Witnessing Unohana Ren’s unreserved honesty, Liu Li felt no need to conceal her own identity. She dispelled her transformation, descending gracefully before Unohana Ren.
****
Fish drifted near the surface of the water, gently blowing bubbles, while in the distance, children playfully circled on their bicycles. Liu Li gazed at Unohana Ren, who was bowing her head in sincere apology before her. It was an astonishing coincidence, one she never could have anticipated. Had Scarlet Magical Girl’s true identity been unknown to her, Liu Li would have maintained a vigilant stance, perhaps even a nine or ten out of ten. Yet, it was Unohana Ren. Unohana Ren was, perhaps, the second most familiar person to Liu Li in their class, often catching her eye. In countless moments past…
‘She had even suspected Unohana Ren harbored feelings for her.’
‘Of course! Liu Li also knew it was merely a beautiful, fleeting fantasy from her days as a gloomy, impoverished underachiever. A ‘worm’ like him, daring to dream of one of the class’s top three beauties? Clearly, next time he ought to drink less and eat a few more dishes. But… perhaps it truly was just such a coincidence.’
Liu Li slowly lowered her black mask, revealing a delicate face adorned with a warm, benevolent smile.
‘She simply couldn’t believe it. That someone so close to her could truly harbor such profound malice.’
Unohana Ren, in turn, was utterly dumbfounded. She stared in disbelief at Liu Li’s pure, unmistakably feminine face, instantly clamping a hand over her mouth as her heart gave a sharp, painful lurch. ‘Though it didn’t perfectly align with the face in her memories, still—Is this real? No, it must be a trick! How could it be *him*!?’
“So, you’re a girl!?” Unohana Ren exclaimed, her voice ringing with the question she most urgently needed answered. “Then why did I see you enter the men’s restroom with Zhou Huanan just a few days ago??”
Unohana Ren gazed at Liu Li, her expression shifting to one of profound respect. ‘To think that beneath Liu Li’s seemingly timid exterior, she was actually… this formidable!’
‘Gulp!’ Liu Li’s mind reeled, confronted by a conversation she had never once anticipated. Her ‘dark history’ abruptly exposed, her face instantly flushed a furious crimson.
“How could you possibly jump to *that* conclusion!?” Liu Li exclaimed, her voice laced with considerable vexation. Unohana Ren, startled by her outburst, quickly offered an apology, yet simultaneously found this uninhibited side of Liu Li refreshingly natural, a subtle softening easing the corners of her eyes.
Liu Li’s forceful presence momentarily subdued Unohana Ren, finally affording herself a precious moment to collect her thoughts. ‘Though she doubted Unohana Ren would readily believe her explanation.’ Liu Li averted her gaze, resolving to speak the unvarnished truth.
“B-Because, at that time, I was still a boy…”
‘Wuwu…’ Liu Li felt a surge of despair, on the verge of tears. ‘Was it truly too late for regret now? Her guard had dropped due to the sheer familiarity of the person before her. Had she known, she would never have exposed her identity to Unohana Ren.’
“Oh—I see,” Unohana Ren nodded, feigning understanding, though she utterly dismissed Liu Li’s explanation. Gazing at the delicate, blushing girl before her, she saw not the proud Magical Girl Grey Moon soaring through the sky, but unmistakably the boy she had long admired and focused her attention upon. ‘It was just a pity she had been mistaken. So, Liu Li was a girl.’
A pang of regret struck Unohana Ren’s heart. She mused on the scarcity of clouds in the sky today, and while her spirits lifted considerably, a cascade of new questions and a deepening shadow of unease began to loom within her.
Unohana Ren now harbored a question she simply *had* to ask.
“So, what was the reason for your consistent tardiness before?”
“Hmm,” Liu Li responded, a faint flicker of distress crossing her features, clearly reluctant to revisit the memory. “It wasn’t intentional; my manager at my part-time job simply refused to let me leave early…”
“Hm? Isn’t working part-time prohibited by our school?”
“But that’s precisely how it was. Later, I tried my best to rush, but I still couldn’t outpace you all, and then… I was fired.”
As Liu Li recounted her woes, on the verge of shedding ‘little pearls’ of tears, Unohana Ren watched the object of her affection weep before her. Internally, she repeatedly chastised herself, ‘I truly am despicable.’ She moved to comfort Liu Li.
Yet, after taking only half a step, her gaze fell upon her phone lying on the ground, its camera still active. Unohana Ren faltered. The initial euphoria of her beloved’s sudden appearance quickly receded, allowing the darker impulses within Scarlet Magical Girl to resurface and seize control.
‘Now. She knew Magical Girl Grey Moon’s true identity, but should she really divulge this information to Banjao? If she kept silent… her career as a magical girl would undoubtedly be ruined. She had once sought to eliminate Grey Moon, even collaborating with Banjao. Emerald Magical Girl and the others absolutely could not discover this. But if she spoke out.’
Unohana Ren gazed at the girl, so delicate that it almost melted her heart, finding it utterly impossible to reconcile this image with the solitary, proud Magical Girl Grey Moon who had hung in the night sky above the paper-crane-filled school that day. ‘Even when she had deliberately used the children’s gifts to provoke her. Magical Girl Grey Moon had appeared utterly unconcerned, departing with an air of indifference. Even when the entire internet later condemned her, she had still single-handedly breached the defenses of tens of thousands of monsters, rescuing thousands of citizens who had previously slandered her. Such resilience, such unwavering strength. So incredibly powerful… That was precisely why she had wanted Magical Girl Grey Moon to vanish.’
Unohana Ren’s gaze dulled. She touched her nose, then bent to retrieve her phone from the ground, slipping it into her pocket. She could always submit the photos in a few days, she decided. Her eyes then fell on Liu Li, who was on the verge of shedding ‘little pearls’ of tears. She rushed over to offer comfort.
Unohana Ren had always been one of the more outgoing girls in class, yet her lack of experience conversing with boys meant that her attempts to interact with Liu Li had often devolved into distant observation and playful teasing. But the moment she discovered Liu Li was, in fact, a soft and delicate girl, everything instantly shifted. The awkward self-consciousness she had felt around Liu Li vanished, and the intensity of her affection, previously ‘sealed,’ seemed to diminish.
Unohana Ren led Liu Li along the suburban road, stopping at a convenience store to procure two ice creams. They tore open the wrappers and strolled together by the river.
“Thank you for the treat…”
In stature, Liu Li was marginally shorter than Unohana Ren, necessitating a slight tilt of her head when she spoke. Her gentle smile was as calming as the ripples on the nearby river, a sight that brought a quiet comfort to Unohana Ren. The simple gesture caused Unohana Ren’s hands, in the act of tearing her ice cream wrapper, to freeze. ‘It was as if she had never been this close to Liu Li before.’
“I thought you would laugh at me, now that you know I’m a girl.” Liu Li met Unohana Ren’s gaze, well aware of the numerous misunderstandings that had festered between them. Yet, since Scarlet Magical Girl had taken the initiative to apologize to Grey Moon, Liu Li, still perceiving herself as a boy, felt compelled to exhibit a more magnanimous demeanor. “I also know, about Grey Moon always being late and such…” Liu Li confessed, her hand resting over her chest, a nervous gesture as if fearing she might misstep with her words. “It’s true that it could easily lead people to think the worst. I’m truly sorry! But I absolutely promise you! Magical Girl Grey Moon has never been intentionally late, nor has she ever deliberately stolen your kills!”
“But there’s also one more thing.” Having delivered her apology, Liu Li lifted her head, her gaze meeting Unohana Ren’s with an unusual intensity. “Unohana Ren, when you were Scarlet Magical Girl, you made some rather inflammatory remarks on television, claiming that the Magma Demon from recently was a trophy I stole from you. That assertion is unequivocally false, and I still expect you to issue a proper, public apology specifically for that!”