Vows and Bonds

“Uhh…” Kasumi stammered, stalling for time and turning her eyes to look at anything but Momo’s gaze. She hadn’t even known Momo for a week, but she had already been sure she’d learned all she needed to remain one step ahead. Being called out on forgetting her name made her feel inadequate and ashamed. Momo had offered her milk tea, invited her to a special gathering, and even saved her life, and yet Kasumi hadn’t bothered to remember her name.

“In that case—” Momo said, rising from the bench, shoulders back and chest out. Kasumi slunk back, feeling her heels sink into the damp mud. For the first time, she noticed the rips in Momo’s clothes caused by the demon’s vines. Scraped muscle was clearly visible through the tears. It dawned on Kasumi that if she became too much of a problem, this girl would have no trouble disposing of her just as the demon had. In fact, she might not have had to do anything herself, only allow the next demon to do as it pleased. Kasumi bowed her head low, refusing eye contact as she heard Momo take in a deep breath.

“I’ll have to introduce myself again,” Momo sighed, sparking shock and awe in Kasumi.

“Huh?” she asked, unsure if she could believe her ears. She looked back at Momo without quite meeting her gaze. Momo was still standing over her, but the sight made Kasumi feel more like a guarded treasure than a cornered animal.

With a swift motion, Momo retrieved the juice box Kasumi had dropped and sat on the bench, tapping the spot beside her to signal Kasumi to join her.

“You win,” Momo began, turning the grape juice over in her hands. “Try as I might, I can’t think of a way to win against you in a battle of words. So I offer you surrender on one condition.”

“What kind of condition?” Kasumi asked, slinking up next to the bench without sitting down.

“The condition is, you share a drink with me and vow to take this secret of mine to the grave. What do you say?”

Kasumi was at a loss for words. Her mind had been lagging, trying to come up with a dialogue path to keep Momo from tying up a loose end like her; a victory on any terms seemed like a fever dream.

“Sounds good,” Kasumi said. “Especially when you could easily just threaten me to keep your secret.”

“That would be sacrilegious, and more importantly, cruel,” Momo said with a wry grin.

Thus, the conversation began. Momo shared the story of how she’d joined the Maidens of Marie, a secret worldwide organization dedicated to fighting demons, protecting mankind, and preparing the way for Jesus’ second coming. She shared how she gained her powers from her guardian angel and how she transcended the firmament to hide from ordinary people. Throughout, Kasumi listened intently, with all the focus of a player learning the tutorial of a new game. The spiritual stuff was lost on her, but she knew better than to rush through the introductory text of a major NPC.

“I’m sure I’ll need to know this when she asks me to join,” Kasumi thought as Momo finished her explanation.

“And that’s pretty much it,” Momo concluded. “Any other questions?”

“Nope,” Kasumi boldly declared. “I’ll be sure to ask if and when they pop up as we fight demons together, though.”

“Huh?” Momo asked, shocked. “What do you mean by ‘fight demons together’?”

“Well, you’re just about to ask me to join,” Kasumi declared, already accepting the offer. “It’s only natural. I’m sure you normally get a bit more pushback, but honestly, this sounds like a nice deal for me.” Kasumi closed her eyes and put a finger under her chin to frame a cheeky grin. “Sure, I have to put my life on the line to fight demons, but that’s just how these things work. I’m sure the powers alone will make up for it, and there’ll be other upsides as well, but—”

“But Ozaki-san, you can’t join.”

The words hit her like a corrupted save file, forcing her to perform a complete system reboot. For a moment, Kasumi froze in shock, waiting to open her eyes to the isekai status screen.

“Huh?” she asked when she finally regained control of her mouth. “What do you mean?”

“Well… as I said, our guardian angels modulate our powers.”

“Yeah, so… how do I get in touch with mine?”

“Well, they’re assigned at baptism, so…”

“So I just need to get baptized, then, right? It’s not hard, is it? Don’t they do things like that at your church all the time?”

“Yes, but… It’s really more… it’s not like we can just walk into the church and do that,” Momo said, fumbling to put the right words together. “There’s a process, classes, a special liturgy, and—”

“I’ll do it!” Kasumi declared, stopping Momo mid-sentence. “I’ll do it all. All the classes and rituals, and anything else I have to. I’ll get baptized, and then I’ll fight demons with you.”

Momo looked on in shock. She’d been ready for Kasumi to run in fear or shut down in disbelief, but here she was, boldly declaring her desire to fight for a cause and a God she didn’t yet know.

“All right then,” Momo said, lancing the juice box with the straw. “If that’s what you want, then we’ll have to alter the cups of loyalty somewhat.” She held out the juice box and placed her right hand on her heart. “I, Hattori, Momo, here solemnly pledge to be your guide and supporter as you begin your walk of faith.” She took a sip of the juice, then passed the box to Kasumi, who looked confused.

“Um…” she stammered, flipping her gaze from the box to Momo and back again.

“Just say whatever’s on your heart,” Momo encouraged. “God will give you the right words.”

“Okay,” Kasumi said, mimicking Momo’s pose during her pledge.

“I, Ozaki, Kasumi, do solemnly pledge… pledge to…” Kasumi began, unsure what to say next. She knew the hero usually gave a grand declaration at this point, but she wasn’t sure what to say. Thus, she went with the first thing that came to mind. “To remain by your side as we fight… and bring the fight to the gates of hell itself, I guess.” She looked to Momo for a sign she’d done it right. Momo tapped her hands together in a silent clap, a gleeful smile plastered across her face.

That was all the sign Kasumi needed. Overcome with pride in her vow, she held the box over her head and squeezed the juice into her mouth. The spectacle took a turn for the comedic as most of the juice splattered onto her face and even up her nose. Kasumi erupted in a coughing fit, feeling the juice burn her eyes and nostrils until she finally woke up.

Her face was soaking wet as she rose from the bench. Above her, squirrels leaped through the tree’s soaked branches, knocking loose the water that had splashed perfectly onto Kasumi’s face. Once she caught her breath, Kasumi looked at her surroundings. She was still sitting on the park bench under the tree’s thick canopy. The sky was gray with clouds, but the oppressive petrichor scent told her the rain had already stopped.

“That wasn’t… It couldn’t have been…” she murmured, thinking back to the dream she’d just had. But it couldn’t have been a dream; it had all been too real. She drove her hand into her pocket, finding her phone and nothing else. She looked at her phone’s clock; the time read 4:35.

“Was seventeen minutes enough time for all that to happen?” she wondered, looking through her game. Sure enough, all the daily quests had been completed, but she usually did those first thing in the morning, so nothing strange there. She stood up and looked at the tree, pressing against it as she peered around it. Sure enough, there was a sold-out vending machine there, but no grape juice. “Well, the one in my dream didn’t have grape juice as an option either, so—”

“Ah!” she yipped, slipping on the damp dirt at the tree’s base. She grasped the tree trunk to regain her balance, but her hand scraped on a sharp edge. The pain was immediate but minor, only leaving a small scrape on her palm, just like the one opened by the vines. Kasumi stood still, watching a single drop of blood ooze from the cut and run down her hand like a single tear falling to the ground before she closed her hand.

“Guess it really was all a dream,” she thought, rushing home with a tear in her eye. Her mind was too focused on debating every detail for sleep that night, prompting her to arrive at school early once again. When she entered the classroom, nobody was there. She set her bag on her desk and was just about to head to the bathroom for the hourly gacha pulls when the door slipped open, and Momo walked in.

“Oh, Ozaki-san, good morning,” she called, stepping to her desk.

“G-good morning,” Kasumi replied, not making eye contact.

“Did you get home safely yesterday? You never came back to the table, and when I went to look for you, your shoes were gone.”

“Yes, I, uh… something came up, so I had to leave suddenly,” Kasumi lied.

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me,” Momo reassured. “I was just worried you’d gotten caught in the rain. I didn’t have an umbrella, so I had to wait for my brother’s practice to end before I could leave with him.”

“Oh,” Kasumi said, remembering the events of her dream. “You didn’t… nothing unusual happened after I left, did it?”

“Hm,” Momo hummed, placing a finger on her chin. “No, nothing out of the ordinary, at least not for me.”

“I see,” Kasumi said, feeling disappointed but unsure what she was disappointed about.

“Anyway, I’m glad you came yesterday, but don’t feel like you need to come again.”

“Huh?” Kasumi gasped.

“No need to force yourself to come,” Momo reassured. “I could see the liturgy didn’t really grasp you, and I can understand not wanting to come back after choking like that. I wouldn’t want you to waste your free day on something you didn’t enjoy.” With that, Momo reached her desk, set her bag down, and began preparing for class like any other day.

Kasumi stood stunned, finally convinced it really had all been a dream. But if it had, what was this feeling welling up in her chest? This urge to cast out all doubts? This irresistible call to return by all possible avenues and any means necessary?

“Um,” Kasumi stammered. The words hung in the air for a long moment before Kasumi mustered up all her courage.

“Yes?” Momo asked, looking up from her desk to Kasumi, who still refused to meet her gaze. Chest tight and fists clenched, Kasumi took a deep breath and finally looked up.

“If it’s all right with you, and everyone else… could I… would it be all right if… if I come again next Sunday?” she asked, finally looking Momo in the eyes, who met her gaze with twinkling eyes and a beaming smile.