"Yo, bro! That fried chicken in your hand has been cursed by a witch! I'm dead serious—if you don't want to die, you better hand it over to me right now!"
The young man who said this looked painfully average for a Japanese guy. Average build. Average height. Average face. Even his hair was average. He was the walking embodiment of mediocrity; except for the subtle spark in his eyes that hinted he wasn't like the rest.
The schoolboy on the other end, clutching the fried chicken, froze. His glasses slid down his nose as he stared at the stranger in disbelief. The fact the young man was dressed like a priest only made the whole thing worse.
"Uh… sorry, could you say that again?" the boy stammered.
"What's your name, bro?"
"O-Ozu."
"You see, Ozu, I wasn't kidding. That fried chicken you're holding has been cursed by a powerful witch…" He paused dramatically, letting the tension build.
"…The Witch of Envy."
Ozu's heart skipped. He'd always been a bit of a spiritualist, you could tell from the amulet hanging around his neck.
"I know it sounds insane," the priest said, voice full of urgency. "But if you eat that fried chicken, you'll die from explosive diarrhea. The strain will burst your blood vessels, causing a stroke and a heart attack simultaneously."
"Who would even do such a thing?!" Ozu gasped, panic setting in.
"I don't know. I'm still investigating. By day, I'm a witch hunter. By night… a priest. If you catch my drift."
"What should I do then, Mr. Witch-Hunter-Priest?" Ozu asked sincerely.
"Pshhh, isn't it obvious?" The man raised a finger like a prophet before dramatically pointing at the chicken. "Hand it to me. Right now. I'll take the risk."
Ozu eyed him suspiciously.
"Trust me, bro," the young priest pressed. "That fried chicken is chump change—"
"Actually, that was the last of my mon—"
"Is money really worth your life?" the young man cut him off, shaking his head in grave disapproval.
Ozu looked at the chicken. Then at the priest. Even if there was a chance he was lying… was it worth the risk?
Slowly, hesitantly, Ozu handed it over.
"Good choice. You'll live." The young man pointed his fingers at Ozu, flicking them like a magician casting a spell.
"I tru—" Ozu didn't finish. The young man vanished into thin air.
"…He really was a—wait. Why am I just standing here instead of going inside for more fried chicken? Feels like I'm forgetting something…"
He frowned. There had been… something in his hand? Something important? But the thought slipped away.
"Huh. Must have been the wind…" he muttered as he walked back into the shop, completely forgetting he'd already spent the last of his money.
"Sucker."
Perched atop the building, unseen by the rest of the world, the young man munched happily on his prize. But the strangest thing wasn't the fact that he'd just conned someone out of fried chicken.
It was the mesmerising pair of white wings spread from his back, flapping faintly as he gazed out over the bustling streets of ordinary humans.
His clothes were no longer those of a priest, but a simple white robe with sandals. He finished the last bite of fried chicken and let out a soft burp.
"…I feel bad, though. Next time I'll earn money honestly. But there aren't any missions easy enough for me to take."
He sighed, rubbing his stomach, his hunger finally satisfied by such immoral methods.
With a strong beat of his wings, he rose to his feet. The feathers flared in perfect sync, lifting him skyward. In moments, he was gliding above the streets, the city shrinking beneath him.
"Nagasaki is nice," he murmured, voice almost lost in the wind. "Much calmer than Tokyo."
Below, the people walked on, unaware. To them he was nothing more than a ghost; at most, they might feel the sudden gust trailing in his wake.
He soared higher, the rhythm of his wings blending with the subtle current of the wind, carrying him effortlessly forward.
Eventually, he landed atop a tower, perching on its highest edge. From there, the city stretched out before him as the sun dipped low, painting the sky in streaks of orange and violet.
"Stunning…" he whispered.
Moments like these reminded him that despite his invisibility, despite the wings, he was still human.
"So? How did that chicken taste?"
The voice rang out behind him. Stern yet feminine, sharp like a bell.
"Uhhh?" He turned his head slowly, already dreading what he might see.
And then he froze.
It was, without question, one of the most intimidating sights of his life. Intimidating not just because the girl glaring at him looked ready to burn him alive with righteous fury but because she also happened to be the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on.
Raven black hair spilled down her back as her ice-blue eyes pierced straight through him. Her figure was flawless, almost unreal, as if sculpted by divine hands to embody perfection itself. She, too, wore a simple robe and sandals, but on her they shimmered as though woven from starlight.
But none of that compared to what caught his breath.
Butterfly wings…
That was the only thought he could manage.
They glowed with an icy bluish-white radiance, delicate yet terrifying, cold yet utterly mesmerizing. For a moment, he swore she looked less like a girl and more like a fairy stepped out of myth.
"A demon disguising himself as an angel… how disturbing." Her voice cut into him, harsh and uncompromising.
"Hold on, wait a minute! I'm an angel, not a demon! Trust me! My name's Hayato and I'm an ally, I swear!" He stammered, hands raised high in surrender.
"I do not care for your tricks, Hayato or whatever you call yourself." Her voice rang out like judgment itself. "I saw you deceive that innocent boy into giving you his food—the last of his money. What angel would commit such cruelty?" Her butterfly wings pulsed, their glow sharpening like blades of ice.
"L-let's not get ahead of ourselves here, Mis—"
"Nabi."
"Miss Nabi," he corrected quickly, forcing a nervous smile. "Clearly, you've got the wrong idea about me. Just look at my wings, you can tell I'm an angel."
"Considering your behaviour, you must have simply dyed your wings white. I shall not fall for such cheap tricks."
Oh, come on! There's gotta be a way to prove myself… Hayato thought, inching back along the edge of the tower, every step careful.
"This will be the end for you!" The temperature plummeted, the very air biting against his skin.
Hayato's wings tensed instinctively, ready to bolt. Fighting her was the last thing he wanted.
"Bit hasty, don't you thi—"
The words froze in his throat as a blizzard roared to life, slamming towards him with unstoppable force. Ice and wind tore through the air, swallowing the sky; as in the next instant, Hayato was gone from sight.