About Becoming a Magical Girl

But after thinking it over, Efnir changed from lying flat on her back to lying on her side, facing away from Yukina.

That made her relax a little.

Before long, the room fell silent once more.

But Efnir was wide awake. Yukina's warmth still lingered on the sheets, along with her faint, sweet fragrance, while a soft, warm touch vaguely pressed against Efnir's back.

Was that Yukina's leg, or her hand?

Such an unfamiliar warmth.

Suddenly, a hand slipped around Efnir's waist. The sensation, smooth as silk brushing past, made Efnir's body tense at once.

The hand paused slightly in front of Efnir, then pulled the thin blanket over her.

So that was it...

Efnir did not even know what she felt disappointed about, but the next second, her whole body stiffened—the hand did not withdraw. After tucking the blanket around Efnir, it slid down from her neck and collarbone.

The hand brushed over her stiff arm and waist. Every time it passed over the fabric and touched her skin, Efnir's heart seemed to miss a beat.

Then the hand lifted the hem of her clothes and gently wrapped around her. As though pushing its luck, a smooth touch pressed against her lower body, and a smooth leg squeezed in as well.

"Yu-Yukina..."

Efnir called out softly. She could practically feel her heart leaping with joy, yet she was also filled with an unfamiliar flutter of panic.

"Let me hold you for a little while..."

Yukina's voice was soft as it fell into the night.

Intertwined

"Let me hold you for a little while..."

Yukina's voice was soft, like a feather drifting on the wind. The faint tremor rising in Efnir's heart immediately robbed her of the strength to refuse.

That warm, damp breath was right beside her, blowing against Efnir's neck and carrying Yukina's uniquely sweet scent. Efnir squeezed her eyes shut, her hands with nowhere to go, clenched tightly as though her heart might leap out of her chest.

But Yukina did not make another move. She merely held Efnir tightly and grew quiet, allowing Efnir to relax a little as well.

Efnir wanted to ask, yet she did not know how to begin.

In the end, she could only pretend to be asleep.

And Yukina quietly watched the girl before her in the darkness—the girl who was both her sister and the object of her unrequited love.

Efnir was different from her, Yukina told herself.

Even though her feelings for Efnir had come to include familial affection, her original love had never changed. Instead, through some tangled fermenting process, it had become harder and harder to suppress. But Efnir was different. She seemed neither excited nor breathless with a racing heart. There was an enormous difference in temperature between her and Yukina, who stood on "that side."

Differences in temperature fogged up glass. The same was true between people.

"Good night, Sister..."

Yukina gently held Efnir.

"Good night..."

Her voice was nearly breaking, but Efnir answered all the same.

After that, there was complete silence.

Efnir and Yukina, each carrying entirely different thoughts in their hearts, slowly fell asleep as the night deepened, their thoughts intertwining and crossing past one another.

Yukina was awakened by the alarm.

"Yukina..."

"Wake up."

A familiar yet unfamiliar voice lingered by her ear, accompanied by the faint scent of fried egg pancakes.

"If you don't get up now, you'll be late for school."

When she opened her eyes, still groggy, Yukina saw Efnir standing beside her bed. Efnir was already dressed neatly.

"..."

She did not know when she had fallen asleep last night. Yukina rubbed her eyes, sat up in bed, stretched her arms, and let out a lazy yawn.

Drowsiness and exhaustion churned restlessly in her chest, leaving her feeling stifled and uncomfortable. She covered her chest, shuffled to the edge of the bed, slipped her feet into her slippers, then raised her gaze toward Efnir.

By chance, Yukina noticed the dark circles beneath Efnir's eyes.

The dangerous thoughts from last night still hung in her chest. Yukina remembered falling asleep while holding Efnir, yet she had no idea when Efnir had gotten up and left.

"Breakfast is ready."

Efnir held Yukina's school uniform in her hands. She had come to wake Yukina, but accidentally met her eyes instead.

Yukina's sleepy face and misty, damp eyes made Efnir's breath catch.

What had happened last night flashed before her again. The sensation of those restless hands seemed to still linger along her waist, and Yukina's breath seemed to brush against her ear. The strange feeling made her cheeks burn.

"Your... your uniform is here... Hurry and get up. Breakfast will get cold..."

Flustered, Efnir placed it beside Yukina's pillow, used the remote to turn off the air conditioner, then fled the room as if escaping.

Yukina sat quietly on the bed, watching Efnir's retreating figure, a faint smile curling her lips.

The faint fragrance of breakfast drifted through the air.

After brushing her teeth at the sink, Yukina put on her school uniform and began combing her sleep-mussed hair.

"Phew..."

She sighed and rubbed her chest.

Her chest felt a little tight. Without thinking much about it, Yukina finished washing up and headed to the living room.

Breakfast and drinks had been neatly arranged on the dining table.

Yukina did not sit down. Instead, she instinctively searched for Efnir, then saw her standing before the bedroom window. With a swish, Efnir pulled open the curtains.

The sunlight outside poured into the room like water released from a floodgate, illuminating the entire space in an instant.

Efnir pushed open the window, letting in the crisp morning air. Rising onto her toes, she lazily lifted her arms and stretched with enjoyment, letting out a cute little hum.

As if possessed, Yukina slowed her steps and stared fixedly at Efnir's back.

Efnir noticed her too and awkwardly looked away.

"The weather is pretty nice today. Later... I'll take you to school."

"Mm..."

Dazzled by the person standing before the window, Yukina squinted and nodded without really thinking.

After getting ready, the two of them left the house.

The car was parked downstairs, in a garage Yukina had seen countless times before.

Curled up in the passenger seat, Yukina pursed her lips and gave Efnir a strangely probing look, like a wife checking up on her husband.

"So... this is our parking garage...?"

She had never known that before.

The garage was directly beneath the apartment building where they lived. She caught sight of it every time they came home or went out, but being suddenly told that it was their own garage felt strangely hard for Yukina to accept. It was like being told that a pretty girl she had always seen around was actually her sister.

Yes, she meant Efnir.

After experiencing so many strange things in such a short time, Yukina was almost completely immune to surprise.

"Um... I thought we might need a car from time to time, so when I bought the apartment, I got the garage too..."

Efnir explained as she slowly drove the car out.

Stare—

Yukina fixed her eyes on Efnir and spoke slowly, one word at a time.

"Bought? Didn't you say before that we were renting, Sister?"

"Well..."

Efnir gave an awkward smile. She had deliberately let it slip, but Yukina really did not let up on this sort of thing.

At this point, there was not much left to hide anyway.

"I bought it... There happened to be vacant units available, and it looked pretty nice. Besides, we needed to move somewhere with better public security at the time, so I bought it."

She made it sound so casual. This was a mid-to-high-end residential complex, so naturally the prices were not low. The money sent by their uncle and aunt was enough for rent, but buying a place with only those regular deposits would obviously have been impossible.

"Sister, you... you really are rich, aren't you?"

"Compared to the average person, I suppose I am fairly rich..."

Efnir did not deny it. She smiled carelessly.

Or rather, Agents were all fairly wealthy. Efnir received two salaries, so naturally she had even more than most. Even after setting aside the funds allocated for city management and the portions she donated, the money left in Efnir's hands was still an absurd amount.

"Sister, are you an idiot..."

Yukina pouted and muttered.

It was not that she was dissatisfied. She just felt a little sorry for herself, having been kept in the dark all this time.

That had to be it.

"Oh, right. This is for you."

Keeping one hand on the steering wheel, Efnir took out a phone and handed it to Yukina.

"Your phone broke. I asked someone about it earlier, and apparently it won't be easy to repair... But I'd be worried if you didn't have a phone at school. Could you use this one until I buy you a new one?"

Yukina took the phone and held it in her hands.

She recognized it at a glance. It was the phone Efnir used every day.

The phone's surface was clean, though its screen and sides showed slight signs of use. Yukina's fingers unconsciously stroked it. Since it had just come out of Efnir's pocket, it still held a trace of her body heat.

Efnir glanced over and smiled a little sheepishly.

"It's a little old... It only works, really. Make do with it for now. I hope you don't mind. When we have time tonight, I'll take you out to buy a new one."

"I'm not going."

Yukina put away the phone, pursed her lips, and flatly refused.

"If we buy another one, I'll have to spend forever picking one out. What a pain. I can't be bothered. I'll just use this one."

With her gaze lowered, she revealed an almost imperceptible smile.

Morning

Youcheng Girls' Academy ranked quite highly among the more than ten middle schools in all of Xijing City.

The school maintained a rigorous academic atmosphere, reliable faculty, and a strong emphasis on cultural and etiquette education. Simply walking through its grounds, one could feel its rich, elegant atmosphere. Its students were often praised as "graceful and polite."

For those reasons, Youcheng Girls' Academy was also often called the "Young Ladies' Academy."

Shiomi Yukina attended this school.

In the morning, the cars and pedestrians on the road seemed somewhat quieter. Efnir drove near the school gates and looked for somewhere to park.