Friends (Part 1)

“——!?”

You Xi trembled all over, frozen in place.

‘What- what’s going on? Has the fact that I’m Magical Girl Raging Flame been exposed?’

‘But how did Uncle find out? Isn’t the true identity of a magical girl top secret?’

‘…Could it be that he was actually following me this afternoon?’

…

All sorts of doubts and speculations flooded You Xi’s mind. Just as she was in a state of utter confusion, You Dong spoke again.

“Did you see the news this afternoon? That girl was amazing.”

—Can’t you just say it all at once!!!

You Xi screamed in her heart.

“Oh, I- I saw it,” she said, feigning composure. “Huh? Strange, I remember you never seemed to care about magical girls before, right?”

“I happened to see the live broadcast this afternoon.”

“Oh… I see.”

“What do you think?”

“What do I think about what?” You Xi asked back.

“I mean,” You Dong said slowly, “magical girls… in the end, they’re just kids your age who transform, right?”

“So what?”

“Aren’t you scared?”

“Scared?”

“Fighting Aberrations, you can get hurt, and you can die, right? Isn’t that a bit too cruel for children?” You Dong murmured.

“Children, children… always with that condescending tone.”

You Xi stood on the stairs, looking down at her uncle sitting on the sofa, and said coldly in a firm tone:

“…It’s because you adults do nothing that the children have to fight, isn’t it?”

****

You Xi’s room had the typical style of a “magical girl otaku.”

The white walls were covered with posters of her seniors, and the transparent glass display cabinets were filled with magical girl-themed figurines and toys.

Among the numerous collectibles, a huge 1/3 scale figurine was the most eye-catching. To highlight its unique status, You Xi had someone custom-build a storage case with temperature and humidity control to protect it.

Magical Girl Sandalphon, full six-winged form.

Named after the legendary archangel, the eternal fan favorite, and once one of the strongest magical girls.

Her power and holiness had inspired You Xi’s admiration and worship for magical girls.

Although Sandalphon had retired many years ago, for You Xi, she had always been an important spiritual support. During the most difficult years after losing her parents, Sandalphon’s figure was like an unshakeable lighthouse, guiding her so that she wouldn’t get lost in dark emotions.

“…Mom, Mom, listen to me, I defeated an Aberration on my own today, okay?”

As soon as she returned to her room, You Xi eagerly sat down at her desk.

On the desk stood a picture frame, containing a photo of You Huimei.

You Xi rested her chin on the desk, bringing her line of sight parallel to her mother’s in the photo.

As if by doing so, she could feel that her mother was still by her side, watching her with a gentle gaze.

“Although it was just a D-rank… hehe, I’ll keep working hard.”

“Also, I made a mistake today.”

“…I hit a classmate.”

“But I wasn’t bullying her, okay? It’s because that Mo Li was bullying my friend, so I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. You definitely wouldn’t blame me, right?”

“And also, You Dong is so mean. He was being all sneaky at home by himself, with the lights off, and scared me…”

Gazing at her mother’s photo in the frame, You Xi’s voice grew softer and softer, until at a certain moment, it stopped abruptly.

In the gradually cooling air, only the tears sliding down her cheeks were warm.

“…Ding ding.”

Suddenly, her phone rang. You Xi hastily wiped away her tears and answered the call.

“…Xiao, Xiao Mian?”

“Xiao Xi, good evening.”

On the other end of the line came Bai Mian’s somewhat timid voice.

Bai Mian was the girl Irie had mentioned was being bullied. In the end, the reason You Xi had hit Mo Li was to protect this friend named Bai Mian.

You Xi was proud and assertive, always acting as she pleased. At school, both boys and girls were wary of her, while Bai Mian was the other extreme.

Her personality was timid and introverted, and she wasn’t good at social interaction, belonging to the “ghost members” of the class, always being ignored.

Perhaps because they were both unable to integrate into the various “cliques” in the class, a friendship blossomed between the two isolated individuals.

“…I’ve already heard about what happened with you and Mo Li.”

“I, I really don’t know what to say. I want to thank you, but I also feel really sorry for you… sigh, it’s all my fault, and I even caused you to be suspended for a few days.”

Before they had even chatted for a few sentences, Bai Mian on the other end of the line started to sob quietly.

“Xiao Mian, you don’t have to be like this.”

Irie said in a relaxed tone, “I’ve disliked her for a long time. Actually, I should thank you for giving me an excuse to beat her up.”

“You’re lying, aren’t you? Xiao Xi, although you have a strong personality, you’re definitely not the type to abuse violence,” Bai Mian said firmly.

“Haha, that’s just your wishful thinking. Anyway, don’t feel guilty about this, okay? The person who bullied you got beaten up, you should be happy, why are you crying? You’re just too kind, that’s why a petty person like Mo Li could take advantage of you.”

“Sigh, how can I ever be as positive and brave as you?”

“It’s simple. You’ll understand once you beat her up too, haha.”

You Xi joked appropriately, but found that her friend’s mood still seemed very low.

“…Xiao Mian, when are you planning to come back to school?” she asked tentatively.

“I, I don’t know.”

That was the reply from the other side.

Bai Mian had a very withdrawn personality. The only thing that could be called a hobby was reading novels and manga. Compared to the real world, she believed the world of fantasy was more exciting and free.

After entering middle school, she began to try creating her own manga.

Using her break time, she completed a thick manuscript, bit by bit, like a sparrow building its nest.

However, just a few days ago, Mo Li, along with a few of her “followers,” took advantage of the time when Bai Mian went to lunch to sneak the manuscript she had planned to send to a magazine out of her schoolbag, reading and spreading it around the school for fun.

From that day on, Bai Mian never went to school again.

“…Mo Li, she exposed my secret,” Bai Mian said.

“That feeling, it was like she dug out my heart and laid it out, bloody, in front of everyone. Clearly, that was the part of me I had hidden the deepest, the part that absolutely could not be exposed.”

“I’m sorry, Xiao Xi. I was supposed to be apologizing, but I ended up saying all these strange things.”

The confession just now seemed to have drained all her energy. After a long sigh, Bai Mian fell silent.

Feeling the dead silence on the other end of the line, You Xi felt as if she were staring at a dried-up spring, a thick sense of powerlessness welling up in her heart.

“No, it’s nothing like that,” she comforted softly. “If talking about it will make you feel better, I’m happy to listen.”

“Thank you so much, Xiao Xi.”

After saying this, the two of them tacitly fell into a long silence.

Faced with the predicament of having nothing to say, You Xi simply lay on her back on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

‘Why?’

‘Why am I not saying anything?’

‘I should have so much more I want to say.’

‘Like words of encouragement for my friend.’

‘Like words of condemnation for Mo Li.’

However, she couldn’t get any words out.

After listening to her friend’s mournful confession, You Xi suddenly felt that all the emotions and thoughts she had been accumulating and holding onto had completely vanished.

Everything was like a summer storm, fleeting in an instant. All that was left was a mist that filled her lungs, making it difficult to breathe.