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Chapter 70: Cats Are Always Listening
(Tsukune's POV)
The door clicked shut behind me, and I let out a breath I had not realized I was holding. The hallway stretched before me, empty and silent, the morning light streaming through the tall windows in pale golden stripes.
I stood there for a moment, my hand pressed against the Holy Lock on my wrist, feeling the warmth of it seep into my skin.
'So this is what it feels like to have prison cuffs on you. This doesn't feel bad, in fact, I feel much calmer than constantly worrying about Alucard roaching around in my body.'
I had asked Mikogami about the Holy Lock during our conversation, and he had explained it with the patience of a man who had answered the same question a hundred times before.
The tool was originally designed by the Heaven's Faction, a modified version of their sacred seals, meant to suppress any evil influences and mainly for suppressing Demons and Devils of Pandemonium, their Archenemy. But the Yokai had adapted it for their own purposes, using it to allow the user's body to grow and adjust to the tainted energy, giving birth to a stronger form of Yokai.
'Think of it as training weights,' Mikogami had said, his dark eyes glinting with amusement. 'The seal holds you back, forces you to adapt, to grow stronger in the spaces where it does not touch. When you finally remove it, you will be far more powerful than you would have been without it.'
I had noticed the Holy Locks wrapped around his own body during our conversation. There were so many of them, dozens of seals covering his arms, his chest, his legs, each one glowing faintly with sealing power and also yoki that made me feel a chill down my back. And yet, even with all those restraints, he had been able to release such a heavy, oppressive wave of Yoki that it had driven me almost to my knees.
'A toad in a well. That is what I am.'
I had thought that if I raised my powers to S‑tier, I could claim to be a powerhouse, a force to be reckoned with in this world. But now, with Mikogami's example fresh in my mind, I understood how naive that assumption had been.
In the power scaling of the DxD world, reaching S‑tier would amount to being at most a High‑Class Devil combatant. Impressive, yes, but far from the pinnacle. There were Ultimate‑Class Devils, Super Devils, Gods, and beings far beyond that such as Ophis, Great Red and the Mecha Gods from ExE.
And I am still just a first‑year student playing catchup.
I shook my head, forcing myself to focus on the present. The meeting with Mikogami had been a revelation, a glimpse into a world I had only begun to understand, after all I was only exposed to the powerscale of the students and teachers in the Yokai Academy, I had no clue how strong going above S-tier would actually be.
However, this encounter could also be called a gift, a chance to change things. And I also got a chance to reshape the Academy into something better without fearing that the final boss in the shadows would appear before me and K.O me.
Assuming I survive long enough to do so.
I was still lost in thought when a blur of motion caught my eye. Something small and sleek darted out from behind a nearby pillar, moving with the silent grace of a predator. It was an orange cat that had golden eyes, giving me this look as if I've stolen its meal.
Before I could react, the orange cat meowed at me.
"Could it be? Sensei?"
The cat circled me once, jumping on my shoulder and sniffing me closer, her nostrils flaring as she sniffed the air around me, before giving me a lick on the cheek.
I was a cat lover for sure, and before I could pay back for the surprise attack, the cat jumped from my shoulder and gave a content meow at me.
Then out of nowhere, the cat began releasing some blinding light that forced me to close my eyes instinctively. I recovered in time to see the figure materialized in front of me, her golden eyes gleaming, her ears perked forward.
It was Shizuka as I first assumed, switching back to her human form with a fluid grace that seemed almost supernatural.
She was standing close, close enough that I could smell the faint scent of jasmine and something else, something warm and earthy that clung to her skin. Her golden eyes were wide with concern, and her hands were already reaching out, checking my arms, my chest, my face, as if she expected to find wounds hidden beneath my uniform.
Her curves were generous, her body moving with a fluid grace that was both maternal and predatory. The way her blouse stretched across her chest, the way her hips swayed as she circled me, it was distracting in a way that I really did not need right now.
'Focus, Tsukune. She is your teacher, your homeroom teacher, and your club advisor. There's no way she is interested in you as a partner.'
'She must be worried silly about me meeting Mikogami. And now I can't blame her, he's a SSS‑tier monster.'
I could count myself lucky that Shizuka‑sensei was, for the most part, a normal woman. A professional teacher. A caring woman who akin to a mother cat, would fight tooth and nail for her litter of kittens if they were ever threatened.
There was no hidden agenda, no predatory gleam in her eyes, just genuine concern for a student she had come to care for and for this reason my guard wasn't raised against her.
"I felt his Yoki spike from the faculty office," she said, her voice tight with worry. "I thought he was going to turn you into a stain on the carpet."
I forced a small smile. "There was no need to trouble yourself with me, Sensei. As you can see… I am still alive."
"I was ensuring your safety. There is a difference." Her ears flattened slightly. "How did it go? What did he say?"
I hesitated, gathering my thoughts. "He gave me his blessing. In a manner of speaking."
Shizuka blinked, her golden eyes widening. "His blessing? What do you mean?"
I spent the next few minutes summarizing the conversation, leaving out some of the more personal details but giving her the broad strokes. The recording and his reaction. Mikogami's admission that he knew about the corruption in the Academy. His claim that he had been watching me, ever since I arrived at the Academy. And finally, his offer.
Shizuka's expression tightened, but there was no surprise in her eyes. Only a weary, familiar guilt. "I figured as much. Since Mikogami‑san is one of the Demon Lords of our East Yokai Faction, he has his own ways of watching what partakes in this Dimension." She looked down at her hands, claws still extended. "Sigh… We have both failed as adults, Tsukune‑kun. I failed by looking away. He failed by allowing it."
"You should not beat yourself too much for that, Sensei. After all, you are just a cogwheel in a whole machine. To have such a massive apparatus moving, you need everything to move in synchrony. One person can't forcefully pull along everyone with themselves."
I paused, letting the weight of my words settle. "However, what we can do as individuals is strive to improve the conditions around us. This takes time, and we have to start with small things, or tackle the systemic problems sickening us."
I thought about the human world I had left behind, about the corruption that festered in governments and institutions, about the way power corrupted even the well‑intentioned. Why should I expect anything different from a school full of monsters trying to cosplay as humans? Ending corruption, rooting it out entirely, that was a fantasy. But that didn't mean I had to accept it.
'Heh, as long as you're part of the corruption, it's fine…'
"What pulls down the Academy are the privileges granted or gained by various bodies, the factioning of the Clubs who each pull for their own privileges. We also have teachers who have no clue what they are doing, or just prey on weaker students, such as Okuto."
I met her gaze, my voice growing firmer. "But what I think is the bigger problem is the governing bodies of the students. The Disciplinary Committee led by Kuyo Hono and the Student Council led by Hokuto Kaneshiro. Once those bodies are dismantled and restructured, we can then reform the Teaching Staff. Scratch away old senseless rules and implement newer ones fitting for today's age."
Shizuka listened, her tail curling around her leg. "You say that, Tsukune‑kun, but it takes the Headmaster's Mandate for those to implement. Without his approval, nothing will change in the Academy. Let me see if I can get him to agree with your ideas. I will have to talk with Stein and the other teachers wanting to improve the conditions of the Academy into the fold."
I met her gaze. "Would you believe it if I told you that he gave me his blessing in trying to change the Academy?"
Shizuka's ears perked forward. "He gave you... free rein?"
"In so many words. He told me I could do as I saw fit if I wanted to change the Academy. He will not interfere, but he will also not rescue me if I doom myself while trying. He wants me to do his dirty work." A sardonic smirk crossed my lips. "Guess I am the janitor now."
Shizuka stared at me, her golden eyes wide. For a long moment, she did not speak. Then, slowly, a smile spread across her face, warm and genuine. "That is... I have known Mikogami‑san for years, and I have never seen him give anyone such freedom. He truly believes in you, Tsukune‑kun."
"He believes in using me," I corrected, but there was no heat in my voice. "But I will take what I can get."
Her expression softened. She reached out and placed a hand on his arm. "That is not how I see it, Tsukune‑kun. You do not know how unbelievable it is for that stubborn Kishin to even bother himself dealing with you. This is a golden chance to take the Yokai Academy to a new Era."
Her golden eyes held mine, and I felt the weight of her words settle over me. She was not just saying it to make me feel better. She genuinely believed it.
"Hmm? I do agree with your point, Shizuka‑sensei, but, is there something on my face?" I asked since I felt strange being stared at by Shizuka when she had her eyes open, being used to her casual 'eyelid closed' face.
She blinked, then laughed, a soft, musical sound. "No, nothing on your face. I was just... thinking. You remind me of someone I used to know. The way you're charging at things and your desire to improve other's lives."
"Someone important?"
"Yes." Her smile faded, replaced by something sadder. "My sister, Fujimai."
I tilted my head. "I do not think you have mentioned her before."
"It is not a story I tell often." She looked away, her gaze distant. "She was a woman with a heart of gold. Hardworking. Always wanting to protect and defend our Clan. She had a fire in her that I have rarely seen in anyone else." She paused, her voice dropping. "Until I met you."
I did not know what to say to that. I just stood there, letting the silence stretch between us.
Shizuka shook her head, as if shaking off a memory. "But that is a story for another time. For now, I want to be part of that change, Tsukune‑kun. I have looked away for far too long. I will not do it again."
I studied her for a moment, searching for any hint of hesitation. I found none. "Even if it means going against many of my colleagues from the Teaching Staff?"
"Especially against them." Her tail swished, a flicker of her old fire. "Do not think that I am a housecat, Tsukune‑kun. In my youth, I was quite the naughty cat creating havoc in the Yokai and Devil Circles along with my dear sister, Fujimai."
I nodded, a small but genuine smile tugging at my lips. "I am not doubting you for one second, Sensei. Any help I receive especially from an invaluable person such as you is welcomed. Because I am going to need all the help I can get for this to succeed."
Her expression softened, and she squeezed my arm gently. "I will do everything I can to help you, Tsukune‑kun. You have my word."
We stood there for a moment, teacher and student, bound by a shared purpose. The morning light streamed through the windows, casting long shadows across the floor.
I reached out and placed my hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. The warmth of her skin seeped through the fabric of her blouse, and I felt the tension in her shoulders ease under my touch.
"I don't have words to thank you, Sensei. For everything you have done for me from day one."
For a moment, I held back the impulse to pull her into a firm hug, to thank her for everything she had done for me since I had arrived at this chaotic Academy.
She was truly someone who had become precious to me. I was certain in my heart that she had known I was a human from the first day we met. But she had chosen to ignore the rules and bring me under her umbrella, protecting me when she had no obligation to do so.
She had been my anchor in those first desperate weeks, when I had been nothing but a scared, confused human surrounded by monsters. And she had never asked for anything in return.
"That is... quite the touching moment we are sharing, Tsukune-kun." Her tail swayed behind her, brushing against my leg in a way that made my skin prickle.
I blinked, then realized I had been staring at her for longer than was appropriate. I stepped back, clearing my throat. "Sorry, Sensei. I was just... I was thinking about how much you have done for me. I do not say it enough, but I am grateful."
She smiled, a warm, genuine expression. "You do not have to say it at all, Tsukune‑kun. I can see it in your actions." She paused, her ears twitching. "But perhaps we should save the emotional confessions for later. We have work to do."
I nodded, grateful for the shift in tone. "Right. Work."
"Now," I said, breaking the silence, "I shouldn't idle around any further. As we speak, our enemies are drawing plans and schemes to take us out from the picture."
"I need to get stronger. The Student Council will not stay quiet. I have already gotten entangled with one of their members, Mizuki Ueshiba. I am sure he will not stay down silently while I walk scot‑free with one of his men killed. There are plenty of S‑tier individuals in their ranks that can push me against a wall. And I will not be able to protect everyone if I am still playing catch‑up."
I met her gaze. "Say, sensei, is that favor I gained from you, for letting Gin continue to remain in the Newspaper Club still on the table? Besides, you also offered yourself to help me train."
Shizuka's ears perked forward. "You want to start Senjutsu training? Now?"
"Is there a better time when the sword tip is pressing at my throat?"
"No, I suppose not." She considered me, taking in the bitterness from my tone, and the tension in my shoulders. "I have a faculty meeting later, but after classes end? I could meet you. We can start with the basics."
"Where?"
"The Academy Gardens would be perfect. There is enough natural energy there to give you a foundation. You need to learn how to feel the flow of the world around you before you can manipulate it."
I nodded. "The Gardens sounds good. There's not many people walking around there, we can have our training session there."
"Let's do it like this Sensei. After class. I will be there."
Shizuka reached out and placed a hand on my arm. "Sigh. You are pushing yourself too hard, Tsukune‑kun."
"I do not have the luxury of slowing down, Sensei. The faster I get stronger, the more people I hold dear to me I can protect."
She opened her mouth to argue, then closed it. Her hand lingered on my arm for a moment longer, her golden eyes searching mine. "Just... be careful. I do not want to lose a precious student of mine to this Academy."
"I will."
I turned and walked away, leaving her standing in the hallway. I did not look back, but I felt her gaze on me, heavy with concern.
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(Shizuka's POV)
After Tsukune was gone, I remained in the hallway, my hand still hovering where his arm had been. A worried look had settled into my eyes, and my tail had gone still, a sign of deep thought.
'He reminds me so much of her.'
Fujimai, my younger sister, lost to a tragic love story where her affection wasn't reciprocated and she was seen with hostile eyes in the Human World, being faced with Monster Hunters and Exorcists chasing after her even if she was a peaceful woman.
Sigh, if only she hadn't met that ugly human that had ignored and stepped on such a pure heart. Even after I tried to talk some sense into her and force her back to the clan, she still chose to stay by the side of that madman.
Unfortunately, she had burned bright and fast, and in the end, she had burned out, leaving behind two daughters and a legacy of unfinished business in the Human World and Pandemonium.
If things could change, I wish she would have chosen me and the Clan. She would now be here, teaching at the Yokai Academy, raising her girls, watching them grow.
She could enjoy the protection of Nurarihyon-sama and also of Mikogami and Fuhai-san who are respected powerhouses in the Supernatural World, holding the title of Dark Lords.
But Fujimai had chosen her path, and she had walked it to the end. All that remained were her daughters: Kuroka, the older one, who had taken after our mother in strength and mischief, and Shirone, the younger, who had followed her gentle and warm heart also taking in most of her appearance as Kuroka has told me.
The last I heard, Shirone was following a Devil Heiress, Rias Gremory, having been reincarnated as a Devil. And Kuroka... My tail flicked with frustration.
'Kuroka has been running from the chase of the Devils since she killed the bastard who has put a slave color over her and Shirone.'
Fortunately for that hopeless girl, she has managed to find her way to one of the Clan's shrines and I was in proximity to give her assistance.
As for Shirone, while it is unfortunate that she is now bound to a Devil's Contract, I think she's doing much better than other Nekomata's in the wild. Her patron, the Heiress of the Gremory Clan is a gentle girl, even living inside the Human World and building along with Stiri's Heiress a Academy where they can enjoy the beauty of the Human World.
'I need to be ready to see them again this Summer Break when I take the kids outside the Yokai Academy for Club Activities.' I thought, my claws extending and retracting.
'If Tsukune's reforms succeed, I might finally have a place where Kuroka can be safe from the hunt of the Devils, Monster Hunters and Exorcists.'
'Meow~, it doesn't sound bad at all trying to be a matchmaker and introduce my niece to Tsukune-kun. He seems to be the darling of so many girls. Even that Ririko and Hasegawa are showing their tails all ready to claim a piece of my precious pupil.'
'This is why, I have more than enough reasons to not let Tsukune-kun face all of this hardship all by himself. He needs an ally amongst the teachers.'
I had been a coward, looking away when I should have acted. I had let my grief over Fujimai's death cloud my judgment, and had let the years slip by without making a difference. But now, watching Tsukune walk away with that weight on his shoulders, I felt something stir in my chest.
'I also need to resharpen my claws. I cannot let Tsukune see his Sensei as pathetically weak, especially if I have to fight against that Gorgon.'
I took a deep breath, steadying myself. The morning light streamed through the windows, casting long shadows across the floor. Somewhere in the distance, a bell chimed, signaling the start of classes.
'I will not look away again. I will stand with him, and I will fight for the future of this Academy.'
This chapter as you might have noticed sets up the eventual meeting/matchmaking between Tsukune and Kuroka, who knows, even Shirone (Koneko), and if we're getting bolder why not mommy cat, Shizuka?
Hope you liked the chapter, and do share your thoughts. Do you want to see Shizuka added eventually in the future to the Harem?
Also, for the Senjutsu Training... Do you like Naruto? Cause I am planning something quite nice (at least in my head) with Annihilation Maker (Creation powers)