A Day of Surprises: A Kiss, The Student Council of Dragons, and A Nightmare

At school, there lies an organization that wields considerable power over the entire student body greater than the teachers’ themselves. They command respect, discipline, and obedience from every single teacher and student in school. They are by no means a clandestine organization of any kind; actually, their presence and authority is acknowledged by all and in full display to the naked eye. Who are they? Well…they would be the Student Body Council, also known simply as the Council.

In the Student Body Council room, the Council members were in the middle of a meeting. “So, the Summer Cultural Festival is coming up,” said the Council Secretary. “What’s our budget like?” she asked the Council Treasurer.

“Our funds this year are through the roof!” exclaimed the Council Treasurer excitedly. “We got some left over funds from the profits we turned over during last year’s Winter Cultural Festival! Talk about a killing!”

“Then we can make this festival a grand one,” suggested the Council Historian.

“What do you think, President?” asked the Council Vice President.

“Interesting,” replied the President in an intrigued tone. “Let’s make sure to make this Summer Cultural Festival entertaining for all of our students,” he told the entire Council. “They deserve it after all.”

“Yes sir!” said the other Council members in unison.

“Now, President, I hope we can discuss the next matter on our agenda,” said the Council Vice President. “It’s about the Cultural Mythologies and Supernatural Research Club.”

“What about them?” asked the President.

“They scheduled a field trip this weekend to go to a beach in Kobe,” began the Council Vice President, “but they provided no explanation for the reason of the trip.”

“At least on file,” interjected the Council President.

“What do you mean by that?” asked the Council Vice President.

“It’s something that we cannot afford to stop,” answered the Council President. “Let’s just say that it’s more important than the school’s Summer Cultural Festival. We cannot influence it with our power or authority since it is out of our jurisdiction.”

“But’s it’s a school club,” said the Council Vice President, confused about what his leader was saying.

The Council President clasped his hands together and brought his lips to them in a gesture of pondering. “Do you ladies and gentlemen know the true reason behind the Cultural Mythologies and Supernatural Research Club?” he asked the other Council members. There was no answer. “It’s a chance for our world to change for the better,” answered the Council President. He lifted his head and stared right in front of him. “Owatatsumi Tatsuya,” he said with an intrigued smile.

“Owatatsumi Tatsuya?” questioned the Council Secretary.

“He is the Dragonborn,” revealed the Council President with a knowing smile.

“Seriously?!” exclaimed the Council Vice President in surprise.

The Council President stood up from his seat and walked over to the window overlooking the school courtyard. He stared out of it with a bright twinkle in his eyes. “Owatatsumi Tatsuya,” he said again in an intrigued voice. “It’s about time that we make your acquaintance.”

There is only two days left before the club’s trip to Kobe. Tatsuya was feeling kind of anxious about the trip. The thought of a possible weapon from the dragon realm being hidden on a beach in Kobe made him feel uneasy. His mind became divided on whether or not it was a good idea to go. On one hand, he was genuinely terrified about the possibility of finding a weapon there and believed it would be better if they would just leave it alone. On the other hand, if there really is a weapon there then they can prevent it from being used somehow and hinder the plans of their enemies. He knew that the first thought was a selfish one and that the second one was more in line with the thought process of a real hero. His innate sense of duty and justice gradually overwrote his selfish line of reasoning and made him realize what the right choice was.

“Darling?” came Aika’s voice.

“Huh?” uttered Tatsuya dazedly.

“Are you okay? We’ve arrived at school,” she told him.

The group entered the building together and changed into their school shoes. Shurai broke away from the group and walked to her class in the first-year section of the school. Tatsuya, Aika, Kanjomizu, Arashi, and Sunaji (still distancing herself as far away as she can from the Dragonborn) walked up the stairs to the second-year hallway.

When they arrived on the second floor, they noticed a huge crowd forming in the middle of the hallway. The crowd of students then formed two neat lines along each wall of the hallway. A group of students that Tatsuya wasn’t that familiar with walked through the middle of the assembled line of students like celebrities. They wore red bands on the right sleeve of their uniforms with the word “Council” printed in a bold typeface and a small logo of a black European dragon head under it.

‘Who are they?’ wondered Tatsuya. He was sure that he had seen them around the school before but he wasn’t really sure who they were; he rarely associated with others besides his three friends and he’s not at all in the know of who’s who at school. He distances himself away from needless gossip as he feels that it’s not at all important to be up to date with things that don’t concern him at all.

The group of celebrity students approached Tatsuya and his group and stopped in front of them. The person in front of the group was a very beautiful girl(?) with long silver hair that stretched down her(?) back all the way to her(?) waist. She(?) had jade green eyes that exuded an aura of authority and confidence, a delicate silver-tinged complexion like the smooth underside of an altostratus cloud, and a very defined chin that reminded Tatsuya of Greco-Roman statues. “Hello,” said the student, “you must be Owatatsumi Tatsuya, yes?”

“Yes,” answered Tatsuya.

“A pleasure to meet you,” said the student, brining her(?) right arm across her(?) chest to touch her(?) left shoulder in a formal gesture like a bow. “I am Kurokomo Shizo, the Student Body Council President.”

‘What does the Student Body Council President want with me?’ wondered Tatsuya.

“Well, we’ll see you around, Owatatsumi-kun,” said the Council President with a smile. “I hope we be can be good friends.”

“Ah, sure,” replied Tatsuya with a slow nod.

Once the Student Body Council left the hallway, Tatsuya and the girls resumed their walk to class along with their classmates. “What was that about, I wonder,” said Tatsuya as he arrived at his classroom.

“Perchance they have been getting complaints about your loathly pervertedness and are planning to brand you for the malapert mooncalf you are,” suggested Sunaji smugly, walking onwards to her own classroom.

“As if!” he yelled back at her. He seriously can’t take the tone she takes with him. The way she was being harsh to him was very different from Torahime. He remembered thinking about how they were similar in their negative view of him during his bath last night. But as he compared and contrasted their very high-strung attitudes, he began to see a very noticeable difference. Torahime was harsh towards everyone she meets, with the only exception being her friend Nekoyashi, and her attitude towards Tatsuya is more axe-crazy and murderous than simple dislike or hatred. On the other hand, Sunaji was friendly towards everyone she meets, with the obvious exception being Tatsuya, whom she considers a Devil among demons and the worst possible living being on the Earth; also, her relationship with the other dragon princesses is fairly amicable, however she is still wary of their “unladylike” behavior from time to time. The difference in their negative perception of him was what made Tatsuya realize why he acts the way he does around them. He is seriously intimidated by Torahime and is quick to appease her with kindness, but will stand up to her if the situation calls for it. On the other hand, he is seriously annoyed by Sunaji and her uppity attitude and will not hesitate to talk back.

The first few periods went by without a hitch and soon it came time for lunch. Lately, Tatsuya and the others had been eating together in the clubroom. This way, they could eat together and discuss things that should not be heard by human ears. The group said their prayers and then proceeded to eat. Tatsuya had finished one of his onigiri and a speck of rice was stuck on his face.

“Ah, Tatsu-kun, you have rice on your cheek,” said Shurai.

“Ah, really—?” said Tatsuya.

Shurai leaned forward from her seat until her face was dangerously close to Tatsuya’s, interrupting him. She then closed her eyes and shamelessly licked the grain of rice off of his cheek. She returned back to her seat with a small smile and said, “Delicious.”

Everyone was stunned to see this development happen. Aika immediately froze up like a statue as if her spirit had left her body. Kanjomizu’s face turned a dangerous red color as she covered her mouth with her hands in a mixture of embarrassment and envy. Arashi was also genuinely surprised but wasn’t necessarily that bothered by it. Daiki, Sasuke, and Manami could only drop their jaws in surprise with wide eyes. Even Tatsuya himself was left speechless; there are no words to describe how shameful he felt from being part of that rather suggestive situation.

Shurai wasn’t sure why everyone looked so bewildered—the reason eluded her greatly. With the pure innocence of a child, she nonchalantly returned back to her lunch. That’s right, the only thing she ever has on her mind is food. She ate away without a care in the world as if whatever had happened had no meaning whatsoever—well, it had no meaning to her. Whatever it could’ve implicated is meaningless to say the least. Honestly, the only thing that ran through her mind that time was how a grain of rice was going to be left uneaten.

“U-U-Unforgivable!” screamed Sunaji, getting up from her seat and slamming her fist on the table. She had also watched the entire thing and wasn’t at all pleased with it to say the least. With a finger pointing at the Druk princess, Sunaji angrily declared, “Have you no shame? That act was beyond vulgar and loathly! Fie, I say!”

“What act?” questioned Shurai, tilting her head in innocent confusion.

“T-T-That act!” repeated Sunaji with reddening cheeks. “It is beyond unladylike to lick food off of the face of a man! Especially if that man is a demoralized demon!” she shrieked at the top of her lungs.

Shurai suddenly understood what the Python princess was referring to. “But I can’t leave that grain of rice uneaten,” said Shurai. She frowned and added, “All food should be eaten. Wasting food is wrong.”

Upon hearing the Druk princess’ reasoning, Manami quickly picked off a grain of rice from one of his lunch dishes and placed it on his cheek. His perverted mind was now on overdrive—this was the perfect plan for him to finally have a girl lick him! “Shurai-chwan!” he called in a babyish voice, “I have a gwain of rice on my cheek too. Pwease lick me!”

Sasuke unhesitatingly threw a punch and slugged the pervert right across the face. Manami quickly fell to the ground with a loud and painful thud. Sasuke smiled nicely and said, “That was just a warning.” He then brought his right hand up and formed a tight fist. “Try anything perverted to my princess again,” he began, still smiling before quickly switching to a scary face with deadly eyes, “I’ll kill you.” He finished his threat in a low voice that sent shivers down Manami’s spine. The pervert quickly nodded to show his compliance to his friend’s words.

Aika recovered from her shock and attempted to laugh it off. “That’s nothing,” she bravely announced to the group. With her usual happy and lovey-dovey smile, she shamelessly announced to the entire group, “Besides, Darling and I kissed already! There’s nothing closer than a kiss! A simple lick to the face is not the same as sharing a loving and passionate kiss with the one you love.”

“K-K-Kiss?!” shouted Sunaji in disbelief. “Do you mean o-o-on the l-l-lips?!” she stuttered.

“Of course!” answered Aika with a smug nod.

“Me too,” said Kanjomizu with rosy cheeks.

“The Naga princess too?!” exclaimed Sunaji. “B-B-But a k-k-kiss means that y-y-you’re espoused! Does that mean that you both are espoused to that varlet?! Impossible!” (“Espousal” = “engagement”). Sunaji refused to believe this and shook her head frantically to show her opposition to this reveal.

“Ah, well this is the first time I’ve heard of this too,” said Arashi. “And to think that we’ve lived together for almost a month now. I can’t believe none of you told me this sooner.”

“Actually, I’d rather if it doesn’t get mentioned at all,” said Tatsuya honestly.

Shurai walked up to Tatsuya and leaned forward. Her face was literally centimeters from his. “Kiss? Does Tatsu-kun want me to kiss him too?” she asked him.

“W-What are you saying, idiot?” stuttered Tatsuya with flushed cheeks.

“Now, now, Shurai, a kiss should only be done between you and the person you like,” Arashi told her.

“That’s right, princess,” joined in Sasuke with a small chuckle.

“Arashi’s right, Shurai,” said Tatsuya.

“I like Tatsu-kun,” Shurai quickly said out loud.

“H-Huh?” uttered Tatsuya awkwardly.

“I like Tatsu-kun,” she repeated. And it was the honest truth too. Although she may not be able to accurately process the meaning behind strong feelings when it comes to things that are not food, she is aware enough to know what it means to like something. In her mind, she likes food—to like food means that she sincerely enjoy them from the bottom of her heart; therefore, since she sincerely enjoys Tatsuya as a person from the bottom of her heart—she likes him. This feeling of like blossomed ever since their first encounter. She liked Tatsuya because he was kind to her and allowed her to eat to her heart’s content (of course at the expense of his own pocketbook).

“Seriously?!” exclaimed Sunaji in disbelief.

“I like Tatsu-kun,” Shurai repeated with a nod. Of course it was kinda hard to tell from her expression, but her eyes carried to them an intensity that said ‘I mean what I say!’ “That means that it’s okay to kiss, right?” she asked Tatsuya innocently.

“Fool! Don’t you recall that kissing is meant to signify espousal?” shouted Sunaji.

Shurai closed her eyes and, before Tatsuya could have a chance to escape this situation, planted a kiss nonchalantly on his lips.

“Y-Y-You strumpet!” exclaimed Sunaji with flustered cheeks. Her embarrassment levels shot through the roof and was quickly replaced by fury. “Dat wuz awfo, wat yer jus did!” she yelled out, “Yer supposa be a lady, dagnabit! Na yer nuttin’ but a floozy, ‘specially since yer chose dat gawddam bastad!”

Aika scooted behind the Python princess with a mischievous smile and said in a soft voice into the dragon princess’ ear, “You’re accent’s showing, your highness.”

Sunaji immediately shut her mouth and covered it with her hands. Her face became a very dark crimson color. Meanwhile, the others were taken aback by the sudden change she had just showed. It didn’t take long, however, for their bewilderment to transform into stifled laughter. They tried to hide their rudeness either by turning around and letting it out carefully or by covering their entire face with their hands to muffle their unrestrained laughter. Slowly, as they got it out of their system, everyone returned back to their casual selves.

Arashi cleared her throat and said, “If I remember correctly, the Python Tribe had a very particular way of speaking.”

“That’s one way to put it,” agreed Aika smugly.

“Well, the Python Tribe is a tribe of hicks,” said Arashi with a raised eyebrow and a smug smile.

“S-S-So what?!” came Sunaji.

“Oh nothing,” Arashi told her.

Arashi’s quick succinct reply scared Sunaji greatly. There was something about the Quetzalcoatl princess that made Sunaji wary of her. She had never felt this fear with Arashi before, but she suddenly received an instinctive revelation of sorts that warned her to be cautious around this one.

School had ended and everyone was ready to go home. The Cultural Mythologies and Supernatural Research Club didn’t have a scheduled meeting today, so the members had the day off. Tatsuya was ready to leave for home and had reached the door when he was quickly stopped by the teacher. He was informed that the Student Body Council requested an audience with him. This sudden summons raised a lot of questions in Tatsuya’s head. The most important question he had was: ‘Why am I being summoned by the Student Body Council?’

After the teacher informed him of the location of the Student Body Council’s room, Tatsuya left without any questions. He knew that he could’ve tried to ask the teacher about it, but it was likely that the teacher didn’t know the reason either. Besides, since he was going to meet them anyway, the logical solution is to ask them directly instead. Tatsuya walked up the stairs to the third floor and reached a room near the end of the right hallway. A sign on the door read “The Council” with a logo of a black European dragon head under it. Tatsuya knocked on the door and waited for a reply.

“Come in,” spoke the voice of the Council President.

Tatsuya opened the door and entered the room. The Council members were sitting at a long meeting table in the middle of the room with the Council President sitting at the table’s head. In front of each of the members was a metal nameplate with their name and position within the Council.

Starting from the farthest left, the first member of the Council was Council Historian Sanada Yukari. She was a pretty girl with straight cool blue hair and a penguin hair clip, and icy blue eyes that were like frosty balls of snow. Her skin complexion was whiter than freshly fallen snow but far from being pasty or pale. She wore a very demure and unflappable expression, as if she was accustomed to all of the surprises in this world. Tatsuya wondered to himself if she is one of those ice queen-type characters who keep their emotions guarded from the outside world and only shows a vulnerable side to her closest friends.

To her right, the second member of the Council was Council Secretary Mizushima Sana. She was a fairly attractive girl with natural looks. Her hair was a very vibrant aquamarine and reached only her shoulders with a hime cut in the front. Clear sapphire blue eyes like magnificent orbs of water were her most appealing and alluring feature. Her skin was of a light blue tinge, yet her cheeks were of a noticeable rosy color. In his mind, Tatsuya imagined that she was the type of girl to join in group activities only because her friends are doing it too.

Next to her was the Council President, whom Tatsuya had already exchanged a few words with before. To the Council President’s right was Council Vice President Shimada Kenjiro. He was an average good-looking guy, at least more good-looking than Tatsuya for sure, and had soft dirty blonde hair like the down off a duck’s back. He wore thin gold-framed glasses and had bold brown eyes. His skin tone was a light yellow color like a natural tan. Tatsuya could feel a very powerful aura exuding from him and couldn’t help but feel a little intimidated by it.

To his right was the last and final member of the Council, Council Treasurer Jumonji Hikari. He was a handsome young man with a crown of curly light-blonde hair that looked like rays from the sun. His eyes were a piercing neon yellow like brilliant citrine jewels and his skin complexion was a pale yellow that reminded Tatsuya of holy lights in Renaissance paintings. He wore a happy-go-lucky expression like a young and innocent child, giving off a carefree and friendly aura that was very alluring. Tatsuya found himself very drawn to the positive atmosphere he projected and felt a very noticeable warmth enveloping his entire body.

“Hello,” greeted Tatsuya politely, “I heard that you called for me?”

“Ah, Owatatsumi-kun,” said the Council President with a welcoming smile. “We indeed called for you. Please, take a seat.”

Tatsuya sat in the seat at the end of the table close to the front door. Anxiety began to set in inside of him and his legs were shaking underneath the table. The tense atmosphere that permeated the room due to the Council’s collectively intense aura made Tatsuya all the more uneasy.

“You must be wondering why we have called you in,” said the Council President.

Tatsuya answered with a simple nod.

“Let me ask you a question, Owatatsumi-kun,” began the Council President, “do you believe in destiny?”

“Destiny?” repeated Tatsuya, confused by the question.

“Do you believe that a person’s life is already predetermined?” elucidated the Council President.

Tatsuya wasn’t sure at all how to answer this unexpected question. He thought for a moment and processed the words in his mind. “To be honest, I don’t,” he answered back honestly.

“Have you ever heard the story of Oedipus?” asked the Council President.

“I don’t think so,” Tatsuya replied.

“Once upon a time, the king of Thebes received a prophecy that he will be killed by his own son, who would also take the king’s wife as his own,” began the Council President. “The king of Thebes, fearful of the prophecy coming true, instructed one of his servants to abandon his newborn son on top of a mountain. However, the son was taken in by a shepherd and was given to the king of another kingdom. Once the son grew up, he learned of the prophecy and assumed that it meant he will kill his own foster father and marry his foster mother. Not wanting the prophecy to come true, the son left for Thebes. On the way to Thebes, the son, who was named Oedipus, met an old man and subsequently killed him in a quarrel. Upon arriving in Thebes, he learnt of the death of the king and proceeded to save the kingdom from the mercy of a monster. He defeated the monster and, as a reward for saving the kingdom, married the queen and became the new king. A few years later, Oedipus took it upon himself to learn who killed the previous king before him. He quickly learned that he himself was responsible for the king’s death. This led to his identity as the queen’s son to be revealed. The queen hung herself in shame and Oedipus, in repentance for his deed, took two pins and blinded himself with them. Needless to say, it is a very tragic story.”

“Uh, right,” said Tatsuya once the Council President finished the story. Throughout the entire time, he listened intently to the Council President’s words with the attentive ears of a preschooler. It felt a bit like those stories his father used to tell him as a young child, but the content and theme of the Council President’s story was undoubtedly more unsettling.

“This is what is called a self-fulfilling prophecy, Owatatsumi-kun,” informed the Council President.

“Sorry, but, what does this have to do with me?” asked Tatsuya.

“There is another prophecy that is intent on fulfilling itself,” continued the Council President.

“What prophecy?” inquired Tatsuya.

“One day, a messiah shall arrive who will become the bridge of two worlds. A new golden era shall be realized and humans and dragons shall once again live in peace. The messiah will show three signs: the Mark of Marduk, the golden armor Fafnir, and the celestial sword the Seiryu Blade. He will be a child born of human and dragon blood. His name is the Dragonborn.” As the Council President said this, Tatsuya felt a wave of apprehension and uneasiness wash over him.

“How do you know this?” Tatsuya asked the Council President skeptically.

“I believe you know the answer to that question,” answered the Council President with knowing eyes.

“Wait a minute, are you saying that you’re a dragon?” said Tatsuya in disbelief. “You got to be kidding me, right?” he added with a nervous smile.

“Indeed I am,” revealed the Council President. “Actually, the entire Council are dragons.”

“Huh? Seriously?” exclaimed Tatsuya.

“I am a Quetzalcoatl,” the Council President told Tatsuya. “Council Historian Sanada Yukari is an Okami, Council Secretary Mizushima Sana is a Naga, Council Vice President Shimada Kenjiro is a Python, and Council Treasurer Jumonji Hikari is a Long.”

Tatsuya couldn’t believe this. He would’ve never guessed this in a million years. The entire Student Body Council are dragons! Talk about letting out a giant cat out of a giant bag! Then it all started to make sense—the reason for Tatsuya’s summons became clear. The Council must’ve figured out his identity as the Dragonborn and now wants to make his acquaintance for some purpose or another. Tatsuya didn’t know exactly what they were planning, but it wasn’t at all a stretch to assume that part of their reason for summoning Tatsuya is to benefit them in some kind of endeavor.

“So? About my summons,” Tatsuya asked the Council President, eschewing his previous humble and anxious expression for something more confident and strong-willed. After learning their identities, and knowing that they are very well aware of who he is, Tatsuya decided to approach this with a more determined attitude. He was also careful to be cautious about his approach and not be careless with his words.

“Judging by the look in your eyes, you must assume that we are your enemies,” deduced the Council President.

“Sorry, but I can’t be too careless with people I’ve never met before,” reasoned Tatsuya soundly.

“Please, be at eased Owatatsumi-kun. I can assure you that we are not your enemies,” said the Council President. “We’re just interested in you.”

“Interested in me?” questioned Tatsuya.

“You can’t blame us for wondering exactly what type of person the Dragonborn is, especially since he’s one of our students,” answered the Council President.

“First of all, what makes you think that I’m the Dragonborn in the first place?” challenged Tatsuya. “What if you got the wrong guy?” he posited. Tatsuya didn’t like it how they knew his identity as the Dragonborn. If he wasn’t careful, he could be walking into an enemy’s trap. He knew that his identity is currently known by the higher-ups of the United Front and had only recently been divulged to the royal families, but he had not yet received information that it had been public. Mr. Urushihara had told him that it won’t be soon before the public is made aware of his existence, but not yet. This is why he’s suspicious of how the Council is in possession of such information.

“Council Treasurer Jumonji?” said the Council President.

“Ya got it, boss!” responded the Council Treasurer with a salute. He then pointed a finger straight at Tatsuya and a beam of light shot out of it like a bright neon yellow laser. It traveled with a speed that eluded the eyes of a normal observer and was perfectly aimed at Tatsuya’s left eye.

With the instinctive reflexes of a seasoned fighter, Tatsuya quickly brought his right hand up to block the beam. The Mark of Marduk appeared and glowed brightly, forming an invisible barrier in front of him and absorbing the beam. That’s when a sudden realization hit him. He may have saved himself from harm, but he had put himself in a more precarious position.

“The Mark of Marduk,” said the Council President in an awed voice.

“Eh? So that’s the Mark of Marduk?” said the Council Treasurer in an intrigued tone.

“There’s no doubt about it. He is indeed the Dragonborn,” concluded the Council Vice President.

“Amazing,” commented the Council Secretary.

‘Crap,’ cursed Tatsuya. Now that he had revealed his identity to them, it would be only a matter of time before something disastrous happens and they show their true colors. He waited for it to happen, for them to become hostile towards him…. Nothing happened at all. This kind of irked Tatsuya for some reason. He had expected something more horrifying or dreadful to occur, like in a Shonen anime. It’s usually at this time that the enemy shows their true colors and trap him with no way to escape, or forces him into a situation that he would have to use his head and skills to break through. But…nothing happened at all. “Um, excuse me, but you guys aren’t going to do anything like trap me or torture me or something?” asked Tatsuya.

“Why in the world would we do that?!” shouted the Council Vice President and slamming the table with his fists, obviously offended by the former’s comments. “How rude?”

“I believe you might have the wrong idea,” said the Council President with a smile. “We are not your enemies, Owatatsumi-kun, that you can be sure of. Mr. Urushihara had informed me of what your club had been discussing, and I can promise you that we are not in anyway affiliated with Ouroboros nor do we support their cause.”

Tatsuya let out a small sigh of relief. Hearing those words put his mind at ease. He was genuinely scared that they could be Ouroboros agents who have discovered his identity and had planned to take care of him here and now. After being informed of Ouroboros’ strong influence on the dragon population, he took the warning to heart and became careful with those he comes across, especially dragons. Sure he may not possess the ability to discern dragons from humans through scent, which makes it all the more scarier since he doesn’t have a clear idea of who his enemy could be, but he decided to make up for that by increasing his cautiousness of others towards everyone he meets.

“So, what was the reason for my summons?” Tatsuya asked the Council.

“We just wanted to see the Dragonborn whom we have heard so much about with our own eyes,” answered the Council President. “It has been a pleasure meeting you.”

“Um, thanks,” said Tatsuya with a sheepish laugh.

“You can go now, Owatatsumi-kun,” said the Council President with a smile. “And good luck on your field trip this weekend. I wish the Cultural Mythologies and Supernatural Research Club good fortune on their mission.”

“Thank you,” responded Tatsuya politely. “Say, you’re a pretty nice girl for a Council President,” he added with a small chuckle.

“The Council President is a guy, though,” answered the Council Treasurer.

“Oh—Wait, what?!” exclaimed Tatsuya in surprise.

“Is he really such an idiot?” inquired the Council Vice-President exasperatedly.

“My, Owatatsumi-kun, I didn’t know that you saw me like that,” said the Council President, covering his mouth with his hand and blushing like a bashful schoolgirl.

Tatsuya somehow felt that he had been in a similar situation like this before. “I-I-I…,” he stuttered, his mind plagued by confusion and uncertainty. Concluding that there was no easy way out of this, he quickly bowed his head and apologized from the bottom of his heart. “I’m sorry!” he announced sincerely, bowing his head to show that he deeply regretted for offending the Council President in any way.

“It is fine,” reassured the Council President with a laugh.

“W-Well, I guess I should go now,” said Tatsuya, raising his head. He was still immensely embarrassed for what he said—his cheeks were a light shade of red and his body was trembling a bit—but he confidently reached for the door and opened it.

“Ah, before you go, Owatatsumi-kun, would you mind answering my question?” asked the Council President. Tatsuya stopped and stood very still. “Do you believe in fate?” asked the Council President.

“If you believe in fate and prophecies, go ahead,” answered Tatsuya in a low voice, “but I don’t give a crap about it. I won’t let fate control me.”

“I see,” said the Council President with a content smile. Tatsuya left the room and the door closed behind him.

“Sheesh, talk about being too arrogant for your own good,” scoffed the Council Vice President.

“Say, Shimada-kun, who do you think will win?” asked the Council President.

“What do mean?” inquired the Council Vice President.

“Fate, or one who attempts to avert it?” answered the Council President.

“Fate, of course,” replied the Council Vice President confidently.

“You said it yourself, boss,” added the Council Treasurer. “Self-fulfilling prophecies are exactly that. There’s no way he can escape it no matter what he thinks.”

“But he seems rather confident about it, though,” said the Council Secretary. “He was adamant in his belief that he can avert playing by the rules of fate.”

“This is interesting indeed,” said the Council President with a nod, smiling amusingly to himself. “When Urushihara Jin told me about it at first, I thought that Owatatsumi-kun must be a fool for believing in such a ludicrous idea. But after meeting the Dragonborn with my own eyes, my opinion of him has changed. Now that I think about it, the idea is more intriguing than it is foolish. Sure, it may seem futile to do so, but it is nevertheless interesting to see how one can attempt to defy what has already been laid out for them by the stars.”

“You seem pretty invested in this,” noted the Council Vice President.

“Have you all ever heard the myth of Admetus?” asked the Council President. No answer. “Admetus was a king who had won the favor of Apollo. The god was placed in the king’s care as a punishment for angering Zeus. Admetus treated Apollo with compassion and won his heart. As a reward, Apollo successfully negotiated with the goddesses of fate to save the king from his already predetermined death. No matter how you look at it, Admetus was a figure who had successfully transcended fate, even if it was done for him by a god.”

“But this situation is different,” said the Council Vice President.

“Yeah, Tatsu-chan doesn’t have a god on his side,” pointed out the Council Treasurer.

“Oi! Since when did you become close with him?” rebuked the Council Vice President. “That’s just plain rude.”

“I don’t think he minds,” said the Council Treasurer with a shrug. “Besides, Tatsu-chan seems like he’s a very nice guy.”

“Wha yer lil rascal!” snarled the Council Vice President furiously through gritted teeth.

“Hey, Kenjiro-senpai just went hick! It happened again! It happened again!” cheered the Council Treasurer happily in a half-mocking tone with a finger pointed at the Council Vice President.

“Enough!” ordered the Council President sternly. The room became quiet once again. “It is all the more interesting because he does not possess a god by his side,” said the Council President, continuing the conversation from before. “Now, Owatatsumi-kun, let’s see what you can do in your desire to defy fate. I hope you show me something interesting.”

Tatsuya arrived home later than the girls because of the whole business with the Student Body Council. He walked in and was greeted by his cohabitants. Having had a long day, he decided to take a bath to relax. He walked to the bathroom, with the blind expectation that no one was currently using it, and opened the door and entered. Upon stepping inside, he felt humid steam brushing against his skin and a warmth that reminded him of a hot spring. The entire room itself was covered in a thick steam that gradually dissipated into thin air until the entire room became clear once again. Once it was all gone, Tatsuya found himself in a predicament. Some may say that it was every boys’ dream to be caught in this situation, but this scene that looked like it came straight out of an anime was anything but a dream for Tatsuya. It was a nightmare that he had no way of escaping.

Standing naked in front of him, clear as daybreak, was the last person whom Tatsuya wanted to piss off anymore than he already had. Sunaji stood baring all of her womanly charms before him: her bare legs that glistened like smooth marble, her beautifully tan stomach that evoked softness and elegance, her well-curved waist that was perfectly proportioned between thin and wide, her generously ample breasts that exceeded the imaginations of all men, and her….

Both Tatsuya and Sunaji locked eyes. They were both frozen in place, not knowing what to do next in this situation. Sunaji’s embarrassment levels shot through the roof and her entire body quickly turned a bright red color like ripe cherries. Her body shook with shame and her mind exploded, becoming a jumbled mess that was beyond comprehension and lucidity.

Tatsuya himself also turned a bright red color. His body also shook, not with shame, but with fear. His brain was going into hyper-drive through an endless stream of excuses that could possibly serve as some sort of explanation to save him from the terrifying wrath of a wronged woman. But he knew that such an excuse was futile.

It didn’t take long before Sunaji’s shame quickly turned into pure fury. With all of her rage focused in her fist, she unleashed a terrifying uppercut under Tatsuya’s chin, sending him out of the room through the opened door. “Yer lil dirty bastad!” she screamed.

And that was how Tatsuya’s day had ended. Today had been a day full of surprises. He received a kiss from Shurai, he was summoned by the Student Body Council and learned of their identity as dragons, and he found himself the instigator of a very dangerous situation upon returning home. But amidst all of those surprising situations, the most surprising moment of them all was when the Council President revealed his awareness of Tatsuya’s determination to resist fate. Those words still echo in his mind…. Tatsuya had determined that he will not be a puppet of fate and he aims to show it. That’s right, the greatest surprise of them all has still yet to come. Tatsuya’s surprise to the world will be his victory over fate that he will achieve with his own hands.