Chapter 279

Soon, Kirishima Ai saw that Silver Feather had concealed his emotions and returned to his familiar self, just like she had seen him countless times in her dreams.

"What will my other self eat tonight?"

Silver Feather squatted in the corner, propping her chin up with one hand, and asked her with a smile.

Perhaps none of what just happened occurred.

Kirishima Ai paused for a moment:

How about bean sprouts and mutton?

She'd been craving bean sprouts lately, and since the supermarket was having a sale, she bought some.

"Can't lamb be grilled?"

Silver Feather clearly doesn't like vegetables.

She's mentioned "barbecue" several times recently, but hasn't had any yet.

Because Kirishima Ai herself didn't know how to grill meat, pan-frying it seemed a bit off, and eating at a restaurant was too expensive.

If she saves up some more money recently, she'd be willing to take Silver Feather out for a meal.

Hmm... but if two people look exactly alike, it's not very convenient to eat at a restaurant.

"How about next week? I'll make sure to have time free this weekend."

As she spoke, Kirishima Ai walked into the restroom.

After a long day of hard work, I want to take a hot shower as soon as I get home, even though I still have to cook dinner later.

She was standing at the sink, about to check if her hair had grown too long recently, when she suddenly felt that something was off about her reflection in the mirror...

"Are your hands starting to look a little transparent...?"

Kirishima Ai felt as if she were seeing a strange hallucination.

For a moment, she saw her arm become illusory.

It felt as if my own existence was gradually disappearing.

Fortunately, the feeling was fleeting and was probably just a hallucination caused by exhaustion.

The girl then rubbed her forehead and temples.

It's about time... I told my companions about Silver Feather.

She's had enough of playing around.

It would be terrible if an accident occurred due to my own willfulness or negligence.

Just as she was thinking this, her cell phone suddenly rang in her pocket.

Is that a phone call?

But with her popularity, who would call her late at night?

She took her phone out of her pocket and saw the caller's contact information.

"Mother".

Seeing the contact's name was a bit of a surprise, yet somehow it also seemed to make sense. Thinking this, Kirishima Ai answered the phone, looked at herself in the mirror, and said:

"Mother?"

She hadn't expected her mother to call at this hour. What could it be?

Maybe it's because they're going to take me somewhere fun again?

It's also possible that she's going out to eat with Hina.

However, when her mother explained why she was calling, Kirishima Ai's expression suddenly became flustered, and she almost dropped her phone.

Kirishima Ai blinked, looking confused.

"Sorry, Mom, I didn't quite hear you just now..."

She must have misheard...

[Hmm? Is the signal bad?]

[That's alright, I'm downstairs from where you live now. What floor are you on again? I have something I'd like to discuss with you in person.]

Right downstairs?

Although they were simple and gentle words.

But for Kirishima Ai, it was tantamount to her heart stopping.

Her parents were right downstairs, and they hadn't notified her beforehand. They suddenly wanted to talk about something. What should she do in this situation? Kirishima, who was usually very calm, couldn't help but feel annoyed and a little flustered.

She didn't have time to shower; she needed to get ready immediately... Was there anything in her house that her mother couldn't see?

And it seemed like her mother wanted to talk to her about something.

Thinking about this, Kirishima Ai began to break out in a cold sweat...

This seems to be a very serious matter.

Just as she was troubled by the sudden visit of her parents, Kirishima Ai walked out of the restroom and paced back and forth, looking completely flustered. Silver Feather watched her with great curiosity.

Suddenly, Kirishima Ai a bizarre idea.

She looked at Silver Feather, then expressionlessly moved closer to him, took his hand, and looked at his face, which now resembled her own.

Silver Feather blinked, looking confused.

What are they trying to do?

Chapter Seventy-Five Contradictions

For Shiratori Aoi, the most painful moment of her life was hearing the devastating news that her daughters had been attacked by Monster.

I remember that day was a cold, rainy day.

When she saw her sister lying in a pool of blood, the Magic girl beside her, who had just defeated the Monster and was covered in blood, cried and kept apologizing to her.

She had just finished a long week of work, and the gift she had prepared for her child fell to the ground, soaking in the rainwater mixed with blood.

Yes.

Her two daughters were attacked by Monster.

The Magic girl was dealing with Monster incidents elsewhere and couldn't arrive in time. By the time she did, it was, in a sense, too late.

This is certainly not the Magic girl's fault.

But when she saw the horrifying wounds on her child's body and his lifeless, dying state, Shiratori Aoi truly felt as if her life had collapsed at that moment. She stood there, stunned and at a loss.

That time, she realized for the first time that TV programs about Magic girls were not as childish as they were in anime.

It's not an entertainment program that people talk about.

It's not a fairy tale where heroes easily defeat villains.

Indeed, some people bleed, get injured, and then... suffer pain and despair in the process.

After that, her two daughters were rescued.

But for unknown reasons, the chick will never be able to walk again.

Before this, if she hadn't been so engrossed in her ongoing research, she should normally have been on vacation taking care of her child.

Perhaps not...

Even as she stayed by Hina's side in the hospital bed, Shiratori Aoi remained numb and melancholy.

What should she do next?

Perhaps she should quit this job and dedicate all her energy to taking care of her two daughters.

But at that moment, Hina seemed to know what she was thinking and tugged at her hand.

Later, Shiratori Aoi's choices often made her reflect on whether she had messed everything up or whether she had been running away all along.

But recent events brought back memories of that nightmare from several years ago.

She vividly recalled the way the Magic girl cried that day.

And the Magic girl's injuries.

The words President Cangyue spoke to her that day still haunted her, preventing her from escaping the shadows of the past.

The thought that her daughter might have gone through the same thing was unbearable for Shiratori Aoi.

Now, she may still have a chance to salvage the situation.

Even if the price is that she says some cruel things, making her already distant and unfamiliar relationship with her daughter even more strained than before.

Kirishima Ai had considered many possibilities of her mother suddenly coming to find her in the middle of the night.

However, what happened this time was far beyond her expectations.

Now, in her small room, which was originally only occupied by her and Silver Feather, her mother has suddenly appeared. At the same time, the atmosphere is unusually serious, and the air is eerily quiet, making Kirishima Ai feel as if she is in a class.

Oh right, Teacher Haihara also lived here.

I slept right next to her; she smelled wonderful, and her body was so soft to the touch.

The reason Kirishima Ai suddenly started thinking about these random things was to calm herself down.

Because...

"I know this is sudden and strange for you, but I hope you won't continue being a Magic girl, okay, Ai?"

Now, right in front of her, at the other end of the small table, her mother was speaking to her with a serious expression and a tone of voice rarely seen on her face.

"Usually" might not be a very precise term.

Because Kirishima Ai didn't have much contact with her mother, it was naturally not a regular occurrence.

Yes.

The current situation is that just a few minutes ago, after her mother arrived at her house, her mother suddenly revealed her identity as Magic girl.

Even though Kirishima Ai tried to cover it up several times, she eventually realized that her identity as Magic girl was actually quite obvious in the face of overwhelming evidence.

The most crucial point is that she looks very much like Silver Feather.

For some reason, the Magic of vague cognition didn't work on my mother.

The atmosphere has remained tense until now.

"I'm sorry, Mom... I'm afraid I can't accept this."

Kirishima Ai, of course, could not accept ending her work as Magic girl like this.

From He Fang.

Shiratori Aoi seemed to have been prepared for this; she came here with great determination. Seeing her daughter's earnest expression, she sighed.

"There are many other Magic girls in this city, it doesn't have to be you, right? With them around, this city can be protected too."

Although it was selfish to say such things, Shiratori Aoi still held onto a sliver of hope.

Ai Kirishima Ai did not hesitate at all.

"I know you're worried, but I can't let my comrades do dangerous things and avoid fighting on my own. They've protected my life before and been injured because of me. They're all very important to me."

Although, in many ways, they are not exactly the kind of ordinary female friends who have a tacit understanding and share common topics.

But whenever they fight together, they are carrying the burden of each other's lives.

Whether it was Chika Takanashi, or Senpai Kazama, they had all shielded him from enemy attacks and fought alongside him to defeat the enemy.

I can't tell my mom.

However, when Hina was rescued from the Demon King, everyone helped her.

She couldn't easily say, "I quit."

Seeing that she couldn't be easily persuaded, which was expected, Shiratori Aoi realized that she might need to take a tougher, even excessive, stance, as long as the capable girl gave up on becoming Magic girl—

"But you're still a student, right? Because you're a Magic girl, there are many times when you have to skip class to deal with Monster, which not only affects your grades but also gives your teachers a lot of trouble."