About Becoming a Magical Girl

Now, she was Efnir, not Yanase Naoto. Yukina could not possibly recognize her. She held the initiative, and as long as she handled things 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 and pretended to know nothing, though the smugness in her eyes was obvious.

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

"You never said she was my sister."

Honestly, Efnir did not want to face this situation. Even if Yukina did not know her identity, the closer Yukina came to "her," the more that unease swelled within her 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 probably have to trace things back a very, very long time. Too much had happened in between. In short, Efnir had taken Yukina's place, joining the Orderkeepers as the Absolute Compatible Candidate everyone had mistaken her for and becoming an Agent.

And Shiomi Yukina... as Efnir's most important secret, had been completely hidden away. Strictly speaking, that secret was also an agreement between Efnir and that person. Of course, neither the terms of the exchange nor the details of the agreement could be explained in just a few words. But after weighing the pros and cons, that "contract" had been established.

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. Her mind was crammed with chaotic thoughts, and Efnir could not make a judgment.

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

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

"You mean Yukina?"

Efnir nodded lightly.

"I personally helped build your Fan Club. Of course I knew long ago."

Shinomiyami Nami stuck out her tongue and smiled playfully, utterly at odds with her attire.

"But let me make this clear first: I never interfered with the Fan Club. She didn't become the person in charge because of her relationship with you. It was entirely due to her own abilities."

Shinomiyami Nami spread her hands, neatly washing 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, there was also a hint of joy—so Yukina had dressed herself so carefully before leaving that morning not for anyone else, but for her. It felt like the delight of recovering something precious that had been lost.

"Never mind. This isn't the time to keep chatting. I'll get to the bottom of this 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 displayed 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 turned slightly stern.

"Could it be Corruption?"

"I don't know, but since they didn't contact you first, it's probably something else... You know, with the reconstruction work at headquarters, there have been a lot of things lately..."

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

"So, I'm very sorry, but I'll excuse myself 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 back, her expression unreadable.

Today...

This 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 calmed herself.

In the blink of an eye, she put on the cute smile she was known for.

She might only be a half-baked idol, but Efnir had nevertheless studied this level of expression control thoroughly.

Ten minutes earlier.

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

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

Though she was only "temporary," she still had to fulfill her duties as the Fan Club's person in charge properly. 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 giggled, her fingers lightly tapping the screen as she wondered how to reply.

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

She had already made up her mind that she absolutely had to get a selfie with Efnir. She might only get an opportunity like this once in her life, so she had to leave herself some kind of memento no matter what.

After waiting for a while, Yukina's gaze began to wander as she looked around 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 glaring sunlight while providing an excessively open view. The serving area displayed many varieties of desserts and fruit, while the pastry chefs expertly brought out freshly baked egg tarts and shortbread.

If needed, they also offered noodles, Western dishes, and rice meals. The service was remarkably attentive.

The air was filled with sweet fragrances and soft music. Elegance and warmth were woven together in a wonderfully strange way, making it hard to imagine just how good the desserts here might taste.

When she was little, Shiomi Yukina had loved desserts too. Yet even though she had never lacked spending money, she had never been to a place like this, much less come here to meet the Efnir she admired.

It was like a date with her first love.

While that made her excited and eager, it also left 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. Would she... smell? Did she... need to touch up her makeup? Her collar and hair accessories had not gotten messed up by accident, right?

Wild thoughts filled her mind.

And... because she had sulked with her brother, she had barely eaten breakfast. Watching the performance that morning and managing the Fan Club had also consumed quite a bit of energy. Yukina only felt her stomach aching with hunger.

She had finally gotten the chance to meet her idol. If she ate too much, people would laugh at her...

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 from exhaustion? She was supposed to be the person in charge, yet she could not even handle her responsibilities properly. Wouldn't that cause trouble for Efnir and Miss Shinomiyami Nami?

Yukina had experienced this before. She had gone to gym class on an empty stomach and fainted—unlike her brother Yanase Naoto, Yukina had always had a rather frail body.

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

She sent her friend a message asking for help, and the other person replied quickly.

"I'll teach you a little trick. Whenever I visit my good friend's house, I fill my stomach beforehand. That way, I 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 she would be a little while longer.

No time to lose.

Thinking that, 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 closer to the window and looked down.

She did not see anything, but a lot of people had gathered below.

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

At that moment.

A crisp elevator chime rang out, followed by footsteps behind her.

"...Weren't we here to meet the person in charge?"

A girl's voice said something, clear as wind chimes swaying in a summer night.

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

Shiomi Yukina looked like a thief caught red-handed.

She had arranged to meet someone important, yet she had started "sneaking food" beforehand and 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 ground. She clutched the small plate in her hands, unable to hold it properly or hide it away.

She forced out a stiff smile.

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

The unexpected development 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 with boiling water.

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

Like a tomato.

This was so lame.

Really, really lame.

She normally was not like this, but after finally getting to meet her idol face-to-face, she had turned it into such an awkward mess with her own clumsiness. If people heard about this, they would probably make her a laughingstock.

What would Efnir, whom she had been thinking about day and night and desperately wanted to see 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. Looking at Yukina's expression, she simply found her adorable.

Meeting Yukina again with a different identity felt very fresh. She had never seen this side of her sister before. At home, her little sister was an aloof cat that strangers should not approach, but now she was a startled little rabbit.

She really wanted to pet her.

But now was not the time to stare blankly at her sister.

"Hello. You're the new person in charge, right? I actually wanted to speak with you, as the Fan Club's person in charge, about some necessary matters going forward. Please forgive my assistant for inviting you so suddenly."

It was a very ordinary opening.

Efnir gave Yukina a brilliant smile, the corners of her eyes curving into crescents. As she greeted her, she stepped closer, naturally took the cake plate from Yukina's hands, and placed it on the table.