Aika turns back to look at the members of the Paranormal Club, staring slack-jawed in a mix of excitement and bewilderment. “And that’s that. It isn’t usually THAT crazy but that’s how these matches go.”

Saito sighs from his seat, which is away from the group, “So my fears were founded after all...why couldn’t we just go to a normal school?”

Mari giggles at his complaints, “Is there a lion in yer family tree?”

Saito looks at her confused. “Like the Zodiac sign?” He thinks for a second and shakes his head, “I have no idea.”

Mari’s giggling picks up, “Well, if’n ya ever visit a wizard, Ah know what you should wish for!”

Saito blinks. “I don’t get it…”

Mari balks. “Even tho’ it’s a Western thing y’ should still recognize that one.”

Yuuri hugs him from behind. “Don’t worry, we can train together!” She lets go and punches the air. “I’ll have you in fighting shape in no time!”

Saito smiles and ruffles her hair, “Remember what happened at the old school? I already know how to fight.”

“And I beat you!”

Yuudai shakes his head, “It’s no use Yuuri. I tried to get him to lift weights with me over the break and he wouldn’t even go near the dumbells. I doubt he’d actually train.”

Saito shrugs, “I’m not a meathead like you. I don’t see a point in getting big.” He looks back at the TV as confetti falls onto the field, “We should probably get back and check on the rest of the club.”

Yamato looks to the group concerned, “You’re not going to hang around for the press conference? I could get you guys a copy if you leave.”

“Ah think we should at least watch the press conference ‘fore we leave,” Mari says.

Akina scoffs, “Are they going to ask us weird questions at these press conferences too?”

Yuuri looks around to the others, “We’ll stay then! I’ll just let Katsuki know we’re going to be a bit longer.”

“Good!,” Haru exclaims, getting closer to Rina again, “It’d be a shame if you left so soon.”

Rina blinks a few times before looking back to Haru, “You couldn’t get me to leave. This stuff is awesome!”

Haru chuckles, “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself then! Maybe next time we can watch from the stands...”

Yuudai looks to the Games Club, “How long until the interviews anyway?”

Kyo answers, not taking her eyes from the screens, “Usually it takes about 10 minutes or so. They head back to the locker rooms first, then make their way to the conference room.”

Yuudai sits there dumbfounded, “There’s a conference room too!? How big is this place!?”

Yamato nervously laughs at his shock, “Well...Roka really, really wants this to be like a professional sports league. I think it’s a bit too much but it seems to work”

Yuudai goes starstruck hearing the word ‘professional’. “Wow...it’s like I’m playing in the big leagues!”

Rina smirks, “You’ve still got a long way to go, Big Guy. My brother is busting his ass in college ball just to hope he gets drafted.”

Yuudai stops his fanboying and looks at Rina, “Wait, your brother plays baseball too!?”

Saito groans, “There’s another of you out there?”

Rina nods, “He’s been playing for as long as I remember. Even made it to the Little League World Series a couple of times.”

“I have too!” Yuudai exclaims.

Rina’s face turns to shock, “That’s where I remember your name from! You’re Akiyama the Hero!”

Yuudai quickly turns from Rina to hide his rapidly reddening face, “D-Don’t call me that! It was just a silly nickname that’s all!”

Mari makes her way over. “What’s all this about you being a hero Yuudai?”

He sheepishly looks down before turning to answer her, “When we played in the World Series, I made this amazing diving catch for the final out in the Championship game...”

“Against my brother!” Rina adds, the memories flooding back to her.

“Is that why your Warbler name is ‘The Hero Akiyama’?” Yuuri says.

Yuudai’s face gets even redder, “I-I was thirteen! It still sounded like a really cool name!”

The room erupts into laughter, save for Akina.

She turns to see Sayaka staring straight through her. Akina ignores everyone and heads straight to the blonde.

“Is there something you need to say?” Akina steps closer to her, “I’m not into girls if that’s what you wanted to say.”

Sayaka averts her gaze downwards and shakes her head, “It’s nothing.”

Before Akina can respond, Kyo waves her arms again to try shushing everyone. “The conference is starting!”

The conversations die down as the screens turn to the Idol Club seated at a table with a Zonzai backdrop behind them. Haruhiko is currently talking while the rest of his team sits quietly.

“Is...he just talking about himself?” Rina asks.

Yuuri nods in agreement, “He does seem rather vain.”

Mari drools at the screen, “Who cares? He’s hot!”

Yuudai turns to Aika, who is also staring intently at the Idol Club President, the look on her face betraying the rest of her body language. He turns back to the screen to see a reporter standing up from within the crowd.

“Excuse me! I have a question for Miss Hibiki. Is that alright, Mr. Izumi?” He asks.

The camera switches back to the club where Haruhiko is caught off guard by the question. “Eh? Go on then…”

The camera changes focus to Mako as the reporter begins his question. “It was stated before the match that there is a grudge between your club and the Yosakoi Club even before they became a mid-tier club. When I asked anyone, they seemed to point all the reasons to you. May I ask why that is?”

Mako stands up, the shot wobbling as the camera tries to stay focused.

“Although it’s not me directly that caused this rivalry, I believe all the blame comes to me because of the Yosakoi Club’s equipment being set on fire. However I can assure you, as I’ve stated multiple times, I was not the one behind the fire.”

The reporter follows up, “Why do you think the blame is shifted to you? Besides your fire powers, why else would people think you’d set a then low-tier club’s equipment in flames?”

Mako takes a seat, “I’m afraid I cannot answer that question at this time.”

The room becomes a madhouse as various reporters begin asking their questions at once. The Paranormal Club members look on in confusion at the screen.

“What are they talking about?” Yuuri asks.

Yamato shakes her head, “Right before these two played last year, someone set fire to their equipment shed. They couldn’t find a culprit but everyone firmly believes it was the Idol Club’s doing. When they finally got to Roka Arena, Yosakoi ground out a victory in a brutal round of extreme darts, meaning the Idols would need to beat Soccer Club to become the top-ranked Club.”

“And that didn’t happen given the rankings,” Aika adds, still focused on Haruhiko who’s now pouting in his chair at the attention given to Mako.

The conference room finally dies down as another reporter manages to shout out a question that's clearly picked up by the mics, “So you’re saying that the fire WAS your doing?”

Eriri slams her hand on the table and stands up, “That’s enough! I have enough reason to believe that Mako is innocent! The fire broke out over natural causes, and neither my club nor I have been involved in these almost paranormal incidents involving my little sister!”

The conference room is whipped back into a frenzy as a few gasps come from the Paranormal crew.

“Man, they really are intense,” Rina says, watching as Eriri coldly stares out over the crowd.

The gray-haired boy from the Games Club walks over. “Those two weren’t always bickering. They were really close until the Yosakoi Club put on a big performance over the Summer break. After that, it was like a light switch where they couldn’t even stand to be in the same room as the other. It quickly spread to their clubs and that match we talked about before was real ugly.”

“It was just darts, how bad could it be?” Rina asks.

“Let’s just say it didn’t start as extreme darts,” Aika chimes in, “Besides, anyone with a brain knows that Mako started the fire.”

Yamato nods, “We thought a new semester would mean they would calm down but I guess not.”

“So it’s a sibling rivalry gone bad?” Mari asks, thinking out loud. “Actually, how come prettyboy doesn’t mindwhammy them inta likin’ each other?” A gasp escapes her mouth as a light goes off in her head, “What if it’s some kind of spurned love triangle!? Mebbe he likes the little sistah but tha’ big sistah really likes him!?”

“Who knows? I’ve never talked to them but that’s a dangerous line of thinking,” Yamato says.

The commotion from the press conference has finally died down as Lucy appears on the stage. “We appreciate you for your time, but there will be no more questions for the Idol Club today. Thank you.” The cameras quickly zoom out as the feed cuts over to match highlights.

Kyo sighs and turns her seat around from the control panel with a meeker look than she had before. “I heard...it was because they aren’t related and...parental arguments...or something.”

The girl’s line catches Yamato off guard. “Where’d you hear that Kyo?”

“I overheard...Haruhiko and Eriri talking about it…” Kyo says. She looks around to see everyone in the room is focused on her, causing her to shrink in her chair. “Eriri would talk about...f-family issues. S-she would tell Haruhiko a-all sorts of things about N-Naomi and I h-heard her call Naomi a f-fake sister…”

The last line hits both Yuuri and Mari hard.

“That’s...kinda harsh,” Mari says.

Yuuri stomps her foot, “Step or blood related, you shouldn’t treat family like that!”

Kyo jumps at the stomp but continues on, “S-she was upset b-because her parents would always praise N-Naomi for being m-more talented, and the true heir to the Motoba musical t-talents.”

Mari crosses her arms, “That explains why she’s in the Idol Club then. Most of them ain’t classically gifted performers.”

“But setting Yosakoi’s equipment on fire? That’s ridiculous!” Yuuri exclaims.

“Folks’ll get ridiculous when it comes ta rivalries Yuuri. Add powers ta the mix and BOOM!” Mari claps her hands together for emphasis.

“Well…” Saito stretches, “You have a bunch of teenagers, all with various powers, away from any large cities...I’m surprised more things haven’t been set on fire.”

“Wait!” Yuuri stops the conversation, “Mako’s the fire girl and she’s not related to either of them!” She thinks for a second, “Making someone else do it...That’s even worse!”

Mari shakes her head, “Y’all hung out with tha gyaru right? Yew should know how easy it is to have a lighter or something on ya. Big sis coulda torched tha place an’ fingered Mako for it.”

Yuuri sighs before looking at the brown-haired girl, “Do you know anything else about them Kyo?”

She meekly looks back at Yuuri, “W-well...I s-sometimes see Eriri at the park with a member of her club. I-It’s always one b-but it seems like s-she’s yelling at them…”

“What about tha pretty boy?” Mari asks.

“Oh, Haruhiko? Y-you see him always walking around campus with a b-bunch of girls b-but he never seems interested in t-talking to them...until he met that little redhead in your c-club.”

“Cerys!?” Mari looks shocked.

“A-at least that’s what it seems like. I-I don’t get too close b-because his powers s-scare me…”

Yuuri smiles, “Thanks for the information Kyo.”

The girl lightly blushes and nods.

Yamato stretches and checks her phone, “It’s time for us to leave. Don’t want to get caught down here.”

“Well, thanks for inviting us down here Yamato,” Yuuri smiles.

Yamato returns it, “Anytime! You guys are always welcome to join us!”

Haru nudges Rina, “And if you wanna check out any other secret places around campus, I’d be happy to give you a tour.”

Rina snorts, “That’s it? That’s your best line?”

Haru blinks, caught off guard.

“I was really hoping you’d hit me with something good but man, you just kept whiffing on everything. Keep it up though, I like the attention.” Rina lightly taps his shoulder to punctuate her thought.

Haru buffers for a few seconds before regaining composure. He pulls a piece of paper out of his jacket, “Hit me up at any time and I’ll give you the attention you really deserve.”

She smirks while taking the paper, “You better bring your A-game then.”

Haru guides Rina out of the room, trying to put his arm around her in the process. He’s instantly denied by Rina shrugging his arm off.

Sayaka closes the door before catching up to Akina and grabbing her arm.

Akina spins around, glaring death at her, “First you stare at me, now you’re grabbing me? You’re lucky I don’t cut your arm off right now.”

Sayaka meets her gaze, “I can’t believe you don’t recognize me.”

The fury lessens in Akina’s eyes, “We know each other?”

She nods, “You are from the Gedou family correct? My family name is Inaba. Our fathers worked together. Does that help?”

Akina thinks, “Inaba? I think I saw some guy with that name on some of those trips I got dragged to. As bad with his alcohol as he is singing enka. That fit the description?”

Sayaka laughs, “That’s my father alright.”

“I don’t see what this has to do with me,” Akina says, walking away, causing Sayaka to follow her. “Can’t say I like remembering those times and whose son or daughter was running around.”

Sayaka frowns, “I thought you would want my help...Akina.”

This causes Akina to stop again, and turn back to face her, “What makes you think I need your help?”

Sayaka maintains her composure, “Aren’t you and your father having...issues?”

The mention of her father causes the fury to return to Akina’s eyes, “You know what helping me could mean to you?”

The blonde nods, “I know of your father’s strength and the people he knows but...you’re father is an evil, evil man and you were...one of my only friends as a child so I want to assist you in any way I can!”

Akina smirks, “That’s an awful lot of drive for a rabbit.”

“I will strip my family name if I have to!” Sayaka shouts, kneeling down as if standing before her lord, “I want to help you, Akina...I don’t want you to die.”

“Stop making such a scene. I have no real plans to go after him.”

Sayaka stands back up, blushing.

“Why didn’t you say that the first time we met instead of waving a sword in my face?” Akina asks.

“I know how your family works!” Sayaka replies, “I figured you would remember me with a show of power…”

“The only thing a show of power will get you is killed. You should know that if our families have worked together.” Akina’s icy glare drives the dagger of her words even deeper. “Besides, you had no powers as a child. I would have remembered someone from my childhood who could pull swords from thin air.”

Sayaka looks away, “I...just wanted to hang out with you again…”

“Oh great,” Akina groans, “Another person worried about my own life more than I am. You’re just like that annoying red thing that follows me.” She pauses for a second before sighing, “With your powers, we should be able to take down my father.”

Sayaka looks at her shocked, “I thought you said you had no plans?”

“No real plans.” Akina corrects her, “But I do have one idea that might work.”

“W-what is it Lady Gedou?” Sayaka asks, kneeling before her again.

Akina chops her on the head, “Stop using that embarrassing name.” Sayaka stands up blushing for the second time today, “As you know, my family’s fighting style is assassin’s fist. If I kill my father, we can put an end to this.”

“Are you sure you can reach your father undamaged?”

Akina shakes her head, “I don’t care what happens to me, but truthfully...I don’t think I can beat him even at my best. It’s like trying to fight a tornado.”

Concern washes over Sayaka’s face as she looks towards her, “I know I can pull any weapon needed but...are you sure the two of us are enough?”

“You know what they say,” Akina continues, “My father possesses the power of a demon. I’ve fought actual demons, and he is worse. Like an unnatural power of rage and anger. Sometimes I even feel it too.”

Sayaka nods in agreement with what Akina says, “My father has called him the Tempestuous Beast…”

“Talking about this makes me furious!” Akina raises her voice and slams her fist against the nearby wall, causing cracks to travel across the surface. She turns back to Sayaka, blood beginning to drip off her fist, “If we fail, he’ll kill you, beat me to within an inch of my life, and dump me somewhere for it to start all over. He’ll punish your family too.”

Sayaka bites her lip and grips her jacket, “That’s...That’s a risk I’m willing to take. I told you.”

Akina sighs and shakes her head, “Do you even know where he is?”

“At this time...no.” Sayaka says, trying to figure out some way to comfort her friend, “I think it would be wise to attack over the summer holiday though. I know he has plans to meet with another company soon.”

“It’s a start at least...” Akina mumbles.

Sayaka nods, “We should probably return now. No reason to make our clubs worry.”

Akina goes to leave when Sayaka stops her. She pulls a dagger, cuts the bottom of her shirt off, grabs Akina’s busted hand, and ties it up, “Your club will still ask questions, but at least you will no longer leave a trail of blood.”

Akina stares at the makeshift bandage, “Thanks I guess?” Her staring is interrupted by Sayaka thrusting her phone into Akina’s face.

“Add your number Lady Ged...Akina. That way we can stay in touch. Maybe you can help train me as well.”

Akina snatches the phone and starts to leave, causing Sayaka to follow behind her like a lost puppy. She tosses the phone behind her. Sayaka has to leap out and catch it before it hits the ground.