Heat Haze's Invasion

(Sun Yao)

"Hualun Haite?"

The purple-haired girl split into two lolis in front of me.

"Uh-huh!"

"Um."

They both nodded, but their tones were completely different.

"So you're all one person? There are even magical girls like this!"

Splitting into two? That's even stranger than me, a boy turned magical girl!

A cute girl in ancient costume, dressed in red and blue.

These two little girls are even shorter than me.

"That's right! You didn't expect that, did you!"

"We are Twins magical girls, split from a single Star Crystal."

"Wait, why did you say it was so long!?"

"You're always the one who starts things; it's exhausting for me to keep up with you."

The two even bicker.

They do not share a unified consciousness when they are in their magical girl form.

I asked, "Um, could you change back first?"

"No problem! Oh, do you prefer us the way we are?"

"I see. So Ceruno prefers older women..."

No, it's just that talking to two people at the same time gives me a headache.

However, they obediently deactivated their transformations and merged back into the purple-haired young lady.

Fahrenheit.

She reached out and pinched my cheek.

"My name is a combination of Hualun and Haite."

"Oh? You're a foreigner?"

No, of course not.

But the name is...

"That's my stage name; that's what I do normally."

As we left the locker room, she handed me a business card, which seemed to have been taken directly from the Star Crystal; it appeared in her palm with a flick of her wrist.

The profession listed on the business card is...

"Magician?"

She smiled and said definitively, "Hmm~ I know what you're thinking, but I didn't use the Star Crystal when I handed over the business card. That's a magic trick. After all, you can't use the Star Crystal after you've deactivated your transformation, right?"

Without transforming, one cannot use the space within the Star Crystal; this is common knowledge among magical girls.

"Do magicians work in places like circuses?"

"Although I'm a magician, I'm also an independent entertainer. I work for myself, and I negotiate commercial performances wherever they are. If I sign a contract, I make money. But after becoming a magical girl, this part of my income is much more flexible."

Is it like being your own agent? Miss Fahrenheit was already outstanding before becoming a magical girl... Most of the magical girls chosen by the Star Crystal are like this.

"Is Miss Fahrenheit here alone?" I asked.

"No, I also have companions who came with me."

"And... you know I didn't come alone?"

"Of course, you don't look like the kind of person who would come to a place like this alone."

And that is indeed the case.

"Hey, Ceruno! Don't run around like that!"

At the locker room door, Miss Jila waved to me from the front, while Heat Haze rushed over, eyeing Miss Fahrenheit warily.

"And who is this? How come you're being watched just for changing your clothes?"

"..."

I think she looks like Miss Fahrenheit.

He looked at her, asking if she wanted her identity to be revealed.

However, the latter embraced Heat Haze, who was wearing a yukata, with the same enthusiasm.

"Huh? Eh!"

I'm suffering from Heat Haze) and I don't know what to do.

"Isn't this Xiao Heat Haze? Has your body recovered?"

"You're mostly healed, but you'll have to maintain your magical girl form for a while... wait, who are you anyway?!"

Are we going to have to go through that blind guessing game again?

Since it's impossible for anyone to guess correctly, I'll just reveal the answer directly.

"Miss Fahrenheit, stop playing coy. No one could possibly guess your identity, right?"

"Hmm, Ceruno's a bit of a spoilsport, isn't she? It's rather rude to solve the magician's riddle right away!"

The air conditioner that could perform magic tricks suddenly became serious.

"... sorry."

Now that the name has been revealed, Heat Haze has also found the answer.

"Fahrenheit? Wait, are they twins?"

"Are you disappointed that the twins are actually the same person?"

Heat Haze glanced at me.

"Magical girls really come in all shapes and sizes, split in two? You're even rarer than those animal magical girls... Could you give me a performance?"

"This Photography Park is full of surveillance cameras, so there's no way to perform except in the dressing room. Maybe another day... By the way, do you guys know about the 'Supernova Idol Festival'?"

Seeing that both Heat Haze and Miss Jila shook their heads, Miss Fahrenheit looked at me.

"I know... Yezi even signed me up."

"Huh? Ceruno, you signed up too?"

At first, he was surprised, then his expression changed to one of sudden realization.

"Oh! I forgot, you're an idol! I'll be participating in that talent show too, then we'll be rivals~"

"Will magicians participate in idol auditions?"

"It's all about starting a side business? Anyone who's a magical girl can participate! The auditions are the day after tomorrow, but with our magical girl abilities, we're all basically guaranteed to pass... In the end, not many people will sign up, since there aren't many magical girls to begin with."

"Any magical girl will do? Can we apply too?"

Jila asked.

"Yes, you must be Miss Falcon? We're about the same age, and both are magical girls who aren't girls anymore, so we must have a lot in common."

"Actually, this guy Heat Haze is also... gulp!"

Heat Haze, in her magical girl form, delivered a powerful Old Spinning Fist to the stomach of the mortal Jila.

"Cough cough cough! Yoko, do you want to kill me?!"

"Don't be nosy. A magical girl's age is a secret. After all, if we're all considered older magical girls, what is Director SpiCa then?"

Miss Fahrenheit blurted out, "Hmm, an elderly magical girl?"

"Puff..."

I couldn't help but burst out laughing.

When they looked at me, they smiled.

Ignoring my stomachache, Miss Jila pressed her hands against my cheeks, kneading them vigorously like dough, and said, "Our little sister is a perfectly healthy seventeen years old, come and let your older sisters pamper her a bit~"

As he spoke, he prepared to report it again.

"Wait a minute! This is a public place! And I am—"

Dejected, Heat Haze left the Photography Park, bid farewell to Miss Fahrenheit, and prepared to return to her "Matchbox".

Miss Jila went to get her photos developed, while Heat Haze and I waited in front of the park gate.

"I had a lot of fun this afternoon."

Heat Haze, with his hands behind his back, smiled at me and said, "Ceruno, I wish you could stay like this forever. Although you're not very confident, you're much more open now than before."

Standing under the colorful lights, she looked so beautiful when she smiled.

But...

"I can't agree to that."

"It's alright, take your time. Time will show you just how big the gap is between ordinary people and magical girls... Then you'll make the right choice."

Then.

She leaned down slightly and gave me a light peck on the cheek.

Chirp--

"Huh?!"

"I love you, Ceruno."

Her eyes gleamed with a strange light as she pinched the spot where she had kissed him.

But I only like you as you are now.