Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. Life did its thing!
Enjoy.
Nobody spoke. The apologies Ikko spouted caught in his throat, causing an unnaturally forced gasp. He gawped at Masumi, who drew himself to full height and stepped properly out from behind his friend. "If it isn't Akada. We were wondering when we might see you again. How're you feeling?"
The calmness pervading his tone, the sincerity with which Masumi formed his words, threw Ikko even further off-balance. "Yakumaru?"
"That's me," he smiled, sweeping back his platinum blond hair, "Thought we'd enjoy the time off with a quick shopping trip. Not every day you can spend so much time browsing, hm?"
Ikko opened and closed his mouth, taking a step back. To his right, he heard footsteps, and suddenly Sasahara stood at his side. "You okay, Akada?"
"Y-yeah. I'm fine."
"You're not hurt, are you?" Masumi asked, "I know Judo's a bit on the big side, but you should really watch where you're walking."
Judo grunted. Ikko retreated a little further, abashed. "Who might you be?" Masumi asked, turning towards Sasahara.
"Sasahara," replied she, looking concernedly between the two, "You're Yakumaru. Masumi Yakumaru?"
"That's me. How would you – ah, of course. Miss Shirayuki!"
The rest of the Writing Club joined them, Naoko and Nori behind Mizore. All three seemed confused. Masumi's smile became more cordial as he bowed his head, deferential towards the teacher. Ikko noticed that one of his hands moved awkwardly, held behind his back as if restrained. "I trust the matter with Tayama was resolved?"
"That will be up to Tayama," Mizore answered, her voice terse, her arms folded over her chest, "And as much as the Academy appreciates your assistance, Yakumaru – it's not really your business to worry about."
"Of course." He didn't miss a beat. "We heard about you, Akada. I'm sorry you had to find out that way. I'm glad to see you up and about so soon after the attack."
He couldn't bring himself to accept Masumi's sincerity. It seemed too sudden, especially after enduring the glaring, the snide comments, his thinly-masked distaste for Kia's friendship with him. Or had that all been imagined? After all, Masumi had been the one to advise Mizore of the dangers she posed, according to Sasahara.
She apparently didn't need to sense the doubt that began to take hold, for Sasahara spoke next. "I thought you were with the Newspaper Club? Aren't they out on a trip to the human world?"
"Yes, well." Masumi looked quickly behind him, to whatever restrained his arm. "We decided to pass on the Newspaper Club. All that running around is exhausting, and we're second-years, now."
Ikko wondered who Masumi meant by 'we'. After all, this Judo, who continued to provide a wall between him and Masumi, belonged to the Karate Club, didn't he? "We?" he asked, quietly.
"Oh, apologies!" Masumi chuckled, his eyes not matching the warmth of the noise. "She's a bit shy. Come on."
The woman hiding behind Masumi, gripping his hand tightly, moved out from her shelter. A sickening bolt of cold shot from Ikko's brain to the very pit of his stomach as he recognised Etsuko, fiery red hair cut dreadfully short into a pixie cut, eyes muted and smile placid. "Etsuko?" he breathed.
"Hi, Akada," she said, waving gently with her free hand, "Good to see you're okay."
Ikko shook his head. No, this couldn't be Etsuko. Not this demure, smitten girl. The Etsuko he knew, who Kia knew, wore a bright smile – and, more importantly, she would never drop the Newspaper Club she so loved. His mind swam, registering their linked hands, the faint flush of pink on cheeks usually framed by gorgeous strands of flame. Her every move, her every sound seemed disconnected from his memory.
He found his breath shortening. "What have you done to her?" he mumbled, trying to focus on Masumi.
"Done to her? That's an odd question," Masumi tipped his head, "I don't think I like the implication, Akada."
"But she's-" Ikko started, "Etsuko wouldn't – you haven't quit, have you?"
Etsuko nodded. "I have," she confirmed, "It's too much work. We'll find a new Club when the break's over. Together."
She squeezed Masumi's hand, and the adoration that filled her eyes, as if the gesture contained a shot of pure affection, made Ikko feel sick. Sasahara's hand tightened around his shoulder. "Come on, Ikko," she whispered, "Let's go."
He didn't move. His feet rooted to the ground, shock planting him firmly where he was. Sasahara moved him more insistently, causing him to stumble. "Come on, Ikko!"
"I don't want there to be any hard feelings between us," Masumi said, cutting across Sasahara's efforts to remove Ikko from the situation, "I feel bad – I do, really. I'd hoped you would have realised the danger without me having to reveal what she was. If you'd like, I would appreciate it if we could start afresh as friends."
Masumi put his free hand out towards Ikko, proffering a handshake. Ikko stared at the appendage, eyes wild, palms clamming up with cold sweat. A buzzing filled his ears. "Akada?" he prompted.
"Akada!" Mizore's sharp call cut through the noise. He started, jumping away from Masumi and looking towards her. "Sasahara said it's time to go. Weren't you listening?"
Her words seemed oddly forced, her eyes filled with a bizarre emotion he couldn't recognise. He nodded, shakily, and followed Sasahara away from the group; Masumi watching him leave, eyes unblinking; Etsuko pressing closer to her boyfriend, whispering something in his ear.
Ikko dimly registered their return to Yokai Academy's main campus. He followed Sasahara's back as they turned away from the dormitories, and a few minutes later he was sitting in an empty classroom – the Writing Club's clubroom. He blinked, as if waking from a dream.
Sasahara stared at him, her face filled with concern. She had removed her gloves, and her the tip of her index finger pressed gently to his forehead. It did not feel like a human finger, too soft in texture but too powerful in force, feeling almost like the paw of a cat. He frowned, coming to his senses. "What are you doing?"
She didn't answer, looking to Mizore. He noticed Naoko and Nori's absence. "Where are they?"
"I sent them back to the dorms," Mizore answered, distracted. Her arms folded over her chest, her eyes fixed on the floor. "Su?"
"He's as confused as you are. I don't know – Etsuko, was it?"
"Etsuko Yanase."
"Is anyone going to tell me what's going on?" Ikko blurted, his frustration at being left out bubbling over, dispelling the last of the shock.
"You saw what's going on, Ikko," Mizore said, looking at him, "Etsuko's with Masumi."
Etsuko's muted eyes and hollow smile sprang to his mind's eye. "That couldn't be her," he mumbled.
"It was. That was Yanase," Mizore sighed, "But she's acting weird. I don't know her that well, but she's mouthy as anything."
"Love does strange things," Sasahara offered, shrugging, "Maybe Masumi's her first boyfriend, and she's shy about being seen like that in public?"
Mizore made an unconvinced noise. She chewed her thumbnail. "Ikko, you know her best. Would you say that's like her?"
"No!" Ikko jumped out of his seat. "Not a chance. She wouldn't quit Newspaper Club – she loves her journalism. She was showing me news sites out in the monster world, wouldn't shut up about the club when we visited…"
Mizore hummed. Her brow furrowed. "He did offer what he knew about Tayama," Sasahara said, "If he is after something, I don't understand why he'd do that. He seemed genuine when he saw that Ikko was okay…"
Ikko looked from Sasahara to Mizore, confused. "You think he's after something?"
"I don't know," Sasahara said, "But your reaction, Ikko – are you okay?"
"What? Yeah, I'm fine! What about Etsuko? If Masumi's done something to her-"
"We don't know that he has," Mizore interrupted, shaking her head.
"You were just saying-"
"I just wanted to confirm that it's weird," Mizore cut across him again. Ikko balled his fists, "And it is. I agree – but there's no evidence of wrongdoing. She looked like she wanted to be there."
Ikko struggled to digest the abrupt end to their club meeting. For something to do, he checked his phone. The downloads were mostly complete. "Why'd you pull me away?"
"I wanted to be sure." Mizore explained, "You're only human, Ikko. If something kicked off because of either of you… I wanted to get you out of there."
"But Etsuko-"
"What were you going to do?" she asked, gaze narrowing, "Start a fight in the middle of Preternatural Street? Keep on spouting accusations?"
Ikko opened his mouth – then stopped, unclenching his fists. He hung his head. Mizore continued. "If she's behaving oddly, we need proof. If she's not, you're just going to have to deal with it, and even then." She raised a silencing hand, reminded Ikko of the headmaster. She channelled a teacher's authority. "Even then… you've got no place in dealing with that. It's the staff's job."
Sasahara watched Ikko's expression fall, smiling understandably. "I guess you really have grown up," she said to Mizore, who looked affronted, "But she's right, Ikko. It's not our place. Students shouldn't go meddling in problems with the school."
At this, Mizore clicked her tongue. She changed the subject, directing her attention towards Ikko's new phone. "How is it?"
"O-oh… uh, fine. Fine." Ikko mumbled. He tried fruitlessly to stamp down the frustration, the indignation.
"Give it here. You need mine and Ruby's number."
He handed it over, and after a few moments of quick tapping he had two contacts – Mizore S., Ruby T. – in his phone. Sasahara offered hers, too.
Renewing her teacher voice, Mizore looked Ikko straight in the eyes. "Don't get involved in this, Ikko. You promised me you'd stay out of trouble, didn't you?"
He sincerely regretted that promise, now that she'd reminded him of it, but nodded meekly and stuck his hands in his pocket. "Good. Both of you should probably head back to the dorms. It's almost time for dinner."
She left him and Sasahara in uncomfortable silence. Sasahara sighed, looking around. "She's no fun."
"Eh?"
"Used to be we were the first lot in trouble's way," Sasahara sighed, "And she was even worse before I knew her."
"What do you mean?"
Again, she didn't speak straight away, instead taking a pair of gloves from her back pocket and slipping them on. "Are you hungry? I'm hungry. Starving, actually."
"Sasahara-"
"Didn't I tell you to call me Su?" she quipped, "You've not been away that long. C'mon, let's go back to Preternatural Street. I'm aching for a burger."
"But Miss-"
"She said we should 'probably' get back," Su dressed Mizore's words in air quotes, "We're free to get what we want – it's Golden Week, you're a second year, I'm a third. C'mon."
Ikko didn't move. He was getting quite fed up of people talking over him. Su looked over her shoulder at him, a few hairs stray from her knot, framing a smirk. "I'll answer your questions?" she offered in a singsong tone.
He sighed, keeping his hands in his pockets as he followed. For fear of bumping once more into Masumi, the idea of Preternatural Street did not fill him with joy, but his curiosity kept him quiet and they saw surprisingly few students on this second trip out. Su led the way to a burger joint, more cheerily decorated than the antique café they'd started the day in. It was still reasonably early afternoon – not that the grim clouds ever gave any indication of time until the light failed and plunged the protected world into night.
They took a seat in the furthest booth after ordering, Su sitting opposite. She untied her hair again, loosing the surprising volume from its wrap with a relieved sigh. "What do you think?" she asked.
"It's… nice?" Ikko answered, nonplussed.
Su arched a brow. "Yakumaru's nice?"
"What? No! I meant your hair."
"That's not what I was asking."
"I get that now!"
Su grinned. "So…?"
Ikko made a face. "Miz- Miss Shirayuki didn't want me to go poking."
"Whatever Mizore wanted," Su enunciated her name, "I can see it on your face. I know that feeling. You don't want to let it rest."
He thought of Etsuko, and how bizarrely she'd behaved. "I don't like it," he murmured, leaning forward, "Etsuko didn't like Yakumaru, and he's K- Tayama's ex. It's a bit soon, isn't it?"
"Some people move that fast."
"Maybe, but then there's her quitting the Newspaper Club, and her hair…"
"Her hair?"
Ikko nodded. "Etsuko loved her hair long. She wouldn't just cut it. Maybe… maybe Yakumaru's threatening her? Making her do these things?"
Su chewed her lip. Ikko felt his frustration melt away, directed towards a more productive discussion. "It's easy enough to find that out," she said, "But she seemed perfectly happy. I don't know…"
"It is?"
"Yeah. I can find that out myself." Su waggled her fingers in demonstration. Ikko grunted, confused. "Oh, right. I never told you. I'm," she took a moment to peer over his head, looking to the other patrons, then shuffled from her seat to the one next to him in order to whisper, "I'm a Satori."
Ikko continued to stare. If she intended for this to clarify matters, it had failed spectacularly. "That's what I am," she continued, "And we're contact telepaths. I can tell what you're thinking – what you're feeling – with a touch."
He blinked. "So when you touched me before?"
"I was checking to see if you were alright. It was like you were in shock, the way you were behaving."
"Oh…" Ikko cast his eyes down, fixing on the gap in the seating cushion between them, "I didn't know what to do. It was all so sudden."
"I don't blame you – but that's besides the point. I can find out if she's being threatened with a touch."
"You can?"
Su nodded. "It's a nice, specific question and a simple enough feeling. Stress is really easy, as is fear. You remember how I figured out what you were?"
"Yeah, we barely touched."
"Same principle. A graze is all it'll take. It'll probably have to be after Golden Week, though. I doubt we'll catch her alone."
"Not even in the dorms?" Ikko suggested.
Su hummed, raising her eyebrows appreciatively. "Good point. I'll try, and I'll text you."
Ikko smiled, but it faltered as a thought possessed him. He asked, quieting as their food arrived. "Why are you doing this?"
"You're a member of my club, aren't you?" Su asked, digging in, "Why shouldn't I help?"
"Mizore-"
"Mizore's a teacher," she shrugged dismissively, "She has to say those things. Must be in her contract."
Reassured, Ikko took to his meal with heartened vigour. As they ate in comfortable silence, he thought through what they had discussed. If Etsuko was being threatened, they'd need proof – and a human confronting a monster seemed like a terrible idea. What if she wasn't? He asked.
"I don't know…" Su mused, "You're the one with all the ideas."
"It's your power we're using," he countered, "Unless…"
"Unless…?"
"What kinds of powers do other monsters have?"
She took a few bites of her burger. "Depends on the species. Usually only one or two – control of a thing, physical enhancement, shapeshifting… there's too many to say with any certainty."
"Is there a way to find out what species Masumi is?"
"That's a little trickier. I can pick up streams of thought, but questions take prompting, and time. We'd have to sit him down and ask him, which is very much against the rules."
"Isn't there like a… an encyclopaedia? A book with all the species in?"
Su laughed. "What is this, a video game? There might be some human literature lying around, but we're people, too. We don't spend a lot of time cataloguing each others' habits. Most communities are pretty insular."
"Hmm…"
"You could always try folklore, I guess – but there's so many stories out there, you'd spend your whole life separating truth from fact and even still, there's no way of confirming it for sure without asking him." Su pushed her gloved fingers through her hair. "I reckon we start off with Etsuko. That's enough to be getting on with – but after Golden Week, okay? Unless I get a chance in the dorms."
"Will we have that long?" Ikko asked.
"For what? It looks like they're dating. If she looks like she's in trouble, then we can maybe ask Mizore or Ruby to make a move…"
He didn't like the idea of waiting for something bad to happen. After all their talk, it left him with an uncomfortable pit in his stomach. Ikko folded his arms. "There's not much else we can do," murmured Su, placing a hand on his shoulder with a comforting smile, "She looks happy. Until we know better, let's assume that she is. He's not hurting you with it, is he?"
"No…"
"Exactly. Focus on enjoying Golden Week. Get to know Naoko and Nori. Get to know me, too!" She winked. Ikko flushed, busying himself with the last of his burger to the tune of her teasing giggle.
They spent the last of the meal talking about other things. Su offered to help Ikko kickstart his writing after a day off, to which he happily agreed. "We're going to be doing club activities, anyway," she explained, "Might as well start off with something we can all get in on."
Ikko's phone buzzed. He checked it.
Mizore: Where are you?
He cursed, startling Su. "You okay?"
"Yeah, yeah – uh, we should probably head back.
He showed her the message, which drew out a grimace. "Right you are."
They shared an uneasy look, which Ikko tried to distract from with a nervous chuckle. He sidled out of the booth after her. "Listen, uh- Sasahara? Su?"
"Hm?"
She turned. Ikko looked at his feet. "Thank you for this. I feel a lot better."
Her tone warmed. She patted him again, this time on the head. "It'll be okay, Ikko. We'll figure it out – but first, you have a guardian to placate."
On the way back, he sent a hasty 'OMW back', to which Mizore did not respond.
By the time they got back, the impenetrable, starless dark of Yokai had consumed the grim sky. Su and Ikko navigated by streetlights, then the light of the campus buildings as they made their way back to the dormitories, more than once slowing as Ikko tripped on an errant root breaking up the cracked cobbles. He went left, she right, and he took his stairs two at a time until his body demanded he slow down. Mizore still refused a response to his text, and he didn't see Ruby on his room's corridor.
He saw a sliver of light coming through one of the doors that he vaguely recalled as belonging to the owner of the other cupboards in his kitchen, but thought no more than that as he hastened to unlock his own room.
The light was on, and Mizore perched at the end of his bed, her knees drawn up, a book resting against her legs, and a pen in her mouth. She looked up, briefly. "Where've you been?"
"With Su." She arched a brow at his use of the name. "She treated me to a burger. We didn't fancy the canteen."
"Huh." She kept her attention on the book – a textbook, he saw as he drew closer – and didn't budge, even when Ikko sat down on the side of the bed. "Did you have fun?"
"This is normally the part where you chew me out, isn't it?"
Mizore looked up. Her look withered the brief flash of indignance that summoned his retort. She frowned. "You were out with Su. I never told you to go anywhere, just that dinner would be soon."
"That's true…" Ikko deflated. "Are you studying?"
"Nothing else to do whilst you were out." She marked her page and snapped it shut. "Exams are soon."
"I thought you were a grad?"
"Yeah, in Lit," Mizore sighed, "Not as a teacher. I've got to get qualified."
"You're teaching at a school for monsters, and you're unqualified?"
"Not unqualified," Mizore corrected, quick, "Just on probation. It'll be a problem if I don't pass this week."
"Your exam's this week?"
"Yes, yes, I know. I know…" She sighed.
Ikko connected the dots with surprising speed. "So when you told me to stay out of trouble this week-"
"It wasn't just because of my exams!" she exclaimed, "Only… partially."
Another sigh. Ikko chuckled. As she looked back to her book, he reached for his controller and headphones. "You've been busy," he noted.
"A little."
"A little?"
She looked weary as she tore her attention, once more, from her textbook. She snapped the textbook shut. "A lot."
"I don't know how you cope. I mean, I thought I had it bad with Kotsubo, but you." He counted them off on his finger. "Exams, teaching, and a human to babysit?"
"Babysit's a strong word." Mizore pushed her hair up, raking her fringe back. "But yes, Ikko. Thank you for summing that up."
"Sorry."
One final sigh. She discarded the book and held out a hand. "Gimme."
"What?"
"Gimme. I want to play."
"Shouldn't you be studying?"
"No. Yes." Breath. "No."
The memories of exams prior to joining Yokai Academy, which had since superseded all frames of reference for stressful situations, drew an empathetic smile. He handed the controller over and took out his phone. "Thank you," Mizore whispered, shuffling over and changing game.
Ikko unlocked his phone, drew back on the bed so that he rested against the headboard, and started to play. It was like being welcomed home, and Nori's recommendation of the phone served him well. He made a note to thank him later. He looked to the discarded textbook on the floor only once, when he wondered how hard it must be to juggle his survival with the rest of her life.
He wanted to ask about Tsukune. His conversation with Su had rekindled his curiosity, stoking the embers buried by the rest of his Yokai life, and in this moment of idleness it seemed like the perfect thing to ask, to re-engage with Mizore and start to piece it together in his mind. He watched her as he contemplated it, mouth half-open. Her eyes softly lit by the shifting light of the screen, strands of untidy blue hair drifting back and forth with her steady breathing, the tiniest smile creeping up her lips.
He stowed the question for another time – but not fast enough, for she caught him looking and arched a brow. "You okay there?"
"What?" Ikko made a poor show of concentrating on his phone. "Yeah, just – just trying to remember a password for this… this game…"
"I see." She produced a lollipop and offered it. "Does it bother you?"
"Bother me?"
"Me being here. I can hang outside, if you want." Her eyes flicked to the door.
"No! No, no, it's fine. I don't mind. Can't be that relaxing out there."
"I'd get more studying done," she admitted, sounding wistful.
"You would." Ikko nodded. "But sometimes you just gotta… not."
She grinned, heading straight back to her game. Warmth sparked in his cheeks as he went back to his, and the night rolled on in the most comfortable silence he'd felt for a very long time.
