E-enemy? Can’t she see we are human?

As the mysterious girl’s blade is pressed onto my neck, we gaze upon each other, from eye to eye.

“I kindly ask you to speak, otherwise I will have no other choice but to remove both of your heads.” She threatens us but her soft soothing voice makes it hard to actually fear her.

“I sensed three demons and an abnormal presence with them. The demon’s disappearance is explainable yet for some odd reason, the other thing I have been sensing vanished just before I arrived here, without a trace. What’s more….the maiden you are holding, it is faint but she gives out a somewhat odd aura, I can’t quite put my finger on it.”

She can see her aura? Is that even possible? Who is she anyway? Maybe if I explain the situation she will understand….but can I tell her about Yuuna?

I look down at Yuuna with concern. Unsure as I try to make a decision, I realize it might be for the best if she knows. The Yuuna I saw wasn’t the Yuuna I know, maybe there’s a way to prevent it from happening again.

As we are on the hard, dirt covered ground, surrounded by the tall dark trees, the girl patiently awaits our answer. No sign of impatience or irritation whatsoever. She’s as calm as the smoothest waters.

“L-look, we are looking for a master that is supposed to live somewhere in this forest, but we were attacked by demons. The thing about Yuuna…this girl, I-I’m positive she died from blood poisoning when demon blood entered her body, yet soon after she came back to be and defeated them single-handedly. But there was something different about her….it was like something possessed her until you arrived.”

“A master? Could it be…” The girl mumbles to herself, then pulls her sword back and inserts it into one of the two scabbards attached to the rear of her waist.

A gentle breeze passes through the illuminated woods. It causes her hair to wave in the air as the bright moon shines behind her, creating and beautiful display.

“Avoiding a death by poisoning..…something that has never been recorded or witnessed by anyone to our knowledge. However, I do believe miracles happen and if what you said is true, this maiden will play a big role in expanding our paths towards the demon’s annihilation. Now follow me, I might know of the one you are seeking.”

“W-wait? Do you really believe me? Just like that?”

She passes by and halts her advance in response to my question.

“I don’t feel any ill intentions coming from you. Moreover, I have no way to prove what you have said was untruthful, thus I have no reason to distrust you. Right, before I forget, I’m Ena Nagi.

“O-oh, Hidiku Sato, nice to meet you Miss Nagi.”

“Just Ena is fine, I’m not that much older than yourself.”

She then continues her march as I follow her with Yuuna in my arms.

———

We have been walking for some time now yet there still is nothing to see other than a dozen trees and other vegetation.

Suddenly Miss Nagi stops, then looks at me.

“Close your eyes for a moment.” And so I do. I can feel her gently touching my forehead. Soon there’s mild warmth and a faint, short current of what feels like electricity.

“Alright, you can now open them again.” I once again follow her instructions.

As I open my eyes, a bright light blinds me. Where previously grew a pack of trees now stands a big wooden house. It resembles one of the structures we had in our schoolbooks about all the different countries that existed a few hundred years back. I’m pretty sure this one is based off the country that was called Japan, back in the edo period.

“This place is protected by a barrier that makes everything within it invisible. To avoid the risk of someone unintentionally stumbling upon this place we have combined the barrier with a spell that alters the sense of direction whenever anyone gets close enough.” She calmly informs me as I’m overwhelmed. What a neat spell.

“Ah, there you are! You suddenly ran off without saying a word. I would have waited with the tea if I knew, but it’s cold now.”

A man walks out on the veranda from behind one of the corners, he’s holding a plate with two mugs as he speaks casually with a friendly tone.

His hair is medium length and wavy and out of his chin grows a short goatee. His fashion consists of a kimono gray as a rainy sky and wooden sandals only. He could be in his late twenties, maybe thirties. I can’t tell the colour of his eyes though as they are closed.

He notices me and Yuuna.

“I see we have guests.” The man steps down the veranda and approaches us.

“I’m happy to see you have finally found some friends, Ena.” He’s clearly getting the wrong idea, but he does seem like a nice person.

“Master, how many times have I asked you to stop with that…”

“Sorry, sorry. So what brings you two here?”

So that’s the master….he looks too young for someone that trained Yuuna’s father. I explained our situation to him. He’s quite understanding.

“I’m sorry but I will have to disappoint you as I’m not the master you are seeking. The man you are looking for was my father, but he left us a while back. I’m not as great as he was, though I can teach you if you wish, I’m also interested in the girl and what she can do, she might show us many new things. Oh, where are my manners! I’m Chikao Abe”

I entrust myself and Yuuna to our new master, even if he’s not the one we are looking for a master will help us progress, nevertheless. And I kind of like the guy, but….does his not open his eyes?

———

“You can use this room, it’s big enough for both of you.” After treating my injuries, Miss Nagi opens up a tatami door and introduces us to our new room. The walls and floors are also tatami and instead of one of the walls separating us from the outside, there is a big window through which the moonlight shines brightly. It’s also a view into the courtyard, this whole building really is like from another world, I like it.

Miss Nagi then walks up to one of the walls and opens it. It wasn’t a wall at all but another door!

“This is where the bedding is stored. There are more sets if ever needed.” She pulls out one of them and spreads it on the flooring. I then lay the sleeping Yuuna down on it.

Miss Nagi then directs her gaze to me. “You should also rest, you must be exhausted after tonight and your injuries need to heal. The bath is at the end of the hallway if you wish to use it. I will bring you a change of clothes for the night.”

“Yeah, I guess I should, I really need somewhere to relax.” And so, I leave to hit the bath.

———

When I return in the Yukata Miss Nagi brought me, Yuuna is still sleeping calmly. I’m relieved to see her like this after everything that has happened today.

I pull out the bedding for myself and lay down a bit further from Yuuna. I’m really sleepy at this point so falling asleep doesn’t take me long at all, but when I’m just about to shut down my system, she whispers into my ear with a soft voice.

“Hi-di-ku.” My eyes fully open and I sit myself up. Yuuna is still laying there, her only movement is caused by her breathing. It wasn’t Yuuna, it was the other one…I’m still confused about what to call her.

I’ll just try to fall asleep and hope she doesn’t wake me up again.

———

The next day I wake up facing the unfamiliar ceiling, it takes me a moment to realize that I’m sleeping in a different building now. I sit up and yawn, then rub my eyes. When I look at where Yuuna’s bedding was, it’s not there any longer.

She must have woken up already.

My body is soar which makes it harder to get up, but I’ve experienced worse things. I proceed to store my bedding when I notice Yuuna and Miss Nagi sitting on the veranda, behind the big window. I try to approach them but as I open a door next to the window, I realize they are having a conversation and probably shouldn’t interrupt them, so I listen instead.

“I see….all that happened while I was asleep.” Now that I take a better look at Yuuna, she seems a bit down.

“According to what Hidiku told us, yes. Try not to blame yourself, despite how bad it might have been, you did save Hidiku.”

“Thanks…”

It seems like I came just as they are finishing. Even if not, this is a good time to jump in. I step out of the room and greet the two with a “good morning”. They both gaze at me with a mildly surprised look, Yuuna then smiles and nods with a happy sounding “hmm”.

“Now that both of you are awake, please change your clothes and follow me.” I enter the room to get a change of clothes while the two wait for me since Yuuna slept in hers.

Miss Nagi then takes us to a big spacious room, I’m guessing this is the main room. Mister Abe is already sitting there on his knees with tea in his hands, awaiting our arrival.

“Good morning to all of you.” He still has the same smile on his face. Miss Nagi sits herself next to him while Yuuna and I sit to the opposite of them.

“We have already introduced ourselves but since we are all here now, let us introduce ourselves once more.” As he’s about to proceed with the introductions, Miss Nagi, with closed eyes, seems to be somewhat uncomfortable.

What’s that about I wonder.

“I am Abe Chikao, the current master and son of the master that has tutored your father. This beauty next to me is Nagi Ena, my first and only pupil, until now that is. She’s one of the seven Kagis.”

Miss Nagi may have her calm face on her the whole time but her veins are clearly showing. Is it safe to stay here?

“What is a Kagi?” Yuuna curiously questions him.

“The word ´Kagi´ comes from one of the old languages, called Japanese, it is the same country this house is based off. The word means ´Key´. The Kagis stand above all, the most powerful and respected, all with their unique styles. They are the keys that will unlock the path to a world where demons will no longer be a threat. Speaking of the old countries, do you know what your town was based off?”

“The European style, but I couldn’t tell you what country.” I reply to his questioning, it is starting to feel like a test of some sort.

“Good good. Now Hidiku, do you know what happened to the old countries?” It is a test!

“I believe they were overrun by demons when they unexpectedly appeared from nowhere. Until that point, the only enemy humanity had was its own race, nobody was prepared for a completely new race to attack, let alone exist. The countries crumbled due to inexperience against these beings and insufficient communication due to the language differences. It’s what came to be called the ´Ancient War´. If I remember correctly, what saved the human race was some sort of an attack from the skies? Nobody knows who it was or where exactly it came from, but it reduced the demon’s numbers by a big amount and prevented our extinction.”

Mister Abe nods with a pleased expression, then averts his gaze to Yuuna.

“Now then Yuuna, what happened after these events?”

“T-The survivors went into hiding beneath the surface for a long period of time. They came to an agreement to use a single language, but since it was a completely new language to them, everyone had to learn it all over again. People also wanted to keep their country’s culture and that’s why the few villages, towns and cities that were made now all have different cultures, based off the old countries.”

“Correct! Your school taught you well. The closest city there is, the city of Taiyō, is the only city around in the radius of a few hundred kilometers. It is also based off old Japan. What you call ´Knights´ at your town are called ´Samurai´ there and as it is known, the old Japan worshiped the sun goddess, so they do in this city. Anyone that wields any kind of fire ability there is called a child of the sun. That is one of the reasons why Ena is called the ´Rainbow Sun Empress´, quite amusing, isn’t it?”

As he giggles to himself, the veins on Miss Nagi’s forehead intensify. Her face is turning bright red and her body shakes with anger. She’s about to explode….

“Why the rainbow part?” Yuuna asks with curiosity and honestly, I would like to know myself. Can she use fire that glows in rainbow colours? Actually, that kind of sounds cool!

With a murderous expression, Miss Nagi jolts her gaze towards Yuuna. Yuuna, feeling her murderous intent, let’s out a short and quiet ´eek´ sound as she notices her.

Mister Abe starts patting Miss Nagi’s head with a style that resembles tapping. Her veins fade together with her angry expression and only a calm face remains as her head is being bopped by the pats.

It is kind of cute.

“The rainbow part refers to her ability. Ena is a fire user that changes her ability’s colour based off her emotions. She’s just like an open book!”

Mister Abe just took his last punch at her as the patting arm was grabbed and the crack of its bones resonated throughout the building.

He holds his own arm in pain as Miss Ena does a ´hmph´ and pouts, looking the other way.

“Anyway, we should get to your training part, but before that, I must ask you two something.” We both tilt our heads towards each other with curiosity.

“I would like you to follow our rules. As this place is based off the Japanese culture, Hidiku, I insist you dismantle your sabre sword, it looks horrendous, but no need to worry, I will provide you with a new sword. Also both of your fashion choices, I cannot bare to look any longer (his eyes are still closed).”

“Undress.”