Chapter 30

“Is Reiya Toujou still holed up in his room?”

“Yes… It seems so…”

“I see… Haaa…”

A heavy sigh from Makiko Saionji echoed through the Director’s Office.

Standing before her, head bowed with a dark expression, was her daughter, Koharu Saionji.

They were discussing Reiya Toujou, who had shut himself in his dorm room and refused to come out.

“How did it come to this? It’s true that the monster attack you all suffered was the worst in history, barring the Great Calamity four years ago. Many magical girls lost their lives, and this place suffered immense damage. However… while grieving for their slain friends, the other magical girls have returned to their daily training. All except for Reiya Toujou. I’m not telling him to force himself to heal, but he never struck me as someone with such a fragile heart…”

“…”

“Koharu. You know something, don’t you?”

Makiko Saionji asked her daughter if she knew the reason why Toujou had yet to return to training.

But Koharu Saionji simply twisted her face in anguish, as if recalling something unpleasant, and would not say a word.

My daughter is hiding something.

Makiko Saionji sensed this, but in the wake of such a traumatic event, her concern for her daughter won out, and she couldn’t bring herself to force the issue.

“That’s enough. If you see any change in Reiya Toujou, please report it to me.”

“…Yes.”

Koharu Saionji nodded and left the office.

“Haaa…”

After Koharu had gone, Makiko stood up and gazed out the window at the dorms.

“What on earth happened between you and my daughter, Reiya Toujou?”

“Hmm-hmm-hmm…”

A girl walked through the dorm hallway, humming a little tune.

It was Yuki Takanashi, a member of the student council.

She was carrying a tray laden with food.

It had been one month since the massive incident where monsters attacked the Magical Girl Training Academy.

Entrusted with the care of Reiya Toujou, who had become a shut-in and hadn’t attended a single training session since, she was once again bringing a meal to his door.

Knock, knock…

“Toujou-kun? I’ve brought you some food.”

Standing before his room, she knocked on the door.

There was no reply from within.

Since the incident, Toujou had completely withdrawn, refusing contact with anyone.

He avoided conversation with the other magical girls and even the members of the student council, remaining cooped up in his room.

Usually, she would just leave the food in front of the door and walk away, but today was different.

She stood at the door and listened intently.

No voices came from inside the room.

No movement.

But she was certain Toujou was in there.

“…Okay.”

Placing the tray on the floor, Yuki gave a determined nod and then used her magic.

Click…

With her magic, the room’s lock was disarmed, and the door swung open.

“Excuse me, Toujou-kun.”

Yuki picked up the tray and entered Toujou’s room without permission.

“Oh, Toujou-kun. There you are…”

Upon entering the small dorm room, Yuki spotted Toujou immediately and smiled.

Toujou was sitting on the floor in the corner of the room, his back against the wall, staring blankly into the empty space before him.

Yuki approached him with the tray.

Even as she drew near, Toujou didn’t so much as lift his head.

He remained perfectly still, as if his soul had been scooped out, his eyes fixed on the empty air.

“I’ll just leave your food here.”

Yuki placed the tray on his desk, then crouched down in front of Toujou.

“Are you okay, Toujou-kun?”

“…”

“Everyone’s worried about you.”

“…”

“Why have you stopped coming out of your room?”

“…”

“Is something bothering you?”

“…”

“I’ll listen if you want to talk…”

“…”

“Won’t you tell me?”

“…”

No matter how much Yuki spoke to him, Toujou wouldn’t open his mouth.

Yuki considered leaving the room to give him space, but the sight of his face for the first time in a while—so full of sorrow and loneliness—made her decide to stay by his side.

She sat down next to him, adopting the same posture, and faced forward.

“You saved me again, didn’t you, Toujou-kun?”

“…”

“The first time was when I was attacked by the monster Orochi. Back then, I decided that next time, I would be the one to save you. That I would repay you for saving my life… but I lost to the monsters and became a hostage, and in the end, you had to save me again. I’m nothing but trouble for you, am I?”

“…”

“When the president and the others and I were captured by the monsters, I thought it was over for us. That’s how strong the monsters that attacked the academy were. We tried so hard to hold them off like you did in the car… but we were defeated without putting up a fight… and they took us hostage. The monsters didn’t kill us right away. They said they were going to use us as bait to lure you out…”

“…”

“I prepared myself for death then. I thought that this time, for sure, even you would have to abandon us. That you wouldn’t throw your life away to save useless girls like us who only ever get saved. I didn’t want to die, but I didn’t want you to die more, so in my heart, I prayed that you wouldn’t come. That you’d forget about us and live.”

“…”

“But you came for us. A part of me knew you would. Even though I had prepared to die, when you showed up, I was so, so happy.”

“…”

“But at the same time I was happy, I was also incredibly sad. And sorry. I thought, it’s our fault that Toujou-kun is going to die. We’re the ones who killed him.”

“…”

“But you didn’t die. You defeated all the monsters and saved every single one of us. The president, Chiyo-chan, and I… you’ve saved all our lives twice now.”

“…”

“I’m so, so grateful for that. And I’m not the only one. The other magical girls, Chiyo-chan, Mikan-chan, the president… they’re all incredibly grateful to you. They all want to thank you. Toujou-kun, thank you so much for saving our lives.”

“…”

“So, this time, we want to be there for you. If there’s something on your mind, please tell us. I’ll do anything for you, you know? Please, Toujou-kun. I’m begging you, please talk to me. If you’re struggling, please confide in us. We want to help ease your burden, even just a little. We want to be your strength.”

“…”

“Please, Toujou-kun. We just want you to feel even a little bit better.”

Yuki whispered her true, undisguised feelings into his ear.

Perhaps some of her emotion got through, as she thought she saw the faintest flicker of movement in Toujou’s expression.

“It’s… my fault…”

“Huh…?”

Toujou spoke for the first time.

In a hoarse voice, he uttered something as if to torment himself.

“It’s all my fault… I’m the one to blame…”

“What is…? What are you talking about…? You didn’t do anything wrong, Toujou-kun. Everyone’s alive thanks to you.”

“No, you’re wrong, Takanashi. It’s all my fault.”

“What do you mean? Can you please tell me?”

“…!”

Toujou lifted his face and looked at Yuki.

His expression was so full of agony it looked as if it might shatter at any moment.

“I remembered. Everything.”

“Remembered? What?”

“My past. My true memories… What I’ve done.”

“What do you mean…?”

“The Great Calamity from four years ago… I’m the one who destroyed the city.”

“Wha—”

Toujou’s expression was on the verge of tears as he spoke, piece by piece.

“I remember it all. On that day, four years ago, I destroyed the city. I must have killed my parents, too. My sister, too… And all those other people…”

“How can you be so sure?”

“You saw it, didn’t you, Takanashi? My true form.”

“…”

The memory from a month ago resurfaced in Yuki’s mind.

Toujou, fighting the monster army led by Hades at the abandoned school.

Toujou, fighting the strongest monsters all by himself, on the verge of being killed.

But just as he was about to die, a change came over his body.

Suddenly, his body was wreathed in black darkness, and his form swelled in size.

Toujou had transformed.

He looked just like a monster.

Yuki remembered that moment with perfect clarity.

“I remembered. My sister wasn’t asking me for help. She was trying to run away from me. Because I’m a monster… Because I destroyed the city…”

“That’s not true… There’s no way you would do something like that…”

“No, I am a monster. I kept a lid on the memory for so long… but when I was about to die back then, I finally remembered… I’m a monster. The cause of the Great Calamity that struck the city four years ago… Monster X… is me.”

“No, that can’t be…”

Yuki tried to deny his words, but the memory of the overwhelming power Toujou had displayed a month ago made her bite her tongue.

His strength at that time had truly been beyond comprehension.

He had defeated the monster Diabolos in an instant and had annihilated the mastermind, Hades, just as quickly.

The absolute power she had felt from Toujou at that moment had been so immense it made her believe that no stronger creature could possibly exist in this world.

“Why are you running…? Why are you afraid…? I… ONLY WANT TO SAVE YOU…”

“Eek!?”

The memory of the terrified look on Saionji’s face when Toujou had reached a hand out to her came to mind.

The presence Toujou had at that moment was terrifying enough to inspire fear even in an ally.

For a fleeting instant, Yuki thought that maybe, just maybe, the Toujou from that day could have caused the Great Calamity four years ago.

But she immediately shook her head. That was impossible.

Reiya Toujou was a kind person.

He wasn’t the type of person who could ever do such a thing.

The fact that he had saved her and the other student council members so many times was proof of that.

Even if Toujou had caused the Great Calamity, there must have been a reason.

With that thought, Yuki looked directly at Toujou.

“Listen to me, Toujou-kun. I can’t see you as someone who could do something like that.”

“Taka-nashi…?”

“You’ve saved us so many times. You knew it was a trap, you risked your life, and you still came to rescue us when we were hostages. I can’t believe that someone like you could cause a Great Calamity.”

“No… it was me… I did it…”

“No, you didn’t. You absolutely did not. Believe me.”

“…What do you know? What do you know about me?”

“I do know. I know better than anyone that you’re an incredibly kind person who thinks of others more than anyone else.”

“I’m a monster. My magical powers… they come from the monster power inside me… I can use magic even though I’m not a magical girl because I’m a monster. Everyone’s scared of me, they run away from me, because I’m a monster…”

“Even if that’s true… I’m still on your side, you know?”

“Huh…?”

Toujou looked at Yuki with a shocked expression.

Yuki gave the stunned-looking Toujou a gentle, reassuring smile.

“Even if you are a monster, even if you are the cause of the Great Calamity, even if you are the Monster X that everyone resents… I’m still your ally. I’ll always be by your side.”

“Why…? How? Aren’t you afraid of me?”

“I’m not scared.”

“You’re lying. You have to be. I’m a monster. I’m a being that shouldn’t be around other people.”

“I told you, you’re wrong. Oh, honestly… Here goes!”

“…!?”

A soft sensation pressed against Toujou’s lips.

Toujou’s eyes shot open in surprise.

Having silenced his mouth with her own, Yuki gently wrapped her arms around him.

The harshness in Toujou’s expression gradually began to fade.

“Phew.”

“…”

Eventually, Yuki pulled her lips away from his.

“Wow, that’s actually pretty hard to breathe,” she said, trying to cover her embarrassment, and then smiled at the still-stunned Toujou.

“I went that far… so do you trust me a little now?”

“…Yeah.”

“I see. Well, that’s good.”

“Takanashi…”

“What is it?”

“…Thanks.”

Hearing Toujou’s words of gratitude, Yuki beamed.

“You’re welcome. I’m so glad you seem a little better now.”

Chapter 31

“That was a pretty bold move I just made.”

After leaving Toujou’s room, Yuki Takanashi touched a finger to her own lips, as if recalling the sensation of the kiss.

She was happy that Toujou seemed to have cheered up a little, but more than that, she was satisfied that she had successfully managed to slip into the cracks of his broken heart.

“I wonder if this will make him a little more conscious of me…?”

She whispered to herself, a hand on her racing heart.

There were no lies in the words Yuki had spun to encourage Toujou moments ago.

But Yuki had only refrained from lying.

She had not revealed the true motive behind her actions to comfort him.

To Yuki, it didn’t matter if Toujou was Monster X.

It didn’t matter if he was the cause of the Great Calamity four years ago, if he had killed his own parents and sister, or if his true form was that of a monster.

Her goal was to make herself Toujou’s sole pillar of emotional support, thereby creating a state in which he was completely dependent on her.

By getting close to him while he was at his lowest, she would make him acutely aware that she was his only ally.

If she could do that, then eventually, Toujou would become hers.

“Haaa… I love you so much, Toujou-kun…”

Now that she was where no one could hear, she put her love for him into words.

In order to make the boy she first fell in love with her own, in order to make her beloved Toujou turn to her, she had no qualms about using his current situation.

“Ahh… I really am a terrible person, aren’t I…?”

Yuki uttered this self-deprecating line for the second time.

But unlike the first time, her lips were now curved into a smile, as if she were thoroughly pleased with the person she had become.