Night, 10:00 PM, inside Anteiku Cafe.
“Magical Girl?
What is that?”
Not all Ghouls had the privilege of attending university like Touka; Fueguchi Hinami clearly hadn’t been to school, nor had she encountered Magical Girl works like an ordinary girl.
When Arisu told her she had the aptitude to become a Magical Girl, she felt more bewildered than anything.
Fueguchi Ryoko, being more experienced, asked cautiously: “Does this Miss Sakayanagi mean that Hinami can transform into a Magical Girl like those in anime?”
“Yes, any girl who can see Kyubey represents someone with the aptitude to make a wish and become a Magical Girl.”
Arisu hadn’t expected such a pleasant surprise; she now had Touka and Fueguchi Hinami.
“Make?
Make a wish?”
“Let me explain it to you.” Seeing the confusion on the faces of the mother and daughter, Touka took the initiative to inform them about Kyubey’s existence and the terms of the contract.
“We can become Magical Girls stronger than an S-Rank Ghoul just by making a wish?” Such a pie-in-the-sky benefit was something Fueguchi Ryoko dared not even imagine, yet she still felt worried: “What exactly is that Reverse Transformation?
What will happen to Hinami when she reaches Reverse Transformation?”
“I don’t know, because no Magical Girl’s soul gem has completely clouded over yet, but she certainly won’t die, that’s for sure,” Touka explained.
“Hinami, do you want to make your wish and become a Magical Girl?” Fueguchi Ryoko didn’t make the decision for her daughter, but instead asked Fueguchi Hinami.
“Can I bring Dad back to life?” Fueguchi Hinami looked at Kyubey with expectant eyes.
“Yes, you can, but I don’t recommend reviving your father right now.”
As long as a girl has the aptitude, reviving a person is not a problem, provided that the person being revived didn’t die of natural causes; if it were the latter, it would be equivalent to forcibly extending life and changing concepts.
Speaking of which, did Sakiko’s mother dying of illness count as natural causes?
“Why?” Fueguchi Hinami, who had been happy that her father could be revived, felt her mood plummet to the bottom.
“Because it’s not the right time.
Touka once thought about reviving her own family members too, but she gave up.”
“Even if he is revived, he will still be hunted.
Without sufficient influence and strength, you cannot protect anyone,” Kyubey explained.
“How could it be…
Is it all because I’m too weak?
Dad…”
Tears welled up in Fueguchi Hinami’s eyes.
Fueguchi Ryoko hugged her and gently patted her back.
Although she couldn’t hear what Kyubey and her daughter were saying, Fueguchi Ryoko could still guess a thing or two.
“I’m sorry to bother you.” Fueguchi Ryoko intended to take her daughter and leave.
“Mrs.
Fueguchi, please hear me out first.” Arisu, who had been observing from the side, spoke up.
Fueguchi Ryoko stopped on the stairs and turned around, questioning: “Miss Sakayanagi, is there something you need?”
“If you lack a place to stay, I have a secure residence I can provide for you.
No Investigator will ever come there, but I have one condition.”
Hearing that there was a condition, Fueguchi Ryoko felt it was only natural, but she was curious about what it was: “Miss Sakayanagi, we mother and daughter have nothing of value to offer, do we?”
“Of course you do.
Isn’t Hinami herself of value?” Arisu pointed at Fueguchi Hinami and said: “I am missing an attendant by my side.
In the future, Hinami will enroll in Shuchiin Academy with me.
On the surface, she will be my classmate, but in reality, she will be my personal attendant.”
“I will provide for all your needs, including food, clothing, housing, and transportation.
That is my condition.”
“This, this is too grand.
Miss Sakayanagi, we cannot possibly accept this!” Fueguchi Ryoko was scared by the condition and waved her hands in refusal.
This was a direct step up to the heavens!
As for having her life controlled?
How was that even a restriction?
“Are you really just a student?” Touka was so shocked by Arisu’s methods and intelligence that she doubted reality.
Was this what children of the upper class raised from a young age were like?
Who said they were all good-for-nothing second-generation heirs?
Touka was truly envious of Arisu.
Never mind Touka, even Yoshimura couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth seeing such an imposing Arisu.
Kaya and Koma Enji couldn’t help but widen their eyes, muttering about the conditions Arisu had set.
Seeing that Fueguchi Ryoko was scared off by her conditions and was refusing, Arisu didn’t force her, but instead persuaded her with Fueguchi Hinami as the focus: “Hinami hasn’t received a normal education yet, right?”
“Yes.” Fueguchi Ryoko lowered her head, feeling a bit guilty.
“Anteiku Cafe cannot shelter you forever.
Do you have the heart to take Hinami wandering everywhere, living a precarious life, being hunted by Investigators?”
“You are a woman, and a Ghoul at that; how will you ensure Hinami’s livelihood?
With your identity, it is impossible to work in human society unless you sell your body.”
Most human workplaces have devices to detect RC cells; Ghouls simply cannot get hired.
Of course, some Ghouls can enter and exit the CCG decision-making level at will.
Arisu’s words left Fueguchi Ryoko with no room to refute.
After ten seconds of silence, she asked: “Will Hinami be exposed after following you?”
“No, as long as she doesn’t eat humans, I can guarantee her safety.”
“In return, once the number of Magical Girls increases, Hinami must become a Magical Girl to repay me.
Do you have a problem with that?” After giving her assurance, Arisu made a firm demand of Fueguchi Hinami.
“Hinami?” Fueguchi Ryoko let go of her hands, letting Fueguchi Hinami decide for herself.
“Can I learn that knowledge if I follow you?” Fueguchi Hinami’s eyes were filled with longing.
“Of course you can.
I will tutor you personally.
You must be prepared to be criticized by me; I am very strict!” Arisu put on a stern demeanor.
Even though she wasn’t much taller than Hinami, she looked much more mature than Fueguchi Hinami.
“Then, please take care of me from now on, Miss Sakayanagi.
That’s how I should address you, right?” Fueguchi Hinami reached out to Arisu, who took her hand and smiled: “At school, call me Classmate Sakayanagi, and at home, call me Miss Sakayanagi…
Never mind, I’ll teach you etiquette slowly after we go back.”
What a marvelous fate.
Kyubey observed the whole process.
It knew that it, as a butterfly, had already flapped its wings and set off a butterfly effect.
Arisu and Fueguchi Hinami, two girls who should never have intersected, were now in a superior-subordinate relationship because of it.
“Senior, I won’t stay the night.
I will come again tomorrow.”
“Mrs.
Fueguchi, Hinami, please stay here tonight.
I will send someone to pick you up tomorrow.”
“Kyubey, are you coming back with me?”
Arisu finished stating her decision in one breath and intended to leave, seeking Kyubey’s opinion.
Kyubey looked at Touka, and seeing her expectant eyes, it knew that Touka hoped it would stay by her side.
“I’ll stay with Touka-chan for tonight.
“Okay.”
Arisu didn’t ask why.
She had respected Kyubey from the beginning.
She only performed a farewell gesture before leaving: “Please take good care of Kyubey.
It…
has been devastated quite a bit recently.”
After saying this, Arisu left alone through the back door of Anteiku Cafe, ignoring the dangers of the night.
“What!?!”
Touka recalled what Kyubey had said about being bound to someone when it came in, her brows furrowed tightly: “What exactly is going on?”
“It’s a long story.
Touka-chan, go wash up first.
I’ll wait for you in the room.”
Twenty minutes later…
“What a lunatic!”
After hearing what Kyubey told her about Matsuzaka Satou, Touka felt that there might be something wrong with that girl’s brain.
“Why would she like you, Kyubey?
And treat you completely as a lover?”
Touka didn’t doubt the truth of it, but she was more curious about why a human would fall in love with Kyubey.
No matter how you look at it, it’s a mascot.
How could she bring herself to do it?
And there was someone who had kissed Kyubey?
Kyubey chose to skip the part where Hiiragi Utena forcibly kissed it and didn’t tell Touka.
“You can’t use normal human logic to understand her.
Touka, you only need to know that she is an existence who can kill anyone for her goal.”
“Then let her come!” Touka wasn’t afraid of Matsuzaka Satou at all, and at the same time asked Kyubey: “Kyubey, if she really finds this place, do you need me to kill her?”
“Expelling her is enough.
It would be better if you could make her break down.
Her soul gem is nearly half clouded over; a few more rounds of stimulation should bring it to its limit.”
Well, it just didn’t want to kill her because it wanted to test the limits of the soul gem.
It’s absolutely impossible that it didn’t kill her because it felt sorry for her.
Yes, that’s exactly it.
“Using her to observe the effects after the Reverse Transformation?” Touka didn’t feel sorry for Matsuzaka Satou at all.
“Kyubey, you don’t need to go to the bathroom, right?”
“No, my body is not an animal.” Kyubey felt its head fill with black lines at being asked such a question.
“That’s perfect.
I’m a bit bored sleeping by myself.
Why don’t you come up and sleep with me?” After getting into bed, Touka pointed to an empty spot next to her.
“Although I don’t need to bathe, my body still needs to be cleaned.
I’ll go rinse off and dry myself first.”
“I’ll take you.”
Touka got up, put on her slippers, picked up Kyubey, and went downstairs to wash it.
That night, Kyubey was used as a body pillow by Touka for the whole night.
“And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!”