Allies

It was already past midnight. The shopkeeper only agreed to keep the lights on and doors open because the table at the back was still full. The group managed to convince him by offering to keep ordering every fifteen minutes for the duration of their stay. Being a man of challenge, he accepted.

“Hayato! I started thinking you’d never come.” Said Nakao Haruki, the same person who met Akihiko at the bar earlier. “You look like you just saw a ghost.”

The teacher pulled the chair, “I did.”

A woman sat nearest the window, she looked to be small and energetic. “Took you some time, Hayato.”

“Chizuru, hey. Why did you wait for so long?”

“Are you kidding?” she stood up, “You called me, no way I’m leaving this city without meeting you.”

Their third member was Tsukiyomi Akoto, a timid boy about whom Akihiko knew very little about.

“This place isn’t right for the things I have to say. I need you to meet them first.”

They paid their bill and left. Akihiko—who could barely stand on his feet—followed the three to the apartment. They naturally knew where it was since it was theirs originally. Nakao used his spare keys to slowly open the door and entered carefully, trying to make as little sound as possible. The moment his right foot stepped in, Inori took hold of both his arms and knocked him into the ground. “Who are you? And where did you get the keys?”

Chizuru laughed and faced the teacher, “I love her.”

“I knew you would.”

Confused, Inori let Nakao’s arms loose, “I-I’m sorry.”

Everyone was exhausted—some from waiting, others simply from staying up far too late. Akihiko suggested they save the explanations for the next day. The boys settled in the living room, while Himawari, Inori, and Chizuru shared one of the bedrooms. Once the house finally grew quiet and the others drifted off to sleep, the girls stayed awake a little longer, using the calm of the night to talk and get to know one another better.

The following morning, Seishiro was the first to wake up and get surprised by the visitors. He headed to the kitchen and prepared as much food as he could with the ingredients at hand.

Chizuru walked in and watched him in silence, he noticed but ignored her until he finished. She then said, “So, you are Seishiro. We haven’t met yet, I’m Asa.”

“Nice to meet you.” He looked at her, puzzled, as she left the room without a word.

After eating, everyone remained seated at the unusually crowded breakfast table.

“As a child, I lived in the village where the first seal was located. After I… killed everyone, I was taken in by Asa Chizuru’s father. I got to school and got a normal job as a teacher; these people are my first true family.” The teacher said.

Chizuru had a proud smile on her face as he introduced her, “She’s like my little sister. Ever since we met, she was interested in magic so much that she managed to cast spells before she even interacted with the seal.”

“Why are they here?” Yuusuke asked coldly.

“Straight to biz, I like it. Your teacher here is trying to break the final seal. Finding it is not needed, you already know where it is.”

The students looked at each other, confused; they spent some time thinking before settling on one candidate. Almost in a poetic manner, the end of their journey would be exactly where it started.

Chizuru continued, “Breaking the seal will save your little friend there,” pointing at Shouta who faced her with a wide smile. She was taken off guard by his reaction, which made her stutter for a second, “But it will also release Awako, which—needless to say—is really bad. Your teacher’s plan was to kill this god once and for all.”

Seishiro looked at the teacher, then back as the woman sitting next to him. “Doesn’t sound anything like a ‘plan’ to me. We’re used to suicide missions by now, but this is just another level of crazy.” They did not react.

“Do you even know how to kill a god.”

“I can’t share that information, sorry.”

Nakao interrupted to break the tension, “it’s going to be a long trip, we have a lot of time to speak of details.”

“I will wait outside,” The teacher said then asked Yuusuke to follow him. Going back meant a high chance of meeting the Guards responsible for the death of his family, that much he needed to be informed about and ready for.

“I’ll be fine.”

What started as one boy, covered in blood and guilt, had become ten people getting on a train that could very well be their last. As the teacher closed his eyes and gave away to the voice of the train, memories started drifting, some were his, others not.