Kizuna stopped dead in her tracks just as she said “magic circuit.”
But the pause was far too obvious.
With her head lowered, Kizuna's fingers clenched and unclenched over her knees, the crimson on her ear tips spreading from the outer rim down to her earlobes.
“...I understand what you mean. You wanted to say that your body has recovered well in all aspects, right?”
Kizuna snapped her head up. She was stunned for a moment, then nodded vigorously like a chick pecking at rice.
She didn't know if Yuki Kurokawa had truly failed to notice the slip-up or if she had noticed and deliberately helped cover for her. But regardless of which it was, Kizuna was so grateful she wanted to award Yuki a “good person card” right then and there.
Kizuna gently brushed a fallen leaf off her knees and turned her head to look at Yuki.
The corridor was quiet. After that brief conversation, she realized Yuki wasn't as unapproachable as she seemed. She was just quiet, not cold.
“How did you and Tian Gong meet?” she asked, tilting her head as she hugged her knees.
Yuki fell silent for a moment.
That memory was precious to her, and she didn't want to gloss over it in just a few sentences. But since Kizuna was the one asking, she didn't want to refuse.
“During gym class, my blood sugar dropped, and I couldn't stand steadily in the locker room. She happened to pass by and gave me a piece of candy.”
“And then?”
“Then I returned the favor with some cookies I baked, and we gradually got to know each other.”
Yuki didn't mention the preparation she had gone through to return the favor; those details were her own private secret.
Only now did Kizuna realize why Yuki had been staring blankly at the cookies on the desk earlier.
“So it's a friendship that started with a single piece of candy—how romantic.”
Kizuna hugged her knees even tighter, her pale purple eyes filled with undisguised envy.
“N-No... but it really is important.”
Kizuna leaned back against the bench and gently swung her legs.
Her gaze casually drifted toward the hanging vines.
There was nothing there, only a few leaves gently swaying in the wind. Only then did she realize what she was waiting for.
That little creature was always so mysterious, yet it seemed to know everything.
Could it be hiding somewhere, secretly watching us right now?
At the thought, Kizuna couldn't help but steal a few more glances at the vines, hoping to see those familiar ear tips or a twinkling starlight tail peeking out from behind a leaf.
But there was nothing, only a few leaves swaying idly in the wind.
She seemed to miss it a little, though it was probably asleep somewhere else again.
What did Star-trail mean by telling her to take a walk in the corridor?
Yet, other than herself and Yuki Kurokawa, there were only the gently swaying vines.
So, did Star-trail simply want her to get familiar with the campus?
Or did it know Yuki would be here and deliberately set up a chance encounter?
She recalled how Yuki had smoothly covered for her when she almost let the secret slip just now.
It was as if Yuki had gone through similar moments herself, allowing her to see through Kizuna's cover-up at a glance.
Could Yuki also be a Magical Girl?
Kizuna startled herself with the thought, her fingers tightening slightly over her knees.
If that were true, then Star-trail's intention in sending her to the corridor was completely different.
It hadn't just sent her to get some fresh air; it was gently pushing two people who were unaware of each other's identities onto the very same bench.
She stole a glance at Yuki.
Yuki had her eyes lowered, seemingly deep in thought as well.
What was Yuki thinking about? With her head down, she seemed to have things on her mind too.
Is she also guessing my identity?
These puzzle pieces swirled in her mind before finally coming together into a bold guess.
“...Kurokawa-san, do you know a silver-white Contract Spirit? About this big, with a tail that drops stars.”
Yuki slowly turned her head. She met those pale purple eyes and remained quiet for a long time.
“...You are a Magical Girl.”
“You are too.” Kizuna's shoulders relaxed, and a relieved smile played on her lips.
It wasn't that she had considered the possibility of other Magical Girls being nearby, but she never expected to confirm it this way, let alone that Star-trail had played such a role behind the scenes.
“It sent you here.”
“And it sent you here too.”
The two looked at each other for a brief second and spoke at the same time.
“Star-trail is my Contract Spirit,” Kizuna said. Then, she gently grasped the inside of her left wrist, where a faint star-shaped mark rested.
Only after speaking did she realize she might have sounded too smug. She quickly pulled her sleeve down to cover the mark, but the tiny spark of pride in her eyes was impossible to hide.
“It flew with me over Tokyo Tower, and it stayed by my side when I was at my most anxious...”
Yuki looked down at the back of her open hand, staring at her own contract mark, which was almost identical to Kizuna's.
Kizuna said...
Star-trail was hers?
Hers?
“...Yours?”
Yuki's fingers froze at her cuff. She unconsciously wrapped a loose thread around her index finger, winding it tighter and tighter.
Her pupils contracted slightly.
Yuki Kurokawa had thought she was Star-trail's only contractor.
Ever since that night it stood in front of me to shield me, I had always believed so.
It slept by my pillow every night, trained with me, and gently brushed its tail against the back of my hand when I couldn't sleep.
It had never once mentioned having another contractor.
When did they form a contract?
Did it not want me to know, or did it simply feel there was no need to tell me?
Star-trail had never said, “You are the only one.”
I was the one who had assumed so.
I was the one who had taken this feeling of being unique for granted.
If it had other contractors, it meant it was even stronger than I had imagined.
It also meant it had chosen me. Even if I wasn't the sole choice, it had still chosen me.
And Asana...
For Star-trail to choose her, she must have had something that made her worthy of being chosen.
She would be a good partner, a good teammate.
Only, this wasn't something I should have found out from someone else.
Star-trail should have told me itself.
My mind was a mess.
There was a hint of sourness, a touch of grievance, and an unsettling discomfort from having something I deeply cherished suddenly shared with someone else.
Yuki pressed her nails into her palms, leaving a row of faint crescent marks.
She remembered.
Late one night last week, she had woken up in the middle of the night to find Star-trail missing from her bedside.
She had waited for a long time before eventually drifting back to sleep. The next morning, Star-trail was curled up beside her pillow as usual, as if nothing had happened.
When she asked where it had gone, it had only tilted its head and stared at her with its deep pupils, saying nothing.
Now she knew.
It had gone to another bed, accompanying another girl through her sleepless night.
Rate on N.U.
