Golden light shimmered in the courtyard.
There was no real surprise when Sirin made her decision—because it was Sirin who made it.
She was a slightly difficult girl, not the kind of perfect ideal of truth, goodness, and beauty; not the type who'd willingly sacrifice herself for justice or fight for a better world.
Sometimes, she was tsundere.
Sometimes, she avoided reality.
In modern terms, she was a bit of a recluse, both mentally and physically—introverted and withdrawn—with a tendency for indecision.
What supported her in making this choice was simple: she recognized that her companions had made similar ones.
Because they were there, she also knew she had to go there.
In human history, people who chased after others' light actually made up the vast majority.
No one is born great, and no one remains perfectly ordinary their whole life.
Elysia understood this better than anyone, and so, she offered her heartfelt blessing:
"Then keep going forward. I hope one day your light will shine again.
I have a feeling... this Magical Girl story inside this fairy tale will not disappoint!"
She declared passionately, eyes gleaming.
"Maybe this is just Luo Mo being Luo Mo," said Eden, a bit worried.
"Even though I'm working on the music side at the company, I honestly don't know much about this script."
After all, this was a very well-funded project—there's no telling what direction the story would take.
"That's just the beautiful girl's intuition ♪~"
Elysia said casually, still cheerful and smiling.
"Ah, intuition. You've used that excuse before—
And didn't you end up bawling your eyes out every single time?"
Mobius, nearby, mocked her coldly.
She clearly didn't believe it. But Mobius based this on statistical records:
Whenever Elysia cried, those parts of the story turned out to be the most tragic.
From Luo Mo's point of view, those same events were framed as passionate catalysts for character growth—so he never counted them as tragedies.
Though she was poking fun at Elysia, Mobius didn't actually think this time would end in tragedy.
Setting aside the script's tone, there was a very obvious issue.
"Hmm? Then what does our born genius doctor have to say about this?"
Elysia twirled her hair with one hand, neatening her collar with the other, clearly intrigued.
"There's something... off about the other consciousness inside Sirin,"
Mobius said seriously.
In her view, that other presence had countless chances to act—but repeatedly chose to do nothing.
It only showed up at moments when Sirin had lost hope.
Though it spoke mockingly, it seemed to encourage Sirin to keep going.
If it were truly an enemy aiming to take over Sirin's mind, it would've attacked decisively by now—
just like a true Herrscher in the main story would have.
To Mobius, the consciousness in the script felt off—
In short, it felt... like a good girl.
"...Weirdly enough, that kind of makes sense,"
Elysia said as she stroked her chin, clearly caught off guard by the possibility.
"But that's just speculation,"
Eden added with a soft smile.
"Maybe... maybe she still can't bring herself to hurt Sirin."
---
Just like the moment before—Sirin's choices were never limited to what was right in front of her.
Deep within the Demon King's fortress, she finally made her own choice.
A choice to end everything.
Sirin poured all her energy into the Miracle Gem—
along with her consciousness, her thoughts, everything.
She imagined she could see the missing sides of everyone inside.
First, came darkness.
Then, a soft feeling—white and gentle.
The shadows of night faded.
What remained were memories without a solid sense of reality.
She saw glimpses of real moments...
and of the real senior Vollerei.
Everything felt like it was drifting on clouds—surreal.
Vollerei softly pinched Sirin's nose, teasing her like a kitten.
Sirin pouted with mild annoyance,
only for both of them to break into joyful smiles—eyes wide with surprise.
It was real.
Vollerei smiled as she explained:
Back then, they had left behind a trump card—
and that trump card was none other than Teriri and Sirin.
She and Broboli had both known what the Demon King truly was.
But at the final moment, when they were preparing to destroy it, the risk was too great.
They couldn't bring themselves to destroy it outright—
and yet, they absolutely had to stop it.
Only when the Demon King was asleep would its seed be at its weakest.
So, in the end, they chose to use forbidden magic.
They used their own souls to create a fragile balance—
this was the only way to keep the Demon King's seed from being destroyed prematurely.
Unfortunately... that method now had to be put into action.
And now, someone had finally arrived at the greenhouse to destroy the withered seed.
Sirin once again encountered Broboli, Special Teriri, and—
wait... was that a blue butterfly hovering over the chair?
Her companions cheered her on, giving her the strength to keep going.
She would save them—
all the way to the final step.
Inside the greenhouse, she saw the tree.
It was barely standing upright.
All its leaves had fallen,
and a faint crimson glow pulsed along its branches—
a foreboding aura.
Sirin gathered her magical energy into her palm and took a deep breath.
—A full-powered strike!
...The dead tree didn't budge.
Not even a little.
There was no change at all.
Sirin frowned.
Her faith wavered slightly.
The result she had hoped for never came—
and she couldn't believe it.
She closed her eyes and recalled the techniques from her magical textbooks.
Again, she focused all her magical power—
"Fall… for me!"
She tried again.
And again.
Each time she concentrated her magic, she failed.
Until her hands were covered in wounds.
Until she was completely exhausted.
But that tree—
like a dried-up stump—
still stood tall.
It hadn't changed one bit since she first saw it.
She had hope...
She carried everyone's expectations on her back...
So why?
Why—?
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
She shouted with frustration, unwilling to accept it.
For a split second, she felt like squatting down and hugging her knees, sobbing...
Just like she used to do before.
----
At Theresa's mansion.
"Knew it. The story couldn't just go smoothly to the end,"
Bronie shrugged, a hint of helplessness in her pale gray eyes.
It's fun when a game has a few twists and emotional drama—
but when you realize this might actually be someone's real world...
well, smooth sailing sounds much nicer.
Defeating bad guys and winning joyfully—
that's the kind of ending you want to see.
"As expected, Bronya and Seele weren't randomly dropped into the story.
They were prepared for this from the beginning,"
Bronya said matter-of-factly.
This scene explained why the soul of the original Vollerei was the rare exception among the many Magical Girl—
able to struggle with the Demon King without being overtaken.
They weren't just naïve girls stepping into danger.
"The blue butterfly... is that me?"
Seele gently pointed to herself with her index finger.
Her eyes sparkled like a deer in the forest,
her blinking lashes and bashful manner absolutely captivating.
[Hmph, of course it's you.
Who else has your traits?
If it were me, the butterfly would be red!]
Another Seele answered from within her consciousness.
The near-zero reaction time made it clear that other Seele had been watching the script closely the entire time.
So, even when she pretended to be uninterested,
she clearly still cared—just like before.
"But... why couldn't Second Sister destroy that tree?"
Kiana asked, confused.
"Didn't they say the seed was already weak enough? Shouldn't it be easy to destroy with just a light touch?"
They had assumed everything was over—
that the ending was finally in sight.
No one expected Sirin to fail at destroying the final seed.
So what exactly was the problem?
"I suspect... if it were any other Magical Girl, there would be no issue," said Irene,
"But Miss Sirin… she once had a period of time where she couldn't use magic at all. I think that might be related.
Or... maybe it has to do with that other consciousness inside her."
"Only a Magical Girl can activate the Miracle Gem— but right now, is Sirin truly a complete Magical Girl?"
Irene's voice was soft, but her face was deeply sorrowful.
She knew—
what came next would be crucial.
But it might also be the moment when one of the consciousnesses… vanished for good.
------
Inside the game.
「Stupid Sirin can only cry.
All she does is follow behind the others.
She's not even worthy of being a Magical Girl~」
No one else was around her in the greenhouse,
but she could hear the voice of someone else—taunting and mocking her.
The voice was disturbingly familiar.
Sirin's eyes widened.
She stared at the sudden appearance of another Sirin—and instinctively went on guard.
"Oh dear~ You promised everyone, but in the end, you can't do a single thing."
That Sirin floated mid-air,
long white hair cascading like a waterfall,
gazing down on her coldly with an arrogant smirk.
Behind her, three black short spears hovered.
On one side, she had black wings.
Her white outfit shimmered with elegant gold patterns—
like a divine being from an illusion.
"You're always calling others liars,
but did you ever realize—
the biggest liar of all is you?"
"I didn't lie to anyone!
If I said I'd do it, I'll do it!"
Purple-haired Sirin stood firm, hands on her hips.
She glanced at the illusion of herself,
but her gaze soon locked onto the withered tree.
She looked down at her hands—
as if questioning whether she could really destroy it with her own strength.
"Aww, don't tell me... you're seriously going to try a pure physical attack?"
The white-haired girl mocked her, still floating effortlessly in the air, watching Sirin's futile efforts with contempt.
"See? You've lied so much, even you've started believing your own lies."
"You were the one who stole my magic not long ago—and now you're getting in my way again?!"
Sirin growled angrily and glared at the other.
"Looks like you've forgotten—
Let's get one thing straight: I didn't steal anything,"
the white-haired girl said, shaking her head slightly,
her gaze filled with pity as she looked down on Sirin.
"You were the one who gave that power up.
You willingly handed it over to me."
"What…?"
Sirin's eyes widened in shock.
But as she heard those words,
her memory started to stir.
When exactly had her magic stopped being her own?
It was like that entire period had been sealed away—
but now, as she forced herself to recall,
she remembered becoming a shadow of her former self.
It was...
after the senior magical girls had fallen.
Sirin had locked herself away,
refusing to see Teriri,
refusing to face the outside world.
As if shutting herself in could protect her from a cruel reality.
She had abandoned her magic,
built herself a fake, idealized shell,
and hid inside it—
pushing all grief and danger outside.
From that moment on,
a new consciousness had formed—
one created to deal with the chaos.
That was... the other Sirin.
"Looks like you remembered,"
said the alternate Sirin flatly,
watching as the purple-haired Sirin covered her face with her hands.
There was no emotion in her voice. This was the price of running away.
A very fair one.
No matter how far you run,
sooner or later, your future self will pay the debt.
"...But I won't give up.
I'll defeat you!"
Yet in reality,
no one gets a break just because they've had a change of heart.
Fate does not bow to the choices of a single person.
The gap between them was already set in stone— the moment Sirin gave up her power and stopped fighting.
Golden threads began wrapping around Sirin's arms, tighter and tighter.
The searing pain spread through her limbs,
consuming every nerve.
One step.
Two steps.
The white-haired Magical Girl drew closer.
But the purple-haired girl—
couldn't move at all.
'So much pain, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts...'
A level of excruciating pain she had never known before—
a torment no greenhouse flower had ever endured.
But still,
she couldn't say the words "I give up."
She could no longer lie to herself,
no longer convince herself she had done her best, because now, everyone's hope was resting on her shoulders.
Even if she was naive,
even if she wasn't fully grown—
her friends had believed in her from the beginning.
They believed this girl named Sirin could create a miracle.
So...
Even if she wasn't worthy of their trust,
even if this was the path of growing up...
This time, she would create that miracle.
She had to.
No matter what.
She would not—could not—give up!
And anyway—
even if she failed... wasn't she still alive?
Sirin clenched the half-seed,
the one her companions had given her—
like a token or a voucher.
Her golden eyes shone faintly.
On the path to growth,
she would move forward one step at a time.
If she made mistakes—
she'd pick up the pieces.
But in this moment—right now!
"In the name of a Magical Girl,
let this tragic cycle end."
The half-seed in her hand glowed with radiant light, and the golden threads that had been wrapping around her—
began to unravel, inch by inch.
There is no shortcut to growing up.
It can't be faked with disguise or illusion.
So, there's no point in hesitating or being afraid.
The purple-haired girl leapt high—
like a bird taking a desperate final flight,
like an arrow loosed from a bow.
A deep, heavy crash—
followed by the sharp shatter of crystal.
Break the greenhouse, and the power from outside will pour in.
One person alone might not be able to break the dead branches, but four people's strength could.
Sirin—
she had used her head to ram into the top of the crystal dome, shattering the isolated world that had imprisoned her.
There was no intricate structure,
no binding order to stop her.
The white sky above vanished completely.
And within her body—
a new kind of power began to emerge.
This time, she successfully overpowered the white-haired Sirin.
Sirin pinned her down with both hands,
using every ounce of strength she had—
and unleashed her magic to destroy the evil Seed.
Face to face with the Magical Girl beneath her,
Sirin made a vow—
a vow that mirrored one she had once made to herself in the past.
Once this was over,
she would face her memories—
the despair, the pain—
and accept all of it.
Because that, too, was a part of Sirin.
"You've already done it, haven't you?"
Unexpectedly, the white-haired girl spoke.
Her expression wasn't the defeated one Sirin had expected.
In fact—
she even wore a faint smile.
Her golden eyes were calm—
maybe even proud.
There was no bitterness in her voice.
No regret.
"Aaah… you really have taken a huge step forward this time,"
she said with a soft sigh, gazing at Sirin—who was still pressing her down.
The girl who used to always sneer in mockery...
now looked—a little satisfied?
"Stop always making that 'about to cry' face.
Smile for once, would you?"
And in the moment she faded away,
she said her goodbye
to the part of herself she had never been able to forgive.
"Goodnight, Sirin."
"No—wait!"
The pure white world collapsed like sinking sand.
A breeze swept across her cheek,
carrying away a single, warm teardrop.
She reached out—
but there was nothing to hold on to.
"So in the end... it's just me?"
She looked around the white emptiness,
feeling a wave of loneliness.
She had succeeded—
but was she now completely alone?
The soul of a Magical Girl does not fade—
but where could she now place the consciousness of her senior magical girls?
...
Suddenly—
the wind from the real world called to her.
And the moment she opened her eyes—
she screamed in shock.
"Aaaahhhhhh!!"
She saw—the senior magical girls!
Broboli and Vollerei were both there,
smiling at her from nearby.
Sirin blinked in disbelief,
trying to confirm they were real.
"No need to check, we're real,"
Vollerei laughed warmly, taking Sirin's hand.
Her touch—soft, warm, and full of life.
"Sirin, you were really amazing this time."
"But... how can this be…"
"No buts! How could there be tragedy in the world of Magical Girl?"
Broboli said with a bright smile,
her expression so radiant it was dazzling.
Teriri was still resting in the dock lounge.
But the two senior magical girls were safe—
and that meant she would be fine, too.
Everything was back on track.
It was like returning to a sunny afternoon before graduation, sitting at a tea party—
warm sunlight spilling across her shoulders.
The corners of the girl's eyes shimmered with unshed tears, her heart swelling with emotion,
as if she might cry.
The long journey of struggle and memories...
had begun with them—
and now, was returning to where it all started.