Chapter 34: The Weight of Memories and New Beginnings

Around the time when the monsters were once again firmly embracing the beliefs they had only vaguely grasped before, the source of their troubles, Sun, had already finished all of her annoying summer homework.

Now, she was enjoying the coolness that comes with owning an air conditioner, stretching her legs and spending her days comfortably indoors.

It was 1 p.m., the hottest time of the day during the summer.

Normally, it would be the time when she’d be lying in her room, doing nothing. Yet, for some reason, Mari was getting ready to go out, even packing Siyeon and the mascots.

She turned off the air conditioner that had been a source of comfort in the heat and switched off the brightly lit lights of the room.

Despite the lights being off, the sunlight pouring in through the veranda windows showed just how scorching it was outside.

Before leaving, Mari made a final check to ensure that Siyeon hadn’t forgotten anything.

“Bus card?”

“Got it!”

Siyeon proudly displayed her pale pink handbag, the strap running from her left shoulder to her right hip, and Mari couldn’t help but feel proud and affectionate toward her. So cute.

Even in the sweltering summer heat, the magical girls’ gathering was happening. Students were on summer break, and it was prime vacation time for the working adults.

There was no better excuse to meet up. As always, the meeting place was the familiar Starlight Café. After a short bus ride and a few stops, they arrived at the street.

Walking hand in hand with Siyeon, they soon saw the café with its curtains drawn as if it were closed. It wasn’t actually closed, so they knocked on the door and slipped inside through the slightly open gap.

Inside the café, a warm and reassuring voice greeted them.

“Come on in, it’s Sun and Moon, right?”

Only after ensuring that the door was fully closed and locked did they offer a polite greeting, accompanied by their transformation phrases.

“Sun. Yes, hello.”

“Moon Power! Hello!”

They greeted the café owner at the entrance and entered the surprisingly bright interior, taking their seats.

The mascots were taken out of their pockets to chat among themselves, and they moved towards an empty seat.

Others who had arrived earlier noticed their transformation and welcomed them, even pulling out chairs for them to sit.

“Sun and Moon! Welcome!”

As each transformed person shared their recent experiences, time passed in this women-only space.

In a room full of women, I couldn’t help but feel a little out of place. Of course, I would feel this way—none of them had been male ‘before’ becoming female like I had. In fact, none of them were living their second life like I was.

“Phew, phew.”

As soon as the hot chocolate was placed on the table, Siyeon cupped the mug with both hands and blew on the surface to cool it down.

We were still too young to drink coffee, so of course, two cups of hot chocolate were set in front of us. A warm cup of hot chocolate in a cold, air-conditioned room. The contrast felt strangely satisfying.

It feels like the sensation of turning on the air conditioner full blast and snuggling into the blanket in bed.

“So, how have you two been these days?”

“We’re on vacation, so just having fun!”

Mari, a magical girl with striking pink twin-tails the same color as Siyeon’s handbag, asked the question. Siyeon responded with a simple, straightforward answer.

To add a bit more context, I chimed in with a more detailed explanation.

“It’s pretty much the same as usual, except for school. We’re fighting off monsters… and doing homework.”

“If you’re in elementary school, that’s five periods, right? I’m jealous.”

Out of the blue, she mentioned age, resting her chin on her hand while taking a sip of coffee.

She seemed envious, asking about how many periods school had. Judging by how she brought up school schedules, she must be a student as well.

This year marks her third as a magical girl. Without knowing her actual age when she started, I couldn’t tell if she was a middle schooler or a high schooler, but it seemed likely that she was in middle school.

In this gathering, some members were adults, too. With how quickly people grow up these days, middle schoolers could easily look like high schoolers.

It’s also tough to tell who’s who, especially when they de-transform when parting ways or stepping out of a building. Although no one actively hides their real age, they don’t openly reveal it either.

As she was still enviously talking about five-period days, she seemed to think of another question, releasing her chin from her hand to ask again.

“By the way, there was something big that happened recently, right? Are both of you okay?”

“Huh?”

Siyeon tilted her head, confused at the mention of something big, but I immediately knew what incident she was referring to.

It had to be the mass monster outbreak from the other day.

Just thinking about that day was exhausting. The fatigue I didn’t even have a second ago suddenly welled up, forming into words that spilled out like a complaint.

“It really was a huge deal…”

“How did you handle it? We might face something like that, so can you share?”

As I gazed at the curtains, recalling the exhausting ordeal, Mari pressed on with another question before I could even take a sip of my now lukewarm hot chocolate.

Honestly, I wasn’t even sure if “handling” it was the right word for what we did. It was more of a brute force approach than a solution.

“We just went around wiping everything out. I guess the ones that went back to normal probably realized there was no point in resisting anymore.”

If you leave out the torture, agony, desperate screams, and chase scenes, that was pretty much all there was to it.

“Ugh, so all we can do is endure…”

Upon hearing my answer, Mari slumped over the table, her face flat against it. Her voluminous, pastel pink hair spread out along with her on the table.

Watching her worry over a situation that hadn’t even happened yet, I figured she was the type to worry unnecessarily and brushed it off lightly.

After a few more rounds of questions about “that incident,” my lips were parched, and the hot chocolate had gone cold.

“Whaaaat?! What do you mean by that?!”

“… . . !”

At a table, a sudden loud outcry startles me so much that I choke on the hot chocolate I was drinking.

“Cough, hack…”

As I repeatedly thump my chest with my fist, letting out short bursts of coughing, the gazes of everyone in the café naturally turn toward the direction where the shout came from.

After managing to settle my irregular coughs, I also turn my gaze toward where the sound had come from, just like the others.

The atmosphere, once filled with a blend of chatter from various people, quiets down, and only then does the sound from that particular table begin to become clear.

“I don’t have the same strength as before, so I’m thinking of quitting now.”

“This is too sudden…”

A magical girl’s retirement.

Considering age, it was something to be expected, but for some, it was an issue they hadn’t even begun to think about.

The average age for a magical girl is in their twenties. And if we consider that most of those pulling down that average are students, one could hold onto this profession until their thirties at most.

However, fighting monsters and protecting the city—this role filled with the romantic notion of a ‘girl.’ Had anyone ever thought about the feelings of those who reached their thirties, or beyond?

“I’m sorry, sorry. I just feel like it’s something that would keep bothering me…”

Venus, with her youthful voice, scratched her short yellow hair and briefly apologized to Stella, who had said it was too sudden.

Funding from untraceable sources and a job that can’t be openly discussed with others.

Friends of the same age gradually gave up their title as magical girls, one by one.

As the generations passed, she alone remained in that place, growing older. The more frequent the gatherings became, and the longer the time spent alone, the more deeply she must have felt it.

She had found someone to marry, and she couldn’t keep holding on to this ‘girl’ mindset forever. She needed a job she could proudly tell others about.

As her words continued, the mood around them grew somber. In the calm, quiet atmosphere, only silence lingered.

“…What about your memories?”

Stella’s voice, bringing up the word ‘memories,’ broke the silence.

It might seem irrelevant to the conversation they were having, but it wasn’t entirely unrelated either. Retirement as a magical girl meant, one way or another, that someone who knew the truth about magical girls was re-entering society as an ordinary citizen. And from here, two choices arise.

The first choice: Like the owner of this café, someone could retain their memories and continue to help magical girls.

The second choice: Replace all memories related to magical girls with ordinary ones and live as a regular person among the masses.

Venus, as if she had already made up her mind long ago, opened her mouth.

“I’ll erase them.”

“Why! Why…?”

Stella, in a voice that seemed to sink into the water, cried out and asked her. Venus had been active since long before Stella had even become a magical girl. How long had it been—more than ten years?

The decision to alter over ten years of memories was probably not an easy one for her either.

“I’m sorry to say this…”

She started with an apology, holding her coffee cup.

A girl with short yellow hair, looking no older than Siyeon, sat before us.

Her youthful appearance contrasted sharply with the mature and wistful smile she wore.

“I just found someone a little… just a little more precious than you all.”

No one could be tactless enough to shout at her not to retire after seeing that kind of smile.

Even Siyeon, who didn’t fully grasp the situation, tilted her head but stayed quiet, sipping her hot chocolate in line with the solemn mood.

Following her lead, I took a sip of my now cold hot chocolate.

Considering how it was made, it should have been sweet.

But perhaps because of the heavy atmosphere, the bitterness amidst the sweetness felt unusually strong.

Writer’s Note:

Magical girls, they’re human too.

I’ve started a new series titled *”O Banished Legend, Enjoy Living!”*

It’s a calm fantasy about the life of an old man after escaping the labyrinth, set in a fantastical world.

Please give it lots of love and support!

Next chapter available!