Gone!

The Magician Arc

Nyamu sat on the desk in Kuri’s room and thought about his day. The tiny fairy worked as a guide, and these days he had two Magical Girls to watch over. His days were hectic and tiresome, but in a fulfilling way.

He idly moved the mouse that was a little over his size around, and typed slowly on the computer keyboard. It was a primitive mechanical device, and the machines in the magic realm were far superior, but it did at least give him some capabilities to explore the world around him.

He checked through news sites for anything related to either Magical Girls or shadows, but found nothing but the same old stories. There was more coverage about the apparent terrorist attack on the Magical Girl Convention and the arrest of the culprit while he was in the hospital. There’s coverage on Kuri’s heroism. That was a story that he was used to, given how often Kuri used it as an excuse to slack off lately. He’d tried explaining that her Magical Girl form should have no problems with movement, but she insisted she could still ‘feel’ the injury while transformed.

Clicking off, he began exploring various Magical Girl aggregate sites, collecting blog posts and sightings on the web. He scrolled through the list of sighting locations, a few he didn’t even recognize, until reaching Tokyo. Then Shinkawa.

Scrolling through, he couldn’t help but smile with some pride. The “Red Cat Magical Girl” had been trending again. She’d saved a baby carriage from rolling downhill, helped pull a car out of a ditch, cleaned the steps leading to Shinkawa’s main shrine, helped carry groceries. Anya was a little obvious with all of these things, in her mind it wasn’t worth the effort if she wasn’t using much of her powers, and a few people had started arguing it was a kind local kid who happened to be a bit odd and dress like a Magical Girl.

Well, as long as she’s not in the news. That would be a problem. The magical realm has to keep balance, enough visibility to give hope while not shaking up the world order of the mortal realm.

Nyamu winced and rubbed the side of his head. As heroic, and talked about, as the Maniacal takedown had been, they’d still gotten an earful from the Cleanup team on using their powers so brazenly in public. Apparently all the memory alteration they needed had caused some blackouts in the magical realm. Bishop, the Magical Girl in white, had taken all of that with a smile and a gentle apology for their transgressions.

To be honest, Nyamu had begun to wonder if that wasn’t just an excuse. The Purification had caused uproar in the established ways, and everyone wanted a piece of the girls at the center. But, as long as he was their fairy, that wouldn’t happen.

There was a ring on Kuri’s magical compact. She’d left it with him for safekeeping, or forgotten it. Checking it over, Nyamu saw a familiar name on the screen, and answered.

“Problem, problem!” Called the voice of Boshi. Boshi was Rook’s fairy companion, a tried and true companion. She was much simpler than Nyamu, designed mostly for monitoring and combat.

“Huh? What’s up?” Nyamu asks, looking into the reflection in the mirror that showed Boshi’s position. She was in a bedroom covered in sports posters and memorabilia.

“Look, look, new sightings on the website!” She didn’t need to explain which website, although Nyamu was a little surprised that Boshi did that kind of data gathering.

Nyamu turned on the PC. It couldn’t have been Kuri, of course, but maybe one of the others…

He stared at the headline, blinking.

“New Magical Girl in Shinkawa!”

♥ Magical Girl Rinrin ♥

The walk to and from the cute little stand in the park has been fun so far. Mayu and Hayaka chattering about all the latest gossip. They didn’t really talk about the same sort of gossip, of course, as their interests varied greatly, but in general they managed to add to each conversation and avoid looking disinterested in each other’s stories. I mostly listened and interjected my thoughts as an intermediary. This was how we, the three school idiots, spent our youth. We sat down on a small bench overlooking the swanboats in the pond and started to eat and drink.

The rains of early summer had passed, and the promise of bright days ahead started us chattering about summer plans. And, naturally, Mayu had to bring up hers.

“We’re going to a rented chalet in Switzerland! Skiing, fireplaces, raclette…” I couldn’t help but drool at that last one, the cheese-based meal of Switzerland was a rare treat that I’d only had once at her house, but the memory made my tummy growl, and I took a bigger bite of my slice of cake.
“Switzerland? Skiing? You’re gonna spend summer in snow!?” Hayaka says, appalled by this idea.
“I hate heat.” Mayu replies, curtly, brushing her hair out of her face. It was true, she got surprisingly listless when the sun was high in the air. Between that and her propensity for rare meat, she’d briefly earned the nickname of The Count in our first year.
“But spending summer in snow? C’mon! Think about all the fun that’s only available in this season! Going to the pool with the guys in class, bikinis, spooky stories, tests of courage, holding hands with a cute guy as you pretend to be a little more scared than you are, he holds you close and whispers that you’re safe in his arms…” Hayaka briefly sets off into her own delusional world.
“You can keep that. I’m not interested in boys in our class.”
“...Not even Yoshioka-kun?”
“I prefer western men. They have more romance.” She says with a smirk, leading to a shared groan between me and Hayaka.
“You know that’s a myth, right?” Hayaka says, and I nod in agreement.
“My big sis went to Paris with some of her friends last year and said it was a total letdown. Someone flicked cigarette ash in her eye.” I repeat her story, causing Mayu to only sigh in frustration.
“One bad example does not a bad city make. And the Louvre has beautiful works of art.” Mayu retorts, standing for European arts.
“We have beautiful art here!” I pipe up in defense of my nation.
“We invented stuff like Ukiyo-e, Shodo calligraphy, and the tea ceremony!” I continue, imagining myself sipping tea in ancient halls, on soft but firm tatami.
“I can see why you’d come down on the side of Ukiyo-e. You look like you belong in one of those paintings.” Hayaka grins at me, and I blush and pound her lightly with my fists.
“Yooou!” I whine, Mayu gives a laugh and Hayaka raises her free hand to defend herself from my vicious onslaught.
“Face it, if you brushed your hair you’d look like a kokeshi doll.” She teases, and I fold my arms in a pout. We gradually return to the original topics.

“Japanese summer is too hot, and I hate it.” Mayu continues.
“Tests of courage make you shiver!” Hayaka retorts. I nod enthusiastically in response.
“If shivering is my goal, I’ll wear a lighter jacket on the slopes.” Mayu brushes her hair and poses, her hands on her crossed knees, sitting prim and proper. I start to consider ways to balance this all out.
“I mean, maybe there’s time for both? We can go to the pool-”
“With Yoshioka-kun?” Hayaka looks at me pleadingly, and I let out a small sigh.
“Fine. We can invite some of the boys too. The nicer ones. The ones who don’t laugh at dumb jokes or tease the girls.”
“That’s like the point of boys, though!” Hayaka moans, but gives a small nod in agreement.Chatter moves away from topics that start us bickering and into late night dramas and other day to day stuff once more, and I gradually mentally zone out, nodding along politely.

I stand bolt upright, and the other two look at me startled.
“Whoa, Kuri!” Hayaka looks up at me, startled.
“Hey!” Mayu yelps as I almost spill her drink.
“Sorry, sorry! I gotta go!” I say to them, taking off suddenly.
“What- Kuri!” Mayu shouts as I run, I give a wave over my shoulder.
“I’ll see you tomorrow!”
“Kuri!”

*            *            *

How could they be here, now!? I ran down the streets, panting, surprised at myself. I’d run track club last year, but had given that up for an easier life, and between being out of practice and the past weeks on crutches, I hadn’t had much of an opportunity to run so fast.

Still, I’m able to move fast, ducking between alleyways. I’m dimly aware that something likely was trying to lure someone in as I slow to a walk, still out of breath. This alleyway is part of a nesting hive of them within the city, where the new developments rammed up against the old, blocking out the light. No-one comes to this spot willingly. And then I see it, a shadow and another, trashing up the street, trying to rip up pavement slabs and cause general havoc.

I reach for my pendant. Ready to transform…

Gone!