At the end of this Dark Forest stood a curtain of light emitting a soft white glow.
It was simply too vast, so vast that even when Leon looked up, he could not see its top.
To the left and right, it stretched endlessly, a wall of light that completely enclosed something within.
Logically, such a colossal structure should have been visible even from the “Spawn Point,” but in reality, there was nothing.
Perhaps the Black Mist permeating the forest had a special obscuring effect on the light from this curtain.
Therefore, once someone got lost and lost their way, they would most likely die of exhaustion in this monster-filled forest.
“So this is the Barrier?” The cherry-blossom-haired girl looked at the magnificent sight, and a slight ripple of emotion finally appeared on her indifferent face.
Suhō also seemed a bit stunned, taking a long moment to snap out of it.
She nodded her small head vigorously, her tone tinged with a hint of awe.
“Yes!
This is the Barrier deployed by the Holy Tree.
It has been protecting our last human settlement…
Ah, I just learned this from Senpai Elwen, so I’m just repeating what I was taught!” Elwen smiled, interrupting their conversation: “Let’s go.
Just pass through, and we’ll be back in reality.” With that, she took the first step, her body merging into the curtain of light without any resistance.
After passing through an invisible barrier that felt like a ripple of water, the surrounding scenery suddenly opened up.
The gloomy Black Mist and the twisted forest vanished in an instant.
What met their eyes was an asphalt road winding through a range of towering mountains.
This place was clearly at a very high altitude, surrounded by lush, rolling mountains and forests.
Above them was a sky washed clean to a deep blue, and the warm evening sunlight poured down without obstruction, gilding the edge of every leaf.
“Haah…” Suhō closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the air, which carried the fresh scent of grass and wood.
A relaxed and comfortable expression appeared on her face, like a cat basking in the sun: “We’re finally out!” “The air here really is the best.
That smell inside was just suffocating.” Leon also looked up, slightly narrowing his cherry-red eyes.
Although he didn’t show it as dramatically as Suhō did, his shoulders, which had been tense the entire time, also slumped slightly, and the chill that had always lingered by his side dissipated.
Only Elwen remained unchanged.
She seemed to have too much experience crossing into the outside world, standing in the sunlight with an expression as calm as ever, as if the transition from hell to heaven just now had made no difference to her.
As if sensing their gazes, she explained softly, “If you become an Outland Investigator like us, Suhō, you will be just as calm in the future.” Elwen walked straight to the shade of a tree by the roadside, where a heavy-duty motorcycle with a rather wild design was parked.
The metal body was completely black, without any extra decoration.
The huge exhaust pipe and exposed mechanical structure exuded an aesthetic of violence, and there were even some mud spots on the body, clearly showing that its owner often rode it in various wild environments.
Elwen walked to the motorcycle, swung her long legs over, and nimbly flipped herself onto it.
After inserting the long sword on her back, along with its scabbard, into the custom groove at the front of the bike, she casually threw the helmet hanging on the handlebar to Suhō.
“There’s only one helmet.
Make do with it.” “Get on.” She patted the not-so-spacious back seat behind her, her tone calm.
“There’s still over thirty kilometers of winding mountain road to the town.
Without transforming, it’ll take a long time to run there on foot.” “It’s a bit cramped, but if you want to get back faster, you’ll just have to put up with it.” “Eh?
We’re going to ride this?” Suhō held the helmet, looking somewhat surprised at the back seat that was clearly designed for a single rider, then glanced at the cherry-blossom-haired girl beside her.
Although they were all slender girls, this was still three people squeezing onto one bike.
Momo-senpai had even lost her memory; wouldn’t this be a bit improper…
However, not only did Elwen not care at all, but Leon also gave her a somewhat puzzled look, seemingly completely unable to understand what she was so conflicted about.
Suhō froze for a moment and chuckled awkwardly.
“Ah…
okay.
I’ll sit in the middle, and Momo-senpai, you sit in the back.” The three of them quickly adjusted their seating positions.
To fit three people, they were pressed almost tightly against each other.
Body heat transferred between them, and they could almost smell that unique scent of Magical Girls on one another.
Elwen said in a low voice, “Hold on tight.” VROOM—!!!
The engine roared like a beast, and the motorcycle shot forward like an arrow from a bow.
The speedometer accelerated to over 100 kilometers per hour in just three seconds, and a powerful force instantly pushed her back.
“Waaaaah!!!” Suhō was scared out of her wits, her body leaning back with inertia, her entire back slamming firmly into Leon’s flat and soft embrace behind her, while she subconsciously hugged Elwen’s elegantly curved slender waist.
She shouted in the wind, “S-Sorry!!” Neither of them seemed inclined to answer.
Only Elwen’s silver-gray long hair blew forward, brushing against her neck and mingling with her own wine-red long hair, while the silent embrace behind her carried a fragrance as warm as the sun.
Suddenly, she felt…
very secure.
It seemed that after Suhō transformed into a Magical Girl for the first time today, she had gained a strange new sense, able to perceive others’ Mana and emotions.
Feeling the body heat transmitted from both the front and back, her heart, which had been nervous due to the high-speed ride, actually calmed down.
It seemed the two Senpais didn’t dislike her after all.
The wind howled as the trees on both sides flew backward.
“Hey!
Momo-senpai!!” Suhō shouted loudly.
The wind was so fierce that her voice couldn’t be suppressed in the slightest.
“It’s okay if you don’t remember anything, I’ll tell you!” As she spoke, the motorcycle left the winding mountain road.
The view ahead suddenly opened up, and a magnificent red bridge spanning the canyon appeared before them.
“This is Kannabi Bridge!
If we go along this bridge, we’ll be home in no time!” “Look!
That’s Fūmei Town!” Following the direction of Suhō’s finger, Leon gently raised his head.
The next instant, that pair of cherry-red eyes reflected a breathtakingly beautiful scene.
It was a town unfolding layer by layer along the coastline and the hillside.
In the afterglow of the setting sun, vast clusters of buildings flowed slowly down the mountain toward the sea, and in the distance was a vast and boundless deep blue ocean.
It was just the right time for the sunset, as the sun was slowly sinking below the horizon, dyeing half the sea surface in a flowing, broken gold color.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Suhō said loudly, her tone full of pride.
“Once we get into the city, the scenery will be even better!” “I live right there!
I’m a second-year student at Yūki Private Middle School!” She didn’t feel awkward at her senpais’ silence, but continued earnestly: “Besides sweets, my favorite thing is photography!
The scenery in our town is superb.
Next time, I can take you to a few secret shooting spots!” “And, and—” Her words grew more and more excited, her heart blossoming with the innocent and romantic charm unique to a young girl, as if she had finally recovered from the sudden change and realized how much her life would change from now on.
“I’m a Magical Girl too!!” She revealed a sincere and incomparably brilliant smile.
“Elwen-senpai, Momo-senpai!!
Please take care of me from now on!!”