There was a saying:
[Blood is thicker than water]
Most people assume it means that family ties are stronger than anything else.
But that isn't really the case, is it? Parents trot it out whenever they want their kid to fall in line.
Then again, some would argue:
『The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.』
And both Shizuka and Miu agreed with the latter far more than the former.
They went way back.
*Wayyy* back—back when Shizuka was just a ten-year-old girl.
Back when Shin-Tokyo was still slowly building itself up, and there wasn't much to do yet.
Sure, you could watch *The Beauty and Toils of a Certain Magical Girl*—that show about magical girls was pretty entertaining.
But a kid like Shizuka still needed to *socialize*.
So what she'd do was head to Hanamizuki Central Park, one of the biggest parks around.
Well, back then, it was the *only* park around.
But that came with perks! Almost all the kids and parents hung out there.
And that day… Shizuka made a new friend.
"Miuuuuuu!"
Shizuka came running and tackled Miu like a black crow diving straight at an orange cat.
"KYAAHHH! SHIZUKA, YOU DUMMYYY!"
Miu yelped as they both crashed onto the grass.
"Shizuka, don't do that to your friend."
Shizuka's mother couldn't help but laugh at the cute scene—but even as she smiled, her eyes narrowed just a bit.
"O-okay, Mom!"
Shizuka grinned awkwardly, scratching her head, her cheeks flushing.
"Now go on and play. Mommy'll be sitting on that bench over there."
Shizuka twisted to look where her mom pointed and nodded. It wasn't too far away.
The moment her mother started toward the bench, Shizuka grabbed Miu's hand and yanked her up.
"Miu!! Miuu! How are you?"
Shizuka leaned in close, her dark eyes practically sparkling.
Why?
Because yesterday, Miu had been playing alone when Shizuka happened to walk by with her mother.
At first, Shizuka didn't pay much attention—just another kid minding her own business. But then a group of boys surrounded Miu and started teasing her.
"Aww, why are you playing all alone?"
"No friends? Probably 'cause of your weird hair!"
"Nuh-uh! I bet she stinks!"
"Gross!!"
Words and insults flew left and right. From where Shizuka stood, she couldn't see Miu's face—but the way her shoulders shook said she was crying.
"Mommy, I can't just watch this!"
Shizuka pointed, pouting fiercely.
"Stella Commet loves justice! She'd totally kick those kids' butts!"
Shizuka's mother laughed softly.
She didn't think Stella would go *that* far… but she'd play along.
"Then what're you gonna do, honey?"
Shizuka's mom knelt down to her level.
"Watch me!!"
Shizuka beamed, full of pride.
…
..
.
"Wahhh, wahhh! Stop crying, you look ugly!"
"No wonder nobody plays with you!"
"Hahaa! Loser! Loser!"
*Why won't they leave me alone?*
*I don't have any friends… I want friends…*
*But I always get rejected.*
*Is it really because of my hair?*
*Am I really that ugly?*
*What did I do to deserve this? I just wanted to play in peace… Why?*
Tears wouldn't stop. Mean words kept coming, left and right.
Even with my hands over my ears, I could still hear them.
*Enough… Please, enough…*
"Enough!!"
My blue eyes flew open.
There was a girl standing in front of me.
She was as small as I was… so why did her long black hair and slender frame seem so big? So… dependable.
I watched her shout back, argue, chase the boys off—and more tears fell.
*Did I deserve this? Being saved? Me?*
I tried to wipe my tears away, pathetically.
"Are you okay? I'm sorry, that must've been scary!"
My eyes widened as I suddenly felt her arms around me. My whimpers stuck in my throat.
"I'm okay," I managed, voice trembling. The boys were gone—she must've scared them off.
"Are you sure? It's okay to cry, you know."
I shook my head hard. *I'm a big girl. I don't need to cry.*
"No. I'm really fine."
I forced a smile, stiffly wiping my tears.
"Really??? Okay then… I'm Shizuka! What's your name?"
I tilted my head.
*Shizuka…*
*My savior's name is Shizuka. It's a nice name.*
"I'm Miu," I said softly.
"Miu? Miuuu? That's so cute! Like a cat! Meeeew!"
My face flushed red. I was used to being bullied… but not teased.
"I-It's not cute," I mumbled, shaking my head.
"Nuh-uh, it's super cute! I bet your parents thought really hard about it!"
At her words, I went quiet.
My parents died when those… creatures attacked. Now I live with my aunt… who doesn't really treat me like family.
Shizuka must've noticed my expression. She frowned.
"Ah… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."
A small smile touched my lips. She was trying so hard.
"It's okay."
But Shizuka shook her head firmly.
"No! I can't accept that. Starting tomorrow, I'm gonna be your friend! That way you won't be alone!"
*Friend…*
*A friend.*
Hearing those words—seeing the warm, gentle smile on her face—I couldn't hold back. I cried.
I'd always wanted a friend.
I was so used to playing alone.
To being turned away.
Now… I had someone.
Someone I could lean on.
"Wahhh! What's wrong? What's wrong?!"
Shizuka panicked when she saw my tears. But deep inside, my heart was laughing—happily.
It felt warm.
For the first time, I was crying not because I was hurt…
But because I was happy.
"Waaa! Do you promise? Do you *really* promise? No matter what?" I whimpered.
"I promise, I promise! Please don't cry! Mom'll think I made you cry!"
"Dummy, you *did* make me cry!"
"No, I didn't!!"
I kept teasing her like that until, before we knew it, the sun began to set, washing everything in warm gold.
"Well… I gotta go."
I smiled as Shizuka clutched her mother's hand.
"Mhm."
I waved, watching her small figure disappear from sight.
…
..
.
And now, back in the present, I couldn't help but sigh as Shizuka dragged me toward the playground.
Honestly, *I* should be the excited one, playing with my hero… so why did it seem like *she* was the one who'd been saved?
"Miu!! Let's go on the seesaw!"
How could anyone refuse that bright smile?
We settled on either end. Up and down we went, and Shizuka beamed at me.
"Hey, hey~ Did you know? Stella Commet saved me when I was a baby!"
"Stella did? *The* Stella?"
My eyes went wide.
Wow—a magical girl saved Shizuka! Even I knew that was a huge deal.
"Yeah! *The* Stella! That's why, when I grow up, I wanna be a magical girl too!"
I couldn't help but laugh.
"Rude! Miu, you meanie! Is my dream that bad?!"
Watching her pout only made me laugh harder.
"No, no! It's not like that! I was just thinking… it's so *you*!"
I wiped a tear from my eye.
"But if it's you… I think you'd be the best magical girl ever."
I meant it.
Shizuka hopped off the seesaw and struck a pose.
"…What's that?" I tilted my head.
"It's Stella Commet's pose! Don't you watch the show?"
"Nope. My aunt won't let me watch TV… or else I don't get dinner."
I looked away.
"No way! Your aunt's a meanie! If you want to watch, just come to my house, 'kay?"
Sometimes it felt unfair—how this girl in front of me could smile so freely.
But who was I to refuse?
"Okay."
…
..
.
And just like that… I knew Shizuka.
She became like an older sister to me.
I'd visit her home often, and her mother treated me like her own daughter!
It was so nice that sometimes… I wished I could just live with them. But asking felt too shameful.
Even so, I stayed by Shizuka's side from elementary all the way through high school.
The older Shizuka got, the kinder and smarter she became.
She grew so famous at school that everyone knew her name. She joined every academic competition she could.
And she even tutored me whenever I struggled.
But through it all, one thing never changed:
Her absolute devotion to magical girls.
So when I had to change schools because Hanamizuki University didn't offer nursing…
I was sad. And worried.
Because even though Shizuka was the best role model, she could get *obsessive* about Stella Commet.
And I had a feeling her idols wouldn't last much longer. The world had gotten peaceful.
I was right.
I wish I hadn't been… but I was.
The moment I turned on the TV out of habit, the headline glared back at me:
**[Breaking News: The Magical Girls Are Back, Now With a New Look?]**
It was a bad sign. I knew it.
That's why I thought about calling Shizuka—to give her a heads up. Or just so she'd know.
But part of me hesitated.
She hadn't taken Stella Commet's retirement well at all. A part of her seemed to die that day.
Even though she kept up her kind, reliable, honor-student act… I knew she wasn't the same.
After all… I knew her best.
Yet I was her friend. Her only real friend. Her best friend.
So I called, reluctantly.
And when she picked up—I was so glad I did.
"Miu! What's up?"
Shizuka's voice was as soft and soothing as ever. Yup—aside from being my hero, she also had the most calming voice. She could top any ASMR channel out there!
A-anyway.
"Girl, haven't you seen the news?" I asked, smiling as I put her on speaker.
"What news?"
My eyes widened. *She really didn't know yet?*
"Look at the news—hurry!"
I heard scrambling on the other end. *Geez, this girl…*
I stared at my own screen, waiting. On it, Lya was giving a speech, hyping up the magical girls' return.
"S… Stella?"
Hearing Shizuka's whisper over the phone, a huge grin spread across my face as the magical girls stepped onto the stage, one by one.
"Miu… am I seeing things?"
Shizuka sounded so stunned I almost laughed—but I held it in. I'm her friend, after all.
"Nope! Heh, I knew you'd like this news."
I smirked, focusing on the phone. Honestly, I wasn't *that* into magical girls—even if they were our saviors. But Shizuka loved them, so I did too. I'd always had a soft spot for Aurora Sparkle… that shy bundle of joy was just too cute!
But anyway…
As we listened to Lya's speech, we both gasped at the same time.
"This year, 2054, Lya has decided to recruit five girls to take on the mantle of their predecessors!"
The crowd cheered. My eyes locked on Aurora Sparkle…
"Wait a minute… that's not…"
*That's not the Aurora Sparkle I know.*
"Shizuka… Shizuka, these aren't our magical girls!"
I spoke frantically into the phone, but all I heard was heavy breathing.
"Shizuka? Hey, Shizuka, get a hold of yourself! Shizuka!"
I raised my voice as her breathing grew ragged, mingled with muffled, incoherent words.
But the news didn't wait for anyone—not even time showed us mercy.
I kept watching, heart aching alongside hers.
"As Reporter-san mentioned, I have recruited five fourteen-year-old girls to be the new magical girls!
Instead of fighting youmas, they'll be fighting… in movies! They'll do brand deals, too!
They'll basically become idols!"
『Yesss!!』
"Nooo!!"
Hearing Shizuka's pained scream, tears welled in my eyes. This was too cruel. I loved Aurora, but Shizuka loved Stella so much more.
"Shizuka? Shizuka! Are you alright?!"
I kept calling her name, but she didn't answer for what felt like forever.
"…Yeah. I'm fine."
I smiled, sighing in relief at her words.
"I'll call you back later."
After she hung up, I felt a little better. Shizuka was kind. I knew her better than anyone.
And we'd promised—no matter what, I had her back. *No matter what.*
Even though she never texted or called me after that… I believed Shizuka's heart was in the right place. I had to believe that.
After all… she was my hero.
And our bond was stronger than anything in this world.
As I walked down a street in the Miname Yume District, I couldn't help but smile at the thought.
"Gosh, why's that troublesome girl been on my mind so much lately?"
I sighed—just as a dark, inky blob began forming in a nearby alley.
My eyes widened. My hands shook with fear as I fumbled for my phone to alert the Y.I.E.D.—but hesitation froze me. And maybe that was a blessing… or a curse.
Because from that ink-black shadow emerged a familiar young woman with long black hair.
And my suspicion vanished the moment I saw her clearly…
"Shizuka?"