Chereads / Mage's Sign X / Chapter 13 - The Time Bender vs The Shadow Caster

Chapter 13 - The Time Bender vs The Shadow Caster

For the past 3 hours , Mitsuya has been meditating in his room , per Mayomi's instructions. Mayomi has been doing the same thing in the room beside him. Meanwhile Casanova is taking a nap with Arisu , and Himura has decided to watch the news. Himura scrolls through all of the channels , desperately trying to find any information that he can on the Laboratory. So far , none of the news stations have mentioned anything about a fire , or the mass murder of dozens of people at a government facility. Himura thinks to himself - " They must have told the reporters to not release anything about the story. I can't tell if that's good or bad. If they removed some files before they issued the order , then they could still have access to information about magical properties. That might prove harmful to our operation." Himura sits at the table and sighs.He combs his fingers through his hair , and scours his pockets for his phone. When he takes it out , he dials the number - 312 596. After waiting for about 15 seconds , a woman picks up. It's Mayuri.

" Tsubasa Manor , this is Mayuri Tsubasa. It's been almost an entire day. I thought I would hear from you. The tracker said you went to the vacation house in Kyoto. How'd the mission go ? Is everyone okay ?" Mayomi blurts out , question after question.

Himura pauses for a second , and smiles a little bit - " Yes , everything is okay. But we ran into a little bit of trouble. We fought some battles , and we saved four people. But Mitsuya saw some things that I think had a bad effect on him. Not to mention the fact that he almost got blown up." On the other line , Mayuri has a worried face. " What type of things did he see ?"

" Mass murder. All of the prisoners who he wanted to rescue were murdered. And almost a dozen soldiers tried to kill him. He also had to fight a genetically engineered soldier with magic from shadow properties. I'm guessing that he would have died unless Casanova saved him. And after he came , Mitsuya found and saved Mayomi. She-" Mayuri stops him.

" How's Mayuri , is she injured ? Did they hurt her ? What happened to her while she was there ?"

Himura is startled. " Okay , calm down. Listen , Mayomi is fine. Just that while she was at the lab they did some experimenting , and she finally became an affinity. I'm sure she's missing you too. She is your best friend after all. I let her know that you would be cooking beef cutlets sometime soon. She was happy about that." They both laugh over the phone.

" Himura … did she still have the bracelet ? What happened to it ?"

Himura looks at the ceiling as if he is in deep thought. " Why would she have lost it? You know that the bracelet is probably the most important thing to her. She's kept it on her arm since we were 14 years old. She would never let go of it. Especially because it was him who gave it to her."

Mayomi is assured by this. " Okay , please make sure that she doesn't lose it. She would panic , and he can't make her another one , so it'll be lost forever. And I can't give her mine." They both sigh , and Himura returns to the conversation. " How has Kaoru been ? Have you been taking care of her ?" Mayomi sighs again , then proceeds to tell Himura : " She's been fine , as far as I can tell. It looks like she got over her fever , and I've been reading to her the entire time while you were gone. It turns out that she actually likes history. This entire time she's been asking to hear stories about Tomoe Gozen and Victoria of England. She's a strong female. I hope our daughter grows up to be like her. She's playing chess too, and she doesn't even need my help to move the pieces. As of right now , she's beaten me once and drawn the game twice. And she seems to already know the basic design of the house."

Himura stands up from his chair - " If she's like our kid , then she will probably make a fine babysitter in the next few months. Has anything strange happened while she's been there ? Specifically around her magic." Mayuri takes a long pause - " No , not that I know off. I had trouble understanding her magic at first, but I think I finally got it. She doesn't seem to possess an affinity yet like typical mages - like lightning , wind , water , earth and fire. But if I'd have to guess she would turn out to be a water type within the next few months. As for her personal craft , her magic deals with the senses. Not only is she able to observe the energy of any living person , but due to the fact that she no longer has sight , her other senses have increased as well. She's able to sense vibrations and seismic patterns from what I've observed. She can also hear within a 3 mile radius , which is what I recorded. Due to the fact that she can sense life energy , she can locate any person at any time in any place. And her use of touch and hearing have also made it so that she can become familiar with almost anything in her regular viewing. That's probably why she was able to figure out where all of the rooms were. She also claims to be able to see the color of life energy. She said that mine was blue , so I assume that that was good. The only thing that I've been worrying about was that her eye changed color. One is grey and one is gold. I don't know how that happened." On the other line Himura is noticeably distraught , but then he calms down. Mayuri continues- "Besides that , she's been upstairs with that cat. Apparently they named it Caesar. But with the e and the a switched. That cat is a devil."

" Have you heard any news about the baby ? Did the doctors call ?"

" Yep , it turns out that she should be coming later than we expected. October 13th , in fact. So about 5 months from now. She hasn't been kicking or anything."

" That's good and all. But I'm still struggling to understand why you keep calling our kid a she ? We don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet."

" It's gonna be a girl. I bet on it. If it's not a girl , then I'll give you another one." Mayuri says.

Himura smiles , then sighs. " Well I guess I won't have to worry. You and Mayomi are gonna have to get some stuff sorted out. You're gonna have two now." Mayuri says over the phone . " Wait … WHAT ?"

Himura explains - " Mitsuya , he saved a baby at the hospital. Mayomi took it in , and Mitsuya named it. An adorable little thing. Within a day or so , you'll be introduced to Remy Arisu Koharu Irisuki. If our kid is a boy , then she'll have a suitor or a brother. If it's a girl , then she'll have a sister , or by today's standards , maybe a lover." Again , they both laugh. In a few moments , after this conversation , Kaoru would walk downstairs in a tired state. " Are you talking to Mr. Himura ? Can I speak to him ?" Mayuri passes the phone to her. Himura waits for her to speak. At Tsubasa Manor , Kaoru is dressed in a new night robe , tirefully rubbing her eyes. " Mr. Himura , I sensed something was wrong. Something happened to Mitsuya , didn't it ? I felt his soul. It was strange , as if it was blue and red and purple all at once. What happened ?" Himura talks to her calmly - " Your brother is fine Kaoru. There's nothing wrong with him as of right now. But I have something to ask you. Have you felt any pain , or any shock in your body in the past few hours ?" Kaoru thinks on it for a little while - " Now that you mention it , I did. A little while ago , I wasn't able to feel anything in my eyes. I kept them shut , but when I opened them I started to see colors. Colors that I had never seen before. And then after a little while everything went blank again. A little while after that Ms. Mayuri noticed that one of my eyes had gained color again. Apparently it's golden now. I don't really know how that happened ?" Himura responds - " As I expected. The nature between the two is connected." He is surprised when Kaoru answers again - " I remember reading a book a while ago. Some say that only those with very rare craft mutations would demonstrate physical changes in their senses after they reach a certain age. They claimed to lose consciousness before awakening new abilities. Maybe this could be what is happening." Himura thinks on it and laughs to himself - " Yes , possibly. But we won't know for now. You know , you're a really bright young girl , Kaoru." She laughs - " I tell myself that every night."

A few moments later , Mayomi would slam open the door to her room. " OKAY EVERYONE , TIME TO START. GET YOUR LAZY SELVES UP." Everyone instantly wakes up. Himura falls from his leaning chair at the table. Mitsuya races downstairs , almost out of breath. Casanova does the same , but he's holding Arisu in his arms , who is steadily observing the room. " SO here's how we're going to do this. First , Casanova, give me my daughter." Casanova looks at her distraughtly then hands Arisu over. Mayomi cuddles her , causing her to start laughing. She gets back to the topic : " Okay , Mitsuya is going to be examined at the pond a few meters away from here , in the old part of town. Me and Himura will drive there with the baby , while you and Casanova will walk." Mitsuya and Casanova both look at each other and assume the typical Mitsuya face , then look at Mayomi. She continues - " This isn't going to be a knock out fight. If Mitsuya can succeed in landing a scratch on at least one of us , then he won't need the incantation. The basis is to test all of the abilities that he has acquired so far. That means that he can use his wind affinity too , along with his regular time magic. First , he'll fight me. Then he'll fight Himura. Finally we'll fight Casanova. Before we begin , a concealing spell is already put in place on the field. So any damage after we leave will be seen as a natural disaster. Also , Casanova , don't use your full power." Casanova tries to speak but Mayomi cuts him off - " OKAY , LET'S GO. YOU TWO , START WALKING." They both look at Himura , who turns the other way and looks at the ceiling - " It's getting pretty chilly in here." Mitsuya walks over to him and punches him.

A few minutes after that , Mitsuya and Casanova are walking towards the lawn. Mitsuya keeps his hand in his pocket , but he stays wide alert if people are following them. Casanova keeps his hands rested on his head , and walks while whistling. Mitsuya has one earbud in , listening to the playlist of classical music that he had compiled before they left. Right now , he was humming the tune to The Magic Flute. He looks at Casanova and says " Why did they make us walk? We could easily get captured or run into trouble if someone realizes that we're mages. Or worse , there are a bunch of creepy perverts and robbers and murderers lurking around here at night. There's practically a camera on every corner. Someone has to be watching us right now. If we're exposed , then something bad will happen." Casanova looks back at him - " You see , but you do not observe Mitsuya , the test has already begun. They're trying to see if we can get there on our own. And if we run into trouble , if we're able to make quick and decisive decisions to get to the meeting point with a certain amount of time. This is something that all parents do to their children once in their lifetime - try to test a child's ability to act on their own. It's kind of like endurance without any work." Mitsuya looks at the ground when Casanova says the word ``parent". Though Himura and Mayomi are his new guardians , he can't help but long for his mother. After a few moments he looks at Casanova again. - " Hey , Casanova. I know this is an awkward time to be asking this , but it's been over a day and I haven't learned anything about you besides what Himura told me ?" Casanova looks back at him - " Aaaawwww , you want to know more about your new best friend." Mitsuya is quick with a combat - " No I want to know about the immature child standing next to me ?" Casanova laughs , but then gets serious. " Fine , I guess I can break the air. Casanova Vanguard is my full name. I was named for Casanova , that Italian guy. The Vanguards were a small family of mages , who had been within the Organization in the European sector with minor roles since its founding. I'm 14 years old as of right now , or so I believe. See , the thing is , I wasn't born into the Vanguard family. I was adopted there when I was younger, my father being the final head of the family - Matthew Vanguard. He didn't know my actual birthday , so he set it as June 6th. He doted on me like I was his own child , but always reminded me of mage history. You could say that he was a true father. I have no memories of that before. I don't know where or who I came from. I acknowledged him. My entire life is a mystery , but slowly I try to remember things. He had a student who would often come to visit when I was younger. I would spar with him. Once I accidentally injured him when a dark force appeared behind me during our match. My father deduced that I was able to control shadow , but had no way of knowing the limit or the origin. It became clear that the shadow was both my affinity and my personal magic , and I practiced continuously to become one with it.When Matthew died without any relatives , I was all that was left to the Vanguard name. So I had lost about 3 parents in my lifetime. But his student determined that I could live on my own , so I've been in Los Angeles , California this entire time. It's been about 3 years since then. When the student finally contacted me , he told me about a boy about my age who would help us to take over the Organization. Well , I didn't have any friends except for you and this one other girl , so I decided to meet you. As you might have figured out , the name of that student was Himura Tsubasa." Mitsuya understands everything now - " 3 years ago. That's around the same time that my mom died. Did you ever try to find out anything about your parents ?" Casanova is quick to answer - " No , I always believed that they died. Or that they abandoned me. Something tragic , so that it would give meaning to my life. I don't really care though. I've been fine on my own for this long , so I wouldn't need any parents to support me." They continued walking , silence filling the air. Casanova stopped and said " I'll race you there. If I win , you have to introduce me to your sister." Mitsuya turns to him - " That's a straight bet , but sure." They take off running.

When they finally got to the lake , they stopped. Casanova put his hand straight out in front of him and closed his eyes. He took a deep breathe , then shouted " Release." Himura and Mayomi , as well as their car and the brooms now appeared before them. Mayomi was cuddling the baby , who was now far asleep. Himura lay stretched out on a log , looking at the night sky. " You made it here just in time. Mayomi said she was gonna make you do push ups if you weren't here in 15 minutes." He looks at his watch - " 13 minutes , 48 seconds. Not bad." Mayomi walks up the two of them , who by now are out of breath. " So here's how we're going to do this. When Mitsuya fights me , he'll only be able to use the wind. When he fights Himura , he'll wind , along with one of his time abilities. When he fights Casanova , he can use anything else that he's acquired. Understand ?" Mitsuya nods his head , and Himura and Casanova walk away.

Mitsuya and Mayomi stand about 10 meters away from each other , being separated by the lake. Mayomi calls out to him. " BE PREPARED. FOXES WIELD GREAT MAGICAL POWER." She bites down on her hand , and an explosion engulfs the area. Mitsuya can't see anything but dust. He struggles to stay on his feet. When the dust clears , he sees a fox standing on the ground. Crimson fur , sharp nails , bloodshot yellow eyes. Its tail wags in the air." Mitsuya is amazed , but then scared when it says " COME AT ME" . Mitsuya concentrates , and closes his eyes. When he opens them again , his eyes are bright. He tries to do something , but is stopped by the fox coming at him at abnormal speed. It reaches its fangs for him , but he narrowly dodges. He falls on the ground , then struggles to his feet. Mitsuya emits a large gust of wind , as if a tornado suddenly appeared. He fires it directly at Mayomi. Suddenly , the fox lets out a large yell , and all of the wind disperses. She prepares herself , and starts running again. Mitsuya has to think quickly - " Oh no. I'm doomed." He prepares himself for a fighting stance , but then suddenly has an idea. " I wonder what else he gave me." Mitsuya kneels down and punches the ground. Suddenly , the Earth is brought up from its place. Mayomi is blown away , but quickly gets back to her feet. Mitsuya quickly gathers a few rocks , then focuses on them. A wind arrow appears , furiously pushing the rocks towards Mayomi. As the dozens of boulders come upon her , she manages to dodge them all. Her zigzag patterns are unorthodox to Mitsuya , who can't predict them. He tries to run away , but to no avail . Mayomi is close behind him. Mitsuya manages to unconsciously form a cloud , which brings him into the air. He then forms a sword out of wind , and throws it onto the ground. The ground shatters even more. But he can't see Mayomi. " Where'd she go ?" As he says this , in his peripheral vision he notices something coming right at him. When he turns , it's too late. He's already falling to the ground. Mayomi had pinned him down. " Looks like I win , kid." She is now in her human form again. She smiles at him. " How did you do all of that ?" Mitsuya is confused as well. " I just did what came to mind."

Next , it is Himura's turn. Due to the damage that Mitsuya caused to the terrain , they had to move deeper into the forest. Mitsuya is alone , standing in the open. " Himura sure likes the dramatic effect , doesn't he ?" Just as he says that , a dozen tall trees uproot from their place. They hover in the air above him , ready to come crashing down. " WHAT THE HECK ?" Himura appears before him - " We should make this quick. You know this won't be enough to kill you." He waves his hand , and the trees come crashing down upon Mitsuya. Mitsuya narrowly escapes them by jumping on one , and then shouts to Himura - " THIS ISN'T GONNA KILL ME RIGHT ?" Himura just chuckles , and touches the ground. Several rocks are uprooted , as well as pieces of the Earth. It looks as if 100 pieces of the ground are in the air. Again , he waves his hand , and they come crashing down. Mitsuya closes his eyes , and it turns bright again. When he opens it , a gust of wind appears , negating all of the rock. They fly far , far away. But it isn't enough to stop the large large tree coming at him. Himura jumps on top of the tree , and tars out a piece of its branch. He concentrates for a while , and the branch morphs into the shape of a sword. He does it again with another piece. Himura throws both swords at Mitsuya , who is able to grab them and lunge them back at him. Himura dodges , and calls the swords back to his hand , then throws them again. Mitsuya doesn't have time to dodge , as the tree comes down on him. He rolls out of the way , and tries to cover himself. But he can't do that as Himura comes at him , knives in hand. As he throws each knife , Mitsuya dodges them and sends them flying back. Himura does the same , but to no avail. At this point they're basically engaging each other in typical karate and aikido. As time goes on , Mitsuya pins Himura to the ground. " I win. Second time's the charm." Himura chuckles maniacally - " Kids these days, You didn't expect me to lose this fast , did you ?" Himura touches the ground , and a dozen more trees uproot. Mitsuya is pushed off of him , and he stands up and removes the dust from his pants. Mitsuya has just noticed the string laying at Himura's foot. He performs hand signs , and the string is set ablaze , going straight towards a line of trees behind him. Each tree is set ablaze , one by one. They are then uprooted , and come flying at Mitsuya. Mitsuya has nothing to do , as he looks upon the burning trees hurling at him. Mitsuya closes his eyes , and keeps them closed. A large droning sound rings in his ears. Until there is silence. He can't hear anything. Just plain silence. He opens his eyes , and it turns bright gold again. Nothing is moving. The rocks are still in the air. Himura is standing there , but isn't blinking. But the only thing that he can notice for sure is the sharp pain in his chest. He falls to the ground , as he struggles to catch his breath. It feels like something is stabbing him. But he finds the strength to stand up. He walks right over to Himura , and punches him in his face. Mitsuya falls to the ground , still struggling. His face turns red. Suddenly everything goes back to normal. The trees come crashing down. Everything is set ablaze as Mitsuya lays on the ground. Himura falls backwards onto the ruined terrain , his nose now bloody. " What the heck just happened ?" He can only see Mitsuya laying there , sweating , struggling to breathe." Himura makes an assumption- " You stopped time , didn't you ? What toll did it have on your body." He goes to Mitsuya , clenching his chest. He touches it , only to be surprised by the fact that his heart is beating at a rapid rate. " He's breathing hard. Don't tell me that this was an effect : When he stops time , his heart stops along with it." Himura picks up Mitsuya and takes him back to the car. He sits him on the backseat where Remy is at. He puts a blanket over him , and leaves him there. Mitsuya is unconscious. Himura goes back to Mayomi and Casanova. " I know one of the effects of this new power. Whenever he stops time , his heart will also stop along with it. It can't be helped." Mayomi thinks on it - " So this is the result of the Founder's Curse. If he overuses this power , then he'll strain himself and eventually die. That wouldn't be too good. He'll have to train himself on how to counter it in times of distress. I think we should stop where we are." Casanova and Himura agree. They all get in the car ,with Casanova , Arisu and Mitsuya in the backseat. When they arrived at Tsubasa Manor , Mayuri was waiting for them at the door. She first hugged Mayomi , then Himura , then patted Casanova on his head. And she finally took the sleeping Arisu in her arms and took her to Kaoru's room. When she came back , she noticed Mitsuya's state. Himura asks her - " Do you think that you can do something for him? He hasn't woken up yet. I had to carry him here." Mayomi takes him and lays him on the library table. She touches his chest , and begins a chant. Suddenly a circle appears around Mitsuya , lighting up in a yellowish flash. He instantly wakes up and jumps from the table. " WHAT HAPPENED ?" Mayuri looks at him and smiles - " Heaven's Feel. I've been practicing since I was about your age. When magical properties mutate over generations , some abilities form that can't even be considered magic. More like special gifts or extrasensory perception. This was one of them. The ability to instantly heal any life threatening pain or injury." Mitsuya is stunned. Himura walks up to him and touches his head. " You had us in the first half. Not gonna lie. You need to be more careful." He hands him a glass of water. Mitsuya drinks it in one sip. Himura continues speaking - " You managed to lay a blow on me , so theoretically you passed the test , and won't need the incantation. So you won't have to fight Casanova." Mitsuya looks over to Casanova , who has a blank but fulfilling expression on his face. " No , I'm fine. I want to fight Casanova." Mayomi intercedes by slapping him on his head - " Are you crazy ? We already know the effects that the Founder's Curse has on you. If you try to do that again , they you'll-" Mitsuya cuts her off - " I'm fully aware of that. The key is to just not use the TIME-STOP ABILITY. I know that Casanova is strong , but I can beat him without using it." Casanova laughs - " Are you sure about that." Mitsuya looks straight at him - " On my life."

The two of them stand in the courtyard. Himura , Mayuri , Mayomi and Ceasar sit on the porch , watching them. Mitsuya stands confidently 10 meters away from Casanova , clenching his fists as his collar blows in the wind. The silence is broken when Mayomi shouts in the distance - " CASANOVA , DON'T NULLIFY ANYTHING." Casanova pouts , but then goes back to his normal position. He closes his eyes , and a dark aura emits from him. Black shadows suddenly come down from the sky , each transforming into a distinct shape. When the dust clears , there are 15 Casanovas standing before Mitsuya. "You haven't seen these yet , but these are called Shadow Clones." At once , all 15 of them lunge at Mitsuya , running straight at him. Mitsuya assumes his typical stance , and waits for them to come to him. When the first one arrives , he manages to evade its blow and strikes it in its chest. It instantly dissolves into a shadow. As the next few come , he easily beats them - by tripping , by kicking , by punching , by stabbing. As they all dissolve , the real Casanova stands before him. " That was the easy part." Suddenly more Casanovas appear , dramatically more than before. " This would make at least 70." They all come towards Mitsuya , but this time , something is different. Leading them is a dark path of shadow , quickly morphing its shape , coming straight at Mitsuya. He dodges it , but it follows. As he jumps in the air , it also does. The shadow follows him as he flips and runs , seemingly not having a limit to its distance. At the same time , each clone fends him off with their unorthodox movements. Mitsuya closes his eyes again , retreating to a safe area as the clones chase after him. He must concentrate , for at this point he remembers something that he learned from his father during training at the Organization. The memory enters his mind - he hears his father's words. " The concept of ki allows for you to anticipate and predict each of your opponent's successive moves. As long as you can sense their energy , then there will be no way that you can't fend against them. And if you have recognized it at least once , then it will never leave you. Until the end of time , you'll be able to understand that person , and everything that they'll do. You will sense all positive and negative energy emitting from them. Everything will be balanced. Try it on your sister." The next thing we see is Mitsuya closing his eyes to Kaoru. The goal is to fight her with his eyes closed. Back in the present day , Mitsuya reassures himself and focuses. In his mind , everything is blank. He sees himself standing in the emptiness. As his eyes open , the yin and yang appear below him. Both of his eyes have returned to normal. This is his own power. Mitsuya can clearly see the energy of each clone. Looking behind them , he can see the real Casanova. " I SEE YOU" Mitsuya runs through them , taking each of them out until they dissolve. At the same time , he notices the movements of the dark pattern. He can evade it. It can't touch him. Mitsuya continues running , jumping from tree to tree. Suddenly , Casanova sends a plethora of shadow arrows to him. " SHADOW BULLET." In a flash , they each fly towards Mitsuya. After dodging a few , the rest are easily negated when Mitsuya releases his wind. The Erebus Spear is incoming. Casanova shadows the trident and instantly sends it flying towards Mitsuya. At the same time Mitsuya conjures his one wind spear - " Sephiroth Trident. Wind Spear." Casanova's arrow multiply into 5 , no 10 , no 15. Mitsuya closes his eyes again , but when he opens them , they are grey this time. Suddenly a hole opens up in front of the arrows. A black hole , it seems. " Return to darkness." All of Casanova's arrows are absorbed. Casanova is stunned. Suddenly a hole opens up behind him. He's too slow to turn around. Just as he does , all of his arrows come shooting out at him. " THEY'RE FASTER THAN USUAL." is what he's thinking. They all come right towards him. The ground rises , and dust fills the air. The next thing we see is Casanova laying on the ground. Mitsuya stands above him , reaching out a hand - " You got a little scratch on your face. Looks like I win." Casanova grabs his hand - " Time magic , wind magic , and now space magic. How's that fair?" Mitsuya responds with a clever remark - " Is life even fair ?" He helps Casanova back to the porch , where everyone is waiting. Mayuri quickly stands up and runs to Casanova - " You need to learn how to play gently." Casanova gives her a sharp look- " Thanks. I guess I do , don't I , sis." They both laugh. Mayomi and Himura walk to Mitsuya. " You did a number on him. At least now we know that you won't need the incantation." Mayomi says. Himura adds on - " If you got it , then you would be even more overpowered then you should be." They are interrupted when Kaoru runs downstairs - " WHAT THE HECK WAS ALL OF THAT NOISE ? I'M TRYING TO SLEEP , AND I HEAR ALL OF THIS CHAOS." Everybody laughs , and Mitsuya walks up to her : " I'm back, Kaoru. I'm okay." Karou hugs him, and he hugs her back.

And that was it for the day. Everyone went to sleep. And then at breakfast , everyone talked to each other - having normal conversations about the news, and Mitsuya wondering if all of them would live in the same house from now on. Casanova would introduce himself to Kaoru , and gotten quite smitten if he said so himself. And Mayuri and Mayomi were too busy dressing up and making Arisu feel at home. For now Casanova, Mitsuya , Kaoru , Ceasar , Himura , Arisu, Mayomi and Mayuri were in one house. A week went by , in which Mitsuya continued to train to hone his skills. And he would spar with Casanova, each battle coming to a draw. But one morning Himura would call Mitsuya and Casanova to the Observatory. " You two will be taking the Mage's Exam in a few months. And I have just the thing to prepare you. Some strange things have been happening in Yokohama. Talks of spirits lurking around. I think you two should go investigate." Casanova is concerned - " You're sending us there alone ?" Himura chuckles , making Mitsuya suspicious. " Of course not. You'll be meeting a friend there. She knows a little something about ghosts."