It was past midnight. The public lights dimmed her vision, and the cold breeze poked at her like the tips of a thousand knives. She embraced herself, a vain attempt to shield her from the cold and stop the rattling of her bones. Occasionally, the wind whispered a muffled sound of a passing car or the melancholic requiem of an owl.
"Am I really gonna do this?"
Suzuki Kuriko questioned herself, glancing at her cellphone's screen, blurred by her white breath. It displayed a missing call from Tomoko. Kuriko lifted her head to watch ahead of her, taking notice of the environment. A pepper-red torii gate stood tall before her—imposing, emanating an ominous aura that almost made her step back.
She felt like crossing the gate was the same as crossing a portal leading to a different world (or as they called it, a staircase).
"Ahhhh, I forgot about this damn long staircase."
Kuriko grimaced. She knew she could not stand in place forever. She swallowed her fear. Step by step, she climbed up that unconquerable mountain. Darkness lurked around her. She sped up momentarily, but her breath escaped her lungs.
"Ahaa aahaa," she panted, sweat dripping from her forehead. "I'm...always...complaining about my brother leaving in the middle of the night—but I'm doing the same now... I'm so dumb...For me... A girl... To go out at this hour... Alone...!"
She stopped for a moment. Her breathing was erratic and her lungs begged for air like an empty balloon. She looked back, tempted to return to the comfort of her house, to the security of her bed.
I got this
Brushing aside any negative feelings, Kuriko forced herself to continue.
"Just...a little more."
After what seemed like an eternity, Kuriko reached the end of the staircase. What lay before her was an old, dilapidated temple. The tinges of gray and rust on the structure noted that no one had taken care of the building for years. Paths of moss dominated the architecture.
The broken wooden planche stuck out like a sore thumb. The darkness that engulfed the place was only mitigated by the silver reflection of the moonlight.
"I-I"m finally here," she said, holding back her legs from shaking. "Though it's a little bit scary..."
She walked across the broken pieces of concrete in the ground. She could not help but notice that it was strangely polished. Perhaps someone was at least taking care of the shrine grounds.
Kuriko went in front of what looked like an offering box. A fine piece of work with golden ornaments reserved for religious offerings—now, a feast to bugs. Kuriko scowled in disgust.
Averting her eyes from the bugs crawling in and out of the box, Kuriko spotted a small bell hanging on a crumbling piece of wood in the ceiling (at least what it once was). Curious, the bell seemed to be the only preserved part. Its golden port still shone brightly, reflecting the light like a spotlight protecting the area.
"I just have to ring it and say a prayer, right?"
Reluctantly, Kuriko reached a small clapper and rang the bell.
Chimmnn!
She brought her hands together and lowered her head.
"O, God of this temple, please come to my aid. I've been seeing things out of this world. I've been feeling a darkness out of this world. I beg of you, please, clear my vision from these bad omens."
Kuriko clapped twice and bowed.
"Tomoko-chan told me this was the ritual," Kuriko said, then sighed. She could only hope this would work.
As a precaution, Kuriko rang the bell and chanted the same prayer multiple times. She was satisfied, and her mind felt lighter. It was likely a placebo effect, but she did not care. She exhaled, reassuring herself that the ritual would work.
When she was about to turn around and hurry home—
"I don't suppose Rui-sama will hear a prayer at this hour. Oh, honestly. Is she just going to continue sleeping? What an unreliable god of the land."
Kuriko heard an old man's voice from behind her. It was deep, dragged, Kuriko would turn calling him grandpa just by the sound of it. But that was not good, not at that time. Her body hair stood up, and her back stiffened. Alarm buzzers rang out in her heart. She slowly turned her head around, ready to run.
And.
No one was there.
"Huh?"
No, that was not right. There was something there. An animal? Kuriko squinted in the dark. It had the nimble body of a wild fox, however, it boasted snow-white fur, which seemed to glow in the night darkness. Across its body ran markings with flashy dark lines, drawing an unknown rune-like pattern that seemed to suck the light out of night itself. Kuriko's heart throbbed. Unconsciously, she led her hand inside her jacket, feeling a familiar round-shaped amulet circling her neck.
Kuriko gazed back at the fox. Its eyes were sharp, those of an experienced hunter. Just by looking at it, she could see an immense shadow manifesting behind it, the legacy of those he had felled. Their eyes met, and Kuriko shivered, thinking that she would be another prey.
She reaffirmed the fox was just a product of her mind, just like the rubber duck, just like the dark clouds covering people's shoulders, just like the weird animals she kept seeing, just like the umbrella monster that chased her the day before.
An illusion.
"Can you see me?" The fox said with that same voice.
Kuriko's shoulders sloped. She rubbed her eyes, but the fox was still there, watching her—waiting.
"Hello? Can you see me? You can? Can you? I can feel you can. I see your gaze."
The fox kept asking. Kuriko tried to ignore it, but even she had a limit.
"What the—?! Yes, I can see you! Now get out of my head!"
"Ohhh, so you can see me. How surprising. Coming to this city was indeed a fine choice."
"...?"
"But I must say, what is a girl like you doing here at this hour? Don't you know how dangerous it is?"
"Haaah..." Kuriko sighed. "Okay, brain, thanks for alerting me. Now, can you make this one go away already...?"
Kuriko shrank and she sighed again. It seemed her prayer had not worked. She glanced back at the bell rapidly, considering doing the process again. The fox continued talking, and Kuriko gave up on that idea.
"You seem uncomfortable. Is it because of me? Oh, considering your prayer, perhaps you're not used to spirits? Have you awakened your medium talents recently?"
"My medium powers? Okay, Mr. Fox—I can't believe I'm talking to a thing from my head—Don't say it like I have eighth-grade syndrome."
"Please, just call me Haiji," the fox—Haiji—bowed its head politely. "Although I must say, I'm not an illusion of your mind. I assure you, I'm a real spirit.
"Ahhh. I'm going crazy. That's it. This is how my brain is gonna kill me. I'm just going to see a white, talking fox and accept it as reality. Yes, that's what's going to happen. I thought seeing random dark clouds over people's heads was bad enough. Then I started seeing things from fairy tales all around. And now I'm talking to a ghost."
"I am not a figment of your imagination. You're a medium, that's why you can see and talk to me."
"Yeah, sure. Supernatural things don't exist, brain."
Haiji looked displeased. He exhaled, which Kuriko judged as an exasperated sigh. Haiji then approached Kuriko with nimble steps.
"Look-"
"Haijiiii, what's all this fuss about??!"
Another voice joined the conversation and interrupted Haiji. Kuriko jumped in surprise and promptly looked back. She spotted a woman seemingly in her thirties, or perhaps even younger than that, coming from within the dilapidated shrine. She left crawling on all fours from a small hole formed by broken wooden planches and remains of the ceiling. It looked like a make-shift rabbit hole, likely leading inside the temple, if there was even an inside.
The woman boasted a voluptuous chest, accentuated by her loosely-worn kimono that somehow shone with an air of nobility. Her long dark hair seemed to have a life of its own, swaying in the nightly breeze.
However, a tiny detail stood out. The woman had...animal ears? Kuriko could not help but feel like her brain was playing her and that she was seeing too many fantasy things lately.
"Rui-sama," Haiji said, bowing his head. "I apologize for waking you up, but it seems you have a visitor."
"Hm...?"
Rui yawned, seemingly not recovered from her slumber. She looked sloppy, but her figure was surprisingly imposing.
After observing Kuriko for some seconds, Rui finally came to her senses.
"Ahhhh, a visitor!!"
In the blink of an eye, Rui adjusted her posture. Her ears stiffened, her eyes turned sharp. The loose flew by itself to suit her better. She snapped her fingers, and the darkness around the shrine grounds suddenly disappeared, swept away by small floating ethereal flames that danced in the air like fireflies.
"Ohohoho!" Rui laughed, hiding her mouth with a fan that she got from nowhere apparently. "Welcome, visitor. I am Rui, the Guardian Spirit of this temple! If you've come all the way here, I assume you need something from me."
Kuriko took a few seconds to process what was happening. For a second, she questioned if that was truly a product of her brain. She doubted she would be creative enough to create a mental image of such a spectacle.
She pinched her cheek, just to confirm she was not dreaming. There was only a sharp pain and a red cheek.
"Y-Yes, actually, I need help," Kuriko replied.
"Whatever you need, human! As you see, I am in a pretty good mood!"
"So... I recently have been seeing things, you know? Supernatural things, I mean. Like ghosts and apparitions and... I don't even know how to describe it Things like you."
"I see, I see. Things like me... When did you start seeing these ghosts?"
"Hmm, about a week ago? I told my friends I was seeing things, and they told me about a ritual to make bad things go away."
"I see, I see. Hmph," Rui smirked, full of confidence.
She hid her face with the fan and crouched, whispering with Haiji. Kuriko tilted her head, interested in what they were doing. In truth, it looked like Rui was consulting with the fox like a new employee asking the manager for help.
"Girl, your case is surely problematic, but I, Rui, the god of the land, have my diagnosis!!"
"My what? I'm sick?!"
Rui, mouth curving in a bigger smirk, pointed at Kuriko with the closed fan, making a swoosh! sound.
"You were blessed with the ability to see the supernatural world, but your brain can't accept it because of all the intoxication in this modern world! You have the Uncertain Medium Syndrome!!."
There was a dramatic badoom!! as Rui finished her sentence. Kuriko's expression turned awkward as her eyes wandered around. She could only answer is that so... to the self-proclaimed god.
"Hey, Rui-sama..." Haiji sighed in exasperation.
"Shut up, Haiji! It's totally a real thing, okay? Hey, girl, why do you look so let down!? Hey, don't turn your back on me!! Hey, come here!!"
Kuriko gave up on listening to that charlatan healer. She was honestly surprised that her mind could create such a character. She let out a small self-deprecating laugh and dismissed the possibility of it being real.
She sighed deeply as she started to thread down the staircase. However, when she was about to cross the torii gate...
Thumm!
"Ouch! What was that!?"
Kuriko staggered back, clutching her forehead. Her brows twitched furiously as she rubbed the sore spot. "Did I just hit… air?"
Behind her, there was a sharp snort—the kind of snort one might expect from a wild animal. Or, in this case, a very offended spirit.
"Hmff, Hmfff! Trying to leave without hearing my divine counsel to the end? How rude!"
Kuriko turned around just in time to see Rui stomping forward like a child denied candy. Her elegant kimono fluttered, and her eyes gleamed with theatrical intensity.
"I—what even is this?! There's a wall here! Invisible wall!" Kuriko tapped the air again in disbelief, and indeed, she felt it as hard as concrete.
Actually, now that she looked at it, it was not transparent, it shone with a yellowish reflection, like a tainted glass.
"That's a barrier," Rui said proudly, straightening her fan with a snap! "A very advanced, very sacred magic barrier I placed myself!"
She thrust a finger into the air, as if lecturing a classroom.
"You clearly still doubt me! So now I'll show how real a god can be!!" Rui's eyes narrowed like a villain mid-monologue.
Haiji, now sitting on his haunches by the stairs, let out a long-suffering sigh. "Rui-sama, maybe tone it down. She's just overwhelmed."
"Silence, Haiji! Overwhelmed is the first step to be awakened!""
Rui's fan drooped slightly, and she muttered something under her breath. Kuriko, still admiring the invisible wall, did not notice when Rui pointed the fan at her back.
For a moment, a small yellow circle inscribed with countless symbols flashed on the tip of Rui's fan.
A cold, brutal gust of wind came forth, whispering a melancholic melody. The wind stripped the threes from their leaves and branches, carrying them away like a tremendous wave.
"Waahhh!" Kuriko whined as she pushed down her lifted skirt. "Wh-what is this!?"
She turned her face to Rui, who was still pointing the fan at her.
"What type of trick is that?"
"That. Is. Magic."
"M-magic? Like, real magic?"
Kuriko stopped to wonder.
The ethereal fox, the animal-eared god, the invisible wall, the violent wind out of nowhere. What if it was real? Kuriko gasped in denial. Her mind could not accept that.
But Rui seemed to grasp Kuriko's predicament. She tossed her fan aside and it disappeared turning into glowing red particles.
"Just accept it, girl. That is the cure to this syndrome."
*******
At the same time, in the heart of the city, beneath the cloak of night, an empty parking lot sprawled across the urban landscape like a desolate canvas. Streetlights flickered intermittently, casting pools of muted amber against the cracked asphalt, creating an eerie yet strangely tranquil ambiance.
Amidst the stillness, Ren and Otohime, silhouetted against the sparse glow, moved with practiced precision. The cool breeze carried a hint of city sounds—a distant hum of traffic and the occasional siren wailing in the distance.
"Do you really want to do it?" Otohime asked, looking exhausted. She glanced at Ren with a hint of irritation.
"I do. Come on, Hirawa-san, it's been a week since we became partners, but we haven't done anything."
"W-what were you expecting? I need to wait for orders. A magical girl is a soldier, you know?" Otohime stopped talking and fidgeted quietly. She averted her gaze from Ren. "And also, d-don't go tossing the word partner everywhere, you got me?"
"I hear, I hear. Relax. So, shall we start?"
Ren looked more excited. Otohime could almost feel a blaze forming in his eyes. But for her, this was just tiring.
"Alright. It's just training, after all..."
A malicious smile formed on Ren's face. He clenched his fist, assuming a stance. He had been anticipating this moment for a long time. He felt like a child seeing their favorite cartoon.
In contrast, Otohime just sighed. She knew what would happen. She honestly questioned herself multiple times if this was a good idea. This was not child's play.
You can do it, Master!
Airian voice echoed in her head.
Yeah, I know. Suzuki-kun's just a normal person.
Otohime motioned lightly. From thin air, twin gauntlets materialized in her hands. Shiny blue particles sparked around like dust. The metal reflected Ren's narrowed eyes and the inscriptions shone with a bluish glow. Otohime opened and closed her gauntlet's fist, showing off.
"They're pretty big, huh? Aren't they heavy?" Ren remarked, feeling a bit intimidated. He said that innocently, not taking the double connotation into consideration.
"You get used to it," Otohime answered, not understanding.
Internally, Airian laughed a bit.
Otohime adjusted her glasses carefully and took a stance.
And.
Otohime vanished from Ren's sight.
She instantly rushed in. through Ren's blind spot. Ren gasped and shielded himself crossing his arms. Otohime ignored Ren's defense and struck with her right gauntlet.
"Guh!"
It was as if a hammer had hit him. A dull pain resonated in his body from his arms, but he gritted his teeth and bore it. He rotated his body, avoiding another subsequent jab. Using the momentum, he slipped under Otohime's left arm and struck with an uppercut.
Otohime jerked her head backward and Ren's fist just barely grazed her glasses. She readjusted her posture and directed her fist next to Ren's face. She opened her palm. There was a quick flashy circle, and then a burst of intense light that left Ren briefly stunned.
"Argh!?" He groaned, his head hurting with the burst of light.
Flinching, Ren protected his head and jumped back. He tried opening his eyes, but it made it all worse. He could only see Otohime's silhouette coming at him.
Instinctively, he braced for an attack. Otohime struck him in the gut, but Ren endured the pain. He knew Otohime would come after stunning him, so this was a perfect opportunity.
He kicked Otohime's ankle, making her trip on her own weight. Still temporarily blinded, Ren calculated where her head would be, going for a quick roundhouse kick.
He felt it connecting. But it was too hard, it could not have been her head. He tried to retreat, but he could not take his leg out. He felt a mighty grip circling his ankle.
"Shit!"
"Almost, Suzuki-kun."
In one simple move, Otohime pulled Ren's leg toward her as if he weighed nothing. Ren unconsciously blocked, but blinded, he could only guess from which direction the follow-up would come.
"Oh no!"
Ren blocked, but Otohime's fists were faster. They flew at thrusting speed toward Ren, smashing his guard open. An immense pain spread across Ren's arms, resonating to his shoulder and going down to his body.
Otohime did not stop. She kicked Ren's knee joint, throwing him off balance, then smashed his face with a direct hit. The blow knocked Ren down, sprawling his body on the ground.
"Aghh... That hurt."
He landed right beneath a lamplight, but he could not see anything anyway. A metallic odor attacked his nostrils. He felt a warm liquid dripping from his nose.
Otohime approached him with worried steps.
"Aghhh! A-are you okay, Suzuki-kun?"
"Yes..."
"I-I'm sorry. I overdid it a little.""
"It's fine. We're supposed to be training, after all."
Otohime's voice showed concern. She held her right hand out. Ren tried to grab it and missed, so Otohime just gripped his wrist and pulled him.
"Thank you. Awwn, damn. That's gonna hurt tomorrow," Ren sighed, patting his shoulder. "You're pretty skilled, huh, Hirawa-san?"
"You're a thing yourself, Suzuki-kun. You could still kinda go up against me. But I missed something, you weren't really using your everything, right?"
"Hmmm, is it that obvious?"
"For me, yes. You moved much faster when we battle against that damn mercenary. Besides that, you breathed differently. I don't know what you do, but you can use Aura Attunement, or at least something similar."
"Ohh, guess I can't hide it from the eyes of a specialist... I just wanted to know how I would do without any power-ups. A fair fight."
"Is that...so?" Otohime's eyes narrowed. "But the fight wasn't fair at all. I am a trained magical girl, using magic. And you were just...you—by yourself. And despite that, I kinda brute forced my way. You're indeed quite skilled, Suzuki-kun. Where did you learn to fight like that?"
"Well, my grandmother had a dojo, I think? And I used to train there when I was younger. I can't really remember all that much," Ren said, shrugging.
He tried to look into his library of memories, but it was all dark and blurry. He could not really pinpoint when or how he learned how to fight. He just...could.
"So you trained since you were little."
"Yeah."
Otohime chuckled quietly. She motioned with her hands, and the gauntlets disappeared.
"And what about you, Hirawa-san? You're also really skilled."
"Me? I...think that's a story for another time."
"Wait, really? Are you seriously gonna leave me in this suspense?"
"I think I will." Otohime giggled innocently with a smile. "Anyway, Suzuki-kun. Isn't it about time we get going?
"Ahh, you're really no fun, Hirawa-san. But yeah, we should rest."
"Let's go, don't feel so down. You'll have another chance, maybe.," Otohime said, bumping her fist on Ren's shoulder. That sent a shock to his nerves and he grimaced. Otohime put a hand on her mouth and muttered Oh, I'm sorry.
They walked back, side by side. Ren would leave Otohime at her house, not that she needed him to accompany her, but it was still the correct course of action.
The night breeze felt colder and his exhaustion started to dwell up inside him. Ren sighed, annoyed, remembering that he would have class the next day.
"Suzuki-kun, are you really alright?"
"It's fine. I'm used to this."
"I'm really sorry. I overdid it. I shouldn't have done that."
"I said it's fine... Though, I'm happy you're worrying about me, Hirawa-san."
"W-well, we are partners, right? That's why. We need to take care of each other."
Otohime's face suddenly went red, and her cheeks heated up. She heard inside her mind, Master, now's a great time to attack!Information extraction! And her redness grew stronger. She alternated between looking at Ren and to the ground.
"H-hey, Suzuki-kun—"
"Yeah, I know. We're partners. Haha. By the way, Hirawa-san, we should totally have a rematch later!"
Ren was a professional mood killer.
******
"Hey, Onii-chan."
"What is it, Kuriko?"
"What happened to your face?"
"Ahnnnn..."
In school, the next day, Ren encountered his sister in the cafeteria. He was sporting a black eye and a slightly swollen face. Kuriko's face turned awkward, and her girlfriends behind her started covering their mouths while giggling.
That felt like getting stabbed.
"Getting into fights again?"
"I wasn't. I'm telling you, it was an accident."
"Sure, sure. You can't help but attract violence, isn't that right?"
Kuriko sat on the table with Ren, fetching a lunch box out of her bag. She put it down on the table with a thud, then talked with her friends briefly, and they went their way.
She sighed before opening her lunch box.
Ren's world turned slow-motion—his gaze, totally focused on Kuriko's lunch box. It was a legendary treasure chest. It seemed to emit a radiant light, glowing protruding to announce its presence. Kuriko slowly popped open the lunch box as if handling an ancient relic. Ren half-expected a soundtrack of an incoming epic item. He was welcomed with sandwiches neatly packed in foil and fruit slices arranged in a heart shape.
"Ohhhh!"
As expected, only items of the best rarity. That was a treasure. That was the true wealth.
"Heh!"
Kuriko smugly raised her nose, taking pity on Ren's humble meal.
"Onii-chan, you can have some if you want," Kuriko said, grinning.
Ren hesitated. He knew this was just a scheme to make him indebted to her. But the food... it was so tempting. Ren slowly reached his hand to get a piece. It was like a mountain of gold guarded in the dragon's den.
"Can I have some, too, Kuriko-chan?"
Oh no! An unexpected goblin invaded the place! Yukihira Ayumi blew open the doors and entered without any concern with Ren's turn. The boy frowned at this interruption, but internally, he rejoice. Today, it would not be him to fall into Kuriko's trap!
"Hmm...? Sure! Go ahead, Yukihira-senpai!"
Kuriko said as her lips twisted in an ominous grin. Oh, no. Ren thought.
It was too late for the poor goblin. She aimed for the biggest piece of gold, right below the dragon. That was obviously a trap! Ren could only shake his head and mourn over the goblin who died holding the gold.
"Poor goblin!"'
"Hm. Uhm. Uhumm!" Ayumi munched, clueless to the fact that she had fallen into Kuriko's debt trap. "This is pretty good! You get perfect scores, Kuriko-chan. As usual."
"I'm glad you liked it!" Kuriko said, puffing her chest. On the outside, she displayed an angelic smile.
Clueless Ayumi circled Kuriko and sat beside Ren. She then pulled out a lunch box of her own, enveloped in a cute hearty patterned cloth. Ren's eyes were drawn to it, curious.
She took out the cloth and opened the case, revealing a white, puffy cheesecake with an excess of fruit jelly as toppings. Ren's brow went up. He seriously worried about Ayumi's diet.
"How's everything going, Suzuki?" Ayumi said as she took a spoon and started devouring the desert.
"I'm fine. Thanks."
"Really? That's a pretty nasty wound."
"This? Ehhh..."
"Boxing? No, it was more brutal than that. A street fight, maybe?"
"He said it was an accident," Kuriko answered while eating.
"An accident? Come on, Suzuki, even a layman can see that's a fight injury."
Ayumi poked Ren's swollen cheeks. He almost groaned loudly but held back his voice, instead just twisting his body a little. Ayumi laughed and hit him multiple times on the back.
At this moment, the feeble little goblin that fell into the dragon's trap leveled up to the hero class. It might have been because of exhaustion or other injuries, but those slaps hurt a lot.
"Where is the other part of the duo, senpai?" Kuriko asked innocently, ignoring her brother being mercilessly beaten down.
"Oh, you mean Hana? She's off doing something for the... council. You know, paperwork. I'm not really good at that. Hehehe."
"Hmmm, I see."
"By the way, Kuriko-chan. Can I ask you something?"
"Sure. What is it?"
"Your birthday is near, right? Sixteen years," Ayumi said, pointing upward. "I remember when we first exchanged numbers you also said your birthday."
"Ahh! You really remembered!" Kuriko clapped happily. "Yes!"
"Is it really? Damn, Kuriko," Ren mustered some strength to speak. "You're getting old. I can still remember the days you used to go all around calling your brother for anything... Good times."
"Look who's talking! Seriously, Onii-chan? Were you forgetting my birthday?"
"No, no. I knew it was close. I just didn't remember the precise date. But I know it's somewhere next week."
"No, it's not, moron. It's this Sunday!"
"Huh? Wait, seriously? The day after tomorrow?"
"Seriously," Kuriko slapped her own face, unpleased. "How could you forget, Onii-chan?"
"Uhhh... What a disaster. I have to find a gift right now. What should I give my dearest little sister? A cake? A new cute outfit?"
"You should've thought about this sooner, idiot. Don't you dare forget my birthday gift!"
"Ahnm, Kuriko-chan," Ayumi butt in, troubled. "I don't know what to buy for you, so I have an idea! How about we go out tomorrow so you can help me buy something for you?"
"Really?!" Kuriko's eyes lit up. It seemed she could be easily bought.
"For real! We can go to a cafe and then go shopping in the commercial district. What do you think?"
"I'm in! I'm in!"
"Hey, and what happens to the ol' brother right here?"
"I'm sorry, Suzuki, You're not allowed. This is a date between Kuriko and I."
"Argh."
Ren sulked. He did not want to go but he started worrying about Ayumi's true intentions and tastes. The way she asked Kuriko was too offensive. What if she played for the other side? Obviously, this was just Ren's overprotective side speaking.
"Hey, Onii-chan, don't pout about it. Nothing will happen," Kuriko stated and winked at Ren, probably hinting that she knew what he was thinking about. So, where will we meet, Yukihira-senpai?"
"Tomorrow's Saturday, so let's meet in the afternoon at the newly-opened Magically-Good Cafe."