Sakura Kiss (Wizard School Romance)

Hiyari is home to near endless superstition. Perhaps it's inevitable, in a place so filled with magi, a place where anything can be true if it is only believed fervently enough. Stop anywhere on campus and you are regaled with tales on how precisely to achieve good fortune, or avert ill omens.

"Walk three times around this rock every day and you'll never break a bone."

"Look at the clouds in this pond's reflection on you birthday and they'll tell you your future."

"If you walk under this gate before graduation, you go sterile."

"Write somebody's name on this chalkboard at exactly midnight and they'll fail their next exam."
"Yes, but you have to do it backwards!"
"No, you write the family name backwards but the given forwards!"
"No, you-"

You don't personally put much stock in most of these superstitions, but you do find yourself avoiding one particular gate.

It is lunchtime, and most of the school has assembled in one of the sprawling green fields through which campus is threaded. Hiyari has an indoor cafeteria, but at this point it's hotter in there than it is outside. Allegedly, three different teachers have tried casting three different climate control spells in the building, and all that spellwork is too busy fighting amongst itself to do what it's supposed to do. So instead the student body lounges outside, clustering under the shade of the great zelkova trees.

You, Ban, and Arashi have claimed a tiny slice of that shade for your own, not far from where most of the girls from Class 1-A have gathered. You and Ban are arguing over whether Zoro could beat Gojo in a fight while Arashi stares longingly at Yuhara, the class rep. But all three of you are interrupted when Furuta arrives, practically shaking with excitement. "I saw her!" He says, opening up his lunch and milk carton. "She talked to me!"

You look to Ban, then Arashi, who both shrug. "Okay, I'll bite," you say. "Who is she, Furuta-san?"

He smiles up at you, giddy, then washes down an oversized bite of rice. "The angel of Hiyari's hallways."

Arashi's mouth drops open. "She talked to you?"

"Is that really a good thing?" Ban asks.

"Clearly, I'm out of the loop here," you say. "Somebody has gotta fill me in."

"Koshimoto Sachi," Ban offers. "She's a second year. And a seer."

"Not a rinky-dink one either," Arashi says. "She's the real deal."

Well, that explains a little bit. Now that you think about it, you're pretty sure you remember hearing one of your brothers mention this. Koshimoto isn't a large clan, but even a clan like Ban or Yuhara would envy a seer. Still… "Okay, so?" You ask. "I mean, congratulations on talking to a girl, but…"

"So she's the real deal," Ban says, when he notices that Furuta is too busy swallowing his last mouthful to speak. "She sees the future, man. And every day she finds some new unlucky person to rescue from their misfortune."

"Like an angel out of heaven," Arashi murmurs. "Coming down on feather-soft wings to rescue us poor unfortunate souls."

At this point you know Arashi well enough to know he'll go on like this for minutes if he has the opportunity, so instead you return to Furuta. "So what did she say to you?"

"Oh, she just smiled," Furuta says. "She has the most gorgeous smile...and, uh, she gave me this." He reaches into his backpack and pulls a bottle out for your inspection.

"Pedialyte?" You ask after a moment. "Why would she give you Pedialyte?"

Furuta takes a moment to finish off his milk and shrugs. "I dunno," he says. "She said I'd need it."

"I mean, obviously, I guess. But did she say why?"

Ban holds up Furuta's discarded milk, smiling wryly. "Maybe it's because he just drank a carton of expired milk,"

There is a beat where all four of you are silent, though school-life chatter and summer song continues unabated in the background. It takes Furuta several seconds to process Ban's words, and another few to pale until he's practically a ghost.

"You didn't notice the taste?!" Arashi shouts, shattering that delicate moment.

"I...was really excited to tell you guys!" Furuta says. "And she was...she was so pretty...her smile…" He clutches suddenly at his stomach. "Oh god. I think it's starting."

"You'd better fucking run man," you say between giggles, and that's all Furuta needs to hear. His panicked flight sends you, Ban, and Arashi into hysterics, which only redouble as he turns on his heel and sprints back to retrieve the Pedialyte. It's not so disruptive that the entire student body notices, but Furuta definitely attracts some attention as he runs, wailing, in the direction of the nearest bathroom. By the time you've recovered enough to see properly again, wiping the tears from your eyes with the back of your hand, you notice one girl in particular looking out over the grass towards your group. She wears a deep blue tie and when she sees you looking she raises a hand and waves with just her fingers.

And she smiles.


"Hey, that's her," Ban says, noticing where you're looking. "That's Koshimoto-senpai."

But you already know. Who else could it be? You return the wave, a grin tugging at the edges of your lips. "Furuta-san was right," you murmur, just loud enough for Ban to hear. "She really does have a gorgeous smile."