Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Rosario Vampire. I am merely twisting the creator's vision into my own dream. If the supernatural, sexuality, or violence is offensive to you, than you should not read this.
Chapter 173
Tsukune was worried. It was Monday morning and he had woken up beside Moka feeling good. While he would have expected to feel tired after the way Kurumu and Moka had both made use of him over the weekend, that was not the case. His body and mind felt well rested and normal. As he made ready for school he had a small smile on his face. Moka kept alternating from frowning to smiling, looking cute ether way, making Tsukune want to smile more. As he stepped out the door to go to school, Tsukune started to feel a sense of nervous anticipation. He was happy and feeling good, but he knew it couldn't last. It was the start of a new school week, and Tsukune knew that Monday was going to be out to get him.
While he tried to remain calm, Tsukune could not shake the feeling that trouble was creeping up on him. His nervousness increased when he remembered how well the previous Monday had turned out. Even the one before that hand not been all that bad. Tsukune felt the muscles of his back tightening as he wondered how much bad luck he had saved up.
It wasn't until lunch time that he started to see his prediction of misfortune materialize. While Kurumu was away from school Tsukune was not given the chance to feel lonely. Moka and Mizore were still with him, and Yukari was more than willing to try to slip in close to cling to him. As a group they made their way at lunch time to their usual table on the cafeteria patio. Tsukune was just starting in on his bento when his mail was delivered. The pieces of mail that had come through the Love Letter Club Tsukune set aside for later. The letter from his mother he tucked away to keep it safe until he had time to read it. What surprised him was a letter from the Masako Shoken Girls Academy. The envelope was a satiny texture and the address was written in near perfect characters and numbers, with the school crest under the return address. The letter was something out of the ordinary, so Tsukune decided he needed to read it right away.
"From the Desk of the Headmistress of Masako Shoken Girls Academy," The letter began. The opening line and the letter head were professionally printed on the fine parchment. The rest was all hand written in practiced, traditional calligraphy. Looking close, Tsukune could see the small marks that said the letter had been written by brush instead of by pen.
"To Aono Tsukune," Said the letter. "It is my hope that this letter finds you well and prosperous. It has been some time since your visit to my school, and I remember our encounter well. You impressed upon me the importance of your task when you visited, and the role you fulfill for your own school. It is my hope that I can persuade you to let me make use of your expertise on behalf of my own school and students."
"My students, your friends, returned from their visit to your school and its annual festival filled with a sense of energy that I would like to see more of. To this end I have decided that Masako Shoken Girls Academy would be well served to host its own festival over Founders Day weekend. However, as the students of this place of learning are all young ladies of privilege, I feel some concern for their safety. Also, as this school has not held such an event at any time in the past, I am unsure of what kind of security concerns this may cause for our campus."
"For these reasons, I would like to have a meeting with you to discuss my concerns and to hear your opinion. It would please me greatly if you could contact my office so that we could schedule our conversation at our mutual earliest convenience."
"I look forward to hearing from you in the near future,"
"Signed ..."
Tsukune finished reading the letter and felt a rock forming in the pit of his stomach. As he looked at it he could feel his friends watching him. He passed the letter to Moka so she could read it while he thought about what it had said. Of course Moka had questions after reading the letter. Tsukune had told her about his trip to Aiko's school, but now Moka wanted details about his meeting with the Headmistress. Tsukune was reduced to eating his lunch while Moka thought up her questions and scrutinized his answers. Finally Moka handed the letter back to Tsukune and he started to put it away.
"So what are you going to do?" Moka asked.
"I..." Tsukune answer was cut off when his name was called out.
"Tsukune," Ruby called as she approached at a quick walk.
Tsukune felt his Monday sliding down hill.
"What is it, Ruby?" Tsukune answered her.
"The Board Chairman wants to see you," Ruby said as she reached the table.
"Of course he does," Tsukune said with a sigh. He looked at the letter that he had half way back in its envelope. It was Monday alright.
XxxX
"Well my boy," The Board Chairman said as Tsukune entered his office. "It seems that you leave quite the impression." The man was seated at his desk. He held up a piece of paper and an envelope. "I was quite surprised by what I found in today's mail."
"So was I," Tsukune said, holding up a matching envelope. "Will this be a problem for the school?"
"I don't see why it would be," The Board Chairman said. "As long as you and your people can handle themselves properly, I think this is an excellent opportunity." He gave Tsukune a wide smile. "This is exactly the kind of thing I would wish for. I am very pleased with you, my boy, and I am sure you will do well with this opportunity."
"Ahhhh..." Tsukune felt more than a little lost. He had thought the Board Chairman had summoned him because he had found out about the letter Tsukune had received and might be concerned about the secrecy of the academy. "Sir, what did your letter say?"
"It says that the Headmistress of the Masako Shoken Girls Academy is looking for some support for their festival," The Board Chairman explained. "The Headmistress requests that I allow my head of the Student Police, which is you, and some of his most responsible Student Police members be allowed to attend her school's festival as representatives of our school and to provide assistance in supervising her students and the festival attendants. She is willing to provide rooms and meals for whomever you bring with you. What does your letter say?"
"The Headmistress said that she remembers me from the time I had to go to her school," Tsukuen said. "And that she wanted to meet with me to discuss the safety of her students during their festival."
"I see," The Board Chairman nodded, still smiling.
"What should I do?" Tsukune asked.
"Why, you should meet with her," The Board Chairman said, leaning back in his chair. "This is an opportunity, not only for your school mates to interact with humans, but for you as well. Take some time to think about it and you will understand."
"Ahhh," Tsukune's mind raced. "Yes sir."
"I have faith in you, Boy," The Board Chairman repeated his catchphrase that so haunted Tsukune. "But remember, this is about the Student Police this time. Not the Newspaper Club."
"Yes sir," Tsukune nodded.
XxxXxxX
Headmistress of the Masako Shoken Girls Academy sat in her office with a smile on her face. Aono Tsukune had called her office and had agreed to meet with her. It was all going according to plan. Young Mister Aono was going to find that his charisma and determination were not always going to let him have his way. She would be polite, professional, and firm as she took control of the meeting and would get Aono Tsukune to agree to what she wanted this time around.
It was a perfect solution to her concerns, the Headmistress thought. If Aono Tsukune had just a few young men in his Student Police that were anything like him, they could be just the kind of polite security she would need for the festival. She could have one at the front gate, one at the door to each of the dorm buildings, and maybe, if she was lucky, two or three more to just be visible walking around the festival. The Headmistress would have them wear their own school uniforms and those bright orange safety vests. Aono Tsukune would answer directly to her. That thought alone made the Headmistress smile.
XxxXxxX
"I don't like it," Moka huffed. She was pacing back and forth in Tsukune's sitting room.
Once safely back in the manor after school Tsukune had taken the time to explain to Moka in full what was going on. He had not kept her in the dark about helping Aiko, but now he was giving her every detail. He also told Moka about what the Board Chairman had said, and what the Headmistress of the Masako Shoken Girls Academy had said during their brief phone conversation.
Moka did not like the idea of Tsukune going off on his own. She was especially displeased about him going off to a school full of human girls for a weekend. She knew that Aiko and especially her friend Rina had feelings for Tsukune. If it had been a Newspaper Club trip, Moka would be there to keep Tsukune safe from the kinds of human girls that would never be able to accept who and what he had become.
"I don't want you to go," Moka said.
"I don't want to go ether," Tsukune said from his seat. "But this is about more than just me."
"What do you mean?" Moka questioned Tsukune. "That woman is asking for you specifically. Of course it's about you."
"But it is more than just that," Tsukune stressed. "This is a chance for students of the Youkai Academy to do something at a normal human school. This can show everybody that human and youkai can have common ground. If this works out, then everybody in the school will see that we can get along. Think what it could mean for the school. Our sports clubs could go and compete with other schools. They would have to be careful to stay out of any real tournaments as long as the school has to stay a secret, but practice matches with other schools could be possible. This can be really important."
Moka eyed Tsukune carefully. There was a tension in his face that she recognized. It was the look he had when he was serious about doing something to the best of his ability, even when it was something he would have preferred to avoid.
"Promise me you will be careful," Moka said in a near sigh.
"I promise you I will be 'very' careful," Tsukune said earnestly.
"Good," Moka said moving to sit on Tsukune's lap.
Tsukune wrapped his arms around her and held her close, smiling. He was glad that she understood how important this could be for the school. It could also be important for himself. If all went well, he could use this as a chance to show that he could manage a security team. It could be a tool to help him when he eventually started his own company.
XxxXxxX
Tsukune left school early Tuesday afternoon. He had on a light jacket on over his best uniform as he left the manor and summoned Hiru. This time his trip to Masako Shoken Girls Academy was a little more thought out, and he was expected. In accordance with the Headmistress' request, he would be arriving shortly before the end of their classes for the day. He rode Hiru through the open gates of the school right up to the front of the main building. Hiru's engine growl was low and soft, but their approach did not go unnoticed. Tsukune dismounted and removed his helmet and jacket, leaving both on Hiru's saddle. With a careful tug to straighten his uniform, Tsukune approached the main building.
Tsukune had gone all of three steps before a woman appeared from within the building. She was not much older than he was, but a far cry younger than the Headmistress. She was dressing in a modest skirt, blouse, and vest. It was a safe guess, Tsukune thought, that the woman was a member of the school's teaching staff.
"Good day," Tsukune offered with a small bow. "I am Aono Tsukune. I have an appointment with the Headmistress." He wanted to be clear who he was and why he was at an all girls school before there was a chance for any misunderstandings.
"Good day to you too," The woman made a small bow of her own. "Welcome to Masako Shoken School for Young Women. I am Missa Sato. The Headmistress told me you would be coming. If you would come with me, we can wait in the staff room until she is free."
"Thank you," Tsukune said.
Tsukune, with Moka's coaching, was more aware of interpersonal politics than most people would expect of someone his age. Because of his awareness, what happened after his arrival was transparent. His guide, a math teacher he learned, had appeared very quickly, because she had been given the task of waiting for him. Taking him to the staff room was obviously meant to make him nervous. Any typical high school student would feel some anxiousness being in the staff room because it was a place most students only visited when it was demanded of them, and that was usually when they were in trouble. Once there, Tsukune was shown to a seat before his guide called the Headmistress to advise her of his arrival. After that he was offered a cup of tea.
"What brings you to our school, Aono-kun?" Miss Missa Sato asked politely.
"As I understand it, Missa-san," Tsukune said, returning courtesy with courtesy. "I am to consult with your headmistress about your up-coming school festival. I have helped organize the festival at my school for three years now. Some of your students even attended our festival in October."
"Ahh," Missa Sato nodded with a small smile. "I had heard about that trip. There was a lot of talk about it after our representatives returned. Do you think they did a good job of representing out school?"
"I think they performed their roles as representatives wonderfully," Tsukune said honestly. "They were perfect examples of how I would hope everybody in Japan should be. They were able to enjoy the festival without going to extremes, always being polite, open minded, and non-judgmental."
"High praise," The woman said with a thoughtful look. Her look turned sly. "Or are you saying that because you liked one of them?"
"I am already pledged to somebody," Tsukune said in a firm voice. "And it is for her sake that I will always do the best that I can."
"Hmmmm," Missa said with a small, thoughtful smile.
"Is there a wash room I could use?" Tsukune asked.
"Oh.. Yes," Missa said.
Tsukune used the wash room relieve and refresh himself. The woman's conversation, he suspected was intended to be a polite interrogation. He was sure that once he was gone, she and the headmistress would compare notes. He returned to the staff room ready to wait. The waiting was as much a ploy as the interrogation. Tsukune knew he was being kept waiting as a show of how the Headmistress was more important than he was. Being kept waiting in the staff room was to make him nervous and to throw him off balance. Tsukune however had a different perspective on things. To him the staff room was just a room filled with desks and very little staff since classes had not let out for the day. There were no traps or monsters waiting to take him unawares. In fact the room, filled with the scent of paper, perfumes, and cosmetics, was quiet and calming. Being kept waiting gave Tsukune more of an impression that the headmistress had trouble managing her time. The only thing about the situation that actually bothered Tsukune, apart from being away from his own school and his friends and responsibilities there, was that the headmistress felt the need to manipulate him.
One thing Tsukune truly disliked was being manipulated. The people who had tried to manipulate him the most in the past had ether been trying to use him, or to trap him. In his mind, someone trying to manipulate him was somebody to consider a potential threat until proven otherwise. The hint of a threat that the attempted manipulating gave off made Tsukune instinctively want to be ready to defend himself. Before he even thought about it, Tsukune was reminding himself to maintain a calm appearance as he drew up the smallest flow of his youki and armored himself with it.
While Tsukune knew he had to be careful of his movements and emotions when his youki was up, there were still more to him than just his superhuman strength. One of the effects of absorbing the dark magic intended to turn Kurumu into an assassin had been to effect Tsukune's voice. When his youki stirred, a supernatural tone entered Tsukune's voice. It was intended to be an enhancement to Kurumu's own Charm and illusion abilities. What it did was give Tsukune a Charm ability of his own that he was as yet still unaware of. What his voice did when it was charged with youki was touch the primitive part of the listener's mind. Unless Tsukune was projecting a specific emotion, it just made someone feel good to hear his voice. The more he talked, and they listened, the better they felt.
Missa Sato knew none of this. Her job for the moment was to distract Aono Tsukune and try to rattle his nerves a little. Unofficially, she was spying for the other teachers who were curious about the young man that was credited with bringing more excitement to the school than anybody could remember. A polite question about his school seemed like a good way to do a little of both. She would learn more about him, and keep him from thinking too much about where he was at the moment and why. Somewhere along the line, she realized that she was completely fascinated by the young man. She just wanted to keep him talking for some reason. He was explaining about the Student Village at his school as Missa Sato found herself starting to feel very warm. She was trying to think of what to ask him next, just to keep him talking when the phone rang.
Tsukune saw the woman almost jump in surprise when the phone on the desk rang. She answered it with her voice a little breathless. When she cradled the receiver she had a small, disappointed frown on her face. She turned back to Tsukune.
"The Headmistress will see you now," Misso said.
XxxXxxX
"Thank you for coming to see me, Mister Aono," The Headmistress welcomed him into her office with calm confidence.
The woman eyed Tsukune as he entered. If her plan worked, and she couldn't imagine why it wouldn't, the young man should be feeling a little anxious and restless, and probably more than a little eager to escape her office. She should have no problem in getting him to agree to her requests. As he entered her office she took in his appearance. Tsukune was standing tall and proud. He was in his school uniform, which looked clean and pressed, with an arm band on his left side and a pin on his left breast. He looked confident, alert, and in control.
"Please have a seat," The Headmistress said, suppressing a frown.
"Thank you, Headmistress," Tsukune said as he accepted the offered seat.
"I wanted to talk to you about my concerns for the safety of my students and this school during the up-coming school festival," The Headmistress began. She talked about her plan for arranging security around the festival and asked Tsukune if he had enough members of his Student Police he felt could be responsible enough to do what she wanted.
"I understand your fears," Tsukune said when he was given a chance. "And I would be glad to help you. If you have a map of your campus I could look at it would help to plan out what kind of security you will need."
XxxX
The Headmistress had a bitter taste in her mouth after the meeting was over. Tsukune had taken control from her once more. The worst part was the casual way he had used his own experience and logic to dismiss her plans. He was going to be bringing twenty members of his Student Police, which was three times the number the Headmistress had wanted. When she protested the idea of having that many boys wandering around her campus, Tsukune assured her that the bulk of his team would be female. He had gone on to explain that half of the females would not be in uniform at any given time, but would be carrying whistles. They would be under cover, helping to watch over areas like wash rooms and the areas around the dorms, while the uniformed Student Police, male and female alike, would openly patrol the festival.
The Headmistress gave ground reluctantly. She had to admit that Aono Tsukune knew what he was talking about, but that didn't mean that she had to be happy about being less informed or experienced on a topic than a boy that was close to a third of her age. Further more, she had promised to provide for the needs of the people he would bring before she had found out how many that would be. The festival was turning out to cost more than she had anticipated already.
The Headmistress had been frustrated by Aono Tsukune. He had stood up to her and won. He was so much younger than her, but had managed to be the one in charge almost from the beginning of the meeting. Yet somehow the Headmistress found herself missing his company from the moment he had left her office. She leaned back in her chair and looked across her desk as the seat Aono Tsukune had occupied. She thought about going around her desk to sit in that chair and see if something of Tsukune lingered there, his body heat or his masculine scent. The headmistress growled to herself as she shook her head, trying to dispel the unladylike thoughts that kept haunting the edges of her mind.
XxxXxxX
Tsukune emerged from the Headmistress' office and soon found himself in a crowded hallway. Classes had let out for the day while he had been in his meeting. Tsukune tried to stay calm as he headed for the exit, surrounded by a hundred highschool girls, many of whom had come from sheltered lives. Tsukune was unaware of how many had seen his picture, or had heard about the Test of Courage he had organized over the Summer. He had no way of knowing how many had somehow heard his name connected, even just in passing, with the school festival they were looking forward to.
"Please excuse me," The nervous Tsukune said to a trio of girls that had not realized where they were walking as they talked among themselves, until they rounded a corner and bumped into him. In the round of polite apologies and courtesies that followed, Tsukune did not know how his voice, youki charged as it was at the moment because of the tension he was feeling, touched every female within hearing, including a language arts and a history teacher. He did know that he was the center of attention.
Tsukune felt a sense of relief as he reached the front steps of the school building. His relief was a limited thing however, because clustered around Hiru was a group of young women. Among the group he recognized Aiko, Rina, and Ken's girlfriend Iris.
"Tsukune," Aiko called out happily. "Why didn't you call and let me know you were coming."
"I bet you wanted to surprise me," Rina said with a saucy smile.
"Did Ken come with you?" Iris asked.
"Sorry," Tsukune said with a small shrug. "It's just me this time." He turned his attention to Aiko. "I came to talk with the Headmistress about your school festival. She has asked me to bring some of my Student Police to provide security."
"That's wonderful," Aiko clapped. She suddenly brightened "I have an idea. Tsukune, as long as you're here, why don't you come and meet with our Festival Committee."
"Errr..." Tsukune fumbled for a valid excuse to refuse, but couldn't think of one. "Alright," He said a little weakly.
XxxX
Aiko looked around the commons the Festival Committee had used for their meeting with Tsukune. In addition to the members of the committee, the members of the advisory board the headmistress had appointed had also gathered. So had every student that could find an excuse to sit in. What she saw was a room full of young women that looked more than a little warm under the collar. Some were red in the face with sweat making them shine. More than a few looked dreamy eyes and tired. Aiko herself felt more than warm and hyper aware of her body's sensitive state.
'Damn,' Aiko thought to herself. 'I thought I was over my interest in Tsukune.'
As she headed to her room, Aiko remembered all of her old fantasies about Tsukune. Now that she knew that he was going to be around for the festival, she wondered if she could still arrange a dance. She realized right away that a formal dance was out of the question. Anything too casual would probably be rejected outright by the headmistress. But, Aiko thought with a smile growing, if Tsukune was going to be around for the whole weekend, then just maybe she could arrange a small date with him. A sudden though hit her. Rushing to her room, Aiko checked her calender.
"Yes!" Aiko gave a shout.
The last day of festival was going to Sunday the Thirteenth of February. The day before Valentine's Day. Aiko knew it would make for a thin excuse, but the more she thought about it, the more she was sure she could get enough support among her school mates to pull to off. Pulling out her notes for the festival and some fresh paper and a pen, Aiko started to work on plans for a Valentine's dance.