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[color=goldenrod]"There's something alluring about secrets. The number of things someone knows will always be greater than the things they don't. Most of those things are not of interest to a lot of people, or they simply wouldn't think to acknowledge that which they don't know. If you could see in the dark, what color would it be? What object is exactly 200 feet to your left? How many stones are in your lawn? These questions feel trivial because the information is irrelevant to most people. More interesting questions pertain to things in one's environment that affects and individual. What will you have for dinner tomorrow? Where is the remote? What is your friend doing between text messages? These questions are more interesting. Someone may even know the answer to them. 

But secrets are not merely questions. They can all be framed as questions, but their answers are known by few. In fact, some people work very hard to keep cesecrets hidden from others. Take a child for instance. Maybe they stole a cookie out of the cookie jar, but were careful to cover their tracks. When their parents came home and toll them what a good girl they've been, they flashed a brilliant smile. Smug superiority masquerading as joy. Ahh, but what's this? The parents are no fools. They noticed the cookies have been disappearing. They kept count this time. Mother made twenty cookies. She had served a total of nine but there were only five left. Someone had been eating them, but there's only three people in the house. Father rushed off to get his belt, and mother leaned into her daughter to press for a confession. She can't believe her daughter would lie to her like this. She cryed over her betrayal, and her daughter continued to deny any allegations. But her excuses are all crap. She can't defend herself from-"[/color]

[color=9e0039][u][b]“M-miss Fang?”[/b][/u][/color]

[color=goldenrod]"Hugh! Yes Jen?"[/color] Mika Fang, student councilor at Marrywell Academy, had just been roused from her monolog by a student she was working with. Mika might have looked human enough, but she was using some of her grimoire's magic to give herself beastly features. Her eyes were almost feline in appearance, and there was something feral about the hair that seemed to lift off of her head. She had been on a month long vacation and just returned today, so she was a little out of it. [color=goldenrod]"Is there a reason you stopped me?"[/color] She stood out of her chair and dusted off her dress before sitting back down. 

[color=9e0039][u][b]“I just don't understand!”[/b][/u][/color] The student's voice was cracking as she spoke. [color=9e0039][u][b]“What does this have to do with why I'm like this?”[/b][/u][/color]

[color=goldenrod]"Did my story make you uncomfortable?"[/color]

[url=https://i.pinimg.com/564x/76/5f/8c/765f8cf3d17443c9c6e946ae816ad695.jpg]Jenny[/url] was a gifted student that showed a lot of promise, but was having some issues working with others. She was unusually cautious during team exercises, bordering on distrustful. No matter how potent her abilities, a magical girl that couldn't work with others was no magical girl at all. Or at least that was what Marrywell Academy would have you believe. 

[color=9e0039][u][b]“Sort of. I mean, I guess it bothered me the way you were talking about the daughter. You made it sound like she really did eat all of those cookies.”[/b][/u][/color]

[color=goldenrod]"Didn't she?"[/color] 

[color=9e0039][u][b]“I-I mean, she could have!”[/b][/u][/color] Jenny confessed. [color=9e0039][u][b]“B-but she also couldn't have!”[/b][/u][/color]

The corner of Mika's mouth curled into a smirk. She reclined in her chair and tucked her hands behind her head, throwing one leg over the other. [color=goldenrod]"I didn't finish the story."[/color] 

[color=9e0039][u][b]“S-sorry-”[/b][/u][/color]

[color=goldenrod]"I think it's more important that you tell me how you think it ends."[/color] Mika nodded at the girl. [color=goldenrod]"What happens next?"[/color]

[color=9e0039][u][b]“I think-”[/b][/u][/color] Jenny took a deep breath and shook out her hands. [color=9e0039][u][b]“The daughter isn't able to convince her mother. So the father comes in with his belt and slaps her hands! A-and then they send her to her room!”[/b][/u][/color]

[color=goldenrod]"That it?"[/color]

[color=9e0039][u][b]“Yes!”[/b][/u][/color]

[color=goldenrod]"It sounds like the daughter got what she deserved."[/color]

[color=9e0039][u][b]“No!”[/b][/u][/color]

[color=goldenrod]"Did you leave out any details?"[/color]

[color=9e0039][u][b]“M-maybe.”[/b][/u][/color] Jenny rubbed her chin. [color=9e0039][u][b]“Dad, I-I mean the father didn't hit her as hard as he could! He wasn't as rough as he could have been!”[/b][/u][/color]

[color=goldenrod]"Was he just taking pity on her?"[/color]

[color=9e0039][u][b]“No!”[/b][/u][/color] Jenny shook her head. [color=9e0039][u][b]“He's never easy on me-the daughter! He wouldn't have held back!”[/b][/u][/color]

[color=goldenrod]"Why would he hold back then?"[/color]

the flustered girl rubbed the side of her head for a moment, but then it clicked. Her pupils shrunk as the realization sunk in. [color=9e0039][u][b]“He knew I didn't do it!”[/b][/u][/color] She stood up. [color=9e0039][u][b]“He must have eaten the cookies!”[/b][/u][/color]

Mika's grin only widened as she closed her eyes. [color=goldenrod]"Jen, you've been having difficulty working with others. All of your teachers sing your praises, but you constantly underperform when you're asked to work with others. You don't function well as a team member, and I think I understand why that is now."[/color] Her eyes opened up and she leaned forwards in her seat. [color=goldenrod]"This is not the first time you have been lied to, Jen. You know that. And because you were lied to by the one you should trust most, you can't trust others. Does that make sense to you?"[/color]

[color=9e0039][u][b]“S-sorry!”[/b][/u][/color]

[color=goldenrod]"There's nothing to apologize for."[/color] Mika picked up a notepad on her desk and jotted something down on it. [color=goldenrod]"I'd like you to focus on your ability to trust others. Do some falling exercises with some nice classmates, and try asking them questions that you know the answers to. Don't isolate yourself. Have some fun with them from time to time. That may be enough, but if it isn't-"[/color] She tore a sheet off of her notepad and handed it to the girl [color=goldenrod]"You can make an appointment to talk to someone a little better at this than me."[/color] A gentle smile spread across Mika's face. 

[color=9e0039][u][b]“I'll try!”[/b][/u][/color] Jenny said while reaching for the paper. [color=9e0039][u][b]“Thanks Miss Fang! Thanks... Thanks for believing in me.”[/b][/u][/color]

[color=goldenrod]"Fare well, Jen! Think nothing of it!"[/color] 

Once Jenny left the office, Mika pulled a scabbard out from behind her desk. It was made from black lacquer and had a red ribbon wrapped around it. Anyone who saw the scabbard would know it belonged to a katana. Though even they might be surprised if they saw the blade. It was black as the night sky, and shimmered like the stars. When Mika looked into the blade, she could see a time long ago. Jenny's mother was sitting on a couch with her husband got the munchies. She got up and walked into the kitchen to get him something to eat when she came across the cookie jar. She pulled out two cookies, one for her and one for him, and prepared to put the lid on. But then she froze in place. After marking the two cookies that she had taken, she reached into the cookie jar for a third cookie and plopped it right in her mouth. She chewed it exactly twice before swallowing and taking the remaining cookies into the living room. 

Secrets were special after all. And Jenny hadn't earned the answer to that one yet. But Mika had spent the past few days catching up on lost time. Now she wanted to do something [i]fun.[/i] It was one thing to try and figure out students, but it was more fun to drop in on wildcards like Ozma, who always knew how to have fun!

The image in her sword changed to that of a run down mall. There was a barrier, students fighting pageless, a drunken teacher, and Ozma orchestrating the chaos! It was woman like this that made Aigorost proud! Even the mother brain of Kos would sing its song of carnage as its floating eyes trembled in delight! 

But, where did this leave Mika?

She could tell the Grand Minister about it, but what was the point? She probably let this happen knowing full well Ozma would do something like this. Not to mention Mika tended to have one of her clones out at all times acting as a free agent. Reporting Ozma's actions would be like the pot calling the kettle black! It would be like the fork calling the spoon pointy! It would be like Agrophis complaining about Dentogin's dog-shaped head! Though maybe she should see the Grand Minister anyway. But she wasn't going to be left out of this either. With a snap of her fingers, two portals opened on either side of her and out stepped two clones. 

[color=goldenrod]"Go visit the barrier. If it goes down, you know what to do. I'll send another one by if the situation changes."[/color] 

And with that, the three Mika's departed. Two to stand guard outside Ozma's barrier while the real one went to have a talk with the Grand Minister. She hadn't seen her since she left a month ago, so she was probably due to at least greet the weirdo before too much time passed.