The rest of the day dragged. Sat in his room by himself, Ikko checked his phone for the umpteenth time.

No messages. No notifications. He'd depleted his stamina on the mobile games, and that left only his console. He looked at it, for the first time feeling that it wasn't enough. He pined for company, a revelation which shocked him worse than his first days at Yokai.

He sent a quick message to Su, asking if she had any news from Gin, then stowed his phone and picked up his controller. He had grown so use to Ruby on the other side of the door, or Mizore in his room, that he'd forgotten what it was like to be by himself. As he booted up and started to play, Su's response came; nothing yet. His frown worsened, but expecting no more of the day, he allowed himself to double down and lose himself in the game for the rest of the night. Ikko felt himself relax as the minutes ticked by, as if part of him was recharging. He hadn't realised how worn down he felt, having to spend all day, every day in the company of others. Not since Kia had he owned a moment to himself that wasn't spent sleeping.

Kia… his memories of her rose unbidden, uninvited. He stamped them down, unwilling to face the betrayal of his supposed best friend. To feed on him like that, to tear apart his soul – and yet, she hadn't meant it. Had she? He remembered her tears, her worry; or had that been because he had passed out? Had she feared that, in her indulgence, she'd killed? If banishment awaited assault on a student, what awaited the murder of one?

Ikko stared at the screen, his mind torn away from the action. He paused, sighing, and reached for his phone again. Maybe a quick text, a momentary connection, would raise his spirits. This time, he picked Mizore. "How was your exam? Are we on for tomorrow?" he typed.

This time, Su's voice floated up from the back of his mind. "Ikko Akada. You don't have a date, do you?"

His cheeks caught fire. He mashed send before nerves got the better of him and tried to go back to his game. Logically, he understood that this was not a date – that it could never be a date – and yet her teasing primed him for embarrassment. They were a guy and a girl going out to spend time together, alone. From that perspective, excluding all other things, it could be construed as a date.

He shook his head so hard it hurt his neck, trying to cast off the idea. "It's not!" he said aloud, before casting about to make sure Mizore was not perched on his bed or climbing through the window, as was her stealthy wont. It could not be a date. Besides, she wasn't even that… that what? Cute? Ikko thoughts lapsed. He tried to see that, but knew he would be lying to himself if he believed, for a moment, that Mizore wasn't cute. Her way of seeming perfectly dishevelled, always slightly aloof but quick to draw close with a short laugh or the flash of smile…

"What am I thinking?" he sighed, staring hopelessly at the pause screen. He tossed his controller down and dove onto the bed, groaning into the pillow.

He decided to never tell Su about his plans again. After ten solid minutes spent glaring at his phone, begging Mizore to respond so he could get this damn idea out of his head, Ikko conceded and tried to sleep.

Ikko sat at the bottom step of the dormitory step, yawning. Two A.M. ran screaming past before sleep decided to settle on him, leaving him exhausted, drained, and ready for the day to be over before it began.

Mizore's text served as his alarm clock that morning, telling him where and when to meet. He had stumbled to the where, and awaited the when with bleary eyes, dressed in a t-shirt, jeans, and a light jacket. He tugged at his shoelaces, slumping over his knees. Another yawn.

"You look terrible."

He yelped, jumping into his feet. Mizore poked her head through the door, looking past him and up the stairs. She gestured for him to follow, beckoning sharply. Ikko quickstepped out of the dorms, hooking immediately to the right. "Why are we hiding?" he whispered.

"Student and teacher meeting at the dorms?" Mizore retorted, "Come on, Ikko. People will talk."

"Oh. Right."

He stepped back, rubbing his eye. He had only seen her out of her smart-casual teacher's attire once before, at the Writing Club's first meet of Golden Week. Then, it looked like she had picked clothes based on what she could reach at the moment of her decision. Now she wore black tights, an oversized blue shirt that served double duty as a skirt, and a long-sleeved black jacket. Were it not for the same messy blue hair falling over her shoulders, and the signature lollipop sticking out of her mouth, Ikko could have easily mistook her for another student. "Ikko." Mizore said, in a tone just short of snapped fingers. He jolted to attention. "You okay? You look dead on your feet."

"Yeah. Yeah, uh – I didn't sleep well." He left out why.

"We can grab a coffee when we're in."

"Where are we going?"

"Tokyo." Mizore answered, starting to walk. "You said you wanted a city."

"How far are we from Tokyo?" Ikko asked, matching her pace. They turned left, towards the cliffside where the school minibus had dropped him off once upon a time, and to his surprise he saw it parked, waiting. "How far is Yokai from, well, anything? It's a few hours from both our places, if it picked us up."

Mizore grinned. She offered him a lollipop. "Our school buses have a bit of an edge over the regular kind. Technically speaking, Yokai isn't close to anything."

Ikko grunted, drawing out a laugh. "Yokai exists in a place called the Borderlands. Think of it like… a world just outside the regular world."

"Excuse me?"

"They're places that are magically protected to keep out humans, or any outsiders really." Mizore gestured to the ever-grim sky above them. "This weather's part of the effect of the barrier protecting Yokai and Preternatural Street. It's regulated so any monsters that require specific climes – for example, Yuki-onna." She gestured to herself. "Won't suffer."

"When you say protecting…" Ikko looked skywards.

"I mean that unless you know how to get in, you can't. The school bus is the only way into Yokai Academy. You have to be on it. It stops a stray human waltzing in and discovering that monsters exist. Well, it's supposed to do that." She shot him a wry smirk. "Obviously the Headmaster has a habit of sneaking them in occasionally."

Ikko tried to estimate how large the barrier must be to protect the whole of Yokai Academy, the dorms, and the expansive Preternatural Street. His mind just about broke with the effort. "Just what is the Headmaster, anyway?"

"That is a very good question. To answer the original question." Mizore pointed to the bus as they neared it. Ikko looked back to the cliff. The trek exhausted him originally; now he made it without so much as a bead of sweat. "These buses can go anywhere there's tunnels."

"Seriously?"

"Considering that my home exists in a completely different part of the Borderlands, and you lived out in the human world – yes. Anywhere there's tunnels. Tokyo is as far away from Yokai Academy as Paris is."

"That's madness." Ikko boggled.

The doors hissed as they opened, revealing a familiar cigar-smoking bus driver. "Hey there, sonny."

"You!"

"Me," He growled, wafting his cigar, "How's Yokai treating you?"

"I- well, it's, uh…" Ikko babbled. "I haven't died yet."

"Not for its lack of trying, eh?" He replied, chortling. "All aboard, kids. We've got places to be."

Still reeling from Mizore's nonchalant explanation of the existence of what could only be teleportation magic, Ikko followed her dumbly to the very back of the bus. He thought, perhaps, that he might wake in bed, and that this would all be a dream. Then the doors shut and the bus gave an almighty lurch, knocking him off-balance and into one of the steel bars for gripping, and he concluded that if there was a time to wake, it would be now.

"Ikko!" Mizore kneeled to help him stand. "You okay?"

"Mm…" His forehead throbbed. Wincing, scrunching his eyes shut with the pain, Ikko allowed himself to be sat down at a window seat. He felt cool pressure applied to the area. "Ow."

"That was a nasty knock. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"What's your name?"

"Eh?"

"What's your name?"

"Ikko."

"Ikko what?"

"Ikko Akada- Mizore, I'm fine. No concussion."

"I'd be a lousy guardian if I didn't make sure."

He sucked in a breath. The rolling, undulating trundle of wheels on dirt gave way to smoother tarmac. Ikko opened one eye, coming face to face with Mizore. She loomed close, icy hand pressed against his forehead.

"Wuh-what are you doing?"

"I didn't pack anything for head trauma." She said, simple. He smelled the cool mint of her breath. He yanked away, nearly hitting the window in the violence of the move.

"Really! I'm fine. I am. It'll take more than that to put me down."

She frowned, sceptical, but withdrew her hand and turned to face the front. "Are you sure you're up for this?" she asked.

"Yeah…?"

"You've had no sleep and a trip." Mizore pressed. "If you don't want to do this – if you'd rather go back and get some rest-"

"I'm fine." Ikko snapped. Her fretting quickly wore on his misgivings about being babysat.

Her gaze dipped. "Alright."

An uncomfortable, leaden silence pressed down on them, lowering Ikko's eyes to the floor. He cleared his throat and tried a change of tact. "How… how was your exam? You never told me."

Mizore groaned, slumping forward. She rested her forehead on the seat in front. "Awfully. Absolutely awfully."

"Did you fail?" Ikko asked.

"I've not had the marks yet, but it was awful! Everything I studied for, all that junk I crammed into my head, it flew out the other ear as soon as I wrote my name down. It's a miracle I answered every question."

"Huh." He frowned, rubbing his head where the bar had struck it. He tried to keep the wince out of her line of sight. "Well, I've- I've always found that exams I hated doing I tended to pass, so maybe it's that?"

"God, I hope so," she mumbled, "I can't lose this job. Mom would kill me."

"Is she tough on you?"

"No. She doesn't like the fact that I've spent a whole year 'wasting away' at hers." Mizore pushed off the seat, sitting up straight. She pushed a hand through her tangle of hair, heaving a sigh. "She wants me to get back out there, and this job was my chance."

They were momentarily plunged into darkness as the bus shot into the tunnel that, if Mizore was to be believed, connected them to the rest of the human world. Grubby lights sputtered into life, casting them both into a hazy orange. Grasping feebly for anything that might be a comfort, Ikko spoke. "Well, you're a good teacher. Surely your experience counts for something?"

"You're just saying that."

"I'm not!" Ikko urged, forcing a smile. "You're a good teacher, Mizore. I've learned loads – and not just because I don't know the first thing about the world of monsters."

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. The corner of her mouth twitched upwards. "I'll take your word for it."

"I bet you've passed." He continued. "Bet anything you've passed."

"Careful." Mizore grinned properly. "Don't gamble what you can't afford."

"But it's a safe bet!"

"I shouldn't be encouraging my student to gamble." This laugh, they shared. Normality restored itself.

Ikko looked about, the permeating dark making it very difficult to track their progress through the tunnel. Stranger still, there were no lights for the road ahead. "How far is it to go?"

"Not far." Mizore shrugged. She turned towards him, bringing her legs up into an awkward cross. "Hey, Ikko. I've got a favour to ask."

"Sure."

"We're taking a day away from the world of monsters for you," she began, looking to her lap, "Would you mind if we did the same for the world of teaching?"

"I don't follow."

"I mean-" she huffed, "Can we drop the teacher and student stuff? Forget all about Yokai – can we just be friends today? Every time I think about it, I feel like I'm about to freak out."

"Oh. Er…" Ikko frowned.

"It's okay if you don't want to. I get it's… hard to see me as anything but a teacher, all things considered."

Her eyes dropped to the space between them. She worried the hem of her shirt dress, and her hair fell in a curtain over her eyes, making her expression unreadable. Ikko's heart faltered, and before he could think better of it, he found himself assuaging her despondency. "Sure! It's no problem at all. We're just avoiding school talk, right?" He chuckled shakily. "Not too hard to do. I don't want to think about what I'm going back to do after today."

She smiled up at him. Then she put out her hand, proffering it. "Then it's nice to meet you, Ikko."

"Eh?"

"Go on," she rolled her eyes, "Just play along."

He took her hand. "N-nice to meet you, Mizore."

A full smile spread across her face, lighting up every corner. She gave his hand a reaffirming squeeze – she even sat up straighter, as if the charade lifted a great weight from her back. Ikko pulled away, matching it only nervously, folding over himself as he returned to staring out the window. His thoughts yet dwelled on Su's teasing, and thus far Mizore's behaviour had done nothing to dissuade him. Dread mounted as he worried that his return to the human world wouldn't be a normal as he was hoping.

The bus gave another unsteady lurch. Ikko yelped as they were suddenly surrounded by cars, honking and blaring surprise. The driver swerved dangerously into a nearby bus stop, braking harshly. Ikko braced, bouncing off the rail this time. "He does know how to drive, right?" he spluttered, looking fearfully towards Mizore. She was already standing, peering out the window with an expression that suggested preparation.

"Probably. C'mon! You want breakfast, right?"

"Breakfast?" Ikko's stomach growled at the word. He realised he hadn't eaten. "Will there be coffee?"

"Su?" Ruby called, poking her head through the Writing Club's door. "You in here?"

Su looked up from her laptop, unplugging her headphones. Nori and Naoko were away – she had given them the day off from club activities, given Ikko's absence. She smiled at the witch, beckoning. "Ruby! How are you?"

She gave Su a quick hug, joining her at the table. "You haven't seen Mizore today, have you? I haven't seen her since she went into her exam."

Su closed the lid of her laptop, blocking the email she had been reading from view. She scribbled a quick note on her pad as she answered. "Nope. I thought she was out with Ikko today?"

"Out?" Ruby asked. Su grimaced; she had expected this of their reclusive friend, and only the faintest of hopes dared her to believe her plans entirely selfless.

"She didn't tell you."

"What do you mean, 'out with Ikko'? Are they down Preternatural Street?"

Su gave her a wry look. "You wouldn't happen to have plans with the gang tonight, would you?"

"I – yes, I do. We've had this planned for ages. I set it so it would be after her exams. Why?"

"Sorry, Ruby," she sighed, "Mizore's dodged it. She's taken Ikko out to the human world for a day. I thought it was weird when he told me. It's a bit of a big thing to just spring on someone."

"She hasn't!" Ruby gasped. "Oh, that – of all the…"

Su blinked. "I don't think I've ever seen you mad."

"I'm not mad!" Her tone suggested precisely the opposite. "I'm just – just – Ooh!"

"Want me to text her?"

"No!" She yelled, mere breaths after Su finished the offer. "No, I'll deal with her. Gods be good… I thought she'd be better than this."

"Any particular reason why she's given you all the slip…?" Su probed.

"Tsukune's going to be there." Ruby frowned. "I had said it would just be the three of us – Yukari, her and I – but then Yukari blabbed and they all made time, so here we are."

"They can hardly resist a party. Hey, can I come?"

"It's off-campus." Ruby replied, regaining some of her composure. She smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Su. Rules are rules."

Su pouted, saying no more. She checked her note. "What are you gonna do?"

"She can't keep avoiding him." Ruby answered. "Not if she wants to get better…"

"That doesn't answer my question."

"I'm going to send her a text." She continued. "And she can do with it what she wants. Su, don't tell her I know, okay?"

"Not a word." Su gave a mock-salute, grinning. Ruby giggled half-heartedly before excusing herself, leaving the Satori once more to herself.

Rolling her eyes at Mizore's antics, Su returned to her email. She scribbled more down on the note, scanning it quickly. "How am I going to get that?" she murmured, "It's from years ago…"

"No Akada today?"

Su bolted from her chair so quickly that she nearly upturned her laptop. She seized the note and jammed it into her pocket, her other hand snapping into a defensive position.

Masumi Yakumaru leaned against the doorframe, brushing his fringe out of his eyes. His hollow smile locked onto Su, green eyes unblinking. "Terribly sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to startle you, President Sasahara."

"Yakumaru," Su returned, terse, "What can I do for you?"

"Absolutely nothing." Masumi opened his arms in a wide shrug, ambling into the classroom. Su lowered her arms, but kept her fists clenched. "Nothing at all. I was looking for Akada – do you know where he is?"

"No."

"No?" Masumi sneered. "My my, President. I thought you'd keep a better eye on your underclassmen than that."

"And what does that mean?"

"Only that you should care for those beneath you. Judo tells me you and he are very concerned about my girlfriend."

Su's heart leapt into her throat – as expected, Judo had gone straight to report their chat. "I don't know what you're planning," she began, but Masumi cut across her.

"Planning? You misunderstand. I just want us all to be friends! After all the work I put in to protect Akada from Tayama and her dangers. He's been very ungrateful."

"Friends?" Su scoffed, "After you've terrified him? After what you've done to Etsuko? You think we'd ever be friends with you?"

Masumi's guise flickered. His jaw clenched. For an instant, Su saw something writhe beneath his flawless, pale skin. "I know we'll be friends, President Sasahara. Everyone sees things my way – eventually."

He snapped his fingers. Su gasped as someone grabbed both her hands, locked them behind her back, and pushed her down against the table. The simple fact of Judo's weight ensured she couldn't move. She gasped. "When did you-!"

"Judo's the best in his club." Masumi gloated, strolling over to the pair. Su struggled in vain. She stamped her feet on his. Judo grunted and tightened his grip, pulling her arms up. Pain shattered her protests. "Faster than I ever was – but then again, combat's not my forte. Now."

He slammed his hand down on the table. She saw his fingers distend, sprouting thorn-like ridge. The tips sharpened to hollow points, oozing an amber nectar. Su tried once more, desperate, hopeless, to free herself – but Judo's grip held fast. She stared frantically up at her attacker, finding his grin as warped as his wretched hands. "Let's be friends," he hissed, "Shall we?"

Ikko gulped down the last of his coffee and returned with renewed vigour to attacking his breakfast. The stress of the previous day, his practically sleepless night – it all culminated in a voracious appetite. "Easy, there!" Mizore balked, hiding behind her drink, "I can't have you choking to death at the first stop."

"Shorry," he mumbled, "I'm sho hungry…"

"No kidding. You'd think we were starving back home."

His grin sheepish, Ikko calmed his pace. It hadn't taken long to locate a café, and they sat now in a booth at the very back of the establishment, huddled together away from the crowds. Despite that, Ikko's heart swelled with confidence as he knew, instinctively, that he was amongst his own kind. Every face human, every smile genuine, every appetite for normal things like bacon and eggs, not meat. "What's home like?" he asked between bites of his toast.

"My home?" Mizore confirmed, "Cold. Really cold. It's just for our kind, so we don't have to worry too much about the weather. It's always snowing."

"What happens if you get too hot?" He asked.

"We don't melt, if that's what you're thinking." Mizore answered, rolling her eyes, "But it's not good for us. We get sick."

"Must be tough."

"Not really. It's why I have these," she brandished a lollipop, "They help keep me cool."

"Oh – so when you said they help you cool off?"

"I meant literally, yeah."

Ikko laughed. He finished the last of his breakfast leaned back in the cushioned seat, smiling fondly out onto the rest of the world. "So weird…"

"What?"

"You," he started, "This – this whole world. Ever since I found out about Yok- your lot, it's been one weird discovery after another. Even if it's just another species, or finding out that the whole place is locked behind a magical barrier. It gets weirder every day."

"I suppose it does." Mizore agreed. She finished her coffee. "You get used to it, after a while. Surprises are just part of the everyday. It's also why we maintain our guises."

"I thought that was to blend in?"

"It is – but can you imagine what it would be like to have a hundred different shapes and species wandering the halls? You think culture shock's bad, imagine a monster raised exclusively with her own kind seeing so many new things on their first day. They'd run screaming or worse, kick up absolute chaos out of simple instinct."

"Mm." Ikko grimaced at the thought. "It's a shame, though, that you have to hide."

Mizore shrugged. "It was easier back in the day. Even as early as my mom's time, things weren't as strict. Then the internet happened, smart phones, social media – screw ups can't be tolerated anymore. One good photo of our kind, and the secret's out."

"No kidding. You can't blame everything on really good cosplay."

"No," she laughed, "No you cannot."

As the conversation turned again, Mizore checked her phone. Her face fell instantly, and she slammed it back into her pocket with a stifled curse. "What?" Ikko asked, startled by the abrupt change. "What?"

"Nothing." Mizore shook herself, then jumped up. "Right! Where shall we go?"

"Mizore?"

"Come on! A whole day to ourselves, and you want to spend it sat in a café? Let's go!"

She all but pulled Ikko out of his seat and led him, by the hand, out of the café. Such was her hurry that they almost forgot to pay; only Ikko wrenching his hand out of hers and hastening back to the counter spared them the ire of the staff. As he handed over the cash, he looked anxiously back towards her. Mizore stared determinedly out of the window, avoiding his eye, but he saw her fists ball and her posture stiffen. He watched her, thoughtful.

Just what had gotten into her?