Chapter 8

The next day arrived.

“Sorry, got called in for work!”

“Huh, but tomorrow’s a holiday, right?”

“Am I the only one who thinks that a job demanding unexpected overtime on holidays should go out of business?”

I’m in agreement.

◆
Nevertheless, as a salaryman, one must answer the boss’s call, which is the challenging part of the job.

Even though in my mind, I’m already enjoying myself at the theme park with them, my body inexplicably finds itself typing away on the computer keyboard.

It’s truly strange.

Not enjoyable at all.

There’s this guy with a smirk, eyeing a golf driver nearby. It feels like slicing him in half would instantly lift my spirits, but alas, doing so would cost me my job.

Oh, the struggles of a salaryman.

I’m not alone in being forced to work on a holiday; knowing there are comrades in the same situation is somewhat comforting.

Perhaps it’s worth considering a strike with comrades, but then again, doing so in Neon City might not change our work conditions. Worse, it might make me a target of ‘The Thirteen Steps.’

If they start eliminating strikers, that would be the worst.

However, if I diligently tackle the piled-up workload, it’ll eventually get cleared.

I started just before 9 in the morning, and now it’s 2 in the afternoon.

Finally catching a break, I head to the nearby convenience store for lunch.

I opt for a ham and egg sandwich, a vegetable smoothie, and a salad with crispy noodles, easy to eat and clean up.

Approaching the register with my items in hand…

“…”

Fleur-san, who came with me to the convenience store, seems to be looking at something in front of the register.

Following her gaze, I tilt my head.

『Magical Girl Lime☆Rain.』

An immensely popular original anime that even I, who rarely watches late-night anime, am familiar with.

There are goods from that anime – clear files and a small notebook featuring the characters.
It seems you get one of these goods for free when you purchase designated items, totaling over 1000 yen.

“For your son?”

“What…!”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Fleur-san jumps and turns back to me.

“Hey, um… Lux-kun, is that you?”

“If you want it, I’ll help you get it.”

“…No, I just felt a sense of nostalgia, I don’t really want this merchandise.”

“Nostalgia?”

Could it be that she used to enjoy entertainment like this magical girl genre in her younger days (although she’s still plenty young now)?

“Ah, well, you know? I, in the past――um, I used to admire magical girls.”

“Oh really?”

“I wanted to be a hero of justice, you know? Anyway, just embarrassing memories from my youth that suddenly came back to me.”

Ah, embarrassing.

She says, her cheeks tinted with a slight blush.

“That’s also because of something that happened in the past, where a magical girl saved me.”

“Wow, really?”

“You’re quite interested, huh?”

“Well, you know, magical girls. It’s not often you get the chance to meet such wonderful people.”

Magical girls also play a significant role in the original story.

They’re involved in the subplot rather than the main scenario, as part of the resistance – the group fighting against the Thirteen Steps in Neon City.

By the way, they have a backstory similar to that of a superhero from some sci-fi show, where initially modified humans, created by the Thirteen Steps, awaken to a sense of justice and are born as a consequence.

“What was that magical girl like?”

“Hmm, she had silver hair and wore a cute outfit with a monochrome color scheme.”

“Oh, I see.”

“By the way, she was calling herself Savant.”

“Buhoo!!”

I can’t help but burst out laughing!

“What’s… wrong?”

“Uh, it’s nothing.”

“With that expression and tone, it’s hard to believe it’s nothing…”

However, sensing that this topic is something I’d rather not delve into, Fleur-san takes the initiative, “Well then, since we’re here, why don’t we get one of the items?” and picks up an energy drink, the designated product, heading towards the register.

I sigh heavily, feeling like my unwanted “dark past” has been unexpectedly unearthed, and desperately try to bury it deep in the recesses of my mind.

『Hehe, warriors of Valhalla――The offspring born from the black flame, the child of the white chalk, shall never vanish…!』

Though I felt like I heard such a voice, I pretended not to and just queued up at the register.