"...What? Just mock me if you want. I don't care."
"..." The girl sighed at me before crouching next to me.
She raised her right hand and I closed my eyes preparing for the impact.
But instead of a slap, I wasn't expecting her to take my injured left arm.
I opened my eyes to see the white haired girl putting a cat bandage on the wound on my elbow.
"Han Minri."
"Huh? You're Yamauchi Yukiko right?"
"It's my real name."
"Han Minri... You're Chinese..?"
"It's Korean, dummy."
"Ko...rea..? What's that?"
The girls just sighed again and smirked, "You'll know when you get smarter. Come on, let's get your wounds fixed."
Yamauchi Yukiko is a transfer student in our school. She just transferred around two months ago in the middle of semester.
It's suspicious of her to transfer in this time of school year...
Is she some kind of a spy or something?!
"You seem to have a lot of questions for me huh?"
"Wha-- are you a psychic or something?!"
"Hmm..." She stopped in her track and I stopped too since I was following behind her.
She turned around with the same smile on her face, "Maybe?" Then she started to walk again.
We reached her home and she attended to my wounds with a first aid kit. I looked around the house while she put a bandage on my bloody knee. The house is big and neatly decorated. Some of the stuff in the house seems like a really expensive stuff.
Yet I don't see a single soul passing by.
"Is your family not around?"
"Mhm. Father is working overtime today."
"What about the others?"
"My mother, brother, and sister is in Russia. I just tag along my father all the time around the world."
"Around the world?"
The girl nodded, finishing applying to my knee. "I was born in Japan, then my parents stayed in Korea for two years, we moved to Russia after that and I've been following my father ever since I hit the age of four."
"Oh... so Korea is a region name." I mumbled to myself. "Where else have you gone to?" I asked with a bit of excitement and curiosity.
"Hmm let's see... Spain, China, Portuguese, Thailand, Filipina..."
"Whoa that's a lot of name I never heard of."
The girl chuckled, "Must be hard when you're living with your grandfather only."
Hm? How did she...?
"Father told me to get along well with you since he knows your grandfather well."
"Oh."
Minri's smile slowly turning into an apologetic one, "I heard about your grandfather's health too... It must've been tough for you."
I sighed before scowling at her, "I don't know what you mean by hard. As you can see I can handle all of things myself very well." I said as I crossed my arms. "...I appreciate your concern though. Thanks."
The girl smiled softly before standing from her seat.
She then pointed at me with her right hand and her left hand resting on her hip. Eyes showing determination all over.
"Alright then, I've decided... Adachi Leon. I hereby declare you as the witch's accomplice!"
". . . Eh?"
• • •
I smiled at the memory as I held the photo of me and Minri on my hands. We were holding hands with me trying so hard to not cry from a big bruise and Minri just smiled softly at the camera.
It's been so many years since our first meet and many things happened since then.
My grandfather passed away and Mr. Yamauchi took me under his wings to protect his family in exchange of living comfortably.
Even though... Minri has no need in having a knight.
She's a strong girl. Much, much stronger than me.
Whether in academic, soccer, material arts, even creativity, she's just much better than anyone that I know.
In the past, I thought that she might be a perfect human.
But I was wrong.
Reality was way uglier than I had thought.
• • •
Knock knock!
Knock knock!
"Min-chan... Please come out..." Mihime cried out softly while leaning to the door of Minri's room.
"Move Hime. I'll kick the door down." I said bringing out my legs to kick it.
"Stop it." Minri's mumbled voice coming out from behind the door. "What do you get from kicking the door? It's pointless."
Her cheeky voice that always teases me is now gone. All that I heard is just an emotionless voice that surprisingly suited her.
Though I can only imagine about it since she hasn't come out from her room the pass few days.
"Min-chan... At least, eat please... We're worried about you." Mihime cried again. I looked at the sad girl beside me. Her eyes looks like it would burst out any moment.
"Leave the food outside... And give me some time. I swear I'll come out soon." Minri emotionlessly said before I hear her step away from the door.
What the hell happened to her while I was away?!
Mihime and Riku won't tell me anything, even her grandfather can't do anything about it and Mr. Yamauchi is nowhere to be found.
I persuaded Mihime to tell me about what had happened while I was away training with grandpa Yamauchi's people.
"Leon-kun... You really haven't heard anything about it?"
"Uncle Yamauchi... He was murdered in front of Minri's eyes."
• • •
Knock knock.
"Hey... You there?"
No response.
Knock knock
"Ojou."
Nothing.
She hasn't answered any of our knocks since yesterday.
What if...?
Knock knock! Knock knock!
KNOCK KNOCK!
"OI! MINRI!"
BAM! BAM!
BAM!!
I barged open the door with all my might. My left arm throbbed in pain as the door finally opened but I couldn't careless about it.
"OJOU!" I yelled as I find her collapsed on the floor.
"OJOU! MINRI! MINRI! SOMEBODY HELP!"
Wake up.
WAKE UP!
I swear to God I won't forgive you if you also leave me alone.
Of all people why you?!
Please don't leave me.
Please.
• • •
Her petite body is lying down peacefully on the hospital bed in front of my eyes.
Her face is pale and she got much more skinnier than the last time I saw her. The last time I saw her... She would smirked cheekly at me while I got tricked by one of her teasing.
Now that smile is just nowhere to be seen.
"Just what the hell are you fighting against?" I mumbled frustratingly to no one in particular while grabbing to the white sheet of the hospital bed she is currently lying on.
"Tell me... Speak to me... I'm the witch's accomplice... Right...?"
"I can't understand you at all... You... you rockhead!"
• • •
I chuckled bitterly at the memory.
I was helpless at the time, that I panicked when I thought that I could lose her anytime right now.
She was my saviour and I owe her my life.
But before I knew it, that feeling of gratefulness has turned into some sort of an obsession.
I fell in love with her.
But I can't be the knight that protects the witch tower for her.
She was never been the witch in the first place.
She's not a witch, nor she's a mere human.
And she doesn't need a knight. What she needs is a mage that can give her more power than she already have.
That's just what a girl named Han Minri is.
She's someone that I can't reach.
But even if the world forbids me, I would still pursued her.
Until I can look away from her, I will never stop.
Never.
Because no matter what, she's my saviour and I owe her my life.
My life belongs to her.