An Enthralling Second Lesson

I found myself unable to get a word in edgeways as Fukada dragged me throughout the school. Of course, when I say 'unable to get a word in edgeways' I don't mean she interrupted me every time I asked a question, as that would require her talking to me at any point, rather, by sheer coincidence, every time I tried to speak, we passed by somebody who commented on how forceful Fukada was being, which made me clam up out of pure embarrassment. Is this some form of twisted karma? I investigate a rumor only to become the source of a new one every few hours?

“H-Hey, Fukada-senpai?” I finally manage to finish a sentence once we reach the door to the school's roof. “What, uh, why are we here?”

“Found something.” Fukada explains. “A lead. Maybe. Could be nothing. Might need backup.”

“And.. you brought me?” Come on now, clearly having literally anyone else would be the smart choice here.

“Lesson. Maybe. Date didn't explain yesterday. Thought I would.” She looks at me through her bangs. “Is that okay?”

That doesn't explain why it's just the two of us, does it? Well, not like there's any point complaining to her now. What's done is done. “That's fine, but... what exactly didn't Date-senpai explain?” I ask.

“Thralls.” Fukada says, and, of course, doesn't elaborate before kicking the door open.

Stood at the dead centre of the roof is a single boy, dressed in our school uniform. He looks over at Fukada and I, before breaking into a smirk.

“Ah, what a shame, have the hunters come for me?” He says, his tone sarcastic and mocking. “What a shame, what a shame indeed.”

“Are you a demon?” I ask, and the boy laughs.

“Me? A demon? Just how green are you, huh? What a shame.” He cackles. “I am merely a humble servant of Lady Morrigan.”

“A thrall.” Fukada reiterates. “Demons hate daylight. Need to use humans. The demon lover rumor. His doing.”

“Indeed, I have been found out. What a shame, yes, what a shame indeed.” The boy sighs. “But it would be remiss of me to fail to introduce myself, no?”

“No need. Ken Ueno. Class 2-B. Excels at the arts.” Fukada lists off various things about him. “Unable to speak to girls before September 27th. Rumors began September 25th. Failed to properly cover tracks.”

After hearing Fukada's deductions, Ueno offers her a round of applause. “Well, it seems my work was indeed cut out for me. What a shame. What a shame indeed.” His expression suddenly turns fierce. “What a shame for you.” With a sudden jolt of energy, Ueno dashes towards us. Fukada shoves me out of the way as he careens towards the door, blowing it clean off it's hinges.

“Seriously, why bring me and not Date-senpai!?” I ask as Ueno pulls his arm out of the hole he punched through the door.

“Lesson. Need to understand. Don't seriously hurt thralls. Innocent. Being controlled.” Despite her pacifistic words, Fukada draws her revolver and aims it at Ueno. “Simple rule. Thralls will defend demons. Demons will use thralls as shields. Need to put them out of commission early.”

“But you just said-” I begin, but instead of firing her gun, Fukada begins spinning it on her finger, and as she does so the barrel seems to extend... no, it is extending! Within seconds, it's form has completely changed from a gun to a staff, one which Fukada wields expertly, twirling it around her body in a display that's half dance, half martial art.

“Lethal force. Not allowed. Non-lethal force. Allowed.” Fukada explains. “Simple.”

“You aren't allowed to kill me? What a shame, indeed, what a shame for you!” Ueno spits, flinging the dented door at Fukada, who vaults over it using her staff. The sound of it clattering and scraping against the floor almost drowning out his declaration. “Because I'd rather die than let you harm Lady Morrigan! Manipulated? Me? Don't be ridiculous! This isn't some one-sided relationship! Lady Morrigan and I are in love!”

“Love? You've got a pretty weird way of showing it, pal!” I retort. “I mean, this rumor you're spreading, you're practically whoring out your girlfriend to anyone in the school!”

“Shut up, you bastard!” Ueno glares at me. “There's no way Lady Morrigan would ever go with any of the losers who summon her! They're nothing more than food for her!”

Fukada takes advantage of my distraction and swings her staff straight at Ueno's head, but he catches it without even looking.

“What a shame. Cheap tricks like that won't work on me!” He gloats. “Lady Morrigan's love makes me stronger than any hunter!” As if to prove his newfound strength, Ueno swings Fukada's staff, with her still hanging on, above his head, before tossing her across the roof.

“Fukada-senpai!” I call after her. Just what the hell am I playing at, not even trying to help her? I focus on manifesting my twin swords again, but they won't come to me. Damn it! This is exactly why you should have told Date, or Mei, or Konishi, what you were planning, Fukada!

“Aw, ain't that sweet.” Ueno cackles, looking over to me. “And what about you, greenhorn? Gonna try to fight me? Huh? You can't, right? What a shame! Ahahahaha!”

“Damn you!” I curse, rushing Ueno without a weapon. It's not much, but if I don't do something, he's going to kill Fukada, and I'll just have to stand there and watch!

“Hey, hey now, are you for real?” Ueno scoffs, kicking me aside with strength far beyond the capabilities of a random high schooler. “Are you even a real hunter, or just some random dude this Fukada chick brought along?” He lets out a cruel laugh. “Well, either way, it's a shame, ain't it? A real shame that no matter what I do, one of you is gonna have to watch me kill the other.”

“Shut up.” Is all the defiance I can muster, and Ueno just keeps laughing derisively, slowly making his way over to Fukada.

“Fukada...senpai.” I try to crawl over to her. I have no idea what I'd do if I even got to her, but that's not something I even have to consider as Ueda kicks me away as he passes, a sharp pain telling me that he probably broke a rib or two in the process.

“Man, this is pathetic. Are you two really what passes for Hunters nowadays?” Ueda scoffs. “And to think, one of you scum dared harm Lady Morrigan!” He slams his foot down on the back of Fukada's head. “Maybe I'll let you go if you tell me which one of your filthy little friends scratched her perfect face!”

“Never.” Fukada refuses. “Betraying friends. Unforgivable. Worse than submitting to a demon.”

“Is that so? What a shame! What a goddamn shame!” Ueda punctuates every sentence with another kick to Fukada's head. Damn it, if this keeps up... “It's such! A damn! Shame!”

I feel something hard in either hand, it seems like my swords finally decided to appear, about damn time! “Hey! Ueda! If you've gotta pick on a girl to feel tough, you must be an even bigger loser than I am!”

“What'd you say, bastard!” Ueda turns to me, not noticing the weapons I have tucked under my body. “It doesn't matter that she's a chick! Anyone who makes an enemy of Lady Morrigan's gotta pay!”

“I bet if I actually put up a fight, you'd just go crying back to your mistress!” I continue. I just need to get him close enough to attack, and more importantly, away from Fukada. “You act tough, but becoming her thrall doesn't make you any less of a weakling who can't even talk to girls! Whereas I'm in good with four of the hottest girls at school, and I'm not even gonna try anything with them! That's the difference between the two of us! You're so desperate for female attention you turned to a demon!”

“Shut the hell up! Don't talk like you know me you bastard!” Ueno roars, charging at me. “Don't act like it's your choice not to try anything! You're just the same as I was!”

“Perhaps. But I don't allow myself to be goaded into an obvious trap.” I tell him, standing up in a fluid motion that I honestly didn't even know I could pull off. “Shattered Mirror!”

Just like with Date's sword, Ueda's fist passes right through my body, shattering it into pieces, though I don't feel a thing. I slam my robotic fist into the side of his head, sending him flying down the length of the roof and through the empty doorframe as the pieces of my body knit back together.

“Sekigahara.” Fukada weakly mutters my name. “Kato-sensei. Tell her.” Is all she managed before she too lost consciousness.

Kato was... class 3-B's homeroom teacher, right? Why the hell do I need to tell her what happened here? Still, if Fukada wants me to do that, then it's what I'll do.

~~~

“Kato-sensei!" I call into the classroom, and just about everyone in there stares at me like I'm insane.

“You're...Sekigahara-kun, right?” Kato looks at me, irritated. “Is it important? I'm in the middle of a class, here.”

“It's Fukada-senpai, she's hurt. She told me to come get you.” Judging from the sudden change in Kato's expression, she gets what I'm inferring. Maybe she's a hunter, just like us?

“I'll be right there. Everyone, study amongst yourselves until I get back-” She lets out a sigh. “Until the end of the class, probably.”

Kato rushes out into the hallway, and all of her students don't seem to be all that concerned. Either this happens a lot, or they're all really aloof. “I take it you're the new member Date-chan told me about?”

“That's right, Fukada-senpai and I were dealing with a thrall, but he put up a hell of a fight.”

“Not one for subtlety are you?” Kato looks around. “I guess it's fine, we are alone after all.”

I lead Kato to the roof, where we find Ueda still slumped against the wall, and Fukada barely holding on to consciousness.

“Kato-sensei... Sorry.” She mutters as we enter her field of vision.

“I'm not sure whether to say 'don't worry about it' or 'you damn well should be'.” Kato sighs, before turning to me. “I'll take her to the club room, you go gather the others.”

“Right.” I say with a nod, and get on with my mission.

~~~

Once I'd explained what was going on, and brought everyone to the club room, they all had some pretty choice words for Fukada. Admittedly, they had some for me as well, but the overall decision was that I didn't know any better, and Fukada did.

“I would be hard pressed not to commend your bravery, but I must request that you refrain from solo combat missions in the future.” Date said before the door was even fully open.

“Date-senpai's right.” Konishi added. “I mean, you can fight, but we all know it's not your speciality. Why on earth would you take a thrall on alone?”

Okay, I know I'm the newbie and all, but did they all just completely forget that I was there too?

We enter the room to find Kato sat over Fukada, a warm, green light emanating from her hands, and surprisingly, or maybe not, since Fukada's a girl, Mei was just about the only one who didn't give her a hard time.

“Is she going to be okay, Auntie Rin?” She asks... wait, did she say-

“She'll be a-ok after I'm done healing her.” Kato says. “But that Ueda sure did a number on her. If it weren't for the newbie, she'd have definitely been killed.”

“So, are you a hunter to?” I ask. “Is healing your ability?”

“I'd be a pretty lacking hunter if that were the case.” Kato says. “This isn't any sort of hunter ability, it's magic.”

“Oh, of course... hold on, magic? Is that different from a hunting skill?”

“Jeez, where did you pick this one up from, Date-chan?” Kato laughs. “Hunters and Mages are completely different. I just happen to be both, same as Mei-chan”

I look over at Mei, who shrugs her shoulders. “One of the many benefits of being descended from two ancient rival families.”

“So, you can do magic?” I ask. “What about your brother?”

“He's got absolutely zero aptitude for magic, hunting, and just about everything other than drooling over girls he doesn't stand a chance with.” Ouch.

“Sounds like you and Akira-kun are still at odds.” Kato muses. “You two still haven't made up?”

Made up? I'm well aware that this has nothing to do with me, but it really seems like the animosity between them is pretty one sided.

“And... there.” The light coming from Kato's hands dim, and she stands up. “Once she wakes up, Fukada-chan'll be right as rain. I'll go tell all your teachers that you've got permission from me to take a little time off while she recovers.

“You have our gratitude, Kato-sensei.” Date breaks into a deep bow. Man, these guys are totally different people when Kato's around. Date hasn't 'Wahaha'd even once, and you'd think we'd at least get one now we all know that Fukada's gonna be okay.