both such lewd women. We have dirty minds."
"Yea. I lost my innocence after I saw my sister having sex. Ever since then I've had this insatiable desire to have that in my life."
Kurumu smiled, wondering how long ago it was for her. Before Tsukune, she had not ever felt the need to be sexually active with anyone though she had been very aware of boys wanting sex from her. Her body needed to be wanted but the actual physical longing had only manifested this year.
"I wish I could claim any innocence in my life. But my mother's sexual deviance was rubbed in my face within a year of me going to primary school. And even before that. I just don't want to remember."
They both shared a sigh of regret.
"Chisa is so clueless. I know she's starting to do some lewd things, but that's because of Mr. Kitamori."
"I think it's normal for guys to take the lead in these things."
"Really? Would a guy get scared off if I took charge?"
Kurumu mulled the question over, thinking about her experiences with Tsukune and Nijiro. For the most part, she was the one pushing for everything.
"Yea. That's why I'm such a fuck up."
"Don't say that."
Kurumu squeezed Nerume's hand, forcing a smile.
"Akiyama has a pure heart. Even if she did those original poses for Iko's dirty comic."
"What makes you say that?"
"Because she didn't bat an eye when Kubo stated her life goal."
Nerume snickered, snuggling up closer.
"Maybe she's heard it enough to restrain her giggles."
There was another long moment of silence between them. Kurumu shivered from a sudden chill from a breeze which wafted in from the east. She glanced at the others whom still seemed lost in their own world. She was alone with Nerume. It was the perfect time to share what she had on her mind.
"Ms. Akiyama is too gorgeous to be pure. Big breasts. Nice hips. She shouldn't be single."
Kurumu giggled at the sudden comment.
"You just described all of the gyokuto girls. Many of them are single."
"That's not the least bit encouraging."
Kurumu smiled softly, knowing how much Nerume wanted a boyfriend.
"You'll find someone soon. Tora might be right about dating a younger guy."
"Yea. If he's only one year behind me, it won't be that bad."
Kurumu sighed, closing her eyes.
"It is way too warm for the last day of November."
"Mhm. Though I don't mind it."
"Four months before we become senpai."
"That sounds like forever."
"It won't be if you don't think about it."
"I know. I should be more grateful. Not that long ago, I was worried that I might never walk again. Now I'm back to worrying about being alone."
Kurumu nodded sympathetically. A part of her feared the same thing, considering how all of the succubi under Mrs. Shuzen's command were single.
"We're both too young to worry about that."
"I guess. Though it's not like I have any clue how much of my lifespan was lost for that miracle."
"To be fair, nobody knows how many years they will live."
Nerume sighed, squeezing Kurumu's hand.
"I wish Mizore had joined us."
They had stopped in the gymnasium before coming up to the roof to check how Mizore was doing with her drama club. To their surprise, Moka and Yukari were engaged in the club activity. A flustered Moka claimed she was only doing it to kill time and that they were taking Mizore home when they were done.
Kurumu was mildly curious about the members of the drama club but had not stuck around for proper introductions. Two of the second years were in Nijiro's homeroom and another one was in Zanzou's. She had recognized Hasegawa's older brother but had not seen Yakedo, the former club president. She had no idea which of those boys had been Shikusa, the new club president. Little Toboshi had been chatting with Yukari, obviously pleased to have other girls around.
"It's good for Mizore."
"Huh? What is?"
"For the longest time, she has been an outsider. Now she's getting along with lots of our peers."
"That's probably because you drag her to all of your different lunch groups."
Kurumu smirked, thinking that might be partially true. She sucked in a deep breath as her thoughts returned to the serious matter regarding Mizore.
"Nerume. I've told you how my whole biology works. And I also told you about having sex with Tsukune because of the mirror. But I didn't tell you that I got Mizore pregnant because of that."
"Huh? I thought your body needed like a week to make your baby stuff."
"It does. And you know how weird I get when that stuff is in my system. I can't remember most of it, but I had a fling with Mizore the night before Ginei's birthday party."
"And you're certain that she's pregnant?"
Kurumu nodded at Nerume's hushed query.
"Yea. Since Mrs. Shuzen saw a miscarriage in Mizore's future, we asked Ms. Kiyomizu to heal her baby."
"Oh! That's what Mr. Aono meant! That came up in our last club meeting."
"Yea. Tsukune just finally realized why we were getting Ms. Kiyomizu involved."
"Will Mizore be okay?"
"We think so. Mrs. Shuzen gave us specific instructions to follow to save this baby. That's part of the reason why we have all been keeping Mizore closer than usual."
"So she's really pregnant? Does Ms. Nazohashi know?"
"I explained everything to her yesterday."
"Mr. Morioka?"
"I honestly don't care if he knows what is going on."
Nerume giggled and they had a moment of silence.
"I wouldn't mind being a mother."
Kurumu grinned, resisting the urge to tease the girl about getting a boyfriend first. She sighed.
"I haven't told Nijiro yet. I'm kind of scared that he'll dump me if I do."
"Didn't you tell him about the mirror incident?"
"Yea but having sex with a guy and having his kid are different things."
"Well technically Mizore would be the one having the kid."
"You know what I meant."
"What do you want to do?"
Kurumu sighed heavily, having a huge list of wants.
"We want to keep the baby. That's why we're moving Hatsue's soul into this baby."
"Hatsue?"
"Didn't I explain how Moka has two souls? The vampire has her own and the rosary is a tsukumogami."
"I sort of remember a letter about that. You wrote a lot of confusing stuff."
"Ms. Shuzen said the only way to save this baby was to put Hatsue's soul into it. Yukari has the spell to do that. We just have to wait for the right moment."
"She'll still be a girl, right?"
Kurumu paused at the random inquiry. She giggled with a nod.
"Yea. Hatsue will be born a succubus. And since Mizore is her mother, she'll have some yuki'onna traits."
"Did you already move her soul?"
"Uh… no."
"Oh. Okay. I thought that might be why Ms. Akashiya has silver hair now."
"Tsukune broke the seal while we were fighting Moka's older sister in Yukimura. The seal's magic is too weak right now, preventing Hatsue from being in control of Moka's body."
"I see. I also noticed that Ms. Akashiya doesn't wear her rosary these days."
"Yea. Yukari keeps hold of that since she's the one casting the soul moving spell. In the next few days, Mizore is going to collapse. That's when we will know it's time to cast the spell."
"Well I hope that all works out."
"Mhm. Though we don't know if Hatsue will still be Hatsue once she is reborn. She might not have any memories of this time. But Mizore still wants to call her Hatsue."
"That sounds depressing. It's like she's dying."
Kurumu grimaced. That specific thought had never crossed her mind despite often thinking she might never get to speak to Hatsue again.
"She won't die. When she's reborn, we will remind her of her this time if she's forgotten it."
Nerume inhaled deeply. As she let her breath out, she squeezed Kurumu's hand.
"How will this work with Mr. Umizake?"
"Mizore wants to marry him."
"I know she's been saying that, but she's pregnant. That makes you think differently."
"Mizore never hated him. She hated being in an arranged marriage with her whole future planned out. Her being pregnant has nothing to do with her change of heart. It's more like she feels responsible for his father getting killed."
"I hope she isn't doesn't marry him out of guilt. Does Mr. Umizake know about this baby?"
"He tried to claim it was his."
"Seriously?"
"He was jealous, knowing that Mizore was carrying Tsukune's baby. And since Tsukune was steadfastly denying it, Umizake made up a bullshit story about how he had raped Mizore in her sleep."
"It's hard to imagine that guy being jealous."
Kurumu chuckled, nudging against Nerume.
"Don't forget that Umizake killed two akaname boys to protect Mizore. Umizake is possessive of her when he feels the need to."
"I think we should call it a night. Is everyone okay with that?"
Kurumu and Nerume both sounded an affirmative to Andou's declaration. Nerume scooted up into a seated position, patting Kurumu on the side.
"What do you plan to do with Mr. Amesuki?"
Kurumu frowned, pushing up onto her butt.
"In what way?"
"Are you going to marry him?"
"I've been doing most of the pushing in this relationship. I don't want to be the one proposing marriage."
"Can you have a baby with him?"
Kurumu mulled that over for a moment. It had been more than a week with no reaction from her body.
"It might still be too early to tell."
"But you knew that Mr. Aono was compatible even before you had sex."
"I don't know if that's how it always works. I didn't have a long chat with any of the succubi with kids to know if there was an obvious indicator."
"Will you marry him even if you can't have kids?"
Kurumu groaned, scooting away from Nerume. On impulse, she rolled onto her knees and stood up.
"That's up to him. I'm sure we will know if we can't before he graduates. Sex with him is way too good for me to remain chaste for long. I've been thinking about having sex with him for most of the day."
Nerume giggled, getting up on her feet. She bent over to wipe her bare legs off.
"Well if you plan to be like a second mother to this baby, you will have to let Mr. Amesuki know. It might be a good idea to have a sit down with Mizore and Mr. Umizake once he returns to school."
"Come on, you two. I know that Ms. Genzouyaki must be hungry."
Andou gestured for them to follow her. Zanzou was trailing behind her cousin, still finding her book more interesting. Kokutan had folded up the tripod the telescope was mounted to and had it tucked beneath his arm. He was halfway to the nearest door which would open into the stairway closest to the library.
"Is her growling stomach that loud?"
Nerume pouted, stalking off.
"It hasn't growled in a long while."
Kurumu giggled, hurrying over to Nerume's side to match her short stride. Andou trotted ahead of them to catch up with Zanzou as Kokutan increased his lead.
"I'm serious about you having that talk."
Kurumu smiled softly, taking Nerume's hand as they continued along the roof.
"I'm a little worried that Nijiro would object to this."
"May as well found out now. Besides. It sounds like Mr. Umizake and Mizore would be the parents. You'd be like extra parents."
"Well I hope we can live close enough to visit my extra daughter regularly."
"You'll have to take that up with your future husband."
Kurumu grinned at the thought. Did she even dare to hope to end up as Amesuki's wife?
"We shall see."