Moonlings: A Clash of Meteors and Mages

Morning class was usual like the one in front of them was not a suspect for the kidnapping cases.

To Raii Shin, it made perfect sense. Ma'am Ague was the first to announce the missing cases when it hasn't even reached mainstream media. But most of all, her presence in all the clips was the biggest evidence.

But of course to Sir Tanori, he said it was too early to conclude.

Raii Shin was assigned to observe Ma'am Ague. She had to take note of every mannerism, the way she looks when no one is around, where she goes, and pretty much everything around her. If she can nail her task, she might be recognized and even be given a huge sum of money in the giving of rewards.

''Hey, your grin is creeping me out,'' Dawn whispered beside her. 

Raii Shin immediately put on her poker face.

''Sorry. I was just daydreaming,'' she whispered back.

But it was far from daydreaming. She was fantasizing. Raii Shin didn't know where the motivation came from but she was really determined to expose Ma'am Ague to shame. Months of receiving her teacher's hateful look without any reason but Raii Shin having the last laugh made her dream more satisfying.

Her class ended and Raii Shin was fast to move, she didn't even hear what Dawn was asking her. Raii Shin stepped out of her room and watched Ma'am Ague from a distance. Her teacher walked the hallway like she owned it with all the students around gawking at her.

Go on and enjoy your reign, beautiful criminal.

Ma'am Ague looked back. 

It spooked Raii Shin. Thanks to her training, she was also quick to respond that she was able to fumble on her phone at the same time. That was scary. Did she just hear her thoughts?

Raii Shin inhaled and exhaled to calm herself down and to keep her from imagining such things. When she felt that it was safe, she held her head up only to see Ma'am Ague gone. 

Instinctively, Raii Shin ran through the hallway. She let her eyes scatter and she was nowhere to be seen left nor right. A familiar collection of gasps and greetings came from above and saw that Ma'am Ague had just entered her office.

Raii Shin just stood there, wondering how a lady in heels could suddenly run to the second floor of the opposite building in just a matter of seconds.

***

''Sir Tanori, honestly, what do you think of Regina?''

Amethyst's question made him look up from the loads of papers from his table.

''What do you mean? Why do I feel like you are too worried about her?''

Amethyst looked at the record in her hands before speaking.

''I feel that she's too young for this. She's only 18 as compared to the others in the Aspida Class. She should be focusing on her studies, dreaming big, and maybe going on dates. Yet she's here with us sharing the fate of protecting the world.''

Tanori knew where she was coming from. They were both women. Of course, they understand each other.

''Honestly, I feel that she's just random,'' Tanori said, answering her question. ''She does her job with little to no complaining. She comes on time, reports what needs to be reported, and she can hold on her own when there is an emergency. I can say that she's pretty reliable if not for her clumsiness. She's always leaving a mess, either an uprooted tree, a destroyed gate, tangled electrical wires, and too many to mention.''

Everything was reflected on her record. She writes every single detail like she wasn't afraid she would be reprimanded. At times, Tanori wondered if Regina was a robot. He had seen her highschool card and saw the teacher's remark that she was too introverted.

''But,'' he added. ''The reason why I admitted her here is because of her passion. Despite having such a perfect life, she said she still wanted to be a guardian of the Earth. I'll have you remember, I was the one who came to her, though of course she doesn't remember because of the cleansing protocol during recruitment.''

It was part of the process. Two years ago, the recruitment was his last task before he would be promoted as director of Orion Agency. He had to find one last candidate. When the certain season for the moon to release its Wave came, the moon led him to her. He talked to her and the rest was history. But as part of the protocol, he had to erase his name, voice, and physical appearance in her memory the day they met. She might reminisce about a vague figure appearing before her but not fully remember, except for the conversation which, Tanori was sure, she could recall.

''I was actually surprised when she first appeared here," Amethyst said. "To think that a teenager who was fresh from highschool would answer the Call. All other candidates were either graduates of college or had successfully toured around the world before they answered.

''That is the reason why I arranged a part-time duty solely for her. I'm not that cruel to take away her supposed-to-be normal human life," Tanori said as he stapled the last stack of papers. 

"Well, let's just hope she does well this time. All the other moonmages are already experienced." Amethyst took the finished papers and inserted them into her file case.

"I have high hopes for her," Tanori said. "You could see the gleam in her eyes when I asked her to keep an eye on that teacher of hers. Oh, speaking of which, do you have any further information?"

Amethyst shook her head.

"Aside from the basic facts that she is a native citizen of Jazel, the only daughter of two farmers who I personally spoke with, a teacher by profession, a former model, no bad record since grade school, we have no other data about her that makes her suspicious on why she was present at the scene of all the victims before they are kidnapped."

A clean criminal, huh?

Tanori shook his head. It was too early to conclude. Regina had yet to report. Though she was the only suspect that they had, he knew the golden rule. Tangible evidence first before a warrant of arrest.