Cool Blue ch23: Blues Come to the Rescue
p1
>Huh?

>You're Minami-san's friend! Gunjou-san... was it?
>Hyoeh!?

>Y-Y-Y-You're Harumi-chan, right...?
>Yes! Are you feeling better now?

>Transform!
>Background character form!

p2
>Yeah, I'm fine now... Sorry about the other day.
>That was close...
>It's a good thing I followed the hunch I had this morning and left my

Ruby doll at home...

>Um, Gunjou-san... Minami-san told me that you hated Pure Azurite.

>I-I wouldn't say I hate her... It's just, um...
>She's still wet behind the ears, or rather...
>as Ruby's partner, she's pretty weak, so to speak...

>Sorry... I'm guessing you like Azurite, huh, Harumi-chan...
>Yes.

p3
>But to be precise,
>it's the Azurite and Ruby duo that I love!

>Eh? She likes herself?
>Is this perhaps some kind of concept gloomers wouldn't understand?

>Gunjou-san... Did you know
>about Ruby's dark history?

>Dark...? Like an embarrassing phase?
>I've had plenty of those too!

p4
>Ruby's magical arts were so powerful that they were never a good match

when partnered with allies.

>She used to have Jewels who would group with her,
>but none of them could keep up with Ruby's power.

>In the end, she always ended up alone.

>With a cold, expressionless look on her face, she tore down enemies

like they were on an assembly line.
>Every day, she kept on racking up her kill score in silence without

getting close to anyone.

>She eventually received the nickname "Cooluby the Ice Woman".

>...

>Ah!
>Cooluby as in "Cool Ruby", right!?
>I almost didn't get it for a second... Wait!

p5
>Cooluby!?
>Eeh!? Ruby was a cool character!?
>You mean to tell me I've been acting like a cool character in front of

an actual former cool character!?

>That's so embarrassing~!!
>Argh, geez~ If there's a hole somewhere, I wanna crawl into it~
>Nobody told me that reds could be cool~

>But why did Ruby stop being a cool character, ...?

>She must've been at her limit in more ways than one, huh?
>When you're all by yourself, you stop caring about why you're fighting

or what you're supposed to protect...
>and start falling into despair.

>That's when
>she met that girl.

>You don't mean... Pure Azurite?

p6
>That's right.
>It was thanks to meeting Azurite that Ruby once again found her hopes

and dreams, Gunjou-san.

>From the moment she first saw Azurite,
>she felt something budding inside her heart.

>She thought that maybe this girl could save her.

>Powerful magical girls apparently tend to have those kinds of hunches,

so it becomes a habit.
>...And it looks like Ruby's hunch was spot on.

>Azurite never abandoned her.
>She always stood at the front with a cool expression
>pointing her reliable back towards Ruby.

p7
>But more than just her cool and stylish sides, she would sometimes show

her kind and cute sides.
>That's what saved Ruby, who wasn't sure what to do as a magical girl.
>That's why I love Azurite, the one who saved Ruby...

>...and why I also love Ruby, who was saved by Azurite.
>Those two are the ultimate duo!

>Harumi...

>...At least, that's what I read on this summary site!
>Dosheeeh!

p8
>Man, isn't that such a touching episode!?
>Putting aside whether it actually happened or not!
>Ah, she's putting that aside!?

>Huuh~~~? That's strange~~~?
>I felt like there was a really good mood going on just now~~~?

>The Azurite and Ruby team is a treasure... the true jewel of the Jewel

world!
>Y-Yeah! When you put it that way, Harumi-chan, I can kinda sorta maybe

see where you're coming from!?

>Hah... Haha...

>Hey, Poryu!

>You've been hiding from me that Ruby was a cool magical girl, haven't

you!?
>Uh.... How did you...

p9
>Geez!! Why didn't you tell me!?
>If I knew Ruby was cool, I wouldn't have had to put on such a

character~!!

>Why... Why didn't you stop me...?
>You were really into it, so I didn't want to rain on your parade...

>Besides, Mi Raji told me that Ruby's changed quite a bit after meeting

you.
>Changed...?

>Yeah... Compared to when she was alone and cold-hearted,
>she's really softened up...
>Nothing like the old her...

>...

p10
>Did I...
>really save her...?

>Eh? Did you say something just now?
>Nope. Nothing at all.

>Ah.

>Mi Raji also told me... that Ruby's become a lot more scatterbrained

since forming a team with you...
>That might also be why her magic power's been dropping!
>Azu~
>You're making it sound like I'm bad for her education!!