“...And what, exactly, was that?”

Stepping down to the ground once more, Yuuji awkwardly avoided Mr Pierce’s intense glare.

“...I got a little heated.”
“So it seems. You didn’t consider how dangerous pulling that move was for both you and Leona?”
“...I did not.”

Mr Pierce sighed deeply and held his face.

“Two spirits… was certainly not something I was expecting. Do you have any other tricks up your sleeve I should know about?”

Yuuji scratched the back of his ear uncomfortably as he leaned in slightly.

“I’m sorry, Mr Pierce. It’s not two. It’s nine.”

He whispered quietly so nobody else would hear, but the words alone nearly knocked the fully grown man off his feet.

It was simply common knowledge that everyone had one spirit. Something they believed in, and represented their faith - their power. A second spirit seemed unreasonable, but nine? If he hadn’t seen what just happened in front of him, there wasn’t a chance in hell he’d believe that was possible.

The man paled as he considered the possibilities this meant, all contained within the youngster before him.

“Mr Pierce, could you take the other students back to class? I need to escort these two to the infirmary.”

A sonorous voice rang out from beside them, interrupting their private chat. Dr Natsumi was leading a still-dazed Leona, and with twinkling eyes was watching Yuuji very intently.

“...Yes, you’re right. Thank you, Dr Natsumi. Please send them back when they’re ready.”

Mr Pierce staggered away pale-faced as he began to round up the spectating students.

“Well, Yuuji. Aren’t you a fascinating one?”

Cold sweat ran down his back as the doctor eyed him up with interest. It was out of the frying pan, and into the fire.

“Ayumi-chan told me a lot about you, but this is new. I’d love to hear more about it.”
“...There’s not much to tell.”
“Now, that can’t be right. A boy with multiple spirits would make waves all around the world.”

Her full, pink lips formed an alluring smile as she leaned over slightly to match his height, and a whiff of sweet perfume entered his nose.

He hadn’t noticed from when they had met before, but she was very tall and slender, which only served to emphasise her feminine assets even more as they peeked out from underneath the lab coat she wore.

She gently reached out and lay a hand on a scorched spot on his arm, her usually cunning grin briefly switching to a frown that didn’t suit her gorgeous looks. Her nails were painted midnight blue to match her upturned eyes, and they traced the area around the burn lightly, making sure not to cause any discomfort.

She stopped suddenly, seemingly catching herself as her face quickly returned to a devilish one, and with a wink she beckoned him.

“Well then, it’s time to look at those wounds. I’ll show you back to the infirmary since it seems like you’ve forgotten where to come to see me.”

He gulped, dreading what would be next, but he knew that his wounds needed proper care. Even if he didn’t like it, he wasn’t foolish enough to ignore the help he was offered, so he nodded reluctantly.

“That’s a good boy. Obedience is key when it comes to these things.”

Her sinister smile widened as Yuuji looked desperately towards Leona, his only lifeline, but she had finally switched from bewilderment… back to curiosity.

It was going to be a long and uncomfortable stay at the infirmary.

******

“Yuuji!! Welcome back - are you hurt!?”

As he entered the canteen wearily, Hibiki was the first to greet him, dashing to the door on seeing him enter.

“Only mentally… my wounds from the fight are fully healed, thank you Hibiki.”
“I’m glad… that was an incredible battle. My heart was racing the whole time, you two were super cool!”

Her eyes shone as she stared at him with a pure enthusiasm that he welcomed, even though he felt his ears itch slightly from her unreserved compliments.

“Oh, Yuu~! That fight was really something. To think you brought out Durandal against a human being, you sadist!”
“Don’t go turning it into anything weird!”

Despite not seeing her all morning, Ji-Hye [coffee mode] greeted him with a big smile as if it was only natural.

“You weren’t in the crowd, were you?”
“When Pajeon saw something interesting going on on the cameras, he woke me up.”
“...You control the security cameras too?”
“Don’t worry~, there aren’t cameras in the dorm rooms, so you can-”
“STOP! Stop there! I don’t want to hear it!”

Whatever words she was about to say, the world would be better off not knowing. She pouted slightly as Hibiki tilted her head with confusion, but their conversation was soon cut short.

“Ishitake Yuuji. Join me for lunch.”

Leona, who had also changed back into academy uniform and to her usual self, stood cross-armed in the open doorway with a wide grin. Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed her food and sat down at an empty table, gesturing for them to take a seat.

Without much reason to refuse, Yuuji shrugged and did the same, Hibiki and Ji-Hye in tow.

“First, allow me to apologise. I’ve treated you rudely, and looked down on you without understanding your strength.”

To his surprise, she lowered her head with studied sincerity and apologised. He didn’t see her as being deliberately ignorant, but instead as someone who was true to their desires - even if that sometimes meant inconveniencing others.

That she was owning up to her mistakes greatly improved her standing in his eyes, as it was a rarity that a lot of people would benefit from learning.

“Not at all. I hope you’ll forgive my underhanded fighting style.”
“Strength doesn’t come from fighting fair. It comes from fighting smart.”

Her fierce grin returned, but he now saw the friendly openness she spoke with, and it didn’t seem as intimidating.

“Heh, finally see the greatness of us ‘Ancients’ have you? Tsk tsk, it’s about time.”

From behind her came another voice as a plate clattered onto the table, with a girl swiftly following.

She was petite and looked somewhat dainty, but the smug grin lining her face showed she was looking for a fight.

“...What ‘Ancients’!? Ishitake Yuuji is far stronger than you.”
“If only you could glimpse beneath the surface - the underworld I control holds limitless power.”
“...”
“...”
“Ohh~ Claire? You wanna join us?”

While Yuuji and Hibiki were speechless at the exchange before them, Ji-Hye reacted naturally, welcoming the girl to the table and totally missing the volatile atmosphere as usual.

“Though my ‘Ancient’ brethren sides with the light, and I the dark, we are still holders of the same beliefs. We have much to discuss.”
“Yuu~, she says she wants to chat with you.”
“Oi devil worshipper, nobody asked you to come here!”

Somehow fitting in between the arguments, Ji-Hye made for a good translator as Yuuji still sat clueless about how exactly to tackle the situation.

Sparks flew between Claire and Leona as the two of them butted heads, and he briefly remembered that often he would see, or more accurately hear the two together, so this seemed to be a pretty frequent occurrence. With this new perspective, he actually thought they looked incredibly close, as shocking as it sounded.

Claire wore her black academy jacket over her shoulders like a cloak, and her jet-black hair was cut in a bob that fell loosely over her right eye. A single lock of her hair was bright white and stood out amongst the rest on full display beside her ruby red irises.

“...Devil worshipper?”

Hibiki spoke up with interest as she eyed the new girl curiously.

“Heh. Simply because I rebel against the oppressive tyranny of religion, they brand me as such.”
“Satanism may be more accepted these days but it’s still a farce! I won’t accept it!”
“Kukuku. Beast woman, your faith is powerless before the might of my underworld army.”

Claire gave a self-satisfied chuckle and pointed passionately at Yuuji, who had returned to trying to eat his meal, content with not being involved.

“You don the Aegis of Zeus, and the blood of Hades runs in my veins! The underworld is my hall, and while we may have our differences, we are still kin!”
“...”
“...”
“...”
“...”

He slowly chewed his food in silence, quietly hoping that she would continue to monologue without his input, but somehow the idea had failed miserably and the entire table watched him eat uncomfortably.

“We are still kin!”
“Don’t repeat it!”

He finally broke.

“Do not deny this grace.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know who you are. I already have a sister, and besides - the spirit I used to win the fight was Durandal, which is Christian in origin.”
“Hah! You are correct, Ishitake Yuuji. See? Your devilish powers are nothing here.”
“Wouldn’t it be nice to have another sibling like Ayumi-chan? I think you should do it!”
“Yuu~, she just wants to be friends because your spirits are related. Not siblings.”

The table quickly devolved into chaos, and he soon regretted saying anything at all.

The thought of a peaceful lunch was rapidly disappearing as he held his head in his hands, surrounded by the sounds of bickering.