The Carnelian Sparrow

Chapter 4

Koharu sighed, poking at the remnants of a plain sandwich sitting on a paper plate, mostly taken care of by Shinju. The potato chips that Yui brought as a side were long since gone as well. Alice and Hanako had helped themselves to the salad that Alice brought with her. Midori had barely eaten anything, fussing and triple checking the bandaging around Koharu’s forehead. “I told you. I’m fine.” Koharu’s blunt tone broke the silence hanging in the school nurse’s office. “Changed the bandage this morning like I was told. No need to worry so much.”

Midori let out a sigh of her own, finishing tightening the bandage before pulling away with a concerned frown. “I know you feel fine, but I have every right to worry. That was a nasty cut, Koharu.”

“A rock flying through a window tends to do that”, Koharu snapped back, prodding the sandwich bits before simply setting her plate down. “And before you ask for the fifth time, I was there trying to finish the article I was working on.”

“…I… I am suddenly glad I decided to check on you, after all…. wh-when I ran into Yui.” Hanako’s voice was timid, but then again, it always was. Enough to avoid suspicion from the others, at least with their various states of distraction. “S… Sorry.”

Yui rubbed the back of her own head somewhat sheepishly. “Hey, if we hadn’t, who knows how bad it could’ve been? Sometimes, paranoia pays off, y'know?” Fortunately, Yui wasn’t even lying in her cover story. Midori had been worried when Koharu hadn’t come home on time, and was actively messaging Yui and Alice to keep an eye out. Yui only saw the messages right before she and Hanako brought Koharu home.

Shinju swallowed the bit of sandwich in her mouth before speaking up. “No argument here. Something as small as a rock to the head can be fatal, if thrown just right, or hard enough, or hits the right spot. Heck, maybe that shard of glass slowed it down enough to prevent something more serious, like a concussion.”

Midori’s eyes widened a bit at the thought of something she hadn’t even considered. Koharu shook her head, and Alice was next to interject. “There’s no real point in dwelling, guys. It happened, it’s over, and Koharu is fine. Right?”, she said, turning to look at Yui.

In turn, Yui nodded, looking around the room. “That’s right. Koharu says she’s fine, the nurse here saw nothin’ concerning in the follow-up, and if I had to guess, all this crowding is doing more harm than good. From my point of view, if she doesn’t have a concussion, we’re worryin’ over nothing.”

Koharu flashed a suspicious, yet grateful look towards Yui before looking down at nothing in particular, saying nothing more. Midori shook her head, but stood up and away from Koharu. “Well… yeah, that’s a good point. Alright everybody, let’s get out of here. Give my sister some space, yeah?”

As Hanako stood up, Koharu flashed an equally suspicious look her way. Hanako noticed this, returning a quick glance of her own, then started to make for the door. Yui was next, followed by Shinju, then finally, Alice. Midori, however, stayed behind to tend to her sister a bit more.

Once out into the hall, Shinju gave a little wave, making her way back to class after a quick parting word. Hanako started to follow, but was stopped by the sound of Yui’s voice. “Yo, wait a sec.”

Hanako jumped, turning her head to glance back at Yui. “Y… Yes?”

“Y'ever consider joinin’ the fencing club?” Yui’s voice was casual as she asked this, though Hanako caught her meaning right away, her face going a little pale.

“I… Is this some sort of joke? I’m… I’m not the type for strenuous physical activity…”

Yui glanced back at Alice, who showed no outward reaction, instead looking through her phone. “It’s just us, Hanako. It’s cool. Look, if you got a little technique under your belt, you’d be more than capable of lookin’ after yourself out there. We wouldn’t really cross paths unless one of us needed help from the other.”

Hanako was floored. Here Yui was, talking about Magical Girl affairs right beside the nurse’s office, and right in front of Alice. Seeing her lack of reaction, Hanako felt a little emboldened. “…Alice? A-Are you… also… um…?”

“Hm? Oh, good god no. I’m just a regular person,” Alice looked up from her phone. “I’m not involved with it directly. But, I do know all about it.” Seeing Hanako’s confusion, she continued. “Kyubey… he’s been trying to get me to make a contract for over a year now.”

“Yeah,” Yui chimed in, a sour note in her voice, “I’m well aware of that. I’m still doin’ everything I can to keep that furball away.”

Alice continued as if Yui hadn’t replied, “But it wasn’t Yui who exposed me to your world. My sister, Esther, is also a Magical Girl. It’s been eventful, all things considered.”

“I… I see.” Hanako looked down for a moment, then turned to face Yui, as well as her question. “…Would it not be… risky or dangerous for someone… someone like me to join a club… like that?”

Yui couldn’t help but laugh. “Not a chance in hell. You might be magical, kid, but those guys have been training for years. Our school has been bringing home trophies from national competitions for years. If anything, you’d still be at a disadvantage. You’ll get your ass kicked, but you’ll learn a lot.”

Hanako couldn’t help but grimace at the way Yui said this, but she couldn’t argue with the logic either. Knowing that there wouldn’t be any inherent danger in exposing Magical Girls to the world sweetened the deal, but she was still hesitant. “…I’ll consider it.” Before Yui could chime in any further, Hanako raced away from the nurse’s office towards her classroom.

“Smooth, Yui.” Alice had returned her attention to her phone, scrolling through her social media feed. “You sure know how to talk to people.”

“Hey, I’m a natural charmer. If y'all didn’t like how I acted, you wouldn’t have stuck by the band this long.”

“Only because we’ve been friends since we were twelve.”

“I only met Shinju a couple weeks ago!” Yui raised her voice a bit, but lowered it upon seeing Alice jump. “…I got charm for days!”

“Charisma eh?” Alice scoffed. “I’d sure love to see it.”

“Fine. Sunday afternoon, you, me, an’ that little cafe by Berry Mart that sells stuff you can actually stomach. I’ll show you some frickin’ charm.”

Alice didn’t even look up from her phone. “What, finally got tired of joking about it? Or are you one-upping this weird game of chicken you’ve been playing since we met?”

“Heh. Sounds like that’s a date in my book, babe.” Yui’s smirk was lost on Alice, and her tone returned to normal. “Hey, everything okay? Normally you’d be rollin’ your eyes and stormin’ off long before I made the ‘asking you out’ bit happen. What’s up?”

“…Nothing.” Alice sighed, knowing that pure dismissal wouldn’t be enough to chase Yui off. “…Esther’s been gone a whole week this time.”

Yui softens her tone completely, speaking much more seriously. “I see. Well… damn, let’s actually hang out on Sunday then. If you wanna, anyway.” Yui knew that Alice and her sister were close, and that whenever Esther was out of town, Alice would usually shut down, sick with worry. She knew never to get in the way of Alice’s home life; it was one of the things Yui and Alice had in common.

“I… I’d like that, Yui. Thanks.” Alice finally looked up with a tiny smile, but it faded quickly as she returned to her phone. “She hasn’t messaged me, so… she must have gone pretty far out this time.”

“Bold move, huntin’ out of town like that. Sure, less competition I guess, an’ the boonies probably need the cleanup help. But that can’t be easy for someone still in school, y'know? I’m guessin’ your family has the excuse all ready?”

Alice closed her eyes for a brief moment. “Officially, she’s visiting my fa— …my mom’s ex-husband.” Alice didn’t call her father a father anymore, always 'mom’s ex-husband.’ “And as far as she knows, that’s what’s going on.”

“Still though, to be gone a week, radio silent? Hm. Want me to look into it?”

Alice stared at Yui, wide-eyed. “No! If something happened, I don’t want to lose both of you!”

Yui gave an indifferent shrug. “Heh. She’s tougher than I am. I wouldn’t stand a chance in a serious fight with your sister. An’ you know how strong I am. I think you can trust that she’s fine, wherever she is.”

Alice nodded a few times, as if trying to will the reassurance to sink in. “Y-You’re right, Yui. Whew… well, we’re running late. Let’s get back to class.”

“Right behind ya, babe.”

After school, the Newspaper Club gathered in the library. The school staff wouldn’t allow them to meet in the usual clubroom, since they were still repairing the damaged window and cleaning debris, and no other room was free for them. As it was, the school had to arrange and repurpose that tiny room for Koharu’s club to begin with.

No one else was there to study, and they had huddled around the back of the library so they could speak freely, albeit quietly. “No sign of the vandal who broke the window,” Shinju whispered. “The staff have a few suspects in mind, but nothing concrete yet.”

“Of all the times for the so-called 'security systems’ to fail.” Koharu was as blunt as always. “The cameras malfunctioned at the time of the break. Only vague eyewitness accounts from a janitor. Memory wasn’t clear.”

“W-Well… um, we should probably be grateful that… that the damage was minimal. And… um… without any… serious injury.” Koharu flashed Hanako another suspicious gaze while Shinju was looking at the papers sitting in her lap, but Koharu returned to her own papers before long. “But… from what I could gather, the staff is trying to keep this incident a secret. I would guess… that this is to prevent unnecessary witch hunts among the students.”

“Kinda makes what we’re doing here a little counterintuitive, doesn’t it?” Shinju looked between the other two girls with a puzzled expression. “What’re we even doing here if the top brass doesn’t want us kids knowing about it?”

“It’s our job to report the truth. The full truth.” Koharu’s tone was flat, yet with a note of resolve. This time there was no suspicious undertone directed at Hanako, though she had gone stiff anyway. “They’ll ask us to cover it once they get someone to pin it on. We’re just getting ahead of them. In case they frame someone innocent to cover their tracks.”

Shinju closed her eyes in thought. “That makes sense. You sound pretty sure that they’d do something like that, though.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Koharu mumbled with a bitter undertone. “I have the rest of the paper ready to go. Don’t need to let them suspect us of investigating for the paper just yet.”

Hanako started to relax. “If… If we publish our paper without mentioning the incident too deeply… they will probably assume we’ve forgotten. The rest of the student body likely will in a week or two, anyway…”

“Hm. We mention it somewhere that no one will pay attention, to say we covered it while it was a current event. Then we forget about it publicly for awhile. But I will not let this go.”

“Heh. Appreciate your sense of justice, Koharu. Well I’m in! If the school’s gonna try something shady, you can count on me to back you up!”

“Where were you last year?” Koharu sighed, this time her muttering went unnoticed. “…Appreciated. See if your sister has any advice while you’re at it.”

“'Haku? Uh… well, I guess that sorta thing could happen in the military.” Shinju rubbed her head nervously, looking away. Living on a military base was always interesting, and Shinju never really felt bored. Her sister, Kohaku Hayama, slowly rising through the ranks, kept her busy, and with the constant moving from one town to the other because of it, Shinju often had a hard time making friends. Thankfully, she got quite lucky with Hanako and Koharu, not to mention joining the band with Yui, Alice and Midori. Equally fortunate was the fact that Kohaku would be stationed here for quite some time, it seemed.

“Please. Any experience in this sort of thing would be invaluable.” Koharu sifted through her papers as she spoke.

“I oughtta head back, then. If I’m gonna catch 'Haku tonight, I need to hurry. See ya tomorrow!” Shinju waved, gathering her belongings and swiftly making her way out of the library.

“Hanako.” As soon as Shinju was away, and the librarian suitably distracted, Koharu took what she saw as prime opportunity to speak to Hanako. Her voice was nearly silent, just enough for her to be heard. “First, I would ask if you could bring this up to your mother. Has a good sense for justice.”

Hanako nodded in response, but she knew from the glances she received all day that there would be more. Furthermore, she had a good idea what it would be about. “…I will.”

“One more thing.” Sure enough, Koharu continued, this time staring directly into Hanako’s eyes. “What really happened to me in that room last night?”

Hanako knew better than to try and dance around the issue. She only knew Koharu for about a year, but she knew better than to try and lie. Koharu knew what she was asking, and Hanako couldn’t deny it. Yet she stayed silent.

Koharu continued, fishing something out of her backpack. A small, black, egg-shaped gem shone in her palm, held out towards Hanako. “This fell out of your pocket before we left.”

Hanako recognized the Grief Seed, a bit of panic setting in on her face. She had completely forgotten about her spoils from the Witch in the fog of panic about Koharu’s safety.

Once more, Koharu continued. “There was no rock in the room when I came to. You and Yui don’t get along, yet somehow, not only were you on the same page to come to my aid, but you knew I was here in the first place. She knew I was here. We never talk, yet she knew I was here.” Her eyes flashed with the intensity of an expert interrogator. “I’m not stupid, Hanako. I know there’s more to this. I just can’t figure out, logically, what it is.”

“…What if… what if I told you… magic is real, Koharu?” Hanako spoke with a tone that showed that Hanako wasn’t joking around. Koharu also knew that Hanako was not one to lie, no matter how impossible her reality had seemed. Koharu listened silently, still staring at Hanako.

“…I… I made a contract. A wish with a creature known as 'Kyubey’. I… I met him a few weeks ago. In exchange for one wish, anything my heart desires… I am tasked with fighting evil beings known as Witches. Monsters… impossible monsters, made of… seemingly pure malice. I’ve… I’ve fought two of them now.”

Koharu’s eyes narrowed. “…One wish. The same wish you asked me about hypothetically before. You couldn’t wish your depression away, so I suggested instead to wish for the strength to fight it. That was your wish, then?”

“…Yes. I… I made up my mind to make my deal with Kyubey. But…”

“What? You couldn’t think of anything fitting? So you had me make this life-changing wish for you?” She was still quiet, but Koharu’s fury was unmistakable. “Why? Why would you leave something so important up to me on a whim?”

“Because…” Hanako sighed, her hands balled into anxious fists in her skirt. “…Because I trust you. Because you, Koharu… you and your logic… it can pierce the veil of emotion that… that paralyzed me these past few weeks. I… I’m sorry.”

Koharu, however, calmed down, and after a tense moment, she would slowly nod. “I think I understand. But Hanako, in the future, be more open with me about this sort of thing.” Placing the Grief Seed in Hanako’s hand, she continued. “That doesn’t answer my question though.”

“…You were… under attack by a Witch. Indirectly… but you were not of your own mind. I… Yui told me… y-you tried to—”

Koharu stopped Hanako, holding her hand out. “I have the information I need. Thank you. Now then. I can assume that this is some well-guarded secret? People aren’t to know?”

Hanako nodded, her breathing slowly calming down. “Yes. If everyone knew…”

“Widespread panic and chaos. I can’t publish this…” Koharu’s frustration was clear on her face as she closed her eyes.

“Y… Yes. Even if you did…”

“I would be discredited at best, and locked away at worst. Oh well. Now I know the full truth. It’s all I need to know. If the school tries to pin this 'vandalism’ on a student, we can fight it.” Koharu’s voice carried an odd determination.

“I… I suppose. But we have no proof. We can’t… tell the staff the truth…”

“I’ll find a way. Leave the cover story to me. Hanako, you and Shinju need to solicit advice about people abusing power to cover their tracks. Whatever information you can gather will be helpful.”

“Koharu…” Hanako’s voice lowered further. “…Why are you so… understanding about all this? You believed me… without a second thought.”

“Simple. You have never lied to me. There’s a lot about this world I don’t understand. Why would magic be any different?”

“…You’re not… going to seek Kyubey out, are you? I mean… with a wish, you could—”

“No. I have no desire to fight monsters to see the truth. I’ll make my own way, like I always have.”

Hanako relaxed. “…That’s a relief.”

“…I would like to know precisely how this all works, though. I want you to report to me about each and every Witch hunt you go on.”

“I see no reason to hide this from you. You knowing is… something of a relief. But… I don’t think Shinju knows. So… if we could… keep this between us, for now?” Hanako’s voice was timid, yet calm.

“She’ll find out someday. Can’t hide it forever. But fine.” Koharu began to gather her things, hesitating. “Oh. I overheard something from staff. They keep mentioning a name when talking about the incident. Rui Tomatsu, third year student.”

“…Rui… Tomatsu?”

A tall, slender girl leaned against the wall under the broken window of the club room, cast against the dim light from the setting sun. Her hands were stuffed into her coat pockets, and long strands of messy, dark hair partially covered her left eye. For a long while she simply stood there. Whether the girl was in thought or not was unclear, given her masked expression. Finally, she pushed herself off the wall with one foot, taking a few steps before turning to look up at the 'crime scene.’

“So this is what I’m going down for this year? Fine. Bring it on.” The girl sighed heavily, a smirk slowly creeping across her face. “Not like it’s the worst crap these assholes have tried to pin on me. …I’ll make sure to give 'em hell this time.”

At her side, another girl stood, a head shorter and wearing a strange black and yellow vertically striped dress. At her side, several daggers hovered near her wrists. “…Not alone, you won’t.”