Kurono Kurumu stood with her classmates in the auditorium of Yokai Academy. The succubus had her arctic blue tresses held back in an updo by a purple lace ribbon. She still had to use an illusion to add some length to her hair but she hoped that by spring this would no longer be necessary.
As this was an official assembly this Friday morning, Kurumu was dressed in acceptable school attire. A beige, sweater vest was pulled over her long sleeved, white blouse. The short, pleated school skirt that most girls wore had a tartan pattern of different shades of brown.
Only socks graced her feet, having left her Mary Janes in her shoe cubby. Most students had lost their school slippers in the chaos caused by Lilith's Mirror on the last day of the cultural festival. She had not seen this auditorium without partitions and desks since the Monday morning assembly kicking off the belated start of the third term almost two weeks ago.
Genzouyaki Nerume stood on her right. The kirin from Kaigan of the Akita prefecture was one of the few girls at Yokai whom was shorter than Kurumu. Her ebony hair was pulled into an offside ponytail favoring her left side. Like most girls, she wore the green school jacket with a red bow fixed below the flaps of the collar of her white blouse. She had transferred into Kurumu's class after the cultural festival.
Unari Satsuki was next in this line of girls from first year class two. The nekomusume had attended the same junior high as Nerume but had come to Yokai Academy since her Aunt was a teacher here. Satsuki had short, sienna locks. The two tufts at the side of her head were actually her ears.
Satsuki was sporting the black uniform of the PSC. The short sleeved, high collar jacket had a silver zipper coming down the center of the collar before cutting to the side above her subtle bosom. Three rows of decorative buttons marked the front. Not caring for skirts, Satsuki had on a pair of black slacks.
Hineri Kumiko stood on Satsuki's right. The sister of the former leader of the PSC wore her PSC jacket with a black skirt. The jorougumo had chin length plum locks. She hailed from Aranoiji of the Myoko region in Niigata prefecture. Yokai Academy was the prefectural school of Niigata.
The last girl in this row beside Kumiko was Sendou Yukari. The eleven year old witch had become their class representative after summer break. Her parents lived in Oguni of the Yamagata prefecture but her mother was a Yokai Academy graduate just like Kurumu's mother. The dark haired witch was wearing the green school jacket and red bow.
Their homeroom teacher, Mrs. Sunao, stood beside Yukari. The diminutive teacher had her ashen gray tresses swirled up in twin buns that were held in place with gold and black needles. Their language arts teacher was wearing a textured gray blazer over a periwinkle blouse with a glossy black, pencil skirt. An empty aisle to the right of Mrs. Sunao divided the first years from the second years.
The brunette on Kurumu's left was Morisato Juri. The sprite had attended junior high in Kabashita of the Ojiya region with several girls in the choir. Juri's home was in Okataiyou of the Uonuma area.
The next two girls down this line were from Aranoiji. The taller, more buxom girl beside Juri was Hazumi Furiko. The gyokuto from the track team kept her charcoal locks short. The tanuki with her glossy black hair styled up in pigtail horns was Madosuki Yasuko.
The final girl of Kurumu's homeroom was Endo Eriko. The brunette lived in the human city of Shibata. But due to issues of keeping her neck a normal length, the rokurokubi had attended the junior high in Ashikantai with Senyou Nobuyuki, one of the guys from their class.
Senyou was lined up with the other guys of first year class two. The okami with shaggy, short charcoal locks stood behind Satsuki and was between Abe Hizume and Hisakata Unkei. But Kurumu's attention was presently on those gathered upon the stage.
Or at least she was trying to see them. Kurumu was short and the guys from first year class one standing in front of her were blocking her view. While the massive Gorimatsu stood in front of Juri and the shaggy haired Tanimoto was favoring his left leg, getting a clean view around Tatakai was not easy. The bald tengu standing in front of Nerume was at least a dozen centimeters taller than Kurumu.
It did not help that a tall girl was in the way of her diagonal line of sight. Kakeru Chisa stood in front of Aida, one of the nondescript guys of class one. Kakeru was Nerume's childhood friend, hailing from a small village in the Mogami district of the Yamagata prefecture. The kirin's silver hair was styled short in a pixie cut but she had a long swath of silvery hair coming down from the nape of her neck.
Kakeru was between Masataka Midori and Bikiyama Nozomi. The greenish blond haired Masataka on the right was from Umishiro, a community that was almost exclusively undines. Nozomi had peppered black locks which curled at her shoulders. The okami was from Morihochou near the Tokamachi area and had joined the track team with Kakeru and Hazumi.
The girl standing in front of Tanimoto was Shindou Asuka, another member of the track team. The raiji was from Yuusei of the Iwate prefecture but had come here under the premise of finding a husband. She was more interested in finding a boyfriend for Taijin Yuu, her childhood friend in class four. As Taijin was a giantess, she would not have been allowed to attend Terasu Institute, the prefectural school of Iwate.
"I believe we are ready to begin."
Kurumu sighed at Lord Sendou's voice. Yukari's grandfather, Sendou Seitou, was the new headmaster at Yokai Academy. The former science teacher had officially taken over at the start of the new year. Kurumu could sort of see the podium in the front center of the stage. If only Kakeru and Asuka had stood where they normally did. Kakeru was the tallest first year girl, beating Taijin by at least two centimeters.
"I would first like to acknowledge the return of Ms. Shuzen Kuzu. Ms. Shuzen will resume her duties as homeroom teacher for first year class three and first year math instructor next week."
Kurumu reflexively glanced to her right. The teacher in question had her ebony hair pulled back in a high ponytail and was wearing a black jacket over a crimson blouse with black slacks. The vampire stood next to Asakira Yume, the representative for class one. The salamander from Moegara had fiery orange curls touching her shoulders. She was part of Kokoa's fencing club.
"Thank you, Mrs. Itou, for handling Ms. Shuzen's class these last two weeks."
There was a brief round of applause, drawing Kurumu's attention back to the stage. While her view of Lord Sendou was obstructed, she could see some people gathered on the stage. She recognized Mrs. Meirowasa whom was garbed in a simple white blouse and brown skirt. The woman was the mother of Tokori, a local girl in Kurumu's home economics class. The monstrel had joined the PSC on a defiant whim and was most likely with the other girls from first year class five.
"I would like to officially introduce Mrs. Meirowasa Naru, whom has been assisting Ms. Tsumugi with the health and wellness elective. She will officially take over that class on Monday."
As the crowd answered the announcement with polite applause, Kurumu noted the other three standing with Mrs. Meirowasa. The woman with the dark hair hiding her eyes was probably the Ms. Suda she had heard about from her friends in the art program. The young woman was sporting a short sleeved, yellow frock with white dots. Ms. Suda was the sister of the guy whom was taking over the origami club.
"We also have three new faces in the faculty. The first is Ms. Suda Tomi, whom has been assisting Ms. Sano with the art elective. Ms. Suda is a Yokai Academy graduate and shall officially take over the art elective next school year."
It was unclear as to why Ms. Ishigami would not return, but Kurumu did not question it. The former art instructor had been raped during the Lilith's Mirror chaos the week before she would have resumed her post. The young woman taking her place had graduated from Yokai Academy in 2004.
"The next is Mr. Yuutan Houbi, another Yokai Academy graduate. He will be taking over the first year gym duties that Mr. Hirata has been covering ever since Mr. Kotsubo's resignation. Mr. Yuutan will also be the new coach for the soccer team."
Kurumu guessed that the more casually dressed of the two men had to be Mr. Yuutan. He had scruffy, black hair and was sporting a black polo with khaki pants. He looked like the sort of person Mr. Hirata would recommend for the position.
"And the last is Mr. Yokei Shinsei."
The other man nodded at Lord Sendou's introduction. He had his dark locks styled carefully in a middle part. He was wearing a navy suit over a white dress shirt. He had black slacks and a matching tie.
"I have had the pleasure of working with both Mr. Yokei and his father whom retired back in 83. Both Mr. Yokei and Mr. Yuutan graduated in 89. Mr. Yokei was hired on as a second year science teacher back in the expansion of 94 but had to leave for personal reasons. We are glad to have him back."
Kurumu frowned. She thought that one of the new teachers starting in the spring would take Ms. Rin's biology class which Ms. Tsumugi was currently covering.
"Mr. Yokei will be taking over Ms. Huang's chemistry class for now. As fun as it has been for me to have students once again, I do have other duties to attend to as your headmaster."
Kurumu glanced at Yukari, wondering if the witch knew anything about this. While it made sense to hire Mr. Yokei immediately to spare Lord Sendou the hassle of teaching a class, it left Kurumu wondering if they were bringing in that new science teacher. Surely Ms. Huang Ling and her brother, Fang, would return to Yokai Academy once his honeymoon was over.
"With introductions out of the way, we can move on to the announcements. The barricades preventing access to the first and second year wing will be removed before dinner today. All classes, including gym, shall resume next week. I know that some of my colleagues are eager to use the new science labs."
Kurumu smirked, thinking about her chemistry teacher, Mr. Hakuru. He was the father of Lord Sendou's wife. He had spent half of his lectures complaining about how impossible it was to teach the subject matter without the lab experience.
"The last period class for human integration will be resumed if your homeroom teachers want to do so. I leave that decision up to the discretion of the teachers. Many will probably prefer a study hall."
It felt like forever since Kurumu had been taught anything relevant in that subject. Most of it felt like common sense while the rest of it was catered towards other species. The course had ceased being taught after the cultural festival mess.
"You may have noticed that the doors to the school store were unlocked. While you should have been turned away, the store will officially open at nine. It will remain open all weekend long from nine to five. The staff will have a list of all registered students. Please stop by to receive your pair of school slippers."
Kurumu smirked, being among the students whom had been turned away. Both her and Kokoa needed new school uniforms. The young vampire had grown out of all of her blouses and skirts and Kurumu was down to only three school blouses. It was annoying having to do laundry twice a week.
"I will now turn things over to your new student council president, Ms. Sawayaka Mikomi."
Lord Sendou moved away from the podium, finally stepping into Kurumu's view. The silver haired man was garbed in a black robe over a white one with a silver sash about his waist.
Kurumu had a glimpse of Mikomi as the dark haired, traditional girl took her place behind the podium. Mikomi had started out as the representative of her father's class. Her father had died in an assembly last July, protecting the former headmaster. As her mother had died many years ago, Mikomi now lived with Tokori's family.
Unlike the rest of the new student council, Mikomi was a first year. She was also the first student from Mononoke, the nearby local town, to become the student council president.
Kurumu's boyfriend, Amesuki Nijiro, was somewhere up on the stage. The vice president hailed from Aranami, a small undine community near Sado island. They had started dating the day after the cultural festival. By her request, he had shortened his faint blond locks into a crew cut to make him look less feminine. He was a top five student along with the student council secretary.
The secretary was Amatsu Riki, a golden haired tennin from Okataiyou. She was in the choir that Kurumu had joined after quitting the newspaper club under Nijiro's request. As the choir room was in the closed portion of the school, the choir had been meeting on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the band room.
"Good morning. I want to remind all club presidents and captains that their budget requests are due at tomorrow morning's meeting. If you have already turned in your form, you don't need to attend. For the sake of expediency, I also discourage any class representatives from attending this meeting."
Kurumu had filled out the form for the broadcasting club last weekend. The former president, Tashikana Ichigo, had not protested her decision to request no funds. She had only agreed to take over his club because it had been her mother's club.
"Now for the matter of the yearbook. Ms. Okutomo Sana, head of the yearbook committee, shall discuss the particulars."
Kurumu sighed, unable to see the former president of the greetings club take her place at the podium. The small third year usually had her sky blue bangs pinned back with a pink heart barrette.
"Um. Thank you, Ms. Sawayaka. I'm grateful for this opportunity. The yearbook is a very important part to high school life. It's like a diary of our time at Yokai Academy. I have bought one for the last two years and hope to do so again."
A curly, pink haired girl drifted into Kurumu's obstructed view of the podium. That was Hidaka Himawari, Okutomo's roommate and childhood friend from Shizukana, a hidden city within the village of Yahiko. Hidaka was on the archery team with Juri.
"I would not have volunteered without the support from my friends. I'm thankful that many have joined this committee to help make certain that the yearbook is completed as soon as possible."
Chouda Sumire, Yukari's neighbor, was one of those friends. The eccentric sylph whom had attended the junior high in Machinise near the human city of Nagaoka was a member of the film club. She was one of the top twenty students of her grade despite turning fifteen only two weeks ago.
Chouda had told Kurumu that both of the third year guys from Shizukana in Okutomo's greetings club were on the committee. To Kurumu's surprise, Okumatsu Sen, former student council treasurer, had also attended the junior high in Shizukana and was helping them handle the financial aspects.
"I'm also thankful that Ms. Sangi and Mr. Morioka have done much for this project before I got involved. Sumire and Ms. Sangi have recruited several members of the film club to help take our portraits. And Mr. Morioka reached out to Mr. Hanabi to help us make an electronic layout of our yearbook."
Morioka Ginei whom was in charge of the newspaper club had mentioned the neglect of the yearbook to Mikomi two weeks ago. The werewolf had already compiled several pictures for the yearbook with Sangi due to their papers using those photos. Ginei came from Kobe, enrolling at Yokai Academy because a junior high teacher he had been infatuated with had encouraged it.
Hanabi Ikari was the president of the manga club and had helped print the school papers when the school had been closed. But the manga club's equipment could not do the binding for a yearbook so they would just make the layout. The printing would have to be outsourced.
Sangi Mitsuki was one of Ginei's many friends. She was from Chirasu near Gosen and was the president of the film club. It was no surprise that Sangi had recruited Oyanagi, the husky guy whom often followed her around. But she had also managed to get Tatsumaki involved. That guy had only been interested in club activities when it had involved making a movie for the cultural festival.
"We don't have much time. Starting Monday, we will be asking the students to come to the stage to have their portraits taken during last period. We will begin with the third years in classes one through four and continue with four more homerooms every school day after that. Please be ready to have your picture taken as we will only have one day available for retakes next week on Friday."
Kurumu nodded, figuring that meant her picture day would be the Tuesday after next week.
"I've had so much fun this year. Thank you all for your time."
Kurumu clapped along with her peers, assuming the girl had stepped away from the podium. She saw Hidaka retreat from view as Mikomi moved back to the podium.
"Thank you again, Ms. Okutomo. I want to stress the importance of being prepared for your portraits. We will be ordering these yearbooks as soon as we can."
The applause quickly died down.
"We got the results back from the poll concerning interest in changing the way we handle lunch. There appears to be enough interest to call a student assembly. I will be talking to the faculty today to decide when we can hold this. While I want this assembly to be held this month, I don't want to interfere with the yearbook. We may have to do this on a Saturday."
Mikomi paused to take in a deep breath.
"Now I understand that these next weekends could be problematic for our college bound third years. But this change only impacts returning students. I hope that we are allowed to hold a vote without them."
Kurumu smirked, wondering if that would be allowed even if it did make sense.
"I have one more thing to mention. We are in need of volunteers for a graduation committee. If any of you are interested, please attend our meeting tomorrow morning. That is all that I have to discuss. I will now turn things back over to the Headmaster."
There was a moment of silence as Lord Sendou made his way back to the podium.
"I do have one more thing to announce before letting you go to enjoy your long weekend. Ms. Hitori will be in the home economics room tomorrow at one, holding an instructional session for anyone wishing to learn how to make chocolates. It will be first come, first serve, so show up early if you want a spot."
Kurumu giggled, having been told about this in her home economics class earlier this week. The phoenix instructor had warned them that she would prioritize girls whom were not in home economics.
"Thank you all for coming. Please leave in a quiet and orderly fashion."
Kurumu knew it would be several minutes before she could actually leave. While the auditorium had many exits, only two sets of double doors opened into the cafeteria. And there were ten homerooms behind her that would exit before hers in her grade level alone.
"Do you have any juicy plans with your boyfriend today?"
Kurumu smirked at Juri's grin.
"No. Today I have to look after Milady's needs. My date with Nijiro hopefully will happen tomorrow."
"Oh? Not even going to try and participate in Ms. Hitori's chocolate making workshop."
"I might stop by to see if they made any changes to the home economics room. It's not like I need to be shown how to make chocolate for Nijiro. If I really need help, I could ask Yukari."
"What are you asking me?"
Kurumu grinned at Yukari's sudden interest.
"Just saying your superior culinary skills would be more inspiring than one of Ms. Hitori's lectures."
Juri snickered with a shake of her head.
"I'd make a bet that she's reading a magazine within twenty minutes of starting her workshop."
"More like ten."
Kurumu giggled at Hazumi's remark, knowing how quickly Ms. Hitori lost interest in her own class.
"What does Mr. Morioka have planned for Ms. Nazohashi's birthday?"
Kurumu smiled apologetically at Nerume.
"I don't really know. He wants us to meet him at the Kasahara Kokka at six on Sunday. It's that building on the corner of the first intersection across from the appliance repair center."
"What are we doing there?"
"I honestly don't know. I have no idea what that kind of business that place is."
"Nazohashi better not mind that I'm late for that. I'll be working until six."
Kurumu smiled at Satsuki's remark. In order to afford her citizenship, Satsuki had started working at the Gates of Heaven, a local maid café which was ran by the uncle of Wanibuchi Bunko, one of the local girls in class seven. The uncle, Mr. Okada, had also hired Hanetsume Hatoko, a girl from class three.
"I doubt that Tora would hold that against you."
After offering her remark, Kurumu reflexively looked back at the girls of first year class three. Standing beside their history teacher was Hiboshi Netsuki, a kitsune whose body had reverted back a few years when Tsukune had broken the spell on an omamori charm. The auburn haired vice manager from Aranoiji was predictably next to Irewata Haruhi, her buxom childhood friend whom was a gyokuto.
Beside Irewata was the birthday girl, Nazohashi Tora. The sphinx stood behind Senyou and was garbed in a black PSC jacket and black slacks. Her raven tresses were braided about her head and above her ears. Despite her parents living in Izumi, Tora had come to Yokai Academy under Mrs. Shuzen's request of Tora's mother, whom was a judge in the Fairy Tale prefectural court of Osaka.
Her eyes drifted to the purple haired girl beside Tora. That was Shirayuki Mizore, future snow priestess of Yukimura and future wife to Umizake Aoi. Her thin white blouse betrayed the dark lines of a black sports bra. Her belly had a subtle swell above the hem of the school skirt with a short stretch of exposed thighs before the start of her knee length, purple and white stockings. Mizore was almost fourteen weeks along in her pregnancy with the baby that Kurumu had put into her. Most of their peers assumed that the baby was Umizake's.
"What do you plan to do before six?"
Kurumu shrugged, glancing at the two girls standing to the left of Mizore. The one with the obsidian hair braided back with a golden ring at the bottom was Tobuyoku Suzume. The tengu had gone to junior high in Machinise and had joined the track team.
The other girl with the chestnut hair pulled back in a high tail with a blue bow was Hanetsume Hatoko. Hatoko was also a tengu on the track team but she came from Neguratori of the Shimane prefecture. The girl had tagged along with Dangai Michiko, another tengu from that village whose father was a graduate from Yokai Academy. Michiko was in class eleven with Honda Kiki, Suzume's childhood friend.
"I'll probably just hang out with Tora's friends. I'm sure they are having their usual flying session."
"Are you bringing your boyfriend to her birthday party?"
Kurumu laughed at Juri's inquiry. She shrugged, glancing over at the guy standing at the end of the line next to the ponytailed Abe. That was Ichida Taka whom hailed from Hongu of the Okayama prefecture. He was one of Tatakai's friends and had been their class representative until Yukari took it over.
"That depends on Ichida."
Ichida had short, golden brown locks that were naturally feathered due to him being a tengu. There was amusement in his soft green eyes as he regarded her.
"What am I being accused of?"
"Are you and Noboru showing up to the flying session on Sunday?"
"Ms. Ontoriki has not made me aware of any weekend plans as of yet."
Kurumu smirked at his formal mention of Ontoriki Ritsu, a buxom harpy from Hankyouta of the Aga region. He was unofficially dating the girl and had already gone as far as Kurumu had with Nijiro.
"If you are, I won't feel so bad about bringing Nijiro to Tora's birthday party."
"It's not like I would object to him being there."
Kurumu smiled at Tora's remark. Her eyes drifted to the young men of class three standing in the next row behind them. The one in particular that she was worried about stood at the end.
Aono Tsukune looked like an ordinary guy with dark hair and dark eyes. Nobody would immediately see him as a former human turned vampire whom had thwarted Alucard's crazy plans to unite the world by becoming the common enemy. There had been a time when Kurumu's body had responded to Tsukune's which was how that baby had ended up inside Mizore. But now that natural attraction was gone.
As the class representative, Tsukune had on the green school jacket with a red tie. He was absorbed in conversation with a stocky guy sporting short, slick black hair. That was Yamabato Kamitsuku of the film club whom lived on the same floor as Tsukune in the first year boys' dormitory.
"If Umizake, Ichida and Noboru are all there, things would be easier on Nijiro."
"I think you are worrying too much."
Kurumu smiled softly at Juri's sentiment. It probably looked that way to most people. Nijiro was among the many people unaware that the baby inside Mizore was hers and Tsukune's. She was terrified of the day when that changed.
"Yea. I probably am."
"We will need a booth for six."
The hostess of Rice & Spice had a caramel right eye while her left was hidden behind thick bangs. Her shaggy, chocolate locks touched her narrow shoulders. Garbed in a pale green polo and khaki capris, the lady lowered behind her station for a moment. She straightened up with a stack of menus in her arms.
"Follow me."
Kurumu clutched the two bags of acquisitions from the school store as she started after the hostess. She still felt like they should have stopped by the suite to drop this stuff off but Kokoa had insisted on getting here as soon as possible to avoid the lunch rush. A cursory glance of the dining area proved that they had succeeded despite how much time they had spent in the school store.
The Rice & Spice diner had a cozy atmosphere with dim lighting and gentle music. Red cushioned booths lined the two walls with windows looking out at the streets. A handful of square tables with varnished, dark red tops were placed about the dining area. Chairs with rounded seats and curved backs set with beige cushions flanked each of these small tables. Some tables had only two chairs but others had four.
The hostess steered them over to the corner where the backs of two booths touched. The inaccessible corner had been built up as a shelf which Kurumu promptly made use of, parting with the two bags. One had five school blouses while the other had five school skirts. All were for Kokoa since Kurumu's blouses had to be special ordered. Three more weeks before her two new blouses would arrive.
"Someone will come to take you order."
Kurumu nodded as the hostess placed the stack of menus on the table. The woman sauntered off.
Fukai Ishiko clambered into the booth first, scooting over to the window. The gnome from Chirasu had on a thick pair of goggles over her caramel eyes. She was the shortest of Kokoa's special girls and had scraggly, dark hair. The gnome was in class eleven with Moka and Michiko and had joined the kimono club with her classmate, Hasegawa, after her request to join the auto club had been denied.
Akegawa Hikari timidly took the other window spot across from Ishiko. The salamander had her curly, cherry bangs pushed away from her pistachio eyes with a black headband. She was from Tochimoeru and had attended a junior high in the Sanjo area. She was in class eight and had joined the gymnastics club with the girl settling into the booth beside her.
That girl with tiger orange eyes and her beige tresses styled in an updo was Antai Hotaru. She was the tallest of this group. The sylph from Hateshinai was also in class eight. Hateshinai was technically in Yamagata prefecture but she had attended the junior high in Uchimori of the Tainai area.
"Do you want the middle?"
Taniguchi Nagisa gestured at the spot next to Ishiko. The undine had her toffee locks styled in a pair of braids by her ears with the rest of her tresses pulled back in a ponytail. She was from Ikinakawa in the Joetsu region and had cream colored eyes. She was from Kokoa's class and was on the tennis team.
Having no real protest, Kurumu stepped into the booth. She sat down beside Ishiko as Hotaru started passing out menus. Kurumu grinned, taking one as Nagisa claimed the seat beside her.
Shuzen Kokoa claimed the last open spot beside Hotaru. The young vampire looked quite different than she had two months ago. Her thick hair had lost all of its reddish hue, becoming a dark silver. Her emerald eyes now had a crimson hue to them. She had also grown, going from Ishiko's height to being a little taller than Hikari. Her bosom surpassed Hotaru's whom was the most endowed of her friends. This was all because she had taken the last drop from her mother whom had been torn in half by Alucard.
"What are you girls doing here? Don't you have school?"
A familiar dark haired waitress strolled over. The grinning woman had on a peach blouse and a black, knee length skirt. She wagged a pen at them while holding a small booklet in the other.
"We had an assembly instead of classes today. They are reopening the school next week."
"I see. Are you ready to order or do you need some time to decide?"
"Give me some time."
The woman nodded at Kokoa when the vampire opened up a menu.
"Okay then. I'll be back in a minute or two."
Nagisa smirked as the waitress sauntered off.
"Why did you do that? You always order the same thing."
"They might have something new."
Kurumu snickered, doubting that as she turned her attention upon the menu. It looked the same as it had the last time she had been here with Kokoa, Yukari, Tsukune and his mother. And Kiria. That felt like a long time ago. A little more than three weeks.
With a touch of melancholy, Kurumu perused the selection of meals to order. Being a curry restaurant, most of the options were variations of curry. She was mildly tempted to try the spiciest option on the menu that Kokoa and Hikari usually ordered. That had to be spicier than the kung pao chicken she had enjoyed in Hong Kong that Yukari claimed had no flavor.
"So what is on the agenda for tonight? Are we really here just to pick up some groceries?"
Kokoa shrugged at Hotaru's questions, keeping her attention on her menu.
"We have to do that now since Kurumu is busy the rest of the weekend."
"Well someone is going to have to carry your clothes. I can't be carrying everything."
"I can do that."
Kurumu smiled at Hikari's offer. It was a long walk between Mononoke and Yokai Academy, easily taking an hour at a leisurely pace. And that was just getting back to the campus.
"I may also want to pick up some winter clothes while we're here. Maybe a swimsuit."
Nagisa giggled, setting aside her menu.
"I think you are getting ahead of yourself. You still have issues with water."
"I still need a swimsuit. I had to donate the one I wore to Hawaii."
Nagisa smiled softly as Kokoa continued staring at the menu.
"I wonder if we can use the school pool."
Kurumu laughed, placing her menu on top of Nagisa's.
"Was it closed?"
"Who knows? We haven't had gym since the cultural festival."
Hotaru snorted, wagging her menu at them.
"Not like anybody wanted to use the pool with those mermaids around."
"I doubt the mermaids were using it that much, considering their babies were at the town's abandoned community center."
Kurumu nodded at Nagisa's remark.
"True. But the first and second year mermaids didn't know where the merman was being held captive."
"I'm mildly curious how they managed taking care of those babies without Lord Chiki noticing. Most of those seniors stayed here over the summer when the bank was robbed. They must have had their babies before Lord Chiki showed up and put us under a curfew."
Kurumu shrugged at Nagisa.
"Who says he didn't? That guy was only interested in proving the Headmaster's guilt."
"Isn't it the wrong time of the year to be buying a swimsuit?"
Kurumu giggled at Hikari's question.
"They keep the temperature within this barrier mild all year round. We could go swimming tomorrow if the pool was open."
"I guess that's true. I doubt anywhere else in Japan would be swimsuit friendly in February."
"Okinawa is probably warm enough for it."
Kokoa snorted at Hotaru's response to Hikari. She stacked her menu on top of the others.
"I'm only getting one for sunbathing. I'm not planning any trips to Okinawa or the pool before summer."
Hotaru grinned impishly, draping an arm around Kokoa's shoulders.
"You would look gorgeous in a swimsuit. Let me pick one out for you."
Kokoa blushed, adjusting her sweater vest without any attempt to remove Hotaru's arm.
"I'll go with whatever the group decides on."
Nagisa giggled, wagging a finger at Hotaru.
"Good call. If we left it up to Hotaru, you'd end up wearing something skimpy like what that older witch girl had on."
Kurumu snickered, recalling the slingshot thong that Ms. Juunan had given to Rubi.
"I wonder if Rubi still has that thing."
Kokoa blushed darker as Hotaru toyed with her unbound tresses.
"She should look into buying a real swimsuit. That thing was not meant for the public."
The only thing keeping Kokoa's bangs out of her eyes was the diamond encrusted, golden cross barrette which had belonged to her mother. The barrette had an enchantment that suppressed Kokoa's ability to see probable futures. She had inherited this power from her mother's blood.
"Will your hair stay like this forever?"
"I don't know. Maybe I should dye it red again."
Hotaru clucked her tongue.
"Absolutely not. You look fantastic."
Hikari pouted, setting aside her menu.
"You only say that because her hair is closer to your color now."
"Not just mine. Nagisa has the whole faint blond look too."
"Leave me out of your quarrel."
Kurumu noted the approach of the waitress. The woman strolled over with her pen and booklet ready.
"Are you ladies ready to make your order?"
Kokoa nodded, grabbing the stack of menus.
"I'll have the scorcher."
Kurumu smirked at Kokoa's regular order. She raised her hand.
"I'll try the scorcher too."
Nagisa laughed as Kokoa surrendered the stack of menus to the waitress.
"Do you have a death wish?"
"One time won't kill me."
"I'll also have the scorcher."
The waitress nodded at Hikari's input, using the menus as a surface to rest her booklet on while writing down their orders.
"What kind of drinks would you like?"
"I'll have the sencha."
"Me too."
Kurumu smiled at Hikari's identical order.
"I'll go with a lemon tea."
The waitress drawled out an affirmative as she jotted that down.
"And what about you other three?"
Nagisa sighed dramatically, leaning back in the booth.
"I'm not so daring. I'll have the mild curry with a glass of water."
"Coward."
"I don't see you ordering the scorcher."
"Because I want to taste my food. I'll have the commoner's curry with a lemon tea."
"That just leaves the little lady in the corner."
Ishiko perked up as attention shifted to her. She held out her menu to the waitress.
"I'll have the yarn curry with mugicha."
"Yarn?"
"She means mild."
The waitress smiled at Nagisa's quick correction, taking the menu from Ishiko.
"I'll put in your order and be right back with your drinks."
Kurumu smirked at Hotaru as the waitress scurried off.
"Are you going to behave yourself tonight?"
"I'll see how far she lets me go."
Nagisa huffed, crossing her arms below the swell of a bosom hidden beneath that school jacket.
"She better behave. I'm not sticking around if she does anything indecent."
"As if you haven't done your share of indecency."
Nagisa smirked at Hotaru.
"I haven't. And you should restrain yourself. Kokoa is more submissive than she was before the break."
"I'm not submissive."
Hotaru snickered at Kokoa's meek protest.
"Is that so? Perhaps we should include a trip to Yowsan's. Pick up a sex toy or two to explore this new body of hers."
Kokoa shrugged off Hotaru's arm, turning her face away from the sylph.
"I'll tolerate kissing after I take your blood. If you put your fingers or tongue in any place I don't tell you to, I'm sending you home."
"But you let the other girls do that to you."
"I do not!"
Kurumu laughed at Kokoa's sharp denial, glancing about with concern that others may have heard this. Confirming that nobody was close enough to care, Kurumu noticed that Hikari was shaking her head.
"I don't know why you think that but none of us have done such things to Kokoa."
"I have."
Kokoa blushed a dark shade of red at Ishiko's blunt admission. Nagisa laughed nervously.
"I hope that she doesn't understand what we are talking about."
"Body unit price."
Kurumu smirked, believing that Ishiko meant body exploration.
"Did you do this at your sleepover last Thursday after we all turned in?"
Kokoa shook her head vehemently.
"That was months ago. We only kissed last week. Nothing serious."
"Nothing serious, she says. And yet it's not the same."
"What are you talking about?"
Nagisa smiled, focusing her attention on Hotaru.
"Kokoa. The way she is now. Before I could pretend like I was kissing a younger girl. You know. Harmless stuff that you might do with a little sibling."
"You kiss your little brothers?"
Nagisa stuck her tongue out at Hotaru.
"I'm saying that it all feels awkward now. It's like if I wanted to kiss Ayame. I don't have a good excuse to be doing that when she doesn't need my help breathing underwater."
Numasaki Ayame was one of Nagisa's childhood friends whom was only half undine.
"You don't want to kiss me any more?"
Nagisa smiled at Kokoa's expectant look. She leaned forward, reaching across the table to take Kokoa's hand in both of hers.
"I will be your friend and give you blood as long as you want me to. But I can't be kissing you or treating you any differently than any other friend. I hope that you understand."
"Is that the real reason why you blew off my sleepovers for Ishiko and Hikari?"
Nagisa sighed, releasing Kokoa's hand and sitting back.
"I'll hang out with you. But you're much too beautiful for me to be sharing. No more kissing. And I don't want to be around you when you are kissing other girls."
Kokoa took in a deep breath, turning slightly to regard the approaching waitress. The woman had a tray full of drinks which she balanced expertly.
"Your order is in the kitchen and will be out in a few minutes."
The waitress placed a glass of sencha in front of Kokoa before handing the other glass of sencha to Hikari. She gave Hotaru a glass with a lemon slice on the rim before turning to them.
"Is there anything else that you ladies might need?"
They all murmured a dismissal as they received the rest of the drinks. The waitress grinned, tucking the tray beneath her arm before heading off. A short moment of silence followed.
"Good job, Nagisa. Now I'll never convince her to go to Yowsan's today."
Nagisa laughed at Hotaru's protest.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to spoil the mood."
When Nagisa had first arrived, Kokoa had been a mess. She had taken Nagisa's blood and had pushed for intimacy. Nagisa had refused. There had been lots of tears, hugs and kisses. But it was clear that Nagisa was done pretending like this relationship was normal.
"I still think she has a boyfriend she isn't telling us about."
Nagisa giggled at Kurumu's halfhearted accusation.
"I've already said that isn't the case."
Kurumu sighed heavily, seeing how disappointed Kokoa had become.
"I guess that means Hotaru has one less rival for Kokoa's affection."
Hotaru snorted, tugging the lemon slice off the lip of her glass.
"It's not like I regarded Ishiko or Nagisa as genuine rivals. Hikari is the one I have to worry about."
Hikari blushed at the accusation.
"My love for Kokoa is pure."
"As if. You moan so much when the two of you are going at it."
Kurumu giggled as the salamander blushed darker. Hotaru was telling the truth about that. Hikari was very audible while kissing. And while she could claim that she never put her fingers in places, Kokoa could not claim the same in regards to Hikari.
"I think you have something that Hikari doesn't. Confidence."
"Hardly matters when Kokoa spoils her the most."
Kurumu smiled softly, regarding Hikari.
"Hikari is worried that she isn't pretty enough for Kokoa now."
"I didn't say that!"
That was true. Kurumu was prying into Hikari's mind.
"Oh great. Give Kokoa another reason to pamper her."
Kurumu laughed at Hotaru's complaint, hoping that their lunch would come soon.
Kurumu drummed her fingers on the table she was sitting on. She had changed into her black tank top and gray cotton shorts before coming over to do laundry for herself and Kokoa. She had started the washer machines only a few minutes ago. It would take about two hours before she finished up here.
This laundry room located in the back corner of the commissary had six dryers lined up against the exterior wall and six washers lined up against the wall across from the dryers. A vending machine filled with laundry supplies was tucked into the corner next to the door.
Kurumu's eyes drifted to the door as it was opened. A silver haired vampire strolled into the room with an opened letter in her hands. Akashiya Moka was wearing a baby blue racerback top with matching wool shorts. A black choker was wrapped about her throat, lacking the rosary that had been there for years. It had been destroyed with Alucard.
"So you got a letter after all."
"Yea. From Father."
Kurumu nodded as Moka took a seat on the table beside her.
"I probably should check mine. Maybe Kabuki sent me one."
"That girl didn't strike me as the type to write letters."
Sakurai Kabuki was a nine year old succubus whom had been conceived in Ms. Garimasu's womb. It was the same undine whom Kurumu's mother had used to carry her, making Kabuki sort of a half-sister. The girl had been staying at Yokai Academy with Kurumu for all of January. They had received a letter from Kabuki's mother last Friday with instructions to send Kabuki home on a bus last Sunday.
"What did your father write about?"
"Let me finish."
Kurumu sighed, thinking about the time after lunch. They had made stops at Keep it Casual to pick up three warm shirts for winter and at Change of Seasons to acquire a tasteful two piece swimsuit. After picking up groceries, they had returned to the suite the vampire sisters shared. Nagisa had left before Kurumu started making dinner. All told, it was an uneventful day.
Kurumu smiled when Moka lowered the letter into her lap.
"So? Any good news?"
"Well Father moved into the new Shuzen Estate with those four girls. Mr. Nagi and Ms. Tara are helping Akua take care of them while Father rebuilds the family."
"I guess that means he finished up business in Tokyo."
"I don't know how much more he had to do there. After he surrendered the Kanto region to Lord Iroshu, he was only sticking around until Ms. Kyuusai gave him permission to leave. I guess that happened last Friday. The succubi have erased all evidence of the Garden appearing above the imperial palace."
Kurumu smiled softly. They had saved the world and nobody would ever know about it.
"I wonder if Kabuki would like to meet a bunch of little succubi."
"Please don't suggest that. It sounds like Akua is having trouble dealing with those girls as is. We don't need to add another girl whom does nothing but play video games all day."
Kurumu snickered, recalling how antisocial Kabuki could be. And Kabuki got bored easily. The girl had been so rude when they had visited Odayakana last week.
"How goes things with rebuilding the family?"
Moka sighed heavily, fidgeting with the letter.
"He still hasn't contacted anyone from four of the families. He hosted a meeting last Sunday to officially make Lord Ikiro an elder to replace Lord Tomi. Apparently he already has some experience handling the family finances, so that won't be an issue."
Kurumu nodded, recalling that Lord Ikiro was Lord Tomi's eldest son. She had seen Lord Ikiro at the family cemetery shortly after Kahlua's wedding last summer.
"Did your father get in touch with his older brother?"
"He contacted Lord Iroki but Uncle declined coming to the Sunday meeting. Father doesn't say why but he is hopeful that Uncle will take Grandfather's place. This letter is dated on Wednesday so Uncle may have changed his mind by now."
Kurumu nodded thoughtfully. It probably would take more time to rebuild the family.
"So they only had three elders at that meeting?"
"Yes. Lord Uniki, Lord Musashi and Lord Ikiro. They were all in agreement on the topics Father wanted to address so they passed some official rulings."
Moka paused, setting aside the letter.
"They have exiled Kahlua from the family, vacating the Eldest Daughter role. They gave the title back to Akua. Father will resume his role as Fairy Tale's assassin required from the Shuzen family."
Kurumu was not too surprised that Lord Issa would take back that role from Kahlua or that he would give her other role to Akua.
"Does Kahlua know that she's been kicked out of the family?"
"Kahlua was present for the meeting. It seems that Kahlua is now the prefectural officer for Okinawa."
"Seriously?"
Moka nodded at Kurumu's shock.
"That probably was influenced by Ms. Fukuda. Apparently Lord Onikawa was voted in as the new region commander of Kyushu and he appointed Kahlua for the vacant position in Okinawa the same day."
Kurumu recalled that the Fairy Tale regional office for Kyushu had been located in Arukasa of Fukuoka prefecture. It made sense for Lord Onikawa to be in charge of the whole region. Much of Fairy Tale leadership would be restructuring this month. The letter from Ms. Sakurai last Friday had indicated that Lord Dakimori would be taking over as the commander of the Shikoku region.
"I guess that's good. We can ask Kahlua to look after Otonashi for us."
"I suppose that's true."
Moka paused with a soft sigh.
"Father also decided to exile Tsukune and me."
"What?!"
Moka nodded, managing a smile.
"Because of our Shinso blood. He feels that it is best for the Shuzen family to not be involved with us."
"But what are you supposed to do? How will you afford school?"
"Father will pay for my school. And since you are still Kokoa's property, he would still pay for yours."
Kurumu frowned at the reassurance.
"I wasn't thinking about myself. I was worried about you and Tsukune."
Moka sighed, scooting back on the table to lean against the wall.
"And I told you. Father will pay for me. I don't know what will happen with Tsukune."
"Can't you talk to your father about this?"
"Kurumu. I'm exiled. Maybe Kokoa could talk to him but I'm in no position to make demands."
Kurumu grimaced. She would have never expected Lord Issa to do this.
"Have you talked to Tsukune?"
Moka snorted, poking the letter on the table beside her.
"I just found out."
"I meant in general, Moka. How are things between you and Tsukune now?"
Moka made a displeased look.
"I don't know. I see him in club meetings but it's not like we talk."
Kurumu sighed heavily, thinking of how little she had interacted with Tsukune since his return.
"I can't say that he's been all that sociable to me either. I do see him since both of us have had classes in the auditorium. But it's only simple pleasantries."
Kurumu sucked in a deep breath.
"I think he's fine with the guys. It looks like he talks to Kamitsuku like things are normal. But Tora says that he's been fairly distant in class. And Mizore hasn't really talked with him at all."
"She's really starting to look pregnant now."
Kurumu pouted at Moka's amused deflection.
"I'm trying to be serious here, Moka. You need to talk to him."
Moka sighed, grabbing the letter and dragging it back into her lap.
"Did his mother get a job at the school?"
Kurumu rolled her eyes.
"Yes. She started work last Tuesday. She's been leaving with Ms. Atsumoto after her last class but that might change now that we are going back to a full schedule."
"I probably should have asked that days ago."
Kurumu nudged Moka's shoulder with her own.
"You need to ask Tsukune out."
Moka immediately shook her head, looking away.
"I can't do that."
"On a date. You could join us. While Nijiro does have an issue with Tsukune being my former lover, I'm sure he won't mind if you are with Tsukune. And we would be with Umizake and Mizore."
"I don't know."
"We're going bowling this time."
Moka snickered with a shake of her head.
"Isn't Mizore too pregnant for such an activity?"
"Bowling is no less strenuous than all of the sex Umizake is subjecting her to."
Moka grimaced with a slight blush.
"I did not need to know that."
"As if you didn't know. Your sense of smell is better than mine."
"Shouldn't you do mild activities? Like watching a movie."
"We watched a movie and went roller skating last week. We can do bowling and a movie if you want, but I must warn you. There isn't much worth watching right now."
"Why? What movies are playing?"
Kurumu groaned, thinking about the movie they had seen last week.
"We watched Otoko no Yamato, which I deeply regret. The movie was about a battleship's voyage during the Great War. I guess it's a cool subject for a history buff like Nijiro."
Moka snickered, swatting Kurumu's tit halfheartedly with the back of her hand.
"Don't complain about your boyfriend's interests."
"I can't say much about the other movies. The Uchouten Hotel might be good. We could also watch the recent Harry Potter movie again."
"I'm not going bowling, Kurumu. My family just disowned me. I can't be wasting what money I still have on smashed up bowling pins."
Kurumu giggled, recalling the first time she had gone bowling with Moka. That had cost Moka a lot.
"You need to talk to Tsukune. At least tell him about being exiled."
"I can mention it at the club get together tomorrow."
The newspaper club was having a sleepover at Hajihachi Mika's place in the second year girls' dormitory. Before that they would do their final revisions on their articles.
"When are you guys releasing the next paper?"
"Ginei wants to do it the morning after Valentine's Day."
"And are you finished with your article about saving the world?"
Moka smirked with unmistakable amusement in her turquoise eyes.
"I wrote about the Disney trip."
Kurumu chuckled, having not forgotten about that.
"I still don't think it was wise leaving the most important article in the hands of Ginei. You all know what he did with the article about our Okinawa trip."
"I don't even care if he takes all of the credit."
Kurumu smiled softly, leaning against Moka's shoulder.
"Yukari told me about Tsukune's article. Writing about his mother's struggles to adapt to her new life."
"It's a safer subject than what Yukari went with."
"If you had to spend a weekend inside a prison, you would also be inspired to write about the injustices within our legal system. Most of our peers have no idea how horrible things are."
Moka sighed, leaning her head on top of Kurumu's.
"Tora is covering the wedding and her time in Aserutani. I'm still not used to calling Ms. Nekonome by her new name."
Mrs. Takizawa was her history teacher's new name. The advisor for the newspaper club would be retiring at the end of this school year with every intent of having a child soon.
"You need to do something about Tsukune. I just know that the two of you would make a good couple."
Moka's exhale could only be described as resignation.
"How can I be his girlfriend when I don't even know who I am?"
"You're thinking too much about it."
"Tora is right. I should focus on school and club. I don't need a boyfriend."
Kurumu grimaced, disliking this turn in conversation. She pulled away, patting the vampire's thigh.
"Come with me to the meeting tomorrow."
"It's not for class representatives."
"It won't take long. I just need to drop off the budget request for the broadcasting club."
"Couldn't you have done that earlier this week?"
"I could have but I want to meet up with Nijiro. I was going to ask Mizore and Umizake to tag along but you could also be my escort."
"What do you need an escort for?"
"Because I'm not allowed to be alone with Nijiro."
Moka snickered, swatting Kurumu's tit with the back of her hand.
"That's your own fault. You need to learn how to behave yourself around your boyfriend."
"I behave myself just fine when in the company of others. It's when we are alone that things tend to happen that requires a change of clothes."
"You are a hopeless idiot."
Kurumu grinned wide. She gestured at the letter in Moka's lap.
"It's too bad that we don't have more information on the restructuring of Fairy Tale. That could have been a good article to write."
Moka waved her hand dismissively.
"Not really. The students here only need to know about their new prefectural and region officers."
Kurumu nodded, supposing that made sense.
"Do you think we could bring Lord Inazuma in for an interview? He is the new prefectural officer."
"Do you have any reliable way of contacting him?"
"Not really. But I'm hoping that I can somehow introduce him to Rubi."
Moka frowned at her announcement.
"What does Rubi have to do with our new prefectural officer?"
Kurumu smirked, recalling Rubi's fight against Lord Sakigake whom had been the commander of the Tohoku region. Rubi had thoroughly enjoyed her fight against the raiji. And Lord Inazuma was a raiji.
"I have a feeling that the two will have a good connection."
And Kurumu was content to leave it at that.