Another late update and sorry about that. Hope it will not be that boring because there's a lot of explanation included. I will try to update the next chapter asap.

And as always, hope you enjoy this chapter as well! :)

The next morning, Umi tried to put everything that happened the night before aside and went to school like nothing happened. Kotori was summoned to the chairwoman's office when lunch break came. She told Honoka and Umi to have lunch without her because it might take her a while to join them. They agreed and went for their usual place to eat.

"I wonder why her mom summoned Kotori-chan over her office." Honoka spoke while munching on her bread.

"It must be something urgent that can't wait until they get home."

"What if her mother had found out that Kotori-chan takes out the alpacas for a walk sometimes with Hanayo-chan?!"

"There's no way it's tha- wait, Kotori does that? And with Hanayo?!" the blue haired stopped and turned to Honoka.

"I told them not to but, you know Kotori-chan, it's hard. What else can I do?"

"Okay, I understand." Umi just sighed knowing how irresistible their birdlike childhood friend is.

They resumed eating once again but not long after, Honoka brought out another topic. "How's it going with your article Umi-chan? Still having a hard time?"

"Ah- now that you mention it…"

"What is it Umi-chan?"

"Nishikino-san agreed for an interview."

"Ehhh? Really?! That's amazing Umi-chan!" The ginger haired immediately wrapped her arms around Umi happily.

I will let you interview me in the condition that you will never get yourself involve with me ever again after it.

Umi remembered the redhead's words from yesterday out of the blue. Does it have anything to do with the incident last night?

If that's so, then Nishikino-san was-

"U-MI-CHAN!"

Umi jolted when she realized that Honoka was leaning her face closer to her. "W-whoa! What's with you Honoka?"

"You looked like your mind is going to the outer space and I had bring you back." She got off from Umi and continued munching on her bread.

"Sorry I was just thinking about something."

"Hmm.. Is it possible that you were thinking about Nishikino-san?"

"A-and w-what's wrong about it?"

"So you're admitting it Umi-chan?"

"Like I said, what's wrong with thinking about the subject of my article?"

"Nothing. Just that, it was a thoughtful expression you have there earlier. Tell me how you got her to agree on an interview with you!"

Umi took the last bite on her lunch before speaking again. "It was nothing special. We just talked about it. She agreed under one condition." Suddenly her phone vibrated. "Wait a minute Honoka." When the blue haired opened her phone, she saw a mail from Kotori.

Umi-chan, come to mom's office if you're done eating. She needs to talk to you about something important.

"What is it Umi-chan?"

"Kotori said that her mom needs to talk to me about something important."

"Even you too Umi-chan? What's going on?"

"I don't know. Anyway, you're done eating too right?"

"Yeah."

"Let's go back inside. I'll walk you to our classroom before going to the chairwoman's office."

"Don't worry about me Umi-chan. And besides, I'm planning to stop by the clubroom so it's fine."

"O-Okay. At least let's walk back inside together."

"Let's go!" Honoka happily hooked her arms with Umi as they head back inside the school building.

Upon reaching the chairwoman's office, Umi found Kotori standing by the door. When the other noticed her, she was greeted by a crashing hug.

"K-Kotori?"

"Umi-chan! Umi-chan!"

"W-What happened?" The archer pulled off from the hug when she started hearing little sobs from her childhood friend.

"Nothing.. hehee.." Kotori wiped the forming tears on her eyes before speaking again. "Mom is waiting for you inside. You may go in now. Where is Honoka-chan by the way?"

Umi wanted to question Kotori more for her actions just now but at the mention of the chairwoman waiting for her, she had to let it go, at least for now. "She said she will stop by the clubroom."

"Thanks Umi-chan!"

After waving goodbye to Kotori, Umi nervously knocked on the door and waited for the permission to go inside. When she heard the chairwoman's permission, she stepped in and found one other person she did not expect to be there..

Nishikino Maki?

The look of surprise is evident on her face but she snapped out of it when chairwoman Minami asked her to come forward. She stood beside the redhead waiting for what the chairwoman has to say.

"Sonoda-san, do you know what changed the school board's decision of closing our school?"

Taken aback by the question, Umi answered with what she remembered was said during the school assembly. "Wasn't it because you were able to talk it out with them?"

"That's what we announced but it isn't as simple as that." Chairwoman Minami straightened her back on her chair as she continued. "Otonokizaka Academy was saved from closing down because a secret organization of the government decided to take it in as one of its special offices."

"Secret organization?"

"Yes. And that is the Organization for the Supernatural Beings. You must be aware of the supernatural existence by now, right?"

The chairwoman glanced over the redhead and Umi followed after. When Maki stared back at her, image of her panther form flashed on the archer's mind. For the first time when they started this conversation, Umi was finally understanding where it is going.

"Our academy has become a place not only for humans, but also for supernatural students. Otonokizaka Academy is now one of the schools they can attend to ensure a normal peaceful school life. And incidences like what happened last night shall be taken care of by our student security system."

"S-so, this is really about last night?"

"My life is in danger. That is the reason why I didn't want you, or anyone else to get involved with me. I'll tell you more about that later. I told chairwoman Minami everything. We need her help to keep you and your family safe."

"Umi-chan, it is an unfortunate thing that you got yourself into this, but at the same time, I think this could be a good thing."

Both students looked at her with confused expression. The chairwoman took out a paper from one of her drawers. She motioned for Umi and Maki to come closer to her and see it.

"Normally, when someone finds out about the real identity of a supernatural being, we will let them choose between two options. That is, to have their memory erased or, sign this pledge of loyalty and commitment to our secret organization and automatically become a member of it."

"But on senpai's case, you have no choice but to sign the pledge because your life might be in danger now too."

Thanks to the archer's calm nature, she was able to process the load of information given to her. The chairwoman and Maki took her silence as a sign of her thinking things through. Umi is smart enough to understand everything they said just now, only that it still feels surreal. She took the pledge paper and read its contents.

"To put it simply, as said there, the organization will give you and your family a military level of protection, as secretive as possible. In exchange, you have to promise not to tell anyone else unrelated to the department about them, and anything that has something to do with the supernatural beings." Maki explained for her senior.

"An addition to what Nishikino-san said, the department may sometimes ask for your help. You may decline if you want to, but there will be a reward to any assignment accepted from them."

"The conditions are not bad at all. Just that my life won't be normal again, right?"

Maki couldn't help her chuckles because how innocent her senior looked like after asking that question. This caused a light shade of red on the archer's face. Quite amused on the scene in front of her, chairwoman Minami coughed to get back to the topic at hand.

"That may be right Umi-chan, but we will try our best not to make it affect your life that much."

"I guess, I will sign it."

After getting the answer they've been waiting for, chairwoman Minami happily handed a pen to Umi and watched her sign the pledge.

"Now that it is settled, here is the member's badge. You may display it if you want to, or hide it. Just make sure you have it with you at all times."

The chairwoman held out to Umi a small object with a pin on its back. It is a typical looking badge with 'µ's' written on it.

Why does it feel like I saw this somewhere before? She thought to herself looking closely to the badge.

"Is there anything wrong?" Maki asked.

"Nothing. I just feel like I've seen this before."

Umi decided to pin it on her inner blouse where the blazer would cover it.

"I am giving you permission to skip the afternoon classes to talk with Maki-chan for the things that she has to tell you. Now, do you still have questions for me Umi-chan?"

"Ah yes. There's one thing bothering me."

"Oh. What is it?"

"Why did the organization took in our academy to be one of their office? And if they are a secret government oraganization, how did our school get in contact with them?"

"As expected, you're really smart Umi-chan." The chairwoman smiled to Umi before speaking again. "All I can tell you right now is that, I was the one who contacted them because I've been a member for a long time already. Someone else will fill you in with the details, don't worry Umi-chan."

Umi knew the chairwoman is implying something when she said about that someone else. But because they knew it's time for them to leave, she decided to ignore her thoughts once again. After taking their bows, they left the chairwoman's office.

The two went to the rooftop upon the first year's suggestion. She reasoned that it is the best place to talk without getting worried that someone would hear them. They sat beside each other under a covered part of the rooftop.

"I'm not really comfortable to talk about myself. But after getting you into this mess, I have no choice."

"S-sorry."

"I didn't mean to impose this on you senpai. I'm sorry too. It's no one's fault."

Awkward silence filled their atmosphere, but the redhead did not want it to last long so she was the first one to spoke again.

"As I have told you last night, I am half werepanther, half vampire. I am a hybrid."

Umi positioned herself facing her junior as she talks to listen to everything she will say. It is known to everyone that the family Maki came from, the Nishikino, is a rich family of doctors who owns a hospital. In the society of supernatural beings, their family is popular too, in a different way. The Nishikino's are known as one of the strongest family of werepanthers.

The possibility of having a half-blood child between different races is quite low. One gene, either from the father or the mother will be dominant, causing their child to inherit only one race. That is why no one was against her werepanther father marrying her vampire mother.

A blood test can determine ones race, and it was being done to every newborn. When they tested Maki's blood, the result showed that she is a full blood werepanther. Little did they know that the redhead is a very special case.

Before the redhead reached ten, her parents ignored the fact that Maki is not fond of eating garlic. Never had she eaten garlic until one incident that happened when she was ten years old. A classmate offered her a bite on her packed lunch and Maki couldn't find any reason to decline. She was sent to the hospital afterwards because of food poisoning and they found out that there was garlic in it.

After the incident, her parents had to test her blood once again. Her mom was reminded of how she was a late bloomer vampire and suspected that her child was the same which may have affected the result they got when Maki was just born. And she was right. The result showed that she is a hybrid.

The result became a top secret of the family. Half-bloods are discriminated on their society. They are seen as the curse of evil that must be exterminated. A lot of half-bloods had been killed in the past, but since the foundation of the Organization for the Supernatural Beings, these killings had been reduced. Laws of human and the government must be applied to the supernatural beings too, which makes killing unlawful.

"It happened just recently when my secret got out. We don't know how but someone outside the family spread it like a fire that I am not a full blood. Since then, I've been experiencing assault or kidnap attempts. One time, it happened inside the school."

"S-so the reason you transferred to Otonoki was that?"

"Yes. Mama is friends with chairwoman Minami. She told my mom about the school becoming part of the organization and that it will be the safest place for me. And then, they made me transfer here."

Top rumor number two, Nishikino Maki was kicked out from her previous school, UTX, which is why she transferred to Otonoizaka. Not true.

The blue haired archer released a sigh of relief upon knowing that at least one of the top three rumors about Maki is not true. The redhead gave her a glare.

"What? Don't tell me you really thought I got kicked out of UTX?"

"I-It's not that! I swear."

Maki inched closer still giving her senior the glare.

"O-Okay. I-I did. Just a little. I can't help it, after seeing you fight some delinquents last time. Wait, are they-"

"Before you finish that question, I shall tell you that those guys you saw I was fighting last time were just normal human beings who wanted to kidnap the daughter of a rich family for ransom."

"To think that you have to deal with that matters too... What about those two big guys? What was their name again?"

"Hideo-san and Taki-san?"

"Ah yes, yes!"

"They are members of the organization that were tasked to protect me until they caught the one behind all these. It was my own decision not to let anyone get close to me. I was afraid they'll just get caught up on this and I was right when they used you."

She must have been lonely. Umi thought to herself as she saw sadness from her junior's eyes. The second year felt protective over this vulnerable side of the redhead. Acting on her instinct, the archer reached for Maki's head and patted it.

"Nishikino-san." she called out to her softly, making the other look her directly in the eyes. "It will be fine. I was the one who got myself into this. Don't blame yourself. I will protect you as you protect me. You may not know but I am pretty strong."

"Said the one tied on a rope last night." Maki teased back to her usual self.

"I-I was just c-caught off guard! W-why did you have to ruin it Nishikino?!"

The redhead started laughing and was soon followed by her senior. When the laughter died down, they just stared at each other comfortably in silence. They adored each other's features and minutes later, they had to break eye contact out of embarrassment.

"U-Umi-senpai…"

Umi blushed once again for the sudden mention of her first name. But it was nothing compared to the shade of red on her junior's face.

"I-I just thought that we should start calling each other on first name basis after I told you all this." The redhead was cut off when she heard giggles coming from the other girl.

"Sorry about that.. haha.." Umi said coughing to stop her giggles. "You're really interesting, Maki. I would really like to be friends with you even if it doesn't seem like you'd like to have any. Your senpai here will be saddened if you reject me, but I'll understand." She stretched out her hand hoping the cute junior in front of her will take it.

There's no way she can reject it. The way her senior beautifully smiled at her, the way her deep voice sounds so sweet when she called her by her first name, and the way her amber eyes looked directly at her with sincerity and kindness, Maki felt her heart skipped a beat. Shyly, she held out her hand to take her senior's. She looked away letting her bangs fall to cover her eyes.

"I-I would be glad to."