Unlimited Ambition

The outer perimeter of the barrier was instantly destroyed. At that moment, the little round-faced girl, who was almost torn apart by several familiars, received much-needed reinforcements. Sayaka, descending from the sky, wielding a rapier, killed all the familiars with a series of thrusts—then a huge, tens-of-meters-long longsword appeared in her hand, falling towards the television set at the bottom. At the same time, a huge magic circle with a diameter of tens of meters appeared in the air, and a large number of longswords of various shapes rained down from the sky. Then, the entire witch's barrier collapsed with a rumble.

So, we returned to the real world—before the people around us had even come to their senses, Sayaka and I were dragged away. Her current outfit, which looked like a cosplay, was definitely not presentable.

"So, for a beginner, this battle went perfectly—and did you bring the Seed of Sorrow?" I said to Sayaka.

"Is that so?" Sayaka took out the almost black Seed of Sorrow and asked.

"That's right, this is it. Let's go home first and talk about it later."

"Ah."

After that, Sayaka took Madoka's hand and followed behind me.

"Sayaka, you signed a contract with Light and became a magical girl?" Madoka felt a little embarrassed and then asked.

"Judging from the result, that's exactly right." Sayaka said nonchalantly, "Besides, there's nothing inconvenient about it, right? Just think of it as having an extra side job—Light? Don't magical girls have welfare policies?" Sayaka deliberately spoke loudly to me, who was walking in front of her.

"I'll bake you a cake when we get back," I replied.

"Tch, what an idiot, but it doesn't really matter... Light is a very nice person," Sayaka said.

"But... but wouldn't it be too tiring?" Xiaoyuan asked.

"Maybe—but someone has to do this kind of work. You see, if I hadn't come this time, all the hundreds of people here would have been in danger. So magical girls are like messengers of justice. Isn't that cool?"

"But—if I also become a magical girl, wouldn't I be able to help Sayaka?" Madoka asked.

"No need," Sayaka said, still pretending to be relaxed. "Besides, Madoka doesn't have any unavoidable desires, right? I can't bring myself to ask her to become a magical girl just for me."

"But……"

Just as Xiaoyuan was about to say something, I stopped at the next intersection.

"Xiaoyuan, is this the direction your house faces? How about coming over to my house for a while?"

"...No, you and Sayaka must still have things to discuss. I won't disturb you any longer." Madoka said this, then turned around and left, looking somewhat lonely.

"He's a good kid," I remarked.

"So, I have to protect her. It was fine before I had the power, but now that I've become a magical girl, I must protect her—and this city, and everyone else. I'll protect them all." Sayaka declared confidently.

"Wouldn't that be too much work? —By the way, there's something I need to discuss with you."

"what?"

"A few days ago, another magical girl came to this city."

Chapter Eighteen: The Legend of the Chief, Part Two: Indecisiveness

So, for some strange reason, Sayaka's first battle was a resounding success. She defeated a legendary witch, obtained a Seed of Sorrow, and incidentally rescued hundreds of random passersby, as well as a round-faced girl.

What? You mean me? I'm all hers now, so everything else can be ignored, right?

That evening, I explained how to use the Seed of Sorrow and purified Sayaka's Soul Gem.

"So, you can't always use such high-powered magic in battles. It will cause your Soul Gem to gradually become dull and lifeless. If the Soul Gem becomes completely dark, it means your soul has been completely corrupted. The consequences are severe," I said to Sayaka.

"Huh? There's such a saying... But if magical girls fight, what should they rely on if not magic?" Sayaka asked.

"Since you signed on to become a magical girl, your physical abilities have improved quite a bit, haven't they? And you should also have a certain understanding of swords as weapons. So, starting tomorrow, in addition to your daily routine patrols in the city, I will give you some guidance on swordsmanship. Once you reach a certain level, you will be able to fight monsters even without magic, relying solely on your swordsmanship."

During our previous battle, Sayaka understood my strength, so she agreed to my suggestion.

"Then I'll go prepare some food, and after we eat, we'll wash up and go to bed," I said to Sayaka.

Hearing me say that, Sayaka suddenly remembered that she hadn't eaten much all day. She had been sleeping the whole time, and after waking up, she received my call and transformed to rush over to save people, so she hadn't really felt anything. But now that she had some free time, her stomach started growling.

“Okay. Please.” Sayaka said.

Walking into the kitchen, I saw the butter, eggs, flour, baking powder, sugar, and an oven. I sighed slightly, thinking that I should probably add some new kitchen utensils in the future.

A while later, it was still the same two sets: cake and black tea. Sayaka was a little confused as to why it was the same setup both times. But she didn't think much of it, finished eating, and then, using the spare items she had gotten from a certain senior, said, "Goodnight." After that, she decisively ran to the bedroom that was originally shared by me and the senior, plopped down on the bed, pulled the blanket over herself, and went to sleep.

If there are no problems, this cohabitation will continue, right? That's what I think.

"Well then, I'll go to sleep too. It's getting late." I looked at my watch; it was already past ten o'clock.

The next day, Sayaka and I went to school together—Sayaka seemed completely oblivious to the significance of it all, and we walked towards the school chatting and laughing. Along the way, Madoka and Hitomi joined us. Although having a boy among the three girls was a little conspicuous, because my level was so high, the girls didn't feel embarrassed at all.

However, just then, on the other side of the road, Kamijou the Second appeared, limping forward with a cane. Sayaka and Hitomi both seemed to notice him. Their attention was then drawn to him.

"Huh? Kamijou, you can go to school now?" asked a classmate next to him.

"Yes, because it's much better now, and staying at home all the time isn't a solution."

It seemed that only at times like these could Sayaka find some solace. After all, she had paid such a high price; it would be too tragic to receive nothing in return.

During the break, Renmei complained, "Last night, I don't know why, but I felt like I was sleepwalking and ended up in an abandoned factory in the suburbs with a lot of people."

"Huh? Is that so?" Sayaka was a good actress, completely pretending not to know anything.

"Hmm, this is really troublesome. The hospital said it was some kind of group hypnosis. But they seem a bit unsure, so we have to go back to the hospital for a check-up tonight."

"Hmm, this is really troublesome." Sayaka smiled slightly mischievously, seemingly a little smug. Hitomi didn't know this, but Sayaka had indeed saved her life.

However, a slight problem arose during the lunch break.

Hitomi pulled Sayaka aside for a slightly adult conversation at the restaurant—I had overheard it in a previous playthrough, and the overly reserved Sayaka was no match for her. Sayaka couldn't even utter a simple lie like, "Actually, we're already dating," and was completely outmatched by Hitomi.

"I don't want to sneak in, so let's compete fairly. Since you and Kamijou have known each other for a while, I won't make a move for the entire day after what I told you today. I'll let you confess first. But I'll make my move tomorrow."

The legendary NTR god, Green Hair, said this to Sayaka very seriously, leaving Sayaka almost completely speechless.

When school ended in the afternoon, Sayaka hesitated slightly—she seemed still angry that Touma hadn't contacted her for so long. So she remained hesitant, still hesitant. So, young lady, if you hesitate like this, you might miss your chance.

"There shouldn't be anything important today, so let's go back to training, Sayaka." I said to Sayaka as school ended.

“Um… well… but…” Sayaka continued to hesitate.

"Is something wrong? If so, it's a little troublesome." I frowned, looking quite troubled.

"No, it's okay—let's go back to training. I'm really looking forward to it!" Saya insisted, pretending nothing was wrong.

"Are you really alright?"

"It's really nothing."

After our telepathic conversation, Sayaka and I left the school together. Of course, we were still heading towards my home.

"What? That guy... hasn't come to see me for days, is it because of that woman?" At that moment, two familiar figures appeared behind Sayaka and me.

"..." The other one didn't say anything at all.

"—You brought me here just to show me this?"

"..."

"Hmph. Anyway, thanks in advance. Looks like that woman needs a little lesson—ugh." Accompanied by chewing and swallowing sounds, the two figures vanished...

Chapter Nineteen: The Formal Battle

During tonight's training, Sayaka seemed completely distracted, as if her soul had been stolen away, and she made many unnecessary mistakes.

"You're not in good shape. What's wrong? If you have something to say, just say it—you'll definitely die if you go to the battlefield like this, you know that?" I tapped Sayaka's head again, who was lost in thought, and then said, slightly exasperated.

"Sorry... Ah, um, I think I spaced out again? I'm so sorry." Sayaka paused for a moment, then said with a hint of embarrassment.

"No need to apologize to me." I shook my head, a little helpless. "If you're not feeling well today, then forget it. But are you really okay?" I asked again.

Sayaka shook her head and said against her will, "I'm really fine."

"Oh... how's your relationship with that boy—you know, the one called Kamijou?" I asked abruptly.

After that, Sayaka's expression turned very unpleasant.

"So something really happened." I said with a hint of helplessness.

"Please don't ask anymore." Sayaka lowered her head and then chose to escape reality.

"...Alright, that's enough for today." I snapped my fingers, and the entire barrier disappeared.

"I'll go cook."

"Ah."

Because of what happened yesterday, on my way home today, I made a special trip to the supermarket and bought a set of pots, pans, and cooking utensils, as well as various vegetables and meats. After a few stir-fries and fryings, a standard four-dish-and-one-soup home-style meal appeared on the table.

Although the dishes were visually appealing with their vibrant red and green colors, and tasted quite good, Sayaka found them tasteless. After finishing one bowl, she quickly put down her chopsticks and refused to eat any more.

"Then, let's go to sleep."

The whole process was very dull. Sayaka nodded, showing no intention of speaking.

In the middle of the night, Sayaka got out of bed, got dressed, and after making sure I was asleep, she carefully opened the door as quietly as possible. Then she went out.

"Tsk. What a hypocritical girl... Speaking of which, I seem to have neglected Kyoko a little these past few days." After hearing the door close, I opened my eyes, feeling slightly smug about my acting skills, and then muttered to myself.

Sayaka was completely unaware of this—for some reason she herself couldn't explain, she seemed to dislike me getting too involved in her relationship with Kamijou the Second.

Am I being used as a backup option?

Then, I suddenly realized a reality that was very close to my own. Immediately afterwards, I felt completely devastated.

"Damn it... Sayaka, Miki Sayaka..."

After a moment of stunned silence, I finally returned to normal—and then, an invisible pair of eyes followed Sayaka...

At this moment, Sayaka felt slightly uneasy, as if there was always a pair of eyes watching her from behind. However, after looking closely and even using her magical girl abilities to detect, she couldn't see anyone.

"I'm probably just overthinking it," Sayaka consoled herself.

Of course not. But at least I gave you these powers. If you could sense my presence using them, that would be truly bizarre.

After that, Sayaka decisively ignored the strangeness around her and quickly ran to the doorstep of Kamijou the Second's house. Then, she hesitated.

What should I say when I see him?

And it was so late at night...

Otherwise, I should just go back. We can talk about it tomorrow…

Sayaka lingered at his doorstep... and then, she heard the melodious sound of a violin coming from inside.

Sayaka was slightly captivated.