About Becoming a Magical Girl

Efnir spoke slowly, trying to keep her voice from trembling.

"Yukina, please calm down and listen to me."

"..."

Yukina did not answer. She merely lowered her gaze gloomily.

Efnir clenched her fists, then loosened them.

"Your brother is fine."

Yukina's shoulders jolted. She raised her eyes and stared at Efnir in disbelief.

Her pale lips moved slightly.

"I know you have a lot you want to say."

Efnir extended a finger and pressed it against Yukina's lips.

"Likewise, I have many questions for you."

Yukina stared blankly at Efnir.

"But before that, there's something I need to confirm with you. Afterward, I'll tell you everything else."

Efnir looked at her as well, her gaze unfathomably deep.

"You... should have a Beacon."

"A... Beacon...?"

Yukina froze for a moment.

Beacon.

Efnir had been repeating that word since earlier.

"You may not fully understand the situation yet... and that isn't your fault. Your first Synchronization has a certain effect on your mind, and sometimes it really can leave your thoughts confused... so I'll keep it simple—you are now Fifina. You should have a hairpin on you. A Butterfly Hairpin."

Butterfly Hairpin.

Yukina had lost count of how many times she had encountered or heard mention of that hairpin today.

Yukina instinctively opened her palm.

There was nothing there...

"Don't bother looking. It's hidden within your body. You won't find it like that—you need to take it out from inside yourself."

Efnir looked directly at Yukina.

"How... do I do that...?"

"Focus your attention and empty your mind. You'll see it easily."

Yukina gently closed her eyes.

"Take a deep breath."

A deep breath.

"Cast aside distracting thoughts. Imagine a sea of stars... You'll see a shooting star..."

Efnir's voice gradually became ethereal, and everything before Yukina's eyes turned pitch-black.

As though she were flying on the wind, her vision was suddenly flooded with light. Yukina appeared in an empty, deep-blue starry sky.

A watery blue butterfly appeared beside her at some point, fluttering gracefully and scattering starlight in its wake. It was like a faint light piercing the ocean floor—swaying, cold, and irresistibly alluring.

"Reach out to it. Try calling to it."

Butterfly—

Yukina unconsciously raised her hand. Drawn to her as though by sweet nectar, the butterfly landed on her fingertip. Its wings trembled slightly before slowly folding together.

As light as a drop of water and carrying a faint moistness, it rested there as Yukina gazed at it, a faint gleam flowing in her eyes.

She was captivated by the butterfly, as though she had fallen into a whirlpool in the deep sea... sinking down.

"Don't stare at it for too long."

Suddenly, Efnir's voice broke into her mind.

"Open your eyes..."

"...?!"

Yukina abruptly opened her eyes and found herself still half-raising one hand as she knelt where she was. Her vision seemed covered by a gray veil, and all five senses had become dull, as if pixelated.

The Butterfly Hairpin lay quietly in her hand.

Breathing softly, she recalled the scenes she had just witnessed and finally noticed the changes in her body, staring blankly.

Efnir knelt before her, staring at her in a daze.

"What exactly was that...?"

Yukina lifted her gaze, about to ask, when a soft, faint fragrance suddenly washed over her. By the time she realized what had happened, Efnir had already pulled her into an embrace.

"Yukina..."

"Miss Efnir... are you crying?"

"No."

Though Efnir denied it in a rush, Yukina could not see her face from this position. Still, the warm dampness against her shoulder and the quiet choking sobs could not deceive her.

"Your part is already done... you've... done enough..."

"Then... my brother...?"

"She's fine..."

Yukina went still, as though something had lodged in her throat.

That was good... that was wonderful.

It was like finding a summer bellflower in winter and gathering fortune into her arms.

"Yukina..."

Efnir held Yukina tightly.

Slowly, gently, Efnir's voice drifted down like a feather.

"Why do you... keep going on and on about your brother...?"

Before Yukina could process Efnir's words, Efnir suddenly hugged her tighter—stubbornly and forcefully, almost crushing the breath from her.

"Miss Efnir...?"

"Can't you think a little more about yourself?"

The girl in her arms suddenly spoke, swallowing back faint sobs.

Yukina blinked.

"Your brother is safe, very, very safe..."

Efnir buried her head against Yukina's chest and continued loudly. Her voice fell into Yukina's heart like raindrops, while a warm breeze brushed over her.

"Someone who ignores her little sister's safety and only does what she wants... she never even considered your feelings at all..."

"That's not true... my brother..."

"Someone like her is absolutely awful... she doesn't deserve to be your brother at all..."

Yukina wanted to refute her, but Efnir immediately cut her off with a loud voice.

"But even so... she really is worried about you. More than anyone, she can't stop worrying about you... If you were ever in danger, she would do anything to save you. If there is anyone in this world who wants you to be happy more than anyone else, it is definitely your brother... so..."

Like the tender, sorrowful wind of a summer night, the sobbing by her ear was faint and translucent.

"So... please don't blame her..."

Why was she saying such things...? Yukina still did not quite understand.

She had suddenly tried to kill her.

Then suddenly came to embrace her.

Yet Yukina could not reject Efnir's warmth. Hesitantly, she reached out, slid her arms around Efnir's waist, and held the girl in her arms.

Efnir was a head shorter than her. Though Efnir was the one embracing her, it felt as though she were the one leaning on Yukina.

Agents all walked a path where salvation was absolutely impossible, their endless battles like a nightmare with no end in sight.

Day after day.

The casualty rate among agents was a terrifying figure. If she had to choose between "ordinary people" and "agents," Efnir would unhesitatingly stand with the agents, then push Yukina to the other side.

That was how Efnir protected Yukina.

Her way.

But at this moment, Yukina had entered her world.

"Efnir..."

Shinomiyami Nami's voice came through the earpiece, hesitant. At a time like this, she probably did not know what to say either.

"I'm sorry... If I had stayed by Yukina's side the whole time..."

Perhaps none of this would have happened.

There were simply too many things Shinomiyami Nami could not understand, too many things that felt strange. Why could Yukina undergo Synchronization? There was clearly no relevant record of her in the database of potential Eligible individuals.

It was incomprehensible.

Besides that, there were many other things she could not help but care about.

"This has nothing to do with you, so don't take it too much to heart."

Efnir spoke softly, her throat hoarse as though she had swallowed sand.

"But please keep this a secret for me."

"Huh? But... if headquarters asks about Yukina..."

"I'll handle headquarters. They won't question you about anything, so you can rest assured. Please treat everything that happened just now as though you never saw it. Now... delete the records immediately."

There was an unreadable note in Efnir's voice. On the other end of the earpiece, Shinomiyami Nami fell silent.

Only after a long while did Shinomiyami Nami's voice come through.

"I've... deleted them..."

"Thank you."

Shinomiyami Nami did not answer again.

Efnir turned her face slightly and looked at Yukina's milky-white neck.

"I'm sorry, Yukina. There are some things I still can't explain to you properly. You only need to know that I... will absolutely protect you. That's enough."

"I-I'll trust you, of course..."

"That's good... Then I'll take this hairpin for now."

"Huh?"

Only then did Yukina realize that the hairpin in her hand had disappeared at some point.

"It isn't suitable for you. At least, not yet."

Efnir murmured softly, burying her face against Yukina's shoulder so Yukina could not see the tear tracks on her face.

Yukina held Efnir and felt the girl in her arms gradually calm down. Listening to Efnir's words, she could not understand any of it for the moment, nor did she know whether she should say anything.

After calming down, she had vaguely noticed the subtle changes in her body, as well as the bow like a blue Crystal that she had been holding when she first regained consciousness.

She still had no idea what had happened.

Yukina remembered Efnir repeatedly mentioning "Fifina" and "Beacon," and recalled the serious expression Efnir had worn then.