Chapter 477

"Right? Then we can stay home all day in winter or on rainy days, and even sleep in the same bed." Kazama Kiriori seemed very happy.

"Us? Aren't you planning to live on your own?"

Haihara is confused.

"Why?"

Kazama Kiriori paused for a moment, then looked at Haihara with some fear.

Haihara stammered:

"I mean... generally, after graduating from university, don't people want to break away from their parents and have their own lives? Isn't that right?"

"But that's not what I think."

Kazama Kiriori answered very seriously.

Tick-tock, tick-tock, she wondered which device in the car was making that noise. Haihara wished the sound could be louder so that her own heartbeat would be drowned out.

The traffic light is flashing.

Sometimes, Haihara hates the flashing of traffic lights.

If you are an adult and need to drive, you need to decide whether to turn left or right after the traffic light flashes.

She had to decide the direction for the other passengers in the rushing traffic, carefully preventing it from going the wrong way.

That's really unsettling, isn't it?

Even after growing up for so long, Haihara still hasn't adapted to this.

When the green light came on, their way home was no longer an obstacle.

Tonight, they returned to the home they used to live together in.

In the bedroom, Kazama Kiriori is rummaging through her personal belongings.

They're described as personal items, but there aren't many different kinds.

She herself doesn't have any particular material preferences, but if she had to name something like plush toys, her room is already overflowing with them.

At that moment, she realized that she really did have a lot of photos saved up.

From the past to the present.

She has always kept the old family photos carefully; they are among the few photos she has brought from her old home to her current one. Her parents took many photos of her.

For some time now, although she brought these things to her new home, she has almost never taken them out.

It's simple, because seeing it would make me sad.

But now, I can touch these photos with a touch of longing.

Besides the past, many more photos were taken later as well.

So many photos.

She saw how she and Haihara looked year by year in the photos, sometimes with big changes, sometimes with subtle changes, even the background of their homes was different.

Hmm? So, does that mean she's actually interested in photography?

Then there might only be one person in her photo, which would be a bit bad.

Kazama Kiriori smiled as she thought about this.

At that moment, Haibara, now dressed in Haihara, walked into the bedroom. She was carrying a fruit platter in her hands. After seeing Kazama Kiriori looking at the photos, she picked up a segment of orange with a skewer and brought it to Kazama Kiriori's lips.

Kazama Kiriori took a bite of the orange segment.

After that, Haihara also sat on the bed, next to Kazama Kiriori.

The girl gently rested her head on the woman's shoulder.

Haihara picked up a skewer, stuck a piece of melon on it, and stuffed it into her mouth.

The sweet aroma of honeydew melon spreads in your mouth.

"Um, is it a bit annoying to talk about old topics with you at a time like this?"

Haihara put a piece of mango in her mouth.

"Not at all, you can talk about anything you want." Kazama Kiriori flipped through the photos one by one.

Haihara has been acting a bit strange lately.

Haihara thought for a moment:

"What you said in the car meant, 'You don't want to leave me? Even for just a year or two?'"

She felt that Kazama Kiriori must have meant that.

While there's always the possibility of regret later, at least that's how it is now.

"I don't want to spend a season or two, a month or two, or even just a day or two. I want to be with you every hour, except when the weather gets so hot that I can't stand it anymore."

The last sentence isn't very credible.

Just hearing those words made Haihara realize how hot it must be in the summer.

However, it would be a lie to say I'm not happy.

She looked at Kazama Kiriori and the photos in her hand.

She noticed that there were photos of her past that she could never replace, and photos of her and her present.

Previously, there were far fewer photos of the two of them compared to Kazama Kiriori's past photos.

Now, gradually, there are quite a few photos left, maybe even more.

What will happen in the future...?

Haihara didn't know whether she was looking forward to it or not.

At that moment, Kazama Kiriori also gave the photo in her hand to Haihara, wanting to look at Haihara together.

Haihara then realized that the places they had visited together were indeed unremarkable.

I wish she could take this child to more places.

Just then, she heard the child say gently but earnestly:

"Look, this world is so big."

"My pace is slow."

"In my limited lifespan, I can see nothing and go to very few places."

"I don't want to give these parts of my life, and yours, to someone else."

Even with these thick stacks of photos, it was still a very small number for Kazama Kiriori.

Even for Magic girls, the world is still vast.

After all, if the world were too small, wouldn't life be too boring?

Haihara opened her mouth slightly.

However, Kazama Kiriori's face was already close to hers, and she felt the child's familiar and warm temperature, which made her feel very at ease.

She heard the child's endearing, heart-stirring voice---

"There are still so many things I want to do with you, to go to farther places with you, to see more scenery I've never seen before, and to leave more photos of you and me in my short life."

The voice was very sincere.

Haihara never imagined she would hear these words from this child.

It sounded like something the other person would say, yet it was Haihara couldn't even imagine.

"I" and "you".

Perhaps at the beginning, they were just two people who happened to meet.

But now, for Haihara, it holds a special meaning that no one can replace.

Her gaze shifted from absentmindedness to calm.

"Okay, let's do it together then, before you get bored." Haihara rarely agreed to this topic.

Kazama Kiriori shook her head slightly, much like a puppy happily whining:

"From now on, please don't give me any more perfunctory words, because I feel hurt just thinking about you not watching me."

Come to think of it, the two of them seemed to have quite a few troubling issues, unresolved questions, and seemingly unresolved conflicts before.

But now, it all seems to have vanished into thin air, and I can't remember anything at all.

Those things aren't really that important, are they?

Oh, right.

For Kazama Kiriori, there was one more crucial matter.

She had originally planned to talk about it after graduation.

But the events of this period made her feel that there was no time to lose, and that she should even put her studies and life in a less important position.

Maybe that's a bit silly.

But what can she do when she's in the prime of her youth?

In this Haihara, she suddenly felt Kazama Kiriori gently stroking her shoulders from the front:

"I'd like to say something now, something very serious. I've been wanting to tell you this for a long time. Can you listen to me and then seriously consider my answer?"

Even Kazama Kiriori gets extremely nervous at times like this, and even feels cold sweat trickling down her back.

She tried her best to calm herself down.

Meanwhile, Haihara, still basking in satisfaction, was unaware of the gravity of the situation. She hummed and said:

"Huh? What?"

She's in a great mood right now and has already decided to agree to anything Kazama Kiriori says next.

And then, she heard her most beloved and filial eldest daughter speak to her in a calm and solemn voice—

"I think I like you, for a long time now. If I graduate and become an adult, would you consider being my lover?"

Haihara Lily Chou, Haibara, stopped thinking.

Volume Three – The End

Volume Four: Does This Count as a Magical Girl??

Chapter 1 Welcome Home, Miss Haihara

The next day, very early in the morning.

"Uh, Miss Haihara, didn't you say you were going to stay with the student council president for a while? Why are you back so soon, like you're fleeing a disaster?"

Haihara returned to her loyal three-bedroom apartment, which was clearly inconsistent with the information she had given to her pets beforehand.

At that moment, her good neighbor Kuroki Yuka, helped Haihara carry her luggage while asking a question in confusion.

To be honest, she had never seen Haihara so panicked, as if her whole body had lost its luster and color, and her body was so cold that it seemed to be about to stiffen.

Even after moving all her belongings home, Haihara's face still looked gloomy.

Haihara seems to have suffered a traumatic experience:

"Where's my dog? Where's my bird? Where's my snake?"

The only solace she can find in being with her pets is to comfort her wounded heart.

But looking at the empty house, she only felt a wave of sadness.

Kuroki Yuka casually closed the door and helped Haihara straighten her disheveled collar.

She counted them in detail:

"Hmm... Little Silver Feather is still at Kirishima's house, Luna is at my house, and we're taking good care of Little White too."