Ever since they had sat down with a warm cup of tea, time had flown by. Despite his initial doubts, the interview went quite smoothly, seeing how most of Kurumu's questions had been rather trivial and easy to answer. Questions such as his favourite colour and drink.
"One thing I don't understand though is why you didn't just take off your seal once you were up against Katashi?" Kurumu had asked. Martin's morale sank until it hit rock bottom.
"What seal are you talking about?" he countered, trying to mask out his worry and any sign of knowledge of the massive seal that was dangling from his neck.
"The one around your neck." she said, her voice full of confidence. "Or are you suggesting that's not a seal?".
"It's not, it's actually a lucky charm I was given by my late grandmother. I wear it to remember her." he replied, cleverly evading any follow up questions Kurumu might have wanted to ask by evoking a sympathetic response from her.
"Oh... I'm sorry to hear that." was all she managed to utter as she looked at the ground, thinking that she might have touched upon a sensitive subject.
"May I ask you why you thought this was a seal?" Martin asked, her easy recognition of his seal as such meant she probably had experience in that area.
"Oh it's nothing special, a friend of mine has a rosary seal. Your cross reminded me of the one she had.".
"A rosary seal?" Martin thought to himself, his interest spiked by the mention of the object. "I need to find out who this person with the rosary seal is.".
"I guess that wraps it all up then." Kurumu said as she rose from her chair, a smile had returned to her face. "It was nice talking to you Martin.".
"It was nice talking to you too." Martin said as he too rose from his chair to lead her to the door. "You never told me your name." he said with a smile.
"Oops, I can't believe I forgot that." she said as her face turned red. "My name is Kurono Kurumu." she said as she held out her hand.
"It's nice to meet you Kurumu-san." Martin said as he took her hand and kissed it, causing her face to turn even redder. He was slightly old-fashioned at heart.
"Now, let me get the door for you." he continued as he let go of her hand and walked to the door.
"Thanks." she said softly, why was he being so courteous to her?
"Kurumu-san?" he asked as soon as she left his room.
"Yes?" she said as she turned to meet his sincere gaze.
"About that ball tomorrow. Would you like to go there with me?" he asked in a rather hasty fashion.
For a moment Kurumu stood frozen. She could go with him and be assured of a date, or she could try to cling on to Tsukune and probably end up alone again. She bit her lip before she answered, the decision was tougher on her than she expected.
"I'm sorry, I was planning on going with someone else." she answered with an apologetic look.
"That's all right." Martin said, although he felt it was definitely not all right. "Well then. I guess I should return to unpacking my luggage then.".
"Good idea." Kurumu said softly before she walked off towards the stairs.
"Will I see you again?" Martin asked as she neared the first step.
"Of course you will, we're in the same class you know?" she joked.
"That was not what I meant." Martin said as he allowed himself to laugh. He watched her from his doorway until finally the last strand of blue hair disappeared into the stairwell.
He closed the door behind him, making sure was locked before he kicked his suitcase to the other side of the room. He was extremely disappointed, not so much in her as he was in himself. She had been at the school for a year already, it was natural that she already had someone.
But no matter much he tried to rationalise what had just happened, he felt like someone had hit him in the chest with a gigantic sledgehammer. One that had ignored his ribcage and hit his heart directly.
XXXXXXXXXX
There were no lessons scheduled the next day save for one. Home room class once again was the only thing on the list, except it lasted the entire day. The tables and chairs had been placed in the hallways. With the evening event in mind, Martin knew exactly what was going to happen.
"So we're going to practise dancing?" He asked out loud as Miss Nekonome tried to make the class calm down. She nodded.
"Exactly. Today I will teach you the basics of dancing." Miss Nekonome said in her usual, cheerful, manner. "Now does anyone here know how to dance?" she asked.
Slowly Martin rose his hand, as did three other students. As he looked around, he saw Kurumu, Tsukune and Moka raise their hands as well.
"Come on now, don't be shy." Miss Nekonome said, trying to encourage the students to raise their hands as well. Unfortunately for her, no one else did.
"Very well then." she sighed in disappointment. "What dances do you know? Kurumu, you first." she said as she turned around and stopped the moment Kurumu entered in her field of view.
"I know the foxtrot and tango quite well if I do say so myself." she replied, with an air of haughtiness surrounding her. Martin raised an eyebrow at this strange version of Kurumu. Out in public she seemed to be a more confident in herself.
"Very well. Moka?" Miss Nekonome asked.
"I know how to dance the waltz." she replied softly.
Tsukune needed not to be asked by the teacher and as soon as Moka had finished speaking he chipped in his skills.
"I know a bit of the Waltz." he said in a rather eagerly fashion. No doubt this was due to practising with Moka after school whenever the other girls weren't around.
Finally it was Martin's turn.
"I dance the tango, I am also versed in a bit of the waltz." he said.
"Great!" Miss Nekonome exclaimed with great enthusiasm. "Why don't you and Kurumu show us the tango and then we'll watch Moka and Tsukune perform the Waltz." she suggested. Quickly the thought of dancing with Kurumu filled his head, and he started to feel elated.
He walked to the centre of the circle and turned to Kurumu.
"My I have this dance?" he asked with a gracious bow, only affirming his old-fashionedness. Kurumu however said nothing.
"My, my, what a difference in character." Martin thought to himself as he rose again. Some boys had started laughing, but he ignored them. They were petty, insignificant and a waste of energy. In other words, they were best to be left alone, lest more commotion was caused.
Miss Nekonome started the music and all of his thoughts were pushed aside, all he needed and wanted to think of right now was dancing. And so they danced, and after a short intro they began to move passionately and strong as one entity. Martin was impressed by her skill, every movement she made was perfectly placed, there was no mistake to be found. He knew he was being watched and for a moment let his gaze sweep across the classroom. From the faces of the students could be read that they were amazed. Girls giggled and boys whispered.
Before he knew it, the dance came to an end and they were greeted by a wave of applause.
Quickly, Kurumu walked back into the group of students, leaving Martin with no opportunity to talk to her. All he could do was look after her as she disappeared behind the other students.
His watchful gaze had not remained unnoticed however and before he had the chance to enter the crowd again, a small girl shouted out from the doorway.
"He loves the milk cow desu!" Yukari shouted.
The whole of the class shifted their attention to the little witch in the doorway, someone that shouldn't be here at all. Kurumu furiously stared at her with whilst the rest of the people mere lifted an eyebrow at the annoyance. Martin thought nothing of it and turned his attention to the, once again populated. circle in front of them.
Music played and Moka and Tsukune started dancing. Sure enough, Tsukune had been right when he said he knew a bit of the Waltz as on several occasions he nearly stepped upon Moka's feet. Moka was different however, she danced with signs of perfection, like Kurumu had shown during their dance of Tango. Clearly she was better at the dance than she had let on earlier.
As the two danced, the door opened and a tall student with black hair, Ginei, walked into the classroom.
The waltz eventually came to an end and the class once again applauded their efforts and skill. Moka blushed in her usual innocent fashion and Tsukune involuntarily straightened out, a truly hilarious sight.
As the two walked back towards the body of students, Miss Nekonome walked into the centre of the circle and started explaining that she would teach everyone a elegant, yet simple enough dance that would suffice for the night.
Calm music started sounding throughout the classroom and Miss Nekonome motioned Ginei to come forward.
"Now, to find your partner." she said as she looked around the room before pointing at Kurumu.
"Kurumu, why don't you and Ginei dance together?" she said. Kurumu immediately began to object.
"What? Dancing with Ginei? No way!" she said in anger, her voice raised to a level at which it could be considered that she was shouting rather than talking. Before she could resist however, some of the boys had pushed her into the circle.
"This will be amusing." a boy standing next to Martin mused.
For a moment Martin considered whether he might have been the person she had been talking about the other day when she turned down his offer to go to the dance together. However, after going over her reaction when Miss Nekonome told her to dance with him, that idea became extremely improbable.
Miss Nekonome carefully instructed the class on how they should move each other and move. She placed Kurumu's arm's on Ginei's shoulders and placed his hands on her hips. Suddenly he started grinning in a rather perverse way.
Much to the class' amazement, there was no clear reaction from Kurumu. She did not hit him, kick him or scold him. Not even the slightest hint of disapproval came from her. Some students looked at Martin. Was he the one responsible for her sudden change in behaviour?
XXXXXXXXXX
At around three in the afternoon class came to an end, leaving everybody with enough time to get dressed in time for the ball. "Be sure to wear appropriate clothing" is what Nekonome Sensei had said as the students forced their way out of the classroom via every possible exit. This had left Martin in a mild state of distress. While his wardrobe at home did have several costumes that could be classified as 'appropriate', he hadn't bothered bringing one to school. A foolish idea in hindsight, as one could expect at least one huge party per school year.
He decided approach someone from his class. By pure chance, the first person he ran into on his way to the dorms was Tsukune, who unfortunately had no idea where to buy a suit on such a short notice. Luckily for him, Kurumu did and offered to take him to a shop she knew that sold exactly the thing he needed. So that afternoon, just past four, they arrived at the Monster Mall.
Whilst he was admiring the scale of the mall, Kurumu dragged his absent-minded body into the shop she had been talking about. True enough, the suits here were perfect for the ball, but they were also rather expensive.
Besides the suits, the shop also sold dresses. Quickly Kurumu had gathered a few she liked and she disappeared into the fitting room. At first it seemed as if Kurumu didn't quite grasp the notion of 'appropriate clothing' as she constantly picked dresses that showed just a little too much. At one point did she choose a dress that showed off a bit of both of her nipples, a dress that received the most disapproving 'no' ever spoken.
Finally she appeared from the fitting room with something that didn't show off her entire body as well as made her look more beautiful than an angel. Martin's heart raced, she looked absolutely beautiful in that dress, something he wasn't afraid to mention.
It was now Martin's turn. He instinctively went for the rather old-fashioned costumes, something that met grunting disapproval from Kurumu. After looking upon and disapproving three different, but all old-fashioned, suits, Kurumu grabbed a more present-day smoking and told him to try it on.
Sure enough, it fit him like a second skin, he didn't look bad in it either, for the shiny black silk gave off an aura of wealth and prestige, something that perfectly countered his sometimes murderous expressions that he had made during the day.
When they were both satisfied with their clothing for the evening they proceeded towards the counter together where Martin, much to Kurumu's surprise, paid for both items, both of which were rather pricey.
"You didn't have to do that." she said as they left the shop.
"It was the least I could do to repay you for your help." Martin said with a smile.
"But, don't you think this was a bit too much?" she asked, wondering why he spent money as if he couldn't care less about his bank balance.
"Don't worry about it. It's not like my family lives in the slums or anything." he joked.
"I'll pay you back." she said decisively as they finally left the Monster Mall complex.
"Don't. This is a gift." Martin said as he grabbed her by the arm, his voice was now more sincere. "It is considered offensive to return or compensate for a gift. Don't you think so too?".
Realising she was fighting for a lost cause, she gave in to his demands.
Martin check his watch, 7 O'clock. They had to get back and dress in less than an hour if they wanted to be in time for the opening.
XXXXXXXXXX
Martin was quite quick in taking a bath and changing into his suit. With his hair combed backwards and a bow tie, he suddenly looked a lot older, something his height didn't help with masking either.
Confident that he was at his best, he left his dorm and proceeded towards the school. On his way there he encountered Kurumu, walking all by herself.
"I guess this means you couldn't get the person you wanted to go with you?" Martin said as he started walking behind her.
Kurumu was startled by his sudden appearance, almost jumping ten feet into the air at the sound of his voice.
"You startled me." she said, not sounding particularly happy.
"I realise that, and I'm sorry." he said with a slight laugh. It wasn't until he saw the rather depressed look on her face that he dropped his jokes. "Is something the matter? You seem... depressed." he asked, his voice now filled with worry.
"I couldn't get the one I wanted to join me to the ball." she said faintly. Although she was not one to show any signs of hatred against Moka, Tsukune's preference of her made Kurumu want to cry at times. This was one of those moments and she desperately fought to keep her emotions under control, her efforts were in vain however as a tear rolled down her cheek.
Martin stepped in front of her and forced her to stop, grabbing the handkerchief from his chest pocket and dabbed away her tears.
"Hey, don't cry." he said in a calm, soothing voice.
"Thank you." she whispered.
"You're welcome." he said with a smile, a smile that reminded her of Tsukune's smile. Suddenly a plan began to unravel inside her head. She could use Martin to make Tsukune jealous, and he would dump Moka and the other girls in an instant.
Martin waved his hand in front of the spaced out Kurumu, causing her to snap back to reality.
"Are you okay in there?" he asked.
She nodded and held out her hand.
"Is your offer still valid?" she asked with an angelic smile.
Time stood still for Martin, his heart rate intensified. Did she just say yes to the proposal he had made the other day?
Held out his elbow and smiled.
"Of course it is." he said. Kurumu slid her arm into his and together they walked towards the school.
XXXXXXXXXX
As fate would have it, they were late to the party. But they were not alone. Among the crowd of late students Kurumu had spotted Tsukune and the rest of the girls walking towards the school. All of sudden she tightened her arm around Martin's one even more, as if she was making the statement: "Hah, I've got an awesome data all for myself, beat that.".
It didn't take long before Martin had noticed Tsukune as well. He nodded politely and although it seemed as if Tsukune had wanted to do the same, he could only produce a nervous smile as he was being pushed along by three girls.
"That dude's got a serious harem." Martin said, in a failed attempt to joke.
"Yes, indeed he has." Kurumu said, trying to mask out that she was actually a part of that harem.
As they entered the hallway they were handed a leaflet of a dancing competition taking place that evening. Kurumu tried her best not to grin. So far everything had been going to plan and this leaflet only shifted everything in her favour. With this, she could show off even more. Tsukune would have no choice but to accept her as his soul mate.
Martin offered to take care of her coat, which provided her with the precious time needed for her to slip away and enter the two of them into the competition.
When she returned, she found Martin waiting in the doorway of the main dancing hall.
"Where did you wander off to all of a sudden?" Martin asked, slightly annoyed by Kurumu's temporary absence.
"I'll tell you in a minute, but first..." she said as she held onto him and eyed Tsukune, making sure he was watching before she whispered into his ear. "Let's dance.".
As they danced, Martin felt the stares of many male students. He had just succeeded where so many had failed, dancing with Kurumu.
"Okay, remember when I sneaked out when you were hanging up our coats?" she asked. Martin nodded, eager to get an explanation.
"I recall not getting an answer when I asked you ten minutes ago." he said with a smiling and questioning expression.
"Well, let's just say I might have signed us up for the dancing competition." she said with a grin running from ear to ear.
"You did what?" Martin asked, his face revealing intense shock. "Why?".
"Hmm, no particular reason really." She said with a playful smile. Slowly her gaze drifted off to Tsukune, and Martin slowly became aware of what was really going on.
"Well this sucks." he thought.
A/N: Yes, three girls, Ruby's not in the harem this time.
That makes three down, seven to go, and then it's creativity at maximum level again.