Chapter 15: The Quiet Girl Kisaragi Aine

Aine had been silent ever since the Banshee incident.
To everyone else, it looked like calm.
To those who knew her, it was the calm before a storm.

In her room, the scent of gunpowder and mana hung thick in the air. The green-haired witch sat by the window, sunlight brushing the black tips of her long hair. Her hands gripped her custom firearm, the metal warm from her touch.

“Maybe it’s time I stopped hiding behind rules,” she murmured.
“If I keep staying in the safe zone, I’ll rot here.”

She cocked the weapon, and for a brief second, her reflection in the barrel showed eyes full of loneliness.

The next morning at Tokyo Magic Academy was as ordinary as ever. Students hurried to class, laughter echoing through the corridors—until Kanata collided with someone near the entrance.

“Ah—Miss! I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” Kanata said, reaching to help.

The woman turned slightly—her long silver hair shimmered under the light, her eyes mismatched, one crimson, one ice-blue. She didn’t respond, only gave him a brief, unreadable glance. Then, before the bell finished ringing—she vanished.

Weird… who was she? Kanata wondered as he ran to class.

Elsewhere, in the headmaster’s office, Keegan scrolled through grim headlines.

“Another kidnapping case,” he muttered. “This time, young women are the targets… same pattern, different victims.”

He leaned back, exhausted.

“We’ve barely finished one crisis, and here comes another.”

At lunch, the usual group gathered. Celestine, Rio, and Kanata shared a table, joined by Itsuha—who, for once, wore her hair loose instead of tied.

“Itsuha-san, you didn’t wear your usual ribbon today,” Celestine noted, sipping her tea.

“Hmm? Just… trying something new,” Itsuha replied, smiling faintly. Her eyes, however, hinted she had something else on her mind.

Kanata, oblivious, was more focused on his meal.

“So… about Aine,” he began between bites. “She’s strong—too strong. But she can’t seem to tell who’s a threat and who’s not.”

“That’s because she doesn’t trust anyone,” Itsuha said softly. “Especially men.”

Kanata blinked.

“Huh? What’s her deal with men?”

Itsuha set down her chopsticks, her tone serious now.

“When she was younger, Aine was bullied—mostly by boys. But what really broke her was… Veil Morgath.”

“Wait—Veil Morgath? The actor and model?” Rio asked, almost choking on his drink.

“Yeah. They actually dated for a short time in high school.”

Kanata almost dropped his fork.

“No way. Aine? With him?”

“It wasn’t public,” Itsuha continued. “Back then, Aine was quiet, reserved—she barely talked to anyone. Veil noticed her when she won a magic design contest. For a while, she really believed in him. But he… was already seeing someone else in secret. When she found out, he blamed her for ruining his reputation. It spread like wildfire.”

Celestine’s expression darkened.

“So that’s why she avoids men now.”

“Exactly. That heartbreak turned into distrust. She started training harder than anyone—swearing she’d never depend on a man again.”

Kanata leaned back with a sigh.

“That explains the temper.”

“And why Class B is full of girls,” Rio added quietly.

The air turned heavy for a moment, the weight of Aine’s past hanging between them. Then Celestine clapped her hands, trying to lighten the mood.

“Anyway! Let’s focus on class. Kanata still owes me that duel rematch!”

“Heeh?! I never agreed to—”

That afternoon, Kanata walked home alone along the riverbank. The sunset painted the sky crimson, the same color as Aine’s eyes when angry.

The sound of metal cutting air—
CLAAANG!
A blade stabbed the ground right beside him, throwing sparks.

“What the—?!”

Aine stood there, her expression unreadable, her long coat fluttering in the wind.

“Training time.”

“Training?! You almost skewered me!”

“Don’t care.”

She lunged again, sword blazing with green light. Kanata dodged every swing, sparks and heat biting his cheek.

“You can’t just throw spells outside the Academy!”
“Who cares about rules?!”

Their duel tore through the riverside until a freezing gust split the air. Celestine appeared, magic staff glowing.

“Enough! The security division will be here any second!”

Aine lowered her sword, breathing hard. A faint chime echoed—her communicator flashing red.
She read the report, her face tightening.

“Three women… missing near Shibuya,” she whispered.
Then she turned to Kanata, eyes cold.
“This isn’t over. Remember that.”

And just like that, she vanished.

Celestine knelt beside Kanata, helping him pick up his fallen bag.

“You okay?”

“I’m fine. Just another day of being randomly attacked.”

She sighed.

“You really attract the worst kind of women.”

“Don’t remind me.”

Meanwhile, under the dim lights of an abandoned rooftop, two figures watched the city.
One, a man with blue hair and eyes like gold; the other, the mysterious woman Kanata had bumped into that morning—Lakia.

“Well?” the man—Schwartz—asked, smiling faintly.
“Do you find him interesting?”

“He’s ordinary… but there’s something else,” Lakia replied. “Something familiar in his aura.”

“You feel it too.” Schwartz’s grin widened. “The same energy as our brother’s soul—sealed inside that boy’s right arm.”

Lakia’s eyes widened slightly.

“Are you certain?”

“Without a doubt.”

She nodded, her tone measured but cautious.

“Then we meet him—but not as enemies. Not yet.”

Schwartz chuckled, leaning back.

“Just don’t get yourself involved in human affairs. Lately, young women have been disappearing left and right.”

“You’re worried about me?” Lakia teased.
“No,” Schwartz said simply. “I’m worried about the monster doing it.”

Hours later, at the edge of Shibuya, flashing red lights illuminated the scene.
Aine stood silently before three lifeless bodies—three women who had vanished hours ago.

“…Too late,” she whispered, her voice breaking for the first time.
Her grip on her weapon tightened until her knuckles turned white.

For all her strength, all her pride, she couldn’t stop the next tragedy.

And as the city’s sirens wailed, Aine felt it again—
that same emptiness she had carried since Veil Morgath left her behind.