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| - So, that girl's name is Itoshiki Karen, and she's a ghoul. A zombie monster that eats humans, from the old Indian mythos. Huh, that's really, really odd. She does look morbid and decaying, yet her appearance is of an attractive Japanese lass with some distorted fashion sense. I side-looked at Tsukihi-san, and with her doing the same, nodded. She says her nose don't lie, so for now, I'll have to believe she's a ghoul... A girl... A ghirl, if I may. "Itoshiki... Karen. Nice name." I said with a grin. She left her pens back on the board to fully turn around and stare at both of us. One, two blinks from her red eyes, and then she crossed her arms and smiled faintly. "Thank you. My mother chose that name for me. My dad wanted to be 'Tsukino', but it sounded too much like a surname. Both discarded, and Karen came to be, de gozaru." She answered that silent question, and both me and Tsukihi-san awkwardly smiled. She's... Something else. But for some reason, instead of human meat, she's eating photos and pictures of beautiful landscapes. How odd and unusual. She picked her pens again and, in red ink, wrote her name on the board. The 'Itoshiki' surname was normal, but her name, 'Karen', was written with 'Fire' and 'Lotus'. Well, isn't that cringeworthy? She turned again to us. "Kira-Kira..." "Huh?" "Kira-Kira name. That's how you write my name, that's what my name is. Despite the writing being too showy, I'm a normal, healthy ghoul, de gozaru." She said, now putting the red pen on her mouth and picking the black one to resume her drawing on the board. Huh, that ghoul girl is proving to be intelligent, way different the ghouls people talk about. Maybe she isn't a full-blooded ghoul? A half-breed? Tch, right. What kind of sick human would want to copulate with a flesh-eating abomination. Then again, I'm half-dragon, so I can't complain... "Normal... Healthy... Now that's something I don't want to hear from a ghoul." Tsukihi-san said, gulping some saliva and walking a few steps to the ghoul right right in front of us. This kind of realization only made me wait for the worst. "I don't care about your diet, Itoshiki-dono, but for your safety, I must ask this: have you been eating human flesh?" "..." "..." "..." Complete and utter silence. As the last waves of the devil girl's voice came to dissolve on air, the rend ourselves victims of the crushing silence. Karen-san halted her drawing, put her pens on the board-supporter, and without even looking at us, picked another photo on a bucket next to her and made it vanish from our sight as she moved to her mouth by the other side of her head, as we could only stare at her nape and rainbow ponytail. After quite some time, we heard a sigh by the other side... "Aim-san, Sorento-san, if I may, I want you ask you Both a question before I answer mine." She said, turning and looking at us with her bored, bedroom red eyes with black sclerae. She lifted both her hands in a 'surrender' gesture, and left herself wide open to any attack. I can kill her right now from here, but let's see what she has to say. "Say... Do you know of what composes a human life, de gozaru?" "Flesh and bones? Organs, too? Tissues and hairs?" Tsukihi-san said, tilting her head to a side. I think the answer is something more abstract, but I'm curious as well, so I just remained quiet. Itoshiki-san nodded and then shook her head. "Not quite. Not quite. Those are the things that composes a human body, not a human life. And the answer is... Body... And soul." She said, picking a photo and taking a bite out of it. She munched on it like one would with a hamburger, and after some time, she gulped that down, we both seeing that lump of... Paper and ink going down her body. She lowered her head back to us, and smiled. "We ghouls must feed on humans in order to maintain our vital energy in check, but it was never specified for us to eat just human flesh. After all, 'men doesn't feed on bread only', says the book, right de gozaru?" "What are you saying, Itoshiki-dono? That you feed on photos and papers?" Lady Aim shrugged with a smile on her face, an expression on it like everything she has been hearing until now being utter bogus. I don't blame her, Karen-san's mentality and diet is abnormal and contradictory. The ghoul girl smiled again and turned back to the white board, finishing her painting without looking at us. "Incorrect, Aim-san. I feel on human emotions. On human passion, on human memories that are imprinted on those little things called photos. Fond memories, immortalized in small frames of colorful and still, yet vivid images. The little wonders of humanity as a whole. In the end..." She turned around us and, in a leap, moved faster than the eyes could see, standing toe-to-toe to us, her red gaze staring directly at my soul, a small piece of a recently munched photo dangling from her smiling mouth. "... What I eat it's more human than flesh itself, de gozaru." "Charming." I said, recovering myself from the sudden jump-scare and standing tall against her. I won't shiver next to her. Karen-san took a step towards me and sniffed the air around. "Huuuh~, you smell fresh and vivid. However, I can't feel anything resembling a dragon. I wonder if You're lying to me, De gozaru?" She said. Huh, another two-dimensional that can't comprehend my own powers. Can't blame her, after all, Tsukihi-san can't feel me either. I shrugged and laughed at her naïveté. "I don't like when people lie to me. It kinda ruins my trust in others, so to speak, de gozaru." "Well, obviously? Itoshiki-dono, if I may, why here in Kuoh academy?" Tsukihi-san asked, now that the ghoul girl turned from me to her. Karen-san blinked once, twice and turned her head a few times in order to maybe 'frame' Tsukihi-san in her point of view. Tsukihi-san sighed again and repeated. "Why here in Kuoh academy? I mean, isn't it dangerous? Either Rias Gremory from the Gremory house, Sona Sitri from the Sitri house or even pigeons might want a piece of you, and they can easily spot you around here. Moreover, if they don't act, maybe yourself will, with your diet and all. Aren't you afraid?" "Afraid? The supernatural doesn't know fear, they ARE fear. And yes, I'm well aware of my position by exposing myself to a normal environment, but that's what makes my stay here all the more exciting, de gozaru." She smiled, while both of us gave a question mark to that. A thrill-seeking abomination, now that's something dangerous. She turned to me and smiled again. "Oh-hoh? Surprised? Maybe you should, maybe you shouldn't. After all, it's by living in constant risks is what makes life quite a ride, an I correct?" "Eh...?" My interrogation came to be this. Karen-san turned around and continued to draw on the whiteboard. Her name now became a small caricature of a dinosaur for some reason. She had drawn claws and fangs on it. "Humans discriminate even among themselves. Either social, economic, racial, national or physical differences can and will trigger negative reactions. Also, some humans fear other humans so much they refuse to go outside and meet them. In short, you can say that I'm a human that goes outside to live with others even with the risk to be assaulted, or discriminated. It makes no difference, de gozaru." She shrugged, now drawing a manga character on the board, something something a cute little rat creature. So she has that kind of fearless mentality. Can't say I don't understand. I guess even Tsukihi-san understands her on a certain level. Even humans fear discrimination among themselves, eh? "After all, it's not always when I lose control. But when I bump into a classmate around Kuoh or even in the streets, I can sense their smells, and that chill of ripping them apart with my teeth kinda itches a lot. But I have self-control, de gozaru." "Still, you may or may not be discriminated, but your instincts can speak louder than your mind. There's no guarantee that you won't attack any humans during your stay." I said, crossing my arms and feeling the soft breeze brush so photo pieces away, cleaning a path from me all the way to Karen-san. She stopped drawing, put her pens down and out of nowhere, picked a office knife, the one you use to open cardboard boxes. "And are you gonna stop me?" "...!" It was only in a blink of an eye, but in a swift move, Karen-san made a vertical cutting motion with her knife, in a soft breeze blew on my nape. My ponytail fell to the ground, as it was only too late when I noticed it's absence with the rest of my hair. It was... Her doing?! "Kyarahahah, don't underestimate me, de gozaru. I might be a ghoul, but I'm not stupid." She said, now turning back on us doing a shaft head motion and grinning a sick smirk. So it was her doing. She's fast, and she could cut my throat in that mini-second. I turned to Tsukihi-san, and she was equally as shaky. That one was fast. "Now, what are going to do, I wonder? Flee from this place, or confront me and maybe lose a finger or two? I'm getting hungry as well, de gozaru. I wonder if I can at least TASTE a dragon from you, Sorento-san." I gulped, but at the same time grinned. Kah, kah. She's picking a fight with the wrong person, and since she wants to go all out, I guess we can bid a goodbye to Kuoh academy. A simple ghoul to stand against me, what a sight. However, before both of us could at least unleash hell, Tsukihi-san stepped forwards and crossed her arms, standing tall against the said rainbow-colored girl. "Itoshiki-dono..." She began, as a nasty, foul aura began to ooze from her body, unfolding her two bat wings and staring intensely at the ghoul girl, who just smirked. In the end, she lifted one hand at her, and from it, I saw two lunchboxes hanging. "I'd deeply appreciate if you could eat lunch with me. I don't usually eat it all since my mother makes too much of it, and I don't want to waste it." "..." "..." ... ... Eh...? "Sure, de gozaru." . . So, it's just so happens that ghouls can't eat normal food like others supernatural creatures do, otherwise her body rejects anything else and make her throw up until nothing is in her stomach anymore. They must feed on 'humans', no matter what, and according to Karen-san, 'photos' might control her hunger for the real thing, but in the end, she describes it as just eating raw bread. In other words, one day or another, she must feed on human flesh in order to control herself back to normal... However, she's now eating part of Tsukihi-san's lunchbox, without any major problem, and pretty much as surprise as me. I'm eating my own lunchbox, and while delicious by itself, I can't actually feel anything special about it. Karen-san looked just as surprised. But Tsukihi-san's final answer for his enigma was... "Eh. My mother prepares all of her meals with much love. Maybe that's the power that is allowing you to eat." Eh... Really. Really really, that's the answer she gave us. "Huh... So the power of love again triumphs against the realm of possibilities and cynicism. How interesting, de gozaru." Karen-san said while munching a piece of fried egg, pretty much waving her hand around regarding such abnormal event. Psah~! Power of love my arse. Everybody knows love can't always win. Only those who trained on their own for revenge can achieve anything beyond the impossible! Still. Delicious cuisine. I should pick the recipe later. "Maybe I won't need to struggle with my internal beasts craving for human flesh anymore, I just need some food prepared with love. Huh, maybe positives vibes are better than struggles. Thanks for that, de gozaru." Karen-san smiled and picked now a piece of pork. You can say that, but you don't know nothing about this world, Karen-san. But again, I'm glad that she didn't suffer the same as me. Tsukihi-san fairly smiled, and ate the rest of the lunchbox with us. We continued to talk and share some ideas, until it was time for us to stop and, well, enjoy the rest of our weekend... "So, We'll be leaving now. Enjoy the rest of our weekend." Tsukihi-san said, as we waved a goodbye to our new friend, Itoshiki Karen. She did the same with a faint smile. "I wish you two a lovely weekend as well, de gozaru. However, what keeps bothering me is the fact of how you knew I was here? I put a special potion around, so no one would detect me with ease, de gozaru." "A lucky shot, we forgot today was a weekend." I laughed, as Tsukihi-san blushed and hid her stoic face behind a hand, making Karen-san and I laugh even harder. Today is being a pleasant day, regardless of what happened. "Kyarahahahah, I see. Well, it was indeed a lucky shot for us. I hope we can meet again, de gozaru." We all nodded to each other's, as we exited the school ground and bid a goodbye to each other at the school gates. In the end, I walked alongside Tsukihi-san around the river, talking nothing and sharing some ideas with myself, which was quite complex, to be honest... "She was a good girl. Hope we can find her again." Tsukihi-san said, while I only grunted, and grinned. Kah, kah. What a thing to say, waiting a ghoul. "Karen-san is a ghoul, Tsukihi-san. We can never be too careful around those." I said with a shrug, recollecting retuning that has been happening up until I met this girl. What a lotta bull. 'Love' can cure the nature of something my arse. "Also; really, what's with that lunchbox, anyway? 'The power of love'? Don't give me that! I bet it's something something demonic power or a spell you Devils have. I bet it's some kind of poison!" "..." Tsukihi-san stopped on her track, and turned to me, blinking a few times until she finally framed in her point of view. So, are we gonna talk or what? It's not like this is the first time she does that, she definitely has something to say. "Yep, it is poison. A poison that we call love." "...?" "Ryuusei-kun, love is... A funny thing. It can start wars(like the Trojan wars), it can stop wars(like Verona in that Shakespearian show), it can create other emotions and even hatred. Likewise, my mother is a terrible cook, but I eat her dishes anyway because for me it's delicious." She said, without a drop of worrying about me thinking about her mental state. Just in case, I don't label her as a crazy girl, she's odd, but not too much in my standards. She's a devil, after all. "Also, love is... Complicated." "Tch, love is simply an abstract result of the need to reproduce and relief stress. Animals can feel love! Also, you can easily buy love!" "No, you can't." "Of course I can. In the convenient store near home they're selling a bunch for ¥295! And it's on sale!" "Really?" "Yep! However, all the other gadgets and updates you need for it costs the eyes on your face." "I see. Love itself is cheap, but the things you need for it to be strong, fast and at-full power are the most complicated and delicate." "Kah, kah! Yep!" . "In the end, love is expensive, anyway. I'd rather eat Popsicles." I said to Tsukihi-san as we exited the convenience store eating Popsicles. She thinks the same, so we at least have some synergy in this regard. Love is complicated, love is funny, and also expensive. Two cons, one pro, so love is overrated. Can't beat Popsicles. If love is expensive, then Popsicles is life, end of story. "Maybe I'll marry a Popsicle." "Don't do that." Tsukihi-san said to me. Huh, I don't trust anyone after that tragic accident that killed my foster parents and kidnapped my sister, so of course the only things I can trust now is in me, myself and I... And Popsicles. Oh, look, it's Hyoudou-kun. He's all dressed up, and with a big smile on his face. I wonder what happened. "Hey, Hyoudou? What's shakin'?" I called for him. He stopped, scanned around and finally landed his eyes on me. "Ah! Ryuusei-senpai!" He waved a hand to me, the biggest smile on his face ever, as I did the same with the iced treat hanging in my mouth. I called for him to come closer with a hand wave, but he looked at his watch and prepared himself for another rush. "Sorry, senpai! Gotta go in a date with my new girlfriend!" "Oh, okay. Godspeed, Hyoudou. Good luck." And then he was gone. Rushing through the morning sun to the city, he disappeared from my normal sight. So I wasn't hallucinating, he indeed got a girlfriend. Good for him. Knowing him, though, I don't think this will last much, and if the lewd expression in his face is anything to go by, I just hope this isn't their first and last date. Don't screw this up, Hyoudou-kun... "You know him?" Tsukihi-san asked besides me, picking the meddling stick on her mouth, the remaining of her Popsicle, and throwing away in the garbage. Huh, a three-point throw, nice. "Everybody does. He and his friends are known as the Pervert Trio in Kuoh academy. You probably didn't hear about them since you don't attend that much." I snarked, making her puff her cheeks in a cute pout and stare at me with annoyed eyes. "To be fair, though, he's not ugly like the other two and I think he'd make a good friend. However, my traumatic, convoluted and tragic past prevents me from trusting anybody, including him!... For some reason. Maybe I'm just bitter." "Oh-hoh. Here we go again, I guess." Tsukihi-san finished, opening another Popsicle and putting it in her mouth. Hyoudou would make indeed a good friend and maybe his girlfriend will be happy about it. Also, I didn't say out loud, but I can feel a powerful aura coming from his body, an aura similar of a dragon's. He's on my sight of interest. The Aim heiress snapped me back from my trance by poking my shoulder, and a faint grin spread on her face. "Hey, hey. How about we follow him and ruin his little date?" "Kah, kah. Cut it out, Tsukihi-san. That guy might be on his last date with a girl. Let's not ruin that. After all, I'm fifty percent sure he'll ruin it himself." I honestly said. He's still my kouhai in this regard, so he gotta look up for his senpai, and no better example you can give than giving him a break and wish for his something something... Bullseye, maybe? That last sentence was actually unnecessary. "But I won't stop you if you want to mess with him. I don't blame you, you're a devil, anyway." "Hoh, now I'm dry. Your love for your kouhai suddenly made me realize that I can't touch him because a barrier of love is protecting him. Damn you~." ... ... "Are you mocking me?" "Nope. I'm just reenacting a scene from Harry Potter." "Fair enough." I said, ditching the stick on my mouth and walking my way home. Whatever, maybe I'll take a bath and plan something to discover the Jorge Order's location. Who knows what they're doing to my sister there. Not time wasting here. Also, I need to tell my guardians that I got an haircut. However, as I did just that, Tsukihi-san also stood up from her seat and began to follow me. "Why are you following me?" "Morbid curiosity. I want to know where you're going." She asked in a nonchalant tone. I can't feel any malice from within, so I guess tell her won't do much or affect me in any way. Just don't say anything but. "I'm going home. You can come with me if you want." I said to her, making her tilt her head to a side. I found it adorable. "I thought you said the Jorge Order killed your parents and kidnapped your sister. Or did I heard it wrong? Or are you, again, lying to me?" She said, coming closer and closer to sniff me. After a quick sniff, she backed a few steps, made a chewing motion, blinked a few times and sighed. "Huh, you're not lying. What gives? With your backstory, I thought you lived in a cave." "Of course not. What kind of character you think I am? I may be filled with grief, thinking about revenge all the time, powerful beyond any kind of comprehension, and whose lineage includes strong supernatural creatures, but it is unthinkable that I live anywhere but in a comfortable home regardless of all of that!" I said with my knees bend and pointing at her with my pointer finger, while the other hand was in my pocket. Of course, even people like me must live in comfortable houses for whatever reasons. I've already suffered enough, even though dragons lives in caves. I put myself on a normal stance again and returned to my walk. "I live with my foster mother's relatives, my uncle and his wife, plus a thing that I call my sister but it's actually something else, maybe a Succubus, that tried to trick me into think she's the real deal." "Fair point, I guess." She said, taking her place besides me and crossing her arms behind her head, as we walked to the morning sun. "Yay~, time to visit Sorento-san's/Ryuusei-kun's house. I wonder how a dragon's room is like. I bet it's messy." Oh devil, you have no idea... "Forgot to mention. Looking good on the new haircut. Itoshiki-dono has some talent." "Oh, you think so?" "Yeah."
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