V1: Chapter 6: W-well, I'm Home?

Chapter 6: W-well, I've Come Back?

I woke up early in the morning to the sound of the morning sun streaming through the slightly cloudy glass and the chirping of sparrows.

My memory of yesterday is hazy; it almost feels like time has been completely skipped.

Yesterday, I think... that's right, I defeated a Demon King with a name like Marik or something... and then...

I sat up to look for my phone to check the time, and as I was searching under the covers, I noticed something strange.

Where am I, anyway?

I don't recognize the ceiling, and I'm not wearing any clothes... not wearing any?

For some reason, Chloe is beside me, also not wearing anything... ahh!

My sleepy thoughts suddenly turned cold, as if I'd been doused with cold water.  

Ah, aaaaaah... aaaaaaaaaaaaa...

"Aaaahhhh!?"

Chuu!

"You're being too loud, do you know what time it is?"

"Oh, sorry..."

It's true we might be bothering the neighbors, but isn't there something more important than that?

That's right, yesterday... yeah, a lot happened.

This is bad, I never thought I'd end up having a morning kiss on the cheek from a classmate.

W-well, the characters in this story are adults and have absolutely no relation to any real people, so I hope you'll give me some slack...

"You're usually quite emotional, aren't you? If you were always like that, you wouldn't be considered too unattainable..."

"You always thought that about me?! No, well... Chloe, aren't you the one who's too calm?"

"After you were taken away, I made up my mind. I never thought I'd do something like that myself..."

As Chloe said that, she stroked my head with an unreadable expression... I felt a mix of guilt and a sense of transgression at being stroked on the head while I'm naked. Because of that, I somehow found it hard to look her directly in the face... not that I disliked it, though. 

"So... don't you have anything to say to me?"

"I-I'm sorry..."

She pulled my cheek, ouch. Apparently, that wasn't the answer she was looking for. This kind of dull pain isn't so bad... no, no, she's probably getting disillusioned with me soon.　

"Ah, then 'thank you'...?"

"Shizuku...?"　

Now she stroked my neck. It's exciting to expose a vulnerable part of the body so defenselessly, isn't it? You know, it can be seen as a sign of trust in the other person, right? I don't think she read my mind, but she continued to stroke me slowly.

Fear and a sense of security can coexist...　

"M-Master...♡"

"You idiot!?"　

She slapped my bottom, ouch.

Well, I kind of know what to say, but...  

Half of me wanted to enjoy this exchange, and the other half was incredibly embarrassed to say something like that while sober. Thinking of it as a humiliation game would be a bit too much of a shame. But I had to brace myself; I couldn't keep dragging this out any longer.

"I'm... I'm home."

"Yeah, welcome back... Shizuku."

Ah, how embarrassing!

I'm not good at this kind of embarrassment. She slowly hugged me as I blushed. Her heartbeat and the warmth of the blanket made me want to go back to sleep, but the situation didn't seem to allow it.

Whoa, so big!

I won't say what, but it's big; I can't believe we're the same age (middle schooler).

What does she eat to grow that big?

And for a while after that, I let Chloe do whatever she wanted. She stroked my head, rubbed my back.

Wow, if only we were wearing clothes, this could have been broadcast on terrestrial television as a touching scene of a Magical Girl reuniting.

As is, it's definitely can't be shown on living rooms. Even on late night program, it's questionable.

This is almost like pure love genre.

I'm not really into pure love... but then I started to think it's not so bad... no, not really. Not at all. Because I don't want to lie about these feelings.

"If you ever find yourself unable to control that impulse and want to lose to an External Enemy..."

"Yes..."

"In that case, tell me. Tell your Master, okay?"

When she whispers that in my ear, I suddenly feel like a switch is about to flip. It seems my pride has been quite tamed by Master yesterday.

I don't think it will, but if she talks to me like that that in everyday life, I might respond with a "woof."

But still, what is her intention?

"Wh-what do you mean...?"

"It's not really what I want to do, but... my Tachibana family has enough resources to eliminate someone from society and keep them as a pet. That's better than you leaving my side."

Whoa, that's huge. Her power is immense.

Oh right, she's a young lady. She's casually running her fingers through my hair, but does she realize she's just said something terrifying? No... she must know. It means she has that much resolve and love for me. And this means...

"...A marriage proposal?"

"No, not at all! I want to be on equal footing with my spouse... but even so, if it comes down to letting you go, my principles and preferences are secondary..."

That's a typical view of marriage. Actually, it seems not many people have this kind of dilemma.

That's right... unfortunately, it's not the majority. I thought it was more common, how strange. Why are those who prefer pure love the majority? That's ridiculous.

However, this gives me another option for my ending.

I never expected it to come up in this way... 

I feel bad for Chloe, who's a fan of pure love, but I still want to keep my option open. If I really can't find anyone else, then maybe I can accept her offer.

I took a shower and got dressed in the clothes that had been prepared for me.

Then I ate the breakfast that had been prepared for me... 

I feel an immense amount of power.

If I make Chloe cry, will I really be eliminated from the society?

Well, for now, I need to cover up the inconvenient truth and go home. Since I've been absent without permission for a week, school is going to be a problem, and my parents...

Well, they'll probably be fine. I'll go back to my home and get ready... I wonder if I'll make it to my first class?

"Shall I walk you home?"

"N-no, it's fine. Look, we can fly there in no time."

"...That's not very romantic."

And as for Chloe... even after getting out of bed, she's still unusually close.

Since we're both girls, things like that happen all the time, but there's something about the way she touches me that feels a bit sticky.

Using magic to fly through the air... apparently, using magic for personal purposes isn't really a good idea, but... my fame as the number one Magical Girl in both power and popularity, and the pressure from the Magical Girl Association, drown out such voices.

Today has been a day where I've felt a lot of power. Well, with national defense being left entirely to a girl around 15 years old, I don't think anyone can complain

I arrived at my usual, familiar home. I'm nervous ringing the doorbell; this isn't like running away from home. Even so, it's not like I'm feeling such despair that it feels like the end of the world.

Actually, I've only told my mother and one other person about my dream. There was a huge argument with the former, and with the latter it was kind of haphazard and I had no choice... but things are calm now.

And Chloe is the third person I've told.

I feel truly sorry for my mother, but I have to tell her... because if something happens, she'll try to find me even at the cost of her own life.

I mustered my courage and rang the doorbell, and a rather dull "ding-dong" sound rang out.

After waiting a little while, I distinctly heard the sound of footsteps running towards me. The door opened and I saw my mother's face. She looked a little haggard and seemed sleep-deprived... of course. But perhaps to hide that, she was smiling... except for her eyes.

"Hmph, this unworthy Shizuku has come home!"

"There's a lot I want to say, but... come inside, you'll catch a cold, you silly girl."

I got a really hard punch after that.

My head hurts like hell, but... well, regardless of my preferences, I thought it wasn't so bad. Because that pain made me realize... that I was truly home.

Although we had a lot to talk about, she still urged me to go to school, respecting my wishes.

I really do have good parents, yes.

When I entered my room, there was absolutely no dust despite it being a week later...

She must have cleaned it while I was away. It was exactly as I remembered my room. Except for just one thing...

By the way, the Lust Mark that was placed on me probably has two effects.

One is that I am overcome with intense pleasure after using magic. Well, if I'm just using it for travel, it only makes me feel a little aroused, so that's fine... but the problem now is the other one.

"Oh, you're late, Satellite-chan?"

"W-why..."

I remembered that it had the original function of telling her my location. But even so, could she have imagined that I would be in my room ahead of time? And she's in a form of a strangely deformed, plush toy-like figure that vaguely resembles Lux.

"Being in the human world consumes magic power, you know... so I'm in energy-saving mode. They say Magical Girls have mascots, so it's not so bad, right?"

"No, that's not what I mean... why are you here?"

I've never heard of or seen a Magical Girl's mascot being a Succubus. Well, I'm seeing it right now, though.

"I... haven't given up."

"Eh, but... it's hard to say, but for me..."

I feel bad for her, being a pure-love type, but I was about to say that I'd just had a morning fling with Chloe when I realized..... something was wrong.

She'd asked me about my type and my favorite foods, but... had she ever asked if I had a boyfriend/girlfriend?

No... she hadn't.

That's should be the first question you'd ask someone you're interested in.

"Um, I was just..."

"Oh, I don't care how many partners there are, you know? Strong individuals should leave behind many offspring, right?"

"Ugh, I really feel the cultural difference..."

With her exaggerated body wriggling and striking what was presumably a sexy pose, she was more cute than erotic.

To think I'd secretly brought a demon into my house...

While worrying about the trouble that was about to unfold, I decided to escape reality for the moment and packed my bags.

"Become mine someday, Satellite-chan♡"

"W-well, I...."

(I won't lose to pure love, though?)

Those words, though inarticulate, vanished into the hustle and bustle of everyday life.