Part One

"Oi oi, are you serious?"

Masao demanded this at Eimi and Meika the next morning over breakfast.

"You've already mastered a category in one night?"

"Well, ten minutes, actually," Meika sipped a glass of milk carelessly. "It wasn't that hard."

"Unbelievable," Kyoko whistled, cutting a pancake. "And you picked two difficult categories, nonetheless..."

Eimi nibbled on her single slice of bacon. "Yeah, I guess..." She didn't like where the conversation was going and changed it instead. "Say, Kyoko-chan, did you find out where your brother was yesterday during dinner in the end?"

Kyoko froze. Then she sighed and set down her fork. "You really don't let up, do you?"

"Sorry," Eimi said sheepishly, yanking off a small piece of Meika's egg and sticking it in her mouth. "But I figured if you're fine enough to press on me like this, I might as well try."

"All right," Kyoko agreed. "Fair enough. Shuu-niichan said that he had forgotten something in the Student Council room and had was just about to return to the cafeteria when he heard Kisaragi-sensei's scream. He ran forward, and that was when he saw someone outside from the window, directly at the window of the cafeteria. He tried to stop them, but they were too fast and got away. Later he was going to check on Kisaragi-sensei...and then."

Eimi waited with baited breath. "And then?"

Kyoko could only shrug. "I don't know. He couldn't remember."

"Must be a memory manipulation spell?" Isamu frowned. "But I've never heard of a spell that's able to alter one's memory..."

Eimi and Meika shared a hesitant look.

But Akina caught it. "Umm...Eimi, Meika, do you know something?"

Eimi bit her lip. "Actually, Meika and I know quite a bit about Dark Casts. There isn't a spell that allows you to directly alter one's memory, but..."

"Memory Steal," Meika said softly. "A Mind Manipulation Cast that allows you to take the recent memories of someone."

"Un," Eimi nodded. "So it's possible."

"I had no idea..." Masao mused.

"Of course you did," Eimi giggled, finishing off her bacon. "You're a ba-ka after all, right~?"

"Wha-What did you say--" Masao sputtered, but right then--

Bam!

The door to the cafeteria flung open and Minori ran across. "Sensei, sensei, sensei!"

All eyes turned to the pretty lavender-haired idol as she ran across, shouting and panting in panic. She skidded to a stop at the teacher's table next to Sakiko-sensei, breathless.

"Ogasawara-san?" Sakiko-sensei said, startled. "Is something the matter?"

"Have you seen Chika?" Minori blurted.

Sakiko-sensei's eyes widened in surprise. "Eh...? No, I haven't..."

Minori bit her lip nervously. "I haven't seen her since last night, and I can't find her anywhere!"

"She should have gone back with you after last night, right?" Kisaragi-sensei asked worriedly.

"Un," Minori nodded nervously. "But there was something I had forgotten to do back in the Student Council room, so I had her go on ahead...What do I do? If we don't find her, it's all my fault!"

"First off, Ogasawara-san, I think you need to calm down," Sakiko-sensei instructed. "You're scaring the students."

Minori seemed to notice right then that everyone in the cafeteria was staring at her. "S-Sorry. I'll go look for her."

The long lavender hair vanished back outside the cafeteria, and the place erupted into chatters.

"Say, Eimi," Meika said finally, breaking the silence at their table. "Was there anything suspicious about Sakiko-senpai last night?"

Eimi set down her chopsticks. "Just a minute. Let me try to remember." She closed her eyes and thought back to last night's training, her brows furrowing. "No..." Her long hair shook. "I don't think so, at least..."

"Then she must've been attacked..." Meika frowned.

"Ah, also, I've been wondering this for a while," Eimi spoke up, glancing at the other members of their table curiously.

"What?" Isamu asked.

"Well, we're Nameless," Eimi said hesitantly. "Are you sure you're okay with sitting with us?"

It was then that the other four members seemed to hear the dirty comments going around the cafeteria at occasional moments.

"Sure, why not?" Masao shrugged.

"E-Eimi and Meika are our f-friends, after all," Akina stammered shyly.

"Didn't we already decide on that?" Kyoko confirmed.

Eimi sighed. "Guess you're right. Well, just don't blame me if things get real ugly, kay~? Oh yeah, Meika-chan, are you done yet?"

"Done with what?" Kyoko blinked, but both girls ignored her.

"Un," Meika nodded, and Eimi peered over her shoulder at her phone. "Sakiko-senpai...there's a lot about her on here. She was an exceptional Barrier Caster, she was known widely around her hometown, etc, etc...But nothing really explains why she would go missing like that--"

"Wait!" Eimi exclaimed suddenly. "Wait, wait, wait...come with me for a minute!"

"Okay," Meika shut off her phone and tucked it in her pocket, standing up after Eimi without hesitation.

The two girls ran out of the cafeteria in a hurry, pushing through other students and only earning more rude remarks.

"Hey, wait..." Kyoko protested to no avail.

Isamu sighed, standing. "I'll go after them."

Eimi slammed open the door to the balcony and Meika shut it behind her. "Meika-chan! I might've forgotten to tell you this, but what harmed Shuu-senpai wasn't a Paralysis Cast. It was a Spirit Cast!"

"A Spirit Cast?" Meika gasped. "I see...that would make sense. Cast a Spirit Cast on an unsuspecting--or suspecting--person, and their soul can leave the body...and then after that Cast a Mind Manipulation Cast and steal his memories. It fits together..."

"Also, " Eimi mused thoughtfully, "Spirit Casts are strong against Barrier Casts, so that would make sense..."

"Un," Meika nodded. "Then all we have to do is find a Spirit Caster in this school."

"How do you know that Fuyubayashi-senpai was attacked by a Spirit Cast?"

Eimi and Meika spun around at the sound of a familiar voice at the doorway. "Isa...kun..." Eimi stammered. "What are you doing here?"

Isamu sighed. "I should be the one asking you that..."

"More importantly, since you were eavesdropping anyway," Meika spoke up, "what do you know about Spirit Casters?"

"Well..." Isamu thought. "I think, back in the old days, Spirit Casts were used to heal--" and then he froze when he felt something coming from in the distance.

"Shoot!" He raised his hand, ready to Form Change--

"That's too slow you bakaaaa!"

To his surprise, Eimi shot towards him at full speed, arm outstretched--

She skidded to a stop directly in front of him, panting slightly. "Sorry, Meika-chan, it looks like it's too bad..."

She grinned sheepishly and held up her bloodied hand, which had a poison needle stuck in her palm.

"I guess I'll leave the rest to you."

"Oi, Eimi!"

Isamu accidentally called the girl by her name when she collapsed.

Meika only sighed. Guess I don't have a choice...

Nearby, hidden in the shadows with a black gun in her hand, Dr. Yamamoto pulled out a cell phone and dialed a number. "Well," she said into it nonchalantly, clipping her gun on her belt, "things are a tad bit off-plan again, but I got the girl."

"Good," a booming voice replied across the speaker. "Now prepare for infiltration. Our troops will attack tonight."

"Roger that, sir."

Dr. Yamamoto hung up with a smirk, turning back to look at the balcony, only to find--

Hoshimi Meika stared directly at her hiding spot, blue eyes burning with vengeance.