Chapter 127

After her parents passed away, she had to start learning to cook for herself.

The result was that they all tasted terrible.

She herself didn't know what to do.

Looking back now, it really feels like a dream.

At the time, what puzzled her most was that although her own life had been turned upside down, everything around her continued to function as usual.

The shops selling oden and croquettes are still open, and the teachers in the schools are still teaching; nothing has changed at all.

This isn't really surprising.

The world doesn't revolve around her.

Even if her little world undergoes tremendous changes, the world will not stand still.

It just... makes one realize how insignificant they are.

After lunch, Haihara got into Kougami Kage's car again, but there wasn't really anything else to do.

If she were to stay another day here, she would probably stay in a hotel this year.

After all, she was with Kougami.

The car started moving without her noticing. Haihara slowly lowered her head, her gaze downcast, hidden in the shadow of her falling bangs, appearing somewhat dim.

Car horns, old city scenes, childhood sweethearts.

All of this...

Shortly after starting the car, Kougami Kage felt that it was unusually quiet inside.

Haihara kept her head down, so her expression was not visible.

She kept turning her head at a red light and saw Haihara with her head down, then paused for a moment.

"Lily?"

This usually aloof woman now revealed a pitiful melancholy, but Kougami Kage didn't find her unfamiliar, because her childhood sweetheart had also been like this when they were young.

When I'm sad.

Seemingly noticing Kougami's gaze, Haihara slightly raised her head and said in a low voice:

Why are you looking at me?

Her gaze was downcast.

Kougami Kage was stunned for a moment, unsure how to answer. Then, she saw Haihara lower her head even further and reach out to cover her face, as if she didn't want her to see.

Haihara realized that this wouldn't work, so she tilted her head back, lowered her hands, and tried to make herself look less disheveled.

But she was a little sad.

Her nose felt a little sore, and her eyes were a little hot. She hadn't realized it when she started crying. She hadn't felt like crying before, after all, ten years had passed.

It's only been ten years...

"..."

Tears slowly and silently streamed down Haihara's face. She remained expressionless, but made no attempt to hide them.

She kept wiping away her tears, but they kept flowing, staining her hands and making her look very disheveled.

Kougami, who was standing to the side, panicked immediately after a moment of stunned silence.

After hurriedly finding a parking spot nearby, Kougami looked helplessly at Haihara, who was crying.

She also saw Haihara cry when she was a child.

At that time, she was helpless when Haihara cried, and could only panic frantically on the sidelines.

She awkwardly touched Haihara's face, wiped away her tears, and then stammered:

"Oh... right, Lily, your birthday is coming up soon. Is there anything you'd like as a gift?"

Every year around this time, she prepares a gift for Haihara in advance.

Haihara wiped away her tears, suppressing a sob, and whispered:

"Are you ready?"

By this time, Kougami Kage would probably have already prepared a gift.

She understands this about him very well.

Kougami Kage was at a loss for words.

"... I see."

This year's gift is the most special one she has been preparing since high school.

She wanted to give this to Haihara as a gift, to fulfill a promise they made when they were children.

Seeing Haihara's pitiful appearance, Kougami Kage quickly added:

"Would you like to take a look at that gift beforehand?"

She wants Haihara to see that gift right now.

This is actually a bit strange.

After all, who shows a birthday present to someone in advance?

But Kougami thought that if it were that gift, it might make Haihara a little happier.

However, Haihara did not respond immediately.

Just like what happened not long ago in the old house, Haihara buried her face in Kougami's chest, gently tugging at Kougami clothes as she trembled slightly.

After a moment of silence, Kougami Kage reached out and embraced Haihara, holding her in his arms.

After crying for a while, Haihara said:

"... look."

Chapter 62 Magical Girl Lily-chan ☆

Most of the time, Kougami is a somewhat dull and clumsy person. Perhaps after becoming a famous researcher, this clumsiness will turn into temperament, eccentricity, and indifference, and will be regarded as personality under the filter.

But when facing Haihara, none of these filters work. She's still the same as she was many years ago—unromantic and clueless about how to please the person she likes; she's a very foolish woman.

So, after Haihara said she wanted to see it, Kougami Kage quickly took out a small, exquisite box from the car. She hadn't finished packaging it yet; she originally planned to test it a bit more before officially packaging it.

The box is smaller than the palm of your hand and is flat.

Receiving a gift from another woman in the car, especially on an inconspicuous roadside, is honestly not very romantic. But Haihara wiped her tear-stained hands with a tissue, picked up the box under Kougami's tense gaze, and slowly opened it.

Within the soft silk lies a bracelet-like object, but unlike the precious metals or jade that women would wear, this piece of jewelry lacks any expensive luster, revealing a dark green hue against the black background.

There's still an empty slot, as if it's not finished yet.

Haihara surprisingly liked this black and green color scheme.

It feels very familiar; it's like I remember her wearing this color scheme a lot for a period of time.

However, this is...

"I kept the promise we made when we were kids."

It was a very brief and somewhat vague statement.

If you were to say this to someone else, it might cause confusion.

The two of them made many promises when they were young, most of which Haihara thought were just childish jokes, and even Kougami probably wouldn't take them seriously anymore.

For example, saying things like "I want to get married when I grow up".

It's not that Haihara is unwilling to take it seriously, but rather that such a promise feels somewhat powerless in the face of reality.

But this time she quickly understood what Kougami meant.

"You still remember..."

Haihara lowered her head, muttering to herself, unusually feeling lost and helpless.

When she touched the gift, she realized what it was.

This thing is a Magic Armament.

These are the tools used to transform into a Magic girl.

However, it does not possess any Magic Power attributes, nor does it contain any symbols of Flowers, Birds, Wind, and Moon, making it seem unlike the work of Witch craftswoman.

The promise that Kougami Kage refers to is a wish that Haihara made when she was a child.

Kougami Kage seemed not to hear Haihara's mutterings and explained earnestly:

"Because you said before that you wanted to become Magic girl, I've always wanted to make a gadget that would allow you to become Magic."

"It might be hard for you to believe, but I actually know a lot about Magic girls... I've been working on this for a long time, so I often come into contact with Magic girls, and finally I've made this."

In the end, Kougami Kage also seemed a little embarrassed.

Her gift was Magic Armament that allowed Haihara to transform into a Magic girl.

When Haihara was little, she told her that she wanted to become Magic girl, and ever since then, she has always wanted to make such an invention.

Logically speaking, ordinary people without special Magic Power cannot transform into Magic girls.

However, after studying the Magic Crystal unearthed in Europe, Kougami Kage found a new approach.

So this prop was created.

Now, after years of effort, she can finally give it as a gift to her beloved.

"Lily, can you transform for me?"

Kougami Kage gently wiped away Haihara's still slightly damp eyes, then gazed at the woman who had just been crying with her beautiful, slightly lighter-colored eyes.

Haihara blinked, paused for a moment, then lowered her head and glanced at the bracelet that was probably Magic girl transformation device. An embarrassed blush slowly spread across her pale face.

She turned her head away, but facing Kougami Kage's incredibly shameful words, she whispered:

"At least... let's find a hotel."

Haihara had to admit that Kougami's feelings were very touching.

What Kougami said did indeed make Haihara feel ashamed.

She did say she wanted to be Magic girl when she was little, but what girl doesn't want that when she's little?

Although they made that promise back then, she never imagined that her childhood sweetheart would actually make something like that one day.

Now, she's a twenty-seven-year-old adult, almost thirty, and the mere mention of transformation makes her feel ashamed and embarrassed. But after hearing Kougami Kage's request, Haihara knows she can't refuse.

Since she absolutely had to transform, she shouldn't do it in a public place like inside a car. Even if Kougami's car windows were one-way, she would still find it strange if she could see outside.

As for the reliability of Magic Armament, Haihara had no doubts.

Kougami Kage seemed to realize that what she had said was strange, so from the moment she started driving until she swiped her card to check into the luxury hotel, her face remained flushed.

When the hotel staff saw two adult women arrive together, blushing and asking to check in, they were initially surprised, but quickly became nonchalant and professionally prepared the most spacious and clean room for them.

The bed in the room was large enough to accommodate two tall and well-built adult women.

After entering the room and solemnly sitting on the bed, Haihara inexplicably felt as if she were the one being played, engaging in some kind of erotic play.

Especially the thought of being an adult sitting on this bed, being watched by Kougami while he tells me to transform, and maybe even wearing a very sensual cosplay outfit.

Kougami Kage, perhaps feeling the same way, sat down next to Haihara with a slightly nervous expression and subconsciously swallowed.

"Um... Lily, just put this on your bracelet and say 'transform'."

Kougami Kage handed a white Crystal to Haihara.

Someone unfamiliar with this might mistake it for a very expensive gemstone.

But Haihara knew that this was a colorless Crystal without any attributes, which meant it came from early-stage nascent Monster or was directly produced by the Demon King... a pure vessel of desire.

This Crystal can at most be used to supply Magic Power to Magic girls and release Magic Spell, but it can never be used for transformation.

That's the theoretical point.