For a moment, Hong Siyu unexpectedly became the focus of the entire squad's gaze, which made her feel extremely uncomfortable.
Hong Siyu had never been accustomed to the attention of others, especially when many people stared at her, she found even speaking became extremely difficult.
So when everyone was watching her, waiting for her answer, she found herself unable to utter a single word for quite some time.
All she could do was open and close her mouth, continuously trying to eke out a few words. But even if her face turned red with the effort, like a fish out of water, she made no sound at all.
This caused Emerald Sparrow, who had been frowning and unwilling, to smooth her expression.
"Don't be nervous, just say what you think," she said.
She let go of the hand that had been pushing against the young girl's face and rolled her eyes at her, turning back to Hong Siyu and saying, "This isn't that serious, but after you know the truth, it might be a bit hard to accept."
"Hard, hard to accept?" Hong Siyu finally managed to catch her breath and stammered along.
"Yes, because I have kept something from you on this matter," Emerald Sparrow said.
Emerald Sparrow shook her head gently, looking at her calmly, "In fact, you should have seen my true form."
Hong Siyu felt dizzy again: "Where?"
The appearance of a magical girl stems from their true form, and a part of the true form is born from the soul, so it will look quite similar to the person's own appearance. In other words, Emerald Sparrow's true form should also be that of a delicate and beautiful girl, like a princess.
But no matter how much Hong Siyu searched her memory, she couldn't find a girl who looked similar to Emerald Sparrow.
"It depends on whether you want to know or not," said Emerald Sparrow with a sigh. "If you do want to know, then I have no reason to keep it from you."
Did she want to know?
Hong Siyu couldn't help asking herself.
She first met Emerald Sparrow at the junior high cultural festival when, out of the blue, she was saved from the attack of Remnant Beasts. Before that day, Hong Siyu had never come so close to a magical girl.
That day, she lost the boy she cared about but met Emerald Sparrow.
Latter on, due to chance and becoming a magical girl herself, she saw Emerald Sparrow again, but not as the one being saved, but as a junior magical girl. This actually made her somewhat happy for a time.
Ever since she first saw Emerald Sparrow, she had always appeared to Hong Siyu as a magical girl. In her mind, Emerald Sparrow was always that magical girl who made a dazzling entrance through the window, uttering words like "a magical girl has arrived."
Did she really want, or was it necessary, to confirm Emerald Sparrow's true appearance?
She started hesitantly but gradually made up her mind after speaking: "Perhaps not... right?"
This response made all the magical girls who had been watching her widen their eyes.
Emerald Sparrow was no exception; she seemed very surprised by Hong Siyu's answer but still asked, as if to confirm, "Why?"
"Because, senior Emerald Sparrow, just being you is enough."
Unable to bear the gazes, Hong Siyu lowered her head and murmured softly, "Even if I don't know what you are really like, I absolutely trust you. So, I'd prefer not to make you feel troubled over such a thing."
This answer once again silenced the other team members. After a moment, they unanimously turned their gazes towards Emerald Sparrow.
Soft smiles, mocking smiles, intrigued smiles; each person's expression was different, but they all conveyed the same silent message.
Emerald Sparrow understood this as well. So she looked around and finally stood up from her seat, saying to Hong Siyu: "Come with me."
"Huh? What?" Hong Siyu asked, puzzled and unable to grasp the situation.
"Don't ask, just come," said Emerald Sparrow.
Eventually grasping Emerald Sparrow's somewhat bashful intent from her expression, Hong Siyu felt a sudden surge in her heart and then stood up as well.
The two found a secluded corner where no one was around and, after confirming there were no surveillance devices, Emerald Sparrow let out a breath of relief and forced a calm demeanor, saying, "Just don't scream out loud later."
"If you ask again, I won't transform,"
Hong Siyu instinctively swallowed and then closed her mouth.
But she was still puzzled, why did the atmosphere feel so strange?
No matter what, this was just magical girls confirming each other's true forms. She didn't have so many concerns with the other seniors, so why did it feel like a highly private issue when it came to Emerald Sparrow? It even gave her a sense of subtle excitement.
If one didn't know the full story, it was almost like she was forcing someone to undress.
With this terrible thought in mind, Hong Siyu didn't ask any further questions because she could feel that Emerald Sparrow must have made up her mind and that any more words might stop her from continuing.
Under their mutual gaze, Emerald Sparrow reached toward the Heart's Gem at her chest, and then whispered a phrase.
Shortly after, blue Magic Power radiated outwards, and Emerald Sparrow's appearance gradually became ethereal in the light, revealing a new figure within.
When Hong Siyu clearly saw the face within the light, she experienced, after a long absence, the sensation of her mind crashing.