...hm. That's... an interesting framing. Being a superhero is the price of the wish, it's not the upside. Hmmmm...

What are the versatile powers? Kyūbey said they depend a lot on the person but I think I'd benefit from, like, examples?

I fixed my ribs and my wrist! I can make platforms to jump around on in a witch. I don't run out of arrows. Normal people can't see me in costume so when I'm more established and have a slush fund that isn't just begging from my teammate I can sneak into hospitals, cure some kids with cancer or whatever. I have telekinesis, I can be a magic flashlight... this mostly only works dressed up so I haven't had that much time to experiment.

—jump around on in a witch?

They hide in creepy pocket dimension "barriers" full of minimonsters. Sometimes the "familiars" come out, kill some people themselves, and grow up into a whole witch.

That's fucked up. Is that why magic is a secret? Pocket dimensions and you're invisible in costume?

That's how, it's not really why. I don't think there's a very good reason why.

Are you, like, necessarily invisible, you can't choose to not be?

Oh, no, I can, my mom got to see so she doesn't worry when I'm running around at night.

Oh.

Must be nice having family you can count on for this kind of thing.

And you said you have a teammate? How's that work?

Kyubey introduced us, we hunt witches together and split the seeds. She showed up for the one that was chewing on you.

Oh. A magical boy and magical girl duo. That's adorable.

Aaaaand now he's home. After having almost killed himself okay it was an evil monster who did it even though it was preying on some real issues of his, but like, who doesn't have days when they don't want to get up in the morning because life sucks, Swan fucking Masaharu probably actually.

Ugh.

He... honestly did not sign up for a magical boy anime. Yutaka doesn't want to be a protagonist. He extra doesn't want to be an extra, despite the things the Sailor Starlights awakened in him. And he doesn't want to be one of the many other magical boys out there in the implied background of the anime. He just really doesn't want to be in an anime at all.

Yutaka slumps forward, resting his head on the steering wheel.

What does he want, then?

Any other questions or should I do my homework now?

...I guess, uh, are there any, uh, questions you think I should be asking that I might have not thought of?

If this weren't telepathy he'd be asking that through gritted teeth. He's kind of gritting his teeth anyway.

...if you see someone with a weird tattoo on their neck that probably means a witch has 'em, let me know ASAP? Nothing else leaps to mind...

Is this telepathy long-range or should I just call you?

It's pretty long-range but you can also just text me.

Alright. I'll, uh, keep that in mind. And if I ever feel like life isn't worth living and that I should go take action about that fact right now I'll try to remember to ping you about it, too, assuming it feels worthwhile.

I don't know if that'll work if it's a witch and I have no special expertise if it's not, but sure.

I trust myself to not feel urgently in need of ending my existence without warning so it will almost certainly be a witch!

Wow it really is a fucking suckish day, huh, he can't even manage his usual humour.

Gotcha. Enjoy life.

Yeah. You, too.

He turns to the side to look at Kyūbey, wrists still draped over the steering wheel. "I don't think I'll be making a wish today. I... need to think."

Okay. You can always reach me by telepathy!

And it opens his car window with its little paw and hops out.

He closes the window again then steps out and starts dragging his feet on his way to the lift.

Ding. Doors open. Press the button. Doors close. Up.

Iwasaki-san is all about appearances. His son may have been pulled from school, but he still gets to live in a penthouse, an apartment far too big for just him. And he occasionally brings boys over and fucks them against the ceiling-high windows overlooking Tokyo, and a part of him feels spitefully proud of defiling this gift. Look, otō-sama. Your disgusting homosexual of a son does not give a shit about you, just like you've never given a shit about him. Isn't that funny?

Yutaka's not finding that very funny today. You'd think that for all of this self-awareness of exactly what he's doing and why, he'd find some peace and joy in it, but instead all he feels is spite, anger, and emptiness.