I didn't know if I'm entirely Kaiju or just part Kaiju, but despite that being very important it was the last thing on my mind. My consciousness had been overtaken by a unique feeling of exhilaration. For the first time, I could feel the energy flowing within my body. I was energetic, but I didn't lose awareness of the situation. Order needed to be restored to the school, and that started with calming down Ms. Kano. She however wasn't looking to give up. I opened and closed my claws a few times to get a feel for them while also keeping my guard up.
"I knew it!" Ms. Kano exclaimed in excitement. "I knew you were like me, but 'that' is a bit off." she continued as she pointed at the top of my head. "Your hair turned red. Isn't it supposed to turn white? That's pretty strange."
"Doesn't matter. Look, can we just talk? I don't want to hurt anyone, nor do I want a fight, but I'll put up a damn good one if I have to."
"Why are you trying to resolve this with words? It just can't be done." Ms. Kano frustratedly said.
"She can steal you away from me as long as she keeps breathing, and I can't have that. I don't understand why you want to stand between you and I being together?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. We're together for a couple of hours every other week."
"That's not what I meant! Do I have to spell it out for you?"
Oh.
Even in a monstrous rage, she can still show the special feelings she has. I honestly didn't expect this though. She never made it obvious before, and it's not like I wasn't paying attention. But this really is bad. I only want one woman, and that's Ms. Kamiya. I don't think of myself as a lady-killer, but it seemed at that rate I'd end up with one hundred of them by the end of the year. Not ideal.
How was I going to turn her down? I couldn't pull the same shit I did on Atsuko. Besides, that was catching up to me anyway.
"How about a date?" I asked Ms. Kano, with Ms. Kamiya still in the room. That's one of the riskiest things I've done to this day, but the payoff would be huge if I was able to keep bluffing my way out of this.
"What?"
"A date. You and I go wherever you want and do whatever you want for a day. Just us. Sound good?"
"That's a dream come true, but I'm not dense. What are you asking in return?"
I didn't expect that to work on her no questions asked. I was aware of how intelligent she is from seeing all the medicines she's able to make.
"Stop the attack on Ms. Kamiya for now. Get rid of all these students and Casters, and get the school back to normal. Then answer every question I have about why you took over the school."
"Oh, that? I discovered that there was a woman trying to steal my lover, so I did something that would grab her attention. If she found out you were heading to a dangerous place like this, she'd have to make sure it's safe for you, right?"
"That's one of the most outrageous and suspicious things I've ever heard for multiple reasons," I rebutted. "But that doesn't explain the broadcasting incident."
"That was basically the catalyst which allowed all this to unfold. The public catches wind of Casters. Casters hiding their nature decide they're tired of it and become eager to make a display of themselves. All I did was poke the hornet's nest a little. Afterward, the Chairwoman got you to head here and Kamiya decided to beat you to it as soon as she heard you were on your way. I didn't have much control of anything after that though. I'm really glad that little incident happened, otherwise I never could've succeeded with any of this."
I refused to accept that she had no part in the broadcast like she was insinuating.
"You're telling me that was a coincidence?"
"A very lucky one." She chuckled.
I glanced back at Ms. Kamiya to make sure she was still for some reason not doing anything, then continued questioning Ms. Kano.
"An old acquaintance who looks exactly like the girl in the video was hanging around here. When she swung by to say hello, she told me that she had coincidentally come back from overseas right before all this happened. She also told me that absolutely was not her in the broadcast, even though there's no mistaking it. There's no way to convince me you had no part in this."
"I would not lie to your face, my love. I'm sincere when I tell you that I'm not behind any of that. If anything, I'd bet I am being used by whoever is responsible. I'd bet your acquaintance is being used too."
I considered that before I even arrived at the school, but things had become too convoluted and inconsistent for that to remain a possibility. Nothing I'd heard could be proven, and trusting Ms. Kano based on whatever integrity she had wasn't something I was doing.
Everything that was happening and everything that I was hearing began to frustrate me. Ms. Kano's sudden expression of feelings for me, Ms. Kamiya's desire to kill Ms. Kano because she has feelings for me, the sudden reappearance of Amakusa, the real villain looming over all of us undiscovered, and the rest of all this shit in general was just too much for me to deal with all at once. Even I have my limits. Call it procrastination if you like, but I wanted to wrap up all the immediate things and worry about the rest later.
Haha, in my dreams. Like I'd ever be able to catch a break.
"How about you reconcile with Ms. Kamiya, then fix the school, and later we can continue my interrogation and eventually have that date?"
"I will never be on neutral terms with that woman." Ms. Kano hastily replied.
"Ok, fine." I looked to Ms. Kamiya. "How about you reconcile with Ms. Kano?"
"You... Kano... date... why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?"
I don't know what exactly I had done, but I felt like I woke up a sleeping bear. What I actually had done was put myself in quite a predicament. I couldn't just tell Ms. Kamiya that the date was just a bluff. There's no way Ms. Kano wouldn't hear that. She may be a little delusional, but she's not a pushover. The date stands, or there's no deal. What was I to do?
I got an idea while I was panicking. As usual, it wasn't the greatest idea, but it might work. I will admit I felt guilty about using this idea, as well as a lot of my previous ideas since many of them involved taking advantage of how girls feel about me. In every one of those situations, there was undoubtedly a better solution. I just couldn't see them.
I dashed over to Ms. Kamiya, while she was still in a blind fury and I was still in Kaiju form. I lowered my voice so Ms. Kano wouldn't hear me speak into Ms. Kamiya's ear. "Yuriko. Can I stay the night at your place?"
Upon hearing my request, Ms. Kamiya's face reddened as she reverted back to her human appearance. Her white hair changed back to her natural fuschia, and the rest of her body went back to normal as well. I had also reverted to human status, though it wasn't intentional.
"I'd love for you to stay the night."
Underhanded as it may be, I found some success with the tactic.
"I'll let Kano live for now, but you and I will have a passionate night. You're not actually going on a date with her, right?"
Ms. Kamiya leaned in and spooked me with an eerie expression like she was contorting her face.
"Riiiiiight?"
"O-of course it's not actually a date."
"Gooooood."
She slowly leaned back out. Scary, I tell you. But even when she's making the scariest faces that are guaranteed to traumatize just about anybody, she's still the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.
"Look, Ms. Kano, she's chill now." I said loudly.
"Fine, I'll lay off for now. But we're not done here, Kamiya."
"Of course we're not. We won't be done until your flesh, blood, and bones sit on this floor in a pile. But there will be some time until then. Savor it." Ms. Kamiya viscerally replied.
I didn't want to ever see that sight. I didn't want to imagine it. The task at hand was the priority. It was also a great distraction to help me not think about that. Even if it's only my imagination, I want people to stay in one piece. It's not that I can't handle a gory sight. I just grew attached to Ms. Kano in a way and don't want to imagine her as a pile of remains. I don't want to imagine anyone as a pile of remains if I can help it.
"Ms. Kano, can you help us clean out any remaining Casters? I doubt it will get the school up and running by tomorrow or anything, but it needs to be done."
"You don't want me to call them off?"
"I realized something. You may have organized this, but they're each caught up in their own false idea of rebellion. They won't listen to you. Just helping us clear them out is fine."
"If you really think so, then I won't bother trying to convince them."
"Alright." I raised my voice so Atsuko and Manami could hear me. I hoped they hadn't heard the two teachers fighting over me because I'm "theirs" and each is trying to take me away from the other. I also hoped that if they did hear them, they wouldn't ask what any of that meant.
"Ms. Kamiya, go with Manam- uh, Nishioka and start searching around for anyone who's still here. Kick them out if they're not compliant. Atsuk- Tenjouin, follow behind them."
I didn't have reservations about using first names with Manami and Atsuko, but I wasn't brave enough to use their first names around Ms. Kamiya yet. She wouldn't be pleased that I'm so "intimate" with other women. I almost let the first names slip, but I just barely saved myself.
Without further incident, Ms. Kamiya, Manami, and Atsuko set out to clean up, leaving me and Ms. Kano behind for the time being.
"Ms. Kano, you and I can be a team on this." I said as I turned to face her, when I noticed she had reverted to human status as well. Her short, messy, dark blue neck-length hair, her enigmatically alluring velvet eyes, and her stunning figure covered by her pants, shirt, and labcoat had all been restored.
Although one of those things never went away during Kaiju status.
I am a faithful man, but you cannot fault me for being attracted to a curvaceous woman with a sizeable bust. Say what you want about me. I have no shame. But no matter what, the one I truly love is Ms. Kamiya, and no woman is going to change that.
"Let's just trail them and- mmmphm-"
Ms. Kano sprung forward and kissed me while grabbing my face. Several seconds passed before I could pull myself away. I reflexively fired a Non-Directional Cannon. "What was that?" I shouted.
"Who knows what that thieving homeroom teacher has done with you? I was just making sure that her and I are absolutely even. I wanted to do that long before I knew about her anyway, so it was just a matter of time."
"...Is that how you really feel about me?"
"You're the only one who's ever stuck by me, both in the club and in life. Of course, I would fall in love with someone so kind. I tried ignoring it and I tried telling myself that it was wrong because of my position as a teacher, but I've given up holding back my feelings. If loving my student makes me a failure as an educator, then I'm the biggest failure there is. But I don't care, because now I can tell you how I really feel. I love you, Takuya. As a student, and as a man."
How am I supposed to react to that? Ms. Kamiya is the only woman I truly love, and I'm not going to betray her. I've also used some methods of persuasion I'm not proud of to get out of things, but there's no way I'm going to be so disrespectful to her genuine, honest, and serious feelings. I can't lead her on or give her false happiness. I won't. I've got at least that much humanity.
How do I reject her?
"Ms. Kano, I-"
She grabbed me again and hugged me tightly. I wrapped my arms around her in return. Her tone became much more downtrodden than it was seconds ago.
"I know. You love Kamiya. Nothing I can do about it. As much as I really want to kill her and take you for myself, I don't think I could ever do it. I'm afraid to because you'll hate me. Knowing that I've told you how I really feel is enough. Just... I hate to ask you something like this right after saying something so heavy, but can you promise me one thing?"
"What is it?"
"That you'll stay by my side. As a student. As a club member. As a friend. As whatever, so long as you're there with me. As a lover, if you ever change your mind... ha, sorry. I'm asking too much, aren't I? Kamiya may be a lot older than you, but I'm 6 years older than her. I'm sure a young man like you with his whole future ahead of him doesn't want to be dragged down by a promise with an old woman."
How do I... reject her?
"I promise."
"Can you do one more thing for me?"
"What is it?"
"Can you call me by my first name?"
How do I... reject her?
"Eriko."
I don't.