Mizuho looked at him. That side profile, identical to her own, appeared exceptionally clear under the practice room lights.
“Hifumi is very strong,” Mizuho said, turning her head back. “I’ve checked her files. Since she debuted 5 years ago, she has never lost, whether it was a duel between Magical Girls or a formal battle against monsters.”
“I know, but I want to win,” Yuan Qing said.
“That’s the spirit.” Mizuho patted Yuan Qing on the shoulder. “You have talent. Become the strongest Magical Girl.”
“That’s so cheesy…”
“Hehe…” Mizuho completely ignored Yuan Qing’s jab. “You think I’m annoying, don’t you? It might be because I just finished exercising, but I feel like I’m being as annoying as Raven right now.”
Yuan Qing remained expressionless. “No.”
“That means yes,” Mizuho laughed. “Because I’ve tried, you see. I think I understand.”
Yuan Qing glanced over slightly. “Tried what?”
“Tried to become a Magical Girl,” Mizuho confessed.
“…”
She leaned against the back of her chair, her gaze falling on the large mirror opposite them. Her reflection was visible in the mirror, wearing practice clothes, her hair a bit messy, and her face still flushed from the exercise.
“I never told you, right? I used to be a child star. I thought Magical Girls were so beautiful, and I wanted to be beautiful like them. But besides being a child star, I felt like I couldn’t do anything well.” Mizuho’s voice carried a hint of irrepressible excitement — it seemed the exercise really was effective. “Familiars actively seek out newcomers with potential. I tried many times, but I was never among those newcomers. Hehe…”
“…”
Yuan Qing didn’t speak. He didn’t know what to say.
Mizuho turned her head to look at him. “I really tried many times, to the point that I annoyed the Familiars. In the end, one of them told me some… well… very blunt words. I was quite sad at the time, but thinking back now, it wasn’t wrong. I truly have no talent. I couldn’t even tell which of my movements didn’t look like a Magical Girl’s.”
“So you gave up?” Yuan Qing looked at Mizuho in the mirror.
“No,” Mizuho shook her head. “I kept trying until I met Raven.”
“I’m sorry,” Yuan Qing suddenly apologized.
“Why are you suddenly saying ‘sorry’?”
In the mirror, two identical faces sat side by side.
“Because you wanted it so much, but I, someone who didn’t want it at all, ended up becoming one,” Yuan Qing answered.
The corners of Mizuho’s mouth couldn’t help but curl into a wider arc. “Is this guilt?”
“I don’t know.” Yuan Qing frowned, thinking it over. “It just feels… a bit strange.”
“Strange how?”
“The thing you wanted happened to be obtained by someone like me, who didn’t want it in the first place.”
“So you must win,” Mizuho said, suddenly pointing at Yuan Qing. “Win my share as well. You can do the things I can’t, and you’ve become the person I couldn’t be.”
“…”
“Perhaps you are more suited for my life than I am. That’s all there is to it.”
‘I have already…’
‘Mine Mizuho has already…’
Yuan Qing asked, “What about yourself?”
Mizuho was momentarily stunned, and then she asked back, “What about Sundae?”
Yuan Qing looked at her.
“You saved her, and she admires you so much,” Mizuho said. “What do you think of her?”
Yuan Qing thought for a moment. “…She’s hardworking.”
“That’s it?”
“Yeah.”
Mizuho sighed. “Sigh, can’t you give a bit more of an evaluation of others?”
“Is being hardworking not enough?”
***
That afternoon, Yuan Qing returned to the rental house and flopped onto the bed.
Raven flew down from his shoulder and landed on the pillow, tilting its head to look at him. “You asked Mizuho for videos of her as a child star just now?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
Yuan Qing didn’t speak. He pulled out his phone, opened the search bar, and entered the keywords “Mine Mizuho” and “child star.”
Search results instantly flooded the screen.
[Early footage of Mine Mizuho exposed]
[Mine Mizuho in her child star days, incredibly cute]
[From child star to idol, Mine Mizuho’s 10-year transformation]
Yuan Qing clicked on a random video.
On the screen, a girl who looked to be 7 or 8 years old stood on a stage, wearing a sparkling dress and smiling brightly at the camera.
That was Mizuho, though her face was still very young. She was singing.
Her voice was equally youthful, but her pitch was excellent, and every move was perfectly on beat. It was clear she had been trained.
“So professional even as a kid.”
“As expected of a former child star.”
“Beautiful since she was little.”
The comments drifted across the screen.
Yuan Qing watched expressionlessly.
The second video.
This was Mizuho playing a small guest role in a TV drama. She only had a few lines, but she performed them very seriously, with every expression being just right.
The third video.
Mizuho was participating in a variety show. The host asked her, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
Mizuho smiled brightly at the camera. “I want to be a Magical Girl!”
The audience burst into laughter.
The host teased her, “Not just anyone can be a Magical Girl, you know.”
Mizuho said seriously, “I know, so I will work hard!”
“Aww, she was so cute when she was little.”
“She really did become an idol later.”
“She’s not a Magical Girl, but she’s still great.”
The comments drifted by again.
He continued scrolling and found an interview video.
It was from when Mizuho had just officially debuted as an idol. The host asked her, “I heard you always wanted to be a Magical Girl when you were little. Do you still have that thought now?”
Mizuho smiled. That smile was almost the same as it was now — flawlessly standard.
“Of course I do,” she said. “But my current job is also great. I will continue to work hard.”
The host asked again, “What if you really could become a Magical Girl one day?”
Mizuho thought for a moment and then said, “Then I would be very happy. But if I can’t, that’s okay too, because I’m already working hard to become the best version of myself.”
“Hey.” Raven poked him with its beak. “What are you thinking about?”
Yuan Qing turned off the video and put his phone aside.
“Nothing.”
He lay down and stared at the ceiling.
Raven lay on his chest and whispered, “Are you moved?”
“No.”
“Yes, you are.”
“I’m not.”
“Then why did you keep watching?”
Yuan Qing was silent for a while.
Then he said, “I just wanted to see.”
Raven tilted its head. “See what?”
“See how she got here.”
Raven was stunned for a moment, and then it laughed.
“Oh?” It poked Yuan Qing’s chin with its wing. “Are you starting to care about her?”
Yuan Qing didn’t speak, but he didn’t deny it either.
Outside the window, the setting sun began to dip toward the horizon.
On the other side of the city, in the practice room.
Mizuho stood before the mirror, repeating the movement Yuan Qing had taught her over and over again.
Raise the hand, turn, pose.
Raise the hand, turn, pose.
She had practiced it countless times, but each time was as serious as the first.
Sweat slid from her forehead, traced a path down her cheek, and dripped onto the floor.
She didn’t stop.
Outside the window, the sunset was just right.
Dusk in Tokyo remained as bustling as ever.
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