Chapter 19
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Blue's Delusional Advance
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Seducing Green had been a piece of cake.
Not surprisingly, she was infamous in-game as a total pushover, so getting close to her was effortless.
Simply because I was the first man to approach her, Green handed everything over to me, and in the end, she submitted completely.
...Probably.
'But Blue's a different story. That bitch won't fall easily.'
Blue might be a 30-year-old auntie, but she's one of the magical girls who's popular with men.
If not for the Fairy Queen's restrictions, she'd have had a string of boyfriends by now.
Throwing some half-baked seduction her way was guaranteed to backfire.
In other words, I needed to devise a temptation so irresistible that it would make her forget even the Fairy Queen's constraints and come running to me.
'This library, huh.'
According to the intel from Doctor Rico, Magical Girl Blue spends most of her daily routine here.
Apparently because she loves reading...
Unlike Green, who burns through her entire schedule gaming, Blue lives a diligent life.
'I've read plenty of human books myself. Quite a few worthwhile ones, too.'
Might as well crack open a book after all this time... With that, I stepped inside the library.
The building spanned three floors: humanities books on the first, assorted novels on the second, and reference materials like dictionaries on the third.
'Blue's on the second floor.'
I pinpointed her location shortly after entering.
No matter how hard she tried to conceal it, magical girls radiate powerful mana—and I could sense it clearly.
Following the trail of leaking mana upstairs, I spotted a woman with blue ponytail hair sitting at a table, absorbed in a book.
'Up close, she's gorgeous.'
Blue had six books stacked beside her, tilting her coffee cup as she immersed herself in reading.
She wore a striking V-neck blue knit dress, short enough around the thighs to draw the eye to her black stockings.
We kept ribbing her as a 30-year-old auntie, but at a glance, she could pass for a girl in her early twenties—no one would bat an eye.
No wonder she bristled whenever someone called her auntie.
'Well, even Green without makeup is a beauty. Blue's no exception.'
I quietly selected a few readable books from the shelves. Naturally, I made sure to pick the same one as hers to break the ice.
After a deep breath, I crept toward her table.
'Incredible focus... She's glued to that book.'
Even as I drew right up beside her, Blue's eyes stayed locked on the pages.
'Sitting next to her might arouse suspicion... Better take the seat across.'
I set my books on the chair directly in front of her, bought some snacks and a coffee from the counter, then ambled back to my spot.
"..."
When I sat down, Blue was staring at me.
Her blue eyes gleamed with an unsettling sharpness, piercing right through me—my heart plummeted.
'What did I screw up?'
Didn't seem like anything... But Blue's icy expression made it impossible to gauge her intent.
How many times did that frigid gaze sweep over me? Finally, the suffocating silence shattered.
"Who are you?"
"Pardon?"
"Why are you sitting in front of me?"
I was at a loss for words. If she was staring me down for something this trivial...
As I floundered, unsure how to respond, Blue pressed on.
"It's not that I'm annoyed. I'm just curious why you chose the seat in front of me..."
"Ah, um, I just like reading next to people..."
"Is that so? Then let's read together."
With that, Blue turned back to her book.
What was that...? Just a small act of mercy on her part?
Either way, things were progressing smoothly. I set the snacks on the table and quietly opened my book.
All the while, Blue's inscrutable glances kept needling me.
Lately, the stress has been piling up.
There are countless reasons, but if I had to pick one...
The superiors won't stop hounding me over the magical girls' nemesis who revived a few months ago! Can't you even nab that one Isiwoos?
Tell them to go catch him themselves, and those power-grubbing bitches who only shut up when they're on top throw every tantrum in the book.
Even the Isiwoos from years ago was weak on his own, but his minions were such a pain that he earned the moniker of magical girls' worst enemy...
'The current Isiwoos is so strong we couldn't beat him one-on-one no matter what.'
The revived Isiwoos had grown immensely powerful, making him a nightmare to capture.
And thanks to that blasted knightly code or whatever, several magical girls are flat-out refusing to fight him.
While citizens keep dying! These goddamn bitches.
'Yellow refuses to even participate, Red's off doing whatever she wants... Pink doesn't fight to begin with, and why the hell isn't Green showing up?'
At least Black and White are obedient. But holding the line with just those two is next to impossible.
The bosses nag endlessly, and the underlings won't listen.
It's a total shitshow.
'That fucking bastard Isiwoos is a problem too... A man, daring—daring!'
To make matters worse, the so-called nemesis came back all flighty and irreverent.
He kept jabbing at my age—which I was already touchy about—and now he's outright insulting me to my face!
If it came from another woman, it'd be nothing, but he's a man. A man!
Hearing that crap from a guy makes my chest ache like hell!
Damn bastard... He's not the one who has to deal with it, so why poke at my age?
'Stress... Stress! Aah! Damn it, damn it!'
The stress kept building in my head until I hit my breaking point.
At this rate, keeling over from stress would happen before that damn Isiwoos could kill me.
'...Good call carving out time for the library today.'
My sanctuary, my haven...
Before I was chosen as a magical girl, I'd hole up in this place.
A repository of vast knowledge... I pored over every book here—dictionaries, humanities, novels—without discrimination.
Maybe because of that, even now as an adult, I feel more at ease here than at home.
'This book today.'
A new release from one of my go-to authors had finally dropped.
Sure, I'd preordered the ebook and hardcover... but it didn't count unless I read it here, so I counted down the days until it hit the shelves.
A week ago, the moment I'd been waiting for arrived!
'A leisurely morning... Sipping coffee with a fun book in my favorite spot...!'
As I opened the book to savor this hard-earned weekend bliss...
A sweet aroma wafted in from somewhere.
'What is that...?'
As a magical girl, my senses are heightened—unexpected scents can sneak in.
This one? Apple. Like that fragrant body scent that sometimes drifts from Green.
'No way she'd come here.'
To a gaming addict like Green, the library might as well be a mortal sin.
Someone who can't even read three lines straight wouldn't show up to read... So who is it?
'A guy! And super young...!'
A man climbed the stairs.
Or... should I even call that kid a man?
His limbs were short, his face babyish. Those plump cheeks made him look so young.
'Cute. With his mom?'
A tad young to judge his looks... but an adorable boy.
Chubby baby fat screaming "well-loved," porcelain skin... even sharp eyes!
'If there'd been a boy like that when I was in my prime.'
Regrettable. So regrettable...
If a boy like that had been around fifteen years ago, I'd have asked him out on the spot.
What a shame. These days, I'm far too old for a kid like that...
And that's when it hit.
'Huh? But why's he heading my way...?'
The adorable boy toddled over, picked out the exact same book I was reading, and plopped down in the seat across from me.
In that instant, I tumbled headlong into fantasy.
'What? Why me!'
If he'd just grabbed any book and sat across, fine.
But deliberately choosing my book and sitting right here?
'Is he hitting on me?'
...Getting older means every little move from a man spirals into delusion.
'What the hell am I even thinking!'
But still... doesn't this scream intent?
Delusion or not, it was obvious: he'd picked the same book and sat across to catch my eye.
"Who are you?"
"Pardon?"
"Why are you sitting in front of me?"
In my fluster, a sharper tone slipped out than intended.
It's been years since I last talked to a guy, so not stumbling over my words was a win—this was gratitude-worthy.
"It's not that I'm annoyed. I'm just curious why you chose the seat in front of me..."
"Ah, um, I just like reading next to people..."
"Is that so? Then let's read together."
Perfect. That should do it.
Of course, I wasn't throwing advances at the kid. The age gap makes that impossible anyway.
I just... wanted a reading companion after so long. That's all.
Absolutely, positively not flirting.
'But damn, he's handsome. Give him a few years to hit high school, and he'll be swimming in girls.'
Absolutely not!