Everyday after was a nightmare both in her dreams and in reality. Cocoa locked herself in her room and in the complete darkness where she wallowed in despair, pity, regret, and so many negative emotions filling the room. Giving up on life and choosing to remain in a purgatory of her own making. Not a sound got in nor was heard outside her room. Left to the whims of her memories,

A vivid memory of a young Cocoa and her mother during a trip to Osaka; they would witness an arrest of a person using magic for their own gain. Cocoa didn't know all the specifics of it and she never found out, only asking her mother,

"Why do people with the power to do good, do bad? Isn't magic supposed to help us?"

To which she responded with, "People like that want to impose their will on the world…"

A vague statement Cocoa took to believe that their will was to tear down society and turn it around for the worse. Throughout her life she found it difficult to trust rebellious people like that, behavior which many of her peers displayed and many warnings told by others to not trust that student or this student. But the students that warned her also had motives of their own to get an advantage over others. That memory came back around when Pro and others were selected to be the student council. The people she was warned to beware of their magic, and that they were too free and reckless with their powers, now elected into power instead of being taken away like that man she saw. She asked herself why--and then it made sense when her mother died and her father betrayed her trust and all the love she had for him during the last bit of his ministry. That no one in the world, powerful or powerless, could ever be right or just. Humanity insisted on upholding a corrupt society, why try being friends with someone when that person will talk ill behind closed doors. Or worse, will try to kill as shown when the student council lost their cool and used their magic to violently scar their bullies, once as a warning and never again.

That's why Cocoa chose to live in seclusion apart from that society not even wanting to adapt or change it because she would be just as vile as the people who wanted to impose their will. She saw the council's true intentions when Kyokai explained the other world to her,

"We have to defeat the dragons and tempests to save the world."

They offered a hand and she foolishly took it. They wanted to save the world in a way they saw fit, and after all that, Luka threatened to kill her. Cocoa lied in bed hoping for something to take her away from what the world became.

"Cocoa-san…" A maid with grey hair raised her hand to knock on her door again but hesitated. "She's been in there for a week. I'm worried she might've died but, what will we do then?"

The blonde maid beside her tried to peek through the keyhole but it was impossible to make anything out in the darkness. "Is it better to find out Mistress is dead? Or not know at all? That is the theory of Schrodinger's cat… right?"

The grey haired maid knocked once lightly. "Cocoa-san, please… Your friends are worried about you."

Friends…?

What friends would even..?

"Out of the way everyone! We're gonna ram it on three!"

That voice sounded familiar. Could it be..?

"One… two…"

Wait, wait, wait! Cocoa didn't have any friends. How did Murakumo get in here--

"Three!!"

A loud sound similar to an explosion mixed with the cracking of wooden and metal flailing to the ground all simultaneously happened in a burst. The door was nearly knocked off its hinges and the lock completely broke off. The ram used was Maine, Luka and Gachi as well as the two maids all ramming their bodies into the door as hard and fast as they could. With Maine in front being the most durable and full of magic she focused throughout her body, and Luka in the back being the one to organize this plan and still somewhat injured; now organized on the floor in a human pile with Maine crushed beneath the weight of several others and Luka able to bounce back up off the pile.

Cocoa sat up for the first time in what felt like years. She never expected her first interaction with another person in a week would be, "What the hell…" so bad.

"These flowers are starting to wilt. I don't feel any magic coming from them either. Maybe the tempest was the cause of it." Luka used the garden shears to snap off the thick stems of the poisonous flowers bunched up together. They dissolved when they touched the ground and the maids sweeped up the ashes.

Seated alone at a white table in the backyard, overgrown with the very flowers that had caused her illness, Cocoa watched as Murakumo chopped the dying plants to bits. She couldn't help but ask, "Why did you come here?"

"Do we have to spell it out for you? It's because we wanna be your friends!" Maine raised her shears with a toothy smile.

Cocoa let out an annoyed groan and covered her face too ashamed at herself and undeserving of their smiles. "W-well I don't want to be your friend, and you don't want to be around me. You were hurt because…" She caught herself trailing off and shook her head "You shouldn't be getting hurt for me."

Luka continued cutting the leaves. "It's nothing to worry about."

Cocoa slammed her hand on the table and stood up from her seat. "You don't need to lie! You all were outclassed by that girl's magic, rushing in like ants and being crushed."

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"Oh? All of a sudden the cat cares." Gachi said coyly before snapping off more flowers.

"Ugh, I just…"

"Cocoa, we helped you because we're Murakumo." Gachi made a V with her fingers and Maine copied the posture too, "Not the student council, but us. The world is counting on a hero and we're going to fulfill that role."

"Spit it out Cocoa-san. You look very bothered." said Gray, the grey haired maid.

"What is Mistress thinking? Let us know!" said Yellow, the blonde haired maid.

Cocoa closed her eyes and finally spoke her mind truthfully. "I don't understand why you want to change the world after how poorly people treated the council."

Maine smirked, their answer was clear as the day sky. "Because what we want to do is better than what we have now."

That sounded like the same ideology a criminal would have until Cocoa thought about it further. Their world was already at the bottom and going any lower would result in the death of all humanity, that is if no one stepped up to the occasion. The story of a man who bends the law to achieve his own justice was not the same as the man who sought to indulge in crime. Is what Murakumo wanted to do what her mother meant by "imposing their will"? That statement could be either good or bad. Cocoa wondered what that man being arrested wanted to do. What did he want to impose on the world; and if Murakumo would suffer the same ends as he did.

The next day when she returned to the halls of the school her absence was the talk of the crowd and her father's condition was the talk of the world. Japan's former prime minister falls into a coma! Causes are unknown.

Thankfully Cocoa wasn't the one badgered with questions; being too young and in school to deal with loud journalists looking for the next big thing. Her maids doubled as their family's closest security and they would answer with the most neutral response to appease the curious, in truth they were somewhat glad karma came to him but still had hints of sadness. For Cocoa, she heard him say there was more behind his actions. Something more to the story she couldn't find out on her own, and whether she liked it or not, she would have to employ Murakumo's help.

That afternoon after class she made her way to the gymnasium. Touching the door made her heart tighten under the hesitation of making a decision that would change her life forever. Caught up in the thoughts of 'what ifs' which all tried to point her in the opposite direction. But she forced herself to press on and opened the door.

"No way!"

"It can't be..!"

"Cocoa came to visit us?!"

"It's not that big a deal!" Cocoa shouted at Murakumo's varying surprised reactions towards her appearance. All of them were gathered here as if they were having a meeting, and Cocoa was crashing it. She walked to them with her hands planted on her hips and her tail swaying left to right out of her control. "I came for one thing and one thing only."

Kyokai crossed his arms. "And what would that be?"

They watched as she walked past them to a bin of bokken and shinai swords. Taking one she turned around to point it at Pro. "I want to challenge Pro to one on one combat."

There was an awkward silence before Gachi started giggling, and Kyokai tilted his head to the side confused; mixed reactions from all of Murakumo. As for Pro, she wasn't going to turn down beating this jerk of a cat but, "Why do you want to duel me?"

"Because I'm going to stop you!" Cocoa took another sword and tossed it to Pro lazily. The wooden sword fell where her feet were and she picked it up. "If-- No. When I win, I want to take the student council president position."

"W-w-what?!" Kyokai exclaimed.

"This sounds like a bad deal, Pro." Remy warned.

"Yeah, forget about this cat. She's out of her mind!" Said Maine.

But Pro still accepted the duel. Raising her sword, she would make her reward for winning. "If I win then I get to pat and scratch behind your ears and rub your tail all I want."

Effectively Pro would be owning her body…

"Ugh, you're an idiot and a pervert! Fine, I'll accept your terms." Cocoa readied her sword and mind. Standing like a master of kendo and swordsmanship, compared to Pro whose arm was relaxed but at her front. Kyokai would be the referee, holding his arm up then…

"Begin!" He swiped his arm down and their duel began… And ended in two hits. A swift whack and a thwack and Cocoa surrendered on her knees. It couldn't be called a duel or a proper fight, it was more like bullying. Even Pro felt bad for winning but now that she had won…

"Don't cry Cocoa-chan!" Pro jumped to her side immediately getting the most out of her reward by petting her head and squishing her cheeks. Her natural skin was really soft like pudding and her hair was the jelly Pro could flow her fingers through. Luka and Gachi joined in, giving the cat affection she never had before and causing her face to get as red as a tomato.

"Stoooopp! It's not fair, it's not!" She covered her face wiping away the tears in the corner of her eyes. "I'm not crying either…"

"Cocoa, we heard about your father falling into a coma. It isn't your fault how he treated you and what happened to him." Luka said.

Pro tapped her chin, "Hmmm… I suppose you can be student council president."

--and Gachi shot her a weird glance. "Pro, I know we're a crazy bunch but that's just too far."

Kyokai sighed. "I agree with Gachi. Cocoa's not fit to be council president. Think about what the previous president told us."

Luka rubbed her chin. "Sophie told me a little about her. The previous president believed in you to take her place. Is this a smart decision to make?"

Pro clapped her hand together and from here on out. "I resign my position as student council president and dragon hunter leader to Cocoa!" Taking off her armband, she placed it in Cocoa's hand.

It was unceremonious but the choice still brought Cocoa to tears. A group of friends to call her own. Friends that weren't going to abandon or betray her for their own gain. The moment was so bliss she could die here in Pro's arms. However this moment was brought to a close when their worst fears bursted open the doors and stomping in was Lari followed by what looked like her twin and their adult advisor.

"You've got a lot of explaining to do. About inviting random students into the council, dragons, and you weirdly vanishing from the school."

Caught! They weren't escaping from this.