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“Now, this may be a sensitive issue, Freya, but I must know. Who was it that harassed you this morning?” Yuki's attention shifted to the catgirl after taking one last sip from her bowl of miso.

Freya froze, her lips tightening. She didn’t make eye contact, choosing instead to look down at her now-empty plate. Emi watched with bated breath. The Lady of Little Hōjo had finally addressed her long-standing question. Since the two of them were more familiar with one another, surely the catgirl would open up to her, right?

“I…I don’t want to burden you with my problems, Ojou-sama…”

“Nonsense! If you are in any kind of trouble, it is my duty as your senpai to aid my kouhai however I can!” Yuki spoke with conviction. “I don’t care who you are, no one has the right to treat others as though they are lesser than dirt.”

Yuki…

Emi nodded. “Yuki’s right, Freya,” she added. “If you need help, we’re here for you. We all came to this school to learn and grow. Those who want to be here have that right and they should feel just as safe as anyone else.”

Cady smiled at this, turning to the catgirl and giving her a pat on the shoulder.

“I concur! Now, if ya don’t mind blabbin’...” She paused to crack her knuckles. “...just who do we have to go and beat up?”

“Cady!”

“What? Oh, c’mon now, Emmers, I know we’re all thinkin’ it!” 

“That isn’t the…” Emi stopped and blinked for a moment. When the realization struck her, she glanced back over to the dog girl. “‘E-Emmers’?” 

“Mm-hmm! That’s yer nickname!” Cady beamed proudly, causing the scarlet-haired girl to groan and plant her face into her hands. Despite that, Emi couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing; her given name was short enough as it was, so it honestly didn’t make much sense for her to have a nickname.

Now’s not the time for that! 

She then took a deep breath, deciding to put this one on the back burner before raising her head and returning to the original topic. 

“Don’t mind Cady, that’s just a… strange habit of hers,”  Emi assured. She shifted her glasses and cleared her throat. “Look, Freya, it’s like Yuki said, all we want to know is who’s responsible for pouring that coffee over you. And are those jerks from earlier affiliated with them in any way?” 

Despite her scolding of Cady, Emi couldn’t deny what she said before. Seeing Freya in that state earlier that morning filled her with such rage that she wanted nothing more than to pay them back for what they did to this innocent girl a hundredfold.  

“Miss Emi…” Freya looked down, twiddling her fingers nervously. After a brief pause, she exhaled, seemingly finding her resolve, and raised her head to face the others. “I…um…I bumped into this girl…sh-she fell and scraped her knee…it was an accident, but then her brother walked over…saw me standing over his sister and…” 

As Freya trailed off, Yuki immediately shot up from her seat. Emi flicked her gaze over to the raven-haired girl. Something about the look in her eyes felt…different than any expression Emi’d seen her make before. 

I guess that's all she needed to hear. Did she put two and two together that quickly?

“Valcour Harvester!!” She shouted up at the balcony, prompting all eyes in the cafeteria to fall on her. And then that same hush from moments before fell over the room. Seconds later, a boy with auburn-colored hair peered over the railing. 

“Ah! Well if it isn’t Lady Kageryuu,” he said with a strange smile. One that Emi had seen many nobles use when socializing with one another. Nothing about it felt the least bit sincere. “As pulchritudinous as ever, I see! To whom do I owe this pleasure?”

“Uh…Pul-kra-what now?” Emi could hear Cady say. Her eyes stayed glued to the scene in front of her, however. The tension was too high to ignore and she could sense that things were only about to escalate further.

Yuki crossed her arms. “I’ve just been told that you hurt one of my dear friends this morning. That a misunderstanding caused you to lose your temper and lash out.” 

Valcour’s smile faded. His eyes fell on Freya, who didn’t dare look his way. That’s when Katsumi stood from his seat to join Yuki. Then Cady. Then Emi herself. 

Yuki’s eyes never left Valcour. With her childhood friend and her newfound acquaintances now beside her, she issued him her demand. 

“That said. I would like for you to apologize to her.” 

Valcour's face twisted in disgust, his eyes squinting and his mouth hanging open in disbelief.

“Heh…Excuse me?”

“Hmm. Funny. I could’ve sworn I was speaking at a decent enough volume.” She shrugged sarcastically and cupped her hands around her mouth. “I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO APOLOGIZE TO MISS FREYA!” 

“I… heard you loud and clear, Milady! Trust me.” His hands gripped the railing. “Ai.”

Right on cue, his green-haired automaton servant appeared beside him. 

“You called, Lord Val?”

“Be a dear and get me down from here,” he said, not once taking his eyes off of Yuki. “I wish to speak to Lady Kageryuu face-to-face.”

“Acknowledged.” Ai held her right hand aloft, and then the aqua-colored orbs that made up her eyes began to illuminate. A split second later, a square made of blue digital light materialized in mid-air, just past the balcony. Valcour then hopped over the railing, landing on the square, which proceeded to lower him to the cafeteria floor. Soon, he was in front of Yuki, only a gallop away. The digital square then dissipated as he stepped forward. 

“Right, now we may have a proper discussion,” Valcour cleared his throat.

Emi scowled. Away from prying ears, you mean…

“Now, under normal circumstances, Milady, I’d agree with you,” he began. “It’s just that…I was merely looking out for my dear sister. Therefore, I fail to see any reason to give an apology.”

What?! What the hell is wrong with this guy?! Emi’s hands clenched into fists. Valcour was a pathetic excuse for an upperclassman. What reason could one possibly have to justify the kinds of mistreatment Freya endured?

“And so your response is to pour hot coffee over her head?” Yuki's voice rose with anger. “You don’t think that may have been overreactive?”

“Tell me this, Milady: If you saw a barbarous and unpredictable creature standing over your loved one, how would you respond? Wouldn’t you go to any length to ensure their safety?” He looked past her and towards Emi and the others. “Wouldn’t any of you?”

Emi shook her head in disgust. She then heard a vicious growl and looked back to see Cady preparing to lunge forward at Valcour for that last comment. Katsumi had a hand around her arm, holding her back all the while staring daggers at the boy. The downtrodden Freya, on the other hand, hung her head, trembling. With that, Valcour brought his gaze back to Yuki.

“You see? And it’s not just me, mind you, many here would’ve done the same in my shoes. And in my experience, you never really know what a beastkin is capable of.” He stopped for a moment and rubbed his temple his mind appearing to wander elsewhere. “Besides,” he continued, “with that enhanced durability of hers, I highly doubt it hurt her that much.”  

“That’s enough, Valcour!” Yuki shouted. “Such a juvenile excuse. You should be ashamed!” 

“It wasn’t the first time my sister was in that situation. I was careless then, and she ended up hurt as a result. Never again.” He gazed from the rail, once again staring down Yuki. “Of course, you and Lord Katsumi would know better than anyone what that fear is like.” He gave them both a knowing look. “Wouldn’t you, Lady Kageryuu?”

“Trying to make this about us, are we, Valcour?” Katsumi, who’d been silent for quite some time, finally spoke up. “I understand that you may have been trying to protect your sister, I sympathize with that, I truly do. I’m also glad to see that she’s been doing well these days. However, to compare your past to the tragedy that Yuki and I have endured, to the countless lives we lost that day is both insensitive and misguided.”

Katsumi's tone was firm, his words cutting through the tension in the air. He took a step forward, his hand resting on his shinai bag. Emi could only watch him with a look of mixed apprehension and awe. 

“I'm sorry to hear about what happened to your sister, but it does not excuse your behavior in the present. Your actions were reckless and unjustifiable. You need to apologize to Freya and understand the gravity of your actions. And if you still won’t comply…”

The blonde boy grabbed his bag and zipped it open, pulling out a forty-inch bokken. Emi felt a surge of magical energy emit from his lean frame.

“...I will simply just have to make you.”

“Kabō…” Yuki’s face softened as she looked at Katsumi, placing her right hand on her chest.

Valcour smirked. “Is that so, Milord?” He nodded, clearly intrigued. “I’ve always wanted to duel with a Kusanagi. There are countless tales of your father’s tremendous exploits in battle. Let’s see if The White Tiger’s one-eyed cub can live up to that legacy!”

“Oh…a duel?”

A voice from above drew everyone's attention. Sitting cross-legged in mid-air was Shina Urahara. She hummed a little tune to herself, playfully bouncing her right leg and stretching her barefoot while surveying the scene below with curiosity.

“Urahara-senpai?” Yuki's voice was filled with surprise. Realizing the implications, she exhaled sharply and nodded. “There’s no turning back now, Kabō… Are you certain?”

“Do you even need to ask?” Kat answered calmly, his resolve unwavering. He wasn’t backing down, not after Valcour's callous treatment of Freya and his thoughtless mention of the massacre.

Emi's eyes sparkled with understanding. So that's his angle…

She grasped Katsumi's mindset. To him, a noble from another territory had just insulted not only a resident of Little Hōjo but also its liege lady. Any loyal vassal would've reacted similarly.

After a moment's consideration of the blonde boy’s question, Yuki let out a sharp titter and smiled. “Of course not. That was rather silly of me, wasn’t it?”

“Harvester…Kusanagi…Hmm…” Shina's eyes darted between the two boys, the bells hanging from either side of her tricorn jingled as she tilted her head in thought. As the senior pondered, Emi noticed that all surrounding chatter in the cafeteria had died down, and she sensed no movement.

It was eerily quiet, much like when she had entered their homeroom. And just like that morning, her mana remained undetectable, yet the energy in the room was nearly suffocating. Only a member of Phoenix Academy’s upper forms could invoke such a reaction from so many mages

“I…will oversee this bout,” the enigmatic shaman announced, eliciting sharp inhales from the crowd, including Emi and the others. She then turned to the blonde boy with the eyepatch. “Katsumi Kusanagi…you are the challenger. What are your terms?”