Toyokawa Shoko doesn't want to become a witch

Aine seemed to have endless topics to talk about, and even if her only response was a wooden nod, Aine could continue the conversation without caring.

However, now, sitting on the bench in the astronomy club, facing the empty tables and chairs, one can faintly hear the sound of the brass band practicing, which makes the astronomy club seem even quieter.

The lamp felt so empty.

She thought she couldn't get used to Aine's talkativeness, but in reality, she had long since become inseparable from that pink-haired girl who was always chattering away, seemingly with endless topics to discuss, and whose cute little tiger teeth could be seen when she smiled.

The laughter and joy are gone, the friends I finally made are gone, everything is gone.

The lamp tried to return to its former self, picked up a pen, sat down at the desk, and wrote some meaningless words on the paper.

Dead cicadas, scorching sun, a hopeless future.

A cruel world, a beautiful world, a world that has nothing to do with me.

Everything seems to offer no solace, no matter how hard I try...

Deng looked at the words he had written, frowned, tore them all out, crumpled them into a ball, threw them into the trash can, and then slumped onto the table, burying his head in his arms.

What on earth is this writing...? It would be better not to write anything at all.

She sighed and hugged herself tighter.

Failed.

Another failure.

Everything is drifting further and further away from me, Aiyin, Xiaoxiang...

Everyone is leaving me.

Because of... my indifference.

I have no wishes, I did not become a magical girl, and I did not help them.

It's precisely because I did nothing that this happened again...

They did not become human.

===========

The sun sets behind the skirt. The evening glow climbs into the sky.

Deng, carrying his schoolbag, stood at the entrance of the planetarium, looking up at the magenta sky. Those thirty minutes between day and night were the most beautiful thirty minutes of the day.

Ding-dong-

"There are five minutes left before the show begins. Please take your seats in an orderly manner."

Standing outside the door, 2 heard the broadcast.

Deng withdrew his gaze, entered the planetarium, and, relying on his memory, found the best seat in the pitch-black hall. He skillfully leaned back in the chair and lay down.

Thump, thump, click, click.

A burst of noise came from beside me.

Deng looked over curiously and saw a blonde girl wearing a black baseball cap looking at the back of a chair that she couldn't lean back in, with a headache.

The blonde girl noticed the light's gaze, gave an apologetic smile, and clasped her hands together.

"I'm sorry to bother you." Her voice was gentle and very pleasant. "This chair doesn't seem to allow you to lean back."

"This seat..."

I remember that to lean back in this seat, you have to press another button.

She raised her hand and pressed it down.

click-

The chair next to him suddenly collapsed, taking the girl next to him with it.

A slightly surprised breath landed on the lamp's face.

She and that girl were face to face, only inches apart.

====

P.S.: The city lights are just coming on (not really)

The Lost Tale: The Lost Child - Chapter 328 Sitting on the Steps Watching the Stars

So close.

The lamp stared into the other person's eyes, stunned.

So close, it feels like I'm almost touching the tip of my nose.

Her eyes are so beautiful, like violets... but one of them has a faint golden glint in it. Is she wearing colored contact lenses?

She has such a wonderful temperament, like a fairy.

She is so beautiful.

In the brief few seconds of eye contact, a series of thoughts flashed through Deng's mind like a barrage of bullet comments.

The other person was obviously stunned for a moment, blinked, and observed Deng's expression. Her breath blew over her cheek, and the warm air brushed against every hair. Deng felt a tingling sensation and his ears went weak.

I've never seen anyone so beautiful before; they're almost too beautiful for human eyes.

throat--

Just then, the stadium lights suddenly went out.

"Now the program will begin. Relax and enjoy until the very last moment—"

A gentle female voice echoed from the planetarium's dome.

The blonde girl snapped out of her daze and flashed a beautiful smile at the light.

“Thank you for helping me,” she said.

"No, you're welcome..."

After being praised like that, Deng became embarrassed and blushed.

Fortunately, it became completely dark, and no one noticed that she was blushing.

"What we see now is the nebula known as the Pillars of Creation..."

A holographic projection of light appeared on the hemispherical dome, and a pleasant voice began to explain today's content.

The lamp turned around, focused its attention back on the ceiling, shifted its position, found a comfortable posture, and relaxed completely.

Let's put everything aside for now...

she thought.

======

An hour later.

"That concludes today's program. Please watch your step as you leave the venue, as there are steps..."

By the time the lights came out of the planetarium, it was completely dark.

She looked up in the direction she had looked when she entered the planetarium. The magenta sky was covered by deep blue, and the stars in the sky were twinkling.

For no apparent reason, Deng remembered a few days ago when they had a fight and she had fled alone in a disheveled state.

She ran for a long time that day.

It's been a long, long time.

Keep running, keep running, until you can't run anymore.

She collapsed to the ground, instinctively tilting her head back to gasp for breath, greedily inhaling the air into her lungs. The sky she saw at that moment looked just like that.

Same angle, same stars.

How similar.

She originally came to the planetarium to try to distract herself and avoid thinking about anything related to Aine.

But seeing this identical starry sky, she suddenly realized that what she was doing was also a form of running away. Coming to see the stars, supposedly to change her mood, was no different from that reckless run she had that day.

She eventually ran away, shamelessly running away.

The lamp drooped listlessly, clutching its notebook, and continued walking forward with unsteady steps.

Really...

Awful.

I am truly disgusting.

The stairs were right ahead, but Deng didn't notice them as she swayed and staggered forward. She hadn't been in the mood for lunch for the past few days, and at this time of day, she was experiencing low blood sugar, feeling dizzy and unsteady on her feet.

"Be careful."

A hand grabbed the back of the lamp's collar and pulled her back before she missed a step.

It was only then that Deng realized she had unknowingly walked up the stairs; if someone hadn't pulled her back, she would have tumbled down the stairs.

"Thank you..." Deng turned her head and thanked the person who saved her. "...Ah."

It turns out the person who grabbed my collar and kept me from falling was the girl I saw at the planetarium earlier.

The other person seemed to recognize the lamp only then, and showed a surprised expression.

......

It was the same staircase as before, with the lamp and the blonde girl sitting side by side.

The lamp looked around somewhat awkwardly, then secretly fixed its gaze on the other person. Beside it was a large patch of purple flowers, which matched those purple eyes perfectly.

"My name is Sanjiao Chuhua, you can just call me Chuhua," the other person said with a smile.

"Light... Takamatsu Light." Light introduced himself timidly.

"Can I call you Xiaodeng?" Chuhua asked familiarly.

Actually, she had known about Deng for a long, long time. Deng, on the other hand, hadn't recognized her.

It's perfectly normal not to recognize celebrities. After all, even if the actress who played Superman stood under her own poster wearing glasses, nobody would recognize her. But they've seen her on the String of the Storm, so they should remember her, right? Why are they acting like they're seeing her for the first time?

Could it be that this child is the type who won't remember someone if they don't care...?

Chu Hua's lips twitched slightly from an angle where the light couldn't reach.

In fact, Chu Hua was right.

The world in Deng's eyes is different from others. There seems to be a circle around her, and she can only see the faces of those who enter this circle. Apart from that, everyone standing outside the circle seems to be a faceless NPC in Deng's eyes, all the same.

She couldn't remember their faces, but she could hear their laughter and conversation.

It is precisely because of this that the lamp feels lonely, lost, and out of place with the people around it, to the point that it always feels like it is not human.

Chu Hua was originally outside this circle, until just now when she truly stepped into the world of lights.

Faced with Chu Hua's suggestion, Deng fidgeted with his fingers and nodded quietly.

".....Can."

"Then it's settled, Xiaodeng~" Chuhua looked very happy.

"......Um."

After saying "Mmm," the lamp lowered its head again, seemingly oblivious to its surroundings.

Quiet.

She didn't know what to say, nor how to face Chu Hua.

"Little Lamp, judging from your appearance, do you often come here to look at the stars?" Chu Hua took the initiative to start a conversation. "Even I didn't know there was something wrong with that chair."

“I come every week…” Deng said softly, “usually on Sundays, but today is… an exception.”

“I usually come on Saturdays, no wonder we haven’t seen each other before,” Chu Hua said. “I also have some things to do and won’t be able to come for a long time, so I’m taking this last chance to visit.”

"...What a coincidence."

“Ichizaki Ryouki (II) Yes, what a coincidence,” Chu Hua said.

What a coincidence! She would never admit that she did it on purpose.