Chapter 6

I took a seat next to Mariko this time, seeing as my surprise had been spoiled. “Soren, would you mind getting me something to drink?” She held up her shaking right hand. “I need to take my medicine.”

“Of course,” I said.

“Hi, Magpie, Ms. Yamada! Medicine for what?” Kowalski leaned over, his eyes automatically darting down to take in Mariko’s charms, just like mine had. He managed to to look up again. “Oh, hi Ms. Yamada. Did I say hi already?”

She forced a smile to her face. I’m sure it wasn’t forced because she had the sense to be annoyed by him, but because her secret injury humiliated her. “You certainly did, Rafal, but hello again.”

“Come along, Kowalski,” I said, pulling him by his uniform’s cuff. “We’ll be back in two shakes of a ma…” I coughed. I’d nearly said mackie, one of the trunked beasts of burden used by the Horde. It was always a problem when I got too comfortable; old modes of speech wanted to slip out. “Excuse me, lamb’s tail.”

Kowalski followed in silence until we arrived at a nearby shop, a little hole in the wall with a few odds and ends for travelers with some money left in their pockets after they’d left the main shopping area.

“Medicine for what?” he repeated, leaning against a drink cooler.

“Lady problems,” I said, the lie coming automatically.

His face went red as a tomato. “Wait, what?”

“Did I stutter?” I turned to reach for a bottle of water on the top row of chilled drinks. I didn’t want him to see my crooked grin, after all. “Don’t ask about things you don’t want the answer to.”

“S-sorry I said anything,” he said, giving me a quizzical look. “Wait, you knew about… that? You two must be close, huh? I thought you just sat together in class.”

“We’re good friends,” I replied, grabbing drinks for the four of us.

“God, I wish I could be good friends with a girl like her,” he said, adding a sigh.

I winced at the mention of the Enemy, and I felt a mild headache come on. The pain only worsened when I saw that Kowalski wore a wooden crucifix around his neck. I didn’t respond right away, silently making my way towards a shelf of medicines.

That called for some payback. A quick scan of his ankle showed the magical disruptor was still in place. Good; it meant I could play with him without chancing Buddy’s wrath. “Really? I’d think you’d go past friendship, the way you were ogling her.”

His face somehow found a way to grow yet redder. “I wasn’t… I mean, maybe a little bit but… Do you think she noticed?”

“Undoubtedly,” I said. “There’s no harm in looking, but maybe try to be a bit more discreet? You were almost drooling.” I enjoyed his embarrassed expression, but I was less enthused by the loud pop from his anklet. “Are you sure that thing is going to stop you-know-who?”

“It will,” he said. “I think? Buddy can be pretty clever.”

“How do you outthink an electric shock?”

“Well…” He shifted uncomfortably. “The disruptor detects when you use your magic, right? It turns out there’s a minimum amount to set it off. One time I wore it for a few days without taking a break, and while I wasn’t paying attention, he got a little tendril down there and picked the lock. He popped out right in the middle of class. He doesn’t like being confined.”

“I suppose I can’t blame the beast,” I said, prompting another pop. “Tell me, Kowalski, do you like flying?”

He shuddered. “To be honest, it gives me the willies.”

So, he had some sense. However, since Buddy was just Kowalski’s more assertive side, that meant he didn’t like airplane flights either, and the sounds coming from his ankle confirmed my fears.

I put that aside, pointing to a likely looking row of pills. “You read Japanese, right?” He nodded. “Which of these is for headaches?” He reached over and handed me a box, marking the first time I could recall that he’d been useful to me.

“I should apologize,” he said a few minutes later as we stood in line to check out, ending a blessed moment of quiet.

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “For what? For taking a quick look? You’re being ridiculous. Besides, if you did, you’d just make things awkward for everyone, especially me.”

“Especially you?” he asked.

“I might die from secondhand humiliation if I had to watch it. Just keep it to yourself.” I elbowed him lightly in the ribs. “Though trust me, I understand the temptation. I take it you’re a breast man?”

“Huh? Y-yeah, I guess.” He blushed again, and another crack filled the air as Buddy tested his bonds. Nobody in the store could figure out where the sound had come from, thankfully, but they all jumped in surprise.

If Buddy got loose on an airplane flying over the open ocean, I shuddered to think what would happen. It was time to stop teasing and solve the problem. A plan came to mind, but I’d have to move quickly. It would involve a bit of subterfuge, and I almost felt sorry for the oaf.

Whatever. He needed to get a handle on his imaginary friend, and I’d been tasked with making it happen. I hadn’t been told to be gentle about it. “Hold these a moment, I forgot got to get something.” Without waiting for his response, I offloaded the merchandise on him, weaving through the line of travelers to get back to the medicines.

Aha, I thought I’d spotted one of those! I didn’t need to read the local language to recognize those symbols. The instructions on the back were split into sections for English, Japanese, and French. Perhaps French is more useful than Yukiko thought.

My timing was perfect, as Kowalski got to the front of the line just as I arrived. “Would you mind treating me? I’m a bit tapped at the moment.” The Anti-Demonic League paid us cadets a weekly stipend for necessaries, but they’d cut me off after my little bout of treason. I had been assured it was a computer error, but it did make me wonder if Headmaster Tachibana and Mr. Maki had decided I needed some unofficial punishment.

“Huh? Oh, sure,” he said as he reached into his wallet. While his attention was turned, I quickly shoved a pair of pills into one of the plastic bottles. Half an hour to take effect, and then that problem will be dealt with for a bit.

“Thank you, Rafal.” By the Dark Lord, you’d think I’d just declared it was Christmas morning the way his face lit up. It made me feel a bit shabby about what I was about to do to him. Not enough to abandon my plans, but still, I’d developed more conscience than any other devil I’d met. I wondered how full-blooded humans dealt with a stronger voice when they did something underhanded. It was a miracle they got anything done.

Mariko gratefully accepted her water bottle and gulped down one of her nerve pills. I made sure that Kowalski got the gimmicked bottle, and I made a show of opening it for him so he wouldn’t notice the seal was already broken. He drank without much relish, nervously glancing out the windows. Our plane had arrived, and the crew swarmed over it like insects as they did the final checks.

“Is something the matter, Rafal?” asked Mariko, her trembling hand already steadier.

He shuddered. “I hate flying. What if something goes wrong with the engines? We’d go down in the Arctic Ocean and they’d never find us in time!”

It was my turn to shake. “I-it isn’t productive to talk about.”

Mariko tsked him. “You shouldn’t say things like that! That won’t happen, Rafal.”

“It’s all I can think about right now.”

“Keep it to yourself, then,” I snapped.

“You see? You’re scaring Kasasagi.”

“No, that isn’t it,” I said.

Mariko patted his shoulder. “Maybe if you hate flying so much, you could try taking a nap on the way over?”

He shook his head emphatically. “I don’t think I possibly could, ma’am. I’m too wound up.”

Mariko’s eyes widened at the m-word, and she shot me a suspicious look. “Did you put him up to that?”

“Perish the thought,” I said, suppressing a smile.

“Put me up to what?” he asked, cocking his head like a confused puppy.

“Never mind,” she said, settling back in her seat. “Rafal, don’t worry. If anything did happen, you have your Buddy, and we have our spells. We’d figure something out.”

“Y-yeah, I forgot about that,” he said, visibly relaxing.

As if on cue, an announcement went over the loudspeakers in Japanese, which Mariko helpfully translated before they could read it off again in English. “They’re boarding now; it sounds like Wizard Corpsmen and other military personnel get on first.”

“Finally, some real perks,” I said, hopping to my feet.

“I don’t think we should get special treatment,” said Mariko.

“The government drafted us; it’s the least they can do.” I gave the blond boy a clap on the back, urging him forward. “Come on, Kowalski, we don’t have much time.”

“We don’t?” he asked, stifling a yawn.

Well, you don’t. Once we were ushered through the gate and a narrow corridor, we were aboard the flying coffin. Even the recycled air smelled flat and dead. I had to stoop to enter through the narrow door; I didn’t envy Kowalski and Mr. Maki, who followed shortly behind.

“Well, isn’t this a pleasant surprise,” said Mr. Maki as a stewardess guided us to our seats. “The Corps sprang for first class seats! I don’t remember seeing that on the ticket.”

“They actually didn’t, sir,” the uniformed woman said. “When the Captain heard you were joining us today, he insisted on upgrading you and your students.”

Mr. Maki raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Do I know him?”

“He said you saved him during the Aleutian Islands campaign,” she said. “He’s always talking about the time you knocked that orc off his cockpit so he could take off.”

“Wait, don’t tell me it’s Jiro Watanabe!” She nodded, and Mr. Maki turned and made his way over towards the cockpit. “Don’t wait on me; I’ve got some catching up to do!” He vanished through the door. A moment later, I could just make out an excited, “Jiro!”

The stewardess’ good humor vanished in an instant. “Sir? Please, sir, you can’t go there during pre-flight! Sir!” The poor woman darted after him.

Mariko let out a disapproved huff. “That man doesn’t know how to take no for an answer.”

“Let’s claim our seats before Mr. Maki’s antics get us downgraded again,” I said. We were arranged in two pairs of plush seats on either side of the narrow aisle. Mariko insisted on taking the window seat, which I knew was her sparing me from a terrifying view. There were upsides to her knowing about my fear of heights.

Once we had sat down, Mariko giggled as she nudged my shoulder. “Look at Rafal! So much for being too wound up to sleep.”

She was right; the poor boy was snoring like a chainsaw in his window seat, and even drooling a bit. I settled back in my own seat, feeling a sense of relief. Thirty minutes on the dot. Human medicine really is magic.