Tenmei Mikogami. Headmaster.

Ikko ran his fingers over the placard adorning the man's door, a quiet contemplation filling him. How many times did this make? How often had he been called up? How often had he left feeling stunned, bewildered, adrift?

A kind of resolve filled him, along with the hopelessness that came with standing up to one so immensely powerful. He would not leave that way again.

Curling his fingers into a fist, he hit the placard. Ruby opened it on the first knock, smiling gently. "Cutting class?"

"It sounded important," Ikko replied.

"Nothing is more important than education, Mister Akada."

Mikogami's voice summoned him inside. A smirk played under the shadow of the monk's habit.

He found one in response, gesturing to the door. "I can leave—still got time to get back there if I sprint."

He laughed. "I see your wit's sharpened. One presumes it's a token of your stay at the Kawamoto Inn?"

"You don't spend a week with Morioka without learning to bite back, sir."

"Aha. A solid defence with jaws like his is a good offence."

"Not sure how I'd fare with his actual jaws."

"I wouldn't be so sure. Ruby here tells me you're making excellent progress with your barriers."

Ikko turned an eye to her. She shrugged and smiled. "It's true. We're all the way up to eleven full-strength feathers."

"Those're full strength?" he gawped.

"I was surprised too," she explained, "A straight month of non-stop training will do that. You've come on a long way."

"Far enough that she's made the recommendation for magic beyond simple barriers."

Ikko's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

Ruby nodded. "We start next week."

"I'd like to see your progress first hand if you'd be so kind, Mister Akada? Tsukune tells me you were working on a barrier to shield yourself from a monster's intent."

"I—ah, sure," Ikko frowned, "He wanted a full barrier, but that never worked. My magic was… too rigid? Is that the word? Anyway, it worked better if I just covered the senses."

"Your senses?"

"Eyes, nose, ears, hands." Ikko explained—as demonstration, a pale green light covered each. "Mouth, too. It's probably nowhere near as good as what he had in mind, but it worked with Haruhiko. Tried it with Kia and Etsuko, as well."

"With Kia?" Ruby gasped, "Ikko, you have no idea how dangerous that is!"

"I have plenty idea, actually," he returned, "Spent the first couple of tries heaving into a bucket. Just glad she didn't take it personally."

Mikogami chuckled. "Adaptable, despite your professed rigidity. Your barriers will serve you well."

Ikko released his spell, sticking his hands in his pockets. He turned his attention fully to Mikogami, latching as ever onto the words he picked. "Does this have anything to do with what I've been called up for?"

"Perceptive as ever."

He scoffed, shaking his head. "Hardly perception when you're laying out the breadcrumbs, sir. I'm just asking what you want me to ask."

Mikogami opened his steepled hands, smirk unshakeable. "Consider it passing my tests, if it makes you feel any better."

It didn't. Frowning, Ikko waited for him to continue.

"You've been keeping abreast of the news, I trust?"

"I have."

"Then you'll recall an incident at your old high school some months ago."

He pinched his brow together. "That's… the Under Moonlight article. A girl awakened in the middle of her class. Stigmata, right?"

"Quite. She's transferring into Yokai next week. Her name is Kaiyo Honoka."

Honoka… The name rang a bell. "What does this have to do with me?"

"I'd like you to help her adjust to life at Yokai."

"Wouldn't a monster be better suited for that?"

"Quite the opposite, actually."

Ikko unstuck his hands, only to cross his arms. "I'm not sure I follow."

"Your first months at Yokai have been a crash course in what to expect. You being a human has made those lessons even more important. Your vigilance, coupled with the time you've spent learning to spot and navigate more perilous circumstances, will be vital in seeing her to a safe and productive time here."

"Are the staff unavailable?"

Mikogami chuckled. "She will, of course, be appointed a guidance counsellor to ease her academic transition, but they will not be available at all hours. Lest you think our resources infinite, your arrangement with Ruby and Miss Shirayuki is the exception to this rule."

"Okay," Ikko nodded, "Is there anything else I should know?"

He paused. The headmaster's script seemed to skip, taking him time, and in those crucial seconds Ikko caught that same maddening hint again. A whiff of cigar smoke, barely perceptible. It disappeared by the time he spoke again. "Are you not going to seek your potential escape from this situation?"

He replied, "No need to. This Honoka needs help, and you think I'm the right person for it. I'm only asking if I need any more info to do this properly."

"Summer has been quite the chrysalis for you, Mister Akada. I'm impressed."

"You gave me an opportunity. I would have been a fool not to take it, sir."

A sharp intake of breath drew his gaze to Ruby, whose eyes positively shimmered with an emotion he didn't recognise. She covered her mouth, diverting her eyes when they met his.

"In terms of information," said Mikogami, "Only this; Miss Honoka has had extreme difficulty learning how to effectively deploy a Guise. Her species makes this a particular taxing endeavour."

"Why?"

"Do you know the legend of the kuchisake-onna?"

"Etsuko probably does."

"I encourage you to speak with her about it," he instructed, "Learn what you can. Regarding her Guise, mastering it will be her primary challenge, I imagine."

"Could you teach me the basics of how it works?" Ikko asked Ruby.

"Happily."

"It seems we have an accord," Mikogami announced, clapping his hands together, "Excellent. Miss Honoka will arrive this Sunday, and I would like you to meet her when she does. Would that be acceptable?"

Ikko nodded. He spoke, before he had a chance to dismiss him. "There is one thing, sir."

And there it was again. Cigar smoke, wafting through the veil of whatever illusion his scripted words constructed. "Yes?"

"When I took up the post, you mentioned I'd be 'fairly compensated'. What does that mean?"

"Money, if you wish it. Or a boon."

A boon? What a strange word. "How about a weekend in the human world?"

"Of course. Submit a request to Ruby or Miss Shirayuki and I'll have it arranged."

Easy enough. Ikko decided not to push his luck much further than that, having secured more in this meeting than he'd ever had previously. "Boon'll do, then."

"Splendid. Ruby will collect you when Miss Honoka arrives. Enjoy the rest of your day."

Ruby saw him out, her hand on his shoulders. When they were beyond the bounds of that endless corridor, out of sight of the placard, she let slip a delighted chuckle. "I'm so proud of you."

"Huh?"

She wrapped him into a tight hug, slender arms squeezing his shoulders. "You didn't even blink. Didn't try to run. Someone needs help and you're just… here."

"You make it sound a lot worse than it is. It's not like I didn't have a good reason to be cautious."

"Of course not! But you've grown…" Ruby left one hand on his arm as she drew back. "We'll need to get started on your study of Guises. I imagine your request for travel will come through someone else?"

"You'd be imagining correctly." Ikko laughed. "Though, if you wanted to come to the human world…?"

"Oh, no. No, I'm perfectly fine here. Don't let me get in the way."

He smiled, reaching to touch her arm. "We'll start in G.T. tomorrow?"

"Of course. Don't forget to speak to Etsuko."

He left her, reaching for his phone as he headed for the stairs. He shot a quick text off before making any proper headway towards the academy.

Ikko left Etsuko and Kia as they departed for Preternatural Street, heading for his dorm room. A small stack of books loaned from the library, Etsuko's recommendations, jostled in his bag and made it an unwieldy trip.

He practically skipped up the last flight, his body recovered from the exhaustion of the morning. A month of using these flights to fit in some extra training made them no worse than a light jog.

Coming out onto the landing, he heard music playing from Judo's room. Ikko nodded to himself, rounding on his door and nudging it open.

Lights off, curtains drawn. This would have surprised him, once upon a time, but no more. Smiling, he closed the door silently behind him and left his bag pressed against it. He stood on the heel of one shoe, slipping out of it, and then the other, nudging them to the side. Walking past the light switch, he rounded the tiny entranceway and glanced at the bed.

"You're getting very presumptuous."

Ikko leaned on the wall next to the bed. Mizore's face was the only bright thing in the room, staring into her phone. "I am?"

"'Thinking of stealing some time tonight.'" She recited. "Not 'Wanna steal some time', not, 'Would it be alright if I stole some time'… nope. 'Thinking of stealing some time tonight.' What if I had plans?"

"Did you?"

She huffed. "As a matter of fact, I did."

"My bad. Did you have something with Ruby?"

Mizore locked her phone, shifting from the bed to set it on the desk. "Nope."

"Then…?" Ikko pushed off the wall.

"I wanted to steal some time."

She took his hand and they embraced, kissing gently. Ikko's smile carried into the motion, curling against her lips. "Sorry for ruining it."

"Don't get into the habit."

"I'll try my best."

They embraced more tightly, her arms around his waist, foreheads touching. "Hungry?" Ikko prompted.

"Starving. Where are the girls?"

"Street. I'll whip something up."

"Mm, don't worry. Check your desk."

Fumbling in the dark, Ikko came across two plastic shells. He hit the light, revealing them to be two sushi boxes. "Nice."

They sat together on the bed, eating contentedly. Ikko fed the occasional grain of rice or scrap of fish to White, watching her leap to catch it from her spot on his games console. "This feels so normal."

"Boring?"

"Didn't say that. Just… normal."

"Speaking of normal, what's this about you skipping class?"

Ikko relayed the news about Honoka.

She took a break between bites, leaning into his shoulder. "Another transfer?" she mused, "And she's having trouble with her Guise. It's gonna be tough."

"Yeah. I'm gonna need all the help I can get."

"You've got it."

"I know."

"What happened to keeping this work outside of term time?"

"Well, for starters, we knew each other before Yokai," he said, and shrugged, "I'm guessing he wants to use that."

"You did?"

"She was at my high school. We spoke a couple of times, and that's about it."

"She cute?"

"I—" he frowned. "I honestly can't remember."

"Oh, is this the one you told me about?"

Ikko nodded. "It wasn't all about work, though." He rolled his shoulder, prompting her to sit up from their cuddle. "I got a boon from the headmaster."

"A boon?"

"That's what he called it. I asked about what 'fair compensation' meant for this work, and for summer."

"And…?"

"You wanna steal a weekend away in the human world with me?"

Mizore's eyebrows arched. "This weekend?"

"No no, just a weekend. In general."

"He approved that?"

"Yep."

"Wow. Alright, let's find a quiet one and pick a spot—no cities this time. Spring was bad enough; I don't wanna deal with a summer in Tokyo if I don't have to."

"Why don't we start looking?"

Charged by the news, they spent the rest of the night picking out potential locations; easy when one had normal transport, much more difficult when one could feasibly visit anywhere in the world.

Though his focus remained largely on the search, he was distracted occasionally by texts from his friends. Summer had been easy enough to wrangle, as all three of them were too tired by the end of the day to care where Ikko wanted to go. Him returning to his room was just part of the routine, and who waited for him there wasn't worth questioning. Now, though, he realised he would have to balance his time up here with nights spent socialising. Judo's sudden stoic presence outside added to the weight of that need to maintain the secret, pressing down on his lungs and squeezing a sigh out of him.

"You okay?" Mizore asked, looking up from her phone.

He tried to sound reassuring. "Yeah. Yeah, just tired."

"It is late… I should probably head back."

She extracted herself from their curled embrace and slipped off the bed, making for the window. The sight of her back twisted the core of him up into a knot, making him stand too. She peeled the curtain back, reaching for the latch. "Mizore?"

"Yeah?"

She turned around, leaning back against the windowsill. Ikko fidgeted, looking at anything but her. "You, uh… you wanna stay the night?"

Even shadowed by the bare light above them, he made out the blush that coloured her cheeks. "I could," she ventured, "So long as you don't mind me sneaking off at stupid o'clock to get back to my room before work."

"N-not at all," he blurted, "If you want to. You don't have to."

"Of course I want to." She took a step away from the window. "Making sure, is all. You mind if I wash?"

She gestured to the bathroom. Ikko stepped aside, letting her past, then made a show of tidying the room up. The shower began to hiss.

He binned the boxes, and returned to the middle of the room. Unsure of what to do next, he found himself rooted to the spot, twisting around to find something, anything, to distract him from the noise.

White stared up at him, her unblinking stare strangely judgemental. "None of that," he frowned, pointing at her, "You go to sleep."

Affronted by the accusation, she turned to face the wall, folding her legs underneath her. Ikko patted her head.

He ran through his options. Get ready and wait for her in bed? Would that be too much? What about turning the light off? Should he have done something less? Something more? What would she be sleeping in?

When she finally poked her head out of the bathroom, Ikko was perched on his desk, fully clothed, scrolling endlessly without stopping on any particular post. "Can—"

"Ah!" He jolted from his seat. "Yes? Yep? You alright?"

Mizore laughed. "I need one of your t-shirts."

He stared, head blank. "Why?"

"To sleep in…?"

"Oh. Oh! Right, sure, uh…" He fumbled around, pulling the first top he could out of his drawers and throwing it her way.

"You normally sleep like that?" she asked.

"N-no. Yes. No. Um… like what?"

She grinned. "Just get ready. I'll be out in a sec."

Face burning, ears alight and eyes wide, Ikko did as bade. He pulled his shirt and jeans off, hit the light, and lay stiffly in the middle of the bed, arms pinned to his sides. Pressure at the back of his head told him he hadn't untied his hair, so he sat back up to do that, heaving a sigh and an intoned curse. "Stupid…"

"Are you?"

Ikko raked his hair to one side, looking up at Mizore. She pulled the hem of the t-shirt down, not quite long enough to cover her legs. The motion pulled his eyes down, distracting him enough to make him forget the question. "Maybe."

"I'd say I've never seen you this nervous, but that would be a lie."

He laughed a singular laugh. "I told you, I don't know how to do this."

"You've just spent a whole week sharing a bedroom." Her smile crept up her lips.

"You're counting the week I spent with Gin's foot stink and Haiji's snoring as experience?"

"You don't?"

"Only—wait, you're not saying you snore?"

Her composure slipped. She gripped the hem of her shirt, stumbling over her next words. "I—no! I don't!"

"Maybe I should ask Ruby?"

She huffed. "Go ahead. She won't tell you."

"You made her promise not to say?"

"She won't tell you because I don't snore!" Flustered, Mizore's voice swelled. Ikko laughed. "Now shift over before I change my mind."

He moved right up against the wall, plain painted stone cool against his back. She shuffled in, facing him but keeping her head down. In the dark, he couldn't make out her expression. "Too much?" he ventured in a gentle voice, keeping his arms close to his sides for the moment.

"No." She replied. He could hear the pouting.

"I'm sorry."

"What for?"

He shifted one arm from out of the covers. As he had practised so many times before, he reached into the well of his magic and pushed it outwards, out from the core of his body, up into his shoulder, down through the veins of his arm, then finally to the very tips of his fingers. With a gentle push, he breathed it out into the air.

A tiny light warmed the air above them, revealing their faces. He saw Mizore, cheeks flushed, eyes sulking but soon guided up to the light. Wonder cleansed her expression. "Where'd you learn that?"

"Watching Ruby. I'm never gonna be as good as her, but I've learned a couple of decent party tricks."

"Never say never," she whispered, "What were you sorry for?"

"Making you pull that face," Ikko murmured, "I had to see it to be sure."

She turned back to him. "You better be."

"I'll make it up to you."

"Yeah?"

Ikko nudged forward. He released his grip on the spell, and as the warm glow faded from half-light to full darkness, he moved back under the covers and hooked one arm around her waist. "I'm gonna try, anyway."

She edged towards him. Their senses filled with each other, breath inmixed with breath, fingers entwining with fingers. What little light remained conjured silhouettes in their eyes.

A sound danced over Ikko's ears. "We're supposed to be sleeping."

"I only asked you to stay the night."

"For a guy who says they don't know what they're doing, you sound very sure of yourself."

"I'm trying to sound confident. Plus…"

They lingered mere millimetres from each other now, each word caressing the other's lips. "Plus…?"

"I know what I want."

They brushed together, touching with barely restrained urgency. Fingers curled tighter. Breaths sharpened. By the time they surfaced from the heady exchange, the covers were a distant memory, and her hand quivered on his chest. Ikko stared up at her, eyes alight, heart thumping against his ribcage. Despite every spark that danced between them, her skin kept to its usual cool, stinging almost cold against his flesh.

"Ikko?" Mizore whispered. She sensed the tension before it jolted through him, freezing him up. Every neuron in his body turned to ice, stopping his breath short. A bolt of cold pierced his mind, lancing up from the buried corners of his memory.

"I—" he gasped, the air catching in a closing throat, "I can't—"

She climbed off him and scrambled to punch the light. She helped him sit, her hand at the nape of his neck. "Deep breaths. Deep breaths."

Constant, steady assurances began to seep into his breathing, slowing it down. His heart, thumping once with excitement and now hammering with primal fear, eased. Ikko anchored himself to her words, counting the seconds.

Silence returned to the room, and he finally found the composure to look at her. "Sorry," he croaked, "Sorry, I…"

She stroked the back of his neck with her thumb, taking his hand. "You haven't done anything wrong."

He shook his head, dislodging his hair. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't," she assured, "Don't worry about me, Ikko. I'm here."

He took a long, shuddering inhale.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" she asked, in a quiet voice.

The explanation didn't want to come, but he fought to force it through. Even talking about it returned the tension to his body. "I, uh… it wasn't anything you did. It's all up here." He rapped his free hand against his skull. "Everything was good. Great. But—but then I was back here, with Kia. Asleep as she… she fed on me."

Some of the tension in his body sparked in Mizore's. She gripped his hand just a little tighter. "Do you need some space?" she asked.

"No! No…" Ikko blurted. "Stay. Sorry, please, just…"

"Okay." Mizore nodded. "I'm staying."

Slowly, carefully, they returned to bed. Leaving the light on, Mizore joined him, and they settled together, her arms wrapped softly around him. Ikko curled, his head buried into her chest. He gripped the folds of her borrowed t-shirt, closed his eyes, and waited for sleep to claim him.