My Fresh Start Chapter 1: Candidate Promises, a rosario + vampire fanfic

"Hey! Wake up!"

Kurono Kurumu groaned as her antagonist jostled her roughly by the shoulder. She turned her head, lazily opening her eyes. She could barely make out the figure of her antagonist with her vision blurred by slumber and the darkness of the room.

Kurumu mumbled incoherently, pulling the chilly body in her arms closer. Her right arm still had some feeling despite being pinned beneath her sleeping companion. Cold breath tickled her breasts.

Shirayuki Mizore must have turned over in her sleep. The yuki'onna was garbed in a velvet, green nightie, providing some protection from her icy skin. Moka had insisted upon Mizore wearing something to bed if she were to stay here. Refusing to be in Moka's debt, Mizore had bought this outfit and a nice nightgown with the money her mother had given her on the day they had left Yukimura.

Mizore's new nightie was not any longer than the pink tee shirt that Kurumu had on. While it could cover her rump, the garment was presently hiked up at her waist. Somehow her left leg had ended up between Mizore's chilly thighs. Her leg felt more numb than her trapped arm.

"Don't go back to sleep."

Shuzen Kokoa shook Kurumu by the shoulder again. The younger sister was wearing her cherry red nightgown which stretched well below her knees. Her reddish locks were presently unbound, reaching the slight swell of her bosom.

"Bathe me before that witch gets here."

Kurumu grunted a response as she wiggled her arm out from beneath Mizore. Putting her hand down on the pink cushion of this couch, Kurumu pushed herself up. With the back of this couch lowered, Kurumu could somewhat see the counter of the kitchen between the stove and refrigerator.

"What time is it?"

"After six. Come on."

Kurumu groaned, freeing her left leg which prompted the snow girl to roll onto her back. As Mizore absently caressed her breast, Kurumu crawled off the couch.

The sudden brightness of the bathroom light revealed her surroundings. The large silver TV rested upon the ebony stand to her right. Kokoa's DVD collection was stacked on one side of the TV while a bunch of CD cases were on the other side near Moka's karaoke machine.

Akashiya Moka was sleeping beneath the crimson comforter drawn over the bed in the corner of the suite. The silver haired vampire was cuddling with a black pillow while a huge golden brown teddy bear sporting a fedora watched over her from the corner.

On the other side of the TV stand was Moka's desk. Moka's laptop, Kurumu's journal and the portraits of Moka's family rested upon the desk's top while Moka's color printer was on the floor next to the stand. Moka's red bike was leaned up against the wall between the doors to the two closets.

The sound of water filling the tub greeted Kurumu as she shuffled towards the open door in the back corner of the room near the desk. She held her hand up to shield her eyes, stumbling over Kokoa's nightgown which she had left near the door. The vampire was seated on the lip of the tub, fetching the stool from its place between the tub and the toilet. A row of drain tiles flanked the tub to dispose of the excess water splashed upon the tiled floor.

"Are you wanting a bath?"

"I should test my water immunity."

Kurumu snorted, grabbing the hem of her pink shirt and tugging it up over her head. She dropped it at her feet as the vampire took a seat upon the stool.

"But you took her blood Tuesday night. It's been over two days."

"Hurry up. If that brat is making breakfast for us, she'll be here soon."

Kurumu sighed, turning to regard the towels and bathing goods resting on the shelf to her right. At the end of the tub was a sink with a small black shelf beneath it which had toilet paper and dental hygiene products. Kurumu had acquired a second tooth brush for here, returning her pink towels and shower supplies to her suite earlier this week.

Thinking cherry would be a good scent for today, Kurumu grabbed the shampoo and matching bodywash along with a black loofa and a pair of plush black towels. She sashayed over to Kokoa's side, setting the towels on top of the toilet lid.

"Hopefully you won't demand me to join you for your test."

"No reason to. I'm surprised that you don't have to pee."

Kurumu shrugged, kneeling down behind Kokoa and setting aside the rest of the shower goods. She reached over into the tub to grab the shower wand, detaching it from its holster.

"I might if you made me join you."

"It must be cold sleeping next to that girl."

Kurumu chuckled, turning the water spray upon Kokoa's back. The vampire whimpered, tensing up as the water crackled against her skin. Kurumu smirked as she waved the wand about to wet Kokoa's tresses.

"You won't last a minute in that bath."

"Shut up. I have to try."

"Mizore is much better at controlling her temperature these days. According to her, her dreams are very kind to her when I'm holding her. So it's not as bad as you might think."

Kokoa shivered as Kurumu continued to wet her thick locks.

"You're my servant. Even if you have a child with that girl, you belong to me. I have no intentions of living in Yukimura."

"But you intend to graduate from Yokai Academy along with everyone else. No reason to have me worry over a future that far down the road."

"I'm serious, Kurumu. That girl will most likely marry that Umizake guy and spend her whole life in that village as the next snow priestess. You're coming with me after we graduate."

Umizake Aoi was Mizore's fiancé from an arrangement made several years ago. Mizore had rebelled against the notion of marrying him but was far more agreeable to the idea after the recent events in Yukimura. Umizake's father, the Fairy Tale commander of the Hokkaido region, had been killed by Fujisaki Miyabi, vice president of Fairy Tale, shortly after the revelation of Fujisaki's rape of Mizore. Fujisaki had argued that he had done this as a favor since Mizore was carrying another man's child.

Thinking that she had drenched Kokoa enough, Kurumu turned the water upon herself. The warmth of the water felt so wonderful upon her chilled skin.

"Are you ready for your fencing tournament?"

"I'm as ready as I can be. You need to shop for groceries and do my laundry. When I return, I expect to have a sleepover with my friends. I should be back around six so don't disappoint me."

Kurumu smirked, putting the shower wand back in its holster to resume filling the tub. Picking up the shampoo bottle, Kurumu squirted a dollop into her hand before setting the bottle aside. She started working the soap into Kokoa's tresses.

"Of course, Milady."

"If you had done as instructed, we wouldn't be relying on that brat for breakfast."

"We can always hit the dining hall if it bothers you that much."

"It bothers me that you invent ways to avoid your duties."

"I had no time to shop for groceries."

"But you had time to help that girl buy her pajamas."

"I'm not going to sit in the hospital lounge for hours with groceries. By the time Ms. Kiyomizu finished her miracle, all of the market stalls were closed. We weren't home until eleven."

Kokoa sighed, pushing back against Kurumu's fingers.

"Taking care of my needs is your job. You need to do better."

Kurumu chuckled, pulling her hands away to rinse them in the filling tub. She grabbed the shampoo bottle to squirt another dollop for her own hair. Setting the bottle aside, she rigorously rubbed the shampoo into her arctic blue tresses.

"Fussing over nothing. Yukari will give us a wonderful meal."

"She's annoying. It's like every other sentence she speaks is an insult to me."

"It's not like you're being nice to her."

"I'm not the one going out of my way to be around her."

Finished with her hair, Kurumu regarded the level of the water in the tub. Thinking she had enough time to scrub Kokoa before it filled, she grabbed the black loofa and bottle of bodywash. Squeezing out a huge glop into the loofa, Kurumu set the bottle aside and started to scrub Kokoa's back.

"I just hope that everything calms down for now. I prefer this normal school life."

Kokoa huffed, pushing back against the loofa.

"Mother needs to bring that bastard to justice. He made Kahlua kill Sho."

On the same day of the death of Umizake's father, Kahlua had besieged the Fairy Tale office in Yukimura, burning it down and killing everyone inside. Moka had challenged Kahlua to prevent her from doing the same to the town's hospital. Despite officially defeating her sister, Kahlua had clamped down upon Moka like a bear trap, refusing to concede her loss.

Fujisaki had arrived to put an end to this. After scolding Kahlua for damaging her precious sister, he had tossed a barely conscious Ms. Juunan to Kahlua, ordering her to drink the last drop to acquire immunity from the mind attacks of succubi. Under the threat of abandonment, Kahlua had done as requested. Fujisaki had carried his unconscious bride out, bragging about how he was going to visit the Garden where Akua was guarding Alucard's body. He had also promised to come back for Moka later.

Kurumu crawled around to Kokoa's front to continue her task. The small vampire had erect nipples on her perky breasts. The vampire regarded her with emerald eyes.

"That would be nice. We need some good news going into winter break."

"You'll be saving that baby of yours. That's good enough."

Kurumu chuckled as she worked the loofa over Kokoa's thighs.

"I am very thankful for that. Shall I rinse you off or will you do that in the tub?"

"I can rinse myself."

Adding bodywash to the loofa, Kurumu nodded as Kokoa stood up.

"If Mizore gets word of her father having something arranged with her uncles, I'll be going there instead of with you."

Kokoa huffed, stepping over into the tub. Water cackled with energy as the vampire reached over to turn off the water. She slowly settled down into the water.

"If you want to attend that teacher's wedding, you will be coming with me. I doubt that girl has the funds to fly you both to Hokkaido."

This subject had come up last night. Once they left Mononoke, they would not be able to return. And since Yukimura had a barrier similar to the one about Mononoke, Yukari would not be able to use her magic doorways without drawing too much attention.

"Find out where that teacher is having her wedding. I'll write Mother another letter, requesting for her to send someone to meet us there. Then we go home and have Mother look into your future. If the operation fails, Mother can send you to Yukimura like you insist"

Kurumu sighed, quickly scrubbing down her body. She supposed that Kokoa was being reasonable. The operation would remove the extra muscles about her heart which caused excessive strain during times of grief and anxiety. If successful, she would never have to worry about dying from a broken heart. Fetching the shower wand, she turned on the water and rinsed the suds off her torso.

"Are you fine in there?"

"Yea. It's weird not seeing the doll around."

The 'doll' was the pink haired Moka most of their peers were familiar with. Due to the weakening of the seal's magic, the tsukumogami lacked the willpower to suppress the true Moka's personality.

"I thought you preferred your true sister."

"I do. But it's still strange."

Having no response to that, Kurumu waved the wand over her head while running her fingers through her hair. She kept this up until it looked like the water was running clear. Once she was finished, she turned the water off and placed the wand back in its holster.

"I do feel a little sad. Hatsue can only talk to whomever is holding the rosary now."

"Will she remember anything when she is reborn as your child?"

Nobody had an answer for that. They had fully explained their plan to Ms. Kiyomizu and the Headmaster back on Monday. Neither could say with any certainty what would happen when they moved the spirit of the rosary into Mizore's baby.

"Hatsue is okay with it. This is her best chance at having a life independent of Moka."

"Yea. Not like she has other options. Even if that Chinese guy does get the seal fixed, she might still be a bomb or something."

Kurumu smirked, putting the stool back in its place between the tub and the toilet. Standing up, she grabbed one of the towels off the toilet and started drying off.

"Akua seems to think so. I hope that Fujisaki doesn't see a reason to harm her."

"He won't if she is his granddaughter."

This had also come up during last night's conversation. Yukari was certain that Fujisaki had referred to Akua as his granddaughter when they had tried to rescue Mizore from the temple. That had prompted Kokoa to write a letter to her mother about this. It was likely that this Masked King never existed. It felt more likely that it had been Fujisaki giving the order to assassinate Akasha.

"Kind of messed up that he married the daughter of the man whom fathered his granddaughter."

"That has me wonder how old he is. He might be older than Father."

"Maybe he is Alucard's son."

"Maybe. When will your baby be born?"

Kurumu smiled, deciding it was time to dry her hair.

"My mother said the average pregnancy was twenty four weeks. I'm assuming that she learned this from that Hajinai succubus whom has been around forever."

Kokoa nodded before ducking her head under the water. She moved her hands frantically in her tresses to free them of suds. When she finally resurfaced, it looked like she had been successful. The vampire stood up and held her hand out.

"When do you plan to inform Aono about this?"

Kurumu smirked, handing Kokoa the other towel.

"After Yukari casts the spell. No reason to listen to his protests before we do it."

Kokoa huffed, stepping out of the tub as she took the towel. She promptly started drying off as Kurumu backed towards the open door.

"Will Milady require me to wear my servant attire today?"

"Not like you act like my servant. You won't even be making my breakfast."

Kurumu giggled, offering a slight bow before she picked up her tee and Kokoa's nightgown off the floor.

"Then I shall dress for school."

"How long will today's assembly last?"

Kurumu shrugged, holding the towel and pajamas against her bosom as she lingered in the doorway.

"No idea. We have three candidates giving their speeches today. Maybe an hour."

Kokoa snorted, bringing the towel up to dry her hair.

"Why would they cancel the whole day of school for a one hour assembly?"

"Probably because most of the school is still wrecked. It'd be a real pain to run to the auditorium for this morning assembly and then run back to the dorms for classes."

Kokoa sighed, wrapping the towel about her body.

"I guess that means I'll have a bunch of free time before my bus leaves at three."

Kurumu smirked as she wandered out into the main room. The middle door on this wall was for Kokoa's closet while the door near the refrigerator opened into the closet which Kurumu shared with Moka.

"Does Milady have a lingerie preference for today?"

Kokoa snickered as Kurumu opened the door to the first closet. Kurumu turned on the light and chucked the nightgown into Kokoa's green hamper.

"It's the end of the week, moron. What colors do you even have left?"

Kurumu pouted as Kokoa slipped around her to enter the closet.

"Red and black."

"We wore black yesterday."

"I have two sets of black."

Kokoa huffed, fetching a lacy white pair of panties and matching bra.

"Well Kahlua ruined Moka's red bra and I don't have a second black set. Since we can't match today, I'm just going to wear white."

Kurumu retreated from the closet door.

"Any idea when they will ship that white set of lingerie you requested for me?"

"Your guess would be as good as mine."

Kurumu tugged open the door to Moka's closet, slipping inside and turning the lights on. She pitched her shirt and towel into her busted black hamper, sauntering over to her pile of lingerie. It would be nice to acquire a white lace set so she would not have to rely on old junior high bras and panties ever again.

Finding bras in her G cup size was such a pain. Everything nice had to be special ordered. It would not be here this weekend even if it had been ordered right away. It was more likely that she would get it next weekend, though it might be the following week. She would definitely get it before winter break.

Over the last four days, she had worn all four of her boyshorts with bras to match each color. That left her with two thongs and two lacy bikini cut panties. She had red and black for each type which could go with the black strapless or the crimson bra she had yet to wear this week.

Thinking her boyfriend had not seen her red lingerie, Kurumu decided to wear the black strapless. The lingerie lacked clasps, pulling onto her torso much like a tube top did. It had flexible cups which gave some semblance of support to her large breasts. Her new sports bras felt more supportive.

Satisfied it was on as good as it could be, Kurumu decided to go with the thong. She honestly had no idea when she had last worn a thong, suspecting it had been before the festival. With the string nestled annoyingly between her cheeks, she grabbed her last school uniform off its hanger. It would have to be worn with the green school jacket today since she had worn all of her school vests already.

As Kurumu slipped on her long sleeved white blouse, she wondered if they would get short sleeved uniforms once Yukari's grandfather took over the school. Since Yokai Academy was located within a barrier which the Headmaster had complete control over the temperature, the school had the same uniform all year long. It would be December next week. It hardly felt like it.

Student council elections were next Saturday and Mizore would have her birthday the following week. In three weeks she would finish her second term of high school. It felt like her first day at Yokai Academy had not been that long ago yet so much had happened these past eight months.

Finished with the buttons to her blouse, she slipped on the green jacket of Yokai Academy. She had several of these special ordered back in the first term so that she could actually wear these over her bosom since the generic sizes were too tight to zip up.

This custom jacket technically had the ability to be worn with her wings out but she had never bothered doing so. Blatantly showing your true forms at Yokai Academy was frowned upon and it would take too much time to carefully get her wings through the custom slots without damaging the jacket. If she had an immediate need to fly, it would take less time to remove her jacket and blouse.

With the jacket on, Kurumu grabbed her remaining school skirt. The garment was pleated with a tartan pattern of primarily tan with lighter strips which almost were yellow. Stepping into the skirt, she pulled it up and tucked the end of her blouse inside the skirt's hem. She fastened the skirt at the side.

After pulling on a pair of long socks, Kurumu wandered back out into the main room. Kokoa had already turned on the main lights and was walking back to the couch. Kurumu absently shut the closet door.

"Shall we wake up the others?"

Kokoa huffed as she picked up her schoolbag and started to rummage through it.

"You can. I'll read more Bleach while we wait for the brat."

Kurumu smirked as Kokoa pulled out the ninth volume she had been reading from last night. Shaking her head, she sashayed over to the side of the couch.

"Are you going to finish that series over the weekend?"

Kokoa shrugged, putting her schoolbag back on the floor with her manga tucked beneath her arm and her red phone in the other.

"I'm not taking her comics with me to the tournament. I can finish it next weekend."

Kurumu nodded, sitting down on the couch. She reached over to shake Mizore by her shoulder, yielding no reaction from the purple haired girl. The snow girl's skin was ice cold.

"Wake up, Mizore."

"I'm surprised that you don't just kiss her."

"I could. Will you start a new series?"

"Maybe after winter break. I'll focus on studying for exams once I'm done with this."

Kurumu grimaced at the thought of exams, having no desire to study. It was not like anyone had praised her for breaking four hundred out of five hundred possible points on her midterms.

"Do you think the school will be fixed enough for us to have exams in our classrooms?"

"I doubt that we will be having an exam for my computer elective."

"Maybe not for us but the third years have their elective classes."

"Are you going to wake up that girl or not?"

Kurumu laughed, supposing Kokoa would rather read her manga. Kurumu leaned over Mizore as she shifted for a more comfortable angle upon the couch. Taking in a deep breath, she regarded Mizore's lips as the snow girl rested peacefully. Lowering her head, she pressed her lips against Mizore's.

Mizore instinctively started to kiss back, likely in the middle of a lovely dream. Kurumu closed her eyes and started to kiss more firmly, slipping her tongue between Mizore's lips. Mizore moaned softly, weakly pushing her tongue back against Kurumu's.

It lasted only a moment. Mizore's hands quickly came up to push on Kurumu's torso as the snow girl turned her head sharply away. Mizore groaned, looking at her with sleepy, sapphire eyes.

"Why with the tongue?"

Kurumu giggled, sitting upright. Mizore batted at the empty air above her before rolling onto her side away from Kurumu.

"You like my tongue."

Mizore whimpered as she brought one hand down to her crotch to massage herself.

"Wrong place for it."

"Oh? Shall I wield my tongue somewhere else?"

"I have to pee."

Kurumu chuckled, pushing on Mizore's shoulder.

"Get off the couch. I need to lift up the back."

Mizore fell off the side of the couch, thumping upon the floor. Kurumu laughed, shaking her head as she scooted off the couch. As the snow girl picked herself up from the floor, Kurumu leaned down to press the latch for the couch's back. With the first latch released, she lifted on the back while shuffling over to the other side of the couch. She reached down to push the other latch which allowed the back to swing freely up. The back locked into an upright position.

"Shall I grab the table?"

Kokoa shrugged, stalking around to the other side of the couch as Kurumu fixed the cushions. The vampire took a seat on the floor behind the couch while Mizore shuffled into the bathroom.

"Up to you. If that brat isn't here before six forty, we won't need it."

Kurumu smirked, sauntering over to the ebony framed bed. She knelt down, reaching beneath the bed for the low table. Seizing the edge, she pulled the table out. Once she had dragged it back far enough to clear the couch, she stepped over to the other side and pushed the slab of wood towards Kokoa.

"We should check the mail before you leave for your tournament."

Kokoa grunted an acknowledgment as Kurumu fixed the table to rest behind the couch, leaving space for someone to sit between the couch and the table.

"Mizore's father might have news."

"I've already said my opinion on that."

Kurumu smiled, getting back to her feet. She glanced at their kitchen area, noting the microwave and the rice cooker near the refrigerator. It would have been nice to have a window in this suite, even if it had been a small one over the sink. The dishwasher was between the sink and the stove which had the oven that swung open to the side instead of pulling down. It reminded her of the apartment in Yonago.

The sound of the toilet flushing broke her out of her reverie. Kurumu drifted back to the bed as Mizore emerged from the bathroom.

"Did you sleep well?"

Mizore cocked her head as Kurumu sat down upon the mattress near Moka's feet.

"I guess so."

Mizore strolled over to the couch, leaning down to pick up her schoolbag which was resting by Kurumu's. The snow girl placed the bag on the couch, fishing out a school uniform and some lingerie for today.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Same as I did last night."

Kurumu smiled as Mizore draped her fresh clothes across the arm of the couch. The snow girl still would not wear the green jacket with her blouse but at least she was wearing an appropriate uniform. Mizore pulled the nightie up over her head, dropping the garment on the couch beside her bag.

"You need to tell us about any possible changes. You could miscarry at any moment."

"I don't want to think about that."

Kurumu nodded as Mizore pulled on her black sports bra. Turning slightly, Kurumu pressed her hand against what was likely Moka's hip. She shook the vampire firmly.

Before Kurumu could utter a word, Moka jerked upright, flinging the pillow at her. Kurumu laughed at the soft projectile, dragging it into her lap as the vampire scooted away from her. The silver haired girl struggled to free herself of the black sheets beneath this crimson comforter. Her torso was swathed in that sleeveless black nightgown which could pool about her feet while standing.

"Calm down, Moka. It's just morning."

Moka groaned as she finally freed herself of the blankets. Her crimson eyes focused on Kurumu.

"What time is it?"

"Six thirty one."

"It's too early."

Kurumu chuckled at Mizore's remark. The snow girl had pulled on a pair of striped purple and white panties and was buttoning up her school blouse.

"Not really. I'm usually starting breakfast at this time."

"Guess I should get ready."

Kurumu nodded as the vampire crawled off the bed. She stumbled towards the bathroom door.

"There's a bath in there if you want it."

"I just need to use the toilet. I'll drain the tub while I'm in there."

As the vampire disappeared into the bathroom, Kurumu started to fix the sheets and comforter.

"When was the last time you took a bath?"

"She took one when you two were in the hospital."

"Oh? Did you bathe with your big sister?"

"No. She treated the water so there was no reason for me to."

Kurumu held back her teasing response. She sighed, sitting back down on the made bed. Mizore was fixing up her skirt with only her long striped socks remaining.

The sound of the tub draining heralded the arrival of Moka. The vampire strolled out into the main room, walking directly for her closet.

"Kokoa is wearing white today."

Moka huffed, tugging open the closet door.

"Should I care?"

"You could match with your sister."

Moka snorted, slipping out of sight and closing the door behind her. Kurumu smiled softly, glancing at Mizore whom was pulling on her socks.

"Are you looking forward to the assembly today?"

"I'm looking forward to not having school."

"Do you have plans for the day?"

"Not really. You?"

"Nothing yet."

"If you have nothing in mind, we should go to Mononoke to purchase those groceries that you were so adamant against getting for me this week."

Kurumu smirked at Kokoa's suggestion.

"I thought you were going to hang out with friends."

"I can hang out with my friends in Mononoke. And it has been three weeks since I ordered dresses for Hikari and Hotaru."

Kurumu grinned, feeling like that had just been yesterday.

"I guess we could do that if you are treating us to lunch."

Kokoa huffed, turning another page in her manga.

"If the assembly only takes about an hour, we should be in town around ten. That's plenty of time to do our shopping and return to the dining hall before it stops serving lunch."

It took roughly an hour to walk to Mononoke from the school. And it took less than a half hour to walk from the school to the dining hall. Kurumu supposed with lunch being served until two that there was little reason to request for a meal in town.

"Will either of you be voting for Ginei?"

"Nobody in their right mind would vote for that lecher."

"I don't own enough thongs to support his campaign."

Kurumu smirked at Mizore's addition as the snow girl took a seat on the couch. Pushing off the bed, Kurumu strolled over to sit beside Mizore.

"Even if he does become student council president, I doubt that he could enforce that dress code."

"Will you wear your earrings again?"

Kurumu grinned at Mizore, thankful for the reminder. She had forgotten them yesterday. Hopping back to her feet, she pranced over to the desk where her journal rested beside Moka's laptop. She opened the thicker back cover of the journal, sliding open a small compartment.

"I should get a jewelry box."

"For five sets of earring studs?"

Kurumu glanced over the five colored sets of stones. Her father had paid a lot to get actual emeralds, rubies and sapphires. The amethysts and citrine were cheaper according to Yukari.

"Don't forget the locket he gave me with his photo and our friendship bracelets. It doesn't need to be a big box. Leaving them in this journal is odd but I don't want them loose in my schoolbag."

Kurumu paused, trying to decide which one to wear. She had matched her jewelry with the color of her lingerie the two times she had worn these but it was not like she had black earrings. Grabbing the citrine pair, she freed the studs of their backs before poking them through her earlobes.

"Are you going to learn how to play the flute?"

Kurumu smirked as she secured the earrings in place before closing up the journal. On a whim she had brought the flute here instead of leaving it in her suite. Her laptop was stacked on top of the flute's case beneath Moka's bed. Shaking her head, she returned to the couch to sit beside Mizore.

"I have no desire to join the band."

"You'll have to pick a club soon."

Kurumu nodded, aware that she would have to be registered with a club before the end of the term. Her boyfriend felt that she needed to be in a different club to get away from Tsukune. After the recent trip to Yukimura, she fully agreed. Even Mizore was done with being in the newspaper club, though she already had a club to go to. According to Ms. Nekonome, the drama club had never dropped Mizore.

Moka stepped out of her closet, fully dressed for school. The only thing she lacked was the red bow at the collar which Kurumu had not bothered with either. Moka's black leather collar about her throat made it impossible to wear the bow.

"Are you ever going to ditch that collar about your throat?"

Moka huffed as she leaned over to pick up her schoolbag resting beside her bike.

"No reason to. Once the seal is fixed, the rosary will go back where it belongs."

"Maybe she can't remove it without Mr. Aono's help."

Kurumu smirked at Mizore's use of Tsukune's surname.

"Like a chastity belt."

Moka blushed as she hung the schoolbag by its strap upon her shoulder.

"I could take this off if I wanted to."

A knock on the door demanded Kurumu's attention. Springing to her feet, she hurried over to the entryway which was on the other side of a half wall flanking the stove. Their tan school loafers were lined up neatly upon the floor against the half wall. Kurumu suspected that this entryway had been meant to be a proper genkan but the tatami had never been installed. She grabbed the knob of the exterior door, turning the deadbolt before easing the door out.

"Good morning, Yukari. Rubi."

Sendou Yukari was dressed properly for school in a green jacket with a red bow fixed at the collar of her white blouse. Her dark locks were cut evenly across her brow with the sides being long enough to cover her ears which had emerald studs. Her dark eyes brimmed with intelligence.

Toujou Rubi bowed slightly as she murmured a response. She also had dark hair which she had tied with white ribbons to pull her tresses away from her ears. Her ears had a pair of garnet studs. Like Yukari, she used these studs as a magical focus to cast her spells faster.

The older witch was sporting a long sleeved, burgundy blouse which was stitched with a layer of black lace. This lace had a floral pattern in front of broad, vertical stripes. A black satin bow was fixed at the conservative collar which covered most of Rubi's neck. A pleated, burgundy skirt billowed out at her hips which was also layered with the black lace.

"You look overdressed for a school assembly."

Rubi blushed slightly, clutching the pair of white plastic bags to her bosom.

"Am I? I thought it would be fine since it is long sleeved."

"You wore that to Kahlua's wedding."

Yukari huffed, strolling by Kurumu with only a pause to remove her loafers. The witch promptly opened the cabinet beneath the sink to fetch the stool.

"I told her this wasn't a formal occasion."

Rubi smiled apologetically as she slipped into the room, allowing Kurumu to close the door. After parting with her shoes, the older witch drifted over to place the plastic bags on the counter. Standing on her toes atop the small stool, Yukari tried to reach the skillet in the overhead compartment.

"The school has rules against employees having bare shoulders."

Yukari huffed at Rubi, finally snatching the skillet. Clutching the skillet to her slight bosom, she hopped off the stool and made her way to the stove.

"The amount of Ms. Huang's cleavage bared by her usual outfit is far more unacceptable. I trust that my grandfather will make a rule against that. That or hire a new chemistry teacher."

Kurumu snickered as Yukari turned on the stove and placed the skillet.

"Yukari. Can I have the rosary?"

Yukari glanced at Moka whom had wandered over to the sink. The witch nodded, undoing her jacket.

"Just a moment. I have to get her out."

Kurumu watched with interest as the witch unfastened several blouse buttons below the bow. Kurumu smirked upon realizing the shape of the rosary beneath Yukari's blouse. The witch reached into her blouse, tugging a moment before pulling the rosary out. Yukari presented it to Moka.

"Do you keep her in your bra?"

Yukari huffed at Kurumu as Moka took the rosary. The blushing witch started buttoning up her blouse.

"It's the safest place to keep her."

Kurumu chuckled, shaking her head as she glanced at Moka. The vampire was clutching the rosary to her bosom with her eyes closed.

"Look at her. She'll be lost without Hatsue."

Yukari snorted, fishing out a carton of eggs from the plastic bags Rubi had been carrying.

"My Moka will be fine."

"She's been like this every day when I come home after lunch."

Kurumu smirked at Kokoa's comment. Since Yukari refused to eat lunch in the dining hall, she and Moka had been coming here right after the conclusion of classes.

"Do you want to hold your baby, Mizore?"

Mizore peered over the couch, glancing at Moka.

"Not yet. After breakfast."

"We'll be leaving after breakfast. I'm taking her back before we set foot outside."

Kokoa snorted, shaking her head as she turned another page.

"Brat is right about one thing. Her bra is the safest place."

"Quiet. They are about to begin the assembly."

Kurumu smiled apologetically at Mrs. Sunao whom stood at the end of their row beside Yukari. The tiny teacher with her ashen gray locks held back in twin buns was not that much taller than Yukari. She was sporting a cream jacket over a peach blouse and pristine white slacks. This small lady whom had been hired back in 94 with Ms. Nekonome served as Kurumu's homeroom teacher, covering the courses for Japanese literature and language.

Since Yukari had been voted in as their class manager a couple of weeks before Sports Day, the witch stood beside their homeroom teacher. There was an empty aisle to Mrs. Sunao's right which divided the first years from the second years in the expansive auditorium. Despite the chaos of the cultural festival, this large room had taken almost no damage at all.

Beside Yukari was Hineri Kumiko whom was wearing the short sleeved, black jacket of the PSC. The plum haired girl had joined her sister's disciplinary club shortly after the end of her softball team's season before Sports Day. The jorougumo had elected to not stand with her friends from Aranoiji today.

Next to Kumiko was Unari Satsuki, Ms. Nekonome's niece from Kaigan of the Akita prefecture. The nekomusume girl had short, sienna locks and was also sporting the black jacket of the PSC though she preferred to wear her uniform with black slacks instead of the black skirt Kumiko had on.

Between Kurumu and Satsuki was Genzouyaki Nerume. The little kirin from Kaigan was one of the few girls in school shorter than Kurumu. She had her ebony tresses pulled into an offside ponytail towards Kurumu. Like most girls, she wore the green jacket with her school blouse and pleated skirt.

Nerume was a recent addition to class two. Like Kurumu, she had originally been in class three with Tsukune and Mizore. She had transferred schools due to a back injury which had left her crippled. Having issues in Kaigan with her new school and her father, Nerume had returned during the cultural festival with the hopes that Ms. Kiyomizu could heal her. There was no way of saying how many years this miracle had cost her soul, but Nerume was able to walk again.

On Kurumu's left was Morisato Juri. The brunette was a sprite from Okataiyou whom had joined the archery club. She was a friendly girl whom could easily pass as a human but lacked the citizenship which was required to attend human schools. Ms. Nekonome had estimated that only about a third of all monsters bothered getting citizenship since it only mattered to those with college plans or a desire to work among humans.

Beside Juri was Hazumi Furiko. The buxom girl had short, charcoal locks and hailed from Aranoiji. She was a gyokuto which explained her large bosom and pink eyes. The other girls from Aranoiji often called her Fufi. She would often read sleazy romance novels in her spare time and had joined the track team.

Madosuki Yasuko, or Yasi, was the next girl in their row. The tanuki had her shiny ebony locks styled into a pair of devil horns. As she was not particularly athletic or good with her academics, the girl from Aranoiji had joined some daifuugo club which did practically nothing. Her 'boyfriend', Tawamuru from class five whom was also a tanuki from Aranoiji, had joined the club with her.

The last girl in their homeroom was Endo Eriko. Her family lived in the city of Shibata and it turned out that she was an actual citizen despite her attending the junior high in Ashikantai. Since her parents had been home schooling her up to that point, they had simply continued with the ruse. As she was sixteen now, the government no longer cared if Endo was attending school or not.

The main reason for Endo's attendance at Ashikantai was her difficulty in keeping her neck a normal length. She would sometimes get very nervous when called upon in class and would lose control. The only other girl whom often had these sort of mishaps was Hazumi with her bunny ears.

"Greetings. Students. Teachers. I'm thankful that we all are gathered here today."

Kurumu turned her attention to the stage at the sound of the Headmaster's voice. It was difficult to see anything thanks to her short stature despite being close to the stage with only one classroom in front of her. It was not like the guys in front of her were super tall, doubting that Tatakai and Tanimoto could be any taller than Tsukune and Ginei.

"Before I turn things over to Mr. Utsutei, I wanted to mention a few topics which I shall be discussing with the faculty upon the conclusion of this assembly."

Kurumu shifted closer to Nerume to get a better view over Tatakai's shoulder at the podium in the center of the stage. The Headmaster stood behind it, wearing his usual hooded robe.

"The most pressing matter is how we shall handle your upcoming term exams. Many faculty members have expressed concerns about carrying out the exams in the dormitory study rooms. While I agree with their concerns, it seems unwise to put funds towards renting out a venue in Mononoke to hold our exams when we are in the middle of renovations. That's not even taking into account the travel this would require of our students. We shall be discussing other alternate solutions to this problem."

Kurumu perked up at the casual dismissal of what she had thought to be a good solution to the handling of the term exams. She had honestly not considered the walking to and from Mononoke, though the students living in Mononoke already dealt with that burden on a daily basis.

"Another matter of discussion will be about my retirement. It might be beneficial for me to officially step down at the end of this term and bring in my replacement for the annual prefectural meeting. This will have very little impact on the students though it might please some of your parents."

There were some chuckles to that remark though it quickly died down.

"I shall not be the only one retiring this year. While some of you might be reluctant to accept the rumor of Ms. Nekonome's resignation, considering this is the third time that she's threatened us with it, our longest tenured professor, Mr. Maruyama, shall also be retiring this year. He shall finish out the year."

The Headmaster paused, allowing the assembly time to react though none seemed interested in this news. Kurumu was only mildly surprised that the old giant whom had been working here since his graduation back in 24 was retiring alongside the Headmaster.

"As Ms. Tsumugi and Ms. Idatsu would prefer to return to their former roles, we will be hiring five new instructors for next year. Mr. Hirata also has a recommendation for a new soccer coach and gym teacher whom can start the moment the school is reopened. An early February date should be achievable."

The death of Ms. Rin at the hands of Lord Chiki, the former Fairy Tale officer of the Niigata prefecture, was the reason why Ms. Tsumugi had been teaching science since the start of October. With the loss of her lover, Ms. Yoshino had resigned. She had been Ginei's homeroom teacher and the advisor for the PSC. Currently Ms. Idatsu was trying her best to teach Ms. Yoshino's history class.

"And now… I shall turn things over to Mr. Utsutei, your current student council vice president."

Kurumu lifted up slightly on the pads of her feet to see the young man approach. Utsutei Mikado was a tengu with short, golden brown hair which was naturally feathered. He came from Koutoukumo which was the same tengu village Ginei's friend, Miyamoto Haiji, was from. Utsutei had been part of the tennis club prior to his election to the student council alongside Kaneshiro Hokuto.

As Utsutei took his place behind the podium, Kurumu tried to see the others on the stage. Ginei should be up there with his girlfriend, Hajihachi Mika, whom had agreed to be his vice president. Hajihachi was an okami with her long smoky black tresses pulled back in twin tails. She came from Morihochou which sent their kids to Watasora for junior high. She had joined their newspaper club shortly after becoming engaged to Ginei, though she still remained a member of the fashion club.

Kurumu's boyfriend, Amesuki Nijiro, would also be up there since he had agreed to be the vice president for Sawayaka Mikomi. Nijiro was an undine from Aranami and had gone to junior high in Umiman which was an underwater city off the coast of Kashiwazaki. He was in Miyamoto's homeroom and was a top five student among the second years.

Kurumu had started dating Nijiro on the last day of the cultural festival which unfortunately had been the same day that Lilith's Mirror had caused her to have sex with Tsukune. It was the worst start to a relationship, but Nijiro seemed to have accepted it.

"Thank you, Headmaster. And thank you to all of my fellow students for gathering here today."

Kurumu gave up on seeing anyone else, turning her attention back to the young man at the podium.

"Normally it would be the student council president giving this presentation, but due to unfortunate circumstances, Mr. Kaneshiro is unable to be with us here today. I am aware of the unfavorable rumors concerning his disappearance. But I personally visited him in the hospital. I can reassure you that he was in no condition to leave of his own volition. We can only hope that he may one day safely return to us and that he will explain his questionable actions which resulted in his hospitalization."

Utsutei paused, looking down at the podium for a long moment.

"And now to begin the reason for this assembly. We had the candidates draw lots to determine the order of their introduction. So the lucky holder of the shortest straw is none other than Morioka Ginei from second year class twelve. Please welcome your first candidate for this election."

The students applauded as Ginei approached the podium. The werewolf was waving his hands while wearing a toothy grin. His jacket was worn closed for a change and he even had on the red tie. His dark locks were pushed back by a crimson bandana.

Ginei was accompanied by three familiar figures. Hajihachi was obviously with him, but Kurumu had not expected Shikichi Akatori to be with him. The girl had short, cinnamon locks which were feathered. She was a tengu from Hongu and was a member of the fencing club.

The last figure with the silky black hair pulled back in a high ponytail with hime cut bangs was actually a young man in Nijiro's math club. That was Yokan, whom Kurumu had initially thought was a girl when she had first seen him in Ginei's homeroom. The slender boy was wearing tan slacks like every other guy.

"Thank you, Mr. Utsutei. Thank you, Headmaster and all of the faculty."

Ginei grinned, gripping the sides of the podium as he looked out over the assembly.

"And thank you, my fellow students. It's that time when we decide whom shall lead us to a better future at Yokai Academy."

Ginei chuckled, glancing at Hajihachi whom stood to his right. His girlfriend held a green notebook against the swell of her bosom.

"Last year, I would have never envisioned myself to be running for this position. Certainly not with Kuyo around. When I mentioned this during the contest back in July, it was only in jest."

Ginei took in a deep breath and nodded.

"But I stand here today with a serious bid for your vote. I've assembled a competent staff of lovely ladies to support me in this endeavor. My fiancée, Hajihachi Mika from second year class six, has agreed to serve as my vice president."

Ginei paused to gesture at Shikichi.

"Shikichi Akatori has plenty of experience watching over me, having served as my class representative these past two years. I could think of nobody more qualified to serve as our secretary."

Shikichi bowed slightly as Ginei turned to gesture to Yokan whom lurked to his left.

"And lastly I asked Yokan Awateru to be our treasurer. While Ms. Yokan might not be a popular face among the student body, I can reassure you that she is quite capable in her academics, consistently ranking in the top fifteen of my grade, just like Shikichi."

Yokan leaned in closer to the podium.

"I'm a boy."

Ginei chuckled heartily along with several members of the audience.

"Sure you are. Do you have anything else you'd like to say before I turn things over to Mika?"

Yokan shook his head vehemently. With a smirk, Ginei turned and gestured at Shikichi. The girl shrugged and stepped up to the podium. Ginei politely moved aside.

"Thank you. This dog didn't warn me about speaking at this assembly, so I don't have anything prepared like Ms. Hajihachi. I'll confirm what he says about Mr. Yokan's abilities to function as our treasurer. He was my recommendation and I'm glad that he agreed to do it on such short notice. This dummy didn't even ask Mr. Yokan until yesterday despite my suggestion last weekend."

"Cut me some slack."

"Not a chance. I'll be blunt. This student council will mostly be run by Ms. Hajihachi and myself. I'm not saying that Mr. Morioka won't do anything here. He has more experience working with other groups than either of us. He's charismatic and outgoing. He will do a good job."

Shikichi paused with a nod of her head.

"One last thing before Ms. Hajihachi does her speech. Since we are nearing the end of the year, I think I should inform Mr. Utsutei that my best friend has a crush on him."

"You bitch!"

Several students chuckled at Noboru's cry from the crowd. Noboru Hazuka was another tengu from Hongu whom was in the fashion club. Kurumu imagined that the second year was blushing, having no way of seeing the girl in the middle of the many rows of students.

"Savage."

Shikichi shrugged at Ginei's grin, stepping back from the podium. Sensing it was her turn, Hajihachi settled in behind the podium and placed her notebook down atop it. She opened it up and looked over the assembly with a nervous smile.

"Greetings. Teachers and fellow students."

Hajihachi sucked in a breath as she looked down at her notebook.

"Nineteen months ago, I started my journey at Yokai Academy alongside many of you. I'm sure that your journey, like mine, has been full of changes. Perhaps you found a new friend in a new club. Or you had a change of heart about your electives. Or you're struggling with English which was never taught to you before. And some of you may have even found love."

Hajihachi glanced up at Ginei with a slight smile before turning back to her notes.

"It won't be long before spring. Our seniors shall graduate and it will be our turn to become the next role models for new students. It would be a great honor for myself and my friends if you were to allow us to be such role models. We only get this one chance."

Hajihachi paused, looking out at the audience.

"After the next summer, our coexistence course will be replaced with one to prepare us for the college entrance exams. Some of us will take this exam and fulfill the ideals which this academy was founded upon. That humans and monsters could coexist."

The girl glanced back at her notes.

"With that in mind, the main goal of our student council is to better prepare our peers for coexistence. One activity which most human high schools provide to their students is the school trip. It is our belief that such a trip would be beneficial to the students of Yokai Academy. We are aware of the risks. But we shall never step towards coexistence if we always fear discovery."

Hajihachi turned the page in her notebook.

"The school trip is often a three to four day event in which students get to experience Japan outside of a classroom environment. Humans are no different from monsters in that we tend to live out our days in a small scope. We go to school or work and then go home. We don't travel outside of special occasions. There are humans in Kobe whom have never set foot in Kyoto. Just like I have never set foot in any human settlement or left this prefecture."

Kurumu smiled, aware that Ginei must have told her about that. The young man had spent most of his life with his parents in Kobe among humans.

"We are the seeds of change. Our ideas cannot spread if we stay inside our sheltered lives. This dream of peace and acceptance will never be accomplished if we remain within our comfort zones."

Hajihachi took in another deep breath, straightening her shoulders.

"Just look at how far we have come in one year alone. The school and Mononoke are no longer under the tyranny of Kuyo and a corrupted PSC. The Outcasts have disbanded. Even the Headmaster will be resigning soon. A new era at Yokai Academy is about to begin. We can do more. We shall do more. Please, give us this chance."

Hajihachi backed away from the podium to take a stiff bow. Ginei started to clap which prompted the audience to do the same. Blushing, Hajihachi grabbed her notebook and stepped aside as Ginei resumed his place behind the podium. He waited patiently for the applause to diminish.

"I don't have a fancy speech prepared. Mika certainly prefers me doing it raw."

Hajihachi turned wide eyes upon his grin as Shikichi swatted his shoulder. Several boys chuckled in the crowd along with Ginei.

"Jokes aside, I want to echo my thoughts on this trip which is undoubtedly our biggest goal. And since a certain little lady formerly in my newspaper club likes to gossip, I'm certain that the other candidates are also looking into incorporating our idea into their own platforms."

Kurumu shivered as a few boys turned their eyes upon her. Though it had been less than a week, she imagined that everybody in the school was aware of her withdrawal from the newspaper club.

"Getting back to what Shikichi said, I am unquestionably the most experienced candidate you have at working with others and getting things done. You only need to look at the popularity contest. That was my project which I coordinated along with several club presidents. While I concede that the planning of a school trip will require more resources, I'm certain that I could have something put together before the seniors graduate if you vote for me."

Ginei paused before turning a grin upon the assembly.

"And that leaves the other matter I promised concerning the change in the girls' dress code."

"Ginei."

He grinned at Hajihachi as Shikichi grabbed his shoulder.

"It's harmless, ladies. I simply need to form a small committee."

"You are not forming a skirt flipping committee."

He chuckled at Shikichi, resisting her efforts to pull him away from the podium.

"I know that it would have to be ran by girls. Imi and Miya are both capable of doing quick checks of a girl's lingerie without any embarrassment."

"You are not changing the dress code."

"Don't you like your new thongs?"

Yokan bowed politely to the crowd before retreating with the girls as they dragged the troublesome werewolf away. Utsutei chuckled, quickly taking the podium.

"I suppose that we should thank Mr. Morioka for that colorful presentation."

"No color requirements. Black and white shall be acceptable."

Utsutei bowed his head after Ginei's quick comment. He waited for the mirth to pass and for Ginei to be safely taken out of sight before lifting his gaze.

"I shall now introduce your next candidate, Machida Ebisu of second year class six."

Utsutei turned and gestured. The young man in question strolled into view with several index cards in hand. Machida had his dark locks styled in a simple crew cut. He was a stocky kappa from Tsushimi. He approached the podium with the three students whom would be part of his student council.

Two of his companions were gnomes from Chirasu. The stockier guy with his dark locks perfectly parted down the middle was Berijisu. The scrawnier one with his jet black locks swept up in a faux hawk was Berijisu's roommate. Like most gnomes, these guys were short and wore glasses. She doubted either of them were taller than Tsukune.

The roommate was roughly the same height as their fourth member, whose presence surprised Kurumu the most. Mizudake Yuri was a thin girl with wavy, bluish hair tipped with pink highlights. She was an undine from Ikinakawa and was on the tennis team.

Machida took his place behind the podium, nodding at Utsutei whom retreated out of sight. Berijisu took his place on Machida's right while Mizudake drifted over to his left. The other kid opted to remain in the shadow of his roommate.

"Thank you, Mr. Utsutei. I won't trouble everyone with speeches from my entire staff."

"I want to speak."

Several students giggled at Mizudake's immediate remark. Machida regarded her for a long moment before shaking his head. He turned to the podium and glanced at his index cards.

"I'll do the introductions of my proposed staff first. Berijisu Notin has agreed to be my vice president. He is consistently a top fifteen student. His childhood friend, Kanekichi Subaru, has accepted the position of our treasurer. He also consistently performs well, never dropping below the ninety percentile. And by her own request, Mizudake Yuri shall be our secretary. She is also consistently in the top fifteen."

"Nobody cares about our academic standings."

"I'm only bringing it up since Mr. Morioka used academics as credentials for his other officers."

"Yea, yea. Scoot over."

Machida acquiesced to the demands of the short girl. Mizudake leaned up on the podium, using it to elevate herself.

"I bet everyone is wondering why I would request to be part of a student council with a bunch of nerds."

Naturally the remark drew some laughs from the crowd.

"I'll say it right now that it has nothing to do with any secret crush I have been harboring for a young man I've known since our first year of junior high."

Kurumu snorted, doubting that thought would have ever crossed her mind. While Mizudake had gone to the junior high in Umiman, she would have shared classes with other undines like Nijiro.

"Basically it comes down to two reasons. The first is the obvious reason of being part of something cool. Being on the student council is a crowning achievement of high school. It's like being the captain of your team or the president of your club. The only more important position you could hope for is valedictorian, which I doubt any of us can take away from Mr. Hosokoun."

Kurumu smirked at the mention of the stoic young man from the kendo club.

"My other reason is more personal. I'm annoyed at my cowardly cousin and want a convenient excuse to get out of my tennis club commitments."

"I still love you!"

Kurumu giggled at the shouted response. That had been Okimune Hitsumi, the young lady in the choir whom had recently started dating Mizudake's cousin. Okimune was an undine from Umishiro which had its own junior high. She had been crushing on a guy from the baseball team whom had graduated last year. Her friends were happy and possibly jealous of her new relationship with Shiname Nureto whom was arguably the most popular undine boy in the school.

"I love you too. I'll make a point to find a boyfriend and blow off your birthday when it comes around."

That remark drew several snickers and laughs. Mizudake's birthday had been on the first of November while Okimune's birthday would be in early March. Kurumu doubted that Mizudake would remember this grudge by then.

"I don't have anything else to say right now. But I encourage everyone to vote for Mr. Machida. He has an interesting proposition concerning how we handle lunch which I think everyone would approve of."

She slipped off the podium, allowing Machida to resume his place. Before he could speak, Mizudake ducked back against the side of the podium.

"Oh and everyone show up to the games against Sekisei High tomorrow. Cheer for our teams!"

Many students in the crowd let out quick cheers with applause as Mizudake finally stepped clear of the podium. Machida simply shook his head, waiting for the crowd to settle down.

"Thank you, Ms. Mizudake. I believe that Mr. Berijisu has a few words to say before I go in depth about our plans and goals as student council. Mr. Berijisu."

The pair exchanged nods before Machida backed away to allow Berijisu to address the crowd. The young man pushed his boxy black glasses further back up his bulbous nose.

"Thank you, Mr. Machida. My fellow students. I suspect that many of you look upon us and see a bunch of young men planning to uphold traditional values. And in that regard, you would not be wrong. We plan to uphold the traditional values that this school has been founded upon."

Berijisu straightened up.

"These are not the traditional values of exclusivity which exist in the communities of Touboe, Aranoiji and Umishiro. Such antiquated beliefs of racial superiority have been the catalyst for major changes in the local school system throughout the prefecture. It is why Mimori High was relocated to Watasora in the early fifties. It is why the junior high in the Murakami region was relocated away from Touboe six years ago. It is why the junior high in Umishiro is in imminent threat of being closed since many students in the Itoigawa area are forced to attend other schools."

Kurumu was mildly curious why this guy knew so much about the situation of the local junior highs. This was the first time she had heard about Umishiro's junior high being in trouble.

"Exclusivity is not the natural order of things. The founders of Yokai Academy were well aware of this. Lord Sendou whom shall be taking over as Headmaster did a multitude of studies which supported the belief that nearly every monster race is capable of breeding with humans and each other. That should be biologically impossible. You can't breed horses with dogs. But the DNA within a kirin and an inugami will allow such a child to come into existence. That suggests that we are not different species, but different races. The simple yet inconvenient truth is that monstrels are the natural order."

Kurumu blinked in the pause that followed, wondering what his point was with this revelation.

"We are the next generation. We cannot make the same mistakes as our ancestors, trying to breed in ways that bring about specific traits. We owe it to ourselves and our children to change not only our communities but Fairy Tale itself. If we can do that, surely it will not be long before we acquire true integration with human society."

The room was silent as Berijisu backed away from the podium.

"I shall now turn things back over to Mr. Machida."

Machida returned to the podium, looking down at his index cards.

"I don't have any comments about the school trip, though Ms. Mizudake did bring it to our attention. Instead I will speak about something else which is the focus of my campaign. Nearly all students will experience the troubles this school has in managing the lunch hour. Short of having the fourth period gym, you are most likely at the mercy of a long lunch line. And if you desire to socialize with friends, you can only hope that you share the same gym period or you will most likely not see each other at all."

He flipped over an index card.

"The long lunch line first became an issue when the student council and faculty of 84 decided to have a single lunch hour instead of two. Knowing it might become an issue, they installed a third register station back then. This proved to be insufficient to handle the increased traffic of an entire student body in a single hour. Students whom lived in the suites were encouraged to bring their own lunches."

Machida swapped the index card with the next one.

"Very little has been done to improve the situation over the years despite it being a common theme of many student councils. The school store was authorized to sell perishables in 88 and another cafeteria register was added in 91. The last notable attempt to reduce lunch line traffic was the implementation of the special diet program in 95 which allowed students to bypass the line by acquiring a sack lunch from Kurai dining hall at breakfast. Since then, every attempt to change the lunch line situation has failed."

Machida looked up from the index cards.

"There is always the concern of breaking up groups of friends. But I feel that is more of an issue with the admissions office assigning students of the same junior high into different classrooms. I understand that this is done to encourage us to meet new people and establish new friendships. But as someone whom has fourth period gym, I am finished with my lunch long before any of my junior high friends arrive. The single lunch hour to preserve friendship is a lost cause."

Kurumu wondered what friends he was talking about. As far as she knew, most of the kappa boys from his junior high were in the fishing or arcade clubs. She had never seen him at those cafeteria tables.

"Therefore it is my proposition to return to the multiple lunch hours this school utilized back in the late seventies and early eighties. And I believe that we should take this one step further. Instead of two lunch hours, we should have three. Lunch groups would be the same as our gym groups."

Machida turned his index card over, glancing down at it.

"The way this would work is simple. Those with fourth period gym would have fifth period lunch. Those with fourth period lunch would have seventh period gym. And those with sixth period lunch would have eighth period gym. Electives would be held during seventh and eighth periods."

It took a moment for Kurumu to grasp what he meant. Presently nobody called the lunch hour fifth period since everyone had lunch at the same time. So what was seventh period gym now would be eighth period gym in the future if this change was implemented.

"With only a third of the students going to lunch, the lines would be faster and more efficient. And if admissions works with us, we can avoid the concern of junior high classmates being put into entirely different lunch groups. There will always be issues of electives forcing some people away from familiar faces, but that should become the exception, not the standard."

Machida folded up his index cards and stuffed them into his jacket pocket.

"I'm aware that some may feel this matter is inconsequential, but as someone whom has experienced fourth and sixth period gym, I can assure you that there is a huge difference. The decision will ultimately be yours and will have to be made soon if we want this for next school year. Thank you all for your time."

Machida bowed slightly before stalking off. Several students started to clap as the rest of Machida's group retreated. Utsutei hurried back to the podium.

"You're one person that won't affect."

Kurumu grinned at Juri.

"What do you mean?"

"That you have enough friends that you could be put into any gym group and be fine. Someone like me might have a big problem."

"And now it is time for me to introduce your last candidate, Sawayaka Mikomi of first year class six."

Kurumu clapped as the final group approached the podium. Mikomi was a traditional beauty with long, silken, black tresses. She was the daughter of a teacher whom had perished earlier this year protecting the Headmaster. The Meirowasa family had moved in with Mikomi since they had lost their home to a fire only days before this tragedy and since Mikomi had no other family to speak of.

Accompanying the young monstrel were three familiar second years. Kurumu's boyfriend was the guy with the faint blond locks styled in a crew cut with a high fade. The golden haired girl was Amatsu Riki, a tennin from Okataiyou. Like Nijiro, the choir girl was a top five student and a class manager.

The silver haired guy with the glasses was Ishikure Yama from Touboe. Kurumu lacked a strong opinion for the quiet and polite gnome, having more experience with his little sister, Iwa. Ishikure had joined the computer club, was a class manager and was a regular top twenty student.

"Thank you, Mr. Utsutei. And thank you, everyone, for allowing me to speak today."

Kurumu smiled, turning her full attention upon the young lady behind the podium.

"Like my predecessors, I shall begin with introducing my fellow staff members. Amesuki Nijiro has agreed to be my vice president. Ishikure Yama shall serve as our treasurer. And Amatsu Riki will be our secretary. I am grateful that they have agreed to support me despite my lack of experience."

Mikomi paused, glancing over her companions with a slight smile.

"Mr. Amesuki has a few things to say before I deliver my own speech."

Nijiro nodded at Mikomi, pulling a folded sheet of paper out of his jacket pocket. Once Mikomi stepped aside from the podium, the young man took her place. He smiled nervously at the crowd while unfolding the paper. He smoothed out the sheet, glancing down.

"The path to success is very simple. Study hard. Stay out of trouble. Take no risks. If you have the resolve to stick to this formula, you will undoubtedly end up with a career capable of supporting a family. Life is not difficult. We only make it that way when we are lazy or impatient."

He chuckled, finally looking up to regard the assembly.

"But how dull life would become if we never took any risks. The young lady I have chosen to stand behind is by no means the safest pick. If you are like me, you have been raised with some measure of distrust for those of mixed blood. And while you might claim to be above such prejudices, you probably are not in the habit of mingling with monstrels more than you have to."

Nijiro caressed the sheet of his paper with a quick glance at it.

"I, like Ms. Amatsu and Mr. Ishikure, have served as representative for my homeroom for two years now. While we could do this another year, we feel that it would be best to leave this responsibility to someone else, regardless of if we win or not. Being a class manager is a good experience for any student to have."

Nijiro smirked at the crowd.

"And frankly, I would rather study for the college entrance exam than worry over whether or not my homeroom has enough chalk and cleaning supplies."

Kurumu giggled along with many others amused by Nijiro's comment.

"That's not to say that I hope that we lose. Quite the contrary. I do hope that you, like me, shall take the risk to support Ms. Sawayaka as your next student council president. We need to become better people not just in theory, but in practice. While this might deprive me of some study time, it will enable me to do something good for my fellow students at Yokai Academy."

Nijiro smiled, glancing at the first years.

"I won't pretend that I came to this conclusion on my own. I was trapped within that mundane formula for success, content to remain in the background, focusing only upon my studies. Somehow I caught the interest of Ms. Kurono Kurumu, and she has inspired me to step out of my comfort zone. I spoke to my neighbors for the first time this year. Nearly eight full months of school has passed and I just had my first conversation with Mr. Oyobi earlier this week."

He shook his head, folding up his sheet and stuffing it back into his pocket.

"I can only express my gratitude to Ms. Sawayaka for asking me to take this role. Running for student council would have never made sense to me months ago. Whether or not this is a path to success is yet to be determined. But I do feel that this is the path that I must take. Thank you and everyone."

He bowed slightly, stepping away from the podium. A few people in the audience clapped as Kurumu shivered from the attention that had started pouring into her the moment Nijiro had mentioned her name. She felt flush from all of the envious lust directed upon her.

"You're blushing."

Kurumu pouted at Juri.

"You would too if someone called you out."

"Thank you, Mr. Amesuki. I guess that leaves just my words concerning what our goals are."

Kurumu smiled, returning her attention to the podium where Mikomi stood once again.

"I know this may sound simple, but winning the election is the most important goal for me. This year has been very important to the people of Mononoke. It's not simply the removal of Kuyo or the disbandment of the Outcasts. There is also the school debts which were finally paid off. And while Lord Chiki was not the best person, he did spark conversation within the community to revitalize the neighborhood."

Mikomi paused, relaxing her shoulders.

"This is a year of change. For the first time, we had a local allowed into the PSC. My dear friend, Tokori. And I want to be the first local to become student council president. In the entire school's history, that has never happened. It's almost like it hardly matters what I accomplish after that."

Mikomi paused for a long moment, taking in a deep breath.

"The student council first and foremost is a group of individuals assigned to the task of finding ways to make the lives of the students better. If a school trip is what the students want, then it will be our job to make that happen. If more lunch hours sound appealing to you, we can do it. I am open to suggestions on how we can serve you. We will listen to your needs."

Mikomi stepped back and nodded.

"I promise that a vote for my election is not a vote my sake or the town's sake. I want this to be a vote for your sake. Thank you for all your support."

Kurumu clapped her hands which prompted others to do the same. Mikomi and her proposed officers walked away from the podium as the applause continued. Utsutei strode purposefully back into view, taking his post behind the podium and waiting for the crowd to settle down.

"Thank you, Ms. Sawayaka. That concludes our assembly. You are all free to go and enjoy the rest of your weekend. Please disperse according to the instructions of your homeroom teachers."

Several students murmured as teachers began giving directions.

"One more thing. Could Ms. Noboru stick around? I have a question to ask her."

"Thank goodness the lunch hall was still open."

Kurumu chuckled as Nerume joined her at the table. The tiny kirin had three entrées piled onto her lunch tray which included a bowl of katsudon, a bowl of nikujaga and a yakisoba sandwich. The little glutton also had a bowl of miso soup, two cans of royal milk tea and two dinner rolls.

Kurumu pushed her chopsticks out of the cellophane wrapper as Mizore took the seat on her right. The snow girl had grabbed a half liter of vanilla ice cream to serve as her meal. A part of her wanted to scold Mizore for her poor diet, especially considering she was carrying a child now. Some of these girls sharing lunch with them were unaware of the truth, dismissing Mizore's pregnancy comments as a joke.

Nazohashi Tora settled down on Nerume's right. The sphinx was wearing the short sleeved black jacket of the PSC with a black skirt. Her raven tresses were twisted into a braid which ringed about her head above her ears. As she shared homeroom with Mizore, Kurumu had asked Tora to watch over the girl, offering only a partial explanation about the hospital visit. Tora was aware that Mizore had been raped.

"Do you have any plans for the weekend?"

Nerume shook her head as Kurumu pulled off the lid to her bowl of chicken teriyaki rice.

"Not really. I might hang out with Satsuki at her workplace."

"You should start focusing on your studies."

Kurumu smirked at Tora, expecting that sort of response. Both girls had tagged along on Kurumu's trip to Mononoke for groceries. Satsuki had too, though she had stayed behind to get some hours of work in.

"Is that how you plan to spend your weekend?"

"It's the smart thing to do."

The rest of the girls whom had tagged along to fetch groceries in Mononoke arrived, taking seats on the other side of the table. Kokoa claimed the position in the middle across from Nerume. Akegawa Hikari took the spot on Kokoa's right. The short girl, whom was often accused of being Kokoa's favorite, had her curly, cherry locks pushed back with a black hairband. The salamander came from Tochimoeru and had an older brother in the kendo club.

Antai Hotaru settled down on the end across from Mizore. The sylph had her beige tresses styled in an updo similar to Kurumu, though Hotaru had her bangs cut across her brow. Hotaru's family lived in Hateshinai which was on the prefectural border between Niigata and Yamagata. Both Hotaru and Hikari were in class eight and had joined the gymnastics club.

The girl taking the spot on Kokoa's left was Fukai Ishiko. Ishiko was the only girl at the table whom was as short as Kokoa. The gnome from Chirasu was in class eleven with Moka. After being denied membership with the auto club, the enigmatic girl had joined the kimono club with Hasegawa, her classmate. Her oily black hair was a tangled, thick mess and she had a pair of thick goggles strapped over her caramel eyes.

Taniguchi Nagisa took the other end on that side of the table. Nagisa was an undine from Ikinakawa and shared homeroom with Kokoa. She had her toffee tresses pulled back in a ponytail along with two braids hanging over her ears. She was in the tennis club and was well acquainted with Mizudake.

These four girls were special to Kokoa. The young vampire was taking blood from each of them to make herself stronger.

"I wonder if Ms. Hanetsume will get her mother's permission to work."

Kurumu smirked at Nerume's musing. Hanetsume Hatoko was from class three with Mizore and Tora. She was a tengu whom came from a small village in Onan of the Shimane prefecture. The chestnut haired girl had recently applied for work at the Gates of Heaven, Satsuki's maid café.

"Well the owner has her crimson maid outfit ready for her when she does."

Tora huffed, mixing up her curry.

"Even if she does get that in the mail today, I doubt that she will start work this weekend."

"I still can't get over the fact that she actually got hired."

Hikari nodded at Hotaru.

"I agree. She seems so crass and foul mouthed."

"Well the owner wanted a mean and sassy maid. I guess Satsuki doesn't have her usual hard attitude when dealing with strangers."

"It's too bad that he would not open the kitchen for us. I wanted to try out some of the menu."

Kurumu grinned at Nagisa. Since most of his maids attended Yokai Academy, the owner did not bother opening the store until two on Fridays. The rest of his operating hours were over the weekend which consisted of two eight hour shifts from ten to six.

"We could always swing by next weekend. Hatoko might even be working then."

"We should all show up in our Chinese dresses."

Kokoa snorted at Hotaru's suggestion. They had picked up the dresses for Ishiko and Nagisa right before leaving Satsuki at her workplace. Now all four of Kokoa's girls had Chinese dresses similar to the ones Kokoa had bought for Kurumu and herself.

"Why would we bother doing that?"

"Because we could? When else would we wear them?"

"It could be a fun thing to do next weekend."

Ishiko held a thumb up after Nagisa's comment.

"I'm looking forward to it."

Kurumu paused, wondering if Ishiko had meant to say that. The gnome had an odd habit of mixing up her syllables, causing some sentences to lose all meaning.

"I'm cool with this idea. Shall we work this into our usual Sunday routine with Tora's flying friends?"

Tora chuckled at Kurumu's remark. Months ago, Tobuyoku Suzume, another tengu in Tora's homeroom, had decided to help Tora learn how to fly. Hatoko had been pulled into this group since she was in track with Suzume. Suzume was from this prefecture, having attended the junior high in Machinise.

The other members of this flying group were two more tengu girls from class eleven. Honda Kiki was Suzume's friend and Dangai Michiko was Hatoko's. Due to being uneasy around guys, Kiki had dropped out of the daifuugo club ran by her big brother and had joined the newspaper club. After the issues with Lord Chiki, Kiki had quit the newspaper club and had joined the kimono club which she had done an article for. Michiko was in the gymnastics club.

"I might if we throw in a movie. The next Harry Potter movie is coming out next weekend."

"Really? I didn't think they would dare show such a high profile movie before exams."

Tora shrugged at Kurumu's amusement.

"That's what I heard last weekend from the theater staff. Normally they are a couple weeks behind the outside world but they don't want a repeat of what happened with the last Star Wars movie."

Kurumu nodded, aware that the local cinema had failed to acquire the movie until the weekend before exams. The management had decided against releasing it until August. And since the town's bank was robbed in the middle of the summer break, most residents had cut back on spending. The movie had performed so poorly that it had been pulled from the theater in the middle of September.

"I've only seen the first movie."

Hotaru snickered at Hikari.

"That's because you live in a backwaters town. A sophisticated lady like myself has seen all three."

"I haven't seen the third."

"I'm surprised at that."

"It just worked out that way. The release was in the middle of July last year and I decided to study for my term exams instead. We don't have a theater in Ikinakawa and the one in Umiman had stopped showing the film by the time I returned from summer break."

"You're both hopeless country bumpkins. I bet that Ishiko has seen them all."

"You are magically high, Hari."

"Was that a yes?"

"Everyone all the movies."

Kokoa nodded at Ishiko's remark, gesturing at Hikari.

"I have all three if you want to watch them over the weekend while I'm at my tournament."

"We can watch them at the sleepover when you return."

The girls murmured in agreement with Nagisa's suggestion before resuming their meals. Kurumu had already eaten all of her chicken slices, leaving her with only teriyaki flavored rice.

"Have you seen the Harry Potter movies, Mizore?"

"Yes. My little brothers are fascinated with magic."

Kurumu smirked, recalling how gruff Kaitou had been around Yukari.

"Jiro was little. Kaitou was almost as tall as us."

"He takes after his father."

Kurumu nodded, aware of how tall and broad Mizore's father was. Kurumu nudged Nerume's elbow as the girl polished off her nikujaga.

"What about you? Have you seen the movies?"

"I don't think so. We have a theater in Kaigan but we rarely go to it."

"You would remember seeing this movie, Ms. Genzouyaki."

"I've never been that interested in movies. But I'll go to one if everyone else is."

"So what else should we do on this outing?"

"Don't plan for too much. My club is having a birthday party that weekend."

Hotaru frowned at Kokoa.

"Birthday party? For whom?"

"For three of my seniors. Ms. Udetama's birthday is on the third while Ms. Tadashiguchi has hers this coming Wednesday. And Ms. Negai turned seventeen earlier this week. They haven't shared the details with us yet so I shouldn't get too crazy with plans."

"That could be fun."

"It's a club activity, Hotaru. Don't be inviting yourself to it."

"We should be focusing on our studies. If they're not having us walk to Mononoke for our exams, they might be thinking of having us take them in the school."

"I guess that's true. Do you think that the classrooms are patched up enough for us to do that?"

"They might have us take our exams in the rooms that they are using for the third years."

"They won't do that. Sure we can all fit in the auditorium but that isn't much more room than what we have in the dormitory study rooms."

"But they could move some of us into the practice gym and cafeteria. They could also use the library."

"You're both assuming that they will have everyone take their exams at the same time. There is little reason for them to wait for the last week of school to give out exams. In my junior high, we took our winter exams the first week of December."

"Well you went to school with humans. They do things differently."

"We did the same in Umiman. It's not unusual."

Hotaru frowned at Nagisa.

"It's always been the last week for me. What about you two?"

"First week of December."

"Yea. Ours was the first week too."

Kurumu finished her rice, setting her chopsticks aside. She thought about her junior high years in Kengamine, fairly certain there had never been anything to do that last week before winter break.

"I recall my term exams were the week before the last. They were done like our midterms are."

"I don't know if that is what the faculty will decide to do, but you might not want to wait until the last moment to start studying. Our exams might be sooner than we think."

Hotaru waved her hand dismissively at Tora's warning.

"They will let us know on Monday what they plan to do. No reason to let it ruin this weekend."

"You need to study more than the rest of us. That's why Hikari shouldn't wait to watch the Harry Potter movies until my sleepover."

"I don't need to watch the movies again."

Kurumu popped the tab to her yuzu juice can and took a swig.

"Hotaru could join us for Kiba's birthday party Sunday morning."

"Kiba? From class seven?"

Kurumu nodded at Hotaru, having discussed these plans when she had shared lunch with Kiba and her friends earlier this week. Kiba Enoko was an inugami from Ashikantai whom had joined her older cousin's badminton club. She had come to Yokai Academy with her friend, Matsudera Nikki, whom was an okami in class eight. Nikki was on the track team.

The other two in Kiba's lunch group were okami girls from Morihochou whom had also joined the track team. Uchikawa Akari was the most prolific of the group since she was the representative for class eight and was related to one of the science teachers. Bikiyama Nozomi was from class one.

"She turns sixteen on Sunday. She wants to play a baseball game."

"On campus?"

"Yea. Nozomi plans to ask a few of the other first years in track to join them so that they have enough girls for a game. She plans to recruit most of Tora's flying group."

Tora snorted, shaking her head.

"I highly doubt that Ms. Nomura or Ms. Honda will find a baseball game agreeable."

Kurumu grinned at the mention of Nomura Airi from class four. The buxom tengu from Hateshinai was usually in the company of her childhood friend, Kazehana Tsubaki.

"I was reminded that Nomura's birthday is tomorrow. Kazehana will be up for this and I would bet money that Asuka and Taijin show up."

Taijin Yuu and Shindou Asuka were a pair of girls on the track team from Yuusei of the Iwata prefecture. Asuka was in class one and shared lunch with Suzume's group. There was no way that hyper raiji failed to come if she heard about it. And if Asuka came, she would drag Taijin along.

"Will we be flying Sunday?"

Kurumu paused at Tora's question.

"We probably don't have time. Would you want to tag along?"

"I suppose I can. Is there anything else planned for this party?"

"Akari's aunt is going to swing by around eleven or so and drop off a bunch of sweets. We won't have to go to Mononoke unless we want to."

"You can count me in. I'd rather play baseball than watch a bunch of movies I've already seen."

Nagisa giggled at Hotaru.

"It's only two movies."

"Long movies. You'll be holed up in the suite for more than five hours."

"Would any of you want to join us? Unless we do run off to Mononoke, we should be done before lunch. That should still be plenty of time to watch both movies before Kokoa returns from her trip."

Hikari shook her head with a slight smile.

"I'd rather not intrude."

"I'll also pass. Will your sister be home all weekend or do we need to arrange a time to swing by and get into your suite?"

"She might be. I have no idea what she has planned."

"I'd like to play some baseball."

Kurumu grinned at Nerume's declaration.

"Oh? I thought you were going to hang out with Satsuki."

"I'd rather not walk to Mononoke by myself."

Satsuki had befriended Tokori and usually spent her Friday and Saturday nights in Mononoke to avoid walking to and from the dorms for her job.

"Do you think Chisa would join us?"

"Maybe. I can ask if her boyfriend would be willing to help us out."

Kakeru Chisa was Nerume's childhood friend, though she lived in Mogami of the Yamagata prefecture. The kirin had joined the track team and had recently started dating the captain of the baseball team, Kitamori Airashi. The first basemen from Watasora towered over Kakeru despite her being one of the tallest girls of their grade.

Kurumu took down another swallow of juice as her thoughts wandered.

"Does anyone think that Ginei will win?"

"We have talked that subject to death."

"Yea. There's no way that dog is winning this election."

Kurumu smiled apologetically, having broached this topic twice already. She glanced at Nagisa's amused grin, feeling there was something else which she had not brought up.

"What will your club do if Machida does win this thing? Mizudake is sort of a key player for your team."

"Well our team is in shambles right now. Both of our mixed pairs played horribly at regionals. It was like all of the chemistry was gone."

The other mixed pair which was falling apart was Genzaimuta Kumori and Soratani Soyo, a pair of sylphs whom had attended the junior high in Machinise. Due to Lilith's Mirror, the cousins had indulged in sexual intercourse. The way Nagisa explained it, it sounded like Genzaimuta now had random fits of hysteria. The silent prince was as unreadable as ever.

"Would you pair up with Shiname?"

Nagisa coughed up a laugh, shaking her head.

"No way. Yuri would kill me."

"Yea but you might have to. While the guys had enough second years to field all eight positions on the team, the girls don't. Some of you first years will have to step up."

"I see your point. The guys aren't too troubled from this. In fact, it looks like Shiname and Soratani might actually become our other double since they have the most experience working with a partner. Our other male double would be Tawamuru and Shigeki."

The Tawamuru in question was the older brother of the guy Madosuki was crushing on. Shigeki was that Tawamuru's friend. The two had already been practicing to become a double for next year.

"But whom would become your mixed pairs then?"

"Mr. Ageda and Ms. Ogawa are performing well. Those two are cousins and already have quite a bit of practice working together. Maybe not as good as the former pairs, but it's at least an alternative. As for the other pair, we've tentatively tried things with Mr. Kanri and Ms. Kazehime."

Kurumu snorted at the mention of Kanri.

"That jerk? I'm surprised anyone is willing to put up with him."

"Ms. Kazehime is very tolerant of others. Though I suspect that she would rather work with her cousin."

Kazehime's cousin was Arashimideru Maihime from class three. The sylphs were both from Hateshinai.

"What will you do with Genzaimuta?"

"It's hard to say how we will arrange our girls. The only girl with experience working as a double is Ms. Katsukara though she was preparing Ms. Ogawa to be her new partner. Our new captain wants to double up with her sister, but they're not very good."

Kurumu chuckled at the remark. The new tennis club captain was Yaisoku Modoka and her sister was Ami from class four. Their aunt was the tennis club coach.

"Hiboshi will be mad if both Arashimideru and Ami get to be on the team and she doesn't."

Hiboshi Netsuki was a kitsune from class three. The girl from Aranoiji had been playing tennis for years, but due to a spell on an omamori charm, her body had been reverted back to a ten year old state. Despite this loss of physical maturity, the kitsune was taller and more developed than Yukari. Kurumu only hoped that they graduated before Hiboshi caught up to her height.

"If Machida does win, then we would need three of our current first years on the team. It's scary to think that I might actually be needed to compete. I'm not very good."

"Maybe you should partner up with Shiname after all."

"Maybe you should consider joining our team. You and Ms. Okimune look similar enough that I'm sure he wouldn't mind partnering up with you."

"Even if she joined your team, she would not be good enough to take your place."

Nagisa sighed at Kokoa's remark.

"I was teasing her. So much playful banter lost. It's not like I ever thought that she'd join my club."

"Though she should join ours. She's like friends with everyone in our club."

Kurumu smirked at Hotaru's declaration. It was not the first time the sylph had suggested this.

"I can't be in a club with Manami."

"She's your boyfriend's sister."

"Exactly. If anything does go wrong with my relationship, I don't want awkwardness in my club. I have plenty of other clubs I can join if I simply want to hang out with friends."

"You should join track. At least it looks competitive."

Kurumu smiled at Kokoa.

"I have Akari looking into scheduling a tryout of sorts for me. For Kiba and me, since she's not interested in staying with her badminton club."

"You don't want to put this off for too long."

"I'm well aware of this, Tora."

"Did you look into her astronomy club?"

"We were at the hospital that night. And they only meet on Wednesdays."

"I'm sorry about that. I wish my club was more active."

"It's not your fault, Ms. Genzouyaki. Kurumu is the one that needs to get her club situation fixed. Perhaps she could join the drama club."

"I need to go to a meeting."

"You still haven't?"

Mizore shook her head at Tora's inquiry.

"Well drag this dummy with you when you do go. She needs to make a commitment."

They all shared a giggle as Kurumu downed the last of her juice. She set aside the empty can and shared a glance with Nagisa. The undine regarded her with creamy, amused eyes.

"So has your body responded to all that sex you had with your boyfriend?"

Kurumu blushed, wagging a finger at the undine.

"You're not supposed to talk about that in public."

"Too late for discretion. You blabbed about having sex with him to several girls."

Kurumu sighed, aware that she had made a huge mistake back on Monday. Having discovered something wonderful about Nijiro's anatomy, she had asked a group of undine girls if this was normal. As this group consisted of girls from several different classrooms, the word of her sexual exploits had spread.

"If you must know, I haven't felt any different. It might still be too soon to say my body has no reaction."

"So there remains the possibility of you requesting to use my womb for making a baby this weekend."

"I was messed up that day. I don't even remember asking that of you."

"Have you been having lots of sex with him?"

"Not really. I haven't seen him at all since Monday night."

Hotaru and Nagisa both snickered, already having heard this at Tuesday's sleepover. Kokoa huffed.

"You didn't even come home that night. May as well be saying Tuesday morning."

"I was home in time to make your breakfast."

Nagisa giggled, pushing aside her tray.

"You need to learn how to be lovey dovey without taking his clothes off."

"I can do that fine enough. It's only an issue when we are alone together."

"I wish I had someone to be lovey dovey with."

Kurumu smiled softly at Nerume whom was working on her final entrée. The kirin was the only one at the table not finished with her meal. Kurumu reached over to pat Nerume on the head.

"I'm sure that you'll find someone soon enough."

"I wish Aoi would return soon. I want to behave like a proper fiancée for him."

Tora snickered at the mention of Umizake. As he was a member of the PSC, she had some experience with the young man. He was also in class nine with Kokoa and Nagisa.

"I can't imagine that guy being lovey dovey with anyone."

"Agreed. It's not his style."

"It probably won't be this weekend. There was so much for him to do."

The other girls quieted at Kurumu's tone. They were all aware of the death of his father. Even if he had the funeral taken care of, the state of his mother's mind might still be an issue.

Kokoa clapped her hands on the table before standing up.

"Well. I need to pack for my trip. Come with me, Kurumu."

Like the dutiful servant, Kurumu acquiesced to her lady's demands.