*
Her enemy said outright, she will face her greatest fear here and now. Her innate resistance is too high, she could brush it off if she wanted to... But she was curious.
In the end, she could never escape the bindings of the past. That one encounter with Ray really changed her life. The first ever encounter with an S grade's despair inducing strength, anti magic crippling her ability as a magical girl for a long period of time. Maybe she didn't really fear dying, but she was really afraid of... Was that she couldn't carry out her duty as a magical girl, that she doesn't manage to defeat the last boss and save the world, that she fails to save even one more magical girl...
Ah... This obsession with magical girls is even more crippling than any fear she has, it constrains like a viper around her mind, restricts her will and strangles it tight...
This obsession over magical girls has taken over her entire life... But it is also her life. Ray, even if it was just a phantom... Even if it was the real Ray who used antimagic to take away her capabilities as a magical girl and not the fake...
Unbridled rage well up from the depths of her soul, pouring out like a fierce flood that rivals the great flood god sent to drown the world. Her aura encapsulates the entire Southern region of the Sanctuary in an instant, swallowing up at a speed of 1km per second. In a few minutes, she would have placed an entire continent under her oppressive pressure. In a little under 2 hours, it would be the entire earth.
Her anger pours out relentlessly, pressure endlessly boring down on her victims, about to crush them into something small enough to form a black hole. In an instant, a hand grabs her wrist and all the pressure disappears. The paralysing fear driven into their hearts, they do not dare to look up as their faces have been cramped into the ground just from pressure alone. They angered a god, why would they dare to move a single muscle?
Only Chu Qie could raise her face and saw... The Eye God grabbing into Kaori's wrist. The pressure was all gone. Of course, if a god appeared in your territory, wouldn't the optimal way to solve this be to deal with them?
"Oi! Stop fooling around! That's obviously just an illusion!" (Himei)
"B-but it may be an illusion, but the anger is real!" (Kaori)
"Haa~aren't you suppose to be shopping? What if you destroyed the groceries in your little outburst?" (Himei)
"Ah!!! I forgot! I'll be going back now! Please handle this for me!" (Kaori)
Himei releases another deep sigh. What the hell is going on? Chu Qie could only ponder as she watched the spectacle. They were on... Amicable terms...? The Sanctuary has 2 residing Gods...? Though one of them... Is a bit carefree...
"Haa~ what am I, her mother..? If anything, she should be the mother. Then my job would be a lot easier...
Let's see... A cult gathering? I knew where they were... But why did she have to run wild and mess everything up...
It can't be... " (Himei)
What could it be? Why would something perplex their great god, Himei? Chu Qie's heart rate could only keep increasing, she felt like her ribcage would explode and her heart reached maximum pressure and splatter her remains everywhere. Ahhh... What should be done if her guts ruined Himei's clothes...? Would she be resurrected from the dead just to be tortured...?
"That kid.... Is mentally ill... Ah... I'm not the same since her memories are repressed, so I'm mostly Himei, but...
Is it some sort of innate proclivity that she cannot escape...? It's like having a destiny but tangible..." (Himei)
After all, it's self fulfilling. An inherent drive to keep fighting enemies and causing chaos, like an animal's need to feed constantly and only sleep when they're not eating... It's affecting Himei a little too even if she wouldn't admit it. She was being more proactive lately... A tinge of it was beneficial to her, thanks to it the recovery efforts from the Demon King's assault and diplomacy with the other factions went smoothly.
They argued that they had defeated the stronger Demonic Heavenly Kings, wilfully asking for higher compensation at the meeting with all the God magical girls present... I don't know what they want, they should ask for a raise from their own employer not me... In any case, it's a facade of strength. Someone defeated the cataclysmic Demon King and they were from our faction, The Sanctuary.
It was a gathering of the strongest magical girls in the world, everyone there perfectly saw Kaori and how she looked like. Everyone there knows she exists, so her absence from the meeting must have gotten them wary that we might be plotting something. Fufu, just thinking about it a little, I couldn't contain an impudent little giggle. Well, it's not anything to choke over. There's a little someone here watching me, the enemies have all fainted from Kaori's aura so it should be fine to just leave all this to Kanou.
'Kanou, could you handle this? I gotta go back to work. I'm sure you've heard the noise.
Also, go warn Kaori about controlling herself! God magical girl or not, she'll be under you if she wants any chance of employment!' (Himei)
'... Got it... ' (Kanou)
She really wanted to run away, now she has a new absurd subordinate to match with her already long time contracted absurd employer... Himei should be the one watching over that kid! Children are impulsive! What if she kills me!? She really wanted to cream at Himei...
But she skillfully restrained her thoughts and proceeded to work without flaws. Before Chu qie's eyes could catch up, the cult members were already rounded up and gone, followed by Himei's disappearance. The office was emptied so quickly, if the walls weren't obliterated she would have mistaken everything for a dream... She gave her cheek a little pinch only to wince in the pain.
"Ouch! Why did I pressed so hard?" (Chu Qie)
No, it has to hurt for it to work. She breathed a deep sigh before heading off. She better tend to her bakery as promised, if even Himei can't control Kaori then who can? She better comply... Ah... And lessons? She must prepare some lesson plannings in case Kaori drops by...
***
It didn't take long for Kaori find her groceries and reach home. The groceries took a second and finding her way home took a minute, she couldn't run too fast or risk getting the vegetables destroyed... She knocked on the door to signal she was back before pulling out her key.
The teeth on the key slips in with a sweet click, snapping open the door lock. Her fingers twisted the knob with minimal strength as she sauntered into her home. Quick steps could be heard as a familiar pair of brown twintails bobbed in the air down the stairs. Myuu ran as if she hopped with excitement like a rabbit, but her complexion was purely distress.
"Y... You! What happened! There was a dense veil of aura that coated the entire labyrinth and might have reached even further beyond!
That level was nearly enough to kill any frail human! Luckily I was next to mum, so I managed to protect her with my own aura! " (Myuu)
She spoke in a hurry, her head twisting back and forth between Kaori and her mum. But now with Kaori here, maybe it'll get safer? Kaori definitely got stronger, whoever made that aura might not stand a chance! Her thoughts drifted like a jet plane fading off into the distance. She wasn't as rational as she could be, her thoughts were jumbled under the imminent sense of danger.
"Uhm... You don't have to worry about that, because Himei solved it... In the end, it was nothing too serious... " (Kaori)
"Huh...? Wait..." (Myuu)
As if realisation had dawned on her, her lips parted with some disappointment as she gazed at Kaori. Her eyebrows furrowed and her angry silence was cue for Kaori to continue explaining.
"I... I got a little mad at some hooligans... Apparently some cult tried to take over the security organisation for this region...
Well, it was only 1 of many high rise offices..." (Kaori)
"..." (Myuu)
She maintained her silence. It only served to build the dread welling up in her chest as she poured over the details. She could hear her own heart beating louder. She ultimately turned down her head to beg for forgiveness.
"... My bad... I should have kept it in mind, there are other humans living in the labyrinth nowadays... It can't release my aura willy-nilly or some of them might die... " (Kaori)
She clenched her teeth and swallowed her breath, reflecting on how she let her own anger dictate her actions. Under Myuu's harsh scrutiny, she finally let go of Kaori as she told her about her mother waking up. Right now, recovery efforts were going smoothly without any hiccups. Right now, her mother must have been resting in one of the guest rooms upstairs. It wasn't as if they hadn't seen each other before, Kaori and Myuu's mum had seen plenty of each other way before, so she wasn't exactly sure if they needed to change the background or catch the tone of the atmosphere....
"Ah... I wonder if auntie remembers me..." (Kaori)
Naturally, she would be remembered a little differently. Instead of being remembered as some trouble maker... But ultimately, she was still the same person to her. Myuu's mother smiled with some trouble after Myuu brought her down and layed her in a wheel chair, but she was also relief that the Kaori she could trust was still around.
It seems that unlike a certain someone, her memories were completely fine and she was even given a notice of quick dischargement. She would quickly lose the need to use the wheel chair and her motor skills were improving rapidly. Thing seemed to be looking up, alleviating her worries.
Kaori went straight to cooking with some assistance from Myuu. The ingredients were kneaded thoroughly by her quick fingers as preparation came to an end and it would be time for frying. Some oil was drizzled into the pan beforehand.
Kaori's face might have been a little too stiff... Was she scolded too harshly...? Myuu stepped behind her and gave some pats on the head, her soft palm melts into the bouncing masses that floated gently behind her head. Her back relaxed as she surrendered herself to Myuu's touch, followed by a soft inscrutable sigh that was exhaled into her neck. It brushed against her skin, sending some shivers tingling up her neck and an involuntary convulsion.
Kaori turned around, hand held over her own neck as she shot an accusatory look with a coat of blush colouring her cheeks. That was uncalled for! Her lips quivered as the ends stretched open while the centre stayed close. Myuu could only pacify her with a silent plead as they returned to the cooking. The process went by without anymore trouble, Myuu set the utensils while Kaori plated the dishes, an appetising aroma wafted through the air.
They weren't exactly the perfect cooks, but the scent of home cooking would catch any hungry person off guard and whet their appetite. The dishes were safely carried to the dining table which seemed far larger than the previous table they had. Kaori wondered, how long it really has been since they all set down leisurely for a meal like this. It was a nostalgic feeling, akin to the dinners she had with her own family back before The Great Disaster...
Speaking fo which, Kaori gave some thought to it, but she never bothered to look for her own family. They were far away when The Great Disaster happened, and she just put it off for the foreseeable future, she simply never prioritised looking for them... Now was an opportune moment to think, how would her parents react to see their son turn into one of the most powerful magical girls there were... How would they react to their son finally becoming a hero...
Would they be content that their son has a job and was no longer a shut in? Or would they rather their son find something else to do with their life... Kaori didn't know. She didn't know for sure if what she was doing was right, nor was she sure if it was worth it... She was a shut in for a year and her parents were patient enough with her to wait it out, but at the same time they weren't patient enough to try and visit her everyday. It was like a passive resignation, at the same time they held onto a little shred of hope...
Was that what she was doing right now? Was she just doing the same thing...? She didn't care if they were alive, but when would still be happy if they were... It was a little more twisted but... She found so much meaning in her life as a magical girl she simply did not have the time to come around and think about it. She was satisfied with her life, but she also sincerely wish that her family survived and was living their best lives out there.