In an instant, every appliance in the living room lost its light, and the entire room was plunged into darkness, leaving only two pairs of large eyes staring at each other in the gloom.
“Huh? Is it a blackout? Why did the power have to go out at such a critical moment? I was just about to win!”
“Brother, stop bragging. You were being suppressed by me the whole time. I just wasn’t familiar with your character’s ultimate, which gave you a chance to turn things around. Do you really think I’d make the same mistake in the third round?”
“Xiaoye, since when did you start having the delusion that I only win because of your mistakes? If the power hadn’t gone out, I would have wiped the floor with you three times by now in the time it took you to say that!”
“Fine, fine, you’re so stubborn! You should be glad the power suddenly went out! When the electricity comes back on, just wait to be utterly crushed!”
Mahiru and Xiaoye continued to bicker with one another, but thirty seconds passed and the power showed no sign of returning.
It seemed the cause of the blackout was not a typical power fluctuation.
Feeling confused, Xiaoye intended to stand up and check the situation.
However, it seemed that because she had been sitting for too long, her feet felt unsteady as soon as she stood up.
Combined with the darkness of the living room, Xiaoye lost her balance and fell heavily onto Mahiru.
“Ah — Xiaoye, get off! You’re crushing the life out of me!”
“Isn’t that perfect? It saves me the trouble of doing it myself!”
“It’s not perfect at all! I still want to struggle for a while longer!”
Although she would have been happy to finish off this stubborn Witch directly, now was clearly not the time for that.
Xiaoye braced her body, wanting to climb off Mahiru, but before she could fully stand, Mahiru suddenly let out a feminine, delicate scream for some reason.
“Ah — Xiaoye, where are you touching!”
“Where am I touching? I’m just touching the…”
Not understanding why Mahiru would ask that, Xiaoye instinctively gave a squeeze.
After feeling the softness in her palm, she finally realized that the place she was pressing down on was Mahiru’s chest. She couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“Pfft! Sorry, sorry! I thought it was the floor! After all, your chest is as flat as the floor, Brother!”
“What’s so funny? Weren’t you flat-chested before, too?”
“No, I just think it’s funny that you can actually make a scream that only a girl would make! Speaking of which, isn’t this your first time being a girl? Why are you so practiced at screaming when you’re touched?”
“Of course I’d scream if I feel something. It’s not like I’m under Sensory Deprivation! Alright, alright, how much longer do you plan on pressing down on me? Hurry up and get off!”
Under Mahiru’s slightly bashful urging, Xiaoye climbed off him with a look of pure amusement.
“Wait, what was I standing up for again? Right! I need to check the electric meter!”
Once Xiaoye remembered her goal, she started walking toward the meter.
However, as soon as she lifted her foot, she stubbed her toe hard against the low table.
“Ow!”
She nearly stepped on Mahiru again as she landed.
“Xiaoye, why don’t you turn on your flashlight first? Are you planning to just stumble around the living room in the dark?”
“I’m looking for my phone right now!”
After feeling around for the phone she had left on the low table, Xiaoye turned on the flashlight mode and limped toward the electric meter.
“Brother, did you forget to pay the electric bill?”
Xiaoye complained to Mahiru as usual, as if the fact that her brother had turned into a Witch had never happened.
“How is that possible? I just paid it last week. How could it have run out so quickly?”
After walking to the meter and confirming that there was a remaining balance, Xiaoye scratched her head in confusion.
“Huh? Since we still have plenty of credit, why has the power been out for so long? Brother, don’t just sit there in a daze, help me think of something!”
“Where else could I go? Didn’t you handcuff me?”
Mahiru, who was tightly handcuffed to the leg of the low table, rested his cheek in his hand and stared with disdain at his sister, who seemed intent on pretending nothing had happened to squeeze out whatever utility he had left.
As Mahiru was grumbling, a bright light suddenly flashed outside the window, illuminating his profile.
Mahiru couldn’t help but turn his head to look outside.
“Hmm? Is it thundering? Could a transformer station have been struck by lightning?”
“Thunder?”
Xiaoye walked to the window with a look of doubt and peered out.
Sure enough, several bright bolts of lightning fell from the sky, striking the rooftop of the building opposite theirs.
Seeing this, Xiaoye’s expression turned to one of disbelief.
“How is this possible? The forecast said it would be a clear night! There isn’t even a single cloud in the sky, so where is that lightning coming from?”
Xiaoye opened her phone to check the weather report, and just as she said, the weather tonight was supposed to be a perfectly clear, cloudless sky.
Just as Xiaoye was feeling utterly perplexed, a message suddenly popped up on her phone.
An abnormal Magic Power Fluctuation had appeared in her residential area, and the Magical Girl Association was commissioning nearby Magical Girls to investigate.
‘An abnormal Magic Power Fluctuation? Does this mean… another Witch has appeared?’
Xiaoye stared in shock at the building across from them where lightning was flashing and thunder was roaring, then she turned her head to glance at Mahiru behind her.
At this moment, Mahiru still had a look of indifference. It didn’t seem like the lightning on the opposite building had anything to do with him.
“Well? Did you find the reason for the blackout?”
“Yes! I found it!”
Without another word, Xiaoye took Mahiru’s other hand and handcuffed it to the other leg of the low table.
“Huh?”
Suddenly being cuffed again, Mahiru’s face filled with bewilderment.
“Wait a minute, Xiaoye. Didn’t you say you found the cause of the blackout? Why are you suddenly cuffing me again? Am I the reason for the blackout?”
“No, I’m just being cautious. Because next, I’m going to go deal with the cause of that blackout!”
As she spoke, Xiaoye tapped the Magical Girl Transformation Program on her phone.
In the blink of an eye, she transformed into a pink-haired Magical Girl holding a Magic Wand.
“Don’t be in such a hurry, Brother. After I deal with that guy, it’ll be your turn.”
Leaving those words behind, Scarlet Moon pushed open the window and jumped out, flying toward the building across the street.
Seeing Xiaoye transform into a Magical Girl and fly off again, Mahiru was left in a state of shock.
“Hey! Xiaoye! Don’t just leave me here alone! What am I, some kind of neglected pet?”