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A Week Later

Characters, settings and plot used in this story comes from the users:
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As soon as the bus made its stop, the blue haired girl, Tsugumi Mizushima steps out towards the concrete. She gained the sight of the sight of a light green hair girl known as Akika.

"Good Morning, Tsugumi!"

"Hiya Akika! Where are your friends?"

"Nayumi is heading out with her honey dove and her sister. I decided to leave them out of respect for love."

"Oh Akika, you're so nice. Almost to a fault."

"Hey! My English teacher said that's a cliche!"

"It can't be a cliche if it's in Japanese."

The two girls laughed at the joke. Akika stopped that caused Tsugumi to stop as well. Akika looked down towards to the ground. Tsugumi looked at Akika with confusion before Akika started to say.

"Is that… a bad thing?"

"What? The joke?"

"No… being so nice?..." But before Akika could explain, Tsugumi placed her hand on Akika's head

"Ah come on, Akika! You think beating yourself up is going to deny that you have so many friends. Without my help as well, I say you're a lot better than me in that department." Tsugumi said as she teetered off.

"I'm still your friend!" Akika said forcefully while pushing herself closer to her friend.

"True and I'm glad about it." Tsugumi smiled

"Now let's continue on before we get ourselves late"

--------------

As Akika and Tsugumi reached school and walking down the school's hallways, they saw a crowd around the lounge room.

"I wonder what's going on?"

"Let's check it out!"

As the two moved closer to the crowd, they heard a scream from the crowd.

"I refused to believe this future sight nonsense! You're a hack! You hear me! A DAMNED HACK!" As a blonde girl in a pink lacey uniform roughly parted the crowd in a huff. Before she could even pass Tsugumi, Tsugumi was dragged off to an intersecting hallway.

As Tsugumi turned around, it was Hayakawa with her every day stoic stare.

"Wise words, the less you are seen… the fewer people need to know. We need no repeats this time..." Tsugumi looked at the raven haired girl with utter confusion.

"Hyka-chan, what do you..." She was interrupted but a calling voice.

"Tsugumi, what happened?" It was Akika who was came by her as Tsugumi turned back.

"Well it was just..." but before Tsugumi gets to turn around back, Hayakawa disappeared from her sight.

"Must have been a ghost?" Tsugumi said as that started freaking Akika out.

"Gh-gh-ghost!?"

"Rational thinking you two!" As an orange haired girl scolded the two girls. It was Mei walking down with a strange pink-haired comrade with a white and blue uniform coming with her.

"Akika! Always great to see Mei's little friend as always!" As soon as the pink hair girl said that, Mei's face frozen in a mix of shock, anger, and confusion. Tsugumi raised her eyebrow in confusion at the reaction.

"Oh! Tsugumi! It's great that you can meet a friend of mines, Lumochi Kedoka."

"Oh, good morn… Ahhh!!!" As soon as Tsugumi attempted to greet Lumochi, she was accosted by Lumochi who changed her face with a stern and concerned look.

"Why did you make Mei wear shoes again!? Now she refuses to stop wearing them again! You big jerk!" Lumochi looks angrier by the sentence, Tsugumi felt a little fear. However before anything bad happened.

"Owwwwwwwwwww!!!!!" Lumochi removed herself from Tsugumi's immediate presence as she picked up her feet in a response to someone stepping on it. Right behind her was Mei, who looked flushed in red and clicking on a pen repeatedly.

"Shut up Lumochi and let's go to class!"

"But…"

"Now!" As soon as Mei said that she grabs Lumochi by the collar and drags her off.

"But I didn't tell her how I feel!" Lumochi pleas went unheard and the sound gets softer and softer.

"What. just. happened?" Tsugumi looked on with confusion.

"A typical day at Arland basically" Akika giggled.

"Hey let's see what the crowd is actually..." Tsugumi was going to continue when the crowd dispersed and all that is left was a sleeping girl with a black cat laying beside her.

Tsugumi could only think "This school might need a post control if a wild cat is here."

However, the cat opened its eye and started to stare at Tsugumi as if it managed to hear Tsugumi thoughts.

"Yikes!" Tsugumi shrieked.

"It's just a cat, Tsugumi." Akika reassures Tsugumi.

"I guess so." Tsugumi tries to reassure herself. Before she can continue to think, the school bell rang. Tsugumi changed her mind to heading to her class and forgetting about the catty encounters of the morning.

--------------

The classes went normally at least to the teacher at least. Tsugumi did notice, however, that Hayakawa seems more focused on the lesson to the point of not noticing her, which is not unusual from the very beginning, but also ignoring all messages sent by other students and her class rep Karou. Tsugumi wonders if there was a problem in school that made the raven-haired student moody today.

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The bell rings for lunch and the students were leaving for the cafeteria or to other classes. Tsugumi decided to head to the school library for awhile and finalize all her notes for the past two classes. When Tsugumi took her seat and started reading up on her notes, she heard some whispers.

"Of course!" a voice said proudly.

"I finally opened a fortune shop by the lounge for this morning and you wouldn't believe the people that came in there."

"Really? People actually thought you can see the future?"

"Such idiots!"

"Hahaha! The best part is that snot-nosed brat Misa came."

"Haha! What did you tell her?"

"Something stupid, I think it was you'll meet a beautiful person in the afternoon or something like that."

"You're are either brave or stupid!"

"Oh come on, the four of us aren't that stupid to be intimidated by a young lass. I don't care about the vixens and I'm sure they don't care about what Yuko said either but I think I have an idea. Something for the boss to be pleased with..."

"Is that..." Tsugumi started to think but before Tsugumi could hear the plan, she was interrupted by a loud thump from her table. It was a red-haired girl wearing clips on her hair to show her face and a blonde hair girl

"I told you my magic will find our classmate!" The blonde smiled at the red-hair girl.

"W-w-well I guess so." The red head replied. Tsugumi just noticed that her backpack has some weird blue feathers attached to the side.

"Wait a second, one of you is Nukomei, right?" Tsugumi asked. The blonde happily repeat.

"Yes, mam! I'm right here!"

"So the other is..."

"Nukomei? Can you introduce?" The red haired meekly said.

"Aoi! Her name is Aoi! I met her at a wild pa.... Party! yes!"

"Isn't wild parties illegal while you're in school." Tsugumi raised her brows.

"She meant, birthday party! A great birthday for a rich relative of mines and I came in from the North."

"Exactly like you!" Nukomei added.

"No. I'm from the South but thanks for guessing." Tsugumi teasingly said.

"Jerk!" Nukomei pouted causing Aoi to giggle.

"I'll take that as a compliment but seriously, what problem do you have?" Tsugumi asked.

"Nukomei saw that you took some notes that we were unable to get."

"Oh! Well, go right ahead. I was just making sure if the were correct before heading for lunch."

"Awesome! I owe you one!" Nukomei gleefully said as Aoi nodded cutely as they get took their seat and shared and compared notes with Tsugumi.

--------------

After an uneventful note taking session, Tsugumi was walking back to class with a meat bun in her mouth. After a while, Tsugumi saw Mei by herself walking down her direction and Tsugumi decided to meet up with her.

"Hey, Mei!"

"Hmm, oh Tsugumi! What a surprise!"

"Well after the insanity of this morning I just wanted to say is sorry."

"Tsugumi, it's not you. It's just that I didn't expect Lumochi to act like that."

"Maybe Lumochi is right, maybe I'm a bad influence on you."

"Haha…"

"It's fun..." But Tsugumi got interrupted

"Say something stupid like that again and your mouth will regret it," Mei replied with a deadpan tone. This managed to straighten out Tsugumi in no time.

"Oh well, enough of that yes?"

"Exactly! Plus, I forgot how comfy my new shoes are..." However, as soon as Mei say that, she looked to her left and to her right.

"Um… Mei?"

"It's nothing, just making sure a green hair outsider wasn't somewhere around."

"Huh?"

"Oh, yea… you're new around here. I guess Akika… or anyone intelligent didn't tell you? I'll inform you of the dangers of this city soon."

"Dangers like?"

"Oh no, not lethal but… between you and me, we have a lot of thieves around here. Best keep on your toes when you're in city limits. Though in a way, I envy you for living outside of limits, though."

"Say… Satomi… said during the end of the tour… about nothing happened. Can I get an explanation?"

"Oye, not even here? Well, how about meeting me tomorrow at the library? This evening I'll be helping out with the younger students with tutorials."

"That's so sweet of you, Mei."

"Well, you need to keep your mind off of bad moments. You can't just be down, sometimes… looking at how adorable some students are… reminds me of the past. Back when Lunoka, Nayumi, and I were just in their grades."

"What happened?"

Mei paused a bit but she closed her eyes and smiled.

"Not one of your businesses Tsugumi. The Past is the past, it's time we move on."

Tsugumi can only smile upon hearing that.

"Glad at least you can agree with me." Mei replied as the bell started to ring and they took their leaves to their respective classes.

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During classes, it seemed like Hayakawa calmed down as she's starting to read the messages with a sly smile on her face whenever Tsugumi looked at her. Nukomei and Aoi were behind a textbook, seemingly trying to finish up something. Karou was reading everything but the actual teaching notes. However, Tsugumi can't seem to shake off the feeling that she's being watched by someone from the class, but she doesn't know just who is doing it.

--------------

During the evening, Tsugumi was sneaking off into the other classes. Tsugumi couldn't get the feeling that someone was watching her. However the feeling stopped around the area she was in. Tsugumi needed to know what just happened. After a few empty classes, Tsugumi was about to give up until she heard a muffled voice from one of the classes. As Tsugumi opened the classroom the sound coming from, she saw a blue hair lady, a bit taller than Tsugumi, wearing a maid dress just getting up from what she assumed of tying up a cyan-haired girl. Hearing the sound alerted her that she has company and she turned around to look at Tsugumi.

"So you've come to stop..." as soon as she said she looked at Tsugumi with a confusing look. Tsugumi looked more trembled than a cowardly dog. Tsugumi obviously looked at her like she met a vicious person.

"Um… I'll look away and close this door. No problems right?" Tsugumi timidly said as she slowly backed away to open the door.

"Hold it!" The blue maid commanding voice froze Tsugumi in her place.

"Is that what you're actually doing? Running away?" Tsugumi couldn't hide it anymore and she shakes her head in defeat.

"That's…" The maid paused to look for a word before continuing " Unheroic of anyone I've ever seen in this school." The blue maid grew more disappointed but yet more fiery in her voice.

"I-I-I'm sorry" Tsugumi voiced even more lowered, it felt like she was somehow caught grabbing a cookie from the jar and her parents caught her.

"However, no matter cowardly you are being, I can't let you go to anyone and report this." The maid sighed as it looks like what could've been an easy victory was flawed in further thinking. "As easy as it sounds to let you go, I cannot! For my mistress, I cannot allow any wrenches in her plan!" The blue maid prepared herself in a pose. It was too obvious to Tsugumi that fleeing was pointless.

"I only wanted to catch a stalker but it seems that you're just as rude as the girl you have captive. Fine! I'll fight!" Tsugumi said with an apathetic sigh as she prepared her fighting pose but before she can start the maid started a powerful kick at Tsugumi but Tsugumi managed to dodge quickly. Tsugumi managed to spring a counter quickly after with a viper strike at the maid's back but the maid also dodged the attack and her attempt to counter the counter and deflect by the same kicks that Tsugumi attempted as well. This pushes the two off each other, the maid started to smile, realize what just happened.

"Well, Well, I never thought I would have met a student of the Snake School in Tokyo."

Tsugumi smiled sheepishly back at the maid. "Yup!"

The maid closed her eyes and said in a melancholic voice "It's a bit sad right now if I didn't have my orders with the mistress. I would have loved fighting with you."

"You said that you're on orders from your mistress. So... who is your mistress?" Tsugumi asked. Which managed to catch the maid out of guard.

"If you don't know who the Mistress is? Dear god, you...you really are as clueless as I thought!" the maid managed to add two and two together.

"It makes sense why you're willing to run away. Well, that changes everything." She closed her eyes, considering her future actions. Tsugumi realizes this and tries to speak up.

"Since you have what assumed to be my stalker, mind if I leave. I promise, yakuza promise, to leave everything alone!"

"Yakuza promise?" the maid opened her eyes with eyes like if she was just insulted upon hearing that.

"That's not funny and surely from the place you are from you wouldn't have done that!"

"I meant… ah… sorry." Tsugumi looked down realizing that what she said, really did hit herself close to her own heart.

"Ok… enough! Just leave. I'll forget that… ugh..." However, before the maid could finish her sentence, the cyan-haired girl attacked the maid behind the back and knocked her out before she looked back at Tsugumi.

"So you knew all along." The cyan-haired girl said.

"I had a hunch… you're one of the brats I overheard in the library."

"That's why I had to make sure you weren't doing any trouble to big sis, Mizushima! As such, I won't let you leave this classroom. You already knew too much!"

"Fine! Don't think that I…" It only took seconds for Tsugumi to see darkness.

--------------

"H..." Something was heard.

"Hmmm..." The sounds were repeating again.

"HMMMMM!" The buzzing sounds again.

"BAM!" A rough knock managed to wake Tsugumi up when she realizes that she wasn't able to mobilize her limbs at all… nor could she speak as she was bound and gagged.

Upon turning around she also realized that she was also with the maid, who was in no better condition than her despite trying to struggle for a while as Tsugumi could guess.

Tsugumi tried to think about escaping from her bonds but her mind seems to be totally blank. Mostly, because she's also wondering why the cyan haired girl said she knows too much and what was their problem with her overhearing. However, it was cut short when she heard metal scraping by the maid from one of the chairs and realizes that she might have a key item in the escape.

"Dammit, my sis gave me that memento. Why am I so slow to realize this! Maybe it will work." However, Tsugumi was unable to reach her coat pockets but a pair of hand did. The maid managed to notice the girl's attempt and got the memento out, which was a flip knife. It didn't take long for the two to get free from the bonds soon.

As soon as the two gotten free, the maid flipped the knife, closing it and inspecting it.

"Um… thank you so much for helping me, miss… um..." Tsugumi said politely.

"Kasuga."

"Excuse me?"

"Kasuga Akeno at your service." the maid, now known as Akeno smiled while still looking at the knife.

"Isn't this a nice looking knife, Mizushima is it?"

"Yes, Tsugumi Mizushima. How did you know that was my last name?"

Akeno managed to flip the knife in a strange pattern before revealing a snake-like pattern instead of a blade.

"I knew someone that had this knife before." her face went solemnly for a while before lightening up and continuing on.

"She showed me how to reveal the family's prized symbol as a thank you. So it was either you were one or you killed someone for it and I'm sure by your reaction, you weren't the latter." Akeno gave a slight smile before throwing the knife back at Tsugumi.

"Well I am the former thank you very much!" Tsugumi repeated the fact in assurance.

"I'm just glad no one questions my school jacket. I usually keep it because my sis told me it would be a lucky charm. Glad it really was." Tsugumi smiled sheepishly.

"Sis? As in Kousaka, I didn't know she had a little sister." Akeno replied in surprise.

The name lights up Tsugumi's eyes as she realized what she had just told herself. Tsugumi only grits her teeth as if Akeno said something disrespectful to her.

"Yes... but I don't like talking about her, however..." That was all that Tsugumi said leaving an awkward moment between the two. However, Akeno used the time to think before realizing something bad.

"We need to go, now!"

"What?" Tsugumi said deadpan.

"My Mistress, my friends, they are in danger from whatever that person was!" Akeno said in a huff before she realized that Tsugumi is staying put.

"Well um… good luck?" Tsugumi said awkwardly.

"No, you're coming with me!" Akeno ordered Tsugumi

"But she's not my mistress?" Akeno only smirked at the reply when she revealed her pinky at Tsugumi.

"Have you forgotten, yakuza promise? You owe me a debt… twice in fact!" Tsugumi reaction was a mixture of "crap and stupid me."

"Okay, plus if that blue hair brat comes around! I'm going to beat her" Tsugumi pound her fists in glee. Akeno was going to say something but kept herself silent for amusement.

--------------

"Crap! Why did Itsumi do that! Now I have to find that damn maid or Taeko will have my head for this." An orange haired girl was walking around looking at the empty classes. Meanwhile, Akeno and Tsugumi looked on from a class nearby.

"You think she'll spill?" whispers Tsugumi.

"Mizushima, when it comes to minions, it's not an if, it's a when." Akeno whispered back. However, before any of them could try to look back out, Tsugumi bumped into someone behind her. As she turned around, it was a blond girl with blue eyes. From her uniform, it was pretty clear that she's from another school but her eyes didn't look like someone who was happy to meet the two of them.

"So anyone here wants to answer about Mi's whereabouts?" She said with a stern voice almost causing Tsugumi to flinch for a bit.

"Ah Azusa, you came at a good time," Akeno said with a slight sigh of relief but turned serious very shortly.

"Long story short, I think Misa picked a bad fight with a rude crew and from your words, your sister and Chizuru might not be in a good spot either."

"Typical Misa..." The blond known as Azusa said with a face of disgust while looking towards Tsugumi.

"So who's the blue brat? Someone you kidnapped?"

"It was more like I was kidnapped with her." Tsugumi tried to interject but it seems to Tsugumi that the blond doesn't move an inch of care towards her.

"Just a person at the wrong place and at the wrong time" Akeno added.

"Hey! What are you three doing… it's the maid!" The Orange haired girl reacted to the noise the three were making. Realizing just what she had just fond, she tried to run to get in contct with her other comrades.

"Give me a moment," Azusa said with a slight smile as a portal formed before the minion could reach and a pinch of thrash appeared from the classroom they were at and the poor minion slipped towards the floor and slid to a nearby wall from the momentum. It didn't take long for Akeno to pick up the now scared orange haired minion.

"So, tell me where is my mistress and friends and now!" Akeno said with a very serious tone and obviously, was already started to lose her patience.

"A-a-and if I said n-n-n-nnnnnnn!" As the minion displayed a bit of bravado, Azusa made no hesitation pointing the helpless lass with her sword.

"There wasn't a ‘no' in that question." Azusa grew even more impatient at the time wasting attempt.

"Jeez! Your blond lady is on the school roof! She's waiting for you to be dragged out but it looks like Itsumi didn't realize you were a target when you kidnapped her so we came looking for you. That's all I know." As soon as the girl said that, she was dropped by Akeno.

"The roof… there's only one way to there… it's a trap isn't it?" Azusa spoke up whose face looks worried than the usual grumpy face.

"That's the easiest part to guess." Akeno said but it didn't take long for Tsugumi to tapped on the maid's shoulder.

"Well… we can take them on. At least the both of us." Tsugumi smiled but before she can continue, Azusa interrupted her when she realized that she's not part of this duo.

"Hey what about... huh?" Akeno showed her her hand to hold what she is saying.

"Thank you Akeno, see… this is what I'm thinking of doing…"

--------------

At the school side of the steps of the roof. A brunette guard was just minding her business, looking at her phone with twitter on. She was busy being so carefree to the reality that she didn't even bother to realize to see a flying foot at her face until it was too late and she was KO'd at the wall.

"Damn, that was a strong kick!" Tsugumi said at Akeno as she ran up to the maid.

"Better be safe than sorry." However, the slam was loud enough that some guards are coming down to try and see. Akeno looked at Tsugumi with her continued serious look that she kept for the while.

"Well, Tsugumi let's see if your bottleneck plan works."

Tsugumi properly replied to Akeno words as one of her shoes started to glow bright and created a power gust of force that flung the now scared guard out of the stair and out towards the roof.

"A true snake style user." Akeno looked at the attack with a mildly interested look.

"I see that your family took good care of you." That complement surprised Tsugumi who didn't know how to reply but it seems that she didn't need to as Akeno started walking upstairs and Tsugumi followed her.

As the two reached the roof, Tsugumi saw two blonde and brunette tied up and gagged but unconscious at the center of the roof.

"Mistress!" Akeno attempt to move closer but a flechette of blades was shot near her causing Akeno to move backward to dodge it.

"Tsk! Tsk! Getting a bunch of schoolgirls to do a merc's job wasn't part of my plan but hey, they are expendable." A raven haired girl wearing a mask appeared from the shadows.

"Wait a sec!" Tsugumi said.

"You're not from here are you? I mean I thought those girls voices were strangely familiar until you spoke up!"

"You sure ask stupid questions, don't you, little girl." The perpetrator snapped back.

"Well, I'm just wondering who you were? I mean I like to..."

"That... was a rhetorical question, Mizushima." Akeno pointed out to Tsugumi.

"Oh..." Tsugumi blushed in embarrassment.

"Oh well, question time is over. Good for you all that I have orders to not kill, especially the stupid one, but maybe I can get my good friend to say hi again." As the raven-haired girl turned, the cyan haired girl appeared, this time wearing a mask almost similar to the former.

"Taeko and Itsumi!" Tsugumi called out to them.

"Good to know, you learned our names" the cyan Itsumi snarked at Tsugumi surprise.

"Too bad your mouth won't save you just like last time." Itsumi was preparing to make a menacing dash at blinding speed but Tsugumi didn't hesitate this time and she managed to strike a vicious hand stab at Itsumi to stop Itsumi charge and flip her over Tsugumi by the momentum. However, Takeo attempted to strike as well with summoning back her flechette of blades to strike at Tsugumi but Tsugumi managed to dodge and kick off Takeo attempt of closing in and putting the three girls at a distance

"Last time, I hesitated and was a little stupid. This time I know just what you're capable of!"

"Cheeky brat!" Itsumi cried out at the fact just pointed out.

"No worries, we still… have… where's the captives and the blue haired maid!?" It didn't take a while after Taeko realized it that she saw Itsumi being covered in a barrel and for her to feel a massive kick to the face by Azusa.

"Phew… thank goodness. That was done quick." Tsugumi said while she started to sit on the floor.

"Hmph! Just the way I like idiots who threaten my sister to be. Let's head back down to see if Mi and the others are ok." Azusa said as the two head down the stairs.

However, someone was looking at the battle scene as the two left. The being only sighed as she picked up Taeko.

"It's pretty sad that your inability to check on the minute details can mess you up big time." she then looked at the leaving girls.

"Though, I'm surprised at seeing her. The old man really knows how to take care of the family. This might be nice to tell the boss!"

--------------

Tsugumi finally reached the lounge room, where Akeno was attending to the same blonde she saw this morning with an older brunette maid by her side and Azusa was checking on what Tsugumi think is her sister. Tsugumi was content watching by the door before a command was a call.

"Hey, Blue hair! Get over here!" The blonde drill hair beckoned towards Tsugumi.

"Goodness, I'm never gonna get called by my name ever tonight." Tsugumi thought to herself as she meekly went closer and closer.

"Why are you walking so slow. You think I'll bite?" The blonde smirk looking at Tsugumi like a fresh prey. Tsugumi only looked around, only seeing an annoyed confused look from Azusa and a nod from Akeno before continuing.

"Um… no ouju-sama. You are not." Tsugumi said quietly.

"Ouju-sama? That's an odd way to say Mistress Misa but it sounds kind of adorable from you so I'll let it slide this time." Tsugumi begins to think that this might be a bad idea to come closer and should have run away. Tsugumi did hear a groan as well.

"Well, I've heard from Akeno and my little acquaintance about the rescue mission that you offer to help."

"Well ouj...mistress, I had a debt to pay for Akeno..." Tsugumi said with each other growing softer and softer.

"What?"

"I had delinquents that I had to beat up to messing with me. Saving you was thanks for the maid that saved me, my mistress." Tsugumi lied a bit about what happened. Mostly to save face that she might be indebted to one of her maids. Tsugumi can now hear a tiny smack as well.

"Well, I guess I should pay you so... you're free to go. Tonight you can leave without incident." Misa ladylike laugh at the end made it look like if that was some amazing payment.

"Well that's a bad payment but not surprising coming from you." Tsugumi heard Azusa words utter from under her mouth that it seems that Misa didn't hear.

"Thank you, mistress, I'll be leaving," Tsugumi said in a little happy tone of relief.

"You're still here!?" Misa only said in a way that she wanted to Tsugumi to scram from her presence… now!

"Sorry!" Tsugumi left with a feeling of being pretty relieved that the tension was over. She did feel a bit heavy when she turned her backside. A heavy feeling that she only got lucky this time around.

However, by the time she left the door, she was called once again from the same direction but it was by Akeno instead.

"Mizushima, I wanted to personally thank you for saving my mistress and my fellow maids and friends. It's not every day that a random stranger would be that kind to do something that dangerous."

"It's no worries." Tsugumi smiled sheepishly before quietly asking Akeno.

"That debt… is it paid yet?" As Tsugumi said, Akeno smirked a bit and closed her eyes and reveal her pinky once more.

"That debt thing… was just nonsense jesting. Didn't think you could have honestly took that seriously… then again you seem to lack the ability to sense the figure of speech."

"Thanks, teacher… didn't think I needed an assessment on my abilities." Tsugumi said in a deadpan voice as Akeno giggled quietly.

"Oh well, if you honestly take it seriously. You still owe me one more thing." Tsugumi took that in aghast, showing the same face as she did back when they first teamed up.

"Hopefully, that next repayment isn't going to be as dangerous as this time… maybe."

"I guess that's what I'm due for." Tsugumi only gave a small smile in defeat.

"Well then, I can only hope the next time we meet. It won't be as enemies… again." Akeno bowed and left towards the direction of her mistress.

"I hope so as well." Tsugumi only said as she left in the other direction to the night out of the school.

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Tsugumi was wandering around the city after leaving the bus station. Through the thick crowd, it was impossible for her to hide her disappointment in something.

"Good lord… it's so late and I don't there will be a bus that will be heading my way soon." Tsugumi thoughts were repeating on her head. Looking around the city left and right towards the windows of food places that surrounds her view. She saw basically only business people who were drunk beyond belief or having nonsensical fun in her eyes. Tsugumi eventually looked at the people who were using phones and she decided to look at her cell phone. In her realization that she never did ask anyone for a phone number, it sparks a worrying feeling inside herself.

Eventually, her worries started to boil into tears and she had to take a seat on a bench nearby bus stop to calm herself for a bit. She calmed herself down by trying to look at herself in a mirror on her phone. It wasn't enough but it calmed her down to not be showing tears from her eyes for at least a while. However, she was very tired and sat on a seat, thinking one what her options are. However, she felt a strange pinch on her arm that kicked her out of her thought and as she looked up…

"Tsugumi, what are you doing here? Aren't you suppose to be at home?" It was Akika who was carrying bags from other stores, it was pretty obvious she was shopping for clothes.

"Long story, I got into an incident. I just got out and I miss all the bus rides..." Tsugumi said in a gloomy voice, her voice cracked for a bit.

"Silly Tsugumi, you should have called me!" Akika scolded Tsugumi.

"You didn't give me your number." Tsugumi replied back, she had a rather nasty snippy tone

"I-I-I didn't know that. I'm so-so-so sorrrrrryyyy!" Akika said with a worrying voice as she grabbed Tsugumi's phone and added her number. However, Akika took rather long to be adding just one number and she just kept adding and adding. Tsugumi took the phone away from Akika after getting rather impatient in excitement and she realized she added all the number of herself, her mother, her friends and… Mei!?

"Wait a sec, how did you get Mei's number? I thought she didn't like you that much" Akika only smiled at the question.

"Mei gave it to me when I was in your position not too long ago. She was rough with me and my phone but I can tell she was a bit worried. I only used it once to help me with Nayumi when she felt… um… ‘ill'. She looked really worried by then."

"So Mei… wasn't being mean all the while?"

"Oh she was a real jerk once an upon a time, she almost tried… no… she did seriously injured me" That phrase opened Tsugumi's eyes up when she remembered the phrase of Mei about her past being "none of Tsugumi's business." Could Mei have a really cruel streak? Why did she do that? Is it because of Lunoka and Nayumi by association? What could have really happened to the trio to be so separate and what caused Mei to mellow out if she did turn into a gigantic jerk.

"God… Akika, tell me you're alright. I-I-I'm so sorry to hear t-t-that." Tsugumi eyes became watery but Akika only placed one of her fingers towards Tsugumi's mouth.

"..but time passed and I guess she got use to me. I mean she doesn't always talk politely to me but I have a feeling that we're at least friends" Akika said cheerfully, almost like she forgave Mei for her transgressions. Tsugumi could only smile, it was just like Akika to forgive and forget, no matter the cruelty of others towards her. The scatterbrain...

"But less of that tale, we need to get you to my place. I'll clean your clothes while you clean up yourself." Akika took one of Tsugumi's hand to hold her up towards Akika and she is carrying Tsugumi to home. Akika's smile is becoming more and more infectious by each second that Tsugumi couldn't stop smiling as well.

To Tsugumi, she used to remember how Akika used to cry seeing Tsugumi when she got lost in their school because someone used to bully her. Remembering when Akika treated any bruises and cuts with a med aid kit that she had in her locker so Tsugumi would never get in trouble for fighting. Remembering how Akika and she would find an old hideout that the older students used to cheat on homework or test sheets so they can hide from their other classmates so they can share their lunch with each other. Remembering when… her grandfather told her that Akika… was her greatest weakness… that she was only bringing herself down by being on the level of weaker people and denying her to follow her friend to a new school after graduating. Remembering her having to tell Akika the terrible news and the two cried at each other shoulders at the final days of seeing each other. Remembering her own new life in her academy, how no matter who was bullied, she would protect her fellow Kansai student from anyone, even if it was someone higher in rank than her.

She didn't know why she did that in the past, not really realizing why she joined the disciplinary committee other than to protect. Today, she remembered why that was the case. To see someone smile, it always reminded her of the infectious smile of Akika in the past. That smile reminded her of why she continued on with her life knowing she lost a piece of herself that time. Every time she was in that academy, she fought and fought to excel and succeed.

That smile reminded her of why she chose to leave Osaka for Tokyo in this place called Neo-Japan.

To. See. That. Smile. Again.

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A Week Later

Characters, settings and plot used in this story comes from the users:
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As soon as the bus made its stop, the blue haired girl, Tsugumi Mizushima steps out towards the concrete. She gained the sight of the sight of a light green hair girl known as Akika.

"Good Morning, Tsugumi!"

"Hiya Akika! Where are your friends?"

"Nayumi is heading out with her honey dove and her sister. I decided to leave them out of respect for love."

"Oh Akika, you're so nice. Almost to a fault."

"Hey! My English teacher said that's a cliche!"

"It can't be a cliche if it's in Japanese."

The two girls laughed at the joke. Akika stopped that caused Tsugumi to stop as well. Akika looked down towards to the ground. Tsugumi looked at Akika with confusion before Akika started to say.

"Is that… a bad thing?"

"What? The joke?"

"No… being so nice?..." But before Akika could explain, Tsugumi placed her hand on Akika's head

"Ah come on, Akika! You think beating yourself up is going to deny that you have so many friends. Without my help as well, I say you're a lot better than me in that department." Tsugumi said as she teetered off.

"I'm still your friend!" Akika said forcefully while pushing herself closer to her friend.

"True and I'm glad about it." Tsugumi smiled

"Now let's continue on before we get ourselves late"

--------------

As Akika and Tsugumi reached school and walking down the school's hallways, they saw a crowd around the lounge room.

"I wonder what's going on?"

"Let's check it out!"

As the two moved closer to the crowd, they heard a scream from the crowd.

"I refused to believe this future sight nonsense! You're a hack! You hear me! A DAMNED HACK!" As a blonde girl in a pink lacey uniform roughly parted the crowd in a huff. Before she could even pass Tsugumi, Tsugumi was dragged off to an intersecting hallway.

As Tsugumi turned around, it was Hayakawa with her every day stoic stare.

"Wise words, the less you are seen… the fewer people need to know. We need no repeats this time..." Tsugumi looked at the raven haired girl with utter confusion.

"Hyka-chan, what do you..." She was interrupted but a calling voice.

"Tsugumi, what happened?" It was Akika who was came by her as Tsugumi turned back.

"Well it was just..." but before Tsugumi gets to turn around back, Hayakawa disappeared from her sight.

"Must have been a ghost?" Tsugumi said as that started freaking Akika out.

"Gh-gh-ghost!?"

"Rational thinking you two!" As an orange haired girl scolded the two girls. It was Mei walking down with a strange pink-haired comrade with a white and blue uniform coming with her.

"Akika! Always great to see Mei's little friend as always!" As soon as the pink hair girl said that, Mei's face frozen in a mix of shock, anger, and confusion. Tsugumi raised her eyebrow in confusion at the reaction.

"Oh! Tsugumi! It's great that you can meet a friend of mines, Lumochi Kedoka."

"Oh, good morn… Ahhh!!!" As soon as Tsugumi attempted to greet Lumochi, she was accosted by Lumochi who changed her face with a stern and concerned look.

"Why did you make Mei wear shoes again!? Now she refuses to stop wearing them again! You big jerk!" Lumochi looks angrier by the sentence, Tsugumi felt a little fear. However before anything bad happened.

"Owwwwwwwwwww!!!!!" Lumochi removed herself from Tsugumi's immediate presence as she picked up her feet in a response to someone stepping on it. Right behind her was Mei, who looked flushed in red and clicking on a pen repeatedly.

"Shut up Lumochi and let's go to class!"

"But…"

"Now!" As soon as Mei said that she grabs Lumochi by the collar and drags her off.

"But I didn't tell her how I feel!" Lumochi pleas went unheard and the sound gets softer and softer.

"What. just. happened?" Tsugumi looked on with confusion.

"A typical day at Arland basically" Akika giggled.

"Hey let's see what the crowd is actually..." Tsugumi was going to continue when the crowd dispersed and all that is left was a sleeping girl with a black cat laying beside her.

Tsugumi could only think "This school might need a post control if a wild cat is here."

However, the cat opened its eye and started to stare at Tsugumi as if it managed to hear Tsugumi thoughts.

"Yikes!" Tsugumi shrieked.

"It's just a cat, Tsugumi." Akika reassures Tsugumi.

"I guess so." Tsugumi tries to reassure herself. Before she can continue to think, the school bell rang. Tsugumi changed her mind to heading to her class and forgetting about the catty encounters of the morning.

--------------

The classes went normally at least to the teacher at least. Tsugumi did notice, however, that Hayakawa seems more focused on the lesson to the point of not noticing her, which is not unusual from the very beginning, but also ignoring all messages sent by other students and her class rep Karou. Tsugumi wonders if there was a problem in school that made the raven-haired student moody today.

--------------
The bell rings for lunch and the students were leaving for the cafeteria or to other classes. Tsugumi decided to head to the school library for awhile and finalize all her notes for the past two classes. When Tsugumi took her seat and started reading up on her notes, she heard some whispers.

"Of course!" a voice said proudly.

"I finally opened a fortune shop by the lounge for this morning and you wouldn't believe the people that came in there."

"Really? People actually thought you can see the future?"

"Such idiots!"

"Hahaha! The best part is that snot-nosed brat Misa came."

"Haha! What did you tell her?"

"Something stupid, I think it was you'll meet a beautiful person in the afternoon or something like that."

"You're are either brave or stupid!"

"Oh come on, the four of us aren't that stupid to be intimidated by a young lass. I don't care about the vixens and I'm sure they don't care about what Yuko said either but I think I have an idea. Something for the boss to be pleased with..."

"Is that..." Tsugumi started to think but before Tsugumi could hear the plan, she was interrupted by a loud thump from her table. It was a red-haired girl wearing clips on her hair to show her face and a blonde hair girl

"I told you my magic will find our classmate!" The blonde smiled at the red-hair girl.

"W-w-well I guess so." The red head replied. Tsugumi just noticed that her backpack has some weird blue feathers attached to the side.

"Wait a second, one of you is Nukomei, right?" Tsugumi asked. The blonde happily repeat.

"Yes, mam! I'm right here!"

"So the other is..."

"Nukomei? Can you introduce?" The red haired meekly said.

"Aoi! Her name is Aoi! I met her at a wild pa.... Party! yes!"

"Isn't wild parties illegal while you're in school." Tsugumi raised her brows.

"She meant, birthday party! A great birthday for a rich relative of mines and I came in from the North."

"Exactly like you!" Nukomei added.

"No. I'm from the South but thanks for guessing." Tsugumi teasingly said.

"Jerk!" Nukomei pouted causing Aoi to giggle.

"I'll take that as a compliment but seriously, what problem do you have?" Tsugumi asked.

"Nukomei saw that you took some notes that we were unable to get."

"Oh! Well, go right ahead. I was just making sure if the were correct before heading for lunch."

"Awesome! I owe you one!" Nukomei gleefully said as Aoi nodded cutely as they get took their seat and shared and compared notes with Tsugumi.

--------------

After an uneventful note taking session, Tsugumi was walking back to class with a meat bun in her mouth. After a while, Tsugumi saw Mei by herself walking down her direction and Tsugumi decided to meet up with her.

"Hey, Mei!"

"Hmm, oh Tsugumi! What a surprise!"

"Well after the insanity of this morning I just wanted to say is sorry."

"Tsugumi, it's not you. It's just that I didn't expect Lumochi to act like that."

"Maybe Lumochi is right, maybe I'm a bad influence on you."

"Haha…"

"It's fun..." But Tsugumi got interrupted

"Say something stupid like that again and your mouth will regret it," Mei replied with a deadpan tone. This managed to straighten out Tsugumi in no time.

"Oh well, enough of that yes?"

"Exactly! Plus, I forgot how comfy my new shoes are..." However, as soon as Mei say that, she looked to her left and to her right.

"Um… Mei?"

"It's nothing, just making sure a green hair outsider wasn't somewhere around."

"Huh?"

"Oh, yea… you're new around here. I guess Akika… or anyone intelligent didn't tell you? I'll inform you of the dangers of this city soon."

"Dangers like?"

"Oh no, not lethal but… between you and me, we have a lot of thieves around here. Best keep on your toes when you're in city limits. Though in a way, I envy you for living outside of limits, though."

"Say… Satomi… said during the end of the tour… about nothing happened. Can I get an explanation?"

"Oye, not even here? Well, how about meeting me tomorrow at the library? This evening I'll be helping out with the younger students with tutorials."

"That's so sweet of you, Mei."

"Well, you need to keep your mind off of bad moments. You can't just be down, sometimes… looking at how adorable some students are… reminds me of the past. Back when Lunoka, Nayumi, and I were just in their grades."

"What happened?"

Mei paused a bit but she closed her eyes and smiled.

"Not one of your businesses Tsugumi. The Past is the past, it's time we move on."

Tsugumi can only smile upon hearing that.

"Glad at least you can agree with me." Mei replied as the bell started to ring and they took their leaves to their respective classes.

--------------

During classes, it seemed like Hayakawa calmed down as she's starting to read the messages with a sly smile on her face whenever Tsugumi looked at her. Nukomei and Aoi were behind a textbook, seemingly trying to finish up something. Karou was reading everything but the actual teaching notes. However, Tsugumi can't seem to shake off the feeling that she's being watched by someone from the class, but she doesn't know just who is doing it.

--------------

During the evening, Tsugumi was sneaking off into the other classes. Tsugumi couldn't get the feeling that someone was watching her. However the feeling stopped around the area she was in. Tsugumi needed to know what just happened. After a few empty classes, Tsugumi was about to give up until she heard a muffled voice from one of the classes. As Tsugumi opened the classroom the sound coming from, she saw a blue hair lady, a bit taller than Tsugumi, wearing a maid dress just getting up from what she assumed of tying up a cyan-haired girl. Hearing the sound alerted her that she has company and she turned around to look at Tsugumi.

"So you've come to stop..." as soon as she said she looked at Tsugumi with a confusing look. Tsugumi looked more trembled than a cowardly dog. Tsugumi obviously looked at her like she met a vicious person.

"Um… I'll look away and close this door. No problems right?" Tsugumi timidly said as she slowly backed away to open the door.

"Hold it!" The blue maid commanding voice froze Tsugumi in her place.

"Is that what you're actually doing? Running away?" Tsugumi couldn't hide it anymore and she shakes her head in defeat.

"That's…" The maid paused to look for a word before continuing " Unheroic of anyone I've ever seen in this school." The blue maid grew more disappointed but yet more fiery in her voice.

"I-I-I'm sorry" Tsugumi voiced even more lowered, it felt like she was somehow caught grabbing a cookie from the jar and her parents caught her.

"However, no matter cowardly you are being, I can't let you go to anyone and report this." The maid sighed as it looks like what could've been an easy victory was flawed in further thinking. "As easy as it sounds to let you go, I cannot! For my mistress, I cannot allow any wrenches in her plan!" The blue maid prepared herself in a pose. It was too obvious to Tsugumi that fleeing was pointless.

"I only wanted to catch a stalker but it seems that you're just as rude as the girl you have captive. Fine! I'll fight!" Tsugumi said with an apathetic sigh as she prepared her fighting pose but before she can start the maid started a powerful kick at Tsugumi but Tsugumi managed to dodge quickly. Tsugumi managed to spring a counter quickly after with a viper strike at the maid's back but the maid also dodged the attack and her attempt to counter the counter and deflect by the same kicks that Tsugumi attempted as well. This pushes the two off each other, the maid started to smile, realize what just happened.

"Well, Well, I never thought I would have met a student of the Snake School in Tokyo."

Tsugumi smiled sheepishly back at the maid. "Yup!"

The maid closed her eyes and said in a melancholic voice "It's a bit sad right now if I didn't have my orders with the mistress. I would have loved fighting with you."

"You said that you're on orders from your mistress. So... who is your mistress?" Tsugumi asked. Which managed to catch the maid out of guard.

"If you don't know who the Mistress is? Dear god, you...you really are as clueless as I thought!" the maid managed to add two and two together.

"It makes sense why you're willing to run away. Well, that changes everything." She closed her eyes, considering her future actions. Tsugumi realizes this and tries to speak up.

"Since you have what assumed to be my stalker, mind if I leave. I promise, yakuza promise, to leave everything alone!"

"Yakuza promise?" the maid opened her eyes with eyes like if she was just insulted upon hearing that.

"That's not funny and surely from the place you are from you wouldn't have done that!"

"I meant… ah… sorry." Tsugumi looked down realizing that what she said, really did hit herself close to her own heart.

"Ok… enough! Just leave. I'll forget that… ugh..." However, before the maid could finish her sentence, the cyan-haired girl attacked the maid behind the back and knocked her out before she looked back at Tsugumi.

"So you knew all along." The cyan-haired girl said.

"I had a hunch… you're one of the brats I overheard in the library."

"That's why I had to make sure you weren't doing any trouble to big sis, Mizushima! As such, I won't let you leave this classroom. You already knew too much!"

"Fine! Don't think that I…" It only took seconds for Tsugumi to see darkness.

--------------

"H..." Something was heard.

"Hmmm..." The sounds were repeating again.

"HMMMMM!" The buzzing sounds again.

"BAM!" A rough knock managed to wake Tsugumi up when she realizes that she wasn't able to mobilize her limbs at all… nor could she speak as she was bound and gagged.

Upon turning around she also realized that she was also with the maid, who was in no better condition than her despite trying to struggle for a while as Tsugumi could guess.

Tsugumi tried to think about escaping from her bonds but her mind seems to be totally blank. Mostly, because she's also wondering why the cyan haired girl said she knows too much and what was their problem with her overhearing. However, it was cut short when she heard metal scraping by the maid from one of the chairs and realizes that she might have a key item in the escape.

"Dammit, my sis gave me that memento. Why am I so slow to realize this! Maybe it will work." However, Tsugumi was unable to reach her coat pockets but a pair of hand did. The maid managed to notice the girl's attempt and got the memento out, which was a flip knife. It didn't take long for the two to get free from the bonds soon.

As soon as the two gotten free, the maid flipped the knife, closing it and inspecting it.

"Um… thank you so much for helping me, miss… um..." Tsugumi said politely.

"Kasuga."

"Excuse me?"

"Kasuga Akeno at your service." the maid, now known as Akeno smiled while still looking at the knife.

"Isn't this a nice looking knife, Mizushima is it?"

"Yes, Tsugumi Mizushima. How did you know that was my last name?"

Akeno managed to flip the knife in a strange pattern before revealing a snake-like pattern instead of a blade.

"I knew someone that had this knife before." her face went solemnly for a while before lightening up and continuing on.

"She showed me how to reveal the family's prized symbol as a thank you. So it was either you were one or you killed someone for it and I'm sure by your reaction, you weren't the latter." Akeno gave a slight smile before throwing the knife back at Tsugumi.

"Well I am the former thank you very much!" Tsugumi repeated the fact in assurance.

"I'm just glad no one questions my school jacket. I usually keep it because my sis told me it would be a lucky charm. Glad it really was." Tsugumi smiled sheepishly.

"Sis? As in Kousaka, I didn't know she had a little sister." Akeno replied in surprise.

The name lights up Tsugumi's eyes as she realized what she had just told herself. Tsugumi only grits her teeth as if Akeno said something disrespectful to her.

"Yes... but I don't like talking about her, however..." That was all that Tsugumi said leaving an awkward moment between the two. However, Akeno used the time to think before realizing something bad.

"We need to go, now!"

"What?" Tsugumi said deadpan.

"My Mistress, my friends, they are in danger from whatever that person was!" Akeno said in a huff before she realized that Tsugumi is staying put.

"Well um… good luck?" Tsugumi said awkwardly.

"No, you're coming with me!" Akeno ordered Tsugumi

"But she's not my mistress?" Akeno only smirked at the reply when she revealed her pinky at Tsugumi.

"Have you forgotten, yakuza promise? You owe me a debt… twice in fact!" Tsugumi reaction was a mixture of "crap and stupid me."

"Okay, plus if that blue hair brat comes around! I'm going to beat her" Tsugumi pound her fists in glee. Akeno was going to say something but kept herself silent for amusement.

--------------

"Crap! Why did Itsumi do that! Now I have to find that damn maid or Taeko will have my head for this." An orange haired girl was walking around looking at the empty classes. Meanwhile, Akeno and Tsugumi looked on from a class nearby.

"You think she'll spill?" whispers Tsugumi.

"Mizushima, when it comes to minions, it's not an if, it's a when." Akeno whispered back. However, before any of them could try to look back out, Tsugumi bumped into someone behind her. As she turned around, it was a blond girl with blue eyes. From her uniform, it was pretty clear that she's from another school but her eyes didn't look like someone who was happy to meet the two of them.

"So anyone here wants to answer about Mi's whereabouts?" She said with a stern voice almost causing Tsugumi to flinch for a bit.

"Ah Azusa, you came at a good time," Akeno said with a slight sigh of relief but turned serious very shortly.

"Long story short, I think Misa picked a bad fight with a rude crew and from your words, your sister and Chizuru might not be in a good spot either."

"Typical Misa..." The blond known as Azusa said with a face of disgust while looking towards Tsugumi.

"So who's the blue brat? Someone you kidnapped?"

"It was more like I was kidnapped with her." Tsugumi tried to interject but it seems to Tsugumi that the blond doesn't move an inch of care towards her.

"Just a person at the wrong place and at the wrong time" Akeno added.

"Hey! What are you three doing… it's the maid!" The Orange haired girl reacted to the noise the three were making. Realizing just what she had just fond, she tried to run to get in contct with her other comrades.

"Give me a moment," Azusa said with a slight smile as a portal formed before the minion could reach and a pinch of thrash appeared from the classroom they were at and the poor minion slipped towards the floor and slid to a nearby wall from the momentum. It didn't take long for Akeno to pick up the now scared orange haired minion.

"So, tell me where is my mistress and friends and now!" Akeno said with a very serious tone and obviously, was already started to lose her patience.

"A-a-and if I said n-n-n-nnnnnnn!" As the minion displayed a bit of bravado, Azusa made no hesitation pointing the helpless lass with her sword.

"There wasn't a ‘no' in that question." Azusa grew even more impatient at the time wasting attempt.

"Jeez! Your blond lady is on the school roof! She's waiting for you to be dragged out but it looks like Itsumi didn't realize you were a target when you kidnapped her so we came looking for you. That's all I know." As soon as the girl said that, she was dropped by Akeno.

"The roof… there's only one way to there… it's a trap isn't it?" Azusa spoke up whose face looks worried than the usual grumpy face.

"That's the easiest part to guess." Akeno said but it didn't take long for Tsugumi to tapped on the maid's shoulder.

"Well… we can take them on. At least the both of us." Tsugumi smiled but before she can continue, Azusa interrupted her when she realized that she's not part of this duo.

"Hey what about... huh?" Akeno showed her her hand to hold what she is saying.

"Thank you Akeno, see… this is what I'm thinking of doing…"

--------------

At the school side of the steps of the roof. A brunette guard was just minding her business, looking at her phone with twitter on. She was busy being so carefree to the reality that she didn't even bother to realize to see a flying foot at her face until it was too late and she was KO'd at the wall.

"Damn, that was a strong kick!" Tsugumi said at Akeno as she ran up to the maid.

"Better be safe than sorry." However, the slam was loud enough that some guards are coming down to try and see. Akeno looked at Tsugumi with her continued serious look that she kept for the while.

"Well, Tsugumi let's see if your bottleneck plan works."

Tsugumi properly replied to Akeno words as one of her shoes started to glow bright and created a power gust of force that flung the now scared guard out of the stair and out towards the roof.

"A true snake style user." Akeno looked at the attack with a mildly interested look.

"I see that your family took good care of you." That complement surprised Tsugumi who didn't know how to reply but it seems that she didn't need to as Akeno started walking upstairs and Tsugumi followed her.

As the two reached the roof, Tsugumi saw two blonde and brunette tied up and gagged but unconscious at the center of the roof.

"Mistress!" Akeno attempt to move closer but a flechette of blades was shot near her causing Akeno to move backward to dodge it.

"Tsk! Tsk! Getting a bunch of schoolgirls to do a merc's job wasn't part of my plan but hey, they are expendable." A raven haired girl wearing a mask appeared from the shadows.

"Wait a sec!" Tsugumi said.

"You're not from here are you? I mean I thought those girls voices were strangely familiar until you spoke up!"

"You sure ask stupid questions, don't you, little girl." The perpetrator snapped back.

"Well, I'm just wondering who you were? I mean I like to..."

"That... was a rhetorical question, Mizushima." Akeno pointed out to Tsugumi.

"Oh..." Tsugumi blushed in embarrassment.

"Oh well, question time is over. Good for you all that I have orders to not kill, especially the stupid one, but maybe I can get my good friend to say hi again." As the raven-haired girl turned, the cyan haired girl appeared, this time wearing a mask almost similar to the former.

"Taeko and Itsumi!" Tsugumi called out to them.

"Good to know, you learned our names" the cyan Itsumi snarked at Tsugumi surprise.

"Too bad your mouth won't save you just like last time." Itsumi was preparing to make a menacing dash at blinding speed but Tsugumi didn't hesitate this time and she managed to strike a vicious hand stab at Itsumi to stop Itsumi charge and flip her over Tsugumi by the momentum. However, Takeo attempted to strike as well with summoning back her flechette of blades to strike at Tsugumi but Tsugumi managed to dodge and kick off Takeo attempt of closing in and putting the three girls at a distance

"Last time, I hesitated and was a little stupid. This time I know just what you're capable of!"

"Cheeky brat!" Itsumi cried out at the fact just pointed out.

"No worries, we still… have… where's the captives and the blue haired maid!?" It didn't take a while after Taeko realized it that she saw Itsumi being covered in a barrel and for her to feel a massive kick to the face by Azusa.

"Phew… thank goodness. That was done quick." Tsugumi said while she started to sit on the floor.

"Hmph! Just the way I like idiots who threaten my sister to be. Let's head back down to see if Mi and the others are ok." Azusa said as the two head down the stairs.

However, someone was looking at the battle scene as the two left. The being only sighed as she picked up Taeko.

"It's pretty sad that your inability to check on the minute details can mess you up big time." she then looked at the leaving girls.

"Though, I'm surprised at seeing her. The old man really knows how to take care of the family. This might be nice to tell the boss!"

--------------

Tsugumi finally reached the lounge room, where Akeno was attending to the same blonde she saw this morning with an older brunette maid by her side and Azusa was checking on what Tsugumi think is her sister. Tsugumi was content watching by the door before a command was a call.

"Hey, Blue hair! Get over here!" The blonde drill hair beckoned towards Tsugumi.

"Goodness, I'm never gonna get called by my name ever tonight." Tsugumi thought to herself as she meekly went closer and closer.

"Why are you walking so slow. You think I'll bite?" The blonde smirk looking at Tsugumi like a fresh prey. Tsugumi only looked around, only seeing an annoyed confused look from Azusa and a nod from Akeno before continuing.

"Um… no ouju-sama. You are not." Tsugumi said quietly.

"Ouju-sama? That's an odd way to say Mistress Misa but it sounds kind of adorable from you so I'll let it slide this time." Tsugumi begins to think that this might be a bad idea to come closer and should have run away. Tsugumi did hear a groan as well.

"Well, I've heard from Akeno and my little acquaintance about the rescue mission that you offer to help."

"Well ouj...mistress, I had a debt to pay for Akeno..." Tsugumi said with each other growing softer and softer.

"What?"

"I had delinquents that I had to beat up to messing with me. Saving you was thanks for the maid that saved me, my mistress." Tsugumi lied a bit about what happened. Mostly to save face that she might be indebted to one of her maids. Tsugumi can now hear a tiny smack as well.

"Well, I guess I should pay you so... you're free to go. Tonight you can leave without incident." Misa ladylike laugh at the end made it look like if that was some amazing payment.

"Well that's a bad payment but not surprising coming from you." Tsugumi heard Azusa words utter from under her mouth that it seems that Misa didn't hear.

"Thank you, mistress, I'll be leaving," Tsugumi said in a little happy tone of relief.

"You're still here!?" Misa only said in a way that she wanted to Tsugumi to scram from her presence… now!

"Sorry!" Tsugumi left with a feeling of being pretty relieved that the tension was over. She did feel a bit heavy when she turned her backside. A heavy feeling that she only got lucky this time around.

However, by the time she left the door, she was called once again from the same direction but it was by Akeno instead.

"Mizushima, I wanted to personally thank you for saving my mistress and my fellow maids and friends. It's not every day that a random stranger would be that kind to do something that dangerous."

"It's no worries." Tsugumi smiled sheepishly before quietly asking Akeno.

"That debt… is it paid yet?" As Tsugumi said, Akeno smirked a bit and closed her eyes and reveal her pinky once more.

"That debt thing… was just nonsense jesting. Didn't think you could have honestly took that seriously… then again you seem to lack the ability to sense the figure of speech."

"Thanks, teacher… didn't think I needed an assessment on my abilities." Tsugumi said in a deadpan voice as Akeno giggled quietly.

"Oh well, if you honestly take it seriously. You still owe me one more thing." Tsugumi took that in aghast, showing the same face as she did back when they first teamed up.

"Hopefully, that next repayment isn't going to be as dangerous as this time… maybe."

"I guess that's what I'm due for." Tsugumi only gave a small smile in defeat.

"Well then, I can only hope the next time we meet. It won't be as enemies… again." Akeno bowed and left towards the direction of her mistress.

"I hope so as well." Tsugumi only said as she left in the other direction to the night out of the school.

--------------

Tsugumi was wandering around the city after leaving the bus station. Through the thick crowd, it was impossible for her to hide her disappointment in something.

"Good lord… it's so late and I don't there will be a bus that will be heading my way soon." Tsugumi thoughts were repeating on her head. Looking around the city left and right towards the windows of food places that surrounds her view. She saw basically only business people who were drunk beyond belief or having nonsensical fun in her eyes. Tsugumi eventually looked at the people who were using phones and she decided to look at her cell phone. In her realization that she never did ask anyone for a phone number, it sparks a worrying feeling inside herself.

Eventually, her worries started to boil into tears and she had to take a seat on a bench nearby bus stop to calm herself for a bit. She calmed herself down by trying to look at herself in a mirror on her phone. It wasn't enough but it calmed her down to not be showing tears from her eyes for at least a while. However, she was very tired and sat on a seat, thinking one what her options are. However, she felt a strange pinch on her arm that kicked her out of her thought and as she looked up…

"Tsugumi, what are you doing here? Aren't you suppose to be at home?" It was Akika who was carrying bags from other stores, it was pretty obvious she was shopping for clothes.

"Long story, I got into an incident. I just got out and I miss all the bus rides..." Tsugumi said in a gloomy voice, her voice cracked for a bit.

"Silly Tsugumi, you should have called me!" Akika scolded Tsugumi.

"You didn't give me your number." Tsugumi replied back, she had a rather nasty snippy tone

"I-I-I didn't know that. I'm so-so-so sorrrrrryyyy!" Akika said with a worrying voice as she grabbed Tsugumi's phone and added her number. However, Akika took rather long to be adding just one number and she just kept adding and adding. Tsugumi took the phone away from Akika after getting rather impatient in excitement and she realized she added all the number of herself, her mother, her friends and… Mei!?

"Wait a sec, how did you get Mei's number? I thought she didn't like you that much" Akika only smiled at the question.

"Mei gave it to me when I was in your position not too long ago. She was rough with me and my phone but I can tell she was a bit worried. I only used it once to help me with Nayumi when she felt… um… ‘ill'. She looked really worried by then."

"So Mei… wasn't being mean all the while?"

"Oh she was a real jerk once an upon a time, she almost tried… no… she did seriously injured me" That phrase opened Tsugumi's eyes up when she remembered the phrase of Mei about her past being "none of Tsugumi's business." Could Mei have a really cruel streak? Why did she do that? Is it because of Lunoka and Nayumi by association? What could have really happened to the trio to be so separate and what caused Mei to mellow out if she did turn into a gigantic jerk.

"God… Akika, tell me you're alright. I-I-I'm so sorry to hear t-t-that." Tsugumi eyes became watery but Akika only placed one of her fingers towards Tsugumi's mouth.

"..but time passed and I guess she got use to me. I mean she doesn't always talk politely to me but I have a feeling that we're at least friends" Akika said cheerfully, almost like she forgave Mei for her transgressions. Tsugumi could only smile, it was just like Akika to forgive and forget, no matter the cruelty of others towards her. The scatterbrain...

"But less of that tale, we need to get you to my place. I'll clean your clothes while you clean up yourself." Akika took one of Tsugumi's hand to hold her up towards Akika and she is carrying Tsugumi to home. Akika's smile is becoming more and more infectious by each second that Tsugumi couldn't stop smiling as well.

To Tsugumi, she used to remember how Akika used to cry seeing Tsugumi when she got lost in their school because someone used to bully her. Remembering when Akika treated any bruises and cuts with a med aid kit that she had in her locker so Tsugumi would never get in trouble for fighting. Remembering how Akika and she would find an old hideout that the older students used to cheat on homework or test sheets so they can hide from their other classmates so they can share their lunch with each other. Remembering when… her grandfather told her that Akika… was her greatest weakness… that she was only bringing herself down by being on the level of weaker people and denying her to follow her friend to a new school after graduating. Remembering her having to tell Akika the terrible news and the two cried at each other shoulders at the final days of seeing each other. Remembering her own new life in her academy, how no matter who was bullied, she would protect her fellow Kansai student from anyone, even if it was someone higher in rank than her.

She didn't know why she did that in the past, not really realizing why she joined the disciplinary committee other than to protect. Today, she remembered why that was the case. To see someone smile, it always reminded her of the infectious smile of Akika in the past. That smile reminded her of why she continued on with her life knowing she lost a piece of herself that time. Every time she was in that academy, she fought and fought to excel and succeed.

That smile reminded her of why she chose to leave Osaka for Tokyo in this place called Neo-Japan.

To. See. That. Smile. Again.