Magic
"Okay. Pick a card."
Azuma raised an eyebrow but selected one.
"Now, look at it- but don't shot it to me!- and remember what it is."
He glanced down, mentally noting the Jack of Spades.
"Now put it back into the desk."
He replaced the card, watching as she bit her lip.
"Okay. Now-"
Kahoko snapped, making a grand gesture with her hands before flipping over the top card with a triumphant flourish. "Is this your card?"
He stared down at the six of hearts.
"No."
"Dang it!" She threw her cards to the ground as he laughed, and she whirled on him, eyes blazing.
"Oh- you-! Shut up! It's not my fault magic is hard!"
"I never said it was, dear Kahoko," he said generously, eyes gleaming. "I was only nothing how dazzling you look when flustered."
She flushed, turning away, and he laughed again.
"This hobby seems rather sudden. Just why are you so eager to do card tricks, Kahoko?"
Kahoko sniffed.
"Magic is so cool," she said, turning to look at him. "There was this street magician yesterday, and he made a dead butterfly come back to life."
"...oh?"
Azuma's eyes darkened, but Kahoko continued on.
"It's so neat, Yunoki-senpai! Magic shows you so many different things! They can cut a lady in half again and make her be okay, and they can make one thing disappear and reappear somewhere else! It's so neat, Yunoki-senpai! I just want to be able to do it too."
"Is that so...?"
His voice was low, almost dark, as if something in her words had touched something they shouldn't have, and he moved behind her, embracing her around the waist, making her stiffen.
"Magic may be amazing, Kahoko..."
He tugged off his scarf and bunched it together loosely in front of her, shifting it about to reveal a cooing dove. Kahoko gasped, moving to touch it in amazement, and he moved quickly, crushing it between his hands at Kahoko's sharp intake of breath, before a stream of red glitter danced slowly to the ground, the dove gone.
"...but it's all just an illusion in the end."