Qiluo didn’t know how to answer that question. She was, in fact, very good at adapting to dense information.
The school bell saved her. Rei returned to her seat with a lingering sense of excitement, leaving a piece of candy on Qiluo’s desk before she left. It was a strawberry-flavored hard candy.
Math class began. Algebra was universal; no matter the world, the solutions to quadratic equations and geometric proofs remained the same. Qiluo hid her face behind her textbook and quietly tore open the wrapper, popping the strawberry candy into her mouth. As the sweetness dissolved on her tongue, she realized she had finally relaxed.
Things were going smoother than she had anticipated. Although the twin-tailed girl was a bit too enthusiastic, she harbored no ill intent. The other students only spared her a few glances before returning to their own lives. Ordinary people—being among ordinary people was for the best.
When the lunch bell rang, Rei appeared in front of Qiluo’s desk with the speed of a lightning bolt. “Tian Gong-san! Let’s eat together! Did you bring a bento? Or are you going to the cafeteria? I can take you there! I brought my own, but I can still go with you—”
“Rei,” the short-haired girl called from behind her, “your own bento is still sitting on your desk, practically steaming.”
“Oh, right!” Rei ran back to grab her lunch and dashed back again, moving so quickly it was as if the round trip hadn't even happened. She pulled a chair from the neighboring desk over to Qiluo’s. The metal legs made a harsh scraping sound against the floor, causing several students to look over. Rei stuck out her tongue and whispered a small “Sorry.”
Qiluo pulled her own bento from her bag. It was a seaweed bento she had bought this morning at the convenience store using her employee discount, complete with an omelet, a piece of fried chicken, and a few slices of pickled radish—the standard student lunch setup.
Rei’s bento box featured a plump cartoon white rabbit. When she opened the lid, it revealed adorably colored rice balls, cherry tomatoes, and omelets cut into star shapes.
“Tian Gong-san’s bento is so mature!” Rei remarked, offering a strange observation after glancing at Qiluo’s meal. “Mine is entirely packed by my mom. She still thinks I’m an elementary schooler and insists on giving me cherry tomatoes. But what were we talking about? Oh, stargazing! Where do you usually go to watch the stars?”
“At home.” Qiluo used her chopsticks to shove a bite of rice into her mouth. Ah, it wasn't very good; she should probably make her own next time.
“At home?”
“My window faces west, so I can see a portion of the night sky.”
Rei popped a cherry tomato into her mouth and chewed. “That feels like you wouldn't be able to see much. I heard there’s a great stargazing spot in the suburbs—what was it called again? Oh, Tsukimiyama Park. There’s an observation deck at the summit! It’s a bit far, though, and it’s not very safe to go alone at night. But I bet Magical Girls patrol around there, right? Hey, Tian Gong-san, are you interested in Magical Girls?”
Qiluo’s chopsticks paused for a split second above her omelet. “…So-so.”
“So-so?!” Rei’s eyes widened. “How can you only be ‘so-so’? They’re Magical Girls! They actually exist! I even went to one of Meruru’s tours! Don’t you think they’re cool?”
“They are cool.” She wasn't lying; the way Mingyue swung her scythe was indeed very cool.
“Right, right?! I wanted to be a Magical Girl so badly when I was a kid. I even went to the Association’s public recruitment center to sign up. But after the exam, they said I didn't have the—what was it called—Star Seed aptitude? Anyway, I wasn't qualified.”
Rei bit the tip of her chopsticks, her expression showing more of a fond memory of an old anecdote than any actual disappointment. “Looking back, if I had been qualified, I might have been killed by now—well, maybe not. The mortality rate for Magical Girls isn't that high, right? But the injury rate is pretty steep. My parents were terrified back then; they told me if I ever tried to sign up for something like that again, they’d break my legs—ah, maybe I shouldn't have said that.”
“It’s fine.” Qiluo lowered her head to continue eating, but a new piece of information had already lodged itself in her mind: the Magical Girl Association had public recruitment centers that conducted Star Seed aptitude tests on applicants.
She had sensed at least five people in this school who possessed the Star Seed aptitude, yet none of them had become Magical Girls.
Why? Was the test unable to detect them? Or did they simply not want to be one?
And she herself was, in a sense, actively approaching them for the sake of her own path.
The thought caused her to choke slightly as she swallowed her last bite of rice ball.
“By the way,” Rei suddenly lowered her voice and leaned in closer, her hair draping over the sides of her bento box, “Tian Gong-san, have you heard the rumor about our school?”
“What rumor?”
“That there might be a hidden Magical Girl at our school.” Rei’s eyes sparkled with the kind of light Qiluo was beginning to get used to.
“You know the theory—Magical Girls are just ordinary people in their daily lives. So, there might be a Magical Girl in our class, our grade, or even right beside us! We just don't know it! Do you think anyone looks like a Magical Girl? Like the track team’s ace, or someone really smart in class?”
“…I can’t tell at all.”
“The fact that you can’t tell is what makes it mysterious! Let me tell you, I have a theory! Kurokawa-san from the first year.”
Kurokawa. The surname made Qiluo’s chopsticks pause again, though she didn't recall anyone by that name among the people she knew.
“Yuki Kurokawa,” Rei said the full name, then suddenly covered her mouth and looked around to make sure Yuki Kurokawa wasn't in the classroom before continuing in a whisper. “She’s the top student in the class next door. She’s incredibly beautiful, right? But she never hangs out with anyone and disappears alone during lunch. Don’t you think that combination of beauty, good grades, and being a loner is just perfect for a Magical Girl? Hiding her identity while silently protecting the city—”
“Rei, that’s just your imagination,” the short-haired girl said as she walked past them, dropping the comment casually. “You say that about everyone who doesn't fit in.”
“I never said it was for sure!” Rei stuffed the last cherry tomato into her mouth and stood up to pack away her bento box. “But imagining it doesn't cost anything, so let me have my fun.”
Qiluo stood up as well and put her bento box into her bag.
Yano Rei’s intuition regarding Magical Girls was unexpectedly sharp. The top student from the class next door was indeed one of the five individuals who possessed the Star Seed aptitude.
After lunch, the ordinary classes on the schedule proceeded as planned. During the afternoon periods, Qiluo listened to the lectures while silently comparing the education systems of the two worlds.
History class was completely incomprehensible. A stream of names and terms she had never heard of flowed from the teacher’s mouth. It was clear that no matter how perfect her forged identity records were, they couldn't grant her automatic knowledge of this world’s history.
She wrote “History tutoring” on the first line of her to-do list in her notebook and drew a star next to it.
Literature class was manageable. The automatic translation of her language-comprehension magic worked on written language as well, though the classical literature section would require extra study.
English class was the easiest. Her English was only average, but her persona as a returnee student from overseas meant the English teacher’s expectations of her were naturally high. She only needed to maintain normal pronunciation and grammar to avoid being exposed.
When the bell for the final period rang, Rei bounced up from her seat like a spring that had been compressed to its limit and then released.
“Freedom—! Tian Gong-san, are you going straight home? Or are you going to check out the clubs? It’s the first day of club recruitment, so a lot of them have booths set up in the gym! Want to go look together?”
“I have to go to work this evening, so I probably can't stay long.” Qiluo organized her bag.
“It’s fine, it’s fine! We can just do one lap and then leave! Come on, let’s go!”
Qiluo was pulled out of the classroom by Rei. The hallway was already crowded with students.
The gym was even livelier. Booths for various clubs were lined up along the walls. Members of the basketball club were demonstrating dribbling, the brass band was playing a march in the corner, and the art club had the display area filled with last year's works.
Rei stopped to look at every booth for a while, enthusiastically picking up flyers and then putting them back down. Her ultimate goal seemed to be the swimming club’s booth, where she spent a long time chatting with a girl wearing a swimsuit jacket; they appeared to be old acquaintances.
Qiluo stood at the gym entrance, her field of vision filled with the sight of hundreds of students in identical uniforms pouring their passion into things that interested them.
She suddenly thought of her subordinates at the Royal Astronomical Observatory. Those people had passion too, though the objects of their passion were star charts and mana observers.
Out of the corner of her eye, a figure walked out through the gym’s back door. She had long, deep black hair, cut neatly to her shoulders. Her gait was quiet, as if she didn't want to disturb anyone, forming a sharp contrast with the noisy crowd around her.
Yuki Kurokawa. She paused at the gym exit, appearing to look back for a moment before turning and continuing away toward the school’s backyard.
Qiluo retracted her gaze and did not follow.
“…I guess I should still go investigate tonight,” she murmured to herself. Today wasn't the right time.
“What did you say?” Rei returned to her side.
“Nothing.”
“The swimming club said they’re having a trial session tomorrow. Do you want to come, Tian Gong-san? It’s okay if you can’t swim—”
“I’m afraid of water,” Qiluo said, waving her hand.
It was a lie, but she needed a reason to refuse, and being afraid of water was the best one. Rei pouted with disappointment, but her cheerful expression quickly returned. “Well, okay then! I’ll invite you the next time there’s something fun to do!”
Rate on N.U.
