《Alter Tactics》 Prologue The bright moon was shining upon the bamboo forest, its light reaching down to its floor, revealing everything hidden among the foliage. The forest was completely silent¡ªonly the rustling of the leaves along with the wind shows any sign of life... Until its silence was broken by the faint sounds of footsteps. From the entrance of the forest, a person in a white mantle stepped in and investigated the surroundings vigilantly. It then stopped, and spoke to itself: "I was just passing by and I sensed something strange coming from this place."The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. The voice hinted that this figure was a girl. "Hmm... A ghost perhaps?" She investigated the surroundings once more. Her senses were telling that there is more than one person in this place. "Y''know, I don''t really like playing hide-and-seek, But I definitely know you are somewhere around." She procured a tome from inside her mantle and muttered... "Gu¨¡ng." The book bursts into a blinding light for a moment, then slowly dimmed out, revealing the figure in the robe once more... and a tall woman right in front of her. Herash dark skin resembled not of any mortal human. "What kind of ''ghost'' are you?" The woman simply stared back at her. "Well whatever... Whether you''re a higher class ghost or a spirit, I will exterminate you all the same!" As if understanding her words, the ''ghost'' jumped back and vanished deeper into the bamboo forest. With confidence, she followed through with a single leap, and glided among the bamboo stalks. As she kept up her pursuit, she opened her faintly glowing book and sank her hand between its pages. Rays of light poured out as she pulled out a long, glowing sword from it. "If this is how you want to play it, then make sure to entertain me!" Chapter I Rrrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiing!!!!! I turned the alarm off and looked at the time¡ªit''s already 6:15AM. I''m not really a morning person, but at the very least I wanted to attend our school''s opening ceremony at the right time, so I''ve set the alarm earlier than usual. I looked around, and sighed. Sadly, I didn''t have a younger sister who would wake me up everyday, nor an older sister who would wake me to the scent of breakfast. Come to think of it, I only had this alarm clock that my old man gave me to rely on. I set that thought aside and went to the bathroom to clean myself up. Then I changed to my school uniform, grabbed my bag and headed out into the dorm hallway. Luckily, the dorm where I am staying at is really close to my school, though I still had to walk a few more meters, starting from my room here at the farthest side of the dorm''s second floor, up to the school gates. As I made my way through the hallway, the room door next to mine opened... "¡ª?!" Wait, I knew this person¡ªNodachi Satou. She was one of the three most talked freshman in the school last year. A stunning beauty. Her personality, however, was a bit on the down side¡ªshe doesn''t talk much to people; in fact, most of the other freshmen say that she''s very hard to approach. So, what''s the ultra popular Satou-san doing here? For someone that looked like a daughter of a rich and perhaps a prominent family, I didn''t know she''s a fellow resident in this dorm. She took a glance of me for a moment, then continued walking towards the stairs. I better get moving too. *~~~~~~* "Hmm?" There seemed to be someone inside the reception room here at the first floor. Curious, I looked inside and saw a girl sitting on a chair. "Masato-san, good morning." "Ah, Tsubame-san, good morning." This is Miyamae Tsubame, sister to this dorm''s landlady, Miyamae Senri. Although she looked distant all the time, she''s quite friendly and easy to talk to. I honestly thought she''s a scary person at first, but you really can''t judge people by their appearances. "You''re quite early today. Are you heading out?" I inquired. "Yes. I''m just waiting for Nee-san." Tsubame-san answered as she gently nodded her head. "Senri-san?" "Yes. She''s going to help me do the shopping. I told her I can manage on my own but she insisted on coming with me today." "Oh. But where is she?" "She went out to bring something to Aunt Shizuno," she replied without hesitation. Aunt Shizuno? I think I''ve heard that name somewhere before. "I see. Well, I better get going. See ya later." "Later." I waved my hand and left. *~~~~~~* The Miyamae Guesthouse is located at the crossroad of this town. It''s quite famous as it''s very close to Takemori High School, which is probably the best and most recommended school in the town... and the very reason why I chose to live here. "Takehaya-kun!" I looked up in reflex. A familiar figure approached me. "Ah, Senri-san. Yes, I actually managed to wake up early." "Mhm. Good. Well, I shouldn''t hold you for long. Tsubame is also waiting for me." "Alright, I''ll see you later, Senri-san." I finally made it outside the dorm when... "Ah, wait!" Senri-san called as she hurried her way towards me. "Hmm?" "A-are you going to be alright?" "Thanks for worrying about me but I can manage myself." I smiled and left the dorm lady, who was still looking behind me as I made my way to school. *~~~~~~* A year has passed since I''ve stayed around this place. The cherry petals were falling from the trees in the nearby intersection, definitely a sign that classes were already starting again. As I passed through the road, I remembered that incident from back then. It''s not that I was looking for trouble, since I only bought some supplies at the nearby grocery store that afternoon, when I bumped into one of the bystanders inside the store. I didn''t really talk that much, but who would''ve thought that a little apology could''ve saved me a lot of trouble... Soon, I was surrounded by a group of people as I walked my way to the crossing. They''re students from my school, considering they wear the same uniform as I do, albeit a bit off from my school''s dress code. "Hey, kid. Want to have a bit of a talk over there?" The atmosphere of the situation was telling me that I''m not in any position to negotiate, nor did these people seem to offer any escape, so I had to agree. Still surrounded, we walked a little bit further back from the grocery store, close to its parking lot. The leader of this group, the very same I guy I bumped a few moments ago, came close and started interrogating me. "You shrimp, what''s the matter with you? Is your vision too narrow that you''re not looking on your way when you bumped into me? Look at what you''ve done to my shirt." To be fair, I was looking at my checklist to make sure I''ve bought everything I needed, and I didn''t notice he was taking a snack close to the shop''s door. Upon close inspection, I''ve noticed the red stain on his shirt. It sure was a big deal to him. I can''t put the right words to explain what happened¡ªas much as possible, I didn''t want this to escalate to the point that the passing students would notice us, though I doubted those people would care about my situation since I only realized afterwards that I''ve messed up with a notorious group of delinquents in the school.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. "HEY! ANSWER ME!" He yelled close to my ears, as if I didn''t hear his inquiry, yet I could only stare back at him. "You sure have some guts, huh... YOU''LL DEFINITELY PAY FOR MY SHIRT!" A fist soon flew towards my face. I had to react, so I caught it by cupping it with my hand. I then grabbed his wrist and threw the gang leader aside. I never thought that the self-defense training my me and my father did back then would pay off. Infuriated, the other members then charged towards me, but I dodged whatever attacks they threw. I didn''t want to hurt them, so all I could do was trip them over¡ªtheir stances looked crude to me that they''ll definitely topple if I pushed them even for a bit. As soon as the dust settled, the delinquents were all lying in the sidewalk. I then grabbed my groceries and ran my way back to my dorm as fast as I can. The next day, I became the talk of my school, and eventually, my very own classmates started taking their distance from me, out of fear that I, too, had been considered a delinquent. Well, that''s fine. That means I no longer had to worry about them bothering me while I make my way to my morning classes. All I could do afterwards was to look up in the clouds while I walk my way to school. *~~~~~~* I finally arrived at the school''s gate as the other students also arrivedd¡ªmost of them on their own, some others in groups of two or more. "Hey, isn''t that¡ª" "Shh! He might hear you..." I paid no heed to the murmurs as I made my way to the students'' bulletin board to check which room I''m assigned to. From the crowd, I did a quick scan through the list. "Oh, Room 2-B huh..." I was hoping for 2-C, which was pretty close to the stairs... But oh well, nothing I could do about it. As I left the other students by the bulletin board, a commotion suddenly started behind me. "Reina-chan~!" "Good morning, everyone." the girl, seemingly used to the crowd, waved and greeted back to those who called out to her. "Are you going to make the speech for the opening ceremony today?" "Yes, I was asked by our principal." "How was your vacation?" "I went back to France with my family." "Have you decided to join a club this year?" "I''m still thinking about it, sorry. I''ll be probably busy with the student council." More and more questions were thrown as her bodyguard tried to make space between her and the curious crowd. Somehow, it looked like a celebrity has entered the red carpet. I better get going. I didn''t want to get involved with this. *~~~~~~* I found Room 2-B without problem. The classroom is already crowded when I entered the door. I guess my punctuality is still not early enough like these people. After I settled on a vacant seat, the teacher arrived and gave us a brief instruction for the entrance ceremony. After the courtesies, we all went to the school gym. "I''d like to welcome and congratulate all the freshmen who have enrolled this year. I, the principal of Takemori High School will ensure you the best education..." The principal gave a long welcome speech especially addressed to the new students. After that, Reina-san, the representative of the student council, rose from her seat and walked up to the stage to make her speech. "...And so, I''d like everyone to make this year a memorable experience for everyone! Thank you and good morning~!" And with that, the entrance ceremony ended. We then went back to our class and started our first homeroom. "Everyone. I''d like you to all vote for the class representative and its committee members. You''re all second years now, so I''m sure you already know how it''s done." The teacher went out of the class after those instructions were given. The election went on for about... thirty minutes. Of course I won''t be nominated for any position due to my reputation, but that''s actually for the better. *~~~~~~* "Hey, have you heard about the ghost?" "Ghost? Yeah I''ve heard about it. Everyone is talking about it, but I doubt it''s true." Just before the last afternoon class, a group of my students started talking about some rumors by the corridor. It''s funny how we''re already in high school, yet things like these spread around like wildfire. "They say you could hear its cries behind the school during the night." "Do you wanna go?" "No way. I don''t think it''s there anyway." "Haha... I know right?" "But I heard a senior saw the ghost. They say it''s tall and dark and you really can''t see its face." "Oooh scary. I ain''t believing that shit." "Hahaha!" The students then laughed it off as if it''s a joke... Maybe it was a joke. *~~~~~~* Afternoon arrived. It''s time to go home. I took my bag and headed out of the classroom. Although it''s just a rumor, I can''t deny that it got my curiosity running. I''m a sucker for mysterious things after all. I took a big turn from the gate and went to the back of my school. I thought it''s weird that there was no security guard patrolling there, or simply because there was nothing over there but a bamboo forest beyond a wall, if our principal was right... "Hey you." ...Or so I thought. I turned around to see an unexpected person standing behind me: a person who''s not supposed to be here; a person highly respected and adored by many, who won''t waste her precious time hanging out behind the school... ...Reina Fleurblanc. "What''s the school student president doing here I wonder?" "I could ask the same question to you." "I''m not as important as you are, so I can go anywhere I like." "Then that''s perfect. Come with me." "..." What? I couldn''t say anything back. I followed the school president until we''ve reached the wall dividing the school and the bamboo forest. "Now what?" "We climb of course." "Can YOU climb up there? That''s pretty high." "No. But with your help, I can." "What do you mean ''with my help''? I''m not going to climb that." "It''s not like you have to tag along with me all the way... And, are you not gonna help this troubled young lady who just wants to climb a wall?" "Give me one good reason why I should help you." "Alright. I''ll give you one: If you''ll help me, I won''t have to report a certain someone loitering behind the school at this hour." Blackmail. Wow. "You''re one to talk." "Oh we''re not the same, Takehaya-kun." "...?" "I''m the president of our school''s Occult Club and this is just a part of my research and club activity." Occult...what? "So what are you gonna do?" To be quite honest. I didn''t give a damn¡ªI can just walk out of here and completely ignore her. I came here because I also want to see this so-called "ghost"; I simply didn''t want company. I readied myself to climb the wall but then... "Wrong. Why are you going ahead of yourself?" "You said we''ll climb. I''m getting ready for it." "Who said you should climb first?" "Ha?" "Squat." Her words were like a command coming from an empress¡ªtotally different from the impression I had of her this morning. I instantly went down and squatted. She removed her shoes one at a time and stepped up on both my shoulders. She really had a good balance. "Now stand up." I slowly stood up as I maintained my own balance, because hell this is the first time I held someone on my shoulders. "There we go~" She then reached her hand above the wall and climbed herself up. "Thanks. I''ll be waiting for you on the other side." She jumped down just like that. All I could do was take a deep sigh. *~~~~~~* I had no trouble climbing the wall and followed her. Looking around, this bamboo forest was far more stretched than I thought. You could get lost just by walking aimlessly around here. "Say, what would you do if you suddenly learned that there''s another world aside from ours?" She suddenly stopped on her pace and asked an out-of-this-world question. "Hmm? I would not be surprised. I mean the universe is huge and all but I''m not sure about me doing something about it." "That''s true. But what if you know how to access that other world?" "What are you going on about?" "You''ll see." She continued walking and then... "Hey, someone''s over there." She whispered. "Hmm? Who is it?" "Shh... let''s get a little closer." Slowly we sneaked around until we reached an old torii. It was so deep in the forest that I never saw this whenever I looked at the forest through the school''s rooftop. And beyond the gate... there''s a person standing still. My heart suddenly felt a huge pressure, I could feel my blood rushing through every passageway in my body. I had a good look at the person... I definitely had seen this person somewhere before. But I can tell that this person was dangerous not because she''s wielding a sword; nor because her look is different from the usual... but the fact that the whole place is scattered with blood. It was easy to tell that a murder has occurred. We''re not even sure if we can get away from this place alive. Chapter 2 "Ha... ha... ha..." Though exhausted, the lady in black kept running through the forest, her stalker''s killing intent telling her that she was serious on taking her down. She tried to blend among the forest''s'' shadows using her strange ability, but it was in vain, as the glowing book in the possession of her enemy kept on revealing her. Worse, her enemy kept up with her pace, as it hovered through the branches. The odds of getting caught were high, but, as if trying to convince herself she let out a low voice... "I... can''t die here." As her enemy closed in, she held up her speed, took a deep breath and started chanting an unknown language. O magnum umbra. commoda mihi vires... "It''s over!" She was already behind her. She twisted her body in the air and swung her sword, its blade rang through the air as it makes its way into its target. But before the blade could even touch her, the lady in the black faced the little girl and stretched out her right hand. ...Displodo. An explosion erupted throughout the forest. Every bamboo stalk was shaken and the blast made a huge mark on the ground where the little girl was standing. However... "Whoa! What the heck are you doing? Good thing I''ve set up a barrier beforehand so no sound could escape this forest. I''m a genius after all." She puffed her chest in confidence as she unfolds her cape. It''s as if she''s merely fooling around with her opponent. The lady in black was stunned. There wasn''t any scratch on the little girl at all. She managed to block the explosion using her cape¡ªa normal one won''t be able to withstand such magic, but her cape only had burn traces all over it. The little girl stood in front of her, unfazed by the lady''s power. "Well then... Playtime is over." *~~~~~~* Both of us fled the scene as soon as we sensed the danger we''re in. It was no question that a murder happened. I did say I was curious about the ghost rumors, but a murder was totally out of the question. What''s more shocking was that I know the person standing in there. It was one of our classmates and also my dorm-mate, Satou Nodachi. "Hey, that was Satou-san over there, right?" Fleurblanc-san suddenly asked me as we went back to the wall where we climbed. So she did notice. "...Yes. I also think that was Satou-san." There was no doubt. I also saw her myself. That was definitely Satou-san. "...And those were blood, right?" I also couldn''t deny it. That was the reason why we''re running away in the first place. We could have stayed if it was just Satou-san standing naked in the middle of a bamboo forest¡ªI mean what could possibly go wrong? Seeing her covered in blood is just something else. "We should hurry and get out of here." Looking at my phone, it''s already 8:45PM. As we climbed over the wall once more, I just noticed that the school at night looks so peaceful, if not for the scene we had just witnessed moments ago. This was the first time I''ve seen the school so empty. "You should go home." I suggested to Reina as we finally made our way to the school gate. "What about you?" "I''ll be going home as well." "Are you sure you''ll be fine?" "What do you mean?" "You know what I mean. You and Satou-san live in the same dormitory after all." "How did you know?" "I happen to see Satou-san going out of the Miyamae residence. That''s where you live right?" "Okay, but how did you know I live there?" "Hmm~? Well, you''re pretty famous, Takehaya-san." It didn''t process to me at all. I couldn''t understand everything that she had just said. First of all, Fleurbanc-san worried about me? I guess I could add that up to my list of surprises for today. "Did you know that you''re this school''s top delinquent?" "............" Oh, right. Thank you for reminding me of that incident. "Well, I have a suggestion, Takehaya-kun~" "Hmm?" *~~~~~~* 9:30PM. I was still in trying to think over the events that happened an hour ago, as I lie on a bed¡ªa beautiful bed, inside a very Western-style room. "How did it end up like this?" I stared at the ceiling while I asked myself about my current situation. I then recalled the scene from the bamboo forest. Satou-san. She was holding a sword. I didn''t get a good look at it but the shocking part was that there were blood stains everywhere. I could only deduce that a murder has occurred, but I didn''t see any dead body or parts of it lying around because I was too fixated on Satou-san. But one thing''s for sure: that amount of blood was not just a flesh wound. I''ve never talked to her before so I wouldn''t know anything personal going on with her life. She always had that cold look in her eyes. Was that a sign of a person who could simply commit to a crime? I wouldn''t really know.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Moments later, somebody came knocking on the door. "Takehaya-kun, can I come in?" I snapped out from my inner thoughts when I heard Fleurblanc-san behind it. "Eh? Uhh... sure?" I wasn''t actually sure if I should even answer that question¡ªthis was her house after all. She could freely enter the room even without asking permission. Though I admire her respect for privacy, I''d question the idea of the two of us being alone in a room. "I''m going in." Fleurblanc-san walked into the room. She''s wearing shorts! A really short one! I instantly averted my eyes in embarrassment. "W-What is it?" I heard myself stuttering. I suddenly got nervous, I avoided eye contact with her. "Do you need something?" As I tried to distract myself from looking, I noticed a figure behind her. "I''ve prepared tea, Reina-sama." "Just leave it at the table." I think I had seen this person before--- she was the one escorting her just this morning. She must be her personal maid, then. "Since you''ll be spending the night in my place, let''s have a little chat before we go to sleep. Is that okay?" Well it''s not like I can refuse the very owner of this house, so I just nodded. "Very good, then." She then sat on the bed next to me, taking with her a cup of tea her maid prepared. Now that I''ve realized there''s another bed beside mine, she''s seriously close! "I-is it about Satou-san?" I asked while trying to stay composed. "Mhm... Yes... and something else. But before that, let''s start with a bit of information sharing about Satou-san. What do you know about her?" I had to go first, huh. "Well first of all. I don''t know her personally. We''ve never talked before even though she was also my classmate last year." "Uwah..." "Hey, I don''t have any intention to get close to her in the first place." "Right, right. Go on, I''m listening." "Anyway, she is actually my roommate in the Miyamae Guesthouse. I learned that this morning when I saw her leave her room when I was heading out myself." "Ohh, that sounds like fate to me." "I''m not so sure about that. Anyway, that''s all I know about Satou-san." "Oh? I guess you really don''t know much, huh." "Were you expecting me to know more? I''m sorry but I really am clueless about Satou-san." "Well since you''re pretty much involved now, I guess you now have the right to know." "...What do you mean?" "That Satou-san is not normal." "I can see that." She looked at me as if trying to convince me that that was not the case. "Okay then. Tell me, what do you know about her?" I asked her straight away. "Remember what I mentioned earlier?" Earlier? I tried to recall what she said and the only thing I remember was... "Something about the other world?" "That''s right. In that forest, there''s a passageway that may lead to another world. How did I know this? Here, take a look." She then showed me a mirror. It''s an oval-shaped one with a gold ornate border, yet from the looks of it, it''s pretty old. "What about it? Is that a mirror from the other world?" "Well, see for yourself." She then pressed the mirror closer to my face. Did she meant to take a look at myself in the mirror? "...Wha--?!" To my surprise, it''s not my face that I saw, but a place I''m not familiar with. The reflection showed a view mountain, where you can see a large forest just below it... and some sort of a town. "What''s this, some kind of CCTV?" "Something like that. But it''s not powered by electricity. As you can see, that mirror doesn''t have batteries or anything to keep it powered up." I looked at the mirror intensively as she flipped it to show the back. She was right. There''s no way you could fit batteries anywhere in this mirror. "The mirror''s made from heavenite, a magical ore used by the heroes from the other world." "You keep talking about this ''other world''. What is this other world exactly?" "I only know little about it but it appears to be connected to our world." "Connected? Like there''s a gate or portal to get there?" "Exactly. And according to my research, the entrance is located just behind the school, somewhere inside the bamboo forest." "Does this mean Satou-san is connected to it somehow?" "You''re quick to follow. Yes. I had my maids investigate the area since last year when I transferred here. And after a year, we only had a few clues that Satou-san is involved with the other world." I won''t question about her maids being investigators, but something else was bothering me. I had to reassure my thoughts. "Tell me, how did you know that there''s another world?" "...Alright. First of all, the mirror. It belonged to my great, great grandmother, Victoria Novak, the original head-maid of the Advincula family, back in France. She once served Lucretia Advincula, the eldest daughter of Guilhem and Luna Advincula. They''re one of the richest families back then. Apparently, Lucretia and my great, great grandmother Victoria went to the other world, according to the diary my family found in one of our family''s expeditions to find clues about the two. The diary was written by Victoria. Unfortunately, there isn''t any notable information in the diary aside from the clue that the entrance is in Takemori''s bamboo forest." "Was it written there where the exact entrance is?" "No. But there was a drawing on a diary which made things easier for us. It was actually discovered just last year, in an old bookstore in China by accident. A relative of mine managed to buy it and informed the family as soon as they learned that it was from our great, great grandmother." "Was there a date on that diary?" "Yes. The last note she has written was twenty eight years ago when they appeared inside the bamboo forest from the other world." "Wait, twenty eight years? Doesn''t that mean your great, great grandmother is like over a hundred years old?" "No... If she''s still alive... she could be more than a thousand years old." "W-wha--?!" *~~~~~~* A few hours passed and I saw myself lying back on the luxurious bed again. Fleurblanc-san went back to her room already. I couldn''t believe all the things she said were true. It''s just too out of this world... I mean literally. You''d normally think she''s out of her mind. However, if she did have those evidences and her family was seriously looking for their "great, great grandmother", they might be really into something. But right now, I''m still worried about Satou-san being a murderer. After all, she''s my classmate and dorm mate... "...Wait." Didn''t that mean Tsubame-san and Senri-san might be in danger? "Shit." I got out of the bed and hurried out. As I exited the room, I saw a maid right at the hallway. "Excuse me sir, but where might you be going?" "I decided to head home after all. I''m sorry for all the trouble, but please don''t stop me." "Oh don''t worry, sir, I won''t. I''ll escort you to the entrance." "No don''t worry. I''m in a hurry. Thanks anyway." "Take care of yourself, sir. I''ll inform my lady about your sudden departure." She said all that in a deadpan tone. I''m not sure if she''s really concerned of or simply doing her duty. "Yeah thanks again." I dashed out of the mansion and went straight to the Miyamae Guesthouse. I just hoped I''m not too late. I checked the time on my phone. It''s already 10:16pm. I better hurry up. *~~~~~~* When I arrived, I saw a familiar person standing near the gate of the guesthouse. "Tsubame-san?!" "Masato-kun. Nee-sama is waiting for you." "Waiting for me?" She didn''t say anything and walked inside slowly as if waiting for me to follow her. "Hey. Tsubame-san. Did something happen?" "..." No answer. She''s acting weird¡ªI don''t remember her acting this way whenever we had one of our talks. She would usually answer me right away whenever I ask her anything. Anyway, I followed her to Senri-san''s room. Tsubame-san opened the door and gestured for me to go inside first. "Is she inside?" She only stared at me. Those eyes seemed to tell that I should go in. As I stepped into the room, I saw Senri-san looking outside the window while she was sitting on a chair. The room was a little dark, with the light coming only from the bright full moon. I could vaguely see her face from here. "You''re finally here." "Senri-san, what''s going on? Did something happen?" "Please take a seat," she said that in a serious tone. As I sat down, a figure appeared from the unlit corner of the room and stopped beside Senri---a figure who had been on my mind the whole time. "Satou-san..." Chapter 3 10:38PM. Saika Scarletsky. Reina Fleurblanc''s personal maid¡ªA loyal servant who''s willing to risk her life for her master. She was currently investigating the bamboo forest where the last night''s murder scene happened, at her master''s command. However, there was nothing there but the stalks of bamboo swaying gently against a soft breeze. No sign of blood anywhere. The area is clean unlike the one her master described. Her master would not lie to her, she thought, so that was out of the question. There''s only one conclusion she could come up: the evidence was erased. Someone cleaned all the blood that''s supposed to be there. The question is... How? Cleaning such a mess could take a lot of time, and even then there''d be faint traces of it in the bushes or perhaps under the leaves on the forest floor. There''d also be signs that someone went there to finish the job, but it was as if no murders happened in the entire area in the first place. "It must be that..." *~~~~~~* 10:28PM "You must have seen something unpleasant. I''m really sorry." Senri-san bowed her head asking me for forgiveness. I honestly didn''t know how to respond. Why was she apologizing? More importantly, with the "murderer" standing right in front of me, am I about to be killed for meddling with things I''m not supposed to be involved with? I never thought Senri-san and Satou-san are related at all. This never occurred to me. But since Senri-san is here with her... I''m hoping there''d be a way out of this. "I... saw something I shouldn''t have, right?" I asked her straight away. "Quite." "So I''m a dead man?" "Huh? Wait a minute, Takehaya-kun. You must be misunderstanding something. Please let me explain it to you." "Please do." Though a drop of sweat trickled on the side of my face, I tried to remain calm. Even if Tsubame acted like that to me moments ago, I have my full trust on Senri-san "First of all, if you''re thinking that a murder has occurred, nothing like that seem to have happened. And just because you saw something like that doesn''t mean your life is in danger." "But I saw a pool of blood where Satou-san was standing..." "We''re still investigating about that. If you''ve noticed, there was no body there. Isn''t that right, Nodachi?" "Yes. When I have arrived, all I saw was the blood all over the place. No one was there." "You know that too... Right, Takehaya-kun?" She''s right. We didn''t see any dead bodies lying around. "So what was that all about?" "We''ve yet to know, that''s why we''re still investigating it. But we actually have a clue." "And that is?" "It might have come from the other world." "Wait... again?" "Hmm?" "Ah, nevermind. Anyway, what do you mean it came from another world? Is it some sort of an extraterrestrial?" "Something like that. But it didn''t came from outer space. The entrance is quite close after all. The reason why Nodachi was there is because I commanded her to guard the bamboo forest in case someone from the other side enters the portal, or someone from the outside attempts to enter the forest. We''ve been doing this since I took the role of the landlady of this guesthouse. For generations, my family has been guarding the bamboo forest in case something like this happened. But to tell you the truth, nothing strange happened ever since the discovery of the portal until now." "Why are you telling me all this?" "Takehaya-kun. You have to understand that this is a serious matter. You''ve already involved yourself in this." "No I haven''t. As long as I don''t say anything I''ll be out on this. Am I right?" "W-Well... I guess you could say that..." "Nee-san. I know you trust Masato-kun, and I also trust him. But according to our family''s rules, once a person got involved they cannot simply get away as if nothing happened." Tsubame-san interrupted. "Wait. What did she mean by that?" "It just means that we have to ensure that you won''t tell all these to anyone." "And how will you ensure I won''t tell it to anyone?" *~~~~~~* The next day... "Hey, isn''t that the delinquent?" "What''s going on?" "Am I just imagining things or are those two walking side by side?" Students around the school gate suddenly piled up. It feels like I got myself in a controversial situation. Of course, who would even bother listen up to my explanation? "Hey... What''s going on here?" I asked the person walking beside me. "What do you mean?" Satou-san looked at me in confusion. "...Why are you so close to where I''m walking?" "...?" She looked at me again with that confused face. Argh! This is frustrating. This is what I''m afraid of: getting unnecessary attention. It would probably be fine if it was Fleurblanc-san. I mean, she''s friendly with everyone but Satou-san is the complete opposite of her! Maybe... I''m not actually so sure about that also. Honestly, I don''t have a reason to tell it to anyone. First of all I don''t think anyone will believe me. Secondly, it would cause panic and confusion and I''m not the type of person who would do something like that. "Hey, how long are you going to stick with me?" "Until you get home." "DAMN IT!!!" Everyone around us scattered like rats when they heard my uproar. Shit, I''ve caused another misunderstanding. I feel so depressed right now. "Why the long face, Masato?" "You''re the last person I want to hear that from!" I did my best to ignoreher insensitive comment and just took it all in. Both of us walked towards the school gate as if it''s the most natural thing to do. "No seriously, you don''t have to follow Senri-san''s order you know. I''ll never say anything to anyone. I mean I don''t even have any friends to talk to in the first place.." Nodachi looked at me with her usual deadpan expression. "Do you want to have friends, Masato?" "W-What?! N-No! I don''t need friends. Don''t just misinterpret what I said." "You sound like you wanted to have friends though." "How in the world would you think it that way?" "I can be your friend." "W-Wha..?! I told you I don''t need friends!" "You didn''t have to shout at me." "I''m not shouting at you..." This girl is driving me nuts. I''ve never thought in my wildest dream that Satou-san would act like this at all. She could talk and all, that''s great. If only she could be a bit considerate... "Hoho. You sound like you''re having a lot of fun." "Fleurblanc-san." "Class pres." Nodachi bowed her head like a well mannered student and greeted Flearublanc-san. I... could not make myself do the same. Such gesture just didn''t suit me. For some reason, Fleaurblanc-san went a little too close to me. I noticed she was aiming for a whisper. Then she said it to me in a very low voice: "Tell me what happened later, okay?" I slightly nodded in response. She then walked with her maid a little faster than our pace, probably because she had to hurry for her student council duties. And then all of a sudden I realized that our situation is getting worse. I looked around me and people have gathered around again. This time I sensed angry glares and more suspicious murmurs. Great. My normal, quiet everyday life seems to be collapsing . Well, not that it has collapsed already a year ago. I sigh in depression. I got back to walking with Nodachi still walking beside me, without a care in the world. Honestly I don''t care anymore. After homeroom... Classes ended. I didn''t get to concentrate on the class at all. Aside from the people looking secretly at me like the "delinquent" I was, I''ve been thinking about the "other world" Reina and Senri told me about. Knowing such information is like breaking your reality. Everything you''ve learned before kinda gets crumbled knowing that things might seem to be different from the things you''ve learned. And another thing: That girl, Satou-san. She hasn''t moved at all since after class. I bet she''d respond once I left my seat. She''s really doing literally what Senri-san told her to do. "Hey Takehaya. Tell me, what''s your relationship with Satou-san?" As if they can no longer contain their suspicions, one of my classmates asked me as I boringly flipped the pages of my notebook. "Nothing. What''s it to you?" I replied in a very cold hearted way. "Ah, chill. I was just curious you know. Nobody has approached Satou-san like you did and made it successfully." "I don''t know what you''re talking about. I''ve never approached her." I looked at the notebook again and caught a glimpse of some tactician''s quote: "All warfare is based on deception..." "But you were walking along side her this morning." The guy was persistent like a paparazzi. "Look, dude. She was the one who stuck close to me. I have nothing to do with that." "Woah. Are you saying she''s onto you or something? The ''Cold Princess of Takemori High''?" "You know what? This conversation is over."The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. I stood up in annoyance and left my seat. I hear murmurs around me as I left the room. As soon as I stood up, Satou-san followed me in the hallway. Because of that, the noise became even louder inside the classroom. "So you''ll really follow me wherever I go, huh?" She slightly nodded. It''s like she doesn''t need to answer me anymore. -click, click- I hear a shuttering sound from the distance. I turned around and saw a girl taking pictures of us. "Hey. What''s this about? You know it''s rude to take pictures without permission, right?" "Oh don''t worry Takehaya-kun. This is just for my own personal collection." "I''m pretty sure that''s now how it works." "Hehe. I''m really happy. Takehaya-kun and Satou-san becoming a couple all of a sudden! This is like the greatest scoop this year!" "You''re not really holding back aren''t you. Are you some sort of photography or newspaper club member? Also, we''re not a couple." "Something like that. I''m surprised you''re not so mad about me taking pictures of you." "I am mad. Are you looking for a fight?" "Ohh. That''s more like it. That aside, Takehaya-kun..." Wow, this girl sure doesn''t listen to other people, just like the one following behind me. "While we''re at it, what were you doing with Fleurblanc-san behind the school last night?" The moment she asked that question, my body froze. I did not expect anyone to see us, and for someone to approach me about our last night''s excursion is something that didn''t occur to me. I needed to make an excuse. Like, real fast. This girl is dangerous, I could sense it. Let''s see... "That was nothing to scoop about though. That was just me getting fetched and lectured by Fleurblanc-san for loitering around behind the school." "Ehhh? That''s it?" "Yeah." Looks like she''d take the bite already. "But what about this morning? Why did she approached you?" Or so I thought. But this was easy. "She just warned me again not to loiter around the school." "Hmmmmm." She''s in deep thought. I''m not sure if she''d buy it or not but I''m confident that she won''t be able to question me again. "I''ll believe you for now. But it doesn''t change the fact that you and Satou-san are going out and the whole school is talking about you two." "Like I said, we''re not going out. Hey, help me fix this misunderstanding." "..." I looked at the dumbfounded girl beside me who was apparently not even listening to our conversation the whole time. She''s useless. People like these in the society would definitely start spreading lies and cause a lot of misunderstanding. "Silence means ''yes'', right? Anyway. Gotta go back to class. I''ll catch you guys later." After saying that. She dashed out and went somewhere. I sighed. "Another troublesome person has appeared... and what did she meant by ''catch you guys later''?" "I guess it means she''s gonna show up again." I slumped in despair by Satou-san''s unneeded comment for the obvious. "Mind sharing me what happened yesterday? My maid told me you left the house and went back to the dorm when I woke up. And then this morning, you and Satou-san are like lovey-dovey." Fleurblanc-san suddenly appeared from a corner, as if she was waiting for the paparazzi girl to leave. As always, she makes those straightforward remarks. "No we''re not. I can''t believe that you of all people would believe something like that." "I''m just kidding. So, what''s the story?" She asked me with a serious tone this time, and also made a quick glance at the girl beside me. I''d like to tell her the whole story too but there''s a problem: Senri-san told me not to tell anyone about it. Despite the fact that Fleurblanc-san already knew that there''s another world and there''s some portal behind the school, Satou-san didn''t know any of those details. There''s nothing to hide, but it would still make me look like I''ve betrayed Senri-san if I ever spoke to her about it. I leaned towards her and whispers. "You sure we gonna talk about this now?" I glanced at the girl beside me who seems to not really care at what we''re talking about. However, this is the same person that was tasked to make sure I don''t spill any beans. "Hmm? We can''t talk about it right now?" "We can''t." She looked at Satou-san again and it seems that she understood what it meant. "I''ll just e-mail it to you." I whispered at her. "Let''s exchange e-mail addresses then." she whispered in response. "..." I realized that this was the first time I exchanged my e-mail address with anyone aside from my parents. It somehow feels like I''ve unlocked some sort of achievement, yet I feel so bad for myself for some reason. "There. All done. Don''t forget alright? This is important. I''ll be heading to the teacher''s office. Later." "Yeah." I sent her an e-mail as soon as she left. It seems that Satou-san was oblivious on what we were talking about. I find it weird that she''s acting this way, since I thought she would be very strict with me whenever I talked to someone. In the end, she was just following me around. *~~~~~~* Afternoon. Classes have ended and I was walking out of the school. I hadn''t seen Fleurblanc-san right after she left the room. I was still curious of all these statements about an other world connected to ours and its entrance being just behind the school. I felt unsure if I should check out the back of the school again or not¨CI mean, the only way to find out that an information is real or not is to see it with your own two eyes, right? The problem is, this girl won''t let me go there right now. "Hey, stop grabbing on to my shirt." "..." She''s won''t budge at all. I thought I could break loose if I suddenly make a run for it but that''d be troublesome. In the end, I gave up and went home instead. Her incredible persistence to her duty won over my curiosity. We were close to the grocery store when Satou-san suddenly stopped walking. It''s as if she suddenly froze like a robot instantly drained of its batteries. "What happened?" I asked her. "Someone has stepped inside the border." I instantly looked at the person who suddenly talked. It was Tsubame-san. "Tsubame-san? What are you doing here? And what do you mean by someone stepped inside the border?" "A person walked inside the bamboo forest." Satou-san suddenly replied to my question. "Glad to know you didn''t actually ran out of batteries." "...?" I only received a slight tilt of a head from her as a reply. "Nothing. Anyway, can someone please explain the situation? I mean I''m really lost here." I really am lost. These two started acting weird all of a sudden. And Tsubame-san came out of nowhere too. What border were they talking about? "Let me explain, Masato-kun." Tsubame-san offered the explanation. "The reason why we found out that you and Fleurblanc-san walked inside the bamboo forest was because Nee-san has set up some talismans that''d let us know if someone walked in. Right now, someone has trespassed the bamboo forest." "''Trespassed'' really is the term, huh?" "It''s technically true since the bamboo forest is owned by the Miyamae household." Woah. I didn''t know that. "Do they own the school as well?" "Yes." Damn, I didn''t know Senri-san''s family was filthy rich. "Anyway, I have to go there now, since Nodachi is currently occupied. Also, something unexplainable happened yesterday." I wouldn''t really mind if both of them go though. But something happened yesterday? "What is it?" "The pool of blood you saw yesterday. It disappeared." "What do you mean it disappeared?" I actually haven''t thought about it. There was indeed a pool of blood yesterday. It was the reason why me and Fleaurblanc-san ran away. I thought Satou-san killed someone, but Tsubame-san saying that the blood disappeared was another matter. "Wait. You didn''t clean it?" "We didn''t. We actually wanted to clean it as well since it would cause trouble if some outsider saw it. I went there last night as quickly as I could after you and Nee-san has finished talking. It was actually on our favor that the blood was cleaned but it''s also troubling that it disappeared. It just means that more people are involved with this incident." "I thought you guys should know if someone went inside the bamboo forest?" "That''s true. The moment you stepped inside the bamboo forest, we''ll learn about it." "Yet the blood was erased without us knowing it." "That''s right. Which we have no idea how. Anyway, I''ll explain everything later." Tsubame-san waved her hand and started walking towards the school. It was actually weird that she took the time to explain all those despite knowing that someone stepped into their bamboo forest, as if it contradicted that she''s worried about it. As I busied myself with that thought, she dashed off like lightning and disappeared. "What...?" *~~~~~~* The bamboo forest was as quiet as ever. It''s around 6:00PM and the sun was almost gone. The students had mostly gone home, yet a few has stayed for their club activities. In particular, a club leader and her maid was currently investigating the forest. "You''re right. There are no blood stains at all. How is this possible?" "Reina-sama. I believe that this is caused by something that came out of the other side." "Like some sort of magic''?" "Possible. But right now we can''t say anything yet." "Have you checked the inner areas of the bamboo forest?" "My apologies but there was an interruption last night and I wasn''t able to explore further." "No it''s alright. But what was that interruption?" "Our maid scouts reported that someone entered the school gate and into the back of the school at an incredible speed. I had to leave the area as soon as possible." "No matter, we can explore now. Have the other maids monitor the movements of anyone near the campus." "Yes ma''am." After exploring the rest of the areas near the murder scene, they still found nothing of any sort of clues. "Hmm. There''s really nothing here huh." "Reina-sama. We still haven''t checked the shrine that was located deep in the forest." "Very well. Our records says that the shrine was already there around a hundred years ago. And despite it being an abandoned shrine, the place is still intact." "Yes. It appears that the current landlady of the Miyamae Guesthouse was the one doing the cleaning every once in awhile." "Hmm. Just makes you think if there''s something about that shrine that connects the other world. Let''s go." "Perhaps so." The two went deeper into the forest and reached the abandoned shrine. But as soon as they stepped in... "Reina-sama. I got a signal that there''s a person coming this way real fast. It must be the same person that interrupted me... or possibly the culprit." "Stand guard, I''ll go look for clues. If anything happens, report to me as soon as possible. Worse comes to worst, do ''that''," Reina pointed at her as she continued examining the shrine''s exterior. "Affirmative." She nodded at her master and readied herself to the incoming intruder. Reina quickly went to the shrine to look for clues. The shrine''s ceiling and floor were tidy and clean, yet there were no traces of activity at all. She noticed a few dust specks here and there and she thought the one responsible for the cleaning hasn''t showed up in a while. As her mind gets bothered by the thoroughly-cleaned shrine-- "Hmm?" From the shrine''s porch, Reina noticed movement at the bushes. She carefully walked towards it. It might just be an animal, but to make sure her guard is up as she brought out a dagger hidden under her skirt. As she approached closer, she heard a faint breathing. Slowly, she took a peek through the leaves and saw a dark skinned woman, badly injured. "H-Hey! Hang in there!" She quickly responded to the injured person in surprise. The woman wasn''t responding due to her bruises. She checked her pulse and it seemed to be stable. Though she sustained multiple wounds, none of them were fatal, but she knew that she needed to be treated soon. Meanwhile, Saika was still on-guard when she suddenly received a call from one of the maids. "Report?" "U-Uhm... Saika-sama, It seems that the one approaching your location was Tsubame of the Miyamae household!" "Where is she now?" "S-She.... was intercepted by a little girl wearing a white cape near the school gate!" "...Any information on that girl?" "U-Uhm... The reports say that she is one of the exorcist twins of the Huo Clan." "We''re not done with the investigations here yet. Don''t drop the call. Keep giving me information on what is happening." "Y-yes ma''am..!" *~~~~~~* Miyamae Tsubame, who was dashing in an incredible speed was suddenly stopped by an unexpected obstacle. "Hey bird, not so fast." The little girl wearing a white cape blocked her way towards the entrance of the school. "Who are you?" Tsubame asked. "Why do you need to know?" She smiled at her. She was mocking Tsubame like she was her little prey. She easily understood that the person in front of her is not just some bystander who got lost in the school grounds, so Tsubame changed her stance into a fighting one. "Hoh... You wanna pick a fight?" "I''m in a hurry you see. Could you please get out of my way?" "No can do little bird. You''re too powerful of a youkai to be loitering around a residential area at night." "I live in this area and my master owns this place. If there''s anyone here who''s loitering around, that person should be you. Also... I''m not a youkai." "I see, I see. But I''m not from here. I don''t care who your master is. As long as I see a threat running around, I just won''t let it go." Tsubame observed the little girl''s movements and appearance. Based on what she could see, this girl is some sort of a Western exorcist¡ªshe was wearing a long white cape and was clutching a book on her side. "You know, I''m surprised that there are many powerful spirits loitering around this place. Just yesterday I encountered a high class ghost around here. It gave me quite the entertainment but then another one showed up just after I was finished with the ghost so I had to retreat. Was that you?" She''s quite the talkative one, Tsubame thought to herself. Because of that, she has observed more than enough to know how this little exorcist would move quickly if she decided to fight her. She knew that this person had many openings and she just needed to utilize them to her favor. However, there was something in what she mentioned that bothered her. She said she encountered a high class ghost. Just who was she referring to? "Hey, you''re pretty confident on winning aren''t you?" "...?!" As she said that. She launched herself at Tsubame. That one sentence broke her concentration. In an instant, the distance between them is just one step away. "Kuh!" Coming out from the book she holds, the exorcist''s sword swung directly at her face. But before the blade could hit the target, Tsubame had already moved far away from her. "Oho? As expected of a bird." "Could you please stop calling me that." "But you are a bird, right?" As she said that, she plunged herself towards Tsubame once more with lightning speed. Yet again, she wasn''t able to hit her, as the "bird" leaped high into the air. "Otherwise, you won''t be able to dodge my attacks." Tsubame landed on her feet after she jumped to dodge the attack. "At the very least you''re not just running away like that ghost---hmm?!" Right after she said that. A gust of wind came right at her. "Guh..!?" It was too powerful that she was barely hanging onto her feet. "Sorry." "..?!" As the Huo exorcist tried to regain her composure, Tsubame is already one step beside her, aiming for a finishing blow. BOOOOM!! Leaves and dust scattered as another gust of wind exploded around them after she landed her fist on the target. Tsubame could still feel the impact on her fist, however... "...Impossible." Tsubame, who thought she has won the battle was dumbfounded. As the dust and leaves returned to the ground, the little girl is still standing on her feet barely scratched. "But that was a direct hit..." "Yes it was. Directly on my cape." She looked at the girl''s cape. Traces of magic can be detected from it. "You know, I hate your fighting style. It reminds me of my sister." In an instant she closed her gap towards Tsubame. Her fast reflexes made her lean backwards to avoid her strike. But this time, she was wielding something else... "--?!" -pierce- "Kuh.." It was a spear. She was imagining the length of a sword and was confident that she won''t be hit from that distance. The unexpected change of weapons got her shoulder pierced. "..." Blood spilled from her wounded shoulder. "Ah..." Tsubame stood there trying to stay on her feet. The pain made her whole body numb. "Oh my. Is it over already?" The little exorcist made a disappointed face. "Now what should I do. Do I seal you or just completely exorcise you?" "...I call upon the wind god." Tsubame suddenly spoke while looking up and barely able to hold her balance. "Hmm?" "Fuujin." As she said that, she suddenly gets engulfed by another huge gust of wind. "...I-I''ve caught myself to some sort of deity eh."