After Yami-nee returned, we finished eating, and it was time for the remaining classes of the day. Everything was going smoothly when an announcement came over the speaker, and I heard an all-too-familiar voice, "Will Hina, Eri, Yami, Sakura, and Sayori, please report to the principal's office."

'Aunty Aiko, please remember you are the principal. Don't just call us all by our first names, especially Sayori and Sakura,' I thought to myself as I giggled a little. After receiving permission from the teacher, we all started heading to Aunty Aiko’s office. I was holding Eri and Yami-nee's hands when I noticed Sakura and Sayori seemed nervous and worried about being called.

I looked back at them as my ears twitched happily and I giggled before saying, "You two shouldn’t be nervous. Aunty probably just wanted to meet you two and play."

"Play?" Sakura repeated with a confused expression.

"She is the principal, right? Why would she call us out of class for something like that?" Sayori, who seemed just as perplexed, asked.

Yami-nee, Eri, and I all laughed even more, and then Eri said, "Aiko-sama is rather unique. She may not have fox ears or tails like Kyoko-sama, or Hina, but she does have the same fox traits. She gets very bored easily and does whatever feels the most fun. For her, Hina is her favorite person to play with."

"But isn't she and Hina’s mom worried about calling Hina out during class? I know she is the top scorer, but wouldn’t it affect her grades?" Sakura asked, making a good point.

Eri started rubbing my ears, causing me to purr, then showed a warm smile that seemed to be hiding a little bit of regret, and answered, "Hina has an eidetic memory, barring special circumstances, she has perfect recollection for what she has learned, seen, and lived through. When she was young and learned how to read, she became really excited and started reading any book she could find. So, Hina is well-versed in terms of academic knowledge, hence why she doesn't take notes or anything during class."

"That’s so cool," Sayori exclaimed as we continued walking.

'It is, but I feel as though there are a lot of gaps in my memory. In fact, I don’t remember anything after I was sealed anymore, but I have been having some scary dreams that felt real. I haven’t told anyone because I didn’t want to worry them, but maybe I should tell Eri and Yami-nee. I don’t like keeping secrets from them,' I thought to myself before I noticed Eri and Yami-nee were both trying to get my attention.

"Hina, we are at Aiko-sama's door. Are you okay? You seemed to be in a trance?" Eri asked, while Yami-nee looked at me with concern.

I showed a smile and giggled, answering, "I’m sorry, I’m fine. Was just lost in thought," before continuing while giggling as my tails swayed side to side happily, "Let’s see what our so-called Principal wants."

When I opened the door and walked in, a fluffy pink pillow started falling when Eri caught it before it hit me.

"Mou, you ruined the prank, Eri," Aunty Aiko whined as she puffed her cheeks out.

When I looked at Aunty Aiko, I noticed there were cute animal plushies and fluffy pillows all around her office. My ears twitched excitedly, and my tails started wagging rapidly. "It’s like a cute paradise," I mumbled while looking around the room.

Sayori squealed and looked around the room as well with sparkling eyes after they came in too.

"Is this person really the principal of this school?" Sakura asked with a twitching smirk.

"The one and only," Yami-nee answered while laughing.

Eri handed me the fluffy pillow that she caught when she saw me wanting it. 'It’s so soft and fluffy,' I squealed internally as I hugged the pillow. Then Eri looked at Aunty Aiko and asked, "Is this why you called us here?"

"Of course, it wasn’t the only reason. I have two more reasons as well. The main one was I had to deal with a lot of meetings today, and I needed a recharge on my Hina power," Aunty Aiko replied before spreading her arms out as if asking for a hug.

I giggled and gave the pillow to Sayori, who hugged the pillow like I was, and I ran into Aunty Aiko’s arms. I wrapped my tails around her as we hugged.

She then said, "Ah, you are so cute, Hina. Please come live with me."

As Aunty Aiko was focused on hugging me, both Yami-nee and Eri lightly smacked the back of her head, and Eri said in a grumpy voice, "Aiko-sama, please remember it’s not just us here." She then pointed over at Sakura and Sayori, who were still hugging the pillow.

"Owie, that hurt Eri, Yami," Aunty Aiko whined before letting go of our hug and standing back up.

"It is nice to meet you two officially. I am glad Hina and the girls made such cute friends. I am the Principal here, and Hina’s Aunt."

"It is nice to meet you too," Sakura replied in a weary tone.

"Likewise, but Principal Aiko, why is your office filled with pillows and stuffed animals?" Sayori asked, looking around.

Aunty Aiko started rubbing the back of her head and answered, "It was to keep Hina in a good mood after I tell you all the other reason I asked you to come." Aunty Aiko then looked at me with a concerned gaze and said, "Nee-chan has asked that I tell you all that you won’t be able to walk home today. Sebas is going to pick you all up after school in the limo instead."

Hearing Aunty’s words, immediately made my ears and tails droop. "But Mommy promised I didn't have to ride to home and back anymore, that I could walk with my friends."

Eri and Yami-nee both looked at me with concerned faces, and Aunty seemed sad as well. 'I know there is probably a good reason, but I was really looking forward to it,' I thought to myself.

That was when I felt someone pick me up and sit me down on their lap. 'This doesn’t feel like Eri’s lap,' I thought when I looked and noticed it was Yami-nee who was giving me a soft smile.

"I know you're disappointed. You wanted to eat crepes with everyone on the way home and look around, but I think I know a secret that might cheer you up. Do you want to hear it?" Yami asked as she started petting my ears, causing me to let out a light purr.

"Mm, what is it?" I mumbled.

"I was going to surprise you, but I am going to be living with you and Eri starting tomorrow. Now we can all be together all the time," Yami-nee said with a bright and warm smile that seemed to make her dazzling then ever before.

My ears immediately perked up and started twitching excitedly, and my three tails started swaying in quick motion. I looked over at Eri and Aunty Aiko, asking if it was true with my gaze. They both nodded their heads yes, causing me to become even more excited.

I hugged Yami-nee tightly, wrapping my three tails around her, and said, "I can’t wait. All three of us are going to be together all the time. It’s going to be so much fun."

Sakura and Sayori both watched with happy smiles as Eri came over to where we were sitting and started petting my ear that Yami-nee wasn't, causing me to purr even more. Then she said, "When we leave, I will ask Sebas to stop by the crepe stand, and we can buy some for our snack before you cook for us."

Aunty Aiko was watching us all with a happy smile before it became one of jealousy, and she said, "I want to pet Hina's ears too, you know." She then tried to come over to us when both Eri and Yami-nee stood holding my hands, and Eri said, "Come on, Hina, Sayori, Sakura, we shouldn't keep missing classes to play with our principal."

We all started quickly leaving the principal's office as I was laughing from hearing Aunty Aiko behind crying out, "That’s so unfair!"

After leaving her office, we quickly made our way back to the classroom when we noticed our classmates were heading to the chemistry lab, our last class of the day, as cooking class won't be until tomorrow to give everyone time to come up with their menu.

I waved to the teacher, letting her know where we were, to which I got a cheerful smile and nod. After which we made it to the lab room, and the teacher started making her greetings.

"Good afternoon, class. I hope everyone is having a good day. If you look at your lab stations, you will notice there is a Bunsen burner, along with safety goggles and gloves. When using the Bunsen burner, make sure to always wear this safety equipment. Today we will be doing lab experiments with that equipment. The first will be 'Davy’s Lamp,' and the second will be the flame-resistant paper experiment. Beside you, there are instructions for the experiments. Make sure to follow them precisely. Fire is dangerous after all. Now let's get started."

After the teacher finished her greeting and explanation, Eri grabbed the instructions and started reading them out loud as we all listened. "At the end of the Davey’s lamp experiment, the flame from the burner will be on the top of the copper gauze, and no flame will be coming from the burner. You could put your finger through the gap and not get burned." As Eri continued reading, I became more and more excited. My tails started wagging, and I accidentally knocked down the burner. Thankfully it wasn’t on, and Yami-nee caught it in time.

"Phew, that was close. Are you okay, Hina?" Yami-nee asked as she sat the burner back on the table and the class looked at her in awe from her quick reflexes.

"Yeah, I am fine. I’m sorry. I got too excited," I answered, my ears drooped a little, as I was feeling bad for causing a commotion.

Eri and Yami-nee both gave me a warm smile and started rubbing my ears, causing me to relax and purr. Eri said, "It’s fine. I’m just glad it wasn’t on. We wouldn’t want your pretty tails getting singed, after all."

"That’s right, Hina. Accidents happen to everyone," Sayori said cheerfully.

"Though, it might be better if we do the experiment this time. Using fire seems risky," Sakura said in an apologetic manner. I knew she made a good point, and as I was about to agree, a memory of Mommy teaching me how to use fox fire when I was a kid flashed through me, and I had a great idea.

My ears twitching from excitement, I called out to the teacher while raising my hand, "Sensei?"

"Yes, what is it, Tachibana-sama?" she replied after she made the class go back to their own experiments.

"Can I use my fox fire for the experiments? With it, there won’t be any risk."

The teacher thought for a second and then answered, "That’s fine. You can split your group into two, one group can use your fire, and the other can use the Bunsen burner. Just be careful."

Sakura's eyes were wide with curiosity. "That's incredible, Hina! But what exactly is fox fire? How does it work?" she asked, tilting her head.

Eri stepped in, her voice soft but filled with pride. "Fox fire, or kitsune-bi, is a magical flame that Hina can summon. It's a special ability of fox spirits, a manifestation of their essence and will. Unlike regular fire, it doesn't consume or burn in the same way; it's more controlled and connected to Hina's emotions and thoughts. It's quite beautiful and completely safe for her to use," she explained, her eyes never leaving the gentle flame dancing in my palm.

With a newfound determination, we completed our experiments, the fox fire illuminating our faces with its ethereal glow. The success was sweeter knowing that it was a shared achievement, a moment of magical unity.

As the final bell signaled the end of the day, we packed up and hurried outside to meet Sebas waiting with the limo. His usual stoic demeanor seemed to waver for a moment when Eri mentioned stopping for crepes.

"Sebas, may we stop at the crepe stand? Hina was looking forward to it when were initially planning to walk home.," Eri requested, her voice carrying a respectful yet assertive tone.

Sebas's gaze shifted from Eri to me, a small sigh escaping him. "I'm afraid we must head straight home today. The Mistress expressed the importance of a prompt return," he said, his voice ever so steady yet carrying an undertone of regret.

---

Author's Notes:

I've decided to focus the next .5 chapter on "Girls' Day" and will tell it from Eri's point of view. I thought it would add a touch of humor and depth to see her reactions to Hina's cute antics, like discovering the clothes she made or the pictures of Hina looking adorable or sleeping.

I plan to finish editing and writing the part two of the Special holiday chapter today and will shift it next to the first part in about an hour after I post it to keep the storyline cohesive, without the main chapter interrupting the flow. As for the release of the next .5 chapter, I'm contemplating whether to post it this Friday or the next. This is due to already having posted 3 chapters this week, coupled with some ongoing health issues.

Moving forward, I'm aiming for a more predictable schedule with a chapter release every Friday, until I'm back in full health. On a good week, I might surprise you with an additional chapter!

Thank you all for your continued support and understanding. It means the world to me. Bye-bye. 

The Prologue of the Manga Version of this series I am working on (they are still a little rough as I still need to edit some):