Chapter 49: Gaze

Inside the Honghai First School, Mu Yurou sat by the window, her chin propped on her hand.

Just yesterday, she had gone to see her Older Sister Xi, hoping she would cheer up and move back home with her, but she was refused.

Mu Yurou wanted to help her sister, to ask why she always seemed so gloomy every day.

But she would always smile and say she was fine, gently rejecting her younger sister’s concern.

Seeing Mu Xi like this made Mu Yurou, as her younger sister, truly worried.

It had been three years, yet her sister still said nothing.

This constant silence also troubled Mu Yurou.

During Old Deng’s boring class, Mu Yurou drifted into her own thoughts.

The sound of Mr. Deng’s teaching and the flipping of textbook pages filled her ears.

But she couldn’t bring herself to listen.

She didn’t really need to. Since childhood, Mu Yurou might not have been first place, but she was always in the top ten in her grade.

Now, as a Newly-appointed Magical Girl, she earned a decent salary and bonuses, so she didn’t need to worry about her future.

But… what about her sister?

Although her sister wasn’t very cheerful before, she was never as depressed as she was now.

“Ding ling ling ling～”

The bell signaling the end of class rang.

Mu Yurou went to the cafeteria, hastily ate a few bites, then headed to the playground and sat down, looking up at the sky.

The sky was blue, the sun bright, and the sunlight blazing—but it couldn’t reach the shadows in Mu Yurou’s heart.

Yet she sat alone on the field, weighed down by her worries.

“What are you doing?”

A clear voice, like the song of a golden oriole, rang out behind Mu Yurou.

She turned around.

It was a girl with blonde hair and amber eyes.

She wore a yellow dress that matched her hair and eyes perfectly.

Mu Yurou remembered her—Huang Xi, a classmate, but the two of them didn’t interact much.

“Nothing.”

Mu Yurou turned her head back.

“Have you eaten?”

Huang Xi sat down on the grass beside Mu Yurou.

“Uh… I have?”

Mu Yurou turned her head, looking at Huang Xi in confusion.

Neither of them spoke again. Even the air seemed frozen with awkwardness.

Huang Xi was the first to break the silence, coughing lightly.

“Um, can you do me a favor?”

“What favor?”

“You’re good at studying, right? Could you help me with my homework…”

“Eh?”

“Please! If I fail next month’s exam again, my mom and dad won’t give me any allowance!”

Huang Xi put her hands together, pleading sincerely.

“Pfft～hahaha.”

Mu Yurou burst out laughing at Huang Xi’s dramatic pose.

“What’s so funny?!”

Huang Xi’s face turned a little red.

“No, nothing. Let’s go.”

Mu Yurou brushed the stray grass off herself.

She stood up with a smile.

“Where are we going?”

Huang Xi asked, puzzled.

“Didn’t you say you wanted help with your studies? Let’s use this lunch break. Come on.”

“Oh, oh.”

The two of them returned to the classroom to get their textbooks, and Mu Yurou led Huang Xi along.

“Follow me, I’ll take you somewhere quiet.”

“Okay, okay～”

But Mu Yurou took Huang Xi to the rooftop.

“The rooftop? Why come here?”

Huang Xi asked, confused, but still sat on the edge of a planter by the rooftop.

“It’s quieter here. It’s… kind of my secret base. Not many people come.”

Mu Yurou picked up a textbook and began explaining things to Huang Xi.

At first, Huang Xi listened intently, but then a gentle breeze brushed her face.

The breeze also lifted Mu Yurou’s soft white hair.

The fine, white strands swayed in the air.

Huang Xi stared at Mu Yurou’s profile, momentarily dazed.

So… beautiful…

What… is this feeling?

Huang Xi’s heart felt like it was about to leap out of her chest.

“Hmm? What’s wrong? Are you listening?”

Mu Yurou waved a hand in front of Huang Xi’s face.

“Beau…”

“Hm?”

“Nothing!”

Huang Xi shook her head rapidly, trying to refocus.

The sun set in the west, time flowing by unnoticed.

On the way home after school, Mu Yurou looked up at the burning red clouds in the sky, lost in thought.

“Hey!”

Huang Xi appeared behind Mu Yurou, patting her on the shoulder and snapping her out of her daze.

“Wah! Oh, it’s you. What is it?”

Mu Yurou, startled, turned around.

“Thanks for today. Let me buy you something to eat.”

Huang Xi smiled.

“Huh? No, no, it was nothing.”

Mu Yurou wanted to refuse, but couldn’t resist Huang Xi’s enthusiasm.

“Come on, come on, let me treat you.”

Huang Xi’s bright spirit was like a little sun, shining into the gloom in Mu Yurou’s heart.

“It’s really not necessary…”

Mu Yurou said, but was pushed along anyway.

“It’s fine, it’s fine, let’s go～”

Huang Xi half-pulled, half-pushed Mu Yurou into a dessert shop.

“What do you want to eat? My treat today!”

Huang Xi cheerfully pulled out her phone and let Mu Yurou order whatever she wanted.

“Then… anything is fine…”

Mu Yurou was at a loss against Huang Xi’s energy.

Their desserts arrived soon after. A slice of strawberry-topped cake was placed before Mu Yurou.

She poked the strawberry on top, then cut a piece of cake and put it in her mouth.

The sweetness of the cream and the softness of the cake briefly swept away Mu Yurou’s worries.

She held her mouth, amazed at the taste.

“This is so good.”

She mumbled, her eyes shining.

“Right? Right?”

Huang Xi stabbed a forkful of tiramisu and ate it as well.

The two of them enjoyed a wonderful afternoon together, and before long, the desserts were all finished.

“Thanks for the treat～”

Mu Yurou wiped her mouth.

The two of them walked out of the dessert shop together, heading home as they chatted about school life.

When they reached a crossroads, they stopped in unison.

“I go home to the right.”

Mu Yurou turned right.

“I go left.”

Huang Xi walked to the left.

“Okay, then, see you.”

For some reason, Mu Yurou felt a bit reluctant.

“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”

There was a note of anticipation in Huang Xi’s voice.

They waved to each other, then walked away, back to back, along their separate paths.

Halfway down the road, Mu Yurou suddenly turned around and looked at Huang Xi, and their gazes met—amber eyes staring back.

Huang Xi was looking back at Mu Yurou, too.

Mu Yurou stared, realizing Huang Xi’s face was flushed red, as if bleeding.

When Huang Xi noticed, she quickly turned away, pretending nothing had happened.

She kept walking, glancing back from time to time at Mu Yurou, then quickly looking away each time she was caught.

Until finally, Mu Yurou watched her disappear from sight.

She… was looking at me, too.

Why?

Mu Yurou’s cheeks reddened, and a new feeling sprouted in her heart.

A feeling like a spring bamboo shoot breaking through the earth.