2.
[Sakurako Baba]
The leaves of the street trees swayed gently in the autumn breeze, a soft rustling blending with the quiet chirping of insects from the roadside bushes. The faint tap of my loafers against the ground was the only other sound.
It was quiet. Nothing else broke the stillness here—
After leaving school in the heart of the new capital and walking for an hour and a half, the scenery gradually shifted. Trees and greenery increased as I entered the suburban residential area, but as I ventured further from the new capital, the path suddenly worsened.
The paved road, cracked and uneven, bore the marks of neglect.
This was the boundary between the "new capital," built after the disaster twenty years ago, and the "old capital," still scarred by its aftermath.
From here, it's about thirty minutes to my house once I enter the old capital—totaling a two-hour walk.
The route from the new capital to home is a gentle but mostly uphill climb, and fatigue slowly weighs down my steps… though it's not just fatigue making them heavy.
"—I'm home."
I opened the front door, slipped off my shoes, and took a small, deep breath.
"Oh my, welcome back! Were you late with club activities again? I've got the bath ready for you," my mom greeted me from the hallway with her usual gentle tone.
Well, "greeted" might be an overstatement—she was just passing by with a laundry basket in hand.
"Yeah, the literature club had a little welcome party, so…"
I said this as I placed my shoes in the shoe rack.
It was a blatant lie.
I'm not in any club, and I don't even know if the school has a literature club. Probably not, though.
"Is that so? Hehe, I was worried about you fitting in at your new school, Sakurako, but I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," Mom said with a smile before walking off down the hallway with the laundry basket.
I'm sorry, Mom. Your daughter hasn't fit in at school at all. I've been lying about club activities, killing time by walking all the way home from the new capital. My legs have gotten pretty strong because of it.
…Oh, where did I go wrong? It's definitely that day, no doubt.
Two Weeks Ago, First Day of Transfer
"Sakurako, shall we head to the classroom now?" the woman who would be my homeroom teacher said with a cheerful smile.
Her name… what was it again? I'd just heard it, but my nerves were blanking it out. Urged by this nameless teacher, I left the staff room, clutching my bag tightly as I followed her.
It's fine, it's fine. Just walk in, give a short greeting and introduction. Nothing hard. No need to be nervous, Sakurako. I told myself this, but my hands gripping the bag were already sweaty.
"Well, let's go in."
In less than five minutes, we'd arrived at the classroom.
Class 2-2. This seemed to be my new class.
"Yes, attention please—"
The moment the teacher slid the door open, a girl sitting at the front desk called out, "Stand!"
The classroom buzzed with chatter among nearby students, but they gradually quieted at the command.
"Bow, good morning."
Good morning, I murmured softly along with them.
Some students stood but continued chatting happily, skipping the greeting.
"Sit."
"Yes! Today, as most of you probably know, we'll introduce a transfer student before homeroom."
Here it comes, I thought. The teacher whispered "Sakurako" to prompt me.
I took a deep, discreet breath and scanned the room. About thirty pairs of eyes were fixed on me.
(They're all potatoes! That's what you think, right, Sakurako!)
"Nice to meet you, I'm Sa—"
My introduction stopped mid-sentence.
A deafening CLANG! echoed through the room, as if something had crashed.
Every eye, including mine, snapped toward the source.
It was the door.
The same door I'd entered through, flung open with such force that it slammed against the frame.
But my gaze wasn't on the door—it was on the person who'd opened it.
A girl. Her hair was blonde, and she wore the same uniform as me, though she'd swapped the blazer for an oversized hoodie.
"—You, Hikari Yubari? Weren't you supposed to be out today due to an emergency…?" the teacher asked.
"The emergency wrapped up faster than expected," Hikari Yubari replied nonchalantly, one hand stuffed in her hoodie pocket.
"Oh, I see. Well, we were just introducing the transfer student, so Hikari, could you help out too?" the teacher said, quickly regaining her composure with a warm smile.
The students, who'd been frozen at their desks, began to murmur. Just as the teacher started to say, "Well then…" and glanced my way—
"—I'm Hikari Yubari."
The blonde girl declared this to the class.
(…Was that an introduction? I was still in the middle of mine, and the teacher was about to say "Let's start with Sakurako," wasn't she? Just a name? Is that enough?)
Before I could voice my frustration, a voice rose from the murmuring class.
"Hey, that's it?"
Hikari let out a small, brief sigh—probably only I noticed, standing beside her. Then—
"I'm a witch," she said.
The room fell silent again.
* * *
When people hear "witch," they likely picture the classic fairy tale image.
An old woman in a black robe, wearing a tall triangular hat.
Or maybe stirring a creepy-colored soup with frogs and lizards in a giant cauldron, or flying on a broomstick—something like that.
That's how it was, apparently.
Until about twenty years ago, that is.
I wasn't born back then, so I have no memory of it. This is all from stories my mom told me or things I've read.
One day, without warning, monsters called magical beasts began appearing worldwide.
That marked the start of the "Magical Beast Disaster," still spoken of today.
These magical beasts emerged suddenly, with no clear origin or reason. They varied in appearance and size, but they shared one trait—the reason they're called magical beasts.
Not just monsters, but magical beasts. Because they use magic.
It might sound absurd, but humanity had no other way to describe the phenomena they caused.
Magic was the only word that fit.
Breathing fire was the least of it—some summoned ice spears, others conjured tornadoes, and there were even those that manipulated gravity.
Another common trait: magical beasts possess incredible regenerative abilities. Unless their core is destroyed, they're nearly impossible to kill.
Back then, with no established tactics or weapons against them, humanity felt the threat of extinction within a month of their appearance.
That's when the "witches" emerged.
An organization called the "Seraph Witch Association" appeared out of nowhere, beginning to exterminate the magical beasts worldwide—creatures that missiles and bombs couldn't easily defeat.
Composed entirely of young women, these association members fought using the same powers as the beasts: fire, ice, wind, water. They crushed countless magical beasts, earning the title "witches."
After their arrival, the magical beasts' numbers dwindled rapidly, and new ones were eradicated instantly.
Thus, the Seraph Witch Association became humanity's savior.
For the past twenty years, witches have continued to protect us from magical beasts—a widely accepted fact today.
In other words, witches are irreplaceable heroes to us. So this reaction is only natural… or rather, expected.
Right now, the classroom is in chaos. Students are on their feet, shouting with excitement.
The teacher tries to calm them, but it's not working.
A transfer student who's a witch? Telling them not to get excited would be impossible.
But then—"Is that seat okay?" Hikari asked, and the noise stopped abruptly.
Everyone hung on her every word, not wanting to miss a thing.
"Yes, there's only seats at the back, but any empty one is fine," the teacher replied calmly, with the same warmth she'd shown me in the staff room. Knowing Hikari in advance, this must be what they call adult composure.
All eyes followed Hikari as she walked to the back row and sat down.
"Well then, let's get back to it. Sakurako, please give your greeting."
Right. My introduction still wasn't finished.
I never imagined I'd have to do this in such an atmosphere.
"…I'm Sakurako Baba. Nice to meet you."
I forced down my nerves and kept it short.
As expected, most people weren't listening.