Chapter 4:

Hero or Idol?
7753 (Remaining Time: 22 Hours, 12 Minutes)

Ripple was wearing a double coat and a hoodie. However, because her coat didnt
reach the length of her feet, it couldnt hide the wooden sandals that she was wearing.

7753s peacoat had no hoodie. She had neither a hat nor a mask. She couldnt
purchase any hats because We dont have a lot of time, she only managed to borrow
a mask from the nearby convenience store, and borrowed Ripples scarf to cover her
heart-braided hair. Since she had her goggles on, she looked like someone suspicious.

Hanas long ears were firmly covered in her hoodie. Her coat was perfectly calculated to
account for the length of her ears. Her coats length was long, even managing to cover
her exposed legs.

Mana wore a trenchcoat, no hoodie on. However, she didnt wear a mask, nor did she
wear a hat, she was completely exposed from the neck above. Was she really okay with
that? Thought 7753, perhaps it was because she was a professional.

Mao Pams dress coat somehow exuded a sense of incongruity. It looked like
something you could get anywhere, yet its couture also looked like something luxurious,
and it also looked homemade. Shes probably not even wearing a coat, thats probably
just her actual costume.

For the time being, everyone was wearing coats, pretending to be normal people.
However, but 7753 had no idea how the public would see them.

As far as investigations go, 7753 was an amateur. Although she was forced into this
cooperation, she took her boss arbitrary words for what they were. Even if she doubted
it, she didnt know what to say.

Mana was messing around with her Magical Phone in her white Minivan. Apparently,
theyll be investigating using that car. 7753 grabbed her chest and breathed a sigh of
relief, knowing she wouldnt have to walk around in this getup, though using a car
doesnt seem very Magical Girl-ish.
Usually, Magical Girls run much faster than cars. However, since its daytime, they
couldnt afford to be seen. In the windows of the minivan, there was a smoke film screen
that was plastered in, making it seem very investigation-like.

We had a bigger van before, but we had to leave it when we were attacked.

When Mana opened the door, 7753 saw the cramped car interior, which made her feel
sorry for them, Mana grunted, 7753 sat besides Hana.

And remember, dont waste time talking about things that dont matter

Dont talk about anything, ordered Mana, even though she just talked about being
attacked.

Two Magical Girls, they were chasing after Mana on her van as she drove away.
Because they couldnt shake them off, Mana created a smoke cover using magic, then
they abandoned the van and separated, trying to break their pursuers apart. Although
Mana somehow managed to escape, when she tried to regroup, she found Hana but not
her other ally, instead they found their corpse, hidden behind an alley, now headless.
There was no trace of resistance, while they tried to escape, it seems their head was
decapitated from behind.

That bastard. They were an expert at scouting too, killed just like that.

Manas sorrow seemed to be blurred inside her words. Her friend was killed, and now
the Foreign Affairs Division is locking them up inside the barrier. Still, Mana hasnt given
up.

We need to look for Toko, if we cant find her, well find her Magical Girls. For now, we
just need to move. The barrier has a limit. The magical energy is also fading. If it goes
down, weve lost our chance. We have 24 hours shit, 22 hours now. Even if we use all
the time we have, if our enemy runs away

Mana furrowed her brows, raised one brow, curled her nose, she was using every part
of her face to express her anger. You could probably even hear her gritting her teeth.
7753 deflected her eyes. Mana took a deep breath, and continued.
......Theres no room for compromises. Even if they run away, we need to intercept
them.

Mana stayed quiet again. 7753 felt sorry for Hana.

Well, 7753, Ripple. If its alright, Id like to confirm something with you.

Sure

Your Magical Skills, do you need your eyes to use them? Can you only throw a
hundred Shuriken to something you can see? Does your Status magic need you to see
the target with your own eyes?

If I cant see them, I cant use my Magical Skill.

7753 said so, and she looked at Ripple. Ripple nodded softly.

I see, so you two need vision to work your Magical Skill alright then, this should
help you.

7753s vision became clearer. She didnt know exactly what changed. She tried
removing her goggles, maybe their transparency apparently went up. Apparently, the
clearer vision wasnt caused by her goggles. The surrounding landscape, the
landscapes in the distance, she could see all of them clearly. A Magical Girls eyesight
was better than a humans, however, this was even more than that. 7753 looked at
Ripple, she was also looking around her surroundings in awe.

This is my Magical Skill.

Hana Gekokujous Magical Skill was the ability to sharpen any senses. Sight, hearing,
smell, taste, touch, she can increase their sensation, and sharpen it.

I can do it all at once at the same time, but I think thatll just cause an overload and
confusion. Also, if I use my Magical Skill on multiple people, it gets a bit harder to
maintain it. So for the time being, Ill just enhance your sight. How do you feel? Do you
need more?

7753 felt the illusion that things were approaching her. She could see every single dust
particle in the air. She could see the shape of the clouds in the sky as clear as she
could see her own hands. She could even confirm the type of tree growing on the
mountains in the far distance.

Is this enough? Im afraid if itll be too much if I increase it again.

Amazing. This is amazing!

Ahaha, its no big deal.

Transforming into a Magical Girl from a human, shes felt her senses sharpening before,
but this was different, this was like a new experience, a new discovery, she felt pleasure
and joy.

Ripple squatted down, and when she got up, she had two pebbles on her palm. She
threw one of them to the sky, as it disappeared in the blink of an eye, afterwards, she
threw the other pebble with tremendous speed, soon afterwards, crack, the sound of
them bumping could be heard. The pebble fragments fell apart. Hana and 7753 gasped
and applauded.

Amazing!

......Its nothing.

My Magical Skill, it only works on a radius of 3 meters, centering on me. As long as you
dont leave that, this wont time out.

Hana was driving the car. She sharpened her hearing, she also played the role of scout,
listening for anything strange. Since she looked young, some police might stop her, but
they wouldnt be trouble, Hana would just show them her drivers license. She was 21
years old, and in that license, there were no rabbit ears on her picture either.

Our group leaders good at making these things.

Mana seems to have forged it. Using magic, it was possible to fool even modern
technology and reproduce it.

Well, the rest is all according to procedure.

Mana used her wand to locate the presence of magic. It seems her wand would point
her to the direction of the closest magical presence, but it could only point to the rough
direction. Still, it was better than nothing.

7753 looked outside from the front of the passengers seat, although the wand indicated
the direction, it wont tell the distance. That is to say, they needed to use 7753s magical
goggles to look around. Although their target may be lurking inside a building, that
wasnt a reason not to use the goggles.

She needs a bit of ingenuousness when setting her parameters for her goggles. If their
target detransformed, it would be impossible to find and talk to them. She set her
goggles to scan for Number of Magical Girls killed. She prioritized finding people who
acted suspiciously, if she saw someone running for example, shed use her goggles to
look at them.

Ripple was supposed to be her charge. However, her Magical Skill of Always hitting
with her Shuriken seemed way too strong, even just listening to it. 7753 was a little
shocked to learn that she was a Child of Clamberry. The Magical Girls sent to 7753
didnt usually have the possibility be problematic. However, she was a very powerful
and had a large possibility of being problematic.

Hana didnt take any pride in her fighting abilities, but she wasnt weak. Thats why she
and Mana were the leaders of this investigation in the first place. Indeed, even though
her Magical Skill was auxilliary, its effects were amazing. However, her Magical Skill
only reached 3 meters in radius, so there were some constraints. 7753 should pay
attention to that.

An one more. 7753 looked out of the window. She couldnt see the moon or the stars.
The sky was covered in black. Its November, so the nights were long. Outside the
window, it was cold. Mao Pam was flying outside by herself in the cold night sky. It was
possible for her to fly at high speed, she had eyes in the sky and the ground, even if
they were attacked from above, she could intercept them, she had the speed to rush in.
In short, it was possible for her to do anything.

Just before Mao Pam flew above, 7753s boss requested her to Find out Mao Pams
combat abilities... So 7753 fearfully asked Mao Pam, and because Pam politely
obliged, 7753 confirmed Mao Pams combat ability using her goggles, and instantly,
countless numbers of hearts filled her display, the intense light burning her eyes.
Whats wrong? asked Mao Pam, 7753 could only reply, Thats amazing.
Now, even with Hana enhancing her vision, Mao Pam was flying at an altitude where it
was difficult to see. Perhaps because of Mana, or because it was easier to look down
from the sky. She didnt know which. It may have been either.

It doesnt seem that this group had any weaknesses, did it? That small feeling gradually
grew bigger. If they got in a fight, 7753 didnt think she could contribute, their priority
would be divising their roles. Just because she couldnt fight doesnt mean shes
completely useless. For now, she had to do her best to scout outside the car window.
She targeted anyone that came within her sight one by one, the status screen changed
as fast as the blink of an eye, but with a Magical Girls vision, she could easily read
them.

The car was driving 10 km/h below the speed limit. Since there werent many cars on
the road, traffic wasnt a problem. After they reached a T-Junction, they turned left,
proceeding to a place with brown rice fields, from there, they turned left again and went
down the mountain roads swiveling through the reservoir.

They really didnt know where they were headed down this bad stretch of road.

Hey Where exactly are we going?

Someone asked, without any feeling or tone. From the backseat, 7753 replied with a
slight, Huh? Hana interceded from the drivers seat.

Since were moving according to the wand, we have to do it this way. Since it only
roughly tells us where to go, sometimes Ill have to take some detours. Not even I know
where were going, actually, were just aiming for a general direction.

Ah, I see.

Its a pretty primitive method, but its the best weve got right now, so

Hey, you need to focus.

The voice from the backseat seemed to get crankier, 7753 scratched her head. On the
backseat, was Mana sitting next to Ripple. The fact that theres someone of high rank
whos in a bad mood sitting nearby would put anyone in a position of pressure.
Concentration is one of a Magical Girls selling points. If you guys mess her up there,
what do you thinks gonna happen, huh?

Ah, shes finally getting involved. 7753 sighed in her heart.

Ah, look, a convenience store.

Hana pointed forward. There was a convenience store just ahead. Its parking lot was as
wide as the rice fields.

Buying a midnight snack? But shouldnt we think of the time?

No, its fine. Ill go alone. Ill be back soon.

They parked the car. Mana gave a signal not to be alarmed and left the car. 7753
breathed out a sigh. She was finally able to relax.

My apologies.

Hana clasped her hand together and lowered her head. She was smiling a bit bitterly.

Shes really not a bad person. Its just easy to misunderstand her for one.

She was probably talking about Mana, 7753 in a hurry shook her head.

Ah, no, no, thats not what I was thinking!

7753 probably gave off that kind of attitude. Hana probably found a convenience store
for that reason. Maybe 7753 was disturbing them.

Shes very eager about her job. Shes very serious, and Im sure she doesnt think ill of
you as long as we do the right thing. Its just that, this time shes a little swept in by
her mood, thats all, so my apologies.

Ah, no need. Its just a misunderstanding.

You should see Mana when shes drunk. Its usually hard for people to get along with
her, but when shes drunk, she gets along with everyone and is kinda cute too.
Rather than talking about someone who should be her boss, Hana seemed to be talking
as if she was her sister. Her rabbit ears under her hoodie seemed to be moving, and
she had a small smile, something that 7753 thought was very pleasant.

Oh, sometimes she curses too Excuse her for that, 7753-San, Ripple.

Thats fine, we dont mind that.

Im serious. She really isnt a bad person. Even now, no other person thinks about
Magical Girls as much as her.

Thinking about Magical Girls?

Yeah

Suddenly, 7753 felt that feeling of incompatibility once again. Speaking of Magical Girls,
Magical Girls dont need midnight snacks. Manas costume and appearance didnt even
seem Magical Girl-like. In terms of being a Magical Girl, its as if Mana wasnt a Magical
Girl at all.

Mana, is she not a Magical Girl?

Thats right, Mana isnt a Magical Girl, shes a Mage Did you just notice?

Hana replied with a surprised voice. 7753 felt embarrassed. If she didnt ask, she
wouldve never noticed. Today, the gears in her head were probably moving slower than
usual, she thought to herself, looking for an excuse.

Oh my gosh, Im so sorry, I didnt know, oh I feel so embarrassed right now

But couldnt you figure it out using your Magical Skill, 7753-San?

Oh, um. If I dont need to, I wont use it, I always keep that in mind. If I scanned anyone
other than trainees, itll be rude, and if I do use it, I always ask for their permission first,
so sorry!

Hana turned from a surprised face to an amazed face, then she turned from an amazed
face to a happy face, and finally smiled.
Wow, youre a good person too, 7753-San

No, no, Im not!

She just didnt want people being angry and hating her. Shes had a principal of being a
bit more timid than anyone. To say that shes a good person, that description best fits
Hana, who shed be willing to follow along with.

Also. Could you not call me 7753-San, please?

I shouldnt?

Yeah, its weird. Nanakosan-San. 7753 is fine. If you call me by that, Id be really
grateful.

Really, it seems like Im belittling you if I do that

No, its a good name!

Hmm, but still

No, please

No, no, I insist

They heard another funny noise from the backseat, 7753 and Hana looked behind
them. Ripple was laughing, and she held her head down, muttering, Sorry, sorry. Her
cheeks were blushing red.
______________________________________________________________________

Kuru-Kuru Hime (Remaining Time: 20 Hours, 5 Minutes)

Its nearly 8 PM. After parting with her students, Nozomi was given an address to head
to, an apartment. Everyone shouldve gathered there, but there was only Toko in the
room. She was on the table, sitting atop a table coaster.

Wheres everyone else?

Theyre off playing outside. When a human gets amazing powers, its only natural that
theyd wanna test it out, right? Even if its just moving their bodies, you wouldnt believe
how happy that could make a person.

Even though she looked like a cute Fairy, she had a sly sarcastic smile.

Theyre kids, and kids will be kids, am I right? Usually being a Magical Girl is something
dimwitted kids wanna do. An adult being a Magical Girl, now thats rare

Toko looked up.

Theyre very rare

You mean, people like me?

If someone becomes a Magical Girl, it means they also accepted something like that in
their heart

I dont think I remember doing that

Doesnt have to be consciously accepting it.

Toko sharpened her smile and stared outside the window. Toko looked like an adult
taking these kids as fools, and although that made her angry, in reality, even Nozomi
thought that, more than anyone, even more than Nozomi, Tokos expression seemed
the most mature.

Hey, Toko.

Hm?

You say shes an Evil Witch, but what did she do that made her evil?

Oh, you dont have to worry about that. You see it in Fairy Tales, Young Adult novels,
comic books, you should read those. Basically, she did things that Evil Witches do
there.
She didnt turn around when she said that. She talked as if she was just casually spitting
it out. As she thought, Toko was an adult. Nozomi placed her baggage on the sofa and
got out of the room.

Before Nozomi returned to the school, it seemed that Tokos mood got better. But
actually, instead of Toko being a good mood, it seems that she just got calmer than
before.

______________________________________________________________________

After finishing their first battle, the new Magical Girls who repelled the enemy returned
to the Science Lab while avoiding any witnesses.

Since they werent able to completely annihilate their enemies, Toko continued to be
angry, meanwhile the students were discussing about their current situation without
fear. Since these Magical Girls werent listening to any of her arguments, that only
fueled Tokos anger further. Toko continued to shout out unintelligible words, for a
moment, they could hear Tokos furious voice from the rooftops. With her violent voice,
she wasnt shy about throwing away her dignity, she seemed more like a stranger than
a Fairy.

Although Toko, who came back afterwards, wasnt angry anymore, she was in a bad
mood.

Toko said that she was contacted by her collaborators, and revealed what they said. A
spherical barrier had been built surrounding B-City, with the Evil Witchs powers, it was
easy to do that, and now their movements were restricted for 24 hours.

You guys shouldve beaten them faster.

Toko didnt try to hide her crankiness, and although Nozomi was depressed, Captain
Grace confidently said Dont worry, next time Ill beat em up for sure! While Wedin
happily said Calm down, we have to make a plan first. Rain Pou positively said, So,
basically, not even our enemies can escape for 24 hours, even Postarie made a
positive remark, saying If I use my Magical Skill, we can chase down our enemies for
sure! Nozomi The Magical Girl Kuru-Kuru Hime, comforted the only other Magical
Girl who was unsure about this, Funny Trick. Just because she had common sense, it
doesnt mean theyll be rescued.
Including Toko, all of them consulted on what to do.

Its getting late, itll be better if we gathered up somewhere, right?

Its fine if we practice our powers or discuss our plan of action, but we need a lookout.
Dont forget that our enemies will be looking for us.

Just scream, if youre attacked, let us know by making a loud noise!

If you think about it, thats actually a good thing to do when the enemy attacks

Right? But hm, if we stay transformed, then theyll have an easier time finding us.

So should we detransform?

Cant I just be the one that stays transformed?

Umi-Chan, dont be selfish

Captain Grace decided to offer a base of operations for the Magical Girl Corps. It was in
the outskirts of the city, in an old apartment with no one living there. She seemed to
have inherited it from her grandfather.

Everyone hurried there, first attempting to understand their magical powers. They
exchanged information to each other. They moved out, contacting their houses. Nozomi
also moved out herself, and after handling some processing information at school, she
rejoined them.

The students separated from Nozomi, and she remembered what happened when her
mother collapsed a few years ago.

At that time, Nozomi left her job to care for her mother. Her father had the policy of not
leaving her mothers care to hospitals, something Nozomi didnt have. Even if she asked
for nursing visits, it wouldnt happen. Either her father or Nozomi had to quit their job.
Comparing their salaries, her father who worked at the government, as well as the
ability to nurse people, which her father didnt know, it was better for Nozomi to quit her
job instead.
Nozomi never regretted her choice. However, if her mother never fell ill, she thought,
she would hate herself a little for thinking that. If her mother hadnt collapsed, could
Nozomi have married this one person? There was someone that she thought about, but
ever since her mother collapsed, the opportunity to meet them began to decline, and
soon they never talked with each other and parted ways.

Her father was still healthy, but he hasnt been talking much. If her father also collapsed,
then Nozomi had to be the only one to nurse him. When she was nursing her mother,
her father didnt want to entrust her to the hospital, as she felt that her mother was his
responsibility, and similarly, Nozomi also held feelings of being grateful for being raised
by him.

Becoming a Magical Girl, it was similar to when her mother collapsed. Her time was
finite, and with the limited time she had, she had to put her hands to good use,
sacrificing her personal time so that things can go back to normal. When she was taking
care of her mother, she consulted with her father, and they worked together. But being a
Magical Girl? Theres no way she could even hope to work together with her father.
Even if Toko said A world crisis is approaching, Nozomi returned to the school
Science Lab alone.

______________________________________________________________________

When she went to the apartment roof, she saw the students gathering together, all
trying out and discussing their Magical Skills. They were still continuing to do that.
People were probably going to get used to them as seeing some beautiful girls in
strange costumes having a party. Nozomi decided to join in. She looked for a space to
stand in between them. Finally, they realized something.

Didnt you say that we should detransform?

Everyone was sitting around transformed

Ah, that and some other things.

Other things?

One of us would rather not detransform, itll be inconvenient for her

Inconvenient how?
Its Mei

The Arabian-style girl raised her hand, disappearing on the spot.

Hey, teach. Look at this

Captain Grace pulled her sleeves and lowered her line of sight. Where Tepsekemei
was, there was something in her place. Wait, not a thing as in an object, but something
alive.

Huh?

She saw an animal. There was no mistaking that it was the Science Labs tortoise
and as she thought of that, the tortoise disappeared. Tepsekemei reappeared again.

If Tepsekemei detransforms, she wont be able to communicate, and her intelligence

will be severely decreased Thats why Umi-Chan decided that its better that
everyone stayed transformed, but

Funny Trick explained the situation, but from her expression, its clear she was
frantically trying to follow with the mood, Nozomi knew that. Nozomi kneaded her fingers
between her eyes. Now that she knew that magic transcends common sense, itll be
bad if she kept being surprised at this point. She hadnt noticed the difference between
the number of girls before they transformed and the number of Magical Girls there were
now. Either way, Tepsekemei was a wonderful companion. She felt bad for her if
Nozomi exaggerated her surprise.

Right well, lets move on. What were we talking about?

We were talking about each of our powers

Ah, right! Then Ill also tell you mine.

I made a simple note just a little while ago.

Wedin (2-D, Mine Musubiya) Seals promises. Physical abilities not high.
Captain Grace (2C, Umi Shihabara) Summons a pirate ship. Equipment can be taken
out of ship. Excellent physical ability and speed.

Tepsekemei (Egyptian Tortoise, Mei) Assimilates with the wind. Physical abilities not so
good, but is fast. Can fly.

Funny Trick (2C, Kayo Nemura) Transfers the positions of two hidden objects. Physical
abilities high.

Postarie (1B Tatsuko Sakaki) Grows wings on objects and makes them fly to their
owner. Physical abilities low.

Rain Pou (1B Kaori Ninotsugi) Makes rainbow bridges. Physical abilities moderate.

Kuru-Kuru Hime (Language Teacher Nozomi Himeno) ?

This seemed to be the Class President. The one who the teachers could relax and
depend on. Nozomi wrote down her Magical Skill on the blank piece of paper, and
transformed into Kuru-Kuru Hime.

Manipulating ribbons was Kuru-Kuru Himes Magical Skill, if she timed it well, she
could use it to help her move around, helping her jump between building to building.
Leaping forward, stretching her ribbons in the air. Wrapping around the edges of the
buildings or wires, pulling herself closer. By doing this, she could extend her jumping
distance, and also reduced the time she took to travel. She could also use her ribbons
to bind her enemies. She would wrap their entire body with her ribbons. She tried
wrapping it around Wedin, also known as Mine Musubiya pre-Magical Girl. Wedin tried
to move her arms, but it seems that it couldnt break through the ribbons. A Magical
Girls arm strength was extraordinary, yet these ribbons could endure even them. I see,
they cant even move, said Wedin in a cool tone.

This is the kind of Magical Skill that youd see in an erotic game or manga

Why does an underaged girl like you know about those things?

Its just common sense

Id prefer if you discard that kind of common sense, if you please!

She thought Wedin was a serious girl. She was a lot more casual as a Magical Girl,
Nozomi had to be careful not to be too casual with her. Nozomis dignity as a teacher
collapsed, and faded away. It was doubtful that Nozomi even had dignity to begin with.
Whenever Wedin uses her Sealing Promises Magical Skill, no matter how lighthearted
the promise was, if you made a promise to her, you had to keep it. If you said I wont hit
you, to Wedin, then when you moved your hands to do so, you would feel numbness in
your hands, being unable to move it.

Thats a scary power

Of course, it symbolizes the fearsome bonds of marriage.

Why does an underage girl like you say things like that?

Its just common sense

Id prefer if you discard that kind of common sense, if you please!

While they were talking to themselves, Captain Grace, who was sitting on the edge of
the rooftop, got out.

Yknow, since we became Magical Girls, dont you think our names shouldve
matched? A theme, yknow? Fruits, or colors, or elements, fire, water, earth, wind? If we
matched up, itll make us look more like teammates right?

Wedin, Captain Grace, Funny Trick, Postarie, Tepsekemei. In terms of unity, its as if
they were all protagonists of their own story. Their names and their outfits completely
clashed, especially Kuru-Kuru Hime, whose name could really be translated as Clumsy
Princess.

Being decorated in pretty ribbons made her feel like there was an inconsistency with her
name. If Nozomi got to name herself, then shed pay attention to the students names,
and also give herself a fancier name.

She asked Toko, Why did you give me a name like this? and Toko replied, Eh, my
inspiration went downhill, while folding her arms in her chest. She blamed the smiling
palm-sized Fairy in her hand, Can I even change this? she asked again, Youd need a
connection with some higher-ups for that, replied Toko, basically telling her, not in your
wildest dreams.

Wedin shrugged her shoulders, ironically smiling.

I mean, Id say it fits us, dont you think? Even without a sense of unity, its not wrong to
think that were a ragtag group of people who joined together, right?

Rain Pou refuted it,

Thats not true! Were all students and friends that go to the same school.

No, we dont all need to be friends or trust each other, right?

Wedin lightly nodded.

Well, we dont need to match, after all.

Are you sure we shouldnt just match?

Kuru-Kuru Hime didnt think what Grace was saying was wrong. The long-running TV
series Star Queen had their Magical Girls united by their names, which were all related
to constellations. Each person had their own constellation, and used special moves
related to it. Meanwhile, the Cutie Healer series was a series where they always had
new Magical Girls every season. Even though the motif changes each season, every
Magical Girl team always had the same united theme.

Wedin placed her fingers between her eyes, and then she gasped a bit. Perhaps she
thought that she still had glasses on, forgetting that they disappeared when she
transformed, and tried to readjust them.

Are we even Magical Girls in the first place?

Huh? Of course were Magical Girls. Toko said so, didnt she?

I dont think were properly Magical Girls.

Modern Japanese girls (and one animal) given mysterious powers and cute outfits by a
Fairy from the Land of Magic. Moreover, even the Fairy called them Magical Girls.
Theres no reason for them to not be Magical Girls.

Funny Trick placed her fingers on her chin.

Whether thats true or not For now, its simpler to think were Magical Girls.

Toko explained it too, and Ive tried various experiments myself. As expected, my
physical abilities were remarkably enhanced. Were not Magical Girls, were Pretty
Warrior Girls. Were more like Battle Heroines, right?

Kuru-Kuru Hime could only tilt her head, responding with a solid Huh?

Pretty Warrior Girls are a different genre than Magical Girls, right?

Are they really different?

But we have magical powers

The source of our powers isnt relevant. Whether its ninjutsu, or science, in a Magical
Girl series, anything can work.

But both Star Queen and Cutie Healer are Magical Girls!

No. Star Queen and Cutie Healer are Pretty Warrior Girls, not Magical Girls.

Wedin spoke. She said that Magical Girl characters main thing is to bring their magic to
their day-to-day life, and should clearly be distinguished from the allies and enemies of
Pretty Warrior Girls, who have powers and abilities close to magic.

If you include even other genres into Magical Girls, then thats the sign of just being an
arrogant Magical Girl fan.

She was gripping her fists until they were red, talking while scoffing, far from the cool
image of the Student Council Mine Musubiya. The candle flame decorating Wedins veil
burnt up. Did that candle reflect the mental state of the user?

For the majority of battle action characters, theres no rule that says they have to keep
their identities and magical powers a secret. Is someone a Magical Girl just because
they go to a Wizarding School? What about an Elf whos curious about the human world
and comes out of the forest? Is that Elf a Magical Girl? Theyre not, right? These girls
arent Magical Girls. Similarly, Pretty Warrior Girls arent Magical Girls.
Um But, you see, even if they dont use magic in their everyday lives, there are
characters with Magical Girl motifs, right?

Funny Trick pushed in with a small objection. Wedin quickly pushed back.

Thats what you would call a character with a Magical Girl motif. Its not the actual
character for example, do you believe everyone with an Oda Nobunaga motif is
actually Oda Nobunaga? Theyre not.

Captain Grace furrowed her lower lip, she was clearly frustrated. It was easy to predict
that shes going to be trouble if left alone, so Kuru-Kuru Hime followed up.

But there are also shows that have Magical Girl in the title, right?

No, Ms. Himeno. Like I said, theyre only using Magical Girl motifs, theyre not actually
Magical Girls.

Wedin cleared her throat, And besides, she continued.

Although Cutie Healer and Star Queen do have unified names, that kind of unified
naming style is not a Magical Girl trait, it is in fact a Sentai Team trait. Both series arent
even related to Sentai. Meaning, even if we dont have any relations, were still Pretty
Warrior Girls, understand?

...Oh my god, youre all a bunch of nerds.

Captain Grace interrupted the conversation. With one word, Grace attacked Wedins
entire theory. Grace glared at Wedin. While Wedin was looking at Graces frightful
appearance, she was also glaring back. Funny Trick pulled on Graces sleeves, but
Grace shoved it off, Rain Pou raised her eyebrow, Postarie just looked nervous.

Kuru-Kuru stood up, clapping her palms together.

Right, well, lets end the argument here. Next, were going to try collaborating!

She tried to blow off the bad mood, even though she couldnt. Still, shell give
instructions and guide the kids on where to go, and surely theyll follow.

Wait, Ms. Himeno

Wedin raised her hand.

Before we do that, theres something we have to decide first.

...And what would that be?

Wedins long-hemmed skirt began to flow as she stood up, and she spread out both
arms.

We have to decide who our Leaders going to be!

The topic was who should be the leader? After Captain Grace and Wedin debated,
they decided that the leader will be decided by popular vote, and with a 1 vote
difference, Wedin became the group leader.

Whatever happens, follow my lead, okay? instructed Wedin. No one reacted since
they didnt think much about it, but after repeating it three times, everyone started to
notice, some people were nervous, some people were disgusted, some people agreed,
some people nodded expressionlessly.

For now, everyone was calm. Something poked Kuru-Kurus shoulder, and looking
back, she saw Tepsekemei floating with an expressionless face.

In the end, what will Mei have?

Kuru-Kuru didnt understand the meaning of the question, and if she didnt understand
the question, she couldnt answer. Kuru-Kuru simply replied, Your own strength.

______________________________________________________________________

Captain Grace (Remaining Time: 18 Hours, 52 Minutes)

Captain Grace, or Umi Shihabara had a secret base.

The phrase of a secret base does sound like something a pirate would have, but in
reality, it didnt look like something a pirate would find themselves in, it wasnt a
submarine cave, it used to be a building built around cheap slums. Its been standing
here for a long time, and no one lived here anymore. Since the area itself was
uncomfortable, even if they renovated this place, they werent sure if new tenants would
show up. Its similar to bulldozing it and making into a parking lot.

Speaking of which, when her grandfather asked why Umi would want it, Umi said For a
secret retreat. The legal ownership was then transferred to Umi.

A long time ago, they brought in some household furniture to make it easier for her to
live in. They also brought in keys, and they even had running water. Even if it looks like
a mess, Umi still thought itd make for a good house. As a Magical Girl hideout, it was
somewhat unsatisfactory, but hey, what can you do.

After their discussion, they finished showing each other their Magical Skills, and they
decided to have 1 hour of breaktime. Grace and Funny Trick sat across a mahogany
table facing each other. On top of the table, there was a pair of coffee cups and
saucers. This was Captain Graces Magical Skill, To summon a ship that can move at
hypersonic speed on water, she just took out the equipment from the ship. Since the
ship was quite large, they had to find a place to summon it. After all the students had
gone home, Grace stored the ship on the school sports field. She pulled out everything
from one end of the ship to the other. All of the ships equipments were Magical Items,
so even against a Magical Girls powers, it will never break.

Hey, listen, said Funny Trick with an uneasy expression.

Whats up?

Earlier today, could you not do that again?

Do what again?

Arguing with Wedin

Hey, she started it!

Hmph, scoffed Grace. Kayos always like this since elementary school. She tended to
object to the more hotheaded Umi, she was the one to hold her back. Although she was
a great partner, sometimes shes a little timid. She didnt have to be like Umi, but she
could at least be a little stronger.
She just wants to show off cause she got a little stronger is all. She said shes the
leader, but its not even official. Shes good at looking like an idiot.

Look, maybe you should just try to get along with her.

Or maybe I should just knock some sense into her, just once

There you go again, just stop, okay?

Captain Grace drank some hot milk, slamming the cup down on the table. Since it was a
cup made for Magical Girls, there was no way it would break. It seems her prediction
was correct, and on the mahogany table, there was a dent about the same shape as the
cup where it was slammed. Grace used a smaller voice now, slowly lowering her cup.

Kayo, is there something you wanna tell me?

No, thats not what Im trying to say

Even though Kayo was timid, shed follow Umi wherever she went. Thats why she was
her partner. She hasnt changed since she first met her in the library during Elementary,
reading adventure books together.

Then next time, just follow my lead okay? You wont regret it, and I wont make us lose
at all.

______________________________________________________________________

Postarie (Remaining Time: 18 Hours, 40 Minutes)

Next to Tatsuko was Kaori, and next to Kaori, was one more girl, the Wedding Dress
Magical Girl.

The three of them were sitting on the rooftop of the apartment.

All done, please take a look!

On the cover of the college notebook was a large 1. When she opened it, she saw some
small letters arranged neatly.
 Physical Power Enhancement
Night Vision
Enhanced Senses
Does not need to excrete
Does not need to eat
Does not need to sleep
Unusual Endurance
Will transform into a beautiful girl
These are the characteristics of a Magical Girl.

Should not be seen in public

Should not reveal their true identities
Keep Tokos speech a secret
These are the rules of a Magical Girl.

There were also some smaller numbers written together.

Her writing was good. Sometimes it looked a bit nervous. Aside from one letter, she had
a tendency to write to the upper right.

These are all the merits weve got

Postarie looked up from the notes and towards Wedin. Contrary to her bridal costume,
which wouldve suggested a happy person, she seemed more like an objective
storyteller. Her Magical Skill of Sealing any promises made sounds pretty objective too.

I made Toko promise something. For each one of us she turned into Magical Girls,
were allowed to become Magical Girls for life. With these merits, then theres more pros
than there are cons in our real lives. Also, Ive been thinking about the poses we should
use, do you guys have any ideas? We should convey the feeling of Magical Girls,
without being too bizarre, of course. I was thinking, since there are 7 of us, we can use
our numbers to express our beauty, dont you think so?

Sure

Rain Pou kept saying stuff like, Mhmm or Yep, never objecting to Wedin. After she
left, Rain Pou just let out a small sigh.

______________________________________________________________________
Well then

After parting with Wedin, Rain Pou and Postarie found Mei in front of the apartment, just
down the road. The girl with the Arabian Dancer costume seemed as translucent as
gas, they could see the front of the apartment through her body.

Rain Pou and Postarie wants to know Meis Magical Skill?

Yep. Show us what you can do

Compared to the other girls, Tepsekemeis degree of exposure was the top. While other
Magical Girls might be called cute or cool, the first impression youd have of
Tepsekemei would be erotic. Thats what Postarie thought.

Shes also the Magical Girl with the least amount of social skills. She never changed her
facial expressions, nor has she ever smiled. She doesnt get angry, she doesnt get sad,
she doesnt reveal what she feels inside. If she gathered along with these young girls,
its hard to judge her. Still, Tepsekemei was not sociable, she talks in third person, her
attitude was casual, even when something interesting happened, she seemed bored.

These kinds of girls often stick out. Postarie knows it, shes had at least 10 years of
painful experience with it. Even though Tepsekemei wasnt human to begin with, even
from Postaries point of view, she seemed a bit empty in the head, and not in the
physical sense because of her wind powers.

Since Mei became a Magical Girl, Meis figured it out

The wind blew, Tepsekemeis figure began to shake.

Mei is Mei. But Meis body is not Meis body. But Mei is Mei.

Postarie looked at Rain Pous expression. While she had a smile, Postarie was sure she
was thinking the same thing she did, a big giant question mark.

Er, what do you mean, exactly?

Since Mei was born, Mei could never crawl upwards from the depths of hell. Mei didnt
notice how painful hell was. Now Mei noticed.
When Mei changed her appearance to gas again, she passed through a pillar, turning it
rusty, her gaseous body had water droplets, like in a raincloud, she made a cardboard
box crumple when she passed through it. Crunch, they heard a small noise, and at the
same time, the cardboard box ripped and scattered.

Mei knows now that Mei can do things like these. Mei cant break anything too thick,
though.

Tepsekemei passed through a gutter, and burst it from the inside.

Mei can do this

5 Tepsekemeis appeared, and soon they became 10.

Mei can use this to surprise the enemy

The 10 Tepsekemeis fused. They became one giant Tepsekemei.

Mei can revert back

She placed her index finger on her forehead, and a sound accompanied her as she
reverted back to her original size.

Mei can shoot air

She stretched out her arms 5 times, taking a broken piece of the gutter, then she threw
it away.

With her hands imitating a gun, Pop! The piece of the gutter bounced away.

Try to hit Mei

Huh? Me? asked Rain Pou confused, pointing to herself.

Hit Mei

What, no, you cant just say things like that

Its okay

But

Rain Pou scratched the back of her head with her right hand, shooting a weak smile in
Postaries direction, then she suddenly launched a punch towards Tepsekemei with her
left fist. The sudden movement made Postarie gasp with surprise, the punched
Tepsekemei seemed to transform into an amorphous-like creature. Rain Pous arm was
entangled inside of her, when Tepsekemei began to regain her shape, she extended
her right arm and elbow stretched out extremely far. Tepsekemei then threw down Rain
Pou, before pressing her down on the ground.

Tepsekemei helped Rain Pou, who had been skillfully taken down, to her feet. Postarie
gave out a surprised voice as she clapped her hands, Rain Pou, who also got up, did
the same.

Amazing! Thats amazing!

I had no idea what just happened in the end there!

Both Rain Pou and Postarie were excited. Thats so cool! they kept saying to
Tepsekemei, as she turned around. Expressionless as alway, Tepsekemei looked in
their direction.

What are you two doing?

Rain Pou looked at Postarie, probably asking for some help. Postarie shook her head
lightly, not knowing what to do. They had no idea what Tepsekemeis question meant.

Did you not notice just now?

Er notice what?

Mei can do amazing things. Mei doesnt want to let go of them. Thats why Mei will
fight. Mei will use everything. That is the roots of Meis life. Mei is Mei. In order for Mei
to be Mei, Mei cant die. Mei is scared to die. Mei didnt know. But you two should know,
right?

Huh? Oh, sure, I guess?

Tepsekemei began to float in the air. Her eyes staring blankly into the distance. They
didnt even seem to be focused in the first place. Even though she blinked and her eyes
moved, it didnt feel like she was looking at anything. Her expressions and her eyes all
looked artificial.

Why? Why is it difficult to think?

She drifted in the air, becoming like the wind and drifting off into the mountains. Rain
Pou and Postarie couldnt seem to stop her as she passed them by. Indeed, there was
a fundamental racial difference between the two of them. Something Postarie didnt
understand.

______________________________________________________________________

Wedin (Remaining Time: 18 Hours, 22 Minutes)

Her information gathering was at a satisfactory level, she thought itd be good to
continue on. Wedin put down her pen. She reread her notes. This information should be
useful for cooperating in battles.

The problem was sharing the information. Kuru-Kuru Hime, originally her teacher, easily
remembered it. Rain Pou also quickly understood, Postarie did as well, since she
followed her around all the time.

The problem was the remaining 3, Captain Grace doesnt like to think of details. Funny
Trick was always together with her, making it impossible to talk with her alone. Finally,
Tepsekemei may listen, but itd be hard for her to understand.

Funny Tricks Magical Skill is to Exchange two hidden objects, Captain Graces Magical
Skill is A ship that travels at hypersonic speed. When it comes to Graces ship, she
usually uses the furniture inside rather than the ship itself, at least when it comes to the
ground.

Understood

Well, what about your Magical Skill?

To eat the air.

......Thats a little different, lets try again. Alright, whats Funny Tricks Magical Skill?

Whos Funny Trick?

Okay! One more time from the beginning

Her intelligence level would be called idiotic by people who wanted to insult her,
monkeybrained so to speak. However, even when compared to a monkey, Tepsekemei
couldnt even reach its level before she transformed, she had an uncrossable barrier.

Its not that she doesnt want to remember. For now it just seems like she couldnt
remember. What were the things she could remember? There were clearly things she
can remember, but there were also things she couldnt.

Wedin is the leader

Thats right

Why?

It was decided based on democracy

But Wedin is weak

...Even if you think that, you shouldnt speak it out loud. Speaking of which, how come
you cant remember anyone else, but you remember my name perfectly fine?

Because you are Wedin?

Wedin held her head. As Student Council (which her teachers prided her for), shes
taught her classmates whos had lower grades before. But those kids were humans,
and since the school was a private school, the only ones who could enter were those
kids with some academic talent.

Her current study partner now was, at least until yesterday, a simple tortoise. Shes
even fed her a couple of times before. She thought she was cute. However, she never
thought shed be teaching her on an equal level.
...Because shes a tortoise.

What do you even teach a tortoise?

She was more intelligent since the time she was a tortoise. She could communicate and
understand the human language, and shes clearly not on a tortoises level. Regardless
of what shes thinking, she clearly has a habit of self-learning.

Grace was different. She didnt have the motivation to learn, nor did she want to. Her
Magical Skill was especially versatile to her allies, she could either support, attack, or
take charge of a battle, if she could just collaborate with everyone else, shed be
extremely useful in a huge fight.

When Wedin looked up, she saw a terrifying expression, beast-like fangs staring
straight into her face. Wedin hurriedly walked backwards, stepping on her veil and
falling on her butt.

Wh-Why did you do that? If youre dissatisfied with me, you should just let me know

Tepsekemei tilted her head while messing with her teeth.

But Mei was smiling.

Thats not how you smile!

How do you smile?

So she didnt know how to smile? Now that she thought about it, tortoises didnt have
facial muscles to express emotions. They said there was a phenomenon that sea turtles
would shed tears after they lay their eggs, that was for salt discharge, not because they
were sad or in pain.

Um, alright. First, you raise your face up.

Like this?

No, thats too scary. You have to use your cheeks.

Like this?
No, no, still not right. Alright, Im going to help you, so remember these positions
okay?

Wedin touched Tepsekemeis face, she moved her eyebrows, and moved her cheeks.
When Wedins fingertips touched Tepsekemeis cheeks, she felt softness. A Magical
Girls skin was fine and smooth.

It tickles

Patience, this will only take a while

She was able to make a shape that somehow looked like a smile. Wedin stepped back
halfway, looking at Tepsekemeis face from various angles. Although it was a little hard,
she had a good looking smile.

Right, just remember this kind of expression.

Before Wedin finished saying that sentence, Tepsekemeis expression changed back to
normal. Tepsekemei looked up at the sky, Theyre here, she muttered, then she
disappeared.

At the same time, Thump, someone else landed on the rooftop of the apartment. She
had a Katana, hand sleeves, and one of her eyes was slashed out with a big scar. Her
hair was decorated with a giant Shuriken, and she had a matching costume, she looked
like someone you would call a Ninja.