Confessions of the Magpie Wizard Book 3: Dissolution (Chapters 13 & 14) (Patreon)

 Art by the amazing and talented Tiribrush! Link:  https://twitter.com/tiribrush  

Chapter 13

Nagoya, Japan

Thursday, July 20th, 2050

“I dunno, Magpie,” said Kiyo. “Something’s been off with Mariko lately.”

“She has seemed a bit on edge,” I replied. “It wasn’t the first time Rose had harsh words for her. She was much rougher the time she found out Mariko was a pacifist.”

We didn’t meet with Rose for morning jogs on combat training days. The class always began with a five-kilometer run and other warm-up exercises, so it would have been redundant. Not that Rose hadn’t tried to convince us, but Kiyo put her foot down at jogging twice in one day, no matter how much she had improved.

Kiyo had spent the night in my room, a wonderful benefit of her invisibility power, and we were lazing the morning away, playing a game on her GoSato. Well, she played, while I acted as her chair and made commentary. I don’t remember what the game was, but I do recall she called it a survival game. It seemed to be about gathering raw materials, combining them to make items, and then going out to gather better raw materials with no particular end goal. I didn’t see the point, personally, but I did enjoy the time spent with my lady. 

“Yeah, but she’s seemed more irritable. That doesn’t make sense. Things are going good for her, right? She’s got a boyfriend, and Mr. Maki’s being nicer to her. I mean, getting with you fixed everything for me. I don’t see her problem.”

Well, wasn’t that heartwarming? And a tad codependent, if I was being honest. I tossed that into the growing pile of things I didn’t want to think about. A streak of pixels flew at her from behind. “Watch out for that duck,” I said. 

“Game over,” declared a digitized man’s voice. “Play again?”

“Aw, dude, you took too long,” she said. “Next time, you can just say, ‘duck.’”

“I suppose it does convey the message,” I conceded. “Anyway, I wouldn’t worry about her. She’s a contrarian who doesn’t have as much pushback anymore. Maybe she’s just bored.” 

“I guess.” She tapped away, bringing up a view of her barbarian warrior from behind.

“Why do you always play as men? That witch from the select screen was cuter.”

“‘Cause this way I can look at a nice butt while I play,” she said without hesitation. 

“When I play, you won’t let me play the witch,” I said. 

“Yeah, ‘cause then you could look at another girl when it’s your turn. That’s like cheating.”

My retort was cut off by a knock at the door. We both froze in place and Kiyo’s avatar was gored on the horns of a charging goat.

“Game over. Pl-” 

Kiyo shut off the console and stashed it under the sheets. I won’t reprint what she said here, but it summed up my feelings rather nicely. “Who’s going to be here at this time of the morning?”

I didn’t answer. I felt the world slow down, like when the adrenaline hits in a battle. The room was laid out like a narrow corridor, aside from the bathroom on the left side. Kiyo wasn’t the neatest person and she had left yesterday’s uniform strewn about the room. 

I might have helped with that, but in my defense, I wasn’t expecting a raid. 

“Get your clothes and hide in the bathroom,” I hissed as I hopped out of bed. I tossed her a white sock that had been resting on my computer monitor. “I’ll see what they want.”

“Yes, Magpie.”

“And be quiet!” I was harsher than I intended, but it did the job. She blinked away and, with shocking speed, the clothes drew themselves into a ball. 

The knock came again. “Just a moment, I’m getting dressed!” 

“Don’t take too long now,” said a familiar voice. His jovial tone seemed entirely out of keeping with the roaring heartbeat in my ears. 

“Headmaster Tachibana!” His name flew out of my mouth like a curse. I’d have to actually get dressed. If it had been one of my fellow students, I’d have just thrown on a bathrobe. 

I was more disheveled than I’d have liked as I opened the door, but he had knocked a third time. I needed to get him away as soon as possible. “Pleasure to see you, sir. To what do I owe the honor?”

A broad grin split his round face. “Good morning, Mr. Marlowe! It’s been too long since we’ve met face to face. May I come in?”

“I-is that really necessary, sir? I don’t know that…”

He held up a hand to silence me. “I understand a cadet’s home is his castle, but I have to impose. I have an important matter to discuss, and I need to sit while we do it. I had to get a new prosthetic. The doctors insist it’s perfect, but the fit isn’t right yet.” He reached down and knocked on his artificial leg to underscore his point. He had lost it during the early battles between the JSDF and the Grim Horde. 

For once, the military prowess of my people was more a source of terror than pride. “W-well, I just haven’t had the chance to clean, you see.”

I was taller than him, but I couldn’t prevent him from peeking over my shoulder. “It looks fine to me. As long as there’s no contraband in here, I promise to not be offended by anything I see.”

No, not unless he counted a nightgown-clad girlfriend. Bloody Hell! I didn’t see any way to refuse him. “O-of course, sir.” It took all my effort to keep the panic from my voice as I stepped out of the way. He looked dapper in his normal three-piece suit and bowler hat, which was quite the feat for a man with the overall shape of a beach ball. I noted he was leaning against his cane more than normal. “The headmaster of the school is always welcome to visit,” I said a little too loudly, praying to Our Father Below that Kiyo would hear me and take the hint. “Though, this is most irregular. Do you often visit the other students?”

My wheeled computer chair let out a squeak of protest under his bulk, but it held. “Most of the other students don’t get in as much trouble as you do.”

“Trouble, sir?”

“Between the War Game disaster and the attack last month, there’s always some disaster with you.” He chuckled as my face turned pale. “I’m starting to wonder if you have a guilty conscience! You can calm down, Soren. You haven’t done anything wrong. I’m merely in need of your insight.”

I sat down on my bed, being careful of Kiyo’s hidden game console. “Mine, sir? I don’t see what I have to offer. Surely there are more qualified people you could talk to.”

“I’m not here entirely on the record,” he replied. “There are things going on that you should be told about that I don’t want getting out.”

I knew damn well those words would have Kiyo’s ear pressed against the door. “Is this about Obe? Mr. Maki already warned me about that. Simply dreadful, how the Holy Brotherhood can sneak around in plain sight.”

His eyebrow raised. “Oh, did he now? We were told in no uncertain terms that this was classified intelligence. Then again, he was quite insistent about warning you after Central Intelligence briefed us.” Blast it all, I’d violated the first rule of an interrogation: surrender nothing that you aren’t asked about!  “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that, but good on him. With the Holy Brotherhood, vigilance is your best weapon. Even after their failures in Taiwan and at the Serving Wizard’s House, they have agents everywhere.”

“I don’t doubt it, sir.” It was hard keeping my face neutral, but I managed. “What brings you over?”

“It does involve Mr. Maki and secrecy. It is my understanding that he recently began a unit on Proxy Spells for the upcoming War Games.”

“Yes, sir. “

“If I can manage it, I want to fix the flaws in my Peace Bond in time for that. You and Ms. Jones are in the best position to help me out with that, since you were paralyzed by them.”

“I don’t see why you’re keeping this secret.”

Headmaster Tachibana put a finger to his lips. “Between you and me, Asahi thinks the whole experiment is a waste of time, and the teacher’s council agreed with him.”

“It does sound sensible enough. If you have a serviceable training technique, why use something so risky?”

His smile faded a bit. “Asahi is a hero, but you shouldn’t copy him all the time. He’s always just seen magic as a tool. I’m more an artist. I hate seeing the Peace Bond abandoned like that when it has so much potential. I’d like to surprise him with a fully functional version of the fabricata.”

I leaned forward, forgetting my worries. “It sounds more like you want to prove him wrong.”

His wry grin was all the answer I needed. “I want you to think back to that day when you threw yourself down the mountain after Ms. Jones. Think of what had to happen for the spell to go awry, and how we can test for it. Free up some time on Saturdays for our secret project.”

“Yes, I’d be glad to help.” I would have rather stayed away from a man who was my enemy as both a Holy Brother and a devil, but I chose to see it as a chance to gather intelligence. 

Besides what kind of a devil would I be if I didn’t want to encourage pride and pettiness in Headmaster Tachibana? Our Seven Cardinal Virtues were capital ways of prying humans away from the Enemy’s light. 

He settled back in the chair, earning a strained creak from the plastic. “Now that we’re done with business, how have you been doing? It has been a while since we had a chance to speak.”

“No better or worse than normal. Frankly, it’s been a bit dull around here while we’ve been confined to the campus. It makes the days bleed together.”

“I’m sure you see why it’s necessary, after what happened with Mr. Obe. I wasn’t kidding about needing to watch out for the Brotherhood. They’re all around, and I know they must have at least one agent hiding in our midst. I’m going to say something, and I don’t mean to offend you. You are exactly the sort of young man they would want to recruit.”

“Me, sir?” I tried to sound suitably offended. “I’d think that repulsing an attack and killing half of their team would prove my loyalty.”

“That’s true, but you fit the profile. Fighting the Grim Horde tends to harden men, and you were among them for months while you were stuck in England. When you see enough horror, extremism starts to sound reasonable to prevent it again.”

The old goat didn’t know how right he was. “I assure you, sir, I’m alright.”

“You always tell me that. I don’t see how you can be, considering,” he replied. “You know the door to my office is always open if you need to discuss things.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, sir.” I made an exaggerated show of checking the digital clock on my wall. “Oh, it won’t be too much longer until I need to get ready for Field Day.”

“Dodging the offer again, I see.” He gave a curt nod. “You do know I have the authority to force you to see a therapist? I simply haven’t because I respect your privacy.”

He had a funny way of showing it! I didn’t want a shrink poking around in my head. “I’ll keep that in mind sir, but I’ve found other ways to relieve the stress.”

He rose with some difficulty, and he gladly accepted my hand. “Speaking of relief. If I could impose on you one more time, could I borrow your bathroom?”

If I hadn’t known better, I’d think he was trying to find Kiyo. “W-well… that is…”

An audible gasp came from the bathroom. Whatever half formed excuse I would have invented died on my lips.

Tachibana’s eyes narrowed. “Are we alone in here, Mr. Marlowe?”

“Of course, sir,” I said, sweating bullets. “Why wouldn’t we be?” I tried to impose myself between him and the door.

It didn’t take. He brushed past me and seized the doorknob. “Then there shouldn’t be any problem if I let myself in.” 

I resisted the urge to follow him in. That would only make me look guiltier. I had to pray that Kiyo had enough warning to vanish. It would be awkward as Hell for her, but it was better than the alternative. 

He looked over his shoulder. “Soren?”

“Yes, Headmaster?”

“Do you take what I say seriously?”

“Of course, Headmaster.”

“Do you remember when we first met and I told you to keep it in your pants?”

“I don’t believe you said those exact words, but that was the gist, yes.”

He turned, extending his cane. On the end was a rumpled black and red checkered skirt. “Then explain these.”

So much for the power of prayer. I struggled to come up with something halfway plausible. When nothing came to mind, I remembered Kiyo’s half joking, ridiculous suggestion from the month before. “They’re mine, sir.”

“You can’t expect me to believe that.”

Well, I was committed. “I’m a crossdresser, sir. I don’t think there are any rules against that.”

“No, certainly not. However, I do notice these are about half your size.”

“I-I’m new to the hobby, you see. I don’t understand women’s sizes yet.”

He flicked the skirt aside so he could lean on the cane. His infuriated grimace took me by surprise. “I give my students a lot of latitude compared to the other academies. Perhaps too much. If you must repay me with lies, could you at least make them believable?”

“I believe that the school charter forbids discrimination on these grounds,” I replied. 

He didn’t respond directly. He turned around and began casting. I was helpless to watch. I couldn’t very well attack him. I could only watch the disaster unfold in front of me. 

I followed him this time, since the gig was up, barring a miracle. It made for a cramped space in there, but he didn’t pay me any mind. 

Tachibana waved his cane around, checking anywhere an invisible person could be standing. When his probe didn’t find anything, he pulled back the shower curtain. “Sparkling Glitter.” The magical energy coalesced into a small pile of glowing powder in his waiting right hand. Without missing a beat, he strode into the bathroom and blew on the dust. Some of it blew back, adhering itself to his jacket. 

The rest of it found his true target. A shimmering outline of Kiyo in her nightgown stood before us. She coughed, sending a clown of the particles into the air. Most of it had hit her upper body, so I could make out the finer details. 

Her ghostly eyes widened. “Shit.”

“Indeed,” he replied. 

Chapter 14

The Headmaster’s office was cramped and spartan. I was shocked, frankly. I was accustomed to devils with power flaunting it every way they could. The lowest bureaucrat in the Grim Horde’s employ would have turned up their nose at the small space. It was decorated only by a pair of chairs for visitors, a perfectly tended bonsai tree at the corner of his desk and a larger bamboo plant near the window. At least he had a view of the forest beyond. I couldn’t see far, since we were on the first floor of the tower, but it was the only distraction available. 

A meaty hand slapped the desk, forcing me out of my reverie. “Stop staring out the window! You’re here to answer questions, not to sightsee.” Mr. Maki was on hand, since he was our homeroom teacher. Once he had made his point, he leaned against the wall behind the seated Headmaster. I couldn’t read Tachibana’s expression as Kiyo and I took turns with our story. He didn’t respond often, except to ask the occasional question. The whole time, he busily tapped away on his computer’s keyboard. 

Yukiko was also there, as our class representative. She stood behind Kiyo. Kiyo had never entirely forgiven her for the incident during the War Games. Yukiko had taken the chance to deliver her package to the target instead of saving Kiyo from falling. The trembling girl had seized Yukiko’s hand, since the Headmaster had forbidden me from comforting her directly. Any port in a storm, I suppose. 

I must admit, I preferred how the school handled interrogations. When I had been caught in Girdan the Fair’s bed with his daughter, they had tortured me for an hour before even asking a question. They had asked Yukiko more questions than me so far. By coincidence, my class rep had been there for many of the incidents that built the case against me. They seemed to trust her word over mine. Can’t say that I blame them.

“So, let me see if I understand the situation,” said Headmaster Tachibana, his voice even. “His conduct with Ms. Jones is not unique. Mr. Marlowe arrived at the school and attempted to seduce several students, including you, Ms. Sato. This included forcing himself on you.”

“It was a kiss, sir,” the diminutive class rep said.

“Did you invite it?” he asked.

She firmly shook her head. “No, but the way it you put it sounds more serious than it ultimately was. Though, I was very upset at the time.”

“To put it mildly,” I said. 

She ignored me. Probably for the best. “It’s water under the bridge, sir. He’s more than made it up to me since then.” She gave me a warm smile. “He’s been a good friend to me, even when I was difficult. I know he wouldn’t do it again.”

I wondered who this Martian was who’d replaced the vindictive Yukiko from my first War Game. I bit my tongue, though. I needed all the kind words I could get. 

“I see,” the headmaster replied, typing her words into his notes. “When did you and Kiyo begin sharing your room?”

“That seems like an awfully personal question,” I replied. 

“You’re military cadets,” snapped Mr. Maki. “Your lives are not your own. In a little over a year, you will all be called on to fight off battle hardened hordes of monsters. The whole world is in the balance, and entire campaigns could depend on your discipline.” 

By the Dark Lord, Asahi Maki could lay it on thick. 

“Please, Soren” implored Yukiko. “For once, please just get with the program. This is absolutely serious.”

I let out a sigh. “Very well. Since two days before our War Game.”

“Every night?” asked Headmaster Tachibana. 

“Most of them, I’ll admit.”

“And not a hint that it was going on.” The headmaster looked over his shoulder. “Asahi, we need to develop a way to account for invisible intruders. If Kiyo had been a Holy Sister or a devil, who knows what she could have done right under our noses?”

I covered my mouth so they couldn’t see my nervous grin. Our Father Below, they kept guessing around the truth. It was enough to make me suspicious. “I’m afraid I don’t see the harm. Plenty of students are dating.”

“A certain amount of fraternization is permitted,” said the Headmaster. “You’re a co-ed school full of young people. It’s inevitable. However, sexual contact is not permitted, and we had no way of knowing where Kiyo was at any time. What if there had been an emergency?”

“There’s more to it than that,” said Mr. Maki. “What if there had been a pregnancy?”

“I’m on the pill,” muttered Kiyo just loud enough to hear. 

“That isn’t foolproof, Kiyo,” said Yukiko. “We’re all required to do our five-year term in the Wizard Corps. Would you want to leave your child behind?”

“N-no,” she said, casting her eyes down.

Tachibana nodded at her before turning his attention back to me. “With all that said, Soren, do you have any defense for your actions?”

“I’m afraid I don’t, sir.” I hadn’t honestly thought that far ahead. I’d expected to be back home before anything of the sort came up. “My feelings for Ms. Jones got the better of me.”

“Yeah! I love him and he loves me,” said Kiyo defiantly. “Don’t act like Magpie is the only one who’s guilty. I’m the one who made the move on him.”

“Duly noted,” said Headmaster Tachibana, his fingers moving quickly across his keyboard. “It almost goes without saying, but you two are to never do anything of the sort again. You can continue to associate with each other, but keep your noses clean. This is your first and only warning to shape up and act like military cadets.”

“Yes, sir,” Kiyo and I replied, out of sync with each other. My voice was full of resignation, while she sounded shellshocked.

Tachibana nodded to Yukiko. “Ms. Sato, you and Kiyo have been training your affinities together, right?”

“Yes, that’s right,” she replied. “We were both judged to have well developed affinity control.”

“How would you describe her performance?”

“Kiyo has grown quite a bit,” she said. “She has gone from just reflexively using her power to disappear to really taking advantage of her light manipulation. She found some clever uses during the Holy Brotherhood’s last attack. I’ve been impressed.” Yukiko smiled at Kiyo, who studiously avoided eye contact. Though, I detected a hint of a grin on her face.

“Asahi, what about her performance in class?”

“If I can speak frankly? She used to be a train wreck. She did her work, but she would show up to class in a slovenly state. I was constantly having to check she hadn’t snuck her console into class. In the last few months, she’s really stepped it up.” 

“That’s all Magpie’s doing,” she said, shooting me a loving grin. “It was back when I thought I loved Hiro. I was just obsessed with him, but it felt like the real thing, y’know? Magpie told me how to get his attention, like showering and dressing nicely and stuff. It sucked at first, but I’m used to it now.” 

“You’re oversharing again, my dear,” I whispered to her.

“No, I think that gives me everything I need,” replied the headmaster. “Asahi, would it be fair to say that she was in the remedial courses because of her behavior? It seems to me that her skills have always been up to snuff.”

“She also has below average magical reserves, but the lack of discipline was the bigger problem,” Mr. Maki said. “As long as more magically gifted students can supply her with fabricata bullets, there’s nothing keeping her from performing at a high level.”

“Should I be here for this?” asked Yukiko.

“It’s nothing you don’t already know,” I replied. “You’ve known her longer than I have.”

Yukiko frowned at me. “That’s true, but still. This is beyond a disciplinary hearing.”

“I trust you to keep anything we say here in confidence, Ms. Sato,” replied Headmaster Tachibana. “Ms. Jones, I was planning to do this after the capstone War Games, but I think it will be in your best interest to transfer you now.”

“What?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

If the headmaster noticed her, he gave no sign. “Asahi, I was thinking about moving her to 2B, Mrs. Perera’s homeroom.”

“She’s the advisor to Kiyo’s club, so I think that will work out,” replied the Divine Blade.

“What?” Kiyo’s exclamation was quiet, but I could hear the betrayal in her voice. “No! I need Magpie! You can’t split us up!”

“That, Ms. Jones, is exactly why I have to.” His voice was firm, but sympathy shone in his eyes. “You won’t always be together. You will probably be assigned to different units when you graduate, if only because I will strongly recommend it to Corps High Command. You need to learn to function on your own for your own sake, and not because anybody told you to.”

I hadn’t realized I was holding the armrest of my chair so tightly until I felt my fingers going numb. I was sure I was going to vomit, and I wanted nothing so much as to cradle her in my arms, for my sake as much as hers. “Sir, Kiyo’s a delicate girl. You can’t do this to her.”

“She’s a cadet,” said Mr. Maki. “We don’t have time for delicacy.”

“I was the one who encouraged her,” I said, rising to my feet. “If you transfer her out, she’ll be leaving all of her friends behind. I could take that much better than her. Look at the way she’s trembling! It was all my idea anyhow. I pressured her into it. Send me away instead, if you must, but don’t punish her for my transgressions.” 

The words weren’t true. She had been breaking into my room nearly as long as I’d known her. But, the same instinct that had me hurling myself down a mountain for her sake shoved my rational mind aside. 

“You still can’t control your affinity properly,” countered Mr. Maki. “You’re also behind on your book learning, as much as Ms. Yamada has been catching you up. You aren’t ready to leave remedial courses.”

“What if I were to…”

“That’s enough.” Headmaster Tachibana’s tone allowed for no argument. “This is a military academy, as much as I try to make it resemble a high school. I had thought that would make it easier for you all to transition from your normal lives, but it seems to have given some of you strange ideas about your role here. You are soldier. Follow orders.” 

I stiffened, but fell silent. I wanted to keep fighting, and had I really been Soren Marlowe, I might have. However, it occurred to the devil Malthus that not having Kiyo around all the time would make my triple life simpler. It is to my eternal shame that I let that thought still my tongue. 

“That goes for both of you. That conduct is not permitted, and if I have any reason to think you have resumed it, your punishment will be more serious than a simple reprimand and transfer. This is your only warning.”

Kiyo’s only response was to burst into tears and embrace me like a drowning man clings to a piece of driftwood. Devils don’t cry, so I didn’t join in. However, I think the bamboo might have been flowering. It would explain why my eyes watered just them.

“I don’t care what they say,” she whispered in my ear. “I’ll find a way to be with you.” Her face was red and puffy, but her eyes were determined.

“Of course, my little angel,” I whispered back. I don’t know why the name of the enemy’s messengers came to mind just then. We devils have never encountered them before since turning physical, but I assure you, Kiyo looked much more like a renaissance painter’s vision than the historical accounts I’d read. 

“Oh sure, now I get my nickname,” she choked out. “When it’s too late.”

“Be strong,” I said. I addressed the headmaster. “You said we could still date, yes? So, we can still be in the knitting club and study together?”

He hesitated. His eyes said no, but the scene before him played on his sympathies. “Yes, I think that would be fine.”

She loudly thanked the Enemy right in my ear, and I felt a mild headache coming on. I swear, human girls just have no manners sometimes. 

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