Regarding the fact that my best friend is a magical girl

Sensing her resentment, I also became uneasy.

"Miss Miluno, I'm so sorry, oh no!"

Before he could finish speaking, he was smacked on the head.

"Here we go again. You did a great job, so why are you apologizing to me? Using magic to dispel magic... Wow, that's impressive."

I am delighted to be praised by Miss Miluno.

"Hehe, it was just something I came up with in a moment of desperation."

Ms. Yin Wei brought over two glasses of lemonade.

"The ability to remain calm and think clearly in times of crisis is the quality the association sees in you, Seruno. You are the key to winning this match, so be more confident!"

"It's not that exaggerated..."

Although I said that, I was actually quite happy inside, as I rarely receive praise. It was a pity that Yezi couldn't see it, but thankfully there was a recording, and I'll definitely let him watch the playback tonight!

Behind Ms. Yin Wei was the Golden Dog, a lively dog ​​that was frolicking around us. However, it was all wet, and Ms. Zara seemed to have poured water on it to cool it down.

Miss Milno took the cup but didn't drink it. Instead, she turned and handed it to Antarctica. This penguin girl also needed comfort, but her friend Sirius was nowhere to be found after the game.

"Where is Miss Sirius? She didn't say a word about what she was doing afterward..."

Ms. Yin Wei replied, "The association has contacted us, but I don't know what it's about."

I was actually looking forward to the barbecue later on.

It seems to me that having a maid do the barbecuing on the beach is a romantic and charming thing to do, rather than having the barbecuing done by oneself.

"Then let's wait a bit."

Miss Miluno helped Antarctic Star back to the parasol for a rest.

I strolled alone on the beach, where golden sand met the blue sea, and the waves washed over my calves—it felt wonderful.

"Wang~"

"Ah Huang?"

The Golden Ship caught up with me, wagging its tail and swaying around me. I simply sat down in the seawater, hugged its head and rubbed it for a while, then it splashed water all over me.

Although I hadn't had much contact with dogs before, I've always loved these furry animal friends, so when Sirius said he wanted to give the Golden Ship to me and Yezi, I naturally agreed without hesitation.

However, Yezi's concerns were not wrong. We are still students and do not have much energy and time to take care of a big guy. Fortunately, Sirius proposed the "foster care" plan, which gave us the opportunity to take the Golden Ship home temporarily.

"Hehe, good boy."

"Woof!"

Dogs are easy to understand; they don't have the same complicated thoughts as humans. For example, right now it just wants to play, which is why it's nudging my chest with its dark nose... I guess.

"Have you had enough? I'm starting to wonder if you're a lecher."

It was still a bit awkward, but I still pushed the dog's head away.

"Wait, what's that?"

Beneath the surface near the reef, something is rapidly approaching Naboo Island, its trajectory clearly visible, like a torpedo.

"...A weirdo?"

"Wang! Wang!"

The Golden Ship noticed this and began to roar at the sea.

They cast a magical membrane around themselves and the Golden Ship as a defense against a possible attack, but unexpectedly, that guy disappeared behind a huge reef on the west side of the beach...

"Wang!"

The Golden Ship charged forward.

"Wait! Danger!"

I tried to stop it, but the cool seawater was over my calves, and I couldn't outrun it.

When I reached the reef, I didn't see anyone. However, the Golden Ship that had climbed up seemed to have made a discovery; it was carrying something in its mouth...

Wow! I swallowed it!

Chapter Twenty-Five: Inhuman Beings

(Albinocotyledon)

Under the shade of the parasol, Nanjixing sat with his knees bent, his face still expressionless, but his hands were nervously rubbing together.

"I'm sorry, Miss Miluno, my magic couldn't last until the end."

Hey, did you catch this apologetic habit from Seruno?

"Don't take it to heart. Since we lost, it just means our strategy wasn't good enough."

To generate enough power to alter the trajectory of a volleyball, an excessive amount of magic was required. Seruno's magic filtering strategy prolonged the match, causing Antarctic Star to run out of magic power towards the end of the game, ultimately leading to our defeat.

"This is just a party activity; winning or losing doesn't matter."

Even though I was the one comforting Nanjixing, she scratched a small tuft of white hair on her forehead and asked, "But Miss Miluno really wants to win, doesn't she?"

"It would be a lie to say I don't want to win, but saying all this won't change the outcome of losing... I need to rest well, and once Sirius comes back, we should be able to start the barbecue."

"Yes, you're right."

Although her expression was blank, it was not lacking in thought.

On this beach, Sirius's maids are working together to dismantle the net.

Serino went for a walk on the beach, and the Golden Ship followed her to play.

The surroundings became quiet for a moment, with only the sound of waves crashing against the rocks.

"South Pole Star".

In such a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere, I couldn't help but strike up a conversation.

"Ok?"

"After you became a magical girl, did you ever turn back into a penguin?"

I simply asked a question, and the South Star beside me emitted a fleeting white light.

The girl in the one-piece swimsuit disappeared, replaced by a giant emperor penguin.

It was really big, over a meter tall, taller than me when I was sitting down.

Its dense back feathers are dark and glossy, with a beautiful ring of yellow feathers around its neck, and its snow-white belly makes you want to touch it.

"..."

It stared at me with its round eyes.

I asked, "Can't you talk when you turn back into a penguin?"

"Ah."

The penguin's call was somewhat low, but it conveyed a sense of affirmation.

I reached out and grasped its flipper-like forelimbs; they felt very hard.

"It's hot, isn't it? Let's change back first. It's inconvenient not being able to communicate."

Antarctic Star nodded her goose head and transformed back into her magical girl form. She sat down beside me and said, "I still have a clan that needs to be led, so I often need to transform back and don't always act in human form."

"You really haven't forgotten your roots."

“The Star Crystal will not belong to me forever. When it leaves, I must return to my people.”

What Nanjixing said wasn't some grand philosophy, but something that every magical girl already knew.

"But magical girls have such high social status that the gap between them and their original identities is too great. Some people will forget or run away from their original selves."

It's also common for magical girls to never undo their transformations and completely abandon their original lives. The high welfare provided by the association can alleviate this gap to some extent, allowing retired magical girls to live a good life. But that's just material satisfaction; the spiritual gap cannot be filled with money.

I'm worried about Seruno now. She's becoming more and more outstanding as a magical girl. Will Ayao be able to come back?

"After all, I am not human, and there are some complex things that I still don't quite understand even after studying them."

Antarctic Star lay flat on the mat, its chest, formed from the fat of a penguin's abdomen, becoming particularly prominent.

“But Miss Miluno is definitely not that kind of person. You seem to be very self-disciplined.”

"Self-discipline, me?"

"Yes, you are very rational, and rational people don't make such emotional mistakes."

"A mistake based on emotion...?"

That idiot, he seems like a very sentimental person, doesn't he?

"Wait! Danger!"

I could vaguely hear Serino calling from the other side of the beach. Looking closer, I saw her chasing the Golden Ship toward the rocky area to the west.

I didn't know what had happened, but I still stood up.

"I'll go check on the situation."

"Ah."

I greeted the South Star, dusted myself off, and stood up.

The beach wasn't far, and we could get there quickly if we sped up. I saw Seruno squatting in front of the Golden Ship, shoving its mouth open.

He kept yelling, "Spit it out! Spit it out now!"

"Hey, you'll get bitten if you do that."

I grabbed her wrist and stopped her from making that dangerous move.

"What did the Golden Ship eat? Sea snails?"

"I don't know what it is, but it looks yellowish and doesn't look like something to eat. It might be barnacles on the rocks."

"How could you possibly swallow that?"

An upset stomach is a hassle; you have to take the pet to the vet. But Golden doesn't seem to be acting normally.