Chapter 248

Sometimes, Haihara does feel that Ms. Suzuki is an ordinary yet somewhat strange woman.

Compared to those troublesome Magic girls, and her childhood friend and headmistress, Ms. Suzuki is undoubtedly a kind and gentle woman without any quirks; if anything, she is a model of a normal person.

But even Haihara would feel ashamed to see another adult woman's thigh lying there in a museum.

But should she decline?

Today, Ms. Suzuki is wearing thermal stockings. Although they are some distance from her thighs, they still look like tight, stocking-clad legs.

"Um."

She gave a curt reply, then slowly turned and lay down on Ms. Suzuki's lap.

I wonder if anyone is watching them.

But it doesn't matter anymore.

She noticed that Ms. Suzuki was looking down at her, her eyes blinking slightly.

"... It's a little itchy."

That's normal.

When Haihara used to make lap pillows for others, she was also very itchy at first, especially when her legs were bare.

It's not that I got used to it later.

The feeling of cool hair brushing against your legs is hard to get used to, and if someone lying down moves even slightly on your legs, their skin becomes incredibly sensitive.

Takanashi's hair is a little curly, but that's alright.

The gritty feeling when you brush straight hair against it is really strange.

She was referring, of course, to another filial daughter.

After lying down for a while, Suzuki, who initially couldn't help but shake his legs, gradually got used to it.

"Thinking about it carefully, it's been two years already."

What does that mean?

There were many things that left a deep impression on her two years ago.

Like the controversy surrounding her professional ethics as a teacher.

"That is to say, our friendship."

At this point, Haihara seemed to remember. She wouldn't have forgotten, after all, it was two years ago that she and Ms. Suzuki went from being strangers as colleagues to gradually becoming familiar with each other.

At that time, because of the bad reputation, students would talk about her behind her back, and teachers would occasionally discuss it. Gradually, she realized that it seemed like there was no one else around her.

Except for Ms. Suzuki.

Ms. Suzuki was as gentle and kind as ever, staying by her side as if nothing had happened.

It was from that time that she began to like Ms. Suzuki.

After that, she often went out drinking with Suzuki at night. When she heard that Ms. Suzuki was going on blind dates from time to time, she would feel a little jealous, just like the senior she liked in college who had fallen for someone else.

So it really has been a long time.

"This year has been the most tiring year ever. I absolutely refuse to be a homeroom teacher next year."

Haihara raised one hand and placed it against her forehead, looking dejected and languid.

Suzuki looked at Haihara in this state and smiled.

Although Haihara seems to have always been like this in terms of expression and tone, she feels that Haihara has changed a lot recently.

Time marches on quietly.

Haihara, lying on Ms. Suzuki's lap, was really sleepy; to be honest, she was so sleepy she wanted to go to sleep.

"Haihara, I'm twenty-nine years old today."

Suzuki suddenly spoke in a less pleasant tone. Although it was just a casual remark at first, it gradually became somewhat resentful.

Haihara understands very well.

This is a unique resentment among older single women.

For a moment, she felt that Ms. Suzuki's legs were not so stable anymore, and she subconsciously wanted to turn her face away, then whispered:

"Uh, is that so?"

Although both of them are considered young by working professionals and teachers, they are well past the safe age for dating and marriage.

Twenty-nine years old.

Then next year, that will be a terrible thing.

"I still haven't found a partner, and I'm not really keen on going on blind dates lately. Maybe if I keep going like this, I'll be single until I'm thirty."

Even though it's my birthday.

But at this moment, Ms. Suzuki suddenly brought up this topic.

Haihara looked at her and thought for a while.

Then, she heard Ms. Suzuki say:

"Haihara, how about we stay single until we're thirty?"

Ms. Suzuki really said something incredible.

If it were the old Haihara, she would probably have felt a little touched; in fact, I still feel a little touched now.

Although it was a bit harsh, she still felt a little bit of joy seeing that Ms. Suzuki was still single.

However, what were Ms. Suzuki's thoughts when she said such a thing?

I wish I could understand it.

Haihara opened her mouth as if to answer, but after a moment of silence, her calm eyes, reflecting the light and Suzuki's face, softened slightly, and then she blinked:

"But I'm not single anymore."

"Huh?"

She heard Ms. Suzuki's soft, short voice.

Although it was only for a moment, Ms. Suzuki's eyes froze, as if she couldn't understand what Haihara had just said.

Haihara began to notice that Ms. Suzuki's legs were trembling and stiff.

As a smart woman, Haihara felt it was time for her to get off Ms. Suzuki's lap.

She sat up and tidied her hair.

After Ms. Suzuki reacted, she gently pressed down on Haihara's arm, still seemingly recovering from the shock.

"Wait... wait, Haihara, you're in a relationship? When? How come I never knew?"

Putting aside how Haihara felt about finding out she was in a relationship, what Suzuki was more concerned about was that Haihara had never told him that she was in a relationship.

Aren't they friends?

Haihara, on the other hand, had just taken out a chocolate her daughter had given her from her pocket, unwrapped it expressionlessly, put it in her mouth, and then handed one to Ms. Suzuki.

"It was probably during summer vacation."

Fortunately, it wasn't the kind of chocolate that's very sweet.

At first, a bitter taste lingered in my mouth for a while, then a sweet taste gradually emerged.

Although Suzuki's expression remained quite displeased, she still ate the chocolate Haihara had given her. She chewed the chocolate hard with her teeth, making a "clucking" sound, and then, like a child, asked while eating the candy:

I said, why didn't you tell me?

Upon closer reflection, it seems that Haihara really hasn't told anyone that he has a girlfriend.

After all, neither she nor Kougami had many friends.

There's no one I can tell.

As for the rest of the people, she didn't know whether she should say such things.

After a while, she finished the chocolate and then calmly said:

"Because she's my girlfriend."

Before this, she didn't seem to have told Ms. Suzuki that she liked women.

I wonder what the other person will think if I bring this up.

Although she didn't think there was anything wrong with it, Haihara wasn't sure when it would be appropriate to say something that might startle the other person.

Suddenly, Haihara noticed that Ms. Suzuki, who was sitting next to her, had become unusually quiet.

After a while, Haihara noticed that the huge screen in the museum, which had been displaying advertisements and promotional posters, suddenly started emitting a warning sound, and the music video for the Magic girl Tachibana Aeruru that was playing on the screen was replaced with one featuring a mature woman.

The lights in the museum dimmed at some point, drawing everyone's attention to the woman on the screen in the center of the hall.

Haihara recognized this person.

I remember she was the president of Phantasmal Dream, a super celebrity, but she looked incredibly young. I heard she wasn't young anymore... and not only was she a big shot, but she was also a beauty.

The woman spoke first:

"Welcome everyone to the opening day of the Witch Museum's exhibition. I hope it's a fulfilling and enjoyable experience."

She spoke calmly, which gave people the impression of a mature and successful woman. The people present subconsciously lowered their murmurs and listened curiously to what she had to say.

Beside her, Suzuki's face flushed slightly with curiosity, but since the museum was much quieter now, she couldn't keep asking questions one after another:

"So... Haihara, you like women?"

Haihara nodded.

After that, Suzuki breathed a sigh of relief. Although she had many questions she wanted to ask, it wasn't her style to keep pressing for answers at a time like this.

I'll ask Haihara again tomorrow or the day after, when she asks her out for drinks.

Wait a minute...

She asks Haihara out for drinks every night. Won't Haihara's girlfriend get jealous?

After a while, Suzuki calmed down a bit.

Hearing the female president's voice on the screen means the commemorative event has officially begun. Although we don't know what it will be about, we've waited so long, so let's look forward to it.

However, she looked around and found that her niece had not yet returned.

Not long ago, Kuroki Yuka said she was going to the restroom, but she hasn't shown up for a while. Could it be that she has an upset stomach or something?

Should we make a phone call?

Inside the museum, on the large central screen, President Cangyue is introducing the museum's artifacts and the history of the Magic girls of Maple Plain City.

The artifacts in the museum are closely related to Magic girls.

They were unearthed in the ruins of an ancient village in Europe, where there are many signs that suggest a Magic girl may have once visited.

Among them, the most obvious are the Crystal.

Although they have become dull and lifeless, many citizens of Maple Plain City have noticed that the shapes of these Crystal are very similar to those of Silver Feather Crystal.

This certainly arouses great curiosity.

"I will answer some of the questions that everyone is curious about later."

The woman first piqued everyone's interest.

Then, she began to recount the history of Magic girls in Maple Plain City.

From Magical Girl Hundred Flowers decades ago, to Magical Girl Vermilion over a decade ago, and then to Magic Girl Phantom Wind a few years ago, this city always seems to be favored and protected by Magic girls.

Although the city was once shrouded in the shadow of various Villain Organization, in the end, the Magic girls always managed to defeat them and bring hope to the city.

Since Phantom Wind suddenly disappeared, the other Magic girls in Maple Plain City have also vanished one after another.

The Monster organization also ceased its activities for a time.

As the Monster organization gradually became more active, Star Flower new Magic girl, Magic, took on the responsibility of protecting the city. To this day, Star Flower remains the Magic girl with the highest number of votes from fans in Maple Plain City.

However, due to the overwhelming power of the Black Death Cult, the lone Star Flower was initially unable to resist, until... the appearance of that Magic girl.