Chapter 447: Sora's Terror, and the Strange Things Mashiro Learned
Shiina Mashiro came from a family of artists, and her own prodigious talent was a clear reflection of her lineage. Though she was already a renowned painter at a young age, her true dream was to become a manga artist.
As she walked on the treadmill, her gaze was completely captivated by an anime she'd never seen before, playing on a small screen. Her intense focus brought a soft smile to Kasugano Sora's face. It was a nice change of pace; a single episode of a TV drama was far longer than one from an anime series.
Suddenly, Mashiro let out a small gasp.
The sound made Sora pause. She glanced over at the other girl, her expression puzzled. "Mashiro-nee, what is it? Why did you make a sound like that?"
Shiina Mashiro simply shook her head, her voice a near-whisper. "It's nothing. I just think... this magic is very powerful."
"I see, magic..." Sora murmured, a faint, knowing smile on her lips.
Not long ago, she would have dismissed it with a wave of her hand, saying it was all fake, just special effects. But now? Now, she couldn't help but believe. After all, her own home had people who could use real magic. In fact, her home itself was a place more miraculous than any spell.
'It can host guests from other worlds,'Sora thought, a thrill running through her.'Isn't that just amazing?'
The thought warmed her for a moment, but then it curdled. A sudden, chilling realization washed over her, and her placid expression froze. Something wasn't right.
If her family could truly host guests from other worlds...
This morning, a woman named Aoandon had appeared out of nowhere. But it was clear she hadn't just arrived then. What if she had shown up in the middle of the night? If that was the case... could that Aoandon also be a guest from another world?
'No, no, no,'she frantically told herself, her internal voice rising in panic.'Ren-nii said it was just a coincidence. Just the same name...''But Courage-san and the others are here too! Of course he wouldn't just admit it!''Wait... no... It can't be... It really can't be... Aoandon!'
The name echoed in her mind like a ghost story whispered in the dark. The color drained from Kasugano Sora's face, leaving it a stark, pale mask of dread.
Watching the sudden, dramatic shift, Shiina Mashiro tilted her head, her expression one of mild confusion. "Sora," she asked softly, "what's wrong?"
Sora swallowed hard, the sound unnaturally loud in her own ears. She forced a shaky, brittle laugh. "Nothing... It's nothing... haha... ha..."
She was utterly terrified. It was simple, really. Like many children, she had been frightened by adults telling tales of monsters and yokai to get her to behave. Over time, those stories had planted a seed of genuine phobia, and unfortunately for her, the tale of the Blue Lantern Ghost, Aoandon, was one that had taken deep root.
Shiina Mashiro observed Sora's strange behavior for another moment before turning her attention back to the anime, saying nothing more. But a flicker of understanding lit her eyes. She felt as though she had just stumbled upon something incredible.
It took a long while for Sora to regain some semblance of composure. "Honestly..." she whispered to herself, her voice trembling slightly. "If she really is that Aoandon... then she's a little too beautiful."
Mashiro tilted her head again. "Sora, can you use magic?"
The question startled Sora out of her reverie. "Hm? Magic?" she squeaked, before quickly composing herself and waving a dismissive hand. "That kind of thing is just to fool people, hahaha~"
"Fooling people?" Mashiro repeated, her tone flat.
Sora nodded emphatically, her eyes wide and so earnest that it was almost impossible not to believe her.
Shiina Mashiro considered this for a moment. "Then... Cerberus must know how."
The name hit Sora like a physical blow. Her entire body went rigid, her movements on the treadmill ceasing for a few seconds before she awkwardly started again. She swallowed nervously. "Mashiro-nee, what are you talking about? How could Cerberus-nee know magic?"
Staring at Sora, Mashiro slowly clenched her small fists, a look of determination on her face. Then, her expression shifted back to one of innocent confusion. "Because in anime, a lot of non-humans like her have magic."
Sora's heart hammered against her ribs. "How could Cerberus-nee not be human?" she asked, her voice a little too high-pitched. "She just... likes to wear an animal-ear headband."
Shiina Mashiro clenched her fists again, her voice firm and certain. "They're real."
"What's real?" Sora asked, already dreading the answer.
"The ears... are real."
In an instant, Sora slammed the stop button on her treadmill, then reached over and did the same for Mashiro's. Without another word, she grabbed Mashiro's arm and dragged her towards the changing rooms. Her sudden burst of speed left Soryuin Akemi and the others staring after them, momentarily stunned.
Machio Naruzo, however, beamed with pride. "Wow! Miss Kasugano has such an energetic side to her! Hmm! That's wonderful!"
Soryuin Akemi nodded vigorously in agreement. "Mhm, mhm! I heard my sister say! When Sora is running late, she moves so fast that even Cerberus-san is left stunned!"
"Ah, that's the fire of youth!"
"Mhm! Exactly! So, Hibiki! Ayaka! Gina! Let's get fired up, too!"
Sakura Hibiki's mouth twitched. Soryuin Akemi really did get swept up in the gym atmosphere far too easily. She was something else.
Inside the changing room, Shiina Mashiro looked at Kasugano Sora with a blank, questioning gaze. Sora, panting slightly, took two deep breaths to steady herself. "Mashiro-nee! How did you know those were real ears?!"
"Because I pinched them," Shiina Mashiro stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Sora's mouth twitched. 'Good heavens, so it wasn't just a lucky guess.' A part of her, however, was incredibly jealous. She really wanted to pinch them too; she could only imagine how fluffy and soft they must feel.
Shaking her head to clear the distracting thought, Sora leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Mashiro-nee, you absolutely, positively must keep this a secret! No one else can know!"
Shiina Mashiro nodded obediently, then asked with a hint of confusion, "So, does Cerberus have magic?"
Sora hesitated for a second before giving a small, defeated nod. "Mhm. Cerberus-nee does, and she's very powerful. That's because... Cerberus-nee is a Hellhound."
"A doggy?"
"Uh... mhm!" Sora agreed quickly. 'Well, she's a Hellhound. Calling her a doggy isn't technically wrong, is it?'
Mashiro nodded, processing this new information. She thought for a moment, then asked, "Are there other people who can use magic?"
"Hmm... Yuko-nee can use magic, and Lucifer-nee and Pandora-nee can too... And that's it, at least for now."
"Oh... So they're also non-humans?"
"Mhm, they're demons... But Yuko-nee is human."
"A witch?"
"Uh... mhm! That's right," Sora confirmed, then paused. "But Mashiro-nee, how did you know that?"
"It was in the anime I was just watching."
After she finished speaking, Mashiro fell silent, simply staring intently at Sora. The weight of that quiet, unblinking gaze made Sora squirm. Her mouth twitched. "Mashiro-nee... what are you thinking? I really don't have any magic!"
"Hmm... then... does Ren?"
"Ren-nii?" Sora blinked. "He doesn't have magic, but... Ren-nii is very powerful."
"Very powerful?" Mashiro's eyes lit up with recognition. "A demon... hero?"
"A hero is someone who defeats demons, right?" Sora mused aloud. "Eh? I guess that's not entirely wrong... Lucifer-nee does seem to be completely under his thumb..."
Mashiro's mind made another leap. "Then... the Demon King?"
Sora stared at her, utterly bewildered. "Did you see that in an anime, too?"
"Mhm."
A deep sigh escaped Sora's lips. "...What kind of anime are you watching?"
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