The Book Of Letters 8 Aoko's First Undercover Mission

I adjusted my round badge with the Lavender Post Office logo etched on it as I waited for the early morning train to come. I didn't think I would be doing special deliveries in my ordinary clothes, but at least, the badge I wore on my blouse signified that I was a Special Task Post Officer on a government mission.

The day before, Midori called me to her office. When I came over, her office was locked, which was something she rarely do since she always leave the door open when she's in. I knocked on the door with my signature knock and waited Midori to open. She beckoned me to enter and when I did, she shut it again and locked it. Her room was dimly lit, and only the magic mirror hanging on her wall was s.h.i.+ning brightly. On her mirror, was a plump man wearing tweed coat and a hat.

"Aoko, this is Mr. Wataru Mukas.h.i.+, the director of Museum of Magic," Midori introduced. "Mr. Wataru, this is Aoko Ito, a Special Task Postman of great potential."

He tipped his hat as I bowed. "Miss Aoko, Miss Midori and I had a serious discussion earlier and decided to have you involved in this."

"Do you know the route for Lavender City Express?" Midori questioned, and I answered that I didn't know much about it. "It takes about two stops for the train to arrive from the main station to Lavender Ministry Area. Of course, it is the only public transportation method to go there."

Lavender Ministry Area has the highest security in the city. All of the ministerial buildings are gathered under large magical barrier maintained by the people of Ministry of Defense. The most significant of all ministries was the Ministry of Magical Arts and Languages. It was the only place where they kept a vault for all dark magic spellbooks and other items throughout the history, or at least, a.s.sumed to be a rumour until now. Wataru pushed a book through the magic mirror, allowing Midori to hold it. The book was bound with red leather and etched with golden insignia that appeared to be a lavender in the mouth of a lizard.

"Recently, during the expedition through a hundred-year-old mansion, we discovered a trapdoor behind the walls. Initially, we thought the secret society of Tokage Clan had been abolished completely, until we found this book," said Mr. Wataru.

"The Tokage Clan? What is that?" I asked.

"From what I know, the Tokage Clan came into existence five hundred years ago, and the only known motive was to summon a lizard monster," Mr. Wataru explained. "They believed the monster to be the true ruler of Lavender City, and has been sealed deep beneath us. They are also the largest clan that had done studies in dark magic. The authorities had the clan abolished some hundred years ago, confiscating any materials connecting to their master plan. This book, as it turns out, is about fifty years old, and so we believed that there are descendants of the clan trying to revive the plan once more".

"Aoko Ito, you are given the responsibility to deliver this book to the Ministry of Magical Arts and Languages," said Midori. "I know this task is often given to Rank 1s, however, this time, we need you to use your last name to get 'his' cooperation."

I couldn't quite understand what she meant. She told me that I would 'know when I meet him'. Even until I waited for the train I still had no idea of the person she was referring to, or why the surname Ito had any significance to it. I held onto my first cla.s.s ticket till the train arrived. I climbed aboard and sat at the very back seat on the right side, next to the window. I felt like a fish out of water after seeing all of the other first-cla.s.s pa.s.sengers dressed so wealthy and important.

The train attendant entered from the locomotive. He inquired tickets from the pa.s.sengers and when he finally reached my seat, he paused. The train attendant was a strict-looking blond man with a tiny mole under his left eye. His uniform differed from the train conductors from the other train lines; the standard colour was black, but his was dark blue. The first thing he noticed from me was the badge.

He scoffed. "Another Special Task Post Officer. They surely don't heed my warning. They think sending a postwoman could smoothen things out? I think not."

I didn't get what he was saying, but to keep my professionalism, I stood up and lowered my back. "Special Task Postwoman Rank 2 Aoko Ito looks forward for your cooperation...er..."

"s.h.i.+ki Kotoba," he said, raising his eyebrow. "Trainmaster s.h.i.+ki Kotoba. I am surprised that they sent in a Rank 2. You have a lot to learn."

I raised my head. "What do you mean?"

His hand began to glow in lilac. He chanted a spell and showed his palm to me. Then, my body shone in lilac colour as well. I closed my eyes and waited for the light to die out. When I opened them again, my clothes transformed to a more formal business suit, with my hair tied into a bun. My bag even s.h.i.+fted into a small briefcase.

"If you're on a mission then you need to blend well with the environment," said s.h.i.+ki. "When you sit on a first cla.s.s seat, try putting on something that makes you look wealthy and important. By the way, I am a free-wand spellcaster. Is this your first mission to the Ministry Area?"

I nodded my head. I've never met another free-wand spellcaster, other than Kurai. They say that casting spells without a wand is a difficult thing to do since it requires high concentration and accuracy, though it is more powerful than using wands. Some uses their body parts like hands to aid, but Kurai can easily mutter spells to cast.

"Let me tell you a few things, Ms. Ito," he said as he punched my ticket. "As a Special Task Postwoman on a secret mission, you are not only responsible to protect the package, but also the pa.s.sengers. If you get into a fight with a dangerous individual that aims for that package and hurt the pa.s.sengers, regardless accidental or not, then the train force will not be a.s.sociated with you anymore. Do you understand?"

I nodded my head again. I guessed this was what Midori meant by getting cooperation from 'him'. s.h.i.+ki Kotoba, a no-nonsense trainmaster who doesn't want to cooperate with Special Task Postmen, and yet cares only his pa.s.sengers. He probably treated me well just because he heard of my surname before, but I didn't dare myself to ask if he had any connection with my adoptive father, Akas.h.i.+ Ito.

On the first stop, a train attendant wearing the standard uniform colour stopped by to check on me. "h.e.l.lo! I'm Hiroki, Trainmaster Kotoba's junior."

I nodded my head as I greeted. "Is there something wrong?"

Hiroki shook his head. "Not really. You see, I'm an oracle, so if you like to hear the future of your mission, I'll do it for you."

"Please do," I said to him, believing that this was also a special service from the trainmaster. Hiroki sat opposite to me and held my hand. He closed his eyes and spoke:

'Disguised wisely to steal wisdom,

Beware of the scent of slumber,

Only the talented can stop them.'

"So I guess something bad is going to happen soon," I tightened my lips. I had high hopes that it would be a safe journey.

Hiroki shrugged. "Trainmaster Kotoba always antic.i.p.ate threats whenever a Special Task Post Officer is on board, usually because every time they are involved, there would always be train delays and destruction in the train. That's why he hates them, but somehow today he is kinder."

"Why do you think so?"

The train attendant smiled. "That is for you to figure out yourself."

As Hiroki left and the train started moving, I looked into the briefcase. I felt rea.s.sured when I looked inside, knowing the spellbook was safely in my hands. I placed it inside the cabinet under my seat. For five minutes of journey, nothing happened. However, I couldn't let my guard down easily. There was only ten minutes left till the train reached Lavender Ministry Area. Remembering Hiroki's predictions, I dug my hand into my pockets to find my ribbon, the only weapon I have. Abruptly, the train stopped and my body pushed against the seat in front of me. Then I heard an announcement.

"This is Trainmaster Kotoba speaking. I apologize for the sudden stop as there is a damage in the railway. The train will be moving as soon as it is fixed."

I grabbed my suitcase again and ran out of the car. s.h.i.+ki stepped out from the locomotive and checked the front of the train, where the railway had been sliced and bent on purpose. s.h.i.+ki raised his hand and the bent part glowed in lilac. I watched him straightened it out and connected it back as if it wasn't damaged before.

"What are you doing here?" he asked with a glare. "Get back inside."

"S-sorry," I said. "I thought you needed some help."

s.h.i.+ki's eyes widened. He went quiet before he spoke again. "Your a.s.sistance is not needed. Get back inside or I will leave you h-"

All of the sudden, there was a scream inside the train. s.h.i.+ki rushed inside and ran into the first-cla.s.s car. I followed behind him. He stopped me from entering the first cla.s.s car, where he came face-to-face with a figure dressed in black and wrapped his arm around a female hostage's neck. I looked around and the other pa.s.sengers seemed to be asleep, unaware of the situation at all.

"Where is the postman?" the figure demanded. "I know he is here. Tell me where you are hiding him!"

A little part of me felt relieved that the bad guy didn't know my gender, but I questioned how they knew about the secret delivery. Most likely they knew Mr. Wataru's intention of entrusting the spellbook from a different source, and not from our conversation.

"Weakling. I will not let you endanger other pa.s.sengers," s.h.i.+ki waved his hands and created lilac barriers that separated them and the pa.s.sengers. I put down my suitcase and took out a long ribbon out of my pocket. Since I didn't think of a plan beforehand, I had to trust my instincts to enter at the right time.

s.h.i.+ki had his hands glowing, but he haven't made his attacks, possibly because he had to maintain the barriers. The mysterious man laughed and mocked at the talented trainmaster. When the man raised his hand to use his free-wand spell, s.h.i.+ki saw the opportunity and dispelled his barrier. His signature lilac magic glowed on the man's arm and pulled him down backwards. I seized in, threw my ribbon and caught the hostage before she fell.

s.h.i.+ki stared at me in bewildered. "What the heck are you doing?"

"Saving the hostage. What's wrong wi-?"

Suddenly, the hostage pinned me down on the ground with her one hand on my neck and her other hand setting up a barrier around us. I tried to pull her hand away from choking me as s.h.i.+ki put back the barriers to protect the pa.s.sengers and the man stood up.

"Can't you read the situation?" he said. "All of the pa.s.sengers were knocked out by some sleeping gas while we were out, except that woman, meaning she is an accomplice. I bet the broken railway was for them to save some time."

"You bet you're right," the hooded man laughed, dropping his hood. He was a bald man with the Tokage Clan's insignia tattooed on his right temple. "Those scavengers found our secret hideout and took our only copy. If you tell us where the postman is, we will let her go."

"That is where you're wrong!" I kicked the girl right in her stomach. She lost control of her spell as she fell back. I pulled the ribbon that loosely tangled around her, quickly knotted the end to sting her with electricity. The ribbon may look ordinary in anyone's eyes, but my adoptive father did not teach me different knots for no reason. It was an enchanted ribbon he got that could cast different spells depending on the knots.

The accomplice fell onto the floor, unable to move her paralyzed body. I picked up my ribbon to go against the bald man. "Give it up, baldy. Between you and me, this isn't going to be much of a battle."

The bald man laughed. "You think you're better than me when you have no magic at all? Pathetic!"

"What are you doing, Aoko?" s.h.i.+ki whispered.

"Trust on a postwoman, will you?" I smirked. Toka put up his fist and shot out a black flame towards us. Quickly, I ducked and slid on the smooth floor, threw the ribbon around the man's arm and pulled him down to the floor. s.h.i.+ki quickly s.h.i.+fted the barrier to cover the flames and diminished it just before it hit him. I wrapped the ribbon around the bald man's leg and tied a bow at the end of the ribbon. This knot nullified his magic.

I sat on his back. "Told ya."

After properly bound both intruders, s.h.i.+ki got the train moving again. He then called in the security at Lavender Ministry Area to take care of the villains using the magic mirror on the locomotive.

"I was wondering, Trainmaster s.h.i.+ki," I said to him after he finished his call. "That bald guy was looking for me, so why didn't you give me in? You said if it is related to my mission, I would take the responsibility."

"He was looking for a postman, not a postwoman," he replied. "By that logic, I don't need to give you in."

"Ha ha, very funny," I said sarcastically. "I know you have a different reason."

s.h.i.+ki glanced at me, then fixed his eyes to the front of the train. "Let's just say that this is my favour to Akas.h.i.+ Ito."

I looked at him with surprise that he actually knew Akas.h.i.+ Ito. "You personally knew my father?"

"He saved me once and I owe him, but he told me to pa.s.s it on to his daughter," s.h.i.+ki admitted. "I didn't think he would have one, considering that he was single throughout his life, until you came, bearing his last name. I never expected you to be here."

s.h.i.+ki smiled at me for the first time. "Truthfully, I had the same first impression on both of you. I doubted the two of you would make me believe that you are capable of protecting the pa.s.sengers because none of you have magic. Yet, you and your father have proven yourself and cause no damage to this train. For that, I apologize for my irrational judgements and thank you for your efforts."

"Well, if the trainmaster didn't trust me and have no reflexes, this mission would have been a disaster," I said to him.

He chuckled and I saw him tear up a little. "You said the same thing as he did."

Right after the police force took the intruders away and pa.s.sengers woke up in confusion, I left to go to the Ministry of Magical Arts and Languages building. A man in a business suit and two bodyguards alongside him, greeted me in the lobby. It was the Dark Arts Defense officer, Mas.h.i.+ro Yatsuya,

"Special Task Postwoman Rank 2, Aoko Ito has successfully transported the ancient spell book," I announced with formality, opening the briefcase for him to look at the book bounded in red paper. The man put on his gloves and unwrapped the paper. He flipped through the pages to confirm it, then he smiled at me and nodded. I closed the briefcase and saluted at him.

"You did an astounding job in delivering this, Ms. Aoko," the officer complimented me. "If we had lost this book to the remaining Tokage Clan members, who knows what monstrosity will befall on us."

"I only did my job, sir," I told him.

"Send this book to our maximum security vault," said Officer Mas.h.i.+ro, giving it to the bodyguard. "And Miss Aoko, come with me."

We sat opposite to each other at the fancy armchairs in the lobby. Officer Mas.h.i.+ro took out a small case from his jacket and revealed a golden lavender pin inside it. I recognized the pin as something that my adoptive father once worn on his jacket, and a collection of it back home.

"Adorn this pin on your jacket, to signify that you have successfully completed the mission," said Officer Mas.h.i.+ro. "You'll find this as a stepping stone to earn that n.o.ble t.i.tle."

I stammered. "I-I don't know what to say. Thank you!"

I pinned the golden lavender onto my jacket, feeling proud of it. I thanked Officer Mas.h.i.+ro again before I left, relieved of today's event. When I came back to the train station, the locomotive was opened, and s.h.i.+ki waited for me.

"Before we leave, there is something I want to ask you," I said. "What happened when you met my father?"

❤︎

「s.h.i.+ki promised my father that when the right time comes for me, he would tell everything he knows. It frustrated me so much that even death, my father still tries to test me. And yet, that was one of the few things I knew about him.

Even after living with him for many years, I still haven't gotten to know him better. I looked through his old things to reminiscence on and I never found anything related to his past before becoming a postman. Not a birth certificate nor his graduation transcript, or whether or not he knew me before the fire.

'Dad saga' still continues.

From yours truly,

Aoko」