Like a Date

(Sun Yao)

Not as Sun Yao, nor as the Magical Girl Ceruno, but as an ordinary girl dragged out shopping by my friend Yezi.

"It's so hot. Why are we even going out in weather like this... Ow?! What'd you hit me for?!"

The complaint had barely left my mouth before Yezi smacked me on the head.

"Hey, hey. You were the one who said you wanted to undergo 'femininity training,' weren't you? How come you're already whining the moment we stepped outside?"

Yezi seemed utterly helpless when it came to me.

He wore a plain white cotton T-shirt with a light-colored short-sleeved shirt over it. His signature sports wristband was around his wrist, and he looked clean and refreshing overall.

Even though he hung around with me all day, he hadn't picked up any shut-in habits. His personality was also bright and cheerful.

Maybe that was the bonus impression good looks gave you?

If I were as handsome as Yezi, I definitely wouldn't have become some shut-in either.

"But it really is hot! It has to be forty degrees today, right? I'm sweating all over... Yezi, I sweat really easily here, and it gets smelly too..."

I pointed at the valley between my breasts as I said that, only to earn an eye roll from Yezi.

"Huh? Why are you telling me this?"

"Eh? I thought you'd want to know. Aren't you interested in this topic?"

"...I'd rather you had a little more self-respect."

"Hehe~"

He was embarrassed.

Because of the heat, I tugged at my skirt again, trying to create a breeze with the fluttering fabric. The results were minimal.

"Ahem." Yezi cleared his throat twice.

Only then did I realize that my rather unladylike movements had attracted the attention of quite a few passersby.

Realizing that, I awkwardly lowered my skirt and pressed it down.

I didn't mind teasing Yezi, but I had no interest in being ogled like a scoop of ice cream.

"What a bunch of perverts. Am I really that eye-catching? Still, girls are more sensitive to heat than guys... Oh, thanks."

Sweat had begun seeping from my forehead and back. Yezi handed me a bottle of water at just the right moment, even unscrewing the cap for me.

"Stop complaining. The shopping street's just a little farther."

"But I'm covered in sweat. I'm going to stink all over!"

"Hm? Do you stink?"

The moment I said that, he suddenly leaned over and sniffed the top of my head.

"It's fine. You actually smell pretty nice. Not stinky at all."

"Wha—fuck!"

I froze for a second before violently shoving him away and backing up another three steps in disgust.

"W-what are you saying?! How can you do something that perverted so naturally?!"

His actions had genuinely startled me, and my heart had even started pounding faster.

Yezi just shrugged like it was no big deal.

"Besides, you're not wearing makeup, so you don't need to worry about it running. A little sweat doesn't matter, right? Or have you become more feminine in that regard too?"

It sounded reasonable at first, but I quickly caught on.

"Wait, no! Even men hate getting all smelly! That doesn't prove I'm becoming feminine! And you wouldn't wear clothes that got sour from sweat either, would you? When I was A-Yao, you wouldn't come over and sniff me like that, would you? Sophistry!"

Even though I had exposed him, Yezi looked at me with amusement.

"Your brain's gotten sharper, huh? I can't fool you anymore."

"You're awful!"

After being teased like that, I couldn't help raising my hand and punching his arm, just like a real little girl would.

Considering a Magical Girl's superhuman strength, I had to carefully control my force to keep from breaking his bones with my little fists. Even so, he exaggeratedly cried out, "Ow, ow, ow! I'll buy you ice cream, okay? Stop hitting me!"

"Oh! Okay!"

At the mention of food, my mouth agreed before my brain could react.

After thinking it over, I changed my mind. "Uh, no, Yezi, don't pay. Don't forget, I made a huge amount of money yesterday!"

After taking down that horned Tiger Monster that had been named Thunder God, the Association had transferred a hefty bounty into the account they had set up for me. Magical Girls truly had no need to worry about money. As long as they stayed active, they generally never lacked food or clothing. Even if no Monsters appeared for a while, the Association paid Magical Girls a monthly living allowance, so getting by was never a problem.

Of course, some Magical Girls had especially strong desires for money, and the Association's bounties weren't enough to satisfy them. They took commercials, endorsements, and other commercial jobs... That was common too. At least, I had no such plans for now.

But even Magical Girls couldn't endure extreme heat. Beads of sweat slid down my spine, while sweat beneath my chest trickled down my lower abdomen, making my sensitive skin itch.

Fortunately, the shopping street wasn't far from the apartment building. Its bright red archway was already in sight. I could grit my teeth and endure this little distance.

"Ceruno, I have a question."

Yezi, who had been walking ahead, suddenly turned around.

I had been hiding in his shadow the whole time. When he stopped so suddenly, I crashed headfirst into his equally sweat-soaked back...

As a result, I caught that scent of his that I really couldn't bring myself to dislike.

I raised a hand to wipe away sweat, hiding my embarrassed expression.

"W-what question?"

"Can your Magic Membrane block out heat?"

"...You mean using bubble film as insulation?"

Yezi nodded, and I rubbed my chin as I considered it.

"Insulation isn't a problem, but then my body heat wouldn't be able to escape either. Wouldn't that be bad too?"

"Can't you make it only let heat out and not in?"

"One-way? I can't do that. My bubbles aren't that convenient."

Yezi still didn't understand my magic well enough.

I could stop thermal radiation from "passing through" my bubbles, but that included both entering and leaving. For a human body that needed to constantly dissipate heat to maintain its temperature, wrapping it in insulating material to cool down was obviously a terrible idea—unless I covered myself in insulating bubbles before leaving the apartment.

Though the idea was impractical, I still teased him. "But why are you always thinking about my magic? You used to say all the time that you weren't interested in Magical Girls."

He really had said that.

Whenever I tried to recommend my favorite Magical Girls to him, especially Miluno, he would show an impatient, disdainful expression. Yet after I became a Magical Girl, he seemed even more concerned about it than I was.

"Idiot, I really am not interested in Magical Girls."

He turned around and put a hand on my shoulder.

"The person I'm worried about is you."

"Me?"

"You still haven't even figured out how to fight properly. As your friend, how could I watch you go into battle without worrying?"

He cared about me.

Realizing that filled me with genuine joy. It was truly wonderful that I had met him in this life. Without him by my side, I had no idea what I might have become over these past few years.

"Hehe, that's my best bro."

I was definitely wearing a stupid grin right then.

"All I can do is put some extra thought into this kind of thing for you."

An archway stood at the entrance to the shopping street. A covered canopy enclosed the hundred-meter-long street, blocking the sun while trapping the cool air leaking from the shops on both sides. It was much cooler than outside, which was why it was packed with tourists.

"Come on, let's get ice cream~"

He patted my shoulder and took the lead in pushing open the door to a dessert shop by the roadside.

But I noticed it too. He had originally wanted to pat my head, but after a brief hesitation, he placed his hand on my shoulder instead.

And it wasn't the first time he had struggled with that.

Did he think the sweat on my head was gross?

No, that wasn't it. He thought bros could throw their arms around each other's shoulders, but they couldn't pat each other on the head. If he put his hand on my head, the nature of that action would be different.

Yezi still wanted to treat me as a brother, and that was only right. Even though I understood that in my heart, whenever I came into contact with him, thoughts I shouldn't have began to grow inside me, making me feel strange.

I was only a girl temporarily, after all...

"Idiot, how long are you going to stand at the door?"

"Oh! Coming."

Only after Yezi urged me did I hurriedly enter the dessert shop. The air conditioning swept away the scorching heat, and the sweat made the coolness feel even more refreshing.

"Whew, that feels good! Feels amazing!"

"Go sit down. I'll buy it for you."

I nodded and replied, "Okay, then I'll give you the money later."

"Idiot, I'm not so broke that I can't afford ice cream."

"Hehe, then when you run out of money in the future, I'll make money and support you."

"Hmph, letting you keep me as some pretty boy? I'm not that lacking in ambition."

In response to my joke, he smiled and tapped my forehead before turning toward the counter.

Watching his back, it kind of felt like we were on a date?

"Hehehe~"

Grinning stupidly, I found a seat near the air conditioning and muttered to myself, "But lacking in ambition? If some Magical Girl were really willing to support me, I'd be willing a million times over... Preferably Miss Miluno, heh."

I understood in my heart that, judging by Miss Heat Haze's disgusted attitude, Miluno probably wouldn't like someone like Sun Yao—me—either.

So it was nothing more than a shut-in's fantasy about his idol.