"Ara~ ara~." Her voice wrapped around me like silk drawn across skin—beautiful, hypnotic, wrong in ways my hindbrain recognized before my conscious mind could catch up. "If it isn't the surprise star from the Theater Club's auditions."
"Sorry for bothering you in such way, stopping you from exploring other clubs, but we simply couldn't contain ourself and went out of our way to meet you in person."
The other girls giggled, a chorus of beautiful sounds that felt like waves lapping at a shore. They closed in around us, cutting off easy escape routes.
Moka's grip on my arm tightened, and even took a step forward, trying to defend me, as she pressed her body closer to me.
"Who are you?" Moka asked. Her voice carried an edge I rarely heard from her sweet side, almost protective and wary.
Tamao's yellow eyes flicked to her, something dismissive flickering across her features when she saw how Moka tried to get in front and block her view of Tsukune, further foiling his fascinating scent.
"Swimming Club." Then her attention snapped back to me like a magnet finding true north. "And you..."
She stepped closer, close enough that I could feel the cool dampness radiating from her skin. "I've been watching you, Tsukune-kun. Since the Entrance Ceremony."
(Tamao's POV)
'You've been on my mind since I've felt your scent.'
'A human. An actual, living, breathing human, somehow slipped past every barrier, every ward, every teacher who should have detected him instantly.'
'That scent is undeniable closer to a human, and without doubt, if I devour his essence, it would be a great boost to my power.'
'It might even take me over the edge and evolve my powers to A-tier Yokai.'
'When this happens, those bullies from the Punishment Committee will no longer dare to look down on me and my girls.'
'It will teach that ugly-fox-faced bastard a lesson.'
(Done)
That took me aback, since it's already been more than a month ago, and you tell me she sniffed me out since that early? Then why hasn't she acted until now? What are her motives to strike now?
My confusion must have shown on my face, because her smile widened.
"Your scent." She practically purred the words. "So unique. So... human."
Moka stiffened beside me, fear for me being exposed evident. I felt the spike of tension in her body, and I wasn't much better. Under that confusion, my heartbeat started to rise, she had hold of one of my weaknesses and fears. It was something I had no control over, since some Yokais had better senses than others.
Looking at both me and Moka, Tamao ignored Moka completely now, gliding closer until she was well within my personal space. Her hand rose, trailing a single cool finger down my free arm, leaving a deliberate damp touch.
"I'm Tamao Ichinose," she breathed, her yellow eyes never leaving mine. "Swimming Club President. And I have a proposition for you, Tsukune-kun."
She moved then—a subtle shift that somehow placed her between me and Moka. Her hand, still on my arm, slid down to my wrist, and in the same motion, she brushed against Moka, and her eyes took a predatory glint that I missed.
Just a touch, nothing but a graze.
But Moka recoiled like she'd been burned.
"Ah!" She stumbled back, releasing my arm, her face twisting with discomfort. Her skin, where Tamao had touched her, was already reacting—a faint redness, like an allergic response.
[Hateful goldfish, so you know the weakness of a Vampire and dare to injure me?]
[Be careful, Outer, avoid getting in contact with those Mermaids.]
'It hurts so much. She only touched me, but my arm is on fire. I hate this body… I can't even take a bath without all the magic herbs that makes water no longer hurt.'
[Stop complaining about something so insignificant. You're just too weak and can't even resist this much water. The problem is not my body, but your willpower.]
'I want to teach this annoying girl a lesson… but I'm too weak and always need your help when it comes to fights.'
[And who says you can't get stronger? Girl, how silly can you be? The Rosario Cross only seals a part of my powers, not everything. This is why you could push around Tsukune without even noticing, because your strength still is my strength.]
[If you want strength, better start working on that, and stop moping around in your own weakness.]
'I want to…I want to be strong enough to protect him myself.'
[Then stop talking about it and do it.]
Seeing how Moka reacted, her pained expression followed by that 'vengeful' expression that had anger in her green eyes, I couldn't hold back my surprise that Vampires had such a 'pathetic' weakness, water… Does that mean, I will also be done in by a little puddle, like how Devil Fruit users are taken out by seawater?
I filed that information away even as Tamao smoothly slid into the space Moka had vacated, pressing her cool, damp body against my side and wrapping both arms around mine in a possessive embrace.
"Now then," she murmured, her voice dropping to an intimate register. "Where were we? Ah, yes. My proposition."
She looked up at me through lashes still beaded with moisture. "Join our club, Tsukune-kun. Be our first male member."
The other girls chimed in like a Greek chorus.
"You'd love it~"
"We'd take such good care of you~"
"Endless pool parties. Private training sessions~"
Tamao's eyes never left mine. "Imagine it. A dozen beautiful girls, all devoted to supporting you. Swimming, training... relaxing together. Whatever you need, we'll provide."
She leaned closer, her lips nearly brushing my ear. "And I mean whatever you need."
Her voice shifted then. That melodic quality intensified, resonating inside my skull like a perfectly tuned instrument, and I couldn't help but imagine a erotic scene at the pool with these beauties serving me as if I was Poseidon, with cool water sliding over my skin, warm bodies pressing tighter and tighter while engaging in a mating session.
The images came wrapped in desire and shifted into nothing as soon as I realized I was being hypnotized.
'Hypnosis. Of course. Because seduction alone wasn't enough.'
'Surprisingly, my resistance to mental spells has increased compared to when I had to deal with Kurumu's tricks. It is reassuring since my fear of being trapped into my mind hasn't diminished whatsoever.'
[Hypnotic attempt detected: Mermaid Song (B-tier)]
[Mental resistance: PASSED]
I blinked as nothing happened, mental fog began clearing in an instant. Tamao's yellow eyes flickered—just for an instant, just a flash of surprise—before her seductive smile returned.
But I'd seen this reaction before. It was the response of someone who never experienced resistance.
"I can't join," I said flatly.
The chorus of mermaids faltered. Smiles flickered.
Tamao tilted her head, still pressed against my side. "Can't? Or won't? Surely you're not going to refuse such a generous offer?" Her voice dropped again, hypnotic undertones weaving through every syllable. "I don't want to let the most handsome first-year slip through my fingers, right, Tsukune-kun? If you join us, I'll support you in anything you need. Anything at all."
'Anything for my human flesh, right?'
I could feel the moisture seeping from her skin through my uniform. The cool, slightly salty dampness of a creature meant for the sea. My vampiric senses cataloged every detail—the rhythm of her pulse, the faint gill-slits hidden beneath her hair, the way her body temperature ran several degrees below human normal.
I gently but firmly extracted my arm from her grip. Not violently, since I had no reason to trigger her hostilities yet. But I can't show myself to be some pathetic simp, thus the deliberate move to clear our boundaries.
"I appreciate the offer," I said, my voice calm and measured. "But I can't join a club my friend can't participate in."
I gestured toward Moka, who still stood at the edge of the group, cradling her irritated arm but watching with fierce protectiveness.
"She has a skin condition. Chlorinated water, prolonged exposure… it's detrimental to her health. Swimming's actually one of my interests. I used to love it, back before..." I trailed off, letting them fill in the blanks. "But I'd rather join a club with my close friend than pursue something alone."
Moka's eyes went wide.
For a moment, her face cycled through emotions too fast to track—surprise, disbelief, and something that looked almost like tears starting to form. Her lips parted, probably to say something soft and vulnerable—
[Don't you dare cry. Not here and especially not in front of those muts. Honor him by being strong—he deserves to see you strong.]
Moka's jaw tightened. The tears didn't fall. Instead, she straightened, meeting Tamao's gaze with an expression I'd never seen on her gentle face.
[...Unexpected.]
[For once, he looks like how a real man should look.]
[Perhaps I misjudged him.]
For a heartbeat, the masks slipped.
One of the mermaids behind me let out a derisive snort. "Oh, please. A 'medical condition'? How convenient."
"Probably just making excuses," another added, her sweet voice twisting into something uglier. "If she can't swim, that's her problem. Why should you miss out?"
"Typical princess response," a third muttered. "Can't handle a little water, but wants to monopolize all the cute boys."
Tamao's expression flickered too. Something predatory lurked beneath the surface charm now, sharp and calculating. "Tsukune-kun, don't be naive." Her voice lost its hypnotic lilt, replaced by something colder. "You can't spend all your time babysitting one girl. Think about your own future. Your own pleasures."
"Your time at the Yokai Academy should be spent making connections with the future leaders of the Yokai Society and having fun while you still can."
The disdain in their voices. The way they dismissed Moka like she was nothing—an obstacle to be moved, not a person to be respected.
Something cold settled in my chest.
I looked at each of them in turn. Rin, still smirking. Mizuki, playing with a strand of turquoise hair. Kaiyo, arms crossed, impatient. Nami, the quiet one, watching me with eyes that held something almost like regret.
Then back to Tamao.
"I said no."
My voice came out flat. Calm. The kind of calm that comes before a storm…
"I don't join clubs that insult my friends. I don't join clubs where the members think they're entitled to whatever they want. And I really don't join clubs run by people who can't take no for an answer."
The silence that followed was absolute.
Tamao's expression froze. For a single, beautiful moment, she looked genuinely uncertain—like a predator who'd just realized the prey had teeth.
Then her face smoothed over, and she laughed. Light, perfectly controlled as if she had done this before.
"My apologies, Tsukune-kun." She released my arm, stepping back with a graceful bow. "My girls got... overeager. We've been trying to recruit our first male member for months, you see. Before we allow others to join us, the first one needs to be special. This is why, desperation makes us forget our manners."
She straightened, offering a smile that was almost apologetic. Almost.
"Let me try again. Properly this time."
(Tamao's Internal Monologue)
'Interesting. Very interesting.'
'The hypnosis should have worked. It always works. Even B-tier yokai struggle against the Song when I'm this close. But he just... blinked it away like morning fog.'
'No. He is deliberately, consciously resisting my Hypnosis.'
'How is his mental defenses so strong? How can a mere human resist me?'
'Could it be? It is from that power I feel from his body? Being this close, I can vaguely sense it, akin to a second heartbeat, drawing in the ambiental Yoki around us.'
'Tsk, fine. If I can't take him by charm, I'll take him by cunning. If I can't take him by cunning, I'll take him by force.'
'But I will take him.'
'Because girls like us don't get second chances, Tamao. You know this. You've always known this. If I want to become as strong as the legendary Mermaid Scylla, I have to devour Tsukune's essence.' (A/N: The Mermaid from The Odyssey or if you're too young for that, Hades II Game.)
'One way or another, Aono Tsukune is leaving with me today.'
She stepped forward—
[Warning]
[Tamao Ichinose hostility level: ELEVATED]
Her yellow eyes locked onto mine with the patience of deep water.
"Tsukune-kun." Her voice dropped, losing the hypnotic lilt but gaining something else. Something almost like honesty. "Let me be direct with you. The club offer is genuine. A dozen girls who would support you, train with you, appreciate you. That's not nothing in this academy."
She gestured vaguely at the festival around us. "All of this—the clubs, the politics, the endless social maneuvering apart from the facade that it is to teach us how to act like humans, no one believes that nonsense. The role of the Festival and of the Academy it's to build connections between us, Yokais."
"It's about building something that lasts. The Swimming Club has been all-female since its founding. Making you our first male member would be... significant. For all of us."
Her eyes never left mine.
"But I won't pretend that's all I want."
"You interest me, Tsukune-kun." Tamao's voice softened, and for a moment—just a moment—I caught a glimpse of something beneath the predator. Something tired. Something that had been fighting alone for a long time. "Not just your face—though that doesn't hurt. The way you looked at me like I was a person, not a prize."
"Tsukune, don't listen to her!" Moka's voice cut through the moment, sharp with fear I hadn't heard since the forest with Saizo. "She's using her ability! She's trying to—"
She reached for me, trying to break Tamao's hold, but the other mermaids moved faster.
Rin's hand shot out, catching Moka's wrist. And as she did, her arm shifted—skin taking on a scaled pattern, fingers webbing slightly, water droplets forming from nowhere and dripping onto Moka's skin.
"Where do you think you're going?" Rin's voice dripped with contempt.
Moka froze, hissing, recoilling instinctively as the drops landed. But she didn't retreat nor did she fall back. Her jaw tightened, and she pushed against Rin's grip, trying to reach me anyway.
Where the droplets landed, faint redness bloomed, like an allergic reaction.
"Let go of my hand," she said, her voice low and trembling with something that wasn't fear, "you goldfish."
Rin's sneer widened. She flicked her hand deliberately, sending more droplets toward Moka, who flinched back—right into the path of another mermaid.
Mizuki, the turquoise-haired one, had circled behind. Her arm, also partially transformed, dripped with seawater. "Aww, what's wrong?" Her voice was mock-sweet. "Can't handle a little water? How pathetic."
Something in Moka's expression changed.
The fear didn't vanish, but something else surfaced beneath it. Something I'd never seen in her sweet side. Something that looked almost like—
She moved.
Both hands shot out, catching Mizuki square in the chest, and Moka shoved.
Mizuki's eyes went wide. Her feet left the ground—just for an instant, just a few inches—before she crashed onto her back, sliding across the damp tiles in a tangle of turquoise hair and undignified limbs.
The courtyard went silent.
Everyone stared at Moka.
Moka stared at her own hands, looking almost as surprised as everyone else.
'Wow. Is she the same bubbly Moka? The one who couldn't even bring herself to take care of the roaches in her room?'
'Not bad at all. That's my girl.'
"Okay." I raised my hands, palms out, in a placating gesture. Not toward the mermaids—toward Moka. "Okay, everyone. Let's calm down."
I moved toward her, positioning myself between her and the recovering Mizuki. "Moka. Look at me."
She did. Her eyes were wide, pupils blown, breath coming in short gasps, but she was present, still there with me.
"I'm fine," I said quietly. "See? Not a scratch. You don't need to fight them."
"But they—she—" Words failed her.
"I know." I kept my voice low, meant only for her. "But getting into a brawl here, now, with the festival going on? That's what they want. Don't give it to them."
She stared at me for a long moment. Then, slowly, some of the tension bled from her shoulders.
I turned back to Tamao. Mizuki was on her feet now, soaked and furious, held back by Kaiyo's restraining hand. Rin looked ready to escalate. Nami had moved closer to the group's center, her quiet eyes watching everything.
"Your hospitality," I said flatly, "leaves something to be desired."
Tamao's expression didn't change. "My apologies. Again." A pause. "Perhaps we should continue this conversation somewhere more... private. Less crowded."
I considered her. Considered the five mermaids, all watching me with varying degrees of hunger and hostility. Considered Moka, still trembling from her own adrenaline rush of fighting back against a bully.
"You know what?" I let out a breath that was almost a laugh. "Fine. Let's do this."
Moka's head snapped toward me. "Tsukune—"
I held up a hand.
"You went to all this trouble," I said to Tamao. "Coming all over from the pool with your main club members just to invite a boring guy like me. Even made a scene that puts me into a pickle." I ticked each point off on my fingers. "The least I can do is take a tour of your club, otherwise, I doubt things would end nicely between us, right?"
"Let's see if it's worth my time… and if I decide to join the club, it would be a part-time thing, just whenever I feel like taking a swim and relaxing."
Tamao could feel that something was changing, maybe my aura, maybe she wanted to see Moka in tears and pain, while toying with me, I couldn't tell.
The silence stretched.
Then, slowly, Tamao smiled.
"Part-time," she repeated. "When you feel like it."
"That's the offer." I confirmed her my intent, so take it or leave it, mermaid.
She studied me for a long moment. I couldn't read her expression—too many layers, too much calculation beneath the surface.
Then she laughed. Genuine this time. Surprised out of her.
"You're either very brave or very stupid, Tsukune-kun."
"I get that a lot."
"I imagine you do." She inclined her head—not quite a bow, but acknowledgment. "Very well. A tour. We can discuss... arrangements... afterward."
Hearing me say all of that raised a smirking grin from the Mermaids, while for Moka, it scared her silly, she double-checked her stare at me, thinking that I was unde hypnosis just like with Kurumu.
(Moka's POV)
[Stop panicking.]
[He's not being controlled. Look at his eyes. He's scheming something bad again.]
'But how can you be sure? He was easily controlled by Kurumu-chan.'
[Kurumu was a month ago. He's not that weak human anymore. Besides, I think I understand what he's doing.]
'What do you mean?'
[His gift. Remember? By defeating foes he can turn a part of their essence into nutrients for his body. Thus, increasing his powers considerably.]
'I remember that. He told you, and you told me later on when we were alone. But I still don't understand, why bother going there?'
[I assume there are some conditions he didn't told me on how his gift works. It must be because of that.]
'But what if something goes wrong? What if they're stronger than he expects?'
[Then he learns a valuable lesson about overconfidence.]
The words were cold, but something beneath them softened.
[And if he truly can't handle it—if he's about to lose—I want you to follow. Watch from a distance. If he's winning, stay back. If he's losing...]
[...If he's losing, I'll deal with it myself.]
'I thought you wouldn't interfere if you told me to stay out of it.'
[Hmph, don't sound so surprised, other me. He's mine to break. No one else gets the privilege.]
[I'll rather stay out of his fights, since that's something he has to do in order to grow stronger in this strong-eats-weak world that we live in.]
(Tsukune's POV)
The mermaids had begun moving, forming a loose escort around us as we walked toward the pool building. Their whispers carried just loud enough for me to catch fragments—"finally," "took long enough," "the president's plan actually worked"—but not enough to piece together whatever scheme they were weaving.
However, by this point I was done with playing games, and just wanted for this day to be done with, maybe visit later on Shizuka-sensei's Newspaper Club since it's the type of club that was deeply involved in the arts of gathering information, and thus building up a spy network.
I already had began gathering my own pawns, so, with the umbrella of the Newspaper Club, I could have an official reason to easily gather people to work for me. Of course I'll try to be fair with their 'services', but if they are too stubborn I don't mind teaching them another lesson.
What mattered now was Moka.
I maneuvered subtly, letting the flow of the group carry me closer to her. The mermaids, focused on their victory, didn't notice when my hand found the small of her back, doing a caress as I leaned in, lips near her ears.
"You did so well back there. Standing up to them and even pushing that annoying bitch on her ass." A pause. "I'm proud of you."
"At the pool, please, don't get too jealous if the mermaids get handsy with me. They will try their usual tricks on me to lower my own guard, allowing them to claim their meal." A ghost of a smile tugged at my lips. "I'm planning to do a uno-reverse on them. As for their touching, think of it strictly as business."
"Ahh, and to not forget. If things turn ugly—really ugly—you get away from the pool. Don't worry, I will not need Inner to clean after me, at least not this time."
She stared at me for a long moment.
Then, slowly, impossibly, she smiled too.
"You're impossible."
"I know."
"If you're really going to do this—then you need to promise me something."
"Anything."
She leaned in, her own lips finding my ear, her voice dropping to a whisper that sent shivers down my spine.
"Don't get hurt."
"I won't.."
"And when all of this is over…" She pulled back just enough to meet my eyes, and there was something in them I'd never seen before, resolve? "You're going to let me have a bite of your blood."
I blinked.
Then laughed—soft enough that the mermaids ahead didn't hear.
"You're full of surprises today, Moka-chan."
Her cheeks colored, but she held my gaze.
"Deal?" she pressed.
I reached up, tucking a strand of pink hair behind her ear with a tenderness that made her breath catch.
"We have a deal, young lady."