POV Mari

The first day of May. A new summer is upon us. The festivities are either quieting down here, or heating up at other places. We are taking the day for ourselves to relax, before a new week brings new challenges.

It pains me to admit it, but we have taken a liking to the secluded little restaurant in the forest. I personally prefer the lack of outside noise, Meiko is obviously glowing with happiness when the more mainstream food is brought out, and Hana has got a sweet tooth.

It also helps that we have found pleasant company in Anna's group, and when the girls take over the waiting, I completely forget that there is a man present. 'If I had another complaint, it would be that some of the little crows are becoming more… Hmm… Eagle like? Saying plump chickens would be too harsh.'

I'm starting to think of ways to twist the situation to our favour, keeping the benefits of both sides. 'If only father wasn't so hell bent on interfering in our lives, not that he is any good at it anyway. We aren't small, naive, little girls anymore. Regardless of his intentions, I can't stand for his foolishness!'

"Anna: Mari, are you going to put forward your group for the USC during next week's students general meeting? You have a wide recognition at the moment, it's best to keep the momentum going."

"Mari: Indeed. I'm thankful for your support, and Yumi's excellent performance together with Meiko."

"Yumi: It was fun! Not our usual MO but I watched some videos online and added my own flare into it. The crowd loved it!"

"Meiko: Yes! We should practice more together, for the next chance we get to perform!"

"Tai: How about me and Hana try putting on a show too? We can do some acrobatics together. Right?"

"Hana: I feel that I'll be the slower one, I better get some training done before we begin."

'The next big event will be the sports festival, perhaps there will be a chance for something of the sort.'

We follow a trail thought the forest, it gets clearer by the day. 'Perhaps we should take a different route, before we make it any more obvious for all to see.'

One lovely walk later, we arrive to a familiar sight. 'Like a mirage in a desert, it baffles me to the core. Why construct this in the middle of nowhere? It merges with the forest scenery so well, it's a little uncanny.'

As we enter, the aroma of freshly sliced onions hits us. Not enough to make eyes water, just a touch of a sting and a promise of a treat.

Today, the chef seems to be in a better mood, the last time he behaved like a whipped dog, almost whining aloud.

"Valentine: Welcome Ladies! Would you all like to take a seat upstairs today? If so, I have the table ready."

"Anna: Sounds alright by us. A bit of sunshine is good for everyone."

One person from each group walks back into the kitchen to get the snacks moving upstairs, as the rest set the table. We move with familiarity, getting drinks and glasses from the bar, setting plates and cutlery. Once everything is ready, the chef introduces the menu.

"Valentine: In addition to the standard fare, as promised, I have some onion dishes for today. For variety we have: cold onion salad, deep-fried onion rings and cream onion soup. Not having the required wine, I couldn't make the traditional Fresh onion soup, please accept my humble apologies."

Everyone chooses to order their preferred dishes before going for the snacks. I myself feel a craving for some hot soup, mostly stirred by the smell.

"Valentine: Ah! I almost forgot about those things. Kuhum. Ladies, does any one of you hate mushrooms?"

'What an odd question to ask.'

Most answer in a negative, with only Tai admitting to not be a regular to the taste.

"Valentine: Ok, good, then it's only me."

"Anna: What? You hate mushrooms?"

"Valentine: Kind of, I don't mind the unami, but the actual texture doesn't sit well with me. It's one of the 3 ingredients I admit to hate tasting. Them being black licorice from my childhood and the foul abomination of natto beans!"

"Anna: Yuck! Black licorice is horrible! It ruined mixed sweets for me."

"Valentine: Yeah, anywho, I've got a basket of fresh mushrooms. If you don't mind, I'll serve them to your table. Otherwise, I was going to dice them up and hide them in the deepest corner of my freezer. Don't worry, I do know how to cook them, on that I swear."

"Meiko: So, what mushrooms do you have?"

Upon hearing Meiko's question, the chef glances at me, before answering. 'Why did that provoke a reaction of unease?'

"Valentine: Ummm..eeh.. Palm sized, earthly coloured, with a closed flower hat? I honestly call all mushrooms as simply mushrooms. I'll bring a couple out with a charcoal grill. If anyone likes them I can make some miso and rice with them."

Shortly after more dishes are carried out and a tiny tabletop grill is shown to us. The chef prepares and lights it on the side, before setting it down on our table.

"Valentine: Haven't used this thing yet, but it looks all good. Not very useful for a BBQ, nevertheless some light grilling can be done, I think."

'It is not the right season for wild mushrooms, I wonder… . Mmmm.The soup has a nice strong flavour, the onions are practically melting into the brought.'

"Valentine: These fellows look a bit dirty, but be assured, it's their natural appearance. I have cleaned off all the soil and damaged skin. If they are too much, just leave them in a bowl for the birds."

I blink, looking at the tray of mushrooms set down. 'What? He cleaned the soil off of them? That should not be the case, if they are what I think they are.'

I take one in hand. 'Yes, this looks just like that offensive type of mushrooms. Commonly described to look like a man's genital. Ah! That's the reason for the nervous look. Still, these should be imported and not Japanese mushrooms. Hmm… Something doesn't add up.'

Without reservation I cut the mushrooms into slices and place them over the red charcoal. They start giving off a very nice fragrance, reminiscent of mulled wine, with spice and cinnamon undertone. 'It smells a bit better then last time, when father was boasting like an idiot. That he was like a real samurai, handpicking matsutake and grilling them for the family.'

Slightly touching them with heat is enough. 'The taste is just perfect… This is all wrong. It seems that Anna has noticed too, and she knows something I don't. Her glare at the chef speaks volumes and the confused look on his face too.'

"Meiko: What a lovely smell, may I have some, Lady Mari?"

"Mari: Sure, Meiko. Here…fuuu…say aaah."

I behave oblivious for now, teasing Meiko, so that everyone relaxes and has a laugh. We continue our carefree lunch, ordering more dishes, including the mushrooms. 'A dozen freshly harvested mushrooms. Goes well with miso. Hmm… .'

Satisfied with a great lunch, we return to the dormitory. I asked Hana and Meiko to join me in my room for a talk.

"Mari: Meiko, Hana, I would like to ask for your help. I need for us to keep an eye on Anna is secret. There is something going on between them and the chef, I need to know what."

"Hana: What's going on between them? Do you mean something in a romantic sense?"

"Mari: No… I don't think so. The chef is keeping his guard up for everyone, I doubt he even had an open conversation with anyone here. There is something else, I just don't know."

"Meiko: Apologies for my lacking observation. I was supposed to be gathering information on him, but missed such an important piece. I will keep watch!"

"Mari: There are a few hours till sundown, if anything is going on, that would be the time they make a move."

The girls return to their rooms for now, and I go to the canteen to talk to the kitchen staff. Making some inquiries, revealed that the three of them started asking for packed dinner to take to their rooms. 'Not something too unusual on its own.'

As evening approaches, we take an inconspicuous position overlooking the dorms entrance. Half an hour later, they go out wearing sports clothing, seemingly to go training.

I ask my crows to keep a lookout from above them, as we keep plenty of distance and follow. It is obvious that they are checking around for anyone walking about, before heading for the forest.

"Mari: We will follow behind, it's pretty obvious where they are going."

"Hana: Are they not going there for dinner? It's not such a bad idea, the food is a bit better then the one in the canteen."

'I have a feeling it's not that simple.'

We move in silence, to not get noticed. After getting to the clearing, I see that my observers are waiting on the rooftop. 'So they went in there. Hmm, I don't see anyone moving anywhere, neither any lights.'

"Mari: Just to be safe, we should walk around the clearing to the backside."

"Meiko: From the looks of it, the restaurant is closed. It is odd."

We move around and get closer. The building is truly asleep as we enter. 'No lights, no cooking noise, no activity anywhere. Downstairs?'

"Meiko: I'll go first."

"Mari: Thank you, Meiko."

We listen for anything as we move down the stairs. The light in on and we check all the doors around. 'Why would anyone design a building like this?'

"Meiko: Umm, Lady Mari, are you sure they went this way? There is nobody in the building at all."

'Indeed, even the bedroom is empty, not to mention the lack of almost any entertainment devices or personal possessions. No photos, phone, laptop, or a TV. The only signs of someone living here are the clothes. But why is there no one here? It's as silent as a mausoleum.'

I make the call to retreat for now, everything is amiss in here. I don't like it. While there are a few rays of light left, we check the surroundings, looking for anything unusual.

'The crows followed them to here. Is there a secret room somewhere underground? Why would they all come here? What is going on?'

We looked around and found nothing at all. For the next hour we waited outside, behind the building.

"Tai: Ha, ha, ha~ Yumi! You klutz! You almost killed him! Ha ha ha!"

"Yumi: It's not my fault! I didn't mean to stab him!"

"Anna: I would disagree. We all warned you to not get too close. The onion tear gas is truly a demonic concoction."

"Yumi: It got in my eyes, and I panicked! He will be fine! It's just a little stab wound! Besides, he recovered from the hit to the head pretty fast!"

"Anna: You do remember how we dragged him out of the shower, barely conscious? You were worried he had brain damage."

"Yumi: Well, it turned out fine! I mean, aren't you curious? How fast will he recover from a serious injury? If we got some anesthetics and broke his arm or something? You know, for science!"

"Tai: Yumi! Even if we are curious, that's just not right! Tell her Anna!"

"Anna: Hmm. Speaking strictly from a scientific point of view. I am also very curious. A controlled experiment would help to clarify things and if we can get something to knock him out… ."

'What??? … 

Are they talking about???'

We stay stock still, not sure of the meaning the snippet of conversation we overheard carried.

"Meiko: It must have been out of context. We just heard it wrongly, the seniors aren't doing anything wrong. Just a few misleading lines, that's all."

'There definitely is a secret room, probably very soundproofed. I… I need to think.'

"Hana: Where were they? We checked all the rooms. I'm not sure what's going on."

"Mari: We aren't sure of the situation, it's best we retreat and observe for the time being."

Both of them readily agreed, not wanting to imagine the other possibilities. So we retreat, to gather our thoughts and calm our nerves.

The next day, the six of us go for an afternoon snack like usual. Nothing is different about their behaviour up to a point. Once we enter, Yumi and Tai volunteer to get the drinks and snacks. Upon return they say that the chef has back pain and won't be walking up and down the stairs today.

Giving his farewells, he does appear to nervously glance our way and winces when turning. 'What is going on?'

Hana and Meiko feel uneasy, and I don't know what to do. 'Is… No, why is there a hidden room in the first place? Did he try to do something and is being punished? I don't know.'

I ask my crows to keep a closer eye on the restaurant and notify me if someone comes in or out. 'I will get to the bottom of this.'

The previous weeks of observation showed that the chef left for jogging and nothing more. Now with additional eyes, it seems that Anna's group leaves around the same time in the evening and returns before late evening. On Thursday, the pattern changed.

"Meiko: I don't know where Anna and the others are. Their classmates say that she left in a hurry during the previous period, followed closely by Yumi and Tai. They have not returned yet."

I call out to my little friends to confirm. 'Indeed, they left for the restaurant before us. What happened?'

We refrain from rushing and walk as usual. Coming up to the clearing, we are greeted by Tai, dressed in sportswear.

"Tai: Heya! Sorry we left before you, we just remembered that chef Valentine maybe mentioned that he was going away. We thought to go and check! Aaahh, we are left without snacks for this week!"

"Mari: Oh? How unfortunate indeed. What a shame. Are Anna and Yumi around?"

"Tai: Nah, they went for a walk and back to the dorms. I'm doing some running before going back."

"Mari: So, he won't be in for 3 days? Might be a good break from all those snacks. Guess we will be going then, have a good workout."

We exchange some more words and go back a little into the woods.

"Hana: She smelled of blood, faint but it was there. I broke plenty of noses to know the smell. She didn't notice it because she has breathed the smell in for a few minutes but for us, it contrasts with the fresh air."

She was nervous, keeping us from approaching the building. I call out to my eyes in the sky and ask for confirmation.

'No one left the building but Tai, she lied to us about everything. Why? Did something unforeseen happen? `Gulp, did they take things too far and are covering it up? Why didn't I act before? I could have asked him something? I… Haaa, calm down.'

"Mari: I'll stay here until they have left. I should have acted before, neither of you have to stay. It was my mistake."

Honestly, it is my mistake. I refused to interact with him more than necessary. I must act now and clear up the situation.

""I'll stay.""

"Mari: `Sigh. Fine, we are in this together."

I ask the crows to notify us when the seniors leave, and we move some distance out of the way.

Almost an hour later, I get the signal. Making sure to wait another 15 minutes, I double checked that they have left. The path clear, we move in.

The building has the windows left open, and after going down the stairs it becomes obvious as to why.

"Hana: That's not a normal smell. A mixture of cleaning agents and blood. I don't like it."

We check the same rooms again. The shower room has plenty of evidence left behind. 'It doesn't look good. Damnit!'

I bite my lip and move downstairs again, as the stench of blood becomes stronger.

"Meiko: Please let me go first! It may be dangerous!"

I want to move faster, but Meiko stops me to come me down. 'Haa, right. No use rushing around now. I should have done that before.'

With Meiko in the lead, we move to the last room we know of.

"`AAAAA EEK!! `Slam."

"Meiko: Ugghhh, fuuu, ughhh hooo hhoo."

Moments after taking a look inside, Meiko slams the door shut and dry heaves.

"Hana: Mmeiko? WWwhat's wrong?"

"Meiko: UGghh, fuu… We should leave. It's best we go now. You shouldn't look."

Meiko grabs my hand, looking sick to her stomach, imploring me to not go further.

'Fuck, fuck, fuck… Hoo…this must be bad, for Meiko to react like that.'

I pet her head and back to help her calm down. Giving a nod to Hana, I move past them and open the door. I take a good look around, mostly focused on the bed, then quietly close it and lean my back against a nearby wall.

'Fuck… This is not how it was supposed to go down. What went wrong? Did I … Did I allow this to happen? I never wanted THIS!'

"Hana: You are all freaking me out. Do… I look too? `Gulp, fuu… Here goes nothing…oh… Fuck! They fucking killed him! Fuck! We… Ugh… We should go… Fuck… Ggggddh."

'No, his chest was rising. I don't know if it's worse to still be alive in that condition. How did it come to this? Ugh my head hurts.'

"Mari: Hana, Meiko. I need you to go back to the academy and bring back the nurse. Don't tell her the exact reason for now. This could ruin the academy and affect all the students. We need to handle this situation with care. I… I need to make some calls too."

"Meiko: What about the seniors… if they can do this, it's too dangerous for us. They are… stronger than me… I'll fail to protect anyone."

"Mari: It's not the time for a confrontation. They probably won't make any moves before nightfall."

I can't help but hold my head in my hands, asking myself about everything. 'What happened? What had I missed? Willfully ignored? Have I even actually looked at the person himself or just saw a faceless male? I need fresh air, I feel dizzy.'

"Mari: Haa… Right, sorry, I'm not thinking straight. We will go all together. Fresh air, right."

I feel sick to the stomach, not just from seeing his condition, but at myself, at my … childishness. 'Calling father for help as my first thought, how childish indeed. Haaa, I need to sort my thoughts.'

We move in silence, each thinking a hundred different things.

Back in the academy building, nurse Haruka is as easygoing as ever. Even in the face of our grim looks.

"Haruka: Yes girls? Need some stomach medicine? Oh! It's the amazoness Meiko! Do you need me to patch up your opponent?"

"Mari: Hello nurse. Can we ask you to gather your equipment and come with us? Something you'd need for… someone… mauled by a bear."

"Haruka: By a bear?! But… we don't have bears here."

"Mari: I don't mean it literally. Can you gather your things please? We will help you carry them."

Looking at our expressions and confirming that we are not playing a prank on her, she started moving around.

'I don't think the nurse's office is equipped to deal with the situation, but time is of the essence right now. We need to move fast.'

It is evening, not many students are walking around as we make haste. The nurse looks uneasy as we go deeper into the forest.

"Haruka: Um, girls, like I said, there are no bears in this forest and it's fenced off all around. Is there really someone injured here?"

"Hana: More like a mangled corps…"

"Haruka: You don't mean me, right?"

"Mari: She is slightly on edge, nurse. There is someone injured up ahead."

'Gods! Don't look so scared of us. I know it seems suspicions from an outside perspective!'

"Haruka: The what? We have another building? How come I don't know about it?"

"Mari: The injured is inside, please follow me."

I lead the way. Going downstairs once again.

"Haruka: You really mean it? I'm not walking into a horror movie, right? I can tell from the smell that someone was trying to clean up a lot of blood, it's a real emergency, not some dark cult gathering, right?"

'Calm down already! Haa… I should be thankful that I have strong friends like Hana and Meiko. Really, how lucky am I? I should thank them more often.'

Without further ado, I open the last door and drag the nurse with me.

"Haruka: Gods above! What happened to you! Uggh, lord have mercy, what war did you fight in?"

The sight isn't pleasant at all. Missing and shredded limbs, black bruises covering almost everything, bloodied clothes and bedding, bones protruding from skin in a dozen places.

'It's like he was thrown down a mountain and ravaged by wolves. How is he still alive?'

"Haruka: `Gulp. You wanted me to help with that? You do know that I'm a nurse and not a… well, I'm not sure any one person will be able to help here. I'm not sure that you want me to do."

"Mari: Can you make sure he doesn't die before proper help arrives?"

"Haruka: Definitely not. He must have a hundred pieces of broken bones, internal bleeding, brain damage, organs failure, blood loss and another hundred reasons he should be dead by now. I'm out of my depth just imagining the reason he is still alive."

'Oh… Right… That should have been obvious. Haa.'

"Anna: Magic or alien technology, one of those. Sorry nurse. I'd rather you don't get anyone else involved into this, Mari. How about we all calm down and talk things out over a cup of tea? No need to call for help or make a scene. We are all civilized people here."

"Tai: Umm… Anna, that is the bad guy's line. The one he usually says before trying to kill the witnesses."

"Yumi: Yeah, look. They think we are going to do the same to them as we did to him. Which we did NOT! Absolutely! No need to be praying for your life nurse Haruka, we aren't going to silence you! Well, we will, but not in that way!"

"Anna: You two aren't helpful. She started crying! Let me rephrase that! We will explain everything to you, and you will see that it's imperative that we all keep this a secret."

'They want our silence. And judging by their stances they are ready to demand it by force. Haaa… What have I gotten us in to?'

With the sobbing Haruka as the background noise, we begin our conversation.