December had arrived.
Mizuho stood before the full-length mirror, looking at her reflection.
It was 5:00 AM, and the sky over Tokyo had not yet fully brightened. Only a single bedside lamp was lit in the apartment. She wore her beige trench coat, her hair was already styled, and her makeup was done, though it was a bit lighter than usual.
Today was the day of the second battle between Miss Raven and Kazama Hifumi.
“Are you nervous?” her double asked, perching on the vanity and tilting its head at her.
Mizuho didn’t answer immediately.
She looked at herself in the mirror—at the face that was identical to Yuan Qing’s—and suddenly felt a sense of estrangement.
“I’m not,” she said.
“Liar.”
“…A little.”
The double flew down from the vanity and landed on her shoulder, nuzzling her cheek with its wing. “Don’t worry. He’ll win.”
“How do you know?”
“Because he’s Yuan Qing,” the double said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Even if that guy is lazy, unmotivated, afraid of trouble, and a terrible conversationalist.”
Mizuho smiled. “Are you praising him or insulting him?”
“Praising him!” The double fluttered its wings. “Anyway, he’ll win.”
Mizuho didn’t speak. She simply reached out and stroked the double on her shoulder. The feathers were soft and warm.
What had she been thinking on that rainy night when she first met Yuan Qing?
“What time is it?” she asked the double.
The double flew to the nightstand and glanced at her phone. “A bit past 5:00 AM.”
“It’s time to go.” Mizuho turned to leave.
“Now? The match doesn’t start until 9:00 AM.”
“If we wait, there will be too many people.”
Mizuho didn’t drive, nor did she have Raven teleport her. Instead, she walked slowly toward the Tokyo Metropolitan Magical Girl Arena alone. In Tokyo during December, the dawn came later and later. Mizuho walked with her hands in her trench coat pockets, her head slightly bowed.
Today, her mind was a mess.
By the time the horizon began to turn a faint white, Mizuho had arrived.
A police cordon had already been set up around the arena’s perimeter. Staff members were busy with final preparations, and a massive electronic screen scrolled with information about today’s schedule. Mizuho stopped to watch.
The combatants were Mine Mizuho and Kazama Hifumi. The match was set for 9:00 AM, a best-of-three series. Tickets had long since sold out.
Mizuho checked her phone. Even though it was just the pre-show warm-up, the number of online viewers for the livestream had already surpassed 2,000,000.
“2,000,000…” Mizuho murmured.
“It’s skyrocketing,” the double said, poking its head out of her handbag. “By the time the match starts, it’ll probably break 5,000,000.”
“5,000,000?”
“A conservative estimate.”
Mizuho said nothing, simply sliding her phone back into her pocket.
The sun began to rise, and the crowds began to gather.
The media arrived first. Broadcast vans from various television stations had already claimed their spots. Reporters were giving pre-game reports in front of the cameras while photographers calibrated their equipment.
Then came the fans. Some held support signs for Kazama Hifumi, others for Miss Raven, and some fans even brought along merchandise.
The two groups naturally separated, standing in different areas. They occasionally glanced at each other but maintained basic politeness.
Mizuho found an inconspicuous corner to stand in, turning up the collar of her trench coat and putting on sunglasses.
“Do you see them?” the double whispered.
“What?”
“Over there.”
The double pecked in a certain direction, and Mizuho followed its gaze.
Among the crowd, Sundae, wearing a pink and white jacket, was standing on her tiptoes, struggling to hold up two support signs.
In her left hand, she held a sign that read “Go Miss Yonai!” and in her right, she held one that read “Go Senior Kazama!” Both hands were held high, and a brilliant smile was plastered on her face.
Beside her stood her small dog familiar, Inu-oh, who was squatting on the ground with his tongue out, his tail wagging like a propeller.
There were several other girls next to Sundae. Mizuho recognized some of them—they were the Magical Girls who had been with Sundae at the cafe before. The one with twin tails was holding up her phone to livestream, the one with brown hair was helping distribute support banners, and the one with glasses was tidying up a horizontal banner.
“Sundae! Isn’t it tiring to hold two signs?” the twin-tailed girl shouted, looking back.
“It’s not!” Sundae’s voice was crisp and loud. “They both need to do their best!”
“Then who do you want to win?”
“Anyone is fine! As long as it’s an exciting fight!”
The girls burst into laughter.
Mizuho watched Sundae, seeing her hold those two support signs high.
‘She really came,’ the double said.
“Yes,” Mizuho replied simply.
“Holding two signs… she’s pretty smart.”
“Indeed. Though, given her personality, it’s normal.”
The double looked at Mizuho. “Aren’t you going to say hello?”
Mizuho shook her head. “I’m not the protagonist today.”
Sundae was still struggling with the signs. Inu-oh circled around her feet, occasionally letting out a *bark bark* as if cheering her on.
“Inu-oh! Don’t run around!” Sundae shouted, looking down. Her sign wobbled and almost fell, but she quickly steadied herself and held it up again.
The twin-tailed girl couldn’t watch anymore and walked over to take one of the signs. “I’ll hold one for a bit. You look exhausted.”
“Thank you!” Sundae freed one hand. “It’s my first time at such a large venue. I’m a bit excited.”
“Didn’t you go to the Magical Girl tea party before?”
Sundae waved her hand dismissively. “A tea party is a tea party. A match is a match. It’s different!”
Watching Sundae’s face, which was slightly flushed with excitement, Mizuho suddenly felt a tickle in her heart, a sense that something else was coming.
‘It’s really good.’
She truly felt that way.
The double poked its head out of the handbag again. “Is something wrong?”
“Well… at this very moment,” Mizuho said, looking at the pale winter sun slowly rising through her sunglasses, ‘I miss Sachiko a bit.’
As she spoke, Mizuho let out a faint smile, one tinged with self-deprecation.
Sundae was still busy over there, helping the twin-tailed girl explain the livestream content, helping the brown-haired girl distribute banners, helping the girl with glasses with the horizontal banner, and even running off to give directions to lost spectators.
Inu-oh followed at her heels, his four short legs moving rapidly, his tail never stopping.
“Don’t be silly. Sachiko is with Yuan Qing right now.”
“I know.”
—
Inside the waiting room.
Yuan Qing sat on a bench. The black robes were already fully transformed, though the wings had not yet been generated for the sake of convenience.
Yuan Qing was looking down at his phone, while Raven perched on his shoulder, watching with him.
Sachiko sat on the sofa opposite him, her legs crossed, holding an unlit cigarette between her fingers, her attention fixed on something unknown.
The faint sounds of staff members testing equipment could be heard from outside.
“Are you nervous?” Sachiko asked suddenly.
“Yeah,” Yuan Qing replied casually, still scrolling through his phone. “A little.”
Sachiko chuckled. “Hehe… That’s only natural. Those who aren’t nervous are either geniuses or idiots. Which one do you think you are?”
“An idiot.”
The words left Yuan Qing’s mouth without hesitation.
“Hey,” Raven fluttered its wings, slapping Yuan Qing in the face. “Why are you insulting yourself?”
“It’s just the truth.”
Sachiko pulled out a lighter, then remembered to ask for Yuan Qing’s opinion. “Do you mind? If I smoke?”
“No, I don’t mind.”
“That’s good then.” Sachiko lit the cigarette dangling from her mouth. “Actually, you’re not Mizuho, are you?”
Raven froze.
Yuan Qing remained silent.
Sachiko exhaled a cloud of smoke. “Others might not know, but I’ve been with Mizuho for so many years. I personally cultivated her career as an idol. As for her talent as a Magical Girl—what she’s capable of and how far she can go—I could tell you even with my eyes closed.”
“Do you mind? That I’m not Mizuho?” Yuan Qing asked.
“No, I don’t mind at all,” Sachiko answered casually. “If anything, this is better. That girl always charges forward like a fool. It’s good for her to stop for a while.”
Raven scratched its head with a wing. “I’m sorry for keeping it from you all this time.”
“It’s fine,” Sachiko said, holding her cigarette as she looked at Yuan Qing. “But it really is strange. To think there could be people in this world who look so much alike yet are completely different on the inside. You know, Mizuho is gambling her life for your sake.”
Yuan Qing looked back at Sachiko. “Is it my fault?”
Sachiko simply smiled. “Hehe… You really are nothing like Mizuho. Your personality is so cold; you don’t know how to be likable at all.”
“I’m sorry.”
Yuan Qing withdrew his gaze.
There were still 2 hours left before the battle with Hifumi.