Chapter 81: Yandere vs Kuudere (I)
(Inner Moka's POV)
The dorm room was quiet, the kind of stillness that settled into the walls after the noise from the morning had finally faded. The curtains were drawn, but moonlight bled through the gaps, striping the floor with silver.
I sat on the edge of the bed, my legs crossed beneath me. My back was straight as a blade while my hands rested in my lap, palms open, fingers slack as I pondered and discussed something deeper.
The posture was meditative, but my mind was anything but calm.
The Rosario Cross sat on the nightstand beside me, its crimson gem gleaming faintly in the darkness. Through its surface, I could feel her presence, that gentle, warm pulse that was so different from my own. She was waiting, as she always did, for me to break the silence first.
I sighed. The sound was soft, barely audible, but I knew she heard it.
"You were right," Outer's voice came from the Rosario, soft and hesitant. "I should have listened to you from the beginning. You always know when people are dangerous, and regardless of how much I try, I can't read people as well as you."
"I am usually right when it comes to judging character," I said, keeping my voice flat. "So you know, it is not a skill I developed for pleasure. It is a survival instinct that I picked up since I had to grow up in Shuzen Castle."
I paused, letting the weight of my words settle.
"You seem to have forgotten the environment we have grown up in. Well, I don't condemn you since when I was sealed, father quickly sent you to the Human World to have a 'normal' life."
A bitter edge crept into my voice.
"How things have turned."
The words came out harsher than I intended. I heard her flinch through the bond, felt the ripple of her hurt like a pebble dropped into still water. I forced myself to soften my tone, just a fraction.
"You are too trusting, sister. You see the best in everyone, even when they are hiding a monster within them. It is a weakness we have to try to change."
Outer was quiet for a moment. When she spoke again, her voice was smaller, more vulnerable, as if she was trying to contain tears. "How would I know everyone is out to get me? I just wanted to make something beautiful for him. For Tsukune-kun. I thought... I thought if I could give him something that came from my heart, he would know how much he means to me."
I closed my eyes, feeling the familiar ache in my chest. It was always there when I thought of him, that strange, warm pressure that I still did not fully understand. I had spent so many years locked away, watching the world from behind this seal, that I had forgotten what it felt like to care for someone. To want to protect them. To want them to be happy, even if it meant sharing them with others.
All until I met Tsukune.
"Tsukune's birthday is in seven days, is it not?"
I felt Outer's surprise ripple through the bond, followed by something softer that was so pure, so genuine, that it made my chest tighten. "You remembered?"
"Of course I remembered." I opened my eyes, staring at the Rosario Cross. "I do not forget things that are this important. And he is... he is important. To both of us."
"He is," Outer agreed, her voice soft with affection. "But I do not know what to give him. I have been working on a portrait of him for almost two weeks now. I wanted it to be perfect. I wanted it to show him how I see him. But I cannot get the details right."
Her voice grew frustrated, almost tearful.
"The light in his eyes, the way his hair catches the sun, his smiling expression when he thinks no one is watching while me and Kurumu are bickering..."
She trailed off, and I could feel her frustration, her longing, the way she was crushing herself under expectations no one had placed on her.
"I went to Ishigami-sensei because I thought she could help me," Outer continued. "Everyone in our class knows how passionate she is about painting and art. It's normal you would want the advice of an experienced artist. I just never thought she would be actually dangerous. I just thought she was... intense."
I let out a slow breath, "Sigh. If I had not stopped you, I wonder what would have happened to us. You are too much of a crowd pleaser, sister. You bend downwards whenever you receive praise. It is a dangerous habit."
I paused, letting my voice soften further.
"No one blames you for wanting to approach a teacher to give you advice. In a normal place, you wouldn't need to worry about that. Yet in this place, it is the law of survival of the fittest."
"I know," Outer admitted. "I am trying to be better. But it is hard. I want people to like me. I want to be useful. I want to be worthy of the love that Tsukune-kun gives me."
A flicker of irritation ran through me. "You are already worthy. You do not need to prove yourself to anyone, least of all to him. He didn't confess to you because he worries about my opinion and that you would just run away like you usually do while being stressed. You know it as I know it myself that he loves you for who you are, not because of what you can do for him."
Outer's voice was small, almost childlike. "I will not run this time if he holds me in his arms and wants to kiss me. That time, I was just overwhelmed by emotions and acted on instinct."
"Better not. It is indeed hurtful to be rejected." I said, trying not to crack a laugh while remembering the expression Tsukune gave after being blasted away when he first tried to kiss this innocent sister of mine.
The memory was still vivid. His face, caught between shock and amusement. His voice, strained as he picked himself up from the floor. 'I suppose I deserved that.'
Outer was quiet again. When she spoke, her voice was soft, almost hesitant. "You know, sister, I am worried about the girls who disappeared. If Ishigami-sensei is truly the cause, then... then I was almost one of them."
The thought made my blood run cold. Anger ignited in my chest, quick and biting, a flame I couldn't quite smother. It was not directed at Outer, but at the woman who had dared to target her. Who had almost taken her away from me.
"It is troubling me too," I said, my voice low. "Which is why I need you to stay alert. If you sense anything strange, anything at all, you must tell me immediately. Do not try to handle it on your own."
Outer hesitated. Then, in a small, almost rebellious voice, she asked, "Should we go check on the Art Club building? I doubt Ishigami-sensei is present at this hour."
I blinked, caught off guard. A slow, chilling predatory smile formed at the corners of my lips, eager for the chaos. "For once, you are saying something on the same wavelength as myself."
Outer's surprise rippled through the bond. "You want to investigate too?"
"I have been itching for a fight since we watched Tsukune destroy that Okuto guy," I admitted. The memory of watching Tsukune display such power sent a thrill through me. "Seeing him unleash his true power, watching how he has begun mastering his Vampire transformation, it made me so proud of him."
I paused, my voice dropping.
"However, since I fought against Gin, the only rush I get is when I spar against Tsukune. However, that is just a fraction of the true rush of combat. I want to fully taste that victory, and what better target than that woman."
"Well, I doubt he knew we were watching him," Outer said, a hint of amusement creeping into her voice. "Since you turned into a small bat and spectated from a distance."
"You're too focused on details. My transformation ability is unmatched amongst us Shuzen sisters. He wouldn't be able to detect me since I suppressed my Yoki signature."
I rose from the bed, the decision already made. The Rosario Cross glowed faintly as I reached for it, my fingers brushing against its cool surface.
"Stay alert," I told Outer. "And try not to interfere unless absolutely necessary. What I mean by that is, don't scream too much into my ears. It's hard to concentrate with someone panicking in my head."
"I will handle this." I said letting my voice carry a hint of finality
"I am always alert," Outer said, a hint of petulance in her voice. "And I am not helpless, sister. I have been training too."
"I know." I allowed a hint of warmth to creep into my tone. "But you are still learning to control my Vampire powers. I have been training since I was old enough to walk while you tried to blend in the human world, ignoring the truth facing you."
The bond flickered with reluctant acceptance. "Fine. But if you get into trouble, better call for Tsukune to help you. He's not weaker than you, right now."
"Mmmm, that would make me feel pathetic if I get beaten and had to call for Tsukune's help."
"You have to, since he would blame himself if you get harmed."
"Tsk, you think he doesn't know what we're up to? He has surveillance twenty-four-seven on us Newspaper Club members, especially you, sister."
"You're still trying to act cool."
"Fine. Deal. If I get defeated, which I doubt will ever happen against a snake, I will retreat."
I tucked the Rosario Cross into the folds of my Academy uniform, feeling its weight settle against my skin. Then I turned to the window, my hand resting on the frame.
The night air greeted me as I pushed it open, cool and crisp. I paused for a moment, taking it in. The darkness was familiar, a comfort. I had spent so many years trapped in the darkness of my own mind that the physical darkness of the night felt like home.
Time to see what that snake is hiding in her den.
I leaped from the window, my body cutting through the air like a blade. The ground rushed up to meet me, but I landed without a sound, my feet touching the earth as softly as a falling leaf. The Academy courtyard stretched before me, empty and still, the buildings loomed ahead like sleeping giants.
I moved quickly, my footsteps silent against the stone paths. The Art Club building was on the far side of the campus, a squat, unassuming structure that always seemed to be shrouded in shadow. I had never paid it much attention before, but now, as I drew closer, I could feel something off about it.
There was a presence. A darker Yoki stain that made me frown.
Just as I suspected. There is something dark at work here.
I paused at the edge of the courtyard, my senses reaching out. The building was quiet, but it was not empty. I could feel the faint pulse of Yoki within, a presence that had this cold, dirty feel to it, as if it was a creature of the swamps.
Since that snake is still in her nest, this makes it easier to apprehend her red-handed. Take her down and capture all of the evidence of her actions.
I felt my lips curve.
Too bad she does not know what awaits her.
I activated Wealth of Power, an ability that most Vampires awaken, regardless of whether they were from the Shuzen Clan or the western factions. My form dissolved into the crimson mist of my blood, shrinking, compressing, until I became something smaller. Unlike Tsukune, who enjoyed turning himself into a blood mist or a wolf, I preferred something simpler.
A bat. Pink and delicate, with wings that beat silently against the night air.
This was much better for tight places. I can explore without being noticed.
I flew toward the Art Club building, my tiny heart beating with the thrill of the hunt. The shadows were my allies now, cloaking me as I darted between them. The building grew closer with each beat of my wings, and I could feel the Yoki within becoming stronger, more defined.
Then I saw it.
A flash of vibrant golden light, moving across the roof of the Art Club building. I paused, hovering in midair, my senses sharpening as I studied the intruder.
It was a fox. Small and sleek, with fur that gleamed like molten gold in the darkness. Its blue eyes were sharp, intelligent, and as it moved across the roof, it carried itself with a grace that was unmistakably predatory.
I could recognize Yoki from miles away even if I didn't want to, along with that annoying scent that kept on lingering on Tsukune whenever he would go to meet with his informants. While he didn't say clearly who he was meeting, not that I pressed him for the answers, I wasn't foolish or dense enough as to not figure out who this 'important' informant of his was.
The warmth beneath the surface, the possessiveness that clung to it like a second skin. This was no ordinary fox.
Chizuru Minamoto. If I am not wrong, from what I learned back at the Castle, she is a member of the Kyubi Clan, Yasaka's faction. She should be powerful enough since even this Kuyo dominating the Yokai Academy is part of the Kyubi Clan.
The fox paused, its ears perked forward. Its nostrils flared as it scented the air. Its blue eyes swept across the roof, searching, and I knew she had sensed the same thing I picked on.
What is she doing here?
For a long moment, neither of us moved. The only sound was the whisper of the wind across the roof tiles, the distant chirp of crickets in the garden below. Then, without warning, the fox's jaws opened, and a blue ball of flame was spat in my direction.
I evaded the attack, my tiny bat form darting to the side as the fireball sailed past me and dissipated into the night. I landed on the edge of the roof, my form dissolving as I reformed into my human shape. My feet touched the tiles without a sound, and my crimson eyes were fixed on the golden fox with an icy glare.
"Akashiya-san." Her voice was calm, measured, but I could hear the edge beneath it. "I was wondering when you would show up."
Slowly, the fox's form began to shift.
Golden light enveloped her, warm and soft, and as it faded, Chizuru stood before me. She was still in her Academy uniform, her dark hair spilling over her shoulders, her onyx eyes fixated on me as if I was someone who had stolen something precious from her.
Our eyes locked, keeping my tone cool and measured. "You should ask the same of yourself, Minamoto-san. Are you so impatient for Tsukune's attention that you are willing to risk alerting the hiding rat to our presence?"
Chizuru's watched me with a fake smile. "I am not the one who flew in here like a lost bat. If anyone is going to alert Ishigami-sensei, it is you."
I tilted my head, studying her. "You came here for the same reason I did. You want to know what happened to the missing girls."
"I want to know what Tsukune-kun is interested in," Chizuru corrected, her voice dropping. "And I will not be satisfied until I have claimed the spot I deserve in his life."
I felt my eyes narrow. "And where is that?"
Chizuru stepped closer, her onyx eyes gleaming with barely contained possessiveness. "Of course, next to him. First in his heart, the only one he turns to when he's lonely."
"It sounds stupid to me since you are already in his life. That should suffice, don't you think?"
"Enough?" Chizuru laughed, the sound cold and sharp. "You are his official girlfriend, Akashiya-san. You hold the position I want for myself. Do not pretend you do not understand why I am here."
I did not flinch. I was not intimidated by those words, since words had not so much power over me. If she expected me to flinch, she was still too naïve even for an S-Class Kitsune. She could wait for an eternity before she managed to raise a reaction out of me.
"I am his girlfriend. That is the reality we're living in. But I am also willing to share him with others. If I ask you this question, could you do the same?"
Chizuru's smile faltered, just a fraction. "I do not like sharing anything. Least of all someone as precious as him."
"Then we have a problem," I said, my voice flat. "Because Tsukune is not a possession to be claimed. He is a person. And he will choose his own path, regardless of what either of us wants."
Chizuru's expression darkened. "I do not need you to lecture me, Akashiya-san. I know exactly what Tsukune-kun is and what he wants. I have seen the way he looks at me. The way he smiles when I am near. I can tell he wants me more than any of those pretty faces buzzing around him like flies."
"Oh, you sound so pure, but you don't even know what Tsukune really truly wants. While he does treat us and shower us with affection and attention, he's not someone to settle down with only one woman." I said, keeping my voice calm. "Sorry to break it to you. That means you will not be the only one."
Chizuru's eyes blazed with sudden, searing anger. The golden aura around her flickered, and I could feel the Yoki building within her, hot and volatile. "You are so infuriatingly calm, Akashiya-san. Do you not feel anything? Do you not care that I am trying to take him from you?"
I held her stare, and for the first time, I allowed a flicker of my true feelings to show. A small crack in the mask I was wearing when facing possible foes. "I feel a lot, Chizuru-san. More than you could possibly imagine. But I have learned to control my emotions. It is one of the first lessons a Shuzen Clan Vampire learns."
"I am sure you have learned plenty of lessons, Akashiya-san. But this lesson is one you have not learned yet. How to fight for what is yours."
I felt my Yoki stir in response, the crimson energy coiling within me like a serpent. I had not come here to fight her. But if she forced the issue, I would not back down.
"I will not let you take him from me," Chizuru said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I will not let anyone take him from me. He is mine. My destined one. My future husband. Let me see for myself if you're worthy of standing so close to my Tsukune-kun."
The space between us crackled, charged with tension. The shadows deepened around us as our Yoki began to clash against each other.
Hmph. This girl is too entitled and never learned the meaning of a 'No'. Since she's not backing down from this lighting, let me teach you a lesson. I was getting bored anyway being stuck in the human-like routine of attending this Academy.
"You are making a mistake, Kitsune." I said, keeping my voice low and steady. "I am not someone you want as an enemy."
Chizuru's smile was sharp, predatory. "Neither am I, Akashiya-san."
Her black hair began to shift, the deep ebony lightening at the roots, spreading like liquid gold through the strands. The color rippled down the length of her locks, transforming them into a cascade of molten amber. Her onyx eyes flickered, the darkness receding as her irises brightened into a green color, the pupils slitting into vertical lines.
Fox ears pushed through her hair, a pair of pointed, golden-furred triangles that twitched and swiveled, tracking every sound around us. They were the ears of a predator, keen and alert, and they gave her face a sharp, feral beauty that was alluring.
Behind her, nine tails erupted from the base of her spine, each one thick and luxurious, covered in fur that gleamed like spun gold. They fanned out behind her, swaying with a life of their own, each tail pulsing with Yoki that made the air around her shimmer. The tails moved in perfect synchronization, a silent display of power that was meant to intimidate.
'One of the Great Yokai races of Japan.'
'This is the first time I face one, so I am curious to see why she's so arrogant to think she can remove me from Tsukune's side.'
Her Academy uniform dissolved, replaced by a form-fitting combat kimono of deep crimson and gold. The fabric hugged her curves, revealing the lean muscle beneath, the kind of physique that came from years of training and combat. A white obi cinched her waist, and her feet were bare, her toes gripping the roof tiles like claws.
Her features sharpened, her cheekbones becoming more pronounced, her jawline more angular. Her lips curved into a smile that was pure predator, revealing her own fang. The golden Yoki aura around her flared, and I could feel her power pressing against mine like a physical weight.
"Now, Akashiya-san," she said, her voice carrying along with her yoki. "Let us see if you can back up that confidence of yours."
She attacked without warning.
She extended lazily her right hand, and a massive ball of blue flame shot toward me, larger and more concentrated than the one she had used against my bat form. The fireball was blinding in the darkness, its heat radiating outward as it hurtled toward me.
Alerted by my instincts, I was already moving.
My body dissolved into blood mist, the crimson vapor scattering across the rooftop as the fireball passed through where I had been standing. I reformed behind her, my hand already forming into a claw, my nails extending into razor-sharp points.
I lunged, my strike aimed at the base of her tails.
She spun, her tails whipping around like a barrier of golden fur. My claws met the tails, and I felt the impact shudder through my arm. They were stronger than they looked, each one reinforced by her Yoki, and I could feel the heat emanating from them.
This Kitsune is not to be underestimated.
Chizuru's eyes blazed, and she launched herself at me with a speed that caught me off guard. I barely had time to raise my guard before her claws were upon me, raking across my forearms with enough force to draw blood.
'This musume… She's really having some screws loose.'
I felt the sting of the wounds, the warmth of my own blood as it seeped through my uniform. But I did not flinch, just a little blood spill that would regenerate in seconds.
"If this is the best you can do, then you are not as worthy as I thought," I said, my voice flat.
Chizuru's smile widened. "I am just getting started, Vampire."
Her tails lashed out, each one moving independently, striking from multiple angles. I dodged the first, deflected the second, and took the third to my ribs with a grunt of pain. The force of the blow sent me sliding across the roof, my feet scraping against the tiles.
I planted my hand, arresting my momentum, and pushed myself upright. My rib cage flared with pain, but in such moments I could only swallow this damage and rely on my Vampire Regeneration. It didn't take long for my regeneration to kick in, pulling the torn flesh back into place, smoothing the inner cracks in place.
"Regeneration," Chizuru observed, her voice carrying a note of grudging respect. "A useful ability. But I wonder how long it will sustain you if I keep carving pieces off."
"Long enough to put you in your place," I said.
Her eyes narrowed. "You are a poor liar, Akashiya-san."
"If you think I am lying, you should watch this."
I launched myself at her, my body dissolving into blood mist and reforming behind her with a burst of speed. My claws raked across her back, tearing through her combat kimono and drawing a thin line of red across her pale skin.
She hissed, spinning to face me. "So you can also pack a punch. How... unsurprising."
She lunged, and I met her head-on.
.
.
.