In the middle of night-time Hellesimbault, run two teenagers dressed in pinks and blacks. Behind them are ever-growing puddles of turquoise water, gaining space, eating away the paved roadway and dark grey sidewalks. There are waves of chills going down their spines and an urge to flee as soon as possible from the source of these waves.
The dark streets allow for two things: not being directly spotted by the bounty hunter running after them, and not seeing her face as she attempts to annihilate the both of them.
"Come back here, young mages," an eerily calm voice calls for them, flat tone filled with unspoken rage.
They don't reply. The witch's waiting for them to say their position aloud so she can track them through their voices. That's the last thing they need, so they keep quiet, as quiet as they can be when they're running and have to breathe as they hurry to a possible shelter.
The blonde girl grabs her friend's arm and pull them both into a corner, her other hand on his mouth to retain a surprised yell trying to exit his body. They see the with walk past them, violent tides coursing through their entire beings, puddles upon puddles of turquoise water where her feet were. An intense cold run through the street, sparing nothing in its path, her red hair flowing gracefully along the waves she emits.
Once she's past them, the girl gives a quick look, and invites him to exit their improvised hiding spot. With a swift hand, she removes her butterfly-shaped mask, revealing pink irises.
"Are you alright?" she asks him, a gentle smile on her face.
"I… I'm fine," he replies with a shaking voice. "It sure was scary."
A small giggle escapes her lips.
"That's why she's called The Witch, isn't she? She's one powerful mage… Anyway," she changes in tone, "why not make our way back to Anna's? It's getting late."
"Yeah, let's do that."
The Witch. She's one of the most powerful bounty hunters of Hellesimbault. She got to know her exact pseudonym through some research: Rei, the second-in-command of the Fragmenta Guild. Rumours say some of its members are teachers in their school, but that never got confirmed. For now, they take the opposite direction, to go back to Annabelle Moinot's place.
"Kaede?"
"I told you to call me by my alias when we're on a mission."
"Sorry," he blushes as he apologizes, "I thought we weren't on a mission anymore…"
"How many times did I tell you to stop apologizing for nothing, Shuichi? Well, it's not that important. What matters is what you wanted to ask me."
He gets his mask off but lowers the bill of his hat with his other hand. Better stay transformed in case any bounty hunter other than Rei comes their way. Those rascals must know about her trying to find her missing sister by now.
"Don't you think it's getting cold in there?"
Shuichi is rubbing his arms together, blushing, white smoke coming out of his mouth.
"It's because of Rei's magic. You seem to be freezing, though… You're sure you're alright, Shuichi?"
His teeth are slightly cackling now. This isn't reassuring.
"Maybe not sure per say, I'm just cold. I guess I'm more sensible to temperature shifts than you, Kaede."
The music prodigy's face softens, looking a bit away, then back at him.
"That's true, Fire elementals are always feeling temperature more easily… Isn't it Mr Parillot who keeps being cold because he's a Fire elemental too?"
He nods in agreement. "That's probably why I'm feeling hotter than you all of a sudden…"
"Excuse me?"
A heavy silence settles between them. Shuichi feels both cold and hot sweats running down his temples and back. An even huger blush installs itself onto his face. He tries to hide even more of his face with his hat, eyes looking away.
"We're out of the zone Rei has frozen," Kaede says in a slightly snappier tone, "but it's still the cold of the night."
She puffs, crosses her arms, and attempts catching his glaze.
"Shuichi, you're sick and trying to hide it again, aren't you!"
The boy flusters even more, and his hat eventually falls down. She catches it with her hand. His entire face is both blushing and flushed.
"I told you before, you shouldn't go out with me if you're sick… I'm saying this for you! I don't want you to get killed because of me!"
"N-no! I'm always here on my own wish, Kaede… I didn't feel bad enough not to come. It's just a tiny fever, those happen sometimes…"
Kaede squints her eyes.
"Yeah, sure. For now, let's go back to Anna so you can have a nice blanket to roll around in. I'm sure Mr Moinot is worried sick for us right now!"
"You're right, let's go home before you get sick too."
She deadpans but smiles afterwards.
"That's so nice of you to think about."
On the way to their "headquarters" (Kaede likes the ring of that, it gives it that extra special touch she strives for), they talk about school again. Being a tenth year, a high school freshman feels like being both old and young, in a way. They talk about Mr Parillot again, remembering his weird shenanigans, his movies and his tendency to insert English in every sentence he spews out.
His shivering doesn't seem to stop. That worries her, because he shouldn't feel so cold, even if she herself feels some chills from the night temperatures. She has to find a way to make him feel better before they reach the Moinot house.
Kaede casts her battle outfit away, to his surprise.
"The way is clear, so I thought it would be nice to change back to my regular clothes."
"You're probably right, but..."
"I know what you're going to say," she interrupts him with a smile. "You can remain in your battle gear, Shuichi, if it makes you feel a bit warmer. I wanted to switch back because I have something which could be of some use…"
She feels the weight of her backpack again, which she opens to get a blanket out of.
"I brought this with me in case we stayed very late in the streets and had to find a place where to rest for a bit. It may be a bit too small for that, on second thought, but I'm sure it'll be useful for you!"
"That's not necessary, Kaede… You should use it for yourself…"
She wraps the blanket around him, and despite a face of refusal, he clutches it around him and sniffles noisily.
"You always think of me, Kaede… Sorry for being such a burden, you shouldn't have to always get something for me…"
"Pssh, nonsense. We're best friends, that's what best friends are for, right?"
"S-sure, but I can't ever give you something in return, and you're usually the one good in battle too… You'd probably be better off with someone better than me, like Rantaro or Kévin…"
Kaede pouts again, barely noticing the fact he clutches his heart with his right hand and the blanket with his left.
"Shuichi! If I wanted to go on such crazy misadventures with them, I would have asked them! Stop putting yourself down like that! I'm sure you would be more powerful if you trusted yourself more."
He slightly looks at her.
"Thanks for putting up with me…"
She beams him a warm smile.
"You should give yourself more credit, Shuichi. You've always been such a help for me, because you notice things better than I could ever do. I would be lost without you, trying to find my sis! The underground world is scary, and if you weren't by my side, Rei would terrify me beyond my mind… So I think you should stop seeing yourself as a hassle, and more as my partner in not-crime!"
He nods timidly, the tiniest smile on his lips.
They proceed to their HQ.