"A coin?" Nozomi remarked, tilting her head toward Yoshino. Yoshino held a 500 yen coin up for everyone to see. Nozomi had removed her mask while Yoshino searched for the coin, a gesture that Life interpreted as an unspoken sign of trust toward Henry.

However, Life wasn't deeply invested in the nuances of their trust. Instead, his mind mulled over the new information and its implications. Uncle... Henry. Considering Yoshino didn't deny it when Henry mentioned she addressed him as such, it must be true.

Life glanced at Henry from the corner of his eyehole. Given they're inside his dark barrier, it's likely because they discovered each other's involvement in all this. A pretty messed-up situation.

Yoshino nodded, turning her attention to the coin. "Let's flip the coin to decide who asks first. Heads for my uncle and tails for the four of us. Preferably, I'd rather be the one to ask first, but... if anyone has important questions, I'm willing to wait." She looked around the table. "Any questions?"

Henry raised his hand slightly. "Er... I have one. You mentioned 'the four of us,' but I only see you, Nozomi, and this Outsider fellow. Where is the fourth individual?" He scanned the wagon, searching for the mysterious individual.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce him." Yoshino raised her hand to present Seiza, who had been unusually silent throughout the conversation. "Henry, this is Seiza. Seiza, this is Henry, one of my uncles."

Henry tilted his head in confusion but decided to play along. "Huh, sure. I guess it's a pleasure to meet you." He offered an open hand instead of a handshake, an act of ignorance rather than malice or disrespect, or so Life guessed. His assumption was confirmed by the interaction that followed.

"Seiza?" Nozomi nudged the dog, who gave a thousand-yard stare at Henry without saying a word.

Seiza snapped out of his daydream when Nozomi touched him. "Y-yes... my name is Seiza. Nice... to meet you."

"Holy crap! You can talk?!" Henry almost fell out of his seat, completely caught off guard by Seiza's speech. Life was also momentarily startled, not by Seiza's speaking, but because Henry's eyes had popped comedically out of their sockets—a sight Life felt glad others couldn't see. Nozomi and Yoshino were visibly startled by Henry's reaction.

"Y-yes, I... can talk. Is... there a problem?" Seiza asked, clearly nervous, avoiding direct eye contact with Henry.

After regaining his composure, Henry cleared his throat. "Oh, no, no. Sorry, it just caught me off guard." He offered a proper handshake. "Well, Seiza, glad to meet you."

Seiza reluctantly reciprocated, still nervous. "Y-yeah, I... guess I can say the same."

"Can I flip the coin now?" Yoshino asked after they finished the handshake. When everyone nodded, Yoshino tossed the coin into the air and caught it. "Heads," she declared before everyone turned to Henry expectantly.

"Huh, I guess I go first, then," Henry said, his expression contemplative. Life speculated about what Henry might ask. The obvious questions could be about how Yoshino got involved or something regarding Nozomi's powers. He might ask about Seiza's origin, or the wildcard question, about me. That would be amusing to navigate.

Henry opened his mouth to speak but paused. After a moment, he asked, "So... how's school been for you two?"

Yoshino and Nozomi blinked in disbelief. "What?!" they exclaimed.

Yeah, what? Life thought, genuinely baffled at Henry's trivial question.

Yoshino was the first to recover, giving Henry a confused look. "W-why do you want to know that? Didn't you ask this before this morning?"

Henry closed his eyes and shrugged. "Can't an uncle ask his niece and her friend how school has been? And yes, I did ask before, but you were in a hurry, so I dropped it."

"Oh..." Yoshino trailed off, eyes widening. She was conflicted, confused as to why Henry wasted his question but relieved he didn't push for anything uncomfortable.

"I'm... doing fine. It hasn't been a week since classes started, but I can understand most subjects easily enough," Yoshino said, still wondering why her uncle asked that.

Satisfied, Henry nodded and turned to Nozomi. "And how about you?"

Nozomi's eyes widened. "O-oh, I'm... hanging in there... I think. Oh, also, we got a new teacher!"

"Really?" Henry asked, surprisingly invested in something so mundane and inconsequential, leaving Life to wonder about his true intention.

Life would usually tune out of such a conversation, but he felt staying engaged might reveal Nozomi's opinion about his teaching.

Nozomi nodded with a smile. "Yeah, he's our new English teacher, and I... would say he's pretty good." She blushed slightly, scratching the back of her neck. "English was—or I guess still is—a subject I usually have trouble with, but thanks to him, I actually look forward to English class!" Her silver-white eyes shone brighter, like diamonds reflecting sunlight.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Even though Life's role as a teacher was a ruse to further his goals, he still gave it his all. Hearing Nozomi's compliment brought a small smile to his face. Sure, she might not achieve what I have, but she doesn't need to.

Henry nodded with a smile. "I see... your teacher is lucky to have a student like you."

Life tilted his head. Eh, I'd say the opposite, but it's an easy mistake to make. He noted Nozomi's enthusiasm turning into slight embarrassment as she blushed and smiled wryly.

"Yep, I'm... even giving Seiza personal English lessons at home. Nothing much, just the basics, but it's been fun! Right, Seiza?" Nozomi turned to Seiza, who nodded slowly, showing just enough attention to make Nozomi smile with validation.

Henry nodded at Nozomi before taking a deep breath. "Okay, now that I've asked my question... who's asking me?" His expression turned from cheerful to stern.

Everyone turned to look at Yoshino, making her visibly tense before she cleared her throat. After thinking it over, she asked, "Who sent you and the other darkspawns, Uncle?"

Henry didn't answer immediately. Life guessed he was trying to think of a satisfying yet tactful explanation. "The one who sent me and the others you probably encountered..." Henry paused, closing his eyes. "Was your mother."

----------------------------------------

The trio of Nozomi, Yoshino, and Seiza widened their eyes in shock. They stared at Henry until Yoshino snapped out of it first. "W-wait... come again?" she asked, her expression one of disbelief.

Henry took another deep breath, meeting Yoshino's eyes with an intensity she had never seen in him, making her recoil. "I repeat, it was your mother who sent me." He looked down at the table, guilt etched on his face. "I'm... sorry you had to find out this way."

Yoshino stared, waiting for Henry to reveal it was a joke. But the reveal never came. Henry just looked at the table, waiting for her to process the information. A swell of emotions threatened to overwhelm her, but she clenched her fists and took deep breaths, one after another, until the world around her blurred and all she heard was her own breathing.

She didn't know how long she stayed like that, but it couldn't have been long. When someone touched her shoulder, Yoshino snapped back to reality, finding herself back in the wagon. She stared at her clenched hands.

"Yoshino?"

Yoshino turned to the source of the touch and found Nozomi, her best friend, with an expression full of worry. She gazed into Nozomi's bright white eyes and at her silver hair, both shining as if they were precious jewels so rare they might vanish at any moment. The thought of Nozomi disappearing if she so much as turned around or blinked filled her with a fleeting fear, but it also had a calming effect, grounding her in the reality and comfort of her friend's presence.

A thought crossed Yoshino's mind. She blinked a few times before frowning. Wait...

She turned to Henry. "Hey, uncle..."

Henry looked up. "Yes?" His eyes still held guilt.

"When I took off my mask, you looked surprised. Was it because you didn't know it was me?"

Henry nodded, realizing where she was going with this. "Then, wouldn't that mean my mom doesn't know the person she's after is me?" Yoshino asked.

Henry raised a hand to his chin. "Now that you mention it... yeah, that checks out."

That was all Yoshino needed to hear. She took a deep breath, relieved beyond measure. Her mother might have been involved in some questionable activities, but at least she didn't want her dead, not intentionally at least. If what Judai said was true, she only wanted the one responsible for the first monster's death.

"How is my mom even capable of this? She wasn't always, right?" Yoshino asked, praying for reassurance.

Henry shook his head. "No, your mother was once just like any other. Though I'm unaware of the reasons that led her to this path, I know who unlocked her potential for magic—the Great Master."

"Great... Master?" Yoshino raised an eyebrow.

"That doesn't sound very original," Nozomi remarked.

Henry chuckled. "You're not wrong, but who's going to tell him that? Certainly not me."

Yoshino pressed further. "This Great Master, who or what is he?"

"The Great Master is the oldest and most powerful darkspawn on the planet by a large margin," Henry explained, looking down. "He's responsible for recruiting sorceresses throughout history. Women with varying potentials for dark magic. Your mother is the latest and the one with the most potential."

"Wait, so darkspawns can make contracts that give magic to humans? How?" Seiza asked, his face filled with dread.

Henry shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. I've lived for a century and a few decades, and while I've never done it myself, humans can make contracts with darkspawns for power and protection. Thankfully, most darkspawns prefer to kill on sight. Humans who live long enough to make a contract are rare. Especially ones with such potential as Kurai."

Seiza looked slightly relieved, and Yoshino, too, agreed that fewer humans wielding such magic without any regulation was a good thing.

Henry sighed. "But because Kurai is unique, he will focus his attention on her constantly. I wouldn't be surprised if he uses magic to keep tabs on her and... Tsuyoi."

Yoshino's eyes widened. "My brother is involved too?!"

Henry nodded. "Yes, just like your mother, he had the potential for a contract and was trained by us to protect her."

"I see..." Yoshino was torn about her brother's involvement but relieved it was to keep their mother safe. "By 'us,' do you mean Uncle Youya and Ambrosius?" she asked, realizing her other uncles were likely darkspawns too.

Henry scratched his neck. "Yeah, they are also darkspawns. Please don't hold it against them. They didn't do it out of malice."

"I understand," Yoshino said, frustration in her voice, but deep down, understanding their intentions. They had hidden the truth to let her live a normal life for fourteen years.

Nozomi raised her hand. "Ok, so what's the Great Master's plan?"

Henry sighed. "We don't know. He avoids the subject when we ask, but considering how many people have died because of it, it's not something we should allow to happen."

Everyone tensed at that. "Is there at least a plan to deal with him?"

Henry nodded. "Yes, we came up with a plan many decades ago. It's not perfect, but the hardest part is out of the way, so it should work. Although..."

"Although...?" Yoshino asked, uneasy.

Henry avoided eye contact. "Although... for the plan to work, we need Nozomi and Seiza's help."

Yoshino realized what he meant and frowned. "Wait, you don't mean..."

Henry nodded reluctantly. "Yes, due to the plan and Kurai's orders, Nozomi will have to fight. But since you aren't a magical girl, you don't need to be involved. You can continue your life as usual if you don't hang out with Nozomi anymore."

"And why would you think I'd agree to that?" Yoshino asked, angered at the suggestion of abandoning her best friend.

Henry shrugged. "I didn't think you would, which is why..." He pointed at her. "I'm offering you a better alternative!"

"A... alternative?" Yoshino raised an eyebrow.

Henry nodded, giving her a smirk. "If you won't back down from the fight, I can at least prepare you for it!"