Chapter 19: Unraveling Emotions and Lingering Danger

Little Black Cat Lingling’s tone was grave.

Ordinarily, he was just an adorable little black cat.

Yet, at his core, he was a fairy.

A fairy capable of forming contracts with magical girls, invisible to ordinary humans.

He was the cat I was profoundly grateful to, for granting me the power of a magical girl at a crucial moment.

Had he not appeared before me then, I would have been forced to watch helplessly as Hayato was harmed.

My magical girl form bestowed upon me the strength to protect Hayato.

Though it might come at some negligible cost, I would make the same wish and become a magical girl a hundred times over, given that very moment again.

The little black cat leaped onto my shoulder, allowing me to converse with him without uttering a single word aloud.

Hayato glanced at me with a hint of bewilderment, seemingly puzzled by my sudden halt.

Shaking my head, I quickened my pace to match Hayato’s.

“How did you manage that incredibly long three-pointer, Hayato?”

Little Black Cat Lingling did not immediately respond.

As we walked, my gaze fell upon Hayato.

Streetlights flickered on in the distance, a stray cat darted past a trash can, and crows cawed overhead.

We paused at the traffic light before the crosswalk, the izakaya behind us already bustling with noise.

This daily ritual of walking home with Hayato, no matter how many times it repeated, always filled me with a sense of peace.

The day concluded, and returning home meant seeing Aunt Chinatsu, and occasionally Uncle Naoshi, who would refresh his punctuality by coming home on time.

I carried the groceries I had bought from the nearby supermarket into the kitchen.

After dinner, I washed the dishes.

If my homework was completed at school, I could then indulge in some enjoyable internet browsing.

The bathing order at home typically began with me, followed by Hayato, then Aunt Chinatsu, and finally Uncle Naoshi.

“I’ve managed it once or twice during practice,” Hayato said, “Mostly luck, I suppose.”

Hayato exhaled softly.

It seemed that making such a risky decision back then had indeed put him under considerable pressure.

“What if… what if you had failed?”

I turned my head, and Hayato’s gaze met mine precisely.

“Ren, you worry too much.”

Without directly answering my question, Hayato patted my shoulder.

I found it incomprehensible.

Shouldn’t one always be cautious when interacting with others?

Disappointing others’ expectations would only diminish their impression of you.

The higher one stood, the more devastating the fall would be.

Rather than becoming a star under the spotlight, it was far better to live as a quiet, law-abiding citizen.

I had, countless times, deeply reflected on how much trouble my younger self had caused those around me.

There was no one left to unconditionally clean up my messes.

Now that the game was over, Hayato no longer exhibited that inexplicable tension.

His demeanor towards me had grown more natural, just as it had always been.

Therefore, I voiced the question that had been buried in my heart all day:

“Hayato… why did you proactively… do that this morning?”

The red light blinked, then turned green.

A couple, arms entwined, approached from the opposite side, forcing us to pause our conversation.

As we crossed the street, I discreetly glanced at Hayato.

Yes, Hayato’s feelings for me hadn’t changed, even after that peculiar incident this morning.

I had initially feared that I had ruined everything.

However, upon entering the manga club and perceiving Hayato’s emotions, my inner worries instantly dissipated.

Yet, a persistent doubt continued to swirl within my mind.

He wasn’t disgusted, nor was he angry.

He was just as he always had been.

So why hadn’t he sent any messages all day?

“…Does Ren find it troubling?”

Unexpectedly, as Hayato spoke, he rubbed the back of his neck and looked towards a street sign.

This conveniently obscured his face from my view.

Perhaps, it was I who had deceived Hayato, leading him to a mistaken understanding.

I wasn’t some kiss-crazy fiend who kissed everyone on sight, not even after transforming.

At the core of the lie was the idea that ‘I’ had fallen for someone ‘I’ absolutely shouldn’t have.

Because it would alter our ‘relationship.’

Pure, unblemished, unchanging.

Perhaps these were the most beautiful things in the world.

Like the lie called a diamond, a stone representing eternity.

Friendship was simply friendship.

‘Why would ‘I’ want to possess Hayato?’

‘Why did ‘I’ feel something akin to hostility towards Shiraishi Kisa and Kato Eri-senpai?’

Human emotions, once the body’s hormones subsided, often became incomprehensible even to the person experiencing them.

Moreover, I didn’t believe ‘my’ emotions constituted love.

Sweet, like cotton candy—that was the form of love I had seen countless times.

Just like the couple who had just passed us by.

More than love, it felt like possession; seeing something desirable and using every ounce of effort to snatch it.

I simply wanted to possess.

As for what I would do with it afterward, I didn’t seem to care.

If I grew tired of a toy, I would put it back in the cabinet, perhaps never to take it out again.

‘I seemed to be afraid of something; if ‘my’ desires were fulfilled, would it make me…’

‘…no longer cherish this friendship?’

“No, not at all. I just can’t understand why. Hayato, you don’t need to sacrifice so much for me.”

Even if, after my transformation, I had completely become a magical girl.

There was no mistaking it; my center of gravity would shift drastically, and the sensations below would be entirely different.

However, if he knew that this person was a friend with whom he had once shared toilets and baths, it would undoubtedly create a rift.

“Then, Ren, you don’t need to overthink it. Hmm… you can just consider it a kiss of friendship.”

Whether it was my imagination or not, I saw Hayato’s earlobes flush crimson under the neon lights.

His emotions rippled outwards, like stones dropped into a well.

“Friendship? Friends probably don’t do things like that…”

Hesitantly, we entered the supermarket, grabbing a few tomatoes, some eggs, and a bag of bread.

The bento section hadn’t started its discounts yet, but the popular items were already sold out.

“Then, Ren, just think of it as concern between family members,” Hayato offered.

My thoughts suddenly clicked into place.

Of course, how very Hayato.

Beside us, a crying child, no older than two or three, sat in a shopping cart.

The woman picked her up, kissed her cheeks several times, and then chuckled.

“Ren, you used to be very much like her.”

“Who?”

“That toddler.”

“…”

Ah, there was indeed no arguing with that.

Especially back then, when my mother had forced me to wear girls’ clothes.

There was no need for explanation; it was simply a custom passed down through generations in our hometown.

“I must have been quite annoying back then.”

“But I’m all grown up now, so Hayato, you don’t need to worry.”

I said.

“Ren…”

Why was it that every time I emphasized this, both Aunt Chinatsu and Hayato seemed to worry even more?

“Little Ren.”

Having finished checking out and stepping out of the supermarket, the little black cat perched on my shoulder finally spoke.

“How important is Watanabe Hayato to you?”

‘More important than myself.’

‘Many people still needed Hayato.’

‘I was probably one of them.’

“Then, Little Ren, for the foreseeable future, you might need to be on high alert.”

Little Black Cat Lingling stated.

I felt a surge of confusion.

“Even though Magical Girl Sakura Tsui eliminated the shadows and nightmares immediately, for some unknown reason, the Monster Organization has begun searching this area for humans ‘resembling Watanabe Hayato.'”

“Therefore, outside of school, Little Ren, it would be best if you stayed by Watanabe Hayato’s side at all times.”

I stared blankly at the figure walking ahead of me.

He turned back, looking at me with a questioning gaze.

In the deepening night, not far away, the traffic signals flickered, their lights changing.

Hayato seemed to be asking why I wasn’t continuing to walk.

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