NOVEL NEXT Dragging the magic wand on the floor, I walked down the apartment stairs and reached a point just across from the convenience store.
“There it is.”
The plush bear’s right arm pointed towards it.
“Cough-ha-ha-ha! Anyone dare challenge me? Where’s the magical girl?!”
In the middle of the street, the nuisance monster was shouting loudly.
So lost in his own hype that he didn’t even react when I approached from behind.
He looked like a crustacean standing on two legs.
I bet he would taste good if steamed.
But finding a steamer big enough for him would be a task, right?
“If you keep fooling around, I’ll—”
“Hey.”
“Cough-ha-ha! Did the magical g—”
My irritation skyrocketed suddenly.
Thanks to this half-baked crustacean, my chicken delivery was getting delayed.
Before he could even turn around completely, I neatly jumped and kicked him to the ground.
“Ugh!”
“I’m really not in a good mood right now. Do you prefer steamed or grilled? Just pick one.”
“W-what?! That’s a cowardly surprise attack!”
The monster was trying to lift itself up with its forelegs, which were either fists or arms, hard to tell.
It looked like a crustacean, but its color was so peculiar that I couldn’t identify the species.
Let’s just call it a green crab.
Anyway, that crab looked up at me and started shaking its forelegs, pointing at me.
“You, you’re…! The infamous masked girl!”
This crab was calling me the masked girl.
Am I famous in the monster world or something?
Well, that doesn’t concern me.
I slammed my magic wand twice on the ground, urging him, “Enough already… just hurry up and choose, crab, do you want steamed or grilled?”
“I’m not a crab! Ever heard of a lobster? Feel the power of this fist that no one can handle! Experience it with your body!”
‘Lobster?’
That name sounded familiar; I rubbed my chin and thought for a moment.
I definitely had a memory of trying it before.
Wait a second, isn’t that the one with claw-like hands?
“Gah!”
A powerful shout.
With a dull thud, my fist hit his head, but I kept thinking about what a lobster was.
Isn’t a lobster just brown in color?
I’m not sure, but I’m pretty sure I’ve eaten it before.
When I grabbed his fist with one hand and pushed it away, he stumbled back, trembling in fear.
Whether he was scared or something else, his eyes were completely black, making it hard to read his expression.
“Y-you monster girl…!”
“Is it over?”
Remembering old times, this one’s going to be on the steamed course.
Dealing with an opponent who has lost their will is too easy.
“Cough—!”
I just lightly tapped him with my wand from the front, and he fell back powerless.
It was only a single shock, but it seemed he couldn’t get up by himself due to his own weight.
I settled on his sturdy-looking chest, staring into his grotesque face.
Who on earth was the first person to think about eating such a creature?
“To prepare a crustacean, you must—”
Thinking about tearing into some chicken later, I pinned his squirming arms down with my legs.
“G-get away…!”
I grabbed my glowing red wand with both hands.
Like I said, his expression was hard to distinguish; all I could see were his moving black eyes.
As his squirming intensified, it was clear he was desperately fighting back.
“Are you sure you don’t know how to prepare a crab?”
I twisted the middle of the handle to activate it, starting a one-sided conversation.
The wand began to glow a foreboding red.
What thoughts must the crab have as the blade tries to push its way through its snout before entering the steamer?
I guess that mystery will be solved today.
…With a scream that echoes far.
“First, you insert the knife into the snout and twist it to kill it….”
“Stop, please….”
“But I’m afraid I don’t have a knife good enough to send you off comfortably….”
I trailed off mockingly, genuinely regretting not having such a knife.
As I mentioned the lack of a knife, I raised the red-hot wand to make sure he could see it with his black eyes.
His movements became even more frantic; unfortunately, the crab was powerless, with its belly exposed and arms sealed.
Smiling slightly, I decided to give him an unforgettable nightmare.
“Hope you squirm and suffer?”
“You, torturous demon girl…!”
“Tell your monster friends not to come near here either.”
Ignoring the criticism, I aimed the glowing wand toward the creature’s mouth that resembled a shut door.
“Ah, no! C-cough—!”
“Only if you can talk properly when you return.”
The cover that was protecting his mouth shattered helplessly.
The wand entered his snout, letting out a boiling sound along with white smoke.
Knowing it was already too late, even instinctual resistance was worthless.
The wand pushed further into his mouth, penetrating the bubbles.
Just as he seemed to give up on any desperate struggle, I felt nothing but bliss.
“Phew!”
I pulled the wand out of his snout.
The tip of the wand was damp but stained with no blood.
Now that I think about it, I remember hearing that crustaceans’ blood is transparent.
It was a good decision not to bring Siyeon along.
Whether the blood is clear or red, in any case, this scene isn’t something to show to kids.
I left only after confirming that the monster had completely crumbled away.
I’ve heard stories about monsters pretending to be dead, causing troubles for other magical girls in different regions.
On my way home, I suddenly brought my sleeve to my nose due to the foul smell coming from my body.
A pungent, fishy odor tickled my nose.
“Ugh, damn fish smell.”
“Ugh, when we get back, we need to wash up right away.”
The voice of the bear cub left no room for rebuttal.
Sighing briefly, I recalled the now cold chicken.
“Ugh, the chicken must be cold by now.”
From now on, I decided to deal with smelly monsters from a distance, swallowed my disappointment, and headed back to the apartment.
Beyond the horrible fishy stench on my body, a fragrant, greasy scent tickled my nose.
Chicken, chicken, it’s chicken.
This could hardly be the aroma coming from cold chicken; it was way too intense.
What on earth is going on?
“Mari, you’re back? Whoa! That smell!”
“Don’t come close right now, I’m eating first.”
As soon as I stepped in, I kicked off my shoes and rushed to the bathroom.
The stench was so bad that I was uncertain, even after scrubbing myself with bubbles.
The warm steamed chicken was still rising with steam.
Though I had finished off the monster quickly, it must have taken quite a while for people to pass by.
Since I already arrived, I asked Siyeon what happened.
“The store uncle re-fried it and came personally to deliver it.”
“Oh, really?”
That’s right.
Since there was a delay in delivery, the rider ended up giving the chicken to that person as is, and he made us a fresh fried one.
The situation was a bit messy, but we ended up with warmer chicken than if it had gone to several homes before arriving here.
That’s great, that’s great.
“What kind of monster did you fight?”
“A weird lobster.”
Stuffing a crispy piece of freshly fried chicken into my mouth, my earlier bad mood vanished in an instant.
Was I too harsh earlier? That thought even crossed my mind.
I grabbed a bottle of cola with both hands and poured it into a tall cup that reached my knees when sitting.
My hands were so small that it was hard to pour with just one.
If I spilled it on the floor, it would be a hassle to clean, so I filled Siyeon’s cup too.
After twisting the cola cap to seal it, I gulped down the fizzing cola, making it fizz up down my throat.
“Cough-ha!”
I let out a refreshing feeling that felt like it could be heard.
Seeing this, Siyeon made a face as if looking at a strange person and drank her cup delicately with both hands, saying,
“You look like an uncle….”
“One day, you’ll understand.”
With only the sounds of eating in the quiet space, I grabbed the remote and turned on the TV.
Since most TV programs are ads, ads, ads anyway.
I looked for something to watch on the familiar news or cartoon channel.
In reality, the news channel spends 70% of its time on magical girl broadcasts.
After all, monsters suddenly appear, and a flashy girl suddenly shows up to defeat them.
This kind of thing happens often, anyway; they chase after news but find little else.
All news channels feel like this.
Some region has some monster, another region has another monster.
A certain magical girl sorted that out, and who knows what else.
“What a waste of a subscription fee.”
“Hmm?”
In the end, I pressed the remote, drifting away from the news channel.
“Never mind, let’s watch cartoons.”
Mumbling as Siyeon tilted her head and asked what I grumbled about, I punched in the cartoon channel.
Channels 94 to 98.
Siyeon seemed to want something as she extended her palm, asking for the remote.
“Is Pretty Magical Girl on? Ah, it is!”
“What kind of magical girl watches a magical girl anime while being a magical girl….”
“It’s fun!”
Although Siyeon rarely got emotional, it was clear she loved it, but I had no clue why.
Watching a magical girl battle monsters with rebar must make her wonder if you can do that.
Now I’m watching an anime where magical girls are fighting purely hand-to-hand rather than with wands, and I let out a breath of disbelief.
Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind…
‘Can I also do that?’