About Becoming a Magical Girl

"Ah, right! Speaking of that..."

Saori came over to Efnir's side, clutching the paper gift bag in her hands.

"This is a gift Rin asked me to deliver to you, senpai!"

Efnir looked somewhat stunned.

"Huh? Rin... she..."

"Rin is doing well now."

Saori covered her mouth and smiled, her eyes curving into crescents.

"I went to visit her at the hospital this morning. She's doing well now, so please don't worry too much, senpai. It's just that she's still in isolation, so she couldn't come watch your performance. She seemed... really upset about it."

Though Rin was not Efnir's fan in the conventional sense, she admired Efnir greatly.

Rin was carefree, yet earnest and hardworking. In a sense, she and Efnir had once been in a superior-subordinate relationship. But when it came to certain combat techniques, Efnir could also be considered Rin's teacher.

Of course, this "teacher" did not carry the same meaning as the one Fengling Shiyin used.

What Efnir taught Rin was how to handle and use weapons and Order Force. For Fengling Shiyin, whose fighting style was completely different, Efnir taught her how to choose and adapt strategies against different kinds of Erosion Entities.

"Is that so... If she's recovered her spirits... I hope she gets better soon..."

Efnir paused, then smiled again.

"Next time, when Rin gets out of the hospital, be sure to invite her to watch my performance."

"We definitely will! Rin and I will definitely come to your next performance, senpai!"

Saori beamed as she set down the gift bag in her hand.

There was still some time before the performance began. After a brief silence between them, Saori suddenly said, "Um... actually, senpai, there's one more... very important thing I want to ask you to help with..."

Saori lowered her gaze deeply. Her black hair fell over her forehead, and Efnir could not see her expression.

"It's... about Rin..."

Efnir turned her gaze toward her.

Saori seemed quiet and easygoing, but in truth, she was fiercely competitive and independent.

Perhaps it was because she had lived in an orphanage ever since childhood... But in any case, this was the first time Efnir had heard words like "please" and "request" from her.

"It's all right. As long as it's within my ability, don't hesitate to tell me."

"Mm..."

Saori's voice was as faint as a firefly's glow.

As though she had made up her mind, she took a deep breath.

"Could I ask you, senpai... to revoke Rin's... status as an 'Agent'..."

"Hm?"

Saori's request was completely beyond Efnir's expectations, and she froze slightly.

The existence of Agents involved far too many confidential matters, so certain aspects were particularly strict.

Moreover, relinquishing one's status as an Agent was no easy matter. Once someone had Resonated with Order, her body no longer belonged entirely to herself.

Her power, her flesh, and her soul all existed through Order. No longer Resonating meant permanent severance. The result was a gradual slide toward loss, like disconnecting from a storage drive and losing access to Order. Her ability to Resonance with Order would slowly fade, and at the same time, her memories from her time as an Agent would rapidly disappear.

In other words, both her physical abilities and memories would regress to the point before she became an Agent.

It would also have an enormous negative impact on her body.

And besides...

"Revoke... her status? You mean, remove her from the ranks of the Agents...?"

"Yes..."

Saori answered softly, yet resolutely.

Efnir looked at Saori, while Saori turned her gaze away. Efnir remained silent for a while, then sighed softly to herself.

"Mm... If this is Shiina Rin's own wish, I'll help submit the application."

Because Qinglan and the others had died or gone missing, the Agents were desperately short on combat power. Several of those who remained were juniors with less than a year of experience.

Rationally speaking, this was not the time to allow Shiina Rin to leave the Agents. But Efnir did not want to see these younger girls' lives vanish in that way.

Besides, Shiina Rin had been severely infected. She would likely find it difficult to return to the roster as a combatant within the next month.

If Shiina Rin wanted to leave, Efnir would never force her to stay.

"Later, I'll have Nami deliver the materials needed for the application to you. If possible, within four days..."

"I'm sorry, senpai..."

Saori interrupted Efnir.

"What is it?"

"Actually... Rin never said she wanted to leave. This is only my personal request..."

Saori lowered her head, while Efnir took a second to process what Saori meant.

Efnir frowned slightly.

"You mean..."

"You know Rin's personality too, senpai. She would never say something like 'I want to leave'... Even if I begged her, she wouldn't agree to give up being an Agent."

Saori's expression was bitter. Beneath her bangs, she bit her lip until it turned pale.

"But... senpai, you saw it too. Shiina Rin's condition means she can no longer keep fighting. She's exhausted. She needs to rest... Senpai, Rin is more important to me than my own life. No matter what, I don't want to see her collapse in front of me again..."

Saori's voice trembled. Efnir pressed her lips together and listened quietly.

In the great battle a few days ago, Rin had taken on the interception of nearly every Erosion Entity in an entire sector. But during the fighting, Rin had lost Synchronization from exhaustion, and then suffered severe infection when she was surrounded by Erosion Entities. To Saori, who had been transferred to the rear Defense Line due to her injuries, it felt like an accusation against her.

When she saw Rin being carried into the operating room covered in blood, Saori had cried herself hoarse. These past few days, she had stayed by Rin's side at the hospital every day.

"So... Efnir-senpai, I'm asking you to help me... As long as Rin can retire from being an Agent, I'll do anything you ask... I'll also work twice as hard and fill the gap Rin leaves behind with my own hands!"

"This kind of thing..."

After hearing Saori out, Efnir shook her head gently. Once, Efnir had thought the same way. She knew just how difficult this would be.

And that was not even the problem.

"Saori, you know what leaving the Orderkeepers means, don't you? This requires her own consent, as well as approval from headquarters."

"Of course I know!"

Saori stubbornly kept her head lowered.

"Since you know that..."

Efnir looked at Saori's darkened eyes and sighed softly.

"I'm sorry, but this must be confirmed by Shiina Rin herself no matter what. I can't strip her of her Agent status by disregarding her wishes, so... I can't help you."

"S-Senpai... You're the only one who can help me..."

"That isn't the issue... I can try to persuade her for you, but this cannot be done against her own wishes."

"I've already tried persuading her so many times!"

Efnir pressed her lips together, then sat beside Saori and gently took Saori's hands in hers.

Saori's shoulders trembled.

"Saori, can you tell me why? Tell me what you truly think."

"I'm scared... I'm scared Rin will never come back..."

"Rin will be all right."

Efnir tightly held Saori's cold, trembling hands. She leaned closer and soothed her slowly.

"She is an Agent. As long as Mutation does not occur, she won't be assimilated into Dregs. She'll come back."

"I know she'll come back... But, senpai... it's because she'll come back that I'm afraid..."

Efnir pressed her lips together without saying a word. Saori clenched her fingers tightly, her voice shaking beyond her control.

"Senpai... You understand better than I do, don't you... What awaits us Agents at the end of the road we walk... Whether it's revenge, protection, innocence, or impulsiveness, after rain comes sunshine, the sun rises in the morning, moonlight falls at night. All Rin wants is an ordinary day like that... You understand that too, don't you, senpai... But... if... if she keeps fighting like that... Rin... Rin will definitely..."

She would definitely die.

It was something that could be understood immediately, even without being said aloud.

"I... I just don't want Rin to... become like Shiyin... become like Qinglan-senpai..."

"To leave me behind..."

"I could never bear that..."

"I don't dare imagine it..."

"I can't lose her... Even if I take her place, even if she forgets me, it's fine if I have to bear her battles, her life, everything for her... Senpai... please, as long as you can help me..."

The air turned cold and silent.

"Even so, that still..."

Efnir looked at Saori without a word. For a long time, she could not say what came next. Saori waited silently before slowly speaking.

"Senpai... Even if this is only my one-sided wish, it's sincere. Please, you have to help me..."

Every word Saori spoke struck Efnir in the chest.

But...

"I'm sorry..."

Efnir released Saori's hands.

"Senpai..."

Saori lifted her head and stared at her blankly.

Efnir raised a hand and gently wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes.

"I can't help you with this."

Efnir sighed.

The light in Saori's eyes flickered uncertainly. She looked up at Efnir, and only after a long while did she lower her gaze.

"I... understand... I'm sorry for saying something strange to you, senpai. Please forget it..."

"Saori..."

At that moment, the door was pushed open, and Shinomiyami Nami appeared outside.

"Efnir, the performance... is about to begin~"

The Beginning

At this time of year, holding a performance in the blazing midday sun was honestly rather malicious.

Scorching sunlight, freely flowing sweat.

Where crowds gathered, heat accumulated. The open venue had become a furnace.

Beneath the erected stage, Efnir stood upright and stared ahead.

Though she could not see much from below the stage, cheers crashed over her like summer heat waves and poured into her ears.

She made one final adjustment to her headset, and Shinomiyami Nami's voice came through.

"What a grand occasion, Efnir-chan~"

"Don't call me that."

"Don't be so distant. Isn't that what your fans like to call you?"