For a moment, I pointed the two pistols at that heart, and without needing anyone else, I knew what to do.

“Burning heart in anger and pain, return to your original state.”

“Heart Burning Anger! Purification!”

As I pulled the trigger of the pistols, instead of bullets, a great ball of light dominated that room, illuminating me, Melissa, and that dark room full of mirrors.

Everything existed in that place. And yet, nothing was real.

But I could feel... the agony of that heart... fading away.

Suddenly, I saw Melissa unconscious, her crystallized heart glowing pink, a gentle glow... And I continued as Heartbreaker Magenta, the cut marks still on my body, but I couldn't feel any of the physical pains I felt before.

Instead, I felt the weight, the pain of the story that girl had told me... It wasn't like I was just seeing a narrative, it was like I could live the life of Melissa behind the mirror, that pain, that betrayal, that abandonment... It was all hers, but at that moment, it was also mine.

“Congratulations, Heartbreaker Magenta! You've executed your first 'empathy exercise'! I'm surprised you actually succeeded, maybe because Melissa is a pretty girl…”

“How many times do I have to say? My heart belongs to Miss Hazel. I'm doing this just because Melissa has information I want. That's it.”

That's what I said to Anima, but... Understanding Melissa... And understanding those around me... Would that make our class come back together as it used to be?

I returned the crystallized heart to Melissa's chest, and soon my transformation vanished, with Anima returning to rest inside the pendant on the necklace.

I didn't touch Melissa's unconscious body, but as soon as I saw her giving some sign of life, I positioned myself next to her. This would be the perfect moment to talk.

“Heey, Melissa? Are you okay?”

“Ah, what happened to me... Ophelia? What are you doing here?”

“I saw you unconscious and got worried, I was going to take you to the infirmary but almost everything around here is closed by now.”

“I understand... I... feel strangely light…”

“Did something good happen?”

“Haha.” She laughed confusedly, unsure if she was happy or in pain. “Actually, a lot of bad things happened... But... I feel resolved…”

“Well, must be something good, right?”

“You know, Ophelia. My boyfriend broke up with me today. I mean, not exactly broke up, but I found out he lied throughout our entire relationship. We've been dating for 3 years. For 3 years I was blind and thought he loved me, while in reality he used me while the girl he really loved rejected him. Isn't that sad?”

“That's... I'm really sorry, truly.”

“It's sad, I feel like garbage, but... Now it feels like my agony isn't so intense anymore. I'm still sad, of course, but... It feels like I can move on, and I feel like you helped me with that, so even though I don't usually say this, I really need to say it. Thank you.”

“I don't think I did anything, but thank you! I'm glad to know you're okay.” It was a lie. I deserved that thank you and much more! My heart was still heavy... A magical girl's job really doesn't offer rewards...

“It's going to be difficult to continue the journey, but I feel like with the people in the class, I can keep going... It's good, isn't it? I know I'll have to apologize to a lot of people, but... I want to stay optimistic.” She said this as she laid her head on my shoulder. Melissa, please stop breaking the barrier of distance, someone might get the wrong idea!

That's what I thought for a second, but I ignored it, after all, it was already late in the day, there was no one in those hallways, it's not like anyone was watching me, right?

I let Melissa feel comfortable for a while, but my priority didn't change.

Yes, I had to ask...

“Melissa, I know you're going through a tough situation, but... I need to know something.”

“W-what?! You're scaring me like this, Ophelia!”

“It's nothing for you to worry about, but... Do you... by any chance... know who Hazel Eyre likes?”

“...Hazel? Liking someone? Where did you get that idea?”

“...You don't know?”

“If I knew she was interested in some guy, I would have helped her conquer him a long time ago... I confess I believe I was projecting myself onto her a bit, after all, she looks so much like my boyfriend's current girlfriend that I just wanted to see her with someone else, but she never told me about any crush…”

"Alexandra told me that... You had a serious conversation at a pajama party... So I assumed that..."

"Oh, she told me to stop looking for someone for her to be with, that being alone was enough for her, but of course I didn't listen. Maybe I should have listened to her... I was ridiculous..."

"I... I see... So you don't know."

So nobody knew, except Hazel herself.

"But if she told you she likes someone, she must trust you more than anyone else, I've been by her side from the end of middle school until now and she never told me anything, so you must be special to her in some way."

Well, she didn't exactly tell me, but...

The only way to find out what's in Miss Hazel's heart would really be by getting closer to her.

It was a little scary, she could break my heart into a million pieces, but... I needed to try.

Being loved by her was a task that depended solely on me.