James tried to contain his excitement. This wasn’t the first time he had flown. Admittedly, the number of times he’d been on a jet could be counted on one hand; it was still a novel experience. A little bit of the elation he felt could be blamed on the whole spy experience he was getting. While they were travelling on a commercial flight, they had taken a helicopter to the airport, and they were about to board with false identities.

  They were even wearing special sunglasses designed to spoof AI face recognition. Something about reflective IR dazzle features.

  That was pretty spy family, but it couldn’t compare to the fact that he was going to Okinawa, an island that was practically all sun-kissed beaches, with his girlfriend. Suki was standing right next to him, dressed in a white eyelet blouse and a pleated sage-green midi skirt, with platform sandals and a canvas tote slung over one shoulder. With her dark sunglasses on, she looked like an incognito movie star.

  “I can’t believe that we’re actually doing this,” he murmured to Mitsue. He wanted to yell it, to whoop and holler his delight, but that didn’t go down well in Japanese public spaces.

  “It is a shame that this couldn’t wait a week,” Mitsue replied. “We could have had all of Golden Week to properly relax instead of a short weekend.”

  “After this weekend, we should have locations for the rest of the power stones,” Professor Toei told them. “Depending on where we need to go, you might well spend the longer holiday searching for them. That would minimise the time missed from class.”

  He glanced over at Harue. “Some of you need all the time you can get.”

  “Well, excuse me!” Harue objected. “It’s not my fault that I get the real history mixed up with the official one!”

  Professor Toei pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yes, it is,” he insisted. “And the stories you make up to slander historical figures aren’t real history.”

  “I’ve got five sisters who will swear that they were there and those stories are true!”

  “That and 500 yen will—” Professor Toei cut himself off as they passed a cafe.”—apparently, it won’t buy you a coffee, at least not here. These prices are criminal.”

  “The only criminality here is your cover-up of the truth,” Harue stated. “Shouldn’t a historian keep an open mind? I’m quoting primary sources when I tell you that Shiba-no-Tama saved Tokugawa Ieyasu’s life.”

  Professor Toei let out a huge sigh of exasperation. “Tokugawa was not saved by a tanuki spirit during the Battle of Sekigahara. At no point did anyone transform into a Portuguese missionary. And he was not rewarded for his service by being appointed as the official guardian of Edo Castle.”

  He glared at Harue. “This isn’t a school trip, so there’s no requirement for me to deal with your absurd confabulations. Keeping you delinquents in some semblance of order will be enough of a challenge.”

  “Yeah, that sounds like a challenge, all right,” Harue said in a commiserating tone. She pointed to where Kana was striding purposefully towards a Yoshinoya beef bowl shop.

  “Konoe-san, no! We have a plane to catch!” He ran after her.

  Midoriko giggled. “Toei-sensei is much more… not relaxed— informal with this group,” she said. “He is always so businesslike in our interactions.”

  It was the first time that James had seen Midoriko wearing something other than her school uniform or her shrine maiden outfit. She wore a sage green blouse with delicate detailing at the collar and cuffs, paired with beige culottes. Over it, she had a lightweight cream cardigan draped neatly around her shoulders.

  Mitsuri was definitely taken by the look. From the look on his face, he was struggling to come up with a reply. He was spared—or denied his chance when Harue clapped him on the back.

  “It’s ‘cause we’re all delinquents!” she said brightly. “He has to speak to us on our level!”

  Midoriko laughed politely, while Mitsue glared at Harue.

  “But seriously,” Midoriko said. “We really do have to catch that plane.”

  * * *

  James had only a brief opportunity to breathe the Okinawan air before they were whisked off to the hotel. It smelled… just as salty as the air back at the Academy, really. There was a different flavour to it, but he would be hard-pressed to describe it.

  “We should be set up in the conference room.” Professor Toei explained over their complaints. “We can get the important part over with quickly, and then your time is free until we have to go back.”

  “I hate delayed gratification!” Harue declared. “Can’t we just leave it until the last minute, and then forget about it?”

  “No,” Professor Toei told them.

  Despite the protests from some, the process didn’t take too long. Everyone took a turn at holding the compass, and the techs made careful measurements of where it was pointing.

  “That’s it, you can go,” Professor Toei said, staring at his laptop.

  “Shouldn’t we wait for the locations to be calculated?” James asked.

  “Nope!” Harue exclaimed. “The beaches are calling me!”

  “Strange and exotic foods,” Kana agreed.

  “Historic and picturesque temples,” Midoriko put in.

  “Shopping!” Suki said, taking his arm. “We can’t wait a minute longer!”

  She dragged James away from Professor Toei, who was absently waving goodbye.

  “Just make sure not to go anywhere alone!” he called out after them.

  “Well, that obviously doesn’t apply to the two ayakashi,” Harue said, once they were out of earshot. “But if anyone asks, Kana and I will be exploring the island together.”

  “Yes, this island has a rich history of feuding monarchies and corrupt despots. I feel certain that there is treasure to be found here.”

  Kana looked over them all sternly. “I do not wish to be accompanied.”

  “Is that going to be all right?” James asked, “You know you can’t just dig holes wherever you like, right?”

  Kana waved a hand dismissively. “I am aware of all local laws and customs.”

  “That just leaves the two of us,” Midoriko said, smiling at Mitsue. “Are you interested at all in historical sites?”

  “I—I would be honoured to accompany you, Midoriko-senpai!” Mitsue blurted. He got the words out, though, so James thought it counted as a win.

  “Great!” Harue declared. “It’s still morning, so that gives us the entire day for fun. We can meet up at that beach at sunset? It looks like there will be some kind of festival.”

  Everyone agreed, and so they went their separate ways. The hotel offered a shuttle bus to the shopping district, so that was where James and Suki went.

  “I’m a little worried about Kana and Harue,” James confessed. “About what they’ll do, I mean.” James knew that there were things that could hurt the two girls, but he was much more worried about the other way around.

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  “It isn’t your concern, if you don’t make it your concern,” Suki told him. “Focus on me, please.”

  “Okay,” James said, caving instantly. Suki was much more pleasant to focus on. They smiled at each other for the rest of the bus trip.

  “You know,” Suki mused, “Okinawa is said to be much more forgiving of public displays of affection than Japan is.”

  “It is?” James asked, instantly flustered. “You mean— we could— wait, what do—”

  At that moment, they arrived at their destination, putting a hold on James finding exactly what Suki had meant. She just laughed and drew him into the shopping centre. He found himself dragged along, unable to stop watching as she prowled through racks of Okinawan fashion with the intensity of a general selecting weapons for war. She gravitated to bright, breezy fabrics, trying different combinations while scrutinising him closely for his reaction.

  She finally settled on a cropped kariyushi blouse printed with hibiscus and shisa lions, paired with a cotton dress in seafoam green. She looked playfully sophisticated, managing to channel both island charm and metropolitan cool. When she tried it on, posing in front of the mirror with a raised brow, James could only nod, a little stunned by how perfectly she wore the contradiction.

  That got them as far as lunch. They decided on a local teppanyaki stall where the chef cooked everything right in front of them. James got a hefty plate of goya chanpuru with thick-cut pork belly and scrambled egg, the bitter melon mellowed just enough by the heat. Suki opted for taco rice, the Okinawan fusion dish piled high with spicy ground beef, shredded lettuce, tomato, and a generous drizzle of bright red sauce. They swapped bites, argued over spice levels, and shared a cup of mango kakigōri to cool down.

  Then it was his turn to model clothing, and he quickly learned that Suki approached dressing him with the same ruthless enthusiasm. She marched him to a boutique and made him model outfit after outfit before she pieced together something distinctly Okinawan but unironically stylish: a muted kariyushi shirt with subtle Ryukyuan patterns, slim off-white pants, and leather sandals that actually felt comfortable.

  “You’re a tourist,” she said, “but at least now you’ll be a hot one.”

  He laughed, but when he caught his reflection in the glass, he had to admit—she wasn’t wrong. By the time they collapsed onto a bench with bubble tea in hand, James was half-exhausted, fully dressed to Suki’s specifications, and more smitten than ever.

  “Now for the best bit,” Suki said. “I need to buy a swimsuit.”

  “Don’t you have one already?” James asked.

  “Don’t be silly,” Suki said, giving him a playful nudge. “I want you to pick one for me.”

  James went red. “Okay,” he stammered. “But you know I don’t have your fashion sense.”

  “That’s fine,” Suki assured him. “A girl doesn’t wear a swimsuit to be fashionable, she wears it to have… an impact on her boyfriend.”

  James swallowed, imagining just how heavy that impact would be.

  “Okay,” he said again. “But you pick the store.”

  Suki agreed, and soon James found himself self-consciously browsing an endless selection of brightly coloured fragments of cloth. Everyone was looking at him. Everyone in the store, at least. The shoppers outside might be just looking at the front display, but James was fairly sure they were looking past it to stare at him.

  “This is hopeless,” he whispered to Suki. “They all look—I’ll never be able to choose.”

  “Search your feelings, James,” Suki giggled. “If I have to try random ones until we find the right one, we might miss dinner.”

  The thought of Suki modelling bikinis for him for the rest of the afternoon did sound pretty good to James, but he wanted to do better than random. Could he let his feelings be his guide? It was hard to imagine Suki wearing any of these—it was dangerously close to imagining her not wearing any of these. If he tried to pay attention to what he felt…

  He pointed at a bikini that was pale jade green with cherry blossom printed on it. At a deep crimson one-piece with side cutouts and gold accent rings at the hips and shoulders. For his final choice, he selected a sporty, two-piece set with a sporty triangle top and string-tied bottoms—done in an electric mix of neon yellow and aqua.

  Suki selected her sizes while James took deep breaths to calm down. Then she went into the booth to change, leaving James alone. Outside, lurking in front of the changing booths.

  With everyone staring at him.

  James didn’t look around to check. He couldn’t. He couldn’t bear to meet the judgmental gazes of the women who were all around him. Judging him for his picks. Judging him for his race and having the temerity to date an Asian girl. Not that Suki was Asian, not really, but he knew what they were thinking.

  This is the worst, James thought as he stared woodenly at the curtain that separated him from Suki. I’m going to die of embarrassment, or get torn to pieces by an angry mob, and I don’t know which will be worse.

  Then Suki opened the curtain.

  Worth it, was all James could think.

  The green bikini featured a modest halter neckline with a knotted bow between the cups. Against Suki’s pale skin, the soft tones gave her a dreamy, nostalgic look—like she had stepped out of a 1960s beach postcard.

  “What do you think?” Suki asked.

  “It looks really good on you,” James answered honestly.

  Suki looked at him closely, nodded, and then drew the curtain back.

  James really wanted to be behind the curtain. Not for the obvious reason—though, that too. He just wanted to be free of everyone looking at him. Remembering that one of his bags held a bottle of water, he grabbed it and took a swig. Just so he was doing something and not waiting outside the changing room like some kind of offender.

  Suki came out again, this time wearing the red one-piece. The asymmetrical design clung to her frame, sharp and eye-catching, with the contrast making her skin almost luminous. When she posed in it with a mock-serious pout, she looked halfway between a swimsuit model and a martial arts movie villainess.

  “You look amazing,” James told her earnestly. “It’s—it’s—” he gestured with his free hand, unable to convey what he was seeing.

  “Stylish,” he finally managed.

  Suki gave him a dazzling smile. “Better,” she said, pleased. “One more.”

  She closed the curtain again, leaving him behind in hell. He powered through it, staring resolutely at Suki’s booth, taking another swig of his water bottle.

  When Suki came out wearing the sporty yellow two-piece, James choked on his water. Something about how the bright neon colours drew his eye to Suki’s generously proportioned form made him…

  “This one,” Suki said firmly.

  James gaped like a fish, trying to get his mouth working. “Are you sure?” he finally managed to ask.

  “Absolutely,” Suki said with a grin.

  * * *

  “Whoo-hoo!” Harue yelled exuberantly. “You two made it back alive!”

  “Was that a serious concern?” Suki asked, her eyebrow arched.

  Harue shrugged. “You never know with you two.”

  They were on the beach, in the middle of some kind of party. Festival booths had been set up higher along the shore, and an open pavilion was set right on the beach. Music was playing, loud enough for Harue’s yelling to not be out of place, but not so loud that it was required.

  James and Suki were in their swimming costumes; they’d spent the last hour splashing around in the ocean. James had almost gotten used to the effect that Suki’s choice of swimwear had on him.

  “Is that beer?” James asked disapprovingly. Harue just grinned.

  “I would never!” she declared mischievously. She moved the cup out of the way to prevent him from getting a closer look.

  “Are the others back?” Suki asked, electing to ignore that can of worms.

  “Kana is,” Harue replied, pointing up the beach to where Kana was arguing with a food vendor. “No sign of—oh wait, there they are.”

  She pointed further along. When James looked, he saw Mitsue and Midoriko walking back to join them. There was slightly more distance between them than James would normally expect.

  “Oh dear,” Suki said. “Do you think…”

  “Yeah,” Harue answered. “I can spot a jilted lover from a mile off, and Mitsue’s got that vibe.”

  “James,” Suki said, “I think you meet up with him by yourself. My presence would be rubbing salt on his wound.”

  “Uh, yeah, sure,” James agreed. He jogged forward to meet with the pair. Midoriko saw him coming and gave him a nod and an apologetic look. Then she peeled off, leaving James to deal with Mitsue alone.

  “Hey, buddy,” James said, stepping into his friend's path. “Did you… confess?”

  Mitsue stopped and looked up. His face was as composed as it always was, but James could tell he was hiding pain.

  “I… did. It did not go well,” Mitsue admitted.

  “Did you want to talk about it before we rejoin the others?” James asked. “Before Harue gets here, I mean. The others should be all right.”

  Mitsue chuckled ruefully. “Harue will be insufferable,” he agreed. “But I can bear the pain… at least until I’m old enough to drink.”

  “I’ve got some Harue-related cautions on that subject as well,” James said, glancing back at the group. “Um, look. I think what you did was really brave.”

  “I wasn’t particularly heroic,” Mitsue denied. “I just said some words and got rejected. My only regret is that I’ve spoiled the rest of our holiday… and that our future training sessions will be extremely awkward.”

  “No, listen,” James said earnestly. “Not only was it the right thing to do, but I remember that confessing to Suki was the scariest thing I’ve ever done—and I had strong hints that she was going to accept.”

  “The right thing?” Mitsue asked wryly. “My emotions feel differently. If I’d waited longer, or done more to attract her attentions, perhaps…”

  “No,” James insisted. “Pining away in the shadows, not saying anything, that wasn’t doing you any good. You have an answer now, it’s not the one you wanted, but you can move on.”

  “Move on?” Mitsue sighed. “I suppose that would be the sensible thing to do.”

  “That’s also how we avoid awkwardness for the rest of the trip—and the rest of the school year,” James said. “I don’t think Midoriko-senpai hates you, so just… stay cool.”

  “Maintaining composure is always important,” Mitsue agreed.

  “All right then. We’ll get through this together,” James said. “Manly hug?”

  “Manly… what?”

  James didn’t wait, drawing his roommate in with one arm for a quick embrace.

  “Manly hug,” he explained.

  “Yes, well,” Mitsue complained as they drew apart. “Your Western customs are baffling. A simple bow would have sufficed.”

  They rejoined the girls, including Midoriko and Kana, who was chewing on a pork skewer.

  “Finally!” Harue said, bouncing with excitement. “Now that you’re all here, I can tell you the good news!”

  “Good news can mean a lot of things with you,” James said cautiously.

  “You’re right! I should have said great news,” Harue replied. “That pavilion there? They’re holding a karaoke competition in about half an hour—and I signed everybody up!”

  your manifest destiny in my prophesied encounter!" situation. This is one of the ways that the Administration cheats fate; by bringing all the prophesied heroes together, they can help each other out. So what would be a tough fight for Midoriko on her own, becomes an easier book-opening arc.