A/N: I'm alive!

For now!

Life is life and it's never good when it takes me a way from writing, but I'm starting to slowly carve out more time for this. Thank you to everyone who has found Thawing Permafrost between then and now, and thank you to everyone who has enjoyed it, too.

Here's chapter forty-six. Enjoy!

"Why are things that are supposed to be full creepy when they're empty?"

Kia's idle question broke Etsuko from her reverie. Reclined on two tables they'd pushed together, kicking her legs idly, she hummed. "I don't know."

"You get it though, right?"

"Mm. Yokai's never not busy, even on evenings. I didn't expect it to be so quiet on a Sunday."

Every break in their conversation invited a terrible silence into the bubble of their haven. Scarcely a clatter or chatter echoed from beyond the Writing Club's doors. Kia shivered. "What do you think's taking them so long?"

"No idea."

Ikko had asked them both to wait in the clubroom so that he could introduce the transfer but hadn't specified when beyond 'this morning'. That left the girls with frighteningly little to do. "You can't put some music on?" Kia whinged.

"C'mon, just enjoy the silence."

"I just called it creepy. How'm I supposed to enjoy it?"

"Didn't San teach you how to meditate when she was training you?"

"We didn't have much time for sitting still," she huffed. "The world was too busy exploding to give me a break."

"I feel you. Still, I'm jealous. Learning from one of the founders of the News Club. They're legends, y'know."

"Not gonna lie," Kia replied, her brow furrowing, "The more I learn about Yokai from back then, the more I'm glad I hadn't heard about it. It sounds like chaos."

"Oh, for sure. You can't go a day in the headlines back then without news of a scrap or an injury, or some sordid thing with the Disciplinary Committee. A gossip rag, we were not—nor will we ever be, touch wood."

"Don't you want it to be just a little more peaceful?" she asked, pinching her fingers together.

Etsuko mused on the thought. "Well... maybe a little. Believe it or not, this has been a quiet year so far."

"Seriously?"

"Yep. We're halfway through the year and we've only had a few counts of grievous bodily harm. Kotsubo's firing was the most dramatic thing that's happened on-campus all year."

"Glad you're not having to run a report on summer break, then."

She nodded. "Normally we'd have to, but with the MIO involved Koko decided against publishing anything."

Kia frowned. The thought of the transformed humans still gave her chills. "I'm just grateful that's out there, y'know? In here we just have to worry about folks clocking Ikko."

"Don't be so sure," Etsuko replied, "Fairy Tale are upping their game, from what I gather. They've made moves on Yokai before-stands to reason they'd try again."

Kia shot her an affronted look, which she didn't notice. She was too focussed on the ceiling. "C'mon, Etsuko...! I'm trying to be positive here."

"Oh. Uh, sorry. It's been bugging me, that's all. They're not liable to try anything so long as the Headmaster's alive, I guess."

"There's the barrier, right?"

"Mm..."

"You don't sound too convinced," Kia murmured.

"I'm trying to find the positives for you!"

"Well, I'm not reassured!"

A knock at the clubroom door disrupted their bickering. The pair exchanged an anxious glance. "You think that's them?" Estuko asked.

"Who else could it be? Come in!"

They hastened to sit properly as the door swung wide. Ikko popped his head in. "This a good time?" he asked, voice dry.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Kia pouted. "We've been waiting all morning for you."

"It sounded like you two were fighting."

"We weren't that loud!" Etsuko cried.

"You realise how quiet the school is, right?" Ikko said. Before either of them could react, something out of the girls' view distracted him. He disappeared from view, leaving only a nervous chuckle in the air, then reappeared. "Anyway. I've got our transfer here, if you're ready for introductions."

"Definitely!" Kia squeaked, clapping her hands together.

Ikko walked in, his left hand held by a petite girl's right. Her blazer was several sizes too big, obscuring her hands, and her skirt fell past her knees, with opaque tights and black shoes turning her legs into shadowy suggestions of limbs. Underneath her regular shirt, Kia could see an undershirt of some kind, coloured similarly to her tights. Only the top half of her face showed any visible skin, with the bottom half covered by a thick black surgical mask, and what skin she did show was shadowed by straight-cut bangs of raven black hair. "This is Kaiyo Honoka. She arrived... well, just this morning, actually."

Etsuko stood first, smoothing out her skirt and stretching out from her time spent lazing on a hardwood table. "It's nice to meet you."

Kaiyo bowed, not releasing Ikko's hand. Etsuko bowed. Kia canted her head to one side, scrutinizing the exchange. When eyes turned to her, she hopped from her seat, practically skipped up to Kaiyo, and offered her left hand to shake. "You're in our year, right? I hope we get along."

She may as well have brandished a knife, for how Kaiyo tensed. Brown eyes glistened with a crimson tint, which then turned helplessly up towards Ikko.

Ikko frowned a little, but eventually just shrugged. "We're going to have to start somewhere, right? This is a temporary solution anyway."

Kaiyo looked back down to Kia's hand, still calmly extended. The quietest huff of air escaped from behind her mask, but she relented and released her hold of Ikko. Immediately, the air in the room cooled. Red mist began to seep from her eyes and her sleeves. Kaiyo quickly snatched Kia's hand, shook once, then darted back to Ikko's, causing the effect to recede. "How are you doing that?" Kia asked.

He didn't quite answer. "Er... Let's sit down first. We've got some things to go through."

The four of them gathered around a single table, the pairs sat opposite to each other. "Where to start..." Ikko murmured to himself, scratching the back of his neck. "Okay. You both noticed the change that happened when Kaiyo let go of me, right?" They nodded. "That's because, at the moment, I'm augmenting her Guise."

"You can do that?" Etsuko arched her brow.

"Ruby taught me the fundamentals," Ikko answered, nodding. "I'm not actually doing anything complicated. Kaiyo's just borrowing a bit of my magic to extend her Guise further than she could with her own ability. It's not going to be all the time, and it's not going to be forever. She has G.T. sessions in place to work on her mastery."

"So that's why you two are holding hands."

He nodded. "It needs a physical medium. I'm not strong enough to transfer over distance just yet."

"But she can't be glued to you all the time," Kia noted, "What about phys ed?"

"She has an exemption for that, I think," said Ikko.

She frowned. "Does she?" And then, more pointedly staring at Kaiyo. "Do you?"

Silently, Kaiyo nodded. Etsuko saw Kia's nostrils flare. "Anything else we should know?"

Ikko furrowed his brow, thinking. "Only that I'd like you both to keep an eye out for her when I can't. It's a lot to ask, but she's not in full control of her powers yet. If someone got the wrong idea, or pushed things too far, well... it wouldn't be good for anyone."

"How bad does it get?" Etsuko asked, looking to Kaiyo, who averted her eyes.

"Well—"

"She didn't ask you." Kia snapped. "She asked Honoka."

Ikko opened his mouth, but the glare he received stifled his rebuke.

Kaiyo wrestled her gaze back to meet Etsuko's. A kind smile reflected in dark eyes. "You're here 'cuz you wanna learn, right?"

She nodded.

"So are we. We wanna learn to help folks, but we can't do that if you're hiding behind Ikko. You're the only person in your head, Honoka. We can't help if we don't know what to expect."

Her words cut straight through Ikko. How quickly he'd forgotten Ruby's words.

'That's the advice you should bear in mind. Don't offer it if she doesn't need it...'

Chastising himself, he held his tongue and waited for Kaiyo to respond. She'd dipped her head, making her hair fall forward in a dark curtain that shielded her expression from all eyes. Then, eventually, in a creaking whisper, she replied. "It gets pretty bad."

"She speaks!" Kia exclaimed, which earned her a slap on the leg from Etsuko. "Hey!"

"Don't be an ass about it."

She pouted, relenting. Etsuko took lead of the conversation. "Do you think you could show us again?"

Kaiyo nodded, unwinding herself from Ikko's hand. Again, the air began to shift, and mist pooled in her eyes. She explained, "Mom says it's like liquid fear. Once we awaken, it wells up in us and affects anyone nearby."

"That must be hard." Etsuko said, her tone soothing. "And it gets worse when you're anxious?"

At this, she hesitated. Kia spoke up. "It gets worse whatever you try, right?"

"How did you know?"

She smiled. Ikko recognised the discomfort behind it. "Experience. My guise is pretty hard to maintain."

Kaiyo moved back to Ikko, and he took her hand again to restore his support for her guise. The air in the room unwound as she calmed. "I've never met another monster before. We lived out in the country, and we kept to ourselves. I didn't know there were others like us."

"Your mom never talked about it?" asked Etsuko.

"Not really. She prepared me as best she could, taught me every trick I'd need, but when I awoke, all of that flew out the window. All those faces. All that fear..."

Ice passed through Ikko. He shifted, rolling his shoulders. "There's no better place for you to learn about your abilities than here, Honoka. We're here to help, and Yokai is safe. Not a human in sight. Well, besides me."

"She knows?" Kia blurted, eyes widening. Ikko nodded.

"She would have figured it out sooner or later, given that we went to the same school. Better she knows and knows not to make noise about it than find out, say, over lunch."

A pout began to form. "I know you're right, but it still stings, given how long it took us..."

"It's progress," Etsuko interjected, "Right?"

Ikko agreed. "Yeah. Definitely not a spur of the moment thing. Definitely planned it."

"Convincing." She smirked. "So, what's the plan?"

"Well..."

He looked around the classroom. It couldn't have been later than noon, but he already felt tired. He'd exerted his magic since the very start of the day, from maintaining his barriers to the new technique of augmenting Kaiyo's guise. "Let's take it easy." He decided. "We don't need to rush this. Kaiyo has G.T. sessions booked in every day until she's ready to manage her guise without my help, so... let's spend today, whilst it's quiet, giving her the tour. Sound good?"

Etsuko nodded, approving. "Let's leave Preternatural Street for now, though. Quiet academy means busy everywhere else. How about it, Kaiyo? Fancy the grand tour?"

After a few moments of hesitation, she nodded.

"So much for keeping it to the summer, huh."

A rare quiet Sunday found Mizore in Ruby's room, laying on the carpet with her legs up over the mattress. She felt like a teen again.

"Don't tell me you're comfortable down there."

"It's nostalgic."

Ruby giggled. "It was only a matter of time, given how he proved himself over the break. That's a blessing and a curse in our Headmaster's eyes."

"I know, I know. Should have known better, what with Tsukune's track record." Mizore held out an arm, examining her hands. "As soon as he got a wrangle on Moka's blood, he was out saving the world on the Headmaster's order."

"I wouldn't call dealing with a rogue school faction saving the world."

"Sure, to start." Mizore sighed. "I thought with you-know-what that we'd find a moment of peace, but nope. He's just as bad as-"

"Mizore."

Ruby's tone sharpened. She stopped on that syllable. "Sorry."

"It's alright. We're not going to get anywhere bemoaning the Headmaster's proclivities. What do you make of the new teacher?"

She stopped kicking her legs. "I'm not judging a book by its cover. Can't, not in this industry. I mean, just look at our head nurse."

"True. You've had enough time for a first impression though, surely?"

"I'm..." Mizore frowned. "I'm trying not to dislike him. Kotsubo tainted that position for me, and I'm not sure I'm looking at Chuku fairly, or if I'm seeing him through tinted glasses. Y'know?"

"Very mature."

"Thanks, mom. What about you?"

Ruby tapped her lip in thought. "He's got some questions marks on his file, but who doesn't? Seems good in a class setting, even if-as you say-the cover of his book doesn't scream 'physical education'."

"Yeah, he's not exactly a meathead. He's all... wiry. And then—"

She stopped short. Ruby tipped her head to one side. "And then?"

"It's nothing."

"What?"

"It's just... when Shizuka introduced us, he had this whole thing planned out about making nice with me. Said he'd been briefed on Kotsubo's vendetta and the circumstances of his dismissal."

"Was he sincere?"

"Didn't give him a chance to get through it," she answered, letting her hand drop across her chest. "I couldn't say for sure. Shizuka was there, so maybe it was just a play at being nice, but it's weird that he focussed in on that detail. Right?"

Ruby hummed. "I don't remember there being anything about briefing staff on that. Given Ikko's involvement it was all kept pretty quiet. It's not like his grudge was a well-kept secret, mind."

Mizore righted herself, turning to sit cross-legged against the bedframe. "So how would he know about it?"

"Rumour mill? It was an abrupt dismissal and a weird time of year to be hiring teachers."

The more she thought on it, the less right it sat with her. "What were the question marks on his file?"

Ruby made a 'you know you shouldn't be asking me that' face but recalled it without protest. "His job history had a couple of weird breaks in it. A month here, two months there. He wrote it off as family stuff, but never went into specifics."

"What kind of monster is he?" Mizore asked. All staff were asked to disclose their species upon application, in part so that the academy could accommodate their comforts, but also to make sure the scope of their abilities was understood when it came to protecting the students. That information was privileged; it was only through her relationships to other teachers that she knew their species.

"A... waira. I think. Yeah, a waira."

Mizore shook her head. That didn't tell her anything. "I wish I had Yukari's brain. So we don't really know where he's come from, and he joined just before summer."

"Just as Fairy Tale started to rear their head." Ruby filled in that final thought. They shared a glance. "We didn't find any evidence of ties to Fairy Tale."

"Unless they're in those question marks. How do we fill those in? MIO?"

"That's why we don't have any evidence, Mizore. We leverage the MIO for all background checks."

"They could have missed something."

"Naturally. We're having this conversation because they're not perfect."

The pair of them sat in contemplation. Once upon a time, they would have the full might of the assembled Newspaper Club to put towards the task. She wouldn't have a single worry about their ability to handle whatever came their way. Now, though, with their members scattered and a revived Fairy Tale creeping slowly in from the horizon, she could not be so sure.

"I'm going to do some more digging into Chuku's past," Ruby announced, "Our only option at the moment is to try and answer those questions, and to keep an eye on him in the meanwhile. He hasn't done anything untoward, not that I've seen, so we don't have any grounds to bring this higher up the chain."

They were on their own for the moment. "I'll reach out to Gin," Mizore offered, "He might have heard something on the grapevine, especially now that we know who's been making all this noise."

"I've got it." Ruby stood up, smoothing out her skirt. "You've got enough to be dealing with now that we're back in term time. Maybe Ikko'll notice something."

Mizore rolled her eyes. "I don't think he could ignore weirdness even if he wanted to. He's like a magnet for it."

"We're all magnets for it, Mizore. Small wonder things tend to kick off when we're around, hm?"

"You're not helping."

"Just stating the obvious. Trouble found its way to us long before Ikko stumbled onto the stage. Now, did you want a cup of tea or not?"

Reminded of why she'd come to Ruby in the first place, Mizore got to her feet. "I'll put the kettle on."