About Becoming a Magical Girl Chapter 47

"Yes, she was a third-year senior and the current student council president. She was cool and confident, met Shiomi in the student council, then claimed she had fallen in love with Shiomi at first sight and pursued her for quite a long time."

Kanade Kotone was quite satisfied with Efnir's blank reaction.

Simply put, it was like when she had first learned that Yukina had been confessed to by another girl.

Kanade had been even more shocked than Efnir was now when she first heard about a girl confessing to another girl. Later, she learned that while such things were not exactly commonplace at Youcheng Girls' Academy, they were far from rare.

But for girls who lived elsewhere, such things were still rather startling, weren't they?

Quite a few girls actually disapproved of relationships like that, so Kanade had no intention of explaining it to Efnir in depth. She merely stated the facts from the perspective of an observer.

"But in the end, Shiomi still didn't accept her."

Kanade Kotone added.

She saw Miss Yanase lower her eyes, though she had no idea what she was thinking.

Efnir chatted with Kanade Kotone for a while longer, and the two of them grew closer.

"It's about time."

Picking up her phone, Efnir glanced at the clock and estimated that Yukina's full-body examination was nearly finished before taking the initiative to end the conversation.

"Then, Kotone, rest for a while. I'll come get you later."

"Okay!"

After closing the hospital room door and informing a nurse, Efnir headed toward Nishizaki Yuki's office.

At the corner, a familiar figure flashed past and caught Efnir's attention.

"Saori?"

The other person had just stepped into the elevator. Her back looked very much like Saori's, and Efnir called out to her instinctively.

That person did not respond to Efnir.

The hospital had to be kept quiet, so Efnir had not spoken loudly. Had the other person not heard her, or had that familiar silhouette not been Saori at all?

Efnir had no way of knowing. Perhaps that person simply did not want to see her.

After all, something like that had happened between them. It had not gone so far as an argument, but a rift had indeed formed.

"..."

Efnir pressed her lips together and sighed.

Just then, Nishizaki Yuki appeared in view with Yukina.

"Efnir? I was just looking for you."

"Big sister..."

Nishizaki Yuki also saw Efnir and came over with Yukina.

Yukina looked perfectly normal, and Nishizaki Yuki was not smoking either, which made Efnir breathe a sigh of relief.

"How did it go?"

Efnir asked.

She had been deeply concerned about the abnormalities in Yukina's body.

Her five senses, strength, and physical resilience had all shown clear increases. Efnir had only ever seen changes like that in Agents who had entered a state of deep Synchronization.

But Yukina clearly was not one of them.

The unknown made people uneasy. That was why Efnir had immediately asked her teacher for leave and brought Yukina here.

Nishizaki Yuki held a clipboard but did not immediately answer Efnir's question.

"The results still need to be confirmed, but the preliminary conclusion is already out. In any case, let's talk in my office."

After signaling to Efnir, Nishizaki Yuki walked ahead.

"Mm."

Efnir led Yukina and followed.

The special observation ward of United Hospital had been handed over to the medical department of the Orderkeepers Organization six days ago for use as a temporary branch. As a result, many personnel dispatched from headquarters were also here. Most of them knew Efnir, and some now cast curious glances her way.

Everyone knew Efnir had been suspended, and the reason was likely that she had defied the commander—at least, that was the rumor that had spread from headquarters. Many people did not quite believe it, while others had their own guesses. In any case, Efnir's appearance naturally drew attention.

Nishizaki Yuki had a close personal relationship with Efnir, so no one found it suspicious that Efnir was here. Besides, Efnir had never cared about other people's gazes.

But she had to consider Yukina's feelings.

And this was a sensitive time. An enemy had infiltrated the organization, and if they were too careless, there might be a slip-up somewhere.

Indeed, this was not a suitable place to talk.

Nishizaki Yuki's office was at the end of a long corridor, separated from the experimental area by only a few walls and a glass door.

The offices of other researchers lined both sides of the corridor, and people occasionally passed them by.

The farther they walked down the corridor, the quieter the voices became. Instead, the faint mechanical vibrations that seemed to come from beneath the ground gradually grew more distinct. They came from the equipment running in the machine room and experimental area. The dull noise was not loud, but it never stopped.

Following behind Efnir, Yukina listened to the electronic hum in the increasingly silent air, thick with the smell of disinfectant, and felt nervous for no apparent reason.

She did not like the smell of this place.

59, A Dull Ache

Efnir glanced at her, then looked away.

Seeing Yukina's slightly tense expression, she naturally took Yukina's hand as her older sister.

Yukina did not pull away.

"Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

Efnir asked.

"No, not really..."

Yukina shook her head.

"It's just that my chest feels a little tight. It started this morning and hasn't gotten better, but it hasn't become any worse either."

Yukina covered her chest.

It felt like it was in her heart, yet perhaps somewhere else. The pain was not obvious, only faint and indistinct, so she could not determine its exact source.

"It'll be fine. I'm here with you."

There was no way to get any answers from questioning her like this, so Efnir could only comfort her.

Yukina raised her eyes and saw Efnir's beautiful profile and the concern on her face.

"Mm."

Efnir's hand was soft, but her grip was firm, as though she was afraid Yukina might run away.

Efnir's warmth flowed from her soft palm, and Yukina's small measure of nervousness vanished with that warmth.

They were only holding hands. Such closeness should have been a perfectly ordinary sight between siblings, whether brother and sister or sisters. Yet Yukina felt a surge of joy from the bottom of her heart.

Things like this had happened when she was little too, but at some point, "big brother" had started avoiding her.

The next time she held hands with her sister, so much time had already passed. Yukina suddenly realized that the difference in their heights was no longer enough for them to touch each other's palms as they once had. She had kept growing, but her sister seemed as though her age had been frozen in place.

Yukina carefully slipped her fingers free, then slid them between Efnir's and interlocked their fingers tightly.

Her heart thumped wildly.

This way of holding hands brought them closer. From their fingers to their palms, then to their wrists, they entwined like the vines of a morning glory. From their tightly clasped palms, it seemed as though they could hear each other's heartbeats.

Efnir seemed not to notice, or perhaps she simply did not care. Even so, sweat seeped into Yukina's palm from nervousness.

It felt as though something had changed, yet nothing had changed at all.

By the time she came back to herself, Yukina had already begun to feel excited and breathless from nothing more than holding hands once.

She held feelings for Efnir that went beyond those of sisters. Once she understood that, those feelings gradually became impossible to brush aside so casually.

It had to be said that the area near the experimental zone was somewhat noisier.

After all, the machines used to observe Order and Corruption phenomena were still immature. Their enormous size brought noise that could not simply be ignored, and even walls and thick glass could not fully conceal it.

Efnir disliked that kind of noise.

It was hard to imagine that people working here could settle down and focus, but apparently Nishizaki Yuki herself had requested that her office be moved here.

Many people did not understand, and Nishizaki Yuki never explained. In everyone else's eyes, she had always been somewhat strange, but without doubt, she was also a true genius.

Click—

The double fingerprint lock gave a soft mechanical sound. Nishizaki Yuki pushed open the office door and ushered Efnir and Yukina inside.

The moment she entered, Efnir caught the faint scent of cigarette smoke mixed into the air.

Nishizaki Yuki's office was as casual as she was. All kinds of papers were piled across the desk, a chair sat at an angle with a white lab coat draped over it, and it looked as though someone had slept there.

"Ah..."

Nishizaki Yuki slapped her forehead.

"I forgot to tidy up... Sorry. It's a little messy, but please don't mind it. Sit wherever you like."

Nishizaki Yuki had no assistant and never allowed anyone else into her office, so unlike other doctors or researchers, she had no one to help clean up. If she did not do it herself, it was only a matter of time before her office became a complete mess.

After closing the door, Efnir and Yukina sat on the sofa while Nishizaki Yuki operated her computer for a moment.

"To ensure accuracy, I gave Yukina a full-body examination. Besides that, I also tested everything like her Corruption rate and Resonance level."

"Thank you. I came to trouble you with this even though you're busy."

"No need to be polite."

Nishizaki Yuki smiled rarely.

"As a specially appointed researcher and doctor, it is my duty to study and eliminate the hidden dangers left behind by your battles. Yukina is not only your younger sister, but also an Agent candidate who has undergone Synchronization once. Naturally, she has the right to receive this treatment."

Yukina was an "Absolute Compatible Candidate." This was something Nishizaki Yuki had only learned today.

After news of Efnir's suspension spread, Efnir had posted that declaration on her social media account. Although Efnir had omitted some information, as Efnir's friend, Nishizaki Yuki had naturally guessed it right away.

After all, Efnir had not deliberately hidden anything from Nishizaki Yuki.

"Yukina's situation is extremely rare. I couldn't find any similar cases, so my final conclusion is only a bold guess. But before I explain it, take a look at this first."

She paused, pulled several sheets covered in densely packed data tables from the clipboard in her hand, and handed them to Efnir.

"These are Yukina's physical data. I deleted the electronic records. This is the only copy."

Because she was wary of the enemy lurking within the organization, Efnir did not want any information about Yukina to remain. So after completing the tests, Nishizaki Yuki had completely deleted the records of this examination.

Efnir took the documents and quickly scanned them before frowning.

She was not a researcher, but as an Agent, she had encountered this sort of data countless times. If it were a common problem, she could spot abnormal figures at a glance.

Among the data before her, Efnir found one obvious anomaly.

Yukina's Corruption rate was calculated at 11.3%—in other words, significantly high.