Kurumu sighed. Her hands were chained to a surface in front of her while her ankles had been shackled individually to the legs of the chair she was seated on. It felt like she was dressed in a hospital gown but she could see nothing. Someone had decided to tie a cloth bag over her head, which had frightened her when she had come to. She could breathe but it felt hot and uncomfortable.

She had no concept of time in this darkness. She had called out several times, but her captives were either busy or wanted her to panic. She thankfully had felt no urge to use the restroom, but her throat was painfully dry. She wanted water.

Last night was a blur of indistinct images. She had somehow survived the brutal stabbing. Her torso was wrapped in bandages beneath this garment. She wondered if she had been taken to the hospital or if someone had fixed her up in this prison.

Minutes passed which felt like hours. Her body ached everywhere. Instead of straining her senses in this deprived environment, she contemplated what she should do next. She had faith that the situation with Lord Chiki would be resolved somehow. So after that, she would have to deal with Tsukune.

She had created almost four whole years of memories with Tsukune. She wondered what he would think when he finally regained consciousness. He might not remember any of it.

She would need an explanation. Why she had abruptly stopped coming to him. She supposed she could blame it on her shyness. Her body had changed rather dramatically after her thirteenth birthday.

Ten days after her thirteenth birthday, her body started a painful growth spurt which had continued well into late November. Her breasts had swelled from being barely able to do an A cup justice to pushing the limits of an E cup. She had also grown about eight centimeters with her tail doubling in length and her wingspan increasing. In these past three years, she had grown less than four centimeters with no notable changes in her wing and tail. Her breasts were up to a G cup now.

There were a few weeks she would not be able to account for, but it felt like she had a solid alibi here. He was trying to be more like one of the guys in junior high. How could he be one of the guys when he spent an hour every other night with a buxom girl?

A heavy door swung open, jarring her from her contemplation. She heard footsteps crossing the room towards her. Something scraped across the floor and settled.

"Ms. Kurono."

It was Lord Chiki.

"I suppose I don't need to ask why you killed my only witness to the murder of those girls."

"I didn't kill him."

"His head was taken off."

Kurumu was hesitant to throw Chouda to this wolf.

"Explain how I did it."

"Why don't you tell me how you did it?"

"You're the one making up the story."

"Tell me the truth!"

She sighed, relaxing her body.

"You haven't been interested in the truth."

Feeling the furious intention, she was able to turn her cheek in time to lessen the blow.

"You will confess!"

Kurumu trembled but not out of fear.

"Why don't you tell me what I've done?"

"Fine. Since you insist."

She heard a folder open and some papers moved about.

"You and your newspaper club destroyed a Fairy Tale office in Okinawa. While the attack was mostly carried out by the four second years listed in the article, it was brought to my attention that the region commander of Kyushu, Lord Kamiya Kanade, was slain at the hotel you were staying at."

"What makes you say that?"

"Ms. Shuzen's testimony. The young lady fails to understand why this is a big deal."

Kurumu snorted, supposing Kokoa would open her big mouth about this.

"Yes. We killed him. That was what Mrs. Shuzen sent us to Okinawa to do."

"Do you realize the trouble you are in?"

"Do you?"

Even though she braced herself, it still hurt when he struck her.

"I will not be threatened by the likes of you."

She wished so much that Yukari had been right about this guy.

"When you returned to Yokai Academy, you went to the Headmaster's office. I saw you firsthand with Ms. Nazohashi, Ms. Sendou and Ms. Akashiya. It was then that you were asked to cover up the crimes the Headmaster committed."

"We were asked to keep quiet about the discovery of the bodies of Ms. Mizumi and Ms. Niwakame. You were already accusing him of having men rob the bank to pay off his debts. He didn't want to bring this out in the open when you were throwing around conspiracy theories."

She could feel his fury.

"He hired those men to cause chaos."

"Was all the money recovered from the old prison accounted for, or did you keep it for yourself?"

She groaned as he hit her a third time. Blood started to trickle from her nostrils.

"I am an honorable, lawful man. I will not tolerate a whore accusing me of crimes!"

She swallowed thickly, forcing back the pain.

"How much is missing?"

She could hear his anger.

"The premise that he hired those men to cause chaos remains true. Only the Headmaster, Mr. Nurari and I have the authority to cross the barrier into Mononoke. None of those men are citizens of Mononoke."

"Those men were let in by a man named Hatsumura Hachiro. The man whom attempted to kill me last night went by the name Manabe Akita. He was an associate of Hatsumura when they both worked under Lord Gairen, Commander of the Kansai Region. They were both assassins until Yoshii Kiria removed Manabe's hex which was used to track him. Since then he has been free to do as he please."

"You seem to know a lot about a man whom attempted to kill you."

"He was hired by Hatsumura to deliver a package to my room. He was also instructed to rob the bank so Manabe recruited two thugs to help him pull off the act. Hatsumura got them around the barrier using a device given to them by Yoshii Kiria."

"Nonsense. The means of getting around a spiritual barrier are given only to prefectural officers, region commanders and a select few village elders of that community. The Headmaster in this particular case."

"Are you saying that you have heard nothing about Yoshii Kiria?"

"I have heard of the man. I was told quite extensively about him when I had dinner at Ms. Sawayaka's residence. And she believes that he does possess a way to get through the barrier. But I have no reason to believe anything you have told me."

"Why?"

"Because these men never went after Ms. Akashiya."

Kurumu paused.

"That wasn't their mission."

"The last time Yoshii Kiria came to Mononoke, his goal was to capture Ms. Akashiya."

"Manabe's mission was to rob the bank and deliver my mother's heart to my suite because I interfered with Yoshii's plan to capture Moka. Manabe was to wait until the cultural festival. Someone would meet with him and let him out of the barrier."

"Someone?"

"He didn't know a name."

"Yes. How convenient. You know his entire plan. Clearly you have rehearsed this."

Kurumu sighed, feeling like nothing she said would matter.

"What do you want to say happened?"

"The moment I arrested Ms. Hitori, the Headmaster fled. I arrested Ms. Yoshino and most of her fellow conspirators whom helped her destroy the bodies of those poor girls. Then you and your friends decided to dispose of the crew the Headmaster hired to cause chaos."

"Conveniently hiding near your prison."

Kurumu whimpered when he struck her again. She licked her lips, tasting her blood.

"They had magical items on them to mask their presence. Clearly the work of those filthy witches you call friends."

He starts with a conclusion and changes all evidence to support that conclusion.

"The only reason I was able to find you was because we convinced Ms. Yaisoku it was in her best interest to stop lying about your whereabouts."

"We discussed the old prison as a possible location for the killers to be hiding out."

"Oh sure. How convenient for you to deduce that after three weeks of not doing anything about them."

"I could say the same about you."

She knew it was coming but it still hurt.

"Confess! Why else would you have that witch and that boy help that man escape?"

"Why help him escape when we could have killed him here?"

"Aha! So you admit that you plotted to kill him!"

She had to laugh. It was crazy. He was crazy.

"Go ahead and laugh, you stupid bitch. You will be tried for murder."

For some reason, she suddenly could see him. Lord Chiki stood across from her, dressed in that fancy, black officer outfit. Silver streaked his scarlet locks and his pistachio eyes burned with passion. He did not waver from meeting her gaze.

"You're being played, Lord Chiki. Do you think Yoshii Kiria doesn't know about your hatred for the Headmaster? He has been plotting against this school for over a decade. This is all a scheme to get you to do his dirty work for him."

"You will not trick me, Ms. Kurono."

"I am telling you the truth."

Lord Chiki huffed, picking up his folder. Snapping it shut, he stood up from the chair, causing it to scrape back across the white, cement floor.

"We shall see what the truth is after a couple days without food or water."

Kurumu cocked her head. She was in a small room and this table was the only thing in here. She was chained to a ring in the center of the table and to this chair. Lord Chiki strolled away to the only door.

"I guess I'll just wait for you to become sane."

Lord Chiki huffed again, pulling open the door.

"Stupid whore."

He stepped into the room.

His eyes were wide as he looked at her. Kurumu felt a moment of confusion when she realized she had separated into two entities. She was looking at his back and his face at the same time.

"What happened to your hood?"

"Didn't you take it off?"

He shook his head and retreated from the room and back into her other room. Both instances of him were confused and terrified.

"What have you done?"

Kurumu genuinely had no clue. She was in a mind, but not hers. Was this his?

"This is an attack against a prefectural officer!"

Kurumu shook her hands which were still shackled to the table.

"Does this look like an attack?"

"Die you foul demon!"

He summoned a ball of fire which he tossed in her direction. Kurumu flinched back against her chair as it sped towards her, striking her almost in an instant. It filled her up with warmth, which was surprisingly refreshing. She frowned at him as he summoned another flame.

"Release me!"

He doused her in another ball of death which did nothing but fizzle out inside her. She bit her lip and tried to pull her hands out of the chains.

"Die!"

She rolled her eyes as he stepped in close and showered fire down upon her with his fingertips. This was the strangest mind she had ever wandered into. As much as she wanted to be free of these chains, they remained solid. She wondered if it was because he was crazy.

The kitsune elder started to heave and pant, finally letting up on his futile assault. He tried to slap her face but his hand passed harmlessly through her figure.

"Let me go! You fiend!"

Kurumu sighed heavily, cocking her head at him.

"I don't even know how I did this."

"Because you didn't."

The melodic voice came from above. They both looked up to the ceiling.

Standing above them was a view every teenage boy dreamed about. Huge, creamy tits barely held in a clingy, black garment that was wrapped about a voluptuous body like tissue paper. Her skin was like porcelain with luscious, full, black lips. Her silky black hair was done up much like that doll the Housemother had given her.

"Who are you?"

Empty, lifeless eyes stared into their souls.

"Shikaru Kibishi."

Kurumu's heart fluttered. Ms. Shikaru. Ms. Ohno's Momma. The succubus Mrs. Shuzen had working over the Chubu region.

The former assassin.

"You will cease this attack at once!"

"Shall we move someplace more comfortable?"

They appeared in a small cottage in the mountains. Kurumu was now clothed in a white sundress and was kneeling at a table to the left of Ms. Shikaru. The woman was absolutely stunning. She had a beauty mark at the corner of her left eye. Her eyes were so empty. Like looking at a doll.

Ms. Shikaru gestured to her right as the tea kettle lifted and poured itself out into fancy teacups.

"Have a seat."

Lord Chiki remained standing in this new environment. His eyes were alert and fearful.

"You will release me."

"How are you, Ms. Kurono?"

Kurumu smiled thinly as the teacup drifted over to her on its own. She absently took it, pulling the cup into her lap.

"Um… I've had better days."

"I imagine so. The kitsune are not known for their kindness to women."

"Release me!"

She wagged a finger and Lord Chiki lost his voice. His eyes went wide as he tried to speak but nothing came out. He tried shouting to no avail.

"My Yokina had only good things to say about you. I'm sorry that we were unable to save your mother."

Kurumu nodded slowly. She lifted the cup to her lips, tasting the tea. It was the richest, sweetest liquid to have ever graced her lips.

"I heard that you and your mother spent most of your years in Tottori. Do you ever miss it?"

"I miss my mother."

The woman placed a slender hand with long, black nails on her shoulder.

"I never knew mine. You should be thankful for the time you had."

Kurumu took another sip of this amazing tea. She felt better. All the aches of her body were gone.

"Is this your mind?"

"This is my retreat."

"But… it's in your mind, right?"

"Where is anything?"

Kurumu had no idea how to answer that.

"Is this Lilith's Eye?"

Ms. Shikaru laughed beautifully, removing her hand.

"No. I haven't ever required to jab my tail into my ear to get to this place. Though it did take years to learn how to bring people here when I was not desperately in need of it."

Lord Chiki finally decided to take a seat across the table from Kurumu. He glared at their hostess.

"Um… what do you plan to do with him?"

"That depends on how I judge him."

"Judge him?"

The woman turned and snapped a finger at him. Lord Chiki gasped in relief. His cheeks quickly reddened with fury.

"How dare you do this to me? I'm a prefectural officer."

"You can be replaced."

His fury quickly was smothered by anxiety. He bowed his head, shaking it slowly.

"Why have you come here?"

"I came by Headmaster Mikogami's request."

Lord Chiki scowled but kept his head down.

"That's not proper protocol. Your deployment must be authorized by Lord Kenmei."

Ms. Shikaru pulled a smoking pipe out of thin air, placing it daintily in her lips.

"Not true. He can request my services. Only the president has the authority to order me around, and most aren't foolish enough to do so."

"Are you here then under her orders?"

"No. Though taking two of her daughters into your custody would be frowned upon."

"I was only detaining them for questioning. That is well within my rights."

"Like you were questioning Ms. Kurono when I arrived?"

He was hesitant to respond as she took a long pull from her pipe.

"Headmaster Mikogami asked me to help you control the situation."

"I have the situation under control."

"Do you?"

Lord Chiki turned pleading eyes on Ms. Shikaru.

"Headmaster Mikogami is our enemy. He is using you-"

"No. You sent Suzaku to Isogashi."

He trembled, shaking his head.

"I had to confirm her identity. She was an unregistered Eternal in my prefecture."

Ms. Shikaru puffed a cloud of smoke in his face.

"Lord Kenmei is not pleased with you."

"I was following proper protocol."

Ms. Shikaru turned away from him. She reached out to Kurumu. That garment of hers stretched enticingly with the gesture as she rested her hand atop Kurumu's head.

"Poor thing. You've been through so much these past two months. Losing a mother and a lover."

Kurumu pouted.

"I haven't lost him."

The woman smiled softly, stroking her fingers through Kurumu's hair. It felt so comforting.

"Let it go, child. Place your heart in your friends."

A deep sadness gushed out of her. It was over. Short of cheating, she would never have him again.

"We will have to investigate Lord Gairen. I'll send word to Ms. Kyuusai. We need to determine if this Hatsumura is still under his command."

"What are you babbling about?"

"The truth, Lord Chiki. That doppelganger was in contact with a man we suspect of treason. We will also have to put Lady Chuujitsu under tighter surveillance. Giving her lover a toy to bypass barriers is one thing. Removing the hex from a doppelganger assassin is another."

"You can't seriously believe the nonsensical story she made up to hide her crimes!"

Ms. Shikaru withdrew her hand to snatch the floating pipe out of the air. She placed it in her lips.

"I have seen in her head. Shall I start poking around in yours to determine your allegiance?"

"I have nothing to hide."

"Truly? Shall I show Ms. Kurono the nothing you are hiding?"

"Enough games. Release me."

"I agree. No more games. You shall release everyone from your prison, immediately."

"You don't have the auth-"

"You have no reason to hold anyone. The perpetrators are dead."

"There is a conspi-"

"There is no conspiracy. You were impossible to work with, so information was withheld from you. If you had been reasonable at the start, you would have been an asset in this investigation. Instead you insisted on being an obstacle."

"You're siding with that traitor!"

Ms. Shikaru sighed, waving a hand across the space between them. The imagery changed as they were pushed into a cemetery. This was on the outskirts of Aranoiji.

"Shall we start here? December fifth of 1960. The day after you buried your wife?"

Lord Chiki clutched his chest as an image of him wept over the gravestone of his wife. The woman he had married in 1882 whom had given him four sons and two daughters.

"What are you doing?"

"This is your trial, Chiki Masaru. You married your Reina when she was only eleven."

He looked up at them as his image continued to sob in despair. There was a hollowness in his eyes.

"That wasn't uncommon for girls. Times were different back then."

"They were. You did care for her. She was your property after all."

He turned his eyes back to the sorrowful scene. His home was empty. His children had all left, starting families of their own. There was nothing left for him. Only his school.

"Should we fast forward to the spring of 65 when you were given Akishi?"

Lord Chiki stiffened as they were taken to an old estate with wooden porches and sliding paper doors. A koi pond was centered in the garden with the perimeter marked by a bamboo fence. This was his home near the outskirts of Watasora. He had moved to the forest in the spring of 61, unable to live so close to the grave of his beloved.

"No. This isn't right."

"But you have nothing to hide."

He shook his head with wide eyes as the door was drawn aside. His youngest son, Keichi, entrusted his youngest daughter's care to Masaru. He was concerned with Father's health, since Masaru had become withdrawn these years since Mother's passing. During those years of grieving, Fairy Tale had decided to designate one high school from each prefecture with a special status. Despite his hard efforts, that honor was given to Yokai Academy at the New Year's prefectural meeting in 64.

Masaru was obsessing over the injustice of Yokai Academy being granted prefectural status when it was being ran by a fool encouraging the cross breeding of species. If that school had been run by any other person, it would have never been given such an honor. But because Headmaster Mikogami was a former founder of Fairy Tale, those Fairy Tale dogs overlooked his fundamental flaws. It was Keichi's hope that giving him someone to care for would help Father reconnect with the community.

"This has nothing to do with this."

Ms. Shikaru draped her arms over Kurumu's shoulders as she pressed against Kurumu's back. The soft and sweet aroma wafting off the woman was the scent of the lotus. Ms. Shikaru was so much taller than Kurumu that the base of her neck was about the same height as the apex of Ms. Shikaru's bosom.

"You want us to understand why the Headmaster is evil. I'm showing her why you believe so."

It was a dizzying, nauseating experience as she was sped through months of memories in his shoes. His thinking was illogical. His jealousy for the Headmaster was rooted in this premise of Fairy Tale showing him preference. He argued with Lord Kenmei over the decision but his fellow elder dismissed it. As far as Lord Kenmei was concerned, Lord Agano's choice of prefectural school was acceptable. In his opinion, demanding prefectural status would only invite Fairy Tale to monitor their prestigious Mimori. Unless he wanted to open his doors to the rabble, it was best to let Headmaster Mikogami have it.

Loneliness. Frustration. Rage. Despair. There was no joy in his life. He would occasionally acknowledge the ten year old girl whom had been left in his care. She made his meals and did his laundry. She even helped him bathe. To Masaru, allowing this girl to take care of him was giving her life purpose.

Then as the eve of his wife's passing approached, Masaru noticed the girl. She was scrubbing him down and his body responded to the contact. That had never happened before in all the times she had bathed him. He looked at this girl wearing a heavy, sleeveless, brown frock. She was flush and embarrassed with his body's reaction. She was eleven, the same age as his wife when she had married him.

He asked her if she understood his body's reaction. She vaguely comprehended it had something to do with making babies. He was curious how she knew that which she admitted having seen her brother's once. It only took a few sentences to understand that an additional reason for Keichi's choice to put this girl in Father's care was because her eldest brother had taken a sexual interest in her.

Masaru did not exploit the child that night. But his thoughts started turning in that direction. He paid more attention to her, taking interest in her studies. She finished her fifth grade year at the elementary school in Mimori. The baths she assisted him with were becoming more uncomfortable. He was starting to see his wife in Akishi. He was starting to long for her touch in the bath. He desired her companionship.

As expected, her body started to mature during her sixth grade year. She was looking more like a woman, though her mind remained pure and innocent. Going against his heart and body, he banned her from assisting his baths in June. He went back to avoiding her without explaining why. It was clear the girl worried for him, often asking if she had done something wrong. He would lie about being angry with her grades. So she worked hard on her studies. As graduation approached, she started bringing home papers with scores in the nineties on a regular basis, which was a drastic improvement from the high seventies she had averaged before the summer.

It was during that break between school years in March of 67 when it happened. He was preoccupied with thoughts about what he could do to establish Mimori as the superior school even if it was not the prefectural one. He needed to advertise to the pureblood communities, reassuring that their education was better. Convince the elders of Watasora to help him build up the town. But those damn kirin running the place were indifferent about helping a school pushing a pureblood agenda. It was not like he would close the doors to them and those mangy curs from Morihochou.

He had forgotten that she was in the bath. He paused at the door, holding his towel as he looked upon Akishi. It was the first time he had ever seen her naked. Her auburn curls were laden with soap suds and clung down her back. She was facing the door so he could see everything.

She was very much a woman and his body responded. He walked over to her without saying a word and knelt down between her legs as she apologized. Her mint green eyes were confused and frightened when he started touching her. She did not resist.

He took her that night. There was no struggle. When the deed was done, he caressed her and told her she was a woman. He reassured her that this was natural and was nothing to be frightened or ashamed about. He cleaned her up and encouraged her to give him his bath. Giving her a task calmed her.

He slept with her that night. Nothing sexual. He simply held her. She was confused but he told her a woman should not sleep alone after her first time.

"Why are you doing this? This has nothing to do with Mikogami."

Akishi started playing the roles of dutiful wife and dutiful child. She would make breakfast for them in the morning and then hurry off to school. She would return home and he would praise her for her good grades. She would then make his dinner and do any other household chores. They now bathed naked together which often would involve sex. They ended the nights sleeping together.

After the first couple months, Akishi voiced concerns about getting pregnant. This became a discussion about her future and how heat cycles worked. She asked what the point of good grades were if she was to become his housewife. This made Masaru aware that he did not see Akishi in this manner. While he enjoyed her companionship, he did not desire a family with her. He wanted her to finish high school and become a teacher like himself. So he agreed to refrain from sex until he was fixed since there was always a small chance that a girl could get pregnant even outside of her cycle.

Aware that Headmaster Mikogami was refusing to let Lord Agano build a Fairy Tale office in Mononoke, Masaru requested for the office to be built in Watasora. He spent most of 67, trying to convince Lord Agano and the village elders to not only build the office but a hospital too. It was a solid victory at the New Year's prefectural meeting in 68 getting the approvals to proceed for both. By the summer of 69, both structures were finished and operational. He was sterilized at the hospital that same year.

Of course that had not meant those two years had passed without any sex. It happened at least once a week and she was often upset about it. She threatened to never bathe with him if he ever failed to pull out, so he made sure that never happened.

It was late February of 70 when she betrayed him. He had finished inside her and she was being more loving than usual because of her heat cycle. She told him that she was going to attend Yokai Academy. He had been angry but she smothered him with kisses. The first kisses in his life.

His wife, Reina, had never kissed him in all of the decades of marriage.

Akishi cried in his arms, saying she had to. That she loved him but she had to be away from him. That she would come back on the breaks and visit him. That she would become a teacher like he wanted her to.

For the first time in almost three years, they slept in different rooms. He refused to speak to her. And deep down, he knew she would be better off this way. She deserved a family. She deserved a future. She would have neither of those with him.

So he said his farewells to Akishi in April of 70. The empty, lonely days returned to him. His interest in Watasora improving ceased. He cared little for his Headmaster role at Mimori High. There was nothing in his life that mattered.

"It's all lies."

"These are your memories. I couldn't fabricate these without knowing you personally."

"You are twisting the truth."

Akishi did not return to him for summer break as promised. She wrote to him almost every week, but he never responded. He learned in those letters that Akishi had never made any friends in junior high. There was never time for it between her household chores and studies.

Akishi finished her first term as a top five student out of one hundred sixty peers. He was proud of that. She was one of four class representatives for her grade and the only one that was a girl. She complained about Yokai academy having cramped classrooms and dorms, but she was making friends. She lived with an okami girl from Watasora whom she had never talked to in all of their years of junior high together.

Despite how happy he was for her, his perspective of life moving forward was desolate. He had no hope that Lord Agano would strip Yokai Academy of its prefectural status. That bastard Mikogami had heard about his improvements at Mimori and had finally decided to make some changes of his own. He had big plans of doubling his school capacity next year, along with a bunch of new suites fitted with kitchens to help students transition to living on their own.

It was pure chance that he met Kenmei Koukyuu. She was in her first year of junior high and was at the cultural festival of his high school. She had two older brothers in Mimori high, one being a senior while the other was a first year.

Koukyuu was a beautiful, strawberry blond with gorgeous curls. He would have never suspected that she was not a pureblood kitsune. Lord Kenmei had banished his youngest son from Aranoiji after the whelp married a human girl during his second year of college in Tokyo. The couple had tried to live among the humans but their first son had struggled with concealing his tails. The family had moved here back in 54 so that their boy could attend school.

Koukyuu was the baby of her family and the only girl. She was twelve and had four older brothers, two of which were off in different colleges trying to make the same mistakes their father did. The rumors were kind about the human mother, saying she was a very accepting, kind soul. It amazed Masaru that such a lovely creature could have been spawned from the womb of a human.

"Stop this!"

"You have nothing to hide."

"Get out of my head!"

But the scenes continued playing out. Masaru approached the girl and spoke with unusual warmth. The girl was nervous but dropped her guard when he informed her of his Headmaster status. He bluntly told her his amazement that she was only half kitsune, claiming he could sense she was strong. It was complete garbage. She was not stronger than Akishi or his wife. But Koukyuu liked the praise. Her brothers always teased her for being a weakling.

Masaru had dinner with the family. His amazement at Koukyuu's beauty continued as he witnessed the plainness of her mother. He upset the husband when he bluntly said Koukyuu looked nothing like her mother. But he smoothed things over, telling the man that he meant she felt more kitsune than human. The rumors were true. The mother was relieved, strongly wanting Koukyuu to feel like she belongs here.

It only took a few visits to get the parents to allow Koukyuu to meet with him on the weekends. The premise was that he could train her to become a better kitsune. Technically, he did know how to do that. He had done such things for his own boys long ago but had never thought to extend such attention to his daughters or Akishi. With the start of 71, Koukyuu became his student.

For the most part, he did exactly what he promised. He trained that girl like she was a boy. She whined a lot but he was stern with her. He refused to let her quit and he worked her to the point of exhaustion.

After spring break, he started having her bathe him after their workouts. She was obviously confused at the odd request, but he reassured her it was part of her training and that she would not have to be naked. The first time she assisted his bath, his body immediately responded to her touch. She laughed and called him a dirty old man. He apologized, saying it was a natural reaction which she was surprisingly understanding. She had four brothers so she had seen it all before. Curious, he asked if any of them had molested her which she quickly dismissed. Her brothers liked picking on her but nothing like that.

As the months went by, Masaru struggled over what he wanted with this girl. It was not the same as Akishi. He would never have Koukyuu lying in bed with him at night. He contemplated how he could have sex with her, but also wondered if that was what he wanted. Touch. Companionship. Those were his deepest desires. Sex felt like a natural result but not the motive for his actions.

He still received Akishi's letters during this time, but they were now once a month at best. He knew that was because he never responded. But what was there to say? If she had come back that winter or spring break, he might not have come this far with Koukyuu. She would never come back. In her last letter in 70, she confessed that she was scared that if she saw him, she would not be able to leave him again.

Yokai Academy had expanded. They had bumped to eight classrooms a grade level, which halved the number of students in her class since it was not like the number of second years increased. Since there were more first year girls than second years, they had started moving some of the second years to the new suites. Akishi still lived with Ms. Unaru Ume in one of those new suites.

The entire year of 71 rolled by without an altercation between him and Koukyuu. She was comfortable with bathing him and his body would not always respond to her touch. Her grades improved and she was far stronger than she had been at the start of the year. She was a tomboy, but he found that charming. Now that she knew how to manipulate the energy about them, she could create duplicates of herself and make herself invisible. She lacked the talent to create fire, but he taught her basic combat. He promised that when she got her second tail, she would be able to wield fire like most kitsune could.

The letter from Akishi in March of 72 hurt. Akishi confessed that she had been asked out by her Unaru's younger brother and that she had accepted. She wanted to bring the two home with her over the break. She believed this was the only way she could return to him without falling back to how things had been.

The first and only letter that he wrote to Akishi told her to never come back.

He was angry for several months. Akishi stopped writing to him. He assumed she was having sex with that okami boy. A kitsune mating with an okami. He was furious. He took it out on Koukyuu during her training, demanding more from her. She worked hard to meet his expectations.

He was confused when Koukyuu came to him during the summer break. She was mad at her father. He was trying to arrange a marriage for her and her mother was just going along with it. Masaru let her stay but informed her parents that the girl was at his place. Her father wanted him to talk sense into the girl. Not many kitsune would marry her and she should be grateful that he had found a willing young man.

Masaru had mixed feelings about the situation. He agreed that Koukyuu would be best with a kitsune. He told her this during their bathing sessions, saying it would be best for her kids which only annoyed her. She wanted to be strong. This marriage would force her into a weak wife role.

It was in November of 72 a couple weeks after the cultural festival. They had been living together for almost three months. He was annoyed with her persistent belittling of the role of a wife and he could smell that she was in season. He challenged her. That if she was as strong and confident, then she would bathe with him naked. When she balked at the suggestion, he declared the real reason why she disliked the marriage proposal was because she was ashamed of her body.

Already under the influence of her heat cycle, the fourteen year old took the bait and stripped down. He demanded for her to prove herself, which diminished her fighting spirit mostly because she had no idea what she was supposed to do. He coaxed her through everything, always using her refusal to back down to push things further. In the end, he creamed her insides. Shortly after that, her wife training began.

She was skeptical, but always yielded to his reassurances. He lied to her about so much. Told her that sex could make her stronger and cause her second tail to emerge. Told her that it was common for young wives to undergo such training before marriage. But he convinced himself that she was not this stupid and genuinely wanted this as much as he did.

By her fifteenth birthday in late January, she would initiate sex with him. He had never had that happen before. They could not sleep together because the little fox would mount him in the middle of the night, wearing herself out on top of him. She was nothing like his departed wife or Akishi.

Masaru met Natsuhiko on the day of Koukyuu's graduation. He was a nice man with one year of college under his belt. He had graduated from Yokai Academy, which reminded Chiki that Akishi was graduating this year. Natsuhiko admitted that he had tried courting Akishi during her first year but she had politely declined his advances. Last he had heard, she was dating an okami. Masaru agreed that his poor granddaughter had gone astray and it was all that damn Headmaster Mikogami's fault.

It took no effort at all to push Koukyuu into Natsuhiko's arms. And Koukyuu's parents thanked him for it. In April, the two left to live in the apartment near his college in Nagoya. Koukyuu never wrote to him.

Once again, he was alone in his estate. The rest of the 73 passed by meaninglessly. No contact from either of the young girls he had ushered into womanhood. He hoped that meant they were happy.

"That's more than enough."

"Is it now?"

"No more."

In February of 74, Lord Gein, village elder and a judge on the Niigata prefectural court, brought a young girl to Masaru. Her name was Yoshino Inari. She was a distant relative of Lord Gein. Due to the nature of how her parents had left the main family, none of his relatives were willing to take her in. Having heard that Masaru had taken care of his granddaughter years ago, Lord Gein thought it would be good for him to have a child to keep him company in his estate.

Inari was only eight years old and would not talk at all. She was tall for an eight year old. She was very thin with short, frail auburn locks. She looked almost like a boy. He was unsure how he should handle a child, having left most of child rearing up to his wife. He made certain that she attended school and that she had meals and clothes. She was only in the third grade. She said nothing for several months. He took care of her much like he would a pet.

Towards the end of the year, she started to talk a little. She had no friends and hated school here. She wanted to stay home with him instead. In November, she turned nine. Thinking it would be for the best, he moved back to his old home in Aranoiji. He enrolled her in the elementary school there and started commuting to Mimori High. He insisted that she make friends with other kitsune.

The decision forced her to become more independent. He had to leave early and came home late. He taught her to cook for herself and do her own laundry. Before the summer ended, she was regularly doing these things for him. She was also a good student.

In August of 75, Koukyuu returned with Natsuhiko and they were married in Aranoiji. Natsuhiko was admitted that he had planned to wait for his college graduation, but this minx enjoyed their bedroom time too much. Already two months along, he conceded it was best to marry her now.

The bride had insisted on Masaru being in attendance. Thinking Inari would feel out of place, he had the little girl stay home. He shared a moment with this fiery vixen, whom was eager to tell him she finally got her second tail. He kissed her on the forehead and told her he was proud of her and that she would make an amazing mother. For some silly reason, Koukyuu informed him that he was bigger than her husband. He shushed her, promising her that her husband's would get bigger with age.

After reassuring him how much she loved Natsuhiko, she asked him if he was happy. She worried about him being alone. He admitted he was taking care of an orphan and her first question was concern about the gender. Sensing she would be upset, he told her that Inari was a boy.

At the wedding feast, he toasted and blessed the union and thanked the parents for allowing him to be a part of their daughter's life. He encouraged Natsuhiko to always support and listen to his wife, admitting he had not done nearly enough of that in his own marriage.

Life returned to its mundane routine. As Watasora was two hours away from Aranoiji, he would leave before six and not return until after eight. He allowed Inari to stay up till ten to talk with him about her day and confirm that she was doing well in school. She was finally making a friend.

The friend's name was Rin Odori. He was unaware of any kitsune families with that surname and Inari had no clue what her friend's true form was. It was rare for kitsune to hide their true forms in Aranoiji, which had him suspect this child was one of the lesser species allowed to work their farms. Aware that Odori was a girl, he dismissed it as a problem.

The year of 76 passed by much the same as 73. He had a child in his home, but he felt alone. He would talk to other families on the weekends to catch up on current news. Natsuhiko had graduated and they had a baby boy which they named after Natsuhiko's father. Since Natsuhiko had found a good job in the city, they were still living in the same apartment in Nagoya.

He mustered the courage to speak to Keichi about Akishi in the summer of 76. He had heard the rumors about Akishi. That she had married that Unaru boy after her graduation in 73 with only Lord Agano's blessing. That she had wasted a year in Mononoke, making monstrel babies while he graduated.

Keichi admitted that while his daughter was not pregnant, she had married that okami. After the mutt graduated, she had begged the Headmaster to help her with college. Amusingly, the Headmaster had turned that over to Lord Kenmei. Having spent years licking the boots of Fairy Tale, Lord Kenmei had arranged for Akishi's college education to be funded by Fairy Tale on the basis that she would work for them. Masaru thought that surprisingly generous for a teacher when Keichi dropped a bomb on him.

Akishi was becoming a lawyer. She was an activist for monstrel rights and wanted to legally fight the battle of racism that was running rampant among the monster communities. Masaru despised Headmaster Mikogami for changing that sweet girl into one of his mindless lackeys.

It was February in 77 when Masaru noticed Inari was not so much a child anymore. It was not due to her hair. The best she could manage after all these years was a simple ponytail. There was no natural curl or bounce to it. But at the age of eleven, she was developing a bust. And she had always been tall. By the summer, she could pass as a high school girl.

He finally met Odori that summer and could see why Inari thought little about the changes of her body. Odori was a stupid gyokuto. Like some of her kind, she already possessed oversized mammaries for an eleven year old. Odori was prettier than Inari. But looks was the only thing gyokuto girls had going for them. So he started reassuring Inari that she was as pretty as her friend.

Inari was uninterested in these attempts to inflate her ego. She cared little about her looks, even wishing her tits would stop growing. She told him that Odori was also annoyed with her body. The boys teased them in school since she was tall and Odori was buxom. She wished she was a boy.

As her twelfth birthday approached in November, he made Inari a proposition. Since she disliked the school in Aranoiji, he asked if she would move back to Watasora with him and attend the Mimori junior high. She resisted the idea, not wanting to leave Odori behind. On a halfhearted whim, he promised he would take Odori with them.

Happy with that idea, she hugged him tightly. With his body responding to the contact, Masaru kissed Inari impulsively. A flood of pent up desire and longing poured out upon the confused girl. Before he allowed himself to think about what he was doing, he claimed Inari in her bedroom.

It felt so much like the first time with his wife. A frightened, crying girl beneath him. Caressing her softly and telling her everything was fine. He fell back on the nonsense that this was normal and training. That she was a woman now and would need to learn how to enjoy her body. She should stop this nonsense about being a boy when she was meant to carry on new life within her. Kitsune life.

He thought she would recover. But things were different. He was not there like he was for the first two girls. He was out the door before six and not back until after eight. He would insist that she sleep with him and she would. He sensed she expected he would do more, so he kept reassuring he would not.

But on the weekends, he started up the bathing routine. That first Saturday, he demanded a frightened girl to strip for him and attend to his carnal needs like a proper kitsune woman would.

"You monster!"

Lord Chiki shuddered at Kurumu's accusation. He shook his head as he watched himself force this girl into becoming his sex slave.

"You are twisting the facts. It wasn't like this."

"I am twisting nothing, Chiki Masaru. You've glossed over how domineering this situation was. You were kinder to the first two. Perhaps even forgivable. But this… you don't believe this was traumatizing?"

"She… made it sound worse than it was."

"Did she ever look like she was enjoying it?"

Kurumu knew the truth. Lord Chiki had avoided looking. He had pushed forward on this insatiable desire to be with someone. He was convincing himself that the girl was enjoying it. Or that she would enjoy it. That it was only bad because she was scared. That it would get better if she relaxed.

Two destructive things came out at the council meeting in Aranoiji in 78. The first was from Natsuhiko, whom many had thought had come home for the holiday. He assaulted Masaru in public, demanding an apology. Masaru learned how silly Koukyuu was and how much she believed all of his lies.

Koukyuu had told Natsuhiko that having sex would help her get more tails. The daft woman had also mentioned that she had been having wife training with Masaru so that she would be able to serve her husband properly in the bedroom.

Emboldened by the public shaming, Odori outed his relationship with Inari. He might have been able to talk his way out of that if people had not seen Inari's reaction to it. The girl started bawling immediately. Uncontrollably. He tried to say it was a lie. That the two were acting up because he was going to move Inari to Mimori with him, so Odori was making things up.

But it was over. Inari confirmed he was having sex with her. It was not difficult for the village physician to confirm that the girl was sexually active. He continued to deny it but nobody would believe him. He used his lack of presence as an excuse. That he was barely home so Inari could be sleeping with anyone.

Nobody believed him.

"And nobody should."

"They had no proof."

"Shall we continue down this road?"

"There's more?"

"Unfortunately… much more."

With Lord Gein being present at the debacle, the man owned up to his mistake and demanded for the immediate banishment of Masaru. The elder council were split on the decision, but decided it would be best for Masaru to have as little access to kitsune girls as possible. He was dismissed from the council and encouraged to live in Watasora permanently.

But that was not good enough for Lord Kenmei. In March of 78, Masaru was informed by Lord Agano that his tenure as Headmaster was over. They promoted one of his veteran teachers to take his place. He had no work. He had no friends. While he had enough money to get by, he contemplated suicide daily.

Lord Kenmei's visit in December of 80 was met with derision. He assumed Lord Kenmei was there to mock him for what he had become. And he did not disappoint. There were harsh words thrown at him which he tersely threw back. After all. Koukyuu was not a full blood kitsune. That's why Lord Kenmei had banished her family.

This had destroyed Koukyuu's marriage. After everything had come to light, Natsuhiko had taken to beating her. For anything. He had taken both of their boys after the spring break of 80 and disappeared. Nobody had heard from him since. Koukyuu was staying with his parents because her father refused to take her in. Masaru halfheartedly offered to take the girl, but Lord Kenmei scoffed him, declaring that he would rather kill her than let her stay here.

After much posturing, Lord Kenmei informed Masaru that he was to take over as the prefectural officer of Niigata. It was not his decision. Akishi had pleaded with President Kamiken to give Masaru a job. He had thought this a joke, but Kenmei assured him it was not and that Unaru Akishi was a savvy lawyer. When she heard about Lord Agano's retirement, she had gone straight to the top.

He never heard from Akishi and Lord Kenmei refused to give him her contact information. Aware that Akishi must know where he lived, he realized this was her final gift to him. It broke his heart.

In February of 81, he took over the prefectural office. He had no clue what it meant to be an officer for Fairy Tale, but he did know that he had the power to decide which school would carry the prefectural title. Sadly this was determined in the annual prefectural meeting, so he would not be able to do anything for another year. He spent that time learning how to do his job.

At least that had been his plan. In September of that year, he met Ueda Kanon, an adorable okami girl living in the orphanage that was ran by Fairy Tale. Her dingy, dark locks had a reddish hue uncommon in okami, suggesting she was a mixed breed and possibly why she had been abandoned. She was a scrawny eleven year old whom could pass as a boy if she wanted to.

It was those hazel eyes which caught his attention. So full of hope and innocence. She had talked to him like he was a respectable person. Not that this was unusual. Most people in Watasora were unaware of what had happened in Aranoiji. But he had been avoiding people for a long time. And the only ones he had been in contact with this year were his subordinates. Their obligatory respect meant nothing.

"How many girls did you deceive?"

"This isn't what you think."

"Oh yes. This is much, much worse."

His plans to overthrow Yokai Academy succeeded, though it had nothing to do with the case he had prepared. While he had been busy learning his job, Fairy Tale had enacted a new gym standard involving an athletics programs. It highly favored purebloods, which Headmaster Mikogami felt was insulting. He told Masaru that Mimori High could have their prestige since it meant clinging to antiquated racism.

Feeling the victory was hollow, Masaru wanted to make sure that the flagship school status would never change. He turned to the lazy elders of Watasora to convince them to prioritize putting resources into improving the school. It was that first council meeting in February of 82, when he learned of his ban from Mimori High. Apparently Lord Gein had placed a ban on him being involved with the school or anywhere near the school premises while Inari was attending school there.

Realizing he could do nothing about Yokai Academy for another two years, he made Ueda Kanon into a relaxing side project. He bought her clothes to make her look more like a girl. Helped her straighten out her hair and how to properly manage it. The other orphans noticed his favoritism so he extended his kindness to some of the others. It made things less suspicious and also discouraged Ueda from pestering him about adoption. He liked her but he doubted he could live with an okami pup.

But that little puppy hit puberty. It was a couple months after she started junior high. He was unable to deny her womanhood. And she had such a lovely personality. Engaging. Enthusiastic. And bright, lovely eyes. She cared for her hair like he taught her. She dressed girly like he encouraged. The other orphan girls were jealous of her but not because of him. Kanon had become popular in school with boys.

Somehow the little mutt figured out where he lived. In October of 83, the thirteen year old had sneaked into his house and made dinner for him. She was in heat and it was his breaking point.

He learned that okami pussy felt as good as kitsune pussy.

"She wanted it."

Having experience it from his perspective, Kurumu could understand why he believed that.

"The girl wanted a father figure, Masaru. She accepted what you gave her, but don't fool yourself by thinking that she wanted this."

The months that followed involved many unplanned sexual encounters. Unlike other girls whom he had lived with, this one was only available when she could sneak away from the orphanage. He never told her to do it but he never turned her away. It was thrilling because he had no idea if he would come home to a loving girl or an empty home.

She would often ask when he would adopt her as she snuggled against him after a lovemaking session. He always told her there was little reason for that. That like all children, she would finish school and go out into the world and start a family of her own. There was no reason for her to pin herself down to him. He could continue supporting her in this capacity. She never was happy with such answers but said she would always love him for caring so much about her.

In the summer of 84, Masaru confirmed with the village council that Inari had graduated from Mimori. With his ban lifted, he resumed discussions about keeping Mimori High the flagship school of Niigata. They needed more dorms, more teachers and more classrooms. Yokai Academy had an enrollment averaging over two hundred students a year. Mimori was not even half of that. They were last place in every competitive sport. If Fairy Tale opened athletics to every race, it would only be a matter of time before Yokai Academy took back the flagship status.

None of the elders cared.

He was so frustrated with the indifference of the Watasora village council. He vented these emotions upon the body of that willing fourteen year old, trying out things he had never done with other girls. She was a dog after all, so he encouraged her to do things like dogs did. It was even better when she was in heat. He had never had a girl so completely devoted to pleasure, which was saying much since Koukyuu had been amazing.

Like kitsune, an okami only had two heat cycles a year. It seemed to vary from girl to girl, but Kanon was an April and October girl. As the silly pup had blamed her heat cycle for her disappearance of a whole week in October 84, her reputation as a whore took off immediately.

Masaru worried as her April of 85 heat cycle approached. Taking a risk, he stopped by the orphanage and asked if he could watch over Kanon while she was under duress. As the other girls were aware of how frequently and easily Kanon escaped the orphanage, they were relieved that an adult cared about the poor girl. One of the tanuki girls had even asked if he would look after her when hers started in May.

He banged that puppy's brains out every night of that week. It truly was so much better than the casual encounters they shared whenever she randomly stopped by. She was a chatterbox during her heat cycle. She would beg for his seed and talk about making babies for him. He wondered if this was something wired in okami girls, having never heard a kitsune woman say such a thing. He loved it. He could see why anyone would stray from their species for such a loving, doting thing.

For the sake of appearances, he did watch over that tanuki girl. She was squirmy but not forward during her time with him. He was prepared in case she was aggressive. He had plenty of sedatives, which kept her docile and giggly. He returned her to the orphanage unmolested.

He then brought this to the attention of the orphanage staff, suggesting they medicate the girls during these times. He was frankly surprised that none of the staff had thought to do such a thing before, but these were lesser species whom could not find a better job within Fairy Tale. This did deprive him of a juicy October week with Kanon, but it was for the best.

Or so he had thought.

In November of 85, a staff member approached him with the intent to blackmail. This person had heard little Kanon talk all about her sexual adventures with nice Masaru during her doped up state. It did not even cross Masaru's mind to confirm if this person had any accomplices. They were ash before they could finish their threats. Stupid lesser being, daring to challenge a kitsune.

He realized Kanon was a problem. As much as he wanted her to go to high school, she was not very bright and would never make the cut for Mimori. As an orphan, she lacked the funds for Yokai which meant her only choice was Hisoshi, which did not provide housing. She really wanted to go to high school. She was working things out with two of her orphanage friends. Both girls. They were going to try working part time to afford a one bedroom apartment in the city.

But the problem was her cycle. What if she told those girls about having sex with him? Her cycle was in April. They would find out right away. Would anyone believe them?

Of course they would. That was why that fool had been so confident in his blackmail attempt.

It pained him to do it. But when she randomly stopped by on that Friday night in late February of 86, he burned that precious girl into ash. He had no choice. She would talk. Just like Koukyuu talked.

"It's all lies."

His breathy denial carried no weight. Kurumu felt every moment of this. There had been no joy. No malice. Just a deep regret of the inevitable.

For weeks, he wanted to end himself. But he had to play the part of the clueless philanthropist. As far as everyone knew, Kanon had ran off like she always did. And this time, she never came back. Her orphan friends suspected foul play but most people went on with their daily lives as if nothing had happened. She was a runaway orphan. Nobody cared. The investigation for the missing staff worker had taken much longer to end inconclusively. Some rumors even implied that the two ran away together.

The rest of 86 slipped by without any notable improvements to Mimori High. Mimori was turning away students because they lacked housing. They also lacked the facilities to host anything but volleyball and basketball, playing all of their games away. Yokai Academy had built a large gymnasium last year due to pressure from the other villages to reclaim their flagship status. Yokai Academy would be able to host six competitive sports as they had already leveled part of the surrounding forest to lay out fields for track, soccer, softball and baseball. The Watasora village council refused to do such a thing to their trees.

It was in the New Year's prefectural meeting of 89 that Headmaster Mikogami reluctantly took back the status of flagship. He had a list of names for teachers he planned to bring in to help prepare the school for the athletics program. To Masaru's surprise, both Odori Rin and Yoshino Inari were on the list. He felt like the Headmaster was smugly accusing him of something.

It was a fit of incomprehensible emotions when he talked to Matsushita Natsumi later that month. She was an eleven year old orphan whom could have fooled anyone if she went to high school. She was not tall but she reminded him of Odori. Pretty and bouncy.

Like many orphans, he had known her since her admittance four years ago. She had been a tiny thing with only her pink eyes betraying her gyokuto race at the time. Now she looked like she could be a wife.

He had no idea how he got her to come to his house. He was angry and frustrated with life. Nothing he did ever mattered and his position as prefectural officer was nothing but a glorified desk job. He could fire principals at a whim, but he had nobody qualified to replace them. He lacked the connections to truly rule this prefecture like a dictator. He wanted the Headmaster of Yokai Academy gone. That was it. Everything else had no meaning.

He had her make his dinner, but she had no cooking schools. Frustrated he asked how she would ever be a proper wife if she could not cook. The girl was startled and had no answers.

A part of him wanted to unleash his fury upon this helpless girl. But he patted her head and promised he would teach her how to be useful. He asked how her grades were and she started to cry. He said it was fine if she was dumb as long as she could do other things. He spent the night teaching her a few tricks in the kitchen before escorting her back to the orphanage.

For the next six months, he brought Natsumi and seven other girls of different ages to his home for cooking lessons. He requested for a staff member to come with him because he could not watch over that many girls. It was fun. It was different. It was crazy that the orphanage did not teach simple life skills to these girls. They were essentially glorified babysitters, doing the bare minimum in regards to the care of these abandoned urchins.

In the fall of 89, he got Lord Kenmei's first ever approval to enhance the Fairy Tale facilities in Watasora. Deciding that the school was a lost cause, he put all of the funding towards the hospital and orphanage.

He put the word out for village elders to attend the New Year's prefectural meeting of 90. While the principals of the junior highs always attended these things, he had wanted to discuss individual village concerns. Every village operated independently of the others. The only thing Fairy Tale had their hands in was the junior highs and high schools. He wanted Fairy Tale to serve all the villages better, but less than a third of the villages sent a representative. He took note of their requests and passed these on to Lord Kenmei whom promptly told him not to be greedy after getting a little money.

He was frustrated and lonely but at least his anger had diminished. If Lord Kenmei wanted to be the reason why he could not do good things for the prefecture, then that was his choice. He had no qualms throwing that bastard to the wolves.

It was in the summer of 90 when he decided to bring Natsumi to his home. She was in the seventh grade and her academics were in the gutter. He honestly would not fault the junior high for kicking her out. So he told her to cook for him, which she happily did. Her performance was decent.

He then told the dumb bunny that she was ready for the next stage of her training, but she could not tell anyone else about it ever. She wondered why and he said it was because it would be admitting she was useless for anything else. So unless she wanted to be teased and shamed for her being worthless, it was best that they keep this between them.

He had her bathe with him. She was quite reluctant to do so, but he was firm and confident about her stripping naked and washing him properly. The embarrassed girl complied. He lectured her over the proper duties of a wife as she scrubbed his body. She was hesitant to touch his erection but yielded to his demands for a thorough cleaning. He then scolded her for being too rough, saying she would not enjoy such a thing done to her sensitive places.

And she was sensitive.

This dumb bunny climaxed simply from being scrubbed by him. With her pink eyes glazed over and her bosom heaving with pants, he parted her legs and took her virginity.

Pussy was pussy. He understood now why so many decided to throw aside racial barriers. It was children whom suffered from these decisions. Not the parents.

He would check her out and in at the orphanage thanks to his new policies to keep these kids safe. To his knowledge, she kept silent about the training. Her lessons were twice a week, mostly for his own health. This girl was as voracious as Kanon once she got going. She would milk him dry after he made that sensitive body of hers climax. It was like she was permanently in heat.

She was a quiet lover. She would not talk dirty like Kanon. He had never felt comfortable with responding to most of the sultry things Kanon would spout in her heat.

By the start of the New Year, Natsumi was hopelessly in love with him. She was affectionate. She wanted a family with him. He tried telling her that she should want such things from someone closer to her age and of the same race, but she refused. She wanted him and nobody else. It was a pity. He had known from the start that he did not love this dumb bunny. She was only a pet to keep him company.

The rest of 91 and most of 92 were similar. He blamed Lord Kenmei for his inability to improve his prefecture. He blamed the Watasora village council for the lack of growth at Mimori High. He blamed Headmaster Mikogami for ruining his life and rubbing it in his face by hiring those two bitches.

It was November of 92 when Masaru was given a young girl by a haunted blond woman. Her name was Hikokawa Kamiki and the girl was Shinkoku San. The woman begged her name not to be on file and that he should keep this book. He enrolled the little child in his orphanage, honoring the mother's wish. He thought nothing more of it, planning to enjoy his night between the thighs of a horny bunny.

A part of him wished he could keep Natsumi. But he knew what people would say if they found out. They would call him a child molester despite how willing she was. They would conveniently forget that his wife had only been an eleven year old girl. To argue that these girls were children was taking the stance that the women of this century were mentally underdeveloped compared to the women of last century. Did they really want to claim that women had become dumber and immature?

It could not be helped. Like Kanon, as the day of Natsumi's junior high graduation approached, he knew what had to be done. He disposed of her quickly, painlessly. Another runaway orphan, quickly forgotten.

Kurumu shook her head in disbelief as the image of this serial murderer pretended to know nothing about the loss of one of his precious orphans.

"You… how…"

"You know how, Ms. Kurono. You hear his thoughts. Experience his motives."

"It's all lies."

"Spare us your weak denials."

"You… you can't prove any of this."

"True. Testimony from succubi are often discounted."

"Because you alter memories."

"I have no vendetta against you, Chiki Masaru."

In the New Year's prefectural meeting of 94, Ms. Tsumugi attended in Headmaster Mikogami's stead. There had been an assassination attempt and he was still in recovery. Thinking this was an opening, Masaru called for the Headmaster to be replaced. But the expansion of Yokai Academy had been completed on schedule. They were increasing to twelve classrooms per grade and had built two new dormitories. The school was now big enough to rival Imoshinai Institute and Shimote Technical. Everyone was pleased with that and felt no reason to replace the Headmaster.

Desperate to make a change, Masaru proposed building a Fairy Tale office there. The principals of the junior highs doubted he could force that but agreed that a Fairy Tale presence to keep the school safe was required. They left it to Masaru to discuss with Lord Kenmei.

It was discussion with Lord Kenmei which resulted in the decision to put their troublesome prince Kuyo to use. The elder council was at a loss of what to do with him as he seemed eager to start a war with the humans. Masaru was unhappy with the compromise, but brought Kuyo to Headmaster Mikogami in May.

It was the summer of 96 when he noticed little Otonashi. The other orphan kids called her that so he decided to make it official. He informed her of her name change and smiled, patting her head. She was tiny. Adorable. Precious. It was unusual for him to feel such interest in such a girl.

But she was silent. That was promising.

"You bastard!"

"All lies. Tricks. Deceptions."

It was the most thorough deception ever. Years of thoughts and emotions. He was not fooling her. He had seen a perfect victim in Otonashi.

On her tenth birthday in December, Masaru brought Otonashi and several girls her age to his home to have a special birthday party. Otonashi had been in the orphanage for four years at this point. She still kept to herself. He encouraged other girls to be friends with her and to be nice to her.

Over the course of 97, he noticed only one girl stuck with the idea of being Otonashi's friend. That was Hidzume Haruka, a pretty kirin girl whom had lost her parents two years ago. She was the same age as Otonashi, but Haruka was much taller.

He invited the pair at least twice a month in 98. They were both in their final year of elementary school. Haruka was showing signs of maturity as many twelve year olds do. Otonashi remained as childish in appearance as she had been when he had taken notice of her two years ago. He mildly wondered if that was due to her siren heritage. He knew almost nothing about them beyond that they had lovely singing voices. But he had never heard Otonashi speak, let along sing.

He was becoming restless. The New Year ushered in but Otonashi remained like a child. His body felt no appeal to that. He wished she would start maturing. The two girls entered junior high. He continued having them visit his home twice a month, but they were not the only girls that did. He had others, but that was only to avoid being accused of favoritism.

At thirteen, Haruka could pass as a high school girl. Otonashi could still not get on half the rides at an amusement park. He started to worry that he was holding out for nothing. By her birthday at the end of the year, Otonashi was proving that she was an excellent student. Top of her class. He could legitimately push for her getting free tuition at Yokai Academy if she kept on this course.

He gave up on Otonashi. On her fourteenth birthday in July of 2000, he took Haruka instead, trying something different. He threatened Haruka into silence, claiming he would defile Otonashi if she ever spoke. He said he would get away with it because Otonashi never would say anything.

It was strange how simple that worked. The first couple of times, Haruka cried. But by the end of the summer, she had become resigned to her fate. She would stick close to Otonashi when they came over, not letting him interact with Otonashi. Not that he cared. Otonashi still looked like a child. She might have a pussy he could shove his dick in, but it would never feel right. He was not into little girls.

He was content using Haruka. There was no pretense that this was love. It felt liberating and honest. He simply wanted to fuck something. And she was pretty, sexy and willing. It was not like he was forcing her. Her average grades plummeted as she became more withdrawn from her peers. Otonashi became her only friend and was on pace to finish junior high as the valedictorian. The first orphan to ever do so. He was proud of Otonashi.

Otonashi put in a request to attend a school in Okinawa. He used that information to make Haruka cry, saying that her only friend wanted to get as far away from her as possible. He told her not to worry though, promising that he would reject that. Instead he authorized a full scholarship for Otonashi to attend Yokai Academy.

He was unsure what exactly broke Haruka. It was at the start of 2002. She hung herself with an apology to Otonashi for not being able to protect her. As the letter had no mention of him and Otonashi had no clue about what was going on between them, many people assumed it was Otonashi's fault. It was not that they believed she killed her friend, but that her friend killed herself because of Otonashi. That worked out nicely for him, and Otonashi graduated two months later.

They were once again in the prison room. Lord Chiki was sitting across from Kurumu and she remained shackled to her chair and the table. Ms. Shikaru hovered by the open door.

"Mrs. Unaru serves us well as a judge in the Aichi court these days. I felt I should at least let you know how things turned out for the first girl you molested."

Lord Chiki looked down at the table, his pistachio eyes distant.

"And Natsuhiko did take Koukyuu back. Eventually. They had a little girl. Her name is Netsuki."

Kurumu felt her heart twist in sadness, aware that this was Hiboshi's family. He had done so much harm.

"You… have no proof."

"But you know I don't need any. You knew the moment I was here that it was over."

"I'm the prefectural officer."

"In two weeks, you will write out a long apology. Confessing all of your crimes. All the lives you ended. All the lives you ruined. You will then commit suicide, as you have contemplated so many times yet never had the common decency to carry out."

He nodded slowly.

"You will release everyone the moment this ends. You will apologize to the school for overstaying your welcome and failing to capture those that threatened the school. You will give that credit to the students whom did your work for you."

"I don't want to die."

"You are done here, Chiki Masaru. You won't remember that I was here. You won't remember any interrogation you had with Ms. Kurono. You simply realized that this was pointless. That there was no conspiracy. And that you need to let these people go before you embarrass yourself further."

"What about Ms. Rin?"

"He will apologize for that, admitting that his emotions got the best of him. He will resign upon his return to Watasora. Two weeks, Chiki Masaru. Make peace with your family."

Kurumu's world was thrown back into darkness. Her breath was hot inside this hood. She heard the sound of footsteps coming around the table.

"My apologies, Ms. Kurono."

She felt shivers down her spine as trembling hands loosened the ties of the bag at her throat.

"I am so very sorry."


"Get inside."

Kurumu scowled at the guard holding the door to the gymnasium open for them. She squeezed the left hand of the listless teacher while her right arm was draped behind Ms. Yoshino. Like Kurumu, the kitsune was dressed in only a hospital gown. There was no life in her eyes.

After being released from her cell, Kurumu had been escorted out of the prison. She quickly learned that she was one of the last prisoners and had to wait for a transport. The unresponsive Ms. Yoshino had been dragged out minutes after her, the guards dropping her unceremoniously on the ground. Kurumu had helped the woman up. Her arms and legs had many bruises and her face was swollen. She reeked of sex and shampoo. The guards had tried to wash away their transgressions.

The kitsune said nothing during those minutes waiting by the road and for the entire drive to the school. This tall, proud woman had become meek and despondent. Kurumu was afraid to say anything to her, thinking she might break at any moment.

Helping the woman into the gymnasium, Kurumu noted those gathered inside. She first saw Tokori and Mikomi with Tokori's family. Tokori was hugging her mother while Mikomi was humoring the little boy holding her tightly. The taller girl had one of her hands on the back of his head, holding his face to her bosom. Her other hand absently rubbed his back.

The Hineri sisters stood nearby. Keito was snuggling up to her shorter sister. Kumiko looked annoyed one moment and comforted the next.

"I believe that is everyone."

Kurumu glanced at the stage on her right. The Headmaster was standing at the podium with his face hidden in the depths of his hood. On his left stood Tsukune with Rubi clutching his left arm and Mizore holding his right. He was wearing a short sleeved, green shirt with a red Yokai logo and a pair of jeans.

While Kurumu was happy to see he was fine, she disliked his presentation. If he must have a girl on each arm, it should have been Moka and her. She supposed the Headmaster had stopped by the hospital and taken care of Tsukune's holy lock while Ms. Shikaru handled things at the prison. That would explain why they were up there with him, but it still bothered her.

On the other side of the Headmaster was Mr. Nurari and Ms. Hitori. The driver had his usual smirk as he puffed away on his cigar. The home ec instructor looked bored as always with her arms crossed.

"Thank you, soldiers of Fairy Tale. You may withdraw now."

The tall guard with silver tresses bowed deeply to the stage. He made a signal which prompted all the guards in the room to filter out the doors.

In the bustle which followed, Kurumu resumed her perusal of the room. She spied Satsuki clinging to Ms. Nekonome. They were with four other teachers which included Coach Yaisoku and Mr. Yokoyama. She was not surprised that Mr. Fujita was with them, assuming his outburst at the assembly got him arrested. The last of the group was another teacher whom had been at the bar outing mommy had attended. This short woman had her obsidian tresses styled in a right side bob. She had glasses and was well endowed.

"Kurumu!"

The vampire was with Yukari and Tora. Kurumu squeezed Ms. Yoshino's hand before letting go of the woman. She hurried across the room to give the grinning vampire a hug.

"Thank goodness you're okay."

Kurumu took in a deep breath, smelling the dirt and grime of the old prison on Moka's blouse. She leaned back to arms' length, looking over Moka as the vampire did the same to her.

"You need a bath."

"So do you."

"So does everyone."

Kurumu grinned, letting go of Moka to give Tora a hug. She rubbed her hands on Tora's back, feeling the sphinx return the gesture.

"Was everyone okay with you guys?"

"We're starving."

Kurumu chuckled, releasing the girl. She was relieved to see Tora was okay, though haggard. She fussed with the girl's raven bangs.

"I won't need a hug."

Kurumu pouted at Yukari as the witch crossed her arms.

"But I might."

The witch rolled her eyes, turning away. She gestured towards Chouda and Sangi.

"Chouda told us she was arrested for beheading some guy in your room."

"She killed the doppelganger. He pretended to be you and thought he could copy me and take my place."

"I knew we should have been more careful dealing with him. I want my earrings back."

Kurumu noticed the studs in Yukari's ears were missing.

"What happened to them?"

"Lord Chiki took them while I was unconscious so I couldn't teleport away. He then left me in the cell with Mr. Kaneshiro. That guy needs to ease up on the apologies. It wasn't entirely his fault that criminal got the drop on us."

Kaneshiro was standing off to the side with Mr. Sabaku, Mr. Utsubari, Umizake and Deshi. Both older PSC boys looked like they had fell out of a tall tree and hit every branch on the way down. Deshi was grinning and twirling her staff while Umizake gave off his usual aura of wanting to be somewhere else.

The last notable group present was the students standing around Ginei. He was clinging to Hajihachi though not in a showing off way. Something about his composure was off. He was also dressed in a hospital gown for some strange reason.

Kaiketsu and Zoushiki were chatting amicably by him. On his other side was Tashikana, the Voice of Yokai. The senior was grinning as he traded remarks with Koike. Kitajima and Miyamoto were both practicing intimidating poses which looked even more so given their battered visages.

"Quick question. Are you wearing panties?"

Kurumu sheepishly smiled at Tora, shaking her head.

"Then we need to swing by the gym lockers and take care of that. We can't have you walking around campus in that."

"Where's Kokoa?"

"She was hungry so she had Ms. Shuzen take her and Ishiko to a restaurant."

"Food would be awesome right now."

"Can everyone please settle down? I don't want to keep you long."

The Headmaster's voice reminded them of his presence. Kurumu smiled as Tora leaned against her.

"I want to first start out with apologies. I had hoped Lord Chiki would not take things to this extreme. I know that many of you have suffered at his hands for the pursuit of his truth. I can only pray for your quick recovery and that we may all put this terrible matter behind us soon."

"How?"

Attention shifted to Ms. Yoshino.

"By standing together and supporting one another."

"But you weren't here."

There was a pause in which nobody made a sound. Everyone looked at the Headmaster, wondering what he could say to the teacher. After almost a whole minute passed, Mr. Nurari stepped forward.

"The Headmaster had to address something important."

"More important than Odori."

The Headmaster held a hand out at the driver.

"I admit that I took a gamble with Lord Chiki. I realized that I needed to teach this young lady a spell to aid Mr. Aono's situation."

"Why didn't you have more foresight?"

"I've told you before, Mr. Kaneshiro. Divination is not perfect. Some events must take place for others to become worthy of caution. What happened to Ms. Rin was never guaranteed."

"Take me away from here."

The Headmaster sighed.

"Ms. Yoshino. I don't expect you to resume your teaching duties right away. But there will most likely be some investigation over what transpired here."

"I burned those bodies because you told me to."

There was another long, heavy pause.

"Take some time off, Ms. Yoshino."

"She's gone. My baby is gone."

"Lord Chiki has been dealt with."

"That won't bring her back. This place. It will never be the same without her. I can't live here anymore."

The Headmaster paused. His posture relaxed.

"I can recommend you to another school. Your service here has been excellent. I doubt I could have handled Kuyo on my own."

A tear crawled down Ms. Yoshino's cheek as she nodded.

"Take her home, Mr. Nurari."

The driver chuckled, puffing on his cigar.

"And then where?"

"Shiroashi."

"Gaikitsu Institute?"

"Give Headmaster Damahana my regards."

Mr. Nurari nodded, tipping his hat to the Headmaster. He stalked away from the podium, intent on the stairs down to the flanking passageways.

"I am truly sorry for your loss, Ms. Yoshino. I hope for better things in your future."

Nothing more was said as Ms. Yoshino waited for Mr. Nurari to join her. Once he did, she took his arm and they exited the gym.

"Why doesn't she go live with her family in Aranoiji?"

"Because she doesn't have any."

"That's not true. Ms. Rin told us that Ms. Yoshino went home for the summer to be with family."

Kurumu smiled, tousling Yukari's locks much to her displeasure. This was the family that had let Lord Chiki raise her because they had issues with her parents. Kurumu doubted Ms. Yoshino would want to stay long with such people.

"Such an inconvenient setback. Hiring four teachers only to lose two within the first month. This has been a troublesome school year."

"Headmaster Mikogami."

Attention shifted to Kaneshiro. He forced a smile.

"Forgive me for my earlier outburst. It's frustrating to see such tragedy when I know you do have the means to prevent it."

"If only I were that powerful."

"What happens now?"

"It's over. Lord Chiki and his men will be withdrawing. He will give an official apology to the school at and assembly tomorrow morning. And then school life shall resume as normal."

"That's it?"

"I understand that Lord Chiki will be resigning his position. Either his replacement or Lord Kenmei shall follow up on an investigation to validate Lord Chiki's final report of the situation. Nobody will be arrested or interrogated as Lord Chiki has promised to drop all charges in his report."

"Less than a day ago, that man was accusing Ms. Sendou and I of deliberately aiding the escape of a murderer. I find this concept far too good to be true."

The Headmaster chuckled darkly at his pessimism.

"I called in a favor, Mr. Kaneshiro."

"Could you have not done this sooner?"

"Trust me, Mr. Kaneshiro. There are some answers you are safer not knowing."

Kaneshiro's frown deepened. He turned to regard Ginei.

"Can you release a paper before the assembly tomorrow?"

Hajihachi had to prod Ginei. He looked up at Kaneshiro. For a moment, Kurumu wondered if Ginei even knew where he was.

"Mr. Morioka?"

Hajihachi leaned in, whispering in Ginei's ear. He nodded slowly.

"Hey. What's wrong?"

Ginei flinched at Koike's question. He managed a grin.

"Sorry. Days of torture kind of messes you up."

Koike snickered.

"No shit. I'm unsure what day it is."

"Mr. Morioka. Would you be able to release a paper?"

"Doesn't the student council have to approve of that?"

Kaneshiro nodded, smiling at Tora.

"Normally. But if the Headmaster is okay with it, I would like the authority to approve the paper on my own. I'd rather not drag the rest of the council in on such short notice."

"I don't know if Ginei is ready, but I was under the impression that most of our articles were finished."

Moka nodded quickly at Tora's remark.

"Both Kiki and I wrote our articles before the arrests started. And I know Kurumu was mostly done with her articles and Mizore had given her rough draft to Ginei."

"Yea. I'm done with the research but all of my notes and drives with the pictures are in my schoolbag. I also have the drive Kana gave me with her comics."

"Assuming Lord Chiki's men didn't trash my apartment, I can run over there and get all of your things."

Yukari huffed, crossing her arms about her chest.

"I suppose I could write my articles quickly."

"I still need to write mine, but I would prefer eating first."

"What time is it, anyways?"

"It's one thirteen."

"Yea… if we eat while Coach Yaisoku gets our things, we should have enough time to finish it. What do you think, Tsukune?"

Tsukune grinned sheepishly as everyone glanced at him.

"Um… I was still working on research for my articles with Ms. Nekonome."

"It will be fine, Mr. Aono. I understand that you wanted some after school program fliers. I have some pamphlets which I can share with you."

There was a slight pause as everyone digested this information.

"Mr. Morioka. Can you write an article about how your club took down those murderers hiding in the old prison? I think it would be appropriate if your club took all the credit here."

"The PSC helped."

Koike snorted at Lady Hineri's protest.

"Most of us were arrested before we knew what was going on. The only thing Morioka could say is that the newspaper club had to step in because Lord Chiki sabotaged our efforts."

Kaneshiro nodded vehemently.

"I encourage you to point that out. Nobody will care if we paint Lord Chiki out to be an incompetent fool. We could also scapegoat him for the Headmaster's lack of participation."

Hajihachi shook Ginei, prompting him to nod.

"Yea. I think I could swing that."

"Excellent. I will go home, eat a meal and freshen up. I imagine everyone in this room is thinking the same thing. I assume you will be in the computer lab when I return."

Ginei nodded slowly.

"Two… no make it three. Yea… give everyone time to… be normal again."

"Perfect. I'll wait up in the student council office until you are finished. I don't care how long it takes."

"If we're still working on articles at six, I wouldn't push for it."

"Nonsense. I'll even help you fold the papers. I want the truth in everyone's hands when they go to that assembly tomorrow morning. Nobody should have to come to this school terrified."

"Inevitable since we won't be handing out the papers until they get here."

Kurumu and Tora laughed, jostling the witch.

"I have no protest with you doing this. I trust you, Mr. Kaneshiro."

Kaneshiro grinned up at the Headmaster and nodded slightly.

"Thank you, Headmaster."

"That is all that I have for you. You are free to go."

With the Headmaster's dismissal, most of the gathered assembly started for the doors. Tora tugged on Kurumu's arm, offering a smile.

"Come on. We need to get you into real clothes."

Kurumu chuckled, allowing herself to be steered towards the girls' locker room. She glanced over the group, taking in a deep breath. Things would finally start getting back to normal.

"I wonder where Ms. Zanzou is."

Kurumu frowned at Yukari whom was following after them with her hand in Moka's.

"Is she not here?"

Moka shrugged as Tora opened the door to the locker room. Reluctantly following Tora in, Kurumu worried that they were celebrating too soon.


"You're definitely not going to win any awards with this."

"Let me read it."

Kurumu smirked as she got up from the chair. Tora promptly took her spot, wanting a look at his article before they gave it to Kaneshiro. Like Kurumu, Tora had showered in the girls' locker room and changed into gym clothes. Moka had skipped the shower for obvious reasons.

Cleaned up, they had raided the school store which lacked fresh goods. Settling for snacks and coffee, they had returned to the computer lab and waited for Coach Yaisoku to return with their school things.

To their surprise, Zanzou had been hanging out in the computer lab. Not understanding the situation, Zanzou had escaped when the guards came to her cell to release her. She had been trying to rile up the second year girls into a revolt when Ginei and Hajihachi had returned to the dorm. Finally grasping that the situation was under control, she had come back here to see if they had need of her services. They sent the silly girl home to at least shower and change clothes.

Ginei and Hajihachi had shown up first around two thirty. There was something wrong with him. It took her about ten minutes to realize he lacked any desire for her. He would look at her and she felt nothing.

There was also something wrong with Tsukune. He was currently trying to keep himself engaged with Mizore. While they had convinced Mizore to shower and change into gym clothes, Tsukune remained in that outfit the hospital had given him. She was worried that her minor adjustments to his memories had altered the way he perceived her. He still thought of her as a woman to desire. There was no mistaking that. But he would not let himself indulge in those fantasies for more than a second.

Coach Yaisoku and Ms. Nekonome had arrived about ten minutes after Ginei, finally allowing them to get started with their work. As promised, the Headmaster had given Ms. Nekonome a bunch of pamphlets and brochures for post graduation programs. Tsukune had been thrilled with this development and had eagerly spent two hours with Ms. Nekonome to compose his articles.

Despite having all of her research done, it still took Kurumu hours to write her articles. Tsukune, Yukari and Mizore all completed their articles before her. She barely finished before Tora. Ginei had taken the longest despite leaving all the review work to Moka since she had nothing else to do.

It was a quarter after six. Yukari had went home, claiming concerns that Rubi might burn down the place. Ms. Nekonome had left with her, saying that a young girl still needed an escort even with those nasty killers taken care of. There was not much left to do. Once Kaneshiro approved of this, they would be folding papers for the next two hours.

"There isn't much to this."

Kurumu was surprised with the brevity of Ginei's article. It was nothing like the wild descriptions that he had used in his article about taking down the corrupt Fairy Tale office. His other article about Warzone, Sinkhole, and other trendy dating spots was more enjoyable to read. This was blunt and concise. There was no boasting. He even gave Kokoa the credit for deducing the lair and killing one of the criminals.

Using Zanzou as a gopher, Ginei had confirmed with Chouda that it was okay to remove her role from the story since Kaneshiro had stopped by and requested that they not mention his part in accidentally letting the killer loose. The paper stuck with the story that two were killed while the last had been turned over to Lord Chiki. Ginei ended the article with a statement that they were unable to confirm if the last guy had been killed during interrogation and that Lord Chiki had no comment.

As the article was about the bank robbery, Ginei mentioned that most of the money was recovered and returned to the bank. He also wrote about the five girls murdered by these men and how the sole survivor was still in the hospital with staff believing in a full recovery.

There was no mention of burning bodies or Lord Chiki's execution of Ms. Rin.

"You're not going to write about the conspiracy theories?"

Ginei was seated on the desk with Hajihachi in his arms. His chin rested on her shoulder and his hands were clasped in her lap. She had changed into a simple green dress and he had changed into a black shirt and cargo shorts. He was not wearing a hairband today.

"It's not about the power struggle."

"People might want to know."

Ginei sighed, giving Hajihachi a squeeze.

"I'm not going to say Ms. Yoshino burned evidence. I won't do that to her."

Kurumu nodded, not wanting to push the issue if that was his reasoning. She glanced at Tora.

"What do you think?"

"I suspect Mr. Kaneshiro wants us to be harsher with how we portray the Headmaster and Lord Chiki, but this is more in line with what we normally get approved by the student council. I also feel that this neutral presentation complements my article."

"Exactly. Can't trash the guy when we have another article interviewing him."

Tora sighed heavily, relaxing back in her chair. With that tight gym shirt, the swell of her slight bosom was unusually apparent.

"I doubt anything you write would change how most look at him. He murdered a teacher. I'm hoping that people don't dismiss the ideas he suggested, because they would be good for the community."

Kurumu smiled softly.

"I hope I did Ms. Rin justice with my article."

Tora nodded, getting up from the chair.

"We shouldn't rush this, Ginei. I'm not saying Kurumu's article isn't good enough, but that was supposed to be about the gymnastics club. Maybe we should drop the paragraph about Ms. Rin."

Ginei shrugged with a slight shake of his head.

"I don't think Ms. Rin would want us to cancel the article and we can't write about her club without at least saying something about her. That paragraph about the history between her and Ms. Yoshino will help readers understand why Ms. Yoshino resigned."

"Most people know they were lovers."

"It's fine, Tora. Is my article good enough for you?"

Tora took in a deep breath. She closed out his article and reached down to remove the drive.

"I still don't think paintball is a good place for a date."

Hajihachi giggled, leaning back against him.

"I wouldn't mind shooting this pest."

"Maybe we can get the boys and girls together for a match this weekend."

Tora stalked over to Moka whom was working on the layout. The sphinx handed over the drive which the vampire took with a smile. Moka set it aside, resuming her task.

Kurumu absently fussed with her gym clothes as she regarded the group. Tsukune was still chatting with Mizore. Since he had her blood earlier today, he still had a high tolerance for her cold so she was often touching his bare arms. Kurumu could sympathize, knowing she would totally be looking in his eyes and kissing him if he was immune to her charm and opiate.

She wondered if he realized how much this interaction made him look like a couple with Mizore. Feeling down, she glanced at Ginei. The werewolf snuggled with his girlfriend. He had not kissed Hajihachi today, though Hajihachi had pecked his cheek and forehead several times. Decisively, Kurumu stalked over to the couple and sat down beside him.

"What's up?"

He made a slight inquisitive sound, lifting his chin off Hajihachi's shoulder.

"You've been out of it all day."

"Just recovering. Those guards really did a number on us."

"You look in better shape than Sabaku and Utsubari."

Ginei chuckled, giving Hajihachi a squeeze.

"Well… Utsubari is done. He's transferring schools."

Kurumu nodded slowly as Tora joined them.

"Did he say why?"

Ginei paused. In the short silence Hajihachi smiled at Kurumu.

"He feels bad for betraying everyone. He's leaving after midterms."

"He thinks Ms. Rin's death and Ms. Yoshino's resignation is his fault."

Tora sighed.

"They tortured him."

"Well… Sabaku didn't break. He thought Lord Chiki was lying about Utsubari talking about the burned bodies. He said many harsh things to Utsubari on our drive to the school."

"Midterms is still a couple weeks from now. It might resolve itself before then."

Ginei shook his head at Tora.

"I don't think so. Those two lived together. Sabaku trusted him."

"Mr. Sabaku was already moving his things out when we left. He's going to live with Kousuke now."

Tora paused, glancing a Kurumu. Looking back at Ginei, she swallowed.

"I'm sure Mr. Sabaku will forgive him."

"Maybe. But I don't blame Utsubari for wanting to leave. Things could easily become hard for him if other people start blaming him for Ms. Rin's death."

Tora wrung her hands, glancing back at Moka.

"Do you want us to talk with Kiki about her withdrawal?"

"No. The kimono club is a good fit for her."

There was a short silence. Kurumu resisted the impulse to place her hand on Ginei's back.

"Hey, Ginei. I got the name of Otonashi's mother from Lord Chiki."

"You did?"

"Yea… Hikokawa Kamiki."

"How did you get that?"

"Does it matter?"

"I guess not. I'll be sure to let her know about her mother. Thank you, Kurumu."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

He laughed softly, giving Hajihachi a squeeze.

"Of course. I have the girl I love in my arms. Could have been either of you but you were too busy swooning over that playboy in the back and you were mad that I spanked your butt."

Kurumu pouted as Tora scowled.

"Tsukune's not a playboy."

"Shall I tell Ms. Hajihachi about what you did to Ms. Zanzou?"

Hajihachi grinned, reaching over to grab Tora by the arm.

"It's fine. I knew he was going to do something to her to make Ms. Nakamoto jealous."

"I also confessed to touching the four of you girls to train your reflexes."

"And he's agreed to let Haiji train you girls from here on out. Reflexes my ass. You just wanted to touch girls inappropriately."

He sighed, resting his chin on her shoulder. His hands slipped up from her waist to cup her breasts.

"These are the only breasts I need."

Hajihachi frowned, placing her hands on his. He allowed her to drag his hands back to her waist.

"Don't. That's embarrassing."

He closed his eyes and leaned his head against hers.

"I love you."

Hajihachi blushed. She took in a deep breath and squeezed his hands.

"I'm still going to shoot you."

Kurumu smiled, sharing a look with Tora.

"Could you get my phone from my schoolbag over by Moka?"

"What for?"

"I think we should have a sleepover. Like we usually do after folding papers."

"I'm not having you girls stick around for that."

"Why not?"

"I only need four to five people to do this. I'll draft Tsukune into it so you girls don't fight over him."

Kurumu pouted at his soft smile.

"I'm not going to fight over him."

"I'm guessing you plan to stay with Senior?"

"Right. Though that's only three."

"It's four. I'm going to take Mr. Kaneshiro up on his offer. He can help or we won't do the paper tonight."

Kurumu had to laugh at that. She pawed at Tora.

"Go get my phone. I'll call Kana and Yukari. I also have to let Kokoa know what we're doing."

Tora laughed, nodding. She stalked off towards Moka.

"You're going to call her?"

Ginei chuckled, giving Hajihachi a squeeze.

"Mhm. Ms. Sendou linked all of their phones with magic. As long as it has a battery, they can use it like they would outside the barrier."

"That's cool."

"I should get you one."

"You can't afford a phone."

"I could buy you something like what Rubi has."

Kurumu's eyes widened.

"Don't you dare!"

He chuckled as Hajihachi frowned.

"What's wrong with what Rubi has?"

Kurumu blushed, unsure if she should clarify. Ginei continued to chuckle softly.

"It's a joke, Mika. I don't even know how much a sex toy costs."

Hajihachi blushed immediately.

"She uses something like that as a phone?"

"It's anything with rechargeable batteries."

Hajihachi bit her lip. She leaned back and whispered in his ear, but Kurumu heard her confession of already owning one. Ginei chuckled, leaning against her.

"I still need to get something for myself. I've priced some digital cameras but they're way too much."

"If my mother likes you, maybe I can convince her to buy you one for New Years."

"Maybe I should convince Miya that digital cameras are manly and she should get me one."

"Don't con that girl."

"You should have seen her in a dress. She actually looked like a girl for once."

Tora returned, handing Kurumu her phone.

"What are we talking about?"

"Making Miya into a woman."

Tora stared at him as Kurumu took the phone.

"I regret asking."

Hajihachi giggled, shaking her head.

"It's nothing bad."

Kurumu grinned, holding her phone to her bosom.

"Mizore! Do you want to attend a sleepover?"

"Should we ask Yukari first?"

"Yukari will be fine. And I don't think Mizore should spend tonight alone in her room."

Mizore cocked her head to the side, departing Tsukune's side to approach them.

"Is there a reason you want to sleep with me?"

"Think of it as a bonding exercise. And I didn't mention it earlier, but I liked your story."

Mizore smiled slightly at Ginei as she arrived.

"What was it about?"

"It's about a doting wife and her undeserving husband. She makes this special dinner for him but he comes home with a bunch of drunk friends and ruins their dinner date."

Kurumu glanced at Mizore suspiciously. Mizore promptly glanced aside.

"Any resemblance to real life people was purely coincidental."

"Oh, I'm sure it was."

Ginei chuckled as he finally released Hajihachi. He slipped his hands to her back and gave her a gentle push, encouraging her to get up. The girl slipped off the surface onto her feet, giving him room to follow her. Kurumu took the cue to do the same.

"I'm thinking it's about that time. Are you finished with the layout?"

Moka looked up from the computer screen with a bright smile.

"Almost. Give me a couple more minutes."

Kurumu grinned as she flipped open her phone.

"Now let's hope Kokoa isn't expecting me to play maid with her friends tonight."

Tora smirked, shaking her head.

"You should have done that first before proposing this sleepover. Even if we do it, I have to run home to get clothes for tomorrow."

Kurumu stuck her tongue out at the sphinx as she pressed Kokoa's name in her contact list. Nothing happened and then she blushed, remembering that was not how to activate the spell.

"I'm dumb."

They were still laughing at her when she made the call to Kokoa.