"Right~ What an absolute coincidence..." Sin Mal glared intensely, slowly pulling her face out of the shadows behind Theresa. Her words dropped the temperature in the room by three degrees.
"Was the Principal also looking for that irresponsible, completely unreliable senior in our troupe who only thinks about running away from the battlefield we are about to step onto?"
What an incredibly harsh interrogation!
The four of them silently took a half-step back, avoiding getting splashed with whatever was about to happen when Sin Mal snapped Theresa's neck.
Theresa was genuinely on the verge of tears. She started spouting complete nonsense in a panic.
"Ah... right... right! How could that person be so awful? Haha..."
The hand Sin Mal had been rubbing against Theresa's shoulder finally clamped down on the back of Theresa's neck—the physical manifestation of destiny catching up to her. Sin Mal rested her head on Theresa's other shoulder. They were so close they could hear each other's heartbeats and breathing.
What a heartwarming scene... this could technically be considered girls acting affectionate with each other, right?
"Then does Senior know that our troupe is the very first one scheduled to perform tonight? And that there is less than half an hour until we go on stage, yet we haven't done a single dress rehearsal today?!"
"Eek— I... I know..." Theresa's voice had dwindled to near invisibility, reduced to nothing more than a faint, terrified whimper.
"Then..." Sin Mal slowly opened her hand, gripping Theresa's neck firmly.
"Hurry up and come back with me to practice!!"
"Nooo!!" Theresa instantly started struggling, crying and wailing. "I don't want to go back! I don't want to stand with you guys making hand-hearts and saying things like, 'Super-Dimensional Scepter that seals the dark powers, unleash your full might once again!' or 'I'll TeriTeri you up~' to everyone!"
"You just said it perfectly, didn't you?!"
"Those are basic idol fundamentals from back in my day!!"
"Get back here right now!"
"Nooo~ Mei! Bronya! My adorable little niece! And Shu! Save me~!"
"Why are you still wearing this coat?! Take it off!"
And so, under the watchful eyes of the four bystanders, Sin Mal directly began roughing Theresa up, swiftly and efficiently ripping the oversized hooded coat off of her.
Theresa's immense, monstrous strength was nowhere to be seen. She acted as fragile as a maiden weakly resisting, allowing Sin Mal to easily strip away her final layer of dignity.
As the oversized coat was ruthlessly peeled away, the "custom-made" Magical Girl outfit—a chaotic explosion of lace, ribbons, pink, and white—was completely exposed to the harsh lights of the waiting room.
And right in front of Kiana and the others' widened eyes.
"Woah..." Kiana instinctively let out a gasp of awe.
Theresa had retired from the idol industry before Kiana was even born. To Kiana, Teriri was merely a legend, and a punchline people used to tease her aunt.
Seeing Theresa dressed like this in person, Kiana felt her horizons had been thoroughly broadened.
"It really suits you, Auntie..."
"Stop saying that! Isn't anyone going to save me?!"
No one cared. The four of them could only offer Theresa a moment of solemn respect as they watched.
Theresa was mercilessly dragged away by Sin Mal, howling amidst their respectful gazes and silent prayers. Her final words were the desperate plea recorded above.
Just as Sin Mal dragged Theresa to the door of the waiting room, Bronya suddenly spoke up.
"Sin..."
The dead light in Theresa's eyes suddenly flared back to life.
Could it be?!
You truly are amazing, Magical Girl Bronya! I knew it! I knew you wouldn't just stand by and watch me die! The bond between us is truly indestructible!
"Bronya is truly happy that Sin actively chose to participate in an event like this." Bronya smiled warmly, gazing at Sin Mal's back and offering her heartfelt support.
Sin Mal's footsteps paused, and Theresa's expression instantly collapsed.
She wasn't trying to save me after all...
"..." Sin Mal looked back silently. She saw Bronya, Kiana, Mei, and Shu standing side-by-side, looking exactly like an inseparable, tightly-knit team.
After a long moment, Sin Mal raised her free hand, gave Bronya a ruthless thumbs down, and then angrily dragged the despairing Theresa out of the room.
Watching Sin Mal slam the door shut behind her, the smile on Bronya's lips crept up a few more pixels.
Cliques existed everywhere. Whether formed through familial ties, shared interests, or forced proximity, they permeated every aspect of a person's life.
Conversations between parents naturally excluded their children. A father and son might have secrets the mother didn't know, and a mother and son might hide things from the father.
The trajectory of a person's life was formed by the intersection of countless circles. Some people had many circles and complex social webs, while others had very few circles and almost no one they could truly talk to.
That was exactly Sin Mal's position in the orphanage.
If Veliona was a startled kitten who hissed at everyone but never actually scratched, then Sin Mal was a literal hedgehog completely covered in sharp quills. If anyone tried to intrude upon her life, Sin Mal would launch genuinely aggressive attacks.
Currently, Sin Mal only had a few actual friends. Rozaliya and Liliya were thick-skulled and possessed massive hearts; they simply brute-forced their way through the quills, forcing Sin Mal to accept their presence through sheer, exhausting persistence.
Seele was similar. She absorbed all of Sin Mal's initial verbal abuse and simply walked up to her, offering an open embrace, completely unafraid of getting hurt.
Bronya had taken a shortcut, entering Sin Mal's heart before the quills had fully grown, leaving an irreplaceable impression.
As for Cocolia... to Cocolia, Sin Mal's strength and mentality were simply too weak. Her "attacks" just looked incredibly adorable.
Now, having journeyed from Cocolia's Orphanage all the way to the Fire Moth, and having experienced so much, Sin Mal had managed to make a few new friends, gaining a few more people she could talk to.
Shu was similar to Cocolia. He just thought the kid was a massive tsundere, but not fundamentally bad.
Kiana didn't care about the verbal abuse at all. She only looked at a person's soul and their physical appearance; everything else was a minor detail.
Mei had built up an immunity to this kind of hostility long ago. This was nothing. It wasn't even one-tenth of the bullying she had endured in high school.
And Sirin...
Heh. That wasn't a friend. That was a destined rival.
There can only be one tsundere in the Fire Moth! And the one who survives until the end... will be me!
Sin Mal's true circle of friends consisted entirely of these people. As for anyone else... at best, she tolerated looking at them. Unless absolutely necessary, she couldn't even be bothered to speak to them.
As for complete strangers, Sin Mal wouldn't even spare them a glance. Her attitude was notoriously terrible.
Therefore, Bronya was genuinely, from the bottom of her heart, happy for Sin Mal, just as Kiana had fantasized earlier.
A team is supposed to be physically affectionate, build strong relationships, trigger mysterious events in a hidden storyline, and eventually have their affection meters explode, resulting in everyone falling for each other!
It seems that day isn't too far off for Sin Mal...