Onihunter Yuna 2

111 A Huntress?! (Present)

The girl on the floor picked up the can and looked at it. As she turned the object slowly, ice began to spread. A barely audible crackle went through the air as the ice crystals grew and covered more and more of the metal.

"What the hell?" Hikari paused and backed away, then looked uncertainly into the other girl's eyes. "What is happening?"

"I have magical powers, Hikari-chan."

Uncertain, she laughed. "Come on. That must be some kind of trick."

"No. No trick." She hurled the can away and fired a blast of ice, causing the can to freeze and fall to the ground, where it splintered. Grinning, Yukiko looked at her classmate.

"Wow. That's incredible!" Hikari exclaimed. "How do you do that?"

"It's magic. I can do it."

The black-haired girl knelt down in front of the other girl. "And what does that have to do with Yuna?"

"She's not what she seems to be."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"She's an oni."

"No, that's not true. She is my best friend."

"And it couldn't be that she's been changing lately?" Hikari's face relaxed completely as she thought about the words. Yuna had changed. "Yes, but she has a terrible time behind her."

Yukiko snorted. "Listen. I know a thing or two about these things. This creature is no longer your friend, but a monster. At the moment, it still tries to behave like Yuna Masuda, but at some point it will attack people. It will attack you at some point."

"I-I don't believe that." She thought about how her best friend had behaved in recent months. Sometimes she had been a bit unpredictable. And moody, too, but she'd put that down to the loss of her family. "That's not true, Yuki-chan."

"Isn't she more aggressive than she used to be? Did she attack classmates earlier?"

"She's different... but that's normal after all she's been through. And you provoked her."

"You are a really great friend. Even though she treats you like shit, you stick to her." Yukiko looked down. "I wish I had someone like you."

"She doesn't treat me like shit. She... she just has a lot on her mind." Slowly, Hikari got a bit unsure, but she trusted her instinct, and it clearly told her that Yuna was her best friend and needed her support.

"I don't want to lie to you, Hikari-chan." Yukiko reached out and touched Hikari's forearm. "I will kill this creature. This is my mission."

All color disappeared from Hikari's face. "W-what?"

"She's a monster and must be destroyed. That's why I'm here. To destroy her."

"Please don't do that. There is certainly another way."

Shaking her head, Yukiko replied, "Unfortunately not, but I'll leave her alone as long as she behaves. When she finally becomes a monster, I will destroy her."

"Please don't. I need her. She's my best friend."

The oni smiled playfully tortured. "I would like to be your friend, but when my mission is done here, I have to move on and destroy the next oni. That's my job as a huntress."

Hikari got up abruptly. "I don't know... I..."

Yukiko also got up on her feet. "It was really good to be able to talk to someone about this. I really would like to be your friend."

Confused, the black-haired girl blinked. "I..."

"Please keep this secret to yourself, Hikari-chan. I trust you, as I've never trusted anyone." Without hesitation, Yukiko passed the other high-school student. She glanced over her shoulder to see if Hikari was already moving, but she had stopped dead in her tracks and stared holes in the air. Let's see how this thing evolves.

***

Hikari sat at a desk and rested her head on her arms. Absent, she followed the action in the classroom. Only two more days until the school festival. The students worked on the costumes for the waiters and practiced working the coffee machine. She squinted at Yuna, who was standing with Rin and Nisha, listening to the two discussing.

Who are you really? Is Yukiko right and you are a monster? How can I find out the truth if you don't trust me?

Yukiko stayed away from school in the afternoon. Her story was like a story from a manga. And unfortunately, Hikari had to admit that it happened in such stories over and over again that a classmate turned out to be something that he didn't seem to be. And Yuna had changed a lot, but what should she believe? Who could she trust?

"Everything okay?"

Hikari looked up and into the face of her best friend. "I guess."

Yuna smiled. "You look so fucking tired."

"Yes. There's so much going through my head."

"Hm."

"What's your secret, Yuna-chan?" Hikari asked straight out.

"My secret? I have no secret." The blue-haired girl raised her hands defensively. "I mean, you know me. I'm the most boring person out there."

"You're rich."

Thoughtfully, Yuna rolled her eyes upwards. "You're right. I don't think of that myself. It's so surreal."

"And that's the only thing that has changed?"

"Of course. I mean, so much has changed since the beginning of the year, but lately that's just it."

"You would tell me everything, right? You have no secrets from me, right?" Hikari asked.

Sighing, Yuna stroked her hair. "Everyone has secrets, Hikari-chan. But I share with you everything that I can answer for. Please don't push me, okay?"

"And you really can't tell me what's going on between you and Yukiko?"

The blue-haired girl reached out with her right little finger. "I'll be able to tell you someday, I promise you, Hikari-chan."

"Okay." Hikari hooked up and they sealed their promise.