While I was out training for the upcoming Entrance Exam, Asa came over to my house to see me, but I was unfortunately not present. She met up with my sister Aya instead and sought my whereabouts from her.
" Could you please tell me where I can find him?"
…
(What does she want from Yu? Should I tell her where to find him?)
Thinking about the question on her mind, Ayame reminisced about something her younger brother told her a month ago.
" I haven't told Asa where I'll be going to school."
" Why not? Aren't you friends? Why hide it from her?"
…
" It's precisely because we're friends that I didn't tell her anything about my school choice."
?
" I'm confused!"
Yuichi explained to Aya the reasons why he hid the truth from his most trusted friend and confidant. With the explanation out of the way, she was able to better understand his reasons.
" She'll be so hurt when you leave; She'll feel betrayed and abandoned."
…
Yuichi knew all that too well, but there was nothing he could do to prevent their impending separation. All he could do is wish her well.
" The separation might help her see things in a different light when I'm not around her anymore."
" Are you sure about this?"
…
" There's no other way around. If there was, believe it that I would have used it."
…
Back to the present, Asa was still standing there, waiting for an answer. Aya was still deep in her reflections, wondering what to do. After mere reflection, she decided on the best course of action.
(Sorry, Asa, but I can't let you see Yu for the time being.)
" I'm sorry, Asa! I don't know where Yu is currently."
…
" You're lying to me, right?"
…
" If you didn't know where he was, you wouldn't have taken so much time answering me."
…
" You clearly know where he is, but you refuse to tell me, right?"
…
Aya couldn't refute her sayings but didn't say anything either. Asa was beyond hurt about Aya's indifference towards her.
" I'll find him even if you don't tell me anything."
Asa rushed out of the house, leaving Aya perplexed. Aya felt guilty about the way she acted toward Asa and, thinking back, she questioned her decision.
(Where could Yu have gone?)
Asa on the other hand was searching for Yu. She searched for him everywhere, but couldn't find him. She even went as far as to go look for him at his part-time job and was disappointed when she was told that he resigned. She felt hopeless with no way to find him.
(Yu, where are you?)
On her way back home, there was a bombing attack caused by another live-in painting. The whole town was panicking and at a loss. Asa decided to lend a hand to the townspeople.
Asa cast her water attribute magic, but all it did was worsen it. Aside from her, there were firefighters around. Their magic didn't help out much either.
The bombing was dropping from everywhere and the townspeople were screaming in fear. Fortunately, the police force arrived in the nick of time to handle the situation. Asa was somewhat relieved to see them, but—--------------------------
" What's going on? Their magic has no effect whatsoever."
Just then, people in costumes started appearing. Asa couldn't see them due to how far she was from the scene. An illusion spell was cast just when she was so close to seeing them.
(Where's the smoke coming from?)
Asa had her eyes closed shut due to the heavy smoke. She felt someone lifting her from the ground, leaving the scene. The surrounding smoke was gone, so she slowly opened her eyes. She saw just the person she wanted to see so badly.
" Yu, I was looking for you but couldn't find you anywhere. Where did you go? Where were you?"
Asa warmly hugged her childhood friend, whom she felt relieved to finally have found at long last.
" I was out training. What did you want to see me about?"
Asa shifted her attention to the townspeople, whom she was worried about.
" Let me down! The townspeople are—-------------"
Before she could finish, Yuichi cut her short and said hermetically:" Don't worry about the townspeople! They'll be alright."
" How can you be sure of that?"
" Because your dad and his squad are there. There'll be nothing to worry about with them there."
Asa felt reassured by my words and calmed down. She then shifted her attention back to me.
" You mentioned earlier that you were out training, didn't you?"
" Yes, I did mention that."
" What were you training for?"
" I was practicing my tricks."
Yuichi put Asa down on the ground. The latter looked at him with worried eyes.
" What is it, Asa? Is there something troubling you?"
…
" I had a nightmare two weeks ago."
…
" A nightmare?"
" Yes, a nightmare. It was a very scary dream and I had to see you right away to confirm something."
" What would you like to confirm?"
…
" In my dream, you were going far away from me to a place I couldn't reach. When I called you, you didn't stop and kept walking farther away from me until you completely disappeared from my sight."
…
" The school you're going to is not far away, is it?"
…
" You won't be going to a place where I can't reach you, would you?"
…
Yuichi was lost for words. While listening to her, the thought of telling her the truth crossed his mind once more.
" How could I leave you? I'll be going to school in another city, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to a faraway place."
" Another city?"
" Don't be like that now! Seishu Academy is in another city too, isn't it?"
…
" I made you a promise to write to you every day once I've integrated into the school, and I won't be breaking my promise to you. Believe in my words, please!"
…
" I have full trust in you. It was just me being scared again."
…
" Nothing could separate us, not even the distance. We'll always be together, always."
A week later, the three months limit unexpectedly came to a close. I was in my room holding my grimoire in my hand.
At lunch, grandpa came to visit us once again with ample information regarding the preliminary round.
" The preliminary round will be held in JC City and according to my intel, only one board of directors will be there to evaluate all of you."
" One board of directors? Wasn't it supposed to be individual?"
" It was, but they decided to change things at the very last minute."
…
" Do you have the slightest idea what we'll be tested on?"
" Unfortunately, I have no clue what you'll be tested on."
We ate dinner silently after that. While having my dinner, I kept thinking about how the preliminary round would go.
" The preliminary round will begin in seven days. Good luck!"
This was the last information my grandpa gave me before departing. Three hours after dinner, I heard someone knock on my door.
" Yu, may I come in?"
" Of course, Aya! You don't have to ask for permission when entering my room."
Aya entered my room and stood there silently. She was worried about something based on her expression.
" Take a seat, Aya!"
Aya sat somewhere in my room and the tense atmosphere continued. Two minutes after being seated, she broke the ice at last.
" There's something I must tell you, Yu!"
My sister was giving a guilty expression. Something was worrying her; something she felt guilty about.
" What is it?"
…
" Two weeks ago, Asa came to see you."
…
I kind of already understood where she was coming from and the subject of discussion, but I let her continue nonetheless.
" You were absent as you had gone training for the entrance examination. She asked where she could find you, and although I could have told her, I kept my mouth shut. It was only when she was gone,--------"
…
" I didn't want to put you in a bind, so I handled the situation the way I thought best."
…
" Don't feel guilty regarding the way you acted. In the end, all you did was for me, wasn't it?"
…
" Before you told me, I was already very aware of the situation."
" How so?"
" I was able to meet Asa in the end, and she told me everything."
I told Aya how I met Asa on my way home and the condition in which we were able to meet.
" In the end, you couldn't tell her the truth."
…
" She was so worried that if I had told her anything at all, she would have worried more."
And just like that, seven days passed in the blink of an eye, and then came the day of the preliminary round.
" Good luck with the preliminaries!"
My dad, grandpa, and Aya wished me luck for the preliminaries.
" Thanks, everyone! I'll do my best."
After bidding goodbye to my family, I departed to JC City, where the preliminary round was to be held.
I took the magic train as a means of transportation to get there. The magic train took thirty minutes in total, whereas a normal ride would have taken nearly a day or so.
Arriving at JC City, I looked for the place where the preliminary round was to be held. Although at JC City, the event itself was to be held in the JC Ground Field.