Mistle-Housamo - A Tokyo Afterschool Summoners Fanfiction

Introduction

Everything was warm, and jolly and bright in the hotel dining hall this evening. The Ikebukuro Guild rented out the place for the night, and Claude let no expense ruin the luxurious setting of the Christmas feast he had invited the friendly guilds to. The location was decked out to a high, but by no means gaudy, standard, and a spectacular Christmas tree adorned a corner of the room.

It was magical.

You were relieved enough when the tables were organised so that guilds could sit together, so as to not be forced to sit with members of unfamiliar guilds. This was the safest way to ensure people could mingle, but not get into any 'unnecessary' fights.

"Ohh, are you planning on eating that...?" A voice snapped you out of your thoughts. You turned to your friend in your guild, Ryota, who was sitting beside you and looking at you eagerly. You had only partially eaten your main course, as you realised it was not much to your taste. But you gave him a smile and pushed the plate towards him.

"Here, enjoy it."

"Thank you! I wanted to try the other main courses but I didn't know if it would be okay!"

"It's no problem." You grinned, and happily left him to eat. Beside you, Kengo was patting his stomach, a content smile on his lips. "Enjoy the food, big guy?"

"Hey, it's not everyday you get to eat such fancy food like this." Kengo let out a pleased sigh. You held back a small giggle, as you noticed him trying to discreetly unbuckle and loosen his belt. Seeing Kengo in formal, let alone semi-formal attire like what he was wearing now, was very amusing to you. Shiro could barely force the hulk of a man into a black dress shirt and trousers. And of course, your chief advisor could be less than pleased with the current sight.

"Oi, Kengo!" Shiro harshly whispered, glaring at the fighter. "Don't loosen your belt! That's highly inappropriate for the occasion!"

"Oh come on Shiro," Kengo grumbled. He eyed the unused lap-cloth on the table and grabbed it, placing it on his knees. "I'll just put this on my lap and sit close to the table cloth. Nobody's going to notice."

"That's just despicable." Shiro groaned, averting his gaze and adjusting his glasses. Kengo shrugged and then pushed himself in, obscuring his lap from the rest of the room, fumbling with his belt a little more before removing his hands.

"Come on Shiro, give him a little bit of a break tonight, it's Christmas." You said, reaching for the water jug to refill your glass. You could hear him let out a quiet sigh, as he continued eating his meal carefully. You glanced at him eating in the corner of your eye. Shiro ate delicately, with measured pieces, so as to not make a mess. But you could tell by the way he smiled after a bite that he enjoyed it.

"Toji, what did you think of main course?" Ryota asked Toji next to him. You looked over to listen to their conversation. Toji was looking down at the plate, a bit of an indifferent look on his face. But you were happy to see that it was a softer look than usual.

"Well, it was good." Toji shrugged, but a small smile formed on his face. "An appreciated gesture. Dessert should be nice as well."

"Awww, I can't wait for dessert!" Ryota grinned. He had finished your portion of the meal and was now leaning back in his chair with you, resting his hands on his tummy.

You happily sighed as you observed the surroundings. There was the sound of merry discussion and chatter in the air, with the occasional humourous outburst. You could see Arsalan, who had sat down next to Claude, having a good conversation with the occasional back slap from Arsalan. Claude laughed when he caught your eye twinkling with amusement after a particularly hard back slap from the great Aoyama lion.

Nyarlathotep was managing the Christmas tunes out near the dance floor, seeming to be in a less troublesome and more calming mood. Gabriel and Maria were next to him, and they were holding microphones, likely deciding on what song to sing next.

The Roppongi Guild leaders were mingling with the other Rankers in the Ikebukuro guild, and there were lots of gestures being made. From the looks of it, it looked like they were retelling stories of old fights. Even Snow appeared to be participating in some of the conversations.

Everybody seemed to be in good spirits, and it made you feel all warm inside.

...Actually, was it a bit too warm?

"Hmm.. I'm think I'm going to go take a step outside." You stood up from your table, leaving your lap cloth on your seat.

"Is something wrong, guild master?" Shiro asked. Everyone looked to you with concern, and you waved a hand.

"Nah, it just feels a little hot in here. I'll be back, don't worry. I think there's a balcony, I'll go and have a walk up there."

"Would you like one of us to come with you?"

"Thanks Shiro, but nah, I just want to think and maybe reflect a little bit on everything that's happened to me. I'm all good though, don't worry." You waved, and headed out of the dining room to go find the stairs.

"This feels good," You thought, stepping out onto the balcony. It was still in view of the party, and you could hear Gabriel and Maria starting to sing an upbeat Christmas song. You could see some of the guilds starting to move to the dance floor and enjoy themselves.

"I'll go back soon, I just want to stay out here a little bit longer", you thought to yourself before continuing your walk.

You walked along the path, which encircled the dining hall below, so you weren't too far away. You admired what few stars you could see in the night sky, and the hustle and bustle of traffic was somewhat comforting to the sense. You shivered a little from the cool breeze blowing through Tokyo.

"Heh, probably time to go back inside." You pondered with a soft smile.

It was then that you heard a step behind you.

"Who's there?"

(Select a Part from the Chapter Select for your preferred boy!)