(Maria’s POV)

I got out of my bath, preparing to wear myself. I dress the black lingerie… dammit, this is a mental wound on me right now! I’m afraid of showing up without the black lingerie! Uh… what the hell happened to me…

I put on jeans, sneakers and a beige sweater, tying my still wet hair on a ponytail. Sighing, I go out of my house, walking to the Sensou no Kami temple. Arriving at the stairs, I meet someone that shouldn’t be here, waiting for me. It’s Genbu-san. She notices me:

(Fuyuki): “Maria-san…”

(Maria): “Fuyuki-san…”

An awkward silence followed. I avoided looking to her in the eyes. I wouldn’t be able to answer her if she asked me why I was doing here, so late at night. Before I could even think of asking the same to her, she said:

(Fuyuki): “I know about Iori-san’s power, and that you have been being trained by him.”

My heart grows cold, and I look down. Dammit, I’m such a horrible person…

(Maria): “So you ended up finding about it…”

I should have told her since the beginning. Told all of them. She must hate me now. If someone that I trusted hid something this big from me I would be extremely angry. However, against everything that I expected, she hugged me.

(Maria): “Eh?”

(Fuyuki): “You don’t have to be sad, okay? I understand that you wanted to protect us.”

Before could stop them, tears started to come out from my eyes. I hugged her back, and said, sobbing:

(Maria): “I’m sorry!”

(Fuyuki): “You don’t have to apologize. Thank you, Maria, for taking care of us.”

She says. I hug her tighter for a few moments, and, after composing myself I let go of her, drying my eyes with my sleeves, smiling to her, who is smiling back to me.

(Maria): “Thank you, Genbu-san!”

(Fuyuki): “After this, please, call me Fuyuki!”

(Maria): “Then please, call me Maria without honorifics too!”

We laugh for a bit. Fuyuki then looks up the stairs.

(Fuyuki): “Let’s go. Iori is most likely waiting for us.”

I nod, and we climb up the stairs together.

(Iori’s PDV)

I’m with my PSP in hands, clearing the last boss in God of War: Chains of Olympus. This game is good. I never tried the PSP spinoffs of God of War, but they are quite good as well. Now that I think about it, those girls… they’re late. As I fight the last boss, I feel two presences approaching.

Two of them, Fuyuki and Maria, since I know their presences very well. When they get close, I finish the last boss and save the game, taking off my earphones. Looking at them both, I notice that Maria’s eyes are red from crying. Well, as long they get along well, I’m fine with it. Putting the PSP on my pocket, I say:

(Iori): “You’re here.”

(Fuyuki): “Yes, sorry for taking so long.”

(Iori): “I don’t mind it. Let’s go inside and change. We have to train.”

(three hours later)

The two girls are on the ground, sweating and breathing heavily, dressed in kimonos. I’m sitting with my legs crossed near them. From here, I can see pink on Fuyuki. I would prefer if she was wearing laced white or laced red, they would match her better. Or maybe frilled purple, to match her eyes.

And in Maria, I can see black. Umu, she’s doing as I said her to. Also, both are bigger than I imagined. As they breathe heavily, I cast some refresh magic on them to recover their stamina, but not to heal their aching muscles. Their breath comes back to normal, and they both sit up, groaning.

(Iori): “I’m not healing your muscles. If I do that, the training will be meaningless, as your muscles won’t heal stronger.”

I said. After talking for a few moments, they left for their homes after a cleaning magic for the sweat. I walk out of the temple, jumping to the Torii atop the stairs. Sitting at the top, I have view for the whole village down the mountain, even to the Outer Village. The view is quite nice, as the Inner Village is completely dark, save for some street lights, while the Outer Village shines with lights, ready for the late-night life.

As I sit there, enjoying the cold, my phones start t ring inside my inventory, and a window appears in front of me, asking if I wanted to pick up. It’s Lilian, my playthin-… subordinate. I pick up the call.

(Iori): “Yes, Lilian?”

(Lilian): “Iori-sama, I have news about the Red Birds.”

(Iori): “Hoh~, so they started to move again… they took their time, but in the end they showed up in a good moment. Truly, good timing.”

I say, mockingly.

(Iori): “So, what is it?”

(Lilian): “Yes. I had a divination. I saw the leader together with the leader of the Head Hunters.”

(Iori): “I see… leave that information for when we meet personally. I want to hear it directly from you.”

(Lilian): Yes, Iori-sama. Also…”

(Iori): “Yes?”

(Lilian): “Are you really going to use those kids against them?”

(Iori): “Don’t even start. You know very well how things are in this world. They have no choice, the best I can do is prepare them to the upcoming storm.”

(Lilian): “But…”

She tries to say back. I smile mischievously, saying:

(Iori): “Still going to go against me, huh? I’m going to your house right now. You need some “punishment” for your daring way of talk.”

As I talk, she gets the meaning, and starts to breathe a bit roughly. As expected, I ended up turning her into a complete pervert when it comes to me. I made sure of it after all. Getting up, I smile, it seems that I’ll change my plans for the night.

(Lilian): “I-I’ll be waiting.”

(Iori): “Be there soon.”

I say, finishing the call. As the window in front of me disappears, I try my new skill that I learned last month. Although it has a lot of limitations, due the position of my city, I can use to move around. I close my eyes, and, three seconds later, I disappear in a yellow, lightning-like flash.

(four days later, early night, Yuichi’s POV)

I received a message from Kaichou, Genbu Fuyuki, to go to the Sensou no kami temple of our village. Getting out of my house, I walk alone in the empty street, using my coat to guard against the cold. As I look to the starts, my thoughts wander.

It has been a few days since the incident with the zombies. We didn’t gather to train again since then to train. But dude, I’m on a position that would be envied by every guy in japan! I’m not only quite popular in the school, being handsome, tall and athletic, I’m the only guy in the middle of a group of girls. And not only that, the most beautiful and popular girls in our school.

But my heart won’t be swayed. There is only one that I love, and one only. She is strong willed, smart, beautiful and determinate. The President of the Student Council, Genbu Fuyuki. Man, she is truly beautiful! Even more those penetrating, purple eyes that are so rare.

Where we live, the Yuuki village, is quite old fashioned, and we live quite traditionally. Depending on the achievements of the individual, they can marry even into the five Great Families. And that’s my objective, of one day being able to marry into the Genbu Family, with their heir, Genbu Fuyuki.

Now that I think about it, she called all of us, and in the message, she said that the owner of the temple allowed us to use it to train. The Sensou no Kami temple… I’m a bit ignorant on the political side of our village and know about the history because of my parents. Apparently, we even have history classes on the second year about the history of our village.

According to my parents, the Yuuki village was created by the family that founded the temple, the Hiyuuki family. Although they held the power for a long time, the Five great Families are the ones that now rule over the village. What was the name of that boy anyway? Yuri?

Yuri-kun, the heir of the Hiyuuki family isn’t the one that rules the village anymore, but he is still considered “nobility”, I guess. Well, a family that fell from glory is just that. I get to the stairs of the temple. I passed in front of them a few times, but never climbed up, so I never visited the temple. Well, time to change that.

After climbing the long stairs, I notice that everybody is already here, I’m the last one to appear. As I approach, Fuyuki notices me.

(Fuyuki): “Hitotsu-san! You arrived!”

(Yuichi): “Yes, Genbu-san, I got your message.”

I said. Unfortunately, we are still on the surname base. We’re not close at all… ah, I want to go out on a date with her. As I approach, Maria-san asks:

(Maria): “Where’s Iori?”

(Fuyuki): “I don’t know. I received a message from Iori, saying that he would arrive soon and that we should wait here.”

Seeing the exchange, Haruka Kouhaku says:

(Kouhaku): “Oh? You both are already on the first name basis?!”

She says. Both girls blush under Haruka-san’s sly smile. What?

(Fuyuki): “He’s just our host! Also, he also has powers!”

She said, flustered. I frown while Natsume Suzaku says:

(Suzaku): “He has powers as well?”

(Kouhaku): “Wow! That’s so cool!”

Haruka -san said, hyped as ever. However, I could barely register the fact that this guy, Iori, had powers. Suddenly, a yellow light flashed behind us, with a sound that seems like metal vibrating. We all look to the origin of the flash, surprised.

Standing there, is a boy of our age. He’s dressed in a trench coat that goes to his knees, white shirt under some kind of black plate, black pants and black heavy boots. He’s also wearing gloves with metal knuckles, and a katana in it’s sheath on his left hand. In his face, there’s blood splattered from right to left!

Suddenly, Maria-san and Fuyuki run to him, saying worried:

(Maria): “Iori! Are you alright?!”

(Fuyuki): “You’re not hurt, right, Iori?!”

What the hell… since when he was so close to them?! He smiles, saying:

(Iori): “Ah, don’t worry. It isn’t my blood.”

He says, taking a handkerchief from his pocket and cleaning the blood. Not… his blood? What does he mean with that? As both girls calmed down, he said:

(Iori): “Alright, it seems that everybody is here.”