About Becoming a Magical Girl

According to reports from the search-and-rescue personnel at the time, extensive signs of battle had been found near Whale's initial landing site, along with Qinglan's and Flying Swallow's "beacons."

Because neither of their bodies had been found, the search for them was still ongoing.

But clearly, there was little hope.

Unless a miracle occurred.

Miracles were hoped for precisely because they never came. Nothing changed easily just because people wished it to. To Efnir, the increasingly clear end awaiting her felt far more tangible than some vague prayer for a miracle.

Since this was a battle in which everything was on the line, dying at any moment would not have been surprising. Efnir understood that well.

She gently pressed the wound at her waist with her fingertips. The pain had already eased considerably, and there were no obvious external injuries to be seen.

It had to be said that an agent's recovery ability far exceeded that of an ordinary person's, and Efnir's was significantly stronger even than other agents'.

Just then, a rustling sound came from outside the bedroom door.

Yukina must have gotten up.

Since it was not a workday, Efnir had not gotten up early to prepare breakfast.

"Phew..."

At that thought, Efnir took a deep breath, filling her chest with the morning chill and cutting off her train of thought.

Most of her drowsiness had faded as well. She took off her pajamas, went to the wardrobe, and retrieved a chest binder and wig from a hidden compartment.

After a bit of grooming,

she neatly combed her hair and tucked it beneath the wig.

The bandages around her waist were completely concealed, while the fullness of her chest was firmly flattened beneath loose clothing, leaving nothing noticeable. In the blink of an eye, she had transformed from Efnir into Yanase Naoto, a boy praised less for being "handsome" than for being "delicate-looking."

If only she had an Adam's apple, the disguise would have been perfect.

After clearing her throat, Efnir deliberately lowered her voice before opening the door.

The moment she entered the living room, Efnir saw Shiomi Yukina passing in front of her with a commuter bag in hand.

Yukina wore a light blue dress today. Her hair had clearly been carefully styled, and delicate light makeup covered her face. Her youthful air was impossible to miss. Like the only brilliant starlight, simply standing there, she stole Efnir's entire field of vision.

At that moment, Yukina had a piece of bread between her lips as she scrolled through something on her phone, a faint smile on her face.

She seemed very happy.

"Good morning, Yukina."

Efnir greeted Yukina.

"Morning..."

Yukina replied with a perfectly natural expression, as though she did not care in the slightest that Efnir had stood her up a few days ago.

But even if she did not say it, Efnir could see a fleeting shadow deep in her eyes.

Being this kind of older brother was a failure in its own way... Efnir sighed inwardly, but nothing showed on her face. She neither forced a smile nor let the disappointment in her heart surface.

"Going out?"

"Mm..."

"I'll make you breakfast now."

"No need. This is enough."

Yukina's voice sank like autumn leaves. She did not stop in front of Efnir, naturally shifted her gaze away, carried her bag to the entryway without a word, and crouched down to change her shoes.

Efnir could not bring herself to say anything else. She watched Yukina's back until Yukina left the Household, and no further words passed between them.

She stared at the tightly shut door, pursed her lips, and dragged her feet toward the bathroom.

She began to wash up.

Over the past few days, her younger sister's attitude toward her had remained as lukewarm as ever, but Efnir could still hear traces of distance and rejection in the subtle changes in Yukina's tone.

As for the reason, it was naturally related to Efnir standing her up again that day.

And precisely because of that, Efnir could not defend herself.

She had to fight as "Efnir," and for the time being, that was something she had to keep secret from Yukina—because of the secret Yukina carried, Efnir did not want Yukina getting involved with this side of things no matter what.

Under those circumstances, excuses had become pale and powerless. "There was something important I had to do"—if she did not explain it clearly, that was completely the sort of excuse used to fool children. It would probably only make Yukina dislike her more, wouldn't it?

It was not as though Efnir did not feel helpless and disappointed by Yukina's changed attitude, but whenever she wanted to do something, she had no idea where to begin.

But compared to endlessly worrying about it, there was something else that concerned Efnir even more right now...

—Yukina's outfit today was somewhat unusual.

Yukina was relatively reserved by nature, yet today she had boldly tried a style she would normally never wear. She had carefully applied light makeup and meticulously arranged her hair. Yukina had always been exceptionally beautiful, but now she was even more impossible to look away from.

And there was the smile Efnir had caught a glimpse of on Yukina's face.

As if she were looking forward to something, it was an expression rarely seen on Yukina's face after such a long time.

Things One Did Willingly

Today was the weekend. It was hard to imagine Yukina had changed into that outfit to attend a student council event. Yukina rarely dressed up on purpose, and if there was something important enough to make her care this much, Efnir could not guess what it was for the moment.

Could she be... meeting someone?

A boyfriend?

Though she did not want to think it, Efnir could not help letting her thoughts go in that direction. An indescribable sense of loss then welled up within her—like a pearl she had carefully hidden away suddenly being taken by someone else. At the thought that her little sister might already have someone she loved without her knowing in the slightest, Efnir's heart felt unbearably bitter.

She did not even know why she was feeling so down. Wasn't it perfectly normal for a girl her age to experience the stirrings of youth? Especially Yukina. Someone as outstanding as her would surely attract countless eyes, and the person she liked must surely be equally exceptional—a younger boy who could make her happy.

Someone utterly beyond comparison to this unqualified "older brother."

Efnir sighed softly, splashed icy water over her face, opened her eyes, and stared blankly into the mirror.

If she wanted, she could contact the Orderkeepers and have someone watch Yukina without pause, making sure every single one of her movements was reported to her immediately.

But...

For "siblings," that would undoubtedly be crossing far too many boundaries, wouldn't it? It would undoubtedly be disturbing and disgusting.

But if she was her older brother... what exactly was the right thing to do? Efnir could no longer tell.

Just then, her phone rang.

Efnir roughly wiped her face, pulled out her phone, and saw Shinomiyami Nami on the caller display.

Shinomiyami Nami was the manager and assistant of "Magical Girl Efnir."

That was her public identity.

In truth, Shinomiyami Nami was also Efnir's combat liaison, responsible for numerous duties. She was an outstanding talent selected from a special operations unit, appointed by the organization to remain at Efnir's side.

During the major disaster a few days ago, Shinomiyami Nami had been injured while protecting the commander during the evacuation. She had only been discharged from the hospital yesterday.

Shinomiyami Nami was a serious and focused person, but because of their cover identities, although she and Efnir got along reasonably well, she did not have much personal contact with Efnir when she was Yanase Naoto.

Still, since it was her calling, Efnir could more or less guess the reason.

A performance and fan meeting for the agent "Magical Girl Efnir" had been scheduled for today. Shinomiyami Nami had already confirmed the additional performance program with her several times, so this call was likely about the same matter.

Public morale was low after the disaster. This was precisely when "Magical Girl Efnir," as a hero and spokesperson, needed to be active. Though it was only a simple performance event, it was the perfect opportunity to coordinate with the Orderkeepers' press conference. With Qinglan missing, Efnir, the most senior of the remaining agents, had to take over Qinglan's vacant position and attend the press conference as the agents' representative. That had already been part of the plan for this event.

In short, once Efnir's body recovered, her leisurely days were more or less over because of all these matters.

Holding her phone, Efnir entered her room, locked the door behind her, and only then pressed the answer button.

Shinomiyami Nami's overly exaggerated voice came from the other end.

"Efnir! You finally answered! I missed you so much! You left without saying a word last night and left me alone in an empty—"

Beep—

Efnir hung up without hesitation.

She took that back. Shinomiyami Nami was actually an airheaded lunatic. "Serious and focused"? Compared to her flaws, those qualities were as insignificant as sesame seeds next to a watermelon.

Less than two seconds later, her phone began ringing again.

Efnir silently sighed and answered it.

"Waaah... Why did you hang up on me...?"

"Could you... talk normally?"

"No! You hung up on me! You must have found some other wo—"

Beep—

Efnir hung up again and took a deep breath.

Shinomiyami Nami's working state at Orderkeepers headquarters and her working state as a manager were complete opposites. Shinomiyami Nami explained it as "changing her persona for work," but in any case, Efnir was truly terrible at dealing with Shinomiyami Nami's airheaded manager persona. That woman always said misleading things with an utterly carefree look, then skillfully put on an innocent expression.

Efnir could only feel a headache coming on.

She had heard that the organizer of the fan club had unfortunately been injured in this disaster, so this offline event had a new person in charge.

No matter what... she just hoped the new person in charge would not be someone as unreliable as Shinomiyami Nami.

The venue had been set at Xijing City's largest open-air stadium.

Efnir arrived outside the venue by car. It was still far from opening time, yet the place was already packed with people.

When Efnir had first taken the path of becoming the Orderkeepers' spokesperson, her work had not simply been about performing and earning money. It had been more about promoting the Orderkeepers and the work of agents. As the strongest agent in Xijing City, Efnir carried sufficient authority as a spokesperson.

The revenue from these promotional events, which resembled performances, did not ultimately go into Efnir's pocket—or even the Orderkeepers' pockets. Most of it was put by the Orderkeepers into the city construction fund, while the remainder was retained as operating capital. Although Efnir received a great deal of money, most of it was merely various subsidies for agents.

But in the end, Efnir's work did resemble that of an idol in some ways. As a result, in many people's eyes, Efnir was an agent idol—"Magical Girl Efnir." And thanks to Shinomiyami Nami's careful management, Efnir's popularity in Xijing City far surpassed that of popular idols. She even had many fans in other cities, and every performance event always brought a surge of people.

"Please do not crowd! Prepare your entry tickets and personal identification in advance, and line up to enter in an orderly manner!"

Security personnel maintained order, but even they were helpless before a crowd packed so tightly it was impossible to squeeze through.

Efnir sighed.

Though she had long grown accustomed to it, Efnir still felt somewhat conflicted about being an idol.

She did not really like being watched.

She did not know how to describe it... but she always had the illusion of being pushed forward. Watched by countless pairs of eyes, the burning emotions contained within those gazes could make someone lose their sense of direction.

Other people's wishes and the expectations she carried were endlessly magnified beneath such gazes.

"If you do not fight, then you are betraying them. You are committing murder."

That feeling slowly grew.

Over time, it became suffocating.

If she had to say it, Efnir had occasionally considered that "Efnir" was an image created by others. This era needed that kind of hero; Yanase Naoto simply happened to be the person playing the part.

So if she truly did not want to do it, it would be fine to give up.

But someone had to play "Efnir." If Yanase Naoto did not do it, someone else would replace her and continue fighting as an agent.

Between choosing to "cling to life while watching others die" and "die herself"... finding a balance was difficult. Efnir probably still leaned toward the slightly more cowardly choice.

But if the choice was between "Shiomi Yukina dies" and "Yanase Naoto dies," Efnir would choose the latter without hesitation.

"Efnir"... that codename should have belonged to Yukina, not Naoto.

Yukina was the one the Orderkeepers had chosen, and compared to Yanase Naoto, she was also the more responsible one.

Unlike Efnir, who had become a qualified candidate midway through, Yukina had been born highly compatible with the Order Force. But many things had happened, and in the end, her younger sister's fate had fallen upon Efnir's shoulders.

And she had accepted it willingly.

Because Shiomi Yukina was her younger sister, she was willing—that was all there was to it. People were always swayed by selfish feelings. It had nothing to do with luck or misfortune. Some things would always turn against their original intentions. In any case, Efnir had no regrets about it now.