About Becoming a Magical Girl Chapter 13

But...

This hairpin gave her a very strange feeling... The moment she held it in her hand, her heart stirred restlessly, and her blood seemed to boil.

It was as if something were about to burst out through her body.

She turned the hairpin over and found a faint line of text on the inner side of its back.

"Agent-Fifina."

An Unexpected Person

The morning performance had come to an end, and the afternoon was reserved for promotional events.

Efnir would attend the event as the representative of the Orderkeepers Organization. This had originally been Qinglan's job, but it had now fallen on Efnir's shoulders, as the only senior member with the longest tenure.

Of course, only temporarily.

Even Efnir could not take on that much work all at once.

Efnir was the spokesperson for the Orderkeepers Organization, and her appearance inherently carried a certain official nature. Several people in important positions would be attending this time, drawing a large number of media outlets. It felt a little reckless, but just like the emergence of agent idols, even the stubborn old-timers in this fragmented world had begun trying to seek change.

In the past, agents had not been such widely known figures.

A secret special operations force—perhaps that would have been a more fitting description.

Later, even after the existence of agents was made public, the public's judgment of them remained terrifyingly one-sided and negative. Back then, Yanase Naoto had not yet become Efnir. Something had happened then, something deliberately buried by the passage of time and long since completely erased from the internet.

Yet Efnir still vaguely knew that an agent had been involved in that incident, and that the actions this agent might have taken had sparked public condemnation. The details had never been fully revealed online. It had merely fermented across the internet like celebrity scandals, with endless conflicting claims. Though there was no concrete evidence, there was likewise no direct response saying, "Nothing like this ever happened."

In short, it had become something like a gray area of the internet. Because of that incident, after the existence of agents was announced, people's opinions of them generally could not escape mockery such as, "Irresponsible privileged-class lapdogs." Perhaps the organization's sudden idea to make Efnir an idol had also been meant to "wash away the stereotypical malicious image." Judging by the result, Efnir had become a hero in the eyes of the citizens. The project had clearly succeeded.

But in any case, after so many things had happened and so much effort had been made, it was only in the last two years that agents had truly been accepted by the public.

Efnir entered the preparation room and changed out of her performance outfit.

The gift bag Saori had brought was still on the coffee table, though it had somehow been knocked over.

Efnir thought for a moment, then set the gift bag upright.

"Huh?"

A strange feeling rose within her, and she picked up the bag suspiciously.

It was very light.

Though Efnir had not paid special attention to it, when Saori handed her the gift bag, it had not felt so completely empty.

Efnir opened the bag and looked inside.

An exquisite faux-wooden box.

The seal seemed to have been made with some kind of wax, carrying Rin's distinctive personal style. It was neatly sealed and did not look as though anyone had opened it.

An illusion?

The look in Saori's eyes when she left had been resolute to the point of unfamiliarity.

She must have been... disappointed. The senior she had admired all along was actually someone who hesitated and held back.

But no matter what, Efnir could not agree to Saori's request. Going against the person's wishes and stripping her of her identity as an agent—this was no longer a matter concerning just one person.

Many things could not be done simply because one wanted to do them and had the resolve to do so.

But explaining that to Saori now would not shake her determination at all. Efnir could only hope that time would give Saori the chance to think calmly.

Efnir sighed.

"So this is where you were!"

At that moment, Shinomiyami Nami's complaining voice came from behind her.

"I've been looking for you forever... You disappeared without a word after the performance. I thought you'd gone off somewhere again. What's wrong? Something on your mind?"

Efnir set down the gift bag.

She turned around and saw Shinomiyami Nami standing in the doorway, somehow already changed into her work uniform.

Black stockings, a fitted pencil skirt, and a tailored women's blazer. Her hair had been meticulously combed back, and her makeup had been reapplied a little more heavily. She looked completely different from before. This was what Shinomiyami Nami looked like as a manager.

Shinomiyami Nami looked Efnir up and down as well, tilting her head in surprise.

"Huh? You changed?"

"That outfit wasn't very convenient for moving around."

"That's true."

Shinomiyami Nami nodded in rare agreement.

Even so, Efnir was currently only maintaining the most basic level of Resonance. It consumed very little physical or mental energy, so her combat suit had not appeared. If she needed to enter a combat state, she only needed to resonate once more.

Since Efnir could receive a deployment mission at any time, conserving her strength was something she had to keep in mind. There was no way she could expend too much energy maintaining the complete Exile Form during a performance.

"By the way, Efnir, want to have lunch together?"

"Lunch... I don't mind."

Efnir hesitated slightly, then nodded.

Shinomiyami Nami had rarely made such a relatively normal invitation, and she had probably noticed Efnir's low mood and invited her out of consideration for her feelings.

It would have been too cold-hearted to refuse even that.

Shinomiyami Nami smiled faintly.

"Mm, that was decisive. Then I booked a nice dessert place. Let's go now."

"Mm... Hm? Hey, wait! Didn't you say lunch?"

"Huh? Don't you like it?"

"But! Even if I like it, nobody eats desserts as a main meal, right!? Besides, it's working hours!"

"Oh, right! Work!"

Shinomiyami Nami suddenly clapped her hands.

"That's right, I almost forgot. I also arranged to meet the new person in charge of the Fan Club."

"Wasn't that supposed to be in the afternoon...?"

"The afternoon needs to be left for the meeting, right? There's no time. If you think hastily catching a glimpse of each other from afar before a meeting, without even having a face-to-face conversation, counts as meeting, then that's way too perfunctory, isn't it? Your fans would cry. Since she's the current person in charge and someone you'll be seeing often in the future, it would be better to get acquainted. That's advice from your manager. And besides..."

Shinomiyami Nami gave a sly smile.

"That girl is absolutely adorable. I think you really ought to meet her."

"What does cute have to do with me...?"

Efnir raised an eyebrow, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

It might have been shameless to praise herself, but Efnir could say with complete confidence that aside from her younger sister, no one else would ever make her heart waver.

Fifteen minutes later.

The dessert shop Shinomiyami Nami had booked was outside the venue. It was rather luxurious and fashionable, belonging to a recently popular brand that had been receiving a great deal of attention.

Efnir got out of the car and headed into the shop with Shinomiyami Nami.

The shop was already full.

Despite the scorching weather outside, it was especially cool indoors. From inside, they could see the dessert stand outside selling soft-serve cones and ice cream.

There was a long line outside the dessert stand, but the interior was very quiet.

"If you don't have a reservation, you can't get a seat just by taking a number on the spot. You can only settle for buying some ice cream bars and cones from the dessert stand to cool off."

Shinomiyami Nami seemed to have been here many times and explained things with practiced ease.

Although Efnir had never quite gotten used to Shinomiyami Nami's erratic way of doing things, there was no doubt that Shinomiyami Nami had always been very capable when it came to handling work.

The atmosphere inside the shop was comfortable. If one wanted to eat and relax at noon, this was indeed a good choice.

The music was soothing and relaxing, while the lighting was a lazy, warm color. The customers seemed to have all switched into a leisurely mood at once.

But the tranquility was immediately shattered by Efnir's arrival.

"Hey, hey... Look outside... Could that be...?"

Though she had changed into an outfit that was not especially eye-catching, people immediately began looking at Efnir.

"Is that... Efnir?"

"The real one? Seriously???"

It was only natural for Efnir to be noticed. Like pouring fuel onto blazing flames, the customers' cheers ignited in an instant.

"Efnir!!!"

Voices rose one after another, and the once quiet shop suddenly became a complete mess.

Since occasional public appearances were also a regular part of her work, Efnir was well practiced at responding to her fans' enthusiasm.

After much effort, they finally reached the top floor.

Shinomiyami Nami had reserved this entire level long in advance. From here, they could see the distant West Capital Tower, nearly half the city, and the venue. Most importantly, all around them were countless pastries and fruits of every kind.

It was simply a paradise of desserts.

Efnir really did love sweets.

Before she became Efnir, she had not actually liked them much.

But after becoming a girl, it was as though she had been possessed. Her hobbies had been pushed all at once from games, novels, and manga straight into the abyss of snacks and pastries. In short, though Efnir would never say it aloud, she truly liked Shinomiyami Nami's arrangements.

"Hey, don't just stare at the food."

Shinomiyami Nami smiled inscrutably and nudged Efnir with her elbow.

"Tch... Who's staring?"

"You're practically about to stick your face into that cream, and you still won't let me say it?"

Efnir pulled her gaze away from the enormous egg tart and shot Shinomiyami Nami a glare.

"Forget it. Aren't we here to meet the person in charge? Where is she?"

"There, look."

Efnir looked in the direction Shinomiyami Nami indicated.

Before the wide floor-to-ceiling windows, a girl in a pale blue dress stood quietly and elegantly. Holding a small slice of cherry cake, she leaned slightly over the window, nervously looking down at something.

Noticing Efnir and Shinomiyami Nami's footsteps, she turned around. Her clear gaze met Efnir's.

"Yu... Yukina???"

Efnir froze on the spot, her sister's name nearly slipping from her lips.

"I told you before. You would definitely like her."

Shinomiyami Nami's voice drifted over.

Efnir stood there dumbfounded, her expression growing stranger and stranger—Yukina held no lowly position in the Fan Club, but Efnir had never imagined that this temporary new agent would be Yukina.

At that moment, Efnir suddenly understood everything. From the very beginning, Shinomiyami Nami's meaningful smile had made it obvious that she had known about this all along.

Efnir and Yukina

"Aren't you going to go say hello?"

Shinomiyami Nami urged her on with shining eyes, as though she had won the lottery jackpot.

Efnir silently looked at the flattered Yukina.