The 30-Year-Old Magical Girl - Chapter 6

“——!?”

You Xi froze.

Every muscle in her body tensed as she stood rooted to the spot.

W-What?

Has Uncle found out that I’m Magical Girl Raging Flame?

But how?

Isn’t a magical girl’s identity supposed to be strictly confidential?

…Wait.

Did he secretly follow me this afternoon?

Countless possibilities raced through her mind.

Just as panic threatened to overwhelm her, You Dong spoke again.

“I saw Magical Girl Raging Flame on the news this afternoon.”

“…”

Can’t you finish your sentence all at once?!

You Xi screamed inwardly.

“Oh…”

She forced herself to stay calm.

“I-I saw the broadcast too.”

“Huh? That’s strange.”

“I thought you never paid much attention to magical girls.”

“I just happened to catch the live news.”

“I see…”

A brief silence followed.

“What do you think?” You Dong suddenly asked.

“What do I think about what?”

“Magical girls.”

He spoke slowly.

“In the end… they’re just children around your age who transform and fight, aren’t they?”

“So?”

“Aren’t you scared?”

“…Scared?”

“They fight Aberrations.”

“They get injured.”

“They can even die.”

“…Isn’t that far too cruel for children?”

His voice grew softer with every sentence.

You Xi stared down at the lonely figure sitting on the sofa below.

Then she answered in a cold, unwavering voice.

“Children… children…”

“You adults always talk down to us.”

She looked straight at him.

“…But isn’t it because adults can’t do anything…”

“…that children are forced to fight instead?”

---

You Xi’s bedroom looked exactly like the room of an obsessed magical girl fan.

Every wall was covered with posters of famous magical girls from previous generations.

Glass display cabinets lined the room, packed with figures, collectibles, and limited-edition merchandise.

Among them all…

One display stood out above the rest.

Inside a specially made temperature- and humidity-controlled case rested an enormous one-third scale figure.

Magical Girl Sandalphon.

Her complete Six-Winged Form.

Named after the legendary archangel…

Once celebrated as one of the strongest magical girls in history…

Even years after her retirement, she remained the idol of countless fans.

Including You Xi.

Sandalphon’s strength.

Her kindness.

Her unwavering resolve.

All of it had inspired You Xi since childhood.

During the darkest days following her parents’ deaths…

That graceful figure had become a lighthouse guiding her through endless despair.

“Mom…”

As soon as she entered her room, You Xi hurried over to her desk.

A framed photograph stood quietly upon it.

It was a picture of You Huimei.

Resting her chin on the tabletop, You Xi lowered herself until her eyes met those of her mother in the photograph.

As though…

If she looked closely enough…

Her mother would smile back.

“Mom…”

“I defeated an Aberration by myself today.”

Her lips gradually curled into a smile.

“Even if it was only D-Rank…”

“Hehe…”

“I’ll keep working hard.”

After a short pause, her smile faded.

“I also made a mistake today.”

“I…”

“I hit one of my classmates.”

“But I wasn’t bullying her.”

“Mo Li was bullying my friend.”

“I couldn’t just stand there and pretend I didn’t see it.”

“You wouldn’t blame me…”

“…would you?”

“And You Dong…”

“He’s so mean.”

“He sat in the dark with all the lights turned off just to scare me.”

As she continued talking to the photograph…

Her voice became softer…

And softer…

Until it disappeared completely.

Only the tears quietly sliding down her cheeks remained warm inside the silent room.

Ding. Ding.

Her phone suddenly rang.

Startled, You Xi quickly wiped away her tears before answering.

“…X-Xiao Mian?”

“Good evening, Xiao Xi.”

A timid voice came from the other end.

It belonged to Bai Mian.

The classmate Mo Li had been bullying.

The very reason You Xi had gotten into a fight today.

The two girls couldn’t have been more different.

You Xi was proud.

Straightforward.

Hot-tempered.

She never cared what others thought.

As a result, both boys and girls at school kept their distance from her.

Bai Mian, on the other hand…

Was painfully shy.

Quiet.

Invisible.

She struggled to interact with people and was the type of student everyone unconsciously overlooked.

Perhaps because neither of them truly fit into any social circle…

The two lonely girls had gradually become friends.

“I already heard about what happened with Mo Li.”

Bai Mian’s voice trembled.

“I…”

“I really don’t know what to say.”

“I want to thank you.”

“But…”

“I’m also so sorry.”

“…It’s all because of me.”

“You even got suspended because of it.”

Before they had spoken for even a minute…

Bai Mian had already begun quietly crying.

“Xiao Mian.”

“You don’t have to think like that.”

You Xi deliberately laughed.

“I’ve wanted to beat Mo Li up for ages.”

“You just happened to give me the perfect excuse.”

“You’re lying.”

Bai Mian sniffled.

“Xiao Xi…”

“You may have a strong personality…”

“But you’re not someone who solves everything with violence.”

“Haha.”

“That’s just your imagination.”

“Anyway…”

“Don’t blame yourself.”

“The person who bullied you got beaten up.”

“You should be happy.”

“So why are you crying?”

“You’re simply too kind.”

“That’s exactly why someone like Mo Li kept taking advantage of you.”

A long sigh came from the other end.

“…I wish I could become as brave as you.”

“That’s easy.”

“You’ll understand after you punch her once.”

You Xi laughed.

Unfortunately…

Her joke failed to cheer Bai Mian up.

“…Xiao Mian.”

“When are you planning to come back to school?”

“I…”

“I don’t know.”

Her answer was almost a whisper.

Bai Mian had always preferred fantasy to reality.

She loved novels.

She loved manga.

Compared with the real world…

Imaginary worlds felt far kinder.

After entering high school, she began drawing her own manga.

Page after page…

She patiently built an entire story with the determination of a sparrow building its nest one twig at a time.

Eventually…

She completed an entire manuscript.

One she hoped to submit to a magazine.

Only…

A few days ago…

While she was eating lunch, Mo Li and several classmates secretly took the manuscript from her school bag.

They passed it around the classroom.

Read it aloud.

Laughed at it.

Mocked it.

From that day onward…

Bai Mian never returned to school.

“…Mo Li exposed my secret.”

Her voice sounded hollow.

“It felt like…”

“…she tore my heart out…”

“…and displayed it in front of everyone.”

“My manga…”

“…was the part of myself I treasured most.”

“The part I absolutely never wanted anyone else to see.”

“I’m sorry, Xiao Xi.”

“I was supposed to apologize to you…”

“…but somehow I ended up talking about myself instead.”

As though she’d exhausted every ounce of strength she had left, Bai Mian let out one final sigh.

Then…

Silence.

Listening to that silence…

You Xi felt as though she were staring at a spring that had completely dried up.

A helpless sadness slowly filled her chest.

“No…”

“It’s okay.”

“If talking makes you feel even a little better…”

“I’m happy to listen.”

“…Thank you.”

That was all Bai Mian said.

After that…

Neither of them spoke again.

Faced with the awkward silence, You Xi simply lay back on her bed and stared blankly at the ceiling.

Why?

Why can’t I think of anything to say?

There should be so much.

I should be encouraging her.

I should be cursing Mo Li.

I should be saying something.

Anything.

Yet no words came.

After listening to Bai Mian pour out everything she had been carrying…

The anger and determination that had been burning inside You Xi all day quietly faded away.

Like a summer rainstorm that vanished as suddenly as it arrived…

Only a lingering mist remained.

Heavy.

Silent.

Making every breath feel just a little harder than before.