Roll Call

Mutsuki stood at the front of the underground classroom clutching a clipboard to his chest like a shield. The Hidden Nursery’s fluorescent ceiling lights flickered softly above him, illuminating eight tiny yokai in various stages of chaos.

He inhaled deeply, exhaled loudly, and smiled as brightly as he could. Idol mode!

‘Alright, everyone! Let’s begin with roll call!’

Silence. Looks promising. He nodded. Then the room exploded.

Mon the tanuki popped his magician hat open with a POOOFFFF! and pulled out a metal ladle. Gon the kitsune immediately snatched it and transformed into a little girl version of himself, twirling the ladle like a baton.

Kappa Sumire huffed, offended by the noise, and shaped a floating water orb with all the grace of a river princess. Maneki Neko Meow tripped on absolutely nothing and knocked over two chairs.

Honey Bear clung to Mutsuki’s right leg with the force of a full-grown bear. Werewolf Akashi sharpened a pencil using his teeth. Kishin cried because Akashi’s chewing was “scary”. Tengu Kojiro was upside-down on the ceiling beam and glared at everyone like a little bat.

Mutsuki stared. They stared back (some upside-down).

He tried again. ‘Roll call,’ he said softly.

Nothing.

‘I know I am called Japan’s most powerful genius, but even that doesn't mean I would make a good teacher. I haven’t even seen a Kappa or Oni this close before…’ Mutsuki continually grumbled as he looked at each child, wondering where he can start.

Sigh… With a heavy heart, Mutsuki peered into the clipboard for comfort. It neatly typed each student files. Seven with a blurry photo, one with a clear photoshoot ID, and a single damning line for each yokai:

Mon (Tanuki) — expelled four times. Excessive transformations. Excessive everything.

Gon (Kitsune) — transformed into a PTA member; caused assembly-wide panic. Leaves glitter.

Meow (Maneki-neko) — reverse luck anomaly.

Kojiro (Tengu) — refuses teamwork; thinks everyone is beneath him.

Akashi (Werewolf) — transforms instantly; not affected by lunar cycle.

Honey (Bear spirit) — strength regulation issues; crushed furnitures and one (1) former teacher.

Kishin (Oni) — cries easily; cries loudly; cries explosively.

Mutsuki pinched the bridge of his nose. They seriously expect me to teach… these?

‘What if I hated nonhuman magical creatures? What then? Seriously.’ Mutsuki moaned and groaned continuously.

Since it was his own family passing the punishment on him, they were all aware of Mutsuki’s fondness of mythical creatures, so there were no excuses left. Still, teachers teach. Even disgraced ex-idols with vampirism.

Mutsuki’s aura changed with his mood. The children immediately felt the powerful shift in the air. No longer smiling, Mutsuki announced loudly. ‘Mon!’

‘Here!’ Mon shouted. He immediately pulled a live pigeon from his hat. Gon shrieked in delight and chased it.

‘Gon!’

‘Busy!’ Gon yelled as he transformed into a fox, then a girl, then a fox-girl hybrids. All while he chased the poor bird.

‘Sumire!’

‘I am present,’ Sumire said primly. ‘Please do not raise your voice at royalty.’

‘Apologies.’ Mutsuki said.

‘Accepted.’ Sumire responded with a hint of surprise in her face.

‘Meow!’

‘I’m here! A—ah—oops!’ She slipped on nothing, again. Crash. Mutsuki threw a cushion that caught her fall.

‘Honey!’

‘Sensei,’ Honey whispered lovingly, ‘…I hug?’

His arms tightened around his legs. Mutsuki muffled a groan.

‘NOT DURING ROLL CALL—’

Crack.

Mutsuki whimpered and hid his tears like the idol that he is. Or was.

‘Kishin!’

‘I’m… here… sniff don’t yell, please…’

‘Sorry.’ Mutsuki said softly.

‘Ok…’ Kishin sniffled, then smiled.

‘Akashi!’

‘Tch.’

‘Ok, good enough… for now.’ Mutsuki reassured himself.

‘Kojiro!’

‘Present.’ He said from the ceiling. Still upside-down, but currently held custody of the besotted pigeon.

Mutsuki blinked twice, processed the disaster, and clapped his hands sharply.

‘Alright! Settle—’

A table flipped. A child flew. Someone exploded into mist. Someone else exploded into tears.

Mutsuki snapped. His pupils glowed from faint red to faint violet. Magic rippled out from his fingertips in a crisp crackle. He raised his hands and eight shimmering barriers popped into existence, each child trapped inside their own floating bubble. Instant silence.

Kitsune Gon froze mid-transformation. Kappa Sumire froze mid-judgment. Werewolf Akashi froze mid-growl. Maneki Meow froze mid-apology-vomit. Honey Bear froze mid-bear-hug-attempt. Tanuki Mon froze mid-hat-dive. Oni Kishin froze mid-cry. Tengu Kojiro froze mid-air flip.

Mutsuki exhaled bliss.

‘Blessed silence,’ he whispered, fixing his ponytails. ‘My sanity has returned.’

He strolled between the floating bubbles like a curator at a museum.

‘Mon, I can see you trying to reach into your hat. No.’

‘Gon, stop transforming into me. Stop! Gon!… Gon that is not how my chest looks!’ I’m still a guy, despite dressing up feminine.

‘Sumire, your bubble isn’t a throne. This is meant to be a time-off for naughty kids. Stop posing.’

‘Meow, please don’t lick the barrier. I don’t know what that will do.’

‘Honey… yes, I’ll hug you later.’

‘Kishin, breath. Just breathe.’

‘Akashi… stop glaring like that. You look constipated.’

‘Kojiro, stop acting like you’re judging my entire existence.’ 

Kojiro blinked slowly. He was absolutely judging. Mutsuki knew it. Mutsuki felt it.

He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose.

‘I hypnotize a stadium once… or twice? And THIS is my rehabilitation assignment?’

The barrier hummed and shined. Some of the little children looked at each other as if an idea as forming in their mind. 

‘Don’t even think about tackling into each other with the barriers.’ Mutsuki intervened.

He found out how the kids minds work as he may or may not function the same way.

A soft knock sounded. Youchan opened the barrier and was met with the pigeon that was trying to escape.

‘Oh goodness me!’ She exclaimed as she gently caught the pigeon and set it free to the other side.

She wore her shrine maiden uniform, the faint scent of sakura followed her like a breeze as she crossed the barrier. Her beauty felt like a sigh. Gentle, soft, dangerous in the quiet way water can drown.

She blinked at the floating bubbles.

‘Oh my,’ she said. ‘Progress!’

Mutsuki nearly tripped. ‘Wha… How… This is progress?’

‘No one is bleeding,’ Youchan said sweetly. ‘That’s good enough.’

How does the blood of these little creatures even look like? Mutsuki’s face flinched at the thought. Wait, maybe they’re valuable? Could be cursed too though. Yokai be yokai.

‘Yeah, maybe no bleeding ever if possible.’

‘Glad to hear that! I feel rest reassured.’ Youchan chirped.

She handed him a new sheet of paper.

‘These are your duties for the week. Maria says not to improvise.’

Mutsuki blanched at the list.

‘This is an entire magical university syllabus! Why does step one say “teach them basic astral manipulation”? They’re SIX.’

‘Maria believes in children,’ Youchan said proudly.

‘Maria wants me dead.’

Youchan smiled without denying it. Mutsuki could only blush. He watched her toward Kojiro’s bubble and pop it with a single touch. The barrier shattered like thin glass. Kojiro dropped into her arms, wings flapping pathetically.

‘Kojiro,’ she said, ‘seat.’

He obeyed instantly. Mutsuki stared in awe. Mouth on the ground and all. Maybe also slightly aroused.

She broke my spell like it was tissue paper… My family couldn’t even do that… Who is this beautiful, terrifying woman?

Before he could ask, the remaining bubbles started to flicker. Chaos brewing again. Youchan turned toward the door.

‘I will leave the rest to you, Sensei.’ She smiled politely and left gracefully. 

The remaining barriers trembled like overfilled water balloons. Mutsuki sighed and braced for impact.

‘…I should’ve stayed hypnotizing adults,’ he muttered. ‘They were easier.’ He said in jest, but as he said that, he started to shake lightly.

A tiny voice piped up from inside a bubble.

‘Sensei, what’s hypnotizing?’ asked Gon.

‘Not something you should imitate,’ Mutsuki muttered. ‘Believe me.’

The curious and innocent children observed him. For the first time, their gazes weren’t chaotic or mischievous. They were simply waiting for him. Expecting something from him.

Awkward silence filled the room.

‘Sensei, you read about our information from the notes,’ Tanuki Mon said as he put his hat back on his head. Perhaps a sign of pausing on making things appear from it. ‘Please tell us about you.’

Mutsuki swallowed. His fingers continued trembling. Maybe if I just forced myself, maybe I could do this. Maybe I could actually teach. Or at least babysit, for starters.

The little students looked at each other in concern, then all pushed their floating bubbles toward Mutsuki at once. Their tiny hands, paws, pressed against the shimmering surfaces, trying to reach him. But Mutsuki didn’t move. 

His glazed eyes had lost their focus. Even his aura felt distant. His body stood in the classroom, but his mind was somewhere far deeper, sealed behind walls no child could breach.

For all his brilliance, for all his power, Mutsuki’s heart was a place locked tight. Impenetrable, untouched, and unreachable, when he spiraled this way.

Eight little yokai stared at their new sensei, their bubbles bumping softly against him from all angles, quietly calling him back.

But nothing entered. Nothing reached him. His mental and spiritual barrier wasn’t something a magical child could easily break. He stood alone inside a silence only he could hear.