The exam was coming to an end. I skimmed through the OMR answer sheet. It seemed there were no marking mistakes, and I’d managed to write the free-response questions without any errors.
While it’s nice that exam days finish quickly, overall, they’re not that great. Maybe it’s that I feel isolated during break times. With exams, you can’t even fiddle with your phone since you aren’t allowed to bring it, and Yumina, because of the stress, doesn’t even talk to me. She says since she’s left home, her grades have to be good—but even if she gets second in the school, that would still be pretty decent, right? She should just relax. It’s all just stubbornness.
In the classroom, the kids claim they didn’t study well yesterday and somehow managed to take the test, but they still brag that their grades will be the same as usual. I slept well and took the test, so I feel like I aced it, but no one is really asking. No friends equals no boasting, it seems. It’s so unfair that you can’t even brag without friends.
I think maybe I’m spending my school days wrong. Shouldn’t I be experiencing some kind of shimmering, fantastical youth? Sure, when I imagine it, nothing concrete comes to mind, but there should be something… Ah, my imagination is lacking.
The teacher collected the papers and left the room. Is this the end of the midterms? Relieved that the exam is over, Yumina approached me with a smile, taking my test paper without even a word.
When Yumina waved her hand in front of the teacher’s desk, the test papers fluttered along with it.
“Anyone wants to check answers with me?!”
But those aren’t the actual answers. The students rushed over with their own test papers, checking against one another. It seems like the test papers themselves were more popular than their owners. Isn’t this putting the cart before the horse? I’m sure it wasn’t like this at the start of the semester. Is this because I haven’t made enough friends, so it feels annoying?
The situation ended when the homeroom teacher arrived with the real answers. Giving a quick speech, the teacher returned the phones and posted the official answer key before leaving. It’s nice that everything happened so quickly. Now, I can finally go home.
After Yumina took a quick glance at the answer key, she returned to give me back my test paper. It was slightly crumpled now. Good job, huh?
“Do you have time later?”
“I’m going home.”
I cut her off, and she seemed troubled. Oops, I folded the test paper and put it in my bag.
“It’s a favor.”
“Tell me.”
“Laplace is sick, so I need to work in her place today, but there’s no one around who can take care of Laplace.”
“So, you’re asking me for nursing duty?”
“Yeah.”
It’s an annoying request.
“Isn’t there anyone else?”
“The area isn’t safe, so there aren’t many people I can ask.”
“Is there no friend among the magical girls?”
“Sure, there is, but Laplace is the overall area manager, so if I ask them for nursing duty, it wouldn’t really be a favor anymore.”
It is pretty troublesome when tasked with nursing your superior at work—hard to decline, but also unpleasant to accept.
Still, that doesn’t mean I’m willing to do it. Without saying much, I started for the door when Yumina spoke up.
“Forget it if you don’t want to.”
Her tone lacked energy, and looking at her face, her lips were sticking out.
“Are you pouting?”
“Nope.”
She probably feels a bit hurt.
“Alright, alright. It’s not that difficult. I’ll help you. We’re not talking about nursing her for a few days, right?”
“Just today. I’ll handle the rest in the next few days.”
“That’s easy enough.”
Yumina sighed in relief. Watching her, I can see she probably has had a tough life.
“By the way, I was wondering what was missing in my school days and why my youth feels lacking?”
“You’re lacking love, Miss Young Lady.”
“That wasn’t helpful.”
—
Yumina opened the door and led me into the bedroom, where Laplace lied on the bed asleep. Strange, I’ve been hearing that she’s been getting sick lately, so now I’m nursing her. Did Yumina die once and rewind time?
“Nursing doesn’t involve much work. Just help her with what she needs. I’ve prepared some congee and other dishes, so if Laplace eats the congee, you can have the rest. I’ll definitely be back by 9 PM, so I’ll leave it to you until then.”
Yumina glanced at Laplace, then left. I didn’t even ask what she had cooked.
In the kitchen, I looked inside the fridge and found some congee and a few side dishes. The egg roll looks delicious. Of course, there’s rice too—I checked the rice cooker, just in case.
As I closed the rice cooker lid, Laplace naturally walked into the kitchen and opened the freezer. She took out two ice creams and popped one into her mouth. What kind is that?
“I don’t know what you’ve heard, but it’s just a cold. I’m clearly not in terrible condition and don’t need nursing.”
“That’s absurd.”
She handed me an ice cream. It’s the red wrapper, so it’s probably strawberry flavored.
“So, why am I here then?”
“Exactly.”
She lazily plopped down on the couch. Laplace turned on the TV, flicking through channels, bypassing entertaining shows and stopping at the news. She ruined everything good.
“I heard some new recruits died a few weeks ago, so maybe my body is overreacting to a common cold.”
“Never heard that.”
“That’s because they died on a Friday evening and managed to adjust their mindset over the weekend.”
Hearing this suddenly makes me uneasy. I tried to peel the wrapper off my ice cream but stopped and stood up instead.
“Are you going out?”
“No, I’m just getting lunch. Since I’ve accepted this favor, I’ll be here until you return.”
“You’re strangely kind.”
It feels like she’s subtly mocking me, but it’s probably a misunderstanding.
I returned to the kitchen, took out the side dishes, and had a meal. The side dishes were pretty good. It’s not all about meat, showing some careful consideration. It’s a bother to cook all of this by oneself, but she’s very diligent. Oh, now I get it; the neighborhood isn’t safe, so there’s no food delivery.
After finishing the meal and returning to the living room, I noticed Laplace lying on the floor. I nudged her with my foot, but there was no reaction. Leaning down to check her face, I saw her blinking, our eyes meeting.
“Why are you lying here?”
“Just because.”
“But you said it’s just a cold.”
“It’s a different matter.”
I don’t understand.
“Can you help me get to bed?”
For a moment, Laplace just blinked before changing the subject.
“How kind of you.”
“Are you mocking me?”
“Of course not.”
Though I have strong suspicions, it feels wrong to question someone who isn’t feeling well. Using magic, I carried her back to the bedroom.
“You really don’t take care of yourself.”
Since the person herself doesn’t react much, doing anything feels futile.
“Why did you faint?”
“It’s a common side effect for magical girls.”
Side effects? The only thing I can think of is that magical girls lose lifespan every time they use magic.
“Lifespan?”
“Yes.”
“It supposedly doesn’t cut much, right? Did you rewind time?”
Schrödinger lying is highly possible, but I still believe he doesn’t lie too much. Maybe.
“I didn’t rewind time, and it’s true that it doesn’t cut much. However, the problem is that even a gentle breeze can knock over dominos. It’s like living every day in a condition where my health can collapse at any time. Recovery is slow, the environment is bad, and on top of that, I have some pre-existing conditions, making it painful.”
Hmm.
“Poor you.”
“Is that empty sympathy?”
She asks this so calmly. What does she see me as?
Also, it’s true empty sympathy, so I don’t have much to say. We’re not even close friends. Suddenly hearing this conversation brings more awkwardness than empathy. It’s like when you’re walking and someone you don’t know stops you to lament their life—you feel more like how can I get out of this situation without hurting feelings than actually feeling sorry. If Yumina had said this, I’d probably have freaked out earlier.
Oh, right.
“Does Yumina have this too?”
“Have you seen her use magic? She hates losing lifespan, so don’t worry.”
That’s a relief.
There was an awkward silence.
“I probably don’t have much time left. A few months, maybe? It’s a hunch, so I might live longer.”
No.
“Yeah, got it, sure… But why are you telling me this?”
“Good question. Why am I doing this?”
After quietly pondering for a moment, Laplace added,
“Because I thought you’d hear it and forget it?”
“You picked a great audience.”
“I agree. But please keep the story I told you today a secret from Yumina.”
“Rather than keeping it a secret, I’ll pretend I never heard it. Up until now, I was just eating. By the way, do you need money? I’ll cover it and take you to the hospital.”
Laplace thought about it without responding. Is this something to deliberate on?
“I don’t need it.”
“But what if you die?”
“Then I’ll die.”
Since the person herself says so, there’s nothing further to argue. Why did Yumina choose to burden me with such a friend?
“Well, I’m glad I didn’t come here for nothing. Or is it actually a good thing? Anyway, do you need anything?”
“I’m getting hungry too, so I need some rice. Please, not congee, though.”
“Cooking rice is a hassle, so just eat the congee.”
She has a despairing look on her face.
—
Yumina returned before 9 PM. At exactly 8:50, in fact. Did she run here? She fell as soon as she entered.
“There was no need to rush so much.”
“I need to sleep before 10 PM.”
It’s funny, but it seems like she unnecessarily tired herself out.
“How was Laplace?”
“She’s been lying in bed.”
“No major issues?”
“There was.”
She’s panicking badly.
“What kind of trouble? Did she spit up blood?”
Not to exaggerate, right? Although it isn’t as serious. Or maybe it’s worse?
“According to her, she might die in a few months.”
The voice must have reached the bedroom because Laplace rushed out. Betrayal was evident on her face.
Well.
Yumina began questioning Laplace, who tried to defend herself, claiming it was all lies and jokes on my part.
After hearing that, Yumina frowned.
“She wouldn’t make such jokes.”
Right. There are jokes to make and those not to make.
Laplace pointed at me.
“Given her character, she could say something like that. It’s more believable that I’d die in a few months. Would I really die?”
…What? Is this a challenge? Are you asking me to kill you?
“…Is that so?”
Yumina seemed somehow convinced.
Hey.
—
![[TS] The Protagonist is Conquered](https://i3.wp.com/novelhitam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1743806812-5548-TS-The-Protagonist-is-Conquered.png?resize=151,215 "[TS] The Protagonist is Conquered")
