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"We don't... have much time left to live..."
Aya felt a slight pang in her chest as those damning words escaped her own lips. Yet, she couldn't feel any sort of despair over that realization, even though she knew on a rational level that she should. Even if she wanted to stay alive, part of her was already completely depleted of the energy necessary to worry too much over the tragic fate that probably awaited her. If Koname-chan's words were to be believed, Aya would be doomed. If Tempest Day came up and nobody found a way to stop it, she would be doomed all the same.
So what? Hadn't her life up to that point been anything other than a string of dooming events? She had never found the courage to put an end to her own misery. So, maybe she should just leave it up to fate to make the decision for her and at long last rescue her from a world where she couldn't find her place.
On the other hand, there was a part of her that longed for better days and still hoped against hope that future would bring her nicer things. Wouldn't it be a shame if she missed that chance, as faint as it seemed to be? Or maybe it wasn't that she had any real hopes, but rather that when one has to confront the idea of having her own days numbered, her instinct of survival naturally manifests itself, prompting the individual to hold onto life.
Aya shrunk inside the blanket, hiding her face almost completely as she sobbed quietly.
"Asagiri-san..."
Before Aya could look back up at Yatsumura-san, her friend held her hand. Maybe that comforting gesture would have looked weird to other people, as Yatsumura-san might seem a little coold and distant to those who didn't know her well. But although Aya couldn't say that they had known each other for long, she knew that the girl lying by her side on her bed was a real friend, someone she could trust and count on. That very fact in itself was soothing enough for Aya's ailing soul, but having her fingers intertwined with her friend's was certainly a welcome extra. It gave Aya a heartwarming sense of belonging.
Aya tried to control her own voice so as not to sound too dramatic and not make Yatsumura-san too worried. "I still have a lot of things... I want to do. But I'm going to—"
She didn't complete her sentence. In a second comforting gesture, Yatsumura-san gently kissed her at the top of her head. Aya wanted to look at her and say "thank you", but a knot in her throat didn't let her do it.
"Me too," Yatsumura-san confessed, her voice sounding a little shaken. "I have many things I want to do."
The two of them spent an undefined amount of minutes in silence, resting their foreheads against each other's. Finally, Yatsumura-san let go of Aya's hand and hugged her. Aya slowly snuggled onto her, instinctively trying to draw some form of energy from her warmth.
It was only when she felt the tip of Yatsumura-san's fingers running delicately over her face that Aya looked up to face the other girl. Funny how up until that point Aya hadn't felt embarrassed, but now she felt her face burn and hoped that her friend wouldn't notice that she was probably blushing. Then again, even though Yatsumura-san was a magical girl, it wasn't like she had the power to see in the dark.
Yet, the bedroom was dimly lit by the moonlight coming through the window. That was enough to allow Aya to see a faint smile rise to Yatsumura-san's lips. And now there was also something in her eyes. Aya couldn't really tell the name of that something, but somehow she knew what it was about, and what was going to happen next.
She closed her eyes as Yatsumura-san gently held her chin and lifted it up. Although Aya's face burnt with more intensity as their lips touched, for some reson she couldn't feel nervous or embarrassed. On the contrary. While Yatsumura-san's gradually deepened the kiss, Aya felt more and more relaxed. And safe. And loved.
Those cozy sensations vanished abruptly when Aya heard an unkown beeping sound. She opened her eyes. Yatsumura-san stared back at her. They both sat up and looked around, searching for the sound's source. Suddenly, a bright light that came seemingly from nowhere shone over them. They got up to their feet, and the light started blinking. It was all very disorienting, and Aya felt dizzy.
Yatsumura-san held her hand firmly. "What the hell is going on here?"
Before Aya could say that she had no idea, the light stopped blinking. It was now almost unbearably bright. And then, paradoxically, everything turned dark.
When Aya came back to her senses, she found herself lying on the cold floor of what appeared to be a big empty white room without any doors or windows. Yatsumura-san, already awake as well, lay right next to her, and was now donning a frilly blue dress that looked much like those cute elaborate outfits that one could see in a typical mahou shoujo anime. Aya looked down and realized that she was wearing a similar dress, although hers was pink.
Yatsumura-san was the first to get up. She took Aya's hand and helped her to her feet.
"Thank you." Aya smiled, but she was actually worried. "Yatsumura-san, do you have any idea what place is this?"
"No. All I know is that this may be a bad time to be without our sticks."
Yatsumura-san had barely finished that sentence when the wall across from them started blinking in a similar way to Aya's bedroom earlier that night. Within seconds, a very large rectangle formed on the smooth surface. It quickly mutated into what appeared to be a huge computer screen.
Aya and Yatsumura-san stared at each other, and right when they looked back at the rectangle on the wall, two silhouettes showed up on it. Then, two robotic feminine voices spoke together, "How fortunate... How fortunate..."
Was it only Aya, or did the silhouettes resemble Yatsumura-san and herself? Those voices also sounded weirdly familiar, despite their unnatural sound. She turned to her friend. "Is this yet another mahou shoujo site?"
Yatsumura-san nodded. "Seems so. Only with two admins instead of one."
"Two admins that look and sound a little like... ourselves?"
"Yeah, I noticed that too." Yatsumura-san frowned. "But how the hell did we find this site if we weren't even near a computer when I kissed you?"
Aya felt her face burn again at the mention of their kiss.
Meanwhile, the robotic voices repeated, "How fortunate... How fortunate..." But their next repetition was followed by an addition. "How fortunate... that you met each other."
Yatsumura-san asked, "Who are you and what does it all mean?"
The silhouettes disappeared from the screen, giving place to a blue arrow pointing at the right. The words "Click Here" were written on it. With no mouse and no keyboard available, Aya wondered what they were going to do. But Yatsumura-san just walked up to the screen and touched it, causing a fresh page to load. It contained a short piece of text:
This is your own mahou shoujo site.
When two magical girls share moments of deep emotional intimacy, they unlock a secret mahou shoujo site that is only accessible to themselves. Inside this site, they can build new lives, and they can be and do anything they want, effectively becoming their own site admins. They are also completely safe from the threats and pains of the external world. Here the Tempest cannot reach you.
How fortunate that you met each other!
Aya slowly turned to Yatsumura-san. "So... does it mean that... we're safe now?"
"I think so." Yatsumura-san gave her a warm smile. "And all those things you still wanted to do? Looks like now you can."
"You too, Yatsumura-san."
"Yeah. Both of us. We're free. Completely free."
Aya looked into her eyes. Yatsumura-san pulled her closer and hugged her.
The screen blinked for a couple of seconds. Aya and Yatsumura-san looked at it. The text had been replaced with an image of the silhouettes, which now hugged as well.
"Wait a minute." Aya gently pulled away from Yatsumura-san and turned to the screen. "What about... everyone else? Will they be spared from the Tempest too?"
The sillhouettes faded away, giving place to another blue arrow. Aya touched it. Another page loaded.
No. This site is just for you. Only those who activate their own sites can be the admins of their own lives.
Aya frowned. "But this isn't fair."
Yatsumura-san let out a sigh. "What the hell are you talking about, Asagiri-san?"
Aya's voice sounded unusually determined. "We can't just stay here knowing that everyone else is going to die."
"I can."
"But—"
Yatsumura-san put a hand on Aya's shoulder. "Look, after all that we've been through, I think we got this chance to save ourselves because we damn earned it. Whatever happens to the rest of the world is not our fault."
"This isn't about it being our fault or not," Aya argued. "It's about coherence. This computer says that here we'll be safe from the pains of the external world. But if everyone dies, that will pain me for sure."
Yatsumura-san withdrew her hand and looked away.
Aya continued, "We're magical girls, Yatsumura-san. Don't you think we could use our powers to do some good? Actually, you already did that for me. So I know you're a good person. Don't you want to share your goodness with others?"
Yatsumura-san's lips curled in a weird way, as if she tried to fight a smile away.
"Weren't we going to join forces with the other magical girls and find a way to stop the Tempest? I still want to go back and do that. And..." Aya felt her face burn once more. "I really want you to come with me."
Just as Yatsumura-san cast a sideways glance at Aya, the screen blinked again. After a couple of seconds, it displayed a new message:
Are you sure you want to go back to your world?
Below that sentence, there were two buttons. The red one read "Yes", and the gray one read "No".
The girls stared at each other in silence for a minute or two. Finally, Yatsumura-san looked away from the screen, lowered her head, and then, in a quick move, hit the red button with the palm of her hand.
A new window popped up. It displayed two buttons, "Confirm" and "Cancel", both topped by a warning:
Are you sure? This action can't be undone.
Aya and Yatsumura-san exchanged looks again. They nodded at each other and, together, touched the "Confirm" button.
The pop up and the text behind it were replaced with a new image of the silhouettes holding hands. With their robotic voices, they said together, "How fortunate... how misfortunate... how fortunate... how misfortunate... how fortunate..." Then, the figures slowly dissolved as if by erosion, starting at the top of their heads and going all the way down to their feet, until there was no trace of them left to be seen.
That was the last thing Aya saw on the screen before another paradox of extreme brightness followed by complete darkness took place.
When she woke up, she found herself back to her own bed, lying right next to Yatsumura-san, both covered by Aya's blanket. She lifted it a bit and realized that their frilly dresses had given place to the ordinary clothes they had been wearing before being teleported into that weird mahou shoujo site.
Yatsumura-san slowly opened her eyes and turned her head to face Aya. Her accusatory words contrasted with her calm and somewhat lazy voice. "So, we missed our big chance. I hope you're happy, Asagiri-san."
In spite of what she had just heard, Aya smiled at her friend. "Yes, I am. And I owe it to you, Yatsumura-san. Thank you."
The little luminosity provided by the moonlight didn't let Aya see Yatsumura-san's face very well, but it seemed that the latter had given her a serious look before rolling to the left and turning her back at her.
That didn't upset Aya though. "Good night, Yatsumura-san," she said. In a softer voice, she timidly added, "And thank you for being here with me."
Yatsumura-san sighed. "It's not like I have much of a choice. Remember, I have nowhere to go. But good night to you too."
Aya fixed her gaze on the ceiling. A few minutes went by in complete silence. She assumed Yatsumura-san had fallen asleep, but was surprised to see the other girl roll back to the right, hold her face and give her a quick kiss on the lips.
Then, as if nothing had happened, Yatsumura-san turned her back at Aya again. "Maybe I'll forgive you someday, Asagiri-san."
Aya hesitated for a minute, but finally snuggled onto her. She seriously suspected that Yatsumura-san had already forgiven her. And that uplifiting thought lulled Aya to sleep.