Who Even Is That?
"Yahoo! Mir!"
The moment the elevator doors closed, Popo popped out from a fold in my clothes with a soft boing.
It scrambled out and perched on my shoulder.
"Hehe, so even Mir has moments when she gets embarrassed?"
The little creature wagged its tail, slyly nudging its head against me.
"What was with that face just now? You really hated being called 'sister' that much, huh? Aw, how cute!"
Whatever.
Instead of answering, I scowled deeply.
It wasn't even worth responding to.
When did I ever get embarrassed?
Suddenly feeling annoyed, I reached a finger toward Popo on my shoulder.
Poke, poooooke.
"Ow, ouch! Mir?! What's this all of a sudden?!"
Popo flailed its front paws and shrieked in panic at my merciless finger attack.
But no matter how much it squirmed, it couldn't escape my grasp.
Just take your punishment quietly.
"Nyaaaak! Stop it! You're going to put a hole in my squishy body! Ugh, are you mad?! Are you mad at me?!"
Am I mad?
"No."
I pulled my finger away from Popo's cheek and slowly shook my head.
"Why would I be mad?"
There was absolutely no reason for me to be angry.
It was all in its head.
I walked through the residential area for a while.
By the time I finally arrived in front of my house, greeted by the familiar scenery I saw every day—
"U-Um... Mir. You see, about that..."
Popo cautiously poked its head out from the gap in my clothes.
Unlike its usual cheeky and sly attitude, it was fidgeting its paws and warily reading my expression.
It seemed it still thought I was angry.
"Popo, just act like you normally do."
Pretending to be all polite and quiet didn't suit it at all.
"Heheh, should I? I knew you were open-mi... wait, no, narrow-mi—I mean, broad-minded, Mir! Then I won't hold back... and just act normal! That's fine, right?!"
Look at it, all happy now.
"Oh, right! In about five minutes, right over there—see it? A monster is going to appear in that little park at the corner of the alley!"
Popo pointed its front paw toward a run-down playground dimly lit by a streetlamp.
Because it was so quiet and dark all around, it had a creepy atmosphere where it wouldn't be surprising if a ghost popped out at any second.
I stared at the spot and nodded quietly.
"They're appearing pretty often today."
"Right, right?! The heavens must be helping us!"
Popo seemed highly satisfied with our first success last time.
It flailed its paws back and forth, hoping we'd succeed this time too.
Cute little thing.
"..."
"..."
Since we still had a few minutes before the creature fully emerged, we looked around for a suitable place to hide.
"Mir, huddling up like this is... I don't know, pretty cozy."
"Yeah."
And the place we found was right here.
A worn-out slide sitting all alone in a corner of the playground.
Perhaps because it was built for children, the small hollow space beneath the slide fit my body perfectly.
As I sat there huddled up with my knees pulled to my chest, a dry chuckle escaped my lips.
If I were still in my original body—tall with long legs—this would have been completely unimaginable.
Huddling like this brings back memories...
I was really immature back then too.
Filled with the mindset that whatever happened to the world was none of my business, I used to skip cram school every single day just to play around.
I'd clutch cheap junk food bought with my carefully saved allowance in both hands, hiding in dark, cramped corners just like this to avoid the eyes of adults, giggling to myself.
Rumbleeee!
My trip down memory lane was cut short by a bizarre sound, accompanied by a tingling sensation of magical energy.
"Kwooooaaaargh!"
Finally, the space in the middle of the park distorted violently, and a massive monster shoved its head through.
"By the way, Popo, will a magical girl even show up at this hour?"
"I'm not really sure about that..."
No matter how well-organized the system was, I doubted they patrolled all the way out to this remote, tiny playground.
I wondered if we'd end up waiting for nothing.
"Pant, wheeze...!"
Oh?
Along with the sound of small, hurried footsteps panting for breath, a youthful voice echoed at the entrance of the quiet park.
"Ugh, this is seriously ridiculous! A monster appearing right after my academy classes ended?!"
Turning my gaze toward the sound, I saw a short-haired magical girl standing under the distant streetlamp, panting with a backpack slung over her shoulders.
Going to academy classes until this late hour?
Kids these days really work hard.
Feeling a bit sorry for her, I curled my body even deeper into the narrow shadow beneath the slide.
"Kwoooargh!"
The monster spotted the short-haired magical girl.
It began to stomp its feet heavily, sending loud thuds through the ground.
Seeing how it looked identical to the rhinoceros monster we met last time, it seemed to be the type that only knew how to charge mindlessly.
"Ugh..."
The kid magical girl seemed to hesitate for a moment out of fear, but then—
"C-Come at me!"
Flash!
Soon, she began to scatter magical energy in every direction from her small frame.
Beams of light made of mana began to spin furiously, looking exactly like a disco ball in a club.
"My eyes hurt."
Thanks to that, my eyes, which had been peeking out, were completely terrorized.
Seriously.
Kids these days have no consideration for others.
How could she shoot flashing beams of light all over the place at this hour?
There must be plenty of people sleeping by now.
Anyway, the blinding battle continued back and forth.
I lost track of how much time passed.
After narrowly escaping danger a few times, the magical girl's attack pierced the monster cleanly, bringing the fight to an end.
The finishing blow was a massive beam of light, the kind you often see in video games.
I guess that was her ultimate move.
Pretty textbook.
Thud...
The monster's massive body dissolved into smoke and faded into the ground.
"Huff, puff...! I barely, barely won..."
Time to head out.
Up we go.
I slowly stood up, stretching my stiff knees.
Perhaps because this was a young body, my joints didn't make any creaking sounds.
"W-Who's there?! Don't tell me there's another monster left... Huh?"
Soon, my body was revealed under the streetlamp's glow.
The magical girl's eyes widened into perfect circles.
She pointed her magic wand straight at me and shrieked.
"Gasp! Y-You...!"
Oh, she knows me?
Well, I had been poking my nose into various places lately.
Still, I didn't expect to become famous this quickly.
Maybe I have the makings of a celebrity?
"Sh-Shadow...?!"
"..."
Who even is that?
"You've got the wrong person."
"No, it is you! That shabby clothing, that long white hair! You're that suspicious person who's been approaching magical girls lately and making weird offers!"
Oh.
It really is me.
By the way, who on earth came up with a name like 'Shadow'? It's so unoriginal, bizarre, lacking in naming sense, and just plain stupid.
"First, I have something to correct. My name is Mi..."
Ah.
Is that it?
She was trying to make me angry so I'd reveal my own name.
"...Nice try, magical girl."
You used your brain a bit there.
I almost fell for it.
"Don't call me by that name in the future."
"Uh, what...?"
At my sudden demand for correction, the kid magical girl tilted her head with a blank expression, but I ignored it and got straight to the point.
"Hmm."
Ah, now that I think about it, Red said something, didn't she?
She told me to tell them the benefits.
Should I try it?
"...If you quit being a magical girl right now, I'll grant you one wish as a special favor."
How about that?
This is actually a pretty big deal.
It's something so amazing that you'd normally have to collect seven giant candy drops to barely get a chance at it.
"Huh?"
But for some reason, hearing my words, the kid magical girl let out a dumbfounded laugh.
She gripped her magic wand tightly and glared at me fiercely.
"What kind of nonsense are you talking about, showing up out of nowhere? Why would I quit being a magical girl?! If I quit, who's going to protect this neighborhood? I'm absolutely never quitting!"
...I think there are plenty of people to protect it, though.
For starters, there's Snow, Red, and Märchen.
Ah, maybe not Märchen.
"Even if I grant you a wish?"
"Yes!"
Geez. How fierce.
Red. I did exactly what you said, but it didn't work at all.
What's going on here?
Did you trick me?
"Well, suit yourself."
I turned around without any lingering regrets.
If she didn't want to, she didn't want to. I had no intention of forcing her.
"Hey! Stand right there! Shadow!"
I told you not to call me that.
"Bye-bye."
Whoosh!
A bluish flame of magical energy gently wrapped around my body, and space distorted as if it were being crumpled.
My vision blurred for a split second before clearing up again.
I had already escaped to a quiet alleyway far away from the park.
Patter, patter!
"...Huff, puff...! You, wait a minute...!"
Just as I was about to head home with light steps, at that very moment—
Along with the sound of rough footsteps hurriedly striking the asphalt, a familiar voice reached my ears.
Huh, that's strange.
Was there anyone who would call out to stop me in a place like this?
Did that magical girl from earlier follow me?
No, that couldn't be. I had teleported to a place extremely far away.
"Wait, stop...!"
Oh.
...This voice is definitely...
Just in case, I turned my head, and oh my goodness.
A very familiar person was standing before me.
"Huff... Huff...!"
It was Harang.
Or rather, Snow, running toward me while panting heavily.
How did she find me?
Sensing my bewilderment, Popo hurriedly whispered from inside my clothes.
"Mir, that girl...! She cut a piece of your cloak during your duel earlier! It looks like she tracked you using that! My goodness, she's way more persistent than she looks!"
I see, so that was possible.
It was my mistake for not being careful enough.
I tried my best to feign composure and slightly furrowed my brow.
With my hands shoved deep into my pockets, I asked in a blunt, calm voice.
"Haven't you gone home yet? Are you trying to fight again?"
"No... it's not that. I didn't come to fight."
"Really?"
Then what did she come for?
Did she come to have dinner together?
"There's something... something I absolutely have to ask."
"If it's a question, I already gave you my answer."
"It's different from that."
Harang took a shallow, trembling breath, stared straight at me, and continued.
And the words that came out of her mouth were—
"Who... who on earth are you?"
"Hmm."
Harang's—no, Snow's—blue eyes, trembling under the moonlight, locked onto me.
Who am I?
What did she mean by that question?
It didn't seem like the kind of question I could just gloss over with a generic answer.
"...That sounds like a question that's going to get annoying."
It felt like the kind of conversation where we'd have to talk back and forth for ages.
But I had absolutely zero desire to stand in the street at this late hour, especially on an empty stomach, and hold a hearing.
Without giving any answer to Harang's question—
I subtly moved my finger out of my pocket and lightly flicked the air.
Whoosh!
"Ah, wait...!"
Harang hastily reached out, but it was already too late.
My vision warped, and everything around me was engulfed in pitch-black darkness and dense trees.
Rustle...
As the remnants of magical energy dispersed, what touched the soles of my feet was soft soil and fallen leaves.
She shouldn't be able to follow me here.
With the intention of finally going home this time, I took a step forward.
"Pant, pant...!"
Huh.
That was faster than I expected.