About Becoming a Magical Girl

They were, in essence, people infected by Corruption who had begun showing signs of "mutation" to a certain degree. At any moment, they could reach a critical point and completely fall into Dregs—creatures devoid of human emotion and filled with aggression. Therefore, for everyone else's safety, such people were gathered and managed during that special era, assigned serial numbers for quick identification, and thus came to be known as Numbered Subjects.

In order to study the changes within their bodies and develop methods or medicines to fight Corruption, many places had conducted research projects on Numbered Subjects. United Hospital was no exception, which was why it retained fairly comprehensive observation and experimental equipment for Corruption and the power of order.

Those instruments were why Efnir had brought Yukina here.

While Nishizaki Yuki led Yukina through one physical examination after another, Efnir brought Kanade Kotone into an empty hospital room.

What Efnir and Nishizaki Yuki needed to confirm was not suitable for an ordinary student to hear.

Kanade Kotone was still somewhat dazed. She looked up blankly at the beautiful older girl before her, her mind running wild with thoughts.

Shiomi Yukina's older sister was really something—

Even Kotone, who did not pay much attention to the daily news, knew what United Hospital's special care ward was. Ordinary cases would never be sent here. Her injuries should have been fine with nothing more than a casual appointment.

Yet this older girl had entered without being stopped at all and effortlessly found a doctor who looked incredibly capable.

They were supposedly very close friends. That meant they were on the level of besties, right?

She was a little envious.

Since Miss Nishizaki was a doctor stationed here, she obviously could not be an ordinary person. And if her friend was so impressive, then Shiomi's sister had to be very impressive too. You could tell just from the car she drove.

"I just spoke to Teacher Futaba on the phone and roughly explained your situation."

Efnir carefully helped Kanade Kotone lie down on the pristine bed as she spoke.

"She was very worried about you and hoped you would recover quickly."

She raised the bed's backrest for Kotone so she could sit more comfortably.

Kanade Kotone's injuries were not serious enough to require a doctor like Nishizaki Yuki to personally examine her. Efnir had mainly come here to find Nishizaki because of the abnormality appearing in Yukina. But since they were already here, having Nishizaki examine Kotone as well was no trouble. Efnir had great faith in her friend's abilities.

Nishizaki Yuki and Efnir were close friends, and she was the first person Efnir thought of regarding Yukina's physical abnormality. She was a specially appointed doctor in the Orderkeepers Organization's medical department. Following the disaster six days ago, she had moved here with the department and was also one of the people in charge of this place. It would not be difficult for her to use the resources here to give Yukina a full-body examination.

"Um... what should I call you?"

After hesitating for quite a while, Kanade Kotone finally asked.

"My surname is Yanase. Yanase Naoko. You can call me Big Sis, just like Yukina does."

Efnir smiled gently and lied without batting an eye.

Leave of Absence

When she went to school that afternoon, Teacher Futaba had curiously asked things like, "Where is Mr. Yanase Naoto?"

Since she had been playing the role of "Yanase Naoto," Efnir had instinctively used a disguised voice when answering the phone. Once she learned Yukina had gotten into trouble, she headed straight for the school without having time to change.

So Efnir casually made something up, naturally claiming to be Yukina's older sister.

When she picked Yukina up, the homeroom teacher saw that Yukina did not treat Efnir like a stranger and did not say much else.

Yanase Naoto and Shiomi Yukina were naturally not biological siblings. Blended families were especially common in this era, and family structures were not always obvious at a glance. Such things were nothing unusual to schoolteachers, so they would not deliberately pry too much.

"Big Sis...?"

Kanade Kotone repeated the name "Yanase Naoko" over and over in her heart. When she unconsciously called out to her, she immediately sensed something subtly strange.

"I-I'll just call you Miss Yanase..."

"Either is fine."

Not caring what Kanade Kotone called her, Efnir picked up her phone.

"Oh, right. I also asked Teacher Futaba for leave on your father's behalf. She agreed, so you do not have to attend the rest of today's classes. Take this chance to get some proper rest."

"Thank you..."

Kanade Kotone gave her a sincere smile.

She had been wondering whether she should ask the teacher for leave and had hesitated over it, but this older girl had already arranged everything.

Ever since that accident, her father had been utterly defeated and rarely paid attention to her. Getting him to request leave for her would probably not have been easy. Yet it would also have been troublesome for her, as a student, to ask for leave herself. She had no idea how this older girl, Yukina's guardian, had gotten the homeroom teacher to agree so readily.

After all, she should have counted as an outsider.

Efnir walked to the window and pulled open the curtains, letting the evening glow flood into the room.

It had to be said that institutions directly under the Orderkeepers Organization really were wealthy. Everything here, from the decor and layout to the furnishings and displays, was beautiful. Through the large floor-to-ceiling windows, they could see half of Xijing City, the whole city spread beneath the evening glow.

The white room was even equipped with a game console and a projector television. As long as they did not disturb others, they could use them freely.

It would not have been an exaggeration for someone to mistake this place for a luxurious resort hotel. Such spending was necessary if they wanted the patients staying here to recover from their psychological trauma as soon as possible.

"You do not need to thank me. Yukina was the one who injured you, so I should be the one apologizing."

Efnir smiled, and the sight made Kanade Kotone lower her face.

"Come to think of it, I remember Kanade lives near the school, right? Are you usually home alone?"

"Yes... Father is very busy, so he does not have much time to come home..."

"That must be hard, right?"

"It is nothing. It cannot be helped..."

Kanade Kotone hurriedly said.

"Besides, I am grown up now. Living alone does not really feel troublesome..."

"Is that so?"

She cautiously looked at Efnir and saw only that the older girl had lowered her brows, though she did not know what she was thinking.

Shiomi Yukina's sister was truly beautiful, and she was so kind too. Before she knew it, Kanade Kotone's gaze had become fixed on her.

It could not be helped. Her mother had left her long ago, and from then on, her father had gradually become like a different person, ignoring her completely. Though it was difficult to admit, the concern she felt from an older woman made Kanade Kotone deeply dependent on her.

In the end, she merely thought of her mother.

"Shiomi is amazing at schoolwork! If she says she is second, no one can claim first place!"

Kanade Kotone's eyes shone as she spoke with admiration.

Efnir was asking Kanade Kotone about Yukina's life at school. Yukina had not brought classmates home in a long time, and Efnir did not often get chances to speak with Yukina's friends. She did not let this opportunity to ask Kotone about Yukina's school life pass by.

"I remember Kotone's grades are very good too, right? Teacher Futaba mentioned it."

"I cannot compare to her when it comes to academics."

Kanade Kotone hurriedly denied it.

Yukina had always excelled academically, something Efnir had known all along. Still, hearing it from Kanade Kotone made Efnir feel pleased.

"I have known Shiomi for almost a year, and I have never beaten her even once. When I first joined this class, I wanted to get first place at least once. But no matter how hard I tried, I could not surpass her. So I planned to ask her for advice. Do you know what she said? She said, 'You just need to listen in class.' It nearly made me furious."

At that, Kanade Kotone smiled sheepishly, recalling what had happened when she first enrolled.

Later, she learned that Yukina really only needed to study during class to easily take first place. Yukina simply had talent in that area.

Just like how she barely did any extracurricular training yet remained unmatched in sports, there truly was a huge difference between people. But thinking about it carefully, although heaven had given them different things, it was not exactly unfair.

"And that was how we became friends..."

Efnir smiled as well.

It was clear that although Kanade Kotone and Yukina were close friends, Kotone had always been holding back a breath, wanting to compete with Yukina.

It was not that she could not accept defeat. Talented people always had their own pride, and Kanade Kotone clearly wanted to prove herself. She simply had not succeeded yet.

But then again, perhaps Yukina had always wanted to surpass her in sports too.

"You two really are close."

"Of course!"

Kanade Kotone proudly lifted her chin.

"I am her bestie, her very best friend!"

Looking at Kanade Kotone reminded Efnir of her own student days, of that distant time that would never return.

After the disaster more than a year ago, she had completely lost contact with her friends from back then. Once, while carrying out a combat mission, she ran into several of them. But they no longer recognized Efnir, so naturally there had been no greetings.

"Come to think of it, at school... has Yukina ever been bullied?"

Efnir asked the question that concerned her most.

When Yukina was little, she was always quiet and could not get along very well with her classmates. Once, Efnir had personally seen her being bullied.

Efnir had not been able to hold herself back that time and had stepped in. The result was that both sides ended up tugging at each other and fighting. Children had no talent for fighting—whoever was fiercer won. That time, Efnir had won.

For a long time afterward, Yukina had not mentioned school to Efnir again. Efnir knew Yukina was worried that she would go fight someone again, which was why she said nothing.

But that only made Efnir worry more.

Examination

"As for her, no one would dare bully her... If anyone was going to bully someone, it would be her bullying them!"

Kanade Kotone's answer surprised Efnir.

Bullying others?

Efnir slightly raised a brow.

"Who did she bully?"

"No, that is not it... Miss Yanase, you misunderstood..."

Seeing Efnir's subtle expression and realizing she had clearly gotten the wrong idea, Kanade Kotone hurriedly explained.

"Actually, Yukina received a love letter before..."

"A love letter?"

"Yes, a love letter. The person who liked her was pretty formidable, so naturally no one at school would dare bully Shiomi."

"I see... someone formidable..."

Efnir froze for a moment.

It would have been a lie to say she did not feel disappointed.

She had prepared herself mentally long ago, but the thought of someone coveting her little sister made Efnir feel short of breath.

Besides, someone "pretty formidable" was something she herself could qualify as too. If that person only had such a minor strength, then they were utterly unqualified to become her little sister's boyfriend.

"But even if someone really was foolish enough to provoke Shiomi, I would protect her!"

Kanade Kotone puffed out her chest confidently.

"That love letter... who gave it to her? Yukina did not accept it, did she?"

After hesitating for a while, Efnir asked.

No matter what, as her sister, it was not overstepping to vet Yukina's love life, was it?

A love letter had made its way into a girls' academy? Was the junior who wrote it not being a little too persistent?

Simply put, Efnir was unhappy.

"Um... Miss Yanase might not believe it, but the person who wrote the love letter was an upperclassman."

Kanade Kotone did not know about the turmoil in Efnir's heart. She merely stated it with a strange expression, then casually glanced over as if by accident.

"An upperclassman... a senior?"

Efnir froze again.

Was that not... another girl?