Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

  "You don’t need to know anymore," said the silver-haired girl. "Right now, you would definitely refuse after you learn about it, so there’s no need to explain."

  Mika’s eyes flashed with a strange light.

  "Okay, in that case—" Mika bowed deeply towards the mysterious existence of the school festival "—thank you for saying all that to me, caring about me, and wanting to help me. Even though I don’t exactly know what you are—a spirit, ghost, demon, or something else—I’m glad to have met you. If it wasn’t for you, I might… have never learned the truth about him."

  Yes, the truth.

  The fact that Seiji Haruta was no ordinary person.

  The things he did during his break from school, the identity of President Natsuya Yoruhana, and the secret of this school… Mika learned all these things from this mysterious girl.

  Yin-Yang Masters and Spirit-Branded Retainers… all of this sounded fantastical, but it really existed, out of sight from normal people.

  When Mika heard all this two days ago, she found it difficult to believe and received a huge shock. But she couldn’t deny it, because the pink-clothed girl standing before her was the best evidence!

  There were mystical things in the world, and a mystical realm to go along with them. Seiji was part of that world.

  Kagura-san and President Yoruhana were a part of that world as well. There was a huge gap between this side (the ordinary world) and that side (the mystical world).

  The silver-haired girl had promised that she could become ‘special’ by joining the ‘mystical’ world. However, Mika didn’t lose control simply due to this alluring offer. Now that she'd realized the importance of independence, she wouldn’t choose this risky option without paying thought to the risks associated with it. She wouldn’t be just like the Little Mermaid from the fairy tale.

  "Thank you for telling me the truth… and goodbye." Mika decided to leave after saying a polite farewell and turned around to go.

  The silver-haired girl watched her figure. "Wait a moment," she called.

  Mika was already seven or eight paces away when she heard the girl call out to her.

  Turning around, Mika saw the silver-haired girl smiling as she floated over.

  "I like you, Mika Uehara."

  "Eh?"

  "When I met you for the first time, I actually didn’t think much of you, but after meeting you again… I discovered that I actually really like you."

  "Er…"

  Mika was dazed at this sudden confession.

  Just how was she supposed to react to a spirit’s "confession!?" She had experience being confessed to, but this wasn’t the same at all!

  Just how was she supposed to deal with a spirit’s confession!? Especially when the spirit was the same gender as her!

  "I haven’t liked a human for such a long time…" the silver-haired girl sighed wistfully.

  "Um… sorry, I already have someone I like, and you’re a spirit…" Mika attempted to reject her politely.

  "Hmm?" The silver-haired girl tilted her head in confusion. "Ahh… sorry, you misunderstood what I meant. What I meant by ‘like’ wasn’t about the type of like that you have for Seiji Haruta-sama—I meant… appreciation."

  "Eh… appreciation?" asked a surprised Mika.

  "Yes, appreciation… well, you can interpret it as appreciation."

  Mika was rendered speechless. She still felt that the sudden turn of events was a little strange.

  "You decided to use your own efforts to make yourself special, and I would like to support you. I’d like to give you a present."

  "…A present?" said Mika after a pause.

  "Yes, this." The silver-haired girl placed her hand on her chest. After a moment, she slowly lifted her hand, withdrawing a white ball of light from within her body.

  The ball of light was slightly larger than the girl’s hand and was glowing faintly.

  "What’s this?" Mika studied the ball of light curiously.

  "This is a spirit… or perhaps I should call it a Spirit Egg."

  "Spirit… Egg?"

  "Spirits are what Yin-Yang Masters use to increase their powers—typically they do this by summoning spirits and combining them with a human to make a Spirit-Branded Retainer. However, this spirit is different—it requires you to raise it carefully… Well, it’ll be difficult for you to understand if I go into a long-winded explanation. Simply speaking, once you combine with this spirit, you can suddenly become much stronger, with no risk whatsoever."

  "Oh…"

  "I’m going to give this Spirit Egg to you. It can’t be used in its curent status. Whether or not you can receive its power depends on you."

  The silver-haired girl lightly waved her hand and tossed the ball of light to Mika.

  Mika reflexively put her hands out to catch it. It felt rather warm.

  Then, the silver-haired girl pointed, and a red rune appeared on the ball of light. The exact same rune also appeared on Mika’s forehead.

  Mika felt a surge of heat on her forehead, then the rune on the ball of light vanished, and she was left with a subtle feeling inside her body.

  "That was…"

  "I used a spell to connect the two of you together. Otherwise, you wouldn’t even be able to see the Spirit Egg once I leave your side," the silver-haired girl explained. "Also, for you to take it more conveniently with you, all you have to do is say ‘put in,’ and it will seal itself into your hand. If you say ‘come out,’ you can release it."

  "You will have to wish from the bottom of your heart for it to become your companion, and imagine the form that it should have… that is to say, your ‘hopes’ are what will help it ‘hatch.’"

  "‘Hatch…’"

  "It’s not truly hatching, but its the most similar analogy. It’s too difficult to explain, so you can just understand it like that."

  "Oh…"

  Mika felt as if many things were being glossed over.

  ‘This ball of light… wouldn’t be something dangerous, is it?’ she wondered to herself.

  "You don’t need to worry—it isn’t dangerous at all." The silver-haired girl detected Mika’s concern and smiled. "After you go back, feel free to show it to Seiji Haruta-sama, and he’ll probably have Natsuya Yoruhana-sama inspect it. This way, you’ll be taking the first step into their world."

  "But whether or not you can ‘hatch’ this Spirit Egg, possess true power, and become someone ‘special’ just like them will depend on your own hard work and luck."

  "Hard work…" Mika muttered thoughtfully. "Luck…"

  "Perhaps you’ll be able to ‘hatch’ it very quickly, or maybe you’ll never be able to hatch it. I don’t know what the result will be, either." The silver-haired girl began to rise up into the air. "Goodbye, Mika Uehara… I shall appear in front of you again when I wish to see you. I hope that by that time, you’ll have become an extraordinary person."

  Her figure gradually vanished.

  Mika was overcome by a sudden impulse as she watched the girl fade.

  "Wait!" she called. "Can I know your name?"

  Out of a mysterious sense of respect and fear, she hadn’t thought to ask her name until now. Suddenly, she felt an overwhelming desire to know it.

  The silver-haired girl was surprised for a moment but then flashed a brilliant smile.

  "My name is Sakura. Sakura…san. Yep, make sure to remember it, Mika."

  After leaving this sentence behind, the pink-clothed… no, Sakura’s body completely disappeared in a stream of light.

  …


  Mika returned to Year 1 Class 5 and walked over to Seiji and Chiaki.

  Both of them smiled in greeting upon seeing her return.

  "Did you finish what you had to do?" Chiaki asked.

  Mika nodded. "Yep."

  "All good," Seiji said. "Let’s have some more fun before the school festival ends."

  "Yep." Mika nodded again and smiled as well.

  She sat down at the table in between her two good friends.

  The three of them chatted, ate confectioneries, and had fun… just as always.