Chapter 536
Yes.
--- Kuroki Yuka a traitor.
She was not actually altered in her cognition or lost her memory.
She and the Evil Mastermind, Ms. Overlord, have always been in cahoots, colluding and working together to put on a show.
And now, that lie has finally been exposed.
If it were revealed that she actually knew Haihara was the mastermind all along, her career as a righteous Magic girl after clearing her name would come to an end.
To everyone's surprise, not long after, Haihara sent this text message---
Magical Girl Lily-chan ☆ [Don't be afraid, your stats are higher, she's no match for you. Your Dark Kite Form will definitely beat Fate Kite.]
"?"
The risk she faces now is that she might not have time to transform before being physically bullied in front of the whole class.
Kuroki Yuka, a former reclusive and gloomy shut-in, what makes her think she can possibly fight Kirishima Ai, whose physical abilities rival those of an athletic student?
Hey, wait a minute.
"Huh..."
Fight Kirishima?
That sounds rather interesting.
Kuroki Yuka tentatively noted down this idea, and then continued her conversation with Haihara- san.
[Miss Haihara, Miss Haihara, why has your relationship with your Aunt become strained?]
Given Kuroki Yuka intelligence, she wouldn't normally ask such a potentially upsetting question.
However, she and Haihara- san are now quite familiar with each other.
Magical Girl Lily-chan ☆ [I don't know]
Magical Girl Lily-chan ☆ [crying]
It seems that Haihara- san really did fundamentally change people's initial perception of her appearance, reshaping everyone's memories.
But it seems that this has changed some things as well.
For example, Haihara, who was popular from the beginning, seems to have no chance to become friends with her Aunt.
There are gains and losses.
Although Magic could allow Haihara to have this and that, it seems that Haihara doesn't like doing that.
That's a real contradiction.
But Haihara- san is adorable.
[Don't cry, I'll give you a kiss.]
Kuroki Yuka immediately offer some comfort and Galgame's favorability.
[By the way, how are Haihara and... Takanashi getting along?]
Even Kuroki Yuka felt conflicted when this was mentioned.
Haihara actually has a daughter.
She had no idea before.
And it's actually Takanashi Shiori...
Who the hell did this?!
Oh, I heard she's the Queen of R'lyeh.
If she hadn't already accepted that Haihara- san had a girlfriend, she would probably be overflowing with jealousy and possessiveness by now.
Never mind.
Her current goal is to try and Step-mom for her beloved classmate Takanashi.
Magical Girl Lily-chan ☆ [Naughty, Rebellious.]
Magical Girl Lily-chan ☆ [As expected, not all children are as obedient as Kiriori.]
Hmm... it can be imagined in various senses.
Senpai Kazama is indeed an easy difficulty level for parents.
Kuroki Yuka thinking about all sorts of random things.
It seems that Ms. Haihara has quite a few troubles and new things to keep her busy lately.
Although the School Festival incident had only just ended, Kuroki Yuka felt that time had become even more precious, and perhaps she should take advantage of the recent period to do something more interesting.
[By the way, Haihara- san, how about we go on a date this weekend?]
Her intuition told her that she could easily get a date with Haihara soon.
Magical Girl Lily-chan ☆ [Cannot.]
The other party replied almost instantly.
[Why???]
Kuroki Yuka understand where she went wrong with her play this time.
Then she saw Haihara reply like this---
Magical Girl Lily-chan ☆ [Because Sakaki Chika just happened to have a date with me this week, I can't just break it.]
"Thousand... flowers?"
Kuroki Yuka shocked.
Chika, I thought we were best friends.
Why?
Volume Four Does This Count as a Magical Girl??: Chapter 54 I'm Super, Box!
This happened shortly after Takanashi Shiori re-established contact with R'lyeh.
Because the first child Haihara raised was Kazama Kiriori, she often has the illusion that someone as willful and childish as herself can also be a mother.
Even though she often forgot to take care of Kazama Kiriori, and sometimes she would be willful and want to live alone, Kazama Kiriori would always pamper her and she would live a good life on her own.
But Takanashi, that child, was just like her—willful and troublesome.
Especially this time, in the park in the heavy snow, when I tried to take the child home from the bench by the street, this child, who usually obeyed his mother in every way on weekends, suddenly became rebellious for no reason.
"... R'lyeh is going to attack you, what do you plan to do?"
Haihara held Takanashi's very slender, icy hand. Kotori wasn't very strong, but she stood still and refused to move.
She turned her head and saw the thin, frail blonde girl with her face down, looking like a child.
The snow was quite heavy, so a thin layer of snowflakes accumulated on the girl's beautiful, soft hair.
Reaching out, Haihara stroked the girl's fragrant hair, brushed away the snowflakes, and casually replied:
"This doesn't seem to conflict with what I'm supposed to be doing. Wasn't I already planning to take revenge on the Kingdom?"
She used the same reason as before.
Takanashi Shiori reached out her other hand and grabbed Haihara with both hands, but she didn't move at all, remaining rooted to the spot.
A young girl's voice when she's down is like raindrops, like a wild cat drenched in rain—beautiful yet fragile.
"Well, we could find a place to hide together, hide for a long time or something... maybe then they won't bother you anymore... just maybe."
Her voice was soft and uncertain, and she spoke in a clumsy way that didn't sound like she would normally say.
Because her mind was completely blank right now.
Haihara, naturally, wore a puzzled but indifferent gaze.
"I'm going to make trouble for them. I'm not going to lose, and besides, I have a daughter to raise."
As Takanashi Shiori observed, even after transforming into this form, Haihara seemed to still yearn for her past life as a high school teacher, raising her daughter and teaching high school girls.
But given what's happening now, how can this kind of life possibly continue?
Do you really think that way?
Some snowflakes on Takanashi's hair melted from the warmth of the woman's hands, leaving it slightly damp. She raised her head, revealing a pale, rosy, indifferent, and forlorn face.
"Uh-huh."
Haihara hummed softly, raised two fingers, and pinched Takanashi's soft cheek.
"Let me hug you, okay? Can you listen to me?"
"Not good."
"Not even a kiss?"
Takanashi hoped, somewhat humbly, that what she said would be useful, or that the woman would be willing to indulge her whims, just as before.
But this time, the woman definitely didn't treat her like a cute child.
"It's not that useful. Come home with me."
Haihara left no room for maneuver.
Takanashi Shiori's gaze shifted from dark to bright, until finally, when she met Haihara's eyes, her voice rose slightly, her uncertainty turning into firmness, as she said—
"Then I won't go back. I have other things to do. Please let go of me."
In the previous few times, Takanashi Shiori always ended up going home with Haihara.
But this time, Haihara couldn't go against her daughter, with whom she actually didn't have much time to spend.
Of course, this is also related to Ms. Haihara's own willful and self-centered remarks.
But she can't change at all.
When she came to her senses, she saw that Takanashi Shiori had left her, and she didn't know where she was going, but she definitely wouldn't be coming home for dinner tonight.
If Haihara hadn't reflected on her words and actions before, she did feel a little regretful when she realized she had cooked too much dinner and no one was going to eat it for her.
"..."
On a snowy day in the park, on a slightly chilly street, a woman with long silver-gray hair stood alone, gazing at the deserted street scene with a calm expression. On a bench not far away, several stray cats seemed to like her very much, and even though they felt cold, they still came over affectionately and gently rubbed against Haihara's legs.
Haihara took a while to come to her senses, then squatted down and casually touched the stray cats that the Takanashi had fed.
The stray cat let out a low growl from the cold.
"... I was thinking that this time might not last long, so I wanted to spend a few more days like this."
The gray-haired woman muttered to herself.
Naively and frankly, she had originally hoped to play with the Takanashi for a few days.
After all, she didn't have much time.
But now, it seems she doesn't have many days to enjoy herself; few of these little ones cooperate with her.
"Boring."
The woman squatted down, petting the cat, one hand supporting her chin, and softly complaining.
I'll go find my former idol this weekend for some emotional comfort.
The next day was supposed to be another school day, but due to a heavy snowfall, Kaedehara High School was closed again.
When Ms. Haihara saw this message when she woke up in the morning, she turned over, pulled the thick blanket up a bit, and snuggled closer to Kazama Kiriori, who was sleeping with her in the blanket, intending to sleep soundly until she naturally woke up at noon.
Naturally, she didn't receive the various text messages for help that Ms. Kuroki Yuka sent later.
She's still in the house she lives in with Kazama Kiriori. Although it's only separated from her usual room by a portal, she's destined to never hear Kuroki Yuka's actually distant little theater.
On Kuroki Yuka's side, facing the chilly bedroom, she reluctantly stretched out a hand in her pajamas from under the covers. Her fingers, white with cold, tapped the screen and saw a text message informing her that there would be no class today.
Last night, due to some obvious worries, she went to bed a little late. In addition, she didn't get enough sleep because of school. So after hearing the news, Kuroki Yuka finally felt a little relieved.