The bell sounded the end of first period, causing Ms. Atsumoto to grin. The salamander was wearing a textured gray jacket over a salmon pink blouse. A thin black belt was fished through the loops of her slacks which matched the jacket. The math teacher closed up her portfolio.

"Seems that is all we can cover today. I'll see you again at the end of the day. Have fun."

Kurumu giggled, closing up her notebook as the woman stalked over to the front door. She leaned over the side of her desk, stuffing the notebook into her schoolbag. She made certain to keep her mechanical pencil, suspecting she would at least need this for Mr. Yokei's lab today.

"Are you having lunch with the PSC today?"

Kurumu shrugged at Touzoku's question. As she was expected to attend the PSC dinner tonight, she was wearing her PSC jacket and the black pencil skirt that Ms. Kiyomizu had bought her. Knowing how itchy this fabric was, she was wearing the long pink shirt she had slept in beneath the jacket. Black hose stretched over her legs from the bottom hem of the skirt to her feet inside her pair of school slippers.

"I should have lunch with Dakuhime again. Our time yesterday was cut short due to a commitment I had made with Yukari's grandfather."

Dakuhime huffed, getting up from her chair.

"No need to trouble yourself. It's not like you're an actual member of the choir."

Kurumu smirked, guessing the girl was still upset that she had spent most of that short time chatting with the karaoke girls.

"I'll pay more attention to you today."

Tucking her notebook beneath her arm, Dakuhime took hold of Yokumoto's offered hand.

"Won't it be strange to eat with us while wearing that?"

"Not really. If Umizake would like to join us, we could let the two of you bypass the lunch line."

Dakuhime's eyebrow lifted with interest. She glanced at the unresponsive Yokumoto before starting across the front of the classroom.

"I'll ask how Toshiko feels about that if Mr. Umizake is offering."

"I don't see why I should do that but it's all the same to me."

Kurumu snickered at Umizake's dismissive remark as he stood up. She got up from her chair, noting that most of her classmates were doing the same.

"It's not like you have to eat with Koike. Tokori eats with the Sadou club."

Umizake regarded her with a flat expression as he picked up his notebook.

"I will eat with Mizore when she comes back to school. That is all that matters to me."

Kurumu managed a smile as he walked off. Clutching her pencil to her bosom, she drifted up to the side of Yukari's desk.

"Come on, slowpoke. Kosame is waiting for you."

"She doesn't have to."

Kurumu glanced at the tiny girl whom was still sitting at her desk beside Yukari. Kosame noticed her attention, quickly looking aside.

"Hey, Moka."

Kana's greeting drew Kurumu's attention to the open door. The silver haired vampire had left her school jacket open with her red bow tied at her collar. Moka laughed as Kana stopped in the open door while Kana's friends slipped by her to leave the classroom.

"Hey, Kana. I was hoping to chat with Kurumu."

"Don't let me keep you."

Kana giggled with her friends as they disappeared into the hall. Moka flashed Kurumu a grin, motioning for her to come over. Kurumu smirked, complying with the request.

"I'll see you whenever, Yukari."

Yukari suddenly darted around her, diving into Moka's torso. The vampire laughed, falling back a step to accept Yukari's embrace. She shook her head, looking down at the witch.

"You act like we haven't seen each other in days."

Yukari pouted up at Moka.

"I haven't seen you since yesterday morning."

Kurumu chuckled softly, exiting the classroom. A few students were milling about in the hall but most had remained in their homerooms, waiting for their next instructor to arrive.

"Well I haven't seen her since Monday morning."

Yukari huffed, turning her nose up as she continued to cling to Moka.

"The bond I share with my Moka is much stronger than yours."

Kurumu snickered, glancing back inside the classroom. Kosame had gotten up from her chair and was slowly easing towards them with much reluctance.

"Whatever you say. Don't you also have lab this hour?"

"Yea. Mr. Hiramatsu shared some news from Father about that trip to Okinawa. I was thinking I should tell you in case Kokoa's homeroom teacher didn't share this news with her."

Kurumu smiled as Kosame silently skulked around them. She gestured down the hall.

"We could always poke our heads in her homeroom and ask."

"I suppose if you two don't mind risking being late for lab."

"Since when does Kurumu care about schedules and routines?"

Kurumu pouted at Yukari's criticism.

"I'm not forcing you to make lunches for me. You know I have PSC on Thursdays."

"As if you have been attending any PSC meetings."

"I don't plan on missing the meeting tonight. Cut me some slack."

Yukari huffed, disengaging from Moka. She started down the hall, prompting them to follow.

"The whole point of you being kicked out of my Moka's suite was to gain independence. You haven't slept in your room since last week."

"I slept in my room Sunday night."

"You're causing trouble for Shirayuki and you know it."

"Mizore needs the help and I don't have anything better to do."

"Did she ask for the help?"

Kurumu grimaced as they reached the open front door to class four. Ms. Nakamura already stood behind the podium. The buxom woman was wearing a periwinkle blouse with a navy skirt that was long enough to touch her ankles. Yukari boldly entered the classroom.

"Kokoa. Did you get a message from your father this morning?"

Several students laughed as Kokoa got up from her front row desk. The vampire had her thick silver hair pulled back in a ponytail secured by a plaid bow. Her beige sweater vest was worn over her blouse with a red bow tied below the flaps of her collar. Kokoa walked over, gesturing at the open door.

"We can chat in the bathroom."

Kurumu reflexively backed up though there was plenty of room for Yukari and Kokoa to exit. The vampire turned to close the door behind her.

"I'm guessing you didn't get the message."

"No but that isn't a surprise. Everybody in my family has preferred Moka."

The bell sounded the start of the next period, causing Yukari to sigh.

"Can we make this quick?"

Kokoa motioned for them to follow as she headed down the hall in the direction of the labs.

"I have things that I want to say but not out in the open."

"Is it that serious?"

"It's personal, Kurumu. I would do it tonight but you probably have other plans."

Kurumu laughed under her breath as she trailed behind Kokoa. Right before the back door to Mr. Yokei's lab was the opening for the bathrooms. Kokoa ducked through the opening, favoring the path to the left into a small alcove. Turning right in this alcove gave a view of the long row of mirrors above a massive counter sink along the wall on the left. Toilet stalls separated by gray dividers lined the wall on the right.

"First question because I don't trust Moka."

Kurumu frowned at Kokoa's sudden announcement. The vampire's emerald eyes focused on her.

"Did you participate in my sister's romp with Tsukune yesterday?"

"What?!"

"I already said she didn't!"

"Define romp."

Kokoa chuckled at their reactions.

"Apparently my sister skipped softball practice yesterday so that she could have some alone time with Tsukune in his new suite. Since she admitted that Tsukune and Kurumu were investigating that pond near his new suite, I thought Kurumu might have participated."

"I said alone time and I meant it."

Kurumu laughed in disbelief.

"Tsukune didn't even hint that he would do that."

"It's not like he has to tell you everything."

Kurumu pouted at Moka's remark.

"I know that. It just sounded like he had given up on that idea when it was brought up yesterday."

"Him rawdogging my sister was brought up?"

Yukari cackled as Kurumu and Moka both blushed.

"It isn't funny, Yukari."

"Neither is you getting pregnant."

Moka pouted at her sister.

"It's not like he had any condoms. It also feels better."

Kurumu managed a laugh.

"Well we did tease him about spending the night with Moka over there but he said that he could never abandon his mother a second night."

"I'm sure that he didn't. Moka was home in time for dinner but she reeked of sex. I had to shoo her off for a bath as I couldn't talk to her with that scent being so strong."

Moka whimpered, wringing her hands.

"I didn't come in here to talk about this."

"Yes. You have news from Father."

Moka took in a deep breath.

"Father says he will cover lodging and transportation for a class trip to Okinawa."

Kurumu's eyes widened.

"For the whole class?!"

Moka nodded, forcing a smile.

"His only condition is that I come along with Tsukune to have an official match."

"That's awfully generous of Father. There must be more to it."

"If there is, it wasn't in the message. He expects a response from us before the end of next week."

Kurumu laughed with a slight shake of her head.

"There is no way the seniors would turn down a free trip."

"It's not a free trip. I'm sure that they will still have to pay for meals, entrance fees and souvenirs."

Kurumu shot Moka a look.

"Those costs exist for all of the trips."

"I agree. I'll mention Father's generosity to Ms. Mizudake at lunch. If there are more strings attached to this offer, it has nothing to do with the third years."

"This class trip is right after midterm exams. There is no way I have a chance at beating him."

Kokoa smirked at her sister.

"You're already having sex. May as well be officially married."

Yukari held her hands up defiantly.

"Only according to vampire society. My Moka would still be single in the eyes of most civilized cultures."

Moka laughed nervously, reaching up to twirl a strand of hair.

"I know that I say the wedding is just a formality but that might be required for the school to officially accept us as being married."

Kokoa shrugged indifferently.

"Even if the school doesn't acknowledge it, Father will sign the paperwork allowing the relationship."

Kurumu's heart fluttered. While this was not exactly news, two of her closest friends were now within a month of being practically married. And Mizore would be married over summer break.

"My next question is for you, Sendou. Is Ms. Toujou helping Tsukune and his mother move today?"

Yukari puffed up haughtily.

"Yes. It's not like that idiot had anything important to do."

Kurumu chuckled, wagging her finger at Yukari.

"Yukari didn't mention that Rubi failed every subject in the first year assessments."

"Why should I mention how stupid she is?"

Moka laughed softly.

"Tsukune told me yesterday. He's going to try and talk Rubi into being tutored by Yukari's grandfather."

"Which is why I brought this up. When Moka told me about this, I asked if she was planning on taking Ms. Toujou in as a servant. She reassured me that she has no plans to share Tsukune with other women."

"Yet you asked if I participated in a threesome."

Kokoa shrugged at Kurumu.

"As much as I don't like it, you are her blood claim. That makes you an exception."

"What am I? A pet?"

Yukari giggled, reaching over to run her fingers up and down Kurumu's sleeve.

"I'm sure you don't mind some petting."

Kurumu stuck her tongue out as the vampires chuckled.

"The only other thing I wanted to ask about was Hatsue. I guess you must have promised something to Ms. Watakoma. She asked me since you missed gym yesterday."

Kurumu gasped, nodding at the reminder.

"I forgot to ask Mizore! If she says no, I'll bring that album of baby pictures tomorrow."

"Haven't you sent those pictures to your little sister?"

Kurumu's eyes widened more at Moka's query.

"I still haven't written Kabuki!"

Yukari snorted with a shake of her head.

"I swear that you have the worst memory."

"You know he might not be home."

Kurumu sighed heavily, regarding the door to suite 813. She glanced at Tora whom had her raven tresses braided about her head over her ears. The sphinx offered a slight smile while gripping the strap of her schoolbag which rested upon her left shoulder.

"Not like we could have a long visit even if he was."

Satsuki grumbled from where she stood by Umizake. She was actually wearing the black pencil skirt just like Tora and Kurumu. Sharing the same homeroom as Tora, Satsuki had joined them on their walk home.

"I guess we can head to the dining hall then."

Satsuki huffed, stalking away from the building which prompted everyone to follow.

"That might be open but the shelves won't be stocked yet."

"We normally drop our schoolbags off first."

Kurumu smiled at Tora's comment as they headed towards the trail which led out of this clearing.

"Would you mind if we stop by our suites to put away our things?"

"It's practically on the way. We could take that shortcut through the woods back to the main path."

"Are you planning on staying the night at our place again?"

Satsuki snorted out a laugh at his query, reaching the start of the trail first.

"Don't you have your own place?"

Kurumu pouted, walking alongside Tora while Umizake lingered behind them.

"Yes, but I like helping them take care of Hatsue."

"Kurumu has a soothing effect on Hatsue. She rarely cries in her arms."

Satsuki twirled about, walking backwards with a smirk.

"I think any baby would quiet in her arms. She's a succubus, capable of influencing moods."

Umizake nodded as Satsuki turned about to resume walking normally.

"Fair point. I should mention that the next time Mizore's mother starts a paranoid rant."

Kurumu groaned, recalling the bickering from last night.

"I'm not taking the baby away. Kokoa would never allow that."

"Even if you did, I would hope you would have Ms. Shirayuki's and Mr. Umizake's permission first."

"I could see Mr. Stoic here letting you do that if they had a kid of their own."

Kurumu laughed softly, guessing Satsuki did know the truth about Hatsue.

"I couldn't ask that of Mizore."

"She's right."

"What?!"

Umizake shrugged at Kurumu's shock.

"It didn't really cross my mind until Mrs. Shirayuki kept bringing up the idea that you would run away with Hatsue. It has me thinking that maybe we could give Hatsue over to you if we have another child."

"That's rather cold of you."

Umizake glanced at Tora without a hint of emotion.

"Only if Mizore was fine with it. I don't have a strong attachment to a baby whom cries every single time I hold her. It makes me feel unwanted."

"That sounds rough. She quiets down for Shirayuki, right?"

Umizake nodded at Satsuki's query.

"Yes. She sometimes fusses with Mizore's mother but she has to be sleeping for me to hold her."

They reached the small clearing where the trails combined. Satsuki strolled across the level space, ignoring the wide path on their left which connected to the main path. She headed down the narrow trail which ended at the clearing with Kurumu's building.

"I couldn't do that. If my baby kept bawling whenever I was around, I'd put it up for adoption."

"No you wouldn't."

"There's only so much rejection I can take, Kurono. I'm not going to waste years of my life with a person whom hates my guts."

Kurumu grimaced, knowing this was probably about Satsuki's mother.

"I'm relieved that someone understands my position. Kurumu keeps refusing to give me any relief."

Kurumu pouted at his accusation.

"What do you want me to do?"

"You could let me sleep in your suite. A night with two other guys was hardly a private environment."

Kurumu grimaced, disliking the reason why he wanted privacy.

"Fine. You can spend one night but you better have a good reason for your absence."

"I'll claim it has something to do with the PSC."

Tora laughed abruptly.

"I hope you don't expect us to lie for you."

"I'll say it was a matter that only the PSC guys were involved with."

"That isn't much of an improvement."

"Though it does spare us the issue of coming up with details for his absence."

Kurumu giggled at Satsuki's remark.

"That's true. You're on your own if Mizore asks about this when you grab your clothes for tomorrow."

"Thank you, Kurumu. While I do enjoy being with Mizore, I also miss the peace that being alone offers."

"Kurono wouldn't know anything about that. She hates being alone."

"There's nothing fun or comforting about being alone. It means nobody wants you."

"That's a dreadful way to look at it, Kurumu. Many students on campus live alone."

Satsuki sighed, stepping into the clearing first. The glass doors of the commissary directly faced the trail.

"Yea, but I get where she's coming from. Living with the runt is better than how things were last year."

They drifted right, heading for the gap between the commissary's front corner and the base of the stair leading up to Udetama's suite.

"How is Nerume doing?"

"Fine, I guess."

"Did she have club today?"

"Naw, but she watches the track girls practice on the off days."

Kurumu perked up at that remark.

"Is Suzume back in school?"

"Ms. Tobuyoku and her friends were all back in school yesterday, but don't get your hopes up. They won't be flying this weekend since they all started molting."

Kurumu smirked, bumping her shoulder against the sphinx.

"Did you already molt?"

Tora regarded her with only a hint of amusement in her jade eyes.

"I'm molting right now, Kurumu. I'll spend most of the weekend with my wings out so this doesn't take too long. I imagine the other girls will be doing the same."

Kurumu smiled, slowing her step as they neared the base of her stair. She gestured at Umizake.

"I'm going to run up and get my stuff. Did you want to leave your schoolbag in my room?"

"No. It wouldn't make sense if I don't have my schoolbag when I get my clothes for tomorrow."

"You could get your clothes now."

"I'd rather not deal with them on my own."

"Suit yourself. I'll be right back."

Hurrying up the stairs, Kurumu arrived on the landing in front of her door in seconds. She fished her keys out of her schoolbag, pushing it into the lock and twisted the deadbolt back. After removing the key she opened the door and pranced inside.

Kurumu flipped on the lights as she slipped out of her school loafers. Leaving her keys on top of the half wall beside the stove, she pranced across the room to her desk. Kurumu picked up the binder with the photographs, stuffing it into her schoolbag. Remembering that she would need Kabuki's address, she unplugged her phone from its cord and dropped it into her schoolbag.

Wandering over to her closet, she tugged the door open and turned on the light. She strolled by her baby blue hamper which held almost a week's worth of dirty clothes, hunkering down in front of the shelf with her pajamas, lingerie and skirts. Tomorrow was blue day, though Kurumu had no idea if the other girls were still doing this. She picked up her lacy, cornflower blue bra and sky blue boyshorts with the white cloud pattern.

Having tucked tomorrow's lingerie away in her schoolbag, she selected her powder blue corduroy tank top and a cotton pair of navy shorts to serve as tonight's pajamas. Adding those to her schoolbag, she picked up a school skirt. Not wanting to force a school jacket into her schoolbag with a heavy pleated skirt, she grabbed a sleeveless sweater vest.

Standing up, she absently wiggled her skirt and vest into her schoolbag while regarding her last school blouse. Once her hand was free, she unbuttoned the blouse to slide it off its hanger. Draping it over her arm, she retreated from her closet. Turning off the light, she stepped out and shut the door.

Kurumu wandered over to her dresser which had a mirror mounted to its top. She also had that jewelry box Rubi had given her for Christmas on her dresser which contained several sets of earrings. Not that she had bothered wearing any earrings recently. Tugging open the top drawer, Kurumu fished out a pair of socks. Closing the drawer, she stuffed those into her schoolbag before adding the blouse.

Thinking she had everything, she headed back for the door which she had left open. As she slipped her feet back into her school loafers, she realized she would need her lunch card. She rummaged through her schoolbag, eventually finding it. Once she had that out, she grabbed her keys and stepped back outside. Closing the door, she locked it before starting her descent.

"Do you want my keys now?"

Umizake shrugged as she quickly came down the stairs.

"Makes no difference to me."

Kurumu chucked them at the guy whom effortlessly caught them. He opened up his schoolbag, dropping her keys inside as she reached the ground.

"Stay out of my closet. I keep my dirty clothes in there."

"Fine. Any other restrictions?"

Kurumu shrugged as she started towards the door to his suite. The others absently followed her.

"Nothing that comes to mind. You better not make me explain your absence. I'm only stepping inside for a moment to leave my things."

He made a dismissive sound, striding ahead of her. He had his keys out, pushing it in as they gathered around his door. Withdrawing his key, he opened the door.

"I'm home."

"Yes. I can see that."

Kurumu giggled, following Umizake inside. Mrs. Shirayuki was over by the crib, wearing a soft yellow kimono with a gray sash. Mizore was lying in the bed under the covers.

"The guys of the PSC need me for the night. I won't be back."

Mrs. Shirayuki huffed as the young man strolled across the room in his socks.

"Is this true, Ms. Kurono?"

Kurumu smiled thinly as she set her schoolbag against the wall near Mizore's schoolbag.

"Yes. I'll be here to help in his absence."

"Not that he is of any help when he is here."

Kurumu laughed softly, noting that Umizake had already ducked inside his closet.

"How is Hatsue?"

Mrs. Shirayuki sighed, glancing into the crib.

"Thankfully sleeping. You two have made it so that she almost never does that in the crib."

Umizake emerged from the closet, striding purposefully across the room.

"We need to go to our meeting."

Kurumu backed out of the suite. Umizake stopped in the entry to put his shoes back on.

"I'll see you tomorrow after school."

He exited the room, closing the door behind him. After locking up the door, he slipped his keys into the pocket of his slacks.

"That was rather curt."

Umizake shrugged at Tora's remark, stalking off into the wide clearing between this building and the one that Mizore had lived in last year.

"She would only start complaining and criticizing if I took more time."

Kurumu laughed softly, walking between Satsuki and Tora as they followed the guy to her shortcut.

"I wish I could say that wasn't true."

"At least her mother isn't making her miserable."

Kurumu managed a smile, glancing at Satsuki.

"Have you ever thought about letting your hair grow out?"

"You mean like it used to be."

"All the other girls at your café have long hair."

"I wouldn't call Taijin's hair is long."

Kurumu pouted at Satsuki's comment.

"The reason you cut your hair is gone. Isn't it?"

Satsuki sighed as Umizake started through the woods. In seconds, they joined his trek across the uneven terrain. Kurumu patiently waited a response while minding her footing.

"It would save some money. Not that I need to save more. I'll probably be able to afford my citizenship before October. Will I be able to get that through the new Fairy Tale office?"

"I don't know. They were hoping to have that place up and running at the start of June."

"Will they be open on weekends?"

"I doubt that Kurumu knows that. One of us will be writing an article about this for our next paper."

"Well I'm not in any hurry. It's not like I'll have enough money for my citizenship in June."

"And your hair?"

"Sure. Why not? Maybe get a boyfriend while I'm at it."

Kurumu laughed, knowing Satsuki was not being serious.

"I won't bother you over that."

"If only you had been so kind to me."

Kurumu pouted at Tora.

"That was only for a short while before we knew Ginei had other girls interested in him."

They stepped out of the woods onto the main path between the school and the dining hall. It was only a short walk before they reached the clearing on the other side of the intersection with the jogging path. Instead of cutting across the clearing, the girls turned right.

"It's better going this way, Mr. Umizake."

"Yea. It's a little longer but we aren't in a hurry."

Umizake corrected his course, coming back to the jogging trail. He remained a few strides ahead of them as they passed the end of the clearing with the woods closing in on both sides.

"How are things between you and your fish boyfriend?"

Kurumu huffed at Satsuki's question.

"He's an undine, not a fish."

"Nerume seems to think you two might be breaking up."

Kurumu frowned, glancing at Tora which prompted the sphinx to shake her head.

"I haven't said anything about your problems."

"Well I haven't said anything about him to her."

"That might be why. Nerume is one of those girls whom thinks no news is bad news."

"I doubt that Ms. Genzouyaki is that pessimistic."

"You say that because you don't live with her. She worries a lot about Kakeru, Shirayuki and Kurono."

Kurumu smiled softly.

"And you. Back when we were sending letters, she wrote about you as much as she did Kakeru."

"Oh, I'm aware. She has it in her head that I might drop out after I get my citizenship."

"That makes no sense."

Satsuki snorted at Tora.

"I know. Why bother getting citizenship and not graduating? That's just stupid."

Kurumu chuckled, thinking she should try to spend time with Nerume soon.

"Well you can tell Nerume that we aren't broken up. I told him the truth about being Hatsue's mother and he wanted time to think about that. I'll get an answer out of him on Saturday."

"And wipe his memories if that answer isn't favorable."

Kurumu pouted at Umizake's interjection.

"Tsukune doesn't think that is necessary."

"Tsukune has nothing at stake here. His opinion is irrelevant."

"Wiping memories is a shitty way of fixing things."

"Your opinion is also irrelevant, Ms. Unari."

Satsuki scowled, shaking her head.

"Guess I shouldn't be too dismissive of Nerume's concerns about you."

"If Mizore strongly opposes this approach, then I will side with her."

"I'm unfortunately curious how you planned to handle the breakup if you were removing his memories."

Kurumu forced a smile at Tora's admission.

"It wouldn't be all of his memories. Just the memory of Hatsue being mine."

"But that would be the reason for the breakup."

"I could manipulate it so that there is some other revelation that night which pushed him that way."

Tora nodded thoughtfully.

"Well. If there is anything I can do."

Kurumu took in a deep breath.

"It will be fine, Tora. It will be fine."

This jogging path had been curving slightly to the left. The four story boys' dormitory was finally visible on their left but there was still quite a bit of trail left to go. While they could cut through the woods, it was not like that would shorten their trip much when their destination was the girls' dormitory.

"It's too bad that Tsukune wasn't home."

Satsuki laughed at her random remark.

"Why? The only thing we would have done is chat a little."

"Kurumu was assuming that they would be finished unpacking everything they bought in town."

"It's not like it takes all day to go shopping, Tora. I bet they moved everything he had in his dorm room in one or two trips and were in town before lunch."

"Clearly you know nothing about the shopping habits of middle aged women. Mrs. Shirayuki took the whole day selecting things for our apartment."

Kurumu giggled, supposing Umizake had a point.

"Didn't she have a bunch of money at her disposal? I don't believe Mrs. Aono has that luxury."

"That might be the problem. She would have to check the prices of every item she thinks they need before buying anything."

Umizake nodded at Tora's declaration.

"Precisely. It means visiting each store at least twice. That's what Mrs. Shirayuki did."

Kurumu bit her lip, wondering if she was weird for thinking that was stupid. Her mother had never shopped like that. Then again she would never claim her mother had a good sense of money.

"Does your mother do that?"

Tora offered a slight smile before shrugging.

"My mother does a lot of shopping without me. But I know she's frugal despite not needing to be."

The trail cut sharply to the left, aiming for the gap between the dormitories. In a few seconds they had entered the clearing. Once they had passed through the gap, they drifted right. The main entrance for the girls' dormitory was near the center where the two wings of this building met.

"Took you long enough!"

Kumiko waved at them from where she stood by the entrance. The jorougumo was wearing the same PSC outfit and black skirt. The girl sauntered over to intercept them.

"I was beginning to think you went straight to the dining hall."

Satsuki snickered as they came to a stop near the girl.

"Naw. Kurono wanted to swing by her place first and drop off her things."

Kumiko glanced at Umizake, frowning at his schoolbag.

"Doesn't he live by her?"

"I'm spending the night somewhere else."

"We're going to run our things up to our rooms. We'll be right back."

Kumiko nodded at Tora's remark, shifting her attention to Kurumu as Satsuki and Tora departed.

"My sister is still pregnant and not in the mood for small talk. That's all I can say about that."

Kurumu laughed, glancing at the door as it opened to let her two friends inside.

"Has she seen her boyfriend?"

"Yes. He stops by for a minute or two to check on them. I should mention that Modoka's birthday was yesterday. We'll be celebrating it on Saturday at her aunt's place."

"Is the tennis club involved?"

"No. It's not wise for a bunch of students to hang around a pregnant jorougumo, let alone two. Ms. Yumeito plans to put in a big order at the Raw Deal to spoil them."

Kurumu smiled softly, clutching her lunch card against her breast.

"How is Coach Yaisoku doing?"

"Bedridden. My sister said she's been that way since last Thursday. I'm assuming she hasn't had her baby yet since Tashikana hasn't paid me a visit. He's supposed to let us know when it happens."

Kurumu breathed in deep. She was glad that Kumiko had answered her questions but the girl had rattled off the answers with such a standoffish attitude.

"I hope everything turns out okay for her."

"It should be fine. It's her first baby and it sounds like sister is keeping her fed."

"Will she be able to get to the hospital if she's bedridden?"

Kumiko glanced at Umizake.

"No, but that isn't unusual. Tashikana contacted our community to send a midwife. She'll be watching over Ms. Yaisoku and my sister."

"See. Tashikana is proving how useful he is."

"I suppose. Have you met the new PSC members?"

Kurumu grinned at the change of Kumiko's tone for the new subject.

"I've officially met Yoishi Rubi and I've seen Mr. Hagiwara. The other two I only know by name."

"You'll probably like Ms. Iwahara. Her behavior is similar to Ms. Sendou's. Smart. Feisty. Tiny."

Kurumu laughed at that last adjective.

"Well Mr. Sabaku did say he was reluctant to accept her because of her looks. But Tora told me she was very polite. How is she feisty?"

"The same way Ms. Sendou is polite. She'll talk to you respectfully but she won't put up with nonsense. She'll call you out and won't back down."

Kurumu smirked, guessing she could admire that.

"Tora has already told me how Mr. Suimon is similar to Mr. Umizake."

"I can see that. They are both difficult to get a good read on."

They both glanced at Umizake whom made no response to that.

"So. Anything new with you?"

Kumiko huffed with a roll of her auburn eyes.

"We just spoke last Saturday. Not much happens in a week."

Kurumu giggled, thinking about her recent adventures.

"I suppose that's true for most people."

"Any news from your vampire friends about the Okinawa trip?"

"Yea! Their father is offering to pay for lodging and transportation if the school decides to go there."

"That's surprisingly generous."

"Many people have said that. The staff will print up a ballot for the seniors to vote on either tomorrow morning or Monday. After they pick their dest-"

"Over here!"

Kurumu glanced over her shoulder, discovering Satsuki and Tora must have exited the building from the stairwell that emptied out by the gap. She chuckled, strolling towards the pair.

"Once they know where they are going, they can make the reservations."

"You don't have to explain the process. I know how it works."

Kurumu giggled, angling slightly to the right so that they could catch up with the pair.

"Didn't feel like telling us you weren't coming back to the main entrance?"

"Why would I walk all the way back there when I have a stair by my room?"

Kurumu smirked at Satsuki's retort, knowing the girl lived in 403.

"Kumiko was just telling us how Coach Yaisoku will be having her baby soon."

"That's good news."

Kumiko huffed at Tora's response.

"Yes. I'm sure that she is tired of being pregnant."

"Mizore was the same way the last few weeks."

"Ms. Shirayuki had a much shorter pregnancy."

Satsuki snickered, shaking her head.

"No denying that. Shirayuki was lucky."

The conversation stalled as they made their way across the clearing. Eventually they started down the narrow, uneven trail which cut through the woods to the bus path.

"How are things in softball?"

Kumiko shot her a look that made her regret asking.

"Not much different than they were on Saturday. Akashiya wasn't at practice yesterday for some reason."

"Yea. She was with Tsukune."

"Probably shouldn't be saying that when their relationship isn't sanctioned by the school."

Kurumu pouted at Tora.

"It will be once we get back from Okinawa."

"Okinawa? You realize that the class trip is for seniors."

Kurumu laughed at Kumiko.

"Yes but Moka's father expects Tsukune and Moka to come to Okinawa to have an official match. He will agree to their relationship if Tsukune defeats Moka."

"Okay. I don't see why that should have inspired him to fund a whole class trip."

"I have no idea why he did that. Kokoa was only having Akua find out if Kahlua could make some sort of deal since she is the head Fairy Tale officer for Okinawa. Nobody expected their father to foot the bill."

They stepped out of the woods onto the level path to the bus stop. Crossing the path, they continued along the narrow, rugged trail which would end at the clearing about the dining hall.

"You would think with Rubi's help they would have been back by now."

Satsuki snickered at Kurumu's comment.

"Are you still thinking about that?"

"We just said something related to Tsukune. Of course I'm still thinking about that."

"You should be more focused on midterm exams. Tsukune has his situation under control."

"Midterm exams isn't exactly fun conversation."

"And what would be fun conversation?"

"I don't know! Maybe if the three of you had boyfriends we could talk about something."

Kumiko huffed indignantly as Satsuki snickered.

"I fail to see how that would improve discussion."

"Yea. Are you expecting us to compare boyfriends?"

Kurumu groaned, flailing for an excuse for that statement.

"It would be interesting."

"Then why don't you talk about your boyfriend."

Kurumu flinched at Kumiko's command.

"Because it would feel awkward when you guys have nothing to contribute."

"If you are struggling for common ground, we can talk about school or PSC activities."

"I barely know what the PSC is up to."

"Then I must agree with Ms. Nazohashi. You should be preparing for your midterm exams."

Kurumu sighed, thinking she would prefer silence over academics.

"We're all girls. We can talk about that."

"I don't believe Mr. Umizake is a girl."

Satsuki snickered at Tora's flat response.

"Do you think he would get uncomfortable if we started 'girl' talk?"

"Does Ms. Unari even know what 'girl' talk is?"

Satsuki made a playful gasp at his remark.

"He's listening."

"To be fair, I'm not entirely sure what Kurumu has in mind that requires us to all be girls."

"I was only throwing that out as an example."

"Good. I was a little worried that it was something inappropriate."

Kurumu pouted at Tora.

"I just wanted to say something so we weren't uncomfortable."

"I think you were the only one uncomfortable, Ms. Kurono."

Kurumu sighed as they exited the woods. Seeing no point in trying to strike up a new discussion, Kurumu held her tongue as they crossed the grass preceding the nearest of the black glass doors. Umizake easily passed them all with his longer stride, opening the door for them. Kurumu and the girls murmured their thanks as they entered the dining hall.

"Looks like our seniors are already here."

Tora gestured to a table off to their right. The burly Sabaku was a hard figure to miss. His dark hair was braided tightly to his broad scalp. He was already enjoying the contents of a Styrofoam box and had another unopened one on his tray which also had a Styrofoam cup and a beverage. Naturally he was wearing the black PSC jacket.

Sitting to the left of Sabaku was Koike. While not as prominent a figure, Koike was probably the only guy on campus missing an arm. The tawny haired senior had the left sleeve of his PSC jacket pinned to his shoulder. He had a wide, fanged grin as he chatted with his companions.

The last guy at the table was Kitajima Danuja. His dark hair was drawn back in a bun which only further pronounced his widow's peak. Kitajima was technically still a member of the kendo club and had talked those guys into helping out with security for school events in the past. Like Koike, he was one of Ginei's colleagues and had tagged along on the summer trip to Okinawa last year.

Kurumu frowned upon noticing Ms. Kiyomizu was sitting with Tokori at the table next to the guys. It was no surprise that Tokori was with their advisor. After this meeting, Ms. Kiyomizu would take the local girl home. The PSC advisor was wearing a cyan blouse with a pair of black capris while Tokori had on the same PSC jacket and black pencil skirt as the rest of the girls.

"Why is Ms. Kiyomizu sitting a different table?"

Satsuki snickered as they weaved their way through the vacant tables spread about the seating area.

"Because we have too many members for a single table."

Kurumu nodded as they approached the nearest serving line. A familiar dark haired lady garbed in the cafeteria worker attire was stocking the shelves. Being the first to arrive at the cart with the lunch trays, Satsuki proceeded to hand one out to each of them.

"Evening, Mrs. Noda."

The lady glanced up at Kurumu's greeting. The woman chuckled, resuming her task.

"Evening, Ms. Kurono. You're here early."

Kurumu grinned, glancing over the selection.

"How is Daku doing?"

"He's fine. Pretending like he doesn't care about Ms. Horie writing back to him."

Kurumu giggled, picking up a box of nikujaga. Horie had graduated as valedictorian recently and had caught the attention of Mrs. Noda's twelve year old son.

"I hope they can keep that up."

"It's cute but I won't hold my breath."

"Say hi to him for me."

Kurumu stalked away from the line, doubting she would need more than this after the massive prepared lunch the PSC always got. She strolled over to the lady working the nearest register. This woman had her strawberry locks pinned up in a bun. Her greenish eyes lazily regarded Kurumu as she handed over her tray and lunch card.

"Do you have yen for the vending machine?"

Kurumu shrugged as the sphinx lined up behind her.

"I can manage without a drink."

"I'll buy you one."

Kurumu laughed, taking her things back from the worker. She drifted to the side, allowing Tora to take her turn at the register.

"Well I won't refuse your offer."

Kurumu glanced about the dining hall, noting the arrival of more students. Hagiwara was a difficult guy to miss, considering how tall and imposing he was. He looked a lot like his cousin whom had been in charge of the PSC before Kumiko's sister, though his whitish locks were an unruly mess.

He was with two other guys and they were all dressed in school jackets and slacks. The shortest guy had curly, shoulder length hair which was the color of the sky. Some of his tresses had been gathered up in a short tail in the back. He was too pretty to be a girl whom had an aversion to skirts.

The other guy's height was hard to determine since his locks were swept up in an exaggerated broom cut. His hair was a shade of orange which reminded Kurumu of a persimmon. She assumed these two were Hagiwara's classmates as they were chatting with each other as they stopped at the serving line.

"What drink would you like?"

Kurumu smiled, drifting over to the vending machine where Tora stood. The sphinx was feeding coins into the slot while regarding their choices.

"I'll have a yuzu juice."

Tora sounded an affirmative, pushing the appropriate button. A can tumbled down into the bin below, prompting Kurumu to hunker down. Balancing her tray with one hand, she pushed the flap in with the other. Feeling about, she quickly found the chilly can with her fingers.

"Want me to get yours?"

"If you don't mind."

Kurumu giggled, setting her can on the floor as Tora selected her own drink. Another beverage made its noisy descent to the chamber. Kurumu fished out the warm tea, handing it up to Tora. Once the sphinx had taken it, Kurumu grabbed her juice can and brought her hand over to the side of the tray. Getting back up with her things, she turned about.

A cursory glance revealed that Uchiyama and Tatakai were making their way over to the line. Kurumu frowned, thinking it was a little too early for dance practice to be over. The pair were following a trio of dark haired guys. Unlike the tengu duo, these three still had their school jackets.

"Waiting on me?"

Tora shrugged as Satsuki drifted over to join them.

"Kurumu seems in no hurry."

Kurumu giggled, realizing that Kumiko was already heading towards the tables claimed by the other PSC members. She started off, prompting the others to follow.

"I was just thinking how the dining hall is still pretty empty."

"Because they just started serving dinner, Kurono. Students with club will head back to their rooms first while the ones without club have learned to not bother coming here right away."

"I wouldn't say that but the place has never been too busy before seven."

They arrived at Ms. Kiyomizu's table at the end of Tora's sentence. Kumiko had already claimed the spot on the bench beside Tokori. Kurumu placed her tray on the other side of the table, leaving some room between her and Ms. Kiyomizu. The woman glanced up at them as Tora set her tray in that space.

"Nice of you to join us, Ms. Kurono. I was a little concerned that you wouldn't come."

Kurumu chuckled, sitting down. Satsuki had wandered around the table, placing her tray across from Kurumu. Opening up her box of nikujaga, Kurumu fetched her pair of disposable chopsticks.

"And Mr. Umizake is also here. Excellent."

Kurumu smirked, freeing her chopsticks of the cellophane wrapper. She started mixing up her nikujaga which had been served over a portion of rice. She noticed that Umizake had joined the guys at the other table, sitting beside Koike.

"Looks like we are just missing the first years."

"I saw two in the serving line and a third just entered the building."

Kiyomizu's gesture prompted Kurumu to look at a trio of girls walking away from a door. She instantly recognized Yoishi whom had her black cherry locks styled in a pixie cut. She was the tallest of the trio and was wearing slacks while the others had skirts. She was the only one still wearing her school jacket and none of them had the red bows at their collars. The shortest of the group had her auburn hair braided up in pigtails which arched over her ears. The other girl had bright orange tresses which curled down to her respectable bosom.

"Well I saw Hagiwara so which one are we still missing?"

"Ms. Iwahara."

Kurumu nodded, glancing to the serving line. Hagiwara had already parted ways with the two guys he had been with and was heading towards the PSC tables. Uchiyama and Tatakai were still in line with some other students behind them. She wondered which of these random guys was Suimon. It was not like any of them stood out.

"You should eat now in case you need to say something during the meeting."

Kurumu laughed at Tokori's suggestion. Taking the advice, she fetched a chunk of meat from the box and plopped it into her mouth.

Despite not trying to rush things, she was almost out of meat when a guy with his oily black hair parted perfectly in the middle took a seat beside Hagiwara across from the PSC seniors. He had been one of the guys ahead of Uchiyama. Surmising that was Suimon, she resumed the conquest of her meal.

"Uh hello, Ms. Kiyomizu. Kurono."

Uchiyama and Tatakai had skulked over, holding their lunch trays. The guys had nervous looks.

"Mr. Uchiyama. Mr. Tatakai. Do you have business with the PSC?"

Uchiyama forced a laugh, freeing a hand. He pulled out a manila envelope which had been resting on his tray. He presented it to Ms. Kiyomizu.

"We got another visit from that guy taking pictures this morning."

"Did you get his name?"

Uchiyama grimaced at her question as Ms. Kiyomizu took the envelope.

"No. This idiot tried to apprehend him."

"He didn't look that tough. I figured we could take him."

Ms. Kiyomizu sighed dramatically as she tucked the envelope into her purse by her feet.

"You should leave the fighting to people prepared for such tactics."

"It wasn't really a fight. I was just going to hold him down until one of your guys showed up."

Uchiyama chuckled at his friend's explanation.

"Yea but you have no idea what his true form is. He easily got away from you."

"Hey now. What happened was impossible even for a sylph. Nobody just vanishes like that."

"Vanishes?"

Tatakai nodded at Ms. Kiyomizu.

"One moment he was here and the next he was gone. It was like magic."

"Can some monsters teleport?"

Ms. Kiyomizu regarded Uchiyama while letting out a contemplative sound.

"There are some. We will keep this in mind when we try to apprehend the culprit in the future."

"Did you notice anything else about this guy?"

Uchiyama managed a smile at Kurumu's query.

"Nothing that we didn't already tell you about."

"Any particular reason why you didn't turn these over in the morning?"

Uchiyama and Tatakai both shared a nervous laugh, glancing at each other.

"Well we had to open the envelope and make sure that it was those kind of pictures."

"Yea. We would look like fools if we gave you an envelope with harmless stuff in it."

Kurumu snickered, wondering if these guys had did Kamitsuku a favor.

"I spoke with Yamabato yesterday. Since he knows some of the girls in your club, he was thinking about joining to keep you two out of mischief."

Uchiyama's laugh was more genuine.

"He did mention that at lunch yesterday. Don't know if he was serious."

"Isn't it still too early for you to be here?"

"We stopped by the club's shack but Mr. Fuwatori told us that the girls were going to take the night off and probably miss school tomorrow. Apparently, it's that time."

Kurumu smiled with understanding. Her eyes tracked the passage of Yoishi as the girl made her way over to the other table. The salamander clearly had no issues with sitting with the guys.

"Well thank you, Mr. Uchiyama. Report to me if you get any more news about this guy."

Both guys nodded, backing up a step.

"Sure thing, Ms. Kiyomizu. Though after his stunt, we probably won't see him again."

"Can't blame me for trying. I hope you catch him soon."

Kurumu smiled as the pair stalked off. She returned her attention to her meal which was mostly rice and vegetables. Before taking a third bite, she popped the tab of her drink to take a swig.

Kurumu had finished her meal when a short girl with her slate black hair all pulled up into a bushy tail claimed a spot at the table beside Kumiko. Rebellious strands of hair poked out by her ears where the legs of her silver frame rested. A set of oval lenses were perched upon a tiny nose flanked by sparkling, ruby eyes. Her school jacket was closed up with a red bow tied at the collar of her blouse.

Quaffing down the last of her drink, Kurumu set aside her can. She gestured at the tiny girl whom was removing the wrapping from her chopsticks.

"You must be Iwahara."

The girl spared Kurumu a glance as she set aside the wrapping. She opened up her boxed meal.

"Ms. Iwahara. I surmise that you are Ms. Kurono whom does the morning announcements."

Kurumu chuckled at the correction.

"Yes. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance."

"I understand that you played a game with Ms. Ishikure and her friends."

Kurumu paused, smiling when she remembered the roleplay sessions from last year.

"That's right. I haven't seen much of her this year so I don't know if she made us another campaign."

"Campaign?"

Kurumu waved a dismissive hand at Kumiko's confusion.

"It's just something I was doing with Moka and Yukari last year."

"You can think of it like an interactive story where the author allows other people to control the heroes."

Satsuki snickered at Iwahara's explanation, shaking her head as she finished her dinner roll.

"Sounds kind of dorky to me."

Iwahara huffed, wielding her chopsticks against her meal.

"It's a creative endeavor. You may as well call sewing and carpentry dorky."

Ms. Kiyomizu let out a heavy groan as she got up from her seat.

"Since most of us are finished eating, I shall begin the meeting."

Stepping away from the table, the teacher gestured at Kurumu.

"I believe most of you know of Kurono Kurumu. She is a provisional member of the PSC whom will help out in any major events assigned to the PSC."

"Assuming I don't have other commitments."

Ms. Kiyomizu smirked at Kurumu's hasty addition.

"She says that but in this week alone, she played a role in ousting someone taking unsolicited pictures of the dance club girls and helped put a stop to the Lady of the Lake."

Kurumu blushed slightly as the eyes of every girl at her table turned upon her.

"Umizake did all the work in the lake. I just tagged along."

"I can confirm that Kurumu was useless in that endeavor."

"Hey! I carried your schoolbags so they didn't get wet!"

"There were others involved in this?"

Kurumu nodded at Koike's inquisitive remark.

"Tsukune and Yamabato were also there. We even had Headmaster Sendou out to negotiate things."

"That is enough explanation, Ms. Kurono. I understand that the newspaper club has been instructed to release an official story detailing how the local legend won't be troubling students in the near future."

"This sounds almost like a cover up for something else."

"Correct, Mr. Suimon. The school's administration wants to have an extremely quiet year. That is why we need to be direct but not too heavy handed when we deal with the issue you pointed out."

Yoishi snorted a laugh with a shake of her head.

"It isn't our fault that the skirts are too short."

Hagiwara glanced at the salamander.

"Not that it would concern someone whom always wears slacks."

"Not like I don't have friends whom like wearing skirts. We got the ruler out and both of my friends don't meet the allowance. If we start enforcing this, they will have to get new skirts the next size up."

"Why didn't she get the longer skirt in the first place?"

Yoishi shrugged at Hagiwara.

"It's generic sizing. Their parents bought them the same size they always get."

"Fair point. Perhaps your friends could trade in their skirts at the school store."

"Even if they could, would you want to buy the same britches as Mr. Sabaku? Just because you're as tall as him, doesn't mean you're as wide."

Sabaku chuckled as Hagiwara frowned.

"There are wider pant sizes for guys like me, Ms. Yoishi."

"There aren't wider skirts. We already checked."

"This really isn't an issue."

Yoishi snorted at Suimon's remark.

"Why did you bring it up then?"

"I meant that there is a simple solution. Just look at Ms. Kurono."

Kurumu frowned when everybody took his advice.

"What do I have to do with this?"

Suimon laughed, getting up from the bench.

"Could you stand up and come over here?"

Her frown deepened as he drifted over to Ms. Kiyomizu. Having no idea what this was about, she lifted up from her seat. Stepping over the bench, she sashayed over to the young man.

"What are you expecting me to do?"

Kurumu could feel a sudden surge of appreciation for her appearance.

"Nothing. You are absolutely perfect."

This flood of sexual desire baffled her. It was obvious that he was not looking at her tits and she was still facing him. Was he really that impressed by the curve of her hips?

"Is there a point here?"

Suimon laughed at Ms. Kiyomizu, tearing his lecherous gaze from Kurumu's body.

"Her legs, Ms. Kiyomizu. The length of the skirt is irrelevant if the girl is wearing pantyhose, stockings or leggings. It is in the rules. We just need to make the girls aware of it."

The teacher cocked her head with a thoughtful look.

"I don't know if the school store carries any of those."

"It is a cheaper alternative than demanding girls like Ms. Yoishi's friend to get new skirts."

Suimon clutched his fists with a passionate look in his eyes which were a dark purple hue similar to an eggplant. He panted heavily with excitement.

"We need to spread awareness immediately. Every girl in this school should have smooth, sexy legs."

Ms. Kiyomizu placed a hand on Suimon's shoulder.

"Calm down, young man. We still don't have your uniforms so we can't be doing anything yet. We need to discuss how exactly we want to handle this."

Suimon chuckled, backing away. He admired Kurumu's legs once again, causing her to shudder.

"Of course. Thank you, Ms. Kurono."

Taking that as permission to return to her seat, Kurumu hastily retreated from this new fetish.

May 18th

I am so sorry, Kabuki. I meant to send you these pictures of Hatsue last week and almost forgot to do it this week. I'm literally writing this the night before mail goes out.

Hatsue was born on the eighth. It was very early morning so I wasn't there but I did get to see it through Mrs. Shirayuki's eyes. It looked painful. Like I don't even question why women die in childbirth. While I might regret not being able to carry my baby, I will never want to push one out.

The moment Umizake told me about Hatsue being born, I flew over to the hospital. I didn't even change my clothes. I just showed up in my chemise and charmed my way into their room. Mrs. Shirayuki was relieved to have someone watch over the baby so she could get some rest.

I spent the whole day there. Umizake brought my gym clothes which happened to be in my schoolbag. I also got my phone which I used to take all of these pictures. I even made a photo album which I've been showing to the other girls at school.

I think I've mentioned Koyomi before. She's related to that matchmaker your mother uses. Anyways she told me that if I spent enough time around Hatsue, my boobs would get bigger and start lactating. That hasn't happened yet but I've been spending almost every night this week at Mizore's place. I'm actually writing this as Mizore breastfeeds Hatsue next to me. Mizore likes having me around to help.

I wish I could say the same thing about her mother. Mrs. Shirayuki is worried that I will follow in my mother's footsteps. My mother ran off with Mrs. Shirayuki's fiancé to make me. She did send my father back to Yukimura but Mrs. Shirayuki had already remarried by that point. My mother caused a lot of trouble for Mrs. Shirayuki and she believes that I'm worse than my mother when it comes to holding back my desires. There really isn't anything I can do to prove otherwise.

I finally told Nijiro the truth about Hatsue. I did it here in Mizore's suite with Hatsue, Mizore and Mrs. Shirayuki present. Umizake too, though he isn't here right now.

On a positive note, Nijiro hasn't dumped me. He took the news about Hatsue hard, considering most of my close friends know the truth already. It's been a week since I've told him and I can't say that we've had anything resembling a conversation since then. Moka said that I should demand an answer when I see him on Saturday. I'm hopeful but I doubt anything has changed.

Most of the involved parties agree that I should erase Nijiro's memory of this revelation about Hatsue. I don't want to do that. Tsukune is pretty much the only one on my side. Not that he thinks I should stay with Nijiro. He just doesn't think I should be erasing memories.

Things between Tsukune and Moka are shaping up nicely. Moka probably would have started living with him if Elder Kunai had not put a bounty on Mrs. Aono's head.

Okay. I'm exaggerating that a little bit. But that bastard got several residents riled up that the murderous Aono's mother was living in their town. The guy running the place where Ms. Atsumoto lived was getting anonymous death threats leveled at Mrs. Aono. We quickly decided to move her in with Tsukune.

While that felt like a good idea at the time, we soon realized how difficult that would be for Mrs. Aono. Tsukune was reluctant to have her eating meals at the dining hall with the other students. She is just human after all. And Mrs. Aono didn't want to keep getting help from the housemother of Tsukune's dorm. We made Yukari's grandfather aware of the situation, since he is the headmaster. He arranged for Tsukune and his mother to have one of the senior suites.

They moved in today. I checked on them after having my dinner meeting with the PSC. They were just about to make their own dinner. Apparently Rubi helped them afford some of the essentials which Mrs. Aono insists on paying back. It was good to see that all turned out well.

Tsukune and Moka will soon have an official match. Assuming Tsukune bests Moka, my two friends will be essentially married in vampire culture. Of course there still is the wedding and the fact that Tsukune isn't officially a vampire. By human law he would need to be eighteen to marry without his mother's blessing. And she definitely is not ready for that. She did just lose her husband back in December.

I'm assuming this match will happen during the class trip. I can't imagine the seniors not picking Okinawa with Moka's father offering free lodging and transportation. But even if they pick somewhere else, I think we will still have that trip to Okinawa. It just won't be with the seniors.

There are some other things that have happened but I wouldn't exactly call them important. The new Fairy Tale office won't be open before your birthday so there isn't any change in the investigation of those murders linked to the town fire. I'll try to do something special for your birthday. You'll be ten.

I remember my tenth birthday. That was when I lived in Hino, a small town in Tottori. I had just switched schools so I didn't have anyone resembling a friend. It was just me and my mother. It wasn't like that was any different from my birthdays in Yonago. But it felt different. Hino was small. Yonago was lively. It was a choice to be alone in Yonago. Hino felt more like exile.

I was expelled from my primary school. That was why we moved. That year was punishment. I hope that you are a lot happier about getting your wings. I didn't even expect mine. I thought I was human.

I need to wrap this up. Mizore is wanting me to pacify Hatsue. This little girl likes suckling on my nipples despite getting nothing out of them.

Love you. Wish you were here.