Chapter 4: You can always count on me.

"I just can't believe it! I could expect these results from any other student, but not from you Miss Yoshino ! Aren't you interested in entering a university in the future? With these mediocre results it will be impossible for you to keep the scholarship" – Irritated to the point that one of the veins on her forehead stood out, the teacher in charge of our class threw my midterm exams in my face. Before the surprised look of my classmates, who couldn't stop whispering about how pathetic my face must look.

Two months had passed since the night of the incident in the park with the homeless man; which strangely had not been mentioned in the television news or newspapers, as if something had erased all evidence of what had happened in this regard. But I knew it very well, I still had it in my memory, as fresh as the sensation of the blood that ran warm and delicious down my throat.

With the help of Luxfera , my peculiar dietary needs were not a problem for several days, being provided with a vast amount of wildlife to satisfy my voracious appetite for fresh meat and blood.

The food I had bought at the convenience store stopped tasting appetizing, leaving a bitter taste on my tongue every time I tried to taste it, trying to convince myself that I was still a normal high school girl.

Like a sick mania, I tried to wash my mouth at least seven times a day to remove the ferrous aroma left by the blood of the animals I devoured. Grinding my teeth so hard that I felt like my gums were bleeding at times, briefly triggering in my head the primitive instinct that the skill of gluttony had left in me.

After the exhaustive explanation that Luxfera gave me the night she returned to my apartment, I understood that the power I had received as a magical girl was different from the preconceived idea I had as a product of popular culture.

The authentic concept of the power that had been conferred on me was that of a guardian of the lower astral; an existence confined between the world of the living and those entities that have passed to the other side, serving as an agent of control to prevent spiritual beings from breaking the fragile balance of reality.

In Japanese folklore, they were formerly called ayakashi ; spiritual beings that coexisted in harmony with man's natural energy and environment, even blessing people through abundant harvests and early rains. But with the yami , the growing darkness in the heart of man, those spiritual beings were deforming and absorbing that thick negative energy, giving way to an endless number of species of different natures to which the name yokai was simply attributed .

As an undead magical girl, my nature was closer to that of a kyonshii . A body reanimated by an external spiritual energy source, retaining my personality traits, but bound by a contract that I had to fulfill unless I wanted to stay alive.

Thanks to the fresh flesh and blood I devoured, my cadaverous body was able to maintain its appearance from when it was alive. Simulating biological functions such as the simple act of sweating or my own heartbeat.

When I understood the extent of everything that had happened to me, I realized that I was nothing more than a broken wrist in the hands of Luxfera , who was giving me orders as if I were a combat dog being let off the leash.

As part of my basic training to hone my spiritual powers, night after night I was carried along the roofs of houses and buildings searching for the shadowy figures of lower-ranking yokai ; swinging my swords, delivering blows left and right, pushing my combat armor to the limits and training my mind to evade pain in order to regenerate the armor when it shatters.

With studies during the morning at school and my part-time job at the convenience store, the night was available for the heartless avatar to take me subject to her whims, telling me that a corpse didn't need sleep.

But the truth is that although the body was resistant as long as it constantly consumed victims, the mental stability of my mind was affected as a result of the deprivation of effective hours of sleep. Leaving me during the day in prolonged states of confusion, which had already taken its toll on me with my schoolwork.

- "I'm sorry, teacher, I promise that I will try much harder from today onwards" - Without realizing my facial expressions, a grimace of a smile briefly appeared on my face, causing the teacher's anger; who, in the middle of an outburst, let his hand go against my face with a slap that made me wake up from my trance.

- "Do you have the nerve to laugh at me, you insolent brat?" – The teacher's face was completely red, as she raised her hand again, immersed in the uncontrollable anger she felt within herself.

- "Teacher, please that's enough!" – Getting up from his place to stand between the teacher and me, Natsume extended his arms begging the irate woman to stop.

- "I beg you, teacher, Yoshino -san, I had no intention of making fun of you. Understand that she must be exhausted from working long hours to meet her financial needs after her mother's death. It has only been a few months since that happened and for Yoshino -san it is difficult to fully keep up with it" – Certainly Natsume's words were partly true; Although the extra duties as a magical girl were not a job as such, the need to fulfill them to survive was inevitable.

Even though I knew in my heart that Natsume said all those things without bad intentions, I couldn't help but feel upset due to an unpleasant feeling in my chest at the thought that she felt sorry for me.

- "It's okay Miss Ichikawa. I will take your opinion into account, but I warn you that you, as the class representative, will answer to me for any incident that Miss Yoshino may cause . Is it clear?"

- "Yes teacher. I am very clear, thank you for your understanding" – Bowing reverently, Natsume took me by the hand and took me back to my seat, feeling the unscrupulous gazes of my companions that did not stop scanning me from head to toe as if I were They will judge.

When class hours were over, I grabbed my backpack and hurriedly went straight to the lockers to change my shoes. Being intercepted by Natsume, who took my arm and asked me to accompany him behind the main building.

- " Yoshino -san What is happening to you? "You don't usually behave like this, I've known you since elementary school and I know this isn't really you."

- "Ishikawa-san, nothing is really happening to me. It's just that I've been really tired lately with convenience store shifts. The new employee is usually late and I have to cover for him until he shows up."

- "Are you sure it's just that?" – Taking my hands with his look full of concern, Natsume's face had an appearance as if he were about to cry for me. When my mother and I arrived in Tokyo, the first friend I made after months of trying to adapt to that bustling city was none other than Natsume.

Both she and her family were always very kind to my mother and me, reaching the point that her parents frequently invited me to their house when Harumi had to cover the night shifts as a construction manager.

We were too close, almost to the point that we could feel like sisters. But that was why I didn't want to involve her in the whirlwind of trouble I had gotten myself into; It was too dangerous, I couldn't bear the thought of something happening to him because of me.

- " Yoshino -san, if you need help you know well that you can come to my house. "My parents are more than pleased with you and have told me that if you like, they can adopt you."

- "So those are your true intentions Natusme -san? Are we going to play house with the orphan? Do you think I would be happy with your pity?"

- "No, Haru-chan! That's not what I was trying to tell you! Please listen to me"

- "ENOUGH!" – Letting out a loud scream while keeping my face down with my fists down, I trembled with anger, biting my lips while listening to Natsume's light sobs.

- "Please don't speak to me again. We are no longer friends" – When Natsume heard the coldness of my words, she ran away crying until I completely lost sight of her.

Lying on the ground unable to stop crying, I tore up part of the grass with my hands while remaining on my knees bowing my head against the ground.

- "You know, not that I really care, but are you completely sure you did the right thing brat?" – Appearing in front of me in her cat form, Luxfera looked at me with a skeptical expression. Remaining silent without trying to approach me, just being a silent witness who accompanied me until I could calm my spirits.

Like every afternoon until the darkness of night fell, I concentrated on my work at the cash register of the convenience store; wandering for a while between the aisles, checking the expiration dates of the products about to expire.

- " Yoshino -san, little girl. I see you very tired and I don't notice you concentrating on your work. Can I do something for you?" – As reminiscent of what had happened that afternoon during school dismissal, Akiko -san's words felt like stabs in my chest just remembering how she had made Natsume cry.

- "I, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry" – Without being able to control my tears, I brought my hands to my face trying to stop the negative emotions that were flowing out of guilt, being hugged by the manager, who tried to console me without asking a single more question about it.

- "Leave everything for today Yoshino -san. Go home to rest and sleep well, I will be in charge of covering you until that unpunctual boy arrives" – With a gentle smile on her face, Akiko -san took me by the shoulders, caressing them gently while I was still sobbing, trembling slightly.

- "I don't know what happened little one, but everything will be fine. You are a good young lady and I know that in your heart you will find the right answer to the problem you have. And if you still continue to doubt, come to me and I will listen to you."

- "Thank you, Akiko -san. Then we'll see you tomorrow, it's okay" – Taking off my uniform jacket to hang it on the coat rack in the employee room, the door opened letting in the boy who was covering the night shift. With his messy hair partially covering his eyes, he was wearing designer headphones while he had the music at full volume, so much so that he could distinguish which rock group it was.

- "Hey, you look like shit. "Hasn't the manager told you?" – Without the slightest tact, that boy let those hurtful words come out of his lips while he looked at me with a mocking expression that he did not try to hide.

- "You're right, I look like shit" – Putting my face in front of his, fixing my hair as if I were looking in a mirror, I returned the mocking smile with the expression in my eyes full of deep contempt.

- "Damn bitch"

- "Fuck you, daddy's son. If you're going to take a part-time job, take it seriously and not as a damn game. Just looking at you makes me feel nauseous, I'm leaving." – With a completely perplexed expression in his eyes, that boy fell silent as I left the employee room, giving him a sign with the middle finger of my right hand.

- " Wow , girl. Weren't you afraid that young man would hit you in the face? "I really saw him very angry with you"

- "I don't care, if I had I would have bitten his fingers off."

- "Hey, calm down. The tramp was a case that got out of hand, but you are prohibited from devouring other human beings. It's really hard to clean up the shit you leave behind when you lose control."

- "So you were the one who erased the evidence?"

- "Yes, who else could it have been but the fantastic Luxfera ."

- " Pffff . Do you refer to yourself as fantastic? "You sounded like a grade school brat."

- "Am I a primary school brat? In case you don't know, I'm at least five thousand years old, little girl. So try to respect me as your older sister."

- "Ha, ha, ha. Older sister? And I was about to call you grandma" – Laughing out loud as I walked down the dark street that led to the main avenue, the core of spiritual energy within me began to emit an aura that I recognized perfectly.

- " Haruka -chan."

- "Yes, I know. "Andando Luxfera " – Extending my arm to the sky while singing the song of transformation, my body was wrapped in spiritual armor as I began my race at full speed across the rooftops of the city.

- " Luxfera , where the yokai is located ."

- "Patience, be patient. "I'm trying to concentrate, but I feel more than one source of energy moving towards a specific place."

- "Is it more than one? "I guess they are minor specters like the ones I have been facing every night."

- "You are wrong Haru-chan. This time the energy I feel is not emanated by mere insignificant fry. So prepare well, because these enemies are serious things" – Transforming into her humanoid form, Luxfera 's face looked mortified as she bit her thumbnail.

That was the first time I saw the chubby cat rascal change her astral form to accompany me on my missions, causing me to worry to the point that my spiritual energy began to become unstable.

- "Stupid! Stay focused unless you want your limbs to be hacked off; If your spiritual energy is not at the proper frequency, you will not be able to maintain the integrity of your armor in combat."

- "Sorry, I'll concentrate" – Regaining my senses, I inhaled deeply, hitting my cheeks with the palms of my hands while maintaining my speed with each jump over the roofs of the houses.

- " Luxfera Why are we in the Edogawa neighborhood ? Are the enemies close here?"

- "No, they are not here. Their residual energy is intense, it is a fact that they passed by this place, but they are already gone. It's as if they had been looking for something" – With its gaze fixed on the pavement, the astral entity pointed out to me a series of footprints similar to those of a group of amphibians, which were moving in the direction of the Koto neighborhood. More precisely at the mouth of the Arakawa River .

- "Girl, be alert! I can smell a faint scent of blood in the air" – Near the weeds that grew on the banks of the river, a pair of silhouettes were fighting each other, holding tightly what seemed to be a severed arm. Right at their feet, the corpse of an elementary school boy had his body littered with deep scratches and cuts from what appeared to be claws.

- "Behind you Haru-chan!" – Taking me off guard due to the impact that seeing that scene caused me, one of the kappa dealt a blow on my back, causing part of my armor to crack, throwing me into the mud.

- " Kieeeee " – Emitting a guttural sound similar to the squawk of a bird, that yokai alerted the rest of his companions. Those who pounced on me, leaving me no time to guard, cornering me against the bank of the river.

- " Haruka -san! Don't let them throw you into the water. If you fall into the river they will have the advantage and will destroy you."

- "Alright! I'm going to put into practice that spinning sword attack I learned a few days ago. Just take a good look at me Luxfera "

- "No! Don't do it idiot, there are still signs of humans alive among the grass. If you use that attack you will end up killing them too" – Clicking my tongue angrily, I followed Luxfera's order by holding back and launching bare-knuckle attacks against the kappa. Who, even strongly resisting my attack, were weakening as the minutes passed.

- " Keeeeee " – With a louder squawk than the first, one of the kappa encouraged his companions to make sounds at the same time as if they were trying to summon something stronger. It was at that moment that from the dark waters of the river, an immense silhouette emerged with red eyes shining like embers of fire.

- " Groooaaaargh " – A kappa that far surpassed in size the yokai it was facing appeared, making the ground shake with the force of its footsteps as it sank its claws into the undergrowth, taking the bodies of the children and throwing them inside. from their jaws to start chewing them.

Having been taken from their beds while they slept, the little ones were immersed in a deep sleep induced by the spiritual energy of the kappa. Only waking up from the immense pain that the great kappa's teeth caused them while their fragile bones were crushed by that beast.

The cries and pleas of those poor creatures reached my ears, making me burst into rage, unable to contain my anger, leading me to materialize my swords to execute the technique that Luxfera had forbidden me to use .

- "I told you not to do it!"

- "I don't give a shit about Luxfera , if I don't they're going to die anyway!" – Concentrating my spiritual energy on the blade of my swords, I began to spin them in the air trying to create a whirling vortex of cutting wind, which dragged the kappa towards it, tearing them apart amid screams that made the great beast react in shock. my adress.

  - "Come on son of a bitch, come for me!" – Launching into a frantic race against the colossal monster, I projected myself into the air to reach the height of its neck. It was then that, at that precise moment, a familiar aroma reached my nose, making me lose concentration, leaving my right flank exposed as the kappa's enormous claw hit me, throwing me to the ground.

With half of my armor destroyed and several ribs fractured, I tried to get up from the ground with that immense pain that almost ripped the air from my lungs.

With my eyes fully open and unable to utter a sound, my gaze was fixed on the silhouette of a young woman who remained unconscious in the clutch of that imposing yokai .

With the moonlight illuminating his face, there was no doubt who it was at that moment; Unable to wake up and unaware of the danger he was in, Natsume's life hung by a thin thread. While an ominous presentiment drilled into my chest while I gnashed my teeth with helplessness.