Chapter 117

The包围网 of the magical girl (isolated without support)

“It’s been a while, Inie.”

I had anticipated this since being captured by Thalagong, but I’ve finally ended up meeting Marin.

When I turned my gaze towards Star Nail standing behind her, they turned away with a huff, seemingly in a bad mood.

It ended up that we couldn’t keep our promise and had to leave.

Even though it was unavoidable, I still feel apologetic for what happened.

Marin is smiling cheerfully, but she exudes an immense amount of pressure.

It reminds me of when I broke curfew as a child and returned home.

Once inside the house, my mother would be waiting like this.

Afterward, my bottom would get smacked…

It’s a nostalgic memory, but now I’m evading reality. What should I do…?

“Since the incident with Blue Colette, how have you been?”

“I’ve been very well, busy defeating monsters.”

“That’s good. Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

“Hold on.”

Just as I turned around to proceed in the opposite direction from where Marin was, she firmly grabbed my shoulder as she approached.

Although I could escape using teleportation, it seems there’s no avoiding this situation…

Considering I’m at fault anyway.

“I was thinking about running away, but it was unavoidable.”

“Yes, during that time, you were still being pursued. But don’t you think even a word would have been nice?”

That’s why I ran away because I thought one word wouldn’t suffice…

Even though I haven’t turned around yet, the pressure I feel from behind is immense.

An excuse… Is this an excuse? What should I do?

“At that time, my schedule was rather packed.”

“I don’t believe that.”

Star Nail swiftly interjected.

…Now that I remember, after the battle that day, I went home and drank cocoa.

Since Star Nail already knows about me, they understand that what I said was a lie.

“When you say ‘think,’ you’re still trying to deceive somewhat, right?”

Star Nail must have considered it dangerous if it were revealed that I lived together with them, so they’re covering for me.

“I agree. If you look like you have some free time, could you accompany me for a bit?”

Her grip on my shoulder tightens further.

It actually hurts, so could you let go for a moment?

“…Understood.”

Upon saying that, her hand releases my shoulder, allowing me to turn around.

“I’m glad. If you had refused…”

Women are truly frightening.

I almost wet myself slightly, but that must be due to becoming a girl.

“So, are we going to do something?”

“Shopping would be fine, but since it’s a special occasion, let’s have a mock battle. That should be acceptable, right?”

Compared to accompanying them shopping, having a mock battle is indeed better.

“Alright, but immediately?”

“If you have time, how about tea?”

“That sounds good. I believe there’s also a café besides the cafeteria, so let’s go there.”

Ah, it was depicted on the map too.

I thought having a café here was meaningless, but I didn’t expect to use it so soon…

Flanked by Star Nail and Marin, we head towards the café.

As we enter, a fairy, presumably a staff member, approaches us.

“Welcome. Are there three of you?”

“Yes. Could we have a private room if available?”

“It’s available. Please follow me.”

On the way to the private room, I glance around the shop and notice there are a few customers.

—I saw wings somewhere before; strange, considering they should be a teacher, yet they’re here. I’ll check later.

“This way please.”

Opening the door, we enter a room that can fit about six people.

As Star Nail and Marin split up and enter from either side, I instinctively sit next to Star Nail.

Being near Marin feels dangerous, so sitting beside Star Nail is the only option.

For a moment, Marin’s eyes seemed to narrow, but I’ll pretend not to notice.

“Please place your orders via the panel.”

With that, the staff bows and leaves.

“Let’s order first. What do you want?”

Looking at the menu, it’s exactly what you’d expect from a café.

Though I’m not very hungry, I’ll grab something light.

“I’ll have a coffee and pancake set, please.”

“I’ll have a pancake platter and cocoa.”

Marin places the combined order, leaving us to wait.

“Do you know Blue Colette, Inie?”

Blue Colette’s final words…

Because of that, my identity was exposed to Tamake, but there’s no need to tell Marin.

“I don’t know her. We met briefly during M·D·W, but we didn’t talk.”

“Hmm. Well, that’s fine. Anyway, where did you live after the New Demon War?”

The person next to me, Star Nail, reacted slightly with a small flinch, but Marin didn’t seem to notice.

If I straightforwardly say I stayed at their house, there’s a possibility of blood rain.

“I was staying at a friend’s house.”

“—I smell lies.”

How do you know?

Well, technically, Tamake could be considered an acquaintance.

We did act together briefly during M·D·W, so calling her a stranger would be incorrect.

Normally, one might call her a stranger, but barely calling her an acquaintance isn’t exactly a lie.

Or perhaps victims and perpetrators, or murderers and corpses, could also be categorized as acquaintances.

“It’s true. There was a time when I lied to Marin…”

Marin sighs deeply, pulls down my hood, and then grabs my cheeks with both hands.

It hurts, so please stop.

“Come on. I was worried about you. No matter what happens, I’ll always be on your side, so you can rely on me if anything comes up.”

—Adults relying on children, huh?

“I apologize.”

“Inie always says that.”

“Marin, you should ease up a bit. Your face is turning red.”

Finally, she stops pulling my cheeks, but it stings a little.

Since it’s true that I left without saying anything, I’ll endure this pain willingly.

As Marin’s questioning ends, our orders arrive perfectly timed.

It almost feels like she was watching, but it’s probably just coincidence.

“By the way, I saw Mr. Prizes earlier. What’s going on?”

“The academy will be sealed until the chaos caused by the nihilists settles down. It seems Mr. Arongante invited Mr. Prizes who has nothing else to do.”

Indeed, that person may seem scatterbrained at times, but fundamentally, they’re competent.

We crossed paths during the new recruit training, and connections were made back then.

“I see. Are there any other acquaintances here?”

“There shouldn’t be anyone else besides the teachers. The other classmates are working hard at various branches.”

While Marin might be unusual, the other classmates are normal magical girls.

Still, why is someone affiliated with the North Kanto Branch here?

“Why are the two of you here? I thought you belonged to the North Kanto Branch?”

“I quit.”

Marin looks very upset, so I turn to Star Nail instead.

“Uh… There was a bit of trouble, and Shirokigawa and I resigned together. Now we’re officially here.”

“It’s entirely their fault. Adults are selfish, arrogant, and habitual liars!”

She seems despondent, but what exactly happened?

(Are you aware?)

『I’m currently unavailable. For emergencies, release me. For non-emergencies, please wait until I return.』

I noticed it was unusually quiet, and he must have disappeared sometime ago… What a useless partner. I’ll ask him when he returns.

“I won’t pry deeply, but it seems like it was tough.”

“It was tough. A huge hole opened up in the branch, and most of the magical girls left.”

It’s uncommon for magical girls to disappear, but the headquarters should send reinforcements in such cases.

With Mr. Arongante in charge now, they must be taking some action.

Still, why is Marin revealing so much emotion?

“I roughly understand Marin’s situation, but how about you, Star Nail? Have you been doing alright?”

“I’m fine. I did feel a bit down, but as you can see, I’m okay. Just…?”

Could you please stop with the “just”? Yes, I broke the promise, but I didn’t expect to be abducted by Thalagong…

“Well, alright. I’m glad you’re fine. Let’s eat before it gets cold.”

“That’s a good idea.”

It feels a bit forced, but somehow, I managed to dodge the issue.

Had I gone straight home without wandering around, I wouldn’t have gotten this tired.

As usual, I have bad luck…

Still, the pancakes are surprisingly delicious, which is a relief.

Coffee after eating something sweet offers a different taste experience.

Following the initial plan, I finished eating last, rested for a bit, and then prepared to move.

We’ll conduct a mock battle in the simulator as planned.

I initially thought it would just be against Marin, but Star Nail joined, and somehow, it became a 1 vs 2 setup.

It doesn’t really matter, but the Star Nail I know would make no difference whether present or absent.

Moreover, they weren’t particularly enthusiastic about battles before. Did something change in their mindset?

“Here we are. Although it’s our first time using it, the operation should be the same, right?”

According to the pamphlet, there are three simulation rooms equipped with the latest technology.

The layout appears similar to the facilities used for ranking purposes.

There’s a waiting room first, followed by pods.

They look cocoon-like.

“Will the settings from our academy days work?”

“I’ll leave it to you.”

As long as they don’t set ridiculous parameters like Thalagong, anything goes.

“Alright. Let’s make it a game with penalties for the loser. See you inside, Nail.”

“Sure thing. Let’s go then.”

Before I could respond, they both headed to the pods.

Why bring up penalties again?

I don’t intend to lose, but now there’s a reason I can’t afford to lose.

“Alright, let’s not overdo it.”

(Hai hai.)

Entering the pod, I close my eyes.

It wouldn’t be fair to instantly defeat them, so I’ll play around a bit.