Sorcerer Boy

The tension hung thick in the air. With very little room to explain myself, I sat and watched as Magical Mai adjusted her outfit in the mirror, standing awkwardly in the corner of my room.

I finally broke the silence, speaking calmly as I tried to salvage my reputation.
"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were here. I'm used to living alone."

"It's not your fault, Kazuo-kun. I should have locked the bathroom door."
Magical Mai clasped both hands behind her back, still avoiding eye contact with me after my accidental flashing just minutes prior.

At least she's understanding. Still, there's something naughty about the idea of exposing myself to such a cute girl.

I shook my head side to side, clearing my mind of such vulgar thoughts and imagery. Standing from my bed, I studied the Mark of the Phantom on my right palm.
"Last night... what exactly happened?"

I watched as she plopped down onto my mattress, seemingly comfortable as she spoke with animated gestures.
"You fought a Mërk and defeated it. The Mark of the Phantom granted you magical girl powers, thus your transformation into some... weird rose bush-clad hero. Though, in your case I guess you would be a magical boy, not a magical girl."

I guess that explains it. Still, my mind seems to accept these facts as if they weren't completely impossible.

"So, I'm a magical boy? I don't like that title; it sounds cringy."
I gently scratched the stubble that had been growing on my chin, due to lack of proper self-care and hygiene over my last couple of crazy days.
"I think something like Warlock would be more fitting for a male magic user."

Magical Mai dramatically dropped her jaw, pointing an angry finger in my direction.
"That would make me a Witch! I'm not a Witch; I'm a magical girl!"

"Relax, I'm not calling anybody a Witch. I just think the term magical boy is a little... childish."
I sat across from her, sinking into my desk chair with a soft creak.
"If anything, I would take a boring title like Mage before I ever referred to myself as a magical boy."

Magical Mai puffed her cheeks in annoyance, crossing both arms in front of her flat chest.
"Magical boy sounds cute! It would only make sense to refer to you as such, considering the fact that I'm a magical girl!"

I can't believe what I'm hearing.

"Magical Mai... my transformation was anything but cute! I looked like a final boss in an RPG!"
Mimicking her posture, I crossed my arms in complete defiance.

"Final boss?! More like a mid-boss! I'll have to start calling you Vyers, the Dark Adonis!"
Magical Mai huffed loudly.

"Magical Mai! You can't go referencing video games from 2003! The readers won't understand!"
Sorry, it seems Magical Mai's video game knowledge is stuck in the past.

She pushed herself off my bed, standing before me with yet another accusatory finger, pointed directly at my face.
"Then let's ask the other magical girls if they think it should be Warlock or magical boy!"

"What?! You're going to tell them about my existence?! Wait, what other magical girls?! You're moving too quickly for my mind to process!"
I watched her pull her phone from her skirt pocket, typing furiously against the screen.

"Too late!"
She shouted,
"I'm informing the group chat!"

"Group chat?! Just how many magical girls do you know, anyway?!"
I tried to snatch her cellphone from her hands, but her small size gave her a speedy advantage to duck and cover.

Suddenly, as my arm reached for hers, an overwhelming lightheaded sensation swept through my brain. My legs struggled to stand, and the floor below me suddenly seemed much closer.
I'm falling... not good.

With a loud thud, my body slammed directly into the hard, wooden floors of my apartment room. I was out cold... well, almost.

Magical Mai glanced up from her phone in shock. Thankfully, her brain was knowledgeable enough to immediately grasp the severity of the situation, as well as the true meaning behind my sudden state of near unconsciousness.
"Oh, right... I forgot. Now that you're a magical boy, you'll need lots of calories to fuel your magic."

I used my remaining strength to look up at her, too tired to come up with a witty remark.
"That makes sense... can you fetch me a snack?"
I offered her a worried smile.

"Sure thing!"
Magical Mai skipped out of my room and toward my kitchen.
"Where do you keep your snacks?'

Again, not good. I'm running out of stamina to even open my mouth. Can't she just search for them?
"Cabinet... second from... ugh."

"Hm? Cabinet? You have a million cabinets, silly!"

Her voice was barely audible, as the ringing in my ears quickly overwhelmed my sense of hearing.

Why did I trust such a klutz to do a simple task? Is this how I die?

I could feel something against my lips. The texture was soft and spongy, and the scent was deliciously sweet. Though my eyes couldn't focus, my mouth opened just enough to allow the delicate treat to enter.

Is that... a Choco-pie? I finally get why Punpun loved these so much; I think I might cry from the flavor alone.

Taking a moment to assess the situation, I finally focused my tunneling vision forward, locking my sights on the gates of heaven that presented themselves before me.

In all of its gorgeous, lacy glory, Magical Mai was squatting directly in front of me, her knees slightly parted, allowing a perfect view of her panties to grace my eyes. I could make out every detail, down to the number of stitches. The way it hugged her tightly in all the right areas, the elegant curvature around her most intimate parts.

Being the clumsy girl that she is, she kindly tilted her head to the side, smiling but equally perplexed by my intense gaze.

"Kazuo-kun? Are you feeling better? You look kind of distant."
Her adorable feline-esque lips maintained that unfathomably cute smile.

"I... I think you're going to have to chew it for me..."
I spoke barely above a whisper,
"And... feed it to me through your mouth?"

I gulped in anticipation.

"Okay~"
Without a moment's hesitation, Magical Mai took a heaping chomp from my Choco-pie, chewing carefully before bringing her face inches from mine.

In my flustered state, I quickly sat up, snatching the rest of the treat from her hands and scarfing it down my throat.

Okay, there's no way I wouldn't feel guilty about tricking her into a kiss. I'm such a piece of shit.

"You shouldn't be so eager to lock lips with a guy you barely know, Magical Mai!"
I pouted angrily, partially because I hadn't received my kiss but mostly due to the fact that I was overwhelmed with shame.

As she swallowed her bite, she spoke softly.
"Well, I can't have you passing out on me, now can I?"

"Good point... but still, try not to be so trusting."
Just as I managed to gain enough strength to stand on my own two feet, a ping chimed from Magical Mai's cellphone.

I grabbed a few more Choco-pies and cookies from my cabinet, curious as to what Magical Mai was giggling about after checking her phone.
"Something funny?"

"It's the other magical girls! They finally came up with a title for you."
She smirked mischievously, holding her phone toward me to show me the messages.

Stuffing my mouth full of cookies, I groaned quietly as I came to terms with what I would be referred to as going forward. The title displayed in bold text was
'Sorcerer Boy'

Great... just great. It still has 'boy' in the name

"Sorcerer, huh? I suppose I can work with that."
I glanced down at the profile info section on her messaging app. Curiously, I clicked on her profile 'MaiMai32' and watched as the screen displayed Magical Mai's full name, email address and contact photo.

Matsui Mai... Born on July 1st, 2006.

I smirked devilishly, finally locking eyes with the unsuspecting girl before me.

"Nice to finally meet you, Matsui-san."
My grin only grew wider as I uncovered the one piece of information keeping the two of us so distant.

Just as predicted, her body froze stiff, and a bead of sweat rolled down her cheek. As she spoke, her voice had a timid tremble.
"Y-you... m-my name... I..."
Mai gulped, loudly.
"YOU IDIOT! HOW COULD YOU?!"

SLAP