《Nandemonogatari: The Story of Something Else》


 Chapter 01 - The Story of Introductions

    It¡¯s a warm spring afternoon in Japan, the new school year has begun and the classes have just ended. As the bell rings, the students empty into the halls and begin looking for their clubrooms for the first meetings of the year. Two girls in their bright orange school uniforms head down the school halls, beaming with confidence and looking forward to their after school plans.


    Katsuki Kusaka, a messy red haired 2nd year girl, has a broad grin across her face as excitement fills her chest. She has finally achieved her dream of establishing a paranormal club, just like her mom had when she was in high school. It would be the kind of club that would focus on investigating paranormal events and the supernatural. She finally reaches the classroom door, where she finds her childhood friend Yuuri Sayamura. Katsuki gives her friend a confident look before swinging the door open.


    Excited to see their new members, Katsuki proudly exclaims, ¡°Welcome to the Paranormal club!¡± To her dismay, the students within don¡¯t seem very into it. A group of mismatched uniforms and disinterested faces litter the room.


    Yuuri smiles and steps in front of the stunned Katsuki, ¡°Yes, welcome! I believe it¡¯s time we got introductions out of the way!¡±


    A girl wearing a green uniform jumps out of her chair and speaks up first. ¡°Hii~ I¡¯m Yui and I¡¯m super excited to join the Baking club! Let¡¯s make the tastiest cookies!¡±


    Katsuki looks at her with a questioning expression, her finger under her chin. ¡°Uh, this is a different club¡­¡±


    Yuuri elbows Katsuki gently and whispers in her ear, ¡°Katsuki, she counts as a roster member though, at least for the day. Let¡¯s accept it and move on, okay?¡±


    Katsuki nods, then motions towards the next member, a petite girl with curly hair. She¡¯s slightly shaking, but has a small smile on her face. ¡°H-Hello! I am Kirika K-Komori, of the Komori clan! I-I''m a... good girl from Kamikawa! P-Please take care of me... Senpai!¡± She shoots up and bows towards Yuuri. Yuuri waves with a gentle smile, causing Kirika to smile bigger as she sits down. As she does squeaking can be heard coming from her pocket, she pats the pocket and the squeaking ceases.


    The two then turn towards a blond guy in headphones and a plain t-shirt with jeans. He¡¯s leaning back in a chair and seems to have something hanging off his back. He offers a weak handwave. ¡°Wassup, I¡¯m Saito Naoyuki. Don¡¯t expect me to do much work.¡± He then puts his hands behind his head and turns his attention back to his music.


    Katsuki goes to ask him what he¡¯s carrying, but decides it would be in her best interest to just ignore it for now. She looks towards Yuuri and they each give each other a shrug, before moving on to the next girl who is a prim redhead with a irritated demeanor. She bows politely, but then sneers at the two.


    ¡°I am Cerys Alcott,¡± she says with a noticeable accent. ¡°I¡¯m from Britain and I guess I¡¯ll be with you all this year.¡± She sits back down and glares at the two.


    Yui looks up in confusion. ¡°What¡¯s a Britain? Can I bake one?¡±


    Yuuri perks up in interest, ¡°Oh? Did you just come to Japan this year?¡±


    Cerys rolls her eyes as she turns her head away from Yuuri. She grumbles out, ¡°Yes, my father works in Japan now. He is friends with the English teacher at this school so she recommended that I join this club for whatever reason.¡±


    Yuuri clasps her hands together and smiles. ¡°Well, we certainly hope you don''t regret your decision!¡±


    A very tall white haired boy stands up from his seat, a big smile on his face. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m Yuudai Akiyama. I kinda arrived late and all the other clubs were full!¡± He says this in a way as if to imply this is a good thing. ¡°So, I joined this one as a last resort! I hope it will be interesting!¡±


    Katsuki resists the urge to turn around and walk out of the room, instead trying to fake a smile herself. ¡°Well, no matter how you joined, I¡¯m glad you all did. We can always use more members¡­at least until the budget clamps down on us.¡±


    She looks around the room one more time quickly spotting someone she somehow missed. She sighs and droops her shoulders as she realizes it¡¯s just another girl sleeping in the back. ¡°Hey, anyone feel like waking up the drifter in the back? She looks pretty rough.¡±


    Yui pops up with her hand raised, yelling, ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± She whips around and moves behind the sleeping girl, pulling out a stun gun. ¡°Rise and shine, sleepyhead!,¡± she says as she attempts to taze the girl awake. As she leans in, though, the gyaru snores in her sleep, surprising Yui and causing her to fall over flat on her face.


    Katsuki can¡¯t help but start laughing hard, a few other chuckles joining in with her until Yuuri elbows Katsuki in the side and glares at the rest. She shakes her head as she goes to help Yui up quietly asking her if she was okay. Yui is beet red, quickly returning to her seat and hiding her face in her palms. ¡°I¡¯m so embarrassed¡­¡± she mutters as she leans forward.


    Kirika looks around very nervously, glancing between the different people, she squeals slightly then speaks up, ¡°P-please¡­ Please don¡¯t fight!¡± This causes the laughing to cease and everyone to look around in confusion as they wonder what fight she¡¯s referring to.


    Yuuri breaks the silence with a warm smile and a few pats on Yui¡¯s back. ¡°Now, now, Yui. We don¡¯t have to solve everything with violence! We should gently wake this tired-looking girl up!¡±


    Yui is able to look up at Yuuri¡¯s warm smile, crying slightly. ¡°Uu¡­ please forgive me, Vice-President¡­¡±


    Yuuri pats Yui on the head in forgiveness before stepping away to nudge the sleeping girl¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Miss, you should please wa-¡±


    The gyaru suddenly shoots up, her chest heaving as she does, while a nearby chair inexplicably catches on fire. ¡°YOU''LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE, BULL!" she yells in shock.


    Yuuri stumbles backward, barely catching her balance. ¡°O-Oh, hello there sleepyhead!" she says as she regains her composure.


    Katsuki and Yui, almost simultaneously, scream after seeing the burning chair. ¡°Oh no, the school¡¯s on fire!¡± Yui yells, followed by Katsuki yelling, ¡°Someone, quick, put that out!¡± Yui can do nothing but pray to the heavens while Yuudai quickly jumps to the rescue, stripping off his jacket to try and smother the fire with it. He successfully puts the fire out, but his uniform is slightly scorched around the collar.


    The blonde haired girl looks around the room, still half asleep until she realizes others are present. She takes a breath, turns to the crowd, and questions, ¡°...Why are there people in here? I thought this club room was abandoned.¡± She looks over at the burning chair and Yuudai wrestling it, then looks back at the group.


    ¡°This is the room for our club meeting, silly!¡± Kirika says with a smile.


    ¡°The what?,¡± the blonde says as she ruffles her hair and checks her pockets. ¡°I don¡¯t have any stuff on me, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re wanting.¡±.


    ¡°Stuff? Wanting?¡± Yui looks confusedly at her.


    Kirika brushes the comments aside and replies, ¡°The paranormal club, of course! And the only ¡®stuff¡¯ we¡¯re ¡®wanting¡¯ is more members!¡± There¡¯s a gleam in her eye as she finishes talking.


    The gyaru just stares dumbly at the overly-cheery long-eared girl. ¡°Paranormal? You mean like nerds playing RPGs and trying to summon demons and shit?¡±


    Katsuki scowls slightly ¡°No, that¡¯s actually the tabletop club you rude bitch.¡±


    The blonde girl slowly rises from her chair and trudges across the room until she¡¯s directly in Katsuki¡¯s face. ¡°Who the fuck are you, dorkass?,¡± she says while staring directly in Katsuki¡¯s eyes.


    Yui pops up and says ¡°H-hey, don¡¯t use mean words like that, you two!¡±


    Kirika pops up behind her and adds in, ¡°Y-yeah, also please no fighting!!¡±


    Yuuri pops up next to them, putting her hands up. ¡°H-hey, let me handle this, Katsuki!¡±


    Katsuki ignores Yuuri and leans into the girl. ¡°I¡¯m the president of this club, and it¡¯s way too early in the school year to be dealing with your attitude right now.¡±


    Yuuri firmly clasps Katsuki on the shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s why I said I¡¯d take care of it, Katsuki.¡± Her expression becomes firm as she continues. ¡°Nobody wants a grumpy Katsuki, riiight?¡±


    As the three bicker, Cerys grimaces at the trio. ¡°The Japanese are so unruly,¡± she says in a droll tone. The rude girl whips around, almost smacking the other two with her hair, and yells in her best English something obscene-sounding, assisted by a upturned middle finger. Cerys barely reacts at the fuming gyaru, simply remaining unamused at the display in front of her.


    While the gyaru is distracted, Saito slides in and tries to calm the other two down. ¡°Yo, prez and vice, no need to get worked up like that.¡±


    Yuuri takes a breath, then turns to Katsuki and helps calm her down. ¡°Katsuki, please just breathe, we have the situation under control¡±. She then turns back to the angry girl¡¯s back and loudly yet politely says, ¡°A-Anyway, miss, I am Yuuri Sayamura, the Vice President of this club. Here at the Paranormal Club we plan to do many things like discuss and learn more about supernatural oddities. What is your name, if I may ask?¡±


    The gyaru turns and flips her hair back. ¡°Mayumi Asuka.¡± She then stares right at Yuuri, and with a smug grin says, ¡°You nerds do realize the supernatural doesn¡¯t exist, right? It¡¯s all some mass hysteria bullshit. Just people getting crazy like they did PCP or something.¡±


    Yuuri keeps her smile despite the insults, she instead cheerily retorts, ¡°O-Oh, how peculiar! Do you have any proof that there are no supernatural lifeforms out there?¡±


    Mayumi huffs, ¡°Well, there¡¯s more evidence that there isn¡¯t than evidence that there is. Like UFOs and shit? Swamp gas and low flying planes.¡± She rolls her eyes. ¡°Kuchisake onna? That crazy slasher bitch who got copycats.¡±


    Katsuki is clearly more irritated but keeps her calm enough to respond, ¡°Have you ever witnessed any swamp gas looking like ghosts, or do you just believe everything the government tells you? Don''t forget they went bankrupt by trying to force inflation.¡± Her voice gets more intense, ¡°And they tried to fix it with the whole high school reality show bullshit!"


    As the three stare each other down, Kirika speaks up, saying, ¡°She¡¯s right! Daddy says that there are things in the world we can''t understand.¡±


    Mayumi keeps her glare on Katsuki and blurts out, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s because people are dumb as a whole.¡±


    Yuudai puts his finger to his chin, thinking out loud. ¡°I never thought about the government lying to us. Do you think they¡¯d really do that?¡±


    Mayumi looks at Yuudai, then turns smugly at Katsuki. Katsuki growls a little, then says, ¡°People are dumb yes, that''s one way to look at it, but who are you to determine what''s true or not? There''s conspiracies all around us. Paranormal things happen all the time. Like that chair catching on fire when you woke up. How do you explain that?¡±


    Mayumi scoffs. ¡°I didn¡¯t set anything on fire¡­ not today, at least.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Katsuki points back at the charred chair. ¡°Then explain that. There was nobody around it, we were all up here, Yuuri was waking you up, and you were asleep. As soon as you shot up, the flames began. And Yuuri has nothing to set anything on fire, right?¡±


    Yuuri turns the pockets of her uniform inside out, showing that she has no lighters or matches on her. ¡°Nope, I wouldn¡¯t need anything like that!¡±


    Katsuki continues, ¡°There. See? None of us could have done that. None of us can explain it. It¡¯s paranormal, isn¡¯t it?¡± She takes a breath. ¡°Also the other clubs are full of dumb people like you said.¡±


    Mayumi has a slight look of confusion, looking between the club members and the chair, obviously curious and trying to find an answer. Suddenly, given the break in Mayumi¡¯s hostility, Kirika squeeks, ¡°Excuse me Miss, why are you in our clubroom if you aren''t a member?¡±


    The gyaru ruffles her hair. "...Probably because I was doing delinquent things. I honestly don¡¯t remember the last few hours."


    Yui pipes up, ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t do too many of those wicked poisons! They can send you to the bad place!¡±


    Kirika adds in, ¡°They¡¯re bad for your body and soul! If you don¡¯t explain yourself, I¡¯ll have to report you to a teacher, for your own sake!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been doing these things in this room for a year now. If they didn¡¯t get me now, they won¡¯t.¡± Mayumi says cocksure.


    Cerys narrows her eyes with a dismissive grunt. ¡°I''m glad you aren''t going to be a member, I''d hate to be part of a club with a Japanese druggie like you.¡±


    Mayumi looks around, ignoring Cerys. ¡°Who¡¯s this sassy little bitch, and would someone stop me if I punched her in the face?¡±


    Yuuri steps in front of Mayumi again. ¡°I thought I said to tone down the violence.¡± The agitation on her face is more visible now.


    Saito and Yuudai look at each other, rise from their chairs, and slowly back away towards the door.


    ¡°Look. I was calm when I was unconscious. Now I¡¯m not. Cause and effect. As far as I¡¯m concerned, you brought this on yourself. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse m-¡±


    She¡¯s cut off by the PA system crackling to life with a loud screech of feedback. ¡°Hello everyone, I hope you''ve all had some time to get to know each other. The time is now 5PM and all students that are not currently in a club will be free game for the other clubs starting after the first class tomorrow. And as always, smile for the cameras!"


    ¡°Cameras?¡± Saito asks. ¡°Are we being monitored or something? Dude, that sucks.¡±


    ¡°Cameras,¡± Mayumi says. ¡°Like in the locker rooms. Or the restrooms. Or everywhere else you don¡¯t want them.¡± She lets out a small laugh, her voice betraying that it¡¯s not a joke.


    Yuuri smirks at Mayumi. ¡°See? Looks like you¡¯re forced to join our club, missy. Unless you want to be ¡®free game¡¯.¡±


    Yui puts her hands to her cheeks. ¡°F-free game? What do you think that means? D-does it mean people will get hurt? S-so scary¡­ I¡¯m glad I¡¯m p-part of this club, a-at least!¡±


    Mayumi scoffs. ¡°Eh, I¡¯m already part of a club. The Fakk Yuu club, president and founding member.¡±


    Kirika says, ¡°Please be reasonable, Mayumi-senpai! T-the school wouldn¡¯t count that as a club, it has profanity in the name! If we leave you alone you''ll just be abused and hurt! Please, let us help you.¡±


    Mayumi chuckles. ¡°Kid, I pick fights with useless Yakuza punks and dealers. Getting abused and hurt is basically what I do.¡± She looks at Kirika, but the concerned look on Kirika¡¯s face is enough to melt Mayumi¡¯s resistance away. With a sigh, Mayumi says, ¡°But fine, I''ll join your dumb club. If only to debunk every half assed bit of cracked out bullshit you go into."


    Yuuri returns her face to a more relaxed smile. ¡°I¡¯m glad, welcome to the club Miss Asuka! You¡¯ll add an interesting flair to our club, for sure.¡±


    Katsuki stands up and pulls out a sheet of paper. "Well now that we finally have everyone settled in, somewhat, the first order of business is securing funding. Since this is a new school year, all the clubs start with no budget, and we''ll have to get it somehow. I know the Anime and Manga club is trying a fundraiser or something, I saw them planning it while filling out the paperwork. An option is to just beat them up and take the money."


    Mayumi perks up. ¡°Oh, we need money? Well, I know a few guys¡­¡±


    Kirika says, ¡°T-thank you for the offers, b-but I don¡¯t want money made that way¡­¡±


    Yuudai adds on ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure we can do better than just mugging people.¡±


    Saito speaks up. ¡°Well, there¡¯s only two options, obviously. Either one of us is rich and pays for the club, or we borrow from the other clubs.¡±


    The PA system screeches one more time. ¡°Oh, before we forget, NO OUTSIDE FUNDING. Good luck, students!¡±


    Yuuri turns to Saito, saying, ¡°Well, I guess that first idea doesn¡¯t work anymore.¡±


    Kirika turns to Yuuri. ¡°Senpai, you have an idea, right?¡±


    Yuuri fidgets slightly. ¡°Well¡­¡±


    Saito perks up slightly. ¡°It''s like the school is trying to set everyone against each other for the money.¡±


    Cerys¡¯ head droops. ¡°Congrats, you''ve solved the mystery. It''s not like that¡¯s the whole point of this school or anything.¡± She looks back up with a sneer and speaks in a deadpan tone. ¡°Let¡¯s just sell videos of ourselves talking about paranormal things. Or finding mysteries. That''s easy enough.¡±


    Yuuri ponders the suggestion, then gives a small shrug. ¡°Well, we aren¡¯t actually sure what counts as ¡®outside funding¡¯. It¡¯s not a bad idea, so please hold on for a second.¡±


    The PA system bursts back into life for the third time. "GIVE ME THAT YOU IDIOT. Dang it Gomezu you moron how are they supposed to know what they are supposed to be doing?! ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS, this is Jikoku of the student council. Since SOMEONE couldn¡¯t do it, we need to clarify what ¡®outside funding¡¯ means. Fair game for funding includes: other clubs, the student council, the teachers, and the faculty. BUT DON''T YOU EVEN DARE, ask anyone not related to the school. You better secure the bare minimum before the club signup deadline."


    Saito reclines. ¡°We can¡¯t even ask outside sources at all? Maaan, that sucks, I wanted to chill out and talk about ghosts, not fight the other clubs so we can get money.¡±


    Yuudai turns to him and says, ¡°Dude, I know. And look around, it¡¯s like we¡¯re the only guys in this club.¡±


    Saito turns his head. ¡°It¡¯s not ¡®like¡¯, we ARE the only guys here. You''d think paranormal events would draw in more dudes.¡± He shrugs. ¡°They probably all went sports or something.¡±


    Yuudai sighs. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I had the wrong day for club sign-ups, I was really wanting to join the baseball team. This was the only club with slots left open I was interested in.¡±


    Yuuri continues to ponder, but then her eyes light up as if she had an idea. ¡°Hey, Katsuki, isn¡¯t what the otakus are doing with their fundraiser outside funding? How about we go beat up those cheaters!¡±


    Katsuki says, ¡°They¡¯re probably selling their collections to the other clubs. It¡¯s legal to get money from other students.¡±


    Yui gulps. ¡°I-isn¡¯t that¡­ stealing, Yuuri? That¡¯s wrong!¡±


    Kirika tries to diffuse the situation another way, saying ¡°How do we know they''d have enough money if we don''t have enough money? We can¡¯t beat them up if they don¡¯t have money, right?¡±


    Yuuri thinks for a second, then sighs. ¡°Well, you all make good points here. Are we going to assume the other clubs have already started making a decent amount of money? We wouldn''t want to waste our time speaking with a club that doesn''t have a single cent on them.¡±


    Saito snaps his fingers. ¡°Yo, what even are the other clubs? There¡¯s a music club, right?¡±


    Katsuki pulls out another piece of paper with a list of all the club names on it. "There''s Baseball, Tabletop, Video Games, Drama, Cooking, Anime and Manga, Racing, and us. So no, no Music club.¡±


    Saito sighs. ¡°Oh man, no music club? That¡¯s lame.¡±


    Katsuki ignores him and continues speaking, ¡°Considering that we only know about Anime and Manga club¡¯s fundraising, they seem like the best to rough up."


    Kirika looks lost, trying to figure out something. ¡°How can they fundraise if there''s no money...?¡±


    Yui fidgets nervously. ¡°C-can we please not do any stealing? I honestly don¡¯t know if my heart could take it.¡±


    Yuuri chuckles. ¡°Okay, hold on a second. We¡¯re not going to steal anything unless we desperately have to, okay Yui?¡±


    Before Yui can respond, Katsuki does. ¡°Look, we have no money, and no other way of getting money. We need it by the deadline.¡± She stares at Yuuri. ¡°We desperately have to.¡±


    It¡¯s Yuuri¡¯s turn to fidget, trying to think of anything else. Mayumi gets a chuckle out of this and smirks at Yuuri. Finally, she gives up. ¡°Fine, then we should probably take a few consoles from the Video Games club and sell those.¡±


    Katsuki pats Yuuri on the back while Yui starts to sob into her elbow. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± She then turns towards the door. ¡°By the way, by WE I mean YOU, I have to go fully register our club and deal with the mountains of paperwork. Report back to me by the end of the day, but until then you are in charge. Good luck!¡± She then walks out the door with a wave.


    Saito tries to stop her, yelling, ¡°Dude, prez, wait! I don¡¯t want to do any of the work!¡± She ignores him, and he drops his shoulders in failure.


    Yuuri pouts and waves off Katsuki. She sighs and turns to her clubmates. She tries to put on a cheery face, and says, ¡°W-well, looks like I¡¯ll be in charge here for the moment.¡±


    Kirika raises her hand. ¡°Hey Senpai, what if we give tarot card readings? And charge by the minute?¡±


    Yuuri ponders it. ¡°Well, Miss Komori, how do you plan on doing the Tarot Card reading? Are we gonna charge the faculty or other students? I don¡¯t think the members of the other clubs would be willing to give us their money.¡±


    Kirika thinks for a moment. ¡°Well¡­ what if we have a really good sign?¡±


    Yuuri sighs. ¡°Does anyone even know how to read those cards? Do we even HAVE a tarot set?¡±


    Kirika shakes lightly. ¡°I-I have some of them.. a-and I can kinda read them¡­¡±


    Saito pipes up with, ¡°Well, we could just ask the teachers. I¡¯d rather have someone play teacher¡¯s pet for a while than to have to beat someone up myself.¡±


    Suddenly there¡¯s a rustle in Kirika¡¯s jacket pocket. A wing pops out, followed by another, and then a full-fledged bat. ¡°Ah, Kokoro!¡± The bat flutters around her squeaking happily. She grabs the bat and holds it in her hands. ¡°What if I have my bat do tricks? I¡¯ve trained it very well!¡±


    Yuuri jumps back at the sight of the bat, which is giving her goosebumps. ¡°W-well, I¡¯m sure we could get a set of cards easily! We even have a bit of time before the teachers head home, we can ask them if they could use a fortune telling!¡± She looks happy for a moment, then suddenly yells, ¡°Aw shoot!,¡± as she snaps her fingers. ¡°I forgot to ask how much money we needed.¡±


    Yuuri tries to look through the paperwork Katsuki left behind to see the amount they need. Yui gasps and runs over to Kirika, asking to play with her bat. ¡°Awww, it¡¯s so cute! You said it¡¯s name was Kokoro?¡± Kirika nods and smiles, but Kokoro looks slightly worried. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not going to hurt you, little guy!¡± She reaches her hand out slowly, finally reaching the bat. Kokoro¡¯s nervous, but allows her to touch him, but then lets out a coo and a smile as he¡¯s petted. Yui also coos and smiles.


    Yuuri then turns around holding a paper. ¡°Ah, it says here we need 2500 Yen.¡± She counts on her fingers ¡°We have around 6 teachers, so if we ask each for 500 yen, we¡¯d only need 5 of them to take us up on it. I think that sounds fair!¡±


    Yui asks, ¡°Oh, should we split up then?¡±


    Yuuri goes to respond, but before she can, Saito blurts out, ¡°Dude, uh, really? That¡¯s ALL we need is 2500 yen?¡±


    Yuuri responds sternly with, ¡°Mister Naoyuki please, you can call me Vice-President or Rii. But, yes. We only have 1 day to reach this amount, of course it isn¡¯t much of a hassle.¡±


    Saito puts his hands behind his head in a relaxed pose. ¡°Sure, man. As long as it¡¯s that easy.¡±


    Yuuri smiles at him, barely hiding her annoyance this time around. She distracts herself by instead counting up the members in the room. ¡°Well, there¡¯s six of us, so we can split into two groups of three and ask three teachers each.¡±


    Mayumi rubs her runny nose. ¡°I call the History teacher. He¡¯s got a thing for blondes.¡±


    Yuuri says, ¡°Oh, you know how to read fortunes, Mayumi?¡±


    Mayumi chuckles. ¡°Fortune telling is just playing on people''s need to have patterns in their lives. Just bullshit something and draw some cards. Just another paranormal thing that doesn¡¯t exist.¡±


    Yuuri barely contains her anger, but she somehow conceals it well enough that nobody notices. ¡°Er... Okay, we''ll have Miss Komori and Miss Asuka do the readings.¡±


    Yui turns around with excitement. ¡°Oh, let me go with Mayumi! Maybe if I do she''ll teach me how to read tarot cards!¡±


    Yuuri says, ¡°Well, if you think so. In that case, Saito and I will go with Kirika, Cerys and Yui can go with Mayumi.¡±


    Yui grabs Mayumi¡¯s hands and says, ¡°Let¡¯s do our best, Mayumi!¡±


    Yuuri asks Mayumi, ¡°Well, Miss Asuka, you already claimed Mr. Saruta, but is their anyone else you want to go ask?¡±


    Mayumi thinks for a moment, then says, ¡°I''ll ask Sacchin. She¡¯s pretty chill and bad with money.¡±


    Cerys is somewhat surprised. ¡°You¡¯re close enough to the english teacher to give her a nickname?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Mayumi says. "Haau duu yuu fink ei knou engrish werr enough to caru yuu a beech?"


    Cerys fumes at Mayumi but before she can say anything Yui steps between the two. ¡°Hey, no fighting, we have work to do!,¡± she says with her arms crossed.


    Cerys thinks for a second and then sighs. ¡°The over excited girl has a point, let¡¯s try to get along.¡± Yui jumps for joy at what she hopes is a budding friendship.


    Yuuri says, ¡°Okay, then! That leaves us with Ms. Mizuno, Mr. Numata, and Mr. Itawashi, and you guys can get Ms. Tokidi as well.¡±


    Yuuri looks around the group again, suddenly spotting Yuudai. ¡°Oh Mr. Akiyama! I forgot you were here, you can come with our group.¡±


    Yuudai sighs. ¡°If I must.¡±


    Yuuri turns to the other group. "I''m trusting you all with this okay? If you can''t get the money it shouldn''t be a big deal though, just report back here before curfew so I can think of a back up plan."


    Saito heads towards the door. ¡°Hey, Vice-Pres, let¡¯s jet.¡±


    Yuuri smiles as she turns to Saito. "I was just letting the other group know the plan. Now that they know, yes, let¡¯s!¡±


    The two groups say their goodbyes and split up, hopeful to get the money for their club.

 Chapter 02 - The Story of Seduction

    Cerys, Yui, and Mayumi head out of the clubroom and make their way to their target. Yui surprise hugs the other two girls. ¡°I hope the three of us can be the best of friends!¡±


    Mayumi shrugs the hug away. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go that far, but eh.¡±


    Cerys ducks under Yui¡¯s hug. ¡°So, who¡¯s going to do the readings?¡±


    Mayumi looks back at Cerys lazily, ¡°Who¡¯s the best at bullshitting?¡±


    ¡°I could never tell a lie, my heart can¡¯t take it!¡± Yui fidgets and pulls out her cross necklace from beneath her collar.


    Cerys focuses her gaze on Mayumi. ¡°My Japanese isn¡¯t that great. I couldn¡¯t lie to a teacher convincingly.¡±


    ¡°Then I guess it¡¯s my job.¡± Mayumi sighs.


    Cerys asks Mayumi, ¡°Do you have a set of cards handy?¡± Mayumi reaches between her breasts to pull out a deck of cards, a sly look on her face. Cerys gives her an odd look in return. ¡°At least you have yourself together that much. Your hair¡¯s a damn mess though, maybe you should straighten it out a little before speaking to the teachers.¡± Cerys pulls out her hairbrush, offering it to Mayumi.


    Mayumi scoffs at the idea. ¡°Monkey likes it when I have sex hair.¡±


    Yui fidgets again. ¡°I dunno Cerys, pride and vanity are sins after all...¡± She looks down and away from her compatriots, holding her cross close.


    Mayumi slows down and lets Yui get ahead of her, then rests her bosom on Yui¡¯s head. ¡°So are sloth and lust, both of which I¡¯m gonna make work for me.¡± Yui scowls at Mayumi¡¯s action, matching the taller girl¡¯s scowl at the general situation.


    Cerys ignores the two. ¡°One should always try to look their best, even when they aren¡¯t feeling their best.¡± She turns to Mayumi and sees what¡¯s actually going on, then adds with a hint of irritation to her voice, ¡°Maybe this is your best.¡±


    Yui finally pops out from under Mayumi¡¯s breasts. ¡°Please don¡¯t be too mean! I¡¯m sure Mayumi tries her hardest! You must do your best after all!¡±


    Mayumi readjusts her bra. ¡°Not really. I¡¯m more of a ¡®most effect with a least effort¡¯ kind of girl.¡±


    Cerys scoffs to get their attention back. ¡°Let¡¯s get a move on before she pulls another indecent stunt in the hallway.¡±


    The trio turns down a new hallway, passing by the clustered crowds of other students as they head towards the History classroom. Yui looks in excitement at the students as they squeeze past. She turns towards Mayumi with excitement gleaming in her eyes. ¡°So this is a real life school, I never expec-¡± She stops as she notices Mayumi¡¯s newly unbuttoned blouse and hiked up skirt. She reels back with a blushed face. ¡°M-Mayumi! This is really l-lewd behavior!¡±


    Mayumi sighs as she pops her neck. ¡°I guess it¡¯s time¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you really going to do it like this?¡± Cerys says, with disgust clearly dripping off each word.


    Mayumi turns to Cerys. ¡°Monkey thinks with his banana. You got any better ideas?¡± Cerys thinks for a moment, then sighs. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t expect me to join in.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t join in either! I refuse to have myself succumb to lust!¡±, Yui indignantly shouts. A few students turn to look at her in response.


    Mayumi gives a sad smirk. ¡°There¡¯s a good chance he¡¯s into that shit. But, whatever, just stand there and look pretty or something. Fuck, I don¡¯t know.¡± She rolls her eyes, then reaches into her cleavage again to grab a pill bottle. She takes a pill out, swallows it, then puts on her best smile before opening the door.


    Noboru Saruta sits at his desk within, looking slightly hungover. He turns to the door as he hears it open, perking up when he sees Mayumi. ¡°Oh ho, if it isn¡¯t my favorite little minx. What brings you here today?¡± he says playfully.


    Mayumi struts in, and in her perkiest possible voice says "Heyyyyy, Mister. Wanna play?¡±


    Cerys follows her in with a frown on her face, mumbling, ¡°I miss Britain.¡±


    Saruta begins to sweat, looking at the other two girls. ¡°Depends, are these two free or are they extra?¡±, he says as he licks his lips.


    Yui peeks through the door, only to see such a sinful display. She pulls back, blushes and bites her lip, feeling his aggressive aura of lust roll over her.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Cerys barely hides her anger and spits out, ¡°We are here to do tarot card readings.¡±


    ¡°You know you have to pay extra for special service, Noboru!,¡± Mayumi says sweetly, ¡°but yeah, we¡¯re here to do Tarot card readings!¡± She winks as she pulls the deck out of her cleavage again. ¡°Wanna see how lucky you get?¡±


    Saruta sweats even more. ¡°You¡¯re on, sister. But how much is this gonna cost me? The usual rate?¡±


    Mayumi leans in ¡°3000 for the standard, 5000 for the...total package,¡± she drawls seductively.


    Saruta wipes his brow with a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m in, let¡¯s just hope you don¡¯t total my package.¡± A stream of drool forms on his chin as he leans forward, bringing Mayumi¡¯s bosom closer to his face.


    Cerys grabs Mayumi¡¯s arm and pulls her away from Saruta. ¡°Do you even know what these cards mean?¡±


    Mayumi lets an irritated look flash across her face. ¡°Do you!? Or better yet, does HE?¡± She turns back towards him, the irritation once again replaced with false affection.


    Yui finally works up the courage to enter the room, walking up to Cerys. ¡°W-what does she mean by¡­ ¡®total package¡¯?¡±


    Cerys frowns and quietly says so that only the girls can hear, ¡°This is improper behavior and should stop right now.¡±


    Yui puts her hands to her face and blurts out. ¡°Oh my I¡¯ve never seen such vulg-,¡± before Cerys covers her mouth with her hand, stopping her from talking.


    Mayumi turns to Cerys with a hand on her hip, making a reverse V-sign in Cerys¡¯ direction. Yui mumbles under Cerys¡¯ hand, sounding both scared and confused. Cerys glares angrily at Mayumi after the gesture.


    Mayumi ignores the glare and moves to the top of Saruta¡¯s desk. ¡°Alright Mister, let¡¯s see what¡¯s in the cards,¡± she says as she slowly draws a card out of the deck, licks it, and places it in his lap face down. She stares him in the eyes as she turns it up. ¡°The Queen of Hearts. A sign of love that will be requited very, very soon.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m liking the sound of this so far, Minxyumi. Keep it coming!,¡± Saruta stammers as he struggles to keep his drool in his mouth. Mayumi grabs his hand, turning it over and tracing the lines in his palm before drawing another card. She leans forward and places it on his crotch.


    Cerys whispers to the terrified Yui, ¡°I hate what she¡¯s doing, but she¡¯s very good at it.¡±


    Mayumi continues, flipping the card over, ¡°Deuce of Spaces. A sign of something¡­ oh. Something big coming.¡± She lets the last syllables trail off as she licks her finger slowly before sliding another card out of the deck. ¡°Ace of Clubs. Wealth, fame, friends. Getting everything you want because you¡¯re just that good looking and important.¡± She places the deck in her cleavage, then gestures to him to pull one last card out.


    He chuckles gleefully before diving his face in and pulling one out with his mouth. Mayumi grabs the card out of his lips, barely hiding her disgust before flipping it over ¡°And finally¡±, looking at the card, ¡°Queen of Diamonds. A flirt you can¡¯t help but love!¡± she says with a wink.


    Saruta is fanning himself and breathing heavily as he pulls his wallet out. "This sure is a sulty and sexy future I have in store huh? I think I''ve heard enough, I''m ready for the big finish. Here''s your yen, let''s get this party started." He pulls out a 5000 yen note and sticks it down her shirt. ¡°Why don¡¯t you show me a little more?¡± He thumbs through the money in his wallet. ¡°Because I have a lot more where that came from.¡±


    ¡°Big man, bigger spender, but today I¡¯m a little busy babysitting these two.¡± She says, putting on a fake pout and gesturing to Cerys and Yui. ¡°How about later, when I can give you more attention?,¡± she says seductively.


    He takes a piece of paper and writes something down on it before folding it up and passing it to Mayumi. ¡°How about we just meet here later?,¡± he says while licking his lips


    Cerys says in the softest voice she can, ¡°Mayumi, are you sure about this? It seems he thinks you are a cheap whore, and not the high-class whore that you are.¡±


    Mayumi grabs the paper from him with a wink and simply says back to Cerys, ¡°I prefer courtesan, but I ain¡¯t picky.¡± She shakes her hips as she leaves the room, the other two following behind quickly.


    The group heads back to the clubroom through the empty halls. As soon as they turn the corner, Mayumi lights up a cigarette and shudders. ¡°I hate that fucker,¡± she says, smoke escaping her lips. ¡°One of these days I¡¯m gonna frame him for fucking a student or something.¡±


    Cerys, still with a look of disgust, softly says, ¡°Pretty sure you won¡¯t have to frame him.¡±


    Mayumi sighs and readjusts her clothes back to their original condition. ¡°It¡¯d be funnier if he got shitcanned without getting any¡­¡± She takes a long draw from the cigarette.


    Yui can do nothing but say, ¡°P-please don¡¯t swear Mayumi...¡±


    Mayumi turns to Yui, slightly dumbfounded with the smoke flowing from her mouth. She then puts out her cigarette on a nearby wall. ¡°I just basically whored myself for a pudgy, balding, clammy handed monkey and you''re bothered by me swearing?¡± Mayumi shakes her head and turns away from Yui. ¡°You¡¯re gonna have a loooooooooooong year here, then.¡±


    Yui, fully embarrassed, looks down and squeaks out, ¡°I-I didn¡¯t say I approved of either¡­¡±


    Cerys looks at Yui, then back to Mayumi. ¡°Mayumi, maybe you should just swear in my language to protect this one. It¡¯s a better language for it anyways.¡±


    Mayumi dismissively waves her hand in the air. ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯ll swear in English.¡± They continue walking back in silence.


    As they reach the clubroom door, Cerys reaches for the handle. ¡°You ready to go in?¡±


    Mayumi says, ¡°Not yet. You two go ahead, I need a moment to¡­ compose myself.¡± Cerys and Yui look at each other then walk in, leaving Mayumi outside. Mayumi pulls out the paper the teacher gave her with the address. She looks at it angrily, when suddenly it begins to smoke. Mayumi lets out a yelp as she drops it, completely aflame and burning to ash before even reaching the ground. As Mayumi stares at the falling embers, she mutters to herself, ¡°I guess Red wasn''t bullshitting.¡± She kicks the dust away, then enters the clubroom herself.

 Chapter 03 - The Story of Prediction

    Yuuri heads towards the Math classroom with Kirika, Yuudai, and Saito following close behind. They pass by the students that fill the halls as they do so. Yuuri whispers to herself, ¡°Numata-sensei, Numata-sensei¡­¡± Kirika pets her bat as Yuuri speaks up. ¡°Oh, I hope he plays along~! He is rather young though, so I don¡¯t know if he''d like this kinda stuff.¡±


    Saito turns to Yuuri. ¡°By the way mang, what do we do if the teachers don¡¯t wanna pay us?¡±


    Yuuri waves her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll think of something in the classroom, don¡¯t worry about it. Anyway, let¡¯s go! Numata-sensei is our first target! Come on, boys and girl.¡±


    Yuudai speaks up from the back, ¡°Why would someone not want to get their fortune told? It sounds very exciting!¡±


    ¡°So Miss Komori, do you have a set of cards handy?,¡± Yuuri asks the little girl.


    Kirika searches her pockets. ¡°Uhh, I should have a deck of those cards in one of these pockets¡­¡± Her face lights up, then she pulls out a very girly deck of cards.


    Yuuri sees the cards, then claps her hands together and smiles. ¡°How cute! They might not be spooky at all, but they should do just fine.¡±


    Kirika holds the cards up. ¡°They¡¯ll work! I have a spooky bat, after all!¡±


    Yuudai looks at the cards. ¡°What exactly are these¡­ cards?¡±


    Yuuri turns to Yuudai. ¡°I''m glad you asked Mr. Akiyama! Tarot cards are playing cards from the 15th century that are popular among occultists and mystics for divine reasons. They are commonly used for fortune reading though, which is what we will be doing. Or rather, Miss Komori will be doing while we tag along.¡±


    After Yuuri¡¯s long winded explanation Yuudai puts his hand to his chin. ¡°So you mean¡­ these things can read the future?¡±


    Saito shakes his head. ¡°I think it''s like a superstition thing, my dude.¡±


    Yuuri shakes her head in response. ¡°No! They can if you know how to use them! And little Komori here knows how, right?¡± She pats Kirika on the head.


    Kirika smiles and hums. ¡°Y-yeah!¡± I should know enough, more than anyone else!¡±


    Yuudai snaps his fingers. ¡°Interesting! I¡¯ll have to see these in action!¡±


    ¡°I like your attitude, Akiyama!,¡± Yuuri loudly says.


    Their discussion has carried them all the way to Numata¡¯s classroom. Suddenly the door swings open and Numata sticks his head out.


    ¡°Why are you all being so loud?¡± This startles Yuuri, who quickly spins around, bows, and says, ¡°O-oh, Numata-sensei! What a surprise!!¡±


    Numata shakes his head and simply asks, ¡°Well, what can I do for you?¡±


    Yuuri, still blushing from her surprise, says, ¡°W-well, we have something you just might be interested in! Kirika, pull them out!¡±


    Kirika pulls the girly tarot cards out of her pocket. ¡°P-please excuse the cards, Sensei, but we¡¯d like to read your fortune!¡±


    Numata gently chuckles. ¡°Such cute cards, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll give me a kind fortune. This sounds like fun, so I¡¯ll play along!¡±


    Yuuri proudly smiles. "You see Numata-sensei, I know you¡¯re pretty young so we thought you would like us to predict what may lie in your future. Miss Komori, set the table!"


    Kirika moves towards the desk. ¡°Okay, give me a minute,¡± she says, as she prepares for the reading.


    The others look on in amazement as Kirika quickly sets up the desk, and Yuuri continues. ¡°Our little Komori is skilled enough with these cards to accurately tell your future. She''s simply amazing.¡±


    Kirika finishes and lays the cards face down in front of Numata-sensei. Yuuri puffs her chest out as she continues to boast about Kirika¡¯s skill, ¡°You see that!? Oh, what could the future have in store for you, Numata-sensei!?¡±


    Kirika shushes Yuuri, then says, ¡°Everyone, quiet please. This will be a¡­ unique, special reading. Now think, and ask yourself a question as you shuffle the cards.¡± Numata shuffles the cards slowly, fumbling slightly as he doesn¡¯t know his way around a deck. As he does so he thinks up a question and then hands the cards back to Kirika.


    ¡°Okay¡­,¡± Kirika says as she splits the deck one more time, then reassembles them and deals out six cards in a cross. She turns to her pet and gestures towards Numata. ¡°Okay Kokoro, go to him. Sensei, I want you to ask the question to my bat, and she will pick out your cards.¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Numata chuckles to himself and whispers his question into the bat¡¯s ears, making sure to say it clearly. He pulls back and says with a smile. "Alright, show me what the cards hold for me.¡±


    Kirika¡¯s bat flies around the table in circles before landing on three cards. As the bat picks the cards, Kirika flips them over, revealing The Fool, The Emperor, and Justice. ¡°Hmm¡­,¡± Kirika says while smiling at the kindly teacher. She holds out for suspense as everyone waits silently. ¡°Good news, Sensei! The Fool and the Emperor combined tell me that in your near future you will be placed in a position of utmost power and will make assured judgement. The Justice card says that you may be falsely accused or will be dealing with false accusations, though¡­¡±


    Yuuri pipes up. ¡°Ohh, Sensei! You better watch out as you climb the power ladder! Someone may be out to get you...¡±


    Numata leans back and gives a light chuckle. ¡°I doubt that will be happening any time soon, but it''s something to strive for, besides the false accusations anyways. You girls put on a nice show, here''s 5000 yen for your efforts.¡±


    Yuuri happily takes the bill and sticks it in her pocket. ¡°Five thousand!? Thank you so much Sensei!¡±


    Kirika bows with a smug look on her face and adds in, ¡°Thank you, Sensei!,¡± as Kokoro squeeks her thanks as well.


    Yuuri turns towards Kirika. ¡°That was amazing!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, senpai.¡± She only gets smugger when Yuuri adds her praise. ¡°Uhuhu, It was nothing, really.¡± Saito can¡¯t help but laugh at her smugness.


    Yuuri cuts off the Kirika praise parade, and turns to the rest. "With this we can just head back to the club! I hope the others did well too. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The group makes their way towards the clubroom, noting that the halls are now empty. ¡°The day is almost over, I hope the others made the amount I asked them to,¡± Yuuri says, strolling casually.


    Saito scratches his head. ¡°Did they even have cards?¡± He then shrugs. ¡°Eh, I¡¯m sure that girl made something up on the spot, actually.¡±


    Yuuri sighs, then replies, ¡°Hopefully she did nothing that would slander our club''s name.¡±


    Saito shugs. ¡°I ain''t worried, at worst people will be afraid of us and leave us alone.¡±


    Kirika cheerily says, ¡°Who would try and fight the Paranormal club? We have scary powers!¡±


    They reach the classroom, then enter it. As they settle in, the other group pops in. Cerys walks in and deadpans, ¡°Yeah, we got the money. I¡¯m disgusted, but we did it.¡±


    Yuuri smiles and says, ¡°Ah, great! I''ll give this to Katsuki and we should be good.¡±


    Yui, who followed Cerys in, says, ¡°It was real scary too!¡±


    Kirika curiously asks, ¡°W-what happened?¡±


    Cerys sighs and points to the door. ¡°I¡¯d rather let her show you.¡±


    Yuuri looks to the door with a sour look on her face. ¡°No, I¡¯d rather she didn¡¯t.¡±


    Saito adds in, ¡°Spare us the details, or better yet show them when I¡¯m not here.¡±


    Mayumi walks in at last, looking nonplussed. She reaches into her cleavage and takes her purse out. She then pulls the money out of it. ¡°Got your bread,¡± she says as she gives the 5000 yen to Yuuri. Mayumi puts the purse back where it came from and sulks off to the corner.


    Yuudai ignores Mayumi¡¯s foul mood and says, ¡°Good job! How did you guys read his fortune?¡± Yui blushes and looks away, while Cerys gives Yuudai a death glare. Yuudai, with a look of confusion, says, ¡°Wow, was his fortune that bad?¡±


    Katsuki breaks the awkward air by walking in and slamming the brand new club roster on the table, ¡°With this, we¡¯re an official club! Well, as long as you guys got the money.¡± Yuuri hands over the money with a smile on her face. Katsuki takes it and smiles back. ¡°Well, I don''t know how you guys did it, but thanks. Hell of a day for me, paper after paper after paper. And we¡¯ve only had one day of class!¡± She puts the money away and looks back at the newly formed club. ¡°Good job everyone, hope you all had fun.¡±


    As Mayumi lights up a cigarette in the background, Yui says, ¡°Fun would be a funny word to describe that.¡±


    Mayumi takes a long drag, then puffs out a thick cloud of smoke. ¡°Yeah. Fun. Next time, I¡¯m just stomping a mudhole in some otaku.¡±


    Cerys agrees with, ¡°Yeah, that would be more enjoyable.¡±


    Kirika looks concerned, asking, ¡°W-what did Mayumi-senpai do? A-and can you please put that out?¡±


    Mayumi kills her cigarette, saying, ¡°It¡¯s better you don¡¯t know.¡±


    Cerys angrily blurts, ¡°Oh no, I think they should all see what you did. I would hate to be the only one to see your¡­ ¡®Skills¡¯.¡± She spits out the last word like it¡¯s a curse.


    Yuudai cluelessly asks, ¡°Is it an alternative way of fortune telling?¡±


    Saito shrugs. ¡°Man, who cares. We got the money, right? That¡¯s all that matters. At least, it matters more than Mayumi¡¯s well being.¡±


    Mayumi whips around and flips him off. ¡°Shove it.¡±


    Katsuki takes back control of the room. ¡°Maybe another time, it¡¯s getting close to curfew and we¡¯re not that close to the dorms. Though I do want to see whatever you did under the Paranormal Club''s banner.¡±


    Yuudai nods his head, saying ¡°I¡¯d like to see that too!¡±


    Yui starts to shudder, but is unable to speak up before Mayumi stands up and flips her hair. ¡°...fortune telling is a load of shit, anyway. There¡¯s more honest ways to make money. Like robbery.¡±


    Yuuri reads the mood, then moves to the door. ¡°Er, right¡­ We should be heading out.¡±


    Yuudai chimes in as well. ¡°Oh yeah... I guess curfew is a thing.¡±


    Yui follows Cerys and Yuudai out, asking, ¡°What¡¯s curfew?¡±


    Saito says, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m out. Peace,¡± as he heads out the door after the others.


    Mayumi blows a mocking kiss to no one in particular and lazily waves at the president then walks out. Katsuki stays behind in the clubroom, thinking about the people who¡¯ve joined her club, and thinks of the crazy year she¡¯s about to have with a smile. She stands up and makes her way out with the others, closing the door behind her.

 Chapter 04 - The Story of a Violent Newcomer

    The day after their first meeting as an official club, the Paranormal club makes their way over to the English classroom as class is just about to start. The members of each of the clubs are sitting relatively close to each other.


    Yuudai walks into the room, looks around, and notices a row of empty seats. ¡°Hmm, are we missing some students today?¡±


    Katsuki laughs, then says, ¡°It¡¯ll bite them later, I¡¯m sure of it. They won¡¯t be popular with the overseas fanbase if they can''t understand them!¡±


    Cerys says something about English not being hard, but other than that the others can¡¯t understand her.


    They all look at each other, then Kirika tries her hardest to speak English. ¡°Engrisu ees harto.¡±


    Cerys shakes her head and speaks again, they understand a few individual words but can¡¯t make out any meaning.


    Saito scratches his head and speaks up. ¡°Actually I don¡¯t get any of what you guys say when you¡¯re speaking in English. Well, I don¡¯t think many of us plan to go to England anyway.¡±


    Katsuki looks at her clubmates. ¡°We¡¯ll have to see how good this teach is, then.¡±


    They all take their seats, and Cerys says, ¡°I¡¯ll just speak Japanese, so we can understand each other. Your English needs a lot of work.¡±


    Saito sits down at his desk and starts tapping his fingers. ¡°Not like you¡¯re gonna need anything more in Japan anyway.¡±


    Yuuri comes in late and waves to her friends. ¡°Ah, hello there my good friends!¡±


    Kirika shoots her hand into the air and waves at Yuuri. ¡°Haruo, Senpai!¡±


    Yuudai gives them both a weird look and welcomes Yuuri in with, ¡°Good...uh, morning!¡±


    Yuuri sits in a desk next to Kirika, and turns to her with a warm smile, and responds back with broken English of her own. ¡°Haruo dere, Kirika! How awe yuu?¡±


    Kirika smiles back and continues the conversation, ¡°Imu fain!¡± She notices Mayumi has fallen asleep in the desk in front of her. She pokes her with her pen while continuing the English. ¡°Mayumi-senpai pur¨©zu wueku appu!¡±


    Yuuri clears her throat, and puts on a smug look. ¡°I think my English is pretty good, isn¡¯t it Miss Komori?¡±


    Kirika nods in agreement. ¡°Very good, Senpai!¡± She then goes back to poking the sleeping Mayumi.


    Saito shakes his head ¡°¡®s a weird way of talking.¡±


    Mayumi finally rouses, slowly sitting upright with a yawn. "Do you have a dick in your mouth or is that how you normally speak?"


    Cerys keeps her eyes forward and responds with a hint of anger ¡°She¡¯s attempting English.¡±


    Yuudai looks over at Mayumi and responds with, ¡°I''m surprised you''re actually awake,¡± prompting a chuckle from Saito.


    Saito then adds on, ¡°I¡¯m more surprised that she¡¯s here in the first place, really.¡± The two continue to chuckle as the teacher finally walks in.


    Kirika looks at the teacher and says, ¡°Ah! E-Engrisu Crasso!¡±


    Mayumi stretches. ¡°Huh? Oh, shit, it¡¯s time for Sacchin¡¯s class.¡±


    As the teacher reaches her desk, she speaks up, ¡°Hello class, I¡¯m Sachiko Nakajima. I¡¯ll be your English teacher for the year. Before we begin, we have a transfer student who will be joining us.¡± She turns to the door and waves her in. ¡°You may come in now, Miss Gedou.¡±


    Suddenly, the door falls to the floor with a loud thud. A girl with long silver hair wearing the boy¡¯s uniform struts in. She stops by the desk and leans back, keeping her hands in her pockets. ¡°I am Akina Gedou. I¡¯m looking for strong opponents to test my skills. Whoever thinks they¡¯re worthy, come fight me after class.¡±


    Mayumi rolls her eyes and starts making a jerk-off motion at the new girl. Katsuki turns to Mayumi and says ¡°Yep, it¡¯s one of these people.¡± She looks over at Cerys and notices her trying her hardest to not laugh at the new girl.


    Yuudai leans over to Saito and whispers to him, ¡°Wow, what a weird introduction.¡±


    Saito whispers back, ¡°Ahhh~ People that wanna fight all the time are so annoying. Eh, as long as she doesn¡¯t join our club, I¡¯m okay with it.¡±


    Yuuri waves at the new girl. ¡°Haruo Dere Ak Ki Nah! How Arr Yuu?¡±


    Akina marches up to Yuuri¡¯s desk and stares her down. ¡°The fuck did you just say to me??¡±


    While Cerys continues to barely hold in her laughter, Yuuri smiles uneasily, "H-Hello there... N-Nice to meet you!"


    Akina harumphs, then says, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I thought.¡± She then strides to the back of the room and sits at her desk, leaning the chair back and putting her feet up on the table.


    Cerys, swallowing most of her laughter, says to herself, ¡°¡®Test your skills? Fight after class?¡¯ Her warrior spirit is very outdated, she¡¯s way too late with that crap."


    Mayumi puts her head back down on the desk, sighing. ¡°Why the fuck did I even bother waking up?¡±


    Kirika turns to Yuuri and puts her hand on her shoulder. ¡°A-are you okay Senpai!?¡± Yuuri shakily nods her head.


    Saito whispers again to Yuudai, ¡°She is kinda cute, though.¡±


    Yuudai looks over at Akina and then gives Saito a weird look. ¡°Really? I mean if you¡¯re into that kind of stuff¡­¡± Saito shrugs and the two turn to the teacher as she tries to regain order in the class.


    Sachiko shakes off her disbelief in how the students are acting. She whispers to herself, ¡°I knew what I was getting into when I signed up for this¡­¡± She raises her voice to normal and says, ¡°Alright, alright, settle down class. Today we''re going to start with a quick word puzzle.¡± She looks at Cerys. ¡°Cerys, why don''t you try to answer this one? Which word in the English language is most often pronounced incorrectly?¡±


    Cerys stares at the teacher, then asks ¡°Incorrectly?¡±


    Sachiko smiles ¡°That¡¯s right, Cerys! Very good!¡±


    Cerys sighs, then mutters something in English with some annoyance.


    ¡°Hmm, seems that was too easy then.¡± Sachiko says as she turns to the chalkboard. ¡°Let¡¯s try another.¡± She begins to write. ¡°Many years ago, befor modern educashun in the new millenium, one problem in skools was baseic speeling and grammer. How many speeling errors would modern skolars identify in this paragraph?¡±


    Kirika shoots her hand up to get the teacher¡¯s attention. ¡°Yes, Kirika?¡± Sachiko points to her. ¡°How does this help us learn how to speak the language of English more fluently, sensei?¡±


    Another girl speaks up. ¡°Yeah, hi, I agree with her. This is dumb as hell and we all know you''re just stalling for time until class ends to get your paycheck. Let us get to the part we all care about, snagging the new girl for our clubs.¡±


    Mayumi tilts her head up without lifting it off the desk. ¡°Yeah, the new chick should join the Go the Fuck Home Club. She seems like a good fit.¡± She sighs and turns her head back to her desk.


    Yuuri shoots out of her chair. ¡°Miss Gedou is actually already in our club!¡± She hops to Akina¡¯s desk and places her hand on Akina¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    Akina shoots her the meanest glare she¡¯s seen in her life. ¡°Get your dirty hands off me.¡±


    Yuuri refuses to sell Akina¡¯s aggression, simply laughing it off. ¡°Ohohoh~! What a witty girl! She¡¯s already cracking jokes with us!¡±


    Akina stands and glares up at Yuuri. ¡°I don¡¯t need a club.¡± She swats Yuuri¡¯s hand off of her forcefully.


    Mayumi leans back and stares Akina down herself. ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re in the Go The Fuck Home Club already, new bitch.¡±


    Cerys and Katsuki stand up and join in. Katsuki reminds Akina, ¡°Have you already forgotten you''ll be free game for literally every student in this classroom?¡±


    Akina looks past Yuuri right at Katsuki. ¡°Let them come. I¡¯ll beat them all.¡±


    Yuuri steps back in Akina¡¯s line of sight. ¡°But Akina, you do love spoo~ky and sca~ry ghosties don''t you? That is why you joined our club is it not?¡±


    Akina raises her hands, cracking her knuckles. ¡°If you¡¯re that determined, how about this: If you beat me, I¡¯ll join your club.¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Kirika stands up, cups her hands on her cheeks, and says ¡°S-stop! Purizu noh fightingu!¡±


    Akina looks at Kirika for a moment, then simply pushes Yuuri out of the way and starts walking out of the classroom. ¡°Fine, then. Meet me out on the rooftop,¡± she pauses in the doorway and looks back at Yuuri, ¡°if you¡¯re brave enough.¡± She then continues into the hallway.


    Yuuri''s gentle smile turns into a larger smirk, "If it has to be that way¡­¡± She begins to saunter after Akina.


    Yuudai and Saito get out of their seats and block her path. Yuudai speaks up first.


    ¡°Yuuri, are you sure you want to be doing this? ¡° Saito adds ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you don¡¯t, actually.¡±


    Yuuri flips her hair, then giggles. ¡°It¡¯s no worry, you two. I can take care of this.¡± She winks, then makes her way past them.


    Kirika joins the other two, and squeakily says, ¡°P-please be safe, Senpai!¡±


    Cerys sits back down, then places her face on the desk. ¡°I just wanted to have a normal day in class, why did this have to happen?¡±


    Yuuri runs out of the classroom and picks up her pace as she gets closer to the delinquent. She leaps into the air with a yell. The two collide and crash onto the floor.


    At the sound of crash, those inside the classroom head out to see what the noise was. ¡°Senpai!¡± Kirika exclaims as she observes the scene from a distance.


    ¡°It would be wise,¡± Yuuri pants as she makes sure Akina is pinned to the ground, ¡°...if you just went ahead and joined OUR club.¡±


    Akina struggles as one of her arms is pinned under her, she manages to spit out, ¡°Get off me, bitch.¡±


    Yuuri grabs Akina¡¯s free arm and begins to twist it. ¡°What do you think? Or would you like to take this further?¡±


    Yuudai mumbles to himself, ¡°Wow, never knew she had it in her.¡±


    Akina yelps in pain as she feels Yuuri¡¯s grip tighten. ¡°Why should I listen to someone who does cheap shots like this?¡±


    Yuuri smirks, ¡°I won¡¯t get up until you accept!¡±


    Akina grunts in pain and whispers out, ¡°...Okay, I¡¯ll join your club.¡±


    Yuuri hears her acceptance but continues to egg the girl on. ¡°Hmmm? What did you say Akina?¡±


    ¡°I already said I would join, geeze.¡± Akina grunts out louder than before, ¡°Now get the fuck off of me!¡±


    Yuuri slowly gets up and puts her hands on her hips. ¡°Goodie, welcome to the Paranormal club!¡±, she says as she extends her hand out to Akina, ¡°I¡¯m the vice-president, Yuuri Sayamura!¡±


    Kirika runs over to Yuuri and checks on her. ¡°Senpai! Are you okay?¡±


    Akina stands up to dust herself off, ¡°First things first though¡­¡±


    Yuuri looks over to the frantic Kirika and gives her an ensuring smile. ¡°Why of course, I¡¯m fine Miss Komori! Don¡¯t worry-¡±


    Before Yuuri can finish her statement, she feels a hard sucker punch connect with her cheek. Akina manages to blind side her so hard that she is launched across the hallway, hitting the wall with a loud thud and falling motionless onto the ground.


    Akina walks over to her and squats down to get as close to her face as she can. ¡°Never attack me from behind again, or else I¡¯ll do this again and follow up on it.¡±


    She stands up and steps back as the rest of the Paranormal club rush over to Yuuri¡¯s side. Kirika and Katsuki both quickly try to help her up until Yuudai pulls them away to give her some space.


    Saito sits behind the commotion and adjusts his headphones. He looks at Yuuri, who¡¯s out cold. ¡±See, man, that¡¯s just what I told you. Don¡¯t get in trouble unnecessarily, okay?¡±


    Akina stands aside as well, saying, ¡°She had it coming to her.¡±


    Kirika shoots both Saito and Akina a dirty glare through her teary eyes, then looks back to Yuuri. ¡°Senpai! Please, wake up! Please!¡± She cries more with every word, her bat squeaking louder with every passing moment.


    Yuudai tries to calm Kirika down, putting his arm around her shoulder and reassuring her that Yuuri will be fine. Almost on cue, Yuuri opens her eyes again and sits up slightly. ¡°E-eh? Why are mew crying, Komori-chyan?¡±


    Kirika suddenly dives into Yuuri¡¯s chest and cries into her bosom. Saito has a chuckle, and says, ¡°See, she¡¯s fine. Besides the weird talking, at least.¡±


    Yuuri stares into space for a moment ¡°Talking¡­?¡± She then gasps and covers her mouth for a moment, releasing to say "Sorry! I must still be a bit dizzy."


    Yuudai smiles. ¡°Well, at least you¡¯re okay!¡± The smile doesn¡¯t last long, though, as he glances towards Akina. ¡°What are we gonna do with her?¡± he asks.


    Saito¡¯s the first to respond. ¡°That¡¯s easy, nothing. It¡¯s the safest option.¡±


    Cerys ignores Saito¡¯s opinion, instead opting to teleport in front of Akina and saying directly into her face, "For someone who talks about strength as much as you seem to that was very cowardly of you."


    Akina begins to glare at the smaller girl in front of her ¡°I only did to her what she did to me.¡± She then looks over at Yuuri and says, ¡°She could have taken the fair fight instead.¡±


    Cerys immediately responds ¡°And you could have as well, or maybe you are afraid that someone will show you that your strength is nothing?¡±


    Akina places her finger on Cerys¡¯ shoulder, shoves her back, and leans forward to get back in her face. She tilts her head back slightly, glares even more forcefully, and pointedly says, ¡°Huh, you wanna try next?¡±


    Yuudai gets between them and tries to keep them separated. ¡°H-hey, we¡¯re all on the same team now, right? Let''s try to not get into any more fights.¡±


    Cerys steps back with a shaky smirk, flips Akina the bird, and quickly says, ¡°I''ll l-let the other clubs handle that for me,¡± and suddenly teleports away.


    Kirika is finally able to regain some composure, looking up into Yuuri¡¯s eyes with a passionate look in her own. ¡°Please be more careful from now on, Senpai¡­¡±


    Yuuri fully sits up and pats Kirika''s head, ¡°Don''t worry, don''t worry. I''m alright.¡±


    Saito scratches his chin. ¡°I wonder why Yuuri was so intent on getting her to join¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Akina says as she moves past Yuudai to talk to Yuuri. ¡°Get me that club application sheet when you get the chance.¡±


    Yuuri rubs her head and replies, ¡°S-Sure, just come drop by the club room when you¡¯re free.¡±


    Akina asks, ¡°Where is the clubroom, anyway?¡±


    ¡°A-are you sure, Senpai?¡± Kirika asks. Yuuri nods, then motions a request for some assistance getting to her feet. She¡¯s helped up by Kirika and Katsuki.


    Yuuri dusts herself off. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure.¡± She turns her attention back to Akina. ¡°The clubroom is in that old classroom that used to be closed off from the rest of the students. You know the one, right?¡±


    Akina gets a look of confusion on her face, ¡°I can find it, you can expect me there later.¡± She then begins walking past Yuuri.


    Yuuri replies, ¡°O-Of course, I hope to see you later¡­ but, where are you heading now?¡±


    Akina says, ¡°The roof, as I said.¡±


    Saito shakes his head and says to nobody in particular, ¡°This is going to be nothing but trouble.¡±


    Yuudai suddenly calls everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Hey, guys, shouldn¡¯t we all be getting back to class now?¡± As if on cue, the bells ring, meaning that morning classes have ended. ¡°Well, nevermind,¡± Yuudai says, almost defeatedly. ¡°I guess it¡¯s time for lunch now.¡±


    The students who ran out to watch the fight return to their seats after the bell rings. Mayumi finally wakes up, grabs a paper bag from under her desk, and walks past the rest of the Paranormies as they walk back into the room. The returning members notice a few of the larger students crowding around the desk of another student. Saito sighs and peels away from the group, opting to eat his lunch at his seat in peace. The other members approach the huddle, easily hearing the person in the middle. ¡°Yeah, my dad works for the company so I got all the books early. You guys can try them out with us later at Tabletop club,¡± he says.


    Yuudai, who is almost in the huddle himself, looks over the shoulders of a shorter member and asks, ¡°Eh, what¡¯s going on here?¡±


    The guy in the middle looks up at Yuudai, ¡°Oh, nothing that would interest people like you. Just the new expansion to Dungeon Quest 5.¡±


    Yuudai realizes he¡¯s not welcome in the huddle and begins to walk away. ¡°Well it¡¯s nice to meet you, see you around.¡±


    ¡°Oh! We¡¯re the Tabletop club and I¡¯m Kobun.¡± The boy in the huddle says while the rest of his club just kinda stares at Yuudai.


    Cerys sits at her desk, looks over to the group with a look of annoyance, and says, ¡°Hey Tabletop dork, why don''t you take your dumb games and your stink somewhere that isn''t a classroom?¡±


    A few of them look down defeatedly, but a lanky girl retorts, ¡°It''s lunchtime anyways, we''re not bothering anyone.¡±


    The interjecting girl from before comes across the classroom and gets into the tabletopper girl¡¯s face ¡°Actually, you¡¯re bothering us. There¡¯s no way we could make an unforgettable experience for the first years here with you dorks around. We need it to be perfect for prospective new club members.¡±


    Yuudai walks towards Cerys¡¯ desk to get away from the two sides¡¯ bickering. He says to her, ¡°I think the tabletop club is recruiting, we should do something like them so we don''t get more members like that new girl.¡±


    Cerys looks up at him. ¡°I can¡¯t hear you over them yelling at each other.¡± She sets her lunch down and stomps her way over to the two girls then points to the doorway. ¡°Why don¡¯t you both leave?¡± The loud girl turns to Cerys and says, ¡°Butt out, little girl. This is between me and whatever she is.¡±


    The three clubs let out a collective sigh, then resume going about their business as the three girls continue their pointless argument.


    Kirika is still fawning over Yuuri, who¡¯s sitting at her desk and holding her head. ¡°A-Are you sure you dont feel dizzy? No signs of concussion? I think we should go to the nurse¡¯s office to be safe, senpai.¡±


    Yuuri rubs her temples. ¡°I can''t just skip class. I can go after if I still feel dizzy.¡±


    Kirika moves to the front of Yuuri¡¯s desk and stares directly into her eyes. ¡°B-But senpai, it''s lunch time? I could get your lunch and we could eat it after you see the nurse.¡±


    Yuuri looks around the classroom and realizes she¡¯s right. ¡°O-oh, if you insist. Let¡¯s go then.¡± She puts her hand on Kirika¡¯s shoulder and stabilizes herself as they walk to the nurse¡¯s room.


    As Kirika walks Yuuri to the nurses office, they pass by Mayumi as she walks up the stairs to the roof. She opens the door and sees Akina standing near the fence, staring out into the distance. Mayumi sits against the fence on the other side of the roof, drinking from her paper bag. ¡°So, new bitch. You watch too much anime as a kid, or do you really think you¡¯re a bad bitch?¡±


    Akina looks down at her hands, then balls them into fists. ¡°There is a demonic strength in these fists. I haven¡¯t found a worthy opponent yet, one who can match my power.¡±


    ¡°Too much anime, got it.¡± Mayumi takes another sip. ¡°Well, no shit. Worthiness is a funny thing. It''s not something you ever really find, it''s just chasin'' the dragon. And ''sides, if you just get gangbanged by everybody, you''ll be a meat toilet before you even find the right one, y''know?"


    Akina turns her eyes towards Mayumi. ¡°I don¡¯t share your opinion.¡±


    Mayumi chuckles, taking another pull from her bag. ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit. I¡¯m just being real.¡±


    Akina doesn¡¯t say anything in response. Instead she climbs up the small cubicle that houses the stairs to the rooftop. Mayumi heckles her while she climbs. ¡°You gonna jump or something? Attempted suicide doesn''t make you hard.¡± Akina sits down at the top once she makes it there.


    Mayumi reaches into her cleavage and flings a unmarked soda can at Akina¡¯s head. Akina catches it, looks at it, then sets the can down by her side. ¡°You talk too much.¡±


    Mayumi pulls out and cracks open a can for herself. "If you think I talk a lot, your fucking ears are gonna melt around here."


    Akina glares at Mayumi. ¡°Even the loudest person becomes silent once knocked out.¡± She looks Mayumi directly into her eyes. ¡°Smart people learn after a beatdown. What about you?¡±


    Mayumi takes a pill out of her purse, puts it under her tongue, then washes it down with another drink. ¡°If you were, you would realise that everyone here is fucking insane.¡±


    Akina replies, ¡°Are you insane?


    Mayumi smirks. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try and find out?¡±


    Akina jumps down. ¡°You want to challenge me to fight?¡±


    Mayumi lets out a laugh. ¡°Nah, I''m just seeing if you''re dumb enough to start one from obvious goading.¡± Mayumi swallows another load of cola. ¡°Although, if you¡¯re dumb enough, I¡¯m down for whatever.


    Akina holds her stare, then looks away. ¡°I don''t think you''d make a good opponent. And I don''t feel that you really want to fight me. Besides, can you even fight with how drugged up you are?¡±


    Mayumi climbs to her feet, dusting her butt off. ¡°You never know.¡± she says with a smirk. ¡°I''d expect a walking kung-fu knockoff like you''d know about Drunken Fist and shit like that.¡± She finishes her cola, looking into the can to make sure, then crushes the can against her head before tossing it aside. ¡°And I think you''re making excuses because you don''t want to get your ass kicked by a druggie. But that¡¯s no hair off my snatch.¡±


    Akina turns and moves to the edge of the roof away from Mayumi, indicating that she didn¡¯t care to hear any more. Mayumi shrugs and goes back to crash in the clubroom.

 Chapter 05 - The Story of Devious Plots

    Two weeks later, after settling into their new school, the Paranormal Club regroups in their clubroom to discuss their plans on moving forward. On her way back, Cerys notices fliers plastered along the hallway mentioning that popularity results will be announced shortly. She makes her way into the club holding one of the fliers.


    ¡°Popularity, huh? So who can-¡±. She¡¯s suddenly cut off by the door slamming open, a loud BANG following a large teen around the size of Yuudai.


    ¡°Bureaucracy is such a fucking drag,¡± the newcomer fumes as he walks in. ¡°I had to wait a week to get accepted, and ANOTHER week to get into this club. Unbelievable!¡±


    Cerys tries to snip back by saying, ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯ve been sorely missed.¡±


    He glares back fiercely at Cerys. ¡°I don¡¯t remember asking for your goddamn opinion. Where¡¯s Kusaka?¡± He marches up to Katsuki with a face full of rage.


    ¡°Oh my, is the big bad guy mad at little ole me? Whatever could I have done?¡± Cerys says with a smirk and a shrug. Saito looks up, unamused by the situation.


    Mayumi just deadpans a suggestion. ¡°You know what you need? One of these pills, it¡¯ll calm your tits.¡±


    Kirika keeps trying to calm things down, pleading with everyone, ¡°P-please don¡¯t fight!¡±, though her voice mumbles off a little as she adds, ¡°o-or use drugs...¡±


    Katsuki asks nobody in particular, ¡°Another one of these? How many pent up rageaholics can my club have?¡± The tension is thick, but then the giant teen speaks again.


    "You better be grateful you''re on my good side, Kusaka." He relaxes his clenched fists and tries to calm himself down. Then, looking up at the rest of the room again, he asks a simple question: ¡°Right, so...Who the fuck are all of ya?¡± The group collectively rolls their eyes at the question.


    Mayumi walks up to him and stares him down. ¡°I¡¯m Mayumi Asuka, who the hell are you?¡±


    Yuuri decides to cut the tension by asking him much more politely, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Raidou Kurabe. I''m the reason this shithole of a club is gonna own this school.¡±


    Yuuri simply claps her hands together and smiles, "Very interesting! We''re....glad to have you, Mister Kurabe. I''m Yuuri Sayamura, Vice President of the Paranormal Club!"


    Raidou is caught off-guard by Yuuri¡¯s friendliness, only able to mutter out, ¡°...Yeah, whatever¡± in response. ¡°So, a Paranormal club? Like, with ghosts ¡®n shit?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, ghosts and shit.¡± Mayumi snarks, ¡°Emphasis on the shit.¡±


    Cerys chimes in with an utter truth. ¡°Mostly we just yell at each other and never get anything done. That¡¯s one thing this place has in common with my old school.¡±


    Saito calmly adds, ¡°I wish we could just chill out but someone¡¯s always gotta be pissed at someone else. Whatever.¡±


    Raidou sits down, then leans back on the chair slightly. "Who''s pissed at who? I just got here, chump."


    Saito waves him off, saying, ¡°Dude, don¡¯t ask me, I can¡¯t even keep track. You¡¯ll see though. I tell ya, non-stop.¡±


    Yuuri nudges Katsuki and whispers, ¡°How about the President introduces herself to the new club member?¡± Katsuki stands up and introduces herself formally, as a president should.


    ¡°Right, ok. I am Katsuki Kusaka, president of this club. We''re in a slight budget crisis, along with a popularity war, so I''m ok with you joining our club.¡±


    Raidou just waves his hand absentmindedly, adding "Yeah, nice to meet you and shit."


    Yuuri jumps in too, exclaiming, ¡°Buuuut, it shouldn''t matter, because our club will definitely come out on top!¡±


    Saito decides to say something actually useful and asks, ¡°Yo prez, I thought we got the money the last time. What gives?¡±


    Kirika turns to Saito and says ¡°Well, we only got 10000 yen, I doubt that lasts long. Especially with the unexpected medical expenses.¡± She turns her head towards Akina and shoots out a glare.


    Mayumi jumps in before they can get off target, reminding Katsuki, ¡°You only told us to get 2500 yen, prez, and we got four times as much." Mayumi yawns, then finishes her thought, "So if we needed more, you should''ve said something."


    Katsuki counters by saying ¡°Well who could have predicted fighting a week into the school year?¡±


    Cerys looks shocked. ¡°Wait, the school makes us pay to go to the nurse office?¡± She then mumbles, ¡°And you say this isn''t a shithole...¡±


    ¡°So¡­ You¡¯re broke and you don¡¯t do any paranormal stuff. I bagged a real winner here,¡± Raidou says with a hint of sarcasm.


    Kirika¡¯s pet bat squeaks angrily at Raidou as Yuuri stammers out, ¡°W-Well, we CAN do paranormal activities, but funding the club comes first! And Katsuki, don¡¯t worry! I can handle funding, so please don¡¯t stress yourself.¡±


    Cerys speaks up, asking, ¡°How are we even going to do funding? I don''t want to watch Mayumi slut it up again.¡±


    Raidou glares angrily at the bat, then turns his gaze to Yuuri, ¡°So let¡¯s go find some other club and take their stuff.¡±


    Mayumi, who is checking up on her makeup and nails, chimes in. ¡°I agree, we should roll some nerds.¡±


    Kirika tries to calm Kokoro down, petting it and saying, ¡°Shh, it¡¯s okay¡± as she does.    Yuudai decides to ignore the calls for violence, instead asking, ¡°Do we have any other ideas for fundraising? Telling fortunes can only get us so far.¡±


    Mayumi puts away her hand mirror and looks at Yuudai. ¡°Isn''t fighting the whole point of this stupid club versus club shit?¡±


    ¡°Well, the student council says that we cannot get any outside funding, but I don''t really want to resort to fighting¡­¡± Yuuri looks around the club hoping someone has another idea.


    Raidou clenches his fist. ¡°Fuck the student council. They ain''t done shit, I could have been in this club a week ago if they actually did their jobs.¡±


    The PA system activates. "Hello everyone, this is Ryouhei Mikami, your dean. As you may know, or you probably forgot, your activities are being broadcast the world over. Because of this, there are popularity polls going on constantly. Currently in the lead is the Tabletop club, since they were able to preview the new Dungeon Quest 5 expansion. Taking second is Gaming Club, likely because they are running their own livestreams through Fidget.tv. Taking third is the dark horse Paranormal club, who almost got us kicked to a R-18 rating. Each club has been allocated an extra 40000 yen for their work.¡±


    Yuuri looks up happily. ¡°Well look at that! 40000 yen right to the club¡¯s funding!¡±


    Mayumi smirks and looks over the room. ¡°All of you suck my dick. Each and every one of you.¡±


    Kirika gasps in surprise, exclaiming ¡°D-D-Di-¡±, but then catches herself and looks away while covering her mouth with her hand in shame.


    Raidou rolls his head, joking, ¡°That¡¯d be paranormal, right?¡± with a chuckle.


    Cerys then looks at Mayumi with some disgust. ¡°Please don¡¯t have one.¡±


    Mayumi stares at Cerys and hikes up her skirt. "Wanna find out?"


    Cerys looks away. "I''m more worried I''ll see a black hole instead of a dick under there."


    "That''d be the most paranormal thing in this clown-shoes-ass club," Mayumi chuckles and then releases her skirt down. "Let''s just keep it as Schrodinger''s Snatch." Raidou busts a gut at Schrodinger''s Snatch, slapping his knee.


    Katsuki puts an end to the silliness by raising her voice. ¡°So while that¡¯s all well and good, we still aren¡¯t number one yet. And based on the mood here it seems like we have a lot of competitive members.¡±


    Yuudai pipes in, ¡°Yeah, no one remembers second place, and we aren¡¯t even there yet! Let¡¯s shoot for the top!¡±


    Groaning, Saito adds, ¡°Ok, but what could we possibly do to raise our ranks?¡±


    ¡°A test of courage? Maybe we can go night crawling tonight,¡± Yuuri suggests. ¡°What do you think Katsuki, can we have some fun?¡±


    Mayumi scoffs at this. ¡°The only nightcrawling I do is through pubs and clubs.¡±


    ¡°I can see a test of courage ending in several injuries, with these guys over there.¡± Saito points to Raidou, Akina and Cerys¡¯ general vicinity.


    Yuuri takes the conversation back over. ¡°Something like that, it¡¯s kinda hard to explain right nyow. Er, ahem, now.¡± Yuuri says with a slight blush of embarrassment.


    Raidou stifles a laugh. ¡°N¡­. Nyow?¡±


    Saito glances over to Raidou, and says, ¡°She talks weird sometimes. Don¡¯t let it bother you.¡±


    Kirika rushes to Yuuri¡¯s side, clasps her hand in hers, and exclaims ¡°Oh no! Do you need some water, Senpai!?¡±


    Yuuri is slightly bewildered, and simply states, ¡°Uh, sure Kirika, that¡¯d be nice,¡± giving a uncomfortable and slightly nervous smile.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Katsuki chimes in. ¡°Night missions could be fun, but how is that gonna help us take first?¡±


    Akina replies, ¡°We can simply go up the ranks by taking out the tabletop and gaming club. After they got that boost in funding, they will be the most rewarding to target.¡±


    Yuudai turns to Akina and asks, ¡°How do you propose we overtake those two then?¡±


    Kirika runs off to fetch some bottled water, as Cerys looks over to Mayumi. ¡°Pretty sure with the kind of night action one of us likes to take, we''ll be first in no time.¡±


    Raidou punches his palm and growls. ¡°We¡¯ll roll up and beat the shit outta them.¡±


    Mayumi ignores Cerys and points out, "We could probably get the Tabletop Club working with us, since they think they''re wizards and shit. We''re both playing pretend, so we have common ground."


    ¡°Well considering that tabletop dork was pretty rude to us, I wouldn''t mind going after them first,¡± Katsuki recalls with a frown.


    ¡°Yes, he was rather unpleasant,¡± Yuudai mumbles. "Nerd calling me a freak, that''s somethin¡¯¡­¡±


    Saito chuckles as Kirika returns with the water, offering it to Yuuri with a smile. ¡°Well let''s see, we CAN do our paranormal fun first and... Oh thank you Miss Komori!¡± Yuuri says as she takes the water, then continues. ¡°Ahem, and then we can probably do some club raiding. I mean, if we have to.¡±


    Katsuki gets a devilish grin, ¡°You know, we could always stop by after hours and play a prank on them.¡±


    Yuuri pumps her fist into the air. ¡°Yay, a silly prank would be quite fun! And I¡¯m sure our fellow troublemakers can come up with something entertaining as well!¡± She turns her head to Mayumi and Raidou. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    Raidou chuckles. ¡°Pranks? Sure, I''m great at those. This one time, this guy wasn''t looking, right? So I decked the fucker. Funniest shit.¡±


    Mayumi shrugs and says, "Why don''t we make ''em think they summoned Cth..Kazoo...That fucking tentacle thing nerds get hard to."


    Katsuki slams the bottom of her fist into the palm of her hand. ¡°So it''s settled, later tonight we mess up some nerds.¡±


    Saito turns away from the two girls, doing his best to ignore their existence. ¡°A prank is fine as long as we don¡¯t get caught. What do you have in mind though?¡±


    Akina puts her hand to her chin, her finger extended. ¡°If we raid the gaming club, their equipment should prove to be lucrative to sell.¡± She then continues, ¡°Also I hate video game streaming.¡±


    Mayumi gives a questioning look to Akina. ¡°...Yeah, fuckin¡¯ with people is always fun.¡±


    Kirika suddenly pops up with an idea. ¡°Oooh! We could use this!¡± She then whips out her Necronomicon. The room reacts to the book with a mixture of awe and disgust, giving looks with various levels of confusion at Kirika. She gives a smug smile.


    Saito says, ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve heard of this. It¡¯s called a¡­ Cruelinomicon or something.¡± He then nods his head in self satisfaction, knowing he is correct.


    Raidou is the most puzzled of all. ¡°A book? What, are we gonna learn them to death or something?¡±


    Kirika stammers out, ¡°I-it¡¯s just a collection of translated Lovecraft works¡­. But it LOOKS like a real Necronomicon!¡± keeping her smile bright.


    Yuuri snaps her fingers. ¡°We could prank them by dropping this on their nerdy heads! Good idea, Kirika!¡±


    Yuudai stares at the book. ¡°Lovecraft? You¡¯re trying to make people fall in love or somethin¡¯?¡±


    Raidou speaks up. ¡°Make love, not war huh? Weird plan, but whatever.¡±


    Mayumi is somewhat shocked, saying, ¡°...Is that human skin, or am I just fucked up?¡± She looks between her hand and the book a few times, then shakes her head.


    Kirika replies meekly, ¡°I-it¡¯s not really human skin¡­¡±


    Cerys taps her foot. ¡°So, are we going to fake a cult meeting or something with this? Tie one of them up, surround them, and fake sacrifice them?" she finishes with a grin.


    Kirika lights up, saying, ¡°O-one day we could have a real cult meeting like Mummy and Daddy!¡±


    Saito shrugs. ¡°So, I mean, this is still just a book. Nobody¡¯s gonna be afraid of a book. Yeah, sure, they¡¯ll read it. But then what? Do we use it at a distraction or something?¡±


    Raidou looks the book over, ¡°I dunno, man. It¡¯s pretty funky lookin¡¯¡±


    Kirika holds it up highly, beaming with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s a really big book!¡± She holds it for a moment, then as her arms start shaking, she drops it back down onto the table.


    Akina stares the book down, saying, ¡°Just hit them hard enough with it.¡±


    Yuuri picks up the book and goes to open it, but Kirika hurriedly grabs Yuuri¡¯s hands. ¡°W-we don¡¯t need to open it.¡±


    Yuuri recoils slightly in surprise, then quickly drops it back onto the table. ¡°Wh-Why not? Is it cursed?¡±


    Raidou says, ¡°It ain¡¯t cursed, I can tell as much. If it were, you wouldn¡¯t be able to put it down.¡±


    Yuudai picks it up and studies the cover, saying, ¡°I¡¯m sure it isn¡¯t cursed, but I don¡¯t see what we¡¯re gonna do with this.¡±


    Raidou peers over his shoulder at the book, but Mayumi shoves him out of the way to say, ¡°So, what are we actually gonna do with the book? I mean, I¡®ve got some contact shit that would make anyone who touched it trip balls for a while.¡±


    Saito chimes in. ¡°Well, those nerds were crowding like flies earlier. This should get their attention, and then we¡¯d be able to get our prank done!¡±


    Kirika excitedly suggests, ¡°W-We can get some candles and make it look as if we''re chanting an invocation. Like what Cerys said!¡±


    Saito gives her a questioning look. ¡°Okay, and then what?¡±


    Kirika looks down to her feet. ¡°W-well Cerys said we could kidnap one of them¡­¡±


    Yuuri speaks up. ¡°We can always do my plan of leaving their clubroom door open by a crack, balance the book a top of it and then when the open the door it drops on their head,¡± then smiles proudly.


    Raidou looks impressed at Yuuri. "Shit, that''s a good idea."


    Yuuri puffs her chest out. ¡°Right?! It''s a tried-and-true prank! Ohohoho, I''m such a genius~¡±


    Kirika stays silent for a period, then says ¡°W-What if we call them over, fake a summoning and then have Raidou dressed up as an Eldritch Horror? And then we lock them in a dark room!¡±


    Raidou snickers. "Dress up. Pffahah."


    Yuuri rubs her chin while doing a thinking pose. ¡°And then he beats them up? That could work!¡±


    Saito snaps his fingers. ¡°Oh, dude, you have an idea there.¡± Saito pulls the weird looking thing off his back, extending it out into a large scythe. ¡°I could do the dressing up part too, I can use this thing as part of it¡±


    Yuuri stares wide-eyed at Saito¡¯s weapon, then steps back. ¡°A-As long as I don''t have to do it.¡±


    Cerys rummages through her bag and pulls out a black pair of gloves with red insides. The club notices the fingertips are lined with sharp metal tips. ¡°I have these claws to help look the part.¡±


    Katsuki slams her hands on the table to get everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Ok how about this. We do Yuuri''s idea, knock out the club leader, then drag him back here and we fake a cult meeting. Meanwhile, Mayumi dresses up as a sexy succubi, while Raidou and Saito act the part of the great old one Kazoo or whatever the hell you were saying!¡±


    Yuuri jumps over and hugs Katsuki. ¡°Kats, this is why we''re friends. Always coming up with the ideas bringing the best outcome!¡±


    Yuudai scratches his head. ¡°Would anyone actually believe that we can summon monsters? It sounds like crap to me.¡±


    Kirika turns to Yuudai, almost lambasting him. ¡°We¡¯re the Paranormal Club!¡± She then proudly adds ¡°My family has been summoning monsters for years!¡± The proud look fades off her face as she adds, ¡°I-I can¡¯t do it yet though.¡±


    Raidou scoffs ¡°Kazoo? Nah, I need a more badass name, y''know? Like...Like MORGOTH, or uhh...GARGOTH!¡± Raidou gets visibly excited at his ¡®badass¡¯ naming possibilities.


    Yuuri chimes in. ¡°How about Vincent! That¡¯s a scary name.¡±


    Mayumi scoffs and chimes in, ¡°Only if the last name is MicMohn!¡±


    Yuuri turns away and meekly says, ¡°Scariness must run in the family then¡±


    Akina crosses her arms, ¡°If that is the plan, I¡¯ll do the part of getting their club leader. I hate doing weird occult shit.¡±


    Cerys looks at Akina with a smug grin. ¡°Oh, Akina, are you scared of the occult?¡±


    Akina glares back. ¡°No, I think it looks stupid.¡±


    Cerys responds smugly, ¡°This whole club is stupid so it fits the theme.¡±


    Yuudai shrugs, saying, ¡°I still find it hard that anyone will believe us¡­¡± He then looks up suddenly. ¡°And why are you all suddenly against paranormal stuff?¡±


    Yuuri speaks up. ¡°Wait, I think I have this. We could probably lure them into a suspicious area and claim it''s haunted. That way we can use our ¡®paranormal expertise¡¯ without really doing something that could be unbelievable, like Yuudai was suggesting.¡±


    Saito gets everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Okay, now we need to figure out how we¡¯re gonna get the club leader.¡±


    Yuuri nods and continues to explain the plan. ¡°Once half of us lure them into the haunted spot, the other half of us can be the ghosts and demons that are haunting the area.¡± Various club members nod in agreement.


    Yuuri continues, ¡°It''s much better than my, er¡­ original suggestion. But then what? Half of us are there with their club and the other half are being demons and ghosts. How would we get their money from that?¡±


    Mayumi and Katsuki speak up at the same time. ¡°We beat their asses!¡± Both of them look weirded out that they¡¯re agreeing for once and turn their backs to each other after realizing.


    Kirika quickly jumps up. ¡°What if we say that we''re the only one who can stop the demons!¡± She then grabs and swings the book up ¡°With the book!¡± She tries to hold it up, but then slams it back down out of arm weakness.


    Raidou brings up, ¡°Or like, what if we tell them the demons are appeased by cash?¡±


    Yuuri shakes her head and says, "They wouldn''t believe that."


    Raidou responds, ¡°I mean cash works pretty well on demons, just sayin''.¡±


    Akina curtly says, ¡°Most people will pay up if it means they stop getting beaten on.¡±


    Mayumi sneers. ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit what the plan is, I just want to beat up some nerds!¡±


    Saito speaks up matter-of-factly. ¡°Just ask for like¡­ a lot of money. Nobody walks around with 40000 yen on them ¡±


    Katsuki brings the attention back to herself. ¡°You guys do know we still have video games club to deal with right?¡±


    Raidou pounds his chest and says, ¡°We can kick that bridge¡¯s ass when we get to it!¡±


    Yuuri excitedly adds on, ¡°Tomorrow!¡±


    Kirika shakes her head as she puts the Necronomicon away on a shelf while mumbling, "I thought it would be fun.¡±


    Yuudai looks around the room and asks, ¡°So we¡¯re really going along with this summoning thing?


    Yuuri shakes her head. ¡°We''re going to lure the tabletop club into our ¡®haunted location¡¯, Yuudai. And then when the ¡®demons¡¯ pop out, our club will run away. Leaving the tabletop kids to get beat up by the demons.¡± Yuuri checks with the others to make sure she didn¡¯t miss any details.


    Saito says plainly, ¡°Hmm, good plan. They¡¯re nerds, they can¡¯t run.¡±


    Yuudai speaks up. ¡°...and we''re the demons I take it?¡±


    Katsuki responds, ¡°Yuudai, Raidou, Cerys, and Mayumi will be the demons.¡±


    Yuuri warns, ¡°It''ll also be dark, so we just need to be careful for when we ¡®run away.¡¯¡±


    Cerys adds, ¡°Well you guys could also just ¡®disappear¡¯ and reappear as demons and help us beat them up.¡±


    Yuuri closes her eyes and nods her head. ¡°Of course, after this our ties with the Tabletop Club will be absolutely shattered. So good luck ever getting them to talk to us again.¡±


    Yuudai sighs and shakes his head, but Katsuki interjects with, ¡°I''m sure we could spin it in some way, like ¡®Oh no tabletop club we are just poor helpless girls and weak guys.¡¯¡±


    Cerys asks, ¡°So what kind of demons will we be, all the same type or different ones?¡±


    Raidou looks at Cerys. ¡°How comfy are you with having multiple arms?¡±


    Cerys responds, ¡°I''ll rather be something with claws.¡±


    Raidou smirks, ¡°Then I guess we''ll be different things.¡±


    Yuuri asks the room, ¡°So, Saito, Kirika, Katsuki, Akina, and I will be the people who ¡®run away?¡¯¡±


    Saito says, ¡°Yeah, that sounds good to me.¡±


    Akina scoffs and says, ¡°I will not run away like some coward.¡±


    Katsuki replies, ¡°Akina, you can dress up if you want then.¡±


    Akina gets an evil smirk on her face. ¡°In that case I already know what to dress as.¡±


    Raidou nods towards Akina. ¡°Ditto. We¡¯ll run by the Drama Club and steal some good shit for costumes.¡±


    Yuudai puts his hand on his forehead. ¡°I can¡¯t believe we¡¯re actually doing this¡­¡±


    Saito puts his hand on Yuudai¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine, man.¡±


    Yuuri claps her hands and smiles. ¡°Okay, then two hours from now we¡¯ll put this plan in motion. Oh, this''ll be fun!¡±

 Chapter 06 - The Story of Deception

    After the agreed upon two hours had passed, the club members begin to meet up outside the Tabletop club''s dorm. Most of the lights at the school are dimmed making for a creepy ambiance.


    Katsuki, Yuuri, and Kirika show up first wearing sweaters and long jeans, while Saito strolls in dressed normally. He¡¯s shivering and huddled up. ¡°You look cold!¡± Yuuri says, noticing him, then laughs. ¡°Ohoho, you should¡¯ve dressed appropriately, Naoyuki!¡±


    Saito looks at the warmly dressed girls, then tries to take a cool pose. ¡°I l-like to l-l-look good in all s-s-situations!¡± He quickly huddles up again as the cold hits him once more.


    Yuuri strikes a truly sexy pose, then her eyes flash. Cat ears sprout from her head, and she says, ¡°Do mew think I don¡¯t look purrfect, Saito?¡±


    He stares back blankly. ¡°...You¡¯re t-talking weird a-again.¡±


    Yuuri''s eyes flash as she breaks her pose and covers her embarrassed face. "S-Sorry, I don''t know what came over me." She quickly turns to the others. ¡°Are the rest of you ready?¡±


    Katsuki looks at the school. ¡°Gosh, this place is spooky.¡± She then smiles. ¡°They¡¯ll fall for our scheme in an instant!¡± She then gives Yuuri a determined look and says, ¡°I''m as ready as I can possibly be. Yuuri, would you mind knocking on this door?¡±


    Yuuri sighs, still blushing. ¡°Alright, now that we¡¯re ready, let¡¯s do this.¡± She walks up to the Tabletop Club¡¯s door and knocks on it.


    An aggressive yet nasally nerd voice comes from the other side of the door. ¡°Who is it? We¡¯re a little busy, so if it¡¯s not important, go away.¡±


    Yuuri clears her throat, then says, ¡°Hello there! It¡¯s us, the Paranormal Club.¡±


    A short chubby girl opens the door, ¡°What on The World In-Between do YOU guys want?¡±


    Yuuri waves and smiles widely, ¡°Hi! We were wondering if you could assist us with a little outing we¡¯re doing?¡±


    Kirika covers her mouth with her hands, adding with her cutest voice, ¡°W-we¡¯re scared~! Will you p-please help us?¡±


    The club president walks to the door and opens it. She is a taller, thinner girl, wearing a pop culture shirt. Behind her sit the other five members of the Tabletop Club. She glances at Yuuri and then waves her hand in Yuuri¡¯s face. "My Eyes of Revealing show no ill intent. I¡¯m Toshi, what can we help you with?"


    Yuuri suppresses the urge to giggle. ¡°I¡¯m glad I pass your ¡®inspection¡¯! You see, some of us in the Paranormal club had heard rumors of a haunted location near campus and wanted to scope the place out."Stolen story; please report.


    Saito chimes in. ¡°We¡¯re kinda l-lacking in numbers t-though.¡±


    Katsuki continues aggressively, ¡°We figured since you guys have the most experience with dungeon crawling and such you''d be the perfect allies.¡±


    Yuuri adds, ¡°As they said, we didn''t want to do this alone, so we were wondering if the Tabletop club could help us out a bit. You guys know stuff about demons and ghosts right? From your fantasy games?¡±


    Kirika is visibly shaking, petting and holding her bat, who is freaking out. They try to comfort each other but it¡¯s not working for either.


    Saito says, ¡°C-could be a bother if s-something happens there. Shit, for all w-we know, the campus might b-be in danger.¡±


    One of the Tabletop Club members shouts out, ¡°It¡¯s not all Spirits and Gremlins with us. There¡¯s also Moonsprint and Blood¡¯s Gate!¡±


    Yuuri nods politely. ¡°I¡¯m sure it isn¡¯t! Can you help us, though?¡±


    Another short chubby girl gets up and walks towards the door. ¡°You know Tonbo, this could give us some sick loot and some hella experience!¡±


    Yuuri barely stifles a laugh. ¡°Mhm, mhm, ¡®hella¡¯ indeed!¡±


    Kirika gets an idea, and brushes her hair behind her ears to reveal their elvish nature. She stares at the Tabletop club members with tears in her eyes. ¡°P-please, won¡¯t you help us?¡±


    The nerds immediately jump from their seats and stampede towards her, the ground shaking. It only stops when they all reach the door at the same time, getting stuck. They cry out in unison, ¡°We will do whatever you ask of us, oh elven one!"


    Saito mumbles under his breath, ¡°Holy shit¡­¡±


    Yuuri¡¯s eyes glow again. ¡°Ah, the experts have arrived! Purrfect. Nyaha~! Come along nyaow everynyan~! We have a location to¡­ ¡± Saito nudges Yuuri with his elbow, causing Yuuri to return to normal. ¡°E-eh? Wh-What?¡±


    Saito sighs. ¡°N-nothing. Alright g-guys, let¡¯s move.¡±


    Kirika brings it back to the point. ¡°We need some strong men to guide us from danger!¡± Saito sneezes loudly in response.


    One of the larger Tabletop club members booms out, ¡°You heard them, we must protect these fair maidens from the scandalous rogue spirits!¡± Yuuri walks on ahead leading everyone else to where the others are hiding, the Tabletop club closely following Kirika and obsessing over her ears.


    As they approach where the others are hiding, Yuuri motions to Saito to give the signal. Saito moves to comply, but sneezes instead. Yuuri shakes her head. ¡°You really should have dressed better for this, Naoyuki.¡± She blinks, then continues. ¡°Also, why did you bring that thing instead of a coat? What even is it?¡±


    ¡°I never go anywhere without it. Never know when you¡¯ll need your tools.¡± Saito replies.


    Yuuri gives Saito a questioning look. ¡°But what kind of tool is it even?¡±


    Saito shakes his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, just be glad I have it.¡±


    Yuuri begins to say something, but is cut off as one of the ambushing members makes a ghostly noise to confirm the signal. Kirika pretends to be startled by it, jumping to Yuuri¡¯s side. The Tabletop members suddenly get on guard, distracted from the signal by their desire to protect the elf girl.


    She turns and pats Kirika¡¯s head. Kirika whispers to Yuuri ¡°I-I think they¡¯re staring at me too much...,¡± to which Yuuri replies in a whisper ¡°It¡¯s okay, we¡¯re almost there.¡±

 Chapter 07 - The Story of Devils

    Cerys and Mayumi are off on their own in the park, preparing for the assault. They stand near a bench by the edge of the park with the only light source being a dim lamp post. The two rummage through the duffle bag of items they ¡°acquired¡± from the Drama club and debate on their costumes for the ambush. While those two are still deciding what to dress as, Akina, Raidou, and Yuudai are in the nearby bushes getting changed.


    Cerys holds up two wigs, one short and black, the other long and blonde. She looks between them, then says, ¡°So, you have more demon knowledge than me, tell me what to dress as.¡±


    Mayumi keeps looking through the bag but responds, ¡°Be one of those creepy Wraith ghost things.¡±


    Cerys shakes her head and puts the wigs back. ¡°My hair is too bright for that, and the only black wig we have is too short.¡± She starts to look through the bag again. ¡°Maybe I''ll just be a harpy.¡±


    Mayumi says under her breath, "You''re certainly shrill enough for one.¡±


    Raidou yells out from the bushes. ¡°Just you guys wait till you see what I''m cookin.''¡±


    Akina comes out of a different bush in a hannya mask and black robe. She lifts her mask and says plainly, ¡±You should just dress as your inner demon.¡±


    Raidou emerges from the bushes, sporting a extra pair of arms and wearing what looks like a toga and fancy headgear. He then uses all four of his thumbs to point to himself. ¡°Check me out!¡± He flexes his top arms, then does the same with his bottom arms.


    The three girls give him a blank look. Mayumi can only barely blurt out, ¡°...the fuck?¡± She regains her composure. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯d make sense even if I was high.¡±


    Cerys tucks the costume she has picked under her arm and turns around. ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡± She then heads towards the bush that Akina was behind.


    Akina asks in a monotone voice, ¡°Can you punch with those extra arms?¡±


    Raidou responds by throwing a punch with them and saying, ¡°Uhh, yeah, sure.¡±


    ¡°Then it should work,¡± Akina says as she shrugs. ¡°People will fear even a rabbit if they get beaten to a pulp by it.¡±


    Already in an appropriate outfit for the task, Mayumi does her final preparations in the dim light. She paints her lips blood red, gives herself heavy eyeliner with black tear marks, produces a shockingly large and floppy marital aid from her bag, and hangs it out of her skirt in a mockery of a tail. Raidou goes to ask about the ¡®tail¡¯, but thinks better of it.


    Yuudai returns, dressed as a red oni complete with a mask and club. ¡°Is¡­this fine?¡± He asks to the group, and gets three thumbs up¡­all from Raidou. Then, Raidou inspects Yuudai, and his eyes widen in surprise. "Hey, you look just like one of my cousins!".Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Cerys gets to the bushes the others got changed behind and stops, ¡°I¡¯m not going to change behind a bush like a homeless person, I¡¯m going into the bathroom.¡± She walks into the bathrooms that¡¯s behind the park bench.


    Mayumi finishes up her makeup by adding some scarring to her mouth akin to a Chelsea grin. As she puts the makeup kit back in the bag, she says ¡°I''m gonna need some wings and some horns if I¡¯m supposed to be a succubus.¡±


    Raidou turns back to look at Mayumi, then gives another thumbs up. ¡°You¡¯re perfect as-is! Eastern folklore tends to have them hornless, but the more widely accepted European kind gives them horns.¡± Raidou catches himself, then looks away. "...Or some shit like that, I dunno."


    Yuudai replies, ¡°I don''t think these nerds are gonna notice if she has horns or not¡­¡± while Mayumi just shrugs and pulls out a cigarette, putting it in her mouth. ¡°Tell me when it''s showtime so I can hit this shit.¡±


    Cerys returns with a little red dress on and fake wings covering her entire arms. ¡°I wanted to be a harpy but they wear far too little for my liking.¡±


    Raidou replies, ¡°Huh, you look like a Shuvuu¡±.


    Cerys rolls her eyes and sarcastically says, ¡°Yeah, that was the idea here.¡±


    Raidou smirks and puffs out his chest. "History and folklore are my best subjects!" He then looks around, remembering the mission, and returns to a normal pose. ¡°..Wait, so are we supposed to just wait here for the nerds?¡± Yuudai nods, so Raidou crosses all of his arms. ¡°Alright, cool.¡±


    Cerys flaps her arms around, trying her costume out. "These are uncomfortable, I can see why these demons killed people.¡±


    Raidou raises his eyebrow and only says, ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    Akina breaks her concentration and replies, ¡°You should have gone for something that allows easier movement.¡±


    Raidou looks at Akina with shock, ¡°I almost forgot you were here.¡±


    Akina shrugs. ¡°Good, I was meditating.¡±


    Cerys looks at her arms and says, ¡°Being a girl who died without knowing love suits me better."


    Mayumi mockingly says, ¡°I''m sure that''ll happen naturally.¡±


    Cerys quietly says to herself, ¡°I¡¯m sure it will as well.¡±


    Yuudai looks at himself. ¡°You know, this red body paint doesn¡¯t itch as much as I thought it would.¡±


    Raidou raises one of his eyebrows. ¡°Red skin, huh? Hold up a sec.¡± He jumps back behind the bush, then returns a moment later with his skin a deeper red than normal. ¡°Scarier, right?¡± This causes Akina to only laugh in his direction. Raidou looks somewhat defeated, but just multi-arm shrugs it off. ¡°Whatevs.¡±


    Yuudai says, ¡°Either way, the harder it is to identify us, the better¡­¡± He breaks his line of thought as the group hears a loud sound. They all look in the direction of the noise.


    Raidou says ¡°...Did you guys hear that? I think it¡¯s the signal.¡±


    Yuudai replies, ¡°I did hear something... could''ve been anything. Do we even know what the signal is?¡±


    Everyone looks at each other, then shrugs. Raidou speaks up first, asking, ¡°So like¡­ should we hide or something?¡±


    Yuudai thinks it over for a moment. ¡°Yes, we probably should.¡±


    Cerys teleports into the top of a nearby tree, while the rest hide in the shadows. Mayumi remembers that they also have to give a signal in return and makes a very loud moaning noise.

 Chapter 08 - The Story of Decking Dweebs

    The baiting team lead the group of nerds through the park towards the middle. They stop near a building and a bench with a small of shoes on top. The bench is lit by a rough beam of light coming from a light on the building. There¡¯s some bushes just on the edge of the light. ¡°If anyone needs to use the restroom, here¡¯s your last chance,¡± Saito says.


    Yuuri and Katsuki both raise their hands immediately, prompting Saito to say, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll come with you then.¡± He pauses for a second, realizes what he said, then quickly continues, ¡°T-To stand outside the door and keep you safe! Yeah!¡± The two girls roll their eyes, but give him the okay to follow them.


    Kirika leads the tabletop club over towards the bushes. She notices Yuudai¡¯s hair from behind a nearby bush, and turns to the Tabletop Club members. ¡°Ah, this seems to be the place. Now keep an eye out for anything¡­ supernatural.¡±


    One of the Tabletop Club members reveals a miraculously hidden plastic weapon. He waves it around in the air before shouting, ¡°Come on out you demon scum! My mace of +1 ghostslaying will make mincemeat out of you!¡±


    Another member slaps him in the back of the head. ¡°You moron! If they¡¯re demons, why would ghostslaying work on them?¡±


    Raidou looks at Yuudai and whispers, ¡°Shit, they¡¯re packing heat!¡±


    Yuudai whispers back, ¡°They probably don¡¯t even know how to fight¡­¡±


    Kirika gives the Tabletop member an odd look, saying, ¡°T-These are special demons.¡± She looks left, then right, then leans in close to loudly whisper, ¡°Ghost demons. They snatch you up, leaving only your shoes behind. Like those!¡± She points to the shoes on the bench, and several of the Tabletop club members recoil in fear.


    Saito makes sure that all of the Tabletop Club members are in the ambush area and then whistles a tune. Kirika gets the message and says, ¡°Okay~. Can you guys stay right here and check? I will lo-¡±


    Kobun takes a step forward and yells out, ¡°Check? I CHECK FOR TRAPS!¡± He grabs a 20-sided die from his pocket and throws it on the ground. ¡°Damn, I rolled only a 4¡­¡± The ¡°demons¡± slink behind the bushes, knowing their hiding spots are secure.


    Kirika stares for a moment at that stunning display of failure, then looks over at Saito confusedly. ¡°Uh, I think I¡¯ll go to the bathroom too, guys! Be right back!¡±


    One hat-wearing Tabletopper yells towards the bathroom and the escaping elf, ¡°Don''t worry m''ladies, you''re safe with us on the case!¡± He then tips his hat in their direction, apparently in a gesture of goodwill.


    Saito mumbles to himself, ¡°Do¡­ Do they know I¡¯m not a girl?¡±


    They poke their heads out from the bathroom and peek out to watch the Tabletop Club¡¯s reaction. Kirika giggles mischievously. ¡°I think they bought it!¡±


    Yuuri just says, ¡°I hope this works¡­¡±


    Kirika fidgets slightly. ¡°I feel like they were all staring at me¡­ a little too much¡±.


    Saito says, ¡°Yeah. They were. They¡¯re kind of weird, they also thought I was a girl.¡± Saito shivers, this time only half because of the cold.


    Kirika stares curiously at Saito. ¡°But why were they so focused on me?¡±


    Saito shrugs as Yuuri suddenly hugs Kirika. ¡°Because you''re a little cutie who did a good job today! Nice one, Little Komori!¡±


    Saito smiles smugly. ¡°Yeah, we ALL did our jobs well.¡±


    Kirika blushes from the sudden close contact with her senpai. ¡°T-T-Thank you, S-Senpai!¡± She suddenly perks up, breaks away from the hug, and peeks around the corner. ¡°I-I hope our friends are doing okay...¡±


    Saito speaks up. ¡°They¡¯ll be fine. Well at least they better be, you can¡¯t start shit all day in class only to be all talk when you actually have to fight.¡±


    Yuuri adds on, ¡°Especially against THAT club.¡±


    The conversation trails off as they watch the tabletop club just sitting there rolling their single die.


    Saito sneezes and shivers. ¡°M-Man it¡¯s c-cold. This sure is taking a while¡­¡±


    Hearing the signal, Raidou emerges from the shadows with all of his arms raised and his scariest face on. "FOOOOOOOLISH SONS OF MAN, YOU DARE ENTER MY DOMAIN!?"


    Toshi steps forward holding an oversized foam sword tightly. ¡°FOUL DEMONS, WE SHALL LAY WASTE TO YOU!¡± The entire Tabletop club suddenly huddles together and they all take turns rolling a d20. The ¡°monster¡± starts looking around in confusion. Finally, Akina¡¯s impatience gets the better of her as she jumps out of the bush and dashes towards the group.


    The short chubby girl jumps up in joy. ¡°Yes! I rolled the highest, so I get to go first!¡± Her joy is short lived as she receives an uppercut courtesy of Akina. She hits the ground, out cold.


    Yuudai jumps out of the bushes, swinging his club with a loud roar. Cerys appears in the middle of the Tabletop Club¡¯s circle, laughing loudly as she swipes randomly at one of the nerds. Akina joins in with her own maniacal laughter as Raidou bellows, ¡°FOOLISH SONS OF MAN, YOU MERELY GET TO BE FIRST TO SEE HELL!¡± He then rushes the mace wielding nerd.


    After the shock wears off, the tabletop club manages to avoid most of the attacks, but Raidou lands a clean hit on the mace-wielding member. As he hits the ground, Raidou yells, ¡°RAAAAGH! KNOW THE FURY OF THE GODS.¡± He laughs smugly, but the laugh trails off as he realizes nobody else¡¯s attacks landed.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Cerys tries to give an evil laugh, but it¡¯s shaky. ¡°Ny-nyehaha, you¡¯re still out o-of your league here!¡±


    Akina has no such lack of confidence, grabbing the chubby girl by her nape. ¡°I¡¯ll beat you to death like this weakling.¡± Her grin is enough to drive fear into the entire nerd group.


    Raidou crouches down to look the nerd he punched directly in the eye. In his booming voice, he says, "YOU FALL AS EASILY AS THE LAST HUMAN THAT SUMMONED ME." He looks up at Raidou, wide-eyed in fear, and gives a girly shriek before passing out.


    Mayumi comes up from behind the fat roleplayer and reaches her hand out towards him. ¡°I wonder what the range of my powers actually is¡±, she ponders, then attempts to use her mind powers to lift and choke the behatted teen. The fat on his face immediately turns red, but after a few seconds of exertion Mayumi drops him on his ass, wipes the sweat off her forehead and says, ¡°Damn, you¡¯re fat. But now I at least know I can do more than set things on fire.¡± She smirks and pulls out a boxcutter. ¡°Oh well, I¡¯ll just have to cut you up real good.¡± She then slinks up to him, horrifying the large kid as she slides the blade out and holds it up to his face. ¡°Tell me your name before I take it away from you.¡±


    The boy shakily answers, ¡°G-G-Goro! M-My name¡¯s Goro!¡±


    The nerds, having learned how to fight through classic turn-based fantasy video games and dice rolling, pathetically attempt their counter-attack. Toshi runs at Mayumi in an attempt to save Goro, but she gets clocked by Mayumi¡¯s elbow and gets knocked the fuck out. Kobun runs at Raidou, yelling, ¡°Kusanagi, I¡¯ll save you!¡±, but as he finishes his declaration Akina throws the other girl at his face. The collision knocks them both out and into a pile on the side.


    One of the remaining club members yells out, ¡°Oh no please don¡¯t h-¡± Yuudai interrupts his plea by smashing him across the head with a thwack.


    The only one left standing after this is Goro, who readies a cheap foam warhammer. Raidou turns toward him and gives a death glare. Goro hesitates and gulps, but furrows his brow and charges Raidou anyway. He swings the hammer with all his might¡­ but Raidou catches it, effortlessly pulls it from Goro¡¯s hands, and tosses it aside. Goro stares slack jawed at Raidou, ready to beg the imposing figure for his life.


    As Raidou reaches Goro he lifts his hands¡­ only to begin clapping softly. His voice roars out. ¡°YOU HAVE PROVEN YOUR BRAVERY, SON OF MAN. I WILL ALLOW YOU TO LIVE, SHOULD YOU PROVIDE ME WITH A PITTANCE.¡±


    Mayumi slides out from behind Raidou, circling Goro like a sexed up shark. ¡°How disappointing, you were all just a bunch of one-pump chumps.¡± She pulls out her boxcutter and holds the obviously dull edge to his neck while seductively whispering in his ear. "So what do you wish to part with? Your money, or your life?"


    Goro throws out not only his lunch money, but his gaming fund, several trading cards, some worn-out dice, and a pocket sized rulebook, then sprints off into the darkness.


    Akina walks to the nerd pile she created and fishes Kobun up out of it. She looks at the blush on his face from being under the chubby girl and throws him back down. She clicks her tongue and spits out, ¡°Pathetic.¡±


    The scout team approaches slowly, Yuuri being the first to speak up. ¡°Oh my, are you all okay?¡±


    Raidou searches through the spoils of his battle, counting it out and inspecting some of them. He finally clears his throat and says, ¡°Neat.¡±


    ¡°It seems like you cleaned their pathetic clocks,¡± says Katsuki, walking in last from the bathrooms. ¡°Snag their money and let¡¯s roll.¡±


    Cerys walks to the bench to grab her shoes and as she walks back she says, ¡°We got money from that last nerd, and I assume once the others wake up we''ll take their money as well?¡±


    Akina looks over at Cerys, ¡°Why wait? Just loot them now.¡±


    Raidou gets down to loot Kusanagi but he suddenly scrunches up his face. He looks down at Kusanagi''s passed out body. "He...he smells. I don¡¯t want to loot him right now."


    Yuuri gives a hearty ¡°Ohohoho!¡± at the idea of their petty crimes. ¡°I knew you guys had this!¡±


    Akina grabs the two nerds by their legs and hefts them up, shaking them and wondering if money will fall out. Yuudai starts to dig through the pockets and any bags of the remaining members for cash. Between the five remaining members, the club manages to make off with a total of 10,000 yen.


    Saito counts the money in his head. ¡°Y-yo, 10 K¡¯s in total. If P-prez still has her p-p-panties in a bunch after this, I¡¯m gonna¡­¡± He sneezes. ¡°Freak out.¡±


    Katsuki slaps him on the back of the head. ¡°I¡¯m right here, you frozen dumbass.¡±


    Akina discards the nerds she just shook down back into the pile. Kirika steps next to her and asks, ¡°T-they¡¯re still alive, r-right?¡±


    Akina doesn¡¯t look at her, but responds. ¡°Their dignity sure isn¡¯t.¡±


    Katsuki walks over to the pile too and blurts out, ¡°I''m not sure they HAD dignity in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Well, no one was hurt, right? I''d hate to be responsible for people getting hurt... even if they were weird creeps,¡± Kirika says nervously


    Yuudai joins them with his arms folded seemingly thinking deeply on the topic.


    Cerys walks over mostly out of her costume, looks at the plie in disgust and says, ¡°Let¡¯s leave them here, they''ll never know it was us that did it to them.¡±


    Saito shrugs. ¡°As long as I d-don¡¯t get in trouble for them getting their a-ass beat, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Raidou cracks his knuckles. ¡°But man, that was fun. Then again, kicking ass generally is pretty fun.¡±


    Katsuki pulls out her phone and looks at the time. ¡°It''s getting late, should we call it a night and get back to our dorms? We can decide what to do tomorrow during breakfast.¡±


    Saito quickly speaks up. ¡°Y-yeah, let¡¯s hurry back. I¡¯m f-f-freezing!¡±


    ¡°Perfect!¡± Yuuri then yawns. ¡°I¡¯m kinda sleepy anyway.¡±


    Yuudai strikes a thinking pose. ¡°Won''t they be awake by then?¡±


    Cerys waves it off by saying, ¡°When they ask what happened just say that you all got away while they were attacked. That should work well enough.¡±


    Kirika practices her scared voice. ¡°I was so scared~.¡± She clasps her hands together under her chin.


    Yuudai cracks his knuckles much like how Raidou did. ¡°That was surprisingly fun.¡± He then stops and looks at his hands, then mutters under his breath, ¡°I hope this didn¡¯t wake something up inside me.¡±


    Raidou looks down, still wearing his ceremonial garb. "Huh. I should probably switch outta this get up before headin'' home. My Ma might get freaked out."


    Kirika turns to Raidou and tilts her head to the side as she looks up at him. ¡°Do you not live in the dorms, Raidou-senpai?¡±


    Raidou shakes his head. ¡°Nah. My ma lives close by so I just take a bus. Although she does want me outta the house, so maybe I could hit up the dorms.¡±


    Kirika smiles brightly at Raidou. ¡°That''s nice. My parents insisted I stay in the dorms so I get the true experience like they got. I write letters to them!¡± She pauses for a second seemingly in confusion. ¡°They thought writing would be better than texting or calling, for some reason.¡±


    Everyone starts walking back to the dorms except Yuudai, who is still lost in thought. Mayumi notices that and turns around to bring him along. She can barely hear him mumbling to himself. ¡°They should be okay, right? I don''t think I hit ''em too hard.¡±


    She walks up to him and pats him on the shoulder. ¡°As long as you only hit enemies like that, then everything is fine.¡±


    Yuudai looks up at her face, and sees a genuine smile, which calms his nerves. ¡°Thanks, Mayumi.¡± The two then catch up with their friends on the way back to the dorms.

 Chapter 09 - The Story of Requests

    A few days after their encounter with the Tabletop Club, we rejoin the Paranormal Club on a lazy weekend in late April. Yuuri steps into the clubroom, stretches quickly, then greets the other club members. ¡°Gooooood morning, everyone!¡±


    Kirika perks up at the sound of Yuuri¡¯s voice. She looks like she¡¯s been in the room waiting for a long time, but she still energetically shouts, ¡°Good morning senpaaaai!¡±


    Yuudai nods respectfully in her direction, saying, ¡°Good morning, Miss Sayamura.¡±


    Meanwhile, Cerys walks in as mechanically as ever, greeting everyone with a curt ¡°Greetings.¡±


    Raidou wanders in soon after, his bedhead and half-open eyes betraying his tiredness. He mumbles out a half-hearted ¡°...Mornin¡¯.¡±


    Mayumi slumps down on a chair. Yuuri greets her with ¡°Good morning to you too, Mayumi!¡± once she sees the tanned girl sitting. She gets a mumbled response in return.


    Yuudai turns to Mayumi and grins. ¡°I see you got a good night''s sleep, Mayumi.¡±


    Mayumi barely lifts her head enough to meet Yuudai¡¯s gaze. "Sleep. Hah. That''s funny." Her head then plunks back down, as if she lost the strength to keep it held up.


    Kirika turns her attention to the gyaru. ¡°Mayumi-senpai, you should always get to bed early on a school night!¡±


    Mayumi speaks up without moving. "No rest for the wicked, kid.¡±


    Yuuri looks around the room at the club members. ¡°I hope you''re all feeling as happy as I am! We made so much money so fast!¡±


    Saito perks up, saying, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m stoked too. Finally we get to chill out some.¡±


    Akina keeps her eyes closed and her voice level. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t take breaks. We have to take care of the video game nerds next.¡± Saito loudly groans at her statement.


    Yuuri holds her hand up and matter-of-factly says, ¡°Hold on now, Miss Gedou. We can take it easy for now, seeing as we''ve made quite a bit.¡± Yuuri then gets a bright smile. ¡°Maybe we can have some fun activities to ourselves now!¡± Saito breathes a sigh once Yuuri says that.


    The PA system comes to life. "Hello everynyan, this is Sachiko, doing the morning announcements since Mr. Mikami is out sick. First order of business is popularity updates! YAY! Taking the lead is Paranormal club, who struck big with the 18-25 audience for giving them a good scare. Second place is Baseball, whose season starts today. Taking Third Place is Drama Club, for their excellent midnight Kabuki theater showing. Today we are also beginning tryouts for cheerleading, so get your school spirit going and head on over to the gym!¡±


    ¡°And after all that effort to dress up they just spoil the whole damn thing,¡± Raidou scoffs. ¡°Well, at least those nerds know not to mess with us now.¡±


    Saito reclines so far back that he is nearly horizontal. ¡°Who cares? Fuuuuuuuuuck that.¡±


    Katsuki shrugs. ¡°Who cares about that, and who cares about cheerleading? There''s a meteor shower tonight, I''d much rather watch that,¡± she says as she reads an article about the meteor shower on her phone.


    Yuuri strokes her chin. ¡°Cheerleading, eh?¡± she says while imagining herself wearing the outfit and having everyone¡¯s attention.


    That thought is quickly broken up by Mayumi saying with disgust, ¡°Cheerleading¡­ Ugh, if I wanted to be eye-raped by Monkey for 3 hours a day, I¡¯d make sure he paid me and I don¡¯t need to sign up to do that.¡±


    Kirika looks shocked. ¡°M-Mayumi-senpai, please¡­¡±


    Mayumi rolls her head to look at Kirika. ¡°What? That''s what happens to the cheerleader bitches at this school.¡±


    Kirika holds her hands up to her cheeks. ¡°Y-You can¡¯t prove that, please don¡¯t say such slanderous and rude things.¡±


    Mayumi keeps looking at Kirika with a nonplussed expression. "It''s amazing what you can record with a smartphone nowadays, kid. Proof is easy to come by.¡±


    Yuuri takes a moment, her jaw slackened, but she quickly regains her composure. ¡°W-Well, I was always interested in cheerleading, b-but I think I''ll pass this time around.¡±


    A knock sounds out from the door, and Yuudai gets up to answer it. He barely has time to open it before the baseball team¡¯s captain pops through the doorway with an air of urgency about him. Yuudai looks surprised and asks, ¡°Hisano? What are you doing here?¡±


    Hisano grabs Yuudai¡¯s lapels. ¡°We need cheerleaders, badly! Please sign up!¡± He looks past Yuudai¡¯s shoulders at the rest of the club. ¡°All of you!¡± He then pauses. ¡°Well, just the girls. We¡¯re only interested in the girls.¡± He relaxes his grip on Yuudai.


    Saito reclines and declines even farther, basically lying down at this point and letting out a firm ¡°no.¡±


    Yuuri blushes furiously. "W-Well if they n-need some, it wouldn''t hurt to¡­" she toys with the idea in her head, then comes to her senses and shakes her head. "Nooo nonono, I can''t.¡±


    ¡°All this sports stuff is way too stressful. If you feel like it, you can go right ahead and join the sweaty baseball nuts,¡± Saito says as he puts on his shades.


    Yuuri realizes she¡¯s blushing, and covers her cheeks with her hands. ¡°I''m not too athletic, now that I think about it¡­ And besides! I¡¯d never ditch you guys!¡±


    Yuudai looks at the baseball captain. ¡°Why do you need cheerleaders?¡±


    Mayumi finally gets enough energy to lift her head. She chimes in with, ¡°What, you need someone to polish your bats and warm up your balls?¡± Her grin fades quickly as she continues with disgust, ¡°Or however Monkey puts it.¡±


    Hisano moves to the front of the room to address everyone. ¡°Our season opener is coming up today, and we couldn''t find any actual girls who wanted to do it! Video Games just wanted to stream Alliance of Fabled Heroes, and the only willing signup was the crossdresser from Drama Club.¡±


    Saito, in his relaxed wisdom, says out loud, ¡°Ya know there¡¯s a chance this is a trap.¡±


    Mayumi chuckles. "Hey, people who watch baseball are probably so bored they won''t notice that the cheerleaders are actually boys. Also, if you suck, it¡¯ll just make the cheerboys rooting for you awkward. It won¡¯t make you play better. You don¡¯t need them."


    Yuudai scratches his head and asks Hisano directly. ¡°Why ask us, though?¡±


    Mayumi again loses her smile. ¡°Monkey probably put him up to it.¡±


    Hisano shrugs. ¡°You''re the only club with more girls than guys.¡±


    Yuuri asks, ¡°Well, how many cheerleaders do you need?¡±


    Cerys glares at Yuuri and quickly shoots the idea down with a flat ¡°We are not doing this.¡±


    Yuuri blushes again and begins to stammer, ¡°I-I mean, y-y-yeah! W-we¡¯re not interested at all!¡±


    Mayumi turns to Yuuri. "I didn''t think you''d give in to lolibitch that easy, vice-prez." She gets a huge smirk. ¡°Maybe you''re a lolicon?"


    Cerys also gets a huge grin. ¡°Or maybe you really want the baseball team to show you their ball skills?"


    Kirika breaks her daydream of Yuuri and Mayumi in cheerleading outfits and speaks up. ¡°Hey! There¡¯s nothing sexual about cheerleading!¡±


    Yuuri also responds, ¡°Both of you shut up! You need to stop jumping to such lewd conclusions!¡±


    Mayumi gets up and moves to Yuuri¡¯s side, teasing her more. ¡°You''re totally right. You should do it and see how pure and honest it is.¡± Her smug smile grows bigger. ¡°And the only one being lewd is you right now, vice-prez.¡±


    Yuuri attempts to ignore Mayumi, though her blush betrays her. ¡°A-anyway, how many cheerleaders do you need, Hisano, was it?¡±


    He raises his eyebrows, as if reconsidering his request, but then answers, ¡°We need around 6 cheerleaders. In regards to your reward, we won''t attack you for the rest of the year.¡±


    Raidou perks up. ¡°Huh. A year''s worth of ceasefire from the baseballers is a big deal.¡±


    Kirika fidgets. ¡°I-I couldn''t be a cheerleader. I''m too nervous, and short.¡± She begins to blush. ¡°And senpai would look better in the outfit than I would.¡±


    Saito relaxedly says, ¡°6 cheerleaders¡­ isn¡¯t that more than we have girls?¡±


    Mayumi turns her smug grin to Saito. ¡°You look enough like a chick. At a distance, you¡¯d pass with some makeup.¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Saito snaps back to an upright position in his chair, the mere thought killing his relaxation. ¡°Listen to me, cause I¡¯m not gonna repeat it again. F-U-C-K that.¡±


    Yuudai walks over to Saito and places his hand on his shoulder. ¡°Saito, we have exactly six girls with us.¡±


    Saito replies ¡°Yeah, I know. When did I say any different?¡± He begins to recline again, tipping the chair back. ¡°Yeah, we have 5 girls, man.¡±


    Cerys furrows her brow and begins to speak in angry English. Saito chimes in. ¡°I agree with whatever it is she said.¡±


    Katsuki looks at Cerys, then with a sly grin says, ¡°I think Cerys is saying she thinks this is a great idea! My English isn''t so good though, but I can tell it from her face!¡± She looks over to see a death glare on Cerys¡¯ face.


    Saito unreclines a bit, then leans back farther to say, ¡°I retract my agreement.¡±


    Mayumi, with almost a giggle in her voice, says, ¡°Don¡¯t you wanna jump and cheer in that short skirt, vice-prez? I¡¯m sure the team would handle their bats perfectly every time they saw you.¡±


    Yuuri starts to twitch, then she gets her own mischievous smile. ¡°Nyahaha, what''s this? Is the school bicycle selective about her choices? Myew don''t wannya play catcher for these boys?"


    Mayumi rubs her eyes. ¡°Did you just nya, or am I starting to hallucinate?¡± Mayumi checks her cleavage and purse to make sure she still has all her stuff. ¡°Did you get into my shit, vice-prez?¡±


    Kirika eagerly jumps between the two. ¡°S-senpais, please don¡¯t fight!¡± She says with a big smile.


    Raidou can¡¯t help but chortle at Yuuri¡¯s shitty cat puns. Yuudai tries to get everyone¡¯s attention back to the topic at hand. ¡°A-anyway, everyone, a year¡¯s worth of ceasefire could be worth it for us.¡±


    Cerys bitches at Yuudai, ¡°Then why don¡¯t you take my spot if you think so?¡±


    Yuudai responds clearly, ¡°They¡¯re not looking for guys Cerys. They¡¯ve already turned guys down, remember?¡±


    Cerys shoots back, ¡°Just because they¡¯re turning you down for a second time doesn¡¯t mean you have to take it out on us.¡±


    Yuudai asks, ¡°How did you know that?¡±


    Cerys smirks, ¡°I didn¡¯t, that was a guess.¡±


    Yuudai begins to retort but instead crosses his arms and mumbles angrily.


    Yuuri purrs and approaches Mayumi, too deep into her current state, "Nyohoho, I''d think myew of all people would make a fine cheerleader. Of course, myew''d be the one to lift these boys¡¯ spirits after a long, hard loss."


    Mayumi looks at Yuuri with confusion. ¡°...Uh, vice-prez? I do this for the money, not for the love of the game. So if you want me to play with your pussy, you gotta pay first."


    Saito is visibly bothered by the two¡¯s spat, and shouts at Yuuri, ¡°Goddammit, snap out of it already. You¡¯re creepy as fuck.¡±


    Kirika, happy at being sandwiched between the two, looks at Yuuri¡¯s chest and says, ¡°S-Senpai, what are you doing!?¡± as her nose bleeds.


    Raidou barely avoids bursting out in laughter, but he¡¯s able to swallow it and return to serious mode. ¡°We really don''t wanna fuck with the baseballers.¡±


    Yuuri goes to push Mayumi down, but Kirika is in the way. Yuuri tries to step around, but trips on a desk leg and falls to her knees. She rubs her head, sobered by the shock. ¡°Wh-What?¡± She looks around the room, meeting everyone¡¯s gazes. ¡°W¡­ what are you all staring at?¡±


    Saito crouches by Yuuri¡¯s side, checking her to see if she¡¯s alright. Once he affirms that, he looks up to Hisano with a minor scowl. ¡°As you can see, none of us want to do it. Now, can you go back to your clubroom so we can spend the rest of the day in peace?¡±


    Mayumi looks at her fellow club members. ¡°Well, don¡¯t let this girlyboy talk for you all. Are we gonna work with the big stick swingers or what?¡±


    Saito rolls his eyes, and plainly says, ¡°It¡¯s like I said. If you wanna do it, go right ahead. Door¡¯s right there.¡±


    Katsuki looks up from her phone. ¡°As much as I want to say no, there¡¯s nothing else going on today until later tonight.¡±


    ¡°Well, if they want cheerleaders it can¡¯t be all girls, since some of our members are outright refusing.¡± Yuudai mentions.


    Kirika chimes in, ¡°I¡¯d do whatever senpai wants to do!¡±


    Katsuki realizes a huge argument is building, turns to Hisano and asks, ¡°Can you give us a few minutes to discuss this?¡± Hisano nods and takes a seat away from the group to allow them to come to a decision.


    As soon as the floor has been opened Mayumi puts her hands on her hips and blurts out, ¡°Is this game any important, or do you guys just want some asses to stare at?¡±


    ¡°Opening games are pretty big for baseball teams, especially at this level when there aren¡¯t many games. It can set the tone for the rest of the season!¡± Yuudai says, getting a little too excited at the end.


    Mayumi leans towards Yuudai, showing her cleavage more to him. With an evil grin she asks him, ¡°Since you¡¯re so enthusiastic, why don''t you do it?¡±


    Yuudai looks away, avoiding her temptations. ¡°Well Mayumi, since you weren¡¯t paying attention, they don¡¯t want any guys,¡± he says before mumbling, ¡°Besides, they didn¡¯t want me anyway.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think hard up baseball players give a fuck, beefcake?¡± Mayumi asks with an ¡®are-you-for-real¡¯ look on her face, ¡°All those jocks want is a fine ass to stare at.¡±


    Kirika¡¯s ears perk up. ¡°Th-They wouldn¡¯t want to stare at my butt, would they?¡± She says as she feels around at the back of her skirt.


    ¡°They¡¯re gonna stare at a lotta stuff.¡± Raidou assures the elf girl. Kirika does a thinking pose and grabs at her tush.


    ¡°But my butt isn¡¯t anything special...¡± She answers dejectedly.


    ¡°Which is why I said they¡¯ll be staring at a lotta stuff that isn¡¯t your ass, geez. You need me to map it out for you or something?¡± Raidou answers with a firmer tone.


    Kirika doesn¡¯t react to his rude response. ¡°But I haven¡¯t got anything to stare at,¡± She says before touching at her ears, ¡°Unless they stare at my ears like those gaming creeps.¡±


    Yuuri breaks from the team huddle and turns to Hisano to ask, ¡°Actually, this is a one time thing right? You won¡¯t call on us all the time, will you?¡±


    ¡°We only need emergency cheerleaders for the first game,¡± Hisano says, looking up from his phone to answer Yuuri, ¡°We have our own for the rest of our games.¡± He then adds on, ¡°And don''t worry about anything sexual going on, I''ll keep the team in line...mostly.¡±


    The entire club groans, turning to give him a collective stink eye. Cerys is the first to speak up, bluntly saying, ¡°Only mostly? Yeah, no. You guys can go fuck yourselves with your bats.¡±


    Hisano, feeling like a deer in the headlights, stammers out, ¡°W-w-well, it seems like y-you need more time to decide. I-I¡¯ll step out and get your answer in the gym later!¡± He then slightly-too-quickly walks out of the room, closing the door behind him.


    After Hisano leaves and the club manages to calm down a bit they begin discussion anew with Akina starting off by saying, ¡°I think our big guys could shout some chants.¡±


    Raidou looks over at Akina. ¡°Back in middle school I hung out with some of the cheer guys, so I could probably pull it off.¡±


    Katsuki ignores the discussion to bring her true feelings about the situation forward. ¡°I say no. We can easily think of literally anything else to do, can''t we?¡±


    Mayumi stands up and says, ¡°Look, unless you chucklefucks have a better idea I''m shaking my moneymaker for the baseball team."


    Kirika looks down. ¡°I don''t want a bunch of sweaty boys staring at me¡­¡±


    Mayumi looks over. ¡°There¡¯ll be a bunch of sweaty girls too.¡±


    Kirika perks up. ¡°Well if Mayumi-senpai and Yuuri-senpai want to... then count me in!¡±


    Yuuri looks over to Kirika and Mayumi. ¡°Well¡­ I mean¡­¡± She blushes and stutters a bit more before coming up with a thought. ¡°I-I¡¯d need to see the outfits! I-I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d fit!¡±


    Kirika responds with an encouraging smile. ¡°I''m sure you''d look wonderful in whatever they have, senpai!¡±


    Yuudai stands up as well. ¡°Well pres, it¡¯s either that or we deal with the Baseball Club for the entire year.¡±


    Saito leans back again, but his attitude is anything but relaxed. ¡°They¡¯re just another bunch of nerds, except they¡¯re into their stupid sport instead. There¡¯s no reason for any of us to do this.¡±


    Yuudai walks over to the makeshift hammock. ¡°Saito, you seem to forget they¡¯re promising a ceasefire. For the entire year.¡±


    Saito looks at Yuudai for a moment, then closes his eyes and relaxes his shoulders. ¡°What the fuck ever.¡±


    Yuudai resists the urge to push Saito to the floor. ¡°Do you really think our club can handle the Baseball team? They didn¡¯t even allow me on the team!¡±


    Saito opens his eyes again, with a bit of a scowl on his face. ¡°Yeah. I do. Plus, who says we can trust their word?¡±


    Mayumi opens up a can. ¡°You can¡¯t trust anybody, you can only get leverage over them. This gives us leverage over them.¡± She takes a drink, already seeming to regain her energy. ¡°If they renege, we fuck them up. This isn¡¯t rocket science, sweetboy¡­ though this stuff tastes like rocket fuel.¡± She sticks her tongue out¡­ but then takes another drink anyway.


    Saito looks to Mayumi. ¡°Don¡¯t we just fuck them up regardless?¡±


    Yuudai shrugs his shoulders. ¡°If you think we can take them, then what¡¯s the problem? If they¡¯re trustworthy, we get them out of our hair. If not, then we can take them out of our hair. Simple.¡±


    Mayumi adds in, ¡°Path of least resistance. It takes effort to fuck people up, you know?¡±


    Cerys is rubbing her temples. ¡°You know what, fuck it. I¡¯m tired of listening to your barking, so let¡¯s just do it and get it over with.¡±


    Yuuri turns to Katsuki, then looks down. ¡°I guess so¡­ Sorry Katsuki, but I¡¯m gonna have to go with Mayumi and Cerys.¡± She pauses for a second, then adds, ¡°Though not in those terms.¡±


    Kirika seems almost radiant, though she¡¯s trying to hide her excitement. ¡°I agree with Senpai, senpai, and Alcott!¡±


    Katsuki pouts, then replaces it with a smile. ¡°Well if everyone else is doing it, I will too. What kind of club president am I if I make everyone else do something?¡±


    Saito returns to his previous incline, he snaps his fingers and points at the door. ¡°Well, you guys have fun then.¡±


    Raidou punches his fists together, not having listened to any of the conversation. ¡°So, we¡¯re gonna go ass kicking, then?¡±


    Yuuri pleads to Raidou and Saito. ¡°No way, you guys have to come watch the game with us! We¡¯re all in as a group!¡±


    Saito shakes his head. ¡°Nope. Not happening. Never.¡±


    Yuuri moves to Saito¡¯s side. ¡°Naoyuki, please! You can help protect us if they try to creep on us!¡± She turns to the other guys, ¡°You all too!¡±


    He rolls his eyes and stops on Yuuri¡¯s face. ¡°Asking me to come to the game was already a stretch. Thinking I¡¯m gonna come in there and fight, you gotta be joking.¡±


    Yuuri shuffles a bit. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like you HAVE to fight, it¡¯s just¡­ in case¡­¡± She pauses, then adds, ¡°I¡¯d really feel safer if you were there, Saito¡­¡±


    Katsuki adds in, ¡°You know, Saito. I hear there¡¯s an arcade right by the stadium.¡±


    Saito nods his head. ¡°Yeah, I know¡­ If I have to come, can I just hang out there? Is that good enough?¡±


    Katsuki pulls out a 100-yen coin and flips it over to Saito, landing it on his chest. ¡°Sure, Saito. Fine by me. Have fun.¡±


    Raidou laughs, relaxing his fists. ¡°I¡¯m all for watchin¡¯ the game! I love me some sports!¡±


    Yuudai puts his hand on Raidou¡¯s shoulder and balls a fist of his own. ¡°I''ll be there, I haven''t seen a baseball game in a while!¡± He adds on, sheepishly, ¡°And of course I¡¯ll be supporting you guys as well.¡±


    Yuuri brightens up. ¡°Awesome, guys! Your support will help us cheer throughout the game!¡±


    Raidou scratches his head, and sheepishly says, ¡°Daaah, it¡¯s nothin¡¯¡±!


    After reaching an agreement, The Paranormies head to the gymnasium to deliver their answer.

 Chapter 10 - The Story of Rivals

    The party heads to the gymnasium and opens the door, it¡¯s relatively small and dimly lit inside. It has a oldish feel even though it¡¯s has a newish smell. They can see Hisano preparing the uniforms on a nearby table. They scan the rest of the gym and are surprised to see another group huddled up nearby, excitedly watching the uniforms being placed.


    Yuudai is the first to speak. ¡°Huh, I wonder what the Drama Club is doing here?¡± He awkwardly waves at them, with a weak ¡°Hey!¡±


    One of the girls sees this and indignantly turns to her clubmates. ¡°Aren¡¯t those the guys that stole our props? What the fuck are THOSE losers doing here? I thought this Baseball asshole said we were his last option!¡± Hisano continues preparing the uniforms, pretending to not have noticed what was said.


    Yuuri, hearing this, steps forward, trying to diffuse the situation before it starts. ¡°H-hey, we were told the same thing, actually. Let¡¯s all just¡­ just calm down and relax!¡±


    Kirika squeaks up, ¡°Maybe they asked a bunch of groups because they didn¡¯t expect any to show up! It''s like this one... young adult fiction novel I read once...¡± She trails off and begins to blush.


    Mayumi sniffs the air comically. ¡°Hmm¡­I smell a setup¡­somewhere over there.¡± She thumbs at the short, brown haired girl. ¡°Someone tell me, who¡¯s this bitch?¡±


    Cerys shrugs. ¡°Some Drama dork, I guess.¡±


    Yuuri turns to Cerys. ¡°N-now hold on Alcott!¡± She turns back. ¡°Asuka, we can clear this up peacefully, right?¡±


    The girl balls her fists and twists her face in anger. ¡°Who the fuck you calling a bitch you skank?¡± She begins to make her way to Mayumi before being grabbed by two of her clubmates. ¡°I bet no other club would let you in because they thought you¡¯d rob the SHIT out of them!¡± She spits at Mayumi. ¡°Shit, do you even HAVE friends?¡±


    Yuuri starts to giggle, half out of nervousness and half at how ridiculous this girl sounds. Saito rolls his eyes and folds his arms. ¡°Oh man, here we go. Now I see why they call you guys the Drama club.¡±


    Mayumi walks up to the restrained girl, rummaging for something in her own cleavage. ¡°I got some pills for your PMS.¡± She pulls her hand from between her breasts but instead of holding a pill bottle she flips off the girl. ¡°I¡¯d let ya have ¡®em but it¡¯d probably kill ya.¡±


    Kirika steps in between the bickering girls and yells, ¡°S-S-SENPAIS! Please¡­ Stop the hate! It won¡¯t help anyone if we hurt each other! A-And... We can all work together so the team can do their best!¡±


    ¡°Nevermind that shit, brat,¡± Mayumi says as she rolls her shoulders. "Drama bitch started shit, I''m fixin'' to finish it. If she wants some, she can come fuckin'' get some."


    Yuuri moves to stop Mayumi. ¡°Now hold on everyone!¡± She turns her head to also look at the Drama Club President. ¡°How about we let Hisano clear things up before we resort to any unnecessary violence!¡± Yuuri is able to ask one of the Drama Club members holding her friend back, ¡°Can you tell me what Hisano-san had told your club exactly?¡±


    ¡°Yep! So basically, he needed cheerleaders because the big scary other team will kick our butts if they have no support.¡± The girl that answers Yuuri is smiling even in the situation she¡¯s in. She seems just happy and excited to be there. ¡°He told us we were his last option and told us to wait here, so we did!¡± She extends her free hand to Yuuri, ¡°I¡¯m Aikawa by the way. The yelly one is Ame.¡±


    Yuuri shakes the girl¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯m Yuuri Sayamura, and I¡¯m the vice-president of this club.¡± Yuuri then goes into a thinking pose. ¡°So he told you the exact same thing, huh¡­¡±


    Ame goes to yell something back to the Paranormies, but is cut off when Hisano coughs to get everyone¡¯s attention. He tilts his head to see around the overly tall stack of uniforms he¡¯s laid out on the table, ¡°Hey, everyone, the uniforms are-¡± When he sees the anger in the eyes of the girls around him, he freezes.


    Yuuri is the first to speak up, calling him out, ¡°Hey, Hisano! You have some explaining to do!¡±


    Cerys steps in front of Yuuri. ¡°If they¡¯re joining in, we¡¯re not going to go along with this bullshit.¡±


    Hisano nervously pulls the collar of his shirt. ¡°H-hey everyone! Y-You see, uh, I didn¡¯t mean to trick you guys at a-¡±


    Mayumi cuts him off by getting in his face. ¡°No. Just tell us why we have to work with these drama queens.¡±


    Ame steps right next to Mayumi, cracking her knuckles. ¡°You ever gotten your ass kicked by a girl?¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°W-w-wait, you two! We actually need two teams of cheerleaders!¡± Hisano says while shaking. ¡°Not only will the baseball game be going on, but both sets of cheerleaders have their own competition! How does that sound, huh? Winning the cheerleading competition, ha ha...¡±


    Kirika reassuringly pats him on his shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s okay Hisano-senpai, we¡¯ll do our best!¡±


    Saito impatiently taps his foot. ¡°Called it. I could tell there¡¯d be something fishy. You don¡¯t just come up with a hundred excuses and then play it legit.¡±


    Raidou scratches his head. ¡°Wait, what? Howzat work? Like, one team cheers for the baseballers and the other...fights another team o'' cheerleaders?¡±


    Kirika walks over to the uniforms and picks one up, looking it over. ¡°How can we give our all for the school if we''re divided like this?¡±


    Hisano spins towards Kirika. ¡°Excellent question! You¡¯ll both give your all. Since both sets are competing with each other, they have to generate more and more hype, instead of just the usual amount of hype.¡± He puffs out his chest. ¡°Competition is healthy after all!¡±


    Saito chuckles. ¡°Not with these clubs, it¡¯s not.¡±


    Kirika looks slightly dismayed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to compete! I just want to give it my all cheering!¡± She throws her hands in the air. ¡°We need less hate and more love!¡± She does some cheer poses. ¡°School pride!¡±


    Yuuri ignores the prancing elf girl. ¡°So, we have to challenge the other cheer squad in terms of exciting the crowd? And I suppose the winner would be left alone by the baseball club for the whole year?¡±


    Hisano nods his head. ¡°That part I did not lie about.¡±


    Yuudai interjects. ¡°Cheerleading is fine and all, but... a competition? I don''t understand, won¡¯t that distract the audience from the game itself?¡±


    Saito chimes in. ¡°Probably will make a distraction from them playing like shit, if ya catch my drift.¡±


    Yuudai does a fist pump. ¡°Well, we just need to win and that¡¯s that, right?¡±


    Cerys resists the urge to wap him on the back of the head, simply saying, ¡°Oh shut up Yuudai. You¡¯re not even going to be part of this baseball game, like usual.¡±


    Yuudai lets his body sag, his enthusiasm deflated. ¡°That¡¯s what I meant by ¡®we¡¯. You didn¡¯t have to be a jerk about it.¡±


    Raidou raises his hand. ¡°Yo, question. Who are we even¡¯ playin¡¯? It¡¯s gotta be somebody big if we¡¯re gonna be jumpin¡¯ through all these fuckin¡¯ hoops.¡±


    Katsuki asks, ¡°Isn¡¯t it just some crap team? I heard they haven''t won anything big in a decade.¡±


    Akina scoffs. ¡°If the baseball team needs support against such a weak team, then they have no chance against us whatsoever. So why are we even doing this?¡±


    Hisano turns back to the entire group. ¡°We¡¯ll still need you guys.¡± He then launches into a long, boring, but necessary monologue about how hype and friendship overcomes all adversity.


    His speech manages to get everyone to calm down since he just put them to sleep. The only people left awake are Yuudai and Raidou, who¡¯re clapping and tearing up. Yuudai can only say, ¡°Good speech, man, good speech.¡±


    Raidou nods in agreement, a single tear rolling down his cheek. ¡°That...that was fucking beautiful, man.¡± He slams a fist into his chest. ¡°That part with the pride of a man, hit me hard.¡±


    The clapping begins to wake everyone up, the first to wake up is the only non Japanese person in the room. Cerys then gives him a scowl. ¡°That was stupid and I¡¯m upset that you wasted my time telling me that.¡±


    Akina stands up and punches her fist into her palm. ¡°I should beat you up for that speech alone.¡±


    Katsuki says, ¡°I liked the speech, but the delivery was¡­weak.¡± She sighs, and looks back up at Hisano. ¡°So, just to be safe, we NEVER EVER EVER have to do this shit again after we do it this one time?¡±


    Yuuri adds in, ¡°And you won''t bother us if we beat the Drama Club, correct?¡±


    Hisano twitches in place, and says, ¡°Yes and yes. Also I may have left this out but the game starts in 5 minutes.¡± He puts on a baseball cap as he begins to run out the door. ¡°SORRY! GOTTA GO!!!¡± They almost snap their necks watching him run out the door, staring at it for a moment before turning their heads back to the table holding the uniforms.


    Kirika breaks the silence by looking at Yuuri and saying ¡°I sure hope our outfits are comfortable, at least.¡±


    Cerys looks over at Kirika. ¡°Of course they won¡¯t be. They look terrible and they¡¯ll feel terrible. Plus we¡¯ll look like skanks.¡±


    Mayumi looks between the all the girls in the room. ¡°So, it¡¯s agreed that we stomp the SHIT out of Hisano after this, right?¡±


    Akina adds ¡°I could do it alone, just beat him up and throw him off the rooftop.¡±


    Cerys replies with, ¡°Alright, that¡¯s cool that you¡¯d just admit to doing a murder like that. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s more surprising, that we¡¯re still doing this, or that you said that.¡±


    Kirika tries to calm everyone down, waving her arms and saying ¡°No fighting, senpais! We need to show our school spirit!¡±


    Raidou is more shocked and angry than the girls. ¡°The fuck!? FIVE minutes? Who starts a goddamn baseball match this early, at fucken-¡± He pauses to check his watch, then plainly says ¡°...3 PM.¡±


    Yuuri shoots up, ¡°We don¡¯t have much time, then!¡± She moves to the boys in the room and begins pushing them towards the door. ¡°Shoo, shoo, get out of here! We need to change, perverts!¡± As she¡¯s pushing them, Mayumi begins to undress, not caring who¡¯s seeing her. Yuuri notices this and begins to push the boys faster, losing her cute tone. ¡°C¡¯mon! Get out! Faster!¡±


    The boys turn around to protest but see Mayumi unhooking her bra, the door closing in their faces just before it falls off her chest. They all stare at the door, upset at how close they came to seeing a wonderful sight. Raidou¡¯s the first to speak up, yelling ¡°AW THIS IS HORSESHIT!¡± and kicking the locked door.


    As the boys stew in their disappointment, the girls change and prepare to take the field, ready to cheer their way to a year-long peace treaty with the baseball club.

 Chapter 11 - The Story of Revelry

    As everyone else continues preparing, Akina is staring at the uniform in her hands. She throws it violently back on the table. ¡±I. Will. Not. Change. Into. This,¡± she says while turning away and walking to the bleachers in the gym. ¡°I could annihilate the baseball club easily, instead.¡±


    Yuuri hears this and rushes to Akina, with her arms not in her shirt. ¡°Miss Gedou, please! We won¡¯t need to annihilate anybody if we just do this!¡±


    Mayumi steps behind Yuuri, already changed into a too small uniform. ¡°You really don¡¯t have a choice in the matter, edge girl. Put the damn outfit on.¡±


    Yuuri follows up with a polite smile while holding the uniform meant for Akina. ¡°Come on, Miss Gedou! Even Miss Asuka is happily helping us out!¡± She points to Mayumi¡¯s face, who doesn¡¯t even attempt to smile.


    Akina climbs to a higher bleacher and sits down. ¡°My normal clothes should be fine. They look like an ouendan outfit anyway.¡±


    Mayumi grabs the uniform out of Yuuri¡¯s hands and throws it at Akina. ¡°Your normal clothes make you look like a bitch boy trying to be hard.¡± She walks up the bleachers to Akina in the eyes. ¡°Wear the fucking uniform.¡±


    Akina doesn¡¯t flinch, instead staring back just as nastily. ¡°Make me.¡±


    ¡°You sure you want to try that, cherry girl? Because I''ve got a loooooot of anger I wanted to unleash all over that drama bitch''s face, but you''ll do just fine.¡± Mayumi says while not taking her eyes off Akina.


    Yuuri quickly climbs up the bleachers and gets between them ¡°Hey now, girls, save that energy for the cheering!¡± She has a smile on that looks like it¡¯s hiding fangs.


    Mayumi and Akina continue their staredown, but then Akina turns to Yuuri and says, ¡°There¡¯s no point, anyway. I¡¯m no good at smiling.¡± Mayumi thinks better of continuing the argument and moves back to finish her makeup.


    The moment is interruped by a squeaky ¡°Seeeenpaaai!¡± behind her. She turns around to see Kirika beaming, fully dressed. ¡°How do I look, senpaaaii~?!¡± She strikes a cheer pose.


    Yuuri¡¯s smile gets more legitimate, saying, ¡°Oh Kirika, you look adorable!¡± She then has a realization. ¡°Oh, I almost forgot to finish getting dressed myself!¡± Yuuri slides her arms into the cheering top. After she does, she pulls at it slightly. ¡°It looks like this one¡¯s a little tight for me¡­¡± She jumps down to go collect her purse.


    While Yuuri fishes around in her purse, Katsuki comes up to her. ¡°Hey, Yuuri, do you think we should make up some cheers, or should we just improvise them?¡±


    Mayumi hooks an arm around Katsuki¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Pres, do you really think they give a shit what we cheer? I could go out there and say ¡®Two¨Cfour¨Csix¨Ceight, Drama kids just masturbate!¡¯ and it¡¯d have the same effect as anything else.¡±


    Akina climbs down the bleachers, holding her uniform, and asks the group ¡°So, if they don¡¯t give a shit, should I go beat the drama club up to speed this up?¡±


    Kirika crosses her arms in a X. ¡°You¡¯ve hurt enough people you... people-hurter!¡±


    Cerys puts her foot down. ¡°If we have to do this then you have to as well.¡± She then narrows her eyes at Akina. ¡°Don''t try to sneak out of this.¡± Akina¡¯s scowl intensifies after she finishes talking


    Katsuki tries to improve the mood by adding in some spirit. ¡°We¡¯re all in this together! You know, what the asshat said, power of friendship or something!¡°


    Mayumi unhooks Katsuki, and straightens her posture. ¡°Edgegirl, nobody ever told you there¡¯s strength in numbers, did they?¡± She pulls Yuuri and Cerys beside her.


    Akina looks around and sighs ¡°I¡¯ll help, but I won¡¯t wear that ugly outfit.¡±


    Kirika lights up ¡°Yay, looks like we¡¯re all in then! I even finally came up with a cheer!¡± she turns to her bat familiar. ¡°We¡¯re BATTY for our Bat-boys!¡± She then turns and begins to do a small cheering dance. ¡°Bat boys, bat boys! What you gonna do, what you gonna do when they come for you?¡±


    They all stare at Kirika for a moment, none of them wanting to put down Kirika¡¯s spirited attempt. Yuuri claps slightly, ¡°W-well, I¡¯d like to give my own idea! How about, "M¨CI¨CY¨CA Who''s gonna win? F¨CU¨CJ¨CI Who''s it gonna be? MIYAFUJI MIYAFUJI GOOO!¡±


    Cerys turns back to Akina, trying to forget what she just saw. ¡°Akina just put it on, maybe you''ll look cute in it.¡± Akina immediately counters with a flat ¡°No.¡±


    Yuuri steps into the center of the group. ¡°AH¨CHEM! Hey, hey! We don¡¯t have time to be fighting right now!¡±


    Kirika fidgets nervously, ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to fight but th-the new girl isn¡¯t capable of not fighting¡­¡±


    Akina leans in towards Yuuri with a balled fist ¡°I¡¯m not the one trying to force someone else into a cheerleading uniform!¡±


    Mayumi leans against a nearby wall ¡°It¡¯s not forcing, you stupid bitch. It¡¯s something we all have to do together. Nobody wants to see your flat, man-jawed ass dressed like a hardass, they want to see your flat, man-jawed ass dressed like a cheerleader.¡±


    Yuuri coughs again to try and get the two¡¯s attention back onto her instead of each other. ¡°WHAT SHE MEANS IS you need to put it on so that we can go defeat the Drama Club.¡±


    Akina looks at Mayumi for a moment and smirks. She turns her attention to Yuuri. ¡°Okay, how about this deal. I''ll wear it.¡± She then says with a snarl, ¡°And later I beat manners into our druggy.¡±


    ¡°If you think you can dance with the Queen Bee and not get stung, go right ahead.¡± Mayumi returns a smirk towards Akina.


    Yuuri once again tries to bring down the tension in the room by happily clapping her hands and saying with a smile. ¡°So go put on your uniform, Miss Gedou!¡±


    Akina finally relents, undressing to reveal some impressive abs. Akina quickly gathers the uniform and puts it all on, conveniently still showing her midsection. Yuuri couldn¡¯t help but comment. ¡°Miss Gedou, is this what you were embarrassed about? You¡¯re so fit!¡±


    Akina tugs on the hem of the top, saying back ¡°These clothes are too girly. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t want to wear them.¡± She rubs her abs and looks down, ¡°This feels wrong.¡±


    Mayumi says, ¡°They¡¯re girl clothes. Looking girly is the point. What did you expect, Edgy?¡± She hikes up her skirt, and pulls out a boxcutter to cut extra cleavage into her top. Yuuri sees this then looks down, and pulls her top down even more to make sure it¡¯s secure around her chest.


    Kirika catches herself staring at Mayumi, then turns around and says, ¡°I don''t think you needed those¡­ modifications, Mayumi-senpai. You looked beautiful as it was!¡±


    Mayumi looks at Kirika, genuinely surprised, ¡°You really think so, kid?¡±


    Kirika nods, causing Mayumi to think for a moment, only being brought back to her senses by the PA system suddenly screeching to life and announcing the beginning of the contest. She shakes her head. ¡°Nah, gotta work the tricks. I got it, so I gotta flaunt it.¡± She pulls a pill bottle from between her breasts, downs one, and smiles at Kirika. ¡°Thanks though.¡± She then follows Yuuri out onto the field.


    The stands are surprisingly full, and drama club is on the opposite side of the field. Ame is staring daggers at the entire club, only resulting in Mayumi flipping her off. The effect is diminished by Kirika furiously waving at everyone all around from behind Mayumi, energetically begging everyone to like her.


    Akina looks around with her arms crossed, with a scornful look on her face. Instead of complaining, she decides to just ask Cerys, ¡°I wonder which bitch will win out, ours or theirs.¡±


    Cerys shrugs, her pom poms shaking slightly with her movements. ¡°I hope ours, I¡¯d hate to do all this and then lose.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Yuuri steps between the two, placing her hands on their shoulder, and looks between them. ¡°Well then, all we have to do is give our best and win then!¡±


    The two move out from under her grip, then in unison say ¡°If we lose, I¡¯m blaming you.¡±


    Hisanori yells out to the Paranormal cheerleaders. ¡°I know you have no training but I believe in you! Good luck!¡± The group gives him an icy glare, besides Kirika, who claps at his ¡®rousing pep talk¡¯, and Mayumi, who makes a throat cutting gesture.


    Yuuri closes her eyes and takes a few deep breaths. ¡°Okay, other me, don¡¯t come out and ruin this for us.¡±


    Akina glances around the stadium, radiating death at anyone who even vaguely seems to be staring at her ads. Once she realizes they aren¡¯t dropping dead, she sighs and looks back to the group. ¡°So, what do we do?¡±


    Yuuri breaks her meditation to look back up at Akina with a bright smile. ¡°Well, we¡­ cheer, and jump and stuff!¡± She then jumps and shakes her pom poms for added effect.


    The announcer begins ¡°Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to another great Miyafuji High game! As always, before we begin the game there¡¯ll be the traditional cheerleading competition to get our team fired up for victory! Today¡¯s challenge is the Paranormal club vs the Drama club, so welcome these two fantastic teams!¡±


    The crowd cheers as the announcer pauses before moving on. ¡°Each team takes a turn doing a cheer, with the Paranormal Club winning the coin toss to go first. Cheers must be performed one at a time, with each member getting a chance to show their stuff! This will continue until one side has gained unanimous victory!¡±


    Another break for applause, which is soon replaced by high-energy music as the announcer continues ¡°Out first, let''s hear it for the one, the only, PARANORMAL CLUB!!!¡±


    Mayumi puts on her best fake smile and stretches her arms, adding a jump as she shakes her pom poms to give the crowd a little extra jiggle service. Kirika waves even harder to the crowd as Cerys and Akina give their poms a light shake, both letting out a stone-faced monotone ¡°Hooray¡±.


    As the Paranormal club finish their entrance and the applause calms down, the Announcer picks back up. ¡°And their competition for tonight, the beautiful actresses always full of tears and laughter, the DRRRAAAMA CLUB!!!¡±


    Ame strides confidently onto the field, her club behind her. As the team takes their places, Ame does a handspring into a backflip over Yuuri as she lands she turns and smirks at Yuuri, causing Yuuri to get agitated.


    The announcer¡¯s voice booms out, ¡°It looks like these girls are energetic today! Let¡¯s see how they channel that energy into their cheers, up first we have the Paranormal club showing us how they support their baseball boys!¡±


    Yuuri smirks and confidently gets into position, squatting down as she says ¡°Go! Go!¡± She then springs up and flips backwards, with a loud ¡°MIIIIYAAAFUU-¡± She¡¯s cut off by the impact of the ground on her ass, as she over rotates the flips. She blushes hard, shaking her pom-poms in front of her face to hide it and manages to yell out ¡°G-g-go team!¡± in an effort to save it. She looks over to see Ame laughing and pouts.


    Kirika steps forwards quickly and begins to wave and bounce to the crowd to cover up for Yuuri. She yells, slightly too loudly, ¡°Win or lose, our team is ours! They may move slow, they can¡¯t score high! But this team has some great guys!¡± She throws her arms up with a shake of her pom poms as her bat does a big flip for emphasis. ¡°We¡¯re with you, team!¡±


    The crowd begins clapping and cheering, causing Cerys to sense the momentum and she decides to go next, stepping forward only to do three consecutive backflips that end with her doing a split with her arms raised and her pom poms shaking. ¡°Our team can¡¯t be beat¡­ uh¡­ by anyone! Go¡­ go team?¡±


    Mayumi doesn¡¯t bother with her pompoms, instead turning around and pretending to trip, causing her to flash her lace-covered ass to the entire crowd. Katsuki, feels the need to cover the shame of her clubmate and dashes between the crowd and Mayumi¡¯s panties. She looks frozen in thought for a moment, then begins to wave her arms and yells out "ONE¨CTWO¨CTHREE¨CFOUR, THE OTHER TEAM IS FULL OF WHORES!" The cheering stops, giving her another moment to think. Once she then realizes what she said, she hangs her head in shame.


    Akina paces out and, giving it her best to appear even remotely interested, halfheartedly shakes her pom-poms and mumbles out something too low to hear. She then tries to do a cartwheel, but does it too carelessly and falls flat on her back.


    Yuuri looks over the shamble of her club and bites her lower lip. She tries to raise everyone¡¯s spirits by saying ¡°M-Maybe the Drama Club will do even worse!¡±


    As the Paranormies wobble their way back to their sideline, the announcer¡¯s voice booms out ¡°Ah, er¡­Well, that was some¡­unique cheering! Give it up for the Paranormal Club!¡± A few scattered cheers, polite claps and a wolf whistle later, he brings it back in. ¡°And now, feel the energy as you witness the theatrics of the Drama Club!¡±


    The Drama Club take their spots, a well oiled upstaging machine. ¡°Let¡¯s show these losers what real cheerleading is like,¡± Ame says smugly. She rolls her pom-poms to rile up the crowd as Aikawa floats beside her. And into a pom pom punch.


    Aikawa grabs her face, checking to make sure her nose isn¡¯t broken., ¡°I¡¯m ok, I¡¯m ok!¡± she says to Ame. ¡°I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t mean it¡±


    Ame scowls, then shoves her hard into the center of the field. Aikawa stumbles, recovers, and puts on a dazzling display of cheerleading. When she finishes, the roar of the crowd is deafening.


    Yuuri sits on the grass and frowns, embarrassed in many ways.


    The next Drama Club member steps forward, visibly nervous but still cheering hard. They finish off their cheer with a slow high kick, which in his excitement didn¡¯t realize exposed his bulging panties. After it dawns on him, he quickly pulls his skirt down and runs away shrieking. As he runs away he runs directly into one of clubmates knocking them both out.


    A Kobun look-alike is standing around staring into space when Ame walks up to him and chops him on his chest, ¡°Hey get your head out of your ass and start helping us!¡± She punctuates her statement by pushing him onto the field. He gets to the center and stares blankly at the crowd frozen in fear. Ame runs out to grab him and drag him off.


    The PA system crackles to life once more. ¡°Uh¡­ The drama club, ladies and gentlemen! Give ¡®em a round of applause!¡± Once more, the polite clapping begins and someone gets escorted out for loudly yelling ¡°BRING THE BOY IN THE SKIRT BACK OUT.¡± The announcer continues ¡°Fortun- Er, now that everyone¡¯s properly excited, it¡¯s time to start the main event! Here comes MIYAFUUUJIJIIII HIIIIIGH!¡± The cheerleading teams leave the field as the game begins. They sit on opposite sidelines, watching the game in silence.


    Just before the fourth inning begins, a school official visits them on the sideline. ¡°There will be another round of cheerleading to hopefully keep the rest of the crowd from leaving for the rest of this game¡±.


    ¡°You want us to go get embarrassed again?¡± Yuuri says.


    He puts a hand on her shoulder and looks into her eyes. ¡°It can¡¯t be any worse than what¡¯s happening to the baseball team.¡± He stands up and leaves.


    Katsuki hears this and stands up, walking in front of the group, then turns around to face them. ¡°This is our chance to make up for what happened earlier. I know we can do better than that, right?¡± She says with gusto, but nobody really responds. Mayumi is zoned out so far she might as well be in another country. She pouts to herself for a moment, then speaks up even louder. ¡°Guys, this is a second chance! You don¡¯t get do-overs like that all the time! We can still show up those drama queens!¡±


    As the players leave the field and the cheerleaders take it, Katsuki¡¯s words awaken something in Mayumi. She remembers better days. Happier days. Days where she gave a fuck. As the words hit her soul, the drugs hit her brain. She races to the center of the field, dancing, giggling and jiggling past everyone else. With a way too perky voice, she yells "Hey, let¡¯s see ¡®Fuji play! Hey, let¡¯s see ¡®Fuji play! YAAAAAAAY~!" Her top almost flies off but is caught by Yuuri before it gets too R18 in here.


    Yuuri looks Mayumi in the eyes, "Miss Asuka, what has gotten into you?!"


    Mayumi continues to dance and jiggle for the crowd while talking to Yuuri "School spirit! And drugs! But mostly school spirit!" Yuuri gives her a confused look but pulls her back to make space for Kirika.


    Kirika walks forward, shaken by Mayumi¡¯s shaking. She tries to remember her father¡¯s words, but can only think of Mayumi. She yells ¡°TWO¨CFOUR¨CSIX¨CEIGHT, JUST STAY HOME AND MASTURBATE!¡± She looks at Mayumi for approval, but suddenly blushes and runs behind Katsuki once she realizes what she said.


    Yuuri attempts to take the attention off of Kirika and runs over to one side of the field. She says a silent prayer for her nimbleness and gets into a runners pose and zooms down the field before doing a front flip. She follows it up with a corkscrew, cat ears and tail popping out in mid air. She lands in a crouch, tail swaying, perched like a cat. She breathes heavily, and then realizes that nothing had gone wrong, "Our team will pawsitively win!"


    She hears a loud cheer coming from right behind her and she turns to see Kirika coming to give her a hug. ¡°Well done, senpai! You did it!¡± Yuuri returns the hug too tired to say words at the moment.


    Cerys whispers something into Mayumi¡¯s ear, at which Mayumi nods and runs back towards the field, head down. Cerys runs up from behind her, leaps onto Mayumi¡¯s shoulders, then jumps off, doing a flashy front flip before landing in front of the other girl. She raises her left pom-pom and yells ¡°Go go team let¡¯s beat uhhh¡­ whoever we are playing!¡±


    Katsuki runs up behind Mayumi, wanting to do her own flashy aerial trick. She jumps, Mayumi stands, and Katsuki kicks her in the back of the head. The momentum makes Katsuki flip and faceplant. She and Mayumi land in a heap; Mayumi knocked out and Katsuki rubbing her head.


    The rest of the Paranormies gather around the two, Yuuri giggles and says ¡°They should leave jumping to the ones who always land on their feet, nya.¡± She turns to Akina, ¡°Can you drag these corpses back to the litter box?¡± Akina shrugs and drags them back to the benches.


    The announcer clears his throat as the two baseball teams force everyone else off the field. ¡°A-Anyway I think that wraps up the cheerleading competition! Thank you to both clubs for participating and stick around after the game to find out the winner! Go Miyafuji!¡±


    Ame rushes the announcer box and throws her pom-poms on the ground. ¡°What?! They got to go twice! That isn¡¯t fair!¡± As she starts screaming obscenities, two security guards grab her. She fights, but they overpower her and sling her over their shoulders. She spits and crosses her arms as she¡¯s carried off the field.


    ¡°It seems like one of the Drama Club members is furious, too bad I totally can¡¯t hear what she¡¯s complaining about!¡± the announcer quips. ¡°Now let¡¯s get on with the game!¡±

 Chapter 12 - The Story of Revelations

    Raidou steps away from the door, rubbing his nose. He turns towards Yuudai and Saito within the empty hallway with a sour look on his face.


    Saito shares Raidou¡¯s sour look, ¡°Man, I kinda feel bad for the girls. This is the dodgiest crap I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±


    Raidou snaps out of his sour look and slaps Saito on the back with a chuckle. ¡°Still, us getting to see them in cheerleadin¡¯ uniforms ain¡¯t half bad!¡±


    Yuudai clinches his fists and puts on a determined face. ¡°Is that all you guys are thinking about!? This could put us at a great advantage!¡±


    Saito scoffs and deadpans. ¡°I don¡¯t particularly care.¡±


    A high-pitched voice rings out from seemingly nowhere. ¡°You guys think this is total crap too, don¡¯t you?¡± One of the Drama Club members who was resting against the wall near the group raises his head and looks towards the boys.


    Raidou and Saito both simultaneously say, ¡°Yep, pretty much.¡±


    Yuudai then lies in order to impress this new student. ¡°I-I think it¡¯s kind of dumb, but whatever can get our club ahead, I guess. Haha.¡±


    The drama club boy chuckles but still extends his feminine hand. ¡°Kairu, pleased to meet you. There¡¯s actually an arcade not very far from the field, so we can still pretend to watch. I mean, if you guys wanted to¡­¡±


    Saito¡¯s face suddenly lights up. ¡°Dude, that sounds pretty dope!¡± He jets his hand out. ¡°I¡¯m Saito.¡±


    Yuudai¡¯s shoulders droop. ¡°Eh? V-Video games aren¡¯t really my thing¡­¡± He then mumbles out very quietly, ¡°I kinda wanted to watch the game.¡±


    Raidou eyes the stranger for a moment, but still extends his hand for a handshake. ¡°Raidou Kurabe. I¡¯m down with watchin¡¯ the game, but if they have the new Witches and Warlocks machine I¡¯m down for an arcade run.¡±


    Yuudai manages to squeak out, ¡°I¡¯m Yuudai, by the way¡­¡±


    Kairu shakes both Saito and Raidou¡¯s hands, then turns to Yuudai. ¡°Well, there¡¯s something else I want to do, but I can¡¯t talk about it here. Meet me at the arcade once the game starts!¡± Kairu then daintily walks off, leaving the boys to decide amongst themselves what to do.


    Raidou turns towards the other two, ¡°She doesn¡¯t seem like the trustworthy sort, yeah. Then again, all kinds of weirdos in that Drama club.¡±


    Yuudai nods. ¡°I don¡¯t trust her, are you two still thinking about going?¡±


    Raidou shrugs. ¡°If both of y¡¯all are goin¡¯, I¡¯ll go.¡±


    Saito puts on his headphones and says, ¡°You idiots know that was a guy, right?¡±


    Yuudai and Raidou look at Saito, then back at each other. Yuudai breaks the silence by stammering out, ¡°I-I think I may go just to be sure nothin¡¯ happens to the kid!¡±


    Raidou follows the lead, saying, ¡°Y-yeah, w-we¡¯ll go. We¡¯ll totally go.¡±


    Yuudai continues to shakily talk. ¡°W-well, I guess that¡¯s that then, heh heh heh¡±. He cracks his neck, and says, ¡°Let''s just hope the girls don''t get into a huge fight.¡±


    Raidou tenses up, caught between video games and a catfight.


    Saito says, ¡°They¡¯re certainly taking long enough. I guess that¡¯s girls for you. Isn¡¯t it about to start soon?¡±


    Raidou relaxes and look at his watch. ¡°Yeah, in a few minutes.¡±


    Yuudai says, ¡°They better not ruin our chances¡­¡± He trails off as the PA system comes to life to announce the beginning of the cheerleading match.


    Saito stands up. ¡°¡®Kay, that¡¯s our cue. Let¡¯s go see your new girlfriend, guys.¡± He smirks as he heads out, with Yuudai and Raidou following behind him fuming.


    The gang meets up with Kairu at the arcade, showing their school badges to the officer near the front. They¡¯re greeted by a floor filled with rhythm games, shooters, and other typical arcade staples.


    Saito takes in the sights of the surprisingly good arcade, he then grins and rubs his hands together. ¡°Wow, I wasn¡¯t expecting such a nice arcade here. Who says arcades are dying? Alright boys, time to let loose.¡±


    Yuudai rubs his eyes. ¡°Jeez, how do you stand this? All these flashing lights are burning my retinas.¡±


    Raidou laughs out loud and taunts Yuudai. ¡°You a shut-in or somethin¡¯?¡± He turns to the arcade. ¡°Anyway, where¡¯s that new Witches and Warlocks...?¡±, he mutters, before walking off into the light gun district. He almost immediately runs into a machine labelled ¡°DEN OF THE DYING 4: CHAOS IN THE CITY¡± which surprisingly has nobody at it. He can only mutter ¡°badass¡± under his breath as he grabs the gun and inserts a coin.


    Yuudai gets his sight back, and not realizing Raidou¡¯s moved on he says, ¡°I just don¡¯t go to these places often¡­¡± He notices Raidou isn¡¯t there and mumbles out. ¡°and this is probably why.¡± He then goes to look for him near the light gun games, finding him instantly by the sounds of his screen-directed trash talking.


    After watching over Raidou¡¯s shoulder for a moment, Yuudai asks, ¡°What is this game, exactly?¡±


    Raidou doesn¡¯t break his concentration, yelling back, "It''s a - Shit! - game about killing some - Fuck! - zombie dudes!" while shooting at some virtual zombie dudes.


    Yuudai stands next to the cabinet and picks up the unused blue gun in the machine¡¯s ¡°holster¡±. ¡°Huh, you use this fake gun to shoot them?¡±


    Raidou looks over for a split second, enough to take some damage. ¡°There''s co-op play if you - God DAMN! - wanna try it out.¡±


    Yuudai says, ¡°Well, I don¡¯t see that¡­ er, guy yet, so I might as well try it o-¡±


    Yuudai is cut off by Raidou yelling out a loud string of curse words as GAME OVER appears on the screen. ¡°FUCK! This one¡¯s even harder than the last one,¡± he shouts at the air with a loud roar.


    Kairu reveals himself from behind a nearby machine, having heard Raidou¡¯s boisterous yelling. Yuudai sees him approach and waves him over. ¡°Wow, you fucking suck,¡± Kairu says to Raidou with a hair flip. ¡°I¡¯m glad you guys decided to show up. I''m planning on sabotaging this stupid waste of time they call a ¡®game¡¯.¡± He tilts his head back and runs his hand through his hair. ¡°And Ame has been such a huge bitch recently I''m ready to break.¡±


    Raidou jams the gun back in the machine. ¡°You don¡¯t need to sabotage it, it¡¯s already sabotaged! How the hell do you even hit that weakpoint on the first boss?¡±


    Yuudai gives Raidou a look of disdain. ¡°Eh, you mean the baseball game?


    Raidou throws his arm back. ¡°No, you DUMBASS! The fucking arc-¡±     Raidou suddenly realizes the presence behind him, turning around to greet him. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you. Sup?¡±


    Kairu shrugs and shakes his head. ¡°Arcade game¡­¡± He then looks back up right at Yuudai and Raidou. ¡°Yeah, the baseball game. If Ame loses then she¡¯ll probably step down and I can take over the drama club. If you help me¡­¡± He pauses for a moment. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll ignore your club forever.¡±


    Yuudai immediately steps forward and asks, ¡°How do we know we can trust you?¡±


    Raidou adds with a sigh, ¡°Yeah, the chance at gettin'' two clubs off our asses is a lil'' too good to be true.¡±


    Kairu runs his hand through his hair, then says, ¡°Honestly, you don''t have a reason, but have I given you a reason to doubt me?¡± He perks up a bit, then continues. ¡°Besides, it''ll be an exciting thing to investigate! You guys are totally in to that! Right?¡±


    Yuudai thinks for a second. ¡°Well, I guess you got a point¡­¡±


    Raidou still looks skeptical, saying, ¡°Feh, you''re one of those drama dweebs, though. I¡¯m not gonna trust you until you explain what it is we¡¯re doing.¡±


    Kairu leans in close, lowering the level of his voice. ¡°You see, I have some dirt on the current dean. Some real underhanded behavior. I saw him doing some¡­ illegal shit at the last baseball game.¡±


    Yuudai is completely interested. ¡°Dirt on the dean, huh? What kind of dirt?¡±


    Kairu reponds, ¡°The kind that would give us a new dean. And possibly give him a home behind bars.¡±


    Raidou is now interested too. ¡°Woah, that sounds heavy. What the hell could the dean be doing to get that kind of punishment?¡±


    Kairu grins. ¡°Well, he was talking to this guy in a flashy coat, giving him money and some papers. I thought it was just a normal bribe, or some kind of Yakuza payment, but then I saw him get some money back. That¡¯s when it struck me, he was betting on the baseball club¡¯s games.¡±


    Yuudai and Raidou are slack-jawed at this revelation. Saito comes across while moving from the rhythm section to the puzzle section. He stops, seeing their shocked faces. ¡°Oh, hey guys. What¡¯s got you lookin¡¯ so shook?¡±


    Yuudai is the first to recover, saying slowly, ¡°Saito, we¡¯re gonna bust a gambling ring.¡±


    Saito stares at him with a mix of bewilderment and amusement. ¡°And how do you suggest we do that?¡±


    Yuudai thinks for a moment, and asks Kairu, ¡°W-wait, do you have any proof of this besides your own words? It¡¯s easy to claim things, but-¡±


    Kairu cuts him off mid sentence. ¡°Of course I do. They meet up in this arcade after the end of the first inning and deal near the broken machines in that corner.¡± He points to a darkened area in the back. ¡°We¡¯ll hide there and catch them in the act.¡±


    Saito scratches his head. ¡°Why¡¯s this so bad, again? It¡¯s just a little gambling, people probably do it in the pachinko parlor next door too.¡±


    Kairu responds, ¡°That¡¯s different. Anyone can come in and play pachinko. This is one of the people running the games betting on them, he can control who does and doesn¡¯t play.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Yuudai suddenly exclaims, ¡°Hey, what a minute! Why do you need our help if you already know all this?¡±


    Kairu responds, ¡°I don¡¯t have any way to record the deal, and besides having a lookout is never a bad idea. Plus, if we get caught, we can scatter and at least most of us will get away.¡±


    Saito pulls out his smartphone and opens the camera app. ¡°What, don¡¯t you have a cellphone or something?¡±


    Kairu pulls his out, a weathered-looking clamshell phone. ¡°Yep, but it doesn¡¯t have a camera.¡±


    Raidou suddenly lets out an amazed sound, ¡°Woah, dude! I have the same kind!¡± He pulls out one similar, but it¡¯s red in color and much more beat up. ¡°These are so good, great reception and it¡¯s fun to flip them up!¡± He flips the phone open for emphasis.


    Kairu grins. ¡°I guess we have a lot in common, eh? Wanna exchange numbers?¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah, dude!¡± Raidou flips his phone open again and they begin to type each other¡¯s numbers in. He closes it one more time, smiles back, and gives an affirming grunt as he pockets it again. Their stare lasts for a few moments, but Raidou¡¯s face suddenly becomes red. ¡°H-hey, stop lookin¡¯ at me like that. If you d-don¡¯t stop, I¡¯ll have to p-punch your lights out! I¡¯m not into that kinda t-thing, shrimp!¡±


    Kairu laughs and flips his hair. ¡°You¡¯d be surprised at how often people mistake my intentions.¡± He looks at his phone, then straightens up and turns to speak to Yuudai. ¡°Well, it¡¯s almost time. We need to get in position before they arrive.¡± He turns and begins to walk off towards the darkened corner.


    Yuudai looks at Saito, then Raidou, then turns and begins to follow him. The other two shrug at each other as they bring up the rear. They look at the machines, and decide to hide in a gap between two worn out machines.


    Yuudai struggles to slide in, and starts loudly whispering, ¡°Darnit, these are too close together, I can¡¯t even fit betw-¡± He¡¯s cut off by Kairu¡¯s hand covering his mouth.


    ¡°I see him, the dean¡¯s here. Be quiet, dumbass!¡± He instructs Raidou to pull Yuudai out and hide near another machine with more space. They do so just in time as the Dean and his bookie walk past them. The dean rests by a machine. ¡°Heh, every time we come here I remember us ripping punks off with this Final Cut 2 machine. Now we¡¯re ripping everyone off with these baseball games. Give them odds just good enough to be true, then pull out the star player with a bogus reason and reap the rewards.¡±


    ¡°Or tell everyone about the Golden Boy from Chiba that is gonna join the school, just to tell him the wrong time so he misses sign-ups,¡± the other man says with a smoky voice. In response to that the two men laugh.


    Kairu looks back at Saito holding his phone. ¡°Oh, were you recording?¡± Kariu asks excitedly. ¡°Did you get that?¡±


    Saito turns his phone around to show a Full Song Combo completion screen with some idol images on it. ¡°No, I was playing MusiDooru. You didn¡¯t tell me you were expec-¡±


    Kairu pulls Saito up by the collar. ¡°If you fuck this up, I swear to-¡± He¡¯s interrupted by a buzz of his phone, he opens it to see a text from Raidou which says ¡°hey man udie is reccin video 2 use as prof. did sato get vid 2?¡± He lets Saito go, only saying ¡°You¡¯re lucky you got good friends.¡±


    Saito dusts himself off, only saying ¡°Whatever...¡± He then puts his headphones back on and goes back to his phone.


    The Dean continues. ¡°I can¡¯t believe so many people bet on this game. For having two terrible teams going head to head, the people taking odds like this is astounding. I guess there¡¯s a lot of desperate fools out there.¡± He chuckles to himself as does his comrade before he opens his jacket and takes out a large envelope. He offers it to the other man while speaking. ¡°Here¡¯s the tickets. Take them to the base, sort it out, then bring the payouts after the end of the game. As usual you shouldn¡¯t have to bring much. Bring some guys back with you in case someone starts trouble.¡± His partner nods and takes the envelope, putting it into his own jacket. He turns and leaves, the Dean lingering a few moments as to not being seen with him before leaving himself.


    As the coast clears, the four regroup in front of the machines where the Dean was standing minutes ago. Yuudai hands his phone to Raidou so he can show the others, with Kairu being particularly impressed. ¡°I think this is enough to bust them, Yuudai. Good work. Now, we just take it to the policeman up front, and everything will be settled by them.¡±


    Yuudai speaks up, ¡°I¡¯m angry.¡± He then balls his fist and looks up at the others. ¡°And I want to punch him.¡±


    Kairu looks over to Yuudai and with a confused look. ¡°What? You can¡¯t just go and punch him no matter how big of a shitbag he is.¡± Yuudai starts to walk away, but Kairu jumps in front of him and spreads his arms. ¡°Yuudai, stop. If you do what you¡¯re thinking of doing, you¡¯ll throw away everything we¡¯ve been working for here.¡±


    Raidou pulls Kairu away. ¡°Yo, let him go. We gotta take this guy down, right? What¡¯s a few extra dents in his face if he is going to jail anyway?¡±


    Saito stops everyone. ¡°I think we should first trail that other guy back to their base and once we know where it is then we can show the police this video.¡±


    Kairu looks towards where the man went and watches Yuudai storm off. ¡°Look at what you did, now he¡¯s going to go ruin everything I¡¯ve been working towards!¡±


    Raidou just scoffs. ¡°A man and his revenge is more important than some stupid investigation.¡±


    Saito takes the chance to recede into the darkness. ¡°I¡¯ll handle this on my own terms.¡±


    ¡°Hey, where the hell did Saito go?¡± Kairu suddenly asks. ¡°Hell, where did EVERYONE go?¡± He looks at Raidou, who just shrugs in response. Kairu stomps and sighs exasperatedly. He says, ¡°Let¡¯s just go and find this white haired idiot before he does something stupid.¡± They rush out of the arcade, deciding he¡¯d most likely be at the baseball game, then rush in that direction.


    Yuudai finally makes it back to the stadium, flashing his student ID as he quickly rushed past the turnstile in search of where the dean could have gone. He thinks out loud ¡°Now where would he¡¯d be? With how egotistical he is, he¡¯d probably be at the highest possible place, like an emperor.¡± He snaps his fingers as the answer pops in his head. ¡°The press box!¡± He turns his head left and right, looking for a path up. ¡°Now, how the hell do I get up there?¡± He finds some elevators, tries to press the top floor button, but then notices a key hole next to the button. ¡°Shit, the elevators need a key to get up top,¡± he says as he bangs the panel, shorting it out a bit and causing the doors to re-open. ¡°And I don¡¯t know where the stairs up to the press boxes are.¡±


    He rushes around the stadium, ignoring the rigged game going on, trying to look for any suspicious doors or stairs. Finally, he comes across an emergency exit that doesn¡¯t exactly lead outside. ¡°This can¡¯t be right¡­ maybe this is how they hide the entrances?¡± He goes to punch the door, but then thinks twice of it when he realizes that emergency exits are usually attached to alarm system. ¡°Now¡­ how do I get around this?¡± he thinks out loud, trying to find someplace to make a secondary entrance.


    ¡°Need some help, bro?¡± Raidou finally runs up to Yuudai, with Kairu close behind. Kairu is barely able to keep up, bending over while panting for breath.


    Yuudai blinks. ¡°How did you find me?¡±


    Raidou points at the doors around the area, all swung wide open and surrounded by cracked walls. ¡°Ya left a trail.¡± Raidou laughs, but Kairu finally catches his breath enough to slap Raidou on the back of the head.


    ¡°We¡¯re here to stop him, idiot!¡± He then turns to Yuudai. ¡°Yuudai, you shouldn¡¯t be rampaging through like this. We called the police, they can take care of him properly. Don¡¯t be reckless.¡±


    Yuudai turns back towards the door. ¡°Screw the police, this guy wrecked my future. And before they get here to put him away for the rest of his life, I need to get even for that.¡± He growls and furrows his brow before rearing back and punching the door off his hinges, causing the alarm to start blaring. ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t care about them knowing I¡¯m coming, it just makes it fair!¡±


    Yuudai starts to run up the stairs as Kairu reaches out to him, yelling ¡°NO, DAMNIT! YOU JUST SCREWED THE ENTIRE THING UP!¡±


    Yuudai runs up the stairs, pounding his fist against the wall every few steps out of anger and adrenaline, soon reaching the top. He sees the Dean coming out of one of the skyboxes with a suitcase in hand, he yells out to him, ¡°HEY, DEAN! YOU GET BACK HERE SO I CAN BASH YOUR HEAD IN!¡± The Dean immediately dashes off down the opposing side¡¯s stairwell, with Yuudai in hot pursuit.


    Kairu is looking around, trying to find another way up to stop Yuudai, when he sees several policemen walking by. They walk past him, one of them mumbling, ¡°I swear, if this is another false alarm, I¡¯m gonna write a big damn fine to this damn school until they-¡± The sentence is cut short when one of the officers points out the opened emergency door. The captain immediately perks up and pulls out his jitte. ¡°Alright men, this is the real thing! Let¡¯s go!¡± Some of them rush up the stairs, while another group runs off to the other side. Kairu and Raidou look at eachother, then run along with the other group of policemen, hoping they¡¯ll lead them to another entrance.


    Yuudai reaches the bottom and pops open the door, only to be met with the policeman holding a jitte. ¡°STOP WHERE YOU ARE,¡± they shout, causing the Dean to hold his hands up. Yuudai catches up, but also gets told to stop in his tracks.


    The Dean moves towards the policemen, pointing at Yuudai. ¡°Oh, thank heavens that you¡¯re here! This hooligan broke into my box and threatened to kill me!¡±


    The policemen walk past the dean and encroach on Yuudai. ¡°Wait, wait, hold on! This guy¡¯s the one you want! He¡¯s gambling on matches, screwing over students and ruining their futures so he can get rich off rigged games!¡±


    The policemen ignore Yuudai¡¯s ranting and begin to close in on him, when suddenly a voice from behind yells out, ¡°Hey, cool it, he¡¯s right. We have video evidence!¡± Raidou charges towards the cops, Kairu being dragged behind him. ¡°Cool it, dude! We don¡¯t need you getting arrested too! Just show them the damn phone!¡±


    The police chief turns his head without breaking his stance. ¡°What the hell are you kids talking about? Nevermind that, what are you even doing here? Are you with this delinquent?¡±


    Kairu pulls Raidou back even more as he gets upset at the chief calling Yuudai a delinquent. Raidou can barely keep himself composed enough to hold himself back. ¡°You¡¯ve got the wrong guy, we have video of the dean making backroom deals and rigging these games.¡± He pulls out the phone, turns it on, and hits the play button on an already loaded video.


    The police chief watches the video to completion and turns towards the Dean and says, ¡°What do you have to say for yourself?¡±


    The Dean¡¯s face doesn¡¯t even give off a hint of nervousness as he calmly states ¡°You could not see the faces of either man talking in that video clearly, you have no proof of me doing any wrong doing.¡±


    Yuudai advances towards the dean. ¡°That¡¯s bullshit and you know it! That¡¯s you in the video.¡± The police chief steps forward and pushes his jitte against Yuudai¡¯s chest. ¡°Calm down son, just relax.¡±


    With tensions rising, everyone is too focused on the situation to notice Saito arrive, holding a suitcase. He drops it on the ground, then gives it a little kick, sliding it between the Chief¡¯s legs to a stop in front of him. ¡°What the h- Where did this come from?¡± the Chief yells as he looks back again towards the newcomer.


    Saito looks the Chief dead in the eyes. ¡°Here¡¯s the rest of the proof, sir.¡±


    The dean finally breaks his facade, recognizing the suitcase. ¡°H-h-how the hell did you get th-¡±. He stops himself, then regains his composure. ¡°What is some silly suitcase going to prove?¡±


    Saito responds, ¡°Open that and you¡¯ll see all their betting slips, notes, and everything else they used.¡± He then looks at the Dean. ¡°I convinced your partner to let me borrow it.¡± He leans his head back only to hit it on his scythe, still wet with blood.


    Raidou notices this and says, ¡°Yo dude, that¡¯s what that box you carry around is? Sick!¡± Saito ignores him, collapsing his scythe and slinging it over his shoulder.


    The Chief reaches down and forces open the suitcase, looking through the papers. He sorts through them for a few minutes while his men keep everyone still, finally looking up and nodding towards the officers holding the Dean. ¡°I¡¯ve seen enough. These boys have blown this case wide open and we didn¡¯t even know a thing about it. Arrest that man, he¡¯s going away for a long time.¡±


    The officers behind the dean grab his arms and cuff him, ignoring his cries of innocence and drag him off. Yuudai pumps his fist in excitement. ¡°Yeah, we got him!¡± The chief interrupts his celebration. ¡°Kid, you did good uncovering all this. However, I can¡¯t ignore that you were attempting to assault him.¡± He pauses for a moment, then continues. ¡°I¡¯ll let you off with a warning this time, don¡¯t take the law into your own hands. You seem like a good person, don¡¯t throw your life away for revenge.¡± He turns his head to the others. ¡°That goes for you all too.¡± He adjusts his hat, then turns to leave, ordering his men to do the same. ¡°Good day, boys.¡±


    After the police leave, the boys stand around still processing what just happened. Kairu breaks the silence by clapping for the boys. ¡°Thanks for helping me out with this today, I¡¯ll be sure to pay you guys back in kind when I can.¡± He smirks and walks away, leaving the three paranormal boys behind. Raidou breaks the new silence with, ¡°Well, now what?¡±


    Yuudai looks down towards the field. ¡°Well, the game is still going on. Let¡¯s check in on the girls.¡± As they make their way down the stairs, they hear the announcer proclaim the end of the game. ¡°Well, we can go check on the girls still.¡±


    Saito glances down at the field, and spots the girls still in their cheerleading uniforms. ¡°Looks like they¡¯re still on the field, for some reason.¡±


    Yuudai leads the way as they proceed down the stairs to regroup with the others. As he walks, he hears the roar of the crowd and the announcer over the PA system.    ¡°And here are your winners...the PARANORMAL CLUB!¡±


    Yuudai¡¯s rage turns to joy as he runs onto the diamond, whooping and hollering. He tosses the first person he gets his hands on, a groggy Mayumi, high into the air. ¡°Hip hip, hooray! Hip hip, hooray! Hip hip-¡±


    Mayumi¡¯s lacy black bra lands on Yuudai¡¯s face. She smirks at him freezing up, then realizes he¡¯s not going to catch her. She hits the ground with a sickening smack.


    Akina allows herself the ghost of a smile. ¡°Hooray.¡±

 Chapter 13 - The Story of Come Down

    The day after the baseball game, the club is gathered inside the common area of the girls dormitory, after Yuuri and Katsuki called them here. Raidou enters, groaning and complaining. ¡°Why the hell do we have to walk all the way over here to meet up with you guys? Why don¡¯t we just meet somewhere in the middle?¡± Yuudai nods in agreement as they step over Mayumi, who¡¯s curled up in a ball on the floor.


    Yuuri scoffs at the two, ¡°I guess chivalry really is dead.¡±


    Mayumi bolts up after Yuudai brushes her on his way past. ¡°What the fu- oh, it¡¯s you guys. What the hell happened last night?¡±


    Yuuri responds. ¡°Oh, you passed out during the competition, silly. You were trying harder than anyone else.¡±


    Akina grunts. ¡°Yeah, I had to carry you back. Ever heard of a diet?¡±


    Mayumi leaps to her feet, taking offense at Akina¡¯s rude remark. Some of the furniture starts rumbling before she calms herself down.


    ¡°W-we took care of you though, Mayumi-senpai!¡± Kirika stammers out, preparing to dodge chairs and tables.


    Akina turns towards Katsuki. ¡°President, will we do stuff like that again?¡±


    Katsuki sighs. ¡°I hope not, but if that much weirdness is the norm around here...¡± Katsuki looks to Mayumi, hoping for a reply.


    ¡°D-don¡¯t worry, Senpai got weird too.¡± Kirika tries to defuse the situation further. Yuuri ignores this.


    Mayumi perks up. ¡°Like, cat pun weird?¡±


    ¡°Well, if I tell you will you promise not to make anything of it, Asuka?¡± Yuuri hides her face after saying that.


    Katsuki interrupts her. ¡°It was a hairy situation. It was a real catastrophe, but Yuuri really dug her claws into the problem and now she''s feeling feline.¡±


    ¡°Next person to make a cat pun gets punched into next week,¡± Yuudai grumbles.


    Cerys looks stone faced at Yuudai. ¡°If you¡¯re gonna start punching people, start with the vice president in retaliation for those awful puns.¡± She then grins mischievously, leaving Yuudai unable to tell if she¡¯s joking or not.


    Yuuri bolts straight up. ¡°W-what? M-me? Why punch me?¡±


    ¡°I want to see your cat thing again. That was funny to me.¡± Cerys keeps her smirk up.


    Mayumi turns her head towards Cerys. ¡°Wait, cat thing? What the fuck happened while I was out?¡±


    Kirika speaks up adamantly, ¡°Nothing happened! She just got too into cheerleading!¡±


    Yuuri grabs a book and hides her face with it. ¡°Ex-exactly! T-there is no cat thing! I don¡¯t know w-what you¡¯re all talking about!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re bullshitting but I don¡¯t about what, because this whole thing sounds like bullshit.¡± Mayumi scoffs.


    Cerys appears behind Yuuri with a muffled cracking noise and starts patting around her head. ¡°Tell me, how do you hide those ears, huh?¡±


    Yuuri turns around and swats at Cerys, who snaps away with a ghostly chuckle. ¡°I did not give you permission to touch me!¡±


    Mayumi laughs to herself, then makes a cat paw gesture towards Yuuri. ¡°Mrow, vice prez. Someone got pet the wrong way~.¡± She ignores the glare from Yuudai with another chuckle, then does a dismissive hand wave. ¡°Anyway, who knocked me the fuck out?¡±


    Yuudai speaks up. ¡°You did, asshole. We got down to the field after the game to celebrate the victory with you guys, I was tossing you in the air when you threw your bra on my face. I couldn¡¯t see you, so you fell on your face so hard Kirika thought we¡¯d have to call an ambulance!¡±


    Kirika protests. ¡°Nuuh-uuuh, Mayumi-senpai! Yuudai did it on purpose, he made you  hurt yourself on purpose!¡± She stands up and points at him.


    ¡°Oh, it was the beefcake motherfucker. Always knew he was a switch hitter.¡± Mayumi has her hand on her chin in the classic thinking pose


    Akina asks out loud, ¡°So, does vice prez go cat every time she gets punched hard enough?¡±


    Yuudai grumbles in the background at the continuation of the of the other topic, but Yuuri sighs and finally decides to come clean. ¡°...I don¡¯t know what lets the cat out of the bag, Gedou.¡± Yuudai groans loudly at yet another cat pun. Yuuri pouts in her chair. ¡°It¡¯s all strange to me, I can¡¯t control it¡­¡±


    Katsuki butts in with, ¡°Why control it? I think it¡¯s cool.¡± Yuuri tosses her book at Katsuki after hearing her say that. The book hits with a soft thud and a loud yelp of pain comes from Katsuki.


    Yuuri shakes her head. ¡°Absolutely not! I''m fine with the ears and the tail, but the separate personality is nothing like me!¡±


    Kirika frowns watching the book hit Katsuki. ¡°Senpai no! If you do that then you¡¯re no better than that big brute over there,¡± she says, pointing to Yuudai again.


    Yuudai stands up clearly tired of the nonsense Kirika is spewing. ¡°If you¡¯re going to tell someone what happened at least tell the truth!¡± Kirika cowers at the anger in his voice.


    Mayumi stands up and matches Yuudai¡¯s tone to get him off of Kirika¡¯s case. ¡°If you want the truth to be told, stop shouting and tell it boy.¡± she stares him down not fazed at all by his anger


    ¡°Did those pills kill your hearing?¡± Yuudai spits out at her. ¡°I said you blinded me and I couldn¡¯t catch you.¡±


    Mayumi takes a deep breath trying to bring the tension down ¡°Gotta be more to the story than that,¡± she says, her face still fairly serious  ¡°Even though you have a really punchable face.¡±


    Katsuki looks at the ceiling and puts a finger to her lips. ¡°As I remember it, it was you who jumped on him first, Mayumi.¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t remember any of this, which is why we¡¯re having this talk, Pres.¡± Mayumi says, clearly tired of the back and forth.


    Yuudai clicks his tongue. ¡°Whatever. You did this to yourself, if you¡¯re looking to try and shift the blame onto someone else then I¡¯m sorry for you.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Mayumi scoffs. ¡°Whatever. It was probably your first time touching a bra anyway cherry boy.¡±


    Yuudai tenses up and glares at her before letting out a sigh, shaking his head, and sitting back down.


    Silence then washes over the room as the two decline to argue any further, only Raidou¡¯s loud snoring is audible. He shifts slightly, turning to face the wall. The magazine he was reading slips off his face and onto the floor, revealing its contents, ¡±MY ENCOUNTER WITH A SEX DEMON IN THE ARCADE.¡±


    Kirika breaks the silence, walking to Mayumi¡¯s side. ¡°D-don¡¯t worry Senpai! You certainly didn¡¯t deserve any of that!¡± She blinks, then continues ¡°I-I think, I was distracted by s-senpai¡­¡±


    ¡°If he put me on my ass, I probably did. You don''t hit a lady but you make sure to beat a bitch.¡± She cracks her neck ¡°Had to beat a few myself.¡±


    Akina is the next to speak up from her chair, ¡°Yuudai, next time you need to beat up a druggie, let me know. I can do it better than you.¡±


    Yuudai turns to Akina and raises his voice ¡°Would you get off my case with this shit already?!¡±


    Mayumi says, ¡°Just weird that you¡¯re talking shit about me throwing my bra at you when usually men pay me for that. I feel like I¡¯m owed something.¡± She smirks as she says the last bit.


    ¡°No, you really should shut up. Both of you. Are you insane? Still going on about this dumb shit?¡± Cerys nearly shouts at the two, her ears ringing from the incessant yelling.


    ¡°Pretty sure you have to be insane to be in this club!¡± Katsuki proudly states.


    Mayumi, still grinning, responds. ¡°Of course the occult-obsessed conspiracy theorist girl loves the insane.¡±


    Akina drops her pen and notebook and begins stretching her limbs. ¡°Anyway, sitting here listening to everyone bitch at each other is boring. We should go bitch at each other around the conbini or something. Anywhere but here-¡±


    The PA speaker screeches to life, fading to a low hiss after a minute.¡± The sudden eruption of sound causes Raidou to jump from his chair, crashing to the ground in a rude awakening. ¡°Arrrgh, fucking shit! Fuckin¡¯ shitty shithole of a school!¡±


    Finally, the noise clears out and a voice comes through. ¡°This is Kensaku Numata, formerly the Math teacher.  Due to the circumstances of yesterday''s baseball game, Dr. Ryouhei Mikami has been put on administrative leave. As we are still dealing with the incident, I am now the acting Dean. On lighter news, since is the middle of the week it''s time to post the popularity polls and merchandising deals. The Student Council will update you all with this information shortly.¡±


    Raidou is the first to yell once again. ¡°Aw fuck, Numata¡¯s in charge? What shit news to wake up to.¡±


    Yuuri suddenly realizes what was said and turns to her clubmates. ¡°W-wait, why would the Dean be put on leave?¡±


    Mayumi laughs. ¡°Probably tried to get frisky with one of the cheerleaders.¡±


    Yuudai chuckles, ¡°Actually, you¡¯re on the wrong side of the field, Mayumi.¡± Before giving her a chance to respond, he continues. ¡°I caught him rigging and betting on the baseball games.¡±


    Cerys responds with mild surprise. ¡°What, you? By yourself?¡±


    Yuudai¡¯s smile fades as he realizes his mistake, ¡°No, Raidou, Saito, and... the Drama kid were with me. We ended up getting the police to arrest him for it.¡±


    Cerys giggles, ¡°If I didn¡¯t know you, I¡¯d be mildly impressed.¡±


    Yuuri is just as surprised as Cerys. ¡°Saito? He helped too? What did you do Sait-¡± She looks around the room, only to realize Saito hasn¡¯t been there the whole time. ¡°W-where did he go? He didn¡¯t get hurt, did he?¡±


    Raidou rubs his temples. ¡°Nah, he texted me that he¡¯d be busy today, and he¡¯d catch up later. Dunno what that¡¯s about.¡±


    Yuudai resumes. ¡°None of us got hurt, either. It was a little tense, but we got video of him confessing to it and showed it to the cops. Nothing he could do about it.¡±


    Akina leans back in her chair. ¡°Standard procedure, fire the guy on top and then pretend everything is fine now.¡±


    Mayumi rolls her eyes as she puts a cigarette in her mouth. ¡°Man, looks like everyone in this school is a crazy fuck, not just the students.¡±


    Yuuri leaps from her seat with cat-like reflexes and knocks the cigarette out of Mayumi¡¯s mouth. ¡°Hey, No smoking in the dorm! It¡¯s not good for you! Or us! Or anyone!¡±


    Kirika turns to the two, ¡°Yeah, t-tell her Senpai! We need to care about her health! ¡­ and the others too!¡±


    Mayumi sighs as she leans down to pick it up. ¡°Fine, fine.¡±


    A different voice pops over the PA system this time. ¡°Hi everyone, it¡¯s Socho-nee of the Student Council. I''m sure all of you are still stressed out from the previous announcement, but there is some good news! We have the results of popularity!¡± A party popper can be heard exploding over the intercom. ¡°Coming in at number one is the sassy, salacious, Drama Club! Coming in at number two are the spooky, scary Paranormal Club! And rounding out the top three is the good old Racing Club!! Next up is merchandising, which I''ll hand over to Komoku over here.¡±


    The sound of chairs ruffling is transported over the mic as Kirika asks her clubmates, ¡°Merchandise? We have merchandise?¡± She thinks for a moment, then continues ¡°I wonder what kind¡­. I hope they sell figurines of senpai!¡±


    Raidou gets to his feet, finally smiling ¡°Hey, maybe they have a badass jacket with my mug on ¡®em!¡±


    Yuuri waves her hand. ¡°No way, I bet Akiyama is the most popular of all of us.¡±


    Yuudai grunts. ¡°Me? The most popular? Pffft.¡±


    ¡°That shrimp? As if.¡± Raidou stands and begins to flex and pose. ¡°If you want the champion of the club, then look no further. I even put a man in jail.¡±


    Yuudai stands and begins to pose as well. ¡°You couldn¡¯t beat me even on your best day.¡± Yuudai grins clearly thinking he is the better one.


    Akina stands up and quickly unbuttons the bottom half of her top and pulls it open, showing off her rock-hard abs. Without even a grin she simply states, ¡°I could beat the both of you easily.¡± She glares at the two without a hint of humor.


    Raidou scoffs. ¡°Good thing I don¡¯t fight girls.¡± He points his thumb towards Yuudai. ¡°I¡¯ll leave that to this guy over here.¡±


    Yuudai is immediately taken aback, yelling out ¡°HEY! I thought you were on my side! I didn¡¯t do anything! She fell and hit her head, that¡¯s all!¡±


    Kirika brings the conversation back to the PA¡¯s announcement. ¡°I-I wonder if they made anything with me on it? Like a postcard!¡±


    Mayumi puts another cigarette  in her mouth. ¡°They probably made ridiculous stuff with my picture on it for lonely guys to cuddle at night.¡±


    Yuuri turns to Mayumi, saying, ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s legal to do that to high schoolers, Asuka. And didn¡¯t I tell you not to smoke?¡± Yuuri grabs this one and keeps it much to the chagrin of Mayumi.


    Katsuki chimes back in, ¡°Actually it is! We had to sign merchandising deals during the application process!¡±


    The wonderment doesn¡¯t last much longer, as the PA sparks back to life. Komuko comes back on, and starts to list off the items bearing everyone¡¯s likeness. Kirika listens excitedly at first, but as Komuko goes the list and the items become more and more unsavory, her face falls more and more. By the time the list finishes with Mayumi¡¯s semi-legal items, Kirka is visibly shaken.


    ¡°I-I-It¡¯s in th-the contract, w-we g-grant the sc-sc-school the right to u-use our ¡­ our¡­ ¡° Kirika tries to finish while holding back tears. ¡°Our likenesses.¡±


    Mayumi pats Kirika¡¯s head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, ain¡¯t nobody gonna put your mug on anything worse than a postcard.¡±


    Kirika calms down a little and smiles, ¡°T-thank you, Senpai¡­¡±


    She¡¯s cut off by the PA system finishing it¡¯s duty for the day, transmitting Komuko¡¯s voice one last time. ¡°Finally, would the Paranormal Club please report to the Dean''s office? Thank you. That¡¯s all for today¡¯s announcements, have a good day!¡±


    Yuudai immediately gets up, grumbling as he grabs his jacket. ¡°Alright, now that we¡¯re all disturbed by whatever they put our pictures on, can we get going?¡±


    Yuuri agrees, but adds ¡°He probably wants to interrogate us about what you did to the last Dean.¡± She frowns as she rises from her seat. ¡°It¡¯s been such a stressful week, we need to do something to unwind.¡± She collects her own jacket and gets ready to head out when she suddenly perks up with an idea. ¡°Hey, everyone, how about we go to the beach once we¡¯re done with the Dean? It¡¯s the end of the week, so we can stay as long as we want!¡±


    The others look at each other and talk a bit, then excitedly all respond positively. Mayumi chips in, ¡°It¡¯ll finally give me a chance to wear that bikini that¡¯ll get the broadcast in trouble.¡± She grins, then her face falls a bit as she realizes ¡°...and be part of the next round of merch.¡± She says this with a hint of bitterness.


    The club members all get up and gather their jackets and personal items, then prepare to leave the room. They all proceed towards the acting Dean¡¯s office.

 Chapter 14 - The Story of Cover Ups

    The Paranormal Club crams their way into an office that clearly isn¡¯t meant to hold so many people at once. The walls of the room are completely stripped of all of the former Dean¡¯s accolades, now barren except for a wall mirror and a picture of Numata and Kairu. Inside is the new Dean, Mr. Numata, who quickly greets them. ¡°Oh hello girls, how have you been? Is there anything I can help you with?¡±


    ¡°Hi Mr. Numata! So my fortune came true!¡± Kirika puffs her chest out in pride.


    He waves to Kirika as Cerys speaks up next. ¡°You¡¯re the one who had us all called here over the PA system. Why did we all have to come instead of just the boys?¡±


    Mr. Numata puts his forehead in his hand as he speaks. ¡°Sorry, can you please just call me Kansaku? Anyway, I only asked them to call the boys here¡­¡±


    Yuudai looks at the picture intently, then asks Kansaku, ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t know you were related to Kairu.¡±


    Kansaku ruffles his already messy hair. ¡°Yeah he¡¯s my little brother, no matter how much he tries to deny it. Before you ask, no I won¡¯t let him get away with anything more than anyone else.¡±


    Mayumi looks annoyed, and blurts out, ¡°Alright, enough family talk. Are you gonna tell the students what the last Dean was doing to them?¡±


    Kansaku looks for a moment, then says, ¡°...Close the door.¡±


    Raidou grumbles and quickly closes the door stepping outside as he does. Yuudai looks quizzically ¡°Was that not what you asked us in here for? To talk about us getting the Dean arrested?¡±


    Kansaku stands once the door is closed. ¡°I''m sure you''re all still very upset from what happened, but you should know we have the situation under control.¡±


    Kirika shrugs. ¡°Well actually, only Yuudai is upset.¡±


    Cerys adds on, ¡°The rest of us don¡¯t really care. He¡¯s the only one directly affected.¡± She leans on the wall and continues, ¡°when you gather students with the premise that this school has you just know something like this will happen often.¡±


    Yuudai looks at Cerys with some anger in his eyes. ¡°No one should have expected what happened.¡±


    Akina shrugs. ¡°At least it wasn¡¯t sexual harassment.¡° She then blinks and furrows her brow suddenly, ¡°especially with the cheerleaders.¡±


    Mayumi speaks up again. ¡°So, New Dean, what¡¯s the cover story? How you gonna spin this?¡±


    Kansaku shrugs. ¡°Since your clubmates were involved I guess I owe it to you to tell you the whole story. He was acting alone, nobody else in the school knew of what he was doing. We just put out the usual PR of how it doesn¡¯t reflect on the school, and we¡¯ll take whatever we get. However, we can¡¯t let the general public know that it was four students that brought him down, so-¡±


    Yuudai stops him. ¡°Wait, wait. Then who are you gonna say blew the cover off this?¡±


    Kansaku continues, ¡°Well, if you¡¯d let me continue¡­ We were going to say that he got sloppy transporting the betting slips after so long and some of them ended up in the hands of an unnamed staff member, who turned them into the police immediately.¡±


    Yuuri stamps her foot. ¡°W-what!? Are you really not going to give any credit to our boys?¡±


    ¡°Same old shit with these old heads,¡± Mayumi groans.


    Kansaku runs his hand through his hair as he turns towards the mirror. ¡°I-I don¡¯t have any grey hairs, do I?¡± Mayumi snickers, causing him to remember his place and straighten up. Clearing his throat, he continues. ¡°I''m sure you''re upset, but you have to realize our economy is still a far way from how it used to be. We as a school and as a nation can¡¯t afford to be caught having a scandal like this be uncovered by students.¡±


    Cerys crosses her arms and taps her foot angrily. ¡°They uncovered this scandal AND chased the Dean down on their own and you fucks go and give the credit to some flatfoots?¡±


    Yuudai holds his hand out to stop Cerys with a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s fine, if it¡¯s to stop paranoia. At least we stopped him.¡±


    Akina keeps her standoffish pose. ¡°Well, next time we know not to report any wrongdoing.¡±


    Kirkia turns her head to Akina, ¡°Now, now, I¡¯m sure that the school isn¡¯t full of people doing bad things like this!¡±


    Yuudai speaks up full of hope. ¡°Well, since I got rid of the old Dean, does that mean I can join the baseball team?¡±


    Kansaku sits back down and leans back in his chair. ¡°I would if I could. There¡¯s simply no spots. We¡¯d have to wait for someone to stop playing and give up their place on the roster, and we can¡¯t just force them out or we¡¯d be doing to them what the old Dean did to you.¡±


    Yuudai sits in the chair behind him, crestfallen. ¡°So I¡¯m stuck in this craphole club?¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Kirika suddenly shouts, ¡°Hey! Our club isn¡¯t a¡­ a¡­ a c-craphole! Our club is good! Very good! At everything!¡±


    ¡°I really wish there was something I could do for you,¡± Kansaku says, leaning forward. ¡°But my hands are absolutely tied. Not that you all are unimportant, but we have several other clubs that all have needs too and I¡¯ve got to keep this school from falling apart while keeping all of them happy.¡±


    Katsuki stares him down. ¡°Can¡¯t you put yourself in his shoes? This all just seems so unfair.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t have this exact same talk with my little brother. He played just as much a role in everything as you and your friends did, Yuudai. He understood how important it was for credit to be¡­ misdirected. I hope you can do the same.¡±


    Akina sighs and slams her fist against the wall. ¡°This is going nowhere.¡± She mumbles barely audibly, ¡°It¡¯d be so much easier if we could just beat up people who annoy us¡­¡±


    Mayumi isn¡¯t quite so considerate, blurting out, ¡°Man, this school¡¯s leadership ain¡¯t shit. I knew I should have went to Cali with my dad. Could have been looking at guys on the beach and everything.¡±


    Yuuri¡¯s eyes suddenly light up. ¡°Well, there¡¯s beaches here in Japan, you know! We¡¯re even going to one today, remember? You can still come ogle guys with us!¡±


    Kansaku stands up. ¡°Well, it was nice getting this talk with everyone, you¡¯re all free to go now. ¡°


    They begin to turn towards the door, but Cerys speaks up first. ¡°One last question. What are you gonna do if we don¡¯t keep our mouths shut?¡±


    Kansaku looks shocked at the question, thinks for a bit, then finally answers. ¡°Well, I suppose there¡¯s nothing we can do. Some of you have powers and we¡¯re just normal humans.¡± He then thinks for another moment, and finishes by saying, ¡°All we can do is ask that you keep it under wraps to not cause panic.¡±


    Cerys is slackjawed at the earnest response, staring dumbfoundedly before yelling ¡°No! Don''t be calm, threaten us or something. You are supposed to represent the shady school that watches us for amusement. FUCK, get it together Kansaku!¡±


    Kansaku chuckles at Cerys¡¯ harsh words. ¡°Ms. Alcott, please remember, this is my first day on the job. I haven¡¯t had time to get jaded just yet.¡±


    Cerys goes to say something more, but she can¡¯t find the words and just stomps off after the rest of the club. Yuudai¡¯s the last to leave, moving somewhat slowly when Kansaku clasps him on the shoulder. ¡°I really am sorry that I can¡¯t do anything for you. Even so, look at how angry your club-mates were on your behalf after only knowing you for a month. You¡¯re in with some good people, Yuudai. Stick with ¡®em for the year, and we can see about getting you a slot on the baseball team when the 3rd years graduate.¡± He chuckles, then looks up at the leaving students. ¡°Hell, maybe you won¡¯t even want to switch by then.¡± He lets go of Yuudai¡¯s shoulder and returns to his seat, leaving Yuudai to catch up with the rest of the group.


    Yuudai closes the door on the way out, quickly catching up with the awaiting club members in the hallway. As he gets there, he catches Mayumi putting a cigarette in her mouth.


    Yuuri rolls her eyes at Mayumi. Kirika grabs Mayumi¡¯s shirt sleeve before she can bring the lighter up, saying, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t smoke Mayumi! Daddy says it¡¯s bad for you!¡±


    Mayumi gets her arm free from Kirika¡¯s grasp. ¡°We¡¯re not even at the beach yet, how did you get sand in your vagina already?¡± She lights it up and takes a puff.


    Kirika fumes as Akina speaks nonchalantly, ¡°Well, if the druggie wants to ruin her body, let her. It''s her decision.¡±


    Kirika begins angrily shouting ¡°Yeah, well, being religious is my decision too! It¡¯s a perfectly natural exercise that my family has been practicing for many generations! And we¡¯re the best at it!¡±


    Yuuri quickly puts her hand over Kirika¡¯s mouth. ¡°Now now, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re great at it and your family¡¯s been doing it for years, but uh, could we not shout in the middle of the school about your weirdo family and their weirdo cult?¡±


    Once Yuuri removes her hand from Kirika¡¯s mouth ¡°Kirika mumbles out, ¡°I haven¡¯t been taught anything yet¡­¡±


    Mayumi walks up to Kirika ¡°All the more reason to not fuck with it kid.¡± She then puts out the cigarette and gets closer to Kirika. ¡°Doing things without knowing what you''re getting yourself into is grounds for fucking your life up real bad.¡±


    Mayumi ignores the shameful look Kirika is giving her and continues, ¡°Look kid, I never had to do this before, but I¡¯m trying to give you some life advice, senpai to kouhai. You think you can tame the monster, but ultimately it destroys you.¡±


    Kirika looks at Mayumi with slightly wet eyes. ¡°M-Mayumi¡­¡± she suddenly hugs Mayumi around the waist. Yuuri gives a soft ¡°awww¡± at the scene, while Akina and Cerys fake gag.


    Mayumi blushes heavily, obviously thrown off by the sudden affection. ¡°Woah kid, calm down. I don¡¯t get down like that unless you pay fat stacks!¡± Kirika looks up at Mayumi with confusion. They both blink, but Mayumi sighs and puts her hand on Kirika¡¯s head. ¡°Let¡¯s just say I¡¯m... bad with affection, okay?¡±


    Kirka smiles, ¡°That¡¯s okay senpai, I don¡¯t mind. I can teach you!¡±


    Mayumi laughs, ¡°Hey, you¡¯re alright kid.¡±


    Yuuri claps her hands. ¡°Well, now that we¡¯re all friends again, let¡¯s get ready to go to the beach!¡± She lets out a cheer as she leads the club back to their dorm room.


    Raidou starts to follow the rest out, but before he gets far his phone starts ringing. ¡°Hold on guys, this might be important.¡± The rest of the club waits patiently as they hear what sounds like an intense bout of shouting coming from Raidou¡¯s phone, while he turns paler and paler. ¡°T-that was my mom, I think I¡¯m gonna be gone for a while. Have fun without me.¡±


    Yuuri pats him on the back and says, ¡°We¡¯ll always be here for you if you need us.¡± She waves him off, and everyone goes their separate ways.


    Katsuki stops him before he leaves. ¡°Hey, since I¡¯m president and all, we should keep in touch. Let me give you my number so we can keep each other up to speed.¡± Raidou accepts her number with gratitude, then waves her off as he heads towards the school¡¯s entrance.


    Yuuri nudges Katsuki as she regroups with the rest of the club. ¡°Is that really why you got his number?¡± She slides in closer with a smug look on her face.


    Katsuki turns away from her. ¡°Shut up.¡± She then turns back towards Yuuri. ¡°Say, how do you know about this beach anyway?¡±


    ¡°Oh! My family used to go there all the time when I was younger.¡±


    Katsuki looks at her with a strange expression. ¡°How come I was never invited then? We used to hang out all the time¡­¡±


    Yuuri seizes up. ¡°Uh...I-I was waiting for the perfect opportunity...which is right now! Yeah!¡± She grabs a hold of her hand and pulls her towards the train station before Katsuki can respond.  The rest shrug, and follow along.

 Chapter 15 - The Story of Coastal Hijinks

    After meeting with the principal, the Paranormal Club headed down to the local beach. It is around 1 PM, and the sun is shining brightly on the club. They find a mostly isolated part of the beach where they can have fun and not worry about anyone disrupting them.


    ¡°Ohohoho, I¡¯m glad I got you all to agree with my plan!¡± Yuuri twirls an umbrella in happiness as she leads her friends onto the beach.


    Kirika looks at Yuuri with barely contained excitement. ¡°Of course we would agree to your idea, Senpai!¡±


    Saito rubs the back of his neck. ¡°Man, it¡¯s been forever since I¡¯ve been to the beach.¡±


    Yuuri happily says, ¡°Well we have plenty of time to kill, so let¡¯s find a spot.¡±


    Mayumi adjusts her bikini top to make sure none of her bits are showing, then does a quick fist bump. ¡°Fuck yeah! The beach!¡± She then adjusts her top again. ¡°For once, I¡¯m happy I went with your plan, Vice Pres.¡±


    Yuuri finds a place and plants her umbrella. She takes off her towel and begins to lay it out under the umbrella. Mayumi slinks behind Yuuri and loudly says, ¡°Lookin¡¯ good, Vice Pres. I can see why people want to oogle you.¡±


    Yuuri blushes as she quickly grabs her towel and wraps it back around herself. ¡°W-what? It¡¯s the only swimsuit I have that still fits!¡±


    ¡°Jeez, is that really what you girls talk about?¡± Yuudai asks while deliberately looking away from the girls.


    Mayumi perks up and grins at Yuudai. ¡°Yep, though I thought you''d be more interested. A bunch of bikini-clad girls talking about how hot they are¡­ Oh! Maybe you¡¯re trying to perv on Saito instead?¡± She cackles.


    Saito spots the situation Yuudai has put himself in and slaps Yuudai on the chest. ¡°I hope you¡¯re a good swimmer, I need someone to race me.¡±


    Yuudai smiles at the chance to get out of this. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m always down for a good race!¡±


    Mayumi snickers at the two but is broken up by Cerys sitting next to her and Yuuri under the umbrella while complaining. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s so much hotter here than in Britain.¡± She pulls at the collar of her British-flag themed one-piece. She then turns to the girls under the umbrella with her and, with irritation on her face, shouts ¡°And you two should cover those things up better! They give off more shade than the umbrella!¡± She¡¯s only met with Mayumi grinning and adjusting her top again to Cerys¡¯ chagrin.


    Yuuri however blushes then quickly finishes wrapping the towel around herself again. ¡°Can we please stop talking about my breasts now?¡±


    Saito and Yuudai just walk towards the water leaving the titty talk behind. ¡°Man, I hope I¡¯m still in swimming shape. I used to be really fast, but I haven¡¯t kept up my exercise for a while.¡±


    Yuudai laughs and flexes his arm. ¡°All this muscle ain¡¯t just from luck. You sure you still wanna race?¡±


    ¡°I may be out of practice but I¡¯m sure I¡¯m still faster than you.¡± Saito then lowers his voice. ¡°I only did this to save you from those girls they were about to tear you apart.¡±


    As the two boys make their way towards the water, Katsuki finds Akina sitting away from everyone else, staring out over the ocean. The red bikini girl moves to her side and tries to break the ice in a friendly manner. ¡°Sooooooo, what do you feel like doing?¡±


    Akina breaks her stare out towards the ocean to look at Katsuki with her usual scowl. ¡°I am unsure whether to beat up the druggy or not. She surely would deserve it after all.¡± After she finishes her thought she then looks towards the other of girls just in time to see Mayumi trying to wrestle away Yuuri¡¯s towel.


    Katsuki has a look of worry flash across her face before she puts on an awkward smile and tries to change Akina¡¯s mind. ¡°Why not play a game of volleyball, instead of spilling blood on the sand.¡±


    Yuuri suddenly runs in and hides behind Katsuki. ¡°Please help me! She is trying to steal my towel. Oh no, please stop her~.¡± Mayumi comes in running after her, holding herself to make sure nothing pops out, she tries to work her way around Katsuki to grab Yuuri¡¯s towel laughing as she fails to grab it.


    Akina watches this happen with visible anger on her face. ¡°Spilling blood will be better.¡± She says, standing up.


    Mayumi hears this and stops playing around with Yuuri to turn towards Akina. ¡°Huh? You wanna fight, you man-jawed bitch?¡± She steps towards Akina with a grin.


    Kirika runs over to everyone after she hears the raised voices ¡°P-please, no fighting. We could go to jail if we fight here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah Mayumi, she¡¯s right. I doubt that bikini will last in fight,¡± Cerys says as she walks up after Kirika


    Yuudai and Saito look back at the group of girls, quickly recognizing the tension getting high. ¡°Man, I¡¯m glad we¡¯re not over there right now.¡±


    Yuudai lets out a laugh, ¡°Yeah, thanks for getting me out of there before¡­ that began.¡±


    Akina moves towards Mayumi, standing chest to chest with the taller gyaru girl. She stares into Mayumi¡¯s eyes and says calmly ¡°I''ll give you the first attack, as I don''t plan to give you one more after mine.¡±


    ¡°How kind of you, Edgelord!¡± Mayumi smirks and steps back. ¡°Prepare yourself!¡± she yells as she rears back, letting her fist fly towards Akina¡¯s face full-force.


    She augments the punch with her telekinetic power to try to propel Akina into the ocean. Unfortunately for her, Akina¡¯s reflexes are too fast. She brings her hand up and grabs Mayumi¡¯s fist just before it hits her face. She uses Mayumi¡¯s momentum against her and easily flips the larger girl over her shoulder and into the sand, kicking up a large cloud that gets into the faces of all the onlookers.


    Mayumi quickly rolls out of the crater of sand back towards her blanket, rummaging through her purse, eventually pulling out a small clothing repair kit. She pulls out a few sewing needles and yells ¡°You think I¡¯m done? Screw that, LET¡¯S DANCE TINY BANCHOU BITCH!¡± The sand around her begins to whip into a frenzy as Mayumi uses her psychic powers to shoot the needles at Akina.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Akina stares Mayumi down, the needles whizzing by her except one catching her in the shoulder. She glances at it for a moment, then looks back at Mayumi with disgust. ¡°I didn¡¯t even attack you, and yet you¡¯re already going to weapons. Pathetic.¡±


    The sand swirls around Mayumi even harder as she gets to her feet, preventing anyone from running in and calming the situation down. Yuuri is the only one not enthralled by this to yell over the sand, ¡°Hey, you two, you¡¯re ruining our vacation! Stop fighting and calm down!¡± Mayumi ignores Yuuri¡¯s shouting and rushes Akina like a drunk.


    Akina gets into her fighting stance, staring down the rushing Mayumi. ¡°My turn, bitch.¡± She waits until Mayumi gets close enough, times it, and thrusts her fist forward in a quick strike. Much to Akina¡¯s surprise,  Mayumi ducks below the punch, taking the chance to lunge at Akina and grab her up. She locks her arms around the smaller Akina, lifts her up, and uses her entire body weight to slam Akina into the ground. A grin spreads across Mayumi¡¯s face as she straddles the dazed Akina.


    In Mayumi¡¯s crazed state, she starts staring at Akina deeply. Akina tries to punch Mayumi back, so Mayumi leans forward until they¡¯re face to face, leaving Akina no room to attack anymore. Akina hears Mayumi give a slight lusty laugh, then suddenly feels the sensation of Mayumi¡¯s lips on hers.


    Saito and Yuudai look on to the action from afar. Once the kiss happens Saito lets out a whistle. ¡°Looks like their fight just got interesting.¡± He turns to Yuudai and catches him looking away. ¡°We were never going to get them to not fight anyway, might as well enjoy the action.¡± Yuudai resigns to this, dropping his shoulders and turning back around.


    Akina¡¯s eyes shoot open due to the sudden action bewildering her. Her mind races to the first thing her instincts call for, which is to headbutt Mayumi. She continues following her first reaction by grabbing the needle out of her shoulder and stabbing it into Mayumi¡¯s eye.


    ¡°FUCK! MY EYE! WHY IS IT ALWAYS THE LEFT EYE!¡± Mayumi yells as she quickly pulls the needle out and clutches her eye. The sand around the two dissipates as Mayumi rolls off of Akina and writhes in pain on her back. Kirika runs to Mayumi¡¯s side and tends to her. ¡°Senpai, are you alright?!¡± she asks. Kirika tries to check Mayumi¡¯s eye but is unable to pull away Mayumi¡¯s hands


    Saito and Yuudai come running to the group after hearing the screams. Yuudai sees Mayumi in her current state and then turns to the others and yells, ¡°What the hell happened here?!¡±


    Akina slides away from Mayumi and then sits up ¡°The fucking druggy had it coming to her.¡±


    Yuuri looks down to Akina who is sitting next to her and calmly says, ¡°Miss Gedou wh¡­¡± Yuuri looks at Mayumi and back to Akina ¡°WHAT THE HELL?! WHY CAN''T WE JUST RELAX AT THE BEACH?!¡± Yuuri screeches in anguish.


    Kirika finally succeeds in removing one of Mayumi¡¯s hands from her eye while Mayumi is reduced to pained whimpering. Kirika sees what was underneath and puts the hand back, then starts shouting for help. Katsuki is able to see enough to know that things are serious. She runs to get help, almost knocking over Saito and then turns to him. ¡°Saito, hurry, we need first aid!¡± she yells as she drags him along. ¡°Sure, but do you even know where to go?¡± he yells as he struggles to keep pace with her.


    Yuuri falls to her knees while muttering ¡°OhGodpleasenothiscan¡¯tbehappening.¡± She curls up and begins rocking back and forth frantically. ¡°She¡¯s never gonna see again, the cops are coming, we¡¯re all gonna go away for eye murder, our parents can¡¯t pay the bail, oh God¡­¡± She looks back at Mayumi and gags a bit. ¡°Oh God it¡¯s probably all mushed or something I don¡¯t know how eyeballs work¡­ why why why why.¡±


    Yuudai rushes up to Yuuri and slaps her shoulder to try and bring her back.¡°Hey, stop spazzing out! We need to get her a doctor as soon as possible!¡±


    Yuuri shoots up immediately ¡°Oh, right, no yes, a doctor! Not a beach medic, a real doctor!¡± She immediately runs off in some non-water direction in search of a real doctor.


    Cerys walks over to Mayumi and tries to get a look at her eye. ¡°Well Mayumi at least I''m sure you''ll look good in an eyepatch¡±. She avoids the glares of everyone surrounding Mayumi. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to lighten the mood.¡± The only thing she can hear is the quiet unintelligible whimpering of Mayumi. Akina looks on grimly.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be okay Senpai,¡± Kirika says while stroking Mayumi¡¯s hair to calm her down. ¡°Just a little longer and someone will be back to help you.¡± Mayumi starts to cry openly, shuddering each time a tear flows from her left eye. Kirika keeps trying to calm her down but the sounds of Mayumi crying makes her start crying too. Kirika begins to shake as her tears begin to pool around Mayumi.


    Yuuri comes back wearing a t-shirt over her bikini panting hard. ¡°I ran everywhere and I just couldn¡¯t get service out here to call someone!¡±


    Katsuki and Saito return as well. ¡°We couldn¡¯t find anyone here that could help us. Everyone was busy dealing with something on the other side of the beach,¡± Katsuki says as she walks up. ¡°How is she doing, Kirika?¡±


    Saito adds on, ¡°Dunno what it was mang, but it sounded like someone was drowning over there.¡±


    Kirika doesn¡¯t answer back still crying and shaking over Mayumi. The amount of water surrounding the two is significantly high now.


    Cerys looks on with confusion. ¡°Are they both going to die?¡± Seemingly in response to what Cerys said, from the pools of Kirika''s tears rises a water elemental. The party can only stare in awe as the elemental caresses Mayumi¡¯s face. There is a bright light coming from his hand, and the stress of this happening causes Kirika to pass out.


    After the elemental removes it¡¯s hand from Mayumi¡¯s face, she sits up with a start ¡°What the hell?¡± She sees the elemental in front of her and and blinks her good eye a few times and wonders out loud ¡°Did I die, is this what hell is like?¡± She tries to touch the elemental but it moves before she can touch it.


    The rest of the party looks on to the scene with a shared expression of shock. As the elemental gets closer to the water the party hears ¡°be well my child¡± coming from nowhere. The elemental returns to the sea leaving the group dumbstuck.


    Katsuki is the first to break the silence. ¡°What the fuck was that?¡±


    ¡°Just, typical club things, Katsuki. We are the Paranormal Club after all!¡± Yuuri stammers out, clearly trying to get her grasp on reality back. She then runs over to Mayumi and hugs her. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re alright!¡±  She pulls back to check Mayumi¡¯s eye, ¡°You are alright, right?¡±


    Mayumi still has one hand covering the eye. ¡°I can''t see out of my fucking left eye, but other than that, I''m fucking peachy,¡± Mayumi puts the other hand back to the eye.


    ¡°Well, maybe after...whatever the heck that was, you should try now?¡± Yuuri tries to get a better look at the eye. ¡°I mean, it looked like it did something.¡±


    Mayumi slowly opens her left eye. She blinks a few times, and everything seems to be normal to her. ¡°Well shit things are little hazy it looks like it works.¡±


    Cerys kicks Kirika a little. ¡°Yeah that¡¯s fine and all but now this one is passed out.¡±


    Yuuri hugs Mayumi tighter causing her to blush. ¡°N-not good with affection Vice Prez.¡±


    Yuuri steps back ¡°I¡¯m sorry I was just really scared for you and I¡¯m so happy to see you¡¯re fine!¡±


    Mayumi tries to save her shattered cool. ¡°S''whatever. I know you and the kid get too handsy.¡± She then looks over to the passed out Kirika. ¡°Aw fuck now the kid¡¯s out.¡±


    Yuuri runs over to the passed out Kirika and shakes her lightly. ¡°Kirika Kirika! Are you feeling okay!?¡± Kirika mumbles something that Yuuri can¡¯t understand.


    Katsuki walks over to Yuuri and puts her hand on her shoulder ¡°Come on let¡¯s get her to my house for tonight. We can take care of her there. Yuudai, do you mind carrying her?¡± Yuudai nods and proceeds to pick up Kirika.


    Saito steps in front of everyone. ¡°So now that things have settled down, can we all agree to not make this kind of crap a habit? It¡¯s a pain in the fucking ass.¡±


    Yuuri nods. ¡°Right, but for the time being, do you want to come with, Miss Gedou?¡±


    Akina grunts in the affirmative and starts to pack up her things. The rest of the club follows suit, cleaning up the beach and making their way to the train station to start their journey to the Kusaka residence.

 Chapter 16 - The Story of the Sleepover

    After cleaning up their assorted mess at the beach, the Paranormal Club find themselves riding on the train to Katsuki¡¯s house. The ride back is mostly silent, with the members sitting near the end of a train car. Mayumi is stroking the head of the passed out Kirika on her lap. Yuuri and Katsuki have their own hushed conversation while keeping an eye on the two from across the aisle. Yuudai and Saito hide in the back discussing the girls kissing. Akina¡¯s sitting across from them, reading a manga and making sure she doesn¡¯t look at anyone. Cerys is sitting by herself in front of Mayumi eating an ice cream cone and kicking her legs up on the seat.


    Mayumi looks back at Akina with a scowl, ¡°Man, that bitch is a 13-12. She¡¯s 31 flavors of fucked up.¡±


    Yuuri hears this and acts quickly trying to defuse the situation by changing the topic, ¡°That''s a good idea! As soon as Miss Komori is up and moving we can go get ice cream, Mayu¡­ Miss Asuka.¡±


    Mayumi looks up at Yuuri, her face flush with embarrassment. ¡°You can call me Mayumi, Vice Prez,¡± she rubs her head and finishes, ¡°Nobody actually fucking calls me Miss Asuka. Not even teachers.¡±


    Yuuri blushes and does a goofy laugh, ¡°Are we really that close already¡­? Can I call you Yumi?¡±


    Mayumi cuts her off as quick as she can, not even giving Yuuri the chance to entertain that thought, ¡°We ain¡¯t that close, Vice Prez. Only friends and dudes who pay get to call me ¡®Yumi¡¯.¡±


    Yuuri giggles and smiles back, ¡°Alrighty then Mayumi." Katsuki leans forward to look over at Mayumi and asks, ¡°Someone actually paid you just to call you Yumi?¡±


    Yuuri lets out a much less cheerful giggle, ¡°Katsuki, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what they paid for¡­¡±


    Mayumi digs through her pockets looking for her cigarettes. ¡°Long story Katsuki,¡± her voice taking on a gravelly tone, ¡°a real fuckin¡¯ long story.¡± Her shoulders slump when she can¡¯t find any smokes.


    The group returns to the silence from before. The only sounds are of the train and Cerys lightly snoring. Kirika stirs in Mayumi¡¯s lap saying things that Mayumi doesn¡¯t understand. She blinks a few times, notices her surroundings and looks up at Mayumi, ¡°W-What happened?¡±


    Mayumi smiles down at Kirika, ¡°You saved my ass.¡± She then frowns and scratches her head. ¡°At least I think that¡¯s what happened, I don¡¯t really fucking know.¡±


    Yuudai pokes his head over the seat. ¡°Some... water thing came out and healed Mayumi. I guess?¡± his face giving off the picture of confusion.


    ¡°Yeah shit went down,¡± adds Saito.


    Yuudai frowns, ¡°Either way it saved Mayumi.¡± Akina looks up from her manga, takes a short look at the others, frowns, and returns to her manga.


    The train speaker dings loudly, followed by a message alerting the passengers that the next stop is close. Katsuki brightens up, ¡°That¡¯s our stop, guys!¡± She starts hastily putting her things in her bag.


    Mayumi begins to gather her things as well, looking over to see Kirika shuddering in her seat. Her face tenses up as she mumbles to herself, ¡°Oh shit, what¡¯s up with her? Is she actually alright?¡± She leans over to her, ¡°Hey, kid, you look like you¡¯ve seen a ghost.¡±


    Kirika slowly turns her head to Mayumi, still shuddering, squeaking out, ¡°M-m-maybe I did¡­¡±


    An awkward silence falls between the two. Mayumi, lost in thought, finally blurts out against her better judgement, ¡°Well, wanna talk about it?¡±


    Kirika smiles weakly. ¡°Sure, Mayumi-senpai!¡± Despite her enthusiasm she looks almost too weak to have a prolonged conversation.


    Mayumi waits for Kirika to continue, but after a period gives up and realizes she needs to coax the problem out. ¡°Tell me what¡¯s wrong, Kirika?¡± Mayumi still looks a bit out of her element.


    ¡°W-well,¡± Kirika starts, ¡°You got stabbed in the eye, and it looked so bad, and I was so scared, and¡­ and¡­¡± falling back into Mayumi¡¯s lap, hugging her this time, ¡°I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re okay!¡±


    The train comes to a stop and from the loudspeakers comes a ding and, ¡°The train has arrived at the destination.¡± Mayumi quickly pats Kirika and stands up, grabbing both of their bags and looking back with an awkward smile, ¡°Hey, you didn¡¯t have to see the worst of it and I¡¯m all patched up now! Now come on kid, before we leave you on the train.¡± Kirika looks a bit disappointed but nods and follows along as Mayumi quickly gets in the aisle with the others.


    Yuuri stops near the door, remembers something, and turns back to wake up the sleeping Cerys. ¡°Hey sleepyhead, we¡¯re here, sleep too much more and you won¡¯t be.¡± Cerys grumbles, but collects her things quickly and follows Yuuri off the train.


    After they make sure nobody was left behind, and that nobody left anything behind, Katsuki cheerily points forward, ¡°Follow me, it¡¯s not a long walk at all.¡± Katsuki starts moving forward while the group talks about nothing the entire way there and eventually getting to a dimly lit street with some two story homes on it.


    The conversation continues as Katsuki turns and talks to the group, ¡°So as I was saying, we''ll just sleep here for the night then head to the school in the morning.¡± She begins walking again, ¡°My dad is a doctor so I¡¯m sure we have what we need to check on Mayumi and Kirika tonight before returning to our dorms.¡±


    She leads them to the gate of one of the houses. ¡°This is my house, what do you think?¡± The rest of the Paranormies look it up and down before Cerys speaks up, ¡°This seems kinda small, Katsuki, will we have enough room for everyone to sleep alone?¡± She looks toward the two boys of the group to emphasize her point.


    They frown back as Saito yells out, ¡°Hey, why you sayin¡¯ that like we¡¯re a problem, mang? We ain¡¯t nothin¡¯ bad!¡±


    Cerys ah-hems, ¡°Katsuki, you know what boys do at night. We can¡¯t be having them do -those- kinds of things in the same room as one of us delicate ladies.¡± She shudders and adds, ¡°I don¡¯t want them doing it even under the same roof, but the circumstances force it.¡±


    Yuuri giggles and pats Cerys on the head, ¡°You¡¯re silly, Cerys. I fully trust these two, they wouldn¡¯t do stuff like that.¡± Cerys shoves Yuuri¡¯s hand off of her and steps away frowning.


    Katsuki finally gets the gate to her house open. It''s a small 2 story townhouse sitting on the corner of the block, secluded away from the hustle and bustle of the city. She then turns around to say, ¡°If they do anything weird, I¡¯ll just kick them out.¡± She laughs then motions them inside. The two boys walk slowly past her, keeping their eyes on her and making sure not to touch her.


    Katsuki shuts the door behind her as everyone stands in the entryway and takes off their shoes. Mayumi sits her bags down and takes a good look of the inside. ¡°Are you sure that you live here? It looks like a haunted house or somethin¡¯.¡±


    Katsuki smiles, ¡°It¡¯s where that writer killed himself a few years ago! We got it cheap!¡± Katsuki looks at the group with a proud expression that quickly fades once she sees blank looks staring back at her.


    Yuuri reads the situation and gives a smile, ¡°That¡¯s... paranormal!¡± She gives Katsuki a small clap.


    The other members don¡¯t share the same enthusiasm. They just look around the house with worried expressions. They see the living room, which is drab to say the least. There are multitudes of books on the paranormal, alchemy, and conspiracy theories placed neatly on the bookshelves that adorn the walls. Mayumi looks them over and says to herself ¡°I take shit to not be on this level of crazy, it¡¯s like a lending library for nutjobs.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re all alone often now, Katsuki?¡± Yuuri asks curiously.


    Katsuki smiles and responds, ¡°Yep! Mom¡¯s busy with her law stuff and dad¡¯s busy saving lives or whatever. I can never remember what kind of doctoring he does.¡±


    ¡°If these are his medical manuals, I¡¯d say quack doctoring,¡± Mayumi yells from her corner.


    Katsuki ignores the jab and says to Yuuri, ¡°But that just gives me more freedom to step between the boundary of this world and the next!¡± She then strikes a seriously nerdy pose.


    Saito gives Katsuki a odd look and then steps away. ¡°...Sure thing pres.¡±


    Kirika asks Katsuki ¡°D-do you have any small pajamas? I don¡¯t wanna sleep in my underwear¡­¡±


    Katsuki turns to her, ¡°I should have something from when I was younger in my room if you want to try it on!¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Kirika gets stars in her eyes, ¡°How much younger!? Wait, don¡¯t tell me, I¡¯ll go see if it fits, then.¡± Kirika goes to retrieve them.


    Yuuri goes to follow Kirika, but then realizes she never asked and says, ¡°Do you mind if I borrow some too?¡±


    Katsuki looks at Yuuri and flatly says, ¡°It¡¯s not like any of mine are gonna fit you anymore, Yuuri. We¡¯re a bit older now, you know?¡± There¡¯s a little venom in her voice as her eyes lower towards Yuuri¡¯s sizable chest.


    Mayumi rolls her eyes at Katsuki and company. ¡°Sharing pajamas? What is this, middle school?¡±


    Kirika walks away, embarrassed. Her ears droop. Yuuri, too enchanted by the library of grimoires to react to Mayumi¡¯s bitchiness, eagerly browses books. ¡°I may have to borrow some of these~¡±


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re into this shit?¡± Mayumi giggles. ¡°I guess you¡¯re fit for the Paranormal Club after all,¡± her giggle turning into a full blown cackle.


    Kirika¡¯s ears perk up at a chance to get closer to Yuuri. ¡°You like books, Yuuri-senpai? You should come to my house! We have a lot of books! Interesting books!¡±


    Saito looks up from his phone, slipping it into his pocket. ¡°Yo Prez, where¡¯s your shower? Unlike you guys, I actually swam today. Gotta wash off the salt.¡±


    Mayumi nods. ¡°Yeah, I need one too. I¡¯m all sticky and salty and don¡¯t wanna wash myself off in the sink again.¡±


    ¡°Good thing there are two showers here. Saito you can use the one upstairs and Mayumi take the one downstairs. I might have some pajama bottoms you can wear.¡± She then rubs her chin. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything for you to wear though, Saito.¡±


    ¡°I was smart enough to bring a change of underwear.¡± Saito says, starting up the stairs.


    Katsuki mumbles out ¡°Ok weirdo,¡± then looks over to Mayumi. ¡°Just follow me while I help Kirika get some pajamas.¡± She stands up and starts walking towards her room getting the other two to follow her.


    ¡°Knowin you, Prez, you probably use that industrial soap. You got anything that has a more...vanilla scent?¡±


    Yuuri chuckles as she calls after them, ¡°Even delinquents have to smell pretty, right Mayumi?¡±


    Mayumi keeps walking and responds with a laugh, ¡°¡®M still a chick, Vice Prez. Can¡¯t come off like a dirty bitch, even if I AM a dirty bitch, ya know?¡± Mayumi then ducks off into Katsuki¡¯s room.


    Yuuri sits on the couch and says to herself, ¡°It¡¯s good to see you still have some ladylike traits.¡±


    Cerys poofs next to her and gives her a questioning look. ¡°Who are you talking to?¡±


    Yuuri says nothing as Cerys sits next to her and gives the room another look over, ¡°This house is like every bad thing I''ve said about Japan coming to life.¡± Yuuri stays silent not wanting to fall for obvious goading.


    Before too long Katsuki returns, holding a book in her arms. ¡°I¡¯m glad to have all of you here. I wanted to show everyone the origins of the Paranormal Club.¡± She puts the book down on the coffee table and asks the members in the room to gather around.


    Yuuri is the first over to Katsuki. She looks at the book with a look of genuine wonderment. ¡°What do you mean the origins of the paranormal club?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my moms old scrapbook, the one she kept all the photos of the her old club in.¡± Katuski opens the book and the club can see two girls front and center, flanked on each side by a mix of guys and gals. Katsuki points to the two in the middle. "That''s my mom on the left, and Auntie Kyouko on the right." The red and brown haired, respectively, girls have wide smiles upon their faces.


    Yuudai rubs his chin while looking at the picture, ¡°Looks like we have the same mix of guys and girls as before.¡±


    Katsuki flips the page to show a new set of photos, the two girls Katsuki pointed out before are still there but are surrounded by brand new members. The number of members are noticeably smaller. ¡°Mom said they had trouble keeping members year-to-year, not a lot of students joined after the first year. They didn¡¯t do a lot to interest anyone into joining, and people left because of that.¡±


    Yuuri laughs and says ¡°With what we¡¯ve had happen already this year, I¡¯m sure we can interest people into staying.¡± She pauses for a second, thinks, then finishes with ¡°Unless all the action scares them off.¡± She laughs and looks around the ones that are left in the room, Cerys and Yuudai¡¯s mostly disinterested faces are all that she sees.


    Before she can continue Kirika walks into the room wearing the pajamas that Katsuki gave her. They¡¯re much too big for her and the string around them look like one on a garbage can. She walks slowly to a chair holding her pants up with one hand. She quietly mutters out ¡°T-this is embarrassing.¡±


    Katsuki remembers something when she sees Kirika walk over. ¡°Yeah I got some pajamas out for you two, I left them on my bed. When you¡¯re ready to shower, just grab them on your way. Yuuri yours on the left and I left Cerys¡¯ on the right.¡± Katsuki looks away from Cerys ¡°Sorry its kinda childish but it should fit.¡±


    Cerys frowns at Katsuki ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Katsuki doesn¡¯t meet her glare and that leads to Cerys getting up and walking into the room. The ones left in the room sit in silence until a very angry Cerys walks back in holding a pair of blue pajamas with cartoonish bees and small dolphins. She looks at Katsuki and furrows her brow even more, ¡°You don¡¯t think very highly of me do you?¡±


    Katsuki looks away from the other redhead while Yuuri covers her smile with her hand as if to not anger the small girl any more. ¡°What¡¯s your problem with it, it¡¯s cute.¡± she manages to mutter out.


    Cerys holds the pajamas in front of her shaking them lightly ¡°Cute? I would look like a 10 year old wearing these!¡±


    Mayumi totters back into the living room wearing only the pajamas bottoms given to her and a bra. Her hair and most of her upper body is still visibly wet, she is still wiping her face with the towel. After she finishes she looks at the group, ¡°What¡¯s goin¡¯ on here,¡± she slurs. ¡°When¡¯d we pick up a kid?¡± Cerys marches over and punches her in the arm, almost causing her to drop the towel. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just the lil¡¯ bitch.¡± She smirks then turns to Katsuki. ¡°Yo, Prez. You got something I can actually fit or am I gonna have to charge y¡¯all for this all night striptease?¡±


    Akina opens one eye and looks at Mayumi ¡°You¡¯re still acting like this? I¡¯m going to leave before you molest my mouth again.¡± She steps out of the back door.


    Yuudai begins to sweat, actively resisting the urge to turn around. Katsuki thinks for a second, then responds ¡°I could always put a watermelon in one of my tops to¡­ er, make it fit better.¡± Mayumi shrugs, indicating that it¡¯d be good enough.


    Saito comes down after his shower, hair hanging back still wet, wearing light blue pajamas he brought himself. "Yo, shower¡¯s available."


    Yuuri turns to Yuudai. ¡°It looks like everyone¡¯s out, now. It¡¯s our turns, Yuudai!¡± She quickly continues, ¡°But I¡¯m taking the one Naoyuki was in, so I don¡¯t catch whatever Mayumi has.¡± She immediately scampers up the stairs before Mayumi can respond


    Yuudai shrugs and walks into Katsuki¡¯s room just to find the door locked. He hears Cerys yell from behind, ¡°I¡¯m using the shower! Go away!¡± He shrugs and walks back into the room just to find that Yuuri has already gone to use the other shower. He sighs and sits back down where he was before.


    Yuudai checks over his shoulder to see Mayumi still only half dressed. He snaps back around and yells ¡°Mayumi! You do realize we¡¯re here, right? You still haven¡¯t put on a shirt yet?¡±


    She giggles, then stands up and walks behind him. "I know. I thought teenage boys liked tits, unless there¡¯s something we don¡¯t know ¡®bout ya.¡± Yuudai can feel her smirk on his back.


    Saito, who¡¯s been digging through his backpack for a distraction, finally pulls his hand out with a dissatisfied grunt. He stands up, walks around Mayumi with his back turned to her the whole way.


    She reaches out and grabs the scruff of his collar. ¡°Oho, you avoidin¡¯ me? What, you sneakin¡¯ off to get some creepshots in?¡±


    He tries to slap her hand off his collar ¡°No, I left my phone upstairs, and I need to do my daily challenges.¡±


    She laughs and puts her hand on her hip.¡°Sure, laike beatin¡¯ off to the Vice Prez?¡± She roars in laughter.


    ¡°Like getting away from you.¡± He slithers away from Mayumi and up the stairs to collect his lost cellular device. He gets to the top of the stairs and spots his phone on the left arm of the couch. He sits down, throws his headphones on, and plays his games, quickly losing track of time. He is brought back to reality by loud shrieking.


    Yuuri hurriedly jumps back into the bathroom, pulling the door behind her. She opens it a fraction and peeks back out. ¡°Y-you didn¡¯t see anything did you?¡±


    Saito puts his game down and looks over to the embarrassed girl behind the door. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I was focused on my game.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing sitting up here? Are you waiting for me to come out or something?¡± She says it with a sense of uneasiness in her voice.


    Saito shrugs. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to be around that half naked bitch down there anymore. So I came to play my game in peace. I didn¡¯t expect you walk out fully naked.¡±


    She gestures to the other side of the couch ¡°I left my clothes out there, could you pass them to me?¡± Saito grabs the clothes and puts them in Yuuri¡¯s outstretched hand. She thanks him and closes the door, he can hear her begin to get dressed behind the door. ¡°You should really try to get along with Mayumi, Saito.¡± She says through the door. ¡°She¡¯s really abrasive, but she¡¯s got a good heart. Don¡¯t be so quick to write her off.¡±


    ¡°If you say so, Vice-President.¡± He collects his stuff and heads back downstairs.


    Once she hears his footsteps going downstairs, Yuuri opens the door to make sure he¡¯s gone. The coast clear, she pulls the door back and tries to pull Katsuki¡¯s too-small top over her chest. ¡°Oh come on¡­¡± She struggles to get the top 3 buttons together, ¡°I bet she did this on purpose.¡± Her battle with the buttons over, she stomps down the stairs and points to Katsuki. ¡°You did this on purpose didn¡¯t you!¡± She points to the buttons on her pajama top clinging on for dear life.


    ¡°Ah yes Yuuri, I purposely prevented my chest from developing the entire time we¡¯ve known each other so that at this very moment I could embarrass you.¡± Katsuki deadpans.


    ¡°Sounds like a conspiracy,¡± Mayumi laughs and gestures to her chest. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go topless together!¡±


    Kirika looks down, her hands keeping her pants up.¡°M-my pants are falling off and my top is too loose¡­¡±


    Cerys scoffs, ¡°At least you don¡¯t look 12 in those things¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that worse than¡­ e-exposing myself, Cerys?¡± Kirika replies to a Cerys who is no longer listening.


    Mayumi turns her attention to Cerys and mocks her again ¡°You always look 11, so 12 is an improvement.¡±


    Cerys furrows her brow and replies to Kirika ¡°Yes, as you can see.¡± She takes a breath. ¡°At least around druggie whores.¡±


    ¡°At least my johns wouldn¡¯t be kiddyfiddlers, you little bitch!¡± Mayumi replied, starting to get offended by the banter.


    ¡°Trust me, I¡¯d never stoop so low,¡± Cerys smirks. ¡°I don¡¯t want to ruin myself for marriage. Nobody would ever want to see your roast beef on the bridal bed.¡± is Cerys rebuttal.


    Mayumi growls, and says ¡°That¡¯s it, Cerys you little asshole, it¡¯s on now!¡±


    Katsuki gets between them. ¡°No, it¡¯s not on now. It¡¯s late as hell and we have to go back to campus tomorrow. All of you find somewhere to sleep.¡± With some grumbling, each club member finds a place to settle down for the night.

 Chapter 17 - The Story of Nightmares

    ¡°Look who¡¯s finally awake, my dear Yuuyuu~.¡± Yuudai hears. His vision is still a bit foggy but from what he can make out he knows that the area doesn¡¯t seem familiar. He can make out what seems like a cellar staircase leading up into darkness in front of him. Not much else can be seen by him in the damp brick cellar besides a lone boiler, the table he¡¯s tied to, and a box labeled ¡®Toys¡¯. Before he can say anything a slender female form struts down the stairs from the darkness, the sound of high heels echoing with each step. The pale girl is wearing nothing but a set of black lingerie, juxtaposed by the slightly messy jet black hair covering her face. Perhaps the most off putting thing about this isn¡¯t the room or the situation he was in but the smile spread across her face; wide enough to look fake but twisted enough to not be.


    ¡°W-What the hell is this?! What¡¯s going on?!¡± Yuudai shouts. He tries to get up only to be foiled by the rope keeping his hands and feet bound to the table. What was once frustration turns into panic as the girl finally descends the stairs and came face to face with him. She bends over giving Yuudai a very close look into her cleavage.


    ¡°Oh Yuuyuu¡­¡± she coos as she rubs his face with one of her hands. One second later, she quickly pulls a scalpel out from her cleavage to deliver a clean slice above Yuudai¡¯s heart in one continuous motion. She stands upright again, grinning at him. ¡°You should really be more grateful to see your girlfriend all dressed up for you.¡±


    Yuudai cries out in pain at the strike to his chest. Tears begin to flow. ¡°Why¡­¡± Yuudai manages to croak out in between the cries. ¡°Why are you doing this?!¡±


    ¡°¡®Why?¡¯ you ask? Tch.¡± The girl clicks her tongue. ¡°It seems you need some more convincing that you and I are just meant to be! I followed you home from school every day to make sure you¡¯d be okay. I made you lunches seasoned with my own juices so there would always be part of me inside you. I even took care of that ugly hussy that kept talking to you to try and lead you away from me!¡± The hatred in her voice increases in intensity with each thing she lists before finally throwing her scalpel at the brick floor. The metal clang echoes throughout the room.


    ¡°They¡­ they didn¡¯t do anything!¡± Yuudai manages to cry out again.


    The girl throws her head back and laugh at Yuudai¡¯s response. ¡°Didn¡¯t do anything? Yuuyuu, they put thoughts in your head you shouldn¡¯t be having! Why, those thoughts are the reason you¡¯re here right now. A little¡­ couples therapy if you will.¡± She then walks over to the box labeled ¡®Toys¡¯ and carries it over, digging through it. From what Yuudai can see from the dull light he can see the reflection from multiple knives and many other devices kept away inside this box. The girl casually grins as she continues shifting through her box before finally pulling out a big carving knife. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Yuuyuu, I¡¯ll help make the bad thoughts go away. We can do this as long as we have to until you finally confess your love to me!¡± she says with a giggle.


    Anxiety and fear begins to overwhelm Yuudai even more. It feels as if the weight of the air is crushing him as he continues to look on the scene before him. He begins breathing in and out, looking hysterical in fear. ¡°D-Do you really think you can get away with this?! Once I get out I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll contact the authorities! I won¡¯t let you get away with this!¡±


    The girl pauses for a moment before cackling with laughter. ¡°Oh Yuuyuu you poor fool! Just look at you! Society would never be on your side! Who in their right mind would believe a big scary looking kid such as yourself over someone small and petite girl like me, not to mention the daughter of the chief of police?¡± Her laughter dies down as she then suddenly blushes, fidgeting slightly. Her voice becomes soft, ¡°Well I mean of course I know you¡¯re not a big scary guy.¡± However, the innocent facade once again reveals into a true side of insanity and sadism. ¡°Which is why I know this therapy is going to work on you!¡± her voice cracks.


    As she walks closer to Yuudai he continues to struggle. His eyes have gone red from crying and there are no more tears to be had. His last desperation move is a cry for help. ¡°S-SOMEONE! ANYONE! HELP! I¡¯M DOWN HERE!¡± The girl slashes at his leg with her big knife, which leads to another loud cry of pain. ¡°Cry all you want,¡± the girl says in a serious tone. ¡°No one is going to hear you. No one will ever hear you except for me. By the time we¡¯re done, I¡¯ll be sure you only need to rely on me.¡±


    The girl straddles herself on top of Yuudai before giving him a deep kiss. Once she releases Yuudai begins feeling funny. He can no longer struggle, or even move for the most part. He can¡¯t even make a sound. All he can do is look, stare, and feel the girl on him. ¡°I¡¯ve been working on this sedative for quite a while,¡± she says. ¡°You know how the Puffer Fish has a tetrodotoxin that targets the nerves and can cause paralysis? Well, when I kiss you you¡¯ll go numb, but you¡¯ll still be able to feel through the paralysis! Doesn¡¯t that sound fun!¡± She grinds her hips against his, letting out a weak moan. She cuts the ropes off Yuudai¡¯s hands and guides the motionless arms towards her like a human doll. She then positions them to feel as if they are holding her in his arms. She sinks her body into Yuudai¡¯s chest, leading into a whisper of both seduction and fear. ¡°This is out of love, okay Yuuyuu? All the pain you endure will be for the sake of us. Now let¡¯s begin the healing, shall we?¡±


    Yuudai shoots up in his sleeping bag soaked in sweat. He looks around and only the dim light coming from outside and the snoring of his new friends greets him. As he takes deep breaths to calm himself down he feels another body in the bag with him.


    ¡°Why the fuck are you in my sleeping bag?!¡± Yuudai¡¯s cry rings out through Katsuki¡¯s house, waking up everyone else in the room.


    ¡°What, I was cold.¡± Mayumi ignores Yuudai and turns on her side away from him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, get the hell out!¡±


    Cerys speaks up. ¡°Can you two get a room, preferably not this one?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather they not do this in any of my rooms.¡± Katsuki enters the room yawning. ¡°What time is it anyways?¡±


    Yuuri checks her phone. ¡°Around noon, Kats. We should probably pack up and get back to school, we do have class tomorrow after all.¡±


    Saito walks from down the stairs ¡°What with all of the racket this early?¡±


    Yuudai stands up and starts to gather all of his things not even bothering to look at Mayumi once.


    ¡°Too good for a kiss good morning?¡± Akina snickers. Both Yuudai and Mayumi glare at her in response.


    ¡°...let¡¯s just pack and get out of here before Katsuki has to explain property damage to her parents.¡± Yuuri starts putting her things in her bag, then slings it over her shoulder.


    The rest of the club follows suit, making sure to tidy up after themselves. Fully loaded, the Paranormies head to the nearby train station for a ride back.


    After another short train ride and stop by the dorms to get dressed in some fresh clothes the paranormal club regroups outside of the clubroom door. Katsuki opens it, revealing a seemly random group of girls  within.


    Mayumi groans. ¡°Oh for fuck¡¯s sake.¡±


    Saito waves at the intruders. ¡°Oh hey.¡±


    A petite girl with dyed blond hair stands up from her seat. ¡°Heyyyyyyyyyyyy bitches. Welcome to the start of today''s video to show that the Video Games Club is better than the Paranormal Club,¡± She says with a smug grin on her face.


    ¡°Oh wow, when did you get the key for the video game clubroom, Katsuki?¡± Yuuri asks. Katsuki looks at her funny, making her realize with an exclamation, ¡°Oh! I guess this is our room¡­¡±


    Cerys balks at this. ¡°Oh my fuck are we about to do something stupid again? How long have you morons been sitting here?¡±


    ¡°Ah man really?¡± Saito ruffles his hair and begins to reach for his backpack, ¡°Can¡¯t this wait a year or something?¡±


    ¡°You know this is pretty much a home invasion. What are you guys doing in here?¡± Yuuri looks towards the girl that introduced herself.


    Mayumi stands behind Yuuri, cracking her knuckles.  "You''ve got thirty seconds before I rush your shit down, nerd. Say your piece and get the fuck out."This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Saito pulls out his scythe as well, looking to the rest of the group. ¡°Looks like you guys are with me on this.¡±


    Another girl stands up and speaks over the first girl, ¡°What the President is trying to say, is that we want to beat you all at video games to overtake you in fame. You guys don''t do anything, while we''re working our asses off streaming, speedrunning, and making videos.¡± She then points at Saito wide eyed, ¡°Is that a scythe, what the hell?¡±


    Saito relaxes his stance ¡°Oh. That¡¯s not as bad as I thought.¡± He returns his scythe to it¡¯s minimal form.


    Cerys teleports over to the girl that¡¯s sitting in her favorite seat and grabs a handheld game out of her hands, ¡°Video games? Fuck that.¡± Before she can throw it on the ground, a foreign girl with the video games club grabs the console out of Cerys¡¯ hands. She moves in between the seated girl and Cerys.


    Yuuri is more receptive, though still curious. ¡°V-video games? I-I¡¯m not very  good at those...¡±


    Mayumi relaxes her scowl, but is still overly aggressive ¡°You work your asses off doing stupid nerd shit. We deal with the irrationality of existence.¡± A moment passes, then she sighs. ¡°But sure, we''ll throw down in some video games. Wouldn''t want to make it so you ruin your thirsty nerd marketing strategy.¡±


    Saito is already heading towards one of the chairs with a controller on it. ¡°Yo, you nerds better put up some dukes for this. I ain¡¯t gonna waste time on a shitty FPS.¡±


    Yuudai begins to walk into the room as well, scanning the room with his eyes. He stops in his tracks as he glances at a familiar face. He quickly tries to look away but is too slow. She looks up and notices him looking when a look of recognition flashes across her eyes, a mischievous smile begins to creep on her face. ¡°Heyyyyy Yuuyuu,¡± she says.


    Mayumi snickers a bit, ¡°Yuuyuu? She talking to you, Gachi? Or was I right about Vice Prez being into sushi?¡±


    Yuudai barely even hears Mayumi¡¯s teasing, his face grows from one of anger to extreme nervousness. His mouth is frozen where he his words are failing to come out. ¡°H-hi¡± he finally stammers out.


    The thin girl with messy black hair approaches Yuudai with a hop in her step and leans forward, before looking up to meet his eyes. "Oh Yuuyuu, what a surprise to see you here! I bet you thought you got away from me?~¡± She stares deeper into his eyes as if she was searching for something.


    Yuuri quizzically asks, ¡°Oh, do you two know each other?¡±


    Yuudai''s expression turns worse for a split moment, however it turns into one of joy, although to most would seem obviously fake. ¡±Y-yeah, we do.¡±


    The girl answers both Yuuri and Mayumi by saying ¡°Oh...that might be right. Last time I saw this cutie I may have to gone too far, but it was purely out of love!¡± She laughs after she says that. ¡°I locked him in a room,and wouldn¡¯t let him out until he married me.¡± Her smile brighten as she recalls what happened.


    Mayumi smirks. "If you wanted him to marry you, you shoulda let him knock you up."


    Miyu¡¯s laughter stops and her smile goes away as she looks over to Mayumi, ¡°Oh I never thought of that.¡± She says in a deadpan, matter of fact voice. Then her smile returns as she turns back to Yuudai


    Yuuri nervously giggles and says ¡°I don''t think that''s a normal thing to do in a relationship.¡±


    Yuudai strains his fake smile even more before saying ¡°Heh... w-what are you talking about? It''s... it''s fine! Yup everything is fine!¡± in a wary voice.


    The rest of the video games club is bemused by Miyu''s behavior. ¡°Where did you find this girl, Hailey? She¡¯s hilarious,¡± a lanky girl asks to the president.


    Finally, the president decides to end this, choosing instead to stand up and talk directly to Yuuri and Katsuki. ¡°A-as I was saying...what was I saying? OH RIGHT. We want to challenge all of you to a grand tournament. Speedruns, fighting games, streaming, the works.¡±


    Cerys asks, ¡°Does that include this girl raping our poor gay boy as well?¡± Yuudai winces in response to this.


    Saito responds ¡°Look, he¡¯s cuddling with a girl. He¡¯s not gay.¡±


    Mayumi laughs ¡°Look at how he¡¯s shaking. She might as well be made of acid.¡± She and Cerys share a look before simultaneously saying, ¡°Totally gay.¡±


    Saito shrugs, then turns back to the challengers. ¡°Lay the damage, girl. Don¡¯t expect me to take you up on this crap if you¡¯re staying super vague about it. Is this a team battle or what? What games? I bet you suckers don¡¯t even own arcade hardware.¡±


    The foreign girl speaks up in surprisingly fine Japanese. ¡°I¡¯ll be starting, fighting games are my specialty. I¡¯m Alice by the way.¡±


    A pink-haired girl stands up. ¡°I¡¯m Beato, but you can call me Maribel. This is Hanako, she goes by Hailey,¡± she says as she gestures towards the petite false blond president next to her. ¡°We¡¯re going to face two of you in a co-op beat-em-up speedrun.¡±


    A tall girl waves from her seat. ¡°Yo, I¡¯m the vice-pres Chikyu, please call me Terra. I¡¯ll be going up head to head in a first person shooter.¡±


    Yuuri looks from side to side and starts backing away. ¡°A-ah...I¡¯ll be right back¡­!¡± She quickly jogs out into the hallway towards the bathrooms.


    Miyu slides up besides Yuudai, rubbing her finger around his chest. ¡°I¡¯m Megan and me and the hunk here will be doing a couple¡¯s stream. Won¡¯t that be fun~?¡±


    Mayumi is taken aback by this. ¡°Is this bitch high?¡±


    Yuudai stammers out, ¡°O-okay! Yeah...fun¡­¡±


    Cerys scoffs. ¡°What, you guys hate your names enough to go by something else?¡±


    Hanako speaks up. ¡°Well no, those are just the names we go by in games. Not everything we play supports hiragana.¡±


    Cerys waves her off. ¡°Yeah whatever.¡±


    Saito goes over the competition out loud. ¡°So we have a fighter, speedrunning, FPS, and a crazy bitch. Looks like I¡¯m sittin¡¯ this one out. For a video game club, you guys sure have pretty crap taste.¡±


    As if on cue, the door bursts open. ¡°DID SOMEONE SAY VIDEO GAMES?¡± A girl who looks strikingly like Yuuri saunters in, wearing a ball cap decorated with various arcade game pins.


    ¡°No get out,¡± Cerys sighs.


    The Yuuri look-alike nudges Cerys. ¡°Yo, I¡¯m Y2K, the best gamer around.¡± She points directly upwards. ¡°You might recognize me from the top of the leaderboards at the arcades in town. My friend Yuuri said you all needed some expert help, so I came runnin¡¯ here to help out.¡±


    Ignoring the girl¡¯s ¡°radical¡± pose, Cerys turns to the game club. ¡°I¡¯ll do the speedrunning.¡±


    Katsuki slides to Cerys¡¯ side, saying ¡°Mind if I join you? I love those kinds of games.¡±


    Cerys shrugs, then says ¡°Sure, but if we lose I¡¯m blaming you.¡±


    Akina brings up a point ¡°Why do we have to play them in their stuff when they challenge us? Shouldn''t they fight us in what we are doing?¡±


    Alice moves in front of Akina, ¡°What, you afraid you¡¯ll all lose if you have to do something besides think up conspiracy theories?¡±


    Akina sneers at Alice. ¡°I don¡¯t want to waste my time on this children¡¯s shit. I¡¯d rather have a real fight.¡±


    ¡°Then how about we have a virtual fight? We have a setup back in our clubroom. At least make it fair for me.¡± She flexes her arm to show off the lack of muscle in it.


    Akina scoffs, but relents. ¡°Fine, at least it¡¯s some kind of fight.¡±


    Mayumi says, ¡°Imma keep Gachi from getting locked up again and take the weird bitch on.¡± She turns and moves so she¡¯s in between Yuudai and Miyu. ¡°Yo, weird bitch. I don''t trust you. This is my hunk, so if you''re gonna make a move, you gotta go through me.¡± Mayumi smiles while saying this causing Miyu to step closer to her


    Yuudai tries to instantly de-escalate the situation by stepping back in front of Mayumi. ¡°Hahaha, s-she''s funny!¡± he says with a fake laugh. ¡°What a... a jokester... heh¡­¡±


    Kirika asks ¡°Y-You''re going out with Yuudai-san, Mayumi-senpai?¡±


    Mayumi scowls and quietly says to Yuudai. ¡°Look. This bitch might be crazy, so I''m trying to do you a solid here and redirect her crazy from you to me."


    Yuudai continues to try and play it off ¡°S-She isn''t! Hah... she''s just... joking around!¡± He looks nervously at Miyu, trying to study her reaction to see if she is about to go off.


    Miyu¡¯s smile never leaves her face but as she looks at Mayumi her left eye twitches,  ¡°Tch. Whatever, you dumb bitch. I''ll play your game. We¡¯re going to play a 10 turn game in Bubba¡¯s Trick.¡±


    Mayumi laughs ¡°Ooh, someone''s got a fuckin'' mouth on her. You got dicksuckin'' lips, too. But you¡¯re not gettin¡¯ this one. Let¡¯s roll, you yandere.¡±


    As the sparks fly between the two, Y2K tries to divert attention back to the rest of the competition. ¡°Since, Mayu- er, the tanned skank is doing whatever those two have planned, I''ll take the FPS challenge!¡± She leans over to Kirika and whispers in her ear, "Okay Komori-chan, I don''t know if you can tell, but it''s me Yuuri."


    Kirika looks shocked, then whispers back ¡°It can¡¯t be, Senpai isn¡¯t a n-nerd¡­¡±


    Y2K pouts, but then whispers back ¡°A-Anyway, I need you to cheer me on. FPS are not my strong suit, but I think if my kouhai cheers for me I can do a lot better." She then pats Kirika on the head.


    ¡°So, what are we doing first?¡± Cerys asks nobody in particular.


    Mayumi undoes her bra under her shirt, pulls it out, and holds it up like a championship belt. ¡°We¡¯ll go. I¡¯m ready to play.¡± She throws it to Kirika. ¡°Catch, kid.¡± As Kirika catches it, she undoes the buttons on her shirt, fully ready to entice the audience.


    Kirika misses the catch, but quickly yet awkwardly picks up the bra. ¡°T-thanks!¡±


    Y2K covers her mouth, then yells, ¡°Mayumi!¡± She then grabs the bra away from Kirika. ¡°This isn¡¯t a proper gift for a girl like you!¡±


    Kirika pouts, but Cerys is the next to point out a problem. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯ll get their channel banned.¡±


    ¡°As long as I''m not showing nipple it''s good, lolibitch.¡± Mayumi responds. ¡°How do you think those streamers make so much money?¡±


    Hailey interrupts this by standing up and saying, ¡°Alright everyone you can bark all you want but the biting is in our clubroom. Let¡¯s get over there.¡±

 Chapter 18 - The Story of Competition

    The paranormal club finds themselves inside the clubroom of the Video Games Club. The walls are ordained with various posters, and there¡¯s a sizable shelf of games from several console generations. Front and center is a large television with a console already hooked up with the latest fighting game.


    Alice takes her place on the couch that sits in front of the television and retrieves her arcade stick from underneath it. She cracks her hands as Akina takes a seat next to her, choosing to simply take a normal pad. The rest of the two clubs take various seats around the two, with Yuudai quickly taking a seat between two of his clubmates. His face holds a look of both fear and despair.


    ¡°Ready to take me on in the glorious arena of fighting games?¡± She looks at Akina.


    Akina shrugs, takes the controller, and sits down. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Y2K yells ¡°Good luck!¡± as they start the game up, the opening music hyping everyone up for the battle to come.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to go easy on you, since this is best 3 out of 5. There¡¯s plenty of time to play with you,¡± Alice says with more than a hint of confidence in her voice as she instantly moves her selection square to her favorite character. Akina scoffs, but remains silent otherwise, focusing on picking her own character.


    ¡°Ready or not, the flame will be extinguished! Round one, fight!¡± blares out of the TV signalling the beginning of the fight, and no sooner do they gain control of their characters than Alice launches into a opening combo. Akina, figuring her opponent would be foolishly aggressive, jumped back which caused her opponent to miss in a fashion leaving her wide open for Akina¡¯s own rushdown combo.


    Kirika yawns, not fully understanding the game mechanics, while Cerys just looks bored. ¡°What top levels of skill I¡¯m seeing here¡­¡± she says lazily. Her lacidasiness doesn¡¯t last long, however, as she¡¯s quickly yanked into the commentary ¡°booth¡± set up in front of a webcam just off to the side of the TV by Mayumi.


    ¡°Oh, it looks like Malphael is going for his ICBM Buster combo loop!¡± Mayumi says excitedly, trying to inject some hype into the bout. Cerys just taps her mic, trying to test if it¡¯s actually working or not.


    On the screen, Akina¡¯s character dodges another attack and runs in to hit a combo. This time, though, Alice was quick enough to block it, though she still gets some chip damage. ¡°The gamer bitch didn''t realize that autocombo was really negative on block!¡± Mayumi notes to the viewers at home.


    The baiting game continues as Akina continually steps back to give a fake opening to her opponent who continually falls for it, then punishes her with a quick but effective combo.


    Alice growls, running out of life with every missed attack. ¡°You aren¡¯t too bad, but wait till you get a load of this!¡± She presses some quick inputs, the screen flashes, and¡­ nothing happens due to Akina having ample time to block the attack after the taunt.


    ¡°It¡¯s always bad to be cocky when you can¡¯t back it up.¡± A quick jab, then another, then the screen flashes again as Akina counters with a super attack of her own, effortlessly connecting.


    Mayumi throws some salt into the wound with her commentary. ¡°If they¡¯re all like this, The Video Game Club is free!¡±


    This is backed up by the cheers of the paranormies in the crowd. ¡°Yeah, go Akina!¡± Kirika yells excitedly.


    Y2K whistles, but then catches herself. ¡°Well this is no Spirit Dawning levels of competition, but it seems Aki- the banchou kid''s got it!¡±


    The second round of the set begins, once again with Alice throwing a combo out the gate. Just like before she whiffs it immediately which allows Akina to not only retaliate, but retaliate with a Material Finish. The screen flashes with Akina¡¯s character flying into the air, circling the moon, then crashing back to earth with a kick that instantly wins her the round.


    Alice clicks her tongue at her rotten playing thus far, but quickly gets back into a competitive mindset. ¡°Alright, you¡¯re pretty good!¡± she says while pointing some finger guns at her opponent. ¡°But, now I¡¯ll stop taking it easy on you and pick my real main!¡± She quickly picks her controller up again and picks a different character, while Akina remains on her original pick.


    The new fight begins with Akina being the first to attack, hoping to roll out a small combo. Alice is able to counter it, and tries to set up her own combo, which she whiffs just as hard as every other combo she¡¯s tried.


    ¡°Akina needs to look out not to be too cocky. The difference between winning and losing is thin.¡± Cerys says just loud enough for Akina to hear.


    Akina jumps into the air for an aerial attack, but this gives Alice a chance to set up a power move. She charges her arm back, her fist sparkling with fire, then releases the buttons, causing her character to smash his arm forward¡­ or at least that was what is supposed to happen. Instead the energy explodes, causing herself damage. ¡°Of course, the 1 in 75 chance hits right now.¡± Alice laments.


    Akina takes the chance and hits a pair of combos that empty the rest of Alice¡¯s life meter out. The game begins a second round, but Alice opts to forgo it and take the loss instead. ¡°I¡¯m clearly outmatched here. Good game.¡± They shake hands, and no sooner do they release their grip than Alice runs out of the room, barely contained sobs can be heard as she leaves the room.


    Akina stares in her direction. ¡°Even in a game my fighting skills are unmatched,¡± then wipes her hand on her uniform and returns to her clubmate¡¯s side. ¡°I hope all of these matches won¡¯t be such a waste of time.¡± she says as she sits down.


    Hailey gets everyone¡¯s attention, announcing, ¡°Next up, the two vs two speedrun. The game tonight will be¡­¡± she looks at the sheet of paper the schedule was hastily written on. ¡°Assaultfrogs, the classically tough game from the HomeCom. Both teams ready?¡± She asks the other three girls who have already taken their seats next to each one excited to get started, besides the only non Japanese girl in the group. They all answer affirmative, allowing Hailey to count them down. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re starting in 3, 2, 1, go!¡±


    As both teams get off to clumsy starts, Mayumi looks over to check on Yuudai. He¡¯s visibly shaking, unnerved by Megan inching closer and closer to him, he can now feel her breath on his neck. She jumps off the commentary booth and quickly takes a seat next to Yuudai, interspersing herself between the two. She puts on a sultry voice and asks ¡°Hey Gachi, how¡¯s tricks?¡±


    ¡°T-tricks? W-who¡¯s tricks? Yuudai asks nervously.


    ¡°Your tongue. With all that magic it does, I thought I¡¯d give it a nickname~¡± This causes Yuudai to nervously tug at his collar as Megan gives them both a dirty look.


    ¡°I h-h--have no idea what you¡¯re talking about, haha!¡± Yuudai says, causing Mayumi to lean in and whisper in his ear.


    ¡°Are you actually gay or are you just trying to save your ass?" Yuudai just responds more nervously with another chuckle.


    Miyu leans in over Mayumi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Oh Yuudai can use his tongue still?¡± She says with a giggle. Yuudai winces, but Mayumi¡¯s unstartled.


    ¡°Look yandere, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. If you really wanna get a bit of meat, you gotta take the subtle approach.¡± she says with a bit of flair.


    Yuudai again tries to cover for Miyu. ¡°Th-there¡¯s nothing wrong with what she¡¯s doing! Y-you really shouldn¡¯t tell others what to do, y-you know?¡± he manages to stutter out.


    Mayumi looks annoyed, gets incredibly close to Yuudai, her breasts rubbing against his arm and her breath on his ear. "Look, there is nothing healthy with what she did to you and if you just keep leading her on, she''s going to do worse," she whispers. ¡°You could take this bitch. Hell, I could probably take this bitch.¡°


    Yuudai gulps, then whispers back, ¡°You don¡¯t know her like I do.¡±


    ¡°If you just bend over for anyone who remotely threatens you, you''re just gonna get fucked." Mayumi whispers, tracing a finger along Yuudai''s thigh.


    Miyu again invades everyone¡¯s personal space, bending in and somewhat loudly exclaiming, ¡°What are you two whispering about? Secrets make me VERY VERY upset.¡± The look on her face shows a slight hint of madness.


    ¡°I''m just talking about all the dirty things we could do together¡­ and have done together.¡± She licks her lips exaggeratedly at Miyu.


    Yuudai shoots back up at the tone that Miyu took, quickly covering for them both ¡°Sh-she¡¯s joking! We were just t-talking about how our f-friends were doing in the game!¡±


    Mayumi sighs, then turns to Miyu and says ¡°I honestly don''t see what we see in him." She shrugs. ¡°Maybe we should go talk about his good points outside, where he can¡¯t hear us. His ego might grow a bit¡­ and match some other parts of him.¡± She says with a sly wink, moving towards the door.


    Miyu furrows her brow as Mayumi saunters out, then looks at Yuudai. ¡°Sorry, Yuuyuu, but I¡¯m going to need to have a chat with your new friend about... her manners.¡± She stands up, pulls a little blade out of her pocket, and marches out the door.


    The door opens once again right after Miyu steps out, letting Kobun walk in. He comes in, stands next to Yuudai, and sets his backpack down. ¡°What the hell is wrong with those girls?¡± He turns and asks his shaken neighbor.


    Saito swoops in to retort for his bud ¡°Damn, dude. How about you tell us how many clubs you¡¯re in instead? This is the third time we¡¯ve ran into you.¡± Kobun just shrugs and sits down.


    Hailey then walks back in front of the TV, looking a bit more nervous than usual. ¡°W-well, Since there was two strangely simultaneous console malfunctions, neither team completed the game in the time limit. That one¡¯s gonna have to do down as a draw, I guess!¡± She chuckles nervously as she looks at the list in her hand. ¡°Next up we have¡­ Terra and¡­ Why too jay?¡± She squints at the list before Y2K takes the ¡®stage¡¯ and corrects her in English.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    ¡°Kay, Y2K. Like za virus that will being about your and!¡± She strikes a pose she thinks is cool, and everyone else is too polite or uninterested to say otherwise.


    ¡°Well, miss Kay, here¡¯s your controller! And one for you too, Terra!¡± She takes two gun-shaped controllers off a nearby shelf, blows some dust off them, and hands one to each competitor before plugging them into the console.


    ¡°Are we allowed to have these in school... yo?¡± Y2K asks.


    Hailey laughs and responds, ¡°Of course, nobody¡¯s going to mistake red or blue plastic for a real weapon. Besides, where would a high schooler even get such a thing?¡± She then turns back to the others, announcing ¡°The game they¡¯ll be playing is Lifeless Manor 2. the most famous light-gun game of the last century!¡±


    Saito perks up ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that the game Raidou was playing?¡± he asks Yuudai. Yuudai is unshaken enough to give out a little shrug. ¡°Y-yeah, probably, right.¡±


    Hailey continues, ¡°The aim of the game, no pun intended, is precise shooting and quick reflexes. Highest score at the end of the game wins, so get those combos up!¡± She then turns to the two competitors ¡°When I say go, we begin!¡± She pauses, then counts down. ¡°3, 2, 1, go!¡±


    The game begins, both players holding the guns at the screen. ¡°Agent S, we have to find Agent H! Follow Agent I into the city to find him!¡± the opening cutscene says, before two zombies suddenly pop up on the screen, incredibly close to the camera.


    Y2K lets out a yelp and jumps back, almost dropping the gun, whereas Terra calmly shoots the zombie dead, even taking the chance to shoot Y2K¡¯s zombie for bonus points.


    Y2K quickly regains her composure as best she can, embarrassed at falling for a jumpscare, and tries to make up for it. She does well, keeping up with Terra through the level. They both keep an eye out for powerups, coming upon a room with one for each player. They both try to aim at their respective pickup, but don¡¯t notice an axe-throwing zombie in the back. He throws one at each player, and while Terra is able to barely readjust her aim in time to shoot it away, Y2K isn¡¯t as lucky and takes another hit.


    She grumbles and plays well from then on until they reach the first miniboss. While they both shoot well, Terra forgets how to damage the enemy and takes a few hits before they finish it off, nearly evening the scores.


    This leads to another cutscene, and with Y2K now feeling a renewed confidence, she takes a moment to listen to the crowd. She hears Katsuki wonder out loud, ¡°I really wonder where Yuuri is. She never misses stuff like this. Heck, she might even shoot better than this new girl.¡±


    Y2K turns around and waves to get Katsuki¡¯s attention. ¡°Psst, it¡¯s me!¡± she says as she lowers the hood on her hoodie.


    ¡°Huh? Who are you?¡± Katsuki responds.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s ME!¡± she says even louder, taking her fake glasses off. ¡°It¡¯s me, Yu-¡± She¡¯s stopped mid-sentence as the damage sound comes from the TV, the game having restarted without Yuuri noticing.


    ¡°Aww, What¡¯s wrong, distracted?¡± Terra mockingly says.


    Yuuri responds through clenched teeth ¡°I-it¡¯s just startup jitters!¡±


    As she taunts, Terra mistimes her shot and it hits a NPC running across the frame, killing him and causing her to lose points and health as a result.


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re the distracted one now!¡± Yuuri says back with a laugh, realizing this is her chance to get back into things. She carried a slight lead into the second miniboss, named THE WHEEL.


    Terra plays patiently, putting her mistakes behind her as she sharply aims at the weak points. Yuuri, however, lets her confidence overtake her and she starts shooting a bit haphazardly to try and get more points. She doesn¡¯t notice, though, that her health is very low, and after missing one of her trick shots, the game freezes while asking if she wanted to continue.


    Before anything else can happen, Haley steps in front of the screen. ¡°By losing her one life, Miss Kay is eliminated from the competition, meaning the games club win!¡± Yuuri begins to protest this before-unknown rule, but notices that Terra had overtaken her in points again and decides to simply accept the loss.


    She sits next to Saito, who mocks her as she sits down. ¡°I thought you were the ¡®arcade champion¡¯. What happened, Y2K?¡± He puts a sarcastic emphasis on the name, leaving Yuuri to just pout.


    ¡°Meet me at an arcade later and I¡¯ll show you!¡± she retorts to Saito¡¯s amusement.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you will, ¡®champ¡¯¡±. he responds with a laugh, messing with her hair to get her to pout more.


    As the game club finishes celebrating the win, Hailey continues. ¡°This leaves the record at 1 win, 1 loss, and 1 draw for both teams. We have a tie, everyone!¡±


    The two clubs murmur amongst themselves before Saito stands up and asks the obvious question. ¡°So, what now? We just letting it end with both teams even?¡±


    Hailey ponders for a moment, but is interrupted by Kobun standing up and moving in front of Saito, his backpack in hand. ¡°I have the perfect solution, and I think you¡¯d be the perfect opponent.¡± Kobun slides the zipper on his bag open, pulling out a copy of XIDD Double Dance Industry 7th Recording.


    Saito smirks, then looks over Kobun¡¯s shoulder to Hailey. ¡°Yo, you got pads, right?¡±


    Hailey blushes, ¡°Of course we have pads, we¡¯re not in middle school anymore! How dare you even ask!?¡±


    Kobun shakes his head, then walks over to a cabinet and pulls out two dance mats. ¡°He means these, Hailey.¡± She stares at him, then at Saito, then hangs her head with embarrassment and walks off the stage.


    Saito watches her confusedly, shrugs, then walks up to the ¡®stage¡¯ to help Kobun with setting the game up. After it¡¯s all set, he asks ¡°So, what¡¯s the rules?¡±


    Kobun looks serious. ¡°Alright, three songs. Roshambo for the first pick, then trade off after that. Winner is the one with the most points, or the survivor in the case of a song failure. No hidden songs, main playlist only, and we¡¯re on Hot Club difficulty.¡±


    Saito scoffs, ¡°Not going to World Disco difficulty? I¡¯ll wipe the floor with you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re World too? In that case, let¡¯s max it out.¡± Kobun changes the difficulty up to max, his own smirk spreading across his face.


    ¡°One last thing before we start.¡± Saito says. ¡°Let¡¯s have a good game, dude.¡± He holds his hand out, Kobun returning it with a grip-shake-fistbump combo.that Saito matches.


    Saito won with rock breaking scissors, giving him the chance to pick first song. He mulls the idea over in his head before settling on a song. This allows Kobun to make his pick, then Saito picks his final song as well, setting up the three songs.


    As the bass from the music begins to pour out of the speakers, Yuudai begins to hear banging of a different kind. He turns to the door, seeing it shake as if being pounded against. ¡°Hey, guys¡­¡± he says, before another loud bang gets the attention of the audience. Yuudai looks at the others, who are all staring at him. ¡°Should I get that, or¡­¡± he asks as if trying to plead them to say no, but nobody reacts. With a sigh, he rises from his chair, says a silent prayer, then opens the door.


    He steps back just in time to avoid the two girls falling in, rolling to the middle of the room. Miyu gains the upper hand on Mayumi, pulling at her hair while straddling her chest. ¡°I bet you didn¡¯t even know YuuYuu loves it when I pull his hair like this!¡± she yells, leaning down into her face. Mayumi spits in it, causing her to recoil a bit.


    ¡°H-hey!¡± Kirika jumps out of her chair, quickly moving in. ¡°D-don¡¯t hurt Mayumi-senpai like that!¡± She sees Miyu ignore her, instead rearing back for a punch. She suddenly gets a burst of courage, yelling loudly ¡°I SAID STOP!¡±. This catches Miyu¡¯s attention, causing her to look at Kirika. This is just enough to catch a glimpse of Kirika¡¯s glowing eyes, putting Miyu into a daze.


    The sudden distraction gives Mayumi enough time to push her off. ¡°Get off me, you delusional lunatic bitch!¡± Miyu flops to the ground, breaking her out of the fog. She gets back up and tries to tackle her again, but Yuudai steps between them. ¡°H-hey, you two! Stop the fighting a-already!¡±


    Miyu stops in her tracks, instead diving into his torso with a hug. Her obviously fake sobbing resonates through the room, only barely losing to the dance music in the background. ¡°Sh...she¡¯s mean, she¡¯s awful YuuYuu! She attacked me, called me names, she even tried to tell me lies about you! You have to get rid of her, YuuYuu! Don¡¯t let her ruin your good name!¡± Yuudai stares at her nervously, stammering while trying to formulate an answer.


    Mayumi attempts to move in and try to reach her around Yuudai, but Kirika gets in her way. ¡°Mayumi-senpai, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re not too hurt!¡±


    Mayumi growls, ¡°The fight¡¯s not over, short-¡± She looks up at Yuudai, who¡¯s giving her a pleading look. ¡°Grrr¡­ Nevermind. I¡¯m fine.¡± She pats Kirika¡¯s head to vent her frustration.


    Yuudai meets Miyu¡¯s gaze, his hands on her shoulders. ¡°I want to know¡­ how did you find me?¡± Miyu looks at him with fake tears still in her eyes only managing to stutter. ¡°I left school. I dyed my hair. I did everything I could to get away f-¡± He barely stops himself from saying ¡°from you¡±, not wanting to enrage her.


    ¡°I-it was easy, YuuYuu!¡± Miyu reaches inside her pocket and pulls out her phone, showing Yuudai her lock screen without looking away from his face once. Yuudai looks at it and can only make out a few words: ¡°Chiba Golden Boy transfers to Miyafuji.¡± His eyes widen as he tries to read it over and over again to make sure he is reading it right. After Miyu puts away her phone again Yuudai puts his best fake smile on as Miyu continues. ¡°As far as you dying your hair, I could tell your hair anywhere! It¡¯s the exact same thickness, and¡­ and scent, hehe!¡± She leans in close to his face. ¡°Plus, you missed the roots, silly~¡±


    The entire audience is sickened, but too curious to look away. Only the two dancers are oblivious to the creepy display going on. The upbeat EDM going on in the background only adds to the uneasiness. Yuudai collects himself enough to reply. ¡°I-I¡¯m surprised anyone could find me! I should have done a better job, haha,¡± He tries to joke. ¡°You did¡­ a good job, yeah! Good, detective level work!¡± He stammers out uneasily, trying to not sound as displeased as he actually is. ¡°I-it¡¯s good to have an old friend from my old school here too, t-to ease th-the transition!¡± he finishes with.


    Miyu starts fawning over the compliments, not noticing Mayumi marching over and pulling him away. She spins him around and grabs him by the collar, forcing his face to line up with hers. ¡°Look, I did all this to save your ass. I fucking fought a bitch I don¡¯t even know how crazy she is to prevent that from happening. She. Is. Not. Going. To. Kill. You. Grow a fucking pair and tell her to fuck off."


    Yuudai grabs her shoulders and whispers back, ¡°No, you¡¯re right. You don¡¯t KNOW her. You don¡¯t know what she can¡­¡± he shudders. ¡°And -HAS- done. Do you think one fight will stop her? She¡¯ll see it as a challenge, not a warn-.¡± Yuudai suddenly gets yanked away, Mayumi only barely noticing the knife Miyu is now swinging at her.


    Mayumi leans back, but suddenly the knife stops in its tracks, just above the arms covering her face. ¡°Grrr¡­. w.. why can I not¡­ take care of this trash¡­.?¡± Miyu says, trying to will the knife down, but being unable to force it down any farther. Mayumi blinks for a second, then grabs the wrist, twist it, and forces Miyu¡¯s grip open, the knife clattering to the floor.


    She stares Miyu in the eyes, saying, ¡°I guess you didn¡¯t know I was a telepath.¡± As soon as the sound rings out, Mayumi smirks, spins around without losing her hold, and slams the back of her fist into Miyu¡¯s face. Miyu falls to the ground and has no time to react before Mayumi¡¯s knee is pushed into her back, and her arm twisted into a chicken wing hold. ¡°To tell ya the truth, I forgot I could do that myself.¡±


    Miyu struggles in vain, her free arm thrashing about, just out of reach of the knife. ¡°You fucking BITCH! You better let me FUCKING go RIGHT FUCKING NOW! I¡¯ll only cut off ONE of your FUCKING DIRTY HANDS!¡±


    Akina starts booing from the back of the room. ¡°Booooo! How can you even call yourself a crazy stalker if you can¡¯t even beat up a druggie?¡±


    Yuudai watches on. ¡°Oh god¡­ she knows where I go to school now. She just got her ass kicked by one of my friends¡­ She¡¯s¡­ She¡¯s gonna kill me! oh god!¡± Yuudai begins to panic a bit, then quickly pushes Mayumi off. She loses her grip on Miyu¡¯s arm, allowing Yuudai to help Miyu up. ¡°H-hey, are you okay? You¡¯re okay right? Y-you can forgive that, r-r-right?¡±


    Miyu opens her mouth, but Mayumi shouts first. ¡°Hey, what the FUCK gachi?!? I¡¯m doing this to save YOUR ass! And you just go and protect HER? When you know she only wants to HURT you? Man, you know what? FUCK THIS. Fuck this, and fuck you. You¡¯re on your own, good luck staying in one piece.¡± She then storms out of the room.


    Yuudai stares at the door as Mayumi leaves. ¡°But, I¡¯m trying to protect¡­¡± He¡¯s broken up by Miyu getting his attention again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that whore. We¡¯re finally together again. That¡¯s all that matters¡­¡± she laughs ¡°...for now~.¡±


    As the crowd looks on as the sickening display of ¡°affection¡±, suddenly the music stops. Everyone¡¯s attention is broken up by Saito¡¯s loud, yet exasperated voice. ¡°I¡­ I won! We won guys! I did-¡± He turns and sees the situation in the room. ¡°What¡­. what the hell.. happened here? Was the¡­ music too intense?¡±

 Chapter 19 - The Story of Memories

    A week after the events in the Games Club room, Yuudai has been constantly looking over his shoulder as if Miyu is lurking in the shadows, ready to strike at any moment. The crew has encountered nothing out of the ordinary in the meantime. They gather at the clubroom an hour after today¡¯s afternoon classes.


    The tension in the club has been high since the incident, with Yuudai being paranoid and Mayumi ignoring him. ¡°Anyone else just want one day without something going batshit?¡± Katsuki groans.


    Mayumi herself is leaning back in her chair, her feet on her desk. She steals a peek over at Yuudai, who¡¯s looking out the window towards the school gate. She lets out a scoff as she turns her attention to Katsuki. ¡°If we wanted that, we wouldn¡¯t have come to this school, Prez.¡±


    Cerys states plainly. ¡°This school wasn¡¯t as advertised, I expected something more¡­ refined.¡± She rolls her head towards Yuudai herself. ¡°Yuudai, you still looking for that insane girl? It¡¯s been a week, it¡¯s time for you to tell us what¡¯s wrong between you two.¡±


    Yuudai shudders lightly even at the mere thought. ¡°You don¡¯t want to know. It¡¯s¡­ really personal.¡±


    Cerys jumps from her chair, raising her voice at Yuudai. ¡°You¡¯re making it an issue for ALL of us. It¡¯s becoming personal between EVERYONE. This is OUR issue now, not yours alone.¡±


    Mayumi jumps up surprisingly fast. ¡°Yeah, you little bitch. I saved you, but you push me off to save HER? While you think she¡¯s trying to KILL you? You¡¯re as fucking crazy as she is! As far as I see it, you deserve each other!¡±


    Yuudai turns to Cerys, shouting a bit himself. ¡°She didn¡¯t do anything to you! You don¡¯t know what happened and I hope you never know anything like that!¡±


    Yuudai shocks himself into silence with his outburst. He looks around the room, everyone staring at him. He sits back down and hangs his head. Yuuri raises from her seat, walking over an patting him on the back. ¡°C¡¯mon. Talking about the pain is the first step towards healing it, Akiyama.¡±


    Yuudai shrugs at Yuuri¡¯s hand as if to knock it away with his shoulder, but she doesn¡¯t cease. ¡°It¡¯s not something I can talk about. It doesn¡¯t matter what I say, we can¡¯t go to anyone about it.¡± He looks to the side.


    Yuuri gives him an confused look. ¡°Why not? If what she did was enough to cause you this trouble for this long, surely-¡±


    Yuudai interrupts her with a frustrated yell ¡°Because she¡¯s the daughter of the chief of police back in Chiba! And you know being away from Chiba won¡¯t reduce the pull that she has!¡±


    Mayumi marches over, looking him directly in the face. ¡°We don¡¯t NEED to tell anyone else! I handled her myself for fuck¡¯s sake, if we have everyone here taking her on we¡¯d kick her ass so hard she¡¯d shit out her mouth for the rest of her life!¡±


    Yuudai snaps back, ¡°And you all would be in jail for the rest of yours! I¡¯m not letting you all go through that for MY past!¡±


    Saito pushes his way in between Mayumi and Yuuri and puts his hands on Yuudai¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Dude, if she¡¯s as dangerous as you say, we¡¯d have to do something anyway. She already came after Mayumi, who¡¯s to say she wouldn¡¯t come for us too? It¡¯s better to take care of this while we still can.¡±


    Yuudai groans a bit, his resolve weakening. Saito shakes his head back to lock eyes. ¡°We need to know what we¡¯re dealing with. What exactly did she do to traumatize you so much?¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Yuudai looks up, staring at the people around him. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you. But if you try to do anything, it¡¯s your own fault when your ass ends up in prison.. or worse.¡± He looks around at everyone¡¯s faces, finding they¡¯re still more than interested in his story despite any risks. Yuudai takes a deep breath, then sits down. ¡°It all began last year¡­¡±


    ***


    Yuudai walks to the gate of his school on a early fall day. Fall practice just ended and he is getting ready to go home after staying late to help put away the equipment. As he approaches the gate he suddenly he hears voices from around the corner.


    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± a threatening voice calls out.


    Yuudai suddenly stops and peeks around and sees a group of delinquents surrounding a small looking girl by the corner.


    ¡°N-N-Nowhere¡­ just going home¡­¡± the girl answers.


    ¡°Ehhhh? Home? You should come with us,¡± one of the boys responds.¡°Yeah! We can show you a good time!¡± another boy laughs.


    The girl looks incredibly nervous ¡°N-No thank you¡­ I really need to-¡±


    Suddenly she¡¯s slammed into the outer walls of the school by what looks like the leader of the boys. The girl cries out in fear.


    ¡°Listen bitch. We don¡¯t care if your daddy is in charge of the authorities here. You¡¯re gonna come with us and you¡¯re gonna help us show him not to mess with our gang. You got that?¡± the taller boy growls.


    Suddenly Yuudai jumps out from around the corner, still holding his baseball bat as a weapon. ¡°Hey! Leave her alone!¡± He begins charging at the group of boys with the bat.


    ¡°S-Shit! It¡¯s the Golden Boy!¡± one of the weaker boys calls out. ¡°Y-Yeah boss! C¡¯mon!¡± the other one calls.


    ¡°Tch. Damn goodie two shoes¡­¡± the taller one goes. He drops the girl and spits on the ground near her. The boys run off.


    Yuudai keeps waving his bat at them and shouting. ¡°Yeah you better run! Punks!¡± When he sees that they¡¯re out of his sight he hurries over to the girl who is nearly in tears. ¡°Are you okay? Did they hurt you?¡±


    ¡°N-No¡­¡± the girl says with a sniffle. She¡¯s still looking down at the ground. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ you didn¡¯t have to save a girl like me.¡±


    ¡°Eh?! Nonsense! I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯re okay! You¡¯re from class 1-3 right? The name¡¯s Yuudai Akiyama!¡± Yuudai replies with a grin.


    The girl finally looks up towards Yuudai. She has an awestruck look to her face, like a kid on their birthday. ¡°The name¡¯s¡­ Miyu.¡±


    ¡°Well Miyu, I¡¯ll walk you home today. I don¡¯t really want to see those guys bugging you again.¡± Yuudai suggests. He walks off with Miyu right on his heels like a lost puppy. Miyu says with a pleasant voice. ¡°Sounds¡­ nice~¡±


    ***


    Katsuki chimes in. ¡°Even back then you were popular with girls, huh? I don¡¯t see how that leads into what last week, though.¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°Well I started noticing something was off after a couple of weeks. She started getting really¡­ weird. Then a few months later...¡± Yuudai continues.


    ***


    Yuudai unwraps a bento lunch on the roof while Miyu¡¯s gaze doesn¡¯t leave him in the slightest. ¡°I hope you like it Yuuyuu~¡± Miyu calls out to him playfully.


    Yuudai gives off a chuckle. ¡°Well your lunches always looked good so when you invited me to try yours I couldn¡¯t refuse! Especially since I somehow misplaced my own lunch¡­¡±


    Miyu hides her laugh behind her hand. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ I made it with a lot of care and even put a little bit of myself in there!¡±


    ¡°Yourself?¡± Yuudai asks her. He sits and ponders for a moment before he comes to a conclusion. ¡°Oh you mean like how my mom always puts love and care in her food!¡±


    Miyu claps her hands. ¡°Yup! Lots of love.¡±


    Yuudai finally opens the bento to reveal a basic meal of meat with rice. The rice is decorated with a red sauce in the shape of a heart. He takes his chopsticks and puts his hands together. ¡°Thank you for the meal!¡±


    He takes some of the rice in his chopsticks and puts it in his mouth. The taste of the sauce instantly gives him with a curious expression, it¡¯s definitely familiar to him but he can¡¯t think where.. He continues to chew it out of politeness, still trying to figure out the taste.


    Miyu begins breathing heavily watching Yuudai eat the meal she made. She seems unfazed by the confusion on his face. ¡°N-Now part of me is inside you Yuuyuu!¡± She claps her hands together in excitement. Her sleeve droops down her arm slightly, showing a bandage wrapped around it.


    Yuudai¡¯s eyes begin to widen as he sees the bandage. ¡°M-Miyu! Are you alright?! What happened?¡±


    Miyu looks confused and then turns to see her bandage. She turns back to Yuudai with a quizzitive look on her face. ¡°Eh? How else was I supposed to get it on the rice? Although now that I think about it it may have been easier to...¡±


    Yuudai pauses for a moment and then realizes where he remembers the taste from. He remembers all the times as a youth when he rough housed too much and split his lip. It¡¯s the taste of blood. ¡°YOU MADE ME EAT YOUR BLOOD?!¡± Yuudai says, anger showing in his voice.


    Miyu tilts her head. ¡°Well yeah. I wanted to make sure you truly had me inside of you. Isn¡¯t it romantic?~¡±


    ¡°WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!¡± Yuudai shouts as he quickly stands up, spilling the contents of the bento onto the ground. ¡°I DON¡¯T KNOW WHAT KIND OF SICK JOKE THIS IS BUT DON¡¯T GIVE ME YOUR LUNCHES EVER AGAIN!¡± Yuudai storms off back downstairs.


    Miyu looks down at the spilled lunch for a moment and calls out to him. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to win your affection some other way.¡± Yuudai can hear the echo of her laughing as he descends the stairs.


    ***


    Yuudai¡¯s friends sit there in stunned silence after he finishes retelling that part of the story. Saito is the only one that is able to find words. ¡°Man, that¡¯s fucked up.¡±


    ¡°The worst was only a few months before I started here¡­¡± Yuudai actively avoids eye contact with the rest of the club at this point. ¡°V-Valentines Day¡­she...¡± he croaks out.


    ***


    ¡°Hey! Yuudai!¡± a girl calls out to him. She runs up to him at his locker. She¡¯s hiding something behind her back.


    ¡°Oh, hey Kaede. What¡¯s up?¡± Yuudai answers. He gets his shoes on while waiting for Kaede to speak up.


    ¡°W-Well would you um¡­ like to walk home together? There¡¯s something I want to talk to you about.¡± Kaede says, fidgeting around.


    ¡°Yeah sure! You¡¯re only a few blocks from my place right?¡± Yuudai happily answers as he begins putting on his coat. He proceeds to walk out of the school with Kaede.


    As they walk, Kaede starts to speak. ¡°You really helped me out by training with me for track, even if you didn¡¯t have to. Seeing you smile and work really hard at it though, it made me feel good.¡± She smiles and continues. ¡°I liked seeing you so passionate about sports and helping me out. I¡­ I really think you¡¯re cool for doing that and stuff!¡±


    As the two walk, they cut through a shortcut in the park where they usually train due to the lack of people. After a minute or so of awkward silence Kaede finally pulls out the chocolate from behind her back and shoves it towards Yuudai. ¡°...Here,¡± she shyly says.


    Yuudai looks over and is immediately overcome with embarrassment. His face grows bright red as he doesn¡¯t know how to answer. ¡°EH?! B-B-B-B-B-But Kaede¡­¡±


    ¡°And¡­ I-I¡¯d like to be able to know you more personally and¡­ augh jeeze you get the idea right?¡± Kaede spills out. She bites her lip before finally saying it. ¡°Yuudai Akiyama! I like you! Please go out with me!¡±


    Yuudai is taken aback. Ever since Miyu started talking to him many people began to avoid him. Even his own baseball team had. However seeing Kaede feel this way made him feel very warm inside. He gives off a gentle smile and puts his hand on Kaede¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Kaede I¡­¡±


    Suddenly a mysterious figure appears in front of them wearing all black baggy clothing. They have a black ski mask on to conceal their identity. Without any warning the figure jumps towards Kaede. Instinctively, Yuudai jumps in front of where Kaede is. ¡°Run Kaede! Get help!¡± he shouts. The last thing he¡¯s able to hear is the sound of a taser being primed before his vision and senses go blank.


    ***


    ¡°...¡± at this point Yuudai is almost on the verge of tears.


    Yuuri interrupts him to put her arm around Yuudai. ¡°If this is too hard for you, you don¡¯t have to continue.¡±


    ¡°T¡­.There...There¡¯s still more¡­,¡± Yuudai manages to speak out from behind his soft sobbing.


    ***


    ¡°No¡­ N...No...more¡­¡± Yuudai manages to speak out from behind his soft sobbing as he continues to lay chained to the table. He hears a metal clang on the stone floor and Miyu looks over at him.


    ¡°So¡­ does that mean you finally get we¡¯re meant to be?!¡± Miyu gleefully asks.


    ¡°Y...Yes¡­ yes I do...I¡­¡± Yuudai begins to speak but it gets interrupted by a coughing fit. His throat dry from the screams. ¡°...l...lov¡­¡±


    ¡°Gaaah! I¡¯m not ready to hear it yet~¡± Miyu jumps up and down with joy. ¡°I¡¯m just glad you understand! I want the perfect moment to hear you say those words, okay?¡±


    Yuudai doesn¡¯t say anything. He just stares at the ceiling. He has no more tears left to shed. Suddenly he begins to feel the chains loosen up. As he does Miyu begins to guide him up.


    ¡°So you¡¯re free to go now! You won¡¯t have to worry about that bitch Kaede getting away with our relationship, you¡¯ll just have to reject her is all. Even if she ran away before I could catch her there¡¯s no way she could blame it on me! It¡¯s like I told you, my daddy is the chief of police and he¡¯ll be sure to pin it on someone even if they didn¡¯t do it,¡± Miyu lectures to Yuudai with a cackle.


    As she hands Yuudai his clothes back she reveals a knife hidden underneath. She leans in closer poking the knife at his chest but not enough to break skin. It is however enough to make Yuudai flinch severely and whimper. ¡°If I find out you don¡¯t actually love me, or you aren¡¯t fully devoted to me¡­ we¡¯re going to have to have another one of these sessions again, you hear me?¡± she says coldly.


    Yuudai gives off a weak nod. She immediately kisses him on the nose and giggles while walking towards the stairs! ¡°Good! I¡¯m glad we¡¯ve come to an understanding! I¡¯ll see you at school, boyfriend~¡± Miyu gives off a wave as she disappears up the stairs.


    ***


    ¡°...After that I¡­ ended up going back home and asking to be transferred out of school because of a better sports program¡­ I couldn¡¯t tell them what happened¡­ I didn¡¯t want anyone to be put in danger again¡­ I can¡¯t... I can¡¯t¡­¡± Yuudai just freezes up before his sobbing becomes harder and harder. ¡°I... can¡¯t... do... this... again!¡±


    Katsuki grabs Yuudai by the shoulders and looks directly into his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re not alone anymore, Yuudai, we¡¯re all here for you.¡±


    Yuuri speaks up, ¡°We can take care of ourselves just fine, and right now we¡¯re worried about you. So let us watch your back, kay?¡±


    Yuudai pulls away from from Katsuki. ¡°You...you don¡¯t understand! You can¡¯t understand!¡±


    Katsuki doesn¡¯t break eye contact with him as she continues. ¡°We¡¯ve all gone through heavy shit in our lives, alone. We don¡¯t have to do that anymore. We¡¯re clubmates but we¡¯re also friends, so don¡¯t try to handle this all by yourself, alright?¡±

 Chapter 20 - The Story of Spice

    It¡¯s been a few days since Yuudai revealed his history with Miyu to his clubmates. The crew has been helping Yuudai to avoid Miyu, and distracting her from finding him. Today the Dean has announced a mandatory assembly for the entire school with an appearance by a famous American chef. Now, they find themselves in the gym, hoping they can still avoid Miyu while waiting for the assembly to start.


    The club members are all sitting in a row, talking between each other. Yuuri stretches and says, ¡°It¡¯s weird we have a mandatory gathering after school, but at least we¡¯re not missing any classes.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know America had chefs! My daddy said American cuisine is derivative of other superior culinary nations and inferior in every way.¡± Kirika proudly states with her hand on her chest.


    Yuuri absentmindedly replies, ¡°Of course they have chefs, who do you think cooks their burgers?¡±


    Kansaku taps the microphone to get everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Students, students, please give me your attention.¡± He waits for the clamor to die down. ¡°Today we have a special guest brought in! Coming all the way from America, it¡¯s celebrity chef Nutmeg John!¡±


    Music blares through the PA system as the chef walks into the room, the students politely clapping for him as he enters. He takes the microphone from the dean and begins to talk excitedly. ¡°Hey Miyafuji! Are you ready?¡± The students continue politely clapping. He continues. ¡°Today we¡¯re gonna make some hot Chili Con Carnage! It¡¯s so hot-¡± The clapping slowly dies down as he realizes nobody in the audience can understand him, the sea of confused faces causing him to reconsider his choice of language.


    Kansaku walks over to John and begins to translate for him, causing the audience to get excited. ¡°It¡¯s so hot that it feels like Carnage in your mouth!¡± Kansaku continues as Nutmeg John does.


    The speech continues as Mayumi turns to her clubmates, more excited than the rest. ¡°No fuckin¡¯ way, Nutmeg John? Me an¡¯ my dad crashed at his place when we were in America!¡± Her friends only return blank looks and quizzical stares. ¡°He¡¯s famous, guys! Never heard of the Eat¡¯m All Meatballs? Or the Triple Under Dutch Burger? Not even the Sitting Pretty Under the Bridge donuts?¡±


    The stares continue, except for Yuudai is holding his stomach. ¡°Man, I really shouldn¡¯t have skipped lunch¡­¡±


    Kansaku¡¯s intro finally ends with him saying, ¡°So, who¡¯s ready to try and tickle Nutmeg¡¯s taste buds!?¡± As he does, he removes the cover on a nearby object with a flourish. ¡°Alright, students! We¡¯ve brought in these mobile kitchenettes for you to cook up something that will make the flames on Nutmeg¡¯s shirt really blaze!¡± The two men chuckle, then continue. ¡°Your ingredients are already set for you, so you only need to worry about cooking!¡± He pauses for effect, then finishes up ¡°Now, there¡¯ll be a 15 minute break as we determine who will be the club to face the cooking club in this fierce culinary battle!¡± The students begin murmuring amongst themselves as the Dean and Nutmeg take seats at a nearby table.


    Mayumi shoots up out of her seat, and in English yells, ¡°Hay Nutmeg! It¡¯s me, Asuka Mayumi!¡± She runs down through the crowd to meet him face to face.


    Nutmeg seems surprised behind his sunglasses. ¡°Oh, hey! It¡¯s my favorite flame-grilled girl! Are you ready to go on a culinary journey of flame broiling, fire roasting, and extreme eats?¡±


    ¡°Aww fuck yeah I am!¡± She raises her arms in excitement.


    Back in the bleachers, the others are still confused. Yuudai perks up, saying, ¡°Wait! If he only speaks English, then how are we gonna ask him for food?!?¡±


    Yuuri replies, ¡°Well, just ask him in Japanese, but really slowly! He should be able to understand that!¡±


    ¡°Or maybe we could just have Mayumi translate for us, she seems to be- ¡° Katsuki stops as she realizes Mayumi is waving her hands, calling them down. ¡°Speaking of, Mayumi¡¯s trying to get us to come down there with her, everyone!¡± She hops down the bleachers and the others follow. ¡°Haalooowww. Myyy naaaaameeee iiiiisssss Kaaat-Sooooo-Kiiiii!¡± She smiles and gives a bow.


    Nutmeg replies ¡°Oh, hey, how ya doin!?¡± and gives a thumbs up in response, not fully understanding what she said.


    Katsuki continues, ¡°So, are you gonna cook for us or just judge the food?¡± Nutmeg still looks confused before Mayumi begins translating for him.


    She relays back his response. ¡°Glad you asked, fiery-headed girl! He¡¯s going to pit two clubs against each other in a cooking contest. And since he knows me, he''ll pick us as the other club in the competition!¡± She then does a double take. ¡°Wait, what? Us? Cooking?¡±


    The members look amongst themselves worriedly, except for Akina who seems confident. ¡°Stay out of my way. I could handle the entire cooking club one-handed.¡±


    Yuuri looks shocked. ¡°It¡¯s not a fight Akina, it¡¯s a cooking competition. You¡¯re not allowed to beat them up!¡±


    Akina looks at Yuuri with a hint of anger in her eyes. ¡°What makes you think I didn¡¯t know that?¡± Yuuri shrinks away after the glare she gets from Akina.


    Nutmeg tries to keep up with the small bits of Japanese he knows, but he gets so engrossed in it that it surprises him when Kansaku taps him on the shoulder and tells him the time is up. John asks him to call the Cooking club over, telling them to get ready to face the Paranormal club. The dean goes to them and calls them over to the center with the Paranormal club. ¡°Okay, if you guys could all line up and face the cameras we need a shot of you all together before we start.¡±


    The two teams line up on either side of Kansaku and Nutmeg, each striking a mildly aggressive pose, save for Akina, who looks ready to cook more than just food.


    Just before the competition begins, a teacher rushes up to the stage and whispers into Kansaku¡¯s ear. He takes his microphone and announces ¡°Everyone, there¡¯s a small incident in the Science classroom. Nothing to be worried about! But, I do need to attend to it personally. While I¡¯m gone¡­ umm, Oh! Miss Alcott since you¡¯re fluent in both English and Japanese, could you translate Mr. John¡¯s instructions for the cooking club?¡±


    Cerys grins and gives a thumbs up. Kansaku hesitates for a moment, but not knowing any better options, gives her the microphone and hurries off with the teacher. She hands the mic over to Nutmeg who begins talking again. ¡°Alright, Let¡¯s start our journey to Spiceville with a radical wallop of heat! First will be an appetizer, and both teams will have 30 minutes to set my mouth on fire. Now, let¡¯s get fired up!¡±


    The cooking club president walks over to Cerys and asks, ¡°So, what did he say?¡±


    Cerys holds off her grin as she replies, ¡°Basically, he said to make something traditionally Japanese. And not spicy, he hates spice. We¡¯re making appetizers now, and we got 30 minutes.¡± The president nods and smiles before thanking her and returning to his team¡¯s side of the battlefield. Cerys hides a chuckle behind her hand before returning to her clubmates¡¯ sides.


    Already Mayumi and Akina are bickering over who will take point in the kitchen.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t nothin or no one that knows spice better than a gyaru, short bitch!¡± Mayumi yells directly into Akina¡¯s face.


    ¡°He wants it in his food, not in his pants you slutty bitch. And I doubt he wants any of your diseases, either. ¡°Akina cooly responds.


    Yuuri raises her hand and meekly says ¡°Hey guys, I know how to cook too, guys¡­¡±


    Mayumi and Akina turn to her simultaneously, Akina just looking pissed and Mayumi saying ¡°We don¡¯t need to serve him cat food!¡±


    Yuuri slowly lowers her hand, tears beginning to form in her eyes as Cerys gets between the two bickering girls. ¡°Alright, enough you two. Mayumi¡¯s stayed with John in America, so she¡¯d know what he likes best. She¡¯ll be the head chef, you¡¯ll be the secondary chef, and the rest of us help out where we can. Got it?¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Akina looks at Cerys, then back at Mayumi. ¡°Fine, but if we lose this I¡¯ll cook your ass.¡±


    Mayumi smirks, responding ¡°That¡¯s usually 5,000 yen, but for you I¡¯ll do it for 10,000. Not that we¡¯re losin¡¯ to these losers, anyway.¡±


    The club takes up their places in the kitchen area, as soon as Yuudai arrives at the miniature refrigerator he suddenly perks up and turns to Mayumi. ¡°So, captain, what the hell are we even going to make?¡±


    Kirika stands next to the can opener, suggesting ¡°We could probably make anything and cover it in that spicy red sauce. He should love it!¡±


    Katsuki thinks out loud, ¡°He might be expecting that. We could twist it on him by using wasabi!¡±


    ¡°The kid¡¯s got a point, red.¡± Mayumi says. ¡°You could probably feed him his own dick covered in siracha and with some bacon on it.¡±


    Katsuki suddenly slams her fist into her hand. ¡°Oh, I know! Wasabi balls! And cover them in hot sauce!¡±


    Mayumi stares at Katsuki for a moment before deciding against asking her how she came up with that. ¡°Nah, we gotta make it more American to really impress Nutmeg. We¡¯ll make one of his favorites, Buffalo Potato Croquettes.¡±


    Yuudai shakes his head. ¡°A potato what? Whatever, just tell me what to do.¡±


    Cerys pops up ¡°I already regret making you lead, Mayumi. You¡¯re too good at eating shitty food.¡±


    Akina says ¡°At least we don¡¯t have to eat it. Whatever.¡±


    Mayumi roots around in the cabinet until she finds some instant mashed potatoes, some hot sauce, some panko and some blue cheese dressing. She flips off the two as she does so. Katsuki asks ¡°So, what do you want us to do? Anything besides making fire puns and doing stupid poses?¡±


    ¡°I''m gonna need someone to boil some water, someone else to get some peanut oil, someone to whisk some eggs and lolibitch to shut the fuck up for the duration of me cooking.¡± Mayumi finishes putting out the ingredients on the table in the middle of the work area. ¡°Before I fry her face along with the croquettes.¡±


    Cerys smirks and grabs a chair. ¡°I¡¯ll do just that.¡± Everyone else begins to take their places and helps Mayumi cook, each member taking care of whatever task Mayumi assigns them.


    The members quickly work together, gathering ingredients then in turn turning them into what will eventually be the completed dish. Soon, Mayumi is cooking the croquettes with only a little bit of time left on the clock.


    As the one minute warning alarm sounds, Mayumi begins plating the food. Yuuri watches her, asking, ¡°How are things looking, Mayumi?¡±


    ¡°Pretty damn good, Vice Prez,¡± Mayumi replies.


    Yuuri drools a little. ¡°When do we get to eat? They smell fantastic!¡±


    Yuudai adds ¡°Yeah, this is making me hungry¡­¡±


    ¡°So much for me being good at eating shitty food, huh lolibitch?¡± Mayumi snarks just before the buzzer sounds. Cerys begins to giggle at Mayumi.


    Both captains bring their food up to John¡¯s table, where he sits vaping like a maniac. He sets his vape pen down as the food is set before him. First he takes a big bite out of the Paranormal Club¡¯s croquettes, chewing with his mouth open and making an exaggeratedly happy face. After he swallows, he turns to the Cooking club¡¯s cold soban noodles, grabbing them with his bare hand and shoving them in his mouth. He makes a pleasured sound as he chews, soon swallowing.


    ¡°Paranormal club, this succeeds on spiciness, but was very predictable. Also the small child didn''t seem to do anything. Cooking club, this is so anti-fire that it circles around and becomes fire. My taste buds are refreshed and ready for true spiciness!¡±


    The clubs kind of look at each other in confusion before Cerys facepalms and yells out, ¡°HE SAID THE COOKING CLUB WON.¡±


    ¡°Darnit!¡± Kirika snaps her fingers as she hears the news.


    ¡°That¡¯s some of his favorite stuff, though! How the hell¡¯d we lose?¡± Mayumi nearly yells at Cerys


    ¡°He said it was too predictable, while the Cooking nerds surprised him,¡± Cerys answers mockingly.


    ¡°Well at least I tried,You didn¡¯t do anything lolibitch!¡± Mayumi snaps back


    ¡°You told me not to, tallbitch.¡± Cerys responds dryly.


    Before anything can start up again, Yuuri steps between them. ¡°There¡¯s still two rounds, you two. Let¡¯s bring it back instead of tearing into each other, alright?¡±


    As the kitchenettes are set up for round two, Yuudai gets a text on his phone. ¡°I hope the principal likes my surprise. I got something even better for you, Yuu Yuu <3¡±.


    Yuudai almost drops his phone, sweating bullets. ¡°How the hell did she get my number?¡± he mutters to himself.


    Katsuki notices him being shaken up, and steps over to him and clasps her hand on his shoulder. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Yuudai? Did you try eating one of those things?¡±


    He jumps again at the contact, quickly grasping his phone and pocketing it. ¡°N-nothing, just nervous f-for the rest of the competition! I th-thought we had that one, darn, haha!¡± He fakes an angry stomp.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry too much, we¡¯ll get them next round, Yuudai! Let¡¯s get back to it!¡± Katsuki flashes him a smile and returns to her station, the break time almost up.


    John rips a huge vape cloud as the buzzer sounds, alerting all the competitors that the next round was about to begin. Cerys goes to join the Cooking Club President in front of John to receive the instructions, but Mayumi pushes her backwards and rushes up. ¡°Alright fiery guys and fiery gals, next up is the main course! Gotta have something filling before a huge desert, so give me something Big, something hot, and somethin¡¯ sticky. Make sure it¡¯s edible, too!¡± He adds with a laugh, taking another dab from his puffer.


    Mayumi turns to the Cooker, then relays the instructions perfectly. Both return to their teams and fill them in. Kirika perks up as she hears it. ¡°Oh! You know what¡¯s spicy? Mustard! And horseradish! How about we mix those together!?¡± She smiles.


    Mayumi ignores the clearly inexperienced rich girl, ¡°He wants something big, hot, and sticky¡­¡± She snaps her fingers as an idea comes to her. ¡°Barbecue Katsudon could actually work.¡±


    ¡°Can we cover it in mustard? Or horseradish? Or sriracha? Or maybe them jalapeno peppers that are super hot!¡±


    ¡°Short stuff, I don¡¯t think any of that¡¯s gonna work.¡± Mayumi says to Kirika.


    ¡°Just grab a hunk of meat, throw in it some oil, fry it, and cover it in a sauce and I''m sure he''ll love it. It''s what Americans eat everyday anyway.¡± Cerys says while still leaning in her chair.


    Yuudai¡¯s phone buzzes again, a small jingle playing to alert him to a new message. He pulls it out to check it quickly, it reads ¡°I¡¯m close enough that I can smell the food! Which dish is yours? I can¡¯t wait to taste your cooking with you alone <3!¡± He gulps and quickly stashes his phone as the crowd begins to count down to the new round¡¯s true beginning.


    Mayumi notices him panicking, trying to decide whether or not to ask him the problem, but decides against it as the horn blares, she quickly grabs the meat and starts molding it into shape.


    Kirika starts grabbing random spices and condiments out of the spice cabinet and mixing them into a bowl. By the time anyone notices, she already is mixing them with a hand mixer, little bits flying out of the bowl. They are powerless to stop her from creating her own Kirika sauce, which she offers to Katsuki to taste test. Not wanting to be rude but not without a grimace on her face, she sticks a finger in then tastes it.


    ¡°Aww, this is¡­. Not bad, actually.¡± Katsuki¡¯s face now shows a more pleasant yet surprised face. She calls Mayumi over, who also tastes it.


    ¡°Wow¡­ you somehow managed to make something amazing here, shorty!¡± She gives Kirika a quick head pat then takes the bowl back to the meat zone, waiting for the meat to finish cooking so she can spread the sauce on it.


    ¡°New message, big guy!¡± Yuudai¡¯s phone lets out, the buzzing in his shorts also indicating a new message. ¡°It sounds so lively in there, maybe I should join in the festivities too! I¡¯ll make a grand entrance to cheer you on, YuuYuu!¡± A chill goes down his spine as he puts his phone away again and instead focuses on chopping some onions for the side dish.


    The main part of the main dish done, they now focus on the complimenting dish. ¡°Where¡¯s the onion Yuudai, I need it yesterday! Can¡¯t have Spicy Onion Rings without the onions!¡± Mayumi calls out. Yuudai brings over what he has. ¡°Eh, it¡¯s enough. Get your head in the game for the next round, Gachi!¡± She quickly grabs the onion, dips them in batter, and pours them into a pan, sauteeing them up in a light reddish sauce.


    He sits back and watches the others scramble to finish, which they do just before the buzzer. Despite moving less than they have, he¡¯s sweating just as much as they are. ¡°Hey kiddos, it¡¯s time to let me taste victory for round two! Bring your grub to the hub so this schlub can show his love¡­ to the best team!¡±


    As Mayumi and the Cooking Pres begin to bring their food to John¡¯s table, Yuudai gets another text. ¡°I heard you lost the first round, YuuYuu. I can¡¯t believe that! Maybe I should make the next judgement for this two bit hack of a Chef!¡± He looks up and begins to call out when the lights shut off. It takes him off guard just enough that he chokes on his words.


    Through the murmur of the crowd, he suddenly hears a thud, followed shortly by a manly scream of agony. The lights quickly turn back on, just in time for John to fall over with a knife in his back. Miyu stands up from the ground, blood splattered across her face. She grabs the microphone from Nutmeg¡¯s grasp. ¡°Here¡¯s the winner of this round, the YuuYuu club, tee hee~!¡± A bunch of smoke bombs go off, engulfing the stage in smoke.


    Miyu slips on a gas mask and walks to Yuudai. Both club¡¯s members are coughing and gasping for air, one by one falling to their knees, then their stomachs. Yuudai tries to fight it off as best he can, but he too is losing consciousness. The last thing he sees is Miyu standing over him. ¡°How do you like my pass out gas? Made it myself~!¡±


    ¡°Why¡­ every...one¡­¡± Yuudai manages to choke out before slipping into darkness himself.

 Chapter 21 - The Story of Sickness

    When Yuudai comes to, he looks around. The lights are out save for the emergency lights flooding the room in a red tint, but he can see just fine. He looks to his right, finding the cooking club tied up in the corner of the Gym. Looking to his left he can see his own clubmates tied up on the bleachers. He knows it¡¯s futile, but he struggles against his own restraints anyway.


    ¡°Oh, are you awake, my sweet YuuYuu?¡± Miyu coos as she moves to his side. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, I thought maybe I made the gas too strong~!¡± She shrugs, then continues. ¡°At least it gave me enough time to barricade the doors too. Those lousy police my dad brought with him keep banging on the door, but they¡¯ll never get through~!¡±


    ¡°M-M-Miyu? What did you do?¡± Yuudai yells as loud as he can muster, still dazed from the gas.


    ¡°Oh, not much YuuYuu! I just figured this cooking crap would be the perfect time to enact my revenge on that disgusting fucking skank bitch from earlier.¡± She turns her head to spit to the side when she notices the other club members starting to wake up. ¡°Oh, it looks like everyone else is coming around, too. Be right back, don¡¯t move a muscle~!¡± Miyu giggles as she walks back to John¡¯s corpse and pulls out the knife before moving in front of the Paranormies.


    Cerys is the first to open her eyes. ¡°What the hell happened?¡±


    Yuuri follows, yawning before asking, ¡°Did we win¡­?¡± She tries moving, the rope preventing her. ¡°H-hey? Who tied me up? Who put their filthy paws on me, nya?!?¡±


    Mayumi looks around as she rouses, quickly turning to see Nutmeg¡¯s body in a pool of blood. ¡°What the fuck did you do to my friend, you yandere bitch?¡± She yells as loud as she can while struggling against her bindings.


    Miyu looks her straight in the eyes and smiles ear to ear. ¡°I killed him, duh.¡± She pulls out a blindfold and applies it to Mayumi¡¯s face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry though, you¡¯re next. And lucky you, my cute face will be the last thing you ever see!¡± She leans close to Mayumi breathing heavily. ¡°Although, I suppose you do have a right to know why I¡¯m going to jump rope with your guts.¡± She whispers in her ear. ¡°Do you want it from me, or YuuYuu?¡±


    Mayumi thrashes even more violently. ¡°Why don¡¯t we skip the villain monologue and get to the part where I fucking choke you out?!¡±


    ¡°Rude!¡± Miyu backhands Mayumi, venom in her voice. ¡°YuuYuu, tell them about my charming quest to earn your love. Nothing I¡¯ve done is wrong, but it seems this worthless hobag just can¡¯t understand true love!¡± The tone of her voice unsettles Kirika, who wiggles away as much as she can, hiding her face behind Yuuri.


    Yuuri leans towards Cerys who¡¯s nearby and whispers into her ear, ¡°Hey, Cerys. you can teleport out of your binds, right?¡±


    ¡°I could, but I don¡¯t know if I could take this looney out before she slices up one of the others.¡± Cerys looks toward the corpse in the room. ¡°Let¡¯s not tempt fate just yet.¡±


    Yuudai yells out from his table prison, ¡°People thought you were weird, Miyu. People warned me about you.. Said you were weird, quiet in a dangerous way. I ignored that, tried to get to know you, but ever since then, it¡¯s been a mistake I wish I never made.¡± He pauses for a moment, then continues ¡°The moment you s-s-saw me with another girl you got like this! You became a lunatic! You sent so many girls to the hospital just because they tried to get close to me. Because of me¡­¡± He feels a hot tear roll down the side of his face.


    ¡°Oh YuuYuu, you¡¯re so charmingly dense,¡± Miyu coos. ¡°You clearly didn¡¯t get the hint when I sent people to the hospital, so I¡¯ll just start sending them to the morgue instead. Wave bye-bye to your friends~¡±


    Yuuri starts struggling even more ¡°N-Nyahh! Let me loose! The kitty wants to play!¡±


    Akina, who¡¯s been sitting back cooly, trying to analyze the situation, quips, ¡°Looks like the druggie won¡¯t die to an overdose. How unexpected.¡± She sighs,¡°I knew this cooking stuff would be stupid.¡±


    Miyu walks back to Yuudai. ¡°See, they don¡¯t even care that you¡¯re suffering, Yuudai. They only care about themselves. Buncha jerks, if you ask me.¡±


    Yuudai yells out loud ¡°Let them go! The¡¯re my friends, so please don¡¯t hurt them!¡±


    Miyu is struck by this statement. ¡°Even though they don¡¯t care about you like I do? You reject ME, reject MY LOVE, for THEM?¡± She begins to sob. ¡°Why? WHY?¡± She stabs the knife into the table right next to Yuudai¡¯s neck. ¡°They¡¯re in the way, they have to DIE.¡±


    Yuudai shudders, but tries to regain his composure ¡°Remember¡­ Remember Valentines Day. What did you get me? You¡­¡± His voice gives out, leaving his fear bare. ¡°You gave me something to knock me out and¡­ and v-violated me!! You tied me down and did all kinds of horrible things to me!¡±


    ¡°Horrible? HORRIBLE? I WAS DESPERATE TO SHOW YOU MY LOVE! TO KEEP YOU BY MY SIDE!¡± Her tears flow even harder. ¡°You were the only person who talked to me, who tried to be friends with me!¡±


    Yuudai¡¯s voice booms suddenly ¡°HOW THE HELL WOULD THAT MAKE ME LOVE YOU? It only scared me away! You manipulated others to get away with all of this! You threatened to kill others for me! The only way I had to get away from you was to transfer schools! I had to leave my family behind and move to Ibaraki!¡± He pauses for a breath, then quiets down a bit more ¡°I thought now I didn''t have to worry about anyone being harmed anymore because of you. All I did was put new people in danger.¡± His own tears flow harder.


    Miyu somewhat quietly says ¡°I was hurt, Yuudai. I was hurt and scared and alone. I tracked you down and thought maybe this time, things would be different.¡± She then grabs the knife from the table and looks back towards her captives. ¡°But instead I find another of your concubines rubbing up against you! She makes me sick!¡±


    Yuudai screams out ¡°YOU make me sick, Miyu! Threatening to KILL people if they even touch me? What kind of twisted person does that?¡±


    Miyu claps her hands to her ears ¡°SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP! I''m going to wipe that filthy slut from this planet before she sullies you any further, and then mop up the rest of these bad influences.¡± She starts slashing the knife in the air for emphasis. ¡°And I''ll keep killing, and maiming, and brutalizing all those liars and whores that try to dirty your beautiful soul. And once they¡¯re all gone, you¡¯ll finally accept me as your wife. We can be clean and pure and perfect...¡± She looks back over her shoulder at him ¡°...Forever.¡±


    Miyu marches directly to Mayumi, rubbing the flat of the knife on Mayumi¡¯s cheek. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, as much as I want you to suffer, I have a lot of trash to take out so I¡¯ll make it quick. You better be thankful, whore~!¡±


    Mayumi whimpers at the touch of cold steel. Everyone starts screaming at Miyu, trying to stop her.


    Katsuki begins looking around frantically. She mutters to herself ¡°There¡¯s gotta be something I can do¡­¡± when she spots Nutmeg¡¯s corpse. ¡°I don¡¯t want any of us to end up like this! What can I-¡± She turns back and stops talking as she sees Miyu rear back to strike the fatal blow, then turns back ¡°NO NO NO!¡± She shuts her eyes, waiting in horror for the moment to be over.


    The only scream she hears, however, is Miyu¡¯s. She opens her eyes to see a sharp stream of blood sticking through Miyu¡¯s hand, though the stream quickly splats to the ground. The knife clatters to the ground and scatters away from her as Miyu grabs her hand ¡°Wh-What the hell is this? WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?¡±


    She screams in anger and pain as Katsuki stares in shock. ¡°Did¡­ Did I do that? Did¡­ I did!¡± She smiles, but then frowns ¡°Still, we¡¯re not out of danger yet¡­ how the heck do we get out of these ropes?¡±


    Yuuri perks up and turns to Kirika who¡¯s still behind her. ¡°Kirika! I have an idea! Can you summon something like you did at the beach?¡±


    Kirika snaps out of her shock, looking up at her precious senpai. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know.. but, but maybe! I¡¯ll try!¡± She then closes her eyes and beings to attempt to summon some kind of help.¡±


    Miyu shakes out her own shock, then races over to get her knife. ¡°Fuck, I should have killed you all sooner! But you¡¯re still trapped here, and you can¡¯t do shit! I¡¯ll just gouge your eyes out so you can¡¯t use ANY of your powers! Then I¡¯ll get to enjoy killing you all nice and slow~¡± She laughs as she picks the knife up.


    Kirika tries to talk through her options. ¡°Someone, anyone, please come to my aid, save us! We need help¡­ help¡­. yes, help! What¡¯s the best for help? No¡­ no¡­ yes! A butler! Mr. Butler, please come rescue us!¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Miyu races back towards the bleachers. ¡°Now you¡¯re all fucking dead! There¡¯s no way out even with your luck-¡± Her words are stopped as something grabs her arm, twisting it so that the knife is dropped again. Miyu looks up at the person¡­ no, the creature holding her.


    She sees a tall, imposing figure. A human figure, save for the bat wings and giant ears. She can¡¯t see his face clearly, but the outline looks vaguely strange, especially because of the glowing red sigil on its forehead. ¡°W-what the hell? Where did you come from?¡± She begins to struggle against his firm grip ¡°Let me go! I must kill these harlots so I can show YuuYuu true love!¡± The figure simply turns his head towards her, not saying anything.


    She panics, twisting her head around, just enough to see Yuudai rising from his table. ¡°H-How did you break free? Was your love for me so -¡± She can''t finish his sentence as Yuudai cuts her off.


    "You don''t know what love is!" Yuudai moves in front of her face. "Love isn''t harming someone until they fall for you. You''re sick."


    ¡°No! NO! I know you love me as much as I love you!¡± She yells as she jerks her arm one more time, finally freeing her from the grip of the strange man, who seems to dissipate as she pulls away from him. The force she used spins her around just enough to see Cerys freeing Mayumi, the last one still tied up.


    ¡°How¡­ How did you¡­ How dare you?!¡± She stares at the group of freed Paranormies starting to bear down on her. Realization dawns on her face. She turns her head to Yuudai with a sickly sweet smile. ¡°You set this up, didn¡¯t you? You wanted an audience so we could die in each others¡¯ arms, didn¡¯t you? I love you so much I can¡¯t stand it; let¡¯s cross to the other world together, YuuYuu!¡± She launches herself at him full force, easily stopped by Yuudai grabbing her into a headlock.


    ¡°Let me go! Let me go!¡± Miyu struggles against Yuudai¡¯s grip, but it¡¯s much too tight.


    ¡°Even now, I don¡¯t hate you. The cops will be taking you away soon, and I hope you get the help you need.¡± Yuudai tightens his grip, blocking Miyu¡¯s airway and causing her to begin to lose consciousness.


    As her struggles begin to cease, she mutters one last phrase. ¡°I¡­ will always¡­ love you¡­ Yuu¡­ y¡­.uuuu¡­.¡± Her body goes limp in Yuudai¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Hey, Yuuri. Would you mind letting the police in? We have her subdued now, and they can handle the rest far better than we can.¡± Yuudai says as he gently sets the now-unconscious Miyu on the ground.


    ¡°Is she still alive? You didn¡¯t choke her to death, right?¡± Yuuri asks.


    ¡°Of course not, Even someone like this can be redeemed. I don¡¯t want to take that chance away from her.¡± Yuudai replies.


    As Yuuri walks to the door to unlock it, she turns her head to him one more time. ¡°You did the right thing, then.¡± She opens the door, then gets out of the way as the policemen rush in. They run to the center of the room where Yuudai is still standing over Miyu, staring her down.


    As they take care of Miyu, Mayumi sits next to Nutmeg John¡¯s cooling corpse, hugging her knees to her chest. She stares at nothing.


    A while later, we find everyone outside, being attended to by medics and interviewed by policemen. One wearing a more lavish uniform approaches Yuudai. ¡°Mr. Akiyama? I¡¯m going to need a first hand account. From my understanding, you were the target here.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I can tell you -¡± Yuudai turns as he answers, once he sees the policeman¡¯s face he stops. ¡°Wait¡­ you look like¡­ You¡¯re the Chief, aren¡¯t you? Miyu¡¯s father.¡±


    The policeman frowns but nods. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Miyu¡¯s father. I¡¯m sorry she gave you so much trouble. Unfortunately, she committed so many crimes that she¡¯ll have to do some jail time¡­ most of all for the murder of that American chef.¡± He hangs his head low. ¡°Usually the court would put her away for life, but¡­ But I can¡¯t let them do that to my little girl. I¡±m going to negotiate with the courts to at least get her put in an institution where she can get the help she needs.¡±


    Yuudai looks at him for a moment, then smiles. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that. I don¡¯t know what happened to her to make her this way, but I think she isn¡¯t a bad person, at her core.¡±


    The Chief looks up at Yuudai with tears in his eyes, and puts a hand on Yuudai¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re a hell of a man, Mr. Akiyama. Anyone else would condemn her to the center of the earth, but¡­¡± He trails off, unable to finish his sentence due to choking up. Yuudai tries to comfort him, patting him on the back and helping him regain his composure after only a few minutes.


    ¡°I do have one¡­ one last question though, as a policeman.¡± He coughs, trying to put his work face back on. ¡°How did you all escape? All I was told is that one moment everyone was tied up, the next something freed everyone. What happened?¡±


    Yuudai points to Cerys, who¡¯s talking to Yuuri. ¡°That girl there, Cerys Alcott. I don¡¯t know how she did it, but at one point she came to where I was tied up and loosened my ropes. We only survived thanks to her.¡±


    ¡°Alcott, huh? She must be a foreigner. Nonetheless, I¡¯ll have to thank her for getting everyone out alive. For¡­ For preventing my girl from being even more of a murderer than she already is.¡± He sighs, then smiles at Yuudai. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I¡¯m glad you all made it out fine. But, it¡¯s my job to find out the facts, so I¡¯ll have to go interview this Alcott girl.¡± He shakes Yuudai¡¯s hand then goes over to Cerys.


    ¡°Miss Alcott, may I have a moment of your time?¡± the Chief says. ¡°I heard you were responsible for¡­ for saving everyone here today. Could you tell me how you did that? How did you escape your own bindings?¡±


    She crosses her legs and gives the chief a lackadaisical look. ¡°Sure, I teleported to get myself free and then untied everyone.¡±


    ¡°T-Teleported? You mean like¡­ like a science fiction movie?¡± The chief looks dumbfounded.


    ¡°Just think as like a ninja or something if that helps you out.¡± Cerys is clearly becoming annoyed with the line of questioning. ¡°Is that all?¡±


    The policeman senses Cerys¡¯ contempt and backs off a bit. ¡°Well, if that¡¯s your testimony¡­ I can¡¯t say I believe you, but if you were able to avert a disaster here, I won¡¯t pry too much deeper. Thank you for your time.¡± He tips his cap to Cerys, then walks to the middle of the grounds. ¡°Okay everyone!¡± He yells to his subordinates. ¡°Finish up, we¡¯re ready to head out. We have everything we need to make a report, so we¡¯re done here.¡± Before too long, the entire police presence has disappeared.


    After the police leave, the Paranormal Club returns to the clubroom to grab their belongings and head to the dorm when Saito walks in. ¡°Hey guys, what¡¯s up? Doesn¡¯t look like much!¡± Saito says cheerfully.


    Yuudai gawks as Saito comes in. ¡°Well, nothing much. We went to a school display, competed with the cooking club, got kidnapped and almost died. Not much, yeah.¡± He ends his sarcasm by walking up and grabbing Saito¡¯s collar. ¡°Where the hell have you been!?¡±


    ¡°Woah, chill Yuudude. I just slept in a bit.¡± Saito replies.


    ¡°It¡¯s 6 in the afternoon, though!¡± Katsuki exclaims.


    ¡°I slept in a lot.¡± Saito shrugs as Yuudai lets him go.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re heading back to the dorms. May as well walk with us.¡± says Yuuri.


    The Club then set out to return to the dorms. While Yuudai and Katsuki are explaining everything to Saito, Mayumi is walking along in silence, Yuuri walks alongside Kirika. ¡°So, Kirika¡­ what was that thing you summoned back there?¡±


    Kirika shrugs ¡°I don¡¯t know myself¡­ all I know is that it was cool, and I hope I can summon it again if we ever need help!¡± Kirika smiles at her senpai.


    Yuuri returns the smile. ¡°It was cool, wasn¡¯t it? I guess that would make you cool too, for summoning it.¡± Yuuri giggles as Kirika¡¯s eyes widen.


    ¡°Y-you think I¡¯m cool, Yuuri-Senpai!?¡± Kirika asks excitedly.


    ¡°Well, you saved Mayumi¡¯s life¡­ and maybe all of ours. I think that¡¯s enough to call you cool!¡± Yuuri ruffles Kirika¡¯s hair, leading to Kirika happly side-hugging her senpai.


    They reach the boys dorms, letting Saito and Yuudai peel off. As they do, though, Yuudai stops and turns to everyone. ¡°H-hey, You all, before you leave, uh¡­¡± He trails off for a moment, before clearing his throat and looking at his clubmates with a serious expression.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve definitely been on edge since coming to this school. Trying to get away from Miyu, finding out about what the principal did with the baseball games, and being away from my folks. Kind of felt like I was alone y¡¯know? But seeing you guys in danger after going out of your way to help me out, it made me feel like for the first time in a while I had a real group of¡­ of friends! S-So I¡¯ll do my best as a member of the Paranormal Club!¡±


    Yuudai steps forward, blinded by emotion, and grabs Cerys and Mayumi in a hug. They look at each other bewildered, an emotion that only grows as Yuuri, Kirika, and Katsuki join in the hug. Akina scoffs at the act. ¡°Hey, are you wussies done? We have to get in the dorms soon.¡± This causes everyone to break off and say their goodbyes to the guys before heading off to the girls dorm.


    Cerys and Mayumi linger at the back of the group, walking more or less alone. An awkward silence passes between them.


    ¡°Hey, as much as we¡¯ve fought, I¡¯m really sorry this has happened to you.¡± Cerys says, looking to Mayumi.


    Mayumi keeps walking, saying nothing.


    Cerys teleports in front of her, livid. ¡°Don¡¯t you ignore me, bi-¡± She sees tears run down Mayumi¡¯s puffy, shellshocked face.


    Cerys can¡¯t help but frown at the state of Mayumi, and instead of saying anything more she simply moves to her side, grabbing her hand supportively. Mayumi squeezes Cerys¡¯ hand back as they continue the walk back to the dorm


    Meanwhile, Saito and Yuudai reach the front of the boys dorm, only to be met by Kairu.


    ¡°That was a close call you all had there, wasn¡¯t it?¡± He asks cooly.


    Yuudai gives a slight smile ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for my clubmates I might not be here right now.¡± He thinks for a moment. ¡°I definitely wouldn¡¯t be here right now.¡±


    Kairu smiles ¡°It¡¯s great to have friends that close. With the skills they have, you all can get out of almost any jam, huh?¡±


    ¡°I sure hope so, but I also hope we don¡¯t end up in situations like that too often.¡± Yuudai says with a weak chuckle.


    ¡°Well, with powers like you all have, you might not have that kind of luxury.¡± Kairu returns to a more serious demeanor. ¡°You never know when someone might try to harness that power for their own ends.¡± He begins to walk away, the smile returning to his face. ¡°Keep an eye on those girls and keep them safe. See ya around.¡± He walks away leaving the two boys confused.

 Chapter 22 - The Story of Something New

    A month after the encounter with Miyu, the Paranormal Club is still struggling to return to normalcy. The mood is still thick in the air of the clubroom as they laze about during the last Saturday in May.


    ¡°Agh, I can¡¯t take this anymore! We are going out and we are doing something paranormal together and that¡¯s that!¡± Katsuki screeches as she tosses her paperwork into the air. ¡°This sucks and isn¡¯t why I started this club!¡±


    Mayumi covers her ears. ¡°Jesus Pres, when did you become part mandrake?¡±


    Yuuri turns towards Katsuki. ¡°I get how you feel, but did you even have anything in mind?¡±


    Katsuki¡¯s eyes light up. ¡°Un! I heard of some rumors of unexplained disappearances in Akihabara. We should totally check that out.¡±


    Saito perks up with interest. ¡°Whatchu wanna go do about it, Prez?¡±


    Kirika covers her mouth at the suggestion. ¡°I-isn¡¯t that where all those wasters go? Like him.¡± She says, pointing at Saito with disdain, receiving a chuckle from him.


    Katsuki smiles. ¡°Exactly, which is why we¡¯re checking out their haunts.¡±


    Yuuri thinks out loud ¡°There are some things I want to check out at Akiba¡­ but I don¡¯t know if I wanna walk around in my uniform.¡±


    Akina cuts in with a serious question. ¡°Prez, so far we haven''t done anything paranormal ourselves. What even is the point of this club?¡±


    Mayumi retorts for Katsuki. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you do jack and or shit, Edge-chan. Whereas I was the only one who knew how to cook.¡± She flips her hair. ¡°Basically you¡¯ve been closer to furniture than a member of the club.¡±


    Akina scoffs. ¡°We are almost like a video game club that never plays or talks about video games. Not that I care about this shit, but then at least we could change the name to something more fitting.¡± She glances aside. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind checking it out though.¡±


    Katsuki steps between the two. ¡°W-well, we haven¡¯t really done anything like that at all¡­Which is why we¡¯re investigating this!¡±


    ¡°Ok but Akihabara is a huge place, pres. Surely we aren¡¯t just going to scramble around the entire place until we stumble upon something, right?¡± Saito says with a look of concern.


    ¡°I have a few places in mind actually. We¡¯re going to try to gather information from a few of the popular but shady businesses. I found three places on the internet that kept popping up. There¡¯s an arcade that was recently bought out by a mysterious businessman, a mahjong parlor with a long history with the police department, and finally a family restaurant.¡±


    ¡°Uh, pres, what¡¯s the deal with that last one?¡± Cerys asks.


    Katsuki¡¯s stomach grumbles. ¡°I wanted to grab something to eat.¡±


    Mayumi hooks an arm around Kirika. ¡°C¡¯mon kid, we¡¯re gonna do something cool.¡±


    ¡°O-Okay.¡± Kirika stammers out and grabs onto Mayumi¡¯s sleeve. ¡°I''d like to avoid any TV cameras so my daddy doesn''t see me in such a place.¡±


    Yuudai steps forward. ¡°Woah woah woah, where are you taking Kirika?¡±


    Yuuri puts her hands on her hips and gives a disapproving look. ¡°Yeah, where ARE you taking her?¡±


    Mayumi scoffs. ¡°Somewhere cool. An old friend runs that mahjong parlor.¡±


    Katsuki tilts her head. ¡°How¡¯d you know which one I was talking about?¡±


    ¡°That long history? Half those calls were about me.¡± Mayumi puffs out her chest like it¡¯s something to be proud of.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t those places usually full of old men?¡± asks Yuuri with an exasperated look. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s really somewhere we should be looking.¡±    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Saito looks up from his phone and nods. ¡°Bingo.¡±


    Mayumi shakes her head. ¡°30 isn¡¯t really old unless you¡¯re a chick, so that¡¯s a no.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m...not really sure what I want to do yet. Maybe I¡¯ll figure it out when we get there¡­¡± Yuudai shrugs.


    Katsuki takes the opportunity to slide up alongside him. ¡°Y¡¯know, I could use a bodyguard, if you need something to do~¡±


    Yuudai sighs. ¡°You just want someone else to do the dirty work for you, right?¡±


    Katsuki nods with a smile. ¡°Yup!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± Akina says, nodding with her eyes closed.


    ¡°So you¡¯re coming along too then, right?¡± Katsuki asks, already ready to strong-arm her as well.


    ¡°Sure, I haven¡¯t been able to punch someone without getting yelled at for it in a long time,¡± Akina replies, cracking her knuckles.


    ¡°I¡¯ll only go if you promise we¡¯ll only act in self-defense.¡± Yuudai says, resigning himself to the gaggle of goons.


    Katsuki pats Akina on the shoulder. ¡°Don''t worry Akina, we can destroy the world another time.¡±


    Cerys speaks up, her patience long gone. ¡°Can we stop talking and start investigating? We don¡¯t even know who¡¯s going where.¡±


    Yuuri nods. ¡°Ah right¡­ We should head back to our dorms to change then.¡±


    Saito retorts, ¡°Whatever man, I¡¯m ready to walk out.¡±


    Cerys snaps back, ¡°That doesn¡¯t actually solve that issue though. I¡¯ll go to the mahjong parlor because it¡¯ll be funny to see Mayumi get dragged out.¡±


    Saito scoffs. ¡°Do you really have to ask? I¡¯m going to the arcade.¡±


    Katsuki looks at Yuuri. ¡°Guess you¡¯re going there too then, huh?¡±


    ¡°W-what do you mean by that? I don¡¯t play video games.¡± Yuuri stammers out, unable to make eye contact.


    Saito ignores this outburst. ¡°Hey if vice-pres wants to come along to do some power in numbers crap that¡¯s fine by me.¡±


    Kirika speaks up. ¡°Since we¡¯re all split up already, why not get changed and meet up outside in about 20 minutes?¡±


    With murmured assent, the club mates return to their dorms to change.


    Nearly an hour later, Yuudai and Saito wait at the gate for the rest of the club. ¡°Y¡¯know, we probably should have expected this.¡±


    Yuudai shrugs. ¡°It¡¯s whatever.¡±


    Yuuri is the first to arrive at the gate. ¡°I¡¯m glad to get out of that outfit. Orange is kinda painful to look at after a while.¡±


    Kirika agrees. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s way too bright.¡±


    Katsuki says, ¡°I don¡¯t know, I kind of like it, though maybe that¡¯s because it¡¯s close to my favorite color.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that, Katsuki?¡± Kirika asks. ¡°Oh! It¡¯s red, right?¡± She then blurts out after a moment. Katsuki nods. ¡°Ah! Red¡¯s nice but I like black and purple the best!¡±


    Yuuri joins in. ¡°Oh, how strange! I adore the color purple as well! Light purple especially, it¡¯s so cool and calming.¡±


    Mayumi fusses about with her top, trying to decide if she wants the top button closed or open. ¡°I like pink and green, myself.¡±


    Akina waltzes in with the rest. ¡°We would have been here on time, but someone had to spend forever picking out a shirt to wear.¡±


    ¡°Ya can¡¯t put a time limit on looking good, Edge-chan.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m pretty sure you can do exactly that,¡± Cerys says.


    Yuuri stomps her foot. ¡°Let¡¯s just go, we¡¯re burning daylight!¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go,¡± Katuski agrees.


    The club hits the train station, the train hits Akihabara. The train doors open, the club is assaulted with the sight of nerds.


    Kirika looks around disapprovingly at the nerds.


    Mayumi breathes in the nerd stink and sighs happily. ¡°Oh Akiba, never has there been a more wretched hive of scum and fuckery.¡±


    Kirika shakes her head. ¡°No...just wasters.¡±


    ¡°Man, I feel so out of place,¡± Yuudai grunts, pulling on his t-shirt.


    ¡°Just wear a business suit and you¡¯ll be like 50% of the people here, Yuudai.¡± Akina replies.


    Saito checks his outfit, then looks back up. ¡°Man, this is still pretty fly¡­ isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Katsuki chuckles. ¡°I dunno Saito, I think you might need some more orange shirts.¡±


    ¡°Hey now, orange is a cool color!¡± Saito grins. ¡°Besides, the less I spend on clothes, the more I save for arcades.¡±


    ¡°You should save some of that money for pussy,¡± Mayumi says, ¡°Because your outfit screams pay for play.¡±


    Saito shrugs. ¡°You have to wear it too, so it can¡¯t be that bad.¡±


    Mayumi grimaces. ¡°Have you seen me wear the fucking uniform?¡±


    ¡°You barely wear anything.¡± Saito slips a hand into his pocket and mumbles to himself. ¡°Fuck me sideways, I guess I forgot to actually save money.¡±


    ¡°Alright, everyone good with where they¡¯re going?¡± Katsuki says. ¡°If we don¡¯t find anything within 4 hours, let¡¯s all meet up at the restaurant and head home from there.¡± Everyone nods and heads their separate ways.

 Chapter 23 - The Story of Starting Out

    Yuuri and Saito walk up to the front of the arcade, emblazoned with a neon sign marking it as Grand Stage Heaven. The warm glow of the lights are both welcoming and intimidating them at the entrance.


    Yuuri speaks up, her voice taking on a nervous affectation, ¡°A-are you sure this is the arcade we should be going to?¡±


    Saito brushes his hair aside. ¡°Of course, this is the only one in Akiba with the machines I had in mind.¡±


    The two walk in and Yuuri is somewhat struck by the number of machines while Saito keeps his cool and continues moving.


    ¡°Wow¡­ there¡¯s so many games! All in one place! This is am-¡± She stops herself, keen as to not reveal her inner nerd. ¡°I mean, w-we gotta keep our mind focused, Saito! We¡¯re not here to goof off, we¡¯re here to investigate!¡±


    Saito waves his hand as he scans the arcade floor for the dance machine area. ¡°Yeah, yeah, we can do that later, the ghosts aren¡¯t going anywhere anytime soon.¡± He perks up. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s the Hi-Hat Pandemonium machines, what I want should be close to that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Hi-P? You mean the drumming game?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that one. You play it a lot?¡± Saito looks at Yuuri, slightly surprised.


    ¡°O-o-of course not! I watch, uh, my brother play!¡± Yuuri defends herself shakily.


    ¡°You have a brother?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ uh¡­ I mean¡­.¡± Yuuri stammers for a moment, grabbing her phone out of her pocket and fiddling with it.


    ¡°Hey, it looks like Katsuki needs help with the investigation, I¡¯ll be right back!¡± She turns and quickly leaves before Saito can make a sound.


    ¡°Maybe there is something spooky in here, Yuuri¡¯s acting weird¡­ Maybe I can beat a ghost in Funky Sumo.¡± He chuckles to himself as he heads to the dance machines.


    ¡°Ah, Noise Volta, how I¡¯ve missed you. Let¡¯s see how I can step today.¡± Saito climbs on the machine¡¯s dance pad, slides some coins in, and begins to dance. Song after song, he dances, keeping a fairly high score throughout.


    Time melts away. After a particularly hard song, the screen flashes. ¡°A new challenger is Stepping Up!¡± Saito looks to his side. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re that girl, aren''t you? Yuuri¡¯s friend.¡± He gets into position for the next song. ¡°2KY, right?¡±


    The girl in the decorated ball cap covered in a hoodie looks him in the eye with a grin. ¡°Y2K, and yeah, I¡¯ve come back from your past to take you up on that challenge. Now, let¡¯s dance!¡± The song begins, and they violently slam their feet into the dance pad.


    After a few songs, both are somewhat worn out. ¡°Heh, we split the wins.¡± Y2K says, smiling. ¡°You¡­ you havin¡¯ fun?¡±


    Saito looks back with a grin of his own. ¡°Well, I could be having more fun, but sometimes you gotta practice hard if you wanna get better.¡± He steps off the machine, wiping his brow. ¡°I guess it¡¯s the only kind of effort I like to give.¡± He looks over at her. ¡°Man, I¡¯m glad the others aren¡¯t here. They¡¯d be wanting me to put in effort lookin¡¯ for crazy stuff instead of letting me have fun like this.¡±


    Y2K starts to look concerned. ¡°E-eh? Y-you mean, your friends¡­ that I met at that game tournament before?! D-do you not like spending time with them?¡± She looks, trying her best not to get sad and blow her cover.


    ¡°Eh¡­ they¡¯re not bad people. Just on a different wavelength from me.¡± Saito smiles.


    ¡°Well, then¡­ do you wanna keep playing? W-we¡¯re still split, you know.¡± Y2K smiles a bit, her face betraying her mock confidence.


    ¡°Yeah, sure. You choose the game this time, though, since I chose last. Gotta keep it fair, y¡¯know?¡± Saito stretches a bit more, then lets Y2K lead the way.


    Looking through machines, the couple soon come across two large linked driving game cabinets. ¡°Ah, here we go. Something simple, yet devious! Let¡¯s compete in Shobun Karts!¡±


    Saito shrugs, then goes to the other side and gets in the opposite facing machine. ¡°Haven¡¯t played this in a while, hope I¡¯m not too rusty.¡±


    A light cackle comes from the hoodied girl. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be giving excuses before the match even starts!¡± The two slide their coins into the machine. As she is choosing the stage, a thought pops into her head. Wait, wait. Yuuri, you shouldn¡¯t be going along with the flow so easily! We¡¯re on a mission, darn it! We should be- The thought is cut off by the loud countdown to start the race. She comes to her senses and quickly gets into driving mode just in time for the game to start.


    After the race, Saito smacks his hands against the steering wheel. ¡°Awww, dammit! Just a second more and I would¡¯ve won!¡±


    While Saito is grumbling about the game, Y2K takes the chance to take her phone out to send Saito a message. ¡°Just remember, we have to meet up with Katsuki and the others in about 2 hours!¡±


    She barely has time to put her phone away before Saito stomps over to her. ¡°Man, what a letdown; I had you beat and then the game felt sorry for you!¡±


    Y2K¡¯s face shows mock anger as she returns the sentiment. ¡°Yeah, you were going down, but then you really went down¡­ Then took me with you!¡± She looks at him with a mean glare.


    ¡°Man, that killed my competitive spirit.¡± Saito scruffles his hair, looking around, before spotting another machine. ¡°How about we call it a draw for today and play something co-op? Just to relax before I have to return to my friends for this thing.¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­ sure! It¡¯ll be a nice way to get over being cheated out of winning.¡± Y2K smirks. ¡°You sure you got time?¡±


    ¡°Well, the text I just got said two hours, so¡­ it should be enough. And if not, well, they can wait a few more minutes. ¡° Saito says with a hint of gloom about him before pointing out a machine to her. ¡°How about we run through ¡®RunOut: Terror from the Trunk¡¯?¡± That should be less than 2 hours.


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re speedrunners now?¡± she says tauntingly.


    ¡°Nah, nothing so official. I just know my way through the game like the back of my hand. Long as you let me drive we¡¯ll clear it quick enough to not be a problem.¡± Saito replies, avoiding the barb.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    With a smile, Y2K hops off the racing machine. ¡°Okay! I like the shooting better anyway!¡±


    Saito smirks from behind her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the dinosaurs aren¡¯t as scary as the zombies from the last shooting game you played!¡± He calls out before they head towards the game.


    ¡°Why, you¡­. I¡¯m sure nothing in these games is scarier than you behind the wheel of a car!¡± She tries to get him back, but he brushes it off as he climbs in the machine.


    ¡°We better clear it quickly, because I don¡¯t have a lot of money left. I¡¯m going to so broke tonight¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, if you wanna play more later I can spot you some coin.¡±


    Saito shakes his head. ¡°I don¡¯t like being indebted to people, even with small amounts.¡±


    Y2K shrugs as she grabs the gun and sits next to Saito in the car-shaped cabinet. They both hit the player start buttons at the same time, causing a loud roar from the machine. As the game starts, a dinosaur jumps onto the screen.


    ¡°Waaaahhh!¡± Y2K screams as she fires at the machine, holding her control well enough to kill the reptile and allowing Saito to hit the gas and begin the ride.


    ¡°Heh, you ready for this game? It¡¯s got a lot of jump outs like that.¡± Saito mocks.


    ¡°I-I know, it just caught me off guard!¡± she pouts, holding her gun close while waiting for the next dino to jump out.


    This continues with Saito driving very well and Y2K having trouble at points but more often holding her own. As they play, little jabs of banter are traded with every mistake. It takes a few continues, but eventually they complete the game.


    ¡°Yay! We did it!¡± she exits the machine and does a victory dance.


    ¡°Yeah, but we needed to continue so much that I ran out of money.¡± Saito hangs his head a bit, but is still smiling.


    ¡°Aww, don¡¯t tell me it wasn¡¯t worth it!¡±


    Saito raises his head to look at her, still smiling. ¡°Of course it was, I wouldn¡¯t waste my money on something that wasn¡¯t.¡±


    A slight blush spreads across the girl¡¯s face, but she shakes it off. ¡°W-well, do you have time to do anything else? L-like, look around at some of the shops?¡±


    Saito shakes his head. ¡°It¡¯s about time for me to head to the meeting point, I don¡¯t want to be overly late.¡± He stretches, then continues ¡°I¡¯m not much of a window shopper, anyway.¡±


    She notices Saito beginning to walk away. ¡°Hey, you sure? We didn¡¯t get to decide a winner between us!¡±


    ¡°Hey, like I said, I¡¯m out of money. When I get another pocketful of coin, let¡¯s meet up so I can finally show you how great I am.¡± Saito says with a backwards hand wave.


    A notification tone brings Y2K¡¯s attention back to her phone. She says to herself, ¡°Hey, there¡¯s still a bit more than an hour left before the meeting! I guess Saito really did want to just get away¡­¡± She keeps staring at her phone, then gets an idea. ¡°Hey, if I text him as Yuuri, maybe he¡¯ll be okay with spending a bit of time doing something before the meeting!¡±


    She rushes to the restroom, changing back into her normal street clothes, then sends out a text to Saito. ¡°Hey, are you free? If you are, do you want to check out the Ultra Tomato store with me while we¡¯re here?¡± She hits send, then moves to the outside of the arcade. Yuuri reaches a bench on the street and takes a seat, only waiting a few minutes before getting a reply.


    ¡°yeah mite as well no mony tho that ok?¡± Saito texts back.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll meet you there!¡± Yuuri sends back before pocketing her phone and quickly heading to the building that hosts the retro game store. It¡¯s only a few minutes later that Yuuri spots Saito in the crowd. She rushes to his side and calls to him. ¡°Hey, Saito, there you are! What took you so long?¡±


    Saito laughs. ¡°Sorry, just a lot of foot traffic around here. Made it tough to get around.¡±


    Yuuri smiles, "It''s not that big of an issue. It took me a bit of an effort to get here too. They messed my clothes up a bit." She pats her clothes down to straighten them out.


    ¡°At least nothing happened,¡± Saito says, before changing his expression into a slight smirk. ¡°So, why did you wanna come to a game store?¡± he asks with a teasing voice.


    Yuuri had already come up with a cover story this time, so she calmly replies, ¡°Oh, my father loves these old games, so I wanted to get him one he didn¡¯t have as a gift!¡± She smiles, feeling clever on the inside.


    ¡°I see. Let¡¯s go ahead and find something good for your dad, then.¡± Saito grabs Yuuri¡¯s hand and guides her into the store, mostly so they don¡¯t lose each other in the crowd.


    Yuuri blushes in surprise at the hand grab, but lets him guide her into the store. When they get through the door, the crowd is much more manageable, letting them take the view in. There¡¯s several shelves stock full of games of every kind from every era. Even Saito needs a minute to take it all in. Yuuri says in an excitedly hushed tone, ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m actually here! It looks like they have everything here!¡±


    Saito gives a low whistle. ¡±Yeah, this is a pretty impressive place.¡± He follows Yuuri somewhat closely as she dreamily wanders around the area, trying to take it all in more than actively searching for a specific title.


    ¡°Look, Saito! They have an unopened Welcome Catty Sleepcast!¡± Yuuri points out a white console adorned with a cat character sitting behind a glass case. She then spins around, and her eyes get even wider. ¡°Look, Saito! They even have a signed copy of Father 2!¡± She spins around again. ¡°Oh, oh, look Saito! They even have a Virtua Girl! I thought those all were destroyed because nobody wanted them!¡±


    Saito simply waits out Yuuri¡¯s geek-out, giving non-committal ¡°Oh yeah, you¡¯re right¡± responses to each shout out. He looks at a copy of one of the first Mobani games ported to console, then quickly looks away when he sees the price tag. ¡°Man, the prices on these just make my head spin.¡± Yuuri stops to look at him, her rambling being cut off mid-sentence. ¡°Man, you and your old man must really be into this stuff. I kinda wanted to collect games like these, but there''s just too much and it''s so expensive.¡±


    Yuuri tilts her head in curiosity. ¡°Oh, uh, you only really play arcade stuff, huh? It¡¯s way more affordable, but¡­ you don¡¯t get the same kind of experience as playing at home!¡±


    Saito rubs the back of his head. ¡°The kind of things I like to play mostly are better in arcades, anyway. Plus, I like collecting other stuff more. I have a pretty cool bunch of arcade soundtracks.¡±


    Yuuri looks at Saito and smiles. ¡°You have good taste! I heard those songs a lot as a kid.¡± She goes to continue her browsing, but then catches herself ¡°W-Watching my dad play them, I mean!¡± Yuuri then goes back to looking at the shelves with a nervous blush.


    He chuckles, continuing the conversation while Yuuri searches. ¡°It was all I could afford though, it''s like old games, some of them have ridiculous prices. I just like hearing the songs any time I want instead of having to wait to get home or get to the arcade to play the game, I guess.¡± He puts the CDs back in his backpack. ¡°But, it¡¯s like your dad. Most people download these old things, but I love having the physical thing.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you should see my c-my dad¡¯s collection!¡± Yuuri clumsily boasts. ¡°It¡¯s not even close to complete, but it¡¯s got someone for everyone, I-I¡¯d imagine!¡±


    The two keep looking, Yuuri going through shelf after shelf somewhat meticulously, while Saito takes his time to look at some of the more displayed items. Yuuri continues to point out anything rare or unusual to Saito, who finds himself amused each time. Yuuri has a few games in her hands when her phone starts buzzing, as does Saito¡¯s.


    ¡°Hey, we found something interesting, come meet up with us at the restaurant.¡± the text reads on each phone.


    ¡°Oh, shoot!¡± Yuuri says, looking at the games she had set down in front of her. ¡°Now I have to decide which ones to get, and in a hurry! I can¡¯t believe we lost track of time like this!¡± She frantically looks between the carts, then quickly grabs three at almost random. ¡°I-I guess these ones will have to do! Let me go pay for them and we¡¯ll be on our way. Would you tell Katsuki that we¡¯re okay and we¡¯ll be there soon?¡± Yuuri asks, already on her way to the sales counter.


    ¡°Yep, already did. Don¡¯t get too worked up, it¡¯ll be fine.¡± Saito says cooly as he pockets his phone, heading towards the door. Yuuri soon joins him with her games in a bag around her wrist.


    She smiles and says as he opens the door. ¡°You know, Saito¡­ this was real fun!¡± She looks down at him with a smile. ¡°Thanks for coming here with me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I gotta agree on that. Glad I came here with you too.¡± Saito smiles as he extends his hand. ¡°Well, time to fight the crowds again. Don¡¯t want you getting lost, right?¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± Yuuri exclaims as she takes his hand, the two beginning the walk to their next destination.

 Chapter 24 - The Story of Mahjong

    The tall gyaru girl leads the two short girls through the busy streets of Akihabara. Mayumi turns to her crew. ¡°Let¡¯s go, girls!¡±


    Cerys pouts as she trails behind Mayumi. ¡°Yeah, whatever.¡±


    Kirika follows along, curious at the bustle around her. ¡°N-Now, where was it you were going to take us, Mayumi?¡±


    Mayumi turns around to look at Kirika, walking backwards as she continues. ¡°We''re going to the Red Tree Parlor. Place is where the best of the best play mahjong. They say the owner is a silver haired demon wearing the face of a man.¡± She makes a scary face to Kirika, who hides behind Cerys. She laughs, then waves her hand before turning around again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s chill. Everyone there is pretty chill. He teaches me how to play when he¡¯s not yelling at me.¡±


    Cerys looks at Kirika, then back to Mayumi. She lets go a resigned sigh, then speaks back to the elf girl. ¡°Say, Kirika are you sure you¡¯re ok being here?¡±


    Kirika perks up. ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Can I trust you to not run off if anything filthy happens?¡±


    This causes Kirika to blush. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Cerys gives her a stern look, ¡°I don''t want your innocent mind poisoned with whatever she has. Yuuri would murder me if I let that happen.¡± Mayumi gives her a stern look of annoyance, but she continues. ¡°Please promise me you''ll stay safe, Kirika.¡±


    ¡°I-I will!¡± Kirika nods along with her words. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine!¡±


    ¡°Okay, I trust you!¡± Cerys smiles. ¡°If something bad happens just... actually you do have a phone right?¡± Her smile fades, then turns her gaze towards Mayumi, "You do know if anything happens to her Yuuri is coming after both of us right? Don''t do anything weird or I¡¯m going to throw you under the bus."


    Mayumi scoffs. ¡°You do realize I heard your comment, yeah? But I''m not gonna do anything to or with the kid that''ll get us hurt¡­ or arrested.¡± She stops and moves to rustle Kirika¡¯s hair.


    ¡°Heh, good. Let¡¯s have some fun then.¡± Cerys¡¯ grin widens.


    Kirika smiles ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go Mayumi-senpai!¡± She takes Mayumi¡¯s hand, and Mayumi leads her to a mock-traditionalist building, one that stands out from the surrounding modernity without feeling as if it doesn¡¯t belong.


    They walk up towards the doors to the parlor, being stopped by the guard out front. ¡°Ey, you. You can¡¯t come in here. Your ban ain¡¯t up yet, miss. An¡¯ besides, you can¡¯t bring these kids in, either. No underages.¡±


    Mayumi points at the guard. ¡°Wrong on both counts, buddy. My ban was up last week! An¡¯ these ain¡¯t kids,they¡¯re my friends. They are just as legal as I am.¡±


    The guard takes a moment to talk it over with his boss through his walkie-talkie, then looks back up. ¡°Looks like yer clean now, and the boss said to trust ya about yer guests. C¡¯mon in.¡± He begrudgingly opens the door, allowing the three to enter.


    They walk into the building, it¡¯s insides furnished to invoke a classical Japanese-style house. They remove their shoes and change into the provided slippers. ¡°This place is¡­ fancy.¡± Kirika says with an unease to her voice.


    ¡°See, kid, you shouldn¡¯t judge a book by it¡¯s cover.¡± Mayumi winks at Kirika before opening the nearby curtain door to the main area of the parlor, the air filled with smoke, clacking tiles, and raucous voices.


    ¡°I-I-I never judged you senpai!¡±


    ¡°Suuure you didn¡¯t.¡± Mayumi says sarcastically. ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s watch a few games so you learn the ropes.¡± She starts towards a table near the back of the room, then adds,¡°Unless you already know the rules?¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t!¡± Kirika says, waving her hands in front of her. ¡°Daddy plays it to entertain guests all the time, but I¡¯ve never been allowed to play it myself!¡±


    Mayumi grins. ¡°Then I¡¯ll teach ya! ¡°


    Kirika looks concerned. ¡°But Daddy says¡­¡±


    Mayumi lightly grabs Kirika¡¯s wrist. ¡°Hey, you can¡¯t keep not doin¡¯ things ¡®cause daddy dearest doesn¡¯t let you. You gotta stand on your own two feet eventually, kid.¡± She looks directly into Kirika¡¯s eyes ¡°What happens when Daddy ain¡¯t around no more?¡±


    Kirika looks startled and worried, trying to formulate a response. ¡°D-D-Daddy has a plan for everything, he¡¯ll tel-¡±


    ¡°Naw, you can¡¯t be doin¡¯ what daddy says. Hell, Ya know what other dad had a plan for everything? Ranbo Hikari. Know what happened to him?¡± Kirika shakes her head.¡± He ended up getting eaten by his wife.¡± Kirika again falls deeper into shock. ¡°See, ya gotta fend for yourself sometime, girl. Now come on, enough of this shit, let¡¯s go watch some mahjong.¡± She walks forward a few steps, then turns to Kirika. ¡°Ya comin?¡±


    Kirika thinks for a moment, then looks determined and walks up to Mayumi.¡±I¡¯m not scared! He even let me watch sometimes, though, so I think I know enough to play.¡± Cerys giggles quietly at the exchange and follows behind the twoThe narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Mayumi takes a seat in a booth, Kirika following her in sitting with the proper seiza style. ¡°Watchin¡¯ old business men aint the same as watchin¡¯ real players. You¡¯ll learn soon enough. Now just watch.¡± She opens the slat, showing four men play Mahjong in absolute silence. At the head of the table is a silver haired man with a wicked countenance.


    The four men are mid-hand, and the girls watch as East draws a tile and declares Pinfu. Mayumi smiles and nods at the reliable classic.


    As the silver-haired man starts resetting the tiles, he looks up to see Mayumi¡¯s smiling face through the window. ¡°Hey, hope ya don¡¯t mind us watchin¡¯.¡±


    This causes the old man to frown and mutter, ¡°Damn, I really should have banned her for longer¡­¡± but then he looks up in interest. ¡°Wait, we?¡± He then sees Kirika and Cerys peeking through the corner of the window, as if trying to stay out of sight.


    Kirika moves back to hide, but Mayumi grabs the nape of her shirt and pulls her up to the window gently. ¡°H-hello, mister.¡± Kirika meekly peeps out.


    The man clears his throat and put on a happier face. ¡°Oh, you brought friends along? How nice! Welcome to my establishment, I own this place! No need to worry, we won¡¯t bite¡­ unless you try to skip on your debts.¡± He says, shooting a glance at Mayumi. ¡°Here, would you like anything?¡±


    He snaps his fingers and an assistant in black immediately comes to the call, handing Kirika and Cerys a menu. As Kirika looks it over, Mayumi leans over and tells her, ¡°The karaage here is some of the best I¡¯ve had.¡±


    Kirika looks at Mayumi, then back at the menu, then finally to the assistant. ¡°I¡¯ll have the karaage, a-and orange juice!¡± She hands the menu back to the assistant, who immediately turns to Cerys. ¡°I¡¯ll have the karaage and green tea.¡±


    ¡°Oh, they didn¡¯t ask what you want, Senpai!¡± Kirika says after he leaves.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they know what to get me, it¡¯s the same thing I get every time.¡±


    Sure enough, the assistant comes back with three plates of Karaage, a glass of orange juice for Kirika, and a pot of green tea for Mayumi and Cerys. ¡°See?¡± Mayumi says with a laugh. She turns to the owner. ¡°Thanks for the service mistah. Now how¡¯s about we have a game of 3P together to introduce my friend to the game? She¡¯s tryin¡¯ to learn it, and I figured no one better to learn it from.¡±


    The man grins as he gets up and moves over to thedir booth. ¡°Flattery will get you everywhere, even here. Sure, I¡¯ll show her how it¡¯s played.¡±


    The table is set and the three begin their game. Cerys¡¯ discards keep disappearing from her pile as Mayumi is determined to call absolutely everything she throws down. Kirika watches on with curiosity as Cerys and the owner don¡¯t seem to react to this at all. Another call and the owner betrays a smirk. ¡°Ron.¡±


    ¡°Wha-¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even have a valid hand, girlie. Your play is almost as offensive as you are.¡±


    ¡°Can it. Put up a new wall.¡±


    The owner chuckles and does so. Another hand passes, and another win for the owner.


    Cerys speaks up. ¡°I think I¡¯m beginning to see why you get kicked out all the time.¡±


    Kirika glares at Cerys. ¡°She¡¯s doing just fine, I think.¡±


    The game continues, with Mayumi¡¯s aggressive play style only paying off once. Kirika has a hard time following the action, and starts to drift off. Soon enough she stops jolting every time Mayumi yells ¡°Chii¡± or ¡°Pon¡±.


    On the final turn, the owner taunts Mayumi by winning with a very low scoring hand. Cerys handily takes second without completing a single hand.


    After the win, the owner gets up and passes by Mayumi and Kirika. He notices that Kirika has fallen sleep. ¡°Seems like it was a bit too much for her today.¡± He smiles, then as he looks up at Mayumi it quickly washes away into a frown. ¡°Now, you going to pay me for the lesson?¡±


    ¡°How about I pay you by not causin¡¯ a ruckus today?¡± Mayumi says with an equally sly smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sir. I¡¯m here to make sure she stays calm, anyway.¡± Cerys says to the owner.


    ¡°Good, good. Maybe I should hire you as security instead of these goons, if you can handle this one.¡± He chuckles a bit, then heads towards his office.


    Cerys looks towards Mayumi. ¡°The one good thing you could teach her and you bore her to sleep. Maybe underneath that slutty exterior is a very boring girl.¡±


    ¡°Why did you even come here, Cerys? Just to annoy me like some kind of under-developed ghost?¡± Mayumi retorts with a hint of exasperation in her voice..


    Cerys sighs, ¡°Look, you wanna play mahjong against me? Get this settled here?¡±


    Mayumi¡¯s look changes to one of interest. ¡°Wait, you? You barely was able to keep up with that old man.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, my parents played it all the time. When we lived in Japan the first time, we¡¯d play it together as a family. I only did poorly because my waits were awful.¡± Cerys answers.


    ¡°No shit. Well then, sure, I¡¯ll take ya up on the offer. But I¡¯m probably a lot better player than yer folks.¡± Mayumi says with a competitive grin.


    The two move out of the booth and into the seats by the table, leaving the window open to keep an eye on the still sleeping Kirika. Mayumi sets up the table as Cerys watches, taunting her with, ¡°Maybe you should get a quick lesson on how to setup a board¡± as Mayumi finishes.


    ¡°Maybe you should shut the fuck up. We speak with the tiles now!¡± Mayumi says as they start the game.


    A very close match between the family taught Cerys and the street taught Mayumi happens. Mayumi wins the first set and it appears like she will win, but Cerys lucks out and gets two easy yakus and clinches the game. Mayumi bangs the table in frustration, saying ¡°Aw, fuck you and your luck lolibitch.¡±


    Cerys puffs her chest out. ¡°You should be tired of losing to me by now.¡±


    Mayumi looks up. ¡°I guess God had to make you the luckiest bitch in the world to make up for your failings in the femininity, personality, and fuckin¡¯ everything else department.¡± She then chuckles ¡°You¡¯re like an annoyin¡¯ rabbit, I could cut your foot off and get my own luck from it.¡±


    Cerys glances back ¡°If I¡¯m an annoying rabbit, at least I¡¯m an annoying rabbit that beats you at everything.¡±


    The two clean up and head back into the booth to gather their things. As they do, they rouse Kirika, who sits up and yawns loudly. ¡°Oh no, did I fall asleep?¡±


    ¡°Ya sure did, kid. Missed a hell of a game, too.¡± Mayumi replies, looking at Cerys.


    ¡°Yeah, you missed one of the biggest ass kickings that ever happened.¡± Cerys looks back at Mayumi, for once both having a smile on their face.


    Kirika gathers her things as well, before suddenly perking up, ¡°Oh no! D-d-did we miss the meeting? What time is it?¡±


    Cerys calms Kirika down. ¡°Nope, Don¡¯t worry. We have plenty of time to get there. You two ready?¡±


    Mayumi and Kirika nod, and the three of them head out to meet up with the rest.

 Chapter 25 - The Story of Kidnappings

    ¡°So what¡¯s the name of the restaurant we¡¯re going to, Katsuki?¡± Yuudai asks the red haired girl.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s NiwaTora Grill!¡±


    Akina perks up momentarily, which Yuudai notices. ¡°You know it, Akina?¡± he asks.


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°O-oh, okay.¡± Yuudai reels from Akina¡¯s forcefulness. A few moments later, he turns to Katsuki to ask, ¡°Soooo, where is this restaurant anyway?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s on the outskirts of Akihabara, just a few blocks more. It has a 4? star rating on Gulp! And 6 stars on Dave¡¯s Food Observer!¡± Katsuki continues to rattle off more and more reviews as they walk.


    ¡°Okay, but I thought we were just going to the restaurant to investigate it?¡± Yuudai asks.


    ¡°We have to pretend to be normal customers, right? That¡¯s part of the investigation, too. It¡¯s a stakeout!¡± Katsuki shoots her fist in the air, but is betrayed by her stomach growling.


    ¡°Is that all?¡± Yuudai says with a snicker.


    ¡°S-shut up.¡±


    As they finally reach the restaurant, a kind looking older man greets them at the entrance. ¡°How are you today, young mister and madams? A table for- Oh!¡± He looks a bit surprised as he looks over at Akina, immediately bowing to her. ¡°Y-Young miss Gedou! I-it¡¯s been ages since we¡¯ve seen you here!¡±


    Akina sighs. ¡°Rise up, old man. We¡¯re just here for some lunch.¡± As the greeter rises to lead them to their table, Katsuki and Yuudai look at Akina astonishedly.


    ¡°Your father didn¡¯t let us know you¡¯d be coming, or else we would have had the VIP section ready for you and your friends.¡± He says as he starts calling out to the other workers to prepare the special table.


    Akina, though, calls him off. ¡°Don¡¯t bother, we don¡¯t need anything fancy. And besides, I haven¡¯t talked to father since mother died.¡± The greeter quickly calls everyone off, then leads the trio to a normal table. Due to the odd time of day they have no issues finding a table since there is only one other table occupied. The old man pulls out a chair for each of them and tries to help them sit.


    ¡°Cut the shit, old man. Just treat us like normal customers.¡± Akina says, glaring straight into his eyes.


    ¡°F-fine, then, young mi- er, miss customer. One of the wait staff will be right with you.¡± He says before walking back to his post.


    Katsuki¡¯s the first to speak up. ¡°So, Akina, your father¡­ does he come here often or something?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d assume so, since he now owns the place.¡± Akina responds cooly. ¡°And before you ask, that does mean I¡¯m a yakuza daughter. Now, Katsuki, how are we going to go about this investigation?¡±


    Katsuki tries to shake off her shock, ¡°I have so many questions¡­ but that can wait. For now, uh... could you tell us anything about this place?¡±


    ¡°This place used to belong to a rival clan. A few years back, my father took over this turf and claimed many of the businesses here, this place included.¡±


    ¡°Eh? The staff seemed real friendly to me, I never would have guessed they¡¯re yakuza.¡± Yuudai says.


    He quickly shuts up as he spots the waiter coming back to the table with their refreshments. ¡°Miss Gedou, as an esteemed guest, your drinks are provided free of charge today.¡± He sets out three drinks in front of the guests.


    Katsuki stares at the glass in front of her. ¡°You know we¡¯re underage, right?¡±


    The waiter smiles. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just complimentary tea. No alcohol involved.¡± He passes out the menus to the guests then sets out to tend to other business. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back to take your order.¡±


    Akina also stares it down. Katsuki notices Akina¡¯s glare and asks, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Akina?¡±


    Akina replies coldly. ¡°One thing I was always taught is to not trust anything given for free.¡±


    Yuudai, who is already preparing to take a drink, says ¡°Pssh, really? You can always trust restaurant staff!¡± He then downs the entire cup as quick as he can, letting out a loud ¡°Ahhhh!¡± to punctuate it. ¡°See? It¡¯s fine!¡±


    The two girls give him a weird look. ¡°How can you handle the heat so well?¡± Katsuki asks.


    ¡°My fear is less of spiked drinks and more of you scalding your throat now.¡± Akina says, picking up the cup. ¡°I guess it¡¯s cooled enough to not be a problem.¡± She then takes a big drink. ¡°For a free drink, it¡¯s not too bad. Perhaps they really are just showing respect.¡±


    Katsuki shrugs, then proceeds to drink along with them, also remarking on it¡¯s taste. ¡°Wow, it is really- Eh? Yuudai?¡± She drops her cup as she sees the big guy plop face first on the table, the silverware jingling at the impact.


    ¡°Damnit, I knew it¡­ was¡­ a trap¡­¡± Akina shortly follows him, and not even Katsuki¡¯s panic can make her resist the drug¡¯s effect.


    The next thing Yuudai knows, he¡¯s got a headache which isn¡¯t being helped by the racket Akina is making. ¡°Let us out! Damnit, let us out right now!¡± she says, causing Yuudai to look over at her. She¡¯s shaking on some bars. ¡°Let us out or I¡¯ll gut you all after I turn this cell into rubble!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste your strength, these bars are made of something that can¡¯t be broken with human hands.¡± A mildly older voice says through the jail wall. ¡°That and the noise you¡¯re making hurts my ears.¡±


    ¡°W-who are you?¡± Katsuki rushes up to the edge of the cell to ask.


    ¡°I¡¯m nobody important, that¡¯s why I¡¯ve been in here as long as I have. Just got grabbed and thrown in here one day with no explanation. Wrong place, wrong time, I guess.¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t even know why you¡¯re locked up?¡± Katsuki asks.


    ¡°You could ask them.¡± His arm pokes through the bars so they can see it, pointing at some of the other cells in the room, filled with people in their mid-20s lying around listlessly. ¡°But you won¡¯t get much of an answer, whatever they¡¯re doing to these people¡¯s leaving them all like that. Hell, you three¡¯re the first ones with any real energy to be in here.¡±


    Yuudai shakes his sleepiness off as he looks around at the cages. ¡°What the hell are they doing to cause people to get this beaten down?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna find out real quick, son.¡± An older man in a suit walks by their cell, looking inside. He bends over to look Akina eye to eye. ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to robbing you all of that energy soon enough.¡±


    ¡°Put your face any closer and you¡¯ll be walking away without a nose.¡± Akina says shortly before spitting in the man¡¯s face.


    He simply laughs as he wipes the loogie off his cheek. ¡°You got spunk kid. Maybe if your father gives into our demands you¡¯ll be able to keep that spirit up, Young Miss!¡±  Akina starts attacking the bars again as he mentioned her father, causing him to laugh even more. ¡°You can¡¯t break these bars. We have ways of tempering metal so that they won¡¯t break so easily.¡± He smirks condescendingly at her. ¡°Unless you¡¯re as strong as your father¡±.


    Akina is only making guttural noises now as she¡¯s irately grasping at the bars, pulling at them ferociously as the old man walks away with a continued laugh, leaving one of his men to stay behind as a guard. ¡°Ah, screw this.¡± Akina finally relents. ¡°We¡¯ll just have to wait for them to take us out for their experiment or whatever. Then I¡¯ll tear them apart.¡±


    As she sits on the bed, Katsuki looks over the cage, seeing blood left on the bars where her hands were. ¡°Hey, Akina, wait. Let me see your hands.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to see my hands for?¡± Akina asks, reaching them out in confused compliance.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Katsuki says as she grabs them, turning the hands palm up. ¡°Wow, you were grabbing those bars hard, weren¡¯t you? You¡¯re bleeding.¡±


    ¡°That asshole pissed me off so bad, that I-¡±


    ¡°No, no. It gives me an idea.¡± Katsuki says with a smile.


    ¡°If it gets me out of here and lets me drain the blood of that old guy, sure.¡± Akina says, the anger still in her voice.


    Yuudai asks in a hushed voice. ¡°What are you planning?¡±


    Katsuki whispers back, ¡°I can use her blood to knock the guard out, I think. Just need to get him distracted somehow. He¡¯s taking too many glances up from his phone for him not to catch us in the act.¡±


    ¡°How do you need me to distract him?¡± Yuudai says.


    ¡°You¡¯re a big guy, you can stand between us and him and block us.¡± Akina quickly replies.


    ¡°And we¡¯ll give you a signal when we¡¯re ready so you can duck out of the way.¡± Katsuki adds on.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really get it, but whatever it takes to get out of here. Alright, you ladies got it!¡± Yuudai says with a smile. He then gets up and walks to the bars, placing himself in the guard''s line of sight. ¡°Hey, guard, can we get a glass of water or something? I haven¡¯t hydrated in a few hours, and a guy this big needs his liquid!¡±


    ¡°You ain¡¯t gettin¡¯ nothing to drink but a few of my knuckles if you don¡¯t shut up, prisoner,¡± the guard replies.


    ¡°C¡¯mon man, you can spare some water, can¡¯t ya? I¡¯m dyin¡¯ of thirst here!¡± Yuudai calls.


    As Yuudai distracts the guard, Katsuki begins to concentrate, Akina¡¯s blood-collecting above her hands, floating in the air. Akina starts to ask why she¡¯s using so much before realizing it¡¯s best to not interrupt her while she¡¯s concentrating. Slowly it begins to take the form of a small oblong ball, hardening in the air. She lets out a whisper to Akina. ¡°When you¡¯re ready, yell ¡®now¡¯ and I¡¯ll fling it.¡±


    The guard gets up and gets in Yuudai¡¯s face. ¡°Last warning, pal. Sit down and shut up or-¡± His sentence is interrupted by Akina yelling ¡°Now!¡±


    Yuudai quickly ducks as Katsuki flings the ball at the guard, hitting him square in the forehead, covering his face in Akina¡¯s blood. He instantly falls to the floor unconscious.


    ¡°Well, that worked great!¡± Yuudai exclaims, before realizing a flaw with Katsuki¡¯s plan. ¡°Wait, how do we get the keys now?¡±


    ¡°Do you think you and Akina together could bend the bars?¡± Katsuki asks.


    ¡°The hell? Akina couldn¡¯t do it, why do you think I¡¯d be able to help?¡± Yuudai asks incredulously.


    ¡°That old guy said you needed to be as strong as her father to break those bars, right? Maybe the two of you together might match that power?¡± Katsuki replies.


    Akina and Yuudai look at each other for a moment, then Akina shrugs. ¡°It¡¯s worth a shot.¡± Yuudai agrees and they both move to work on the same two bars Akina had attacked earlier. A creaking sound comes out of the bars, groaning as they slowly bend under the will of the two strong teens. As soon as the gap is wide enough, Akina tells Yuudai to hold tight so  Katsuki can slip out between the newly-created gap.


    Katsuki grabs the keys from the unconscious guard and quickly unlocks the cell door, letting Yuudai and Katsuki out. ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s go find that old bastard,¡± Akina says as she starts moving.


    ¡°Awwright!¡± Yuudai pumps his fist, surprised and emboldened by their success.


    ¡°Hey, girl, what about me?¡± The man who was their temporary neighbor asks.


    ¡°I don¡¯t help people who aren¡¯t my friends.¡± Akina says without stopping, ¡°You¡¯ll have to ask for one of them to do it.¡±


    Katsuki  turns around and unlocks his cage. ¡°We gotta catch up with her, could you free the rest of the captives?¡± she asks as she hands him the keys.


    ¡°Sure thing, redhead. Not sure what the hell just happened, but if you can do that again you might be able to take those guys. Be careful.¡± He replies before grabbing the key and moving to another cell, allowing Katsuki and Yuudai to chase after their fiery-tempered friend.


    Before long, Akina busts through a door that opens up into what appears to be the main storage space of the warehouse. On the other side of the room awaits the old man from earlier surrounded by several thuggish looking younger guys. ¡°Hey, dead man! You ready for a beatdown?¡±


    The old man and his cronies quickly turn their heads to her just as Yuudai and Katsuki catch up behind her. ¡°W-what the hell? How did you get out!?¡± He asks, the shock on his face evident.


    ¡°Remember you said we had to be as strong as Akina¡¯s dad to break those bars? Turns out WE were.¡± Yuudai says with a smirk on his face.


    ¡°Well, maybe we should have drained you while you were out.¡± He smirks and twirls the stick in his hand. ¡°I should have known his only child would be as tough as him, but you¡¯re too late. With this machine, I¡¯ll be as powerful as him and you¡¯ll stand no chance. Boys, keep them busy while I get this thing working.¡± He waves his hand as to emphasize his words, launching his men into action.


    The six or so men begin to descend upon the three, but Akina takes a big step forward and quickly dispatches the first of the opponents to reach her with a single blow. She makes quick work of the rest as she continues to approach the elder.


    Any trace of confidence left on his face vanished as quickly as his army did. ¡°You¡¯re just like your father¡­¡± The old man then smirks and activates his stun baton. ¡°Good thing I came prepared this time!¡± He rushes at Akina with his bloodlust evident.


    ¡°Oh, watch out! That looks dangerous!¡± Yuudai yells after Akina.


    ¡°No, I am dangerous. He just has a toy.¡± She says, starting to rush at him as well. He takes a strong swipe at Akina, but she easily dodges and counters with a punch, which he blocks with the baton. He quickly strikes her with the baton across the face, laughing maniacally as he does. ¡°I¡¯m not going to lose again! And especially not to some inferior knockoff!¡± He activates the electrical charge, sending voltage through Akina¡¯s body.


    She yells in pain as she¡¯s brought to her knees by the charge. ¡°Akina!¡± Yuudai yells as he runs in front of her, standing between her and the old man.


    ¡°I must have been giving you too much praise. You¡¯re making other people fight for you, you¡¯re nothing like your father!¡± He rushes towards the machine and sticks his arm into a hole in the side. ¡°With this machine, I¡¯ll gain power you couldn¡¯t believe and completely crush you!¡± With the push of a button, the machine whirrs to life, sending a needle into his forearm.


    Yuudai calls out, getting into a fighting pose. ¡°You jerkwad, I¡¯m not gonna let you-¡±


    ¡°Yuudai, get the HECK out of the way!¡± Katsuki yells, giving him barely enough time to jump out of the way before Akina rushes past him, charging into the elder man and knocking him to the floor before mounting him.


    She lets her fists fly in tempo with her talking. ¡°I! Am NOTHING! Like my FATHER! That piece of SHIT! Has NOTHING! On ME!¡±


    ¡°Akina! Akina! Stop, you¡¯re gonna kill him!¡± Yuudai runs forward, restraining Akina¡¯s fist.


    ¡°Look, if you kill him, it¡¯ll just bring you more trouble than it will help anyone. Plus we still don¡¯t know what these yaks are up to.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes! I¡¯ll explain everything, just don¡¯t kill me!¡± The old man says with a cough, holding his hands in front of his face. ¡°I don¡¯t.... this was supposed to make me stronger.¡±


    Akina pauses, looks up at Yuudai, then back to the guy. ¡°You have ten seconds, then I¡¯ll finish turning your face into raw meat.¡±


    ¡°We were using that piece of junk to check people for any supernatural power and transfer it to us! It¡¯s got-¡± He¡¯s cut off by Akina jumping off him, grabbing his baton, and whaling on the machine. ¡°W-wait! Don¡¯t break it! We don¡¯t know what could happen, it could explode and kill us all!¡±


    Akina pauses, looks at the old man, then turns back to the machine. ¡°I don¡¯t care, I¡¯m breaking your toy, the consequence means nothing to me. ¡° She hits it again, and again until it¡¯s a smoldering heap.  ¡°There, it is finished.¡±


    Katsuki thinks out loud. ¡°Surely they don¡¯t actually understand how these powers work, do they?¡±


    Akina shakes her head, her body swaying a little as she does. ¡°There¡¯s no way these goons could.¡±


    Yuudai turns to ask Katsuki, ¡°So, what do we do with these guys?¡±


    Before Akina can continue, she falls to the ground, unconscious. Yuudai and Katsuki rush to her side, trying to pick her up. ¡°Oh no, her face is so pale. How much blood did you take, Katsuki?¡±


    ¡°S-she was fine afterward! It must be because she was fighting so hard for so long so soon afterward¡­¡± Katsuki puts her ear to Akina¡¯s chest. ¡°S-she¡¯s still breathing, thank goodness¡­¡±


    ¡°Watch out, we need to get her to safety!¡± Yuudai says before picking up Akina¡¯s limp body into a bridal carry. ¡°C¡¯mon, Katsuki!¡± The two rush out towards the door outside.


    ¡°Where are we gonna take her?¡± Katsuki asks as they run.


    ¡°To the hospital, where else?!¡± Yuudai replies ¡°C¡¯mon, we¡¯re almost-¡±


    Akina¡¯s hand weaky reaches up to grab Yuudai¡¯s shirt lapel. ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± the now-conscious Akina says sternly.


    ¡°E-eh? You¡¯re awake? B-but you¡¯re still-¡±


    Her grip tightens, still weak, yet with a firmness to it. ¡°I¡¯m a yakuza¡¯s daughter. I can¡¯t go to a civilian hospital.¡±


    ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t a part of that life anymore?¡± Yuudai says, standing still in the doorway.


    ¡°I¡¯m not, but you can¡¯t escape your name as easily. Besides, I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Yuudai looks back at Katsuki, who is as concerned and confused as he is. ¡°We can just give a fake name, it¡¯ll be o-¡±


    Akina glares at Katsuki past Yuudai¡¯s arm. ¡°Do you think that is the only way people know me? Or do you plan to mess up my face beforehand?¡±


    Katsuki sighs then looks at Yuudai. ¡°I guess we don¡¯t have a lot of options, so we just need to trust her.¡±


    ¡°Alright. But I¡¯ll carry you until we get to the meeting place, you need to build yourself back up.¡±


    Akina grumbles. ¡°If I had the strength I¡¯d knock you out for carrying me like this in the first place... but it can¡¯t be helped now.¡±


    Yuudai motions to the thugs on the ground. ¡°Hey, Katsuki. Don¡¯t forget to call the cops on those bastards. They¡¯re all incapacitated, so now¡¯s the time.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Katsuki says, grabbing a phone off one of the thugs and calling the police as they head towards the exit.


    The three find themselves in an alleyway between the warehouse and the restaurant. Katsuki checks the sun as they leave the building. ¡°At least we still have enough time to get to the meet-up spot.¡±


    Yuudai tries to put on his usual smile. ¡°Let¡¯s get going then, don¡¯t want to make everyone worry about us by being late.¡±

 Chapter 26 - The Story of Regrouping

    Katsuki holds the door open as Yuudai carries Akina back into the restaurant. ¡°We gotta get ahold of the others to-¡±


    ¡°To what?¡± Yuuri¡¯s voice rings out from one of the booths inside. ¡°Where have you all been? We¡¯ve been here for 10 minutes! And- and wait, why is Yuudai carrying Akina? Wait, why is Akina so pale?¡± She gets up and rushes over to look at Akina with the others following.


    ¡°Hey, hey, hold on! Calm down and we¡¯ll explain everything!¡± Yuudai says. ¡°A-and step back, Akina needs some room!¡± Katsuki pulls out a chair for Yuudai to set Akina in.


    ¡°Y-You¡¯re not looking good, Angry-senpai!¡± Kirika looks at Akina from across the table. ¡°D-do you know what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Akina lolls her head to look at Kirika ¡°Yeah, Bloody Mary needed a pint of my blood to get us out of the cell the staff here put us in.¡±


    ¡°E-eh? The staff? Cell?¡± Kirika stammers confusedly. ¡°W-¡±


    ¡°What tha hell is goin¡¯ on here? You¡¯re sayin¡¯ that the workers here kidnapped ya?


    Mayumi cuts Kirika off loudly.


    ¡°Yeah, drugged our drinks then took us to a warehouse behind it.¡± Yuudai replies.


    ¡°Shit, no wonder we couldn¡¯t get any service.¡±


    Yuuri asks Katsuki, ¡°Did you do the right thing and call the police?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we used one of their phones, since they took ours and we haven¡¯t got them back yet.¡± Katsuki says.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just take them back when you escaped?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know where they kept our stuff. We were hoping that maybe they kept them in here somewhere.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ THESE cell phones?¡± Saito says as he walks in, also holding a bottle of pop.


    ¡°Yeah, th- wait, where did you find them?¡± Katsuki says.


    ¡°Over there behind the bar. Just laying on a shelf and everything.¡± Saito takes a drink from the bottle.


    ¡°Wait, why were you at the bar?¡± Yuudai asks.


    ¡°I was thirsty. And underage.¡± Saito answers before taking another swig.


    Katsuki grabs the phones, giving Yuudai his and setting Akina¡¯s in front of her. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing this isn¡¯t an emergency, the police have taken fore-¡± The door flies open, policemen walking in.


    ¡°Everyone, freeze. We had reports of illegal activity and- Oh, it¡¯s you all again.¡± The policeman loses his bravado realizing the only people in the restaurant are the Paranormal Club. ¡°Nobody¡¯s hurt this time, right?¡±


    Kirika starts to speak up, only for Akina to quickly cover her mouth with a grunt. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re all fine. Especially me, I¡¯m the finest.¡± Akina says.


    ¡°O¡­ okay. Well, are you the only people here? We got a report on some criminal activity going on here.¡± The policeman asks.


    ¡°Uh¡­ well, some people were hurt then, I guess.¡± Katsuki says with a light smile. ¡°In the warehouse out back, the goons running this place were kidnapping people and keeping them in cages. We freed most of them, but there¡¯s still a few there we couldn¡¯t escape with.¡±


    ¡°Alright. You three, go check it out. You two, look around here for any clues. You kids didn¡¯t touch anything, right?¡±


    ¡°We just-¡± Yuudai quickly rethinks telling him about the machine ¡°We just got some drinks! Soft drinks! Is that fine?¡±


    The officer sighs. ¡°It¡¯s not, but what¡¯s done is done. We¡¯ll be expecting that your fingerprints are on the kid¡¯s stuff. And ONLY the kids stuff, got it?¡±


    ¡°Of course, officer!¡± Yuudai says, his eyes sliding over to look at Mayumi just in case. ¡°We thought since we were kidnapped by them we could at least get something to drink in return.¡±


    ¡°Alright, so tell me in detail what happened here. Start from the beginning¡­¡± The officer says, pulling out a notepad and a handheld voice recorder. Yuudai and Katsuki combine to tell the officer almost everything that happened, leaving out any mention of their powers or the machine. As they finish the story, one of the officers re-enters the restaurant and whispers into the cop¡¯s ear. ¡°Alright, alright. One last question, then. Do you know anything about a guy in the back with a face covered in blood? He didn¡¯t have any visible lacerations and only a blunt-force injury to the head. Did he try to attack you?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ w-we only saw him trip! Yeah, just fell over like that!¡± Yuudai says uneasily.


    ¡°He¡­ tripped?¡± the cop asks.


    ¡°Yep!¡± Katsuki says, backing up Yuudai¡¯s words.


    ¡°I see. Well, we¡¯ll take it from here. Stay safe, though knowing you all, you won¡¯t.¡± The policeman says, turning to leave. ¡°At least pay for your soda next time.¡±


    ¡°W-we will!¡± Yuudai says, sitting in a nearby chair as the police finally leave. ¡®¡°Phew, glad it¡¯s all over.¡±


    ¡°Wait, so the guard just tripped? How lucky.¡± Cerys says.


    ¡°Well, not quite, but we couldn¡¯t tell the cops what did happen.¡± Katsuki awkwardly answers. ¡°I¡­ I kind of used that blood magic stuff again.¡±


    ¡°What? Like with Miyu?¡± Cerys asks.


    ¡°Y-yeah! I took Akina¡¯s blood and turned it into a ball and hit him in the head with it!¡± Katsuki says, beaming slightly. She is greeted with looks of equal parts disgust and disbelief from her friends.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ kinda disgusting, Kats.¡± Mayumi says to break the silence. ¡°It worked, but it¡¯s still disgusting, yeah.¡±


    Katsuki frowns for a moment, then continues talking ¡°I-I asked my mom about blood magic after the Miyu thing, and we talked about it for a while. She gave me some guidance on using magic, s-so I can use it on purpose now.¡± She looks over at Akina and hangs her head a little. ¡°I think I¡¯ll just stick to using my own blood from now on.¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Saito looks questioningly at Katsuki. ¡°Why would you go to your mom for magic help?¡±


    Katsuki replies, ¡°Oh she¡¯s a mage as well! Er, I was supposed to keep that secret...and magic, too¡­¡±


    Yuudai notices Katsuki struggling with everyone''s remarks and steps in to rescue the conversation. ¡°It¡¯s thanks to her that we got out alive, though, and especially with this information.¡±


    Cerys asks, ¡°Wait, information? What information?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you asked, Cerys!¡± Yuudai says with a smile. ¡°We have confirmed that they are yakuza. That¡¯s all the information for now.¡±


    Cerys mutters, ¡°Of course I asked, you didn¡¯t tell us anything.¡±


    ¡°Ignore the big idiot.¡± Akina says. ¡°They were using a machine to steal¡­ something from people they kidnapped, leaving them lifeless.¡±


    Yuuri gasps. ¡°Lifeless? Like you are right now, Akina?¡±


    ¡°Not quite, and they didn¡¯t use it on me. I can still move and speak. These people couldn¡¯t do anything under their own power. The guy who¡¯s ass I kicked said something about stealing the essence of special people to gain power themselves.¡± Akina coughs weakly, Kirika still trying to help.


    Cerys asks, ¡°Well, did it work?¡±


    Akina smirks. ¡°Of course it didn¡¯t, they tried to power themselves up with the machine but nothing happened. Knowing them, they probably just drained a bunch of blood or something stupid like that.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ I¡¯m not special at all! At least not like you girls. Why did they kidnap me too, then?¡± Yuudai ponders.


    ¡°They probably didn¡¯t know who was or wasn¡¯t special beforehand, Yuudai.¡± Akina says. ¡°Their kidnapping pattern was very inefficient and random, which is unusual for yakuza.¡±


    ¡°If they¡¯ve been doing this for a while, how did nobody ever come up as a missing person?¡± Cerys asks.


    ¡°From what the rumor said, the only real pattern amongst them is that none of the people had family in the area, and were relatively recent move ins.¡± Katsuki says as she flips through her phone. ¡°And righ- hey, wait. What¡¯s this?¡± She says nervously. ¡°T...they sent a text to Yuuri from my phone! Those assholes went through my phone! Now I¡¯m gonna have to change my password and everything!¡±


    ¡°What was your old password, Katsuki? Was it that easy to guess?¡± Kirika asks.


    ¡°It¡¯s the date my favorite manga started getting published. No way they¡¯d guess it that easily.¡± Katsuki says with a grumble.


    Akina chuckles weakly. ¡°They¡¯re yakuza, do you really think they just guessed it? They have tools for these things.¡±


    Yuuri speaks up. ¡°By the way, Akina. Why did you feel that you needed to hide that you¡¯re a yakuza daughter from us?¡±


    ¡°A bunch of crazy people I don¡¯t know well? I have no duty to let any of you know anything about me. Much less giving you the chance to rat me out to some authorities.¡±


    Mayumi interjects. ¡°The hell, Akina? You stabbed me in my damn eye an¡¯ we didn¡¯t report you then, what makes ya think we¡¯d report ya for bein¡¯ a yak?¡±


    ¡°Trust nobody except yourself and your family, and we are not family¡­ I have no family.¡± Akina picks her head up to look at Mayumi. ¡°Not anymore. I left the yakuza behind to come to Miyafuji and start a new life.¡±


    Yuudai asks, ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t have a family? Weren¡¯t they talking about your father while we were kidnapped?¡±


    Akina grunts, standing up from her seat. ¡°You mention that piece of shit one more time and I¡¯ll be replacing my blood with yours. I hate that old man for keeping me from something important just for the sake of this goddamn strength.¡± She slams the table, even in her weakened state the table cracks.


    As Akina sits back down a silence permeates the room. ¡°You¡¯re lookin¡¯ better all of a sudden.¡± Mayumi says to break the mood.


    ¡°Anger¡¯s powerful.¡± Akina replies drolly. She opens her mouth but hesitates. ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ I didn¡¯t know if you all could accept me. Or even would accept me, not if you knew my history.¡±


    Yuudai steps forward. ¡°Akina, you¡¯re not the only one with a messed up past. I¡¯ve proven that myself. But letting that past control you, your future, you can¡¯t let that happen! It doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re a yakuza at all!¡±


    Katsuki jumps up. ¡°In this club, we accept everyone! Paranormal Club is for everybody! It doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re a blood mage, a yakuza¡¯s daughter, if you summon devil butlers, or even turn into a cat sometimes!¡± She smiles proudly. ¡°Or even if you do nothing, like Saito!¡±


    Saito scoffs. ¡°I¡¯m very happy to do nothing, thank you very much.¡± He then slams another 5 bottles of soda on the bar, starting to mix them together into one glass.


    ¡°...Okay, Saito. Despite what I just said, if you keep stealing we¡¯re gonna have to kick you out, then probably report you too. Stealing isn¡¯t cool.¡±


    ¡°They stole my friends, I steal their drinks. It¡¯s a fair trade.¡± Saito says as he finishes. Another silence fills the room, this time punctuated by Saito drinking his unholy potion. ¡°Ahh, that¡¯s the stuff!¡±


    ¡°I wonder¡­¡± Yuuri starts scratching her cheek. ¡°If there is a group that wants to harness these powers for evil that must mean there is one that wants to use them for good right?¡±


    Katsuki perks up. ¡°Well, I did get an invite from another special school, but I chose this one over them.¡± She hugs Yuuri lightly from behind. ¡°Because you were going here~¡±


    ¡°O-oh, another school?¡± Yuuri asks with a light blush.


    ¡°Yeah, a private one out in Tochigi, called Zonzai.¡± Katsuki continues. ¡°They recruit young people who have special abilities to train them in their usage.¡±


    ¡°What, like some kind of Weirdo Academy?¡± Saito asks.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing like that, it¡¯s a normal high school except with extra classes and instruction to help people with these abilities to control them, learn to use them, and also integrate into society... at least that¡¯s what my mom said.¡± Katsuki explains.


    ¡°So if this is a place for special kids and all, why were you sent an¡¯ invite when ya just now startin¡¯ to learn about yer powers?¡± Mayumi says condescendingly.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s easy. My mom asked about getting me enrolled there when we were looking at options. She said she knew I had some magic power in me, just needed to bring it out.¡± Katsuki smiles. ¡°She didn¡¯t know how to train me though since she¡¯s an elementalist and not a blood mage so she was hoping to get me somewhere where I could learn what she couldn¡¯t teach.¡±


    ¡°Huh, riding yer old ma¡¯am¡¯s coattails then.¡± Mayumi smirks as she leans in closer to Katsuki.


    Yuudai asks, ¡°What did she think about you coming here instead?¡±


    Katsuki frowns a bit. ¡°She was irritated, but she understood. She really wanted me to develop my powers more, but also said that she shouldn¡¯t control my life, and since Yuuri was here, she allowed it.¡± Katsuki¡¯s smile returns. ¡°She¡¯d be surprised at how many friends I¡¯ve made so far! And I even learned a bit more about what I can do, so it¡¯s a win-win!¡±


    Mayumi chuckles. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing they didn¡¯t know about me, then.¡± She telepathically picks up Saito¡¯s mixture and pours it down a nearby sink. ¡°I could have stolen yer invite, Red.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Saito yells angrily at Mayumi, grabbing the glass out of the air and setting to work re-creating his horrific creation.


    ¡°It¡¯s fer yer health ya idiot.¡± Mayumi snarks, but leaves him to his devices.


    ¡°There was actually a school like that back in Great Britain, too.¡± Cerys says.¡± I moved to Japan before I could start going there, though. Life probably wouldn¡¯t have been as¡­ interesting if I had gone there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re here too, ya bitch~!¡± Mayumi quips with a smirking smile.


    ¡°If nothing else, I¡¯m saving you from being spanked by old men for money by spanking you in mahjong for fun.¡± Cerys says back.


    ¡°Hey, I resent that! You only beat me a few times!¡± Mayumi retorts with an angry chuckle.


    Yuuri pulls her phone out and lets out a minor gasp. ¡°Oh my stars, look at how late it¡¯s gotten! We better be getting back to the dorms. Everyone ready?¡±


    ¡°One moment.¡± Saito calls out as he starts sticking the pop bottles into his bag before being stopped by Katsuki.


    ¡°It¡¯s one thing to drink them here, it¡¯s another to steal them wholesale, Saito. At least don¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°Fiiiine.¡± Saito says, before quickly taking one last big drink.


    Yuudai steps towards the door, opening it for everyone else. ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s go. We¡¯ve already been kidnapped once today, let¡¯s not push our luck any farther.¡±


    The Paranormies head home once again, satisfied with another completed adventure and another mystery solved, though new questions have been raised.

 Chapter 27 - The Story of Familial Ties

    It¡¯s been a week since the run-in with the Yakuza. Yuuri and Katsuki are happily putting posters up around the clubroom as the others are chatting with each other about each one; there¡¯s a merry feeling in the Paranormal clubroom. Katsuki attaches some wall putty to a poster, then puts the next one up: a picture of a band wearing funky ghost outfits that says ¡°FUNKY GHOST POSTER BAND¡±.


    Yuudai chuckles at the poster. ¡°What show is that from, Kats? That¡¯s one of those fake bands from a show, right?¡±


    Saito scoffs in turn and barks at Yuudai, ¡°Hey, you wouldn¡¯t understand the deep underlying message of ¡®Hot Song¡¯!¡± Saito clenches his fist. ¡°And the emotional tapestry of ¡®Love ballad¡¯!¡±


    Katsuki stares at Saito. ¡°Uhh¡­ wait, it¡¯s a real band? I just thought it looked funny, and the ghost outfits fit the club¡¯s theme.¡±


    Saito stares back, then puts his headphones back on. ¡°I thought I had finally found a kindred spirit to talk about the band with¡­¡± He sighs. ¡°All anybody cares about is ¡®Club Banger¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Did I hear someone say Club Banger?¡± Kirika says as she walks in. ¡°I really like that song even though Daddy doesn¡¯t let me listen to that kind of music.¡± She¡¯s holding a few sheets of paper with a mild smile. ¡°And speaking of Daddy¡­ I went and looked up information on my parents! After what Akina told us, I got interested in my own family¡¯s past!¡± Her arms lift the papers up to show the others, which are officially typed and covered in black marks to cover up various sections.


    The others gather around Kirika to look at the papers, taking them and looking them over as a group. ¡°Looks like you found some interesting stuff if it had to be redacted, Kirika!¡± Katsuki says, scanning the pages for any strange information.


    ¡°Redacted? You shouldn¡¯t call my family that, Katsuki!¡± Kirika pouts.


    ¡°No, no, see these black bars? People put them over sensitive information to hide the truth from the masses!¡± Katsuki gives Kirika a sideways glance. ¡°Where¡¯d you get these?¡±


    Kirika beams happily. ¡°I found them in Mommy¡¯s funny water cabinet!¡±  Everyone gives her a weird look, but she continues. ¡°I asked Mommy about it, but she started complaining about men in suits, then said that I was probably old enough to know about this. I wonder who KK-001 is?¡±


    Katsuki looks over the paper and spots a reference to KK-001. It would appear that ¡°KK-001¡± is a test subject in an experiment to see if Elven beings can integrate with human society by placing a family of Elves into a human city and seeing how the groups interact.


    Kirika continues, ¡°I found out that my father¡¯s family summons demons and that every servant I¡¯ve had in my life has been a demon. Isn¡¯t that cool?¡± The rest of the club looks in shock at the big reveal, but Kirika never loses her smile.


    ¡°Y-yeah, it is, Kirika!¡± Katsuki feigns interest as she looks over the papers. ¡°But¡­ you do know, you¡¯re¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm? I¡¯m what?¡± Kirika asks Katsuki.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ part of a really cool family!¡± Katsuki says with a strange smile, deciding to swallow the truth to protect Kirika¡¯s happiness.


    The PA system crackles to life. ¡°Students, it¡¯s me again, Socho-nee. I hope you¡¯re all excited about the upcoming Parent Invitation Day! Your mommies and daddies will be coming to see how you¡¯ve been doing in-class, in clubs, and in life, so make sure your rooms are cleaned or else you¡¯ll get grounded!¡± She lets out a laugh, then continues. ¡°Jokes aside, we want everyone to put their best foot forward and show Miyafuji to be the excellent school it is to the incoming parents, so make sure your dorms and clubrooms are prepared!¡±


    As the PA system crackles off, the Paranormies look around at each other. ¡°Hey, how come we didn¡¯t know about this sooner?¡± Saito asks.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t see the poster?¡± Katsuki asks, pointing backwards at a blank wall space.


    ¡°What poster!?¡± Yuuri exclaims.


    ¡°The one righ-¡± Katsuki turns around to the wall, seeing that the poster is absent from its post. She looks around the room, before seeing one last poster rolled up. Blushing, she walks over and grabs it, unrolls it to look at it, then turns it to the club. ¡°T-this one.¡±


    ¡°Oh, this is very nice! Now you¡¯ll all get to meet my amazing Daddy!¡± Kirika aggressively radiates a smile.


    Yuuri quickly begins to speak. ¡°Y-yeah, that¡¯ll be really fun! I¡¯m not sure my parents could even hold a candle to how amazing everyone else¡¯s are.¡± She walks back to the group and sits down. ¡°They¡¯re just chefs after all.¡±


    Kirika turns to Yuuri. ¡°Oh, that sounds awesome! Can they cook us yummy  things!? Mommy can only cook the dinners that come in the plastic dishes! One time she tried to use the stove, and we had to live in our other home for a week! It was fun!¡±


    Saito interjects. ¡°Didn¡¯t your dad also collect retro games? If he¡¯s such a fancy chef he must be able to afford lots of games! Could probably even open a library of them!¡±


    Yuuri chuckles, ¡°Ahh, yeah something like that. He¡¯s been collecting them since he was a kid.¡± She follows up with a sigh, ¡°I¡¯m uhh, not really into them that much but since he¡¯s just handing them over, I can¡¯t say no.¡± Before Saito can reply, she looks over at Katsuki. ¡°Hey, Katsuki, tell us about your parents. One¡¯s a magician, right?¡±


    Katsuki perks up. ¡°Yeah, mom¡¯s an elementalist. She focuses more on her legal practice nowadays though.¡±


    Cerys raises an eyebrow. ¡°What kind of career change is that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you asked! Every since the powers started showing up, there¡¯s been lots of incidents involving those with them. Since there wasn¡¯t really anything on the books, and since I¡¯m one of said people with powers, she wanted to be on the ground floor when these get into the courts.¡±


    Katsuki continues. ¡°My dad is a doctor, which was pretty convenient since I used to get sick a lot as a kid.¡± Yuuri gives a worried look towards Katsuki. ¡°He used to have me help around with the patients that came in as well. Since we were more rural he was pretty important to everyone since all the other hospitals were too far away.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Saito nods. ¡°That¡¯s actually pretty noble of them. Nothing at all like you.¡±


    ¡°Bite me.¡± She rolls her eyes and looks away.


    ¡°Not that I know what my parents are like, though.¡± Saito scratches his head. ¡°I just remember being around other kids a lot until I started¡­ doing errands for the people who ran the home¡±.


    ¡°Oh, t...that¡¯s horrible, Saito! I didn¡¯t know you were an orphan.¡± Kirika says, moving to his side and patting him on the shoulder.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ve come this far as-is, I can handle it in the future too.¡±


    Akina pipes up ¡°Well, you all already know about my past. I have no need to explain it anymore.¡± She turns her head away from the others. ¡°This day is bullshit.¡±


    Katsuki says ¡°We barely know anything! And we don¡¯t know about your mo-¡±


    Akina snaps her head back towards her. ¡°You know enough.¡±


    Katsuki looks away from Akina, scanning the room for someone who hadn¡¯t spoken yet, landing on Mayumi. Yuuri follows Katsuki¡¯s lead and locks her eyes onto Mayumi.


    ¡°The fuck ya¡¯ll lookin¡¯ at?¡± Mayumi says brusquely.¡±That shit¡¯s personal.¡± She hugs her knees to her chest. ¡°They ain¡¯t showing up, anyway...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rough,¡± Yuudai says awkwardly, ¡°My family¡¯s really nice! Dad¡¯s a businessman, and Mom cuts the crust off my sandwiches for lunch every day!¡±


    ¡°We live in Japan, fucker.¡± Mayumi growls. ¡°Why does your mom make you sandwiches for lunch?¡±


    ¡°Sandwiches are tasty. And Mom¡¯s a little clumsy, haha.¡±


    ¡°Has your mom ever cracked her head on the counter because she drank herself ¡®clumsy¡¯, Gachi?¡±


    Yuudai looks confused. ¡°No?¡±


    Mayumi grits her teeth. ¡°Your dad ever around?¡±


    ¡°Sometimes, but my sister teases him about being gone all the time.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen my dad outside a screen in years.¡±


    ¡°Is he famous?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s an asshole. An asshole who loves his job more than his mistake of a daughter.¡±


    The club stares at her and Yuudai. There¡¯s an awkward silence.


    ¡°Happy now?¡± Mayumi¡¯s voice cracks. ¡°Y¡¯all wanted to know about my parents. Y¡¯all know about my fuckin¡¯ parents.¡±


    Kirika wipes her eyes. ¡°I-I hope you have better parents soon, Mayumi!¡±


    The empty desks in the room shake. There¡¯s the smell of smoke. ¡°Not helping, kid.¡± Mayumi pulls a cigarette from her breast pocket with shaking hands. It catches fire. ¡°Really not helping.¡±


    Pens and pencils fly through the air. One flies past a too-old party girl in a leopard dress. ¡°Mayuu, you said you stopped smoking.¡± She totters over to Mayumi in platform heels.


    ¡°And you said you stopped using my bleach, Mom.¡± Mayumi pulls out another cigarette and manages to light it, acting on autopilot.  ¡°Shit costs money that you don¡¯t make.¡± The party girl hugs her, pulling the cigarette from her mouth.


    Mayumi sniffs. ¡°Jager and club musk. Holy shit, you¡¯re here¡­¡±


    Cerys stares at the intruder. ¡°Hey, Saito, did you order a woman?¡±


    Saito shrugs in response. ¡°Not since I needed a partner for Double¡¯s Dance at that tournament a few months back.¡±


    ¡°Oi!¡± Mayumi snaps. ¡°She¡¯s not a hooker, she¡¯s my mom.¡± She looks up at her mom. ¡°Right? You didn¡¯t get talked into shit in the past few days?¡±


    ¡°Well this very nice man asked if I wanted to make some movies, but acting makes me nervous,¡± Mayumi¡¯s mom says.


    ¡°Shame. I could use a pretty woman for the show.¡± A well-dressed man walks in, putting away a smartphone.


    ¡°And I could¡¯ve used a father figure,¡± Mayumi frowns at the well-dressed man. ¡°But old dudes like it when I call them ¡®Daddy¡¯.


    ¡±Mayumi¡¯s mom gasps. ¡°So does Ryoji!¡±


    The well-dressed man facepalms. ¡°Not the time, dear.¡±


    ¡°See, Ryoji? I¡¯m a chip off the old fuckin¡¯ block,¡± Mayumi spits on the ground.


    Katsuki looks over at the poster on the wall, then back to the Asukas. ¡°Wait, what are they doing here now? Parent''s day isn¡¯t for another month!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a Parent¡¯s Day?¡± Mayumi¡¯s mom says. ¡°I was here to pick up Mayuu so we could go clubbing.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t she underage?¡± The well-dressed man says.


    ¡°She¡¯s very mature for her age,¡± The not as well dressed woman says.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got a Masters in being a hot mess,¡± Mayumi says to the well-dressed man, ¡°So if you¡¯re finally gonna do the dad thing and put me in celebrity rehab, just get it over with.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not here to put you in rehab,¡± Mayumi¡¯s dad, the well-dressed man, says. ¡°I¡¯m here to offer you an opportunity. And make up for lost time. How would you like to have your own cooking show? In Nutmeg John¡¯s old timeslot?¡±


    ¡°Does it have to be with you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like it to be.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t. You can¡¯t bribe your way back into my life, Ryoji.¡±


    ¡°At least call me Dad.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a lotta shit I want to call you. Dad ain¡¯t on the list.¡±


    ¡°Mayuuu, Ryoji does a lot for the both of us,¡± Mayumi¡¯s mom coos. ¡°He¡¯s a very busy man.¡±


    ¡°He does a lot, huh? Has he made sure we don¡¯t get scammed out of our rent? Has he held your hair back every time you puked in the tub? Has he shopped, prepped and cooked for us, every day, since he was ten? Fuck, has he cooked for us ever?¡±


    ¡°No?¡± Mayumi¡¯s mom says meekly.


    ¡°Of course he hasn¡¯t!¡± Mayumi gets in her face. ¡°Because he¡¯s too goddamned busy cooking for everybody else!¡±


    ¡°Which means he¡¯s putting aside everybody else to be here,¡± Saito says. ¡°Sides, you¡¯re scaring your mom.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re free to hate me,¡± Mayumi¡¯s dad bows his head. ¡°But don¡¯t take it out on your mother.¡±


    Mayumi sees her mom cowering and about to cry. She flexes her hands, the desks rattle violently before going still. She stomps up to her dad and slaps him. ¡°Fuck you!¡±


    Mayumi¡¯s dad takes the slap without flinching. In response he instead leans forward and embraces her.


    ¡°I missed you so much,¡± Mayumi says softly into his chest. ¡°You unbelievable asshole...¡±


    Yuuri smiles warmly at the scene. ¡°Awww, I knew you really did care about your parents, Mayumi.¡±


    ¡°Yeah this is touching and everything but why are they here?¡± Cerys says while sitting on one of the formerly rattling desks.


    ¡°To offer me a TV deal¡­ which I¡®ll only take if it involves us as a family...¡± Mayumi wipes her face on her dad¡¯s nice suit, smearing makeup all over it. ¡°Get the spotted dick out your ears, lolibitch.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Mayumi. Wouldn¡¯t have it any other way.¡± Her dad says, patting her on the back.


    ¡°So we¡¯re not going clubbing?¡± Mayumi¡¯s mom asks.


    ¡°There¡¯s a place in Ikebukuro I could take us to,¡± Mayumi¡¯s dad says.


    Mayumi scoffs. ¡°Hard pass.¡± She smiles, cocky and shakily. ¡°Who the hell would want to go clubbing with their dad, anyway?¡±


    Sighs of relief fill the air as the strange estranged family partially reconciles. Yuuri and Katsuki look at each other with a smile, and Katsuki hands Yuuri the Parent Invitation Day poster to put up.

 Chapter 28 - The Story of Goodbyes

    The next morning the Paranormal Club finds themselves at the school gates with Mayumi and her family getting the last of her luggage in the trunk of her father¡¯s car. Kirika is latched onto Mayumi and lightly sobbing into her chest.


    ¡°Kid, I¡¯m not dying or anything. I promise I¡¯ll visit you guys and you could see me on TV when my show is on.¡± Mayumi then looks up at her father, ¡°Hey, what time slot did we get anyway?¡±


    He finishes putting her way too big suitcase in the way too small trunk and then clears his throat, ¡°Well I told them about your potty mouth and they did see the footage from the incident, so our time slot is a bit late.¡±


    Mayumi frowns at what he says. ¡°The fuck? I don¡¯t curse that much,¡± she says, then looks at her friends for confirmation. They all look away from her, avoiding eye contact, except for Cerys who yells out, ¡°That is bullshit.¡±


    Yuuri walks over to try and politely pull Kirika off of Mayumi. Yuudai follows behind her. ¡°Oh, we¡¯re doing a group hug? Let me get in!¡± He quickly spreads his arms and grabs all three girls together, smiling wide as he hugs the trio. Katsuki joins in as well, looking expectedly over at Saito, Cerys, and Akina. After the three shrug it off, she frowns, but completes the hug all the same.


    Yuudai finally lets go of his embrace after Yuuri taps his bicep, freeing everyone from his grip. After the rest back off, Cerys walks up to talk to Mayumi face to face. Yuuri grasps Kirika¡¯s shoulder, guiding her away to give Cerys room with Mayumi. ¡°Kirika¡­ I understand that you¡¯re sad that she¡¯s leaving, I am too. But, we have to let her go. She has a chance to finally be with her family!¡± Kirika, tears still in her eyes, simply nods and gives a slight smile.


    ¡°Awww, look. Our little Mayuu made some really sweet friends here.¡± Mayumi¡¯s mother says while holding onto her husband¡¯s arm. ¡°It reminds me of our old group. Remember how we would go to the mall and sneak- Oh!¡± Her head pops up as if she had her first idea in a decade. ¡°Kids, kids! Come over here for a moment!¡± She waves her hand to get the club¡¯s attention, successfully gathering most of the group around her. ¡°You¡¯re all of the Paranormal Club, aren¡¯t you? That¡¯s the spooky stuff, right?¡± She asks.


    Katsuki, acting as the mouthpiece of the group, nods. ¡°Yep! Ghouls, ghosts, and g¡­ goblins?¡± She looks back at Yuuri, who shakes her head. ¡°Okay, not goblins, but the other two yes!¡±


    ¡°Oh, good! Then I might have something that might be up your alley! You know the mall? Well, I heard¡­¡± She bends over and speaks in a lowered tone. ¡°I heard that couples who go to the mall¡­ they¡¯ve been having strange things happening to them! Isn¡¯t that spooky?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by strange, miss lady?¡± Saito asks.


    ¡°Well, like¡­ They go into the camera booths and the pictures are all messed up! And¡­ uh¡­ and the food court tables shake when they¡¯re eating! But only when it¡¯s couples, it doesn¡¯t happen when it¡¯s only a single person.¡±


    ¡°Well, we can¡¯t use that info, we don¡¯t have any couples here.¡± Cerys scoffs, having returned from her talk with Mayumi.


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t pretend to hook up with that hunk there and fool the ghost?¡± The older woman points at Yuudai, causing him to blush.


    ¡°Me? A hunk? No, you mean Saito, right?¡± Yuudai points at Saito, who¡¯s listening to some music at this point and eating a candy bar.


    Mayumi¡¯s mom shakes her head. ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t talking about that spring boy. I was-¡± She¡¯s cut off by Mayumi¡¯s dad clasping her shoulder.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to go, sweets. Let¡¯s stop harassing the nice kids here and get to the airport!¡±


    ¡°Ooh, you called me sweets! You only call me that when you want to fu-!¡± She¡¯s cut off by Mayumi covering her mouth and leading her to the car.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough mom, you and dad can have your sweets later when my friends aren¡¯t around!¡± She quickly says before turning back to the club. ¡°Well, later gals, guys, and Saito!¡± She waves and gets in the car as well.


    Even Cerys joins in waving at the car as it speeds off towards the airport.


    There¡¯s a silence after the Asukas leave everyone¡¯s sights, soon broken by Yuudai. ¡°So, uh, who are you taking to the mall on a date, Saito?¡± He asks as he peels the headphones off of Saito¡¯s ears.


    ¡°The WHAT?¡± Saito replies astonishedly. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. I don¡¯t go on dates, and I only go to malls to go to the arcade.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you weren¡¯t listening?¡± Yuudai repeats what Mayumi¡¯s mom explained. ¡°There¡¯s a ghost harassing couples in the mall, so we have to send a fake couple in to solve this mystery! And we- NOT IT!¡± Yuudai shouts and raises his hand.


    ¡°NOT IT EITHER!¡± yells Katsuki, followed by the same from Kirika and deathly glares from Akina and Cerys.


    ¡°Oh, uh¡­ n-not it!¡± Yuuri says and raises her hand much later than everyone else. ¡±Oh darn, was I last?¡± She looks around, then looks at Saito. ¡°Looks like we¡¯re going to have to head out together!¡±


    Saito looks unamused at the group. ¡°I did not agree to anything like this. We¡¯re not going anywhere Yuuri!¡±


    ¡°What, are you afraid of losing your loser loner reputation?¡± Cerys says, radiating a smug aura.


    Akina matches Cerys¡¯ smugness. ¡°I guess you were just gay all along, gay boy.¡± She turns to Yuudai. ¡°I guess you¡¯ll have to go along anyway, baseball boy.¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Yuudai swipes his hand through the air. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go on a date with my bro like that! We¡¯re bros! Not¡­ uh¡­ love bros!¡±


    Saito sharpens his gaze to the two hecklers. ¡°If you want it done so bad, why don¡¯t you two go make out in the food court together? I¡¯m sure that¡¯d draw out a ghost as much as your fantasies about us would.¡±


    Akina gets visibly angry. ¡°Say that one more time and the only making out will be you and my fist.¡±


    Yuuri steps in between the two uneasily. ¡°H-hey, stop fighting! It¡¯ll be fine if-¡± She suddenly has an idea.


    Yuuri glances up at Saito. ¡°Hey, you remember Y2K, right? She told me she¡¯d like to challenge you again when you had the time. And, well, if we make it look like you¡¯re a couple then it¡¯d be enough to draw out the ghost!¡± Yuuri smiles, thinking of herself as a genius.


    ¡°A challenge, huh? Well, we did draw last time¡­¡± Saito thinks it over, then nods. ¡°You know, as long as it gets me out of here right now, that¡¯s good enough for me.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled! I¡¯ll take Saito to the mall and we¡¯ll meet up with Y2K there and put our plan into action!¡± Yuuri exclaims, then glances at Katsuki. ¡°Oh right, sorry. Well, Ms. President, will you do the honors?¡±


    Katsuki nods then walks in front of everyone and points at them. ¡°Yuuri will take Saito to the mall, meet up with Y2K, and put the plan into action!¡±


    ¡°What will the rest of us doing while they are dating?¡± Kirika meekly asks.


    ¡°We¡¯ll keep watch from afar, making sure no one sneaks up on them and does any kind of funny business.¡±


    ¡°O-okay! We¡¯ll make sure nobody does any funny business with Yuuri!¡± Kirika clenches her fist and glares at Saito from behind him.


    ¡°And Saito, don¡¯t forget to dress up. This has to at least LOOK like a real date, you know!¡± An alarm goes off on Katsuki¡¯s phone. She takes it out and looks at it before gasping. ¡°But for now, we really need to get to class! We¡¯re gonna be late!¡±


    Yuuri turns to Saito before they head off. ¡°Meet me at the school gate an hour after class is out, okay?¡± She then turns and heads into the building with a smile. Saito sighs and puts his headphones back on.


    After school, Yuudai and Saito are waiting at the gate. ¡°Did we really need to be this early, Saito, and didn¡¯t you need to dress up for this?¡±


    ¡°I did. This is my freshest school uniform. I even ironed the shirt.¡± Saito puffs his chest out. ¡°And there¡¯s no reason to wait around if I¡¯m already ready.¡±


    ¡°If you say so, Saito¡­ I just don¡¯t get it. You get to spend time with a girl as pretty and nice as Yuuri and you half ass it like this? Weird, man.¡±


    ¡°Hey, this is my full effort for things like this, mang.¡± Saito shrugs. ¡°She¡¯s pretty and all, but I don¡¯t think there could really be anything there between us.¡±


    Before Saito can lift his headphones to his ears, they¡¯re filled with Katsuki yelling. ¡°SAITO YOU IDIOT! I TOLD YOU TO DRESS UP!¡± Before he can respond, Katsuki already has him by the lapel. ¡°C¡¯mon, this is important! You can¡¯t be fooling around when we¡¯re on official Paranormal Club business! Please take this seriously!¡±


    The rest of the club follows suit behind her, a mix of amusement and embarrassment on their faces. Yuuri steps in between her friend and her date and tries to calm down Katsuki. ¡°It¡¯s fine, once we get to the mall I¡¯ll take Saito shopping for a new outfit.¡± She looks at him, ¡°One that isn¡¯t orange.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? I don¡¯t think he has the money for a new outfit and Yuuri-senpai wouldn¡¯t go on a date with someone who looks so poor.¡± Kirika flips her hair with a pout on her face, ¡°That¡¯s how they would tell it¡¯s a fake date.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not going to get anything done wasting time here,¡± Akina bluntly says, ¡°Let¡¯s get to the mall already and get this shit over with.¡±


    Not wanting to get Akina any angrier, the group ends the seemingly endless argument there and gets ready to head out.


    Once the club gets to the mall they immediately split so no one would think they were together. Yuuri and Saito head to a store with a big red logo out front. ¡°This is the primo clothing store in this mall, they have all of my favorite styles here so I know we can find something for you.¡±


    Before Saito can even say anything about what he likes to wear, Yuuri grabs his forearm and begins to drag him around the store going from rack to rack looking for an outfit that suits him. After about 10 minutes of piling clothes into his arms, she pulls him to the changing rooms. ¡°Okay, now it¡¯s time for my favorite part!¡± She excitedly giggles as she pushes Saito into the men¡¯s changing rooms with the first set of hangers, giving him a thumbs up before she takes a seat on a nearby chair. ¡°I¡¯ll be outside waiting on you to get changed!¡±


    Saito wordlessly enters the stall and begins to change into the outfit picked out for him. He walks out of the changing area with a dour expression. ¡°The legs on these pants are too long, and this shirt is made of some stuff that makes me itch.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not wearing an undershirt?¡±


    ¡°I never do.¡±


    ¡°T-Then try the next set on!¡± she says as she turns to her side, grabbing the next set of clothes she had picked out and thrusting them into his hands. ¡°Try these on!¡±


    ¡°Okay..¡± Saito says as he takes them inside and changes. He steps back out again, still not looking too pleased. ¡°This makes me look too¡­ out of my element. I¡¯m not comfortable looking this nice.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, you should want to look nice, especially on a da- a fake date!¡± Yuuri exclaims with a frown.


    ¡°Yeah, but my normal clothes are nice enough.¡±


    Yuuri¡¯s eyes narrow and she lets out an exaggerated sigh, ¡°Just try on this last outfit!¡±


    He changes one more time, stepping out into the light again, wearing dark skinny jeans and a light blue shirt with an album cover on it. ¡°Well it fits and I actually like this band.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, it¡¯s that weird ghost band isn¡¯t it? Until you talked about their music I thought they were a fake group made up for t-shirts.¡± She replies, looking a bit more lightened up than before. She claps her hands together. ¡°Then let¡¯s get it! Perfect for our day out!¡±


    Saito looks down at his outfit and then back up at Yuuri. Her smile is contagious, her face glowing with joy as she is clearly enjoying herself. He smiles back and feels like he has to say something to clear the air.


    ¡°You¡¯re taking this fake date seriously aren¡¯t you, Yuuri?¡±


    She tenses up, the glow replaced with a blush. Yuuri¡¯s legs feel a bit lighter as if she¡¯s been tripped while running at full speed. Her mind works hard to come up with some kind of answer.


    ¡°Well, duh! You think I can take it easy for our mission? We got a ghost trick, er ghost to trick here.¡± She blurts out, stumbling over her words. ¡°A-Anyway, you have your outfit right? Why don¡¯t you change back into your normal clothes so we can go buy it?¡±


    For some reason, Saito feels a bit let down at the non-answer. His own emotions slow him down a bit, as he simply nods before reentering the room to change back.


    Yuuri grabs at her arm and blushes again. ¡°It¡¯s real to me.¡± She mumbles, trying to think of what to do next.

 Chapter 29 - The Story of the Psuedo Date

    The newly dressed up Saito and Yuuri walk into the mall¡¯s arcade, preparing to meet with Y2K. The loud sounds of various types of games buzz through the air as they sit at a table near the ticket counter at the front. Yuuri is checking her phone and Saito is craning his neck looking for his favorite rhythm game machines.


    ¡°Wow, this place is kind of small for an arcade, isn¡¯t it?¡± Yuuri says. ¡°Y2K was telling me how big the arcade in Akiba was.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a mall arcade. You can¡¯t expect anything big from them.¡± Saito lolls his head towards Yuuri. ¡°And speaking of, where is Y2K? She¡¯s not ghosting me, is she?¡±


    ¡°Let me text her and see where she is.¡± Yuuri pretends to hit various places on her phone before fake-typing. She stops, then waits for another phone notification to go off before looking back at the screen, ¡°Oh, it looks like she got dragged by a friend to a gaming tournament somewhere else and she can¡¯t make it here.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Where at?¡±


    ¡°Um, uh¡­ Hokkaido?¡± Yuuri responds nervously.


    ¡°Weird, I haven¡¯t heard of anything scheduled in Hokkaido for the next few weeks.¡±


    Yuuri quickly stands up, pocketing her phone and dusting off her skirt. ¡°Either way, we have a date to fake go on! Come on Saito, let¡¯s go in and play a few games so we can lure out that ghost!¡±


    ¡°Fine, I was getting bored just sitting around anyway.¡± Saito gets up and cracks his knuckles, heading towards a CrazedDummer machine along the right wall. He has his coins out as they approach the machine, sliding a few in as soon as they reach it. He picks up the sticks and begins to choose a song, but pauses for a moment to look at Yuuri. ¡°You gonna join in? You can pick the first song if you want.¡±


    ¡°No, no, I¡¯m good. Besides, isn¡¯t it normal for the girl to watch the guy play instead?¡± Yuuri waves her hand dismissively at his question.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s normal for friends to play together, but if it¡¯s a date¡­ I don¡¯t know. I-¡± He¡¯s cut off as the machine yells out the title of a random song, causing Saito to look back at the screen. ¡°Aw damn, I ran out of time to pick a song. And it gave me one I don¡¯t even like!¡±


    Yuuri giggles and waves her arm in the air. ¡°You can beat it anyway, right Saito? Or do you need me to cheer you on?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not do anything weird. Besides, I¡¯m the master of these games, I can beat every song easily.¡± Taking a power stance in front of the machine, he starts to drum in time with notes as they display across the screen.


    Despite his confidence, he begins to struggle, causing him to grunt in frustration while Yuuri hides her laughter. ¡°You sure are making it look easy, game master!¡±


    By the end, Saito has worked up a sweat and wears a frown. ¡°Only a C-rank, huh? I don¡¯t give full effort for bad songs.¡± Saito¡¯s frown turns into a full-on grimace. ¡°Nevermind, I don¡¯t think this machine is calibrated right anyway. Let¡¯s go play something else.¡±


    ¡°Sure. What did you have in mind?¡± She says before looking around at the different machines. ¡°What about air hockey?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already warmed up, so why not. Besides, air hockey is a date thing, I think.¡±


    The two walk up and take their places. Saito slides the coins in and the machine whirrs to life. Saito grabs his paddle with a three-prong grip, while Yuuri simply holds it normally. The puck comes out on Saito¡¯s side, where he quickly slaps it down and hits it straight, catching Yuuri off guard for the first point of the match.


    ¡°W-what? I wasn¡¯t ready! That¡¯s cheating!¡± Yuuri pouts as she picks the puck up and readies her serve back.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see any referees around.¡± Saito says back smugly, ready to hit it back.


    As he lines up his paddle, he notices the rest of the club out of the corner of his eye making their way further into the arcade. Katsuki seems upset, but he dismisses this as her just being like that.


    ¡°Fine, then I¡¯ll just beat you with pure skill!¡± Yuuri drops the puck and bounces it off the side, starting the game in earnest.


    The match stays relatively even, but Yuuri pulls ahead towards the end and wins it 21-17. ¡°See? Cheaters never win, even if it¡¯s all fair in love and air hockey!¡± Yuuri sticks her tounge out, rubbing it in even more. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Grr, today isn¡¯t my day. Maybe you¡¯re just bad luck!¡± He points his finger at Yuuri before chuckling.


    ¡°Your luck is only bad if you¡¯re playing against me, I¡¯m just too good!¡±


    ¡°What now, then?¡± Saito says as he scans the room this time, eyeing in on a Taken VII machine. ¡±How about that? Or is it too hard for you?¡±


    ¡°Of course not! I¡¯m incredible with Panda!¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re a Panda main Y2K?¡± Saito smirks.


    ¡°Yep! I¡¯m-¡± Yuuri stops as she realizes what he said, and tries to backtrack. ¡°I-I just play it because I watch Y2K play her and I think it¡¯s a cute character!¡±


    Saito places his hand on Yuuri¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Yuuri, I knew this whole time. You don¡¯t have to hide being a huge geek, least of all to me.¡±


    A light blush appears on Yuuri¡¯s face, causing her to hang her head slightly. ¡°I¡¯m used to hiding it from my parents, so I just¡­ hid it from everyone else, too.¡±


    ¡°No need to feel bad about it, Yuuri. We all hide stuff from people. Plus all you did was put on a hat.¡±


    Yuuri blushes and a moment passes between the two before she looks back up. ¡°Do you mind if¡­ if we pass on the rest of the games and just go to the photo booth? I want some pictures to remember this day by.¡±


    ¡°Sure, if it¡¯ll cheer you up. Besides, gotta make this date look real, right?¡± Saito says with a smile. Yuuri stays silent as they walk to the photo booth. As they get in, she begins to touch the buttons on the booth. ¡°I used to come to these with Katsuki all the time.¡± Smiling, she begins setting up the photo session. ¡°I still remember how to work these things perfectly!¡±


    ¡°At least one of us does, I¡¯ve never had a picture taken of me before.¡± Saito says as Yuuri finishes up and sits beside him.


    She turns to him in surprise, ¡°What? Never? I guess we gotta make this a memorable one, huh?¡± She smiles, internally celebrating her smooth moves.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll leave it to you then.¡± He responds with a shrug.


    ¡°Okay, so how this works, is that the screen here will tell us how to pose. Once it takes the picture, it¡¯ll give us a new pose. We get four and then we get to decorate them before they¡¯re printed out!¡±


    ¡°Sounds easy enough.¡± Saito says shortly before poses start showing up. First is a standard pose for two people, then one where each person gives a peace sign and after, one with a funny face. The fourth and final pose is of one person giving the other a kiss on the cheek.


    ¡°W-what!? I didn¡¯t choose this!¡± Yuuri blushes heavily as Saito looks shocked. ¡°I chose¡­ wait. Maybe this is the ghost¡¯s doing!¡± Yuuri suddenly perks up. ¡°I-I guess we better do what the ghost says, Saito!¡±


    Saito tries to say something, but before he can, he feels Yuuri¡¯s lips on his cheek and locks up. He only barely notices the camera flash before Yuuri tugs at his shirt to get his attention. ¡°C-come on, the pictures are done! Let¡¯s get them printed!¡±


    The two walk out together, Saito moving on almost auto pilot and stumbling a little on the exit. A loading screen appears on the side of the booth, and the pictures show up on the screen. He¡¯s brought back to reality by Yuuri grasping onto his shirt again. Saito swivels his head to look at her, before looking at the screen for himself and realizing her problem.


    ¡°W-wait! Why the hell are you covered by a shadow in this!?¡± Yuuri freaks out while Saito looks closer, swiping between the pictures. ¡°And this one! The shadow¡¯s on me now!¡±


    In each photo, a ghostly shadow with a pink emoji-type face can be seen covering one of the two. The final picture has the shadow over Saito, giving the appearance of Yuuri giving it a kiss, complete with cartoony blush marks on the shadow¡¯s ¡°cheeks¡±.


    Yuuri and Saito share a disturbed glance. ¡°I¡¯m gonna text the others, they need to see this.¡±


    ¡°Good idea, Yuuri.¡±


    Yuuri sends a snapshot of the altered photos to the Paranormal Club¡¯s group chat. ¡°Hey guys, those rumors weren¡¯t rumors.¡± She looks back at Saito who is still staring off in the distance, then realizes what the last photo was. Before she can think about it more her phone vibrates and a message from Katsuki is on her screen.


    ¡°We would have seen something but no one else understands what a stake-out is.¡± Katsuki sends this message then turns to Akina and Cerys with an angry look. ¡°You two were supposed to keep an eye on them while the rest of us played this game to make it seem like we weren¡¯t stalking them!¡±


    Yuudai taps her on the shoulder and puts his finger to his mouth. "Shhh, Kats. You know ghosts have super hearing, like dogs. They can hear anything you say even if it''s quiet! You''re gonna give away the plan!"


    Katsuki looks at him, unamused. "Then shouldn''t you be shutting up too?¡±


    ¡°If we are searching for a ghost what are we supposed to look for exactly?¡± Cerys says without looking up from her phone.


    "We were meant to look for anything out of the ordinary happening around them. Like if anything was floating their way, or if a machine flickered as the two of them walked by. But now it¡¯s too late since something already happened.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think this plan was very well thought out. Well if we can call this a plan.¡± Akina says while standing away from the others.


    Katsuki stares daggers at the two. ¡°Why the hell did you guys even join this club if you¡¯re going to be so negative about everything we do?¡± She taps away at her phone, sending another group message. ¡°Let¡¯s all just meet in the food court because /some people/ are having issues right now.¡±


    Katsuki picks up her stuff and heads out. ¡°I am not doing this in a goddamn arcade.¡± She makes her way towards the exit of the arcade and passes by the in progress date. Katsuki glares at the rest of the club after seeing Yuuri staring intently at the printed out photos.  ¡°See, at least she cares about this.¡± Katsuki leaves in a huff and moves towards the food court, the others trailing behind her.

 Chapter 30 - The Story of Butting Heads and Budding Friendships

    After a quiet walk to the food court, most of the Paranormal Club find themselves on a table at the far end of the cafeteria. The silence hangs in the air, before Katsuki finally ends it. ¡°I said it because I was mad but now I¡¯m actually curious.¡± She looks at the two standoffish girls. ¡°Why did you join this club?¡±


    Cerys scoffs.


    Akina takes a sip of her drink. "You forced me to, remember?"


    "Yeah, but why are you still here?"


    Akina thinks for a second, then replies. "Demons. I have an interest in them that goes deeper than you would understand, mage." Venom drips off Akina¡¯s final word.


    Katsuki looks at Akina with interest. "Try me, I might-"


    "If you did know anything, I''d have to remove you from this earth." Akina sets her cup down, only the intensity of her stare belying her seriousness. "It''s not for frauds or pretenders to know."


    ¡°How dare you...whatever, you¡¯re just trying to rile me up aren¡¯t you?¡± Turning to Cerys, she asks, ¡°And what about you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any desire to tell you that.¡±


    ¡°Do you really have to be like this now? I¡¯m asking as a friend.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re friends now? News to me.¡±


    Katsuki grumbles, taking a sip of her drink. ¡°This club is nothing like I was hoping.¡±


    Cerys leans back in her chair. ¡°Well, I guess I can¡¯t say the same because I¡¯m getting what I was looking for.¡±


    Yuudai raises his eyebrows. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine you were looking for anything other than people to mess with.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for things that are interesting and, as much as I don¡¯t want to be seen in public with any of you, interesting things happen around you.¡±


    Katsuki and Yuudai slouch in their chairs and sigh, the frustration of talking to the two wearing on their patience. Katsuki lolls her head to the side to see Kirika, fuming at the air and muttering something. ¡°Do you have something wrong with the club too, Kirika?¡±


    The elf grumbles, ¡°Saito...¡±


    Katsuki leans forward and places her head in her hands. ¡°Am I the only one who actually likes being in this club for what it is?¡±


    ¡°Maybe this club is just doomed to not have members that care.¡± Cerys says. ¡°Your mom had the same problem, didn¡¯t she?¡±


    Katsuki violently jumps up from her chair. ¡°Do NOT bring that into this.¡±


    ¡°Why not, it was a friend of your mom¡¯s that recommended I join this club, after all.¡±


    Katsuki¡¯s arms go limp, before she falls back in her chair, defeated. ¡°Whatever, you¡¯re all in the club now, couldn¡¯t you at least pretend to be excited sometimes?¡± she asks no one in particular, staring up towards the ceiling.


    ¡°If we can actually do something paranormal instead of having your friend put ghost stickers on photo booth pictures, sure.¡±


    Katsuki slams her hands down on the table. ¡°Huh? You sayin¡¯ Yuuri faked that? Where¡¯re ya gettin¡¯ that from? Does that booth even have that kind of sticker? Why would she fake it? She¡¯s been my closest friend forever and you¡¯re saying she¡¯d lie about somethin¡¯ like this? That¡¯s too much, you English-¡±


    ¡°Alright, Katsuki, calm down, you¡¯re getting too worked up. Your accent is slipping. We¡¯re supposed to be here for them, remember?¡± Yuudai hooks his arm around Katsuki¡¯s shoulder, giving her a pat on the back .


    Cerys gives a chuckle as she watched Yuudai. ¡°Nice of you to jump in, loverboy. Your damn ex-girlfriend¡¯s the closest this club¡¯s come to paranormal. She was paranormally crazy, but at this point I¡¯ll take anything.¡±


    Yuudai looks over at Cerys sternly. ¡°Why do you have to be like this? Do they put jerk powder in the tea over where you¡¯re from?¡±


    ¡°I was born with the natural talent, I¡¯m fated to use it.¡± Cerys says with a smirk.


    Akina turns her gaze to Cerys. ¡°Don¡¯t talk about fates so lightly. You wouldn¡¯t have the first idea about them.¡±


    ¡°And you do? You sit there and talk like you¡¯re the reincarnation of an ancient Japanese asshole, don¡¯t get all mystical now.¡±


    ¡°If one more word about me comes out of your mouth then you won¡¯t have to worry about reincarnation.¡±


    Katsuki dives into the conversation in an attempt to avoid turning this into a crime scene. ¡°A-and what makes you such an expert anyway, Cerys?¡±


    Cerys harrumphs. ¡°You call yourself a mage and don¡¯t know of my mother''s books on magical theory? Our mothers worked together, how do you not know about her?¡±


    ¡°Why would I have read a book in English? And- Wait, you said our mothers worked together? When?¡± Katsuki¡¯s eyes change from angry to curious.


    ¡°Yes. A decade ago at Yakumo Magic Academy before it closed down. My mother talked about yours often. A shame that it seems the reverse isn¡¯t true.¡±


    ¡°Wait. She¡¯s the same Miss Alcott that my mom talked about when I was younger?¡± Katsuki goes wide-eyed as the realization hits her. ¡°I assumed the last name was just a coincidence; she was a respected mage and you¡¯re...you.¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Cerys pouts. ¡°I thought we were friends.¡±


    Katsuki sighs. ¡°You just said we weren¡¯t. And that¡¯s besides the point. I had no idea you were the kid she always dedicated her books to. Of course I¡¯ve read them.¡±


    Akina looks at Cerys with curiosity in her eyes. ¡°I know nothing at all about magic, was she important?¡±


    ¡°Very much so. My mom was overjoyed when she came to ask to use her students and facilities for part of a book. Her research expanded the access to magic to more than just a privileged few.¡±


    Akina sighs. ¡°And your mother was important too?¡±


    Katsuki giggles. ¡°Ehehe... in certain circles. She was a teacher at Yakumo for a while and founded the original Paranormal Club.¡±


    Cerys looks at Katsuki. ¡°So you do know about my mother. Do you know why she stopped publishing books, though?¡±


    ¡°She did? But one of her books just came out earlier this year.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, posthumously.¡±


    The table falls silent. Yuudai is the first to speak up. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry to hear that.¡±


    The expression on Cerys¡¯ face softens. ¡°And that¡¯s why I joined this club, to continue her work and keep her memory alive.¡±


    ¡°Fallen relatives are certainly a powerful motivator.¡± says Akina, knowingly.


    Katsuki turns back to Cerys. ¡°Are you doing alright? Losing her so recently must be hard for you.¡±


    ¡°It was a year ago. You didn¡¯t hear of it because it happened in England and she wasn¡¯t that active in recent years. The arrival of powers made her change focus, so the current book is nothing more than a bunch of half finished notes and articles.¡± She looks away from everyone else and smiles. ¡°She always wanted me to be more like her or dad, so I won¡¯t let her legacy end with a bound together pile of sticky notes.¡±


    The sombre mood is broken, suddenly, by the bang of a cup against a table. ¡°That stupid Saito guy is being all dorky around Yuuri! He¡¯s ruining her coolness!¡± Everyone stops to look at the cause of the sudden outburst, Kirika.


    Katsuki gets an annoyed look on her face. ¡°And here we were raising our friendship stat and you had to ruin it.¡±


    ¡°Friendship stat? What the hell are you talking about? Did you bang your head on something?¡± Akina looks at Katsuki, perplexed.


    ¡°You know, our attributes like attack and defense and all that.¡±


    ¡°Are you certain that is tea you¡¯re drinking, and not hard liquor?¡±


    Katsuki pouts, taking a sip. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure. Whatever, don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, great. They¡¯re coming this way, now he¡¯s going to make us ALL look uncool.¡± Kirika fumes as the two approach the table.


    ¡°Hey everyone.¡± Yuuri waves as she arrives at the table, Saito in tow. A few club members return her wave. ¡°Did any of you figure anything new out about the ghost?¡±


    ¡°Nope. Just some¡­ sensitive stuff around the table.¡± Katsuki replies.


    Akina speaks up. ¡°And how some of us here have a legitimate reason for being in this club.¡±


    ¡°And that you¡¯re way too cool for that headphoned geek, Senpai!¡± Kirika exclaims, raging at the injustice that she¡¯s feeling.


    Saito laughs at Kirika¡¯s words, while Yuuri looks at everyone. ¡°Looks like you all learned a lot about everything except what we came here to learn about.¡±


    ¡°Yep. A bust with no ghost.¡± Katsuki says with a slump.


    Yuuri places the pictures from the booth down on the table. ¡°Here, here¡¯s the ghost pictures from earlier. At first they were strange, but now I think they¡¯re kinda¡­ cute?¡±


    ¡°Well besides that, how was the fake date?¡± Katsuki asks.


    ¡°It was cute up until this, then it got spooky.¡±


    ¡°So it was...spoocute?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Yuuri cocks her head to the side.


    Yuudai cracks a smile while Cerys and Saito burst out laughing at the corny comment. Akina just shakes her head. ¡°Perhaps instead of ghosts we need to start hunting down those who make puns like that.¡±


    Katsuki blushes. ¡°Q-quit making fun of me!¡±


    Yuuri giggles. ¡°Well I thought it was a good one. Spoocute, huh?¡±


    Kirika stands up. ¡°I think it¡¯s horrible! Not just the pun, but the date too! If anything is spookycute here, it¡¯s going to be me walking out of this mall!¡±


    ¡°What was that all about? Did I do something to her?¡± Saito turns and asks the remaining members of the club, as Kirika storms and stomps away upstairs.


    Yuudai responds. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her, she¡¯ll just needs to blow off some steam. She¡¯ll be back eventually. She hated this plan from the get go anyway.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, about-¡± Cerys starts to speak up, but as she watches Kirika leave she notices some orange fabric swaying behind a pillar next to the stairs. ¡°One sec.¡± In a flash she¡¯s behind the pillar.


    The figure straightens up and starts to move, but is grabbed by the nape of her shirt. ¡°Too late, stalker. You have ten seconds to explain why I shouldn¡¯t teleport you to the bottom of the ocean.¡±


    ¡°Stahp, stahp! Ya already caught meh, so lay off meh!¡±


    Cerys pulls the figure¡¯s face closer to hers. She can tell that it¡¯s another Miyafuji student since she¡¯s wearing the girl¡¯s uniform. ¡°Tell us why you were following us. Five seconds.¡±


    ¡°I-I-I wanted ta see how tha pictures came out!¡±


    ¡°Pictures? How would you know about those pictures?¡±


    ¡°Ah helped take ¡®em. Made ¡®em more memorable, too!¡±


    ¡°You- Wait. Are you the ghost everyone¡¯s been gossiping about?¡±


    The mysterious girl nods her head. ¡°Un!¡±


    Kirika runs through the mall to nowhere in particular. She passes store after store into the more neglected area of the mall, a trail of tears following her. She stops near a bench in a darkened area and takes a seat, wiping her face. ¡°Why¡­ why can¡¯t I get her attention? Why does she stare at him? He¡¯s nothing, a failed human! Yet she places him above me!¡± She rages, adding in some curses in Elvish.


    ¡°Humans are simply fickle, little elf,¡± says a voice behind a nearby pillar.


    Kirika looks up towards the source of the voice. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°They will want what they can¡¯t have and never be satisfied with what they do.¡± Kairu moves out from the pillar, taking a seat next to Kirika.


    ¡°You look like the dean, are you his brother?¡±


    ¡°Haha, you could say that.¡±


    Kirika smiles lightly, then looks back down with a frown. ¡°I still don¡¯t get what you mean.¡±


    ¡°Think about it. She¡¯s going on fake dates because she can¡¯t have real ones.¡±


    ¡°I could give her real dates, though!¡±


    Another chuckle from the mysterious stranger. ¡°She knows, but because she knows she¡¯ll never take them. Humans are truly fickle. Not like elves, who show their affections freely and live in sincerity.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­¡± Kirika says with a slight smile returning to her face. ¡°But aren¡¯t you a human too, Mr. Dean¡¯s Brother?¡±


    The man puts his finger in front of his mouth, a light shushing sound coming from his mouth. As soon as Kirika nods, he sticks his tongue out to reveal a sigil burned onto it.


    A light gasp comes out from the elf girl. ¡°W-what kind of sigil is that?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you, but you¡¯ll come to know it as one you can trust, Miss Komori.¡± He says with a wink. He then reaches his hand in his vest pocket and pulls out a card with a flourish. ¡°Here, my business card. My phone number is on there. Call me if you need anything, little elf.¡±


    Kirika takes the card, entering the number onto her phone. When she looks up to thank this new ally, he has already vanished.

 Chapter 31 - The Story of the Pink Invader

    The girls of the club took the mysterious stalker back with them to the girl¡¯s dorm for questioning, while the guys retired for the night. They surround her on the couch, Yuuri breaking the silence with an outburst.


    ¡°What exactly is your deal? Who are you and why did you ruin my d- our plan of action?¡±


    ¡°I could feel th¡¯ emotions comin¡¯ off yew two, it seemed laik fun ta come an¡¯ mess wicha.¡± She looks down. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean ta totally ruin ya date.¡±


    ¡°I-it¡¯s fine, it wasn¡¯t a real date.¡± Yuuri says. ¡°If only it was¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean you could feel the emotions? You some sorta empath?¡± Cerys questions.


    The pink haired girl looks at Yuuri, then at Cerys. ¡°I can feel tha love in tha air. It¡¯s laik radio waves an¡¯ I¡¯m an antenna. Ah was lookin¡¯ fer feelings to use in mah magic.¡±


    Katsuki sighs. ¡°Sure, whatever. So how¡¯d you mess with the photo?¡±


    ¡°And what the hell are you talking about?¡±, Akina adds on.


    ¡°Love. Tha opposite of what yer sendin¡¯ out, silverhair. An¡¯ the pitchas I jus¡¯ used a stamp of mah own before they got there. I ain¡¯t gonna tell ya anymor¡¯n tha¡¯. It¡¯d ruin th¡¯ surprise.¡±


    ¡°So you put some sort of trap that would just automatically place them then?¡± Katsuki ponders. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of any kind of magic like that.¡±


    ¡°Aww, ya ruined tha mystery. How¡¯dja know there was a magic trap on it? Normal people shouldn¡¯t be knowin¡¯ that much ¡®bout magic.¡±


    Yuuri laughs. ¡°Normal people? You are aware we¡¯re at Miyafuji, right?¡±


    Cerys elbows her. ¡°You are normal, though.¡±


    Katsuki interrupts the two. ¡°She¡¯s right, but only one of us here knows anything about magic.¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t none of y¡¯all know about my kinda magic. It ain¡¯t taught in no classroom or book or nothin¡¯. Not unless ya get the special courses.¡±


    Cerys gives the girl an aggravated look. ¡°You¡¯re an annoying person. If you can¡¯t answer these questions then whatever, but what¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Mari Hoshino, an¡¯ bein¡¯ an annoyin¡¯ stick in tha mud jus¡¯ comes with the territory of bein¡¯ a chaos magician.¡±


    Katsuki groans. Yuuri turns to look at her. ¡°Hm, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Chaos mages are...well they¡¯re uh, a little kooky.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re calling someone else a kook? Can you explain that any better?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather kill myself than do that.¡±


    ¡°Ah prefer kinky tah kooky, thank ya very much. I could give ya the little death, girl. Need ta recharge mah mana anyway.


    Yuuri blushes and looks at Mari. ¡°W-what the hell is wrong with you?¡±


    ¡°Nothin¡¯ that ain¡¯t wrong with anyone else.¡± Mari sniffs at Yuuri . ¡°Ya have a cat? Because I can smell pussy all over ya.¡±


    Yuuri¡¯s blush darkens. ¡°W-w-what kind of person just...says things like that?!¡±


    Cerys steps in between the two. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s a bit much, even for me. Knock that off.¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Ah¡¯d ratha knock ya socks off.¡±


    Katsuki buries her face in her hands. ¡°I wanna die.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re some kinda sex pervert, is that it?¡± Akina crosses her arms and grunts. ¡°Is that how you power your magic or is it just a side effect?¡¯


    ¡°Ding ding. Mah mana¡¯s refilled by bein¡¯ a cute little girl doin¡¯ dirty little thangs. An¡¯ when a mage gets low on mana, thangs can get¡­ desperate. ¡±


    ¡°Pres, why¡¯d we have to bring her here?¡±


    ¡°It was going to be past curfew if we spent any more time at the mall, so we had to take her with us if we wanted to do this.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to do this anymore.¡±


    ¡°Me neither.¡±


    Yuuri breaks out of her embarrassed state. ¡°Hey, wait. You¡¯re a Miyafuji student aren¡¯t you? Why haven¡¯t we seen you before? What club are you in?¡±


    Katsuki looks at Mari. ¡°Actually yeah, I¡¯ve never seen you in the hallways even.¡±


    ¡°Ahm in the goin¡¯ home club. I go home, stayin¡¯ away from everyone. An¡¯ I know tha¡¯ secret passages ta get ¡®round tha school and avoid all the people in tha hallways.¡± Mari says with a tinge of sadness in her voice.


    Cerys scoffs. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of work just to hide from people. I can¡¯t imagine going through maintenance just to avoid saying hi to someone.¡±


    ¡°Some days ya just don¡¯t feel like givin¡¯ out good mornin¡¯s. Or most tha days, really.¡± A somewhat angry frown crosses her face.


    ¡°So you were playing around at the mall to try to vacuum up some strong feelings to recharge?¡± Akina asks.


    ¡°Yeh. I can¡¯t charge mahself in public, Ah¡¯d be arrested.¡±


    ¡°Surely there are other ways to do that.¡±


    ¡°Ah can wait, but tha¡¯s borin¡¯.¡±


    The air is thick with embarrassment and confusion. No one can bring themselves to ask anything else of Mari.


    Yuuri clears her throat. ¡°Well, if that¡¯s all, then don¡¯t do it again. You can leave now.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind if ah do.¡±


    The door to the common room opens slowly. ¡°S-senpai, I wanted to apologize for how I ran off like that. I was just-¡±


    Kirika¡¯s eyes lock onto Mari. ¡°M-Maria?¡±


    ¡°Kiricchi!¡±


    As Mari and Kirika greet each other with a hug, the rest of the club look at each other, visibly confused.


    ¡°Um¡­ You two know each other?¡± Yuuri asks. The two break off the hug, Kirika linking her arm with Mari before turning to the others.


    ¡°Y-Yeah! Maria¡­ Uh¡­ Mari, is my bestest friend in the world! We¡¯re super best friends forever, haha. At least I hope we are¡­¡± Kirika turns her head to Mari, seeking approval. She nods, with an approving ¡°Un!¡±, and so Kirika continues. ¡°We went to elementary school together! She was my upperclassman but she was never-¡± Kirika pauses, ¡°We were really close to each other is all. And close to not many other people, I guess. The other kids were pretty mean, about my ears and about Mari¡¯s¡­¡± Kirika pauses again, glancing at Mari who is smiling with her eyes closed, a slight twitch noticeable. ¡°Well, anyway, kids are mean and Mari always stood up for me! My guardian angel, my very own Sancta Maria.¡± Kirika giggles.


    ¡°Un! N¡¯also Papa is close wit¡¯ Kiricchi¡¯s papa n¡¯ they met up often so we usedta have sleepovers every month or so! Ah know everythin¡¯ about tha ¡®Little Bat¡¯ here.¡± Mari then breaks the arm link, instead picking up Kirika in a great bear hug and spinning her around.


    ¡°I told you not to call me that!¡± Kirika protests, vainly. ¡°Anyway, what are you doing around here?¡± She pauses, before her face breaks out into a big smile. ¡°You came all this way to see your best friend in the whole universe right?! Such a good friend, I love you Mari!¡±


    ¡°Eheheh¡­ Luv yew too Kiricchi!¡± She smiles at Kirika, and scratches the back of her head. ¡°Well, uh, ah go t¡¯ school at Miyafuji too.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Since when? Do you have a club yet? Forget about that club, you should join my club! Right Senpai, she can join right?¡± Kirika excitedly jumps up and down, grabbing Mari¡¯s hands.


    "Well, mah club was tha getting home club, so ahd be happy ta switch ta bein in a club wicha, Kirika." She looks at the others. ¡°If y''all will have me of course.¡±


    Yuuri looks at Katsuki with a look that gives away the pity she¡¯s feeling. Katsuki turns towards Akina and Cerys. The two are shaking their heads and mouthing ¡°No.¡± in her direction.


    ¡°Ah, um...well¡­¡±


    Yuuri slides in front of Katsuki with a pout and whispers, ¡°C¡¯mon, she¡¯s clearly in need of friends. You were in the same position yourself not too long ago.¡±


    ¡°T-that¡¯s a low blow and you know it.¡± Katsuki sighs, then speaks up. ¡°I guess it¡¯s fine, we are a bunch of weirdos already after all.¡±


    Kirika and Mari hold hands and jump up. ¡°Yay!¡±


    Akina leaves to go to bed, and Cerys grumbles before doing the same.

 Chapter 32 - The Story of Parent Invitation Day Part 1

    Parent Invitation Day has finally arrived, as have said parents. While the kids are in class, the parents begin occupying the clubrooms while waiting for classes to end. Seated within the Paranormal Club¡¯s are a red haired woman and a brown haired couple.


    ¡°I¡¯m so happy our daughters were able to found a club of their own together,¡± the redhead says.


    ¡°It is nice to see them reunited again, Mrs. Kusaka.¡± The kindly man replies.


    ¡°Hey, call me Aiko already. Tsubasa¡¯s told you it¡¯s fine more times than I can remember, Takeshi.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, Aiko. Could Mr. K...er, Ichiro not make it this time?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately. His calendar was filled up and no one could get their appointments moved on short notice.¡±


    ¡°Really, I didn¡¯t take the 26th of June to be that busy of a day.¡±


    ¡°Neither did he.¡±


    Tsubasa Sayamura ignores the friendly banter. ¡°Still, I never expected our little Yuuri to be into this kind of thing so much. She¡¯s told us it¡¯s been a lot of fun, though.¡±


    ¡°And pretty strange too, based on what Katsuki¡¯s been telling me. They even got a new member recently. I wonder if her family is anything like she is.¡±


    ¡°The Hoshino kid? Yeah, Yuuri¡¯s told us some...interesting things about her.¡± Takeshi says with a smile.


    Thudding steps can be heard coming down the hallway towards the clubroom. They stop just outside the door. ¡°Oh, looks like the rest of the parents are coming in. I¡¯ll get it.¡± Aiko gets up from her seat and opens the door, to find a large lumbering man waiting outside.


    ¡°Ha ha, looks like Ah¡¯m not tha first one here!¡±, the behemoth exclaims as he walks into the room He grabs Aiko¡¯s hand and shakes it kindly. ¡°Name¡¯s Hideaki Hoshino, nice ta meetcha. One of Mari¡¯s friends¡¯ parents, Ah reckon.¡± He looks around the room, looking at the rest. ¡°Y¡¯all look like nice people, so yer kids must be nice too!¡± He laughs again.


    Aiko giggles. ¡°Alright, not what I expected but I guess that comes with the territory.¡±


    ¡°Ah brought a plus-1 with me, izzat alright? Found ¡®er in the hallway lookin¡¯ lost.¡± He looks over his shoulder. ¡°I was surprised that she was lookin¡¯ fer the same clubroom I was! How crazy¡¯s that?¡±


    From behind the large lad, a more normal-sized woman pokes her head out. That¡¯s the only thing normal about her, as she¡¯s sporting elf ears. ¡°Is this the place my little Kirika has been spending all her time?¡±


    Aiko¡¯s face brightens up. ¡°Aina, is that you? I haven¡¯t seen you since Yakumo closed down.¡±


    Aina flinches back, then forces herself to smile. ¡°O-oh, hello Aiko. I-it has been a while, hasn¡¯t it?¡±


    Before Aina can blink Aiko wraps her arms around her. ¡°It¡¯s so good to see you!¡±, she says, before going in for a whisper. ¡°I still think about that day too. Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯re not the only one.¡± She pulls back, trying to block everyone¡¯s view of Aina¡¯s saddened face. ¡°How crazy is it that we both end up having kids in the same club together?¡± She says with a smile.


    ¡°Y-yeah, it is!¡± Aina says with a bit happier of a tone. ¡°It¡¯s s-such a nice coincidence¡­ My Kirika is always talking about her new friends! Always!¡± She smiles back to Aiko with a pause. ¡°I¡­ I do mean always. She won¡¯t stop! Something about her cute senpais and the big brick man and her dorky president!¡±


    Aiko stares blankly. ¡°The.. dorky president? My daughter''s the president¡­ Wait! Is she saying my daughter is dorky!?¡± Aiko covers her mouth with her hand.


    ¡°Oh, she says it in a sweet way, with a smile!¡±


    ¡°Still, dorky¡­ I guess she can be kind of enthusiastic about strange things.¡± The redhead¡¯s mouth curls into a smile. ¡°Guess that¡¯s why she started a club about the paranormal!¡±


    Tsubasa walks up to the side of the two and looks at Aiko. ¡°I thought she started her¡¯s because you started it originally, Aiko? Wouldn¡¯t that make you dorky too?¡±


    ¡°Eh, you got me there!¡± is the only reply before the three women share a laugh.


    The two men in the room are sitting side by side, spacing out while watching the ladies interact. Eventually Big Guy looks over and says, ¡°Ey. Yer wife seems nice.¡±


    The smaller man snaps back to reality and smiles at the compliment. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s great! That¡¯ s why I married her.¡± He looks at the women again, then back to the Big Guy. ¡°Speaking of, where¡¯s your wife?¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Hideki takes his hat off and rubs his baldness. ¡°Ah, she couldn¡¯t make it, important business an¡¯ all that.¡± He puts his hat back on. ¡°Lucky the sun¡¯s not coming in too well here, else I might¡¯a blinded y¡¯all.¡± He lets out a bellow of a laugh, shared by his smaller compatriot.


    The laughter all around is interrupted by an unnecessarily loud voice from the open doorway. ¡°Why did you let me run around so long with the map upside down?¡± Standing in the doorway is a well dressed man and a more casually dressed woman.


    ¡°I thought you were cute being lost!¡± The woman at his side has a quick giggle.


    ¡°Aw, but it¡¯s so embarrassing being late¡­ And look! We¡¯re the last ones here!¡± He looks around the room and realizes that everyone is looking at them and then gives a nervous wave. ¡°Hi, we¡¯re Yuud-¡±


    He¡¯s cut off by his wife jumping in front of him with a more enthusiastic greeting. ¡°Haai everyone, we¡¯re Yuudai¡¯s parents! He is the big strong cutie pie that your kids may have told you about!¡±


    ¡°Sachiko, he¡¯s in high school now. He¡¯s gonna be embarrassed if you keep talking about him like that!¡± He steps back in front of the now sulking woman. ¡°Ahem. As she said, we¡¯re Yuudai¡¯s parents. I¡¯m Tsutomu, and her name is Sachiko. We¡¯re grateful to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Awww, Tsutsu, it doesn¡¯t matter how old he gets, he¡¯ll always be my cutie pie!¡± She lightly beats on his shoulder in her pout.


    Hideki stands up and walks to the two with a bellowing laugh. ¡°Hahaha, welcome! C¡¯mon in and take a seat ya two!¡±


    Sachiko takes a seat with a smile while Tsutomu looks around the clubroom. ¡°I don¡¯t know why he wanted to get away from Chiba so bad, but it looks like he transferred into a nice school at least.¡± He then takes his seat, satisfied with his inspection.


    ¡°Eh? We¡¯re both from Chiba too!¡± Tsubasa says and then looks at Aiko. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why they get along so well, they¡¯re all from the same place!¡±


    ¡°Hah, not all ¡®f us ar¡¯ from Chiba! We¡¯re from Osaka!¡±, boasts Hideki. He grabs Aina and pulls her to his side. ¡°And this cool lady and her family are from there too!¡±


    Aina simply blushes and shakes her head. ¡°W-we¡¯re from Hokkaido originally, even if we do have a residence in Osaka¡­¡±


    Takeshi looks at Tsutomu. ¡°You said your kid¡¯s name is Yuudai? The Chiba Golden Boy?¡±


    ¡°Do they really call him that now?¡± Tsutomu sighs. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s him. Don¡¯t call him that around his face or he¡¯ll start dreaming about going pro again.¡± His wife frowns at him. ¡°I want him to study hard and get into a good university so he can have a stable job. All he wants to do is play baseball though. Doesn¡¯t he know how hard it is to make it as a pro? He needs a real plan for a real life.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too much of a downer bear, Tsutsu! I think it¡¯s good that he¡¯s trying for his dream. Look, even someone you never heard of before knows his name!¡± She smiles and points at Takeshi.


    The door opens again before anyone else can say anything and in walks a short and pale freckled redheaded man. ¡°How do it today? I is Oliver Alcott!¡± He bows in greeting. ¡°Pleasure to enjoy company of yours! Sorry for bad Japanese!¡± He gives a nervous smile and tries to find a seat.


    Hideaki walks over to him and slaps Oliver on the back, causing the small man to nearly fall over,  ¡°Welcome partner! Your bad Japanese is fine with me.¡± Oliver turns around to see Hideaki holding out a hand looking for a shake.


    Oliver takes his hand. ¡°Pleased to meeEEEEOOOWWW!¡± The greeting is shortlived as his hand is crushed by the large, meaty palms of Hideki.


    Aina looks at the foreign man with confusion. ¡°Your child is named Cerys, correct? I¡¯m guessing because she is the only foreigner Kirika talks about.¡±


    ¡°Yes! Cerys is English! Cerys is my daughter!¡± the small man says as he cradles his throbbing hand. ¡°Happy to see friend making! After the accident very lonely. ¡±


    The other parents in the room sit and ponder what he is saying. After a second Aina figures out just what he meant. ¡°Oh, your daughter was in an accident?¡±


    Oliver nods. ¡°Yes. Wife and daughter. Cerys no arm, Wife no...¡± He simply frowns, saying more than his words could.


    Tsubasa walks up to him and pats him on the shoulder. ¡°Sorry to hear that.¡±


    Instead of continuing to sulk, he looks up and smiles wide. ¡°Still okay! Wife in heart, Cerys do better!¡± He makes a heart with his hands and places it over his chest. ¡°Much love!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember hearing about a girl with one arm in the club¡­ You sure you¡¯re in the right place?¡± Takeshi asks.


    ¡°Oh, I make new arm! Cybernetic arm! That¡¯s the reason for Japan!¡± He clenches his right hand for emphasis. Everyone looks at him in surprise and confusion. He realizes what he said then quickly puts his finger to his mouth. ¡°Shh, tell nobody. Cerys shy about arm! Big secret!¡±


    The other parents all nod in agreement and eventually break off into their own conversations. Oliver sits in with Hideaki and Tsutomu just listening along and barely keeping up. The talking continues until the door opens up one more time and in walks a well dressed man with slicked back hair. He wordlessly finds a seat away from everyone else and sits silently.  He pays no attention to the rest of the parents in the room until Aiko walks up to him.


    ¡°Hey there! I¡¯m guessing you must be Akina¡¯s dad. I¡¯m-¡±


    The man looks up sharply into Aiko¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯m here for Akina. Not for small talk.¡±


    ¡°O-Okay then!¡± Aiko recoils back, holding her hands up in defense. ¡°D-duly noted, mister!¡±


    ¡°Haha, don¡¯t back away from ¡®em! He just wants to look tough!¡± Hideki says, walking up to the guy. ¡°Maybe because he¡¯s way too young lookin¡¯ to be a high schooler¡¯s dad!¡± He looks down at the slick man.


    ¡°I¡¯m not her father. He sent me here because he couldn¡¯t make it. Name¡¯s Ryo, don¡¯t bother me and we won¡¯t need to make a mess.¡± He swats away Hideki¡¯s extended hand.


    ¡°Ah, just a nanny huh? That¡¯s fine, long as someone¡¯s here for yer little one, haha!¡± He says, before the school bell rings out.


    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s time to get to our seats so we can surprise our kids!¡± Sachiko exclaims.


    The parents quickly return to their seats, and before long, the door to the room creaks open.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame we didn¡¯t find any ghosts in th-¡± Katsuki is quickly cut off by a loud ¡°SURRRRPPRRIIISSSEEE!¡± from the parents in the room. The other members file in behind her, all searching the room for their respective parents.


    ¡°What¡­ what the hell is this?¡± Katsuki says.


    ¡°Watch your language, young lady!¡± Aiko says sternly, before relaxing her speech. ¡°And today is Parent¡¯s Day, silly. We already went on the tour of the school, now we get to see all your friends and your club!¡±

 Chapter 33 - The Story of Parent Invitation Day Part 2

    Sachiko quickly jumps from her seat while the kids are still in shock. ¡°Ah, there¡¯s my big cutie pie!¡± She rushes to hug Yuudai.


    ¡°M-Mom! H-hi! Uh¡­ C-could you let go? A-and use my name!¡± She pulls away and gives him a big kiss on the cheek. ¡°Aww, this is so embarrassing mom¡­¡±


    Aiko turns to Katsuki. ¡°Just pretend we¡¯re not here and go about your meeting like normal.¡±


    ¡°Ooook then.¡± Katsuki looks around the room. ¡°You guys are in our spots¡­¡±


    Aiko looks around. ¡°What do you mean? There¡¯s room for 25 students here!¡±


    ¡°Yeah but we sit in the front.¡±


    ¡°Because you don¡¯t have to walk to the back?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    Hideaki laughs. ¡°Respect your elders, kiddo. Lik-¡± He¡¯s interrupted by his daughter running up and tackle-hugging him. ¡°Heeey, there ya are! It¡¯s so good seein¡¯ ya hangin¡¯ around outside!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice seein¡¯ ya outside tha house too!¡± Mari says back merrily. She turns back to the other club members. ¡°Hey y¡¯all, this here¡¯s my daddy! Yew should meet him, he¡¯s a great guy!¡±


    Hideaki gives Mari a hearty pat on the back. "Yer actin'' more like yer mother every day!"


    Mari''s smile disappears.


    Hideaki tries to cheer up his daughter, his broad smile straining. He stops as Katsuki starts the meeting.


    Katsuki perks up and says. ¡°Oh, right!¡± She turns to look at the rest of the club. ¡°Right, just a normal meeting same as if you guys weren''t here.¡± She nervously giggles.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, don¡¯t wanna talk about the haunted photo booth in front of mommy?¡± Cerys snorts.


    ¡°Or the time we beat up those nerds for money?¡± Akina adds on.


    ¡°Oh, what about when you hurt Mayumi-senpai so bad I cried until it became a water monster and healed her?¡± Kirika asks Akina.


    ¡°Wait wait, what the hell is all this?¡± Tsutomu jumps up from his chair. ¡°You left Chiba for THIS? What, was it not dangerous enough for you?¡± he stomps towards Yuudai. ¡°Nevermind, I¡¯m getting you out of this school right now.¡±


    ¡°H-hey, calm down, dad. These guys helped me out in a way you couldn¡¯t even know!¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter, this kind of life isn¡¯t for someone like you!¡± he says before he grabs Yuudai¡¯s wrist.


    ¡°Hey, calm down! We all had crazy things happen in high school, right?¡± Sachiko looks back at the other parents who all nod in agreement.


    ¡°Are you all crazy? No wonder these kids are wild, if they come from wild parents! Yuudai, you¡¯re out, now come with-¡±


    ¡°Tsutsu.¡± Sachiko says sternly. ¡°C¡¯mon, let him live a little. Don¡¯t you remember all those nights you¡¯d let me ride on your motorcycle?¡±


    ¡°W-What?!? Don¡¯t bring those up, that¡¯s embarrassing! It¡¯s awful how irresponsible I was!¡±


    ¡°Oh, but you were soooooo cooool!¡± She says in a sweet tone.


    ¡°Wait, dad, you had a motorbike in high school?¡± Yuudai asks, perplexed.


    ¡°Yes¡­ B-but I sold it when your mom got pregnant with you! It was the proper thing to do!¡± Tsutomu says with a blush.


    ¡°He was crying when he sold it and everything, Yuudai!¡± Sachiko says teasingly.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to say that, dear! I was¡­ only crying because I was so happy to have a child on the way!¡±


    ¡°And look at him, Tsutsu, he¡¯s big, strong¡­ and he¡¯s becoming his own man. You don¡¯t need to worry about him so much!¡±


    Yuudai strikes a cool pose and follows her up. ¡°Yeah, dad! You gotta let me grow up myself a bit!¡±


    Tsutomu can only sigh and return to his seat. ¡°I¡­ I guess it¡¯s fine. But if anything happens, I¡¯m taking you out immediately!¡± He crosses his arms, but otherwise lets the meeting continue.


    The club members take their seats behind their parents and settle in. Katsuki takes her place at the large desk in front of the room. ¡°Alright, completely normal meeting. Normal club here. Yep, that¡¯s us. Just a normal...club.¡± She looks down at the papers in front of her, with the printout of the photo booth pictures. ¡°Oh, right. The haunted photo booth was on the docket for today.¡±


    ¡°But Ah¡¯m right here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah...yeah you are¡­¡± Katsuki scratches off that part of the paper. ¡°So next is...Parent Invitation Day¡­¡±


    ¡°So President Kusaka what is new in the world of the paranormal today, a werewolf or something like that?¡±, a smirking Cerys calls out.


    ¡°Well it¡¯s only tangentially paranormal but the guy we rescued from the yakuza, back when they were kidnapping people, got back to us. Apparently people with supernatural powers and mages both give off the same energy signatures, which is what they were looking for.¡±


    Cerys pouts. ¡°I was hoping for a werewolf.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you guys did WHAT?!¡± Takeshi says with shock.


    ¡°Which group was it?¡± Ryo asks with curiosity. The rest of the parents turn towards the formerly silent man. Aiko and Tsubasa get looks of realization, and move their desks slightly further away from him.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡°Konch¨±-kai,¡± Akina spits out. ¡°They kidnapped me and planned on using me as a bargaining chip against father.¡±


    ¡°They knew who your dad was and still tried to kidnap you? Buncha morons. I bet you didn¡¯t even break a sweat cleaning up that trash.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not my father, flattery gets you nowhere with me.¡± Akina rises up from her seat, staring daggers into Ryo as his smirk never leaves his face.


    Yuuri realizes just what that look from Akina means and scrambles to think of something. She stands up quickly, shouting, ¡°Katsuki! I do have something to talk about today.¡± She looks over at Akina with pleading eyes. The grey haired girl relents with a grumble and sits back down.


    The Japanese redhead pokes her head up from underneath the desk, ¡°Huh? Oh! Right. Yuuri you may have the floor.¡±


    Yuuri stands up proudly and clears her throat, but then realizes she actually doesn¡¯t have anything to discuss. She looks around the room and spots the concerned and confused faces of her parents. Finally, ¡°What is everyone doing for break?,¡± comes out of her mouth.


    Cerys is the first to answer. ¡°I¡¯m going home with my dad, which I think everyone is doing.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going back to Britain for a week?,¡± Yuudai asks while trying to figure out the travel agenda in his head.


    Cerys begins to speak but catches a glare from her father and stops. She looks at him the entire time as she replies. ¡°No I¡¯m going to Tsukuba where my father¡¯s lab is.¡±


    Oliver rubs Cerys¡¯ hair and says to her in English, ¡°Doesn¡¯t it feel good to be nice to people for once?¡± She answers by grasping her neck and making gagging noises.


    ¡°Yeah, I think that¡¯s pretty much true. Everyone¡¯s parents are here after all, besides Akina¡¯s and... Saito¡¯s.¡± Katsuki turns towards Saito, who¡¯s been drumming on his desk with his headphones on.


    Everyone¡¯s eyes eventually fall on Saito. Once he notices, he takes his headphones off. ¡°Huh? What were we talking about?¡±


    ¡°We were talking about what everyone is going to do over the break.¡± Yuuri asks him. ¡°Do you have any plans to go home with your family?¡±


    ¡°I plan on staying here, I ain¡¯t got a family. I¡¯m an orphan remember?¡±


    There are audible gasps around the whole room and Katsuki speaks up. ¡°What do you mean ¡®remember¡¯? You never said you were an orphan ever.¡±


    Saito thinks for a second. ¡°I thought I did. Oh well, it doesn¡¯t really matter to me. I¡¯ve never had a family before so I never cared about it.¡±


    Hideaki puts a reassuring hand on Saito¡¯s shoulder. The force is a bit more than he was expecting, and Saito loses his balance for a moment. He realigns himself and looks the man in the eyes. ¡°I promise you I don¡¯t feel broken up by not having a family.¡±


    ¡°No! You¡¯re wrong Saito!¡± Yuuri speaks up again powered by her own compassion. ¡°You do have a family, you have us!¡±


    ¡°You guys are nothing like a family, Yuuri. I don¡¯t-¡± He¡¯s cut short by Yuuri becoming more visibly upset, causing him to sigh.


    ¡°I...I was thinking...that maybe¡­¡± Yuuri bashfully continues, ¡°Maybe we could celebrate together before we leave¡­ s-so you have a good memory from this break!¡± An awkward smile shows on Yuuri¡¯s face, her head lifting to meet Saito¡¯s eyes.


    Saito pauses, then shrugs. ¡°I guess I wouldn¡¯t mind a little shindig with you all.¡±


    Yuuri¡¯s smile turns wide, then she spins around towards the rest of the club. ¡°You hear that, guys? Be here this Saturday before we all leave so we can enjoy one more get together!¡±


    Most of the rest of the Paranormies cheer, though Cerys only joins in at her father¡¯s urging.


    Kirika, however, pouts with her arms crossed. She curtly mutters under her breath, ¡°I¡¯d rather shindig a hole and bury you in it, Stupito.¡± She then pretends to be excited since Yuuri has been looking at her oddly.


    ¡°Three days isn¡¯t a lot of time, so we better get started on planning soon.¡± Katsuki smiles, looking forward to the celebration.


    Ryo looks on at the others from his seat just behind Akina. ¡°Look at this, everyone holding a pity party for some charity case. You¡¯ve fallen far if you¡¯re willing to be around these kinds of people, Gedou.¡±


    Akina spins around with a murderous look in her eyes. ¡°Call me by my name, not by the name of the man who couldn¡¯t even attend this but still wishes to claim me as his heir.¡± She slits her eyes. ¡°And who are you to be speaking about falling far, you damned lapdog.¡±


    ¡°Call me a lapdog all you want, I can still bite.¡±


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t break my skin even if you tried.¡±


    ¡°You wanna take me on right here, right now?¡±


    ¡°For the love of God aren¡¯t you supposed to be playing her dad right now? Can¡¯t you act the part even a little bit?¡± Aiko asks, exasperated at the display.


    Ryo scoffs. ¡°If she was my daughter she¡¯d never have the chance to act like this.¡±


    ¡°Akina, please, don¡¯t do this.¡± Yuuri walks up between the two, with Katsuki not far behind her. ¡°This is supposed to be a nice day for everyone.¡±


    ¡°A nice day would be me knocking his teeth out.¡±


    Yuudai gets in the middle of the room and lets out a loud. ¡°HEY!¡± Everyone turns to look at him, standing on a desk and looking around the room at everyone else. ¡°How about we calm down? We¡¯re supposed to be showing our parents how cool of a club we are, and all we¡¯re doing is arguing and fighting! Let¡¯s just get back to the meeting and calm down!¡± Akina and Ryo look away from each other and go back to their seats.


    Katsuki helps Yuudai down off the desk, then says with a smile, ¡°Wow, that was kinda cool, Yuudai!¡± She switches to a more formal tone. ¡°...But the meeting is pretty much over anyway.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Yuudai says, looking over at Yuuri who¡¯s nodding as well. ¡°Well, at least everyone¡¯s stopped arguing.¡± He scratches his head and takes a seat himself.


    ¡°So, does anyone have anything left to say?¡± Yuuri looks around.


    Tsubasa stands up. ¡°I do! I just want to say that¡­ um, even though it looks like you all bicker a lot, it looks like you¡¯re all really great friends! I¡¯m so proud of my Yuuri for getting a group of friends like this, and I¡¯m sure everyone else here is proud of you all, too! You¡¯re all growing into wonderful young people, and-¡± She¡¯s stopped by Takeshi placing his hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, dear. You don¡¯t need to embarrass them any more than that.¡± Takeshi says, helping her back down to her seat.


    ¡°I-in that case¡­¡± Yuuri says, her face beet red. ¡°T-then, I declare this meeting adjourned!¡±


    The parents leave their seats, saying their goodbyes to their kids for now. They file out of the room, starting conversation amongst themselves. The clubroom once again only contains club members.


    ¡°Whew, that was pretty stressful!¡± Yuudai says, leaning back in his chair.


    ¡°I thought it was pretty fun, by the end!,¡± Yuuri says with a smile. ¡°But now¡­ we get to plan a party!¡± She lets out a small squeal of happiness, ready to give everyone a great sendoff for the break. For tonight, let¡¯s end this Parent Invitation Day correctly and spend the rest of the day with our parents!¡±


    ¡°Hey, just so you know Saito, you¡¯re more than welcome to come hang out with my mom and I today!¡± Katsuki tells him.


    Saito puts his headphones on and shakes his head. ¡°Thanks for the invite, but I gotta decline. I got some stuff to do after this today.¡±


    Katsuki only responds, ¡°Oh, okay¡­¡± as Saito walks out of the room, the rest of the club also doing so, catching up with their parents.


    Out in the hallway, various students are walking with their parents, heading towards the exit. Kirika looks up at her mom. ¡°Aren¡¯t humans just so aggravating, mommy?¡±


    Aina looks down at her child with surprise. ¡°W-what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°They barely even gave me the time of day in there, they don¡¯t give me any attention at all!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s more to being friends than that, dear.¡±


    ¡°Nuh uh, my servants always talk to me and they¡¯re my friends!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s totally the same!¡±


    Aina places her hand on Kirika¡¯s head. ¡°Hush, I¡¯ll hear no more of this. They took you into their club and consider you a friend, the least you can do is not talk about them behind their backs.¡±


    Kirika pouts, but relents. She takes her mom¡¯s hand as they walk out of the school together.

 Chapter 34 - The Story of Love and Hate

    It¡¯s the day before the first big break of the school year, and the Paranormies are gathering for a reverse going away party for Saito at a nearby family restaurant. Yuuri wanders through the school, trying to locate Saito.


    ¡°Hellooooo? Saito?¡±


    Her feet catch onto something, and she nearly stumbles. She turns towards where she tripped, and finds Saito sitting on the ground with his legs stretched out.


    ¡°There you are!¡±


    Saito¡¯s eyes are glued to his phone. ¡°Shhh, give me a second. Full combo.¡±


    Yuuri pouts, but lets him finish his game before continuing.


    ¡°Yes, new high score!¡±


    She looks at him with a smile and reaches her hand out. ¡°Saito, it¡¯s about time to get going.¡± He takes it and pulls himself up.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Why...do you care so much about me that you¡¯d organize this?¡± He looks at her with genuine perplexity. ¡°No one¡¯s ever treated me like you do.¡±


    Yuuri¡¯s face heats up. ¡°W-well, I never told anyone else...besides Katsuki...about the whole video game thing, so we kind of share something special.¡± She fidgets her thumbs, unsure of what else to say, especially with the upcoming break.


    ¡°Really?¡± Saito cocks his head curiously. ¡°I thought she would have let that spill by now.¡±


    Yuuri shakes her head, ¡°She knows I still feel embarrassed acting like...a dork.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s dorky at all.¡± Saito looks away from her. ¡°I¡¯m...happy you decided to share such a secret with me.¡±


    The two look away from each other, their eyes sometimes meeting before quickly turning away again.


    ¡°So¡­¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡±


    Yuuri¡¯s eyes flash. ¡°I can¡¯t take this anyaamore! You two are so hopeless!¡±


    ¡°Y-Yuuri? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Big sis is opening herself up to you, can¡¯t nya take the hint?! She¡¯s too shy to make a move on you, dummy.¡± She puts her hand to her mouth. ¡°Hehe, sorry if I ruined the mood but myew were making me pissed off.¡±


    ¡°I...don¡¯t really get it, but I kind of do. So you¡¯re saying I should do this.¡± Saito grabs Yuuri by the shoulders and pulls her in for a kiss.


    ¡°Waitwaitwait!¡± The girl occupying Yuuri¡¯s body puts her finger over his lips. ¡°Wait for her to come back.¡± She winks, and Yuuri¡¯s eyes dull again.


    Saito nods, and presses his lips against hers. Yuuri¡¯s eyes widen in shock, but close as she enjoys her first kiss. She wraps her arms around him, pulling him in closer.


    Saito breaks away after some time. ¡°I wish we could stay like this just a bit longer.¡±


    ¡°I know, but we have to get back with the rest of them. Ahhh, should we tell them?¡±


    Saito smiles. ¡°Let¡¯s keep it our secret for now.¡± Yuuri smiles back and takes his hand, and they walk together out of the school.


    The two make their way to the restaurant and find the rest of the club crowded into a booth and adjacent table in the corner of the not very busy diner, sitting shoulder to shoulder but chatting merrily.


    ¡°So, why are we here?¡± Saito inquires.


    Yuuri smiles. ¡°So we can eat like the family we are!¡±


    ¡°No, I mean at a family restaurant instead of an arcade or something I¡¯d actually like.¡±


    Akina glares at him across the table. ¡°Nobody cares about what you want.¡±


    ¡°Then why drag me- wait, you don¡¯t even have a family either! Why aren¡¯t we doing this for you instead of for me?¡±


    ¡°I have a house. I¡¯ll be going there, you¡¯ll be staying here.¡± Akina says smugly.


    Yuuri lightly pouts. ¡°Now now, don¡¯t argue with me! We¡¯re here to eat as a family and we¡¯re going to stay here and eat as a family!¡± She raises her tone at both of them.


    Katsuki lets out a nervous laugh. ¡°H-hey, I¡¯m supposed to be the president, I¡¯m the one who should be saying that!¡± She turns to the other two, ¡°But she¡¯s right, we only have one more day together, you two can last that long, right?¡±


    With a sigh and a shrug, Saito says, ¡°It¡¯s only a week, Katsuki. C¡¯mon, it¡¯s not that important.¡±


    Yuuri slams her hand. ¡°It¡¯s important to me! A whole week without you!¡± She pauses. ¡°A-all! You all!¡±


    Cerys smiles. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m with headphones on this one. But, free food is free food.¡± She looks over at the pres. ¡°At least, it¡¯s free to us since you¡¯re paying for it, riiiight Yuuri?¡±


    ¡°Nyaa? M-me? I don¡¯t have that kind of money! This is a bring your own money meal!¡± she stammers out in surprise.


    A collective groan rises from the table. ¡°You know, you should have told us before we left!¡± Saito says.


    ¡°Yeah! I don¡¯t even have my wallet on me!¡± Yuudai adds.


    ¡°It''s ok we can just sit here and have fun without food!¡± Katsuki tries to save the situation.


    ¡°We coulda sat ¡®round an¡¯ had a good time with ahselves at the dorm if we couldn¡¯t eat.¡± Mari says, leaning back in the booth. ¡°Fine bahn voyage yer givin¡¯ us.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d kind of defeat the point, Mari. We couldn¡¯t have the boys over at the dorm if we stayed there. Hard to give Saito a happy goodbye that way!¡± Katsuki quips.


    ¡°Hey, you could have had a great time without me. And I could have stayed in and practiced my rhythm games all day. Would have been the perfect party!¡± Saito exclaims.


    Katsuki looks over. ¡°Surely you couldn¡¯t do that for a whole day?¡±


    ¡°That was my schedule for the whole week, Kats.¡± Katsuki and Yuuri look at him slack-jawed, not believing him. ¡°What? I mean, I¡¯d get a couple hours of sleep, too!¡±


    ¡°A night, right?¡± Yuuri says worriedly.


    ¡°Y-yeah, a night.¡± Saito says to defuse the situation.


    Kirika pouts and turns to Yuuri. ¡°See? He doesn¡¯t even want to be here anyway! He could be in whatever pit he came from and I wouldn¡¯t have to look at him!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the idea!¡± Saito looks at her, then looks back to Yuuri. ¡°Leave me in my pit of a room and I¡¯ll be fine!¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°No, Saito, we couldn¡¯t do that when we¡¯re about to be apart for so long!¡± Yuuri raises her voice, ¡±A-and Kirika! You should be nice to him, we¡¯re all friends here!¡±


    Akina and Cerys shake their heads simultaneously. ¡°Nope, we¡¯re not,¡± they say in unison.


    Yuuri looks over at Katsuki. ¡°At least you and Yuudai appreciate this party, right?¡°


    Yuudai smiles. ¡°Yep! Though it¡¯s kinda funny we¡¯re calling it a goodbye party when we three are going to hang out all break!¡± He says with a laugh.


    Mari perks up. ¡°Eh? What you doin¡¯ with two girls all break, Yuudai?¡±


    Yuuri smiles. ¡°Shopping! We¡¯re going shopping!¡±


    Yuudai looks at Yuuri. ¡°Shopping? For what?¡±


    Katsuki looks at him with a confused look. ¡°Yuudai, we¡¯re going clothes shopping. Remember, we told you this specifically in plain words yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Clothes shopping, right! But I don¡¯t think I can shop for a week straight.¡± The two girls drop their heads on the table and groan.


    ¡°That was just the first day, dummy.¡± Katsuki says into the table.


    Kirika leans forward into Yuuri¡¯s face. ¡°Oh? Now you¡¯re hanging out with HIM too? Soon you¡¯re going to be spending time with ALL the boys, aren¡¯t you! Miss Popular With Boys!¡± She sticks her tongue out.


    ¡°H-huh? What? Why is it bad to spend time with Yuudai?¡±


    ¡°You heard me! You spend time with¡­ That!¡± She points at Saito. ¡°And that!,¡± then points at Yuudai. ¡°And you won¡¯t even look at me once!¡±


    ¡°T-that¡¯s not true! You¡¯re my cute kouhai, I look at you all the time!¡± Yuuri says in surprise.


    ¡°Liar! You don¡¯t go on fake dates with me! Or real dates! Or clothes shopping or arcade shopping or anything! It¡¯s like you don¡¯t think I¡¯m any good!¡±


    ¡°K-Kirika, calm down, le-let¡¯s talk about this later, o-okay?¡± Yuuri pleads, to no avail.


    ¡°No! We need to talk right now, or I¡¯m going to leave and you¡¯ll never see me again! And I won¡¯t be your friend ever again either!¡±


    The table falls silent, the only noise being Kirika¡¯s angry huffing. She stands up and stares directly into Yuuri¡¯s eyes. Yuuri can¡¯t find any words to answer Kirika.


    ¡°I figured as much.¡±


    Kirika begins to walk out but is stopped by Yuuri yelling, ¡°Kirika wait!¡± The younger girl turns around and looks at the girl she admires so much. ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t know you felt this way about me Kirika.¡± Yuuri places her hand on her heart. ¡°I would have been more considerate if I did, I promise.¡±


    Her words have the opposite effect than she was hoping for as the little girl begins to visibly shake with anger. ¡°Of course you don¡¯t know my real feelings because for the past month all you¡¯ve done is smile in the face of that thing there.¡± She shoots Saito a quick look full of hatred and brings her attention back to Yuuri. ¡°After everything I¡¯ve done. You humans are just so ungrateful.¡± She turns on her heel and leaves the restaurant.


    Her words hang in the air around the table. Yuuri sits wordlessly and stares directly at the door as if she is hoping her friend was going to come back in and declare everything she said was a joke. After the longest moment passes Mari gets up. ¡°I have to go talk to Lil¡¯ Bat.¡±


    Yuudai stands and stops her. ¡°No, Mari. Just let her vent. She just needs to clear her head.¡±


    ¡°Letting her vent is wha¡¯ lead to this sitiation, she thinks we don¡¯t care ¡®bout her so we gotta find her and prove ¡®er wrong.¡± She looks at the other members sitting at the table. They all give off looks of confusion.


    Yuuri finally breaks out of her haze and stands up. ¡°You¡¯re right. Kirika needs us to be there for her, now more than ever!¡± She claps her hands and points to the door. ¡°Let¡¯s go find Kirika!¡±


    ¡°Do we have to? This seems like a lot of trouble,¡± Akina moans from behind a menu. Mari looks at her and grabs her out of her seat. ¡°Hey what the hell? Put me down.¡±


    As the others decide to try and find her, Kirika runs back to the school. She pulls out her phone and starts to write a text. ¡°You¡¯re right, they don¡¯t care about me¡­¡±


    She receives a response almost immediately, as if the recipient was waiting for her. ¡°I told you so. Why don¡¯t you meet up with me at the school and we can discuss a solution to your issue?¡±


    She races back to the main building, bending over and panting once she reaches the steps. A voice calls out from above her. ¡°So you saw it right?¡± Kirika looks up to see Kairu standing at the top, his sly smile showing off his teeth. ¡°Humans aren¡¯t to be trusted, and that''s why we need to take over.¡±


    The anger Kirika was feeling dissipates. ¡°T-take over?¡±


    He starts to walks to Kirika. ¡°Yes, the humans have forgotten all about the demons they used to stay up at night fearing.¡± He puts his hands on her shoulders. ¡°And look at the state of Earth right now, wars and killings every single day. They need us now more than ever.¡± He looks deeply in the eyes of Kirika, the impressionable girl looking more unsure with every word.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know about this¡­¡±


    The pretty teen boy¡¯s smile leaves his face. ¡°You still want to try to be friends with the humans?¡±


    ¡°No! I¡¯m just¡­ Why do you want, well, myself to help you with this?¡±


    He chuckles. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about what your role is going to be, just come with me.¡±


    Kirika nods her head as he moves his hand behind her back and leads her through the school mostly in silence. As he leads her up the stairs to the final floor of the school Kirika suddenly feels a sense of dread come over her. She begins to visibly shiver as Kairu laughs. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, darling. There¡¯s nothing up here that means you any harm.¡± Kirika looks up at him with an uneasy expression on her face, but she cautiously follows him up to the highest level of the building.


    She looks around as she follows his lead, stopping at a door. She gasps as she looks at it, feeling demonic energy radiating from behind it. Whether from fear or courage, she is finally able to speak, only to ask, ¡°W..what¡¯s behind this door? It¡­ it feels scary¡­¡±


    Kairu reaches out to the handle of the door, his smile seeming more menacing than before. ¡°As I said, there¡¯s nothing here that will harm you.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ what about my friends?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not your friends. Only I am your friend now. Those¡­ scum don¡¯t deserve to have your companionship¡­ or their lives.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you mean¡­¡± she stares in horror, only able to blink before she angrily blurts out. ¡°We¡¯re gonna kill people? The people who accepted me into their club? Y-You monster!¡±


    ¡°Oh? I thought they didn¡¯t accept you, what¡¯s this now?¡± Kairu says in a sultry voice. ¡°Are you having doubts, darling?¡±


    ¡°I.. I was just jealous! I thought you¡¯d help me get back at them so I could get their attention again! Not¡­ Not this!¡±


    ¡°You thought wrong, my little bat. And now it¡¯s too late to go back.¡± He points at Kirika with his free hand. ¡°You¡¯ve already brought this on them. You¡¯ve assigned to them this fate.¡±


    ¡°I...I didn¡¯t¡­ Y-you¡¯re the one-¡±


    ¡°Under whose suggestion, Kirika?¡±


    ¡°I¡­. I¡­¡± Kirika drops to her knees, unable to make sense of his words. She can only hold her hands to her ears as he laughs.


    ¡°And to think, we only wanted to draw out your father, but you made it too easy for us. Now we have you, along with your summoning talents.¡± He lifts his head to the air and laughs. ¡°And now thanks to your foolish desire for affection, I¡¯ll be able to summon my legions back to this plane and claim it in the name of my master! Or destroy it, if she wishes. Such is the right of beings who stand above humans!¡± He punctuates his mad speech with a burst of even madder laughter that echoes through the hallway.


    The rest of the Paranormal club meet up back at the door of the diner, looking at each other with frowns. Katsuki looks at the remaining members. ¡°You mean, none of you could find her?¡±


    ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t know anything about her, I don¡¯t know where to look. There¡¯s no bat stores out here, so I ran out of ideas.¡± Cerys says with a chuckle.


    Yuuri snaps at her. ¡°Cerys, now isn¡¯t the time for jokes. She could be out there getting kidnapped, or beaten up, or¡­ or anything!¡±


    ¡°Jeez, calm down,¡± Cerys says, ¡°I¡¯m sure she could summon some big monster thing to take out anyone trying to hurt her anyway. Heck, I¡¯m sure sooner or later we¡¯ll find her just like that.¡±


    Suddenly Mari and Katsuki look up and to the north. ¡°Hey, do¡­ do you all feel that?¡± Katsuki asks.


    ¡°Yeh, Ah do¡­ an¡¯ it don¡¯t feel good at all.¡± Mari says looking around.


    The other paranormies look at the two. ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m not feeling anything!¡± Yuudai says. ¡°Nothing besides a nice breeze!¡±


    Before anyone can speak again, they see a small something fall in front of them, seemingly exhausted. It tries to get up, but before it can Yuuri rushes over and scoops it up. ¡°K-Kokoro! I-Is that you, Kokoro?¡± The bat in her hand can only let out a weakened squeak of approval. ¡°W¡­ what the hell are you doing here? What happened to you? What happened to Kirika, what¡­ what is going on!¡± she all but yells at it before Katsuki runs up and grabs her by the shoulder.


    ¡°Calm down! Kokoro¡¯s hurt and confused enough already, pummeling it with questions isn¡¯t gonna help any!¡±


    The bat shakes its head, then begins to start squeaking more energetically. ¡°It looks like it¡¯s in a panic¡­ is it about Kirika?¡± Yuuri asks. The bat squeaks in affirmation. ¡°Do... Do you know where she is?¡± she asks more frantically, resulting in the bat squeaking, then jumping out of Yuuri¡¯s hand, hovering in the air.


    Yuuri turns to the others and says with fear in her voice. ¡°Guys¡­. I think Kokoro knows where Kirika is! Let¡¯s see where she takes us!¡± She turns and heads towards where the bat is heading.


    ¡°It¡¯s flying in the direction of¡­ the school, right?¡± Cerys asks Akina.


    Akina nods. ¡°There¡¯s a¡­ demonic energy coming from that way.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding me? A demonic energy?¡± Cerys asks bewilderedly. The others stare back at her with determination in their eyes. Cerys looks back at everyone confused. ¡°Are we really going to follow this bat into the danger zone?¡±


    Katsuki shouts at Cerys. ¡°Kirika¡¯s our friend! We just said we should be there more for her, and she needs us now more than she could ever need anyone!¡±


    ¡°Friendship? Feh.¡± Akina shrugs. ¡°I¡¯m more concerned with what or who is giving off that energy.¡±


    Katsuki glares at them both. ¡°You two are coming whether you act cool or not. That¡¯s an order!¡± She then leads the Paranormal Club towards the school, unknowing of the danger but brave enough to face it.

 Chapter 35 - The Story of Invasions

    The group rushes towards the gate of the school, Yuudai being the first to make it to the iron gate. The Paranormies look through the bars to find the same old buildings and familiar scenery they¡¯ve become accustomed to over their time at Miyafuji.


    ¡°Hey, why in the hell is this closed!? It¡¯s not curfew yet!¡± Katsuki shakes the bars with frustration, Yuuri and Cerys coming over to help her try to open the gates.


    Yuudai looks at the school grounds at then back at Akina. ¡°I thought you said you felt ¡®demonic energy¡¯. Why does the school the same as always? Where are the swirling clouds and red sky or anything like that?¡±


    Behind Yuudai, Cerys manages to unlatch the gate and open it up. As soon as she does Kokoro tries to fly in, but is stopped midair as if it flew into a glass door.


    ¡°Huh? What¡­¡± Yuuri reaches her hand out to touch where Kokoro stopped, feeling only a smooth, glass-like feeling at her fingertips. ¡°Is¡­ Is this glass?¡± she asks, rubbing her hand against it.


    ¡°That¡¯s not any kinda glass you¡¯re used ta, that¡¯s a magicah barriah.¡± Mari says, walking up behind her. ¡°Could be anything on tha other side of it¡­ which is all tha more reason we need tha break it down!¡± she says, reaching between her cleavage.


    ¡°How do we do that?¡± Akina asks curiously.


    ¡°With one of these!¡± Mari pulls out a talisman, faintly glowing in her hand. ¡°Yah just charge it laike so¡­¡± she continues as she holds it to her chest, causing it to glow more. ¡°Then put it about¡­ heah!¡± she slaps it onto the barrier a bit above where Yuuri¡¯s hand is. ¡°Aaaand¡­ presto!¡± She turns and looks at the others with a grin as the talisman flashes brightly, the barrier becoming visible and burning away from where she placed it. It melts until there¡¯s a person-sized entry hole.


    Inside the barrier is a much different view than the outside. Instead of a calm school ground they see a purple haze, with dead trees and a red moon serving as it¡¯s backdrop. ¡°What¡­ I don¡¯t get this at all!¡± Yuudai says as he walks closer to it.


    Saito looks at Yuudai with a smirk. ¡°It¡¯s not the swirling clouds and red sky you wanted, but it¡¯s close enough don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Mari butts back in, standing next to the new entrance. ¡°It¡¯s tha real state of Miyafuji raight now, Big Guy. Tha normal lookin¡¯ one was a pitchah on a magical wall. Right now, tha¡¯s a large presence of evil corruptin¡¯ tha whole campus.¡±


    Katsuki steps in front of the hole. ¡°That¡¯s paranormal enough for me. Plus¡­ Kirika could be in there, scared, hurt, even¡­¡± She pauses, before taking a breath and raising her head again. ¡°But nevermind that. If she¡¯s in here, we¡¯ll find her, and we¡¯ll save her!¡±


    Yuuri runs up to Katsuki¡¯s side ¡°I¡¯m right beside you, Katsuki! We restarted this club just for something like this, and we¡¯re not gonna back down now!¡±


    The two turn around, looking at the others. ¡°Are you all ready?¡±


    ¡°What if we¡¯re not?¡± Cerys asks.


    ¡°Too bad. You¡¯re coming too.¡±


    ¡°Damn, I thought you¡¯d let me off the hook for this one.¡± She shrugs, then looks up. ¡°May as well get this over with.¡± With that, everyone gathers up and steps into the true Miyafuji campus.


    As they step through the portal, Mari snaps her fingers, collapsing the portal behind them. ¡°That¡¯s it, we¡¯re stuck in here now. That was my last barriah talisman.¡± Mari says, looking back at the former entrance. ¡°No turnin¡¯ back.¡±


    Saito yells out, ¡°Wait, what!?!? Then how the hell do we get out!?¡±


    ¡°We just beat tha demon makin¡¯ this barriah, obviously.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense to me,¡± Cerys answers while the rest nods in agreement.


    ¡°What do you mean makes sense?¡± Satio looks at everyone in shock.


    ¡°Shut up Saito we were doing that anyway,¡± Akina snaps at him.


    The group begins slowly walking towards the school, looking around at the twisted state of their school. Bats fly through withered trees, the ground sizzles with heated pools of magma replacing the gardens. The area is overrun with tiny demons, running around and destroying anything they can get their hands on. One turns its head and notices the group, and instantly starts heading towards them while brandishing a knife.


    ¡°Stand back, I¡¯ll handle this.¡± Akina says, stepping forward and bracing her feet against the ground. The imp leaps at Akina, rearing its knife back to strike. Akina smirks and with a quick jab, turns it into dust mid-air in one strike.The knife clatters to the ground, where Akina picks it up.


    ¡°These things aren¡¯t so tough. Compared to me at least. This could be useful for one of you though.¡± She turns to the group, holding the knife by its handle. ¡°I¡¯m not one for tools such as these.¡±


    Yuuri looks at the knife with a hint of familiarity. ¡°Looks like a kitchen knife. I think I can make use of that. Thanks.¡± She takes it, holding it with a tight grip. Before they can continue into the building, they see another large object flying at them. A burst of loud laughter accompanies it as it falls just behind them.


    ¡°Get back, it¡¯s-¡± Katsuki says before stopping. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ a trash can?¡± She looks up at where the trashcan came from and notices the tall figure standing by the door, kicking whatever is in sight and laughing ¡°...Raidou?¡±


    Everyone looks towards the figure that is currently doing flips down the stairs and yelling loudly. The club members aside from Mari groans as they realize who it is. ¡°Hey, Raidou! Is that you?¡± Katsuki yells.


    ¡°Who dares call- Wait, is that¡­¡± Raidou messes up his landing and crashes onto the stairs. Leaping up off the ground, he stands in front of the Paranormies. ¡°Hey, if it isn¡¯t my old friends. What the hell are you doing here?¡± he says with a smile.


    ¡°¡®What the hell are we doing¡¯? What is Hell doing here?¡± Katsuki looks at him with a tinge of anger in her voice.


    ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°This is our school.¡± Katsuki replies with no emotion in her voice.


    ¡°Is it?¡± He looks back at the building, then turns back. ¡°Oh, it is! I haven¡¯t seen this place in forever. I didn¡¯t even recognize it when I was tearing it down!¡± He says with a cackle.


    Katsuki slaps him and gets in his face. ¡°Why are you tearing down our school!?¡± she yells.


    ¡°Hey, some force pulled me out of my home while I was in the middle of a game and compelled me to destroy. You know, normal demon stuff. Didn¡¯t even get to save!,¡± he says with a mock huff.


    ¡°Well, cut it out!¡± She says pointedly.


    ¡°Okay, okay, fine. Just because you asked nicely.¡± He relaxes his pose.


    Yuuri walks up to him and speaks up in a worried tone. ¡°Have you seen Kirika around here? She ran off just before this happened, and we haven¡¯t been able to find her.¡± If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Raidou shrugs. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her, if she¡¯s here then either she¡¯s causing it or she¡¯s being tortured by other demon dudes.¡± His face straightens up, looking back at the school.


    Katsuki turns his head back around with her hand. ¡°You¡¯re gonna help us look for her¡­ RIGHT?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m the big hero here. I¡¯m going to save her and you guys, because that''s why I¡¯m here.¡± He puffs his chest out and doesn¡¯t notice everyone walking into the school without him. ¡°Hey guys wait up!¡± He shouts as he runs behind them.


    They enter the school expecting to see a lot of chaos, but find¡­ not much of anything. The hallways look the same despite the eerie light they¡¯re bathed in, and the classrooms they pass by look as orderly as ever. ¡°This¡­ this doesn¡¯t look weird at all.¡± Yuudai says. ¡°Isn¡¯t that too weird?¡±


    Mari quickly covers his mouth from behind. Saito turns to him as well, whispering, ¡°Shh, we don¡¯t wanna give ourselves away, do we?¡±


    Cerys looks around. ¡°It is oddly normal here, but I need to grab something from the clubroom in case it stops being normal.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll all go with you just to keep you safe, Cerys!¡± Yuuri smiles at the smaller girl.


    ¡°Huh? Well I guess so.¡± She gives Yuuri a confused look. ¡°Stop smiling like that it¡¯s weird with the backdrop.¡± Yuuri frowns.


    The group moves through the school carefully but quickly, keeping an eye out for any potential danger. They make it to the clubroom without any trouble, bunching up behind Yuuri who¡¯s standing by the doorway with her knife. ¡°Thankfully, our clubroom¡¯s on the first floor¡­ we could have got ambushed on the stairs or something.¡± She looks over at the others. ¡°So, are you ready to go in?¡± The others verbally agree, and Yuuri opens the door.


    Yuuri peeks into the room and gasps at what she sees, causing everyone to crowd around the door. Three large humanoid demons are ransacking the room, putting holes in the wall and emptying desks everywhere. Mari steps forward first, yelling, ¡°Hey, demons! Stop ransackin¡¯ mah new home!¡± The demons turn their heads towards the sound, looking for a moment before they simultaneously jump towards the doorway.


    ¡°Hey, you assholes! I called this room, stop breaking my property!¡± Raidou yells as he jumps forward, launching his fist directly into one of the demon¡¯s face. Yuuri joins the assault, holding the knife out and charging at another of the demons, plunging it into its stomach.


    The third charges at Yuuri, but is stopped in its tracks by a large pink laser penetrating directly through its heart. ¡°Hah, didn¡¯t know I could shoot beams didja!?¡± Mari continues pointing her wand at its smouldering remains. The others in the group gather inside the room, looking down at what¡¯s left.


    Yuuri looks up at Mari, shocked. ¡°Hey, you have a wand? W-where have you been hiding it?¡±


    As Mari starts to move her hand towards her bosom once again, Katsuki grabs her shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t think we actually need to know, Mari.¡±


    ¡°Hey, these demons aren¡¯t too scary, are they? They just look like normal dudes but bigger and red.¡± Yuudai smirks.


    ¡°And horny.¡±


    ¡°P-probably not that part, Mari.¡±


    Mari points to the curved horns jutting out of their heads. ¡°Nah, definitely horny.¡±


    Yuudai chuckles at her horrible joke. ¡°Well, whether it was horny or horny, they aren¡¯t much of a threat anymore.¡±


    Before their eyes the damage from the attack begins disappearing from the demons. They begin to stand back up and the rest of the group stares at Yuudai. ¡°What? How would I know they could revive?¡± Mari waps him on the back of the head, and everyone gets ready for a second charge.


    ¡°Yuudai! Protect the others!¡± Yuuri says as she readies the knife again, slashing at the demon in front of her.


    Katsuki and Cerys look at each other as Yuudai jumps in front of them. ¡°I guess that makes us the others, then.¡±


    ¡°Yep. Must be because we don¡¯t have weapons.¡± Cerys mutters while she shrugs. ¡°Hey, we can trust you right?,¡± she shouts over the sound of the fight.


    Yuudai looks back with a smirk. ¡°Yeah, I gotcha!¡±


    Mari pulls her wand back again, once more charging it with pink mana. ¡°Y¡¯all must be some heartless bastahds if that didn¡¯t kill ya, so this time ahm aimin¡¯ for tha head!¡± She blasts it at the demon, true to her word sending it right towards it¡¯s head.


    As soon as she releases Yuuri screams, having been grabbed by her demon. ¡°Shit!¡± Saito says as he runs in from behind the two, sliding under Mari¡¯s beam, and unleashes his scythe before slamming the pole into the side of the demon Yuuri is fighting, allowing her to run away. He uses the inside of the scythe to cut the demon¡¯s feet off, crashing it to the ground before standing up himself.


    Behind him Mari¡¯s lazer hits true, destroying the demon¡¯s head. This time, the body turns into dust and floats away into the air. She turns to Saito, who¡¯s now stradling the demon with his scythe cradling the demon¡¯s neck. ¡°Saito! Destroy tha head ta kill tha demon!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t gotta tell me twice!¡± Saito quickly decapitates his foe in one swift move, soon falling to the floor as its body disappears below him.


    Yuuri helps him up with a slight blush. ¡°Y-you know, I could have done that!¡±


    Saito brushes himself off and looks at her with a light smirk. ¡°Sure, but a girl shouldn¡¯t have to do that kind of dirty work.¡± Yuuri¡¯s blush intensifies, but before Saito can continue the two are interrupted by the yell of the last demon, making an unholy sound as it rushes by them directly at Yuudai.


    ¡°It¡¯s coming for us big guy.¡± Cerys says. ¡°If you don¡¯t stop him and we get ran over, I¡¯m kicking your ass when we become ghosts.¡±


    Yuudai braces himself to catch the demon¡¯s charge. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we ain¡¯t becoming ghosts just yet!¡± The demon rushes up to him and Yuudai grabs it by the horns, getting pushed back by the initial force before holding his own against it¡¯s intense momentum.


    ¡°Hold him still, Yuudai.¡± Akina walks up next to him, squaring up to it¡¯s form. The demon doesn¡¯t notice her in its berzerk rush at Yuudai, trying to break through him to get to the two defenseless members behind him. It also doesn¡¯t notice when Akina delivers a blow straight to his head, dissolving it into dust so fast Yuudai falls forward.


    Katsuki steps forward and helps him back to his feet as the others confirm the area is clear. ¡°Seems like there aren¡¯t any more demons here.¡± Yuuri says. ¡°We don¡¯t know when more will show up though, so we better not take too much time getting our stuff.¡±


    Yuudai moves in to grab his baseball bat from a corner of the room, while Cerys digs into the closet and pulls out gloves with pointed claws fastened to the tips. ¡°Ahah, there they are.¡±


    Katsuki¡¯s eyes widen. ¡°Uh, what the hell are those?¡±


    ¡°Modified mage gloves, my mom used staves but I don¡¯t so I made some adjustments.¡±


    ¡°Those are claws.¡±


    ¡°I did say modified.¡±


    The others search their bags for anything useful, pocketing what they find. When Katsuki finishes she turns around to leave and spots the pool of blood the demon Saito cleaved left behind. ¡°I wonder if¡­¡± she says as she stares at the red puddle.


    ¡°What are ya thinkin¡¯, Red?¡± Mari asks.


    ¡°Well, I was able to use other people¡¯s blood before, so I wonder if this stuff will work too.¡±


    Mari wrinkles up her face. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re one of those blood mages aren¡¯t ya?¡±


    Katsuki pouts. ¡°Not much worse than a chaos mage. Anyways move over a bit.¡± Mari does so, not wanting to get in the way. Katsuki opens up her bag and pulls out her lunchbox. She looks at the red stains and moves her hand to the side. The blood sits still for a moment, then ripples spread out.


    ¡°Sick.¡± She steps back, moving as much of it as she can inside the storage container. ¡°I¡¯ll have to burn this when we¡¯re done here.¡±


    ¡°Pres, what are you thinking?¡± Akina looks perplexed.


    ¡°I¡¯m not just gonna keep this stuff following around behind me, I¡¯ll throw it whenever we actually get into a fight.¡±


    ¡°And do what exactly?¡±


    ¡°Well I made a ball of blood once, and stabbed Miyu with stuff once, so I think I could throw something sharp like a crescent.¡±


    ¡°Sure sure, just don¡¯t touch me with the backsplatter.¡±


    Yuuri waits at the door. ¡°Is that it? Let¡¯s go before more of those things find us.¡± The club picks up their things and leaves their clubroom, possibly for the last time. Yuuri shuts the door behind them. ¡°It¡¯s probably not safe to just keep walking out in the open like this.¡± She says, looking down each end of the hallway.


    ¡°Ya mean we weren¡¯t just gonna take tha maintenance route?¡± Mari asks in surprise.


    The others look at her, Katsuki inquiring, ¡°Maintenance route?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, used it all tha time ta sneak ¡®round tha school. Ya¡¯ll didn¡¯t know ¡®bout it?¡± Mari responds.


    ¡°No, we just went through the halls, like normal people.¡± Cerys spits out.


    ¡°Hay now, yew shouldn¡¯t be so mean to tha one who¡¯s gonna getcha to tha end safely, ya sassy child.¡±


    Yuudai steps between the two, holding his arms out to both of them. ¡°Now, now, let¡¯s save the fighting for the hellspawn.¡± He turns his head to Mari. ¡°You sure this is safer than taking the main way?¡±


    ¡°Yeh, I never got caught once in there.¡± She grins proudly ¡°Even by tha maintenance people!¡±


    The group looks at each other, then Katsuki looks back at Mari. ¡°Then as official club business, I ask that you lead us through this school!¡±


    Mari grins even more. ¡°Sure thang, Pres. Follow me!¡± she says before moving forward, the others following her deeper into the heart of the devil¡¯s newest school.

 Chapter 36 - The Story of the Demonic Hallway

    A door on the second floor swings open, Mari leading everyone back out into the hallways of the school. The Paranormal Club members pour out, searching the hallways for any danger before closing the door again. They circle up to figure out where to go from here.


    Katsuki looks around the group. ¡°So, what¡¯s next? How do we find Kirika in this chaos?¡±


    Mari points to her nose. ¡°This right here. Ah¡¯ve been smellin¡¯ her mana pattern tha¡¯ whole way up. I can lead ya right to her laik a bloodhound!¡±


    A few of the others look at each other confused, then look back at Mari. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Yuudai asks. ¡°She always smelled normal to me¡­.¡±


    Cerys facepalms. ¡°That¡¯s because people like you can¡¯t smell mana, Yuudai. I can¡¯t even smell it. You have to have some attunement to the supernatural before you can even detect any of it, much less track it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what she said. Took me a lot of trainin¡¯ ta get this good!¡± Mari gloats.


    Raidou laughs. ¡°I can tell, if you can detect her over my massive mana signature!¡± He flexes his arm with a smirk, ¡°You must be well trained!¡±


    Katsuki holds her nose and sticks her tongue out. ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s what was smelling so bad?¡±


    ¡°Hey, I took a shower before leaving!¡±


    ¡°I thought you were playing video games?¡±


    ¡°Knowing this scoundrel, he thinks a simple cologne counts as a shower,¡± a man covered in shadows says before stepping forward.


    ¡°Who-¡± Yuuri goes to ask before stopping, recognizing the face as it reaches the light. ¡°K-Kairu?¡±


    ¡°In the flesh.¡± He smirks. ¡°I must thank you for gathering here, it saves me the trouble of hunting you down.¡± He looks at Mari. ¡°When I felt the barrier break, I knew it was you all. It sent a shiver down my spine, knowing you would willingly bring such doom upon yourselves.¡±


    Yuudai steps forward. ¡°W-what do you mean Kairu? Was that barrier put up to protect the town?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. It would draw too much attention if people could freely see a building full of hell walkers being torn apart brick by brick. It¡¯s more convenient this way.¡± Kairu¡¯s face twists with pleasured madness. ¡°These humans will never see it coming.¡±


    Akina shakes her head. ¡°You don¡¯t know who you¡¯re up against, do you? I¡¯m not just a normal human.¡± She looks back over her shoulder, then returns her gaze to the man. ¡°And the rest of these people aren¡¯t too bad, either.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re awfully confident for having such trouble with those pathetic demons I told to visit your clubroom.¡± Kairu says with a widening smirk. ¡°Do you really think you can stop me with your meager abilities?¡±


    Akina runs up and punches at the man. ¡°I¡¯ll show you what power we poss-¡± She stumbles forward as she connects with only air, the image of Kairu wavering around it.


    ¡°Aha, I bet that air you just hit is very sore right now, Miss Gedou.¡± Kairu chuckles. ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m here with sweet little Komori, who¡¯s oh-so-kindly helping me get the rest of my army to this plane. Such a¡­ nice girl.¡±


    Yuuri pushes her way to the front of the group, holding her knife up at the image. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare say Kirika¡¯s name again, you fiend! I¡¯ll take you down and send your army back to where they came from!¡±


    ¡°Ahaha, I doubt that. As much as I¡¯d love to destroy you all in front of Kirika¡¯s eyes, I doubt you can even reach me. Besides.¡± He conjures another image beside him, showing the student council hiding in a classroom, frantically trying to keep it¡¯s door closed against pounding demons. ¡°It would seem you have more pressing issues.¡° The images begin to waver and disappear. ¡°It will be fun watching all of you perish. Goodbye, Paranormal Club.¡±


    Raidou punches a wall, opening a new hole in the side of the building. ¡°Argh, that guy pisses me off.¡±


    Yuudai hangs his head, wandering to sit near the opposing wall. ¡°You mean¡­ The guy who was helping me all this time¡­ he¡¯s¡­ he¡¯s the one doing this? Was¡­ he just using me all this time?¡± His eyes begin to water. He buries his face in his knees to hide his frustration.


    Katsuki turns to the others. ¡°So, what do we do now? We know where Kirika is, and we know who we need to fight to stop this madness, but¡­ we can¡¯t just let the student council get attacked like that, can we?¡± She looks between her clubmates.


    ¡°They¡¯re of no importance, their titles are more decorative than anything. We have to stop this invasion first and foremost. ¡°Akina says, shaking her head. ¡°Casualties are unimportant.¡±


    Yuuri stands up and slaps Akina. ¡°No! We have to save them¡­ we have to save everyone!¡±


    Akina looks Yuuri directly in the eye, rubbing her cheek slightly out of mild surprise. ¡°Because we¡¯re in the middle of such danger, I¡¯m going to pretend you didn¡¯t do that. When we¡¯re done, though, I WILL pay you back for this attack.¡±


    ¡°THEN DO IT!¡± Yuuri shouts at Akina. ¡°Fight me, beat me up, whatever! I¡¯d rather let you pummel me than have their lives on my conscience for the rest of my life!¡± Yuuri¡¯s eyes burn with passion as she stares down Akina. ¡°Do whatever you want when we¡¯re done, just¡­ help me save them.¡± She pauses, her eyes glistening. ¡°Please¡­¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Akina says. She huffs, then slaps Yuuri back. ¡°You¡¯ve impressed me, Yuuri. Your passion comes at the strangest times, but it burns brightly. Consider that your payback.¡± Yuuri¡¯s eyes widen in shock.


    Mari steps over between the two, then reaches out to pull them together in a big hug. ¡°That¡¯s tha spirit, ya guys!¡± She puts on a cheesy grin. ¡°Comin¡¯ tagether an¡¯ all that, it¡¯s almost a miracle!¡± She laughs as Akina and Yuuri struggle to get out of her grip.


    Yuudai looks away from the group, sighing loudly. Cerys walks up beside him. ¡°Weird, right? I never thought she had emotions besides angry and angrier.¡± She grins. ¡°Almost enough to make me sick.¡±


    ¡°Cerys, now isn¡¯t the time for your junk,¡± he says. ¡°Again, everything I know is a lie. Everyone just wants to control me. I just¡­ I can¡¯t trust anyone. I can¡¯t control anything.¡± He falls to the ground and slams his fist on the floor. ¡°I can¡¯t help anyone, not even myself!¡±


    ¡°Yuudai, stop. This isn¡¯t the time for you to wallow in self pity. You can cry yourself to sleep tonight for all I care, but people are going to die if we don¡¯t get a move on right now.¡± She reaches her hand down to Yuudai with a stern look. ¡°A real sportsman doesn¡¯t complain until the game¡¯s over, anyway.¡±


    Yuudai looks up at her, trying to find some words to respond with, but none come out. He turns his head back down, then looks back up at her. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ You¡¯re right. It¡¯s not even the ninth inning yet, this game isn¡¯t over.¡± He takes her hand, letting her help him back to his feet. ¡°We even have the power hitters coming up!¡± He pats his arm, then makes a swinging motion in the air. ¡°Time to hit a home run!¡±


    Cerys rolls her eyes. ¡°We get it, Yuudai. Now come on before you get hit by a fist.¡± She smirks at him before rejoining the group, Yuudai following not far behind.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    The renewed determination of the group is immediately put to the test as they turn the corner to continue their mission, seeing a scene of terror. Demons line the hall, the dilapidated walls painted a blood red color from the moon hovering above the suddenly topless corridor. It seems to stretch on forever, and a howling scream seems to be coming from wherever the other end may lead.


    The group is unable to process the scene before them. Saito is the first to react by spinning around and going to walk back the way they came. ¡°Welp, we¡¯re done here. We made it as far as we can, no regrets.¡±


    Yuuri grabs him by the scruff of his shirt as he passes by, stopping him in his tracks. ¡°Saito¡­¡±


    He turns his head, looking at her face. He pauses, then sighs and turns around. ¡°I guess it¡¯s my duty to keep you safe, if nothing else.¡± He brandishes his scythe and gets ready to forge on.


    Before he does, Mari puts her hand out. ¡°Wait. We need ta be ready. Thah¡¯s a lot of magic up ¡®haid, so let¡¯s not rush in too blind.¡±


    ¡°No duh, we can see that.¡± Cerys says. ¡°There¡¯s a big clue in the huge line of demons in front of us.¡±


    They all look humanoid, but their faces are mangled. Their eyes are misplaced, noses removed. A permanent smile looks cut and sewn where their mouths and cheeks should be. Each is holding a lantern made out of a human skull, an eerie light glowing from the jaws.


    Raidou rotates his shoulder. ¡°Well, the defeat of a thousand demons begins with the first punch!¡± He jumps forward into the hallway, punching the closest demon in the face so hard it starts to turns to dust. It gives out a chilling screech as it falls, alerting the other demons, who begin to rush down the club.


    ¡°RAIDOU YOU IDIOT!¡± Yuuri yells, causing him to turn his head.


    ¡°What? I got this easy!¡±


    ¡°No, I mean-¡± She¡¯s cut off by the loud roar of a demon¡¯s death, then another, and another. Raidou continues fighting the demons, becoming a whirlwind of fists to control the horde. Raidou begins to slow down as the fight begins to drag on. He throws a punch at one of the few remaining demons left. It gets caught so he throws a punch with his other fist which is also caught. ¡°Ay fuck you! Let go of me.¡± Raidou yells at the demon as the rest begin to surround him.


    The other members begin to yell, trying to warn him of the situation. He looks up with a smirk. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry, I told you I got this.¡± He starts to push, popping two more arms out of his sides, knocking two foes away as they do. He slams his new arms down, crushing the lanterns of two nearby demons, causing them to dissipate with it. ¡°It¡¯s too easy, you¡¯d thin-¡± He¡¯s cut off by another demon hitting him from behind in the head, causing him to collapse to the floor.


    ¡°Of course we already have to clean up after your idiocy,¡± says Cerys as she jumps into the air before teleporting above him. She dive kicks into the pile of demons, causing them to scatter. One of their lanterns lands next to her, she makes a show of lifting her leg and crushing it with a hearty stomp.


    ¡°Damnit Cerys, I don¡¯t need help!¡± Raidou says as he gets back up on his knees, dusting himself off.


    ¡°Save the bragging until you can back it up, buddy.¡± Cerys says, standing shoulder to shoulder with him. ¡°Good thing I got these sharpened recently!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, saive some fer us!¡± Mari says as the others charge in, backing up the duo. She throws some talismans forward as she runs, three of them hitting their mark and exploding, destroying the lanterns and their holders. Yuudai dashes through the smoke caused by Mari¡¯s talismans and finds a lantern demon, he throws a hook to the demon¡¯s jaw and knocks it down. Before he can crush the lantern, one of the demons creeps up behind him, readying a strike. Yuudai spins around and dodges it before countering with a cross to the demon¡¯s jaw, knocking it down and it¡¯s lantern out of it¡¯s hand. It skitters next to Yuuri¡¯s feet.


    Yuuri grasps her knife tightly and plunges it down at the lantern, destroying it. She pops up. ¡±Yay, I did it!¡± She then looks at Saito just as he cleaves through three demons with one swing of his scythe. He looks over at her as they¡¯re disappearing and gives her a thumbs up. ¡°Good job, Yuuri!¡±


    Her smile falters as she looks down at the remnants of the lantern disappearing at her feet. ¡°T-thanks¡­ I did it, huh?¡±


    Saito walks to Yuuri, scruffing her hair as the hallway returns to normal, all the demons having been cleared from it. ¡°Yep. See? You closed the pocket dimension by killing that demon!¡±


    She shakes more, wanting to tell him to stop teasing her, but at the same time not wanting him to stop patting her head.


    Akina walks over and slaps Saito¡¯s arm away. ¡°Don¡¯t be congratulating other people when you yourself did such a sloppy job.¡±


    ¡°The hell you mean?¡± Saito yells. ¡°At least I did something, unlike you!¡±


    ¡°I wanted to see if I could trust you all to have my back in combat. I¡¯m not impressed with what I saw.¡± Her eyes burn as she stares directly into Saito¡¯s eyes. ¡°If I was trusting you with that kind of killing speed then I¡¯d be dead a thousand times over.¡±


    Yuuri interrupts. ¡°That¡¯s why we work as a team! We cover each other¡¯s weaknesses, so that even if it isn¡¯t the best we get the job done with nobody getting hurt!¡± She looks over at the other club members, but zeroes in on Raidou who¡¯s trying to brush away Katsuki.


    ¡°Damnit, I told you I¡¯m fine! It¡¯s normal for a demon to bleed!¡± He says, using his arm to push her away.


    ¡°No it¡¯s not, these guys are turning to dust! And even if it is, I don¡¯t want you hurting anyway! We need everyone to stay in this so we can save Kirika!¡± Katsuki muscles her way back to his side, checking his head. ¡°Plus, you might have a concussion.¡±


    ¡°Demons don¡¯t get concussions!¡±


    ¡°You want me to give you one? Now shut up and let me look at your eyes!¡± She sticks a finger in his face, moving it from side to side. ¡°Now, follow this with your eyes, not your head.¡±


    Raidou tries to argue back, but instead simply complies, following her finger with his eyes. ¡°There, I did your dumb test, can we get moving on now?¡±


    Katsuki stands up. ¡°Only if you promise to be more careful the rest of the way.¡±


    They hear some banging coming from one of the doors lining the hallway. ¡°Hey, Who¡¯s there!? We can hear you talking! Are you demons? If you¡¯re demons, go away! If you¡¯re here to save us, then¡­ uh, d-don¡¯t go away!¡± A voice cries out from behind the door.


    ¡°Oh! Right, the student council!¡± Yuudai says before opening the doorway to the classroom he was standing next to. When he does, he finds a girl aiming the end of a broom at the door and several others huddled near the back.


    ¡°Pleasedontbeademonpleasedontbe- Oh, you¡¯re a student here!¡± The girl says, lowering her broom. ¡°Did¡­ Did you all destroy those demons?¡±


    ¡°The ones outside of the room? Heck yeah we did!¡± Yuudai brags before Katsuki pushes past him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind him, he¡¯s a bit too proud of his strength.¡± She enters the room and looks around while signalling the others to come inside.


    ¡°Hey guys, did you hear that? We¡¯re saved!¡± The broom wielding girl turns back to the others as they start to get up.


    ¡°Actually, not yet.¡± Mari says, stopping them as they stand up. ¡°We¡¯re, uh¡­ kinda trapped ¡®ere for tha moment.¡±


    ¡°Eh? W-what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a barriah outside an¡¯ more demons everywhah. Even if ya ran yer hardest, there¡¯s nowhere to be runnin¡¯ to.¡±


    At Mari¡¯s words, their faces droop once again. The girl picks her broom back up, hitting it against a nearby desk in frustration. ¡°So, we¡¯re really just going to die here, then!?¡±


    Mari holds back a laugh out of politeness, but can¡¯t stop her smirk. ¡°I nevah said that, now. All we gotta do is beat the big dumb baby on tha top floor who¡¯s holdin¡¯ all this stuff together. Once we do, his barriah will dissapeah and we¡¯ll be able to leave!¡±


    The student council looks confused, but then the main girl asks Mari again. ¡°S-so you¡¯re going to beat Mr. Baby then, right?¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡± She replies with gusto. ¡°An¡¯ don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t be forgettin¡¯ ya on tha way out. Jus¡¯ be ready ta leave at any time.¡±


    ¡°But what if more demons show up before then?¡± One of the huddling students asks.


    ¡°Well, lemme see¡­¡± Mari digs around her cleavage before pulling out a talisman. ¡°Ahah, here ya are! I don¡¯t have any more anti-barrier talismans, but I do have some actual barriah talismans! Slap this on tha door after we leave an¡¯ it¡¯ll protec¡¯cha!¡± She hands the talisman to the broom-weilding girl. ¡°An¡¯ when we come back for ya, just rip it off an¡¯ follow us. Ya only got one, so don¡¯t open it for any othah reason.¡±


    The student council members nod, then the girl looks back at Mari. ¡°T-thank you.¡± She tries to think of something else to say, but can only manage ¡°G-good luck in the fight!¡±


    The group starts to leave the room, with Mari looking over her shoulder at the council members. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we got this in tha bag!¡± she says, closing the door behind her. She waits for a few moments before she hears the zap of a talisman activating, smiling and catching up with the others.


    The rest of the group stands in front of the stairs to the top floor. ¡°Welp, Mari¡¯s here, so now all that¡¯s left is to climb these stairs and face Kairu. We all ready?¡± Katsuki asks everyone, looking around the room at her clubmates. One by one they nod, with Saito and Yuudai verbally agreeing with solemn ¡°Yep¡¯s¡±. Katsuki places her foot on the first step, then points up it. ¡°Then, as the leader of the Miyafuji High Paranormal Club¡­ let¡¯s go finish this!¡± She then begins to climb the staircase, the other club members following closely behind her with lumps in their throats but fire in their hearts.

 Chapter 37 - The Story of Leraje

    After making their way upstairs and turning the corner, the club finds themselves staring down what would normally be the third-floor hallway. Before them, two large twisted slabs of engraved rock have replaced the normal double doors. The only thing standing between them and Kairu are these demonic doors covered in carvings of strange symbols. The ground in front of the doors appears stained and cracked, with a dark purple color encroaching on the floor, walls, and ceilings surrounding them.


    Katsuki approaches a door and looks for how to open it, before finding both of them with matching twisted snake handles. She grips the handle, sweating nervously while squeezing the eerily cold metal. She looks back at her clubmates, standing ready for the unknown.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t there supposed to be a hallway here? What the hell are those?¡± Cerys turns to the rest of her friends. ¡°I don¡¯t remember there ever being doors here.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re raight, these ain¡¯t normah doors. Prob¡¯bly whateva¡¯s behind those ain¡¯t our school anymore.¡±


    Katsuki adds on, ¡°These things are definitely not from here. If¡­ no, when we open this door, we might not come out of them the same way we entered. But if we don¡¯t go in there and beat this guy¡­ there¡¯s one of us who will never come out.¡± Her face tightens as she thinks of Kirika, with the others matching her distraught appearance. ¡°And if one of us is in danger, then¡­ then we have to help them!¡± She watches as the others nod, then continues. ¡°So¡­ it¡¯s time, everyone. Let¡¯s go put an end to this crazy invasion!¡±


    Yuuri steps forward, placing her hand out in front of her. Saito is the first to recognize what she¡¯s doing and steps forward to place his hand on top of hers. The others follow, with Katsuki turning around and placing hers on top. The two founders look into each other''s eyes and nod. ¡°Alright then, let''s do this. Let''s finish this and save Kirika! And our school! And most likely the whole world with it!"


    Katsuki pushes her hand down with each count, ¡°1...2...3!¡± She raises her hand up, everyone else following suit. ¡°For the Paranormal Club!¡± They all chant in unison. Turning around, they find the door already open, with Kairu faceplaming in the open area behind.


    ¡°Are these really the best that could be sent to face me? Am I really thought that little of?¡± He looks at the group with a scowl.


    ¡°Hey, nobody sent us but ourselves!¡± Yuudai yells. ¡°And we¡¯re all we need to take care of your lame butt!¡± He looks over at Raidou, ¡°And this guy here, too! We need him too, I think!¡±


    The rest groan, but Kairu just reaches his arm out. ¡°Enough jokes, I don¡¯t have the time for comedy when I have such grand plans for this world and its people.¡±


    Cerys steps forward. ¡°What do you mean plans? Aren¡¯t you here to destroy the world like all demons want to do?¡±


    ¡°No, you simple fool. At first, I was here to conquer and claim it for a being even higher than myself, but that changed. As I¡¯ve worked through the shadows, I¡¯ve come to realize a fundamental truth about humans.¡± He balls his hand into a fist and points at the Paranormal club. ¡°The only thing they can do is fight. Fight to destroy, fight to hurt, fight to kill. All their creations are merely means to the end of conflict itself. The potential being squandered is¡­ unspeakable.¡±


    ¡°So what could a demon like you do to prevent that? You¡¯re supposed to create disorder and chaos.¡±


    ¡°Again, your lack of a mind is showing. To you, our order IS chaos. And through this chaos, we can train your kind as if they were pets, unleashing their potential and creating a world of beautifully organized chaos. And then¡­¡± He chuckles. ¡°We use it for our own means and reach farther than your small minds could ever dream of.¡±


    Akina steps forward and shakes her head. ¡°I¡¯ve known demons before. Your ideals are as hollow as your hearts. Delude yourself all you want, but only disaster and ruin can come from the hands of the infernal.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Intriguing hypothesis, Ms. Gedou. But your father isn¡¯t as much of a demon as you think he is. Mortals cannot hope to reach our level, no matter how ferocious they are on the outside. You know nothing of our kind.¡±


    She brushes his remarks off with a flourish of her hand then balls her fists, placing one fist forward and the other close to her lower body, her stance spread wide. ¡°If you won¡¯t reconsider, then you will be erased.¡±


    Kairu pulls his hand back and grasps his forehead in laughter. ¡°Ahahahaha, you think you all can harm me, much less erase me? Don¡¯t make me laugh. You don¡¯t know what erasure is.¡±


    With a flourish he creates a sigil in the air, a flash of light revealing a long twisted slab of dark green wood with the appearance of the body of a bow. It crashes to the ground with a crackling thud, lodging it into the floor itself. Kairu effortlessly grabs the massive bow, which almost matches his own size, and aims it at the club members. With a shake of his hand, as if up his sleeve, a group of arrows drops into his grasp, which he uses immediately by pulling them back onto the stringless bow, a line of energy replacing it. ¡°Until now.¡± He lets the barrage fly, scattering the club members into various directions.


    Raidou, Cerys, and Akina crash behind a pillar to the left, while the rest run to the right. Kairu¡¯s laughter echos through the room, only interrupted by the crashing of more arrows around them.


    ¡°This guy¡¯s such a¡­ Wait.¡± Cerys says, popping her head up and looking over at Raidou. ¡°Hey, Four-Armed Wonderboy. Do demons have balls?¡±


    ¡°Raidou cocks his head, staring at her slowly in confusion from the strange question. ¡°W...What did you say?¡±


    ¡°You know, the things between the legs that hurt when you kick ¡®em.¡±


    Raidou looks at her, his face now showing more fear than surprise. He covers himself as he slowly answers. ¡°Look...whatever I did to you...I-¡±


    ¡°Nevermind, idiot. Your reaction tells me all I need to know.¡± She moves to step out from behind their cover, but Akina clasps her shoulder.


    ¡°Stop. Are you trying to die? We can fight this guy without just running into death willingly.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have a plan. I¡¯m not being stupid.¡± Cerys shrugs her off and steps into his line of sight.


    ¡°Offering yourself up as the first sacrifice?¡± Kairu lines up a bundle of arrows aimed directly for her heart. ¡°Just know I won¡¯t make this painless.¡± He lets them go, each whistling towards Cerys.


    ¡°Neither will I.¡± Cerys teleports just as the arrows are about to reach her, appearing behind Kairu. ¡°Everything has a weak point!¡± She exclaims, winding her leg back and full-force sending her boots into his sensitive underparts.


    Kairu falls to his knees, the bow falling forward and slamming into the ground. He clutches his groin, grunting in pain and coughing. ¡°I...I thought you¡­ Japanese were.. All about ¡­ honor!¡±


    Cerys stands next to him and kicks him in the side. ¡°I¡¯m British, asshole. Just because I speak the language doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m from Japan.¡±


    The others step out from their hiding places charged up. ¡°Wow, good job Cerys! Took him down easy!¡± Yuudai yells.


    Cerys smirks. ¡°Yeah, it was nothing. All men have the same weakness. I¡¯m just the one smart enough t-¡± Her boast is cut off by the sound of her being tripped up and slammed into the floor.


    ¡°You forget¡­ I¡¯m a demon.¡± Kairu says as he climbs up to his feet, holding Cerys by her leg upside down. ¡°Did you really think one little attack could fell me? Fool.¡±


    Cerys looks at him, spitting. ¡°Yeah, I d-¡±


    ¡°For your arrogance.¡± Kairu says as he slams his fist into Cerys¡¯ face, breaking her nose. ¡°And for your insolence!¡± He says as he flings her at the others.


    Akina rushes in front of the group, catching Cerys, causing them to fly back and fall to the ground. As they finally rest against the wall, Akina holds Cerys in her arms.


    The others rush towards the cradled redhead. ¡°A-are you two hurt?!¡± Yuuri shouts.


    ¡°Don¡¯t concern yourself with us. I¡¯ll keep her safe while you go destroy him.¡± Akina says, turning her attention to Cerys¡¯ unconscious body.


    An arrow whizzes by Yuuri¡¯s head, planting itself in the wall. ¡°Did you forget someone, fools?¡± The group turns back to Kairu, who¡¯s feet are now surrounded with a circle of sparkles. They start rising up his legs, engulfing his body.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°You son of a... ¡° Yuudai rushes at him, closing the distance quickly. He slams his fist forward¡­ only for a clawed hand to grab it. Yuudai looks up to see Kairu in a completely new outfit: deep-green tight pants with gold trims on the sides that reach his shins, where they meet socks that rundown to ornate shoes; a thin long sash wrapped around his neck, the freed end fluttering menacingly in the non-existent wind, and a jacket covered in golden tassels and a design of an unworldly nature surrounding a circle containing his bow, pointing downwards. With seemingly no effort Kairu jerks Yuudai to the side, causing him to trip and slide across the ground.


    The others step back. ¡°H-how can you just toss Yuudai like that? And what¡­ what kind of change just happened!?¡± Katsuki exclaims.


    Mari, however, steps forward and whistles. ¡°Wow, yer jus¡¯ as much of a pretty boy in tha flesh as ya are on tha demon swimsuit calendah, Leraje.¡±


    ¡°Leraje?¡± Yuuri asks.


    ¡°One o¡¯ tha¡¯ high demons of tha Underworld. ¡®Kairu¡¯ was just a cover it seems.¡±


    ¡°Hmmph, aren¡¯t you studious.¡± He flips his hair with the single shake of his head. ¡°I would congratulate you on at least knowing my name, but you apparently don¡¯t know my stature, or you¡¯d be begging for your life right now.¡±


    Raidou rushes up next, his fist reared back. ¡°I don¡¯t care who you are, if you can be punched you can be killed!¡± Suddenly, mid-stride, his entire body stops, surrounded by a green aura. ¡°W-What the home?¡± Raidou yells as he¡¯s suddenly turned around and made to stand upright, facing the others.


    ¡°Did you forget who summoned you here, you buffoon? You haven¡¯t yet completed your contract, thus you are still under my control. And I can use that control to force you to take any action I wish.¡± ¡®Leraje¡¯ smirks. ¡°For example¡­ killing these pests.¡±


    ¡°You... can¡¯t make¡­ me do... ANYTHING!¡± Raidou grunts out, his arm shakily rising, his face gritted in effort trying to resist his control.


    Leraje exclaims in surprise, ¡°What? How? You¡¯re supposed to be at my complete mercy! How are you resisting this much!?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m only half demon, ya dumbass!¡± He says with a smirk, lowering his arm to his side, the green aura wavering around him. ¡°So ya only got half control over me! And the half ya don¡¯t¡­ is the one with all the power!¡±


    ¡°Fine. You can stay there and watch helplessly as I end these precious little lives that you cherish so!¡± He gives a sinister chuckle as he reaches down for his bow.


    ¡°Not if I can help it!¡± Katsuki says as she grasps her lunchbox, undoing the latch and throwing it at him. The lid flies open mid-air, letting all the blood inside spill out in an arc. As it falls towards him, Katsuki scrunches her face in effort and moves her arm in a downward motion, turning the droplets into needles which rain onto Leraje.


    The blood needles fly down into Leraje¡¯s skin, some sticking into him and the rest leaving cuts as they whizz past. He cries out in pain before he angrily stands up, bow in hand, and brushes the ones stuck into him off. ¡°Is that your secret weapon, Miss Blood Mage? If you didn¡¯t come to me you wouldn¡¯t even be worth killing.¡±


    ¡°Maybe Ah¡¯m more ya speed, dahlin¡¯!¡± Mari yells, shooting a large pink ball of energy directly at him.


    ¡°An energy ball? Do you think this is a children¡¯s game, girl?¡± He points his arrow at it, firing and destroying the ball. The ball explodes and suddenly ten smaller balls shoots out from where the large one was, aimed directly at Leraje. He dodges the shots with a scowl at the trick played on him, but before he can prepare a counter attack he hears footsteps from his side. He swings his head around to look, but it whips right back after a cracking punch from Yuudai straight across his jaw.


    Leraje stumbles back, holding his face. ¡°How impressive, you¡¯ve actually hurt me.¡± He smirks, regaining his aggressive pose. ¡°Maybe once I¡¯m finished with you I can repay that pain to your elven friend!¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Yuuri says, turning and trying to find Saito, rushing to his side when she spots him. ¡°Saito!¡± She whispers-yells at him.


    ¡°What?¡± he turns, spooked for a moment by her soft loudness.


    ¡°Kirika! We¡¯re forgetting about her! We could go get her while they¡¯re fighting him and then we could all leave! That¡¯s what we came for, right?¡±


    Saito looks at her with a hint of a smile on his face. ¡°Let¡¯s go get her and then get out of here, I¡¯m sure the others don¡¯t need our help.¡± Yuuri nods her head and the two sneak out of there while the fight continues.


    ¡°Ah, a patient set of teenagers, what a rare sight.¡± Leraje says, sitting sentry with his bow, looking for any of the three to make a move. ¡°It is what it is, though. I can wait forever if need be. I can outlast your kind easily! Your lifetimes are but a blink of my eye!¡±


    His rambling is interrupted by Mari, yawning loudly and stretching. ¡°Ya know, tha books never said ya never shut tha feck up. Are yeh tryin¡¯a bore me ta death?¡± She points her wand at him, ready for action.


    ¡°DO NOT INTERRUPT ME, HEATHEN! If you can¡¯t wait for death to claim you, I¡¯ll deliver it unto you myself!¡± He yells as he snaps his magical bow, sending a flurry of arrows at Mari.


    She spins her wand in a full circle in front of her, just in time for the arrows to explode and engulf her in a cloud of smoke. Everyone in the room stares at the smoke surrounding her. ¡°MARIIII!¡± Katsuki yells, fighting the urge to run at the spot her friend once stood.


    The smoke blows away, leaving everyone jaw-dropped as she stands unharmed. ¡°What? Yew ain¡¯t gotta be so loud!¡±


    ¡°What? How the hell did you not even take a BIT of damage from my best arrows!?¡± Leraje spits out furiously.


    Mari raises one foot off the ground and points her knee forward. She holds her wand up with one hand, giving a peace sign over her eye with the other. ¡°Mari Hoshino, of the Hoshino clan. Chaos magician in trainin¡¯ at¡¯cha service!¡±


    ¡°Bah! A chaos magician? Do you think that makes you worth anything?¡± Leraje says shakily. ¡°I¡¯ll end you, your friends AND your clan!¡± He rears back another attack, which is also easily blocked by Mari¡¯s shield. He hesitates before firing, however, and a sick smile appears on his face. ¡°Actually, maybe I should let you watch me destroy those things before I send you away. You can¡¯t protect much with that flimsy shield of yours, anyway.¡± He draws his bow once again, this time holding a spread of arrows between his fingers. One half is aimed towards Yuudai and the other towards Katsuki. ¡°I wonder which one is more precious to you?¡±


    Mari clicks her tongue. ¡°You¡­ You son¡¯va bitch! You-¡± She¡¯s cut off by his haunting laughter, arrows unleashed. In a split second, she notices some of Cerys¡¯ blood on the ground, bubbling at Katsuki¡¯s feet. She then dives in front of Yuudai, summoning her shield at the same time a wall of blood pops up in front of Katsuki.


    After the blood blocks the arrows it falls back on the ground revealing a frazzled and wide eyed Katsuki. Her breaths are shallow and quick, her legs are trembling and her eyes are focused on the pool of blood at her feet.


    An arrow lands in the pool of causing Katsuki to fall on her behind. She looks up at Leraje who smirks and spreads his arms. ¡°Looks like one of you realizes the situation you are in.¡± He shoots another arrow at her legs missing purposely causing her to scoot back. ¡°You will just be the first to die. Don¡¯t worry, the rest of your friends will join you soon.¡± He notches back another arrow as he stands at her feet. Katsuki shuts her eyes as her death stares her down.


    Leraje barely has time to notice before a snap rings throughout the room Cerys¡¯ hands are wrapped around the back of his head. ¡°Some payback, athhole!¡± She slams her knee against his skull, forcing him to spin away from her. She falls to the ground, landing on her feet in front of him. She bares her teeth at him, red-stained cloth sticking out of her nose.


    ¡°You little bi-¡± Before he can finish, Akina rushes up in front of him, unleashing a full-force fist directly into his stomach. He barely keeps his balance after being lifted off the ground by the force of her blow. He remains upright, though doubled over in pain. ¡°How th-¡± He doesn¡¯t even have time to blink before he feels arms around his waist.


    ¡°Here¡¯s for thinking you could rule over everyone!¡± Yuudai says as he lifts him, flipping him backwards in a German suplex, crushing him against the floor.


    Mari takes her turn to be astonished. ¡°How¡­ How did ya do that? Tha¡¯ was amazin¡¯!¡± she says with a squeal.


    "I might play baseball now but I''ve tried a lot of sports. Did my fair share of wrestling.¡± He says, throwing a punch. "And boxing."


    ¡°You fucking CHILDREN.¡± Leraje says, climbing to his knees. ¡°You think you¡¯ve won just because your attacks are FANCY? That¡¯s nothing more than ARROGANCE!¡± He grasps his bow, leaning on it to try and stand. ¡°You¡¯re all-¡±


    ¡°Shud up, you posh cunt.¡± Cerys kicks the bow out from his grip, causing him to fall on his hands and knees. She lines up and punts him in the side of the face, dropping him to the ground entirely. ¡°Thath oneth for breaking my nose.¡±


    The bow skitters across the ground, winding up at the feet of Raidou. ¡°Hey, how lucky.¡± he says as he reaches down to grab it. ¡°I¡¯m just the demon who can break a demonic weapon!¡±


    Leraje turns his head, lifting himself slightly with his now-meager might. ¡°D-Don¡¯t touch my bow! That bow is worth more than this entire city¡¯s lives! I-if you-¡± The crunch of the bow being split in two silences him. The two halves wither in Raidou¡¯s hands until only dust remains.


    ¡°Well, I did it. Let¡¯s see what your ¡®IF¡¯ is, geezer.¡± Raidou wipes his hands on his shirt and smirks.


    ¡°I¡¯m right here, Raidou.¡± Kansaku says as he walks in with an unconscious Yuuri and Saito under his arms. ¡°I see you¡¯re bullying my poor younger brother, here. You do know we don¡¯t allow that on our campus, right?¡± He says, a slight smile on his face.


    The group turns to look at him, staring in disbelief. Katsuki yells out, ¡°W-what the hell did you do to them!?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry your pretty little red head, girl. I merely incapacitated them, I didn¡¯t kill them. I know you¡¯d be devastated if you lost your friends, just as I would be if I lost my dear younger brother.¡± He looks around the room at the Paranormies. ¡°This fight doesn¡¯t have to continue and nobody has to die here. Give me my brother, and I¡¯ll give you them.¡± He looks at the two under his arms, then back at Katsuki. ¡°What do you say?¡±


    ¡°Do we get Kirika back, too?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, what my hot-headed brother said is true. If we are to save this world, we will need to use her as the conduit to summon our armies. I¡¯m so sorry, but we cannot give her back to you. However, we can guarantee your safety back into the city. That¡¯s more than fair, what do you think?¡±


    Katsuki looks to the ground, balls her fist, then looks back up. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to decline your offer. Either all of us leave, or¡­. Or none of us do!¡± she yells.


    ¡°I see. An admirable decision¡­ if more humans were like you all, we wouldn¡¯t have to do this. However¡­ That isn¡¯t the reality we live in. Your kind always needs to be guided towards the right path.¡± He snaps his fingers, causing the ground to start to shake. ¡°I¡¯ll see you outside. Make sure you get the student council members on your way out.¡± He let the two students drop out from under his arms and walks back out the door, heading back into the depths of the school with the battered Leraje following him closely behind. The club runs over to their two comrades, confirming they are unharmed.


    The walls of the school start to crack under the stress. Akina turns to the rest. ¡°This place is coming down, we gotta get out of here. We¡¯ll figure out what comes next when we¡¯re out.¡± Katsuki goes to object, but a piece of the ceiling falling in the middle of them stops her. She nods, and starts towards the stairs leading out of the building, the rest of the club pulling themselves together and following.

 Chapter 38 - The Story of Kansaku

    The clubmates race through the crumbling hallways of their school, dodging debris as they make their way towards the student council members. Yuudai cradles Yuuri in his arms as Mari carries Saito on her back. Raidou leads the charge, slamming the door open to find the council members cowering in a corner, holding their schoolbags above their heads to protect themselves from the falling building bits.


    ¡°W-What the hell is going on?¡± The president yells between huffs of breath.


    ¡°Dere¡¯s no dime to explain¡­ shid, am I gonna sound like thid forever?¡± Cerys says, rubbing her nose.


    ¡°Here, let me fix that.¡± Akina walks up to Cerys and grasps her nose between her finger and thumb.


    ¡°What are you¡­ AAAAAHHHHHHHH!¡± Cerys yells as her nose is crunched back into place. She pulls away and grabs it in pain. The sound of her agony is so loud it wakes Saito and Yuuri. Saito slides off of Mari¡¯s back while Yuudai lets Yuuri down to her feet.


    ¡°Finally awake, sleeping beauties?¡± Raidou says with a chuckle. ¡°Well, more like Sleeping beauty and the beast.¡±


    Saito scowls at him while Yuuri just ignores him, dusting off her skirt. ¡°Where are¡­ huh? Why are we back in the student council room? And why is our school falling apart?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what we were asking!¡± The student council president asks. She turns to the rest of the council. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here.¡± The grounded members stand up and prepare to move.


    ¡°Like Cerys was saying, we don¡¯t have time to explain! We gotta get out, like now! We¡¯ll fill you in on the way!¡± Katsuki yells. Already holding their bags, it isn¡¯t long before the Student Council members are joining the Paranormal club in rushing to the exit.


    ¡°The principal is canceling school! Permanently!¡± Raidou yells back, slowing his pace to allow everyone to keep up.


    ¡°He¡¯s also a demon hellbent on controlling humanity, don¡¯t forget that.¡± Cerys says.


    As they get close to the first floor stairs, they find the way down blocked by rubble. ¡°Damnit!¡± Raidou groans. ¡°The direct way out is blocked.¡± He turns to Mari. ¡°Think the maintenance route is still clear?¡±


    ¡°It was built ta withstand any kinda emergency, so it should be clear!¡± Mari turns to lead the way again, everyone following her to the maintenance stairwell.


    ¡°Wait, about what you said before¡­ How can a demon be our principal?¡± One of the other council members asks.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, just focus on getting yourselves out of here in one piece. We¡¯ll catch up with you guys later.¡± Katsuki answers as they turn into the maintenance door, retracing their route out of the building.


    ¡°Later?¡± The president asks. ¡°What about you all?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s letting us leave too but¡­ we¡¯re not leaving. Not yet. We need to stay and deal with these demons.¡± Katsuki¡¯s voice wavers. ¡°And get our friend back from him.¡±


    ¡°EH? I-In that case, we need to stay too! It¡¯s our school and we¡¯re the student council! It¡¯s our job-¡±


    Akina cuts in. ¡°No. This is our fight, not yours. This may be your school, but she¡¯s our clubmate. They made it personal.¡±


    ¡°But still-¡±


    ¡°No. I can tell your strength isn¡¯t enough to aid us. This fight is beyond you, and the fewer casualties there are, the better.¡± Akina¡¯s matter-of factness causes the president to go quiet, looking contemplative.


    ¡°Guys, the exit¡¯s right there, just a bit more!¡± Yuudai points towards the swung open front doors, the red backdrop not exactly inspiring confidence in anyone there. Suddenly, the shaking gets even worse. ¡°Oh shit, it¡¯s all coming down now! Pick it up!¡± The building starts to crumble behind the Paranormal Club and the student council as they pump their legs as hard as they can, racing for the doorway.


    As they approach the relative safety of the school grounds, several of the lockers fall off the walls and block the way, punctuated by desks from a second floor classroom crashing through the ceiling as a final obstacle. Yuuri¡¯s eyes go wide. ¡°You have got to be kidding me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I got this!¡± Raidou rushes ahead full tilt and his extra arms sprout again. He slams against the barrier and pushes with everything he has left. With a berserker howl, he careens through the debris tower, causing it to explode outside with him not far behind. Tables and chairs knock up a wild cloud of dust as they are forced out of the building, making it hard for the rest of the crew to see as they follow him out. Mere seconds later, the entire school collapses in on itself, filling the air with vaporized drywall and the trademark noise of metal on metal.


    The students hit the ground and look around. They can see Kansaku¡¯s legion of demons lined up on either side of the path leading to the entrance gate. Kansaku himself stands near the gate with his brother resting against him. He motions for the group to come along. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my students. These armies will not attack you; that is not their purpose. I swear it.¡±


    ¡°How can we trust you?¡± Yuuri shouts, shakily.


    ¡°I did not harm you while you were in my care, did I?¡± He responds. ¡°I merely put you into a slumber.¡°


    Yuuri opens her mouth to reply, but finds herself at a loss for words. She turns to the others with worry in her eyes. ¡°What do we do?¡±


    Mari looks at the group, trembling. ¡°Ah can feel his mana signature; if¡¯n he wanted ta crush us, he woulda done it.¡± She sniffs the air, thinks for a moment, and nods again. ¡°Ah get tha feelin¡¯ we can trust ¡®em.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure, Mari?¡± Yuuri asks worriedly.


    ¡°He smells legit.¡±


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll trust your instincts,¡± Katsuki says to her. ¡°Keep your guard up,¡± she says to the rest of the club. ¡°If they attack, defend the council members as much as you can.¡±


    The group nods, then begins to move. True to his word, not a single one of the demons move an inch as the students make their way to the portal. As they finally reach it, Kansaku smiles gently.


    ¡°See? A demon¡¯s word is absolute.¡± He opens a slit in reality with a wave of his hand. The bright, yet waning light of the sunset peeks through the distorted reality. ¡°I welcome you. Keep your word and tell no one. Do we have an accord?¡±


    The student council looks towards their normal world, then quickly move and enter through the portal. They turn around once outside, staring at the Paranormies.


    Katsuki walks towards the portal, stopping before it and turning to Kansaku. ¡°Mr. Kansaku, now that the student council is safe, turn over Kirika. We¡¯ve said before, we''re not leaving without her, and that hasn¡¯t changed.¡±


    Kansaku looks disappointed. ¡°I¡¯ve already answered that I cannot lose Kirika or sacrifice my plan. I¡¯m sorry, but this is the way it has to be.¡±


    ¡°Why are you even talking with them, just kick them out of here and let¡¯s keep going with the plan.¡± Leraje looks fed up with his brother¡¯s courteousness.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Katsuki balls her fist up, holding back her anger to appear calm. ¡°No. We¡¯ll fight if we have to. We can defeat you and rescue Kirika!¡±


    Kansaku simply stares back. ¡°Fight me? Illogical. Defeat me? Impossible. You may have bested my younger brother, but his strength pales to mine. All of you together would fail to match my strength.¡±


    ¡°T-that doesn¡¯t matter!¡± Katsuki throws her hand back, yelling louder. ¡°We¡¯ll still try! We have to try! We¡¯ll find a way no matter what!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way to convince you to change your minds, is there?¡± Kansaku stares at the group, recognizing the determination in their eyes. ¡°So be it. Still, I don¡¯t want to harm you, so let us make a bet.¡±


    Katsuki¡¯s eyes widen a bit, being taken by surprise. ¡°Huh? A¡­ a bet?¡±


    ¡°Yes, a bet.¡± Kansaku taps his chin. ¡°Or perhaps, a competition. Your determination against mine.¡±


    ¡°Anybody got a fiddle?¡± Mari asks, laughing nervously.


    Katsuki gulps, tries to put on a brave face. ¡°So, when we win this bet, we get Kirika back?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I shall give her to you and depart. I shall honor the terms, as I have honored my word to this point. Surely I have proven my trustworthiness by now?¡±


    ¡°And if we lose?¡± Katsuki asks.


    ¡°Your souls will be mine, to use as I see fit.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°Smart girl, asking the important questions. I shall use you as emissaries for my army. The populace will not trust an invading force, but if their own kind advances our ideals, show them that we are the true way forward, we will achieve control in a vastly quicker manner.¡±


    Akina steps forward. ¡°We¡¯d rather you kill us instead.¡±


    ¡°You are more useful alive.¡± Kansaku glares at her. ¡°I have enough fodder.¡± He points to his army.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s us against both of you? You sure this is fair?¡± Saito says.


    ¡°Are you afraid of me getting revenge?¡± Leraje smirks over his brother¡¯s shoulder.


    Kansaku holds his arm out to his side, across Leraje¡¯s chest. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, we¡¯re not killing them Leraje. Just...speaking to them in a language they will understand.¡±


    Leraje spits to the side, annoyed by the order.


    ¡°How do we even know Kirika¡¯s safe?¡± Yuuri yells out in anger.


    Kansaku sighs. ¡°You still do not trust me? Here, let me show you her current status.¡± Kansaku waves his arm, his hand glowing, then throws it forward, casting a magical circle acting as a one-way mirror into Kirka¡¯s room. She¡¯s worn and tired, but still alive.


    Yuuri shouts more. ¡°Kirika! Kirika, can you he-¡±


    ¡°No, she cannot hear you. I must protect my investment. However¡­ you should be able to hear her.¡±


    Kirika is silently weeping, tears streaming down her face. ¡°I¡­ I never meant to¡­ to make this happen, I just wanted to¡­ to be liked by her¡­¡±


    ¡°Kirika, I do like you, please!¡± Yuuri yells uselessly.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear my brother, girl?¡± Leraje hisses. ¡°She can¡¯t hear you.¡±


    ¡°That should suffice.¡± Kansaku closes the window with a swipe of his hand. ¡°Now, do you agree to the terms?¡±


    Kirika looks out as the portal closes, seeing everyone looking at either her or Yuuri. Finally, Yuuri pops up. ¡°We do,¡± she says, clenching her fist to her heart. ¡°We¡¯ll take your mad bet and win our friend back!¡± she screams, pointing at the two. The others nod in agreement.


    ¡°Good. Now¡­ as for our arena, right here seems perfectly fine. Clean, open, flat, no obstacles to get in our way.¡± Kansaku says as he starts cracking his knuckles, Leraje standing beside him rolling his shoulders.


    ¡°I wish you all luck,¡± Kansaku says, bowing. ¡°It is the only mercy I will grant you.¡±


    The rest of the group runs up besides Katsuki, getting ready for the battle. They line up themselves, shoulder to shoulder, waiting for the start of this final confrontation.


    ¡°I¡¯m not as soft as my brother,¡± Leraje spits out as he runs full tilt at the Paranormal Club, ¡°you¡¯ll get no mercy from me!¡±


    Akina rushes out to oppose him, causing them to meet in the middle, forearm-to-forearm.


    ¡°I¡¯ll rip you apart, one by one!¡± Leraje growls.


    With the ring of a bell, Cerys dropkicks him from behind, knocking him down. ¡°Good thing we¡¯re not that stupid.¡± She grabs Akina¡¯s arm, teleporting both above him so they can double stomp his prone body.


    Leraje coughs as he¡¯s hit, swiping the two girls away. He scrambles back to his feet, catching his bearings.


    ¡°This might be a challenge after all,¡± he smirks, beckoning them forward. ¡°Come at me, you two.¡±


    Cerys shrugs. ¡°You asked for it.¡± They oblige, running at him, but just before they reach him, they seperate.


    ¡°What? Why did you-¡±


    He¡¯s cut off by two sets of arms grabbing him from behind, picking him up from the ground and holding him tight.


    ¡°You miscounted, Ledorky.¡± Raidou smirks back. ¡°It ain¡¯t just two.¡± He turns around and changes his grip, freeing up a portion of Leraje¡¯s torso for Akina to use as a punching bag. ¡°Now try counting these.¡±


    Akina pulls her arms back, channeling her ki, then she unleashes a flurry of attacks.


    Saito sees blow after blow hit, before returning his focus to Kansaku. He¡¯s currently being assaulted by Yuuri¡¯s acrobatic attacks. However, each is blocked in succession by one of the demons in his army, dissipating after the attacks connect.


    ¡°Yo, how many of those does this dude have?¡± Saito says, exasperated.


    Mari sniffs the air. ¡°Couple thousand, Ah reckon.¡±


    ¡°This ain¡¯t gonna work.¡± Saito deploys his scythe. ¡°Anything you can do to slow them down or something?¡±


    ¡°Ah know a bit o¡¯ demonology, so gimme a sec.¡± Mari says, pulling out her wand. ¡°Best thang ta do ¡®til then is just keep hammering away.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s all we can do, then¡­¡± Yuuri bats a demon away from Saito with a flying kick. She draws her knife, eyes glowing yellow. ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡±


    Yuudai clotheslines a demon about to strike Yuuri¡¯s blind spot. ¡°I don¡¯t have any idea what you guys are planning, but can you try talking less and beating more?!¡±


    Saito slashes at Kansaku, only hitting another expendable demon.


    ¡°Stop bringing in these stupid demons and fight us yourself, you coward! You said the fight would be between us and you two, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not fighting you, are they? Besides, they¡¯re doing this of their own will. I¡¯m not telling them to do a single thing.¡±


    Yuudai runs up to punch Kansaku while he talks, but another demon blocks the hit, letting Kansaku wave his arm to knock Yuudai back. ¡°The inferior demons find purpose in sacrifice to their superiors. Is that not determination?¡±


    ¡°Yer lil¡¯ bro¡¯s pretty big on sacrificin¡¯ fer tha cause.¡± Mari puts on a catty smirk, speaking loudly. ¡°He inferior too?¡±


    ¡°I am not inferior!¡± Leraje roars, as he grabs Cerys off his back and tosses her to the side. ¡°I am not fodder!¡±


    ¡°But you bleed the same as they do!¡± Cerys says, teleporting to his blind spot and slashing him to the ground.


    ¡°I¡¯ll crush you!¡± Leraje says, holding his cheek as he struggles to get back to his feet.


    ¡°No, you won¡¯t.¡± Cerys teleports behind him, leg cocked back. ¡°But I will.¡± She kicks with all her might, aiming between Leraje¡¯s legs. It goes through his body, as if he weren¡¯t there. She looks up confusedly at him, who is looking angrily at Kansaku.


    ¡°Why, brother?¡± He screams, his body glowing. ¡°Why are you robbing me of vengeance?¡±


    Kansaku looks over at his disappearing brother. ¡°I do not wish to incur unnecessary losses.¡± He pauses, looking back across the field at his opponents. ¡°My true form will more than suffice.¡±


    ¡°Even then, I can still help! Don¡¯t send me home just yet!¡± Leraje reaches towards Kansaku. ¡°Brother!¡±


    ¡°This is for your own good,¡± Kansaku says, the care in his voice obvious. With a wave of his hand, Leraje disappears from sight with a burst of light.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to have to go this far, but you have staked everything on this¡­¡± Kansaku says, his hand glowing. ¡°Allow me to match your wager.¡± He reaches his hand out towards the demons surrounding their arena, holding it momentarily before shooting black lightning out of his fingers. A wave of demonic electricity spreads throughout the horde of fodder, evaporating any it reaches near instantly. He holds his glowing hand out in front of him, sweeping it across his chest slowly. The light it emits soon engulfs his form, it¡¯s luminocity intensifying with every wave of demons it absorbs.


    His shaggy hair gets longer, his button-up shirt popping buttons as fur fights to break out of its enclosure, his pants bursting at the thighs as his legs gain an extra knee. His nose and mouth elongate as he glows even brighter, and a snake¡¯s tail begins to appear from behind him. His shirt is completely blown off his torso as wings unfurl and spring forth from his back. He rears back, letting out a primal howl as his transformation completes, standing a foot taller than he had previously.


    Mari panics, face pale. ¡°Marquis o¡¯ Hell, commandah o¡¯ thirty legions. Body of a wolf, wings of a gryphon, tail of a snake; breathin¡¯ fire an¡¯ Myriad knows what else. Truth-tellah, man-slayah, fightah worth a thousand. He who seeks his place at tha Seventh Throne aftah 1200 years...¡±


    ¡°That was my old mission, Chaos Magician. The deal was changed. There are others who want what I want. Do what I do. They inspired me.¡± He huffs flames. ¡°God¡¯s folly was not upholding his end of the deal. I will take humanity as reparations.¡±

 Chapter 39 - The Story of Marchosias

    Mari can barely manage to stay standing, her legs shaking like leaves on a tree. ¡°Y... Ya mean... t-tha one who we¡¯re pickin'' a faight with is... Marchosias?!¡± She finally drops to her knees, her hands moving towards her face. ¡°A-and... it''s just us...¡± was all she could mutter before it felt like the words themselves were choking her.


    ¡°Is... Is he really that powerful?¡± Katsuki asks Mari, causing her to look back and solemnly nod in despair. Katsuki looks at the other members, all visibly shaken.


    ¡°Unfortunately for you all, it is too late for you to back out of this deal. Especially after I had to disgrace my brother in such a way.¡± Their former principal shakes his head, sinking down into an almost animal-like fighting stance. ¡°Now, will you at least attempt to fight, or have you given up already?¡±


    The weight of his words comes down on everyone like bricks. Yuuri huddles to Saito in fear, Mari can only cry with Katsuki staring on with a blank expression. Even Akina seems to have been stopped in her tracks, her body quivering even as she enters a boxer¡¯s stance, her body language betraying her posture.


    Suddenly, a deep, loud yell rings out. ¡°Heck with it! If I''m gonna go down here, I''m gonna at least fight it out!¡± Yuudai yells as he charges Marchosias, his fist reared back.


    ¡°Oh, so there''s one of you that still has the will to struggle. Fine, then. Give me all you''ve got.¡± He smirks, waiting for Yuudai to get in range. Yuudai screams at the top of his lungs as he reaches his foe, throwing his fist with every ounce of energy he can. Marchosias laughs off the strike and throws an uppercut, impacting with Yuudai''s jaw and knocking him off his feet to the ground. ¡°A shame that will all be for naught. Even your punches feel like insect bites to me.¡±


    Yuudai holds his head as he gets up, obviously damaged but triumphant. ¡°You say that... but your body... tells a different story!¡± Yuudai points at Marchosias'' face, a small trickle of demonic blood seeping out of the corner of his mouth.


    ¡°Hmmph! As if that matters. I know your power, Yuudai. If that''s all you can do to me, then this won''t be much of a fight after all.¡± He walks over to Yuudai and picks him up by his collar. ¡°Though I will give you credit for trying.¡± Yuudai grabs the arm that holds him, struggling to free himself, causing Marchosias to laugh. ¡°But that credit ends there!¡± He yells as he rears his arm back and throws Yuudai with an incredible force, letting him fly for several seconds before crashing into the ground.


    The club breaks out of their shock and rush to Yuudai¡¯s side, trying to check to see if he is still alive, let alone in fighting condition. After a coughing fit, Yuudai reclines up on his elbows. He manages to let out a wheezing chuckle. ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ been hit harder by¡­ wild pitches¡­¡± He tries to get up, making it to his feet while shrugging off the people trying to help him up. ¡°Hey, you¡­ you remember what you said, Raidou?¡± He coughs again before continuing, ¡°If it can be punched, it can be beat!¡±


    Akina groans. ¡°That¡¯s not how that saying goes.¡±


    Raidou grins back. ¡°Bro, I love it better like that!¡±


    Yuuri peeks back at Marchosias and sees Saito standing in front of him with his scythe at the ready. She scrambles back towards him and cries out. ¡°Saito! Wh-what are you doing!?¡±


    Saito glances back at her. ¡°I can take care of this.¡±


    Yuuri breaks out into a full run. ¡°No! No you can¡¯t! Don¡¯t just rush off and die like this!¡±


    He holds out an arm towards her as she reaches him. ¡°Yuuri, that¡¯s stuff you only say when you''re out of hope.¡±


    Yuuri looks astonishedly at him. ¡°Hope...? But... But we are out of hope! Look at him! There''s no way we can-¡±


    ¡°No. You''re not looking closely enough.¡± He lowers his voice as he returns his arm to his scythe. ¡°If there''s one thing I''ve learned over time... it''s that anything that bleeds can be killed.¡± Yuuri can only look on in awe as Saito grasps his full-sized polearm and takes a step forward. ¡°Hey, Marcus or whatever your name is! You might be strong and all that, but you''re not invincible. And we''re gonna take that space between strong and invincible and show you what humans are really capable of!¡±


    Yuuri looks at him with a face of fear. ¡°Saito...¡± is all she can say, before closing her eyes and nodding. She takes Saito''s side and stares down their former principal. ¡°Saito! I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re right that we still have a chance. But... there''s no way I''m letting you go in alone! Nyat now, nyat ever!¡± Yuuri says before pulling out her knife and and brandishing it in front of her.


    Marchosias smiles. ¡°So, you will fight after all. The two lovers running head-first into certain doom. How romantic.¡± He finishes his sentence with a sarcastic flourish of tone.


    Akina steps forward alongside Yuuri and resumes her stance. ¡°No demon is infallible, they can all be ended with enough time.¡±


    Raidou and Yuudai join the others, staring down Marchosias. Before anyone can launch an attack, they hear the sound of Mari still sobbing. Mari looks up at her new friends through her tear-soaked eyes. ¡°Don''t... Don''t ya all understand what we''re goin'' against here? He''ll waipe tha floor with ya, lucky hit or not.¡±


    Katsuki puts her hand on Mari¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It doesn''t matter if we''re up against someone strong, Mari. We still gotta take our chance and try to make it through.¡± She holds her hand out. ¡°The only time we have no chance is when we''ve totally given up. I think we can win. And everyone¡¯s going to fight, even if they don¡¯t.¡± She smiles at Mari. ¡°Will you?¡±


    Mari looks between her and the ground several times, before taking a moment to sniffle. ¡°I... I don''t know. But...¡± She says, reaching out to grab Katsuki''s hand. ¡°If y¡¯all do... then heck, I''ll go down fightin'' with ya!¡± She takes the help and stands up.


    Cerys joins the two mages. ¡°So, does that mean you have a plan, miss demon expert?¡±


    Mari thinks for a moment, then her face lights up. She pulls the other two girls close and speaks in a hushed whisper. ¡°I do, but it will take all of us workin¡¯ tagether. You two stay here with me an¡¯ do what I tell ya. As fer the others...¡± She stands up and yells. ¡°HEY, GUYS! GO KICK HIS DEMON ASS!¡±


    The rest of the club turns their attention to her, then look between each other. They run towards Marchosias, yelling as they do.


    Mari begins fishing through her pockets somewhat frantically. Cerys looks at her with interest. ¡°What, do you have a devil buster hidden away or something? Tell us your plan so we can get this guy out of our way.¡±


    Mari sticks her tongue out as she searches. ¡°Kinda, Cerys, if Ah can just find¡­ ah!¡± She reaches in her cleavage, pulling out a tube of lipstick. ¡°There it is, tha thing tha¡¯s gonna save our sorry asses!¡±


    ¡°Lipstick? Really?¡± Cerys asks. ¡°What, are you gonna flirt with him until he dies?¡±


    Mari laughs off the dig. ¡°Not quite, shorty. Though I will be drawin¡¯ his attention ovah here and usin¡¯ this ta wipe ¡®em out¡­¡± She pops the lid off, then gets on her knees and rubs the lipstick against a patch of ground.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡± Katsuki asks while watching Mari work. However, as the lipstick begins to take form, she perks up. ¡°Wait. Those are runes¡­ oh! I get it! You¡¯re drawing a magical circle!¡± She watches Mari draw the runes with interest.


    Mari encases them within a circle and stands up. ¡°We¡¯re gonna send ¡®em runnin¡¯ back ta his lil¡¯ bro!¡±


    Cerys laughs. ¡°With your writing it looks more like you¡¯re going to summon a hamburger for him.¡± She steps towards Mari and sticks her hands out. ¡°Give me that, let me fix these so they¡¯ll actually help us get rid of him.¡±


    Mari hands it over, frowning. ¡°Ya ain¡¯t gotta be mean ¡®bout it.¡± Cerys ignores her quip and gets to work, drawing the runes even sharper and clearer. As Cerys works her way through, the circle begins to glow; the light increasing with each rune corrected. Cerys stands up after a bit, wiping her forehead. ¡°That¡¯s how ya do it.¡± She tosses the lipstick back to Mari, who catches it.


    ¡°Now, jus¡¯ this ain¡¯t gonna be strong enough. We gotta pour a whole buncha our mana into it. Y¡¯all know the words ta the Nephilim¡¯s Salvation, raight?¡± The other two nod.


    ¡°One of the first things in Alcott¡¯s book.¡±


    Cerys smiles. ¡°Thanks, mom.¡±


    ¡°So, take mah hands, and when it¡¯s ready, we¡¯ll get the others to drag him over here and let the circle do tha rest.¡±


    The three join hands in a triangle around the inscription and begin to chant. ¡°Wait, wait.¡± Katsuki says, looking up at Cerys. ¡°Mari and I are saying it, what the hell are you saying?¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Cerys glares at Katsuki. ¡°I don¡¯t know it in Japanese. Besides.¡± She nods towards the circle, which is now pulsing lightly. ¡°It looks like it¡¯s taking it anyway, English or Japanese. Now shut up and chant.¡± The three do so, hoping that they¡¯ll be given the time to complete the ritual.


    Marchosias sweeps his arm to the side, brushing away an attack from Akina. His other arm tries to do the same with Raidou, but his extra fists break through and slam into his side. He grabs one of Raidou¡¯s arms and throws him to the side, apparently unaffected by the hit. ¡°Hah, is that all you have? Disparate thrusts and weak attacks? This is child''s play.¡± He gloats as he continues to block their assault.


    Yuudai runs up and throws another punch, holding it back as he senses Marchosias¡¯ intent to counter it. ¡°There is one more thing we have!¡± He says as he rolls to the side to find a new angle, only to be met with a punch of Marchosias¡¯ own.


    ¡°Oh, and what is that? A set of broken ribs?¡± he cackles as he replies.


    Yuudai coughs up a bit of blood, staggers, and grins. ¡°No¡­ your attention.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± is all Marchosias can say before he feels a slice against his back. His supernatural speed allows him to avoid the full brunt of the attack, but not escape it completely. A loud hellish scream emanates from him before he regains his composure. ¡°Oh, so you have tricks, too!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we got tricks for da-¡± Saito tries to reply, but is quickly cut off by Marchosias¡¯ serpent tail coiling around his torso, binding him in place.


    ¡°Well... I DO TOO!¡± He yells, blocking another attack from the front. ¡°Yours won¡¯t work on me again, though¡­ Since YOU¡¯LL be doing MY bidding even earlier than expected!¡± His segmented snake tail lines up with Saito¡¯s eyes, aiming directly into them. Saito tries to close them, but he can feel it¡¯s influence bypass even his eyelids, as if it was prodding directly into his soul.


    ¡°Hahaha! I may not claim your soul, but I can claim your body! And¡­¡± A flash of light engulfs Saito before leaving him with a purple aura as the tail releases him. ¡°Now¡­ Go against your heart.¡± He points at Yuuri. ¡°Deliver your girlfriend into the depths of hell!¡±


    ¡°Nnhhgghh¡­ n...no¡­!¡± Saito tries to resist, but his body betrays him, almost eagerly brandishing his scythe and breaking out in a sprint towards Yuuri.


    ¡°Saito...¡± Yuuri gasps. ¡°Why¡­¡±


    ¡°YUURI!¡± He screams. ¡°RUN! I CAN¡¯T CONTROL MY BODY! GET OUT OF THE WAY!¡± He swings at her, Yuuri barely able to dodge out of the way.


    ¡°Saito! Please f-fight it!¡± Yuuri pleads with him as he unwillingly swings at her. She ducks under his scythe and runs up to tackle him.


    ¡°No, just, g-get away!¡± He yells. His body betrays him, he grabs her and spikes her into the ground. She skids across the ground before coming to a stop. He pulls back, and only has time to yell ¡°ROLL!¡± before his scythe swings down, allowing Yuuri to get out of the way just in time.


    Raidou turns his attention back towards Marchosias. ¡°You son of a bitch!¡± He starts to run forward angrily. ¡°You tryin¡¯ to control my crew, and tryin¡¯ to make them hurt each other? I¡¯ll pound you into the ground, asshole!¡± His four arms flail wildly at Marchosias. He lifts his hands to block, but the fists start to overwhelm him, he grunts as the punches land one after another. His face shows worry, but only for the moment it takes him to leap backwards out of Raidou¡¯s reach.


    ¡°Haha, you actually surprised me, Raidou.¡± He wipes a bit of blood from his lip. ¡°Not bad¡­at least the harlot human you call your mother didn¡¯t dilute the demon blood within you too much!¡±


    ¡°You¡­ YOU DON¡¯T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT MY FAMILY!¡± Raidou begins to glow with a faint red aura as he rushes Marchosias again. This time, though, Marchosias is able to counter them much easier, his hands almost creating after-images as he parries all four fists. ¡°Yes¡­ let your rage consume you, focus only on killing¡­ It will be your friends¡¯ downfall, and then your own!¡±


    Yuudai turns to Akina. ¡°C¡¯mon, we gotta go help him!¡± He says before turning, but Akina grabs his sleeve.


    ¡°Wait. This is what he wants, Yuudai.¡± Akina says, looking intently at the two battling. ¡°Why do you think he can block those attacks so easily now, whereas the ones before he couldn¡¯t?¡±


    Yuudai looks at Akina with a bit of anger. ¡°I dunno, maybe he just figured out how to control the demon in him again or somethin¡¯! All I know is if we don¡¯-¡±


    ¡°If we don¡¯t help, he and the rest of us are done, yes. But rushing in without thinking¡­ No. That will help. But not in the way Raidou is.¡± Akina turns her stare towards Yuudai. ¡°Before, when you hit him, you just swung wildly, right?¡±


    Yuudai nods in angry confusion. ¡°Yeah, I just wanted to get him any way possible, didn¡¯t even think about it, just let my fist fly.¡±


    ¡°Yes. You had no thought, no idea, just heart. Before, Raidou fought from his heart, not thinking of his intent. Now¡­ now he¡¯s a beast thinking of only the winning blow. His rage is readable to a fighter like Marchosias.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? Isn¡¯t he just mindlessly fighting right now too?¡± Yuudai asks.


    ¡°Yes and no. Yes because he isn¡¯t thinking of any technique. No because he is only thinking of fighting. That single intent can betray a whole plan to one who can read flows such as ki.


    Yuudai rubs his head. ¡°I don¡¯t get it¡­ but you¡¯re saying to just fight without thinking, not even thinking of fighting?¡±


    Akina nods. ¡°I can channel my energy and hide my intent, but for you, it would be best to focus on who you¡¯re fighting for, rather than how to fight for them.¡± Akina lets go of Yuudai¡¯s sleeve, then nods at him. ¡°Let¡¯s go get this beast under control, and combine to overcome the obstacle we now face.¡±


    Yuudai shakes his head, then turn backs towards Marchosias. ¡°Hey, fightin¡¯ for my friends¡­ That¡¯s all ya had to say! I¡¯m pretty good at that!¡± He smirks, then runs off towards the enemy, with Akina close behind him.


    They both run in and join in with Radiou, getting solid hits against Marchosias despite his best efforts. He focuses on blocking Raidou¡¯s attacks, swatting them away with ease, but is forced to take more than a few hits between Yuudai and Akina. He grits his teeth, but then smirks. ¡°Fine, if you want to punch someone so much, how about THESE TWO?¡± He yells as he drops to his knees, ducking under Raidou¡¯s arms.


    Raidou¡¯s punches just barely swing by Akina¡¯s cheek and Yuudai¡¯s torso, causing Raidou to stumble. As he tries to keep his balance, Akina and Yuudai catch him, keeping him upright. ¡°Hey, bro, calm down!¡± Yuudai says. ¡°I dunno the whole meaning behind it, but Akina¡¯s sayin¡¯ that he can read your rage, so you gotta calm down if you wanna hit him and not us!¡± He and Akina lean Raidou forward, the red aura around him starting to fade.


    ¡°But¡­ He¡¯s makin¡¯ all this crazy shit happen, and if we don¡¯t-¡± Raidou tries to say but is stopped by Akina.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be sucked into the crazy if you let him force your rage like this. Be in control, or your power may as well be his.¡± Akina says before running towards Marchosias and swinging. He blocks her attack but not the follow up cross.


    Raidou blinks as Yuudai runs after her and does much the same thing. ¡°Well, it seems to be working so¡­¡± The red aura dissipates from his body. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll fight without thinking, just like always!¡± He rushes in, joining the suddenly effective offensive.


    ***


    ¡®I have to wake him up¡¯ Yuuri thinks to herself as she dances between Saito¡¯s scythe swipes. ¡®Wait, wake him up! Of course! I coul-¡¯ She¡¯s too preoccupied with thinking about how to get around this that she trips up when avoiding the next attack, fortunately only being hit by the pole of the polearm. She falls to the ground with a cough, looking up at a crying Saito.


    ¡°Yuuri¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± he said, raising his arms up behind his head, his hands shaking as they prepare for a fatal downward slice.


    ¡°Purrfect!¡± Yuuri yells as she quickly leaps up to her feet, and just before the swing can reach her, jumps into Saito¡¯s torso. The impact causes him to drop the scythe, clattering away as she brings her face close to his.


    ¡°What are you doing?! You have to get-¡± is all Saito can get in before being interrupted by Yuuri¡¯s lips against his, holding onto his head to pull him even closer in. Saito¡¯s eyes widen in panic and fear. He tries to mumble out through her lips, but soon even that ceases.


    His arms suddenly wrap around her tightly, squeezing her. Saito tries to warn Yuuri, but she wouldn¡¯t break the kiss. The panic and fear and confusion and excitement battled in Saito¡¯s mind, completely overriding Marchosias¡¯ hypnosis. His arms tightened again, but this time not out of malice; the purple aura around him dissipates, and now he was simply hugging the one dearest to him.


    Yuuri breaks the kiss, wincing slightly. ¡°Hey, Saito, that¡¯s a bit too tight¡­ it kinda hurts!¡± She says somewhat jokingly, but Saito doesn¡¯t weaken his grip at all.


    ¡°Yuuri¡­ Don¡¯t joke right now. This isn¡¯t the time for it¡­ I almost had to¡­ had to end you. And now¡­ I never¡­ never want to let you go,¡± is all he can say. It¡¯s enough to cause Yuuri to turn completely red, though with a smile that wouldn¡¯t quit. Their moment is cut short as the sound of glass shattering rings out, bringing even the battle across the room to a halt.


    A crack forms in the sky, then another. It breaks like glass, revealing the clear blue sky of the normal earth. The sun shines like a spotlight on Marchosias, its rays encircling him like a jail.


    ¡°What...What is this?¡± He yells, pounding against it, the light acting as a full barrier.


    ¡°This is our combined power! Our blood, runes, and chaos!¡± Katsuki yells.


    ¡°It is the unified power of those who don¡¯t wish to be controlled by a demon with a god complex!¡± Mari yells.


    ¡°This is our world, and it has come together to reject you!¡± Cerys yells, as if completing a chant. Indeed, upon her words, the sky cracks even more, the sun¡¯s rays getting brighter. ¡°NOW, RETURN TO HELL AND REPENT YOUR SIN!¡± They say in unison, completing the ritual.


    A hellish scream comes from Marchosias as the light fully engulfs him, his hell-plane breaking apart around him. The Paranormies brace themselves, though the falling metaphysical debris dissipates before it reaches them. As they look back up, they see their normal world, their normal school grounds, but only a pile of rubble where their school formerly was.


    ¡°I guess we couldn¡¯t save everything.¡± Cerys quips before looking back to where Marchosias was¡­ only to find him still there.


    ¡°What? Did it not work?¡± Katsuki yells in fear.


    Marchosias gets up, back in his human disguise. His clothes are ragged, but he still dusts himself off. ¡°No, it very much did. I¡¯m staving it off with all my power, and in a few moments I will be returning to Hell. You have fought admirably, the day is yours. But I am not the end, merely the beginning. There is a power far greater than myself; steel yourselves for her reckoning, or all you¡¯ve fought for will be lost,¡± he says, his form starting to dissipate.


    Mari steps forward to speak, but he stops her. ¡°I know your question. My hold on Kirika will collapse once I return, and she¡¯ll appear beside you. Protect her with the same zeal you fought me.¡±


    ¡°We will! Nobody will harm our friends, or my world, not on our watch!¡± Yuuri says, shooting her arm up into the sky.


    The others follow with their own affirmations and arm raising,


    He smiles, not as a demon, but as their former principal. ¡°Then, farewell Paranormal Club. And¡­ best of luck.¡± He fades into nothing, leaving a warm breeze, bright sunlight and a slumbering Kirika.


    Mari picks her up into a big bear hug, squeezing her tight.


    ¡°Welcome back, Kiricchi.¡±

 Chapter 40 - The Story of Something Else

    With their school and dorms destroyed, the club regroups at the gate and observes the pile of rubble. Yuuri quickly turns her head to the underclassman currently being held tightly by Mari. "Are you ok, Kirika? He didn''t hurt you did he?" Yuuri checks Kirika for any wounds. The little elf girl shakes her head the best she can within Mari¡¯s grasp.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t hurt me, but I am still very tired, Yuuri-senpai¡­¡± She responds, her voice sounding even meeker than usual. Yuuri gives Mari a pleading look, Mari through her own tears realizes she is holding Kirika too tightly. She lets her go, letting the purple haired girl stand on her own. She looks like she has more to say, but a silence drapes itself over the club, and she just returns to normal.


    Katsuki walks towards Kirika and smiles at her warmly. She reaches down and wraps her arms tightly around Kirika, patting her head as Kirika quietly whimpers into her. The others descend on the two, joining in to make it a true club hug.


    Yuuri breaks the hug to clap her hands together. ¡°Hey, now¡­ she¡¯s tired, she probably needs some space, everyone,¡± she says, causing the others to break the hug slowly. They step back from her, leaving Kirika smiling brightly. ¡°Thank you, everyone.¡± She says sweetly. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry for-¡±


    Mari puts her finger up to Kirika¡¯s lips. ¡°Don¡¯cha worry ¡®bout that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we know you didn¡¯t mean for this to happen¡­ and it worked out in the end!¡± Yuuri says. ¡°Now¡­ I think we need to call our parents.¡±


    ¡°Before that, Yuuri¡­ can we talk about a bit of club business over here?¡± Katsuki says, tugging on Yuuri¡¯s sleeve.


    ¡°If it¡¯s quick, I¡¯m really tired¡­¡± she says, letting Katsuki lead her away from the others.


    "I''m gonna call mom, she might know what to do here."


    "Oh, my mom might too, I remember she told me she had a lot of interesting friends when she was in the club."


    Katsuki and Yuuri both call their mothers. After they both pick up, they hear the frantic sounds of two teen girls way too close to each other, trying to explain the same thing at the same time in different ways. ¡°Whoa, can one of you two talk at once and not at the same time? We¡¯re even here together so I¡¯ll hang up and let Yuuri talk, ok?¡± The two girls nod their heads to confirm Aiko¡¯s query, not really thinking about being on the phone.


    The two can hear some shuffling before Tsubasa asks, ¡°Can you hear me? What in the world has you two so panicky?¡±


    Yuuri explains to the best of her ability, with Katsuki assisting by adding in the details Yuuri doesn¡¯t know. After a long pause, the two girls hear a loud ¡°What the shit!?¡± coming from Aiko before hearing Tsubasa try to calm her down. ¡°Yeah mom, shit¡¯s fucked over here, can you help?¡±


    Aiko snaps quickly. ¡°Hey, watch your language!


    ¡°You just said it, though. Plus, this is the kind of situation that deserves that kind of language!¡±


    Aiko laughs nervously, then coughs. ¡°Well, fine. I¡¯ll see what I can do to help you all out.¡± There is a rustling coming from the other end of the line. ¡°Katsuki, you''re lucky I don''t toss business cards.¡±


    "This was really more up Aiko''s alley, but I still remember one or two people that owe me a favor." Tsubasa sighs. ¡°I¡¯m just really glad to hear that you all are safe.¡±


    ¡°Hold tight, I¡¯ll see if I can get a crew together and we¡¯ll be there as soon as possible,¡± Aiko says while standing up to leave. The girls hear a faint ¡°Aiko! We have to pay first before leaving!¡± The call abruptly ends as a figure walks up to them.


    They look up, seeing a tall man with pointed ears rapidly approaching. Katsuki jolts a little bit. ¡°Not another one.¡± Her mind turns towards the demons they just faced, with similarly pointed ears.


    Before anyone else can further react to the man they all hear ¡°Daddy!¡± and see Kirika running towards him. She buries herself into his chest. He grunts as she hits him, lightly hugging her back. ¡°Hello, Kirika...¡± he grunts out.


    ¡°Kind of a rude greeting to your poor daughter.¡± Cerys goads him on. ¡°If my father saw me after a long time and I was kidnapped, he would probably not be a big fat bitch like you.¡±


    He starts to sigh at the abrasive red head, but seizes up. ¡°Did you say kidnapped?¡± He kneels down and looks Kirika in the eyes, noting they are lacking their normal glow. ¡°What happened here?¡±


    ¡°I went alone with a strange man to a dark room where he used me, but.. I¡¯m okay now! My friends saved me before anything too bad happened!¡±


    He looks completely dumbfounded at her but Mari says from the back, ¡°She was used ta summon a lotta demons by tha principal, who was also a high-rankin¡¯ demon.¡±


    She looks back towards Mari, then back towards her dad. ¡°Yeah, I was used to summon a lot of demons!¡±


    He blinks, then a slight smile creeps onto his face. ¡°You were able to summon a significant amount of demons? I¡¯m¡­happy.¡± He ahems. ¡°To hear you¡¯re safe.¡± He then looks at the other teens, then back at Kirika. ¡°Where are the demons? I wish to see them.¡±


    Kirika looks up, ¡°They all got used as shields for Marchosias then turned to dust. I got some on my clothes and they are dirty now!¡± She says as she lifts up her arm towards him, showing the smeared ashes against her sleeves.


    He shoots up, his eyes narrowing. ¡°Marchosias? He was the one who caused this? And¡­ you all took care of him?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they made a circle that took him home!¡± Kirika beams.


    Mari says, ¡°It¡¯s a bit more complicated than that, but yeah. We gave him a one way ticket home.¡±


    ¡°Yeah and my mom is coming to take care of the cleanup so this doesn¡¯t make national news!¡± Katsuki then waves her hands in the air. ¡°We can¡¯t let the veil fall just yet.¡±


    ¡°Your mom is going to handle this?¡±He looks at the other red head with a questioning look ¡°Who is she?¡±


    ¡°Aiko Kusaka, you probably know her.¡±


    He grimaces. ¡°Yes. I do.¡± He turns to Kirika. ¡°Come on, we should make haste.¡±


    ¡°Huh, what an odd response to my mom¡¯s name.¡± Katsuki looks at him with confusion, before she seems to realize who he is. ¡°Hey wait, your name isn¡¯t Kazuo is it?¡± She asks the leaving man.


    Yuuri steps in. ¡°Where are you going? She needs to be looked at by a doctor or something.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m...going to do just that. She requires special medical attention but, thanks for caring about her.¡±


    The club waves off Kirika as she follows her father away from the school. Yuudai turns to Katsuki once they are far enough away. ¡°Katsuki, what was that about?¡±


    ¡°My mom has mentioned some tall mysterious elf guy before, usually followed by a lot of angry curse words.¡±


    ¡°Do you know why?¡±


    ¡°Nah, she told me it was something years ago. Must have been a huge pain whatever it was.¡±


    Akina turns to Saito. ¡°Do you have any idea what the hell that was all about?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± he says, staring at the blade of his scythe. ¡°I try not to get involved in the bureaucratic stuff here.¡±


    ¡°Silence can be key, I can agree with that.¡±


    ¡°Or you two just don¡¯t want to look stupid.¡± Yuudai calls out, resting against the fence. ¡°Also, why did I have to carry Kirika?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the biggest one here.¡±


    ¡°Hey I¡¯m way bigger than that shrimp, I could carry everyone here.¡± Raidou flexes his multiple arms. ¡°As a matter of fact, I''m sure you could say I carried everyone in that fight.¡±


    ¡°If you were the one trying to give us victory, the only thing you¡¯d be carrying would be our coffins.¡± Akina says with a slight smirk.


    The banter is interrupted as Yuuri¡¯s phone begins to ring. As soon as she answers, Tsubasa begins speaking with a more serious tone than usual. ¡°Hello Yuuri. So, Aiko and I got a few people to come over to your school to figure out how to spin this. We¡¯ll come pick you guys up, just sit tight for now.¡±


    Yuuri relays this information to the club, and they wait outside the school for their parents to arrive. Before too long, they spot Aiko and Tsubasa walking towards them, both with serious looks on their faces.


    Aiko¡¯s the first one to talk. ¡°We contacted some local mages and some of the people we trust regarding powers and the paranormal, they want to talk to you all to get the full story and determine where to go from there.¡±


    Tsubasa adds on, ¡°Just tell them everything you saw happen, they¡¯ll make sure you won¡¯t be bothered by this incident any further than today.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that actually sounds perfect.¡± Katsuki turns to the rest. ¡°Everyone cool with that?¡±


    ¡°Can we really tell them about demons and all that?¡± Yuudai asks.


    Aiko answers. ¡°They¡¯ve seen those before, it¡¯s sort of run of the mill now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s...troublesome.¡± Saito frowns. ¡°You mean to say this isn¡¯t the first time this kind of thing has happened?¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ¡°And probably not the last. But you guys did great!¡± Tsubasa smiles. ¡°Anyways, we should go check out the school...or what¡¯s left of it.¡± She starts through the gate towards the former grounds of Miyafuji High, Aiko and the Paranormal Club following behind.


    Shortly after the mothers complete their inspection, a few black vans pull up. Some men and women in hazmat suits run out towards what is left of the school. They rush by the Paranormies, leaving them bewildered before a woman with bottom rimmed glasses approaches them. ¡°So, are you the ones who closed the singularity here? We had heard it was a group of peculiar students.¡±


    Yuuri bows somewhat nervously. ¡°Y-yes, we um¡­ we went into this mysterious portal here and uh¡­ s-saved our friend!¡±


    She adjusts her glasses. ¡°I see. We will need to interrogate your friend when we are done here to get more information about this incident, but for now, give us an account of what happened.¡±


    Mari steps forward. ¡°Too bad gova¡¯ment lady! Kirika¡¯s already gone with her fathah!¡±


    The woman chuckles. ¡°I suppose we do look like government officials from movies. Believe me, miss, we are not the government. To put it simply, we are a select group of individuals with an interest in¡­ the supernatural. So, please, refrain from the negative stigma.¡± She then changes her posture again. ¡°The Komori family assists us with operations, I assume they will cooperate willingly this time as well. It¡¯s a simple short debriefing, same as you all will get before we let you be on your way. Just as long as you agree to a few terms.¡±


    ¡°Terms?¡± Katsuki asks. ¡°What, are we going to be under surveillance?¡±


    ¡°No such thing, at least not from us.¡± She says. ¡°I can¡¯t say the same for any other factions, at least regarding some of you. But that¡¯s besides the point, we need to make sure we¡¯re all on the same page.¡± She opens a folder and begins to read. ¡°A flash storm hit the Miyafuji Area in the middle of the day. A bolt of lightning hit exposed metal on the side of the school, causing sparks that started a small fire. The fire spread through the school, and due to its age, was enough to cause a foundational failure. Luckily, school was not in session, and thus nobody was harmed. The principal has since been uncontactable due to departing on a religious getaway.¡± She closes the folder and looks up. ¡°And the public will forget this entirely by the time he could come back.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s not what happened at all! We-¡± Yuudai begins to say before being cut off.


    ¡°The public aren¡¯t as aware of demonic activity as you may think, sir. And that is to their benefit.¡± She fixes her glasses again, her light red eyes looking directly at Yuudai. ¡°So we need to make sure we all agree on the story, unless we want a public panic. And we don¡¯t want anything of the sort, correct?,¡± she says sternly.


    The various club members obediently nod in agreement.


    ¡°Good,¡± the woman smiles, adjusting her stance once more, ¡°Then with that cleared up, you are free to leave. We will contact you all when we are ready to speak with you.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ You never told us who you are or who you work for though?¡± Yuuri questions the mysterious woman.


    ¡°Because as of right now, it is not my business to be telling anyone why we¡¯re here. That¡¯s why you will get contact from us once I have permission to do so.¡± The spectacled woman says.


    Yuuri tries to speak up again, but is stopped by a tug on her sleeve. She turns to see Saito motioning her to just take off with the rest of the group. Yuuri looks back at the woman one more time and nods, ¡°I hope to hear more from you later, Miss.¡±


    The woman smiles and waves the party off.


    ***


    Shortly after, she is approached by some of the men in hazmat suits.


    ¡°You sure like to make us wait, Miss Usha.¡± One of the men tells her.


    ¡°Sorry about that, my recruitment job comes first after all,¡± she tells the men with a wink. ¡°Aside from that, though. How did this singularity break out in the first place? Was there some sort of infernal outbreak or ritual occurring here? We haven¡¯t seen numbers like these in years.¡±


    ¡°Well Miss Usha, it seems that the Komori daughter was lured into a portal leading to the infernal realm. Not much else to it, as there were no signs of sigils or ritual items,¡± the hazmat suit man informs her.


    Lucy clicks her tongue and looks at the destruction, ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be possible¡­ I guess this only confirms our theory. ¡° Lucy grips at her arm, still staring off into the distance, ¡°The barrier between our worlds is growing weaker and weaker.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it is leading up to that fact, Miss Usha,¡± he says.


    ¡°LUUUUUCCCCCYYYYYY!!¡± A loud, childlike voice gets louder and louder from behind the group. Lucy suddenly feels a bump into her backside.


    ¡°Miss Kurosaki, I thought I told you to wait in the car!?¡± Lucy snaps at the little girl behind her. She can¡¯t be much older than nine. Her outfit is very prim and professional looking despite her age. Her long black hair and puffy pink bow are much more fitting for her youthful energy.


    ¡°Yeah but I wanna know about the students!¡± The little girl complains, ¡°Are we going to expand our roster or not?!¡±


    The second hazmat suited man raises up the handful of manila folders in his right hand, ¡°Actually Miss Usha, that was our next topic. I didn¡¯t think our little principal here would be so eager to hear the news though!¡±


    The little girl smiles, ¡°That¡¯s Miss Kurosaki, to you, mister!¡±


    Lucy chuckles, ¡°Well, I suppose it saves some time if we simply take the profiles off your hands, right?¡±


    The man hands the folders off to the eager child, who takes them with glee before skimming through them. The man smiles before looking back to Lucy, ¡°You know, Miss Usha. These kinds of situations have been increasing in frequency as of late.¡±


    ¡°...What do you mean?¡± She asks.


    ¡°What I¡¯m saying is that this isn¡¯t the first time this month we¡¯ve had our team get called to intercept or clean up demonic activity. The rate of the infernal magic we¡¯ve seen has gotten out of hand, comparable to events this country saw nine years ago.¡±


    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is¡­¡±


    ¡°That you and everyone else who assumed it is right. The boundaries are weakening and they¡¯re all coming here to cause trouble or obtain something. Perhaps that Komori girl is one of their many interests.¡±


    Kurosaki points to the elf girl¡¯s photo in the folder, ¡°Kirika Komori?¡±


    The men nod.


    Lucy sighs, ¡°Well, thank you for letting us know. We¡¯ll let your crew go back to taking care of business here. We¡¯ve forwarded the cover up story to your director, so please make sure that all the media outlets receive the same story.¡± She pats Kurosaki on the back, ¡°C¡¯mon Roka, let¡¯s get going.¡±


    ¡°H-Hey, it¡¯s Miss Kuro-- F-Fine.¡± She pouts and heads off with her coworker. Roka continues to rummage through the profiles that were given to her. ¡°Y¡¯know Lucy, we should probably take all of them as soon as we can. The school is big enough!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, Roka.¡± Lucy agrees, ¡°As far as I¡¯m concerned, they¡¯re all enrolled into Zonzai High as soon as the new school year starts. Powered or not.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± Roka hums, still looking through the folders, ¡°Well if this is what happens because of them, we have an exciting school year coming up~! Hehe~¡±


    Lucy smiles and sighs at her boss¡¯s strange delightment.


    ¡°We sure do, don¡¯t we?¡±


    ***


    Once they return to her side, Tsubasa turns to the worn out group of teens. ¡°So what are you all going to do for the rest of the school year?¡± They look at each other in confusion before Saito groans.


    ¡°We still have to go to school after doing this?¡±


    Tsubasa laughs at his statement but slowly realizes that no one else is laughing with her. She clears her throat and composes herself. ¡°Well of course you have to go to school. The real question is where you¡¯ll go to school. Hmmm?¡±


    Yuudai is the first to speak up. ¡°Well, I guess I can go back to my old school, Miyu isn¡¯t around anymore and that was the whole reason I was here¡­¡± Yuudai quickly turns to the others. ¡°Not that I didn¡¯t have a great time here with you all or anything, heh.¡±


    Yuuri brightens up. ¡°Oh, that was in Chiba! Can I tag along too, mom?¡± She pleads with Tsubasa. Her mother nods, causing Yuuri to cheer.


    Katsuki turns to Aiko. ¡°Mom can-¡±


    ¡°Sure thing honey.¡±


    Yuuri and Katsuki exchange a high five, but the cheerful moment is broken up by Aiko suddenly barking orders to her men. A lone cloud enters the sky and a lighting bolt strikes the ground from it. From the impact zone a portal appears, and from the portal a stout Japanese woman, bowed but not broken by age steps out. Raidou is hit with a strong sense of dread once he sees the woman. The long haired woman, bangs streaked with grey, marches through the Paranormal club to Raidou. ¡°Oh hey mom did you dye your hair in the uhh 3 hours I was-¡± Raidou is cut off by her stepping on his feet, standing on her tiptoes to pull him down by the ear.


    ¡°Young man, what did you do?! I come over here and see my boy bloody, beaten up, and his school destroyed. I know you had something to do with this!¡±


    Raidou turns white and begins stammering. ¡°M-mom it¡¯s not...I didn¡¯t¡­¡± He can barely start explaining before he gets yoinked away from the rest of his club.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, you¡¯re getting homeschooled.¡± She declares as she drags him towards the portal. Everyone looks on in wild confusion at the scene in front of them.


    As the portal is closing Raidou waves at everyone. ¡°Don¡¯t worry she¡¯ll get over this soon, I¡¯ll be back!¡± She smacks him on the forehead. ¡°Ok maybe not.¡±


    Tsubasa blinks a few times trying to process what just happened and then turns to the rest of the club. ¡°Well I guess we know what he is going to do.¡±


    ¡°Papa¡¯s prob¡¯ly been real lonely,¡± Mari says. ¡°Ah¡¯m gonna go check up on him.¡± She gives Yuuri and Katsuki a hopeful look. ¡°Unless y¡¯all need me ta stick around¡­¡±


    Yuuri smiles and starts to answer Mari but is cut off by Cerys, ¡°Yeah I guess I¡¯ll go live with my father for now too, hopefully there is at least one school up there.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going back to Britain?¡± Akina looks confused. ¡°Seems like a lot of trouble for no reason.¡±


    ¡°No, my father works at a big lab in Tsukuba. The only reason I¡¯m here is because I hated the schools there.¡± Cerys waves her still gloved hand. ¡°Enough about me. Akina, what are you going to be doing after this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to continue training, I don¡¯t see a need to go to school.¡±


    Tsubasa frowns. ¡°You have to go to school-¡± Akina stares at her causing her to forget her line of thinking. ¡°W-well I guess you don¡¯t have to go if you don¡¯t want to go...¡±


    Cerys laughs. ¡°You should come to school with me, and not wander around like a hobo.¡± Akina stares at her like before but Cerys just laughs at her. ¡°Come on, it would be fun.¡±


    Saito feels a hand on his shoulder, he looks up to see Yuudai standing over him, he takes off his headphones, ¡°Sup?¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do? I know you don¡¯t have any parents, so I was wondering if you wanted to come to school with me?¡± Yuudai asks with a bright smile.


    Saito gives him a weird look and puts back on his headphones. ¡°Don¡¯t take this the wrong way but I don¡¯t want to live with you my guy.¡±


    Yuudai¡¯s eyes widen in shock and he stutters out, ¡°W-what do you mean by that, I just thought you wanted to go to school with Yuuri, ya know?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go back to Sapporo. I have a friend there, and I¡¯ll live with him. Thanks for thinking of me, I¡¯m fine, though.¡±


    After the discussion of finishing out the year concludes, the club splits to return home, this time to their actual homes.


    ***


    One month has passed since the events at Miyafuji came to their destructive conclusion. The Paranormal Club has adjusted back to their prior lifestyles, save for the knowledge that the world isn¡¯t so clean cut as it once appeared. The group chat has been filled with discussion of their new schools, along with planning for a get together during the next break.


    Katsuki enters her house after finishing another day of classes, to find Aiko sitting at the table, waiting for her. ¡°Hey kiddo, how was school?¡±


    ¡°It was alright. It¡¯s nice to be able to have classes with Yuuri and Yuudai still.¡±


    ¡°Well, those might not be the only two you¡¯ll be seeing. You got invited to Zonzai.¡±


    Katsuki looks at her with a blank face. ¡°Uh, yeah, I know. That was for this year though.¡±


    Aiko shakes her head and presents an envelope sealed with wax between her fingers. ¡°For next year.¡± She flings it towards Katsuki, who catches it out of the air. Before she can open it, her phone starts vibrating in her pocket. She pulls it out to find the LIME group has a message from Yuuri.


    ¡®Hey, did anyone else get handed one of these?¡¯ Yuuri¡¯s message reads, with an attached picture of the same envelope Katsuki now holds. Before Katsuki¡¯s eyes, each other member of the club posts a confirmation, along with their own picture of the same letter, emblazoned with the Zonzai crest.


    Katsuki smiles and snaps a picture of her own invite, before sending it with her own message. ¡°Yep, sure did.¡±