Mountains loomed in the distance, ending in fields. The smell of salt flowed through the air as the bus got closer and closer to the beach. Haru sat with Keiko next to him and in the seat facing them was a tall woman who was glaring at him.
“Oba-san, are you doing okay?” Haru asked.
She said, “Don’t call me that. I know you’re here to steal my man.”
“W-What?” he blinked. “You mean Date-san?”
“You’re darn right I do. You’re trying to take him from me.”
Haru pointed out, “I’m also a man, and I have a girlfriend.”
“Don’t think I’m naïve,” ‘oba-san’ stated. “I know all about you bisexuals.”
‘Date-san’ sighed, “He’s not bisexual, just a misogynist.”
“I told you idiots about the curse,” Erik muttered under his breath as he bashed his head against the bus’ wall.
“Well, he isn’t sleeping in the same room as Be…” she caught herself when she was about to say his real name. “…shujin.”
The viking vampire said, “Don’t worry. There’s rooms for everyone.”
In front of them, a boy sat writing on hanafuda paper. His eyes glanced back at Haru as suspicion crossed his face.
“A dangerous yokai with his servants…he’s no doubt planning something, perhaps teaming up with the others? In that case, this may be an even more dangerous mission,” the boy thought.
While a cool ocean breeze flowed through the air, it wasn’t enough. The midday sun had come up, and there was no shelter from it. Keiko wiped the sweat off her forehead.
“It really is hot out here. I’m honestly glad we went to the beach. I’d probably be stuck inside otherwise,” she said.
Haru replied, “And you don’t want to be around your family too much.”
“Yes. I’d have to stay at their house or yours, and neither of those are good options.”
“I don’t want you to be around grandmother either.”
“So, where’s the beach house?” Hisa looked around. “I want to see where we’ll be staying this week.”
Erik ushered them forward, “It’s this way. Follow me.”
They arrived at a large house with wooden boards covering most of it. The areas that weren’t covered looked normal.
Keiko said, “This must have been a pretty cheap house.”
“It wasn’t, it was really expensive,” Erik replied.
“How? It looks like it was condemned.”
“It’s simple,” the vampire explained. “You see, most of the walls were made of glass. I didn’t want people to have that big a view of what we were doing, so I boarded them up.”
“Couldn’t you have just bought a house that didn’t have big windows?” Haru asked.
He answered, “I could have, but those houses were all smaller. This was the easier option. Now, come on inside.”
The interior of the house was well lit from numerous lights in the ceiling. Its floors were covered in tatami mats, and various paintings covered the walls. Many of them showed large, flowing waves while others had images of longships on them. There was one that showed a dragon with feathered wings gnawing on the roots of a massive tree.
“This is a pretty nice place,” Hisa said.
Oba-san smiled, “I picked out the Japanese pictures myself. Master Erik chose the rest of them.”
“We should rest for now. We’re going out tonight,” Erik spoke. “Beauregard, Lenora, prepare the weapons. You should sleep for…”
Hisa exclaimed, “Screw that! I’m totally going to the beach! Come on, sis, let’s get in our swimsuits. I know your boyfriend wants to see you in it.”
She grabbed Keiko and yanked her into a nearby room. Erik groaned.
He spoke, “I pity the onmyoji who have to deal with kitsune on a regular basis.”
“I don’t think we’ll be able to convince her to stay,” worry flashed through Haru. “Do you think they’ll be attacked?”
“It’s possible, but unlikely. Still, you should go with them. I have preparations to make for tonight.”
Keiko walked out of the room she and Hisa were in with a towel around her body. Hisa walked out as well. Her bikini showed off her body to its fullest, and there was a wide-brimmed hat around her head. The kitsune’s tail was gone.
Lenora noticed it, “Where did your tail go?”
“It was too noticeable, so I changed my disguise,” Hisa said. “My ears are now fox ears. I’m hiding them with my hat.”
She turned to Keiko, “Now, get out of that towel! Show them all your looks! I mean, you even made sure to change behind me.”
“No. I want Haru-kun to be the first one to see me in my swimsuit,” Keiko stated.
A massive blush grew over Haru’s face, “Oh, well, thanks, Keiko-chan.”
“You’re going to the beach with them, so you might as well get changed too,” Erik told him.
“Alright,” Haru nodded. “Keiko-chan, stand outside that room. I’ll change in there. We’ll see each other’s swimsuits before anyone else.”
Soon, Haru and Keiko were in front of each other. The former was wearing swim trunks while the latter was wearing a one-piece swimsuit. Still, there was something about this that surprised them both.
Keiko said, “You have muscles. I didn’t expect that.”
Small, athletic muscles covered Haru’s body. It wasn’t much, but it was there.
“I jog a lot, and I have gym class too. Grandmother makes me run through the woods in particular,” he replied.
She smiled, “Well, I like it.”
“Oh, thanks. Still, your muscles surprised me. I expected you to have some with your training, but that’s more than I thought there would be,” Haru stated.
Her body was full of athletic muscles. Keiko’s arms in particular were strong, honed from years of training with boken and heavy kanabo. They weren’t massive, but a warrior’s build.
“They aren’t an attractive part of me,” Keiko sighed. “I don’t look much like a woman with them. Honestly, I’d understand it if you were disgusted by me.”
“Keiko-chan, you look plenty like a woman. There are female MMA fighters with more muscles than you,” Haru grabbed her shoulders. “And it isn’t a bad thing. It just means that you’re fit, and fit women are very attractive!”
“Umm…thanks, Haru-kun,” a blush crossed her face.
“You’re welcome, Keiko-chan.”
Keiko said, “There’s still something I don’t understand. I’m much stronger than I used to be since my supernatural powers are coming in, but my muscles are the same size as before.”
Haru explained, “That’s because your new strength is magical in nature. Erik and his vampires all have super-strength, but none of them will have more muscles than a normal human. Still, it’s possible that you’ll get more muscles depending on what supernatural being’s blood flows through your veins.”
“I hope I don’t,” she stated. “I like doing some physical things, but I want to feel like a woman more often. I’m really happy that you accept me and that you like my muscles; however, that doesn’t change that I want to be more of a woman. I’ve never even noticed that I felt this way before, not until you noticed my muscles.”
“You don’t need to worry about that, Keiko-chan,” Haru smiled. “I’ll make sure you feel like the greatest woman in the world.”
Ved'ma Story 