"Anyway, that's the truth. I'm just helping to purify the magic power."
A clear conscience fears no false accusations. Thus, when Sora spoke, his voice was clear, his gaze bright, without the slightest hint of guilt or evasion.
Anna, with her hands covering her chest, couldn't help but whisper a complaint.
"Witches and stuff are not scientific at all. Sir Isaac Newton's coffin lid is about to burst open."
"It really is very strange..."
Sagiri crossed her arms over her chest, her delicate eyebrows gently furrowing.
(Elf in the previous playthrough was clearly an ordinary person. How did she become a magical girl in the second playthrough?)
(This is not scientific!)
(However, my situation isn't scientific either...)
"Sora, how long does purifying magic take?"
Anna leaned forward, asking out of concern.
Anna didn't really care whether it was scientific or not; she cared more about how long Sora would be holding hands with someone else.
Even though they weren't dating, even though they were just childhood friends, watching Sora hold hands with someone else while being unable to stop it made her incredibly unhappy!
Sora answered softly, "Just a few more minutes."
"Nii-san..." Sagiri tilted her head to look. "Physical contact doesn't necessarily have to be holding hands, right? Why can't you grab her arm?"
Sora: "..."
Yamada Elf: "..."
Very good.
You discovered the blind spot that no one else noticed.
"I didn't think about that. Next time, I'll let Elf grab my arm." Sora told the truth. "Also, you must help keep the secret of the invisibility. If word gets out, Elf might be caught and locked in an underground laboratory for all sorts of terrifying research."
"Eh?"
Sagiri jumped in fright and hurriedly raised her hand to cover her pink lips.
"Don't worry, Elf, I definitely won't tell anyone!"
Although Elf was a bad woman trying to snatch Nii-san away, in the previous playthrough, the two of them were actually very good friends. Therefore, she didn't want Elf to get hurt no matter what.
"Rest assured, Sora, my lips are sealed." Anna nodded seriously. The blush on her pretty face still hadn't faded. "But being sliced up for research is just a rumor, right? Many magical girls in manga receive super special treatment from the country."
"It's better to be safe than sorry," Sora said softly. "It's best to be careful."
"That's right, I absolutely don't want to be exposed." Elf's voice was crisp. "I had a dream last night that I was caught by bad guys in white coats, and they said they were going to draw my blood for research... I've been afraid of needles since I was little, let alone having my blood drawn. So I absolutely must not be found out."
Sora silently looked over. "Since you don't want to be found out, then try to use the invisibility ability as little as possible from now on."
"But they won't find out when I'm invisible."
"What about the side effects?"
"Ehehe~" Elf stuck out her delicate pink tongue, subconsciously acting spoiled. "Of course I'll rely on Sora to help purify the magic power. Sora will definitely take good care of me, right?"
Stare—
Two sharp gazes simultaneously landed on Sora's face.
Sora said expressionlessly.
"It's better to rely on yourself than others. You should take good care of yourself."
Elf puffed up her pink cheeks slightly.
"But I've already been seen... Ah!"
The girl's soft cry suddenly rang out. Elf frantically raised her hand to cover her pink lips, her small face quickly turning red.
"What's wrong, Elf?"
Sagiri looked over with concern.
"I-I'm fine..."
Elf's gaze drifted and dodged, too embarrassed to reveal what had just happened.
Suddenly having the palm of her hand tickled by a boy, even she would feel shy.
"Phew..."
Sora quietly let out a sigh of relief, secretly wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.
That was close.
If I hadn't interrupted the spellcasting and let Sagiri and Anna know the secret of last night, it would definitely have caused a super massive headache, right?
"Why does Sora look so nervous?"
Anna tilted her small head, her tone suspicious.
"I'm fine." Sora sat up straight, not looking sideways. "I just drank too much water and want to use the restroom."
"..."
Time quietly slipped away.
Sora occasionally checked the purification progress bar in his mind. Once the purification was complete, he quickly let go of Elf's small hand.
"Purification complete, Elf can go home now."
"I don't want to. Going home alone is so boring, and preparing food alone is so hard." Elf had already forgotten her earlier shyness. She sat on the sofa, refusing to get up. "I want to stay and eat dinner together too."
Sora looked over speechlessly. "Aren't you going back to summarize intel?"
"That kind of stuff is already stored in my head. Don't underestimate my memory." Elf's voice was crisp. "I woke up at 6:30 AM today and activated invisibility at the exact same time. It was just 6:30 PM. In other words, the maximum duration of invisibility is twelve hours."
"With long-term use of the invisibility ability, the side effects grow stronger."
"And also..."
Elf raised her right hand, snapped her fingers lightly, and looked at Sagiri and Anna beside her.
"Can you two still see me?"
Anna blinked her eyes.
"I can see you very clearly."
"Well, it seems I can't turn invisible again immediately after all." Elf crossed her left arm over her chest and rested her chin on her right hand. "If I explain it using game terminology, it means the ability has entered a cooldown period. I have a vague feeling that I need to rest for a while before I can turn invisible again."
"...That makes perfect sense."
Sora gave a light nod, indicating he understood.
If the ability had no cooldown time, then the maximum duration would be meaningless. Once the invisibility reached its limit, she could immediately activate it again, effectively achieving another kind of lifelong invisibility.
"I read a quote in a book once: the world has never had absolute special existences..." Anna raised her right hand. Her azure eyes rippled with light, full of curiosity. "So besides Elf, are there other magical girls?"
Elf put her hands on her hips and blurted out.
"Of course there are. There's even someone who can stop time."
"Ehhhhh?!"
Anna widened her eyes in shock, looking at Sora in disbelief.
"Time Stop or whatever... that can't be true, right?"
Sora hesitated for two seconds, then nodded lightly.
"It's true that someone can stop time."
Since Elf had already said it, he naturally couldn't deny it. However, until Mahiru gave permission, her identity had to remain a secret for now.
"N-No way!"
Anna covered her chest with her hands, a panicked expression appearing on her pretty face.
It's said that in those adult-only doujinshi, the Time Stop ability is super evil and is always used by the male protagonist for lewd things... I absolutely don't want to be toyed with!
Sagiri was also somewhat nervous. Time Stop was much more powerful than invisibility.
"Nii-san, is the person with the Time Stop ability a girl like Elf?"
"That's right, it's a girl." Sora said softly. "She has a gentle personality and good character, so there's no need to worry."
"That's good..."
Anna, covering her chest, quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
"If it's a girl, then it's fine..."
But not long after, a sense of urgency surged in her heart once more.
I thought I was super special for getting the Losing Heroine Diary. So there are that many girls with special skills in the world?
Could it be that long-haired girl who was having drinks with Sora at the cold drink shop today?
Damn it! Why am I not a magical girl! I want to be close too!