MistyTL

Chapter 27: The Ever-Positive Angel Is in Charge of the Magical Girl's Mental Care

Added 2025-05-27 14:16:47 +0000 UTC

Magical Girl Blue (Fatigue)

The headache from that sender-pays-telepathy didn’t stop until the next morning.

Damn author, if you’re going to give me an ability, at least make it one without side effects...

No, wait. If there weren’t any side effects, I’d probably abuse it.

Okay, fine. A mild side effect is acceptable.

But come on, a throbbing headache all night long is a bit much, isn’t it?

‘Still, at least it wasn’t receiver-pays…’

Isn't she already a busy magical girl with a lot on her mind?

I'd rather be the one in pain than burden her with this.

‘Don’t forget, I'm here to make magical girls happy, in place of that damned author.’

“Phew…”

I let out a short breath and checked the time.

Of course, I didn’t have a watch or clock.

I’d stuck a twig into the ground to read the sun’s position.

You’re wondering if that really works?

It does. This ability is omnipotent, after all.

“Let’s see... 1 PM... If I leave now, I’ll get there right on time.”

Rubbing my temples, I headed to where Han Soyu was.

As usual, I phased through the walls starting from the rooftop… and there she was, along with Cyclamen, waiting to greet me.

Well, sort of.

Cyclamen just stared at me with that mask-like smile as always.

― Cyclamen was the name of Soyu’s mascot.

Yoo Seo-ah’s words echoed in my head.

Maybe that’s why I felt a bit off about her today.

I’d only ever spoken to one mascot face-to-face before, but that one encounter had left a deep enough impression to make me wary.

Still, I couldn’t just declare “This robot is dangerous!” and start smashing it in front of its creator like some kind of Luddite movement.

Of course… if it ever did cross the line, I wouldn’t hesitate.

So, let's move on for now.

“Hello!”

“…Hey.”

“You seem a little tired today. Did something happen?”

“Huh? Oh, no… I just had a bit more work than usual, that’s all…”

“Ah…”

It wasn’t exactly anyone’s fault, so we both gave a bit of an awkward laugh.

I mean, if I’d just let myself be captured that day, it probably would’ve ended poorly.

Still, seeing her this tired left a slightly bitter taste in my mouth.

“I feel kind of bad… I’m sorry if I caused you more work.”

“N-no, it’s fine! I needed to do maintenance on everything anyway… A-And it’s not like we fought because you wanted to. If you really think about it… it was mostly the drones that… well… smashed everything…”

“You still look really tired though. Should I give you a massage?”

Han Soyu hesitated for a moment, then slowly shook her head.

“…No, it’s okay. Just… I’d like it if you went back a little earlier today. I’m tired… I want to sleep.”

“I see. Well, if you’re tired, that can’t be helped.”

“Yeah.”

It’s not right to hang around when someone says they’re exhausted.

Some people can’t fall asleep with strangers in their house, after all.

“Then I’ll go back early today.”

“Okay… G-Goodbye.”

“Yes, good night.”

Leaving Han Soyu behind as she gave a small nod, I slowly backed away.

Even in the midst of all this, Cyclamen just kept looking at me with that fixed, doll-like smile.

I had my suspicions, but it was time to retreat for today.

[Soyu, it’s time for your nap.]

With Cyclamen's emotionless voice as the last thing I heard, I left Han Soyou's base.

Leaving behind an indescribable feeling of unease.

***

[6 AM. It’s morning.]

I opened my eyes as morning arrived.

In my own little cradle buried underground, there was no such thing as warm sunlight.

Only artificial lighting and Cyclamen’s voice signaled the start of the day.

“Morning… already?”

[Yes. Good morning, Soyu.]

I blinked at the unfamiliar greeting, then let out a long yawn.

Had I ever taught her that phrase…?

I’d set her to self-learn from anything she deemed positive, so I couldn’t really remember anymore.

But still, there wasn't really anyone to learn such a greeting from—

―Hello!

Ah.

There was only one person who came to mind.

That self-proclaimed angel.

Just a few visits from her recently and Cyclamen had already picked it up?

Well… I guess there's nothing strange about that...

“Haaam… ugh, I’m so tired…”

I yawned again and blinked blankly.

For some reason, I was more exhausted than usual.

Like if I closed my eyes for even a second, I’d doze off on the spot.

I haven’t felt this tired in a long time…

Why am I so tired today…?

“Uuuugh…”

[It may help to shower before breakfast to shake off the sleepiness.]

“Mmm… yeah. Please do…”

I leaned into Cyclamen’s arms as she carried me to the bathroom.

When I entered the bathroom, there was already warm water prepared in the bathtub.

[I will wash you now.]

Maybe it's because I've experienced it once before, I didn’t feel much resistance to it anymore.

Any lingering awkwardness melted away under the warmth and drowsy comfort of the bath.

More than anything—

“This feels nice…”

The delicate and warm touch that washed my body felt good.

It was definitely different from the last time when it was just routine cleansing.

“…When did you learn how to do this?”

[While repairing the cradle recently, I noticed signs of accumulated fatigue. So I accessed the internet and learned how to provide proper physical care.]

“Ah… I see.”

I nodded and entrusted my body to Cyclamen's hands.

Thanks to her, the shower ended much earlier than when I did it myself.

After that, I washed my hair as usual and came out of the bathroom.

But then, one small problem arose.

“Haaam…”

I had bathed to shake off the drowsiness, but the bath felt too good.

Now that I was clean and warm again, I felt even sleepier.

[It’s time for breakfast.]

“…Okay…”

I was so sleepy I didn’t really have an appetite, but if I wanted to get through work, I had to eat breakfast.

Only then would I have the energy to function.

[Today’s breakfast is black olive ham-and-egg bagel sandwich, and black coffee with no sugar or milk.]

“…Didn’t you say coffee was bad for me last time?”

[Excessive intake can cause problems. But based on studies showing that moderate amounts of coffee do not negatively impact health, I’ve prepared your breakfast accordingly.]

“…I see.”

I nodded and began eating the breakfast Cyclamen had laid out for me.

I thought I’d be too exhausted to eat, but thanks to the coffee, I suddenly felt wide awake.

“Ack—blegh… T-This is way too bitter, Cyclamen…”

[I will include milk and sugar next time.]

Which meant… there wasn’t any now.

So I just endured the bitterness and drank.

If I wanted to get through the dry sandwich, I had to wash it down somehow, even if it was bitter.

[7:45 AM. It’s work time.]

By the time I’d forced myself to finish breakfast, it was time to work.

The work itself was no different from yesterday.

Fixing broken things.

Replacing parts.

Charging batteries.

A hamster wheel of repetition.

After the cradle was damaged, I wondered if things might change a little—

But in the end, that was just a momentary disruption.

Nothing ever really changes in my day-to-day life.

Even what seems special becomes daily routine when it repeats.

Of course, the angel coming in person still feels novel for now, but I don't know how much longer that will last.

Even so—

‘I hope… it lasts a little while longer.’

[Soyu.]

When I stopped my hand for a moment, Cyclamen approached and spoke up.

“…What’s wrong?”

[If you’re tired, would you like to take a nap?]

“Mm, no… It’s just… I was spacing out a little, that’s all. Haaam… I’ll concentrate again now…”

I gave my answer and turned my back to Cyclamen, who stood silently behind me, and returned to my work.

Maybe it was thanks to the coffee—

But I felt more focused than usual, and the work wrapped up quickly.

“Cyclamen, wh-what time is it now…?”

[9:15 AM.]

“…I finished early today.”

Compared to usual, it was much earlier.

Is this really the power of coffee?

‘I wonder if I asked for coffee again tomorrow… would she give it to me?’

Well, I’ll think about that tomorrow.

Blinking absently, I sat in front of my worktable as always.

And after that, I went right back to my usual routine.

Assembling robots.

Making weapons.

Designing new oddities.

I was so focused that everything came together quickly.

Faster than usual, even.

But maybe I’d gotten too engrossed.

Instead of making robots and weapons separately, I ended up creating a rabbit robot holding a weapon.

And not just any robot.

It was much better made than usual.

As if it had always been meant to be assembled this way from the beginning.

“….”

Déjà vu.

A strange, indescribable sense of déjà vu made me lower my gaze to my hands.

My hands were a mess, full of scars torn by gears, cut here and there, even got burned at one point.

“Cyclamen… this…”

Before I realized it, Cyclamen had come up beside me.

I held out the rabbit robot holding a weapon to her.

[I think it’s a cute rabbit robot. You made it well.]

Cyclamen simply smiled with the same expression as usual and gave that answer.

— You made it well. That’s really impressive!

— Whoa… You made this, ■■?

Suddenly, the corners of my eyes twitched at the hallucination I heard from somewhere.

[Soyu?]

“Huh? Oh, no… It’s nothing. I did a good job, right? Hehe…”

I’ll show it to the self-proclaimed angel when she comes…

Ah, but Cyclamen told me before not to meet with her…

“Hey, Cyclamen. Just for today, is it okay if I see the angel? L-Like… if she goes wild because I don’t meet her, we couldn’t stop her, right? S-So… just until I learn more about the angel… okay…?”

I asked carefully, watching her expression.

Cyclamen, still smiling like always, gave her answer:

[Yes. I didn’t expect you’d be able to cut her off right away anyway.]

She had expected this.

I laughed awkwardly, as if I’d been caught, and waited for the angel.

After eating lunch, 1 hour, 2 hours...

“…She’s a little late today.”

It wasn’t until around 4 PM that the angel finally appeared.

For some reason, she was 2 hours later than usual today.

“Hello!”

…Yeah. She must’ve had something urgent come up.

That’s what I told myself as I greeted her.