The title given to this story is incorrect due to technical limitations. The correct title is The Moon-Touched Girls.


I slid the bullet into the muzzle of my trusty flintlock, and looked up.

My comrades lay fallen on either side of me, yet the foul beast before me was near death as well. If my shot was true, it would put an end to this final monster, and the deepest and darkest secrets of the Labyrinth of Yggdrasil would finally be ours to claim. We would be hailed as the Heroes of Lagaard, our names and deeds renowned the world over.

The enemy opened its maw and roared ferociously. Unfazed, for I was a hardened adventurer, I lifted my gun and sighted along its barrel at the monster's heart. My finger tightened on the trigger.

A curious, almost human expression suddenly overcame the beast's ichor-dripping muzzle. I blinked as it reached out a twisted, deformed arm covered in green skin and poked me in the forehead. "Hey, are you a gunner?" it asked in the voice of a young woman. "Wake up."

I woke up.

"Forget it, Yayoi," a voice was saying. "We don't need a gunner who's liable to doze off in broad daylight."

"Wha?" I managed, rubbing my eyes. I remembered where I was; in the Explorers' Guild of High Lagaard, sitting by the stone walls and waiting to attract the interest of a group just like this one, who might perchance be in need of another adventurer. "Wait, don't-" Hurriedly, I took stock of the group before me.

Four girls. The leftmost of them was in foreign dress- a kimono, I think they're called, in pink and blue with an elegant sash- and had a rose pinned to her short brown hair. I wouldn't have expected someone to go about exploring labyrinths and slaying monsters in such nice clothes. Only the sheathed dagger by her side suggested to me she was indeed an adventurer and not some heiress or proper young lady.

The one to the right of her had curled hair of an arresting, hot-pink color. She, at least, was dressed in leather. But it can't have been very effective as armor, seeing how it left large swaths of her shoulders, midriff and thighs bare; and the remainder looked too supple and form-fitting to offer much protection. I wondered what the designer had been thinking. She too had a dagger buckled by the side of her miniskirt, but for some reason I felt a blunt weapon would suit her better.

The third girl was straightforward, at least- she was a witch. Pointy hat, long dress, gnarled staff, the works; although she did eschew the traditional black in favor of an outfit in red with gold trim. The girl who wore the outfit looked rather like me, with long blonde hair- curled, unlike mine- piercing blue eyes, and a certain classical beauty. Her face bore a capricious grin, though, which suggested her temperament was little like mine.

And the final one... well, she had red hair that could have been quite pretty if she'd taken better care of it. She wore a featureless black robe, and a medallion and a bell hung from her neck, both of them made of brass. I recognized them as the tools of a curse-maker; there had been one in my hometown. I'd been frightened of that one, upon a time, but this girl seemed too disinterested and melancholy to scare me.

...So much for hurriedly taking stock. The heiress was speaking to me, it seemed. "Why were you asleep?" she asked.

"Um, uh..." I rubbed my eyes again. "The heat was getting to me, I always get sleepy when I'm warm. Besides, the man at the front desk said it can take days or even weeks for a novice adventurer like me to be recruited by a guild. I wasn't expecting-"

"If you're hot, why don't you take off that coat?" the witch interrupted; I recognized her voice as the one which had woken me. "You're not in the north anymore. It must be stifling."

"If I did, no one would recognize me as a gunner," I replied, a hint of indignation creeping into my voice. "Besides, it's a heirloom." Who were these people? You didn't separate a gunner from their coat. Everyone knew that.

"You don't even have a gun," observed the pink-haired one, looking at the empty holster at my side. "What use is a gunner without a gun?"

"I sold it to pay for the journey here. I planned to buy a new one once I found a guild," I replied.

"Sell your coat and buy a gun," recommended the witch.

"No."

"Stop it, you two," said the heiress, glancing firmly at her companions. "We sold our weapons to pay for the voyage, too. Or are you going to pretend that these cheap daggers and staves are our arms of choice?"

As a short bout of bickering ensued that didn't include me, I wondered if these strange girls had come to invite me to adventure with them, or merely to harass me. Maybe I had better refuse, either way, I mused, closing my eyes briefly.

"Not falling asleep again, I hope?" That was the heiress's voice again.

"Of course not," I replied, opening my eyes.

She smiled at me, quite unexpectedly; I hadn't thought her as even capable of smiling. "Well, as you can see, our guild is short a member," she said. "Would you like to join and challenge the Labyrinth with us?"

I frowned, hesitating at first. "I'm not really sure..." I began, before remembering the words of the man up front; days or even weeks, he'd said. I could try to form a guild of my own, but then the onus would be on me to keep everyone in line, and for all I knew all adventurers were just as unmanageable as these girls. At least the heiress seemed like a capable leader.

"...but I suppose a novice like me can't afford to pass up any opportunities," I finished. I returned the young lady's smile, as I got to my feet and offered her my hand. "I'm-"

"Satsuki," she interrupted; rather than take my hand, she bowed slightly. At the mention of that name, I noticed her companions look strangely at her. The witch even opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again, apparently reconsidering.

"Huh?" I blinked. "Is that your name?"

The heiress shook her head. "That is my one condition. If you join us, you'll henceforth be known as Satsuki and by no other name," she said. "Is that unacceptable to you?"

"Can't we call her... uh... Minazuki comes next, doesn't it?" asked the pink-haired girl uneasily.

"No," stated the heiress. "Satsuki, and that's final."

I simply stared at her. I had heard that it was common for adventurers in Lagaard to assume false names, something all but encouraged by the Grand Duchy's policy of guaranteeing amnesty to criminals- foreign and domestic- willing to challenge the labyrinth. But being asked, myself, to assume a false name simply because I was joining a certain guild? It was something I'd never even dreamed of.

Was I about to fall in with a gang of criminals? I couldn't imagine this humorless young lady or capricious witch being murderers or thieves; that seemed more the domain of the unshaven men and coarse women who chatted together, laughing loudly, closer to the center of the guild hall. But perhaps I was being too generous to them just because they seemed hardly more than girls, like me.

"If you prefer, you can sell your coat," the witch offered. "Your coat, or your name. Which one means more to you?"

"Quiet, Yayoi," the heiress scolded; but those words had given me resolve. It was an indignity to give up either my name or my coat for the privilege of being recruited into a dubious guild like this, but now she'd made it a challenge. I'd show this stuck-up witch that I could play their game.

"My coat," I told the girl named Yayoi, glaring at her.

"You'll sell your coat?"

I shook my head, and offered her my hand. "Nice to meet you," I said, my tone conveying quite the opposite sentiment. "I'm Satsuki."

Abruptly, the pink-haired girl burst out laughing. She stepped beside me and threw her arm around my shoulder, as if she'd known me for a long time. "You'll have to excuse Mutsuki," she said. "She's a bit strange. We're all a bit strange, as I'm sure you've noticed... but I think you'll fit right in." She grinned. "I'm Kisaragi, you've heard Yayoi's name-" she indicated the witch nonetheless- "and the silent one is Uzuki."

I studied the black-robed girl, Uzuki, who indeed had not spoken a word during the brief time I'd been acquainted with these four. The medallion that rested upon her chest reminded me of something I'd meant to ask. "By the way, what trades do you follow as adventurers?" I asked. "I can see Uzuki's a curse maker, but the rest of your trades must dress differently in my homeland, since it's a lot colder."

"Curse maker?" Mutsuki asked, blinking.

"Must be what they call hexers where she's from," Kisaragi suggested. "Anyway, I'm what they call a a dark hunter."

"I am a ronin. A type of swordswoman," said Mutsuki. "It wouldn't be an affront if you hadn't heard of us. We are foreign as well." She smiled another of her thin smiles that seemed almost forced. "I had not knownof gunners before I came to Lagaard, either."

"I'm a war magus," said Yayoi cheerfully, then paused and scratched her head. "I think that's what they're called, anyway."

"You don't know what your trade is called?" I asked her.

"Well, I used to be a medic, but I noticed it's a lot more fun running into the front line and whacking monsters with my staff than waiting for someone to call for healing." She grinned. "Turns out there's a trade in Lagaard that specializes in just that. And the outfit is a lot cuter, don't you think?"

"I see... I suppose so," I replied, and nodded politely in uncomprehension. "Well, that explains why I didn't recognize any of you. I'm afraid your trades don't exist where I hail from, except for... hexers, you said."

Kisaragi blinked. "No dark hunters up there? Really?" she said. "Must be punishment enough for people just being out in that weather." I was unsure what she meant by that.

"Don't be fooled by Uzuki's clothes, by the way. She's no hexer," the witch said in far too bright a tone. "She's just useless."

I blinked. "Useless?"

"Uzuki draws our maps," said Mutsuki. "And carries the medical supplies. She doesn't know any healing spells, but she's our backup."

"She can't curse a thing, except maybe herself," Yayoi continued, ignoring the ronin entirely. "And she's not strong enough to fight either. We only let her tag along because she's my sister."

I glanced at the rest of the group. Mutsuki had fallen silent and fixed me with an embarrassed gaze that communicated, quite simply: I tried. Kisaragi merely looked amused. And the object of the discussion, the silent girl, had done nothing but tilt her head forward slightly; her unkempt hair fell over her face, concealing her brow and eyes.

Well, if no one else was going to speak up for Uzuki, I would. "Isn't that a little rude?" I asked Yayoi. "If she's your sister, it's even worse." Though the two of them didn't look much alike, I observed. In terms of appearance, I would have been better suited to be Yayoi's sister... not that I had any wish to be, seeing the way she treated the one she already had.

Yayoi tossed her head haughtily, then glared at me. "You're the one that's rude," she replied. "She's my sister; I'll speak of her how I like. And I'm telling the truth. Are you going to argue otherwise, when you barely know either of us?" she challenged me.

I glared right back at her. "Still," I said, "I'm sure she's trying her-" My words faltered as I saw the girl known as Uzuki stir. She shook the hair out of her eyes, slowly, and met my gaze. Her mouth opened.

"...it's okay."

Uzuki's voice was scarcely louder then a whisper, and sounded like that of a girl half her age. Her words had a peculiar intonation to them, as if she didn't know the language well or wasn't used to speaking at all. Such a voice was entirely in keeping with her appearance, yet hearing it didn't bring back my unpleasant memories of the curse-maker in my village, who I had only really known as a bogeyman that my mother used to keep me in line. It only made me want to defend her all the more fiercely from the sister who didn't deserve her.

Yet, as she had requested, I fell silent.

"See?" Yayoi declared gleefully. "Uzuki's useless, and even she knows it. Don't argue with us."

"Shut up, Yayoi," said Mutsuki. I smiled inwardly. The witch must grate on her nerves as well, to draw such a modern idiom from her mouth.