Chapter 8: The Unsettling Truth of a Magical Girl’s Heart

What did my first kiss feel like?

I couldn’t say.

It seemed that due to some protective mechanism, I had experienced a period of amnesia after reverting from my Magical Girl transformation.

“Ren, how are you feeling now?”

Hayato’s face materialized before me.

“Aoyama-kun, are you unwell?”

It was Shiraishi-san’s voice.

‘I’m sorry, Shiraishi-san—’

‘Strange, why was I apologizing to Shiraishi-san?’

The wail of a police siren drifted from afar, while a colossal billboard, fallen onto the street, lay there like an elephant in a room (TL Note: A common idiom for an obvious problem or issue that nobody wants to discuss).

Much like that memory, I hadn’t forgotten what I had done, yet I couldn’t recall it.

This situation felt perfectly normal, akin to trying to remember what I’d eaten for dinner last night; I could recall the menu item, but the actual taste eluded me.

I longed to clap Hayato on the shoulder and declare my good health, just as I would on any other day, but at that moment, if no one else were present, I would have slapped myself twice.

Little Black Cat Lingling appeared in the gap between their faces, prompting me to hastily sit up as if struck by a sudden realization, and, scooping him up, I dashed into the distance.

Only when Hayato and Shiraishi-san were entirely out of sight did I lean, panting, against the wall of a narrow alleyway, glancing back the way I had come; their failure to pursue me brought an unconscious wave of relief.

‘What… what exactly did I do?’

No one had ever warned me that transforming into a Magical Girl would plunge me into such a state; it was as if ‘she’ sought vengeance, demanding an amplified recompense for not being able to hold Hayato’s hand at noon.

I understood this feeling all too well; it was precisely like my childhood self.

Capricious, mischievous, self-centered.

‘She’ cared nothing for anyone else’s opinions, only her own happiness; if there was something ‘she’ desired, ‘she’ would obtain it by any means necessary.

‘She’ would whine and throw tantrums at my parents, compelling everyone to align with her whims and desires, a disposition so utterly vile that I couldn’t even recall how I had managed to become friends with Hayato in the first place.

It was only after profound self-reflection that I finally realized no one could protect me anymore; my world was solitary, and I no longer possessed the luxury of willfulness, and so—

—I had transformed into the person I was today.

Aoyama Ren, the gloomy shut-in.

When spoken of, I was merely “that guy who followed Watanabe-kun around.”

With disheveled hair, thick black-rimmed glasses, poor athletic ability, and mediocre grades, I surmised that if I hadn’t always trailed behind Hayato, no one would have ever noticed me.

Despite these extensive thoughts, I once again clarified my feelings: indeed, I harbored no romantic notions for Hayato that surpassed friendship.

It was all the mischievous work of that self-centered “me.”

“Lingling, you never said that becoming a Magical Girl would also alter one’s emotions…”

With both hands, I held the Little Black Cat’s body; his small frame sagged and elongated, and his brown cat eyes met mine with a calm gaze.

“This is my first time signing a Magical Girl contract with a boy, so this situation is new to me as well.”

“Then…” I couldn’t help but interject.

“Don’t rush,” the Little Black Cat patted my hand, signaling me to release him; the moment I let go, he landed back on my head, seemingly quite fond of the spot.

“I have a theory, if you’d care to hear it?”

“Mm.”

Leaning against the wall, I gazed at the rooftop opposite as dusk gradually descended; a flock of birds playfully soared together in the air before vanishing from sight.

“Magical Girls are girls, right?”

Lingling spoke in a childlike voice, sounding innocent and pure, yet somehow imparting a sense of reliability.

Yes, Magical Girl—literally understood, it meant a girl possessing magic, bearing no connection whatsoever to boys, lads, or young men.

Recently, there had even been anime featuring Magical Women and Magical Grandmas, but these, too, were related to females.

In a certain sense, Magical Girls truly had no association with males.

‘So why were there no Magical Boys?’

‘Why did I, a boy, transform into a girl after activating my powers?’

‘Logically, there was no reason for me to become female.’

‘Magical Boy…’

‘I recalled the moment I had just unleashed the Rising Dragon Fist (TL Note: A special move from the Street Fighter video game series, typically an uppercut).’

‘This was bad. If I had been clad in armor or martial arts attire, wouldn’t I have looked incredibly cool?’

‘Hayato had even praised me, saying that pose was really cool.’

“Yes,” I replied to Lingling.

Although I felt that transforming into a Magical Boy seemed far more logical, Lingling had, at that moment, unequivocally stated, “Sign a contract with me and become a Magical Girl,” leaving no room for argument.

‘A colossal blunder.’

‘Therefore, before signing any contract, make sure a lawyer reviews it thoroughly.’

‘That is, if I had the money to hire a lawyer, and if human laws could even restrain fairies.’

“So…” Lingling paused, piquing my curiosity.

“What follows is merely my speculation, without any definitive basis; perhaps those fellows at the Royal Court Research Institute could offer a more rational explanation for your transformation.”

“However, having studied relevant courses myself, the following deduction is what I consider relatively reasonable.”

“Little Ren, what do you think is the reason Magical Girls sign contracts with fairies?”

He didn’t state his conclusion directly; I knew this was Lingling’s way of making me trust his theory more.

After pondering for a moment, I replied:

“To fulfill their deepest, strongest desires?”

‘And then, becoming a Magical Girl and fighting monsters. That was the price for wishing upon a fairy.’

“Precisely. Kisa, and the two Magical Girls from Egret Girls’ High School, their wishes are the source of their transformation power.”

“Before their wishes are granted, their obsessions are fixated and solidified.”

“The materialized form of this is the Magical Girls’ transformation items.”

I pulled the silver-white, ruby-encrusted bracelet from my pocket.

‘Was this the manifestation of my inner emotions?’

‘It certainly matched my aesthetic—the kind of style I’d want to buy for a girl I liked—but I couldn’t discern any connection to myself whatsoever.’

“However, here lies the crux of the matter.”

The Little Black Cat patted the top of my head, halting my wandering thoughts.

“For various reasons that neither Little Ren nor I can comprehend, when the contract solidified your emotions, certain ‘form changes to align with the Magical Girl archetype’ occurred.”

“Simply put—”

“After Little Ren transformed into a Magical Girl, it’s perfectly reasonable for his feelings for his best friend to transform into romantic affection, isn’t it?”

‘Is it?’

‘No, it’s not!’

‘That’s absolutely unreasonable!’

I, Aoyama Ren, a proper, upright man, whose greatest loves were isekai harem anime and role-playing games, possessed excellent dynamic vision and a slight talent for competitive gaming.

I had never dated a girl, but the girls in my phone’s hidden photo album could, without a doubt, attest that I was a perfectly healthy sixteen-year-old male high school student, just like Hayato.

Although, before the age of six, due to a custom from my mother’s hometown, I had been obliged to wear girls’ clothing from birth, I had never touched such items again on any day thereafter.

Yet, this seemed to align even more with Lingling’s assertion.

‘Children before the age of eight likely wouldn’t understand the difference between love and friendship.’

‘Therefore, it was undoubtedly “me” who had mistaken these emotions.’

‘At that time, among my peers, no one except Hayato could tolerate “me.”

“…”

‘So, did this mean that every time I transformed, I would fall into that uncontrollable state?’

‘Allowing those mistaken emotions to jeopardize my current relationship with Hayato.’

‘Furthermore, according to Lingling’s explanation, with Shiraishi-san’s distinct emotions after transforming into a Magical Girl, I harbored a strong, unpleasant suspicion: could her wish be to become Hayato’s lover?’

‘I’ve always supported you, Shiraishi-san! Please continue to follow your heart.’

‘I had originally planned to improve my grades and avoid being a third wheel between Shiraishi-san and Hayato, which was why I had resolved to join the academic tutoring class this semester…’

‘And problems arose on the very first day of school!’

Lingling remained silent, and I, unsure how to break it, bought a bottle of peach-flavored Ramune (TL Note: A Japanese carbonated soft drink, often with a marble stopper) from a small shop.

After taking a few sips, I noticed Lingling’s curious gaze.

“Want to try some?”

Seated on a chair by the shop’s entrance, I gently shook the bottle, which was still more than half full.

“There was another child who liked to drink this, once.”

Lingling sat beside me as small cars occasionally drove past on the road.

“A Magical Girl?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Is she still one?”

“…No longer. Afterward, she stopped drinking soda.”

“When they grow up, humans prefer beer. I want to try what that tastes like too.”

“According to human laws, you can’t drink yet.”

“That’s why I only said I wanted to *try*.”

Handing the remaining half-bottle of soda to Lingling, I pulled out my phone; Hayato had sent a message.

[Mom has finished making dinner.]

[I’ll be back as soon as possible. I’ll explain everything about what just happened tonight.]

[Also, Shiraishi-san said she didn’t have your contact info, so I gave it to her.]

[OK.]

I found the friend request list, and sure enough, there was an avatar of a manga-style girl, likely drawn by Shiraishi-san herself using a digital tablet, which presented a slight contrast to her usual lively and outgoing personality.

Tapping to accept the request, I found a rolling panda emoji from my sticker pack and sent it over; it held no particular meaning, nor did it show as read.

Returning the empty peach-flavored Ramune glass bottle to the shop owner, I stepped out the door and took a deep breath.

‘Here we go.’

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