Regarding the fact that my best friend is a magical girl

"Halley's heart is still human, at least she hasn't been completely affected by the Black Crystal. As long as she maintains a positive attitude, she won't be completely transformed into a monster by her negative emotions... This is the speculation that we, including Sirius, agree with."

"Hmm, so as long as she stays in that good mood, nothing will happen?"

That's what I asked.

Miluno shook her head.

"No, we hope you can get first place."

I don't understand what Miluno means; it contradicts what she just said.

"But if we get eliminated, Miss Halley will surely be consumed by her own darkness, won't she?"

"Maintaining her positive mindset is only a temporary measure. To solve the problem of dark energy once and for all, we still need your... your magic."

"I?"

"Your magic can filter out the effects of dark energy."

Should we use bubbles as filter paper?

"Then I'm afraid it's still not... Ah!"

If I think like that, then I really can't do it.

"That's right, you need to continue to build your confidence. The contestants in this year's Idol Festival are all strong, but only by defeating those formidable opponents can you realize just how good you are."

Although he usually has a distant and unapproachable expression, his tone was very gentle at this moment.

"That's true, but my support rate is only in the middle among the sixteen contestants, even lower than yours, Miluno... I might not even make it into the top eight."

"No, Seruno."

She reached out and gently touched my cheek.

"I will always believe in you, so you must believe in yourself too."

Chapter Fifty: Each Person's Rival

(Albinocotyledon)

I slept very comfortably.

I haven't felt this comfortable in all these days, and it's not just because the bed is soft or the blankets are fluffy...

It's also because she's by my side.

It seems I really do have a condition where I can't sleep without Serono around.

This idiot, he really is my teddy bear.

……

…………

No, maybe I'm the teddy bear.

Completely entangled, unable to move her hands and feet, there was no way to get her out of bed without waking her up.

"Hey, wake up, Seruno."

"……Um?"

After struggling for a moment, the dazed fool opened his eyes.

She and I locked eyes for a few seconds, and then her face flushed red to the roots of her ears.

"Waaaaah! Miss Miluno! I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay, it's not the first time. I already know very well that you're very 'lively' when you're asleep."

"Wouldn't that make me even more embarrassed?"

She was clearly wide awake, and with her eyes closed, she exclaimed, "Next time I go to sleep, I'll trap myself in a solidified protective film first!"

"No need to go that far, just thinking about it makes me uncomfortable... Go wash up first, I need to go back to the villa later."

"Hmm? Miss Miluno lives in a villa?"

She's started speculating about my background again.

However, the greater the discrepancy between her ideas and reality, the safer I am as "Bai Ziye". So at this point, adding a little fuel to the fire will lead her astray.

"Let's say that for now, Halley lives with me too."

"Miss Halley is actually living in Miluno's house... I'm so envious!"

Her eyes told me that she was truly envious.

I suggested, "Why don't you come back with me and take a look?"

"Can I go?"

"of course."

"I'll go wash up now!"

Seruno took off her pajamas with a change of clothes, changed into a clean set of everyday clothes, and rushed into the bathroom before me.

This apartment has more than one bathroom; both bedrooms have ensuite bathrooms, so I went to the other one.

Just then, Sirius came out of the restroom pushing the Golden Ship, and she greeted me.

"Good morning, Milno, where's Seruno?"

"She's washing up, and I have nowhere to go, so I'm asking to use your bathroom."

The Golden Ship looked like it was in a lot of pain in its mouth.

"Ouch, vomit!"

Still gagging.

Even though she had transformed into human form, it was still a bit of a stretch for her to learn how to brush her teeth all at once.

"Oh, by the way, could I borrow the villa key too?"

My words were a bit abrupt, which startled Sirius.

She asked, "Hmm? What are you going to do?"

“I told Serino that the villa was mine, which would reduce her suspicion of me.”

"Are you trying to use my assets to pretend to be a tycoon? Fine, I've already given him the key, just ask him for it. I think he'd be happy to play along with your acting... Did you bring all these things yourself?"

Under Sirius's somewhat surprised gaze, I took out a toothbrush, toothpaste, toothbrush cup, and towel from the Star Crystal.

"Probably because the crystal has fused into my body, my crystal space is quite large. I might as well make use of it, so I prepared a lot of miscellaneous small items, which will be convenient when I travel far away."

"The changes that have occurred in you are something I have never encountered even as a Star Crystal. Perhaps it is a phenomenon that only occurs when the synchronization rate between the crystal and the person reaches a certain level."

"Is my synchronization rate with the Morning Star Crystal very high?"

"That's incredibly high! If it weren't for the fact that the Morning Star Crystal has only been missing for a year, I would even suspect that you've been fighting as a magical girl for twelve years."

The Morning Star Crystal was already very adaptable to me when I first got it.

It felt like there was no break-in period; it was like crystal tailor-made for me...

"Miss Miluno, I'm all ready!"

Serino's voice; it sounded like she was looking for me in the living room.

"Serno! Woof!"

"Hahaha, Ah Huang, don't lick my face like that."

As I walked out of the bathroom, wiping my face, I saw Golden Fish pinning Seruno down on the sofa and making out with her, its paws kneading her. The scene was a bit lewd and violent... This dog seriously lacks common sense as a human being and needs to be properly educated.

Perhaps that's why it didn't become a pawn of Aldebaran?

Sirius leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed and said, "The stone inside the Golden Ship is very unique. It doesn't use any dark energy, but it's definitely not a Star Crystal. It uses a pseudo-factor base, yet it can achieve functions similar to a Star Crystal... Although I don't want to praise the enemy, Aldebaran, this weirdo development department director, does indeed have real technical skills."

Aldebaran.

She is unlike any other witch known to exist.

Not to mention the decisive and upright Fomalhaut.

"Is it possible that the pseudo-factor and the star crystal are actually the same thing?"

"Impossible, one side is crystal, and the other side is ore."

"Crystal is a mineral, that's common knowledge."

As seen in the previous footage from the other side, there were also ordinary soldiers on the other side who were not monsters, but looked no different from normal people.

If the monsters are ordinary people from the other side who transform using pseudo-factors, then wouldn't they be just like magical girls?

"...As the Star Crystal, I'm reluctant to admit this, but I'll have the research department investigate it a bit."

"So you hadn't thought of this before?"

"They must have investigated it. They couldn't find anything at the time, so maybe they missed something."

Zara brought out breakfast from the kitchen.

Although it was a simple ham and egg sandwich and hot cocoa, it still took quite a bit of effort to prepare enough for five people.

This seemingly clumsy little maid is more capable than I imagined. But the Imperial Hotel must have a buffet breakfast, so why make it myself?

"Aww!" Zara called out to us.

I guess this means it's time to eat breakfast.

After having her face licked with saliva, Seruno struggled to sit up and wiped her face with a tissue.

He even scolded, "Really, you can't do that again!"

"Wang!"

The Golden Ship showed absolutely no remorse.

During the meal, Sirius received a phone call.

"The draw for the round of 16 is out. Miluno, you will be facing the 'Twins' Valenhaite."