A Talk on the Mountain Path

(Bai Ziye)

I ascended the steps, coming to stand at the same height as her.

Sailuno blinked and asked, “Why bring this up all of a sudden?”

“After meeting face to face, you should understand that I’m not the idealized hero you imagine. Before I was Miluno, I was just an ordinary person—I simply happen to possess a Star Crystal that is more compatible with me than those of other magical girls.”

I’m no noble hero.

“Mm, I know. Director SpiCa said something similar.” Sailuno nodded, a bitter and helpless smile on her face, showing no trace of disillusionment. “Everyone was an ordinary person before becoming a magical girl. There are even those like me who were particularly useless even among ordinary people… I’m not an irrational fangirl. I understood this even before I became a magical girl myself.”

Even so, she still held an idealized image of a magical girl in her heart.

“Even so, you still like… like magical girls?” I had wanted to say “like Miluno,” but I changed my wording at the last second.

She gave a silly laugh. “Hehe~ After all, a magical girl once saved my life. Even though I don’t know which magical girl it was.”

I knew the reason for Sun Yao’s obsession. It was that incident… It was also the root of his family’s collapse.

Ten years ago—before the Magical Girl Association was established and before wormhole detection and alarm systems were widespread—every monster invasion caused massive casualties. It wasn’t like now, where there are almost zero civilian casualties each time.

Sailuno continued, “Before, I lived in the capital of Esperia for my father’s work. I was only five or six then, and I encountered a monster invasion with my family. I got separated from my mother while we were evacuating.”

“Everyone was fleeing, so no one could look after you, right?”

Her drooping brows indicated her mood had sunk to a low point. “Mm. My mother was hit by a monster’s attack while she was looking for me… She’s still lying in a hospital bed, with no sign of waking up… It’s been ten years.”

Though her life was saved, after ten years in a comatose state, there was basically no chance of recovery. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Sun Yao visit her lately. Maybe he doesn’t even know which hospital his mother is in now.

I asked, “What about you?”

“As I said earlier, I was saved by a magical girl.”

“With your mother unconscious and yourself saved, that contrast must have left a knot in your heart.”

“Mm. If I hadn’t gotten separated from her, none of this would have happened. It’s all my fault.”

“Do you know which senior saved you?”

Sailuno shook her head. “I don’t know. Back then, magical girls operated in teams, there were no battle recordings, and my memories from that age are hazy. I only remember her figure being very tall. When she stood in front of me, there was an indescribable sense of safety.”

To a five-year-old Sun Yao, anyone would have looked tall.

“Didn’t you investigate her identity?”

“No. After the accident, my father sent me back to my home country.” At this point, she let out a small laugh. “Then, in those dazed days, I met the best friend of my life.”

This fool… She can’t even recognize me standing right in front of her, yet she calls me her best friend.

In fact, it wouldn’t have been difficult to investigate that magical girl’s identity. Ten years ago, the number of magical girls was very small. Just by checking the teams active in Eastern Europe at the time, one could narrow the target down considerably.

“Even the magical girl who saved you probably had her own selfish desires,” I noted. “No one is perfect, and there can’t be a flawless idol.”

“Of course I know that. But even so… she is my hero.”

On the mountain path halfway up, there was a wooden arch bridge crossing a stream. Standing on the bridge, you could feel the coolness of the clear water. We stood there, both reluctant to leave the shade. I leaned against the waist-high railing, my back to Sailuno, looking down at the flowing water.

“So, you’ve projected your image of a hero onto me. But I’m not what you imagine.”

“Miss Miluno is too modest. Through our conversation today, I’m even more certain that I wasn’t wrong about you.”

“I don’t like flattery.”

“But that’s my honest opinion!” She imitated my posture and leaned over the railing. Because she was short, this posture accentuated her figure. To make matters worse, she stood on tiptoe to catch my attention and pressed against the railing. “Miss Miluno, you are undoubtedly the most excellent magical girl. Not just in strength—your principles and the way you deal with the world are close to my ideals.”

“Saying that just makes me more embarrassed.”

She changed her tone. “However, Miss Miluno also has aspects different from my impression.”

“What?”

“Hehe, you’re easier to get along with than I imagined. You’re not like the ‘Ice Queen’ everyone talks about.”

Compared to when we first met this morning, Sailuno had opened up a lot. Her smile was more natural… and more girlish.

“I never thought of myself as having that kind of reputation.”

“It’s because you rarely smile. You have no expression change from start to finish in every battle. There are even rumors that you’re actually a ‘battle android’—an artificial magical girl developed by the Association.”

What absurd guesses. Just because I don’t show much expression?

“Let’s go. Let’s check out the mountaintop.”

“Mm… How is your wound, Miss Miluno?”

“It’s healed. I took off the bandages after getting home yesterday.” As I walked, I lifted the back of my shirt slightly to let Sailuno see the scarred wound on my lower back.

The recovery tonic Yin Wei gave me worked quickly. At this rate, the scar will probably fall off and I’ll be back to normal before I go to sleep tonight. Though it was just a flesh wound, healing in two days was still astonishing.

She reached out and touched the scar, sending a ticklish sensation through my spine. “It looks a bit scary, but it’s healing well. Unlike Miss Yang Yan, who has to lie in bed for a month…”

“She indeed got hurt worse than me. Her whole body was full of internal injuries and fractures from ‘Rockmelt.’ Besides, there is a difference in physical fitness among us. Girls who fight in close combat generally have tougher bodies.”

While magical girls like Yang Yan and Sailuno, who rely on powerful magic, have lower physical durability. To borrow Sailuno’s favorite gaming analogy: though we’re all magical girls, my “class” is a melee warrior, while those two are “mages.” Well, Sailuno is a “shield-support,” but still a caster class.

“I’m sorry. Before meeting me, you had never lost…”

Sailuno’s gaze made me feel self-conscious. I smoothed my shirt and turned to look at her. “Saving you was my own decision. Don’t feel guilty about it. Besides, the injury wasn’t serious.”

When I turned, I met a pair of determined eyes.

“Miss Miluno, in the next battle… I will win with my own power.”

I recognized that look. Every time Sun Yao makes a firm decision, he gets that look—though before, it usually only appeared when he was trying to beat a difficult video game. But for her to say this now… maybe she had made some new discovery in her application of magic?

[Wormhole Alert: A phase wormhole is about to open in Sector E2. Estimated time: within five minutes. Residents in the area, please evacuate in an orderly manner. I repeat…]

Above our heads, a holographic marker appeared, indicating the wormhole’s location.

What a nuisance.