Due to an increased workload from college, Ved’ma Story and Hemitheos Story will be on hiatus until that workload dies down.

An alarm clock blared as Yuko jumped up. She pulled out her phone and looked at the date.

            “It’s the weekend,” Yuko said. “Good, I have more time for studying.”

            She grabbed a textbook and read it as she walked down the stairs. Yuko grabbed some rice before taking it out into the backyard to the shrine of Heracles. She burned it and prayed without emotion.

            “Heracles, grant me revenge. If not, then to hell with you. That’s a quote from a movie, by the way. It’s cool. I’ll show you it if you ever come here.”

            She went back inside and sat down at a table, still reading her book. A boy walked over and sat down across from her.

            He glared, “Yuko-nee, have you been reading my manga?”

            “No,” she buried her face in her book. “Why would I waste my time, Daisuke?”

            “That’s just like you,” the boy groaned. “Well, don’t touch my manga. I don’t touch your things, do I?”

            “You stole one of my textbooks and tried to sell it on the black market,” Yuko replied.

            Daisuke objected, “Selling it online isn’t the black market, and I already said I was sorry!”

            “I’m bored of this conversation,” she said with indifference. “Do you want to exercise after breakfast?”

            “Sure thing, Yuko-nee.”

Hideyoshi rolled out of bed. He stood up and stretched.

            “I’m so happy it’s the weekend. I don’t have to go to school or…”

            A masculine voice called out from outside his room, “Hideyoshi, have you done your homework?”

            “Yes, dad.”

            As he said that, Hideyoshi rushed to where he put his homework to make sure it was all done.

            He breathed a sigh of relief and thought, “Thank god…well, the gods I suppose, that it’s all done. It looks correct too.”

            Another voice, a feminine one, came in, “And have you been doing your studying?”

            “Yes, for the hundredth time,” Hideyoshi sighed. “You read my grades, so you know they’re still good.”

            “But they can never be too good.”

            To Hideyoshi, that meant they could never be good enough.

            “I’ll do some studying,” he pulled out a textbook. “And then I’ll go out and exercise.”

            Hideyoshi opened his book and read it with a fury worthy of Thor. He examined every last line, committing it to memory. When he was done, Hideyoshi grabbed his computer, put it in a backpack, and rushed out of the room.

Yuko and Daisuke jogged through the streets. The former kept them to uncrowded areas and looked around all the time.

            “Hey, Yuko-nee, is something wrong?” Daisuke asked.

            She answered without emotion, “I’m worried someone is watching us and I’m trying to lose them.”

            He wondered, “Like a pervert or something?”

            “Or something,” Yuko said.

            “Then shouldn’t we go to a crowded area?” Daisuke suggested. “We could lose them there.”

            “No, she could hide in the crowed.”

            “Can’t we just call the police?”

            Yuko shook her head, “I tried that already.”

            “You did?” shock flowed through him. “Hang on, is this the person who tried to kill you a while back?”

            “Yes,” she replied in a detached voice.

            Daisuke grabbed her hand and rushed forward, “Why are you always so calm, Yuko-nee?”

            “Because I don’t know if she’s watching me or not,” Yuko told him.

            He stopped in his tracks and slammed into a pole, “Owwww.”

            “Are you alright?”

            “Of course I’m not alright,” Daisuke said. “You almost gave me a heart attack! I thought you were in danger!”

            Yuko’s tone hadn’t changed, “I’ve been in danger since I first arrived at school, maybe even before then.”

            He sighed, “Oh, for…let’s just keep jogging.”

Oda Hideyoshi ran through a forest, swinging a shinai at a leaf. It knocked it back, and he ducked under a branch. His bamboo blade lashed out. Another target flew back. The boy thrust his blade between bushes before flattening it to the ground.

            Hideyoshi swung his sword up and shouted, “Tsubame gaeshi!”

            It missed his target.

            “You know,” he sighed. “Practicing a feint would be much easier if I had targets that reacted to it. Well, it’s time for my break.”

            Moving away from the training field and into town, Hideyoshi found his favorite coffee shop and sat down with his laptop. He pulled up a mythology-themed strategy game. Just as Hideyoshi was about to start playing, he felt a sharp tap at his back.

            Without turning around, Hideyoshi said, “I didn’t expect to meet you here, Yuko.”

            “How did you know it was me?” she asked.

            He answered, “No one else would poke my back like that.”

            “Hang on, Yuko-nee,” Daisuke looked at Hideyoshi. “Just who is this guy?”

            In a bland voice she introduced him, “This is Oda Hideyoshi. He’s my useless friend.”

            “What? You don’t have friends!” he was shocked.

            Hideyoshi smiled, “Wow, Yuko, you don’t have friends? I’d say you were a loser, but I’d rather call you an idiot.”

            “Hey! Don’t talk about my sister that way!” Daisuke objected.

            “It’s alright,” Yuko assured him.

            He said, “No, it isn’t alright! Even if you’re older than me, I still have to protect you!”

            “Don’t worry about that, Daisuke,” she said. “Hideyoshi-kun’s too useless to be a threat.”

            “If he’s useless, why is he your friend?” Yuko’s brother narrowed his eyes. “You’re the best student in school. I can’t approve of anyone other than the second best being your friend.”

            She gave a very slight smile, “Don’t worry, Daisuke. He was the best before I came along. So, he’s the second best now.”

            “That just makes him an even bigger threat! I bet he’s getting close to you so he can get his revenge.”

            Yuko said, “I should do some studying. Do you mind, Hideyoshi-kun?”

            “Not at all,” he replied.

            She took her textbook and plopped it on top of his head. Hideyoshi didn’t react at all as Yuko started studying.

            “W-What the fuck?” Daisuke was confused.

            “Try to get along with Hideyoshi-kun,” Yuko requested.

            “Umm, okay.”

            He sat across from the two of them and looked Hideyoshi in the eyes.

            Daisuke asked, “What do you like best about my sister?”

            “Her rotten personality,” Hideyoshi answered.

            “Hey!” he snapped. “Just because Yuko-nee has a rotten personality doesn’t mean you can say it!”

            Yuko said, “Don’t worry about it, Daisuke. It’s fine.”

            “Hang on…don’t tell me…you actually like being insulted? Are you a masochist?” shock flowed through him.

            “No, I like having fun,” she stated.

            Daisuke wondered, “You find this fun? Hang on, you’re obsessed with studying! Where did you get the time to make a friend?”

            “I’ve been trying to figure that out,” Hideyoshi told him. “Still, I won’t insult her when you’re around if it bothers you.”

            Yuko replied devoid of feeling, “I’d bonk you on the head for that, but I don’t want to hurt you.”

            “You two are supposedly friends, but just what kind of relationship do you have outside of that?” Daisuke asked.

            “No clue,” his sister answered.

            Hideyoshi looked at the boy, “Hey, do you mind getting us something to eat? I would, but your sister is using my head as a table. I’ll pay for the food.”

            “No, I will,” Yuko said. “I owe you rent for your head.”

            “Good grief,” Daisuke sighed. “This is going to be a long day.”

Morning rose over the city, and Haru and Keiko were on their way to school.

            “So, that’s the situation?” Keiko asked.

            Haru answered, “Yes. Things haven’t been easy with Watanabe. I know you don’t want to help her and you’re busy with your own things, but I’d really appreciate it if you at least helped me think things through.”

            She said, “I can do that. Your plan of getting her to interview people at a wrestling event isn’t a bad one. The main issue is how you can convince her since she doesn’t want people to know she even likes watching wrestling. Maybe you could get some of the club members to convince her for you?”

            “I might need to do that. Could you get Jirogame?” he wondered.

            “Of course,” Keiko smiled. “He already owes me a lot with all the crap I’ve had to go through.”

            Tsurugi jumped out of the bushes in front of them.

            He shouted, “Sneak attack!”

            His shinai swung down at Haru. Keiko grabbed it midair and wrenched it out of Tsurugi’s hand. She bonked him on the head, sending the club leader collapsing to the ground.

            “Impossible!” Tsurugi stood up. “There’s no way you could get that strong so quickly! I was easily stronger than you back when you were part of the kendo club, and you haven’t gained any muscle either! What kind of workout routine did you do?”

            “The truth is,” Haru stepped in.

            “Haru-kun, what are you doing?” Keiko asked.

            He said, “Telling the truth. You see, Tsurugi, Keiko-chan is actually part oni. Her increased physical strength is magical in nature, which is why she hasn’t gained any muscles. Of course, she can take an oni form where she’s even stronger and has muscles.”

            Silence fell over them. The kendo club head narrowed his eyes.

            Tsurugi shouted, “Don’t fuck with me! Do you really expect me to believe such a ridiculous story?”

            “I don’t,” Haru replied. “But it’s the truth.”

            “I’ll get you next time, dammit!” he picked up his shinai and ran off.

            Keiko said, “Why did you tell him that, Haru-kun?”

            “Because when you’re a supernatural being, sometimes the truth is the best way to hide your identity. Most people, even ones who believe in the supernatural, don’t believe it when people tell them they’re a supernatural being. And even most of the people who would believe others if they said they met a supernatural wouldn’t believe someone who says they are a supernatural.”

            Watanabe jumped out from behind a bush, “Holy crap! Then you really are a witch?”

            “What the hell are you doing here?” Haru asked.

            “I came here to meet you and Mae-san early,” she answered.

            Keiko stated, “I’m guessing you were trying to ask me to help you too?”

            “Of course,” Watanabe nodded. “But that doesn’t matter now! Baba-san, use your magic to erase the Journalism Club members’ memories of Jirogame’s idea!”

            “No,” Haru said. “I can’t do that.”

            She was shocked, “What? Why not? Are you chickening out?”

            “No. I literally can’t do it. I don’t know any memory erasing spells.”

            “Then how do you hide your magic?” Watanabe wondered.

            Haru told her, “I don’t use blatant magic very often, and I come up with excuses. Speaking of which, I’ll need a new one soon. My old one clearly had a massive flaw in it.”

            “Telling people that you’re a witch to trick them into thinking you’re not a witch is pretty silly,” Keiko stated.

            “And it took me three months to come up with that idea,” he sighed. “I thought it was so clever too.”

            Watanabe said, “So, do you have any magic that can help me?”

            “No.”

            “Fucking great. Can I get an interview with you on your magic?” she asked.

            “No.”

            “Then what are we going to do now?” Watanabe thought out loud. “Let’s see…maybe if we got one of those Western siege weapons…the ones that look like giant slings?”

            Haru said, “Trebuchets.”

            She nodded, “Yes! If we got a trebuchet, we could get people so excited that we’d have to change our stall from being based around images of me doing wrestling moves on the school to images about the trebuchet.”

            “And how am I supposed to help with that?”

            “All you have to do is summon one,” Watanabe stated.

            “Hang on!” Keiko was shocked. “You think Haru-kun can summon trebuchets?”

            “Why wouldn’t he be able to?”

            “Oh, come on!” Haru groaned. “That plan is ridiculous. Even if I could summon a trebuchet, where would we put it, the exercise area where clubs are practicing? Or maybe we’d put it on the school rooftop?”

            Watanabe smiled, “That’s a great idea! If we put it on the rooftop, everyone will be able to see it!”

            He realized this was his chance to enact his and Erik’s plan, “I have another idea. Watanabe-san, there’s a few fighting and pro wrestling events coming up. You could interview some of the people going to those events.”

            “How would that help?” she asked.

            “It’d be a trick. People would think that, rather than you liking pro wrestling, these pictures were made because the Journalism Club wanted to interview lovers of pro wrestling and fighting in general.”

            “Will this go like you telling people the truth to cover up being a witch?” Watanabe wondered.

            Haru shouted, “Hey! I did that trick 69 times and it only failed once!”

            Keiko was shocked, “You were counting?”

            “Of course, I was,” he replied. “I count pretty much everything.”

            “Then how many spells did you cast in that incident in our beach trip?” she was careful to not mention that there was a battle there.

            “Thirty-seven,” Haru said.

            “How many times did you read the school newspaper?” Watanabe asked.

            He answered, “Zero.”

            A look of disappointment crossed Watanabe’s face.

            She sighed, “Well, I’m still not going to a pro wrestling or fighting event. Someone might see me and start spreading rumors. You know how hard those are to get rid of, Baba-san.”

            Sudden sympathy flashed across Haru’s face.

            “I know that very well; though, I stopped trying to get rid of mine a long time ago,” he admitted.

            “Hang on!” Keiko got an idea. “Watanabe-san, do you actually practice any wrestling moves?”

            The club head nodded, “Yes. My brother trains with me.”

            “Then I think I have an idea that solves all of our problems,” a smile crossed Keiko’s face.

            “Great!” Watanabe gave her a thumbs up. “I’ll talk to you later! I have to get to school now.”

            She ran off.

            Haru asked, “Keiko-chan, what’s your plan?”

            She answered, “We have Tsurugi date Watanabe. She’ll have a boyfriend, and he’ll stop bothering us.”

            “Are you sure about that? He seems quite persistent,” he stated.

            “Tsurugi likes to concentrate on one thing at a time. So, if he’s in a relationship with Watanabe, he’ll focus on that,” Keiko said.

            “Just be careful, Keiko-chan,” Haru told her. “Tsurugi’s an idiot, and I’ve dealt with my fair share of idiots.”

            She chuckled, “If anyone has experience with idiot, it’s Erik. After all, he lives with a pair of them.”

            “Then maybe we should get our resident idiot expert’s advice on it?” he suggested.

            Keiko replied, “You get his advice, and I’ll talk to Tsurugi. Divide and conquer.”

            They agreed on that and kept going to the school.

A sweet smell wafted into Olympus. It slammed into the nose of a muscular man with a lion’s hide wrapped around his back. Food filled his stomach as a voice without emotion came to him.

            “Heracles-sama. I’m your sister, my name’s Sanda Yuko, and Hera’s going after me. I am a high school student in Karuizawa.”

            “Another prayer,” he contemplated. “And I know who it’s from now. Dammit, dad, why are you just doing nothing again? Well, I’ll definitely save her, but I’m going to need help from one of the local gods.”

Amaterasu Okami walked through her personal garden. Flowers of countless colors lined the sides while decorative rocks shone in the sunlight.

            Heracles blasted through the air and slammed into a rock garden. Dust and rubble flew everywhere.

            The goddess shouted, “Heracles? What the fuck?”

            “Sorry about your garden,” he said. “I used Hermes’ instant transmission device.”

            “He has an instant transmission device?” Amaterasu asked.

            “No, he has a massive cannon that he calls an instant transmission device,” Heracles answered.

            She sighed, “Well, what are you doing here anyway?”

            “My dad’s being a dick and Hera’s being a bitch, so I have to save my sister.”

            “It must be Tuesday,” Amaterasu stated. “And why are you in my garden?”

            Heracles explained, “I don’t know Japan, so I need a Japanese god to help me.”

            “And why should we do that? As long as you don’t destroy anything, this conflict is outside of our pantheon.”

            “My sister’s been giving me sacrifices. I can give some of that to you,” he said.

            Amaterasu replied, “I love free food. Okay, I’ll help you.”

            “The first thing we need is a disguise,” Heracles stated.

            “Don’t worry,” she smiled. “I have disguises for any occasion.”

Soon, Amaterasu and Heracles were at school. The former had disguised herself as a new teacher named Hana Hinata while the latter was a schoolboy named Hana Ken. They were pretending to be mother and son.

            Heracles asked, “How were you able to become a teacher so quickly?”

            “I have a lot of connections,” Amaterasu answered. “I am the head god of Japan, after all.”

            He contemplated, “Now we need to find Sanda Yuko and figure out who Hera is.”

            “Never underestimate my connections. She’s organized an exhibition match in the martial arts club with another student.”

The disguised Heracles shoved his way through a crowd in the martial arts room. It was tough to see inside, but he got to the center of it. There was an open space where Yuko and Hideyoshi stood across from each other. Cheers echoed through the room.

            “You can do it, Sanda-san!”

            “Kick his ass!”

            “Show Oda who the new boss is!”

            Heracles thought, “They’re all cheering for Yuko. Well, she’s my sister, so I’m cheering for her too.”

            He noticed a girl next to Yuko.

            “Those earrings she’s wearing…those are shapeshifting earrings!” he thought. “She isn’t who she says she is, but Hera can shapeshift on her own. Unless she’s pulling a double trick, trying to make people think it’s not her because she doesn’t need those. I wouldn’t put it past her.”

            Thora asked Yuko, “So, you’ve finally gotten him to fight you?”

            “Yes,” she answered without emotion. “And I have a plan.”

            She walked forward with absolute calm. Hideyoshi went to meet her.

            He said, “Are you ready?”

            “I am. Have fun,” she blinked.

            “Okay, I guess…”

            Yuko blinked again, over and over.

            “Is there something in your eye?” Hideyoshi wondered.

            She replied, “No, I’m cluing you into something.”

            “I think you’re supposed to wink, not blink.”

            “Oh,” Yuko said. “Let’s just fight.”

            She lashed out with her fists.

            “Ora. Ora. Ora. Ora. Ora. Ora. Ora.”

            With each ora, Yuko sent a punch Hideyoshi’s way. Each one was powerful enough to create terrible bruises, to knock someone out, and they all missed and hit the air around him. Hideyoshi was confused.

            Yuko stated, “Oh my god. He’s moving so fast that you can’t see him dodge my punches.”

            “Do you really expect anyone to believe that?” Hideyoshi wondered.

            “Holy crap!” one student was shocked. “He’s that fast? This fight is awesome!”

            Another agreed, “But when is he going to attack? Will we even be able to see it?”

            Hideyoshi asked, “Is everyone at this school as stupid as you?

            “Is everyone here as useless as you?” Yuko countered.

            He ignored that and punched. Hideyoshi moved his fist slow enough that Yuko was able to dodge it without difficulty. She jumped so her back was on the ground before picking herself up.

            “What happened? He didn’t hit you,” a student said.

            She explained, “That’s Hideyoshi’s special punch. He moves his fist so slow that it creates a shockwave.”

            “No way! How can he be that powerful?”

            Yuko stated, “It’s time to get serious. No holding back.”

            She wrenched her arm behind in the biggest haymaker the world had ever seen. Hideyoshi saw it coming a mile away and stepped aside, sending Yuko past him. He kicked out, the blow going a foot over her head.

            The girl spoke with stoicness, “That was close. If I had been a second slower, you’d have gotten me. Time to use my ultimate move.”

            Yuko took a deep breath, pulling her hands back and opening them as if she was a Dragon Ball character.

            Those watching them went wild.

            “She’s charging her energy!”

            “Will this move change the course of the battle?”

            “Fuck this! I give up!” Hideyoshi flung his arms into the air. “I’m not throwing out my dignity, whatever’s left of it.”

            A student said, “Hang on, that’s it?”

            “Oda just gave up?” another was confused.

            “What a disappointment. I can’t believe he didn’t finish this.”

            Hideyoshi glared at them, “You can all go straight to Hell.”

            He turned to leave, but Yuko ran forward and jumped on his back.

            “What are you doing?”

            “I won, so you have to give me a piggyback ride,” Yuko told him without emotion.

            “Alright, fine,” Hideyoshi sighed. “Where do you want to go?”

            “That way.”

            She pointed him onward, and they went out of the school.

            When they were a distance away, Hideyoshi whispered. “Thanks, Yuko-chan. I really mean it.”

            “No problem,” she replied. “I wasn’t sure I could beat you, and I had to win for your sake.”

            “You weren’t sure you could beat me? But you’re a demigod.”

            Yuko said, “Wasn’t there a mortal who beat Ares?”

            “Diomedes, yes,” Hideyoshi nodded. “But still, you could have at least told me about your plan.”

            “If I told you about it, you wouldn’t have accepted defeat because you’re useless,” she stated.

            He replied, “I suppose not. Still, it was a plan as stupid as you. What would you have done if I used your bullshit as an opportunity to beat the crap out of you?”

            “That’s a good point. I didn’t think of that,” Yuko admitted.

            “Hang on! You didn’t think of that?” shock flowed through Hideyoshi.

            She nodded, “I didn’t.”

            “I thought you’d have said something like…like…” he thought a moment. “I knew you wouldn’t hurt me, so I put my trust in you.”

            “You’re right. I should have said that,” Yuko admitted. “It’d have made me look better.”

            Hideyoshi groaned, “You really do have a rotten personality, you know? If there’s a next time, I really will kick your ass.”

            “That’s fair. I think you should get three kicks. Does that sound good?”

            He smiled, “I won’t take anything less than seven.”

Haru’s raven form landed on the ground next to Keiko. He looked around to make sure no one was around and transformed back into a human.

            “I’m here, Keiko-chan,” he said. “I need to do some tests to make sure you’re not cursed.”

            “Like medical tests?” Keiko asked.

            “Sort of. The first step is to see if you’re cursed at all,” Haru answered.

            He pulled out a bag of salt and poured a ring around Keiko.

            She looked at the circle, “You carry salt around with you?”

            Haru replied, “Of course, I do. Salt is a very important tool for magic users. That and it makes food taste better.”

            After the circle was made, Haru cut his finger. Blood dripped into the salt. A sigh of relief escaped his mouth.

            “You aren’t cursed,” he said.

            Keiko wondered, “Then why does everyone want to fight me?”

            “Well, you were pretty active in the school’s martial arts clubs,” Haru pointed out. “They know how good you are.”

            “It’s annoying, Haru-kun. Maybe I should be around you more? I don’t think they’ll want to be anywhere near you,” she stated.

            He replied, “We’re around each other all the time. This is just happening; because, we’re both helping out with the school festival.”

            Keiko leaned against a fence and sighed.

            “Us being roped into the festival has led to people wanting to pull us into other things too.”

            “That’s the way humans are,” Haru grit his teeth as anger pulsed through him. “Do one thing for them, and they’ll keep asking for favors. We had better make sure that we’re repaid for them.”

            “Stay calm, Haru-kun. Getting mad won’t help,” Keiko held up her hands in a placating gesture.

            He took a deep breath, “Right. Let’s think this through rationally.”

            She nodded, “That would be best.”

            “We both have things we need to do. These aren’t things we can do together since yours keeps you very occupied. As long as you’re not around me, people will try to fight you. They won’t when I’m around; because, my curse will make them want to avoid me,” Haru said.

            “That’s right,” Keiko stated. “Is there anything that you can do with your magic?”

            “Nothing that would keep them out of a hospital. The social-based curses I have won’t help with a situation like this. Well, they might, but they’d hurt you too.”

            “Maybe our solution comes with why they want to fight me? It’s because they know I’m a skilled fighter and want to test their strength,” she speculated.

            Haru said, “That’s it! Just tell them you’re out of practice, Keiko-chan!”

            “I like that idea.”

Shortly after, Keiko was in the Tea Ceremony Club’s room.

            “Look,” she told them. “The reason why I can’t fight you is because I’m out of practice.”

            The club head asked, “What? But you train all the time!”

            “I did in the past,” Keiko explained. “But I stopped when I met Haru-kun. We’ve been spending too much time together for me to get in any training. I’d get my ass kicked if I fought anyone.”

            “That’s…a terrible shame,” his face turned sour.

            “It really isn’t that bad. We’re in a safe area, and I only trained for my family in the first place.”

            “Alright,” the club head nodded; however, his internal thoughts were different. “That bastard, Baba-san. He must have manipulated Keiko into not training so he could abuse her! I’ll cut out his intestines and make him eat them!”

            Keiko said, “I have the teacups. Will you accept the interview from Jirogame now?”

            “Of course. We promised to, after all.”

Quick as a flash, rumors overtook the school regarding Keiko being out of practice. They changed from person to person; however, they had the similar theme that Haru was responsible for her not training.

            “Dammit!” Tsurugi slammed his hand against a table. “That bastard. How dare he constrain Mae-san’s ambitions!”

            “Yeah! We know that Baba boy is scum!” a guy in his club agreed.

            “There’s only one thing we can do: kick his ass and make him break up with Mae-san!”

            The club gathered together, bringing their shinai with them. They found Haru waiting outside of the school after his own activities had ended. Tsurugi grabbed his shoulder and yanked him back.

            “Hey, there, Baba-san,” Tsurugi said.

            Haru asked, “What do you want?”

            “I want you to break up with Mae-san,” the club head answered.

            “Mind your own business.”

            “You little shit,” Tsurugi grit his teeth. “We outnumber you and no one’s coming to your aid. We’ll beat the living crap out of you if you don’t break up with her.”

            “What is this about, anyway?” Haru wondered. “Is this some personal grudge or do you just like beating up random people.”

            The club head replied, “You know exactly what this is about!”

            “Of course, I don’t, dumbass! Why would I ask you if I knew?”

            “Damn you!”

            Tsurugi swung his shinai, aiming for Haru’s head. A gust of wind hit it at just the right point. Instead of hitting Haru, it bonked Tsurugi’s face.

            “Owww,” the club leader groaned.

            Haru wrenched himself out of Tsurugi’s grasp. He wheeled around and uttered an incantation under his breath. Wind wrapped around Haru’s arm, boosting its speed and power. His fist slammed into Tsurugi. The boy was sent to the ground.

            All those in the Kendo Club looked on in shock.

            “How strong is Baba-san?” a boy asked.

            Another club member replied, “I have no idea. He shouldn’t have taken out Tsurugi like that.”

            “I’m not down yet,” Tsurugi stood up. “To think that a coward like you is that strong. Yet, you drag down Mae-san with your cowardice! You must think that if you can’t be brave, she can’t be either!”

            Haru narrowed his eyes, “What the hell are you talking about?”

            “Don’t play dumb! I know you’ve forced Mae-san to stop training!”

            “Why does this sort of thing always backfire on me?” the witch thought before speaking. “Did you talk to Keiko-chan before coming over here?”

            A girl shouted, “Don’t call her chan! We know you manipulated her!”

            “You’re not going to listen to reason, so I’m done talking,” Haru said.

            He turned and walked away before a thought came to him.

            “I was waiting here for Keiko-chan. Why am I walking away? I should go inside the school.”

            Tsurugi jumped into the air, brandishing his shinai.

            The club leader shouted, “Sneak attack!”

            Haru stepped out of the way. Tsurugi missed him and crashed into the ground.

            “Impossible! How did you dodge that?” he asked.

            Haru answered, “Because you shouted ‘sneak attack,’ dumbass.”

            “Hey! I didn’t shout ‘sneak attack, dumbass!’ I just shouted sneak attack!”

            “Did he take too many shinai blows to the head?” Baba Haru questioned.

            “No,” a club member said. “Tsurugi’s a great fighter, but he isn’t smart like Mae-san is.”

            Gritting his teeth, Tsurugi swung his shinai again; however, a tight fist clenched around his weapon. He turned to see Keiko there.

            She glared, “What are you doing to Haru-kun?”

            Tsurugi replied, “Mae-san, I’m solving your problem!”

            “What problem?”

            “That…thing forced you to stop training. I’m making him take that back,” he told her.

            Keiko said, “Haru-kun didn’t do that!”

            “Oh, come on,” Tsurugi scoffed. “Don’t tell me that a coward like him would accept being with someone like you?”

            A moment later, Tsurugi was laying backwards on the ground. Keiko’s fist had impacted his face and he was rolling around in pain.

            “Come on, Keiko-chan,” Haru waved. “Let’s get out of here.”

            Tsurugi gritted his teeth as they left.

            “This isn’t over, cowardly bastard. I’ll definitely make you pay.”

Oda Hideyoshi stepped into the cool air outside of school. Sanda Yuko was right there, waiting for him. A crowd gathered around the two, students whispering amongst themselves.

            “Are they going to fight or something?”

            “They’re the best and the former best students here. If there’s anyone who should be rivals, it’s them.”

            “I can imagine the grudge Oda-san has against Sanda-sama.”

            “This is where they’ll settle things, right? At the very least, they’re going to have a challenge.”

            Tension filled the air as the students held their breath in anticipation.

            Yuko said, “Oda-san? Can you walk me home?”

            “Sure,” he replied. “I was planning on meeting you anyway.”

            “Oh, come on!” a student groaned.

            Another sighed, “What a disappointment!”

The two of them walked along, strolling with an air of unease between them.

            “There’s an unease between Sanda-san and me,” Hideyoshi thought. “It wasn’t like that this morning. Did those idiots at school mess it up? I’ve got to say something.”

            “Did you make your shrine to Heracles yet, Sanda-san?” he asked.

            Yuko answered while shaking, “I…did. I put…a bunch of rocks in the woods…and burnt some food in front of them.”

            “That should be good enough, but you’re shaking. Are you sick or have you finally realized how dire a situation you’re in?”

            She thought, “I know how much danger I’m in. I always did. Just…I’m worried that I’ll mess this up.”

            “Oda-san,” Yuko took a deep breath and talked without emotion. “I’m sorry about this morning. And yesterday. And the day before that.”

            “Oh, well…I don’t know how to reply to that,” Hideyoshi admitted.

            “I’m taking this seriously, even if it doesn’t seem like it, and I know that I didn’t treat you as well as I should have. So, I got you a present to make up for it.”

            She gave him a pair of chopsticks.

            “Oh, thanks Sanda-san,” he said. “I really appreciate this.”

            Yuko added, “They’re really sturdy chopsticks too. So, you can poke horses with them to get them to fight each other.”

            Confusion flowed through Hideyoshi, “W-What?”

            “Do you not like them?” she asked.

            “I like them, but why would I want to make horses fight each other?”

            “Don’t boys like hestavíg?”

            “Hestavíg? You mean Medieval Icelandic horse fighting?” he wondered.

            “I’m confused,” Yuko said.

            Hideyoshi replied, “So am I. Well, I forgive you, so let’s move on to keeping you safe from Hera. Did you pray to Heracles when you made your offering?”

            “Yes. I said that I wouldn’t give him any more free food if Hera killed me.”

            “Good grief, idiot. Did you mention that you were his sister?”

            “No,” she stated.

            He sighed, “Next time you make a sacrifice to him, say everything in your prayer. Give Heracles everything he needs to know. I’m not sure if this will work, but it’s your best shot.”

            Yuko said without emotion, “Then either it’ll work or you’re useless?”

            “Pretty much,” Hideyoshi nodded.

            “There’s something else,” she stated. “Can we call each other by our personal names?”

            “That’s a bit intimate.”

            “Alright, then let’s fight. If I win, we’ll call each other by our personal names,” Yuko got in a boxing stance.

            Hideyoshi jumped back, “Are you still on about that?”

            “No, I was joking. We’ll call each other by our personal names if you win.”

            “Please tell me you’re joking now too,” he said.

            Yuko stated, “I’m not. If we don’t fight, how can we become friends?”

            “It’s good to know you’re still an idiot, Sand…Yuko-chan,” Hideyoshi replied. “We’re already friends. If we weren’t, I wouldn’t put up with you.”

            “Oh, good. That’s a…” the slightest of smiles crossed her face before she realized something. “You said you wouldn’t put up with me? Aren’t you the useless one?”

            “This has nothing to do with being useless. Your personality is horrible, but that’s somehow what I like about you.”

            “I see,” Yuko nodded. “Should I kill you now or when you get home?”

            “You’re supposed to ask me if I’m joking,” Hideyoshi took a step back.

            She took a step forward and spoke without emotion, “No. I think I’m just going to kick your ass.”

            “Then let’s make a deal,” he met her step forward.

            Yuko asked, “Like a bet?”

            “Not exactly,” Hideyoshi turned around. “I have no interest in being your rival, so go ahead and kick my ass. For an insult like mine, I think you should get five kicks. Does that sound reasonable?”

            “It deserves more than five kicks,” she said. “At least ten.”

            “Come on, it wasn’t that bad. It can’t be worth more than six kicks.”

            “Nine kicks,” Yuko stated.

            Hideyoshi replied, “Seven kicks, take it or leave it.”

            She spoke, “I’ll leave it. That insult isn’t worth seven kicks.”

            Hera peeked out of a nearby bush.

            “What kind of conversation are those two having?” the goddess thought. “Well, it doesn’t matter. I can clear my conscious now and focus on ruining Thora’s life tomorrow.”

            “Pathetic,” she stepped out in her disguise as Nakamura Haruto. “Are you really going to let her walk over you like that?”

            “That’s none of your business,” Hideyoshi told her.

            Yuko looked between them and got worried.

            “If he really is Hera, we could be in big trouble. I need to get Hideyoshi-kun out of here without giving us away,” she thought.

            Hera asked, “Do you really call yourself a man? How can you back down from a challenge?”

            Hideyoshi got suspicious, “Why do you care?”

            “Because you’re a disgrace to our school. How was someone like you ever the best among us?”

            “I had to live up to your expectations. They were all on me,” he said.

            “Is that so?” Hera smirked. “You saw the people at school today. They’re all expecting you to have a showdown with Sanda-san. It’ll be one hell of a fight, and you don’t want to disappoint them, do you?”

            “Oh, no…” guilt flowed through Hideyoshi as he thought. “What can I do? I don’t want to be Yuko-chan’s rival, but I have to live up to everyone’s expectations. Come to think of it, this is what Yuko wants too. Shouldn’t I give her it?”

            Yuko talked without emotion, “Don’t worry about what they think, Hideyoshi-kun.”

            He asked, “How can I not?”

            “You don’t owe those people anything. Live your life the way you want to. That’s your goal, right?” she answered.

            “It is, but…I don’t think I can bring myself to disappoint people. It feels wrong,” Hideyoshi stated.

            Hera was confused, “Why is she trying to talk him out of this? Doesn’t Yuko want him to be her rival?”

            “You don’t want to disappoint them, no matter what?” Yuko wondered.

            “I shouldn’t be so unwilling,” he replied. “But I am. I’ll have to go back to living my life the old way too…give up on my…”

            She narrowed her eyes ever so slight, “Then let’s make a bet, Hideyoshi-kun. We’ll fight tomorrow. If I win, you’ll do what you want. If you win, you’ll do what everyone else wants.”

            “They want us to fight anyway,” pain overtook Hideyoshi’s face. “So, I accept.”

            Yuko grabbed his hand and shook it. Hideyoshi felt her pressing something into his hand.

            “Then I’ll get ready to fight. You had better do the same,” she stated.

            As she walked off, Hideyoshi looked at the thing in his hand.

            It was a piece of paper that read, “I think Nakamura Haruto is Hera.”

            “Fight me!” the girl at the head of the Judo Club demanded.

            Keiko said, “I’m not fighting you. I only signed up for training newcomers.”

            “Come on! You’re much more approachable now, so it should be alright to challenge you to a match.”

            “You can challenge me, but I’m not going to accept, Mitsuzuri.”

            The Judo Club head asked, “Why not?”

            “Because I don’t want to have any matches,” Keiko answered. “I just want to spend time with Haru-kun, but I was roped into this whole thing.”

            Mitsuzuri stated, “Then if I help you spent more time with that coward, you’ll fight me?”

            “No! Just…I did what I agreed to, so I’m going now.”

            “Come on! Don’t be that way! I bet you could flip me over your head,” the Judo Club leader told her.

            Keiko walked out of the room.

            “What the hell? Is everyone like this today?” she thought. “All the club heads wanted to fight me. Well, I’m going into the Tea Ceremony Club next. I should get some peace there.”

At the Tea Ceremony Club…

            “Why do you guys want to fight me too?” Keiko shouted.

            “It seemed like fun,” the club head told her.

            She groaned, “You’re a Tea Ceremony Club. You’ve never even arm wrestled here before, and you want to fight me?”

            Another club member nodded, “That about sums it up.”

            “I know!” she said. “This has to be a curse of some sort. Someone must have decided to curse me so that everyone wants to fight me. Was it Baba Yaga? She’s the most likely suspect.”

            “Curses? What are you talking about?”

            “Magic, witches, that sort of thing.”

            The club head chuckled, “Do you really believe in that sort of thing?”

            “I…” Keiko sighed.

            She knew that they wouldn’t believe her, and that they might do something stupid if they did. Haru’s curse might mean they’d assume the worst about him if they found out that he was a witch. Keiko decided what she needed to say to get them off her back.

            “I’ve watched too much anime recently.”

            “That’ll do it,” the club head nodded. “I’m not even surprised that you’re talking about curses and witches.”

            Keiko said, “I’m not fighting you guys. Just accept that. Now, what do you need me to do in exchange for you giving Jirogame an interview?”

            He stated, “We need you to get new teacups. If we’re going to have a stall at a festival, we need to prepare for a lot of people showing up.”

            “Fine. I’ll get you some of those,” she promised.

            Keiko jumped up and ran out of the room, eager to get this over with.

She ran outside of the school and into a nearby store.

            “Excuse me!” Keiko said. “I need a bunch of teacups.”

            The shopkeep stated, “Sorry, but we just ran out.”

            “Just ran out? Did the Tea Ceremony Club already buy them? Are they messing with me?”

            “No. It wasn’t them.”

            Keiko asked, “Then who was it?”

            “It was a student named Date Kenji,” the shopkeeper answered.

            “Erik?” she thought. “Why would he want a bunch of teacups?”

Elsewhere, Haru and Erik were standing in front of a table filled with teacups.

            “Why do we need these teacups?” Haru wondered.

            Erik said, “It’s simple, really. We’re going to lure Watanabe into watching a certain anime where the main character says that he likes a woman who can kick his ass.”

            “You mean Cowboy Be…”

            “Be quiet!” the vampire stated. “We might get in trouble.”

            Haru was surprised, “You think we’ll get in trouble just for saying the name of an anime? We’re not writing it in a series or anything.”

            “Hey! I don’t know copyright law, so I’m not taking chances!” Erik declared.

            “Okay, but that still doesn’t explain why we need all these teacups,” the witch pointed out.

            “We lure Watanabe by telling her that we’re having a tea ceremony and she’s invited.”

            Haru replied, “If she doesn’t like tea, you’ve just wasted a bunch of money on a plethora of teacups.”

            Erik rubbed his chin, “That’s a good point. I have no clue if Watanabe likes tea or not. That means we need a plan B.”

            “Any ideas for that?”

            “We could show her illustrations of warrior women in Tabletop RPGs.”

            “I don’t think that’ll help Watanabe. That’s pretty different than what she likes,” Haru said.

            “Fair enough,” Erik admitted.

            The witch asked, “Can’t you use your over a millennium of experience to come up with a better plan?”

            “Possibly; however, I’ve never encountered a problem like this before. My knowledge of Japanese culture primarily comes from video games and anime, so I doubt it’s accurate.”

            Haru’s eyes widened in shock, “What? You’re living in Japan.”

            Erik replied, “I don’t leave my house often, and you and Keiko are the only humans I hang out with.”

            “So you’re a shut-in NEET?”

            “Hey! I’m technically in education since I go to school! And I have invested in several companies, so that counts as employment, right?”

            “Wait, that gave me an idea!” Haru said. “Watanabe’s in the Journalism Club, but she’s never had a job as a journalist as far as I know. There are female martial artists and pro wrestlers, so we could convince her to go to an event with them and interview some of the men there. It could be an article for this club.”

            “There is a flaw to that,” Erik stated. “In the case of female pro wrestlers, they aren’t wearing skimpy outfits to make it easier to move in, if you get what I mean.”

            “That actually helps our plan.”

            “How so?” the vampire asked.

            Haru answered, “Watanabe’s worried about getting a boyfriend. So, if she finds out that a lot of men like female wrestlers for their sex appeal…”

            “I think I get it. We’ll use that plan and make the tea plan a plan C,” Erik nodded.

            All of a sudden, Haru’s phone rang.

            He picked it up, “Hello?”

            “Hey, Haru-kun,” Keiko said. “Do you know where any teacups are?”

            “Erik has a lot of them. We probably won’t use any, so he might let you borrow some.”

            “Why did Erik buy all those teacups anyway?”

            Haru explained, “It’s part of a plan he came up with to help Watanabe. We’re calling it plan C.”

            “How many plans do you have?” Keiko asked.

            He answered, “A plan A and a plan C. We don’t have a plan B.”

            “It sounds like you’ve had a rough day too,” she sighed.

            “Not really,” Haru said. “We’re just trying to solve a new problem. What happened to you?”

            “Everyone wants to fight me for some reason!”

            Erik wondered, “How is that a problem?”

            “You’re listening in?” Haru’s eyes shot to Erik.

            “I’m a vampire. I have enhanced senses. Even if I didn’t want to, I’d be listening in.”

            Keiko said, “I’m worried that it’s a curse, Haru-kun.”

            “I’ll look into it, Keiko-chan,” he assured her. “Where are you? I’ll come over right away.”

            “Right now, I’m just outside the convenience store a block down from the school.”

            “Wait for me there. I’m coming.”

            Haru hung up the phone.

            “Erik,” he said. “You’ve heard the talk.”

            “Yes, we have a few problems we need to solve now. You work on Keiko’s, and I’ll try to figure out how to solve Watanabe’s,” the vampire replied.

            “Thank you,” Haru nodded.

            And with that, he turned into a raven and blasted out of the school building.

Due to health issues on the editor’s part, Hemitheos Story and Ved’ma Story will be on hiatus this week. The next part will be out next Wednesday at the earliest.

Thor and Loki were walking through town in their disguises. Shops surrounded them, and they had to force their way through crowds.

            Loki said, “I don’t see why you’re making me do this.”

            “You promised to give a prize to whoever made it past your obstacle course, and Yuko did that,” the thunderer replied.

            “A fair point. Besides, it could help you get close to her and protect her better.”

            “Then you figured it out too?” Thor asked.

            He answered, “Yes. Yuko shows incredible physical and mental prowess, and I looked in her records. She was born from a one-night stand. Her current father is not her biological parent.”

            “Hang on, it says in her records that her mother had a one-night stand?”

            “It says a lot more than that,” Loki smiled. “Yuko’s mother was pretty explicit. I’m surprised they didn’t burn them.”

            Thor wondered, “Can you show me those records later?”

            “Sure thing. In fact, I could show you them now,” he offered.

            “Stay focused, dad. We need to get my best friend a present.”

            Loki groaned, “I’m regretting putting you in this disguise.”

            “It’s too late for regrets. Now, what do you think Yuko…umm, senpai? It’s senpai, right?” Thor asked.

            He answered, “I think the honorific is either sama or kun.”

            “Well, I think I have an idea of what she’d like,” the thunderer stated. “She’s trying to make a friend, and I have the feeling that there’s something more to it.”

            “Then what are we getting her?” Loki wondered.

            Thor said, “Something to help her with that, something any man would like.”

            “She’s probably having trouble,” the trickster god speculated. “I’ve never see her show any emotion.”

            “Yes, that can’t make things easy, but Yuko-samakun’s pretty smart. I think she’ll figure out something.”

The next morning, Oda Hideyoshi was on his way to school. A sharp tap came at his back and he looked behind him. Sanda Yuko was there. She poked his forehead.

            “Be my rival,” Yuko said without emotion.

            Hideyoshi replied, “No.”

            She poked him again, “Be my rival.”

            “No, and what are you doing here? I thought your dad drove you to school.”

            “I told him that I wanted to walk,” Yuko poked Hideyoshi. “Be my rival.”

            “The answer’s the same as before.”

            He started walking with Yuko taping him in the back.

            “Be my rival.”

            “No.”

            “Be my rival.”

            “No.”

            They entered the school, the interested gazes of students turning to them.

            “Be my rival.”

            “No.”

            “Be my rival.”

            “No.”

            Hideyoshi entered his classroom, “You’ll have to go to your own class and study, idiot. Your plan failed again.”

            “You’re useless if you can’t even accept my challenge,” Yuko said.

            A crowd gathered around them. Whispers followed the two.

            One student spoke, “Sanda-san wants him to be her rival?”

            “Shouldn’t he be the one who wants to beat her?” another student wondered.

            “She’s already beaten him,” a third stated. “Is she just rubbing it in?”

            Hera walked by in her disguise as Nakamura Haruto and listened in.

            “So, Yuko wants to be that boy’s rival?” she thought. “I already caused her trouble because I thought she was a daughter of Zeus. Now that I know that Thora’s that girl, I should do something to make up for it.”

            She forced her way through the crowed and brushed her hair to the side with dramatic flair, “Really, a man backing down from a challenge with a woman? As a man myself, I could never bare the humiliation.”

            Yuko said, “He’s already in the classroom.”

            Hideyoshi was at his seat and more students were coming in.

            “Dammit!” Hera groaned and walked away. “I can’t believe this!”

            “I’ve never seen this boy before, but the first thing he does is try to get Oda-san to be my rival,” suspicion flowed through Yuko. “While I want him to be my rival, it’s still a weird thing to do. And he’s mad that he failed…is this boy really Hera?”

Soon after, Thor, in his disguise as Thora, entered the room and sat next to Hideyoshi. The latter of the two was sighing and fidgeting.

            “You seem a bit distracted,” Thor stated.

            Hideyoshi replied, “I promised to help someone annoying.”

            “Someone annoying?” he asked. “Could you give me any details?”

            The human decided to not give ‘her’ many details in case ‘she’ was Hera, “I’ve met someone who was in trouble, and I put myself at risk because she really helped me out; though, she did it without even knowing.”

            “That’s an odd situation.”

            “She isn’t taking it seriously either. Part of me thinks that she’s just dragging me along because she’s a sadist. She never shows any emotion,” Hideyoshi planted his head in his desk.

            A slow realization came to Thor, “She doesn’t?”

            “No,” he said as all rational thought left his head. “She’s stupid, impulsive, illogical, and nothing short of a bitch. But I’ve had more fun being around her than I’ve ever had in my entire life. I think that’s why I’m still helping her in spite of the danger.”

Yuko ran through the track field ahead of the class with Thor beside her. Loki, in his disguise as Thursday, was sitting on the sidelines reading a book on how to make pranks that don’t backfire on you.

            Thor said, “Yuko-samakun, you’ve told me about this guy who you want to be your friend.”

            “I did, Thora-san,” she nodded.

            “Is his name Oda Hideyoshi?”

            Yuko replied without emotion, “He’s mine and you can’t have him.”

            “Calm down,” Thor sighed. “I don’t want him, I just want to help you.”

            Her face turned contemplative.

            He asked, “Is something wrong?”

            “I shouldn’t care about this, about friends. The only thing I should care about is reaching my full potential at everything I do,” Yuko answered. “But I like being around Hideyoshi and you, and I need to figure out how to talk to people.”

            “You’re not very good at that,” Thor stated.

            She remained without expression, “Yes. I never bothered to learn since I thought it was a waste of time, but it’s important. I read some of my brother’s manga when he wasn’t looking to learn about interaction.”

            “Right, that’s one problem,” he said. “All fiction is a reflection of reality in some way, that’s what it’s supposed to be, but it’s almost always exaggerated for entertainment. Even in grounded ones, characters tend to be larger than life. In some cases, it only reflects reality in metaphor. You can’t expect everything to be like it.”

            “Then what was that myth where Thor dressed up a woman a metaphor for?” Yuko asked.

            Thor stumbled and fell on his face. Yuko walked over to him.

            She spoke, “Are you alright, Thora?”

            “I am,” he got up. “How did you know about that?”

            “Hideyoshi told me about Heracles, so I looked up the god with the hammer. It turns out that Thor’s that god. Heracles is the guy with a club.”

            Thor groaned, “Sad to say, but I doubt that story’s a metaphor for anything. It’s the result of a horny jackass stealing something so he could get laid and Heimdall making me wonder why he and Loki are enemies.”

            “You and Hideyoshi might like each other. He’s into mythology too,” Yuko said.

            “Don’t worry about that. I’m going to help you with him, and I have just the thing for it. You remember the prize dad promised you?”

            “Yes.”

            “Well, I made him get you something that can help you reconcile with Hideyoshi,” Thor smiled. “Here’s what you need to do.”

The evening bell rang as classes ended. Haru and Keiko walked out of their classroom.

            “This is pretty stressful,” she sighed.

            Haru asked, “What is it, Keiko-chan?”

            “I promised to help someone from the Journalism Club with something, and now a bunch of other clubs dragged me into helping them.”

            He said, “I have to help an idiot from that club too, so we’ve both been roped into stuff we don’t want to be.”

            “We should get going,” she stated. “Let’s help out those people as soon as possible, Haru-kun. Then we can spend more time together.”

            “Alright. I’ll see you later, Keiko-chan.”

Haru went to the journalism club room. Watanabe was there. She pulled him aside and smiled as she handed him a school newspaper.

            “See, Baba-san? This was just published,” she said.

            He replied, “It has the story with Keiko-chan in it. Alright, I’ll help you.”

            “Great!” Watanabe stated. “And after this, you’ll be making out with Keiko in a hot springs resort.”

            Haru asked, “Isn’t that jumping into things a bit fast?”

            “What are you talking about?” she wondered. “You two have kissed, right?”

            “We can’t do that until we’re married.”

            “H-huh?” Watanabe shook her head. “Let’s just get to my problem. How can I stop Jirogame from publishing those comics in the newspaper without forcing him?”

            “You could convince him that they’re not good,” Haru suggested.

            She stated, “That’s not an option. The whole journalism club praised them, and Jirogame knows them well enough that I can’t say they’re just humoring him.”

            “Why don’t you put him in a Boston Crab and make him not publish them?”

            Watanabe said, “What the hell are you suggesting?”

            “You like wrestling,” Haru stated. “So, you should know the moves.”

            “Baba-san, y…”

            He interrupted her, “I’m joking. You can’t get rid of the comics either; because, he’d just draw more. Maybe you could have someone else be put in them instead?”

            “I don’t think that they’d accept you for the comics,” Watanabe replied.

            Haru glared, “I didn’t mean me. There have got to be other people in the school who like pro wrestling and would love to have that art made about them.”

            “That could work.”

            “You’re here, Haru,” Erik walked over. “I didn’t expect you to interact with anyone.”

            “Perfect timing. Eri…Kenji-kun, do you like professional wrestling?” Haru asked.

            The vampire answered, “Why would I like a bunch of fat people blobbing into each other?”

            “That’s sumo wrestling, not professional wrestling.”

            Watanabe barked, “Hang on! Did you just insult sumo? It’s our national sport!”

            “Look, I have nothing against Sumo. It’s a sport fat people can actually compete in. I just don’t like it personally,” Erik clarified.

            “You’re talking about it like it’s the Special Olympics!” she said.

            “And it isn’t?”

            Watanabe walked behind Erik, grabbed his back, and suplexed him into the floor.

            “Excellently done!” He gave a thumbs up.

            “Oh no!” She let him go and jumped back. “I’m so sorry! I got mad!”

            Erik waved it off, “I wanted you to get mad.”

            “What? Why?”

            “I heard your conversation with Haru, and I had to see how good you actually were. And before you ask, I don’t hate sumo wrestling or think it’s like the Special Olympics. I just said that to piss you off.”

            “Don’t tell anyone about this,” Watanabe demanded.

            Erik shrugged, “That’s fine with me, but I think I can help you.”

            “Really?” she asked.

            “Yes,” he answered. “I’ve been binge-watching spy movies recently. What we need to do is go on a secret mission to take the comics just before the school festival’s day comes. You can prepare a backup, and we’ll take the comics so it can be used instead.”

            Haru sighed, “That’s a terrible idea, Kenji-kun.”

            “Don’t worry. She can just say the other plan’s in case something happens.”

            “Then it’ll work!” Watanabe smiled. “Haru, you find people who like pro wrestling. We’ll go with that if you can find those people. I have to get back to the Journalism Club, so I’ll see you later!”

            She left, and Haru turned to Erik.

            “Looks like I’m fucked.”

            “I presume she doesn’t know about your curse,” the vampire wondered.

            Haru said, “Watanabe’s a normal person, and she’s completely unaware of magic as far as I know.”

            “Well, I would help you with this, you’re just going to fail with your curse,” Erik stated.

            “And you want to pretend to be a secret agent. Can’t you just play a video game?”

            “I would, but Lenora tried to put my console in a dishwasher. When she’s done being punished, I’m getting a new console. Besides, I have an even greater plan in mind.”

            “What’s that?” Haru asked.

            Erik answered, “Watanabe’s problem isn’t that people are going to find out she’s into wrestling, it’s that she thinks guys wouldn’t ever be in a relationship with a girl who likes that. It’s Tuesday, so we have six days to convince her otherwise. Going with the plan I told her is giving her a fish, but this will be teaching her how to fish.”

            “That’s a good point. Any idea how to do it?”

            “None at all,” the vampire said. “I came up with this plan five minutes ago. It’s not like I had much time to think.”

            Haru sighed, “And one more question. Why are you helping with this? I can understand helping me, but you don’t know Watanabe.”

            “Give me some credit. I do completely altruistic things sometimes. Well, this isn’t at that level, but it’s close,” Erik replied.

            “Then let’s come up with a plan. We have just six days.”

Keiko stood in the kendo club, grabbing onto a new member’s arms and adjusting them.

            “Hold the shinai like this. It’s the proper grip,” she said.

            The new member swung the blade.

            He stated, “It’s much stronger. I can feel the difference.”

            “Despite quitting the club long ago and dating that coward,” a taller student walked over. “Your skills are just as good as ever. In fact, it seems to me that you’re stronger than before as well.”

            “I’ve…had a lot of practice recently, Tsurugi,” Keiko told him.

            “Oh? Then maybe we could have a match?”

            “I just agreed to help the new members,” she shook her head. “Nothing more. Will you let the Journalism Club interview you now?’

            Tsurugi said, “Of course. I’ll keep my end of the bargain, but you’re pretty different now. You lost a lot of your drive when you quit earlier this semester. Despite that, you’re both more approachable and stronger than you were at the height of your effort. What’s your secret?”

            Keiko replied, “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a secret.”

            “There’s no way I’m telling him I’m part oni,” she thought. “Even if I didn’t have to hide it, he wouldn’t believe me. There’s no way I’m having a match with him either. I don’t have much control over it yet, and I might end up hurting him.”

            “Then let’s make a bet. We have a match. If I win, you have to tell me your secret,” Tsurugi stated.

            “Were you listening to anything I said?” Keiko sighed.

            “You don’t remember, do you? Despite us both being in the kendo club, we’ve never had a match. I intend to face you before the school festival is…”

            Jirogame burst into the room, “I need an interview. Now.”

            “Oh, look at that,” Keiko ran outside. “I have to get to another club, and you have to keep your deal. See you later or never, don’t know at the moment.”

            She gritted her teeth and thought, “Who does Tsurugi think he is, an anime character? I’ll just move on to the next club.”