Chapter 5:

The Principle of Principals (Part 2)

The Nexus of Yuki Osaki


“Let me get this clear,” Miss Maki says. “You set fire to and destroyed the school for what, exactly?”

“An argument,” Gabi murmurs.

“And what did that argument entail?”

“She insulted my entire species and said he would finish off Yuki after I asked him for help.”

Miss Maki looks over the four of us, then turns to me, eyeing me carefully. “I’ve watched your progress here over the past year, Miss Osaki,” she says. “You have a remarkable penchant for getting into trouble. If I didn’t know you any better, I would say you went looking for it.” She hums at my dumbfounded face, and says, “Your work ethic and compassion, however, point to the opposite of that. You’ve helped many students here, Yuki, but many of those problems you brought with you.”

I giggle nervously, staring at the desk as I start to sweat. Miss Maki continues, “And now you seem to be part of another fiasco that is starting to grow larger than I can handle.” She steeples her hands and looks at me. “Would you like to know what I see when I look at you, Miss Osaki?”

I jolt in my seat, looking up at the principal with wide eyes. “Y-yeah?”

“I see a girl who still hasn’t accepted herself yet.”

I see Eri and Reiko nod to themselves, and I frown. “What?” I ask, confused.

“I see a girl who doesn’t want to acknowledge the good that comes from the bad. That it doesn’t matter what lifestyle they live, as long as they’re happy.” She brings her hands onto the desk and leans forward. “I see, Miss Osaki, someone who is unhappy with life right now, and would much rather live as someone else.”

“…” My own silence is deafening as her words slice through me like a knife in butter. Reiko glances at me and frowns.

“She’s trying her best, Miss Maki,” Reiko says, turning back to the principal. “She’ll figure it out. I know she will.” Nodding sharply, she smiles at me. “She’s like that.”

“And if anything, she has us,” Eri adds. “Even if she falls, I’ll be there to help pick her back up.”

“And I’ve only known them for a day, but I will support Osaki in anything she does!” Gabi exclaims.

There is a smirk on Miss Maki’s face that frightens me, and I found out why when she motions to us with her hands. “There you have it. With such a tightly knit group, who am I to separate you?” She leans back and looks at us conspiratorially. “All four of you will be suspended from school, starting today.”

Eri is the first to recover from her shock. “W-what!?” She cries in panic. “W-what do you mean?!”

“Just what I said,” Miss Maki says. “You are suspended from school starting now. That means you cannot be seen at school, you will be given homework to finish, and you will all be cleaning up that mess you made at the entrance before you leave.” She smiles as she finishes. Grabbing a cup of tea I hadn’t noticed was there, she takes a sip.

“What’s the homework, Miss Maki?” Reiko questions, shooting her hand up.

“To find the Rogue, as you so called them.”

“Wait,” Eri starts, still upset but accepting of her situation, “Are you not affected by the spell the demons put up?”

Miss Maki snorts. “Of course not. Such a spell would only work on people not yet exposed to the Realms. Ignorance, as they sometimes say, is bliss, after all.”

“You know of the other Realms?” Gabi asks, the shock evident in her tone. “That means you knew who we were, and you still let us enter into your care?”

Miss Maki hums thoughtfully, nodding. “I’ll answer your first question with another: How did you know to come through the Cardinal Gate?” She raises an eyebrow. “Did something happen that would compromise the integrity of that nexus?”

Gabi’s eyes dart over to me, but it’s just enough for Miss Maki to catch on. She opens her mouth, as if to talk to me, but she seems to decide otherwise and purses her lips. “Hm.” She glances back to Gabi. “As for your second question…” She shrugs. “If you would go through all the effort of jumping through paper hoops to get yourselves into my school, I figured your intentions were good enough as they were.” Her eyes narrow, and I watch Gabi shiver. “If you had just barged in here, Mister Ryoka would not have been the only one you needed to worry about.”

“That’s spooky, Miss Maki,” Reiko laughs nervously. “It sounds like you’re threatening us.”

“She is,” Eri says.

Reiko shoots Eri an exasperated glance. “I was trying to make it sound less terrifying, Eri,” she sighs.

Miss Maki smiles, which is as much a laugh for her as anyone. “In any case,” she begins, “This Rogue is certainly a troubling element. I will tell Ryoka to help you in your investigation. What do you know of the Rogue’s motives so far, Gabi—?“

“Wait,” I interject, trying to make sense of it all. “So how do you fit into all of this, Miss Maki? What are the Realms, and what’s a Gate?”

With a sigh, Miss Maki takes another sip of tea. “I am the Chief for this section of the city’s Realm and Esoteric Defense Force, or RED Force.” She sets her cup down and pulls a badge out from her desk. “Along with my position as a Principal and protector of this school, I oversee the training of any potential recruits I see in this part of the city. Mister Ryoka is one such person I saw potential in…” All of us minus her wince as we think of Ryoka in the nurse’s office. “Though he was clearly in over his head this time, attacking the Governor of Trenzani.”

“You didn’t need to say that last part!” Gabi cries in despair. “No one needs to know!”

“Anyone who knows anything would know what that crown means, Gabrielle, daughter of Azrael.”

Her face goes pale, and she begins to shake in what I assume to be terror. Just as I open my mouth to ask why Gabi looks so put off, Miss Maki continues. “The Realms the other worlds that exist alongside our own, in different planes of reality, and Gates are just that: gates to those Realms.” With a sigh, Miss Maki leans back and rests her head. “You just so happened to be one of those capable of breaking open a gate permanantly, and there are only two kinds of beings with that power.” She then looks me in the eye, leaning forward, and I can’t break away.

“Fairly soon, Miss Osaki, you will find yourself having to make a decision. What that decision may be we have yet to see, but understand this: Your life has never been normal, nor will it ever be, and I hope you will soon understand why.”

It feels like glass is cracking in my mind as her words register themselves. The fact that my life has never been normal is something I’ve known since my life begun, and yet I’ve tried to think otherwise my entire life. Problem after problem, accident after accident; It all piles up.

“Now, before I dismiss you, I need to know, Gabrielle—“

“Gabi…” the fox-demon whispers, and Miss Maki blinks with a slight frown as Gabrielle cuts her off. “Call me Gabi.”

“I don’t think it’s appropriate for your principal to address you by anything other than your given name, Miss Gabrielle—“

“It’s my new name!” Gabi shouts more vehemently. “So call me by it!”

Pursing her lips, Miss Maki stares at Gabi for a few more seconds before nodding. “Very well, Miss… Gabi. Please explain to me what you think the motives of your Rogue are, and how you know.”

Gabi grits her teeth as she stares at Miss Maki, and her chair creaks at the grip she has on its seat. Moving her glare down to the table, she explains, “I think the Rogue is part of an extremist group in Trenzani. The group itself advocates to invade the human realm and wipe out all other living beings other than themselves, and if not, to subjugate and conquer until only demons are in power.

“They have no care for the lives of others or their own demon-folk. They do not care if they live or die, as long as they are able to bring all other creatures down.” Gabi growls, a deep sound that truly feels like the sound of a predator. “The Rogue is most likely a high ranking leader in their organization, and one who has been able to fool themselves into my chain of command.”

I hear her click her teeth as she continues. “I truly regret letting them fester within the capital, but if I were to cull every group of it’s kind that popped up, I would be no better than they.” She turns her glare back to Miss Maki, and I can almost feel the fiery rage in her gaze, though Miss Maki looks on unperturbed.

“So no, Maki, I am nothing like the scum that came before me, and if you ever compare me to him again, I will—“

“You are dismissed,” Miss Maki states, and the pressure in the air falls. Gabi gasps, collapsing into her chair as she clutches her chest. “You may gather your things and clean up your mess, but I want you out before lunch.”

It feels like I just got dropped off a cliff with the sudden drop of tension in the air. Like a tight grip is telling my heart that everything is fine and alright. But how do I…?

“I see you’ve noticed the charm I just cast,” Miss Maki says. “To calm one’s nerves. It’s good to see you’re learning.” She gazes at Gabi one last time, who is still recovering. “It only works well if you haven’t worked yourself up. Going from a high emotion to a low state is shocking to the mind and body.” She waves at us to help her, and Eri helps Gabi to her feet.

Reiko says goodbye to the principal, but I don’t feel like pushing my luck any further. As the door closes behind us, I watch Miss Maki take a sip from her tea and gaze at me calmly. I watch as she says, “Remember, Miss Osaki,” and the door shuts.

We make our way down the halls, stopping by each of our classrooms to gather our things. Eri and I first, then Reiko. Gabi never brought anything except the clothes on her back. During the walk, Gabi expresses her thanks to Eri, but explains that she’s just fine. I share a look with Reiko, who frowns with me.

“Are you alright, Gabi?” I ask. “That was a really tough meeting, wasn’t it?”

“Yes,” she snaps. “It was.” Realizing what she just did, she turns to me, eyes wide and pleading. “W-wait, I didn’t mean it like that, I’m sorry! I’m just super stressed right now and, and—“

I hug her. At first, she doesn’t really know what to do, but with every passing second, she relaxes, and wraps her arms around me as well. I stroke her hair as she shakes in my hug. As she begins to calm down, I release her and choose to ignore the tears still marking her eyes.

“Thanks,” Gabi says. “What was that called? I’ve never been held like that before…”

Reiko smiles brightly at Gabi, and moves in to hug her as well. “This is called a hug! It’s something us humans give to people we’re greeting, who we’re best friends with, or people we love.” Nuzzling her face against Gabi’s, Gabi herself looks slightly uncomfortable, though her limp form and reddening cheeks make it quite apparent that she’s enjoying it. Reiko releases Gabi from her glomp and steps back. “It’s also used for comfort and peace, so I hope it really gives you that feeling! Hugs are great like that.”

Eri and I smile at Reiko’s antics, knowing that it truly comes from the shining beacon of Reiko’s heart. Even though it’s only been a day, it feels like I’ve known Gabi for a long time, which is a really odd feeling. It’s the first time I’ve ever felt this way. But when I see Gabi start to smile again and laugh with us, it brings me a sense of joy. That despite her background, she is trying her best.

Your life has never been normal, nor will it ever be.

The Principal’s words echo in my head, and I look up thoughtfully at scorched ceiling. “Maybe all I need to do is to think positively too…”

“What was that?” Eri asks. “Did you say something, Yuki?”

“N-no,” I say. “It’s nothing.” With a small smile, I rush over to their side. I can already see a bunch of janitorial equipment, paint and other peripherals for us to help finish the job. With Gabi’s magic, Reiko’s cheerful demeanour, and Eri’s diligence, combined with my own elbow grease, we were able to finish cleaning up the entrance and making it look good as new, though the paint in some places had drips, and some spots stayed darker looking than others…

We put everything away and, with bags slung over our shoulders, we headed out of the school.

“So, where to now?” I ask.

“I would like to know as well,” Eri hums.

Reiko jumps in place, skipping ahead a little to walk backward. “I know! Are we going to your super secret base to plan out our next move?”

Gabi blinks in surprise as she says, “That’s exactly what I was thinking we should do. Unless either of you three have any better ideas?”

I shrug and Eri shakes her head. Reiko giggles and spins in place. “I want to see where you live right now!”

Gabi sighs, though I can nearly hear the smile hiding in it. “That means we’re doing it anyway. Cool. Let’s go to my dwellings in the human realm! Come, minions!”

“Who are you calling a minion, minion?” Eri huffs.

“I will serve you with all my heart, master!” Reiko says in mock servitude. “Your wish is my command!”

“We’ve got this, girls!” I shout, getting in the mood. “We’ll find this demon and bring them to justice. To Gabi’s place!

“To Gabi’s place!” Everyone else chants together, and I smile brightly. This day has turned out to be pretty hectic so far, but all-in-all, I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.

After all, I’m still learning more about the mystery of why my life is so skewed… and I won’t give up until I figure it all out. Miss Maki, Gabi, and whoever else… I won’t stop until I learn everything.

I watch as Reiko grabs Gabi in another hug, and Eri pokes Reiko, yelling something at her. With a wide grin, I sigh contentedly. It’s a good thing I have friends, because I don’t know what I would do without them.

“Hey, wait up!” I shout, and with a little jog and a quip, I laugh right alongside them. If having a bad time means making good friends…

Maybe crazy life isn’t so bad after all.

Kulog
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