Prologue: I’m Sorry

“Sorry. I’ve thought about it for a long time, but I’ve decided to give up on being a magical girl.”

When Lin Yu pressed send with trembling fingers, heavy rain was already pouring outside the window.

Cold raindrops, laced with the metallic tang of rust in the air, struck the glass hard, leaving behind streaks like filthy tears.

The room’s lights were off.
The only glow came from the pale white screen of the phone on his nightstand.

That glow cast a young man’s face into relief—pale, exhausted, with hollowed eyes and a rough stubble shading his chin.

He had been frozen in this position before the chat window for the entire afternoon.

The ashtray overflowed with cheap cigarette butts, piled up like a tiny graveyard.

After a while, a reply came through.

Just one character, yet it carried the weight of pure bewilderment.

“?”

“What’s going on…? Didn’t you say this job was tiring, sure, but the pay was great, the benefits were solid, even with insurance and pension?
Stick with it for a few years and you could buy a place in Xinhai City, get married, settle down, right?”

Reading those words on the screen, Lin Yu’s lips twisted into a smile uglier than a sob.

Buy a place?
Get married?

Yes.
Just a few months ago, that had been his dream too.

But now…

His finger hovered above the keyboard for a long time.
Every keystroke felt like it drained the last scraps of his life force.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought too. But… but I really can’t hold on anymore.”

“Can’t hold on? Is the job too dangerous? Well, that makes sense. I know your line of work is risky. One careless mistake and it could cost your life. Wanting to quit is normal—your health comes first! ￣︶￣∗￣︶￣*￣︶￣∗)”

The reply came swiftly.

“It’s not because of that…”

“Huh? Oh, then… is it the salary? Or maybe you’re just looking to switch jobs? Ah, you should’ve just said so earlier! I knew it—bet you’ve found yourself something better! (^_^)”

“It’s not switching jobs either. I just… I just can’t do this anymore.”

“…A-Yu, what’s going on with you? Can you tell me the reason? We’re brothers. Whatever it is, don’t shoulder it alone.”

Seeing that final message, filled with trust and warmth, Lin Yu’s last line of defense finally collapsed.

He hurled the phone aside.
Unable to suppress it any longer, he let out a choked wail, the sound of a dying beast.

He smoked three cigarettes in a row, until the air in the room was suffocating, until his fingertips were scorched raw.

At last, with trembling hands, he typed those words onto the cold screen.

“Because… the me who transforms into a magical girl… I think she’s fallen for you…”

Message sent.

Staring at the words, Lin Yu felt his strength leave him all at once. He slumped back onto the bed in despair.

The phone slid from his limp hand. Its glow cast up at the ceiling, like a cold, unblinking eye.

Outside, the rain fell harder.

And Lin Yu’s thoughts, carried by the sound of that rain, drifted back to the day that changed his life forever…