Chapter 104

"Change into your pajamas in a bit, and don't do any more role-playing before bed."

Dark Feather lowered her head and saw that she was wearing Magic Gear that looked like something she would wear to a ball.

She tugged at the hem of her skirt, feeling a bit of a headache.

"This is hard to take off..."

Taking off your clothes while in your transformed state is quite difficult, because Magic Gear are generally very complex, and normally it's very difficult to put them back on after taking them off.

A dress like Star Flower, which is even more complicated than a theatrical gown, cannot be taken off by oneself alone.

After she finished speaking, Haihara glanced at her.

"You mean you want me to help you take it off?"

The woman's tone was calm and gentle.

But Dark Feather suddenly felt a slight pain in her buttocks under her skirt. She instinctively covered her skirt and then immediately shook her head.

"Hurry up and get into bed after you change your clothes, I'm going to take a shower."

After saying that, she ignored Dark Feather and went to take a shower by herself.

A Dark Feather was left alone in bed.

After standing there in a daze for a while, she squatted down on the bed, touched her still-damp hair, and slowly lowered her eyes.

Taking out the prepared pajamas from her Magic Wand, Dark Feather prepared to change.

Because of a bit of curiosity, she had taken off her Magic Gear a few times...

But just as she was halfway through undressing, she heard the sound of clothes being removed from the bathroom, followed by the sound of water running.

Although the bathroom was supposed to be fairly soundproof, she was currently in Magic girl form, and her senses were extremely... acute.

At first, Dark Feather pretended not to hear and didn't pay any attention.

She quietly continued changing her clothes.

After a while, the sound of water became clearer.

Inevitably, she thought about some things that happened today regarding that woman.

This woman is both aloof and has a wicked sense of humor, yet she is such a beauty. Even today, many women still try to chat her up, though she can understand why.

But this woman is now living in the same room as her, and they're even taking a shower in the bathroom, which is just a door away.

What would it look like if hot water fell on that woman?

Thinking of this, Miss Dark Feather's little devil tail, which she had revealed, gradually curled up and swayed upright, with the end of the tail occasionally bending into the shape of a heart.

Like her heart, which was gradually growing restless.

Dark Feather subconsciously rubbed his leg...

Now, she's the only one in the room, so... she should...

"..."

She lowered her head, but her first glance fell on her shoulder. There were no burn marks there; instead, it was a flawless, pure white area, as if nothing had ever happened.

The Magic girl's state can heal all wounds.

This includes wounds that have already scabbed over.

Unconsciously, Dark Feather's hand touched her neck. Although she didn't feel anything, she felt a little itchy, the kind of itchiness that comes from not being able to touch the wound or the sore spot.

Her gaze suddenly lowered and became somewhat dim:

"What am I doing... This is disgusting."

In the quiet room, the girl slowly raised her head, her eyes veiled by her bangs, her expression slightly disappointed, but she gradually regained her composure.

It was as if he had suddenly realized something.

The little tail on her waist gradually withered away, like a listless kitten.

They didn't do anything else.

Dark Feather changed into her pajamas and lay down on the bed, slightly raising her back and leaning against the wall.

Anxiety began to creep in.

She reached out her hand, nervously gripping her other arm.

Her fingers unknowingly pierced her skin, her black nails scratching the cut and drawing blood, but thanks to the Magic girl's regenerative abilities, it quickly returned to normal.

Chapter Thirty-Six: Sharing a Bed

After the lights were turned off, the room became dim, but with the moonlight from the window, Dark Feather could still see the woman sleeping beside him.

I'm a little nervous.

Here, she could feel the woman's warm breath.

She had assumed that the two of them would sleep back to back, but in fact, the Witch lay down in front of her quite naturally.

She thought that such a cold and aloof woman probably wouldn't be used to sleeping with others.

Although she was already a little sleepy, she still couldn't fall asleep, after all, that woman was lying right next to her bed.

Although she didn't dislike it, she remained somewhat reserved, shrinking into a corner against the wall and maintaining a relatively unfamiliar distance.

After a while, Haihara slowly opened her eyes.

Can't sleep?

The woman's voice was very pleasant, but it sounded a bit cold.

Dark Feather shook his head.

"This is... the first time I've ever slept with someone else."

She said, somewhat bewildered, that she didn't have as much energy as she did during the day.

At night, her tail, which was sticking out from under the covers, felt a little cold, so she slowly pulled it back under the covers, limply hooking it around her waist.

The woman's expression remained unchanged.

"Did you never sleep with your parents when you were little?"

She thought all children slept with their parents when they were little.

Upon hearing the woman's words, Dark Feather merely touched his fingers under the covers, seemingly recalling some events from his childhood.

"My mom made me sleep alone when I was little."

In her memory, her mother was a mature and reliable woman who handled everything in an orderly manner and seemed to be able to do everything with ease; she was an outstanding person.

This person was also quite strict with her, even a bit unreasonable.

Her mother never sleeps with her.

Perhaps she did sleep with her parents at times, but she has almost no memory of it; from the time she can remember, her only companion has been her doll.

"And you?"

She had only intended to ask the Witch if she slept with her parents when she was little, but the woman in front of her simply replied:

I will sleep with my daughter.

Haihara doesn't think it's a bad thing for children to sleep with their parents. Her eldest daughter only started sleeping in a separate bed with her in her first year of high school; before that, she always clung to her.

Although later Kiriori would often come and sleep with her.

Dark Feather paused for a moment, then blinked.

"So you... have a daughter..."

Upon closer reflection, the woman claimed to be twenty-seven, which seemed mature, but she was actually much older than her, and it's not uncommon for someone her age to have children.

She was genuinely curious about who was so lucky to win the heart of someone as beautiful as the Witch.

Do you attend Kaedehara High School?

On Earth, Magic girls are likely all high school students.

"I'm from out of town, probably from a neighboring city, but I've dropped out of school."

"Take a leave of absence from school?"

Actually, it wouldn't be a problem to say that he dropped out of school.

Because it was impossible for her to continue her studies at that school.

"I can no longer continue attending my original school due to some circumstances."

When Dark Feather said this, Haihara noticed that her expression had darkened.

That expression looks familiar, doesn't it?

Because she had seen similar looks on some students before.

Although she's not your average Magic girl, this is still a serious Problem Child.

Is it only by having these kinds of Problem Child can become a Magic girl?

"... What's your job?"

Out of curiosity, or perhaps simply wanting to chat with the other person, Dark Feather tilted her head back slightly and gazed at Haihara on the other side of the bed.

Upon closer reflection, although the two of them slept in the same bed, they knew almost nothing about each other.

She doesn't know her real name or identity; she's currently in the form of Magic girl, and even her face is a mask.

"Teacher."

"I never expected that."

Dark Feather opened her mouth slightly, her gaze lowered.

"Why?"

"You don't seem like the type to be a teacher."

This woman looked cold and a bit languid, showing no signs of being a teacher. The only similarity was that she was somewhat intimidating, just like a teacher.

However, if that's the case, this woman seems to be... a young and beautiful teacher mother?

Dark Feather swept its tail under the blanket.

"People often say that."

During her casual conversation with the Witch, Dark Feather gradually began to feel sleepy. Although she still maintained a certain distance, she slowly got used to the presence of another person in her bed.

This is her first night in the world of R'lyeh.

As far as the night is concerned, at this moment it doesn't seem much different from Earth, the only difference being that someone is here to sleep with her, which doesn't feel so bad.

My consciousness gradually sank, and a feeling of fatigue washed over me.

My thoughts drifted away, and darkness enveloped everything in my field of vision, making those things blurry and indistinct.

She fell asleep.

Time ticked by, the hands of the clock in the room clicking away.

Perhaps it's because sleeping in an unfamiliar place makes one more prone to anxiety.

Dark Feather had a dream she had many times before.

The noisy laughter, the numerous footsteps, the mingling breaths—so many sounds lingered around her, each so clear, that they annoyed her slightly.

She didn't like school.

Although no one likes school, she not only hated studying or the various troublesome things in it, but also things like making friends, interpersonal relationships, and clubs, which she was good at but didn't like.

For Dark Feather, or rather... for Kuroki Yuka, this place was a nightmare.

She didn't know when, but the laughter around her turned into mocking laughter and hushed whispers. Although they were not clear, she still noticed them.

Those cold voices drew closer.

In her dreams, she is always engulfed in flames at the end.

The scorching, burning flames spread upon touching the skin, and the pain, piercing to the bone, almost numbed the senses.