『What if I tell you, everything you worked for, has been a lie?』
When you tell someone that all they have done so far was a lie, how would they react?
Some lash out,
Some cry,
Some laugh at the absurdity,
And some, they simply stare blankly at you
"What do you mean?"
Seeing Chinatsu's solemn reaction, I couldn't help but pity her in my heart. After all, I have also experienced having my identity stripped away from me.
Now it's her turn.
"Mhm, yes. From the very beginning. You were merely a puppet in a stage show"
Suddenly the room fell silent.
I looked to my side and Miu turned pale, as if she'd seen a ghost, IXX also began stepping back and Rio—she had this unreadable expression as she looked away.
"You must be kidding. Are you saying everything I sacrificed... everything the magical girls sacrificed was in vain?!"
My eyes trembled a bit when Chinatsu slammed her desk hard, the heat radiating off of her was immense. I felt like a chicken getting microwaved.
However, I remained calm.
"Everything is fabricated. The moment Lya approached you, you were handed a script... no, the moment the youmas appeared. Everyone had scripts. I had mine too"
I tilted my head and smiled warmly, the same practiced smile as I leaned closer. Purposely letting her see my pupils.
"So... what you're saying is that Lya is the cause of all this?"
Somehow, the heat that had been radiating mellowed down, becoming a bit like a sauna.
"Why else would we come to earth?"
My head turned to IXX, then back to Chinatsu, who also glanced at the black cat.
"That... so what are you saying?"
I nodded, took a deep breath, and opened my mouth.
"I want you to spare me"
Hearing my words, the heads present all stared at me.
"Are you insane? Asking me to spare you? You think telling me this much would make me want to spare you?"
Chinatsu crossed her arms, huffing in discontent.
"No, I want you to spare me because I used to want to become like you, senpais..."
Hearing my words, Chinatsu's serious expression softened for a moment before returning to the same tense, angry look.
"You call me senpai and yet you reek of danger—of evil incarnate."
Chinatsu pressed a finger to my chest.
"I... cannot deny that. However... it is true when I said that I wanted to become a magical girl... to inspire, to bring hope. But this era doesn't need another magical girl like the old guard."
I paused.
"What they need is a villain."
But when my eyes landed on Chinatsu, she didn't look impressed.
"And you are saying what the world needs... is you?"
Cold and ruthless, I couldn't help but nod my head at her words.
"My stance has never changed. This world has gone stagnant. If I have to commit atrocities, I will do so. If I have to take the blame—I will."
My diamond-shaped pupils remained steady, focused on Chinatsu's face.
And she looked at me with confusion, anger, and something else...
"...get out"
Chinatsu's face darkened as she pointed at the door.
"Chinatsu, you don't have to—"
"I said, get out."
Seeing Rio try to salvage the situation but failing, I couldn't help but shake my head.
"You said what you said, Shizuka... I'm sure it will be fine"
Miu smiled at me weakly and placed a hand on my shoulder as she walked beside me.
『As she said, master, you spoke your thoughts. And while you didn't give her every detail, you still gave her the important aspects』
IXX's feminine voice flowed through my mind.
As we got out of the room, the people were all standing up.
"Everyone, please line up. It has been determined that the threat is no longer imminent. It is now safe to return"
And so, the people all began lining up in single file.
"Finally, it was getting stuffy in here"
"I wonder if my mom got home safely"
"Yay! We can play at the arcade again!"
Many civilians spoke their minds as they all sighed in relief.
"Shizuka, let's line up as well"
I looked at Miu and nodded, and gave a warm smile.
"Alright"
"Man, you sure made Chinatsu pissed"
"W-what?!"
I immediately turned to Rio and she laughed at me!
"Pfft... yeah, it's rare for her to be that pissed"
She wiped away a tear as she lined up behind me.
Meanwhile, back with Chinatsu...
She stared at the ceiling, as if searching for an answer that was never there.
"My whole life is a lie, huh"
Chinatsu couldn't help but laugh bitterly at the thought.
If someone told you
That your whole life was a lie,
That your parents dying to protect you from scary creatures was part of a script,
That you saving people meant nothing because what you did was part of a grand orchestra—
Most people would've cried,
Would've screamed,
Would have... chosen to end their lives.
However, Chinatsu found herself simply in deep silence.
Not anger, not pity, not sadness, not regret.
Just... a numbing silence.
Because nobody cares why the sun sets and rises.
Nobody asks why a sun continues to burn itself for others.
The sun simply exists to burn.
And she was the world's sun.
She was disregarded, but she was still useful. She had to make herself feel useful.
But perhaps Shizuka was right.
The world no longer needs the old guard.
What it needs is a villain.
And while she cannot condone Shizuka's view—
And while she doesn't agree at all that the world needs a villain—
Perhaps the sun, for all its warmth and killing heat,
No longer proves to be useful.
She once shined the brightest, the most brightest of them all.
Now, she still stubbornly shines through the endless night.
Now, it's time for that same darkness to stand up for what the light has lost.