Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 5

[Oldmansour]

>"Of course. Let's hope all goes well - I'll let you know, either way."
>Let's get bundled up nice and warm again and head back to the school

>Throwing on your thicker black long coat, you step back outside once again. Casually, you pass your senses over the black corvette sitting outside, but you can pick up no trace of the odd aura you and Rin sensed before, and neither Marissa nor the driver appear to be in evidence. Letty is the only humanoid outside, sitting on the ground near the front gate staring lazily up at the snowy sky, a dreamy look of contentment upon her face. You know that she is a Yuki-Onna, a snow woman, but it still seems remarkable how something as simple as snowfall seems to affect her so. Hyozan is resting comfortably by his master's side. You elect to leave them both to their meditations.
>A glance down the street towards to school reveals significantly less activity than when you left. This is only one police car parked out front of the closed main gate, flanked on either side by vans belonging to news broadcasters. One set of which is standing outside conducting an interview outside with a familiar woman in an elaborate white and blue kimono.
>As you take in this sight, you hear soft footfalls behind you. Glancing over your shoulder, you see Hyozan walking along in your direction.

[DracoOmega]

>"Oh, hello there."
>Give him a little pet if he comes close
>Are we actually away from our apartment at this point, or still very nearby? As in, would this be somewhat distant for him to have wandered off, or still 'home'?
>Does it look like the side entrance is quite enough to maybe slip in, or can we not see that from here?

[Oldmansour]

>"Oh, hello there."
>Give him a little pet if he comes close
>Are we actually away from our apartment at this point, or still very nearby? As in, would this be somewhat distant for him to have wandered off, or still 'home'?
>Does it look like the side entrance is quite enough to maybe slip in, or can we not see that from here?

>He does indeed come close, and receives your attention with quiet gratitude.
>You've walked a little ways, but he does have a sense of intent about him. He seems to want to follow you.
>After a couple more steps, you get yourself a look at the side entrance. It is not abandoned. You spy Meiling Hong in a rather embarrassing situation. She is asleep, reclining against the closed gate, with a trio of fairies harassing her. You recognize the tallest of the bunch, Sunny Milk, drawing something on China's face with a marker, while her co-troublemakers are poking at the sleeping faculty member, one at her right thigh, one at her chest.

[DracoOmega]

>Is Luna among them?
>Do the rest of them tend to have gushy reaction to us, or is it just her?
>Does Meiling have something of a reputation for this? Either for napping on the job, or being hard to roust from it?

[Oldmansour]

>Is Luna among them?
>Do the rest of them tend to have gushy reaction to us, or is it just her?
>Does Meiling have something of a reputation for this? Either for napping on the job, or being hard to roust from it?

>She is not.
>Luna's reaction to you is fairly unique. Well, unique among the fairy population, anyway. Sunny, by comparison, has a tendency to flee from you, ever since you defended Luna from her a while back.
>Both, actually. In fact, the fairies and the somewhat less than mature students of other races have made a bit of a game out of this. Sort of like a life-sized version of that old 'Don't Wake Daddy' board game. This is not the first time you've seen a fairy draw on China's face.

[DracoOmega]

>Approach
>Quietly, but firmly: "That's not a very nice thing to be doing."

[Oldmansour]

>Approach
>Quietly, but firmly: "That's not a very nice thing to be doing."

>"Sure it is." Sunny retorts without looking up, carefully scribing a kanji on Meiling's forehead. "Everything's nice if it's fun."

[DracoOmega]

>The kanji for what, incidentally?
>"Would you like it if you woke up and found out that someone had scribbled over your face?"

[Oldmansour]

>The kanji for what, incidentally?
>"Would you like it if you woke up and found out that someone had scribbled over your face?"

>She appears to be forming the kanji for 'sleeping'.
>Sunny actually chuckles. "You gotta get up pretty early in the morning ta catch me sleeping."
>"Didn't Marissa catch you once?" the fairy jabbing Meiling's thigh asks.
>"Shut it! And you too!" Sunny yells at both of her partners.

[DracoOmega]

>She appears to be forming the kanji for 'sleeping'.

>Which one?

>"Would you appreciate it, if you were in her place?"

[Oldmansour]

>Which one?

>"Would you appreciate it, if you were in her place?"

>They're all the same.

>"But I'm not." Sunny says stubbornly, finally turning from her mostly finished task to look in your direction. "Wanna have a-oh crackers." she breaks off, her face dropping as she sees just who she's dealing with.

[DracoOmega]

>Smile sweetly
>"At the very least, I do not think that I would appreciate it if I were in her place."

[Oldmansour]

>Smile sweetly
>"At the very least, I do not think that I would appreciate it if I were in her place."

>"Uh yeah." Sunny stammers. Hyozan, you note. has come up to join you. In contrast to your sunny no pun intended visage, Hyozan somehow seems rather stern. Being a malamute helps with that.
>Gathering her wits, the little blonde fairy gives you a fairy's scowl. "Why's it always you?" she cries. "How come you always gotta come along and butt in?"

[DracoOmega]

>"I don't like seeing others treated poorly. I would do the same for you, if the positions were reversed. And surely there's all manner of fun to be had that wouldn't make anyone else sad at the same time?"

[Oldmansour]

>"I don't like seeing others treated poorly. I would do the same for you, if the positions were reversed. And surely there's all manner of fun to be had that wouldn't make anyone else sad at the same time?"

>"You talk like one of the teachers here." One of the other fairies says as she too turns to look back at you. Except she gets a bit distracted by the sight of the canine flanking you. "Ahhh! Big doggy!" The frightened redhead immediately takes to wing, leaving a contrail of dust in her wake.
>"Hey! Wait for me!" her partner yells after her, abandoning her poking of Meiling's chest to chase after her fellow troublemaker. Remarkably, the sleeping teacher shows no real sign of waking, despite all this.
>Sunny gives the dog a rather fierce glare for her, but the effect is effectively negated by the simple fact that she is a fairy, and fairies faces simply weren't designed for scowling. Hyozan returns the look simply by opening his mouth slightly, giving Sunny a canine grin full of teeth. The fairy shrinks back, then turns on you again. "Bet you wouldn't be so tough without your dog." she says pugnaciously.

[DracoOmega]

>"Does one really need to be 'tough' to make a polite request? I'm not trying to reproach you - simply ask that you consider the people who your actions affect."

[Oldmansour]

>"Does one really need to be 'tough' to make a polite request? I'm not trying to reproach you - simply ask that you consider the people who your actions affect."

>"I do. ME." Sunny says with emphasis.

[DracoOmega]

>"And people other than yourself?"

[Oldmansour]

>"And people other than yourself?"

>"I ain't soft." Sunny says, sounding rather like a stubborn child. Hyozan gives the little fairy a bass rrrfff, and she can't help but shrink back a little from the big malamute.

[DracoOmega]

>"Concern for others does not make one soft. It makes one a decent person. It is not about being strong or weak, but about understanding that each person is really not so different from ourselves, in the end. How would you wish to be treated?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Concern for others does not make one soft. It makes one a decent person. It is not about being strong or weak, but about understanding that each person is really not so different from ourselves, in the end. How would you wish to be treated?"

>The little fairy's face strains a bit as you speak. You take this as a good sign. It means she's listening. Understanding may be something else, but she does indeed seem to be listening, which is a plus. After several moment, she shakes her head. "You give me a headache." she mutters as she turns and stomps heavily away down the street.
>As she goes, Hyozan turns his blue-eyed gaze up to you, almost as if to say, 'You tried.'

[DracoOmega]

>Shrug a little sadly
>Meiling doesn't look too badly affected, does she? And also still quite asleep?
>Assuming no major damage done and no one around to observe, let's sneak past and inside the school.

[Oldmansour]

>Shrug a little sadly
>Meiling doesn't look too badly affected, does she? And also still quite asleep?
>Assuming no major damage done and no one around to observe, let's sneak past and inside the school.

>Apart from the kanji marked on her forehead, which should wash off easily enough, she seems perfectly fine. And is still quietly sawing logs. Her sleeping skills are legendary.
>You observe a trio of young men down the road away from the school walking in your direction, but they turn off down a side road before reaching the school lot. The only being awake within sight is Hyozan, and the big malamute has padded over to stand by Meiling's side. He gives the dozing faculty member's face a quick lick, then lies down next to her. China murmurs something quietly, but still does not wake.
>Leaving the big malamute to stand guard over Meiling, you quietly test the gate, finding it closed but not locked. A stroke of luck for you. As quietly as you can, you push the wrought-iron gate open and slip inside the school grounds, pushing the gate closed behind you. Hyozan spares you a glance as you close the gate, half-standing. He almost seems to be showing his willingness to follow you further

[DracoOmega]

>Smile and gesture at him appropriately
>"You stay here."
>Let's make for that pool

[Oldmansour]

>Smile and gesture at him appropriately
>"You stay here."
>Let's make for that pool

>The dog rumbles shortly and sits down again. Meiling, you note, leans a little closer to the big warm canine.
>Not knowing who may be inside the school or how much more damage Keine did in their before you cured her, you elect to circle around behind the school, taking the long way to the pool building. While there appears to be no one outside on the back side of the school, you keep an eye out for a guard at the read gate. Sure enough, there is a faculty member standing at the rear gate. Mokou-sensei, to be precise, and from what you can tell from her profile and her stance that you're even luckier you didn't try to get in that way. She doesn't look like she's in a very good mood at all. But she doesn't look your way as you, as quietly as you can, walk in and out of line of sight from her, leaving her alone with her bad mood.
>A cat with gun-metal grey fur is standing outside the entrance to the pool, but it registers on your mystic senses are something abnormal. It feels broadly similar to the two shikigami spirits Kiku summoned earlier.

[DracoOmega]

>Smile, and assuming we are reasonably out of earshot of Mokou, quietly: "Hello there."
>To Kiku: I'm outside the pool building now. Am I correct in assuming this cat is one of your shikigami?

[Oldmansour]

>Smile, and assuming we are reasonably out of earshot of Mokou, quietly: "Hello there."
>To Kiku: I'm outside the pool building now. Am I correct in assuming this cat is one of your shikigami?

>The cat acknowledges your presence with a metal-eyed stare. It would be slightly unnerving, if you weren't sure of the cat's nature.
>You assume correctly. I employed it to stand watch while I was practicing. But it will admit you.

[DracoOmega]

>Very good.
>Give the cat a little wave as we walk past, then go on in and find Kiku

[Oldmansour]

>Very good.
>Give the cat a little wave as we walk past, then go on in and find Kiku

>The shikigami regards you steadily for a moment more, then sidesteps slightly to admit you unimpeded entry into the pool building.
>Unlike the public pool, the school facility does not smell like chlorinated water upon entry. In fact, the only smell in the air right now is a faint metallic tinge. This door, the side door, opens upon into an admittance lobby where the Mayoiga swim teams over the years display their accolades and memorabilia. It also contains two vending machines along the west well and two long benches on either side of the room.
>Kiku is standing in the arch leading deeper into the building. "You were not seen, I trust."

[DracoOmega]

>"Not entering the grounds, as far as I could tell. Though remember that this is my school, and even if I were to be scolded for trying to sneak into it, I doubt it would seem suspicious in the way you seem to mean. I do come here all the time, under ordinary circumstances, after all."