On Becoming a Magical Girl

Now, she was Efnir, not Yanase Naoto. Yukina could not possibly recognize her. The initiative was on her side; as long as she handled this properly and did not reveal any flaws, there would be no problem.

She did not immediately go up to greet Yukina. Instead, she cast Shinomiyami Nami a meaningful look.

"Why are you looking at me?"

Shinomiyami Nami smiled slyly, pretending not to know anything, though the smugness in her eyes was plain to see.

"I told you before—you'd definitely like her."

"You never said she was my little sister."

Honestly, Efnir did not want to face this scene. Even though Yukina did not know her true identity, the closer Yukina came to "her," the more the unease inside her swelled like a waterlogged sponge.

Efnir had her concerns.

Shiomi Yukina, her younger sister, was an exceptionally rare "Absolute Compatible Candidate." Only two people should have known that: the former commander-in-chief and Efnir herself.

To explain it all properly, they would perhaps have to trace things back to a time long, long ago. Too much had happened in between. In short, Efnir had taken Yukina's place, joining the Orderkeepers as the mistakenly identified "Absolute Compatible Candidate" and becoming an "Agent."

As for Shiomi Yukina... she had been thoroughly hidden away as Efnir's most important secret. Strictly speaking, that secret had also been an agreement between Efnir and that person. Naturally, the terms of their exchange and the details of the agreement could not be summed up in a few simple words. But after weighing the pros and cons, that "contract" had been made.

It was a secret pact unknown to others.

Many people only knew that Efnir's position within the Orderkeepers was not as simple as it appeared, but few knew the exact reason. In truth, that agreement had also cast its shadow over all of this.

But the current situation...

Perhaps concern had thrown her into confusion. Chaotic thoughts filled her mind, and Efnir could not make a judgment.

She took a shallow breath, suppressed the turmoil in her heart, and looked at Shinomiyami Nami with an expressionless, questioning gaze.

"Shinomiyami Nami... You didn't already know, did you?"

"You mean Yukina-chan?"

Efnir nodded lightly.

"I was the one who got your fan club going, so of course I knew already."

Shinomiyami Nami stuck out her tongue and gave a playful smile that completely clashed with her outfit.

"But let me make this clear beforehand: I never interfered with the support group. She became its leader not because of her relationship with you, but entirely through her own ability."

Shinomiyami Nami spread her hands, decisively absolving herself of responsibility.

"I was surprised too when I met her back then."

Efnir stared intently at Shinomiyami Nami. She could not easily read her thoughts from her expression, but she did not seem to be lying.

"Um... You don't seem very happy?"

"Maybe."

"Hey, that means you're unhappy..."

She really was unhappy.

Yet for some reason, she also felt a small thrill—so Yukina had dressed herself so carefully before leaving that morning not for someone else, but for her. It felt like the joy of recovering something precious that had been lost.

"Never mind. This is not the time to keep chatting. I'll sort out what happened today myself later."

Efnir turned and walked toward Yukina.

"Hey, hey! Wait for me..."

Shinomiyami Nami followed behind Efnir. At that moment, a faint, discordant vibration came from her pocket. She took out her phone, and the screen showed an incoming call request from headquarters.

"Huh? At a time like this?"

"What is it?"

Efnir asked.

"It's a call from headquarters..."

"Headquarters?"

Efnir's expression tightened slightly.

"Could it be Corruption?"

"I don't know. But since they did not contact you first thing, it is probably something else... You know, there have been a lot of things lately because of the headquarters reconstruction work..."

Shinomiyami Nami looked somewhat annoyed, but she promptly composed herself.

"So, I'm very sorry, but please excuse me for a moment."

"Go ahead."

Shinomiyami Nami glanced at the girl by the window, then shifted her gaze to Efnir before turning and leaving.

Efnir silently watched Shinomiyami Nami's retreating figure, her expression unreadable.

Today...

It was the second time she had faced Yukina as Efnir.

Now, she was Efnir, not "Yanase Naoto." With that thought, Efnir took a deep breath and steadied herself.

In the blink of an eye, she put on that smile known for its cuteness.

Though she was only a half-baked idol, Efnir had studied this level of expression management properly, no matter what.

Ten minutes earlier.

Holding her number card, Yukina followed a pretty waitress to the top floor.

This was the place Shinomiyami Nami had reserved in advance, and Yukina waited here.

Though it was "temporary," she still had to properly carry out her work as the support group leader. Taking this opportunity, Shinomiyami Nami had arranged for Yukina to meet Efnir.

Yukina sat quietly by the window, unable to hide her excitement. On her phone, the fan group chat had already exploded.

A friend sent her a message.

"Yukina, Yukina! Can you secretly take a picture? Please, I'm begging you... QAQ"

Yukina covered her mouth and chuckled, her fingers lightly tapping the screen as she wondered how to reply.

If she could, she naturally wanted to secretly take a few close-up pictures of Efnir. But that would be rude, so she would not do it.

She had already made up her mind that she had to ask for a selfie together. This opportunity might only come once in her lifetime, so no matter what, she needed to leave herself some kind of memento.

After waiting for a while, Yukina's gaze began to wander as she took in the dessert shop.

This dessert shop... was huge and luxurious. That was Yukina's first impression.

The top floor had an ingenious dish-shaped design. The panoramic windows slanted outward, blocking the harsh sunlight while offering an excessively open view. The serving area displayed all kinds of desserts and fruit, while the pastry chefs skillfully brought out freshly baked egg tarts and flaky pastries.

If needed, they could also provide noodles, Western food, or rice dishes. The service was exceptionally attentive.

The air overflowed with sweet fragrance and gentle music. Elegance and warmth were woven together in a wonderfully strange way, making it difficult to imagine how the desserts here might taste.

When she was little, Shiomi Yukina had also been especially fond of desserts. Yet even though she had never lacked pocket money, she had never visited a place like this—much less met the Efnir she admired here.

It was like a date with her first love.

While it left her excited and eager, it also made her somewhat restrained. Every movement became cautious and careful.

She could not help worrying... It was hot in the venue, so she had sweated a lot. Did she... smell? Did her makeup... need touching up? Her collar and hair accessories had not gotten messed up by accident, had they?

Wild thoughts filled her mind.

And... because she had been sulking with her brother, she had eaten very little for breakfast. Watching the performance that morning and managing the fan group had also drained a great deal of her energy. Yukina's stomach ached with hunger.

She had finally gotten the chance to meet her idol. If she ate too much, it would be embarrassing...

But if she ate too little, there was still so much to do that afternoon. Yukina's stamina was not very good to begin with. What if her idol saw her make a fool of herself because she ran out of strength? She was supposed to be the leader, yet she could not even handle the leader's duties. Wouldn't she cause trouble for Efnir and Miss Shinomiyami Nami?

Yukina had once gone to gym class on an empty stomach and fainted afterward—unlike her brother, Yanase Naoto, Yukina had always been physically frail.

The more she thought about it, the more worried she became.

She sent a message asking her friend for advice, and the other girl replied quickly.

"I'll teach you a little trick. Whenever I go to a good friend's house, I fill my stomach a little beforehand. Then it won't look like I eat too much!"

I see!

Yukina nodded deeply in agreement. She had to admit, it really was a good idea.

She looked around, then checked the time.

Miss Shinomiyami Nami had said earlier that it would still be a little while before they arrived.

No time to lose.

With that in mind, Yukina found a waitress and had her bring over a small slice of cake.

Suddenly, a commotion and cheers rose from downstairs. Still holding her plate, Yukina curiously moved to the window and looked down.

She did not see anything, but a great many people had gathered there.

Yukina opened her phone, but there was no message from Shinomiyami Nami.

At that moment.

The elevator chimed crisply, and footsteps sounded behind her.

"...Weren't we here to meet the leader?"

A girl's voice said something, her tone like wind chimes swaying on a summer night.

Yukina instinctively turned around, then... froze like a statue.

Shiomi Yukina looked like a thief who had been caught red-handed.

She had arranged to meet someone important, yet had "snuck food" first—and then been caught in the act. What was this? Would they look down on her?

Watching Efnir walk toward her, Yukina felt so embarrassed that she wanted to crawl into a crack in the floor. She clutched the tiny plate in her hands, unable to either hold it up or hide it away.

She forced out a stiff smile.

"Um... H-hello... N-nice to meet you... I'm..."

The unexpected turn of events made Yukina forget the lines she had memorized so thoroughly. No matter how hard she tried to remember, her mind was completely blank, and her face felt as though it had been scalded by boiling water.

By now, she was probably red all the way to the base of her neck.

Like a tomato.

This was so lame.

Really, unbelievably lame.

She was never like this normally, yet she had finally gotten the chance to meet her idol face-to-face, only to make such a mess of it with her own clumsiness. If word got out, the others would probably laugh at her.

What would Efnir, whom she had longed so desperately to meet again, think of her?

Crisis Approaches

Efnir took in Yukina's helpless appearance.

Honestly, her attention was not on the plate in Yukina's hands. She merely thought Yukina's expression was cute.

Meeting Yukina again under a different identity felt strangely fresh. She had never seen this side of her little sister before. At home, her sister was a cat who kept strangers at arm's length; now, she was a startled little rabbit.

She really wanted to pet her.

But now was not the time to stare at her sister in a daze.

"Hello. You're the new 'leader,' right? This time, I wanted to speak with you, as the support group leader, about some necessary matters going forward. Please forgive my assistant for inviting you so suddenly."

It was an ordinary opening.

Efnir gave Yukina a brilliant smile, the corners of her eyes curving like crescents. As she greeted her, she stepped up in front of Yukina and naturally took the cake plate from her hands, setting it on the table.