The Light She Could Never Forget
The second test subject, Aile, spent her childhood in a difficult home environment. It wasn't as if her parents had beaten her or hurled insults at her every day while drowning in alcohol. It was simply because she had been born as a disabled child. A non-powered person. Just as Eight had realized within half a day of arriving here, the prejudice and discrimination against non-powered people in this world went far beyond what disabled people faced. It would have been better if she had simply been missing an arm or a leg.
Born a non-powered person, Aile was treated as if she barely existed under her esper parents. They fed her and gave her a place to sleep, but they never offered her the most important thing—love. Naturally, if she wasn't loved at home, there was no way she would be loved by society. She was what people commonly called a victim of bullying.
Thud—!
“Guh, uweeeeh—!”
“Ah, you fucking bitch!”
After taking a blow to the stomach, Aile vomited violently onto the floor. A female student whose shoes had been splattered with vomit cursed and kicked Aile. While being stomped on the back as she lay prone, Aile endured the pain in silence. She wanted to resist, but she couldn't. They were espers. Even if their powers weren't as strong as those of heroes or villains, they could easily overpower a single non-powered person.
“P-please… spare me……”
“Crazy bitch. What the hell are you saying?”
“Who's killing you?”
“You should've just brought the money like we told you.”
The girls tormenting her laughed mockingly as they toyed with her. In a way, it was both fortunate and unfortunate that they weren't truly malicious. If they had been as vicious as actual villains, they might have sold her body for compensated dating or handed her over to villains as a test subject. In that case, Aile's life would have hit rock bottom, but they wouldn't have gotten away unscathed either—heroes would have arrested them as villains. Because of this, Aile was bullied in moderation, beaten in moderation, and extorted in moderation. Just enough that adults could laugh it off as kids being kids.
“—Hey, bring the money next time, got it? Or we'll strip you naked, put a bag over your head, and throw you to the boys.”
“N-not that……”
“Did you hear me or not—!”
“Y-yes, I understand……”
Her mouth tasted bitter. Her lips, already raw and cracked, stung so badly she could barely pronounce words properly. Aile begged and pleaded until she managed to survive another day. The next day, because her mother hadn't given her enough allowance, she was called to the construction site once again.
“Ghh—!?”
“You fucking bitch! I told you to bring the money!”
One day, while she was being beaten as usual, something changed. An alarm blared.
—A World's Enemy has appeared. Residents of the affected city are advised to evacuate to shelters immediately……
Even the girls who had been violently attacking Aile stopped when they heard the alarm. They paused and listened.
“Hey, shouldn't we run?”
“Don't worry. It won't come this far.”
“Still……”
But the girls just snickered and dismissed it. Typical teenage arrogance and bravado, combined with the extremely low probability of encountering a monster, justified their decision. In reality, they probably wouldn't run into any monsters. But probability was just a number. Even astronomical odds eventually came to pass.
—gRtxæ?
“H-huh—?”
“A m-monster…?”
“Shit……”
A monster revealed itself before them. A lifeform evolved solely to destroy human bodies and minds. A creature whose face could never be shown on TV or in newspapers—only visible on the deep web. A cosmic horror that ordinary delinquents who only bullied non-powered classmates could never hope to resist stared them down.
“Kyaaaaah—!”
“R-run!”
“Shiiiiiit—!”
Realizing the situation too late, the girls began fleeing in panic. Despite their speed being slow enough for the monster to easily catch them, it didn't move. There was a human standing frozen in front of it—far easier prey than the fleeing girls.
“A-ah— aaaaah……”
Aile, who had been beaten for a long time, crawled across the ground while limping. Whether it was because of her injuries or her weak mental fortitude, her legs wouldn't move. Tears and snot streaming down her face, she desperately scratched at the ground. Her nails broke and her fingers became stained with blood as she slowly, painfully, tried to distance herself from the monster. Seeing this, the monster snorted and took a single step forward. That alone rendered Aile's resistance meaningless.
“Aaaah— uwaaaah……”
Someone once said that when fear became too great, you stopped feeling it. Aile was the same. Instead of crying or wetting herself, she could only let out a groan and stare blankly at the monster. Realizing Aile had reached her mental limit and that toying with her any further would be boring, the monster opened its mouth.
—!Zx#Cv$Bn^
Just as its gaping maw was about to swallow Aile, a pure white beam of light fell from the sky. The beam sliced cleanly through the monster's head before disappearing into the ground.
“—The jewel warrior who appears with light! Twinkle Clairnote has arrived!”
After appearing with the white light, the magical girl scanned the surroundings to check for any remaining World's Enemies. Once satisfied, she carefully descended beside Aile.
“Are you okay?”
“Y-yes, I—?”
“Hehe, you look fine. I'll call someone right away. But why are you here alone at this hour? If something's wrong—”
That day. Everything that happened afterward, she couldn't remember. But there was one thing she did remember. She had survived, and she had met a magical girl. And that became a memory she could never forget.
“Ehehe……”
Whether at home or at school, Aile would smile to herself as she replayed that intense memory. She had met a magical girl. A magical girl had come to save her. A magical girl had reached out her hand to her……. Lost in that blissful memory, she momentarily forgot her current situation. Startled by the sound of someone slamming her desk, Aile looked up.
“—Come out for a second?”
“Ah……”
The dream shattered. Aile was dragged away by the girls and beaten as usual while being interrogated.
“You were walking with that magical girl yesterday, weren't you? You didn't tell her about us, did you?”
“H-huh—? I didn't say anything……”
“Really? Good job not saying anything. Don't even think about meeting her again from now on.”
That was the trigger. For the first time in her life, Aile fiercely glared at the girl who was trying to sever her connection to the magical girl—her dream, her light, her hope. The girls didn't like that look in her eyes, so they hit and kicked her even harder than usual. But it didn't matter. She could never give up. She couldn't abandon the magical girl just because of this pathetic violence. Even if she had to throw away her life, she couldn't throw away her hope. In the end, she decided to put an end to this long-standing toxic relationship.
The next day.
“—You little shit! That look in your eyes! That fucking look—!”
“Guh, kgh—!”
“Hey, hey—! Stop it! You're gonna kill her!”
“Yeah… you're acting weird today.”
The violence was worse than usual. It had escalated to the point where even the other kids around them tried to intervene, saying it had gone too far. But Aile kept glaring at the girl without ever averting her eyes. Eventually, the girl who had been punching her grew tired and started panting. An opening. Aile pulled out the kitchen knife she had hidden and swung it. The blade sliced through the girl's forearm, and blood began to pour out.
“H-huh—?”
“Kyaaaaah—!”
“B-blood! Call 119, call 119!”
Watching the girls panic and clutch their wounds, Aile let out a hollow laugh. I hurt more than this. I suffered more than this. And you can't even handle this much pain? You, who were only at that level, tried to take my light away from me?
“—M-magical girls. They're mine. My own…… I-I won't let anyone take this away from me……”
“What the hell is this crazy bitch saying!?”
“I won't let you take it—!”
Aile charged forward with the knife extended. The girls were so shocked they couldn't even think to use their powers to defend themselves. Just before the blade could pierce flesh, a familiar beam of light descended from the sky and snapped the kitchen knife in half.
‘……Huh?’
“—Now, now. That's not allowed. Playing with dangerous things like that.”
A magical girl descended from the sky. Her friend. Her light. Her hope. The light magical girl.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I-I'm fine…… A real magical girl……?”
“Yes, yes, a real magical girl.”
The magical girl showed concern for the stabbed girl. Seeing this, Aile's heart darkened. When I was the one being hurt, you never appeared even once. So why now? While Aile stood there confused, the magical girl turned to her and slowly approached.
“Here. Give me that dangerous thing, and let's go to the police station together……”
“……W-why are you helping someone like her—?”
“Huh? Someone like her? What do you mean?”
“Me—! Not me! Why someone like her—!”
“I still don't understand what you're saying……”
The magical girl tilted her head in confusion. From behind her, the other girls gestured at Aile and spat out insults like “crazy bitch” and “psycho.” Who's the real crazy one here? Who's the real bad one—! But as that anger rose, a single fear bloomed in her chest. Aile opened her mouth with a trembling voice.
“D-do…… you remember who I am?”
“Hmm—?”
“Do you…… remember me……?”
It had only been a few days ago. For her, it was something she could never forget in her lifetime. So surely the magical girl would remember too—
“Sorry, who are you?”
“—Ah.”
Unfortunately, her imagination had been correct. To the magical girl, saving her that day had been just another ordinary part of her daily routine—nothing special. Unable to accept this, Aile went berserk and charged at the magical girl. The magical girl looked at her with a troubled expression. Just like before, she couldn't clearly remember what happened next. She only knew that she had survived, that she had met the magical girl, and that this fact had become an unforgettable memory.
* * *
The incident where she had swung a knife at the girl and the magical girl ended with just a warning, but that didn't mean she could shamelessly continue attending school. Aile dropped out right then and there. She was also kicked out of her house. A non-powered child who had committed a crime was unnecessary, or so they said. Their attitude, as if they had been waiting for her to commit a crime all along, was rather laughable. After that, she was picked up by Regalia and joined the villain organization. She thought she would never return to this city again. But she had returned. As the dark magical girl.
“—Shall we begin?”
The villain organization operated on the principle of not harming civilians. Therefore, Aile did the same. Using magic, she engulfed the entire city in darkness and announced her presence to the magical girls in the city. Whether her method was effective or not, the magical girls soon flew straight toward her location.
“What—!? Suddenly!”
“A magical girl……? No, using magic like this will drain your power……”
“Are you sane!? Turn the lights back on!”
Among the magical girls who flew in, there was also the light magical girl whom Aile had so desperately wanted to meet. Aile locked eyes with her and smiled brightly.
“Nice to meet you, magical girls.”
The gazes of the magical girls she had so admired all focused on her at once. This thrilling sensation. A feeling she would never forget. Suppressing the corners of her mouth that threatened to rise, Aile opened her mouth.
“—Do you know who I am?”
“……What?”
“How would we know that?”
“Who the hell are you!?”
Various reactions came at once. The light magical girl reacted no differently from the others around her. Seeing this, Aile smiled and lifted the hem of her dress. You don't know who I am?
“From now on, you will.”
And you will never be able to forget. Now then— this was the dark magical girl's debut match. Let us sing a rendezvous that would never be forgotten.
* * *
When I woke up, I realized the magical girl outfit in the lab had disappeared and frantically searched the room. It didn't take long to find the discarded clothes on the floor, and I realized Aile had put on the magical girl outfit and left. Letting out a sigh of relief, I turned on my smartphone and froze slightly at the pile of unread messages and missed calls.
Boss - Scientist? I heard you finished Aile's item. Good work (12:01)
Boss - I'll give you a few days off. Enjoy doing whatever you want during that time… (12:01)
Boss - Quite an aesthetic design. Quite beautiful. If you turn on the TV, you should be able to see Aile right now (12:03)
Boss - Wait, Scientist. What exactly did you make? (12:05)
Boss - Scientist? Are you sleeping? Why aren't you answering the phone…… (12:06)
Boss - Please answer the phone. I'm begging you…… (12:06)
The current time was 1:10. A full hour had passed since the first contact. Even though the flood of messages that followed made me dread responding, I acted like a proper working adult and called the boss. The phone barely rang before she answered.
[……Scientist?]
“Yes, Boss. It's me. What's the matter……”
[What have you been doing until now…?]
“I was sleeping. The research had just finished……”
[I see, I see…… TV, turn on the TV and check the news. Then you'll understand everything……]
Hearing the boss let out a deep sigh, I carefully turned on the TV and checked the news. There, an anchor was delivering a special report about a newly appeared dark magical girl.
As soon as the anchor finished speaking, Aile appeared on the news screen wearing the magical girl outfit. A magical girl dressed entirely in black from head to toe, as if she were the embodiment of evil itself.
[Ahahahaha—! Is this all you've got!? So this is what magical girls amount to!]
[Kgh—! Why is this bitch so strong!?]
[Struggle a little more!]
Watching Aile casually beat down the other magical girls, I let out a hollow laugh. ……Did I install a personality-changing device too? I didn't remember doing that. But the Aile active on TV was……
“Yeah, I think I'll take that vacation.”
I deliberately looked away from the TV and started getting dressed. I had just received vacation time from the boss. Whatever happened from now on had nothing to do with me. Yes, this wasn't my problem.