“...I'm late to meet someone I promised to see during lunch break.”
Snowrealm didn't look up, only putting her phone back into her equipment pouch after she finished typing.
“Tian Gong-san?” Mingyue's tone carried a hint of curiosity. Yuki Kurokawa occasionally talked about her friend, Tian Gong.
“Yes.” Snowrealm shook the ice dust off her skirt and started walking back.
She hated being late. Being late meant failing to show up when someone else was willing to wait for her.
Throughout her life, the people willing to wait for her could be counted on one hand.
Qiluo Tian Gong was the most recent one.
Perhaps she was even the only one who, when Yuki got up from the dining table, would say, “I'll wait for you to come back.”
The alarm had gone off at the exact moment she walked down the stairs.
Mingyue's voice had come through the communication channel, briefly reporting the number and location of the Erosion Bodies.
She could have easily replied, “I'm busy,” or “I can't make it,” and Mingyue wouldn't have forced her.
Instead, she had said, “I'll be right there.”
She knew that if she didn't go, Mingyue would have to handle it all alone.
And she knew all too well what it felt like to carry everything alone.
After walking a few steps, she realized Mingyue wasn't following. She turned around to see Mingyue standing in place, a subtle expression on her face.
“...You two had plans for lunch today?”
“Yes, we agreed to meet in the courtyard.” Snowrealm paused. “Is something wrong?”
“It's nothing,” Mingyue said, propping her scythe on her shoulder and trying to sound casual.
Shizuru's impression of Qiluo Tian Gong was still limited to her being Yuki Kurokawa's friend, and that Yuki cared about her deeply.
Come to think of it, what kind of person was Qiluo Tian Gong anyway? To make someone as aloof as Yuki Kurokawa act so proactively.
Once the battle was over, the two canceled their transformations and returned to school.
The lunchtime chatter in the hallways drifted over faintly from the distance as Shizuru and Yuki walked side by side along the corridor leading to the courtyard.
The distance from the old shopping district to the school wasn't far, but Shizuru remained unusually quiet the whole way back.
She walked beside Yuki with her arms crossed, her fingertips unconsciously tapping against her elbow.
Yuki looked down at her phone, typing out an apology to Qiluo, explaining that she had been held up by some unexpected business.
“...What time were you supposed to meet Tian Gong-san?”
“Twelve-thirty. I'm already late.” Yuki tucked her phone away after typing the last few words, her pace significantly faster than usual.
Shizuru fell silent for a few seconds before speaking up. “I'll go with you.”
Yuki turned to look at her, her eyes filled with silent inquiry.
Shizuru lowered her arms.
“You obviously can't tell your friend about being a Magical Girl, right? But a disciplinary committee member pulling the top first-year student aside for a chat during lunch break sounds much more reasonable.”
“Using that as an excuse will be much more convincing than just saying you got held up by some unexpected business.”
She spoke with a perfectly serious expression, her tone completely matching that of a disciplinary committee member, yet her steps were already turning toward the courtyard.
“...Kirishima-senpai.”
“Yes?”
“Do you want to meet Qiluo?”
Shizuru's steps faltered for a fraction of a second before she continued forward.
Yuki didn't press further, quietly turning into the corridor leading to the courtyard alongside Shizuru.
In her heart, Yuki was grateful.
Even though Star-trail had warned her that her identity as a Magical Girl had to remain a secret, every lie she told Qiluo felt like a tiny scratch on the trust they shared.
Come to think of it, why was Kirishima-senpai tagging along?
She wasn't the type to stick her nose into other people's business. Was she curious about Qiluo too? Or... did she already know her?
No, that seemed unlikely.
Qiluo had already finished everything edible in her bento box, leaving only two octopus sausages sitting lonely in the corner.
She stared at the octopus sausages for a moment, deciding to wait one more minute. If Yuki didn't show up, she would eat one.
Just as she was about to eat a sausage, she heard footsteps—and they belonged to more than one person.
She looked up to see Yuki Kurokawa walking quickly toward her from the entrance, with someone else following close behind.
The newcomer wore a deep blue school uniform blazer, her long hair draped casually over her shoulders.
The tips of Qiluo's chopsticks paused in midair for less than half a beat before she steadily picked up one of the octopus sausages and popped it into her mouth.
She swallowed the sausage, closed the lid of her bento box, and rested it on her lap.
“I'm sorry I'm late.” Yuki stopped in front of the bench, her breathing slightly heavier than usual, clearly having rushed the entire way.
“I had some unexpected business just now—”
“I called her over to help,” Shizuru said, stepping up from behind her.
“The library's new shipment of books arrived, and we needed someone to organize them before the end of the lunch break. I asked her to lend a hand, but I didn't expect it to delay your lunch.”
She offered a polite bow, apologizing to Qiluo.
“Ah, I see.” Qiluo rested her chopsticks on the bento box, her tone slightly teasing. “I thought you'd been caught by a teacher in the hallway and dragged off to grade papers.”
“...No,” Yuki said, sitting down beside her and staring at the remaining octopus sausage. “Kirishima-senpai needed help, and I forgot to tell you in advance.”
“It's fine. I already finished my lunch anyway.”
Qiluo pointed to the solitary octopus sausage in the corner. “I saved one for you. It's cold, though.”
Yuki looked down at the octopus sausage, pulled her chopsticks from her bag, picked it up, and popped it into her mouth. She chewed a few times and swallowed.
“...It's delicious.”
I made her wait for so long, yet she isn't even angry. She even made sure to save something for me.
The octopus sausage still retained a tiny bit of warmth, as if it had been carefully preserved inside the closed bento box.
Qiluo must have kept the lid tightly shut the entire time.
Standing beside the bench, Shizuru suddenly felt like a third wheel.
Still, her manners wouldn't allow her to simply slip away without a proper introduction.
She took a step forward and offered a polite bow.
“Nice to meet you, Tian Gong-san. I am Shizuru Kirishima from Class 2-C.”
Qiluo raised her eyes to look at Shizuru.
Shizuru stood in the dappled sunlight filtering through the trees, her posture perfect, her face wearing a standard, polite smile.
So this is what you're like at school.
Polite, distant, and absolutely flawless.
She is like an entirely different person compared to the Mingyue who gets so flustered around Lightweaver.
“Kirishima-senpai.”
Qiluo stood up from the bench, returning the bow with a subtle, faint smile on her lips as she looked up.
“I know of you. You're on the disciplinary committee and check the cleanliness of the classrooms every week.”
Shizuru Kirishima observed her underclassman's friend.
Yuki Kurokawa—usually so cold and distant as the top student in their year—actually seemed a bit clumsy around this girl.
Seeing Qiluo up close today felt quite different from the brief glimpses she caught when passing her in the hallways.
She was incredibly composed; even though Yuki had kept her waiting, she didn't seem annoyed in the slightest.
Her eyes were clear and bright, but for a split second, there had been a look of scrutiny in them when she looked at Shizuru.
Still, this Tian Gong-san is definitely interesting.
No wonder Yuki Kurokawa cares about her so much.
There's a quality about her that makes you want to keep watching, like trying to solve an intriguing puzzle.
Like... Lightweaver?
No, that's not right.
Tian Gong-san doesn't have a single trace of mana on her.
Shizuru dismissed the thought, figuring she was just exhausted from chasing Lightweaver lately. She was starting to see Lightweaver in everyone.
“Would you like to sit with us, Kirishima-senpai?” Qiluo scooted over to one end of the bench, making room.
Shizuru looked at the empty space on the bench, which was just wide enough for one person, and then at Yuki sitting on the opposite end.
She had intended to say she only came to help explain things for Yuki.
But Yuki was watching her quietly with those deep blue eyes, neither inviting her to stay nor asking her to leave, simply waiting for her to make her own choice.
“...I'll join you for a few minutes, then.”
She sat down on the opposite end of the bench, smoothing out her skirt.
Shizuru pondered how to start the conversation.
She had wanted to meet Qiluo Tian Gong out of pure curiosity.
She was curious about how this transfer student had managed to change Yuki Kurokawa, in just a matter of weeks, from someone who completely avoided social contact to someone who actively invited people out for lunch.
She was curious about where that naturally comforting aura of hers came from.
“Did you and Kurokawa-san only meet recently?” she asked, choosing the safest conversation starter.
Rate on N.U.
