After she'd finished dividing up the cake, Hina picked up a piece with her fork and carefully put it in her mouth.
"..."
Hina slowly chewed the cake, then swallowed.
"Is it good?"
"It's good."
Her little sister nodded, then obediently ate another piece. Kirishima Ai watched her eat for a while before Hina asked,
"Big Sister, how's Little Vermilion?"
Little Vermilion was a bird Hina had raised.
It was called Vermilion, but in reality, only the feathers on top of its head had a little red on them. The rest were white.
They'd named it after the protagonist of a cartoon they'd watched as children, Magical Girl Vermilion.
Kirishima Ai didn't know much about the bird's condition, since their mother was the one looking after it.
She hadn't seen their mother in a long time.
"Mom's looking after Little Vermilion. I'll ask her about it for you later."
Hina nodded lightly.
After a while, once Hina had slowly finished her cake, Kirishima Ai rested her face in her hand and gently asked,
"Want to watch some TV?"
"Yes."
Kirishima Ai turned on the little television in the hospital room.
As it happened, a program about magical girls was on.
Magical girls were one of the hottest topics online. Ever since their existence had been confirmed, television had been running plenty of programs about them, too.
The show currently airing was about the magical girls of Maple Plain City.
Maple Plain City was where the Villain Organization was most active, and it was also where magical girls were most active.
Three magical girls still operating in Maple Plain City had been confirmed.
Silver Feather, Star Flower, and an unnamed magical girl.
The last of them was the magical girl Takanashi Shiori transformed into.
And three years ago, the city had also been home to its strongest magical girl—Magical Girl Phantom Wind.
But right now, Magical Girl Silver Feather appeared in the most footage and news reports.
The television was apparently ranking the most popular magical-girl catchphrases.
For example, Magical Girl Phantom Wind's famous line:
"I won't let anyone who makes this city cry get away with it."
And the words Star Flower often said:
"Use magic to bring smiles~"
By comparison, Silver Feather's popularity was only average. Aside from her tendency to work herself to death, she didn't seem to have any distinctive traits.
Kirishima Ai didn't have any particular complaints about that.
Unexpectedly, though, the catchphrase that ranked first was Silver Feather's.
The screen showed footage of Silver Feather during her first appearance in Maple Plain City.
The magical girl seemed a little flustered, but also a little happy, as she said:
"—I'll become your hero."
Kirishima Ai felt a little embarrassed, especially with her younger sister there.
But as she watched the magical girl on the screen, Hina suddenly said,
"Big Sister, you used to say things like that, too."
Kirishima Ai froze for a moment, then blushed.
"D-Did I?"
"It'd be nice if you really were a magical girl." Hina lowered her head, her voice tinged with disappointment.
Looking at her like that, Kirishima Ai didn't know how to respond. All she could do was answer dejectedly,
"...Yeah."
Hina finished her cake and gently set down her spoon. Then she looked up and kept watching the magical girls on the television, her gaze filled with something like longing.
Suddenly, she said,
"Big Sister, why aren't I a magical girl?"
"Hm?"
"Why did Silver Feather and the others become magical girls, but not me...? What's different about them and me?"
Her gaze was very bleak as she spoke.
Kirishima Ai parted her lips, but couldn't think of anything to say.
There was nothing different between her little sister and those magical girls.
It was just...
She was the one who had become a magical girl.
The Demon King's Minions
Kirishima Ai had become a magical girl, but even now, she still couldn't restore Hina's health.
She'd said she would become her little sister's hero, but in the end, she hadn't really done anything.
She couldn't answer Hina's question.
Before, whenever the topic of magical girls came up, Hina would quickly cheer up and smile again.
But now...
Because magical girls really did exist in this world, the girls who couldn't become one felt disappointed and dejected.
They knew they weren't the ones who'd been chosen.
In Kirishima Ai's eyes, there was nothing especially remarkable about the other people who could become magical girls, either. She herself was proof of that.
They'd just happened to be lucky.
Sometimes, Kirishima Ai wondered if she'd taken the share of luck that belonged to her little sister...
She shook her head, deciding not to dwell on such pointless thoughts.
Kirishima Ai looked up.
"Um... Would you like to hear a story about Magical Girl Silver Feather? She's done quite a lot lately."
She tried to change the subject.
In the past, her little sister had been very interested in Magical Girl Silver Feather. Of all the magical girls in Maple Plain City, Silver Feather had always been her favorite.
That had made Kirishima Ai very happy.
She'd be so happy if she could just be her little sister's hero.
But this time, Hina shook her head.
"I don't want to hear about her."
"...Why?"
Hina wasn't looking at the television anymore. She lowered her head instead.
"I... hate Silver Feather the most."
Kirishima Ai froze.
Hina didn't notice her expression. She simply continued,
"Because... I'm not one of the people she has to save..."
She knew she was being selfish and unreasonable.
But whenever she watched Silver Feather show off on television while she still had to lie in a hospital bed, she couldn't stop herself from thinking that way.
The magical girls in cartoons weren't like the ones in real life.
The cartoon ones didn't exist; they were just fictional.
But magical girls were undeniably real.
After a while, Hina looked up and saw how downcast Kirishima Ai seemed. She realized she must have said something strange.
"Sorry... I've been acting a little weird lately."
Kirishima Ai only moved closer and hugged Hina, gently shaking her head.
"It's not your fault, Hina."
That was right. Her little sister wasn't the one at fault.
"Silver Feather really is... a terrible magical girl."
Kirishima Ai murmured softly. Her voice was gentle, but it almost sounded as if she were talking to herself.
The only one at fault was Magical Girl Silver Feather.
She hadn't helped her little sister.
Even though Hina had done nothing wrong.
After keeping her little sister company through lunch, Kirishima Ai figured it was about time to leave. She gently closed the hospital-room door, but just as she was about to go, she spotted someone walking toward her from the other end of the corridor.
She glanced over and saw a girl who looked to be in high school.
She was a beautiful girl with a white side ponytail and deep blue eyes, giving off an impression of elegance and composure.
Though she couldn't have been much older than Ai, she wore a light blue suit. It gave her an unexpectedly mature, intellectual air.
She looked a little familiar...
After a moment, Kirishima Ai remembered who she was.
She thought the girl's name was Qingchuan Lan. She was famous at Kaedehara High School, served as the student council's vice president, and was rumored to be a wealthy heiress.
Did she have someone she knew in a room around here, too?
The other girl probably didn't know who Ai was.
It was only a passing thought. Kirishima Ai paid her no mind and left.
Not long after Kirishima Ai had gone, Qingchuan Lan opened the door to the room where Ai's younger sister was staying.
Qingchuan Lan quickly spotted the girl in the room.
Kirishima Hina seemed to be feeling unwell again. She was retching into a wastebasket and coughing miserably.
Qingchuan Lan simply smiled, gently closed the door, then bowed to the girl on the hospital bed.
"Your Majesty, the Blue Dream Apostle welcomes your return."
As Qingchuan spoke, the already dim hospital room suddenly darkened several shades. The lights went out, then came back on, giving the room an eerie feel.
Kirishima Hina, who had been so weak just moments before, lifted her head. Her expression turned cold and imperious.
Black mist kept spilling out behind her, like an oppressive aura, gradually enveloping the entire room.
Kirishima Hina's whole presence changed.
She propped her face up with one hand and gazed down at Qingchuan from the bed.
"Are you my Apostle?"
Before you continue