Chapter 1
July 1, 2097, late evening.
This evening was unlike the last few days – it was clear, and you could see the stars. It looked like this year's wet season might end earlier than usual. Such thoughts overtook Minami, who opened the window of her hospital room and looked at the night sky.
10 minutes ago, this chamber was filled with the voices of young women. Although Minami is a “young woman” herself, she is not usually as verbose. The atmosphere of live communication in her room was created as two high school students from her school - Miyuki and Erika - came to visit her.
After Minami's hospitalization, Miyuki made her daily visit without missing a single day. While Minami was delighted that her mistress spent time with her every day, she tried to argue against inconveniencing Miyuki, but Miyuki did not listen to her. Minami was able to come to terms with Miyuki’s visits by assuring herself that Miyuki was only recognizing her loyalty. Minami was also glad that Miyuki was worried about her. Like Minami, Miyuki was involved in the incident which caused Minami to be hospitalized. Because of this, Minami did not consider Miyuki visiting as completely unusual. But the visit of Erika befuddled Minami. From an objective point of view, Minami and Erika were not close – they rarely contacted each other.
They did not work together in the school council, as with Honoka, and they did not often meet face to face, as with Shizuku, who often came to the student council room. AND they did not have Senpai-Kohai relations in club activity, as with Leo.
Erika and Minami were only seen together when Erika walked home with Miyuki and Minami, where they rarely even talked. Most of their exchanges happened when stopped at a café located on the way to the station.
Because of this, Minami guessed that Erika was probably a temporary replacement for Miyuki’s “bodyguard” - yesterday, Tatsuya had told Minami, “I can’t come tomorrow night”. He did not explain the reason, but it meant he is acting separately from Miyuki. Obviously, he had some very important business. Minami does not need to know the details of Tatsuya’s work, but it concerned her from the
point of view that if the hospital was attacked, Tatsuya could not instantly come to the rescue. However, Minami did not blame Tatsuya for this, for from the very beginning, Minami was not in the position in which she must be protected. On the contrary, as Miyuki’s guardian, she was supposed to protect Miyuki. Perhaps Tatsuya, worrying that he could not come accompany Miyuki himself, sent Erika as his replacement? Minami quickly rejected this thought in her mind. The hospital was guarded by subordinate magicians of the Yotsuba. Tatsuya would not have sent a classmate to do the job of these magicians. Minami felt ashamed of her previous thoughts, even though these thoughts were quite close to the truth.
The bustle taking place in Miyuki’s room was not simple entertainment – it looked more like a study meeting, where Miyuki explained strange concepts from the textbook to Erika. Tomorrow, final exams for the first semester would begin at first high, so Erika and Miyuki were undoubtedly preparing for them. As Minami thought about this, she frowned. She was scheduled to be released from the hospital on July 9th, and her last exam would take place on July 6th. Given her circumstances, she would get a separate opportunity to take her exams. Minami was not worried about failing her exams – even if she got a zero due to omission of the exams, it would not hurt her, as Minami only attended first high to act as the guardian of Miyuki. It was simply the phrase “additional exams” that caused her gloom.
Minami waved her head slightly. She tried to think about something positive before her thoughts got bogged down in a swamp.
“I don’t want you dead! But I don’t want to take away your magic either! Please become as Parasite like me!”
Minami remembered the words Minoru had shouted that time. Not just his words, but she reproduced his desperate voice as well, so it sounded like she was hearing it right now. At that time, Minoru was serious. Minami felt his words were sincere. She instinctively felt that Minoru became a Parasite only for the sake of saving her. “Why did he?” she mumbled. The night carried this question unrequited off to nowhere, though she repeated it every evening, starting from that day.
No one could possibly give Minami an answer. But even knowing this, she could not stop asking.
“Why did he go so far for me?”
Minami spent just 3 days with Minoru. Moreover, their meeting a few days ago had been after more than six months without seeing each other. During that time, they did not talk even once.
Although it happened 8 months ago and lasted just 3 days, Minami remembered Minoru well. She remembered the time she spent with a guy of the same age, possessing beauty as if out of this world. She simply could not forget such blindingly bright events, this representative of the opposite sex with beauty comparable to even Miyuki.
His appearance was imprinted in her mind, even though Miyuki was in the same space most of that time. However, Minoru, as a member of the opposite sex, had a much stronger impression on her. Not only she, but any girl the same age would never forget time spent with such a handsome guy as Minoru, because like Miyuki, he was an exception to exceptions – Minami mentally convinced herself of this. It was not pretense of self-deception, either – she seriously thought so, at least for the surface part of her consciousness. Therefore, it was a mystery to Minami – though it was normal for Minami to remember Minoru, why would someone as ordinary as her become special for Minoru? Undoubtedly, Minami was not ordinary, but in her mind, she could not even begin to compare to Minoru.
She was not such a beautiful girl as to make a strong impression on the opposite sex. She had too ordinary of an appearance. One could say that she was
“pretty cute if you looked closely,” but she was no comparison with Minoru. The only thing that came to her mind was that she could stay in the far corner of his memory as a supplement to Miyuki.
“I first met Minoru-sama on Saturday evening, October 6th last year. In the main house of the Kudou family…”
Minami was surprised that she remembered the date and even estimate time of day.
However, she quickly decided that remembering the date was not that surprising, as meeting Minoru was quite a shocking event. And “shocking” in this case is not a figurative expression; when Minami first saw Minoru’s face, she genuinely
experienced shock and her heart trembled. This was not simple surprise. If it was only amazement, she would not have been speechless at that moment. Minoru was the owner of shocking beauty, but if it were only beauty… after all, Minami contacted daily with the owner of a beauty comparable to Minoru.
“The shock at that moment was not so simple that it can be attributed only to one kind of emotion…” , Minami muttered mentally. Yes, it was not only surprise.
“If there was something else, then what?” she asked herself. But Minami had no answer to this question. Minami was not able to tell what her emotions were at that moment. She did not understand what feelings she experienced then.
"... then we met again the next day…,” Minami thought.
Starting from the Katsuragi road in Nara, they visited the Kasihara temple, a mound Ishibutai, Mount Amenokagu, and Nara Park. Their goal was to find Zhou Gongjin, the magician of ancient magic from the continent, as well as traditionalists - a group of Japanese magicians opposed to the Ten Master Clans. Though they were not alone
– Tatsuya and Miyuki were with them – the casual observer may have seen it as a double date… No, Minami quickly waved this thought out of her head. Although Tatsuya and Miyuki looked like a flirting couple, Minami and Minoru should not have looked like a pair. Minami thought back to what happened during those 3 days. At one point, Minami traveled with Minoru on a two-seater robo-scooter… there was also a moment in Nara Park where Tatsuya and Miyuki broke away from them, leaving Minami and Minoru walking shoulder to shoulder.
“Further! Next was…!” Minami remembered how she almost stepped on a mine and forced herself to rewind her memories.
Her next meeting with Minoru was two weeks later… Saturday, October 20… she not only remembered the day of the week, but the exact date. And during this meeting, she could not utter a single word, despite the fact that it was no longer their first-time meeting. She could not even look him in the eye. The Senpais from First High, who came with them, were clearly surprised, so her behavior was not noticed. But if she was only with Tatsuya and Miyuki, her behavior would seem very strange. They visited Oohara, Kinkakuji temple, and Kiyomizu-dera temple. Like 2 weeks ago, they
were looking for clues about the whereabouts of Zhou Gongjin, so it would not be a lie to say that the walk looked like an inspection. Perhaps this was because unlike searches in Nara, they did not encounter the enemy. However, while operating separately from Minami’s group, Erika and the other Senpais were attacked by magicians using ancient magic who supported Zhou Gongjin.
Of course, Minami’s group wasn’t just hanging around the neighborhood.
They discovered the base of some traditionalists, hidden on the way to the Kiyomizu-dera temple, and got a clue about Zhou Gongjin’s whereabouts. However, this was the achievement of only Tatsuya. Miyuki and Minoru can be written as his assistants, and Minami herself was just their attendant.
"The Yuba-nabe in that restaurant was delicious..." thought Minami as she unconsciously drove away the thoughts of her worthlessness. Still, Minami was discouraged by the fact that the she first though about food. "Am I such a glutton?”.
Minami stopped playing memories and bashfully hid her face in the hands that had already recovered from the loss of motor function. Her hands made a little more than two laps before Minami resumed viewing her memories.
“The next day, Minoru-sama suddenly fell sick….”
She was surprised that Minoru’s condition suddenly deteriorated. She had heard a little about his weak constitution, but she was not as motivated to take care of him because until the previous day he had not shown any sign of weakness. But as soon as her surprise passed, she was overwhelmed by her sense of duty. Though she was a maid, and not a nurse, care was included in her duties. As a result, she insisted on staying and taking care of Minoru. Thinking back on it, she realized that this feeling was mostly caused by the realization that in the previous days, she was useless. To get rid of the unpleasant feeling, she did the duty she felt most comfortable doing. But despite her enthusiasm, she could only sit and watch the sleeping Minoru. So, she sat staring at Minoru, and when he pointed this out, she burned with embarrassment. But when Minoru fell back asleep, until his condition deteriorated further, she sat next to him in a relaxed atmosphere.
Now, mulling over the events of that time again, something felt off to her. For the two weeks before this, Minami had experienced a feeling of being nervously
overworked, causing her anxiousness when visiting the hot springs with Miyuki.
Though the circumstances were different, when she was alone with Miyuki who was same gender, she should have been more relaxed than when she was with Minoru, rather than the other way around. Being a beautiful first-class magician, he also had a gentle temperament and did not brag about his strength. Beautiful appearance, gentle nature, wisdom and courage… Kudou Minoru was a young guy who could not fail to be noticed by any girl of his age. So, Minami was surprised as to how she was so carefree. Although she was exceedingly nervous the day before, that day she was completely calm and did not catch her breath.
Had she gotten used to him in just 1 day? But Minami did not think that this was the only thing. Maybe it was a sense of duty as a maid? But in this case, she would have been even more nervous. Minami tried to remember more of how she thought and felt at the time. Sitting next to Minoru’s bed, she…
“No… that wasn’t true… I was far from relaxed…”
As she once again looked at the memories of that day, Minami remembered that her feelings then were very unstable. When Minoru had pointed out that she was staring, Minami had burned with shame. When Minoru fell asleep, she felt at ease sitting next to his bed. But at the same time, she came up with a similar question.
"... why could I feel at ease next to a guy my age?"
Minami finally realized the feelings she felt.
"I feel the same to Minoru-sama as he is to me ..."
The feeling Minami first felt was "similarities".
"That means...? So, I caught the attention of Minoru myself…"
Finding this feeling in herself, Minami stiffened and blushed. From the very beginning, her modesty had a different meaning. How had she forgotten this?
"Because soon Minoru-sama's condition suddenly deteriorated."
Minami was so shocked by this that she forgot about her own feelings, and about his embarrassment. At the time, she could only think about how to ease the suffering Minoru. She was so nervous that she forgot her own thoughts.
"Maybe Minoru-sama too ...?"
She thought that Minoru probably also had similar feelings. Probably, Minoru, remembering the feeling of similarity from that time, wanted to take care of Minami like she took care of him.
"But why then ...?"
Minami thought she could understand Minoru's behavior if he experienced similar feelings. But if you think in this direction, you return to the original question. She did not see herself as “special” in Minoru’s ideas.
“Why did Minoru go so far in trying to cure her that he even dropped his humanity…?”
However much Minami pondered this question, she could not find the answer.
When Miyuki left the hospital where Minami lay, it was already past 9 pm. The usual visiting time ends at 20:00, so you could say that she was given a concession and was allowed to stay until they turned off the lights.
Tatsuya, who attacked the transport plane of the American army to prevent the invasion of new Parasites, had already completed his mission and returned home. His message, "Do you want me to take you?", was the main reason that Miyuki finally completed her hospital visit. If she continued to stay there, Tatsuya would come for her no matter how she answered him.
"Onii-sama must be tired after his mission, so I can't allow him to be loaded even more," thought Miyuki.
However, it was already late in the evening, so Miyuki did not go home alone on an unmanned taxi. Instead she asked Yuuka - “Yuuka-san, I'm sorry for such a request.”
“Everything is good. I, too, was about to go home,” she responded.
As this conversation states, Tsukuba Yuuka – heiress to the head of the Tsukuba family, the lateral branch of the Yotsuba family - acted as a chauffeur (or more accurately, her Guardian, Ozaki Chiho) for Miyuki. Yuuka was a graduate student at the University of Magic. She had completed her studies in March of this year, and now continues to work in a university Lab as she did the year before. Though Yuuka’s skill in the rare mental interference magic played a large part in her early acceptance into the lab, it certainly helped that the Yotsuba family contributed materials to the lab, so the professor accepted her with a special courtesy.
When Miyuki and Yuuka arrived at the high-rise building Miyuki had moved into in May, they parked in the underground parking and Miyuki, Yuuka, and Yuuka’s Guardian, Ozaki Chiho all got out. Chiho and Yuuka had also moved into this building about one month after Miyuki. This building was built to be the headquarters of the Yotsuba family in Tokyo, so the heirs chosen by the heads of the side branches moved here as directed by the head of the primary family, Yotsuba Maya. Shibata Katsushige, selected to be the next head of the Shibata side branch of the family, also plans on moving to this building once the Ministry of Defense finishes its checking procedure, and his new home will pass all necessary internal checks.
“Thank you very much,” said Miyuki.
Miyuki stepped out of the car and bowed slightly to Yuuka and Chiho. Chiho nodded silently in response, and Yuuka smiled politely and responded.
“It's my pleasure. How about dinner together next time?”
“Yes, we will definitely do this if our schedules coincide,” Miyuki answered.
After their exchange, Miyuki and Yuuka with Chiho split up in the elevator corridor.
Miyuki entered alone in a special elevator that goes directly to the top floors. When
the elevator stopped and the doors opened, Miyuki saw Tatsuya open the door to the hallway, waiting for her.
“Welcome back,” he said.
“...I'm back.”
Miyuki was touched by this as Tatsuya exited the room to meet her. When she entered the hallway, she relaxed her tense face. From the entrance, they went straight into the living room, but only Tatsuya sat down. Miyuki put her handbag on the sofa and went to the kitchen. Instead of relaxing after coming home, she went to make a drink for Tatsuya. Miyuki showed no signs of fatigue, and in in her usual caring manner, placed a cup of freshly brewed coffee in front of Tatsuya. After she did this, she sat on a sofa opposite Tatsuya, too shy to sit next to him because she was wearing an apron. Tatsuya, for his part, behaved differently than usual. Taking his cup, he stood up and went to Miyuki's side. Miyuki looked at him in confusion, but quickly turned to look at her cup. She showed an embarrassed smile of both shame and joy.
Confused at her emotions, she quickly removed this careless (at least, she thought it was careless) smile, Miyuki made a firmer face and looked at Tatsuya again.
“Onii-sama, you did a good job today.”
Miyuki did not ask if Tatsuya completed his mission with success or failure, though not because she blindly believed in Tatsuya’s unconditional victory. Miyuki did not doubt Tatsuya’s victory and his success on missions, but it was natural for her to think that, regardless of success or failure, her statement should give at least temporary peace of mind to her beloved older brother.
“Miyuki, you also worked well. How are things with Minami?”
“If you look at the ability to perform ordinary everyday action, she looks completely restored,” answered Miyuki.
“I see. Yesterday, she, it seems, still experienced some inconvenience.”
“Yes. Now nothing of this is noticeable,” Miyuki responded, becoming calmer as they conversed.
Tatsuya nodded with relief on his face. Miyuki took a shallow breath. Tatsuya noticed this, noticing she was still a little tense. Tatsuya realized that she was collecting to say,
“Minoru-kun never showed up.” Tatsuya was not surprised by this.
“He only recently fought with Fumiya and His Excellency Kudou. Injuries will disappear due to the Parasite's healing ability, but accumulated fatigue will remain.”
Tatsuya said this to ease Miyuki’s stress.
It was a concern that Minoru could appear in any moment to pick Minami, but Tatsuya’s words erased signs of tension from Miyuki's face.
“Besides killing his excellency, Minoru made it very difficult for himself to move. Up to this point, he has only performed against the Ten Main Clans, which was good for him. But now the self-defense forces will join the search,” continued Tatsuya.
“Self-defense forces?” Miyuki questioned.
“Even after retirement, His Excellency had a very strong influence inside the self-defense forces. He lost some of his reputation due to the incident with the parasitic dolls last year, but some of the military sympathizes with his Excellency.
Faith and dedication that took shape over a long period of time wont be so easily extinguished after one incident.” Tatsuya explained this to Miyuki, further easing her worry.
The development of the parasitic dolls was reckless, but from the view of the army, the concept was not wrong. The use of monsters threatening humanity was risky, but examples like Pixie prove that coexistence with parasitic dolls is possible.
At least for Tatsuya, this was a fact. Still, the Parasites are dangerous. They are of a similar threat level to a carrier of a lethal, incurable, infection. Tatsuya's hostility towards Minoru was because of his attempts to infect Minami with a Parasite.
The military, which knew the circumstances, should be able to treat the parasitic dolls and the parasites separately. Military officers are not prone to act without thinking. However, the average soldier does not know the detailed information about the incident and does not know the reason for the loss of confidence in Kudou Retsu. Quite many people think that Kudou Retsu was a victim in the internal struggle for influence within the forces of self-defense. A platoon of strike
infantry belonging to the first division of the self-defense forces - also known as the
“Swordsman” detachment - was almost in full force (according to the most modest estimates) sympathizing with Kudou Retsu.
“Does Onii-sama think it will be difficult for Minoru-kun to invade the metropolitan area again?” Miyuki asked.
“If it were not for the circumstances, then it would be really difficult for him. But, unfortunately, now....”
Normally, the SDF would want to respond to the threat of Minoru after his killing of Kudou Retsu. However, Tatsuya was aware of the clash of the Great Asian Alliance and the New Soviet Union, which is of a higher priority to the SDF.
“Onii-sama suggests that something concrete is going to happen? And should we remain vigilant?”
Miyuki hesitated for a while as she waited for Tatsuya to finish his statement, but Tatsuya did not dare continue his words. But in the end, she could not help asking.
Because it was related to the safety not only of Minami, but of the whole family.
“The military clash between the Great Asian Alliance and the New Soviet Union. If there are any major changes in the position of the parties, the self-defense forces will turn their eyes to the north.”
Even Tatsuya could understand the feelings that Miyuki had put into her question. He stopped talking evasively.
“And Minoru-kun will use this chaos to get in?” Miyuki continued her questioning.
“I think that the probability of this is quite high. More specifically, he will do it immediately after the defeat of the Great Asian Alliance. It seems to me that this will be the most opportune moment.”
Tatsuya looked Miyuki in the eye. But Miyuki thought that Tatsuya’s eyes were looking straight ahead.
As in the past, students of the National Academy of Defense lived in a dormitory. However, students undergoing training as a magician officer were not required to follow this tradition. The fourth-year student Chiba Naotsugu studied at his home, and the sophomore Watanabe Mari rented an apartment near the Academy.
Despite being past 9 in the evening, however, these two were not in Naotsugu's house or in Mari’s apartment, and instead were sitting in one of the rooms for briefing the forces of the Asaka base of national defense. About 40 officers and soldiers were present in the room. Thirty of them were from a platoon of assault infantry, also known as the "Swordsmen" detachment, and the rest were commanders and junior officers from the first division of reconnaissance, supply, maintenance, and communications units. Naotsugu and Mari participated in this meeting as potential members of the strike infantry platoon.
“This is not only our own business.”
From the podium spoke the commander of the “Swordsmen” detachment. This meeting was organized by him, although it was scheduled by officers of higher status.
This was clear from the content of his speech - the meeting began with the detachment commander stating the cause of death of Kudou Retsu as murder, with his grandson Kudou Minoru being the killer. This caused a slight uproar, and after the noise of various voices subsided, he suggested that the shock platoon of the assault infantry organize the capture of Minoru.
“The searching and arresting of criminals is the responsibility of the police - not a job for the army. However, there is a high probability that Kudou Minoru acts in collusion with foreign agents. The country affiliated with the agents has not been established, so this mission should be viewed as preventive measures against possible sabotage, instead of the searching and arresting of criminals.”
This time there was no uproar. All those present had strained faces, and they stared at the commander, without even making the sounds of rustling clothes.
“But even if we didn’t have such an excuse, we cannot ignore Kudou Minoru, who raised his hand to His Excellency — his own grandfather!”
The voice of the commander, who was previously restrained, suddenly became emotional.
“The criminal Kudou Minoru is infected with a Parasite. This information came from a reliable source.”
In the ensuing silence in which everyone held their breath, it was quiet enough to hear someone swallowing saliva. A platoon of strike infantry had advanced to capture the first Parasites in February of last year. Several soldiers looked at Naotsugu, sitting in the back row, because they remembered the moment in which he stood against the platoon with his sister, Chiba Erika.
- “The enemy of his excellency is a demon who is the enemy of all people.”
- “We have two reasons not to ignore Kudou Minoru. That's what I think!”
- “That's right!"
At this point, a chorus of voices spoke up in support of the searching and capture of Kudou Minoru - and not only members of the shock infantry platoon.
“We will request cooperation from the public security department, as well as from all divisions of the central region and the Kansai region. A platoon of strike infantry will wait in a state of readiness at the East Fuji training ground, and Kudou Minoru will rush there when he finds shelter. Depart from this base the day after tomorrow at 9:00.
That's all.” Naotsugu and Mari rose and saluted the commander, along with members of the squad with drawn swords.
Tatsuya and Miyuki lived by themselves once again. There was no longer a third pair of eyes watching them and shackling their actions. They were siblings, but cousins officially, as well as bride and groom. Although the groom was appointed by the Yotsuba, Miyuki truly loved Tatsuya. And though Tatsuya said he only viewed Miyuki as a younger sister, he had practically no sense of morality because of the experiment to create an artificial magic calculation area. Because of this, if Miyuki seriously wished for it, Tatsuya would not refuse her. Tatsuya would even agree to go to bed with her in the literal sense. Miyuki should have been only happy about that,
and she had no reason to fear making a mistake, as right now they slept in separate bedrooms. Though she had no reason to fear refusal, Miyuki did not dare ask Tatsuya to sleep in the same bedroom (not to even mention the same bed). Obviously, she feared emotions would get out of control, but she also abstained because of the state Minami was in.
Because Minami had protected her, Minami overheated her magic calculation area. It was clearly not even remotely Miyuki’s fault; even Tatsuya was more to blame for being the target of attack. Still, Minami was in the hospital as a result of protecting Miyuki. This was an undeniable fact, and therefore not a situation in which Miyuki felt right having fun carefree. Though Minami would not want her to feel this way, Miyuki felt guilty about trying to immerse herself in happiness while Minami was recovering. These thoughts served as an effective “brake” for Miyuki’s lust, so Miyuki went to bed alone in her room. She sat on the bed and turned off the light with a voice command, recalling a recent conversation with Tatsuya. Minoru was forced into a difficult position, but he still would not give up on Minami; or so Tatsuya said, but Miyuki held the same opinion. Minoru seemed to truly be in love with Minami.
Miyuki did not know Tatsuya’s opinion of this, but at least Miyuki felt this way. From her own experience, she saw love in his actions. However, she could not understand why this love existed. Miyuki realized her own feelings because of the dramatic events in Okinawa 5 years ago. Her obsession with Tatsuya seemed normal to her, given the situation. But what happened with Minoru? No "special incident" happened between Minami and Minoru. Unless, did something happen on the day Minami was left to look after Minoru? On the day when Minoru's condition suddenly deteriorated, Minami called Tatsuya him what to do. Minami could not do anything to improve his condition or alleviate his suffering except for stay close to him.
"But for Minoru-kun, this could be something special."
Events that are not significant to others could be unforgettable for him. Perhaps Minami gave Minoru valuable memories which he could not forget, memories which no one else knows. But Miyuki did not have any of these memories, and she did not see any clues she could use to speculate. However, no matter Minoru’s intentions, he cannot be allowed to do whatever he wants. There was no doubt that Minoru only wanted the treatment of Minami, but his method for this requires her to sacrifice her
humanity. The life of the individual named “Sakurai Minami” can be saved. However, the woman named Sakurai Minami would cease to exist. It was unclear how much of her consciousness would remain after transformation. Would it be possible to say that she did not die? Or would it be that that as a person, she would be dead. Would only a ghost of her former self be left? Miyuki couldn't accept the risk. Never.
"But... What does Minami-chan think about it?"
Tatsuya claimed that if her magic was sealed, her life would not be in danger. Miyuki believed this. But what does Minami think? After all, this is her life. You can’t force Minami to have the same absolute faith in Tatsuya’s words. Miyuki would never doubt Tatsuya, but it was impossible and wrong to force this same thinking on other people.
Minami had already agreed with Tatsuya’s treatment of “giving up magic.”
However, in the depths of her soul, perhaps she thinks: “I don’t want to lose my magic.”
“You have no right to take away the magic from Minami,” Minoru had said that time.
Even Miyuki would not deny that she felt a sense of agreement with the words of Minoru. For a magician, magic is essentially their arms and legs. There exists no one who, knowing that they will die if they do not cut off the hand, is not disturbed.
Perhaps the true feelings of Minami coincide with Minoru: instead of choosing to lose magic, she could choose to become a Parasite.
"What will happen if Minami-chan wants to do this ...?" worried Miyuki.
Miyuki shook her head, and long hair rolled over her shoulders to cover her face as Miyuki convinced herself that this would not happen. Losing one’s limbs is scary…
terrifying, even. But losing one's heart is even worse. To value one’s humanity over one’s magic - isn't that the same thing as changing one's heart for one hand? Such a choice. One would only make that decision if they would receive something comparable to the heart as well...
"What if Minami values Minoru-kun as such an object...?"
Miyuki thought about what she would do if Minoru and Minami were swapped for Tatsuya and herself.
"To abandon my humanity and follow Onii-sama… that would be my choice." Miyuki answered without hesitation.
Miyuki could not answer how Minami felt because she did not know how much Minami valued Minoru-kun.
?
There are no girls who would not be captivated by Minoru’s appearance. Even Miyuki was unconsciously captivated by his beauty at first. If her heart had not been full of Tatsuya, then she might have even a vague sense of falling in love. Love is not built on appearances. Miyuki did not know if it was the same with men, but she felt that at least girls are not so simple about this. If Tatsuya did not exist, she still would not have chosen her beloved by appearance, and Minami was probably the same in that sense. Miyuki did not deny the possibility of “love at first sight,” but she believed that this was not just a crush on appearance. Miyuki felt it that if it was anything, it was a crush on the impression of the person, conveyed along with the appearance, but showing the inner sides of the person.
Minami had not had enough time to get to know Minoru’s character in detail, but Minami also showed no behavior hinting towards love at first sight. After the last time they split up in Kyoto, Minami never spoke about Minoru; at least not around Miyuki. Though Minami is not talkative, she is not very good at keeping secrets. Even when she tries to put on a poker face, it is easy to understand that something is wrong.
When Minami reacted to Miyuki and Tatsuya's excessive flirting, they only pretended to not notice. Up until the meeting the other day, Minami did not show any interest in Minoru in front of Miyuki or Tatsuya. It was not clear how exactly Minami felt, but she at least was not consciously in love with Minoru.
"But if she noticed those feelings that she had not realized until now? What if these were feelings that were similar to mine for Onii-sama...?"
Maybe she was overthinking it, but perhaps there is a future in which Minami chooses Minoru.
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