It was the beginning of a brand new month and Crowama couldn't stay any longer. Kurama or rather, Suichi's earthly mother and her husband were returning from their trip. Even under his human guise, it'd be too much to explain the random appearance of an alien. One he's going to marry.

And in their eyes, he would be much too young to marry. Not until he finishes school. Fortunately for him, he didn't have much schooling left.

"Why must I go?" Crowama asked glumly, packing her things or lack thereof. "What if I looked more human, like you?"

"Even then," Kurama responded. "It wouldn't be appropriate for a girl your age to stay at my place."

Crowama scowled. "Just how old are you anyway to be talking like that?"

"My memories are as old as this body." Which would be 17.

"I don't get it."

"It is not for you to worry about." Kurama placed both his hands on her shoulders. "You'll have to find somewhere else to stay. Perhaps go back to your home planet for the time being?"

Crowama sighed and glanced downwards. "I want to be close to you... And if I go back, I don't have a way to communicate with you. Well—" she rethought her statement. "I would but you wouldn't. Since you're so bent on keeping your human identity."

"I apologize."

It appeared that Kurama's apology fell on deaf ears as Crowama hadn't responded. Her mind was elsewhere. "I better be going now."

"Do stop by sometime," Kurama instructed her. Since from now indefinitely, he didn't know when he was going to see her again. This goodbye wasn't permanent but it felt like it was. So, Kurama did what any gentleman would do.

He puckered his lips and brought his face towards hers.

But Crowama had other plans. Her mind was elsewhere and she was going to follow it. Kurama's lips didn't connect with hers and had just barely brushed against her cheek much to his surprise.

"Oh."

It hurt him a bit.

They hadn't kissed since he woke her up from her sleep upon first meeting.

"Goodbye beloved!" Crowama shouted behind her as she went on her merry way, leaving Kurama wordlessly heartbroken.

"Goodbye—"

Crowama had went all the way to Tombiki Town on a mission. She had to find Sakura, a patron of the mystics. She knew she'd find the woman at Tombiki High as she doubled as the school nurse. She even brought her servants along.

It wasn't hard to break into the school, Crowama didn't even bother to sneak in. She just entered through the front door. Considering all the strange things that occurred at Tombiki High, it was no wonder.

Though, this time Crowama wasn't here to cause trouble. This doesn't mean that trouble wouldn't find her.

"Kurama?" A head poked out into the hall Crowama found herself in. The voice belonged to none other than Ataru Moroboshi. "Have you changed your mind and come back for me?"

"Or me?" Another head belonging to Shuutaro Mendou popped up as well.

Crowama scowled. But before she could get away, like annoying pests the two boys skittered right up to her. Shuutaro grasped one of her hands and his, kneeling on the floor.

Ataru on the other hand— quite literally, held Crowama's other hand but remained on his feet.

"Princess Kurama," said Shuutaro, his eyes shut as he expressed his devotion. "I know I was a coward before but now I've matured. I am ready to marry you and father all of your children."

"Me too." Ataru added, parroting his classmate's behavior. "But Mendou can father all of our children."

Shuutaro's eyebrow twitched, even as his eyes were closed. "What?"

Kurama pulled her hands away in disgust. "Nice try but I've already found someone and I'm pretty sure you're still engaged too, Moroboshi."

Ataru scoffed. "Just say the word and it's over between me and Lum."

"I'm not engaged." Shuutaro said optimistically.

Crowama poked a sharp nail into Shuutaro's forehead. "No, but I think you're pretty much spoken for." She glanced down the hall where Lum and another girl— Shinobu— had been glaring at them. "Goodbye now."

Crowama turned to leave. "I have something important to attend to."

"But, but—!" The boys protested but Crowama would not hear any of it and let their lady friends take care of it for her. Screaming and shouting can be heard as she entered the nurse's office.

Miss Sakura was sitting in her swivel chair and turned once she what's the door open. "Of all the people I expected to enter that door," the woman said, "I could have not predicted this. How can I help you?"

"You know how to make potions, correct?"

Sakura nodded.

"I need one to make me appear just as human as you."

Sakura crossed her arms in thought. "Hm. I see. I shall see what I can do."

After school, Kurama welcomed back his mother and stepfather, Shiori and Kazuya. His younger stepbrother, nicknamed Kokoda (as he coincidentally shared the name Suichi) was here too. He helped them settle in and readjust to being home again.

Kurama too had to readjust to being a doting son and brother once more. Funnily enough, he realized, it was less work than taking care of Crowama.

"Have you done well on your own, Suichi?" Shiori asked after she placed her belongings back inside her room.

Kurama did his best to make the space look less lived in, so it didn't appear that there was a second person occupying their space while they were gone.

"Yes mother," Kurama responded with a nod. "But it's really good to have you back."

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it, you just worry about unpacking." Kurama insisted. They weren't expecting anyone else but Kurama thought he would check anyway. He opened the door an immediately stiffened. His expression was deadpanned.

There was a girl standing on the other side of the threshold.

"Suichi dear, who is that?" came the voice of his mother.

"Hello there! I'm 'Suichi Dear's' girlfriend, Satsuki!"

This cannot be happening.

Kurama knew better than to fall for this guise, the smell, the voice, the demeanor... This girl was Crowama! But how did she...?

Kurama's stepfather appeared by his side. "You didn't tell us you had a girlfriend." said Kazuya.

"We met while you were away." Crowama answered swiftly.

"Excuse me, but may I talk to Satsuki privately for a moment?" Kurama pulled Crowama inside by her wrist as his parents shared a knowing look without actually knowing the context.

Kurama pulled her into the bathroom and shut the door. "You have a lot to explain. What happened to your hair? Or your ears... What did you do?"

Crowama reached into her shirt— she was even wearing a matching red school uniform. Kurama prepared himself to shield his eyes but the girl only pulled out a necklace of some sort. It was a container shaped like a star, filled with a red liquid.

"I went all the way to Tombiki Town to have this potion brewed. As long as I'm wearing the necklace, I appear human."

"Okay." Kurama crossed his arms. "But how do you explain the uniform then?" It was the same kind that the girls are his school wear.

"Oh that's easy, I'm now enrolled at Meiou Academy."

"... Pardon—"

Crowama did a spin, letting the school uniform skirt flow around her. "I've got my transfer papers from Tombiki High."

Kurama knitted his brows. "I don't recall you going to school there."

"That's right, I didn't."

Oh boy.

"And where exactly are you going to live?"

Crowama stopped spinning and folded her arms behind her back. "Oh I've got that covered too. My crows became my legal guardian and I live downstairs of you."

Kurama was speechless. Not many were capable of doing that but somehow, Crowama did it with ease.

"Now come on Suichi dear, I think we've spent long enough in the bathroom to raise enough questions."

Crowama as Satsuki had joined them for dinner, eagerly making up stories about Kurama and herself. She had gone so far with the stories that Kurama didn't even bother to stop her.

His family was eating up the juicy details along with their food. It was utterly ridiculous.

"I'm glad that my Suichi has found himself such a nice girl." His mother had said, punctuating her sentence by wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"Yeah, Suichi has rejected so many girls. You must be different." Kokoda added.

"Did he now?"

Crowama grinned ear to ear. It was hard to tell if she was upset or honored.

For the most part, Kurama stayed silent.

This was going to be a long dinner.