Leaving Xiyintang.
Chris drove Azura and me toward the quarantine zone exit.
I hesitated in the passenger seat for quite a while before speaking.
"Miss Chris..."
But she asked first, "Do you think I talked too much?"
"No. You were far better prepared than I was before coming here. I only thought about confirming their intentions, then deciding when to 'smuggle' them to the branch. I didn't consider that they needed help beyond that... Their circumstances are terrible. Even if they don't trust us, we should still show them more concern."
Before being turned into Negative Variants, they had merely been ordinary civilians. After escaping the laboratory, they must have endured hardships unlike anything they had experienced before.
When people were at their lowest point, even a little concern could become salvation and protect their hearts from being consumed.
I had met them twice, yet I hadn't done anything for them...
Azura leaned her chest out from the back seat again, bouncing as she said:
"But being able to reach an agreement was thanks to Big Sister's reputation! Without your good name as a hero, they wouldn't have trusted you so easily, right?"
"Unfortunately, I'm not much of a real hero."
Chris consoled me. "There's no need to belittle yourself, Miluno. Many people in that battle deserved to be called heroes, and you, who fought with all your strength, were unquestionably a legend among them."
A legend... a magical girl?
Twelve years ago, the seven magical girls who saved the world... Sirius and SpiCa had been granted that special honor. Did someone like me, who hadn't managed to save anything, really deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as them?
Then again...
Did this instant translation software even quote idioms?
"Still, Miss Chris, I'm surprised you didn't bring up