Chapter 36
Intruder in the Museum II
Merry Christmas!
The northern section of the city museum—the Fossil Hall.
Even after the lights had gone out, the faint glow of security lamps remained.
As the name suggests, this annex displays the fossils and skeletons of various ancient creatures.
In reality, not everything is genuine; some are replicas created to supplement the exhibits.
At present—silence. No sign of anyone.
Earlier, a call for backup from the Sculpture Hall had reached the Fossil Hall, and the security guards had been mobilized.
Yet, in the quiet darkness, a beam of light leaked from the second-floor restroom.
“Not yet?”
“Let’s see…”
A lock of chestnut hair peeked through the door crack, checking outside.
Its owner—Akikaze Yamaki—had a cautious expression on his face instead of his usual careless grin.
Taking advantage of the post-closure chaos, he had quietly hidden in the restroom, waiting out the security patrol.
“Phew… Okay!”
Once he confirmed the area was safe, he breathed a sigh of relief, turned, and reported.
“Finally… I almost couldn’t breathe here…”
Hearing the affirmative reply, she opened the stall door. Complaining lightly about enduring the heat, her expression carried a trace of concern.
She washed her face at the sink and tidied her slightly disheveled, cherry-pink long hair.
Tonight involved Mion, so a clean appearance was essential. At least, that was Arisuzuki Nagisa’s thought.
“Hey, Akikaze-kun. Do you really think Mion will show up here?”
“I’m not just thinking it—I’m certain.”
Leaning against the wall, Akikaze replied confidently, tapping his chest.
“I heard something by chance back then, and it’s been bothering me… Honestly, I hope I misheard.”
“What happened exactly? You can tell me now, right?”
“That was when I went looking for those two.”
Two days ago, the scene he saw and the words he heard replayed vividly in Akikaze’s mind.
On Friday afternoon, after the class bell rang, he was instructed by Professor Amemiya to search for the absent Mion and Misty.
After checking around, he finally found them on the school rooftop.
At that moment, he had hidden behind the iron door and watched—Misty had summoned a small mirror from her palm.
Mion’s face showed no trace of astonishment at this strange phenomenon. It was as if it were perfectly normal, an everyday occurrence.
What followed in their conversation was even more unbelievable to Akikaze.
“Mion, this ancient jewel may be the magical artifact we’re looking for. The retrieval time is midnight on Sunday.”
“We’ll try to use as little magic as possible and finish quickly so we can leave the museum.”
Akikaze relayed Misty’s words exactly to Nagisa.
“Mii-tan said that to Mion. Some of the words are strange, right?”
“Strange? Where?”
“‘Magical artifact’ and ‘magic’—you don’t normally say that in casual conversation. And, what even is a ‘magical artifact’?”
After a brief shock, Nagisa covered her mouth, laughed softly, and waved her hand.
“You’re overthinking, Akikaze-kun! Seraphine-san might be a game otaku just like Mion! These are all terms commonly used in games, right?”
“Not necessarily,” Akikaze said, lightly shaking his head.
It was a possibility, but faced with multiple doubts, he didn’t think it should be brushed off so easily.
“Of course, that alone proves nothing. But I’ve noticed two suspicious points.”
Akikaze raised his index finger toward Nagisa.
“First, the relationship between those two isn’t normal. Nagisa-chan, remember the day Mii-tan transferred? She called Mion by his name—she clearly knew him. But from Mion’s reaction, he didn’t know her at all.”
“I thought so! That Misty Seraphine is definitely suspicious!”
Nagisa strongly agreed, crossing her arms and puffing her cheeks.
“I’ve known Mion since we were kids, but I’ve never been as close as she is. And yet she’s trying to take him from me—how awful!”
“Um, Nagisa-chan, your focus is a little off…”
“Ahem! So what Akikaze-kun means is, their relationship is more complicated than it seems, right?”
“Exactly. Interesting, isn’t it?”
Showing a detective-like expression of control, Akikaze continued, emphasizing “those two.”
“The second point is that Wednesday incident.”
“But wasn’t that classified as a murder case? Mion was just a witness, right?”
“Technically, yes. But something feels missing. I wonder what role Mion actually played…”
Rubbing his chin, Akikaze’s thoughts drifted back to the scene of the attack.
The destroyed schoolyard. A blonde woman bound. Strange gusts of wind.
And Mion, with enormous red wings, bizarre makeup, and a strange appearance.
After the incident, he asked Mion directly but got a denial. Due to insufficient evidence, he couldn’t press further.
Yet—he had seen it. He hadn’t been mistaken. Definitely.
Akikaze was sure his eyes were not lying. Even now, unchanged.
Throughout his life, he had relied on logic and common sense to understand and manage matters. No matter how complicated, there was always a rational explanation if he dug deep enough.
But this time, he couldn’t.
He considered all angles, explored possibilities, but every attempt failed.
So he closed his eyes, emptied his mind, and surrendered to intuition.
After a moment of silence, leaning against the wall, he gazed seriously at his childhood friend, who tilted her head in curiosity.
“Nagisa-chan, do you think magic exists in this world?”
Even he felt the question was ridiculous. Impossible, yet he wanted someone to deny this absurd thought.
Mentally, he braced himself to be laughed at.
“It exists. Magic exists.”
Calmly and gently, Nagisa replied.
Smiling, she stepped closer, lifting her face slightly to meet his puzzled gaze.
“Akikaze-kun, you’re reliable and interesting. Mion-kun is honest and kind. Meeting you both and becoming friends—that is the beauty that magic creates.”
Caught off guard by Nagisa’s sudden sincerity, Akikaze didn’t know how to respond.
Mimicking Mion’s habit, he scratched his face, subtly shifting his gaze to hide his rising heartbeat and embarrassment.
“Well, I can’t deny that. But what I mean isn’t abstract like that.”
“Real magic, you mean? Then…”
Nagisa didn’t state it directly.
She lifted her heel, brushing aside his long sideburns, slowly bringing her lips near his ear. Gently tapping his head while speaking in a warm voice:
“Hey, what you need right now isn’t the silly Akikaze-kun, but the smart, dependable Akikaze-kun~ Can you give him back?”
“Phew… Thanks, Nagisa-chan.”
Hearing that reassurance, Akikaze’s tense nerves relaxed. The worry lines on his brow smoothed out.
He mentally told himself he had overthought things, and peered out of the restroom, quickly scanning the area.
No change from before—the place remained quiet and serene.
The wall clock showed fifteen minutes until midnight.
If their eavesdropped plan was correct, Mion and Misty should already be in the museum.
Confronting them on-site would leave no excuse or lie effective. But he hoped such a troublesome situation wouldn’t arise.
“Seems like no one will come for a while. Nagisa-chan, let’s move.”
“Yeah.”
The two exchanged a nod, and Akikaze led Nagisa down the stairs, heading deeper into the Fossil Hall.
