episode_0001

-Drip drip.

Early in the morning, as always, I fill a paper cup with hot water.

What fills it is cheap coffee.

Cheap or not, it doesn’t matter.

It’s just something I drink to replenish caffeine, one of the three essential nutrients for office workers.

-Gulp.

My face twists at the artificial sweetness and the bitter aftertaste.

And so do the faces of the people standing beside me, holding their own cups of coffee.

“Everyone looks tired.”

At one man’s question, everyone exhaled a laugh, barely moving the corners of their mouths.

“Of course we’re tired. Ever since Counselor XX graduated, their workload got dumped on us.”

“That person… graduated? Why?”

Graduation.

Among us counselors, the word “graduation” carries a different meaning.

Death. I don’t know when it started, but saying “death” out loud was considered bad luck.

At some point, we started using “graduation” as a euphemism.

But the graduation of a counselor I knew still shocked me.

Why him?

He had been in this industry longer than me, taught me the ropes, and even gave me tips.

He rarely made mistakes in counseling and was practically flawless.

That’s why it was even more baffling.

Why?

“That counselor… recently got married, you know.”

“Ah.”

“Tch, what a shame.”

The other counselors listening sighed in unison.

At the mention of marriage, they all understood.

Counselors for magical girls are better off avoiding romance and marriage.

Otherwise, they’ll end up like that counselor who “graduated.”

In a way, it’s the most important and frequently mentioned rule in this industry.

Because the endings are never good.

“Looks like it’s time… My client should be arriving soon.”

“I should head out too.”

“Same. Let’s talk more over some spicy beef soup later.”

Watching the counselors scatter, I also got up.

After all, my own client had requested a morning session.

-Tap.

Standing in front of the mirror, I adjusted my tie again.

Dark circles under my eyes and a face drenched in exhaustion.

Aside from those, objectively speaking, it’s a handsome face.

Right.

If I didn’t have this face, I wouldn’t have been able to become a counselor in the first place.

-Creak.

Straightening my clothes, I entered the counseling room where my client was waiting.

Inside, a girl sat waiting.

The moment she saw me, she waved her hand with a bright, sunny smile, as if she’d been eagerly anticipating my arrival.

The first thing that caught my eye was her outfit.

What adorned her body was a dress-like garment, but one covered in extravagant, dangling decorations.

And beside her, floating in the air, was some kind of unknown creature.

A cute-looking creature, paired with a girl whose beauty was striking—she smiled at me as our eyes met.

I returned her smile naturally and took my seat across from her.

Stay composed.

“You’re early today, Ai. You look happy—did something good happen?”

“Ah, Counselor Oppa! Hehe, something good? Maybe it’s just the bright morning sunshine soaking into my whole body~ Huhu.”

“Wow~ Ai-chan, you’re always so bright. That’s why I chose you as a magical girl, you know? Nice to see you too, Counselor!”

“Nice to see you too. Uh…”

“Ugh, you always forget my name, don’t you? It’s Ruby! Ruby!”

A conversation with the girl and her mysterious familiar.

This cheerful, radiant girl was a magical girl.

And not just any magical girl—a seasoned, A-rank veteran.

No matter how bright she seems, you can’t let your guard down.

Because beneath that brightness, something rotten always lurks. That’s what it means to be a magical girl.

“You requested a session last night, which surprised me. Did something happen?”

“Hmm~ Wanna guess what it is? If you get it right, I’ll give you a prize!”

Her playful eyes sparkled as she shook her head, her fluffy white hair swaying noisily.

Her purple eyes, a perfect match for that white hair, had an almost bewitching allure, like a creature from folklore.

But I focused on the conversation to avoid being ensnared.

Something happened, huh?

Did she make the news again for her recent exploits?

Or maybe she landed a big advertising deal and got paid well?

I studied her expression again, slowly narrowing in on the answer.

Before me sat a girl.

A girl whose physical and mental age had frozen the moment she became a magical girl.

For girls her age, there’s only one thing that counts as “good news.”

“Could it be… something related to that person you like?”

“Wrong! But you were close~ Still, since you tried, I’ll give you the prize anyway, Oppa.”

At the mention of her crush, her face flushed slightly.

Though embarrassed, she reached into her bag and placed something on the desk.

A box? No, a package?

What she handed me was a small paper box.

One decorated with little hearts.

Inside were what looked like sweet, homemade cookies.

Given the clumsy wrapping, they were definitely handmade.

She must’ve baked them just for me.

The sweet scent wafting from her was probably from these cookies.

“Ai-chan, you’re too kind~ I wish I could have some of that prize too~”

“No way, Ruby! You ate so much last night. These are for Counselor Oppa!”

“But we’ve known each other for how long~ Can’t you spare just a little~? Ai-chan, you’re such a miser, I swear.”

“That’s rich coming from you! But we’ve known each other… known each other… Huh?”

As she bickered with her familiar, Ai’s expression gradually stiffened.

Her purple eyes stared blankly into space, as if trying to recall something.

They grew clouded as she began muttering, alternating between looking at Ruby and me.

“How many years… has it been since I became a magical girl? I was 17 back then… Wait. What year is it now?”

“Ai-chan? Counselor, something’s… wrong with Ai-chan!”

-Thud!

The counseling room trembled from the waves of energy radiating from her.

The more unstable a magical girl’s emotions, the stronger these outbursts become.

I had to do something.

I quickly scanned the room.

I needed to find something—anything—to divert her attention.

The moment an idea struck, I acted.

-Tap.

I gently took her hand, then shifted my touch to the homemade cookies she was holding.

“Ai, are these cookies homemade?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Oppa, I made them myself.”

I could feel the tremors gradually subsiding.

Encouraged, I decided to be bolder.

My hand, which had been stroking hers, lightly brushed her fingertips before pulling away.

Ai’s face grew redder by the second.

Just before I let go, her fingertips felt feverishly hot.

Her gaze was slowly stabilizing.

One final push was needed.

I took one of the wrapped cookies and bit into it.

Being homemade, the taste was just okay.

But I smiled and gave her a look as if it were the most delicious thing I’d ever eaten.

“It’s good… tastes like warmth. I like it, Ai.”

“You like it… Hehe. Saying that so suddenly is embarrassing…”

“Here, have some too, Ai. I can’t eat them all by myself.”

“Y-You don’t have to feed me… but thanks, Counselor Oppa…”

“Ai-chan’s back! Counselor, let me have just one bite too!”

As the light returned to her eyes, I let out a sigh of relief.

A magical girl must maintain her purity.

That’s why their physical and mental growth halts.

But over time, that fragile state becomes increasingly unstable.

Purity clouds, and cracks form in the mind.

Humans are creatures that break if they cannot grow.

To prevent that, we conduct these sessions—manipulating their hearts, using their emotions.

“I-If you like them that much… I can make more next time…”

“I’d want to eat them every day. Thank you, Ai.”

“Ah! W-Well…! S-Stop complimenting me like that out of nowhere…!”

The gem on the ribbon over Ai’s chest shone brighter than ever.

A sign that her heart was purer now than it had ever been.

Naturally, her magical output must’ve spiked as well.

“I-I’ll get going now, Counselor Oppa! I-I’ll bring more cookies next time, so look forward to it!!”

“We’re off, Counselor! And… thank you.”

“See you next time, Ai.”

-Creak

The magical girl and her familiar burst out the door.

The counseling room they left behind was swallowed by silence, the quiet creeping in like a rising tide.

All that remained was the aftertaste of the cookies in my mouth—sweet at first, but now overwhelmingly bitter.

I washed it down with a cup of cheap coffee and stared wearily at the cookie box.

“Love, huh… Ha. Guess I’ll graduate someday too, just like that counselor.”

Purity is the source of a magical girl’s strength.

But that purity will inevitably cloud over.

Yet, there is a kind of purity that never fades.

Love.

I’m a counselor who exploits that love.

And one day, I might “graduate” because of it too.

After my morning session with Magical Girl Ai, I had no more appointments for the day.

But that didn’t mean I was free.

I had to write up Ai’s session log and plan her next counseling schedule.

[Magical Girl Ai] [Real Name: Sehui] [Familiar: Ruby (High-Class Spirit, self-proclaimed)] [Experience: Started at age 17, currently in her 6th year]

– Signs of mental collapse are accelerating. Even during the morning session, symptoms of breakdown appeared. Stronger measures may be necessary.

A crumbling mind is like a sandcastle.

Once it starts collapsing, it can never be restored—it just keeps crumbling.

But there is a way to repair it without reversing the collapse.

By filling the cracks with another emotion.

The purest emotion of all: love.

‘Get closer to her.’

Objective analysis shows Ai is already in love.

And the target is me.

I fill the cracks in her mind with myself, preventing total collapse.

Every time I plan this, a discomfort rises in my chest.

A boiling sense of guilt.

I drown it in cheap coffee and prepare the next prescription.