Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 33 - Chapter 2

Episode 2: Fledgling Days

Yurika’s phone buzzed one day while she was absorbed in reading some shoujo manga she’d just bought. Needless to say, she promptly ignored her phone and continued reading. The message could wait. The heroine was busy losing her memory, and her career as a pianist was in danger.

“Yurika, shouldn’t you take a look at that message?”

Theia pointed to the blinking screen on the old, cheap cellphone that Yurika used. She felt like Yurika should look into it.

“I will when I’m done with this volume.”

Yurika continued munching on a rice cracker as she lazed about on the tatami mat, completely ignoring Theia’s advice. It seemed like she really had no intention of checking her phone right now.

“But it looks like it’s from the magical girls’ secret base.”

Theia could see the words “Blue Tower” on the flashing screen. Yurika happened to be a member of the Blue Magic Division of Rainbow Heart, and the Blue Tower was the headquarters of said division. If HQ was messaging Yurika, surely it was something important. What if it was a pressing mission or some other kind of emergency?

“It’s okay. If it was really urgent, they would have messaged me, called me, and contacted me with magic all at once. So if it’s just a message, then there’s no hurry.”

“Well, if you say so...”

Theia now understood that Yurika wasn’t just irresponsibly ignoring an urgent message to read manga, but she still found the situation a little difficult to accept.

Isn’t she slacking off a little too much just because the various problems surrounding the Magical Kingdom of Folsaria were resolved?

Technically speaking, Yurika was an archwizard of Rainbow Heart, making her one of their top field agents. Theia could easily imagine someone shedding bitter tears when she didn’t respond to their message.

As it turned out, Yurika was right. The message wasn’t particularly urgent, although it did come with a deadline attached. Said deadline was still a month out, however, so there was nothing wrong with Yurika continuing to enjoy her manga this afternoon.

“‘As Rainbow Heart is being reorganized, a portion of our safehouses...’ Koutarou, Koutarou! What’s a safehouse?”

“Can you handle this one, Kiriha-san?”

“Simply put, it’s like a hideout or a small secret base.”

“There you have it, Sanae.”

“Cool. Okay... ‘A portion of our safehouses will be shut down. Records indicate you’re using House B77M7, which is scheduled for consolidation. We request that you immediately collect any personal belongings.’ That’s what it says.”

Now that their battle with Darkness Rainbow was over with, Rainbow Heart had a different kind of fight ahead of them. They’d been fighting around Kisshouharukaze City up until now, but from here on out, they’d be battling the remnants of Darkness Rainbow that had taken refuge far and wide. Knowing the fight was changing, Rainbow Heart was strategically consolidating and relocating a large number of their safehouses, which apparently included one that Yurika had been using.

“A safehouse? I can’t recall Yurika-sama ever using one...”

With a puzzled look on her face, Ruth set her tea down on the table. She had no recollection of Yurika using a safehouse. It felt like she was always hanging around room 106.

“It’s been two years since we all arrived here, and she probably hasn’t used it since then.”

“Long story short: it’s being closed down because she’s not using it.”

“Aha, so that’s it.”

Ruth had a better grasp of the situation with Kiriha and Koutarou’s insight. The safehouse was being consolidated due to lack of use. Yurika had essentially abandoned it for room 106, and safehouses weren’t exactly free to run. This was only the logical course of action.

“Man, what a pain... They could just keep it running instead of being so mean.”

Flop!

Yurika threw up her hands—manga and all—as she slumped over on the floor. It couldn’t be clearer that she wasn’t interested in moving a muscle.

“You’re being a nuisance to them, so clean up after yourself already! Unlike you, they’re not just playing around.”

“Hey! I’m not just playing around either!”

“All you do is eat, sleep, and play.”

Yurika’s official mission was to protect room 106, but with Darkness Rainbow out of the picture, that wasn’t exactly much of a job. Koutarou was unfortunately more or less correct in his assessment. Yurika knew that and didn’t want the conversation to proceed in that direction any further, so she quickly tried changing the subject.

“Aw, Satomi-san... You’re so nice that you’re gonna help me clean up, right?”

“Of course not.”

“Whaaat?! Do you hate me?!”

“I hate anything that’s a pain.”

“Isn’t that, like, a complete and utter rejection of Yurika’s very existence?”

“Your Highness! You can’t say things like that out loud...”

The procrastinating Yurika had few allies. Sanae was usually on her side, but even she didn’t delay when it came to things that might cause trouble for others. That meant Yurika’s only hope was Clan, who—alas—was not present today. But just as Yurika was realizing she was on her own, a friendly voice piped up with an offer of aid.

“Say, Yurika... If you really don’t want to do it, do you want me to do it for you?”

“Would you?!”

Yurika’s savior was none other than her good friend Sanae, and Yurika was beaming at this unexpected turn of events. She would love nothing more than for Sanae to clean up the safehouse for her.

“Yeah. But in exchange, I get to take whatever I want. Especially fun stuff like gifts from people.”

“Deal!”

Yurika didn’t even hesitate to jump at the offer. She’d end up paying a steep price for the service, but she was more than willing to if it meant someone would clean up her mess without her having to lift a finger.

Of course, Koutarou wasn’t pleased with this arrangement.

“Sanae, don’t spoil her too much.”

Yurika’s future was bleak indeed if she started leaving her cleaning to other people. From an educational perspective, Koutarou couldn’t accept that as a valid solution.

“I’m not just doing this for her, though.”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“If it’s Yurika’s stuff I’m cleaning up, it’s mostly manga and instant noodles, right?”

“Yeah, probably.”

“So I’ll take what I want before giving the rest back to Yurika.”

“That’s pretty smart. I guess I should go help too.”

The wardrobe in room 106 was packed with Yurika’s stuff, and Sanae was right. The vast majority of it was manga, anime merchandise, and instant noodles. Assuming the safehouse would be the same way, Sanae was planning on scoring a sweet deal for herself by offering to clean it up.

“U-Uh, no thanks! Actually, it’s probably best if I go clean up my own stuff anyway, right? Eh heh heh...”

Yurika had forgotten all about it, but Sanae was right on the mark. And, upon realizing what she stood to lose, Yurika quickly changed her tune about cleaning up. She wasn’t willing to relinquish her beloved manga and instant noodles.

Normally, instant noodles had a listed shelf life of about half a year. But because they were nonperishable, they actually lasted much longer than that. Moreover, the safehouse pantry had a special spell cast on it to keep food fresh. With that, instant noodles should easily last a decade or so... meaning Yurika’s cup noodles from three years ago were still edible to this day.

“Still, to think you amassed this much, Yurika-chan...”

“Ehehehe... I always made sure to stock up whenever there was a sale.”

Yurika had Nana help her clean as she stuffed armfuls of instant noodles into plastic bags—and there was still plenty more to go. They’d already filled up five plastic bags and they weren’t even halfway done yet.

“But was there any reason for you to buy stuff like this?”

“I feel uneasy if I don’t. You never know when you’ll be out on the street after all.”

“I can’t really imagine a homeless magical girl... But I guess that’s just like you, isn’t it?”

Nana wasn’t just at the safehouse to help Yurika clean. Yurika wasn’t the only one who’d used it, after all. She and Nana had both lived there together for a time. But even when she was living with Nana, Yurika had still been a mess.

“Now then... I guess I should get to cleaning up my own things as well.”

“You’re leaving me already?!”

“Heh, I’ll never get home if I don’t.”

Nana actually had more stashed at the safehouse than Yurika did; she’d lived there for far longer, after all. Yurika had only stayed there for about a year, but it was Nana’s residence for years and years, and she’d acquired a good deal of personal belongings in that time. Now that Yurika had her cleaning cut out for her, Nana thought it was time she moved on to her own.

Nana’s cleanup was proceeding at a rapid pace. She was the kind of person who kept everything in order, so she didn’t need to do any organizing as things stood. She could simply move things from one box to another as they were, so she was quickly catching up to Yurika even though she had far more stuff. At this rate, they’d probably finish up at the same time.

“...Oh?”

But Nana’s swift cleaning came to a halt when her eyes landed on a pink muffler. It was something she considered far too cutesy to wear now, though it suited her youthful appearance perfectly.

“So this is where this was... I’m glad I didn’t lose it.”

Nostalgia took hold of Nana as she carefully picked up the muffler. It reminded her of a precious time in her life... The day she’d met a girl named Nijino Yurika and the strange days that followed.

Nijino Yurika was born with vast amounts of mana—so much so that it overflowed her body despite her complete lack of magical training. It was only slight as a child, but as she grew, so too did the mana she emitted. By the time she was in middle school, it had reached dangerous levels. It was enough that demons who lived in the darkness were willing to step out into the light for a chance to devour her and her delicious mana.

“Kyaaaaah! Wh-What is that?!”

The first demon to attack her was a beast that looked like an enlarged hound. Its mind was equally bestial, simple and quick to jump to conclusions. As such, it had underestimated the risks of attacking Yurika and come for her on pure urge and instinct—just before sundown at her middle school. It was completely ignoring the risk of being spotted. It convinced itself that it could do whatever it wanted about the risk as long as it could absorb Yurika’s mana.

“Grrrrr...”

Clumsy Yurika ran for her life, but she only took a few strides before tripping and falling.

“Nooooo!”

She was as unathletic then as she was now, and thus didn’t have a prayer of escaping the hound’s claws. Her overflowing mana functioned as a sort of natural barrier, but it didn’t offer anywhere near the protection of a defensive spell. She was completely cornered.

“Aaahh! It’s going to eat me!”

Even Yurika could imagine what would happen if the hound attacked her with those claws. She saw it all the time in anime and manga: the screen would fade to black with a crimson splash across it.

“If I’d known this was gonna happen, I would’ve bought that manga yesterday!”

Yurika had but one regret. A new volume of her favorite manga series had come out just yesterday, but she was waiting on her allowance before picking it up. If she’d known today would be her last, however, she wouldn’t have hesitated to purchase it. She cursed her foolish lack of foresight.

“Oh yeah! I forgot about the chocolate I left in the cupboard, too! I wish I’d eaten that!”

“Grrrrr...”

Had the hound been able to understand human language, it would’ve been fed up with Yurika. She was screaming over such trivial things that it was hard to believe she was on the verge of being eaten alive.

“It almost sounds like I don’t even need to interfere... But surely that’s just what it sounds like.”

Or so the girl who was overhearing all this thought. Just as she was about to jump in, Yurika had started screaming about manga and chocolate. It stymied a lot of her motivation, but in the end, she was a serious girl who’d come here with a job to do.

“Yurika-chan, get back!”

“Wh-Who are you?!”

From out of nowhere, a lone girl leaped out in front of Yurika. Her small, delicate frame and childlike face—not to mention the pink outfit she was wearing—made her look younger than Yurika, but she was actually several years older. She was the very image of the kind of hero you’d see on TV.

“I’ll explain everything later! But for now, I have to deal with this thing! So stand back!”

“O-Okay!”

That was how Yurika and Nana met. Their friendship would greatly change both their fates, but neither of them had any way of knowing that the day they first met.

Nana’s mission at the time was to keep a handle on any magical incidents around Kisshouharukaze City. As the strongest member of Rainbow Heart, she was frequently drafted for missions that involved Darkness Rainbow, but this was different. Nana was put in charge of Yurika—reason being that she didn’t presently have a disciple to train.

Rainbow Heart was actively investigating people born with vast stores of mana, primarily because they were prime targets for demons and Darkness Rainbow. They made fine feasts and sacrificial pawns respectively. And the more mana a person had, the more likely they were to be targeted. Rainbow Heart had to keep a vigilant eye on things.

They’d learned the hard way to take special care of anyone who exceeded a certain level of mana. In most cases, all the target really needed was a spell cast on them to conceal their power. But in certain cases, there were extraordinary individuals who possessed too much mana to conceal over long periods of time. Yurika was one such example.

In cases like hers, she needed to be taught how to control her mana. Effectively, she needed basic magic training. It would be the only way to ensure she was protected.

“...?”

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. Let me explain it a little simpler, Yurika-chan... Right now, demons think you look delicious, so I came to teach you how to change that.”

“Oh, so that’s what you meant! I finally get it!”

“I feel like this is going to be harder than normal, and not for the usual reasons...”

Nana explained the circumstances as best she could. It was ordinarily difficult to get people to believe in magic, but Yurika hadn’t batted an eye in that regard. She already believed in magic because of anime and manga. Unfortunately, however, she was pretty much a lost cause when it came to understanding difficult concepts. And it was there that Nana was really struggling.

“So does that mean I can become a magical girl?!”

“It’s a dangerous job, so we won’t force you to do that. All we really need is for you to learn the basics of magic.”

“I’ll do it! I’ll become a magical girl!”

It was true that Rainbow Heart used basic magic training to vet potential new recruits, but their decision was based on more than just mana. They factored in age, stamina, and personality.

But this girl... I feel like she’s just not suited for it.

Considering the requirements, Nana thought Yurika wasn’t really cut out for the job. She had no stamina, her personality was timid and cowardly, and she was already in middle school—far too late to start serious training. Just having large amounts of mana wasn’t enough to become a magical girl of Rainbow Heart.

“Hmm... Here you go!”

Shhf...

While Nana was pondering Yurika’s aptitude, she felt something soft and warm being wrapped around her neck. It was the pink muffler that Yurika had been wearing just before.

“Yurika-chan?”

“Heehee, it looks good on you.”

Nana hesitated for a moment. Even though she’d been lost in thought, she was surprised that Yurika had managed to seize the opportunity and get the scarf around her neck. If Yurika were an enemy and the muffler had been wire, for example, Nana could be dead right now.

“Oh, and thank you for saving me.”

Yurika smiled innocently, oblivious to the feat she’d just managed. Nana figured that Yurika simply meant to thank her and gave her the scarf out of consideration for her lightly-dressed appearance. That goodwill was probably how she’d managed to slip under Nana’s guard.

“...You really are a strange girl...”

There, Nana realized that while Yurika might not be suitable for frontline missions, her odd ability to lower others’ guard and her untapped kindness might make her a useful magician for other work.

“Now, why don’t we start with the basics?”

“I’ll do it, I’ll do it! I’ll definitely become a magical girl!”

Either way, Yurika needed to learn the basics. Nana would have a much better idea of what she was really suited for when her training was complete. It wasn’t yet time to be considering her future.

Basic magic training was necessary to learn how to control overflowing mana, meaning it would take some time to get to that. And that created a certain problem...

“Whaaat?! I can’t go home?!”

“I’m sorry, but other demons might follow you if you do.”

“Auuugh...”

Indeed, the problem was that Yurika wouldn’t be able to return home for some time. If she didn’t at least learn how to control her mana, her entire family was at risk of a demon attack or a visit from Darkness Rainbow.

And so Nana brought Yurika back to the safehouse she was using.

“That doesn’t mean you can’t go home at all. You can still visit from time to time.”

“Really?!”

“Yes, I can disguise your mana temporarily.”

“Only temporarily? I’m sure my family’s going to be worried...”

“Don’t worry about that. A magical girl from Rainbow Heart is going to take your place.”

Of course, Yurika staying with Nana posed its own set of problems. If Yurika never came back, her family would raise a fuss. That’s why a magician from Rainbow Heart would be dispatched to Yurika’s home. She would disguise herself as Yurika and effectively take her place while Yurika underwent training.

“Isn’t it hard to just become someone else?”

“It certainly is. But we’re always looking for people with a lot of mana like you, so the agent will have plenty of experience.”

With enough information and sufficient magic, there was virtually no risk of the agent being discovered. And even if they were, it could all be covered up with more magic. The job would actually be very simple for the magical girl assigned to the mission, as all she really needed to do was eat, sleep, read manga, and watch anime.

“Magic sure is convenient.”

“It’s the organizational power that’s truly important. But... I think we’re getting off track here. Anyways, I want you to live here for a while, Yurika-chan.”

“Okaaay.”

Yurika repeatedly nodded as she looked around the place in wonder. It was technically a safehouse, but it was also Nana’s home. Effectively, it wasn’t too different from any of Yurika’s other friends’ houses.

“Huh... so this is what it’s like...”

“What is?”

Nana turned to Yurika when she heard her disappointed voice. Nana was older, but she and Yurika were practically the same height, so they very literally saw eye to eye.

“I’ve always wondered what a magical girl’s secret hideout would look like, but it’s actually pretty normal.”

Yurika had a lot of preconceived ideas about magical girls thanks to shoujo manga. She’d expected Nana’s base to be full of magical furniture and other treasures. Even magical girls who pretended to be normal still had a couple of magical items lying around. But this safehouse was clearly different. Contrary to Yurika’s hopes, it felt like any ordinary home.

“Are you disappointed?”

“Yeah. It’s more normal than I thought.”

“Heh, well, I’m living a normal life, after all.”

“But why not use more magic?”

“Because that might bring the enemy here.”

Nana normally didn’t rely on magic. The more magic she used, the more likely Darkness Rainbow was to discover her hideout. A spell to conceal mana had been cast on the entire safehouse, but she still refrained from using magic when she didn’t have to just to be on the safe side.

“Reality is harsh...”

“Indeed. Another important difference is that your identity will be exposed if they ever see your face.”

“It will?!”

“Yes, even though that almost never happens in anime or manga.”

Nana’s safehouse was closer to something a military agent or an intelligence operative would use. Of course, that was the kind of organization that Rainbow Heart was so that much was only obvious.

Yurika’s first lesson began the day she arrived at the safehouse. Since she was constantly leaking mana, you could say that she was always using magic. And if she didn’t learn to control and hold that, she would be targeted by demons and Darkness Rainbow. So Yurika had to learn how to control her mana as quickly as possible.

“Yurika-chan, hold this.”

“An egg?”

“Yes. This is the first lesson that all magicians go through.”

Nana reached out and placed an egg in Yurika’s hand. It wasn’t a demon egg or a magical egg or anything special. It was just a perfectly normal egg she’d bought at the supermarket.

“Are we going to boil it with magic or something?”

“Heh, no. Start off by focusing on the egg’s shape and how it feels in your hands. Remember that.”

“Okay...”

“After studying it for a time, put the egg away and try to recall it. It’s a form of image training—imagine yourself still holding the egg.”

“Is this going to let me use magic?”

“It’s a preliminary step. In the end, you’ll have to pour mana into what you imagine to give it shape and form, so imagination and concentration are very important to using magic.”

It sounded like a joke at first, but the egg lesson was indeed the first step to becoming a magician. The goal was to recreate the egg by remembering the sensation of it in one’s hands. By training her imagination in this fashion, Yurika would build an important foundation of focus, concentration, and recall. That would make it much easier, for example, to conjure fireballs from her imagination down the line.

“If you can do it right, you’ll be able to do something like this,” Nana said with a smile as she held her right palm out to Yurika.

An egg suddenly appeared in Nana’s outstretched hand. It looked and felt just like a normal egg. It was perfectly indistinguishable from one... except for the fact that Nana had created this one with magic.

“Whoa!”

Before Yurika’s very eyes, the egg started to shine and disappear. With a slight waver like it had been a mirage all along, the egg vanished. Nana had effectively skipped steps in creating it for the sake of demonstration, so it couldn’t last but for so long.

“Amazing! Do you think I can do that too?!”

“That depends on how hard you work.”

“Then I’ll do my best!”

In all honesty, Nana didn’t think that Yurika would ever be able to freely use magic. She likely wouldn’t even be able to create a fully formed egg with mana by the end of her training. At the time, Yurika was fourteen years old—meaning she was getting a very late start on her introduction to magic. Nana figured she’d be lucky just to get a handle on the fundamentals at this age.

“I’m going to give it a try too!”

Yurika returned the egg to Nana, looking full of motivation for once. Since this was the first step to becoming one of the magical girls she so admired, she was tackling it with unusual seriousness.

“Good luck, Yurika-chan.”

“Appear, egg!”

Despite all her enthusiasm, Yurika’s voice was a little shaky. She was, however, quite serious. She faithfully followed Nana’s instructions and was desperately imagining an egg in her hands.

“Hnnnnngh!”

“Oh?”

For just a moment, a flicker of mana danced in Yurika’s palm. Yurika—who’d had no other magical training at this point—was unable to see it, but Nana certainly noticed it.

Could she actually have a real talent for this...?

Nana watched in awe as Yurika’s mana slowly coalesced into the shape of an egg. It normally took considerable training for a fledgling magician to be able to do that much. Even Nana, the youngest magical girl in history to become an archwizard, had taken an entire month to reach that first benchmark... But here Yurika had done it right off the bat.

If that wasn’t just a coincidence, she should be able to create an egg that can actually be seen by the naked eye... And if she can do that, then...

The biggest obstacles for magicians were common sense and presumptions. Magic was essentially the process of using one’s will to forge mana into reality-altering phenomena, so thoughts like “magic doesn’t exist” and “I could never do that” were inhibiting. That was one of the reasons magic got harder and harder to pick up with age.

But Yurika didn’t have any problem with that. She really and truly believed in magic from the get-go. That, combined with her extraordinary supply of mana, coaxed the shape of an egg into being with virtually no training. In other words, Yurika’s personality and natural magic were perfectly predisposed to the job of being a magical girl.

“Ahahaha. I guess I won’t be able to do it right away.”

“Er, that’s right... It took me a lot of work to be able to do it too, so don’t worry about it.”

“I’ll try a little more. Please give me the egg.”

“Here you go.”

Nana was astonished, but Yurika had an innocent smile on her face as she held her hand out and asked for the egg. Nana relinquished it, thinking to herself that fate must have been at work to bring them together. She was that taken aback.

Yurika’s training was going well. Like Nana had predicted, Yurika’s eggs had quickly become visible to the naked eye. After a week, she began perfecting the sensation and weight too. From there, they moved on to more magic-focused lessons, but Yurika’s natural talents were still shining. One after another, she was absorbing magical skills like a sponge.

“Why don’t we stop for dinner?”

“Oh, I can keep going.”

“You probably can’t tell, Yurika-chan, but you’re starting to run out of mana. You won’t improve any more if you keep going at this rate.”

“Oh, I see. That’s too bad.”

To Yurika, practicing magic was no different from reading manga. It was like she was reading the expository chapters of a magical girl story. But as passionate as she was, not even her vast supply of mana could keep up with her. As such, Nana always concluded their lessons together around dinnertime.

And though Yurika’s magical training was going well... the same couldn’t be said for the rest of her time with Nana.

“Yurika-chan, what do you want to eat tonight?”

“Fried rice or deep-fried chicken, please!”

“It’s unhealthy to eat like that all the time. It’s important to find a balance.”

“Ugh...”

“I won’t add any vegetables you don’t like, okay?”

“Then I think I’ll be fine.”

“Heehee... Could you thaw the frozen rice, Yurika-chan?”

“Okaaay!”

Since Nana was Yurika’s magic teacher, Yurika listened to whatever she said. She gleefully ran over to the fridge, pulled out the frozen rice, and threw it in the microwave.

Hummm...

She pressed her face against the window and watched the rice defrost atop the spinning plate. Nana giggled at that humorous sight and got to work on dinner.

“Let’s see... Fried rice and deep-fried chicken...”

Nana was blessed with many talents, and her cooking skills were certainly on par. The way she used her knife to break down a chicken made her look like a professional chef. There was no hesitation in the way she chopped up bite-sized pieces of meat.

Hummm...

“The rice will take another three minutes.”

“Okay.”

Normally, preparing meals was a disciple’s job, but Nana had a very specific reason for tackling the task herself: Yurika was dangerous in the kitchen.

“Kyaaaaah!”

“Yurika-chan?!”

Boom!

“Waaah! Oh no, oh no!”

“I’ll get the fire extinguisher!”

Nana had researched Yurika ahead of time and knew that she left chores at home to her other family members—but she didn’t think that was because she was absolutely incapable of doing them. Indeed, she’d never expected a cooking pot to explode in her hands, or a washing machine to tumble over because it was stuffed so full. But after those experiences, Nana had decided to take on the chores at the safehouse herself. If she didn’t, there was a chance it might be burned to the ground before Yurika learned anything about housekeeping. In fact, she was picking up magic faster than she was picking up chores.

Yurika-chan’s talents seem rather lopsided...

Nana was a good person and saw Yurika’s shortcomings with charity and generosity. Since she wasn’t good at chores, there was no reason to force her to do them. Nana would take care of the brunt of the work, leaving only the simplest of tasks to Yurika.

Ping!

“The rice is done!”

“Then bring it over here, please. I’ll start with the fried rice.”

“Okaaay!”

“Yurika-chan, can you mix the egg in?”

“Okay!”

Unfortunately, Nana’s kindness would later bring tragedy upon Yurika and those who lived with her. If only she’d taken the time to teach Yurika chores, she could have saved everyone a world of trouble down the line. Of course, she had no way of knowing that now.

Nana stared at the pink muffler she’d gotten from Yurika, fondly reminiscing about the past. They’d only lived together in the safehouse for about a year, but those days were chock-full of memories.

“I see... I guess I’m feeling a bit lonely...”

“Huh? What’s wrong, Nana-san?”

Yurika, carrying a cardboard box filled with junk, happened to be passing by. Seeing Nana sitting still in her room, Yurika stopped with a perplexed look on her face.

“I found this while I was cleaning up. I was just thinking back on how much has happened since we first met.”

“Wow, how nostalgic. It’s already been three years, huh?”

When she spotted the muffler, a smile appeared on Yurika’s face. Now that she was in her second year of high school, three years was approximately one-sixth of her life; it felt like quite a long time to her. Yet the memories were still fresh in her mind. Those days were as precious to Yurika as they were to Nana.

“You haven’t changed since then, Nana-san.”

“I was almost an adult when we met, so of course I haven’t changed much since.”

“Oh, that’s true. I always forget because you don’t look much older than me, Nana-san.”

“Heh, yeah. You’re the one who’s grown since then—both mentally and physically.”

Nana looked over Yurika, who’d gotten much taller in the past three years. But that wasn’t the only way she’d grown. Nana could see it in Yurika’s eyes: a strength of will that hadn’t been there three years ago.

Yet Yurika-chan is the same as she ever was... She’s blessed with friends now...

That was what made Nana happiest. Even after all the fighting she’d been through over the last three years, Yurika was still Yurika. Life-or-death situations had a way of changing people. Exactly how was different from person to person, but it all came back to struggle. Some people hardened their hearts to prepare for future battles, and sometimes fighting simply broke people. Nana was the former, but it seemed neither applied to Yurika. No matter how many battles she went through, Yurika remained herself.

Nana was convinced that that was thanks to her friends, both the residents of room 106 and her other friends at school. No matter how fierce a battle might be, she had loved ones to return to. Loved ones that would pull her back from the brink into a normal life. That was what kept Yurika grounded as she grew stronger. Or rather, as she became the kind of magical girl she’d always admired.

“That’s true for you too, Nana-san.”

“Oh?”

Yurika set down her cardboard box, ran over to Nana, and happily sat down next to her. She then poked at Nana’s chest.

“Your body might be the same as before, but the aura you have about you is much softer.”

“You think so?”

“Yes. I thought you were cool before, but I think you’re more wonderful too.”

“I’ve... changed too, have I?”

Nana had never really thought about that. She’d always assumed she was static, but hearing otherwise wasn’t an unpleasant realization. In fact, she welcomed it. And if it was true, she had a good idea what the cause was. She reached out and squeezed Yurika’s hands tight.

“Nana-san?”

“If I’ve changed, then I’m sure it’s because of you, Yurika-chan. Thank you.”

“B-But I haven’t done anything... There was Satomi-san and the others, too...”

Yurika was often scolded and seldom praised, so she was more bashful than happy to be commended directly to her face like that.

“Maybe. But I spent the most time with you, so I think you’ve influenced me the most.”

Nana had always thought Yurika wasn’t suited to fighting. That she belonged in the bright light of day rather than under the cloak of a darker life. But it appeared the same was true for Nana. Without her knowledge, Yurika had dragged her out into the sun too.

“I-I know! You should just move into room 106 too!”

“But isn’t it cramped enough already?”

“Don’t worry. I was thinking of asking Clan-san or Theia-chan to make the wardrobe bigger anyway.”

The still-bashful Yurika was trying to change the subject, but she wasn’t lying when she said that she wanted to live together with Nana again. Nana had been denied her childhood, forced into magic training and missions rather than playtime and fun with friends. It had ultimately cost her dearly. She was now retired from her work as a magical girl, permanently handicapped after making the ultimate sacrifice on the job. Yurika and her friends had done what they could to help Nana live a normal life, and Yurika was sure that she’d be better off playing around with everyone now that she could. She’d always thought that, and this seemed like the perfect time to bring it up.

“Hmm, I suppose they might actually be able to do that.”

“Yeah! So let’s live together, Nana-san. I’m not as busy with work as I used to be, either.”

“Oh, what to do...?”

Nana inclined her head to the side, seriously considering the offer. Yurika’s proposal was definitely appealing. Nana knew all too well that she’d essentially missed out on her childhood. But looks aside, she was quite a bit older than Yurika and the others. She had serious reservations about whether or not she’d be able to fit in with them.

“You don’t always have to stay at room 106. I just want you to be close enough that you can show up whenever something fun is happening.”

“Yurika-chan...”

Before Nana knew it, Yurika was the one squeezing her hands—just the opposite of before. When she felt the warmth in those hands, Nana’s heart began to waver. Living together, always being near, was a very appealing idea to Nana, who’d spent most of her life on her own.

Ah...

And the moment she hesitated, something pushed her forward. It was something she spotted when she looked down at her and Yurika’s hands: the muffler she’d been given three years ago. When she spied it, Nana closed her eyes and exhaled. With a slightly embarrassed expression, she then said to Yurika...

“Okay. Let’s be together.”

“Really?! All riiight!”

Unlike the hesitant Nana, Yurika was rejoicing like a child on Christmas morning. Yurika loved living with Koutarou and the others, but Nana had always been her best friend. They shared so many good memories, and Yurika would never forget the sacrifice Nana had made for her sake. They would always be best friends.

“Say, Yurika-chan... There’s something I want to ask you.”

Yurika was riding the high of a lifetime, and Nana took the opportunity to talk to her about something that had always been on her mind.

“First, we’ll get matching pajamas and— Huh? What is it?”

Yurika’s mind was racing with thoughts of her future life together with Nana, and she looked to her with a giant smile on her face.

“Why did you give me this muffler three years ago?”

“Um, that’s...”

Yurika shoved her thoughts of the future to the side for a moment as she reached into her memories of the past. Fortunately, that day had left enough of an impression on her that she remembered it clearly.

“It was because I thought a little girl was trying really hard and doing her best, even if she was underdressed.”

“Even though I was older than you?”

“I didn’t know that at the time! You were so cute that I thought you were just a little girl acting all mature and stuff!”

“A little girl just acting mature... Heh, hahaha!”

Nana couldn’t help giggling. She thought Yurika was right on the mark. Upon joining Rainbow Heart, Nana was forced to become an adult at a very early age. It was only through Yurika that she had any semblance of childhood fun, and she was sure that would continue to be the case in the future. The very thought made Nana’s heart dance with joy.

“Anyways, once we’re done cleaning up, let’s go shopping, Nana-san!”

“Oh? And what will we be shopping for?”

“Matching pajamas, of course! You gotta start with looks!”

“This is starting to sound a bit arduous...”

“Of course! A girl’s path in life isn’t easy!”

“Heh... I feel like I’ve only started to come to understand that recently.”

Yurika wasn’t the only fledgling three years ago. Nana too was still just a chick. It’d been three years since, but not much had changed in that regard. They were certainly both growing, but their feathers were still yellow. It would be some time yet before they were fully fledged.