“What is that supposed to mean?” James asked incredulously. “Are you saying she’s a demon or something?”

  “No, demons have souls,” Kana said, frowning.

  “Depending on what you’re talking about, they’re nothing but soul,” Harue put in.

  “This is nonsense, though,” Kana said forcefully. “Everything has a soul. For someone to be without one is impossible.”

  “Perhaps,” Mitsue said diffidently, “There is some magic hiding her soul?”

  Both girls looked thoughtful.

  “Hmm…” Harue said. “I would normally have noticed any magic on her, but if it was concealment magic, it would probably also hide itself… that could be it.”

  “Wait-wait-wait,” James protested. “Why are you all talking like magic is real?”

  Everyone looked at him.

  “See! I told you!” Harue said.

  “It is cute,” Kana admitted. “Like a fresh-hatched baby.”

  Mitsue reached out to touch James’s shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he said. “When we get some time later, I’ll explain some things.”

  Harue glared at him.

  “—or not,” Mitsue said, backing down.

  “It can’t be anything too bad, or she wouldn’t be allowed in the school,” Harue said. I just thought you guys should know, and that you should be warned in advance, Kana. So you don’t call her out on it the first time you see her.”

  “Should I not?” Kana asked.

  “No, you’re being friendly, remember? Asking personal questions too early in the relationship is prying.”

  “I see. Friendship is more complicated than I thought.”

  “I’ll go through her stuff later, let you know if I find anything out.”

  “Would that not count as prying?”

  “Not if she doesn’t find out,” Harue said smugly.

  “Wait, no, it would totally count as prying!” James protested, “And it's wrong besides!”

  “Only if I get caught,” Harue said, shrugging. “And I’m not going to.”

  “It’s still… are you going to go through my things as well?”

  “I’m pretty sure you don’t have any juicy secrets lying around in there, but you never know. You might have porn! American porn!”

  “Don’t… go through my stuff. Please. Or Mitsue’s, or anybody’s.”

  Harue just grinned.

  “In any case,” Mitsue spoke into the sudden silence. “Now that you have delivered your warning, Harue, perhaps we could prevail on you to find the other girls and have us meet in the common area? James-kun still has unpacking to do, and this way we don’t have boys intruding on the girls’ dorm.”

  “I suppose we can do that.”

  “I want to stay longer,” Kana said. “I want to bask in his fear.”

  Mitsue’s eye twitched again.

  “Please, leave,” he said.

  Kana took more persuading, but eventually, the girls left. Mitsue let out a sigh of relief once the lift doors had closed.

  “You are going to tell me what’s going on now, aren’t you?” James asked.

  “I do not think that would be wise,” Mitsue said nervously. “I don’t know what that woman’s capabilities are. In any case, I think you have already gleaned the gist of it.”

  “What, magic is real?” James scoffed. “Are those two wizards then?”

  “I do not think so,” Mitsue hedged. “My sense only warns of danger; it does not categorise it. Wizards… there are a few types in Japan, but typically they grow in power as they learn more magic. To be so dangerous and so young, makes me think they must have some innate power.”

  “So what does that make them?” James started unpacking. Since the contents of his suitcase hadn’t morphed into magical tools, he was just unpacking clothes.

  “I do not know.” Mitsue shook his head slowly. “Unfortunately, my village was isolated, and I never had the chance to learn of the current landscape of threats. There are monsters, spirits or demons that could give me such a feeling, but there are humans with the power to match them. There are rituals that can empower a person… I do not know.”

  “So this place… is it a magic school? Are we going to be learning about magic?”

  “Oh, no. The curriculum here is the standard Japanese one. It is just that the school caters to an… unusual group of students. It is… not exactly a sanctuary, but a neutral ground, where students can get an ordinary education without worrying about the different factions.”

  James thought back to what had been said. “From what they were saying, you don’t have any magic.”

  “I have… some,” Mitsue said evasively. “Ninjitsu is mostly about enhancing techniques and chemical compounds. Making a smoke bomb produce more smoke, for example.”

  “That’s why you have all the knives?” James asked, “Because you’re a ninja?”

  Here, he felt like he was on familiar ground. Ninjas in Japan, there were movies about that.

  “Oh, I am not a ninja,” Mitsue demurred, dashing James’s hopes. “I’ve been expelled by my village, so I cannot call myself such. The knives are for self-defence.”

  “Against monsters? I think I’m done, by the way, we can head down.”

  Mitsue nodded and got up from the bed. “Against whatever comes.”

  “They seemed a little small for that,” James pointed out.

  “It’s all in how you use them,” Mitsue replied, unperturbed. “Oh, and I should mention that I’ve repurposed our room fridge. If you want to chill drinks and snacks, we should see about getting a new one.

  James glanced over at the small bar fridge as he walked out the door. “Oh? What are you using it for?”

  “I’m storing my spare blood in it.”

  James was still arguing when he came out of the lift.

  “But it’s unsanitary!”

  “Not at all, the packages are properly sealed. But that is why we can’t store food in there,” Mitsue replied calmly.

  “And it really is your blood?”

  “Yes, I draw a new bag every month to ensure that I have a fresh supply. If you are interested in your own emergency supply, I can show you how—”

  “No!” James exclaimed and then forced himself to calm down. “No. Anyway, I see the girls, let’s not talk about this in front of them.”

  “Very wise.”

  The boys got some food for themselves and then joined the girls at one of the tables that were evenly spaced about the large hall. The tables sat eight, so there was plenty of room. James’s heart skipped a beat when he saw there was a seat free next to Suki.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  The smile that Suki gave him as they approached made him forget all about the horrors of his recent elevator trip. She waved at him as he approached.

  “Hi, James St John!” she said brightly.

  “Ah, you can just call me James,” he said, blushing. Sitting next to Suki left him sitting opposite Harue, who was giving him a smile that could either be a friendly grin or a knowing smirk. Sitting on the same side of the long table was Kana, leaving a seat empty between them.

  “I like how it sounds, James, Saint, John. It’s got a rhythm to it,” Suki said airily. “I suppose it’s too long to use all the time, though.”

  Mitsue took the seat next to James, as far away from Kana as was possible. One more girl was sitting at the table, a Japanese girl whom James didn’t know.

  “Oh, I should introduce you,” Suki realised. “This is Toei Matsuri, my roommate. Matsuri, this is Kageya Mitsue and James St John.”

  She giggled. “Only he’s American, so his name is the wrong way round. Maybe I should say, Saint John James.”

  “Just James is fine,” he repeated. Mitsue inclined his head to the new girl.

  “I’m pleased to meet you, Mitsue-san, James-san,” Matsuri said.

  “Uh, your last name… are you related to the Professor?” James asked hesitantly.

  “You have met my father, yes. That is the reason that I am here early; we live on the island. My father was very pleased to hear that you will be attending our humble school.”

  “That can’t be right,” James protested. “I was enrolled by accident.”

  Matsuri gave him a scornful look, but James was distracted by Harue’s snicker. When he looked at her, she mouthed “Secret Destiny” in an exaggerated fashion.

  “Does anyone have any ideas about what clubs they’d like to join?” Suki asked, perhaps in reaction to Matsuri’s scowl. “I’m not sure what I’d like to do, and I wouldn’t want to join a club on my own.”

  “There are a number of martial arts clubs available,” Mitsue suggested. “If your self-defence training is as lacking as you suggested, James, you could do worse than pick one of those.”

  “Are you kidding?” Matsuri put in. “This is one of the only schools in Japan that has frame maintenance facilities. You’d have to be crazy not to join the Frame Club!”

  “Eh, I’m not really sure that giant robots are going to catch on,” Harue said dismissively.

  “You—You’re—They already have!” Matsuri exclaimed. “They’re being used in all kinds of places… in the military, in construction.”

  “Are they though?” Harue wondered. “A few show pieces to get headlines doesn’t change the fact that they’re too expensive and slow to be really useful.”

  “They’re not slow!” Matsuri exclaimed, her face going red. “You come to the club and I’ll show you!”

  “Sure, sure,” Harue said lazily. “Maybe tomorrow? I could use a workout and a laugh.”

  “You’ll be laughing out the other end of… your face,” Matsuri said, losing track of her retort halfway through.

  “What club are you thinking about then?” Suki asked Harue, deftly changing the subject.

  Harue grinned. “Oh! I’m not sure if there’s one already, but I just might start one. Idol club!”

  “What’s that?” Kana asked. To James’s surprise, there were blank looks on just about everyone’s faces. Well, Matsuri was still angrily glaring at Harue.

  Harue was equally surprised at the reception. “You know, you practice being an idol group. You sing and dance and wear pretty costumes on a stage. Idols!”

  “That sounds nice, I like singing and dancing,” Suki said. “Can boys join?” She looked at James.

  “They absolutely can,” Harue said, grinning at James, “But you should know that all the girls will be chasing after the boy idols.”

  “Oh,” Suki said, disappointed. “You shouldn’t do that one then, I want you all to myself,” she said to James, who immediately started blushing.

  “These idols are strongly desired, then?” Kana asked. “As sexual partners?”

  “No, no, no,” Harue said. “Idols are pure! Symbols of love and friendship.” She looked slyly at Kana. “They’re idolised by the masses. Almost worshipped at times.”

  “I see,” Kana said, “This sounds interesting. I’m sure singing and dancing will prove no challenge for me.”

  “Idols are way less interesting than frames,” Matsuri mumbled. “Frames can blow them right off the stage.”

  “Nonsense!” Harue said. “Idols beat frames using the power of Love!” She arranged her fingers into a heart shape and pointed them at Matsuri. “Haru-beam pow!”

  Mitsue was the only one to flinch, and hence the only one to look embarrassed when nothing happened. The rest of the table giggled or laughed or looked on stony-faced, depending on their preferences.

  Lunch continued. The food was Japanese, of course, but James’s parents had been such fans of Japanese culture that they’d dragged him and his sisters to every ‘authentic’ Japanese restaurant in California they could find. So he was familiar with the food, enough that he didn’t flinch when they asked him to eat natto.

  “An American who eats natto? Will wonders never cease?” Harue exclaimed. Then, a shadow fell across the table.

  “Hello again, fellow students,” Fujitaka said. “Are you ready for your tour?”

  “And this is the main academic building!” Fujitaka proclaimed. The entire table had come along. Matsuri claimed that she didn’t need a tour, but she’d agreed to come along when Fujitaka agreed to include the Frame Shed and the mechanical workshop.

  Right now, though, they were in front of a large rectangular building, three stories high. Fujitaka led them through the main entrance, automatic glass doors sliding away as they approached. Instead of taking off their shoes, he took them through another set of glass doors, leading into a large courtyard. It was surrounded by a wide, covered walkway that was copiously supplied with bench seating.

  “This is where you’ll be eating lunch if you’re not eating in the cafeteria,” Fujitaka told them. “Now, the classes are numbered starting on the left as you go in, and proceed clockwise around the building.” He gestured to indicate what he meant. “Now—”

  He paused, puzzled by the thudding sound that they could all hear.

  “What is that?” he said. At that moment, there was a hiss and a loud clank, as something fell into the courtyard. Smoke began billowing from it.

  “What the?” he exclaimed, as more canisters clunked into the quadrangle. The thudding noise grew louder, becoming overpowering.

  “Look!” Suki said. James could barely hear her, but he could see her pointing in the air. When he looked, he was shocked to see a military helicopter flying over the roof of the building.

  “Everybody inside!” Fujitaka yelled, shepherding the group back under the awning. The first-floor classrooms opened onto the courtyard, and he herded the group into one.

  The last thing James saw before his view was blocked by the awning and the rapidly rising clouds of smoke was soldiers in gas masks and camouflage uniforms rappelling down from the helicopter.

  “The samples…” Fujitaka muttered to himself as he got them all inside. “Stay here,” he told them. “The door locks from the inside, and I doubt they’ll come after you. You should be safe here.”

  With that, he slid the door shut.

  James looked around at his fellow students. They looked back, just as shocked and appalled at the school’s sudden descent into chaos as he was. Well, most of them were.

  “Nuts to that, this looks like fun!” Harue said, yanking the door open and dashing outside. Before James could even react, she was lost in the smoke.

  “We should go out there,” Mitsue said. “Our school is under attack; we must defend it.” He made as if to leave, but he was brought short by Suki’s protest.

  “Wait!” she called out. “I can’t go out there! I don’t feel safe attacking trained soldiers.”

  Mitsue looked back at her. “It might be best if you stayed here,” he said. “James can protect you.”

  The look of gratitude that Suki shot at him was almost enough to make James say something stupid, but his instinct for self-preservation got in the way.

  “Are you kidding me?” he protested. “I can’t stop an armed soldier!”

  “Interesting,” Kana said, stepping forward. “I too wish to test myself against these soldiers. You will come with me, and I will keep you safe.”

  Mitsue froze, and it looked like he was having a very quick, very intense internal discussion with himself. Then he bowed.

  “As you say, Kana-sama. Then—”

  There was a crash, as a soldier fell through the roof of the walkway.

  Did he fall from the helicopter? James wondered. He didn’t think so, since from the sound of it, the helicopter was landing somewhere in the courtyard. The downwash from it was blowing the smoke around, but with nowhere to go, it just whirled around in eddies, not actually dispersing.

  The soldier was missing his gas mask but from the unnatural angles of his limbs and the way he wasn’t moving at all, James didn’t think he’d be needing it.

  Mitsue knelt by the body and started removing items from the man’s belt. “I shall leave their safety in your hands, Kana-sama. I will attempt to cut off their escape.”

  He headed off in the direction where the helicopter sounds were coming from.

  Kana snorted with amusement. “This way, everyone!” she shouted and headed off down the walkway. The girls, Suki and Matsuri, hurried after her.

  “Wait!” James called, but a gust of smoke got in his lungs and he started coughing. Then he felt a presence behind him.

  The first thing he saw was the expressionless visage of a gas mask, but he quickly realised that Harue was wearing it.

  “This is fun!” she said, he voice muffled by her mask. “The masks are pretty ugly but they do help with the breathing. You want to borrow it?”

  “No, I’m fine,” James said, carefully taking only shallow breaths. “Can you… help the others?”

  “Sure, sure,” she said, turning him around and helping him in the right direction. “Not that they need help, they—”

  Another soldier flew into view, this one travelling horizontally. He bounced once, and then tumbled to a stop about five feet away from James, lying face up. James stared at the second dead body that he’d ever seen.

  The soldier had four gouges ripped into his chest, all parallel. They looked deep, like someone had slashed him with a sword four times.

  A claw? James thought, but it couldn’t be. If it was a claw, it would have been more than a foot wide…

  “—can take care of themselves,” Harue said blithely as if she hadn’t been interrupted. “Whoops! I think they’re leaving!”

  James thought she might be right. He could see figures moving through the smoke, in the direction that Mitsue had gone. Then there was a thunderous explosion. The sound of the helicopter became distorted, and then quickly became tortured, devolving into a scream of metal drowning out what James thought must be the very human screams of the people closer to what happened.

  “Whoops!” Harue said again, casually dragging him out of the way of a piece of metal that went flying by.

  Mitsue appeared nearby.

  “Nice!” Harue said brightly, “I didn’t know ninjas were using grenades now.”

  Mitsue bowed. “They brought with them all the tools of their demise,” he said smugly. Then he frowned. James-san… has your necklace ever glowed before?”

  “Huh?” Harue asked, turning to look at James. “What is that?” she asked, reaching for him.

  “What are you guys talking about?” James asked. He looked down. There was a green glow shining from his shirt. Puzzled, he pulled out his necklace.

  It was just an ornament, a fanciful model of a sword that you might see in an RPG. Too wide to lift if it had been full-sized, and ornately carved in ways that would have rendered it impractical as a weapon. James had thought it was so cool when he was eight, and now it was just… something that was his.

  Now it was glowing a bright green.

  “That’s really… weird,” was all that James managed to say. As the words left his mouth, he felt all his strength drain away. Everything went black, and he fell unconscious so quickly that he didn’t feel himself hitting the ground.