Want to be human, but cube-like

This band, which had already performed and played together many times but was still in the process of forming, seemed to be on the verge of disbanding even before its official formation was announced.

Xiangzi, who clearly had little to do with this matter, was the only one who was troubled by their situation.

Entering the hamburger shop through the back door, Xiangzi didn't linger on the first floor. He went straight back to his bedroom on the third floor, put down his things, changed into some loungewear, and immediately felt much more relaxed.

She glanced at the time; it was almost evening, time for dinner.

First, I knocked on Alex's master bedroom door, and sure enough, it was empty. Then I went upstairs to check the soundproof room, which was also empty.

Xiangzi went downstairs to the kitchen on the first floor with ease, took out some ingredients from a box, and prepared to make dinner.

These ingredients are what was left over from when the burger shop was halfway through its last business day. Since it hasn't reopened since then, the ingredients have been kept in this box and hardly used.

Wait a minute, let's go have a good talk with Alex.

As he busied himself with his work, Xiangzi thought to himself.

She's almost finished dealing with the enrollment process at Haneoka High School; all she needs to do now is wait for the school to send back the application materials. She got home earlier than usual today, so she can go see Alex before she goes to her room to sleep and try to figure out how to handle the issues between Alex and Aine.

First and foremost, we need to get Alex back on her feet.

……

In the tranquil environment of the Sky Island, even the passage of time becomes blurred in one's senses.

However, Alex still set her alarm properly.

As soon as evening fell, she would go back to her room and lie down to get through the agonizing night.

Forced to wake up during the day, the girl returns to the floating island to get herself busy again.

That way, I won't think about anything else.

She would no longer need to face the outside world that made her feel lost and helpless.

On the lower level of the Sky Island, not far from the mob farm, Alex was holding a wrench and tapping intermittently on the gear in front of her that she had just inserted but which, for some reason, was stuck and wouldn't turn.

Because she couldn't figure out how to better connect these mechanical structures, her movements gradually slowed down.

Once she falls into this state of confusion, Alex becomes so overwhelmed by those chaotic thoughts that she is unable to think straight.

Human emotions are truly complex.

Alex couldn't understand.

The longer she remained in this state of confusion, the emptier she felt inside.

At that time, were there any other better options?

If I hadn't remained silent, would I have been able to salvage the situation?

But... if I don't stay silent, what can I say...?

Should I deceive her, deceive her into believing that I am not what she thinks I am?

She kept, uncontrollably, recalling the scene in her mind again and again, imagining all sorts of possibilities, and wondering if the outcome would have been different if she had done better.

But ultimately, this could only exist as a figment of her imagination.

Shaking her head vigorously, letting her loose silver hair become messy, Alex managed to shake off the thoughts that were surging up again. She looked up at the chaotic gear structure she had built, but the more she looked, the more dizzy she felt.

If... Mom were here, I wouldn't have to worry about how to set up the mechanically powered assembly line...

Alex, who had always just watched her mother build these devices and knew nothing about them except the specific uses of each tool and block, subconsciously began to reminisce about the past.

Then, inevitably, she thought of Aine again.

It seems that, without her noticing, Aine has gradually begun to overlap with the image of her mother in her memory.

A nameless fear rose from the bottom of my heart.

"call……"

She let out a heavy sigh, tossed the wrench aside, and turned to walk toward the upper level of the sky island.

I need to find something else to do.

The longer you study mechanical power, the easier it is to get distracted, and the more likely you are to think about Aine.

"Alex."

Just then, Xiangzi walked in from outside the portal, carrying a plate with some food on it.

“We need to talk about you and Aine.”

…………

PS: This is a transitional chapter and might be a bit boring. To make the timeline less rushed, I forced Xiangzi to work for a while. I hope it doesn't seem too contrived.

I'm not afraid of spoilers, the next part of the story will be about Alex and Shoko figuring out Aine's true identity...

I might take a day off. I want to try again to salvage my completely ruined sleep schedule!

Volume 1: Chapter 187 An Omnipotent Wish Is Not Omnipotent

"This newly opened bakery in Harajuku is so crowded... but luckily I managed to get a spot in the end, oh~ the cream on the bread looks like it's overflowing from the photo~!"

On a tram at dusk, several vibrant young women huddled in a small corner of the carriage, holding their phones and discussing...

They were talking about what happened while shopping today.

"Didn't you only eat a little over half before getting tired of it and throwing it away?"

Another girl complained to the girl who was showing the photo on the screen and shouting.

"that is because……"

The voices of her junior high school classmates continued to drift into her ears, but the pink-haired girl standing at the edge seemed absent-minded. She looked up at the neon lights flashing past the window like streaks of light, her body swaying with the movement of the tram.

"...You agree, right, Chihaya?"

I'm a little sleepy...

Ai Yin covered her mouth with her fingertips and yawned quietly, so she didn't hear the call from beside her.

"Chihaya?"

She was startled awake when the other person called out again in confusion.

"what……?"

Ayane was slightly taken aback, but she quickly realized what was happening. She skillfully put on a small smile and, with a few words, redirected the other person's attention elsewhere.

"Speaking of which, Chihaya hasn't ordered any drinks today, she's only been drinking water."

However, as a key figure in the social circle, the conversation always easily returns to Aine.

Aine usually enjoys this feeling, but now she seems to be having a bit of a headache about it.

"Is...that time of the month here?"

The classmate next to me whispered a word of concern.

"Forehead……"

For some reason, Ai Yin's face turned slightly red, and she hesitated for a moment.

"No...it's just that I've been consuming too much sugar lately."

How should she answer this?

Is it really necessary for Ai Yin to tell her junior high school classmates that drinking beverages reminds her of some unpleasant memories?

Drinking milk reminds me of my first kiss with Alex; drinking honey grapefruit tea reminds me of our passionate kiss in the movie theater; and drinking apple juice reminds me of our secret kiss on the second floor of the burger joint…

Not only these, but also cola, various fruit juices, hot cocoa, and even boxed jelly drinks from roadside vending machines...

Having tasted the flavors, Ai-yin, driven by curiosity and a desire for excitement, secretly tried the sensation of having these drinks on her tongue with Alex...

Uh...

A mournful cry of love escaped from the depths of her heart. She longed to go back a month and strangle that pink-haired idiot who had been blinded by desire.

She truly doesn't want to think about those things anymore...

Lately, she's been meeting up with her junior high classmates a lot. It's because whenever Aine stays at home and has nothing to do, she starts thinking about things related to Alex, and the more she thinks about it, the more upset she becomes.

The only time I can slightly shift my focus is when I go out shopping.

During this period, Ai-yin suffered from insomnia almost every night, which caused her to be listless all day.

"Bye~"

After a long wait, the tram finally arrived at the station. Ai-yin got off the tram and waved goodbye to her classmates.

"Ugh……"

She watched the tram sway and lurch away, and sighed dejectedly.

"Aine, if you're willing to make a wish, you won't have these troubles anymore."

At that moment, a voice popped into her head, interrupting Aine's thoughts.

"The hallucinations are getting worse..."

But she seemed used to it, muttering something under her breath, ignoring the noise, and turning to walk towards her home.

"Why are you ignoring me? Aine, I'm not just a figment of your imagination."

A strange little white animal appeared out of nowhere and followed at her feet.

But Aine knew that hallucinations would always try to prove they weren't hallucinations, just like a mentally ill person would never admit they were mentally ill...

Some time ago, this strange creature, which only she could see, suddenly appeared in her life, or more precisely, in almost every period of time after she left her home.

They even said that as long as you sign a contract with them and become a magical girl, you can have any wish granted... It sounds like they're just trying to fool a child, all good things.

Is this illusion born from his constant longing for Alex?

An attempt to salvage the situation in this way...

But even this strange creature she imagined was full of Alex's shadow.

Snow-white fur, bright red eyes.

Even the long, droopy rabbit ears on Alex's head that Aine vaguely saw during her first kiss with Alex that night became a feature of this hallucination.

Even though Aine usually fantasizes about Alex dressed as a sexy lop-eared bunny girl... the characteristics of this lop-eared bunny are so vividly portrayed that they've almost deviated from human form.

It was precisely because of these characteristics that Aine became even more convinced that this strange creature was just a hallucination born from her excessive longing for Alex.

"I'd probably be happier if this illusion were of a beautiful girl..."

With her cheeks puffed out, Ai-yin muttered a helpless remark, clearly annoyed.

"...Is this Aine's wish?"

Upon hearing her words, the strange creature that had been following her stopped in its tracks, stood still, and tilted its head to ask.

"No, I have no wish."

Ai Yin, who was walking ahead, shook her head without turning her head and replied with a single sentence.

"But your illusion is quite polite, isn't it? I won't see you once I get home."

As she reached her front door, searching for her keys in her pocket, Ai-yin remarked casually.

"I won't just barge into someone's house without permission. Does Aine need me to come in with her?"

The strange creature standing in the corner of the wall in the distance answered her question.

"It's so good that they won't come to my house to bother me..."

Aine, of course, wouldn't respond to such a thing. She simply assumed that it was because she was back in the warm environment of home that she was able to relax and therefore no longer experienced hallucinations.

If it weren't for wanting to go out during the day to find something to do and avoid spending time alone in her room reminiscing about her time with Alex, Aine would have preferred to stay home and ignore everything.

"I'm back……"

"Welcome back, Aine!"

She whispered something in a low voice, then met her mother's concerned gaze in silence and returned to her room.

After putting down the shopping bag, Ai Yin kicked off her slippers with her little feet and threw herself heavily onto the sofa.