Vol.3 Ch.4: Yuko's Will, Kanna's Will ④

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Night had fallen upon Starlight Academy, and the moon glowed gently over the east district as the summer’s warm heat had begun to cool down just a bit. Yuko’s shift at her café job had ended, and Tanabe’s extended practice with the kendo club had concluded for the night. It was around 10 PM, and both of them were together at the storage shed on the far side of the pond in Rigel Park.

Naturally, they had gotten together to begin Yuko’s plan to sneak Eli into the high school dorms. She’d taken her old middle school uniform out of the closet and brought it along with her, hoping it was a suitable size for Eli.

As Tanabe waited right outside, Yuko helped Eli change out of her frilly dress and into the uniform. To her relief, the uniform seemed to fit Eli just right, and it suited her rather well.

“Whoa… Now that you’re wearing the same uniform as the rest of us, your refined features really stand out, Eli.” Yuko muttered, in awe of the beautiful girl before her.

All the while, Eli simply glanced all around herself, somewhat taken in by the unusual new clothing. When she glanced at Yuko and realized their outfits matched, a small smile spread across her face.

“Seems you like it, huh?” Yuko smiled back.

“Mhmm…!” Eli nodded back, brightly.

In that moment, Eli leaped forth.

“Whoa there!” Yuko laughed as she caught Eli in a sudden embrace.

“Thank… you…!” Eli whispered into Yuko’s ear.

“It’s no problem at all. Are you ready to go?” Yuko asked, holding the girl in her arms.

“…” However, in response, Eli quietly buried her face on Yuko’s shoulder.

“Is everything okay?” Yuko asked. “Wouldn’t you rather stay with me tonight instead of staying cooped up in this hot shed for another night?”

“Y… yeah…” Eli muttered.

Yuko couldn’t help but notice that Eli’s breathing had intensified just a bit. She tried to release her so she could get a better look, but Eli wouldn’t let go of her, essentially trapping Yuko in her embrace.

“Eli…?” confused, Yuko could only call her name.

“Hah… hah…” Eli’s warm breathed tickled Yuko’s neck with every pant.

Just as Yuko was beginning to worry, a knock resounded from the door.

“You two done in there?” Tanabe asked, having grown a bit impatient from waiting outside.

“Ah…!” Eli suddenly let go of Yuko, seemingly back to normal.

“Um… Y-yeah, we’re good, Murakami!” Yuko answered back, turning to open the door.

A moment later, both Yuko and Eli stepped outside. Illuminated by the moonlight, Tanabe got a solid view of Eli in her new uniform.

“Wow, you look great, Eli!” Tanabe exclaimed, giving a smile.

“Th-thank you…!” Eli replied, bashfully swaying to and fro.

Seeing this exchange brought a smile to Yuko’s face as well.

However, in the back of her mind Yuko couldn’t help but feel something strange had just happened.

What was going on with Eli just a moment ago…? She was breathing heavily and wouldn’t let me go…

Instinctively, Yuko brought her fingers to her own neck.

“Hmm…” it was slightly warm, as if someone had just breathed on it. Of course, it was from Eli’s breath.

“Are you excited to see the dorms tonight?” asked a smiling Tanabe.

“Yeah!” Eli was also smiling.

Seeing this ordinary exchange, Yuko decided to stop worrying about whatever just happened, and continue with her plan to sneak Eli into the dorms.

Whatever that was, she seems fine now… So let’s get started!

With determination in her heart, Yuko decided to take the lead.

“It’s already late, so let’s start heading back now.” Yuko spoke.

“Right. Let’s go, Eli.” Tanabe nodded, before taking Eli’s hand.

“Okay!”

And so, the trio began to circle the pond and make their way back.

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With the hour being so late, most students lingering around Rigel Park would already have returned back to their respective dormitory. This was the time of night when any students still out and about would likely be making their way back. Yuko and Tanabe realized this, and this was why they figured bringing an unknown girl like Eli along to the dorms at this time of night would make it easier to ‘sneak’ her in.

The trio was making their way back through the park’s labyrinthine pathways, and sure enough they hadn’t so much as passed by another student. Things seemed to be progressing smoothly.

“Just a little further until we’re out of the park now.” said Yuko, giving Eli a reassuring smile.

Just as the three were turning a corner, they suddenly found themselves face-to-face with another student. On instinct, Yuko moved to pay them no mind and continue walking as naturally as possible, but she inevitably halted in her tracks upon seeing who this other person was.

“Hm?” Tanabe also glanced toward the other person, having been confused by Yuko suddenly coming to a halt.

“Oh, um… Hello, Kanna.” Yuko spoke, trying to hide the slight nervousness in her voice.

“Good evening, Yuko Maeda. What ever are you doing out so late…?” Kanna tilted her head, finding the encounter rather bizarre. A moment later, she stole a glance at the other two students.

“Good evening, student council president.” Tanabe gave a slight bow out of respect.

“Tanabe Murakami… And…?” Kanna couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

After all, Eli had already hidden behind Tanabe. Kanna had realized there was another student behind him, and could only stand confused on why another student would seemingly act afraid of her.

“And who do you two have in your company?” Kanna glanced back at Yuko, confused.

“Oh! Um… Don’t mind her, she’s just a bit shy is all! You’re the student council president, you know? Even if you try to remain approachable, the title alone can make you seem pretty intimidating, you know?” Yuko hurriedly tried to concoct a feasible excuse.

“Hmm… I suppose you raise a fair point.” Kanna seemed a bit troubled by the idea as she sighed dejectedly. “So, what are you three doing here at this time of night? It is dangerous to remain out so late.”

“Oh, nothing much, haha… Wait, dangerous?” Yuko tried to let the question slide, before suddenly realizing what an odd thing that was to say.

“Ah, forgive my phrasing.” Kanna waved off the concern. “It can get dark and difficult to navigate this park at so late an hour. That is all I intended.”

“Yes, of course… Ahaha.” Yuko awkwardly chuckled in response.

“Indeed.” despite her ever-stoic demeanor, Kanna couldn’t help appearing a bit awkward as well.

“Hm…?” as one who didn’t entirely know about the connection shared between Yuko and Kanna, Tanabe could only tilt his head in confusion at the incredibly awkward exchange he’d just seen unfold in front of him.

“Well, we’re actually in a hurry. The three of us have to get back to the dorms. So I’ll talk to you later, Kanna!” Yuko forced a smile, and tried to end the conversation quickly.

“Ah, yes… Do not let me keep you.” Kanna seemed fine letting them pass.

With one last wave to one another, Yuko made her way past Kanna, with Tanabe and Eli right behind her. As they passed, Kanna glanced their way on instinct. After all, it was a latent curiosity. Who exactly was this student with the two of them? It’s not like Kanna had memorized the name and face of every student, but she prided herself on being familiar with a decent amount of her fellow students. Even hidden behind Tanabe, she could see the girl had long blond hair. It’s not unheard of, but there weren’t that many blond students, let alone many who wore their hair so long. She couldn’t help but feel curious.

As they passed by, that girl also couldn’t help but steal a glance at the person they’d unexpectedly encountered. As a result, both Kanna and Eli had naturally turned to glance at one another at the exact same time. And in that moment… their eyes met.

“…!!”

“Wait a moment!” Kanna shouted as she swiftly turned around and leapt back a bit to make some distance.

That face…! Am I mistaken, or is that not the same face I saw the other night?!

Kanna clenched her fist as she tried to reason out this situation in her mind. But one thing was certain: she could no longer let these three pass.

“H-huh?” Yuko turned around, startled by Kanna’s shout. Tanabe also turned back, careful to continue hiding Eli behind him.

A moment of awkward silence passed as Kanna glared their way, clearly on guard. Yuko didn’t understand what had triggered this reaction, but she began to realize that she may not be walking out of this encounter as easily as she’d hoped.

“Yuko Maeda, please forgive my outburst. This is an important matter… Please tell me the name of that other student with you. I must see her face as well.” Kanna spoke calmly, trying to handle the situation delicately.

“Oh, um… But like I said, she’s shy, so, uh…” Yuko didn’t quite understand the situation, but she did know one thing: Eli feared the student council for some reason. This is the reason she never approached Kanna for advice to begin with. Yet, it seems Kanna may know something about this girl.

“I understand, but even so…” Kanna stood firm.

“… Hey, Eli. Let’s say hi to the student council president, alright?” Tanabe whispered quietly to the girl, who continued to cling firmly to his back.

“Eli…” Kanna repeated, showing that she’d clearly overheard him.

Could there have been a student with such a name…?

Kanna’s questions only grew.

“Yeah, see… She’s a new friend of ours! We only started talking recently, you know? She doesn’t have many friends, so…” Yuko was still trying to awkwardly smooth over the situation, despite realizing that she probably couldn’t get out of this any longer.

“Where did you meet her?” Kanna asked quietly.

“Where? Well, uh…” Yuko rigidly turned toward Tanabe and Eli, her face a strained expression that could only be interpreted as asking “What am I supposed to say?!”

“…” Tanabe blinked, before glancing downward.

Tanabe was clueless. He had no idea what was going through Yuko or Kanna’s heads at this moment, nor the reason for this silent tension. To him, Eli was simply a lost amnesiac girl he and Yuko were helping to take care of. This girl seemed to take issue with the student council, so they were limited on what they could do to try and help her. Whatever this awkward situation was all about, Tanabe could only guess that it had something to do with that. Furthermore, he knew that Yuko and Kanna were close, or at least were on good terms. Regardless of what happened, he was certain that those two could work things out.

So, with this limited knowledge in mind… Tanabe found himself making a rather rash decision.

“Eli, let’s run!” Tanabe shouted, before quickly grabbing Eli’s hand and dashing away at top speed, dragging her along.

“Ah-! Murakami!” Yuko shouted in surprise.

“You will not escape!” Kanna shouted. “Magic Zone, Ice Planet!!”

In a matter of seconds, a staff materialized in front of Kanna, who swiftly grabbed it and slammed its base down onto the ground. With a shattering sound, ice shards danced in the air and the entire environment surrounding all four of them shifted in an instant.

“Wh-what?!” Tanabe stopped in his tracks as he found himself in an entirely different space, surrounded by mirror-like pillars of ice.

“Are you nuts?!” Yuko shouted in disbelief, unable to comprehend why Kanna would active her Magic Zone now of all times, in front of an ordinary student like Tanabe.

“Ah…” Kanna had realized what she had just done. This was the moment when Kanna realized just how shaken this situation had made her. It was unfathomable to her that she would so readily use her magic like this in front of another student like Tanabe. But as they began to run away, she panicked and actived it on instinct.

“Wh-what on Earth… is this?” Tanabe had fallen to the ground, completely baffled by the change in environment. He couldn’t help but ask himself if he was going crazy as he looked up at the bizarrely large stars in the sky that made it seem as if he were in some kind of planetarium instead of actually outdoors.

Unable to walk back this situation, Kanna could only default to her convictions. After all, if this strange unknown student with Yuko and Tanabe really is the mysterious vampire that’d made its way into the east district, it was Kanna’s responsibility to deal with it.

“Yuko Maeda… Tanabe Murakami…” Kanna spoke firmly as she regained her composure. “Hand that girl over to me, right now.”

[Chapter 4 END]