Chapter 109

“Why did you bring a little kid here, hmm?” The girl with Guiding Light sparkling in her eyes shot a snide look at Maya, who followed behind Hakua. She wore a white jacket over a light blue sailor uniform; her unusual eyes seemed to pierce Maya through. “Just dump her off at the base. A kid like that will only get in the way if we bring her along on our journey.” “I think she’s scared of adults, though. It seems cruel to leave her at the base, don’t you think?” Hakua glanced at Maya, who hid behind the enormous Ryuunosuke. He was nearly six and a half feet tall, though he was only seventeen. In fact, everyone here but Maya was in their teens. “Besides, her Pure Concept is really unique. They’re after her just as much as you and Gadou. It’s safer to bring her with us than to leave her somewhere and hope for the best.” “Don’t try to sound so sensible. Those are just excuses you made up after the fact, aren’t they?” The girl sighed and shrugged at Hakua’s insistence on bringing Maya along. “You’re such a softie. How are we supposed to save the world if we keep worrying about every stray you come across?” “I can’t just ignore someone who’s suffering. If I did, I wouldn’t be able to look my best friend in the face when we get back to our world.” “That’s not the point, Hakua. You bringing this girl here has already had a negative effect.” The girl in the white coat and light blue uniform smacked a strange spherical object nearby with her palm, and the star-shaped Guiding Light in her eyes shimmered brightly. “See? Look at this! Kaa’s gone and clammed up.” “Kaa”? Maya blinked quizzically at the nickname the girl called the strange object. At a glance, it only seemed to be a mysterious orb floating in the air. If the girl addressed it by a name, then was it actually a person? Size-wise, it was just big enough to hold someone curled up into a ball. Ignoring Maya’s confusion, the girl went on, eyes shining even more intensely. “Today was our anniversary, you know. It’s been a year since I met Kaa. I’ve been slowly closing the emotional gap between us. Lately, we’ve finally gotten to the point where we can make eye contact for almost three seconds a day! But Kaa is very sensitive to environmental changes! Kaa’s delicate mental state can’t handle a new member joining us! Listen, Hakua. You’ve got to be more careful about Kaa’s fragile glass heart!” “Well, tell Gadou that the next time she uses her Pure Concept for something stupid, I’m going to break that shell open myself.” “See?! This is exactly what I’m talking about! You’ve got to stop being so cold! Kaa’s shell is hardening even more!” The white coat–clad girl smacked the inexplicably floating orb. “Honestly… You haven’t forgotten that using a Pure Concept erases your memories, have you?” “Not to worry. You’ve got me, remember? We don’t need to worry about losing memories. Who do you think I am, huh? I’m the leading expert in World Connection, which taps into the roots of the planet itself. I’m the first to ever add an immortality structure to a complete Guiding Force circuit! They call me Nono, the flawless magical girl genius!” After delivering an introduction no one had asked for, Nono puffed out her flat chest. What in the world was this exchange about? Maya, who’d been cowering behind Ryuunosuke as she watched, looked up at him with doe-like eyes. “So, um…they’re pretty strange, huh?” “Yup.” “Maya, there’s no point trying to talk to Ryuunosuke,” Hakua informed her. “He only says things like ‘Yup’ and ‘Uh-huh.’” “What? Really?” “Uh-huh.” Ryuunosuke nodded, looking oddly satisfied. These people truly were strange. As Maya’s eyes widened, Hakua patted her on the back. “Don’t worry. They might be idiots, but they’d never take anything away from anyone.” Hakua’s words, spoken with a smile, rang true at the time; they would become a lie one day.