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Chapter Text

Mizuki ran as fast as their legs could take them. An arrow whizzed past them, just barely missing their head.

People were all scrambling away from them. They shut their doors and looked at Mizuki with fearful eyes. Their horns were exposed in broad daylight and children hid behind their parents as they screamed in terror.

Guards shouted behind Mizuki, and the hermit could see more of them appearing. They really didn't want to use their magic, but it seemed like they had no other choice.

Mizuki closed their eyes and muttered a few incantations. Several copies of themself immediately appeared around them.

They were merely illusions that would disappear the moment they were touched, but luckily, the guards didn't know that. They hesitated upon seeing all of the illusions and the real Mizuki used the opportunity to slip out of the city gates.

They had hoped that the Hinomori Kingdom would be safer than the past few kingdoms that they had visited, but it seemed like they were wrong. Mizuki knew that no matter where they went, hermits were not welcome. If only those children hadn't bumped into them, then their hood wouldn't have fallen off…

Well, there was no use lamenting about the past. Mizuki looked around, there was nothing around them but trees. It seemed like they were in a forest. There was probably no harm in exploring, right?

They walked deeper into the woods; there was no sign of wildlife anywhere, which was certainly strange. Ah, wait. Mizuki looked around themself, they were surrounded by trees that all looked identical… Great, they were lost.

They sighed heavily. This day really couldn't get any worse, could it? Mizuki continued walking until they finally spotted a small lake. They knelt down beside it and cupped their hands, scooping the water out to drink.

The water was quite refreshing and the lake was clear too. Mizuki sat down on the grass, looking at their reflection. “Ugh, how am I supposed to find my way out?” they asked their reflection, naturally not getting any response.

“You don't, not without help, at least.”

Mizuki jumped up at the new voice and turned around; there was a brown-haired fairy standing behind them. Her arms were crossed and she looked annoyed.

“Haha… Hi there! You scared me!” Mizuki waved to the fairy but she didn't return the gesture. Instead she frowned, asking irritatedly, “Why are you here, hermit?”

“Oh, I was fleeing the city and ended up in this forest,” Mizuki explained to the fairy and she nodded, but her eyes were still narrowed as she looked at Mizuki. They were starting to feel uncomfortable and asked, “Is something wrong?”

“Did you scare all of the animals away?” the fairy asked bluntly, not bothering to hide the accusing tone in her voice. “H-Huh? No, I just got here!” Mizuki quickly defended themself, but they were also intrigued.

“So, the animals were all scared away?”

The fairy nodded as she massaged her temples, “Yes, I was going to feed the deers but they all disappeared, along with the other animals too. And if you weren't the one who scared them away…”

Mizuki laughed half-heartedly as they tried to lift the mood, “I'm sure it's nothing you have to worry about! By the way, I'm Akiyama Mizuki! You are…?”

The fairy hesitated for a moment before answering, “Shinonome Ena.”

“It's great to meet you, Ena!”

Ena lifted an eyebrow and remarked, “You’re quite friendly to someone you just met.”

Mizuki stuck out their tongue playfully, “Of course I am! And you're going to help me get out of this forest, Ena!”

“Oi! When did I even–”

But before Ena could even finish her sentence, Mizuki was already dragging her off. “So, which way to the exit?”

Ena pushed Mizuki away as she looked around, trying to recognise her surroundings.

“Should be this way…”

She started walking towards the East and Mizuki followed. They didn't know how Ena could navigate through the forest when every tree looked the same.

“Ouch!” Mizuki rubbed their nose as they bumped into Ena, who had suddenly stopped. “What's wrong?” they asked the other girl curiously, looking around. Ena pressed a finger to her lips as she whispered, “There’s someone nearby.”

“Another person?” Mizuki asked fearfully. If it was a normal person…

Ena seemed to understand their fear and reassured them, “Just hide your horns.”

Without waiting for a reply, she stepped forward. Immediately, she felt something sharp touch her throat. A sword was pointed at her and two cold, dark purple eyes which faded into a sky blue gradient stared at her.

“Whoa! How about we put the sword down?” Mizuki hesitantly approached the duo as they pulled up their hood, immediately stopping when the sword turned towards them. 

Ena backed away and her wings fluttered behind her nervously. The stranger had short purple hair and looked like a noble. When they looked back at Ena, their empty eyes sent a shiver down her spine.

“Who are you two?” the stranger asked apprehensively. Ena shared a glance with Mizuki and then asked back, “Why should we be telling you? You're the one who doesn't belong here, human.” It came out harsher than expected, and the stranger bristled at Ena's words.

After a brief pause, they surprisingly kept their sword and answered, “I'm Asahina Mafuyu.” Mizuki immediately brightened and started talking before Ena could butt in, “It’s nice to meet you Mafuyu! I'm Akiyama Mizuki and this is…”

Ena groaned internally. How could Mizuki just give their names away to a human so carelessly? “Shinonome Ena,” she stated, and glanced at the hilt of Mafuyu’s sword as she asked, “Are you a knight?” Mafuyu nodded and asked back, “You're obviously a fairy, what about Akiyama? Since you said that I was the one who didn't fit in…”

Crap, she should've picked her words better. Mizuki’s face was pale and they were already retreating away from Mafuyu, but Ena quickly grabbed their hand. She wasn't going to share their secret; she wasn't dumb. Mizuki had no reason to be afraid. 

“It's none of your business,” she replied coldly to Mafuyu. The knight seemed slightly surprised by Ena's response and Mizuki breathed a silent sigh of relief.

“I see. So a fairy, an unknown, and a bringer of death are here in this forest…” Mafuyu muttered to herself and Ena blinked, surprised. She grabbed the knight’s hand and asked urgently, “What do you mean, a bringer of death is here?”

“Do you not know?” Mafuyu tilted her head and pointed at a tree nearby. It had turned completely white and the bark was already decaying. It was the effect of the touch from a reaper.

If there was a reaper here, that would definitely explain all of the missing animals. Mafuyu suddenly turned and started walking towards the dying tree. 

“Hey wait! Where are you going?” Ena ran up to her and saw what had caught Mafuyu’s eye. There were more white trees, they were lined up perfectly parallel to each other. It almost looked like a path.

“Whoa! That's definitely creepy…” Mizuki muttered as they looked at the trees. Mafuyu didn't respond and started walking between the white trees. She glanced back at the two and asked impatiently, “What are you two waiting for? The reaper obviously went this way.”

“I'm not dumb, of course I know that! But why are you following the reaper's trail? You know that one touch from a reaper could kill you, right?” Mafuyu ignored Ena and continued walking. 

Mizuki took Ena's hand and started dragging her with them, “Let's just follow her! Besides, I really want to see a reaper! I've never seen one before…”

Not having much of a choice, Ena could only go with the other two, grumbling under her breath how idiotic the others were. At one point, Mizuki started teasing Ena, causing the two to bicker loudly.

Mafuyu suddenly stopped, and held up her hand. “Huh? What's– Wow…” Mizuki was in awe as they stared at the sight before them. 

There, in the middle of the clearing, stood a pale girl. Her long hair and the dress she wore were completely white. She held a scythe made of bones in one hand. The grass underneath her bare feet and the trees around her were all dead and had turned completely white.

Mizuki felt chills run down their spine as they looked at the reaper, and Ena whispered fearfully behind them, “We've seen the reaper, let's go.” Mizuki nodded, but Mafuyu seemed reluctant.

Ena tugged on Mafuyu's sleeve, urging her to leave. Although she wasn’t particularly fond of the human who had nearly killed her just a few minutes ago, Ena wished Mafuyu no ill and definitely didn’t want to see her die.

All of a sudden, the reaper turned towards them, making eye contact with Mizuki.

“Oh crap!” Mizuki backed away, preparing to use their illusions to create a distraction for them to escape. However, Mafuyu stepped forward, towards the reaper.

“Hey! What in the world are you doing!?” Ena whispered anxiously but the other girl didn't pay her any heed.

The reaper seemed surprised by Mafuyu's actions and frowned. Mafuyu took another step forward, her boots almost touching the white grass. As she raised her foot, both Ena and Mizuki looked away, fearing the worst. 

After a moment of silence, a soft voice suddenly spoke, “Your friend is fine.” It was the reaper who had spoken.

The two looked back, and just as the reaper had said, Mafuyu was standing on the white grass, alive and well.

“Who are you?” Mafuyu asked the reaper and the pale girl hesitated. She looked at the other two who were standing at one side before finally answering, “I am just a reaper…”

“Your name,” Mafuyu clarified and Ena raised her voice, “Asahina! She's a reaper! Why are you so interested? Get away!”

The reaper flinched at the loud voice and the scythe disappeared, “I don’t mean any harm. I’m sorry about the forest and the animals that were scared off, I can't control my powers that well…”

Ena was not expecting an apology from the reaper, and to keep her weapon while she was outnumbered…

Mafuyu took a few steps forward again, repeating herself, “Your name.” Mizuki moved closer to the pair, although they didn't dare step on the grass.

“Hey, Asahina! I think maybe we should just leave her be!” Mafuyu ignored Mizuki and continued walking until she was face-to-face with the reaper. Surprisingly, the reaper smiled and murmured, “You're quite fearless for a human. I am… K.” 

“That's not a name.” Mafuyu frowned. Ena sighed angrily and ran onto the grass, towards the two. “Hey! Ena!” Mizuki shouted after her and after a moment's hesitation, ran after her as well. Ena grabbed Mafuyu’s arm and tried to pull her away, but the other girl wouldn't budge.

“Come on Asahina! Let's go!”

K extended her hand before pulling it back, “You should listen to your friends. It's not safe to be around me.” She turned towards Ena and Mizuki and apologised, “Sorry for causing you two so much trouble. Fairies and hermits already have so much on their plate after all…”

“Hermits?”

Mafuyu whipped around and looked at Mizuki, who immediately backed away. Ena quickly stood between the two as she shouted at the knight, “Don't touch them!” Mafuyu didn't respond, and K seemed distressed.

“Was it a secret? I– I'm sorry. I didn't know… maybe you should calm down a bit…” She placed a hand on Mafuyu's shoulder and the other girl stiffened. Ena and Mizuki were in shock, expecting to see the knight crumble into dust, just like the fairy tales had said.

K seemed to realise what had happened and quickly removed her hand, speaking panickedly, “S-Sorry! I can control my powers right now but I shouldn't have done that…”

Mafuyu turned her attention away from Mizuki and looked at K, commenting, “You're strange. What kind of reaper apologises?” K shrunk back under Mafuyu's scrutinising gaze as she mumbled, “My mentor always said that I apologise too much…”

“Anyway I'm sorry for causing so much trouble. I'll take my leave now.” K was already shuffling away when Mafuyu called out to her, “Your full name, K.”

K looked down at the white grass and said softly, “I don't remember it. I only remember a letter, K. Sorry.” Ena stared in shock at the reaper and asked incredulously, “How can you forget your name?”

“I just… did. Sorry–”

“And stop apologising!” Ena interrupted, causing K to yelp. Ena immediately felt bad, she hadn't meant to scare the other girl. Mizuki suddenly appeared behind K, surprising her. Ena hadn't even noticed them move.

Mizuki patted K’s head lightly, “It's alright K! Also why are you here in this forest?”

“Mizuki,” Mafuyu said, and Mizuki looked away. Their hood was down, revealing their horns.

“Yeah, why are you here? I thought reapers only collect souls,” Ena asked, also curious as to why a reaper was here. 

“Ah, I'm trying to find something,” K mumbled and Mafuyu suddenly asked, “Is it your memories?” K nodded and fidgeted nervously, with Mizuki's hand still on her head.

“We'll help you!”

Ena’s eyes widened at Mizuki's words and just as she was about to interject, K smiled and asked, “Really?”

Faced with such a hopeful expression, Ena couldn't bear to say no. Surprisingly, Mafuyu beat her to the punch and replied, “Yes, we will.”

“Huh? I mean… Asahina, you're a human and…” Mizuki trailed off, it was obvious that they didn't want Mafuyu to be with them. Mafuyu cocked her head as she challenged Mizuki, “And? It's my own decision. Besides, I'm not interested in hermits. I was only surprised. I wasn't going to attack you.”

Mizuki laughed nervously, “Ah! I see, I guess it's fine then… What about you, Ena?” The other three looked at the short fairy and she huffed reluctantly, “Sure, why not?”

K smiled gratefully, “Thank you, you three.” 

“Well then, let's get out of this forest! By the way, I'm Akiyama Mizuki! The gloomy knight is Asahina Mafuyu, and the angry fairy is Shinonome Ena! Now, show us the way out, Ena~” Mizuki excitedly introduced the others as they hugged K tightly. K wheezed while Mafuyu walked towards Ena, looking at her expectantly.

“Geez, fine… But what was with your introduction?” Ena grumbled and started walking away. The hermit, the knight, and the reaper followed her, their silhouettes disappearing into the shadows of the trees.

Chapter Text

“ Wahoo! We're finally out of that forest! Oh how I missed you, sky! Oh how I missed you, clouds! Oh how I– I don't miss you, trees. And– Ow!”

Mizuki yelped as they rubbed their head. Ena rolled her eyes beside them, “Don't be so dramatic, Mizuki. It was only a light smack.”

“But Ena~” Mizuki pouted and clung onto Ena’s arm, causing the fairy to shake them away angrily. There was a giggle behind them as K remarked, “You two seem quite close for people who only met today.”

Mizuki brightened and puffed out their chest, “That's just the natural charm of the one and only, Akiyama Mizuki!” Ena grumbled something under her breath, causing Mizuki to start teasing her again. 

“Where are we going now, K?” Mafuyu asked the smaller girl. “Ah… I was hoping that we could go to the Tenma Kingdom,” K replied hesitantly.

Mizuki immediately turned around upon hearing K’s words. “The Tenma Kingdom? I've been there! I even have a friend there!” the hermit said excitedly, jumping up and down like a little child who had just been handed a lollipop. 

“You really like the Tenma Kingdom, huh? But why are we going there K?” Ena asked curiously and K looked down at the ground nervously.

“Well, I think my earliest memory was in the Tenma Kingdom. So, I want to go there…”

“Oh right! I almost forgot that we're here to help K recover her memories, haha…” Mizuki grinned sheepishly while Ena jabbed them with her elbow. Her expression shifted from irritation to curiosity as she eyed Mafuyu, “Actually, I want to know why did everyone tag along? I'm just here because the forest is pretty lonely.”

“I'm here because… Well, I have nowhere to go as a hermit…”

“I’d prefer to keep it a secret.”

Mafuyu’s tone made it clear that she wouldn't elaborate no matter what, and the other three decided to let her have her way. 

“So, how exactly are we going into the Tenma Kingdom?” Ena changed the subject as she looked pointedly at Mizuki.

Mizuki frowned as they thought carefully before replying, “Well back then, I could just walk in with my hood up. But security has been increased ever since they found another hermit in the city. I could use my magic to hide my horns but I can't hide all of our… quirks.”

Ena shrugged, “I can just shrink and hide in your cloak. it's those two that are the problem.” K blinked in confusion for a moment before realisation dawned on her face.

“Uh, can't we just get new clothes for the two of us? And possibly shoes…”

Mizuki sighed, “I guess we can. I can see a village in the distance. We can also buy food there. What about Asahina’s sword?”

Mafuyu gripped the hilt of her sword as she replied, “Just say I'm a guard. Villagers won't know the difference between a knight’s and a noble’s attire.” Ena seemed to still have doubts but Mizuki nodded, announcing, “It’s settled then! Let's go to the village! Come on Ena, time to hide, hehe~”

Ena muttered a few curses under her breath before closing her eyes. She suddenly shrunk into a small, flying fairy, no bigger than a butterfly.

“Wow! You're so small Ena!” Mizuki chuckled and there was a squeak from Ena. She was likely speaking but her words couldn't be heard.

“Come on Ena~” Mizuki cooed and Ena tried to slap them, but she was too small, so she ended up giving them a hard pinch before darting underneath Mizuki’s cloak.

“Let's get moving, we shouldn't waste any more time here,” Mafuyu said as she started walking towards the village. K and Mizuki followed, with Ena peeking out of Mizuki’s cloak.

By the time they reached the village, the sun was already setting. “It's getting dark, let's buy what we need and find somewhere to rest. Akiyama, hide your horns, and K, you stay beside me.” Mizuki gave a mock salute to Mafuyu as they pulled up their hood.

The trio, and Ena who was hiding in Mizuki’s cloak, walked into the village. Most of the shops were already closed and the villagers looked at the travellers warily. Mizuki unconsciously touched their hood, unnerved by all of the stares. 

“Ma– Asahina, could I call you ‘Mafuyu’? It feels weird having to call a companion by their last name…”

Mafuyu paused for a few moments when she heard K’s request, but gave an imperceptible nod as she replied, “Yes, all of you may call me by my given name. I will call you by your given names too.”

Ena couldn’t protest without exposing herself and Mizuki had no objections to the suggestion. They nodded and K continued, “Also, Mafuyu, I don’t think we’ll be able to buy anything here.”

The reaper tugged on Mafuyu’s sleeve as she nervously looked around. Mafuyu frowned, “Why not? I have money if that's what you're worried about, K.”

“No, I think I understand what K is getting at. The villagers don't trust us. I can’t blame them either since we do look very suspicious. K doesn't even have shoes,” Mizuki explained and Mafuyu didn't respond, simply giving a nod of acknowledgement. 

“If we can't get food or new clothes for K and Mafuyu then where will we even sleep at this rate?” Ena asked Mizuki, she had flown up to their neck and was now sitting on their shoulder. Luckily, it was almost nighttime, making it difficult for anyone to see her from afar.

“We'll figure something out,” Mizuki whispered to Ena and Mafuyu shook her head, “Aki– Mizuki, be more subtle. Don't turn your head towards Ena when replying to her.”

Mizuki was surprised by Mafuyu's perceptiveness. She definitely hadn't heard Ena, and Mizuki was sure that they had been talking softly. 

“Uhm, there are people ahead. Maybe we can talk to them?” K suddenly spoke up, pointing a bony finger towards two figures in front of them. They were sitting on a wagon, and seemed to be in a conversation.

“It can't hurt to try,” Mizuki said as they ran up to the two figures and Ena immediately hid behind their neck. 

“Hiya!” Mizuki greeted the two strangers enthusiastically and waved at them, hoping to seem less threatening. One had long black hair with blue tips, along with amber eyes. The other had sandy blonde hair and light brown eyes. She hid behind the amber-eyed girl as she looked at Mizuki timidly. She immediately reminded them of K, who was easily spooked despite being a reaper.

“Hello there! You are…?” The amber-eyed girl waved back, although her expression was guarded.

“I'm K.” Mizuki turned their head in surprise and Mafuyu pulled the pale girl behind her. 

“K, huh? Is that your nickname? Uh, I can't really see her…”

The amber-eyed girl tried to get a better look at K but Mafuyu blocked her. “You don't need to see her,” Mafuyu replied coldly.

The amber-eyed girl raised an eyebrow as she hummed, “Is that so? Well, that’s definitely not suspicious! Anyway, I'm Shiraishi An, a travelling merchant! And this is my partner!”

An nudged the girl behind her gently, who reluctantly came out from behind her and said, “I'm A-Azusawa Kohane. It’s nice to meet you…” She looked at Mafuyu’s deadpan expression and squeaked, hiding behind An again.

“I'm Yuki,” Mafuyu introduced herself. Mizuki looked at her, confused and she shook her head, gesturing towards K. Oh, that was right, An thought that K had used a nickname to introduce herself. It would be better if they all used nicknames to avoid any questions about K’s name.

“I'm Amia! It's nice to meet you two! Uh, by any chance, would you two happen to know where we can buy food and clothes?” Mizuki asked hesitantly.

“Ah, most of the shops are already closed.”

Mizuki sighed at An’s response. They had figured as much, but had still been hoping otherwise. “We can give you bread to eat if you want!” Kohane suddenly piped up, feeling bad after seeing Mizuki’s disheartened expression. 

Mizuki brightened at the suggestion, but Mafuyu interrupted before they could say anything, “It's fine, we'll manage. Come on Mi– Amia. We should try to reach the Tenma Kingdom as fast as possible.”

“Oh? You three are going to the Tenma Kingdom too?” An asked and K perked up. “Too? Ah– Sorry…” K immediately apologised when An yelped in surprise.

“It's fine. I almost forgot you were there, haha! Yeah, we're going to deliver some weapons to a few knights in the Tenma Kingdom. We can bring you with us into the kingdom if you want.”

Mizuki ignored the pinches from Ena, who seemed all too eager to accept An’s proposal and shared a look with Mafuyu. They could probably trust An and Kohane but…

Mizuki recalled the last time they had placed their trust in a human. They had been exposed as a hermit and would have been executed if not for their magic, which allowed them to escape in the nick of time.

Mafuyu nodded and Mizuki smiled as they replied, “Sure! Thank you Shiraishi, we really appreciate it!” 

An chuckled as she pointed at her covered wagon, “No problem, Amia! Hop on! We're going to leave soon.”

The group boarded the covered wagon which was full of weapons. Mafuyu moved closer towards the weapons, taking a sword and running a finger across the metal.

Without warning, Kohane suddenly appeared, startling everyone. She held a simple dress, a vest and pants, along with a pair of shoes in her hands.

“S-Sorry for intruding! An said that you might need new clothes. I'll leave them here!” Kohane left the clothes inside the wagon and ran away immediately.

K smiled gently as she mumbled, “It's nice of them to give us clothes.”

“Almost too nice…” Mafuyu muttered warily. Nonetheless, the two took the clothes that Kohane had left and Mizuki turned around.

Ena immediately flew in front of them and crossed her arms angrily, “I hate this arrangement, nobody even acknowledges my existence! You even chose nicknames without me!”

Mizuki chuckled as they teased the fairy, “Well, you can't hide your wings can you? And is that what you're angry about? How funny~”

Ena growled and pinched Mizuki’s cheek. They let out a small hiss of pain in response and grumbled, “Okay fine! What nickname did you want Ena? It wasn't even like we wanted nicknames…”

“I wanted Enanan,” Ena replied and Mizuki grinned. “Okay then, E~na~nan~” 

“Are you two done talking?” Mafuyu interrupted them just as Ena was about to give a snarky reply. Mizuki turned back around and frowned as they commented, “Wow, you two actually look normal.”

K giggled at Mizuki’s shocked expression, “That's great to hear.” Ena flew up to Mafuyu and sat on her sword. “What about this though?” Although Ena was probably shouting, Mizuki could barely hear her words properly. 

“Good point, I don't think you can bring a sword into the Tenma Kingdom without permission,” Mizuki hummed thoughtfully when a new voice suddenly joined in, “You can leave it in the wagon.”

It was An. She peered in and looked around. Ena quickly hid behind Mafuyu. Luckily, An didn't seem to see her. “Really? That's great– Yuki…?” K trailed off, seeing Mafuyu’s dark expression.

“I need a weapon. After all, who knows what will happen in the Tenma Kingdom or even here, in this wagon? Maybe you’ll sell us to a slave trader.”

“Mafuyu!” Mizuki whispered anxiously, but An didn't seem bothered by Mafuyu’s words. 

“You can take one of the daggers in the wagon, we have plenty of spares. Plus, daggers are much easier to hide.”

Mafuyu contemplated An’s words before finally relenting, “Fine.”

She unbuckled her scabbard and tossed it into the pile of weapons. Then, Mafuyu took a sharp dagger and hid it in her boot. An smiled and continued, “Great! By the way, here's some bread!”

She gave them a loaf of bread and Mizuki thanked her. “Is there anything else you want from us?” K asked as An didn't seem to be leaving anytime soon. She smiled and answered, “Your story of course! I need to make sure I'm not accidentally bringing in fugitives!”

Mafuyu stiffened and Mizuki quickly replied, “Oh, we're just a bunch of travellers! Ma– Yuki is our guard, and we're searching for something which happens to be in the Tenma Kingdom, that's all!” 

An seemed dubious but she nodded and smiled. “Ah I see! Well, good luck in your search! Eat up and sleep well!”

An left and Mizuki let out a breath that they hadn't even known they had been holding. It was a good thing that An hadn't asked any more questions.

They broke the loaf into three pieces, and then broke their piece into half. “Come on Enanan~” Mizuki teased the fairy who had come out from her hiding spot. Ena rolled her eyes and flew over to Mizuki, sitting on their shoulder as she nibbled on her piece of bread.

K yawned as she finished her piece of bread. It wasn't much, but at least she no longer felt hungry. “Go to sleep, K,” Mafuyu whispered to her. The reaper was surprised by the girl’s monotone words and smiled gently as she responded, “Thank you, Mafuyu.”

Kohane looked inside the wagon as she spoke softly, “Uh, An told me to tell you all that we're leaving now. We'll reach the kingdom in the morning. Bye!” She darted back to An’s side and the other girl rubbed her back soothingly.

Ena flew down to Mizuki’s hand and curled up, grumbling about the cold. K had already fallen asleep. Mizuki smiled at Mafuyu and closed their eyes too. Mafuyu looked at An and Kohane again, who were driving the wagon. She sighed softly, it would probably be fine for her to trust the merchants. With that, the last member of the odd group also fell asleep.

…

“Rise and shine sleepyheads!” A loud voice sounded as K jolted awake. Mizuki groggily rubbed the sleep out of their eyes, causing Ena to wake up too. Mafuyu was already awake, sitting up alertly. 

An didn't seem to notice the fairy on Mizuki’s hand and explained, “We're almost at the gates. I'll try my best to make sure they don't see you, so don't make any noise, okay?”

Mizuki nodded and gave her a thumbs-up, replying playfully, “You got it boss!” An grinned and left, covering the opening of the wagon with a cloth. 

Ena flew around as she said worriedly, “There's no way she didn't see me.” Mafuyu shrugged, “Maybe she's not that observant. Either way, she didn't say anything about you, Ena. Let's just assume she really didn't see you.”

Mizuki nodded as they gently grabbed Ena and placed her on their shoulder.

“That's right Enanan! Now hush, we don't want to get exposed.”

Ena grumbled inaudible words under her breath angrily and quieted down as the wagon came to a stop.

“Miss Shiraishi and Miss Azusawa, right? You're here to deliver the weapons?” An unfamiliar male voice could be heard outside of the wagon and An replied, “That's right!”

“Alright, I just need to verify the goods and–” 

“Come on, is this really necessary? You know my family has been delivering weapons to the Tenma Kingdom for ages, right? Even Kaito trusts us! Let's just save each other the hassle, shall we?” An’s attempt to convince the guard failed as a hand appeared underneath the cloth, pulling it up slightly. K flinched and moved away, being the closest one to the opening.

“Miss Shiraishi, I have to follow standard procedures. Besides–” 

“Wait, you're new right? Tell you what, just let this one incident slide and I'll put in a good word for you. I know two of your seniors personally, and they're quite high-ranked. How about it? I'll tell the famous Aoyagi Toya and Shi–”

“ THE Aoyagi Toya? Of course, of course, go right in! Have a great stay in the Tenma Kingdom Miss Shiraishi and Miss Azusawa!”

The guard excitedly cut off An and the wagon started moving again. Kohane peeked in and gave a thumbs-up. Although the timid girl was smiling, her hand was trembling. It seemed like the ordeal had frightened her.

Mizuki gave her a thumbs-up back if only to reassure her, and Kohane nodded, leaving the group alone again. “Well, I'm glad it worked out…” K said and Mafuyu nodded.

After a few minutes, the wagon stopped again and the cloth covering the opening was removed. K squeezed her eyes shut at the sudden light and An poked her head inside.

“We're in the kingdom now. There's nobody around so it's the perfect place for you to get off.”

The group quickly got off of the wagon. The area was mostly deserted, except for a few people who were too far away to properly see what was happening.

“Thanks again, Shiraishi and Azusawa!” Mizuki waved goodbye to the merchants who returned the wave. They turned, running towards K and Mafuyu, who had already started walking away.

“They were nice.” Kohane smiled as she watched the trio leave and An nodded in agreement, muttering, “Yeah, I just hope that they won't get into trouble.”

“Is something wrong, An?” Kohane asked concernedly as she followed An into the wagon. An picked up Mafuyu’s discarded scabbard and pulled out her sword.

“They weren't ordinary travellers. Just look at this, Kohane. What kind of guard has a sword that has a family crest on it? Not to mention that fairy…”

An shook her head and sighed, “Ah well, I guess all we can do is just wish them good luck, I suppose.”

Kohane took An’s hand into her own and reassured the other merchant, “They'll be fine, An.” An smiled and squeezed Kohane’s hand.

“Yeah, you're right. Let's get these weapons delivered to Akito and Toya.”

Chapter Text

K looked around, hesitant. All of the houses in the kingdom looked identical to each other, she definitely wouldn’t be able to recognise the one that she remembered.

There were vendors selling vegetables and the street was bustling with people. K felt nervous, she had never been around so many people before.

She tightened her grip on Mafuyu’s arm. The other girl’s presence was strangely comforting, perhaps it was because she never seemed fazed by anything. Mafuyu glanced back at her and asked, “Do you recognise anything, K?” 

K shook her head and Mafuyu nodded wordlessly. She turned her attention back to Mizuki, who they were following since the hermit had a friend in the kingdom.

Meanwhile, Mizuki was busy whispering to Ena, fighting with her over the nicknames. “Come on, Enanan~ I like this nickname, why can’t I call you that?” 

The fairy pinched their neck again and hissed, “You can, if you stop using it every single time I talk to you! It’s starting to get on my nerves!”

There was a sudden nudge and Mizuki turned to Mafuyu, who was now walking beside them. “Keep it down, Mizuki. Same goes for you, Ena.”

Mizuki nodded and Ena stopped talking. K stared down at her feet; it felt weird for her to be walking with shoes.

“Ah!” K yelped as she felt someone bump into her shoulder. Mafuyu’s head immediately turned at the sound and she glared at the ginger who had bumped into K. 

“Akito, I told you that you shouldn’t have ran.”

A blue-haired boy who was clad in all black and had a scabbard attached to his hip scolded the ginger beside him, who was wearing a white uniform and a small white cape. The ginger also wielded a sword and he was rolling his eyes.

“Yeah, I get it, Toya. Hey, sorry about that. I wasn’t watching where I was going,” Akito apologised and K quickly shook her head, responding, “It’s okay, it was just an accident.” 

Mafuyu frowned and said, “Knights should be more careful, no? It’s your job to protect civilians after all.” Akito bristled at her statement and was about to argue with the girl when Toya stepped in front of him and bowed down.

“Oi Toya, what are you–” 

“You’re right, on behalf of my partner and the rest of the knights of the Tenma Kingdom, I sincerely apologise to you. Please do not take this matter to heart. I assure you that we will do our best to keep this kingdom safe.” 

Mafuyu didn’t seem to acknowledge Toya’s apology while K seemed embarrassed by the whole ordeal. Mizuki tapped Mafuyu’s shoulder and whispered, “Mafuyu, just let it go. We shouldn’t get too involved with the knights, especially when you have a fairy and a hermit accompanying you.” Mafuyu nodded and walked away, stating coldly, “Let’s go.”

Mizuki was flustered and looked back at Toya, who was still bowing. Was Mafuyu really going to leave just like that? But seeing the purple-haired knight walk further away with K in tow, Mizuki sighed and turned towards the duo as they apologised, “Sorry about my friend. Thanks for your hard work!” They quickly ran after Mafuyu, not wanting to be around the knights any longer.

Toya finally raised his head and watched as the group left. Akito let out a frustrated growl and scoffed irritatedly, “Tch! Who does that purple hair think she is? I can’t believe she made you do that, Toya!”

Toya shook his head. “I did it of my own volition. It is our duty as knights to protect this kingdom and its civilians. Let’s go and collect the weapons from Kohane and An.” 

Toya turned and started walking away, with Akito grumbling behind him. He looked back at the group one last time, his gaze fixating onto Mizuki, and muttered under his breath, “I have a bad feeling about them…”

“Mizuki, how much further do we have to go?” Ena asked while sitting on their shoulder. There weren’t many people around, so the fairy had decided to be bolder and was no longer hiding underneath the cloak.

“Just a bit more! Hey Mafuyu, why were you so rude to those two knights?” Mizuki asked the girl behind her, who was holding onto K’s hand.

Mafuyu, who had been silent since meeting Akito and Toya, answered, “They bumped into K. They should have been more careful, that’s all.” 

Mizuki frowned, sensing that there was more to the story but decided to leave the matter alone. “What about you, K? Are you alright? Did you get hurt?”

K, who had been admiring her surroundings, squeaked at the sudden question.

“Ah, I’m fine. It was just a small bump…” she mumbled and Mafuyu seemed to pull her slightly closer to herself. Mizuki couldn’t blame her for doing that since K seemed quite frail for a reaper, and made them want to protect her. They were quite sure that even the wind could blow K off of her feet.

“Hey Mizuki, is this it?”

They turned at the sound of Ena’s voice. They had reached an old house, it was located along the outskirts of the kingdom and was mostly surrounded by trees. 

“Yeah! This is where Rui lives! Well…” Mizuki hesitated. The inside of the house was dark and not a sound could be heard.

“It doesn’t look like anybody lives here,” Mafuyu said and walked up to the front door. “Wait Mafuyu, it doesn’t seem like anybody is inside, shouldn’t we–”

“It’s unlocked,” Mafuyu interrupted K as the door creaked open. Mizuki peered inside, the house was completely silent. They could even see a layer of dust on the wooden floor.

“I guess he moved,” Mizuki murmured and frowned. Ena, seeing their troubled expression, asked worriedly, “So we don’t have anywhere to go to?” Mizuki nodded and her face fell. 

K rubbed the back of her neck and said apologetically, “I’m sorry. If only my memory was better…”

Mizuki shook their head and comforted the reaper, “It’s fine, K.” Mafuyu closed the door and started walking back towards the town.

K grabbed her hand and asked concernedly, “Mafuyu? Where are you going?” Mafuyu tilted her head and gestured to the nearby town as she answered, “I thought it would’ve been obvious. We need food, so I’m going to go buy something to eat. Towns should have taverns too, in case we need somewhere to spend the night.”

Ena flew to Mafuyu’s side and raised an eyebrow as she interrupted, “It’s great that you finally have a good idea for once, but we need money.”

Mafuyu took out a pouch and shook it, the coins inside clanking loudly against each other. “I told you before, I have money.”

Ena narrowed her eyes as she questioned the knight, “How do you even have that much–”

Before she could finish, Mizuki grabbed Ena and placed her back on their shoulder, whispering to her, “Let’s just go along with it, okay?”

Ena rolled her eyes and sulked quietly. Mizuki patted her head and took Mafuyu’s and K’s arms, dragging them along with them.

 “Off to the town!” Mizuki cheered while K let out a weak “Yay” and Mafuyu sighed.

“Wow! This food is really good!” Ena exclaimed as she took a small bite of Mizuki’s sandwich. They chuckled at the fairy’s reaction and said teasingly, “I told you so!”

Mafuyu glanced curiously at Ena and asked, “Does your appetite grow smaller when you shrink?” Ena shrugged as her wings fluttered behind her, “Yeah, it does. Would be nice if I could go back to my original size during the day...” 

“Rui could probably help you! He’s a great alchemist! He made something for me to help me hide my horns without the hood before!” 

Ena raised an eyebrow and snapped angrily, “Yeah sounds nice and all, but your alchemist friend is missing!” K spoke up as she fiddled with an apple core, “We’ll find your friend Mizuki. Don’t worry.”

She smiled gently and Mizuki brightened as they replied, “Yeah you’re right, K! I shouldn’t listen to pessimistic Ena!” 

Ena gasped exaggeratedly and was about to retort something when Mafuyu interrupted, “I’m surprised you need to eat, K.” 

Mizuki blinked in surprise and giggled, “That’s so random Mafuyu! Still, I’m surprised too! I didn’t know that reapers needed to eat.”

K looked down at the apple core and said shyly, “Ah well, we are still living beings so…” Ena frowned as she asked disbelievingly, “Really? I heard that there’s a reaper who eats souls!”

K shivered at that thought and muttered, “I don’t think there’s a reaper who does that…” 

Mizuki moved closer to K, earning themself a glare from Mafuyu, and asked, “Then, what can reapers do K?”

“Ah… uhm… we can make anything that comes into contact with us die when we want to. Sometimes we can release a deathly aura that kills anything in a certain radius. But that’s only when we have strong emotions, or just good control over our powers…” K mumbled as she squirmed uncomfortably.

“Anything else? What about your scythe?” Ena flew around K, trying to see how she hid her scythe.

“The scythe? It’s just a normal weapon. We don’t really need to use it. I’m not good at wielding one anyway…”

“Do you have any other power?” Mizuki asked as they leaned in, their eyes sparkling. Mafuyu also moved slightly closer, unable to hide her own curiosity. 

K hesitated and averted her eyes as she replied, “No, that’s all.” Mizuki and Ena shared a look, it was obvious K was lying. Just as Ena was about to press for more details, Mafuyu suddenly asked, “What about you two, Ena and Mizuki? What powers do you have?”

Ena flew around as she grumbled, “Boring powers for me. Flying, shrinking… Oh yeah, I can talk to animals, but that’s it. Being a fairy is so boring!”

Mizuki smirked and asked teasingly, “Oh? Is Enanan embarrassed because of her powers?” Ena turned red as she punched them, although it didn’t hurt at all because of her small size.

Mizuki grinned and placed Ena back on their shoulder as they answered, “I can create illusions! Though there’s a limit to the number of illusions that can exist at one time. And the more there are, the shorter they will last.”

K smiled as she said, “That’s nice. What about you Mafuyu?” Mafuyu frowned, asking confusedly, “What do you mean K? I’m human, I have no powers.”

Ena sighed and helped clarify, “She means your skills, obviously. Since you’re a noble and a knight, you probably have some amazing skills, right?”

“Oh, I see. Well, I’m good at sword fighting. I also practice archery. I have some experience with using daggers… Oh right, there’s also the spear and–” 

Mizuki held up a hand, cutting off Mafuyu. “Okay, so basically, you can use every weapon?” Mafuyu nodded in affirmation and they suddenly had an idea.

Mizuki turned to K excitedly and she shook her head immediately, understanding what Mizuki wanted. “No, only reapers can wield my scythe. Anyone else would… die.”

Mizuki sighed disappointedly and Mafuyu stated, “I don’t know how to use a scythe anyway. Nobody fights with them except for reapers.”

“Still, I wanted to see a scythe in action! Oh wait! I’m sure a shop here sells scythes!” Mizuki perked up and Ena asked incredulously, “Why would anyone be selling–”

Before she could finish, Mizuki had already grabbed her and placed her on Mafuyu’s shoulder. “I’m going to find a scythe for Mafuyu, see you later!” Mizuki waved as they dashed off. Ena glared at Mafuyu and she shrugged, “I didn’t tell them to find a scythe.” 

K looked at Mizuki’s fleeting figure and asked worriedly, “Should I go after them? What if something happens?”

Ena huffed angrily as she crossed her arms, “No, leave that idiot be.” K reluctantly nodded and looked back down at her apple core, fiddling with it again.

“Scythe, scythe, going to find a scythe~” Mizuki hummed happily to themself as they skipped down the road. Most shops were selling food, and so far the only weapons they had seen were from blacksmiths, and they doubted that the blacksmiths made scythes.

They passed by a shop that was selling odd parts and pieces of discarded items. Mizuki chuckled to themself as they looked at the items on display, “I wonder who would even buy those.” 

A certain purple-haired alchemist appeared in their mind and they stopped in their tracks. Didn’t Rui always go out to buy some weird parts from a shop in this town? Mizuki had even tagged along a few times.

They entered the shop. It was filled with all sorts of things; the sort of things that Rui would bring back. 

“Oh? Hello there!” A man who seemed to be in his mid-forties waved and beckoned to Mizuki. They walked towards the man and he smiled at them, “What can I do for you, youngster? Oh hey, aren’t you Rui’s friend?”

Mizuki hadn’t expected the man to remember them and laughed sheepishly as they nodded, “Yeah! That’s me! I’m surprised you remembered.” 

The man grinned and puffed out his chest, “Ha! I’m not that old! The name’s Sora Hashimoto, by the way! Any friend of Rui’s is always welcome here! So, what do you need? Spare parts? I have a very interesting model that was left behind…” Sora started rummaging through the drawers and Mizuki quickly stopped him.

“It’s fine, Mr. Hashimoto! Uh actually, I went travelling for a little while and I’ve returned from my journey. I was looking for Rui but his house was empty,” Mizuki explained and Sora nodded thoughtfully as he remarked, “Ah! I was wondering where you had gone! Rui was appointed as Royal Alchemist months ago, so he moved closer to the royal palace.” 

“Oh, wow… Royal Alchemist… He really deserves it.”

Mizuki smiled, they had always known that Rui was gifted. Not only gifted, but kind too, having let Mizuki stay in his house for two years despite knowing that they were a hermit and he could’ve gotten into trouble. They were slightly surprised though, since Rui was more of an inventor than an alchemist, but maybe he had changed his area of interest since they had last seen him.

Sora nodded and pulled out a map. “Here’s his house. You can take the map with you, just don’t tell Rui about it. I don’t want to lose my only customer.” 

Sora winked and gave the map to Mizuki. They bowed and thanked him, “Thank you Mr. Hashimoto! I’ll be leaving now!” Sora nodded and gave them a thumbs-up.

“No problem youngster! Stay safe out there! After all, that hermit incident was only 1 year ago!” 

Mizuki’s heart stilled at the mention of the hermit incident. They forced a smile onto their face and replied curtly, “I will.” They rushed out of the shop, clutching the map. Mizuki looked around nervously, tugging on their hood.

Mizuki had almost forgotten that even though they had spent two years in this kingdom, safe from hunters, hermits were not welcome anywhere. It was the harsh reality of this world.

They held onto their hood as they ran back to the others. Back to the safety and comfort of people who, just like them, were outcasts too.

Mafuyu looked up as she heard footsteps. Ena had fallen asleep on her shoulder and K was lying on the grass, facing away from her. Although she couldn’t see the reaper’s face, she was probably sleeping too.

Mafuyu was reaching for the dagger in her boot when she saw a familiar hood. Mizuki pulled down their hood as they ran up to Mafuyu. She frowned at the hermit.

“It’s dangerous to do that. We’re out in the open.” 

Mizuki gave her a nonchalant shrug in response. “Nobody’s around. Besides, Ena is obviously a fairy. Anyone can see that from afar.”

They looked at Ena and K and asked, “Are both of them sleeping?” Mafuyu nodded and looked at the paper in Mizuki’s hands.

“What’s that? Don’t tell me that’s a scythe.”

Mizuki grinned and unfolded the paper. “Even better! A map! I know where Rui is living right now!”

That was the first piece of good news in a long time. Mafuyu stood up, accidentally waking Ena up as she walked towards K, gently shaking her awake. K’s eyes opened blearily while Ena flew towards Mizuki, irritated.

“Huh? Mafuyu? What happened?” K groaned as she stood up shakily while Mafuyu supported her. “Yeah! You better have a good reason for waking me up!” Ena complained as she jabbed a small finger towards Mafuyu. 

Mizuki tried to pacify her as they held up the map, “Whoa! Let’s all calm down and gather around me, okay?”

Mafuyu and K walked over to Mizuki’s side while they started explaining, “I met a man who told me where Rui lives, and he lives near the royal palace!” Mizuki pointed at a big castle on the map and then moved their finger to a small area beside it. 

“His house should be here! If we go now, we can probably reach before the sun sets!” Mizuki continued and K brightened, “That sounds like a good plan.”

Ena frowned as she asked sceptically, “Are you sure we can trust the man who told you that?” Mizuki sighed, “Come on Ena! Must you really be suspicious of everything? Yes! He’s a trustworthy man, I met him before I left the kingdom!” 

Mafuyu suddenly spoke, “Trustworthiness aside, how are we going to get to Rui’s house? Because from what I see, we have to go through the city square. And there’s a high chance that either Mizuki or Ena will be caught there.”

K’s expression fell, “Mafuyu’s right…” Mizuki quickly reassured her as they pointed at a couple of trees along the outskirts of the city, “It’s alright! We just have to go through the trees here. There’s a path there that’s meant for tourists so that they can enjoy a… scenic view but barely anybody ever goes there. If we take this route, we should be able to avoid meeting anybody and reach Rui’s place safely. It’s longer but I used to take this path a lot so we won’t get lost.”

“That sounds convincing… I’m in,” Ena begrudgingly said and Mafuyu nodded, “I’m in too.” K looked away guiltily, “You’re doing so much. I feel bad…” 

Mizuki lightly patted her shoulder, “It’s alright K! I want to see Rui too anyway! So… you’re in?” K nodded and Mizuki grinned, “Alright! Off we go! To Rui’s new home!” Ena sighed as she hid herself while Mizuki pulled up their hood, “Please think of better journey names.”

The two started bickering again while Mafuyu and K trailed behind them, listening in quietly to their arguments.

“Ah!” K yelped as she tripped on another root, Mafuyu caught her again before she landed on the ground. 

Mafuyu sighed, “Mizuki, you could’ve told us that there would be a lot of vegetation.” Mizuki laughed nervously as they jumped over another root, “I kinda forgot about it. Besides, I’ve never had a problem with it before!” 

Mafuyu brushed a leaf from her hair as she suddenly picked up K, carrying her bridal style. The smaller girl squeaked in surprise as Mafuyu continued walking. “It’s for the better, K,” Mafuyu said emotionlessly while K nodded, her cheeks flushed from embarrassment.

Mizuki giggled while Ena peeked out from underneath their cloak, and barely managed to dodge a falling leaf. “Never mind, I’m staying inside,” the fairy muttered as she hid back underneath Mizuki’s cloak.

Mizuki suddenly spotted a house in the distance and ran excitedly towards it. Mafuyu started running too, somehow keeping up with Mizuki while also carrying K in her arms. 

Mizuki sighed in relief as they entered the clearing that the house was in, “Finally! We’re here!” Mafuyu set K down gently, supporting the short reaper who was dizzy from being carried while running.

“At least the lights are on,” K remarked, relieved that she could feel the ground underneath her again. Mizuki nodded and knocked on the door. There was a moment of silence when the door opened, revealing a purple-haired boy behind it. 

He had a blue streak in his hair and a small ponytail as well. He also wore a grey suit and a small black cape. He raised an eyebrow when he saw Mizuki.

“Mizuki, I never thought I would see you again. I see you’ve also brought along… companions.” He looked warily at Mafuyu and K. Mafuyu narrowed her eyes and scrutinised him in response. 

“Ah! Don’t mind them Rui, especially Mafuyu! She’s hostile but really nice once you get to know her… I think! Can we come in?”

Rui flashed his signature Cheshire smile and nodded as he replied, “Of course, friends of Mizuki are always welcome. As long as you don’t break my things.” His expression darkened and Mizuki laughed nervously, seeming to know something. 

The group walked into the house; it was a stark difference from Rui’s old house. It was clean, and full of all sorts of contraptions, test tubes and books. 

“Wow…” K murmured in awe as she observed a purple potion that was on a shelf. Rui chuckled, “Amazing, isn’t it? Now then, I’m Kamishiro Rui, the Royal Alchemist of the Tenma Kingdom. What can I do for the three of you?” 

“Actually… it’s the four of us,” Mizuki clarified and Mafuyu gave her a hard jab but they ignored her. They pulled down their hood and reassured the others, “It’s fine! Rui knows that I’m a hermit. Ena, you can come out now.”

The fairy hesitated but seeing that Rui wasn’t the slightest bit shocked by Mizuki’s horns, she flew out and transformed back to her original size. 

“Finally! I’m no longer small!” Ena stretched her limbs and Rui hummed, “I see. So a fairy too? Anyone else I should know about?” 

The others turned to K and she looked away, mumbling nervously, “Ah, I’m a reaper…” Her voice grew softer with every word and she bit her lip, looking back at Rui hesitantly.

Rui seemed slightly surprised by her words and frowned, “A reaper, huh? Well, that’s fine! Like I said, friends of Mizuki are always welcome! Then, what about you?” He directed the question to Mafuyu and she shrugged, “I’m a normal human.” He turned to Mizuki and they nodded back at him.

“Alright then! Since all of that is settled, how can I help you? I’m surprised you returned Mizuki, I never thought you would come back.” He said playfully as he sat down on a chair, gesturing for the four to sit on the sofa opposite of him. Despite outnumbering the alchemist, his presence sent chills down the group’s spines.

Mizuki grinned, “Me neither Rui! I really thought that goodbye would be our last! But, there’s a small issue we have…”

Rui smiled as he asked, “Oh? Do continue, what could have possibly troubled your interesting group?”

This time, it was Mafuyu who spoke up, “K lost her memories, and she’s trying to find them. Her earliest memory occurred in the Tenma Kingdom, but we cannot find the specific place because she can’t remember it well.” 

Rui nodded, “I see… And you are?” Mafuyu hesitated for a moment before replying, “Asahina Mafuyu. Knight.” He glanced at K, and she mumbled, “K, sorry, I don’t remember the rest of my name…”

“Shinonome Ena,” Ena gruffly said and Mizuki stuck out their tongue, “You already know me, Rui! The one and only, Akiyama Mizuki!” Rui chuckled at their introduction, “Yes, of course. So, you’re helping your friend search for her memories. How is that related to me?”

Mizuki gave him their biggest doggy-eyes as they replied, “Rui, don’t play dumb! You’re a talented inventor and alchemist. And now, you’re the Royal Alchemist! You may be able to help K recover her memories! And besides…” 

“Besides, you four need a place to stay?” Rui finished for them and Mizuki shrugged, “I was going to say you’re my friend.”

Rui shook his head as he laughed, “Good to see you haven’t changed, Mizuki. I’ll help you, it’s quite an interesting situation for me too. I’m sure helping your friend find her memories will be a good learning experience for me…” He trailed off and Mafuyu frowned, “But?” 

“Haha! I see you’re quite perceptive! But, I need approval first.”

Ena asked curiously, “Approval? From who?” Rui sighed and reluctantly replied, “From the Crown Prince, Tenma Tsukasa–” 

“No. Absolutely not. Let’s go.” Mafuyu stood up, and K tried to pull her back down.

“Wait, Mafuyu!”

“Please calm down, Asahina. I can tell that you vehemently oppose my suggestion, but I’m afraid I have no choice. It’s a big thing, especially since it concerns a reaper of all people. Let’s not even talk about hermits, fairies and a knight from unknown origins. You four aren’t citizens of this kingdom either.” Ena looked away at Rui’s words, something seeming to bother her. 

Rui continued, not taking notice, “Please trust me, Tsukasa is a very reasonable person. As long as you hide the fact that three out of four of you aren’t human, he’ll agree. I just need his approval, and then all four of you can stay here in my house too.”

Mafuyu paused as she seemed to consider his words. They did need somewhere to stay, after all. K on the other hand, seemed to panic as she interjected, “Ah, we don’t want to impose…” Rui held up his hand.

“Relax K, you’re not imposing. It’s an offer from me. So, how about it, Asahina? Everything will be fine as long as he doesn’t know that your friends are not human.” Mafuyu relented and sat back down, “Fine.”

Rui brightened, “Great! We’ll go to the royal palace tomorrow to meet Tsukasa. I have a meeting scheduled with him anyway.”

Mizuki suddenly interrupted, “Rui, that’s great but uh… Ena has wings and I have horns…” 

Rui chuckled, “Old friend, do you doubt me? I have a solution, don’t worry. I’m sure you four have travelled a long way, so you can get some rest. I have two bedrooms with two beds in each of them. I trust that you will sort out your roommates yourselves.”

He walked away, entering another room and closing the door. There was an awkward silence and Mizuki cleared their throat, “Well, who wants to–” 

“I’m sleeping with K,” Mafuyu said as she pulled K towards her. K let out a yelp and Ena raised an eyebrow.

“What?” Mafuyu asked, almost defensively and Ena looked away, muttering a quick “nothing”.

“Well then! I guess we’re sharing a bedroom Enanan~” Mizuki nudged her and Ena rolled her eyes, remarking sarcastically, “Oh great, perfect.”

Just as Mafuyu was about to leave with K, Mizuki grabbed her arm and said, “Wait. Before you two go off, we need a plan.”

“Plan? For what?” Ena asked, confused.

“A story for tomorrow, obviously! And I already have the perfect idea!”

Mafuyu shook her head and Ena sighed, “Here we go again.”

“Alright! So K lost her memories, that’s fine so we can just keep the name K! Mafuyu is… a knight from an unknown kingdom. Oh I know! She’s from the Sega Kingdom!” 

“Is that even an actual kingdom?” Mafuyu asked dubiously and Mizuki nodded their head, “Of course! I went there once, it’s near the sea! It’s a small kingdom! If the prince asks you about the kingdom just say that the people there are cursed with terrible luck, especially when it comes to gambling! Okay, next! Ena and I are adventurers who decided to accompany K and we hired Mafuyu as a… guard!”

K smiled, “That’s a convincing story, Mizuki.” Ena, on the other hand, still seemed to have some doubts and asked, “Right… What if he asks how K lost her memories?” 

“K doesn’t even remember that right now. We’ll just say that she forgot that as well.” Mafuyu answered and Mizuki nodded as they exclaimed excitedly, “Okay! Looks like everything is settled! We have our story, and Rui will figure something out for the horns and the wings!”

“So can we go to sleep now?” Mafuyu asked, bored. Mizuki nodded and the knight gently tugged K along with her to their room. Mizuki grinned at Ena and she sighed, “Ugh, I can’t believe I’m rooming with you…”

“Would you have preferred Mafuyu?” Mizuki teased and the fairy punched their shoulder lightly as they walked towards the other room, “Tch no! I can’t stand her. I wanted K but I guess everyone wants to room with her.”

Mizuki pretended to cry as they pouted, “Aw Enanan! So mean! I wanted to room with you!” Ena hit their head playfully and they laughed as the pair entered their own room, closing the door behind them.

Chapter Text

There was a series of rapid knocks as Mizuki opened their eyes groggily. They sat up and glanced at Ena’s sleeping figure across the room.

The knocking didn’t stop and Mizuki yawned as they stood up. “Hold on, we’re coming!” they shouted to whoever had been incessantly knocking on their door. They walked over to Ena and shook her gently.

“Enanan, time to get up~” 

“No, five more minutes…” the fairy mumbled as she pushed Mizuki away, and the hermit sighed, pulling one of Ena’s wings. Ena immediately woke up and snapped angrily, “Who in their goddamn mind–” 

“Whoa, chill, Ena! I was just trying to wake you up!” Mizuki backed away as Ena glared at her, rubbing the wing.

“And of all the things you could’ve done, you decided to touch my wings! They’re sensitive,” she grumbled as Mafuyu opened the door.

“Mafuyu! You can’t just enter our room without telling us!” Mizuki scolded the girl, who wore a deadpan expression. 

Ena nodded as she stretched her limbs. “Exactly! The door is there for a reason, Mafuyu! A reason called privacy! What if we were changing our clothes or something?” 

Mafuyu shrugged nonchalantly as she stated, “You two were taking too long to come out. Besides, I’ve watched you two sleep before; I don’t have an issue with seeing you change your clothes.” 

Ena facepalmed while Mizuki chuckled awkwardly, “You probably have no idea how many things are wrong with that sentence. Anyway, why did you wake us up so early in the morning?”

“Kamishiro said that we have to leave soon and told me to wake you two up. Apparently, his weekly meeting with the Crown Prince occurs early in the morning. He said that we can nap once we come back if we’re still tired,” Mafuyu explained and gestured for Ena and Mizuki to follow her. 

Mizuki walked down the stairs with Mafuyu while Ena trailed behind, grumbling about how it was way too early to be up. “So, how was your night with K? Did you two… do anything? If you catch my drift~” Mizuki teased the stoic knight, giving her a little nudge. Mafuyu didn’t even look at Mizuki as she responded.

“I don’t know what you mean, Mizuki. We just slept. In separate beds, mind you. I don’t know what gave you the idea that something would happen.” 

Ena scoffed at Mafuyu’s words, “Oh please! You’re hogging K! You’re always holding her hand, and you were the one who wanted to sleep in the same room as her! It’s not normal to be so close to someone you only met a few days ago!” 

Mizuki nodded as they cleared their throat, “Yeah, it really isn’t normal, Mafuyu.” Mafuyu stiffened and, after a few moments, replied, “K just happens to remind me of a junior, that’s all. Besides, she seems quite fragile; I’m just trying to protect her.” 

Ena shook her head behind the duo and muttered a “Yeah, right” under her breath. If Mafuyu heard her comment, she didn’t show any signs of it. 

They entered the living room and found K sitting on the couch, squirming uncomfortably in her seat while Rui sat across from her. They seemed to be talking when the trio entered.

Rui waved and stood up, walking towards another room. “Good morning, you three! I’m going to make breakfast. You can sit down while waiting.

As soon as Rui left, K let out a sigh and brightened when she saw the others. Unexpectedly, Mafuyu sat on the other end of the couch, away from K. The reaper seemed disappointed, and Mizuki quickly sat down beside her, greeting her cheerfully, “Hi, K! Did you have a good sleep?” 

Ena groaned as she realised that she had to sit beside Mafuyu. She sat down beside the tense knight and leaned away from her, scooting closer to Mizuki. Said person was busy talking with K, and there was no way that the fairy was going to talk to the gloomy entity beside her. Luckily, Mafuyu didn’t seem that keen to talk with Ena either, staying silent. 

“Hi Mizuki, I think I did sleep well. I’m not sure, to be honest. I’ve never had a sleep schedule  before..." K answered and clenched her fists. Mizuki wasn’t sure what had prompted her to do so, but she had probably recalled a bad memory or something similar. 

They gave her a pat on the back, not daring to do anything else as they feared angering Mafuyu, and reassured the smaller girl, “It’s fine, K! As long as you’re alright, that’s all that matters, right?” 

K smiled, “Thank you, Mizuki. What about you? You have eye bags, so it doesn’t look like you had a good rest.”

Mizuki rubbed the skin under their eyes and anxiously turned towards Ena, tugging her hand, “ENA! Do I have eye bags?”

Ena yelped at the sudden action and asked irritatedly, “Oi Mizuki, what in the world are you–”

“Fufu, it seems like you all are having fun.”

Rui grinned as he came back with 4 plates in his hands. He set them down on a tea table in front of the couch, which definitely hadn’t been there before. 

“The food looks good. It doesn’t seem like it’s poisoned as well.” Mafuyu studied the food presented in front of her, taking out a silver needle and poking the food, observing the needle closely. After a few moments, she nodded and kept the needle back in her pocket. 

“Why do you even have that Mafuyu?” Ena frowned as she asked Mafuyu, and the other girl didn’t reply. Mizuki laughed as they picked up their utensils excitedly, “It’s Rui’s food! He’s excellent at cooking! Sometimes he adds ‘special ingredients’ to make the food even tastier!” 

“Haha! How embarrassing! My cooking is average; the potions I use really help with the flavour, though. Ah, but none of them are poison. Don’t worry about that, Asahina.”

Rui winked at Mafuyu, who didn’t seem impressed at all. “At least you can cook,” K mumbled as she poked a piece of bacon and ate it. 

Seeing that K was fine, Mafuyu also started eating. Ena and Mizuki followed suit, and Rui glanced at the window. “Eat as much as you want, I’ve already finished my portion. Once all of you are done, we’ll head to the palace.”

Mizuki raised their head and asked curiously, “Rui, what about–”

Rui put a finger to his lips and smiled as he responded cryptically, “Don’t worry. I told you I’d settle it.” After a moment’s hesitation, Mizuki nodded and went back to eating the food. 

K was the first to finish eating. Well, she didn’t really finish. There was still some leftover food on her plate, but she wasn’t that hungry. K took her plate to Rui, hesitantly walking up to him. 

“Sorry, I can’t finish your food…” K lowered her head in shame, and Rui shook his head as he took the plate from her hands. 

“Raise your head, K. It’s fine, honestly; I have a use for leftover food anyway!” He hummed as he took the plate into another room at the end of the hallway. It was the same room he had gone into after telling the group about the trip to the palace. 

K stepped closer to the room, trying to see what was inside. She only managed to catch a glimpse of test tubes and a stack of paper when Rui exited. She squeaked as their eyes met and shuffled away. He grinned and said, “I can’t fault you for being curious, K. Besides, this room is just my personal workshop.”  

K nodded, looking away guiltily as Mizuki appeared. “Hey Rui! The others finished their food! I’ll just put this in the sink!”

Rui gave them a thumbs-up, and Mizuki ran off to the other side of the living room, where a stove and sink were located. 

Mafuyu and Ena walked up to K and Rui; there was a noticeable tension between the two girls. K inched closer towards Mafuyu, although she was afraid that the knight might suddenly yell at her. Although the two had been practically inseparable since they met, Mafuyu’s actions earlier made the reaper question their bond. 

What if they weren’t as close as K thought they were? Perhaps Mafuyu had simply pitied her and didn’t really see her as anything more than an acquaintance. Mafuyu glanced down at her, and an unreadable emotion flashed across her face before disappearing as she turned her attention back to Rui. 

Mizuki had returned and was busy conversing with Ena when Rui clapped his hands together, drawing their attention. “Alright! The palace is only a few minutes away, so it’s not a long walk. But, please remember that Tsukasa will only give his approval if he thinks that all four of you are human, which is also why I have these!” 

Rui pulled out two amulets from his pocket. They had fairly simple designs, and an ametrine glinted in the centre of each amulet.

“Wear this around your neck, and your ‘abnormalities’ will be hidden. The amulet will last 8 hours before you need to recharge its magic power. For that, just give it back to me. As for you, Shinonome, this is your temporary amulet. Since wings are bigger than horns, yours will only last 4 hours. But I’m already making a new amulet, so don’t worry about it. 4 hours should be enough for today.” 

He gave an amulet to Mizuki and Ena each. The moment they wore the amulet, Mizuki’s horns and Ena’s wings disappeared, making them look like regular people. Mizuki grinned as they toyed with the amulet. “Thanks, Rui! I haven’t worn this in so long! You’re really amazing! I wouldn’t be able to keep an illusion up for 8 hours!” 

He chuckled, “No problem, Mizuki. Now, Shinonome, I should warn you that just like Mizuki’s powers, this is only an illusion. Your wings are still there, and people will be able to feel them. Mizuki’s horns weren’t a big concern since nobody touches someone’s head out of the blue but…” 

“It’s fine, Kamishiro. I can just flatten my wings against my back.” Ena waved his concerns away, and K murmured under her breath as she tried to find Mizuki’s horns, “This is incredible…” 

Rui laughed at the soft compliment, “Fufu, isn’t it? Now then, let’s get going, shall we?”

There were two knights stationed at the palace’s front doors, standing still with swords in their hands. Mafuyu’s hand twitched reflexively, but she remembered that she had left her sword in An’s wagon.

She let out a soft sigh, causing K, who had been walking beside her, to look at her worriedly. The reaper wanted to talk to the knight, but it almost felt like the other girl was trying to distance herself from her.

One of the knights bowed upon seeing Rui and gave a salute.

“Royal Alchemist Kamishiro. Your presence is always welcome here. But before we can open the doors, I have to know who the other four people behind you are.” 

The knight glanced at the group behind Rui and Ena felt for the amulet around her neck, paranoid. Rui flashed a Cheshire smile at the guard, slightly unnerving the man.

“Oh, they are acquaintances! I’m bringing them to see the Crown Prince. There’s an important matter they need to discuss with him.”

The knight frowned and replied, “I see, but I will still need to see their IDs, or they will not be allowed to enter.” Rui leaned in, using his body to block the other knight from seeing what was happening. 

His voice hardened as he stared at the knight, “I’m a trusted friend of the Crown Prince, so why don’t you close one eye, hm? I’ll even add something in to sweeten the deal.” 

Rui dropped a few gold coins into the knight’s open palm, and the knight smiled. That was worth 6 months of his pay. The knight nodded as he deposited the coins into his back pocket, and Rui took a few steps back, acting like nothing had happened. 

The knight shouted to his partner, “Let them in!” He turned his attention back to Rui and saluted again. “May you and your companions have a pleasant day!” 

The knight flashed a wicked smile, and Rui smiled back, although it didn’t reach his eyes. The group entered the palace, with Rui leading them, and the doors slammed shut behind them. 

K yelped and instinctively clung onto Mafuyu’s arm, terrified. Mafuyu hesitated, letting her hold on for a few seconds before gently prying K’s fingers off of her arm. She didn’t miss the hurt expression that flashed across the other girl’s face. 

Mizuki ran forward to walk beside Rui, lowering their voice as they spoke, “I saw what you did there, Rui; very sneaky.” Rui nodded as he looked down at his hand and wiped it against his shirt.

“I can’t stand those filthy, corrupt guards. Still, they’re easy to convince with the right methods.”

Mizuki nodded, their expression dark before returning back to Ena’s side, teasing her and starting another argument. 

Rui suddenly held up his hand and gestured towards his lips as they came to a stop in front of a large door.

“This is the meeting room. Your entrance will define Tsukasa’s first impression of you, so we have to make it count. You have to be professional, is that understood?” The other four nodded, and he took a deep breath, pushing open the door. 

“RUI! YOU’RE HERE!” A loud voice shouted as a boy ran up to Rui and hugged him. He had blonde hair with peach tips and wore a white suit with a blue cape. Rui chuckled as he patted the other boy on the back, “Tsukasa, it’s great to see you too.”

Mafuyu suddenly dropped down to one knee and bowed her head down, speaking, “Your Highness, it is an honour to be in your presence.”

Ena realised what was happening and dragged Mizuki and K down too, making them bow their heads. K squeaked in surprise and Tsukasa turned his attention to the kneeling group. 

“YOU BROUGHT OTHERS TOO! PLEASE, STAND UP!” Tsukasa said in his loud voice, causing the others who weren’t used to his volume to wince. 

The group rose as Rui introduced them, “Tsukasa, these are acquaintances of mine. The pink-haired one is my friend, Mizuki. The other 3 are their friends. Although I know this meeting is meant for us to catch up, they have an urgent issue that requires your attention. Also, I think they’d appreciate it if you lowered your voice.” 

Tsukasa laughed sheepishly as he cleared his throat, “Right then! Sorry if my voice was too loud! Ahem, I am Tenma Tsukasa, the Crown Prince of the Tenma Kingdom and a rising star! It’s always nice to see new people! So, what is troubling you?” 

Ena nudged Mizuki forward and whispered, “You were the one who created the story. I can’t even remember my role anymore, so you deal with the prince.”

Mizuki shot a look at Ena and sighed internally. They smiled at Tsukasa and bowed, “It’s an honour to meet you, Your Highness. I am Akiyama Mizuki, an old friend of Rui’s. These are my companions. The purple-haired girl is Mafuyu, the brunette is Ena, and the white-haired girl is K!” 

Tsukasa tilted his head in confusion as he echoed, “K? Is that a nickname?” 

Mizuki shook their head and clarified, “No, K lost her memories. How? We’re not too sure since she forgot that part too! Mafuyu is a knight from the Sega Kingdom that we hired as a guard, and Ena and I are adventurers! We encountered K near the Sega Kingdom and decided to help her!”

Tsukasa laughed loudly, “Ah! The Sega Kingdom! I heard their citizens have terrible luck! I’ve heard many stories about it; you must have had a hard time!” 

Mafuyu nodded stiffly as she forced a smile, “Yes, you could say that being in this group was part of that terrible luck.”

“Oi! What is that supposed to mean?” Ena asked indignantly while Tsukasa laughed again, “Oh! She’s funny! I like your sense of humor! 

Mafuyu quietly muttered that it wasn’t a joke, earning her a jab from Ena. Mizuki cleared their throat, attempting to draw Tsukasa’s attention back to them.

“K’s earliest memory occurred here in the Tenma Kingdom, but we couldn’t find the location and I decided to ask Rui for help since he’s a great inventor and alchemist. He said that he needed permission from you first, though, so we were hoping that you would let him help us!”

Tsukasa turned to Rui for confirmation, and the alchemist nodded back in response. Tsukasa hummed thoughtfully to himself as the group held their breath. After a while, Tsukasa grinned widely at them as he spoke in his normal speaking volume, “OF COURSE I WILL LET HIM HELP YOU!” 

K covered her ears, and Ena rubbed her back soothingly. Mafuyu looked on, her lips drawn into a thin line, but she didn’t do anything. 

Mizuki cheered and ran back to the others excitedly, lightly slapping Ena on the back. Rui held Tsukasa’s hand and whispered, “Thank you, Tsukasa.” 

“Anything for you, Rui!” Tsukasa smiled at him, causing the other boy to giggle. 

“I’ll see you soon,” Rui murmured, and their hands parted. He walked back to the group and chuckled, “Fufu, it seems like everyone is quite happy! Let’s go back now.” 

Mizuki was jumping up excitedly and K seemed slightly overwhelmed by everything. Ena and Mizuki started to fight over something again, while K followed them. Mafuyu trailed behind her and Rui looked back at Tsukasa, waving at the prince one last time before shutting the door behind him. 

“We did it!” Mizuki whooped, and Ena sighed exasperatedly, “Yes, now for the hundredth time, Mizuki, please stop saying that. You’re making people stare.” 

Mizuki pouted, “Maybe they’re staring at Rui! He’s famous after all!” Rui laughed in response, “Not really, Mizuki.”

Meanwhile, K and Mafuyu followed them in silence. Although they were now walking side by side, they weren’t talking. Mafuyu wasn’t holding K close to her as per usual, and the other girl seemed uncomfortable around her. 

Ena looked back at the two and grumbled something unintelligible under her breath before suddenly pulling K towards her. “Talk with the others, K. I’ll accompany this antisocial knight.” Ena told K as she pushed her forward towards Mizuki and Rui. Both K and Mafuyu didn’t seem thrilled at the idea, but it was already too late as Rui roped K into their conversation.

“Why did you do that?” Mafuyu asked the fairy as she watched K, who was flustered by the sudden questions from Mizuki and Rui. 

Ena rolled her eyes as she scoffed, “Oh? You’re suddenly talking now? And don’t act dumb; you’re obviously ignoring K. She probably thinks she did something wrong. Listen, are you actually that affected by what Mizuki and I asked earlier? You really didn’t notice it before we pointed it out?” 

In Ena’s eyes, Mafuyu was obviously being very protective of K, perhaps too much. She couldn’t understand how the knight could’ve been oblivious to what she was doing. Mafuyu shook her head and remained silent, causing Ena to growl in frustration, “Whatever, if you don’t want to talk, that’s fine with me! If you want to hurt K’s feelings, then go ahead!”

Mafuyu stiffened but still didn’t say a word. She looked back at K, who was talking with Mizuki and Rui. She could almost feel K still clinging onto her. Her hands curled into fists. 

“By the way, Kamishiro, thank you for helping me,” K suddenly thanked the taller boy, who blinked in surprise before laughing, “Of course! Like I said, your situation is quite peculiar too, so I can gain some unique experiences from it too!” 

K smiled at Rui’s words and was about to reply when she suddenly felt the air turn cold. It was such a familiar feeling, one that she had nearly forgotten. Nobody else seemed to feel the change except for her. K didn’t want to believe it was what she thought it was. There was no way…

Mizuki noticed K’s fearful expression and shook her gently. “Hey K, is something wrong?”

The other girl shook her head and looked around, almost as if she was searching for something. Mizuki was about to continue when Rui interrupted them, “We’re back! Oh, it looks like she’s here too.”

There was a girl even shorter than K waiting outside of Rui’s house. She had pink hair that was cut into a short, messy bob. There was a white and pink ribbon in her hair, and she wore a dark pink dress with matching shoes. She looked up upon hearing the approaching footsteps and ran up to the group. 

“Rui! WONDERHOY!” The girl greeted Rui as she brought her arms in and spread them out. She had big, sparkling pink eyes and looked at the people behind Rui excitedly. “Wow! There are other people here!” she shouted excitedly and K backed away from the other girl.

“Fufu, it’s great to see you again, 14. I’m helping these people with a small problem they have. Everyone, this is 14; she’s a reaper,” Rui introduced 14 as she surveyed the group.

“Wow! Such a cool group! A human, a hermit, a fairy, and… 17?”

14’s smile dropped when she saw K. The number caused K to take another step back, the white-haired reaper’s entire body was shaking.

14’s eyes softened as she approached K, speaking gently, “17, I’m not here to hurt you! It’s been such a long time since we last saw each other! Luka wouldn’t tell us what happened, but–”

K’s eyes widened in fear when she heard Luka’s name, and she murmured a quick “I’m sorry” before fleeing the scene. 14 was left stunned as she turned to Rui, asking him sadly, “Rui, did I say something wrong?”

14 looked like she was about to cry, and Rui comforted her, “No, don’t worry about it, 14.” He patted her back and eyed the other 3 who were still trying to process what had just happened.

Mizuki nodded and was about to run after K when Mafuyu pulled them back. 

“I’ll go find her.”

Ena’s head turned towards her in surprise, and Mafuyu ignored her, taking off in the direction that K had gone in.

Mafuyu ran through the trees; she could feel the branches scraping against her skin as they left scratch marks, but it didn’t matter to her. Twigs snapped under her feet and leaves rustled as Mafuyu looked around, searching for any sign of K. She should currently be in a forest that was right on the edge of the Tenma Kingdom’s territory, if she still remembered Mizuki’s map correctly. 

She slowed down as she saw a broken branch in front of her. Mafuyu had found it slightly strange that K had not left a single trace while running and had started to doubt whether she was really on the right path. But it was probably some sort of reaper power, since the branch in front of her confirmed that someone had been here.

Mafuyu continued walking forward, hoping that K had run in a straight line, and listened for any sounds nearby. Her ears picked up on a soft noise. Mafuyu looked around, trying to figure out where it was coming from. After a few moments, she turned left and continued walking.

The noise became louder and it sounded like someone was crying. It had to be K. Mafuyu ran forward, and the trees revealed a stream. Sitting beside the stream was none other than K.

Mafuyu sighed in relief when she saw that the pale girl was alright. She walked towards the brooding girl and sat down beside her. K tensed up but she didn’t leave.

“K, are you… okay?” Mafuyu asked the other girl tentatively. She wanted to hold her hand and reassure her, but was afraid that even the slightest touch would scare the reaper away. She wouldn’t be surprised if she really did, especially with how she had treated K earlier.

K shook her head, sniffling as she watched the water flow. Mafuyu could see the tears that were silently flowing out of K’s eyes but chose not to comment on them.

The knight looked down at the stream. Mafuyu’s own reflection stared back at her, a frown on its face. Looking down at her own empty eyes, Mafuyu wondered why K always sought comfort from her when she had never even smiled at the other girl before. Ena and Mizuki were probably better choices than her. 

She had convinced herself that K probably did it because she was a knight and was good at fighting. Mafuyu herself wondered why she had even indulged the other girl. It was true that K reminded her of the junior that she had trained. Her junior had been extremely timid when she first joined the knights.

Despite that, Mafuyu hadn’t actually seen her junior as anything more than an acquaintance. She had taught her junior how to fight, that was it. 

Then, what was K to her? An acquaintance? A friend? Mafuyu looked back at K, who was still absorbed with her own reflection. 

Regardless of what K meant to her, Mafuyu knew she shouldn’t have acted so coldly to her without explaining. Especially since she herself always kept K close to her. 

Mafuyu moved closer to K and placed her hand over K’s. The action caused the other girl to flinch, and Mafuyu didn’t miss how she moved away from her. It stung, but she deserved it. After all, that was how she had been treating K the entire day. 

“K, I’m sorry.”

The other girl, who had stiffened when Mafuyu started talking, looked up at the knight in surprise. She opened her mouth but closed it after a few seconds of silence, averting her gaze. 

It seemed like it would take more than just a few words to repair the relationship between them. Mafuyu had expected this, although she wasn’t good with dealing with other people’s feelings.

“Listen, K, I am really sorry for pushing you away today. I… I realised that how I was acting with you wasn't how I should be acting with someone who I only met a few days ago. So I tried to distance myself from you, but I know I shouldn’t have done that. You don’t have to forgive me; I’m sure you’d have more fun hanging out with Ena and Mizuki. But I will accompany you until the end of this journey; until you find your memories.”

The words spilled out of Mafuyu’s mouth, words that she had kept down as she watched K slowly pull away from her because of what she had done. 

K’s entire body trembled as tears streamed down her cheeks. Mafuyu was stunned, had she upset K again? She pulled her hand away when K suddenly grabbed her hand as she turned towards the knight. 

“Don’t go! I’m… I’m sorry! I thought you were angry at me and I… I forgive you, Mafuyu, I’m sorry… There are so many things that I can’t tell you. I’m sorry for worrying you and the others. I shouldn’t have just run away like that…” K’s sobs intensified as she apologised to Mafuyu. 

Mafuyu’s eyes softened as she held K’s hands. She didn’t understand why K was apologising when it was Mafuyu who was in the wrong. But she also understood that that was the kind of person that K was. 

“I understand, K. I’ll stay here with you no matter what.”

Mafuyu rubbed the other girl’s shoulder as she pulled K closer to her. K sniffed as she tightened her grip on Mafuyu’s hand. “Thank you, Mafuyu. You’ve always been so warm…” 

Mafuyu didn’t understand. Warm? Her? Her given name, ‘Mafuyu’, meant midwinter. Even the nickname that she had chosen when they had encountered Kohane and An meant snow. She had always liked the cold, feeling that it perfectly represented her. How could K possibly think that she was warm?

There were many things she wished to ask the other girl. Instead, only one question left her mouth. “Do you want to stay like this?”

K nodded wordlessly, and Mafuyu obliged her request. K watched the water flow past them silently, and Mafuyu watched it with her. 

At some point, the reaper fell asleep, her head resting on Mafuyu’s shoulder with her cheeks still stained wet with tears. Mafuyu let her rest, only waking the other girl up when the sun had started to set.

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but she hoped that the others hadn’t decided to look for them. It would be troublesome if Mafuyu had to search for more people. She helped K up and led her out of the forest, staying beside her.

K hesitantly clung onto Mafuyu’s arm, afraid that she would be pushed away just like before. But this time, Mafuyu didn’t do anything. K smiled in relief and continued to hold onto Mafuyu’s arm tightly. 

And if K had looked up at that moment, then she would’ve seen the ghost of a smile on the knight’s normally grim face.

Chapter Text

The setting sun illuminated the silhouette of a girl and a man. The girl had long, white hair and the man had grey hair. The man’s skin was deathly pale as he laid on the grass.

The girl was kneeling down beside him. She was crying as she shook the man’s body, but he didn’t move. His face was blurred; she could no longer remember how he looked.

It was going to be dark soon, it would be dangerous for her to be outside all alone. For some reason, she didn’t move. She couldn’t abandon the man.

The girl felt a shiver run down her spine and she looked up instinctively. There was a pink-haired woman walking towards her. She wore a grey dress with black stains at the bottom. She also wore a white hair bow with a grey ribbon tied on the left side of her hair. Her blue eyes seemed to glow as she approached the girl.

“Please! Don’t take him!”

The girl cried out desperately, tears still streaming down her cheeks. The woman didn’t respond as she approached the girl. Out of desperation, the girl hugged the man’s cold body. The woman tilted her head to the side as she stared down at the girl and the man.

The woman knelt down and the girl flinched as the woman reached out towards her. She was prepared to turn into a pile of dust when the woman touched her head, and squeezed her eyes shut. It was the end for her.

The girl heard a chuckle and nervously cracked an eye open. She was still alive, unlike the man in her arms. The woman was smiling at her as she patted her head. “What’s your name?” she asked gently.

The girl hesitated before finally replying, “ ███████ K █████ .” The woman smiled when she heard the girl’s name as she continued patting her head. “ ███████ K █████ is a nice name. I’m Megurine Luka, but you can just call me Luka.”

“You’re not as scary as they say,” the girl remarked and Luka giggled, “I can be scary when I want to be.”

The girl looked down at the man. She still couldn’t see his face. “Are you going to take him away?” She brushed a hand over his blurred face. She knew he was gone, but it was hard to accept.

“Yes, you’re very young, aren’t you? Death is a tragedy, but it is inevitable. It comes for everyone eventually,” Luka said as she gently pried the girl away from the man’s body.

“Even you? I didn’t know reapers could die.”

Luka nodded her head as she placed a hand over the man’s chest. “Yes, even me. Although I just take a lot longer to reach the end of my journey.”

A golden ball of light slowly emerged from the man’s chest as it pulsed in the air. Luka gently took it into her hands as she turned to the girl. “It seems like he was a good man. Do you have any words you’d like to tell him?”

The girl wiped away her tears as she moved closer to the ball of light and whispered, “Goodbye, I’ll miss you…”

Her entire body trembled as she bid farewell to the man’s soul and Luka closed her palm. When she opened it again, the soul was gone.

The girl couldn’t stop the soft sobs that racked her body and Luka placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “It’s alright, let it all out,” Luka soothed the girl as she mourned the dead man.

“Do you have a place to go?” Luka asked the girl, who turned around to look at the house behind her in response. It looked like any other ordinary house, but only grass surrounded it. There were no other houses nearby, and a lonely flag with a pegasus on it laid beside the house, discarded and forgotten.

“No, I don’t,” the girl mumbled as she turned back to Luka. She no longer wanted to be in that house; it held far too many painful memories. Luka nodded and paused for a moment before asking hesitantly, “Then, would you like to become a reaper?”

The girl had not been expecting that at all. It was tempting, she knew that reapers were powerful. But there were also many stories about them. She didn’t want to become a monster. But as she looked into Luka’s kind, blue eyes, she felt safe and warm. The girl nodded wordlessly and Luka smiled. She helped the girl stand up and began to lead her away. 

“You’ll need to do some things to officially become a reaper, but I’m sure you’ll be just fine,” Luka said as she held onto the girl’s hand tightly. The girl cast one last glance at the man’s body, she wanted to give him a proper burial before the animals came for his corpse. 

Luka noticed and gently turned the girl’s head back to the front. “I know there are things you want to do, but to be a reaper, you need to forget your past. And that includes him, okay?”

The girl nodded and a tear rolled down her cheek as she heard the faint cries of vultures in the distance, already approaching their next meal. “I’m sorry…” she muttered, knowing that the man would never hear her words.

K gasped as she sat up. Her entire body was trembling as she clenched her blanket tightly. “Oh, you’re awake.” K looked up, startled by the sudden voice. 

Mafuyu was standing beside her bed, looking down at the other girl. “M-Mafuyu? Why are you…” K stammered as she felt her cheeks turn red. Had Mafuyu been watching her?

Mafuyu suddenly placed a hand over K’s and murmured, “You didn’t seem like you were sleeping well. Was it a nightmare?” K nodded and Mafuyu didn’t respond, simply brushing her thumb over K’s knuckles.

K stared at Mafuyu’s hand. It was comforting to know that Mafuyu cared for her. She involuntarily shivered as she thought about the dream again. It was always the same memory; her first encounter with Luka. It was also the earliest thing that K could recall.

Although K didn’t remember who that man was, she could tell that he was important to her. At least this time, she remembered the house’s surroundings.

“By the way, Kamishiro said that you should go see him in his workshop once you wake up.” 

Mafuyu suddenly broke the silence between the two and K frowned. What did Rui want with her?

“Are you coming?” K asked and Mafuyu shook her head. “He said that it’s a private matter. I’ll just talk with Ena and Mizuki. If they’re awake, that is.”

“Oh, okay then,” K sighed as Mafuyu moved away. She really didn’t want to talk to Rui alone, he was terrifying. And after the previous day’s events, K could roughly guess that he would ask her about the reapers. 

She reluctantly left her room and made her way downstairs. The house was quiet; Ena and Mizuki were probably still sleeping. K walked towards the room at the end of the hallway and knocked on the door. After a few moments, it swung open and Rui greeted her with a smile, “Good morning, K. Please, come in.”

K walked into the room, it was cluttered with all sorts of items. There were some weird-looking toys, test tubes that were bubbling with liquids, and a very ominous skull in a corner.

Rui noticed K’s gaze and chuckled, “Don’t worry. That’s not a real skull. Why don’t you take a seat?” He pointed to a chair and sat down across from it. K hesitantly sat down, looking down at her lap, refusing to meet Rui’s gaze.

“Is something wrong, K?” Rui asked with a hint of concern in his voice, and K immediately shook her head.

“I see…Then, why aren’t you looking at me?”

K stiffened and slowly lifted her head, staring straight into Rui’s yellow eyes. He smiled and said cheerfully, “That’s better.” K was sure he could see her whole body tremble in fear, but he made no comment on it.

“Now then, you probably already know why I called you here, right?” K nodded and answered, “It’s about the reapers, isn’t it?” Rui laughed and hummed to himself, “Hm… not exactly~”

He leaned forward as his expression hardened. “I want you to be honest with me. How is your relationship with the other reapers? I don’t want them to come knocking on my door because of you.”

K licked her lips nervously and looked away as she muttered, “It’s… alright. I wasn’t on bad terms with anyone, I think.”

Rui raised an eyebrow as he frowned, echoing K’s words, “You think?” K fidgeted in her seat uncomfortably as she explained, “Well, I’m not sure about my mentor…”

“Luka?” Rui inquired and K’s eyes widened in surprise. How did Rui know Luka’s name?

“Ah, 14 and 15 have told me about her a few times. She seems to be the mentor of all of the reapers,” the alchemist clarified, noticing K’s shocked expression.

“O-Oh, I see. I didn’t realise you knew 15 too.” It wasn’t that big of a surprise to K though; 14 and 15 had always been quite close, so if Rui knew one he probably knew the other as well.

“And… yes, my mentor is Luka. Or she was, since I left the others…” K mumbled, barely able to hear herself. She just didn’t want to think about her last conversation with Luka.

Rui nodded understandingly and jotted down a few notes as he asked, “I see. 14 and 15 don’t remember their lives before they became reapers too. Did Luka do something?”

“Luka didn’t do anything!” K raised her voice and Rui chuckled. K looked down in embarrassment; she hadn’t meant to be so defensive.

“It seems like you like your mentor though.”

Rui smiled as he spun his pen between his fingers. K nodded and sighed, “Luka is very kind… Besides, erasing memories isn’t her power. It’s probably the Head Reaper who did it.”

“Oh? I was under the impression that Luka was at the top of the hierarchy, but it seems like I was wrong.” Rui ran a hand through his hair as he edited some of his notes. 

“Luka’s the second-in-command but nobody knows who is the leader. Nobody has ever seen them except for Luka, I think.”

K didn’t remember anything about the Head of the Reapers, and although she didn’t have any concrete proof that they were the one who erased her memories, it was the only explanation that made sense.

Rui was deep in thought as he examined his notes. “So your memories were forcefully wiped… I have an idea.” Rui stood up and rummaged through a drawer. He took out a stone and placed it in front of K.

It was a pink opal and was so shiny that K could see her reflection on it. “An acquaintance gave this to me a long time ago. She said that it’s a witch charm. I’m guessing that there’s a spell on you, or something similar at the very least. This stone should be able to break the spell. Just stare at the stone and recall your earliest memory.”

K took a deep breath and followed Rui’s instructions. She stared at her reflection as she thought about her dream earlier.

The pink opal suddenly shattered into pieces and K winced as a sharp, stabbing pain shot through her head. Her ears were ringing and her eyes burned. She could see Rui’s mouth move as he moved towards her, but she couldn’t hear him.

Memories flashed past her; a room behind a stage, a green eye, Luka’s concerned face…

The voice of a man, a gravestone, the laughter of a happy family, a name that was just out of reach.

“Who are you?”

Who was she? Who was K? Who was 17?

“Do you really want to find out, ███████ K █████ ?”

She couldn’t answer the voice. Everything hurt so badly. K just wanted it to stop, she just wanted all of this pain to stop. Please, someone just make it stop–

“K! Snap out of it!” Rui’s voice suddenly brought K back to reality as she panted heavily. “Are you okay?” Rui asked worriedly and she nodded. “What… what was that?” K asked as she tried to calm down; her heart was still pounding in her chest.

Rui glanced at the broken pieces of the stone and sighed, “It seems like whoever erased your memories is more powerful than the witch who created this stone. Sorry, I was careless. Did you see anything?”

“No, everything happened too quickly. But… Kamishiro, do you know of any house that only has grass around it?” K massaged her head, it still throbbed with pain.

Rui shook his head as he gathered the broken pieces. “Sorry K, I’ve never heard of such an area. The kingdom’s territory isn’t that large either. So if there really was such an open area, I’m sure the King would have already ordered for a new village to be built there.”

That made sense, and K wasn’t sure if she could really trust her own memories when someone else had already tampered with them. “I see… Thank you, Kamishiro.” 

Rui smiled, “Please, call me Rui. Anyway, that’s all for now. You should go back to the others. If there are any side effects from the stone, tell me and I’ll see what I can do.”

K nodded and left, gently closing the door behind her. She could hear the others talking loudly in the living room. K walked to the living room and let out a startled yelp when Mizuki suddenly jumped out in front of her.

“Mizuki! I told you not to do that!” Ena exclaimed as she flicked Mizuki on the forehead. They giggled, “But Ena! You should’ve seen the look on K’s face!” Ena scoffed, “What do you mean? She looks like she just saw a ghost!”

Mafuyu immediately rushed over upon hearing Ena’s words and placed a hand on K’s forehead. “Are you alright? Did Kamishiro do anything? You don’t have a fever, but you’re shaking.” Mafuyu frowned and K removed her hand gently.

“I’m fine, Mafuyu. Rui didn’t do anything. I’m still a bit shaken by the nightmare earlier, that’s all.” It wasn’t exactly a lie, she was still slightly unnerved by her dream. 

It wasn’t like K trusted Rui more than the others, but he had experience with reapers. He was even friends with 14 and 15. He understood reapers better, and K didn’t want to involve the others too much. Meddling in a reaper’s affairs was an invitation for trouble.

Mafuyu nodded, although her eyes had narrowed when she heard K call Rui by his given name. “Haha… well uh, how about we go out to buy lunch? It’s on me!” Mizuki announced and K brightened. 

Ena frowned, “Mizuki, do you even have money?” They let out an offended gasp as they stumbled back dramatically.

“Ena! How could you? Of course I do! I visit countless kingdoms and I need money to buy food!”

“As long as you are able to pay for whatever we buy, I don’t see an issue,” Mafuyu interrupted and Mizuki grinned, “Don’t worry Mafuyu! Let’s go and buy lunch then!”

“Ena, hurry up already! We’ve been here for 10 minutes and you still haven’t chosen which cheesecake you want!” Mizuki groaned as they leaned against the wall. Everyone else had already bought their food except for Ena, who was still looking at the cheesecakes displayed in the glass cabinet.

“Shut up Mizuki! You wouldn’t understand! Who knows when I’ll be able to eat cheesecake again? This is a very important decision!” Ena hushed Mizuki as she finally decided on a flavour.

“Major news! Major news! The Annual Royal Family address will be happening in 3 days! Everyone is encouraged to attend!”

A paperboy walked past the group and offered a copy of the week’s newspaper to Mafuyu. The knight glared at the boy in response, causing him to whimper and run away.

Ena sighed as she turned towards Mizuki for coins, “Mafuyu, that’s a child, don’t be so mean.” Mafuyu shrugged while K clung onto her arm.

Ena suddenly spotted two familiar faces walking towards the group. “Crap! Mafuyu, hide your face!” Mafuyu frowned as she looked at Ena, asking confusedly, “Ena, why do I need to–”

“Oi, it’s you three again.”

Ena sighed when she heard the irritated voice. It was too late. Mafuyu turned around and came face-to-face with Akito and Toya. K hurriedly hid behind the fairy, still remembering how Mafuyu had acted the last time. There was no way this would end well.

“You are…?” Mafuyu raised an eyebrow and Mizuki facepalmed. Ena pulled Mafuyu to her side as she whispered agitatedly, “Mafuyu! That’s the two knights that you were rude to!”

Akito frowned when he saw Ena. He squinted at her face and muttered, “So there’s another one, huh?” Ena tensed up when she heard his comment. Her five senses were naturally enhanced as a fairy.

“What do you mean by ‘another one’ ginger?” Ena growled and Akito stiffened at her snarky reply.

“Why you little–” Toya pulled his partner back and sighed. He glanced at Ena, who was also being held back by Mizuki. They waved at him and he just shook his head.

“Toya, let me go! I’m tired of these citizens thinking they can just walk all over us! We protect them! We’re not pushovers!” Akito hissed to Toya and the other knight looked around. There were some people staring at the two of them. Whether that was because of the odd position that the two were in, or because of Toya’s fame was another matter.

“I understand your frustration, Akito. Believe me, these people are giving me a headache too. But our actions will affect the knights’ reputation too. Kaito will punish us if we do anything rash.” Akito seemed to calm down once he heard Toya’s words and nodded. Toya let go of his partner, who dusted himself off.

Ena, who had heard the whole conversation, calmed herself down too. Toya seemed like a reasonable person, Akito on the other hand… That ginger was a pain. He seemed to act on impulse. It would be an issue if they got into a fight with him.

“Let go of me, Mizuki. I won’t attack anyone,” Ena grumbled and after a few moments of deliberation, Mizuki finally let go of her. 

“C-Can we go now…” K whispered and Mafuyu nodded in agreement. Just a moment ago, the knight had been reaching for the dagger in her boot. Now, she was yawning boredly. Sometimes, it seemed like Mafuyu just wanted a confrontation so that she had a reason to fight. Ena just shrugged it off as a side effect of being a knight.

“Hold on. What are your names?” Akito asked and Ena crossed her arms. “Why should we tell you?” For good measure, she even gave him the middle finger. Akito was stunned, who in their right mind was this disrespectful to a knight?

Mizuki coughed and pushed Ena’s hand down. “Alright, that’s enough! We’ll just buy our cheesecake and be on our way. Sorry for my friend, she’s not very well-mannered. The other one too.” Mafuyu frowned while Ena scoffed. She took Mizuki’s coins from their pocket and stormed off into the stall to order her cheesecake.

“Geez, all I wanted was pancakes,” Akito muttered and walked away. Toya followed after him, asking curiously, “You’re not going to buy them anymore?” He shook his head and sighed, “Not while that little fiend is there.”

Toya cracked a rare smile at Akito’s words and the other knight frowned. “What’s so funny, Toya?” The blue-haired boy shook his head and chuckled, “Nothing.”

The front door opened and Rui turned to the four who had just entered the room. “You took longer than expected.” He remarked and Ena groaned, “Ugh! All because of a stupid knight!”

“Oh? Do tell me more~”

“Rui, don’t encourage her,” Mizuki sighed and the alchemist simply smirked back.

“He’s a super rude knight! He’s got a temper too!” Ena complained as she stabbed her cheesecake angrily.

“Weren’t you also rude to him, Ena?” K asked hesitantly and Ena glared at the smaller girl, who immediately flinched in response.

Ena sighed as she ate her cheesecake, “Sorry K. I mean, yeah, I guess I was rude… Hey! Isn’t it all Mafuyu’s fault? She was the one who was rude to them first!”

“What did I do?” Mafuyu frowned and Mizuki chuckled, “Uh, the first time we met them you scolded them and today, you didn’t even remember them…”

Rui laughed as he clapped his hands. The other four stared at him and he grinned as he pretended to wipe a tear from the corner of his eye. “Sorry, I just find it hilarious that Asahina couldn’t even remember the knight. You four are quite the comedians.”

“I wasn’t trying to be funny?” Mafuyu tilted her head to the side and Mizuki shook their head disappointedly. “That was a joke, Mafuyu.”

“Still, that knight was so rude! I could hear what he was talking about with his partner!” Ena huffed angrily and K smiled.

“You two are quite similar,” she murmured and Ena let out an offended scoff. “Us? Similar? Do not compare me with that ginger!” Ena grumbled as she ate another piece of her cheesecake.

“Huh, it’s quite a small slice. I already finished it. Hey Mizuki, let’s share food.”

“What!? Ena, my food is mine!” Mizuki held their box of sweets close to their chest as Ena rolled her eyes. “Come on, I’ll share my next meal with you.”

Rui giggled, “Seems like you all are having fun. I’ll be going out for a little while to buy some ingredients for dinner. I trust that you four will not explode my house while I’m gone?” Mizuki gave him a mock salute as they grinned, “I’ll make sure to keep them in check Rui!”

“Fufu, there’s never a dull day with you around, Mizuki!” Rui laughed as he saluted back. “Well then, I’ll leave everything to you, Mizuki. I’ll be back soon.” He closed the door behind him, and suddenly the room was plunged into silence.

“So, what should we do?” Mizuki asked and Mafuyu answered, “I thought we were going to eat our ’lunch’, if you can even call what we bought lunch.” They had bought the food from a dessert store so the four of them weren’t really eating a proper meal, just snacks.

“It’s… tea! Yeah! We skipped lunch and we’re having tea! But Ena already finished hers so…”

“Oi! I was hungry!” Ena immediately defended herself and K looked out of the window. “It would be mean for us to eat in silence while Ena watches us,” K mumbled and Ena sighed, “That’s why I want to share with you Mizuki!”

Mizuki shook their head as they pushed Ena away. “Absolutely not, Enanan!”

“What about a game then? One we can play while eating? That way Ena won’t be left out.” Mafuyu suddenly suggested, interrupting their bickering.

“That’s not a bad idea Mafuyu! Alright then, we’ll play a game!” Mizuki cheered and Ena frowned as she asked, “What game are we going to play though?”

K was already eating her cupcake when Mizuki grinned deviously, “What about… two truths and one lie? We tell two truths and a lie, and the others have to guess which is the lie!”

K nearly spat out her cupcake when she heard Mizuki’s words. That was a recipe for disaster, without a doubt. Ena nodded thoughtfully and muttered, “I think that would work…”

“Alright then! Enanan will be the first to start!” Mizuki opened their box of sweets and started eating them. Mafuyu offered her cookie to K, who silently pushed it back to her.

“Oi! Why me? Ugh, fine! Uh, I’m a fairy. I hate carrots and I… I don’t have any siblings,” Ena stated and Mafuyu immediately responded, “You have siblings.”

Mizuki clapped their hands in awe as they congratulated Mafuyu, “Whoa! Mafuyu, how did you answer so quickly?”

“Oi! I didn’t even confirm it! And you and K haven’t answered!” Ena protested but Mizuki ignored her.

“Ena was hesitating a lot on the last part. It’s safe to assume that she couldn’t think of a good lie,” Mafuyu explained and Ena sighed as she grumbled, “Yeah… you’re right. Happy?”

“I didn’t know you had siblings.” K commented softly and Ena shrugged as she replied vaguely, “Eh, I have a little brother. We haven’t seen each other in a long time though. I don’t remember a lot about him… Anyway, who’s next?”

K shrunk back when Mizuki’s eyes met hers and just as they were about to open their mouth, Mafuyu suddenly interrupted, “I’ll go.”

Mizuki blinked in surprise but gave a thumbs-up. “Alright, Mafuyu’s next then!” They ate another sweet while Ena quickly stole one from their box and plopped it into her mouth.

“Alright then. I have a loving family, I’ve killed people, and I hate my life.” Mafuyu said in an emotionless tone, leaving the other three stunned.

“I don’t think I want to know which one is the lie…” Ena mumbled as she stole another sweet from Mizuki. K nearly dropped her cupcake and had lost all appetite after hearing Mafuyu’s words. She placed the cupcake down in front of Mafuyu on the tea table.

Mizuki chuckled nervously as they looked around, “Those are… interesting choices. Uh, I’m guessing that you’ve never killed people?”

Mafuyu smiled coldly at them as she replied, “Wrong.” Ena stiffened as she turned away from the other girl.

“I think I’m going to be sick…” The fairy held a hand over her mouth while Mafuyu continued smiling eerily.

“I’m back!” Rui announced as the front door opened. Everyone turned towards him and he hummed, “Well, this is quite a tense atmosphere.”

K stood up shakily as she hurried over to the staircase. “I’ll be taking a nap…” She mumbled and ran up to her room. Ena followed her without a word.

Rui frowned and asked, “What happened while I was gone?” Mizuki shook their head as they walked over to him. “It’s nothing you need to worry about Rui! I’ll help you with preparing the ingredients!” They quickly took the vegetables from him and took the food to the kitchen.

Mafuyu looked down at the cookie in her hand, and the half-eaten cupcake that K had left behind. She hesitated for a moment, her hand hovering over the cupcake.

After a few moments, Mafuyu sighed and picked up the cupcake. She held it and the cookie in her hands as she headed back to her shared room with K.

Chapter Text

“Good morning, you two,” Rui greeted Mizuki and Ena as they entered the living room. There was a plate of chocolate chip cookies on the tea table.

“Good morning Rui!” Mizuki greeted the alchemist back enthusiastically. Ena, on the other hand, ignored the two of them and sat down on the couch. Rui raised an eyebrow and asked, “What’s got you in such a foul mood?”

“I don’t know Kamishiro. I mean, finding out that you’ve been travelling with a murderer is definitely not upsetting at all!” Ena replied sarcastically, causing Rui to frown.

“Whoa, let’s calm down a bit, okay, Ena? Here, how about a cookie!” Mizuki nudged a cookie against Ena’s lips, and the fairy slapped their hand away angrily. The cookie landed on the floor and broke into several pieces.

Rui’s expression darkened as he ran a hand through his hair. “I’ll be in my workshop.” He left without another word and slammed his workshop’s door shut.

Mizuki sighed as they picked up the scattered pieces of the cookie, “Oh geez, we made Rui angry…” As Ena watched Mizuki, she couldn’t help but feel bad for letting others be on the receiving end of her anger, especially since they weren’t the cause of it.

Speaking of the devil, Mafuyu walked into the room at that exact moment. Although Mizuki couldn’t see the knight, they could feel her intimidating presence and froze in place.

“Where’s K?” Ena asked when she saw that Mafuyu had arrived alone. She had been under the assumption that the two had resolved any problems between them previously, but she wouldn’t be surprised if they had gotten into an argument over yesterday.

“She’s still in the room. She doesn’t want to come out,” Mafuyu answered in a monotone voice. Mizuki, who had finished picking up the pieces of the cookie, placed them on the table and frowned. “You didn’t force her to come out?”

Mafuyu narrowed her eyes as she asked back, “Force? What kind of person do you think I am, Mizuki?” Mizuki gulped as Mafuyu glared at them menacingly.

“A killer.”

Mafuyu immediately turned to Ena upon hearing the other girl’s words. “What? Am I wrong? You were the one who told us that you’ve killed people before,” Ena challenged the knight, who remained silent, though it was obvious that she was seething with rage.

“I’ll go bring K out,” Ena muttered and purposely bumped into Mafuyu’s shoulder roughly. The other girl spun around at the action, her hands twitching towards her hidden dagger. But after a moment, she turned back and sat down on the couch.

Mizuki hesitantly moved towards Mafuyu, immediately stopping when the knight suddenly grabbed their arm. “A-Ah? Mafuyu?” Mizuki chuckled nervously, their heart thumping wildly in fear.

“Mizuki. You think I’m a cold-blooded killer too, right?” Mafuyu asked, staring intensely at the hermit. Mizuki squirmed uncomfortably in their seat as they tried to avoid answering the question, “Why would I think that, Mafuyu? Knights are honourable people who–”

“So you do think that I am a psychopath,” Mafuyu suddenly interrupted and Mizuki averted their gaze. They hoped that Mafuyu would at least let them eat a cookie before she killed them.

However, much to Mizuki’s surprise, Mafuyu released her grip on their arm as she looked at her own hands.

“You’re right. Knights are honourable people who should avoid bloodshed unless it is absolutely necessary, such as when fighting in a war. But life is hardly that simple, is it? There are corrupted, wicked people parading themselves as knights. As such, it is rare to find a true ‘knight’ with honour.”

“Then, which are you, Mafuyu?”

Mafuyu simply shrugged at Mizuki’s question, giving a vague answer, “I don’t know who I am.”

Before they could ask her what she meant, Ena returned with K accompanying her. K shuffled towards Mafuyu and sat beside the knight. The reaper noticed Mafuyu’s troubled expression and held her hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

Well, at least it seemed like Mafuyu and K were still on good terms. Mizuki sighed in relief as Ena sat beside them. She picked up a cookie and took a bite out of it. There was an awkward silence in the room, only broken by Ena’s soft crunching.

“So K, why didn’t you come out with Mafuyu?” Ena suddenly asked, and Mafuyu visibly tensed up. Mizuki was also curious too, although K was still friendly to Mafuyu, maybe something had happened between them after all.

“Oh, I didn’t have much energy so I wanted to rest in bed for a little longer…” K mumbled, and now that Mizuki looked closely, the eye bags under the pale girl’s eyes were definitely more pronounced than before.

Ena frowned as she asked worriedly, “You’re having more nightmares?” K nodded but quickly reassured the others, “It’s fine though, they’ll go away soon. Don’t worry about me.”

Mafuyu remained quiet throughout the whole conversation, and just as Ena was about to ask her a question, a door suddenly creaked open. Rui emerged from the hallway with a newspaper in his hand. He smiled when he saw the four of them. “Well, it seems like everyone is up! Perfect!”

Rui placed the newspaper on the tea table and pointed to the headline. “The Royal Family address is happening in 2 days, and I want you four to attend it with me. You don’t have a choice, by the way. I’ll drag you with me if I have to,” the boy explained and Mafuyu frowned as she studied the newspaper.

“It’s not mandatory.” Rui nodded at Mafuyu’s comment and sighed, “That is true Asahina, but it is quite important. They announce many changes, such as territorial expansion and changes to the Imperial Law. If you four plan on living here, it’s best if you know about these things. Besides, this may be your only chance to see the Princess.”

Mizuki’s eyes lit up as they grinned excitedly. “The Princess? Tenma Saki? She’ll be attending?” Rui nodded and K asked hesitantly, “Uh… isn’t she supposed to attend?”

“She is, but due to health conditions, the Princess rarely shows up in public. She had to skip last year’s address, but according to Tsukasa, she’s been feeling a lot better recently,” Rui clarified and Mafuyu cocked her head to the side.

“For the Crown Prince to leak such information to you, you two must be rather close.”

Rui merely smirked and laughed, “Well, I am the Royal Alchemist! Of course I’d be close to the Royal Family!” Mafuyu narrowed her eyes but didn’t respond. Ena, who had been reading the newspaper, noticed that Rui’s fist was clenched and asked curiously, “What are you holding Kamishiro?”

“Ah, right! Now that I’ve informed you about the address, I wanted to give this to you, Shinonome.”

Rui revealed an amulet that looked similar to the one that Ena was currently wearing, the only noticeable difference being that the stone embedded into it was a topaz instead of an ametrine.

Ena unclasped the amulet around her neck and exchanged it with the one in Rui’s hands. “This amulet will last much longer than the previous one. The other functions haven’t changed, it still uses an illusion to hide your wings. But now, you can go out for eight hours, double the time you had previously.”

Rui explained and Mizuki nudged Ena in the shoulder as they teased her, “Wow! Enanan finally doesn’t need to leave early to go back and recharge her amulet~”

Ena rolled her eyes, and she noticed Rui chuckling. “Ah… uh, Kamishiro. Sorry about earlier, by the way.” She lowered her head and apologised to the alchemist, who waved a hand dismissively.

“It’s fine Shinonome, and you can call me Rui. Same goes for you, Asahina. We are all living in the same house, after all.”

Mafuyu shook her head and Rui shrugged. Ena raised her head and muttered, “I see. Thank you… Rui.”

Rui smiled and surveyed the group, his gaze lingering on K for an extra moment, causing the smaller girl to flinch.

“So, what are you all going to do today?” he asked and Mizuki frowned as they asked back, “What do you mean? You’re not going to make us participate in one of your experiments, are you?”

“I think Kamishiro expects us to do what we originally came here to do.” Mafuyu pointed at K, and Mizuki’s mouth formed an ‘O’.  “I completely forgot we were here to help K! Sorry, K!” Ena hastily apologised and the reaper shook her head, mumbling a soft “It’s fine”.

“Fufu, just make sure you come back before your stones run out of power. And of course, please don’t get into trouble,” Rui reminded them and Mizuki nodded, giving him a cheeky smile.

“Don’t worry Rui, nothing will go wrong with me here!”

“That’s exactly what I’m worried about,” Rui let out a faux sigh and Mizuki bristled as they asked indignantly, “Rui! What’s that supposed to– Mafuyu! Let go!”

Mizuki struggled, flailing around as Mafuyu dragged them out of the front door. K and Ena followed the two as the door closed behind them.

“I’m glad you’ve finally found somewhere you belong, Mizuki,” Rui murmured to himself as he retreated back into his workshop.

“Mafuyu, you didn’t have to be so rough!” Mizuki complained as they rubbed their arm. There was a red imprint left from Mafuyu’s tight grip on it. Mafuyu gave an apologetic shrug as Ena asked impatiently, “So? Where are we going to go? These amulets don’t last forever.”

“I vaguely remember an expanse of grass and a house in my earliest memory,” K spoke up, drawing the other three’s attention to her. Mizuki brightened as she remarked, “Oh, nice! You remembered more things!”

Mafuyu frowned. “Do you remember anything else about your surroundings?” K shook her head, wearing a guilty expression on her face. Ena patted her on the back comfortingly as she reassured the other girl, “Don’t worry K, it’s okay!”

Ena scowled at Mafuyu while she comforted K, who glared in response. Mizuki noticed the palpable tension between the two and cleared their throat, attempting to defuse the situation, “Alright then! I have a few places in mind. Let’s go!”

Luckily, Ena nodded and broke off her staring contest with Mafuyu. She walked beside the hermit while Mafuyu and K walked behind the two. Mizuki breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled half-heartedly, “Wow, that could have gone a lot worse.”

“Yeah, thank you for intervening Mizuki,” Ena muttered and Mizuki poked her in the cheek. “Of course! I– Ouch!”

They rubbed their head as they winced and Ena scoffed, “Don’t ever poke me again, or next time you’ll get a bruise.”

Mizuki grinned at the fairy and leaned in as they continued to tease her. K watched the two and glanced at the stoic knight beside her. She wondered, would there be a day when she and Mafuyu would be able to share jokes like that? Probably not, Mafuyu didn’t seem like she even understood what a joke was.

“K, I have a question for you,” Mafuyu suddenly spoke, startling the reaper.

“A-Ah, what is it, Mafuyu?”

“Why did you leave the other reapers?” Mafuyu questioned and K frowned as she replied, “To find my memories. I thought I told you and the others that already?”

Mafuyu nodded and continued, “You did, but there’s more, isn’t there?” K stiffened, so Mafuyu had realised that she had been hiding something. Well, to be honest, she was hiding a lot of things from the others.

“Well, I… I want to see more. I want to explore the world, but I need my memories first. I want to know what kind of person I was, so that I can decide what kind of future I want for myself,” K admitted and Mafuyu seemed to accept her answer.

“What about the other reapers?”

K shook her head as she mumbled, “They don’t share the same desires as me.” Sensing that K did not want to talk about the other reapers anymore, Mafuyu stopped asking her questions, continuing to walk together with the other girl in silence.

“17.”

Luka called out to the white-haired reaper, who spun around. The girl paled upon seeing Luka and summoned her scythe. “D-Don’t come any closer!” 17 shouted, even though they both knew that she was incompetent at fighting.

Luka took a step forward and 17 flinched, shuffling back. At least she knew that she was no match for Luka.

“Why are you doing this, 17? I heard from 15 that you’re planning to leave.”

Luka asked sternly, staring down the younger reaper. 17 looked away guiltily as her entire body shook, but to Luka’s surprise, 17 stopped trembling and she looked back at Luka with a fierce fire in her eyes.

“I want to see what’s outside, Luka! Every time I go down, I’m only able to catch glimpses of human life, I want to experience it! I want to know what life is beyond this empty place!”

17 gestured to the grey landscape surrounding the two. The only objects in the area were random geometric shapes and steel beams that protruded from the ground. There was also a lake nearby.

Luka’s gaze softened as she reached for 17. The girl flinched when the pink-haired reaper patted her on the head. It reminded her of the first time she had met 17 a few years ago.

“I understand your desire ,17. But it’s not empty, 14’s and 15’s theme park is just a few minutes away if you ever feel bored. You’re quite good friends with 3, aren’t you? She always stays in that classroom; it’s similar to school, no?”

17 shook her head as she muttered bitterly, “It’s not the same, Luka.”

Luka sighed, she could tell that 17 had made up her mind. Although the girl was often timid, whenever she set her mind on something, she would do whatever it took to get it. And she was obviously determined to leave the nest and see the world for herself.

Luka retracted her hand as she smiled warmly at 17. “If you truly wish to experience a normal, human life, then I won’t stop you. You’re free to do whatever you want, 17.” 

17 blinked in surprise as she asked in disbelief, “Really? You… You’ll let me do that?” Luka nodded and 17 wiped tears away from the corner of her eyes.

“Thank you, Luka.”

17 bowed and rushed off, disappearing as fog swallowed her up.

Luka smiled, at least 17 would be able to enjoy herself. Now, there was another issue at hand. Luka took a deep breath as she turned around, coming face-to-face with Hatsune Miku.

Miku had uneven, warm grey pigtails and heterochromia; her right eye was green, while the left eye was pink. She wore a white dress with a dark fading red tie. Her white hariness held up a keychain with three keys and part of it had the roman numerals of one to twelve.

Luka forced a smile on her face as she greeted the other reaper, “Miku, how long have you been there?”

“Long enough to watch everything happen, Luka. I knew that you had a soft spot for 17, but I didn’t think that you’d be this foolish,” Miku stated in her usual monotone voice and Luka sighed, “Yes, I did something stupid. So, are you going to punish me?”

Miku tilted her head to the side as she asked, “Punish you? Why? For disobeying my orders? You do that all the time, Luka. It doesn’t matter because either way, 17 will return.”

Luka narrowed her eyes, that sounded like a threat. “Miku, what do you mean?” Luka demanded angrily and the Head Reaper simply turned around and started walking away.

Luka clenched her fist, it would be stupid to try and pick a fight with Miku. She would just have to hope that Miku would watch from the sidelines as usual.

“Luka! Luka!” A familiar high-pitched voice called out to Luka, jolting her awake from her nap. She had dreamt about her most recent encounter with 17 again.

Luka looked up to the short, pink-haired reaper who was skipping happily towards her. 14’s presence alone was enough to make the empty place feel much livelier.

“Fufu, hello 14. I see you’re in high spirits as usual, though I’m surprised to see you here.” Luka smiled at 14 who grinned back at her. 

While Luka was the mentor of all of the reapers ranked below her, most of them didn’t like the emptiness of her area and chose to spend their time in another one of the neighboring areas that Miku had created.

“I came here to see you, of course! Wonderhoy!”

Luka chuckled at 14’s signature line. It was a simple word, but it could light up her day. “Is that so? You have something to discuss with me, don’t you? Come on, spill the beans 14~” Luka laughed teasingly.

“Okay! I saw 17 while I was visiting Rui! I meant to tell you sooner, but then I had to collect some souls… But anyway, 17 is back!” 14 bounced up and down excitedly, expecting Luka to be delighted at the news of her favourite reaper being found. Instead, the senior reaper paled.

If 17 was discovered by a reaper, then it would only be a matter of time until Miku heard of it too. And Miku frequented this area specifically, because it was quiet enough for her to sort out her thoughts, so there was a high chance that–

“You saw 17?”

Luka cursed internally when she heard the dead voice. Where had Miku even come from?

14 frowned when she saw the Head Reaper and replied hesitantly, “Yeah, but who are you?” Miku pulled 14 closer to her and both of her eyes flashed pink for a second. Luka hissed worriedly to the shorter reaper, “Miku! What are you doing?”

Miku held up a finger. She didn’t say anything, but the warning was clear: Luka wasn’t allowed to interfere. The taller reaper bit the inside of her cheek as she took a few steps back, giving Miku and a frightened 14 some space.

“Luka? Who is–”

Miku suddenly interrupted 14 as she held the pink-haired girl’s head in place, “Listen, who I am doesn’t matter. Now, you’re going to answer my questions, okay?” Miku’s eyes flashed pink again and 14 nodded dazedly, her eyes glazed over.

“Where did you see 17?”

“In the Tenma Kingdom at Rui’s house,” 14 replied in a voice that lacked any of her usual enthusiasm, making shivers run down Luka’s spine.

Wait, the Tenma Kingdom? Could it be then that 17 was trying to recover her memories?

Miku seemed to reach the same conclusion as Luka and she sighed tiredly, “I see. Was 17 walking together with Rui, or was she hiding from him?”

“She was talking with him, and a few others too. A human, a fairy and a hermit.”

Miku paused when she heard 14’s answer. That was quite an interesting group of misfits.

Miku let go of 14’s head and commanded, “You may leave now 14. Oh, and one more thing. You never saw me.” This time, Miku’s eyes flashed green and 14 nodded, stumbling back to the theme park.

Miku was about to leave when Luka suddenly grabbed her wrist. “Luka, what are you doing?” she asked in confusion as Luka glared at the Head Reaper.

“That’s what I should be asking you, Miku. Where are you going?”

Miku frowned as she answered, “I thought it was obvious. I’m going to the Tenma Kingdom to bring 17 back.”

“I won’t allow you to do that! 17 wants to experience a normal life!” Luka raised her voice as she tightened her grip around Miku’s wrist.

Miku didn’t even flinch as she stated coldly, “Luka, I don’t think you understand. I’m the Head Reaper, I make the decisions and I call the shots. You don’t get to decide what I will or won’t do. I’m going to bring 17 back, no matter what. Neither you nor 17 have a choice in this matter.”

The grey-haired reaper sighed as she continued, “Besides, I’m doing this for 17’s own sake as well. The longer she stays down there, interacting with non-reapers, the longer her mind will be tainted. She’ll want to know more and more and she’ll continue to meddle with mortal affairs until eventually, she misuses her power. She’s already trying to recover her memories, Luka. You know how badly this could go if I let 17 continue doing as she pleases, especially if she’s around such… unsavoury people.”

Luka hesitated. She knew that Miku was right. Reapers had immense power, which was why the very first rule that the Head Reaper had established was that reapers, no matter what, could never directly interfere with human affairs. And that included their wars. Fighting, giving information, none of it was allowed. If 17 were to break that rule, the punishment would be death.

Luka let go of Miku, who simply nodded, as if she knew how the conversation would play out from the start

 “I trust that you’ll handle the other reapers while I’m gone. And if you make another mistake in my absence… I don’t think I have to remind you what happened to your predecessor, right, Luka?” Without another word, Miku left, letting the fog envelop her.

Luka sighed as she sat down on the cold floor. How could someone who spoke in such an emotionless voice sound so menacing? Well, that was why Miku was the Head Reaper… She hoped that Miku wouldn’t do anything too drastic to bring 17 back.

“Sorry K, I guess I couldn’t find that place in your memories after all,” Mizuki sighed disappointedly as K shook her head, trying to reassure them, “It’s fine, Mizuki. It’s not that urgent anyway.”

They nodded as they murmured, “Still, I wanted to help you.” Ena frowned as she asked tiredly, “What do you mean Mizuki? You’re probably the one who’s contributed the most.”

The hermit immediately perked up at Ena’s words as they grinned. “Well, if Enanan says so~” Ena rolled her eyes as she glanced at K.

“Hey K, why are you so determined to find this place anyway? I get that it’s your earliest memory, but surely there are other places that are easier to find but would still be able to serve the same purpose, right?” Ena asked curiously and before K could respond, Mafuyu stepped in front of her defensively.

“I don’t think we should be asking K that,” Mafuyu cut in and Ena narrowed her eyes, gritting her teeth. “Oh yeah? Who are you to decide that, huh?” the other girl retorted and Mafuyu tensed up.

Suddenly, the knight felt a hand squeezing her shoulder as K stopped the two from arguing any further. “It’s fine, Mafuyu. Besides, you all are helping me… I should be able to tell you this much, at the very least.”

K looked down at the ground guiltily and Mafuyu’s gaze softened. She nodded and moved to the side.

“It’s important to me because I saw a man die there. Or rather, I saw his dead body. I don’t know who he was but he seemed really important to me. I really want to know who he was, because I think it will help me get the rest of my memories back,” K explained and Mizuki hummed thoughtfully, “Any idea on what he meant to you?”

K shook her head. “No, maybe a family member, or somebody else… But, I’m not sure if he was even real. Somebody did erase my memories so I don’t think they’re that reliable. Just take my words with a grain of salt.”

“I see… Also, I think we should be heading back soon. There’s only an hour left until my amulet runs out of power,” Ena suggested and Mizuki’s eyes widened.

“And there’s only thirty minutes left for me! Come on, K! Let’s go!” Mizuki took K’s hand before the other two could react and ran off with the reaper in tow.

“Oi Mizuki! What in the world are you doing?” Ena yelled as she angrily chased after Mizuki. The hermit winked back at her as they slowed down to let K catch her breath.

“I guess we’ll be walking together,” Mafuyu said beside Ena as the other girl sighed irritatedly, “Yeah, how wonderful…”

Mafuyu shrugged as she stated, “I’m not any more happy with this arrangement than you are.” Ena laughed half-heartedly as she replied scornfully, “Right, you just want K, don’t you? I guess that makes sense since she collects souls and you give her those souls.”

Ena followed closely behind Mizuki and K, who were too busy with their own conversation to notice what was going on with the two behind them. Ena was a little scared after saying those words to the knight, if she was being honest. She hoped that Mafuyu wouldn’t stab her in the back, literally.

Mafuyu caught up to her and continued to walk beside her. Ena glowered at her as she asked, “Aren’t you bothered by my words?”

“I am. But I understand why you say those things. It is something that I should expect. I had no reason to kill those people, but I did. I could have settled it peacefully, but I didn’t,” Mafuyu replied in her usual detached voice and Ena sighed, “Right… How many have you killed?”

Mafuyu hesitated for a moment before answering quietly, “2 people; a boy and a woman.” Ena stiffened when she heard that Mafuyu had killed a child. She lowered her voice, not wanting Mizuki and K to hear her.

“Why? Why did you kill them?” Although her voice was soft, Mafuyu could still hear the anger in the fairy’s voice. The knight knew exactly why she had done it, but it wasn’t something she could tell others.

“I was told to,” Mafuyu answered after a few moments and Ena scoffed, “Ha! What a nice excuse. Even if it’s true, you know I’ll never look at you in the same way, right?”

Mafuyu nodded as they walked past a wilting flower. Her gaze was instantly drawn to it; it reminded the knight of herself.

“I don’t expect you to.”

Ena groaned at Mafuyu’s words as she squinted at the other girl, closely scrutinising her.

“I don’t get it. If it’s not related to K, you’re always so cold. But for some reason, that irritates me,” Ena huffed and Mafuyu tilted her head to the side, not understanding what the fairy was angry about.

“Just stop interacting with me then,” she suggested and Ena shook her head.

“Of course you’d say that! As much as I’d like to, we’re still working towards the same goal. So, for now, even though you have blood on your hands… I’ll still talk with you. Let’s just pretend that you never killed people, okay? It’d be impossible for me to work with you otherwise.”

Mafuyu didn’t really understand why Ena wanted her to do that, but was nonetheless satisfied with how the entire situation turned out. She nodded and Ena tapped Mizuki on the shoulder.

“Oi! Everything’s fine now, so let me talk with K for a bit.” Mizuki gasped dramatically, “K? What about me?”

Ena pointed at Mafuyu and Mizuki’s shoulders sagged. “Okay, fine. Just this once,” they mumbled and pulled Mafuyu forward. “Come on, Mafuyu!” The knight pressed her lips into a thin line as her eye twitched imperceptibly.

K walked beside Ena and smiled gently at the fairy. “I’m glad you two managed to figure things out.”

Ena nodded as she complained, “Yeah, even though Mafuyu was making it so difficult! So, what did you and Mizuki talk about?”

K giggled at Ena’s response as the fairy frowned. “Is there something on my face, K?” K shook her head as she murmured, “No, everything’s fine. It’s perfect.”

Chapter Text

The first thing that Ena noticed when she woke up was the empty bed across the room. The fairy immediately sat up and looked around, but the missing hermit was nowhere to be seen. She frowned as she got out of bed. Maybe Mizuki was just in the living room talking to Rui.

Ena walked into the living room and looked around. K and Mafuyu were sitting beside each other as they talked. Rui and Mizuki were nowhere to be seen. Mafuyu immediately noticed the other girl and greeted her, “Good morning, Ena.”

“Good morning,” Ena reluctantly returned the greeting and K turned to her. The pale girl smiled as she waved at her. Ena waved back as she asked distractedly, “Do either of you know where Rui and Mizuki are?”

“Kamishiro is in his workshop. I don’t know where Mizuki is,” Mafuyu answered and Ena sighed frustratedly. Where could Mizuki possibly be?

K noticed Ena’s troubled expression and comforted her, “I’m sure Mizuki’s fine, don’t worry Ena.” Ena nodded and murmured, “Yeah, you’re right, K.”

Just then, the door to Rui’s personal workshop opened. The purple-haired alchemist walked out as he looked down intently at his notebook, causing him to nearly bump into Ena.

“Ah, sorry Shinonome,” Rui apologised and Ena waved it away. “It’s fine, and you can just call me Ena,” she muttered and Rui gave her his signature Cheshire smile as he replied, “With pleasure, Ena.”

Ena huffed in annoyance. Rui and Mizuki were similar in so many ways. The two were quite close friends too… Wouldn’t Rui know where Mizuki was?

“Hey, Rui. Do you know where Mizuki is?” Ena asked and Rui nodded as he responded, “Of course! They left earlier this morning to do some shopping. They mentioned something about wanting to buy some new clothes. Mizuki’s always been such a fashionista after all.”

“Did they go to the city square?” Mafuyu suddenly spoke up and Ena frowned. Why did the knight care about that?

Then, everything clicked into place; the city square was crowded and there were many things that could go wrong there. Not to mention that Mizuki was alone too.

Rui nodded in affirmation and Ena groaned, “Ugh, I’m going to go find them.” K immediately stood up and shook her head. “You’re not going alone, Ena. Mafuyu and I will accompany you.”

Mafuyu frowned; she hadn’t agreed to help Ena. But if K insisted…

“Ah, I’m afraid that won’t do. I want to test something out with you, K. So Mafuyu and Ena will have to search for Mizuki without you, but I’m sure that there’s no problem, right?” Rui interrupted as he raised an eyebrow, almost as if daring the other three to challenge him.

Ena didn’t have any complaints, but the same couldn’t be said for Mafuyu. She held onto K’s arm tightly and said firmly, “I’m staying with K.”

Rui clucked his tongue and shook his head. “This is personal to K, you can’t stay with her.” Mafuyu was about to protest when K tugged gently on the other girl’s hand.

“It’s fine, Mafuyu. You should go find Mizuki, they may be in actual danger. I’m perfectly safe with Rui.”

Mafuyu reluctantly nodded and let go of K. “Let’s go,” she told Ena and left the house. “Oi!” Ena grumbled and chased after the knight.

Rui grinned as he looked at K. “Well then, shall we get started?” K nodded hesitantly as she followed Rui into his workshop.

Mizuki looked through the shop’s products and stopped when they saw a particularly pretty dress. It was light pink and had cute little stars sewn on it. They really wanted to buy it, but they had a budget. That dress was far too expensive for them.

Mizuki sighed as they reluctantly left the store. They would probably have to settle for one new ribbon. They really wanted something new to wear to the Royal Family address, which was in a day.

There was one shop that sold clothes for really cheap prices nearby though. Mizuki used to frequent it as they always felt bad for using Rui’s money to buy new clothes for themself. Sure, the clothes sold there were hand-me-downs, but they were usually in good condition. 

Mizuki turned and started walking towards a street that they were all too familiar with. It wasn’t that far away from the city square, only a minute’s walk away. But there weren’t many shops there so people didn’t go down that street that often. As for the few shops that were still in business, most of them were extremely rundown, not at all enticing to any potential customers.

It was also a really shady street. There were always suspicious people lurking around the shops. Most of them were usually just pickpockets, but sometimes they could get aggressive. Mizuki wouldn’t dare to go to this part of the city alone if they didn’t have their magic.

Mizuki was approaching an alley when they suddenly heard people talking. The voices were coming from the alley. They stopped walking as they listened in. It was probably nothing, but they were curious. If it was a drug deal, it would be problematic. Drugs were banned in the Tenma Kingdom for good reason.

“Do you really think we should be doing this here? Anybody could be listening in.”

It was a man’s voice. He sounded young and also seemed really nervous.

“Shut it. Nobody comes to this street, it’s perfectly fine.”

A deep, gruff voice replied to the first man’s voice. Mizuki shivered as they moved closer to the alley; they had a bad feeling about this.

“B-But–”

“I said shut it. This is going to work. Don’t forget about the money, we’re being paid a lot for this.”

The second man interrupted the timid man and continued, “Just follow the instructions on the paper and remember to bring this along with you too.” Mizuki frowned, they really wanted to know what item they were talking about, but they couldn’t expose themself now.

The first man didn’t reply and asked hesitantly after a moment, “What… What do you think is going to happen? Do you think that they will actually try to–”

“I don’t care, and you should stop asking so many questions. Don’t question the people paying us, understood? Otherwise, you’re going to be the one whose head is on the chopping block next.”

“Yes Sir…” The first man mumbled and the other man continued speaking, “Don’t forget to do it by midnight tonight. The client stressed that we must finish this job before tomorrow.”

Mizuki knew that they had just heard something that they weren’t supposed to hear. They had to leave, now .

They took a few steps back, and accidentally kicked a stone on the ground. It clattered against the ground and the deep voice immediately shouted, “Who’s there!?”

This was bad, really, really bad. Mizuki immediately turned around and fled to the city square. They weren’t sure if they could outrun the two men, but they could still use their magic. Mizuki would be safe once they were surrounded by other people. The men couldn’t harm them once they were at the city square.

Mizuki ran into the bustling city square, but they didn’t stop. They continued running until they were at the very centre of the area. A few people looked at them weirdly but continued on with their own business. Mizuki looked around; they couldn’t see anybody chasing them. 

However, their relief was short-lived when they felt somebody grab their arm. They were doomed. Mizuki would have to use their magic immediately, but they needed to escape from the tight grip first. There was no choice, they would have to kick the man in the shin.

Mizuki spun around and was about to deliver a hard kick when they noticed who they were looking at. They were face-to-face with Mafuyu and Ena.

“Eh?” Mizuki was confused, what in the world was happening right now?

“It’s great to see you too, Mizuki. Mafuyu, let them go.”

Mafuyu nodded and let go of Mizuki’s arm. They chuckled as they tried to ease the tension from their body, “I didn’t expect to see the two of you here! Are you shopping too?”

Ena rolled her eyes as she scoffed, “No, we’re here to make sure that nothing bad happens to you. You’re in a crowded place, alone .” Ena stressed the last word and Mizuki gave her a sheepish smile.

“But it all worked out, didn’t it? I’m completely fine! Oh, where’s K, by the way?” Mizuki asked curiously. It was strange to see Mafuyu alone without the other girl.

“Kamishiro wanted to test something out with her, so she couldn’t come,” Mafuyu stated, her arms crossed. Although she wore the same dead expression as always, she seemed to be irritated.

Mizuki chuckled, “That does sound like Rui! Oh right, since the three of us are here, why don’t we buy some new clothes for ourselves and K? Unless you want to show up tomorrow in those drabs~”

Ena bristled as she snapped angrily, “Excuse me? You better count your days, Mizuki!” Mafuyu shrugged as she said, “I don’t mind buying new clothes.”

“Alright! Just to check…you two do have enough money for us, right? I don’t have much money on me right now.” Miz uki fidgeted with their hands nervously and Ena sighed, “Yeah of course, isn’t Mafuyu rich anyway?”

Mafuyu took out her pouch of coins in response and Mizuki hastily stuffed it back into the knight’s pocket. “Not here, Mafuyu! There are thieves!” they hissed and the other girl simply said, “Oh.”

Ena ignored the two and started walking off, calling out to them, “Hurry up or I’m leaving without you two.”

“Wait up, Enanan!” Mizuki dragged Mafuyu along as they ran up to Ena. The other girl rolled her eyes and started asking the hermit questions about what they were doing, which eventually led into an argument between the two.

Mafuyu listened to them silently, she missed K right now. The other girl’s quiet and calm presence was comforting. She wondered what the reaper was doing now with Rui.

“Breathe in, now think about who you met when Luka brought you to the Reapers’ base.”

There was a pause as Rui gave K some time to think, before continuing, “Now breathe out.”

K audibly exhaled as she opened her eyes. Rui looked at her expectantly and the girl shook her head.

Rui sighed as he stood up, brushing the grass off his clothes, “Well, it was worth a shot. It’s really hard to figure out how to undo the magic that was used on you if I don’t even know what kind of magic it was.”

K nodded as she looked down at the grass. “Sorry I couldn’t help more, Rui,” she apologised and Rui dismissed it. “It’s fine, K. Come on, let’s go back to the house.”

K stood up and Rui observed the shorter girl for a few moments, making the reaper uncomfortable. 

“Uhm, is something wrong?” K asked concernedly and Rui smiled as he shook his head.

“Ah, sorry for that K. No, everything’s fine. Although, I am curious… whatever caused you to lose your memories, it was the Head Reaper’s personal ability, wasn’t it?”

K froze as she blinked in surprise. She didn’t even bother feigning ignorance as she stuttered, “H-How did you k-know that?”

Rui chuckled as he reminded K, “Did you forget? I’m friends with 14 and 15. 14 can make her smile blind someone, literally, and 15 can summon a miniature version of herself.”

K sighed as she mumbled, “Right, I forgot about that.” Rui giggled as he repeated his question, “So, was it caused by the Head Reaper’s personal ability?”

“I suspect so,” K admitted and Rui hummed thoughtfully to himself, “A reaper’s personal ability is far more powerful than regular magic, isn’t it?”

“Well… Yes, but it has its limitations. There has to be some way to undo it,” K said a bit too quickly, afraid that Rui might give up on helping her recover her memories altogether.

The alchemist grinned as he replied, “Yes, I’m sure there is a way to undo it. I will still help you, K, you need not worry. But I have to ask, what is your own ability?”

K looked away and seemed reluctant to tell Rui. The boy noticed and quickly continued, “You don’t have to tell me, if you wish to keep it a secret.”

“It’s just embarrassing,” K muttered and sighed. She clenched her fist and opened it after a few seconds, revealing a yellow carnation in her palm.

“I can make different kinds of carnations, which give whoever is in possession of them small boosts in their passive abilities. This carnation increases agility,” K explained and then scoffed to herself, “It’s such a useless ability, isn’t it?”

Rui shook his head as he placed a comforting hand on K’s shoulder. “It may not be as useful as other abilities, but I think it suits you quite well. I’d be more surprised if you had a combat-related ability instead of this. Besides, the carnation is quite pretty, at the very least.”

K nodded as she looked down absent-mindedly at the yellow carnation. “It is, isn’t it? I’ve always liked carnations,” K remarked as she closed her hand again, causing the carnation to disappear.

“Carnations are beautiful flowers. It’s starting to get dark, shall we get going? The other three should be returning soon.”

Rui started walking back to the house and K stumbled as she tried to catch up to him.

The alchemist chuckled when he saw that K was already panting and commented, “You really aren’t fit at all, especially for a reaper.”

“Well, reapers don’t normally have to run…”

Rui’s smile only widened at K’s words. However, seeing how embarrassed K was, he decided to change the subject.

“So, how are 14 and 15 like when they’re doing their ‘duties’?” K frowned as she tried to recall how 14 and 15 normally acted.

“I think 14 is always happy no matter what, and 15 always seems a bit serious.” K finally answered and Rui nodded, satisfied.

As they reached the front door of Rui’s house, somebody suddenly shouted from behind, “Whoa! Is that Rui and K?”

Mizuki ran up to the two, ignoring Ena’s protests as they shoved the bags that they had been carrying into her hands. K smiled at the sight of the energetic hermit and greeted them, “It’s good to see you, Mizuki.”

“Hehe, I’m happy to see you too, K! I have a big surprise for you!” Mizuki had a mischievous grin on their face, and K suddenly had a bad feeling about the surprise.

Ena and Mafuyu caught up to the trio and K smiled at Mafuyu, who nodded back. “Mizuki, I think you should tell K about your surprise inside the house,” Rui suggested with a knowing look on his face, eyeing the bags that Ena was carrying.

Mizuki nodded enthusiastically and dragged K into the house, while Mafuyu and Ena followed them.

“Alright! Drumroll please! K, I got you… a new dress!” Mizuki announced as they took one of the bags from Ena and revealed a white dress. K paled as she backed away.

“Mizuki, I don’t need new clothes. I don’t need that dress–”

“I am not letting you go to the Royal Family address in those clothes, K! Now, you have to try this dress! Come on!” Mizuki held onto K’s arm firmly as they started walking to their room, with the unwilling girl in tow.

K feebly struggled as she desperately tried to stop Mizuki. “Mizuki, there really isn’t any need to do this! Mafuyu, please tell them that I don’t need new clothes!” K pleaded and looked at the knight with hopeful eyes.

Mafuyu simply gave her a thumbs-up, and didn’t make any move to stop the hermit. K was still left stunned when she was pulled into Mizuki’s room and the door closed behind her.

“Fufu, I’m sure K will like that dress,” Rui giggled and Ena rolled her eyes as she sarcastically replied, “Oh, yeah. Definitely.”

“Well, I’m going to make dinner. Would you two like to help me?” Mafuyu shrugged as she said, “I don’t mind.”

Ena shook her head as she sat on the couch. “Count me out, I can’t cook at all.” Rui nodded and headed to the kitchen, with Mafuyu walking behind him.

Not even a few minutes later, there was a loud clang from the kitchen as Rui loudly cursed.

“MAFUYU, STOP TRYING TO SET MY HOUSE ON FIRE! AND THAT’S THE WRONG KNIFE!” 

Chapter Text

K woke up groggily and yawned as she sat up. The sun had already risen and rays of sunlight shone through the window.

“Good morning, K,” Mafuyu said and K turned to the other girl. “Good morning, Mafuyu. You look…different,” K greeted Mafuyu back and frowned as she studied the knight intently.

“I changed my clothes,” Mafuyu responded and K blinked in surprise. She really had changed her clothes. The other girl was wearing a grey suit with black pants, and was even wearing white gloves on her hands.

“You look good,” K complimented and the corners of Mafuyu’s mouth lifted slightly. “You should change too, the others are already waiting for us,” Mafuyu said as she pointed at the white dress that had been folded neatly and was sitting at the foot of K’s bed.

The reaper sighed as she reluctantly nodded, “I guess I should. I don’t want to keep everyone waiting. Mafuyu, could you…”

Mafuyu nodded, understanding what K wanted. She stood up and left the room, gently closing the door behind her.

After a few minutes, the door opened, revealing a stunning beauty behind it. K’s hair was plaited into a braid and there was even a small hair clip that kept part of K’s fringe in place. Mafuyu hadn’t seen K in the outfit before, so she was speechless. Luckily, her expression didn’t change, so she managed to hide her shock from K.

“How do I look?” K asked embarrassedly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, which caused Mafuyu’s heart to beat faster.

The knight cleared her throat as she answered, “You look ethereal.” K instantly blushed at Mafuyu’s words as she stammered, “Y-You really think s-so?” Mafuyu nodded and the reaper’s cheeks turned even redder. K quickly turned away as she descended the stairs, mumbling, “Let’s go.”

Mafuyu followed K, her eyes glued to the other girl. K looked gorgeous, and Mafuyu could admire her all day. Although, she wondered what Mizuki had been thinking when they bought this dress for K. The dress looked more like a wedding dress rather than something you’d wear to a formal event. Not that she was complaining.

“See? I told you Rui! They’re here!” Mizuki nudged the alchemist playfully who chuckled in response, “Yes, I can see that, Mizuki.”

Everyone was in new clothes. Rui wore a white suit and a black cloak with a hood; Ena wore a yellow dress and had a pink flower in her hair; and Mizuki wore a pink dress with white frills.

“Hello,” K greeted the other three and Ena waved at her. “Hi K and Mafuyu!” Mizuki jumped up from the couch excitedly as they greeted the duo.

“Fufu, since everyone is here, we can go to the city square now.” Rui stood up and Ena sighed as she complained, “I really don’t want to go.”

“Hehe~ Stop being so lazy Enanan or you might get fat!” Mizuki teased the fairy, who instantly glared at them as she retorted, “Funny that you’re the one saying that, since you’re the one who always eats all of the food!”

Mizuki raised their hands up as they defended themself, “Hey, I like good food! As long as it isn’t hot, of course.” Ena rolled her eyes and Mafuyu asked impatiently, “Are we going?”

Rui nodded and opened the front door, smiling as he said, “Ladies first~” K was the first to exit, followed by Mafuyu, then Mizuki, and finally Ena who was dragging her feet.

Rui laughed as he watched the four of them talk with each other. They were really close despite having only met about a week ago. Rui looked up at the sky, he couldn’t see a single cloud.

He smiled to himself, today was going to be perfect. With that thought, he closed the door behind him.

The city square was crowded as people constantly pushed against each other. Hundreds of thousands of people were gathered in the area, standing before a podium that had four thrones on it, waiting for their occupants to arrive.

Although the thrones weren’t that extravagant, it was obvious who they were for. The Royal Family had yet to arrive, even though the address was supposed to start soon.

In the centre of the crowd was an odd group that attracted the stares of those around them: a hooded, purple-haired boy; a white-haired girl who hid behind another girl with short, purple hair who glared at anyone who looked at them for a tad too long; a pink-haired person and a brunette who were bickering loudly.

“I’m telling you Ena, spicy noodles are the best!” Mizuki argued and Ena hissed back, “And spices are expensive! A cheaper option is noodles with seafood!”

“That’s also expensive! What are you– Hey!” Mizuki turned around angrily when they felt someone elbow them. There was barely any space to even move in the crowd.

The old man who had jabbed Mizuki hushed them irritatedly and pointed to the front. They turned and saw the Royal Family walking towards the podium. The family was flanked by guards on both sides.

A tall man strode confidently towards the podium and a slightly shorter woman accompanied him. The man had blonde hair with pink tips while the woman had light blonde hair. The man wore a crown on his head and the woman wore a tiara. There was no doubt about their identities; they were the King and Queen.

Mizuki could see Tsukasa walking behind his parents. Walking beside him was a girl with pink eyes and long, blonde hair with pink-colored tips in large, fluffy twin tails.

The hermit turned to Rui, who had his hood up to hide his identity, and asked excitedly, “Rui, is that the Princess?” Rui nodded and K tiptoed as she tried to get a better look at the Royal Family.

The Royal Family walked up the podium, with the King and Queen sitting in the two centre thrones while their children sat beside them in their own thrones. A brunette with brown eyes and a grey-haired man with green eyes stood beside Tsukasa and Saki respectively.

Mizuki frowned and Ena, who had noticed their troubled expression, whispered curiously, “Is something wrong, Mizuki?”

They shook their head as they replied, “No, nothing’s wrong. It’s just that… normally it’s Meiko and Kaito who stand on the podium with the Royal Family, but it seems like Kaito was replaced with someone else.”

“Ah, right, I forgot to tell you. Some people were upset that the Commander of the knights was standing with the Royal Family instead of the other Royal Advisor, Kawashima Kou. So the Royal Family replaced Kaito with Kawashima even though he’s been serving them for years,” Rui explained to the confused hermit, and then pointed to a blue-haired man standing beside the podium.

Kaito wore a grey shirt with black pants and had a small black cape hanging on his shoulders. There was a sword attached to his hip as he stood perfectly still, a stoic expression on his face.

“Those people are stupid,” Mafuyu interjected bluntly and Rui chuckled, “Perhaps you’re right.” 

“It’s starting,” K spoke softly as the King walked to the front of the podium, his yellow eyes surveying the crowd. The King smiled as he boomed, “Good afternoon to all of my citizens!”

K and Ena winced as they covered their ears. The King was even louder than Tsukasa, but it also made sense. Like father, like son.

The people cheered as the King continued, “Today is a very special day! It’s the one and only, annual address! Of course, I don’t want to bore all of you with all of the laws yet, so I’ll let my son, your future ruler, speak first!”

The King nodded to Tsukasa and the prince stood up, taking his father’s place at the front. Tsukasa breathed in deeply as he prepared himself.

“Good afternoon everyone! I am the Crown Prince, Tenma Tsukasa, and I am delighted to be standing here and delivering this speech to you!” Tsukasa yelled and everyone clapped their hands. Mafuyu pulled K closer to her, noticing the reaper’s scrunched up face at all of the noise.

“Thank you for your enthusiasm, everyone! Let us celebrate yet another year of peace! We must value these calm days, for who knows when they will be taken away from us? Also, I’m sure that you’ve all noticed a very special person who has decided to accompany us today!” Tsukasa looked over to his younger sister, who waved at everyone and the people all cheered.

Saki looked away, flustered at the overwhelmingly positive reception from the people. Tsukasa laughed loudly as he continued, “Citizens! I have said everything that I needed to as your Crown Prince! Now. Now, let us hear a speech from my dear sister to warm your hearts!”

Tsukasa bowed as he sat back down on his throne. Kawashima Kou extended a hand to Saki, who gracefully took his hand as she stood up. And in that instant, the whole group felt that something was wrong.

Ena saw the Royal Advisor’s face twitch as his eyes narrowed with her enhanced eyesight; Mizuki noticed the glint of metal as the man reached for his sleeve; Mafuyu suddenly felt the air grow cold as if something bad was about to happen; and K felt the familiar call of a soul that would die soon.

Kou pulled out a dagger from his sleeve and brutally stabbed Saki in the chest. The princess stood in shock for a moment as she stumbled back, looking down at the dagger and the blood that was quickly soaking her garments. Saki fell down as she lost consciousness.

The King and Queen immediately stood up in surprise while Tsukasa rushed to his sister. Guards ran up to the podium as they tried to apprehend the advisor, with Kaito pinning the man down and holding his sword to the traitor’s throat. Meiko looked around frantically as she yelled for a doctor.

Meanwhile, below the podium, the people were in chaos. Some were outraged at the blatant act of betrayal and were asking for Kou’s head, while others were confused and still trying to process what had just happened.

Rui pulled down his hood while Mizuki turned around and asked him, their tone betraying their distress, “Rui, what in the world is happening right now?”

The alchemist shook his head as he hissed, “I have no idea, but it isn’t safe to be here anymore. You four need to leave, now.”

“What? What about–” Ena was suddenly cut off as the advisor screamed from the top of his lungs, struggling against Kaito’s firm hold, “Listen to me everyone, and listen well! This is the will of the Hinomori Kingdom! This is war!”

Kaito immediately slapped a hand over Kou’s mouth, muffling the man’s shouts. But it was too late, the damage had already been done.

The people were panicking now after hearing the man’s words. They all clamoured in confusion as people rushed to leave the city square. The knights were trying their best to contain the crowd, but there were far too many people. Mizuki winced as people jostled them.

K clung onto Mafuyu for dear life while the group tried to stay together. “You four have to leave! I need to help Tsukasa! If the Hinomori Kingdom is really declaring war on the Tenma Kingdom, you’re only going to attract unwanted attention from the enemy if I travel with you!” Rui yelled, but Mizuki still seemed reluctant to leave.

“But–”

“Leave, now! Mizuki, use your power to get past the guards! Asahina, keep everyone safe!” Rui instructed and Mafuyu nodded, dragging the other three away with her.

K struggled against the purple-haired knight as she shouted to Rui, “Wait! Rui, you can still save the Princess! She’s not dead yet!” The reaper couldn’t see a soul hovering over Saki’s body, so the princess still had a chance.

Rui nodded as he smiled gratefully at K, then the alchemist turned and ran towards the podium, the crowd immediately swallowed his figure.

Mafuyu led the group out of the horde, past the guards and into another street. The street was completely empty, without a single soul in sight.

There was an awkward silence between the four of them when Mafuyu finally interrupted, saying blankly, “That was unexpected.”

Ena scoffed in response, “Yeah, obviously. Who would expect an assassination?”

“Attempted assassination. The Princess isn’t dead,” K corrected Ena who nodded as she muttered, “Right. Yet.”

Mizuki, who had been silent, chuckled half-heartedly, “Let’s be more optimistic, okay?” Their voice lacked their usual energy and even they didn’t seem convinced that Saki would survive. A stab to the chest was a life-threatening injury, after all.

“We should leave. We can’t hang around here for any longer, it’s too dangerous,” Mafuyu said, trying to change the subject. Ena nodded as she agreed, “You’re right. Who knows who else is working for the Hinomoris?”

Mafuyu tensed up at Ena’s words and turned to Mizuki.

“Mizuki, please lead us out of here.”

The hermit’s head shot up when they heard the word ‘please’. They had never heard Mafuyu say that word before.

“No problem, follow me.”

Mizuki forced a smile onto their face as they walked away. The other three followed them silently, nobody was in the mood to talk after what had just happened.

Even when they arrived back at Rui’s house, the silence still remained. K and Mafuyu returned to their own room without a word to the other two, while Ena went back to her shared room alone.

She didn’t pester Mizuki, she didn’t ask why they weren’t coming back. No witty remarks, no irritated comments. The fairy simply shut the door, leaving the hermit alone in the living room.

They sat down on the couch as they waited anxiously for Rui to return. They fidgeted with their hands as they looked out the window, watching the sun set.

After what seemed like an eternity, the front door finally opened. Mizuki immediately got up to greet Rui, who looked exhausted and wore a solemn expression.

The two locked eyes with each other, Mizuki’s hopeful eyes meeting Rui’s dejected eyes, and the alchemist shook his head.

Inside a castle, a girl in a white dress climbed up a spiral staircase. She had short, scruffy grey hair and green eyes. The girl finally reached her destination and knocked on a wooden door. After a few moments, a light and airy voice called out, “Come in.”

The girl pushed open the door and entered the room. A taller girl stood inside the room, looking out the window as she admired the night sky. She had wavy, light blue hair and light blue eyes to match. There was a beauty corner near the right corner of her lip and a tiara on her head.

“Shii! I’m so glad to see you!” the light blue-haired girl exclaimed excitedly as she ran over to Shiho, patting the other girl on the head.

“It’s nice to see you too, Shizuku,” Shiho responded stiffly as she gently pushed Shizuku’s hand away. Shizuku seemed disappointed for a moment, before she brightened and asked, “So, why are you visiting me at such a late hour?”

There was no way Shizuku was unaware of why Shiho was here. The news had spread like wildfire through the kingdom: Shizuku had declared war on the Tenma Kingdom. It wasn’t like Shiho hadn’t known about the plan beforehand, but that didn’t mean she agreed with Shizuku’s actions, and she hadn’t even known that her sister wanted to assassinate one of the Tenmas.

“You know why I’m here, Shizuku. You want to declare war on the Tenma Kingdom? Okay, fine. It’s not a good decision, but you’re the Queen and who could possibly defy you? But why did you have to pick Saki? You could’ve picked somebody else!”

Shiho questioned the other girl agitatedly, her frustration obvious. Even though she was talking with the Queen, and could easily be killed for her words, she didn’t care. She wanted to know why Shizuku had decided to harm Saki.

Shizuku tilted her head to the side as she replied, “I knew you wouldn’t be happy about this… We had to work with the circumstances and Saki ended up being the most convenient target. I know you’re upset Shiho, but your girlfriend won’t die! The Tenmas have plenty of doctors.”

Shiho bristled as she hissed, “So? I heard that she was stabbed in the chest . Can you really be sure that she’s going to live? And why are you even doing this, Shizuku? Has all of that power gone to your head?”

Shizuku’s gaze softened as she sighed, “You won’t understand, Shiho. It’s necessary for our survival to eliminate the Tenmas. They’ve been harbouring animosity towards us for ages; if we don’t attack first, it’s only a matter of time until they do. At least, like this, we’ll have months of preparation beforehand and have a higher chance of winning this war.”

Shiho frowned as she considered Shizuku’s words. She had been under the impression that the relationship between the two kingdoms was good, but it was possible that the Tenma Kingdom didn’t like their bigger neighbour, especially since their territory was slowly shrinking every year.

Shizuku noticed that the other girl was still having doubts and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as she reassured Shiho, “Shii, I’m telling you the truth. Remember, I love you and this kingdom a lot. I’m doing this for good reason. Don’t you trust your big sister?”

Shiho faltered at the last few words as she looked away. She did trust Shizuku; the older girl had cared for her since they were children. Even after their parents had died in an accident and Shizuku had to step up as the new ruler at the mere age of 15, she still managed to find time to check in on how Shiho was doing.

“I do trust you, so I hope you’re right about this,” Shiho sighed as her shoulders sagged. She would give her sister the benefit of the doubt. Shizuku beamed at Shiho’s words, “Don’t worry, Shiho! And Saki will be fine!”

Shiho nodded as she thought of the blonde girl. If Shizuku said that Saki would be alright, then she had nothing to worry about, right? She would trust Shizuku’s words. For now.

Part I: Angel’s Trumpets

Fin.

Chapter Text

Mafuyu was sitting on her bed when somebody suddenly knocked on the door. She had a vague idea of who it was since Ena and Mizuki were never awake this early.

The knight opened the door, and as expected, Rui stood before her. “Kamishiro,” Mafuyu greeted the alchemist politely and Rui smiled back at her.

“Asahina, sorry to bother you at such an early hour. I have something important to tell you. Let’s talk in a more convenient place, shall we?”

Rui’s eyes flickered over to K’s sleeping form and Mafuyu nodded. She quietly closed the door behind her and followed Rui to his workshop.

“What did you want to talk to me about?” Mafuyu asked the taller boy, who was sifting through a stack of papers on his table. After a few seconds, he fished out an envelope and turned to Mafuyu.

“Tsuka– The Crown Prince has requested for you to report to the palace as soon as possible for a special task. You can’t refuse, by the way,” Rui informed Mafuyu and handed the envelope to her. It had the seal of the Tenma family so the girl doubted that it was fake.

“I see, I’ll leave immediately then.”

Mafuyu kept the envelope and cast Rui a quick once-over. The dark circles under the alchemist’s eyes were prominent, and his hair was tousled. She hesitated for a moment before asking Rui, “How is the Princess?”

Mafuyu could care less about how the Princess was faring, and was really asking only out of obligation. But, she also felt slightly guilty, seeing how fatigued Rui was.

Rui gave her a weary smile as he replied, “She’s alive, for now. Her condition is still quite unstable though.”

Mafuyu nodded, not really knowing what else to say. It was such a sensitive topic. The knight cleared her throat as she turned towards the front door. “I’ll be leaving now, Kamishiro.”

She didn’t look back to see Rui’s reaction and closed the front door without another word.

By the time Mafuyu arrived at the palace, the sun had already started to rise. She was ushered into a room by the guards and they closed the door behind her, leaving Mafuyu alone with Tsukasa.

The Crown Prince was looking through several parchments when he looked up, noticing Mafuyu’s presence. “Ah, you’re here,” Tsukasa sighed in relief as he set down the papers in his hands.

Compared to Rui, Tsukasa was an absolute mess. His eyes were bloodshot and his outfit was wrinkled, with his cape hanging on one shoulder only. It wasn’t a fitting image for the kingdom’s future king.

Mafuyu bowed and Tsukasa chuckled half-heartedly, “Please, raise your head.” The usual energy in his voice had disappeared and although Mafuyu had only met him a few times, she felt that it was far too weird to hear him like this.

“I’m sure you’re wondering why I summoned you here today. You probably know that the Hinomori Kingdom has declared war on us, right? I happened to recall that you are a knight from the Sega Kingdom, so I wish to request something from you. I hope that you can spar with our knights so that they can gain more experience and be more exposed to different kingdom’s fighting styles.”

Mafuyu frowned at Tsukasa’s explanation. Mizuki’s lie had somehow dragged her into this situation… How annoying. Tsukasa noticed Mafuyu’s disgruntled expression and hurriedly added on, “You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to! It’s just… I hope that you will help us, please!”

Well, it wasn’t every day you had a prince pleading to you for help. Mafuyu would feel bad if she turned him down now. The knight shook her head as she answered, “It’s fine, I’ll do it. I’ve never fought a knight from your kingdom either, so it’ll be a useful experience for me too.”

“Thank you!” Tsukasa thanked her and broke into a smile. It was the first piece of good news that he had heard since the attempted assassination.

“A guard will bring you to the training grounds, good luck!”

Almost as if on cue, a guard entered the room, gesturing for Mafuyu to follow him. She followed the guard as he led her out of the room and to a large, open area.

There were many knights gathered in the area, and Mafuyu recognised a few of them: Akito, Toya and Kaito. The knights had been busy practicing with wooden swords, but had stopped upon noticing Mafuyu’s presence. They muttered amongst themselves as they looked at the new face warily.

Kaito walked to her and looked her up and down. “So you’re the one that is going to fight the rest of my knights?” he asked and raised an eyebrow, almost as if he didn’t believe that Tsukasa had really chosen her, out of all people, to spar with his knights.

Mafuyu nodded and Kaito pressed his lips into a thin line, sighing as he gestured to a bunch of wooden swords on the ground.

“Take any of them and we’ll start immediately.”

As Mafuyu selected her practice sword, Kaito clapped his hands together and announced to the rest of the knights, “Everyone, we’ll be sparring with a knight from another kingdom today! Do your best and try to learn something from this experience!”

Mafuyu stood in front of the knights and bowed. “You can call me Yuki, please take good care of me,” she said in a monotone voice. She could see Akito glaring at her.

The knights were talking amongst themselves when Kaito interrupted them impatiently, “Who wishes to spar against the young lady first?”

The knights looked at each other hesitantly when somebody stepped forward, announcing boldly, “I’ll fight her.”

It was Akito, and everyone collectively gasped. Mafuyu could hear their whispers loud and clear.

“No way Akito is going first!”

“He’s too good, she’s going to be destroyed!”

Mafuyu scrutinised the ginger closely. So he was a skilled knight, huh? Well, she would be the judge of that. She gave a nod of acknowledgement and raised her wooden sword, pointing it towards him.

Everyone backed away to give the two space and Akito narrowed his eyes. He obviously still held some grudges against her. His grip tightened around the sword and he immediately lunged forward. Mafuyu, who had noticed his hand tensing up, immediately stepped back and tried to trip him. However, the other boy avoided her trick at the last second.

Despite being angry, he was still cautious. It was troublesome, but Mafuyu just had to find a flaw in his technique. Akito continued on the offense and Mafuyu deflected all of his attacks. The other knights cheered Akito on, believing that their senior was winning.

On the other hand, Kaito had noticed that Mafuyu seemed too relaxed. She wasn’t trying too hard to block Akito, and her eyes were rapidly moving around as she observed her opponent. It seemed like she was just waiting for the perfect moment to strike back.

Akito, who was also under the illusion that he was winning, started to become more complacent. He let out a yell and made a risky move; he swung his sword straight at Mafuyu’s head while using his other arm to punch the girl in the gut. Less skilled fighters wouldn’t be able to react to both attacks in time.

But unfortunately for him, Mafuyu wouldn’t be bested by such an attack so easily. She used her sword to block his swing and managed to catch Akito’s fist in time with her free hand. The boy had no other means to defend himself, and Mafuyu kicked one of his legs hard, making Akito lose his balance.

Now, the tables have turned. Mafuyu was attacking now, her attacks so quick that they could barely be seen as she forced Akito to defend. The boy’s eyes couldn’t keep up with Mafuyu’s movements, and she held the tip of the wooden sword to his throat.

“I win,” Mafuyu said calmly, and Akito growled, letting his sword fall to the ground as he raised his hands up to surrender.

There were murmurs of surprise from the other knights; nobody had expected Mafuyu to beat Akito. The purple-haired knight turned towards the crowd, asking coldly, “Who’s next?”

Everyone avoided eye contact with her, all except for one. Toya picked up his sword as he walked towards Mafuyu, bowing politely. “If it’s alright, may I practice with you?” he asked and Mafuyu nodded.

Akito bristled as he tried to argue, “Toya, you don’t have to–”

“It’s okay, Akito. If Yuki managed to beat you, then I should be the one fighting her next,” Toya tried to calm the ginger down, and Akito tsked as he retreated.

“Let’s have a good fight.” Toya smiled warmly at Mafuyu, who immediately attacked. She nearly hit the surprised boy, who barely dodged in time.

“You shouldn’t be letting your guard down,” Mafuyu retorted and Toya nodded, his expression turning serious.

He parried Mafuyu’s attacks, alternating between offense and defence. His footwork was impeccable, and he was obviously determined to beat Mafuyu. She couldn’t find a weakness to exploit.

Mafuyu vaguely recalled hearing about a knight from the Tenma Kingdom who had slain a dragon before. His family name had been Aoyagi, and she remembered that An had mentioned the name ‘Aoyagi Toya’ when trying to smuggle Mafuyu and the others into the kingdom.

If she was really fighting a dragon slayer, then that made things a lot more interesting. Toya was definitely skilled, but everyone makes mistakes, it was just a matter of which one of them would slip up first.

The two were evenly matched, neither able to gain an advantage over the other. They could have been fighting for hours, for all Mafuyu knew, but eventually, she noticed Toya faltering. His movements were becoming slower as he ran out of stamina, which was exactly what the girl had been hoping for.

Mafuyu started to attack more aggressively, and Toya had no choice but to be on the defensive now, unable to properly parry the other knight’s attacks. Mafuyu suddenly knocked the practice sword out of the blue-haired boy’s hand, and it fell to the ground with a thud.

Toya panted as he sighed, “I see… I lost. You’re really talented.” He offered his hand to Mafuyu, waiting for her to shake it. After a moment’s hesitation, she took it and gave him a firm handshake. The boy’s eyes widened in surprise when he felt how calloused Mafuyu’s hand was but he didn’t comment about it.

Mafuyu guessed that Toya was probably the strongest knight, so since she beat him, did that mean that she could leave? She turned towards Kaito, who had been silently watching the entire time, and the blue-haired man cocked his head.

Kaito picked up one of the wooden swords and walked towards Mafuyu.

“Let’s fight.” It wasn’t a request, but a demand. All of the knights were shocked that their commander found the need to fight a random knight; he had never sparred with any of the knights before, not even Toya.

Mafuyu nodded and the moment she did, Kaito made his move. It all happened so quickly that the other knight couldn’t even react in time.

One moment, Mafuyu had been holding her sword, ready to defend against any oncoming attacks. And the next, she was lying on the ground, and Kaito had his sword aimed towards her throat.

Mafuyu breathed heavily as she stared into Kaito’s stony blue eyes as he let out a “hmph” and walked away without another word. She blinked in surprise as she watched the man leave, her brain still struggling to comprehend what had just happened. Had she really lost, just like that?

Toya walked over to her and helped Mafuyu stand up. He tried to comfort the dazed knight, who was still reeling from shock, “Kaito is very skilled, he’s been training for years. Don’t feel too terrible, nobody has ever beaten him.”

Mafuyu just nodded numbly as she walked away, leaving the training grounds as the other knights watched her retreating figure. She had never lost a sword fight in her life, Mafuyu had always been the best of the best. Even after she ran away, she had never neglected her training.

But she had been defeated so easily. Was she really that weak, or was Kaito that strong? Or maybe this was all a bad dream. How could she lose?

“You’re skilled, I’ll admit that. But something is holding you back.”

Mafuyu raised her head at the sudden voice, her eyes meeting Kaito’s. He was leaning against the wall, a frown plastered on his face.

“I don’t know what it is that is pulling you down, but I can tell that you shouldn’t have taken that long to beat Aoyagi,” Kaito continued, and Mafuyu pursed her lips. Deep down, she knew that he was right. She had beaten opponents stronger than Toya before, and within a much shorter time. But she had been shaken ever since that incident.

Kaito scoffed at her silence and left, leaving Mafuyu alone in the hallway. She really wished she could move on, but she couldn’t. She wasn’t sure if she ever could. It pained her to even recall the tiniest bits of what had happened.

Mafuyu clenched her fists, she would improve even if she was held down by that anchor. One day, she would beat Kaito, and after him, the demons in her past were next.

Kaito pushed open the door that led to the balcony, greeting the brown-haired woman who was already waiting for him, “Meiko.”

Meiko nodded in acknowledgement as she gestured for the stoic knight to come closer. Kaito walked to her side, looking down at the training grounds. The balcony had the perfect view for the area.

“So, what do you think of that girl?” Kaito asked Meiko, not bothering to beat around the bush. The advisor frowned as she answered, “She’s interesting, to say the least. Not many people can beat Aoyagi, especially since it was a battle of endurance. But…”

“But?” Kaito raised an eyebrow, he knew that he and Meiko shared the same concerns, but he just wanted to confirm it.”

“But how could the Sega Kingdom have such a skilled knight, and yet, we have never heard about her?” Meiko asked dubiously, and Kaito nodded in agreement. It was certainly strange.

“Perhaps she had no prior achievements, but I think we should keep an eye on that girl. Tensions are high right now, especially after yesterday,” Kaito said and Meiko hummed, “I’ll keep a close eye on her whenever she visits the palace. I trust that you will do the same.”

Kaito nodded as he sighed, “Yes, all for the sake of the Tenma Kingdom.”

They had to be really careful around Mafuyu, because something told the man that there was something off about that girl. And that she was going to bring a lot of trouble to the kingdom.

When Mafuyu returned to the house, she found Ena and Mizuki in the midst of an argument, K sleeping upright on the couch, and Rui nowhere to be seen.

Ena and Mizuki temporarily paused their argument upon hearing the front door open and the hermit gave Mafuyu a small wave.

“Hey Mafuyu, you’re back! Rui told us what happened and then he went out to buy some materials.”

Mafuyu nodded in acknowledgement and remarked, “You’re awfully joyful despite what happened yesterday.”

The house went silent as Mizuki’s ever-present smile dropped, their shoulders sagging. Ena growled as she hissed angrily, “Mafuyu! Don’t talk about that! Besides, the Princess isn’t dead!”

“She practically is, and why should we pretend that the incident didn’t happen? It did and everyone’s affected, including us,” Mafuyu countered and Mizuki chuckled disheartedly, “Let’s just… calm down, okay everyone?”

A groan interrupted what would have been another argument between Mafuyu and Ena. K yawned as she blearily opened her eyes. She looked around, noticing the tense atmosphere, asking concernedly, “What happened?”

Ena scoffed as she grumbled, “Nothing, aside from Mafuyu having zero emotional awareness again.” K frowned when she heard that and turned to the other two, hoping for a clearer explanation from them, but it was to no avail. Mizuki was smiling again – it was obviously very fake – and Mafuyu shrugged.

“I’ll be heading back to my room,” Mafuyu stated and K stood up.

“I’ll accompany you.”

“No, don’t do that K.”

K blinked in surprise at Mafuyu’s rejection. Ena and Mizuki seemed slightly stunned too, they had never seen Mafuyu say ‘no’ to K before. K looked like she wanted to say more, but in the end, she sighed as she smiled warmly at Mafuyu.

“If that’s what you want, then alright.” Mafuyu felt slightly bad for her words now, but she needed some alone time right now. She could talk to K later. The knight nodded and returned to her room.

There was a mirror inside the room, and Mafuyu stood in front of it, staring at her reflection. She had lost today, her first loss. Not just in sparring, but in pretty much anything.

Mafuyu wondered what her mother would say if she knew, would she comfort her with her deceptive words and lies, or would she put Mafuyu down with cruel and harsh insults?

The girl clawed at her neck, she could almost feel the puppet strings around her again. Her mother’s hands on her shoulders, as she whispered all of those sweet lies into her daughter’s ears. As she made Mafuyu do all of her bidding.

Mafuyu took a deep breath as she calmed herself down. Her mother wasn’t here, she was safe. Safe from the clutches of that woman. Her mother would never find her. Right?

No, Mafuyu shouldn’t be doubting herself. Her mother couldn’t find her. She placed a hand on her beating heart. This was her life now, and she wouldn’t let anybody dictate how she should live her life again. That was the promise Mafuyu had made to herself when she ran away, and she wouldn’t break it no matter what.

Chapter Text

Rui turned around, his eyes cold as he glared at Mizuki. His fists were clenched and he asked, his voice dripping with venom, “What did you just say?”

Mizuki backed away fearfully as they swallowed the lump in their throat. “I… I…”

“You could’ve stopped the attack!”

Rui was suddenly in front of them, his hands around their neck as his eyes blazed with fury. Mizuki was struggling to breathe as they tried to pry his hands off of them.

“Rui, I– I’m sorry. I didn’t–”

“I don’t want to hear your excuses, Mizuki! You could’ve stopped everything from happening! This is why you hermits can’t be trusted!”

All of a sudden, more and more people emerged from the depths of the darkness. They were all people that Mizuki knew; old friends and new friends alike. They approached the duo as they started shouting at the hermit.

“You knew what would happen!”

“You should’ve told someone!”

“You’re a filthy traitor!”

“NO, I’M NOT!”

Mizuki screamed as they sat up in their bed, their entire body trembling as they clutched the sheets tightly. They could breathe freely again. Mizuki let out a sigh of relief; it had just been a nightmare.

“Mizuki? Is everything alright?”

Mizuki flinched at Ena’s voice; they had forgotten that the fairy was in the room with them too. They definitely had some explaining to do…or they could just lie. They really liked the latter.

Mizuki turned to meet Ena’s concerned eyes and grinned as they chuckled, “Yeah! I’m completely fine, Enanan! Don’t worry about it, it was just a bad dream.”

Ena frowned as she pursed her lips. She looked like she wanted to say something, but eventually sighed as she decided to let Mizuki have their way, for now at least.

“If you say so.”

Mizuki smiled at her to try and reassure Ena that they were fine and asked curiously, “Anyway, why are you already awake? I never thought there’d be a day where you’d wake up earlier than me!”

“Well, it was hard for me to stay asleep since Mafuyu was banging on our door for god knows how long, though somehow you managed to sleep through it all. I daresay she was even trying to break into our room at some point,” Ena grumbled as she ran a hand through her hair frustratedly. The duo had decided to install a lock for their room door after Mafuyu had shown that she had no regard for their privacy the other time, and luckily, it hadn’t been for nothing.

Mizuki giggled at Ena’s annoyed expression; the other girl always looked cute when she made that face. Mizuki liked it a lot, as a friend , of course.

Ena rolled her eyes and walked over to their bed to flick them on the forehead.

“Also, it looks like we’re going to have to buy breakfast. Rui decided to accompany Mafuyu on her trip to the palace, so we have no food to eat right now.”

Mizuki nodded, remembering that Rui was supposed to visit the Crown Prince today. They stood up and stretched their arms, asking, “Should we go get K?”

Ena shook her head as she replied, “No, Mafuyu said that she was still sleeping when she left, which wasn’t too long ago. We should just let her rest. I don’t think K would be too keen to go outside anyway, she always complains about how bright the sun is.”

“Alright then! I guess it’ll just be you and me~” Mizuki spoke in a teasing manner and Ena scoffed as she exited the room and descended the stairs, not bothering to wait for the hermit.

“Don’t make it sound like anything special. We’re just going to buy some food, it’s not a date or anything.”

Mizuki pouted as they poked Ena’s shoulder, whining, “But we rarely get to do this! I think it is special, Ena!”

Ena shrugged as she finished writing a note for K and left it on the dining table. “I beg to differ, Mizuki. We could do this more often if you didn’t want to stay in the room all day, everyday.”

Mizuki gave a sheepish smile as they tugged up their hood. The amulet that Rui had gifted them was working just fine, and they had already activated it. Still, it didn’t hurt to be too safe.

Ena pushed open the door and tapped on the wooden surface impatiently. “C’mon Mizuki, we should go before it gets too crowded and the cheeseca– I mean the pastries are all sold out.”

Mizuki laughed at Ena’s slip-up and gave her a dramatic bow.

“Of course m’lady, I certainly wouldn’t want you to throw a tantrum because you couldn’t buy a certain pastry.”

Ena groaned and mumbled some curses as she pulled Mizuki through the door with her, slamming it shut behind them.

“Looks like the city square isn’t too crowded, I think we could probably buy whatever we want. Mafuyu gave us a lot of money anyway. Is there anything you want, Mizuki?”

Ena frowned when there was no response. She looked behind her, only to find that the hermit had stopped quite a distance away from her, and was staring at something she couldn’t see.

“Oh for god’s sake…” Ena muttered as she ran up to Mizuki. They had stopped in front of a shady street that was practically deserted, save for a few ominous people lurking around, casting the strange duo weird looks.

“Mizuki,” Ena tried to get the other person’s attention, but failed. She repeated herself, a little louder this time. They still didn’t respond.

“MIZUKI!”

Ena snapped her fingers in front of their face and shook their shoulder. Mizuki blinked in surprise as they were brought out of their stupor. They looked at Ena in confusion and asked, “Huh? What’s wrong?”

The fairy frowned as she crossed her arms, asking back incredulously, “‘What’s wrong?’ You tell me what’s wrong, Mizuki. That street obviously bothers you, so what’s going on?”

Mizuki’s eyes darted away for a second and they met Ena’s narrowed eyes again, replying nonchalantly, “Nothing, it’s just that there’s a shop in that street that I haven’t been to in quite some time. It was quite nostalgic, that’s all.”

Mizuki was a pretty good liar when they wanted to be. All of their usual signs of nervousness and tell-tale habits disappeared, and Ena could’ve almost believed their lie. Almost. She had seen the guilt in their eyes when they had temporarily broken eye contact with her. She knew something was wrong.

Ena bit her lip as she sighed heavily, “If you don’t want to tell me here, then fine.” Mizuki seemed relieved that Ena had decided to drop the topic, at least that was how it had seemed at first. Because the fairy immediately grabbed their wrist afterwards and started leading them away.

“E-Eh? Enanan, where are we going?”

Mizuki tried to use Ena’s nickname to ease the tension, but the other girl wasn’t in the mood for it this time. She refused to let go of their hand until they finally reached a bench located in a far corner of the city square. Ena sat down on it, forcing Mizuki to sit down beside her.

Mizuki winced as they rubbed their sore wrist and remarked, “You didn’t have to be so rough, Enanan…”

Ena’s eyes softened for a few seconds before she hardened her resolve. She couldn’t let Mizuki weasel their way out, like how they had done in the past. She couldn’t let this matter go.

“Now that we’re away from other people, tell me what was really going on just now.” It wasn’t a request, but a demand. Ena wouldn’t let Mizuki leave before telling her the truth, and the hermit could tell that Ena was determined to find out what had happened.

They looked down at their shoes as they asked softly, “Promise me that you won’t hate me, even after I tell you everything.”

Ena frowned as she replied, “I’ll never hate you, Mizuki. So please, confide in me.”

Mizuki nodded grimly as they started to explain what had happened to Ena, their voice lacking their normal enthusiasm.

“Remember that day we bought new clothes? That time, when you and Mafuyu found me… I was running away. I overheard a conversation that I wasn’t supposed to hear, and I thought that I was as good as dead when I was caught. Back then, I didn’t understand what the conversation was about, but now, after the attempted assassination… I finally know what those people were talking about.”

It finally dawned on Ena why Mizuki had always seemed so skittish after the attempted assassination, always seeming to regret something. At first, she had assumed that they had just  been shaken by everything, but now everything was clear to her.

Ena placed a hand on Mizuki’s trembling shoulder as she comforted them, “Mizuki, it’s okay. You didn’t know what would happen.”

Mizuki shook their head furiously as they replied, their voice cracking, “But Ena, you don’t get it! I should’ve told somebody about it because it was so suspicious! But I didn’t! If I had, then maybe the Princess wouldn’t be in her current condition…”

“Even if you had told somebody, what would they have done? What could anybody have done? Nobody would’ve understood; nobody would’ve known what would happen. Mizuki, what happened back then, it’s not your fault. You shouldn’t blame yourself for things that you could have done, when you don’t even know if it would have made a difference.”

Ena pulled Mizuki closer to her as she rubbed their other shoulder comfortingly. Mizuki leaned their head against her arm as they sobbed, finally being able to let out all of their suppressed feelings. A few people glanced at the two oddly, but Ena glared at them menacingly, chasing them all away. What mattered the most to her at that moment was Mizuki.

A few minutes of silence passed, the only noise being Mizuki’s sniffles. Their body stopped shaking as their breaths started to slow. Once Ena was sure that Mizuki had calmed down, she gently pushed them away, giving them a bit of space.

Mizuki took a few deep breaths as they wiped away the tear streaks on their face. Neither of them said anything for a while as they sat on the bench, beside each other. After a while, Mizuki finally sighed as they murmured, “Thank you, Ena.”

Ena smiled as she rubbed Mizuki’s knuckles. “You’re welcome, Mizuki. Just remember that it isn’t your fault.”

Mizuki nodded as they broke into a soft smile. “I know that now, thanks to you. We should probably buy breakfast too, or you won’t be able to buy your cheesecake.”

Ena immediately sprang up, remembering her cheesecake. “You’re right! My cheesecake! Come on Mizuki! We have no time to waste!”

Mizuki chuckled as they stood up, “Alright, alright. I get it, Enanan.” Their heart felt a lot lighter, like a weight had been lifted off of it. Their imaginary burden had disappeared.

Mizuki followed Ena into a shop as they listened to her excitedly rant about cheesecakes, a genuine smile on their face.

K yawned as she groggily climbed out of bed. Mafuyu was gone, as expected. She had to go spar with the knights in the palace, after all.

K shuffled out of the room and looked around. There was nobody around, and Ena’s and Mizuki’s room was unlocked, which meant that both of them were up.

The reaper checked the first floor, but it was empty. K frowned, wondering where everyone else was. Just then, she noticed a small note lying on the dining table.

She picked it up and smiled in relief once she had finished reading it. According to Ena’s note, she and Mizuki had gone out to buy breakfast, while Rui and Mafuyu were in the palace. K didn’t have anything to worry about.

However, this also meant that K was alone in the house. She had never been alone before. Mafuyu rarely left her side unless absolutely necessary, and Ena and Mizuki were usually in the house. It was strange, being surrounded by nothing but silence in such a big house. K didn’t like it.

The house was eerily quiet, and there wasn’t a single sign of life. It reminded her of the empty area in the Reapers’ world, and she hated that place. She didn’t want to remember it any longer. K had left that life behind.

K walked out of the house and towards the grassy expanse behind it. It was where she had revealed her powers to Rui. It had a calming aura; K liked it a lot more than the house.

She laid down on the grass and stared up at the blue sky. The ground was soft; not as soft as her bed, but softer than the ground in the empty area. K shook her head as she scolded herself internally. She really had to stop thinking about anything related to reapers.

It was hard for her, though. Especially since most of her memories were from her time as a reaper. If only she could recover her past memories, then she would have something else to focus on…

K sat up as she looked at her bare hands, and then at the grass beneath it. She placed her hands on the grass and shut her eyes. She had always wanted to try this.

Breathe in. Focus on the feeling of the grass; it was slightly prickly, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Breathe out.

Take another breath again. Block out all noises and smells. The birds’ chirps fade into nothing. Breathe out again.

K’s hands felt warm. She envisioned a field full of carnations. The carnations were all different, each special in their own way. Her hands were now hot as she felt something grow underneath them. K waited for a few seconds before finally opening them.

What had once been simply grass had turned into a flower field; one that was filled with carnations. Just like K had imagined, they were all unique. Some had different colours, others had differently shaped petals. It was a breathtaking sight.

K smiled as she kept her hands on the grass. If she removed them, everything would vanish in the blink of an eye. She couldn’t keep it up for long though, K didn’t have much stamina. Still, she wanted to enjoy the sight for a bit longer. She had never gotten the opportunity to do this before, after all.

K admired the carnations for a few more seconds before finally lifting up her hands. The carnations disappeared, and all that remained was the grass. It was as if nothing had ever happened.

The reaper looked around; countless trees surrounded the house. Perhaps she could try the trick again in the forest next time.

Suddenly, K spotted something out of the corner of her eye. She turned, but couldn’t see anything. She frowned, she swore that she had seen a flash of grey amongst several trees just now.

Yet, the atmosphere was still warm and welcoming. Not a single thing seemed out of place. K looked around again, but there wasn’t anything wrong. Perhaps she had seen wrong, it had probably been a squirrel or some other animal.

“Wahoo! K, we’re back!”

K turned around when she heard Mizuki’s voice, and waved at Ena and Mizuki. They were carrying some bags in their hands which the reaper assumed was food.

K cast one last glance behind her before running towards the fairy and the hermit. The forest remained still.

And as the group of three entered the house, nobody noticed a grey-haired person emerge from behind the trees.

Chapter Text

K fiddled with her dress again as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. She was going to visit Tsukasa today to, hopefully, get some information on the place in her dream.

At Mizuki’s insistence, she had reluctantly decided to wear something more suitable for a formal meeting with royalty since her usual white dress was apparently ‘too plain’.

The girl staring back at K was wearing a light pink dress with the design of a purple butterfly on the lower half. Mizuki had somehow found a matching purple butterfly pin so that she could pin up her hair which was absurdly long and covered the left side of her face, making her left eye barely visible.

“How do I look?” K asked the other girl in the bedroom nervously and dull eyes met hers. Mafuyu pursed her lips and walked over to K, bending down as she extended a hand towards the reaper.

Mafuyu tucked a loose strand of hair behind K’s ear and nodded in satisfaction. “Now you look perfect.”

K took a few seconds to process what had just happened before her face turned beet red. She looked away as she stammered, feeling flustered, “A-Ah, thank you Ma-Mafuyu…”

The knight frowned as she tilted her head, asking concernedly, “Is something wrong, K? You’ve turned red.” K shook her head and Mafuyu–who was completely oblivious to the effects her actions had on K–accepted her response as she looked out the window.

The sun hadn’t even risen yet, but since K wanted to meet the prince, Rui had suggested that she accompany Mafuyu to the palace. Of course, neither party rejected the suggestion.

It was a good way for them to spend some quality time together, which they hadn’t been able to do recently since Mafuyu was often out sparring with the knights. By the time she returned, K would have already fallen asleep.

“Let’s go, K.”

Mafuyu held a hand out to the sitting girl, who nodded and took her hand. Mafuyu led the short reaper down the stairs and out of the house. As they stepped outside, the cold February air blew and K shivered.

The knight noticed and asked, a tinge of worry in her voice, “Are you cold, K?”

“Yeah, but it’s not that bad.”

Mafuyu frowned. She could see the way K’s teeth chattered slightly. She didn’t have anything to warm the other girl though. But there was something that she could try.

“E-Eh!? M-Mafuyu what are you doing?” K squeaked out as she was suddenly pulled towards Mafuyu. The knight held K’s shoulder tightly, drawing the other girl even closer to her.

“Sharing warmth with you. Penguins do this too,” Mafuyu explained as she kept K in place.

“Ah… I see.”

K smiled softly, having overcome her initial surprise and embarrassment. It was true that Mafuyu was aloof most of the time, but this was one of the few moments where she let her kindness show. K hadn’t been wrong when she had told Mafuyu that she was warm, even if the other girl thought otherwise.

Mafuyu noticed K’s expression and asked confusedly, “Why are you smiling so happily? Did something good happen?”

K shook her head as she replied joyfully, “It’s nothing. Let’s get going.”

Mafuyu watched as the double doors closed behind K. She silently prayed to whoever was above that the meeting would go smoothly, and that K would get the answers that she sought.

Mafuyu couldn’t accompany her as it was a private matter which didn’t require her presence, so she was stuck waiting outside of the throne room for K.

She still had about an hour before she had to spar with the knights, and Mafuyu had no idea when the meeting would finish. It was fine though, Mafuyu was a very patient person; she could wait for as long as needed.

Mafuyu looked around in boredom. The hallway was decorated with all sorts of lavish designs, but there wasn’t a single person in sight. Perhaps servants weren’t allowed to be so close to the throne room.

Mafuyu yawned and looked up at the ceiling, which had a white pegasus on it. It was ordinary and expected, so Mafuyu turned her attention elsewhere. As she looked back in front of her, the knight noticed a shadow disappear down a flight of stairs.

That was definitely strange. It could’ve been a trick of the light, or maybe Mafuyu was just seeing things. But her instinct told her that something was dreadfully wrong, and it had never been wrong before.

Mafuyu made her way to the flight of stairs. It was a dark, spiral staircase and only torches illuminated the way down. That didn’t stop the fearless girl though.

Mafuyu quietly walked down the stairs, taking out her hidden dagger. She still didn’t have a proper sword, which really annoyed her; she would be at a disadvantage if her opponent had a sword. She should probably ask Rui if he can get a sword for her later.

There was no sound whatsoever, aside from the barely perceptible sound of Mafuyu’s boots hitting the stone steps. Light poured into the stairwell, signalling that Mafuyu was near the end. She was about to take another step when the knight suddenly stopped, her foot still hovering above the first step that was illuminated by the light.

If Mafuyu listened closely, she could hear the faint shuffling of footsteps. There was somebody waiting for her, and they probably didn’t have good intentions. If she put her foot down now, they would know that she was coming.

However, Mafuyu couldn’t jump down either. She would probably sprain one of her ankles at best; there were far too many steps left. Her best chance at survival was probably to rush down the stairs and try to take the ambusher by surprise.

Mafuyu took a deep breath, and put her foot down. She immediately sprinted down the remaining steps and tightened her grip on the dagger. She could hear a gasp from the other person from the left.

As soon as the knight exited the stairwell, she pivoted on her heel and held the dagger to the ambusher’s throat. The other person let out a shout of surprise and dropped their sword, letting it clatter to the ground. Mafuyu’s attention was diverted to the sword for a moment, and her eyes widened when she saw the symbol of the Hinomori Kingdom – a sun – on it.

Mafuyu turned to the intruder, all too ready to slit their throat to keep them silent when she finally saw who it was. The intruder looked back at Mafuyu, equally shocked to see her.

“Mafuyu?”

The black-haired girl asked in disbelief and was about to raise her hand when Mafuyu’s dagger pushed against her throat harder, forcing her back against the wall.

“Don’t move… Ichika.”

The purple-haired knight reluctantly called Ichika by her name – something that she had not done in a long time – and Ichika nodded nervously. Mafuyu stared at her with narrowed eyes and kicked the sword away.

“Uh… Mafuyu, is it really you?” Ichika asked hesitantly, still not quite believing that Mafuyu was really standing in front of her. The other girl nodded slowly and relief flooded over Ichika, whose eyes softened as she smiled.

“S-So you’re alive. I knew something was wrong when the Kagamines said that you were killed while fighting a knight from the Tenma Kingdom. They said that it was the dragon slayer who killed you, but I knew that you were too skilled to be taken down by just one person, even if they have slain a dragon before.”

Ichika seemed genuinely happy that Mafuyu was alive and well, but the other knight still looked at her with distrust. Ichika was from the Hinomori Kingdom, but was in the Tenma Kingdom’s royal palace. Ignoring the fact that she was trespassing, how had she even managed to sneak in?

“So the Kagamines told you all that, huh? What a story,” Mafuyu spat out angrily and Ichika seemed shocked by Mafuyu’s attitude. This was not the senior that she was used to.

“Mafuyu? Are you alright?” Ichika asked apprehensively and Mafuyu let out an unnerving laugh as she scoffed, “I’m better than ‘alright’! I’m grand, Ichika!”

Noticing Ichika’s fearful expression, the craze in Mafuyu’s eyes disappeared as they dulled once more. The girl sighed as she stared straight into Ichika’s icy-blue eyes. Sometimes, when looking into K’s eyes, Mafuyu saw Ichika looking back at her instead.

“Ichika, this may come as a surprise to you, but the ‘Asahina Mafuyu’ that you knew was fake. Your mentor? That was a fake persona. I don’t feel anything and I certainly don’t have the energy to do useless things like smiling. It was all an act that I put up to please someone. The person you see before you now, that’s the real ‘Asahina Mafuyu’.”

Mafuyu watched Ichika’s expression carefully, waiting for the other knight to process the information fully. Several long moments went by before Ichika finally said, “I see…”

There was a tense silence between the former mentor and apprentice, before Mafuyu decided to change the topic.

“Ichika, what are you doing here and how did you get here?”

Ichika bristled at the question and immediately asked back defensively, “Why are you here Mafuyu? You’ve been gone for months and now you’re in enemy territory! Your mother–”

Whatever words Ichika was about to say were immediately swallowed down as Mafuyu pushed her dagger into Ichika’s throat. The pressure was enough to leave a mark, but not enough to cause bleeding. Yet.

“Do not talk about my mother. I don’t care if she held a ‘funeral’; I don’t care if she cried over my ‘death’. That woman is not my mother. We are only related by blood. So if you value your life, don’t even mention her, is that understood?”

Mafuyu’s voice had grown cold and harsh as fury blazed in her eyes. Her distaste for her mother could not be made clearer. And even though she and Ichika were former colleagues; former mentor and junior, it was obvious that Mafuyu would not hesitate to remove Ichika from the situation altogether if she deemed that it was the best course of action.

Ichika licked her lips nervously and barely managed to force an “okay” out of her throat. Mafuyu nodded in satisfaction and decreased the pressure, giving Ichika more space to breathe. She wouldn’t remove the dagger though, not until she was sure that the other knight was not a threat.

“You haven’t answered my previous questions. And you better answer my questions truthfully . Though I doubt that you remember what I taught you about interrogations, seeing as how I managed to catch you off-guard earlier.”

Ichika flinched at the blunt remark and sighed as she explained, “I’m here to visit Princess Saki.” She pointed at a door not too far away from the duo, and it was only then that Mafuyu finally realised that they were in the hallway where the princess’s room was located. That was why they hadn’t been discovered yet; servants were not allowed anywhere near the princess in fear of another attempted assassination.

Mafuyu frowned, not buying Ichika’s answer. “Why would you want to visit the enemy?” she asked suspiciously, eyeing the sword that Ichika had dropped. The other girl followed her gaze and hurriedly clarified, not prepared to lose her life because of a misunderstanding, “Saki isn’t my enemy! I’m really concerned for her because… she’s my girlfriend…”

Ichika bit her lips and Mafuyu scrutinised her flushed face. While she doubted that Ichika was lying, she still had some doubts.

“I thought you were dating Princess Shiho?” Mafuyu asked and Ichika blinked in surprise, not expecting Mafuyu to know about her relationship with Shiho.

“H-How did you…”

Mafuyu drew her lips into a thin line as she deadpanned, “I saw you sneaking into the palace several times and even caught you two kissing once. It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out.”

Ichika grew embarrassed at Mafuyu’s words and faltered, “W-Well, I thought that we were being discreet! Maybe that’s why the other knights don’t like me that much… A-Anyway! You’re not wrong. it’s a bit complicated to explain but basically, we’re all dating each other…”

Ichika looked down at the ground and after a few seconds of silence, raised her eyes to meet Mafuyu’s blank ones. The purple-haired knight shrugged as she said, “I’m not even going to ask how that happened.”

It seemed like Mafuyu finally believed Ichika though; she moved the dagger away from Ichika’s neck and stepped back. The girl fell down to her knees as she rubbed her sore throat, wincing slightly. Mafuyu kicked the sword back to Ichika, who sheathed it.

Thankful eyes met understanding ones and Mafuyu placed a foot down on the first step when she suddenly turned back to Ichika.

“Ichika, do not tell anyone else that I’m alive. Especially my mother.”

It wasn’t a request but a demand, and Ichika knew that if she didn’t comply there would be disastrous consequences for her. She nodded and Mafuyu, seeing Ichika’s nod, left her alone as she went back up the staircase.

Just as Mafuyu had returned to her original position outside of the throne room, the double doors swung open. K walked out with a disappointed look on her face. She smiled sadly at Mafuyu who patted her back comfortingly.

“You’ll find your answers eventually,” Mafuyu tried to make her voice sound more gentle and K mumbled, “Thank you, Mafuyu.” It was obvious from K’s dejected tone that she didn’t believe Mafuyu’s words though.

The two walked to the training grounds and K stood at one side to watch Mafuyu train. Akito noticed the pair and made his way towards Mafuyu, tossing her a practice sword.

“Fight me, Yuki.”

Mafuyu was more than happy to oblige to Akito’s request. The knight had only been training with new recruits who had no experience or talent. Most of her recent fights had all ended within a few seconds, with the one exception being her second duel with Kaito. She had lasted for a lot longer, but still ultimately lost.

Besides, after her unexpected encounter with Ichika, Mafuyu had a lot of tension to release. She stared at Akito with a menacing look in her eyes, and the ginger shivered. He took a deep breath and charged towards Mafuyu, starting the fight.

K watched the two knights fight in awe. She had never seen Mafuyu in action before, so she had not been aware of how skilled she was when it came to sword fighting. Or how elegant she looked while doing it.

Mafuyu parried all of Akito’s attacks without even breaking a sweat; her footwork was flawless and K noticed the way that Mafuyu smirked smugly at Akito. She looked so evil but alluring at the same time; K’s heartbeat sped up.

The reaper looked down at her own hands. The skin was pale with no blemishes and soft to the touch. It was the opposite of Mafuyu’s rough and calloused hands.

K looked up and saw Akito’s sword get knocked away as he raised his hands up in defeat. Mafuyu had a bored and disinterested look on her face.

The entire fight had probably only lasted a minute or two, and definitely could have ended even earlier. K wondered that if she trained as hard as Mafuyu did, would she be able to properly fight then?

Her powers as a reaper were terrifying and overpowered, but she didn’t like using them. They all led to death and K hated that.

She walked towards a practice sword on the ground and, with some difficulty, managed to lift it up. She panted as she held the sword, letting it fall down onto the dirt after a few seconds.

Nevermind trying to swing it, K could barely hold the sword upright. She would probably just stick to using her scythe instead.

The hairs on the back of K’s neck stood up and she turned around, making eye contact with a blue-haired man. K had seen him during the royal address and knew that he was the Commander of the knights. They continued looking at each other before K turned away, unnerved by Kaito’s glare.

Mafuyu walked over to K and the reaper smiled at the stoic knight. “You were really good, congratulations on winning,” K congratulated Mafuyu with a bright smile on her face and Mafuyu shrugged.

“It couldn’t have ended any other way, but thank you for your words, K.”

K opened her mouth, about to say something when a distressed guard suddenly ran into the training grounds. He panted and shouted loudly, “The Commander! Someone get the Commander!”

Kaito ran to the guard and asked, “I’m here. What’s wrong?” Other knights were gathering around too, curious to know what had happened.

The guard hurriedly answered, “The Royal Advisor, Kawashima Kou… He’s dead! His throat was slit in the dungeon!” 

There were gasps and murmurs among the knights and Kaito’s eye twitched when he heard the news. He frowned and seemed to be deep in thought for several moments before turning to the knights and announcing calmly, “Training is cancelled.”

The knights looked at each other uneasily before they replied with a “Yes Sir” and they started to pack up their belongings. K felt her hand being tugged sharply and looked up at Mafuyu.

“Let’s go,” Mafuyu tugged K’s hand again as she started leading the reaper away. K frowned when she saw the troubled expression on Mafuyu’s face and asked hesitantly, “Mafuyu, are you okay?”

The knight nodded and her expression returned to her usual emotionless one. “I’m fine,” Mafuyu replied curtly and K sighed and nodded. She was also keeping many secrets from Mafuyu, so she should not ask any more questions and make the other girl uncomfortable.

Kaito watched the two outsiders leave and turned as Meiko walked towards him. The Royal Advisor rarely came out of the palace unless it was an urgent matter and this was definitely a big issue.

“It’ll take some time for the autopsy to finish, but it’s likely murder. There was nothing that Kawashima could have used to do the deed himself.”

Kaito grit his teeth and growled out angrily, “It has to be the Hinomori Kingdom behind this. They want to cut off any loose ends.”

Meiko hummed in agreement and lowered her voice as she spoke, “I think so too, Kaito. Also, that knight that has been training with you… I saw her go down the stairwell that leads to Princess Saki’s bedroom. Saki is fine, but there’s a hidden trapdoor in that hallway which leads to the dungeon.”

“I understand what you’re trying to say. I do admit, ‘Yuki’ has been behaving suspiciously. The Crown Prince doesn’t even know her full name. The chance that she’s a spy from the Hinomori Kingdom is high. We should report this matter to the King and Queen.”

Meiko nodded and looked at where Akito and Mafuyu had been fighting. The practice swords were still lying on the ground.

“Whether she’s a spy or not, and whether she killed Kawashima or not., the truth will come out soon.”

The knights saluted Ichika as she walked past them, but the black-haired girl was far too occupied with her thoughts to notice them. She hummed a happy tune to herself and did a little spin. Not only had she managed to see Saki, who was mostly alright, but she had also seen Mafuyu!

It was true that Mafuyu was only her former mentor and senior, but Ichika had always respected her. When she heard that the talented knight had died, of course Ichika had cried. She attended the funeral and regularly replaced the flowers on Mafuyu’s grave.

Ichika was relieved that Mafuyu was alright, even if she didn’t know what the girl was doing in the Tenma Kingdom. She could tell that Mafuyu’s situation was complicated, and she owed a lot to the knight for training her. The least she could do was give Mafuyu a little bit of privacy.

Saki’s condition was improving too. Ichika had managed to converse with her girlfriend for about five minutes before Saki went back to sleep, exhausted from talking.

The knight needed to tell Shiho that Saki was alright; the princess of the Hinomori Kingdom always stayed up late worrying about Saki, leading to dark bags under her eyes.

“Oh, Hoshino? I see you’ve returned.”

Ichika froze, all of her joy dissipating as she turned around and bowed. She stood upright and replied in a strained voice, “Yes, I’ve returned from my mission, Your Grace.”

The mother of Ichika’s former mentor smiled at the knight. That smile was similar to how Mafuyu used to smile, but now she knew that it was fake. Mafuyu bore a striking resemblance to her mother, it was almost like she was looking at an older version of Mafuyu.

“You seemed quite happy. I assume your girlfriend must be fine.”

Ichika nodded, her expression brightening. “Yes, Saki is recovering swiftly!” she replied, a little too excitedly, and the Duchess’s eyes narrowed.

“I see… Don’t you think you’re quite lucky to have my support? After all, we’re enemies with the Tenma Kingdom, but I still let you visit the enemy. If I told the Queen, you would be executed for treason!”

The Duchess spoke in a sickeningly sweet voice but Ichika knew that it was a threat. Shizuku would definitely have her head if she knew that she had visited Saki. Ichika nodded and replied, “Yes… Your Grace is so generous and kind, I am truly indebted to you.”

The Duchess’s smirk widened when she heard Ichika’s words and drawled, “You’re right. And since I let you visit your precious girlfriend, I assume that you’ve also fulfilled your part of the bargain, right?”

Ichika looked away guiltily as she mumbled, “Yes… Kawashima Kou is dead.” The Duchess hummed happily to herself and moved closer to Ichika.

“Apart from the princess, nobody knew that you were in the palace, right?”

Ichika faltered. Mafuyu knew that she had been in the palace, but she had also promised the girl that she would not tell anyone that she was alive. Mafuyu had even stressed that her mother should never know. It definitely didn’t seem like the two had had the best relationship.

Ichika gave a small nod and the Duchess raised an eyebrow as she asked dubiously, “Then what’s with the mark on your neck?”

The knight cursed internally, forgetting that Mafuyu’s dagger had left a red line on her neck. Ichika fidgeted nervously as she answered, “A-Ah. I was careless and a guard caught me, but I quickly dispatched him. Nobody that is still alive apart from Saki saw me.”

It wasn’t a complete lie, and Ichika desperately prayed that the Duchess wouldn’t see through it. Seconds ticked by before the Duchess finally nodded in satisfaction as she patted Ichika’s shoulder approvingly.

“Good, I knew that you were the right person for this job. After all, remember that the Tenma Kingdom is our enemy. They took my dear Mafuyu away from the both of us, we must never ever forgive them.”

Ichika nodded, holding her tongue. The Duchess traced the mark on her neck and Ichika squirmed uncomfortably. The purple-haired woman smiled, although it didn’t reach her eyes, and let go of Ichika. She walked away and the knight sighed in relief as she sank down to the floor, her entire body still trembling in fear.

Chapter Text

Rui yawned as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He had fallen asleep while testing a new potion again. 

The alchemist stretched his arms and exited his workshop. The house was silent as the first rays of light faintly illuminated the furniture. Nobody else was awake yet, or if they were then they weren’t making it known.

Should he brew some tea? It had been some time since Rui had indulged in a drink that wasn’t water or one of his potions. If he had any leftover tea, then he could let the others try it. Mizuki hasn’t drank his tea in over a year, and the others haven’t even tried it before.

Rui hummed to himself as he made his way to the kitchen. However, before he could even start a fire, there was a knock on the front door. He frowned as he turned towards the door. Who could possibly want to see him at such an early time? Not to mention that most people didn’t even know where the Royal Alchemist stayed.

Rui opened the door and was greeted by the sight of several men clothed in yellow tunics with swords in their hands. The crest of the Tenma family was pinned on their uniforms as the men looked at Rui with a stern expression on their faces.

“Gentlemen, what can I do for you on such a lovely morning?” Rui asked with a smirk, hiding his confusion. There was no reason for Royal Guards to be here, unless one of the others had messed up. But there was no way they had done something so terrible that–

“We are here for the knight called ‘Mafuyu’,” the man standing in front of Rui replied and the alchemist cursed internally. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t been expecting the four misfits to eventually mess up, but he just hadn’t expected them to do something that would attract the attention of the Royal Family. And of all people, it was the stoic human knight, the one who had seemed the most likely to stay out of trouble.

“May I know why?” Rui asked politely. If he annoyed the guards, then it would be impossible for him to extract any information from them. 

The guard cast a glance at his comrades behind him and after a few mutters, turned back and answered, “Well, it doesn’t matter if you know the reason. She is suspected of assassinating the late Royal Advisor, Kawashima Kou.”

…

“Eh?”

Ena definitely did not expect to wake up to several men barging into her room. She immediately sat up and barely managed to wear her amulet in time to hide her wings. Mizuki had already been awake so their horns were already hidden.

“Stand up and leave this room.”

Ena raised an eyebrow at the grim guard who had given the order and snapped, “Why? Who are you?”

The guard pursed his lips and replied, “We are Royal Guards and we have been ordered to arrest someone here called Mafuyu. We’ve already apprehended her but we must search this room for any potential evidence.”

“Whoa, hold on! What did Mafuyu do?” Mizuki asked confusedly as the Royal Guards ushered the two of them out of the room.

“You can ask the alchemist” was the guard’s response right before the door slammed shut in their faces.

Ena and Mizuki shared a look and they both made their way down to the living room. There, they found Rui and K sitting down on the couch. Mafuyu stood at a side as two guards watched her carefully. They gripped their swords, ready to act if Mafuyu made any sudden movements.

“Mafuyu–”

“You are not allowed to speak to the suspect.” Ena was immediately cut off by one of the guards beside Mafuyu and rubbed her temples in frustration.

Mizuki sat down beside K and Rui, leaning in as they whispered, “So what happened?”

“Apparently, Asahina is suspected of killing the late Royal Advisor, Kawashima Kou,” Rui explained and Ena, who had also decided to join the conversation, blurted out in surprise, “What? He’s dead?”

The Royal Guards immediately turned towards the four of them and Mizuki chuckled sheepishly, hushing Ena. Rui nodded as he replied, “Yes, but it hasn’t been announced to the public yet. I suspect that the King wants to keep it a secret until they’ve apprehended the culprit. If they were to release the news now, there would be a lot of unrest among the people. The last thing we want is a riot from the people.”

“That makes sense but… there’s no way Mafuyu killed the advisor. He only died yesterday, I don’t see how she could’ve killed him…” K mumbled and Rui asked, “You know when he died?”

K nodded as she sighed, “Yes… a guard interrupted Mafuyu’s sparring session yesterday and he said that Kawashima was dead…”

“Maybe they just want to interview everyone who came into the palace?” Ena suggested and Mizuki frowned as they refuted her point, “But K wasn’t apprehended.”

“Well, maybe they’re only searching for knights…” Ena grumbled and Rui shook his head firmly.

“The Tenmas are nothing if not thorough. They don’t have the time to question all of the guards and knights. If they think that Mafuyu killed Kawashima, they must have sufficient reason or evidence to make such an assumption.”

K’s expression fell and Mizuki patted the reaper’s shoulder comfortingly, reassuring the smaller girl, “Don’t worry K! I’m sure it’s all just a big misunderstanding! I mean, look at Mafuyu! Is that the face of someone who would kill Kawashima?”

Mizuki pointed at Mafuyu, who was watching the others with a blank look and K frowned. Ena scoffed and answered immediately, “Yes.”

“What– Enanan! You can’t say that!”

“But she has–”

“The both of you should quieten down,” Rui immediately reprimanded the hermit and the fairy. He watched the nearby guards, making sure that they didn’t hear anything that could incriminate Mafuyu further.

K sighed as she muttered under her breath, “Mafuyu wouldn’t have killed him… I know it.”

“We’ll know whatever Asahina has and hasn’t done soon, K. Look, the other guards are already coming down. They’re probably done searching the house.”

And just like Rui had said, the other Royal Guards had returned to the living room. They were discussing something in hushed voices before the one that had talked to Ena and Mizuki earlier turned to the four of them.

“All of you, stand up. We’re heading to the Royal Palace now,” the guard ordered gruffly.

The four people reluctantly stood up and followed the guards to the palace, while Mafuyu trailed behind them, flanked by guards on all sides.

The atmosphere was tense as everyone walked in silence. K cast a small glance back towards Mafuyu, and a guard immediately glared her down. The reaper shuddered and turned back around.

As the group approached the palace, they encountered more and more people. The citizens whispered in hushed voices when they saw the Royal Guards and the rarely-seen Royal Alchemist with them. Rui could already imagine all of the wild rumours that would circulate through the kingdom because of this.

Mizuki fiddled with the amulet around their neck, unable to help their paranoia. The whispers felt too familiar, even though they knew that the people weren’t talking about them. Ena gently pried their hand away from the amulet, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Mizuki smiled at the fairy.

The group neared the entrance to the Royal Palace and Rui recognised the guard on duty; it was the one he had bribed not too long ago so that Mizuki and the others could see Tsukasa.

The guard sneered at the group as he let them in, bowing his head in respect for the Royal Guards, who didn’t even acknowledge his existence.

“Looks like we’ll need a new Royal Alchemist soon,” the guard snickered and Mizuki, who had heard the rude comment, immediately spun around to say something in return.

A hand turned them back to the front and Rui led them into the palace, murmuring under his breath, “It’s not worth it, Mizuki. Don’t bother with scum like him.”

Mizuki pushed Rui’s hand away from their shoulder and protested, “But–”

“You there, stop talking,” one of the guards commanded harshly and Ena nudged the hermit, encouraging them to listen to the guard. Mizuki drew their lips into a thin line but stopped speaking, although their annoyance was very obvious.

The guards at the front brought the group to a pair of double doors that had a big, white pegasus carve into them. One of the guards knocked on the doors and announced, “We have brought the suspect, along with her friends and the Royal Alchemist.”

There were a few seconds of silence before a loud voice sounded, “Send them in.”

The guard pushed open the double doors and the other guards immediately pushed the group inside what looked like the throne room. The King and Queen sat on two golden thrones, with two smaller but similar-looking thrones beside them. The Crown Prince, Tsukasa, sat on one of them while the other had no occupant. Meiko stood beside the Crown Prince and Kaito stood on the other side, beside the empty throne.

The King surveyed the group, his gaze condescending and he stopped when he saw Mafuyu, who had her hands tied behind her. He looked at Rui and asked, “Why is the Royal Alchemist here?”

“I am here to represent this group, Your Majesty,” Rui bowed his head as he answered, and Mizuki could see him biting his lip nervously.

“I see. You did not have to help them, but if that is what you want, then so be it,” the King responded and Rui let out a sigh of relief. He nodded and replied, “Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty.”

The King nodded and directed his attention to the rest of the group, staring down at Mafuyu specifically. “I’m sure you are curious as to why you have been summoned here. Or perhaps you already know why. Meiko, please explain the situation to them.”

Meiko nodded and spoke in a monotonous voice, “Thank you, Your Majesty.” She directed a stern gaze towards the group and continued, “The former Royal Advisor, Kawashima Kou, was assassinated yesterday. It is impossible to enter the dungeon without permission, unless you enter through a secret entry made for emergencies. Knight of the Sega Kingdom, Mafuyu, who has never even revealed her last name, was spotted heading to the location of that secret entry while her companion talked to the Crown Prince. Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

Mafuyu stood still, her face carrying the same blank expression that she had been wearing since being arrested. The knight didn’t even seem surprised by the accusation. She blinked once and responded, “I did not kill him. If his throat was slit, how could I have done it?”

Meiko raised an eyebrow as she asked suspiciously, “And how did you know that his throat was slit?”

It was only then that Mafuyu had realised her mistake, but it was far too late to take back her words. Instead, she shrugged and answered, “A lucky guess.”

“Mafuyu doesn’t even have a reason to kill the advisor! She’s innocent!” Mizuki interjected and Kaito scoffed, “How can we be sure that she had no reason? Bribery and blackmail are all common reasons for betrayal."

K shuffled nervously as she spoke hesitantly, “Mafuyu didn’t kill him…”

“Oh? But weren’t you the one who gave her a reason to come to the palace early? How do we know that you weren’t secretly helping her?” Meiko immediately turned her attention to K and the girl looked like a deer in headlights.

“I…”

“Hey! K has nothing to do with this! Leave her alone!” Ena hissed angrily as she stepped in front of the terrified reaper.

The two brunettes stared at each other for a good few seconds before Meiko shook her head and asked calmly, “Since you all seem convinced that your friend did not kill Kawashima, then explain why she descended the stairwell that led to the secret entry of the dungeon.”

All eyes turned to Mafuyu, who drew her lips into a thin line and answered vaguely, “I saw someone there and went to investigate.

“Who did you see?” Kaito pressed and Mafuyu didn’t reply. After several seconds of silence, the knight massaged his temples frustratedly and said, “If you can’t answer, then we’ll assume you’re lying.”

Tsukasa, who had remained silent throughout the entire session, looked at Rui worriedly. If Mafuyu was found guilty, Rui would suffer too as rumours about him housing an assassin would spread. In the worst case scenario, he could even be found guilty of helping an assassin and be punished for it.

Rui noticed Tsukasa’s gaze and sighed. He would have to intervene before the situation grew worse.

“With all due respect, Your Majesties, please believe me when I say that Asahina could not have possibly killed Kawashima. She has no sword on her, how could she slit his throat?”

There was a long pause and the room was so silent that if a needle dropped onto the floor, it would be clearly heard.

The King tilted his head to the side and asked in disbelief, “Did you just say ‘Asahina’?”

Rui nodded slowly, ignoring Tsukasa’s signals for him to stop. Then, everything fell apart.

Kaito immediately drew out his sword, causing Mizuki to step in front of Mafuyu, blocking her from the glowering man’s view. Meiko narrowed her eyes as she said something to Tsukasa, who was horrified by the entire situation. The Queen was trying to calm her husband down, although it didn’t seem to be working as the King suddenly stood up and shouted, “STOP!”

Everyone’s attention was drawn to the King and Kaito reluctantly sheathed his sword, allowing Mizuki to relax slightly. K was trembling in fear as Ena tried to comfort the shaken girl.

The King sat back down with a huff, glaring angrily at Mafuyu, who looked back at him with stony eyes. Just as the King was about to say something to the insolent knight, Tsukasa spoke, “Rui… Do you know who the Asahinas are?”

The alchemist shook his head, unaware of the name’s significance. Tsukasa sighed as he continued, “Asahina… is the family name of the Duchess of the Hinomori Kingdom.”

Rui paused and then scoffed to himself, murmuring, “I knew that name was familiar…” Kaito tapped the hilt of his sword impatiently and grumbled, “We should just kill her already and send a message to the Hinomori Kingdom.”

“Y-You can’t do that! I won’t let you!” K shouted immediately and Mizuki nodded earnestly. They were already preparing to use their magic to create an illusion so that the group could escape. Rui nudged them to dissuade the hermit from doing anything rash and Mizuki reluctantly let the magic humming between their fingers dissipate.

“Mafuyu! Say something!” Ena urged the unfazed girl, looking around nervously. There were definitely guards stationed outside of the room and the fairy did not want a fight to break out.

Mafuyu looked at her for a moment, before suddenly smirking. Then, to everyone’s surprise, she started laughing hysterically. The whole room went silent as everyone watched Mafuyu.

After a few more tense seconds, Mafuyu calmed back down and pursed her lips. She watched the royal family and started, “I admit that I am the daughter of the Duchess of the Hinomori Kingdom.”

Kaito tsked angrily and Meiko watched the purple-haired knight carefully. Her eyes shone with intelligence and cunningness as she waited for Mafuyu to continue.

“But I am no longer affiliated with my mother or the Hinomori Kingdom. They pronounced me dead months ago. You can check with someone from the Hinomori Kingdom, if you wish,” Mafuyu continued and everyone seemed surprised, save for the Royal Family.

The Queen nodded thoughtfully and said, “I do recall the Hinomori Kingdom holding a big funeral a few months ago. Apparently, even their Queen was devastated at that time.”

Mafuyu’s expression darkened as she muttered to herself, “Oh, Shizuku… You’re still so soft.”

“How do we know that it wasn’t a plot by the Hinomori Kingdom so that you could sneak into my kingdom undetected?” the King questioned and Tsukasa interrupted anxiously, “Father, why would they go–”

“It’s war. We don’t know how long they’ve been planning this for. Now answer me, Asahina ,” the King cut Tsukasa off and turned his attention to Mafuyu. The girl sighed and answered, “Well, I guess you’ll have to ask my mother or Queen Hinomori. Or you could just take my word for it. Trust me, I hate my family name.”

The King and Queen shared a glance before the Queen eventually responded, “Very well, we will give you the benefit of the doubt then.”

Mafuyu nodded in acknowledgement and Meiko asked, “If you are telling the truth, then I suppose you didn’t kill Kawashima… But you know who really did it, don’t you?”

There were several moments of silence before Mafuyu finally replied, “Yes, I do. It was a knight from the Hinomori Kingdom. All I know is that she is one year younger than me.”

“No name?” Meiko asked dubiously and Mafuyu asked back, irritated, “You think I remember the names of all the knights in the Hinomori Kingdom? I haven’t even seen most of them in months. She was just one of my low-ranking juniors, that’s it. Anyway, what does it even matter? She’s probably back in the Hinomori Kingdom already. Even if you knew her name, you wouldn’t be able to do anything to her.”

Meiko still seemed to be suspicious of Mafuyu but she let the excuse go. Mizuki brightened and asked, “Does that mean Mafuyu is free to go?” The King nodded and waved a dismissive hand as he responded, “Yes, you five can leave.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Mafuyu said as she bowed down and K was about to bring the knight away when Kaito suddenly spoke.

“Hold on, I have one more question for… Asahina. Do you know how that knight entered?”

Mafuyu hesitated for a moment, something that the blue-haired man didn’t miss, and shook her head.

The Commander sighed frustratedly and muttered something about needing to “increase the number of guards”. Rui looked at Tsukasa, who gave him a thumbs-up, and immediately ushered the group out of the room.

Once they had exited the room, Ena grumbled, “It was so stuffy in there, gosh…” Mizuki smiled and teased the fairy playfully, “Aw, was Enanan feeling stressed~” Ena hit Mizuki on the head and the hermit pouted in response. Nonetheless, it was obvious that the both of them were no longer as tense as before.

“Mafuyu, your wrists…” K reached for Mafuyu’s tied wrists, only to be stopped by Rui, who had already pulled out a pair of scissors. He quickly cut the rope off and Mafuyu rolled her wrists around, offering a simple “Thanks” to Rui.

The alchemist nodded and said, “Right then. Let’s get out of here, shall we? Also, Asahina, I want to talk to you later.”

Everyone nodded and followed Rui out of the palace. As soon as Rui pulled the entrance’s double doors open, the group came face-to-face with two knights.

Akito and Toya blinked in surprise at the sight of Rui and the other four. Mizuki glanced at Mafuyu to see if she was about to say something rude, but it didn’t even seem like she recognised the two knights. They didn’t know if that was good or bad.

Then, they turned to Ena, who was beside them. The other girl was glaring at Akito, who was doing the same to the fairy. Ena opened her mouth and Mizuki immediately slapped a hand over it, muffling whatever Ena was going to say.

The brunette jabbed them in the ribs but Mizuki kept their hand there. They whispered to Rui, who was exchanging a small greeting with Toya, “Rui, let’s go.”

Rui looked at them curiously but nodded. He bid farewell to the two knights and the group exited the palace, the double doors slamming shut behind them.

Toya turned to his partner, who was looking at the doors, and asked, “Akito, is something wrong? Were you going to argue with them again?”

Akito bristled and replied indignantly, “Wha– No! I don’t want to create a ruckus in the palace! I just thought that that rude brunette felt quite familiar. I don’t know why…”

Toya, seeing Akito’s troubled face, gave the other boy a pat on the back as he reassured the ginger, “It’s okay, Akito. I’m sure it’s nothing. Let’s go and meet the Commander now.”

“Yeah… alright,” Akito mumbled and followed Toya to the meeting room.

Chapter Text

Ena peeked into the kitchen, watching K and Mafuyu wash the dishes together. Their height difference was quite obvious when they were standing side-by-side. K gently nudged Mafuyu, who gave the other girl a small nod, causing K to smile brightly at the knight

“Wah! They’re so cute! Enanan, when can this be us?” Mizuki teased the brunette playfully as they peered over her shoulder. Ena glared at Mizuki before dragging them back to the couch in the living room

The hermit gave her a lopsided grin and raised an eyebrow as they asked, “Is Enanan upset? Or perhaps, are you flust– Ouch ouch!

Mizuki cried out in pain as they rubbed their arm, which had a small red mark after Ena’s pinch. “I’m not embarrassed,” Ena retorted and Mizuki gave her a dubious look.

“Anyway, of all people, I definitely wouldn’t want to be with you!

Mizuki feigned a pained expression as they clutched their chest, gasping dramatically, “Oh, the feeling of rejection! How am I to deal with this heartbreak?”

Ena sighed tiredly and glanced at K and Mafuyu again. Mafuyu had offered to help Rui clean his kitchen after causing him so much trouble and K had volunteered to help her.

“Still, it’s sort of wholesome to see the two of them so close…” There was a faint hint of jealousy in Ena’s voice, although it was barely noticeable. Mizuki noticed it though; they always had a knack for picking up on even the smallest details. They nodded and replied, “I’m sure K is relieved that Mafuyu is fine. I also thought that she was as good as dead when we were in the throne room…”

Mizuki chuckled light-heartedly but Ena only gave a small grunt in response. The distant look in her eyes made it obvious that her mind and heart were elsewhere. The fairy couldn’t help it; she couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to be so close to someone else. It was something she wanted, envied and lost.

Mizuki watched Ena worriedly, and was about to say something when the creak of a door cut them off. Rui appeared, having finished whatever work he had been preoccupied with in his workshop.

“Oh my, looks like those two are still cleaning. Ah, hello Mizuki. Hello to you too Ena, although I wonder if she can even hear me right now, fufu~”

Rui grinned as he watched the pair in the living room. He tilted his head to the side and Mizuki snapped their fingers in front of Ena, bringing the other girl back to reality.

“Huh? What are you– Oh, hi Rui,” Ena greeted as she quickly shifted her attention to the alchemist. After a few uncomfortable seconds of looking into his eyes that had a slight glint of insanity in them, she broke eye contact with him, opting to look at the floor instead.

“Good evening to you too, Ena. You seem troubled, what’s on your mind?” Rui inquired and Ena shrugged as she replied, “Nothing you need to be concerned about. Mizuki was just teasing me, that’s all.”

Mizuki crossed their arms as they pouted, huffing childishly, “How is this my fault? Don’t blame me Enanan!” Rui laughed in response, “Haha! I do doubt that Mizuki somehow caused you to be so distracted with just a few words. Is it, perhaps, related to the two knights we met earlier?” Rui’s smile said it all; he already knew that he was right.

The fairy clenched her jaw as she answered, irritated that Rui was so perceptive, “Well… yeah. Something about that ginger bothers me.”

“Oh? Do elaborate,” Rui prompted the fairy, unable to hide his curiosity. Ena, lacking a reason to refuse his request, begrudgingly continued, “He seems familiar to me and I don’t know why.”

Although Ena didn’t know for sure why, she did have a few nagging doubts. One, in particular, bothered her the most. Especially since it seemed like the most plausible explanation.

“Well, with how similar you two act, I wouldn’t be surprised if you two were siblings or something!”

Ena stiffened at Mizuki’s joke and Rui narrowed his eyes, piecing the puzzle together. He spoke carefully, still maintaining a carefree tone, “Well, it may not be impossible since Shinonome has the same family name as you, Ena.”

“...What?”

That was not what she had been expecting, but it made sense, unfortunately. Ever since Ena had heard his first name, she had always had a gut feeling that they were closer than she had assumed.

Ena didn’t remember much of her childhood, apart from the day she was discarded like a piece of useless trash. She did, however, remember a younger brother. She barely recalled anything about him, except for his first name: Akito.

And now, his last name was all but confirmation that it really was him. Shinonome Akito, Ena’s younger brother; a brother who she didn’t know but wished she could.

“E-Eh? There’s no way that knight is actually Ena’s brother! The two of them don’t even look alike! Right, Ena?” Mizuki asked Ena, who didn’t answer. They faltered and furrowed their brows, repeating themself, “Ena… You said you have a sibling, is he really…”

“I don’t know,” the fairy replied curtly. It wasn’t a lie. Ena couldn’t be 100% sure that Akito was really her younger brother. But there was a high chance that he was.

“Oh, but you suspect that he is, don’t you?”

Ena simply glared at the smug purple-haired boy. Oh how she wished she could just rip that grin off of his face.

“I’m going out!” Ena announced and stood up. Mizuki tried to stop her but the other girl pushed them away, stomping out of the house. K, upon hearing the front door slam shut, turned and asked concernedly, “What happened? Is everything alright?”

Rui shrugged and replied nonchalantly, “Just let her be, she’s a bit sensitive right now.” K bit her lip and nodded, looking at the closed door with a worried expression. Mafuyu tugged on the reaper’s arm, and after a moment’s hesitation, K returned to washing the dishes with the knight.

“Ugh, stupid Rui! Ena hissed angrily to herself as she trekked through the forest. As usual, the path was deserted. The girl impulsively kicked a tree, causing her foot to throb in response.

“Ack!” Ena winced in pain and sighed to herself. Gosh, what was she even doing outside? She was definitely angry at Rui. There was no way that boy was dumb enough to not realise that Akito and Ena were probably siblings since they shared the same family name. Yet, he neglected to tell her until she asked. Wasn’t such a discovery something that he should’ve told her immediately?

Ena thought about Rui’s stupid, smug smile that he always wore and clenched her fists in frustration. That boy irritated her so much, almost as much as Mizuki did. She wondered if one of them had rubbed off on the other when they were living together.

A sudden noise in the distance startled Ena, interrupting her train of thought. She looked around and listened keenly. It was faint and if not for her heightened senses, the fairy wouldn’t have been able to pick up on the footsteps at all. Judging from how they were growing louder, the stranger was walking towards her direction.

Ena fiddled with the amulet around her neck. She wasn’t scared of being discovered but it was best if she probably returned to the house. After all, it was rare for someone to be on this path, and whoever it was that was heading her way may not be a friendly face.

Still, she was curious. There really was no reason for anyone to be here since the scenery wasn’t even that great. Was it one of Rui’s reaper friends? An official from the palace? Or maybe someone who wasn’t even looking for Rui?

The footsteps were a lot louder now and Ena could tell that the person was quite close to her location. She had to leave now. Yet, in that split second, the bitter and intrigued girl decided to stay where she was. She could always fly away if there was any danger.

A few moments later, a familiar ginger emerged from the dense forest. He brushed a few leaves from his hair and dusted his shoulders, grumbling incomprehensible words to himself. He looked up, meeting the brunette’s gaze and stopped in his tracks, completely stunned.

Ena was also shocked to see the knight. Her jaw dropped as she stared back at the boy. It was almost as if the Fates had decided to play a cruel joke on her. Meeting her long-lost brother after just finding out his identity… How Ena wanted to scream to herself.

Akito was the first to break the silence. He narrowed his eyes and hissed, “You again, huh?” His hand rested on the hilt of his sword as he glanced around. Akito raised an eyebrow and asked, “Where’s the rest of your group?”

“That’s none of your business,” Ena snapped back angrily. She had originally been planning to have a civil conversation with Akito, but that thought had immediately been tossed out of the window the moment the knight opened his mouth.

Akito tsked and decided to change the subject. “What are you doing here?” Ena rolled her eyebrows and asked back, “Why don’t you tell me your reason first, hm?”

“Gosh, I really can’t stand you!” Akito ran a hand through his messy hair and continued, “Why the heck are you being so rude to a stranger?”

Ena scoffed and replied without thinking, “Stranger? Yeah right. That’s what you think.”

Akito frowned as he tilted his head to the side, asking confusedly, “Huh? What do you mean? We’ve never met before.”

“Oh yeah, totally. We’ve never met before.” Ena’s voice dripped with sarcasm as she glared at the ginger, who only looked more confused than ever. He crossed his arms over his chest and huffed, “Yeah, we haven’t! Unless you would like to tell me about some encounter that I’ve forgotten?”

Was he really going to play dumb? Did he really take Ena for a fool? Well, the fairy was sick and tired of people lying and keeping secrets from her.

“Can you just quit the act already? I know that you’re my younger brother!” Ena shouted at the knight, who was about to retort something when he processed Ena’s words. Akito’s expression transformed into one of disbelief as he asked hesitantly, “How… How did you know that I used to have a sister?”

“Used to– I’m not dead! And I already told you to stop lying!”

Akito went silent for several seconds before he responded quietly, “I’m not lying.”

Ena frowned as she looked at the knight dubiously. There was no way she had found out about their relationship before he had… right? She had assumed that Akito had known all along, which was why he disliked her so much, because he also knew her secret. But if he didn’t…

“You… really aren’t lying?” Akito shook his head and Ena couldn’t help but laugh. Not at her younger brother, but at herself and her stupidity.

“Oh for goodness sake… I exposed myself for nothing… Shit, I shouldn’t have acted so impulsively…”

Akito watched Ena carefully and waited for the brunette to calm down. The girl’s laughter eventually subsided and Ena took a deep breath. There was no point in going back. She would have to face him now that the cat was out of the bag.

“Yeah well, I am your sister. Shinonome Ena, the older sister of Shinonome Akito,” Ena sighed and Akito didn’t show any visible reaction. He stood in place and simply nodded to himself. After a pregnant pause, he finally murmured, “You’re supposed to be dead.”

Ena gave him a self-deprecating smile and replied, “Yeah, figured as much. What story did that old man tell you?”

“Old man? You mean dad?” Akito’s frown deepened and Ena shrugged as she answered, “He’s not my dad, but yes, your dad.”

“Oh… he told me that you ran away and then after a few months, a messenger suddenly arrived at our house saying that a runaway child died in a fire. They identified the child as you and…” Akito drifted off, unsure on how to continue. 

Ena scoffed. She was mad but wasn’t surprised at all. After all, that man had never shown an ounce of care for her before.

Akito frowned and asked, “Do you really hate dad?” Ena was confused by the sudden question when she realised that she had accidentally expressed her distaste for the man out loud.

“Well, of course! He was the one who threw me out of the house!”

Her younger brother looked at her, slightly concerned. “Why did he do that, then?” Akito asked tentatively. He wasn’t the best at emotions and knew that he could be a bit selfish, but it was obvious that Ena was quite close to breaking. He didn’t know what would happen after that and he didn’t want to find out either.

There was no response. Akito watched Ena, who continued to remain silent. There was a conflicted expression on her face as she played with an amulet around her neck. The gemstone embedded in it glimmered in the light.

Ena didn’t know if she should reveal her secret or not. Akito was obviously unaware that she was a fairy, but if she told him, then what would happen then? Would Akito tell the royal family? If he did, then surely they would investigate the others too; K and Mizuki would be exposed alongside her.

“Shino– Ena? Are you alright?” Akito suddenly patted her on the shoulder lightly. The action was meant to be comforting, but it was far too sudden and unfamiliar, causing the girl to flinch. She immediately pushed his hand away and snapped, “Don’t touch me!”

Irritation flashed across the knight’s face as he snapped, “Fine! Be that way! I was just worried about you!” Akito saw Ena’s face only grow darker and immediately regretted his words. Just when he had been trying to make sure not to anger her…

“Ena, I–”

“Don’t call me that! You don’t get to call me that when you don’t know me! And you were ‘worried’? Ha! Don’t make me laugh! Why the hell would you be worried about an outcasted fairy, huh?” Ena hissed frustratedly. Just the thought of her father was enough to flare up her temper, and unfortunately, Ena had a very short temper that took very little to trigger. 

Now Akito was angry. He narrowed his eyes and retorted, “Why did you even reveal our relationship when you obviously don’t want to try and fix it? And yeah! Of course I wouldn’t be worried about a… fairy?”

Realisation dawned on Akito, but it was too late. Ena looked away, hurt, and without another word she ran back to Rui’s house.

Akito wanted to call out to her, to ask her to wait. But the words were stuck in his throat and he simply couldn’t get them out. The boy watched Ena’s silhouette disappear and sat down on the path, alone, upset and confused.

Ena burst into the house, startling Mizuki, who had been patiently waiting near the front door for her to return. Before they could even say anything, the brunette stomped towards Rui and glowered at him. The alchemist tilted his head curiously, his cat-like eyes watching the girl.

“Is something wrong, Ena?”

“Ha! Don’t act like you don’t know anything! I just met that stupid ginger on the path! That was all because of you, wasn’t it? You set this entire thing up!” Ena ranted and pointed an accusatory finger at the taller boy.

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about, Ena. I didn’t do anything. If you met Shinonome, then it must have been by pure coincidence,” Rui replied smoothly, unfazed by Ena’s outburst.

Mafuyu peeked into the room and glanced around, asking, “Is everything okay? We heard some shouting.”

Rui shrugged and answered, “It seems like Ena just met her younger brother.”

“Her… brother?” K suddenly appeared behind Mafuyu, an expression of shock and confusion on the reaper’s face.

Mizuki was also taken aback by the sudden news. They were still trying to grapple with the fact that Ena’s younger brother was the annoying knight, and Ena had just met him? They knew that it was definitely an even bigger surprise for the fairy, and likely an unwelcome one too.

“Don’t lie to me! I know you set this up!” Ena didn’t seem to believe that Rui really didn’t have a role in the meeting. She was definitely overwhelmed by the situation and wasn’t thinking straight.

Mizuki immediately took Ena’s hand and dragged her away. Rui watched on with an amused smile while Ena spluttered in confusion, “Wha– Mizuki! What are you doing!?”

The hermit didn’t reply and instead, pulled Ena out of the house and closed the door behind them. They fastened their amulet around their neck and their horns immediately disappeared.

“Mizuki! What the heck was that for?” Ena asked indignantly and Mizuki explained patiently, “You’re obviously in a bad mood and I don’t want you to upset any of the others. Listen, I’ll buy you cheesecake, okay? You’d like that, wouldn’t you Enanan?”

Ena couldn’t help the look of delight that flashed across her face at the mention of cheesecake and cleared her throat, “Well… I suppose.” She already seemed to be in a slightly better mood.

Mizuki nodded and took the other girl’s hand. “Alright then! Let’s go buy some cheesecake!”

…

“Do you like this cheesecake?” Mizuki pointed to the very last one on display. Ena had said no to every single cheesecake so far and this was the last one. If she didn’t want this cheesecake, they didn’t know what else to do.

Ena contemplated for a few moments before finally sighing, “Yeah, it’s alright. As long as it can make me forget about today…”

“Should I ask Rui to help? I’m sure he has a potion that can erase memories!” Mizuki joked and Ena rolled her eyes in response.

Mizuki paid for the cheesecake and the duo exited the shop. Only a few moments later, a pair of knights entered the same shop.

“It’s just… I don’t know how I feel right now! I find out that my sister is alive, then I try to talk with her but she doesn’t like me! Why did she even tell me that she was my sister then!?”

Toya listened to Akito quietly, letting his partner vent out his frustration. He pointed at the menu and interrupted the other boy, “Akito, why don’t you order some pancakes? I’m sure they’ll make you feel better.”

Akito paused mid-sentence and nodded. He rubbed the back of his neck and murmured, “Yeah, you’re right, Toya. Thanks.”

The dragon slayer smiled brightly at his friend. He understood why Akito was mad and knew that he just wanted to express his anger. It was better if the boy could calm down first though. Toya knew that pancakes would help put him in a better mood.

He noticed a strand of pink hair on the floor and a cheesecake on display was missing a slice too. He remembered the last time he and Akito had come here and smiled to himself. Akito turned around, waiting for his pancakes and asked curiously, “Toya? Why are you smiling?”

“It’s nothing but maybe you should consider talking to your sister again. Maybe she said some words that she didn’t mean.”

Akito seemed to consider Toya’s words and sighed reluctantly, “Fine. I’ll think about it.”

“Sir? Your pancakes are ready.”

“Alright! I meant… That’s great to hear.”

“An, are you sure you want to take up this offer?” Kohane asked uncertainly, watching the looming walls of the kingdom grow closer.

Her partner, An, nodded and replied, “I know the Hinomori Kingdom declared war on the Tenma Kingdom but we aren’t supposed to be affiliated with anyone. I can’t really refuse them and have no reason to either since they’re offering quite a hefty sum.”

She noticed Kohane’s troubled expression and reassured the other girl, “Kohane, I don’t want to help them either but if we don’t, it’ll ruin our reputation. Don’t worry, I’m sure the Tenma Kingdom will win the war!”

Kohane still seemed hesitant but sighed, “Yeah, you’re right. Akito and Toya will win.”

The merchant smiled at the smaller girl and turned her attention back to the front. “Well, it’s not like we can turn back now…”

“Because it seems like we’ve reached our destination.”

Chapter Text

“Alright, you can enter. Next!”

The Duchess of the Hinomori Kingdom watched with calculating eyes as wagons entered the kingdom one after another. Since they were at war with the Tenma Kingdom, they needed to give their soldiers the best resources available, especially weapons.

The Hinomori Kingdom was certainly at a disadvantage; the Tenma Kingdom had a dragon slayer and rumours had it that their commander had never lost a duel in his life before. Of course, rumours were just rumours and the Duchess rarely believed them. Still, it was an undeniable fact that the Hinomori Kingdom’s knights were not on par with the Tenma Kingdom’s.

There was one exception though. Asahina Aiko’s beloved daughter – Mafuyu. She had been the Hinomori Kingdom’s most talented and most valuable knight… until she ran away. Although Aiko had claimed that her daughter died in an ambush from the Tenma Kingdom, which also allowed her to start laying the groundwork for the war, Mafuyu had simply run away from her.

She could still vividly remember that night. It was the last time she saw her daughter. The two of them had gotten into a big argument. It was a dumb fight in Aiko’s eyes, but she knew that teenagers could be stubborn and Mafuyu simply didn’t understand that everything her mother had done was for her sake.

A wagon pulled up near Aiko. Two girls who looked to be only around 17 or 18 years old sat at the front. A girl with black hair and blue tips coaxed the horses to stop while the sandy-haired girl beside her looked around nervously.

The Duchess frowned. Why were there children here? She moved closer to watch the guard’s inspection. She made eye contact with the sandy-haired girl, who squeaked in terror and clung onto the other girl’s arm when she saw the creepy woman.

“Good morning, Sir!” The black-haired girl greeted the guard cheerfully. The guard, who had been inspecting incoming wagons since sunrise, simply gave a grunt in response and grumbled, “State your name and business.”

“Of course! I’m Shiraishi An! This is my partner, Azusawa Kohane! We’re the Vivids and we received a request for some of our swords!”

Aiko raised an eyebrow in surprise. She had been the one to recommend hiring the Vivids, having heard of their high-quality weapons from other kingdoms, but she didn’t expect them to be two young girls.

The guard nodded and sighed, “Alright, I’ll just have to inspect your goods and then you can go.”

An smiled and Kohane lifted the cloth that had been blocking the weapons inside the wagon from view. At first, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. There were only swords and daggers inside. But one sword that was lying around, forgotten, in the wagon suddenly caught Aiko’s eye.

Just as the guard was about to start the check, the Duchess held up a hand to stop him and ordered, “Wait.”

An looked at the purple-haired woman in surprise. She hadn’t noticed her before but An felt that she looked quite similar to someone she had met before. The merchant couldn’t remember who though.

“Your Grace?” the guard asked hesitantly, a confused look on his face. Aiko ignored him and questioned the two merchants, “That sword in your wagon, the one with the crest of a rising sun on its hilt, where did you get it from?”

An looked at the sword for a few moments, trying to recall where they had gotten the sword from. Kohane leaned in and whispered to her, “An, that’s the sword that that group with the fairy left behind…”

Oh, that was right. Now she remembered. The sword belonged to the knight in the group. An hesitated, she had a bad feeling about the woman. Should she tell her the truth or just lie about its origins?

“If you’re planning to lie to me, I suggest you think twice, Miss Shiraishi.” Almost as if the Duchess could read An’s mind, Aiko suddenly spoke again, warning her.

The black-haired girl weighed her options for a few more seconds before finally sighing. She would just tell the woman a very vague truth. An wasn’t good at lying and neither was Kohane, so hopefully the woman would accept her answer without any further questioning.

“Ah, now I remember! I bought it from a knight!” An prayed that that was enough, but unfortunately Aiko wasn’t accepting such an answer.

“Oh? You bought it? How interesting… Are you, perhaps, lying to me right now?” Aiko smiled, although it was a cold one that was devoid of any warmth. An immediately looked away, unable to maintain eye contact with the terrifying woman.

“An is telling the truth!” Kohane interrupted, trying to defend her friend. Aiko’s smile widened and she turned her attention to Kohane instead. The Duchess cocked her head to the side and asked, “If that’s so, then surely you can tell me more details, right? For example, where this knight was from or where they were planning to go.”

Finally, An remembered why the woman felt familiar. The knight in that group of misfits, Yuki, had purple hair too. The woman and Yuki looked far too similar, it was almost as if they were… family.

Kohane, not noticing An’s troubled expression, decided to give Aiko what she wanted and replied, “That knight was going to the Tenma Kingdom.”

The Duchess chuckled to herself. She clenched her fists and hissed under her breath, “The Tenma Kingdom, huh? Mafuyu, what are you trying to do?”

Aiko pointed at the sword and ordered, “Confiscate that sword and then let them pass. That sword is property of the Asahina household and belongs to my daughter, Mafuyu.”

“What?” An’s eyes widened in realisation. She had been right, but it was far too late to do anything. Kohane seemed to come to the same conclusion as An and trembled, murmuring under her breath, “Oh no… What did I…”

The two merchants had just made a grave mistake.

Heels clacked against the pristine, white marble floor, the noise echoing in the empty hallway. The Duchess’s hair swayed behind her as she made her way to the throne room. Anyone who saw her and had half a brain cell immediately scurried away. As they should. Aiko wouldn’t deny that the sight of common servants and knights cowering before her made her blood rush with excitement.

Aiko knocked once on the door to the throne room. After a few moments, an elegant voice called out, “Enter.”

The Duchess entered the room. Knights stood at attention inside of the throne room and there were two thrones at the very end of the room.

Seated in the larger of the two thrones was a girl with wavy, light blue hair and matching eyes that were stern but carried warmth at the same time. She sat with poise and had her hands neatly folded on her lap. The young girl who was only 18 years old had a certain regal and mysterious aura surrounding her.

Aiko dipped her head politely and greeted the girl, “Your Majesty.” The Queen’s tiara glinted as she spoke, her voice soothing enough to put a baby to sleep, “No need for such formalities, Asahina. What brings you here today?”

The Duchess raised her head. The throne beside Shizuku was empty. That was good news for her. Aiko couldn’t stand the younger Hinomori; the Princess was always so suspicious of her and seemed to dislike her presence, despite Aiko’s best efforts to change the Princess’s opinion of her. Not that it mattered though, Shizuku was the Queen and the only one Aiko had to please.

However, standing beside the Queen was her handmaiden. Aiko really hated that girl. The girl in question was Hanasato Minori, who had light brown hair and grey eyes, and was also very clumsy. Aside from the fact that Minori often messed up tasks because of her clumsiness and unluckiness, she also liked poking her nose into where it didn’t belong. Frankly, Aiko would have already requested for her dismissal if not for the fact that Minori was Shizuku’s childhood friend. There would be a lot of unnecessary trouble if she was fired.

“I’m afraid it’s a confidential matter that should only be discussed between the two of us, Your Majesty,” Aiko said in her usual honeysweet tone and Shizuku contemplated her words for a few seconds. Then, she flashed her signature gentle smile that had every man and even some women in the kingdom falling head over heels for the girl. Shizuku nodded and replied earnestly, “Oh, I understand! Guards, please leave us!”

The knights saluted and immediately left the room. The handmaiden however, remained in the room. Shizuku didn’t prompt her to leave either. How annoying.

“Your Majesty, your handmaiden has to leave too.” Aiko gestured to the brown-haired girl who frowned and squeaked in confusion. Shizuku seemed reluctant but conceded to the demand and whispered something to Minori.

Minori’s expression fell but the girl nodded and left the room as well. Finally, it was just Aiko and Shizuku in the throne room, alone.

Aiko smiled and walked closer to Shizuku. She started talking again in the friendly tone that she had spent years perfecting, “Thank you, Your Majesty. Now, as for what I wanted to discuss with you…”

“I believe that the Tenma Kingdom has kidnapped my daughter, Mafuyu. I found her sword with my family crest on it in a wagon and the merchants that owned the wagon said that they bought the sword from a knight heading to the Tenma Kingdom. I think that the knight was from the Tenma Kingdom and was trying to get rid of any traces that my daughter was alive! They wanted us to think that she was dead!”

The story was likely not true at all. Aiko suspected that the knight was her daughter, although she didn’t know why Mafuyu would go to the Tenma Kingdom. She also doubted that the merchants had bought it from her. But this story was more convincing than Aiko’s actual suspicions.

Shizuku seemed to be deep in thought and after a long silence, she asked curiously, “That’s quite… interesting. May I know where the sword is right now?”

“Ah, I had a knight take it to my house. I hope you don’t mind. I can get it for you, Your Majesty.” Now, to see if Shizuku trusted her enough…

The Queen shook her head and replied, “Oh, no need! I believe you, Asahina.” Aiko smiled coldly, although Shizuku was none the wiser. Nobody knew about the nefarious intentions that lurked beneath her ever-present smile.

“But I have to ask, what makes you think that Mafuyu is alive, Asahina? She was a good friend of mine and I do want to believe that she’s alive, but it’s been a few months since her alleged death. Maybe she really died in that ambush and that sword could have been in the wagon for ages… Besides, I don’t see why the Tenma Kingdom would kidnap her.”

As expected, Shizuku was asking more questions. And those were questions that Aiko could not answer. It was hard to explain without revealing that the Duchess had staged her daughter’s death, having decided to use the opportunity that her runaway child had created to start a war. Luckily, she wouldn’t have to explain it.

The Duchess pulled out a small red crystal from her pocket. It was as small as a finger but the power within it was immense. Shizuku’s attention was drawn to the crystal and she frowned, asking confusedly, “Asahina, what is that?”

Once certain that Shizuku’s attention was on the crystal, Aiko tapped it once, causing the crystal to light up. Immediately, Shizuku’s eyes turned red as she gazed into the crystal. Aiko smirked as she brought the crystal closer to increase its effects.

“Listen, you’re going to forget about this crystal and then you’re going to call the Kagamines over and tell them to start attacking the Tenma Kingdom. You’re going to believe that Mafuyu is still alive and was kidnapped by the Tenma Kingdom, is that understood?”

Shizuku nodded with a dazed expression on her face, mesmerised by the crystal’s glow. Aiko tapped the crystal again, causing it to dim and she kept it back in her pocket. Shizuku’s eyes returned to normal and she blinked in confusion for a few seconds as she groaned, “Ah, my head…”

“Your Majesty, aren’t you forgetting something? Something related to Mafuyu, perhaps?” It was always like this. Aiko needed to give Shizuku a small nudge first, then she would act according to how the Duchess wanted her to.

Shizuku’s eyes flashed red again and she nodded, exclaiming, “You’re right, Asahina! I need the Kagamines here immediately! Guards!”

The knights immediately streamed back in the room, along with Minori, and they kneeled down before their Queen. Shizuku pointed at one of them and ordered, “Go get the Kagamines here. I have an important task for them.”

The guard bowed and rushed off to go find the two Commanders. Minori looked on concernedly, she was especially worried about Shizuku since the girl was behaving strangely again. It was happening more often these days, especially when the Duchess came. Yet, there was nothing strange about the woman.

The guards dispersed back to their original positions and a few minutes later, the knight returned with two yellow-haired people behind him. The Kagamine twins were quite short, and could easily be mistaken as children. However, the two were a deadly duo in combat and had made quite a reputation for themselves in past border skirmishes.

The two Commanders bowed before the Queen and one of the twins – Rin – asked, “Your Majesty, we were told that you requested for our presence.”

“Yes. I want you to immediately start attacking the Tenma Kingdom. We should not waste any more time,” Shizuku ordered and the twins shared a glance with each other. Rin hesitantly replied, “Your Majesty, we do not think that that is a wise decision. The defense preparations are not done and if we attack now, the Tenma Kingdom will retaliate and we will suffer heavy losses.”

“The defense preparations aren’t done? You two have had two months to finish them, surely that is more than enough time,” Aiko interjected, fixing a curious gaze at the twins. Rin looked away and the Duchess smiled maliciously. She knew the Kagamines did not support the war and were trying to delay as many preparations as they could. She would’ve had them executed for treason if they weren’t so good at fighting.

This time, the other twin – Len – was the one to answer. He turned to the Duchess and held her gaze coolly. Aiko didn’t like the defiance that burned brightly in his eyes. Even though he was a high-ranking knight, his position was still beneath hers. She could easily have Len replaced just by pulling a few puppets’ strings.

“These kinds of things take time, Your Grace . We couldn’t do much preparation near the borders until war was officially declared, otherwise the Tenma Kingdom would know of our plans.” Len crossed his arms over his chest; a daring move to do to someone who had far more political power than him. The Duchess’s smile grew wider.

“Oh, I understand. So our territory near the border is not well-protected… But wouldn’t the Tenma Kingdom have the same issue? I think it’s best if we strike first since our preparations are roughly the same. Wouldn’t you agree, Your Majesty?”

The Queen nodded eagerly and pressed the two twins, “Asahina is right. We must attack now, before it’s too late!”

Rin sighed and nodded reluctantly, replying softly, “Understood, Your Majesty… We will organise an attack immediately.”

Shizuku smiled, pleased, and waved a hand to dismiss the Commanders. The two of them immediately left the room and the Queen’s handmaiden looked at her friend worriedly.

“Shizuku, are you sure this is the right decision…?” Minori asked hesitantly. She had never called Shizuku by any formal titles before even though she was a commoner and could easily be killed for such rude behaviour.

“Of course! Don’t worry, Minori! I know exactly what I’m doing!” Shizuku reassured the other girl, who nodded hesitantly. The unspoken question of doubt remained on the servant’s tongue, sealed behind her closed lips. But do you actually know what you’re doing, Shizuku?

“I think I should take my leave now, Your Majesty,” the Duchess said, drawing the Queen’s attention back to her. Shizuku gave a small nod of acknowledgement and Aiko curtsied before leaving the room.

The throne room was plunged into silence once more. Although soon, in a place not too far away from there, the screams of men, women and children alike would fill the air.

Ichika looked around, wiping away the blood that had managed to get onto her face. She grimaced as she looked at her bloody hand. Innocent blood was splattered over her clothes and dripped down her sword. Ichika really couldn’t wait for this entire ordeal to be over.

The village that the knights had been told to attack was in chaos. Fire raged as houses burned. Cries of despair filled the air before they suddenly cut off, silenced by a knight’s sword. Commoners’ dead bodies lay on the ground, still. Their empty and soulless eyes gazing into nothing as their mouths hung open in a silent scream.

Ichika didn’t know why the Kagamines had suddenly gathered the knights and told them to attack different villages on the outskirts of the Tenma Kingdom’s border. She assumed that someone even higher-up had ordered them to start attacking, but she didn’t want to believe that. How could Shizuku or Shiho tell them to start killing innocent people?

The battle had ended quite quickly. Of course it had. The poor villagers had nothing to defend themselves with as the knights charged in. At the very least, it seemed like none of Ichika’s comrades took pleasure in this either. All of the villagers’ deaths had been swift and merciful.

Someone suddenly tapped Ichika on the shoulder, causing the girl to whirl around, ready to attack the other person. Ichika breathed a sigh of relief and lowered her sword when she saw a familiar blue-haired knight.

Although (innocent) blood stained Haruka’s uniform, Ichika had to admit that the other girl still looked quite stunning. She would definitely have a successful career as a model, so Ichika really didn’t know why she had decided to become a knight. But everyone had their own stories and she wasn’t the kind of person to pry.

“Hi Ichika,” Haruka greeted her friend, although her smile was grim and her voice was tired. Ichika understood her. The black-haired knight gave a nod of acknowledgement and murmured, “Hi Haruka. It’s quite surreal isn’t it?”

Haruka gave a short bark of laughter, though it was half-hearted, and answered, “This situation? Yeah… I mean I always knew we would have to fight eventually but… killing defenseless people is just…”

Haruka’s grip on her sword tightened as she stared down at the bloody ground. Ichika placed a comforting hand on the girl’s shoulder and said, “I know. It’s quite dishonourable, isn’t it? But we can’t refuse orders either…”

There was a long silence between the two knights. The battle, if this one-sided massacre could even be called that, had already ceased. The knights around Ichika looked just as unhappy and who could blame them? This wasn’t what they were taught to do. They were supposed to fight other knights, people who could actually defend themselves. They weren’t supposed to slaughter commoners.

Ichika noticed a girl with light dusty rose hair in a side ponytail nearby. Her heart skipped a beat at the familiar figure who was approaching the dead bodies. Nobody else had noticed the mysterious girl yet.

“Haruka, I think I see a straggler. I will go… get rid of them.” Ichika quickly made up an excuse and Haruka nodded. The knight immediately rushed off to the girl’s direction. The girl had placed her hand on a dead villager’s chest and a white ball of light suddenly rose from the man’s chest.

Ichika watched in awe as the girl gently held the ball and clenched her fist around it, causing it to disappear. The girl turned and yelped in surprise when she saw Ichika. The knight smiled and rushed forward to hug her. The girl, having overcome her initial shock, embraced the hug and gently patted Ichika’s back.

“3! I’m so happy to see you!” Ichika sniffed into the reaper’s shoulder as tears flowed down her cheeks. The dam that she kept all of her bottled-up guilt in broke the moment she saw her friend.

3 smiled and said softly, “Ichika, I’m glad to see you too. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to visit everyone. I’ve had to cover 17’s workload since she– Never mind, forget that. Ichika, you… Go ahead, let it all out…”

Ichika hugged her friend tighter as she continued to cry. Her tears left a dark stain on 3’s dark blue low-sleeve coat. 3 didn’t say anything and merely continued patting the girl’s back, whispering hushed words of comfort to the distraught knight.

Finally, after what felt like eternity, Ichika finally calmed down. She let go of 3 and chuckled sheepishly, “Sorry 3, I don’t think that was very proper of me.”

The reaper shook her head as she reassured Ichika, “It’s fine, I don’t mind. I understand how distressing it is to see someone dead. I can only imagine how you feel because you…”

3 trailed off and the sentence was left unfinished. Ichika nodded numbly as she murmured, “I didn’t want to 3, I really didn’t want to… I– I don’t know what to do now…”

Seeing that Ichika was on the verge of breaking down from the guilt she felt again, 3 immediately squeezed her hand tightly to ground the girl back to reality. Ichika’s hand was slick with blood but 3 ignored it, unbothered by the fact that her hand was now bloody too.

“Ichika, listen. I don’t blame you, you were just following orders. Saki and Shiho will understand. They won’t blame you either.”

“But it doesn’t get rid of the blood that’s stained on my hands! My sword took lives and–”

3 held a finger up to Ichika’s lips, hushing her. She gave Ichika a stern look and gently scolded the girl, “That’s enough Ichika. I won’t hear you say any more of those words. You had no choice but to obey the orders of your superiors. Yes, you killed people and I’m not saying that your actions were justified. But if you want to blame someone, please don’t blame yourself. Blame the people who started this war, okay?”

Ichika nodded and 3 smiled, giving her hand one last squeeze before letting go. “I think you should go. Your comrades are likely wondering where you are. I have to collect all of these souls and send them off to the afterlife too,” 3 said and Ichika sighed, reluctant to part ways with her.

She knew 3 was right though and both of them had to return to their respective duties. Ichika waved goodbye to 3 and asked in a hopeful tone, “Will you visit soon?”

3 hesitated and replied, “I’ll try.” That was good enough for Ichika. She nodded and hugged 3 one last time before running back to the other knights who were already waiting for her.

“You sure took some time,” Haruka commented, her smile weary. Ichika shrugged and lied, “Yeah, the straggler had quite the stamina. I dealt with them though.”

Haruka nodded and when Ichika turned around, 3 had already disappeared from sight.

The blue-haired man stood alone in the war room. He analysed the map in front of him. He had already circled a few areas and was tapping the table with his pen impatiently.

A knight burst into the room without warning, the man’s hair slick with sweat. “Commander Kaito! I have urgent news!” The man panted as he tried to catch his breath.

Kaito, the man without a last name and could make his opponents cower before him with his intimidating presence alone, looked up. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “What is it?”

“The Hinomori Kingdom… They attacked the Wonderland Village! They… They killed everyone!”

There was a loud crack as Kaito’s pen snapped in half. At first, he didn’t say anything. He simply clenched his fists as he looked back at the map. Then, Kaito sighed and massaged his temples in frustration.

“Get me a new pen. I need to change some of our plans,” he ordered the knight who nodded. Then, the knight asked hesitantly, “Commander, how do you plan to win this battle?”

Kaito huffed as he sat back down into his chair. He threw the broken pen into the trash bin and answered calmly, “Battle? This is not a battle. This is a war.”

She could sense it. The passing of another unfortunate soul who had died in another bloody fight in this ridiculous war.

It was happening a lot more and although she had never seen any of the battles, she could roughly guess when they happened since a new batch of souls would suddenly pass into the afterlife.

If she tried hard enough, she could probably hear their dying screams as they thought about their family and friends who would never see them again.

It was sad, but death was common for someone like her. She had grown used to the feeling. Besides, she didn’t care about this war. No, she was here for a completely different and unrelated matter.

She had spent enough time observing her and she had already thought of a plan. It was finally time.

“It’s time for you to go back to where you belong.”

Chapter Text

17 K sat on one of the metal beams in the empty world, playing with the string in her hands. She was playing a new game that Luka had taught her recently; it was called Cat’s Cradle. Apparently, it was a game that humans had forgotten about. From what K had gathered, Luka had learnt this fun game from someone else, although her mentor refused to disclose the identity of said person.

“Luka! Luka! Where are you? I have something to show you!” A loud voice suddenly disrupted K’s focus and the pale reaper looked up to see a girl with bright pink hair skipping towards her direction. Not too far behind the pink-haired girl was another girl with light green hair.

K had to leave before the two girls saw her. Luka hadn’t told her much about the other reapers, but K would be lying if she said that she wasn’t a little scared of them. Even though Luka was quite nice, K still remembered the bone-chilling stories about reapers that she had been told as a child. The servants of Death were beings that should be feared.

It was ironic, really. A reaper fearing other reapers. Luka had reassured her that most of the reapers were just as friendly as her but K still had some doubts about them. She was wary of the other two, especially the green-haired reaper. She had an annoyed expression on her face and looked like she would murder someone soon.

It would take too much time for her to climb down the metal beam. While K was still quite inexperienced with using her powers, she should probably be fine if she jumped down. Probably. K untangled her hands and kept the string in her pocket. Then, she summoned an ‘agility’ and a ‘good luck’ carnation and held the two flowers in her hand. Taking a deep breath, the girl took a leap of faith and fell.

Luckily, K managed to land without any complications, although she did stumble after landing. Just as K was about to run away, she heard that same loud voice call out to her again. “Whoa! Who’s that? Are you a new reaper? I’ve never seen you around here before! I’m– Wait! Come back!”

K took off without looking back, the agility carnation helping her run faster than normal. Although her stamina had not changed and K could feel herself already start running out of breath. Suddenly, a miniature doll that looked like the green-haired girl she had seen earlier appeared in front of K.

K yelped in surprise and fell back, startled. She winced and squeaked in fear when the miniature doll moved closer to her. Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the doll disappeared once more.

“Sorry about that. 14 didn’t want you to leave.” A tired voice apologised to K, who hastily stood up and nearly fell back down as her whole world tilted for a few seconds. The green-haired girl gave K a small shrug while the pink-haired girl suddenly popped up behind her.

“15! She’s a new reaper! Don’t you want to meet her?” The pink-haired girl whined and 15 just sighed and rolled her eyes, muttering, “I don’t really care…”

K looked between the two nervously and asked hesitantly, “Uh… Who are you two? And what was that thing just now…?”

15 seemed offended by K’s words and huffed irritatedly, “NeRo is not a “thing”. That’s my personal ability. Anyway, I’m 15 and she’s 14.”

“Yeah! 15’s power is super duper wonderhoy! She can use NeRo to do pretty much anything! I can blind people with my smiles! What about you?” 14 asked enthusiastically as she bounced up and down. K already felt tired just by being around her. Or maybe she was still exhausted from running earlier. It was hard to tell.

“Ah… I can summon carnations that can boost a person’s… abilities? Something like that…” K murmured, slightly embarrassed by how useless her power sounded compared to the other two’s. 14 nodded and smiled at K. The poor girl flinched, half expecting herself to turn blind.

15 shook her head and explained, “14 can control her power quite well so I don’t think you need to worry about being blinded by her smile. By the way, what’s your number?”

“Oh, it’s 17 .”

“It’s nice to meet you 17 ! It’s always really exciting to see new reapers! Do you know where Luka is by any chance?” 14 asked and K shook her head. Her mentor had told her that she had to go settle some “stuff” before mysteriously disappearing. That had been a few hours ago.

14’s expression fell as she sighed, “Aw, I wanted to show her something really wonderhoy… It’s fine though!” K was now intrigued by 14’s words and asked curiously, “What did you want to show Luka?”

“Oh no…” 15 groaned and 14’s smile widened even more. She giggled and replied excitedly, “I’ll show you! It’s an action I created for the word ‘wonderhoy! In other words, this action is really awesome!”

Just as 14 was about to demonstrate the action, someone interrupted her. “14, 15, are you two here? I need to ask you two something– Huh, who’s this?”

A girl with light dusty rose hair walked towards the trio. She had blue eyes and wore a white blouse with a blue low-sleeve coat on top. 15 turned and gave the newcomer a small wave, greeting the reaper politely, “Hello 3.”

14 brightened at the mention of 3 and immediately ran up to the other girl, hugging her tightly. “Wah! Hi 3! I’ve missed you so much!”

3 chuckled as she hugged 14 back. “Hi 14, it’s great to see you as well, although I’m quite sure we just met yesterday…” 3 replied and 14 complained, “One day is too long! I want to see you more!”

“It’s not fun being dragged around by you though,” 15 commented dryly and 14 pouted, giving her friend the saddest face she could manage. 15 looked away, refusing to acknowledge 14.

K watched the others interact and suddenly felt a bit lonely. She didn’t know the others at all and they already seemed to be quite close with one another.

She was about to take the opportunity to slip away when she suddenly felt someone tug her towards the others. 14 had, at some point, let go of 3 and was now dragging K to the others.

“3, meet 17 ! 17 , meet 3!” 14 introduced the two reapers to each other and 3 smiled warmly at K. She extended a hand towards the girl and said, “It’s nice to meet you, 17 !”

K nodded and fidgeted shyly. She stared down at the ground and mumbled, “You too…” 3 tilted her head to the side curiously and K remembered that 3 was still waiting for her to shake her hand.

K nervously shook 3’s hand and quickly let go. 3 observed the other girl for a few seconds before suddenly giggling, “You seem to be scared of me. Am I intimidating?”

“N-No! It’s not that! I’m just…” K trailed off and 3 smiled knowingly at her, finishing the sentence for her. “You’re just shy? Is that it?”

K nodded and 14 immediately interrupted, “Don’t worry 17 ! 3 is the nicest person ever! Right, 15?”

“Well, I enjoy her company more than yours.”

“Wah! Stop teasing me 15!”

15 shrugged nonchalantly as 14 punched her shoulder lightly, wailing about how mean 15 was to her. K suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and focused her attention back to 3.

“Welcome to the family, 17 . I hope we can become close friends in the future.” K couldn’t help the small smile that surfaced because of 3’s words and replied, “Thank you, 3. I hope we can become friends too.”

3 nodded and was about to say something, when she suddenly winced. She groaned as she massaged the sudden headache away and smiled apologetically to K.

“I need to go collect some souls. If you ever want to talk to me, you can find me in the school.” Without another word, 3 disappeared into thin air. 14 and 15 were still too busy squabbling to notice that 3 had already left.

K decided to leave the other two to whatever shenanigans they were engaged in. She quietly left and looked for a new metal beam to climb so that she could play Cat’s Cradle in peace.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps. They echoed loudly in the quiet and empty area. A few moments later, two figures who seemed to be in a conversation appeared in the distance.

K tried to get a closer look of the two people. One had long pink hair and looked like Luka. Walking beside her was a shorter? (K wasn’t sure) girl with (K couldn’t remember) hair. Curious, K walked towards them. She was no longer as scared as other reapers after meeting the other three. She also wanted to know who that girl was since she had never seen her before.

She could now see the features of the mysterious girl and frowned. Her eyes… they were (what colour were they again?) The girl turned without warning and locked eyes with K. The reaper felt a chill run down her spine as she looked into the other girl’s eyes. She had a very bad feeling.

The girl walked towards K and Luka said something to her, but the ####-haired girl paid no attention to her. Luka had a worried look on her face as she followed the girl. K had never seen Luka so anxious before. She also had never seen someone blatantly ignore the senior reaper. After all, Luka was higher ranked than any other reaper.

Wait, no, that wasn’t right. Luka was the second-in-command. The Head of the Reapers was the highest ranking reaper among them. But the mysterious reaper didn’t show themself to the other reapers, or so Luka said.

Was that girl… No, that wasn’t possible… right? K backed away from the advancing girl, who gave her a small smile. Then, she was suddenly right in front of K. Was it teleportation? Super speed? Or something else? K didn’t know, all she knew was that she was probably very screwed.

The girl’s eyes flashed #### and then–

(K didn’t remember what happened after that)

“ #### , why would–”

“Lu ## , she ### and–”

“D # n’t–”

The memory was becoming more and more distorted. K heard voices from all directions but couldn’t understand what they were saying at all. The voices overlapped with one another as bits and pieces of other forgotten memories infiltrated her mind.

“ 17 , are you–”

“Sorry, we can’t help–”

“Dad!”

“Ka–”

K felt like she was floating in a space of nothingness. Nothing else except for her own fractured and damaged memories accompanied her in that lonely space. Suddenly, she was in a lake. Except that she couldn’t swim and she was drowning in the lake. Somebody started talking again, their voice muffled and distorted as water flooded K’s ears.

“Who is this, Luka?”

“Ah, she’s K █████. K █████ please meet (You’ll forget my name and everything that happened here, understood?).”

“Is she a new reaper?”

“Yes, she’s done everything except for the final step.”

“I see. K█████, right? The last step is simple. All you have to do is look into my eyes .”

The memory ended abruptly. Again. K couldn’t recall anything else. She would almost be frustrated if not for the fact that she was drowning at the moment. Water filled her lungs and K felt her heart slow down. Soon, it would stop altogether. Was this how she would die?

Suddenly, a hand reached into the lake and took K’s hand. They pulled the pale girl out of the water and onto the tiled floor. K immediately started coughing; her body’s feeble attempt at trying to expel the water inside of her. She shivered and looked up at her saviour. It was a child with white hair who looked a lot like her. She needed a child to save her, how embarrassing.

The child’s blue eyes stared into K’s and the child suddenly asked, “Who are you?”

K blinked a few times in surprise and whispered between coughs, “I’m… K.”

“K… But that’s not you.”

“I… I don’t understand.”

“K, 17. None of those names belong to you. Don’t you remember?”

K managed a frown and asked hesitantly, “Remember what?”

The girl’s form started flickering in and out of existence as she answered calmly, “Your identity. Who you are. Remember me, K.”

“Remember me.”

The girl disappeared and the floor beneath K vanished alongside her, plunging K into the water once more.

She was actually going to die this time. This was it. This was her end. Nobody else would save her.

And K knew that this was what she deserved. She should just accept her fate and disappear forever. Despite knowing all of that, she still called out weakly to no one, “Please… save me.”

Then, her eyes closed.

When K opened her eyes, she was back in her room that she shared with Mafuyu. Said girl was currently looking at K with what could almost be called a concerned expression on her face.

K smiled weakly at Mafuyu and mumbled, “Good morning Mafuyu.”

“Good morning, K,” Mafuyu returned the greeting and then paused, deliberating over whether she should continue talking. K already had a feeling that she knew what Mafuyu would ask her. They had been in a similar situation like this before. Still, she didn't want Mafuyu to be worried about her. Even if that meant K would have to put herself in a difficult situation.

“Is something bothering you, Mafuyu?” Mafuyu frowned and scrutinised K. She knew that the reaper was smart enough to be able to guess what was on her mind. So surely K also knew that she would have some tough questions to answer, right?

Nonetheless, Mafuyu wasn't going to give up this opportunity to understand K better and perhaps even help lessen the pain that she carried around quietly.

“Yes, there is. K, you were having another nightmare weren't you? You even whispered ‘save me’ in your sleep.”

K looked away guiltily and she answered, “Yes… I was having a nightmare.” The tired girl didn't elaborate afterwards and an awkward silence now hung between the two roommates.

Mafuyu knew that she should ask K what the nightmare was about. After learning about K’s nightmare, she should then comfort her. That was what a good friend would do.

However, the issue was that Mafuyu was far too protective of K and cared too much about her wellbeing. K certainly wouldn't give more details unless pressed but Mafuyu didn't want to make her uncomfortable. Even though she knew that understanding K better would probably help everyone more in the long-run, Mafuyu decided to give into her own selfish desire of letting K be happy and thus, the conversation ended just like that.

After several long moments, the reaper finally realised that Mafuyu wasn't going to ask her for more details. She looked at the stone faced knight hesitantly and said, “We should probably go down and eat breakfast.”

Mafuyu nodded and the two went to the living room silently, both trying to act like the conversation hadn't happened at all. K didn't want it to continue and Mafuyu didn't know how to continue it.

“Oh! There you are!” Mizuki immediately ran up to the duo and hugged K, who gasped for breath as they tried to escape the tight hug.

“Do I get a hug?” Mafuyu asked in a monotonous voice and Mizuki hesitated, unable to tell if she was joking or not. They smirked and said teasingly, “Why? Are you jealous?”

“M-Mizuki, I c-can’t breathe…” K wheezed and Mizuki immediately let go of her, apologising profusely to K. K waved a shaky hand and stuttered, “I-It’s fine, Mizuki. I know y-you didn't mean to…”

“Oi, what's all the commotion for?” Ena asked irritatedly as she joined the group. She had grown tired of waiting for them to settle down and decided to see what was holding them up.

“Nothing’s going on! C’mon, let’s go back!”

Mizuki immediately pushed the trio into the living room, earning them a shout of protest from Ena, which promptly started an argument. K and Mafuyu remained quiet and entered the living room while Ena and Mizuki fought in the hallway like children.

Rui was sitting on a chair. He had one leg crossed over the other and was reading a book while sipping a cup of coffee calmly. It didn’t seem like he had noticed the commotion outside at all. The alchemist raised his head and smirked.

“Ah, K and Asahina. Take a seat while we wait for the other two to calm down. They can still be quite immature, can’t they?”

Rui giggled and gestured to the couch. K and Mafuyu sat down, with the former quietly interlocking her hand with the latter’s. Mafuyu didn’t show any visible reaction aside from the imperceptible smile that spread onto her face. Rui glanced at the duo for a second before turning his attention back to the book in his hands.

There was an awkward silence in the room. K leaned her head against Mafuyu’s and closed her eyes in an attempt to catch some sleep while waiting for Ena and Mizuki. Mafuyu watched Rui read his book since she had nothing else to do. Meanwhile, Rui seemed unbothered by the entire situation.

“Kamishiro…” Mafuyu started quietly, looking at the reaper beside her. K already seemed to be fast asleep and she didn’t want to wake her up. Rui looked up from his book and asked with a curious expression, “Hm? Is there something you want to say, Asahina?”

As much as she didn’t want to do this, Mafuyu didn’t really have much of a choice. It simply didn’t sit right with her if she chose otherwise. So, the knight swallowed her pride and ego and continued, “I know I have said this before, but I apologise once more for neglecting to tell you my secret. And… you can call me Mafuyu.”

Rui blinked in surprise and then smiled at the girl. His eyes glinted with amusement and the alchemist replied, “Alright then, Mafuyu. You may call me Rui too.”

Mafuyu nodded in acknowledgement and Rui set his book down on the table. He reached around the chair and revealed a sword. The metal shone in the light and the hilt was golden, with the crest of a pegasus on it.

The sword was definitely from the Tenma Kingdom but Mafuyu didn’t understand why Rui had it. She hadn’t been aware that the alchemist could wield swords as well. Rui handed the sword to the perplexed knight and explained, “The Tenma family sent this as a gift. A gesture of their goodwill and generosity, you could say.”

Ah, that made sense. Mafuyu tapped the metal lightly, testing the material. Without a doubt, this was certainly a fine sword made from high-quality materials. She wanted to test just how good it was, but there wasn’t really space in the room for Mafuyu to safely swing the sword without hurting anyone.

“I’ll take good care of it,” Mafuyu said and she sheathed the sword. She had been hoping to buy a new sword soon anyway but this sword was probably better than any sword that she could’ve bought from the market.

Then, almost as an afterthought, Mafuyu added, “Thank the Crown Prince for me.” Rui chuckled knowingly, “Of course. I’m sure Tsukasa will be delighted to receive your gratitude.”

He stood up and looked at the doorway exasperatedly. Surprisingly, Ena and Mizuki were still bickering. He shook his head and sighed, “Those two really can go at it for hours huh… Asa– Mafuyu, stay here with K. I’ll go help them with their fight.”

Rui walked into the hallway, where Ena and Mizuki were busy fighting over cheesecake flavours. Rui raised an eyebrow as he heard them talk. They had definitely gone off-topic from whatever they had originally been arguing about.

He tapped Ena’s shoulder and startled the fairy, who was in the middle of a heated debate. Ena jumped away from Rui in surprise and her wings fluttered nervously behind her. When she saw that it was just Rui, she sighed in relief and asked impatiently, “Is there something you need?”

“Yes, there is! I need you to help buy some things for me!” Rui smiled cheerfully at Ena, who looked at him in confusion. He could practically see the question marks hovering over her head.

Mizuki burst out into laughter and slapped Ena’s back as they teased her, “Ena’s becoming an errand girl~ Ow ow!”

They cried out in pain when Ena roughly pulled the tip of their ear for a few seconds before letting go. She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, retorting, “That just means that Rui trusts me more. That’s why he’s asking me to go buy the things for him and not you!”

Mizuki pouted and turned to Rui, asking eagerly with puppy-dog eyes, “Rui! Tell her that’s not true!”

“Haha… I’m afraid it is, Mizuki.” The purple-haired boy shrugged apologetically with a sheepish smile on his face. Mizuki pretended to wipe a tear from the corner of their eye and sighed dramatically, “Ah, nobody trusts me! This is truly such a tragedy for me, Akiyama Mizuki!”

Ena rolled her eyes and turned to Rui and asked, “So what do you need me to help you buy?” Rui smiled and pulled out a small sheet of paper from his pocket. It was a list of things he needed to buy. Originally, he was going to go to town and buy them himself. But the opportunity had revealed itself when he had decided to help facilitate the argument.

Ena skimmed over the contents of the list and pocketed it. She glanced at the clock and said, “I’ll be back before noon.”

“Thank you Ena. Your help is much appreciated,” Rui thanked the fairy. She nodded in acknowledgement and without another word, she left the house, blatantly ignoring Mizuki’s pleas.

The hermit turned to Rui and asked while blinking their eyes rapidly, “Rui~ Is there anything I can do to help you? I’m really helpful and trustworthy!”

“You can go to the living room and accompany K and Mafuyu while you three wait for Ena to return.”

Mizuki deflated like a balloon as they gave him a half-hearted “Aye aye captain”. As they made their way to the living room, Mizuki suddenly turned back and asked, “Wait Rui, what about you? What are you going to do?”

Rui grinned widely and pointed at his workshop. “I’m going to write a letter to a certain witch in the Hinomori Kingdom,” he replied with a wink.

“Whoa… Her? Really!?” Mizuki asked excitedly, their eyes twinkling. Rui nodded, holding a hand to his lips, indicating that Mizuki shouldn’t tell anyone else about the matter. They gave him a thumbs-up and bounced back into the living room, barely able to contain their excitement.

Well then, Rui had a letter to write.

Ena glanced at the shops’ names as she strolled past them. According to the list that Rui had given her, everything that she needed to buy could be found in a shop called ‘The Dragon’s Breath’.

Definitely not the best name for a shop, but it was not the worst one that Ena had heard. She looked through the list and frowned. Why did Rui want to buy weird things such as ‘oak wood cut down by a female lumberjack’? What was the difference between oak wood cut down by a female lumberjack and oak wood cut down by a male lumberjack?

Ena sighed to herself. Rui had always been… weird, to say the least. This list wasn’t that strange when you considered that it was Rui’s. Still, would the shopkeeper even know which wood was cut down by a female lumberjack?

A shudder suddenly ran down Ena’s spine. She looked around but everyone was completely engrossed in their own business. Nobody was looking at her. So why did it feel like someone was watching her?

Ena shook her head. She was probably just being paranoid. Maybe she was scared that she would run into Akito. Yeah, that was probably it. Fate was cruel after all and might decide to make the siblings encounter each other again.

As she continued down the street, she noticed a hooded figure sitting on the dirty pavement, holding a cup in their hands. Ena stopped beside the figure and noticed their dirty cloak. They were probably a beggar. Nobody else was paying attention to the person. Ena felt her heart twinge in sympathy. She knew how it felt to be surrounded by people who acted like they couldn’t see her. Like she was invisible.

Well, it wouldn’t hurt if she donated a few coins, right? She was using Mafuyu’s money today and Ena was pretty sure that the knight couldn’t care less about how her money was spent. She imagined returning to the house and telling Mafuyu that she had given a beggar a few coins. That girl’s only response would probably be an “Okay”. Yeah, Mafuyu definitely wouldn’t care.

Ena knelt down in front of the person and dropped a few coins into their cup. Up close, they could see their features more clearly. The person had grey hair in twin pigtails and the most striking part was her eyes. Her right eye was green while the left eye was pink. Ena had never seen someone who had differently-coloured eyes.

The girl looked up at Ena and smiled, saying, “Oh, thank you so much. I appreciate your generosity. Is there anything I can do to repay you?”

The fairy blinked in surprise and hurriedly replied, “Oh there’s no need for you to do anything for–” Ena suddenly paused. She was having a hard time finding the shop Rui had written on the list but maybe this girl could help her.

“Well… actually, there is something I need help with. Do you know where ‘The Dragon’s Breath’ is?”

The girl hummed and tilted her head to the side slightly, asking, “Yes, I do. Do you want me to bring you to it?”

Ena nodded earnestly and the girl stood up, clutching the cup close to her. She started walking away and turned back, calling out, “Aren’t you coming?”

For a moment, Ena swore that she saw the girl smirk. But when she blinked, the smirk was gone and the girl was looking at the fairy confusedly. Ena took a deep breath and answered, “Coming. You can lead the way, I’ll follow behind.”

It must have been a trick of the light. Or perhaps Ena was still half-asleep. Yet, she couldn’t help the feeling in her gut that something was off about the girl. But she was just a girl, and probably only a teenager too, judging from how she was only slightly taller than Ena. And as much as she hated to admit it, the fairy was definitely below average height.

Besides, how could a girl harm her? Ena chuckled to herself as she followed the girl. She really had to stop thinking so much. There was no need to be so cautious and wary.

“We’re here,” the girl suddenly stopped and said. Ena looked around and frowned. She had been so preoccupied with her own thoughts that she hadn’t been paying attention to where she was going, blindly following the girl instead.

They were now in an alley and there was nobody else around. That gut feeling grew stronger. Ena laughed nervously and asked, “I don’t see the shop. Is it one of those places with a hidden entrance? I wouldn’t be surprised if Rui bought his things from such a place…”

The girl silently turned towards Ena as she placed her cup down on the floor, her eyes meeting Ena’s. The brunette frowned. Didn’t the girl have one green eye and one pink eye? Why were both of them pink?

The girl took a step towards Ena and the fairy took a step back. Every instinct was screaming at her to run. Whoever this mysterious girl was, she was dangerous. Too dangerous for Ena to handle.

However, before she could turn around and bolt away, the girl was suddenly in front of Ena. She grabbed her shoulders and slammed Ena into the brick wall. Ena hissed in pain as she collided with the hard wall. Her wings were completely visible, the contact with the wall having broken the illusion. She had to shrink, now.

The girl’s grip tightened and Ena cried out as her shoulders throbbed. The pain was excruciating. How could an ordinary girl be so strong? Her wings were crushed behind her as well, stuck between Ena’s body and the wall.

“Fuck… that really hurts,” Ena snarled and kicked the girl’s legs. The girl lost her grip as she stumbled, not expecting the fairy to fight back. Now was her chance. Ena tried to shrink herself so that she could fly away from the crazy girl.

Yet, nothing happened. The size of her surroundings remained the same. Ena’s wings fluttered weakly behind her. Suddenly, she felt someone grab her wrist and pin her down onto the ground.

The girl’s eyes glinted in the darkness. Ena was definitely screwed. The girl looked very angry. Ena struggled to wriggle out of the girl’s hold and tried to shrink again. It still didn’t work.

The girl tilted her head to the side and remarked, “If you’re trying to use your magic, it won’t work. I’ve temporarily nullified your abilities. This street is deserted so hardly anyone will pass by this alley. You could scream for help, I’m sure people will come rushing to your aid, but we both know you won’t do that, fairy .”

Ena narrowed her eyes as she gritted her teeth. The girl was right. She couldn’t risk being discovered. It would cause way too many problems for her and the others. She had to stall until she figured out a plan to get herself out of this mess.

“How the hell are you able to nullify my magic? Who are you?” Ena asked, letting her anger and desperation seep through her voice. Hopefully this girl would go on one of those long monologues that villains always did in stories.

“That’s not your business. Besides, are you trying to buy time? How foolish, although I expected nothing less. Now, you will lead me to 17, or else.”

Damn it, her plan hadn’t worked. This girl was way too sharp. Ena was starting to doubt that she was even a child, at this point. Still, she wouldn’t give up. Ena chuckled and taunted the girl, “Or else what? You– Ack!”

Ena grimaced as the girl’s grip on her wrist tightened. It had turned from mild discomfort to extreme pain. The girl looked at Ena impassively and answered, “Or else I’ll break your bones and tear off your wings.”

“W-Wait! Not my wings! Listen, I don’t even know who this ‘17’ is! I think you have the wrong person!” Ena hurriedly replied. She couldn’t lose her wings. What was a fairy without her wings?

The girl shook her head and said, “Don’t lie to me. I’ve seen you around her.” Ena bit her tongue to keep herself from crying out as the girl twisted her wrist.

“I really don’t know anyone named 17! Besides, who would call themself a num–” She finally remembered why that number sounded familiar. Rui’s pink-haired reaper friend had called K ‘17’ when meeting her.

The fairy glared defiantly at the girl and retorted, “I’ll never lead you to K! I don’t know who you are or what you want with K but I’m never going to bring you to her!”

Ena only realised that she had made a big mistake when the words left her mouth. She was definitely screwed now. The girl would break her bones, tear off her wings and Ena would probably die alone in this alley. Who knew if her corpse would even be found in such an abandoned street?

A tired sigh escaped the girl’s lips. She stared down at Ena for a few seconds and suddenly asked, “Why do you look so scared? I won’t break your bones or tear off your wings. I’m not that cruel. But… I was truly hoping I wouldn’t have to do this. If you won’t cooperate with me, I’ll force you to.”

Ena scoffed incredulously, “Ha! Good luck with that! No matter what you do, I won’t let you harm K!”

The girl tilted her head. Ena was starting to suspect that that was a habit of hers whenever she was amused. The girl shrugged and said, “I’m not going to harm 17. Regardless, I’ve wasted too much time already. Now…”

She grabbed Ena’s chin roughly, forcing the brunette to look into her pink eyes.

“Take me to 17.”

Mizuki yawned as they looked at the clock on the wall. They laid sprawled on the carpet. K was peacefully asleep, using Mafuyu’s shoulder as her pillow. Meanwhile, Mafuyu was staring out the window, her hand running across her new sword absentmindedly.

It was boring without Ena around. Mizuki had nobody to talk to since Rui was in his workshop. She had tried to start a conversation with Mafuyu but the knight didn’t want to talk since she didn’t want to wake K up. Mizuki snorted to themself. They wanted a girlfriend too.

Mafuyu glanced at her and asked, “Is there something funny?” Mizuki looked at her and then the sleeping K and shook their head, answering, “Nope. Nothing at all.”

Mafuyu nodded and continued to look out the window. Mizuki sighed softly to themself. It was at times like these that they wished Mafuyu could be more socially aware. Sure, she was smart, but she was also completely clueless when it came to social situations.

It was funny to think about the time Mafuyu had temporarily distanced herself from K because she hadn’t realised that her own behaviour towards K wasn’t normal. It had definitely been worrying at the time, but now that the misunderstanding had been cleared up, it brought a smile to Mizuki’s lips every time they thought about it. The two of them were such a cute and oblivious couple.

“Huh…” Mafuyu muttered to herself, her hand freezing over the sword. Mizuki sat up to get a better look at what had caught Mafuyu’s attention. They saw a familiar brunette approaching the house and smiled. Ena was back!

Then, they frowned. Behind Ena was a hooded figure. They couldn’t make out the details of the strange person aside from the fact that they were short. They were around Ena's height so they were probably around Mizuki's age.

“Mafuyu, who’s that person behind Ena?” Mizuki asked the knight curiously who hesitated as she answered, “I have no clue. It doesn’t seem like someone from the Hinomori Kingdom.”

Mizuki studied the figure. They had a bad feeling about this. Ena was also walking strangely too. Every step that she took was measured and even.

The hermit stood up and instructed, “Mafuyu, wake up K and go outside with her. I’ll go get Rui. There’s something weird about this situation.”

Mafuyu nodded and Mizuki ran off to Rui’s workshop. The purple-haired girl gently shook K awake. The reaper opened her eyes groggily and murmured, “Ah? Mafuyu, did something happen?”

“Yes, Ena and a strange person are coming towards the house. I’m going to investigate,” Mafuyu explained and K immediately sat up properly. She held onto Mafuyu’s arm and said in a determined voice, “I’m coming with you.”

“It’s dangerous, K,” Mafuyu warned her. However, she hadn’t refused K’s request either. K smiled and answered, “Don’t worry. I’m a reaper.”

The pair stood up and left the house, watching as Ena and the hooded figure approached them. Suddenly, the hooded figure placed a hand on Ena’s shoulder. The fairy’s eyes rolled back as she collapsed onto the grass.

“Ena!” K tried to run over to the unconscious girl but Mafuyu held out a hand, stopping her. The knight immediately drew her sword and shouted to the figure, “Who are you? Why are you here?”

The figure pulled down their hood and Mafuyu frowned. It was just a girl with grey hair and heterochromia. She didn’t seem to have any other special features like horns, which Mafuyu had been expecting to see, having assumed that the girl was a hermit who was using the hood to hide her horns.

The girl raised her hand and pointed a finger at K. K flinched as she locked eyes with the girl. She felt familiar, for some reason. It felt as though K had seen her before even though she couldn’t remember when.

The front door swung open as Mizuki and Rui appeared. Mizuki’s eyes widened when they saw Ena lying on the floor and ran towards her. However, the girl immediately summoned a scythe and pointed it towards Ena, announcing, “I’ll slit her throat if anyone takes a single step.”

Mizuki stopped in their tracks, their hands balled into fists. They really wanted to check if Ena was okay but they couldn’t compromise her safety. Mafuyu’s grip on her sword tightened when she saw the scythe appear and K trembled in fear. The scythe could only mean one thing.

“A reaper, huh? How interesting. May I know what a reaper is doing here?” Rui asked calmly, although his eyes were calculating and cunning.

The girl tilted her head and replied, “I’m here to bring 17 back to where she belongs.” K immediately looked away when she heard the number. Mafuyu narrowed her eyes and asked, “Why? K is just fine here.”

The girl stared at Mafuyu, before looking at K, who refused to meet her gaze. “K, huh? What a foolish name. 17 is your true name,” the girl said, her words directed to K.

She turned to look at Mafuyu, Mizuki and Rui, a small smile on her face. She twirled the scythe in her hand, the blade nearly missing Ena. Mizuki stiffened as they glared at the girl.

“Besides, I’m the Head of the Reapers. And if I want to bring 17 back, then she will come back.”

K couldn’t help the surprised gasp that left her lips. She understood why that girl felt so familiar now. The Head of the Reapers was probably the person who had tampered with her memories, meaning that the two of them would’ve encountered each other before.

The girl noticed K’s reaction and asked, “Are you finally beginning to understand, 17? If you do, then you know that your best option right now is to follow me back home.” She extended a hand towards K, beckoning the other reaper to come to her side.

Mafuyu pointed her sword towards the girl and snapped, “K’s home is here, with us. And you don’t get to decide if she goes back or not. Only K can do that.”

K looked at the knight in surprise. Mafuyu was seething with anger. This was the first time K had ever seen her so angry. Was she… worried for her? There was a strange warmth in K’s chest.

She looked at the girl firmly and replied, “I won’t go with you!” The girl tilted her head to the side, an expression of surprise on her face.

“I see… I thought you were more sensible than this, 17. But since it has come to this, I have no choice. You have forced my hand. Either you come with me willingly or I kill everyone here and then take you with me.”

K stilled and Rui pulled Mizuki back. The hermit had lunged at the girl out of anger and fear. How dare that girl threaten to kill them all just to bring K back? Why couldn’t she respect K’s decision?

Mizuki glanced nervously at Ena’s limp body and trembled. They really hated this; this feeling of helplessness. They couldn’t do anything about the situation at all.

“So what will it be? If you don’t make a decision soon, I’ll go with the latter,” the girl said as the tip of her scythe neared Ena’s throat. K’s eyes widened and she immediately answered, “Stop! I’ll… I’ll go with you!”

“K! No!” Mafuyu spun around and stared at K in disbelief. She tried to argue with the shorter reaper, “K, I’ll kill her before she can harm anyone! You don’t have to do this!”

K shook her head as she murmured sadly, “You don’t understand the power of a reaper, Mafuyu. She… she could kill you in an instant. I can’t put everyone’s lives in danger for my own selfish desires.”

She took a step forward, only to be blocked by Mafuyu who refused to budge. She wouldn’t let K go. The girl frowned and threatened in a dark tone, “If you keep stopping 17, I’ll kill your friend.”

“Mafuyu! Please… please just let K go… Please don’t let Ena die…” Mafuyu hesitated at Mizuki’s desperate plea. After a few moments of deliberation, the knight reluctantly stepped aside, allowing K to go past her.

K smiled softly at Mafuyu and whispered, “This won’t be the last time we see each other. I promise.” Mafuyu nodded numbly in acknowledgement. She wanted to believe K but she could see it in the reaper’s eyes. K didn’t believe her own words.

K walked over to the grey-haired girl’s side without another word. The girl sighed as she kept her scythe. She glanced at K and ordered, “Let’s go back, 17. Far too much time has been wasted. You need to return to your duties as well. 3 has been taking your workload and is overworked.”

“Ah… alright,” K mumbled as she looked back at the others. The girl was already walking away, having lost all interest in the group. She waved goodbye to the others for what was very likely the last time and then followed the girl into the forest.

As soon as the girl disappeared, Mizuki rushed over to Ena’s side. They immediately checked her pulse and sighed in relief when they felt it. It was weak and slow, but it was there. Ena was still alive.

Mafuyu glared at the area where the girl and K had been. She gripped her sword tightly and hissed to Rui, “We should go after them.”

Eyes filled with pity met hers and the purple-haired alchemist shook his head. He sighed as he replied in a sympathetic tone, “Mafuyu, I know you’re angry but it’s best not to be too involved with reapers. They’re quite powerful too. If you go after them, that girl will likely kill you. It’s too risky.”

“But–”

“Mafuyu, no. Just… have faith in K, alright? I’m sure she’ll figure out a way to return eventually. I have to go check on Ena,” Rui cut her off and then went to Ena’s side to check her condition.

Mafuyu clenched and then unclenched her fists. She knew that Rui was right but was there really nothing she could do to help K? How she wanted to curse the Fates and that girl. Just when she had found warmth, it was taken from her. Was she destined to be cold and alone forever?

Mafuyu tiredly sheathed her sword. She went over to where Ena’s unconscious body lay. But instead of helping the other two with Ena, Mafuyu stood at one side, looking at where K had been. She stared at the direction that K had disappeared into.

Then, without a second thought, she sprinted into the woods.

Chapter Text

There was a knock at the door. Mafuyu ignored it as she resumed her previous activity, which in other words, was doing nothing.

Nothing except for staring into the blank space that K would have been occupying; the empty bed that K would’ve been fast asleep in.

Another knock. As much as the knight wanted to remain in the room with only her imagination and regrets to accompany her, she knew that that wasn’t possible. Mafuyu stood up and reluctantly opened the door, coming face-to-face with the youngest member of the group.

Mizuki brightened when they saw her and they joked, “Glad to see you’re still alive, Mafuyu! I was worried that something had happened since you weren’t opening the door!” Despite their best efforts, Mafuyu could hear the underlying concern in Mizuki’s voice. She could see the way their fingers twitched with uncertainty.

Mafuyu nodded and asked bluntly, “Do you need something from me?” She didn’t really want to talk or even be in the presence of other people right now. Yesterday’s events were still too fresh, still too raw. She was still trying to process K’s sudden absence.

“Ah well, I was wondering if you wanted to… talk? I’m sure you’re upset with what that reaper did and I know you miss K…” Mizuki shuffled in place hesitantly, unsure if Mafuyu would accept their offer.

After a beat of silence, Mafuyu let out a small sigh and sat back down on her bed. Seeing as how she hadn’t slammed the door in their face, Mizuki assumed that that was a sign that they could enter. 

They walked into the room and sat down beside Mafuyu. There wasn’t a lot of space on the bed for the two of them to fit but Mizuki was sure that Mafuyu wouldn’t want them on K’s bed. They didn’t feel comfortable taking the place of their missing member either.

“So… how are you… dealing with it so far?” Mizuki asked tentatively. They were originally going to ask if Mafuyu was alright, but the answer was quite obvious. The purple-haired knight shrugged in response and answered, “I’m not sure if I am even coping.”

“Ah…” Mizuki drifted off, unsure of how to continue. They should’ve guessed as much. Mafuyu had spent three grueling hours in the forest, searching for any trace of K, only to return empty-handed. Of course she wouldn’t be doing well.

“You know… Mizuki, maybe I am a monster.”

The sudden statement caught Mizuki off-guard as they furrowed their brows together confusedly. The other girl looked down at her calloused hands as she continued, “Ena was right. I am a monster. I bring harm to those close to me.”

Mizuki frowned when they heard her words. That wasn’t true at all. They gently placed a hand on Mafuyu’s shoulder and tried to comfort her, “Mafuyu, don’t say such words, okay? It’s not true.”

“But it is! I was too close to K and now she’s gone! And if not for you, I would’ve probably let Ena die just to make K stay! I killed people, Mizuki!”

Mafuyu gritted her teeth as she clenched her fists. This was the first time that Mizuki had ever seen her so agitated before. They didn’t know how to deal with this.

Mizuki looked down at their floorboards and muttered, “I’m sure you had a reason for doing that, Mafuyu. You don’t seem like one of those crazy psychopaths who kill for fun.”

The only response they received was silence and the hermit risked a glance at Mafuyu, who was now staring solemnly at K’s bed. Her bottom lip was quivering and Mizuki blinked a few times just to confirm that their eyes weren’t playing tricks on them. This was the first time Mafuyu had shown weakness to them.

“I did… I did have a reason for it.”

Mafuyu left it at that and it was a clear sign that she wasn’t ready to reveal why just yet. Mizuki could understand that sentiment. There were some things that simply shouldn’t be said; things that were meant to be a secret. They probably knew the feeling of holding a big secret more than anyone else. A secret that they had not told anyone, not even their best friend Rui.

So when Mizuki looked back on this day, they questioned why they had decided to reveal their secret to Mafuyu. And they wondered how different the situation’s outcome could’ve been if they had simply kept their mouth shut.

“Well, if it’s of any comfort to you, I’ve–” The words caught in Mizuki’s throat as their brain screamed at them, asking them: what the fuck are you doing? They didn’t have any clue to be honest.

Mafuyu glanced at Mizuki, a spark of curiosity in her normally dull eyes. She wanted to know what could possibly comfort her when she was a killer who barged into others’ lives and ruined them, like a curse.

And Mizuki knew that they shouldn’t tell her anything. They should just stop talking. But they continued anyway. Why? Because they were an illogical and selfish fool who wanted to confess their sins so that their chest would stop feeling so heavy all the time.

“I’ve killed someone before,” Mizuki blurted out before they could stop themself and Mafuyu stared at them with a deadpan expression. A slight frown tugged the knight’s lips down as she said, “That’s not a funny joke.”

It hurt Mizuki’s feelings that Mafuyu thought that they would be so careless as to joke in such a serious situation. However, they understood why the other girl would think that way. At first glance, it was hard to believe that they had killed someone before. Mizuki was always smiling, always seemed to be carefree, so it didn’t seem like they would have any reason to kill someone.

Mizuki took a deep breath and clarified, “I’m not joking, Mafuyu. I really did kill someone before.”

“I’m not laughing.”

“I’m not trying to make you laugh in the first place.”

“I’m telling you that you’re not funny right now.”

“AND I’M TELLING YOU THAT IT’S THE TRUTH MAFUYU!” Mizuki raised their voice as they stood up, fists clenched tightly. Their frustration was written all over their face as Mafuyu stared up at them.

There was a long moment of silence between the two of them. Then, slowly, Mafuyu broke her gaze away from Mizuki’s, apparently deciding that the trees outside of the room’s window were more interesting to look at.

Mizuki watched Mafuyu, confused and more importantly, afraid. Mafuyu could easily cut them down with her sword, although she probably wouldn’t but there was still a slim chance of it happening. It was more likely that Mafuyu would distance herself from them or just leave Mizuki alone altogether. And that terrified the hermit, because they considered the knight as their friend and they didn’t want to lose a friend.

“Why?”

Mizuki grimaced as Mafuyu asked them the unavoidable question. They had been expecting this. It would’ve been even stranger if Mafuyu hadn’t asked them why. Still, they weren’t sure if they were ready to talk about the truth, to confront what they had done. Maybe they would never be ready.

A soft scoff escaped their lips as they chuckled dishearteningly, “I guess that’s the elephant in the room, isn’t it? Indeed, why would a hermit kill someone? Surely nobody expected this right?”

The sarcasm in Mizuki's words was heavy. They were aware of how bitter they must sound, but Mizuki couldn't help it. Hermits were feared because of their magic and what they could do with it. People feared that hermits would harm people even though they rarely did. And because of that assumption, hermits were immediately executed on sight.

Whenever someone accidentally discovered Mizuki's real identity, they would immediately plead them for mercy. As it Mizuki would purposely hurt them. That was why when they finally met someone as odd as Mizuki who could accept them for who they truly were, the hermit had been ecstatic. Overjoyed that they finally had a real friend.

Mizuki didn't even tell their first real friend what they had done. Maybe they were the one that was being fake.

“Mizuki…” Mafuyu started, something that sounded really close to worry tinging her voice. Mizuki shook their head as they sighed, “Sorry about that. I got a bit agitated. Right then… Why did I kill a person? It… It wasn't on purpose. Do you remember the Sega Kingdom?”

There was a small nod from the knight. It hadn't been that long since she lied about her origins to the royal family. Mizuki rubbed the back of their neck and continued explaining, “Right, well remember how their citizens have bad luck? I hid there for some time but well, eventually I was discovered. And I don't know, maybe it was just that child's bad luck or maybe I’m the bad luck but–”

Mizuki stopped talking, their breath hitching in their throat. They loathed to even recall the incident, so to talk about it… Mizuki's chest felt like it was burning from the inside out. They could still vividly remember the incident.

The wind whipped Mizuki’s pink hair against their face as they ran. Their legs were sore and their heart was pounding so furiously that Mizuki thought it might just burst out of their chest. Things had been going well up until a few moments ago. So well that they had thought that they could stay in the peaceful and undisturbed Sega Kingdom forever.

Yuuki would’ve been disappointed to know that Mizuki had had such a foolish notion.

After all, this was a kingdom that was notorious for its citizens’ bad luck. And maybe it was because of that bad luck that the wind just happened to blow their hood down, and it just so happened to occur in the town square, where the royal family just happened to be at along with their countless guards. Maybe Mizuki had received some of the kingdom’s unluckiness.

Now, they were being chased by said guards, who unfortunately for the hermit, had bows on them. They barely managed to dodge the oncoming onslaught of arrows. They had to get out of here, fast. But Mizuki couldn’t run the risk of the guards following them to their next destination. They had made that mistake before and had barely managed to escape in one piece.

Mizuki conjured a few illusions of themself, each one bolting into a different direction. The illusions were merely to confuse the guards, they weren’t supposed to do anything else apart from running until the illusion shattered. And they didn’t, but the tragedy still happened all the same.

It was probably the girl’s bad luck at play as she stepped out of her house. She had just exited her house for whatever reason, maybe to meet a friend, or maybe she just wanted to see what all the commotion was about. Regardless, one of Mizuki’s illusions happened to be running straight towards her. While the illusion didn’t do anything, the people chasing it did.

An arrow flew towards the illusion. Because it wasn’t a solid vessel, the arrow simply went straight through it. The illusion disappeared immediately but that wasn’t the issue. No, the real issue was that the arrow was still in the air and was heading towards the oblivious child in its path.

Mizuki turned around just in time to see the horrific scene. It was a sight that they would never forget. The ground was stained red as the child collapsed, the arrow lodged in her head. Inside the house the girl had come out from, someone screamed.

Still, Mizuki couldn’t stop running. Because stopping meant death for them and they weren’t prepared to die just yet. So they swallowed the bile in their throat and continued to run from the guards who barely spared a glance at the young girl. While Mizuki ran, only one thought ran through their mind.

Murderer.

Murderer.

MURDERER–

Mizuki dry heaved as their entire body trembled. They could still see the girl’s dead body lying on the ground in their mind. They still remembered every detail. Still remembered the girl’s soulless eyes staring into theirs.

“She… She couldn’t have been older than ten years old. And then because of me, she died before she could properly experience the world. I didn’t directly kill her but… but if I hadn’t been there in the first place, or maybe if I just hadn’t summoned my illusions, she would still be alive…”

Mafuyu listened silently, never once interrupting them. Her face was impassive, as usual, although the way she spoke was almost… warm.

“...Mizuki, I don’t think it’s your fault. It was just an accident–”

“No! You wouldn’t understand! It was something that could’ve been prevented if I had been a bit more careful! I…” Mizuki faltered as they absentmindedly ran a hand through their hair, touching their horns. Their cursed horns that caused them so much trouble.

Mizuki let out a long sigh and pleaded softly, “Never mind, it doesn’t matter. Mafuyu, just… Please promise me that you won’t tell Ena, okay?” Mizuki suddenly got a bad feeling at that moment, like they were forgetting something. Like they had made a big mistake.

However, before the knight could respond, another voice that was as sharp as a knife cut through the air, “Don’t tell me what?”

That was when Mizuki remembered their mistake. Their very grave mistake that may cost them just about everything. They turned towards the brunette standing at the doorway, whose expression was filled with shock and rage.

They had forgotten to close the door.

Mizuki immediately stood up as they stammered, “W-Wait Ena! I- I can explain this, please!”

Ena balled her fists as she scoffed in disbelief, “Explain what, exactly? I heard what you said, Mizuki. You… I can’t believe you!”

The fairy turned and ran down the stairs. Mizuki immediately rushed towards the doorway and called out after her, “Ena, please hear me out!”

The sound of the front door slamming shut was the only reply they received from the other girl. Mizuki looked at where Ena had been, devastated. They hadn't wanted Ena to know about their secret because they knew that this would happen. They knew that Ena would be disgusted with them and abandon them.

The hermit looked back at Mafuyu with teary eyes and the purple-haired girl’s expression had finally shifted from one of indifference to one of pity.

Mizuki didn’t know if that made them feel better or worse.

Shiho paced around her room anxiously, glancing at the wooden door every so often. If her hair wasn’t already grey, she would’ve likely gotten a few grey strands from how nervous she was right now.

Just then, the door to her room creaked open and Hinomori Shizuku entered in all of her glorified beauty. The Queen had a smile on her face and her eyes lit up when she saw Shiho.

“Shii! I’m here!” she announced, as if Shiho wouldn’t have noticed her presence otherwise.

Shizuku ran to Shiho and clung onto her arm, asking excitedly, “So why did you want to see me? It’s so rare for you to request for me Shii! Do you want to play some board games or admire the night sky’s stars together?”

“That sounds great and all, but maybe we can do that next time. I wanted to talk to you about something serious,” Shiho replied as she gently pried her older sister’s hand away, not missing the hurt expression that flashed across Shizuku’s face.

It disappeared as quickly as it came and Shizuku pouted slightly, “Aww, another one of those serious conversations? Well, if it’s for you Shii, I’ll indulge you as much as you want. So what do you want to talk about?”

Shiho took a deep breath as she answered, “I want to talk about you.” She was definitely taking a risk here. Although she was Shizuku’s beloved younger sister and the older Hinomori would never harm her, that didn’t mean she was completely exempt from rules and punishments. This would definitely push the boundaries of their sibling relationship but Shiho didn’t care. This was more important to her.

Shizuku tilted her head to the side with a confused look on her face as she responded, “Me? I’m not sure what you’d want to talk about but go ahead.”

Well, here goes nothing.

“What…” Shiho started, her voice shaky as she continued, “What are you doing, Shizuku? What are you even thinking!?”

Shizuku blinked slowly at Shiho’s question and furrowed her brows, a look that didn’t suit her at all.

“Are you talking about the war? I understand that you’re probably still upset about Princess Tenma’s injury–”

“No! You don’t understand, Shizuku! If you did, you wouldn’t be doing this in the first place! First you harm Saki and now you order the knights to attack innocent people who did nothing wrong? That’s not right!”

Shizuku narrowed her eyes at the green-eyed girl’s outburst and Shiho swore she saw Shizuku’s eyes turn red briefly for a few seconds. A hand was placed on the princess’s shoulder and the grip was painful.

“I see… Then how do you propose we win this war? Do you think that the Tenmas will yield if we ask them nicely? Wars are only won through violence, aren’t they?” Shizuku asked rhetorically, knowing that Shiho wouldn’t be able to answer her question. 

Shiho crossed her arms over her chest as she huffed irritatedly, “I don’t know but maybe you could just… stop this war? The more I think about it, the more I realise that the Tenmas probably would’ve never initiated an attack against us in the first place! Wouldn’t that have made this entire war useless then?”

“Don’t talk about things you don’t understand.”

“Then help me understand what you’re thinking, Shizuku! Is it because you want more territory? Or is it something else entirely? I don’t get it at all! I don’t get you! You’re acting like a completely different person! You’re not the Shizuku I know!” Shiho hissed angrily, frustrated by the lack of clear answers from her sister.

The hand on Shiho’s shoulder tightened its grip even more, almost as if it was trying to crush her bone. Shizuku glared down at Shiho as she retorted, “I have no need to explain myself to you, and you should not be questioning your Queen.”

Shizuku knocked thrice on the wooden door; a signal to summon the guards. Shiho’s eyes widened as she frowned. “Shizuku, what are you doing?”

The guards immediately rushed up the stone stairs and knelt down on the ground when they saw Shizuku. She looked at Shiho coldly and ordered, “Guards, from now on, Hinomori Shiho is not allowed to leave her room. She is not allowed to receive any visitors or communicate with anyone except for me. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the guards replied in union and Shizuku nodded in satisfaction. She turned to leave the room when someone suddenly grabbed her hand.

“You can’t do this to me Shizuku!” Shiho begged her desperately, trying to get Shizuku to rethink her decision.

But alas, Shizuku paid her no heed as she wrung her wrist free from Shiho’s grasp, replying without even looking back, “I can and I will. You forced my hand, Shiho.”

The use of her actual name was enough for the younger sister to stop. She knew that when Shizuku used it, it meant that she was being very serious.

Shizuku strutted out of the room and Shiho let her. She had never felt so estranged from Shizuku, who was supposed to be a doting, caring and loving older sister. The guards closed the door behind Shizuku and an audible ‘click’ could be heard as they locked the door.

Shiho fell to her knees and cried, the constellation of Leo her only companion for the lonely night and the countless more that would surely follow.

Chapter Text

K sat on a metal beam, looking at the twisted string in her hands. Cat’s Cradle, which used to be one of the most fun things she had ever played, suddenly seemed boring and dull after K had experienced the outside world properly.

The Head Reaper had taken her back to the Empty Area but hadn’t done anything else afterwards. She hadn’t erased K’s memory about anything. Just left her in the area and disappeared to who-knows-where.

The sudden patter of footsteps tore K’s wavering attention away from the red string in her hands. Two familiar figures were approaching her.

K jumped down from the metal beam, landing with a small huff of weariness. 14 rushed towards her and embraced the frail reaper in a tight hug, squealing excitedly, “17! You’re back! I can’t believe it!”

K couldn’t help the small flinch when she heard 14 call her 17. The name only reminded her of the freedom that she had tasted briefly before it was ripped away from her in an instant.

“Hi 14 and 15, how are you?” K returned the greeting politely as she tried to pry 14 away from her, the tight hug squeezing all of her breath out of her lungs. 14 immediately noticed and let go of K with a sheepish smile as she replied, “We’re fine!”

“14, I never said that I was fine,” 15 grumbled as she caught up to the energetic pink-haired reaper. She wore an annoyed expression but it softened when she saw K. 15 gave a small wave as she asked hesitantly, “Hey 17, how… how was the outside?”

“Ah, it was… great,” K mumbled, averting her gaze from 15’s. 14 jumped up and down as she bubbled, “I’m so happy you came back! Can you tell me more about your adventures?”

Ah, so they thought that she had come back voluntarily. K didn’t want to correct them though because then she would have to reveal details about the Head Reaper and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to know the consequences for that.

However, before K could answer 14’s question, an airy voice interrupted, “14, 15, don’t you have things to do? Certain duties, perhaps?”

K turned around to see Luka approaching them. Her eyebrows were raised as she stared pointedly at 14 and 15.

“What about 17, Luka?” 14 whined as she hopped from foot to foot, giving the taller reaper the biggest puppy dog eyes that K had ever seen before. Luka didn’t fall for the trick and replied coolly, “17 needs to rest for a bit. You two, however, should not be neglecting your duties.”

15 bowed and quickly said, “Understood.” Before 14 could protest, the green-haired reaper started to tug her away back to the amusement park. 14 flailed wildly but 15 refused to let her go. They disappeared into the distance and Luka turned her attention to K, who shrunk beneath her gaze as she fidgeted, expecting to be scolded by her mentor.

There was a small sigh and suddenly, a hand was patting K. The timid girl looked up confusedly at Luka, who had a fond smile on her face. Her blue eyes softened as she murmured, “I’m glad that you’re safe… K.”

K blinked in surprise as she tried to process Luka’s words. She had just called her… K. The Head Reaper had insisted on calling her 17 so K had assumed that Luka would do the same. The older woman noticed K’s dumbfounded expression and giggled, “Fufu, why so surprised? I want you to feel at peace here. I understand how much that letter means to you.”

“A-Ah… thank you Luka,” K mumbled, unsure of what else to say. She was grateful to Luka for respecting her identity. It was more than what she had expected.

Luka nodded as she continued to pat K, before withdrawing her hand. She glanced at the direction that 14 and 15 had gone in and frowned. She took a deep breath and spoke softly, “K, you know that I can’t let you tell them anything right? They cannot know too much about the outside world.”

“Yeah, I know…” It was to be expected. For whatever reason, the Head Reaper really, really didn’t want the other reapers to know anything about non-reaper life. There was a bitter taste in K’s mouth when she thought about the grey-haired girl.

Luka noticed K’s troubled expression and said gently, “This is for everyone’s sake, K. We have a set of rules to abide by. Knowing too much about the outside world might make us compromise those rules. It’s for your own good.”

K simply nodded. She could understand what Luka meant but that didn’t mean that she had to accept it. Luka could tell that the girl was still upset, but decided to leave it be. She needed time to process her emotions. After all, she had been separated from her friends without warning. K was probably still trying to deal with the shock.

“Luka… Can you tell me anything about my life before I became a reaper?” It was a useless question, K knew that. But that didn’t stop her from trying. 

Silence was her only response as Luka slowly shook her head. They had been through this conversation countless times before K left. The white-haired girl simply sighed as she looked down forlornly at her pale hands.

There was an awkward silence between the two of them until Luka suddenly cleared her throat, remarking, “I think 3 will be back soon. She should almost be done with collecting the souls.”

K’s expression immediately brightened when she heard that. She was especially close with 3 and hadn’t seen the other girl in a long time. 3 knew how to play the drums and would often play songs for her whenever they were in the school, which was where 3 usually resided.

Luka smiled when she saw K’s excited expression. But only a few moments later the smile dropped as she heard a familiar voice in her head.

“Luka, tell 17 to go find me at the cafe.”

Seriously, of all times, why now? It was inevitable though. Miku hadn’t erased K’s memories yet and Luka didn’t know what she was planning to do, but it definitely couldn’t be good.

But she couldn’t refuse an order, could she? Miku was ranked higher than her for a reason. Reluctantly, the pink-haired woman turned to K, who had noticed her solemn expression and asked hesitantly, “Is… Is something wrong, Luka?”

“Mi– The Head Reaper wants to see you. She’s at the cafe,” Luka informed K, whose shoulders sagged as she mumbled disappointedly, “Oh…”

They both knew that K’s memories would be wiped eventually. It was unavoidable. K nodded in acknowledgement as she smiled weakly at Luka, chuckling half-heartedly, “Wish me luck?”

Luka looked away and sighed, “You’ll need it, K.”

K bit her lip nervously and started to walk towards the cafe. Her legs felt like lead as she slowly dragged herself to the area. She passed by the amusement park and a stage along the way and, unfortunately, K could see the cafe coming into view. There were raised goosebumps on her arms and chills ran down her spine.

A bell rang as K pushed the front door open. The Head Reaper was sitting at a table, sipping a cup of coffee calmly. K bowed when she saw the grey-haired girl who was emitting a menacing aura.

“Rise.”

K immediately straightened up and the Head Reaper gestured to the chair opposite of her. K sat down as her entire body shook with fear. She looked down at the table meekly, unable to meet the Head Reaper’s scrutinising gaze.

“I don’t think I’ve ever properly introduced myself. I’m Hatsune Miku,” Miku spoke nonchalantly, stirring her cup of coffee with a teaspoon. K knit her eyebrows together as she asked hesitantly, hating how small she sounded, “W-Why… Why are you telling me this?”

Miku shrugged as she answered, “It’s not like you’ll remember this afterwards. There’s no harm in telling you now. Besides, I’ve introduced myself to you before, but you don’t remember it.”

“A-Ah, I see…”

Miku watched K for a few seconds before asking, “Did you enjoy your time with your… friends?” K gave a small nod, trying to figure out where the conversation was going.

“Hm, I see… Well, friendship is good, I suppose…” Miku drifted off as she stared out the window, something akin to a nostalgic expression on her face.

She remained silent for a moment before continuing, “You know what happens now, right?” K licked her lips nervously as she mumbled, “Yeah…”

Miku turned her attention back to K. Both of her eyes were now green.

“Good, let’s begin then. Now–”

It was raining.

Luka stared at the grey sky as raindrops fell onto her face. They slid down her cheek, mixing with her tears.

Miku knelt in front of her with her back facing the junior reaper. Her twin pigtails flew wildly in the wind. In one hand, she held a bloodied scythe made of bones. Drops of blood dripped down it and stained the puddles on the ground for a brief moment before the rain washed the red away.

Luka lowered her gaze to Miku’s hands. The last strand of dark blue hair disintegrated into ash that the wind immediately blew away. Kaito was dead. Just like Rin, Len and Meiko.

How had they reached this point? They had dwindled from the mighty six and powerful reapers to a fatigued and angry duo. They hadn’t even known that reapers could die. But it was also because of this miscalculation that they had acted so recklessly, endangering their lives in the process.

Around Luka, the humans that had killed her companions kneeled on all-fours. Not because they wanted to, but because they were forced to. Luka had activated her power, which allowed her to release a strong aura that would make anyone she deemed inferior to her collapse onto their knees.

“Luka, they’re all dead.” Miku’s voice was hollow. She was still staring at her now empty hand. The girl slowly stood up, her legs trembling. Not from fear, but from anger.

She turned to Luka, her eyes glowing a bright green and pink. She spoke, her resentment evident, “I know that they’ll be reborn with new identities in a new life. This isn’t truly the end for them but… but…”

It went unspoken between the two remaining reapers. The laughs that the six of them had shared. The Kagamines and their shenanigans that would cause Kaito to nag at them half-heartedly. Meiko would try to actually do her job only to be interrupted by Luka. Meanwhile, Miku would watch them all with a smile on her face. Now, that could never happen again.

“Miku…” Luka could sense the energy radiating from Miku and it reeked of death.

But she didn’t stop her power. She continued to use it, forcing the humans to stay still while Miku raised her scythe in vengeance. Bloodcurdling screams filled the air as bodies were sliced open. Vultures circled the air, although they were wise enough to keep a distance away from the massacre.

The ground was splattered with blood. Miku slowly lowered her scythe, which was completely red now. She stared at Luka and slowly announced, “From this day onwards, reapers are no longer allowed to directly interfere with human affairs.”

It was raining. But even the rain could not wash away the stains of that night.

Luka paced around anxiously as she waited for K to return. She was worried sick for the girl. There was a time when Miku wouldn’t have hurt a fly. But after that night, the Head Reaper had changed. She turned from a warm and caring senior to a cold and apathetic leader. Luka wasn’t sure if there were any limits to what Miku would do to reach her goals.

“Ah, Luka. You seem anxious, is something wrong?”

Luka turned to 3, who was staring at her senior concernedly. The older reaper offered a small smile to her as she answered, “It’s nothing. I’m just waiting for K– I mean 17.”

3 perked up when Luka mentioned 17 and asked curiously, “Oh? Is 17 back from her journey in the outside world?” Luka nodded stiffly and 3 giggled, “Ah, I see. I hope she had fun!”

She didn’t know how to respond to 3, so Luka kept silent instead. Then, she noticed a white-haired girl approaching them. 3 also noticed K and waved at the girl, greeting her, “Ah, hello 17.”

K dipped her head in acknowledgement as she replied, “Hi 3. Oh, hi Luka. I didn’t expect you to be here as well.”

Luka ignored K’s words and quickly scanned the girl from head to toe. At least she didn’t seem to be physically harmed. Still, she had to be sure.

“Are you alright, K? Are you injured anywhere?”

K tilted her head in confusion as she asked back, “I’m fine but uhm… who’s K? I’m 17, remember? Do you have me confused with someone else, Luka?”

Ah, of course. Why would Miku stop at K’s memories of her? Yes, she would’ve erased K’s memories of the outside world too. Luka should’ve expected this… She felt numb.

“Ah yes, you’re right… 17. Sorry, it was my mistake.”

Still, how could Miku do this? She had basically stripped K of most of her identity. It was cruel.

3 looked between K and Luka concernedly but didn’t comment on anything. She knew well enough not to ask too many questions about reaper matters.

K nodded and spoke distractedly, “Okay… I’ll go and collect some souls then. Bye 3. Bye Luka.”

The reaper disappeared without another word and 3 cleared her throat as she said, “I should go back to the school too. See you soon, Luka.” Just like that, 3 disappeared as well

Luka sighed as she was left alone, all by herself in the Empty Area. She couldn't let this happen to K. To just lose a part of yourself and not even be aware of it… Luka would make sure that K got that part of her back, even if it meant going against Miku.

Part II: Fangs In The Shadows

Fin.

Chapter Text

Mafuyu lunged forward, knocking the wooden sword out of Toya’s hands. The blue-haired boy stumbled backwards, his arms raised up in defense as Mafuyu advanced. She saw his legs tense and sighed softly to herself.

She suddenly stepped to the left at the last second, causing Toya’s surprise kick to miss. The knight lost his balance and fell to the ground. He quickly raised his arms up in surrender before Mafuyu could do anything else.

The purple-haired girl accepted the win and tossed Toya’s sword back to him. He accepted it with a nod and murmured a small “thank you”. Toya quickly dusted himself off and smiled warmly at Mafuyu as he spoke, “It seems like it’s my loss again. Congratulations, Yuki.”

Mafuyu shrugged as she offered carelessly, “You’re improving, Aoyagi. You’ll be able to beat me soon.” A laugh escaped Toya’s lips as he shook his head, responding, “You need not be so polite, Yuki. I know I’m still nowhere close to your level.”

Mafuyu could only nod at his words. It was true, after all. The difference between the two knights’ skill levels was far too overwhelming for Toya to overcome any time soon. The boy in question watched Mafuyu carefully before suddenly asking, “By the way Yuki, is anything bothering you? You seemed a lot more aggressive than usual today.”

The remark caught Mafuyu off guard as she froze in place. She hadn’t meant to end the fight too early today since she was supposed to be helping Toya to practice and give him more experience. But she was just far too on edge and who could blame her?

K had been taken away; she had learnt just one day ago that Mizuki was indirectly involved in someone’s death; Ena was refusing to speak to anyone but Rui. Normally, K’s presence alone would help her calm down but…

“I’m fine. My friends have just been having some issues lately and it’s affecting me.” It was a vague response but Mafuyu knew what kind of person Toya was. He was far too polite to continue probing, especially since they weren’t close.

As expected, Toya gave a small nod and said quietly, “I hope things improve soon.” There was a tense silence between the two knights and Mafuyu decided to start packing up since it didn’t seem like the other boy had anything left to say. However, before she could start, a voice suddenly called out, “Yuki, I want to talk to you.”

Mafuyu stiffened as she recognised the gruff voice. She turned to see Kaito, wearing the same stern expression as usual. Toya saluted when he saw Kaito, who simply waved a hand dismissively. He then started walking towards the palace, not even bothering to look behind him, confident that Mafuyu would follow him. She almost wanted to leave out of annoyance, but decided to save herself from an unnecessary sparring session with Kaito.

She quickly caught up to the commander and the duo walked in silence. They continued like that until Kaito finally stopped at a door with his name engraved on it. His personal office, if Mafuyu had to venture a guess.

Kaito opened the door and sat down at his desk, gesturing towards the chair across from him. Mafuyu sat down at the chair and met Kaito’s piercing gaze. She maintained eye contact with him, refusing to be intimidated into backing down.

After a few moments, Kaito unexpectedly chuckled, sounding almost… amused. He spread out a map on the table and spoke, “I’ll get straight to the point, Asahina. We’ve intercepted a message that the Hinomori Kingdom is going to attack Phoenix Village soon. Do you know where that is?”

“Yes, it’s near the border of the Tenma Kingdom. It’s the village closest to the Wonderland Village,” Mafuyu replied as she pointed near the line on the map that marked the border between the Tenma Kingdom and the Hinomori Kingdom.

Kaito nodded in satisfaction and continued, “The Wonderland Village was massacred recently. All the villagers were killed and the village’s resources were plundered. The same thing will probably happen to Phoenix Village as well. I’ve already sent knights to defend the village but I want you to fight there as well. Consider it a test of loyalty.”

The blue-haired man’s expression darkened as he leaned forward, his voice taking on a threatening tone. “I know your capabilities Asahina. So if you fail this… I will not hesitate to take action against the others in your little ‘party’, even if Kamishiro is protecting them.”

The threat was definitely meant to dissuade Mafuyu from attempting to betray the Tenma Kingdom. But it was ultimately redundant since she had no plans to do anything like that anyway. Mafuyu stood up and gave a small bow, responding in a calm tone, “Rest assured, Commander. I have no allegiance to the Hinomori Kingdom.”

“I’ll know that when I hear news of your success. Depart immediately, Asahina.”

Mafuyu nodded and exited the office. As she headed towards the barracks for a horse, her mind replayed Kaito’s ‘threat’ and she almost laughed. His fears were misplaced as the Hinomori Kingdom did not have her loyalty.

However, the Tenma Kingdom did not have it either. No, the only one who had Mafuyu’s allegiance was herself. She had promised herself that and would make sure to see that promise until the very end.

When Mafuyu arrived at the village, the fight had already begun. Bodies of villagers and knights alike covered the ground. She could tell from a glance that the enemy was winning. Although as she continued to watch the fight, she could not see any signs of Ichika or Haruka which meant that they hadn’t sent any of the better knights with this group. The Hinomori Kingdom’s overwhelming victory earlier had probably boosted their confidence a lot. It would be an easy win for Mafuyu then.

She drew her sword and guided her horse to the village. Enemy knights tried to intercept her but with a swift slash from her sword, they fell to the ground. One knight dug his sword into the horse’s leg right before he met his end, causing the animal to thrash around with pain.

Mafuyu leapt off the uncontrollable horse and sighed, “I thought there was a rule about not harming horses, or has the army lost not only its power but its sense as well?”

Enemy knights surrounded her and Mafuyu took a defensive stance. Although she doubted any of them were even capable of landing a blow on her, it was better to be safe than sorry.

One knight, a middle-aged man who was from Mafuyu’s former unit, frowned when he saw the girl and asked, “Wait, aren’t you Asahina?”

“Hold on… yeah, she is! But isn’t Asahina dead…?” Another knight answered confusedly and the other knights shared a bewildered look between each other. That was all Mafuyu needed for an opening.

Instead of replying, she simply lunged forward, attacking her former comrades. They tried their best to defend, but there was a reason why Mafuyu had been proclaimed as the strongest knight in the Hinomori Kingdom. Within a minute, all of the knights had been dispatched. The only people left standing were her, the Tenma Kingdom’s remaining knights and the villagers.

A knight with bright eyes and a young face ran up to Mafuyu and showered her with praise, “You’re amazing! You got rid of them so quickly! You’re the strongest knight ever!”

Mafuyu waved a hand dismissively, wiping a few stray specks of blood on her face as she replied, “Thank you for the compliment. Please inform Commander Kaito of the victory.”

The knight nodded and ran back to where the other knights were recuperating or helping villagers. One of them was even tending to her injured horse. Mafuyu watched the joyful knight run around the area to find the messenger bird that they had brought along, when a flash of movement behind a house caught her eye.

She immediately ran towards the house, suspecting that it was a knight who had managed to escape the earlier fight. She couldn’t let the Hinomori Kingdom know that she was alive.

As Mafuyu neared the house, a chill suddenly ran down her spine. It was a feeling that she had only experienced once before, and that was during her first encounter with K. So that meant that…

A scythe appeared right in front of Mafuyu, the tip of it barely touching her neck. She immediately stopped and the wielder of the scythe, a girl with green hair and purple eyes ordered, “Leave now, and do not tell anyone of what happened or death will come for you early.”

Mafuyu knew that although K had been really nice to her, not all reapers were like that. And this girl definitely didn’t seem like someone she should mess with. As Mafuyu started to back away, a more familiar reaper suddenly popped up behind the first reaper and gasped, “15, wait! That’s one of the people with Rui and 17!”

The first reaper – 15 – furrowed her eyebrows as she asked confusedly, “14, what are you talking about?”

14, who Mafuyu vaguely remembered from a random encounter some time ago, clarified, “Remember how I told you there was a hermit, a fairy and a human with Rui and 17? That girl is the human!” She gave Mafuyu a big smile and Mafuyu hesitantly smiled back, although for some reason, the action caused the pink-haired reaper’s expression to transform into one of horror as she ducked behind 15.

The other reaper set down her scythe and groaned, “So she knows you and 17? Well, I guess there was no point in doing this whole act then. Let’s just continue collecting souls.”

As the duo turned to leave, Mafuyu suddenly spoke, “Wait! Do you two know what happened to K?”

Her best shot at finding out what happened to K would be through the other reapers and this could very well be the only chance she would get to meet them. Mafuyu needed information.

“K? Who’s that?” 15 frowned as she asked, glancing at 14 who shook her head in response. 15 sighed and replied, “Yeah sorry, we don’t know who that is. We can’t help you–”

“She’s quite short, has really long white hair and blue eyes! Are you sure you don’t know her?” Mafuyu hastily interrupted, desperation seeping through her voice.

This time, it was 14 who responded. The energetic reaper’s eyes lit up at Mafuyu’s description and she bounced up and down, saying, “Oh! You mean 17? Yeah we know her!”

A rare smile graced Mafuyu’s lips as relief flooded her. There was still hope. She asked eagerly, “Then do you know what happened to her?”

14 tilted her head to the side in confusion and echoed, “What happened to her…? Nothing happened to 17! She just returned after exploring the real world!”

“That’s it…? Nothing else? No strange behaviour?” Mafuyu asked dubiously. Surely something else should have happened right? K wouldn’t simply let things be after being forced to leave by that mysterious reaper! She should have tried to return or at least caused a ruckus… right?

“Mmm… Nope! Nothing else! 17 hasn’t been strange right, 15?”

The other reaper shook her head and muttered something under her breath, although Mafuyu only managed to catch a ‘Luka’ from it. 15 looked around the village and sighed at the number of dead souls left to collect. She took 14’s hand and dragged the other girl off as she bid farewell to Mafuyu, “We have jobs to do, goodbye.”

14 waved goodbye to Mafuyu and added, “We’ll tell 17 you said hi!”

They disappeared behind the other houses and Mafuyu gripped the hilt of her sword tightly. She had never felt so frustrated before. Had K really just… given up?

Fine, if K was fine without them, then Mafuyu would be fine without her too. After all, the only person she needed was herself. Mafuyu didn’t need K. Not at all.

Mizuki was anxious, extremely so. And it was pretty obvious by how they were pacing around outside of their shared room with Ena.

They hadn’t had the chance to talk to Ena about the previous day’s… incident. Ena had holed herself up in their room and Mizuki, despite never having that many friends, understood social cues pretty well so they slept in Mafuyu’s room instead.

Countless questions that had plagued their mind since yesterday continued to run around freely in their head.

Just how much had Ena heard? What if she would never forgive them for what they did? What then?

Mizuki paused outside of the door for the nth time and their hand hovered over the doorknob. Should they go in? They should knock first then… but what if Ena didn’t reply? Heck, did she even want to see them right now? Were they even ready to face her?

While Mizuki was busy deliberating over their thoughts, the door suddenly swung open. They yelped in surprise as Ena stared at them, her eyes narrowed. There was an uncomfortable silence between the two before Mizuki awkwardly waved and said, “Uh… good to see you Ena?”

The brunette leaned against the door and asked impatiently, “Just get to the point, Mizuki. What do you want?”

“A-Ah, I’m not sure what yo–”

A loud sigh interrupted Mizuki as Ena kneaded her eyebrows together. She scoffed and asked skeptically, “Right, you were walking outside of my door for who knows how long and you have nothing you want to say to me? I find that hard to believe.”

Mizuki had no response to that, so they just remained silent as they stared at the wooden floorboards.

Ena watched them for a few seconds before realising that they wouldn’t continue, earning yet another sigh from the fairy.

“It’s about yesterday.”

A statement, not a question. Mizuki stiffened at Ena’s words and nodded hesitantly in confirmation. Ena drummed her fingers against the wooden door as she asked, “Well? What do you want to say about it? You already know how I feel about… murderers.”

It was difficult for Mizuki to stop themself from reacting to the word. They absolutely detested it because they were terrified of being called one themself. But… they had to clear up whatever misunderstandings Ena may have about them.

“I didn’t murder that child… Not directly. I just… I just caused her death and I know that if I hadn’t been there that day, she would probably still be alive, living her best life…” Mizuki’s voice grew softer and softer as they spoke. They truly hated thinking about that day. It was always a dark reminder that hermits would never be accepted, that they would never be accepted for who they were.

Ena frowned when she heard Mizuki’s words and probed further, “What do you mean you ‘caused her death’?”

Mizuki balled their hands into fists as they looked away in shame, answering quietly, “I was discovered as a hermit so I had to flee. I summoned my illusions so that they could distract my pursuers but… they attacked my illusions and one arrow that was aimed at an illusion flew through it and hit a girl in its path…”

There was a long silence after Mizuki finished speaking and they slowly lifted their gaze from the floor to Ena. What kind of expression would she have on her face? Surely one of disgust or fear, without a doubt.

However, to their surprise, Ena’s eyes were glistening with tears. They immediately panicked and asked hurriedly, “What’s wrong Ena? Why are you crying?”

Ena sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes as she replied, “I’m not crying! I just… had some dirt in my eyes! That’s all! Anyway, you’re such an idiot, Mizuki!”

“H-Huh!?” Mizuki spluttered in confusion, taken aback by the sudden insult. Being called an idiot was certainly not something that they had been expecting.

Ena huffed angrily as she continued, “Yeah, you fool! That was hardly your fault! You couldn’t have known what would happen! All you were trying to do was escape!”

“B-But, if I had left the kingdom before I was discovered then–”

“Yeah, maybe that girl would still be alive but you wouldn’t have known when you were going to be caught! Mizuki, this really wasn’t in your control! It’s not your fault she died!”

Not… their fault? Could they really believe that? 

Seeing the hermit’s dubious expression, Ena placed a hand on their shoulder and started, “Listen, Mizuki. I really mean it. It’s not your fault. There are assholes out there worse than you who think that they’re not guilty for their crimes.”

Mizuki managed to crack a grin at the swear word and replied in a teasing tone, “You sound like you’re speaking from experience.”

Ena rolled her eyes as she muttered, “Yeah. My dad was one of them. Kicked me out of the house and left me in the forest as soon as I grew wings. You’re definitely a lot better than that bastard.”

“Heh, thanks Ena– Wait, you were kicked out!?”

Ena waved a hand dismissively as she responded nonchalantly, “Yeah, it doesn’t matter much though. I never liked that old man or that household much since my mother died when I was young. My only regret is not being able to be with my brother, I suppose.”

“Oh, right, I forgot you had a brother. The sibling experience is definitely something you shouldn’t miss out on…” Mizuki murmured wistfully as memories of Yuuki surfaced. They really had to visit her sometime again.

Ena raised an eyebrow as she said, “Sounds like you’re speaking from experience.”

“A-Ah, yeah, I did have a sister at one point but she’s… dead. An illness took her,” Mizuki replied with a sad smile and Ena’s eyes widened in surprise. She cleared her throat and apologised, “I’m sorry for bringing that up…”

“No, it’s fine! I really miss her but… It’s been a long time since then. I’ve… moved on.” They hurriedly tried to reassure Ena who simply nodded.

Sensing the tension in the air and lacking anything else to say, Mizuki quickly moved to the stairs as they announced, “I’ll be going to see Rui now! I’ll see you later Ena!”

Just as they reached the first step, Ena suddenly called out, “Mizuki! If you have anything weighing down on you… you can always tell me. You can tell me anything. I’ll always be there for you.”

A warm feeling spread through Mizuki’s chest upon hearing those words from Ena. They turned around and gave the girl a warm smile as they replied, “Thank you for your kindness, Ena.”

Ena’s face flushed red as she retorted, “It’s nothing!” before running back into their room and shutting the door. Mizuki couldn’t help but giggle at the sight of an embarrassed Ena. They place a hand over where their beating heart thumped wildly. They would treasure this feeling for the rest of their life.