The members of SEES were having breakfast in the lounge , before they would go to school for another day for studying . Shinjiro and Akihiko were bickering as usual about how Shinjiro didn't prepare the breakfast for them , while Mitsuru pretty much gave up on trying to silence them . Meanwhile , Junpei was talking with Ken about what Junpei considered ' better shows than Phoenix Ranger Featherman ' , while Ken remained unconvinced , even though he was trying to keep a mature exterior so that Junpei wouldn't realize he was a dedicated fan of that show and make fun of him .
" By the way , where are Minato and Minako ? "
It was only when Yukari pointed out the absence of their leaders that silence governed their morning meeting . The members of SEES looked at each other in uncertainty , as they wondered what happened to the twins , for they were usually the first to wake up . Just then , they heard fast and sharp footsteps at behind them , and turned to face a worried Aigis
" Minato-san and Minako-san are sick ! Their temperature is 39.7⁰C ! "
About two days before that faithful morning , the twins had just arrived to Paulownia mall . They were trying , as much as their current situation allowed , to live their life normally whenever they could . And at night , the two of them decided to visit the arcade and the music shop . They had just entered Paulownia mall , when Minato's phone started ringing . As he looked at the caller , he realized it was Elizabeth . Wondering why she would call him , he picked up the call and answered her.
" yes ? " Minato said nonchalantly
" good evening , master " Elizabeth said in a serious tone " I regret to inform you that you had caught the attention of my older sister , Margaret "
" you ... have a sister ? "
" yes ... I apologize , but it appears she had been observing our showdown . She is interested in yours and lady Minako's skills " Elizabeth said sternly " I should tell you that Margaret is not like us ... she is far stronger than the two of us . If you can avoid fighting her , please consider doing so . My unfortunate brother had been trying to inform his mistress of this situation , but he had been unable to do so due to unforeseen reasons "
" really ? Why wouldn't Theo be able to call her ? " Minato looked at his sister , a look that changed into a glare when she awkwardly showed him her dead phone . He sighed as he returned to his conversation with Elizabeth " thanks for the warning , we'll keep what you said in mind"
" of course , master "
" and you can tell Theodore that I told his ditz of a mistress what he wanted to inform her "
" hey , who're you calling a ditz , bro bro ?! " Minako said in objection
" who , I wonder ?! " Minato shot one more glare at his sister as he ended the call " anyway , apparently , the velvet duos have a third sibling , one that they apparently fear . Her name is Margarita and she's apparently interested in fighting us "
" Margarita ? That's her name ? "
" Marginal ... Maggie ... who cares ?! " Minato scoffed " just more headache for me , because I definitely didn't have ANYTHING on my plate !!! "
" okay , we can't have frownies here , can we ? " Minako playfully poked Minato's cheek , before walked forward happily " what do you say we cheer you up ? We're here to forget about the pressure and have fun , right ? "
" sure .... I guess ... "
" then let's check out that stand over there , I've never seen it before ! "
In the middle of the vast mall , there was a big dark blue box that was about only big enough for one person . The person inside had their face covered by curtains at the front , but at the table before them a handful of cards was spread . It seemed like it was the craft of a fortune teller or a magician . When Minato saw that , he immediately lost interest , as this wasn't something he was fond of . However the person in the box pointed at them and called them in a stern feminine voice by their names . At that point they couldn't just ignore her .
" Who are you ? How do you know our names ? " Minato demanded
" You can say that my eyes see beyond what you can see "
" So you're a fortune teller ? " Minako asked skeptically
" Some people refer to me that way "
" Okay , sorry but I don't buy this stuff " Minato shrugged as he turned to walk away
" Of course ... With the incidents surrounding the mysterious midnight phenomenon , even I can't be certain of the future "
" What ?! " The twins glared at the box in disbelief
" I believe it is commonly known as ... What was it again ... The Dark Hour ? Quite the paradoxical phenomenon , wouldn't you say ? "
" What ... What are you ... ? " Minato tried to regather his composure , and said in a challenging tone " what are you even talking about ? Dark Hour ? Forget being a lying fortune teller , you're actually crazy ! "
" Hehe ... I see ... " The voice behind the curtain seemed unfazed " then I suppose your little SEES group , and those evokers you hide are just my hallucinations ? "
The twins were terrified , they were completely robbed off of words as they stared at the blue box . Many questions swarmed their heads , about how the person behind the curtains knew so much about them . It was not like typical fortune tellers who vaguely tell you about your fortune , that person was very specific and straight to the point , it was as if she knew them in person .
" What do you want ? " Minato asked with anger that was concealing his disturbed mind
" I want nothing ... I'm just a magician out to earn my bread ... What I did was only to prove to you that my skills are the real deal "
" Minato ... What should we do ? " Not sure of what to do or what to believe , Minako asked her brother anxiously
" You think I'm some kind of an idiot , is that it ?! " Minato glared at the blue box before them , before he swiftly pulled the curtain aside and exclaimed " the jig is up , Margarita !!! "
" Who are you calling ' Margarita ' ?! "
The twins , expecting to see a woman with grey hair and yellow eyes , were shocked to see a teenage girl with pixie-cut black hair and blue eyes chewing a gum and shooting them with hostility . The girl was dressed interestingly and unlike anyone they had met , but she certainly did not seem like a resident of the velvet room . The girl glared at them as she pulled the curtain , covering herself before they could ask her any questions .
" you're lucky I wasn't in the middle of preforming one of my magic tricks , otherwise you would've faced serious consequences ! " the girl spoke behind the curtain in a more angry voice " my magic tricks are built upon secrets that define my trade , and I will not allow them to be spread into the unknowing public , understand ?! "
" r—right ... "
" you ... you don't seem older than us ... what's your name ? " Minako tried to be more friendly
" Mary ... " the girl didn't sound interested " so you don't believe in fortune telling ... to be honest , me neither ... "
" I'm sorry , what ? " Minato said in disbelief " you're a fortune teller ... but you don't believe in fortune telling ? "
" but you did know who we are ... " Minako said curiously
" that's not fortune telling , stupid ! Fortune telling means telling you about the future ! "
" I ... uh ... right ... "
" but why are you confined in this box if you don't like fortune telling ?! " Minato demanded
" look , this business is do or die for me ! If I don't pull this off , I might as well hang myself ! What does a superficial idiot like you know about my life anyway ?! " Mary hissed at them " ugh ! My day was already off to a terrible start , I don't need you wasting my time ! Do you want your stupid fortune told to you , or do you want a magic trick , or do you just want to piss me off ?!! "
" ... you know what ? " Minato was getting really tired from her insensitive and insulting attitude , so he said with a disgusted glare " I want you to find the nearest manhole and dip your head in it " before walking away
" wh—what ?! You ... you ... " Mary was appalled , and she stuttered for a second , before erupting into an incomprehensible tantrum against Minato who was walking away from her , as her head turned red both from embarrassment and rage " ohyoustupidinsultingmanholeIhateyouIwouldn'tbeputtingupwiththisifitweren'tforthatswindlingdummy !!! "
" wait , bro bro ! Wait ! " Minako stopped him , before turning to Mary and saying to her eagerly " you like doing magic tricks , right? "
" I ... well ... yeah ... I guess ... " Mary sighed and grumbled " like I'm just doing a magic trick to you after you insulted me so ... "
" then don't ... " Minato forcefully pulled himself away from his sister , and pretty much ignored her attempts to dissuade him
" hmph ... I hate this ... I should just ... huh ? " Mary noticed something among the crowd of the mall , and she seemed to immediately change her mind , so she quickly called the twins back
" oh , you changed your mind ?! " Minako eagerly turned back , tugging at a reluctant and frustrated Minato who was right behind her " do you want to do a magic trick for us ? "
" I ... well ... " Mary took a deep breath , and said " yes ... please let me preform a magic trick in front of you ... "
" Minato ?! " Minako's eager eyes turned to her brother
" why do you even want to do this ? " Minato glared at her
" well , I think an entire day of doing something she hates has soured her mood , don't you ? Maybe we can help her a little ? "
" look , I'm sorry about earlier , but I need to do this job ! " Mary exclaimed earnestly , with more sincerity this time " like I said , if I fail , I could just hang...! "
" okay , shut up ! " Minato groaned " just get on with your stupid magic trick so I can carry on with my day ! "
With that , the twins stood in front of Mary in her weird blue box , as she set out to do her magic trick . She folded fifteen blue cards before them , five horizontally and three vertically . She then gave each one of the twins a needle and told them to prick their thumbs with it before pressing their thumbs on one card that they choose . Confused , the twins chose to do what they were told , as they pricked their thumbs before pressing them on a random card , with Minato choosing his card almost instantly with little thought while his sister was more hesitant about her choice . Mary gathered the cards and began shuffling them before the twins , her look changed to a more serious one as her eyes remained fixated on the twins .
" I'm going to ask you a few questions , answer them instinctively with little thinking, understand ? " Mary said in an almost automatic voice , as she continued to reshuffle the cards " clear your mind and imagine with me that you're walking through an empty building , what that building is and what it looks like is decided by the first thing that you imagine ... what did you imagine ? "
" a school? " Minako said with uncertainty
" I thought of a hospital... " Minato mumbled
" good ... keep the image of that place in your mind " Mary said sternly , her shuffling of the cards was almost hypnotizing " you wander through this building , and you find someone you don't recognize . What are they like ? How do you feel about them ? "
" a businessman wearing a sunglasses ... in the building ... for some reason ... " Minato said as he closed his eyes to try and imagine him " I don't trust him "
" a little girl ... she looks scared ... I don't know about trust or doubt but I want to help her " Minako said thoughtfully
" good ... good ... " Mary suddenly stopped shuffling the cards " now your imagination is mine and everything within it bends to my will ! ... the building is engulfed in darkness , and you're left in the dark with the person you described ! "
" what ?! "
Scarily , the twins suddenly found themselves in the darkness , they could neither see , hear or speak . It was as if they were dreaming . Minako found herself in a dimly lit corridor in a school , with doors that lead to classrooms on each side , when she felt someone was behind her , he turned and saw the very girl she imagined , standing behind her . Minako wanted to talk to the girl , but she couldn't find her voice , and the girl didn't respond to anything that Minako did . Suddenly , Minako began hearing something shattering outside , and as if she was in a dream , she left the girl and ran toward the sound . Her feet led her to a place she recognized all too well , it was Inaba , more specifically her aunt's house , on the street in front of the house , there was a floating wine glass , filled with crimson wine . It would shatter and spill on the ground , before recombining and floating , then shattering , over and over again ...
As for Minato , his hallucinations were more intense . He found himself in the hospital, anxiously running from the man walking toward him , but never able to escape his regular walking pace . As he continued to run and stumble through the hospital , he began hearing cries and sobs of someone . His heart stirred , and he felt eager to meet and protect the person behind that voice . His escape became a search for the person behind those sobs , while also trying to stop the man from chasing him . Sometimes he would catch the glimpse of a kid running away from him , but then he would hear the cries and weeping from somewhere else entirely . He was confused , disoriented and scared . His hallucinations peaked when he opened a door , only to find the man he was trying to escape , standing right in front of him .
" wake up ! "
Mary's stern voice brought them back to reality , as they opened their eyes to see her standing right in front of them . She had folded the cards before them once again , and asked them to pick a card . Each of the twins picked a card , and found their bloody print on it . After that strange vision that each of them saw , they were uncertain of what was happening before them . They wondered how they managed to pick the very cards that they had stamped with their blood , but apparently the trick was not over yet . As Mary swiped her hand across the cards , they disappeared , before she flipped her thumb and forefinger before the twins , revealing two cards with a bloody print on them .
" I hope you like it , since it's the only ' magic trick ' I can preform " Mary said nonchalantly as she popped a bubblegum " my friend calls it ... what was it again ...' the velvet bridge between worlds ' ... but I just prefer to call it Streetpass "
" those cards ... were the magic trick ? " Minako stared at the card in shock
" what ... what exactly happened ? "
" they are an exact copy of the cards you printed , from the fingerprint to the serum of the blood , brought from an another dimension, if you would believe "
" that ... that's amazing ! " Minako exclaimed excitedly " how did you do it ?! I know magic is about illusions , but this transcends the laws of physics ! "
" sorry , but secrets are my trade , I can't tell you "
" okay ... that was ... interesting ... " Minato was more unsettled than impressed " thanks for the show , Mary "
" sure ... you're welcome ... I guess ... "
Mary watched the twins leave , as she exited the box from which she was preforming . Her eyes met a woman in blue with grey hair and golden eyes that was approaching her , and she immediately frowned . When the two of them met , she folded her hand to her sternly , as if she was demanding something . The woman handed her a notebook , Mary quickly and spitefully snatched it away from her .
" stupid Margaret ! " Mary hissed at the woman " using my poems to wrap me around your silly games , I hate you ! "
" oh ... and your end of the bargain ? "
" here ! " Mary practically threw the two cards at her friend's face , but she swiftly received them " now keep me out of your crazy shenanigans ! "
" of course ... " Margaret turned her face away from the furious girl who walked away angrily , as she gazed at the two cards with the bloody print on it.
By then , the twins had arrived at the dorm . For some reason , they were both very tired , and they quickly retired to their rooms and prepared to sleep . By the time they slumped into their beds , they could tell that something was amiss , and that the exhaustion they were experiencing was not normal . However , their consciousness was slipping away faster than they could think of what could be causing fatiguing sensation , and before long , they were both asleep .
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