For a moment, no one dared to breathe. The cameras stopped flashing, the static of the mic died down into a silence too sacred to break and even the flowers seemed to lose their scent. Time ceased to move, leaving only a single thought floating in my head.

I was too late.

Kaede flashed in front of my eyes; the day she’d congratulated me after rescuing Ahio, face struck with bruises but still sporting a smile; when she’d hugged me on her birthday, a party she’d invited me to even though she’d only known me for a few days; and the time she’d spilt her heart out, confiding in me her dreams of the future. She’d trusted me, but I’d never warned her. For fear of changing the story told in the manga, I’d pushed aside my fear of losing a friend, convincing myself she would be safe for now. I’d failed her.

What kind of a friend am I?

Someone cried out, and the spell freezing the auditorium broke. People scrambled toward Maya, exchanging harsh whispers with one another. I pushed them away, my legs hurrying forward even before I told them to. The first person to reach Maya was Kei, who hugged her shaking body with a tenderness I wouldn’t have expected of him. He held her wrist and led her to an alcove below the stairs going up to the balconies, keeping nosy folk away from the sobbing girl with a frosty look. Wisteria blossoms hung from above, their delicate beauty shielding the teens.

I pushed the flowers aside and rushed in, colliding into an Ahio who’d already gotten there somehow in the chaos. Daisuke and Tsubasa followed after me.

‘What do you mean Kaede was kidnapped?’ Ahio snapped at Maya, earning a glare from Kei. The manga had never done justice to his expressions when he’d lost Kaede. It showed the fire burning in his eyes, but it could never show how his jaw clenched in worry nor how his fingers twitched with panic.

A fresh bout of tears rolled down Maya’s freckled cheeks. ‘This man, he-he just jumped in and grabbed her while we were fighting another team.’ she wrung her hands together and looked at the floor. ‘I’m sorry! Rina was nowhere to be found when he came, so we didn’t have any fighters with us. Cho threw a rock at him, but I don’t know how-- but somehow!--he vanished!’

‘The man with the witch ring.’ Daisuke whispered. His face was ashy as he held Tsubasa, who was collapsed on the floor, rubbing his eyes in a frantic way.

‘This-This was all we could get. He dropped it when Cho hit him.’ Her fingers shook as she reached into her bag. She lugged out a throwing knife, with butterfly stickers twisting over its blade and hilt.

My breath caught in my chest.

This was the key to finding Kaede. It was the key to ensure the future of this world is just like the one told in the manga. If anyone else got a hold of it, we’d be screwed. Between the wreaths of purple flowers, I caught sight of the Minister making his way here through the unruly crowd.

I grabbed Maya’s hand, pushing the knife back into her bag. ‘Listen, you have to trust me,’ I shifted my eyes between the four kids’ shocked faces, my heart pounding with fury. ‘Whatever you do, do not give the knife to anyone or tell them you’ve got it. Especially not the Minister. He’s involved in all this. I swear, I’ll explain later.’

‘I-I—‘ stuttered Maya, her amber eyes wide.

I locked my gaze onto hers. ‘Please. You’ll have to trust me!’

Something rustled behind me. I jumped, letting go of Maya as though struck by electricity. Minister Banji stood before us, pushing aside the wreaths of wisteria. ‘You five, come with me,’ he said, his features hard as though hewn from stone.

Everyone stared at us as we marched across to the other end of the auditorium, several older swordsmen helping clear the way. Swordsman Natsumi gave orders to her subordinates to quiet the crowd, stopping here and then to ask the people to calm down with her mic’s booming voice. Behind where the Minister sat was a white door, almost blending in with the walls. It opened into a small room that was crammed with unused furniture stacked one on top of the other.

Minister Banji led us in and shut the door, quelling the noise outside. A single window high up on my left let in shafts of sunlight into the otherwise dark room.

‘Tell me everything.’ The Minister looked at Maya, rubbing his temple with one hand.

Stuttering and sniffling, she told him how her team had fought another for one last try at the keys just within the borders of the hundred-metre stones, how Kaede was kidnapped, and what the man looked like.

‘Cho went to the Quest Unit.’ Maya twisted her side braid, not meeting the Minister’s eyes. ‘She sent me here because everyone important would be here and so someone will find her soon.’

Minister Banji sighed. ‘As some of you in this room know, this man is a well-known kidnapper. Kaede’s not the first child he’s taken. He’s proving hard to catch, but we’re on his track.’

‘Oh yeah?’ Ahio spat out, glaring at the Minister as though he was no more than a teen like us. ‘And what about the other kids? Have you got them safely back home yet?’

‘No, but we’re doing our best—‘

‘If your best means Kaede won’t be back like all the other kids, then I doubt you’re making an effort.’ Ahio clenched his fists.

‘I understand you’re all distraught.’ Minister Banji fixed his eyes onto Ahio, meeting his glare with a cold look. ‘And for that, I excuse all of you from fulfilling your quest quota this month. You can calm down at home, knowing the best swordsmen are on this case, one that’s much more complicated than you think. But I am still your Minister,’ he said in a low voice, ‘and I will not be spoken to this way.’

Ahio clenched his fists tighter, still staring daggers at the Minister, but didn’t say a word.

‘I hope that’s clear. Do you have anything else you’d like to know or anything you want to tell me?’ Minister Banji shifted his eyes to each of us.

Please keep the knife a secret.

Maya and Daisuke gave me a sideways glance, Ahio too busy watching the Minister and Tsubasa staring somewhere far away, as though he wasn’t even a part of this conversation. I begged them with my eyes, hoping the Minister wouldn’t catch our silent exchange. Please, guys, you have to trust me. My skin prickled with sweat. Please. Please.

‘No, sir, nothing’ said Maya, gazing at the hardwood floor.

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

‘Very well then. This is a highly confidential case, so keep what we’ve discussed here to yourselves. You may leave,’ Minister Banji said, opening the door.