Hope born of solitus

*

The giant eye in the sky...? Did such a thing appear? When?

No, that should be obvious. Before 'today'. It was something another Lastia witnessed, with zero correlation to the current 'me'. Then let's continue, under this guise.

"They got bolder, because of the eye... Right, those on the side of the lands must still be injured after repelling the eye. The strays that typically operate while concealed are able to achieve more now that anything resisting them has weakened." (Lastia)

" That's right... No matter how much we try to hide it, news amongst the magical girls spread like wildfire. An unfortunate open secret.

Other than Sariel... No one else from your group communicates with the outside world, so it isn't a surprise you didn't immediately suspect about their current state. " (Rita)

I wasn't even aware that there were strays, but I must keep this ambiguous. The less people that know about my curse, the better.

" That's weird... So information is simultaneously widespread, yet it is also perfectly normal for many of us to be completely isolated from external news." (Lastia)

"It's not that surprising. You're a newbie aren't you? You started around 2 weeks ago, as for Arin... We don't know. Newbies like you guys typically don't have all the information, it's like a curriculum set up by your mentors, where knowledge is introduced topic by topic. You can't skip a chapter and go straight to the next one or it will affect your education.

Having an organised order is partly due to the mentor's attempt to increase your survival as much as possible as things can get easily confusing along the way. Though that just depends on the individual, there are some areas that do away with all of that hassle, but most places will have a certain sequence of what to teach out of necessity or what's within their capability. " (Rita)

Her ponytail swayed as she spoke, a deep shade of reddish brown that seemed to pop out of the painting that the background forms. In the distance a brilliant eternal yolk rises above the worldly yoke to bring about effulgence, fresh gale swept past the leaned upon frames holding the eyes of the building, strands stuck together by labour blew out through the wafting winds. Her gem like topaz hued eyes glimmered irresistably, as if rejecting those rays of morning light and only projecting its own prideful colour.

For a second, Lastia held her breath. She quickly regained her composure, awareness of the situation returned promptly leaving a nearly unnoticeable gap. She brought her left arm up and shaded her face with the back of her hand, using the blinding dawn as a cover for her eccentricity. What was that? Picture esque? Was it because she looked good enough to literally take away my breath?

Uwah... Lastia, you can't be this easy! In the end, due to the nature of the curse, nothing coming from me could truly be said to be sincere. The me of today could differ drastically from the me of tomorrow, moreso than other people to an exaggerated extent. Making a long term decision like choosing a romantic partner... That's not possible for someone like me. Maybe this reaction was oddly fitting. A transient infatuation, rightfully ephemeral and shallow.

"Looks like the sun is getting up. The students of this school should come soon, right? It's best that we part now." (Lastia)

They didn't ever question why I came here, why I helped them. Perhaps it's trust, perhaps they believe I'm too weak and new to pose any threat to them. Regardless, it was a consideration that I'll silently be grateful for.

"... I think I told you everything you needed to know. If Sariel isn't sharing anything with you guys, you're free to contact me in the future whenever you need help!

That said, do you have a phone number?" (Rita)

I could feel the back of neck perspire in an instant. Whether it was the large mass of hair obscuring my skin, or if her words cut a little, I had to endure it! Bringing my right hand to my mouth, I coughed a little to clear out my throat. My tongue reached the back of my mouth's ceiling, wetting it in preparation before swallowing my saliva.

"I do... Have a phone. It's just that I don't remember my number. Is it fine if you gave it to me on a piece of paper? There should be some paper in this classroom right?" (Lastia)

Before long, I began to ramble the rest of my thoughts. Did that convince them? I cautiously surveyed her face, the morning glow of the sky felt more like a spotlight solely for her complexion. Her eyes refractes brilliantly like gems that seemed to penetrate my soul with their lustre, only causing her stature to look more formidable. My heart quivered and began to beat faster, but as long as I stayed calm on the outside... I should be able to pull through with these lies. I can't let anyone else know, I can't have more people understand Lastia's weakness.

For now it was only Ray from Erupi, I was feeling a little under the weather then, so I had to get it out. This was incomparable, my mood was completely different. For everyone's sake, please just go along with it.

"hmm? Alright. I can't remember my number either, so I was going to get you to give me yours. But it looks like there isn't any choice. Wait a sec." (Rita)

The rest of our interactions went smoothly. Even thought the fixtures in this room was pretty destroyed, there was a stack of papers at a corner of the room, with msot of it having flown into a mess during the battle. A law of this world, the 'Event' will make sure that the deaths of ordinary folk will not be permanent, as well as ensuring that they never come upon magic nor would they be able to lead their thoughts to such a conclusion.

The world itself was concealing the existence of magic from normal citizens, they would write off the damage in this classroom to a burglar or an animal attack and go about their normal lives. With that, I got a scrap of paper with Rita's number on it, I slipped it into my wallet and went about my way. Back to the train station.

***

"Hey... It's Sunday right? There shouldn't be any students coming, should there?" (Pelenia)

"... Even if they did, they wouldn't be able to connect the dots due to the 'Event' finishing." (Sophy)

The other 2 girls convened with Rita, sharing their foremost thought. That tiny detail slipped neither of their thoughts.