Why are the magical girls in your area male?

In the soft morning light, her lover's silhouette appeared exceptionally gentle, causing her heart to skip a beat, and her anger inexplicably dissipated by more than half.

Not only that, but a sense of embarrassment and a sweet feeling of happiness quietly welled up in my heart.

She buried her face back in her hands and muttered under her breath, "Damn it, I'll just pretend I got fucked by a dog."

"Woof, woof woof woof." Yuan Qing barked twice in agreement.

Yuki Tsukishiro burst out laughing and punched him on the shoulder.

"What? You even made fun of me being born in the Year of the Dog? Turns out you're the real dog! You bastard!"

Yuan Qing smiled and stopped teasing her. He gently patted her back, as if soothing a sulking kitten.

The room fell silent again, with only the sounds of their intertwined breathing and biting.

Whether it was last night's "mischief" or this morning's "revenge," it all melted away in this moment of tenderness.

......

......

After school, because Yuki Tsukishiro was going to participate in club activities, Gensei decided to go home alone first.

Before going back, he went to his sister's class to look for Yuan Xun as usual, but she seemed to have already gone to do her part-time job, so he came up empty-handed.

Yuanqing has been away from home for several days. Although the president has been helping to take care of him, he is still a little worried.

The other party responded well to the messages he sent, and Yuan Xun did not show any signs of disappointment during their occasional casual phone conversations.

If it weren't for the impending arrival of various forces that would stir up undercurrents in Japan, Yuanqing would have let her go home.

As for now, considering her future plans, it's safer for her to stay with the chairman.

He hadn't walked far from the school gate when a somewhat old taxi slowly pulled up beside him and stopped.

Yuan Qing turned his head to look, and the car window rolled down, revealing Shiori Shiomi's exquisite face.

Ok?

Why is the president in a taxi? Where's her Maybach?

"Get in the car, I'll take you somewhere," she said softly, her voice and expression as indifferent as ever.

Yuan Qing didn't ask any questions. He opened the car door, got in, and fastened his seatbelt.

The car drove through the streets of Tokyo, and after a while, it left the bustling main road and turned into a relatively quiet neighborhood with a touch of old-fashioned charm.

Most of the buildings here are low-rise, and traces of the Showa era can be seen everywhere.

The taxi's tires made a slight rustling sound as they rolled over the road. After a short while, it finally came to a slow stop in front of a shop that looked quite old.

The shop's storefront is small, and the wooden signboard, weathered by years of wind and rain, has darkened in color and developed some cracks along its edges.

It has a few simple Japanese characters engraved on it: Asakawa Pet House.

Shiori Shiomi paid the fare and got off the bus first, followed closely by Gen Ao.

She stood at the shop entrance, not in a hurry to go in. She tilted her head slightly and gazed quietly at the old signboard, her eyes filled with complex emotions, as if she could see the distant past through it.

Yuan Qing, on the other hand, focused his attention on the store itself.

The shop window was spotless, and inside were a cozy display of various pet toys, soft mats, and high-quality pet food from various brands. You could vaguely see a few furry figures moving around inside.

"This is a pet shop owned by a friend of mine. The owner is not here at the moment, and it is temporarily being run by a mother and daughter."

A sense of loss, so out of place with her usual demeanor, crept into Shiori Shiomi's voice.

She paused, then asked Yuan Qing with a serious expression, "Do you still remember Tsukimi Haruka?"

Yuan Qing was slightly taken aback, and the image of the girl he had met once before in front of the Yanhutai student dormitory immediately came to mind.

“I remember,” he nodded, then asked doubtfully, “You’re here to see her?”

"Yes, the mother and daughter I was talking about are her and her mother."

After Shiori Shiomi finished speaking, she took a deep breath, as if to encourage herself.

Then, she regained her composure and took the first step: "Let's go in and take a look."

She reached out and pushed open the glass door with a small brass bell hanging on it.

The door hinges creaked slightly, and the brass bell jingled, breaking the tranquility of the street corner.

Yuan Qing followed closely behind. As soon as he entered the shop, a warm and unique aroma of grains wafted towards him.

The air was filled with the faint fragrance of pet shampoo, the clean fur of the animals, and a subtle smell of disinfectant.

It doesn't have that fishy, ​​animalistic smell, and it's not unpleasant to smell.

Yuanqing followed Shiori Shiomi inside, looking around at the store's layout.

The store is more spacious and brighter than it appears from the outside, with warm yellow lighting filling every corner. The shelves are neatly arranged with pet food and grooming supplies from various brands, and everything is in good order.

In the corner, a girl was squatting on the ground with her back to them, busy feeding several round golden retriever puppies.

Several little creatures surrounded her, wagging their tails and making satisfied humming sounds.

She was still wearing the baseball cap that Yuan Qing remembered, with the brim pulled low, and she was wearing the simplest white cotton dress, the hem of which was casually scattered on the floor.

A few strands of short, golden hair peeked out from under the brim of his hat, gleaming softly in the lamplight.

Yuan Qing gazed at her profile; her fair cheeks appeared exceptionally soft under the light.

Her unique purple eyes were slightly lowered, her gaze incredibly focused, as if the whole world consisted only of her and the young lives around her.

"Ah, are you a guest? Excuse me, welcome. Would you like something...?"

Tsukimi Haruka belatedly stood up and turned to face the two of them.

The moment she saw them, the gentle look on her face instantly turned into bewildered surprise.

"Yes, President..."

Tsukimi Haruka's eyes darkened, and she awkwardly turned her head away, supporting her left arm with her right hand. "You, how could you suddenly..."

"Don't be nervous, Tsukimi-kun. I just thought it had been a long time since I'd come to see you. I didn't mean anything by it."

Shiori Shiomi quickly explained her purpose for coming.

Tsukimi Haruka did not respond, and the two fell into silence without realizing it.

After a moment, Shiori Shiomi nervously started the conversation again: "How are you doing? How's business at the shop?"

"Everything is fine..."

"Uh, that's good then..."

The conversation reached another deadlock.

This was the first time that Yuan Qing had ever seen the usually quick-witted Shiori Shiomi speechless and unable to find a topic to talk about.

Shiori Shiomi gazed silently at Haruka Tsukimi, whose once incredibly bright purple eyes now seemed like dusty glass, dull and lifeless.

She took a deep breath, lowered her voice, and spoke again: "Tsukimi-kun, you should come back to the association. Don't worry, I won't make you do anything unnecessary. I'm just doing this for your safety."

Although the association helped you change your name and conceal your identity, but...

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the somewhat deserted little shop, and continued, "I'm always worried about you being here alone... Come back, the association can at least provide more comprehensive protection."

Tsukimi Haruka's body trembled slightly, as if those words had reopened an old wound.

She didn't answer, but slowly squatted down, stretched out her finger, and gently scratched the chin of a little golden retriever that came over to rub against her palm.

The little one purred contentedly, its round body resting against her legs.

"No need, President..."

Haruka Tsukimi forced a smile and replied gently, "Thank you for your kindness, President. I'm truly grateful..."

Her voice was very soft, almost drowned out by the puppy's whimpers, "But there are too many things there that I don't want to remember."

As soon as I returned to that place, I couldn't help but think of Yuuka-nee and Hoshina-nee...

I really, really can't bear to think about it. Just thinking about those things makes me so scared, I tremble with fear.

Tears streamed down Tsukimi Haruka's face, her gaze never leaving the few small lives at her feet that depended on her:

"It's quiet here. Being with them makes me feel more at ease, as if I can get closer to Sena-nee, so..."

Tsukimi Haruka couldn't continue speaking.

The air seemed to freeze at that moment.

Shiori Shiomi bit her lower lip tightly, her fists clenched so hard that her nails seemed to dig into her flesh.

Just then, the curtain at the back of the shop was pulled open by a slightly rough hand.

A middle-aged woman wearing an apron and looking tired came out.

The moment she saw Shiori Shiomi, her face darkened. She quickly stepped in front of Haruka Tsukimi, separating them, her eyes filled with wariness.

"President Shiomi, didn't I tell you not to come?"

"Aunt Tsukimi Megumi, I..."

"Thank you for still thinking of our Yaoyao. We are living a peaceful and happy life now, and we really don't need the Xijian family to lend us any more help."

I don't care what's going on between you two, please just leave and don't come back.

"..."

Shiori Shiomi opened her mouth, but the moment she looked into the other person's eyes, she knew that all her prepared words and promises were pale and powerless.

For them, they would probably rather die than return to such a cruel past.

Her petite body trembled slightly, and she finally lowered her eyelids and nodded slightly: "I understand, Tsukimi-san, and Auntie Megumi, I'm sorry to have bothered you."

Shiori Shiomi raised her head and took a deep look at Haruka Tsukimi, who was hiding behind her mother with her eyes lowered as if trying to conceal herself. Then she turned around and left the pet store with Ao.

Stepping out of "Qianchuan Pet Home," a cool evening breeze greets you.

Shiori Shiomi and Ao Minamoto walked side by side on the sparsely populated street in silence.

Vehicles occasionally drove by, creating a brief gust of wind.

After walking a long way, until the pet shop's lights completely disappeared around the corner, Shiori Shiomi slowly spoke:

"The original owner of that shop was a girl named Asakawa Sena."

Her parents died early, and after her grandmother passed away, Hoshina barely managed to keep the shop afloat with the help of her neighbors.

Later, Hoshina awakened her Heart Flower, became an A-rank magical girl, and joined the association.

"During her time at the association, she was as warm and cheerful as a little sun, as if she had inexhaustible energy."

Because she joined the association earlier than Tsukimi Haruka, she naturally became her senior, protecting her like an older sister.

After a brief pause, Shiori Shiomi looked up at the darkening sky in the distance, her eyes unfocused, and continued:

"Two years after the attack, during the final stages of negotiations, the leader of the four-person team that was attacked by that group of escaped prisoners was an A-rank magical girl named Oda Yuka, who had known Hoshina since childhood."

The two shared a deep connection; even their Heart Flowers awakened around the same time, so they naturally formed the same team.

"On the night of the attack, Hoshina received an urgent request for help from another team. A Shadow Beast Nest that needed to be cleared immediately had suddenly appeared nearby. The situation was critical, so she had to temporarily leave the team and rush to provide support."

Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, this departure from the team saved her from a horrific attack, but also burdened her with an even more painful fate.

"Two C-rank magical girls were tortured to death, and Oda Yuka fell into witchhood and was killed while resisting."

As for Tsukimi Haruka, she was a rare healing-type, and someone offered a high price to 'buy' her, thus sparing her the fate of being abused.

“I can’t imagine what she was forced to witness, or what kind of inhuman hell she went through. She was only 14 years old at the time.”

"Yuanqing, she's only 14 years old, do you understand?"

Shiori Shiomi's voice trembled violently. Even someone as composed as her found it difficult to speak when the topic came up.

Yuan Qing felt the surrounding noise disappear instantly.

The boundless darkness described by Shiori Shiomi transformed into a chilling cold, roaring in his mind.

He finally understood why Tsukimi Haruka always looked so timid, why she wanted to run away whenever she talked to someone, and why she sought comfort in small animals.

Because "humans" are too terrifying.

That pet shop was the haven she chose after her breakdown, a place to isolate herself from "human" society and lick her never-healing wounds.

If it weren't for her mother still being alive, if it weren't for the companionship of her pets, perhaps she would have...