The Carnelian Sparrow

Chapter 16

Yui was leaning against a street lamp in the far end of the city, right near the city’s limits. As the paved road ended, a weather worn sign pointing up the mountain read ‘Lake Lacrima ahead! Watch your step!’ It was an odd choice of rendezvous, and while Yui surveyed the location, she couldn’t help but recall her conversation with Alice before leaving.

“So, I’m off then, babe. Y’sure you don’t have anythin’ unrelated to ask these folks? Information dealers are a once or twice in a life kinda event, y’know.”

Alice, idly and slowly swirling a half-empty water bottle as she sat against her front door simply sighed, looking down at nothing. “…Are you sure -you- even have to go, Yui?”

“Huh? Where’d this come from all of a sudden, huh? Wasn’t this the plan? I go keep Esther’s little date with these people and get answers?”

With a heavy sigh, Alice curled up a bit tighter. “…What if answers don’t make anything better? I’ve been thinking. Once you figure out whatever it is Esther was looking for, you two are going to have to fight, right? For real this time… Esther… Sis is feeling cornered, Yui. I’ve never seen her act like this. It’s really scary, you know. And we both know that you can’t ever back down from a fight…”

Yui knelt down in front of Alice, a kinder smile than Yui was used to giving resting awkwardly on her face. “Well, yeah. Us comin’ to blows is kinda inevitable. But you seem to think that only one of us can come out of it alive. Right? Well, even if I have to knock some sense into her, I can promise you that both of us are comin’ home in one piece. Okay, babe?”

Alice looked up, nodding slowly before giving Yui a little smile of her own. “I hope you can keep that promise, Yui. Because… I don’t think I could bear to lose either of you, you know. Nothing would be able to keep me from Kyubey if either of you died.”

“Heh. Well, I guess I have all the incentive I need to win and bring us both back safe, yeah?” Yui slowly rose to her feet. “I’m off, babe.”

“Yeah. Be safe, okay? This still sounds dangerous, so… just don’t go making a mess of this, okay? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, after all.”

Yui was brought back to the present moment by the flickering of the light above her, followed by the shattering of the bulb inside its case. “Huh. Guess I zoned out. Well, first thing’s first…”

She started walking towards the mountain trail, but stepped off of it. Yui couldn’t shake the possibility that this could be a trap set by Esther, to prevent the information she sought from falling into Yui’s hands. There wasn’t a chance in hell that Esther didn’t know the location of the rendezvous, she thought, but Yui held the invitation in her hand.

Spending about ten minutes looking around, she couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary. Proceeding a little further, she came to the first checkpoint, a small set of benches overlooking the entryway to the mountains, with a little plaque, holding some history lesson or another. Nothing that interested Yui.

What caught her attention, however, was a small figure, standing at the narrow exit that led further up the mountain. A meek voice came as soon as Yui’s eyes landed on the silhouette. “Right on time. Even if you aren’t the right person for this meeting.” Stepping out from the mountain trail’s shadow, a small girl, wearing a bright red kimono and a matching red opera mask with gold beads around the edges could be seen under the pale moonlight.

Yui couldn’t help but notice the mask most of all, noting that it was nearly identical in design, if not in color, to the one Esther wore to the arena the two nights that she fought there. “Sorry, a lot happened. But I’m takin’ your client’s place tonight. Hope you don’t mind.”

Expecting resistance, Yui was instead surprised to hear an amused chuckle come from the girl. “Not at all. I accounted for this possibility, in fact. Besides, I’m sure you know by now what kind of business I run. I’ll have you know that this meeting, and my services, have both been paid for. Consider yourself lucky… Yui Arashi.”

Giving an indifferent shrug, Yui stepped forward slowly herself. She was half right. Esther -had- been here already. She had to have been, or else she couldn’t have paid for this meeting using the winnings from the arena. Of course, another thought crossed her mind. Perhaps that this girl’s words meant that Yui was now indebted to her. She decided not to think too hard about it, however. There were more pressing matters to attend to. “I’d be shocked if an info dealer didn’t at least know the name of whoever she was talkin’ to.”

“How astute. I am, in fact, an information dealer. Once upon a time, our… ‘organization’ spanned half of this nation. Nothing escaped our grasp, and there was nothing we did not know. Of course, we have suffered our fair share of setbacks, but rest assured, Arashi-san, that our information is still one hundred percent accurate. Everything we discuss tonight comes from reliable sources.”

“That a fact?” Yui folded her arms across her chest.

“Yes. I took the liberty of handling this case personally.” The girl’s eyes flashed with a red hue beneath her mask, and her tone lowered. “I told Esther that I could not risk this information falling into the wrong hands. However, seeing you here, I am convinced that this is the preferable outcome.”

“You know a lot about me, eh?” Yui stared at the girl, a violet flash coming from her own eyes as she stared up and down the dealer’s small frame.

“Of course, though that is not relevant now. I’m even forgoing the usual protocol and pleasantries that come with doing business in the traditional fashion. I know that you are not the type to uphold to such antiquities, and you know that we don’t have that kind of time. So go on, Arashi-san, and ask the question you need answered.”

“Just Yui’s fine, thanks. No need to be formal, after all.” Yui sighed, closing her eyes for a moment before opening them. “We found out what Esther Rinju was lookin’ for. She told us a lot herself, about what her family’s curse is all about, and that she wanted to find a way to break it. So my question, I guess, is… well, what were you gonna tell Esther, in terms of breakin’ it?”

The girl hesitated, staring up and down Yui now. “Interesting. So you would take up her crusade, against her heavily fate-cursed bloodline?”

Yui’s expression hardened, her eyes sharpening a bit. “I would move heaven and earth to keep that damn cat away from Alice, and I don’t really give a damn what it takes to do that.”

“Hmhm.” The girl smiled a little. “You two are a lot alike. But there’s less desperation in your voice, compared to hers. Well, I can confirm what you already know as a foundation.”

“Esther Rinju has been traveling all over Japan, looking for any information on the Rinju Family Curse, as she calls it. She has been ‘moving heaven and earth’, so to speak. But she never really found anything substantial. Most of the tragedy that has consumed Esther’s family, such incidents are prone to being covered up. Human beings cannot really bear the weight of their sins, it seems. Of course, in her growing frenzy, Esther nearly… ran into a rabbit hole that would have seen her take information from the… shall we say, wrong sources.”

“Compared to what? Yours?” Yui took another step forward, though the other girl didn’t even so much as flinch. “No offense or anything, but you’re not exactly a beacon of trust yourself.”

The girl merely nodded. “I never claimed to be. I am an information dealer in a part of the underworld of society known only to Magical Girls, with a few… odd exceptions.”

“Oh? So you’re basically Magical Girl Mafia, then? That inspires a -lot- of confidence.”

A slight tilt of the head and a bit of hesitation followed before the girl spoke again. “You really don’t know too much about this sort of thing, do you? I could ask about the events of the last decade or so, had we the time. And if you had any interest in the subject at present.”

“Yeah. Get on with it.”

The girl remained stoic, returning to her perfectly upright position. “Let’s just say that without my intervention, personally, Esther ran a colossal risk. If she were to turn to her original lead, it could invite an unprecedented disaster upon Mitakihara. Perhaps all of this region. Possibly the entire world. Needless to say, Alice would be in grave danger in any scenario.”

“Care to elaborate?”

“Not really. The less that is known about this other source, the better.”

Yui scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Y’know, I need more than that, right? ‘Cause from an outside perspective, it just sounds like someone doesn’t want rivals in the field of knowin’ stuff. I mean, maybe I know better than to believe that outright, but that’s how it looks.”

The girl sighed softly. “I don’t much care how it looks. I know good and well how this appears. I also know that you believe me, and are looking for further concessions of information that have -not- been paid for.”

“Heh. You’re good, kid. Can’t blame a girl for trying, right? But I really do need to know what kinda danger we’d face, if Esther had followed that line to its natural end.” Yui took a step back, though she looked more relaxed.

“I’ll say this much, Yui. An information dealer is stepping out of the confines of the shadows and approaching a completely unknown variable in order to prevent this sort of disaster. Isn’t that enough? That I’m dealing with someone who had not paid proper dues herself?”

“Someone, Yui, who barely even knows the full extent of that power she wields? None of you do. In my eyes, you are all dangerous. But I am willing to overlook a small scale disaster in order to prevent calamity.”

Yui, somehow, remained composed through all of the girl’s speech. “That’s what they all say. Y’know, my mom once said stuff like that. According to my Pops, anyway. I wasn’t old enough. The ends always justify the means to you goddamn mafioso types. Well, count me out.”

Turning and taking a step away, she was stopped by the sudden feeling of a small hand around her wrists. She was stunned into silence, having not heard the girl approaching her at all. “…Wait. The real reason I’m not following protocol here, well… I know you have no interest in taking part in some Magical Girl underworld, Yui. I’m not asking for help in the sense of favors owed or debts to be repaid. I’m asking you as a Magical Girl.”

“That’s human speak for ‘there’s mutual benefit to workin’ together’, right?” Yui cast a sidelong glance at the girl, whose face was looking down at the ground. Her gaze remained on the floor as she stepped away from Yui, releasing her wrist.

“That was my line, yes. But we’ve long since established that we can ‘play the game’ quite well. I am asking sincerely for you to hear me out, Yui. No payment required. This isn’t an underworld favor.”

“Hit me.”

“…You already know, don’t you? Esther Rinju is currently feeling cornered by your actions, and by her sister’s. She is now seeking her original lead. To put it plainly, I know where she is going, and what she will do.”

“My actions? Alice’s?”

“That’s right. I reached out to her in an earnest attempt to help her uncover a method to dispel her family’s curse, but the truth is, I could not allow Esther to follow her original lead. If she comes into contact with that person, it will bring about—”

“Yeah, yeah. Shit’s fucked if she gets on with Plan A. I got it.” Yui sighed, stuffing her hands into her skirt pockets. “I guess I fucked up a lot, huh? First with that rock in the club room window, now with this.”

The girl sighed. “Don’t beat yourself up about it. Garou Arashi is the one who took my correspondence from Esther in the first place.”

“God damn, you really do get around, huh? Only me, Alice ‘n’ Esther knew about that in the first place. And Pops I guess.”

“It is my job to gather information, Yui. A Magical Girl fighting in an underground arena to pay for the services of an information dealer is quite valuable information. There was no reason for someone like you or me to take part in such a spectacle, especially someone like Esther, who is a much more model citizen.”

“Well, your job was to keep Esther out of whatever her first lead was, right? Why not just do that again?”

The girl looked away, hesitating. “That… is not part of my job. I reached out, giving Esther the chance deal of a lifetime. Such a thing can only happen once. It is a rule of our organization, one even I cannot break. As such, I must now rely on you.”

“Well, easy enough, right?” Yui shook her head. “Just tell me where Esther’s goin’ and I’ll stop her.”

“So you do believe me?”

“Sure, why not? I’m not gonna play games with Alice’s life at stake. Oh, uh, this isn’t my ‘one shot’, right?”

The girl shook her head. “Of course not. This meeting was paid for. This is a proper business transaction, Yui. Your… ‘one shot’ is still up for grabs.” A playful smile lit her face. “So is there anything you wish to know to make use of it?”

“Ah… well, sure. What’s your name?”

Blinking, the girl tilted her head. “Such a mundane request. Why would you waste your one and only chance at my limitless knowledge to know something I might have volunteered freely?”

“Oh, that’s easy.” Yui’s eyes flashed again. “’Cause my family taught me not to take a free deal in the underworld. I don’t want temptation hangin’ over my head for however long, all while you tease me waitin’ for the ‘right moment’ here. Just ask a certain cat about me an’ one time deals. So yeah, final answer. What’s your name?”

“…Very well. I am Kotori. Kotori Ito. And as a bonus, since I can read intentions, unlike the Incubators…” Kotori reached up, removing her opera mask. Dull, dark brown eyes shone in the moonlight, and stared calmly up into Yui’s. “This is me.”

Yui was silent for a long while now, her left hand clutching an object in her pocket, and she stared at Kotori, as if reading her. As if trying to read who this person was, sensing any internal masks, yet finding none.

Kotori spoke again, seeming to ignore Yui’s gaze. “I know that you’ve never beaten Esther in a fight before, and now the prospect looms with dire consequences and heavy stakes. But she has a fatal flaw. Before you fret, this weakness is not something that will threaten Esther’s life. It will wound her pride, however. But if you are careful, just this once, then you will emerge victorious with the results you desire.”

“But if you should fail, and if at any point you do not heed what I’ve told you, then there is a good chance that the whole of Mitakihara will burn for your impatience.”

“Got it, Kotori.” Yui simply nodded, still staring past the girl, looking for weakness herself.

Kotori reached into her kimono, pulling out a freshly sealed envelope, a crow embedded in the wax holding the paper together. “Then take this. It is both details on Esther’s weakness, and directions to an old opera house in the middle of the city.”

Yui glanced at the name on the front of the envelope. “Never heard of it.”

“I am not surprised. It was quite a spectacle in its day, I am told. According to the stories, it is the reason that Mitakihara developed a night life in the first place. Now, it sits abandoned between various locales that come and go, yet somehow, it never manages to go up for demolition.”

Yui nods, turning to leave, only to be stopped by Kotori again. “…What? What else do you need?”

“You’re going now, then?” She once again releases Yui’s wrists and steps back.

A smirk crosses Yui’s lips. “’Course. Better now than later, right? We’re not good on time, after all. But if you want the truth… I’m only helpin’ ya here because I know who you are. I can tell you’re not lyin’ or anything, but you give off a huge air of desperation.”

Kotori, however, simply nodded. “Yes. We are desperate, Yui. So much so that I came to you myself, letting you see and know who I really am. That is how dire this is.”

“Man… to think that this is what brought that bloody chapter to a close. Not the fires of war, but a common enemy. One would think that those dumbasses would’ve tried that over a decade ago, huh? What could’ve been.”

Before Kotori could reply, Yui made her way down the trail, back towards Mitakihara properly. She stuffed the new envelope into her pocket, her hand not parting from it.

“What could have been…”