(Author's Side Note: This takes place during the daytime while Marisa was searching in Chapter 11. This explains some things to come, plus, it's lighthearted, quite a contrast to what's happened.)
Chapter 13: Unlucky"This is the second meeting of the Student Brigade. Roll call!"
"I'm Wriggle!"
"Rumia!"
"Mystia! And….wait, where's Tewi?" Mystia blinked, looking around, not noticing the rabbit of luck anywhere, and subsequently turning pale alongside Wriggle and Rumia. "Please tell me she didn't…."
"I-I hope not. We should look." Rumia stated. Wriggle and Mystia nodded. "O-Okay. Wriggles, you look in the bamboo forest, see if she's gone home. Mystia, you look in the human village and see if she's wandered off. I'll check around everywhere else with my really good sight." She grinned, the darkness around her fading. Wriggle smiled weakly, but nodded, taking Mystia's hand and running off. Rumia hopped behind, her ball of darkness fading in and out, keeping her arms up in her T pose.
"Now, where to begin….the forest of magics. I'll go see if Kirisame-sensei's finally gone home too…" Rumia flew off, quickly losing track of where she was going, but landing on top of Marisa's house nonetheless, which shocked Alice.
"….Rumia? What are you doing up there?" Alice asked, raising an eyebrow. "…It's probably got a good view from that roof, but that house is too unstable for anyone to do that on. It'd crash if you put much more weight onto it." She smiled.
"Did Marisa ever come home, Alice-chama?" Rumia floated down and landed next to Alice. Alice shook her head.
"Where has she been gone to, anyway…? I thought it was odd that I hadn't seen her lately." Alice sighed quietly. "Although it's not like I miss her, the forest is much more peaceful with her gone."
"She's been staying with Kamishirasawa-sensei for a long time….hey, Alice-chama? How long does it take for two people staying in a house to be officially married?" It was an honest question that had Alice baffled.
"They have that sort of relationship?" Alice asked, her hands on her hips. Rumia nodded.
"Kirisame-sensei loves Kamishirasawa-sensei." Rumia grinned, as Alice seemed disappointed in some respect.
"I…I see. It's not a set thing, Rumia. People could live in the same house for several years and never get married. It depends. One of them simply has to propose, really, when the time is right…" Alice stated. Of course, it was a depressing thing to know that Alice had been studying these sort of things. "Marisa is a special sort, she may never do it in her lifetime. Keine could wait and wait, but it would never come….learn from experience, I suppose."
"Alice-chama, what do you mean? Did you date Kirisame-sensei…?" Rumia blinked, tilting her head.
"One time, yes. Never again. She's too childish and immature for my tastes…and why do you keep calling her Kirisame-sensei?" Alice was confused as well, but for much different reasons. Rumia grinned.
"Ah, she's our substitute teacher."
THOSE POOR CHILDREN.
Those words rang in Alice's mind, making her deaf to anything else, even Rumia's last question.
"Oh, and, Alice-chama, did you see Tewi pass by? I'm looking for her…"
Alice only shook her head in depression, and Rumia flew off in search of Tewi, completely blind to what she caused.
Mystia looked around in the human village, and once again slipped her hand into a random person's. Of course, by sheer coincidence, Rinnosuke was the lucky guy again. He looked down, seeing the presence.
Eh? The little bird girl again?
"Excuse me. Have you seen a rabbit pass by here? She has black hair, rabbit ears, and a cottony tail and she's in a pink dress with a carrot necklace. She is a friend and she has gone missing…" She said, then looked up. "Ah! The sir who knew everything about dates the other day! You should know, sir!" Her eyes seemed to literally twinkle with awe. Rinnosuke smiled weakly, sighing lightly.
She thinks I know everything? Gah…did I see a rabbit? Did I? Or is this metaphorical, as in wonderland, so is she asking for Alice? Am I thinking too hard…?
"Tell me~ Tell me~ Tell me~ Tell me something I don't know, something I don't know~" Mystia hummed. Rinnosuke shook his head.
"I…I'm sorry, little bird girl…" "Mystia. Mystia Lorelei." "Mystia….I haven't seen your friend…I did see a girl in a pink dress earlier heading for the forest nearby, but…going in there wouldn't be a good idea, it's dangerous." Rinnosuke stated. Mystia thought, looking down, then looked up with a questioning face.
"Would you protect me, sir?" She asked.
Oh, no…
"I….I have no powers, I'm not a youkai…."
"Are you good with a weapon? Like how Miss Youmu is really good with blades?"
Rinnosuke shook his head.
"Ah! So you're just smart! Really smart~!" Mystia smiled, her eyes twinkling again, satisfied. "Your brains will protect me and we can search together with Wriggle and Rumia for Tewi!" She nodded, having already decided it. "Yes, that's what we'll do! C'mon, sir! Mr…"
"Morichika….and I don't think that'll help much…"
"Mr. Morichika, you'll help lots! The student brigade is always looking for lots of help, especially since Kirisame-sensei is gone…"
"Marisa is gone?"
"Mmmhmm, she left a note saying that she was searching for Keine and that she'd be back sometime. Now come on!"
Wrapped up in his confusion, Rinnosuke could only follow along helplessly.
Meanwhile, Wriggle flew off to the bamboo forest, landing somewhere in the middle. "Ah, I was never good with mazes. This really does bug me. Hm...someone butter-fly over and help me…or I'll be stuck and lost…" At that moment, a rough hand picked Wriggle up by the collar. "W-Wah! Put me down!"
"What're you doin' here, punk?" The voice was a rough one, deep, but just light enough to know that it was a girl…unfortunately, a very very masculine one. The person in question, of course, was Fujiwara no Mokou. "Usually I don't see too many bugs 'round these parts."
"B-Because we're not common! I'm Wriggle Nightbug, and I'm looking for my friend, Tewi Inaba!" Wriggle was scared out of her mind. The fact that she was picked up so easily was enough to make her worry a bit, but the fact that a flame was burning in the other palm of whoever picked her up was enough to make her panic.
"I see. Well, the trickster rabbit's not come this way, at least not lately." Mokou dropped Wriggle onto the ground, quite carelessly. "…Oi, you're one of Keine's students, aren't you?"
"Mmmhmm! Kamishirasawa-sensei's class, yes. Kirisame-sensei also teaches us now…" Wriggle said. Mokou growled.
"The ordinary witch? What has she got to do with Keine?" Wriggle shuddered, stepping back.
"S-She's living with her temporarily and is in love with her…"
"THE ORDINARY WITCH IS IN LOVE WITH KEINE?" Mokou snapped, a mix of furious and horrified. "She should know better than to fall for Keine, she'd have to at least prove herself…"
"I-I'm sorry, I suppose that bugged you, ladybug….I-I butter-fly off!" Wriggle began to flew off, though Mokou grabbed her by the cape.
"Make sure the witch knows where she stands at the moment and that she cannot propose to Keine without another duel…"
"H-Hai! It will be done, ladybug…"
"And make sure to tell her the message came from Fujiwara no Mokou."
"Y-Yes, Mokou-san!" Wriggle gulped as Mokou set her free, and she flew off fast. "So scary…"
Soon, everyone reunited, and they all told each other of what had happened, Rinnosuke standing next to Mystia and listening quietly.
"So, she's in the forest….let's go, let's go!" Wriggle nodded. Mystia smiled, nodding quickly, and Rumia nodded as well. They all looked up at Rinnosuke, who paused for a moment, wondering why they weren't doing anything before finally getting it and nodding as well. Rumia, Mystia, and Wriggle grinned, running out, and dragging Rinnosuke behind.
They all wandered in the forest for a good hour or so, until finally…
"I see a rabbit ahead!" Wriggle called out. All 4 (technically 3, but one was dragged along as it is) rushed towards Tewi, giving her a tight hug and surprising her. The only thing that came out of the rabbit's mouth was not a simple 'hello', or 'thank you', but instead….
"I've found Nausicca's den."