Night Moon’s Inner Struggle

An inner turmoil nearly caused her to lose her composure, driving her to the brink of pulling aside the curtain that separated the different hospital beds. But then… then what?

It would only make everyone uncomfortable, wouldn’t it?

Night Moon’s index finger trembled as she gripped the edge of the curtain, her knuckles turning white. Should she just give up? What right could she claim to stop what was happening? After all, her relationship with Chloe wasn’t as close as she had imagined. It certainly couldn’t compare to Tia’s, who had been living with Chloe from the beginning.

Of course, this was just an external factor. What reason did Night Moon have for others to trust her? She had only approached Chloe because her sister had asked her to, and even then, it was more of a task than a genuine desire. The idea of being a magical girl was never something she had sought for herself. Night Moon had always been reluctant to follow her sister’s orders. Now, out of nowhere, she was being asked to befriend a stranger, and she had approached it with a halfhearted attitude.

But from the moment she saw the girl with golden hair, Night Moon couldn’t tell if the dazzling light was a reflection of the sun or an inherent radiance of the girl. The curve of her hair was like a hook, capturing her gaze, and those golden eyes, like amber set in a lustrous white jade.

Night Moon had always been indifferent to matters of the heart. But seeing this girl, she admitted to herself that she had been captivated by her beauty. She had even asked her sister, “Sister, is it normal for a girl to fall for another girl?” Her sister replied, “Of course, it’s normal. Your sister… never mind.”

So, it was normal? Night Moon felt like she had crossed a line, and her perspective broadened.

The girl always seemed half-asleep at school, but a slight teasing would elicit interesting reactions. She wasn’t cold or distant. Night Moon consulted her sister, who told her, “Girls like her seem quiet, but with the right trigger, you can see another side of them. Essentially, they’re passive and can be classified as submissive.” This piqued Night Moon’s interest. So, she started finding reasons to tease her every day, though the fun soon turned into frustration as she felt they had reached a dead end.

Just when she was at a loss, an unexpected person appeared: the renowned magical girl, Tia. Worse still, it seemed they had a deep connection. Moreover, it appeared that Tia had already advanced beyond the barrier that Night Moon had been stuck at, engaging in intimate interactions that Night Moon had only imagined.

Of course, Tia was far more outstanding than her, making her feel inferior. Night Moon felt like she had crossed a line, but now, hearing the intimate sounds from behind the thin curtain, she felt her heart shatter. She yearned to rip the curtain open, to have her fantasies shattered once and for all. But doing so would mean she knew about their relationship, and then she would have no excuse to continue her ambiguous approach towards the girl. It would make her feel like a villain, a role she couldn’t bear.

The sounds of passion seeped through the curtain, so intense that they seemed to thicken the very air around her. Night Moon’s green eyes widened in the darkness. She couldn’t deny her keen night vision or the thinness of the curtain, which allowed her to see the silhouettes beyond it. She pretended not to see, so she could continue to view them as sisters, a position she thought gave her more legitimacy than they had to each other.

How envious I felt! If only the girl was mine…

“Mmm…” She swallowed, turning her back to the curtain, burying herself in the blankets, her fingers wandering downwards. Her sensitive ears perked up, listening to the enticing sounds. Even if she couldn’t have the real thing, she could savor a bit of the imagined sweetness… Her green eyes glazed over.

“The results are quite impressive!” Tia commented, seeing Chloe’s hand, now free of bandages, smooth and unblemished.

“I wish I hadn’t healed so quickly!” Chloe mumbled, her face flushed, a bit of white substance at the corner of her mouth.

“You’ll have to eat eventually. Do you want to starve to death? I won’t allow that.” Tia used her finger to wipe the white substance from Chloe’s mouth, raising an eyebrow curiously and tasting it.

“Ew! That’s so fishy! How can you eat this?” Tia quickly grabbed a tissue, spitting out the substance and tossing it into the trash.

But the taste lingered in her mouth, making her wrinkle her nose. This reaction enraged Chloe, who complained, “It’s not like I wanted to eat it! You told me I’d die if I didn’t!” Though she didn’t mention it, to her altered taste, the substance actually had a sweet, savory flavor…

“Calm down, I know you’ve had it tough.” Tia soothed the irritated little fox, then suddenly stood up and walked to the other side of the room, pulling aside the curtain.

“She’s still asleep.”

“Who’s still asleep?” Chloe, startled, sat up, looking at the familiar girl lying quietly in the adjacent bed.

“Night Moon is here!”

“Oh, she was the first to encounter the monster. I rescued her before going to save you. Lucas said she wouldn’t wake up for a while.”

“You knew she was here and still did that? If she finds out… I’ll never be able to face her again!” After a private, exhausting experience, Night Moon slept soundly, dreaming of things only she knew.