“Come and fight, Grey Moon!!”
In the sky, the fierce battle between the magical girls continued. By now, Scarlet Magical Girl was utterly exhausted, panting as she dodged and parried Grey Moon’s attacks in the air.
Even so, her tongue remained sharp, continuously uttering words designed to provoke Grey Moon.
Inevitably, she finally failed to dodge in time, and Grey Moon snatched her by the cloak. With a startled cry, Scarlet Magical Girl found herself caught by the scruff of her neck, as if fate itself had intervened.
“Had enough?”
“Mmm-hmm, mmm-hmm.”
Scarlet Magical Girl, humbled, nodded in surrender. Grey Moon released her, letting her drop, but Scarlet Magical Girl quickly flew back up from below. The two had clearly enjoyed their recent bout. They had worked up a sweat, a truly invigorating exercise.
Scarlet Magical Girl smiled at Grey Moon, who, in turn, subtly curved her lips before posing a question, her voice clear as a bell.
“So, why?”
Scarlet Magical Girl knew Grey Moon was asking why they had fought. At first, her gaze darted away, much like a condemned prisoner who claims to fear no death, yet trembles when the execution is nigh. Finally, she sighed, abandoning her resistance, and spoke the words that weighed heavily on her heart.
“I’m sorry.”
Upon hearing this, Grey Moon tilted her head slightly, clearly puzzled. After a soft ‘Hmm,’ she inquired, “But what for?”
Scarlet Magical Girl took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and poured out the entire truth about her collaboration with Banjao. This included her genuine desire for Grey Moon to vanish. Most importantly, she confessed that her initial approach to Grey Moon had also been a ploy orchestrated by Banjao.
Grey Moon’s beautiful brows were drawn low, her gaze unwavering as she listened to Scarlet Magical Girl’s confession. She didn’t find any of it particularly abnormal. After all, she had long since prepared herself for such a revelation. It was as if everything had been meticulously planned. Their friendship, after all, had bloomed with such ease, such suddenness, such an air of predestination. It felt so unnatural, as if she didn’t deserve it—much like the staggering sums of money that made her heart pound, Grey Moon had already braced herself for the day they would inevitably slip away.
And yet, though only Scarlet Magical Girl and the vast sky filled Grey Moon’s vision, her heart remained undisturbed by the confession. Only a single question lingered. ‘If things continued like this, would she one day lose him—Zhou Huanan?’
Within the young girl’s heart, a seed of unease had been sown.
An ordinary person, learning that a friendship was merely the result of someone drawing a ‘make friends with others’ card, would surely feel resentment, perhaps even severing ties completely. Yet, Grey Moon had clearly transcended such a trap. Having already anticipated such an event, she wouldn’t be as angry or heartbroken when it actually occurred.
Her thoughts returned to the present, focusing on Scarlet Magical Girl, who, having spoken her truth, appeared far more at ease and candid. Grey Moon keenly observed. The muscles in her cheeks were still taut; clearly, she held back a final, unspoken thought. Thus, Grey Moon saw no need to rush, choosing to wait for her to utter those final words before making any judgment.
****
The scene Scarlet Magical Girl had imagined—Grey Moon lashing out with a punch or a torrent of curses—never materialized. Scarlet Magical Girl had been fully prepared for it. After apologizing to Grey Moon, bidding her ‘farewell,’ and wishing her happiness, she had planned to go to the television station and expose Banjao. As a sinner now, her single-minded nature couldn’t conceive of a good way to absolve herself. Therefore, given the situation, self-destruction was the only path! Just imagine how free she would feel! Ah, the newspapers would surely report it thus: ‘Scarlet Magical Girl Sacrifices Herself, Thwarting Banjao’s Grandest Scheme.’ Thinking of how many would shed tears for her then, Scarlet Magical Girl grinned, a healthy, radiant smile revealing her small fangs.
Yet, Grey Moon found something eerily familiar. That look in her eyes. The very expression Scarlet Magical Girl wore now. Grey Moon felt certain she had seen it somewhere before. Then it clicked. It was that day, the day her stepmother had thrown her out of the house, the day she had escaped the basement with nowhere to go, standing on a bridge’s railing, gazing at her own reflection in the water. That very look—she had seen it there, precisely there.
As Grey Moon realized this, her brows furrowed, twisting together in a knot of concern. Seeing Grey Moon remain silent, Scarlet Magical Girl hummed softly, turned with a faint smile, and prepared to leave. Just then, Magical Girl Grey Moon moved, seizing Scarlet Magical Girl’s shoulder with startling speed. A sharp slap echoed. Before Scarlet Magical Girl could even react, Grey Moon delivered a resounding slap across her face.
The delayed slap completely stunned Scarlet Magical Girl. A wave of injustice washed over her. ‘I knew you were going to hit me,’ she thought, ‘but your reaction time is ridiculously slow!’
“What do you intend to do?”
However, Grey Moon’s subsequent question plunged Scarlet Magical Girl into silence. Grey Moon directly seized her breastplate, pulling her close. Her crimson eyes locked onto Scarlet Magical Girl’s, whose stubborn pupils began to tremble, wavering.
“What precisely do you intend to do next??”
Grey Moon’s voice, tinged with a ‘hate iron for not becoming steel’ frustration, grew hoarse as she stared directly into Scarlet Magical Girl’s eyes.
“What I intend to do has nothing to do with you!” Scarlet Magical Girl retorted, agitated by Grey Moon’s interrogation, and began to struggle in vain. But Grey Moon’s grip was impossibly tight. So tight, in fact, that she couldn’t break free, even if she desperately tried. Seriously. Scarlet Magical Girl was so distraught, she was on the verge of tears. It was the very end, and they wouldn’t even let her die!?
Driven to desperation, Scarlet Magical Girl intended to punch Grey Moon in the face to break free. But when she finally dared to look at Grey Moon again, all at once, her body went limp. For Grey Moon, at that moment, was not maintaining her usual aloof, cool expression. Instead, she looked utterly heartbroken, profoundly sad. Her lips were tightly pressed, her brows furrowed in anguish, and the hand gripping Scarlet Magical Girl trembled slightly from the sheer force. Her eyes were growing moist. Magical Girl Grey Moon was revealing a tenderness Scarlet Magical Girl had never witnessed before.
“Ah…”
Scarlet Magical Girl’s body stiffened, her head falling back as she let out a small sigh. ‘So, she found out after all,’ she thought. Her limbs fell weakly, and she offered a quiet, resigned smile, allowing Grey Moon to hold her. She watched as stars began to pepper the sky, and a clear, crescent moon hung above. It was truly beautiful.
Scarlet Magical Girl opened her mouth in a silent laugh, a soundless outpouring that held both the joy of rebirth and unrestrained self-mockery. ‘If Grey Moon hadn’t caught me, I would surely have died, wouldn’t I?’ she mused. She gasped for air. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she pressed the back of her hand against them. It truly was beautiful… Tears welled from beneath the edge of her hand, streaming down her cheeks and into her ears, a discomfort she barely registered. Just as all of us cry upon entering the world, Scarlet Magical Girl, rescued and held tight—impossibly tight—by Grey Moon, began to sob loudly, uncontrollably.
Yet, her cries were not entirely pure. They were the pitiful, helpless tears of a young girl realizing how much she had lost, tears brimming with bitterness and regret. The tears of a heartbroken girl. A deeper meaning, however, that Grey Moon failed to perceive.
“Cry, let it all out, and everything will be alright.”
Grey Moon’s expression softened with empathy for Scarlet Magical Girl. She remembered a time, long ago, when she herself had been held so tightly, so desperately, in her own moment of despair. Naturally, she understood Scarlet Magical Girl’s feelings. Just as that person had done for her back then, Grey Moon gently pulled Scarlet Magical Girl into her embrace, reaching out to softly stroke the strands of hair that fanned out against the sky.
“Cry,” Grey Moon murmured, “let it all out, and everything will be alright.”
But then, something strange occurred. For some reason, the gentler Grey Moon became, the tighter Scarlet Magical Girl clung to her, and the more fiercely she wept. Back then, when Zhou Huanan had held her close, she had felt only a profound sense of security and the courage to believe that everything would improve. Magical Girl Grey Moon continued to stroke Scarlet Magical Girl’s hair, soothing her. Only, she was destined never to comprehend the second layer of meaning behind those tears.