A New Compass

*DING*

“We will soon make a brief stop at Shin-Fuji. The exit will be on the left side of the train. After leaving Shin-Fuji, this train will stop at Mishima.”

The chime of the overhead speakers wakes Kasumi from her shallow sleep. She yawns and stretches, just barely catching a view of Mt. Fuji before the city skyline blocks it.

“Guess this is my stop,” she thinks, recalling the events leading her here. At first, Kasumi was unsure where to begin her search. The Diviner said the compass would point to the Maiden who stole the pearl. It points vaguely southwest, but that covers nearly a quarter of the country. Worse yet, she was unconscious when the Maiden intervened, so she has no idea what her target looks like.

The growling in her stomach reminded her that food was a more immediate concern, so she stepped into a 24-hour convenience store. She immediately notices the man behind the counter’s stare. At first, she worried he’d be suspicious of what a girl her age was doing out past curfew, but as his eyes follow her, Kasumi realizes it isn’t suspicion in his gaze.

“Do it for Momo,” she tells herself, recognizing the opportunity presented.

Drawing on all her experience playing dating sims and visual novels, Kasumi manages to talk the man into paying for her items and handing over the 10,000-yen bill he has. In exchange, Kasumi will wait around for his shift to end so he can “help her out” for the night, leaving a silver coin with him as collateral.

“What a creep!” Kasumi thought, dashing away once out the door. She didn’t like losing the coin, but it was far better than whatever that man had in mind. Once she’d hidden far, far away from the store, she puzzled over the problem at hand. Unlike a normal fetch quest, she didn’t have a location, item description, or an NPC to locate. Sure, she has a general direction and distance, but they don’t sell train tickets for “roughly 100 km to the southwest.” Worse yet, she has no idea what the “pearl” she’s after looks like. Finally, the compass she has doesn’t point to the pearl, but to the Maiden who’s taken it. If she’s hidden it somewhere, or worse yet, passed it off to someone else, Kasumi will be right back at square one, but with even fewer leads.

Kasumi rubs her temples, trying to recall any other details. “The Metropolitan says her code name was ‘The Fire Marshal of Mt. Fuji,’ so she’ll probably look like some kind of firefighter, or—” Kasumi stops at her own stupidity. If her code name included Mt. Fuji, then it only made sense to start searching there.

Kasumi dashed to the train station, buying a ticket for the first bullet train. The ticket price eats up most of the 100,000 she’s acquired, making her question why the Diviner gives her silver coins instead of normal yen. With her remaining funds, she buys a bento and milk tea from a vending machine and boards her train.

“From here, all I have to do is follow the compass,” Kasumi thinks as the train stops and the doors open. Jumping off the train and looking down at the compass, she immediately discovers her first obstacle.

“Watch where you’re going,” gripes a man in a suit as Kasumi runs into his side, nearly dropping the compass in the unexpected collision. Kasumi ignores him, but after running into two other people, she realizes she may need to wait for the crowds to thin a bit before following the compass. As she weaves through the crowds, she makes her way to a less busy shopping area. Finally stopping for long enough to look down, she sees the compass pointing straight to her left.

“Onward—”

*BAM*

Kasumi’s thoughts are cut short as she confidently steps straight into the station wall. The impact leaves her dazed, but only for a moment.“Yeah, makes sense,” Kasumi thinks after a moment. “The compass points to the target, not the path. Not like I can just cast a clairvoyance spell to guide me. Guess I need to figure out my own route.”

With that in mind, Kasumi begins navigating her way through the station. The wide selection of shops both in and around the station makes her realize she should stop for supplies. Getting on the first bullet train has been expeditious, but as the train fills, the sidelong glances pile up, and Kasumi realizes she should’ve at least stopped at home for a bath and a change of clothes.

She first stops in a jewelry shop, haggling to get a decent sum for the coins. With cash in hand, a bath, a change of clothes, a map, and a backpack to carry it all are easy to acquire. Refreshed and well supplied, Kasumi sets out from the station, ready to track Marshal down.

At first, Kasumi considers taking a train to get around town, but the backtracking could cost her more time than it’s worth. The bus is a better option, but the more rural area and cross-country routes make that an unappealing idea. Even a bike isn’t a good option because Kasumi doubts her ability to watch the road and the compass at the same time. So she decides to walk, following the compass as best she can while navigating the unfamiliar streets.

After a fruitless day of searching, the sun begins to set, and Kasumi rubs her blistering feet. “Where the heck is this girl?” Kasumi demands, resting on a bench near a train crossing. No matter how far she walked, her target never seemed any closer. Navigating a new city was hard enough when you knew where you were going, but trying to map and follow a target was impossible. Kasumi stared down at the compass, watching as the needle jigged and then started steadily turning to the right.

“Is she moving? She has to be!” Kasumi thinks, watching the tip turn from twelve o’clock to ten. “But doesn’t it seem to be moving awfully fast for someone on foot? Unless she’s actually really close, so then—”

*HONK*

Kasumi’s view is blocked by the passing train, its whistle blowing as the cars speed by. When the guard rails lift, Kasumi sprints across, eyes searching for anyone walking nearby. When she looks back down at the compass, she’s astonished to see it pointing back toward five o’clock. Kasumi looks up and sees the tip of the train perfectly following the one that just sped past.

“AUGH!” Kasumi roars, nearly throwing the compass down. Marshal had been on that train. “I was so close!” she screams, only able to watch as her target disappears with the train cars.

“Guess I’m going that way,” she thinks, finally regaining her composure.

As Kasumi walks, she realizes that seeing the train is more beneficial than detrimental. Given the time of day, it’s more likely that Marshal is headed home for the day, so if Kasumi follows the tracks, she’ll find her eventually. “That’ll totally work,” Kasumi thinks, only to have her hopes dashed as the compass steadily turns from one o’clock past noon and then on to eleven. Kasumi realizes Marshal has gotten off the train, and from the look of the compass, she’s heading to the mountain.

Kasumi pulls away from the tracks, hoping that if Marshal is on foot, she’ll be able to intercept her. Keeping the compass as fixed to noon as she can, Kasumi walks, feet screaming from blisters and thighs chafing.

“Do it for Momo,” she whispers to herself as buildings give way to yards, and then fields. As hours tick by, Mt. Fuji goes from a distant view to an all-encompassing horizon, and Kasumi gradually trades the city walkways for mountain trails. She looks down at her new sneakers and pants. The shoes are scuffed and dirty, and the pants have holes near the bottom. She’s afraid to raise the cuffs, fearing the raw, red skin they’ll reveal.

Still, her confidence never wavers. She isn’t sweating, and she doesn’t feel hungry despite the shaking of her hands. She glances back toward the city, now in plain view from her elevated position. She figures she’s halfway up the mountain by now, but the compass still points toward the summit.

“Just to the next climber rest stop,” Kasumi thinks, taking another step up the trail. “If it comes to it, I can sleep on a bench tonight and then—”

*skrrp—thump*

A stray root sends Kasumi falling helplessly to the ground, the hard trail dirt knocking the wind and strength out of her.

“Ah,” she gasps, too weak to even turn onto her back.

“Guess that’s it,” Kasumi cries, eyes dry of tears. “If I don’t die here, someone will come by and call the police, I’ll be taken home, and I won’t get another chance to find Marshal.” Her fist curls, nails scratching at the dirt that’s stolen her breath. “I failed you, Momo,” she weeps, just before a voice calls out.

“Hey, are you alright?” the voice calls, but Kasumi can’t see where it comes from. A moment later, she sees a dirt-covered hiking boot stomp down next to her and feels arms shaking her.

“Hey, are you alive?” the voice asks, stripping Kasumi of her backpack and rolling her onto her back. With the pressure off her chest, Kasumi takes a deep breath for the first time in minutes. The cool mountain air rejuvenates her just enough to focus on her rescuer.

She’s a high school girl in a yellow reflective jacket. A bright orange pin with “Tour Guide” on it is proudly displayed on her chest, and she wears a wide-brimmed sunhat.

“Come on, talk to me,” the girl encourages, shaking Kasumi’s shoulder.

“Shut up,” Kasumi scoffs, slapping the girl’s hands away.

“Oh, thank God,” the girl says, smiling despite Kasumi’s harsh tone. “Thought I’d have to call 119 for a minute there.” She slips her bag off her shoulders and opens it, pulling out a water bottle and offering it to Kasumi. “Drink this,” she instructs. “You aren’t sweating, so heat stroke is your worst enemy right now.”

Too weak to argue, Kasumi takes the bottle and starts to chug before the girl tells her to slow down. As Kasumi drinks, the girl pesters her with questions: “Where are your parents? Do you know their number? Do you need a hug?”

“What am I, a child lost at the mall?” Kasumi asks, growing irritated with the girl’s meddling questions.

“Well, I don’t know about the mall, but it’s no surprise you got lost with this,” the girl says, holding up the compass.

Kasumi panics for a moment, but her jaw drops when she notices where the needle is pointing.

“Gimme that,” Kasumi demands, springing to her feet and snatching the compass. She steps around the girl and spins, but the needle remains fixed, pointing straight at the girl.