Regarding the fact that my best friend is a magical girl

Sirius picked up a tuft of his golden hair and held it in front of his eyes, flicking it back and forth.

"Isn't the biggest abnormality that there's nothing unusual about this? Your gender and status have been completely reversed, yet he can still treat you the same way as before. Do you think that's reasonable?"

“There’s nothing unreasonable about it. He even offered me advice on how to fight, just like a tactician.”

"But Seruno-chan, generally speaking, the status of tacticians and magical girls is not equal, you know?"

"He, he's my best brother, how could he distance himself from me just because I've become a magical girl?"

"Of course it's possible. Don't take humans too seriously. After all, I've seen too many cases like yours."

"..."

Miss Sirius's topic instinctively frightened me. Ye Zi was my last anchor, the embodiment of the identity "Sun Yao". If I lost him... then I would just be Serino.

I don't want to become like that.

"Serno, let's go to the dock."

Ms. Yin Wei, who had taken off her suit jacket and was only wearing a white shirt, stood at the restaurant entrance and greeted me.

Your friend will be here soon.

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(Albinocotyledon)

The reason Yin Wei brought so much luggage to Hawaii was because it included a portion called "Albino"—a smaller suitcase inside a huge one, filled with men's clothing, and even items like razors, electric toothbrushes, and handheld game consoles…

Wait, what's with this lubricated rubber sleeve? How could I possibly need that?

I curled my lip and said, "You really are well-prepared."

"You flatter me. Helping you conceal your identity is part of my job. I'll go down and call Seruno. You can take these luggage to the pier."

"I understand... but Sirius, she..."

I could keep it from Seruno, but I really don't have the confidence to keep it from everyone.

Yin Wei turned around and sighed, "You don't need to care about her. Although she is one of the founders of the association, she does not agree with the current association... or the long-term strategy formulated by the Tactics Director. In a sense, you two are on the same page. Therefore, even if she sees through your identity, she will never tell anyone."

"If the relationship isn't good, why would Spica dump us here?"

“If we are attacked continuously, Miss Sirius is strong enough to ensure your safety. This private island is far from the main island of Hawaii, so a fight wouldn’t cause much damage… It’s about time we left.”

Yin Wei closed the guest room door and went downstairs to greet Seruno.

I jumped off the second-floor balcony with my suitcase in hand, then dashed out of the mansion's main gate. Throughout the entire process, I maintained ten times the speed, running at nearly 120 kilometers per hour, making it impossible for anyone to notice me.

However, today's battle made me realize my shortcomings.

I'm not fast enough, not fast enough at all.

Ten times the speed of time is my comfort zone, and I haven't been able to step out of it for the past year and a half... I've been too complacent about my abilities. Looking at Seruno's growth in these four battles, it's me who should feel ashamed for not making any progress.

"Ugh……"

The sea breeze was blowing, and I felt a little melancholy.

The dock was completely empty. Standing there with my suitcase, I felt like the most out-of-place person in this stunning scenery.

I deactivated my transformation and returned to being myself, known as "Bai Ziye," after a long time.

Serino and the others would need at least a few more minutes to come down from the mansion halfway up the mountain. I left my suitcase on the pier, took off my shoes, and jumped onto the beach to collect seashells.

Besides all sorts of shells, you can also see conches and starfish on the beach, some of which are still alive, so I throw them back into the sea.

Although I can't throw all the starfish back, I can save as many as I can. As a magical girl, I just need to do what I can. Asking me to save the world... is impossible and unrealistic.

Choose a few pretty seashells, wash them in seawater, put them in your pocket, then put them in a bottle, add some fine sand, and you have a souvenir of your trip to Hawaii.

Unfortunately, no pearls were found. It seems that those things are indeed quite rare.

"leaf!!"

A pink figure rushed down the mountain path.

Chapter Eight: Each Person's Feelings

(Sun Yao)

"leaf!"

Stepping across the soft sand, I rushed toward Ye Zi, who was collecting seashells.

"You must have had a long journey!"

I didn't control my strength well, and Yezi stumbled when I bumped into him, almost falling backward. But he only took two steps back and managed to steady himself, allowing me to lean against his not-so-sturdy chest.

My soft hair swayed in the sea breeze. I tucked it behind my ear and looked up at the leaves.

He scratched his slightly flushed, handsome cheek with his sand-covered hands.

"It's alright, since I only sleep on the plane, so I'm not too tired."

He got shy when I hugged him. Could it be that he really sees me as a girl?

Realizing this, even I felt a little embarrassed and reluctantly let go of him.

He simply said, "You got to come on vacation thanks to me! I even brought you along to Hawaii, what a brother I am, right?"

"Thanks, this place is indeed very beautiful."

He raised his hand and patted the top of my head, an ambiguous gesture that made the atmosphere even more awkward.

"Don't do that, your hands are covered in sand... Come on, I'll take you to the mansion."

Miss Yin Wei didn't come over; she just stood at the foot of the mountain and watched from afar.

I picked up Yezi's suitcase from the pier and looked at the back of his shirt.

Q: "Have the wounds from your gua sha treatment healed?"

"The oozing blood has already scabbed over, but you can basically forget about swimming in the sea, unless you want me to suffer excruciating pain."

I reached out my free right hand and touched his back, but as soon as my fingers touched him, he recoiled as if he had been electrocuted.

"Hey, don't touch it!"

I withdrew my hand as well.

"I'm sorry, does it hurt a lot?"

"It's not that it hurts, it's just... just don't touch me unnecessarily."

Yezi's reaction gave me a strange sense of distance. We had only just met. Had I done something wrong?

“It’s a real shame we can’t go swimming. I heard from Miss Sirius that there’s a natural geyser on Naboo Island with hot spring facilities available for use.”

"There are geysers in Hawaii?"

Once they reached the foot of the mountain, Ms. Yin Wei answered the question.

"After all, it's a volcanic area... Oh, nice to meet you. You must be Mr. Ye, the one who has been on Seruno's mind?"

She spoke in ambiguous terms, reaching out to the leaf.

"Nice to meet you."

Ye Zi also reached out and shook hands with her.

"My surname is Bai."

……

When we returned to the mansion, Sirius was nowhere to be seen. After greeting the head maid, I took Yezi back to the guest room on the first floor.

"You'll be sleeping in the same room with me for the next five days and four nights."

"...Hmm, the environment here is nice."

He hesitated for a moment, but still agreed.

Miss Yin Wei went upstairs to take care of Miluno, and I wanted to take this opportunity to ask her some questions while we were alone.

"leaf."

He sat on the edge of the bed organizing the clothes in his suitcase, and I sat down opposite him.

"what happened?"

“We haven’t seen each other for over 24 hours, and we haven’t even talked on the phone. This is the longest separation we’ve had in years… But why do I feel like you’re not as happy to see me as you are to be picking up seashells on the beach? Did I do something wrong?”

He put down the clothes he was holding, looked up at me, and smiled.

"How could that be? I'm so happy. But you need to understand that there are differences between men and women. I want to treat you like a good brother, but you are an objective fact. I am, after all, a healthy high school student. You are dressed so lightly and yet you rush up to me and put your arm around my shoulder. I really can't handle it... So I have a suggestion."

"what?"

"When we're alone, you should change back to your original form."

Change back?

Will he turn back into Sun Yao?

Is this really necessary?

Why can't we just get along like this?

"I'd better not change back while I'm in Hawaii. Milno and Sirius are there, and the risk of exposure is too great. Besides, Ye Zi, you're not an outsider. Didn't I say before that you can look at my body as you please? I don't mind."

He merely glanced at my chest, then turned his head away and coughed twice.

"Ahem, you should really take better care of yourself."

And then, I was rejected.

What should I do?

I don't want my relationship with Yoko to become distant once I become a magical girl.

Being a magical girl is important, but Yoko is also my best and only friend in this life... This shouldn't be a multiple-choice question.

But how can I get Yoko to accept me as a magical girl?

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