Is This How You Use a Self-Destruct Switch?!-Chapter 2 : Illusion

Tsuan casually pulled out a sheet of white paper and a ballpoint pen from Megumi's side, beginning to draft her new plan.
She had long grown accustomed to this kind of "borrowing"—Megumi's drawer was like an inexhaustible free stationery library to her.
Initially, she still felt a bit of theft-like uneasiness, but Megumi's reaction—simply discovering that white paper was being consumed too quickly, then bringing over a whole stack of fresh A4 paper to stuff into the drawer and sticking a "Public Use" label on it—completely dispelled her concerns.
Perhaps in Megumi's eyes, her behavior had already been naturally attributed to some classmate needing to use white paper. As for who this classmate was...
It didn't matter.
The pen tip touched the paper, making a soft rustling sound that seemed especially clear in the quiet classroom... of course, this was only for Tsuan.
"Plan..."
A plan to find magical girls... hmm, it should start like this, then...
Black lines flowed from the pen tip as if they had life, first outlining a rounded facial contour, then waterfall-like smooth long hair. The pen tip wandered, carefully depicting curved eyebrows and eyes, a small nose, and finally slightly upturned lips with a playful curve.
'Hehe... I can't think of anything anyway... might as well just draw~'
Looking at her "masterpiece" from most of the class period, Tsuan couldn't help but laugh softly, her previous irritation completely swept away. She lifted the white paper in her hand and proudly waved it up and down in the air.
Just then, an indescribable... weak sensation like static electricity swept across her consciousness.
She instinctively turned her head sideways, habitually ignoring the gaze from beside her, because that gaze always passed through her to fall on the wall behind her or the scenery outside the window.
Megumi looked at the empty seat beside her and blinked in confusion.
As a magical girl, she felt a clear sense of 'discord,' like suddenly tasting an extremely weak, hard-to-catch sweet and sour flavor on her tongue while eating a blueberry bread.
It seemed like strawberry jam, but more like... tomato? But this strange taste disappeared without a trace like a drop of water falling into the ocean before she could savor it carefully, leaving no trace to be found. She even suspected it might be an illusion caused by staying up late playing games last night.
"Well, better focus on class for now..."
After all, she didn't want to stand in the hallway again.
Tsuan didn't mind this small incident—she had long grown accustomed to this feeling of 'being penetrated.' Looking up at the clock hanging at the front of the classroom, the minute hand was already approaching the number indicating class dismissal. Her heart suddenly jumped—lunch time! Crisis immediately replaced the joy of drawing.
This time point, nearing the end of class, was her only opportunity window to 'safely' obtain lunch.
Once the dismissal bell rang, classmates would immediately rush toward the convenience store and cafeteria, and she... might very well be directly squeezed flat in the chaos.
If she waited until after the crowd dispersed to go...? Then the store would only have empty packaging bags and cold shelves left, meaning... she could only spend the long afternoon on an empty stomach.
So, time was food!
Tsuan didn't hesitate for a moment. She quickly stuffed the drawing into her desk, then like a silent ghost, lightly left her seat.
At this moment when all the classmates and teacher were focused on the class content, she brazenly opened the classroom door in front of everyone and slipped out.
The hallway was empty, with only her own footsteps echoing in the silence. She began to run, enjoying this privilege of being the only one 'running in the hallway' in the entire school.
Wind swept past her hair tips, bringing a brief sense of freedom. However, this freedom didn't last long. A sharp and piercing special bell suddenly rang out, like a cold command, instantly changing the atmosphere of the entire school!
"Emergency notice! Emergency notice! A new monster has appeared near the school! Please remain calm, students and teachers, quickly leave your classrooms and proceed to the area near the school gate on the playground in an orderly fashion according to evacuation drill requirements! Repeating..."
The broadcaster who received notification from the police opened the microphone, calling for everyone in the school to quickly run to the area near the school gate according to evacuation drill requirements.
Tsuan knew that large crowds would soon appear in the hallways, so she quickly changed direction and hid in the restroom, leaning against the somewhat cold tile wall and waiting for the dense footsteps to gradually fade away.
Monsters wouldn't put ordinary people in life-threatening danger, so when everyone gathered at the most conspicuous area near the school gate, it was actually the safest.
After all, seeing so many people here, the monster might choose to go somewhere else to cause trouble out of fear of harming them.
After most of the footsteps had moved away, Tsuan cautiously poked her head out from the restroom, looking left and right to confirm that teachers and classmates had all gone to the playground before breathing a slight sigh of relief.
But... what about lunch?
Going to the convenience store now would probably be too late, since the aunt who ran the store had likely already left... Taking food without permission would be no different from theft.
'I can't do such a thing.'
She said to herself, her voice soft but carrying unquestionable firmness. The magical girl code of conduct was deeply rooted in her heart—even in this moment when no one knew and she was starving, she couldn't violate her inner principles.
Looks like I'll have to wait until dinner to eat together...
"Hmm... what should I eat tonight? Tomato pasta? Or tomato beef stew? Or... tomato scrambled egg rice bowl?"
Tomatoes, which could be called both vegetables and fruits, were her favorite.
But just as she was trying to fill herself with spiritual food, a series of hurried footsteps approached from far to near, barging into Tsuan's world and forcibly pulling her back to reality.
The blue-haired girl who had finally convinced her friends that she had something very important left in the classroom ran up the stairs in a few steps. Then she rushed directly toward the restroom where Tsuan was, stepping hard on the girl who couldn't dodge in time.
Before Tsuan could see clearly which classmate was so rude, she heard the sound of a stall door being locked.
"How mean..."
She gave up on demanding an apology aloud, but this didn't mean she wasn't angry.
Tsuan gently wiped the physiological tears from the corners of her eyes, then walked to the sink, took a paper cup to get some water, and threw it directly over the stall door.
But the scream she expected didn't occur—instead, a strange light shone through the door crack onto her.
Nagayasu Megumi, who had locked the stall door, raised her right hand, and the gemstone bracelet that appeared decorative to others emitted bright white light.
"Magical Girl Luna, transform!"
The delicate school uniform was covered by holy light, along with hair accessories and shoes, all undergoing transformation. The blue hair that originally only reached her shoulders was extended to her hips, held by a magical butterfly bow that contained cleansing magic for her entire body. Cute silver earrings also appeared on her earlobes for communication with other magical girls.
The magical outfit that would automatically adjust size with Megumi's changes couldn't possibly be ill-fitting. The pure white top was adorned with countless blue threads flowing with magic power, which could help Luna adapt to cold or hot environments.
The blue short skirt that just covered her thighs provided Megumi with special storage space, allowing her to hide many tools in the skirt to catch enemies off guard. The white and blue long boots provided Megumi with special magical protection—ensuring she wouldn't easily fall.
Although she didn't know why there was such a design, Megumi quite liked this outfit. Because it looked very cute while also being convenient. No need to worry about cold or heat, and no need to worry about battle soiling her clothes.
But Tsuan would worry.
The black-haired girl instinctively wiped her wet cheeks with her fingers. She hadn't expected her paper cup to be directly bounced back, landing squarely on her own head.
And what she hadn't expected even more was...
After the unlocking sound, Magical Girl Luna in her magical outfit brushed past the wide-eyed Tsuan carrying her staff. The distance was so close that Tsuan could even smell a fresh fragrance.
It wasn't until she rubbed her eyes and confirmed that the magical girl opening the window and preparing to leap outside wasn't her hallucination that she realized what the light she had just seen meant.
Magical Girl Luna is actually my classmate?!
Just as Luna left the stall, she looked toward Tsuan's position, making eye contact with Tsuan.
Tsuan even thought for a moment that Luna could see her, somewhat nervously raising her palm to wave up and down in front of her.
But Luna didn't blink like in movies—instead, she continued staring at Tsuan's position.
This action was like a basin of cold water poured over Tsuan's head, washing away the excitement of her first close encounter with a magical girl.
Even... Magical Girl Luna can't see me?
The red eyes that had just been shining with admiration no longer dared to meet Luna's gaze, looking straight down at the ground, and her body obediently moved toward the other side of the wall to avoid blocking Luna's path.
First step, Luna frowned.
Second step, Luna clearly sensed... something.
Just as Tsuan was about to take her third step, a lively voice that sounded incredibly familiar to her made her pause.
"Please wait!"
Even though Tsuan knew she wasn't calling to her, she still turned her head with some expectation to make eye contact with Magical Girl Luna again.
"Although I don't know why I can't see you... my feelings tell me that you're here, and... you need my help."
After transforming into a magical girl, Megumi was naturally more sensitive to magic power. If her earlier feeling about Tsuan was like a fleeting sweet and sour taste in blueberry bread, then now she could clearly distinguish whether that sweetness was strawberry jam or tomato sauce.
Although she still couldn't find the source of the taste, she was certain this taste really existed!
Helping people in difficulty was a magical girl's code—no magical girl would turn a blind eye to those in distress, without exception.
After looking around with some worry and expectation and confirming that there was only her alone in the vicinity, Tsuan's anxious mood vanished in an instant.
That meant, although Luna couldn't see her, Luna could sense her existence!
The hope that had just been extinguished was reignited. Tsuan couldn't help but approach Luna, nervously opening her mouth to try to speak.
But she immediately discovered that no matter what she said, Luna couldn't hear her... As for lifting Luna's skirt like she had done with Megumi's during class...
The moment this thought arose, Tsuan's cheeks instantly flushed red! She shook her head vigorously, as if trying to shake off something dirty.
'How could I do such a thing?!'
She severely scolded herself in her heart...
'To do such a thing to the magical girl I admire... it's too rude! Too blasphemous!'
This option was instantly and completely rejected.
However, this wasn't difficult for a magical girl. Luna clearly felt Tsuan getting closer to her, so she raised her eyebrows with some joy.
She extended her soft, tender palm toward Tsuan's direction. Although the direction was somewhat off because she couldn't see Tsuan, it was enough.
"If... if you're willing, you could try... holding my hand. Maybe... I might be able to help!"
Time seemed to freeze at this moment. Tsuan stared blankly at the tender palm before her, her fingertips hanging at her sides twitching slightly.
Holding that hand... could end all of this...
Perhaps because Luna's smile was too bright, perhaps because Luna's attitude was too gentle, Tsuan really felt the impulse to hold Luna's hand and confide everything to her.
Her somewhat pale fingers were lifted, then moved bit by bit toward that hand radiating sunshine, but just as they were about to touch...
"I can sense magic power fluctuations near the shopping district!"
The familiar floating beside Luna anxiously interrupted this delicate atmosphere, its little paw pointing toward the window.
"Luna! The monster might be causing trouble! We need to go stop it quickly!"
Luna's hand stiffened slightly, the gentleness on her face instantly replaced by a sense of responsibility.
"Ah! Right! I almost forgot the important matter!"
She looked toward Tsuan's direction again with a hint of apology.
"Sorry, I need to deal with the monster first... see you next time?"
Luna's outstretched hand toward Tsuan was ultimately withdrawn.
Before the words finished, Luna no longer hesitated. She turned and lightly leaped onto the windowsill. Before leaving, she looked back once more at Tsuan's position, her water-blue eyes carrying a trace of unanswered curiosity.
'Maybe it was just my imagination...? Well, I'll come back after dealing with the monster!'