About Becoming a Magical Girl Chapter 9

14, An Encounter at the Venue

Efnir put on the baseball cap she had prepared, skillfully slipped around the crowd, and headed for the staff entrance.

Not far ahead, she spotted a familiar figure.

—Shinomiyami Nami.

She wore a crimson high-waisted skirt and a puff-sleeved blouse, her chestnut hair loosely gathered up. Her lips, beneath her sunglasses, were perfectly rosy. Simply standing there drew quite a few glances from nearby, sweet and eye-catching.

That outfit reminded Efnir of her brief college days.

Although this was merely a disguise Shinomiyami Nami used to conceal her identity, vastly different from the uniformed Shinomiyami Nami she usually was, those unfamiliar with her might not even recognize them as the same person. Still, just judging by appearances, Shinomiyami Nami was certainly very deceptive.

In truth, Shinomiyami Nami had been transferred from the Special Operations Unit. She was no ordinary active special forces officer to be underestimated. Her conduct and the impression given by her appearance stood at completely opposite extremes. In a sense, she really was someone with a rather "terrible" personality.

In short, Shinomiyami Nami had absolutely nothing to do with "sweetness."

At that moment, Shinomiyami Nami noticed Efnir as well. She waved, smiled at her, then jogged over in small steps.

"You finally made it. You're late, you know. Late."

"Yeah... traffic was bad..."

Efnir answered noncommittally.

There was actually still plenty of time. It was just that, as Efnir with her identity concealed, arriving early had become a habit. Compared to usual, she had somehow been a little late today because she had been preoccupied with Yukina's situation.

"Well, it doesn't really matter... Anyway, let's get going! We can talk while we walk."

As she spoke, she naturally linked arms with Efnir, drawing many jealous or envious looks from the people around them.

"Hey..."

Efnir tried to pull her arm free, but failed. All she could do was obediently lower the brim of her cap.

"I worked so hard to erase my presence, and you ruined it all in an instant... You know I don't want to draw attention..."

"What does it matter? You're dressed like this, so nobody will recognize you."

"That may be true, but being careful never hurts."

Efnir glanced around.

At an event where "Magical Girl Avenil" would appear, her younger sister Yukina would surely be extremely interested. She might even have already arrived at the venue.

Probably...?

She wanted to say with certainty, "Yukina will definitely come," but when she thought of how Yukina might be going on a date with someone today, Efnir suddenly lost her confidence.

Between the "Avenil" she played and that boy she had never met... which would Yukina choose?

A sourness spread across her tongue...

For some reason, Efnir sincerely hoped for the first time that her sister would definitely come to watch her performance.

"...Is something bothering you?"

"Huh?"

Efnir looked up and met Shinomiyami Nami's suspicious gaze.

"What could be bothering me?"

"You seem distracted... Did you thoughtlessly make your sister angry again?"

"It's nothing..."

Efnir did not elaborate. Shinomiyami Nami pursed her lips but did not intend to press the matter.

"Being an older brother is hard, isn't it?"

"Don't say things that could be misunderstood. More importantly, isn't it getting late? Do you really have time to stand around chatting here?"

Seeing Efnir awkwardly avert her gaze, Shinomiyami Nami smiled teasingly. Completely unfazed, she instead gave a deliberately mysterious grin.

"Oh, right. There's a surprise today."

"I'm not looking forward to it."

"What? I'm being completely serious here!"

"Then... tell me?"

"Hmph."

Shinomiyami Nami raised a finger with exaggerated seriousness.

"I told you before that the Fan Club's person in charge changed, right? Did you know that this newcomer is a really, really cute and dependable junior? I heard she admires you greatly and has always treated you as her life's goal."

There were occasionally people in the Fan Club who described themselves that way, and there were also those who actively supported her on SNS. Those words instead made Efnir think of Fengling Shiyin.

If wishes could come true, Efnir would probably wish for Fengling Shiyin to recover as soon as possible.

"Yeah... You mentioned that before. I remember, so?"

Efnir simply could not muster much interest in what Shinomiyami Nami was saying.

Honestly, Shinomiyami Nami had always handled the Fan Club's affairs. Most of the time, Efnir only needed to make an occasional appearance to remind people she existed, so it was difficult for her to care much about matters here.

After all, Efnir's main work was not here in the first place.

"You're so perfunctory."

Shinomiyami Nami grinned. She did not mind Efnir's attitude and continued:

"More importantly, she's very pretty. I think she's your type. So? Does that interest you even a little?"

"This is the important business you were talking about?"

"It's your own Fan Club... I worked hard to manage it for you. Why doesn't that count as important business?"

"..."

Efnir sighed.

"Anyway, I don't understand any of this. Even if you explain it to me, I probably still won't get it, so you can handle everything as you see fit. Just let me know whenever you need me to show up."

"Oh? Really?"

Shinomiyami Nami smiled meaningfully.

"I'm telling you in advance, there's still handover work to do, so you're scheduled to meet the new person in charge today. If you don't prepare anything, you'll definitely regret it."

"Alright, alright. Could you hurry up and lead the way...?"

Shinomiyami Nami gave a sly smile, said no more, and linked arms with Efnir as she led her off to one side.

Meanwhile, among the crowd not far away...

Shiomi Yukina blankly watched Shinomiyami Nami and Efnir leave the crowd—

"Brother...?"

She froze slightly.

Three minutes earlier.

The venue had a separate space reserved for temporary use by the Fan Club, and Shiomi Yukina had arrived early to wait there.

"I'm going to the restroom. Please take care of things here for now, Senior!"

"Oh! No problem, Yukina. Just leave it to me!"

Yukina smiled at the girl in front of her, who was dressed in support gear, then turned and left.

She made her way around the noisy crowd, walking at an unhurried pace.

She was not actually going to the restroom. There were simply too many people around, and it was too noisy. Unaccustomed to such an environment, she merely wanted some fresh air. The event had not started yet, and she did not have much to do.

Today was an especially significant day for Shiomi Yukina, because she had come here as the Fan Club's new person in charge.

Though it was probably only "temporary," this opportunity was immensely precious to Yukina. Over the course of its development, the Fan Club had grown from an obscure online group of like-minded enthusiasts into a semi-official fan organization. Because of this, it occasionally came into contact with manager Shinomiyami Nami and even Magical Girl Avenil herself.

Yukina was undoubtedly lucky. Just three days after taking over, she received an invitation from her idol's manager, Shinomiyami Nami.

It was nothing terribly important or indispensable. For the person in charge of a fan club, it was an ordinary, common activity. But for Yukina, finally having a chance to cross paths with her idol Avenil was an opportunity she had dreamed of for a long time.

In short, she was in a pretty good mood today.

Probably?

She should have been very happy... Yet for some reason, Yukina did not feel especially happy.

Her wish was finally close to reaching its end. Yet before any swelling sense of fulfillment could come, disappointment and loneliness had already filled her chest.

It was as though she had forgotten something important. Yukina knew this feeling well... It was exactly the same feeling she had when standing on the winners' podium and searching for her brother's figure. It should have been a happy moment, but the incompleteness of that joy had left it flawed.

Precisely because she was so happy, the Fracture in her heart had become magnified.

The area was filled with a clamorous crowd. Yukina strolled slowly and aimlessly, looking out over the vast hall. In the distance, staff from the Orderkeepers Organization and the Special Disaster Division, the city's two major administrative agencies, had already arrived.

There were so many people... Yet only a few had come alone like her.

Because this was meant to be a time for happiness and uninhibited laughter, everyone always wanted to share it with someone else. Yet Yukina could only slowly savor her joy alone.

Yukina sighed.

She thought of her brother again...

She was not angry with him, but there was no doubt that a tremendous sense of distance had grown between them. At first, Yukina had tried inviting him to attend event venues with her, but she gradually realized that her brother was one of the rare boys who had no interest in "Avenil." No matter how indirectly Yukina brought her up, he remained unmoved.

So Yukina had not found an opportunity to mention this event, and naturally had not invited her brother either. Even if she had, her brother definitely would not have accompanied her to a "Magical Girl Avenil" performance event.

More than a year had passed quickly, and Yukina had somewhat grown used to not having her brother by her side.

Whenever she needed her brother's company, he was always absent. Whether it was parent-teacher conferences, a Corruption attack, or a frighteningly quiet room where she was all alone.

Of course she held some resentment.

Because she had expected too much, because she had always been treated that way, it was only natural that she would feel let down when her hopes were dashed.

If anyone was to blame, it was herself for relying too heavily on her brother. Ultimately, she was simply not mature enough.

But she still could not accept it.

Because she was his little sister, shouldn't she have been a little "special"? Because she placed her brother in a "special" position, because he called her "special," she hoped to receive "special" treatment from him too...

Yet after getting carried away on her own, she discovered that reality was far from what she had wished for.

In the end, she was the only one being sentimental.

So naturally, she felt disappointed.

That hollow feeling... slowly accumulated like falling snow, then froze into ice.

She had always harbored complaints, but never enough to turn into hatred. She could never hate her brother. It was just that... there were many things she could not bring herself to say.

"If only we could spend a little more time together..."

Yukina's gaze drifted.

She told herself this every time, and she had indeed taken steps toward it. Yet without exception, it was as though her brother deliberately avoided her, choking the little courage she had tightly in her throat.

After dropping out of college and returning home, her brother had become unfamiliar once more, and the distance between them had grown ever more impossible to cross.

She had tried many things, but everything always went against what she imagined.

Eventually, things ended up like this.

Day after day, the tedious and mundane routine continued. Without her brother's company, Yukina had more or less grown accustomed to it.

Then, a familiar figure passed before the crowd. Though it was merely an accidental glance, it caught Shiomi Yukina's attention.

Her brother, Yanase Naoto.

He was dressed as casually as ever, but now wore a black baseball cap. He seemed to be thinking about something, his brow furrowed as he glanced around. Shiomi Yukina instinctively took a step back and hid among the crowd.

Yanase Naoto did not notice her.

Like a thief, Shiomi Yukina cautiously poked her head out.