The social phobia substitute will not dream of the band girl

Although it cannot deceive, it can choose not to tell or not tell everything, because concealment ≠ deception.

"It's still too dangerous... Tsuna, you'd better not become a magical girl."

"Right now, I'm enough on my own... Haha—"

"...Yeah, I get it." Kaname Tsuna nodded. Although she also wanted to be a magical girl and become a different person, if both friends said so, then it must be right.

Now is not the time to fall out, so Xiaoyuan will not put further pressure on her, but she has already made preparations... This opportunity to make a wish is her biggest bargaining chip. If it is really as what Homura Akemi said, maybe this is her only power to interfere with the goals of both sides and protect Tsuna.

But deep down, she still didn't want to give up, not only for herself but also for those who might be threatened. If she didn't know, it would be fine, but if she allowed the witch to exist and kill her friends and family, she would regret it for the rest of her life!

Continuing in silence, the three of them soon reached a crossroads.

"Then Kiyo and I will be this way, and Tsuna will be that way... so who should Kyubey follow?"

"Since there are two of you, it would be better if I follow Tsuna, right?"

"Is that so... Well, be careful on the road."

As expected, Kyubey's target is Tsuna? Sakura En now feels like a lone detective in a movie. Hopefully, she won't die before she gathers all the necessary resources to uncover the truth...

After waving goodbye, the three of them said goodbye. Xiaoyuan took Xiaoqing, who was half asleep and had to be held by someone to walk, away, while Xiaogang left alone. Everything seemed to be no different from usual.

"Wow, this development... why is there such a strong sense of suspense?" Yoshida Tsuna felt that he could not keep up with the pace. Am I really watching a cute magical girl?

But he quickly put such doubts behind him——

"As expected, the most important thing is to have fun! Whether it's comics, novels, or games!"

Is it a war between two factions? After all, we're tired of fighting monsters, and now battles between magical girls are also very popular.

......

...

..

"...Wouldn't that make your 'original plan' lack a lot of 'surprise'?"

"Wow... I didn't expect you to use the word 'surprise' to describe it, Miss Higuchi. It seems your sense of humor has improved recently... Hmm, it seems like it's all my fault—"

"...Sense of humor? From hell?" After hearing the man's smug voice, Enka wanted to "respond" fiercely, but immediately felt that this was also part of his plan, so in the end she just made a normal sarcastic remark.

"But I think compared to the 'ideal environment' of the past, today's audiences seem a little too naive. But the internet is also very advanced... I'm not afraid of someone coming to me, but it wouldn't be a good idea to come to you, right?"

"...Then you are really gentle."

"Haha... maybe he's the most gentle man in the world."

"So the definition of 'gentleness' is to kill with the fastest speed, the greatest force, and the most accurate angle?" After saying this, Enka, who was quite satisfied with herself, hung up the phone directly. I guess she should be able to have a sweet dream after this, right?

You see, you still have a sense of humor, right?

......

...

..

"Experiment...haha~~~~...what is it about?"

"What else... is there about the magical girl's experiment? There's something I want to know."

"Oh, okay... But before that, let's get rid of the witch we met earlier."

"Well, I'll go with you to take a look."

The smooth conversation was followed by a long silence. Perhaps there was a time when they could talk about everything and had no time to spare for a second, but after "that incident", an insurmountable gap appeared between them.

In the end, one of them fell silent, while the other was half asleep every day. They were childhood sweethearts who used to talk about everything, but now their relationship depends on Tsuna to maintain it. So even though they live next door to each other, she has no idea when Qing became a magical girl.

"Speaking of which... Kiyo, what wish did you make when you became a magical girl?"

Qing's family was well-off. Besides the maids, they even needed a housekeeper and a head maid to manage the family, so it was definitely not about money. She had been very beautiful since she was a child and was often called a fairy or goddess in the sky, so there was no need to change her natural looks. Although she was not the best in her studies, she was also among the first batch, and she had mastered some skills such as swordsmanship, dancing, and horsemanship.

So what exactly is it that you expect in your heart?

Sakura had a guess in her mind, but the reality was that the man wasn't here, so it couldn't be him. But if it wasn't him, what wish could she, who had always lacked desire, make?

"..."

Miki Kiyoshi didn't say anything, but just turned her head and looked at her quietly. Her eyes, which were usually half-open or sometimes completely closed, were now fully open, just like the expression she had when she protected them in front of Homura Akemi before.

But En didn't flinch. Even as a magical girl, Kiyo was still Kiyo, nothing would change. So, she simply glared back, expressionless. And so, the two of them stood in front of Miki's house, playing the glaring game, leaving the newly arrived maid at a loss, unsure whether to intervene or just stand by and watch.

"If you don't want to talk about it, then don't talk about it. Let's put your schoolbag back home and then meet at the door."

"Ah."

"...Don't throw your schoolbag on the bed and then lie down on it yourself. You have to walk a long way every time I call you. It's too troublesome——"

"Oh... okay."

After receiving a positive answer, Xiaoyuan continued walking forward until she turned into her own house. Miki Kiyoshi handed the bag directly to the maid and squatted at the door. From a distance, one might mistake her for someone's large dog.

The seventh episode ended in such a confusing atmosphere, and Yoshida Tsuna was also confused. It seemed that something was said but it also seemed that something was not said completely.

At least based on the existence of the two waves of forces mentioned so far, and the possibility that both of them are lying, the information is simply not enough to support a complete inference.

"But there doesn't seem to be any Kansai! ... Is it really okay, Mr. Higuchi? (whispering)——"

I hope I can get some hints in this eighth chapter.

......

...

..

"Speaking of which, Ms. Higuchi seems to want to say something about this self-centered and willful character, right? Could it be that you know someone like this? If so, please let me know!"

There was an undisguised interest in Hirashin's tone, because he was really interested in how En, who emphasized rationality, would get along with someone with such a different personality.

"...Our relationship isn't exactly great, but it's not terrible either. Although I often don't understand her behavior, I don't want to either. After all, as that person said... 'The only person you can understand is yourself.'"

"I see... So you two actually have a pretty good relationship, huh?"

Where? Higuchi Enka hadn't noticed it at all, nor had she ever had such an impression.

After all, Ichikawa Hina basically revolves around Asakura Toru, completely following her own preferences. So basically, everyone got together because of Toru in the first place, and then naturally got to know each other.

Rather than saying we understand each other so well, it's better to say we're just used to being around each other, and we naturally blend in... Just like air, you won't question why you can breathe freely as soon as you open your eyes without any preparation, nor will you think about why it doesn't suddenly disappear when you close your eyes -

Because she, they are there, always there.

"So...what's the good thing about the relationship?"

"Hmm... According to what you just said, this question is only clear to you two. I'm really envious of you. It feels so natural—"

But now I seem to have found something that belongs only to me. Will you also become a part of it, Ms. Higuchi?

......

...

..

At the beginning of the eighth episode, Miki Kiyoshi and Sakura Koen came to the place where they encountered the witch yesterday——

"...This is the trace of magic left by the witch yesterday. If we follow it like this...haaa~~...follow the witch's aura captured by the Soul Gem, we can find the barrier where the witch is hiding."

"...That's just as I heard, but wouldn't walking be too inefficient?"

"Ah...indeed." Xiaoqing's eyes widened slightly, showing her surprise.

I just didn't expect... It's really not easy for this guy to survive to this day, Xiaoyuan sighed.

"...What should I do? Do you want me to call the housekeeper and ask him to drive over?"

"No, forget it. It'll be troublesome if I get asked about it, right?" Besides, getting ordinary people involved wouldn't be a good idea. As for her, En had already decided to become a magical girl, but now wasn't the best time, so she was making an exception.

A moment of silence followed, and the two of them just walked side by side without saying a word. But when the color of dusk gradually spread, Xiao Yuan was the first to speak——

"When... did you become a magical girl, Qing?"

"Um...a year ago?"

No, don't ask me questions. Most people will remember such important things, right?

"If you have magical girl powers, many things can be easily accomplished, right? Why don't you use them? And... why do you want to fight a witch for your life?" Although she asked the question, Sakura En had no doubts in her heart. She was just asking to elicit answers.

"Hmm... trouble?... Also, for the sake of survival... Is this all you want to ask me after talking to Homura Akemi?"

The two of them stopped and looked at each other. Under the light of the setting sun and the gradually approaching darkness, their expressions were unclear. The only thing that was certain was that they understood each other very deeply, very well.

"Actually, I heard some 'truths' about magical girls from her. I need your help to piece together the truth. Qing... This is all to protect Tsuna. You should have noticed that the child is being targeted, right? Homura Akemi's strange behavior, Kyubey's unknown origins... You're the only one I can trust."

The two people leaning on the railing spoke the most emotional and sincere words with calm expressions and the most plain tone. Their understanding and friendship of each other from childhood to adulthood were extremely deep. This might be the unique way of communication between the two of them.

But I didn't see a reply. The next shot showed the gem in Xiaoqing's hand emitting a strong glow. After turning the page, the two of them had arrived at the witch's hunting grounds.

"【Witch's Lip Mark】... Looks like there's one here, a bad guy." Xiaoqing came to her conclusion after seeing the mark on the strange woman's neck.

"What about this person?"

"Just put it here... Witches can only appear within the barrier, so it's safer here."

After helping the unconscious woman to the wall, from an angle that couldn't be seen from outside, Xiaoyuan followed Xiaoqing, and the two of them entered the barrier together from the entrance.

"Wow, the scene design and battle storyboards... I thought it was just a typical abandoned building battle, but I didn't expect it to be so complex. Higuchi-sensei's style remains as good as ever..."

Xiaoyuan, who used magic power to make a rapier, followed Xiaoqing all the way into the center of the witch's barrier. This means that the final boss battle is about to begin, right?

I wonder what kind of monster the so-called witch will be? Horrible, handsome, dark? But this time, it was beyond Yoshida Tsuna's expectations again.

"What is this?"

Although it is the same Collage style as before, and different from the most common bearded familiars and flying insect-like familiars, the witch who appears on the screen does not have any appearance or aura that a strong person should have, but only an appearance that is incomprehensible and disgusting.

Its torso is shaped like a human stomach, and even though it has relatively ordinary and beautiful butterfly wings, its face is a pool of green slime. Although there are several red roses on it, the contrast only makes its appearance more hideous.

The Rose Witch's preferred method of combat is to send small familiars close by to transform into binding vines or to extend vines from the ground to launch sneak attacks. Unfortunately, she was matched against the slashing-type Miki Kiyoshi, who managed to eliminate the witch without any danger after just a few moves.

"Smooth storyboards and powerful fight scenes... Is this author truly a newbie? Are they sure this isn't some master's smurf?"

Most magical girl anime on the market rely on the readily explainable "magic" as a convenient prop, selling cute characters. Whether they wield Eastern swords, Western rapiers, bows and arrows, or magical staffs, when it comes to fighting, it's all just shouting out the names of the moves, and ultimately winning by sheer force.

Although it’s not unacceptable, after all, the selling point of magical girls is always the girliness, but it turns out that men still like more intense battles!

"This is the Seed of Sorrow, the witch's egg... and the reason why magical girls have to fight witches—"

The eighth episode officially ended with a close-up of the mysterious object in Miki Kiyoshi's hand and these words that made people think. Yoshida Tsuna was still immersed in this atmosphere, and then he couldn't help but turn to the next page.

"...Huh? It's not the usual landscape painting, but the silhouette of a yellow-haired girl... There's even writing next to it - Yellow Magical Girl, Attack!"

"...Don't add suspense at the end, you old thief Higuchi!"

Chapter 75 is changing

"Asakura... No Road Race——"

"Hey..what are you talking about~~?"

Today was a typical day off, and Higuchi Enka, Toru's next-door neighbor, was the first of the four childhood friends to arrive. She'd intended to do some homework, but the noise Toru was making was distracting, even with the expensive headphones someone had given her.

Asakura Toru's room wasn't small, otherwise it wouldn't have become the default gathering place for the four of them since childhood. It had a single bed, a desk and chair, a wardrobe, and a bookcase about half a person's height. It was just that it was often filled with things unrelated to books, like the "crystal ornaments" on it now.

However, things that had remained basically unchanged for several years were quietly changing... until one day, a huge change occurred -

"And all of this... is that man's fault."

"Eh~? What~~?"

Whether it is the extra-large LCD screen placed in the room or the high-end speakers x2 that keep making loud noises, all of this started with the man who gave Toru Asakura a black card.

Although he will not spend money recklessly, he will shop randomly and then return the goods after using them for a few days. He can also make an appointment to pick up the items at home. Such thoughtful service has fostered Tou's playful nature.

I could just watch a movie on my phone like I always do, but now I have to wear 3D glasses and use surround sound at full volume, even though I'm in a small room...

"Eh..why is it closed, Higuchi?"

If words can't communicate, then let actions speak for themselves. Higuchi Enka simply turned off the volume of the speakers, then turned around and looked at her helplessly.

"...Can't you just watch it on your phone? Why make such a fuss?"