Lesson Eleven: Operation - Please Don’t Embarrass Us

The day began like any other.

Mutsuki set his bag down, sorted his long skirt, and stretched his shoulders in preparation for the usual mayhem. Youchan had just finished making sure the portal opened accordingly, but he could already hear little pitter-patter and excited whispers from down the hall. Sunlight streamed warmly through the paper windows and lighted the classroom in soft morning gold.

Personalized greetings done. All sat in their respective seats. Everything seemed normal.

Until a sudden disturbance struck the air. A peculiar pressure brushed the edge of his senses. An authoritative one.

What is this? Is a parent coming? I change my mind. This is a bit scary after all.

The door slid open before he could investigate.

In walked Maria. 

Ge~

The atmosphere shifted immediately. Every yokai child froze like a startled animal. Tails, wings, ears, hats, illusions, everything locked in place. Even Mutsuki stopped breathing for a second.

Youchan bowed. ‘Headmistress.’

Maria’s heels clicked as she crossed the room. Her presence was controlled and powerful. She glanced at the children, at Mutsuki, then at the chalk scribbles on the board as if deciding whether the lesson was worthy of existence.

‘Good morning,’ she said sharply and impeccably calm. ‘I have an announcement.’

Eight tiny backs snapped upright.

‘Two weeks from today,’ Maria continued, ‘there will be a multi-school meet at the Central Bureau grounds. Misfit Academy will interact with other yokai education branches. Several high-ranking clans are sending heirs. Some of the attending students are… well-known.’

The children inhaled sharply.

‘You mean celebrities?!’ Gon blurted. His eyes sparkled like a diamond under bright lights.

‘Some,’ Maria nodded. ‘Prodigy exorcists. Royal yokai heirs. Children of the Dragon Courts. And, according to the schedule, a popular teenage spirit idol.’

Mon screamed cheerfully into his hat. Gon let out a strangled scream of excitement.

Maria smiled. ‘Which means your class must learn proper behavior, greetings, human-world etiquette, and basic yokai diplomacy. You will represent this academy. I expect no apocalyptic incidents.’

Mutsuki gulped. Disaster prevention. She didn’t say it but Mutsuki heard it anyway.

Gon vibrated in place. ‘Celebrities!’

Honey gasped. ‘That means new friends!’

Akashi’s eyes glowed. ‘Strong opponents to test…’

‘We are not fighting anyone,’ Mutsuki croaked.

Sumire clapped her hands once in delight. ‘A royal-level gathering? How appropriate.’

Meow shrank in her seat. Kojiro looked smug, as if he had organized the whole affair. Kishin looked absolutely terrified but, he was not crying. He hugged his bat for comfort.

Maria turned toward Youchan.

‘I’ve sent the full syllabus and expectations to your office. Please prepare the shrine-based training facilities and ensure the portal can handle increased traffic.’

‘Yes, Headmistress.’

Finally, Maria’s gaze settled on Mutsuki.

‘You’ll be fine,’ she said with a reassuring smile. ‘You survived the convenience store, after all.’

Mutsuki couldn’t tell if that was encouragement or a dire reminder.

‘You have two weeks,’ she added. ‘Do your best.’

And with a swirl of teleportation light, and the faint scent of Dior perfume, Maria vanished.

Silence. A heartbeat. Two. When everything finally sunk in —Eight children exploded like a dam bursted.

‘DRAGON COURT?!’

‘SPIRIT IDOL?!’

‘IS THERE A FOX CELEBRITY?!’

‘I MUST PREPARE MY FORMAL INTRODUCTION!’

‘I CAN’T MEET FAMOUS PEOPLE, I TRIP NEAR NORMAL PEOPLE!’

‘WHAT IF I HOWL AT SOMEONE IMPORTANT?’

‘WHAT IF I BREAK AN HEIR IN HALF BY ACCIDENT!?’

‘WHAT IF THEY DON’T LIKE MY HAT?!’

The noise hit Mutsuki like a physical wave. He slapped his hands onto the desk.

‘EVERYONE SIT. NOW.’

It was fused with a calm magical pressure to help remove excess energy and emotion. The children dropped into their seats in unison.

Youchan patted Mutsuki’s back gently. ‘Sensei,’ she said softly, ‘you’re panicking.’

‘I am absolutely panicking,’ he complained. ‘Which is why… today’s lesson is now… MANNERS. Emergency manners.’

Groans, whines, and one dramatic gasp filled the room. Mutsuki turned to the board and wrote in careful characters:

Important Behaviors for Not Embarrassing Ourselves in Front of Powerful People

He underlined it three times.

‘Alright,’ he said. ‘Rule one: when adults or important guests enter, we greet them. Together. No shouting. No magic. No jumping.’

Mon raised a hand. ‘What about dignified jazz hands?’

Mutsuki facepalmed so hard the noise echoed in the room. ‘NO.’

He continued, ‘Rule two: bowing. Backs straight, eyes down, no slamming your forehead into the floor.’ He turned to one tiny oni. ’Kishin—’

Kishin dropped to his knees. He was mortally wounded by accuracy. Mutsuki didn’t add more salt into the wound.

‘Rule three: no unapproved transformations, weapon summoning, spellcasting, or hat-based theft.’

Mon clutched his hat protectively. ‘That feels targeted.’

‘Good,’ Mutsuki said.

He had them practice standing and bowing as if Maria, or a clan elder, or a visiting official walked through the door. The first attempt was chaos. Honey bowed so deeply he rolled forward into Akashi, who yelped from the weight and half-shifted into wolf form. 

Meow bowed and almost knocked over her desk. She caught it at the last second. Mon’s hat tilted and a dangerous looking equipment was starting to show at the edges. Gon tried to add a spin. Sumire bowed flawlessly. Kojiro looked insulted by the exercise.

They tried again. And again. Then some more.

Gradually the movement smoothed out. Backs straightened. Arms hung properly. Mon’s jazz hands diminished to a muted flourish that Mutsuki reluctantly allowed if they were dealing with other children and not elders.

Youchan supported and adjusted postures here, lifted chins there and quietly helped Meow find a stance that didn’t topple her.

When they practiced sitting properly for a formal gathering, Honey started creeping closer to Mutsuki’s seat by tiny scoots. Akashi, noticed and scooted from the other side. Both glared as if this were a battle for territory. Mutsuki, trapped between a human bear cub and a wolf, tried to maintain sanity. 

Youchan started lunch time a bit earlier and added extra snacks for everyone’s hardwork.

‘Pretend this is a shared banquet table,’ she said. ‘Remember, we think of others before ourselves.’

She meant well in feeding everyone, but even then, she couldn’t help but use the opportunity to teach the kids good table manners.

Mon immediately reached across to swipe Gon’s karaage. Gon slapped his hand away with a scandalized gasp.

‘Rude!’ Gon snapped.

‘You were too slow!’ Mon protested.

Sumire rolled her eyes, plucked up the plate, and divided the pieces with precise elegance. ‘We share evenly. Like civilized beings.’

Kojiro nodded reluctantly, as though he would have done the same, only with more judgment.

On the other side, Meow opened her snack carefully. Her paws shook with the memory of past disasters. The wrapper threatened to rip, but opened neatly with Youchan’s guiding touch over hers.

‘There,’ Youchan said. ‘You’re fine. Take your time.’

Meow exhaled with relief.

Kishin solemnly tore his rice ball in half and offered it to Mutsuki with both hands. ‘For energy,’ he said. ‘Teacher will need it.’

Mutsuki accepted with equal solemnity. ‘Thank you, Kishin. I really will.’

Honey and Akashi still stayed close and glared at each other over Mutsuki’s lap, but their bickering never quite tipped into a fight. Every time their voices rose, Sumire would give them a pointed look and remind them, ‘Royalty is watching.’ No one was sure whether she meant Maria, the future guests, or herself.

After lunch, there was a brief attempt at nap time. It failed in about thirty seconds. 

Mon’s hat burped. Gon radiated too much restless energy. Sumire lectured in her sleep. Honey rolled onto Mutsuki twice. Akashi snored. Meow became tangled in her blanket and had to be gently untwisted by Youchan. Kojiro meditated but peeked through one eye anytime Mutsuki ended up standing a little too close to Youchan.

The room relaxed for a while, just enough for Mutsuki to regain a bit of sanity back.

In the afternoon, Mutsuki circled them up for one last exercise.

‘If we’re going to this meet-up,’ he said, ‘we need to understand how we appear to others. So… let’s practice reading auras.’

They sat on a small circle with closed eyes.

‘Tell me,’ Mutsuki said, ‘how does my aura feel today?’

Mon scrunched his face. ‘Like sparkly moon frosting.’

‘Gorgeous, obviously,’ Gon added immediately.

Sumire frowned in concentration. ‘A bit chaotic… but warm.’

‘Soft like blankets!’ Honey burst out.

Akashi hesitated to add, but eventually grumbled in admission, ‘Comforting...’

‘Not lonely today,’ Kishin whispered.

Mutsuki felt the chills.,

Kojiro sighed. ‘Tired.’

‘Accurate,’ Mutsuki admitted.

‘Your aura doesn’t… push me away,’ Meow said reluctantly. ‘Sometimes, when people stand too close, something bad happens. With you, it feels safe.’

She looked ready to apologize for even saying that much, but she fought it. ‘And I feel that I can be less unlucky when I am around you and your safe aura, Sensei.

Mutsuki reached out and gently patted her head. ‘You’re not bad luck, Meow. Not to me. And not to this class.’

Her eyes shone as looked up at Mutsuki. She couldn’t hold back purring from the head pats.

Youchan watched all of it. The way he tailored his words to each child, the way their spirits lit up when he acknowledged them, the way his shoulders straightened the moment he realized he could actually help. And, most notably, the way his gaze kept drifting back to her whenever he needs to be grounded.

When the dismissal chime rang, the children groaned instead of cheering.

‘Already?!’

‘We didn’t even practice honorifics!’

‘Sensei, can we bow at people now to practice?’

Honey hugged Mutsuki three extra times before Youchan gently herded him toward the cubbies. Gon clung to his sleeve until she pried him away with a patient smile. Sumire gave a flawless formal bow. Mon’s hat spat out a tiny balloon that said “BYE SENSEI” in crooked letters. Meow apologized twice for bumping his arm. Kishin pressed a folded paper charm into his palm.

‘For courage,’ the oni said shyly.

Kojiro paused at the door, looked Mutsuki in the eye, and said flatly, ‘If you embarrass Youchan in front of important people, I will know.’

He walked out with his wings puffed up.

‘He’s joking,’ Youchan followed. ‘Don’t mind. Don’t mind.’

‘He was absolutely not joking,’ Mutsuki frowned.

She could only laugh.

Somewhere high above the courtyard, where the torii’s enchantment hummed and Maria’s sigils glowed faintly in the later afternoon light, another school day at for the misfit yokai class came to a close just a little bit more disciplined.

Two weeks. That was all the time they had. 

Watching them tumble down the hall, already arguing about which celebrity they would impress, Mutsuki found himself thinking. They’ll be alright… Right?