Chapter Text
Hiiragi Utena.
To Sayo, that name was historically an unassuming one. Utena was a rather quiet and unremarkable girl that did not talk to many people. Not that there was anything wrong with that, of course. Sayo had noticed Utena had a few friends outside of school that she frequently hung out with, so it was not as if she was alone all the time. But other than that Kiwi girl that was always glued to Utena’s side—the one Kaoruko never seemed to get along with—most people in class forgot that Utena even existed off in the back corner unless her name came up. Sayo herself was once one of those people. She had a few chance encounters with Utena outside of the classroom, and Haruka had tried reaching out to her a few times, but nothing extraordinary ever came of their conversations. Up until recently, Sayo fully expected Hiiragi Utena to fade from her memory in one year’s time and be overwritten with the names of her new classmates.
At least, that is what should have happened. But now, the name Hiiragi Utena was etched into the very folds of Sayo’s brain in large, bold letters. Not quite as large as Magia Baiser’s name, but still prominent enough to be on Sayo’s mind daily. And with this came constant flashbacks to her encounter with Utena while transformed into Magia Azul.
Sayo had seen a whole new side of Utena that day. She still appeared to be timid like usual, though that could be attributed to how flustered people become when they meet a celebrity or someone they admire. Sayo did not find it unusual considering the popularity of Tres Magia and how much Utena seemed to like magical girls. The part of Utena that stuck with her the most was how kindhearted she was. She had volunteered to help lay bricks in parts of the city Enormeeta had destroyed, even though she had no responsibility or obligation to rebuild it. The massage Utena offered Sayo afterwards, though, was the real icing on the cake. Sayo’s body ached terribly after all that rebuilding. Though there may have been some underlying selfish intentions in Utena’s offer, she was not going to turn down a massage in a time of need. Sayo appreciated that small act of kindness—it was a refreshing change of pace with Enormeeta causing nothing but trouble all the time.
“Ahh… Hah…”
On the topic of the massage, Utena was rather skilled with her fingers. The pain and tightness in Sayo’s back and shoulder blades were gradually alleviated as Utena’s fingers kneaded the area. And though Utena hurriedly advanced down to her waist to relieve the tension there as well, her touches on Sayo’s upper body had felt liberating. Utena employed the same quick but effective style of massage to Sayo’s waist. But before Sayo even had the time to process how soothing it felt, Utena’s hands had already travelled up her dress and were caressing her inner thighs.
“Utena-san… Utena-san…”
Looking back on that moment, Sayo retracted her previous thought of Utena’s massage potentially being selfish. It was most certainly selfish; perhaps it was a ploy all along so that Utena would have an excuse to feel up a magical girl. Sayo felt she should have been angry or at least upset that one of her fans had sexually violated her. But all she felt was lust and desire. Was it Magia Baiser’s influence that caused her to become this depraved? Sayo did not know, and she stopped caring to know a long time ago. Right now, the only thing she wanted to think about were Utena’s fingers. How they gently caressed the underside of her thighs, teasing her for the main act to come; how they slithered underneath her panties, spreading her wide open for the world to see; and how they slipped inside of her, delicately massaging her once more until her final source of pent-up tension was relieved.
“Utena-san… Aah… Nngh!”
After the brief feeling of ecstasy left her body, Sayo regained her senses and withdrew her hand from in between her legs. Regrettably, this scenario had once again played out in her imagination and in her bedroom, rather than completely at the mercy of Utena. Sayo brought her hand up in front of her face. She did not feel even a shred of shame or remorse having gotten off to her friend. Then again, it was Utena who started it in the first place. Her finger technique was immaculate and felt so familiar. Sayo desperately wanted to feel that touch once more...
For now, though, Sayo needed to pick a few things up at the convenience store for dinner. She had planned to go out earlier but instead stayed home to relieve herself. Such activity was becoming more commonplace in her life ever since Baiser first showed up. Sayo reached for a tissue from her bedside table and wiped herself clean, including the drool that was running down her face. After gathering her bearings, she changed out of her school uniform into something more casual and headed outside.
"I want to talk to Utena-san about that day..." Sayo thought out loud as she walked down the street.
Sayo still had many questions for Utena about the massage she had given her. They still did not know each other very well, and Sayo was transformed into Magia Azul when it happened. Being direct and asking Utena was much more convoluted than it seemed. Sayo could ask her as Magia Azul, but Utena might run away in shame like she had done before. Then there would be no discussion at all. Bringing it up while not transformed would mean Sayo outing herself as a magical girl, but it would be a decent way to ease into the subject. She and Utena had been talking more recently and were becoming more familiar with each other. But if anyone untrustworthy were to find out Magia Azul’s real identity, then it would spell doom for Sayo. Utena was the kind of person to keep to herself, though, and magical girls were seemingly her only interest. Perhaps it would be relatively harmless to tell her.
Sayo mulled all these thoughts over in her head, conflicted on what to do. She constantly wondered what exactly it was she wanted out of all this. Did she simply want to know what Utena’s intentions were that day? Did she want to have a sexual relationship with Utena specifically? Or was Sayo so desperate for sexual gratification that anyone would suffice, and Utena was the most convenient way of achieving that? Until Sayo knew the answer to this question for sure, she felt she would continue to be a powerless slave to memories of that day. Although... the thought of that did not sound all that bad to her.
“Damn you, Baiser…” Sayo cursed under her breath.
Despite all her training and coming to terms with being an insatiable masochist deep down, she still held Magia Baiser partially responsible for her mind constantly being plagued with dirty thoughts.
Now standing in the entrance to the store, Sayo sighed in frustration as she reached into her pocket for her shopping list. She had come here to shop and clear her mind, not dwell on it further. Fortunately, she found the items she was looking for in no time at all, and she felt relaxed as she stepped back out of the store moments later. As soon as she started walking back home, though, something in the corner of her eye caught her attention.
"Utena-san...?"
Sayo had spotted Utena sulking on a nearby bench. Her head was down, and Sayo had only recognized her because of her bendy strand of hair that always stuck up. Sayo approached her. Upon closer inspection, Utena seemed to be deeply upset about something. This gave Sayo an idea. As morally questionable as it sounded, she wondered: was this her chance to try comforting Utena and then ease into asking about the massage? Would she feel the gentle and oddly familiar touch of Utena’s fingers once more? Sayo’s face flushed a bright crimson at the thought, but she hurriedly shook it off.
No… Even if Utena was enough of a pervert to massage her like that, it did not give Sayo an excuse to ignore Utena’s feelings and manipulate the conversation in her favor. That would make her no better than Enormeeta. Sayo decided that she would only bring up the massage if a good opportunity presented itself, even if that was not today.
"Utena-san?" Sayo called out, approaching Utena.
“A-Ah! Minakami-san, err... Sayo-san…” Utena jumped slightly and somberly lifted her head up. She seemed surprised having been called out to.
“Is it fine if I sit with you?” Sayo asked.
“S-Sure, go ahead.”
Utena scooted over to the side of the bench to make room. Sayo sat down next to her, setting her shopping bag in the empty space next to her. Despite having company now, Utena still hung her head and continued to stare off into the distance as if Sayo was not even there. Her eyes looked irritated and were a little bit red. She had most certainly been crying. Sayo instinctively reached into her bag and pulled out a bottle of juice she had just bought.
“Here, you can have one of these,” Sayo insisted, handing the juice to Utena.
“For me? A-Are you sure?” Utena questioned, seemingly in disbelief.
Sayo nodded. “You’ll get a headache after all that crying if you don’t drink anything. I bought a whole pack of them, so it’s no trouble.”
“Oh… Thanks.” Utena blushed, accepting the drink.
Sayo watched as Utena twisted open the lid and proceeded to drink and finish off nearly the entire bottle. She must have been quite thirsty. It was warm out, so Sayo decided to join her and retrieved another juice bottle from her bag. Sayo cracked the top open, and once she started drinking, she could not resist downing gulp after gulp of the drink. Sayo loved Japanese sweets, and while the drink certainly was not that, it was more than sweet and sugary enough to satisfy her. Before she knew it, the entire bottle was empty. She placed the bottle back into the bag and turned her attention back to Utena. Her spirits seemed to be slightly lifted compared to a moment ago.
“Feeling better?”
“A little…” Utena sniffled and wiped the lingering dampness from her eyelids.
“…Did something happen, Utena-san?” Sayo inquired, feeling like the time was right to do so.
“W-Well… For the past three days, this chain of convenience stores has been holding a Tres Magia event,” Utena explained. “If you buy certain Tres Magia themed snacks, you'll get a limited-edition character card signed by the corresponding member of Tres Magia.”
“Aah, I think I remember hearing about that,” Sayo replied.
In truth, she knew very well of this event—just last week, she had done a photoshoot as Magia Azul and vividly remembered signing those very cards Utena mentioned with Sulfur and Magenta. Having to write their names one thousand times so each card was personalized was tiring work, and Sulfur had personally made Vatz thoroughly aware of their strife.
“You see, I love Tres Magia so much that I’ve collected nearly all of their merchandise and promotional material!” Enthusiastic sparks flew from Utena’s eyes as she continued to gush over the magical girls. “These character cards are limited run and the poses the girls are striking are just so cute… I knew I needed them for my Tres Magia shrine the moment I saw them! The cards being signed is like icing on the cake, too. I was able to get Sulfur's card during her event yesterday and Magenta's the day before, but... I was too busy today to get here in time for Azul's card."
The enthusiasm drained out of Utena as quickly as it had appeared, to Sayo’s discontentment. Coincidentally, Haruka and Kaoruko were busy fighting Magia Baiser and her minions earlier in the day and were unable to hang out with Sayo after school as they had all planned earlier. Sayo also recalled that Utena was staying after school for supplementary lessons since her grades were slipping. Knowing all too well how being busy tended to eat into one’s free time and social plans, Sayo felt for Utena.
"I see... You couldn’t collect the complete set.”
“Yeah… Maybe I should have asked Kiwi-chan to get it for me after all, even though she hates magical girls. Tres Magia is like a blessing upon this world from the gods themselves. How could anyone ever hate them?” Utena abruptly stopped her frustrated rambling. “Ah! S-Sorry for going on and on like that…”
“It’s all right. It doesn’t bother me,” Sayo reassured her.
Utena let out a long sigh and absentmindedly looked down at the ground in front of her, not speaking another word as time passed. She looked ready to start crying again on a dime, too. Would she sit out here all evening like this? Sayo would try her best to not let that happen. She unzipped her purse and reached inside for the pack of tissues she kept with her. If she could not cheer up Utena, then she figured she could at least be her support. That was the best she could do. Sayo took out the tissues, but then she noticed a helpful item deeper in her purse she had completely forgotten was there. She smiled, swapping the tissues for that item instead.
“Utena-san… You really love magical girls, don’t you?” Sayo asked, filling the silence between them.
“I do, more than anything,” Utena weakly answered, though Sayo noticed a flaming passion in her eyes.
“That’s exactly why I want you to have this.”
Sayo extended her hand out to Utena, and upon seeing what was in it, Utena’s jaw dropped in surprise. In her hand, Sayo held the holographic, special event Magia Azul card Utena had failed to get her hands on. It was complete in its slightly blue tinted protective casing.
"This is...!" Utena seemed fully revitalized after taking one look at the card. “Are you really okay with giving me this?!"
"Of course."
The card was an extra left over from the photoshoot, and Sayo was far from a hardcore collector of Tres Magia merchandise. If giving it to Utena would bring her happiness, then that was all that mattered to Sayo.
"You're such a lifesaver, Sayo-sama... Now I won’t wake up in the morning and feel guilty about my Magenta and Sulfur cards being lonely.” Utena blissfully clasped Sayo's hands and accepted the card, crying tears of joy. "I will remain forever in your debt as your humble servant."
"Please, think nothing of it. I'm just glad that I was able to help."
Sayo was taken aback by Utena's extreme reaction, though it was to be expected at this point if the subject matter involved magical girls. But... Utena being Sayo's servant? No, no, Sayo thought it should be the other way around.
"Azul looks so serious and cool here, as if she's prepared both her body and mind to take on anything at all. It's really inspiring..." Utena passionately gazed at the card, being too enraptured to notice she was drooling a little. "I adore Magenta and Sulfur, but... Azul is actually my favorite of the three. That's why I'm really happy to have this."
Magia Azul was Utena's favorite? Sayo thought she liked all of Tres Magia equally. And what was that she said about preparing her body? One impure thought after another raced around in Sayo’s mind, and they slowly eroded away at her composure.
“A-Azul is your favorite? Why's that?" Sayo stuttered, feeling her heart throb.
“No reason…!” Utena blurted out, her face flushing completely. Sayo had a good guess of what the reason was, given that Utena had not massaged Magenta or Sulfur. Utena fidgeted with the card in her hand, turning it over several times; she clearly wanted to move on from the subject. Then her hands froze. "H-Huh? This card isn't signed..."
"It's not?" Sayo leaned over and stared at the back of the card with Utena. Of course it would not be signed, it was an extra card never intended for distribution—but Sayo had to play along. "I didn't notice. Do you think some sort of mistake happened?”
"No... That's impossible. These are all supposed to be signed. There's no way someone like Azul would forget to sign this card.” Utena looked ready to spiral into despair. "Then again… not having a signature would make it a lot rarer, right?”
Sayo felt guilty on behalf of her magical girl self. She genuinely wanted Utena to have the complete signed card and be happy about it, and she also needed to clear Magia Azul’s name of this mistake and restore her honor. Sayo wondered if this was her chance to transform into Magia Azul. She could have Azul sign the card right there and then for Utena, and then lead into asking about the other day…
"I can get that card signed for you if you'd like, Utena-san.”
She decided to act on the opportunity.
"T-That sounds nice. I think leaving it unsigned when my other two are signed would constantly weigh down upon me…” Utena dramatically clutched at her heart and closed her eyes, only for them to spring open seconds later. “Wait, how are you going to get this signed? Do you know Magia Azul personally, Sayo-san?!” She exclaimed, beginning to foam from the mouth.
"Well... Yes, you could say that.” It was technically the truth. “Want me to set up a meeting with her for you?”
“I-I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Sayo-san…” Utena's frenzied behavior vanished, to Sayo's surprise, and she went back to sulking. “Some... awkward things happened the last time I saw Azul. She probably hates me now.”
“I don’t think that’s true.” Sayo shook her head. Utena was right about it being awkward, but the situation was not as irreparable as she was making it out to be. “Mistakes and misunderstandings happen all the time in friendships. What matters most is communicating with each other to move forward.”
“But I ran away from her… Do you really think she would want to talk to me?”
“Of course—and I think it will mean a lot if you’re the one that seeks her out. Magical girls like to make things right. Unless you happen to be part of Enormeeta, I’m sure she’ll be willing to hear you out.” Sayo gave Utena an encouraging pat on the back.
“R-Right…” Utena stiffly replied.
Had she scared Utena by namedropping Enormeeta like that? Sayo would have to be more mindful in the future. She did feel somewhat strange talking to Utena about her other self, as if she was operating as a spy deep behind enemy lines. Nevertheless, Utena did seem remorseful about her actions. A civil discussion could be had—she was no Magia Baiser.
Sayo decided she would go ahead and transform, but not in Utena’s presence. Not yet. Sayo would save that in case an encore of their last encounter happened.
“Well, then…” Sayo stood up and took out her cell phone, pointing to it. “I’m going to go contact Magia Azul and fill her in on the situation. She should be here soon as long as she’s not busy.”
“Y-You’re leaving? Your groceries are still here.” Utena pointed at the bag next to her.
“I’d like to speak with Magia Azul in private to keep her identity safe. Could you watch over my bag for me, Utena-san?”
“Yes!” Utena reached across the bench for Sayo’s shopping bag and awkwardly held it close. Sayo could tell she was still feeling on edge about meeting Azul.
Sayo smiled warmly at Utena before turning around and walking off. She would need to find somewhere secluded to safely transform, such as an alleyway or a rooftop—
“S-Sayo-san!” She heard Utena call out.
“Hmm?” Sayo swiveled back around to find Utena now standing behind her.
“I’m not sure I can thank you enough… F-For the card and for helping me out.”
“Doing your best to make up with Magia Azul will be plenty of thanks. She’s your favorite, right?” Say encouraged her.
“Yes…!” Utena simultaneously smiled and blushed.
Sayo exchanged a wave with Utena before departing once again and turning a nearby street corner. She sighed in relief once she was far away enough. It was both awkward and stressful for Sayo to have a conversation involving her other self, not to mention prepping Utena to talk to that other self. It seemed as if Utena was happy and her day was going much better than it was before, though, so it was worth the effort to Sayo. She continued down the street, walking along the side of the convenience store before spotting a secluded alleyway behind it. She briefly glanced around. There was no one nearby, and the dumpster and giant stack of cardboard boxes within would make for excellent cover should there be a passerby. The thought of getting found out did excite her, but she could take no chances.
Sayo hurriedly entered the alley and concealed herself behind the boxes. She pulled out her blue heart-shaped transformation item and held it close to her chest.
"Trans Magia," Sayo whispered into the device.
A flash of bright light emitted from the blue heart, and in an instant, Sayo had transformed into her magical girl self—Magia Azul. The instantaneous transformation feature proved to be useful in situations like these, rather than waiting for her outfit to assemble piece by piece.
“Good… I’m not sensing Enormeeta anywhere nearby," Azul thought aloud, focusing her senses. "But just to be safe…”
Azul channeled her magic and materialized another heart-shaped device in her hands. She set it down on the ground in front of her, and a large barrier extended out that covered the entire perimeter of the convenience store. She spent a few moments verifying that the identity concealing function was operating properly. Azul would never forgive Enormeeta if they interfered with her and Utena's upcoming important conversation.
Once that had been taken care of, Azul took a deep breath and used her enhanced movement abilities to jump over the entirety of the convenience store. She landed right in front of the bench Utena was sitting on. This immediately caught her attention.
“Utena-san.” Azul smiled at Utena and waved at her, attempting to signal that she was not upset with her. Utena was not crying or drooling anymore, which was a start.
“Ah! M-Magia Azul!” Utena was still stiff as a board. Azul would have to ease into things.
“I heard you wanted to speak with me?”
“Yes! Um…” Utena scrambled onto her feet, bowed and held the Magia Azul card out in front of her in both hands. "It would mean the world to me if you could sign my Magia Azul card!”
“I would be more than happy to. My sincerest apologies that I let one slip through the cracks unsigned.”
Azul graciously accepted the card, took it out of the protective housing, and transformed her magic wand into a marker. This was of great interest to Utena, who was totally enthralled by this small display of magic. After having signed a thousand of these cards, Azul took it upon herself to personalize this one. She infused the marker with a tiny bit of magic to give the signature a sparkly finish, then placed the card back in its protector and gave it back to Utena.
“For my dearest Utena-san. Magia Azul," Utena read aloud from the back of the card. She cradled the card in her hands and lovingly nuzzled it as if it were a cute, fluffy kitten. Then, suddenly, Utena burst into tears.
"Utena-san?!" Azul panicked at her sudden shift in mood. Did Utena not like it? "Should I have written something else instead?"
"N-No, I'm really honored that you remember my name and think so highly of me,” Utena clarified, waving her hands in front of herself. Realizing she was still holding the card, she placed it in her pocket for safekeeping. "It’s just... You're so kind to me, even though last time, I did some... things…”
"...I actually wanted to speak to you about that as well. It's been weighing a lot on my mind lately, Utena-san, and—"
"I'm very sorry, Azul-san!” Utena dropped onto the ground and completely bowed down to Azul. “P-Please find it in your heart to forgive me! Something came over me all of a sudden that day, and one thing led to another, and... Waah..."
Utena tapered off and continued to sob uncontrollably. Azul wondered if she had sounded too stern. She would need to mend the situation quickly. People on the street walking by were giving them both concerned looks, and Azul did not want to attract unnecessary attention. The magic barrier did at least prevent them from realizing that a member of Tres Magia was standing right there, so that helped.
"It's all right, Utena-san. I'm not mad at you,” Azul calmly reassured her.
"You're not?" Utena sniffled, raising her head in disbelief.
"Not at all." Azul extended her hand down to Utena. "Here, let me help you up."
"Thanks..." Utena took Azul's hand and stood up, and then they sat back down on the bench together.
Utena's face was a complete mess from all the crying. Azul reached into her bag and offered Utena the same pack of tissues she had intended to before, which Utena used to blow her nose and clean up. Azul gave Utena a few moments to gather her bearings before saying what she had wanted to earlier.
"I'm not mad at you, but... You really shouldn't do those sorts of things without asking," Azul carefully scolded Utena, not wanting her to cry again. "Self-control is what allows me to keep a clear mind and focus when my desires threaten to take over. It's helped me in many battles against the evil Magia Baiser. It would do you well to learn this, too."
"I-Is that so..." A blissful smile formed on Utena's face, and she clasped her hands together. "Ahh, I'm so moved... That sounds so deeply inspiring coming from a magical girl like you."
"I'm glad to hear that, but you understand what I'm trying to tell you, right?" Azul pressed.
"Y-Yes. I'll try my best..."
"Good. However..." Azul could feel her own body heat up just from thinking about the massage. "I understand that you were simply trying to express your love, even if you did it awkwardly. That's why you did it... right?"
"Well, yes, you could think of it like that." Utena bashfully looked away. "I do love magical girls and Tres Magia a whole lot, and you worked so hard rebuilding. It made me happy that I could help you too in some way. B-But I got too carried away... You're really not upset with me?"
"Not particularly,” Azul admitted. Utena did not seem to have malicious intentions, and that was enough of a green flag for Azul to want more. "Your massage was wonderful and really helped soothe my aching body. In fact… I would not mind receiving another one from you just like it."
"...Huh? I-Including the part at the end, too?" Utena seemed to be in disbelief of what she was hearing.
"Yes." Despite her embarrassment, Azul maintained a cool head. "I can't put my finger on it, but your touch felt so familiar and comforting to me. This may be selfish of me, but I accept your love and would like to ask for more of it."
"N-No, I'm the selfish one here, if anything." A perverted grin adorned Utena’s face that was nearly on par with Magia Baiser’s. "More importantly, Azul-san, do you want another massage right now?!"
In that moment, Azul felt as if she had just unchained a wild beast that had not eaten anything for several days. In a way, that was exactly what she both expected and wanted to happen.
"That sounds lovely. My lower body has been aching again recently, and I could use some assistance.” Azul had absolutely no shame in admitting this fact.
"Is that so? That sounds horrible; I better get to work right away!" Utena held up her hands and excitedly wiggled her fingers.
“Are you sure it’s okay with you, Utena-san? I do realize that there’s a power imbalance here with me being a magical girl, and I don’t want to coerce you into doing it if you don’t feel like it…”
“Oh, believe me, this is something I want to do.”
“All right, then…” Azul felt her heart throb in her chest, wondering just what Utena would do to her today. “…But I think we should do this somewhere private.”
As exciting as it was to have the constant feeling of being found out, it would not be a good look for her or Tres Magia if they did it in the open again and happened to get caught.
"T-That's understandable." Utena blushed. “Did you have a place in mind?"
“Hmm…” Azul thought to herself for a few moments before remembering that nobody else would be home until later into the night. “Yes, actually. I can fly you there if you’d like.”
“Fly me there?!” Utena’s eyes appeared to sparkle. “Are you going to carry me in your arms and soar through the sky together, just like in all those magical girl shows?!”
“That was my plan.” Azul could not help but smile at how easily excitable Utena was when it came to anything magical girl related. “Or… I could create a slab of ice for you to ride on like a magic carpet, since I know how to manipulate and freeze water.”
“I think I’ll stick with the first one… Ah! But I’m supposed to watch these for Sayo-san while she's gone." Utena gestured at the bag of groceries that still sat beside her.
"Bring those with you. I'll be sure to let her know that I have them.”