NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2
A solitary magical girl
“Did the monster’s presence disappear?”
The magical girl, who had been heading to the scene after receiving a dispatch request from the North Kanto Branch of the Magic Bureau, tilted her head while asking the operator of the Magic Bureau who had called her.
Hunting monsters is the destiny of a magical girl, but there are rules and manners involved.
First, the Magic Bureau notifies the magical girl responsible for each area about the impending appearance of a monster, and among those available, one heads out to eliminate it. This is the usual process.
This time, out of the three magical girls assigned to the area, two had gotten into trouble, so she was tasked with the elimination alone.
For her, a mid-level magical girl, this dispatch felt like a small side job.
But then, at the last minute, it was canceled, leaving her feeling as if someone had eaten the pudding she’d left behind.
“Yes. After detecting the target’s presence, it disappeared immediately. We’ve confirmed that the level corresponds to E Rank based on the appearance response.”
“So, it’s fine since it was a weak one, but do you know the reason?”
“Most likely, it was taken care of by a stray magical girl who happened to be nearby…,”
“A stray magical girl in such a rural mountainous area? Haven’t we received any communication from the Fairy Realm?”
She implicitly suggested how unlikely that was, brushing off the apologetic operator.
The location was near the base of Myōgi Mountain in Gunma Prefecture. There used to be some houses here, but due to monster appearances, now only ruins remain.
It was unimaginable for another magical girl to show up here by chance.
Still, thinking this way, she decided to head to the designated point just in case.
Even though the monster disappeared, with the cause unknown, an investigation would eventually be necessary.
So, she thought it best to go there directly and at least check the scene herself.
Upon arriving at the designated point, she discovered several ice pillars stuck into the ground, changing her thoughts from before.
(Could it really have been defeated by a stray magical girl?)
Although very rare these days, stray magical girls do exist in small numbers.
However, in most cases, fairies from the Fairy Realm serve as their dedicated support, and this information is usually relayed to the Magic Bureau.
When a stray defeats a monster, they typically contact the Magic Bureau through their support.
Therefore, the fact that no word has come after the monster’s defeat is strange.
Nevertheless, before her eyes stood what appeared to be magically created ice embedded in the ground.
“Can you see this?”
“Yes, I can see it. Is this magic? I believe there were no magical girls nearby who use ice…”
“It seems so. I can feel the magical power, so there’s no doubt.”
The magical girl gently touched the ice, confirming its texture.
Despite the slightly chilly temperature, it showed no signs of melting. The magical power emanating from it clearly indicated that it was magical.
“Is Mr. Shirokigawa or the Director around?”
“They’re currently preoccupied with the incident involving Star Nail and Blue Colette and can’t spare a hand.”
“I see. Well, I’ll leave this matter to you then. Can I go home now?”
“My apologies for the outcome. We’ve secured permission to use the teleportation device from the Fairy Realm, so please return safely.”
The magical girl ended the communication and returned home through the Fairy Realm as usual.
(Tch, school tomorrow. Time to sleep.)
By the time she got home, it was already past midnight – far too late for a young girl to be awake.
Still, as a magical girl, she must fight whenever a monster appears.
1
“Are you awake, Haruna?”
Awakened by the sound of the TV the day after the unpleasant incident, she rubbed her sleepy eyes and sat up, greeted by a demon.
Her hair, which was deep blue when transformed, turned white upon reverting, and her clothes, chosen by the demon and rather girlish, were discarded in favor of baggy gym wear. She’d need to buy new clothes later.
Of course, even after reverting, she remained a young girl.
(Good morning.)
“Good morning. Hey, take a look at the TV. Something interesting is on.”
Perplexed, she followed the demon’s advice and saw that the incident at the park she visited yesterday was being broadcast.
She hadn’t expected the event, which she thought would be misrepresented as a monster attack, to be reported as an incident caused by a magical girl without naming anyone involved.
“That’s curious, isn’t it?”
She nodded slightly, encouraging him to continue.
“This time, I filed a protest through the Fairy Realm to the Magic Bureau. The decline in quality among magical girls and the bureau’s favoritism towards them have been quite severe over the past few years.”
(That’s true.)
Even though the world depends on magical girls, numerous incidents similar to what happened to her have occurred, allegedly caused by magical girls.
Probably, but I consider the introduction of the magical girl ranking system about 20 years ago to be one of the reasons.
Originally intended to boost motivation and elevate the status of magical girls through increased public interest, it instead led to disparities in power due to rankings, sparking conflicts among magical girls and factional disputes.
While it’s fine for magical girls to cause problems among themselves, it’s not okay to involve or affect ordinary people, she thought.
As she continued watching the news aimlessly, fortunately, her name wasn’t disclosed, which was good. After all, there was nothing but her charred suit at the scene, and the car had mysteriously been retrieved by the demon, so there wouldn’t be any evidence linking back to her.
Hungry now, she decided to eat something.
(Want something to eat?)
“Can I have half a slice of toast?”
(Acknowledged.)
She toasted the two remaining slices, split them in half, and handed one piece along with some jam to the demon. Normally, she’d make coffee, but since there was orange juice nearing its expiration date, she decided to finish it off.
“By the way, Haruna?”
(What is it?)
“Why don’t you talk?”
“The inconsistency with my previous voice aside, isn’t talking kind of bothersome?”
If you can read my thoughts, there’s no need to force me to speak. Besides, in this body, I don’t need social skills anyway.
Since I have to fight as a magical girl, I prefer not to exert myself unnecessarily in other areas.
Besides, it feels somewhat embarrassing.
(If you can understand anyway, it’s fine, right?)
“That’s true, but isn’t it awkward with just me speaking?”
I can’t read your thoughts, after all. While I might be able to use magic-like abilities, I can’t use PSI.
Thanks to the demon, I’m still alive, but I do hold some resentment for being turned into this form.
Though, I suppose I could talk if I feel like it someday.
“Hmm. As long as you get the job done, I won’t say anything, but since you can’t stay cooped up forever, it’s better to get used to things sooner rather than later?”
(Why is that?)
“Because first, we need to get you into the top ranks of the magical girl rankings!”
“But wasn’t it supposed to be official?”
“If your popularity rises, you’ll automatically be included, and I’ll make sure to add you when the opportunity arises. It’s technically on the official Magic Bureau website, but the data collection is handled by the Fairy Realm.”
I had wondered how they managed to compile information on magical girls fighting all over the place so effectively; now I understand why.
“Each magical girl is responsible for their individual entries, but many choose to post combat videos and photos because they can earn decent money doing so. There’s also a donation feature, allowing fans to support them.”
I’ve watched some of those videos before and even made donations once or twice.
At this rate, I’ll be on the receiving end soon.
(I’d rather avoid that if possible.)
“Don’t worry, we’ll keep your identity hidden for now. We’ll obscure your face in the videos and release them at appropriate times.”
There’s no choice but to leave the magical girl-related matters to the demon. It’s unwise to meddle in things I don’t fully understand.
Even though it’s the fault of magical girls, this situation has become truly troublesome.
After finishing the toast with her shrunken mouth, she noticed the demon staring intently at her. She wanted to ignore it, but it seemed impossible.
“Is something wrong?”
“Yeah. I was about to explain today’s plan to you.”
With a snap of his fingers, the demon conjured a whiteboard already filled with various notes.
“Let’s begin the Demon-led Magical Girl & Magic Bureau Purification Course!”
(Wow, applause.)
“Thank you for the encouragement. Now, as part of our contract, I’ll have Haruna work hard to satisfy my curiosity, but rest assured, I don’t have any plans to destroy the world or cause chaos. So, relax.”
Honestly, if he wanted to destroy the world, I wouldn’t mind, but I’ll keep quiet about that for now.
“First, we’ll boost your ranking in the magical girl standings until you reach a level where others can’t ignore you. Along the way, we’ll prevent conflicts between magical girls. Next, we’ll deal with the foolish adults.”
I see. By strengthening my personal influence, we’ll reduce the number of victims like me and subsequently address the adults incapable of disciplining magical girls.
“And not all magical girls are bad, so depending on Haruna’s judgment, helping them or causing slight harm is acceptable. After all, Haruna is a victim too.”
Once we decide what to do, it’s just a matter of taking action. However, as a novice magical girl, I haven’t yet reconciled myself to the life-and-death battles with monsters.
Having nearly died before, my body didn’t freeze or tremble during yesterday’s first battle, but I was utterly terrified.
Still, I managed to suppress that fear because, inside, I’m an adult man.
Or perhaps… No, let’s leave it at that.
(Is there somewhere we can train or practice magic?)
“Normally, we could do simulation battles and training in the Fairy Realm, but since we want to keep Haruna’s existence secret, you’ll have to make do with the simulator I’ve prepared.”
(Understood.)
“Basically, you need to arrive at monster appearance sites earlier than other magical girls and complete the extermination before the official ones arrive. I’ll handle the transportation, so I want you to focus on minimizing collateral damage and eliminating the monsters quickly.”
(Won’t we be able to use something like the combat fields used during A-Rank or higher-level battles?
Using those would prevent any damage, wouldn’t it?)
“Unfortunately, those are inefficient fuel-wise, and showing too much favoritism will cause trouble later. We’ll use them against extremely powerful opponents, but otherwise, it’ll be no different from others.”
Upon hearing this, I understood.
However, focusing on minimizing damage significantly restricts the spells I can use. Let’s think about that later.
“Alright, I’d love to say ‘let’s train with the simulator,’ but unfortunately, it’s monster extermination time!”
Despite having eaten breakfast only thirty minutes ago, this was awfully quick.
Moreover, considering this was less than a day after my first battle… I was somewhat overwhelmed by the demon’s enthusiasm in front of me.
He urged me on as if he didn’t care about how I felt.
“Then, transform and let’s exterminate!”
“Huh, transform.”
Her hair changed color like flowing water, and she slipped her arms into the floating white robe, pulling up the hood.
She decided not to summon her staff inside the room since it would be cumbersome.
“Here we go!”
Just like yesterday, the scenery shifted with a momentary blackout.
Oh, I’m barefoot.
(Are there shoes?)
“Oh, I forgot to register them during transformation. Here, shoes.”
(Thank you.)
“Keep an eye out. They should appear soon. According to the predicted magical power patterns, there are three G-Rank monsters, so the goal is 20 seconds.”
G-Rank, huh? As long as they’re weak, it’s fine, but let’s see how it goes.
With a time limit, I need to eliminate them with one hit each.
Summoning her staff, she leisurely scanned her surroundings. It looked like some riverbank, but she didn’t recognize the location.
The isolated area was convenient, but the footing was poor.
Just then, she heard unfamiliar footsteps. Looking in the direction of the sound, she spotted a black child-like monster.
“Alright, start!”
There’s no help for it; I’ll just do it. With the demon’s cue, she raised her staff and focused on the monsters.
Since she used ice yesterday, she’d try something different today.
“O rocks, crush them!”
She summoned cylindrical rocks above each monster’s head and dropped them. The rocks landed with a thud, crushing the monsters beneath them. Mission complete!
Just like yesterday, it was effortless since no special technique was required.
“Seems like distance-based magical girls find weaker foes useless targets, huh?”
(You just aim randomly and fire, so yeah.)
As long as the enemies aren’t fast or possess durability that simple spells can’t penetrate, it looks like shooting random magic will suffice.
I’m unsure how much physical activity this body can handle, so I’ll try jogging later.
(Is that all?)
“Nope, we’ll keep going until Haruna reaches her limit.”
(Acknowledged.)
Once the demon finished collecting the cores, the view darkened again, and she was teleported somewhere else.
And on this day, she only returned home after midnight.
Since she managed to return for lunch and dinner, she considered herself lucky.