June 29. Fourteen going on fifteen years old. Japan.

Dr Chiasa lay sprawled on the gilded marble floor, a pool of blood soaking into her clothes. On the dark grey fabric, the splotches looked black. A gash ran down her chest, from the collarbone to her waist across the torso, revealing gleaming white ribs and red viscera. Blood trickled down from her nose and mouth, staining her face as her expression was frozen in shock. Her chest stopped heaving.

My heart drummed into my chest as I stared at the image, unable to pry my eyes away. Last chapter, she had sneaked into the seer’s home, hoping to speak with him alone or even to threaten him to find Kaede’s location. Before she had got the chance, this chapter had begun with a fight between her and one of his guards. And now…

She was dead.

My hands shook and I clutched the phone tight with sweaty fingers, afraid it would fall onto the bathroom floor. The air felt thick, as though it was choking me. Why is she dead? I swiped to the next page, hoping I was wrong.

But the rest of the chapter only confirmed it. The kids had broken down upon learning of her death, and the seer had pitied them, finally convinced they weren’t headhunters or stalkers. On the last page, he began meditating to find Kaede.

The chapter was done, but I didn’t want to leave the stall. My breathing came in quick bursts. Why did she have to die? I clutched the phone tighter as it almost slipped away.

Did she have to die, for us to find Kaede?

I shook my head. No, no, no!

Yes, I just had to wait till next week.

***

July 5. Fourteen going on fifteen years old. Saishuu Riku.

The golden fittings on Genkoushi’s homes glistened with the sun. Its buildings were taller than those in Heikisato, though nowhere near the skyscrapers in Japan. With each floor, they narrowed and rose up to a point, like pillared mountains. The dusty streets teemed with people and carriages. Everywhere was the noise of clanging metal, of hammers and of whirring machinery. While cartloads of precious metals passed us by, the people riding them looked worn and sweaty. I wonder who’s getting rich from that.

Something sounded familiar, and it took me a moment to put my finger on it. The way the people spoke was just like our QM. She must’ve been from Genkoushi.

‘What’s the seer’s name and address?’ Dr Chiasa eyed the street, stepping aside to let a blacksmith walk past.

Ahio rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish expression. ‘Um, I don’t actually know. But I’m sure everyone here’s heard of him. Let’s ask them!’

I gulped. Tonight the new chapter would be up, and I’d find out where Kaede was. But if we found the seer before that, and he rejected our plea, then Dr Chiasa would sneak into his house before I’d have the chance to change anything. It wasn’t easy to get people to talk in the manga though. I hoped it stayed that way.

Ahio stalked towards an old man standing outside the restaurant we were by. His back was hunched and he held a cane with one shaking arm. In his other hand, he had a cup of steaming tea.

‘What is it, boy?’ he rasped, his long white beard twitching. It struck out sharply against his dark, weathered skin.

‘Do you know the seer?’

‘Yes.’ The man swirled his tea and took a sip.

‘Great!’ Ahio grinned. ‘Do you know where he lives?’

He took a sip of his drink, then grimaced at the taste. ‘Yup.’

‘Where? Could you tell us?’

‘No.’ The man continued sipping his tea. ‘Too much sugar,’ he mumbled.

Ahio’s eye twitched. ‘Why not? Tell us where the seer lives!’

He chuckled. ‘Oh, ya don’t wanna know.’

Ahio grabbed the man by his shoulders, causing some of the tea to spill. ‘We need the seer’s help to find a friend of ours. Come on, tell us where he lives!’

‘Now look what you’ve done. You’ve spilled it!’ The old man glared at him. ‘An’ the seer doesn’t like to be bothered. We’d both be in trouble if I told ya his address. Poor old Kinari wanted to find his dead wife too. Claimed she wa’ still alive somewhere. Didn’t end too well for him, did it? Came outta the building with a limp leg he did.’

‘But Kaede is alive! She was just kidnapped.’ Ahio clenched his fists.

‘That’s what they all say.’ The man sipped his tea.

Daisuke placed a hand on Ahio’s shoulder before he yelled back. ‘We’ll ask someone else instead. Come on, Ahio.’

We split up, planning to meet in front of the restaurant after fifteen minutes. I strolled around one narrow street, asking people here and there half-heartedly about the seer. Most of them walked away faster, with an anxious look on their face, while others loudly promised that they knew nothing. Only a couple said they knew, but they refused to tell me.

It had been the same in the manga, with the exception of an old lady working in a noodle shop who had spilled the beans. I wished none of the others encountered her. Atleast, not today.

When we met up again, I sighed in relief. No one had been successful.

Throughout the day, we scoured the streets, asking one person after the other for the address. Everytime, my anxiety flared up, convinced that my plan was going to fall apart. But by the time the sun dipped below the horizon and the streetlights brought the golden city to life at night, none of us knew where the seer lived.

It took me a few tries to meditate later that day. Visions of Dr Chiasa’s dead body, blood smeared on her face, kept breaking my trance.

***

July 6. Fourteen going on fifteen years old. Japan.

I took a deep breath and mumbled a little prayer as I opened the new chapter. It began innocuously enough, with the seer meditating for a few days and the first few pages on everyone else coming to terms with Dr Chiasa’s death. My stomach clenched as I read through those parts. She was still alive, I reminded myself each time. She won’t die in the real world.

‘Take this,’ said the seer, handing Ahio a little golden spyglass.

He twisted it around, frowning. ‘A telescope? It’s got runes on it.’

The seer nodded. ‘It’s an old witch’s invention. They’d use it in the war to organize troops. Only the government has it now, but I’d bought a few for myself.’ He pointed at one of the runes. ‘I’d calculated the coordinates and set the point. Look through it to see where your friend is at.’

Ahio placed it over his eye. ‘I don’t see anything.’ He turned around shrugging, then gasped. ‘Wait, there’s a blue light over there!’

‘That’s the direction you’d have to go.’

I flipped to the next page, but a dark screen came up, saying I’d reached the end. My heart beat against my eardrums as I stared at the phone. No. An icy rain of dread washed over my body.

No.

That can’t be the end. What were the coordinates? Something burned in my chest, urging me to scream out. But I bit my lip hard.

No.

Where was Kaede? My legs grew weak, threatening to give away, and I leaned against the stall. Every muscle in my body seemed to lose strength. I was tired, as though I’d run for days. Bile rose up in my throat.

Did Dr Chiasa have to die, for us to find her?