"Aruarian Dance"

The blood-splattered little statue of Inari in Shigeko’s hand snapped, crackled, and popped, and then erupted in the same sort of lightning running up her arm, and then the statue disappeared in a flash of light, replaced by a steaming, smoking wooden scythe nearly as tall as Shigeko herself. The electricity ran up and down it like a chainsaw, flaring with power, and Shigeko, dressed in her red-and-white miko hakama, seemed like a far cry from the bullied girl in school earlier today.

“Hot damn,” Dick could only mutter, then winced from the pain throbbing in his shoulder.

Hanako tried to take Dick hostage, but the scythe came spinning out of Shigeko’s hands, causing little pops to erupt as it literally cleaved through the air, and Hanako had to teleport away before the electro-scythe could bisect her. She chose to teleport right in front of Shigeko, now that the miko had thrown her weapon away, but Shigeko didn’t move, and Hanako realized why just in time. She teleported back towards Dick, escaping the scythe that arrived back in Shigeko’s hand like a boomerang.

Of course, Dick was on his feet by this point, and still had one good arm which he currently swung at Hanako, sending the ghost slamming into the wall. Hanako recovered quickly and lunged at him, knocking Dick back to the ground, but Shigeko slid between them, blocking the claw with the scythe.

“Listen, Dick-kun,” Shigeko said through gritted teeth. “Do as I say, and we’ll make it out of here.”

She forced Hanako away, then used the moment to toss Dick a roll of bandages. “Wrap that around your wounded arm.”

“Wha, like a chuuni thing?”

“Dick-kun!”

Seeing Shigeko locked in fierce combat with Hanako, Dick realized time was of the essence. He did as instructed, winding the bandages from his wrist downwards, reaching the elbow, and as he did so he found his wounded arm absorbing something from the bandages, some sort of spiritual power, heavenly and cosmic…

“Now, catch!”

Shigeko knocked Hanako away and flicked a thin strip of paper into Dick’s hand. “An ofuda,” he realized. The paper talisman had been adorned with the kanji for Fire written in black ink.

“And then-”

Hanako deflected Shigeko’s scythe, then ran a claw down the miko’s side. Shigeko blinked and then stumbled away, a thin rip in her white shirt revealing a surgically-precise cut running down her ribs. Shigeko tried to finish her instructions, but her mouth could only gape like a fish as she stumbled back into a wall.

Dick tensed, unsure of what to do.

Is this it? For years, I’ve studied Japanese, watched over a thousand anime, endured the homesickness for a land I’ve never been to, left home to fulfill my destiny, and it all ends here? Is this all my measly destiny truly amounts to?

“It’s over,” Hanako taunted, pulling Shigeko up by the hair. “Prostrate yourself before me, and I’ll let your friend here live. I’ll even kill you cleanly, though I can’t promise it’ll be painless.”

I quit the basketball team to focus on learning Japanese. I skipped Homecoming dances so I could learn anime ED dances. I know the prefectures better than I know the states. Ever since I was a kid, people told me I wouldn’t amount to anything. If I were to lose here, right now, then that would prove them right.

Hanako raised an eyebrow. “I’m talking to you-”

I make my own destiny, because life as a Japanese high school student is my birthright!

“I won’t have anything to do with prostrating myself until I’m age fifty!” Dick roared, then, either instinctually or guided by the power within the bandages, slapped the ofuda on his arm. Following Shigeko, he gave himself a thin paper cut, then placed the bloody thumb on the ofuda. And then Hanako gasped because Dick’s arm came alive with fire.

“Or, depending on what my doctor recommends, maybe at age forty-five!” Dick zoomed down the hallway, righteous fist alive with magic onmyodo fire, half-black and half-white, and slammed that fire punch straight into Hanako’s face. The sheer force of the impact made Hanako let go of Shigeko in surprise and then sent her out of the hallway entirely, slamming into another wall.

Dick was already on her, his fist reared back. Hanako tried to teleport to safety, but Dick surprised her. Rather than go for another punch, Dick instead grabbed hold of Hanako's sailor fuku with his fire arm, the yin-yang magic power keeping Hanako anchored and at bay. Hanako’s eyes went wide as Dick reared his head back.

“I’ll be the best exchange student there ever was!” Dick roared. “Believe it!”

The sound of the collision echoed throughout the school. Dick had slammed his forehead right into Hanako’s. Hanako stood there, body going limp, the claw disappearing from her hand. When Dick stepped back, letting her go, Hanako fell to the ground, into a splash of moonlight drifting through a window. She offered no further resistance.

“Yatta!” Dick cheered, punching the air, the fire burning itself out. “I beat you! I beat my first Japanese spirit! Who the hell do you think I am, challenging me like that? Who the hell-”

“Dick-kun,” Shigeko chided. Her magic scythe was now a normal little statue again, and she tucked it away in a pocket. “You’ve bested her. There’s no point in boasting.”

Shigeko knelt next to the fading Hanako, holding her hand. Dick saw that Hanako was crying once again.

And Dick felt ashamed.

He knelt on the other side of Hanako. “I’m sorry, Hanako-san. A good Japanese must always respect others, especially his elders. I apologize. I have disrespected the Japanese nation.”

Hanako grew more ethereal, her color fading into milk glass in the moonlight. She didn’t understand. “You’re…American. Why do you care…about respecting Japan?”

Dick held up two fingers in a V. “Because Nippon daisuke!”

“And you, shrine maiden…why do you fight to protect this American?”

Shigeko offered a faint smile. “Because I’m sworn to protect all people in this town.”

Hanako’s feet disappeared, dissipating into mist, the effect slowly traveling up her body. “I see now…America and Japan are friends now. We have forgiven each other. I’ve seen so many students over the years, laughing and playing, because they have moved on, while I’ve kept myself in a dark bathroom…nursing a grudge that we’ve all let go of. The only way I can truly laugh and play with my old friends…is to meet them in Heaven.”

Her hand fell through Shigeko’s fingers like sand, and then faded away.

“Thank you,” Hanako said, smiling, as she drifted upward, disappearing into cherry blossoms colored a pure white.

Dick and Shigeko now sat there in the moonlight, catching their breath.

“You’re bleeding,” Dick realized.

Shigeko shied away. “I can handle it myself,” she said, struggling to wrap bandages around her flank where Hanako had sliced her. When Dick extended a hand, Shigeko separated herself further, struggling to her feet, tying the bandages around with just her own two hands. She wouldn't look Dick in the eyes.

“Will you transfer away now?” Shigeko asked the floor. “Now that you’ve almost been killed by a ghost?”

“Transfer away? Of course not!” Dick stood and spread his arms wide. “I knew there was a non-zero chance of encountering the supernatural when I signed up to attend Japanese high school. As a mysterious transfer student, I knew that I had an even higher chance of such an encounter!”

Shigeko allowed herself a smile. “You’re strange, Dick-kun.”

Dick laughed, then scratched his head. “An explanation would be kind of nice, though.”

Shigeko leaned her back against the wall, sighing as the adrenaline washed away, leaving the dull ache of her injury. “To make a long story short, for generations, my family has protected Higashikatsushika from the supernatural. Ghost, witches, warlocks, spirits, demons, devils, curses - we’ve fought them all. Supernatural energy is derived from belief. But as people stopped believing in magic, our own powers grew weak, as did our enemies. The supernatural will inevitably go away, as will our magic.” She glanced away. “I’ll be the last shrine maiden of Kuroshio Shrine, the last protector of Higashikatsushika. We’re not needed anymore.”

“Matte.” Dick held up a hand. “You’re telling me you got supernatural powers, fight spirits in the dark, and keep Higashikatsushika safe?”

“Weird, right? I’m just a freak.”

“What? No, that’s awesome!”

Shigeko lifted her head. “Nani?”

“I told you - that’s sugoi! You’re a crazy badass! That scythe was so cool.” Dick was clearly excited. “We need to let people know! I hate how they bully you, so we need to show them how awesome you are!”

Shigeko sighed. “First of all, that’s not possible. We’re sworn to secrecy. If everybody knew the supernatural actually existed, then everyone would believe in it, and the monsters would only grow stronger because of it. And second-of-ly-”

Her face grew hot and she turned her back on him, instead facing the unconscious form of Yoizuki. “Don’t think you’re some white knight or something, baka! I’m not someone who needs to be saved. I can handle everything on my own. I don’t need anyone.”

“Are you sure?”

“...it doesn’t matter what I think, anyway. It doesn’t matter. Nothing matters. Everything ends eventually.”

A convenient gust of cherry blossoms swirled past the window, dancing in the moonlight.

Dick stood next to Shigeko, rubbing his chin in thought as he studied Yoizuki.

“Are you up for some revenge, at least?”

Shigeko thought about it, then allowed herself another smile.

BRILLIANT

BATTLE

FIRST CORINTHIANS

Arashi and Yoizuki awoke sometime later. Arashi immediately fixed his pompadour, finding that his arms and joints ached as he did so.

“Ugh, what happened…”

“I dunno,” Yoizuki mumbled, struggling to one knee. “We were at the school to trap that bastard Dick, I remember that…my head’s pounding like crazy. I haven’t felt this bad since we stole that bottle of sake from your pops.”

Arashi coughed as he sat up straight. “And I haven’t felt this bad since he found out and beat the stuffing out of me. Where the hell are we?”

The sight of the stars above, a strong breeze, the chain-link fence, and the dizzying array of lights stretching beyond answered his question.

“Ehhhh?” Yoizuki cried out. “We’re on the school roof?”

Arashi stumbled his way in the darkness towards the door, only to find it-

“Locked? Nani’s going on?” He curled a fist. “That bastard Dick got the jump on us, didn’t he? I swear, I’ll make that guy pay once we’re free-”

Arashi then went pale.

Yoizuki, stomping around in anger, realized Arashi had stopped swearing vengeance. “What’s the matter with you?”

“I need to use the bathroom,” Arashi quietly answered.

“Eh? Hold it in, you big baby.”

“I can’t, that’s bad for your health!”

“Then go in a corner somewhere, mattaku!”

Arashi fell to his knees.

“But I need a stall. I’m a shy pooper.”

==========

EPISODE 1

“THE TRANSFER STUDENT”

FIN