Chapter 123 : Atonement (1)

July 10

“So from now on, I’m thinking of… reducing my contact with Hikari a bit… hehe.”

“I see.”

“I was too dependent, wasn’t I? I’m sorry.”

“No, you weren’t.”

“It’s not that I’ve come to dislike Hikari! Please understand that!”

“Of course I know.”

“Hehe.”

In the forest of Elysion we entered holding hands, Yuki revealed her inner thoughts.

“I won’t cling to the past I abandoned and ran away from anymore, because I’m living in the present now.”

I won’t be held back by the past anymore.

I won’t rely on old memories anymore.

“Now… I really want to face this world.”

“Do you want to forget everything? Then I won’t talk about the past to Yuki anymore.”

Yuki shook her head at my words.

“Atonement… atonement for abandoning the past… I’ll do it while helping everyone now.”

“…”

“It’s a burden that will remain in my heart forever now, so I’ll keep carrying it.”

“I see.”

Yuki, who ran ahead a little, struck a confident pose for the first time and said.

She faced me with her hands on her hips, chest puffed out proudly.

“Because I’m a magical girl! I realized it too… too late, even after saying it myself.”

Tears were slightly pooled in the corners of Yuki’s eyes as she smiled proudly.

The girl who had been bound by the past and complacent in the present was now truly trying to move towards the future.

“I have to protect the people living now! That’s my dream!”

“…”

“Ugh… tears are coming out. What should I do.”

I silently wiped Yuki’s tears.

“How did you come to realize that while fighting?”

“Well, you see.”

Burning love.

I thought it was a keyword twisted once around like words symbolizing the trajectory of life, like Ichika and Hana.

‘To think the word itself was the answer.’

A fate that only transmits memories to the next world in a world heading towards destruction.

The way for a fate that has already served its purpose to move towards a new path.

‘A new alias.’

Animus, Yuki… and me.

A second alias given to those who pioneer a new fate, surpassing even the world.

Yuki, who had bloomed the fate of [Love], was quietly looking at me. It seemed as if a red flame was quietly burning in those eyes.

One star

Ichika’s storm

The energy flickering in the eyes of girls with strong hearts was now felt in Yuki’s eyes too.

“To truly love, you have to face it, not hide behind it.”

Yuki’s self-defined ‘love’ seemed like a somewhat strict definition.

To the point where I felt a bit small the moment I heard it.

‘Even the love between parents and children is love… no, if we say that the process of becoming independent from parents and understanding them is also love, then Yuki’s words are correct.’

Even so, I felt dissatisfied with the definition of ‘love’ that seemed too strict for a magical girl to advocate. Somehow, the things Yuki was saying, who seemed to have grown a little after the battle, were stronger and stricter than before.

Because such a Yuki seemed to have completely broken free from <Magical Girl HAZARD>. Because such a Yuki no longer seemed to be a weak girl dependent on me.

Feeling both proud and regretful, I said mischievously.

“Is that so? I think being protected is also a kind of love.”

“Hehe, is that so?”

Pat pat

Yuki looked at me with fond eyes and patted my head.

A kind adult doesn’t bother to refute a child’s whining.

‘This is completely treating me like a kid.’

I wonder if she would treat me like this if she knew that by my original age, I would be calling Yuki’s father, Ryota Shikishima, as an older brother.

‘Should I go to Yuki’s house sometime and call Ryota “big bro”?’

For a moment I felt such a childish rebellious thought, but I gave up.

Somehow, I felt like revealing my real age and original gender would create an inexplicable barrier with everyone.

‘Sometimes it’s best to quietly let things go.’

Anyway, after living as a woman for over two years, my perception of gender had been blurred for a long time. I didn’t want to come out and create subtle barriers with everyone right before the trials.

Trial.

The magical girls of [Plague] who appeared to sabotage the second trial fled into the rifts as soon as the second trial ended.

Those were holes leading to the wounds of stars.

Another world that originally forbade entry to humans or magical girls.

Even Animus, who volunteered for the trials and truly opposed humanity to test them, couldn’t touch the rifts.

Enemy of humanity.

Pus of the stars.

I set the magical girls of [Plague] as absolute enemies of humanity that cannot be compromised with, different from Animus or Scavenger.

‘The curse of the three goddesses was only once.’

Not just petty curses that merely weaken the opponent’s body and lead to death. The kind of curse they uttered to completely ruin <Magical Girl HAZARD>.

Power that distorts the world.

Such a curse will probably be thrown in the next third trial as well.

The magical girls of [Plague] reborn in demons due to the curse hadn’t properly descended for long, and didn’t seem to have their own beliefs like Animus.

‘They were extremely weak.’

It was enough to interfere with the trial, but even without Yuki’s awakening, if we had more time, we could have easily overcome the second trial with help from magical girls waiting in Europe.

‘If that had happened, there would have been some casualties though.’

This time, fortunately, we were able to end it quickly with Yuki’s awakening. But if [Plague] is strengthened by receiving a new curse from the three goddesses next time, will we be able to repel them like now?

“Whew.”

“[Plague]?”

“Huh? H-how did you know?”

“It’s written all over your face.”

Poke

Yuki poked my cheek and chuckled.

Yuki no longer depended on me or clung to me, but walked beside me with a proud smile, trying to face people.

The girl with the strongest heart.

The girl who had burned all of [Resurrection] and became the weak [Flame] now became [Love].

“…”

Magical girl of [Love].

A great fate that truly penetrates the world, which all humans know naturally, but because of that.

‘Maybe even more than [Hope]…’

More than [Hope] that will fade after overcoming difficult today, won’t [Love] that faces reality with gratitude remain longer in this world protecting people?

“I’m counting on you, Yuki.”

“Hm? Yeah! Leave it to me! If magical girls of [Plague] come, I’ll defeat them all with the power of the new magical girl!”

“…Yeah.”

I’m counting on you to protect people, Yuki.

So we walked around for a while and then dispersed to our respective homes.

I went to Elysion’s square, while Yuki to her home in Japan.

Unlike the magical girls who were confused by the appearance of [Plague], the reaction of the whole world was extremely joyful. From the outside, it looked like we had completely blocked the very few demons that leaked from the rifts and fought and defeated the giant sea serpent in one breath.

‘They’re treating me more and more like a goddess of victory.’

The evacuation that ended more smoothly than Japan and the characteristic of the battle taking place at sea, with no damage at all, also contributed greatly.

Absolute faith.

Now the magical girl of [Hope] was a huge faith itself that was believed without doubt.

From the moment the limit of faith surpassed a certain value, world leaders stopped calling me to meetings.

‘It’s a bit burdensome when they come themselves.’

Really.

Really truly burdensome.

The bodyguards who patrol and inspect the entire city including the square the day before visiting Elysion, and the way they act shamelessly accompanied by interpreters and aides unnecessary for me who can understand all languages.

Somehow they started treating me as something beyond the human world.

No, it’s somewhat correct…

‘I understand it’s a matter directly related to their own safety, but.’

I just politely requested to be called to meetings from now on.

“Whew. Huh?”

As I was walking while thinking such complicated thoughts, I saw several golden girls gathered in front of me, whispering. They were sitting somewhere in an alley, discussing something with serious faces.

“So Lea said there’s a culture called birthday parties outside!”

“B-birthday parties?”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a culture that blesses the day you were born into this world, like the day the goddess molded us from starlight!”

“Oh! That must be so joyful!”

“So let’s celebrate the Divine Maiden’s birthday among ourselves!”

“What about the Successor?”

“W-we don’t have the right to dare celebrate the goddess’s birthday.”

“Right, that’s something the Divine Maiden should start talking about first!”

“Ah… that’s true. Only the priests have the right to celebrate sacred days.”

I quietly sat down next to them and listened. They were each asserting their guesses on how to proceed with this unfamiliar culture called a ‘birthday party’.

“The Divine Maiden’s birthday?”

“Yes! Unlike us, the Divine Maiden was made by the goddess of [Beginning] right before the trial ritual… oh?”

“I see. In a way, the Divine Maiden is the youngest among you all.”

“Successor?!”

“Tell me more about that story.”