"Create water!"
Yuuta awoke the very next day to a splash of icy cold straight to the face.
"KYAH!" he bolted upright. "What's going on?"
"And that, Yumeha, is the basics behind how magic works, how to practice it, and how it can make both everyday life and extraordinary occurrences easier and more exciting. Now, you try to use some magic of your own."
Rikka was kneeling on the floor opposite Yumeha, a paper-drawn magic circle resting between them. Yumeha nodded and started tracing the outer ring.
"Ah, Dark Flame Master, you have awoken. I hope you slept well and-GYAH!"
Yuuta balled his fists into the sides of Rikka's head.
"You woke me up?!" he angrily said.
"Ah! Please stop!" she exclaimed. "It was necessary for the correct timing of the Arcane Cycles-AH! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
He let her go as the realization dawned on him.
"...So… you really can use magic?" he said. "It wasn't a dream?"
Rikka said nothing and raised her open palm.
"Dark Matter Blaze," she spoke aloud, and spherical ball of swirling red and yellow waves made of what seemed to be light, or what Yuuta would later refer to as magic. He stared in awe at the object, which despite defying multiple laws of physics, appeared clearly before him.
"Incredible…" he said. "Wait, wait, wait, before we go any further, I want some answers! And none of the riddles or vague nonsense which you were spouting all day yesterday; I want clear and concise facts!"
"If that is what is required, then I shall comply, Dark Flame Master," said Rikka.
"Dark Flame Master?" said Yumeha.
"Gah! Don't call me that!" said Yuuta. "And Rikka, don't use that name around others, or we'll sound like total weirdos."
"Come, let us speak where no one will hear us," Rikka said as she extinguished the Dark Matter Blaze and lead Yuuta to the balcony.
As he walked, he glanced at his arm, still bandaged. It didn't hurt anymore, but it didn't feel quite the same as it used to. It was… numb as if an anesthetic had been applied to it.
"Hey… am I really the Dark Flame Master? I know you've been saying that a lot, but you've also been rattling on about something else unintelligible, so what exactly do you-"
"You are the Dark Flame Master, Yuuta Togashi; there is no doubt in my mind whatsoever." Rikka closed the door. "The issue is that all of your memories of being said Dark Flame Master have been altered in the Chuunirization process. Anything you supposedly made up was true, but anything that happened was an illusion. Do you understand?"
"I… think so?" Yuuta blinked. "So, wait, I didn't make up any of this stuff? Then why'd I make all these notebooks?"
He showed her one of the supposedly fake diary entries he'd created as the Dark Flame Master.
"I don't know," said Rikka. "Maybe you just really like drawing?"
"That's an insufficient explanation for someone who can literally see the future!"
"Indeed, I can see the future. But I cannot see the past," Rikka said. "What else do you wish to know, Dark Flame Master?"
"I…" Yuuta cleared his throat. "If you wanted to convince me that was real, why didn't you just show me that magic you just used?"
"Oh, but I was using quite a bit of magic yesterday," said Rikka. "The problem was the Invisible Boundary Lines. The source of the evil that we fight, an elaborate system of magical seals that prevent humans from seeing magic; instead, they perceive it as what is known as chuunibyou. But because you have accepted the powers you possess, you have rejected your humanity and became like me,"
"Reject my… are you saying I'm not even a human anymore?"
"Correct. You are a Nemah, such as me, or Yumeha. The Nemah is a long-lost race of magic-users who were later turned into humans. All except the first holder of the Eye of the Wicked Lord. My direct ancestor," Rikka said.
"Okay… I think I'm following… but what was that stuff about finding the Invisible Boundary Lines? If they're everywhere, why would you want to find them?"
Rikka glanced to the side.
"You see… no, it would be dangerous for you to know any more at this time. For now, you must gain control over your powers and the Black Flame Dragon."
"How do I do that?"
"I suggest you try and use magic as often as possible, practice reciting spells at every chance you get. Using magic will increase your strength and thus keep the dragon at bay. I'd love to stay, but I have urgent business to attend to. Good luck with your training."
"Uh… thanks?" said Yuuta
"I'll see you at school."
Yuuta started flipping through another one of his notebooks for details on Dark Flame Master's abilities he might have forgotten. As he did so, Rikka walked back to Yumeha, whose hand motions seemed to be causing tiny sparks of light to burst from the circle.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Yumeha. Until then, try to cast these four spells," she handed the girl another piece of paper.
"Okay, Rikka-san," she said. Rikka nodded and leaped out the window, grabbing the rope she had climbed down on.
Yuuta looked at his bandaged arm and glanced out the open balcony. Taking a deep breath, he struck a familiar pose.
"Infernal Shotgun!"
A burst of several blasts of shadowy fire exploded forth from his extended limb like a rocket engine. Yuuta watched, stunned as the magic slowly faded into the air like smoke. A crisp wave of heat washed over him, such as you would get from near a campfire.
"Woah, that's amazing!" Yume clapped for Yuuta.
"I guess it is," Yuuta let out a light chuckle before something dawned on him. "Wait, don't tell Mom or Kuzeha about any of this, or they'll tease me about it constantly!"
Yumeha tilted her head in confusion.
"Ah… what am I saying to my baby sister? They probably wouldn't believe you anyway if you told them about this. You can say whatever you want."
"Okay, Dark Flame Onii-chan!"
"Don't call me that!"
As Yuuta walked to school that day, he thought back on what Rikka had said to Yumeha. Magic could be used to make his everyday life better, couldn't it? Well, why not give it a try?
"Incarnate Wings!" he spoke aloud, making sure no one was in earshot. "Wait-GYAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Yuuta found himself being yanked forward by his legs at such a speed that the entire world became an unseeable blur.
Bracing himself, he hopped on the spot and skidded to a stop. After shaking off the inertia and a rather intense G-Force, he found himself standing right outside the school.
"Holy moly… it worked!"
"Togashi-san?"
Yuuta's jaw dropped when he noticed Nibutani standing a few feet away.
"Um… nice to see you early in the day. You have an interesting way of… running."
Yuuta: 0. Black Flame Dragon: 3.
"Uh… I was uh… trying to get in more exercise! Yes, that's it; I slacked off a bit too much during the summer, so I'm catching up now," he said, grateful that there was no one else to see them. Also, he couldn't help but notice that her reactions were strangely unmoved compared to the sheer velocity he'd just been moving at.
Just then, he noticed a familiar dark figure on the top of a nearby building. With a flash of motion, Rikka leaped off the edge and opened her umbrella. He watched in amazement as she descended to the ground like a parachute, floating just enough so that she landed right next to time and Nibutani.
"Good morning," she said.
"Good morning, Takanashi-san!" Nibutani said as if nothing was strange. She turned to head into school as Rikka whispered in Yuuta's ear.
"That's the power of the Invisible Boundary Lines; they disguise anything magical as mundane actions to humans. To her, I just walked in like a normal student. Of course, that doesn't work on you anymore."
"Huh, well, that's convenient," Yuuta remarked.
The day proceeded as per standard. During class, Yuuta was, somewhat jokingly, endorsed by Isshiki to become the next Class Vice-President. By either sheer luck or trait he didn't know about, he won the election almost unanimously joined the student council along with Nibutani.
Maybe this really is fate…
Furthermore, Rikka had kept her word against mentioning his past to any of the other students, though he had a feeling it wasn't out of respect for him.
"The human mind cannot handle such levels of magic; we may end up causing a rift in the social continuum should word of our powers spread about," is what she said.
Yuuta was again unsure about the interpretation of her words. Did 'social continuum' refer to generic gossip causing them problems, or an actual plane of reality would be altered and affect them in disastrous ways?
Anyways, Yuuta was soon to discover the perks of having supernatural powers.
"Hey, Isshiki, I'm gonna head out to the school store; need anything?"
"Sure, can you get me one of those new chocolate breads?"
"Oh, sure! Here you go,"
"Wait, I just told you… where the heck did you get that bag from?"
And he no longer had any trouble keeping up in gym class. Though, it occurred to him far too late that showing off might attract some attention that he didn't want. The last thing he wanted to do was to stand out again.
Needless to say, he was relieved. In fact, he was starting to get excited. After all, wasn't it everyone's secret desire to have superpowers one way or another?
Anyways, that was how things went for a while. Yuuta even successfully kept Rikka's antics under wraps through the occasional stealthy whack to the head or strategically steering her away from Nibutani. God forbid if the object of his affection ever became aware of Rikka's insane ramblings and associated them with him.
Unfortunately, he would soon learn that anything normal occurring would always signal something extremely abnormal occurring. And that abnormalities would always precede all kinds of bizarre circumstances
Consider this particular morning, exactly one week after the first day of school.
"Create Water!"
Yuuta awoke to a splash of icy cold water straight to the face.
"KYAH!" he bolted upright. "What's going on?"
Yumeha had her hand pointed at him, her eyes shining with pride.
"Excellent work, Yumeha," Rikka clapped for her. "Ah, good morning, Dark Flame Master. It would seem that your younger sister is a more proficient mage than I thought-"
"Don't teach her to use her magic for stuff like this!" Yuuta scolded Rikka and grabbed her shoulders.
"AH! Stop, don't shake me!"
After that, Rikka got up and shook herself off.
"Honestly…" Yuuta sighed. "Why do you always have to wake me up in the most ridiculous way possible. On another note-"
He glanced between Rikka's bangs. A large adhesive bandage was stuck directly in the middle of her forehead, where a cyclops' eye would be.
"What happened to your forehead?" he asked.
"Huh?" Rikka put her hand to her forehead, remembered the bandage, and her face went pale. "Oh, this? You see, last night, I was locked in perilous battle with-"
She glanced to the side.
"No, it's too soon for you to know about that."
"Jeez, where do the magical parts start and the chuuni parts end with you?" Yuuta sighed. Yumeha then walked into the hallway to get ready for school.
"Anyway, the reason that I came here was this," Rikka reached down on the floor and picked something up. It was a grey and white cat with yellow eyes. Most unusually, however, were the two pink wings extending from its back, resembling that of a bird. Yuuta watched as they gently fluttered in Rikka's hands. Furthermore, the cat's tail was long, covered in scales, and bright green. In fact, upon closer inspection, he discovered that it was actually a miniature snake.
"What the heck is that?"
"This is Chimera," Rikka said. "Sometimes, weak monsters can slip into our world, in which case the Invisible Boundary Lines disguise them as animals. Chimera is one such creature. I was searching for said Boundary Lines when I came across this creature in its ultimate form."
"Uh-huh, so you found a stray cat on the street, and now… you're keeping it?"
"Indeed, she will become my loyal familiar." Rikka stroked the cat as she spoke. "Being a hunter of other interdimensional entities, Chimera has the power to locate and even cross the Invisible Boundary Lines. She will be incredibly beneficial in my search. But there is a problem, being that Chimera's beast-type magic causes a dangerous autoimmune reaction in the priestess."
"I assume you're saying that your older sister is allergic?"
"And therefore, I must rely on my most powerful companion, Dark Flame Master to-"
"I refuse."
"Eh? Such a strong answer!"
Yuuta reapplied his bandage and casually summoned a magic circle.
"Quick Change: School Uniform."
In a quick burst of magical light, he was suddenly clad in his uniform, hair brushed, face cleaned, and soul thoroughly energized.
"I have to say… life's been pretty normal considering my new powers. Heck, everything is way easier now."
"Oh yeah? You try taking on an archdemon someday." Rikka pouted.
"What was that?"
"Nothing!"
Meanwhile, Yumeha stepped into the room with her school bag and hat.
"Goodbye, big brother, goodbye Rikka-AGH!"
Upon walking into the room, Yumeha stepped on the magic circle. Instead of resting on top, her foot seemed to slip inside of the floor. She yelped as she tumbled into the glowing drawing as if it were a hole.
"Yumeha!" said Yuuta.
"Don't worry, I'll get her out!" Rikka dived into the circle after her. Yuuta was about to jump in as well, but Rikka stuck her head out.
"What's going on?"
"It's nothing to worry about. Just go about your day as normal, my Wicked Eye tells me that no harm shall come to Yume-AH!"
Rikka was suddenly yanked into the circle by a firm grasp. Then, silence.
That's very worrying!
Yuuta knew that while his family would not be against it, taking care of a cat would not be something high on his list of priorities. It would disturb his flowing river of normality like a massive boulder on a gentle stream. Besides, Rikka was in no position to ask him favors after arming Yumeha into his personal water-based landmine.
School progressed as expected. Isshiki let Yuuta in on a local secret.
"Hey dude, the guys are making a ranking list of the hottest girls in school! Who's your vote?" he said.
"A list like that is a death flag waiting to happen," Yuuta noted.
"Don't worry, I got this all under control!"
Oh, poor Isshiki. Little did he understand the differences, double standards, and nuances that had stood between genders for both times immemorial and since the turn of the century.
Speaking of girls, Nibutani promptly interrupted the boys' conversation without hearing about what they were discussing.
"Hey, Togashi? Can I expect to see you in the school kitchen during lunchtime? Don't you remember? The cooking teacher asked us to count and inspect the utensils!" Nibutani said after coming up to Yuuta's desk.
Yep, despite the strangeness of that morning, things were just hunky-dory for that day. At least, that's what Yuuta thought.
"...three by four… yep, twelve in total," Yuuta said as he examined the last box of beakers. He let out a relieved sigh as he and Nibutani put all the utensils away.
"Great! Now the boring part is over," Nibutani smiled warmly at him and put down her clipboard. As she casually walked by him to put the list into her binder, he got a whiff of her perfume. It was light, but it had a distinctly feminine aroma, which only added to her picture-perfect image. Said image was only enhanced near the bright sunny window.
"Say, how are you liking student council work so far?" she said, snapping him out of his stupor. "Just ask if you don't understand anything at all! I can be pretty scatterbrained, so I probably forgot to tell you something."
"Really?" Yuuta's eyes went wide. "You never struck me as the type who forgets things easily."
"Aren't I a good actor?" Nibutani winked. "Something you notice, especially when it comes to leadership, is that people don't care one bit about how you actually perform, but how you present yourself to others! As long as you hide with a cute smile and use the right words, you could be an absolute imbecile and still be treated as a model citizen. Oh, but of course, I try to do my best in my position. Being class president is no simple responsibility; I'll tell you that much."
"Really? I never would've guessed," Yuuta said. "Hey, maybe you should join the drama club!"
The drama club? Come on, dude, you can say something better than that! But Nibutani laughed, nonetheless.
"Well, I do plan on joining the cheerleading club," she said. "The perfect balance of fitness, performance, and intellect."
"The cheerleading club?" Yuuta then felt a blush on his face. "Well, I don't know much about that, but I think you'd be great at it!"
He couldn't help but imagine that she would look AMAZING in a cheerleader's outfit.
"You think so?" Nibutani giggled. "What about you? I bet you're thinking of joining a really cool club as well."
"A club?" Yuuta put his finger to his chin. "No, I can't really say that any of them really interest me. I mean, at the end of the day, I'm just a completely normal guy without any niche interests."
"Are you sure?" Nibutani closed in on him. "I get the odd feeling that you're not telling me something."
Dangit, you clued her in! Yuuta's brain remarked. We're making some excellent progress here. If she finds out about our past, then it's all over!
"Besides, you seemed like a really nifty guy when we first met that day," she said. Yuuta did a double take as she proceeded to describe the encounter. "Remember how we bumped into each other in cliche romance-manga fashion? On the first day of school, to add on to it."
"You remember that?" Yuuta's eyes widened. "I mean, I'd never think you'd remember a random guy at the train station."
"You're exactly right! But you can imagine how excited I was to find out we were in the class. I mean, what are the odds? It's total manga logic, no doubt about it!"
Sweet mother of… what do I do here? I'm freaking out… play it, cool dude, play it cool.
Okay, let's review the evidence. Yuuta's brain started pulling up a mental list.
Item 1#: Nibutani voted for us to become class vice-president and looked happy when we got the position. Check
Item 2#: She remembered meeting us for the first time even though the average person would've forgotten it by now, and she smiled while she said it. Check
Item 3#: She said she was, and I quote, "elated" when she found out we were in the same class. Check.
Conclusion: This just might be the start of a beautiful high-school romance! The perfect end of my chuunibyou days is the beginning of a new relationship!
Maybe I should ask her out… this could be the perfect time to strike! Wait, no, go through possible outcomes and check for glaring flaws.
Yuuta: Hey, wanna walk home together
Nibutani (still smiling): No way, you idiot!
Yuuta found both of his legs frozen in place.
"Uh… is something the matter?" Nibutani closed in once more.
Forget it! My heart won't be able to take it!
"It's nothing," Yuuta chuckled. Suddenly, a magical humming noise drew his attention to the wall, where a magic circle appeared, just like the one in his room. A small female voice yelped as a figure tumbled out.
"Y-Yumeha?" Yuuta's eyes widened.
Right after his little sister, Rikka came sliding out of the circle as it vanished, looking quite dazed.
"T-Takanashi?" said Nibutani.
"My name is Rikka," she said. "Huh, Dark Flame Master, how did you get here so fast?"
"Dark Flame-?"
"GAH! It's nothing, it's nothing!" Yuuta scrambled to block Nibutani's view of Rikka as the blue-haired girl looked at the clock and gasped.
"Uh, Yumeha, I think you've summoned us five hours into the future at Yuuta's school,"
"Huh?" Yumeha said. Rikka sighed.
"Don't worry about it; it's not the first time I've time-traveled," she said. "Hang on, let me tell Yuuta from the past not to worry."
With that, she stuck her head back inside the circle and remained still like that for several seconds. Yuuta hmphed and yanked her out by the shoulders.
"AH!" she said. "What did I do wrong?"
"Ruin the moment, that's what!" Yuuta let go of her. She sighed and summoned another magic circle underneath Yumeha. With a wave of her hand, Yuuta's youngest sister vanished as Rikka glanced over at Nibutani.
"Sorry, you had to see that,"
"Oh, it's no problem!" Nibutani chuckled. "If you don't mind me asking, where have you been all day?"
Man, that Invisible Boundary Line works way better than you'd think!
"Well… I suppose you could say that I did not exist from the time that I entered the portal and exited. The same goes for Yuuta's little sister, who I just teleported to her school."
"That was your little sis?" Nibutani turned to Yuuta. "She was really cute!"
Way, way better!
"Uh, yeah, her name is Yumeha, if you didn't already notice," Yuuta remarked. Meanwhile, Rikka started examining the lock on the medicine cabinet.
"Hmph. basic human technology. Knock," she chanted, lightly tapping the glass. What seemed to be a small sonic boom blasted out, causing Yuuta to cover his ears. The cabinet proceeded to open, unlocked.
"Oh my, the teacher must've forgotten to lock it," Nibutani said. Rikka proceeded to pull out some medication.
"I was going to get this on my way to school, but there's no time now. Chimera requires more magic to sustain itself in this realm than I at first presumed, so I must rely on some of the bureau's carefully hidden mana potions-GYAAAH!" Yuuta grabbed her ear.
"Can't you be normal for five seconds!" he sternly said.
"Chimera?" Nibutani raised an eyebrow. "You mean, that thing from Greek Mythology."
"It's just a cat she found," Yuuta said. "It's got gray fur and a diamond shape on its forehead. But enough about that, what's all this about time travel?"
"It would seem that Yumeha's attempt at a teleportation spell was poorly focused through her mental image and thus incorporated the fourth dimension-"
"Did you say gray cat with a mark on its forehead?" Nibutani interrupted Rikka's explanation. "I heard someone else lost a cat with that exact description."
"Huh?"
"Hmm, yes, that does sound a lot like Dodoman," the short, red-eyed, brown-haired girl nodded. "Oh, excuse my manners, my name is Kumin Tsuyuri."
"I mean, I could be wrong, but it does seem pretty accurate," Yuuta nodded.
"She also has two large great pink wings and a scaly green tail with a head of a snake on the end-OOF!"
"Don't listen to her. Anyways, why don't you come back home with us, and you can have a look at it."
"Really? Thank you very much, um…"
"Ah yes, I forgot," said Rikka. "I am the 95th holder of the Eye of the Wicked Lord, and this is Dark Flame Mas-YOWCH!" Yuuta yanked on Rikka's hair.
"I'm Yuuta Togashi, and this is Rikka Takanashi."
Suddenly Rikka struck a weird pose, much to Kumin's surprise.
"I sense an AP of three times normal human level… Who are you really, Kumin Tsuyuri-OW!"
After school, Yuuta, Rikka, and Kumin all headed back to Rikka's apartment. Yuuta considered using his powers, but he still didn't know exactly how the Invisible Boundary Lines worked. Even if Kumin didn't notice him traveling at the speed of sound, she would certainly notice the part where he picked her up and put her down, and he definitely didn't want any of those kinds of rumors floating around, which would damage his chances with Nibutani by at least 89%.
Even before you walked into Rikka's apartment, you could already tell something was odd. For one, a calculator was taped to the door as if someone needed to do complex math outside the apartment.
"This is the room just above mine," Yuuta explained. "Takanashi climbs down a rope every day to visit, even though she could very easily use the stairs and come in through the front door."
"Wow, sounds exciting!" said Kumin
"It's Rikka," said Rikka
Kumin smiled. Yuuta noticed that despite her cat is missing, his upperclassman seemed to be as happy as one could be.
"Are you two childhood friends or something?" she said.
Yuuta let out a chuckle.
"That's hardly the case. She only moved in a week ago-"
"Shush!" Rikka said. "Deactivating Level 3 barrier now, inputting passcode…"
She started inputting numbers into the calculator when she suddenly grasped her eye.
"Another vision… she's closing in on our position," she muttered.
"Who?" said Kumin. Yuuta sighed and waved a hand.
"It's nothing. Hurry up and open the door already,"
"We need to hurry," Rikka pulled out her key and put it into her mouth.
"Hey, what are you doing-"
"This key is made from a special alloy. If it's below a certain temperature, it won't turn the lock," Rikka then unlocked the door and pulled it open. "It's open now. Hurry, before she gets here-"
"Yeah, yeah," Yuuta groaned.
The bizarre occurrences only continued upon entering Rikka's room. While the rest of the apartment was normal enough, hers seemed to be ripped out of another world, in fact, that was actually quite plausible given what Yuuta knew about her. Multiple clocks set to various times adorned the leftmost wall, each one a different style. The decor ranged from Middle Ages to the Warring States, to straight-up fantasy and sci-fi. There were of course echoes of a typical girl's room, a bed, a computer at a desk, and a bookshelf full of both manga and books that seemed to be at least a century old.
"Welcome to the other side," Rikka smiled while seductively lounging on the desk chair, imitating some manga Yuuta might've read. "The barrier blocks out the Invisible Boundary Lines, meaning there is no masking the darkness in here."
"Yeah, whatever," Yuuta said. "This is even worse than my old room…" his eyes wandered off to a golden pharaoh's head next to Rikka's bed.
"Aw, what a cute stuffed turtle!" Kumin knelt down to pet the cartoon plush on the floor. "What's his name?"
"That's Genbu, guardian of the Wicked Eye. Should the current holder of the eye be killed or, worse, chuunirized, then it is his duty to find the next one." Rikka said. Just then, Yuuta let out a gasp.
"Is that… a Mauser c96?" he pointed the ornate gun on the wall.
"It is a sacred pistol that possesses a power strong enough to penetrate adamantine."
"Amazing! I didn't think there'd be anything actually cool in here," Yuuta said, still awestruck. "Can I touch it?"
Yuuta took the gun down and let out a squeal.
"Wow, this is so cool!" Without thinking he imitated shooting the weapon in an arc before doing a pose he recalled. "Bang! Don't move!"
Kumin let out a giggle. It was then that he realized he was regressing again.
"Gah! I mean, it's a semi-automatic pistol that was originally produced in Germany from 1896 to 1937. Unlicensed copies of the gun were also manufactured in Spain and China in the first half of the 20th century, which is probably how Takanashi managed to get it. I've always liked military history, you know?"
"Wow, Yuuta, you know a whole bunch of weird facts!" Kumin smiled, looking oddly cute for the situation.
GAH! DANGIT DANGIT DANGIT, you just had to nerd out in front of her! I hope she doesn't tell anyone about this…
As that was going on, Rikka was conjuring small jets of water above a series of odd plants near the window, including a Venus flytrap, a bright blue flower, and a miniature cherry tree.
"The arrangement of this room allows a strong arcane flow, meaning I can use magic without calling on my inner mana reserves. That being said, moving certain objects could result in our untimely death. Also, it's Rikka"
"Whatever you say," said Yuuta. "Back to the subject, where's the cat?"
Rikka grinned confidently.
"I've placed a Minor Illusion over it to conceal it among this room. No one would be able to find it unless they possessed great magical power rivaling me and-"
"Oh, there it is!" Kumin lifted the cat off a nearby shelf.
"Eh? Who told you?" Rikka panicked and drew her umbrella.
"Good grief," said Yuuta. "Anyways, is this Dodoman?"
Kumin narrowed her eyes at the cat, which meowed in response.
"Sorry, I'm afraid this isn't my cat," Kumin set it down. "The whiskers are too long, and Dodoman doesn't have wings.
"So, you can see them! What kind of magic-OOF!" Yuuta smacked Rikka as she started to say something weird.
"For goodness' sake, she's not a Nemah, Takanashi!"
"Of course not, her heart is too pure," Rikka said. "I'm saying she's an Exalt, the other magic-using race that resembles humans."
Yuuta rolled his eyes.
"Sorry, we couldn't help you, Tsuyuri-san,"
"It's okay! You tried your best!" Kumin smiled. Just then, someone appeared in the doorway.
"Who the heck brought that cat in?" they said. Rikka gasped.
The newcomer was a young woman in her early 20s, with piercing red eyes, long black hair, a slightly creepy visage, and a lithe athletic figure.
"How could I have been so blind!" Rikka exclaimed. "My vision was 63 minutes closer than I thought! Engaging lockdown!"
Rikka yanked a nearby cord, which upon further inspection was connected to a series of pulleys that heaved the door to block the woman. In a silver flash, a shiny object made contact with the door, forcing it open like a crowbar.
"All hands, prepare to evacuate!" Rikka yelled as she vaulted out the window.
"Hey, wait a minute-" Yuuta said before the woman leaped after her. The two figures scurried down the same rope Rikka used to get to Yuuta's apartment, which gave him a good idea of where they were going.
Hurrying down the stairs, and still holding the cat, Yuuta found Rikka and the strange woman standing on his bed like two samurai on a bridge.
"Hey! Why the heck are you in my bedroom?"
"Sorry, I'll end this quickly," the woman said.
"Wow, I've never seen a real battle before!" Kumin's eyes lit up.
"Then prepare to be disappointed."
"I knew this day would come, but not on this one particularly!" Rikka whipped out her umbrella. "Schwarz Shield!"
It glowed bright yellow as Rikka opened it and thrust forwards like a spear. The stranger smacked away the projectile, but Rikka jumped off the bed and sprinted towards the wall, where she started to run up the side of the bookshelf.
"Hey! Don't wreck my stuff!"
"You're gonna backflip, aren't you?" Kumin excitedly said.
"Avalon Smash!" Rikka shouted as her umbrella now shone with red light, and she jumped off the wall, prepared to strike the stranger…
...before crashing into the lamp fixture on the ceiling and landing with a thump on the bed in front of the woman.
"Sorry you had to see that," she said. "My name is Touka Takanashi. This thing right here is my little sister."
Touka had all of them sit down in her living room. Then, she started talking.
"As I'm sure you've figured out by now, my sister is a bit of a handful," she said.
"Yeah, no kidding," said Yuuta. "Hey, didn't she mention earlier something about you being High Priestess of-"
"The Invisible Boundary Line Bureau?" said Touka. "Yeah, that's my job. Though, it's mostly just to pay off my tuition fees for culinary school. I'll spare you the boring parts and just get straight to what I need. Namely, that cat, out of here."
"Excuse me?" said Yuuta.
"I want you to get rid of that cat by any means necessary," Touka said. "I can't touch that darn thing. I don't care what happens to it. Kick it out, sell it, give it away, whatever. Just be quick about it."
"Wait, you want me to…" Yuuta processed what she was saying.
"What, you can't do it?" said Touka.
"Well… it's just that it seems a little strange to"
"Thought so," Touka drew the silver object from before. Now in full view, Yuuta realized it was a ladle. "Let me be clearer. You don't have a choice."
"I… think she's threatening us," said Kumin.
"Of course, I don't want it to have to end like that. That's why I also brought this."
She placed a small digital recorder on the table.
"This is a recording of a certain individual on a certain balcony a couple of years ago. I think this should help make my point."
She pressed the button, and the sound of maniacal laughter was heard.
This is not a performance, nor is it a dream. A Mayan prophecy dictates that this world shall be drawn into the dark realm in ten years' time, permanently erasing all life as we know it.
Eh? What are you talking about?
But they shall fear no more, for I am-
Yuuta's jaw dropped. It was an event that occurred between him and Kuzeha two years ago when he was still in his phase. Not only that, but this was by far the most embarrassing thing he'd ever done.
Using the power of the Black Flame Dragon, I shall-
"GAAAAAAH!" Yuuta shrieked and leaped for the recorder. Touka moved swiftly, snatching the device. As the clip continued to play, Yuuta writhed in emotional agony, dropping to the floor as he listened to his cringe past self. None the wiser, Kumin listened in with great interest.
"Oh my, are you an actor, Yuuta?"
"FINE! YOU WIN! I'LL GET RID OF THE CAT! JUST MAKE IT STOOOOOOP!"
Touka turned off the recorder.
"My hobbies include cooking, martial arts, and posting embarrassing things on the internet. You know what to do,"
"Yes…" Yuuta said with tears in his eyes.
The three of them entered Rikka's room, where the cat was kept. But when they opened the door, both Rikka and Chimera were gone, and the window was open.
"Oh boy…" said Yuuta, who could already feel Touka's gaze burning into his soul.
After hurrying out of the building, Yuuta and Kumin began their pursuit of Rikka, whose footsteps were easy to make out on a quiet night.
Mother, Father… forgive me for the shame that I have brought to our family. And allow me to use what little I gained from my past to erase the last speck of it. I'm still quite confused as to what's real and what's not, but I know one thing for sure. I have to get out of this mess!
Yuuta quickly lifted Kumin into his arms.
"Huh? Oh my, so sudden!" she said.
"Don't get the wrong idea!" he said. "Incarnate Wings!"
In an instant, Yuuta whizzed off in Rikka's direction, the street around him becoming a blur of bright streaks and darkness. Before long, he was about to start zeroing in on her position.
"Togashi, let's run together in the ends of the earth!" said Kumin.
"I don't understand what you're saying or if Rikka's actually right about you!"
Just then, Rikka suddenly appeared running next to them. She seemed to be going faster before and was intentionally slowing down for him and Kumin.
"Run to the ends of the earth, my comrades, for freedom awaits!"
"What the heck are you doing? Why are you running off?" Yuuta exclaimed.
"You truly have no idea who we're dealing with. One of the most powerful priestesses of the Dark Organization is after us. Not only is her AP a grand total of 750, but her intelligence, charisma, and persistence make her a truly formidable foe!"
"Yeah, that reminds me, is she right about you?" said Yuuta. Rikka ignored him.
"Her power extends beyond even my imagination. One time, I attempted to seal her with unbreakable chains, but she replaced herself with a duplicate in advance!"
"Are you sure, she didn't really seem very priestess-like," said Kumin.
"That's her greatest strength, deception. She sews lies on those foolish enough to even consider trusting her, then she robs them of their power and erases their memories, just like what was done to you, Dark Flame Master!"
"Wait, is Yuuta the Dark Flame Master?" Kumin scratched her chin. "Sorry, I'm kind of losing the plot here."
"Never mind! Everyone stop!" Rikka exclaimed. The three of them dove behind a nearby bush. As of now, they were in the middle of a nearby playground for small children. "I can sense her arrival, she's coming. Running is futile if she knows where we are."
Kumin raised her head above the bush.
"Oh look, a pretty shiny light-"
A spinning silver blur whizzed by her, slicing a deep gash into her cheek. The blur zoomed past her, and she moved out of the way as it suddenly turned and shot back towards the person who threw it.
Kumin touched her cheek and saw the blood leaking out.
"Oh my…" she said. "I… think I'll take a rest."
With that, she passed out on the spot.
"That was the Lethal Dipper, her weapon designed specifically to kill non-humans," Rikka said. "You see now what we're dealing with, right?"
So, she is the bad guy all along!
"What do we do? Should we fight her two on one?"
"No, my AP is only 500, and your training has yet to be complete meaning yours is only 25… no, 50 at the moment. Even together, we stand no chance of success."
"So, then what do we do? We can't keep running or we might lose our heads!"
Rikka was silent for a few moments before she spoke again.
"I will slow her down in the Overlap. You take Chimera and Kumin and get out of here as fast as you possibly can. It won't be much, but I will sacrifice myself so that you three may live on."
"What? Nobody is getting sacrificed-"
"Stop. Nothing will ever get in the way of my search for the Invisible Boundary Lines. Not even Touka."
"Takanashi…" Yuuta was left speechless. Rikka only knew him for a week, yet she was willing to throw herself between him and her ladle-wielding sister. A new feeling welled up inside of him, but he did not get enough time to process it before Rikka leaped out with her umbrella.
"Go now! Take them both and get out of here! I'm entering the Overlap!"
"Wait-" Yuuta said.
"Come forth, Schwarzsech Prototype Mark II!" she twirled it effortlessly like a baton. "Reality rejected; synapses shattered!"
Rikka did several consecutive somersaults in the air as she made her way over to Touka's advancing figure.
"Banishment!" she stopped and took her eyepatch. "From this world!"
With a great motion, she tore off the eyepatch, revealing the golden abyss within. A jet of red magic blasted outwards, surrounding the area around her and Touka. The redness faded into a strong pale blue, glowing like the surface of the moon. Yuuta stood stunned at the perimeter of the makeshift arena that had formed.
"In accordance with the covenant of blood, I summon thee, Konigin der Nacht" she pricked her thumb on her teeth, letting a drop of blood spill upon her umbrella. In a fantastic display of lights and shifting components, it transformed into a massive hook-shaped weapon reminiscent of an ax but with two blades facing in the same direction?
Touka wordlessly twirled her ladle, causing it to transform into a larger, more mechanical-looking version of itself as she slowly approached her younger sister.
The two combatants locked eyes as they held their weapons aloft, the tension growing in the air.
Rikka made the first move. She leaped thirty feet in the air and pulled her weapon back for a swing.
"Dark Matter Blaze!" she shouted, launching a blast of colorful energy with her swing. Touka simply batted the blast away with the round end of her ladle and flipped it as a yellow orb began growing in the empty part. Rikka jumped back as a whizzing laser beam cut the ground she was previously standing on, sending dirt flying towards her. As she landed, Rikka charged forwards and their weapons met with a metallic clang.
"Nergal Blast!" She planted the hilt of her ax into the ground, conjuring a similarly colored magic circle from which a series of blasts shot out aimed towards Touka, who gracefully maneuvered around each before moving in for a direct strike. The sister proceeded to exchange and parry blow after blow while Yuuta watched.
Is… is this what she meant by battle? Is THIS what I've gotten myself into? Good lord, I still don't understand what's going on!
Suddenly, Touka vanished and reappeared behind Rikka. The smaller girl was unable to react as she plunged the edge of her weapon into her forehead with a great slam. At once, the tiny warrior passed out on the spot.
Touka watched Rikka's unconscious body on the grass and scoffed.
"When will you learn that fantasy should stay a fantasy?"
SMACK!
"Don't bring any more cats' home, understand?" Touka sternly said to the three teenagers with sore foreheads in front of her, waving her ladle about.
"Yes, ma'am,"
"I'll let it go this time, but don't do it again," she said. She casually tossed them a box of adhesive bandages from her pocket. "I imagine you have questions. You get three,"
"Three?" said Yuuta.
"First question. Because that's all I have time for and all that you need. Next one?"
"Huh?" Yuuta slapped himself. "Okay, who are you really?"
Touka paused for a long time before responding.
"Second Question. My name is Touka Takanashi. I'm studying to become a chef, I look after my little sister, and I have a part-time job as the High Priestess of the Invisible Boundary Lines. Last one?"
"Why are you two fighting?"
"Third Question. Rikka doesn't understand how dangerous the forces she's playing with are. What's more, she refuses to acknowledge the fact that the days of magic are long gone, and her stubbornness is what causes all of these problems,"
Without another word, she turned on her heel and walked away.
"Hey… uh…" Yuuta turned to Rikka. "We aren't gonna be doing this… often, are we?"
"If we are to find and destroy the Invisible Boundary Lines, then we must fight as often as possible,' Rikka said once Touka was out of earshot.
"And, why, exactly?" Yuuta raised an eyebrow. "Cause the way I see it, those lines are the only thing that maintains my normal high school life despite you and my powers,"
"Because that normal life is built on lies!" Rikka exclaimed. "Humans were never meant to exist in the first place, you know?"
"Oh really, do tell!" said Kumin.
'You see, there used to be two dominant races on this world, called Exalt and Nemah. They both looked like humans, but they could use different types of magic. They used to look different too, but all the crossbreeding has made that irrelevant. Then, the Dark Organization that made the Invisible Boundary Lines took away their magic to use for itself and now rules this world from the shadows."
"So… is that a bad thing?" said Kumin.
"It is! The Dark Organization keeps society in a weak human form so it may force us into a mediocre state of life that's insignificant at best and excruciating at worst, allowing it to slowly destroy us all from the inside to feed the cosmic entities from other worlds, but that's not important. The point is, if I destroy the Invisible Boundary Line network, humans will turn back into Exalt and Nemah, and we'll live in a world of happiness and peace. Not only will the Dark Organization be unable to end the world, but with magic, people will accomplish so much more and experience a happiness that they could once only dream of. A world where magic is commonplace would be a true paradise. That's what I want, if nothing else, to give the next generation the tools to build that world."
"Takanashi…" Yuuta said. He hadn't thought for a moment as to what could possibly drive Rikka's inane actions, yet her profound words stirred the slightest hint of respect within him.
"For the last time, call me Rikka,"
"Create Water!" Yumeha shot a burst of clear liquid into the air. "Freeze! And Shatter!"
A fine white icy powder dropped downwards and into the bowl in the kitchen. Yumeha spooned some of it into a small serving dish and squirted on some colorful syrup. Finally, she put a spoon in it and turned to Yuuta.
"Look, Onii-chan, I made shaved ice with my new magic!"
"That's pretty nifty," Yuuta chuckled. His mind was still processing the events of that day. His hand reached up to touch his bandaged forehead.
Life isn't a video game. With these powers flying around, you could really get hurt or even die. So why does she keep fighting with no hesitation?
Maybe… maybe she's a lot braver than I thought.
Just then, a soft meowing was heard from his room. Curiously, he and Yumeha headed over to investigate, and found who else but Chimera sitting patiently in from of the balcony.
"Wow! A winged cat!" Yumeha said, bending over to pick it up. "It's so cute!"
Yuuta let out a chuckle.
Or maybe I'm just a bit more cowardly than I thought.
Kumin's cat was found a week later.
I already have a bunch of chapters of this story on Archive of Our Own. It's under the same name, go check it out if you like this story!