Aozora floated in a hazy dream.
Her body felt warm, soft sheets tangled around her legs. When she opened her eyes, she saw crimson strands of hair.
She blinked. She was naked… and so was the person lying beside her. Her right arm was wrapped around the woman's waist, skin pressed to skin.
"W–What the—" she mumbled in the dream.
The crimson-haired woman stirred gently, turning her head toward Aozora. A faint, smile curved her lips—
"Aozora…"
Before the woman's face came into full view—
"AOZORA!!"
Aozora's eyes shot open.
She sat up instantly, her heart pounding. "Wh—what the hell?!"
She looked down — long-sleeve blue shirt, gray sweatpants. She was safe. Just a weird dream.
Then came another shout.
"AOZORAAAAAA!!"
Aozora groaned, dragging herself out of bed and stumbling to her window. She yanked open the curtains only to see her father, Katsuo Narukami, bouncing on a trampoline in the yard below.
Her father, wearing his white dojo gi, was jumping up and down, trying to reach her fourth-floor window.
"DAD, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" she yelled.
Katsuo looked up, grinning like a maniac. "Good morning… AOZORA!!!" He launched himself into the air with one final jump.
"WAIT—!"
"YOU'RE LATE… FOR BREAKFAST!!!" Katsuo bellowed, launching himself just high enough to almost reach her window. He kicked his leg out like he was going to karate-kick her good morning.
"NOPE!"
Aozora swung her foot and met his kick with a perfect counter, sending him flying back down. "Back down you go, old man!!"
"AAGHHH!!" Katsuo yelled as he fell, crashing into the trampoline below which collapsed instantly under the impact.
"Take over the family dojo!" he groaned dramatically from the wreckage.
Aozora sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Crazy lunatic…"
She turned away from the window, muttering, "I can't believe I share DNA with that man," before heading downstairs.
The smell of miso soup and grilled fish filled the air. Her younger sister, Hikari, already sat at the table happily munching on breakfast, humming a tune.
"Morning, Aozora-nee!" Hikari said with her usual sunny smile.
"Morning," Aozora mumbled, still trying to shake off the weird dream.
Her mother, Emiko, turned from the stove — her long brown hair tied in a neat bun, her expression calm and graceful as always. "Good morning, sweetheart. How did you sleep?"
Aozora froze for a second, her cheeks heating up again as flashes of crimson hair flickered through her mind.
"I—uh—slept fine! Totally fine! Normal sleep!" she said quickly, sitting down and stuffing rice into her mouth to avoid further questioning.
Emiko blinked, tilting her head slightly. "...You're red as a tomato. Did you have another strange dream?"
"NOPE!" Aozora said, voice cracking slightly.
Hikari giggled. "She totally did."
Emiko sighed softly but smiled. "Honestly, with a father like yours, I'm surprised you sleep at all."
Aozora groaned, covering her face. "Tell me about it…"
----
"So… you had a wet dream about Rias Gremory?"
Katase said it loud enough for a few nearby students to hear, her grin wicked.
Aozora's face went beet red. "I—It wasn't like that!" she shouted, waving her arms.
"Oh, sure," Katase teased, leaning closer. "You dreamt of her naked in bed with you, but it 'wasn't like that.'"
Murayama snorted. "Smooth, Aozora."
"Can you not make it sound worse than it is?!" Aozora groaned, covering her face with both hands.
"Anyway," Murayama said, chuckling as she changed the topic, "there won't be Kendo practice today."
Katase blinked. "Wait, what? Why not?"
"See for yourself."
The trio made their way through the courtyard, still chatting, until they reached the Kendo building. Yellow tape blocked the entrance, and several teachers were standing nearby with clipboards, whispering among themselves.
Aozora froze. Her stomach dropped.
'Oh crap… I forgot about that…'
The Kendo room looked like it had been through a war zone. Holes in the wooden floors, deep cuts along the walls, and the hole in the roof.
Murayama whistled. "Apparently there was a break-in last night. Happened sometime after you finished cleaning up, Aozora." She smirked and patted her on the back. "Guess the guy was too much of a coward to face you head-on, huh?"
Aozora laughed nervously. "Uhh… yeah… something like that…"
Katase crossed her arms. "Well, at least we won't be peeked on by you-know-who anymore."
"You mean Issei and his pervy duo, right?" Aozora asked, tilting her head. "Weird thing though… that's never happened to me."
"Pfft, well duh," Murayama said, grinning. "Your dad's literally insane, and your mom knows everyone's moms in this city."
Katase nodded in agreement. "Seriously, anyone who tried peeking on you would be socially annihilated before the day's over."
Aozora sighed, slumping her shoulders. "My folks aren't that crazy…" She paused. "Well, okay, maybe my mom is when she's angry."
Both girls gave her a knowing look.
"She chased your dad with a frying pan last month, remember?" Katase said.
"That was self-defense!" Aozora argued. "He startled her while she was cooking!"
Murayama smirked. "By sneaking up and karate chopping the air behind her?"
Aozora groaned and covered her face again. "Why is my life like this…"
The girls laughed together as they turned to leave the destroyed dojo behind them, Aozora sneaking one last worried glance at the damage before walking away.
Later that day, Aozora walked through the courtyard alone, hands in her pockets and a thoughtful look on her face.
'Okay, think, Aozora… last night I was cleaning up after kendo practice… then it got dark… then that weird guy attacked me, and I… transformed?' She rubbed her temple, trying to make sense of it. 'And what was that dream about Rias Gremory? Why her of all people?'
She was so lost in thought that she didn't see the person coming around the corner until—
BAM!
"Hey! Watch where you're—!" Aozora started, but then realized who she'd just bumped into.
Standing in front of her was none other than Issei Hyoudou, the infamous leader of the Perverted Trio. His two friends, Matsuda and Motohama, stood behind him with guilty grins.
Issei blinked, froze for a second, then his face drained of all color. "Oh crap."
Aozora tilted her head. "Yo, sorry about that—"
Before she could finish, Issei suddenly screamed, "RUN FOR IT!!!"
The three of them bolted down the hall like their lives depended on it.
Aozora just stood there, blinking in confusion as a few students nearby stared. "...What the hell?"
From down the hall, she could still hear Matsuda shouting, "Her dad's a lunatic! He'll kill us all!"
Aozora sighed, shoulders drooping. "Why me…?"
She looked down at the floor, watching a small breeze roll past her feet, and muttered, "I didn't even do anything this time…"