Chapter 256

After that, they talked about many other things, but Kuroki Yuka seemed to be taking a long time to return, as if she was hesitating about which flavor of coffee to choose.

Haihara was content with this time.

The snowy night was beautiful.

In the dark river water, besides the moon's reflection, there were two figures leaning against the bridge.

Suzuki stretched wearily, gently pulling her arms forward to loosen her aching body; it seemed she wasn't immune to fatigue after all.

"Speaking of which, how do you be a good adult? Haihara, do you have any tips? If so, can you teach me?"

She looked up and gently nudged Haihara's arm with her elbow.

After all, Haihara is already a mother of a high school girl at that age.

Suzuki always felt impressed by this.

Suddenly, the girl emerged from the convenience store, walking towards them step by step, gazing at them from afar.

At this moment, Suzuki pondered for a while, then let out a soft hum and asked the tall woman beside him in a low voice:

"By the way... could you please look after her for me?"

She still thinks it's such a coincidence that her niece lives next door to Haihara.

However, having a mature and reliable older sister next door to take care of her seems like a pretty good thing.

I wonder if this little girl is even aware of this.

Haihara also saw the quiet and well-behaved girl walk up to her, holding a beverage can in one arm and handing them coffee with the other.

After receiving the coffee can, Haihara didn't say anything. Instead, under Kuroki Yuka's surprised gaze, she reached out and gently stroked the girl's head.

Then, calmly:

"We usually just take care of each other."

After all, they are very close neighbors.

Chapter Fifty-Nine: Mistaken Transformation

Kuroki Yuka hadn't felt this tired in a long time.

Putting aside her Magic girl moments, she's usually the kind of person who's physically weak and can barely walk a few steps, yet today she's still going out with her Aunt.

The food was quite delicious.

When they returned to the apartment, they were covered in white snowflakes.

Kuroki Yuka looked up and saw a woman's face, which looked especially delicate and fragile due to the cold. The snowflakes in her black hair and the water droplets on her eyelashes were very touching.

Suddenly, the woman turned her eyes and met her gaze.

Before Kuroki Yuka could react, Haihara reached out and patted the snowflakes off her hair and shoulders. The touch was so gentle that Kuroki Yuka felt a little embarrassed and it tickled a bit.

After that, the two stood in the corridor and looked at each other for a while.

No one else lives in this area except for them. The windows are open at this time of day, and although they came back from outside, it's still a bit cold.

Today's colleague was actually an unexpected turn of events.

After celebrating her Aunt's birthday, they will have to part ways for the time being. However, even now, Miss Haihara doesn't seem to have any intention of going home.

Kuroki Yuka also remembered something.

Haihara blinked, looking at the hesitant Kuroki Yuka.

Kuroki Yuka had almost forgotten.

After a while, she walked up to the woman, took something out of her bag, and handed it to Haihara:

"Oh, Haihara, here you go."

In her hand was the Fallen Heaven Wand, which she had used during the day to transform into the Magic girl Black Kite and fight the Monster, but she hadn't had a chance to return it since.

Although I don't know why it's in Haihara's possession now, she no longer needs to be Black Magical Girl, so there's no point in keeping it.

To be honest, I'm still a little reluctant to part with it.

After all, when she thought about it, it seemed that she, as Black Magical Girl, had never done anything meaningful.

"Thank you for your hard work today."

Miss Haihara only glanced at the Magic Wand she was offered.

She first reached out and gently pinched it, but didn't take it away immediately. Instead, she and the other person each held a part of the handle.

Kuroki Yuka felt her touch Haihara- san's slightly cold hand.

Then, she calmly shook her head.

"No, it was my own idea to go."

Kuroki Yuka released her Magic Wand, pulled her hand back behind her back, and then gave a slightly apologetic smile, chuckling softly.

"But it seems I wasn't of much use; in the end, the Monster still messed up today's schedule."

Logically speaking, now that she has regained her Fallen Heaven after so long, she should have performed even better.

However, something went wrong along the way.

Seeing that Miss Haihara hadn't spoken yet, she touched her head, gently twirling a strand of hair with one finger, and murmured "Ah" for a moment.

She was a little unsure of what to say, and in the ensuing silence, she awkwardly turned her face away and continued speaking to herself:

"I'm sorry, I'm just not good at anything."

She had intended to show off today, but after reverting to her original form, she was forced back into her original state.

Perhaps she really isn't suited to be Magic girl.

At times like these, Kuroki Yuka n't help but feel utterly terrible inside.

After that, just as she was about to turn around and quickly retreat back to her home, she was stopped by Haihara- san. So she stopped again, staring intently at Haihara- san, and heard her say:

"Wait."

Kuroki Yuka blinked.

However, there seemed to be some helplessness in Haihara's indifferent expression. She sighed softly, then beckoned Kuroki Yuka to come over.

She walked over, somewhat confused.

Seeing the girl's timid and downcast appearance, Haihara seemed to hesitate as well, unsure of what to say.

As Kuroki Yuka was thinking to herself, "What's going on?", Haihara did something that surprised Kuroki Yuka.

The woman opened her arms.

The other person's chest and embrace, the slender waist under the coat, and the pale and alluring collarbone that was exposed were all displayed in front of her. When Kuroki Yuka raised her head, she saw Haihara- san's calm and indifferent face.

She was stunned for a moment.

What does this mean?

Standing in the corridor, she suddenly remembered something that had happened a while ago, when Haihara asked her to help take care of the dog.

I think I wanted to hug Haihara- san back then.

"... May I?"

The thinking mind was first replaced by the instinctive longing for warmth.

Although she was a little confused about the situation, Kuroki Yuka subconsciously swallowed hard. It was hard for her not to notice the woman's current state, especially her open arms.

"Um."

The woman responded calmly.

After that, in the corridor, a light, activated by the sound of footsteps, illuminated the two figures, their shadows, one tall and one short, gradually approaching each other and then touching.

Kuroki Yuka's heart pounded, trying not to be too impolite as to press herself against the woman, but she soon realized that her face was pressed against the woman's chest.

It really does smell wonderful here.

"... oh."

She blushed slightly and spoke softly.

At that moment, she inexplicably remembered that Miss Haihara had a daughter.

Does Haihara's daughter get to enjoy hugs like this every day?

That's great!

Who knows, there might be even more we can do.

However, such thoughts quickly faded, turning into a simple longing for warmth. Not knowing when Miss Haihara would loosen her embrace, Kuroki Yuka stopped thinking about those lewd things and simply nestled in the woman's arms as if asleep.

Her mother used to hold her like this.

If that's when she's about to give up, her mother will hug her like this and pat her back.

Then he said...

You've done a great job.

That's exactly it.

... Huh?

Kuroki Yuka slowly raised her head.

What does this mean?

But by the time she was about to ask, Haihara had already picked up her bag again and walked to her front door.

At this moment, Kuroki Yuka was still gazing at Haihara's retreating figure.

No matter how she thought about it, Kuroki Yuka couldn't figure out what she had done well. In fact, anyone else would have done a better job.

She saw Haihara open the door and then stand in the doorway.

"See you tomorrow."

The woman said.

The lights inside the door came on, illuminating the woman's figure.

Will I see her again tomorrow?

She replied with a bewildered look:

"... See you tomorrow."

After the Monster incident during the day, Kirishima Ai couldn't remember what happened. She vaguely remembered that she should have been engulfed by the power of the Crystal explosion, but in fact, she was now completely unharmed.

In the last part of her memory, she seemed to see Silver Feather.

Isn't Silver Feather her transformed self?

What exactly happened?

Now, she was in a state of utter confusion, her mind a jumbled mess, and she didn't know what to do.

What's even more troublesome is...

"Come home with me today."

Mom was driving, looking at the road ahead through the headlights, and said this to her.

Yes, she stayed with her mother until evening. Her mother seemed to want to say something to her, but never actually said it.

Let's go home together?

When she heard this word, Kirishima Ai of unfamiliarity, something she hadn't experienced in a long time.

Why am I suddenly saying this today?

There's nothing wrong with saying that.

However, she was a little surprised that he hadn't said it before.

"Or perhaps we should just call it a night."