Slightly Above Average - 2 Days Left
"What do you think you're going to get?" Antei asked, and Sekai stared over the cafe menu. It only served what essentially equivalated to the entrees, appetizers, or desserts you'd get at a full restaurant.
"And they're really overpriced too..." Sekai muttered, and Antei shook her head.
"It's not even your own money and you're still so stingy." Antei flicked him on the forehead, causing him to cover it cutely.
"Ow..." He groaned, and Antei smiled.
"I told you, I'm paying - enjoy yourself." She huffed,
"Alright, if you insist..." Sekai sighed, promptly ordering a pair of croissants with a hot chocolate latte, while Antei ordered a cookies and cream parfait.
"Hey...Sekai." Antei began, her voice lowering. "Can I talk to you?"
Sekai didn't respond at first, but tentatively said: "...Sure,"
Inhaling, Antei began to speak: "I know something is so, so terribly wrong right now." She stated, "I know that...whatever happened on that bridge, it's killing you inside."
At that, Sekai almost scoffed 'If only you knew...' But he remained silent as he continued sipping at his Latte.
"Please, I want to help." Antei continued, and finally, Sekai stopped drinking.
"I'm fine," Sekai stated, his tone darkening, but Antei was persistent.
"Are you really?" She questioned, looking him dead in the eyes for a few seconds before he tentatively looked away.
"I knew it." Antei stood up in frustration, "You know what - fine."
"Antei?" Sekai called, but she was already leaving, and people were beginning to stare.
"Keep your fucking secrets. Doesn't matter anymore." Antei snarled, "It was dumb of me to try."
"Wait -" Sekai tried, but was immediately silenced by a glare from Antei, who promptly stormed out of the cafe afterward.
⸻
The grimoire girl watched the couple argue, and the girl storm out.
She scoffed to herself, thank god she'd decided to devote herself to magical studies, she could never understand a man, much less fall in love with one.
"Well..." She stood, "I think it's time for me to head out."
Innocently standing up, she suddenly felt an imperceptible chill on the back of her neck.
Turning towards the window, that's when she saw him.
A man wearing a black cloak and mask that covered his face, with a broadsword at his hip. Despite being in broad daylight, much like her, people chose to simply ignore him.
She did not.
Initially, they merely stared at each other. Neither one moving, their exchange going unnoticed by the wider world.
And then the girl rushed out of the cafe, and the man began to move.
'They've found me already?!' The girl gritted her teeth, seeing the man rushing towards her, sword drawn, she immediately executed the first spell she could think of for a situation like this:
"Enervo!" She shouted, the man stumbled and fell, as if all of his strength was sapped out of his body at once.
Immediately, whatever strange aura surrounded the man dissipated, and people screamed as the sword clattered out of his hand. With a distraction secured, the girl quickly ran away.
'This man was clearly a low-level Witch Hunter, still, Master said they always act in units. So where there is one-' Her thoughts were rudely cut off by the whistling sound of kunai, and immediately, she recited a simple gravity spell, reducing them to the equivalent of no more than accelerated paper and they glanced off of her harmlessly.
Still, more of them were coming, and the girl quickly realized the cafe was surrounded.
⸻
Sekai stared at the latte in sadness, finally moving to check the timer.
45:34:13
"Less than two days left and I'm screwing everything up." Sekai said to himself,
'I need to make things right.' Sekai resolved, 'I don't want...I don't want to die without things being like this between us, at least.'
With that resolution in mind, Sekai stood up and prepared to head after his friend.
Stepping outside, Sekai was about to walk cleanly out of the cafe and chase after her, when he was suddenly stopped by someone.
Or something.
"You can't leave yet." An ethereal voice whispered in his ear, causing him to jolt up and look around in shock. He tried searching for the source of the voice, but to no avail.
However, in that moment, everything became clearer afterwards.
Like a fog had been lifted, Sekai was suddenly aware of a large group of hooded figures surrounding the cafe, all focused on one target. A girl in a witches hat who was backed against the window.
'What the...?! Where did they come from - no, have they always been there!?' Sekai wondered to himself.
The girl clutched a grimoire, and Sekai looked around, his fear only intensified as he saw the gleam of steel broadswords.
'Why isn't anyone else helping her?' He wondered, seeing people casually go about their day as if nothing was wrong. Sekai could tell wasn't like with Serpentine, who had purposefully had places cleared out beforehand, this was almost like people couldn't see what was happening at all.
The hooded figures didn't seem to pay the public any mind either, steadily approaching the girl as she hugged a book to her chest.
In that moment, Sekai finally acted.
It was a simple act, as Sekai walked over to the girl, and asked a question:
"Hey, are you alright?"
He had no idea, that his life had once again changed forever.
⸻
"Hey, are you alright?"
She was surprised to hear those words.
She looked up at the boy, he had brownish hair, but it seemed to be turning a silver color, and his eyes radiated a gentle passion.
"Why can you see me?" Was the first thing she asked,
'My Perception Spell should still be active - no, it IS active, otherwise other people would've noticed this already. So what makes him different..?'
The girl had no time to think on her findings, hastily pushing him away.
"N-nevermind. I'm fine. You should go." She said quickly, "Pretend you never saw me."
Sekai took a step back, but still didn't leave, leaving the girl more than a little frustrated.
"I said - go!" She hissed, but he shook his head, now, the hooded figures surrounding them had clearly caught on.
"That one." One of the cloaked men pointed with his broadsword. "He doesn't seem to be affected by the altered Feng Shui."
"Is he a mage, like her?" They continued, completely indifferent to the fact they were within earshot of the pair.
"Mage?" Sekai cocked his head, "Like...magic?"
They ignored him, "If he can see through the altered Feng Shui, then he's a threat." One of the men stepped forward, under the hood, he seemed to be balding, with a thick goatee adorning his chin. From his attitude, Sekai judged him as the leader.
The witch girl tch'ed, grabbing Sekai's hand, she said one thing:
"Hang on tight!" As soon as the words left her lips, an unnatural gust of wind suddenly took the duo upwards. Several kunai were thrown, only for them to be blown away with ease by the sudden updraft.
⸻
Sekai yelped in surprise before the two of them landed on the roof of the cafe, rolling on the floor as he came to a rough stop. Unlike him, the witch girl gently landed on her dainty feet, and dusted her clothes off.
"What was that?!" Sekai stated,
"I could ask you the same question." The girl replied. "How can you see me?"
"What do you mean? Your clothes are..." Sekai paused, trying to delicately choose his words.
"My Perception Alteration Spell is still active, I know it for sure." The girl stated, "You should've left the cafe in ignorance. But you didn't. So...what are you? A Witch Hunter would've killed me. Are you a Mage?"
"Mage? Are you a chuuni?" Sekai cocked his head curiously, and the girl facepalmed.
"Fine, play that way." She huffed,
"Well...can you tell me your name?" Sekai asked, and the girl looked at him hesitantly, before sighing, as if to say "I guess there's no harm." before proceeding to place her hand on her chest as if what she was going to say next was the most important thing in the world.
"My name is Annabeth Halifax." She stated proudly, "I am an Mage Apprentice of Kassandra Sharpe, esteemed magical researcher. And what is your name?"
Sekai scratched his head, "Well...I don't have a fancy title like that..."
"My name is Sekai Kaeru, a high school boy who happens to be slightly above average."