The Weight of a Worn Fox and a Twisted Heart

Upon returning home, Tia emptied Chloe’s wardrobe of all its contents, stowing them elsewhere before hanging the newly purchased clothes inside, despite their designs being virtually identical.

A sense of unease settled within Chloe.

If the newly acquired garments were identical to the old, what was the point of going to such lengths to purchase an entirely new set? Did Tia perceive Chloe wearing Yilan’s clothes as a betrayal of her sister?

These were likely nothing more than Tia’s own unfounded insecurities. Based on Chloe’s impression of the magical girl who had bestowed upon her a second life, Yilan would most likely not care about such trivialities. On the contrary, she would probably be delighted that someone could fill her place in Tia’s heart.

Alas, how could sisters from the same family be so vastly different?

Indeed, the notion of someone stepping in to accompany Tia and essentially replace Yilan was one of Yilan’s parting wishes. If Tia were even remotely normal, with her ethereal beauty, how could Chloe ever refuse such a proposition?

Yet, the reality was that while she was by Tia’s side, it was only as a victim of her whims. This bizarre dynamic felt less like companionship and more like a perverse game, and it was anything but normal.

Chloe felt profoundly humiliated, yet she endured it. Despite being forcibly violated, she still harbored hopes of forging a normal relationship with Tia, or at least a friendship. Still, what choice did she have, when this very life was a gift from Yilan? Yilan surely would not wish to see her own sister succumb to depravity because of her death.

So let Magical Girl Chloe be the one to save your twisted soul!

Chloe silently bolstered her own spirits, yet the mere thought of those lengthy, thick tentacles sent an involuntary shiver down her spine. She absolutely had to assert some rights for herself in the future; allowing Tia to torment her was no different from enabling Tia’s descent into madness.

Every Magical Girl possessed unique abilities. Chloe’s arrows, for instance, had various effects and were especially potent against demonic creatures. Tia’s abilities, however, were rather bizarre: absorbing the power of demons, utilizing their skills—it all seemed profoundly abnormal, no matter how one looked at it.

To mend Tia’s shattered world, she first had to get close to her heart.

Summoning her courage, Chloe approached Tia’s room. Logically, Tia should have been tidying the old clothes, yet Chloe heard no rustling, only faint sobs.

A flicker of surprise crossed Chloe’s face.

Was she crying?

The door was not fully latched, and Chloe stealthily peered through the narrow gap. While this was undoubtedly an invasion of privacy, Chloe convinced herself it was a necessary measure to understand Tia’s inner turmoil, and thus, forgivable.

“Yilan… when will you come back? I only have you… Don’t leave me all alone…”

Through the narrow gap, Chloe caught a glimpse of a side of Tia rarely seen by others. The normally cold Tia, who would excessively tease Chloe at the slightest provocation, was capable of weeping so profoundly. She knelt amidst the jumbled pile of old clothes, clutching a worn, small fox doll tightly to her chest, as tears streamed from her eyes, dampening the cotton toy.

Suddenly, the distraught Tia, who had moments ago appeared utterly heartbroken, twisted her lips into a smile. Her eyes, wide and unblinking, lent her a profoundly unsettling appearance.

“Hehe, Yilan left a gift for me, and I’m very happy. Since it’s Yilan’s wish, I will surely make good use of ‘her’!”

What gift could she possibly mean? Yilan’s final moments had been spent with me; when could she have possibly left anything behind? This ‘gift’… surely she wasn’t referring to me?

Goosebumps prickled Chloe’s skin, and a cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

What did she mean by “make good use of”? Is that truly how you perceive my existence?

A sudden realization struck her: Tia’s mental state was far more precarious than Chloe had initially imagined. She promptly decided to retreat for now, postponing the matter of saving Tia’s soul for a more opportune moment.

“To eavesdrop and then attempt to flee—that is hardly the behavior of a good servant, you know.”

Tia’s voice drifted eerily from the crack in the door like a thrown dagger, piercing Chloe’s heart.

Chloe froze in place, not daring to move.

The door swung open, revealing that same familiar expression, as if Chloe had murdered her sister.

“Ugh!”

Chloe stumbled, nearly collapsing to the floor with a sharp cry of pain. Tia reached out and roughly yanked her disobedient ‘servant’ into the room, her grip so forceful it threatened to bruise Chloe’s arm.

Chloe’s small, trembling hands were clasped behind her back, her head bowed in bewildered apprehension as she nervously fiddled with her fingers, much like a child awaiting a reprimand.

Tia remained silent, and the atmosphere grew oppressively heavy. The very air seemed to yield to her aura, growing stagnant and daring not to stir.

What fresh torment awaited her this time? Would it be the tentacles again? But surely, they had already explored nearly every possibility with those, hadn’t they? And… could it be there?!

Chloe instinctively clutched at her backside, fear gripping her.

Come to think of it, this particular area had indeed remained untouched by Mr. Tentacle! But that was absolutely unacceptable! It clearly wasn’t meant to be used that way, yet so many strange people seemed to prefer it over the front. It’s dirty, devoid of sensation, and easily injured. If Tia insisted on such a course of action, I would simply explode! Magical Girl Chloe will never suffer such a profound humiliation!

Tia eyed Chloe with a peculiar gaze, as if observing someone who had steeled themselves for a desperate, final stand, then forcibly unclasped her hands from her backside and pulled them forward.

“I’m telling you! That place, it’s absolutely off-limits!” Chloe trembled uncontrollably, her eyes welling with tears.

“What strange things are you babbling about?” Tia retorted, then pressed the fox doll she had been clutching into Chloe’s hands.

“Eh, what?”

Chloe awkwardly cradled the doll, her face rapidly flushing.

She wished she could burrow underground and escape… Had Mr. Tentacle’s ministrations finally broken her mind? To have prejudged her punishment so readily!

“This fox doll is yours from now on.”

“But… isn’t this Yilan’s?”

It took a monumental effort for Chloe to utter Yilan’s name in Tia’s presence, as she feared that the simultaneous mention of Yilan and herself might cause Tia’s unstable mental state to crash.

Frankly, Chloe found the doll quite hideous; its eyes and nose were askew, and its color had long since faded to a dusty grey. Had Tia not explicitly stated it was a fox, Chloe would have mistaken it for a dog or even a pig.

“…” Tia remained silent, her gaze lingering on the doll with a profound sense of wistfulness.

Upon closer inspection, Chloe noticed two words meticulously stitched onto the doll’s chest: ‘Yilan’. It wasn’t store-bought, but rather handmade by Yilan. Chloe’s own sister had once sewn a doll for her, one far more exquisite than this, but at the time, as a boy, he had no affection for such things and had long since discarded it to gather dust in some forgotten corner. Chloe’s sister often indulged in sewing small trinkets, and her craftsmanship far surpassed Yilan’s. Evidently, Yilan had poured immense effort into creating this doll.

“You look good with it. From now on, as long as you carry this doll, I can go a little easier on you.”

“Really?” Light gleamed in Chloe’s eyes.

“Then, what about the meals…”

“That doesn’t count.”

“How could you…” Chloe immediately deflated, drooping like a puppy with its ears flattened.

Nevertheless, this marked a significant step towards life returning to some semblance of normalcy, a moment worth commemorating.