A Smile for Another

After scolding Sera thoroughly, Night Moon suddenly leaned in, her eyes sparkling, making Chloe feel as though something was about to be imposed upon her once more.

“Sera’s out of the picture, which is perfect for me! Now Chloe can be my combat apprentice! I’ll train Chloe to be super powerful!”

She still hasn’t given up, has she? Unfortunately, Chloe’s own wishes held no sway in this matter, for she was already a magical girl and had, in fact, acquired a combat mentor not long ago.

Oh dear, Night Moon, you’re too late! Chloe is already, inside and out, in the shape of Senior Tia! If she were to refuse with words like those, Night Moon’s heart would surely shatter beyond repair. Yet, such ‘girlish’ remarks would never escape Chloe’s lips. More words would only lead to further entanglement, so Chloe chose silence, wielding the cruel weapon of cold indifference.

“Ah! Ignoring me, how mean!” Night Moon shook Chloe’s shoulder like a petulant child.

Utterly exasperated, Chloe glared at her, then indignantly shifted her seat further away.

“If you treated other girls this way, you’d have been thoroughly scolded by now!” Chloe subtly hinted at Night Moon’s lack of social graces. Still, she couldn’t quite bring herself to speak ill of someone who meant well, even if Night Moon was proving to be quite a nuisance.

“Hmph, I won’t give up, no matter what.”

“Are you truly so set on having me as a combat apprentice? Every time I see you, this topic comes up. You’re so persistent.”

“It’s because fighting monsters alone is too boring! I just want Chloe to be my companion. Most magical girls form teams, but I’m still all by myself!” Night Moon pouted, her emerald eyes brimming with a sense of injustice.

Could a cute girl really be this devastating when she tries to act adorable? Chloe almost gave in, never having experienced being regarded with such importance by someone so beautiful. Tia, after all, merely used her for amusement, and any semblance of care stemmed from mistaking Chloe for Yilan.

However, the mention of a magical girl team did pique Chloe’s curiosity.

“Teams? Does Senior Tia have a team too? I don’t think I’ve ever seen her with other magical girls.”

“Oh, about that, I heard Senior Tia hasn’t joined any team because she’s too strong. It’s difficult for other members to offer her any real help, and many exceptionally powerful magical girls are like that.”

So that was it. Leaving aside the factor of strength, Tia’s icy demeanor alone would make it hard for her to communicate well with teammates. The thought of Tia’s monstrous aura standing alongside other sparkling magical girls gave Chloe a sense of dissonance.

“Pfft…”

Seeing the girl before her suddenly cover her mouth and burst into laughter, Night Moon felt a strange flutter, her heart inexplicably quickening its pace. Those two adorable golden pigtails trembled slightly with their owner’s movements, enchanting as a princess stepped out of a fairy tale. Such a girl would, to anyone who saw her, naturally inspire the fantasy of wanting to protect her for a lifetime.

“When Senior Tia is mentioned, Chloe always seems so happy.”

“Eh? No, not at all, I just thought of something funny.”

“It’s related to Senior Tia, isn’t it? When will I be able to make Chloe smile like that?”

Did this child accidentally blurt out her true feelings? Why does that sound so odd? But she was clearly mistaken; how could that annoying Tia ever make her happy? Chloe was too busy avoiding her!

Night Moon inexplicably sank into a state of despondency, as if a torrential downpour was raging over her head.

Was it because I’d been rejected too many times? Chloe felt a pang of discomfort seeing the cute girl so sad.

“Don’t be like that. At least I’ll keep you company normally, right?”

“Then, Chloe, will you think of me when we’re not together?”

What a strange question! It took Chloe a few seconds to grasp what she was trying to ask. To that question, Chloe had an unutterable answer. She would think of Night Moon when Tia licked her in strange places like a puppy. Because Night Moon gave her the impression of a puppy.

Her face suddenly flushing crimson, Chloe’s gaze darted away, and she finally managed a strained smile, saying, “I’m sorry.”

What a terrible answer! Night Moon must be so hurt by it! But it wasn’t my fault! Every day I return home, I have to expend almost all my energy dealing with Tia, leaving no time to think of anything else!

“Hmm… it’s alright. I suppose I’m just inferior to Senior Tia in every way… I’ve known that all along anyway.” Night Moon turned her head away with a bitter smile, running a hand through her hair and sighing silently.

Chloe felt her intellect struggling to keep up; wasn’t Night Moon usually so carefree? What was happening today? And why was Tia being brought up again? They had only met twice, hadn’t they?

“Chloe, you like girls, don’t you?”

Another strange remark!

Chloe reached out to touch Night Moon’s forehead. “You don’t have a fever!”

“Ugh! I’m not sick! I’m serious, answer me quickly!”

“Girls are gentle and cute, of course I like girls, just like I like you.”

“You clearly know that’s not what I mean!” Night Moon covered her flushed cheeks with both hands, her eyes fixed on the empty table before her.

“I…”

“Chloe, an upperclassman is looking for you!” someone suddenly called from the doorway.

“Oh! I’m coming!”

As if escaping some predicament, Chloe hurriedly rose and walked towards the door, accidentally knocking the books off her desk onto the floor.

“Honestly, she seems so careful and sensitive, but she’s actually just a big dummy…” Night Moon helped Chloe pick up the fallen books, wiped the dust off them with a tissue, and neatly arranged them back on the table. She glanced out the window; due to the classroom curtains, she couldn’t clearly see which upperclassman was meeting Chloe, but she could guess.

A gust of wind blew into the classroom, causing the curtains to billow upwards, and Night Moon, with a casual glance, saw Chloe’s genuine smile, a smile she had never shown in Night Moon’s presence.

Her pupils trembled abruptly.

The students in the classroom were laughing and playing, but to Night Moon’s ears, it sounded like nothing but mockery.

Sigh!