Chapter 7: A Witch Among Mortals (Part 1)

I had been chasing my Master’s trail for what felt like forever. Clue after clue had led me across valleys, through forests, and over mountain ranges, only to land me in the urban city of Shibuya.

When I first arrived, the city overwhelmed me. Cars honked, people shouted, and neon lights flickered in the sky like some otherworldly carnival. But for me, Shibuya wasn’t just a city, it was a maze of magic.

You see, Shibuya is one of those places where the veil between the human world and the supernatural is thin, where witches, vampires, and other creatures roam unnoticed among ordinary people. And for someone like me, who is a genius and can actually feel magic, the energy was highly noticeable, no matter how small it was.

As I wandered the busy streets (and tripped over at least three sidewalk cracks. Seriously, how do humans survive in heels?), something began to nag at the back of my mind. It wasn’t just the overwhelming magic in the city. There was a pull, a certain energy that felt more concentrated somewhere. I couldn’t ignore it. This was the strongest aura I’d felt in a long time. Stronger than anything I had tracked so far.

The Shibuya High School.

Of course, I’d checked it out from a distance. Magic schools were usually places where supernatural creatures gathered, but something felt... off. This wasn’t the kind of aura I was used to. It was dense, like a storm cloud hovering over the campus, waiting to burst. No one had told me there was something this strong hiding in plain sight.

Naturally, being the brilliant strategist that I am, I decided the best way to investigate was to, uh, blend in.
New plan: Enroll. Go undercover. Find the source. Rescue Master. Probably ace math too, somehow.

So there I was, standing at the gates of Shibuya High School, a proud transfer student... with zero plan beyond "look normal."

xXx

The actual process of transferring in was, uh, a bit rocky.

First mistake: I thought speeding up the whole "make friends" thing would be a good idea. I mean, if everyone liked me, they wouldn’t question why I was poking around, right?
Second mistake: Using a little charm magic during my self-introduction in class.

Just a teeny spell. Barely even a spell, really.
Harmless.
Totally harmless.

“Good morning! My name is Reina Summer, but you can call me Reina. I like cats, star-gazing, and long walks away from responsibilities. I hope we can all be friends!”

The charm magic worked a little too well.
People clapped. Some even whistled.
One guy looked like he was about to propose.

By lunchtime, I had somehow acquired a fan club.
No, really.

A girl from another class came up to me, cheeks red, and shyly handed me a colorful, ribbon-wrapped box.

“W-Welcome to Shibuya High!” she stammered, practically shoving it into my hands before fleeing like she'd just confessed a crime.

I stared down at the gift.

A real, honest-to-goodness gift.
For me.

Was... was this how humans made friends? Through offerings?

I cleared my throat and made a mental note:
"Gifts" are just the legal, socially acceptable version of "bribery."

Still, I tucked the box into my bag. You know. For evidence.
(And because it smelled like cookies.)

Also, maintaining a charmed audience is exhausting. How do normal humans make friends without magic?? Are they okay??

xXx

Something really caught my eye. Unlike other people, it seemed like that person didn't get charmed.

Her.

Mio.

She was the one the teacher assigned to show me around. And honestly, if they were handing out awards for “person you most definitely should not mess with but secretly want to,” she’d win in a landslide.

Calm, cool, gorgeous in that intimidating kind of way. Like a porcelain doll that might slap you if you breathed too loud.

Anyway, I followed her.

We started with the main hallway, the artery of the school, or whatever.

“This is where the first-years usually get lost,” Mio said, pointing to an innocent-looking left turn. Her voice was flat, deadpan, but somehow not cold.

I leaned in, mock-whispering, “What happens if I go that way?”

“You’ll end up in the supply closet,” she said, completely serious. “It smells like wet mop and despair.”

I snorted. Loudly. Several students turned to stare. Mio didn't even blink.

Was she serious? Was she joking? No idea.
Ten out of ten delivery, though.

Next stop: the library.

Mio cracked the door open just enough for me to peek inside. Tall shelves loomed like ancient trees. Dust floated in lazy beams of light. Somewhere, a librarian sensed the disturbance and narrowed her eyes like a hawk.

“Impressive,” I said. “It’s like a cathedral of boredom.”

Mio tilted her head thoughtfully. “It is. But the chairs are comfortable enough to nap in.”

Practical. I respected that.

She moved on without waiting for my reaction, and I scrambled after her, nearly tripping over my own feet. (Why did my shoelaces feel longer today? Was it the altitude here??)

We passed the club bulletin board next, a chaotic mess of colors and fonts and desperate exclamation points.

“This is where people try to find themselves,” Mio explained. “Or force others to join their hobbies.”

I skimmed the posters. Martial arts, gardening, drama club...
“Any cults?”

“Three,” she replied with a straight face. “But they’re the ‘we’re just here for the snacks’ kind.”

I lost it. Right there, mid-hallway. I had to pretend I was coughing just to survive.

Finally, she led me to the rooftop.

Technically off-limits.

Mio popped the latch open with casual criminal expertise, motioning for me to go first. I climbed out and stumbled into sunlight and wind. My hair whipped around my face as I turned to take it all in—the endless sky, the rooftops stretching out into the city, the faint sparkle of windows far below.

“It’s beautiful up here,” I said, breathless.

Mio just nodded, slipping out behind me like it was no big deal. Like she belonged here. Maybe she did.

“Hardly anyone comes up,” she said. “Too far from the vending machines.”

I laughed under my breath. Figures.
Of course her secret spot would be some place inconvenient and quiet.

“Which means you come here often,” I said, not really asking. Just knowing.

She didn’t answer. Didn’t need to.
The silence said enough.

I turned to face her fully, brushing my hair out of my eyes. She stood there, arms loosely crossed, like a statue of some ancient goddess who was over high school nonsense but tolerated it anyway.

"Thanks for the tour, Mio—you're kinda mysterious, you know?"

She blinked at me, a rare flicker of surprise.

“Am I?”

“Yup.” I smiled, hands on my hips. “You’ve got those ‘I’ve seen everything and don’t care anymore’ vibes.”

She didn’t deny it.

Maybe she couldn’t.

I grinned wider, stuffing my hands in my pockets and tilting my head back to look at the clouds. Yeah, I thought. This school might actually be fun after all.

Especially with her around.

xXx

Later that night, I snuck back to the school.

The city noise barely reached this hidden corner of the campus. The air was heavy with the smell of damp earth and flowers, and the moonlight spilled across the grass in pale rivers. It was the perfect spot for a little discreet magic.

Nothing serious. Just a tracking spell. A small one. Barely a sparkle.

I crouched near a cluster of sleepy sunflowers, pulling a crystal from my pocket. It throbbed faintly with magic energy, proof there was something magical nearby. Maybe a clue. Maybe something that could lead me to Master.

I muttered the incantation under my breath, my fingers drawing slow circles in the air. Threads of purple light coiled around my hands, warm and eager. I smiled a little. Magic always felt like home.

And then—

Crunch.

Footsteps.

I froze mid-spell.

My heart jumped straight into my throat.

I whipped my head around, searching the shadows... but there was nothing. No figure. No silhouette. Just empty space and dark walls.

But I knew someone was there.

The air shifted. Heavy. Charged. The way it gets right before a thunderstorm, or right before you realize you’re not alone.

Somebody was watching me.

Somebody close.

My brain promptly set itself on fire.

I immediately did what any brilliant, highly-trained, panic-prone apprentice witch would do.

I yeeted myself out of there.

No questions. No explanations. No finishing the spell.

Just pure survival instinct.

I slammed the magic shut so fast it sparked, stuffed the crystal back into my pocket, and ran. Half-tripping over the grass, nearly eating dirt twice, but somehow keeping my feet under me.

Whoever that was, human, supernatural, angry ghost librarian. I wasn’t sticking around to find out.