A Fateful Beginning

THE SLEEK BLUE MIDTOWN bus was zipping across the black tarmac at such a breakneck pace that the passing buildings and bystanders became a hazy blur. Cady, who was nodding off in the middle of the bus, was among the thirty-four passengers on board. The early morning sun shone ardently through the window across from her. Her vibrant orange short-sleeved blouse, emblazoned with the emblem of a phoenix, glistened in the sunlight.

Cady had spent three weeks preparing for her big move from Fableton, Boone, to Marlia City, Empyrea. She and her Papi were able to load her belongings onto a moving van, which would arrive at the Phoenix girls' dorm later that day after school. Her limbs still ached and burned from the strenuous exercise. She liked the burn. It gave her a sense of purpose.

Most small-town folks would be terrified at the prospect of suddenly relocating to a big city to attend a world-renowned academy. It turned out to be anything but for Cady. She had been anticipating this day ever since she could walk. This was her opportunity to demonstrate that she had what it took to become a model patrol officer.

As the bus continued down the busy street, her round pink eyes popped open.

“Oh, no!” she exclaimed, sitting up frantically and checking her surroundings, fearful that she may have dozed off. “Did I miss my stop??”

A tall human male in a black suit and blue necktie stood across from her. He reached over and pulled the signal cord with his free hand. The man tipped his black and blue fedora, giving the girl a small grin. She smiled as a wave of gratitude washed over her.

“Oh! Thank you kindly, mister!” she said with a smile, slightly bowing her head.

“Don’t mention it, kid,” the man said with a nod. “Best of luck to you.”

The bus intercom chimed. “Route 57, Hullington Road to Phoenix Military Academy.”

Cady jumped up from her seat and stretched her arms as the bus came to a complete stop. She then inhaled sharply and let out a loud “WOO!!” at the top of her lungs before quickly covering her mouth, remembering the fact that she was in public. This elicited some nasty looks from other passengers, but the tall man simply chuckled. A couple of teenagers dressed in the same school colors quickly disembarked. Waving goodbye to the nice man, Cady exited the bus and followed the others down the sidewalk.

Cady inhaled through her pebbled nose. The strong aroma of oak and freshly mowed grass signaled to her that she had arrived at her destination. She dashed past the young mages she was riding with and rounded the corner before coming to a stop. She let out a soft sigh of amazement as a large brownstone building came into view. A large rectangular plaque was nailed to the stone pillar at the gate's entrance.

The Phoenix Military Academy—located in Southwestern Marlia City—was renowned for molding its students with magical and other supernatural abilities into future protectors of the realm. Phoenix was among Taqora's oldest secondary schools and considered one of the most prestigious in the world.

Cady marveled at the tall silver statue standing just a few yards away as she stepped past the gate's entryway. It was of Myron Kedvale, the Starlight Crusader, a famous and legendary adventurer who helped Phoenix win three consecutive Academy Showdown Championships during his tenure. Following his two-year expedition beyond The Yolk, he would join the Zorro Unit, where he and his comrades would defend Terra from a massive yōma outbreak known as the Eternal Craze. Myron's heroics during the incident cemented his reputation in the eyes of the Holy Kingdom. Four years ago, during the Kageryuu Massacre, Myron would meet his end on the battlefield, cut down by the claws of a frenzied vampire. This statue would be erected to honor the memory of Phoenix Academy's fallen alumni.

To say Cady was awestruck would be a massive understatement. Wow… There’s so much history here!

She sauntered through the entrance and was greeted by a massive open field that surrounded the school building. Many students were already dueling one another, no doubt testing each other’s strengths and weaknesses as they aspired to rise through the ranks. Cady wasn’t surprised. After all, the Pegasus Freshmen Tag Festival was scheduled for the end of September, about a month from now. If there were any freshmen among those students, it was the upcoming event they were most likely prepping for.

Ahead of her stood a tall Oak Tree, its long branches and large fan-like leaves blocking out the sun. The deep grooves and ridges that ran along its fissured bark revealed its age to all that laid eyes upon it. Under it was a large patio with tables and benches where several students sat to eat and converse.

Man! This place’s a lot bigger than I thought.

Given that the entrance exams were held at Phoenix’s exclusive training facility, this was Cady’s first time seeing the school campus in person. She stood stock-still, entranced by her surroundings. Many more students continued to pour through the gate behind her. As they passed Cady, a few of them turned to steal glances at her. Some with piqued interest, others with open disdain.

She returned her smile to a few schoolmates who gave her welcoming nods before returning to marvel at the inviting sights and sounds of the schoolyard. Cady couldn't stop pinching herself as she strolled down the long promenade. She had to be certain that this wasn't a fever dream and she wouldn't wake to find herself in a hospital cot.

Oh, man...this is it… Four years of this and I’ll surely be a patrol officer! Ya hear that, Vic? This is just the first step in realizing our dream! I’ll work hard enough for the two of us! I won't let you down!

With that, Cady started walking down a straight path that led to the school's courtyard, looking around. She was soon only a few feet away from a large canopy that was positioned horizontally from where she stood. Underneath was a walkway that led to one of the main building's numerous entrances.

“Huh?”

Her ears suddenly perked up, picking up a faint sound coming from ahead. Snoring. She then sniffed the air and shifted her gaze to the left. She gasped, taken aback by what she saw. A small kitten with light blonde fur lay fast asleep atop a tall red and white vending machine near the canopy's center. Cady observed its tiny scar-covered body rising and falling in a steady rhythm.

It was by far the cutest thing she had ever laid eyes on.

“Heeeeeeeeeee!!” She let out a mirthful squeal, her tail wagging vigorously. Unable to contain her excitement any longer, she dashed for the machine.

                                                                      ✧ ✧ ✧

Emi continued her walk to the main building of Phoenix Academy, passing through the West Gate and under a canopy. The catgirl's words lingered in her mind. Knock it off, will you?! she scolded herself. You've done all you could, there's no point in moping about other people's shortcomings. Besides, you have your own problems to worry about! She was aware of this, but even she couldn't deny that it was easier said than done.

Emi heaved a sigh as a group of laughing schoolmates strode past her. She then raised her eyes from the ground to see a tall red and white vending machine in the middle of the promenade.

Hm… Maybe some coffee will help alleviate some of this stress.

She walked over to the massive machine and rummaged through her skirt pocket for a few notes. Just as she pulled out an aged fifty-gram bill—

BUMP!!

“Ooof!!”

“Uwah!!”

—a sudden force knocked her backward to the ground, her books flying into the air before gravity eventually pulled them back down, scattering across the cobblestone pavement with a cacophony of thuds.

“Agh!”

Emi’s body ached. She felt as if she’d been hit by a brick wall on wheels. As she sat up, she felt a sharp pain in her back. She quickly inspected her arms and legs for scrapes and bruises. Much to her relief, no serious harm was done.

Gods, that hurt… What on Terra was that?

She cast a glance at the figure across from her. It was yet another female beastkin, this time a canine with long curly brown hair. She sat with her rump on the ground and her lower legs bent off to their respective sides. It didn't take Emi long to realize, based on the canine girl's pained expression, that she was the one who had collided with her.

“Ow!” the dog girl grimaced. Her floppy ears twitched as she rubbed her tailbone before raising her head to look back at Emi.

“Hm?”

“Ah...”

“......”

“......”

“......”

A brief hush fell over them. The dog girl held a fixed gaze on Emi, her round pink eyes boring into hers. Not long after, she eventually pushed herself to her feet and dusted off her uniform.

“Hey, uh, sorry about that. I shoulda’ been lookin’ where I was goin’.” The dog girl grinned sheepishly while rubbing the back of her head. “Are you okay?”

She spoke with a thick Boonean drawl. Racial integration and foreign exchanges were extremely common in the Contemporary Age, so it came as no surprise to Emi that children would travel from all over the continent to attend one of Empyrea's four major secondary schools.

“Y-Yeah, I'm fine,” Emi replied, her voice slightly strained. Before meeting the dog girl's gaze, she quickly dusted off her blouse and skirt. “How about you? That was a nasty fall, are you hurt anywhere?”

“S'alright. Mother Terra bestowed a sturdy bod on this fair lady!” The dog girl beamed as she flexed her arms in her best strongman pose, eliciting a few giggles from onlookers. She appeared to be in good spirits despite having been knocked to the ground only moments before.

"I see," Emi said with a slight chuckle.

With it being so early in the morning, she has quite a lot of energy... How does she do it?

“Here, lemme help ya with yer books,” the dog girl said with a wag of her tail. She then rose to a knee and began scouring the ground around them. “It’s the least I can do for bumpin' into ya like that.”

“O-Oh, you don’t have to. I—”

“Aw, please?” The dog girl drooped her bottom lip. “I would feel just plain awful if I left you to pick all these up on your own.”

Emi felt like she was backed into a corner. She studied the girl for a bit. The glimmer in her eyes told her that she was being sincere. How could she possibly say no?

She caved. “R-Right. Thanks.”

The girls began to pick up the few books that were in front of them. One book, in particular, piqued the beastkin's interest. An orange book titled Magecraft in the Industrial Age. The Bibliosmia emanating from the tome betrayed its caducity..

“Hmm, the Industrial Age, huh?” She pondered, glancing over at Emi. “So you’re a bit of a history buff, I see! Sweet, Don’t see a whole lot of folks our age reading books from this era. Or any books at all for that matter.”

“Oh…” Emi had no idea. “Is that weird?”

The beastkin shook her head. “Nah, you’re fine. Just unusual is all. Figured you’d be more of a magical-combat kinda gal. Yer eyes give off a sort of ferocity to ‘em that commands respect and order if that makes any sense.”

Emi chuckled at this. “Yeah well, I get that quite a lot. Although these eyes have gotten me into trouble more often than not.” She reached back with her free hand and gently tapped her bag. “My specialty is mystic weaponry and magitech. I don’t really have the biggest mana pool in the world, so I mostly use what little I can produce to amplify my inventions.”

The dog girl shot up. “Ooh!! Mystic weaponry?? Magitech?? Wow, I’ve never met a technomancer in person before! This is so cool!”

Emi blushed. “H-Hey now, don’t get too excited. I’m afraid my inventions have quite a ways to go before they can be of any use to anyone... Sorry to disappoint.”

“Eh, no biggie!” The dog girl shrugged as she handed Emi the last book. “We're all at this school for one reason or another, aren't we?"

“Yeah, you’re not wrong there.”

The dog girl looked Emi over once more. This was beginning to make the latter feel incredibly anxious and she couldn’t ignore it any longer.

“W-Why do you keep staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?”

“Oh! Heh, my bad. It’s just that… I’ve never seen human hair with that shade of red before.”

“Huh??”

Emi gripped her books tightly, her heart pounding heavily in her chest.

The dog girl brought a hand to her chin and hmm’d for a spell. “Oh, I get it!” She hit her palm with her fist when a thought finally came to her. “Izzat a result of that whole miasma exposure deal?”

“Mm-hm!!” Emi affirmed without hesitation. “You see, I was born in Danford, and the miasmic density there is extremely high. Empyrea is supposed to be around 55 kilometers from The Yolk after all! Heheh…”

Since its inception, The Yolk has been known to emit a constant stream of miasma, a substance with extremely powerful magical properties. This miasma exposure managed to reach about 85% of Terra over the last millennium, with some regions and continents having a higher density rate than others. As a result, it was not uncommon for human children to be born with vibrant hair colors or other unique traits.

“Hey, that’s pretty neat!” the dog girl grinned. “Say, what year are ya?”

“I’m a freshman.”

“Oh, really? So am I!”

“Yeah, if you look at your tie, there’s a little ‘I’ numeral insignia at the center.” Emi lifted her midnight blue necktie and showed the dog girl what she meant. “Sophomores have the double ‘II’ numeral, and so on. It helps the faculty better identify us.”

“Ah, hey! Yer right!” The dog girl exclaimed as she looked down at her necktie. “Heh, I wondered what that was for.”

Emi beamed. She couldn’t explain it, but there was something to this girl’s affable behavior and child-like innocence that made her feel at ease.

“Ah, the name’s Arcadia Reynoso by the way, but you can call me Cady.” She reached with her right hand. A warm smile spread across her face. “What’s yer name?”

A sudden gust of wind passed through the canopy, dancing through their hair, Emi’s ponytail bobbing to and fro. The two girls stood there for a moment until finally, the red-haired girl grinned and grasped Cady’s hand, shaking it.

“My name is Emi,” she said. “Emi Suzuki. Nice to meet you, Cady.”

“Emi, huh... I like the sound of that! What’s it mean?”

“It means ‘smile’ in Eastern Hōjinese,” Emi explained. “Though it can mean different things depending on how you write it.” She shook her head. “That said, I'll never understand why my mom gave it to me. It doesn't suit me at all.”

Cady chuckled. “Hmm, I dunno. I think it fits you perfectly.”

“How do you mean?”

“Yer smile just now,” Cady pointed out. “An awfully purdy smile if I ever saw one. I think yer ma might’ve struck gold with that name.”

“...?!” Emi averted her gaze as a wellspring of heat washed over her face.

“Hey, are you okay?” Cady leaned in close, wearing a look of concern. “You got some kinda skin condition?”

So close…

“I-I’m fine.” Emi doubled back, shifting her square-shaped spectacles nervously. “You just caught me off guard is all.”

Cady laughed as Emi puffed her cheeks in annoyance. It seemed as though this girl she’d just met was getting some sort of kick out of seeing her all flustered.

“Honestly…” Recalling her hankering for a morning beverage, Emi turned to face the vending machine. “Say, I was going to grab a coffee, you want anything?”

“Hm? Oh! Sure thing, since yer offerin’!” She then put a hand to her chin. “Hmm… Ah.”

The young pup’s smile quickly faded when all of a sudden—

“OH, MY GODS!!”

“Wah!!”

—she gasped loudly, slapping her hands hard against her cheeks. The red-haired girl flinched, nearly dropping her books for a second time.

“Whoa! Take it down a notch, why don’t you?” Emi scolded as she watched the dog girl wag her tail in excitement, her cheeks visibly burning between her hands. “Didn't that hurt?”

“It did.” As Cady said this, Emi simply shook her head at the matter-of-factness in her voice.

“Yeesh. Well, you startled me.”

“Sorry about that, Emi,” she apologized, bouncing up and down as she did so. “I got so excited cuz I just remembered why I ran over here!!”

“Hm?”

Cady pointed up at the feline resting atop the vending machine beside them. Even with her spectacles, Emi had to readjust them as she gazed up at the tiny beast with light blonde fur.

“Oh… a cat?”

“Ain’t he just the cutest li’l thing??”

“I didn’t even see him there. He must’ve come over here to get out of the sun,” Emi observed. “Looks like his body is pretty beaten up, too. Poor little guy.”

She took out a couple of Gram dollars and inserted them into the bill acceptor, which promptly accepted the cash. Cady, meanwhile, was panting heavily and wagging her tail wildly as she gazed at the sleeping cat.

“Oh. Cady, what did you want?” Emi asked. “Perhaps the rumbling inside this thing will get Mr. Kitty here up and running.”

“I’ll take an espresso with cream, please! Oh…” With a sudden halt of her tail, Cady's eyes lit up with realization. “Mr. Kitty… I like it!” Her gaze returned to the cat. “That’s what we’ll call ya!”

Emi couldn't help but smile at the girl's upbeat attitude. Perhaps, against her initial expectations, the idea of going to secondary school wasn't as dreadful as she had anticipated.

“Halt! You are not getting away with this!!”

Just as Emi grabbed two canned coffees dispensed from the vending machine (which failed to wake the cat), the sound of an older man’s voice reverberated throughout the halls.

“Huh?”

After handing Cady her drink, Emi turned to her left, casting her dark brown eyes to the source of the commotion. A young boy around her age was running about the crowded schoolyard. Giving chase was a grown man wearing a white shirt with a red necktie and gray pants, presumably an instructor if Emi had to guess.

“Come back here, you brat!!” The man was gaining on the boy fast. The boy peered back at the angry adult and flipped him the bird.

“Up yours, old man!! You’re just gonna pop me if I do!”

“You’re darn right I’m gonna pop you!” the man yelled back. “Enough is enough, Gayle! It’s high time you stop it with these shenanigans of yours!! ”

“Lay off, will ya?!” the boy bit back. “Those asshats got what was coming to them!!”

Emi took a sip from her can as she watched the incident unfold. The boy tried to shake the older man by running around in a circle. And when that didn’t work, he zig-zagged around a few students, which finally allowed him to gain some distance from his pursuer.

Cady's eyes widened in innocent curiosity as she watched the commotion unfolding before her. “Hmm, what's going on over there?” she wondered aloud, turning to Emi. “What do you reckon?”

Emi shrugged. “Beats me.”

Marlia City was a well-known “melting pot” of sorts, so Emi figured it was only natural that the school was bound to have a troublemaking idiot or two. Even so, she found herself to be quite impressed with the boy’s speed and body control. Her brief admiration quickly faded as soon as the boy glanced over to the canopy where she and Cady were standing.

No, no, no. Don’t come over here! Anywhere but here!

WOOOOOSSSHHH!!!

Without warning, a powerful force rushed past her. Looking ahead, she noticed a large dust cloud had formed in the distance, causing the instructor and nearby students to cough uncontrollably.

The girls gawked at the phenomena unfolding before their very eyes. The older man stumbled out of the dust cloud, breaking away from the crowd of exclaiming teenagers. After his coughing had ceased, the man looked up to see that he was standing under the canopy, facing the girls. He produced a handkerchief from his breast pocket and wiped the sweat from his balding head.

He looks exhausted…

“E-Excuse me. Y-You ladies wouldn’t happen to know where I could find a sapphire-haired boy with a yellow strand, would you?” He asked with a sheepish grin, waiting expectantly for their answer.

The girls shook their heads.

“No, sir.”

“Uh-uh!”

The man tightened his lips, a clear look of disappointment on his face. Emi couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. But what else could they possibly say? The boy had been there only a moment before, but he was now gone. A troublemaker he may be, but Emi had to admit that the kid was a formidable speed mage.

“I see,” he said with a slight nod. “Sorry for bothering you. Carry on.” He pulled a mana crystal-powered (MCP) smartphone from his breast pocket before turning on his heel and heading down the cobblestone walkway that led into the main building.

Emi’s eyes watched the older gentleman until he disappeared from view. Her thoughts soon returned to the boy they’d briefly seen. She couldn’t help pondering what he could’ve done to land himself in such hot water on the very first day of school. Finally, after a brief moment of reflection, Emi dismissed the thought and simply shrugged it off.

Ah, well. Hopefully, I won’t have to share a classroom with that clown.

She raised her can to her lips to take another sip from her can of coffee… Or rather, she would have, had it still been in her hand.

“Huh? What the…??”

Bewildered, she searched around her person. With her books hoisted in her left arm, there was nowhere else it could be. She was empty-handed, simple as that. Her coffee had seemingly vanished without a trace, leaving her feeling perplexed and disoriented.

Where’d my coffee go?!

Her thoughts were answered no more than a second later. Another strong gust of wind washed over her. Suddenly appearing before her, was the young boy that the instructor had been chasing after not too long ago. He was a few inches taller than Emi and had short blueish hair, sporting a yellow strand shaped like a familiar-looking lightning bolt, and round, golden-brown eyes.

Where did he even come from and how’d he get here so fast?

The boy stood face to face with Emi, so close that she could pick up the faint smell of black coffee on his breath. Feeling that he was a little too close, Emi backed away from him, shooting an annoyed scowl.

“H-Hey! Ever heard of personal space?”

The boy stared at her with a look of disgust on his face. He held up an open canned coffee for her to see.

Emi let out a gasp, and her eyes widened. My coffee! When did he…?

“Oi! What the hell is this?!” the boy demanded angrily.

“Huh?”

“You heard me, four-eyes!” He turned to scrunch his face before he spoke again. “Blegh! What the hell is this, and why does my tongue feel like it’s about to twist out of my mouth?!”

“It’s just canned coffee, dude,” she assured. “You’ve never heard of…?” Her face grew hot. “W-Wait, you…drank from my can?!”

“Ugh! Coffee?!” He repeated. Sharing an indirect kiss with a girl he just met seemed to be the least of his worries. “What secondary schooler on Gaia’s green Terra is drinking coffee first thing in the morning?! Tch, it’s a wonder why you’re so damned short!”

“Hey!” Emi had heard just about enough. She loosened her tongue. “Okay, first of all, clearly students are drinking a ton of coffee here, otherwise, the school wouldn’t bother ordering so much of it. Second, five feet, one inch is a reasonable height for a girl my age. And third, no one told you to go nabbing other people’s stuff!”

“Emi, Emi!! Mister kitty’s wakin’ up!” Cady’s voice caught Emi’s attention as she broke eye contact with the boy and peered up at the cat. Sure enough, the feline yawned as it stood up and stretched its forelegs.

The boy walked up to the vending machine in between the girls. “Ah, so that’s where you’ve been, Kat,” he said, sounding less brash than he did just moments prior.

The cat peered down at him with a slight tilt of the head. “Mrow?”

“Yuki’s been looking all over campus for you. You could’ve at least left a note or something before wandering off.”

“Meow.”

“Um…?” Emi furrowed her brow. Just from her prior exchange with the boy, she could tell that he was a few eggs short of a dozen, but this was pushing it.

“Heh, Now that I finally shook off that lousy ol’ Cuthbert,” the boy continued as he tossed the coffee can into a nearby recycling bin with impressive accuracy. “I’m itchin’ for a spar. What say you and I have a go until the first bell?”

“Huh?” Emi could hardly believe her ears.

“Meow.”

“‘Fine by me, old friend,’ Mr. Kitty says, ‘It has definitely been a while’.” Cady translated the cat’s cry with brimming confidence. The perks of being a beastkin, Emi assumed.

“W-Wait just a minute!” The more that was said between each party, the more this situation made Emi’s head spin. Turned to the sapphire-haired boy and cast a judgemental glare. “You’re going to spar… with a cat?!”

He shook his head. “Kat’s no cat. He’s my best friend.”

“......”

“......”

Okay… What?

“Um… Sure, that makes sense.” Emi crossed her arms.

“What’s your problem? We do this all the time!”

“—!”

Wait… Sparring with a cat… Then, that means, he…

As her mind processed the implications behind the boy's statement, an image of the injured catgirl whom she’d encountered earlier suddenly flashed in her mind’s eye. A surge of anger coursed through her body as she clenched her fists and fixed her gaze on the sapphire-haired boy. Before she knew it, her body began moving on its own. She dropped her books and strode towards him, her eyes blazing with fury. In no time, she was standing right in front of him, giving him a menacing stare.

“…?” The boy glared at her with annoyed confusion.

“You…” Emi’s voice came out like a calm before the storm. “Are you…using this cat as some sort of training dummy? Is that why he’s all scratched up…?”

“Huh? Training dummy?! I mean, sure, he’s a bit banged up, but I didn’t—”

“And that feline beastkin. Did you hurt her, too?”

The boy shook his head. “Okay, now you’re losing me. What the hell are you trying to—”

“What kind of monster would do such a thing?!!”

An awkward hush followed. Emi’s sudden outburst drew judgemental stares from several nearby students.

“What was that all about?”

                                             “A lover’s quarrel, perhaps?”

“What did he do to get called a monster?”

                                           “Ugh. Leave it to freshmen to disturb the morning peace…”

The courtyard rang out with chatter from the onlookers. Cady had a front-row seat. She sipped her canned coffee nervously, her round pink eyes shifting between Emi and the boy. Her tail hung low. The tension in the air was palpable. Not liking where this was going, she scooted up to the smaller girl.

“Hey, Emi? Dontcha think you may be jumpin’ the gun a bit?”

Emi ignored her new friend’s queries and stood her ground, eyes shimmering. The boy was now glaring back at her, a mixture of confusion and anger clear on his face.

“Monster, eh? Ha…Haha…” He finally spoke, laughing bitterly as that word left his lips. He trudged over to her. Cady moved to stand in between them, but Emi raised her free hand to stop her. The boy looked her dead in the eye.

“Not gonna lie, that kinda hurt my feelings, Red,” He said, patting the top of his head. “I haven’t a clue what you’re on about, nor do I recall doin’ any of these things you’re accusin’ me of. And it pisses me off somethin’ fierce that this is comin’ from someone I’ve never even met…”

He leaned in closer and Emi felt her body tense up. “So if you got a problem with me, just say so! If you’re lookin’ for trouble, fine, I can give ya trouble free of charge! No need to go making shit up!”

“...!”

Emi could feel the heat radiating off of him as an intense surge of electricity danced around his body. He was raring to go. Witnessing his speed firsthand, as things stood, she knew she didn’t stand a chance against the boy in a fight. But even so…

“Hey, knock it off, you two!” Cady shouted, wagging her tail furiously. “If ya wanna fight, there're plenty of fields still open. But this ain't the place!”

“......”

“......”

Despite her protestations, the two young mages didn't budge. Emi had her free hand deep in her bag, clenched around a mana capsule, ready to use it should the boy make any sudden movements.

“Meow.”

Suddenly, the cat hopped down the vending machine and landed near the trio.

“Ah!” Cady was the first to react. Her eyes widened at the sight of the cat being up and about. “Well, hello there, Mister Kitty!! Did’ja sleep well?” Her mood flipped from anxious to cheerful at the drop of a hat as her focus returned to the kitten. She knelt beside the cat and gently rubbed its head, wagging her tail happily as she did so. “D’aww, he's so cute I could just eat him right up!!”

The cat looked pale. “Mrow??”

“Oh, no, no, no! That was just a figure of speech,” Cady reassured. “I ain’t really gonna eat ya!”

“Meow?”

“Hm? Why am I droolin’?” The dog girl then took the right arm and wiped it against her lips. “Don’t know what yer talkin’ about!”

The cat slightly backed away from Cady, eyeing her suspiciously. Cady's antics caused Emi and the boy to cease their hostilities and shift their attention to the canine girl and the cat.

“Hm? You don’t believe me?”

“Meow.”

“I wasn’t droolin’ cuz of you, it was…er…my coffee!” She held up her canned coffee as evidence. “This coffee is just so dang good, that I couldn’t help myself!”

“Mmmeow?”

“Then why did I lie about droolin’ before?” At this point, Cady was backed into a corner. “Well, uh… Looks like ya got me, there, Mr. Kitty. Heh…”

Emi let out a small chuckle. Strangely enough, seeing her new friend faun over the tiny creature was enough to bring her anger down significantly. She'd momentarily forgotten what had triggered it in the first place.

The dog girl went on. “But listen, there’s no need to worry!” She used her free hand to pound her chest proudly. “I’ve learned to control my canine instincts ages ago. Honest to Mother!”

““That drool running down your chin tells me otherwise!””

Both Emi and the boy yelled the same sentence in perfect unison. They quickly glanced at one another in both shock and general annoyance. The cat then walked over to the edge of the canopy, out of the shade, and into the sunlight.

Cady sniffed the air. “Hmm. That’s odd…”

“What’s odd?” Emi asked.

“Well, Mister Kitty, doesn’t really smell like a kitty.” She cupped her chin in thought. “In fact, he smells just like a—”

“Meow.”

“Kat, no!” the boy yelled, waving his arms frantically. “Don’t turn back here!! Anywhere but here!!”

“What’s going on?” Emi asked, both alarmed and confused by the boy’s extreme reaction.

“Um… Well…” Just as the boy opened his mouth, the cat’s body shifted to a luminescent white. Before their very eyes, the cat began to change form. The girls swallowed their breaths.

“Ah, screw it. Too late now.” The boy sighed, scratching the back of his head as the girls looked on in awe. “Fair warning, you two might wanna look away…”

“Uwah!! What the...?”

“Ooh, ooh!" Cady raised her hand like a primary schooler. "Is Mister Kitty evolving?!”

“Don’t be an idiot!!” The boy chastised the dog girl. All the while, the feline’s tiny body started to take on a more vertical shape. After mulling it over for a while, the far reaches of Emi's mind graced her with an epiphany.

Illusion magic?

“Mraaaaow!!”

At that moment, the cat’s vertical form grew in size, developing a recognizable humanoid figure. Not long after, the transformation was complete. Standing before them was a tall lanky figure with long light blonde hair tied into a single braid that hung around their shoulder. The three of them weren't the only ones to witness this phenomenon. The glowing light managed to catch the attention of virtually every student and faculty in the surrounding area.

“......”

“……”

“......”

“......”

“......”

The figure turned to face Emi, Cady, and the boy. It appeared to be a human boy with a long and lean physique. His right eye was deep-set with an emerald green iris, while the other was closed shut, perhaps from an injury. His fair skin was carved with countless scars from his face down to his chest and arms. Emi deduced that he must have gotten them years ago given how old and well-healed they appeared to be.

As she took in the boy’s visage, a myriad of questions followed. Who was this boy? Why was he a cat until just a few moments ago? How did he end up in this condition? Where are his cl…?

“Hm?”

Continuing to look him over, it took her only a few seconds longer to realize that the boy was completely naked. Upon this discovery, Emi’s face flushed red.

“Er… Uwah!!”

She immediately dropped her gaze to the ground and decided to focus on the cobblestone pattern.

“Omigods, who’s that guy?”

                                              “Dunno, he just popped in outta nowhere! He’s a total hottie!!”

“Bah! Put some clothes on, pal! No one wants to see that!”

                                             “Look at him, flexing his superior physique like that. Have you no tact, ya bastard?!”

A mixture of screams and squeals from onlookers could be heard through the schoolyard, both in either delight or disgust.

“Aaaaah, what a splendid nap,” came an elegant and valiant voice from in front of Emi and the others. No doubt it belonged to the blonde boy, but Emi still couldn’t bring herself to look up. Her innocence was hanging on by a thread and she’d sought to maintain it with every fiber of her being.

“Mm. It appears that I still have plenty of time to spare as well,” the blonde boy went on. “Wonder what Yucchan is up to…”

Cady, who was still kneeling in the same spot, sprung up and scurried over to the blonde boy. Emi wanted to tell her to stop staring, but she couldn’t bring herself to lift her gaze from the ground.

“Oho!!” She heard Cady exclaim. “I knew yer scent was strange! So you were human all along! That was an illusion spell, right?”

“P-Precisely…” The blonde boy sounded a bit nervous. “You… still appear to be drooling. Why is that?”

“Hm? No reason!” Cady responded in a tone that Emi hadn’t heard before.

Emi’s face began turning beet red. This exchange was piquing her interest, but she shook her head, cursing herself for wanting to look up. Alas, she wasn’t nearly as bold or direct as Cady. Her gaze then traveled across the ground and flicked up to the sapphire-haired boy, he was also shielding his eyes from the unsavory sight.

“Not cool, Kat,” he complained. “Not cool!”

“Hm?” The blonde boy paused for a moment, perhaps to look himself over before chuckling. “Oh! Whoops! Sorry about that.”

He’s just now noticing?!

From her periphery, Emi could make out the boy cupping one hand over his naughty bits before pointing past the trio to the vending machine with his free hand. She then mentally chastised her eyes for wandering so far and directed them to the boy's bare feet instead.

“Mind fetching me my uniform, Gayle? It is just behind the vendor.”

“Tch, show some self-awareness, you idiot!” The sapphire-haired boy scoffed as he grumpily maneuvered around the vending machine. “Seriously, man, you’ve got a family legacy to uphold!”

“Sorry, sorry.”

Gayle returned with the uniform in question and strode past the two girls, stepping out into the sunlight to hand the blonde boy his belongings.

“Much thanks, my friend.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Gayle kept his head at an upward angle. Emi thought she saw a soft red tinging his cheeks. “Just get dressed already, you goof.”

No more than a few seconds passed before the blonde boy spoke again.

“There. All done! It is safe to look, now, miss.” As he said this, Emi sighed with relief before finally lifting her gaze. The boy then turned back to the trio, tying a black eyepatch over his sealed left socket as he did so.

“:...!”

The blonde boy had swiftly thrown on his alternate Phoenix Academy uniform; a white button-up shirt with orange trim around the short-sleeved cuffs, coupled with an orange necktie donning the “I” numeral and midnight blue dress pants. He stepped into a pair of white slip-on shoes before pulling the sash of his shinai bag over his shoulder.

“My apologies for earlier. I guess I got a little too comfortable in my new napping spot.”

“Yeesh, that’s putting it mildly,” Gayle grumbled next to him, folding his arms.

“Anyways,” the blonde boy went on, “I believe introductions are in order. Shall I begin first?”

The girls nodded, and he raised his right fist to clear his throat. “Ahem. My name is Kusanagi Katsumi, son of Tiger, Lord of Clan Kusanagi. In the Common Tongue, you would call me Katsumi Kusanagi. If my name is too long, feel free to call me ‘Kat’ as my friend Gayle here does.”

“Huh??” Emi froze. She couldn't believe what she'd just heard. Her eyes blinked at the boy several times before her mind could formulate a proper response. “Wait… Kusanagi? As in… the Clan Kusanagi?”

“Indeed it is,” Kat smiled proudly, his lone green eye gleaming. This brought a pink blush to Emi’s cheeks. In spite of his rough-looking scars and their awkward first encounter, she found the blonde boy to be quite charming.

Whoa…

Emi couldn’t believe she was in the presence of a schoolmate of such a legendary pedigree. There wasn’t a single aspiring swordsman on the continent that didn’t know the Kusanagi name. Those who truly didn’t would have to have been living under a rock. Emi found it hard to believe that she was now going to school with the clan’s future generation. She was beginning to feel slightly overwhelmed.

“Ooh, ooh!” Cady exclaimed, once again raising her hand like a primary schooler. “Can I still call ya ‘Mister Kitty’?!”

“What?! No!” Gayle cut in. “You can’t just address a noble that way!”

The blonde boy simply nodded. “If that is what you wish to call me, then yes you may.”

“Sweet!!” She giggled playfully. “Mister Kitty it is!!”

The girls then introduced themselves to Katsumi. As the three of them began to converse a bit further, Gayle scoffed before clapping his hands together and backing away from his friend.

“Welp, I’d love to stay and chat.” He seemed nervous, now. A stark contrast from his brash demeanor moments earlier. His hands shook and his voice wavered a little as he spoke. “But alas, I’ve got somewhere to be.”

Kat furrowed his brow. “Really? And here I thought we were going to spar…”

“We’ll spar some other time! But right now I really need to go!”

Hm?

At that moment, Emi felt a cool shiver down her spine as an overwhelming presence rushed through her body. It was a powerful wellspring of mana. While the feeling was brief, it was effective enough for anyone with a decent enough mana pool to notice. She turned to see that Cady was hugging her sides. No doubt about it, Emi thought. The young beastkin could feel it, too.

What was that??

She turned to see that Gayle had gone pale, he had picked up the sudden increase in magical energy also. “Not good, not good!”

Gayle spun on his heel and tried to run under the canopy. Just as his right foot reached the threshold, he suddenly stopped as a dark lump shot up from behind him.

“Dammit!! I was so close!!”

“What the…?!”

“Whoa!!”

“Ah, looks like she’s found you, Gayle.”

As the boy yelped and the others looked on, the lump began to rise, soon forming a humanoid shape. Before long, they were staring at the back of a petite teenage girl. Gayle tried to wriggle away with all his might but found himself completely immobilized. Emi looked down and noticed that the girl was standing in the shadow of the boy’s left leg.

That strange presence from before… It must’ve been her…

The girl reached up from behind the boy and grabbed him by the ear with her right hand, tugging at it with force.

“Yeow!! Ow, ow, ow!!”

“And just where do you think you’re going?”

The girl turned around with Gayle’s ear still in hand. She was a short young lady with fair skin, amber-colored eyes, a beauty mark located beside her left nostril, and waist-long jet-black hair with a shock of white tied neatly into a long ponytail with yellow ribbons.

Cady’s floppy ears twitched. “Oooh, she’s purdy...”

That was Shadow magic just now… A thought then dawned on Emi. Then… this girl is…

The raven-haired girl wore an alternate Phoenix Military Academy girl's uniform, consisting of a midnight blue short-sleeved blouse with an orange necktie donning the “II” numerals. This was paired with an orange knee-length hakama skirt, black tights, and a pair of black platform geta sandals with an orange strap.

Her right breast pocket had the Phoenix Military Academy emblem sewn onto it, while her left side was adorned with two brooches. One was of two clasping hands, representing camaraderie and support, the symbol of Little Hōjo, worn by the village’s Lord or Lady. The second was emblazoned with the image of a black dragon…worn by members of the Clan Kageryuu as a symbol of vengeance.

Emi gaped. This girl was none other than...

“H-Hey there, Yuki!” Gayle grinned at the shorter girl through gritted teeth. “I was just about to head into the building. Haha... What are you doing here so early?”