Our Two Selves Could Change Fate
Hours ago.
Even if Koyuki knew the location of La Pucelle's death site, rushing there alone served no purpose.
Before her stood Ako Hatoda, hard on her heels.
“....I want to help too...”
Koyuki stared at Alice for a moment.
Ako appeared to be in contact with someone.
That someone was the magical girl with sky-blue hair.
And she was a magical girl Koyuki had already met once before—someone she was not seeing for the first time.
“Thank you...”
They had finally reunited.
At first there had been the sudden, impulsive decision by Kurei to jump into battle, but Koyuki’s magic still only listened to the voice of someone in difficulty.
La Pucelle’s hemostasis had been handled well.
While La Pucelle lay unconscious, bandaged tightly, Koyuki whispered to herself.
She then carried the knight into the sky-blue magical girl’s arms.
“Please run away with him like this... I beg you.”
“I still have a score to settle with that guy!!”
The sky-blue-haired magical girl flinched when she saw Koyuki’s eyes, then nodded quietly.
“Souta-kun is... an idiot... If he dies... nothing will remain...”
Koyuki did not cry.
She did not even show a sad expression.
She simply lowered her body and dodged Cranberry’s rapid punch.
“....Huh?”
Cranberry’s posture collapsed, and she fell straight to the ground.
Under the moonlight, she lay for a moment, staring at the sky.
Her expression showed she did not understand why she had fallen and was looking at the moon.
But one fact was certain.
Koyuki was no amateur.
“It’s getting more fun by the moment.”
“I don’t think any of this is fun at all.”
As the forest musician Cranberry tried to rise and fix her posture, Koyuki’s kick struck her side.
Her body rolled away.
Cranberry attempted to activate magic as a counter.
“.....”
And she was shocked.
She could neither hear her own voice nor Koyuki’s.
The sound had vanished.
Cranberry knew.
Koyuki’s magic had the ability to hear the voice of someone in difficulty.
She had thought it useless in battle.
But the situation before her was different.
In addition to the silencing magic, Koyuki was using another magical item.
Why could a magical girl who did not belong to the Magic Kingdom handle its weapons so skillfully?
At the very least, only a magical girl of the Audit Division level should have been capable of this.
Cranberry mouthed the words.
『Are you a magical girl from the Audit Division?』
Koyuki shook her head.
Thanks to the silencing magic item’s effect, no one in this place could speak.
Cranberry laughed coldly, as if it were too difficult to continue fighting.
She finally drew a master terminal.
The situation was unfavorable, but she still had the strength.
But in this state of being kicked and punched repeatedly, she would eventually die.
So she pulled out her last resort.
Ambush. Deception.
Startle the opponent and strike the gap.
That was Cranberry’s way.
A three-dimensional image of Fav appeared on the master terminal.
No functions here were useful.
But it could still confuse the opponent.
She would use Fav’s hologram to distract and strike in the gap.
But
That was Cranberry’s mistake.
From the moment things had become difficult, Koyuki had already been listening to her thoughts.
A one-sided attack followed.
Cranberry could not even move as she was pressed down.
Koyuki had not killed her.
That overwhelming strength was not the overwhelming power of a strong person.
It was the desperate, accumulated strength of a weak person who survived by growing stronger.
Judgment of the situation.
Choice of action.
Strategy.
Utilization of tools.
It was the product of every effort pushed to the maximum.
But that was absurd.
Koyuki should have been a magical girl distant from combat.
According to the status information Fav had transmitted—
Intelligence was 3 points.
Experience was 1 point.
Magic rarity was 2 points, and physical ability was also 2 points.
And above all else, her special status, Kindness, was 5 points.
The maximum status was 5 points.
According to Fav’s evaluation, Koyuki was
Not a combat-type, but merely a kind magical girl.
Thud—!
Koyuki kicked her again.
Cranberry staggered, looking at the master terminal.
Fav’s urgently updated current stats for Koyuki appeared.
Intelligence remained 3 points.
But
Kindness had dropped to 3 points.
Experience had risen to 4 points, and physical ability had also climbed to 4 points.
Cranberry’s eyes widened in shock.
Fav frantically displayed words on the screen.
『This can’t be! Koyuki’s status is always checked by Fav! Originally, 4 points in experience is something that can’t appear unless you’re the grown-up future version of yourself! But there’s no magic that lets you go to the past!』
If they borrowed Magicaloid 44’s magical item—
That kind of outside-the-common-sense thing might not be impossible.
She had to run.
The opponent was no amateur.
Cranberry was already deeply injured.
Koyuki might not kill her.
But if she were arrested, the story would change.
The exposure of the Magic Kingdom’s misconduct
and the exposure of everything would be only a matter of time.
Thud.
A metal cylinder bounced on the ground.
A smoke grenade rolled and fell.
An unexpected variable even for Cranberry.
Fav had sent an SOS signal and requested a rescue from Calamity Mary.
The thick smoke instantly swallowed her vision.
Koyuki panicked.
Only Calamity Mary, who used guns and bombs, could save someone in this manner.
But Calamity Mary was not the kind of person who would throw smoke grenades to save someone.
A bad feeling alone welled up.
The magic’s duration was 5 minutes.
Koyuki clenched her teeth.
“I missed her...”
Koyuki did not chase the escaped opponent.
She immediately ran toward where La Pucelle was.
La Pucelle had already returned to his boy’s form.
The wounds he received in magical girl form did not reflect on his real body.
The sky-blue-haired magical girl Kurei Fuwa, wielding a massive scythe, bowed her head quietly and apologized.
“I’m sorry for acting on my own.”
Kishibe Souta was alive.
He was not dead.
But that did not mean he was safe.
After safely handing him over to Koyuki, she finally released the tears she had been holding back.
Tears flowed down her cheeks and fell onto the face of Kishibe Souta, who was returning to normal.
“....Why...”
When the warm drops touched him, Souta’s tightly shut eyes slowly opened.
Koyuki, who had always shown a cold expression until now, was crying.
“Snow White...?”
Souta raised his hand with difficulty and wiped her tears, his voice tired.
“Don’t cry... Koyuki.... It’s all my fault.”
“Why did you refuse to protect Sister Nana and the others!!?”
Souta fell silent for a moment.
And then slowly opened his mouth.
“Actually... I went to your house yesterday because I wanted to see you. You seemed to be worried about something...”
Kishibe Souta
took a deep breath.
«I entered your room without permission. There, I... found your notebook. I’m really sorry.»
『Regarding the Policy After Regression』
Koyuki’s lips trembled.
“You saw it...?”
Souta nodded quietly.
“More than that, Koyuki has... become stronger.”
A bitter smile escaped.
“Sorry. I tried to show you that fate could be changed for Koyuki... and look what happened.”
She closed her eyes and opened them again.
“I’m probably... someone you can’t follow anymore.”
Koyuki’s tears showed no sign of stopping.
She simply held Souta tightly and continued to cry.
“Ugh... breathe... hick, I can’t breathe...!”
Only then did Koyuki relax her strength and say through her sobs.
“...Sorry. Seeing La Pucelle alive made me so happy... I lost control...”
Souta smiled weakly.
“Koyuki has always been a crybaby since childhood. She swore to protect Snow White, but now the one who needs protecting is me... It’s funny. So stop crying already.”
“What? Suddenly...”
“When we were kids, you cried whenever friends fought.”
“From back then... I hated fighting.”
At those words, Kishibe Souta smiled faintly.
He was only trying to turn the topic away because he wanted Koyuki to stop crying.
“As expected, you’re the Snow White who stopped the dictatorial power wielders all the way to the Middle East.”
“..What? None of it... None of it is funny.”
While saying that, Koyuki smiled with red eyes.
Souta, seeing that smiling face, felt his own face turn red.
If she laughed like that suddenly, he didn’t know what to say.
Souta wasn’t the only one; Himekawa Koyuki, no, Snow White, felt her face turn red too.
The moonlight quietly illuminated the two of them.
“...Hey, Koyuki. I have a favor to ask.”
“.....”
It was not a confession of love.
It was a different kind of courage.
Of course, Kishibe Souta liked Koyuki.
But the boy who had learned of his own weakness could not say such words right now.
More than anything, the current Snow White was far stronger than La Pucelle.
“...I am Snow White’s knight. So... can I stay by your side?”
Koyuki’s face darkened.
She knew it herself.
Perhaps Souta could become her anchor.
“....I don’t want to see you get hurt, Souta. I don’t want you to die...”
“Me too! I don’t want to see Koyuki get hurt. I don’t want to leave you to fight alone... I beg you.”
“...My path is a field of thorns. It’s too dangerous. I don’t want to drag La Pucelle into it. So that’s impossible.”
“That’s why I want to be with you even more, Koyuki.”
Souta’s voice trembled, but it was clear.
“I’ll get stronger... and I don’t want to make you cry again...”
Koyuki shook her head.
Was it because of the fear of losing again?
“Snow White...!!”
After a moment of silence, she spoke.
“If Souta-kun has made up his mind... then promise me.”
“What...?”
“Let’s go to the very end of hell together.”
Souta did not hesitate.
“Of course!”
He rose with effort and laughed.
“No matter where we go, I want to be with Snow White. I want to achieve our dreams... together.”