Tea Party with Magical Girls (with a Demon hitching a ride)
Jeanne opened the door and entered the tea party venue together.
It’s been a while since I’ve come here, but is Kaede not here…?
“Inie, please sit in the same place as last time.”
“Understood.”
Those present are ranked 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 9th. Also, Jeanne who entered together is ranked 8th.
This is my first meeting with Fleur, ranked 6th. We fought once in a simulation, but that doesn’t count since it was just data. As for Peach Princess, ranked 3rd, it’s not exactly our first meeting, but it feels almost like one.
As expected, Arongante ranked 9th has dark circles again. I don’t know what they’ve been doing, but if this person collapses, Japan might be in trouble, right?
As usual, I sat in the guest seat and the demon emerged from within me, removing its hood to perch on my head.
…It’s surprisingly heavy.
“Shall we start? First, could we do introductions?”
“That sounds good. It’s not fair that I know everything about you and you nothing about me. My name is Demon. I’m the adversary of witches and the one who turned this child into a magical girl.”
There wasn’t much of a reaction, and Thalagong silently nodded.
“So, who are you and what can you do?”
“We are called Arcana. To put it simply, we’re beings akin to the Tarot cards. Though, unlike the number of Tarot cards, only four of us remain, including myself.”
The High Priestess, The Sun, The Lovers, and The Devil.
I’m not sure of the details, but these four were correct, weren’t they? Since Arcana rarely talk about themselves, it’s easy to forget such things.
“What exactly are these Arcana?”
“They search for those capable of fighting witches, contract with the consent of the magical girls, and ask them to fight. There’s also information gathering and hacking barriers. Additionally, we can temporarily grant powers exceeding Enhanced Form.”
Thalagong raised their hand mid-conversation, interrupting.
“…If I’m mistaken, please correct me, but are there multiple witches or perhaps multiple worlds?”
Did you catch the odd point in that conversation?
Impressive, as expected from Arongante, who handles administrative tasks.
“To be precise, there is one witch per world. We’ve fought witches across various worlds.”
“I’m surprised to hear about worlds beyond ours, but what do you mean by ‘remaining’?”
“To put it bluntly, it means we lost and died. This time, I’ll tell you because it’s a special situation: we’ve never defeated a witch. Not just a few times or dozens, but hundreds to thousands of times. Even with ten magical girls possessing the power Inie showed during the New Demon War, we still lost.”
Some have despaired and died, others formed attachments to their contractors and perished together. Some had their spirits broken or fled, resulting in only four of us remaining.
What a despairingly low number.
Moreover, among these, I am the only one contracted.
“What’s the point of saying all this? Are you suggesting we all die together because we can’t win?”
Peach Princess leaned her elbows on the table and laughed through her nose.
Demon maintained an unperturbed attitude but muttered, “Could you please get off my head already?”
“Anyway, Inie plans to defeat the witch, so I’d appreciate your cooperation. As it stands, even if we win, we might just die anyway.”
“That makes sense.”
Though I don’t intend to die, it’s probably better not to say anything rash. Besides, defeating the witch in this world won’t change the fact that witches exist in other worlds. That’s why I, NigoShiro, have taken up this contract.
This battle is merely the beginning.
So, stop tapping my forehead!
“First, I want you to understand two things: traditional magical girls cannot defeat witches, and destructive faction magical girls can grow stronger using special drugs.”
“If they use these drugs, how much stronger do they become?”
Fuller reacted for the first time after listening silently until now. Despite her soft appearance, her voice also felt somewhat fluffy. She seems unsuited for battle, yet she is incredibly strong…
The plants in the simulation gave me quite a hard time.
“For monsters, it ranges from B-class to S-Rank. For magical girls, from rank 100 to rankers. Currently, out of the nine members of the destruction faction, eight are ranker class without using the drug.”
“I see. If ranker class individuals take it, they would likely become untouchable, wouldn’t they?”
“Because of the side effects, they generally avoid using it, but ideally, if someone uses it, you should escape rather than fight. Although, in situations where the drug is used, escaping is usually impossible.”
Even Marin, who could handle S-class monsters, couldn’t stand against Blue Colette when she used the drug. Orneas too—there’s no way I could beat them in my normal state. Honestly, if there were no side effects, I’d want it too.
“Though this world has suddenly become more fantastical, is there any hope of victory? Surely you’re not suggesting we sacrifice Inie, are you?”
Thalagong glared at Demon.
Given our previous win rate of zero percent, such a plan couldn’t possibly exist. We weren’t even trying to win—we were running away!
What will Demon answer?
“To be honest, there’s practically no chance of winning. However, traveling through countless worlds, this contractor named Inie is exceptionally unique. With Inie, I believe there’s a possibility of victory.”
“Hmm. So, what do you expect from us?”
“To defeat the numbered members of the destruction faction. While it may be impossible alone, two of you together might stand a chance. If not, at least handling SS-class monsters would help.”
That seems reasonable.
While the witch herself remains unbeatable, perhaps the leaders—the numbered ones—can be beaten? Without the drugs, they’re definitely beatable, but once they take them, they become mere beasts.
“Two-on-one then. By the way, what happens if they haven’t taken the drug?”
“You should be able to handle it without much trouble.”
“So, the drugs are the real threat?”
Exactly, as Jeanne said, without the drugs, you can win. In fact, even against two opponents, it would be manageable.
“Also, the witch’s goal is humanity’s annihilation, achieved by releasing the sealed monsters in the Arctic.”
A killing intent radiates toward Demon. I feel the aftermath too, but is this why Demon stays on my head?
By the way, how does one emit killing intent? I’m curious.
“I mentioned this briefly to Jeanne, but in most worlds, witches release those monsters and destroy humanity. Eventually, Earth and the Fairy Realm become polluted with magic, making them uninhabitable.”
“Does that mean the witches themselves can’t survive either?”
“Yes. Unfortunately, since they aim only to destroy, there’s no room for negotiation. It’s kill or be killed. That’s the relationship between witches and us.”
Currently, we’re being slaughtered one-sidedly, but originally, that was supposed to be our relationship.
“Hmm. Summarizing, you’re asking us to handle the destruction faction while you deal with the witch, correct? And how much do you know about the Arctic situation?”
“We know more about that. But for now, ignore it. Once the witch is defeated, it won’t matter.”
“The Arctic… smells suspicious. I’ll ask Demon later.”
“Also, while it’s not immediate, I’ll modify the terminals so you can contact me directly. Right now, if captured by the witch’s barrier, communication would be impossible.”
“Understood. Is there anything else you need to tell us?”
“On our side, we only ask that you oppose the witch and target members of the destruction faction. You might be curious about other worlds or my superiors, but there are restrictions preventing me from sharing such information.”
Apparently, Demon knows the true identity of the witch, but due to those restrictions, they didn’t tell me last time. I’m also curious about the differences between worlds, but they aren’t saying anything.
Whether it’s an entirely different world or a parallel one with similar people and history remains unclear, but let’s save that curiosity for after defeating the witch.
“Oh!”
Just as I thought it was over, Demon clapped their hands and seemed to remember something.
“Please keep my existence limited to discussions within Japan’s rankers. It’s not ideal for the world to recognize me.”
“I’ll inform the absentees. If that concludes, I have a request for Inie. May I proceed?”
“This pertains to the organization Arongante is developing, right? Formally, joining is fine, but we’ll act independently.”
Ah, I recall hearing in the nap room that Arongante was creating an organization to take over the Magic Bureau. Though I rarely interact with the bureau, apparently, it was quite corrupt.
Most of the top brass have mostly died, but even some operators are involved in corruption in certain areas.
It’s tough work, but I hope Arongante continues their efforts.
“As far as I heard, this aligns with what we intended to request, so it’s fine. However, it would be helpful if you could visit our base later.”
Demon lightly tapped my head.
Ah, they want me to answer.
“Understood. Please provide the location later.”
“Hmm. If that concludes, I have one proposal?”
Just as I thought it was over, Peach Princess spoke up at the very end. Her smile somehow reminded me of Thalagong when we first met.
“From your stories, I understand you’re strong, but we must exchange blows at least once, right?”
Isn’t there an excessive number of bloodthirsty people in Japan?
Due to their professions or positions, they need to be strong, I understand, but compared to rankers from other countries, Japanese magical girls seem to generate more rumors.
Like Blade, who seeks out idle magical girls for training, or Thalagong, who forced several magical girls into retirement.
In non-combat roles, there’s Jeanne driving recovery magic users to near-neurotic states and Arongante, who’s too competent to escape paperwork.
And then there’s Kaede at the top, embodying sheer unfairness.
…Maybe exile isn’t such a bad idea after all.
“As for that, I don’t mind, but will it be regular Inie or unleashed Inie?”
“Naturally, I request the strongest form. As warriors, fighting weaker opponents holds no interest.”
Against magical girls, yes, but if I unleash Fool or Devil’s power, Demon might get upset. Normally, it’d be Fool or Devil’s released form without full liberation.
Personally, I don’t mind, but given that Demon hasn’t hit me on the head, they’re probably answering.
“Alright, but is it okay if everyone here becomes the opponent?”
“Should I interpret that as underestimating us?”
“Not at all. Simply put, our Arcana powers are incredibly potent. Talagon understands well what happens when it’s just Inie, right?”
Talagon has defeated me twice so far.
Without Arcana abilities, beating a ranker is still impossible.
But with Arcana abilities, it becomes overwhelming overkill.
With four of us—excluding Jeanne who isn’t combat-focused—it’s not unrealistic to defeat them within the time limit.
It’d be different if Kaede and Blade were here, but fortunately, they aren’t.
“To me, whether it’s one-on-one or four-on-one makes no difference. What do you say?”
“Considering your kind offer, accepting the challenge might be wise?”
“If scheduling permits, I’ll join the battle too.”
Both Fleur and Arongante agree.
Given Arongante’s dark circles, it can’t be today, but the same goes for me.
At minimum, I need three days to a week to rest properly before engaging in serious combat.
Talagon sighs, looking at everyone—especially Arongante—as if saying, “Here we go again.”
“Understood. Depending on the schedule, let’s aim for a week from now, shall we?”
“I’ll adjust accordingly.”
“Why am I completely sidelined? I’m useless in combat anyway, so I’ll just watch.”
Finally, Talagon announced the adjournment, officially ending the meeting.
Peach Princess and Jeanne leave immediately, presumably having more work to do.
I tried to leave too, but Talagon shot me a glance indicating I should stay.
Waiting silently is fine, but let’s heal Arongante’s dark circles while we’re here.
Though it feels a bit awkward to intrude on Talagon and Arongante’s conversation, let’s address the original purpose.
“Arongante-san”
“Hm? Is something wrong?”
“Would you like me to use recovery magic?”
“—Please. To be honest, I’m barely holding on.”
“I know it’s troublesome, but there’s no one else I can rely on except you.”
Just like in the school hallway, I cast recovery magic on Arongante.
The dark circles disappear, but fully restoring all fatigue seems impossible.
It’s not unfeasible, but letting her sleep and rest would be better.
Radical recovery can poison the body.
“Phew. Thank you. I feel much better.”
“Still, you’re far from fully recovered, so please take breaks occasionally.”
“I’ll manage. Honestly, if I had a sister like you, life would be easier…”
I noticed Arongante’s eyes slightly moistening but decided to pretend I didn’t see.
Whatever workload they’re handling must be immense if they can’t even find time to sleep.
“Unfortunately, Inie is my sister. Anyway, let’s proceed with monster handling as planned.”
“Understood. Please avoid acting alone. I’ll take my leave now.”
After bowing, Arongante departed.
I haven’t heard of magical girl burnout deaths, but if it happens, Arongante would likely be the first…
“Well, that’s settled. Let’s go home… Does Demon eat anything?”
“There’s no need to worry about me. If I want something, Inie will prepare it. I’ll take my leave now.”
Suddenly, the weight of Demon disappeared.
Seems like they’ve merged with me.
‘Since we’ve done what we needed to, I’ll focus on work for a bit. Don’t call me unless it’s urgent.’
(Acknowledged.)
Though I have many questions, none are urgent, so later will suffice.
“By any chance, were you merged all this time?”
“Except when I’m alone in my room, I’ve been merged. Also… No, never mind.”
Oops, mentioning entering the bath together might not be wise.
If I mention it, they might insist on joining next time.
Better left unsaid.
“That’s right. Let’s continue the discussion when we get home.”
My hand was gripped firmly enough to make sound effects.
Then, led by Talagon, I left the room.
Upon leaving, I glanced back to see Fleur still sitting there, smiling brightly.
