Pretty Girl Problems

Mutsuki found Sumire where he expected. At the back shrine, by the small river-fed basin, sitting on the stone ledge, hugging her knees. Her tiara sat crooked. Water hovered all around her in tiny droplets, shivering with her mood. He approached with caution.

‘May I sit?’ he asked.

She sniffed. ‘It is your shrine, Sensei.’

‘It’s ours now,’ he said as he settled at a safe distance. ‘But I still ask.’

She looked away to hide her shaking lips. Mutsuki waited.

‘They said I should be ugly first,’ she burst out suddenly. ‘So I can… improve. As if I have done something wrong by existing like this.’

‘I know,’ he said quietly.

‘Humans already think we are dangerous,’ Sumire muttered. ‘Now my own classmates say I am too much even for glamour.’

She squeezed her arms tighter around her knees.

‘I am always too much,’ she whispered. ‘Too much water. Too much power. Too much… me.’

Her words hurt Mutsuki.

‘Do you know,’ he asked softly, ‘how many times people have said that about me?’

She peeked at him. He gave her a small, sardonic smile.

‘Too much magic. Too much charisma. Too much vampire. Too much shame. Too much disappointment. Too much… eyeliner,’ he added dryly.

She hiccupped a giggle.

‘They called me a joke,’ he said. ‘A scandal. A waste. A freak. They laughed when I stepped on stage in a dress. They still do. Some think I’m ridiculous. Some think I betray tradition. Some think I’m just a carnival act.’

He drew a little circle in the dirt with his finger.

‘And yet, here I am. Teaching you how to be soft in a hard world.’ Mutsuki said. ‘Funny hey?’

‘You’re not a joke,’ Sumire said firmly. ‘You’re… You’re Mutsuki-sensei.’

He inclined his head. ‘And you are Sumire-dono, princess of river lines and destroyer of idiots. Neither of us is too much. The world is often too small.’

She sniffled .

‘When I started using this form,’ he tapped his own chest lightly, ‘I told myself, if they are going to stare, I’ll give them something worth staring at. If I must be strange, I’ll be dazzling. If I must be layered, I’ll choose my own layers.’

‘You turned yourself into armor,’ she murmured.

‘Into costume,’ he corrected. ‘Armor is heavy. Costumes you can dance in.’

She considered that.

‘What I’m asking from you,’ he went on, ‘isn’t to be less. It’s to have options. To be able to go to a human fireworks festival and eat shaved ice without being mobbed. To sit in a human cafe and listen to conversations nobody knows you understand. To have quiet days as well as glorious ones.’

Sumire imagined it. A city street. No one staring. No whispers of ‘’kappa’’. Just the clink of cups, the buzz of people, the smell of bread. Maybe cucumbers too. She relaxed at the thought.

‘Mon and Gon,’ he said, ‘chose terrible words. They are gifted at terrible words. But they were trying, in their own backwards way, to help you fit without losing fines. They are terrified of losing you to some Bureau rule.’

She pouted. ‘They could have said ‘’we are scared’’ instead.’

‘They are boys,’ he said gently. ‘That is advanced language for them.’

She snorted.

He scooted a little closer and, after a small pause, opened one arm. She hesitated, then slid into the half hug, resting her forehead against his shoulder.

‘You are allowed to cry,’ he murmured. ‘You do not lose royalty points.’

‘I am not crying,’ she mumbled into his sleeve, already soaking it. ‘I am… leaking from my eyes.’

‘Of course.’

They stayed like that until her breathing steadied and the floating water orbs gently landed back into the basin. Finally she pulled back, fixing her tiara.

‘Alright,’ she declared. ‘I am ready to go back and be gracious. And possibly terrifying.’

‘Excellent,’ he said.

*****

Back in the classroom, gracious and terrifying were already in progress. 

Mon and Gon were kneeling in the center with buckets on their heads, each one filled with water to the brim.

‘Reflection practice,’ Youchan said mildly when Mutsuki walked back in with Sumire. ‘If they move carelessly, it spills.’

‘This is cruel,’ Gon complained.

‘This is justice,’ Kojiro corrected.

Honey glared adorably. ‘You made Sumire cry.’

Kishin nodded. ‘Unforgivable. But forgivable. Eventually.’

Meow hugged Sumire’s leg. ‘You’re too pretty for ugly training.’

Akashi cracked his knuckles meaningfully at the boys.

‘You… all did this?’ Sumire asked Youchan.

‘I merely set the buckets,’ Youchan said, sipping her tea. ‘They chose the rest.’

Mutsuki bit the inside of his cheek to hide a smile.

‘Boys,’ he said.

Mon and Gon jolted. Water sloshed dangerously.

‘Stay still,’ Youchan warned.

‘You hurt Sumire,’ Mutsuki said simply. ‘You get one chance to fix it.’

Mon swallowed. ‘We were idiots.’

‘We are idiots,’ Gon agreed instantly.

‘We don’t think you’re ugly…’ Mon said. ‘Not even a little. You’re too shiny. It would break physics.’

‘Humans are fragile,’ Gon added. ‘They faint if a celebrity coughs. If you walked through a mall at full setting, you’d cause a stampede.’

‘We panicked imagining it,’ Mon said. ‘So we said “downgrade”. But… we meant… “please be safe so we can keep you” not “be less so we like you”.’

‘We said it wrong,’ Gon admitted. ‘We say a lot of things wrong.’

‘All the time,’ Meow said.

‘Constantly,’ Kojiro muttered.

Sumire eyed them both, unimpressed but listening.

‘We… like you exactly as you are,’ Mon confessed. ‘Just, also alive. And not arrested by interdimensional police.’

‘We’re sorry,’ Gon finished.

The room held its breath, awaiting for verdict. Sumire lifted her chin.

‘I will not accept a lazy apology,’ she said.

Mon’s bucket tilted in despair. ‘What do we do then?’

Mutsuki folded his arms. ‘Hug her.’

‘No,’ Sumire said immediately. Already ready to run off again.

‘No?’ Gon repeated, crushed.

‘I am still upset,’ she said primly. ‘You do not get to touch me while I am upset. That is my boundary.’

‘How are we supposed to hug you without touching you?’ Mon wailed.

Mutsuki smiled slightly. ‘Figure it out.’

He retreated to stand by Youchan, who was openly curious now. The boys looked at each other. Then at Sumire. Then back at each other.

Gon muttered, ‘Emotion is magic.’

Mon nodded. ‘We do illusions with feelings all the time.’

‘We could send apology,’ Gon said. ‘Without hands.’

‘A feelings-hug,’ Mon said.

‘A… what,’ Kojiro said flatly.

But they were already moving. They set the buckets down carefully and stepped around Sumire, leaving a respectful gap. They took each other’s hands instead, trapping her in the middle.

‘Don’t move,’ Gon told Sumire.

‘I move whenever I wish,’ she sniffed, but stayed right where she was.

‘Ok,’ Mon said, closing his eyes. ‘’Think ‘I’m sorry’’, not ‘’you’re wrong’’.’

‘Think ‘’you’re precious’’, not ‘’you’re weird’’,’ Gon added.

‘Think ‘’we want the world to treat you gently’’,’ Mon said.

Tanuki magic puffed up like warm smoke. Kitsune magic shimmered like heat over stones. The currents touched, then twined, twisting into a glowing loop that rose around Sumire like a soft ring of light.

The hair on everyone’s arms lifted.

‘Uh, Sensei,’ Honey whispered. ‘Is this… safe…?’

Mutsuki squinted. ‘Probably.’

‘Probably?!’ Youchan hissed under her breath.

The light intensified. Sumire’s hair rose slightly. Her tiara began to glow. Magic, when it liked something, tended to get enthusiastic. A circle etched itself on the floor around her feet, lines clicking into place like an ancient lock being opened.

‘Stop?’ Mon squeaked.

‘Too late,’ Gon squeaked back.

The circle flared. There was a muffled whump, a burst of glittering steam, and a shockwave that knocked both boys onto their backs.

A cloud of shimmering mist filled the center of the room.

‘SUMIRE?!’ Honey yelped.

Mutsuki darted forward as the spell dissipated. He stepped into the fading glow, then reappeared, holding someone else’s hand.

The girl who stepped through beside him made the room forget sound for a second time that day. It was still Sumire. You could see it in the tilt of her chin, the line of her mouth, the familiar gold of her eyes. But the kappa signs were gone.

Her hair, still a blue-green shade, now fell in soft waves to her shoulders, held back by a small, elegant gold tiara. Her skin was pale in a human way, no faint scale shimmer. Her webbing and slight green tint were hidden, glamour smoothing everything into the image of a healthy, privileged child.

Her uniform had quietly upgraded itself into a neat dress with a ribboned collar and a faint shimmer at the hem, like the suggestion of water without the actual puddle.

She looked like she’d stepped straight off the cover of a wealthy human school’s brochure.

‘Whoa,’ Honey breathed.

Meow’s pupils dilated. ‘P-pretty…’

Kishin made the quiet ‘‘I am overwhelmed’’ wheeze.

Kojiro nodded once. ‘This is alarmingly effective.’

Akashi blinked. ‘If you go to human school like that, you’ll have a fan club by lunch.’

Mon and Gon sat up, staring. Neither spoke. Sumire looked down at her hands. Flexed her fingers. Touched her hair. She lifted tentative eyes to Mutsuki.

‘I feel weird,’ she said.

‘Do you feel like you?’ he asked.

She searched inward. The river was still there. The weight of old water. The sense of flow and current and depth. But the surface was smooth, glassy.

‘Lighter,’ she admitted. ‘Like I can move in more places.’

Mutsuki smiled. ‘That’s the point. Another option. Not a replacement. You can still show everyone your true form whenever you like.’

She reached up and touched the tiara. It shimmered briefly, reflecting the light like ripples. She straightened, regaining full princess posture.

‘This is acceptable,’ she declared. ‘For outside use.’

Honey clapped. ‘Ojousama Sumire!’

Meow nodded emphatically. ‘New princess form!’

Kishin bowed. ‘You look… amazing!’

Akashi grunted. ‘Don’t get cocky.’

Kojiro smirked. ‘Too late.’

Mon and Gon finally found their voices.

‘We did that,’ Mon whispered.

‘We did that,’ Gon repeated.

They both beamed. Sumire turned and regarded them.

‘You are forgiven,’ she said.

Mon sagged with relief. ‘Thank you, princess.’

‘Don’t call me princess in human form,’ she said primly. ‘You’ll blow my cover.’

‘Understood, princess,’ Gon said.

‘Gon.’

He winced. ‘Understood, Sumire.’

She nodded. 

Behind them, Youchan leaned towards Mutsuki.

‘They accidentally performed advanced composite support magic,’ she murmured.

‘Of course they did,’ he murmured back. ‘By apologizing creatively.’

He sighed. ‘If Maria asks, it was very intentional and part of the curriculum.’

Youchan’s shoulders shook with laughter. Mon was still staring at Sumire. He realized it three seconds too late.

‘You’re staring,’ she said.

‘I am just reviewing the spell’s visual outcome!’ he lied.

‘Scientifically,’ Gon added.

Kojiro rolled his eyes. ‘Both of you just found out what a crush is.’

‘NO WE DIDN’T,’ they chorused.

Honey giggled. Meow smiled shyly.

Akashi smirked. ‘This class just got more annoying.’

Mutsuki clapped his hands once to gently reel them all back.

‘Alright, Torii Hearts,’ he said. ‘You all did well today. You learned secrets, shared apologies, and nobody exploded permanently. That’s a win.’

They beamed.

‘Tomorrow,’ he added, ‘barrier etiquette. How to say no. How to walk away. And how to avoid being tricked into contracts by suspicious salespeople.’

‘Real danger,’ Kojiro said sagely.

‘Worst monsters,’ Honey agreed.

As they began packing away stray sparkles and resetting desks, Sumire walked past Mon and Gon in her new form. Mon went bright red. Gon, too proud to admit anything, tossed his hair. 

‘Don’t let it go to your head, Sumire. You’re still annoying.’

‘You are still shorter than me,’ she replied calmly.

‘That’s a hate crime,’ Mon muttered.

‘Grow taller, then,’ she said.

Mon opened his mouth to argue, then stopped. He watched her move across the room, laughing with Meow, her illusion flickering in the light like river water.

‘Oh no,’ he whispered.

Gon side-eyed him. ‘What?’

Mon stared after Sumire.

‘Nothing,’ he said very quickly.

Outside, under the torii, the old shrine hummed contentedly.

Inside, Torii Heart School carried on, one unexpected spell, one repaired feeling, one newly-unlocked princess form at a time.