About Becoming a Magical Girl

"Is it okay if I get off around here?"

"I'll walk the rest of the way myself."

"Alright. If anything happens at school, just call me directly."

"Mm..."

Yukina nodded and put her phone into her school bag. She checked the textbooks inside, hesitated for a moment before zipping it shut, then lifted her eyes to glance at Efnir.

"Big sis..."

"Hmm?"

Efnir turned her face slightly. Her lovely cheek was reflected in Yukina's eyes, and beneath her raven-black hair, the star-shaped earring on her left ear flickered in and out of sight.

Yukina lowered her gaze.

All of a sudden, she really wanted Efnir to pat her head again and hug her once more.

But she couldn't bring herself to say something like that honestly. In the end, she merely pressed her lips together and buried that wish deep in her heart.

"It's nothing... Big sis, I'm going now."

Yukina unfastened her seatbelt and got out of the car.

Efnir watched Yukina until her back disappeared from view.

The sidewalks along the street were filled with passing students. Morning was the peak of the crowd, and youthful girls walked together in groups, smiling as they exchanged good mornings and greetings.

Efnir had come to places like schools a few times as an Agent idol, but no matter what, she could no longer recapture the feeling of attending school herself.

After that incident at university, Efnir had cut off contact with her classmates and friends on her own, changed her address and number, and never saw them again. Western Capital was not exactly a small city, but it was still more than enough to completely swallow up one person.

Efnir withdrew her gaze and sighed.

She felt that she was probably being a little too sentimental.

Not thinking any further, Efnir gripped the steering wheel, glanced once more in the direction Yukina had left, then started the car.

Yukina watched the silver-white car disappear around the street corner.

She didn't even know how long it had been since her sister had last taken her to school. Since their schools were in different directions, after Efnir prepared breakfast for Yukina, they would part ways in front of the station.

So when she heard Efnir say she would take her to school, she had been very happy.

At the same time, she felt a little lonely.

When all was said and done, what Yukina truly wanted was probably more than this... but she couldn't reach out and touch it.

Yukina lowered her head, turned around, and walked toward the school.

Students passed by her in twos and threes. Yukina saw that some of them were even holding hands as they walked together, standing extremely close to one another.

"Good morning, Shiomi!"

She had barely taken a step when a greeting suddenly sounded behind her. Footsteps approached, and someone appeared beside Yukina.

It was Kanade Kotone, Yukina's best friend in class.

Because Yukina was not the sort of person who liked getting close to others, she had never had many friends. Once middle school ended, everyone had gradually lost contact.

Kanade Kotone was the first friend Yukina had made since entering high school, and also one of the few people who could get so close to her.

"Good morning, Kanade..."

Yukina returned Kanade Kotone's greeting. The two of them naturally fell into step and headed into the school together.

"What a coincidence, running into you here, Shiomi."

Kanade Kotone's gaze swept over Yukina again and again, as though she had finally let out a breath of relief.

"I heard there was an Erosion Disaster at the venue yesterday. I messaged you, but you didn't reply. You scared me to death."

"Sorry... I accidentally broke my phone while evacuating yesterday, so..."

"It's fine. Anyway, it's really great that you're okay."

Kanade Kotone narrowed her eyes with a smile. After a brief pause, though, she abruptly asked,

"By the way, whose car was that?"

"That car?"

"The one that brought you to school."

"So you saw it..."

Yukina instinctively looked away, but the moment Kanade Kotone noticed her awkward expression, her interest immediately flared even higher.

She linked arms with Yukina, her eyes sparkling.

"Of course I did... That car was no ordinary car! I don't know much about this stuff, but the price can't lie. So hurry up and tell me—was the person in that car your boyfriend, Shiomi?"

"Huh? Why would it be... a boyfriend?"

"Because with your looks, I think your boyfriend should be worth that kind of money."

"What kind of logic is that??"

Yukina laughed helplessly.

In other people's eyes, Kanade Kotone was an exemplary student perfectly suited to this school.

Excellent grades, refined features, graceful speech, and a warm smile like the spring sun.

Her sleek, ink-black hair fell neatly to her waist. Just seeing her made people think of a dignified, delicate young lady from a wealthy family. Her appearance was completely that of a well-behaved girl.

But in truth, her real nature was that of a complete little devil.

Still, having two sides was actually pretty common—just like how the image Yukina had built within the Fan Club was nothing like her real self.

"That's my sister, not some boyfriend."

Not knowing whether the strange feeling rising in her heart was pride or loneliness, Yukina explained in an utterly ordinary tone.

"Huh? Shiomi has a sister?"

Having gotten her answer, Kanade Kotone blinked curiously.

"Since when did you have a sister?"

"It's a long story."

Her brother turning into her sister was already an unbelievable transformation, and it also involved matters concerning the Orderkeepers Organization. Naturally, Yukina couldn't explain it to Kanade Kotone.

She gave a vague, evasive reply.

"But anyway, she's my sister. Starting today, I'll be living with her."

Kanade Kotone clicked her tongue.

"Seriously...?"

"Believe it or not!"

Yukina raised her little face and quickened her pace.

"Hey, I believe you! I believe you, okay? Wait for me!"

By the time they reached the classroom, many students had already arrived.

"I'll head back to my seat first!"

"Mm."

Kanade Kotone waved and walked toward her seat.

Yukina set down her school bag, took out the textbook for her first class, then lay face-down on her desk to rest.

Her chest still felt a little tight, and it had not improved at all.

Maybe resting for a while would make her feel a little better.

Just then—

"Hey, did you see it? Efnir updated her personal status in the middle of the night..."

Yukina's movements paused. She glanced sideways slightly.

54, Unexpected

Two seats away, several girls were gathered together, chatting over one another. Yukina heard a word that caught her attention from among their voices.

"Seriously? Efnir would do something like that...? I really can't imagine it..."

One of the girls covered her mouth in surprise.

"No, it's not like I find it disgusting or anything. It's just that hearing something like that would naturally be shocking, right...?"

"Me too... Actually, I think she's really cool..."

"Huh!? No... Something's wrong with you. What happened to your brain?"

"That's so rude. I'm serious."

The girl wore an infatuated expression, pressing her hands together as she solemnly stared at the ceiling, which had only a single fluorescent light tube, as though praying.

"Think about it. If you were her younger sister and she was your older sister, on the surface, you lived an ordinary sisterly life together every day, laughing and keeping each other warm. But behind the scenes, she put on armor like a knight and stood behind you, clearing away every obstacle for you. How about it? Doesn't it make you feel like Cinderella? It suddenly becomes so romantic, doesn't it?"

"No, however you put it, that sounds like a really cruel story, okay?"

"Well, I'm not her fan or anything, but I think this makes her seem more like a real person, doesn't it...?"

"That may be true, but..."

"Hey, it's been so long since she posted that status, but Efnir still hasn't released any more information. It seems like she doesn't intend to make any further response..."

"Maybe she never will again."

Another girl fiddled with her phone, her expression somewhat strange. She turned the phone around so everyone else could see it.

"This is an official Orderkeepers announcement. It only came out this morning. I read through it, and it basically says one thing: Efnir has been suspended."

"—Huh???"

The girls suddenly erupted.

Yukina listened quietly, burying her face in the crook of her arms.

"A really cruel story..."

She murmured, lowering her eyelashes.

So this was how other people saw the relationship between her and her sister.

It was almost eleven thirty, and the morning classes were about to end.

Yukina narrowed her eyes slightly as she made notes on the lesson. Neat, delicate handwriting spread across the page.

"Going to the cafeteria at noon?"

"I brought a lunchbox, so I'm not going today."

The soft conversation from the student at the neighboring desk reached Yukina's ears.

"Hey, hey, please don't pass it over there!"

"Sorry, sorry, my mistake."

Outside the window, she could even clearly hear the voices of people playing basketball on the field.

The scratch of pen on paper, the rustle of turning pages, the friction of fabric, whispered chatter from students zoning out, birdsong, the wind, and the rustling tremble of leaves.

She could hear every single thing with perfect clarity.