About Becoming a Magical Girl Chapter 39

Efnir left. Masaki Hina sent a message to her secretary, then sat alone at her desk.

Her gaze drifted into the distance as her fingertips tapped rhythmically against the desktop.

On the desk before her lay a document from the Union.

It was her transfer order.

Though it was called a "transfer," it was really just a dismissal.

Due to three consecutive major failures, the Union had decided to remove her from her position as chief commander of the Xijing City Orderkeepers and send someone else to replace her.

The successor would arrive in Xijing alongside the Union's support forces, complete the handover with Masaki Hina, and then Masaki Hina's career as commander-in-chief of the Xijing Orderkeepers Organization would come to an end.

"A vacation..."

Masaki Hina wore a lonely expression that she would never normally allow to show on her face.

"Looks like... I'm going on leave too. What a shame."

But there was nothing she could do about it.

A brief notification sound drew her attention to the computer screen.

Her secretary worked efficiently. The notice regarding Efnir's suspension had already arrived. Masaki Hina skimmed through it, stamped it electronically, and signaled for it to be sent. The keyboard fell silent, and the air returned to stillness. Masaki Hina rubbed her cheeks in frustration.

Efnir's words before leaving lingered stubbornly in her mind.

"Efnir..."

She sighed and buried her face in the crook of her arms.

"Efnir has been suspended by order of the commander, with no date set for her reinstatement."

—Within ten minutes, that news had spread throughout the Orderkeepers Organization, stirring up a storm among its staff.

"Hey, hey! Is the commander serious? Why suspend you? Efnir, what exactly happened between you and the commander?"

Shinomiyami Nami pressed her for answers, looking at Efnir with worry.

When Efnir left the commander's office, she ran into Shinomiyami Nami and Yukina right outside. The three returned upstairs together. During that time, the notice of Efnir's suspension had been released, and Shinomiyami Nami had been like this ever since.

"We just had a little disagreement. Don't worry about it."

Efnir replied listlessly, tugging at the corner of her mouth.

She had a headache, but she could not explain this matter clearly to Shinomiyami Nami. Though Efnir herself was willing to believe Shinomiyami Nami was not the person who had been planted among them, no matter what, allowing personal feelings to interfere with combat was a basic mistake.

But Shinomiyami Nami's concern for Efnir was giving Efnir a headache.

"How can I not worry?! You've been suspended! Suspended! Can't you at least take this a little more seriously?!"

"Okay."

Efnir remained as indifferent as ever.

Seeing Efnir's utterly unconcerned, dead-fish expression, Shinomiyami Nami took a deep breath and rubbed her forehead in frustration, looking like she was furious at someone for failing to live up to expectations.

"People all over the organization are talking about this now! It's so, so unexpected that you'd get suspended... You were obviously the one who's worked the hardest all this time. Damn it, what was the commander thinking... I seriously don't understand... Is her head full of cement?!"

Ignoring Shinomiyami Nami's complaints, Efnir turned her gaze toward Yukina. As it happened, Yukina was looking at her too.

"Sorry, Yukina. I said I'd show you around here, but it looks like we'll have to wait until next time..."

"Don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong, so why should you apologize?"

Yukina looked away and turned her head aside.

"Besides, there's nothing worth seeing here anyway."

Her tone was as cold as always, but this time, Yukina took the initiative to hook her finger around Efnir's.

Her slender finger was cool, soft, and trembling slightly.

"I'm tired. I want to go home."

Yukina lowered her head, leaving Efnir stunned.

When was the last time they had held hands and said they were going home?

That time felt so distant that Efnir could no longer remember it.

Efnir carefully hooked her finger around Yukina's. Her palm was sweating, and some unfamiliar flutter stirred deep within her heart.

"Then... let's go home."

The faint sound of running water came from the bathroom. Since it was Sunday, and Yukina would have to get up early for school on Monday, Efnir had told her to bathe first.

Meanwhile, Efnir carried the dirty clothes out to the balcony.

The night beyond the window was dim, washed in hazy moonlight, while a gentle, cool evening breeze drifted through the air.

Efnir turned on the balcony light, crouched down, and opened the washer door.

"A vacation... huh... I said that in the heat of the moment, but I haven't actually thought about what I'm supposed to do..."

Honestly, Efnir did not know what one was supposed to do during a vacation, or what she even could do. She had rarely taken time off.

When she was injured, she rested. Once she recovered, she returned to work. Even back when Qinglan and the others were still around, when the organization had not been so short-staffed, Efnir had always lived that way.

That was why others called her a workaholic.

With a sigh, Efnir casually tossed the dirty clothes into the washing machine and added detergent.

Her mind was filled with chaotic thoughts.

To be honest, even now, Efnir had not figured out how to properly announce her and Yukina's identities on social media.

It would be best if she took all the responsibility herself and kept Yukina from being affected. Efnir was not good at writing such things, but if she handed it over to the organization's copywriting secretary, it would inevitably feel insincere.

Efnir wanted to confess it in her own words.

Besides, she was still suspended. It would be better not to involve herself too much with the organization.

She should probably lie in bed later and think it through properly.

Efnir lowered her gaze and placed her finger on the washing machine's electronic control panel.

Rumble, rumble—at that moment, the glass sliding door to the balcony opened behind Efnir, followed by a pleasant voice.

"Sis, are you doing laundry?"

It was Yukina.

Ever since Efnir and Yukina had laid bare the truth of their relationship, Yukina's attitude toward Efnir had softened considerably. It felt as if the distance between them had suddenly shrunk, and they gradually began speaking to each other more often. It gave Efnir the illusion that they had returned to the past.

"Yeah, I'm doing laundry."

Things were finally progressing between her and her younger sister, and that made Efnir happy. Even her voice unconsciously carried a gentle smile.

"I didn't have anything else to do, so I thought I'd wash the clothes. Did you need something...?"

Efnir wore a perfect smile as she turned around and met Yukina's eyes. But the next second, she froze.

At some point, Yukina had already come out of the bathroom. Fresh from her bath, she seemed to radiate warmth. Damp locks still dripping with water clung to her flushed cheeks, making her originally soft, adorable face suddenly appear alluring and captivating. She wore only a thin, smoky-purple slip nightgown that revealed her milk-white neck and legs like tender scallions. The light shining from behind her traced out every hazy curve, leaving her lovely figure fully exposed.

For the first time.

It was the first time Efnir had seen Yukina like this before her.

After all, Yanase Naoto, the "older brother," was male. During the days he and Yukina lived together, Yukina had always dressed properly and conservatively, keeping just the right amount of distance between them. Because of that, Efnir had never felt awkward about their life together.

But now...

49, Stirring Feelings

Because Efnir had always regarded Yukina completely and utterly as her younger sister, she had overlooked another side of Yukina: that of a youthful beauty among beauties.

So when she saw Yukina now, thoroughly and completely a girl, Efnir's mind immediately went blank.

The little sister from her memories was gone. Standing before her now was an entirely different young girl, defenseless in sheer, thin clothing made of little more than a single layer of fabric. Even from two meters away, Efnir could smell the faint, fragrant scent of body wash drifting from Yukina.

The thin straps on her delicate shoulders looked as though they would slip off with the slightest tug.

Half of her snow-white thighs were exposed, while hints of cotton-white swayed beneath her skirt in the evening breeze.

That vague springtime allure caught the pure moonlight in its grasp—and Efnir's heart with it.

Did Yukina really not care, or was she doing this on purpose? Even Efnir, battle-hardened and seasoned from countless fights, panicked at that moment.

A second before her reason snapped, Efnir hurriedly averted her gaze.

"Sis, I have another piece of clothing that needs washing..."

Yukina looked at Efnir's stiff expression, blinked meaningfully, and spoke.

Efnir cautiously glanced back. Only then did she notice that Yukina was holding a light-blue garment.

It was the short dress Yukina had worn that day. It had gotten filthy during the Erosion Disaster, with scratches in several places and a hole torn into the hem, so Efnir had set it aside without bringing it over to wash.

"Th-that can't be worn anymore, right...? I was planning to throw it away..."

"No. That would be too wasteful."

Yukina walked over on her own, crouched before the washing machine, and tilted her head to look through the door.

"They're light colors... I'll put it in directly, then."

"Mm..."

Yukina's scent in the air grew ever more enticing. Efnir gently twitched her nose, and ripples spread through her heart.

A subtle atmosphere arose between them.

After hesitating for a moment, Efnir suddenly said,

"Um... I'm going to take a bath."

"Oh... then... all right. In that case, I'll go back to my room first."

Yukina looked as though she wanted to say something, but Efnir could no longer spare the attention for it. She fled toward the bathroom as if escaping.

She took out a change of clothes and placed them on the rack, filled the bathtub with water, hastily stripped off her clothes, and plunged straight to the bottom of the tub. Only when she could no longer hold her breath did Efnir emerge with bubbles puffing from her mouth, gasping for air.

Her hair was completely soaked, and her face was unnaturally flushed from holding her breath.

She viciously pinched the flesh of her thigh, hard enough to hurt.

To be shaken because of her own younger sister—as an older sister, that was simply terrible.

Yukina watched Efnir's flustered retreating figure.

"What was that... So she does see me as a girl after all."

She muttered softly.

That made sense. They had maintained that subtle sense of distance all the way until now. With that distance suddenly gone, even Efnir would not know what to do.

But Yukina was thinking about something else.

Yukina gently inhaled the air that still carried Efnir's scent, lightly pressed her lips together, and touched the corner of her mouth with a finger.

"A girl..."

She loved Efnir, but after learning Efnir's identity, that affection left Yukina feeling lost.

But no matter what, those feelings had not disappeared.

The night was quiet and cold.