(Moka's POV)
The walk to class should have been peaceful.
The artificial red sun brought some semblance of morning to the Dimension where the Yokai Academy was founded. The halls were quiet, and Kurumu was still buzzing from her breakfast with Tsukune, it was an overwhelming success compared to her previous attempts at making a connection with him.
Her situation changed when she saw Tsukune for the first time reveal his 'Yokai' Form, and after expressing her emotions and feelings to him, it resulted in an awkward state where she didn't know if Tsukune was in love with her or if he had placed her into a situationship.
Still, to her it was progress in the right direction compared to last month when there weren't many interactions between herself and him, since she tried to turn him into her Sex Slave, being high on the dopamine granted by stepping over Moka, seeing her cry, and overall watching her reactions as she was stealing her boyfriend.
Meanwhile, Moka was more socially awkward, but compared to how she was the first day she met Tsukune, there was a visible progress in the right direction. She was also interacting with both Tsukune and Kurumu, mainly talking with her prospective boyfriend about their day, and their next classes.
Then as she was having a small argument with Kurumu, she stopped entertaining the Succubus when Inner's voice started to talk telepathically in her mind, taking on a more serious tone than when she was lecturing her.
[Something is wrong.]
She looked around , but couldn't tell what was wrong. It was until Inner told her what this was all about—about the unseen danger stalking her and her friends—in her own prideful tone.
'What?' she thought back, her heart already starting to pound. 'What's wrong? I can't see anything.'
[At how weak you are, you won't be able to sense anything.]
[Haahh. While it's annoying to point out everything that might happen to you, you should be careful.]
Moka's hand tightened on the rosary at her chest. The metal was warm, pulsing faintly with crimson Yoki.
[I felt a strong Yoki targeting you, but I am not sure if it was specifically directed at you, Tsukune or that annoying succubus, Kurumu.]
[You don't know how limiting it is to be stuck inside this Rosario.]
Outer scanned the corridor without moving her head, her vampire senses reaching out instinctively. Students milled past, chatting about classes, complaining about homework, laughing at jokes she couldn't hear.
There was nothing that seemed out of place, at least from her perspective.
[Stop trying too much. You'll just tell whoever is eying you that you felt its presence. Your best course of action is to keep calm and listen to me. Also, cut it out with your stupid distractions. I'm not in the mood to patiently wait for you to stop crying like a baby.]
Moka's jaw tightened. She hadn't been crying like a baby. She hadn't been crying at all. But arguing with Inner was pointless when she was like this—sharp, dismissive, hiding whatever she really felt behind layers of irritation.
'I'm not a baby,' she thought back, the words coming out sharper than she intended. 'I can handle myself.'
[Oh?] Inner's voice dripped with skepticism. [Can you?]
'I've been handling myself just fine. I've been getting stronger compared to last time. I've been—'
[You've been playing house with Tsukune and your new succubus friend while something watches you from the shadows. That's not what I would call handling properly. You know deep down that you're just pretending.]
Moka's cheeks flushed. She wanted to argue, wanted to point out that she'd been training, that she'd been trying her best not to be useless, that she wasn't just sitting around waiting to be rescued. But Inner wasn't wrong—not by a long shot.
[Listen.]
[I don't care about your arguments or you playing house. Just make sure you warn Tsukune about what I told you. He's not an idiot, even though sometimes he makes me want to punch him in the face.]
[He might figure something out quicker than you could by turning your head around like a chicken. At this rate you'll become a headless chicken. Worse comes to worst, I'll have to fight against this foe myself. The presence I felt was stronger than anything we've faced.]
The words hit Moka like cold water.
'It is this person stronger than Tamao?'
[You have no idea. That goldfish is nothing compared to this sharp presence I felt. I only felt such a presence when you met that Nonko girl or that Valkyrie Harpy, Haru. This one is controlled and focused directly at us. Whoever it is is not an easy opponent.]
[However, it is not something I can't send flying with a Falcon Kick.]
Moka's lips twitched despite herself. Inner always had to add that kind of comment, as if reminding her that no matter how strong the enemy, she was stronger. It should have been comforting. Instead, it only highlighted how useless Outer Moka was in comparison.
[Now. Tell Tsukune. Don't make a scene, since you're rather good at it. This will trigger suspicions from the person watching us. Just find a moment and tell him while inside the class.]
Moka's feet felt heavy on the polished floor. Ahead of her, Kurumu was laughing at something Tsukune had said, her tail swaying happily, her arm linked through his. Tsukune had a smile on his face as usual, but he tried not to touch Kurumu improperly.
The morning had been perfect, and even to herself, it felt that things started to become like she hoped—having friends to spend time with and no longer being alone.
'Not now.I can't ruin this now. It's our first day at the Newspaper Club. Shizuka-sensei is expecting us. Everything is finally—'
[Wea… Outer me. You have to take this seriously.]
'I'll tell him later. After club. When we're alone. It is my first day joining a school club. I don't want to—'
[...]
[I get it, you don't want to ruin your perfect morning.] Inner's voice was flat. [You want to pretend a little longer. Ahh, while you are at it, make sure to not embarrass me by confessing your little heart to Tsukune.]
She wanted to say something sharp back, something that would prove she wasn't just a weak little girl playing pretend. But the words wouldn't come.
Because Inner wasn't wrong.
'I'm not going to mess up. I'm just—I just want one day. One normal day. Is that too much to ask?'
Inner didn't answer immediately. The silence stretched, heavy and expectant, and Moka could feel her other self turning something over in her mind.
[Fine.] The word came out clipped, dismissive. [Whatever. I'm used to talking to a wall when it comes to you.]
Moka felt her cheeks flush. The dismissal stung more than the lecturing had.
[Just don't come crying to me when you mess up by placing yourself in danger and also harming Tsukune. I'm not going to clean up your mess just because you wanted to play pretend a little longer.]
Something in Moka's chest tightened. Not guilt—something harder. Something that felt almost like defiance.
'Could you stop lecturing me about everything? Am I really that pathetic in your eyes? I just want to enjoy my first club day without being interrupted. If I tell Tsukune now, the mood will shift into finding out who is stalking us.'
'We'll have no time to enjoy this unique day.'
'I'm just—I'm trying to live with what I have. So, please, stop it. I get it that you don't want to face Tsukune in that way.'
'I will do anything to not jeopardize this 'situation' between us.'
For a moment, there was nothing. No response, no cutting remark, no dismissive wave of Inner's presence.
[Hmph.]
[At least you're sensible enough to understand that. Just don't drag me down while you're enjoying this shiny soap-romance with Tsukune.]
Moka's eye twitched.
'It's not a soap romance.'
[It certainly looks like one from here. All that melodrama. All that blushing. The way you stare at him when you think no one's watching. It's embarrassing thinking that this is my body doing all these faces.]
'You watch him too!'
[Don't push it. My situation is different compared to yours. What else would you do when you're stuck inside a Rosario all the time but watch?]
Then her presence receded, leaving Moka alone with her thoughts and the faint warmth of the rosary against her chest.
She let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
(Tsukune's POV)
Usually the mornings were chill for me. I would take Moka to class and have complete attendance like a 'normal' highschool student would have it. There were particular incidents that happened in the morning, sure, but it didn't concern me what other Yokais were doing—whether that be settling their own beefs or bullying others.
The news about what happened with the Swimming Club and Tamao-senpai also made the rounds in the morning, and the effect of the gossip mill started to spread wide and wild, as it was the nature of the Yokais, unpredictable.
Now there was a big question mark above my head. No one was eying me like I was some piece of meat they schemed on how to devour; instead, I was watched with averted eyes by the guys who had their own fantasies over Moka and Kurumu.
However, while I got used to these stares, these guys had so long not displayed excessive hostilities in a way that the System would warn me, nor would they release their Yoki just to threaten me.
And yet, here it was. Some idiot was giving me such a nasty look that it stirred up my Guardian Spirit. Was it Chizuru-chan? I mean she was a Yandere, a powerful one at that if I can speak so myself, but I doubt she would do this in the eyes of so many.
No, it would take someone who had a grudge with me, and it just so happens that my selection pool has just narrowed considerably.
Kuriboh stirred on my shoulder, its tiny body going rigid, its wings flattening against its back. The familiar had been dozing, lulled by the morning quiet, but now it was awake, going full-on Watch Mode as it pulled at my hair.
Kuri?
I reached up and scratched its chin. "What's wrong, partner?"
It didn't react in its usual cheerful ways. Instead, it just stared at the far end of the corridor, where the shadows pooled deeper than they should.
Kuri kuri.
I followed its gaze, scanning the students milling about, the morning light slanting through the windows, the usual chaos of a school day, but Kuriboh didn't relax—and when I glanced at Moka, her hand was on the rosary and her knuckles were white.
'Something is not right.'
I kept my expression as usual without disturbing the 'peace' around me, well Kurumu was talking about something that made me roll my eyes deep down, but it was an 'emotional investment' I was willing to take. Yet my mind was already moving, churning over the possible threat that might want to come after me.
Was this Kuyo? Anyone from the Punishing Committee? Has Chizuru's admirer already caught whiff of the interest she has in me and out of spite decided to take me out? I had a decent list of possibilities but nothing concrete.
Even the system in this particular case wasn't of use because of its Proximity Feature. I mean, I can't complain about it since it would be beyond annoying to hear notifications about X, Y, Z starting to be hostile over different dimensions or countries.
But this brought a fresh experience, a mystery where I couldn't detect from where the hostility came, meaning I was still a long shot from claiming to be at the pinnacle of this Yokai Academy, and I'll not even mention the broader World where I was just a 'stronger ant' in the eyes of the true monsters in the DxD existence.
I might not be able to sense anything, but my Kuriboh was the one to alert me, so I can only believe it since it wasn't in its interest to lead me astray, being my Guardian Spirit and all that.
I kept walking while organizing my thoughts and the order of actions I would take, but my focus shifted briefly to Moka as she huffed out of nowhere, loud enough to cut through Kurumu's chatter—I turned at that, and a realization hit me.
'I think she just got nagged by Inner.'
Her face was flushed, her jaw tight, and there was something in her eyes that wasn't just annoyance.
I glanced at the rosary. It was pulsing faintly, the gem catching the light in ways that weren't natural. Moka's hand was wrapped around it, her grip so tight her fingers were white.
"Everything okay?" I asked.
She opened her mouth as if to speak, closed it again, and for a moment I thought she would finally tell me what we both already knew was lurking somewhere in the crowd behind us.
"I'm fine," she said. "Just... thinking about class."
She wasn't fine. And we both knew it, but for whatever childish reasons she chose to keep it hidden from me. Hah, this is why it is a pain managing relations. You have to account for all the small adjustments. They aren't NPCs from an RPG that I have to string and pull along, acting according to my will.
However, with Kuriboh by my side, the main weakness I had related to mental debuffs when casted on me was taken care of. As a light-type monster it was keener to the dark intent of others directed at me, which even the system couldn't pick on.
I gave Moka a small nod, letting her off the hook for now. "Alright, but maybe we should take a break from being exposed to sunlight."
She blinked, then understanding dawned on her face. "...You're right. I think my anemia is returning."
"You got your blood transfusion bags?" I asked, keeping my voice casual, letting the words mean one thing to anyone listening and something else entirely to her.
Her hand tightened on the rosary, then relaxed. "I have them. In my bag."
Kurumu glanced between us, her eyes narrowing. "What was that about?"
"Nothing," Moka said quickly. Too quickly.
Kurumu's eyes lingered on Moka's face, searching for something, but she didn't push. Instead, she looped her arm through mine again, her earlier suspicion melting back into her usual flirtatious energy. "Well, if you're done being mysterious, I was telling you about the new poster they put up in the dorm. You won't believe what it said—"
I let her talk, letting her chatter cover the fact that Moka and I had noticed someone watching us. It felt like a chatterbox in the background of my contemplating mind.
I kept quiet about what was happening, not wanting to disturb Moka or Kurumu, even though I had a strong feeling that Outer Moka had been warned by Inner about the situation.
I'd noticed her Rosario reacting, and that troubled me, since she wouldn't react unless it was a stronger opponent.
And since she didn't tell me, I guess I'll have to do it myself. My autistic brain needed answers. And it just so happened that I knew exactly who to send to get them.
I reached down, brushing my fingers against my shadow. The connection flared, warm and familiar, and I felt the Vampire Familiar stir beneath the darkness.
'Mox,' I thought at it. 'Time to earn your keep. Find whoever's watching us. Don't let them see you.'
The shadow rippled.
The bat slipped from my shadow without a sound, its tiny form barely a flicker in the morning light. No one noticed. No one ever noticed.
It moved along the floor, keeping to the dark spaces beneath the students' feet, blending into the shadows that pooled around lockers and pillars.
[Shadow Stride Activated]
A first-year with a heavy backpack passed by, his shadow swallowing the Familiar for a moment before releasing it. He shivered, rubbing his arms, glancing around with the confused expression of someone who'd just walked through a cold spot on a warm day.
"Weird," he muttered, shaking his head, and kept walking.
A group of girls gossiping by the window passed a few feet away. Their shadows were too shallow, too bright—the Familiar flowed around them like water around stone.
One of them paused mid-sentence, her hand going to the back of her neck. "Did you feel that?"
"Feel what?"
"I don't know. Just... something." She looked around, frowning, then shrugged it off. "Probably nothing."
They moved on, and so did the Familiar.
It found its rhythm quickly, slipping from shadow to shadow with the ease of a creature born to the dark. Students walked past, oblivious that a creature was maneuvering while using their shadows to go unnoticed.
The bat paused, waiting inside a shadow while a teacher was passing, the yoki it was passively radiating was too much for the level 2 monster to handle it.
It waited for the teacher to pass, then moved on. A group of upperclassmen had shadows deep enough to hide in, but there were too many dangerous individuals who could pick on its presence.
Soon the familiar reached the far end of the corridor, where the shadows pooled deepest. A cluster of upperclassmen was gathered near the stairwell, their laughter loud, their postures loose.
The Familiar slipped into the darkness beneath their feet and waited.
[Echo Location Activated]
The pulse went out, silent and invisible at least to those who were unable to pick on the ultrasonic waves, and suddenly my brain was processing a live feed of enemy positions like I was playing a round of Call of Duty with wall hacks enabled.
A minimap bloomed in the corner of my vision—a clean, tactical overlay that wouldn't have looked out of place in an RTS. Green dots for the E and D-tier mobs, yellow for the C-tier elites, a few orange markers for the rare B-tier spawns scattered among the upperclassmen. Near the end of the hall, where my class was waiting, I spotted a cluster of red markers that pinged as A-tier.
My classmates were mostly greens and yellows. Nothing threatening. Nothing that would explain the tension in Moka's shoulders or the alertness of my Guardian Spirit.
I zoomed in on the minimap, scanning the clusters of light with their own class representation(rating). There—tucked into a shadow that shouldn't have been deep enough to hide anyone—was a signature I almost missed. It was faint, barely there, like a candle trying to hide behind a bonfire.
But it was there.
I pushed the Familiar forward, guiding it toward that shadow. The bat crept closer, its tiny body pressed into the darkness, its wings folded, its heartbeat a quick flutter in the back of my mind.
The shadow shifted.
This person was pressed against a pillar near the stairwell.
(3rd person POV)
The Familiar crept closer, and then Gin moved, clicking his tongue while maintaining a long stare focused on Moka and myself. Once he felt that a presence had taken notice of him, he stepped out from behind the pillar.
His mind was focused more on his 'opponent' than on his surroundings, such that he failed to notice another insignificant presence.
That's when a shoulder slammed into his.
He watched them go from the alcove near the stairwell, hidden in shadows that should have been too thin to hide anything.
His hands were shaking. Not from fear. From want.
They'd walked right past him. The vampire. The succubus. And him. Tsukune. The one who'd embarrassed him in front of his own club, who'd made him look like a fool in front of Shizuka-sensei, who'd stolen the girls who should have been his to photograph, to admire, to—
A shoulder slammed into him.
Books scattered across the floor. A first-year with a shaved head and a sneer still forming on his face was already puffing up his chest, getting ready to make a scene.
"Watch where you're standing, senpai!" The guy's voice was loud, deliberately loud, the kind of loud that was meant to draw attention — and, of course, obnoxious. "Some of us have places to be. You can't just block the whole hallway daydreaming."
Gin didn't move or bother to reply to this moronic kohai. He just watched the kid's face cycle through annoyance, then offense, then something uglier.
'What the fuck was this little shit bitching about? It should have been me who got angry that I got distracted from my prey.'
"You got something to say?" The first-year stepped closer, close enough that Gin could smell the cheap cologne he'd doused himself in. "I'm talking to you. Are you deaf or something?"
Around them, students were slowing, watching. A confrontation between an upperclassman and a first-year—always good entertainment for the bored senpais and a rude awakening for the brave kohais.
The kid noticed the audience. His chest puffed out further.
From somewhere behind Gin, a voice muttered loud enough to carry: "Ten yen says the lizard doesn't last five seconds."
"Five? I give him three. This is the Mad Dog we're talking about."
"You think he'll actually do it? In the middle of the hallway?"
"He did worse last year. Remember what happened to that guy from Class 2-C when he was just a first year? He almost got killed when he revealed his true form."
A low whistle. "Yeah. Fair point. Messing with a Werewolf isn't the smartest choice."
"Especially not when the Full Moon is soon to appear."
Gin ignored the buzz that had begun to form around him; though, deep down , he was excited to show off to the beauties watching him. Keeping a straight face, he looked down on the kohai acting like some tough guy, but just sniffing him, he could tell his power was around a C-tier Yokai.
The kohai, seeing the stir he had created, and also the girls watching him, got a dopamine rush, believing that by beating up this senpai his reputation would rise, and a new legend would be created inside Yokai Academy.
"You think just because you're a senpai you can push people around? Huh?"
He cracked his knuckles, and for a moment, his form flickered. Scales rippled across his knuckles, his jaw elongated just slightly, and his eyes took on a yellow tint. A C-tier. Some kind of lizard yokai, maybe. Not strong enough to be a threat. Strong enough to be stupid.
"You want to go?" the kid sneered. "I've taken down bigger guys than you, senpai. You're just a—"
Gin's arm moved, not fast and not violent enough that would render this ignorant junior into minced meat.
His sleeve tore at the seam as his forearm swelled, muscles bulging, black fur sprouting along the skin in thick, dark waves. His fingers lengthened, nails thickening into claws and turning a dull silver. The transformation was clean, controlled, the kind of partial shift that took years of practice to master.
The first-year's voice died in his throat.
The lizard features flickered, then vanished entirely, scales retreating back into pale skin. His eyes, still human now, went wide. His mouth opened and closed like a fish that had suddenly realized it was in shallow water.
"I—I didn't—I was just—"
Gin's fist connected with the kid's face. Not full power—that would have caved his skull in, and Gin wasn't looking to add murder to his list of problems today. Just enough to send a message and remind these annoying kohais the difference in strength.
That punch was enough to feel the bones shift under his knuckles, to watch the kid's eyes roll back before he crumpled.
The body hit the floor with a satisfying thud.
Sent flying into a row of lockers , it crashed against the metal with a sound that echoed down the corridor. Bleeding from the nose, crumpled in a heap of scattered books and broken composure, but thankfully not dead. He would eventually recover—lizardman healing was nothing to scoff at.
Gin stared down at him for a moment, then flexed his hand. The fur receded, the muscles shrinking, the claws sliding back into nails. His arm returned to normal like it had never changed at all.
A student with glasses, braver than the rest, spoke up from somewhere to his left. "S-senpai, your sleeve is torn. Do you need—"
"I'm fine."
His voice came out flatter than he intended. He looked at his torn sleeve, at the scattered books still on the floor, at the dent in the locker where the lizard kohai had been sent flying.
From the crowd, the betting students were exchanging money. "As expected of the Mad Dog. Tsk, here's your money." A handful of coins changed hands, the loser shaking his head with a mix of admiration and disappointment. "Didn't even last two seconds. Kid was all bark."
Gin had gotten into enough fights in his first year to earn the nickname "Mad Dog" from the upperclassmen. Kuyo had almost dragged him before the Disciplinary Committee twice. The Student Council led by Hokuto Kaneshiro also had put him on probation for a semester. Even the Headmaster had called him in for a "chat" after the third time he'd sent someone to the infirmary.
He couldn't afford another mess. Not now. Not when the club was finally getting members. Not when Shizuka-sensei was counting on him.
But the kid had been asking for it. Hadn't he?
Gin shoved his hands into his pockets and walked.
The crowd parted around him like water around a stone, students stepping aside with averted eyes and hurried steps, none of them willing to meet his gaze or say a single word as he passed.
In his pocket, his flip phone buzzed. He pulled it out, flipped it open with his thumb. The screen glowed green—a notification from Shizuka-sensei, asking him to bring in some additional material for the newly joined members of the Newspaper Club.
He stared at the message until the screen dimmed, then snapped the phone shut and tucked it away.
From the shadows created by the other spectators, the reflection of the red eyes of the Vampire Familiar—if one would focus on that specific place they would notice them. However, it was only for a brief moment as that shadow started to twist and bend along with the other's shadow, until it vanished by entering inside the wall of the building like a shadow.
That was the Vampire Familiar, using Shadow Stride as it completed its first serious reconnaissance mission. The bat slipped through the solid stone like it was made of smoke, emerging on the other side without a sound, without a trace, without any of the students ever knowing it had been there.
It would make sure it wasn't caught by that dumb, pee-smelling wolf bastard who dared to look down on its master.
(Tsukune's POV)
As you might know, highschool classes were boring…
But my boredom shattered the moment I felt the shadow at my feet ripple. Unexpectedly, the Familiar returned, settling into the darkness like a soldier returning to base after a long patrol.
I felt some sort of satisfaction through the bond created by Annihilation Maker, which made me expect some big gains in terms of reconnaissance, but there was also this sensation of 'relief' that it had returned to my side.
'Eh, you're back already, Mox?' (I was in class, so I could only keep my focus on the Geography teacher) 'Haven't I told you to continue following Gin-senpai and relay to me the best moments of his day?'
A wave of indignation was felt back through the connection. The Familiar had seen enough for the day, and found the one who was the source of its master's discomfort. Besides, it didn't want to follow that perverted wolf any more than it had to.
The way he smelled like a dog—it was disgusting for its refined sense of smell that could perceive a person from the scent of their blood. It was truly beneath the dignity of a vampire's familiar to skulk after such a creature.
I almost laughed, but thankfully I had spatial awareness.
'Fine, fine,' I thought back. 'Show me what you found.'
The familiar couldn't speak and in a way the way it reported back to me was the most concise, without information being lost in words, instead, by activating the skill 'Memory Echo' I could tap into or have a part of the Vampire Familiar's 'mind' connected with mine and perceive a vision of the events it has seen like a dream trance.
[Memory Echo Activated - Used 30 MP]
For 30 seconds, I saw a replay in the form of a highlight video of what the Familiar had seen, from the perspective of the bat. Somehow, the bat didn't send useless information, focusing instead on what I was interested in—finding the person who had stalked us.
'Would you look at that? What are you doing Gin-senpai, unable to contain the excitement of working with your kohai?'
'I am flattered.'
'But seriously now. The fuck do you want, you perverted dog? Do you want to fight me now and here?'
'Or is he stalking Moka or Kurumu? I don't remember if he did that in the anime.'
The vision faded. I was back in my seat, pen in hand, teacher still talking. Kurumu was doodling in her notebook behind me, while Moka, seated to my right, was staring at the board with the expression of someone trying very hard to look like she was paying attention.
Neither of them had noticed anything wrong with me, but my thoughts kept spiraling in different directions.
'Of course it was Gin.'
'Kuyo wouldn't bother with me right now, might not even know who I was for all I care.'
'The thing is… with Gin, I doubt I am strong enough to defeat him alone…'
'He destroyed that lizardman in one punch. I think I could achieve that only by using the Ghoul Trigger and going into my Vampire form.'
'I'll have to advance my training rate and continue experimenting on Annihilation Maker.'
'Oh, and I'll have to talk with Outer and confirm my early assumption that Inner had told her about the hostile intent.'
'After the club activities, since that might be stuck on the idea of having her 'firsts'.
For now, the teacher was explaining the difference between alluvial plains and river deltas (things I knew at a basic level, but hearing it again, I could ask deeper questions out of curiosity), and I was writing it down like a good student, my mind entirely somewhere else.