Author's Note: I'm glad to be back on the wagon. A scant few months ago, 4,000 words in less than a week seemed almost impossible with my schedule, but I'm getting there!

Thank you everyone who's checked into read Thawing Permafrost so far. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it, good and bad, so don't hesitate to drop a review! It's only gonna make this story better.

"You're looking a lot better."

Ikko closed his shirt, making a point of checking outside the window whilst his cheeks cooled. Unperturbed as she was by the treatment, he thought it good form to at least try and appear the same. "Yeah?"

"Well, you've always been a little bit miserable, but you seem less so."

Ikko shot her a look. The witch laughed, checking the wrap of her gloves. "You hungry?"

The pale morning light wrestled its way past Yokai's ever-present gloom. Heavy clouds did their best to stifle the feeble reach of the dawn's cheer, but a few rays managed to break free to bathe Ikko's face. "A little."

"Why don't we head down to Preternatural Street, grab a bite?"

He looked momentarily confused. "I thought I was confined to my room?"

"Until the start of Golden Week," Ruby nodded, "Which starts today."

"Already?" Ikko didn't have a calendar, and the lack of a phone left him disconnected from his primary reference point. The days from midweek to now came and went as an amorphous blur of sleep, food, and video games.

"I was wondering why you were in your uniform." Ruby grinned. "Get changed and meet me downstairs. You could use a change of scenery, I'm sure."

He agreed. Throwing off his shirt and picking out a long-sleeve top to go with his jeans, Ikko considered how unusually pleasant this 'punishment' had been. Days spent playing video games, talking with Ruby, and then Mizore's increasingly regular visits turned what had supposedly been the headmaster's verdict into a rather relaxing extended holiday. He wondered, with a cynical jolt, if it had been meant to keep him out of harm's way. In which case there was no doubt about its success. He had seen neither hide nor hair of Etsuko, Sasahara, or anyone except his guardians. Lacking Tayama to remind them of his presence, Yokai Academy seemed quite content to forget him.

He met Ruby at the bottom of the stairs. Even this proved invigorating, as he found a warmer expression and waved. "Here," said she, producing a brown paper envelope, "Some cash for your phone. Sorry it took so long – you know how insurance claims get…"

"Yokai's insured for this?"

"Oh, absolutely. It's mainly property damage claims, not broken possessions, but they all fit under the same umbrella. Some student or another gets too rowdy, then there's a hole in the wall…" Ruby sighed, looking away to the dormitory exit. "The paperwork alone… you know, when I first started, that's all the headmaster had me doing."

"I'm sure that must have been, uh… hard?"

"Mm. Certainly frustrating, when all I wanted to do was hang out with my friends."

They started to walk. Preternatural Street started only a short hop from the main campus, and it wasn't long before they began to see other students commencing their Golden Week celebrations.

Ruby craned her neck to peer over the crowds, humming to herself. She started when Ikko spoke up, asking, "How long have you worked for the school?"

"This is my fifth year."

He counted backwards. "So you knew Mizore – I mean, Miss Shirayuki – when she was a student?"

"That I did. Her and the rest of the Newspaper Club."

The picture of that club rose from the mists of his memory. Ikko tried to picture the rest. Mizore stood out, plain as day, but of the rest he knew very little. He could only just remember the extraordinarily ordinary Tsukune, stood at the very centre. "What were they like?"

His loud wondering drew a smile from Ruby. "They're a weird bunch."

"Are they? I saw a photo of them during the festival."

"I saw it, too," Ruby spoke warmly, reminiscing, "That was their second year, just before Morioka graduated. Tsukune took the lead after that."

"Really? I thought he was-" Ikko stopped himself short of blurting 'human'.

She understood, and answered, "It never stopped him from taking part. He was braver than most monsters here."

"He must have been some kinda guy."

"Maybe…" Ruby considered Ikko, looking him up and down. As if to erect some kind of defence, he had stuffed his hands in his pockets and hunched his shoulders, diminishing his stature. His eyes darted occasionally to the crowds, watching passers-by with habitual wariness. "He was no better or worse than you can be, I think. Miss Shirayuki told me how you defended Kia against her."

"That was before I knew what Tayama was going to do," he muttered, bitter.

Ruby frowned. "I can't say I blame you. Being fed on… it sounds horrible. I can't imagine."

He didn't speak. Ruby continued, "But don't let this corrupt your experience, if you can. You've met plenty of good students, Ikko. Plenty of people who want to be your friend. Try and focus on that."

They reached the main thoroughfare of Preternatural Street. Ikko looked around, noticing that although the place seemed as busy as ever, decidedly fewer students wandered between shops. "Most people have gone home?" he asked.

"Yeah, this morning," Ruby confirmed, "Some clubs organise trips or studies, too, so they'll be out and about. Everyone who stays gets free reign, usual rules notwithstanding. So!"

She clapped her hands together and circled Ikko to stand at his front, her cheer determined. "Where shall we start? Are you hungry?"

Both he and his stomach gave a reflexive grumble. Ikko looked down. "Sure."

"I know just the place. Come on!"

They walked straight past the Black Cat – Kia's favourite café – and into a smaller establishment on the corner of one of Preternatural Street's many alleys. The scent of grilled bacon drifted from the old door, held open by a simple block of wood, and beneath that Ikko could smell brewed coffee and the faintest kiss of dust, as if someone had set up a restaurant in an antique shop. Upon entering, his feeling was proved almost entirely right. The furniture ranged from restored antiques to more regal, handcrafted chairs, all pulled together piecemeal to form oddly shaped and angled seating arrangements around tables of myriad size and dimensions. A few patrons looked up at the newcomers, Ikko recognising no faces.

"Are they late?" He heard Ruby murmur to herself, "Ah, no – there they are!"

She waved at someone. Following her gaze, Ikko spied a huddled group at one of the larger tables. It took a moment for him to recognise Susumu Sasahara, junior and president of the Writing Club, beaming and waving back; then Mizore poked her head out from a tall chair facing the wall, spying them both and smiling.

"Did you set this up?" Ikko asked.

"No – Miss Shirayuki recommended that you actually start joining in on club activities, now that you've recovered."

In the wake of all that had transpired, Ikko had forgotten that he had, indeed, signed up to join them. He grinned sheepishly in response to Sasahara, who continued to wave and beckon them over. "Go on," urged Ruby, "Before her arm falls off."

"You're not coming?"

"No – no, I have work." Ruby sighed. "No rest for the wicked."

She patted his shoulder, pushing him gently forward. "Enjoy Golden Week, Ikko."

He shuffled forward, and once he was in earshot Susumu finally calmed down, returning to her seat. She wore her dark hair up in her knot, eyes bright and filled with the same joy that spread a broad grin across a round face. "How're you feeling?" she asked.

"Better?" Ikko looked down at his chest, as if searching for proof this was the case. The subtle matters of the soul, he guessed, made it so that he didn't feel much different than usual, though Ruby insisted that would be proof enough. "So I'm told, anyway."

He navigated into the only open chair, briefly greeting Nori and Naoko, the two freshmen members. Naoko's chair looked like it was swallowing her whole, given her size. Her tiny legs dangled off the end of the seat, kicking contentedly. Her enormous eyes brimmed with excitement. Nori, ever her reverse, busied himself with a book, one earphone in and perfectly happy with letting the conversation pass him by. He looked up at Ikko only when Naoko leaned to one side, reaching with some difficulty to slap him on the shoulder. "Sushi! Say hello!"

He didn't; he simply looked at Ikko, nodded, and went back to his book.

"We all heard what happened," Susumu announced, frowning slightly. Ikko made to shoot Mizore and accusatory glare, but the president cut him off quickly, "The whole school has. Someone overheard that Yakumaru guy telling Miss Shirayuki about Tayama's place on the Notables list and, well… Yokai loves itself some gossip."

"Sasahara wanted to come see you," Naoko piped up, "But Miss said she couldn't. You've been locked up there all by yourself?"

"More or less."

A waiter came over to take Ikko's order, leaving a fresh pot of coffee and taking the empty one sitting on the table. He helped himself as they spoke. "The main thing," Susumu declared, "Is that you're okay."

He made a non-committal noise, not wanting to comment. Ikko caught Mizore's eyes as she checked her phone. She offered a tiny smile, missed by all but him. "And now that we're all here," Sasahara pressed on, "Well, all of us that are staying at Yokai, we can finally start acting like a club!"

"How?" Ikko blurted. His breakfast arrived, and his body reminded him with a sharp pang just how hungry he was. An early start and a long walk left him running on fumes. He took to his toast and bacon with a delighted noise.

"Think of it like an icebreaker," Mizore explained, "A chance for you all to properly connect with each other. It's not quite as fancy as a club trip, but…"

"A day out is a day out!" Naoko squeaked, bouncing in her chair. "I always wondered what this place was like!"

"Oh, right!" Sasahara beamed, "You two won't have been here before, will you?"

"Miss got permission!"

"Just this once," Mizore raised a finger, "Make the most of it, alright?"

Nori shuffled, making himself more comfortable. His expression, not much different from his usual frown by Ikko's telling, seemed to say that he considered 'making the most' of today to be spending it anywhere but in present company.

"We're not writing, are we?" Ikko inquired, concerned, "I didn't pack anything for that. I've only got…" He felt the brown envelope on his lap, "Well, me."

"No writing today," Sasahara confirmed, "We're just here to get to know each other. Check out a couple of the stores, have a chat – really, it's just an excuse to get off campus for a bit. Golden Week can be a bit dull for first-years." She stuck her tongue out, cheeky.

"How come you two didn't go home?" Ikko asked.

Nori shrugged; Naoko was more forthcoming. "Mom and Dad are off on a vacation. I wanted to stay!"

"You… wanted to?"

She nodded, silver hair agitated like a spider's web on a swaying branch. "I love it here, and I've got Susu and Sushi. What's not to love?"

"Susu and Sushi," Ikko parroted. The former giggled at her nickname, reaching across to scruff Naoko's hair; the latter grunted. "What am I, then?"

"Uh…" She paused, green eyes drooping, brow furrowed in thought.

"How would she know?" Mizore quipped. "You've spent all of a couple of hours with her."

"No no, I got it! I got it!" Naoko thrust a finger towards Ikko, a display that would have been more dramatic if she wasn't so tiny, "You're Gloomy!"

Ikko spluttered, coffee dribbling down his chin. He hurried to pat it dry as he stared at Naoko. "I'm what?"

Mizore covered her mouth. Sasahara laughed. "You do have that look about you," she teased, making a mockery of his current slouch and frown. Seeing it on another person made Ikko flush, and he retreated into his breakfast with a feeble protest of, "I'm not Gloomy…"

"Well, now's your chance to prove us wrong, eh?" Sasahara fought through her laughter. Even Nori cracked a smirk, looking up from his book.

Ikko's indignance swelled in him, shaping a strong desire to prove Sasahara wrong. It straightened his back, and he took a rather fierce bite of bacon, finishing his meal. "I guess that's challenge accepted?" she asked, winking easily his way, "How about we get started?"

"Shtarted?" he mumbled through the last mouthful.

"This is an icebreaker. We have to do something to introduce ourselves, don't we?"

His indignance switched with startling rapidity to dread. Thoughts of his first introduction upon transferring sprang to mind, causing Ikko to shrink back in his seat. "I suppose so…"

"I'll start." Sasahara stood up, placing a gloved hand on her chest. "Susumu Sasahara, junior. I've been writing since I could hold a pen, mostly poetry-"

Oh, god. Ikko's thoughts rang. What did they expect him to say? He looked desperately to Mizore, who was so busy glaring at her phone that she didn't notice.

"-and I look forward to writing with you all!" Sasahara bowed her head, the scrape of her chair jolting Ikko back to reality.

Naoko clapped, bouncing off her chair to clamber up on it, so she could be seen by the group. "I'm Naoko! Naoko Banno! I love writing stories, and I love new places!"

She bowed fully, silver hair streaming over her face, then whipping violently back as she straightened. "That's it!" She exclaimed, dropping back into a sitting position.

Nori scowled, snapping his book shut and unhooking his earphone. "Nori Aiba. Historical non-fiction. Hi."

Ikko felt momentarily relieved. Nori had set the bar so low that even he could manage something better. He silently thanked him as Nori looked across to Mizore, as if willing the social spotlight to move by sheer, resentful force.

Mizore clicked her tongue, locking her phone. "I'm your teacher!"

"Oh, come on…" sang Sasahara, "Where's the fun in that?"

Mizore rolled her eyes, and reluctantly stood up. She buried her hands in a large hoodie she'd thrown over an off-shoulder t-shirt, hiding behind her hair. She painted as un-teacherlike an appearance as Ikko thought possible. "Miss Shirayuki, graduate teacher. I write short stories and journalism pieces when I get a spare moment."

Ikko tipped his head. He'd never seen Mizore write. She'd spent most of his time watching him either nose-deep in textbooks or glued to his console. As she slumped back into her chair, all eyes turned towards Ikko – all except Nori who, sensing the opportunity, had retreated into his book. "Now you, Akada," Sasahara pointed to him, "What do you like to write?"

"Oh! Uh." He staggered from his chair, kicking it backwards with a loud scrape. "Uh… Hi. Ikko Akada, second-year. I'm… I've never written anything before."

Silence. Nori looked once more up from his book, this time out of apparent curiosity. "I-I mean," he spluttered, "Not that I don't want to! I do! I just, I've never had the chance or the reason to, and I thought it'd be fun, so Kia- Tayama, I mean – Tayama and I signed up…"

Another, longer, heavier silence. Ikko's shoulders slumped, and he hid his frown by throwing himself back into his seat and pretending to drain an already empty cup. Mizore stowed her phone, exhaling. She seemed less phased by the change in his name usage than Ruby. Sasahara regarded Ikko with – what was that, pity? His stomach knotted to think on it. Nori's scowl seemed to deepen, and Naoko's bubbliness muted for a breath. "We can't change what's happened," Mizore announced, "But we're not here to mope. Welcome to the club, Ikko – how 'bout we get moving?"

"Oh!" Naoko clapped. She forgot her frown the quickest. "Yes! I want to see what the clothing stores are like!"

"How would they be any different than regular stores?" Nori grumbled.

"It's a start, at least," Mizore shrugged, "How about it?"

Sasahara agreed and Ikko, feeling awkward about dredging up such a troubled topic, said nothing in protest. They paid and left, heading down the road – Sasahara in front, Mizore and Ikko at the rear, and the youngest between them. Naoko kept talking to Nori, oblivious to the earphones that deafened him.

Mizore continued to check her phone periodically, more frequently than he'd ever seen someone check their phone before. Hers reminded him to keep an eye out for a tech store, but eventually his curiosity got the better of him. "Waiting for a call?"

"No." Mizore's reply came sharp and fast. Ikko flinched.

"Something wrong? You were fine yesterday."

She jammed her phone into her jeans pocket and buried her hands into the pockets of her hoodie. "This is the last thing I need right now," she snapped, "Let me focus on them."

Ikko winced, but did as asked. His curiosity burned all the brighter – what could possibly have changed her mood so suddenly, and what did it have to do with her phone?

Their first hours of Golden Week passed in a flash. Sasahara and Naoko delighted in the department stores, whilst Nori and Ikko watched on with feigned interest and Mizore distracted herself with whatever she was dealing with. In the third store of its kind – Ikko wondered how Preternatural Street seemed to just keep going – he spied a familiar menu on Nori's phone.

"Is there a new gacha?" Ikko found himself asking. Nori flinched, like the word 'gacha' were a white-hot poker Ikko brandished his way. He apologised. "Sorry, sorry! It's just – I haven't played since my phone broke… Can I see?"

He may as well have been an oncoming truck, for all the surprise Nori showed in the face of Ikko's curiosity. "Sure," he mumbled, turning the screen so Ikko could better see. He huddled close, "You play?"

"I did…" Ikko tentatively reached out to swipe the phone, checking the new gachas. "There's only a day left on that one. Man…"

Nori continued to stare as Ikko pulled back to check the envelope with his money in. When he asked what it was, Ikko explained, adding, "I've got no idea where to start looking. I had that old phone for years, and I've not had a chance to do any research…"

"Get mine," Nori answered, showing Ikko the model number on the back, "It's a year old. You could get it pretty cheap, if you know where to look. Runs most games pretty well."

"Huh." Ikko examined the phone. For the first time, hidden mostly by his thick, black hair, he saw Nori's mouth twitch up at the corners.

"Want to try a few stages?"

He felt a surge of gratitude as Nori proffered his phone, eagerly taking it with a rushed word of thanks. He hadn't played in ages, and to be connected now on the pretence of a technical demo only increased his excitement. It was such that he barely noticed Naoko and Sasahara calling for his attention; only a light tap from Nori brought him back. Smiling, thanking him again, they returned to the main street.

"What were you smirking at?" Sasahara asked. Their formation changed slightly as she pulled him to the front with conversation.

"Oh, uh-" Ikko cast an eye back to the rest of the group, "Nori was recommending phones. I think I know which one I want."

"Is that right?" She arched her eyebrows, appraising. "From what Naoko tells me, it's not every day that he opens up."

"Well, we play the same games, so…" he trailed off. Sasahara smiled.

"Good – that's good. I was wondering when I'd see you smile."

"What?"

"You've had this," she pulled a face, frown deep and brow knitted, "Slapped on your face ever since you got here. Are you worried about Tayama?"

"No." He replied immediately. "Why should I be?"

"Hm… No, I guess you wouldn't be. Sorry."

"She," he looked around, then lowered his voice, "She fed on me. What am I supposed to do, forgive her?"

Sasahara tipped her head to one side, thoughtful. She untied her hair as they walked, letting it flow like chocolate ribbons. "For a… y'know." She mouthed the word 'human'. "It must be pretty black and white, but for us it's different. Some monsters just feed. I never considered that – I mean, the only other human I know who's been fed on is pretty chill about it."

"You know someone else?"

"Yeah," she shrugged, "Tsukune. His girlfriend, Moka, was on the Notables list."

"Moka?"

"Moka Akashiya. She's a grad."

He vaguely remembered a pretty girl holding the unremarkable Tsukune's hand. "She fed on him? And he was okay with it?"

"She did – does, even. I think. They've been doing it for years."

The idea of allowing Tayama to suck out portions of his soul on tap made him shudder uncomfortably. "I don't get it. I couldn't."

"I suppose you'd have to ask him to get it, but he is." Sasahara shrugged again. "Anyway – I'm glad you're moving on, in some way. Finding new friends. Mizore was worried."

"She was?" Ikko span, walking backwards for a moment. He spied Mizore still scowling at her phone.

"Yeah – she was the one who got Ruby to bring you out. Said you'd been cooped up long enough."

He spun back around. Realising what Sasahara's familiarity meant, he asked the question before it registered in his social conscious. "What happened between Tsukune and Mizore?"

She laughed, step faltering. "Straight to the point, huh? You noticed?"

"It's not exactly subtle."

"You're not wrong." She continued to laugh through her words. The Street came to a slow end, stores becoming sparser, the cobbled path giving more to Yokai Academy's wasteland. "It's not my place to say – and I sincerely don't recommend you asking Mizore that, either. But if you figured out what's there, it shouldn't be too hard to figure out what caused it."

Ikko listened carefully, trying to pick apart her words. The group veered off to the left, towards a tech store at the very end of the street. Glass cabinets lined with phones of every shape and size – even a few flip-phones, the kind Ikko had only seen in older films. He hastened away from the group and immediately began searching for Nori's model, scanning price tags and stands until he found it.

It didn't take long. One seemed to magically appear in his periphery as he searched, and when Nori caught up Ikko had already made his way inside to purchase it. Within ten minutes, he had a phone and a SIM, and powered it on with a gleeful sigh. "I've missed this…"

Naoko beamed. Nori nodded – Sasahara looked down the street. "We should probably make our way back before it gets too late in the day. All this walking's worn me out…"

Ikko readily agreed, too happy with his purchase to care much for anything else. He flicked quickly through the settings, logged into his profile, and was just about to install his selection of games when – crash.

The phone nearly flew from his hand. He staggered backwards, laughing at himself for walking into what seemed to be a wall in the very middle of the street. "Ikko!" Mizore shouted.

"I'm fine!" he called back, looking up. He saw a white shirt, and began apologising to whomever he'd mistaken for a wall. "Sorry, I didn't see where I was-"

The man's face swam into vision. A giant of a man, with arms as thick as Ikko was wide. He'd barely moved, barely registered that Ikko had collided with him – in face, it seemed like Ikko drawing attention to it was the first he heard of the incident, for he looked down at the tinier man with a grunt. "Akada."

"Akada?" Rang a voice from behind the great trunk. Ikko started. He recognised that voice.

He stared, a horrid chill twisting around his spine as Masumi Yakumaru poked his head out from behind his friend.