Fujimi stared wide-eyed at the billowing figure before him, their hand still crackling with magical energy from vanquishing the skeletal creature. He wasn’t sure whether to be more shocked by the monster’s sudden reappearance or the fact that this mysterious rescuer seemed to know magic.
“Um, thanks again for the save back there,” Fujimi managed, nodding toward the sizzling puddle of ooze. “Gotta ask though - who are you? And how’d you do that zappy magic stuff?”
The figure slowly lowered their hood, revealing a hypnotically shifting face that cycled between male, female, and other permutations. Fujimi stifled a gasp. It was the same entity who had accosted him before - the one called Rheon.
“All in due time, Fujimi,” Rheon intoned solemnly. Their kaleidoscopic eyes met his. “For now, you must head to safety. Dark forces are stirring, and you are vulnerable alone.”
Fujimi shook his head in confusion. None of this made any sense. But before he could object, Rheon pressed a small engraved stone into his palm.
“If you need aid, use this sigil to summon me.” Their hand rested reassuringly on Fujimi’s shoulder. “Now go - your friends await.”
With that, Rheon flourished their cloak and vanished in a flash of light. Fujimi stood dumbfounded, turning the sigil over in his hands. Friends await? How could Rheon know his plans?
Nonetheless, Fujimi pocketed the stone and hurried from the alley, unnerved by the encounter. He decided visiting Takashi and the others might provide some normalcy after the day’s insanity.
Soon Fujimi spotted his friends gathered near the school entrance, their faces etched with shock as teachers ushered them away from the rubble. Fujimi quickened his pace, relieved to see familiar faces unharmed.
“Fujimi! There you are!” Takashi called out, waving him over. “Can you believe this craziness? The whole front entrance just exploded!”
Miku nodded soberly. “I’m just glad no one got hurt. The teachers think it was some freak accident during a chemistry experiment.”
Privately, Fujimi wondered if there was more to it. After the monster attack, he suspected darker forces were at play here. But he kept quiet for now, not wanting to worry the others.
Soon the headmaster called for attention, his expression grim. “Students, please listen closely. I know many of you are shaken by today’s incident. Rest assured, we will get to the bottom of what occurred and ensure continued safety.”
He went on to declare an early dismissal while they investigated, urging students to head straight home. Fujimi exchanged sober glances with his friends, the levity of the moment gone.
As they slowly dispersed, Fujimi noticed his hometeacher Mr. Sato regarding him intently. Before Fujimi could react, the teacher approached with concern in his eyes.
“Fujimi, are you quite alright?” Mr. Sato asked gently. “I noticed you have quite a nasty scratch on your arm there. Did you get hurt in the chaos earlier?”
Fujimi’s mind raced, but he forced a casual laugh. “Oh this? Nah, just tripped on the way over and scraped it up. I’m totally fine though.”
Mr. Sato studied him a moment longer before nodding. “Well, please do be careful on your way home. And let me know if you need to talk.” He gave Fujimi’s shoulder a kind pat before heading off.
Fujimi sighed internally. He couldn’t tell anyone the truth yet. They’d think he was crazy if he brought up monsters and magic! No, for now discretion was key.
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Bidding his friends goodbye, Fujimi ambled home lost in thought. How was he supposed to make sense of all this insanity? Monsters, magic, explosions - it was too much. But at least he had made it through in one piece. Home and rest awaited, where he could try processing it all. Fujimi sent up a silent prayer as he walked - please, just let this be a normal evening for once! But in his gut, he suspected things were only going to get stranger…
Fujimi trudged up the steps to his house, exhausted after the chaotic events at school. Between the explosion, monster attack, and mysterious savior, he was more than ready to collapse into bed. Hopefully home would provide some sense of normalcy.
As he opened the front door, Fujimi was greeted by an exuberant blur of pink hair and ruffles.
“Fujimi, you’re back!” Yira exclaimed, bouncing on her toes. “You’ll never believe it - I passed!”
Fujimi blinked in confusion. “Wait, passed what? Weren’t you taking the entrance exam for Stratos Akademiya today?”
“I was! And I totally rocked it!” Yira proclaimed, waving a shiny embossed letter. “Thanks to your golden ticket, I’m in! Can you believe it?”
“That’s amazing!” Fujimi said, a grin breaking through his fatigue. “But how are you already back? I thought the testing took weeks.”
Yira laughed. “Oh, I may have fudged the truth a teensy bit about that. Wanted it to seem like a bigger deal, you know? Anyway, I finished the exam crazy fast and caught the next hyperloop home!”
Fujimi shook his head in amusement. Typical dramatic Yira. But her victory over the elite academy’s grueling entrance exam was no small feat.
“I knew you could do it,” he said warmly. “Your street smarts are sharper than any book learning. You’re gonna do big things at that school, Yira.”
“Aww, stop it!” Yira protested, but looked pleased by the praise. Then her expression grew serious. “For real though, I couldn’t have done this without you. Letting me keep your ticket, taking in my siblings…you changed everything, Fujimi.”
From her pocket, Yira pulled out a glossy silver voucher. “So I want you to have this. It’s the least I can do to repay you.”
Fujimi’s eyes widened. “A platinum gacha capsule ticket? But those are so rare!” He tried handing it back. “Yira I can’t, this is too generous.”
But Yira folded his fingers over the voucher. “I won’t take no for an answer! Consider it a thank you from me and the siblings. You deserve a shot at some real fortune after selflessly giving me yours.”
Her colourful eyes bored earnestly into Fujimi’s. He could see this gift represented much more to her than mere transaction. Sighing, he accepted, truly touched by her spirit of gratitude.
Just then, the patter of little feet sounded as Yira’s younger sister and brother appeared. “We knew you’d ace it!” Loei cheered, hugging Yira tightly. Amara nodded, trying to act nonchalant but unable to hide his proud smile.
“Come on you two, it’s dinner time,” called Fujimi’s mom Sunita from the kitchen. Laughing at the impeccable timing, they all headed to the table laden with celebratory dishes.
Over steaming plates, Yira regaled them with the epic tale of her academy entrance exam conquest. She described the intimidating guardian stone golems that evaluated the combat magic portion, which she dispatched by charming them into dancing themselves into collapse.
“The archmagi were floored! Said they hadn’t seen creative spellcasting like that in ages,” Yira recounted dramatically. She went on to detail how she handled the logic riddles, persuasion challenges, and arcane histories, punctuating every accomplishment with hilarious commentary.
Fujimi shook his head in amazement at her bold and unpredictable approach. Yira’s passion for life was downright contagious. The academy would never know what hit them.
After dinner, Fujimi helped clear the dishes while the siblings pestered Yira for more stories. He was nearly done when his father Jin appeared in the kitchen, face uncharacteristically grim.
“Son, I heard there was some kind of incident at your school today,” he began seriously. “An explosion in the east wing. Do you know anything about what happened?”
Fujimi froze, plate in hand. In all the excitement over Yira’s triumphant return, he had managed to forget the day’s earlier supernatural chaos. Four pairs of eyes stared at him expectedly.
“Um well…” Fujimi stalled, racking his brain. How could he possibly explain monsters and magic portals to his perfectly ordinary family? “There was an accident during a science experiment,” he lied. “But everything got contained quickly. Just took us by surprise is all.”
His father considered this, then seemed to accept it with a nod. “As long as you’re alright. Let me know if you want to talk about it more.”
Fujimi smiled weakly as his father left. Crisis averted, for now. But internally, his mind was racing. Clearly there were sinister forces at play here.