Eighteenth Spell: Homing Bird
"There's nothing wrong with me physically," Haru said to Popuri. "I was just trying to find Midorime to ask her where my remedial classes were. But I got lost again and ran into this creepy old lady that licked me and summoned a red monster thing and—
"Oh, dear," Popuri shook his head. "You must have run into Ako and her partner Bambō."
"Who, or what, are they?"
"Both of them are yokai that have pledged to serve the school, just like the Guardian Spirits," Popuri explained. "Ako is a shitanaga uba, which resembles an old lady that lures travelers into a cabin in the woods and uses her long tongue to lick the skin clean off her victims."
Remembering when Ako licked him, Haru shuttered at the thought of having his skin removed.
"Shitanaga ubas are also known to work with other yokai, such as Bambō who is a shunobon," Popuri continued. "They resemble monks and have the ability to shape-shift in order to trick their victims before killing them."
"And they're both working at this school?" Haru exclaimed. "Isn't that dangerous, given what they're capable of?"
"Dōmeki-Sama has thoroughly tamed them, so they wouldn't dare raise a hand toward a student or teacher. And as caretakers, they don't have the authority to use force."
A crowing noise echoed through the Healers' Wing, which startled Haru.
"Guess you'll need a hall pass again," Popuri said, and took another yellow card from a drawer of the desk he was sitting down at. "Otherwise you'll be considered tardy for your first class."
"Can you tell me where my classroom is?"
"Not off the top of my head, but I can cast the Homing Spell which will lead you to where you need to go." Removing a wand from the inner sleeve of his robe, Popuri muttered several words along with the spell's incantation. "Torisei dìngwèi remedial classroom for Haru Ryuji!"
From Popuri's wand flew an apparition of a bluebird that flew around Haru's head before vanishing through the doors to the Healers' Wing.
"You should get going," Popuri advised as he placed the hall pass in Haru's hands. "The spell doesn't last very long, I'm afraid."
So Haru left the Healers' Wing and saw the bluebird flying nearby. It turned a corner, flew down a flight of stairs and across the courtyard. What amazed Haru was how the courtyard resembled a tea garden with ponds full of koi fish, arched bridges connecting small islands of bonsai trees and other exotic greenery, with an arched gazebo in the center. To the right was an open seating area with raised platforms and small tables, which Haru guessed was the Teachers' Dining Hall. Further up was a square building with closed doors and a big knotted rope across it.
That must be the storage room Dōmeki said was off-limits, Haru guessed.
Eventually, the bluebird apparition led Haru to a classroom next to the courtyard labeled '110B' before dissipating into nothing. Inside the classroom, Midorime was standing at the teachers' desk while there were a handful of students already seated. While some were younger kids, there were a few Haru recognized. One was the small chestnut-haired boy Haru saw with Rui's family, whom he guessed was the little brother Gyoku. The other was the boy who kept yawning during the Initiation Ceremony that got sorted into Genbu, and the third was the round-faced girl who tripped on her way up to the mirror.
"Ryuji-Kun!" Midorime smiled. "I was wondering where you were. Did someone use a Homing Spell to get you here?"
"Yeah, it was Popuri-Dono," Haru answered.
"How sweet of him! And I see he gave you a hall pass as well. But since today's your first day, I wasn't going to write you off as tardy anyway."
"Thank you, Midorime-Sensei."
"Feel free to take a seat wherever you like while I set things up."
Putting the hall pass into the sash of his robe, Haru sat next to the round-faced girl. Meanwhile Midorime turned to the white backdrop and used her wand to make magical brushstrokes on it.
"Good morning…Ryuji," said the round-faced girl.
"Um, morning," Haru replied. "Nayu, was it?"
"Nayu Rakkashi," the round-faced girl corrected. "It's fine if you call me 'Nayu'. My last name's hard enough to remember anyway."
"Are you sure? The way Hikari said your name—
"Everyone in our grade uses first names, regardless of how we feel about each other personally. So don't take it to mean she was insulting me by saying my first name instead of my last name."
"Is it because you've all known each other since Primary School?"
"Pretty much. It was something we all decided as a group when we first came to Mahoutokoro, and have stuck with since."
"Hey, can you keep it down?" said the yawning boy from the back of the classroom. "I'm trying to catch up on my z's before the lesson starts."
"Sorry, Seita," Nayu apologized, looking embarrassed.
"Well, you can call me Haru if you want," Haru offered.
"Okay, Haru," Nayu said nervously.
"Ahem!" Midorime said, getting everyone's attention. "Now that we're all here, we can begin our first lesson of Remedial Kampo. Did everyone bring a traditional tea set and brass scales?"
"Yes," everyone in the classroom said.
"Good!" Midorime then made one final magic brushstroke on the backdrop, which now had a complex circle made of letters from Kanji and Madarin, and tapped her wand against the paper.
In an instant, the classroom changed with the black desks being replaced by tetsubin tea kettles standing over metal fire pits with kindling inside and stick-like fire pokers. The shelves were now packed with various herbs and spices inside jars made of glass and clay, and everyone each had a traditional tea set box next to a set of brass scales.
"These are all mine," Haru said, recognizing the tea set and scales he bought with Higa's help in Tateroji. "How did she do that?"
To be continued…
