Yuan Qing sat up.
Raven slid from his chest onto the bed and grumbled with dissatisfaction, “What is it?”
“Going out.”
Yuan Qing went to the door and squatted to put on the sneakers he had been wearing frequently lately.
Raven hopped a few steps over and watched him. “Going for a run?”
“Yeah.”
“Now?”
“Yeah.”
Raven looked out the window. The sun had completely set, leaving only a final streak of dark red glow on the horizon. The streetlights had already begun to flicker on.
“Running at this hour?” Raven finally asked.
Yuan Qing stood up and rolled his shoulders. “Is there a problem?”
“No problem,” it said, flapping its wings and landing on his shoulder. “Let’s go, let’s go. I’ll accompany you!”
Yuan Qing said nothing and pushed the door open to leave.
Tokyo’s night arrived quickly.
The shops lining the streets lit up one after another. Crowds of people getting off work hurried past, and the automatic doors of convenience stores opened and closed, emitting familiar electronic chimes.
Yuan Qing jogged along the path by the river.
He had never run on this path before—or rather, he had never run on any path before—but now, he had been sticking to it for several days.
Every evening, no matter how tired he was or how much he didn’t want to move, he would come out for a run.
Sometimes it was 5 kilometers, sometimes 8 kilometers, and sometimes he would run until he simply couldn’t move anymore.
Raven lay on his shoulder, bobbing up and down with his stride, still muttering, “I said, you couldn’t even be woken up before. Now you’re taking the initiative to go for runs… It takes quite a bit of energy to maintain Owl and erase your presence, though I’m the one who chose to follow you and act as your extra weight…”
Yuan Qing ignored it.
His breathing gradually became rhythmic, and his steps grew steadier.
As he ran across a small bridge, he saw the lights from both banks reflected on the river. Those points of light swayed in the water like another city.
‘What does it mean to be suitable?’
‘That power was clearly something she fought for with all her might, so why am I the one more suited for it?’
Raven continued its incessant chattering. “You know, you’ve really changed a lot lately. I used to have to peck you for half the day to get you out of bed, but now you wake up on your own. I used to have to haggle with you just to get you to train, but now you’re adding extra practice yourself. Before — “
“You’re noisy,” Yuan Qing interrupted.
“I’m praising you!”
“No need.”
Raven rolled its eyes but finally shut its beak.
After running for another stretch, Yuan Qing’s pace slowed.
His breathing was somewhat ragged, and fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. Although he had been running every day, the limits of his body were still there; he couldn’t break through them all at once.
Raven looked at his profile and suddenly asked, “Hey, do you really think this is useful?”
“What’s useful?”
“Running. I shouldn’t discourage a habit you’re working so hard to maintain,” Raven questioned, “but if you want to beat Hifumi, what use is running?”
Yuan Qing didn’t answer immediately.
He finished the last stretch and stopped in a small park, leaning his hands on his knees while gasping for air.
Raven flew down from his shoulder, landed on a nearby bench, and tilted its head to look at him.
Yuan Qing straightened up and wiped his sweat with his sleeve.
“I don’t know,” he said.
Raven blinked. “What do you mean you don’t know?”
“You’re right; what I’m doing isn’t very useful for beating Hifumi,” Yuan Qing said, walking over to sit on the bench. “But I still have to train.”
Raven hopped in place a few times. “That’s the spirit! Run until you cough up blood! Show your resolve, and sharpen your will!”
“Sigh…”
“What?”
“I don’t want to talk to you, otherwise others will think I’m a crazy person talking to thin air.”
“…Huh?”
Raven was so angry its feathers puffed out, but looking at Yuan Qing’s expressionless face, it deflated again.
Whatever. Why bother arguing with this guy?
Yuan Qing looked at the river in the distance. The night wind blew, bringing a wave of coolness. In the chill of late autumn, he felt a bit cold.
He stood there, watching the lights swaying on the river’s surface. As the night wind blew, the lights on the water swayed even more violently.
“So tired… Haah…”
Yuan Qing let out a yawn.
Time to head back. He would jog home.
Yuan Qing jogged along the road home. After these few days of training, he was becoming more and more capable of running.
Behind him was the flowing river, and on the opposite bank were the lights of countless homes. The moonlight gently cast its net, shrouding everything.
Just then, a familiar voice rang out abruptly.
“Eh — “
Yuan Qing turned his head. It was Sundae.
She was wearing an apron from a women’s clothing store and standing there, holding two convenience store plastic bags.
“You’re…” Sundae walked over quickly, leaning in for a closer look. “You’re the Little Brother who came to the store the other day!”
Yuan Qing: “…”
Fortunately, Raven had already quickly increased the power output of Owl, ensuring that Yuan Qing’s face—which was identical to Mizuho’s—wasn’t exposed.
“It really is you!” Sundae said excitedly. “What a coincidence! Do you live near here?”
Yuan Qing nodded. “Yeah.”
“That’s great! I was just heading home from work and didn’t expect to run into you!” Sundae looked at his sweat-dampened forehead and slightly messy hair. “Are you out for a run?”
“Yeah.”
Under the glow of the streetlights, Sundae’s eyes looked bright. “That’s impressive! Out running so late! Your sister said you’re usually very lazy, but I guess that wasn’t true!”
Yuan Qing: “…”
Raven wanted to laugh, but it had to hold it in.
“The clothes you two bought that day—have you worn them yet?” Sundae asked curiously.
Yuan Qing thought about the new clothes stuffed deep inside the closet. “…Not yet.”
“I see,” Sundae said, looking a bit disappointed. “Those clothes really suited you both! Especially that black long dress. That sister would definitely look beautiful in it!”
She certainly did.
It was just that the black long dress was currently hanging in his closet.
“Yeah,” Yuan Qing said, feeling slightly awkward. “She… should look good in it.”
“That dress is my favorite style, but unfortunately, I can’t quite pull off that look,” Sundae said, swaying the plastic bags in her hands. “By the way, I just bought ingredients for dinner and was heading home to cook. My mom isn’t feeling well today, so I’m making dinner.”
“Yeah, that’s impressive,” Yuan Qing praised sincerely. “I know how to cook, but I’m usually too lazy to do it.”
“Oh, it’s nothing…”
A silence fell between them.
Sundae stood before him, appearing as though she didn’t want to leave yet, but Yuan Qing didn’t know what to say.
“By the way, have you seen Miss Yonai’s livestreams? That is, Miss Raven’s,” Sundae suddenly mentioned.
“Yeah, I’ve seen them.”
He had seen them more than anyone.
Sundae gave a faint, sincere smile. “Lately, she’s all anyone talks about. After all, she dealt with all the monsters in the Tokyo metropolitan area all by herself for 2 consecutive days. She’s so amazing, beautiful, and strong. I want to be someone like that, too.”
“…But you’ve already become a Magical Girl. You’re already quite remarkable.”
Sundae nodded. “Yeah! I’m very grateful to my Familiar, Inu-oh. If it hadn’t made me a Magical Girl, I would have no idea how to support my family.”
“I see…” Yuan Qing listened seriously.
“But, you know, there are things I can’t do no matter how hard I try. And lately, they’re becoming more frequent. It feels as though I’m being hated by something,” after saying this, Sundae realized she had said too much. “Ah, sorry. I started rambling all of a sudden. I’m bothering you, aren’t I?”
Though her words were self-deprecating, her eyes were startlingly bright.
“You’ll succeed,” Yuan Qing encouraged.
Sundae looked as if she had received a completely unexpected response. “Eh?”
“You’ll succeed,” Yuan Qing repeated. “You are loved by everyone.”
Sundae looked at him and then smiled. “Thank you, Little Brother! Thank you for listening to my grumbling. I’ll see you later.”
Before leaving, Sundae gave a bow.
“Yeah, goodbye.”
Yuan Qing nodded and turned to continue his run, with Raven still acting as his added weight on his shoulder.
“Wait!” Sundae suddenly turned back. “I still don’t know your name!”
Yuan Qing did not stop.
The night wind blew, swirling a few fallen leaves.