True to Su's prediction, Masumi did not show for the rest of the day. Ikko wanted to push the fight from his mind until he could reconvene with her and Mizore, but something that occurred over lunch put a firm stop to that.

Word about the fight hit the rumour mill.

He heard it first in the canteen. Sitting alone in the corner, picking at his food whilst dwelling on the significance of Ruby's words, Ikko had been thrown entirely from such thoughts when Kia slammed her tray down on his table, threatening to spill her ramen. "You fought him?"

Ikko frowned but didn't deny it. There would be little point lying, least of all to Kia. "Not me specifically."

"What does that mean?"

"He lured me out with Su – Sasahara, our president. She did most of the fighting once she'd snapped out of that drug he uses."

"How did you learn about that?"

Ikko's frown grew more severe. That confirmed that she at least knew his method. "He got Etsuko with it. Su, too."

Kia paled. "Etsuko…?"

He nodded. "They're dating, but she has to be drugged. Has to be – it's the only reason she'd drop the newspaper. She loves that club."

Despair caught her first, wrapping its arms around her strangled cry. "No…!"

"Judo's in on it, too," he added, "At least, we think he is. Did he – did Masumi ever drug you?"

"He tried." Kia whispered, wiping her eye. "I'm immune to it, mostly. Felt a bit like the hit I get after feeding, but not as strong. He does it to everyone he's close to."

"Did he ever tell you what he was?"

She shook her head. "No. No, we never talked about that kind of thing. Not until, um…"

"What?" Ikko pressed. "Not until what, Kia?"

She tried to stave him off with a desperate look, but he couldn't stop now. This was too important. "He found out about my, uh- my-my habits. We'd just… he'd just… a-and it just sorta happened. I couldn't stop it."

"You fed on him?"

She nodded. Ikko's heart twisted. He'd hoped Masumi was lying about that. "Anything like that drains me. And when you spend a whole year trying to avoid it…"

"What happened?"

"He was mad at first. I tried to explain," Kia sighed, "Remember how I said he got clingy over break?"

He nodded.

"This was that. He did get clingy, but in the worst way. Kept calling, texting, saying we could work through it together, that it didn't have to let my father's blood define me. Like I was some… some tainted thing he had to fix. Made me sick."

"You think it's because you're a monstrel?"

"Purebloods have a thing for mixed breeds. We're either abominations or diseases, and Masumi's no exception. Even before then, he was always going on about the 'rabble'.

"So I dumped him. Met you – and you didn't care. I mean, how could you care when you didn't know any better?"

Ikko smiled. He reached over and squeezed her hand. "And the rest is history," she sighed, "Did you finish him?"

"What? No! Su knocked him cold and we ran."

"He won't take that sitting down," Kia frowned, sulking over her bowl. She poked at the noodles, "You're in for a world of hurt if he catches you alone."

"Great," Ikko leaned back, pushing his food away, "Good to know."

Kia shrugged. "It is what it is. What did you expect, picking a fight?"

"I didn't pick a fight!" Ikko exclaimed. A table full of students looked his way. He ducked his head, hiding behind his arm. "He started it!"

"I'm not arguing that – but this is Yokai. Fights aren't that uncommon."

He was starting to see why Mizore had been so keen – or so silly, as Ruby had put it – to make him swear off trouble. One wrong mix in the wrong place, and the school was talking about the fight. He thought of Masumi's monstrous form, causing a cold shiver to roll through him. He looked to Kia, hoping to find some solace or advice, but found only puffy eyes and a weak smile. She was in no position to do more than what she'd already given.

Ikko sighed, trying to change the subject. "How're you feeling?"

"Worse than I was," she admitted, "I thought Etsuko would be busy with class, but if this is why she's ignoring my texts…"

"Sorry."

"It's not your fault. We just have to deal with Masumi before he makes it worse or decides that killing you is worth the risk."

She stated it so simply that Ikko had a hard time responding. He cleared his throat. "Or that, yeah."

Kia closed her eyes, taking a long, slow breath. "Let me help."

"What?"

"I know him better than anyone – and this is really my problem. I started it. Let me finish it."

"Finish it?" He grimaced, "We're only trying to break Etsuko out of his grasp. It's not a hit job."

"How do you think this is gonna end, Ikko? Really?" Kia narrowed her eyes. "He's not gonna just let her go, even more so now that you've handed him his ass on a platter."

Ikko sighed. "We can't just stoop to his level, Kia. That'll only make things worse."

"How?"

"I don't know – how do you think students will react if they hear I've been laying the beatdown on anyone who threatens me or my friends?" Ikko heaved with frustration. "They'll all come looking for a piece of me. The more bloodthirsty ones, anyway – and we both know I can't survive that. We have to prove that I don't mean any harm, so I can just… carry on."

Kia's shoulders slumped. It was clear that she at least considered his words, as difficult as it made the situation, "When did you get so wise?"

"Miz-Miss Shirayuki wants me to stay out of trouble," he answered, "It would be a pretty poor showing if I started making trouble for myself."

"She knows about this?"

"Mm. She forced it out of Su and I."

"So she'll be looking out for any more trouble."

"You could say that," Ikko murmured, not wanting to expose Mizore's complicity in any further plans against Masumi just yet, "I'm going to be catching up with Su later. I'll let you know when that is. Maybe we can figure something out before he tries to rip my face off again."

"Did you see his true form?"

"Mm. Have you?"

"No. He kept it under pretty tight wraps. He's always been good at maintaining his Guise."

Ikko sighed. All this talk and trouble had destroyed his appetite. "At the very least, if you hear anyone talking about this, can you try and set them straight?"

"What can I do?" Kia shrugged, "I'm just the bitchy ex. No-one's gonna listen to me."

"Don't be too overt," Ikko scratched the back of his neck, thoughtful, "Just… I dunno. Say you never figured me the type, or that I look too scrawny to pick a fight. No way they'd believe me going up against Judo, that's for sure."

She nodded. As he thanked her, Ikko spied Naoko and Nori looking for a table, and waved them both down, moving the conversation onto more normal things.


Ikko dropped onto his bed, doing his best to clear his mind. He wanted to get Ruby's exercises out of the way before anything else, knowing full well that as soon as he picked up his controller, that would be the end of his concentration. It almost cost him more than one homework deadline on more than one occasion.

He crossed his legs and furrowed his brow, trying to recreate the basic circuit of energy pulsing through his body. Beginning proved more difficult without Ruby's direction. He struggled to imagine her words guiding him through the connection of skin, tissue, muscle. Eventually, the image of a hand trembled in the grip of his mind's eye.

"He's even more secretive than the last."

The words sheared through his mental hand, dashing his efforts. Ikko let out a grunt, annoyed. He tried to resume the practise, but each time some new thought drifted from the bog of his muddled mind, foul bubbles of confusion that splashed his face with a grimace every time he tried to burst them and refocus. Masumi, the headmaster, Mizore – so many questions! His groan turned into a growl.

"Easy there," Mizore chimed.

"Ack!" Ikko snapped to attention, falling back from his slouch. Mizore leaned on the windowsill, looking out over the campus from his vantage on the sixth floor.

"What are you trying to do?" she asked, a teasing smirk flickering across her lips, "You can try all you like, but that's your true form."

"What're you doing up here?"

"What I always do up here."

"Dodge responsibility?"

"Hey!" she chuckled, "This is my responsibility, too!"

The aftermath of their argument, such as it could be called one, yet lingered over his head. Ikko frowned at her, then swung his legs over the side of his bed and stood. He released his shikigami in the same motion that he used to grab his controller, handing it out to her. "Here y'go."

She looked at it like one might consider a slab of rotten meat, bringing her eyes up to his. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

She didn't reach for it. Ikko gave the pad an insistent shake. "Ikko, talk to me. You're not mad about earlier, are you?"

Was he mad? He couldn't tell. He tossed it onto the bed, folding his arms. "No."

"Ruby's right," Mizore offered, "It's not fair to ask you to stay out of trouble. It'll find you whether you want it or not."

"I'm not mad about that," Ikko sighed. All of a sudden, he found looking at her difficult. A cocktail of their shouting match and Golden Week's confusion swirled and shook in his head, stifling his words. "I'm…"

"You're…?" she prompted, leaning forward. Reflexively, he stepped back. Mizore's tone quietened. "Should I go?"

"No!" he blurted, "No, um. It's okay. I just… I don't know. I think today's been a bit much."

She looked him over. Ikko saw something like empathy warm her expression, but he couldn't place why. She reached into the pocket of her hoodie, thrown over her work shirt, and proffered one of her lollipops. "Here. Cool off."

"I don't think they mean that literally," he sighed, taking it anyway. The sharp bite of cold mint spread through his mouth, making him feel more alert. "Kia, Masumi, Ruby, Kia again… did you hear the rumours?"

"Something about you taking Masumi down, yeah," she shook her head, "Not unexpected. You get into a fight, people're gonna talk."

"It's ridiculous. Who could look at me and see anything like a strong monster?"

"Looks can be deceiving. You don't need a twisted true form to pack some serious firepower."

Ikko shook his head. He tangled a hand in his hair, pushing his fringe back. A few months of inattention had caused it to grow well past manageable lengths. "Do we know what happened to him?"

"Well, I did my teacherly thing and checked in at the infirmary. Masumi got treated there but didn't say what caused it. Nothing major, just a bruised jaw. He'll be good as new by the morning."

"Great." Ikko pulled his chair out and slumped into it. He watched the shikigami nestle on his console, tucking its legs underneath its orbish body and closing its eye. Asleep, it resembled a small, hairy lump of clay. "So tomorrow, he'll have me marked for a blood hunt."

"Just stay on campus and in sight. He won't touch you there."

Ikko huffed, unconvinced. He continued to glare away from Mizore, who came to perch on the desk. Her hand brushed his shoulder. "Relax, Ikko. It'll be okay."

"Forgive me for not believing you."

"It will," she urged, "I won't let it be anything else, I promise."

He tore his eyes from his desk, forcing himself to look at Mizore. Her pale face looked almost serene, unmarred by naught except the smallest wrinkle marking the furrow of her brow. She, too, held a lollipop stick between her teeth, her lips set gravely in a look of absolute determination.

"How can you say that?" Ikko asked. "You don't know what he'll do."

"Whatever he can do," she whispered, and an uncommon edge to her tone caught him unawares, "Is nothing compared to what I've done."

He shuddered. Her severity cut through the noise in his mind, freezing the bog over. He nodded slowly, uncertainty still plaguing him, but not so much that it overwhelmed. "Alright."

She stood upright, sighing heavily as she meandered over to the bed, dropping down with a slight bounce. She kept her hands in her pockets. "It'll be okay," she repeated.

Silence swelled between them. Ikko burst it with a cleared throat, fumbling for something else to say. Questions he wanted to ask hung at the periphery – he held them close, waiting for the right opportunity to ask them. "Wh-when do your results come in?"

All illusion of calm control shattered. Mizore's shoulders slumped, her hair fell over her face. She fell back, letting her legs dangle over the bed, and let out a long, pained groan that sounded a lot like, "Whhhyyyyyyy?"

"Why?"

"Why did you have to remind me…"

"They're important, aren't they?"

"If they're so important, why can't they mark them quicker!?"

"Ah."

"Ugh." Mizore grumbled, rolling onto her front. Ikko checked his phone, looking away from the bed. "It's the worst. I thought I'd never have to deal with this again once I graduated."

"You would have found the same if you went to university," Ikko pointed out, "Is that not what you would've done if you hadn't come here?"

"Not uni, no." Mizore admitted.

"What were you gonna do?" He blinked, surprised. "Didn't you have a plan?"

"No."

"Really?"

"Is that so surprising?" Mizore laughed once, "Do I look like someone with a plan?"

"You've hidden it very well."

"It's easy to hide behind 'I'm a teacher, back off', in case you haven't noticed."

"Harder to hide from it, at any rate."

"You're not wrong." Mizore kicked her legs, restless.

Ikko steeled himself. It would be now or never. "Speaking of, uh… speaking of teachers…"

"What?" Her attention snapped to him – once more, Mizore slammed into full alert, turning to face him. "What's happened?"

"Nothing!" Ikko exclaimed. "Nothing, nothing. I was, uh. I was gonna ask about…"

"About…?" her prompting made it seem silly. What was there to talk about? How could he broach such a stupid thing? And yet he knew, for the sake of his sanity, that he at least had to air his feelings; get them out into the open, to be swatted down or pushed aside.

"About Golden Week."

Mizore paused. Her next words came very slowly. "What about it, Ikko?"

"W-well…" He stumbled. "The hotel. It was weird, right? What we did."

"You make it sound way worse than it was. A hug is a hug."

"Maybe, but still-" he looked down, "I guess."

"Does it bother you?"

"It doesn't bother me, per se. Just…" Ikko fidgeted. He looked anxiously back to his console.

"We're friends," she said, "And you helped me through something I didn't think I could do alone."

"I didn't do much."

"You were there," she offered, "Sometimes that's enough."

Mizore smiled. Ikko met it uncertainly – it was a delicate thing they shared, whatever it was. He felt like he was creeping through a hall of fractured crystal. One wrong step, and this would be over. He didn't know much about this world he intruded upon, but he knew that the end of this sat very low on the list of things he wanted. "You're right, in a way," Mizore sighed, "Whilst we're here, at Yokai, we should at least try to look like teacher and student."

"So no more of that?"

"I didn't say that," her smile shifted, "You look like you need one."

Ikko turned scarlet. "Eh?"

"I don't blame you," she laughed; he couldn't tell if it was teasing or not, "You've had one hell of a day."

Again, he felt the desire for one normal day surfacing. Nothing at Yokai had ever been simple, but it could at least be quiet. He'd earned that much, surely? Ikko slumped over his chair. "It has…"

"Sounds like a snuggle is just what you need." Ikko shot her a scowl, which only compounded her laughter. "Alright, alright. I'm sorry. It's easy to get a rise out of you, y'know?"

"Uhuh."

"It's good," she assured him, though her continuing smile suggested that, perhaps, it was only good for her amusement, "Means you're honest."

Ikko shook his head. "Let's just play something."

She grinned, holding out her hand.


The next day found Su and Ikko sat alone in Mizore's office. She had offered it after club to avoid Naoko and Nori's prying. Neither of them wanted to involve first years in this mess.

Ikko sat with his arms folded, willing himself not to stare at his phone. He'd relayed Masumi's condition to Su, but no more, beyond mentioning that Kia would join them. He looked across to her, her eyes fixed on the door, her jaw set, mistrusting.

"It's an edge we can use," he tried, clearing his throat, "She knows Masumi better than anyone, and she's pretty powerful."

"I don't get how you can trust her," Su countered, not budging from the door, "After what she did…"

"Did Moka ever feed on Tsukune?"

"Eh?"

"She's a vampire," Ikko said, recalling Mizore's telling, "And he was human. Did she ever… lose control?"

Su frowned, caught. "That's not the point."

"Sure it is. Does he still trust her? His girlfriend?"

"Yes, but-"

"No buts," Ikko interjected, "Kia's my friend, and I trust her. If it's enough for me, it's enough for you."

Su looked at him, her gaze odd.

Ikko matched it, his growing confidence enough to hold her eye. Eventually, Su nodded, and her posture softened.

Mizore and Kia entered, one after the other. "Sorry," Kia mumbled, "I wanted to check something."

"What?" asked Ikko.

"Etsuko," she replied, "She really is with him."

"I caught her gawping across the hall," Mizore explained, rapping her on the head, "Not exactly subtle."

"Well, we're all here," Ikko clapped his hands together, before Su could jump on the opportunity, "What next?"

Su reached into her bag, extracting a yellowed bundle of broadsheet paper. "Before he got me, I was doing some research into Masumi," she explained, "His name – Yakumaru. It sounded familiar. Mizore?"

"Mizore?" Kia looked at Miss Shirayuki. "Oh, that's you?"

"Yakumaru…" Mizore furrowed her brow. "Maybe. Jog my memory."

"I'll do you one better," Su unfurled the broadsheet, revealing the logo of the Yokai Times, "This was in your first year, Mizore. Do you remember the attack on the hospital?"

"The… oh!" Mizore's eyes burst with recollection, "Mado!"

"Mado Yakumaru," Su confirmed, nodding excitedly.

"And for those of us who aren't best friends?" Ikko blurted.

"Mado Yakumaru is a monstrel," Mizore answered, "Back then, we thought she belonged to an organization we called the Anti-Schoolers. They didn't approve of Yokai's message of co-operation and cohabitation. Turns out that the Anti-Schoolers was a small part of a much bigger problem, but – Su, I don't get it. Mado's reformed, isn't she?"

"She is," Su nodded, "But you recall her ability?"

"Yeah, she could control people by injecting them with a venom she produced."

"Direct control?" Ikko asked. "Then, Masumi… you don't think they're related?"

"Maybe," Su looked at Kia, "Did he ever mention any family?"

"Family? Um…" Kia chewed her lip, looking down. All watched her. "He… yeah…. Yeah! A sister! He hates her!"

"A pureblood monster and a monstrel sister…" Ikko mused. "That lines up with what we know about him."

"Maybe he's not too proud of his reformed sister." Su suggested, "But it gives us a lead on his true nature. A natural predator with an ability to charm those he touches…"

The air between them grew charged with excitement. Mizore reached for her phone. "We need Yukari."

"Who are any of these people?" Kia groaned, suddenly exasperated. "Let me know when you've figured it out so we can deal with him."

She flopped down on the nearest chair. Mizore held her phone out, putting it on speaker.

"Felicitations, Mizore!" squeaked the young woman on the other end of the phone. Just hearing her dragged the image of her gargantuan hat into Ikko's mind's eye.

"I'm sorry?" Mizore called.

"This marks the first time you've called me willingly since graduation," Yukari noted, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Uhuh. Great – listen, I need your brain."

"On a platter?"

"No!" Mizore rolled her eyes. "I need to pick it."

"Pick away."

"We're trying to identify a monster," Mizore began, "Nature-based."

"Said he and a jubokko are kindred spirits," Ikko added, "And he can influence people's emotions with a touch."

"Alraune," Yukari called. "Who's we? Who's that?"

"An alraune?" Su interrupted.

"Yes, yes, an alraune. Nature monster. German. Their venom is used in about half a dozen love potions. Incredibly potent. Why do you need to know?"

"Curiosity," Mizore returned, making to hang up, "Thank you, Yu-"

"Hold on!" Yukari snapped. "Mizore, if this is a student…"

"What?"

"If it is a student, you must be exceedingly careful," Yukari's voice lowered, "Alraune are legendarily merciless and incredibly proud. Insult one, and they will stop at nothing to see you avenged in a manner most humiliating."

"Oh, great." Ikko grumbled, folding his arms. Mizore grinned.

"Thank you for the heads up."

She pocketed her phone, looking from Su to Ikko. "An alraune."

"Explains why he's not a fighter, I guess," Su mused, "He's too used to getting exactly what he wants using that venom."

"How was he not stopped at the door?" Ikko asked.

"Yokai can't stop a monster from attending just because they're dangerous," Mizore sighed, "Else we'd have no students at all. He was most likely told to refrain from using his abilities, but given how subtle its effects are, that's near-impossible to track."

"Unless you're sensitive to emotions," he added, nodding to Kia. She shrugged, returning to her phone.

Su fixed her with a disapproving glare. "You're not being very helpful."

"There's not much for me to do," Kia replied, "Once you know how you're going to stop him, let me know and I'll help. Until then…"

"It's not that simple!" Su began shouting. Ikko raised a quick hand between the pair of them. Something coalesced in his head. Hatred of monstrels. Hatred of his sister. Hatred of anyone who stood in his way…

"Maybe it is that simple," he murmured.

Mizore caught the glint in his eye. "Ikko…"

"He's got weaknesses." Ikko barely noticed the warning tone in her voice. "He covers for his physical weakness by using Judo. Even if Masumi has martial arts training, he gets enraged really easily. So…

He caught Kia's eye. She nodded. He smiled. "We use that."