Your support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)
What makes one a magical girl?
Is it the courageous and just heart willing to go any lengths to save people from evil?
Is it the frilly dresses and magic-wand coupled with cute-sounding attacks?
Is it the attitude that keeps smile on their faces even when the odds are stacked against them?
Is it all of these qualities combined? Or none of the above?
Whatever it is I will never get to be one of them.
✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦
Bell-chimed the end of the school-day for most of the students at the high-school on a hot June afternoon. Summer-vacation was nearly upon of the seniors of the high-school, though most of them wouldn't bother thinking bothersome stuff like entrance exams or future career surveys at least for a few months. This was their last summer as high-school students, and they intended to take full advantage of that fact, which meant beach-trips, sleepovers, festivals, some small trips to onsens or bigger cities, to some it just meant lazing around at home and leaving the summer homework to the final day and then despairing over it and pulling all-nighter to finish it all. Hype seemed to grew bigger and bigger each day as students sprung out of the classroom or stayed behind chatting and planning what they are going to do with their friends.
However furthest row of seats in the class, next to a window sat a raven-haired girl with bangs over her eyes calmly putting her books back into her backpack, seemingly not caring about all the excitement around her. She knew that all her summer would provide her were a long idle days spent reading manga or playing games with her little sister at home, maybe a visit to their grandparents place at the countryside... And forgetting her summer work till day before the school started back again and pulling an all-nighter to get it all done. It has been like this ever since elementary-school, and things would continue to be like this the last year of high-school and university if she decided to apply to one.
After packing her things up the young woman silently left the classroom, and started to walk towards the other one. Before she could start enjoying her listless vacation she needed to take remedial classes after flunking the math test. The subject she hated the most. If things went well she could start the vacation when the rest of the school started it, which would mean two week long study-halls and passing the retake test, but if not she'd spend first half of her vacation locked in the school for some more remedial classes. Despite not really doing anything noteworthy during her free time the prospect of being stuck at a classroom with poor air conditioning and some teacher droning on and on about things she couldn't get interested in made the woman sigh audibly, and the fact that she'd have to spend next two weeks at the schools library with other flunking students didn't exactly sound fun either, but at least she could find herself a secluded corner and read the latest volume of 'Magical Heartcatcher Kirara-chan' and pretend to work.
Though even that pretending wouldn't be necessary. Ever since she was a little she realized she was a 'plain girl', someone who'd melt into the background, who people didn't even realize was even present. Even at daycare the teachers sometimes forgot to give her tasty desserts, or elementary school teachers thought she was missing or absent unless she made herself known, and after that they would forget her anyways. No-one has ever approached her and talked to her unless made to do so, but this wasn't out of any malice. They just didn't realize she was around. It all sounds really comical when put into words, but to Shizue Matsumoto it was a curse she has been living with her whole life, and one that she has learned to live with reluctantly.
While walking towards the library she stopped at the vending machine to get herself a Pocari Sweat bottle to enjoy while reading her manga, and soon she arrived to her destination.
✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦
Shizue slid the door open and walked in the library, few heads turned to her way to look who stepped in, but in an instant they returned back to their books and studying. In addition to few teachers there were some students helping the students out. The only one she recognized was the schools most popular student, complete opposite of her. Akeboshi Ayame. Her unusual and bright hair-color in addition to her seemingly being great at anything she did made her seem like she was the main character of this world, someone that timid, socially awkward plain-girl at the same time looked-up in admiration and awe, but somewhere deep inside held feelings of jealousy and unjust resentment. Ayame had just drawn a better lot in life since she was born in her eyes, and there's nothing she could do about it. In her eyes she was just the type who would get blessed with power, fame and anything she could hope for
In Shizues eyes Ayame was like an everyday magical girl.
After letting the eyes under her bangs look at her for a few moments, and knowing that no teacher or student would welcome her in or ask if she needed any assistance the young woman started heading at the back of the library, where a small old table with two as old chairs were put next to it. Small window over it made the setting afternoon sun through and made the place rather cozy and warm to be. She had even used the place as a secret place to take naps. Only downside was all the dust that seemed to gather there, but it was a small price to pay for her private oasis.
Freckled, raven-haired woman put her backpack decorated with magical-girl charms onto the back of the chair after digging out her tankobon volume of the manga and her math-book, setting the book in front of her on the table in-case someone would come to her, opened her Pocari Sweat bottle and started to enjoy her alone-time. She contemplated on putting headphones, but since the cicadas were not singing for a few weeks she could focus in her reading without music.
After reading a few pages of the manga and escaping into the own little world the slowly setting sun illuminated the lone girl sitting and reading, and if someone were to stumble on her even by accident they'd see a rare sight that even her parents or sister rarely saw, which was her gentle smile as she flipped through the pages.
