Heart-Less

Chapter 11

Ada saw Hiroto waiting outside. She was pretty sure she knew what was going on.

"What kept you?" he asked.

"It's a secret," Ada sang out, playing along.

"And I know what it is," he sang, playing along. It was a pity that his response was a second too late. "Ada, make sure your friend doesn't mess this up. I'll see you at the next council." He winked at her, and Ada quickly called the blood to her cheeks.

Ada watched Hiroto go, trying to commit everything to memory. She was going to need to see what her heart was feeling, so she could decide the best course of action. She wanted good memories, not awkward or painful ones.

"Ada, I didn't expect to see you here!" She heard Amiko's voice behind her. Amiko actually put in the effort to sound surprised. "Did your meeting with Pendragon run so long?"

"How did you know?" Ada asked and turned around. She took a look at Amiko's heart, which was a deep green, and her brain told her she should smile. But perhaps make it a more innocent smile. "Did Hiroto tell you? Aki and Kai told me what was going on."

Amiko's heart turned black for a moment, though the smile on her face never changed. "Well, I have my sources," she said. "So, what did the Head Wizard talk to you about?"

"Oh nothing," Ada said, lifting her hand and twirling her hair. "Pendragon had some stuff he wanted to tell Hiroto, and he wanted my advice, for the Kaiguo aspect. No big deal."

"It's definitely a big deal," Amiko said, smiling and nudging her. Even Amiko was acting weird. Perhaps she had teamed up with Hiroto, although Ada didn't think it was likely based on their history. "And don't forget, it's the Head Wizard, not Pendragon. You don't know him well enough."

"Sorry, Amiko."

"It's ok. To make up for it, you can tell me all about you and Hiroto. It's so unusual for him to wait for a girl."

Ada wanted to tell Amiko to stop trying so hard. This was completely unlike Amiko.

"Well, I guess he just wanted me to make sure Nic wasn't going to mess things up. Which is totally uncool, since Nic is one of the most trustworthy people I know. Probably more than most Sakoku people."

As expected, Amiko's heart flashed to black before becoming a ashy red. "Don't be silly," she said in a lighthearted tone, "Your people are obsessed with virality. We aren't. It's natural to assume that you can't keep a secret, or release it well. But really, I think he likes you."

"Are you sure?"

*******

"Are you sure?" Ada asked in that baby voice of hers. The haze of red, which had tinted her view deepened.

"Of course," Amiko heard herself say. "He doesn't normally act like that. And trust me, I know what he's like when he likes someone. If you like him, you should totally go for it."

That provoked a reaction. Ada's eyes widened, and her mouth formed an 'o'. "No, of course not. I heard that was something going on between the two of you, so I figured I shouldn't..."

"No, no," Amiko insisted, "You go ahead and do whatever your heart tells you. Me and Hiroto are such old news." That stinking heart-crushing smiling idiot was the one responsible for her heart being ripped out. Amiko shuddered as she realised that she was getting angry. She could barely see through all the red. Not to mention the hissing sounds. She should really talk to Pendragon.

"Pendragon's free right now," Ada said quickly, and before Amiko could react, Ada swiftly moved around her and continued on her way to the train station.