Chapter 531

She raised her head and began to think for a moment.

Kirishima Ai patiently waited for her to finish thinking and processing the information. After a while, Kazama Kiriori's expression also became much more serious.

"Yes, my first reaction was disbelief, but upon reflection, my mother did indeed have many unusual traits."

"I'll go back and try to confirm it with my mom."

As expected of Genpuku-senpai, the strongest Magic girl in Phantom Wind Maple Plain City?

Are all older generation Magic girls this calm?

Kirishima Ai suddenly felt as if she had finally found companions and reliable help.

However, after saying all this, Kazama Kiriori didn't simply accept Kirishima Ai's questions. Instead, she covered the cup of hot milk with both hands and asked Kirishima Ai in return:

"But besides that, Kirishima, if everything you just learned is the truly 'unaltered' truth, what do you plan to do next?"

Kirishima Ai looked slightly puzzled.

Is that even a question?

"Even though there's a huge difference in strength, of course we should persuade our other companions to work together to get Teacher Haihara to change everything back to normal."

She genuinely felt that the world was strange at this moment, and she wanted everything to return to its original state.

Moreover, it's not as simple as Teacher Haihara becoming the way she is now.

She had a feeling that something bad was going to happen, which made her very uneasy.

"But according to you, the only thing that has changed in the world is how others perceive your mother's appearance, right? Perhaps there are some related past experiences, but that hasn't really affected anyone, has it?"

"At least for me, if Mom prefers it this way, then so be it."

"From that perspective, I might not have much motivation to help you."

Kazama Kiriori smiled sheepishly.

Ai Kirishima Ai looked bewildered, seemingly not expecting such an answer at all.

She couldn't quite understand it---

"No... Teacher is actually a Magic girl. She's been hiding something, and she might have other plans. How can we just let this go?"

Although Kirishima Ai didn't want to think that Teacher Haihara would do anything bad.

But what's happening now is already unacceptable to her.

She wanted to restore everything to its original state.

However, she received a calm and clear response from the other party:

"But my relationship with her won't change because of this; we'll still be mother and daughter. I guess perhaps your other companions might eventually have similar thoughts?"

Compared to Kirishima Ai's incomprehension and agitation, Kazama Kiriori appeared calm and composed.

She finished her glass of Sweet Milk, while Kirishima Ai's gaze appeared rather dim and unsteady, her mouth opening and closing intermittently as if she wanted to say something.

Kirishima Ai's face, which was usually rather pale, was now flushed, whether from the cold or from her emotions.

"What are you talking about? It's not just that, I..."

She was speaking when Kazama Kiriori reached out a hand and gently patted Kirishima Ai's arm.

As Kirishima Ai calmed down a bit, she quickly added:

"Of course, if there's anything dangerous, I'll help, and I'll also go back and verify it carefully."

"But what I want to say is, Kirishima, calm down a bit. Don't think of things as so terrible. Look, Mom hasn't done anything too outrageous yet; she's still going to work, isn't she?"

"Don't let this make you doubt everything from the past."

"Let's take it slow, shall we?"

In the end, Kirishima Ai was indeed somewhat persuaded by Kazama Kiriori's words.

But it's only a little bit.

The conclusion is that President Kazama doesn't seem very interested in changing everything that Ai Teacher Haihara changed back.

Others... probably aren't like that too, right?

My mood has been in a mess all morning. Kirishima Ai felt that what she had just said to the president was also a jumbled mess. She should have been more rational and organized.

She eventually went back first.

I decided to ask other people as well.

Also, Takanashi and her classmate from R'lyeh are still nowhere to be found.

Could there be any clues...?

Meanwhile, Kazama Kiriori watched Kirishima Ai's retreating figure, her gaze never wavering, until she disappeared from her sight.

She rested the back of her hand on her chin, feigning contemplation, and finally murmured softly:

"Kirishima, why are you the only one who still remembers...?"

Kazama Kiriori remained surprisingly calm.

---It seems that what she just said in response to Kirishima Ai was not the whole truth she knew.

Volume Four Does This Count as a Magical Girl??: Chapter 49 Takanashi Stopped Thinking

At some point, Takanashi Shiori realized that she had been asleep for a long time.

She slept so soundly that she forgot everything and relaxed and comfortable in the incredibly soft and warm bed.

When she gradually woke up, Takanashi was still very dazed. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes were still sleepy, and she felt that the light around her was very dim and that the size of the blanket was a little unfamiliar to her.

I slept so soundly; it feels like it's been a long time since I've slept this comfortably.

Takanashi couldn't help but snuggle against the inexplicably soft and warm cushion in front of her, and then smelled a very sweet and gentle fragrance.

Her lips, still half-asleep, unconsciously curled up like a cat's.

However, in her half-asleep state, Takanashi Shiori felt as if she had forgotten something, as if she shouldn't have been sleeping so comfortably here in the first place.

It seems... there's something else very important?

What could it be again? Think about it carefully...

She vaguely remembered being in a battle... Why was she sleeping so peacefully in bed now? Who brought her to this bed?

And this doesn't even seem like my own bed.

She had absolutely no clue what was going on with the current situation.

Wait a minute, what exactly is that thing I'm resting on my face...? Is it really a pillow?

The feel and shape of it feel strangely familiar.

Realizing something was wrong, Takanashi finally opened his eyes groggily, then leaned back slightly, trying to get a better look at what the dimly lit room was like.

Then, she saw a cold and beautiful gray-haired woman lying next to her, gazing at her with indifferent purple eyes.

What he had been resting his head on and rubbing was, of course, a woman's breasts.

"..."

Takanashi's gaze cleared a little, but it was still full of confusion.

She wore a thoughtful expression.

Did her brain completely break down after she was knocked unconscious?

"Good evening?"

The silver-haired woman removed Takanashi's hand from hers, greeted her with a voice as cold as winter.

Takanashi Shiori didn't answer immediately; instead, she grabbed the blanket and covered the lower half of her face, trying to wake herself from the dream.

The silver-haired woman stopped lying down and sat up, leaning against the headboard. Her long, silky silver-gray hair cascaded down her back. Takanashi noticed that her hair seemed to be about the same length as his own, and the texture was quite similar.

Still curled up in bed, Takanashi Shiori were still vacant, unsure whether she was still half asleep or what.

She let out a few muffled, sleepy breaths, wrapping herself completely in the blanket, looking like some kind of lazy, clumsy cat in winter.

It was just a dream.

All those experiences before were just a dream.

If I stay in bed a little longer, she'll wake up, and then everything will be back to normal.

That must be it.

"You should know that it's no use trying to convince yourself it's a dream, and besides, you've been asleep for a long time."

The woman who bore a resemblance to her, who was in bed with her, spoke calmly.

Finally, in despair, Takanashi got out of bed.

"Has the Earth been destroyed? Oh, so that's how it is. Only I survived..."

She lowered her head, covered her forehead with one hand, and began to mutter incoherently.

"Okay, anyway, it's good that you're awake. Dinner is ready, and your sister should be almost finished eating. Remember to eat later too."

Haihara Lilith gave a perfunctory response to Takanashi Shiori's mutterings, then told Takanashi to go have dinner later.

Yes, the sky outside the window is a gloomy, cold winter night; it is already night.

But it clearly wasn't the night of the School Festival.

Takanashi doesn't know how long he slept.

After confirming that Takanashi Shiori had woken up, the silver-haired woman seemed to intend to get out of bed and leave.

Just then, Takanashi realized that this bedroom looked quite familiar.

It looks like it's Teacher Haihara's bedroom.

Um?

Wait a minute.

"... What sister?"

Takanashi Shiori looked utterly bewildered.

"Your sister, Kiriori, theoretically speaking, you are both my daughters, so you are sisters now. Is that strange?"

Haihara picked up the arm of the girl and explained as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Takanashi Shiori would never dare to dream of something so outrageous and absurd.

She initially wanted to think about it some more, but in the end, she chose to temporarily abandon the thought.

Who can think about this calmly?

Even after Haihara left the bedroom, leaving Takanashi Shiori alone, Takanashi Shiori remained in a state of utter bewilderment and collapse, her head bowed in deep thought.

She managed to sit up with great difficulty, covering only her lower body with the blanket. For some reason, some words from the past began to surface in her mind.

'You really think you're my mom?'

'Mom, Mom, if only calling your name a few more times would make it come true...'

No matter how hard you try, it can never become real...

It turns out it was all true.

No, how did it actually become real?

Because it was so impactful, Takanashi didn't even know what emotions she should be feeling; she only knew that her face probably looked pretty silly.

"..."

Since things have come to this, let's check if we have our phones and confirm the time.

Surprisingly, her phone was nearby, so she picked it up to check and discovered that Kirishima had sent her a private text message that morning.

It seems everyone passed out after that. Kirishima was probably the last to faint, but she didn't escape either.

She quickly replied, explaining her current situation.

Then I received a reply from Kirishima Ai: