Disclaimer: I don't own anything. (Though I wish I do)

Summary:

Have you ever heard of Dark Magic? What do you know about them? Natsuki is a rising star in the Fuka Police Headquarter who solves her case based on logic & facts. However, her world is turned upside down when she meets Shizuru. Shizuru lives in a world that can never be defined by logic and facts. What happens when the two meet? ShizNat Rated T for now


Viola Shizuru and Kuga Natsuki alighted from the lift at the fourth floor and they went through several twists and turns before finding the toilet.

Shizuru wondered who designed the structure of the building.

From a feng shui perspective, this building was poorly designed. Feng shui was used in some societies to orient buildings or places in an auspicious manner. Shizuru knew of many real estate companies who have a few feng shui masters on their payroll to identify lands suitable for development or inauspicious land to avoid. Some companies would engage feng shui masters to provide advice on the design of buildings to promote positive energy.

While feng shui wasn't Shizuru's forte and she wasn't interested in this area, she knew some of the basics.

Buildings with too many twists and turns were considered bad or inauspicious. In some societies, home buyers avoid buying an apartment situated at a corner. This was because corners trapped negative energy. When there were many twists and turns or corners, sunlights were blocked and couldn't shine in. This would aid in the growth of negative energy or attract spirits or ghosts to reside there. These corners are places where sunlights couldn't shine in and hence suitable places for spirits or ghosts to hide and reside there. Hence people tend to avoid places with many twists and turns or places located at corners.

So it wasn't a surprise to Shizuru that there was paranormal activity here. She was just surprised it took so long to happen.

Both Shizuru and Natsuki stood outside the toilet.

"Try this." Shizuru took out a pair of sunglasses from the makeup box she was holding.

Curious, Natsuki took the pair of sunglasses and wore them.

Shock and curiosity flashed across Natsuki's face as she took the sunglasses off and then put it on again.

Natsuki repeated the process again to verify what she saw was true when she wore the pair of sunglasses.

The moment she wore the sunglasses, she saw a blue-ish dark aura surrounding the female toilet. It was like a thick layer of haze gathering around the door.

But the moment she took the glasses off, everything returned to normal.

"When I wore the glasses, I saw this blue-ish dark aura surrounding the toilet. It was like a haze or mist. But when I took it off, I couldn't see it anymore. What was that? Why would this happen?" Natsuki turned to Shizuru and asked.

"This is a special pair of sunglasses. It allows the wearer to see things that naked eyes could not. The lens was soaked in a special solution. Tears of the dogs were one of the key ingredients. Dogs are one of the few creatures that can see supernatural beings. If you see them barking or howling at empty spaces for no reason, that could be because there are spirits or ghosts nearby and these dogs can see these supernatural beings. If humans rub their eyes with the tears of dogs, they would also be able to see the supernatural beings too. So instead of rubbing the tears on human eyes, I treated the lenses with the tears. So when you wear the glasses, you should be able to see an aura surrounding the toilet. That would be the strong Yin (阴) energy gathered by the ghost. And if you wear this to the toilet, you would probably be able to see the ghost itself, without it having to show itself."

"I see. " Natsuki fumbled with the glasses as she pondered over what Shizuru said.

Suddenly Natsuki recalled something, "But wait a minute, I remember seeing Munakata Shiho in the reserves with my own eyes. I wasn't wearing this pair of sunglasses at all."

"You were able to see Munakata Shiho then because I wiped the tears on your eyelids."

"You did?" Natsuki frowned as she tried to recall what happened. Since when did Viola Shizuru get so close to her and do that without her being aware? She tends to be rather cautious when it comes to strangers.

Shizuru nodded her head.

"I see. I didn't realise that." Natsuki didn't dwell too much on this. She could be preoccupied with the danger then and hence wasn't careful with strangers.

Shizuru stared at the door to the toilet, her iris glowing slightly, as if seeing through the door to understand what was inside.

The glow in Shizuru's iris dimmed as Shizuru took out the key to unlock the toilet.

However, there was a slight pause, too fast for Natsuki to notice, before Shizuru took a step back. She turned to Natsuki and smiled, a completely innocent smile. "Natsuki, I would need your help. Could you enter the toilet first? Alone perhaps?"

"Me?" Surprised, Natsuki pointed a finger at herself and then at the toilet door. "I am entering the toilet alone?"

Shizuru nodded her head, completely serious.

"The ghost may not reveal herself to me. I have the ability to subdue them, I may give off an aura or pressure that could be deemed as threatening to ghosts. And sensing this, the spirit or ghost may choose to hide and not show their presence easily. So my presence in the toilet might not be helpful."

Natsuki clenched the back of her teeth. Life is always full of surprises. Just when she felt more confident about investigating this toilet with Shizuru, life threw her a wrench and told her she had to investigate the place on her own.

While she had heard Nao's description of what she experienced inside the toilet, Natsuki wasn't hoping to experience it herself! Who in the right frame of mind would want to be scared by ghosts?

The determined look on Natsuki's face wavered for a while before she nodded her head, took a deep breath and walked towards the door.

Shizuru watched as the myriad of emotions played across Natsuki's face and amusement flashed across her eyes.

"Hold on a minute." Shizuru called out just before Natsuki pushed open the door. "You are not going to enter just like that are you?"

Natsuki turned and gave Shizuru a confused look. "Am I not?"

Natsuki had already gathered her courage to enter the toilet but all of it dissipated the moment Shizuru interrupted her. Her determination and courage deflated like a balloon being poked by a needle.

"Here. Hold this." Shizuru passed Natsuki, a yellow talisman. "It should provide some form of protection."

Natsuki's eyes brightened up the moment she saw the small piece of paper. She had seen this before when Shizuru used it on Munakata Shiho and had seen the impact it had on her.

With the talisman in her hand, Natsuki took a deep breath, mustered up the courage and entered the toilet.

Clenching her teeth, Natsuki pushed the door open and peered in.

Come on Natsuki. It was just a ghost. Natsuki told herself, ignoring the fact that her hands were trembling slightly. She had faced a gang of people holding on to metal rods and hammers running after her before. A single ghost should not scare her… too much.

Furthermore, the talisman in her hand, she should feel a little bit more confident in entering the toilet.

Natsuki hoped as she pushed open the door,

Amusement flashed across Shizuru's face when she saw Natsuki entering the toilet, clutching the talisman in hand.

What Shizuru told Natsuki earlier that her presence might deter the spirit or ghost from appearing, was only partially true. While people like her can give off an aura or pressure, they also have the ability to control it. Meaning, she could minimise the aura or pressure if needed. And this meant that she could have entered the toilet together with Natsuki.

In fact, she planned to go into the toilet together but changed her mind at the last minute. She wanted Natsuki to enter the toilet alone instead.

Natsuki needs to know that she was risking her life when she planned to visit this toilet alone, without her company. She needs to learn the danger, otherwise, in the future, she would take similar risks again. Paranormal activities are not for the amateur like Natsuki. If she is not careful, she could injure herself in the process.

The moment Natsuki entered the toilet and the lights flicked on. She jolted and quickly glanced around. She wondered if it would look bad on her if she screamed and ran out of the toilet.

But then, embarrassment flashed across Natsuki's face when she caught sight of the motion-sensored lights.

Of course the lights would turn on when someone entered the toilet! Natsuki chided herself. The lights were activated based on motion. So please calm down!

Natsuki took a deep breath and slowly inched towards the cubicle and inspected them. Inch is the word because Natsuki dreaded having to open the door to the cubicle. You never knew what may pop out from the cubicles.

With her left hand outstretched, Natsuki slowly pushed the door open. She bit the back of her teeth, ready to bolt if needed.

Who cares if she was a coward!

She didn't think she was good at handling horror stuff. Give her a gang of robbers anytime and she will face them head on. But when it comes to this horror and supernatural stuff, she doesn't think she has the courage and ability to handle it!

Finally she completed the checks on the two cubicles. Natsuki heaved a sigh of relief. There wasn't anything or anyone around, not even in the cubicles.

Natsuki wondered if she had to say some magical words or do something to get that ghost to appear.

She pondered about it before entering one of the cubicles. Nao did that when she used the toilet.

Natsuki closed the door to the cubicle and waited for a while.

But there wasn't any response and so Natsuki decided to exit the cubicle.

But just as she was about to do so, a voice from the next cubicle spoke out.

"Ano ne… do you have any toilet paper on your side? Mine ran out here." A soft spoken voice.

"I have. Hold on a minute." Natsuki responded instinctively and reached out to the roll of toilet paper.

Her hands paused midway and then began to shake visibly. Natsuki clenched her fist, trying to stop her hand from shaking too badly.

Natsuki was pretty sure the last time she checked the cubicles, they were completely empty. And Shizuru would not have let anyone else enter the toilet...

"Toilet paper… please…" The voice next door politely put forward her request once again.

"Er…" Natsuki paused. She didn't know what to do or say! She wasn't prepared! The police academy did not train and prepare her for such incidents!

A few seconds later, Natsuki took a deep breath, gathered her courage and replied, "Sorry about it. I just finished using the last piece of toilet paper."

Natsuki held her breath after saying that, awaiting for what to come next. Her heart was pounding.

Shizuru was leaning against the wall outside the toilet, but she could hear the conversation in the toilet loud and clear. Her hearing was better than normal human beings and so she could clearly hear what was going on inside.

Humour flashed across her eyes and the tips of her lips pulled up in amusement. She wasn't expecting that rely from Natsuki.

There was an awkward silence and the silence dragged on.

Natsuki scratched her chin, wondering if her reply had unintentionally forced the ghost to retreat. She clutched the talisman in her hand.

Then she heard the sound of water dripping on the floor.

"Blood. So much blood." The voice next door said. "I can't stop the bleeding."

And soon a pool of blood widened such that it gathered near Natsuki's feet.

Natsuki cursed and ran out of the cubicle.

The door to the other cubicle slammed open too and a long-haired lady was inside, floating slightly above the floor.

Her head was tilted downwards with her hair covering her face. Natsuki couldn't see her face at all, not that she wanted to. But Natsuki was pretty sure this was the ghost Nao met.

The ghost raised her head to look at Natsuki.

Well, Natsuki suspected the ghost was looking at her! Suspected! Because there wasn't any iris in her eyes! Where the iris was, it was completely white. She couldn't see any iris.

Natsuki's eyes widened as the ghost slowly floated towards Natsuki. Nao had described the ghost. But still, it was horrifying to see the ghost face to face. Blood was dripping profusely down from the corner of her eyes. The red colour blood stood in stark contrast to the pale face.

It was horrifying to see someone moving towards you with blood dripping down the face.

Natsuki inched backwards but hit the basin. She was stuck! There was nowhere to run.

There was just so much space in the toilet to run!

Natsuki cursed and moved to the door. She tried to pull the door open but it remained firmly stuck.

Natsuki quickly turned to face the ghost and watched as the ghost followed her relentlessly. She was trying hard not to scream, especially when she saw that the ghost was grinning with glee now, smiling from ear to ear. It wasn't a pretty sight to see. Imagine a bloodied person grinning at you as she approached you.

Natsuki narrowed her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew she was the prey now, within the grasp of the ghost. She clutched the talisman in her hand. Natsuki just prayed that the talismen is enough and that her sweaty palm would not smear the wordings on the talisman.

When the ghost was within a foot, Natsuki immediately slapped the talisman on the ghost. Natsuki wasn't sure how to describe the feeling of touching a ghost. She wasn't even sure if she really touched it. She just knew that it was cold to the touch. Her fingertips felt cold upon touching the ghost. And the coldness did not end there. It spread from the tip of her fingers to her whole body. It wasn't like touching frozen ice. The coldness is only felt on the fingertips. But this kind of coldness went straight to the core of her body and made the hair on her skin stand on ends.

Within seconds, the ghost was repelled away from Natsuki and it was flung to the far end of the toilet.

For a moment, it appeared disoriented, confused as to what happened to her. But soon, the ghost knew that it was the talisman Natsuki placed on her.

The ghost glared at Natsuki and let out a sharp screech.

Shit!

Natsuki covered her ears.

But it didn't seem to work.

Soon the mirrors above the sink cracked from the screeching.

But just as soon as the screeching started, it stopped suddenly.

Suddenly Natsuki's eyes widened. The ghost wasn't where she originally was. The spot was empty.

Natsuki looked around her only to come face to face with a bleeding face.

Natsuki let out a scream before stumbling backwards, knocking against the wall. She was trapped between the ghost and the well. There wasn't anywhere to run.

The ghost leaned forward, her pale hand reaching towards Natsuki's face.

"You will stay here and replace me."

Natsuki could hear the words loud and clear in her head, though she was sure the ghost's lips did not move. Through the words, Natsuki could also sense the glee and malice that someone was going to suffer soon.

The ghost stretched out her long and dark fingernails, inching towards Natsuki's face.

Those long nails glistened under the light. She was sure that the fingernails could easily slice through her skin easily.

Natsuki's heart was racing and her breaths rugged as she tried to pull back and distance herself.

It was impossible. She was already backed against the wall.

Like a slow motion movie, Natsuki could see the pale fingers touching her face, the dark nails ready to pierce through her skin. She shivered at the coldness of the fingers and soon, she felt herself immobilised, unable to move or speak.

The ghost grinned. It wasn't a pretty sight, especially when it was up close.

At that moment, the toilet door slammed open.

"Ara… I hope I am not too late?" Shizuru asked as she stepped into the toilet. Natsuki leaning against the wall with the female ghost towering over her, the nails ready to pierce into the porcelain skin.

It seemed as if the spell was broken the moment Shizuru stepped in and Natsuki could gain control of her body.

Her eyes brightened at the sight of Shizuru.

"Viola-san!"

Shizuru arched her brows. "Looks like a very dangerous situation you are in, Natsuki."

Natsuki would have nodded her head in agreement if not for the long and black fingernails poking at her face.

Obviously displeased by the interruption, the ghost growled and launched herself at Shizuru instead.

But Shizuru was totally unperturbed by this as she swiftly drew something in the air using her forefinger and middle fingers. Once done, she tapped once in the middle of the drawing and shot it towards the ghost.

Natsuki couldn't exactly see what Viola Shizuru drew except but she could see the immediate effect. The female ghost was repelled immediately and flung towards the wall once again.

This was the second time in a day, the ghost hit the wall. And obviously it angered the ghost.

The growl turned into shriek as red veins streaked through the ghost's face.

From the corner of her eyes, Natsuki saw the cracks on the mirrors widening and knew what was going to happen next.

Shit!

Natsuki quickly leaped forward and covered Shizuru with her body, holding her head against her chest.

Just as Natsuki did that, the cracked mirrors shatter in million pieces, scattering the pieces everywhere.

Natsuki tightened her hold on Shizuru and moved her body, shielding Shizuru from the sharp edges of the shattered glass.

Natsuki could feel tiny glass pieces hitting her, some of which landed on her hair while others gazed past her arms and face, leaving behind trails of pain.

Natsuki winced and prayed that the cuts weren't too deep and leave behind scars.

Natsuki was just glad that Shizuru didn't struggle. Otherwise, it was going to be difficult to shield her from all the flying glass pieces.

Not that Shizuru wasn't struggling. Shizuru was simply surprised that Natsuki bothered to protect her from the shattering mirrors amidst all the danger going around her. She didn't expect Natsuki to leap forward and shield her from the shattered glass pieces.

Shizuru was more than capable of protecting herself, as she had proven that many times for the past few years.

Her eyes were wide in shock as her heart skipped a beat. Something warm moved within her heart, but it was too quick for her to catch.

Shizuru clutched Natsuki's shirts tightly within her fist. The feeling was very foreign to Shizuru.

Sensing the moment in her arm, Natsuki tightened her arms around Shizuru and gave her a gentle pat to reassure Shizuru that everything was going to be alright.

Suddenly there was a loud 'pop' sound and Natsuki grunted.

The taps had burst open, spewing and spraying water out from the broken taps, splashing everything, including Natsuki and Shizuru, wet. And the burst tap flew out from the sink, hitting Natsuki on the waist.

It hurts like hell.

Natsuki winced as she wiped the water from her face, trying to see through the water that was spraying everywhere.

The grunt from Natsuki had Shizuru quickly pulling away from Natsuki's arm.

"Are you hurt?" Worried, Shizuru quickly ran her hand over Natsuki's body to check for wounds.

Perhaps she was wrong to let Natsuki enter the toilet alone. Had she entered the toilet together, she could have subdued the ghost quickly and this wouldn't have happened and Natsuki won't be injured.

There was a frown on Shizuru's face.

"Sto…stop…" Feeling ticklish, Natsuki tried to hold Shizuru off. "I am…"

But before Natsuki could finish her sentence, Shizuru touched a sore spot on her waist and Natsuki hissed in pain.

That was where the metal tap hit her.

Natsuki wanted to stop Shizuru. But before she could do that Shizuru pulled her shirt up to reveal a large red patch on her waist.

Natsuki winced at the sight. She was going to have a big bruise patch tomorrow.

Shizuru narrowed her eyes. For the first time in her life, Shizuru was angry.

She untangled herself from Natsuki, her eyes glowing red.

With a flick of her wrist, a talisman appeared in her hand. And with another flick, the talisman flew toward the ghost.

Another flick, a second talisman appeared. Another flick, the talisman shot towards the ghost.

The first talisman froze the ghost, stopping it from screeching and moving. The second talisman sent electric waves through the ghost.

Shizuru walked towards the ghost, with each step sending ripples on the flooded floor and totally undeterred by the water bursting from the broken tap.

When Shizuru reached the ghost, she leaned forward and whispered, "I have the intention of sending you to the afterlife for reincarnation. But now, I prefer to have you disappear forever."

And for the first time, there was fear in the ghost's eyes.

With that, Shizuru flicked the third talisman onto the ghost and blue coloured flames erupted from the talisman, spreading rapidly and finally engulfed the ghost.

Everything happened within seconds, so quickly that Natsuki wasn't able to fully comprehend what had happened. Before she knew it, the ghost had disappeared.

And what's left was ashes of the talisman, dissolved into the water as the tap water flooded the toilet floor.

Shizuru turned and saw Natsuki staring at her.

Something dark flashed across Shizuru's eyes. But just as quickly, it disappeared and Shizuru smiled.

"Ara…did I shock Natsuki? Gomene…"

"No no no." Natsuki shook her head. "I was just surprised by how quickly the issue was resolved. And impressed as well. You are really impressive."

Natsuki scratched her head trying to find the correct words. She didn't want to upset Viola Shizuru again, like what she did previously (previous chapter). Furthermore, Viola Shizuru had saved her life once again.

"I should really thank you because you saved me again." Natsuki tried to give a reassuring smile but hissed instead.

There were cuts on Natsuki's face and the smile tugged at the cuts.

As if finally realising that, Natsuki quickly took out her handphone and turned on the camera to take a look at her face.

"Shit!" Natsuki cursed as she examined her face. "I hope there won't be scars."

Natsuki shook herself and a few shattered glass pieces fell from her hair onto the floor. But many more remained stubbornly stuck among her hair and clothes.

Natsuki sighed.

Cleaning up would be difficult.

And not to mention the throbbing pain on her side.

"The teacher hostel is near here. Do you want to come over and treat the wound? Or at least remove the broken glass pieces?"

"If that is not too troublesome for you?" Natsuki asked tentatively. She might need a lot of help getting the glass pieces out.

"No trouble at all. Come with me." Shizuru replied as she grabbed Natsuki's wrist and led the way.


A distance away, Marguerite Tomoe stared in disbelief as she saw her Shizuru nee-sama holding on to the hand of a stranger, someone whom Tomoe didn't recognise or know.

She really couldn't believe her eyes. Her Shizuru nee-sama wouldn't do that. She wasn't that kind of person who would randomly hold a stranger's hand or even anyone's hand!

But slowly the disbelief sunk in and was replaced by anger. Her whole body started shaking from the uncontrolled anger. She had an urge to run towards that unknown woman and pushed her away.

How dare she touch onee-sama's hand!

But Shizuru-sama did not like people making a scene. Tomoe reminded herself. She had to control herself and not make a scene. Tomoe thought as she bit down on her nail.

Yet despite efforts to control her anger, her breath came in short and ragged as the image of Shizuru-sama holding on to someone else's hand kept flashing through her mind like a broken movie player.

What is that dirty peasant doing, touching her Onee-sama with her filthy hands! And smiling at Onee-sama with that flirty smile. Such a slut! Onee-sama shouldn't waste her time on this peasant.

Marguerite Tomoe was seeing red as anger built up readily within her, just like a volcano ready to erupt.

She needed to do something about that peasant. She needed to protect her onee-sama.

Tomoe walked in circles as she struggled to think of ways to get rid of that girl.

Her hands trembled slightly as she took out her smartphone to send Shizuru a message. She could hardly see through the red haze surrounding her vision.

She fumbled for a while until she finally managed to send a message to Shizuru, asking for her whereabouts. And she stood there waiting in the open space waiting for her Onee-sama to reply to her message.

She was sure her Onee-sama would reply to her message when she had the time. But, she also knew that Onee-sama was always so busy with her work and that's why onee-sama didn't reply to her messages most of the time.

Time slowly ticked by and Tomoe's handphone was still silent and the screen was black. There wasn't any reply for onee-sama.

She shouldn't stay passive. Tomoe thought to herself. She should follow onee-sama in case onee-sama needs her help.

And with a snap of her heels, Tomoe turned and walked in the direction which her onee-sama was walking to.

She couldn't lose onee-sama to some slut that appeared out of nowhere. She was way better in every way.

She still remembered the first time she had seen Onee-sama was when she first entered Fuuka High school. She was 16 then and Shizuru Onee-sama 17. Despite being just a second year in the High School, Shizuru was already the Student Council President, pushing out the third year seniors to be the youngest Student Council President in the history of Fuuka High School.

Tomoe could still vividly remember seeing Shizuru Onee-sama for the first time, standing at the podium giving the welcoming speech to the new students. She stood there, her honey colored hair falling nicely around her pale face and a gentle smile on her face. Her ruby colour eyes brimming with confidence as she stood there looking at the students seated on the chairs in the hall, like a regal Queen welcoming her subjects. As she spoke, her kyoto accent added charm to her speech, capturing the attention of everyone. It was then that Tomoe decided that she would strive hard so that she could stand next to Shizuru Onee-sama as her partner.

She had followed Shizuru Onee-sama from Fuuka High School to Fuuka University and then returning to Fuuka University once again to teach.

She had been following Shizuru Onee-sama for many years, waiting for her to acknowledge and accept her as an equal. But even if Shizuru Onee-sama did not do that, she was content with observing her, her regal Queen, from a distance. Because Tomoe knew deep down that Shizuru onee-sama will always have a place for her.

But that peasant, that slut, had entered into the picture, polluting the air which Shizuru Onee-sama was breathing and tricking Onee-sama so that she could have Onee-sama's attention.

Tomoe clenched her fist tight before loosening her clutch.

But not to worry, she would find some ways to get rid of that slut. Just like how she did it with the rest who dared to get too close to Onee-sama. With that thought in mind, Tomoe finally feels more assured that everything is under her control.

Tomoe glanced at her phone. There weren't any new notifications on her handphone.

But it didn't matter. By then Tomoe had caught up with them and she knew where they were going. She hoped and prayed that she was wrong. But it seemed that onee-sama and that slut were heading towards the hostel for the professors working in this university.

Anger towards the stranger rose up once again within Tomoe.

How dared the slut trick Shizuru onee-sama.

She needed to protect onee-sama, Tomoe thought as she followed closely behind them, yet still keeping a distance from them so that onee-sama would not be affected.

She tightened her grip on her still silent phone as she saw them walking nearer and nearer to the hostel, slowly disappearing from her sight.

The moment Tomoe confirmed the destination, she knew she had to get rid of that woman as soon as possible. She was a threat to onee-sama.


"Do you have a brush or comb? I have those broken glass pieces stuck in my hair." Natsuki stopped at the door to the hostel. "I don't want to bring them into your place."

"I have it. Hold on." Shizuru replied as she went in to get the brush. This hostel was kept aside for the university professors who might need it. Though Shizuru hardly needs it, she still has one under her name.

And within minutes, Shizuru came out with a brush.

"Here, let me help you." Shizuru offered as she reached out to help.

Natsuki's hair was silky. She must have taken good care of it. Shizuru thought as she ran the brush through Natsuki's hair and brushed the broken glass pieces off. She could even smell the shampoo that Natsuki used and wondered what shampoo it was that made Natsuki's hair smell so nice.

They took about 10 minutes before they managed to clear all the broken pieces from Natsuki's hair and shoulder.

And with much reluctance, Shizuru put the comb away. She really enjoyed running her fingers through Natsuki's hair.

But then Shizuru's attention shifted to Natsuki's shirt.

"Do you want to take off your jacket? To check if there are any broken glass pieces stuck on your clothes? I saw a couple getting stuck here." Shizuru asked as she leaned forward and plucked a shred of glass from Natsuki's collar.

Natsuki cursed. This was going to be an uphill task trying to get all the glass pieces off her.

But when she looked up to reply to Shizuru, she realised that the two of them were so close, just inches away from each other.

A red hue appeared on Natsuki's cheeks as she quickly took a step backward. She wasn't good with close contact.

"I should do that." Natsuki glanced sideways and coughed into her hand. "Yeah…I should…"

Trying to distract herself, Natsuki quickly agreed and started to take off her jacket, apparently forgetting the bruises she had in her waist.

And immediately, Natsuki winced. Her waist was definitely sore now.

Shizuru didn't miss the blushes on Natsuki's face and she was amused by it. She didn't realise that our dear police-san was such a shy person.

"Here, let me help you instead." Shizuru offered and helped to gently tug the jacket off her shoulders to reveal the tank top Natsuki was wearing inside.

Shizuru arched an eyebrow. The remaining tight tank top didn't leave much to the imagination. Because it was wet from the water spilling from the broken tap and hugging Natsuki like a second skin.

Natsuki really has a toned and well proportioned body, Shizuru thought in appreciation. Even her arms, Shizuru could see the muscle moving beneath the porcelain skin as Natsuku shrugged the jacket off.

It took them another 15 minutes before Natsuki was cleared of all the glass pieces. It was a painstakingly slow process, and especially painful for Natsuki when Shizuru helped to brush off the glass pieces from her clothes. She really wasn't good at interacting with new people, especially on a one to one basis. And now her personal space was filled with Shizuru's presence. And every time Shizuru moved closer to help brush the glass pieces off, she could catch a waft of perfume from Shizuru. It was a really nice scent, one which Natsuki liked and felt like moving closer to Shizuru to smell it again. She had to stop herself from doing that. Otherwise, she would sound like a criminal with a certain fetish.

"Alright. You should be free of glass pieces now." Shizuru brushed off the last piece and straightened up. Not that she didn't notice the blushes on Natsuki's face and how it darkened whenever she went closer. She saw it but had the urge to continue teasing.

"Come in and ice the bruise you have." Shizuru offered as she moved to take some ice from the freezer. "Just take a seat first."

"Actually it's alright. I have troubled you enough. I can just ice the bruise when I reach home. You have helped me enough by removing the glass pieces." Natsuki declined.

Shizuru arched her brows and with a quick moment, pressed her hand against Natsuki's waist.

Natsuki hissed in pain.

"The bruise looks bad. So come in and ice it and take some pain killer." Shizuru suggested. "Otherwise, the pain will worsen along the way home."

There was just a moment of indecision before Natsuki nodded her head.

Soon, Shizuru returned with a glass of water and pain killer.

"Here. Drink it. It should numb the pain for a while."

Natsuki downed the pill with water.

"Pull up your top." The sentence nearly had Natsuki choking on her water.

There was a slight blush as Natsuki coughed.

"Actually I can ice it myself." Natsuki suggested as she reached out for the ice pack.

Shizuru held the ice pack out of Natsuki's reach.

"You can't even pull off your jacket and you still want to ice it?"

There was a minute of silence before Natsuki finally relented and unwillingly lifted up a corner of her top.

There was a slight pout on Natsuki's face.

Shizuru chuckled. "Ara… did I see a pout Lt Kuga?"

This time round, there was an obvious blush on Natsuki's face.

Shizuru smiled and gently pressed the ice pack against the swollen area.

Natsuki winced. It was indeed painful.


Tomoe paced back and forth beneath the hostel.

She bit down hard on her nail.

Onee-sama and that woman had been up there for more than an hour.

What were they doing up there!?

Could that slut have done something to onee-sama? Tomoe wondered as images of that woman pushing onee-sama onto the floor and tearing into onee-sama's clothes flashed through her mind.

No! No! No! Tomoe shook her head in denial. Onee-sama would be able to fend for herself. She knew onee-sama had a black belt in martial art.

But what if that slut used some date rape drug on onee-sama?

Shit! That would be bad. Tomoe thought as she moved to find her onee-sama.

But before she could move, the lift opened and she heard onee-sama's voice.

Immediately Tomoe's eyes brightened as she quickly hid behind a pillar.

"Thank you so much Viola-san."

"Ara… You are very much welcome, Natsuki. And you are still calling me Viola-san?"

Natsuki blinked her eyes several times, trying to understand this sudden change in subject.

Viola-san? Wasn't that her family name?

Seeing the confusion on Natsuki's face, Shizuru smiled, "Shizuru. Just call me Shizuru. When you call me Viola-san, it makes me feel like you are calling my ouji-sama."

"Oh!" Realisation struck and Natsuki laughed. Viola Shizuru-san wasn't that hard to interact with. She hadn't expected the use of informal language from Shizuru. But it seemed that she was comfortable with it, unexpected from an oujo-sama. And most importantly, today, Viola Shizuru saved her life again.

"Haha…Shizuru-san then. Thank you so much for the help today. Really appreciate it. I will make a move first. Good night." Natsuki bid farewell and moved off to where she parked her bike.

But Shizuru did not move from where she was standing. Instead, she stared at Natsuki's back, a contemplative look on her face.

Suddenly she took a step forward and said, "Ne Natsuki…"

Surprised, Natsuki turned and looked at Shizuru, a questioning look on her face.

"How about breakfast tomorrow?"

"Breakfast?" Natsuki was confused once again by this sudden change of topic again.

"Yes, breakfast. Let's meet over breakfast again. I know you may have some questions on your mind regarding the incident tonight. If you would like to, we can meet over tomorrow morning." Shizuru offered.

Surprised flashed across Natsuki's face. But this was followed by a slight frown. "I can't make it tomorrow morning. So sorry about it."

Something akin to disappointment flashed across Shizuru's chest.

"But I will be able to make it tomorrow for dinner. Is it alright with you?"

"Of course. I am good with it too." Immediately, Shizuru's face brightened.

There was a short discussion between Shizuru and Natsuki to decide on the time and place to meet tomorrow.

Once they parted ways and Shizuru stepped into the lift, Tomoe stood out from the shadow, a maniacal look on her face. She wasn't happy with the current development.

This was the first time Tomoe felt threatened by a mere stranger.

There had been many instances of both men and women approaching onee-sama. But Tomoe knew Shizuru onee-sama wasn't interested in them. There might have been occasional flings here and there by Shizuru onee-sama. But Tomoe knew they would never last.

But this stranger that Shizuru was talking to was different. Tomoe could sense it.

She needed to get rid of her as soon as possible.


Shizuru stepped into the restaurant and immediately saw Natsuki sitting at a corner.

"Gokigenyou Natsuki."

Natsuki looked up and saw Shizuru standing there and smiling at her.

And Natsuki was mesmerised momentarily. Shizuru was indeed very beautiful. It was the whole package, Natsuki felt. It wasn't just her beautiful features. It was also the aura Shizuru gave out, the sense of elegance she always had whenever she did something, that drew people in. Yet the sense of elegance was contrasted by the piercing ruby coloured eyes.

Shizuru's smile widened slightly when she saw the slightly dazed look on Natsuki's face. She put in some effort into dressing up today and it seemed to pay off.

"Good evening." Natsuki returned the smile.

Just as the two of them were about to settle down into their seats, they were interrupted by two newcomers.

"Onee-sama, you are here as well!" A slight shrill voice said. "So coincidental!"

At the sound of the voice, a polite facade descended onto Shizuru's face. It was that polite smile that Natsuki saw on Shizuru's face when she first met Shizuru.

"Gokigenyou Tomoe." Shizuru turned over and gave Tomoe a polite smile and then glanced at the man next to Tomoe and nodded her head in acknowledgement. She recognised him.

Shinoyama Kento. Like Tomoe, he was also a research professor working in Fuka U.

But Kento's attention wasn't even on Shizuru. He was looking at Natsuki. There was growing interest in his eyes.

Shizuru narrowed her eyes. She didn't like the way he was looking at Natsuki.

"Ara… gokigenyou Kento-san. What brings you here?"

"Ah Shizuru-san!" Kento dragged his attention back to Shizuru. But his thoughts were still very much on the blue hair beauty. He wanted to get to know her.

"Hai...Tomoe and I are meeting here to discuss the details for the upcoming University Cultural Fair." And once said, his attention went back again to the blue-haired beauty sitting in front of Viola Shizuru. She was really beautiful, not just her face but the overall package, with a well proportioned body, with long arms and legs. He could just imagine them wrapping around him in bed. And her attitude, she was an ice princess but he liked the challenge. He was thinking about the things he could do to melt the ice.

The smile on Shizuru's face got a little more dangerous. She knew the look on Shinoyama Kento and had seen that look before. She had heard about him and the rumours going around the campus about him when she first joined Fuuka U. He was a skirt chaser, chasing after girls and dumping them after he got tired of them. He tried to turn the charm on her, but it didn't work. A little bit of punishment and he learnt that she wasn't someone he should mess with.

And currently, she really disliked the look he was giving Natsuki.

She glanced at Tomoe and then Shinoyama Kento. She knew the two of them were on board the University Cultural Fair but she was pretty sure their planning was more or less done. She could more or less guess why Tomoe brought Shinoyama Kento here.

"Ara... I shall not disturb you then. Hope you have a fruitful discussion ne."

"Onee-sama, would you not like to join us? I know you have a lot of experience in this area." Tomoe urged Shizuru. She knew onee-sama was meeting that woman today and so she had called on Kento to meet at the cafe on the pretext of discussing the Cultural Fair. This way she could make sure that the slut would not do anything against Onee-sama.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to join you ne. I am meeting with my friend. Kanina, Tomoe." Shizuru smiled, tilting her head slightly in apology.

"Its...its alright Onee-sama." Tomoe stuttered, flustered by Shizuru's smile. It had been a while since Shizuru onee-sama smiled at her. If Shizuru onee-sama said that she was meeting a friend, then she was really meeting a friend. Shel believed in onee-sama. Onee-sama would not lie to her.

"Gokigenyou Onee-sama." Tomoe turned and walked away, dragging a much unwilling Kento along with her. But before she left, Tomoe gave Natsuki a glare.

But Natsuki was oblivious to it. In fact she wasn't even paying much attention to the two visitors. After acknowledging their presence, Natsuki had been using her handphone.

She wasn't stupid and as a police officer, she knew how to read the situation. Shizuru-san didn't really welcome the newcomers, more so when it comes to that "Kento-san".

And Natsuki disliked the way that man was staring at her. That man was practically staring at her with lust in his eyes. If she could read his mind, she guessed he must be imagining her naked and in bed with her. Natsuki rolled her eyes.

There was hardly much discussion going on between Kento and Tomoe.

Shinoyama Kento was smiling and staring at Natsuki all the while, planning how he could get to know her.

On the other hand, Tomoe was engrossed in her coffee, deep in thoughts, totally not interested in discussing anything with Shinoyama Kento. But, occasionally, Tomoe would look across at her Onee-sama, checking to make sure onee-sama was safe.

That strange atmosphere between Tomoe and Takeda ended when Tomoe suddenly stood up, leaving the table.

Here's the chance now. Tomoe thought as she saw Shizuru excusing herself to go to the toilet.

Surprised, Shinoyama Kento looked at Tomoe. "Where are you going?"

"You are interested in that blue-haired lady aren't you? I can help you. I will get her handphone number for you if you want." But before Kento could reply to Tomoe, she already took her cup of coffee and walked towards Natsuki, leaving Shinoyama Kento behind.

She needed to get this done before onee-sama is back.

As Tomoe walked towards Natsuki, Tomoe had her palm covering the cup and dipped her middle finger into the steaming cup of coffee. Using her finger, Tomoe stirred her finger clockwise twice and then anticlockwise once, all the while whispering something beneath her breath. And just before she reached Natsuki, Tomoe slipped her finger out.

"Hi, I am Marguerite Tomoe." Tomoe plastered a smile on her face and put out her right hand. "And you would be? Sorry I didn't get a chance to ask for your name just now."

"It's ok. I am Kuga Natsuki. Nice to meet you." Natsuki stood up and shook Tomoe's hand.

"That guy over there, did you see him? He is Shinoyama Kento. He would like to treat you to a cup of coffee and get to know you better." Tomoe lied and placed her own cup of coffee in front of Natsuki while gesturing at the direction of Kento, who had been observing the exchange between Tomoe and Natsuki.

Natsuki glanced over to see the guy smiling at her. For safety reasons, Natsuki never accepted drinks from strangers. She had seen many instances of drinks being spiked by different kinds of drugs and the unaware victims suffered as a result of drinking the spiked drinks.

However, this time round, Natsuki did not reject the offer outrightly and hesitated for a while. They were Viola Shizuru's colleagues so it might not be nice if she rejected them.

After some internal debate, Natsuki finally accepted the coffee. She might have accepted the offer, but that didn't mean she would drink the coffee.

"Thank you." Natsuki took the cup of coffee, raising it to thank him for the treat.

Overjoyed by Natsuki's response, Shinoyama Kento took his cup and raised it up before sipping his drink.

Before Natsuki had a chance to do anything with the cup of coffee, a pale hand moved to cover the cup.

"Kanina ne, Tomoe, Natsuki has ordered her own cup of coffee earlier on. I guess you could have this cup of coffee for yourself."

Tomoe's face paled upon hearing Shizuru's voice.

Shizuru took the cup from Natsuki's hand and gently placed it in front of Tomoe.

A startled Tomoe looked up from the cup of coffee to look at Shizuru.

"O...Onee-sama…"

"Ara...Tomoe doesn't want to drink this coffee? I would like to invite you to drink this cup of coffee." Shizuru gestured to the cup of coffee and emphasised the word 'invite'. Shizuru was smiling but the smile never reached her eyes.

"I...Onee-sama...I'm not sure what you mean." Tomoe stammered as she took a few steps back. The smile on her face looked rather strained.

A rather clueless Natsuki sat there, wondering why the two of them were tussling over who should drink this cup of coffee. But her instinct told her that something might not be right.

And Shizuru, despite having a smile on her face, was furious at the teal hair girl. Natsuki could feel anger emitting from Shizuru like waves.

Shizuru liked to conceal her emotion beneath a polite facade.

Natsuki glanced between the two of them. It was a stalemate.

"I think Natsuki should return this coffee to the owner, right? Tomoe?" Shizuru insisted and pushed the coffee towards Tomoe. "Why don't I treat you to this drink instead Tomoe?"

Tomoe's face paled further. Her hands clenched in a tight fist.

Onee-sama was angry with me all because of that slut!

"I...I shall leave first." Tomoe blurted out before fleeing the cafe with a puzzled Shinoyama Kento chasing behind her.

Natsuki frowned, confused as she saw Tomoe running out of the cafe. But not before catching sight of the look of hatred Tomoe threw her way.

What have I done? Natsuki thought, baffled by the emotion she saw in Tomoe's eyes. She didn't even do anything.

"Is everything alright?" Natsuki turned back to Shizuru and asked.

"Ara Natsuki, didn't you know that it is always best to decline drinks from strangers?"

"Of course I know! That's why I only accept the drink but I don't intend to drink it. I only accepted the drink because they are your colleagues."

Natsuki could feel Shizuru's anger simmering down when she said she has no intention of drinking the coffee.

"But is there something wrong with the coffee?" Natsuki glanced at the cup of coffee that was still on their table. If there was indeed some illegal drugs in the drink, then she would need to report this to the police. "Why did you insist that I don't drink from it?"

"Did you see this hot cup of coffee?" Shizuru asked and pushed the cup towards Natsuki. "Touch the base of the cup."

Natsuki lifted up the steaming cup of coffee and touched the base with her forefinger.

But just as she touched it, her hand jerked back in shock. Natsuki looked up at Shizuru, surprised and shocked, both evident on her face.

"Why? Why is the base of this cup so cold even when it contains hot coffee? I could even see the steam from the coffee!"

Natsuki touched the base of the cup again and then the side of the cup.

"Black magic." Shizuru said and took a sip of her tea. "The art of casting spells to curse and to harm others. This cup of coffee has been cursed which is why despite containing hot coffee, the base is cold to touch."

"Such things exist!?" Natsuki asked incredulously. Her understanding of the supernatural was constantly renewed and updated every time she interacted with Shizuru. "What would happen to me if I drink this? But why would Marguerite-san do that? I only saw her for the first time today."

"I guess only Tomoe would know." Shizuru lifted her cup of tea, slowly sipping from it while looking out into the night scenery, deep in thoughts.

She knew what Tomoe had been doing behind her back to those people who tried to get close to her. She didn't mind that. Those admirers can get irritating at times and at least Tomoe can help her get rid of those pests. That was the reason why Shizuru tolerated Tomoe up until now. But this time round, Shizuru didn't like Tomoe's intervention. Shizuru thought as she turned to look at Natsuki who until now had been poking at the cup of coffee given by Tomoe, like a curious puppy poking at an empty box.

Shizuru couldn't help but smile at that. All Natsuki needs is a pair of dog ears and a dog collar and she would be ready to adopt her.

Just as Shizuru was busy with her thoughts, Natsuki suddenly looked up and commented, "You should smile more often like this."

Surprised by Natsuki's comment, Shizuru replied, "Ara, I thought I have always been smiling like this?"

"Not like this. You always have a polite smile on your face. But you really don't feel like smiling." Natsuki paused as if to find the correct word to describe Shizuru. "You are smiling for the sake of smiling. But just now, and a couple of times earlier on, your smile really comes from your heart...I think."

For a moment there was complete silence.

Feeling a bit awkward caused by the silence, Natsuki spoke up. "My apologies if I have overstepped my boundary. It was unintentional. Forgive me."

"No...It is nothing like this. I am just...surprised."

Yes! Surprised.

She had always put on a smile. It had become second nature for her to do so. And for a long time she had forgotten it was a facade that she put on. And Natsuki, someone whom she knew for only a short while had seen through the facade. She couldn't remember when was the last time someone had seen through it.

And it seemed that with Natsuki, she smiled more often than she had for the past few years. The real smile that came from the heart.

"Say..." Sidestepping the awkward topic, Natsuki decided to talk about something else. "You haven't told me what would happen if I drink this cup of coffee?"

"It would depend on the kind of curse that Tomoe placed. Something simple might cause you simple discomfort like headaches or diarrhoea for a few days. For something more complex, it could probably cause you to feel excruciating pain for a while."

"I didn't even know things such as black magic or curse existed." Natsuki thought about it as she cocked her head sideways. "If such supernatural things like spirits and dark magic exist, then why can't scientists prove its existence?"

"There is in fact a very simple answer to that. The existence of spirits and dark magic could not be seen or even captured and measured by technology and thus, many scientists rebuke their existence. But have those scientists wondered if the problem lies within themselves and their equipment? Many scientists do not believe in supernatural things let alone understand it. If they don't understand spirits and dark magic, how is it possible to measure them? Humans can measure the temperature of the environment and weight of items because we can feel the heat and the weight. But this is not the case for spirits and dark magic. Not everyone can see and feel them, let alone understand them. In addition, the current level of technology may not be advanced enough or suitable to capture and measure such things. And so many believe that spirits and magic do not exist, much to their mistakes."

"But in the future, if technology advances to a higher level, is there a possibility that humans could capture and measure such things?"

"There is a possibility ne...But we never know unless we can live long enough to see it for ourselves."

"I see." Not that Natsuki was trying to rebuke the existence of supernatural beings and activities. She experienced them herself when she came face to face with Munakata Shiho. It was already shocking enough to learn that supernatural beings and activities do exist!

"I am just curious and if you don't mind, could I ask…" Natsuki rattled off a series of questions and Shizuru slowly took the time to answer Natsuki's questions.

From a distance, Tomoe watched the two of them smiling and talking over their meal and clenched her fists, her fingernails biting into her palms. She didn't run far and instead, wandered around the restaurants. She didn't trust Shizuru onee-sama to be alone with that slut.

Onee-sama had never smiled at her in this manner before. That bitch was going to pay for it. Tomoe swore to herself.