Standard disclaimers apply
Miyuki looked at the faces of the people present in the room. Mayura and Manatsu's normally playful, carefree expressions were like a hardened rock. Honoka's normally impassive face carried a hint of anger from Takayanagi's explanation of the curse he'd detected on the boys at Hojo Academy. Hodaka's normally impassive face seemed ignited with fury at such an atrocious abuse of the student body. Yukimasa's and Miyuki's faces were the only ones that appeared neutral and impassive; which meant they were really angry.
Suddenly, before Miyuki could start addressing how this affected their strategy, Wamiya appeared in the room in his usual flurry of black feathers. Before alarm could keep Wamiya from talking, Miyuki turned his full attention to the mountain spirit.
"Why are you here Wamiya? Is there something wrong with Izumiko?" The mountain spirit cocked his head before answering Miyuki's question.
"Would I be here if Izumiko wasn't involved?" Wamiya quieted, looking as pensive as a crow could; "I'm here because something that shouldn't happen has just happened."
"What do you mean?" asked Miyuki.
"No matter how distant I am from Izumiko, I've always been able to sense her emotions and intent. Its' part of my role as her familiar. Its' an innate mechanism that allows me to serve her in a much better fashion than a human could." Suddenly, surprising everyone, Yukimasa interrupted the mountain spirit.
"Are you saying that you're unable to sense Izumiko . . . at all?" Wamiya nodded in agreement to Yukimasa's question.
"Wamiya;" interrupted Miyuki; "where and when was the last place and time you could sense her?"
"I could last sense her ten minutes ago, right before she went into that new librarian's office." An ominous silence fell upon the group as the mystery began to unravel quickly before of their eyes.
"Hodaka?" said Miyuki as he turned to face the man in question; "What is the new librarian's name?"
"Kimiko Oshiro." answered the principal, now pale with suppressed worry and rage. Miyuki, without saying a word, ran to his father's closet, pulled out a mountain monk staff, and ran from the meeting room, unknowingly being followed by everyone else in the room.
While Izumiko's protectors and friends were racing to Oshiro's office, Izumiko was sitting in the librarian's office, casually doing her homework. It was certainly nice of Oshiro to offer her office space while I waited for either Miyuki or Mayura to come for me.
"Do you need any help with your assignments dear?" Izumiko shook her head at Oshiro's question.
"No; its' my assignment for literature class, so I'm all set." Izumiko glanced up with a pleasant smile on her face; "Literature has always been my best class." Oshiro nodded agreeably, as if having been expecting that.
"Yes; as a young girl, I was always gifted in literature as well. Its' probably why I became a librarian. That; plus its' a job most schools don't think would interest a family with a grudge against a divine being." Izumiko paused, fear striking her heart at what Oshiro had just said.
"E – e – excuse me? What are you talking about?" Oshiro smirked as she turned her back to the now trembling princess to open her storage closet. The now dubious librarian reached her hands into the closet and pulled out a bow along with some arrows.
"I must admit;" began Oshiro; "at first, I thought you'd be a tough nut to crack. I was almost surprised that it took me so little time to figure it out." Izumiko was now shaking like a leaf in autumn.
"Figure out what?" Instead of answering, Oshiro closed her eyes and began to chant, as if summoning someone, or something, that would answer Izumiko's question.
Meanwhile – With Miyuki and the others . . .
Miyuki had almost reached the library when he froze in place. Yukimasa, anxious about Izumiko, screamed at his paralyzed son in both confusion and anger.
"What are you doing?! You've got to protect Izumiko?!" Wamiya, noticing something was off with Miyuki, warned everyone around him.
"Don't touch him! Someone's paralyzed him with a curse and is transporting him to their location!" Just as Wamiya finished his warning, Miyuki vanished.
Back with Izumiko and Oshiro . . .
Oshiro opened her eyes, a self-satisfied grin on her face as she notched an arrow and pulled back.
"And now, my ancestress' insult shall be repaid."