The New Boy

Chapter 4

Jaden squinted as Kurumu shined the light in his face. They were seating in the Newspaper Room, but to the goal-set Kurumu, it had become the interrogation room. In a flash, she had changed into her Sherlock-type detective uniform, and flipped off the lights, and turning on a bright desk lamp on the table Jaden was seated behind.

"This seems a bit over the top for an interview…" Jaden whispered quietly, averting his eyes from the overly-bright light. Kurumu grinned and sat down across from him, "I think this is a perfect setting for such a hardcore interview! Now, Jaden…" She pulled out her notebook and a pencil, "You're obviously a younger boy, much too young to be a regular high school student, how old are you?"

Jaden turned a little red, and nervously cleared his throat, "I am, um 13. I'm thirteen years old…" Kurumu jotted this down, taking note of the fresh teenager rubbing his palms nervously on his pant legs. Meeting him in the eyes, she asked her next question, "So, you're aware you're not the youngest student here! There's a 12 year old here as well, and judging by the brains on her, I'm assuming you two, skipped several grades, correct?" The younger boy nodded, "Yes ma'am, I did…"

Kurumu shuddered, "No, no. No ma'am please, just Kurumu. I'm not that old kiddo!" She took another note, "So, how did you, after only three days of attendance at Yokai Academy, score a point and a half higher on the midterms than the previous smartest student in the school?" Jaden turned bright red, "I s-s-studied really hard, what's so wrong about that?"

Kurumu raised her eyebrows at him, "Studying that hard for your first exam is admirable, but wouldn't a new student be better off, making friends? Or making enemies? Or, doing anything besides studying really?" Jaden shook his head, "I… I'm not really much of a social person, I prefer to hang back and read…"

The detective chewed on the tip of her pencil, "Now that's curious… Speaking honestly, you're a pretty decent-looking fellow, and you don't look like much a thug or a trouble-maker! Why aren't you out trying to make friends?" Jaden peered at her, and crossed his arms across his chest, "I'm a thirteen year old in high school, what on earth do I have to talk about with people, let's say, your age?" He waved an open hand in front of Kurumu, gesturing silently to her amazing body.

Kurumu giggled, "I admit, your age difference is a bit different in this community, but that shouldn't prevent you from making friends…" She closed her notebook, tucked the pencil away, and leaned across the table, "Why don't you let me help you make a new friend?" Jaden leaned back, mouth opened a small bit, and stared at Kurumu with a shocked expression, "This isn't an interview at all, is it Kurumu?"

The succubus smirked wickedly, "You are sharp, and no, no it's not."

Yukari trudged along the dirt pathway towards the school. Her expression was still sadder than it joyful, but her talk with Ruby had really helped her out. She now knew that she couldn't let this one incident hold her down and drown her, and that she had to fight back to earn what she considered was her position at Yokai Academy.

"And don't forget, Jaden is a student here too, so don't go out of your way to hurt him," Ruby had expressed, "Just study harder from now on! You have a lot of distractions, especially in your feelings for Moka and Tsukune! You should just push those feelings away, and begin to work on how your academics plan out… You have a bright future Yukari, which is more than a lot of other students at this school, can claim…"

Those were the most iconic statements of the advice Ruby had given her, and she planned to act on them. She turned onto the paved pathway leading towards the library. Her plan was to retrieve some textbooks, go back to the dorm, straighten it up, and begin to study again. She wasn't going to be distracted by silly trivial issues, or even Tsukune. Yukari had an academic reputation to uphold, and she planned to throw herself back on top!

Yukari stopped in her tracks, and looked dramatically up at the sky, and thrust her fist into the air, "Jaden Arinaki! You are going down!"

Ruby walked smugly to the lobby of the girl's dormitory, where she felt a sudden cold air embraced her, "Cheater!" The witch spun and found herself eye to eye with Mizore. Stumbling back a few seconds due to being startled, Ruby regained her composure and flattened her skirt, "Mizore, you need to stop doing that to people, and on top of that, I have no idea what you are talking about." She turned to leave, only to find Mizore directly behind her.

"Huh!" Ruby looked behind her, and then back at Mizore, "She's so fast!" Mizore crossed her arms and glared at Ruby, "You cheated. You gave Yukari bad advice. You were not a very good friend to her Ruby." Ruby felt a bead of sweat protrude from her forehead, despite feeling awfully cold in Mizore's presence, "H-h-how did you even know about that Mizore?"

The snow-woman tilted her head at her, "Well, first, not only did you just tell me, but I also peep in on Yukari occasionally, to see if she's planning in backhand techniques for winning Tsukune's heart. Apparently in that bedroom though, you're the one who works the devious backhand schemes!"

Ruby turned bright red, and looked away, "It's a long story Mizore, but yes. It's true! I may have given Yukari some poorly drawn-out advice, but it works for the benefit for both her, and all of us! Now, Yukari is focused on school, and the rest of us can continue clawing each other's hearts out for Tsukune's love…"

Mizore shook her head, "It feels wrong… Yukari's hurt right now, and you and Kurumu seem to think taking advantage of her is the best idea, and it's not going to end well!" Ruby looked up, brow furrowed in confusion, "Wait, what on earth is Kurumu up to?"

Back at the school…

Yukari waddled out of the library, weighed down from the large pile of books in her arms. She could barely see over the top of the stack, so running into someone in the hall should have been expected of the young, emotionally confused witch!

Thud! The books splayed across the ground, and Yukari hit the ground hard on her bottom, "Owie! Owie! Owie!" She whined, clenching her eyes shut in pain. She shook it off and got on her hands to push herself up, "I'm so sorry, I'm having a bad day, and I wasn't watching where I was going!" Still not looking at person she collided with, she began to collect the scattered books.

"Its fine, I promise…" came a quiet shy voice, "Here, let me help you…" Yukari froze, and looked up, and found herself face-to-face with a very nervous looking Jaden.