Chapter 12 The World Gone Dark, Warm, and Surprisingly Soft

But her legs, having been curled under her for hours in an uncomfortable sleep, were completely numb. The moment she put her full weight on them, they gave out like jelly.

“Kyaa!” she let out a short, surprised yelp as she stumbled forward, falling directly toward the hospital bed.

Time seemed to slow down. Shota had no time to react. Mirai landed right on top of him, her arms flailing to brace herself on either side of his shoulders.

With a soft muff, Shota’s face was buried squarely in the soft, ample cushion of her chest. He was immobilized, his world having suddenly gone dark, warm, and surprisingly soft. He could feel the frantic, hammering beat of her heart against his cheek.

Mirai froze, her entire body turning a shade of pink. Steam almost seemed to whistle from her ears. Her mind, usually so full of possessive and twisted thoughts, went completely, blissfully blank, short-circuited by the sheer, unexpected physical contact.

 Instead of jumping away in panic, Mirai stayed still, her body beginning to tremble with overwhelming shyness and daring. Shota could feel her heart beat even faster, reverberating through the softness pressed against his face, even through the fabric of her dress.

 "Sho-kun... did I hurt you? Are you alright?"

Shota shook his head from side to side. 

"No. I'm fine. You didn't hurt me at all."

The motion of his head rubbing against her chest made Mirai's breath hitched, and a high-pitched, involuntary squeak escaped her. 

"Kyaaa~!"

Now concerned, Shota asked, "Mirai-chan? Did I hurt you? Are your injuries okay? You should sit down."

 Instead of moving away, she pressed down just a fraction more, a deliberate, gentle pressure.

Her voice cracked with a vulnerability she rarely showed.

 "Sho-kun... you... you don't like it?"

Shota mumbled into the softness, "I don't mind... it's just that it's..."

He was going to say, "hard to breathe," but he was interrupted.

Hearing him say he didn't mind was all the confirmation she needed. A wave of dizzying euphoria washed over her shyness. Before he could finish, she gently wrapped her arms around his head, enveloping him fully in her warmth and the faint, sweet scent of her perfume.

She whispered, "You will always be my lovely Sho-kun. Love you."

Then, in a flash, she pushed herself off him, spun around, and darted for the door.

 "I'm-going-to-get-us-some-drinks-bye!" she stuttered in a single, high-speed, breathless sentence, and vanished into the hallway.

Outside, she slumped against the wall, her entire face steaming red. Her lips trembled and her wide smile wavered uncontrollably between ecstasy and sheer panic. She clutched her ample chest, feeling her heart beat right out of it.

Back in the room, Shota blinked at the empty space where she had been. 

"Huh. What was that all about? Did she want to lay down on the bed? She should have just said so. I could have taken a walk. Oh Mirai-chan, always with her jokes. Always trying to make me feel better. 

She’s always been like this. Ever since that day. Since the fire. Since everything ended. When everyone else left, Mirai stayed. Even when I could barely talk, when all I could do was stare into nothing… she was there. She pulled me out when I was drowning in my depression. Dragging me outside when I didn’t want to move. Forcing me to eat when I forgot how. Smiling so bright it hurt to look at sometimes. She is my light. My hero. Yes, you really are my hero, Mirai-chan."

-----------------

Tokyo Magic Academy

Instructor Arata stood in front of Principal Kaito's desk, his body still aching from injuries. He placed a file on the polished wood.

"The report is finalized. The incident in the Otama Gorge has been classified as an attack by a B-tier entity, 'Ancient Shadow'. It ambushed the class during a patrol. I was incapacitated protecting the students in the initial explosion. The students... they held the line."

The principal gesturing for him to continue.

"The sequence of events is as follows: Student Enji, having recently broken through to Blue Flame magic, engaged the target directly, landing a significant hit that set the entity on fire and caused confirmed damage. Several other students, including Himura and Yami, launched a coordinated counterattack, managing to briefly restrain the creature. However, the decisive factor was Student Mirai Osanai."

"Go on."

He opened the file. 

"Under extreme duress, she displayed a previously unrecorded evolution of her magic, manifesting steel-element drills, and even 'Battle Dress' later. She confronted the creature alone after the rest of the class was neutralized and delivered the final blow. It was a whole-class effort, with Osanai as the finisher."

Principal Kaito steepled his fingers. 

"And the boy? Shota? The UR-tier barrier user?"

"According to all testimonies, his barrier held, protecting himself and a few others from the initial blast. He was then observed to be in a catatonic state, a probable PTSD episode, for the remainder of the encounter. He was a non-combatant."

The principal's pondered aloud, "A B-tier entity, defeated by first-year students. The press will call it a miracle. The Osanai name will be praised, and the fire-boy's family will leverage his 'Blue Flame' breakthrough."

"That is the narrative," Arata confirmed, "It's clean. It's inspiring. It doesn't invite the difficult questions that would come if we reported the truth."

"And what is the truth, Instructor?" the principal asked.

"The truth, sir, is that I felt a surge of power I haven't felt since the Witch Queen died. And when the dust settled, the only two people at the epicenter were Osanai... and that catatonic boy. I don't know what happened out there. No one saw who defeated the Ancient Shadow. All surveillance cameras were destroyed on the initial blast. My report is only based on one conscious student who didn't last to see the ending of the battle."

He picked up the file. 

"So, unless you order otherwise, this is the report."

Principal gave a slow nod.

 "Good. That will do. Before we continue, I have new information. A patrol team failed to report in that night. We found them this morning near the Otama Gorge, just outside the patrol radius I gave you. Ambushed. It was Pro Wizard Saito, The Illuminator, a strong C-tier, and his entire support team. All dead."

"Saito... god damn it. I knew him since my academy days. He had a piercing light magic. A direct counter to shadow-based entities."

"Precisely," the principal said, "The official finding is that Wizard Saito's team encountered the Ancient Shadow first. In their final moments, they likely inflicted a serious, weakening injury upon it. This explains how your students, against all odds, were able to survive and finish it off.

 And Arata, it would seem that the enemy isn't just testing our borders. They're systematically eliminating our defenders. They knew Saito's route. They knew your class's patrol route. This was coordinated. Keep a closer eye out there. Dismissed."

-----------------------

One Week Later

 Tokyo Magic Academy. Instructor Arata's classroom.

Only a handful of students were seated at the empty desks. Shota was already in his usual spot by the window, with Mirai beside him, poking his cheek.

"Boop. You're so quiet today, Sho-kun. Boop. Are you thinking about me? Boop."

Shota offered no reaction, his gaze distant, as if he'd simply accepted the poking as a natural part of his environment.

The classroom door slammed open with a force that made the remaining students jump. Enji strode in. He threw himself into his seat, crossing his arms and glaring straight ahead.

A moment later, Instructor Arata walked in.

"Attention! I need everyone's attention! A few important things to address today. As you all know, we got ambushed last week. Because of that, more than half of the class is still in recovery. Some... didn't have the resolve to continue and have quit. We are now down to less than half. Therefore, our standard class schedule is suspended until further notice.

Do not worry, there will be things for you to do. We will be hitting the training rooms hard until we are back on track. This is good! We need to get all of you into real shape. We need to raise that magic power!

But first things first! On our first day, we were interrupted before we could proceed with a crucial procedure. Your Pro Wizard names!"