Hifumi’s victory interview was held as scheduled. In the press conference hall, reporters had already secured their positions, cameras set up neatly, almost surrounding Hifumi.
Hifumi sat behind a long table. She had changed into a clean white suit, her hair neatly styled again. The White Snake was coiled around her right arm, its crimson eyes half-open and half-closed.
The first reporter stood up, holding the microphone high. “Miss Kazama, congratulations on your victory.”
“Thank you.”
Hifumi nodded slightly, her tone calm.
“In the second round, you voluntarily sheathed your blade, resulting in a draw. What was your reasoning at that moment?”
Hifumi’s finger tapped lightly on the table. “Because at that moment, we had both given our all. Continuing to fight would have been meaningless.”
“Did you feel Miss Raven was no longer capable of fighting back?”
“No,” Hifumi answered quickly. “It was because she still had a third round.”
The reporter was taken aback for a moment, scribbling something down in their notebook.
“You mean, you wanted to see her performance in the third round?”
“Correct.”
Hifumi offered no further explanation.
A second reporter stood up. “Miss Kazama, how would you evaluate Miss Raven’s strength?”
“Her talent is the highest I’ve seen among all Magical Girls.”
Hifumi answered without hesitation.
The room fell silent for an instant.
“Do you think, given enough time, she would have a chance to defeat you?”
Hifumi’s gaze seemed to pass through the camera lens, as if trying to see the person on the other side of the screen.
“She would have a chance,” she said.
The reporters’ pens stopped on their papers.
“But a chance is just a chance,” Hifumi added. “I won’t stop and wait for her.”
A third reporter raised their hand. “Miss Kazama, you previously mentioned inviting Miss Raven to undergo training with you. Is that invitation still valid?”
Hifumi nodded. “Yes, it is still valid.”
“Do you think she will accept?”
The White Snake flicked its tongue, licking Hifumi’s finger.
“I don’t know,” Hifumi said, rubbing the top of the White Snake’s head with her thumb. “But I believe that, whether for the sake of being a Magical Girl, for civilians, or even for Familiars, accepting my guidance is the best choice.”
The reporters exchanged glances. Hifumi was always like this, even somewhat dictatorial.
“Regarding today’s match,” Hifumi spoke up, seeing no further questions, her gaze sweeping the room. “Is there anything else you wish to ask?”
A female reporter raised her hand. “Miss Kazama, at the very end of the third round, when your blade struck Miss Raven’s body, what did you feel?”
The White Snake coiled tighter around the thumb Hifumi was using to stroke it.
“I felt nothing at all,” Hifumi replied. Unnoticed by anyone, a faint, almost imperceptible smile had appeared on her lips.
—
Outside, Yuan Qing’s training had just begun.
It was a December night in Tokyo.
“Run faster!” Raven flew in the air, urging him on without restraint. Under Xiao’s illusion, no one could detect it. “Don’t stop! If you want to sleep, go home and sleep!”
Yuan Qing ignored Raven. His breathing was somewhat heavy, but the rhythm hadn’t been disrupted.
He was running on the pedestrian path between the river and the road. He ran past a convenience store, its automatic doors opening and closing, making a familiar sound. He ran past a family restaurant, warm yellow light spilling from the glass windows onto the sidewalk, cutting it into patches of light. He ran through the patches of light, then into the shadows, through again, and into shadows again.
There were still many people living their lives in Tokyo at night, but Yuan Qing had no time to linger. He merely passed them by.
Raven looked down at the ground, observing and confirming where they were and how far they had run.
“Alright, that’s about five kilometers,” it flew a bit lower, its voice not as shrill as before. “Head back. Still running back.”
“Mhm.”
“You’re pretty talented at running too. You could join the track team.”
“Mhm.”
Yuan Qing gradually slowed down, then turned to run back the way he came.
“…” Raven looked at Yuan Qing somewhat helplessly. Seeing that he seemed to have nothing to say, it changed the subject. “That invitation from Hifumi…”
“What about it?” Yuan Qing’s tone was still very cold.
“No, nothing.”
‘Better not bring it up now.’
Yuan Qing ran past one street lamp after another, his shadow lengthening and shortening, shortening and lengthening behind him. His breath condensed into white mist in the cold air, then was scattered by the wind. Occasionally, pedestrians passed by, but no one paid him any attention.
After an unknown amount of time, Sakuma Seidai was standing not far ahead of Yuan Qing.
She was wearing a shop assistant’s apron from a women’s clothing store, holding two convenience store plastic bags in her hand. She was looking down at her phone, the screen’s light reflecting on her face, illuminating her features clearly.
Seidai looked up and saw him.
Their eyes met.
Seidai blinked, then blinked again. Then her eyes lit up.
“Mr. Younger Brother!” She walked over quickly, the plastic bags swinging in her hands, making rustling sounds. “What a coincidence! Are you out running again?”
Yuan Qing nodded. “Mhm.”
Raven perched on a nearby branch, listening to their conversation.
“Running so late, that’s amazing!” Seidai looked at his sweaty forehead and slightly messy hair, then at his tracksuit. “Do you run every day?”
“Mhm.”
“No wonder you have such a good figure!” Seidai said, then suddenly realized what she had said and quickly waved her hands. “Ah, I mean… you look very healthy…”
Yuan Qing stood expressionlessly, unsure what to say or whether he should leave.
Seidai also seemed to realize the atmosphere was a bit awkward. She hurriedly raised the plastic bags in her hand. “I just got off work. I bought ingredients for dinner, preparing to go home and cook.”
“Mhm, you’ve worked hard.”
“Not at all, not at all! There weren’t many customers in the store today, it was quite relaxed.” Seidai waved her hands again. Suddenly, she seemed to remember something. “Oh, right, did you watch the match the other day?”
“You mean the match between Miss Raven and Miss Kazama that’s trending number one?” Yuan Qing asked. He actually knew the answer very well, but the conversation wouldn’t continue otherwise.
“Yeah, yeah!” Seidai became excited at the mention of it. “Did you watch it?”
“…I haven’t had the chance yet.”
Yuan Qing’s expression didn’t change at all as he said this.
“That’s such a pity!” Seidai was excited, her speech speeding up. “It was super exciting! Even though Miss Raven lost in the end, she fought so well! Especially in the third round, her body shattered into raven feathers and she could still reform! I never imagined a Magical Girl could fight like that!”
“Is that so.”
Seidai completely ignored why the other person’s response was somewhat cold. As she spoke, her voice grew higher, her eyes full of light.
“And Miss Kazama was amazing too! Her sword technique was so fast, I couldn’t see it clearly at all, but Miss Raven blocked every single one! All five strikes! She blocked them all!” Seidai talked for a while, then suddenly stopped, smiling a bit sheepishly. “Ah, am I talking too much?”
Yuan Qing waved his hand. “No.”
“That’s good,” Seidai breathed a sigh of relief. “I don’t really have many people to talk about this with normally. Among my friends, I’m the only Magical Girl. The others don’t really understand…”
She lowered her head, looking at the plastic bags in her hand. Yuan Qing looked at her lowered profile. The street lamp light fell on her hair, turning the tips a light brown.
“By the way, did you know Miss Yonai used to be a child star?” Yuan Qing asked.