It was the first day of camp, and Allan Mckenzie taught the students how to pitch their tents. Each pair of buddies shared a single tent.

Gale was so skilled in pitching tents that he was done before Allan could finish teaching the students.

“What the — How are you so fast, Gale?“

Gale shrugged and walked away. He pitched tents for missions with Agatha, so it was second nature to him. Reynard marveled at Gale’s efficiency.

Reynard and Gale took a break, and the latter saw how Clere was struggling with the ropes. Clere wasn’t in a mood to pitch tents, and so Gale went up to her to help.

“Here you go,” Gale said as he tied the ropes to the anchor on the concrete floor. “Take a break with Reynard. You need some time for yourself.”

Clere thanked Gale promptly and left Jacinta and Gale to set up the tent. Kasumi saw that Clere was free, and she quickly approached her.

“Let’s have a heart-to-heart talk, Clere!” Kasumi said. “It’s been a while since we did.”

Clere nodded, and the girls went to a nearby brook to talk.

Kasumi held Clere’s hands and allowed Clere to gather her thoughts. After a while, Clere said, “your brother confessed to me earlier.”

Kasumi sighed. Clere’s interest in Hideki waned in recent months, and Kasumi noticed. “And Satori heard Hideki’s confession?”

“Yeah. Satori was in worse shape than me, so I asked Gale to take care of her,” Clere revealed. “And Gale punched Dylan in his face as a result. He could’ve gotten a teacher around to diffuse the situation, but he was itching to punch Dylan.”

“Well, anyone would. Dylan nearly got Gale killed,” Kasumi replied.

A cool breeze came and the leaves rustled after the afternoon sun. Clere took a deep breath and confessed to Kasumi.

“I’m sorry, Kasumi.”

“What about?” Kasumi asked.

“I can’t help falling in love with Gale.”

Kasumi laughed, and Clere stared at her. “That’s it?! What’s there to be apologetic about?”

“It sucks to have a love rival,” Clere admitted. “I saw a picture of myself in Satori. She likes Hideki, but Hideki wasn’t reciprocating. Hideki likes me, but I can’t accept him. And I like Gale, but Gale likes you.”

Kasumi knew it was blissful to have feelings reciprocated by a loved one. “Well, I’m fortunate that Gale likes me back. However, Aunt May spoke to me privately before I came to this camp. She hopes that I would accept Gale’s other lovers if they arrive.”

Clere raised her eyebrows at Kasumi’s words. “What do you mean?”

“Gale doesn’t truly know what he did during the City Plaza battle. When he signed a blood covenant with Rei and Yumiko, he was sealing a marriage deal with them. We do not know what kind of a marriage deal, but it has certainly sealed Gale’s fate.”

Clere perked up at the sudden revelation. “That can’t be right! How can you share a lover with someone else?! Gale isn’t the type to be frivolous!”

Kasumi heaved a sigh. “Gale was hard-pressed when he was thinking about Raine’s protection, so he signed a blood covenant with Rei and Yumiko for his sister’s safety. Rei and Yumiko are virgin vampires from Dagda, and female virgin vampires only marry the person who gives them their first taste of his blood.

Refusal to marry is inconceivable to vampires. They might turn rogue, or bind their lover into slavery. Moreover, Rei is a Vampire Princess. She has an army of vampires who would do her bidding.

I may have no choice but to accept Gale’s other lovers.”

“What does Gale say? Does he want a harem?!” Clere asked angrily.

“Gale doesn’t, and Aunt May was worried that he would refuse Rei, so she wanted me to convince him,” Kasumi said. “Gale is as stubborn as a mule, and he will fight to the death, but Aunt May said the only person that could stop him is me.

However, Aunt May didn’t want to force me into a decision. If I don’t want Gale to have other lovers, she will support me, and we’ll probably have to fight our way out.”

Clere couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “That’s so unfair, Kasumi! Rei and Yumiko took advantage of Gale to enslave him!”

“But having Rei and Yumiko as part of the family is reassuring indeed,” Kasumi mulled. “Gale can’t keep a quiet life if he fights with lynchpins all the time. The alternative is to belong to a powerful clan who will protect him.

I’m inclined to be sisters with Rei and Yumiko.”

Clere took some time to think about Kasumi’s situation. Marriage would solve a lot of Gale’s problems because no one would dare to mess with vampires.

“But a Vampire Princess isn’t a legal title in this realm,” Clere remarked. “Vampires belong to the underworld and Dagda, and they aren’t legally recognized here.”

“Well, that’s another problem for another day,” Kasumi said as she rubbed her hands against Clere’s. “But more importantly, it means there’s still hope for you with Gale.”

“You mean you want to share Gale with me?!” Clere exclaimed.

“Why not? One or two more girls don’t make a difference anymore. What matters to me is I remain first place in Gale’s heart,” Kasumi explained.

It was an answer that Clere didn’t expect. Kasumi could’ve any guy in the world. Even Valerian Tze, who was reputable, sturdy and good-looking. Kasumi was self-confident and didn’t need a man to complete her life.

From Kasumi’s answer, Clere knew Kasumi was deeply in love with Gale because Kasumi’s sacrifice for Gale couldn’t be measured by any means.

“I-I can’t share my husband with others at all! This is too sudden!” Clere stuttered. “Let me think about it first!”

“Don’t take too long to decide, okay?” Kasumi smiled. “Gale isn’t the type to collect women as his plaything. If you miss the window of opportunity this time, there will not be any more opportunities.”

It was a familiar warning and advice, and Clere put those words into her heart. Inwardly, she was upset that Gale would even dare to take more than one lover. But she knew she would benefit from Kasumi’s decision.

Kasumi pressed her index finger on Clere’s lips. “You can’t tell this to anyone, you hear? Especially Gale, or he will spoil Aunt May’s and my plans.”

Clere nodded, but she became even more upset as she didn’t think Gale deserved that much attention from Kasumi and herself.

----------

It was the first night of the camp, and the stars glittered like jewels in the sky.

Gale was especially alert at night. Aunt May would attack him in his sleep, and if he didn’t react in time, he would’ve to do a thousand push-ups and a thousand sit-ups as punishment. Because of Aunt May’s frequent attacks, Gale developed a way to rest himself properly while staying alert.

The students were sound asleep, and the combat instructors were resting in their respective log cabins. Gale took a moment to go to the nearby brook and gaze at the stars. He wanted to enjoy the beautiful night.

The sounds of footsteps came near Gale, and he recognized the presence immediately.

“Can’t sleep, Satori?”

“Oh, it’s you.” Satori took a spot near Gale, and she rested her head on the grass. Both of them looked at the stars and Gale chuckled to himself.

“What’s so funny?” Satori asked.

“I would’ve never imagined we would gaze the stars together.”

“That’s true,” Satori replied. “I always thought I would spend this moment with Hideki.”

Gale remained silent as he knew Hideki was a sensitive subject.

“Thanks for earlier, Gale,” Satori said.

“… I told you I didn’t punch Dylan for you,” Gale replied.

“I know. But Dylan was squeezing my butt and someone ought to teach him a lesson.”

Gale sighed. “You could’ve punched him yourself. Do you have to let Dylan take advantage of you when you want to get even with Hideki?”

“…Mind your own business, Gale. I’m only thanking you for that punch and not for meddling in my affairs.”

“Alright then,” Gale said.

Moments passed, and both Gale and Satori saw a couple of shooting stars fly across the skies. At that moment, Satori made a quick wish.

“Have you ever tried so hard at something but nothing seems to work for you?” Satori asked.

“…Of course,” Gale answered. “I work hard, but not everything went my way most of the time.”

“What do you do when nothing went right for you?” Satori asked further.

“What can I do? Pick my self up, shake the dust off and move on,” Gale said.

“You aren’t very good at empathizing, aren’t you?” Satori remarked. “The things you mentioned are easier said than done. What about the hurt feelings? What about the failed expectations?”

“…Of course, the pains of the past doesn’t disappear. They become scars and reminders for the future,” Gale explained. “But that doesn’t negate the blessings which I have now. I have a sister to look after. I have a strong body and good abilities. I can’t let my disappointments overrun what I currently have.”

Satori was silent as she tuned in to what Gale had to say.

“You’re number six in the top ten beauties at Aelfsige Academy. You have a crew who would battle with you for the annual tournament, and you were one spot away from the top two finalists last year. Your looks and abilities enamor countless men.

It’s okay to mourn for your loss and your disappointments, but you can’t let these setbacks overrun what you have. Otherwise, you will lose what you have now, and it will be a greater disaster than your current failures.”

Satori thought about the precious times she spent with Hideki. Hideki was her dream guy. Gentle, kind and forgiving towards her mistakes and shenanigans.

Satori wasn’t ready to give Hideki up, but her pride as a woman was crushed when her efforts toward Hideki were futile. She thought about what she should do to win Hideki over, but Gale’s words taught her to focus on herself first.

“…I understand. If I focused on my loss, I would lose what I already have,” Satori said to herself.

The song of silence played between Satori and Gale, and Gale had enough of the beautiful stars.

“I’m going back to sleep,” Gale said as he picked himself up. “It’s chilly out here. Don’t catch a cold while you’re enjoying the stars.”

Gale walked away slowly, and Satori said a soft ‘thank you’ under her breathe.

----------

Early in the morning, Porneia took the stage and the students assembled in their gym clothes. She wore shorts and a tight-fitting T-shirt which exposes her chests.

“Alright, boys and girls! It’s time for our daily warm-ups and exercise! I want you to stretch and express your healthy sexuality to the fullest!”

Porneia’s choice of words made the students wonder for a while.

“Everyone, stretch your arms in the air to the fullest!”

The students raised their hands as far as they could.

“With your outstretched arms, kneel and bend backward like this!”

Porneia knelt with her outstretched arms and bent backward. Her breasts perked upwards toward the sky, and the guys almost suffered from nose-bleed.

Everyone followed Porneia’s stretching exercises, and while the guys were stretching, they looked around to see the girls’ pointy chests.

“Alright, bring your arms back and do twenty reverse push-ups!”

As the students were doing reverse push-ups, the guys saw how soft and curvy their female counterparts are. Their boners were raised, and they couldn’t keep it down.

Clere and Jacinta were especially annoyed because the guys around them were ogling at them.

“This workout is great but so perverted!” Clere remarked. “I know!” Jacinta concurred.

After the twenty reverse push-ups, Porneia stretched her legs as wide as she could.

“Do the same like me and stretch those muscles in your inner thighs!”

Gale felt incredibly stupid while he followed Porneia’s stretching exercises because it was designed to be sexual, and he realized many guys were ogling at Kasumi as she did the training with the students.

With his [Fire Cloud Fist], Gale used his [Earthquake] technique and slammed his palms on the ground. His palms sent a shockwave through the ground, and the place shook violently. Everyone fell onto the ground as they couldn’t keep their balance.

Gale focused his power onto the stage, and it broke into two. Porneia crashed onto the ground as a result.

“Oww! Why did an earthquake happen all of a sudden?!” Porneia lamented.

Gwen, Asti, and Beatrix knew better.

“Gale has improved from the last time we saw him,” Gwen remarked.

“I want to spar with him again!” Asti said.

“Me too!” Beatrix added on.

Valerian also realized that Gale sent shockwaves into the ground, and he knew that Gale wasn’t an average fighter.

The ground cracked everywhere and made it impossible to continue morning stretching exercises. Gale kept his power away from the tents, and so the tents were unscathed.

Victor Spectre saw that the ground was unsuitable for training, and he called for an end of the morning exercise.

“We’re going to get contractors to fix this place, but we’ll do a quick jog before our next activity.”

Porneia frowned at the change of plans. “We’re going to miss the breast massages and groin workouts! Well, sucks to have an earthquake in the middle of nowhere.

Alright, students! Follow my lead, and we’ll get our pheromones out with our sweat!”

The girls were happy with the change of plans while the guys rued at their missed opportunities.

As the students gathered at a trail to begin their run, Porneia loosened her bra straps and advised the girls to do the same.

"You've got to loosen yourselves, or your melons will not grow, ladies," Porneia taught as she swung her bra in the air. "See, let those melons jiggle and set them free."

The guys ogled at Porneia as she flaunted her chests under the sun.

"It gets better when we're soaked in sweat. Our clothes become see-through, and the boys get hot."

The girls were disgusted, and they were reluctant to follow Porneia’s instructions, but Porneia lifted her combat instructor badge.

"Aw C'mon! What's the use of my authority if I can't use it? Mr. Victor?"

Victor Spectre, the camp commandant, was torn between the girls' murderous stares and Porneia's authority. He was given strict orders from Principal Stella to allow Porneia and the new teachers do what they wanted to do for their segments.

“T-This is Ms. Porneia’s training, so w-we’ll go ahead with her training as planned,” Victor stuttered.

Reluctantly, the girls loosened their bra straps, and their chests looked more prominent than usual. The guys celebrated within as they seemed eager to chase the girls down.

“Let’s race, shall we?” Porneia said. “Everyone will have two water balloons. The guys can use them on the girls, and vice versa. You’ll have to run fast to escape or hit someone!”

Gwen, Asti, and Beatrix each took a pail full of water balloons and distributed them to the students. The guys were roaring with excitement while the girls were trembling with fear.

Even the combat instructors were not spared. Gwen handed them the water balloons and said, “you can’t let your students outdo you, isn’t it?”

Kasumi was horrified, and Valerian moved in front of her to block any impending attacks toward her.

Gale took a water balloon and looked at it for a moment. He then crushed the water balloon and allowed his T-shirt to be soaked.

As the water seeped into Gale’s clothes, his clothes melted! The girls were horrified at the water balloons, but when they saw Gale’s well-toned body, they secretly swooned.

Kasumi protested against the activity immediately, but Porneia overruled it. “You heard what the camp commandant said, Ms. Kasumi.”

“Alright, this means war,” Gale declared. He knew the Four Abominations were up to mischief, and he determined to play their game against them. “How does the game end? When all the water balloons are used up?”

“Not necessarily,” Porneia answered. “The trail in front of us is a roundabout trail. If you run and appear back at where we are now after ten minutes, then you’re safe, and no one is to touch you with a water balloon or a water gun.”

The girls froze at Porneia’s last two words. “Water gun?!”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you. We hid some water guns in the forest,” Porneia said. “Finders keepers!”

“Woo! Excellent game, Ms. Porneia!” Dylan screamed at the top of his voice. “Now, ladies, it’s just a water balloon. Don’t be afraid.”

Dylan’s voice provoked Gale, and he immediately activated his [Soul-breaker Snow Palms]. Black aura flooded the place from Gale’s body, but he didn’t activate his killing aura because the students were innocent.

“Woah! Gale, it’s just a little game. Why so serious?” Dylan asked when he saw the thick aura.

“I told you. It’s war,” Gale replied.

Hideki was surprised at the amount of thick aura that Gale was generating. It was as though Gale was a different person. The goofy, laid-back person had turned into a dangerous fighter.

Reynard huddled nervously with Jacinta and Clere to protect them. As none of the students could carry their weapons in the morning workout, Jacinta and Clere could only helplessly depend on Reynard’s body as a shield.

Hideki wanted to shield Clere, but the awkwardness with Clere from yesterday’s confession didn’t dissipate. Thus, he thought he should take the guys out with water balloons instead.

Satori had her crew to defend her. A seven-foot giant stood in front of her to shield her from attacks. No one dared to mess with the giant, and they stayed clear of Satori’s path.

“Now now,” Porneia interrupted. “The last person who finishes running the trail will get a forfeit. He or she will be drenched with a pail of water! And the first person who catches me will get to massage my breasts!

Are you all ready for our workout this morning?”

The ladies quickly gathered near the starting lines, and they stared daggers at the guys to keep them back. Gale saw that Valerian was determined to protect Kasumi, so he cast a glance at Kasumi before assuming a battle stance.

Kasumi knew Gale wanted to protect his lady friends, and particularly Clere and Jacinta. So she allowed Valerian to defend her while Gale worked on the masses.

Hideki wasn’t a good fighter without a katana, so he could only use his body as a shield for the girls. The rest of the guys were salivating at the idea of throwing those balloons and finding those water guns. Even the male instructors, outside of Valerian, were pumped to get started.

Their top targets were Jacinta and Kasumi. Clere was a decent third and then the rest of the ladies.

“What a smart workout,” Gale mused. “After this, everyone will head into their training with their battle senses ready. Even though it was highly inappropriate, I cannot deny the effectiveness of this training.”

Gwen chuckled at the combat instructors and students, and she mused.

“School is fun!”

Gwen pressed the siren, and it began a highly sexy game of tag for the campers.