Nobody POV

(Hey, if anyone knows who that cute guy in the picture above it, dedication in the next chapter! It's bugging me!)

Also, DamianWayneXme, you'll probably see the reference of names in here, so yeah. I've learned to trust your observation skills when it comes to that. See if you can find it. ;)

"So, does anyone else think that Universe-dude is a little off?" Aries voiced the next day. The zodiacs had arrived back at the dorm to find out that it was already late at night and that they were all drained. Taurus cooked up some quick dinner, they ate, and went to bed. 

Now they were getting ready to head to the main campus, getting their shoes on and everything.

"I think we all think that's true," Capricorn replied for all of them. 

"I mean, he's nice and all," Cancer said. 

"But I mean... wow. Serious excitement vibes were literally radiating off of him," Taurus filled in. He was fiddling with his crutch, which he was unfortunately going to have to use because he'd woken up to sore calves and knees. 

"My personal opinion is that he just wants the best from us," Mini chirped. For today, she had apparently won the fight and was the one present. Gem, just like they'd said, had disappeared. 

"Yes, I agree," Pisces said, nodding. "But while we're at it GREAT FISH FRY, BY THE WAY!" 

Taurus chuckled nervously. "It's nothing, really. If anything, it was a bit too salty." 

Aquarius nudged him with a teasing smile. "You set the cooking standard far too high, my friend." 

"I hope that we can find whoever's undercover easily," Libra mused. "But for some reason, I feel like Universe isn't going to make it easy." 

"Well, it's the universe, right?" Saggitarius offered. 

Virgo nodded, staring at the bright blue sky dreamily. "Mm-hm." 

"Okay people, are you ready to ROCK AND ROLL?!" Leo shouted as he banged the door open. "Let's go and amaze some people, yo!" 

The rest of the zodiacs sighed in unison as they made their way to the school. They were all wearing the school uniform. The boys wore a gray blazer with matching darker gray ties, and darker gray pants as well plus black shoes. The girls wore the same kind of top but with a gray skirt and tall white/gray socks and black shoes. 

"Okay, I don't know about you," Pisces whimpered when they entered the building and everybody's gaze anchored onto them, "But I really regret living under the same roof with a bunch of popular, cute boys." 

"Don't worry," Scorpio grumbled back, "It's just Leo." Sure enough, Leo was doing his usual 'I'm totally the king of the mountain!' act and was soaking it up. 

Taurus and Aquarius, on the other hand, were getting more and more uncomfortable. Taurus's crutch attracted enough stares as it was, but Aquarius's good looks only worsened the effect. Eventually, when they were approached by another squealing girl, Aquarius snapped, "Oh for heaven's sakes go and bother our shiny friend over there, he'd be much more of a better customer." 

"Sorry," Taurus whispered as the girl frowned and went off to fawn over Leo. "Maybe I shouldn't have used my crutch today-" 

Aquarius gave him a light slap on the arm. "What, and risk you collapsing in the middle of school? Not on my watch. Also because you'd probably force me to carry you back home, bridal style." 

"I wouldn't have to force you to do anything," Taurus replied, grinning cheekily. "Remember that one time back in the 5th that you did carry me home after one accident-?" 

"Yeah, yeah, I remember that," Aquarius cut him off, smiling. "That was embarrassing. Though that was kind of hard to remember when you've got a furiously raging Meika ready to meet us at your house." Meika might've only been 8 when it happened, but she reigned supreme as an overprotective mama bear. 

From the sidelines, Mini watched with an evil smile on her face as they laughed. She was literally taking notes in a small notepad and blissfully ignoring the boys that were eyeing her (not really, but she loved to overdramaticize the boring norm). "Oo-hoo-hoo! This school year just got more interesting," she said to herself as she prepared to indulge herself in a drama that would certainly be interesting to watch. "Then again, I can see how Scorpio gazes fondly at Saggitarius, not that she's not pretty! Still, something about that girl strikes me as... off... but whatever! I'll keep an eye on them both while still taking notes. And I need to find a partner in crime... Maybe I'll ask Capricorn, or Libra. Best having the resourceful girls on my side. Oh, though it'd be really funny if I convinced the boys to gang up on them... I'll hatch my plans later in class." 

Thus Mini starting to start her art of 'subtle watch and matchmaking.' 

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Class One: Homeroom with Aries, Leo, Taurus, Aquarius, Libra, and Mini

(each class will be focused on a separate chunk of zodiacs, though I will not do every class and the chunks may be short 'cause I'm lazy and I don't care very much for describing classes.)

"Maaaaaaaan, I'm glad we finally got away from them!" Aries stretched, plopping down in a seat.

Leo sat down next to him, opened a bottle of milk, popped in a straw, and started drinking. "Yeah, I'll have to admit, I like having admirers, but that many is a bit overwhelming." 

Aquarius flashed him a slightly cold and evil smile as he and Taurus took a seat behind them. "Oh, you'd better prepare yourself. The girls seem to like me just as much as they do you, and unlike you I don't like the attention, so I will gladly shepard them in your direction." 

"Forgive him," Taurus sighed melodramatically. "He's a bit stone-hearted." 

"Oooo, is there drama?" Mini called as she sat down as well. Libra sat down next to her. 

"Not really," Aries sighed. "Just Leo being Leo." 

"I actually wouldn't be surprised if the teacher fell for one of you next," Libra told them. "Although that would be distinctly weird. And that goes for everyone, we can't possibly just have lady teachers so us girls might want to prepare as well." 

"Taurus, you do have a knife right?" Aquarius asked. 

Taurus's hand flew to his blazer. "Yes. Why?" Yes, Meika had even sewn on a knife pocket on his uniform and when he put it on in the morning he had found a note that read: 'Big bro you'd better take a knife with you or else!!!'

"No reason. Just in case someone tries and do something idiotic I might want to wrestle it out and stab them." 

Taurus sighed again. "Aqua, we've been over this. I can handle them." 

"Not without my help, you can't." 

"Who says?" 

"Oh, are you talking about us?" Leo asked. "If so, then have no fear! I will gladly get out of your way for your own leisure!" 

"No, it's not you," Taurus reassured him. "Everything's fine, really..." 

Without even bothering to look over Aquarius gave him a light punch to the jaw. "It's not. In the past he's had some trouble with bullies, what with his crutch and all. And he absolutely refuses to let me make them pay!"  

"Because you would beat the crap out of them," Taurus pointed out reasonably. "I would myself, but I don't trust myself when I go on rampage." 

It was Aquarius's turn to sigh. "I swear, meeting you was either the greatest moment of my life or my worst." He seemed to remember they had an audience and turned quickly to the others. "Sorry if that was confusing, it's just been us for a while so we usually argue in public without a second thought." 

Leo was spacing out, gazing out the window while sipping milk. Libra and Aries were giving them blank yet slightly sympathetic looks. Mini, on the other hand, had her phone out (again, only in her head) and her evil smile was back. "Oh no, keep on going. It's adorable watching you two argue like an old married couple!" 

She was a bit disappointed when only Taurus blushed, albeit just a little. "It's only natural, we've done this for ages." 

Mini frowned. Aquarius is about as hard to pierce as a piece of rock! she thought to herself. Looks like so far he's only open to Taurus getting anywhere near him. Hmm, maybe I could use some bribery...

Her thoughts were distracted when the homeroom teacher walked in. "Good morning, class, and welcome to a new year here! (ANY GOOD SCHOOL NAME SUGGESTIONS?! HELP!!!) I'm Miss Apple, your homeroom teacher." 

Choruses of greeting echoed through the vast classroom. "Hopefully you will all have a great year and learn plenty of things! Now, before we begin, I'm pleased to announce that we have a new transfer student coming here! She's all the way from across the sea, too!" 

Murmurs erupted across the class. Miss Apple winked. "That's right ladies and gentlemen, our new transfer student is a girl! Better luck next time, girls, and congratulations to the boys!" She laughed at the groans she received. "Just kidding, I saw that line in a show last weekend and I couldn't resist trying it out IRL." If possible, her usage of "in real life" shortened to the texting way of "IRL" in real life garnered even more groans than before.

She went over to the door and opened it. The entire class seemed to be on pins and needles. And in stepped... the most boring-looking girl they'd ever seen. Sure, she had nice features and a nice-enough-looking face. But her purple hair hung straight down her shoulders and she bore a stoic, borderline bored expression. Paired with the gray school uniform and her purple eyes, there was nothing particularly special or anything about her. 

"Hi," she said. "I'm Kozaku Mitori. You can just call me Mitori. It's a pleasure to meet you." 

As she walked down the aisle she tilted her head to catch Aries's eye. For a split second she flashed him... was that a wink? A sly one, one that said, 'I know something you don't.' But, since they were in class, he kept quiet.

She went and took a seat in the back of the class. Libra eyed her as she flipped open her book and stared straight ahead. "Think she's the incog gal?" she whispered to them. 

"A boring girl like her?" Leo whispered back. "No way!" 

"Don't be rude, Leo," Taurus chided him.

"Shhhh!" Mini hissed. 

Nobody saw Mitori's mouth curve into a smile as class began. 

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Class Two: Science/Chemistry with Virgo, Capricorn, Scorpio, and Saggitarius

Needless to say, these three gals were very excited for science. The other two, not so much. Saggitarius had to console Scorpio all the way to class. "You know, I'd thought that you would be a whiz at this kind of thing," Capricorn commented, glancing at Scorpio who was lurking in the shadows of the classroom. Because they wanted to stick together, the two earth signs had sat near the back with the other two. "I mean, with your ability and all." 

Scorpio gave her a withering glare. "I can emit poison, not chemicals." 

"I didn't notice any difference," Virgo piped up. "Didn't Universe suggest you look up some chemicals? I thought he said that you could do more than just poisons." 

Scorpio looked over at Saggitarius, but he was distracted by idly manipulating the friction of the desk to slide his materials back and forth. He sighed. "Yeah, but I'm not really the library-type guy, y'know?" 

Saggi glanced up, hands still hovering over the pencils that had spilled out and were teetering over the edge of the table. "Oh, in that case, I can help you," He offered timidly, smiling a little.  

Scorpio smiled at him. "Thanks, Saggi." 

Saggitarius blushed and looked down. "It's nothing-woah!" He startled when he lost control of his power and the pencils started falling to the ground. Capricorn caught the pencils and handed them to him. "T-thank you," he said softly. She gave him a thumbs-up in return.

"All right, class, quiet down," a woman wearing a long lab coat strode in. (there will be no picture of her, just a description) She had long blonde hair in a loose ponytail and serious gray-blue eyes. A pair of thin-rimmed black glasses perched on her nose. "Welcome to Science and Chemistry. I'm your teacher, Miss Denevra, and I sincerely hope that in my class nothing will get dissolved, burned or anything along those lines." she looked over her glasses at them. "I expect sharp minds and careful hands. Now then." 

She took roll call quickly, then went on. "Today we'll be mixing a very simple mixture. Take the items that I will distribute to you now and follow my instructions exactly." 

A few minutes later everyone had a bunch of odd plants and science tools in front of them. "Put on your goggles and gloves, please. And put on the coats hanging on the back of your seats-button them up all the way." 

The beginning of the experiment started pretty well. Nothing happened. Then, towards the end, disaster struck. "As you finish up, you should see a few small bubbles. The liquid should take on a silvery sheen with a rich teal color. (What that was the first color that I thought of even though teal really isn't that ideal for me) When you're finished mixing cap and it and take up to my desk-"

BANG. 

Miss Denevra's head snapped her and her eyes narrowed. "Who did that?" 

Nobody had to answer when everybody's stare was pinpointed on Scorpio, whose desk was covered with the remnants of his bottle and the liquid, which started hissing and clumping together. 

She sighed. "We were so close..." 

"Sorry, ma'am," Scorpio apologized. "I wasn't paying enough attention and might've tipped in a little bit more powder than I was supposed to..." 

Miss Denevra smiled, but her expression was still serious. "Well, at least you're fine. Good thing those lab coats are super-reinforced especially for this kind of thing... Anyway, I'll call up the janitor. Take off your coats and hang them back on the chairs. Class is dismissed!" 

"You just couldn't go through the class without blowing the bottle up, could you, huh?" Capricorn teased as they walked out of the class. 

Scorpio sulked. "Lay off, would you?" 

She only grinned and kept walking without a care in the world. 

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Class Three: Home Ec. with Taurus, Pisces, Cancer, and Gem

(I skipped math because what am I even supposed to do for that?!) 

"Hey, Mini's gone," Taurus noted as Gem stood next to him at a table. Gem sighed. "Yep. And it seems she is once again up to no good." 

"I wonder what we'll be cooking," Cancer mused. "Something simple, I hope." 

"I'll burn the stove either way," Pisces grumbled, pouting adorably.

Taurus smiled, leaning on the counter a little. Since cooking required both hands he had to put his crutch aside. Aquarius wasn't with him in this class, and he had made it very clear that he didn't like that very much. 

Overprotective papa bear, Taurus reflected with a smile. So cute... I could just pinch his cheeks and squeeze his head like Meika likes to do. 

The teacher walked, another girl. She looked homely and motherly, with an apron on and everything. "Hello, class. I'm Mrs. Wood, and it's a pleasure to meet you! You'll be partnering with the person you're standing next to. In front of you should be the cooking materials we will be using and the instructions. If you need any help tell me." 

Naturally, Taurus finished in about ten minutes. "This is easy," he noted. "At least, for me." 

"Then help meee!" Pisces wailed. She was miserably trying to crack an egg. He reached over and smoothly cracked it for her. 

Somehow Taurus ended up cooking all of their food for them. "Thanks, we'll pay you back!" Cancer said, beaming as they took their food up to present to Mrs. Wood. 

They all got 100%s. 

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After school 

(I will rotate doing classes, there are more but you know they aren't the most interesting so yeah.)

"Man, school was a beast, wasn't it?" Leo groaned, stretching out on a long couch. "And remind me again why Cygnus transported us here?" 

They were somewhere in Universe's 'house', in a relatively normal room dotted with chairs and rugs. Bookshelves filled with books were stacked against the wall and there was a desk in one corner. Most of the zodiacs were sitting or browsing the books. 

"These are pretty knowledgable," Capricorn called, flipping open a dark blue book. 

"I think you should remind me why Universe specifically wanted us to be separate," Gem grumbled. Mini pouted. "Hey, you got your turn during school! And besides, you can't disobey an order from the universe!" 

Scorpio was sitting in the corner, keeping a close eye on Saggitarius who was sliding over the floor using his power. 

Taurus was also sitting, adjusting his crutch. Aquarius hovered over him. Mini opened her mouth, prepared to tease them, but Gem caught her eye and subtly shook his head. "C'mon, Mini, give it a rest." 

She huffed. "How can I when they're that cute!" 

"Geez... you're so blind..." Gem muttered. "Can't you see... Ugh. Blind. Absolutely, all the way, blind."  Can't you freakin' see that Aquarius is philophobic?!

Before Mini could fire a sharp comeback, a soft, inquiring voice spoke as the door opened. "Blind? Who's blind?" 

In stepped a young girl. She was only about ten, and was barefoot. But the oddest fact was that her eyes never went anywhere. They simply stayed still and her eyes were glazed over. Her entire expression, in fact, was expressionless.

Libra was the first the realize what was going on. "It's nice to meet you," she said courteously. "I have curly brown hair and eyes."

"It's okay," the girl said when Libra released her. "I can see every one of you clearly." she gestured towards her feet. "I see through my feet." 

Leo sighed over-dramatically. "That means she can't see my gloriousness properly! How sad!" 

The girl turned towards him. "You must be the dramatic I heard yesterday." 

"Were you there?" Virgo asked. 

The girl shrugged. "I was half-listening. Universe can get rather loud." 

"By the way, is that guy gonna come, or what?" Aries huffed. "I'm getting impatient-" 

"Kaaaaashikoi! Wait for me, would you-" the woman stopped in the doorway when she saw all of the zodiacs. Her face broke into a large smile. "Zodiacs! Welcome, welcome! I'm Galaxia, Universe's sister. In case you're wondering, no, I'm not a weird as he is." 

All the zodiacs sighed a little at that. 

"Xia can still get a bit erratic, though," Kashikoi said with a smile, reaching up to take the woman's hand. 

Galaxia laughed. "I suppose that's true! Now, now, come on and tell me your names!" 

One by one the zodiacs told her their names. When Taurus said his name for the slightest minute Galaxia's brow puckered, before it disappeared. 

"Question, why do you have a sword?" Saggitarius asked, having stopped sliding around. 

Galaxia looked confused for a moment, then grinned. "Oh, my sword? Nothing much, I've just gotten so used to having it on me that I guess I forgot." 

"So what's your purpose?" Scorpio questioned. "In Universe's message that Cygnus gave us, he said that this was a very important process." 

"Ah, yes!" Galaxia smiled. "You see, Kashikoi here can see your strengths and weaknesses with a single touch. She will tell you your limits to your power. Universe is a bit of a worrywart, so he scheduled this today before tomorrow's lesson to reassure himself and so that you could know your limits as well. We do this all the time, then Kashi-chan repeats them for me so I can write them down for later use."  

"Wait, but if you do it all the time," Cancer said, looking a little confused, "Then how does Kashikoi repeat them down accurately for you?" 

Galaxia opened her mouth but Kashikoi spoke before her. "I never forget the things I see when I touch someone," she said with perfect clarity. 

"Kashikoi has photographic memory," Galaxia explained for them. She nudged the little girl forwards. "Go ahead, do your thing." She snapped her fingers and all of a sudden the zodiacs found themselves standing in a straight line. 

Kashi approached Aries. Delicately she took his hand in both of hers. "A hot-headed boy. You love sports but you cannot swim. Your limit is making the entire battlefield into a living bomb. Your ability will not harm the innocent. It does not matter how wide the battlefield is, as long as there is a battle happening on the field, it will work. Warning: this will take a lot out of you." Her voice had turned cold and robotic as she gave her diagnosis. 

Without waiting for Aries's reaction she moved on to Taurus. "Physically the weakest here. Also the only one that can properly cook. With your ability your knees can function like normal. However, your time limit to that is fifteen minutes. Once you discover the higher level of using your ability the time can be lengthened to thirty. I cannot tell you what that higher level is per Universe's orders. It is up to you to find it out. Warning: any longer than the time limit your knees will shatter and then can only be healed through another ability or magic." 

Kashikoi took one hand from each of the twins. "Twins. Opposites. The girl is investing in something odd right now. The boy is pretty normal. Your limit is only 50 copies each. Only the originals can produce wind. The copies will lose their form and disappear the more your concentration fades away. I would advise you to work on focus in battle tricks. Warning: once you have reached your limit you would best stick to less copies as 100 copies of you is quite the stretch for the brain." 

Cancer gave her her hand. "A swimmer. Loves seafood; crab especially. Very interesting. No restrictions on breathing underwater. Your limit is no more than twenty bubbles at a time for a person to breathe underwater as well, and the more water you control into animals the more concentration you need. One slip of your mind and the water will instantly dissolve. I recommend you to work on tricks to focus better in the middle of battles too. Warning: While you can breathe underwater indefinitely those under the bubbles cannot and will eventually exhaust the bubble." 

Leo flipped his hair before Kashikoi yanked his hand down. "Slightly narcissistic. Good intentions. Plenty of admirers. Drinks a lot of milk. Your limit is twenty minutes max for your time bubbles. Go any further and it will disappear on its own. As a lion you can stay in that form for a long time, however any injuries you sustain in that form will reflect on yourself. Warning: if you use your power in the middle of a battle you must be prepared to jump immediately into action after the bubble disappears or your greatest strength could become your greatest weakness." 

Virgo, like Cancer, also gave her her hand. "Innocent. Likes sweet things and eats a lot of them too. Your limit is that you cannot hear things of pure. When I say pure I mean that you cannot hear through pure metal. It solely depends on how much earth is inside one given thing. You have a simple ability; easy to decipher. For your other power the weakness there is that someone else must make the animal for you. Warning: it is possible if you are not careful that a highly trained person could catch on to you hearing them and somehow find a way to block you." 

Libra was one of the more transparent zodiacs. When she picked up her hand Kashi spoke almost immediately, when earlier she had always paused for a minute before speaking. "A peacemaker. Good for the team. Fights for what she believes in. Fairly easy. You have no limit for the power of peace as Universe told me because if you do it right you should be able to separate those who need the peace the most and those who don't. For your other ability, your limit is that you can only use one or the other once every five minutes or you will be drained. Warning: it is possible, though very rare, for somebody to break from the power of peace." 

Scorpio flinched for a moment then let her take his hand. "Mysterious. There are many shadows. Interesting. The only limit I see for your ability is yourself. You hesitate to reach out to new things and as such will prevent you from reaching more useful and higher level uses of your ability. A higher level, for example, would be to surround yourself with it. The limit for that is a few feet away from you. Your chemicals will not harm your friends. Warning: make sure that the ones you burn are the ones you intended to burn. In this world all too often things are not what they seem."

 Saggitarius looked nervous but tried his best to calm down, praying she wouldn't say his secret out loud... "Intriguing... Universe told me about you. Amazing at archery. A champion in fact. The limit to your ability is not very much but like Scorpio your own mind restrains you from exploring new reaches. There is a lot you can do with friction. I suggest you study up. Another limit is that you can use your ability to shield people, but only three plus yourself at one given time. Warning: Do not get too confident. Friction is useful but if you make one mistake while sliding towards another the consequences are dangerous." 

Capricorn was ready. "What a studious girl. Needs others to help her relax. You love the stars too. Your limit is that if attackers attack all at once it is possible to get overwhelmed. I see what you love doing and the limit to earth columns is that the taller they are the more energy it takes out of you. Warning: if you do not harness the power of the earth correctly it will take advantage of you and every time you use its power it will sap some of your own until you have none left. Do not yield to the force. You must persist against it and let it listen to you."

Aquarius was nervous on the inside but stoic on the outside. "The one with the most darkness. A desire to protect those in an effort to... Closed to affections. Wary of love. Your limit is that you must not get too close to too-dry areas or you might completely evaporate and in that case things could get perilous for you. Controlling water, limit is one tsunami per day and after that you must rest for a complete twenty-four hours to regain strength. A higher level way of using your ability is to heal people with it though that particular type will be difficult for you. Warning: do not let your desire get in the way of what you really need to do." 

Pisces was last. "A fierce girl, overlooked by many. Loves seafood even more than Cancer does. A beautiful diver and a good swimmer. Your limit of size is blue whale size and after that twenty-four hours of rest as well. I would suggest not trying to engage in anything strenuous during that time period for your own sanity. There is no limit to how much fish you can produce and I suspect you will be surprised at the types that come out. The fish can be used as a mode of transportation; however to achieve that you must have a source of water for them to swim on. In that case, you may want to call on a friend of yours. Warning: the bigger the size of fish the more concentration and energy it will take." 

Kashikoi blinked and let go of her hand. She stumbled back a few steps and collapsed onto a couch. Galaxia rushed to help her sit up. "You okay, Kashi?" 

"Yeah," Kashikoi mumbled, holding her head. Beads of sweat dripped down her forehead. Her voice was back to normal. "Just a lot of information. I've never read twelve people in a row before." 

Galaxia looked up at the zodiacs, who were for once mostly silent as they reflected on what Kashikoi had told them. "Right, you can go now. My brother said you're free to go as soon as she finished giving her readings. And I'd better write that all down after she recovers." Galaxia held up her fingers. "Oh, and fair word of warning... I'll be visiting your school tomorrow." 

She snapped her fingers and they were transported away back to their dorms before they could shout out an answer. 

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"So... that was... " Capricorn attempted to describe that experience and gave up at the other zodiacs' thoughtful expressions. 

Taurus went over and after a moment of hesitation wrapped an arm around Aquarius, who was sitting down. "Aqua, do you need...?" 

"Nah, it's fine," Aquarius replied, biting back his inner confliction. "It's fine." His expression was listless, emotionless, completely caught up in his own thoughts. Once again he traced over the line of crescent-shaped scars that crossed the middle of his palm. He tried focusing on Taurus's comforting warmth, but Kashikoi's words kept ringing in his head. 

The one with the most darkness. 

Closed to love. 

Wary of affections. 

And... 

He knew what her unfinished sentence was. It was the reason why he watched Taurus and Meika so carefully, as well as their entire family. 

Nobody deserves to go through what my father did to me. Never. 

Which is why... I will keep on protecting them. Even if it costs my title, my life... I will keep on protecting them. 

---------------------------------

. . . 

Wow, that ending part of this chapter was... angsty. 

Yeah. 

I'll skip my usual ending. 

Yep... hope that wasn't too much information. 

The appearances of some of the new characters are in the next mini chapter. 

And I'll just tell you now that Mitori is the incog girl. 

With love,

-awakened-angel-chan