A Serendipitous Affair

Prologue


"I made a friend." Kota Izumi said as he finally admitted it to his aunt, Shino Sosaki.

The woman blinked at his words as she looked at his nephew from across the small dining table they shared in her home. The soft clicking of their wall clock was the only noise in the room as the older woman processed her nephew's words.

"A friend? An actual friend?" Shino asked, in clarification.

The often grumpy and quiet child then did something out of character that made his aunt feel a bit of hope inside her soul given the circumstances that led to the boy being in her care. The simple twitch on Kota's face and the soft tinge of red were what made Shino's current state more attentive. Excitement even, if you can call that.

"Yeah… well, she's a bit weird in that sense."

"She?" Shino asked, which both made her excited and worried at the same time. Worry in the form that it might be a one-sided crush, which might spell terrible things down the line if he reached that age, but… she didn't want to be pessimistic. She had to be happy that finally, something good had occurred to inspire Kota's demeanor to be better.

"Yup. Didn't want her to be my friend at first, but… she kept coming back and eventually, I liked her enough to consider her a friend." Kota explained with a more pronounced blush of shame, yet the tone of his reaching the end of his sentence was more thankful than that of regret.

"Oh my… what wonderful news! My dear Kota finally has a friend!" Shino said in lovely excitement as she reached out to her nephew by standing up and placing him into a loving embrace while ruffling his capless head at the same time. A subtle change that she only realized now.

In addition to that, Kota seemingly did not even try to push her away or grumble with her affection. It made the older woman's heart feel an unbridled warmth that was lost long ago.

"I guess it's wonderful news." He said with a low tone of uncertainty, but a small curve to his lips was there and Shino relished in it.

"You have to tell me more about her… is she from school? From the neighborhood? Oh, did you become friends with that Sakura girl a few streets down from us? Is she-

"She calls herself a Magical Girl…" Kota suddenly said.

"Eh? What did you just say?"

"She calls herself a Magical Girl," Kota said again as if it was the most normal thing to come out of his mouth just mentioning that name.

"Oh? Did she mention, why?" Shino asked, curious but also confused.

Kota then managed a shrug that didn't answer the question at all as he looked at her. It was then that the older woman started to feel a bit of suspicion. Warranted mostly to the boy's nature given his mostly antisocial attitude.

"Kota… I…" she then stopped herself midway given that her nephew looked more enthusiastic talking about another person than ever before. This 'magical girl' had to be real, otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to great lengths to even talk to her about it.

At least that is what her gut told her, and truth be told, she knew that she wasn't prepared to be a maternal figure to her nephew after the tragedy, but she tried her best afterward, despite all of her mistakes. If this 'magical girl' was real, then she needed to learn more in order to help build the already developing rapport that she was seeing.

"…can I ask you to talk more about her? Like describe her, tell me what she likes, what brought you two together to talk… simple things like that." she gently said.

She expected the boy to back out, only to find herself surprised again when he looked interested enough to further talk to her about this friend.

"Well… she has golden hair. Almost white when you look at her. She's taller than me, mostly because I think she's older and she's got red eyes. I got scared at first, but she seemed very annoying after, always telling me that she found me funny."

"She's older than you? By how much?" Shino asked.

"Like… I guess she's at the age of those guys you teach with the others?"

"Oh… well, that's quite strange, but not out of place. You said she kept coming back? Back where though? Where did you two first meet?" she inquired, now interested given that in the neighborhood that they lived in she never saw any kid with the description her nephew gave.

"In my special spot in the park. That big old tree that I always sit on?" Shino nodded, urging him to continue as he did. "I was just trying to do a bit of homework because I feel comfortable there, only for her to suddenly appear in front of me, asking me what I was doing… and it continued from there."

The way he explained it, despite the annoyance in his tone, Shino was at least happy to know that he seemed happy about this new companionship with this girl. Kota continued to talk about her, surprising her yet again with his enthusiasm with this girl as he expressed what they usually did, what they usually talked about, and best of all, why the girl apparently became friends with her in the first place…

"Kota honey, I think that's a bit insensitive to say that to her."

"I thought about it after, but she told me that she's over it. Mostly because it was a long time ago, according to her, when she last called someone as being family, or a loved one."

"She must miss them then, her old friends. Does she ever talk about her family much?"

"Not really, but she keeps telling me that she has a grandpa that comes by here and there sometimes. I don't know what she particularly thinks about him, but she seems important enough to her to mention him to me."

"Well, given what you said to me, she's probably in a situation that's unideal for her a girl her age, and seeing you might be the closest thing she has to feeling loved or having a home in general."

"But she seems rich? She buys me ice cream, the ones with the big scoops every time we meet." Kota said in her defense, as he understood in some capacity what Shino was trying to imply.

"No, it's that sweetie, I'm just worried that whatever home situation that girl has, regardless of if she's rich or not, maybe she's not as happy as she tries to be. I've seen it quite a lot, especially in the many students we frequently mentor…"

"…just like me…" Kota whispered, mostly to himself, but was caught by Shino's ear.

Shino then proceeded to scoop the boy into her arms into a hug, which he somehow reciprocated as he let his head lean onto her shoulder. "That's not true and you know it…"

"Thanks…"

The small appreciative but succinct thanks almost melted Shino's heart, but she kept herself composed, hoping to be supportive of what her nephew and this girl possibly felt about their situations. "Tell you what, why don't the next time you visit this park, I'll come along and meet this friend of yours?"

"Hm?" Kota perked up with that suggestion.

"Unless of course, you're too embarrassed to bring your aunt along to your crush… hehe." She teased as the boy quickly turned red.

"N-no! I don't even… what? She's just a friend! I like her as a friend!" Kota cutely insisted.

"But she's pretty… isn't she?"

"Yeah… I guess? But what's that got to do with anything?"

Shino then patted her nephew's head as she giggled. "Nothing, of course, Kota. Though I do want to meet her because she seems like quite the friend."

"She is," Kota added.

"Did she give you a name, other than that she's a magical girl?"

"She hasn't. I don't really know why, but I haven't asked her about it, directly."

Shino was then put back from that, mainly because of the context clues already building up in her head as she tried to piece together the likely stature of this girl given her experience as a Pro Hero. Much as she trusted Kota, it always helped her to be cautious.

"Hm. That's strange... but then again, I can always ask her when we meet."

"I think she'll be happy about that. She seemed lonely when we talked about her family or her former friends."

"Then I'm excited as well, sweetie." Shino finished as she ruffled her nephew's head one last time, prompting a smile out of him as they finished their dinner.

Later that night, as she tucked him in and was finishing up cleaning the dishes, Shino sat in the dining room of her household again. Wondering, thinking, and feeling content with the development of Kota's well-being.

At the same time, she felt worried about this girl.

In addition to the danger of the mystery surrounding her, what picture Kota painted outside of the positive interactions this girl had with her niece, she was mostly worried about the implications of who and what this girl was experiencing alone.

It reminded her of a lot of kids lost in their way, hoping to find a semblance of joy in an otherwise terrible household. Worse, she might be living alone and was one of those kids who were either related to someone terrible or were actively trying to run away from something.

Rest assured, meeting this girl would prove to be important and she was readying herself for whatever outcome after.

"Damn…" she whispered as she took another sip of her tea.

She then moved her absence, mostly contemplating, focused gaze on a lovely picture of her late sister on a framed photo. She smiled when she recalled that memory while simultaneously vowing again for Kota's safety and happiness.

She just had to be strong to make sure she could see it through…


Shino was starting to get tired. It's been more than an hour since she and Kota were sitting on a bench near the specific tree where this 'magical girl' met him. She was starting to get worried that the girl may not come today given her suspicions, or that she was just something conjured out of thin air by her beloved nephew.

Well, the story was far too detailed for something in Kota's age to imagine but it then pushed her back to the worries concerning the girl's nature and background.

It was also nearing the end of the afternoon, with most of the people around them still frolicking and enjoying the sun while they bonded, coming closer to packing their things and leaving. Some of the children that were running in the nearby mini playground were also starting to lose some of their numbers as their parents came by to pick them up.

All the while, the two of them quietly waited for this friend to show up.

"Kota…" she started with a sigh.

"She's coming. I trust her. She hasn't let me down on anything yet." Her nephew said with a bit of conviction, almost as if unintentionally calling her out for some of the impossible promises she always gave him. Of his parents, of Shino's sister, and that everything would work out.

Try as she may, Shino knew deep down that Kota, after being placed in her care, was not as happy as he once was. She knew that the boy didn't blame him, nor placed her in the same sort of apprehension against heroes that he developed, but he also wasn't totally content nor happy with her. There was a missing part in his heart that Shino could never heal on her own, which was the reason she was so glad to hear Kota had a friend.

With the way how he spoke of her last night, she knew that some part of that little boy was healing. Even in a way that she did not expect it to.

"Alright then…" she said, finally conceding on trusting him.

As she was about to refocus on their peaceful wait, she suddenly felt Kota's hand on top of her own. "Hm? What is it sweetie?" she asked.

"What does 'I don't have much time' mean?" Kota suddenly asked.

Shino managed to blink at that sudden statement. The shock at the implications of such a string of words made her perk up towards her nephew.

"Why did you ask that?" she leveled, a bit of concern in her voice.

"She whis-

"KOTA-CHAN! Your Magical Girl Onee-san has arrived!" a loud joyful tone said as Shino and Kota were now welcomed by the bubbly aura of the girl that finally fulfilled her promise.

This girl whom Shino was still surprisingly unprepared for, carried an entire ice cream stand on her left arm without barely any effort seen on her face.

"You brought the whole stand?" Kota said as he stood up and walked to her.

The girl nonchalantly grinned with that perfect smile that made even Shino feel a bit more joyful than before. In addition, that young girl carrying that fairly heavy contraption with just one arm made her realize that whatever quirk the young lady had, it was definitely on the stronger side. Given that she plopped it on the ground, gently mind you, like it weighed nothing.

"Yes, the kind Oji-san let me borrow it for the day so I can gift my beloved little friend some more of his favorite treat. Isn't your onee-san the best?" the girl cheered, posing admittedly like those Mahou Shoujo shows of old.

"For the whole day? Really?" Kota asked, his eyes filled with child-like wonder, the likes that Shino wanted desperately to see, but this girl somehow tapped into.

"Yeah. For the whole day! Aren't I amazing?"

"Sure… but the ice cream is more amazing!" Kota cheered as the two giggled together.

Even as she towered over the boy with her current height. The innocence, jubilation, and heartfelt care she exuded towards her nephew made her feel as if everything was alright.

Still, she stood up with a welcoming smile and wished to introduce herself to this young lady and learn more closely why exactly she became friends with her nephew in the first place.

"Excuse me…" she started as Kota finally realized that he had forgotten about his aunt's existence while he licked on the hastily stacked ice cream and cone that the girl had given her. The sweet-looking girl, clad in her simple turtleneck white sweater, dark blue skirt, and tights was similarly fixing herself a cone,

"Oh… hey uh, this is my aunt."

"Hm?" the girl hummed before exploding with a smile. "Oh! This is your precious auntie that you keep talking about, Kota-chan?"

"Yes… Sosaki, Shino, but call me Shino if you wish… it's nice to finally meet you." Shino said, letting out her hand to shake the girl's own. Only to be met with a sudden hug that threatened to nearly make her lose her breath.

She's strong! Shino thought to herself in alarm. Not even Tiger was this strong.

"It's amazing to meet you! Kota's told me a lot and I'm glad to finally put a face on your name."

"Oh, is that so? Then I'm glad to meet you as well, miss…?"

"Hm?" The girl then cutely tilted her head in question. "Did Kota-chan not tell you my name?"

Kota then playfully fisted the girl's side as he rudely interrupted her. "Because you didn't tell me your name too… doofus." He grouched in a joking way while he continued to lick his ice cream.

"I didn't? Oh!" she said, feigning innocence as she then lifted Kota into the air, without as much effort as she did with the ice cream stand, and placed him onto her shoulders. One that Kota happily giggled to as Shino watched. It was like they were siblings, based on the energy that seemed to be exuding off of them.

It was like they had known each other for a long time and much as Shino continued to have concerns in her head, she then realized that with the rate at which Kota continued to laugh, smile, and even talk with enthusiasm unlike anything before, that the little boy already found some form of that genuine joy again, from someone that wasn't her.

She didn't know how to feel about that, though she was happily pleased deep within her heart to see her nephew like this again.

"Forgive you onee-san for being a ditz, Kota-chan. It won't happen again, I promise!" the girl said as she happily carried the boy as he smiled on her shoulders. She didn't even mind as some of the droplets of ice cream started to ruin her beautiful golden hair.

"You're still a doofus to me," he responded as she cooed in reply.

"Aww… but your onee-san will fix this little mistake…" she said as she placed him gently down, the gesture once again solidifying their nearly sibling-like bond in Shino's eyes with how casual and genuine it was. "While you can call me as Phantas-Moon Magical Onee-san in my most powerful form, you can also call me as… uh-

The girl then stopped as if contemplating a bit on what to say next, until a nostalgic, happy emotion appeared on her face as she then knelt in front of Kota and lovingly ruffled his hair.

"…you can call me as Shiki… yes, Shiki."

Kota then smiled back. "It's nice to meet you again, Shiki Onee-San."

"Mou! You're so cute but thank you! You're more than welcome like always Kota-chan." The girl, apparently named Shiki said as she placed him into another embrace.

All the while, the two interacted as if forgetting that Shino was there.

It didn't matter for as much as she felt a hint of jealousy over this affair, she watched as the hour passed while the two played with each other. How they talked, how they bonded, and how they acted with each other made Shino herself nostalgic as well.

When she and her sister used to play, almost similarly in this same park many decades ago.

It almost brought a tear to the already ecstatic Shino's eyes as she watched her nephew finally… finally find meaning in his life amidst the pain.

She watched as this Shiki played with the little boy on the seesaw while her uncharacteristically enormous strength continued to play with their interactions.

It was life-changing, at least to Shino's eyes as she watched the two.

They were inseparable.

Even as the hour passed, when Kota finally took a nap on Shino's lap with a smiling, peaceful face, she was then left to a peacefully humming Shiki sitting right beside her as the sun started to set. Its golden rays turn into a soft orange color amidst the shifting skies. The clouds looked like a watercolor painting as they blended with the warm sheen of light while the moon was starting to finally appear behind it all.

"Shiki-san…" Shino started.

"Hm? What is it Sosaki-san?" the girl asked.

"I'd like to thank you. For… for everything really. For what you did for Kota."

The girl stared at her, those red, vibrant eyes almost looking into her soul. The girl then finally blinked, smiling with appreciation and a sense of somberness that Shino felt concerned about, for the girl's part. "You're welcome… he's, he's a good kid."

"Are you okay sweetie?" Shino asked, hoping to help.

The girl then steadily smiled as she relaxed and looked at the moon. Her aura seemingly grew brighter due to its light, yet that sense of longing was still there.

"I'm fine Sosaki-san, but I do worry about Kota-san catching a cold. It's getting late."

Shino then realized that while she still wanted to talk with the girl, she felt the urge to consciously do what the girl suggested as she lifted the sleeping Kota into her arms, heavier than what Shiki could casually do earlier.

"Again, thank you, truly for everything you've done for Kota," Shino said once more as Shiki nodded with a smile. "If you want to, you can always come by to our house, and visit Kota directly?"

"I'd love that, Sosaki-san… but I think you must be on your way, it won't be long until I get home myself…"

Shino smiled back, the suggestion making her obey as she waved at the girl one last time before walking home. To disappear down the road while 'Shiki' watched.

Alone, the Princess of the Moon stared back at the now dark sky, filled with stars.

She then picked up a small flower, feeling the change in her body and heart in these… trying times. Parts of her were already gone much like how the flower in her hand seemingly started to wilt.

The only thing that she could conceivably keep in a permanent state were her memories.

Their memories.

The joy she felt. The tears she shed. The love she shared.

It was everything that she could still keep as she placed both hands near her heart, shedding a singular tear as she did.

She still had time. She still had a…

"…home…" she whispered to herself. Recalling many decades ago the outreached hand of one boy who made her truly feel alive.


A song stirs.

One of such primordial quality that it pierces the Earth and erupts from it.

It barely registered as anything to the people, the humans that still lived on its surface as it sailed through the atmosphere and into the beginnings of space. The great void allowed it to bounce.

The silence allows the song, the call to move further.

It was a call of nearly unknown origin. A call for assistance.

A call for help.

Such was its magnitude that the largest planet of the Solar System, Jupiter, found one of its moons, suddenly rupturing within its core. The moon, one of its largest, started to collapse onto itself as matter and gas started to spur into something alien.

The song fueled its rage as the core started to finally coalesce into a powerful set of natural, nuclear fusion. Its volume is already approaching the power of a star as gaseous compounds start to form around it. Making a robust shell that slowly turned into a near-humanoid appearance.

A giant of immense proportions, as it now stood in waiting, ready… as the song moved forth beyond the large planet and the birth of its champion in front of its great, red eye.

On Saturn, the immense rings surrounding the planet started to collude, to violently form with all ice crystals into something resembling a cross. Its dimensions were composed of luminous materials that glittered as it spanned thousands of meters across, in ready as the song flew right by…

Each planet martialized its beauties to receive the song.

On Venus, the closest planet to Earth, an existence close to a twin, found its deadly acidic atmosphere pierced by an alien biological plant with its tendrils reaching high above into space where it shot its spore after receiving the song.

Its seed traveled at impossible speeds, as it faintly resembled a glowing angel on the inside while its biological horrors made it up its shell.

It sailed through the void to reach its destination…

All the while back on Earth, within a sealed enclosure in the South American continent, crystals started to move by an inch as the solar winds emitted by the sun outside the planet started to calm down.

It was nearly time.

It was nearly there… as the Quirk-based Humanity continued to live their lives in ignorance.


The pages of the book before him started to unravel in a disturbing motion.

For the many worlds, he observed and catalogued, he never expected this change.

This… sudden anomaly amongst the countless worlds like it.

There, sitting in a place beyond time and space, an old man in a pristine suit rubbed his chin as he looked over the facts of this development. The kaleidoscope of colors around him shifted every so as he read over the book that allowed him to see other worlds.

"It's too early…" he whispered to himself. "Why on Earth did it occur there, now, of all times?"

He then sighed as the book closed on itself in an audible thud.

"Something's wrong… but why exactly, I cannot seem to fathom."

He was about to think about it further when the phone placed beside him atop a small table started to ring. The dial tone immediately answered it as a voice came out.

"Did ya hear the news, boss?"

"I did…"

"What are we to do now?"

One of the last surviving True Magicians merely sighed as he relaxed in his chair.

"Is there anything we can do? It's the normal course of things after all, for this world… it seems like it reached its zenith. Or relatively speaking, it's epilogue."

TO BE CONTINUED…


AN: You thought it was just a Tsuki Cross, huh? No! It was I, Angel Notes!

Jokes aside, I hope you had fun reading this, dear reader, whoever you are…