Vanilla Smoke (Blue Exorcist)

Chapter 25

Hello!!

     Shuku paled at the ridiculous selection of food in front of her. Hebimaru eyed the food with a hungry lust, probably from his lack of prey recently so he wasn't going to be picky. Shuku sat on the left of Rin, who sat at the end of the small dining table, and across from the teacher. Hebimaru was coiled next to her, occasionally eyeing Izumo, then back to the food.

"Thanks for all the hard work. Dig in!" Teacher Sideburns said, and everyone just stared at the food. Shima and Izumo started naming everything on the table. Every dish shared one basic aspect; the main ingredient, squid.

"Everything here's got squid in it." Polka-brow sighed, slightly disgusted.

"That's right! Bon appetit!" The teacher gave a closed eye smile.

"Yeah, but, it's like, don't we have anything besides squid?" Rin asked, uncertainly.

The teacher put a finger on his face, and leaned closed, "No. We don't. You know why? No one has been able to catch anything in these waters except squid. It's driving everyone squiddy! However, on the upside, you can all squid out till you get sick." The teacher gave everyone a thumbs up, and everyone, but Hebimaru, who was probably going to eat a fair portion of it, sighed.

"That's why no one bought our squid, and Shuku made good business because it had nothing to do with squid! It figures." Rin sighed.

Everyone started to reluctantly make their plates, and Shuku made one for Hebimaru and filled it up, since an eight-foot snake can eat more than a person could on average, and then she looked at her plate.

"Teacher, I understand everything can be healthy in moderation but this is not healthy nor moderation so this endangers my well being." Shuku said, then gave her plate to Hebimaru, who Shuku saw almost eat the plate as well.

"If you're not going to eat the squid, then what are you going to eat then?" The teacher asked skeptically, eating some of the weird back squid noodles.

Shuku leaned back and went into the cooler of her stuff, then pulled out an almost empty thing of half melted mango icecream. She had plenty left over, and this was just the leftovers from today's sales. She took out a small scoop and ate the ice cream right out of the container, much to everyone's surprise. Shuku smiled internally in contentment and ate the ice cream.

Hebimaru ate a large portion of the squid on the table, then slithered off to take a nap. With the table cleaned off, and Shuku still eating the ice cream (and refusing to share), everyone went back to business.

"The Kraken?" Rin asked in confusion.

"If we're talking about ink spewing demons of the sea, then that's my guess." The book that the teacher had out was one Shuku recognized from her studies. He had the page flipped open to a mid-level demon that greatly resembled an enormous squid.

"This book, the natural history of Norway, has a passage that tells about how if a Kraken's around, the sea will turn pitch black from its ink." The teacher explained, and Shuku half paid attention. As the emergency backup, she wouldn't have to go near the thing, or the ocean... right?

"So that things the reason the fisherman can't catch anything but squid." Shima assumed. "Ok, we figured out the Kraken's doing this but is their anyway to destroy it."

"Shima, the calamari thing was a joke." Shuku discouraged but was ignored.

"One would have to know the demon of the deep sea's fatal verse. It's believed to be the letter to the Ephesians, Chapter one, verse 18, other than that the options are limited. I'm afraid your little friend won't be able to destroy it by himself." The teacher said and Shuku paused, scoop halfway into her mouth.