Chapter 280

After speaking, Shiratori Aoi looked at Kirishima Ai again, but this time Kirishima Ai was not as decisive and resolute as before.

This was indeed a problem that left Kirishima Ai bewildered.

While it's a good thing for a Magic girl to save the city, there's someone who's most directly hurt by this behavior: her homeroom teacher.

Previously, Teacher Haihara had always indulged her willfulness, but that doesn't mean it was entirely right.

But she couldn't just give up so easily.

Kirishima Ai is well aware that even when she is doing what she believes is good and helpful to others, it is not always entirely correct or the best solution, and because of her immaturity, she may sometimes mess things up.

However, the world is probably still kind to her.

Even if you make mistakes sometimes, you can make amends and reflect on them.

"I've always taken my studies very seriously, and my grades have consistently been among the top or second in my class. Plus, recently, I no longer have to skip class to fight Monster and bother my teachers."

Now, whenever either of them is Silver Feather, they can go and defeat the Monster.

The recent Monster incidents have all been quite lighthearted.

It didn't even take her five minutes.

It's just a trip to the restroom; it won't be counted as an absence.

After that, Shiratori Aoi listed many more reasons.

Kirishima Ai each point.

After the two talked for nearly ten minutes, Shiratori Aoi fell silent. She looked at her daughter and felt a complex mix of emotions and a sense of powerlessness.

If she can't convince her daughter to give up being a Magic girl, then it means her child will continue to face Monster and other dangers.

This means that the tragedy that happened a few years ago could happen to her daughter again.

"I just... don't want things like what happened a few years ago to happen again, Ai. You should understand what your mother means."

This woman, who was usually clumsy and poor at communication, spoke to Kirishima Ai in a tone that was almost pleading.

Kirishima Ai was also reminded of memories from several years ago by her words.

However, as someone who experienced it firsthand, she has a completely different perspective.

"You're mistaken, aren't you? If I give up now, I'll be allowing what happened years ago to repeat itself..."

If you lack the power, you can only wait for someone else to save you.

Now, as a Magic girl, she is able to help others on her own.

Injuries and pain are irrelevant.

It's much better than something truly unfortunate happening.

At this point, Kirishima Ai breathed a sigh of relief. She felt she had probably found a way to convince her mother, and now that she just needed to have a good talk with her, she believed her mother would understand.

Besides, the two of them have been chatting for so long, maybe more than ten minutes. If they don't stop soon, Silver Feather will probably freeze.

Although Magic girls generally don't catch colds, sub-zero temperatures aren't that scary.

Yes.

Right now, Silver Feather, who had been living with Kirishima Ai, is not inside the house, but outside.

"It's a bit cold."

Silver Feather is now sitting outside the window.

That's right, it's about climbing out the window and sitting on the eaves of the floor below, enjoying the cold wind.

If someone on the street noticed a girl sitting in this spot late at night, they would definitely scream in fright.

Fortunately, the area is actually quite deserted.

For Silver Feather, this seemed to be the first winter she had experienced since her birth. Even though she had experienced it before when she appeared at the hot spring inn, it still felt different to be outside like this.

But why?

She found this bone-chilling cold sensation somewhat familiar, as if she had experienced it long ago.

Even Magic girls are not immune to this.

"I just want to go home and lie down."

Silver Feather really wanted to go back to her little bed and lie down.

As for why she's here now...

Thinking of this, Silver Feather peeked into her room and saw a girl who looked exactly like her, as well as a mature woman in her thirties.

Without a doubt, one is another version of her, and the other is another version of her mother, a woman named Shiratori Aoi.

For now, she'll call her Mom.

Just over ten minutes ago, her mother suddenly called Kirishima Ai, saying she had something to talk to her about.

There was no prior notice.

I was already downstairs at their house when they notified me.

Moreover, Mom's tone was very serious, as if she had something very important to discuss.

Kirishima Ai appeared very nervous and uneasy, especially since there was another person in the house who looked exactly like her, Silver Feather. Unable to explain, Silver Feather decided to hide outside the window for a while.

Let's hear what Kirishima Ai's mother has to say.

Inside the room, there was a woman whom Silver Feather didn't know very well, but who could be described as beautiful.

The other person was Kirishima Ai's mother.

Silver Feather, born as a Magic girl, wasn't quite clear about this concept, but for some reason, she had an inexplicable longing for such a relationship.

A mother is a gentle woman who is willing to give a lot to take care of herself.

So, it seems she really wants a mother.

However, Silver Feather Yu is naturally sensitive to other people's emotions. For example, right now, she can sense that the other person is also very uneasy, as if they have some unspeakable secret.

What could it be?

Next, let's listen out the window to see what Mom has to say to the other person.

So the Magic girl leaned against the window, listening quietly and with a touch of unease to what Shiratori Aoi had to say after her visit.

She overheard most of the subsequent conversation.

In fact, after hearing Kirishima Ai's mother tell Kirishima Ai to stop being Magic girl, Silver Feather's mood immediately darkened.

I will no longer fight as a Magic girl.

In other words... Kirishima Ai will no longer transform into Silver Feather, and her existence will no longer be meaningful.

What will happen to her then?

Will it continue to exist, or... will it simply retain its original fate?

"..."

But, just like Mom said.

If Kirishima Ai is to continue fighting, she risks injury, bleeding, and facing mortal danger.

In fact, there have been several times when Kirishima Ai's life hung by a thread.

If Silver Feather had a friend, she wouldn't want that friend to become Magic girl.

Kirishima Ai, is it really better if you don't continue being Magic girl?

To be honest, those words that followed had a rather complicated feeling for Silver Feather.

She was never quite sure what kind of person she was.

She calls herself the Magical Girl Silver Feather.

However, this does not mean that after Kirishima Ai transforms, it is entirely Silver Feather herself.

During the battles of Magical Girl Silver Feather, Kirishima Ai could feel the pain and thoughts that Kirishima Ai Silver Feather experienced, and Silver Feather always acted according to Kirishima Ai's own will.

In other words, it means we are closer to them, fighting together, rather than one person bearing all the burdens alone.

When trying to trace back to the origin, Silver Feather feels a little scared.

That kind of fear...

She clutched her chest tightly.

Silver Feather shook her head, trying to refocus her attention on the room and continue listening to the mother and daughter's conversation.

Let's continue listening to what the other side of her has to say.

"There's something else that worries me, though I'm not sure if it's true or not."

Suddenly, Shiratori Aoi said.

Kirishima Ai, however, seemed somewhat confused.

What is it?

"Do you remember what happened at the museum that day? On that day, Phantasmal Dream announced some news: an unidentified Monster who looked very similar to Silver Feather. Some people said that was Silver Feather's true appearance."

... Huh?

Silver Feather, who was standing outside the window, suddenly froze.

The woman's words left her momentarily at a loss, and at the same time, a sense of inexplicable fear began to spread from the depths of her heart, even making her feel panicked.

"Mom, what you're saying is so strange. Are you trying to say that Silver Feather is Monster? Could you please not make such comments?"

Despite her efforts to be a good girl, Kirishima Ai couldn't control her emotions and temper at this moment, and became a little angry.

The mother and daughter, who had been getting along quite well, both became stiff in their tone.

"No, listen to me. Someone told me that Silver Feather might be in danger. It may not be true, but at least listen before you consider it..."

Without a doubt, from their respective perspectives, both Kirishima Ai and Shiratori Aoi were very restrained and calm.

They all tried their best to uphold their principles without hurting the other party.

Their restraint made them seem less like a mother and daughter and more like strangers.

However, Shiratori Aoi's words began to shake Silver Feather's resolve.

Her gaze dimmed, and the sounds of the mother and daughter arguing faded into the distance, becoming distorted and turning into a nagging noise that seemed to be rejected from her mind.

In the Magic girl's pupils, she saw the snow-covered street, strewn with footprints, a desolate street where no one swept the snow, empty and utterly lonely.

She then took out a Crystal from her pocket.

---On that silver Crystal, the light was faint and weak, as if it might go out at any moment, and on this originally magnificent Crystal, tiny cracks began to extend from a certain point.

The crack is deep in the bone marrow and will continue to widen over time.

Until... it shatters completely.

"Should I have disappeared back then...?"

The girl's dejected voice was drowned out by the night wind and disappeared into an insignificant corner of the city.

Chapter Seventy-Six: The Female Teacher's Feedback

Finally, Kirishima Ai gave her own answer.

She needs some time to think about it.

However, she didn't actually intend to give up being Magic girl; she just didn't know how to deal with it, since none of her other Magic girl companions seemed to have encountered the problem of their true identities being exposed.

From this perspective, perhaps she should consult with Kuroki Yuka.

As her mother was leaving, Kirishima Ai awkwardly called out to her.

"Mother."

She saw the woman turn around, so she raised her arm and showed the woman the black jade-like bracelet on her wrist.

Kirishima Ai hesitated for a long time before her voice sounded soft and hoarse: