CH 66.1

Chapter 66.1

Chapter 2 — Expand, my world! • Episode 2-Leisure • Aquarium

Translated by KaiesV

Edited by KaiesV

At the ticket gate of a busy station, a girl was waiting for someone with a smartphone in her hand. Her wavy, permed, medium-length, pale light blue hair should be very noticeable but does not attract special attention. The girl’s name is Kisayama Chisaki, also known as Magical Girl Elephant.

When Magical Girls obtain the key to access the treasury, their hair and eyes often change color due to some effect, but they are not looked at suspiciously or strangely by those around them due to the effects of the perception blockage. Therefore, Chisaki now seems to be just an ordinary girl who comes to the city to play and meet up with others during her summer vacation.

Suddenly, Chisaki, who had been looking at her phone, looked up and turned her gaze to the ticket gate. There was a girl, dressed in a white one-piece dress, as lovely as a young fairy.

Her beautiful emerald green hair stood out like a jewel, and it was easy for Chisaki to spot her. The girl’s name is Tyrant Sylph. She is a friend of Chisaki’s who she just recently became friends with.

Recognition inhibition applies to Magical Girls as well, and unless one knows their post-transformation and pre-transformation appearances, no one will not recognize them as the same person, no matter how similar their appearances may be. Conversely, however, if they know that they are the same person, they can escape some of the effects of recognition inhibition and correctly recognize hair color and eye color. Chisaki knew Tyrant Sylph as well as her pre-transformation appearance, so she was able to find Tyrant Sylph immediately by looking for her distinctive hair color.

Even if Sylph’s hair color had been black or brown, it would have been easy to find her. To the average person under the influence of cognitive inhibition, Tyrant Sylph appears to be an ordinary girl with nothing unusual about her hair or eyes. However, one particular point attracted attention, regardless of being a Magical Girl or any cognitive inhibitions.

Because of her young age, more than half of the people who pass by her look back at her, if not nine out of ten. Scurrying around as if looking for someone, a gesture that invites shelter.

It’s not so much that she’s getting all the attention, but not so much that she’s going to cause any problems. Still, to put it simply, they stood out. In particular, there were more looks from women than men. At first glance, Tyrant Sylph appeared to be around 10 years old, so they were not attracting the male gaze in a romantic sense, but rather as if they were adoring a cute little animal.

「Ryō-chan, morning.」

「! Ele—」

Chisaki, who approached Tyrant Sylph from behind with a big smile on her face, interrupted her by placing her index finger on her mouth as she was about to reply.

「You can call me Chisaki over here. I’ll call you Ryō-chan too.」

「I–I understand. Chisaki-san! Good morning to you!」

Just as it is against the law to call a Magical Girl by their real name when they transformed, it is bad manners to call someone by their (Magical Girl) name when they’re not transformed. The average person would not be able to escape the effects of cognitive inhibition, but there is no guarantee that other Magical Girls would not happen to be nearby.

They agreed in advance that they would call each other by their first names, but she couldn’t call Ryōichi by her original name as she was in her young girl form, so they decided to use the temporary name of Mizukami Ryō before the transformation.

Perhaps embarrassed to call Chisaki’s name, Ryō, aka Tyrant Sylph, returned the greeting with a little blush and a lot of enthusiasm.

「I see you didn’t tie it today.」

「I wasn’t quite sure how to do it…」

「Ah, it changes on its own when you transform, doesn’t it?」

「Would you prefer the usual, Chisaki-san?」

「You’re always so cute, but you also have a very pretty straight and innocent side!」

Ryō’s hairstyle today was simple and straight, though it wasn’t like it was a bedazzled hairdo as one would expect. Chisaki, who is used to seeing twin-tails when she transformed, marveled at the freshness of it.

「T–Thank you very much. U–Uhm, is there anything strange…?」

She told her that from the time she left her house until she arrived at this place, she felt many people gawking at her. Ryō interpreted this to mean that everyone was looking at her because she was weird.

「There’s nothing weird about you! Maybe everyone saw it because Ryō-chan is so cute.」

「I don’t think they do, but…」

「That’s not true! Come on, let’s go!」

Chisaki pulled Ryō’s hand, who seemed somewhat unsettled, and started to walk away.

It seemed that Chisaki was the escort for today’s outing, or rather date.

.

「It’s amazing that there is an aquarium in the building!」

While getting off the elevator and waiting in line at the reception desk, Ryō kept looking around and repeating how great this place was.

For today’s date course, Chisaki chose an aquarium in Tokyo, because Ryō had told her before that she had never been to an aquarium. Although Chisaki did not ask for details, she has a dim sense that Ryō has never been to most of the entertainment facilities that she would normally visit with her family and friends. The four of them have been chatting together since the new team was formed, but there are a fair number of things they don’t talk about.

Therefore, Chisaki wanted to go with Ryō to various places and teach her the joys of these places, and this aquarium was a good place to start.

「I’ve seen it on TV before, but seeing it in person is different.」

「I’ve seen this fish in a movie before!」

「Look, Chisaki-san! Penguins are swimming!」

「I would hate to have such a big bug in my room…」

She was not frolicking around like most children, but her voice was still bouncy and her eyes sparkle with joy, as if her heart was still racing at her first experience. Chisaki watched over Ryō with a warm smile, but inwardly she was troubled by a certain problem.

It is not a serious problem, but it is an important one for Chisaki.

The problem is that Ryō does not perceive herself as a very pretty girl.

Or, more precisely, how it makes her look to those around her. Ryō is also self-aware of her good looks, but she doesn’t understand how this affects those around her.

One major example is the case of her, who went outside wearing only a T-shirt. This incident was caused by her optimism that she would go unnoticed anyway due to recognition inhibition, but what Ryō felt when it was discovered that she was firmly recognized wasn’t a sense of crisis but embarrassment. It is not something unique to girls, but simply shame at being seen walking around dressed sloppily, something anyone can have.

However, when Chisaki heard about this failure from Ryō, she thought that before she was embarrassed, there was too little sense of crisis. A disheveled, unsuspecting, adorable girl was walking around, and while it was good that it was during the day, if this had been at night or in an out-of-the-way place, Ryō might not have been safe either.

The same is true for today’s story; Ryō said that many people were looking at her until she arrived at the meeting place, but she doesn’t realize that it was because of her superior appearance. She doesn’t usually go out much, so she haven’t had any problems so far, but if she doesn’t, she may be in trouble someday.

Chisaki was about to follow Ryō with her eyes, determined to tell her at the end of today’s date, when she realized that she had to tell her once and for all. To not be able to see Ryō’s figure.

「Ryō-chan…?」

By worrying as she went along, Chisaki had reached a rather dark exhibition space without realizing it. Since it was summer vacation, the number of people was large and there was no sign of Ryō.

Unable to raise her voice, Chisaki walked around the exhibition space at a fast pace, but could not see Ryō’s distinctive hair color. Only at that stage did she understood that she had strayed.

However, even though she looks like a child, she is actually a capable adult. She also had her cell phone, so there is no need to worry so much. Chisaki thought so and tried to contact her via a messaging app, but could not reach her. When she called and looked at the phone, it announced that the power was out or that she was out of reception. With all the worries she has been having up to this point, a few unpleasant images pop up in her mind.

If it’s a lost child, it’s still alright. It would be embarrassing for Ryō, but she could go to a lost child booth and have them broadcast it to her and it would be solved quickly.

But let’s say it was a kidnapping. Since Ryō is a Magical Girl, it shouldn’t be too bad as soon as possible, but if she were to be deprived of consciousness or have her mouth covered, the Magical Girl would be incapacitated. And even though she used to be an adult male, Ryō is now a 10-year-old girl. Even Chisaki is no match for her in strength.

Ryō is still a child, not yet old enough to be subjected to such degrading glances and desires from ordinary adults. But there are outliers everywhere.

The more Chisaki thought about it, the more her thoughts tilted in the wrong direction. Her feet were going to the lost children’s booth, fast enough to just barely avoid bumping into them in the crowd, but she was about to start running.

「Shall we go then?」

「Yes…」

Suddenly, Chisaki stopped when she heard a familiar voice there. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ryō trying to walk away, following a strange adult woman.

「Ryō-chan!」

「Ah, Chisaki-san!」

When Chisaki called out her name loudly, Ryō turned around and called Chisaki’s name with a relieved expression on her face.

Seeing this, the woman who was leading Ryō smiled kindly.

「I’m glad your friend found you.」

「Yes. Thank you for your assistance.」

「You were dealing with Ryō-chan, weren’t you? Thank you very much.」

「It’s alright, when you’re in trouble, it’d be mutual. Come on, let’s hold hands so you don’t get separated again. Well, see you.」

Chisaki thanked Ryō, who replied with a seriousness that was not appropriate for her age, with a look of relief. The woman let them hold hands and left.

「Ryō-chan, come here for a second.」

「Eh? Ch–Chisaki-san? Are you angry…?」

When Chisaki pulled Ryō’s hand and started to walk away, Ryō asked in a low tone, her voice trembling a little as if she wasn’t in a good mood. Chisaki, however, didn’t answer.

Both of them returned to the dark exhibition space where they had just lost each other in silence, and Chisaki stopped by the wall where there were no exhibits and no one was around.

「U–Uhm, Chisaki-san? I’m sorry, I got separated from you.」

Ryō apologizes in a fearful manner, mistakenly believing that she is angry at her for getting lost. But that is not what Chisaki is angry about. Of course, she was very worried about Ryō’s disappearance, but it was more relief that she was found safe than anger.

Chisaki is angry because Ryō was trying to easily follow a stranger after getting lost.

「Ryō-chan, was that woman someone you knew?」

「Eh? No, I’ve never met her before.」

「Then why were you trying to go with her?」

「I got separated from Chisaki-san, and when I was looking for you, she told me she would take me to the lost child booth. My phone had run out of battery, and I thought for sure that would be the fastest way…」

「Ryō-chan…」

While answering the questions posed in a low tone, Ryō backed up under the pressure of Chisaki’s gradual approach, and finally her back touched the wall. Just as she couldn’t go back any further, Chisaki pressed one hand hard against the wall. A small, dull sound echoed, and Ryō’s shoulders jumped for a moment.

「Ryō-chan is a girl now, right?」

「Y–Yes. That’s correct.」

「Didn’t I teach you never to follow a stranger?」

「Eh, b–but it was a woman, and… Besides, I’m a Magical Girl, so…」

「Hey!」

Chisaki sounded a little annoyed and grabbed both of Ryō’s wrists, pushing her against the wall. Her arms is so slender that she was afraid it would break if she put serious effort into it, and Chisaki tried to loosen her hold for a moment, but then she turned her heart hard and rather put more effort into it.

Even though they are not transformed into Magical Girls, Chisaki is 14 years old and Ryō is just 10 years old, so the difference in arm strength is unmatched. Even if Ryō were to make a serious attempt to escape, she would not be able to shake her off.

（Maybe it’s because she used to be a man. I knew it, Ryō-chan, you don’t know anything.）

「Chi–Chisaki-san? It hurts, a little, bit.」

「Don’t try to resist. There’s no way that you were safe just because she was a woman, you know?」

「Hyuuu!」

Chisaki whispers in Ryō’s ear and blows lightly on her ear, and Ryō wriggles with a ticklish voice. But her hands are bound and she cannot escape.

「Eh? Eh?」

「If they keep your mouth closed like this, it won’t matter if you’re a Magical Girls or not.」

「Uhm, what do you…?」

Saying this, they came close enough to touch each other’s breath, and Chisaki looked into Ryō’s eyes. Just a few more steps closer, a slight push from behind, and they are so close that their mouths touch each other. However, Ryō was neither frightened nor embarrassed, as if she had not grasped the atmosphere at the suddenness of the situation.

Seeing Ryō’s innocent reaction, Chisaki instantly became embarrassed, let go of her hands, and turned her face away.

「J–Just kidding! Just because she’s a woman like this doesn’t mean you’re safe, you have to be careful!」

「Ah, I understand. So that’s what it was. I’m sorry I didn’t understand it because it came out of nowhere. That’s right. I didn’t get away with it at all, even now, and I need to be more careful.」

「That’s correct! I was really worried about you!」

Chisaki said jokingly, flapping her hands and looking up at her face. The darkness of the room hid the fact that Chisaki’s face had turned red like a boiled egg, and Ryō did not notice.