Chapter 425
And vibrant, yet inhuman, rose-red pupils.
That woman— the Flower Demon King —was staring at her with an annoying smile.
She appeared there naturally, meeting Kazama Kiriori's gaze, as if she had just been waiting for someone.
Ignoring Kazama Kiriori's frozen expression, Kazama Kiriori greeted her in a Tachibana voice:
Good morning, Magic Girl Phantom Wind.
"Or would it be better to address you by your real name in a place like this, Ms. Kazama Kiriori?"
Chapter 183 Bringing Up the Old Matter
In Kazama Kiriori's memory, the first time she saw that Flower Monster oddball was two years ago.
At that time, Kazama Kiriori had already been active as Magic girl for some time.
From being inexperienced and half-baked at the beginning, to later being able to stand on one's own.
As a result, she gained people's praise, the city's adoration, and the recognition of those around her, which made Kazama Kiriori feel that her life had gained a meaning she had never imagined before.
It seems that even the losses and pains of the past have been somewhat made up for.
However, Kazama Kiriori was unaware at the time that she had overlooked something.
Kazama Kiriori, who has always been adept at everything she does, has become careless.
That's a mistake she still can't forgive herself for.
One day, just when she was feeling smug and thought she could solve all her problems, she was surprised to discover a new Monster.
---A Monster named Chameleon.
This name, which has been forgotten by other Magic girls, cannot be easily erased from Kazama Kiriori's past.
The host of that Monster was a woman named Haihara Lily Chou.
She is also Kazama Kiriori's adoptive mother.
When Kazama Kiriori and Color Feather discovered the Monster, Kazama Kiriori realized that, without her knowledge, while she was smugly pleased with herself, and while she was playing the hero, Haihara had been attacked by some unknown being.
Who exactly is it?
When exactly was it?
Why my own mother?
Why did I allow such a thing to happen?
At that Kazama Kiriori's mind went blank, and she didn't even know what to do. She just wanted to find the culprit who created the Monster.
At the scene, she witnessed the presence of a Flower Monster.
Although they were far away and difficult to identify, they gave off a completely different feeling from the Flower Monster they had encountered before.
In the end, however, Kazama Kiriori, a Magic girl, failed to catch any trace of the other party, who quickly disappeared and was never seen again.
Later, Phantom Wind searched through all the Black Death Cult's officers and made them talk one by one.
The conclusion was that none of them were the person who created the Chameleon Monster.
To this day, the figure of that Flower Monster that Phantom Wind couldn't catch up with still haunts Kazama Kiriori in the nightmare of failing to protect Haihara, fearing that an unknown entity will once again snatch Haihara away from her.
Just like once again, at some point when she wasn't paying attention, Haihara was transformed into a high school student by an unknown Magic.
And this time, that same figure from several years ago appeared before her once again.
The cold winter wind stung my cheeks.
The wind was so strong, yet it was suppressed by an even greater roar within me, making me sound as if I had gone deaf.
Kazama Kiriori felt as if all the blood in her body had frozen, and she was enveloped in an icy chill.
The surroundings were quiet as usual; no one was shouting or yelling, except for Kazama Kiriori and a woman with long, wine-red hair.
The woman stood naturally beside her, smiling as she looked at her.
Undoubtedly, at this moment, countless thoughts and emotions flooded Kazama Kiriori's mind, making it difficult for her to control herself, but she did not let these emotions get out of control:
"Why... are you here?"
Finally, Kazama Kiriori calmed down.
Her gaze was colder and more piercing than ever before.
It's not just because the other party is Demon King.
Furthermore, during their last meeting, Kazama Kiriori realized that they had other "entanglements" in the past.
"Wow, you're really calm. I thought I'd give you a shock."
The mature beauty wore a sorrowful expression.
Kazama Kiriori certainly didn't find the scene before her incomprehensible.
For the Demon King, the Magic girl's identity is not something to hide, so there's no need to be surprised if she's recognized by name.
This wasn't the first time Kazama Kiriori had been ambushed by Monster near her home.
She casually glanced at the street scene, checking to see if there were any wandering pedestrians nearby, then asked the woman who seemed to be named Tachibana:
"So, you've come to attack me? Without that troublesome Serpent System Black Death Cult from last time?"
Right now, she and this Demon King are still in a residential area with many people living nearby.
The alarm failed to sound in time.
If war breaks out immediately, Mom and everyone else will be in danger.
More importantly, the mother's presence must not be revealed.
But Tachibana's next words took Kazama Kiriori, even causing her to momentarily lose her composure.
"No, it has nothing to do with that. I'm not here to do anything dangerous."
Her smile was radiant.
"I'm here to ask you something. I want you to give me Miss Haihara."
The air fell silent for a moment.
The wind was biting cold, but something even colder stung my skin.
As the Demon King, Tachibana clearly sensed it.
She slightly opened her usually narrowed pupils, and in the Monster's dim vision, the Magic Power emanating from Kazama Kiriori, swaying with her emotions, almost pierced Tachibana's throat.
Kazama Kiriori's pretty face, though not distorted, was exceptionally terrifying.
"... I didn't hear you clearly."
"But I don't want to hear you repeat yourself again."
The girl's voice was hoarse, like that of a vicious dog suppressing its throat.
Tachibana had no doubt that this well-behaved dog, once provoked, would have the courage to tear herself apart.
She didn't panic; instead, she gently comforted the girl before her.
"Then let's move on to this topic slowly."
Just like she said.
She didn't come here for a life-or-death struggle.
The woman gracefully raised her hand and gently twirled a strand of her wine-red hair.
Suddenly, the surrounding snow and wind stopped.
The snowflakes remained suspended in the air.
Kazama Kiriori looked at the changes in her surroundings with suspicion. Although everything was still similar to before, something seemed to have changed.
From then on, their conversation in the vicinity would be undisturbed.
Tachibana clapped her hands, reminding Kazama Kiriori.
"Actually, I also have a misunderstanding that I'd like to clarify."
The woman wore a sweet and charming smile.
These words undoubtedly puzzled Kazama Kiriori.
You say it's a misunderstanding?
Now that things have come to this, Kazama Kiriori can finally muster some patience.
Seeing that Kazama Kiriori didn't react strongly for the time being, Tachibana continued:
"Yes, you must be curious about the truth from two years ago, right?"
In the stillness of the snowy wind, the red-haired woman strolled gracefully, raising her hand to lightly touch the frozen ice flowers with her fingertips.
The ice flowers became an unmelted moment, frozen in a beautiful instant.
The girl's breath hitched slightly.
Even after trying to relax a little, Kazama Kiriori still stared at Tachibana with a dark gaze:
Will you reveal a truth that surprises me?
"For example, why were you there? What does all this have to do with you?"
As if deliberately keeping Kazama Kiriori in suspense, Tachibana gazed at Kazama Kiriori with slightly lowered eyes.
The gray clouds in the sky remained motionless.
Even the dead trees along the street won't make a sound because of this.
As Kazama Kiriori awaited, Tachibana slightly opened her mouth and, in the quiet winter, revealed the answer.
"To put it simply, I don't know who did it either."
She spoke in a clear and gentle voice.
All that followed was deathly silence.
"... What did you say?"
Kazama Kiriori thought Tachibana was just playing a prank on her.
But Tachibana's expression didn't seem like she was joking.
After answering Kazama Kiriori's question in one sentence, she then appropriately began to explain:
"At first, I was just drawn in by the birth of the Serpent System Monster; I was merely passing by. And like you, even now, I still don't know Monster."
Tachibana seemed to be talking to herself, troubled.
"Generally speaking, only my sisters and I can create Monster, so it's clearly not the work of my Apostle."
"If I had to choose, I might represent the sisters of the wind."
"However, as you can see, she hasn't made a single move until now, and perhaps she has never woken up in all these hundreds of years."
After saying that, it was as if Tachibana had casually distanced herself from everything she had said.
But for Kazama Kiriori, it was like an even deeper gloom looming over her head.
Tachibana still had a smiling expression:
"It seems you know perfectly well that I'm not lying."
She didn't intend to waste too much time on this topic.
After leaving all her chaotic thoughts to Kazama Kiriori to sort them out herself, Tachibana wanted to tell the child the real reason she had come here.
She stood there, patiently waiting for Kazama Kiriori to accept what had just happened.
When Kazama Kiriori raised her head again, the girl had already recovered from her earlier loss of composure.
Tachibana nodded happily.
"Then, allow me to repeat the purpose of my visit."