“Good joke, Tsugu! It’s me, Rino—Honda Rino!”
“Uh, um—.”
“In days of our sharing a middle school, we have had bouts of witchcraft often times! I am your rival: Rino!”

I have no reply. I earnestly cannot recall. Sharing a middle school? Rival? The rival, bouts, she says; I wonder if my older self used to be so ardent for martial arts sect.

“Aah—, Honda-san! Honda-san, eh—.”
“You have never named me ‘Honda-san’ before.”
“Aha-ha…”

The line of re-tempered dull sword¹ had been also immediately revealed.
For it was in vain, I bowed my head with all sincerity, and gave her my apology.

“I, I’m sorry. I don’t actually remember.”
“L, lie? You are lying to me?”
“Sorry, it is no lie.”
“So to you I was mere one whom you may readily forsake?”

That is not what I meant. That is not, however I am also unable to explain it.

“Ah—, er, uh, I’m sorry.”

I may but apologise.
Whilom Maejima-san, Honda-san was staggered.

“For what reason do you suppose I have arrived here all by myself. To discover you, to vanquish you, to…”

She set off mumble-talking upon that situation.
It is my fault for holding no memory of her. However I cannot recall all the same. I feel a genuine guilty, but what unknown is unknown.

“Th, that’s how it is. And, I thought, I should be very glad if you erase those photos…”
“…Very well.”
“Good! Thank you, Honda-san!”

She agreed obediently. So she is my old friend after all?

“If you end up victorious.”
“Er.”

That was not the case.

“Contest. Contest! You will have to compete against me anyhow.”
“Eh, err…”

So bothersome. Although, she will not yield.

“All right, the one who reach the clock tower yonder first wins, how about it?”

She points at the building of clock tower in front of the station. It is about ten kilometres from here. “Contest,” she say, we not even a primary school students.

“By run?”
“Silly, of course we should fly.”

With that, Honda-san removes her star-shaped hair-clip and flings it into the air. The hair-clip, upon making a “pon,” turns into a broom.

“Oh!”

I raised a voice of surprise at the witchcraft of someone else, regarding it after so long a time. The happenings such as transition of a small hair-clip into the broom of size which is enough for a person to ride upon is impossible, unless for magic. W, well, it is magic.
Nevertheless, that was nifty move. Only from her motions alone one may tell she is a great witch.

“Are you ready?”

Honda-san saddled a broom as she questions me. Ready—am I ready…

“Perfectly!”
“Hum, you keep your placidity, huh. You don’t even have your broom out, I wonder if it’s a handicap for me. Ah—, you truly an irksome one! Well then, let’s proceed.”
“Right.”
“Ready—, go—!”

With shout, she passed into the sky.

“Uwah!”

The impact of her start sent a clouds of dust whirl about. Peering at the blue, her figure have utterly disappeared from the sight. Such velocity in split of a second. Impressive.
And I who was standing upon the ground still.

“Now, let us head to the class. Eh? half of an hour has already passed? I guess I amuse myself in a canteen and start from second period.”

I begin to tread away as though nothing had happened.

“Hold on for a mo-ome-e-ent!”

The voice was drawing closer and closer.
I had a bad premonition and cast my gaze behind.
Honda-san, who expected to have disappeared into an airspace, was speeding back here at a tremendous velocity.

“Watch out!”

At short notice, I leaped sidewards to avoid a collision.
By brief distance away, she had repatriated from the sky.

“Don’t avoid me!”
“No, no, I would’ve died if I were to be hit at that speed!”

Being out of breath, Honda-san shot me a glare. She appeared terribly irritated. Her penetrating eyes are frightening. With no hesitation she cried at me.

“Why were you not competing!?”
“We shall call it your win by default, Honda-san, sorry, I’m sorry.”
“Huh? You don’t want to compete with me that much?”
“Since I, I can’t fly.”
“Huh?”

She reveals disappointed voice. I will press further.

“I can’t fly!”
“Can’t fly..? The basic technique of a witch, is it not!? Flying is something that teach in primary school. One is able to perform it with seldom a magical force, right? And you, a Genius, can not? Are you mocking me!?”
“As a conclusion, I don’t have that magical force.”
“Say again?”
“I have lost magical force. All out.”

I have to tell her the truth, otherwise she will not step back. I had no desire to narrate, however I chose to share a part of my circumstances.

“I believe it was right upon I reached a high school. Whatever magical force I should have had tuned zero. Not even a millimetre remained. I don’t know why, but I lost it. There was no incident of any sort. With no notice, no incident, and no awareness—it was an abrupt vanishing. Whereby, although I will omit the chronology thenceforth, being unable to set my foot upon a decent path as a witch, I became a student of Art University.”

As I spoke, her bearing turned bewildered.

“Eh, what about the witchcraft of the Aquarium then?”
“I transformed emotions of that lady into magical force.”
“What, then…”

“I have never heard of such handling of a magical force,” she said. That is truth, too. For I invented it.

“That’s why I am apologise. I cannot compete with you. Since I have no magical force.”

By converting emotions into magical force, I believe that is possible for me to fly, however it is a perilous matter to fly against such an unstable magical force. Supposing the force were to run out during the flight, I would fall headlong to the ground. So risky an act cannot be executed by my holding no magical force.

“…”

She left without throwing a word. Those eyes were vacuous and inspired with slight insecurity.
But I cannot reciprocate to her wish of a contest.
All I could is but follow her petite back with my eyes.

1. its blade appears sharp, however actually fragile and unstable; back