Chapter 86

Nikami POV

The tiny girl started to flicker, as if a flashing torch was in front of us. Annoyed by the lights, I turned my head away, gritting my teeth as I furried my eyebrows.

“Sto-stop it! They’re going to get blind!” Kikyou exclaimed, panicking as she locked the smaller girl's arms from behind, stopping her from dashing at us.

“After what they have seen, they might as well be!” Ajisa wailed, yelling as the shrine maiden continued to rapidly shine light on us. Her expression crumpled and distorted, her mouth being as wide as it could be on her tiny face.

“What in the fuck?! It isn’t even Christmas yet! Stop it!” Raijin yelled, Hiding behind me to get away from the light, holding my shoulders tightly as she hid behind my head.

Do light users have the tendency of flickering like this? Yasachu did this too.

"Ai-chan! Please ju-just stop it!" Kikyou managed to squeal out, holding back the wailing female.

Hearing that nickname going out of senpai's mouth, she turned into jelly and leaned on Kikyou. Not saying anything as the annoying yellow lights stopped, she bit her lip and had a flushed expression.

As fast as her flashing lights, she turned on her heel and gave a deadpan stare at the slouching female looking down at her. Her golden yellow eyes glared straight towards the lenses of the taller girl, which made said girl flinch.

"A-aH-" Giving a small squeak, she got a flick on the forehead from Ajisa who was tiptoeing.

"You foolish mage! I told you to not call me that in public!" She pouted, yelling at Kikyou before turning on her heel and power walking towards us as well.

"You will not speak of this moment." She commanded, which I responded with rolling my eyes.

"Ha." Shoubu, not fearing her, exhaled a gust of wind.

"Gotdamn… I can still see the lights-" Raijin didn't notice what was happening, rubbing her eyes as she got out of my back.

I glanced over at her caressing her eyelids then finally stopped. She glanced over at me with an irritated expression, ruffled eyebrows and a side glare.

I noticed that her pupils were slit, the center of her eyes were vertical. Giving her a much more aggressive look.

But the moment she laid her glance on me, her irises went back to normal. No, rather, it went bigger and wide, dilating.

What is she, a cat?

Thinking of that, I felt my heart burn. That transition from a predator to a big eyed cutie was something to fear. Is she really that happy to just lay her eyes on me? What in the world…

That's so unfair.

I looked away, faintly rubbing my eyes to disguise my red expression.

"Do not scoff at me, Princess!" I heard Ajisa's high pitched yells, looking up at the student council president who was just giggling.

Meanwhile, Senpai was just underneath a table. Teary eyed as she shook heavily, she was mumbling something while holding the feet of the wooden furniture.

"Wh-what happened?!" I heard a familiar voice call out, then rapid footsteps.

Ugh. It's her.

I didn't even dare turn, to my irritation I just ignored her. Pacing towards the sobbing senpai instead, crouching down as I flatten my dress.

"Why are you so scared?" My voice flowed out like a calm river, being more smoother than my hard speech.

"Princess! Are you okay?!" Saboten yelled out, running over at Shoubu and looked around for any injuries.

"Ara ara, Of course I'm fine, why are you two so worried?" Shobu asked the two running girls, cupping her own cheeks and tilting her head in question.

"We saw flashing lights so we thought there was trouble-" Yasachu mumbled, scratching the back of her head as her golden irises observed the room. When she laid her eyes on me, gulped, glancing away.

"She's goi-going to kill me…" Kikyou covered her forehead, turning to me with tears in her blue eyes. The tall woman pounced on me, and we both fell down on the ground as she continued to whine on my shoulders.

"Shiromoru-san… Please take care of my sister-"

"You're not going to die." I deadpanned.

Senpai is so bothersome…

"H-hey! What the hell?! Get off her!" Raijin yelled out, stomping near us and puffed her chest out to seem bigger. I stared straight into her eyes, silently caressing the long hair of the librarian. Raijin's eyes twitched when I did this.

"Yes, I can't believe I have to agree with this sweaty prince, but get off her right now!" Ajisa ordered her, which the girl on top of me answered with a whimper.

"Hey?! The hell do ya mean?!"

"You're just going to kill me… I-I'm so sorry… I made a big mistake…" She scrunched her nose, holding on to me.

"I-I wouldn't even kill someone as minor as you! Just get off already!" Ajisa started to pull on her cloak, red in anger.

It's funny how Raijin and Ajisa have the same expression.

Kikyou finally stood up and adjusted the collar of her cloak to cover her back again. She cleared her throat and lent her hand for me to get up. And I did, getting up with the guidance of her hand.

"Everyone is here… But, I heard Amatarini-san was also outside. Where is she?" Shoubu asked, her eyes glancing at all of us, asking the crowd.

"She's been uh… Kidnapped by… That masked girl." Raijin announced, hissing through her teeth as she gripped her pants in frustration.

"Huh?" Saboten uncharacteristically reacted first, her hand on the hilt of her sword, eyes erratic and mouth wide open. She stood completely still, as if those words were an instant freezing spell.

The crowd gasped, some reacted with anger and most importantly, concern.

"Am-amatarini-sama was what?!" Yasachu was so surprised she tripped backwards and landed on her rear end.

"Oh… That's… Have you reported that to the teachers?" Shoubu was calm as always, standing there near the door.

"That stupid shadow scar girl again?! But this time she actually kidnapped someone! And… Someone important too…" Ajisa groomed her hair with a brush to try to release stress.

Rather than saying anything, Kikyou was actually staring at her silent sister, clenching her cloak and starting to power walk towards her with a serious expression.

Before anyone could say a word again, Saboten’s body swung to the side, and her effort to stand back up again swung to the other side and effectively fully tilted to that side and started to fall down. Her sister was there to catch her at just the right moment, and silence filled the room. Knowing that they felt something.

That something was-

“Yo-you didn’t tell me your sister was blessed too!” Ajisa ran towards the sisters, yelling at her as Kikyou stared down at the half cheetah in her arms. Saboten’s eyes looked faded, her face going pale as she barely opened her lips and said,

“Amatarini-sama… She’s in the west… Area of… The woods in the academ… Cave…-” She managed to weakly speak out, looking up at her worried sister.

I felt a sense of uncertainty, like seeing a tsunami washing over me, knowing that I might drown yet… I was breathing. I couldn’t understand what that feeling was, but it was directed towards Saboten, it was such a specific feeling that I might not forget it ever again, yet I couldn’t understand what it was. Judging by what Ajisa said, I guessed that Saboten had just awakened.

“S-shhh, stop it, please! Just sleep, don’t worry about anything. We’ll get Amatarini-san, I promise… Just please, don’t fight back, go to sleep.. Okay? Please just do so, your mana has to be regulated and your body has to be unconscious to do that, please before-”

“Bu-but I have to… Go save her! I just… She’s in danger an-”

I couldn’t even hear what she said, all I could remember was the bright red that came after. Her arm was blasted off her body, spraying the crimson blood that I hated to see. The fearful screams of all the women except me, Kikyou, and Shoubu. I saw the amputated arm fly towards landing on my arms as I cradled the warm arm that was just moving earlier. The arm that was always on her hilt. The same arm that wields her sword and she trains with.

An arm of a person I considered my friend.

Yet, I didn’t feel any sort of emotion. Not terrified, no horror, no pity.

Nothing.

I slowly walked towards the siblings and passed through the puking Ajisa covered in blood, crouching down to the two green haired girls on the ground. Since the older female’s knees were so weak she dropped them both.

I placed the arm on top of the bleeding unconscious demi-human, making eye contact with Kikyou who’s face was filled with snot and tears.

“Heal her.” I commanded, not breaking eye contact.

“Wh-what?”

“Do it while the wound is still fresh, do you really want her to bleed out?” I asked, being conscious about how unnaturally calm I am at the moment.

“Ho-how can I?! I-I may be able to heal bu-but I’m not good at it at all, please do it i-instead Shiromoru-sa-” I was about to cut her off, but instead she was cut off by Ajisa who just got up from puking, slapping the woman with glasses.

“HOW DARE YOU RUN AWAY IN A SITUATION LIKE THIS.” She spat, looking down at the mage, gripping her collar and with sobs, yelled out,

“You have to stop making excuses! You have to stop running away! You always run away due to fear of failure, but you never even try to do it in the first place! And don’t even count Shiromoru into this, I know damn well she can’t heal a whole limb. Because only you can. ONLY YOU CAN. Especially about your sister! You have to drill it in your head that you are the blessed girl of the fairy king of healing. Refusing to heal your sister out of all people because you're unconfident in your skills is pathetic, you have a job, and even if that was pushed to you, only YOU can do it. So stop running away.” Ajisa yelled out, seeing her for the first time complimenting someone, panting after she said those words on top of her lungs.

Kikyou held the cheeks that were hit earlier and just froze, shaking as she understood what she said. She… Actually refused to help her sister? That is just....

Kikyou didn’t even say anything, just lifting up her sister's body close to her lap, Shoubu that was just behind them, twirled her finger and cleaned up the blood around Saboten’s torso. With the rhythm of their body, right after Shoubo finished up clean, Kikyou took her severed arm and connected it together. Taking a deep inhale and having her glasses gleam, a soft light was around her arm and…

And was healed.

The arm that was just in my hand a few seconds ago.

She’s just another level, isn’t she?

I glanced over at Shoubu, which I noticed to have acted accordingly with Kikyou’s actions even without saying a word. They sure are closer than they appear. I was surprised at her expression, even until now she has that same soft smile that she has.

Ah.

Now I know why she’s my mirror character.

She’s just as broken as I am, despite how we handle ourselves, we just both don’t feel many things and want to experience… Something.

I felt something being pressed against me, making me lean forward. I turned my gaze to the side, seeing brown hair. I quickly realized that Raijin was hugging me. Huh, how odd, I completely forgot about her being here, my jaw feels painful, face going all stiff.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“You’re crying, of course I’m going to comfort you.” She blurted out, tightening her embrace and I looked down at my lap, seeing liquids falling from my eyes. I was, indeed, tearing up.

This is torture.

Why are the emotions all just coming out now? I’m going to drown…

A whimper welled inside my throat, just staring at the ground as I felt complete fear and started to shake, remembering how cruel I acted, not showing any sort of empathy towards her or Kikyou senpai. How the red filled my vision, and how that reminded me of the scent of the rusted copper when Shukona was being taken away from me.

“You’re going to be okay… Saboten is alright, you helped her and Kikyou to heal her, you did a good job. You’re doing a good job, just let it all out, it’s okay to cry…” Raijin whispered to me, being patient and hugging me warmly.

I have been so pathetic for the past days, yet she is always there to comfort me.

Right, I don’t have to worry anymore, I’m not alone in feeling this pain.

Shukona POV

“I don’t get why you’re using me as bait, you know they would find us and defeat you.” I spat at her, being on the ceiling tied up from behind  and looking down at her.

“That’s the point! I just need them here, get who I want, and kill them! But you don’t have to worry about it, Kuna-kuna, I’ll make sure to not hurt you or Nikami physically unless she attacks me first.” She giggled at me, making the solidified shadows drop me down and made me land on the ground with a grunt.

“Do not ever fucking call me by that name.” I cursed at her, while she only chuckled and knelt down in front of me and grabbed my head.

“Oh, I swear I won't. Someone else will though.” She smirked, scoffing as she lifted me up by my hair and made me face her eyes. That shit eating grin on her face was behind her mask again, it irritated me so.

“[Phobia]” She casted, and as soon as she finished the last syllable, my head was whirling around and everything compressed into a small space…

I blacked out.

When I slowly rose up, I smelled a familiar scent around me. The scent of pollen mixed with medicine made me remember something nostalgic. As I looked down at my hand, I saw that it was a lot smaller than I remember…

Wait, where am I?

I glanced around swiftly, standing up as my view was filled with greenery and tall bushes, all filled with different well placed roses and tulips. I knew where I was, but I’m not sure if I was actually back there. I ran around, seeing how my strides were a lot smaller because of my shorter legs.

“Kuna-kuna, are you done with your afternoon nappies…? Can you help me?” Hearing that nickname from that voice, I froze, cold sweat coming from my chin. I turned towards the direction of that silky and smooth voice.

And I saw a woman with forest green hair and extremely pale skin that you might think was a ghost walk towards me with a soft smile. Her hair was tied down to low twintails, fiddling with her apron as she tilted her head towards me.

“Onee-... Sama?”