Just another day in the Newspaper Club. Despite Gin being the Peeping Tom, he's actually come around as an alright guy, even if he's still being a creep from time to time. At least he's not messing around with Moka anymore, well, at least not as intense as before. I'm spending most of my time just brainstorming on how to approach the real problem with this academy. How is it that we've run into so many problems, and not a single one of us nor our predecessors has received any shape or form of punishment? This could be just paranoia on my end, but I feel like there could be something bigger behind it all. I decided to bring it up with Tsukune since I don't really trust Gin right now, and I don't know if the girls would want to hear my theories.

"Yo, Aono." I lightly punch his shoulder, knocking him out of his daze. Wait, was he blushing? "What's with you?"

"Oh! Uh...nothing!"

Nice bluff. "Can't fool me, what's up?"

Tsukune sighs, accepting defeat in me catching his bullshit. "Well..." He whispers, making sure no one else in the club can hear. "...It's my birthday next week, and I want to spend it with Moka."

I smirk, whispering. "Ooh, taking a big step there, lover boy."

He looks away, frowning. "I hate it when you call me that."

"But seriously, That's really sweet, man. And your birthday is next week? You'll be turning sixteen, right?"

Tsukune nods. "Yeah, how'd you know?"

I shrug. "Lucky guess. I'll be sure to get you something, don't worry, I'll give it to you before you 'date' with the vampire."

"It's not a date!" He loudly whispers. "But you don't have to get me anything."

"Don't get started on that, you're my best friend and I'm gonna get you something."

"...I'm your best friend?" Tsukune asks in a surprised tone.

"Yeah? Is it really that surprising?"

"Well- OW!" Tsukune is cut off but our club president hitting him in the head with a ruler. "What the heck, Gin?!"

"Sorry to intrude on your conversation, but we have a newspaper to publish!"

"You couldn't have just said that without hitting him?"

Gin ignores my valid question and heads on over to Moka sitting alone at a desk. It looks like she's...drawing, I think? "Hello, Moka! What's this? An art book? Becoming an artist, are you?"

Moka hastily puts her book away in her bag. "N-No! It's just...um..."

"You're looking quite beautiful today. You really oughta go out with me." Oh boy, here he goes again... "After all," Gin whips out a small bouquet of flowers out of his back pocket, presenting them to the vampire. "I love you!"

"..." Tsukune and I look at each other, and judging the look on his face, along with my own, we must be thinking the same thing. How in the hell can you just say something like that out of the blue? "I don't think he knows what love is..."

"Yeah, and judging how he's following Moka around the clubroom like a lost puppy needing a soft place to lie down right now says more than it should..."

"Oh, Tsukune!" Knowing that voice from anywhere, and hearing its singsong manner, it has to belong to our local Succubus. "Good afternoon!" Kurumu happily hugs Tsukune, but to my surprise, she... hugs him like a normal girl would. Not too firm, and not forcibly putting his face between...those. "And I love you!"

"What?!" The boy shouts.

"...Not you too, Kuru." I facepalm.

She looks at me, confused. "What are you-"

THUMP!

GONG!

"Huh, a dustpan and a desk, that's new. "

"I wanted to try something different for a change. Besides..." The young with proudly says as she holds her wand high. "Anyone who harrasses or assaults Tsukune or Moka must face my magic! After all, I love them!"

"...Did I miss the memo or something? Hmm..." I try to ease the tension in the room, looking to the human. "...I love you, Tsukune."

"Why are you saying it now?!"

I shrug. "Everyone else is saying it, and Moka's not my type."

"Huh?" The vampire looks at me, her eyes making me feel bad about how I worded that.

"I don't mean anything bad, Moka. You're pretty, don't get me wrong. But I wouldn't want to pursue you, does that make sense?"

"I guess...but, why wouldn't you?"

"Mostly because every other dude in this school wants you too, and I can't deal with their BS every day since I already deal with you guys."

"Hey!" Everyone, minus the werewolf recovering from a desk being dropped on his head, yells at me.

Later that evening...

"Hey, Elijah? Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Well..." The boy stops in his tracks, blushing profusely. "I wanna ask Moka out on my birthday."

This surprises me. I know already that Tsukune has a huge thing for Moka and that he's never really pursued her before. So to hear this from him...makes me proud. "No way dude! Finally taking that next step!"

Tuskune laughs at my enthusiasm. "Yeah, and..."

"And?"

"...I want to tell her that I love her."

"Woah! Woah! Woah! Run that by me again?"

"I...want to tell her that I love her...is that bad?"

"Well, no...and yes. Don't you think it's a little too soon?"

"That's actually why I wanted to talk. You see, you know how I always walk Moka to her dorm before I meet up with you?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, apparently Moka has an...'appointment' with the art teacher. She asked her to be her 'model' or something for about a week."

"Art teacher? You mean Ms. Hitomi Ishigami?"

"Yeah, I think so. So I kinda asked her if she remembered my birthday was coming, you know, in case she forgot? And she just brushed me off."

"So, what's exactly the problem?"

Tsukune looks away in deep thought with that thousand-yard look. "...I've been thinking. What am I to Moka?"

"What do you mean?"

"She sucks my blood almost every day, she supposedly forgets my birthday, and...she just brushed me off today like I don't-"

"Okay," I cut Tsukune off, interrupting him. "I'm gonna stop you right there. You're overthinking things again. Think about it, if Moka had really 'brushed you off' as you said, she wouldn't have told you where she was going, right?"

"I guess, but still..."

I sigh. "Look, Tsukune, you're only gonna worry about this more if you just think about it all the time. Just... don't worry about it right now. You still got a whole week to ask her out before your birthday. And who knows? Maybe she's got a little surprise for you and maybe that's why she's getting some time away from you."

"...Yeah." Tsukune still sounds a little down, but more positive than before. "You've got some good points. Thanks Elijah."

I lightly punch his shoulder. "Don't mention it, dude. And hey, if you really want to know what's going on, I can always..." I raise my hand, slipping one of my tarot cards in between my fingers. "...do a little bit of recon for ya."

"You mean...spy on her?"

"...maybe?"

"No way, man. That's wrong, and...I trust her."

I sigh. I hate when he makes good points. I put my card away. "Alright, alright. No recon work, but hey, if it makes you feel any better, I got something big coming your way for your birthday."

"Really?"

"Yep, and let's just say, our sparring sessions will get a little more...interesting."

The Next Day...

"We have a story!" Gin announces to all of us. "Seven girls have disappeared!"

All of us gasped in light of this information, minus Moka who is supposedly modeling for Ms. Ishigami like Tsukune told me. "All from our school?" Kurumu asks.

"Yes. In just this month, seven of our female classmates have vanished." Gin gets more serious. "And every one of them was last seen on school grounds. Your assignment is to gather information about the missing students. We will solve this mystery!"

Gin passes around several sheets of paper, each one laid out with all the girls that have been reported missing. Sometimes I forget that when Ginei isn't some creep like the other assholes in this Academy, he's actually a serious journalist. "Is there any significance to them?" I ask.

"Yes. As you can see from the photos, all the missing girls are good-looking. Someone might be abducting them. If so, I have to save them. Then Moka's bound to fall for me."

Ignoring his reasons, I take a closer look at the photos. Gin is right, the only significance that these girls have at first glance is that they're all above average in looks. This doesn't really narrow it down to anyone in particular since almost everyone in this school is some sort of creep or jerk. It couldn't be those three creeps we encountered weeks ago since they only have eyes for our three female club members. I doubt it's Gin since he's only a peeper. So if I had to narrow it down, I guess I could start asking the friends of these girls where they were last seen and who they were possibly with.

"Elijah?"

The voice of the young witch draws me away from my thinking. "What's up, Yukari?"

"Wanna investigate this together?"

I tilt my head. "You want to go with me?"

She nods happily. "We barely work together, and since we did so well last time when we exposed Gin, I think you and I can solve this case in no time!"

"Huh...good point."

"So what do you say?"

"...You know what, what the hell? Let's do this!" I stand proudly. "The two of us can solve this mystery! We need a team name."

Yukari looks down in thought, then snaps her head back up at me with supposedly a great name. "How about, 'The Magic Duo'?"

"Catchy, but I'm technically not magic, remember?"

"Right, sorry. How about...ooh! 'The Fearless Shadow?'"

"Wow, I like it!" Yukari hops all giddily as she gets ready to leave the clubroom. While she does that, I go over to Gin, there's something that I want to bring up with him. "Yo, Gin."

"Huh? Oh, hey, Elijah. Need somethin'?"

"Yeah. It's about this case."

He smiles "I'm all ears. But don't get any ideas if you find any of the missing girls."

"Ignoring that. I have something more important to discuss. Haven't you ever noticed that when every problem that's happened around this academy, no one receives any form of punishment? Not even Moka, Tsukune, or myself? Also, the fact that people just openly assault one another on a daily basis and no one stops them, not even the teachers? What if these girls disappearing is part of something bigger? Surely you've noticed it too."

"..."

"Gin?" He stays silent for what feels like a solid minute, his smile slowly forming into a frown. "Gin!"

"Huh? Oh, right." He shakes it off like it was nothing. "Don't be ridiculous, you're just being paranoid. Hahaha... Silly Elijah."

"..." Why does he sound...scared? "Are you okay? You look pale."

"..."

I try to pry more. "Still, don't you think-"

"Drop it, Elijah...trust me." His tone is now more serious as he glares at me, he's serious.

"...Alright, whatever." I decide not to fight the subject, but instead leave the clubroom with Yukari so we can get started on this investigation. But I know I'm onto something with my theory, and I can't just 'drop it'. There's something bigger going on behind the scenes of this Academy, and I'm going to find out what it is.

"Elijah?"

I turn around just as soon as I was about to leave, seeing Kurumu calling to me. "Yeah?"

"...You're going with Yukari?"

"Yeah, why?"

"..." She sits back down at her desk, twiddling her thumbs. "No reason, good luck..."

"Oh... Alright." I take my leave, but with how she sounded, I felt kinda bad. But I couldn't help but feel a slight tinge of...jealousy from her? Strange, must be my mind playing tricks on me.

"So, you're sure you don't know anything about where you saw her last?" I ask the friend of one of the missing girls. "Any information you have would be a great help to our investigation."

The girl shakes her head sadly. "I'm sorry, I really don't know where or who she was with last. All I know is that she was always busy after class, but she never told me or anyone where she was going."

"That's okay," Yukari reassures the girl. "We appreciate your time. Don't worry, Team Fearless Shadow is on the case! We will find your friend!"

The girl giggles at my partner's statement. "Thank you, and good luck."

We nod, then the girl takes her leave back to the girl's dormitories. Leaving us with... no new information to go off of. This investigation is off to a bad start, we have seven missing girls with no leads. I could try using another clairvoyance card, but it would be useless since I've most likely never been in contact with these girls, so I wouldn't be able to pick up anything. Plus, I need to stop using my cards so willy-nilly all the time. I still have plenty stock-piled, but I need to rely on my own ability rather than what my mother gave me. Speaking of tarot cards...

"Yukari?"

"Hmm? Yeah?"

"So... I need a favor."

"What's up?"

"You know how you said you'd be able to make me some more tarot cards when I start running out, right? Well, I need some."

The young with tilts her head at me. "You need more already?"

I shake my head. "They're not for me, there for Tsukune. His birthday is coming up and I think they'd be useful for him. You know how he can get into a scuffle every now and then. Plus, I can teach him how to use them properly."

"That's really sweet of you! I'd be happy to help!"

I smile, patting the young witch's head. "Thanks, Yukari, and don't worry, I'll be sure to tell him that it's our gift, not just mine."

"You better!"

I laugh at her sassiness. "I will, I will." We keep walking along the dirt path, until something that didn't occur to me pops into my head. " And Yukari? When you make the cards, could you possibly make them the least powerful as you can? Not so weak that they're not useful at all, but not too powerful to where Tsukune couldn't handle it."

"Oh, yeah! But why though?"

I figured that she would ask, but I can't just tell her that Tsukune's a human and he probably couldn't handle such immense power all at once. So, I make up a good excuse. "Well, I can't train him starting off with cards as powerful as mine, so I'm gonna train him from the ground up."

"Oh, that makes sense. I'll be sure to make them strong, but not too strong then!"

I nod, smiling once again. "Thanks again, Yukari."

Several days later...

Nothing. Days of asking around Yokai Academy and nothing has come up. This whole situation has gotten ridiculous, and I'm this close to just accusing the three creeps and calling it a day. No, I can't do that. They may be assholes, but I know for a fact they have nothing to do with this. I just need to take a step back and think for a second. Either way, Tsukune's mission to finally ask out Moka has gone dry. Every time he gets the chance to talk, he's either interrupted by one of the girls getting in his way, Gin trying to hit on her again, or she just comes up with the same 'modeling' excuse...

"Wait a minute..."

"What's wrong, Elijah?" Yukari asks.

All the girls that have disappeared are attractive to the naked eye, and Moka obviously fits that description. What if... It's a hunch, but it's really the only lead I got. So, when Moka leaves the club again this afternoon, I'll excuse myself and follow her. I know I told Tsukune I wouldn't, but If I'm right about this...

"Elijah!"

"Ah! What?" The young witch scares me out of my thoughts.

"You were spacing out. Everything okay?"

"...Yeah. I'm fine." I think I'll investigate this alone, I don't think I should risk getting anyone else in trouble if I'm wrong about this.

"Oh, well, okay. About those cards you wanted me to make..." Yukari pulls out a small package from her pocket, It's wrapped almost perfectly with a black and white polka-dot pattern. "Here they are! I've made over twenty tarot cards for Tsukune, all included with spells mainly for defense and some for offense such as Stone Skin, Respite, Clairvoyance, Sparks, Firebolt, and a few more!"

I take the small box from her hand, putting it in my pocket. "Thanks, Yukari, I'm sure he's gonna love it."

Yukari smiles, looking quite proud of herself. "You bet he will, I made them! And to make it better, I've included some instructions of how to use them just in case he decides to start a little early."

"Nice thinking."

"You know it!"

We finally make it to the club room, seeing Tsukune, Kurumu, and Gin...but there's no sign of Moka. "Guys, where's Moka?"

"...She's modeling again," Tsukune responds to my question with a sigh.

Shit, I need to know where she is. "...I'll be back, gotta hit the can."

"Elijah, wait!" Kurumu calls to me. "You can't leave us too! I... We haven't seen much of you, Yukari, or Moka since we started investigating this story."

"..." I'm sorry, Kuru. "Tsukune," I bring my attention to the human boy as I pull out the small package. "Here," I toss it across the clubroom over to him, he catches it, looking at me confused. "Happy early birthday, it's from me and Yukari." I turn around and leave the clubroom, as I'm far down the hall, I can hear from the blue-haired Succubus...

"IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?!"

Well, It didn't take me long, since Moka told Tsukune that she was modeling for the art teacher and he told me, the only places to search were the art room and the independent study building. The Art Club already occupies the art room, so it was off to the independent study building. I'm met with a two-story wooden building not far off from the Academy. As Tsukune would describe it, it looks creepy by human standards. With the unsettling feeling in my stomach, I would say the same thing. Alright, time to investigate. Hopefully, no one is here yet.

I slowly open the front door to the building, its loud creaking only adds to my unsettling feeling. Once I'm inside, I'm met with and empty room filled with desks, chairs, a blackboard, and a few canvases and lockers. "Well, the coast is clear, so that's good. Now what could I find he-"

Sob... Sob... Sob...

"...What the hell is that?" I turn to my left to the sound...of someone crying? Why would there be someone crying here? It sounds like...a girl. It sounds like it's coming from that locker. When I step closer, I notice it's partially open, making the sounds clearer to my ears. When I open the locker... There's a stone statue of a girl with short hair with two hair bands tied to the front. "...What...the...fuck?" If this statue wasn't freaky enough, it was forming real tears in its eyes. and from its position, it looked like it was trying to...escape the locker. "This is definitely not natural...and where have I seen this girl before? Her hair looks..."

CREAK...

I feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end when I hear the front door start to open. I need to hide! I hastily get in the locker, hiding behind the statue and closing the door, but not all the way so I can see whoever comes in and hopefully when they leave. From my hidden position, I see a woman either in her late twenties or thirties, wearing a tube top, slim jeans, pumps, a golden necklace, and a long trench coat. Her hair is braided in a way that looks...almost snake-like, and she's wearing a bandana. My only guess is that this must be the art teacher, Ms. Hitomi Ishigami. Soon after she's entered the building, Moka follows right behind her.

"Thank you again for doing this for me, Ms. Ishigami."

I hear an older woman giggling. "It's no trouble at all, I'm so glad you're so willing to do this for me. Just looking at you makes me want to create art."

"Yeah, if by 'art', you mean turning students into stone statues!"

"Oh, I'm flattered. I'm just happy you're teaching so much about art, my...gift is almost done. Just a few more sessions with you and it'll be perfect!"

"...That's wonderful. I'm sure your friend will love it."

"I can practically taste the venom in your voice. You're lucky that Moka's outer self is so well-natured."

TINK!

"...Damn this stupid small locker!" As I adjusted myself, I accidentally made one of the brooms fall over. Luckily it didn't open the locker door so hopefully-

"Did you hear something, Ms. Ishigami?"

"...Let me check something, you just wait there."

"FUCK! Where are my cards?!" I frantically feel around my pockets, finding my deck. With what little light I have, and by some miracle, I manage to find my Invisibility card. Flicking it above, and silently whispering, my entire body starts fading away. Just in time too as the locker door was suddenly opened.

"..."

Ms. Ishigami stares into my soul with cold, dead eyes...almost as if she knows I'm here. I control my breathing by covering my mouth with my right hand and carefully breathing out my nose. She slowly looks around the inside of the locker and blocks Moka from peeking inside with her body as a way to keep her stoned captive hidden for a moment.

"..."

"Ms. Ishigami?"

"..." She closes the locker, enclosing me in complete darkness as I hear the rest of their conversation. "...Must've been our imagination. Nothing to worry about. Now, let's get back to it!" Ms. Ishigami says with her upbeat attitude returning.

"Yes, ma'am!"

"...That was way too close."

After what felt like an eternity of being trapped in this locker, I heard the front door of the independent study building opening and closing. Just to be on the safe side, I wait a couple of more minutes just to make sure that they're gone. When I feel...somewhat safer, I step out of the locker, brushing myself off.

"...Okay, I found one missing girl, but what about the rest? I need to take a picture for evidence." I take out my phone, turn back to the locker, and take a quick photo of the stone statue of the girl. "Sorry about this, but this evidence will make sure that 'teacher' is dealt with." I put my phone back in my jacket pocket. "We'll get you turned back to normal, I promise."

"Do you now?"

"..." My hairs stand on end again when I hear that familiar voice. When I turn...My eyes are met once again with the same cold gaze I saw only around an hour ago. Her braided hair is moving around her head...almost as if they were alive. Wait, snake-like hair...people turned to stone... "You're a Medusa."

She laughs mockingly. "So, cute and smart. You're not a girl, but you'll still make a fine addition to my...collection."

"Augh!" Before I can even do anything, my arms and legs are ensnared by her hair which has now formed into snake-like creatures. Each strand of them has a mouth with razor-sharp teeth, digging deep into my flesh. "Nnnggghhh!"

"Oh, God, it hurts! Wait...why can't I feel my hands? I manage to look over to my left hand, and I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it for myself...but my hand is slowly tuning into stone.

The Medusa laughs in my face as she slowly caresses it. "As you can see from your pitiful position, any living thing bitten by my hair of snakes turns to stone. Just like that girl you fo-"

I cut off her overexplaining by spitting in her face. "You won't get away with this you bitch! What kind of person does this to poor, unsuspecting girls?!"

"...Hahaha. Cute, Smart, and feisty. HA!"

CRASH!

She responded to my rhetorical question by throwing me through the blackboard. When I come to, my eyes are met...with more statues. Each one is a different girl... Looks like I found the rest. But wait, there's seven here, and there's one back in the locker. Is she a new victim? I try to get back on my feet, but my hands being completely turned to stone is making that difficult.

"All these girls...turned to stone. And soon, you will join them in my collection. Into a pure work of art. Or perhaps you belong at the bottom of the ocean."

I manage to stand, trying my best not to topple over as I lose feeling in my feet. "If I found you, others won't be far behind!"

"You should consider yourself lucky. I'm preserving...well, their beauty for the ages. You'd be lucky to last a week. Just look at them." She walks over to one of the girl captives entrapped in stone and caresses its face. I fall to my knees as I lose half feeling in my limbs. "Turned to stone...but still alive. Nothing left to them but sorrow and despair. They can't move. They can't die. They can only weep. How beautiful! This is art!"

"..." I try to move my hands, desperately trying to do...anything before...I... "Kurumu...Tsukune...Moka...anyone...I need help..."

"There it is... That desperate, pleading look in your eyes. 'Someone, anyone, help'. Your helplessness... Now that is pure art."

Tsukune

If Tsukune wasn't worried enough already about Moka practically skipping the Newspaper club for her modeling gig, then when he noticed that Elijah never came back when he left yesterday, it put even more pressure on the boy's shoulders. He wasn't even around the boy's dormitory or homeroom. Where could he be? Surely he wasn't taken like those other girls too, right?

"Tsukune!"

"Huh?!" The boy is knocked out of his thoughts when Gin yells. "What?"

"While you were busy in la-la land, another girl has disappeared. That makes eight missing now." Gin holds up a photo of the newly missing student, showing a short-haired girl with two bands tied in the front.

"That's not the only one who's missing, Gin!" Kurumu shouts. "Haven't you guys noticed that Elijah is nowhere to be found?!"

The club goes silent from The Succubi's outburst until the young witch speaks up. "I've noticed that, too. Elijah never skips class, not unless he had to..."

"Eh, maybe that guy finally got himself a girl," Gin says nonchalantly. "Or maybe..." The werewolf gasps dramatically. "He's the kidnapper!"

BONK!

"Thank you, Yukari," Kurumu says to her after dropping another desk on his head. "Well, we can't just sit here and do nothing. Let's go look for him!"

"What about Moka?" Tsukune asks. "Do you think she would know?"

"I doubt it, besides, she's already so 'busy' with her modeling. Why did she get picked anyway, huh? I mean, I'm the one with the gorgeous body!"

"Kurumu! Now's not the time!"

"...Right," She agrees with Yukari. "Let's just go find him."

The witch and human nod to the succubus, leaving the clubroom. Once they're outside, Tsukune remembers the small package that Elijah gave him yesterday. He knows it's not his birthday until tomorrow, but he wonders if his gift would be some help. Tsukune carefully unwraps the box, revealing a deck of cards tied in a neat little bow.

"What are these?"

"Oh!" Yukari says. "Those are tarot cards! Elijah thought you could use them in case we ever get into a scuffle again, so he asked me to make them for you. So..." Surprising Tsukune...and Kurumu, Yukari hugs Tsukune. "Happy Early Birthday!"

"...Thanks." The human smiles, patting the young witch's head.

"Hey!" Kurumu shouts in jealousy. "Why do you get to hug him?"

"Oh, shut it. You don't even have a gift for Tsukune!"

"I do!" She retorts. "It's just taking me some time!" While they argue, Tsukune carefully examines the deck, finding a small slip of paper with writing.

Dear Tsukune, this deck is to help you in a time of need. Only use if you feel like it's an absolute necessity, and only against those who hurt others or our friends. Never for self-gain. On the other side of this note, you'll find easy-to-use instructions for how to use the cards. I look forward to our future training sessions together.

Happy Birthday!

Yukari and Elijah.

Tsukune flips over the page, finding the instructions. As the not described, they are easy to follow and simple to comprehend, even for a human. Tsukune flips through the deck until he sees the words, 'Clairvoyance', instantly remembering his first day at Yokai Academy when Elijah used the same spell to find Moka.

"...Okay," He takes the card in his hand, setting it in between his fingers. "Here goes nothing. Clairvoyance!" He tosses the card in the air...but it falls to the earth. "Huh? Why didn't it work?"

"Just try again," Yukari says now that her arguing with the succubus is over. "You got this."

Tsukune takes a deep breath after picking the card back up. Focus...this time, with feeling. "Clairvoyance!" He tosses up the card...and it falls.

"One more time!" Kurumu cheers.

He picks it up again, putting more heart into this throw. "CLAIRVOYANCE!" Tsukune tosses the card...and it disintegrates in the air. His entire vision grows dim and the area around him turns to a darker shade of blue. "It worked!"

"Yes! Now, quickly! It won't last long, so focus on Elijah and lead us to him!"

He nods. "Right," Tsukune closes his eyes, trying to focus. It doesn't take him long to get a sense of where Elijah just might be. "Come on, this way!"

"We're right behind you!" The witch and succubus say together.

The trio's search soon leads them to the independent study building. Tsukune's spell has long worn off, but he's got a feeling that this is the right place they're looking for. Kurumu and Yukari have an unsettling feeling about this place, as they should. The boy shares their feeling too, but he is more determined to find his friend than to be afraid of anything.

"Let's go, guys."

They go inside, finding an empty classroom. But there was one specific thing that was wrong with the place, the blackboard was covered in wooden planks that had been nailed to the wall. Of course, this being the most peculiar thing in the room, the three start investigating.

"Any idea why it's all boarded up like that?" Kurumu asks.

"No idea." Yukari shrugs.

"Only one way to find out. Kurumu, could you?"

She nods, Knowing exactly what Tsukune wants her to do. Kurumu extends her claw-like nails and slashes the boarded-up wall, not caring for causing destruction in the school. She was going to find her friend. When the debris falls, and they gett a better look in the room, they find...the statues of the missing girls. But that's not what surprised them the most...

"...Oh, my god." In the middle of the room, there's a statue that stood out to the three of them. It was on its knees, reaching out with its hand as if it was begging for help. And it looks...exactly like Elijah.

"Elijah!" Kurumu rushes over to her stone-imprisoned friend. "What happened to him?!"

"He's been turned to stone...they all have..."

"You!" They all turn around in shock at the sound of an older woman's voice. She holds Moka in her snake-like hair, wrapping her stands around her mouth to make her not scream. "What do you think you're doing with my art?!"

Kurumu wastes no time, extending her claws and wings, and rushes toward the Medusa. "What did you do to them?!"

"Isn't it obvious?" She says mockingly, dodging Kurumu's rage-induced attacks. "I've made them into what they were meant to be, my creations! Although the boy doesn't really fit in the collection, he was just a...happy little accident. He's nowhere near as beautiful as the others."

"You bitch! I'll kill you!" Kurumu attempts to slash Ms. Ishigami but to no avail.

"Hey!" Tsukune shouts, whipping out a card in his hand. "Leave her alone, and let Moka go, now!"

"Hahaha! You think you stand a chance against me, boy? HA!" Her free snake strands and starts heading right toward Tsukune, but...

"Expeditious Retreat!" Tsukune throws his card. As it disintegrates, the world around him seems to slow down. The snake-like hair that was coming for him was now slower, making them much easier to dodge, well, only easily because of his training with Elijah has been progressing so well. As he dodges each one, he closes the distance between him and the Medusa, getting closer...and closer...until... "HA!"

Tsukune hits Ms. Ishigami in the stomach. Since she was leaving herself open, she didn't expect this kind of attack from someone she thought of as an ant in comparison. She topples over, leaving an opening for another attack from the human.

Time to take you down. "HYA!" Tsukune uppercuts her in the jaw, knocking her back a few feet to the ground. The Medusa releases Moka and the vampire falls to the ground, catching her breath. "Moka!"

"Tsukune..." She looks up at her savior in awe. "...You were-"

"Look out!"

But Yukari's warning was too late as Ishigami got back up and swiped Moka and Tsukune away in one strike, slamming them both into the wall. "You really think that was enough to stop me?! A filth like you is nothing!"

"Tsukune! Moka!" Kurumu shouts, but before she can worry anymore, a large surge of energy comes from the rubble where the human and vampire were slammed. This puts the succubus and young witch at ease, knowing who is about to kick some serious ass.

The true vampire rises from the rubble, holding Tsukune in her arms. And he holds her rosary in his left hand. "Please, you call this art? Making innocent girls suffer in silence as they're trapped in stone is insanity. You need to know your place."

"Don't make me laugh! You know nothing of art-"

CRASH!

So much for art. All it takes is one swift kick to the Medusa's head and she was done for, bleeding excessively from her forehead. Once the medusa was done for, all those who've been entrapped in stone started to revert back to their normal state. Kurumu and Yukari tend to Elijah while the Inner Moka brings her attention to the human boy...who actually did something more in the Outer Moka's time of need.

"Huh...the human actually managed to do something useful again...to save me."

Elijah

"...Ngh.." I feel my eyes slowly open, my vision immediately blinded by the lights of... Wait, where even am I? The last thing I remember was... Oh, right, that bitch was turning me into a part of her collection. But...if I'm here, where's-

"You're awake..."

I turn to my left, seeing Kurumu smiling in relief. Wait, was she...watching over me? "Kuru? What happened? Where am I?"

"After you left the club so abruptly the other day, you went missing. You were turned to stone just like all the other girls that went missing."

"...Oh, yeah. But...how did you guys find us?"

"Tsukune used the tarot cards you gave him," She blushes. "It was really cool, honestly. But using one of them and being struck by Ms. Ishigami made him pass out. Luckily, he managed to pull off Moka's rosary so she could stop the Medusa."

"...Tsukune, used the cards?" Damn...I need to start thinking of training lessons. "But, wait, what about the other girls? Are they okay?"

Kurumu nods. "Don't worry. When the Inner Moka defeated Ms. Ishigami, the spell broke. You and the missing girls turned back to normal. But you and Tsukune didn't wake up for a whole day..."

"A whole day?!"

"Yeah..." She looks down at her lap. "You really had me worried."

"..." Now I feel bad. I basically brushed her off most of the week to focus on this stupid case, she's my friend too. And...I miss hanging out with her. Starting as soon as possible, I'm going to make sure that we spend more time together. "...How's Tsukune?"

Kurumu looks back up at me, then toward the other end of the room. "He's over there...with Moka."

I look along with her, seeing my human friend talking with Moka and... "What's that canvas?"

Kurumu shrugs. "Turns out Moka was making a drawing for Tsukune all week. Ms. Ishigami was giving her extra lessons in exchange for modeling. And to make it worse, her theme was 'something you care about most'. Such bullshit, wait until Tsukune sees the cookies I made for him!"

"Hmph," I get up out of bed. "Well, let's see then."

The succubus looks quite cocky as we head over to Tsukune's bed. As we approach, I can't help but hear them do their 'thing'.

"Moka..."

"Tsukune..."

"Whaddup nerds!" I say obnoxiously. I know it was a tender moment, but there will always be a better time for him to tell her. They look at us, blushing in embarrassment.

"H-Hi, guys!"

"Good to see you awake, dude!"

I laugh. "Good to hear that my gift didn't go to waste."

"Speaking of..." Kurumu pulls out a small plastic container from her bag. "I made you these, all with love and happiness!"

Tsukune takes the box, smiling. "Thank you, Kurumu. I'm sure they'll be delicious."

"You're welcome!" I was about to take my leave just as I saw Moka's jealous look, but Kurumu stopped me before I could even take a step. "Wait..." She pulls out another container, filled with even more cookies. "...I just made extra and thought you would like them, dummy! Don't think too much about it!"

"..." I can't help but laugh at her reasoning. I take the box, smiling. "Thanks, Kuru."

She looks away, her cheeks glowing in a light shade of pink. "...Don't mention it, dummy."

"Whatever, dummy." We chuckle, then turn back to the human birthday boy.

"Happy birthday, Tsukune."

Author's Note

I would like to formally apologize to those who've followed and favorited this story and have seen no new chapters in a long time. I've been busy writing my other story Attack on Titan: A Hero Forged, and now that I've completed the writing, I can now have my full attention on this one!

As always, my name is Average, and I appreciate your existence!

P.S. You are loved!