Chapter 37: The Ever-Positive Angel Is in Charge of the Magical Girl's Mental Care

Han Soyu Wants to Eat Ramen

Morning had come.

Now then, what should I do?

Right. Breakfast.

Technically, I don’t need to eat, but Soyu does.

She’s lived a semi-regular life—partly by choice, partly by force—and for her, breakfast was a must.

— Please… take care of Soyu…

For the sake of the promise I made to Cyclamen, I have to make sure she eats breakfast.

Well, that was part of the reason.

But more than that—

‘I can't stand the thought of a magical girl going hungry.’

Besides, a full stomach tends to lift your mood.

And when your mood improves, those gloomy feelings such as depression might just fade with it.

"Is there anything you feel like eating? Or maybe a favorite food?"

I asked as I tied on an apron.

Soyu, who was sitting at the dining table, scratched her head.

“Hmm… not really. Even when I was with Cyclamen, I just ate anything she gave me...”

There it is. The most frustrating answer, both for the person cooking and the one asking:

‘Anything.’

You can’t just actually make “anything,” even if someone says they’ll eat it.

And even if she really does eat anything, of course I’d want to make her something she truly likes. That’s the heart of a mom… well, maybe not mom, but at least the person cooking.

“Still, there’s probably something that stuck with you. Maybe some memorable dishes? Anything at all.”

“Memorable dishes, huh.”

Even with how many dishes exist in this world, over six years that’s 2,190 days.

If she ate 3 meals a day, it'd be 3 times that, which equals 6,570 meals.

Even a robot couldn’t serve a brand-new dish every time.

Since some of the dishes must have overlapped, surely there’s one that stood out the most?

I mean, doesn't that make it more memorable than some others?

“Umm…”

Thump, thump.

My heart pounded with anticipation.

What could it be?

I was looking forward to it as I watched her seriously thinking.

Finally, Soyu opened her mouth.

“…Pizza.”

Pizza. That’s a solid choice.

But wait, Cyclamen made pizza?

That’s unexpected. I’d have thought she’d ban it for being unhealthy.

“Pizza? What kind of pizza?”

“…Pineapple pizza.”

My halo briefly went out.

‘…Should I exhume her grave?’

Instead of a sunny spot, should I dig her up and rebury her in a shady spot where trees grow?

“…Sarah?”

Ack—!

Almost fell from grace right there.

I quickly regained composure and patted my head.

Okay, the halo’s still there. Still holy.

“You… want pineapple pizza?”

“Mmm… Not really. It’s just the one I remember most. I’m not saying I actually want to eat it…”

I asked what she wanted to eat and got a dish she doesn’t want to eat.

Still… I don't have to make pineapple pizza, so it’s a blessed relief!

“Nothing else comes to mind?”

“There probably is, but now that you’re asking, I can’t think of any…”

“Happens to the best of us. Then how about I just whip something up today?”

“Okay. Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it! If you really want to thank me, just enjoy it, okay?”

She nodded, and I smiled back before opening the fridge.

Then I immediately froze.

It was impressively empty.

“…”

Now that I think about it… why did I assume there’d be ingredients in here?

No, even if there were, that’d be a problem. No one’s been living in this house.

Sure, we could go out and eat somewhere.

But at least for breakfast, I want to cook for her myself.

I know it’s greedy.

But I really, really want to be the one to make her breakfast!

‘I haven’t even seen Han Soyu eat yet…!’

I stood still and thought for a moment, then closed the fridge door.

“…I’ll just step out real quick to buy some ingredients!”

“Ah, you really don’t have to go that far… It’s just breakfast. I can skip it—”

Rumble—…

I definitely heard that.

That tiny, but undeniable sound.

The unmistakable voice of a hungry stomach.

Even with an empty belly, she was trying to be considerate of me.

That kind heart—

“Ninety points…!”

“…Huh?”

“Still, it's not good to treat your own suffering as trivial for the sake of others! Bad Soyu! I’ll be back in a flash, so please wait just a moment!”

“No, wait—!”

Before she could finish, I spread my wings and shot into the sky.

I returned shortly after, arms full of fresh seasonal ingredients, having flown at top speed as if my life depended on it.

“I’m back!”

“Wh-What?! Already?!”

“Yep! I told you, if I really fly seriously, I’m super fast!”

…Though, to be fair, that was the first time I’d flown full speed.

Turns out I’m more aerodynamic than I thought!

“But… Soyu?”

“Huh? Wh-What’s wrong?”

“What’s that you’re hiding behind your back?”

“Oh? It’s… nothing, really.”

Bubble bubble…

“Then what’s with the pot boiling over there?”

“I-I just wanted to drink tea...”

“If you want to drink tea, there’s an electric kettle here. Why use a whole pot?”

“Um…”

Soyu averted her eyes and shuffled backward ever so slowly.

She was being quiet, but my ears—now ultra-sensitive thanks to training—caught it:

The crinkle of plastic.

The unmistakable rustle of…

…I didn’t call her out, though.

Because this wasn’t about confronting her or winning an argument.

“It’s okay. Just tell me the truth.”

When I gently coaxed her, Soyu, who was fidgeting, carefully brought out what she’d been hiding behind her back.

Sure enough, what Soyu was holding was instant ramen.

“So it was ramen.”

“…Sorry. I-I wasn’t trying to hide it… I just panicked for some reason…”

“Mmm. That’s a lie.”

She flinched hard.

I let out a soft sigh and placed the groceries on the table.

She twitched a little every time I moved.

I watched her silently for a moment, then fluttered over to her.

As I slowly raised my hand, Soyu squeezed her eyes shut and cowered.

'Anyone would think I was going to hit her...'

What kind of angel would hit someone for telling one lie?

And doing that over a cup of ramen? It’s absurd.

Instead, I hugged the trembling Soyu tightly.

“If you wanted to eat ramen, you could’ve just said so.”

“…I’m sorry… You went through all that trouble, yet I…”

“It’s alright. We can keep the ingredients in the fridge and eat them later. Just because I bought them for breakfast doesn’t mean we have to eat them now. There’s lunch and dinner too. Right?”

I stroked her head kindly.

Soyu slowly nodded.

“So next time, just be honest about what you want to eat. No one’s going to scold you for that. And you definitely don’t need to lie and sneak around just to eat ramen.”

What I really wanted to say was simple:

It’s okay to be honest with yourself.

Up until now, Han Soyu has lived a life where Cyclamen had done everything for her.

That’s why she had become so used to adjusting to others and living according to someone else's way, to the point she’d forgotten how to express her own opinions.

To put it bluntly—

She lacked self-agency.

And that's why… she couldn’t even say she wanted something as simple as ramen.

‘Just because you’re always shielding her doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do.’

I sighed inwardly and released Soyu from the hug.

“So, does that mean we’re having ramen for breakfast today?”

“Yeah… I’ve always wanted to try it. My mom wouldn’t let me have it when I was younger, and Cyclamen didn’t allow it either… so I never had the chance.”

“…You’ve never had ramen before?”

Nod, nod.

I couldn’t help but smile bitterly at her nodding.

“Would you like me to make it for you?”

Soyu hesitated for a moment, then shook her head.

“N-No, it’s just ramen. I can make it myself.”

“Alright! Then I’ll go ahead and put away the things I bought in the meantime!”

I smiled brightly, then turned to the fridge and began unpacking everything, though I kept half an eye on her the whole time.

“Okay… 500ml of water… Add the seasoning packet and noodles… Wait, is it noodles first…?”

I smiled contentedly as I watched her working hard on her own, muttering to herself while trying to follow the instructions.

You might say that it's too much fuss over just making ramen.

But Soyu had never done things on her own before.

And now, for the first time, she was taking initiative.

As the saying goes, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, so of course I have to cheer her on, even if it's something as trivial as cooking ramen.

To parents, a child’s small first step deserves huge encouragement, after all.

‘She’s trying to change. That’s what matters.’

Did she grow from the battle with Cyclamen?

Maybe.

But I think that wasn’t growth itself, it was the catalyst for growth.

No one changes overnight just because something big happened.

If people could reset like that, they’d be machines, not humans.

“It’s done…”

“Perfect timing, I just finished organizing the fridge too!”

I closed the fridge and sat down at the table.

“By the way, where did you find that ramen? The fridge was totally empty when I checked.”

“It was in the cupboard.”

Soyu answered plainly and picked up her chopsticks.

“I remember saying once… that I really wanted to try ramen. Maybe… maybe she bought it and left it there, just in case.”

She didn’t say who bought the ramen.

But we both knew.

There's only one person who knew that Soyu wanted to eat ramen and has been managing this house for the past 6 years.

Soyu stared silently at the bowl for a moment, then slurped up a mouthful of noodles.

Her expression froze for a second, as if surprised by the taste of ramen she was eating for the first time—

But then, just like that, she started devouring it like a hungry puppy.

“…Thank you for the meal.”

She finished the broth down to the last drop and blinked at the empty bowl in her hands.

“Did you like it?”

“…Yeah. I think I get now why Mom and Cyclamen didn’t want me to eat it. It’s salty, spicy… kind of unhealthy.”

Soyu smiled bitterly as she traced the rim of the bowl with her fingers.

“But still… It was delicious.”

— If only we could’ve all eaten it together…

I heard her murmur softly under her breath.

But I pretended not to.

And just smiled.

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