Story: Tainted Cube: Join the Club

Man, in future Rosario threads I should probably make Kurumu win a little more. Seem to be getting into a bad habit of Worf Effecting her.


Oh, but Ataru’s foul luck! How terrible it truly is. Though it seems as though he is steadily acquiring the harem he’s always sought, the girls he’s got for that very purpose are turning out to be rather bad luck for him in bed. Electrocutions. Crushing strength. Demonic possession. Given what’s up ahead the pattern is likely to continue with every cute chick he encounters, and by now he must surely realise that as well.

If only he could keep up with them, he happened to be thinking at the time. If only he could have it within himself to keep up with those girls then everything would be quite alright.

Well, far be it from the cube to ignore such a request! Unfortunately, it missed its target once again. This time it would be Tsukune Aono, receiving the gift of the stamina of the gods.

<hr>

So there he was enjoying his “breakfast”, with Moka riding him while Kurumu and Tamao took turns feeding him bits of their prepared meals while clad in nothing more than an apron.

To describe Tsukune completely and fully these days it is probably only fair to use the words “lucky bastard” several times. At the moment it would also be rather fair to use terms such as “sweat drenched”, “completely exhausted” and “too damned turned on to care”.

Trying to satisfy three girls at once is a herculean effort. It is even more so when one is a succubus and the other the vampire love of your life. The very fact that he was capable of standing by the time he’d had his “breakfast” was a testament to his tenacity and his determination to make sure the girls were having as good a time as he was.

Except… All of a sudden that exhaustion just sort of vanished into the ether. Where before he had been gasping for breath with aching muscles, now Tsukune was ready to go, go, go! His mind didn’t consciously acknowledge the fact, but only because he was rather preoccupied with the other things his senses were telling him about the wonderful things happening to him even at that moment.

“Today’s the day we join club activities,” Kurumu said with a coyish giggle. She pulled Tsukune’s face right into her breasts, smothering him with her bare, warm, inviting flesh. “I’m so happy we can be in the same club together!”

“Are you sure I cannot persuade you to remain in the swimming club?” Tamao said, gently stroking the back of Tsukune’s head. “It would be such a shame to lose you.”

Somehow he managed to pull himself free from the suffocating (yet pleasant) grip, even as he shuddered and came inside Moka. The euphoric expression on her face was so cute, it very nearly made him want to go another round.

“No, but thanks for the offer,” he said. “It’s becoming increasingly clear to me that the school is only partially successful at its mission, and we are the only ones who can do anything about it.”

“I’m afraid I don’t quite understand,” Tamao said. “What do you mean by mission?”

“The intention is to teach monsters how to behave among humans, right?” Tsukune pulled himself away from Moka and found to his complete amazement that he was feeling completely fresh as though he’d just woken up from a perfect night of sleep. Even though he’d spent the last hour giving each of these three very eager and attractive girls a very thorough -

“Sorry, Tsukune, but I’ve not had anything to eat yet myself,” Moka said, suddenly appearing behind him and sinking her fangs into his neck. As always this peculiar brand of kiss made his entire body feel limp and wonderful even as she feasted on his life essence. After a moment she backed away with hands pressed against her cheek. “I’m sorry! You just taste so good! I can’t help it, especially after something like that! Here’s a kiss to make up for it.”

It was kind of amazing how fast a learner Moka was. Though her kisses had always been pleasant since they’d first started, over this last week the two of them had been getting increasingly more passionate and inferno hot. Given how lightheaded he was at the moment it was all Tsukune could do to hold her close and once again feel her soft body pressed against his.

Once again: Lucky bastard.

“This is what I’m talking about,” he said. “Moka can’t help but feed on my blood. Kurumu came to the school with the intention of building an all-male harem for herself. And the entire swimming team can’t help but feed off their fellow monsters by luring them into the water! Have any of you heard a single word about it? Because I’ve lived in the human world, and the way you girls are behaving right now would get you noticed very quickly.

“Which is why we’re going to join the newspaper club! Moka and I have lived among humans long enough that we can write plenty of articles about tips to avoid being noticed - Though I think Moka may need a refresher course - and Kurumu can use her natural charm and charisma to get interviews with students or faculty. By being members of this club we can get a better understanding of the very beating heart of the school and help the students grow and develop in a way that’s beneficial to humans and monsters alike!”

And then they would eliminate any possible stigma between him and Moka spending the rest of their lives together. And then they could fulfill their promise. And then would come the happiest of endings.

“Oh, Tsukune! You’re so smart!” Kurumu said, once again smothering him with her assets. “We’ll have the student body turned around in no time at all! Between your brains and my beauty, we can’t possibly lose!”

“Hm, we could maybe do an interview with Tamao to start with?” Moka suggested. “After all, by this point most of the school probably knows about the swimming club’s feeding strategy. Maybe it would be helpful if you could reassure people that things are going to change in future?”

“The girls won’t like it,” Tamao said. “But I am sure we will find other ways to slate our hunger.”

“I have faith in you, Tamao!” Moka brightly said, causing a hint of a blush to form on the mermaid’s cheeks. Tsukune couldn’t blame her. Moka was effortlessly adorable! But a glance at the clock told him that this was not the time for such things. They had to get dressed and get to class!

<hr>

Ah, it truly was an absolutely beautiful day! Absolutely perfect for photography, in this second-year student’s opinion. Neither too bright nor too dark nor too damp. Comfortable. That sort of weather relaxes people, makes them more photogenic and carefree.

What was more, it was a particularly special day. New club members! Haha! Two of them girls, and the last of them… Well. Gin honestly didn’t know what to make of the many rumours surrounding this Tsukune boy.

It was a natural enough thing that even in a school where it was forbidden to reveal your true form, rumours would escalate about what kind of monster everyone was. For some it was easy. Others much harder. But it never took long for the rumours to settle and everybody pretty much unofficially “knew” what one another really was. It never came up in polite conversation but it was rather a point of interest among many of the students. Which meant it was rather apparent that Moka was a vampire, Kurumu was a succubus… But Tsukune? Nobody knew. No one had the faintest idea. Some said he was a member of the long-lost incubus race, but if that were true Kurumu and he would have tried to kill one another on sight.

Gin stopped a moment to pick some flowers from the garden, and simultaneously take a few upskirt shots of a girl wandering down the adjacent path. “So beautiful,” he said. “I can hardly wait to see how it compares to the two new club members.”

A mystery like that was begging to be solved, but Gin’s priorities were rather elsewhere. For example, if his watch was right he’d wound up being late for the club meeting! How dreadfully unfortunate! He straightened himself out - not that he particularly had to - and strode through the door with a purposeful cocky swagger.

“Man, I’m sorry!” he said. “Here I am, late on the first day! I’m the president of this newspaper club, Ginei Morioka. Pleased to meet you.”

The four other people in the room turned to look towards him, and Gin had to admit that his expectations were anything but disappointed. He hurried over towards the two beauties and pressed a bouquet into each of their arms, saying, “Ooh! The teacher told me about you! What a beautiful new club member you are! You can call me Gin. Ahhh! Red flowers are always suitable for lovely ladies!”

He stopped for a moment to stare at one of them in particular. This was Moka. There was no question of it. His superior nostrils could trace the scent of a vampire any day of the week. Such an absolute cutie!

“Gin is the only second-year member,” Miss Nekonome said. “Just ask him anything you don’t know about this club. Well! I must be going! I have a staff meeting to attend to! Please take care of the rest of the club proceedings!”

“Heh! You can count on me!” Gin replied. But of course, it wouldn’t be all that difficult for someone like him to handle these three. He took his place at the head of the room and thought over what to say. It would be so much fun to have some underlings for once!

“Hm, let’s see,” he began. “First, I’ll give you an explanation of what sort of club this is. The goal of the newspaper club is - obviously - to publish the school newspaper. Most of your activity will involve reporting on all kinds of events within the academy and putting them in the newspaper.”

His mood grew a little darker, as his mind cast back to the events of the previous year. The battles they’d had to fight… The battles they’d lost and the wounds that had been struck… “We’ll be put into dangerous situations time and time again for the sake of reporting. I’ll tell you right now, this ain’t gonna be an easy ride. Once you’ve joined, you should've prepare yourself!”

It was only after he’d finished talking that he remembered: He was talking to first years. This was not something that should concern them. This was not something that should worry them. The events of last year were in the past, and that was where they would remain.

<i>”Gin… You can’t stand up to them! Kuyou and his damn council -”</i>

No matter how painful the memories may well be.

“Just messing with you!” he said, laughing and slapping the desk playfully. “Let’s have some fun without all that serious talk. Come on, these are our poster ads. I’d like you to put them up on the walls.”

Ah yes, the posters designed by their advisor. A lovely image of her playfully and cutely pointing at a simple message advising people to read the newspaper. Not the adverstisement he would have designed, but then again if he went around posting that all over school he might well wind up expelled.

<hr>

Well, this Gin person seemed like one of the more reasonable monsters he’d met since coming to the school. Then again, one had tried to slam him into a wall, one had considered making him into her slave, another intended to drain his life force and another sort of kind of fed on his blood from time to time. Then there were all the jealous male students staring at him and his inexplicable harem with murderous envy.

It’s not exactly a high bar to cross, but he’d take what he could get.

“Is this high enough?” Kurumu asked, leaning up against a wall from atop a ladder to try and pin one of those weird posters up.

“No, make it higher,” Gin replied with a strange smile. “It’ll be much more visible if you put it up higher.”

What sort of person was this president of the newspaper club anyway? It was kind of difficult to get a read on him. On the one hand he was sometimes pretty serious, but on the other he was a complete goofball or a flirt. Would he be a valuable asset? Should he use his ability on him to make him understand the need to assist monster and human cooperation?

… What was he even looking at just now?

“Even higher?”

“Yeah, much, much higher!”

Why was he crouching on the ground like that? Surely he’d want to see it from eye level to make sure it was properly visible to anyone that entered. And that glint in his eye… Where was he actually looking? Wait. Wait. He wasn’t -

“Hey, what are you doing?! Cut that out!” he yelled. “Are you really making them put those posters up higher just for that sort of reason?!”

“Huh?” Gin shrugged, feigning complete ignorance. “What <i>are</i> you talking about?”

“You were trying to peep up their skirts, weren’t you?” Tsukune seethed.

“No way! I’m not the kind of guy who would do something so lame!” Gin laughed, a more blatant attempt at deflection and deception Tsukune had never seen in his entire damn life.

“What’s going on?” Moka asked, hopping off the ladder alongside Kurumu.

“This guy was peeping up your skirt,” Gin said. “Got a complete eyeful of your panties.”

You know, it didn’t exactly make sense at first why they reacted the way they did. After all, he’d seen them naked several times. He’d worshipped practically every inch of both of their bodies. Why would it bother them if he saw their underwear? Well, it’s obvious, really: They didn’t particularly enjoy the idea of the boy they liked doing something so dirty without them knowing about it. Engaging in an orgy is quite one thing. Peeking at a girl’s underwear without her permission was quite another. Before Tsukune could do much more than stammer a brief denial that actually included the honest truth that he had actually glimpsed their underwear shortly after realising what Gin was up to - well, they slapped him.

And let it be known that being slapped simultaneously by a vampire and a succubus is more than enough to leave a human boy’s bell well and truly rung.

“Haha, well, thanks to you this meeting is at an end for now,” Gin said, patting Tsukune on the back as the two girls huffed off out of the room. “You really are a moron, aren’t you?”

Right. So. Once he got a little feeling back in his mouth, he was going to have a few Words with this president. Things were going to change around here, and they were going to change with a great deal of speed.

Little did he realise that speed and change was the very issue he’d have to worry about… But not in the way he was thinking.

<hr>

The water of the pool was so still that one might never guess there was anything lurking within. But there was. A lone figure easily gliding back and forth underneath the water without the need to rise for air. She was a mermaid. This was her habitat. This is where she belonged.

For the first time in her life Tamao Ichinose felt strangely alone, and the water within the pool did not help to soothe her in the slightest. Her fellow club members had left a scant five minutes prior, but she barely even noticed. Swimming used to be her joy, but now she felt nothing but emptiness.

Were the others enjoying themselves in the newspaper club? Were they even now organising their first release? Were they writing articles, conducting research, taking photos, assigning tasks and whatever else it would entail? Tamao felt a longing she’d never experienced before. A lonely, empty longing. To be with them again. To know their company, to know their friendship. To know them.

Another presence had entered the water. Tamao grew stiff - Two of them. A pair of feet dangling into the pool, splashing along the surface. She did not recognise the smell. It was nobody she met, no species she knew. All she knew was it was two girls. So who -

Tamao broke the surface and whipped back her soaking wet hair in a manner that cast an image many photographers would give their right arm for an opportunity to film. She spun her eyes directly at the two intruders, and beheld the pair of them clutching hands and gently kissing on the edge of the pool. One had hair that was black as night, the other was greener than any grass could hope to be. “Ahem!” Tamao said, and the two of them promptly broke apart.

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry,” the green-haired one said.

“We didn’t see you there,” the black-haired one added.

There was something about this pair. Something she didn’t like one little bit. Her instincts were telling her that these two were dangerous, very dangerous and absolutely had to be avoided at all costs. So be it.

“Is there something I can help you with?” she asked from the middle of the pool. In this position she was entirely invulnerable. Nobody could touch her. Just so long as she didn’t fall for any bait to make her leave the pool, she couldn’t be touched!

“Well, now that you mention it. Doesn’t she look lonely?” the green-haired one asked.

“Yes, she rather does!” the black-haired one continued. “She looks so sad. Maybe we should keep her company?”

“That’s such a good idea!” the green-haired one replied, and Tamao suddenly recognised that gleam in her eyes. A predator stalking its prey, and she was the prey! How dare they try to hunt her in her own territory! She would teach them the folly of their ways the moment they even tried!

“That will not be necessary!” Tamao seethed at the pair. What manner of monsters were they? Until they showed their true colours, she dare not make the first move.

“Oh, I quite disagree!” the green-haired one said. “I mean, your friends have left you here all alone.”

“So alone,” the black-haired one said, taking the opportunity to nuzzle the green-haired one’s neck.

“It’s almost as if they didn’t care about you at all,” the green-haired one sighed.

“So mean of them!” the black-haired one continued, drawing away from her friend for only a moment.

“But we’re different! We’re smarter than that. We know that us girls have to stick together!”

“If we don’t look out for each other, who will?”

“Very soothing words,” Tamao said. “Now, what are you really after?”

The two girls blinked and tilted their heads in amusement. Then they told her. Tamao’s face went pale, and she began to swim away from the pair at high speed, desperate to warn someone of what she’d just learned… She didn’t get very far, unfortunately. Not even a mermaid can outswim a bolt of lightning.

“Looks like we’ll have to teach her the hard way,” the green-haired one said. “Shinobu, if you wouldn’t mind?”

“It would be my pleasure, Lum, dearest!” Shinobu said as she dove into the water.

<hr>

By now one would think that Tsukune might have learned not to follow monsters into places by himself, but one did not reckon with Gin’s natural charm and charisma. If and when he said something like “there’s something down here you need to check out”, then most people would probably believe in what he was saying. Besides which, Gin was very obviously only interested in girls.

Moreover, Tsukune felt rather certain that he could probably talk his way out of any trouble if Gin did try something. Depending on whether that strange power decided to work.

“We’re here!” Gin said with a laugh. “This is the place, Tsukune!” The newspaper club president pointed at a high window, just over a bench. “See that window? Why doncha take a peek inside?”

“Why?” Tsukune asked. “What’s in there?”

“Ah, ah! Don’t worry! It’s not gonna bite or anything! Just take a look. It’ll be interesting!”

Tsukune shrugged and stepped onto the bench. Sure. Why not? He climbed reached up to the window’s outer ledge and pulled himself up while Gin continued to speak.

“Oh, and one more thing,” Gin casually started. “Moka is even better than I’ve heard. Y’know, I really like her! She’s even got me falling in love at first sight.”

Tsukune stared back at him. Was Gin challenging him for Moka’s affections? He felt anger boil up inside. No! He would never surrender Moka! Not to Gin, not to anyone! The two of them were going to spend the rest of their lives together, and there was absolutely nothing Gin or anyone else could do or say to keep them apart!

“I’m serious! I’m going to make Moka my woman!”

“Why are you telling me this now?” Tsukune demanded, but before he could go any further in insisting on an answer he heard a voice coming from within the window.

“Order!” a female voice yelled. “I bring this meeting to order!”

What was even going on in there just now? Tsukune pulled himself up, having to stand on tiptoes to see into the room properly, and very nearly fell off when he realised what room he was looking into. This was the girls’ changing room! At the very least it was a changing room, and it was full of girls so his conclusion was logically consistent, but this was no time to worry about that sort of thing!

There were two girls standing at the front of the room, ninety degrees to the window from which Tsukune was peering in. The two of them were in his opinion rather strikingly beautiful, in a similar otherworldly vein to Moka. One of them mostly looked like an ordinary girl until your gaze shifted slightly, and you found yourself refocusing on her to try and figure out what it was you were missing. Was it the bottomless darkness of her hair? The range of emotions sparkling in her eyes? The mirth on her lips? Tsukune could not say.

The other was even more obviously otherworldly. Her hair looked so green that she must stand out in any crowd! Even so! Even if her hair was not so visually unique there was an electric aura around her, one of excitement and sparkling energy. This was the kind of beauty that drew the eye towards it and kept its attention stuck right to it without any intention of letting it leave.

For some reason the two of them were holding hands, and the accumulated effect was even more stunning. The two of them looked like they belonged together, and Tsukune found himself hoping that someday he and Moka looked like that as well. The perfect couple. Side by side. Happy. Content. Breathtaking together.

“Our plan to take over the school is almost at the conclusion of stage one,” the green-haired one said.

“We very nearly have complete control over every female student in class!” the black-haired one said. The two of them turned their heads and pecked one another on the lips. Every other girl in the room sighed in unison.

Tsukune suddenly ducked away from the window. What was this? A plan to take over the school? Was this what Gin was trying to show him? A story like this would certainly draw the newspaper club’s attention! He must have an amazing nose for a story! Tsukune turned towards Gin, feeling certain he’d underestimated the club president -

“Peeping is a crime, Tsukune!” Gin said, holding out a phone towards Tsukune that showed a rather clear image of him peeping into the window with rapt attention. “If Moka sees a picture like this, she’ll hate you forever!”

“Shut up about that and get over here,” Tsukune hissed. “Listen to what they’re talking about!”

Gin frowned at this unexpected reaction and reluctantly stepped forward, pressing his ears against the wall. Tsukune risked peeping in the window again, hoping that he could escape detection long enough to find out what was going on around here!

“As for the next step!” the green-haired one said.

“We aim for every girl in our year!” the black-haired one finished.

“Um… Miss Lum? Miss Shinobu? What about the boys?” a girl near the front whispered, turning away and blushing when the pair turned their attention towards her. They both strode forward, standing directly in front of the girl and the black-haired one forcefully but gently turned her head towards the green-haired one.

“An excellent question,” the green-haired one said, gently kissing the girl on the forehead. It very much looked like she might faint. “There’s one thing you need to know about boys!”

“There’s little they love to see more than hot girls making out!” the black-haired one giggled.

“They’re kind of stupid that way!” both said in unison.

Tsukune was suddenly and forcefully yanked away from the wall. Initially he believed he had been caught in the act, but instead it was Gin with a rather more serious expression on his face.

“This could be quite bad,” the club president said in a very low voice. “We should discuss this somewhere else. If what they’re talking about is correct, then we absolutely cannot trust any girls. Though it breaks my heart to think it!”

Tsukune nodded. To stumble upon a conspiracy like this… “No… We need more evidence,” he slowly said. “We don’t even know for certain how serious they are! I mean, it almost sounds like they’re brainwashing female students and intending to use them to seduce the boys into doing whatever they want!”

“Heh. Checking up on your sources?” Gin smirked. “You’re a natural reporter already! Why, with a little guidance you’ll be almost as great as I am!”

Wasn’t he trying to blackmail him just a couple of minutes ago? Sad part was, for something like this Gin was probably the person he could trust the most right now…

“Of course it goes without saying that once this is resolved one way or the other, I’m going to do absolutely anything I can to make Moka mine. Alliance of convenience, nothing more than that.”

Tsukune smiled back at the club president, feeling like he’d been cornered by the big bad wolf. When the time was right he’d have to do something about that.

<hr>

It was a bad habit to get into, but she couldn’t help but worry about that boy. How could she not? After all, she was fairly thoroughly convinced by now that he was her destined one true love and future mate, so even if she was a bit embarrassed by his actions earlier she couldn’t simply leave him alone just like that! Especially seeing him being led off behind the girls’ locker room by the club president. It just seemed so strange and mysterious that she couldn’t help but listen in to what they were doing.

“Brainwashing female students,” she mumbled to herself, watching the pair trail off. She could be the perfect help for something like this, but… But they couldn’t trust her. After all, how would it look? “Hey guys, I overheard you talking about a plot to hypnotise all the girls in school and wanted to help! What? Oh, it was just a coincidence I happened to be nearby and didn’t let you know about it. I wasn’t keeping tabs on you at all! Honest!”

There really wasn’t anything else for it. She’d have to investigate on the side, then feed them evidence without revealing who it was giving it to them. At least until after it was all over! Why, Tsukune would surely be impressed with her quick thinking and - Oh, it would be so much fun!

“Hello, Kurumu,” a familiar voice said. Tamao. Just the patsy she was looking for! After all, investigating by herself was a little too risky, and it wouldn’t be too difficult to get the mermaid to keep quiet. “You seem rather happy. Did something good happen at the newspaper club?” she said, with a peculiar lilt in her voice. How strange. Were her eyes always that peculiar shade of pink? Never mind, it was probably just chlorine in the water making them look bloodshot or something.

“Well, you’ll never guess what I heard,” Kurumu said. “I have reason to believe someone is going around brainwashing all the girls! It’s up to us to find out who it is and keep an eye out for one another, watch each other’s backs.”

“Naturally,” Tamao said, swaying slightly from side to side with a peculiar smile on her face. “I will protect you just as much as I know that you will protect me, and - Kurumu! Look out! Behind you!”

It was the oldest trick in the book. If a literal, actual book existed page one would read “This work is dedicated to ‘It is behind you!’ without which this would not have been possible.” But still, people did fall for it. The real trick is in the execution. Not the method.

<hr>

Kurumu blinked as the light swarmed into her vision, and blinked very slowly. What happened last night? Was this a hangover? She reached up to touch the back of her head and found that her hand didn’t obey the command, though it did make a decent attempt.

“Awake, I see!” said an unfamiliar voice.

“Not a moment too soon,” said another.

Kurumu tried to turn her head, but found that she was bound in place. Her hands and legs were completely immobile, and her head was fastened in place by - Something or other. Her eyes darted around the room, frantically seeking out the source of the giggles. At which point two girls stepped forward on either side of her, two she’d never really seen before.

“Hi there,” said the one with green hair. “I’m Lum. My father was an oni.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” said the one with black hair. “I’m Shinobu, and my daddy was an ogre.”

“And our mothers were nymphs!” they both said in giggly unison.

Nymphs. That sort of almost made sense. At the point of monster evolution, succubi and nymphs were closer than most monsters ever got. Both had certain bewitching powers, and both could easily use sex as a means of nutrition… But succubi were way better at it. Why? Because they fed on men. Nymphs fed on women, delighting in sending them into the heights of sexual frenzy.

This was much easier to do with the male gender, meaning nymphs needed to put out more power than their nearest rivals. Hell! All Kurumu had to do was walk down a corridor in her normal clothes and virtually every boy in the area fed her enough to keep her going through the day.

“I thought you lot were extinct,” she said very carefully. It wasn’t as though succubi were faring particularly better these days. Evolution was a bit of a bitch like that. Up one generation, down a couple thousand generations later.

“Strictly speaking, there are no more nymphs left,” Lum said.

“Only us half breeds. Isn’t it tragic?” Shinobu pouted.

Tragic, yeah. Half-breed monsters weren’t exactly a popular bunch in the monster world to say the very least. Ancestry played a big deal here, and those at the bottom of the ladder are always extremely jealous of those at the top.

“Hmph! If it’s just a pair of half-breed nymphs, I don’t have anything to worry about at all!” Kurumu said, suddenly feeling a great deal more confident with herself. “What even is the difference between an ogre and an oni anyway? You said it like it matters!”

Which is when Kurumu found herself and the chair she was strapped on lifted completely into the air by Shinobu, who was only exerting pressure at all with her pinky finger. Super strength, then. Hardly seemed particularly original, but she wasn’t about to criticise someone who apparently had the ability to crush her skull like a grape. Like a grape that had been left out in the sun for a week.

“But that’s nothing compared to what my lovely Lum can do!” Shinobu said, carefully placing Kurumu-et-chair back where she was.

“You are far too kind!” Lum said, extending an upturned hand. Electricity danced along her fingertips. “Maybe that’s why I have such a spark for you.”

“So what do you want with me?” Kurumu spat. “No, don’t tell me! You’re going to try brainwashing me! I guess it really is true! Those that fail history are doomed to repeat it!”

“Well, that is rather a true statement,” Lum said, withdrawing her hand.

“But the saying is that those who <b>do not learn from</b> history are doomed to repeat it,” Shinobu finished, gently stroking Kurumu’s cheek.

“And we most certainly have learned from history, haven’t we?” Lum said with a slightly darker tone.

“We certainly have!” Shinobu said, withdrawing her hand before wheeling around to slap the taste right out of Kurumu’s mouth. “One of our most potent ancestors once tried to seduce a succubus, and found herself easily resisted.”

“Such is the folly of pride!” Lum sighed, though she was now beginning to show fangs. A sign of her oni heritage? “She was arrogant and unprepared, and it almost ended with our extinction!”

“Today is a new day! In a new era!” Shinobu said, gently forcing Kurumu to stare up at the ceiling. “If nymphs must go extinct, then so be it. But with your help, with your eager little assistance we shall be taking over this little school.”

“And from there, perhaps even the world! Oh gosh, was that too cartoonish?”

“Yeah,” Kurumu said. “It really wa-mph!”

Lum had struck like a snake, slipping forward to seize her lips with a speed that left her stunned. Was she floating in the air? Another mark of her oni heritage? What else could oni do? Think, Kurumu, think! What else can oni do?! Come to it, what could ogres do? If she was going to get out of this she had to…

Without warning Kurumu felt herself moan. Not just with her mouth. With her entire being. Lum withdrew from her mouth and she was gasping for air, feeling the faint tickle of static electricity playing from her lips.

“Do you like my electric kiss?” Lum asked. She reached out, and brushed a hand against Kurumu’s cheek much as Shinobu had earlier except - Ah! Wh-what was this?!

“A mere nymph couldn’t do this,” Shinobu said. “Oh, a skilled one would make even you feel a little good.”

“But combine those instincts with an oni’s electrical discharge powers -”

“And you can really play some games with a girl’s nervous system!”

“Such a shame our powers don’t work on men. Unlike yours!”

“Our very own, most special and perfect pawn.”

The two girls descended once again, each planting a series of kisses all along Kurumu’s neck and all she could think as she sat there was wonder why it felt. So. Good.

“Checkmate,” both girls whispered into her ear simultaneously. Kurumu bit her lip to stifle the whimper, and everything that happened after that was a complete haze of overwhelming pleasure.

<hr>

See, having a battle meeting with Gin sounded like a good idea. He was a second year. He was a member of the newspaper club. Therefore, he knew the school better. Knew the students better. Getting a bit of information from him seemed like it would be a great idea.

There was just one problem.

“Hey there, cutie! You’re not busy tomorrow night, are you?”

He was an irrepressible flirt. The sort that couldn’t walk past a pretty face without getting at least a little distracted, and the later it got the worse he’d get as well. He was zipping around the room, almost seeming to talk to multiple students at the same time. Probably just his mind playing tricks; Gin couldn’t be that fast. Bad sign in and of itself, really! On the plus side: Less students were up and about at this time, which meant they could talk with a bit more privacy. The full moon was rather beautiful tonight as well.

Then he saw her, sitting by herself and looking so incredibly alone. Tsukune straightened himself out. She was probably still upset over the misunderstanding earlier, and crisis or not he absolutely couldn’t stand to see her like this. Tsukune walked over and said, “Hey, Moka! Listen -”

“Is our relationship just a physical thing?” she asked, staring directly at the table. “I mean, I thought we had a deeper connection than that, but it almost feels like all you’re interested in is - You know!”

Tsukune sighed and took a seat next to her. “It’s not like that,” he said. “You’re so kind and gentle that just being around you makes me feel so alive! Why, you don’t even care that I’m -”

He stopped. Moka wasn’t looking at him. She was looking past him. Tsukune turned around and gasped at the bizarre sight. It simply didn’t make any sense at all! He could see those two girls from before, and the one with the black hair was twisting Gin’s arm behind his back while Kurumu pulled his face directly onto hers, greeting him with a kiss. Gin suddenly went completely slack and then the girls released him.

“Excellent work, Kurumu!” the green-haired one said, rubbing Kurumu’s hair. For some reason this simple gesture made the girl shudder.

“It’s so helpful having a pet succubus to enslave men!” the black-haired one said.

“Kurumu! What’s going -”

A hand clasped around his mouth, and Tsukune saw Tamao out of the corner of his eye. “Ah-ah! No talking! We wouldn’t want that charm of yours ruining everyone’s fun, now, would we?”

“T-Tamao! Let Tsukune go!” Moka screamed, rushing towards the mermaid - only to find a bipedal wolf standing in her way. “What - A werewolf?!”

“That’s right!” Kurumu said, the two mystery girls nuzzling either side of her neck in a display that was both disturbing and erotic at the same time. “Keep Moka away from Tsukune! We wouldn’t want her rosario being removed and causing us trouble, after all!”

Run, Moka! Run! It didn’t really matter to him what happened to him, but seeing her being mauled at the claws of a werewolf - that was something he absolutely could not stand! How had things reached this state so rapidly? How could they get out of this?! If only Tamao wasn’t keeping her hand clamped over his mouth, then maybe he could do something to stop this. But her grip was so tight! Too tight!

“Hey, why doncha go and turn Tsukune into your slave as well?” the green-haired girl suggested. Dammit! To think that they could get to Kurumu like that!

“It’s a good thing that you overheard them before they could become a nuisance,” the black-haired one said.

“Shinobu, dear, that’s such a good point. Fate is obviously on our side!” the green-haired one - by process of elimination from when he’d heard their names earlier, Lum - said.

“Oh, you flatterer! Go ahead, pet. Bring him under our power!”

The two of them backed away and Kurumu made a bleary-eyed, seductive swagger towards Tsukune. Don’t look her in the eyes. The eyes are what lets her cast her charm. The second they released his lips, he’d be able to speak and all he needed was a little time to say something. Let’s see. “You should stop.” Yeah, that might work. Something like that. Alright. So, keep an eye on her legs, gauge when they were going to release his lips and make his move. Then -

Which is right around when Moka landed on top of him, sending Tamao to the floor. Opportunity didn’t knock at this school. It showed up with a battering ram and a trebuchet. He yanked the rosario from Moka’s chest and grinned wildly as she transformed into her inner self. Gone was the cutest innocence and out came the mature, scowling beauty. Ready for battle.

“Oh, my goodness, she’s gorgeous!” Lum declared.

“I know, right?” Shinobu continued. “This is the true power of the vampire!”

“I can’t wait to tame her!” they both exclaimed in unison.

“Despicable,” Inner Moka said, casually sending Tamao reeling to the floor. “You would think to control me with the power of a nymph? That is an unheard of level of arrogance!”

“Gin! Knock her down!” Kurumu yelled, and the werewolf grunted with a wild grin. Then her attention spun towards Tsukune himself, and she made an attempt at charming him. Too bad! Not paying attention!

“Kurumu should fall asleep until this is over!” he yelled, with no small amount of satisfaction when she did exactly that. Looked kind of adorable, really. As for the werewolf - Where on earth was it? And where was all this wind kicking up from? They were inside!

It took him a moment to realise. That wind <i>was</i> the werewolf.

“Why so surprised, Tsukune?” Gin called. “Surely you know that us werewolves are renowned for our unmatchable speed! Not even a vampire can keep up!” Inner Moka spun around to deliver a kick that should have ended this fight or any other, but it hit nothing but air. “I appreciate the free views of your panties, but I’m left wondering what you’re even aiming for!”

“Hmm, even with the full power of a vampire it seems you’re obviously outmatched after all,” Lum said.

“So true!” Shinobu agreed. “Especially since we’re wearing earplugs to keep his charm from influencing us.”

“Lip reading is such a useful thing to be able to do!”

Hold on. If they were wearing earplugs, then didn’t that mean -

“Gotcha,” Kurumu yelled, seizing his face and descending upon his lips like a pouncing tiger. No! Not like this! He couldn’t lose his free will like -

A claw interrupted the proceedings, wrapping itself around Kurumu’s face and pushing her gently away.

“Far be it from me to prevent a girl from making out with the guy she likes, but in this instance I fear I shall become what I hate the most: A cockblocker.”

“Gin! Wh-What the hell?!” Kurumu spluttered. “You should be my slave! I kissed you earlier, and -”

“And I was smart enough to get some charm proofing of my own! If I’m going to have a succubus in my club, I’d at least have the common sense to avoid becoming her slave! Ah! Sorry about tearing your skirt there, Moka! I just wanted to see how tough you really are!”

“… We can continue our spar on another occasion then,” Inner Moka said. “We have another problem. Namely!”

A fist flew through the air directly towards her face. That was Shinobu’s first mistake. Inner Moka plucked the fist from the air like an apple from a tree, twisted her around and flung her ass to the floor in the blinking of an eye.

In the meantime, Lum hurled a lightning bolt directly towards Gin. He wasn’t there when it got there. Sparks flew up around her body as a reflexive defensive move, but it wasn’t remotely enough! Gin’s sheer speed tossed her towards Moka like a pinball, and the vampire warrior was more than ready to score some points.

“A half-breed nymph like yourself, standing up to a vampire like me? Know. Your. Place!”

Lum’s face collided with what probably felt like a wall of steel. The green-haired nymph cartwheeled onto the ground, landing face first. For a moment she hovered off the ground, but then her head slumped forward and all she could do was draw in heavy breath after heavy breath.

“Don’t worry about a thing,” Tsukune said. “I’ll take care of this.” He leaned down next to Lum, and winced at the electric shock he got while removing an earplug from her ear. By this time Shinobu was up once again, but Inner Moka was able to restrain her. Still, it did look like she was having slightly more trouble than she probably should be having, so he tugged out an earplug as quickly as he could manage.

“The two of you have been brainwashing female students,” Tsukune said. “You want to help me free them from your control, because you realise it was wrong.”

The two girls suddenly looked like they were going to throw up as their worldview changed and twisted around to accommodate the idea that their plans to take over the school were ethically against their principles.

“No! I don’t want to be freed!” Kurumu insisted. “I want to stay like this! Right, Tamao?”

“Yes. Please!” the mermaid cried, writhing on the floor and reaching out for the two half nymphs. ”It feels so good. I need more! Please! Give me more!”

“Th-there is one way!” Shinobu said with a terrible shaky voice. “B-But we’d need help.”

“We would need to feed on a man’s lust energy,” Lum finished. “A whole lot of it. It would have to come from a pretty big pervert, too!”

And suddenly all eyes in the room fell upon Gin, for reasons that only really made sense to a few of them present.

<hr>

Tsukune looked around him at the girls on his bed, three in all, naked and satisfied and panting for breath. A vampire, a succubus and a mermaid. He remembered yesterday’s ordeal and smiled to himself. To think something like that was all it would take to free them!

“H-how are you not even tired?” Kurumu whispered. “That should’ve completely drained you!”

“Mm, I don’t even care!” Tamao said, pulling herself into a seated position only because she and Kurumu were collaborating on the same goal. “Thank you for freeing us from their control.”

He could only shrug. She almost made it sound like a selfless act, but deep down he knew the truth. Those girls had tried to take what was his. No, not just that. It had been so pathetic seeing the two of them begging for the nymphs to give them their electric touch that surely anyone in his position would’ve done something about it. He was no hero, he was aware of that. Didn’t keep him from feeling a bit damn smug about doing the right thing, but hey, there it was!

Then of course there was Gin to consider. Ah, Gin. What a guy! Faking being under the influence of Kurumu to get the opportunity to free him from Tamao… Yes, he could make quite a useful ally. Of course, then there was the question Inner Moka had asked him before he put the rosario back on her.

“If you had followed through on their plan, you could have taken over the school. Why did you not do so?”

“Because that would only influence this generation. Something like that won’t work long term. If we’re going to change the world, it has to last. That’s something I realised today. Change can’t just be a bandage. It’s gotta go deeper than that.”

“Hm! In which case! It will be entertaining to watch your attempt, whether it succeeds or fails. But remember! If I catch you altering my beliefs, it will not end well for you. Remember that well!”

<hr>

Gin could barely move, but he didn’t even care. He had two lovely ladies sleeping on his chest, both too cute to be real and too eager to please in bed. He had to give it to that Tsukune guy. He really was so much more than the gossip and rumours said!

Still. His investigative instincts were screaming at him. There was more to this kid than met the eye. Way more. He just talked to these two chicks, and they gave up in a second. What sort of monster was he? Why did he smell so human, yet had such a distinctive aura of power about him? He squeezed Lum and Shinobu’s shoulders a little more. He’d find out. Sooner or later. He always found out.

… But just this one time? As payback for getting him a regular threesome with these two babes? He’d delete that recording of him peeping into the window. He owed the kid that much!