Not What I Asked For (Lulu Adelstein)
| Not What I Asked For (Lulu Adelstein) | |
|---|---|
| Date of Cutscene: | 30 November 2023 |
| Location: | Mitakihara General Hospital |
| Synopsis: | (CW: Extreme bullying) Lulu thinks about her life before and after making her Wish. |
| Cast of Characters: | Lulu Adelstein |
Lulu had always wanted to be a hero.
Her short stature might have made her seem like a poor candidate for that, but she put her body through exercise routines that Olympic athletes used, took up learning hand to hand combat through self-defense courses, and studied the human body to understand how it was put together and to get the best performance out of her own. She also practiced small acts of heroism. She intervened when someone was in trouble, stood up to bullies even when they weren't targeting her, didn't let adults get away with breaking rules just because they were adults... And she did it all in a way that didn't make her seem like a joyless, rules-obsessed brat or nosey interloper or goody-goody.
She was still a rambunctious tomboy with lots of friends, and a genuinely good heart. She preferred to befriend bullies after stopping their harassment of others, rather than have them as enemies. She had full faith that there was no such thing as a bad person, just people making bad choices. There had to be consequences, but those consequences didn't need to be life-destroying punishments. No one learns to be a good person from that.
But eventually, she got into a situation where in order to protect other students, she had to make herself the target for a gang of bullies. She made herself their number one priority, and took the beatings meant for those who might not have survived the level of violence visited upon Lulu in turn.
Her parents knew something was wrong, begged her to tell them who did this, but Lulu would just grin and say, "Just rough housing with friends. We got a little carried away, and..."
But it was getting to her. How could it not? Eventually, with her life a misery, sustained only by the gratitude and care of those she was protecting, and the love shown her by her parents who never gave up trying to protect her in turn, she just... Stopped caring about anything anymore. She was tired, in body and spirit. It would be easier to just stop fighting back, let them do what they wanted, and move on, instead of turning every single one of these encounters into a fight that she kept losing due to sheer numbers.
After one of these intense bullying sessions, she was left bleeding, with a black eye, bruises, a split lip, scrapes and cuts from a broken bottle that was used as an improvised weapon, and the now-familiar pain of broken ribs radiating through her in hot waves. She was just sitting there against the back wall of the girls' restroom, while the bullies walked away.
"God, this is boring. She doesn't even react anymore."
"She's like a fucking robot."
"So creepy. Let's get out of here."
The older girls left, and Lulu slowly, gradually, picked herself up, used the setting sun as her only light to treat her injuries with, and did what she could with the mirror on the wall to clean up and conceal the worst of the exterior evidence. Not possible. This was probably the worst beating so far, which was weird. Usually the fact she fought back was what infuriated them. Maybe they were just venting now that they finally had a chance to get their way... Maybe they were just trying harder than usual due to not getting the response they wanted.
Either way, Lulu focused on the small, cat-like figure just inside of the entrance to the restroom, beady red eyes glowing in the dark. She could see him in the mirror, over her shoulder. Sighing, she turned around and began limping her way outside.
"Is this really okay with you?" Kyubey asked.
Lulu halted in the entrance. Her lower lip quivered a bit, but she got it back under control. "Of course not," she answered. "But what else can I do?" Call the authorities? Not her style. She wanted to handle things herself. She just... Didn't have the power to do so this time.
"If you make a contract with me, and become a Magical Girl, you would not be so troubled by minor physical injuries like these." Kyubey pointed out. He had made his sales pitch a few times already, but Lulu had been reluctant. He had seemed surprised by that reluctance, and mentioned most girls agreed right away.
Maybe Lulu was just too stubborn and stupid to know when to give up. But even she had to fold at some point. And she was just so tired.
Leaning against the door frame, the red-head stared out at the empty public park, watching as the sun finished sinking below the horizon. Why was she even doing this again? She couldn't remember.
"Hey," she started. "I can really wish for anything, right?"
"Of course! Some of it depends on the particular wish and your potential as a Magical Girl, but just about anything is possible!" Kyubey answered cheerily. He didn't seem sympathetic to or concerned about Lulu's injuries. It was fine. She could get them fixed by Magda. Magda had already made the decision to become a Magical Girl. She had been the first, and whom Lulu met Kyubey through. Lulu and Adalinda had both agreed that they didn't need a wish. Their lives were fine as they were. There was nothing they wanted that was worth risking their lives for.
"Sorry," Lulu whispered. "I can't keep our promise."
Then, straightening herself up as best she could, Lulu turned and looked down at Kyubey. "I'm ready. I... I wish..."
Kyubey's cute face and red, rabbit-like eyes looked up at her expectantly. Or perhaps hungrily. In her weakened state, Lulu didn't notice the intensity of his gaze. Or maybe she chose not to notice it.
"Come, Lulu Adelstein... Tell me what Wish will make your Soul Gem shine." the funny little mascot said.
Lulu made her Wish.
The next day, Lulu found out that the girl who was the leader of the gang of bullies had died during the night.
She told her friends that she had Wished to get onto the track team.
That's what they would continue to believe -- hopefully forever.
Two years later, Lulu stands in her hospital room in another country, looking out the window, leaning on the window frame like she leaned on the door frame back then.
She thinks about her Wish, and its consequences. She has always been an advocate for consequences for one's actions... But...
Gritting her teeth, she whispered fiercely, "This is not what I asked for."
Unlike back then, there was no Kyubey to tell her there was a way out of this mess. A miracle, that could solve all her problems.
Just one girl and her thoughts.
Thoughts that kept growing darker without any help from her slowly fading Soul Gem.
