[B]MATSUOKA MINORU[/B]

My eyes immediately glance towards the floor to avoid meeting Adachi Ruriko's gaze. It's pretty obvious, and also rather frightening to know, that she's very, very angry at me. Cloacina's intervention on a lark really has, to use the American expression, gotten me off on the wrong foot in regards to not irking any of my upperclassmen, and now a reputation of being overly irresponsible will linger into the far future amongst them; not the best first impression to make, especially when one of them looks like she wants to kill me. It's incredibly unnerving. Your nefarious deeds have thrown me into the boiling water, and I haven't yet started even training.

[color=00aeef]You haven't landed in [i]hot[/i] water, Matsuoka.[/color]

I try not to let her notice the sudden burst of irritation ([color=00aeef]Nope, it has failed to escape my attentions~![/color]) but before I can lament my failure to do so and ponder over her tendency to make things troublesome for me, the PE teacher suddenly pats me on the head, her callused hands warm against my hair and pushing my entire body down. The rough, sudden action comes as a massive shock. For what reason has Miss Hoshino decided to reach up like that? And ... why is her face so close to mine? Heat rises to my cheeks in response to the proximity of the brown-haired teacher, and it doesn't take a genius to realise that I'm probably in the middle of blushing.

Then she addresses Cloacina, and I suddenly feel, well, very little, as if someone has thrown earmuffs over me except if such an effect applied to the entirety of my body. She's taken control of my body once again, without any input from me whatsoever. That is definitely clear, if the reflection of my new blue eyes in Miss Hoshino's pretty brown ones were ... any ... indication ...

One advantage of having Cloacina in control, for a given value of 'advantage' no matter how [i]extremely[/i] annoying it is, is that my face is, to quote that one strangely popular American novel that Chief was complaining about in regards to horrible prose several months ago, redder than the Communist Manifesto.

[color=00aeef]You're somewhat adorable like this, Matsuoka.[/color]

"[color=00aeef]Knowin' the path things will be takin' is in my field  of expahtise,[/color]" replies Cloacina using my voice, immediately cutting me off from making any irritated response to her comment ([color=00aeef]That's already a response in itself, Matsuoka.[/color]). "[color=00aeef]They woulda bin perfectly [i]fiiine[/i].[/color]"

Given that she sounds like an European speaking Kyoto-ben when not using my mouth for conversation, it's truly eerie hearing her in my own personal cadence.

"[color=00aeef]Had I not decided ta intervehne, they mighta've brought even greatah harm on one another,[/color]" she continues, twitching my facial muscles into a grin. "[color=00aeef]They were doin' some dangerous techniques being utilised near the end, thus I acted in order to preserve the safety of my future flock. The powers I granted Matsuoka woulda not've allowed them to suffer any wound.[/color]"

[color=00aeef]And if I had not, you would have chosen to act yourself.[/color]

Was I really?

[color=00aeef]Your thoughts flow into mine quite easily, Matsuoka.[/color]

I suddenly jerk backwards. Control has been restored.

An "[color=00a651]ah ...[/color]" escapes my mouth as I twitch my hand experimentally. "[color=00a651]Sorry, ah, about that, sensei. Cloacina's, ah, to use the American expression, a real handful, yaknow?[/color]"