Chapter 156

That appearance didn't resemble the gentle and intellectual Student Council as usual, but rather somewhat resembled the Teacher Haihara they remembered.

But it's not in a good way.

Soon after, they heard Phantom Wind's words:

"Can the game of playing as Magic girl end here?"

Although it wasn't spoken in a loud voice, it was very clear to the Magic girls.

Upon hearing these cold words, Fate Kite simply met her gaze:

"What does 'that's the end' mean?"

Although it was the first piece of advice from a senior colleague, it wasn't exactly pleasant to hear.

"You're well aware of what happened in the battle just now, aren't you?"

Even in your current state, you are no match for that Chameleon or the Apostle.

Phantom Wind brought up the battle that had just taken place.

In this battle, the only Magic girl with the ability to fight the Chameleon was Fate Kite.

Even for Fate Kite, the fight against the few Monster created by the Chameleon was already proving difficult.

Given that our strength cannot improve rapidly at the moment, the Fate Kite is no longer an essential fighting force.

"I know very well that you have been fighting hard all this time, and I have done nothing."

"However, given your current state of being so badly injured, continuing to fight will only make your Magic girl cry."

"So, let's stop here."

Her calm tone contained no hostility.

Anyone who sees Fate Kite now will have one thought.

Why is that Magic girl still fighting there?

Even though they were already covered in wounds, they still had to get back up.

The one who endured this pain and fought was Kirishima Ai, the user of the Fate Kite transformation.

But deep within Kirishima Ai's heart, someone else is weeping because of this pain.

At this moment, Fate Kite remembered what the Doctor had once told her.

Previously, she had exhausted herself in her Magic girl form due to excessive fighting, making it impossible for her to continue fighting.

After that, due to the rapid improvement in their strength, they were free from such troubles for a long time.

And now...

"I'll take care of that Chameleon from now on, and you can all go back to your normal lives."

Back to... normal life?

The Magic girls looked at each other, all confused by what Phantom Wind had suddenly said.

They, who had been constantly fighting Monster, never expected to hear such words.

"They haven't told us anything about that Chameleon Monster yet. His sudden appearance, and now they're stopping us from fighting as Magic girls, is really troubling us."

At that moment, Takanashi Shiori responded to Phantom Wind's words.

Takanashi Shiori is currently quite confused.

After Kazama Kiriori transformed into Phantom Wind, all the unsolved mysteries she learned seemed to suddenly weave into a net.

The Chameleon Monster is Monster born from Teacher Haihara as its host.

Color Feather and the student council president were once students taught by Teacher Haihara.

Now, the Student Council is still the user of the Magic girl Phantom Wind, and after disappearing for several years, she reappears alongside the Chameleon.

All the mysteries surfaced, but then stopped there.

"That's true."

Upon hearing this, Phantom Wind lowered his head.

She closed her eyes slightly, then slowly opened them again.

"However, what I said will not change."

"I will handle all the battles from now on, until that Monster disappears again."

For the Magic girl Phantom Wind right now, it seems that the most important thing is that Chameleon Monster.

It was a kind of obsession that Fate Kite and the others could hardly understand.

After saying this, the Magic girl Phantom Wind raised her hand, and a gust of wind swept up the ribbon she had previously dropped on the ground.

Then, the wind did not stop, but instead, like the end of the festival, swept across the entire shrine.

The area, touched by the wind, gradually returned to its pre-battle state...

"Also, if there's no more fighting, you won't have to hide the truth and skip classes like before."

"I hope I won't cause any more trouble for Teacher Haihara."

For some reason, what she said last was the most earnest.

After saying this, she removed her two Magic Crystal, deactivated her transformation, and reverted to the black-haired girl wearing a ukiyo-e yukata.

With the utmost elegance, she pulled the collar back to her shoulder and then re-fastened the loosened yukata with a sash.

What she just said made Fate Kite subtly unhappy.

She sighed, then removed the Crystal and deactivated her transformation.

"If that's the case, wouldn't your homeroom teacher be quite troubled as well?"

In response, Kazama Kiriori turned her head, as if nothing had just happened, and smiled gently:

"Starting from my first year of high school, I applied to the principal for independent study after achieving the highest score in the national mock exam, and I've been doing so ever since."

These words left Kirishima Ai speechless.

Just as they were speechless for a moment, suddenly, a brilliant light shone in the distant night sky, instantly filling the city's dim night scene with a romantic touch.

Then, it wasn't until the sound of fireworks that they snapped out of their daze and realized the celebration was nearing its end.

The appearance of fireworks signifies the end of the celebration, and the rest of the city, accompanied by their pre-arranged companions, has already enjoyed the fireworks.

However, in this shrine that had just experienced a Monster incident, everyone had already left to seek refuge.

Teachers will probably be no exception...

Kirishima Ai stared blankly at the beautiful fireworks in the sky, yet she felt a sense of indescribable loss and regret.

The once quiet parade street was now only filled with the sound of fireworks, and Haihara was all alone.

Even after news of the Monster's arrival broke, Haihara did not leave but remained at the festival.

After all, she knew very well that Kirishima Ai was Silver Feather, and that even if Monster appeared, she would still stay here.

However, this time, it seems the fight lasted far too long.

It seems we've missed our chance.

She gazed alone at the fireworks rising into the night sky, the vibrant colors reflected in her deep black eyes, reminding her of a Magic girl from a few years ago who also possessed a multitude of brilliant colors.

Those were truly beautiful fireworks.

Perhaps because she can only watch it a few times a year, Haihara never gets tired of it even now.

While watching the fireworks, Haihara thought of something else.

This year, it feels like I'm all alone again.

Why are you watching the fireworks here all alone, feeling so lonely?

That Problem Child didn't even arise, even though we had arranged it a long time ago.

Thinking about this, Haihara couldn't say whether she felt disappointed or something else; she probably didn't have such strong emotions, just a slight fluctuation.

And if she doesn't come, does that mean she still remembers everything she said she forgot?

I finally managed to put aside all these troublesome things about Magic girls, but it turned out like this again.

As Haihara was thinking this, a woman's voice suddenly came from behind her:

"Haihara, I've been looking for you for so long, why didn't you leave...?"

The other person sounded a little breathless.

Upon hearing that voice, Haihara paused, then turned around somewhat blankly. Standing there, slightly bent over and looking at her with concern, was Ms. Suzuki had come running over.

After learning of the Monster's appearance, Teacher Suzuki immediately took her students and Kirishima Ai's sister to seek refuge.

However, after fulfilling her responsibilities as a teacher, she discovered that her colleague Haihara, had no idea where she was.

Perhaps it was a woman's intuition, but she ran back to the festival site.

As it turned out, she actually saw Haihara there, the one who hadn't left.

"You just came back like that?"

Even Haihara was somewhat surprised to see Ms. Suzuki return the way she came before the Monster incident was even confirmed to be over.

However, before Haihara could ask any more questions, Haihara suddenly felt herself being hugged.

Because there were only two thin yukatas separating them, Haihara felt that the other person's body temperature and the touch of their skin were somewhat captivating.

Haihara often hugs others or is hugged by others.

But this feeling is something I've never experienced before.

My mood seemed to calm down instantly, and the loneliness I had felt earlier was soothed.

The hug wasn't very tight.

But such intimate actions still seemed unbelievable to Haihara.

Prior to this, Ms. Suzuki had always been a gentle and affectionate person, but she had always maintained a good sense of distance as an adult.

When Haibara was with Ms. Suzuki, aside from when she was drunk, Haihara impression of Ms. Suzuki was that of a gentle and mature adult.

But adults don't hug like that, do they?

When the fireworks sounded again, Haihara's heart pounded.

Suzuki, whose chest was pressed against hers, naturally heard it too.

Ms. Suzuki loosened her grip somewhat awkwardly, a slight blush appearing on her face, but she quickly followed with her usual gentle smile:

"Sorry, I just..."

However, that smile vanished when she tried to explain. Ms. Suzuki lowered her head, then, as if remembering something, looked up at Haihara with a wavering gaze.

Her mouth opened and closed slightly.

Looking at Ms. Suzuki like this, Haihara couldn't perceive anything.

Just then, she looked up and saw fireworks rising from the ground into the night sky, bursting into light before quickly disappearing, leaving only a fleeting moment of brilliance.

Time always flies.

If you're always overthinking, you won't even be able to pause for the moment.

"Ms. Suzuki, the Monster is no longer here."

"Um?"

"Let's come see the fireworks."

"Yeah?"

Ms. Suzuki was initially confused, but her confusion gradually dissipated after she saw Haihara looking up at the fireworks alone. She then moved closer to Haihara.

Fireworks burst forth one after another... At that moment, she hadn't actually imagined that she would be watching fireworks like this this year.

--The Maple Plain Festival came to a close in this celebration where only two people remained.