Devils + Vampire

The New Hires

Shizuka Nekonome was sitting at her teacher's desk in her first year class room. She was leaning back in her seat, a piece of raw fish she had gotten from the human world in her mouth. People who didn't know the Nekomusume would believe that she had no care in the world. That she was simply waiting for the first year students to come in and start their journey through high school.

Anyone who knew her, however, could tell that she was extremely nervous.

"Nyaa~," she whined over her early morning meal. Usually, she wouldn't be eating such a delicacy this early in the day. But she needed some way to calm her nerves after what the Headmaster told her today. And it was sitting right there in her lunchbox!

Her ears, the same blonde color as her hair, drooped as she swallowed a piece of her meal down. When she had arrived at Yokai Academy, she thought it would be a simple year. She'd come in, say high to the shining faces of her new first years, and get started on teaching them about the wonders of the human world. Instead, she was called to the Headmaster's Office the moment she arrived. There he told her that there was a new Patron Librarian, and that she had a new Teaching Assistant effective today, and that she would be in charge of showing them the ropes!

Not that she minded doing that.

But why did he have to drop it on her right when the school year started? If she was going to have an Assistant, then wouldn't it have been better to tell her before the students showed up? So she could give them a tour of the Academy and help ease them into things?

She shook her head while putting the half-eaten fish back in her lunch box. She wanted to keep at least some of it for later. Her tail hung low behind her, the white tip almost touching the floor below. Her eyes remained closed yet she could still see the empty seats in front of her. Seats that would soon be full of young Yokai all waiting to experience the best years of their lives. Students that she would be able to guide towards a brighter future...alongside a total stranger that she hadn't even met yet.

Uncertainty began to enter her mind. It wasn't that she doubted the Headmaster's decision. She had been here at long as Nurai, so she trusted Mikogami to know what he was doing. But there was always the small chance that he had made a mistake. What if they turned out to be a bad influence on the students? What if they was actually a delinquent who would extort the students while she wasn't looking? What if they were older than her and-

Shizuka shook her head, lightly slapping her cheeks to get her thoughts in order. No! No! Bad Shizuka! Don't think that way about your new Assistant. You need to be confident and ready to show them the ropes. Just like any good senpai! In fact, she shouldn't be sitting around waiting for them. They're probably wandering around the school in a total daze with no idea where to go! She should be finding them and giving them a warm welcome to Yokai Academy!

"Right!" she stood up from her chair, pumping her fists as a determined glint entered her eyes. She walked over to the door, back straight and tail flailing behind her. She placed a hand on the handle and said out loud, "Don't worry, my new Assistant! Your reliable senpai is on the wa-Nyaa!~"

Shizuka ran into something the moment she tried to walk out the door. She wasn't sure what it was, but it felt as solid as a brick wall! She stumbled back, tripping over her own feet as she went. A frightened "Eeek!" left her mouth as she started falling backwards...only to be saved by a hand on her back.

"Woah there, Kitty Cat," the man Shizuka had run into said with a smile, "What's the rush? I'm right here. Bright and early for our important lesson."

Shizuka was speechless as she stared up at the man's face. He was clearly older than her, but he wore his age well. He had a "Cool Older Uncle" look that the few wrinkles on his face enhanced. He was clean shaven, with only a hint of stubble on his chin. His silver hair fell around his face in an uncontrolled mess, but that only seemed to make him look cooler. A red coat over a black shirt with matching pants seemed to flutter in an invisible breeze. His teeth were pearl white with no a speck of yellow on them, and his breath smelled minty fresh.