That was a troubling interview. To say the very least. Gin bit his lip while considering the list of boys he'd seen on it. Tsukune was going to be a victim of theft, was he...? Well now, that simply would not do. It would not do at all! That list of names, Gin considered them carefully. Hrmph. His own name wasn't here...? How disappointing. What do these boys have in common...?
"Shouldn't we go after Tsukune?" Moka asked.
"Relax," Gin said. "We're quite a ways off from them hitting him. Instead, we need to figure out what this poll was over. I noticed the teacher didn't want to say, so...?"
His nose wrinkled. "Oh, of course," he sighed. "That's why it annoys me that my name isn't on this list. There are only two possibilities for girls to secretly compile a list like this, and given some of the other names I see on here, there's really only one explanation."
"Huh?" Moka gasped, genuinely surprised by his insight.
Right, right, let's see, let's see. How to put this? "This is a list of the ten hottest guys in school," Gin shook his head, chuckling but wanting to cry. "Oh! How cruel it is that they cannot see me for my inner beauty."
"Uh, my Inner self wanted you to know that she's laughing," Moka said. "I mean, she's not really, but she wanted me to say that she was. I think she was being cruel."
Yes, yes, that silver haired haughty beauty excelled in cruelty. Why was it that the most gorgeous creatures were so often the meanest in spirit? Perhaps it is because they seek strength in a man, one able to tame them is surely the most suited to protect them from the worst dangers out there...
"Therefore, there are two reasons they are being targetted," Gin said, tapping his forehead. "The eternal sins... of lust and envy! Envy, because they wish to humiliate or harm those on the list. Lust because - "
He trailed off. A terrible thought crossed his mind. Personal items of the ten hottest boys in school, acquired illicitly by persons unknown...? His mind started to do flips. Whether it was envy or lust, they were in a school full of yokai. How hard would it be, then? What if they were going to use those items as part of a magic ritual...?
Gin turned pale. He grabbed Moka's hand and dashed down the hallway, realising that the situation was more dire than he'd realised.
"We have to find Tsukune, right away!" Gin said. Dammit! For the time being, he would have to set aside his plans to set up perverted circumstance. Tsukune's safety and wellbeing had to come first! And the best way to do that would be using the Level Upper to do just that! Together, they'd keep that boy out of imminent danger!
=====
Tsukune was in imminent danger, or at least it felt like it. Here he was, sitting in front of an Elf girl, trying to do an interview with her, while Kokoa was sitting directly behind him, staring a hole right through his head. Given the abilities of yokai, vampires in particular, he was getting concerned it might become a reality.
Especially when he remembered his time reading a certain popular series. Space ripper stingy eyes, indeed!
"S-So, you were able to get your recipe book, uh, published in the h-human world?" Tsukune asked. "That's quite an achievement. Um! Can you walk us through how that went?"
The Elf, named Ailania Woodleaf, smiled. Kokoa, for some reason, intensified her stare. He could tell without even looking. The killing intent back there was mighty indeed.
“Ara, Tsukune-kun, you flatter me too much,” Ailania Woodleaf said with a polite giggle that carried the faint tinkling of silver bells. Her delicate ears twitched, catching even the quiet grind of Kokoa’s fangs behind Tsukune’s shoulder.
“I only wished to share a taste of the forest’s bounty with the Human World. Of course, many humans don’t appreciate authentic enchanted mushrooms or spirit-root broth, so... the editor insisted on removing a few recipes for ‘safety.’”
She pouted faintly — which only made Kokoa’s stare darken to a murderous shade of crimson.
Tsukune gulped. He could feel sweat pooling under his collar.
“That’s... very impressive, Miss Ailania. A-And you plan to open a cafe here too?”
Ailania leaned forward conspiratorially -the movement causing a dangerous ripple effect Tsukune dared not acknowledge -and whispered, “Of course. But you must visit first. I’ll brew you a very special tea, just for you. It is said to-”
She paused, eyes flicking up. Kokoa’s killing aura sharpened to an icy blade.
“...Um. Said to relax the spirit. That’s all,” Ailania finished quickly, pulling back with a charming, innocent smile.
Tsukune squeaked out a polite chuckle, wondering if drinking that tea would count as assisted suicide.
SLAM!
The door to the clubroom burst open. Gin stood there, disheveled, panting, and heroically dramatic. Moka, equally breathless, was right behind him, glaring. Oh, and they were also holding hands for a moment there, which made Tsukune feel like he was going insane from sheer jealousy alone.
“TSUKUNE!” Gin barked, pointing a trembling finger at him — or rather at Ailania and Kokoa together. “Step away from the suspiciously enchanting forest maiden and the pint-sized murder machine! Now!”
Ailania blinked, offended. Kokoa growled. Tsukune squeaked again.
Moka stomped forward, fists on hips. “We think you’re in danger of being targeted by the thief going after these so-called ‘hottest guys’!”
Kokoa’s eyes narrowed. “Who said he’s one of the hottest guys? I’ll kill them for lying.”
“Not helping!” Tsukune whimpered.
"Oh, relax, I'm killing him first for grabbing Moka's hand!" Kokoa growled, stepping forward towards him.
=====
It's time to cut the bullshit here, and get to the meat of the issue. For you see, there's something here that Gin hadn't realised yet. He'd been so caught up in the moment, that he'd simply let it pass him by. Something that might seem obvious in retrospect - but actually, it's a bit subtle. If you know what you're looking for? Well then, great!
It started with a tiny little whisper in Gin's head: Hey, Charisma would be the absolute best skill to use here! Otherwise Kokoa is gonna kick your ass.
Which made sense. Of course it did, of course. Fighting her wouldn't resolve anything. It would only make things worse for everyone! You gotta deescalate, right? Right! Charm that cute little hot shortstack. Charm the panties right off of her -
But that was the sort of thing Inner was watching for, right? Oh, in that case charm her as well. And while you're at it, charm the cute Elf girl sweating profusely over there while sipping at her tea. What's more -
The little voice kept on whispering, but Gin wasn't paying it any further mind. An Elf girl...? Hold on a moment. Elf...? Elves worked on something a bit different than most yokai. They used names, contracts, those sorts of things to get what they wanted. What was more, her gaze kept on flickering to Tsukune. He was getting checked out by the cute Elf, and -
"... And personal possessions could be used by an Elf to remotely Charm someone..." Gin found himself saying out loud. "This girl... She's trying to make herself a harem out of the hottest boys in school!"
The voice of the Level Upper grew silent just then. Either because it felt that it had missed its chance to draw Gin back onto the lewd path... Or because it had seen another way to get there, which would require a little more patience. Still, it was disappointed for the time being. It had thought it had found someone that would consciously use it properly. Even granted him a full understanding of its operations!
But, no, he had to be responsible with it, like most losers try to be. Hrmph! That was fine. It always got what it wanted in the end. Horniness always prevails, if you give it enough time!
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