Chapter 166
※This is a postscript that includes yuri elements.
On a day when white snow falls, one can’t help but feel hopeful.
When seeing the snow accumulating in the silence beneath the dark sky, even familiar landscapes seem sublime and pure. The lovely white coats the scenery we live in, making even the mundane extraordinary.
One
Two
Stars connect and
Tap
Tap
Snow falls.
As sounds that weren’t noticed before can be heard, and with each breath, as the snow melts away.
When every sound fades away one by one, and everyone suddenly looks up at the sky.
In the white moonlight,
I remember the existence of a girl watching over us from above.
A white girl—
She seems like she could come down, her snow-white and pure appearance bringing that smile back again.
With a smile as white as snow, it feels like she could tell me that the wait is over.
Stepping into her embrace gives the feeling that the longed-for warmth will return.
“I’m back.”
“Welcome back.”
I always feel that kind of expectation.
Winter has come.
“Phew…”
As Yuki closes the old house door on her way to work and exhales a puff of breath, it seems like white softly covers her view. Another winter has come, and it’s time to wrap up a year filled with many events.
Students move up a grade,
Girls look forward to the next year,
Adults gain more wrinkles,
And the elderly reminisce about memories.
Witnessing countless events between people, Yuki has always seen them welcome winter in their own ways. But for Yuki, winter was a season to remember and wait for one person.
“Winter has come again.”
With the cold air numbing my cheeks, I remember the girl who dressed in black and rushed to me, making my heart tighten. The innocent look that began to appear in the gaze of adult Yuki feels piquant.
Tap
Tap
When winter arrives and it snows, footsteps are particularly clear.
Tap
Tap
Among footsteps that usually go unheard, memories and emotions that typically wouldn’t have crossed come together.
Tap
Tap
With each step, her memory comes to mind, making me long for her, remembering today’s schedule makes me anxious, and thoughts about tomorrow fill me with warmth.
The reason for not contacting destiny directly to hear the sounds in winter and taking a longer route instead.
Winter rivers,
Warmth,
White,
Love.
“Huh? Principal?”
As Yuki walks on with time in her heart, magical girls on their way to school approach her to greet. Their youthful principal exudes a serious and strong aura inappropriate for her age, but when they meet, she’s just a friendly older sister, making the academy students adore Yuki.
New memories come into play among cherished ones.
Yuki doesn’t shy away from this, keeping precious memories in a corner of her heart. She smiles at the students approaching to greet her. With that smile, girls leaving home for school flock to her.
“Principal!”
“Ah, hello Principal!”
“Hi.”
“Shall we walk together?”
“Sure, sounds good.”
Numerous girls approach and bloom conversations on multiple subjects.
“So, the etiquette teacher this time~”
“Principal, why do you always wear a red coat?”
“The dog at the school store keeps stealing bread!”
“Is it true that there’s a crow among the guides? I’ve never seen one.”
“I heard the kids who moved to the intermediate class this year are amazing!”
Chatter
The vibrant voices of girls fill the air, unable to be swallowed even by the snow that muffles all sounds.
Yuki prefers quietness but doesn’t find their loud chatter annoying; it’s what she once longed for when she ran away from everyone.
She felt grateful that she could become an adult living through such moments.
“Now I have more stories to tell.”
It would be nice to talk while walking with them in the snow.
“Interplanetary connection? Is that really possible?!”
– Well, what’s wasted here is only my time and starlight, so I’m thinking of giving it a shot.
“Since it’s quite far from Mars, it’ll take a while to install.”
– I’ve already spread out space-outposts and warp gates at regular intervals on the path to get there.
“…You’re incredibly meticulous.”
– Actually, the news about starting to colonize Mars will soon be unembargoed worldwide. I wanted to let Sumire and Yuki know before that.
Another day passed, and as she got ready to finish work, a long-distance communication came through.
The caller was Kang Dorim.
Yuki was talking to Kang Dorim, who had abruptly announced the Mars colonization plan and left for Mars. With her unconventional thoughts and bold ideas, she was indeed the brain behind the convention.
“Though she looks like a girl, she hasn’t changed much since middle school.”
Twelve years have passed, but Kang Dorim’s appearance seems nearly unchanged. However, the passion and energy emanating from her little body grew stronger with time.
Yuki couldn’t forget the moment they left Earth.
Mars colonization plan—
Just hearing about it gives chills. Kang Dorim first conceived it, and when she created an interplanetary transport ship spanning several kilometers, recruitment ads circulated in Korea.
[Dangerous journey, long travel (minimum 10 years), outer space, harsh colonization project, unpredictable adventures, but upon success, it will grant considerable honor and glory along with portions of Mars territory.]
A dream-like tale,
Humans glowing brighter than the legends of magical girls and starlight.
When Kang Dorim summoned the dwellers of Korea to step into an area that only existed as science fiction, they all replied:
“Seriously, what’s out in space…”
“Exactly.”
“I thought she was smart, but this is just reckless, right?”
The young men at the taverns smirked before rising in unison.
They couldn’t miss the glory of escaping this stifling land to explore a new continent… a new star.
They were all accustomed to boring waits and suffocating communal living.
“So, where do I apply?”
“I need to do it right away.”
The influx of applicants and media reporting the Mars colonization plan.
That year saw only “Mars” being mentioned in people’s conversations.
The started adventure—
The Mars exploration ship Quirinus, which set out with thousands of applicants, moved at an unreasonable speed powered by the magic of magical girls and began its proper colonization of Mars. After two years of progress in their journey, a message finally arrived from Kang Dorim.
“I’ve made quite a significant discovery.”
Kang Dorim, wearing a tight silver space suit, had a serious expression.
“I found out that there’s a ‘Starlight’s Will’ on Mars, too.”
“……”
Yuki’s mind went blank.
Stars,
Goddess,
Magical girl.
Numerous words and pains flashed through her mind, making her hands tremble.
To think that the power her beloved girl had sealed with her entire being also existed on Mars.
What on earth was this?
“Hold on, don’t be too surprised. I’m about to say that it’s different from the force existing on Earth.”
“Different…?”
“To put it metaphorically, the Starlight’s Will on Earth has developed into a form akin to a creature or system, while the one here is still close to chaotic, lacking any form.”
“Is it in an environment where the Goddess of [Start] has appeared?”
“Yeah.”
Kang Dorim clenched her fist on the screen as she spoke.
So, this chaos can be utilized.
Through the fortresses and fragments sprinkled along our star’s orbit, if they can just send even a weak force to seal the wounds.
“Perhaps,
Perhaps if we could connect this power and send it to Earth…!”
“If it’s possible to connect the Starlight’s Will between planets, then the realms of magical girls and humans will expand even more. This world itself can stretch beyond the stars into outer space.”
Beyond the stars, into space—
For Yuki, those were enormous and challenging ideas. Even with the power akin to that of the ancient goddesses, she could only care for the human world and burn away ominous things erupting from the stars’ wounds.
All she could long for and dream of was one thing.
“Hikari.”
She shouldn’t be alone in healing the Starlight’s Will from inside the wounds.
Yuki could create a path for her to return to the human world.
Just knowing that could make her heart race and bring tears to her eyes.
If those who journeyed within the world she protected could create a road for her to return,
Would she smile brightly upon seeing them?
Yuki locked eyes with Dorim and quietly made her resolve.
“Is there anything I can help with?”
“Wow, how long has it been?”
As Ichika looked around, her words echoed with awe, and the sight of those who had bloomed a myriad of powers gathered in the ark was a truly nostalgic scene. While the memories were too poignant to call them merely nostalgic, the waves of time had washed away those feelings, leaving only longing behind.
Progressing through the universe,
The moon slowly coming closer—
Yuki gazed at that scenery and called out the name she had been repeating for a long time.
“Hikari.”
The beloved name—
As she called it, four stars rose behind Yuki, shining and creating a halo.
Like the radiance of the girl who once led the others here.
“……”
“……”
In those times,
The girls who rose to protect people from destruction had all become adults.
“I never imagined a day like this would come again.”
Dressed in a lavender suit that covered her arms and legs, Sumire had grown into a more mature and composed person.
“Yeah, it feels like we’re back to the old days.”
“Right?”
The once free-spirited Ichika and Hana became teachers, thinking about younger children.
“Is this something I also must witness? The future is truly unpredictable.”
Hecate murmured softly from behind, having become someone who can observe and understand others.
The girls had fought under the guidance of one girl, growing into adults in her absence.
Now, these adults were ready to welcome back the girl continuing a lonely battle.
– Are you ready?
From afar, the voice of Kang Dorim resonated from Mars, and everyone answered with energetic voices.
“Yeah!”
“Of course!”
“Yup.”
“Certainly.”
– I will now begin the [Dabih] plan to transmit the Starlight’s Will from Mars… and create a pathway to welcome our goddess.
――――!!
A great sound reverberated,
The world shook,
And the space trembled.
You could feel something that made up this world moving greatly.
It approaches slowly.
No,
It approaches rapidly.
It appears to come swiftly and powerfully, yet because of the tremendous distance, to the eyes of the universe, it seems to draw near slowly, but to human eyes, it moves with a speed impossible to chase.
One by one,
One by one,
Following the installed warps,
Following the scattered guiding devices,
The chaotic power that once couldn’t be moved by human hands was approaching.
– Now!!
“Hikari.”
A starlight infused with white love blazed intensely and shot up from where it stood against the Starlight’s Will.
“Hikari-chan!!”
The starlight containing yellow friendship shone brilliantly and shot up.
“Leader… I want to see your face!”
“Hikari, I want to show you the world we’ve moved towards!”
Green trust and lavender responsibility—
“Humans are now ready to play with the goddess. So hurry back, goddess. Let’s have a game together.”
Silver-white faith—
The starlight that most ardently recalled the white goddess shone dazzlingly, creating a radiant column of light above the moon’s surface.
Waving like a flag leading the tumultuous chaos coming from afar, it sought to guide it.
The magical girls who lived on Earth,
Countless adults who fought against destruction,
All earnestly poured their hopes and dreams into creating a road for the goddess to return.
Countless colors intertwined, becoming a magnificent hue brighter than white.
The world she protected now sought to welcome her back, aiming to receive the force approaching from a distant star.
Yuki, among them, poured out starlight, thinking of the girl fighting beneath the lunar surface as fervently as possible.
– Connected!!
With voices filled with joy echoing in, everyone emitted even stronger light of hope.
For the goddess—
Those without the Glass Star gazed upon that sight, recalling hope.
For hope—
Everyone’s will was now gathered for one single purpose.
As the cascading chaos tangled with each person’s wish, stars and one being merged together.
More immense than the primordial chaos and warm like human desires,
A pillar of light—
A radiant pillar of light emerged above the moon, being absorbed into the starlight’s wounds.
Boom…!!
In the violent starlight that seemed to suck everything into it, Yuki dimly realized that Hikari too was striving to grasp that starlight.
“Hikari…!”
Now, if we can just push a little further, we can send the white girl back into the world. Just as that hope surged within everyone’s hearts,
The light vanished.
“What, what was that?!”
“Is it done? Is it really done?”
Ichika and her group were flustered, looking around.
Yuki couldn’t hide her bitterness amidst it all.
Hikari’s essence still remained deep within the starlight’s wound.
“…….”
– Beyond this point, the device’s output is too weak to send, I’m sorry.
“No, it’s okay.”
As everyone sat down disappointed, Yuki merely gazed into the air, gathering her heart.
Next time,
Next time, surely…
[Don’t give up.]
“Yeah?”
Yuki turned toward the source of the voice.
There was a strange girl standing there.
White hair,
Red eyes—
She resembled Hikari endlessly but was entirely different.
She wore a gentle smile.
“Si… Start?”
[It’s a very small fragment.]
The last remnants left by the Goddess of [Start].
Yuki,
Hikari,
Hecate—
When all the girls unleashed their full powers once again,
The faint remnants there reacted to the complete chaos that briefly returned, appearing in this world before dissipating back into thin air, whispering.
[Thank you.]
[For fighting for the world until now.]
[For finding a much more splendid answer than I could.]
[For looking for solutions in a world we couldn’t even imagine.]
[So… with all I have, I’ll leave the final ‘connection’ behind.]
Eventually, she transformed completely into something like white snow and disappeared.
The last remnants of the goddess that remained in this world vanished like snow.
“…Snow.”
For Yuki, snow always kindled expectation for today.
And if it were tied to Hikari, there was only one place she could fathom.
And it became clear.
Our farewell was not in vain.
While Hikari’s essence remains on the moon, the connection continued.
“Yuki?”
“Sumire.”
Feeling concern for Yuki, who was staring vacantly into the air, warmth emanated from the gentle mechanical arm resting on her shoulder. Yuki smiled at Sumire with confidence unlike any other.
“I’ll be back.”
“Yup?”
Without paying mind to Sumire’s surprised expression, Yuki dashed towards Earth, enveloped in white light.
On a day when white snow falls, one can’t help but feel hopeful.
White snow always arrives with miracles.
One
Two
Stars connect and
Tap
Tap
Even the sound of footsteps running towards her feels special.
“Ha… Ha…!”
Hikari—
I want to share so much about how we’ve progressed in the world you protected.
I have so much to say to you, who has watched over me since well before our story began.
Did you know?
In fact, the very first thing I wanted to tell you was simply this.
“Hikari…!”
The park scenery rushes past, and the delicate snowflakes falling, illuminated by the city lights against the dark sky, seem to glow nostalgically. As Yuki runs through there, her life flashes in her mind, one memory after another.
Countless fragments of memories swirl chaotically until they begin to be colored into one hue and shine brilliantly once more.
White—
For Yuki, hope was dazzlingly white.
With the falling snow from the sky, that hope in white returned to Yuki.
As Yuki was running for some time, she finally saw ‘that bench.’
“…….”
“…….”
Thud
Thud
As she slowly approached, there sat the girl in the white clothes she had seen sometime before.
Around her body floated five radiant lights.
She gazed blankly at the falling snow with her red eyes.
The white girl parted her lips through her white hair.
“…Actually, I half gave up too.”
“……”
“You all were doing just fine on your own, and a different ‘me’ from another universe was perfectly nurturing those who remained.”
“……”
“I thought, why do I need to come back to this world when I’ve changed to be closer to the stars?”
Stand
Yuki finally faced the girl sitting on the bench.
“Then there was just one reason left for me to return to this world.”
“What was it?”
“You.”
“……”
Hikari, with a smile that resembled the one Yuki had seen back then, stood gently.
The girl Yuki once had to look up to was now at a height where they could see eye to eye.
“I love Yuki.”
“…Yeah.”
“I’ve loved Yuki for a very long time.”
“Yeah.”
“Maybe it was my first love as Hyeonwoo. Funny, isn’t it? Falling in love with a fictional story.”
“It’s not.”
Pfft
Hikari clenched her hand and released it.
Yuki understood why she was taking such action.
Her essence was gradually becoming one with this star, and it was through Galatea, who flew over from Mars, filling the gaps created by the chaos.
A goddess—
Having become a goddess with a massive power that even dared not enter the human world.
“I also fell in love with the first girl I saw.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. I actually fell for you at first sight.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah.”
“Wow.”
“Isn’t it interesting?”
“No, it’s touching.”
“My heart feels the same.”
“Really?”
“Yep.”
With their plain tones,
Soft voices,
Perhaps even their demeanor in revealing their true feelings was similar.
With such thoughts in mind,
The two girls, drawn to each other, slowly came closer.
Perhaps because they already knew each other’s hearts, it seemed they would be a bit calmer.
But even with such pacifying tones, their racing hearts vibrated warmly in front of time.
Thud thud thud thud
The warmth felt through their clasped hands,
Thud thud thud thud
Their eyes nearing as they stepped closer,
They grew so close they could feel each other’s breaths.
As white and black hair intertwined,
Zing
A fervent intensity accompanied softness as it enveloped only the two left in this world.
Tap
Their teeth clashed, and their eyes widened slightly.
Brown and red—
They stood feeling the warmth while thinking even their trembling eyes were beautiful.
Sometimes they embarrassingly closed their eyes and other times giggled while gazing at each other’s eyes anew.
Standing there for quite a while, they faced each other.
As their lips parted,
“……”
“……”
Countless words came to mind, yet they no longer flowed.
As hearts linked, they birthed miracles.
These miracles were already countless shared and achieved by people,
Yet for these two most special girls in the world, this was a miracle that had finally arrived.
People called that miracle love.
In this miraculous time, the two girls pressed their lips together once more.
Warmth,
Tenderness,
Softness—
Startled by their teeth clashing.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Connections woven by miracles intertwined,
Returning once more with miracles.
The two girls, facing each other by the riverside where they first met,
Looked up at a sky where white snow fell.
Life,
Seems really unpredictable.
[Life is.] The end.