The Carnelian Sparrow

Chapter 1

The only thing that broke the unending silence in the miniscule club room was the ticking coming from the clock on the wall above the door. The seat nearest the window was occupied by Koharu, casting a distant, unfocused stare onto the track field below. At the moment, the second year boys were outside, practicing for some sporting event or another. Such an event would inevitably be covered in the school paper. Such coverage was something Koharu usually left to Shinju.

In the opposite corner, Hanako sat, keeping to herself as usual. This time, however, a rare, completely bright smile lit her face as she stared down at her phone’s screen. On it was an image of a chinchilla, mid dust bath. At the top left corner of the image, a circular picture of Shinju. The promise of cute images of Shinju’s pet had been fulfilled.

The creaking of an opening door would be next to break the silence, followed by a soft sigh from Koharu. “Late.”

“Heh… sorry ‘bout that, Koharu!” Shinju made quick strides into the room, sitting about in the middle. Koharu kept her gaze out the window, but Hanako quickly pocketed her phone with a timid blush. “What'cha looking at out there? Gathering info for the track meet this weekend? I thought I was covering that.”

“You are.” Koharu stared for awhile longer, then turned to face Shinju, sparing a sidelong glance towards Hanako. “I’m not sure how big of a deal this is.”

“Really? But you’ve been watching those guys all week. I’d have figured you would’ve had a handle on how Track Club works by now.”

Koharu didn’t reply, nor show any outward reaction. “I’ll trust you to handle the specifics. Hanako,” she said, without giving Shinju any room to reply, “what progress have you made in following the class president race for the second year class?”

Hanako jumped a bit in surprise. “U-Um… well, from what I could tell, it’s between Tokai-san and Yasuda-san. … I believe Tokai-san is the favorite, but… I need to interview more of… their class before I can make a complete report.”

Instead of scorn, as Hanako expected for her lack of progress, she was met with an indifferent nod. “I’ll leave it to you. Everything else will be ready by tomorrow morning.”

“Whew! With any luck, we’ll have something resembling a proper paper by the weekend!” Shinju folded her hands behind her head, leaning back in her seat. Koharu again showed no reaction, and Hanako sheepishly returned to her phone.

The Newspaper Club was newly formed, and rather hastily as well. Koharu, however, was insistent on taking over the school’s publication. The staff had assumed that this particular hyperfixation was just another display of her condition, but the truth of the matter was that Koharu was following in her mother’s footsteps, one step at a time.

Hikari Shirahara was widely known in the journalism world, though not inherently for her integrity. Infamous was a more apt word to describe the journalist. Her methods were unorthodox at best, but two things about Hikari were absolute; Hikari always got her story, and she always told it honestly. To Hikari, and subsequently to Koharu, nothing was more important than the full, honest truth.

A brief period longer of awkward silence, this time broken by the ringing of the bell to start the day. Shinju was the first to rise, and with a cheerful wave, she would be the first to leave as well. Koharu was next, but before she could reach the door, Hanako called out. “U-Um… Koharu?” Taking the most minute of turns of Koharu’s head as acknowledgement, Hanako continued. “…After school… um… …can I ask for some personal advice…?”

“Hanako. You and I both know that there are better people to ask about personal problems. Try Shinju.”

“I… need a more logical point of view, actually.”

Koharu turned to fully face Hanako, carefully examining her to ascertain her meaning, but seemingly gave up after a moment. “Fine. I’ll wait at the gate for you after school. But no more than five minutes.” With that, Koharu left the clubroom.

Hanako sat in silence for about a minute longer, then gathered her belongings, finally leaving the clubroom herself.

The entire school day would pass in a haze for Hanako. She would float from class to class, somehow scribbling down something that could be considered coherent for her notes on each subject, and somehow avoiding the attention of her teachers for the entire day. By the time she was aware of her surroundings again, she would be halfway between the front door to the school and the gate marking the edge of campus.

And right beside the gate, Koharu stood waiting, as promised. “Four minutes, twenty four seconds. You were cutting it close, Hanako. What do you need?”

“R… Right.” Hanako shook her head free of mental fog, then made her way over to Koharu, glancing around to make sure the two were alone. “… So… um… hypothetically… if you… if had one wish, anything in the world that… that you could ever want—”

“You’re rambling.”

Hanako continued, almost ignoring the interruption, “…One wish in the world, but… you had to give up your life in… in servitude for it?”

“A pointless hypothetical exercise laced in the guise of fantasy. You’re far too young to already be talking about regrets.”

Hanako jumped a bit. Koharu, as expected, could at least see through Hanako well enough to guess what was on her mind. “S…Something like that.”

“Well, I’ll humor you. You theoretically want to change something in your life. In this scenario, if I were you, I would wish away your depression.” Koharu was as blunt and factual as always. There was logic behind her words, and yet…

Hanako looked away, staring down at the ground. A small, loose piece of brick on the cornerpost of the gate being the focal point of her empty gaze, though she stared seemingly through it. “…I cannot do that, Koharu. To wish it away… I would make the efforts of Mother and Father in vain, for all their trials of treating me. The resources, the doctors, the medication… all wasted by the wave of a wand.”

“Then the answer remains simple.” Koharu’s expression didn’t change, her typical blank stare at Hanako’s now surprised face. “If you cannot wish your condition away, then I have another suggestion.”

Another deep haze filled Hanako’s mind. She barely even registered Koharu’s reply on the surface, yet it lingered deep within her mind, as if burned into her soul. She felt herself floating, floating through her return home, through cleaning up, dinner, and everything leading up to the nightly pre-sleep routine. It was a different voice that brought her back this time.

“Have you decided, Hanako?” Kyubey sat at the edge of Hanako’s bed, beady red eyes staring up at Hanako’s closed eyes. “Remember, I can only grant you a single wish! You’re the one who has to make it count!”

Hanako shook her head, but face showed resolve, possibly for the first time in her life. Her hands were tightly gripped into her school uniform’s skirt, and it was then that she realized that she hadn’t changed since coming home. This fact didn’t stop her. “I… I think I have, Kyubey. Something worth fighting for. Something… something only I can do. I believe I am ready… to complete our contract.”

The words left Hanako’s lips as fog clouded her mind yet again. Her room had slowly become more blurry, matching the haze in her head. The two states of her waking and dreaming mind seemed to blur, and Hanako found herself surrounded by a large veil of mist. As she wandered, she came across a lone flower, the single visible entity anywhere around. Hanako showed no reaction to its presence.

She spoke, and with her own voice, yet her words were not her own. “Are you… my other half…?”

“Hanako!” It was Kyubey’s voice that once again pierced the veil. Hanako shook her head, looking around her bedroom. It was exactly as she left it; a pristine bed neatly made beneath her, a full standing mirror beside a moderately sized closet, a small bookshelf along the wall near the door, and in the corner opposite her bed, a television with a video game console hooked up. The bookshelf was kept neat and tidy, the T.V. and game system gathering dust.

“D… Did it work…?” Hanako’s voice caught in her throat.

“Look at yourself in the mirror, Hanako, and you tell me!” Kyubey’s voice was calm, tails swishing behind and red beady eyes hiding any true reaction from the impossible creature.

Hanako did as requested, standing up and taking a few, cautious steps towards the mirror. Once in front of it, an audible gasp left her. She was sitting perfectly still the entire time as she made her wish. When she snapped from her trance, she was even in the exact same position. Yet somehow, her attire had completely changed. Gone was the simple, plain high school girl’s uniform. In its place, a floor-length emerald gown, almost Victorian in appearance, with lighter green trim and accents running vertically from the shoulder down. From her neck, a bright green silver pendant lay against her chest, shimmering upon Hanako’s eyes landing upon it. On her head, a matching silver tiara inlaid with emeralds, and in her left hand, a small, ornate ivory rapier.

“I-Is this…? Is this my… my… power?” Hanako’s voice was barely above a whisper, yet the air in her room had gone completely still. Her hands trembled, and her knees buckled. She likely would have collapsed, had Kyubey not interjected at that moment.

“Indeed! That is the power bestowed upon you through your wish! I knew you had the potential, Hanako Sasaki, but to think that you could transform without even realizing! I will be keeping a close eye on you, even now, Hanako.”

Hanako was still staring at herself in the mirror, taking in every possible aspect of her attire. Transform? Is that what this was? She couldn’t feel anything different about herself, other than the strange costume, but everything Kyubey had been telling her about Magical Girls over the last month had been accurate. And now, Hanako was seeing proof of Kyubey’s tale in the mirror.

“So!,” Kyubey continued, “Shall we go for a hunt? There is a Witch not too far from here. It’s not very powerful, so you should be able to get a feel for your new power!”

Hanako couldn’t help but note in the back of her mind that this all sounded like a tutorial in a video game. The thought was amusing enough to keep her mentally grounded, and after another awkward pause, she gave a little nod.

It wasn’t difficult for Hanako to sneak out of her home. Her mother and father loved her dearly, but given her condition, they were content to let her relax on her own without much interference while she was studying, or generally in decent spirits. What took the longest for Hanako was adjusting to her newfound sense of feeling out the direction of nearby Witches, along with trying to discern her other magical powers.

Hanako wasn’t remotely physically fit, though she wasn’t exactly frail either. But swordplay was something Hanako had never really considered before, let alone something for her to rely on in a life-or-death situation. More of a mystery to her was her supposed magical powers. Kyubey had assured her that she was more than just capable of summoning and wielding a sword while wearing an outfit that did not lend itself to combat, but Hanako had not quite figured out what that power was, or how to control it.

She had a guess, however. Given the air in her room had gone completely still when she first laid eyes upon herself upon her wish, and how a slight breeze followed her upon her intrusive video game thought, she suspected that she had some way of manipulating the air itself. Try as she might, however, she could not quite manifest this ability at will, at least not consciously.

Walking slowly, following her intuitive new sense, she made her way down the shadowed alleyways behind her home. Hanako lived in a nicer part of the city, but there was no place on Earth that did not cast a shadow. Hanako’s neighborhood, naturally, was no exception. Hanako had not made a habit of exploring these alleyways, even as a curious child, but as she was now, she had no trouble finding her way around, even at this late hour.

Kyubey was equally silent in following right behind Hanako, staring up almost like an expectant cat waiting for attention or food, though she had paid it no mind as she ruminated over her situation.

Hanako could tell she was getting closer. The oppressive feeling of animosity was becoming more heavy. Turning this way and that, one alley into another, she came across a dead end, facing a brick wall. “…Is… is this it, Kyubey?,” she whispered.

“Indeed. I hope you have gotten a grasp of your power, Hanako. This might be a weaker Witch, but it is no less dangerous, given your situation. Are you sure you are ready for this? I could find someone to assist you. There’s another Magical Girl not too far from here—”

“No, Kyubey.” Hanako’s voice echoed the resolve she had made hours before as she made her wish. “I… I need to learn to do this alone. If I cannot fight on my own… my wish is meaningless.”

Kyubey’s tails swished idly behind it once more. “Very well. I can assist you telepathically, and I can keep an eye on you, but I am not one for fighting, myself. If I could, I would not need to make so many contracts! I’m sorry. But from here, you really are on your own.”

“That’s… fine by me, Kyubey. And thank you.” With a little, somewhat awkward smile, Hanako placed a hand on the wall and closed her eyes. After a deep breath, she opened them, finding the world around her having shifted completely. Instead of brick walls and an open night sky, Hanako was surrounded by bookshelves, seemingly stretching on beyond the horizon. Hanako could not see the top of a single shelf, creating the appearance of a labyrinth in a library. Clutching her rapier, she made her way along, deep into the maze of books.

As Hanako felt herself become more tense in the impossible environment, the air around her began to shift. A soft breeze seemingly coming from nowhere, yet enough for Hanako to understand that it was her own, rather than this Witch. With a deep breath to calm herself, the wind would calm again. “…I think… I understand.”

After a few minutes, Hanako spotted a miniscule entity holding a book and bounding between shelves. The book was much larger than the creature, which didn’t seem to notice Hanako’s presence right away. Hanako stared for a moment, then held her rapier ready. “…A familiar.”

Kyubey had lectured Hanako on the specifics of Witches and their barriers over the prior few weeks. Witches were powerful creatures of malevolent energy, capable of driving humans to do terrible things, yet hidden from them deep within labyrinthine dimensions of their own making. To assist them, the Witches had small, magical creatures known as familiars. Kyubey had also told Hanako that if left to their own device, a familiar could eventually become a Witch of its own, spreading chaos like wildfire. It was the duty of every Magical Girl to fight these Witches, and their familiars.

Hanako was not a fighter. Nor was she so compelled by altruism as to risk her life for the sake of others. Her mother was a defense attorney for Mitakihara City, however, and was more the type to do whatever was necessary to defend those who could not defend themselves, all in the name of the greater good. Hanako looked up to her mother, but she never felt she had the strength to follow in her footsteps. What drew Hanako to Kyubey’s machnations was the idea that she could actually do something with her life. That she did, in fact, have potential to make a difference. Even if it was in the shadows, in secret from her family and friends.

It was this ideal that kept Hanako moving forward, despite every instinct screaming at her to run and hide. But there was another, singular potent voice in the back of her mind, telling her to move forward and fight. Lunging forward, her ivory sword pierced the little familiar. With one final, surprised squeak, the creature dissipated in a puff of black smoke. “…That wasn’t too bad. …I… didn’t think I could move that fast…” Shaking her head, Hanako pressed on.

She would make her way through the labyrinth of bookshelves, dispatching familiars with relative ease. What felt like about fifteen minutes would pass, and in her journey, Hanako had come to understand and even gain tentative control over her wind power. It seemed to react to her mood and emotional state, intensifying with heavier emotion, and going still with shock. An irony, Hanako thought, for someone with depression to have an emotion-based magic.

Eventually, Hanako would come to an open area within the library, a large book standing upright in the middle. She stared for awhile, and after a moment, the cover of the book swung open like a door. Emerging from the pages was a vaguely humanoid figure, draped in what appeared to be robes made of paper. Its head resembled a closed book, cover-side facing Hanako. The book-head opened and closed rapidly, followed by an unearthly shriek.

Hanako held her rapier at the ready, taking a deep breath to steady herself once more. As she calmed, a light wind would swirl around her. 'This must be the Witch, Hanako thought as she waited for it to make a move. Before she could brace herself, however, she found herself surrounded by a swirl of paper, a storm of tiny edges racing around Hanako’s arms and waist, little cuts finding their mark. She winced, and though she swung her rapier wildly, she couldn’t seem to cut any of the paper swirl down.

With each individual papercut, Hanako could feel her frustration building more and more. Finally, with a defiant scream of her own, the wind around her flared, forcing the paper storm to scatter around her. The wind coalesced into a miniature cyclone that swirled protectively around her. The paper, seemingly coming from nowhere made another attempt, but was deflected by Hanako’s wind.

“…I can do this,” she said, determined. The wind around her held steady, and Hanako lunged forward, aiming her rapier into the Witch’s chest. It sank in effortlessly, yet the Witch seemed unbothered. Hanako felt herself flung backwards on another, more focused blast of paper, colliding back against a bookshelf. Falling to her knees, Hanako struggled to catch her breath. This was the first time in her life that Hanako had ever felt any significant physical pain.

Before the next wave of paper could find its mark, however, Hanako threw herself off to the side in a small, awkward roll. Books and paper from both the battle’s debris and the neighboring bookshelves shifted and swirled from the wind left in Hanako’s wake. Another skill, she thought. What else could Hanako’s wind do? Before letting herself become overly distracted, she lunged forward again, this time much more quickly than before, on the back of a potent gust of wind.

Her rapier slashed at the Witch’s book head, leaving only a scratch. Before it could counter, Hanako threw herself backwards. A bit too forceful, she realized, as she collided with another bookshelf. This time, the shelf itself seemed to tumble backwards. Impossibly tall as it was, it would quickly take out several others as it fell in a domino effect. She would repeat this motion, launching herself in, taking a few quick thrusts and slashes, and dodging backwards.

After a few minutes, however, Hanako was panting. She had never exerted this much energy before, and it was clear that her inexperience was getting to her. “…I… I have to… finish this… r-right now, in… in one final strike!” Focusing her energy, her personal cyclone intensified, the wind around her swirling more fiercely. This was it, she thought. The Witch hadn’t taken much damage, but the cuts on the cover of its 'face’ showed Hanako that if she moved fast enough, struck hard enough, then she could defeat it. A fierce yell, and Hanako propelled herself forward, ivory rapier extended.

“Soul Cage!” Another voice from behind the Witch, seemingly disembodied echoed out. As the words filled the labyrinth, several golden staves came down in a hexagonal pattern around the Witch. Several others followed suit, stacking on top of them and folding inwards, eventually forming a makeshift cage. Once complete, a bolt of violet lightning struck from the empty non-sky of the ceiling, pink sparks soon engulfing the gold surrounding the Witch. The sparks then formed into electric gates, connecting the staves properly.

Hanako had stopped her assault just in time to dodge one of the falling staves, jumping back a bit and watching the attack in shock. She recognized that voice. “N… No. It can’t be…”

Emerging from the shadows, another young girl, clad in pink and black leather, black twintails swaying in the breeze caused by Hanako’s wind. She wore a smug expression, flashing violet eyes staring directly at the Witch. “Heh. Not bad, kid. But let a pro take it from here, 'kay? Don’t need a newborn baby makin’ a mess of the small fry.”

Yui held out her right hand toward the cage. Closing her palm, the cage began to contract, slowly but surely closing in around the Witch. It was unable to move, completely helpless like a rat in a trap, desperately searching for any way out. Soon enough, the electrified sides of the cage made contact with the Witch, and Hanako swore she could hear a scream coming from it. Closer and closer, smaller and smaller, until eventually, the Witch convulsed, its paper body scattering on the wind, and the book falling to the library floor before bursting apart into smoke. A small, black egg-like ornament was all that remained, landing on the floor of the 'library’.

“Y-You… what are… what are you doing here? This was… this was not your hunt!”

Yui shook her head and sighed as she picked up the small gem on the floor. “God damn, you newborns sure are territorial for some reason. 'Sides, didn’t see your name on it. Not that you’d know. You didn’t even know her name.”

Hanako stammered in frustration for a moment before shaking her head. “Y… Yui Arashi. Second year student in Mitakihara High… someone like you is a Magical Girl?!”

Yui gave an indifferent shrug. “Y'think it’s all Saturday morning around here? This is war, kid. All that matters is bein’ strong enough to win the fight and make it to the next. Character don’t mean a damn thing. Morals don’t mean shit. What matters is winning. Understand?”

Hanako was silent, her eyes wide in the surprise she felt. Hanako and Yui never directly interacted personally, but Yui’s was the type of personality that made itself known to any and all that would pass her by. Hanako found her loud and obnoxious, and if Hanako didn’t keep her distance, she felt Yui would be the type to become a bully for her, or god forbid, her friends.

“Though, for a newborn, you ain’t half bad. That power’s somethin’ else for someone on her first day. You just gotta learn how to wield it properly.”

Hanako found her voice after swallowing nervously. “H… How do… you expect me to hone this power… if I cannot finish my battles on my own? If… if an interloper like you… can steal victory away from me?”

Yui’s eyes widened just a bit. She hadn’t expected a comeback, it seemed. “Hey, it was a goddamn compliment, kid. Learn to take it. And you wanna get stronger, you gotta make yourself get stronger. No one’s gonna hand you a win in life. Reach out and grab it. Spoiled little—”

Yui’s words were interrupted briefly by the clang of Hanako’s rapier, blocked just in time by one of Yui’s gold staves. Her eyes lit up as she continued speaking without missing a beat, “—brat. Heh… man, you’re interesting. Tell me, kid, what did you wish for, anyway?”

“…Hanako. My name. My name is… Hanako. Not 'kid’.”

“Fine then, Hanako. What did you wish for?”

“Why should I tell… someone like you?,” Hanako managed, holding her weapon in lock with Yui’s.

“'Cause I asked. Didn’t the genie cat ever tell you? Fightin’ alone’s risky. Geez, please tell me he told you that this isn’t a game, and you can actually die out here.”

Hanako was silent, her expression still fierce.

“Dunno why you’re so mad. You just made your wish. You don’t need this thing half as much as I do. Sure hope you know what this is—”

This time, Yui’s words were cut off by the sudden, upward backwards slash of Hanako’s rapier across Yui’s cheek. Yui had dodged the brunt of the attack at the last moment, but she jumped back, clutching her fresh wound. Before Hanako could react, Yui’s fist found its mark in Hanako’s stomach as she lunged forward. Hanako collapsed to her knees, gasping for air.

“Know what? You don’t gotta tell me a damn thing. Pretty tough for a newborn, but you’re still pretty damn green, kid. Sorry, Hanako.” Yui turned to walk away, stopping after a few steps with a sidelong glance. “…Get stronger, kid. I wanna see the day where you can kick my ass. 'Cause then? Then, I’ll know this worthless, god damned city is ready to stand on its own. Oh, and her name? Furette Elise. Not that you’d care.”

Hanako wouldn’t catch her breath in time to reply, let alone catch up to Yui. Feebly extending her right hand, a futile effort to make her stop, she fell onto her stomach. The barrier would soon dissipate, and Hanako would find herself completely alone in the alleyway where she first entered the barrier. Despite the distance she traveled within, she hadn’t moved even a little back in the real world. Kyubey was also nowhere to be seen.

It took Hanako a good few minutes to collect herself, but she would shakily rise to her feet and slowly make her way back home. “…This… this isn’t… over, Yui Arashi… ugh…”