Chapter 4 – I Need Your Help

Izumi stood outside against a wall in the back alley near the school’s back gate, arms crossed and heart hammering against his chest. It was early so the sun was just starting to creep over the buildings around. The morning dew sparkled and a soft breeze moved through the alley way.

The morning light had barely cut through the clouds, and the school courtyard was still quiet. He could hear from the front entrance, the PA chime pinged once, a custodian test before the day really started. No one had noticed him with a blanket-covered girl nestled in his arms. He’d chosen this spot because teachers never used the back gate and the student council patrol always started at the front. If they kept their heads down and quiet maybe no one would notice.

Alya peeked up from the blanket.

Alya – “Are we hiding?”

Izumi – “Yes.”

Alya – “From who?”

Izumi – “From… everyone.”

He sighed, tapping his fingers restlessly against his arm. He hadn’t slept. Alya had woken up twice during the night—once from a nightmare, and once because she wanted to know what “electricity” was. He tried to explain using string and some random objects but it went as well as you’d think.

He was not equipped for this.

He’d faced monsters, bandits, even demons. But a seven-year-old Celestial with no concept of modern life?

That was beyond his pay grade.

Izumi – “Stay here. Don’t move. If someone sees you, just pretend you’re… a… lost cat.”

Alya – “Meow?”

Izumi paused.

Izumi – “…Actually, yeah. Good.”

He stepped out and pulled out his phone. There was only one person who came to mind. The one person he trusted with something this… insane.

He tapped the screen. Each ring sounded louder than the other.

Hana – “Hello?”

Izumi – “Hey. It’s me.”

Hana – “Izumi? You never call.”

Izumi – “Can you come to the old bike racks behind the school? I… need your help.”

There was a pause.

Hana – “…Are you okay?”

Izumi – “No.”

Hana – “I’ll be right there.”

How am I going to explain this? Hey I'm glad we get to hangout again… oh by the way I have an adopted kid who’s not exactly human but a goddess. Yep, she’s going to yell at me.

Ten minutes later, Hana appeared around the corner, her hair tied back, her uniform neat despite the early hour. She spotted Izumi immediately and raised an eyebrow.

Hana – “You look like you’ve been run over by a truck.”

Izumi – “That’s… more or less accurate.”

She stepped closer and finally saw the small shape curled under the blanket on the bench. The breath she took was quiet and sharp, when Alya poked her face out from the blanket.

Hana – “Is that… a child?”

Izumi – “Kind of.”

Hana – “Kind of?!”

Alya peeked her head out from the blanket and yawned.

Alya – “Papa, is this your friend?”

Hana blinked.

Hana – “Papa?”

Izumi rubbed the back of his neck. The motion was automatic, a reflex from thousands of times he’d tried to explain things that didn’t sound explainable.

Izumi – “It’s a long story.”

Hana sat down on the bench next to Alya crossing her arms.

Hana – “Then start from the beginning. Right now.”

Izumi sat on the bench with Alya nestled between them, munching quietly on a piece of melon bread Hana had brought. Izumi told the story in pieces—not everything, but enough.

He told her about the portal. About the ruined village. About Alya. And about what she’d said, about her father’s message, and her calling him Papa.

Hana didn’t interrupt.

When he finished, she stared at him for a long time.

Hana – “So let me get this straight… you went back to the other world. Found a magic girl. And now she’s living in your apartment.”

Izumi – “I know how it sounds.”

Hana – “It sounds like something out of a fantasy novel.”

Izumi – “That’s because it is.”

She looked down at Alya, who was now humming softly to herself and swinging her legs.

Hana - “So she can do magic? Like real magic in a video game? Fireballs and everything?”

Izumi - “Alya… can you do that firework thing? Like we did last night.”

Alya - “Okay papa!

Alya reached her arm out with her palm facing up, within a moment little tiny fireworks popped over her hand. They were beautiful with many different colors and shapes.

Hana - “that’s amazing, and they’re so pretty.”

Izumi - “Last night I was trying to show her different things about Earth so she would be scared of how different it is here. She saw a picture of one on my computer and then she just did it.”

Alya - “Hey papa? Can I have another melon?”

Izumi - “Hana, do you mind.”

Hana - “Of course not, here you go.”

Hana handed Alya another piece of melon. Izumi and Hana watched Alya as she chewed on the melon for a moment.

Hana – “So she really believes you’re her father?”

Izumi – “No …Alya knows i’m not her real father… I’m more like her adopted one”

Hana – “And you believe her story? About the prophecy?”

Izumi – “I didn’t at first. But I’ve seen that kind of magic before. Her eyes… her bloodline… she’s a goddess.”

Hana – “So she’s from that lost race you told me about.”

Izumi – “Yeah, The Celestials.”

Hana turned toward him, her eyes softening.

Hana – “You really meant it. Everything you told me… back in middle school. About Solvain. About where you went.”

Izumi – “You were the only one who believed me.”

She looked back at Alya.

Hana – “What are you going to do?”

Izumi – “I don’t know. I can’t leave her. But I don’t know how to… raise a child. Especially not one with glowing eyes and magical ancestry.”

Alya leaned against his side, eyes closed but still listening.

Alya – “You don’t have to do it alone.”

They both looked down at her.

Alya – “Mama always said families are made, not born. She said I’d find mine one day. So if Papa’s bad at cooking, maybe she can help.”

Alya looking up at Hana

Izumi – “Wait, who said you get to assign roles—”

Hana – “Shh.”

She smiled, brushing a strand of hair from Alya’s forehead.

Hana – “I’ll help. As much as you need. She shouldn’t be alone.”

Izumi looked at her—really looked. And for a moment, it wasn’t the quiet girl from middle school. It was someone stronger, kinder, braver than he’d ever expected.

Izumi – “…Thank you.”

Hana – “But.”

She poked him lightly in the chest.

Hana – “You owe me an explanation for every single weird thing that’s about to happen. Starting with how to keep a goddess child from blowing up your microwave.”

Alya – “I didn’t blow it up!”

Izumi – “It just… sparked. A little.”

Hana sighed.

Hana – “We’ll need rules. Clothes. Cover stories. And probably a crash course in parenting.”

Izumi – “And mana control.”

Hana – “That too.”

Hana - “Wait!... I thought you said that we didn’t have mana on Earth. How can she use it?”

Izumi - “honestly… I don’t know. We need to figure out that too.”

Izumi bent over with his hands in his face out of frustration at the situation.

Izumi - “Well Hana… if you’re cool with it, can you help us out?”

Hana - “are you dence… of course i’m helping… even if you didn’t want it.”

Hana turned to give Alya a hug

Hana - “you poor girl, i’ll save you from his awful cooking. You just leave training him to me.”

Alya grinned and Izumi sighed

Izumi - “fine, you win”

Alya – “Does this mean we’re a family now?”

Neither of them answered right away.

But somehow, in that quiet corner of the school, with the wind rustling the trees and the morning sun peeking through the clouds

It felt like the beginning of something.