1:00 am- Osamu's Office
"Sir, come look at the security footage in Haunted Mansion."
"What is it, Chihito?" Osamu's eyes bug out of his head and his voice elevates slightly.
"Those are three individuals who were missing! Bringing us to five recoveries." Osamu paces back and forth while rubbing his face. "What is going on in Space Mountain?"
"Kiyotaka is standing by himself, but his eyes are focused on something that is out of view. I can't find Santa-Clara on the camera." Chihito lets out a sigh. His back slouches while his hands prop up his chin. He slowly turns to face Osamu.
"I assume she is with Kiyotaka. You said she is the type of person to take matters into her own hands." Chihito says this with a small laugh.
"Don't get me started. She was right about the dead body. Keep this between us, we are not reporting the body to Sir Shingo." Osamu glares at Chihito.
"My lips are sealed. We should head back out front and greet the students."
1:20 am- Space Mountain
"Santa-Clara, are you able to move? Should I call Gojo or Geto to come and help us?"
"I can move, just very slowly. Have Gojo or Geto responded to my messages?"
"Let me see. Oh, Gojo says they found three people at Haunted Mansion."
I let out a sigh and start laughing to myself. Our mission is far from over: securing the missing individuals is partially complete, and exorcising the curses has not been done. How the heck are we going to transport a vampire to Jujutsu Tech?
"What do you need me to do Santa-Clara?"
"Carry my bag."
"Impressive, for such a young sorceress, you were able to subdue me." That vampire starts chuckling, "It is only a matter of time before you release your technique. And when that happens, I am going to savor every drop of your blood."
The vampire's smile makes my skin crawl. It is made even worse when he licks his lips while describing how he will enjoy eating me.
"Get up!" I jerk my arm forward and force the vampire to stand up.
1:35 am- Front Gates to the Park
"Where are those two? Being five minutes late is unacceptable!" Nanami grumbles while checking his watch.
"I am sure there is a good reason Santa-Clara and Ijichi are late," Suguru says while looking at the gates.
"There they are!" Haibara shouts.
My breathing is rapid and every muscle fiber is stretched to its maximum. I jump up and down as the vampire kicks his left leg out.
"Stop trying to escape! It is useless and you will make things worse for both of us." I bark at the vampire.
When we are underneath the lamp light, a few mouths drop open. I tilt my head to the left and crack my back.
"What happened to you and what that thing behind you, Santa-Clara?" Osamu says in a low, serious voice.
"A vampire found at Space Mountain. There is another one at the same location who is dead."
I lean against the lamp post, grabbing hold of my right hip for support. Those buns from earlier are starting to come up.
"Good evening, gentelmen. I assume you all attend Jujutsu Tech?"
I turn to the side and vomit.
Within thirty minutes, a van pulls up in front of my group.
"What is the meaning of calling us to your mission in the middle of the night?" The Elder mutters to Yaga.
"My students have a valid reason for calling us here," Yaga says in an even tone. "Where is the head of security?"
Osamu waves his hand and approaches Yaga. He explains what has happened while the civilians rejoin our group.
I still have the vampire under my control and nearly miss someone calling my name.
"Santa-Clara, show yourself."
"I am right here, by the bench." My eyes are focused on the ground. The ringing in my ears makes my face twitch. I close my eyes to keep myself from vomiting again.
"What is..."
"Worry about the vampire and not me."
I keep the vampire under my control until seven seals are placed on his arms. Once the technique is released, it feels like a tone of bricks is lifted off my shoulders.
Room-707, Hilton Tokyo Bay
By the time I make it into my room, it is 2:30 am. I decide on a shower and take my time getting ready for bed. The hot water coupled with another Reverse-Curse soothes my muscles. Deep gashes cover my neck, back, and knuckles. I will look into the scaring later.
Once inside the covers, I sit up and look at the tray on my nightstand. I lift the lid and see a note tucked under a to-go-box of food. The note says, eat up and enjoy the food, with a smiley face in the top right corner.
A Few Hours Later....
"Miss Santa-Clara! It is time to get up. We need to leave for our meeting." Nanami says at a reasonable decibel.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Step aside, let me try. New kid, you have less than five minutes to...."
I open the door, fully dressed, and yawning.
"Sir Shingo called a last-minute meeting, and we are late," Suguru says over his shoulder. "Let's go before we make him upset."
_
"I told the students our meeting started at 4:50 am and they are late."
"My dear, we have two of the students in front of us. Perhaps the others are still asleep. They worked hard last night and...."
"I don't want excuses for their tardiness! Based on the report Osamu gave us, there are serious issues that need to be addressed. That Santa-Clara....I swear she is responsible for what happened."
Madam Shingo remains quiet to avoid ticking her husband off further.
"If it was not for Santa-Clara, I would not be here, Sir, Shingo," Kiyotaka says. Voice shaking and eyes on the floor.
"You seem like the last person who should be working as a sorcerer. You can't look me in the eyes while making your statement. Grow a backbone!" Sir Shingo barks, causing Kiyotaka to cower in his seat. Haibara gives Kiyotaka a supportive look.
As we walk through the door, Sir Shingo eyes us like a hawk. When he gets to me, his mouth forms into a tight line. The slightest hint of furry flashes across his eyes.
"Take your time sitting down. It's like you are late already!"
"Hun, let the students put themselves together. Please help yourselves to anything you see in front of you."
I grab a coffee and a banana before sitting down.
"I have been informed there was significant damage, and a vampire corpse found in Space Mountain. Someone, start talking!"
Silence fills the room. I swallow the last bite of my banana and gulp the last of my coffee. Suguru holds up a hand as I open my mouth. I nod in agreement and sit back.
"Sir Shingo, three civilians were found in Haunted Mansion, two more were discovered along Main Street and the vampires were in Space Mountain."
"The security cameras would have picked up on the vampires. Osamu looked through the footage of last night. He could see four eyes on the security camera but not the vampires."
Sir Shingo looks over at Kiyotaka and me. I clear my throat and straighten my stance.
"The corpse found at Space Mountain is a vampire. All the damage done to Space Mountain could not be helped, and I take full responsibility for...."
"You were instructed not to kill! And what happened to your neck and face?"
I do not flinch while Sir Shingo yells at me, and I respond to his questions in a flat, even tone. I squint my eyes as well.
"The vampire who is in custody bit me before I activated a technique. If I had not acted accordingly, my partner and I would have been killed. What you see now is scarring."
"Why didn't the vampires show up on the security footage, young lady?"
"I don't know. This is the first time I have fought off a vampire." I inhale deeply, "Why don't you ask the sorcerers in your security fleet? They might have an answer to your question."
At this point, Sir Shingo and I lock eyes. Neither of us budges. Neither of us talks, and it takes Madam Shingo's gentle words to break the tension.
"We will keep Space Mountain closed and allow the student to work a half-day."
"Fine by me." Sir Shingo throws a hand in the air before grabbing his hat. "You have until closing time to find whoever is still missing."
While his fleet of protection takes their place, Sir Shingo looks me dead in the eyes. "I will be reporting your mishandlings to your superiors, young lady. Good day!"
I place a hand under my chin and shrug off Sir Shingo's threat.