April 28, 2112
Yokohama
Suzumi Higashizaki, who belongs to the same Class 1B as Teru and Yadoya, is a girl who belongs to a group that occupies the top caste, so to speak, among girls. Like Koba of the astronomy club, she is also a demi-human, a Lorelei descendant.
Lorelei is a spirit that appears in German folklore and is said to seduce sailors and fishermen with its songs and drown them at the bottom of the water. It is sometimes confused or identified with the Sirens, who share similar characteristics. In the world of Terralus, the Lorelei were physically characterized by elf-like pointed ears, bird-like wings, and scaly skin on their feet. Thus, because they are distinguished from humans by their appearance, they do not hide their true identities like Koba and Tsukigami.
"Hey, Suzumi? Can Suzumi's power really make that Tsukigami-sensei a slave to your will?"
"Of course, human male has no way to resist my singing."
On her way to school, Higashizaki proudly answered one of her cronies' questions. As the world was about to enter the Golden Week, the girls were making a crazy plan.
Same day
Yokohama Hisui Gakuen High School
During an astronomical observation five days earlier, Yadoya was lucky enough to photograph the Lyrid Meteor Shower. He then posted a record of his activity, along with a photograph of the meteor shower, on the school's website. The photo of the night sky with the streak of meteors was very well received by the teachers, and the memorable first activity was a success.
".........♪"
During the lunch break between the fourth and fifth periods, Yadoya was in a good mood at the computer, working on the department's newsletter. From a desktop the size of a pencil case, a virtual display was projected in the air and a keyboard was on the table.
"...How about this, Kadoma-san?"
Beside him, Teru, the nominal vice-president, had an astronomical illustrated book open. Teru closed it mid-sentence and checked the school's publicity paper prepared by Yadoya.
"...Yes, I think it's good. You write an easy-to-read text."
"Ah! Haha, thanks."
Yadoya is embarrassed by the praise. Teru then opened the astronomical illustrated book again and began to read the rest of the book absorbedly. Yadoya was happy that she had begun to take an interest in astronomy.
The Japanese government, which had acquired the flying battleship Fusō, a relic from the far future brought back from the other world, Terralus, was using the technological power of the 28th century condensed in it to advance into space with ease. This is being conducted as a national project, and has now reached the point of establishing a base on the surface of Mars. In particular, the year 2086, when the settlement of ordinary civilians on the Moon began, was a memorable year that was heralded as the dawn of the Space Frontier Era, and the first group of 300 settlers left for the Moon on the day that was designated as a "Space Day," a national holiday.
"........."
Teru, who was looking at the illustrated book, had a somewhat soft expression, unlike her usual bland expression described as Ice Queen. And it was the same expression she has when she calls the person she calls Ryūjin-sama.
'...Ryūjin, must be a Ryūjin group, the strongest demi-human range. What kind of involvement do you have with those guys?'
Yadoya overheard Teru's phone calls several times. In those conversations, he had noticed that she had uttered the word "Ryūjin-sama" many times. He had heard from a classmate who had been in junior high school with her that she lived with a wealthy man. Perhaps it refers to the handsome man in the luxury car. So, does this mean that he is that Ryūjin?
"Hey... can I ask you one question?"
"Yes, what is it?"
Yadoya, lost in thought, dared to ask Teru. She closed the illustrated book with a puzzled look on her face and waited for Yadoya to continue.
"Actually... what is your relationship with that handsome guy?"
"!"
Yadoya asked her a question that had been on his mind for a long time, but he had not been able to ask it. Teru looked a bit puzzled, but after a short pause, she answered.
"He... is the son of a family that has been taking care of me."
Teru briefly explained her relationship with Ryuji. She did not hide her unusual devotion to the dragon yōkai with whom she lived since junior high school, and was mocked by her classmates as the "Dragon's Mistress."
"...Lover?"
"...! No."
Lover... the moment Teru heard those words, she was greatly shocked and her eyes widened, but she quickly looked away and quietly denied Yadoya's words. Her expression was somewhat forlorn. Yadoya asked nothing more.
After School
The sound of the chime announcing the end of the day echoed throughout the school. The students were somewhat buoyant as Japan will enter the Golden Week holidays starting tomorrow. On the grounds and in the gymnasium, members of the sports clubs are showing up one after another for their last practice before the big holiday. And the Astronomy Club, led by Yadoya, was also having its last day of activity before the holidays.
The club president, Yadoya, was on his way to the Cultural Center. Passing through a crowd of students on their way home, he reached the corridor leading to the Cultural Center. On his way there, he saw someone he did not usually see.
'...? Is that, Higashizaki-san of the Lorelei?'
There was Suzumi Higashizaki, a girl in the same class as Yadoya. She was leaning against a pillar in the corridor, looking at Yadoya who was heading to the Cultural Center. Combined with her looks, her pose was even somewhat bewitching.
"...My, my, what a coincidence, Yadoya-kun."
"...?"
Yadoya stopped and looked on suspiciously. Yadoya knew that Higashizaki and the other girls had repeatedly said and done things that belittled Teru, and he was not pleased with them. And the fact that she had volunteered to be the manager of the soccer team and was standing in the hallway leading to the Cultural Center stirred up his disbelief.
"...Hello. I'm in a hurry, so excuse me."
Yadoya passed her off with a curt greeting and turned to walk away again. However, Higashizaki moved into the middle of the hallway to block his path.
"...What...!?"
Yadoya wanted tried to ask her what she wanted when she suddenly blocked him. But at that moment, Higashizaki brought her mouth close to his ear and released a sound wave with magic power from deep in her throat.
"...!"
Yadoya's eyes widened in shock. However, within a few seconds, his eyes became vacant. It was as if he was possessed by something.
"...From now on, you are my servant. You will obey my commands absolutely... understood?"
"Yes..."
Yadoya nodded with vacant eyes at Higashizaki's words.
"Bring Teru Kadoma and Aoi Tsukigami to the front of the second gym warehouse."
"...Yes, I understand."
Yadoya, having received the order, returned the way he came with a slightly wobbly gait. Gazing at his back, Higashizaki smiled evilly, a smile belonging to a devil.
High School Building
Meanwhile, Teru was late and was on her way to the Astronomy Club room in the Cultural Center. As she hurried through the school building, she received a message on her cell phone. When Teru noticed the ringtone, she operated the wristwatch terminal linked to her cell phone and projected the received message on the virtual display.
There are items needed for the next activity in the warehouse of the second gymnasium. Can you help me carry them out?
'...From the president? What are the items stored in the gymnasium?'
It was a message delivered from Yadoya. Teru tilted her head. However, without a slight suspicion, she headed for the second gymnasium warehouse.
Second Gymnasium Warehouse, Yokohama Hisui Gakuen High School
The sunset painted the roof of the gymnasium red. Teru, who had been summoned to the inn, scurried around the area looking for Yadoya. The gymnasium blocked the setting sun, and even though the sun was still in the sky, her surroundings were covered in dim shadows.
"...President? Where are you?"
"........."
At that moment, she heard small footsteps. Teru turned back and saw Yadoya she was looking for.
"Oh, there you are. Quick question, what should I carry?"
"........."
Teru asked why Yadoya had called her here. She approached him without any suspicion.
"...? President?"
But feelings of doubt began to emerge when Yadoya did not answer Teru's question. And the moment she caught sight of his lifeless eyes, Teru felt a chill run down her spine.
"...President!? Is there something wrong!?"
"........."
Teru grabbed Yadoya's shoulders and shook him. But he didn't answer anything and kept a vacant look on his face. At that moment, another person, who had been summoned by Yadoya via e-mail, appeared on the scene.
"Hi, do you need something? You took the trouble to call me here..."
'...Tsukigami-sensei!?'
Tsukigami, the Astronomy Club's advisor, arrived late in front of the second gym warehouse. Like Teru, he had received a message from Yadoya and had come here.
".........?"
Tsukigami realized from Teru's expression that something off was at play here. Then, as if to add the mood of creepiness, a beautiful singing voice came from somewhere.
"...W-what? What is that voice?"
Tsukigami looked around. However, he could not find the person who seemed to be the owner of the voice. Then, between the singing voices, he heard another sentence.
"...The male who hears my voice is my faithful servant at this moment... Yadoya-kun. Seize Teru Kadoma."
"Yes..."
"!?"
At the moment he heard those words, Yadoya came around behind Teru and pinned both of her arms in a tight lock. Suddenly helpless, Teru cannot move.
"What the!? ...Could it be, this voice!?"
Teru realized that the mysterious voice and words were hypnotizing Yadoya and controlling his body. And the mysterious voice also gave an order to Tsukigami.
"Tsukigami-sensei, you are next... That girl... Teru Kadoma. Carve a scar on that cocky bitch's heart that will last a lifetime...!"
"!!?"
The moment she heard that voice, Teru's face turned pale. Looking at Tsukigami, he was slowly approaching her with his face downcast.
"...T-this is a joke... right? Tsukigami-sensei... please, snap out of it!!"
Teru began to tremble, and with tears in her eyes, she screamed at Tsukigami. But Tsukigami made no reply and stood in front of Teru, who was pinned down in front of him. Then, Tsukigami... suddenly extended his right hand toward Yadoya who was standing behind Teru.
"...Wake up, Yadoya-kun!"
"!!"
Tsukigami snapped his fingers loudly. The sound instantly broke the spell that bound Yadoya. Having been freed from the spell, Yadoya removed his arms that were pinning Teru down and fell to the ground on his buttocks.
"...Gah! ...Haah, haah! I'm saved! Thank you very much, Tsukigami-sensei!"
"...President! Are you okay!?"
Teru turned to Yadoya and kneeled down to help him. Yadoya caught his breath and began to explain what had happened to him.
"On the way to the club room, I heard her singing, and then I can't control myself..."
"...Her?"
Yadoya was so relieved that he did not hurt her. Teru, on the other hand, reacted to the word "her" uttered by Yadoya.
"Why...!? My song doesn't work!?"
The mysterious voice was shocked by these two facts: that Tsukigami had lifted the curse on Yadoya, and that Tsukigami himself was not under the curse. Then, Tsukigami sensed the wave of magic power she released and pinpointed the location where the source is hiding. He formed a red dart arrow with his blood in his right hand and hurled it at a roadside tree standing nearby.
"...There!"
The arrow flew toward the tree with tremendous force. Just before it plunged into the thick foliage, the arrow burst and exploded loudly.
"KYAAH!"
A short scream was heard from the girl, perhaps stunned by the flash and sound. At the same time, a girl fell from the branches of the tree. Teru knew who she was.
"Higashizaki-san..."
The girl who appeared from the tree was Suzumi Higashizaki, a Lorelei demi-human. She was rubbing her butts, which had hit the ground, her face contorted in pain.
"...!"
And when she noticed Yadoya and Teru staring in her direction, she instantly understood how bad the situation is and quickly turned her face away. Tsukigami looked on grimly with an expression clearly different from his usual one. Yadoya and Teru could sense the aura of domination emanating from him.
"...Suzumi Higashizaki-san of Class 1B, is it? You are a Lorelei demi-human. You know very well that the deliberate use of magic by students is forbidden in school, right? Besides, if I had fallen under your spell, how much trauma would I have caused Kadoma-san...!? Is this your idea of a prank?"
Tsukigami asked her a barrage of questions, and while suppressing his agitation, calmly accused Higashizaki. She was so shocked that she could not get her words out.
"Why... my song doesn't work...!?"
Higashizaki was more shocked than anything that her power did not work on Tsukigami. He sighed and began to tell her the shocking truth.
"Didn't you ever consider the possibility that I am not human?"
"!!?"
Tsukigami came clean that he was a demi-human. Higashizaki, as well as Yadoya and Teru, could not hide their surprise upon hearing these words.
"I also heard... that you have blackmailed a male teacher at a junior high school in the past as well. I looked it up, that's how you do it. You manipulated males and then captured their actions on video. If I and Yadoya had attacked Kadoma-san, you will film the scene."
"!?"
Tsukigami was also investigating her past. When she was in junior high school, she hypnotized a male teacher into committing misconduct and repeatedly used it as blackmail to extort the teacher together with her friends.
"But at that time, you were not at the point of harming other students like this. So why... did you do it now? What was it about Kadoma-san that drove you to such a degree?"
"........."
Tsukigami questioned the reason for her murderous behavior. But she looked away and refused to answer. Tsukigami, annoyed by this, delved further into her past.
"I guess you didn't expect me to be a demi-human, but what you are doing looks like a child throwing a tantrum for the attention of others... I heard about your family environment from your Class B homeroom teacher, Tojo-sensei, before. I heard that your father is a major general in the Imperial Army and your mother, a Lorelei, is an education critic who appears on TV. Why would you act like that after being raised in such an elite and privileged family...?"
Higashizaki's family was in what the world would call a wealthy environment. She never had to struggle for food, clothing, or shelter, and had nothing to worry about financially. At first glance, there seemed to be no reason for her to engage in delinquent behavior.
"Then I thought. Perhaps you had a dismal relationship with your parents. Those with a twisted need for self-approval often grew up without a sense of love from their parents. Your parents, a military man and a media personality, may not have had financial problems, but they may have spent somewhat less time with you than you would have liked. Are you feeling lonely?"
"WRONG...!!"
Higashizaki rejected Tsukigami's reasoning. However, his words gave her a tremendous stab in her heart.
"Higashizaki-san..."
Teru looked at Higashizaki with pity. She walked up to her sullenly and spoke to her in a gentle tone.
"...I'm sorry you're alone, but I don't think that's why you're putting president and sensei into trouble."
"!!"
Being admonished by the object of her attempts to humiliate her had struck a nerve with Higashizaki. She glared at Teru and angrily shouted, paying no attention to her surroundings.
"SILENCE! You have everything... a loving rich and handsome man... money... beauty... LOVE! You will NEVER understand me!"
She hated Teru, who had been secretly popular among the boys since she first entered the school. Furthermore, when she saw Teru being picked up by Ryuji and the look of happiness on her face when he picked her up, she compared herself to her parents, who did not love her, and this caused her to develop a distorted inferiority complex and jealousy.
"...Is that why you tried to humiliate her?"
"That's just terrible! Kadoma-san did nothing wrong!"
Tsukigami and Yadoya were appalled to hear about Higashizaki's motive. But there was one person who was even more indignant than they were.
"I have everything...? You know nothing about me...!"
"Hah...?"
Teru glared at Higashizaki, her voice trembling. Yadoya cannot hide his surprise that she, who does not always show her emotions, is revealing her innermost feelings. Then Teru began to talk about her own situation, which she had never revealed to anyone before.
"I am the child of an adulterer. I don't even know who my father is, and my mother abandoned me. I was tormented so much... all I could think about was dying."
She once lived with her single mother. Moreover, because she was born as a result of adultery, her father, who was afraid of exposure, did not recognize her, and her mother neglected her. Furthermore, her mother had long since separated from her parents, so she had no relatives to rely on. Because of these circumstances, she was the target of scorn and suspicion from those around her, and was the target of bullying by her classmates.
"But that man saved me from those days of despair... He gave me food and clothes. He took me to the hospital when I had a fever. So I decided... to give him everything."
For the first time, Teru revealed her feelings for the young Ryūjin. Yadoya and Tsukigami learned of her unusual devotion to the young dragonoid that had formed in her heart.
"What...!?"
Higashizaki was shocked to learn of Teru's past. She was once again confronted with the fact that her jealously that she was better off than she was merely an assumption.
"...Kadoma-san, you are the biggest victim in this case. What do you want to do?"
Tsukigami left it to Teru to decide what to do with the main culprit of the case, Higashizaki. Teru narrowed her eyes and spoke to her.
"...Please apologize to Yadoya-kun and Tsukigami-sensei. And please promise to me that you will never do anything like this again."
"........."
Teru demanded an apology from Higashizaki. Faced with an overwhelmingly unfavorable situation, she was left with no choice. Higashizaki bowed, her body trembling.
"...P-please forgive me..." Higashizaki muttered.
Seeing this, Yadoya and Teru looked satisfied for now.
After that, Higashizaki also received a stern warning from Tsukigami. She was dejected, and she looked very remorseful, but it was impossible to tell what she was thinking deep in her heart.
"...Alright, then, let's go to the clubroom."
Tsukigami, having finished scolding Higashizaki, turned back to Yadoya and Teru. In the clubroom, Koba is probably tired of waiting by now.
"...Err, Tsukigami-sensei."
"...?"
However, Yadoya had something he really wanted to clarify here.
"Tsukigami-sensei...! Sensei... what is your demi-human race?"
"!"
Yadoya was wondering what demi-human race Tsukigami was, having shown to be immune to a Lorelei's spell. Tsukigami smiled uneasily and put his index finger to his lips and mumbled.
"...Hehe... that's a secret."