"Hey, Hirawa-san, why don't we do a rematch without weapons?"
"Huh?"
"Yeah. You won't use Airian, and I won't use The Art either."
"Haah... Sure, Suzuki-kun. Let's do it."
This was the conversation that started this.
It was a moonless night. The sky was obscured by the shadows of gigantic dark clouds.
The wind whispered, carrying the cheerful voices coming from the nocturnal life of the Night District.
The streetlights flickered as always. A crow, camouflaged in the darkness of the night, cawed loudly before fluttering its wings.
Ren stood there, hands in his pocket, eyes sharp, body tensed up. Before him was a genuine magical girl holding her fluttering, gracious dark braid. A strange, big-eared, pale animal sat on her shoulder in a pensive pose.
"Suzuki-chan, are you sure you want to do this?" Airian asked, concerned, flashing Ren a worried look.
"Yes," Ren nodded confidently.
"What about you, Master?"
"It's okay, Airian... It's only training."
"I know, but..."
"Don't overthink, Airian. Now," Otohime assumed a threatening, yet relaxed stance. She raised her fists, ready for battle. "Shall we start?" She spoke confidently.
"Don't get cocky, Hirawa-san," Ren answered, taking a stance of his own.
His shoulders relaxed. His fists stiffened.
Airian sighed and jumped off Otohime's shoulders.
It started immediately after that.
She kicked off the ground, running at superhuman speed. Was that her Aura Attunment? No. Even without Airian's help, she still had formidable physical abilities.
She closed the gap between them with a single step.
However, Ren's mind worked faster than most people's. He predicted her next movement and dodged it with a step backward. A direct punch stopped right before his nose.
The magical girl pulled back her fist, instantly dashing for another strike.
Swoosh! An underhook aimed for Ren's abdomen, but he deflected with his palm.
At the same time, his knee shot out.
Instantly, smoothly, Otohime could not react. Ren's knee smashed her gut.
A tremendous pain assaulted her right after, robbing her of her breath. She staggered, retreating slightly.
But that was too little to down her.
The pain was nothing. What hurt the most was...
The strike to her pride.
"What about it, Hirawa-san?" Ren asked, flashing her a smug smile.
Otohime's eyebrows twitched. It was the first time she had been seriously hit by Ren.
"Tch!"
Otohime immediately kicked off the ground to cut out the distance. Ren struck with a quick jab to halt her advance, but she ducked down, thrusting her fist into Ren's ribs.
"Ahhhhm!"
It was too fast. No ordinary human could dodge that.
Or so Otohime thought.
She gasped when she realized her fist had hit nothing but air.
Ren spun his whole body in a dance-like motion, positioning himself right behind Otohime's fist.
That was the blind spot.
Bamm!! Ren's fist flew like a bullet right above Otohime's extended arm. A clean blow to the chin—sure to knock her unconscious. However...
Otohime predicted Ren's attack and held her open palm in front of her face as a shield.
—That was just what Ren wanted.
A contest of strength.
Shake! Shake! Shake!
Ren began pushing his fist forward while Otohime exerted force to stay still.
An unstoppable object meets an immovable wall.
Their hands trembled and shook violently. Each mustering all their strength and power to outdo the other.
Otohime grimaced. Her position was terrible, so she could not use all her power. Master, just let go of him and he'll topple on his own... Airian requested multiple times in her head, but that was not what she wanted.
Otohime wanted to display an immense display of power difference.
And strength was her most notable trait.
"Ah... Arghhh..."
She pushed harder, further. Slowly, but surely, she started to subdue Ren's pushing power. His fist felt lighter, and she began pushing him back.
Soon, she would ram open his defenses and win.
However, in that instant, she committed a grave mistake. Her eyes widened when she noticed Ren smirk, but it was too late.
In one gracious move, Ren opened his fist and grabbed Otohime's wrist. Using her own momentum, she yanked her in his direction and swept her legs.
"Wahhh!" She screamed, arms up in the air, as she hit the hard ground with thud!
"Hirawa-san, you okay?"
Ren asked, concerned, but provocative. Otohime kept her head down. She was too embarrassed, too ashamed to meet his eyes. She bit her lip, frustrated. Why was someone she had bested multiple times looking down on her? She could not allow that.
"Airian, let's cheat," she internally commanded the spirit in her head.
"Are you sure, Master? EKekekeke! I'm not against showing who's boss, but that is against the rules."
"I don't care. This guy... He's not normal."
"Aye, aye. Let's go."
Otohime's body tensed up. A faint electric shimmer, almost undetectable, pulsed across her hair.
She did not care about the rules or sportsmanship.
I... Will not lose!
"Hirawa...san?"
Shwoom!
The wind cracked as Otohime vanished from Ren's sight. A heartbeat later, her fist was already flying toward his face.
Too fast, too clean. Ren was only capable of turning his face, but his speed was no match for hers. The tremendous force sent him skidding through the parking lot.
"I'm sorry, Suzuki-chan. My Master doesn't really like losing," Ren heard glimpses of Airian's voice as his mind spiraled, stunned.
Otohime became a blur again. She was no longer bound to the human limit. She was faster and stronger, and she knew how to use that advantage.
She struck. High. Low. It did not matter where. It was unavoidable. Ren blocked some, dodged fewer; she was too fast.
A punch dug into his right rib, sending a throbbing pain across his nerves. Otohime followed with a precise kick to the back of his knee.
He stumbled slightly, and Otohime finished with an uppercut, forcing Ren to retreat.
"How's that, Suzuki-kun!?" Otohime asked with a smirk. Her confidence had returned.
Ren felt the rusty taste of metal in his mouth. He grimaced and spat the blood out. Hirawa's using magic. He was sure of that, he was not frustrated.
He had forced her to give her all.
After all, this is how a fight should be...
That was the last thing that came into his head.
His mind was suddenly blank. Ren felt as if he was being controlled by a puppetmaster. No... It felt like he was moving on pure instinct.
Ren exhaled briefly, letting out a translucent steam. A hot wave poured inside his body, his veins and eyes pulsed with a faint blue glow.
His muscles tensed up, adapting to the sudden pour of magical power.
"Heh! What did you expect? I've been fighting my whole life, you know? Way before becoming a magical girl!"
Otohime blabbered, but he could not hear.
His mind was focused.
Quiet. Still.
It happened in an instant.
It could be simply put as muscle memory.
Crack!
Ren became an afterimage as he shot a spartan-like high kick, aimed at Otohime's neck.
"Huh?!"
Otohime flicked her eyes wide.
She did not even see it.
Evanescent silver light revealed a magical barrier holding Ren's trembling foot. But even so, her body jolted from the impact.
But that was not what froze Otohime.
It was his eyes.
They were distant—empty.
Focused on something far beyond her. As if looking through her.
"W-what was...?" she breathed.
Ren came to his senses with a gasp, lowering his foot. How long had it been since he used this technique? How many times had he used it in the past? A sudden darkness invaded his mind, robbing him of any epiphany possible.
"I apologize, Suzuki-chan, but I had to intervene. I can't have my Master here be too harmed," Airian said, appearing on Otohime's shoulder, holding up his hand.
"Sorry. I-I don't know how I did that," he wailed regretfully.
Ren clenched his jaw. Not out of anger—out of confusion.
Why had he gone that far? Why had his body moved like that?
Otohime blinked once, then twice. Her heart was beating fast, and sweat dripped from her forehead. Her brain ran through all the basic procedures to evaluate what had happened.
For the first time in their many spars...
She did not feel like she was the strongest in the room.
******
Hirawa Otohime watched over the city at the top of an old telephone tower. The wind blew her hair and skirt, but she did not worry about holding them.
This point always offered a strategic view of the city. The lights varied between buildings, streetlights, and cars. But everything joined together to form the perfect dance. Otohime came here when she wanted to think.
She leaned on the railing, merely feeling the wind on her face. Airian, her spirit, stood beside her with a smile.
"Master," Airian spoke up. "Shouldn't you have told Suzuki-chan that you're returning to the spiritual world?"
There was a brief silence. Otohime just glued her eyes to the city view.
"That's... true, Airian," she finally replied. "It is true that I wanted to see him before leaving. And I should've indeed told him."
"Then why didn't you? It was the perfect chance."
"I don't know..." She let her body drop on the rail. "It's just that I lost my chance, I think. That little training session we had caught me off guard. Suzuki-kun...I can feel him growing stronger, even by a little bit, every time we fight."
"Well, Suzuki-chan is indeed a very talented fighter. He has a natural knack for it. Perhaps, that's why Chairman Duskmere seems so interested in him?"
"I don't think so. There's something much deeper, I guess. Otherwise, Chairman Duskemere wouldn't have made such a request. But I still can't get a grasp on it."
"Hmmm... Is that why you can't take him off your head, Master?"
"W-w-what?!"
Otohime suddenly lost her composure. Her hair stood up, and her heart accelerated. She averted her eyes from the spirit, who was smugly poking her cheek.
"Eh...? Ehh??" Airian poked with his little nails. "Ohh, analyzing him so deeply! Suzuki-kun is getting stronger! Oh my!" Airian joked while mimicking Otohime's voice with an ominous resemblance.
"W-what are you insinuating, Airian? Suzuki-kun is just a precious friend!"
"A friend, huh?" Airian narrowed his eyes. "He eh, hee-hee. Aha hehehe!!!"
"W-what you're laughing about!?"
"Would you look at that! Hirawa Otohime, the Valkyrie of Valhalla Academy, is turning into a grown woman? Oh my, oh my. I'm so proud of you, Master! I knew sticking to Suzuki-chan was a good choice! You've finally found someone to feel bashful for. And get all blushy, blushy!"
Airian rubbed his own face with his paws. Otohime's cheeks went red, and steam seemed to come from her head.
"I'm telling you, He's just a friend! Yes, he is different from anyone at the Academy, and he doesn't care about political power or status or whatever. And yes, I kinda hate that he's just a good-for-nothing guy who just likes to fight, but I also like the fact that he's so eager to save someone. And yes, I'm talking about how he saved my life, and I'm grateful for that. And yes, I think of that sometimes. Buttttttt, he's just a friend!"
Airian felt a pure white arrow piercing his mischievous heart. He sincerely gulped. Tears started flowing from his tiny eyes as he grabbed Otohime's arm. Her uniform got soaked, but she did not seem to mind.
"Masteeeeerrr! You're so coooool!"
She could just smile wryly.
After some moments of sobbing, Airian wiped his tears with Otohime's sleeve.
"Heh."
"What is it this time?"
"Nothing, Master. I'm just happy that you got to distract yourself and feel like a normal girl your age," Airian brought his tiny paws to his heart and closed his eyes as if praying. "I'm happy because you're happy. Simple as."
*****
It was a Saturday. The Commercial District was as noisy as ever. Kuriko covered her face from the dazing sun with a hand, but the sunlight still hurt her eyes. Her casual T-shirt and skirt were perfect for this kind of weather. She looked down the street, looking at the people and cars moving.
"Ahhhh! It's so hot!! What is happening?? I neeeed an air conditioner."
She fanned herself with her hand, which only made it worse. Her cell phone rang from her pocket. A message from Ayumin♡.
"Look in front of you."
Kuriko looked up. In the middle of a crowd of couples and families, Ayumi waved at her. She wore a tight T-shirt and shorts. She looked a little tomboyish but was pretty cute. Kuriko waved back.
"Hi, Yukihira-senpai!" Kuriko said as she came closer. "I was waiting for you."
"Sorry, Kuriko-chan, I didn't think you'd be here so early."
"Nah, I just got here," Kuriko smiled. It was a lie.
"Shall we go?" Ayumi pointed with her thumb to a cafe behind her.
Posters with their new pudding covered the front entrance. Kuriko observed the movement of corporate workers in suits entering and leaving the place. Cute girls were handing pamphlets about some promotion or whatever. Kuriko tilted her head and looked up. The cafe looked small, but it actually extended to the sky, slicing the horizon with a tall ten-story building. Was that a residential? It looked like an office. It was covered in black and had no windows. Why was such a place above a cafe?
"It's so tall...?"
"Huh?"
"Nothin'," Kuriko shook her head. "Let's go."
The place looked like an average cafe. It was lively, smelled like lavender, and had a cute waitress taking orders. As a teenage girl, Kuriko just thought she belonged here. Her eyes lit up as she thought of bringing her classmates here.
Ayumi looked nonchalant as if she was used to the place. She looked around for a place to sit when a blonde waitress led them to a table in the corner.
"What do you ladies want?"
"The pudding from the promotion."
"An iced coffee, please."
"Alright! I'll be back in a bit."
The waitress took their orders and left.
"You really like sweets, Yukihira-senpai."
"Who doesn't? Kuriko-chan, saccharose is the essence of life. No living being in this world lives without it. We humans have perfected the art of manipulating sugar, creating wonders like pudding."
"Ah, haha, sure," Kuriko forced a laugh. "Aren't you worried about putting on some weight, though?"
"I have no such problems. Look at my breasts."
Kuriko was a bit shaken at the sudden statement. She felt uncomfortable doing that, but Ayumi was puffing out her chest so proudly that her eyes automatically found its prey. Kuriko could only see a small bulge on Ayumi's clothes. They were small. Kuriko was not in the large department, however, she still felt sorry for Ayumi.
I don't really know what to say...
"I know they're small, but that's the point. Small breasts are a sign of a low-fat percentage. I have almost none."
"Is that...so?"
"You can't have large breasts and a skinny belly at the same time, Kuriko-chan. Ahahaha!" Ayumi said while laughing. However, a shadow quickly overran her face, and she gritted her teeth. "Unless you are an aberration like Hana or Hirawa. That's the price of being as athletic as I am, I guess."
"Are you on the track and field team or other sports clubs, Senpai?"
"Nope. I'm a fighter. A martial artist, you might say. I'm similar to your brother."
"A martial artist, huh? Like judo or boxing, right?" Kuriko looked down briefly. She quickly looked up again when she heard about her brother. "Wait, how do you know about my brother? He's not someone who goes around saying this."
"I'm very experienced, you know? I can identify another fighter easily."
"Can you really do that? My brother used to tell me the same thing. There was also some talk about how he could measure a person's strength by their aura or whatever."
"Ohohho, it's true, Kuriko-chan! But only for those of high caliber like me. I can see that your brother is very skilled. I'm really curious about how far his skill goes."
"What do you mean?"
"What do I mean? Isn't it obvious, Kuriko-chan? The thing that a fighter wants most is a good fight. I just want to fight your brother for, like, 5 minutes without losing friendship."
For a moment, there was a painful silence.
For Kuriko, everything went silent. She could see Ayumi's lips moving as she boasted about her skills, but she could not hear anything. A flash of memory was suddenly pictured in her mind.
A forest. Fire. Ethereal lights jumping in the air. Kuriko was in the middle of it all, on the ground, defeated. Her body trembled; her eyes ran dry because of her tears.
But someone had reached a hand to her.
"Kuriko-chan?" Ayumi called, cocking her head to the side. "You okay? You spaced out for a moment."
"Uhm, uhm. I'm okay," Kuriko said, shaking her head and flashing Ayumi a smile to soften the mood.
******
Miyamoto Hana straightened her back as she stared at an office room guarded by two rustic red-wood doors. She gulped and pushed them open. Creek! They railed loudly as she set foot in the room. The smell of incense and coffee tickled her nose. The room was dimly lit with a lamp on the desk, projecting a shadow of a lone man. He looked like your average office worker with a suit and glasses, but his tie with cat details stood out.
He was writing something in a small notepad, which he put in the breast pocket of his suit when Hana entered.
The girl's eyes darted. Focusing on the pile of paper on the man's rustic desk. She internally sighed, knowing that she would have a lot of work to do later.
"Miyamoto," he called.
"Y-Yes?" Hana replied, stiffening.
The man entangled his hands in front of his face, forming an image fitting of a cartoon villain. The light reflected in his glasses gave him a mysterious and austere air.
"I read your report about the operation against Mystikos."
The man narrowed his eyes, glaring at Hana.
"It proceeded successfully. Congratulations."
"Uh? Huh? Y-you're not angry?"
"I am not. Though I am concerned."
He grabbed a mug from the desk containing a steaming coffee.
"Your job was to infiltrate Mystikos' hideout and stop them from going after the magical girl. The mercenary Anna might have escaped, but she was not the main objective. However," his stern voice made Hana shiver slightly. "I called you here for another reason."
"W-what is it?"
"Some days ago, you and Yukihira were assigned to infiltrate another one of Mystikos' hideouts. The abandoned warehouse where spirits were kept captive for traffic, remember?"
"Yes. Ayumi was very excited about the work."
"But when you got there, the place was already cleaned out. Meaning someone else got there first. Well, I contacted Valhalla Academy to check if their magical girl had anything to do with that, and they denied it. It means we're dealing with another third party."
"A third party? Another criminal group? Or maybe, a conflict with the Children of the Cinder?"
"We are still not sure, though it is possible. That damn cult is looking for a specific spirit and they wouldn't hesitate to pick a fight with Mystikos over that."
The man grabbed a folder on his desk and extended his hand to Hana.
"Inside, you will find a detailed report of the incident. A later investigation discovered that there was only one attacker. We want you and Yukihira to find them. We might be dealing with a battle of factions here. Another thing, Miyamoto. It seems the concentration of spirits in the city has diminished. That probably means the lazy god of the land is finally doing her job. When possible, go to Teguri Shrine and ask Rui-sama if she has assembled a specialist and bring them here for evaluation."
"Understood, Chief Aikawa."
*****
An uneducated child would see something displayed in a store and cry their eyes out over it. They would sulk, scream, and flounce to get what they desired. Other children may just observe silently the product, craving what they could not possess. This was the case here.
"Hey, Yukihira-senpai, haven't you had a parfait already?"
"I know, Kuriko, I know..."
Ayumi was staring at a sweet cake displayed in a cutely adorned confectionery. She seemed hypnotized, wiping saliva from her mouth from time to time.
She was in paradise.
In this portion of the commercial district, there were candy shops, confectioneries, and cafes at every corner. She seemed unfazed by the people directing strange looks at her. In any case, it was Kuriko next to her who felt embarrassed.
"Kuriko-chan, just a little bit more sugar wouldn't do any harm, right? Right?"
"I don't know about that...isn't it better not to do it?"
Ayumi seemed to hear a little devil whisper in her ear, but Angel Kuriko brought her back to reality. She turned her face away from the sweet cake, slapping herself on the cheeks.
"I'm not here to eat—I can do that when Hana's not around. I'm here to buy something for Kuriko-chan! Now, we shall go to a clothing store before I succumb to my desires!"
"Hehehe. Let's go, senpai!"
The two walked around looking for a clothing store that would fit Ayumi's budget. Ayumi eventually stopped by a brand shop known for selling expensive, high-quality dresses, but Kuriko suggested going to a cheaper place. She would feel guilty if she received such a pricy gift.
They ended up at a place popular with housewives for selling good products at an accessible price.
"Kuriko-chan, what do you think? Find something you like and I'll buy it for you," Ayumi said as they entered the store.
"Hmm..."
Kuriko scanned the store, looking for something cute and not expensive.
"That's it!" She said while smiling. "Look, Yukihira-senpai, it's a good dress, isn't it?"
Kuriko pointed at a pink dress filled with ruffles. It looked appealing and comfortable, and it would fit Kuriko's girlish manner pretty well.
"It looks cute," Ayumi replied. "I don't know much about fashion, but this dress looks good, and will definitely look good on you."
"Hmm, I wonder if Onii-chan would like this dress?"
"—Why are you thinking of your brother...?"
Kuriko picked up the dress and looked at the price tag. She smiled, seeing it was not so expensive. She then went to the changing room to test it on her body.
"What do you think, senpai?" Kuriko asked, leaving the changing room. She posed like a model to show the dress fit.
It fit perfectly on her.
"You're beautiful, Kuriko-chan. That dress really works well with you. It makes you even cuter."
"Hehehe! Thanks, senpai!"
Kuriko changed back into her clothes and went to the cashier. Ayumi took out her wallet—it was stuffed with cash. Ayumi was bombarded with offers and promotions by the cashier. She shrugged and refused, promptly paying for the chosen dress.
After they left the store, Kuriko could not help asking.
"Do you work part-time, Yukihira-senpai? I didn't know you had so much money."
"Kinda, yes. I don't really spend money. I normally just use it to buy food, so it keeps accumulating in my wallet."
"Oh... I thought you were from a noble family," Kuriko said with a little giggle.
"Haha, not really. The noblewoman in town isn't me."
The two continued shopping through the district. They hopped from store to store doing glass shopping and checking clothes and accessories. Kuriko controlled herself to not spend any money, while Ayumi lost to temptation at the sight of another sweet meal. By the time they noticed, the sun was already setting. Exhausted, they stopped to rest on a bench in a park.
"Today sure was fun."
"Yeah."
"We should do this again later, Yukihira-senpai."
"Yeah, though Hana might want to stick with us."
"That's not a problem at all. I can perhaps bring my brother along, too."
"I don't think Suzuki will want to hang out with us girls. Doesn't he have other friends to worry about?"
"I...don't think so."
"Huh?"
"Well, you've probably noticed that my brother is—different. He doesn't do well with people who don't resonate with him, and few people do.
"I did notice he doesn't really get along with the other people from class, but it's not like he's being excluded or something like that. But I suppose that's because he has me and Hana as friends."
"That's just one problem of his. My brother's a good guy. He might be a battle freak, but he also likes helping people, though he doesn't admit it."
Kuriko flashed a thin smile, and Ayumi exhaled in relief.
"I suppose it's about time we head home," Ayumi said, standing up and stretching her arms upwards.
"Yes. It's getting quite late."
Kuriko got up from the bench. Ayumi handed her the gift with a wink, making her cheeks slightly red.
Thanks. Kuriko was about to say that when a loud gust of wind muffled her voice. Leaves and light branches flew in the air, dancing in curves and loops, one of which grazed Ayumi's shoulder, making a small cut on the fabric.
Ayumi was the only one to notice the difference.
This park was always lively with children, young adults, and families. But the moment the gust passed, a chilling silence took over.
The air seemed denser.
She knew this feeling all too well.
An isolation spell?!
Ayumi felt a chill running down her spine. An ambush, she thought. She forced herself to look calm but scanned the area for any sign of danger.
Shit. I'm not with my sword, Hana is dealing with paperwork, and Kuriko-chan is with me. The time couldn't be worse. She thought internally, her mind gears overworking to analyze the dangers and solutions.
She felt a presence approaching with heavy, careful steps. She slowly turned her head to not raise any instant enmity, and her eyes met another pair staring at her.
It was a middle-aged man dressed in a tight police uniform. He was a tall man with long legs and a curved back. He walked calmly toward the girls.
A gentle breeze followed him. The breeze blew Kuriko and Ayumi with a relaxing sound, as it was whispering a lullaby. Ayumi felt her eyes getting heavier and a strong urge to sleep. However, she shook her head violently, sweeping the feeling away.
Is he after me? Doesn't matter, I can't fight here, not with Kuriko-chan vulnerable.
Ayumi glanced at Kuriko, who tilted her head while eyeing the man. Her head turned to Ayumi, their eyes met, and she could see that Kuriko was misinterpreting the situation.
"Hey, Kuriko-chan, it's a creep. Let's leave," she whispered.
Ayumi smiled, and Kuriko remained still, not understanding. She could settle this later because Kuriko's safety was the priority. She grabbed Kuriko by the hand and ran away.
"Wahhh!?" Kuriko cried out, not expecting Ayumi's forced pull. Her screams quietly faded as they distanced themselves.
*****
The man was left alone in the park.
He watched two girls slowly fading on the horizon. Looking at the depressing situation, he sighed in exasperation. He was a man who specialized in ambushes and traps, not marathons.
"My Gentle Breeze spell did not knock 'em out, huh? I should've expected that from Suzuki Kuriko, but the other girl, too? She also probably noticed the ambush. Fuck, am I dealin' with a magician? Oh, well, things have gotten a little more troublesome."