Regarding the fact that my best friend is a magical girl

"Okay, is the next one alright?"

"Sure, something simple will do."

Busy sounds came from the kitchen, along with Yezi's voice.

"Speaking of which, there was no live broadcast or recording of the afternoon's battle. Was it something that needed to be kept secret?"

Recalling Miss Spica's instructions, I simply nodded in affirmation.

"Yes, it's a secret I can't tell you."

"Can't you talk to me about it?"

"No."

"Hey, you've only been a magical girl for a few days and you already have secrets?"

"No means no, so don't ask anymore!"

Even if it's Ye Zi, we can't let him know about the existence of the "witch".

If I were ever caught by "the other side," would I also be transformed into a witch?

Will Yezi still recognize me by then?

As I was pondering this, a series of cracking sounds came from the kitchen.

I rushed into the kitchen. Noodles were bubbling in a pot on the stove, but Yezi was squatting on the floor picking up broken pieces of a bowl.

"You broke a bowl? How could you be so careless..."

When I stepped forward, I noticed that his hands were trembling uncontrollably.

"...Ye Zi, what's wrong with you?"

"It's nothing, it's just that the things I was carrying were too heavy."

Are you injured anywhere?

"I didn't fight any monsters, so what injuries could I possibly get? Idiot, go back to your seat and wait."

His condition was clearly not right.

"Liar! I'm not blind. Your expression clearly shows you're in pain and trying to hold it in. Why are you hiding it from me? Aren't we brothers now?"

"I told you I'm fine. Do you see any injuries on me?"

After cleaning up the broken dishes, he even turned around in front of me—I couldn't see any wounds on his body.

"Ye Zi, if you ever have any trouble, you must tell me."

"Okay, go tidy up your clothes first~"

He refused to say anything and even pushed me out of the kitchen.

It's not an external injury, could it be... some kind of terminal illness?

I was startled by my own thoughts, then I took out my phone and searched on Baidu, and was shocked to find my hands were sweating profusely.

"What disease can cause hand tremors...cancer?!"

Reading this description, my heart skipped a beat.

The leaf may have some kind of cancer.

He didn't want me to worry, so he kept quiet, but when exactly was he diagnosed? As his best friend, I didn't even notice. Even though he was in this condition, I still made him carry such a heavy paper bag... I'm not only unqualified as a magical girl, but also as a brother.

Sigh, cancer treatment must be very expensive, right?

But I'm a magical girl, and as long as I keep fighting, I'll find a way to make money. I need to convince him to get treatment; the sooner he gets treatment, the better.

"The noodles are ready, you idiot, come and eat."

Ye Zi carried the tray and placed the noodles on the dining table. The clear soup noodles were topped with pickled mustard greens, shredded pork, and a poached egg, but a lot of soup was still spilled on the tray. He must have endured considerable pain as he walked out of the kitchen.

He tried to lift the bowl from the tray onto the table, but I quickly stepped forward to stop him.

"I can do it myself! Yezi, why don't you sit down and rest?"

"Huh? I don't know what you're worried about, but it's really nothing."

I took off his apron from his chest, then turned him around by pressing his shoulders and made him sit down in the chair opposite me.

"No, I need to have a serious talk with you! Sit down!"

I stirred the noodles, put on a stern face and looked at him. Perhaps it was because I rarely showed any authority, but although he looked helpless, he still sat up straight obediently.

"...Ye Zi, um...do you have some kind of illness?"

Although I wanted to adopt a stern attitude, I lost my nerve as soon as I asked the question.

"No."

He certainly wouldn't admit it so easily.

I continued, "Yezi, if you don't have enough money for treatment, I can help you."

"It's not about the money. I'm really not sick. My hands are shaking because I carried too many heavy things today."

"These clothes aren't that heavy!"

"Please don't use your strength as a reference. Even magical girls who excel in magic are stronger than ordinary people."

"But you can't even hold a bowl properly, which is really strange for an ordinary person, isn't it?"

Even now, you can still see the pain on Ye Zi's face.

"Idiot, I carried all these bags back from C4 area... Hurry up and eat, the noodles are going to swell up."

Ye Zi got up to leave, and I stood up to keep him there, but instead grabbed the back of his collar and pulled off the shirt he was wearing from behind.

"Leaves?!"

Beneath the plain shirt was a pure white cotton t-shirt, but now the white t-shirt was stained with bloodstains.

He was clearly injured, but it wasn't obvious because he was wearing a shirt.

"How is this going?"

Back...

The location of his wound looks somewhat familiar.

Chapter Thirty: Yin Wei's "Gift"

(Albinocotyledon)

"Leaves?! What's going on?"

Since I became a magical girl, there's probably never been a worse situation than this! Even if Seruno is really an idiot, seeing the same scar on my back will make a connection and make her doubt my identity...

I never expected to be exposed in this way. Does this mean my magical girl life is coming to an end?

Just as my heart was churning with turmoil, a piece of music started playing.

─────────────

—— Eyes closed and confirmed (close your eyes lightly to confirm again) ——

…………

...It was Ayao's phone ringing.

The theme song from a certain magical girl anime.

"Ye Zi, um, I need to take this call first."

She gave me a complicated look, then politely answered the phone.

"Hello, may I ask who you are...? Eh? Miss Miluno?!"

I was stunned for a moment, then I realized who had done what.

"Huh? How did you get this number... Oh, did Sister Lu give you the phone number?"

Ah Yao's original number was being used to make threatening calls 24 hours a day, so it could no longer be used. Seruno's current mobile phone number was a gift when she registered with the association. There are definitely no more than one hand who knows this number. If nothing unexpected happens, the person calling now is Yin Wei, who was forced to cooperate in the evening.

Is this what she called a gift?

She was the one who guided Seruno to become a magical girl and register with the association, so it's not surprising that she has Seruno's phone number.

Although I don't know how she found out about my situation, I do owe her a huge favor. Thanks to that timely phone call, Serino's suspicions will be greatly reduced, and I just need to find a reason to explain the bloodstains on my back.

Um, can I get away with using bleeding acne on my back?

Flattered, Seruno then asked, "So you called because... you're going to relax tomorrow? Or do you have something to talk to me about?"

...What is Yin Wei trying to do?

They actually caused me trouble at a time like this.

"Okay! I'm free tomorrow... Hmm! I got it! I'll sneak over there by myself!"

Seruno ignored me, not even eating the noodles she had made, and ran to the balcony with her phone in hand.

It's understandable that she would be so excited to be invited out to dinner by her longtime idol... However, Bai Ziye is not as important as Miluno. Although it's all her, she still feels a little hurt.

I need to find time to have a proper talk with Yin Wei later, but right now I need to check on my injuries.

In front of the mirror cabinet in the bathroom, I turned around and looked at my back.

There were indeed bloodstains that had seeped through the cotton t-shirt; the red dots on the white background were unusually conspicuous.

When she was Milno, her wounds had almost healed, so why did they reopen now? Was it because she carried Seruno's paper bags upstairs?

To speed up healing, it's best to maintain the Miluno posture as much as possible when you're alone.

"leaf?"

After finishing her phone call, Serino peeked out from the bathroom doorway.

"What exactly is the wound on your back...?"

"These aren't injuries, they're just broken skin left from scraping."

Gua sha?