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Junko’s smile lingers; now it’s her looking at the ground.
※ Junko: You have no idea… how much time I spent doing something I didn’t like because everyone else was telling me to do it. They all say it’s going to be great. It was supposed to be great a long time ago already, but there’s always more to do, more to climb, and it always gets harder. And the moment you step out of line /just once/, well- you are alone. Very fucking alone.
Now Wakoko knows what would have happened if she made that social media account.
※ Junko: Let’s go, Koizumi-chan. Let’s be free.
Wakoko: But I want to make friends.
Junko lifts an eyebrow amicably.
※ Junko: What do you think it means to be a friend? Going out? Shopping together? Laughing at other people? Why do you think I was sitting with you and not with them?
The realization that she had always had a friend all along hits Wakoko like a truck-
and yet; she stills pulls her hands out from that warm embrace.
※ Junko: Koizumi-chan?
She knows. That gap between them… became larger than ever. Impossible, like magic- because Junko had taught her to care about what others think. Silently, Wakoko lingers there, scared- because what little she could build up by herself over the years suddenly seemed to matter a lot.
And when she looks up, the Magical Girl looks just like her pretty usual, normal self- only infinitely different. Junko opens the door to the private cabin.
※ Junko: Do not become a Magical Girl. This is /my/ punishment for letting them live my life; not yours.
The honor student hesitates at the door.
※ Junko: Take this from me and I’ll kill you.
Wakoko: Junko; where are you going?
Perhaps surprised by how unphased Wakoko was at the threat, Junko allows herself to turn around and address her one last time.
※ Junko: To live today.
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