I'm a magical girl in the future

Chapter 58 Desire for Exclusivity

"That's all for today, get out of class dismissed."

The teacher packed up the lesson plan on the podium and left the classroom without looking back. For elective courses like this, only a handful of students actually pay attention; the rest are basically just there to get credits. Knowing this perfectly well, the teacher naturally has little interest in this kind of teaching.

Shen Zixin glanced at Noah beside her—since the last class, Noah had been in that position, resting her chin on one hand and gazing ahead or out the window.

It's hard to imagine that she could sit quietly and listen to those two completely pointless classes. Even Shen Zixin would take out her phone to pass the time during class.

"Let's go," Shen Zixin said softly as she stood up.

"Hmm." Noah snapped out of her reverie, a smile returning to her face, and stood up as well.

The two followed the flow of people out of the teaching building. Just as they reached the bottom of the stairs, that familiar face appeared again.

"get out of class is over, A-Xin." He Yu-Ran was waiting downstairs and immediately saw Noah and Shen Zi-Xin coming down from upstairs. She took the initiative to walk over and greet them.

"Hmm," Shen Zixin nodded, "You only have one class this morning, right? It should have finished long ago. Why are you waiting for us here?"

"I wanted to go home and have dinner with you, so I waited for you here." He Yuran's gaze shifted to Noah. "But Noah, you're not a student, yet you insist on coming to class."

"I used to be a student here too," Noah replied with a smile. "Isn't it fun to come back and relive your past life once in a while?"

"Is that so?" He Yuran looked away. "Then let's go back, Axin."

The three of them walked toward the school gate in a subtle atmosphere.

Speechless all the way.

Noah stopped when she reached the school gate.

"My nostalgic campus experience is pretty much over here," she stretched. "As expected, it's as boring as ever."

"Since you knew from the start that it would be boring," Shen Zixin looked at her and asked the question that had been on her mind, "then why did you even bother to come and experience it?"

"Hmm?" Noah tilted her head, quickly walked up to Shen Zixin, and looked up at him.

"—It's precisely because I'm bored that I had to come."

"Because this peaceful, even somewhat 'boring' daily life is what I... no, 'we' want to protect, isn't it?"

"Only when I occasionally come back in person to confirm that this 'boredom' is still intact can I be more certain that everything I've done has meaning."

After saying that, she winked at Shen Zixin, then turned to He Yuran standing to the side—

"The rest of the time is yours. I have some things to do this afternoon, so I won't be going back with you. I'll eat out for lunch, and you don't need to cook dinner for me—"

After hearing this, He Yuran was about to take out her key from her pocket. "You're going to sleep at my place tonight, right? But you won't be back for dinner, so I'll give you my key first—"

"No need, I have a place to stay tonight."

With that, Noah turned and left, waving goodbye as she went.

"See you tomorrow, gentlemen."

So the three of them parted ways at the school gate.

After He Yuran and Shen Zixin arrived home, Shen Zixin went into the kitchen to prepare lunch.

Instead of sitting on the sofa in the living room playing on her phone as usual, He Yuran went to the kitchen.

Shen Zixin noticed that He Yuran had followed him into the kitchen, and it seemed she had something to say. But since she hadn't spoken yet, he decided to ask her first.

"Yu Ran, what do you want to eat for lunch today?"

He Yuran didn't answer directly, but sighed and then asked a question in return—

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"...Huh?" Shen Zixin was taken aback; he didn't understand what she meant.

"What happened at school yesterday?" He Yuran looked straight at him.

Her face, which was usually always smiling, now wore an expression of disappointment.

"About 'Ayanami' fighting the Calamity Beast. And you were injured, weren't you? If I hadn't overheard everyone's discussions on campus and then seen that interview video, would I still be completely in the dark?"

Shen Zixin rubbed her forehead—

So that's what it was about.

It wasn't that he intentionally concealed this matter. After Lingbo's battle, the first person she sought out was Noah, and Noah treated his injuries. Therefore, he felt there was no need to tell He Yuran again.

"I didn't mean to hide it from you. It's just that Noah has already healed my injuries, and it's all in the past. I didn't think there was any need to make you worry again."

"...So, the first person you looked for was Noah, right?" He Yuran lowered her head. "When you were in danger or injured, why wasn't I the first person you thought of relying on?"

Shen Zixin was stunned, completely unexpected that He Yuran would think that way.

"In your heart, am I... so unreliable? Or is it that, in your eyes, Noah... is already more important than me?"

"Of course not!" Shen Zixin immediately retorted, "Because Noah is a more experienced magical girl, she knows more about dealing with these kinds of issues, right? This has nothing to do with who is more important."

In fact, He Yuran knew very well that Shen Zixin's actions were correct.

Why would you choose a powerful magical girl like Noah to solve your problem? Why would you choose someone like me, a magical girl who has only awakened her powers a few days ago?

These rational correctnesses only highlighted her own powerlessness.

Therefore, this incident caused her a deep sense of pain from being "excluded".

"So... ultimately, it's because I'm too weak, right?"

He Yuran lowered her gaze, her voice tinged with self-mockery, "When you needed help, there was nothing I could do. I could only be an outsider, learning about everything you went through afterward through other people's stories."

"Yu Ran, you..."

Shen Zixin did subconsciously regard Noah as her first priority for seeking help.

However, this does not mean that He Yuran is unimportant. In his heart, He Yuran is more of a symbol of "everyday life" that needs to be protected.

Shen Zixin wanted to say something more, but a sudden hug interrupted him—

He Yuran quickly stepped forward and hugged him tightly.

Immediately afterwards, a warm breath brushed past his ear, turning into a whisper that coiled around him like a snake.

"It's okay, I don't mind that A-Xin didn't contact me right away. After all, what you did was right."

The disappointment from before had completely vanished, and He Yuran's voice returned to its usual gentleness.

"But next time... I'll be even more useful than Noah."

"I will prove to you that I am more important than that woman of unknown origin."

"I will make sure that in your heart, Ah Xin, there will ultimately only be room for my image."

……

He Yuran's whisper allowed Shen Zixin to witness the abyss of "possessiveness" hidden beneath the sunny and cheerful facade of her childhood sweetheart.

He had always been skeptical of Noah's description of the "future villain." He Yuran was just an ordinary girl; she had no motive to do anything so extreme.

However, at this moment, he seemed to understand something.

He had always held the preconceived notion that the future relationship between He Yuran and Noah would be purely adversarial.

But the truth may not be so.

He Yuran would never harm Shen Zixin.

Therefore, the only possibility that could lead her down the path of "world domination" is not what she wants to do.

— Rather, it is the future "Shen Zixin", that is, Noah, who makes "something" in the future timeline that is enough to completely stimulate and defeat He Yuran.

What he saw was perhaps the very first shadow of that future tragedy.