Category: last magic

07 Rin

I was in different classes from Sakurako in my first and second years of middle school, but in our third year, we finally ended up in the same class.

Although Sakurako became able to use magic in our first year, she doesn’t often show it off in front of people other than me. That gave me a sense of being “special” and was a little point of pride for me, but it was also the teaching of Sakurako’s grandmother.… Read more

06 Sato 2

Nagumo-san always kept that book carefully tucked away in her bag; it was unthinkable that she would drop or lose it.

It was likely the work of Takahashi-san’s group, who had arbitrarily decided to make Nagumo-san their enemy. It was obvious to everyone. Takahashi-san and her lot weren’t good at studying and were pointlessly aggressive, always badmouthing someone as a vent for their own frustrations.

Even when she realized the book was gone, Nagumo-san maintained a brave front.… Read more

05 Sato 1

The middle school I attended drew students mainly from two areas. Most lived in the apartments and maisonette-type houses near Shin-Urayasu Station. The other, smaller group of students lived a bit further away in the apartments on the reclaimed land.

Actually, the place where I live was originally reclaimed land too. Between us and the new reclaimed land where the minority group lived, there’s an old embankment that runs along like a railway track, creating a very clear border.… Read more

04 Rin

After graduating from elementary school, Sakurako and I ended up going to the same middle school.

Just because we were in the same elementary school didn’t mean it was a given we’d go to the same middle school.

In the apartment complexes standing in the reclaimed land full of silver grass, there are many parents with high social awareness. They send their kids to cram school from elementary school, plotting to get them into elite schools if possible.… Read more

03 Kato

When I was in fifth grade, there were two eccentric girls in my class: Rin Shiba and Sakurako Nagumo.

When you hear “eccentrics,” you probably imagine the guy who wears short sleeves and shorts even in winter, the guy who memorizes the names of all the world’s capitals, or the person who is unusually good at drawing—just your typical “weird” kids. But these two weren’t that common type. They had characters so distinct they could have appeared in an anime or manga.… Read more

02 At the Elementary School

I often wondered what “normal” actually meant. My dad and mom were always saying “Normally this,” or “Normally that,” but there aren’t actually many things that are “normal.”

When I entered elementary school, my mom told me:

“You shouldn’t hang out with weird kids; it’s better to make friends with normal kids, okay?”

So, I looked around the classroom I’d just entered, trying to find who the “normal” kids were, but I couldn’t really tell.… Read more

01 Sakurako

I wonder when I first learned about magic?

By the time I was old enough to remember, it was naturally just… there.

It wasn’t something “convenient” or anything like that. My grandmother would chant long incantations like she was telling a story and light a tiny flame on the palm of her hand.

It was so beautiful and fantastical that I was completely captivated.

But when I said,

“Magic is so amazing!”

my grandmother would look happy, yet also a bit sad.… Read more

Prologue

My high school is in Shibuya.

When people hear “Shibuya,” most probably imagine the Scramble Crossing by the station. But the school I attend is near Jingu Stadium—a slightly more settled, quiet area.

Still, there’s no changing the fact that it’s in the heart of the city, and the traffic is quite heavy. Even the time spent waiting for the lights to change feels a bit longer compared to my hometown, Urayasu.

That’s why, while waiting for the signal at the crosswalk right in front of the school, I was completely absorbed in talking with my friend.… Read more