My Normal Life Now Has Me Opening Up

Chiho took a big bite out of her cheese pizza slice, the gooey substance following in a drool-like line before breaking and letting her eat in piece. Tama flicked through the song choices before she threw the tablet to the side.

“I don’t really wanna sing, I guess,” Tama said. “…So, like, am I really your only friend?”

“Um—” Chiho put the slice down, dabbing grease from her mouth. “—Well, it’s embarrassing to admit, but, yes. Of course I talk to my classmates, but isn’t that different from walking to school with them? From joining clubs, growing as people, going out at sunset to the arcade or here?”

“I—I guess,” Tama said, shrugging. “I’ve never thought about it. You know, also in the friendless club, but I never thought I needed anyone other than me.”

Chiho frowned. “What about your family?”

“Uh—”

Tama stuttered, focusing on the ground instead of anything around her. Before Chiho dared to force out some kind of apology, she grit her teeth and gave the answer she knew she had to admit. Mostly for herself, but…

“My…” A breath. A pause. “My parents’re never really ‘round. They work in advertisement and ‘re always involved in big elaborate campaigns that drag them outta the country. Mostly European brands. Sometimes my mom jokes she spends so much time speaking other languages she’ll retire and realize she can’t speak to me anymore. But—like, she doesn’t even bother leaving a message more than once in a while anyways. Nevermind my dad, I don’t think he even wanted—”

Tama slapped a hand over her mouth. At least she kept the tears back, but still, way more spilled out than she intended. The look of horror on Chiho’s face told her all she needed.

A thought crossed—Tama opened her mouth, prepared to say whatever it was she needed to to deflect the situation from awkwardness, only for someone else to take charge instead.

“I’m cursing your parents,” Sarine said, ice-cold. “I’ve studied plenty of them. I could do it.”

Lavi cried. “No, don’t! That’s not a beautiful, sparkling justice at all!!”

Shifting from side to side, Chiho pulled her mouth into a thin line before she nodded. “I…It may be what we have to do.”

“Nooooo, Chiho! Don’t let her get to you!”

“…Pft…”

Tama stifled her slipping laughter, Sarine landing on her shoulder. “I’m serious,” she said, “next time they come home, they’re getting a bad luck curse.”

“You gotta teach me some of those. Maybe I’ll need em, you know?”

“No way! I know exactly what you’d use them for, I’ve seen your test grades.”

“Hey!? What’s school got to do with this!?”

For a weird moment, the atmosphere of the karaoke booth seemed more normal than anything else in Tama’s old life had been. Though she yearned for her ‘average’ life back, a line formed between what she thought had been peace, and what had truly been emptiness. Though encountering faeries and magical girl alike made everything odd—they took away the emptiness, too.

How about that?

Sarine took a sip of the tiny cup the girls smugged in so the faeries could share drinks, examining Chiho. “Hey, serious question.”

“Hm?” Chiho put the tablet to the side, about to start a relay of PreMure ending songs. “Is something wrong?”

“No, not really, but—call it me worrying too much, but…when you eliminate the Nachts, these weird wisps of light come out of them and float towards houses. What’s up with that?”

Her mouth made an ‘o’ shape. “Oh. It’s not something I’ve had the chance to explain, since it’s an unimportant detail, but the Nacht, formed out of a nightmare, empowers itself by devouring the dreams of those without magic. Those of us who’ve connected with the Powers of Prime are immune, but when a Nacht feeds on a normal being’s dreams, it sends them into a comatose state. This includes the person the Nacht originated from.”

“—That’s actually pretty important,” Sarine said, sighing, “but since we all know we’re magic, I guess not anymore.”

“I promise there’s no lingering side effects,” Chiho said as she put a hand to her heart. “As long as we destroy the monster, everyone will wake up just as healthy as the day before.”

Sarine tucked her wings back. “I believe you. You know, I always kinda wondered why no one seemed to wake up and look outside their window to see what was going on, but if they can’t wake up, it makes sense. And, with the Nachts…maybe the person the nightmare comes from influences the shape?”

“Yes! That’s what I think too!” Chiho nodded. Her lips curled into a frown, and she thrummed her fingers against her lap. “Actually—I have…a first-hand account that helped me realize a lot of this without assistance from Society Prime.”

Tama sat up. Something in Chiho’s words rattled an old, almost forgotten memory. “…You said when we met, someone you loved got hurt?”

“Um—I apologize,” Chiho said, grabbing the tablet and running her fingers across it. “I don’t want to bring down the mood.”

“Are you stupid? After what I said?”

She smiled, briefly. “…That’s true, I suppose. To put it simply—the first Nacht formed from my youngest brother, and almost killed my father in his sleep. My mom and father needed a break from their duties, so they took me on a short vacation, alongside my little brother because of his age. On the last night…it happened, and fate called for me to take these duties on to save my family.”

Tama grimaced. “Are you sure that shit wasn’t targeted? Since you guys have had the whole magical destiny thing since forever.”

“I don’t think so. Yes, our family maintained a shrine connected to the Powers of Prime, but we had no idea a secret society borrowed it as an entry point until the Nacht attacks began!”

“Still. Doesn’t it sound weird? The one time your parents leave your home for a while with a non-magical person, boom, weird nightmare monsters that can tear a person apart in seconds pops up.”

“…I…” Chiho’s face scrunched up. Despite her resistance, she seemed to be considering Tama’s words.

“If that’s true, we could—” Sarine began, only for something to flash—a red-faced Lavi, who snatched the pad and cued up a playlist in her partner’s stead.

“Can we not bring undue distress onto my dear Chiho and focus on the reason we came here?” she said, hands curled into fists. “You’re making her so worried she’ll develop wrinkles before her twenties! How dare you!?”

Sarine shot the other faerie a look, her face almost as flushed. “Sorry we wanted to talk about something important. But fine, whatever, keep singing. We’ll get back to this later.”

“Right,” Chiho said, raising a finger for Lavi to rest on, “There’s no need to argue. Please, Lavi, I know you’re worried…but…”

“But you take on too much for your own good,” Lavi huffed. Eventually she accepted the invitation, and after Tama kicked back again and tuned out the shenanigans, the room devolved into friendly chatter once more. The topic never reemerged, even as their two hours ran out and the girls walked into the dark evening sky, taking the train back to Chiho’s home.

Tama thought. Thought about Chiho’s family, and her own. She couldn’t just run away…but still. She had a feeling whatever waited out there wouldn’t leave her alone if she let her guard down.

Her thoughts pulled her in a million different directions. Sarine watched her partner’s face, wondering, praying.

Praying for a better destiny—a happier one, nothing grand. As long as it ended with everyone smiling, Sarine could accept it.