December 23rd
“⋯⋯.”
“Hikari! You’ve been waiting!”
Yuki closed the wooden gate and rushed towards me in her red coat that I had seen before. Just like in the story, her habit of taking a bath and using Flame magic to dry her hair instantly was still there, and her bobbed hair was sticking out messily at the ends.
“So, you live in Ota, huh?”
“Yeah… Ever since I left, I’ve always wanted to come back.”
The Shikishima family lived in Ota, the southernmost area of Tokyo, primarily known for its residential neighborhoods with a few upscale houses near the station.
⋯And there was Haneda Airport.
Only a 20-minute subway ride from Shibuya where I lived.
I had passed by it every day during my commutes to Yokohama.
Now that I was here, I felt empty knowing I lived so close to where the original protagonist lived.
“I even booked my flight not to Gimpo but to Incheon, then took Narita Airport.”
While I had wandered around Shinjuku and Shibuya where Yuki first appeared in the original, I had unintentionally avoided Ota, which was located directly south of Tokyo to a ridiculous extent.
“Knowing the location now is just really hollow…”
Although a specific location was never mentioned in the original where Yuki lived, it was easy to guess if you drew a straight line from Shinjuku and Yokohama, which were her main destinations. If I had explored the straight-line region thoroughly for two years, I might have heard the rumors about ‘the girl who got burned and became a magical girl.’
“…But I certainly didn’t expect Yuki to come back.”
Even if I had found Yuki by chance, she only returned with the memories of the original in November of this year. Before that, if I had befriended her and altered her past, it would have been overwritten by Yuki’s memories of the ending that I didn’t know about…
“It’s like I’m going back south with Yuki, who was close to me just like Sato Hana is now.”
Chills
I pushed aside that creepy thought that had popped into my head.
“I didn’t know I was living so close to you, Yuki.”
“Yeah, I was surprised too. Hikari was living in Shibuya.”
“Shibuya? Why there?”
“Oh… well… um…”
Yuki seemed unable to recover from her unconscious slip of the tongue and turned a bit pale, glancing around nervously while sweating.
“Aah, it’s a place with bad memories.”
The knowledge I had about Yuki’s past was from after next year, and she probably felt uncomfortable shedding her miserable past of being ostracized at school and drifting apart from her father. She always struggled to talk about related topics.
“I’ve lived quite a shabby past too, so it’s okay… But knowing Yuki’s past could just shock me.”
This wasn’t just a simple case of empathy; it was a complex buried deep within Yuki that made it hard for her to heal.
In the original ending, Yuki had just become accustomed to fighting. There was no kindness to help her grow emotionally or make her strong.
“Yuki has so many scars and pains, so there might be things a friend doesn’t want to talk about.”
This world failed to give her the time to grow and shoved her into a tragedy. I hoped she could have the leisure to bring up her story herself someday.
I decided to change the topic for Yuki’s sake.
“⋯Is Father at work?”
“Huh? Oh, Dad! He’s regained his confidence lately! He’s back working in a pottery studio of an acquaintance! Although he’s starting as an assistant since he took a 5-year break.”
“Too bad… I wanted to greet him if I had the chance.”
The protagonist’s parents, after all.
As a friend of Yuki and a fan of the original, I wanted to meet and greet them at least once. In the original, the story begins with the denial of his death and heads towards the Domain of Death, but this time will be different.
Suddenly, it became quiet, and when I turned to my side, Yuki was staring at me wide-eyed.
“⋯⋯.”
“Yuki?”
“Yeah?”
“Why are you looking at me like that? Did I do something wrong?”
“⋯It’s nothing.”
During the Christmas party, we decided to randomly exchange gifts with each other.
While we spent our peaceful days, nine girls began to recall the memories of the research facility, and Haruko moved to a new school after her probation period ended. Also with us were Ichika, Kyoko, and Hana, the members of the event.
Including Yuki and me, about 15 people would be at the party.
“Sumire seems to be uncomfortable around most of the group, and it’s awkward to drag Dorim or Park Saebyeok, who know my identity, to Japan.”
I tried bringing it up to the Master and Sato couple, but all the Master did was chuckle.
“It’s not necessary. Let the kids have fun together.”
Sato Hana declared that she wanted to spend Christmas not with family, but rather enjoy a party with friends all day long, just like a housewarming party. Hearing that, Sato couple blushed slightly as they declined my invitation, quietly handing me some pocket money for Hana.
“Perhaps Hana might get a little sibling soon…”
I heard the Sato family planned to spend cozy time together today after deciding on Christmas plans.
“Gifts? I’ll just pick something randomly from those prizes I received earlier. Should I exclude Kyoko’s share?”
“If you do, I’d be really grateful… I spent quite a lot on winter clothes…”
Ichika and Kyoko decided to just give away something from the gift package Ichika received as a friendly contest, so they were relaxing at home.
[Hehe, I’ve already bought my gift, so I’ll bring it to the party.]
Haruko mentioned that she continued her quiet school life at the new school and had been attending an art academy since October to fulfill her dream of becoming a manga artist.
Ultimately, it was just Yuki and me among the people living in Tokyo who went out to buy gifts.
“Let’s go buy gifts, Yuki.”
“Okay! Sounds great!”
Yuki and I took the subway directly to Shinjuku Station.
However, Shinjuku just before Christmas was packed with people.
“Welcome!! It’s the pre-Christmas sale!!”
“Cake! Get your cakes!”
“Whoa, looks like the magical girls are performing over there.”
“Hey! Rise up, Christmas tree!!”
“Please donate blood! Everyone!”
Vendors yelling at the top of their lungs in Santa costumes, selling goods.
People already enjoying the Christmas vibe, arm in arm with their partners.
Magical girls showcasing their skills on the street while being monitored by a security team.
The Cheerleading Team promoting blood donation and volunteer activities, ringing bells.
End-of-year special advertisements flickered across the intersection’s electronic billboards, intertwining with the taillights of passing cars. It was all glowing red, creating a festive atmosphere throughout the street.
The breath of the crowd swirled like red mist, seemingly drifting into our hearts.
Yuki hugged her cheeks that had turned red from the cold and said, “Wow, there are so many people. Shinjuku really does have a lot of folks.”
“Yeah… If I knew it would be like this, I should have come out yesterday.”
“Even if you came out yesterday, it would have been similar, right?”
“Still, it would have been less crowded.”
“Ugh… What should we do?”
…At this rate, I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to buy anything.
The department stores and gift shops were overflowing with lines stretching for dozens of meters.
I pulled out my smartphone, which I still hadn’t activated and was mainly using as a watch and Wi-Fi receiver.
3:21 PM.
Did I come out too late? Darn.
Seeing me using the smartphone Yuki had gifted, she sneaked a glance and shouted, “Oh, you still haven’t activated it?!”
“I’ve only been back in Japan for two days.”
“Eep, I didn’t mean to make you feel bad… Sorry.”
Sniff
Yuki seemed a bit fidgety and caught hold of the sleeve of my coat.
“Hmm.”
Touched the phone, still in its unactivated state since returning from abroad, and an idea flashed into my mind.
“The time difference between Belgium and Japan is 8 hours, right? Since I worked hard to install that warp gate, I could use it.”
I had enough leftover money in my wallet from when I exchanged currency to set up the warp gate in Belgium.
Yuki, noticing my moment of silence, tightened her grip on my sleeve even more and spoke.
“Are you really mad? I just asked, and if it upset you, I’m sorry!”
“Yuki.”
“Yeah?”
“Let’s go abroad.”
“What?!”
＊
“Wow! We really came!”
Yuki, who had followed me into the Domain dressed as the [Start] Magical Girl through the warp gate, was fidgeting.
Arriving in Brussels, Belgium, it was just past 7 AM, which was 8 hours behind Tokyo, and the sunlight reflecting off the grand plaza made the 15th-century styled rooftops shine brilliantly white.
Bumpy Bumpy
Having lived her whole life in Japan, Yuki could only describe the grand plaza’s architectural style as “bumpy and crooked.”
“Even so, it looks like there aren’t that many people out this early in the morning.”
Hikari, having changed back into casual clothes, confidently guided Yuki along with what looked like silver earphones in one ear.
“There’s a souvenir shop I’ve been eyeing since moving back and forth because of the warp gate and the council, and it looks like it opens in the morning. Let’s go together, Yuki.”
“Uh, okay.”
Yuki merely followed behind Hikari, clutching the money Hikari casually handed her and holding onto one of her sleeves.
The souvenir shop, located at the corner of the plaza, had a notice in various languages stating that it would be closed for more than a week starting after Christmas. The shop staff were busily cleaning in the morning. Thankfully, since it was early, there weren’t many people, allowing us to enter the store easily.
‘What do I do? I can’t even speak English properly…’
Inside the store were various souvenirs rarely seen in Japan, and Yuki, mesmerized by the sights, just trailed behind Hikari.
‘Hikari is amazing. While I ended up achieving nothing, she’s now comfortably roaming the world and doing all sorts of things after just half a year.’
What influence could such an incredible Hikari have had on me?
What had I seen in my shabby self, barely surviving?
“Yuki! How about this?”
“Uh? Oh, it’s so cute!”
Hikari gently moved her long eyelashes as she showed Yuki various dolls and blankets available in the store.
“Ugh, this is super expensive.”
After checking the price of a bear holding the Belgian flag, Hikari mumbled, heading deeper into the store.
Yuki was lost in thought again, looking around, when suddenly she fixated on one particular item.
The gifts were randomly given through a draw, so there was no guarantee it would go to Hikari.
‘But if Hikari could receive it… the price is reasonable…’
Yuki carefully lifted the item.
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