Give children a little self-destruction shock to their worldview.

This guy is too capricious, and it seems that he has let himself go after becoming like this. Both his mental age and IQ seem to have declined...

This isn't just Mayumi Haga's subjective bias; it's just that Megaran has been acting more and more like a comedian lately. If someone had just met this water sprite, they might really think she's a real character.

A crystal head that was recently whipped like a top by Ulzana for trying to bite itself doesn't seem reliable at all.

“…Mayumi, your gaze seems rather rude.” Megarane keenly caught the pity in Mayumi Haga’s eyes. He wanted to retort loudly, but because of the plaster on his chin, he kept his movements as gentle as possible.

Mayumi Haga calmly looked away: "No, that's your imagination."

"It's definitely because my chin was rubbed flat, waa ...

Again.

Mayumi Haga sighed inwardly.

Ever since half of her chin was shaved off, Megaran has been wailing and howling at home all day long. She's only been a little quieter during finals week—actually, that's because Ulzana-senpai manually muted her—and then she starts crying and complaining as soon as Mayumi Haga comes home.

Mayumi Haga softened at first, wanting to help Megaran, who cherished her beauty, repair her damaged face.

After all, water nymphs are a race that loves beauty, and with only her head remaining, Megarane paid even more attention to her exquisitely sculpted face.

However, she consumed too much energy in the incident with the dividing needle, and her regenerative abilities were affected due to overexertion.

Therefore, Mayumi Haga's attempt to feed Megarane some blood to speed up her recovery was stopped by Dr. Ayasa Terasaki and the two senior Guardians.

Anyway, losing half of her jaw won't cause any immediate problems, so let her wait and see.

In the end, it was all the water demon's fault. She actually thought of taking advantage of the situation when Yuga Mayumi was split into three. She deserved to be taught a lesson.

Mayumi Haga recovered very quickly; in fact, she was basically the same as before by the third day. However, as punishment for Megaran, it was decided that Mayumi Haga should finish her final exams first.

This has resulted in Megrana having to wear a chin brace in public for over a week.

Her emotions were unstable for more than a week.

Now that Mayumi Haga has finally finished her exams, and seeing how pitiful Megarane is, she didn't refuse.

She rolled up her sleeve to her forearm and brought it to Megaran's mouth.

Facing the piece of meat in front of him, which emitted an enticing aroma, Megaran subconsciously stuck out the tip of his tongue and licked his upper lip.

“Well, I really did bite.” Megaran looked at Mayumi Haga and said cautiously, “It was your own choice, wasn’t it!”

It seems he was indeed terrified of being slapped by senior Urzana.

Megrana was not afraid of death, nor was she afraid of pain. But if she were disfigured in such a humiliating way, she would cry for the rest of her life.

She's a pretty water sprite who cares about her image, so why is she being whipped around like a spinning top?

That damned giant hybrid! If I could regain my body... at least I could escape.

Megrana was quite self-aware.

In terms of experience and strength, Urzana far surpasses her. She is an ancient guardian monster who has lived for countless years. If this tender young aquatic girl were to fight such an old thing, she would definitely be the one to suffer.

Even the then-naive Mayumi Haga was enough to give her a hard time, let alone Urzana.

If you can't afford to offend someone, can't you at least avoid them?

Anyway, I'm also a good friend of Mayumi, hehe.

Megranée knew very well who he was in this house because of, and that the other two old men also depended on Mayumi Haga for their existence.

...Wait a minute, why does my role seem more like a pet than a friend?

Is this reasonable?

Megrana was grumbling to himself, but his thoughts were not outwardly visible.

She took a bite out of Mayumi Haga's forearm, deliberately choosing a thicker part of the flesh.

The taste wasn't too different from the one I had before, but it seemed a bit sweeter and fresher. I'll savor it again...

"...Don't lick the blood repeatedly with your tongue, it's a little itchy," Mayumi Haga said. "Just eat more directly."

Megragne clenched his teeth and took a large, satisfying bite.

When Mayumi Haga withdrew her hand, the missing piece of flesh on her arm had grown back, though the skin was now a pinker color.

And it always feels like Miss Water Sprite's tongue and saliva are still on it...

She sighed.

Megaran swallowed the meat with relish, quickly absorbing its energy. Then she gave Mayumi Haga a blood-stained smile: "Thank you for the treat, Mayumi."

Mayumi Haga: "If I were you, I wouldn't choose to open my mouth."

"Whoa! It's all turned into orange juice!"

One second she was grinning broadly, the next the aroma in her mouth vanished, much to the regret of Megraine, who had finally managed to get a bite; she wanted to savor it properly.

She looked at Mayumi Haga pitifully: "Can I have another bite?"

Mayumi Haga sighed, "Alright."

Considering that Megranie's chin hasn't fully healed yet.

This time she put half of her hand into Megaranie's mouth.

This was suggested by the latter himself, who said he wanted to chew on some small bones.

Haga Mayumi pulled it out again with great effort, her newly grown hands covered in saliva.

"...Didn't I tell you not to lick it?"

Finally satisfied, Megragne looked away and began to whistle silently.

Having dealt with the hungry water demon, Mayumi Haga went to the bathroom to wash the drool off her arms.

Today's decision wasn't a spur-of-the-moment one; Mayumi Haga had been thinking for a while about how she should treat Megarane. From the moment she decided to take this dangerous friend under her wing and supervise her, she was prepared to feed this sharp-tongued confidante herself.

On one hand, this is the nature of a water nymph. On the other hand, Mayumi Haga also has the ability to fulfill Megarane's small requests.

What would be unacceptable to others is nothing more than a piece of cake for Mayumi Haga.

Her exchange of herself for Megrana's obedience was not a bad deal.

What's more, Megrana would sing lullabies to her when she couldn't sleep, and she learned a lot from Megrana.

Mayumi Haga wasn't particularly resistant to Megaran's request for food, but she wouldn't satisfy his extra greed.

For example, binge eating... that's absolutely unacceptable.

Just as she turned on the tap, Mayumi Haga heard the sound of a door opening from outside.

When she came out after washing her hands, she saw Sugiyama Rikka, who hadn't been back for a long time.

When faced with Mayumi Haga, who had discovered her secret, the red-haired guardian was somewhat guilty: "Hi, Mayumi, when are we going out? I've made a reservation at a restaurant."

Normally, someone would have grumbled about Mograine sitting on the coffee table, thinking she wasn't taking her out with her. But today, she was in a good mood after eating and didn't say much.

Mayumi Haga treated Rikka Sugiyama the same as usual: "Wait a moment, I'll just change my clothes."

Sugiyama Rikka looked around the room: "Where are Urzana and Fuyun?"

"Those two went out on a date, didn't they?" Megrana was feeling sleepy after eating, and she yawned. "They probably went somewhere to look at the stars."

Mayumi Haga corrected, "The seniors were just going out for a walk; the word 'date' is still a bit inaccurate..."

“I can’t say for sure about the half-giant, but that ghost is obvious.” As someone who had been observing everything from home, Megaran felt she had a lot to say. “Anyway, there’s definitely some story behind it. If you don’t believe me, go ask them yourself!”

Senior Fuyun... and Senior Ulzana?

Haga Mayumi couldn't imagine it.

If the two did have a past, it must have been before she became a Guardian. After Mayumi Haga became a Guardian, the two never met again, not even once.

When Urzana mentioned Fukumo to Mayumi Haga, she simply said that she was "a good friend who is also a guardian," and then introduced Mayumi Haga to help Fukumo solve his problems.

If Fuyun hadn't died during that dungeon mission, she really would have been able to meet Urzana again.

Given Fuyun's personality, it wouldn't be surprising if he had some kind of romantic relationship with Ulzana.

But Urzana's personality and her attitude towards Fuyun seem to simply mean that she regards him as a close friend.

And the size difference between these two is really...

With Mayumi Haga's brain, she naturally couldn't have imagined the unrequited love story between Lady Fukumo and Senior Urzana, but that's not the point.

Anyway, we can ask these questions when the two seniors return. Right now, we should find out more about Sugiyama Rika's situation.

Mayumi Haga had no interest in the restaurant or menu that Sugiyama Rika had arranged for her tonight. After entering the private room and waiting for all the dishes to be served and for the waiters to stop coming, she quietly waited for Sugiyama Rika to give her a suitable explanation.

"...She didn't even eat before waiting for me to speak, very much in line with Mayumi's style..." Sugiyama Rika chuckled dryly.

We had planned to have a meal to ease the tension, but it seems that won't work now.

Left with no other choice, Sugiyama Rika had to confess to Haga Mayumi what happened after she fell into the spiritual vein, including how her body changed and why she chose to leave home.

“If it’s Mayumi, she should be able to understand my thoughts.” Sugiyama Rika could only say these words to Mayumi Haga, who was in a similar situation to her.

Sugiyama Rika is not afraid of no longer being human, but rather of spending infinite time alone.

Mayumi Haga faces the same problem as her... or rather, Mayumi Haga has already experienced something like this.

And it is destined that in the long years to come, they will face the same cycle of parting again and again.

Text: 233. I love magical girls the most.

An infinite lifespan is torture for anyone.

Even among the guardians of Mayumi Haga, none of them ever achieved true immortality.

Although the Guardians gained a lifespan equal to that of the world when they signed a contract with the world's consciousness, which can be considered immortal in a narrow sense, most of the Guardians who lived the longest chose to end their own lives.

By the time of Mayumi Haga's generation, the world had been destroyed, and she continued to live in this new world, continuing the curse of eternal life.

She could understand Sugiyama Rika's concerns and knew why she didn't want to tell others about it.

If no one knows about this, then only Sugiyama Rika will have to bear the sadness of the passing of time, instead of everyone being saddened by the impending separation.

"Since you feel that you will part ways sooner or later, you should cherish the time you have together now." Although Mayumi Haga is not someone who feels very much like an immortal, due to her personality and experiences, she rarely has time to immerse herself in the sadness of the passing of time.

However, she was no longer the one who believed in life's impermanence.

Having truly experienced the pain of parting from many friends, Mayumi Haga is naturally more open-minded than Satomi Sugiyama, a novice long-lived being who chose to escape before even beginning.

Since separation by life and death is inevitable, let's try our best to make every moment we spend together feel "not wasted" when we look back on it later.

Ultimately, traveling the world can be done anytime, since Sugiyama Rika has unlimited time. But a friend's lifespan is finite.

"That's what I say... but I'm still a little afraid to face it..." Sugiyama Rika said dejectedly, resting her chin on her hand. She looked out at the city night view and sighed silently.

Regardless, she will still feel sad.

My body hasn't changed at all since I turned twenty-two. I haven't grown any taller or shorter. Even my hair has stopped growing. I never get sick, and even when I do experience symptoms similar to human illnesses, it's simply due to changes in the magical environment.

She gradually began to realize that she was no longer simply a human child, but that another part of her body was also blessed by God.

In just a few years, her impatient nature felt it was far too long. She really didn't know how she was going to get through the hundreds or thousands... no, perhaps even tens of thousands of years?

Just thinking about it sent chills down Sugiyama Rikka's spine.

She preferred her life as a human being to immortality.

Because of its brevity, the brilliance displayed in this short life is dazzling and exhilarating.

But if you live too long, the noise will fade away, and all that will be left is loneliness.

How will Mayumi cope with this loneliness?

To this, Mayumi Haga gave the following answer:

"Unable to resolve."

Sugiyama Rika hadn't expected to hear such an answer and couldn't help but exclaim in confusion, "Huh?"

Mayumi Haga has traversed a timescale longer than that of Rika Sugiyama. She has witnessed mountains turning into plains, seas drying up, suns falling, and the world crumbling.

So she knew that after the separation of life and death, she could only wait for time to smooth out the thorns that had grown in her heart.

Time is sometimes useless to those who live long lives. Because once the sense of time becomes dulled, no amount of time can erase the sadness.

Mayumi Haga's solution was simply to endure it.

These scars etched by past memories, and the wounds that sting whenever she thinks of them, are precisely the proof that she is alive.

For this traveler who never stops, the heavy sorrow she carries gives her a real sense of being alive.