March 1. Fourteen and a half years old. Japan.

My back was against the bathroom stall’s wall. As I swiped Yuuhei’s phone, my stomach flipped with butterflies. What would I find out today? Whatever it was, I needed to memorise everything. I didn’t know when any of the information I’d learn would be needed, and I might not have the opportunity to double-check the facts. With a deep breath, I opened the new chapter.

The sky shifted into the yellows and reds of sunset, washing the four kids with orange light. As Ahio limped across the clearing, Tsubasa kept him steady. Whether from pain, despair or both, tears ran down Ahio’s face. Daisuke stood at one end, eyes fixed on the spot Kaede had been moments before. The replacement swordsman, Gen, a tall girl with twin buns of burgundy hair edged towards the cart. She clutched her weapon, a chain mace, so tightly that her knuckles turned white against her brown skin.

‘We have to get her back.’ Ahio winced, trying to lift his arm. Tsubasa stopped him and wiped his face with a handkerchief from his pocket. ‘We have to find her.’

‘We’ll report it as soon as we get to Heikisato,’ said Daisuke. ‘That’s the closest Quest Unit from here.’

‘No,’ said Ahio. ‘We’ll go. There’s no need to waste time going back.’

For a moment, Daisuke and Tsubasa stared at him. Only rustling leaves and Gen messing around with the donkey cart broke the silence.

‘H-how are w-we supposed t-to do th-that?’ asked Tsubasa. His eyes were red-rimmed behind his glasses. ‘And K-Kaede’s f-family, they have t-to k-know.’

‘You’re also in no state to go on a quest, Ahio.’ Daisuke frowned, gesturing at the other boy’s arms.

‘So what, you’d rather wait here while who knows what’s happening to Kaede?’ Ahio snapped. ‘Go back to Heikisato if you want, I will find her.’

Tsubasa nudged Ahio’s shoulder. ‘W-we’re t-trying to help y-you!’

‘You’re not being reasonable, Ahio,’ said Daisuke, brows furrowed. ‘We can’t find her without a plan. Did you check the ground? There aren’t any footsteps to follow. Higher graded swordsmen, maybe even the special squads, would know what to do.’

Ahio trembled, hands balled into fists. Shaking his head, Tsubasa moved closer and ran his palms around Ahio’s back in soothing circles.

Something cracked.

‘Oops,’ said Gen, holding a piece of the cart’s door. ‘This guy had so much stuff inside. Do you think we can sell them for a good price?’

Daisuke took out a notepad and pen. ‘We won’t be selling anything. They’ll be handed to the HQ as confiscated items.’ He glared at her. ‘Take anything valuable out. I’ll keep track of them.’

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Gen sulked but did what she was told. With Daisuke’s help, she pulled out several knick-knacks, from little silver pendants to mouldy old boots. As the shadows grew long, Ahio trudged around the clearing once more.

‘Ahh, look what I found!’ Gen held out her arm in the air, a stone clasped in her fingers. Even in the waning light, the stone shone with a rippling radiance. It was cerulean, with white spirals that swirled in it like a whirlpool.

My breath caught. Why’s that stone mentioned here? My mouth grew dry as I tried to recall what had happened to it. I was going to take it home, going to add it to my collection when...when the man had jumped in. Did it fall? It must have. My heart beat in my ears. Oh gosh, I hoped I hadn’t lost something important.

‘Must be a gemstone.’ Daisuke squinted at it. ‘I’ve added it to the tab, so don’t think about smuggling it with you.’

‘Aww come on, can’t I keep just this?’

As the two squabbled over the items, Ahio scowled at something glinting on the ground at the edge of the forest. He kicked it around, dislodging dirt and leaves. It was a little knife, with butterflies on its blade and hilt.

‘Guys, come over here.’ Ahio crouched, wincing as his arms jolted.

‘W-what is it?’ Tsubasa rushed over then stopped, staring at the knife.

‘Is that…?’ Gen picked it up, twirling it around. With every motion, the butterflies seemed to fly. ‘It is! It’s the kidnapper’s knife. It must have been knocked away when my mace hit his hand.’

Ahio smirked, but his lips were too tight to resemble the mischievous one he’d always had before. ‘I know a seer in Genkoushi. With this knife, he can track the man down.’

Tsubasa fiddled with his collar. ‘W-we’ll still have t-to go t-to H-Heikisato. I-it’s not right, n-not t-elling her f-family.’

Daisuke sighed, shifting his gaze from Ahio to Tsubasa, then Ahio again. ‘Passing Heikisato is the fastest route anyway, with our current supplies at least. And I’ll submit a report, in case we fail.’

‘Fine.’ Ahio gestured at Gen to place the knife in his waist satchel. ‘Let’s get going then. I need my best friend back.’

I closed the tab. Streaks of sweat ran across the screen. As I wiped it off on my uniform, I replayed the chapter in my head, going over every detail to make sure I remembered. With the way things were going, maybe squad eleven would find out everything before the real Kaede got kidnapped. Then I’d know what to do.

The phone safe in my pocket, I pushed the door open. The large mirror showed an empty room with a glinting marble floor. Phew, no one outside.

‘I’m done, Yuuhei.’

‘Yay, I’m hungry!’ He rushed out, licking his lips. ‘I think we have chicken teriyaki today.’

My stomach growled. I handed back his phone and smiled. ‘Yeah, can’t wait.’

We strode through the corridor, careful to not bump against the errant students. Several voices filled the hallway as kids gossiped, played and joked with each other.

‘How did you do in the social studies test?’ Yuuhei scowled and blew his bangs away. ‘My grades were terrible. I’m so done with that subject. Okay, so I didn’t study for it, but it’s so boring!’

I ran a hand through my hair at the mention of the test, but I chuckled. ‘We have another four years of it, unfortunately.’

To tell the truth, my grades had been dropping. Not enough to warrant any attention from my teachers, but enough for me to notice. With everything that was going on, my mum’s plans had backfired. And a small part of me, regardless of how stupid it seemed, wanted it to.