The downside to being as pale as Kiyo was that she had no way of hiding her humiliation. She clung to my arm, keeping me between her and Mariko. As if finally remembering that she could, she belatedly vanished from sight.

I stood, coughing into my hand. “Ah, Ms. Yamada, how lovely to see you. Kiyo had slipped, you see, so I went to help her up and, darn the luck, I slipped too.”

Mariko had turned away from us. I was sure the uptight woman was at least as flushed as Kiyo. Where Kiyo and I had opted for our summer training uniforms, she was wearing a long-sleeved dress that made me feel overheated just looking at it. She always did prefer to cover up, given the choice, but it was far too much for an August afternoon.

“S-slipped? Yes, that must have been it.” She spun about on her heel, confirming my suspicions about her blush. She smiled a crooked little grin. It was clearly forced, another classic Mariko maneuver. She reached up and played with her brunette hair, which she always kept in a braid slung over one shoulder. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your… rescue attempt. I was out on a walk and I heard a gunshot.”

Kiyo shimmered back into view at my side. “And you made a beeline for it because…”

“Well, we have been on high alert,” she replied. “I was worried it might have been another attack.”

Kiyo shook her head. “But you don’t fight. What did you think you were going to do by yourself?”

“Oh, I’m not alone,” she replied. “Paul, we’re over here!”

Paul Wilson was an American refugee. Even twenty years after the nation’s destruction, the Japanese locals had stereotypes about Americans. They were all friendly, but rude, or they were all golden-haired giants. Well, the dark-skinned Paul didn’t fit the blond part of the stereotype, but he towered over us all. He emerged from the tree cover and put an arm over Mariko’s shoulder.

“Hey Mags, Kiyo.” He glanced over the two of us and gave me a sly grin. “See you had the same idea we did.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Oh ho, did we now? Well, I certainly can’t think of a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon.”

Mariko’s eyes widened. “I d-don’t know that we quite had the same plan that they did. We were just going on a picnic.” She pointed almost frantically at the blanket and basket Paul carried.

“And Kiyo and I were just enjoying a little target practice.” I gestured at the far end of the firing range at the floating energy constructs.

“Oh, is that what they’re calling it now?” Paul gave me a wink and turned away. “C’mon, Mariko. I don’t like interrupting someone’s game. We should get going.”

“Y-yes. The game of sharpshooting. We really should get going. For the picnic. We are taking a hike and having a nice picnic lunch, Magpie.” She put special emphasis on my name, as if daring me to make something of it.

I didn’t. I’d already had my fun watching the motherly woman squirm. I’d wondered how she and Paul were getting on. I don’t know why she felt the need to hide her romantic intentions, though. They had been dating for a few weeks, and it was only natural for them to indulge in a little outdoor loving in the only private place left to us after the security crackdown.

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Ah, well. Some people are shy by nature. I was happy for them, after the efforts I’d put in to solve Mariko’s romantic troubles. Paul wasn’t Hiro, but he was a fine enough chap.

We bade out goodbyes and, once I was sure they were out of earshot, I turned to Kiyo. “So, shall we pick up where we left off?”

She covered her face with her hands. “I knew we’d get caught! No way, Magpie. What if it had been a teacher? They know I reserved this spot!”

I raised an eyebrow at that. “What are the odds that they’d come out to check on us?”

“What were the odds that Paul and Mariko would stumble by? No, we’re going to actually shoot, and then we can go back to your room and … y’know.”

I rolled my eyes. “I swear, you’re all prudes. We’re all adults here. You and Mariko should just be frank about it.”

She shook her head. “No, and if you keep it up, we won’t have any f-fun.”

I knew it was a hollow threat, but it was best to play along. I let out a forlorn sigh. “Very well. I’ll find solace in the arms of Lucile, if you insist on spurning me so.”

She cracked a grin at me. “Running away with my rifle, huh?”

I shrugged. “What can I say? She has a nice stock.”

Kiyo chuckled at that, finally getting over her embarrassment. “Hey, dude, I’m not the curviest person out there, but I think I’m sexier than a gun.”

I gave her a saucy wink. “That we can both agree on.”

We spent the rest of the afternoon taking turns with target practice. By the time we were done, Kiyo declared me a “halfway decent” shot.

“By your standards, halfway decent is quite the compliment!”

She nodded. “We’ll have to do this again next week.”

“I still think we could make a little outdoor lovemaking work. Maybe you could use your Death of Light to keep us from being found out again,” I suggested.

“We’d still make noise,” she replied with a firm shake of the head. “Nope, we’ll use a bed in a private room, as nature intended.”

I couldn’t help but smile at her nonsense. She’d blossomed in the time since I met her, but there were still signs of the strange, ill-kempt girl I’d met back in May. She whipped out her GoSato, and I served as her eyes, taking her by the shoulders to guide her down the hiking path back to the school proper.

“Really, this school is a death trap,” I said. “There should have been a sign telling people to stay away from the firing range.”

She shrugged. “Whatever, man. We’ve got all the time in the world for… fun stuff. Just enjoy the weather and the breeze.”

“Says the girl buried in her game console,” I said. “You won’t see anything that way.”

“I’m enjoying the weather and the breeze. I don’t need my eyes for that. I technically didn’t say to enjoy the view.”

“If wizardry doesn’t pan out for you, you should be a lawyer.”

Whatever she said in response was cut off when my phone rang. It ran through its ringtone, some catchy pop song that Kiyo had chosen for me.

“Aren’t you gonna get that?”

“No, it can’t be anything important.”

We didn’t get twenty feet before the blasted thing went off again. “You should answer, Magpie.”

“I don’t know who could possibly…” I reluctantly fished the phone from my pocket and trailed off when I saw the caller ID.

I was a hundred feet away before Kiyo called after me. “Magpie? Where are you going?”

“It’s urgent,” I cried over my shoulder without slowing down. “I’ll explain later!” I put the glass square to my ear. “What is it, Maggie?”

“Don’t you ever make me dial twice again.” She spoke in a refined British accent that I was convinced was put on.

I kept up my pace and waited a moment in silence. “Well? I swear, if all you wanted was another demonstration of my demonic magic, I’m going to hang up!”

“He’s coming out of it,” she replied. “We need to prepare a strategy.”

“Who…” My guts froze. “Haru?”

“Who else?” she asked with more than a touch of disdain. “Meet me at the base of the Tower. We don’t have much time!”