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

Page 160

"Ashi, how's that surprise you mentioned going?" Yukari asked.

Shiratori Nozomi stiffened for a moment, then looked up, somewhat confused: "What surprise?"

“It was last year, Aunt Shiratori’s birthday.” Yukari Hachiya recalled that day when Nozomi Shiratori excitedly said she was going to prepare a birthday surprise for Mrs. Shiratori.

At that time, Mrs. Shiratori happened to be working overtime, so Nozomi Shiratori had plenty of time to prepare a birthday surprise for her mother.

She took out her savings and ordered a cake for her mother, and went to the supermarket to buy ingredients to prepare dinner for her mother when she got home.

For safety reasons, Shiratori Nozomi did not include any difficult dishes in the menu she discussed with Hachiya Yukari; all of them were dishes she could prepare on her own.

Yukari Hachiya excitedly discussed with Nozomi Shiratori how to prepare the surprise, keeping her company via text message.

But by evening, Shiratori Nozomi had completely disappeared.

It seems that it was also that night that Shiratori Nozomi lost her phone. She couldn't contact Hachiya Yukari for the next year.

Yukari Hachiya was curious about what happened after that day. Was it because she was too busy cooking that her phone fell into the water and broke?

Shiratori Nozomi fell silent.

She has absolutely no memory of this part.

After all, Mrs. Shiratori did not write in detail about the whole process of her child's death in that book. She had been being watched by Mrs. Shiratori closely recently and had no way of finding out how "she" died.

Outside the door, Mrs. Shiratori, who was about to knock, lowered her hand.

Her face was deathly pale, as if she were recalling once again the scene she saw when she got home from get off work that day.

On that road she had walked countless times with her daughter, she saw the accident warning line, the police had blocked the road, and handcuffed the drunk driver.

At that moment, her heart clenched suddenly, and an inexplicable emotion pierced her brain.

Text: 252. The Seaside, Mayumi Haga, and Swimming Instruction

Mrs. Shiratori subconsciously pushed open the door, interrupting Shiratori Nozomi's reverie inside the room.

"Ah, sorry... I just suddenly thought of a good suggestion and got a little excited and forgot to knock. I'm so sorry." When she saw that the two children inside were startled, Mrs. Shiratori snapped out of her daze and gave an apologetic smile.

After Shiratori Nozomi returned to her side, Mrs. Shiratori finally began to resume her previous routine and diet. However, it was too short a time, and she still looked to be in very poor condition.

However, the genuine tenderness she showed when facing Shiratori Nozomi was enough for others to overlook her sickly appearance.

Mrs. Shiratori suggested, "Yukari, would you like to come to the beach with us?"

The timing is perfect, as it's the weekend, allowing both children to go on a trip together.

As for Yukari's parents, I should be able to call them and explain things properly without any problems.

As for safety...

After receiving the two children's unanimous approval, Mrs. Shiratori closed the door, turned around, and looked down to see Mayumi Haga waiting at the bottom of the stairs on the first floor.

Just now, this fantasy entity found her for a brief private conversation.

Mrs. Shiratori never expected that Mayumi Haga would be the illusion of Yukari Hachiya, and even claim to be a magical girl...?

Although I don't know much about magical girls, the one in front of me doesn't really look like one.

He thought they were there to threaten him into handing over Shiratori Nozomi, but they only said they could act as bodyguards with another group of contestants.

This overflowing kindness is truly...

.................................. .................................. .......................

“It’s really surprising,” Mrs. Shiratori said.

After returning their swimsuits, the two children were already frolicking on the beach, running into the shallow water with their swimming rings. Rie Nagai hurriedly chased after them to help look after them, while Mrs. Shiratori opened her parasol on the beach by herself.

But she was weak and struggled for a long time before finally managing to put it down. Yuga Mayumi, who was checking around, came over and helped her.

After finally putting everything away, Mrs. Shiratori looked at the noisy children and thanked Mayumi Haga: "I still can't believe it... Thank you."

Upon arriving at the beach, Mayumi Haga naturally changed into her swimsuit. She originally intended to use the swimsuit she had in her backpack, but Rie Nagai thought it was a bit too conspicuous and gave Mayumi a set that she hadn't worn before.

Mayumi Haga: ...Never mind, I can quickly change into my swimsuit if anything unexpected happens.

The Siren suit, made from water sprite scales and hair, certainly looks quite different from ordinary swimsuits.

Mayumi Haga wasn't really there to swim. She wore a sun-protective jacket over her swimsuit and stayed on the shore, keeping a watchful eye on everything around her, showing no intention of going into the water.

Her exposed skin was quite fair, with no visible tan lines. Thanks to her constitution, she could maintain her skin tone even under intense sunlight without needing to apply sunscreen.

But those two kids were different; they didn't even have time to put on sunscreen before yelling and jumping into the water.

If I play like this all day, I estimate I'll start shedding my skin tomorrow night.

Mayumi Haga looked at it for a while before turning her gaze away. She remained silent in response to Mrs. Shiratori's thanks.

“I know my considerations weren’t thorough… Ash has finally returned to my side, and for her safety, I should hide her away and protect her well until the competition ends.” Mrs. Shiratori herself was well aware that wandering around the world at this time would be extremely dangerous for Shiratori Nozomi.

Of course, the same goes for herself.

However, with only a dozen days left to live, letting this child wait to die with him in that home filled with gray memories is indeed another kind of cruelty.

Her financial situation wasn't particularly good, and as a single mother, she had indeed had a tough time before.

Her husband was not a reliable person. After they got married, he didn't work properly and idled away his days, while also showing off at home.

Mrs. Shiratori endured it for a while, but after Shiratori Nozomi was born, she could no longer tolerate her useless husband and forcefully divorced him, raising Shiratori Nozomi on her own.

Her own life wasn't exactly smooth sailing either. Financial and various other pressures constantly weighed on her, leaving her overwhelmed and often unable to care for Shiratori Nozomi. She had to work during the day and often worked overtime, so she rarely had time to spend with her daughter.

Fortunately, Shiratori Nozomi is a very sensible child. She rarely pesters her for things and has never made unreasonable demands. Not only is she so sensible that it's heartbreaking, but she also cheers up Mrs. Shiratori when she's feeling down, providing extraordinary emotional support. Mrs. Shiratori is also resilient and has learned to quickly adjust her own emotions, always smiling when facing her sensible daughter.

Mrs. Shiratori thought life would continue peacefully, but fate took away this good child, and Mrs. Shiratori realized that she still owed Shiratori Nozomi so many wishes that she hadn't fulfilled.

I haven't taken my child to the beach she said she wanted to go to, I haven't had time to take her to meet her good friend who moved, and I haven't bought her the things she wanted...

So this time, no matter what, Mrs. Shiratori will do her best to fulfill Shiratori Nozomi's wish.

"In your opinion, I'm a bit overestimating myself, aren't I?" Mrs. Shiratori said, not expecting to wait for Mayumi Haga's reply, and smiled bitterly to herself, "I have no ability to protect myself, yet I still want to..." But adults who have become parents are sometimes as greedy as children, wanting to unconditionally satisfy their children regardless of whether they can do it or not.

Mayumi Haga was silent for a moment, then said, "Hmm."

Before Mrs. Shiratori could recover from her surprise at her straightforward answer, Mayumi Haga continued:

"But it's okay, I can help you."

"Why?" Mrs. Shiratori could tell that Mayumi Haga didn't seem like the type to take on too much responsibility, and strictly speaking, there was no reason for Mayumi Haga to have to help them.

“My summoner really likes magical girls.” Mayumi Haga’s answer seemed a bit nonsensical at first glance, “but actually I am not.”

"So you're going to... pretend?"

Is it because she's dressed as a magical girl that she starts "meddling" to protect herself?

"More or less," Mayumi Haga said, suddenly feeling a chill on her arm.

Turning her head, she saw Mrs. Shiratori sticking the drink to her arm, wearing a loving smile that made her feel a little uncomfortable.

"...Thank you." After thanking him, Mayumi Haga took the cola, unscrewed it, took a sip, and sat down.

Mrs. Shiratori relaxed a lot. The more she looked at Mayumi Haga, the more she felt that she was also a good child.

Previously, because she had realized that Mayumi Haga was a fantasy, Mrs. Shiratori was somewhat wary of her and would not judge her age based on her appearance, and she had always been vigilant.

After all, there are quite a few monsters with dark hearts among the fantasy world.

But looking back now, the fact that she would clumsily play a role she was completely unskilled in because of a misunderstanding, and try her best to fit in... this untactful attitude towards things is actually quite endearing.

"Maybe if we keep pretending, it'll come true!" Mrs. Shiratori said, half jokingly and half seriously.

"Will not."

Unexpectedly, Mayumi Haga's rebuttal was resolute.

This surprised Mrs. Shiratori.

Mayumi Haga said calmly, "I'm different from them."

Mayumi Haga knew very well that she didn't possess that kind of unwavering and confident strength.

The difference between someone like myself and a magical girl is just too great.

He was dull and vicious, selfish and weak, not the kind of near-perfect, all-conquering hero.

Magical girls never truly fail; they can do anything—as long as they have an indomitable spirit.

What is an unrealistic dream for Mayumi Haga is something that magical girls can achieve simply by wanting to.

While Mayumi Haga was rolling in the mud, crawling through mountains of corpses, dragging her intestines as she struggled to fulfill her duties, the magical girl in another world was always able to keep her sparkly, light clothes spotless, overlooking the peaceful city from the sky.

Therefore, magical girls can help others without hesitation, but Mayumi Haga cannot.

She wouldn't be jealous of others' power, nor would she resent her own situation because of it. After all, she knew very well that she couldn't believe in the power of the heart as firmly as a magical girl, and even if a magical girl were in her position, she wouldn't be able to do her best.

She knew very well that she was not "that type of hero," and that she had already exceeded expectations in achieving this level.

Her failure was so devastating that for a long time, Mayumi Haga did not believe she could succeed.

That pain lingered in her mind, preventing her from escaping it, until recently when it began to ease somewhat.

The companionship of old friends such as Rania, Urzana, Fuyun, and Megaran has alleviated her loneliness to some extent, and there is even a possibility that she can rebuild her original world.

Although it would be an enormous task for her alone, and it might take tens of millions of years to recreate the entire world, at least there was hope.

The curse of never dying has turned into a blessing. She can wait as long as it takes, as long as she can see the sea of ​​flowers in her homeland bloom again and the swallows return in spring.

She will live and die for these things.

Having found hope, Mayumi Haga visibly became softer than before, her body became more colorful, and her eyes shone with light.

Having been summoned to this other world, she's even willing to play the role of a meddlesome magical girl.

However, she still wanted to reiterate that she was different from magical girls.

"Alright, you're not a magical girl—even though you're doing things that only magical girls would agree to, you're definitely not one." Mrs. Shiratori smiled as she watched Mayumi Haga stubbornly insist.

Is this one of those tsundere characters you only see occasionally in a work? Oh, I see!

Haga Mayumi:...?

She's really not.

Fine, believe it or not.

"I'll definitely watch your anime when it airs." Mrs. Shiratori suddenly became interested in the anime produced by Mayumi Haga.

Mayumi Haga: "...Thank you? But I'm not the main character."

Why are you suddenly saying this?

Mayumi Haga was unaware that Mrs. Shiratori was already wondering if she was the kind of tsundere additional warrior who initially resisted joining the magical girl team and kept denying her magical girl identity. She just felt that the other party's attitude was a bit puzzling.

Just as the two were talking, Rie Nagai returned, supporting her back.

This homebody, who isn't good at sports, twisted her back while playing water fights with the children and had to return to shore in humiliation to switch places with Mayumi Haga.

"Ouch...it hurts so much...oh dear, I twisted my back..." The pale-faced female college student sat down awkwardly. "I'll take care of this side, Mayumi, you go over there and play with them."

Mrs. Shiratori quickly came over to help her, and then said to Mayumi Haga, "Yes, you should go over there too. Miss Nagai is fine here."

At this moment, Mayumi Haga almost wanted to point at herself: Me? Going to play in the water with little kids?

Then look at Rie Nagai, slumped in her chair like a dead fish: ...

If you can twist your back while playing in the water, what else can you expect?

However, strictly speaking, it wasn't really playing in the water; I was just there to supervise.

After a brief hesitation, Mayumi Haga agreed and took off her sun-protective jacket.

Mayumi Haga's figure isn't particularly voluptuous; it's more of a normal size for her age, and she even appears somewhat slender. However, due to the physical demands of her work as a Guardian, coupled with her own regular exercise, her physique is remarkably smooth and pleasing to the eye.

At least the lower back strength is reliable, so you won't easily twist your waist.

As she approached the two children building sandcastles by the water, Shiratori Nozomi's eyes lit up when she saw her coming closer: "Sister Yuga!"

Then, without really understanding what was going on, I was dragged along to teach them how to swim.

Neither of the children could swim very well, and even with their swimming rings, they dared not venture into deeper water; they needed an adult to watch them. Rie Nagai had confidently declared she would teach them, but she herself wasn't a very good swimmer. After splashing around and choking a couple of times in the water, she obediently got ashore.

...They're all landlubbers.

It goes without saying that Mayumi Haga is an expert swimmer; she is a formidable woman who can fight water demons underwater.

However, considering the physical condition of ordinary humans, it is better to start teaching from the very basics.