Vol 2 Chapter 145: Confession
After the Remnant Beast was vanquished and the danger in the urban district was confird to be eliminated, the Magical Girls' mission ca to an end. What followed was the Civil Administration Bureau's jurisdiction—public security officers maintaining neighborhood order, organizing specialized teams to rebuild damaged structures, and overseeing residents' return.
Having reported their successful subjugation to headquarters, Cornflower and Nina left the scene, embarking on their journey back to base. Each held a large candied hawthorn stick in hand, their heads adorned with various peculiar little trinkets—gifts from the district residents who always showed extraordinary enthusiasm toward Magical Girls.
The return trip was unusually quiet between them.
Nina occasionally nibbled at her candied hawthorn, her expression still haunted, seemingly trapped in the terrifying experience they'd just endured. Though she'd used magic to heal her injuries and repair her outfit after the battle, the sensation of her entire body feeling subrged in water—almost dissolving into liquid—remained too horrifying for soone her age. Physically present, her spirit still lingered in those traumatic mories.
As for Cornflower, having been raised male as Lin Yun, she only felt mild lingering fear. More than dwelling on fear, she preferred analyzing her combat mistakes—whether she'd underestimated their foe initially, given the Half-Molt too many opportunities, and how she could improve next ti.
Her silence also stemd from recalling the battle's awkward monts. During combat, she could ignore or set aside such things, but afterward, rembering how she and Nina had been drenched and disheveled, pressed together, with Nina's outfit mostly corroded away—it made Cornflower hesitate to even glance her way.
Though she believed she harbored no strange thoughts, as Lin Yun—an adolescent boy—such intimate contact with the opposite sex inevitably caused discomfort. Trapped in this unspoken awkwardness, silence seed the only option, allowing the peculiar atmosphere to persist.
Only when they'd flown most of the way, with base coming into view, did Mohe seem to regain her composure, her pallor normalizing. Examining her half-eaten candied hawthorn, she manifested her magical equipnt and used "Grasp Now" to preserve it.
"Captain," she suddenly spoke.
"What is it?"
"Nim... always told how amazing you were as a Magical Girl. Other squad mbers even said you're the rare, exceptionally talented kind that appears once in decades." Holding her preserved treat, Nina looked at Cornflower. "But only today did I truly feel it—you really are incredible."
"Co on, they're exaggerating." Flustered by the earnest praise, Cornflower rubbed her neck. "I know I'm decent, but 'once in decades' is too much."
"No, Captain. What's most impressive is how calm you stay in battle." Nina shook her head. "Even now, facing Remnant Beasts that could actually kill ... I still feel terrified. When frightened, I can't think straight. Without you directing , I'd probably forget to use my magic gear."
"Eh? Really?" Noticing her despondency, Cornflower pretended ignorance. "You did great against that Half-Molt. You contributed significantly."
"That... was only because you commanded . What's amazing is how you accounted for my abilities mid-battle and utilized them." Nina pressed her lips together. "So I think... I understand Nim's perspective better now."
"Your sister's perspective?" Cornflower looked surprised.
"Yes. I... see why Nim prefers learning combat techniques from you, always saying she wants to beco a Magical Girl like you." Nina spoke more fluently than usual, clearly having contemplated this deeply. "Because you're vastly superior to . Though there's only one rank difference in our Bloom Levels, the gap feels imasurably wider."
"...Ah, so you were jealous after all." Cornflower blinked in realization. "It's good you said it—I told you before, I don't mind."
"Because I only just realized my true feelings." Mohe tilted her head up, feeling the wind against her cheeks. "It wasn't just guilt toward you. Hearing others—even Nim—praise you so much made feel... resentful, even envious. That's why I avoided you."
"I see."
"Aren't you angry? Or think I'm despicable for feeling this way...?" Nina ventured cautiously.
"Hmm, a little? Mainly because you avoiding was upsetting." After brief consideration, Cornflower continued, "But now we're comrades who've faced death together—almost died together through bad luck. That bond makes past grudges aningless, don't you think?"
"R-really? To that extent?" Nina's eyes widened, her sudden movent nearly blowing her hat away until she grabbed it. "But I was practically dead weight—saying we faced death together seems..."
"Telling you how vital you were won't change your self-deprecation, will it?" Sighing, Cornflower gave a wry smile.
"Then let phrase it differently—even at our most desperate mont, I felt I had a teammate beside . Soone I trusted completely to help turn the tide. That's why I could stay so calm."
The setting sun painted the sky gold as the two Magical Girls flew amidst clouds and currents, locking eyes in a mont that seed to suspend ti itself.
Nina gazed at the girl before her—navy dress fluttering like radiant wings in the golden light, azure hair dancing with gem-like eyes, composing a breathtaking tableau. That sunlit smile would undoubtedly beco one of Nina's most cherished mories.
Years later, even as seas turned to fields and countless things beca unrecognizable—even if she herself changed beyond recognition—this smile would remain, eternal and unchanging.
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