Wings of Freedom: Is Lightweaver Really Not Coming?

“...I know you.”

The second half of the sentence went unsaid: I'm Yuki Kurokawa.

Looking at Qiluo's slightly red eyes under the dim lighting, she felt her heart beating even faster than it had during the battle just now.

Qiluo lowered her eyes, her fingers twitching slightly against the back of Snowrealm's hand, like a gentle, tentative squeeze.

“Then, if I run into you on the street next time, can I say hello to you?”

“...You can. If you can recognize me.”

Her tone regained the composure expected of a Magical Girl.

“I will be patrolling this area. If I see you on the street, I'll greet you first. So you don't have to be afraid—something like this won't get close to you again.”

Qiluo wrapped her coat tightly around herself again.

The cool air inside the convenience store had completely escaped through the shattered glass of the beverage cooler.

Mingyue leaned against the doorframe. Seeing the two walk out from behind the shelves, she lowered her scythe from her shoulder.

“Are you alright?” She glanced at Qiluo first before turning her gaze to Snowrealm.

Nuomi poked its head out from her shoulder, its ears standing straight up, but for once, it didn't scramble to speak.

“...I'm fine. Just a little shaken up.”

Qiluo bowed slightly, giving Mingyue a polite nod as well. “Thank you both. If you hadn't arrived in time, I might have—”

“No need for thanks. It's our duty.”

Mingyue hung her scythe back onto the bracket on her back, then walked over to stand beside Snowrealm.

“...Excuse me, I need to make a call to the Store Owner.”

Qiluo gently slipped her hand out of Snowrealm's, taking a natural half-step back as she pulled her phone from her pocket.

Snowrealm's gaze followed her hand. Qiluo had to tap the screen a few times before she successfully opened her contacts.

Qiluo dialed the number and cleared her throat while the phone rang, making sure her voice didn't sound like she had just survived a disaster.

The call connected, and the Store Owner's voice came through the receiver.

Qiluo briefly explained the situation: some Magical Girls had fought near the convenience store, the store's facilities were damaged, the glass of the beverage cooler was shattered, and the automatic door was broken.

She didn't mention that she had almost been pounced on by the Erosion Body, glossing over it by simply saying she had been hiding behind the cash register at the time.

The Store Owner was silent for a moment, first asking if she was injured. After hearing that she was fine, she told Qiluo she could head home first, as the store would need to close for repairs for the next few days.

After hanging up, she put her phone back in her pocket and bowed slightly to the two Magical Girls.

“The owner told me to thank you. If you hadn't arrived in time, the damage would have been much worse.”

Mingyue waved her hand dismissively, tapping her wrist terminal a few times to finish the standard reporting procedure.

“I've already reported it to the Observation Department. This Erosion Body was a solo spawn with no signs of a nest. But the heavy rain hasn't stopped yet, so there might be more spawn points tonight.”

She looked up from her screen, her eyes landing on Snowrealm. “Are you going to walk her home first?”

Snowrealm nodded vigorously.

“I can handle patrolling on my own. Nuomi is in decent shape and can take on a few more. Walk her back first, then rejoin me.”

Nuomi stood up on Mingyue's shoulder, patting its chest with its tail as its bell jingled. “Nuomi can do it! Nuomi can take on ten more!”

After saying that, it turned to look at Snowrealm, a very understanding glint flashing in its eyes.

“Snowrealm, hurry and take her back. She was shaking so hard just now. Mingyue has Nuomi to protect her, so it's fine!”

Snowrealm looked at Mingyue, who had already turned her back.

Mingyue was already looking out the door of the convenience store.

Knowing that Mingyue was giving her an opportunity, she felt a wave of gratitude.

“...Understood. I'll rejoin you immediately after I walk her back.” She adjusted Qiluo's arm more securely over her shoulder and walked toward the convenience store exit.

Supported by Snowrealm, Qiluo took one slow step after another down the rain-swept street.

She didn't ask Snowrealm where she was taking her, nor did she ask why a complete stranger of a Magical Girl knew her name.

She simply leaned quietly against Snowrealm's shoulder, letting the umbrella shield them from the relentless downpour overhead.

Snowrealm walked much slower than usual, matching her pace to Qiluo's stride with every step.

Her arm firmly supported Qiluo's waist, and the umbrella was tilted significantly toward Qiluo's side.

Yet she didn't say a word, only slowing down ahead of time whenever they crossed a puddle to give Qiluo plenty of time to step over.

The apartment building finally came into view.

Snowrealm stopped under the canopy at the entrance of the building, closing the umbrella and leaning it against the wall.

She turned to look at Qiluo, wanting to say, “We're here. Go on up.”

But her fingers were still resting on Qiluo's wrist, reluctant to let go.

“...Your name,” Qiluo suddenly spoke up. “You saved me just now, but I still don't know what to call you.”

“Snowrealm.”

“Snowrealm...” Qiluo repeated the name, savoring it like a piece of candy. “What a beautiful name.”

Qiluo pursed her lips slightly as if making a decision, then looked up into Snowrealm's deep blue eyes.

“Snowrealm, thank you for saving me. Even though you already apologized back in the convenience store, I feel like you're still blaming yourself.”

“So I wanted to say it again: it's not your fault. You arrived so quickly. If it weren't for you, I might have really been done for today.”

Snowrealm stood frozen, the sound of the rain filling the space between them.

When Qiluo spoke those words, every single syllable seemed to deliberately pierce her softest spots.

Even though Qiluo had no idea what she was actually blaming herself for.

She lowered her gaze to the tips of her shoes, forcing her rationality to reclaim her voice. “...It's my duty to protect you.”

She looked up, gave Qiluo one last glance, and took a step back.

“...Go on inside. The rain is too heavy.” Snowrealm opened the umbrella again and handed it to Qiluo.

The apartment door clicked shut behind Qiluo.

She didn't turn on the lights right away, instead leaning against the door for a moment.

“The power of bonds.”

She muttered the words to the dark ceiling.

“So it's actually just a process where the person with more mana has their circuit limits forcibly breached by the person with less mana, draining an excessive amount of energy.”

She kicked off her shoes, walked into the room barefoot, and took off her soaked coat.

The small lamp turned on automatically, bathing the entire room in a warm, amber glow.

She walked over to the low table, squatted down, and fished the notebook out of the drawer.

She closed the notebook, capped her pen, stood up, and walked over to the window.

In the distance, two faint points of light were moving along the street, continuing their patrol toward the station.

Snowrealm had probably rejoined her partner by now.

She stood by the window watching for a while, only drawing the curtains closed once those two figures had completely vanished into the night.