Chapter 15: Pressed for an Answer, So I’ll Explain Out Loud

Before I knew it, the sky had dyed itself crimson, crows cawing as they flew past.

Evening.

Yet Haruto still hadn’t brought up anything.

"Guess we should head back soon."

"Ah, yeah…"

It wasn’t like I was reluctant to leave, but my response came out vague, tangled in this weird, restless feeling.

We’d pretty much ridden everything by now. Shirazagi Park wasn’t huge—you could cover most of it in a day. Probably why it struggled to attract visitors.

"Is there somewhere else you still want to go?"

Haruto’s sharp eyes fixed on me, and my chest jumped.

Yeah, something’s off with me today.

Probably Hoshiko’s fault.

Flustered, I scanned the surroundings for a distraction.

…My gaze landed on a slow-spinning structure.

"Uh, well… Oh! The Ferris wheel. Wanna ride it before we go?"

"Hmm… Are we supposed to shake this?"

"NO, STOP IT, IDIOT!"

I jabbed Haruto in panic as he leaned sideways, testing the gondola’s stability. This park’s rides were old. One wrong move, and we’d be plummeting headfirst to the ground—the thought sent a chill down my spine.

Back then—when I transformed into the silver magical girl, Luna the Witch—I could fly. But now? No idea.

And by "no idea," I mean I haven’t tried transforming.

Haruto mentioned my current state might not even allow it. My body’s balance is unstable after being remade, and the "Dark Seed" fused with me could go berserk. Not exactly keen on gambling my life to test it.

"This ride’s for enjoying the view. Slowly."

"Ah. So that’s a thing too."

Haruto nodded like it was a revelation.

This guy’s hopeless.

"…Hey. Haruto."

"Hm? What’s up?"

I called out to him as he stared into the distance like I’d told him to. His gaze snapped back to me, intense.

"You… got something you wanna tell me?"

"'Something' being…?"

My face burned the second I asked.

What the hell?

That sounded way too eager.

"N-never mind! Forget it!"

I rejected the idea with my whole body—shaking my head wildly while waving my hands in frantic X’s.

No take-backsies. Maximum undo.

But then—

"…Yeah. There’s something I need to tell you."

Haruto’s expression hardened with resolve.

"Youta. You… became a girl named Luna."

—Here it comes!

My pulse spiked at Haruto’s deliberate, testing tone.

Not that I’m happy about it.

Stay cool. Blank face. No reactions.

"Y-yeah."

"So I’ve decided something."

"…Uh-huh."

I swallowed hard, tracking every micro-movement of the guy in front of me.

Just spit it out already.

"It’s my duty—as the first friend you made after transferring here."

—First friend? True, but dramatic much?

I braced for the next words, itching with impatience.

"—I want to return you to your original form."

"Yeah, yeah…"

Original form, huh.

Makes sense.

So—

Wait.

"…HAH?!"

My jaw nearly hit the gondola floor.

"Wh—WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN?!"

"…Exactly what I said?"

Haruto tilted his head, baffled by my outburst.

No, EXPLAIN PROPERLY.

I glared, channeling every ounce of my confusion into the stare.

"My bad. That was unclear."

Maybe sensing my desperation, Haruto began to speak.

Haruto's explanation was frustratingly vague and abstract.

Apparently, he'd pinpointed the cause of my transformation and developed a way to reverse it—though he refused to go into specifics. Something about the method losing effectiveness if he talked too much about it.

I wanted to press him for details—how did he even figure this out?—but all he'd say was:

"I had help... from someone who was once aided by the Silver Witch, Luna."

And even that was apparently "company secrets."

"S-so... what happens if you do it?"

My throat burned, my voice coming out shaky despite the fact this should be good news. The reflection in Haruto's eyes showed a face on the verge of tears.

"If I’m right... you’ll return to being Youta."

"What about everyone’s memories?"

—Right.

That was the critical part.

"They all think I’m Luna now. If I go back to being Youta, what then?"

I couldn’t go through that hell again. The thought made me grab Haruto by the collar.

The Ferris wheel gondola swayed slightly, but I didn’t care.

"That shouldn’t be an issue. The memory alteration was a side effect of becoming Luna. Reverting you would undo it naturally."

"...I see."

Even as I lashed out, Haruto didn’t so much as flinch. If anything, he accepted my anger as justified.

"...Hey."

"Yeah?"

"That ‘resolve’ and ‘responsibility’ you mentioned to Hoshiko... was this what you meant?"

He looked surprised I’d overheard—then answered after a pause.

"...You heard that?"

"Yeah."

"Then yes. I’ve always wanted to restore you, Youta. That’s what I meant."

His expression was deadly serious as he held my gaze—

"...I consider you my closest friend. I told you that, didn’t I?"

—and there was no arguing with that.