"Thanks again for taking us out like this."
Ms. Shao laughed as they rapidly neared the bright light at the end of this long tunnel. The woman was garbed in a long sleeved, white cheongsam with golden hem. Like her last outfit, the garment was open beneath her mandarin collar to bare much of her abundant bosom.
"I had no intentions of spending several more days in Master Touhou's silly world. I don't know how you girls can put up with that."
Ms. Shao's black sedan sped out of the tunnel into the morning. Trees lined the hillside on the left with a series of tall buildings coming up on the right. Sitting behind Ms. Shao, Kurumu was dressed in her olive, pleated suspender skirt and long sleeved, silken black blouse. It was not an outfit to wear for training.
"Mizore hasn't had to suffer like the rest of us."
"I asked you to stay with me."
Kurumu smirked at Mizore as they passed by some blue signs on the left which indicated Diamond Hill was down this upcoming ramp. The white symbol of an airplane suggested an airport was nearby.
"As if you would have done anything different if I had been around."
Mizore shrugged, glancing out the window of the passenger back seat. The snow girl was wearing her recently acquired dress. The white garment wrapped her torso, accentuating her bosom. The zipper was hidden along the black hem which ran from the center of the collar, over her right breast and under her right armpit. This zipper continued down the side to where the dress split into flaps at Mizore's hip.
This silken garment bared her shoulders and had come with two detached sleeves which Mizore had tied above her elbows. These loose sleeves threatened to hide her hands. She held a black folding fan with a rose petal pattern in her lap.
"The only thing fun was the sex and that gets old after three nights with the same man."
Kurumu grimaced at the crude comment. They were on an elevated highway, approaching a bunch of tall buildings flanking either side of the road.
"I hope you weren't entertaining thoughts of having sex with any of the other guys."
"Of course not. I wouldn't want to steal any of your potential lovers."
"I don't have any potential lovers in that group now."
Ms. Shao laughed pleasantly as they quickly approached those tall buildings.
"We live a long time, Ms. Kurono. Just because you've lost the ability to have children with Mr. Aono doesn't mean he will never have eyes for you again."
Kurumu smiled softly, not wanting to torment her heart with such hopes. She knew that he thought sexually about her, but that was fine. She would not encourage him to fulfill those fantasies.
They passed over another highway as they approached a blue sign spanning the road which mentioned the Kwun Tong Industrial Area. They were still on highway two which was going to Kowloon. This tollway had merged into the road they had been on a little before they had gone into the tunnel.
The first twenty minutes of the drive from the Huang family headquarters had been along a two lane road, cutting across the countryside. A steep hill shored with concrete stones usually was on one side while trees blocked the view of anything else on the other. Occasionally she had seen the sea or an open expanse of nature, but most of the first part of the trip had felt like they were driving in isolation.
Then they had arrived in a collection of buildings preceding the city of Ma on Shan. Shortly after driving through a circular intersection, the road bypassed the city with most structures standing on Kurumu's side of the car. It had not felt like they were in a town when their road had merged with highway two.
They passed under a covered stretch of road, directly beneath skylights. Many identical buildings stood off on the right. They were moving too fast to get an accurate count of how many floors these structures were but it had to be over a dozen if not twenty above the height of the raised road. Kurumu shook her head, knowing that these were most likely apartments just like she had seen in the other city.
"I still can't believe humans live like that."
Ms. Shao made an inquisitive sound as they avoided the ramp down into the city. They pulled out from beneath the covered stretch of road, continuing towards a sign suspended over the road.
"Living so close together in these tall buildings."
"They have to make the most of the space available to them."
"How well do you know Aoi's family?"
"I don't, Ms. Shirayuki. But when you said that his brother married a mizuchi girl, that simply must be the Shui family. Even if I'm wrong, I'm certain that Ruan can help us find your fiancé."
They were almost to the next sign with a ramp going down on the left for Mong Kok. They were sticking to the center lanes for the Kwun Tong Industrial area. There were buildings on both sides of the busy road but nothing felt too close.
"I hope they don't mind us dropping in unannounced."
"I've known Ruan for decades. She would never turn me away."
Kurumu sighed, glancing down at her lavender purse in her lap. She squeezed her hands into fists as she tried to focus on the presence of Ms. Shao. She wanted to know more about this woman whom might be related to the girl Umizake's older brother had married. But Ms. Shao insisted upon her finding out those answers by using her powers.
It was difficult to keep her focus when she was intrigued with their surroundings. They passed under another stretch of covered road, keeping to the lane with the skylights overhead. It was only a matter of seconds before they emerged on the other side. A multistory parking garage stood off to their left while a huge glass building loomed up ahead.
"Can you at least tell me where we are going?"
"I suppose I can give you that much since I can feel you trying so hard. Ruan lives in Repulse Bay among the rich families of Hong Kong."
"Does the Han family live in that area?"
"No. Mr. Han does have a lovely estate but not in such an expensive neighborhood. It would be too hard for them to explain their excessive wealth to their neighbors."
Kurumu supposed that might be awkward as they veered to the side of that tall glass building to put it on Mizore's side of the road. All of the structures off to the right were far away in the distance.
"How does he explain his wealth?"
"Mr. Han officially owns a hotel. The Huang family have contacts spread all throughout China and the rest of the world… or so they claim. I can't vouch for how influential they are as I have never left Hong Kong. But they own many restaurants, hotels and gambling establishments here and in China."
The road was drifting towards a colorful structure up ahead. The building was a yellow hue at the top, becoming more orange as it came closer to road level. Swaths of white slashed diagonally about the structure which had many black windows.
Kurumu breathed in deep as they passed by a pair of white and gray concrete buildings flanking the road. The road would veer off to the side of that colorful building ahead, keeping it on her side.
"It's nice that we can see the city this time. Our last drive was in a limo with tinted windows."
"I'm glad that you approve of my humble sedan."
Kurumu counted at least nine windows up with no idea how many floors were hidden from view due to them being on an elevated row. She wagged her finger at the colorful structure.
"What is this colorful building?"
"Hmm… that? That is KITEC. An international trade and exhibition center built in 96. They are building the MegaBox shopping center over there. They hope to open up that place early 2007. It's going to be the biggest mall in Hong Kong."
Following Ms. Shao's gesture, Kurumu glanced to the other side of the road. She took note of several buildings under construction and a rather sizable parking lot below. Kurumu shrugged, glancing back to the scenery on her side. She could see the ocean and many distant buildings on the other side.
"I can't say that I've ever been to a mall."
"It won't be just a mall. They're putting an official sized ice skating rink in the silly thing. And like many malls they will have a cinema and dozens of eateries. I'm definitely going to check it out."
"Isn't that still like over a year from now?"
"It takes time to put these buildings up. I've seen this place grow so much over the past decades."
That was the second time Ms. Shao had used that word in the last few minutes. Kurumu had a feeling that Ms. Shao was not talking this way as a person whom has only seen three or four.
"How old are you, Ms. Shao?"
The succubus clucked her tongue as they sped along the elevated road, curving slightly to the left while keeping the water on the right.
"That's a personal question, Ms. Kurono. You're supposed to be using your mind to steal my secrets."
Kurumu sighed, wondering if she should have stayed with the others to train. It was not like her last day of training against Ginei had helped her develop this passive observational skill she was supposed to use. She genuinely wanted to learn more about Rubi and felt like she could do that now.
Every sentient creature had a presence. An extension of their will. An aura. Most monsters could sense these things in the form of harmful intent. But the aura and presence was there even in the lack of such a strong desire. The trouble was making herself more aware of this presence.
Kurumu could read Mizore effortlessly. The girl wanted to see Aoi. She was anxious but regulating her temperature to not betray this emotion. She was not wearing lingerie and was hoping Aoi would be able to take advantage of that. She wanted him to hold her tightly as he filled her insides. The silly girl felt that was proof of their love. Her naughty thoughts were actually making Kurumu's body flush.
They passed by an odd building on the right which consisted of blue columns. Every third row between these columns was a blue row with circles. Two black rows of glass were between these rows. As they drove alongside this building, she realized some of these spaces had window air conditioner units. She wondered if these were some fancy apartments or just a huge office building. This grimy white building with green and peach balconies standing to the left was definitely a run-down apartment complex.
"How much farther?"
"Roughly about fifteen minutes, depending on traffic."
Kurumu sighed as they passed into an open area. A parking lot was down below them on the left while the water was on their right. Several colorful buildings stood away from the road. Kurumu sighed again, hoping her laundry would be done when she returned.
Buildings under construction and apartment buildings started crowding in on the left side of the road. A sign gesturing to the left indicated the Kwun Tong industrial area. Beyond the sign was a white building with the western letters for Volvo. Standing before the Volvo building was the Kowloon flour mills.
In a few moments they passed under another sign which mentioned the Kwun Tong business area. They ignored the ramp on the left when they came by it, sticking to the highway two route which continued to Tsueng Kwan O & Hong Kong. They curved away from the water towards a series of tall white buildings.
As they sped by, Kurumu counted twelve of these identical structures on her side. Each building had twenty seven windows in a column which probably meant twenty seven floors. She wondered if there were as many humans living in those twelve buildings as monsters living in Mononoke.
A sign stretched over the road, indicating that Tsueng Kwan O would be on highway seven off to the left. They kept to the right side of the road for Hong Kong and highway two. As they curved to the right while the other road veered off, there were several more apartment buildings off in the direction that highway seven was going and more in front of her. She wondered what all of these people did for a living.
The road continued to curve to the right, putting those tall apartment buildings on Mizore's side. There were too many floors to count before they drove by it. They were heading down an incline with the road going beneath a structure. The sign ahead declared they were on the path to Hong Kong.
They passed under the structure with overhead lights illuminating the way. On Mizore's side was a glass building which might have been some sort of department store. Further up was a turn off for what was probably a parking garage. They could already see the morning light up ahead.
"It's Thursday."
Ms. Shao giggled at Kurumu's random thought as they came out into the light.
"Yes. Thanks for reminding me."
"I just realized that we still haven't celebrated the New Year."
The succubus continued to giggle as they kept to the right side of the road while other vehicles took the ramp up on the left. They passed under a couple of roads.
"You must mean the Japanese New Year since ours is still quite some time from now."
The road made a gradual curve to the right with smooth stone on either side. Tall buildings stood behind the hillside to the left.
"It's strange when you think about it. I've had forty extra days since Monday."
"Which is why I couldn't train with you guys."
"You're about two months along in your pregnancy, right?"
Mizore sounded an affirmative as Ms. Shao slowed the car down to match the traffic ahead of her. Up ahead was an arrangement of lanes flanked by booths for the purpose of collecting toll money.
"You'll probably have a devil of a time explaining to your people why your baby is born months early. Do you intend to keep her race a secret?"
"That depends on Aoi."
Ms. Shao stopped behind a short line of three vehicles. She reached over for her purse.
"Probably best not to."
"She's supposed to be Aoi's baby."
"So claim Ms. Kurono slept with your fiancé."
"I don't know if Mizore wants us to spread that lie."
"You can't lie about her race. That baby will be a succubus. But you can lie about whom her father is."
Mizore sighed as they crept slowly to the booth.
"I'll ask Aoi if he is okay with that."
"If you two need me to play along, let me know."
"If you carry that baby to full term, she'll be born two weeks before Ms. Akashiya's birthday."
Kurumu grinned at Tsukune's observation being echoed. That felt so very long ago.
"Yea, though I'm thinking she'll come early like I did. Hopefully during our spring break."
"You being born six weeks early is extremely rare. That's probably why you weren't given back to your mother right away."
"Really? Do you know a lot about succubi being pregnant?"
"I do. You are correct about twenty four weeks being the average. But when it comes to being born early or late, it tends to not be more than two weeks in either direction."
"Do you have any daughters?"
Ms. Shao giggled as they drew closer to the attendant working the toll. She rolled down the window, inviting the chilly breeze into the vehicle.
"Shouldn't you be using your powers?"
Kurumu pouted, trying to focus on the presence of Ms. Shao's mind. Despite being aware of it, the woman's consciousness refused to be constrained.
"Can't you tell me?"
Ms. Shao eased the sedan forward. The man in the booth greeted her politely, requesting twenty five dollars for the toll. The succubus surrendered the money with a greeting and smile. The worker thanked her, pushing a few buttons in his booth. The light above their lane changed to green, signaling Ms. Shao to continue. The succubus rolled up her window and started off.
They sped down a decline with cones marking their merging lanes. Only two lanes would enter the dark tunnel up ahead on this side of the median. The succubus sighed as they neared the tunnel entrance.
"I have three girls. All from the same father."
"Oh? Are you still in contact with him?"
Ms. Shao huffed as they entered their side of the tunnel. White concrete panels held in black framing made up the walls on either side of this two lane road. A row of lights were mounted to the top of the tunnel directly above the double yellow line splitting the lanes.
"You know the dangers of being sexually involved with a man for an extended period of time."
"But you had three girls."
"We don't carry our own babies, Ms. Kurono. All three of my girls are the same age."
Kurumu perked up at the admission.
"Are you in contact with their birth mothers?"
"Ruan is the only one whom is still alive. The other two were human, just like the father of my girls."
Ms. Shao paused, sighing heavily.
"They were all so young."
They steadily chased after the taillights of the vehicle ahead of them. In this environment of sensory deprivation, Kurumu tried harder to focus on her probes against Ms. Shao's presence.
"Are your girls about my age?"
"My girls are all older than your departed mother. I have a granddaughter four years older than you."
"Oh! I didn't think you'd be that old."
"Hey now! I'll have you know that I look fabulous for my age."
Kurumu gleamed a number from Ms. Shao which caused her to frown.
"Your girls are forty two?"
"You snatched that one right up. Yes. All three of my girls were born in the fall of 63."
"So you're around sixty years old."
Ms. Shao laughed with a shake of her head.
"I wish, my dear."
"But you said you were all so young."
"I said they were young, Ms. Kurono. I'm a little older than Ruan."
"So like seventy?"
Ms. Shao let out a sigh in a sensual manner.
"No more hints, young lady. I know you can do this. Try harder."
Kurumu grimaced, doubting she could steal anything else from the woman's mind. Her presence felt even more elusive than before.
"Are you close friends with this Ruan?"
"I suppose I can admit that we are still lovers when we both are in the mood for it. But her stingy parents married the girl off in 70 to some real estate tycoon. We barely saw each other after that. It wasn't until after my girls had all moved on with their own lives that I was able to rekindle our flame."
They emerged from the tunnel as the road widened out to three lanes and started up an incline with a steady curve to the left. Ms. Shao favored the left lane as they passed under a blue sign indicating North Point and Causeway Bay for highway four.
Tall glass buildings stood on Kurumu's side of the road as they continued on this gradual incline. They kept turning until the buildings were on Mizore's side, passing underneath a road in the process. That road eventually came down and merged into this one. The water was once again on Kurumu's side.
"Were we over there?"
"Yes. We just drove under the Kowloon Bay."
They sped down this elevated road alongside a massive white building plagued with numerous window air conditioners. After that building were more which were made of glass or concrete. There were so many of them that it was hard to appreciate any particular one with how quickly they passed by them.
They passed under a sign in a lane for Causeway Bay on highway six, avoiding the ramp which went down to North Point. Unlike the apartment buildings, none of these towers were identical. Each one of these glass buildings had its own style. Many with concrete had the stone painted different colors.
Kurumu noticed that there was actually water on both sides of the road. This elevated road had become a bridge without her realizing it.
"Will we pass by the Landmark Mandarin Hotel that we stayed in?"
"My, my. They spoiled you kids, taking you to a fancy, new hotel. We're on the same island but we won't be taking the road that far."
"This is an island?"
"Yes, Ms. Kurono. Hong Kong is on its own island."
Kurumu blushed, honestly having no real clue about the geography of Hong Kong. While she had known that Disneyland had been on a separate island, she had not known the city was too.
They drove along a stretch of road which was open on both sides. The bay was to the right while a park was on Mizore's side. The colorful concrete buildings had to be apartments. Some were identical in all but color. She saw yellow, pink, orange, green and blue.
As a road came up a ramp to merge with theirs, they drove by a huge building with numerous balconies and air conditioners. It was such a long, massive structure that she had plenty of time to count the twenty five floors above the elevated street.
"Did you ever live in one of these apartments?"
"I still do, Ms. Kurono. Apartment living is far easier to come by."
They followed the curve of the road to the left, flanking another apartment building. This white concrete structure had sections recessed with little gardens in the alcoves.
"I guess you would get used to it."
They passed under a sign in the lane for Happy Valley, speeding along as fast as traffic allowed. It took a few seconds but they reached the ramp for Causeway Bay which started with another curve of the road to the left. They kept to their lane without crossing the double white line.
As the ramp turned down and into the city, they passed by a gray tile building with red shutters. Red tiles marked what Kurumu presumed to be the different floors. She turned her head as they passed by it, noting that it also had some round windows framed by those red tiles.
The road started cutting back to the right. A park with numerous trees was on their left while a marina full of boats was on their right. They continued following the curve, descending steadily until merging with another road. A blue sign indicating that Causeway Bay & Happy Valley on the left was mounted to a pedestrian walkway over the road. Ms. Shao kept on this side of the double white line.
"Will we see where we were training?"
"We should drive right by it."
Kurumu grinned at that declaration as they passed under a road. A couple of lanes veered off to the left but Ms. Shao kept in this lane. They slowed to match the traffic, passing by a Shell gas station. Another road merged in at this point in front of a huge building with the western letters for The Excelsior written upon it. Kurumu wondered if that was like a fancy club since it did not look like an apartment building.
Though there were apartments on the upper levels of many of these buildings, the first floor flanking this street were often shops. Some of them were banks and others were access to parking lots. They slowed considerably to match the traffic.
She heard the click of the blinker. It took a few seconds for a kind motorist to allow them to ease over into the next lane to the left. Seconds later they passed under another elevated pedestrian walkway which had signs over each lane. Their sign declared the Happy Valley & Aberdeen Tunnel. Seconds after passing under the walkway, they started up a ramp.
"I hope your Ruan can help us."
"I'm sure of it, Ms. Shirayuki. There can't be too many mizuchi families in Hong Kong. Ruan had a niece whom got married a year or two ago. It's unfortunate that you lack a memory of your fiancé telling you the maiden name of his brother's wife."
Kurumu huffed as the ramp curved to the left, merging with a road that had crossed the other lanes of traffic. They were turning into the city with tall buildings all around them.
"I don't know if Umizake even knows her maiden name. Her name is Lei."
"I'm aware, Ms. Kurono. But I don't know the name of Ruan's niece."
Ms. Shao eased into the next lane on the right before their lane descended into the city. A few of these apartment buildings on the right had different painted sections. Like half was painted pink below the windows but the other half was green. Another building had purple sections and another was almost entirely a grayish blue. And there was the occasional glass building which stretched out of sight.
"It's too bad that you couldn't call Ruan to ask her about this."
"Yea. I need to look into getting a cellphone. Working through a speaker has too many disadvantages."
They passed by a massive beige building on Mizore's side which had Times Square written upon it in both western and Cantonese characters. Standing across the street from this imposing building was a massive apartment building with several indents distinguishing the different suites.
The road started widening out for a new left lane but Ms. Shao kept straight. They approached the blue sign which indicated Happy Valley was going down while Aberdeen was straight ahead. The road made a slight curve to the right as the left lane descended into an area with many trees.
"Is that a soccer stadium?"
Kurumu looked to where Mizore pointed. Sure enough there was a green field off to the right with many spotlights mounted on tall posts.
"That's the Queen Elizabeth stadium building. And that skate park Mr. Aono likes to train is right there."
Kurumu glanced to her right but could see nothing but the top of the trees. The stadium building was familiar and so was the tall cosmopolitan building next to it. She glanced at the lower road between these buildings, somewhat familiar with how it should look.
The road curved to the left, running alongside a yellow concrete building which lacked windows. Not that interested in this structure, Kurumu glanced to the right and gasped at the many tombstones.
"When did they put a graveyard here?"
"It's always been there, Ms. Kurono."
"But we've trained in this area. I've never seen it."
"And you never saw the soccer field either. I'm sure there are many places in Master Tohou's little mirror world that you haven't been to."
Kurumu nodded dumbly as they approached a grassy hillside with a concrete tunnel carved into it. A road came up to merge with theirs as the two lanes became one. They moved steadily with the flow of traffic, passing into a tunnel with concrete panel walls. Three rows of overhead lights provided vision within the tunnel. Two were mounted near the walls while the last was over the double white line.
"Hong Kong has a lot of tunnels."
"Tunnels are easier to build than bridges, Ms. Shirayuki."
They followed the taillights ahead of them. Kurumu sighed, taking this moment to probe Ms. Shao's mind. But it was like trying to hold the wind.
She breathed in deep and concentrated on her wants. She wanted to know the names of her girls. She wanted to know which girl had been lucky to find a mate and why she only had one granddaughter. She was curious what happened to the other birth mothers and the father. She wanted to know what kind of life Ms. Shao had. Since it felt all too likely that her future would be similar.
Kurumu sighed when she noticed the bright light ahead without acquiring any information. She clenched her fists, wishing this silly woman would just give in. It was not like she was asking for the world.
They slowed down shortly after exiting the tunnel though the road widened out into multiple lanes. Ms. Shao guided them towards one with a few cars waiting in line. They were at another toll.
"That smells lovely, Ms. Kurono."
Ms. Shao giggled at Kurumu's confused response while she fished some bills out of her purse.
"Aromatics. Can you sense it, Ms. Shirayuki?"
"Sense what?"
"A subtle fragrance."
Mizore glanced at Kurumu. After a moment she shook her head, resuming her gaze at the scenery.
"Nope. She smells the same as always."
"I'm making a smell?"
"I only notice because my girls used to wield it against me to get what they wanted. It only works when you are in an enclosed environment like a tiny apartment."
"So me really wanting to know about you doesn't work?"
"This is a mental exercise, Ms. Kurono. Go back to how you were doing it before."
Ms. Shao rolled down the window as they eased closer to the booth with an attendant. Ms. Shao echoed the man's greeting, surrendering an amount of bills. He thanked her and waved her on, prompting her to roll up her window as the light turned green. They drove away, drifting to a left lane beneath the part of the blue sign spanning the road which read Shousen Hill & Stanley.
There were a few multistory structures in the distance but nothing like what they had seen on the other side of the tunnel. And there were green trees. The verdant hillside on the right was so pretty.
The road split with them favoring the left lanes for Shousen Hill & Stanley. They drove under the road sign, merging with the other lane as they passed under another road. The signs encouraged them to slow as they followed the curve to the left. A row of trees stood on the right as they passed under the same road again. Their road completed the curve, merging with another street.
There were several trees dotting the landscape to the right. On Mizore's side was something like a park beyond a white stone half wall. A multicolored tiled sidewalk was between a steel fence and that wall.
They passed by a road cutting up a hill on the left. A three or four story building stood up on that hill but was barely visible through the trees. They continued along this street, merging into the adjacent lane since theirs was ending. Green fencing kept the foliage away from the sidewalk flanking the street.
They had to slow down, allowing the other lane to merge into a single lane with theirs. On the other side of the road was a fence with colorful banners for Ocean Park with pictures of kids and pandas. The forest on Mizore's side gave way to a stone concrete wall. Not much further down the two lane road after the Ocean Park fencing ended was the entrance for the Hong Kong Country Club.
"What is this Ocean Park? Is it an aquarium?"
Ms. Shao giggled as they approached a road cutting off to the left after the stone wall diminished.
"That among other things. Maybe you could pay it a visit if you are in Hong Kong much longer."
The road curved to the left up a slight incline with trees blocking her view to the right. A row of homes stood atop the hill to their left. In seconds the trees gave way to a view of the ocean.
The road snaked along the edge of the land with nothing but a concrete barrier protecting them from the view of the ocean. The hill to the left of them had been carved out for the road. Moments ago they had been in the middle of a huge city. Now it was like they were far from civilization.
They followed the road at a steady pace with rock to the left and sea to the right. As they curved left, she noticed a sandy beach of an inlet below. A section of the water flanking the beach was hemmed in by a yellow topped, submerged, curved barrier. Only a few people were milling about the beach.
"Do people swim this time of year?"
"If you don't mind the chill of the water."
"I don't have my swimsuit."
Kurumu smirked, doubting the snow girl actually wanted to go swimming. The road descended the hill as they approached the beach. They curved right, ignoring a road which cut up the hill to the left. The sign for the parking lot on the left indicated this building was the Hong Kong golf club. A colorful playground was on its property.
A row of trees flanked either side of the road as they drove alongside the beach. There were several parking spots on the right and another stretch of parking on the other side of the trees on the left.
The parking spots ceased shortly before the road started to curve right. The clearing on Mizore's side was replaced by rock carved for the passage of the road. They drove by a small building on the right with the beach still continuing below them. In a few more seconds they ran out of beach.
Kurumu sighed as they followed the curve of the road. Trees dotted the landscape to the left wherever soil was available. They started up an incline with the road beginning a gradual curve to the left. A row of buildings flanked the right side of the road, blocking her view of the sea.
"We are almost there, girls."
They drove by the last of the buildings with trees taking the duty of blocking the ocean view. The carved rock on Mizore's side gave way to a bricked sidewalk. Beyond the sidewalk was a wall of textured stone and concrete bricks. Sections of the wall were carved into perfect square columns as they slowed while approaching the next intersection.
Kurumu was mildly surprised when they turned left, starting up a narrow road. A rounded stone display flanked by two rounded pillars had a brass plated oval around a black sign with the brass numbers 33.
They continued up the hill, passing by fancy concrete villas flanking a small drive which was accessible through an open, black iron gate. They turned left at the second open gate, easing into the drive. The villas to the right of them were still under construction.
"Wait here."
Ms. Shao steered the car into one of the small driveways which had their own gates. The succubus put the car in park, opening the door and slipping out. She pranced over to a tiny black box mounted on the gate, pressing a button. After a few moments and some hand gestures, the succubus left the box to open up the gate. She drew the black gate aside to not block the car's path to the garage door.
Ms. Shao hurried back to the car and opened the door, settling back into her seat. Leaving the door open, she shifted the car out of park and let it roll to the other side of the gate. Once clear, she put the car in park again and hopped back out. She promptly closed up the gate before returning to the vehicle.
"Such a pity that the gates don't open and close on their own."
Kurumu chuckled as Ms. Shao closed the door and put the car back into drive. They rolled down a paved hill which ended at a garage door which automatically lifted up with their approach. They passed under the black door, continuing inside. A silver sedan was parked inside with the front lights facing them. Ms. Shao turned their vehicle into a space on the left, offering a wave to a figure standing there.
An ebony haired woman garbed in a white blouse and black skirt waved back at Ms. Shao. The succubus straightened out the vehicle before shifting the car into reverse. They eased back, turning as they did so. Ms. Shao perfectly guided her sedan into the space alongside the silver vehicle. She put the car in park and turned off the engine.
"Hopefully Ruan will have good news for us."
Kurumu opened her door a second before the others. She slipped out, retrieving her purse and closing her door at about the same time as the others.
"Whom are these girls you've brought with you?"
Ms. Shao laughed pleasantly as she sashayed over to the approaching woman. She promptly hugged the woman for a long moment. The succubus turned in the woman's arms, gesturing at them.
"This is Kurono Kurumu and Shirayuki Mizore. Allow me to introduce you to Kwok Ruan."
The lady laughed, detaching from Ms. Shao. She made a dismissive gesture.
"You'll only confuse the poor girls. I haven't been married to that man in more than a decade."
"His loss. It isn't your fault that his seed is too weak for your womb."
"Assuming you didn't ruin it with yours."
"Shall I tell your precious daughter about this?"
The woman smiled at Ms. Shao's feigned indignation, retreating a step.
"Come inside, girls. No need to linger out here."
The woman guided them to one of the doors. They entered a small vestibule with what looked like a small lift on the left. The woman walked by the lift, turning left and starting up a flight of steps. Kurumu noted there was a small foyer space at the end of this hall before she followed the other women up the stairs. This stairway wrapped around the backside of the lift.
"I just put on some tea. I hope you intend to stay long."
"Is my granddaughter working today?"
"She is and so is her mother. They won't be back until dinner."
Their host stepped down into a marble tiled dining room space to their right. The fancy table was flanked by three identical chairs on each side with a more opulent chair at the head and foot. The chairs, table supports and framing were carved from wood which was glossed over and painted black. Marble tiles were placed in the center of the table surface. A golden chandelier hung from the center of the ceiling.
A fireplace stood out from the wall on the left. There was a door in both far corners of the room. A wall of curved windows overlooking a small garden was between those doors.
"Have a seat."
Kurumu smiled as the woman claimed the seat at the foot of the table. Kurumu tugged a chair out by its sculpted back. She sat down upon the beige cushion while Mizore took the seat on her right.
"What was the name of your niece?"
Their host grinned as Ms. Shao took the seat on her left.
"Lei. Why do you ask?"
"This young lady is engaged to a man by the name of Umizake."
"Oh! Is he related to the young man whom married Lei?"
"We certainly hope so. Do you know where your niece lives?"
"Are you wanting to meet them?"
Mizore smiled slightly as attention turned upon her.
"My fiancé was supposed to spend the New Year with them."
"I see. How did you come in contact with Mingmei?"
"These two girls are guests of the Huang family."
Their host frowned at the explanation.
"Why are you dealing with those people again?"
"I'm only there for this young lady. I was asked to train Ms. Kurono."
"What does she need training for?"
"These girls are caught up in some serious situation developing in Japan."
"It's always the same story with the Huang family. It's not safe work."
"You don't even know the half of it. The place was recently hit by the Miao family."
"I worry about you and Chuju. I know how valuable your services are to these people but the money is not worth it. If not for your charm, they would have killed both of you by now."
Ms. Shao sighed, leaning back in her chair.
"How is Chuju doing?"
"I haven't seen her in months. None of us have."
"Silly girl. Blowing off her own birthday party."
"Yulan checked her place but she doesn't live there now."
"I'll make a point to find her after I've finished up with Ms. Kurono."
"You've never trained girls before. What exactly are you doing with her?"
Ms. Shao laughed brightly.
"Not much. The girl knows how to do most of the things that I'm aware of. The only thing she needs to work on is her subtlety. Reading thoughts and influencing people without relying on her charm."
"You're teaching her to become a spy?"
"It's not like I didn't share these skills with our girls."
"When they were much older. Mid to late twenties. This girl can't be that old."
Kurumu giggled at the observation. She focused her mind on the woman.
"Yea. I'm only sixteen."
"Sixteen? Mingmei."
Ms. Ruan was frustrated with Ms. Shao and their daughter, Chuju. Working with the Huang and Miao families often forced these women to relocate. She had no idea where either of them presently lived.
"I would have taught our girls how to do this at a young age if I had been more aware of how it worked."
"I shouldn't be surprised. Your teaching career ended in a scandal."
Kurumu felt a strong memory coalesce in Ms. Ruan's presence. She was sitting in a classroom, chatting with her two best friends. Chu was the short haired girl with the beauty mark below her left eye. Fong had long hair which she pulled into twin tails.
Chu was worrying over Hon's behavior. The young man was sitting in the desk at the front of the class with his dark hair slicked back. He was a strong, athletic boy whom most of the girls in class admired. Ruan was not interested in him, knowing that her father would pick a suitable husband for her.
"Everyone take your seats. Hurry now."
Ruan felt annoyed with the late arrival of their gorgeous teacher. A young Ms. Shao hurried over to the podium at the front of the class, placing her materials upon it. Their teacher should take her job more seriously, showing up late more often than not. It was their final year of high school.
"You were a high school teacher."
Kurumu felt Ms. Shao's interest in her statement.
"Are you guessing?"
Kurumu ignored the question, pushing deeper into Ms. Ruan's mind. Ruan reluctantly agreed to stay with Chu after school. They were going to confront Ms. Shao over Hon's crush for her.
She recalled it vividly. Entering the room filled with the aroma of sex. The sight of their teacher sprawled upon the floor with her ankles crossed behind the back of Hon. The sound of his balls slapping against their teacher's ass. Ms. Shao's breathy gasps and Hon's grunts. It was overwhelmingly arousing.
Chu cried out, grabbing hold of Hon by the shoulders. She demanded the pair to stop. And then Chu was pulled in for a kiss with Ms. Shao. Ruan felt confused as her friend went lax. A part of her screamed to run away and find another teacher.
"Teacher. You shouldn't do that with your student."
Ms. Shao rasped out a request to lock the door. Despite her timid protest, Fong obeyed her teacher. Ruan looked on in disbelief, struggling to understand what was happening.
And then Ruan turned to look directly at Kurumu's presence.
"Oh dear. I never was good at pushing Mingmei out of my mind. Please don't delve deeper."
But Kurumu wanted to know. Her earnest desire to know what happened to her friends brought her to the day of Yulan's birth. Ruan was in a small one bedroom apartment. Her belly was swollen as she was five months along in her pregnancy. She was kneeling beside Fong whom was crying in pain. She placed a rag drenched in water upon Fong's forehead, hoping that would help.
"Come on! Push!"
Hon was kneeling at the bottom of the bed between Fong's legs. His hands were in Fong's hairy crotch, helping the baby out. There was so much blood. It was too much for Chu. The scared, pregnant girl was huddled in the other room, hoping it would be over soon.
And it was. Ruan's heart sank when she felt Fong's life give out. The baby cried as her mother died. As Hon hurried the baby away, Ruan tried all she could to revive her friend. She knew her kind could heal but she had no idea how they did it. She tried kissing. Touching. Nothing worked. Fong was gone.
In that memory, Kurumu realized that none of these kids had graduated. They had moved in with their charming teacher the day her illicit relationship with Hon had been discovered. That had been back in February, almost six months ago. They were not supposed to leave the house, relying on Ms. Shao to take care of all their needs. But Ruan had no idea what she was supposed to do now.
Ms. Shao came home early that day. She calmed Chu with kisses. But no kisses could stop Ruan's tears. And her lovely teacher cried as much as she did. She had to stay home with the others when Ms. Shao carried Fong's body away.
"You were fired for letting a pregnant student stay at your home. She died under your care."
A slap brought her awareness back to reality. She glanced up at Ms. Shao's frown.
"You took Fong home to her parents."
Ms. Shao smiled softly, glancing aside.
"Yes. I lied to them. Told them that I didn't know the father and that the baby died. I was dismissed from the school for my deceit."
But Kurumu retained her connection with Ruan. She had practiced being aware in reality while fooling inside another person's mind. This was no different. As she stared into Ms. Shao's eyes, she continued her exploration of Ruan's mind.
It was about six months later and in a different tiny apartment when Chu had died. Ruan had woken up beside her friend, sleepily asking her to tend to the crying babies. Chu did not respond. She felt cold and stiff. Ruan started bawling when her friend continued to just lay there, lifeless. She had no idea why or what had happened. Chu was gone. Just like that.
She hurried into the other room with the babies. She frantically roused Hon whom reeked of sex to beg him for help. At first he failed to understand, wanting her to mind the kids. It took dragging him into the other room for him to finally know what her issue was.
Hon quickly proved to be of no help. He knelt down beside Chu and said nothing. After a good minute or so of him not responding to her, Ruan started doing the only thing she could think of. She made food for the baby girls. When she finished feeding the girls and got them quiet, she returned to a room which was empty. Hon and Chu's body were both gone.
It was less than an hour before Mingmei returned. Her eyes were filled with tears and she immediately smothered Ruan in a hug.
"Chu's dead."
"I know."
"I don't know where Hon went."
Mingmei held her tighter.
"Oh, Ruan. I'm so sorry."
Mingmei squeezed her firmly.
"We have to leave. There will be an investigation."
Ruan felt tears on her shoulder. Nothing felt real.
"Hon fell. With Chu. Police are here. We have to go."
A tear rolled down Kurumu's cheek as she felt the overwhelming sorrow. Hands cupped her cheeks.
"Stop, Ms. Kurono. You don't need to know it all."
Kurumu blinked as more tears fell down her cheeks. She nodded as she looked into Ms. Shao's eyes, withdrawing her mind from Ruan's.
"I guess I should say that you passed. You didn't ask Ruan anything and weren't touching her."
"I'm sorry, Mingmei. I've never been good at resisting you."
Ms. Shao sighed at her friend's apology.
"It's not your fault. I thought Ms. Kurono would be more polite than to exploit you for my secrets. But it is the lesson I was trying to teach her."
A whistle sounded off in the distance.
"Sounds like the tea is ready. I'll be back in a moment."
"Hold up, Ruan. She didn't find the address of your niece in your memories. We will need that."
"Of course. But I need to call her first. Can't have you dropping in on her unannounced. Unlike me, she does have a little one she's taking care of."
Ms. Shao smiled as her friend walked away, tapping Kurumu's nose. The simple gesture made Kurumu aware that she was still crying with an aching heart.
"Overdose and suicide. That was the official death for those two. Nearly broke my heart."
Kurumu sniffled, lifting a hand to wipe away a tear. Some wounds never heal.
The ding of the elevator heralded the parting of the doors. Kurumu sucked in her breath as Ms. Shao stepped out onto the sixteenth floor of the Dragon Pride building in the North Point section of Hong Kong. Their destination was apartment D.
"It's this way."
Ms. Shao gestured to the left before she started off in that direction. Kurumu shared a glance with Mizore before following the succubus. The first door on the right was marked with the letter C.
They turned into a short hall at the end of which was the door for apartment D. Kurumu felt her heart flutter with anticipation. Ms. Shao paused, knocking firmly before glancing over her shoulder at them. She smiled warmly despite the drop in temperature.
"Calm yourself, Ms. Shirayuki. He's going to be happy to see you."
Mizore grabbed Kurumu's arm with hands as cold as ice.
"I'm trying."
As if in response, the door before them opened up. The familiar young man stood on the other side with his inky black locks in their usual tangled mess. He was wearing a black polo and khakis. He smiled softly with warmth in his steel blue eyes.
"Come inside. We've been expecting you."
Ms. Shao crossed the threshold, pausing to step out of her high heels.
"I'm glad that you wanted to see her so soon. Ms. Kurono would have stolen all of my secrets from Lei's poor aunt if you had refused having us over for an early lunch."
Kurumu pouted as she entered behind the woman. She slipped out of her black wedges, taking note of the room beyond. There was a small square table behind Umizake which was flanked by four chairs. The set was made from dark, varnished wood with cream cushions embedded in the back and seats.
Kurumu drifted further into the room, allowing Mizore to enter. A black leather couch faced a large silver television resting upon a black stand pushed up against the wall on the other side of a hallway. A row of windows lined the wall on the right but were set in a protruding slant and had been covered with white curtains. A round overhead light fixture above the couch illuminated the room.
"That's a new dress."
"I missed you."
Mizore wrapped her arms around Umizake's torso, startling him. He smiled, letting one of his hands rest on her shoulder while the other kept hold of the door.
"I tried to contact you but the man I was told to get in touch with refused to help."
"The Huang family were recently attacked by the Miao family. Right now, nobody is going to help an outsider without someone in the family vouching for you."
"That explains much. I tried reasoning with this man but he feigned ignorance."
Mizore nuzzled her cheek against his chest as he closed the door.
"I want kisses."
Umizake chuckled, draping his arms over her shoulders. He leaned forward to place a kiss atop her head. Mizore groaned at the touch, pulling her face away from his chest to look up.
"Not there."
"You'll have to meet me halfway."
Mizore made a slight sounded, lifting up on her toes. Umizake stepped back to better lean forward. Their lips met with Mizore obviously parting hers. Kurumu felt the temperature drop as the snow girl mewled into a kiss which lasted for several seconds. Kurumu sighed, feeling a little jealous.
"Where is your sister in law?"
Umizake broke off the kiss, pulling Mizore into a close embrace. He smiled apologetically at Ms. Shao.
"She is in Setsuna's room. It's the first room down the hall on the right."
"We will leave you two lovebirds alone while we make her acquaintance. Follow me, Ms. Kurono."
Kurumu followed the succubus into the hall, noting the first opening on the left was for a small kitchen space. A refrigerator stood near the door with a white marble counter stretching from the refrigerator to the far wall. A section of counter was part of the stove with two heating elements and an overhead fan. The end counter had a single sink with a window behind it.
She heard the cooing of a woman and the gurgle of a baby nearby. She continued a few steps down the hall to where the next series of doors were. The hall drifted to the left to make it wide enough for the two open doors at the end which went into different bedrooms. A door in the recessed part on the left was for a bathroom.
"Mrs. Umizake, I presume."
Kurumu followed Ms. Shao into a tiny room on the right. A young woman was seated on the marble topped bench in front of the window. A toddler pawed at the woman's legs hidden beneath a puffy, periwinkle skirt. This little girl had a red frock pulled over her tiny body and a pink satin ribbon holding her dark hair up in a top knot.
Her mother was garbed in a loose, short sleeved blouse and had her dark hair twisted in a bun behind her head. She looked up at their approach, smiling with warm eyes as the toddler continued to babble nonsensically.
"You must be Ms. Shao. I've heard much about you from my troublesome aunt."
"I would call Ruan many things but never troublesome."
"What else would you call a young woman whom skips graduation to elope with her teacher and goes missing for five years?"
"Smitten."
Kurumu giggled, noting there was not much else in this tiny room. A white wood crib stood in the corner of the room with only a white pillow and pink sheets gracing the tiny mattress. All of the stuffed animals and toys were stowed away beneath the crib.
"Was it really that long?"
"Do you have any idea how difficult it was to raise triplets on my own? I would have kept Ruan at least another decade if that nosy detective hadn't found her."
Kurumu smirked, curious about the details of this. She tried to probe Ms. Shao's mind but the woman effortlessly evaded her attempts to make contact.
"You must be the fiancée we keep hearing about."
Kurumu laughed at the mother's deduction. She grinned, waving a hand dismissively.
"No. I'm just Mizore's friend. I think those two are still making out in the living room."
"This is Kurono Kurumu. She attends Yokai Academy with the two in question."
Mrs. Umizake smiled warmly, patting the tiny hands of the babbling toddler.
"It's good to hear things are going so well between them. He was so… troubled at his father's funeral. I'm glad that things got much better after he went back to Yokai Academy."
The giggling baby turned about with a slight wobble. She looked up at Ms. Shao and giggled maniacally. The toddler rushed over to wrap her pudgy arms about Ms. Shao's leg. The succubus laughed, reaching down to pat the little girl's head.
"How many months old is your girl."
"About halfway to seventeen."
"She'll be talking soon."
"She certainly is trying. I think she's too excited to get proper words in with her babble."
Kurumu watched the little girl intently. She could sense Setsuna's presence but it was so erratic and indistinct. Her little brain was probably not developed enough to have an understandable thought.
While she continued to admire the babbling toddler, Kurumu turned her awareness upon the mother. She felt the mother's concern. Two gorgeous women were in her home. She was worried about her husband's fidelity, suspecting Asatsuya had only married her out of duty. He refused to have another child with her, claiming they lacked the money. Her father would help them if they needed it.
"If he's anything like his brother, he's too stubborn to ask for help."
"Excuse me?"
Kurumu snapped out of her reverie, smiling at the confused mother.
"Sorry. Just thinking out loud."
"Thinking your thoughts out loud. This brat is flexing her new skills."
Kurumu blushed as she heard footsteps coming down the hall.
"I was only curious if I could read a toddler's thoughts."
"Sorry. Sorry for taking long."
Attention shifted to Umizake whom paused in the doorway with Mizore attached to his side. His left arm was draped over her shoulder with her left hand on his chest. Mizore's right arm was around his back as he gestured to them with his right hand.
"This is my niece, Setsuna, and my sister in law, Lei."
Mizore bowed her head slightly.
"I am pleased to meet you."
"Uh… Lei. This Shirayuki Mizore. My wife."
The mother giggled at his hesitant Cantonese which was not lost upon Mizore. The temperature dipped slightly as the snow girl nuzzled against his side.
"Not yet. The word is fiancée."
"Oh? You speak Cantonese?"
Mizore nodded, trembling as the temperature continued to plummet.
"Control, Mizore. You're losing it."
Mizore sucked in a deep breath and relaxed. The temperature rapidly warmed up.
"Sorry. Flustered."
"I noticed you were also speaking Cantonese."
Kurumu grinned wide, nodding at the mother.
"We have a teacher whom lived a few years here. She taught us the language."
Ms. Shao snorted as the babbling child returned to her mother.
"More like you stole the language from her. I saw clearly how you became fluent so fast. I didn't realize that was something we could do."
Mrs. Umizake giggled, pulling the girl up into her lap. She turned the girl about and grinned.
"If you promise not to steal my husband away, could you teach him the language? We've been married for years and he still struggles with Cantonese."
"I can't be doing things like that for free."
"I'm sure my aunt would compensate you."
Ms. Shao smirked, crossing her arms below her massive bosom.
"If you put it that way, I'll see what Ruan is willing to do."
"I'm sorry. I have no clue what you were talking about."
They all shared a laugh at Umizake's confession. Mizore sighed, snuggling against him.
"Nothing about you."
Mrs. Umizake grinned, rubbing her hand along the back of her daughter while playing with her tiny hands with the other.
"Aoi. Marry her soon."
Umizake chuckled at the mother's Japanese.
"I will after she has our baby."
"Can Mizore stay here?"
Mizore's eyes widened as Kurumu turned her grin upon the mother. The woman pursed her lips.
"I must ask husband."
"What are you doing, Kurumu?"
"It's not like you can train with us. Wouldn't you rather spend the rest of your winter break here?"
"Hold up, Ms. Kurono. I was going to participate in that training for the fight against Lord Fujisaki."
Mizore turned in his arms and shook her head.
"I can't train though. The mirror world they are doing this in has every minute equal to an hour."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean that I can't even watch you guys train. I have to stay in this time while everyone else goes into that other world for days. Otherwise I would have this baby much sooner than we need to."
Umizake nodded thoughtfully.
"But days in there are only a few hours here, right? It wouldn't be like I was abandoning you for days."
Mizore sighed, glancing through him.
"It gets dreadfully boring by myself."
"How about you take Mizore in for a few days? At least until Monday. Then you could join us for our training. You would still have plenty of time since they are talking about extending winter break."
"That sounds fair but it would be up to my brother if she can stay."
"If he says yes, we could leave Mizore here and grab her things from the mansion. Assuming Ms. Shao doesn't mind coming back here with them."
"I don't mind. There isn't much reason for me to continue your training after today."
"Really? You're not coming back?"
"My continued presence won't help you improve, Ms. Kurono. I believe that I will take my check and part ways. This isn't a safe time to be doing business with the mafia."
Kurumu sighed, supposing she had no good reason to argue against that logic. She glanced at Mizore, feeling for the girl's thoughts. Mizore was worried about this request being refused and that she might make too much noise when they made love. Umizake had similar worries, doubting the severe drop in temperature when Mizore climaxed could go unnoticed.
"You won't mind if these two have sex while they're here, right?"
Ms. Shao chuckled as the other three parties blushed from the blatant question.
"That up to husband. Will call soon."
"Yea! All of these rooms are close so my brother might get annoyed."
"I wouldn't want to disturb the baby."
"Hearing a young couple making love might fan the flames of passion in your relationship."
Mrs. Umizake smiled at the Cantonese remark with flush cheeks.
"Maybe, Ms. Shao. I need to get started on lunch. Mind watching Setsuna for me?"
"Not at all. I often wished I could have had more than the triplets."
Mrs. Umizake stood up, helping her daughter down. She steered Setsuna over to Ms. Shao's legs.
"I'm sure that someone as gorgeous as you could find a man."
"Finding a man isn't the issue. Finding the right one is."
Mrs. Umizake frowned as Ms. Shao took hold of Setsuna's tiny hands as the girl babbled up at her.
"You don't need the right one if you just want a baby. Unless you have become too old to have them."
"I don't know if age is an issue. But all succubi have the issue that most men can't get us pregnant."
"I'm sorry to hear that. I confess that I don't know much about your kind."
Ms. Shao giggled, waving dismissively.
"No worries. Many of my own kind don't know much about ourselves. That's why I was training this girl."
Kurumu pouted as the mother excused herself, slipping around the couple to disappear down the hall.
"Are you seriously done with my training?"
Ms. Shao grinned, hauling the toddler up. The little girl instinctively wrapped her little legs about Ms. Shao's torso as the succubus slipped her arm down to create a little seat.
"Yes. Now try not to be too obvious with your mind reading."
Kurumu sighed as they pulled into the clearing with the Huang family mansion at the end of this drive. She glanced at her phone, confirming that it was only a little after three.
"Are you really not going to continue my training?"
"Why would I? That money man is acting like he doesn't even need to pay me for two full days when he damn well knows that I spent five days in that mirror world alone."
Kurumu sighed again as they rolled to a stop. The succubus put the car in park.
"Are you sure there isn't something else you can teach?"
"I thought I might try teaching you aromatics but you proved that you know how to do that. I genuinely don't have anything else in my repertoire. You just need to work on the skills you already know."
Kurumu groaned, opening up her door.
"That's not easy to do when I'm surrounded by people whom I don't have any urgency to know better."
"Maybe you could spend days blindfolded. See if you can win fights without your sight."
"That sounds stupid."
"We are succubi, Ms. Kurono. We have an uncanny ability to shape the world into whatever we think it should be like."
Kurumu huffed, grabbing her purse as she exited the sedan.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"I'm saying that I never explicitly wanted to have a relationship with Hon."
Kurumu frowned, gripping the top of the car door.
"You didn't?"
"Nope. Sure, I fantasized about having one and I wished it would happen but I never flirted with him. I was as polite as a teacher could be with her student, despite my body craving him."
Kurumu recalled Ruan's memories. The girls had never suspected Ms. Shao to have an interest in Hon even on the day they had decided to confront their teacher. They had wanted to inform Ms. Shao about Hon's feelings and to put a stop to it.
"They why did you let it happen?"
"Because I didn't know how we worked. I thought it was all charm like I had seen my mother do. I knew it worked with my eyes, my voice and my touch. I believed that he wanted me without my influence."
Ms. Shao paused, sighing as she relaxed her shoulders.
"I didn't realize we could passively influence people. I don't know if my mother had known about that."
"What happened to your mother?"
Kurumu felt a strong memory within the presence of Ms. Shao. She was huddled in the dirt, battered and bruised by the stones cast at her. The angry mob continued calling her a demon but a shadow stretched over her. She glanced up and her mother stood proudly before the crowd.
"Demon?! You silly people. My baby has no wings."
The crowd spat denials as Mingmei clutched her torso tightly. These foreign appendages sprouting from her back ached horribly. It was her fault. Mama had been told her to stay home but she had come out to help like she had so many other times. She had thought for sure that her wings would not come today.
"Go home. Please. Something tricked you."
Almost in unison the crowd dispersed in confusion. Some could not recall what they were doing as her mother hurried over to her. She was hauled up into her arms.
"I'm sorry, Mama. My wings-"
"Hush, child. You'll only ruin the illusion if you mention them."
"The Miao family killed my mother."
Kurumu was startled back into reality.
"That was why I became a teacher. My mother was in this line of work. Mostly for the Huang family. It got her killed."
"I'm so sorry."
"You should run along and get Ms. Shirayuki's things. We can save the goodbyes for when you return."
"Why did you get into this line of work?"
Ms. Shao smirked, looking at the mansion which still betrayed signs of the recent attack.
"Because Chuju did. It was my way of keeping her safe."
"Okay. I'll be right back."
Ms. Shao sounded an affirmative as Kurumu shut the door. Kurumu hurried towards the mansion. She darted under the porch, briskly making her way to the front doors.
Just as she was about to reach them, one of the doors opened by itself. The wizened Mr. Gao stepped out and gestured for her to enter. Kurumu flashed him a grin before trotting inside without slowing.
"Ms. Kurono."
Kurumu halted in her tracks at the sound of Mrs. Huang's voice. She resumed her approach, smiling up at the woman whom stood upon the central landing.
"Afternoon, Mrs. Huang. You aren't training with the others?"
"I did a few days and might do some more. Where is Ms. Shirayuki?"
Kurumu grinned as she started up the scorched stairs.
"Staying with Umizake. I'm going to get her things."
"She's leaving?"
"For a few days. Ms. Shao is going to take her things over to her."
Mrs. Huang nodded thoughtfully as Kurumu came to a stop on the landing.
"That is sweet of her."
"Oh! She's also not too happy about her pay. Mr. Han says she only worked two half days, ignoring how much time was spent in the mirror world."
"Leave it to Sicong to argue over such trivial things. It sounds like I need to talk with Ms. Shao."
"Well she is out in her car."
"Yes. Go on, dear. I'll see you soon."
And with a grin, Kurumu hurried up the stairs to complete her task.