Shinai Academy, Hallway between class 1-S and 1-A, May 2st, 0755 hours.
“Sumire-chan!” Kaito hurries over as she makes her way towards the classroom. A few other Swallows are nearby and greet them warmly.
“Kaito-kun! Your recovery time is a little creepy.” Sumire examines the color change of his bruises closely. No matter how you look at it that’s just…
Kaito laughs nervously. “Sumire-chan, you really do have an interesting way of saying things.”
Sumire is completely blunt and speaks with years of combat experience. “No. Really. It’s not normal. Even I don’t heal that fast.” She points to the bandage over her eye. Kaito frowns.
“You got that because of me…” He looks worried, but Sumire just gives him an easy smile and playfully punches his shoulder.
“Not a problem! Jeez…”
“Hey! You two!” It’s Yoshida, a Sparrow from class 1-A. “Looks like everyone came today, so Banchou said we’ll be meeting for lunch on the roof.”
The roof? Isn’t that Shinji’s hang out? But Shinji said we should wait…
Sumire is flustered. “Ah… the roof? Um…”
“Yeah. There are so many of us, it causes problems in the cafeteria if we go. So we usually meet up on the roof. Don’t worry. There’s usually only one other guy there and he’ll leave us alone.”
But Sumire is worried. Shinji… You’ve been all alone this whole time…
Shinai Academy, Class 1-S, May 2nd, 1000 hours.
It’s the second break between classes and Sumire is still fretting about lunch. She doesn’t even notice the three girls who walk in and stride toward her desk.
“Tanaka Sumire-san?”
Sumire glances up. “Eh? That’s me.”
“We want to have a word with you.”
Sumire is clueless. “About what?”
“Come with us.”
“Just tell me here. Breaks are short. My time is valuable.” She’s still only half paying attention to them, and the girls are clearly getting annoyed. Ito looks terrified. It’s Ito’s expression that grabs Sumire’s attention.
“What’s wrong, Ito-kun?”
He doesn’t respond and turns away from her. She frowns. Well what’s that all about?
Kaito comes over and sits on Sumire’s desk, deliberately blocking the girls from Sumire. “What do you guys want with Sumire-chan?”
The girls look flustered. “Kaito-sama! Is… she a… friend of yours?”
He glances back at Sumire. Something is clearly troubling her, but… As a Sparrow, he knows he won’t help her reputation if he’s overprotective. “I’ll let her explain it on her own time. But she’s right. Come at lunch or after school; during break is just a hassle.”
The girls smile pettishly and flirt with Kaito before leaving.
“The girls sure do like you, huh, Kaito?”
Kaito laughs. “It’s nothing to Banch—“
He stops himself, remembering what he glimpsed in the hospital room. I think Banchou really likes this girl. So saying something like that might give her the wrong idea…
YOU ARE READING
Shori No Megami
Teen FictionHanketsu Mai died at the hands of a yakuza assassination five years ago at the tender age of eleven. She is reborn as Captain Sumire after spending the past five years in The Academy, a unique school that trains special operatives and spies recruite...
