Red Data Girl - Series 1 & 2

My First Familiar - 25

Red Data Girl: My First Familiar
By Noriko Ogiwara
A Translation

Notes in this week's translation:

I'm guessing most of you are familiar with tengu, but if not, read up on them here!

Red Data Girl: My First Familiar
Chapter 4: Wamiya
Part 2 (2 of 2)

"Izumiko... are you alive?"

Hearing Miyuki's voice, Izumiko opened her eyes.

The seat belt was digging into her stomach and her back, and shoulders hurt along with the rest of her. When her body had tried to fly from the seat, the seat belt had stopped it, but as a result she was short of breath. The seat was now on a large tilt.

"Ow..."

"How hurt are you?"

His response was curt, but she could hear the concern in it as well. If he had the ability to worry about someone else, he himself couldn't have been hurt too badly either.

"It hurts, but I can move."

"And you're not too shaken up?"

"I'm upset, but that's to be expected."

Miyuki continued.

"When the engine stopped, I think the spirit left. This may have had its advantages."

Mr. Nonomura raised his head. With the car on an incline, he was no longer in front of them but rather below them. The airbag had inflated during the impact and he was lying on top of it.

"The most important thing is that no one's seriously hurt. If you two are alright, get out of the car. There's probably gas leaking. Be careful as you move."

"Are you okay, Mr. Nonomura?"

"I'm fine as well. It's just going to take me a bit of time to get out of here. Both of the front doors look like they won't open."

The car body had been bent out of shape and in the end the back doors wouldn't open either. However, part of the reason for that could have been that they were reluctant to push too hard and ignite any of the gasoline that might have leaked out in the process. Eventually, they gave up and opened all of the windows instead. Miyuki and Izumiko crawled out the opening and onto the slope.

When they looked up, the guardrail they had crashed through was far above them. The path the car had taken through the trees was horribly apparent. Branches and saplings had fallen, leaving a clear path. The car had barreled into an old grove of pine trees and had finally come to a stop when it had run into a thick trunk and swung to the left. The tree in question had been left unharmed. They were lucky it hadn't fallen on them. If that had happened, it was clear that the engine and the driver's seat with Mr. Nonomura in it would not have survived.

Seeing the damage of the accident from the outside, Miyuki and Izumiko couldn't help but think that they had been exceedingly lucky. They stared for a moment, stunned.

"We hit a bird... right?"

It took a minute for Miyuki to respond.

"Do you think whatever was following us before did this?"

"It's the only thing I can think of. It flew straight at the car. A normal bird wouldn't have done that."

"It was a black kite. Black kites have connections to tengu. Maybe Wamiya's some sort of tengu."

"That's a ridiculous idea."

It was not Izumiko's voice that offered such a critical opinion. The response had come from someone who had appeared so suddenly and unexpectedly that that both Miyuki and Izumiko jumped back at the words.

Sataru Wamiya was standing nearby, both hands touching the bark of one of the trees.

Miyuki stared at him in disbelief.

Wamiya was wearing a new, white, short-sleeved shirt. His white sneakers didn't have a speck of dirt on them. He looked like any other small, Awatani Middle School boy dressed in his summer uniform. His narrow eyes under his thick bangs had a gentle look to them and there was a smile on his face. He was pale and he didn't look particularly strong. There didn't seem to be anything strange about him. He looked like any other middle school student that could be found anywhere.

"You surprised me... You're Wamiya?"

"You can see me? How?"

"I just see a normal middle school student."

"Well, that's what I am."

When Miyuki looked at him doubtfully, Wamiya continued.

"It's true. When Izumiko wanted me to be a normal, middle school student, I was a normal middle school student."

"Wamiya..." Izumiko said. "I thought I knew you since elementary school. Is that wrong?"

"I've been with you the whole time. In elementary school and before that," Wamiya replied in a soft voice. He smiled. "But I didn't talk to you until recently. A few months ago when you cut your hair. You could see me after that."

"Ah..."

Izumiko pursed her lips. It was true that the first day she had noticed his smile had been the first day she had come to school with bangs.

"I've been on this mountain for hundreds of years. I've been here and there, existing without truly inhabiting any one place. Then your desires brought me together into this body and made me the being I am now."

Izumiko stared at him in shock. It took her a minute to finally respond.

"...My desires?"

"You wanted a friend. I became that friend."

Wamiya had already been smiling, but the light in his eyes grew.

"Don't tell me I was wrong. You were the one who created me. And don't tell me that you don't need me anymore."

Miyuki heard Wamiya's shocking words, but there was another voice calling his name. It was Mr. Nonomura. His large body was preventing him from escaping the car and he was still sitting in the driver's seat.

"Miyuki, I'm sorry, but I can't help you. You have to protect the both of you now."

It was difficult to hear him through the glass, but his words still reached Miyuki.

"My staff is in the trunk. Use it."

Miyuki hesitated, staring at Mr. Nonomura who was looking at him desperately from inside the car.

"But I..."

"There's no time to waste. Whatever Wamiya is, he has power. If you don't do something now, he could hurt everyone.

Wamiya was listening to their conversation. Staring at Miyuki, he said, "I doubt you can exorcise me. I don't mind if you try. You're not good enough to make any difference."

The sky over the valley had turned grey while they had talked. Izumiko had experienced changes in air pressure before that had happened so quickly they seemed to hurt. Still, she had never experienced one as severe as what was happening now.

"This is my territory. Obviously I'm more powerful here than I was before."

"Do you mean... Tokyo?" Miyuki half questioned, his voice low. Wamiya suddenly seemed much more imposing than he had before.

Wamiya was grinning. That grin was enough to answer the question.

"Sataru Wamiya couldn't go on the field trip. But that doesn't mean I couldn't go as someone else."

~*~