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Join the ServerWhat is a Magical Girl’s duty?
To vanquish monsters.
Whether in anime or reality, Magical Girls have always been figures of this nature.
Wielding dazzling magic, they defeat terrifying foes and are met with the cheers of the crowd.
Cute, powerful, and inspiring admiration—this is the impression most people hold of Magical Girls.
However, never once had I heard that a Magical Girl needed to fall in love to swiftly replenish her magical power.
–Ren, you’ve misunderstood.–
The Little Black Cat’s words echoed in my mind.
As the fairy who had contracted with me to become a Magical Girl, Lingling could communicate with me directly whenever she touched me.
Thus, before Little Black Cat Lingling, there was nothing I thought or felt that could remain hidden.
‘Isn’t that right?’
‘”Feeling love” – what other combination of words could that possibly form, if not “romantic love”?’
‘It’s not as if I have a lover.’
While I denied being an otaku, my words, actions, and hobbies were all deeply entwined with ACG culture.
Even with live-action dramas, I only watched those adapted from manga.
‘My apologies, denizens of the three-dimensional world.’
In short, I was hopelessly immersed in fantasy.
Even accompanying the super-normie Watanabe Hayato, I found myself unable to blend into that vibrant, seemingly overwhelming normie lifestyle.
An ice cream cone, left under a scorching 36-degree Celsius sun, would melt in mere minutes.
I was slightly more resilient than ice cream.
But only barely.
Therefore, unless some beautiful girl descended from the heavens and fell in love with me at first sight, romance was utterly beyond my reach.
‘Shiraishi Kisa…’
‘She doesn’t seem to view me as a member of the opposite s*x at all.’
Because this face of mine, no matter how one looked at it, resembled my mother’s more, I wore old, unfashionable glasses to avoid ridicule.
I had witnessed, on more than one occasion, timid boys lacking in masculine vigor being bullied.
Yet, if such a disguise allowed my already unsociable self to escape unwanted attention, then my appearance truly didn’t matter.
–Anything that makes Ren’s heart flutter can help restore her magical power.–
Lingling explained.
–For Kisa, the simplest way is to read manga, and Shiori… Ren will understand later.–
As she finished speaking, the Little Black Cat’s gentle rub against my cheek slowly ceased.
‘Not dislike… if I had to liken it to a human emotion, perhaps embarrassment?’
‘Do fairies experience such feelings?’
Nevertheless, since every Magical Girl possessed a method for rapid magic restoration, I, too, had to discover mine.
No need for romance; that was excellent news.
However, I held little interest in anything outside of the two-dimensional world.
Though exercise could quicken my pulse, it was clearly not the kind of ‘heart-fluttering’ required.
For a Magical Girl, like Shiraishi Kisa after her transformation, that emotion, akin to marshmallows and honey, was more palpable than ever.
Evidently, a mere racing heart was only an outward manifestation.
One might cry when sad, and also when happy, yet the two emotions were entirely distinct.
‘So, when was the last time I truly felt such a surge of excitement?’
Instantly, almost instinctively, my mind recalled the afternoon two days prior.
After transforming, I had kissed my best friend.
The very person now standing before me.
Watanabe Hayato.
Though I was extremely reluctant to admit it, there was a clear reason why this guy could so easily charm girls.
Now, under my intense gaze, he subtly stepped back.
I could tell Hayato was currently puzzled as to why my phone had appeared in the clothing bag tucked in the corner.
Beyond that, there were ripples, like those spreading across a lake’s surface.
When Hayato grew nervous, his emotions manifested precisely in this way.
A certain nonchalance, a relaxed confidence that made him seem effortlessly cool, permeated everything he did—this was the secret to being a truly handsome man.
Watanabe Hayato embodied this perfectly, thus exuding an aura of reliability and effortless capability.
At such moments, an occasional glimpse of weariness or a sigh would invariably trigger concern in others.
Therefore, a handsome appearance was merely the most fundamental requirement for a truly attractive man.
Our school was not lacking in dashingly handsome boys, nor in numerous wealthy second-generation scions.
Even so, Watanabe Hayato’s standing in the hearts of the girls at Shinonome High School remained unparalleled.
“Watanabe-kun,”
I began.
While he was my best friend, the request I was about to make would be difficult to voice, even given our close relationship.
“Just a moment, please. I need you to absolutely turn around and not look back.”
“Is it something important?”
Seeing my solemn demeanor, Hayato straightened his expression.
“W-well, it’s not *that* important, really.”
I gave a small cough.
“Some unexpected circumstances have arisen, so…”
Carefully choosing my words, I continued:
“I need Watanabe-kun’s help.”
“But! You don’t need to *do* anything.”
“I just need to borrow a little of your time.”
“Actually… Ren, you don’t have to be like this. We’re family, aren’t we?”
Hayato said.
His words only deepened my guilt; therefore, I resolved never to repeat such an outrageous act.
‘What’s more, I had deceived him, made him believe my lie, and caused him to act as he did yesterday morning.’
‘He probably worried that the transformed me would go wild and kiss someone else.’
‘That’s why he initiated the kiss. There was no other meaning behind it.’
Even though it had left me anxious all day, believing he had seen through my lie and was unwilling to speak with me.
The truth was, Hayato had quickly realized, yet it was *he* who had apologized to me.
‘What kind of good child apologizes to a bad child?’
It defied both common sense and reason.
And so did what I was about to do next.
Hayato was now pressed onto the chair; if only I had a few ropes, it would be even better.
As it was, I could only rely on Watanabe Hayato’s promise.
The Little Black Cat tilted its head in confusion. I used a book to block its line of sight.
‘Magical Girls are truly strange.’
‘Even though I hadn’t started anything yet, my magical power was already beginning to increase.’
‘I could even transform already.’
‘Wait, if this is the case, couldn’t I rapidly restore my magic anytime I wanted?’
‘Or rather, does all of this require a certain person to be present?’
Regardless, my world was exceedingly small, and only a select few individuals truly had the power to stir my heart.
Everything else existed solely within the realm of fantasy.
However, if I merely wished to maintain this atmosphere, the rate of magical power growth swiftly decelerated.
With the current amount of magic, I could sustain a transformation for a maximum of ten seconds.
Normally, the magical power within my body should flow like a mighty river or a vast sea; now, it was but a nearly dry stream.
‘Why was this happening?’
‘I knew, but I had been continuously avoiding the truth within myself.’
Everything demanded a return. That Magical Girl version of me felt a sense of resentment and injustice.
‘Her objective was clearer to me than anything: she wanted to win over Hayato.’
‘But that was wrong. The most enduring emotion, in the end, was friendship.’
Humans were like water, capable of merging with one another, but once they breached the boundaries containing their individual selves—
It would become impossible to return to their original, distinct existence.
Yet, the moment such thoughts arose, it almost heralded the inevitable rupture of emotions.
‘As long as… as long as this clearly defined relationship was maintained, it would be for the best.’
I gently touched the delicate chain on my wrist, and a flash of light rippled through it.
There was a type of dream known as a lucid dream.
Before sleep, one would repeatedly tell oneself that it was merely a dream.
Consequently, there was a chance one would realize this fact within the dream itself.
Typically, upon realizing one was dreaming, the dream would abruptly shatter, and one would awaken.
Becoming a Magical Girl, however, was not like this; it was an empathetic, solid, and vivid dream.
No matter how unwilling I was to admit it, the ‘me’ after transformation was still me.
Likewise, it was also *my* feelings of that nature that I harbored for Hayato.
Since I could not abandon my responsibility as a Magical Girl, nor did I wish to lose the power to protect Hayato, I had to learn to control this ‘me.’
Watanabe Hayato was my irreplaceable friend.
A black gothic dress, and a collar around my neck that possessed a powerful presence.
I surveyed my surroundings.
This was a relatively cool classroom; the windows were open, preventing the air from feeling stuffy.
It appeared to be the old clubroom of the literature department, from a very long time ago.
In various cabinets, I spotted files meticulously organized with years and page numbers.
Only a thin layer of dust had settled upon them.
On the windowsill, a green plant, not yet withered, sat in a pot where the water was only slightly cloudy.
Evidently, someone came to maintain it regularly.
As I walked across the classroom floor, the sound my shoes made differed, owing to their distinct material.
In the secluded classroom, apart from the rustling of leaves outside, almost no sound could be heard save for my own.
My voluminous skirt rustled as I moved, the fabric rubbing against itself.
My perspective had lowered; every object around me now seemed taller.
On the chair before me, the boy sat upright, his back turned towards me.
His silhouette alone was enough to make ‘me’ feel an uncontrollable flutter in my heart.
Such emotions were beyond my control, yet I was no longer such a willful child.
“Don’t look back.”
I commanded.
This time, it was a maiden’s voice.
It was unmistakably clear, surprisingly so, and I was astonished to realize it was my own voice.
“…Ren?”
Hayato questioned, his voice laced with confusion.
From behind, I covered his eyes with both my hands.
“No, Watanabe-kun. I am Magical Girl… Yoru Aoi.”
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, I Want To Bite You is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : I Want To Bite You
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