Chapter 2: The Black Cat’s Proposal

Something felt off about school today.

Beyond the sweltering heat of lunchtime, an unfamiliar and malevolent sense of being watched clung to the air.

Leaving the classroom, I made my way to a secluded, clean spot I had discovered last semester, a place slightly removed from the usual crowds.

Around the corridor’s corner, sickly, drooping leaves hung low, and dappled sunlight fell upon a worn bench.

I brushed away the fallen leaves from the wooden bench.

Once seated, I opened my bento box to reveal rice balls, fried chicken, a hamburger steak, broccoli, and green grapes.

If all went as usual, Watanabe Hayato’s bento would feature the exact same spread.

–After all, I had prepared both.

During a period in junior high, both of Watanabe Hayato’s parents had to travel for work simultaneously.

Seizing this opportunity, and wanting to offer a small token of gratitude for the Watanabe family’s kindness in taking me in, I took it upon myself to propose that I would be responsible for Watanabe Hayato’s bento from then on.

Admittedly, it was quite a demanding task, especially the early mornings.

Yet, I persevered for two years, and even today, the tradition continued—a testament to my own tenacity.

As a result, my culinary skills steadily improved.

During the summer before my third year of junior high, I even received personal instruction from Watanabe Hayato’s mother, who, I heard, had captivated Uncle Watanabe with her cooking back in the day.

“How wonderful… the love between Auntie and Uncle…”

Lost in my subconscious musings, I retrieved my chopsticks from the bento box, poised to begin eating, when I noticed a rustling sound emanating from the flowerbed opposite me.

A small, jet-black cat emerged from the grass, its two brown eyes wide and round.

It scrutinized me from head to paw, much like a human might.

Yet, after only a few seconds of our mutual gaze, it abruptly darted away.

How peculiar; it was the first time I had ever perceived such a complex array of emotions from a small cat.

Pondering the lingering feeling, I likened it to the bewilderment one might experience upon tasting yogurt for the very first time.

While individuals experience diverse emotions when encountering various objects and people, the feelings of small animals are typically clear and unambiguous.

Humans, however, are different; even in a state of extreme fury, they can project an outward calm.

My thoughts turned to Shiraishi Kisa.

On normal days, she, like any other person, possessed a full spectrum of emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, and delight.

Yet, after transforming into a Magical Girl, all I could perceive emanating from her was a warm, sweet, and soft affection, akin to spun sugar.

This observation led me to a hypothesis: do Magical Girls draw their power from their inner emotions?

In reality, however, the only Magical Girl I could observe up close was Magical Girl Sakura Tsui, or rather, Shiraishi Kisa.

Beyond that, being in different areas also evoked distinct sensations, as if the collective subconscious of all life within a space, like an overturned palette, coalesced into a somber hue.

Following the bizarre monster attack that morning, although no students were harmed, the sight of the devastated sports field instilled a measure of dread in anyone who saw it.

What if the creature hadn’t appeared in that specific location, but instead within the densely populated school building?

Now, that fear, unexpectedly, was becoming increasingly chilling, like ink deliberately gathered to shroud the school building in a pall of black mist.

Even though it was the warmest part of the day, I felt an inexplicable chill.

Having finished lunch, I returned to the school building.

As I passed the classroom for Year 2, Class 1, I instinctively sought out Watanabe Hayato’s figure, but my vision seemed veiled by a thin fog, making it impossible to discern anything clearly.

My thoughts began to unravel.

Leaning against the wall, my mind inexplicably started replaying my most agonizing memories.

“Mama… don’t die… Mama…”

The scent of blood, the chilling touch of a family member connected by blood, a body steadily growing cold, breath becoming increasingly faint, and the light in their eyes slowly dimming.

“Ren… you must live happily.”

‘I hate this world,’ I thought.

‘Why must I endure all of this?’ I silently questioned. ‘I, too, long to be acknowledged, and I yearn for a mother and father.’

“Watanabe Hayato, can I still be your friend?”

“Of course! From now on, I am also your family, Ren, and my parents are your parents too!”

“…”

‘No, that’s not right. I don’t hate it,’ I corrected myself.

My mother wished for my happiness, and so did Watanabe Hayato.

Therefore, I too wished to repay those who had been good to me through my own actions.

Though, thus far, only Watanabe Hayato had truly enjoyed the fruits of this sentiment.

It was exhausting, going to the supermarket after school every day to buy ingredients for dinner and the next morning’s bento.

Waking up at six every morning, and after taking on the bento duties, preparing breakfast naturally became my responsibility as well.

‘…I don’t hate it,’ I affirmed silently.

If I could offer them some repayment, even when my cooking was initially terrible, Watanabe Hayato, Uncle, and Auntie would always encourage me.

Furthermore, it would be even better if I could meet a charming girl like Shiraishi Kisa who liked me, freeing me from the fantasies of Galgames and allowing me to experience a rosy youth, just like Watanabe Hayato.

Suddenly, I opened my eyes, my heart pounding in my chest.

I scanned my surroundings to find my new classmates sprawled across their desks, lifeless and unmoving, like corpses.

Outside the window, the sky had, at some unknown point, grown heavy with dark clouds, and a sudden downpour began to lash against the panes.

Amidst the raging storm, the classroom remained unlit, with faint pink flashes appearing and disappearing intermittently.

While I had no idea what was happening, it was unequivocally nothing good.

A powerful sense of despair flooded my nostrils with every breath.

That pink glow, it was Shiraishi Kisa’s aura.

She had transformed into a Magical Girl, which could only mean that all of this was the work of a monster?

“Magical Girl Sakura Tsui… I now know your weakness…”

A deep voice, like a peal of thunder, reverberated across the campus.

The frequency of the pink flashes gradually diminished, and then, I heard the shattering of glass from the adjacent classroom—

“Watanabe Hayato!”

Outside the window, a cherry-blossom pink arrow once again pierced the curtain of rain, but after that, neither side made another move.

A man cloaked in a cape, wielding a scythe, and wrapped head-to-toe in bandages, stood atop a swarm of black crows.

Despite being in the torrential downpour, not a single corner of his attire was dampened.

Confronting the eerie man mid-air was Shiraishi Kisa, transformed into a Magical Girl.

I had never seen such a look of desperate anxiety on her face.

“You… you like this boy, don’t you?”

The instant I fully registered those words, the name implied by the answer sent an uncontrollable tremor through my body.

The boy’s neck was gripped by the bandaged monster, appearing as though it could be snapped with the slightest exertion of force.

He was drenched from head to toe by the rain, looking utterly disheveled, like a drowned rat.

I was certain that no matter when, no matter what form Watanabe Hayato took, I would recognize him.

After all, he was my closest friend, with whom I had spent thirteen years, day in and day out.

‘But… suddenly… how could it have come to this…’ I mused in dismay.

I pressed both hands against the windowpane, as the fierce wind and rain lashed against the glass, making it intensely cold.

I simply wanted to see more clearly.

‘If only it wasn’t him,’ I wished desperately.

This selfish and contemptible emotion surged uncontrollably.

However, the bandaged monster’s next words utterly shattered my ugly hope.

“Hmm… his name is… Watanabe… Hayato? It seems I wasn’t mistaken; your expression has become quite adorable, you know.”

He let out a grotesque chuckle.

“You may have realized this isn’t reality.

But don’t move.

Let’s not be hasty.

I can’t guarantee that this… oh, Watanabe Hayato, will wake up in reality if his soul dies here.”

“If I can hear a Magical Girl weep in hell, then my death here today will have been well worth it… Heheheh…”

“Don’t rush.

If you accept my conditions, I can spare him.

After all, we aren’t E-class monsters who simply want to destroy everything they see.

If anything, I’d prefer to be called—Yinye (TL Note: A term meaning ‘shadows’ or ‘gloom’, often used to describe subtle, elusive darkness).”

After a prolonged silence, I heard Shiraishi Kisa’s reply, almost drowned out by the torrential rain:

“…What are your conditions?”

“There are three in total.Once they are all met, I can guarantee that both you and Watanabe Hayato will live on, safe and sound.”

“The first, to ensure the sincerity of your cooperation, is to deactivate your transformation.

Just a moment, let me guess: are you Sato-san? Doesn’t quite fit.

Nakamura-san? Kobayashi-san?

The recognition interference from Magical Girls is truly bothersome.”

“…This is troublesome, isn’t it?”

A voice, childlike in its tone, suddenly materialized beside my ear.

I instinctively turned to look, finding a small cat almost entirely absorbed by the darkness, its gaze fixed intently on the window outside, particularly on Shiraishi Kisa.

Were it not for its bright, feline eyes, I would barely have discerned its outline.

“Time is short, so I’ll be brief,” the black cat declared, turning its head to fix its gaze upon me.

“Although I don’t know the exact circumstances, the fact that you, young man, can see me proves you possess the aptitude to become a Magical Girl.”

“Young man, tell me your wish.Then, form a contract with me and become a Magical Girl!”