Chapter 101 Interlude – Yukina Yuki
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
At the same time Ayumu Sanai was guiding Hiyori Sashima and the others toward the place where he had last seen Sayumi Mineyama, Yukina Yuki was also searching desperately for her.
’Please… Sayumi, be safe!‘
Though she did not speak aloud, Yukina prayed from the depths of her heart.
The image haunted her—the moment her beloved Iwaya was devoured mercilessly by a monstrous bug-like creature that emerged from the depths of the water. Each time it surfaced in her mind, she couldn’t stop imagining Sayumi too being torn apart, the dread swelling inside her until it choked her.
’No… I can’t bear it. If Sayumi dies too, then what am I supposed to do?‘
Yukina’s father was Belarusian, her mother Latvian. Because of their work with a multinational corporation, she had completed her schooling in Latvia before the family naturalized in Japan. Though she had tried to use watashi as her pronoun, the pronunciation had always felt awkward. “Boku,” a word boys typically used, slipped out more naturally, and because those around her found it endearing, she had kept using it until it simply became part of her. It was in Japan, at high school, that she met Sayumi Mineyama.
At first, it was curiosity more than anything. Yukina’s first impression of Mineyama was of a girl with a beautifully balanced face, lips the color of cherry blossoms pressed shut in poise, glossy black hair flowing like lacquer, and an expression both dignified and gentle in its subtle movements.
’She looks just like a traditional Japanese doll—so beautiful.‘
Even as someone who had lived abroad, Yukina felt compelled to turn back for another look. Sayumi embodied the spirit of the Yamato nadeshiko.
* * *
”Ah! Ms. Sakashita, you’ve altered your school uniform again! How many times must I tell you it’s against the rules? And it looks even more modified than when I last warned you!”
”Heehee, cute, right? Sayumin! I cut it so both shoulders show. And I added frills to the skirt and a giant ribbon on the back!”
”W-well, it is cute, but that’s not the point! Breaking school rules is still wrong, Ms. Sakashita! And stop giving me those weird nicknames!”
”Boo, boo! Meanie! Fine, fine! I’ll add a zipper so I can keep the shoulders covered most of the time, okay?”
”Wait! Ms. Sakashita, this conversation is not over!”
* * *
Sayumi was just as Yukina had imagined: strong in her sense of justice, but also kind and fair to everyone, with a touch of clumsy playfulness that made her beloved by all.
A woman of dignity and virtue, she held fast to her values. Yukina, raised in the Orthodox faith where chastity and integrity were also revered, felt an immediate bond. Their friendship blossomed quickly, naturally.
It was Sayumi who had listened when Yukina confessed her confusion about Iwaya from the soccer club. In no time at all, she had become Yukina’s closest friend. Now Yukina faced the terror of losing not only her lover but also her best friend. That was why she vowed she would find Sayumi alive.
Finding someone who felt like a kindred spirit was rare in a lifetime. Sayumi was not just her first friend in Japan. She was a friend for life.
Had her desperate wish been heard?
”Yuki-Yuki? Is that you?”
There, at the center of a miraculously open space, stood Sayumi Mineyama.
”Sayumi!”
Overcome with emotion, Yukina ran forward and threw her arms around her.
”Thank goodness… thank goodness you’re alive…”
The relief of finding Sayumi safe welled up against the grief of Iwaya’s death, bursting from Yukina’s heart.
”Yuki-Yuki… I’m sorry. I made you worry,” Sayumi whispered as she returned the embrace with gentle warmth.
Notes:
• Hiyori Sashima – A quiet, caring girl from the library committee, empathetic toward Sanai.
• Mineyama – Vice class rep, serious and disciplined.
• Sashima – Family name of Hiyori. A quiet, caring girl from the library committee, empathetic toward Sanai. She followed as a Barrier Technique Adept.
• Sayumi – Vice class rep, serious and disciplined.
• Yukina – Sayumi’s friend, a half-Eastern European girl with silver hair and blue eyes, who offers support and expresses concern about the recent events.
• Iwaya – Yukina’s boyfriend, who plays soccer.
• Sakashita – The fashionable gyaru who awakened as a Magic Warrior.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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