The hallway was quiet. Seisou sat on the bench outside the registration desk, her hands resting properly on her knees.
Star-trail curled up in her lap, its tail dangling down.
“Your sister is almost here,” it suddenly said.
“...How do you know?” Seisou clasped her fingers tighter together on her knees.
“The elevator just stopped on the third floor. There's only one person inside, and her mana fluctuations share the same origin as yours.” Star-trail's ears twitched. “She's taking a deep breath right now, probably preparing herself mentally before opening the door.”
Seisou stroked Star-trail's head. She needed to figure out how to apologize. She couldn't be playful about it; she had to admit her mistake with absolute sincerity.
But she couldn't act too cowardly either, or her sister would only think she wasn't ready.
Right, Star-trail will speak up for me, won't it?
Footsteps echoed from the end of the hallway, the heels of leather boots clicking against the floor, each step sounding closer than the last.
Seisou didn't turn around, but she straightened her back a little more.
She heard the door click open, followed by her sister's restrained yet polite voice thanking the technician and confirming her physical indicators.
The footsteps stopped right in front of her.
Seisou slowly looked up.
Yuzuki was wearing a plain knit cardigan, her long hair draped casually over her shoulders.
Her makeup was as flawless as ever, yet it couldn't hide the slight redness at the corners of her eyes.
She stared at her younger sister's transformed outfit.
“...Sis.”
“Sit down.”
Yuzuki pulled her knit cardigan up slightly and sat in the empty seat next to her.
Turning slightly, her gaze swept from the light purple tips of Seisou's hair all the way down to Star-trail in her lap.
Star-trail was gently tapping the back of Seisou's hand with its tail. Sensing Yuzuki's gaze, it stopped and looked up.
What are you looking at me for?
What, do you want to pet me too?
Yuzuki shifted her gaze away from Star-trail and focused back on her sister's face.
“...Sis, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snuck out while you weren't around.”
Unable to bear the silent treatment, Seisou spoke up first.
“You really shouldn't have.”
She raised her hand, her fingertips gently touching the faint remnant glow of mana at the tips of Seisou's hair that hadn't fully faded yet.
“But since you're already standing here, I won't scold you. I only have one question for you: Have you really thought this through? Being a Magical Girl is not a game.”
“The last time you stood on the battlefield... what happened? You collapsed right in front of me, and I couldn't do a single thing.”
Her fingers slid from the tips of Seisou's hair to her shoulder, pressing down gently.
“If you get hurt again, I will never forgive myself. You can continue to be a Magical Girl, but you must promise me that you will protect yourself this time.”
“I promise,” Seisou said, her voice trembling slightly as she sniffled.
Yuzuki fell silent for a moment before pulling her sister into an embrace.
She held her very gently, as if afraid of wrinkling the skirt of Seisou's outfit.
Seisou buried her face in her sister's shoulder, clutching the back of her cardigan, and added, “Thank you, Sis.”
Which brought up a question: where was Star-trail?
Star-trail was currently squished right between the two of them.
Its face was pressed between them, its tail awkwardly curved, and its four paws dangled in the air with nowhere to rest.
Earlier, Seisou had placed it on her lap. When Yuzuki sat down, she had leaned closer. As they hugged, they completely failed to notice that there was a small creature between them, bearing a level of pressure far beyond what it should have at its age.
“...You two.”
Most of the volume of Star-trail's voice was filtered out by the thick layers of clothing.
It pulled its tail out from the gap between them, causing starlight particles to squeeze out and flutter down onto Seisou's skirt.
Forget it.
It gave up struggling and turned its face to the side, ensuring at least its nose wasn't completely flattened.
Once the two of them had hugged enough,
a hand reached over and gently scooped it out from between them.
It was Yuzuki.
Keeping one arm around her sister, she lifted Star-trail with her other hand and placed it on her lap, gently stroking its back with her fingertips.
Star-trail looked up at Yuzuki. Yuzuki's gaze was still fixed on her sister, but her hand didn't stop moving.
Her thumb stroked back from the base of its ears with perfect pressure and precision. She had clearly petted cats before.
She was treating Star-trail like a cat.
Since I'm being treated like a cat, it's only fair if I hiss at her, right?
“...Thank you for taking care of my sister,” Yuzuki's voice drifted down from above.
At that moment, the technician poked her head out of the examination room with an electronic tablet in hand. Seeing this heartwarming scene of reunion on the hallway bench, she silently pulled her head back inside.
Yuzuki gently lifted Star-trail from her lap and placed it back into Seisou's arms.
“Since your body has recovered to this point, it's time to put something else on the agenda.”
She took a manila envelope from her bag and pulled out several neatly folded pages of documents.
“We processed a long-term leave of absence while you were in a coma. Now that you're awake, your school registration needs to be restored. I contacted your former school over the past few days, but they said the enrollment slots for the new semester are already full, so they can't take a transfer student mid-term.”
Seisou took the documents. Her old school—the place where she used to walk to and from with her sister, eat bento on the rooftop, and secretly practice singing in the music room—was no longer somewhere she could return to.
She thought she would feel incredibly sad, but looking at the red "Leave of Absence" stamp on the document, her heart felt more of a quiet regret than anything else.
Those memories would always remain, but she was no longer the old Kizuna Asana.
She hadn't been able to say a proper goodbye on her last day at that school, but now she wanted to make a fresh start at a new one.
“So?” She looked up.
“So—” Yuzuki pulled another document from her bag. This time, it was an admission letter, the paper still slightly warm from a printer.
“I've arranged a new school for you: Tachibana High School. Its academic ranking is above average, the school environment is decent, and it's close to the hospital. In case you need follow-up exams, you won't have to travel far.”
What?! Tachibana High School?!
Star-trail also looked up. Why are you going to this school too?
Seisou took the admission letter.
The school emblem was printed on it, with the school's name in a deep blue font. It was simpler than the emblem of her former school, but she found it very beautiful.
She gently traced the emblem with her finger, the anxiety in her eyes completely replaced by a different kind of light. “So when do I start school?”
“The Monday after next. Your registration won't officially transfer into the system until Monday, and it'll take some time to collect your uniform and textbooks.”
Yuzuki reached out, her fingers gently brushing the stray hairs on her sister's forehead. “And here I thought you wouldn't want to go to school. It's only a few days. You can wait, right?”
“...I can wait.” Seisou pressed the admission letter against her chest and nodded vigorously.
Rate on N.U.
