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

[DracoOmega]

>Smile a little
>"I do, though feel free to introduce yourself if you like. And then we should hurry."

[Oldmansour]

>Smile a little
>"I do, though feel free to introduce yourself if you like. And then we should hurry."

>Kaguya sighs, and simply removes the mask from her face. "It seems a bit redundant, wouldn't you say." She puts on a brave face. "No matter. We can even that score later." She points towards the western side of the building. "She'll be building a lair for herself in her classroom. The quickest way there is though the entrance on that side and up the stairs."

[DracoOmega]

>Nod
>Let's head off in that direction at a brisk pace, but make sure we're not actually leaving Kaguya behind in the process.
>"A lair?"

>Rin, we're heading towards the classroom with Houraisan-sensei now. Take care not to be spotted by her untransformed, but if you can find a private moment to do so first, try and meet us there.

[Oldmansour]

>Nod
>Let's head off in that direction at a brisk pace, but make sure we're not actually leaving Kaguya behind in the process.
>"A lair?"

>Rin, we're heading towards the classroom with Houraisan-sensei now. Take care not to be spotted by her untransformed, but if you can find a private moment to do so first, try and meet us there.

>Kaguya nods, matching your pace, and in fact moving just a bit faster than you. You adjust your own pace to keep up. "Corrupted by dark power or no, she has to be acting on her feral instincts. If she wasn't, she wouldn't have come to this school. This place is more of a home to her than her home. Her animal instincts would drive her to make a lair for herself, and this is the place she'd do it. I was not sure if she'd settle on her homeroom classroom or her office, but my divinations indicated the former."
>"Any idea why she'd keep students and staff in there, too?" Lily asks.
>"My theory is that she would see them as part of her family, and would want to keep them in her home, to protect them. In the case of students, she may actually see them as her surrogate children. If I'm right, she's seeing everything not associated with this school as a threat right now. Just a moment." She stops you as you draw close to line of sight with the western gate. "We should make sure Meiling is not looking this way. She would only slow us."

>Understood. I just got over the wall now. I'll transform when I'm inside. After a moment, she adds, Why exactly are you bringing Kaguya-sensei?

[DracoOmega]

>"Very well."
>Give her a moment to do so

>It is less that we are bringing her and more that it might be difficult to stop her. She was already on her way to deal with Kamashirasawa-sensei - some kind of magic to remove her lycanthropy outright, though I don't think she is certain it will work on her current state. She did not see us untransformed, I am reasonably sure.

[Oldmansour]

>"Very well."
>Give her a moment to do so

>It is less that we are bringing her and more that it might be difficult to stop her. She was already on her way to deal with Kamashirasawa-sensei - some kind of magic to remove her lycanthropy outright, though I don't think she is certain it will work on her current state. She did not see us untransformed, I am reasonably sure.

>Kaguya's a wizard? Rin blurts.

[DracoOmega]

>I'm not entirely certain of that, but at the very least she appeared to perform some kind of divination with a stone bowl she was carrying, and definitely said that she had the capability to remove lycanthropy. The way she gestured with a ring she was wearing, I feel like it might be involved in this.

[Oldmansour]

>I'm not entirely certain of that, but at the very least she appeared to perform some kind of divination with a stone bowl she was carrying, and definitely said that she had the capability to remove lycanthropy. The way she gestured with a ring she was wearing, I feel like it might be involved in this.

>You can almost see Rin shake her head in surprise as she says, Kaguya-sensei's a mage, the shrine maidens here are wizards... What's next, Marissa's a closet druid?

>"I wouldn't have thought Hoshiguma-san's overly friendly bad habits would be an advantage." Kaguya says with a faint smile. "We're safe." she says as she resumes her course towards the sports yard-facing entrance.

[DracoOmega]

>Continue onward
>Steal a glance in the gate's direction as we go past, though

[Oldmansour]

>Continue onward
>Steal a glance in the gate's direction as we go past, though

>A quick look towards the gate shows that Yuugi's invitations for a friendly drink have gone beyond Meiling. At least five more individuals have joined the three you passed, and either Nazrin or Yuugi has produced another bottle of spirits. There appears to be an impromptu party forming, with Meiling acting as the somewhat reluctant guest of honor, based on the way Yuugi has her arm cocked about her neck.
>Lily giggles at the sight. "Oni can find drinking parties anywhere."
>"And starting them is almost a racial talent." Kaguya remarks.

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, I suppose it is a positive thing to manage good cheer even in the face of dour circumstances."

[Oldmansour]

>"Well, I suppose it is a positive thing to manage good cheer even in the face of dour circumstances."

>"Perhaps I shall have to reccomend her to the school morale commity." Kaguya says as the three of you pull up to the door. The teaches produces a key from inside her robe and unlocks it quickly.

[DracoOmega]

>Do we actually have such a thing?
>"Perhaps she's already doing volunteer work."

[Oldmansour]

>Do we actually have such a thing?
>"Perhaps she's already doing volunteer work."

>Not in any official capacity that you're aware of.
>"Perhaps so." Kaguya agrees as she pulls the door open. "Inside, quickly."

[DracoOmega]

>Enter

[Oldmansour]

>Enter

>Lily and Kaguya follow you inside shortly after, Kaguya pulling the door closed and locking it again. "I just hope those fools out front don't do something to make things worse before we find her." Kaguya mutters.

[DracoOmega]

>"They've sent in a miko from the Tortoise Shrine and held off on dispatching more police directly for now, I think. Though I am not certain all were in agreement on this."
>Keep making our way towards the classroom

[Oldmansour]

>"They've sent in a miko from the Tortoise Shrine and held off on dispatching more police directly for now, I think. Though I am not certain all were in agreement on this."
>Keep making our way towards the classroom

>"Just a moment." Kaguya stops you as you and Lily start to move down the hollowingly empty hallway, keeping her voice low. "Have either of you two actually faced a feral lycanthrope before?"

[DracoOmega]

>"No."

[Oldmansour]

>"No."

>"Uh uh." Lily says with a shake of her head.
>"Then you should know what you're about to face." says Kaguya, her lovely brown eyes as hard as steel. "Keine Kamishirasawa is somewhere inside that body, but outside is little more than a wild..."
>She trails off, her eyes unfocusing, as you feel a surge of power coming from the east. The power has a sense of familiarity to it, and you know it to be Rin transforming.
>"What was that?" Kaguya mutters, as she pulls her stone bowl out again. Once more, the object is glowing a soft light. Looking up at it, she asks, "You have an ally nearby?"

[DracoOmega]

>"We do. She had been monitoring the situation at the front, but I asked her to join us once things seemed to have settled there for the time-being."

[Oldmansour]

>"We do. She had been monitoring the situation at the front, but I asked her to join us once things seemed to have settled there for the time-being."

>"Are there any more of you out there I can expect to turn up?"

[DracoOmega]

>Smile a little
>"That would be a surprise to me as well."

[Oldmansour]

>Smile a little
>"That would be a surprise to me as well."

>"Good." your teacher remarks as she puts her bowl away again. "I would hate to be distracted by another one of those surges at the wrong moment."
>"Which brings me back to the first point." Kaguya starts, but she is interrupted by Lily leaning forward, as if trying to peer through her robe at the bowl.
>"How does that thing do that?"
>Kaguya frowns at the blonde. "Focus, please." You keep a smile from your face. You've heard that tone in her class more times than you can remember. Lily straightens up and nods solemnly. "A lycanthrope caught in the throes of her animal side can be extremely dangerous, fully capable of tearing an oni limb from limb. Keine may even be more dangerous now, I don't what that dark power has done to her. Nor do I know what you girls are capable of, but if you see an opportunity to turn Keine back to normal, take it. You may not get another chance."

[DracoOmega]

>"We are prepared for the danger, and we will do our utmost to safeguard and restore her. But I would ask likewise that you hold back on the power you mentioned earlier while you remain uncertain if it might harm her - I am much more certain that ours will not."

[Oldmansour]

>"We are prepared for the danger, and we will do our utmost to safeguard and restore her. But I would ask likewise that you hold back on the power you mentioned earlier while you remain uncertain if it might harm her - I am much more certain that ours will not."

>Kaguya gives you a tolerant look. "If a rabid tiger is about to tear your throat out, young lady, would you want the person with the tranquilizer gun to hold his fire?"

[DracoOmega]

>"I do not intend for any of us to come to harm, and that includes her. You said yourself that you were uncertain how safe it would be to use upon her current state, so I would rather it be held as a last resort and not otherwise."

[Oldmansour]

>"I do not intend for any of us to come to harm, and that includes her. You said yourself that you were uncertain how safe it would be to use upon her current state, so I would rather it be held as a last resort and not otherwise."

>"A 'last resort' can become 'the only resort' faster than you might think, young lady." Kaguya counters, idly grasping the thin golden chain around her neck. "I am prepared to do what I must. Can you say the same?"

[DracoOmega]

>"I would not be here if it were otherwise. We will save her."

[Oldmansour]

>"I would not be here if it were otherwise. We will save her."

>"What she said!" Lily says with exuberance.
>"Keep your voice down." Kaguya replies harshly. "We don't want to startle her, and make her more aggravated than she already is."
>Lily's wings droop. "Sorry, sensei."

>Mistress, I can hear somethin' movin' in front of me. Rin reports. I'm just outside the cafeteria. I think Keine's comin' this way.