Is This How You Use a Self-Destruct Switch?!-Chapter 12 : Old Lady?

"Eh? Is Reiko... going home?"
Tsuan's somewhat reluctant expression combined with fingers that tugged slightly at Reiko's sleeve delivered a critical hit.
The student council president, who indeed hadn't thought about staying overnight, coughed lightly twice then patted Tsuan's head to indicate she should let go, before taking out her phone in front of Tsuan and calling her parents again.
"Mm mm! Anyway, I need to stay here temporarily for today."
Reiko very considerately didn't ask for Tsuan's opinion, avoiding the possibility of Tsuan reluctantly refusing out of 'not wanting to trouble Reiko.'
The black-haired girl who had been listening to the phone call blinked, then suddenly looked at Reiko.
Reiko is going to stay here?
Stay at my house?
Today?!
Doesn't that mean... until tomorrow morning when we go to school, I can see Reiko the whole time... the whole time?!
"Ahaha, the situation is quite special... and if you drive directly here to find me, that would probably be even more troublesome, right?"
Reiko looked with satisfaction at the happiness in Tsuan's eyes and reached out to smooth her head once again.
"Anyway, that's about it... mm, tomorrow Dad can drive over to take us to school."
Tsuan's entire mind was focused on the question of how to spend a night with her good friend, so she naturally overlooked Reiko's other 'small talk' with her family.
First... there's still one pillow at home that can be used, and then... we can share the same blanket, that's fine too!
The black-haired girl swallowed and nervously stole a glance at her good friend who had just hung up the phone, only to be caught red-handed.
"Don't worry, I'll... stay at your house tonight to keep you company, okay?"
But this nervousness seemed to be understood by Reiko as something else...
"I'm going to buy some toiletries now. Can Tsuan wait at home for me to come back?"
Tsuan couldn't wait for her to leave quickly and immediately agreed, which also relieved Reiko who was worried she might be too clingy.
The two peacefully waved goodbye at the door...
"How long will Reiko be away?"
Tsuan poked out her little head and called to the silver-haired girl who was preparing to go downstairs.
"About... half an hour or so~ After all, I need to go to the convenience store to buy things, so I might be away a bit longer?"
Reiko was worried that Tsuan might be scared, so she thoughtfully shortened her outing time.
Tsuan, however, was worried that Reiko would return too quickly, leaving her insufficient time to act.
Both simultaneously showed each other a smile, and then...
The moment the security door was closed by Tsuan, the composure on Reiko's face disappeared instantly, and her leisurely pace accelerated to a run—she had to buy toiletries within half an hour, and then without Tsuan knowing...
Ask the neighbors about Tsuan's situation.
On the other side of the security door, Tsuan's expression also instantly became tense—when she realized that Reiko would sleep in the same bed as her, in the same bedroom, she realized what Reiko, who disliked magical girls, would think if she saw her room full of magical girl merchandise.
She must, must solve all of this in the limited time...
""Solve all of this!""
Two girls caring for each other began a race, with only one opponent—time.
Reiko ran downstairs, then adjusted her breathing while randomly grabbing shampoo and a toothbrush from the shelves, not even having time to see their brands clearly before being forced to run to the checkout queue.
The few people in line naturally noticed Reiko's urgency, so they kindly offered her the priority to check out first.
"Thank you!"
The student council president who bowed in gratitude took out her wallet from her pocket, and her gradually calming heart rippled again.
Indeed... everyone helps those who need help!
So...
How exactly did Tsuan manage it? To have absolutely no one who could help her?!
This was obviously not right!
Tsuan, who was struggling to carefully remove posters one by one to clear a section of wallpaper, panted and wiped away the sweat that had appeared on her forehead.
It was really too exhausting...
Each of these posters... she had carefully removed each one, and while none were damaged, the cost was that her arms were already sore and beginning to tremble.
Posters, hide them... and then...
She opened the wardrobe, only to find it already packed full of plush dolls of every magical girl, and she had even collected plush dolls of each magical girl's familiar...
Then, the drawer!
She pulled open the drawer, only to find it completely filled with photos of the magical girls.
The girl trying to hide the posters in her hands into her school bag didn't hear Reiko's deliberately quieted knocking at the door.
Thanks to everyone's cooperation, Reiko had saved quite a bit of time, which gave her the opportunity to knock on the door of the 'old lady' across from Tsuan with a more composed demeanor.
If one ignored the slightly sweat-dampened school uniform, her bearing now was no different from a student council president sitting in an office.
Although she had some leeway, the silver-haired girl who still felt pressed for time knocked on the door with slightly more force.
"What is it?"
A young voice, obviously not possibly an 'old lady's,' gradually approached Reiko outside the door and opened it while she was puzzled.
"Who art thou? What dost thou seek of me?"
Reiko looked at the girl before her who was slightly taller than herself and couldn't help but tilt her head...
"Huh...?"
This is the old lady that Tsuan mentioned?
The girl completely wrapped in red and white shrine maiden clothing slightly turned her body to indicate that Reiko should follow her inside for a detailed conversation.
After both sat down at the table, the shrine maiden skillfully took out a fortune-telling stick container from under the table and handed it to Reiko.
"Thou must first draw a fortune to divine the gods' will."
This...
"I wanted to ask about..."
The expressionless shrine maiden interrupted her, her tone still calm yet unquestionable.
"Draw a fortune."
The student council president's mouth corner twitched slightly. She looked at the expressionless yet unusually determined shrine maiden before her and helplessly shook the stick container randomly.
A bamboo stick fell on the table surface, with several characters clearly carved on it.
The shrine maiden snorted coldly, caught the container with one hand and pinched the bamboo stick with two fingers of the other hand, displaying it to Reiko without even glancing at it.
"Your request is not virtuous, why pray to the gods?"
Huh? I, I... I'm not virtuous?
Reiko read it out word by word, then watched as the shrine maiden's expressionless pretty face gradually became disdainful.
"Since thou art thus, why not..."
The silver-haired girl, having reached her limit, forcefully snatched the fortune stick container from the shrine maiden's hands and dumped all the bamboo sticks onto the table surface.
Although the shrine maiden organized the sticks very quickly, she still clearly saw... at least seven or eight sticks with the same phrase written on them.
"Your request is not virtuous, why pray to the gods?"
The shrine maiden, who seemed completely unable to feel embarrassment, hid away the fortune container after cleaning up the table surface, then calmly gazed at Reiko, successfully making the other party feel embarrassed for her.
"So can you answer my question now!"
The shrine maiden held up five fingers.
"Thou hast learned the gods' will and must pay five hundred yen."