And so, after discovering her newfound Magical powers and learning about the hidden side of the world, Emi Hoshino was back to her normal, everyday life, still in disbelief about everything that unfolded.
Sitting at her desk, she was doing her math homework as the Star Spirit, Lumi, lazily sat on her bed looking around the room, bored as ever.
"Does homework in this world seriously take this long?" He asked, sitting down in his starry form.
"Yes, especially math." Said the youth, circling multiple answers before flipping over to the next page.
"Aughh, man, this is boring!" Lumi sighed, feeling the excitement of having a Magical Girl slowly leaving his body.
"Well be quiet." She said with an authoritative tone. "The more you distract me, the longer it'll take to finish."
"Yeah yeah, I get it."
Lumi pouted his cheek as he kept scanning the room, eventually laying eyes upon a fluffy, white, and pink teddy bear sitting atop her wardrobe. "Ohhh~! Jackpot!" Levitating from the mattress, the Star Spirit soared through the air and was suddenly sucked into the fluffy animal.
The teddy bear's button eyes glimmered with magical energy until finally, it twitched. Emi paused while doing her homework, turning around to see if he was still there after hearing him fly a moment ago.
"...Lumi, where did you go?" She asked cautiously.
The bear's head tilted to the side with a stiff, unnatural movement until a second later, it raised one plush arm and waved above her wardrobe.
"Helloooooo!" Lumi's voice burst out of nowhere, distorted and muffled, like it was echoing through cotton. "WOW, THIS BODY IS INCREDIBLE!"
Emi shrieked out loud.
"L-Lumi?!
She nearly fell out of her chair, scrambling backward as the plush hopped off the wardrobe and landed face-first on the floor—only to bounce back up with alarming enthusiasm.
"D-Don't possess my teddy bear!"
"I have limbs now!" Lumi cheered, wobbling as he tried to walk. "Do you have any idea how long I've wanted to try this?!"
The bear stumbled forward, tripping over its own foot, and face-planting into the floor again.
"...Okay." Lumi muttered from inside the plush. "Balance is a work in progress!"
Emi stared at him, feeling her heart pounding as she pressed a hand to her chest.
"...I almost had a heart attack."
"Oh come on!" Lumi said, sitting upright again. "You fight extradimensional horrors now. A possessed teddy bear shouldn't faze you."
"That's different!" She protested. "Those are outside. This is my room!"
She pointed accusingly at him.
"And that bear was a gift from my mom!"
The teddy froze in place.
"...Oh. My sincerest apologies to the honored guardian beast." He said solemnly. "I meant no disrespect!"
Emi grunted as she pouted at him.
"...You can't just jump into random things without asking!"
"But I can!" He replied cheerfully, popping back out of the bear in a shimmer of starlight. "Objects with emotional significance are especially easy to inhabit. Even action figures!"
Emi blinked multiple times as she stared up at the ceiling, imagining all sorts of creepy dolls floating around.
"...That's kinda creepy."
"You mean, kinda useful?" He corrected her with pride. "Imagine scouting through toys, hiding inside lockers, possessing... Barbie dolls!"
"No!" She said immediately.
"Aww."
She turned back to her homework, though her grip on the pencil was tighter than before.
Huffing a deep sigh, the young child could only stare in thought.
"...Lumi?" She spoke slowly, gazing at her worksheet.
"Yeah?"
"...About what you said an hour ago. About something being hidden in this town."
All of a sudden, the room felt quieter.
Lumi floated closer to her, hovering by her face.
"...Do you know what it is?"
He hesitated to respond.
"...No." He admitted truthfully. "But I know what it's super important."
Emi glanced toward her window.
"Then what's your opinion on what it is?"
Lumi blinked multiple times at her question and closed his eyes.
"My best bet is a Great Old One. Or maybe even worse; an Outer God."
The youth stared at him, evidently confused as she tilted her head to the side.
"What are Great Old Ones and Outer Gods?" She asked.
Lumi shook his head, frightened to even answer.
"It's best if we leave that to the future. Right now, how about you focus on your-"
"Emi, food's done!"
A voice called out to her from downstairs, catching both of them off guard as Emi flinched.
"I-I'm coming!" She called back as her voice cracked a little.
Quickly scribbling the last answer on her worksheet, she shoved the notebook closed and stood up so fast her chair screeched against the floor.
Lumi watched her scramble like a chicken with its head cut off.
"Wow. Homework, secret cosmic threats, and dinner schedules. Truly, the most terrifying trial yet for all Magical Girls!" He said out loud, laughing.
"Be quiet!" Emi said, grabbing him midair as she walked to her bed, pressing him down onto her pillow. "Dad can't see you, but he can still hear you!"
"Oh relax." Lumi whispered back. "Just say it was your tv or something. You gotta start thinking a little!"
Emi exhaled in relief, then glanced at the Silver Key resting quietly on her pillow.
It looked like an innocent child's toy now; just a strange, pretty object. Nothing like the impossible weapon it became last night.
"...Stay here." She whispered to the Star Spirit, but hesitated before leaving the room.
"...Hey, Lumi?"
"Hmm?"
"...You said we'd talk about those... Old Ones and Outer Gods in the future."
His playful tone became serious at her words.
"Yeah."
"Promise you won't just... drop it on me all at once?"
Lumi tilted his head, studying her expression; how she tried to look brave, and how her shoulders were just a bit too stiff.
"...I promise, Emi" He said with a gentle tone of voice. "We'll take it slow. Magical Girl pace, alright?"
She nodded, comforted more than she expected to be.
"Okay!"
With that, Emi hurried out of her room, closing the door behind her.
The whole house smelled like food as it filled the air and wrapped around her like a blanket.
"Make sure to wash your hands first before you come touching the food!" Her dad called from the kitchen.
"I know!" She replied automatically.
She made a right turn upstairs, stepping into the bathroom and catching her reflection in the mirror.
Back in her room, alone in the quiet, Lumi moved toward the window. Outside, the sky was turning orange and purple as the sun descended low over Hoshikawa Town.
Shadows stretched along rooftops and across the neighborhood.
"...The Great Old Ones." Lumi muttered to himself. "Outer Gods..."
His furrowed his brows, irritated by those words alone.
"...If one of you is really here... then this girl's life is about to get a whole lot harder."
Eventually making her way downstairs, Emi ran into the kitchen, bouncing up and down on her feet; excited to eat her favorite meal.
"Hey hey, slow down kiddo. Foods not going anywhere." He laughed, holding two plates in his hand. "Here, I already fixed your meal."
"Oh wow!" Her eyes sparkled with stars. "Thank you Daddy! You're the best!" She took the plate, running toward the dinner table to sit down.
"Remember. Make sure to save some for your mom when she gets back in a few hours. She's gonna be starving." Walking over to the table, the Father sat across from his daughter, holding a pair of chopsticks.
"I know, I know. I'll try not to eat everything." Said Emi, wielding a fork before devouring her meal.
"Also, Emi." He said, leaning forward on the table.
"Hm, yesh dad?" She replied with her mouth full.
"I don't want you coming anywhere near the Moonscar Gang. Even if they're up to no good."
Emi's fork paused halfway to her mouth.
"...Huh?" She said, widening her eyes.
"I talked with the police 20 minutes ago before finishing dinner; they said the damage to the door was a burglar attempt. It had to be them, no doubt." He scowled at the thought alone. "They're the only people in Hoshikawa Town that stir up trouble! My suspicion is that they're after you... but I don't know for sure. However, I won't take any risks!"
"But..." She wanted to protest, but he continued even further.
"You're kind. You stand out. People really like that, Emi, don't get me wrong." His frown remained. "But those guys look for easy targets. Especially kids who won't fight back, so if you stand in their way, they'll try to get you out of their way. Even if it involves force or fear tactics."
Emi's fingers curled tighter around the handle of her fork.
If only he knew—she thought.
"I don't want you walking home alone anymore." He continued onwards. "I'll pick you up after school, or your brother will if I'm busy. And if you see them—if they even look at you funny—you tell me. Okay?"
"...Okay." Emi said, forcing a smile as she took another bite.
The food still tasted good, but it didn't feel the same. Though, her dad relaxed a little once she nodded, satisfied.
"Good. That puts my mind at ease." He leaned back, sighing. "I swear, this town didn't used to be like this. It feels like something's changed... I just don't know what it is."