Hayashi Shuichi pushed open the door to the izakaya and stepped inside. Seeing the frantic state Orikasa Midori was in, he immediately poured her a glass of warm water. He waited until she had finished drinking before asking gently, "Are you sure she isn't just busy with something else?"
"Impossible!" Midori shook her head violently. "Mayu and I are best friends. If anything was going on, she would have told me!"
The girl's voice cracked, her words trailing off into a sob. "She hasn't sent a single message all day. Something has definitely happened to her."
"...Did your absence from the izakaya yesterday have something to do with her as well?" Hayashi Shuichi handed her a tissue, watching as she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Yes." Midori nodded, her fingers clenching the tissue tightly. "Mayu got into a dispute over some trivial matter with a group of delinquents from the Haido district. They had arranged to fight yesterday. I rushed over and spent a long time talking her down just to keep them from clashing."
"The other side was a female gang too?" Hayashi asked, surprised.
"Yes," Midori replied, her head bowed and her voice dropping to a whisper. "According to Mayu, they call themselves something like... the Red Spiders."
So 'girls help girls' has turned into 'girls hurt girls,' Hayashi thought, shaking his head in silent exasperation.
"Since they're all girls," he said softly, trying to offer some comfort, "even if they're picking on Mayu, they shouldn't go too far, right?"
"Senpai!"
Midori snapped her head up, her face etched with genuine fear. "Sometimes women are the ones who know exactly how to torment and hurt other women! And Mayu is so stubborn... if they've actually taken her, she'll never back down, and then..."
"Haido..." Hayashi Shuichi tapped his finger against the table, a headache forming. He didn't know much about that district. "Do you know anything else about this 'Red Spider' group?"
Midori shook her head, her ponytail swaying slightly with the movement. "Senpai, even though I'm a delinquent too, I don't usually get involved in those circles. Mayu was always the one who handled the crew's affairs."
"Let's go to the police first," Hayashi suggested.
"Mayu's mother already went to the local koban after realizing she was missing," Midori said, her fists clenching as her face flushed with anger. "But those officers said it hasn't been twenty-four hours, so it doesn't count as a disappearance. They even said—with such contempt—that since Mayu is a 'delinquent girl,' who knows where she's wandered off to."
Hayashi Shuichi didn't particularly have a high opinion of the blonde-haired Mayu himself, but she was Midori's close friend. If she was truly missing, he couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
However, the only lead they had was a gang from Haido called the Red Spiders. The police were useless in this situation; to understand delinquents, one had to talk to delinquents. But the only one Hayashi knew was Midori, and she was in the dark. Furthermore, there was no concrete proof that the Red Spiders were the ones who took her.
With no clues and no trail, how was he supposed to find someone?
A sudden thought struck Hayashi.
If mundane methods were off the table... didn't he know a certain "Magical Girl"?
He wondered if Akane Koizumi's magic could be of any use.
With that in mind, Hayashi quickly dialed the office of his homeroom teacher, Ms. Murakami. Luckily, she hadn't left for the day yet. Making up a quick excuse, he managed to get Akane Koizumi's home address from her.
After hanging up, he left a brief note at the izakaya explaining the situation and hurried out with Midori toward Akane's house.
"Senpai, where are we going?" Midori couldn't help but ask.
"I'm out of leads, and even I'm at a dead end," Hayashi sighed helplessly. "Our only choice now is to consult a fortuneteller."
"A fortuneteller?" Midori looked at him in disbelief. "But Senpai... didn't you say that stuff was all fake?"
Everyone else's is fake, but Akane Koizumi's magic is the real deal...
Recalling the sight of Akane flying into the sky on a broomstick a few days prior, Hayashi's expression became complicated. He shook his head. "Whatever the case, let's just give it a try."
Though Midori remained skeptical, her trust in Hayashi Shuichi won out, and she followed him.
The two soon arrived at a residence in 2-chome—Akane Koizumi's address.
"I knew this address looked familiar."
Hayashi stared at the European-style, two-story house before glancing at the sci-fi-looking building next door. Akane's home in Beika was actually the very house he and Reiko had taken an interest in—the one right next to Dr. Agasa's place.
Hayashi pressed the doorbell. He waited for a long time, but there was no movement from within the house.
"Senpai, maybe she's not home?" Midori rubbed her arms nervously.
"Impossible. That girl is a total shut-in," Hayashi shook his head. "She runs straight home the second school lets out. There's no way she's not here."
Seeing that the coast was clear, Hayashi grabbed the railing and nimbly vaulted over the fence.
"Senpai?!" Midori gasped, her eyes wide. "Is—is this really okay?"
"Wait here at the gate. I'm going to check it out." Leaving her with those words, Hayashi strode toward the house.
In a room on the second floor, heavy crimson curtains blocked out the sunlight entirely.
The room was filled with the faint scent of lavender. A dozen or so ancient-looking candles hovered in mid-air, their flickering flames casting a mysterious, dark-red glow over the space.
Akane Koizumi sat cross-legged in a carved antique chair, her bare toes mindlessly rubbing against the soft carpet. She was still in her school uniform, but the ribbon at her collar had long been loosened. Her silky red hair was a bit disheveled, with a few stray strands falling over her furrowed brow.
"Wrong again..."
The girl bit her lower lip, her slender fingers irritably flipping through the thick grimoire in front of her. The parchment pages rustled loudly, and the candlelight danced in her focused amber eyes, reflecting her clear frustration.
Suddenly, she slammed the book shut with a heavy thud.
The flames of several candles flickered violently, casting distorted shadows against the walls.
"Why won't it work?" Akane muttered, scratching her hair in annoyance. This gesture made her look more like an ordinary high school girl than a mysterious witch.
Living alone in Beika was not only lonely, but it also made dealing with mundane chores a hassle. As the heir to Red Magic, Akane had been trying to create a puppet butler with a human appearance to help her. But for some reason, the spell kept failing.
Just then, the girl felt a sudden, inexplicable pang of unease.
One of the floating candles flared up, its flame dancing uncontrollably.
"This is..."
Akane sat up straight, alert. Her fingers instinctively gripped the armrests of her chair. A witch's sixth sense was incredibly sharp; if she felt this restless, there had to be a reason.
It couldn't be that jerk's doing again, could it?
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 70 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
[patreon.com/TripleCrown07]
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"