The Slithery Child of the Crescent Moon

Memories Under Falling Cherry Blossoms

"Welcome to your new home... Well, sort of."

Little Tsukiro looked around, hugging his bag full of his stuff tightly, as Akari opened the door of her apartment and entered the place, removing her shoes and wore her indoor slippers. It was already night time, as Akari and Nagisa had to sign another non-disclosure agreements for Tsukiro's case, and other contracts regarding about the mission. They also contacted the rest of the E-Class and told them of the situation, and they are going to conduct a meeting at the Class E building the next day.

"Here," Akari grabbed her other slippers and gave it to Tsukiro, who received it. "Sorry it was too big, I don't have slippers your size, since I live alone. Maybe we'll buy for stuff this week, since you are going to stay with me."

Tsukiro nodded without a word, as he followed the brown-haired young adult and looked inside the apartment. The apartment was small for a huge actress like Yukimura Akari, but she preferred it minimal, since she lived alone. Now, she has Tsukiro to keep her company.

Akari smiled sheepishly, rubbing her nape, "Sorry about the place. It was small, but it was enough for me to live in."

Tsukiro smiled politely as he spoke softly, "It-it is fine, Yukimura-san. My o-old home was also small like this."

Akari stared at the boy softly, smiling gently as she put her shoulder bag on the countertop near the sofa, "Just call me Auntie Akari, since you are my nephew," she chuckled as she took a deep breath, "I just can't believe I am now an aunt. It's just so surreal."

She then looked at the boy and shrugged as she waved her hand dismissively, "Sorry, Tsukiro-kun, it's just that I never expected my sister to have a secret kid, since she died years ago. It was like a plot twist of a movie, you see, where a big revelation came in to slap the main character."

Suddenly, Akari's phone rang loudly, its sound was heard all over the place. Tsukiro winced, as his sensitive ears slightly hurt over the shrill sound of the ringtone.

Akari sent Tsukiro an apologetic look as she picked up her phone and saw the caller name, "It was my manager, probably calling about the party. I probably forgot to tell him about the emergency. Oh well, there's no helping it. Let me answer this call, you can look around the living room and the kitchen. When I finished this call, we can go outside to eat and hang out. How does it sound?"

Tsukiro nodded meekly, as his hands fidgeting with the collar in his neck in nervousness. Akari smiled, patted Tsukiro's head before going outside and answered the call.

The boy's head turned left and right, his dark orbs scanning the area around him. It was new to him, as for the majority of his life, he was sheltered in Katara's home to protect him. He fixed his skewering specs resting in his face, as he walked around the place.

He noticed a bunch of picture frames hanging in the wall near the TV, and stared at them. There is a huge picture of a class, taken in the building he'd been earlier. There were 27 children, smiling happily and doing wacky poses in the camera, while being handled by a huge yellow octopus wearing academic robes. Aimi's parents were also there in the back. Tsukiro raised his eyebrow in confusion.

"Why is there an octopus in the photo? Is he a mascot... Or is he like me, a tentacle creature?" Tsukiro thought, as he stared at the strange class photo infront of him.

He sighed, as his mind trying to wreck ideas on why is there an octopus, and proceeded to stare on some photos. He saw young Akari in some of the pictures, along with a short-haired woman, and they were smiling in the camera. Tsukiro saw this woman in the picture Katara had shown him before, the woman was his real mother Aguri.