As Tamara, Irapesha, and I were eating breakfast before school, Ivory, in the form of a bookcase at the corner of the room, awakened from their slumber with a yawn. The living mimic transformed back to the elven humanoid form and shook off the grogginess.

"Ivory!" Tamara greeted her fellow dorm mate.

"Huu… You guys aren't usually up this early. What's the occasion?" Ivory asked, climbing onto a seat of their own.

"We're going to visit Tamara's school in a bit, so Akira's getting a head start making breakfast for everyone before we leave," Irapesha explained.

"School? Can I come?" they asked excitedly.

"We're not going to play around, so no. Stay here and be a good bookcase. You want me to make you something to eat before we leave?" I offered from the stove.

"Nah, I'm good. You guys do your thing!" The mimic got up and left the room, having given up a little too easily it was almost suspicious. 

Thinking nothing of it, I finished cooking and ate my portions by the time we needed to head out.

"Alright…" I took a deep breath to steel myself. "Let's go, you guys!"

Tamara glanced underneath her seat and panicked. "I forgot my backpack! I'll be right back!"

Irapesha and I waited at the car, both dressed as appropriately as we could on short notice. While I had on a simple dress shirt and slacks, the dragonewt wore a sleeveless blouse to accommodate the wing and pants with a hole cut into it for her tail.

Not exactly the best mode of dress we could come up with…

It also didn't help how nervous I was about potentially being among parents who were mostly twenty years older than myself.

"I'm ready!" Tamara hopped into the back.

"Remember to be on your best behavior, everyone. That includes me, too." I gripped the steering wheel with shaky fingers and set off.

When we arrived, the school was filled with embarrassed students leading their parents into the building. Well, their embarrassment lasted for only a moment until we stepped out of the vehicle and became the center of attention. Their just barely audible whispers dealt me the most mental damage.

"Are they netherfolks?"

"That's a human with them though."

"Don't tell me, that guy and the big dragon girl is…"

My embarrassment was made ten-fold worse when Tamara grabbed mine and Irapesha's hand.

"Thank you guys so much for coming with me. I feel a lot better knowing that I'm not alone." Tamara smiled brighter than the shining sun.

Or maybe the embarrassment was worth it.

The three of us entered the school to the stares and murmur of everyone. At the height of the digital age, we were subjected to phones being pointed at us for pictures and videos. Good to know most parents already failed to teach their kids restraint and manners, and were also doing it themselves, too. Only a polite few were thoughtful enough to ask first.

"Tamara!" A group of students swarmed us.

"Oh my gosh. Are they your parents?" one girl asked in a thick valley accent.

"Wow. He looks young enough to be in school with us," another student added.

"Ehehe… They sometimes feel like my parents." Tamara scratched a horn and turned red. "Akira is my caretaker, and Pesha's my dorm mate!"

The school bell rang and signaled that classes would begin soon. Everyone, fearing the wrath of the school faculty and parents, finally cleared a path for us to get going.

"I apologize, but I need to use the restroom. I've already committed to memory how to get back. You two go on ahead first," Irapesha said as we got to the door of Tamara's classroom.

When Tamara and I entered, all the students had taken a seat and parents were at the very back of the room. Her friend, Alyssa, waved at us from her seat and smiled. My tenant went to take her seat, and I joined the other parents in the back. It didn't seem as though the teacher was in yet.

"Oh, my! Aren't you a very young man to be a parent? Which one of these is your child?" a woman asked as I got there.

My brain went into panic mode trying to converse with adults my parents' age. "I, uh… the, uhm… Tamara, the girl with horns."

The jaws of her and the other parents who heard dropped.

"A netherfolk daughter, I-I see. Then that must mean your wife—"

Irapesha entered the classroom to the adults' shock and awe.

"Have I missed the introductions?" she asked, joining the rest of us. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Irapesha Bloodtalon. Please, do not be alarmed by my missing arm and wing. They were taken from me during the war."

"Oh… ohhh! Now that I get a good look at you two, I can see the resemblance. Your daughter has your wife's horns and has your eyes!" one of the parents said.

"Now wait just one moment! The misunderstandings are all over the place!" I cried, then explained to them who I really was.

"That makes more sense!" Someone's beer-belly dad expelled a hearty laugh. "Caretaker and tenant aside, you two gotta be very close to accompany Tamara to Parents' Day at school."

Irapesha nodded. "Our relationship is indeed a peculiar one. At one time, Akira cooked an egg atop my abdomen and ate it."

"You— what?" people exclaimed.

I shot her a glare, appalled that she would so casually say that out of context.

Wait. Even with context, it was still outrageous.

"I'm sure netherfolks are great and all, but excuse me for not liking it. As far as I can tell, they're a danger to our children," a particularly unsavory mother said.

Some agreed with her, but it was clear that the sentiment was split down the middle.

"Hey… now isn't the time to say something like that," another chimed in.

"Say they get into a little rough housing and those horns of hers stab your kid? What then?" she asked.

The tension cleared up once Elaine Yvans entered the room and classes finally began. She threw me and Irapesha a warm, welcoming smile before starting.

The entire day consisted of a partial lesson to show parents and guardians how the school handled academia, showing us schoolwork that a respective family's student excelled in, and later having us speak in front of the class about our jobs.

Half-way through the school day, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me when I saw Tamara's school bag twitching. Upon closer inspection, there was the familiar pendant of a certain troublemaking mimic.

"Ivory…" I muttered under my breath.

When the clock hit lunch time, students and parents vacated the room to join each other outside rather than stay in the confines of the classroom.

"Tamara, Irapesha. You two go on ahead, I'm going to stay behind and talk to Elaine," I said.

That was a lie. I waited until they left, went to the bathroom for a few minutes, then returned to the class. When I opened the door, a gaping abyss of pitch darkness gazed back at me.

"What the fu—"

A giant, red tongue flung out to lick me.

"Wanna hear a knock-knock joke?" the laughing door asked me.

A janitor with a mop and bucket paused behind me, jaw hanging at the sight of us. I picked up the bucket, then chucked the murky water into the door-mouth.

"HAUUGGHH!" Ivory detached themself from the door to become elf form again on all fours, coughing and hacking. "That's… gross, man… but touché…"

"Sorry about that, sir." I handed the bucket back to the janitor, carried Ivory inside, and kicked the door shut.

Fortunately, the room was completely empty. I planted Ivory on Tamara's desk and folded my arms.

"I told you no, and you decided to sneak out with us anyway? As Tamara's backpack of all things, then a door mimic?! Have you any idea how much trouble we all could be in if someone else walked into your mouth?" I reprimanded them and thought back to that worried parent who wasn't particularly fond of netherfolks.

"I don't see what the big deal is! I haven't changed into anything else, have I? Staying cooped up in the dorm all day isn't my idea of fun," they argued defiantly and turned the other cheek.

There was something about Ivory that I couldn't put my finger on. It was as though they were hiding a secret from me with all the deflection.

"Okay, we're taking you back to the car. You're going to stay there until school ends, got it?"

"And leave Tamara without her bag?" Ivory sneered.

I'd nearly forgotten. This damn mimic.

"Fine. Stay as the backpack. When we get home, you're apologizing to Tamara. Don't, for our sake, turn into anything else until the day's over," I said.

Lunch ended and the classes filled with students and parents again. The swing of the day was coming to a close, and it was finally time for parents to give their say to the class. We had all sorts of occupations among the parents. Veterans, cooks, retail workers, CEOs, bankers… and this was only one classroom. I was the last to go.

With Irapesha and Tamara's support, I calmed myself down and walked to the front of the classroom. This was literally school all over again, introducing myself to the class.

"A-Ahem… Many of you probably already know from Tamara. I'm Akira Katagiri, a caretaker of netherfolks from the other world, Weyera. Two of my tenants are here in this classroom. Your fellow classmate Tamara and in the back, Irapesha Bloodtalon. It's, uh… a lot of hard work but pretty rewarding," I explained unsteadily.

Both the students and parents applauded gently.

"Thank you, Akira. If you would be so kind, I think a lot of people have some questions for you," Elaine said from her desk.

"What? How come I'm the only one who has to take questions?" I stammered.

"What could it hurt? Your line of work is very unique after all." She winked.

Everyone, including the parents, threw their hands up. Elaine took the liberty of choosing people herself and pointed to a young boy first.

"What do you do as a caretaker?" he asked.

"Well, like the name implies, I take care of my tenants. All of them will be new to Earth, so I cook, clean, teach, and help introduce things to them that they wouldn't otherwise know," I answered.

"Do you have a netherfolk girlfriend?" Of course, a girl asked that question.

"I… I do. She's a… succubus…" I couldn't hide my embarrassment from answering that one.

The boys in the room collectively hooted and had to be shut down by their teacher. A few more questions later, Elaine decided to wrap it up with one of her own.

"What's the most rewarding thing about being a caretaker, Akira?" she asked me.

The question took me by surprise. But when my eyes fell to Tamara and Irapesha, the answer came naturally.

"As cliche as it sounds, the most rewarding part is seeing my tenants happy. Not all of them came here because they wanted to, but all of them wished Weyera was still a place they could live in again. After living with them long enough, they stopped becoming my tenants and became my friends instead. That's probably the best answer I can give," I explained to the class.

Tamara suddenly threw her hand in the air. 

"Yes, Tamara?" Elaine handed the floor to her.

"I just wanted to tell Akira that the others and I wouldn't have it any other way. Everyone and the dorm is like family to me," she said.

Irapesha walked up to and put a hand on the girl's head. "That's right. Akira works hard, perhaps a little too hard for everyone's sake. All to make sure we can smile at the end of the day."

Damn it, guys. If you go on spouting sappy stuff like that, I'd end up tearing up.

Everyone applauded again, even the parents who spoke out against netherfolks earlier.

It might have been my imagination, but Ivory's eye-like pendant on the backpack appeared to have a sad look. Was it something we said? I'd have to ask Ivory about it later.

As the school day came to an end, I had to wrench ourselves from the mobs of people trying to get a word in with us. Tamara was certainly the most popular kid at school today, and probably would be going forward.

"Pesha, Akira!" Tamara threw her small arms around us before we got to the car. "Thank you for coming with me! I love you guys sooooo much!"

"No problem, squirt." I patted her head.

"I think we thoroughly embarrassed Akira today, too." Irapesha grinned.

"Alright, get in the car already!" I ushered them in.