So for the beginning of this chapter, I'm going to briefly cut away from Haru's perspective before returning to him. Hope that's not too confusing for you guys.
Sixty-Sixth Spell: Coming Clean
"Who cast the Raincloud Jinx?" Anzu Dōmeki demanded.
After the Jiraiya the Gallant play was stopped due to Haru abruptly passing out, Dōmeki had assembled the entire cast to her office. They were all either too nervous or too tired to speak.
"Somebody must have seen who did it," Dōmeki assumed. "Now which one of you saw the person who cast the jinx, or heard the annunciation?"
"Um, what's the incantation for that jinx?" Rēki Bau asked. "I forgot."
Groaning, Reika Kishi said, "It's Ameku Gēnsu!"
"That is correct, Kishi-chan," Dōmeki confirmed before turning her attention to Otoma Wan. "You were onstage for the majority of the play. Did you see anything?"
"I saw the cloud appear over Shō-sensei's head before she ran out," Otoma answered honestly. "Then I got distracted by Haru falling off the puppet snake and didn't see if the caster did or didn't leave the theater."
"How is Haru?" Muni Māru asked. "Is he okay?"
"Currently, Popuri-dono is looking after him in the Healers' Wing," answered Dōmeki.
"Man, that kid sure does end up there a lot, does he?" Phāph Prasert commented.
"Yeah! It's like he's a wimp or something," added Phlang, Phāph's twin brother.
"Knock it off, you two!" Otoma insisted. "This is a serious matter. Haru could have gotten seriously hurt!"
"Not just him, but also the audience members could have slipped and fallen from the rain water left by the Raincloud Jinx," Dōmeki stated. "Luckily, there weren't any severe injuries. But due to the embarrassing circumstances this event has caused, I am suspending the play until after the exhibition Quidditch match."
Everyone was shocked to hear this decree, but especially Otoma.
"You can't be serious!" Otoma objected. "We've been working hard on this play for weeks, and we really don't want it to cut into our Fall Semester Midterms!"
"I understand your frustration, Wan, but we must think about the audience," Dōmeki said. "Do you really think anyone will come back to watch this play after tonight's disastrous performance?"
Otoma hesitated to answer.
"That tells me you know it's true just as much as I do," replied Dōmeki. "And if it's decided the play should continue its performances, I would suggest not having Haru Ryuji play Orochimaru—even as an understudy."
"But he killed it as Orochimaru!" Rēki said as he involuntarily shivered. "His performance gave me goosebumps, like the real Orochimaru was standing among us."
"Even so, it was totally unnerving," Kishi flinched. "I don't know if Haru is messed up in the head, or if it has to do with his heritage."
"What happened tonight was something beyond his heritage," Dōmeki said cryptically. "I can only hope it's the last time we see that side of Haru."
"Hold on a minute!" exclaimed Haru.
Resting in the Healers' Wing, he heard what happened to him onstage from Popuri before Hikari Genma and Ruri 'Rui' Wataka showed up. They had just finished telling him their side of the story, which he couldn't believe.
"You're saying Shō was using magic to make me act like Orochimaru?" Haru repeated what Hikari said before shaking his head. "Is that why I got so enveloped in the role?"
"Exactly," Hikari responded. "I noticed Shō had her eyes concentrated on you while you were performing, so I knew she was using magic."
"Because when you cast a spell of any kind, you have to keep eye-contact with the object of your spell at all times," Rui explained.
"And Shō-sensei wasn't blinking the whole time," Hikari stated. "That's why I cast the Raincloud Jinx to break her concentration, and it worked considering you passed out not long after she ran out of the theater."
Haru scratched his bandaged head in confusion. "Do either of you have any idea what kind of spell she was using?"
"If I had to guess, it would be kotodama," Hikari assumed, much to Rui and Haru's surprise. "That's the only type of magic I can think of where you can make someone do something they otherwise wouldn't normally do. But that doesn't explain why she did that to you, except—of course! Warumo!"
"Warumo?" Rui thought back to the dream Haru told her about and got nervous.
"Some stories say he was a descendant of Orochimaru," Hikari explained. "And the reason he committed all of his crimes was to get back at those who defeated Orochimaru in the past just like Orochi did before him. Maybe Shō is a follower of Warumo's and she was sent here as a spy of sorts."
"But that doesn't explain why she would make me act like Orochimaru," Haru pointed out.
"Or what that has to do with her attempts at getting the thing being guarded in the storage house," Rui said out loud before realizing who she was with.
"How do you know about that?" Hikari demanded. When Rui didn't say anything, Hikari's eyes glared at Haru. "Ryuji, did you tell her?"
Unable to come up with an excuse due to residual exhaustion, Haru reluctantly nodded.
"I can't believe you!" Hikari snapped. "You had one job, Ryuji, and you blew it!"
"Excuse me!" Popuri-dono said from his apothecary table near the front door. "Could you please keep your voices down?"
"Sorry, Popuri-dono," Hikari said, bowing politely.
Then after Popuri went back to his work at the apothecary table, Hikari put her hands on her hips in an angry gesture.
"Why did you tell Rui?" Hikari asked quietly. "Because she's your friend?"
"Mainly, but she also showed interest in helping me figure the mystery out regarding the thing in the storage house," Haru said. "And I didn't have the heart to tell her not to get involved for her own safety."
"You were concerned about my safety?" Rui blushed. "I-I don't know what to say about that."
"Have you told anybody else?" Hikari asked Haru. "And don't lie to me."
"No, I haven't told anyone else," Haru said firmly. "Honestly!"
Relaxing her arms, Hikari left the Healers' Wing.
"Did I say something wrong?" Haru said, unsure of what Hikari leaving meant.
"She does that when she has to think things over," Rui said. "Give her a day or two, and she'll let you know what her decision is."
To be continued…
