Magical Girl and the Corner
The simulation battle has ended, and we return to the pod.
It wasn’t a fight to the brink of death, but it was enjoyable in its own way.
If only there weren’t penalty games; losing wouldn’t have been so bad. But I don’t want to be turned into a dress-up doll again.
If I had fought seriously and lost, I could accept it, but who would willingly become a dress-up doll otherwise?
Seeing all the pods open, it seems the two of them have returned to the waiting room.
“Good work.”
“Thanks. Seriously, what was that fighting style about?”
“Good work. It felt more like battling a monster than a simulation battle.”
Changing terrain, using magic akin to monsters that track you—this isn’t exactly your average fight.
In the end, I was even sitting while fighting, but those things happen.
“We don’t know what kind of battles lie ahead, but wasn’t this good practice?”
“It was definitely practice, but will we really have to fight something this intense?”
Ducking various attacks and challenging the main enemy…
…I feel like I keep fighting stuff like that.
Well, it’s strange for non-rankers to frequently battle S-Rank and above, but there’s nothing to be done about it.
Anything SS-Rank or higher is classified as immeasurable, but I wonder how it works when measuring a witch’s strength?
Ah well, how strength is represented doesn’t really matter.
“Experience is necessary for everything. The more tricks you have up your sleeve in battle, the better your chances of winning.”
When the enemy gets stronger, those tricks may not work, and brute force becomes important, but for survival, having more tricks is better.
You never know what might happen while a witch is alive.
“So, does the loser have to do the penalty game?”
“…Yeah. Money or my body, whatever you want.”
“I don’t need either.”
I already have more money than I can use, and I have no interest in her body.
Unlike Marin, who looks smug, Star Nail is smiling wryly.
Still, I can’t think of anything else.
I’m not very good at these playful things, so asking a Demon would be best.
(Do you have any good ideas for a penalty game?)
“Something simple would be treating someone to a meal, or something more twisted would be banning you from getting close to Haruna?”
The former sounds fine, but choosing the latter would probably devastate Marin.
Personally, I’d like to choose the latter, but it seems like it would cause trouble later, so I’ll refrain.
(In that case, I’ll go with the former. Having dinner at ‘NumaNuma’ once in a while would be nice.)
“The penalty game is just a treat for a meal. How about tonight?”
“Yeah… If we work hard on this afternoon’s hunt, it should be manageable. Since it’s such a good opportunity, I’ll invite our classmates from the academy too. Is NumaNuma okay?”
Classmates, huh? Now that I think about it, the Demon said they’d contacted me, but I ignored it completely.
Let’s hope nobody can come because they’re busy.
“NumaNuma is fine. Is that alright with you, Star Nail?”
“Yeah, it’s fine.”
It’s a little past noon.
I’ve already eaten, and there’s still time until dinner.
“Are you two going hunting next?”
“Yeah. We were supposed to rest after lunch…but instead, we did the simulation battle.”
What we ate was actually dessert, and we used the simulation as a substitute for resting. Marin is the one at fault, so she looks somewhat apologetic.
“I see. Unfortunately, I’ve been told to rest, so I can’t help, but please do your best for both of us.”
“Yeah. See you tonight then.”
Finally, one problem is out of the way…
Stories often progress when characters bump into each other at a corner, but I didn’t expect them to come after me even though I ran away…
Now that I finally have some free time, I should take care of that errand before heading back.
(Is Prizes still inside the base?)
“Hang on a sec… Based on location, he seems to still be at the café. Are you going to ask about luggage?”
(Yeah. There’s a lot left in my dorm room. Unlike when I lived in an apartment, if I can recover it, I’d like to.)
“Got it~”
After checking the café’s position on the pamphlet map, I head over.
There are signposts here and there, but it would be easy to get lost without a map.
Looking at the seat where Prizes was sitting in the café, he’s indeed still there…
…He’s there, but sleeping.
“Welcome! Just one person?”
“No, I’m waiting for someone. It’s the person sleeping over there.”
“Understood. Please take your time~”
After speaking with the fairy staff, I sit in front of Prizes.
I could wake him up, but since I’m not in a hurry, I’ll wait.
While I’m at it, I might as well order something.
“Excuse me, I’ll have the store owner’s special selected coffee.”
“Selected coffee, got it. How about milk and sugar?”
“No thanks, black is fine.”
I thought about ordering food, but since I’ll have dinner later, I’ll stick to coffee.
For now, I’ll relax while drinking coffee.
(Do you have any information?)
“Information… oh!”
She suddenly exclaimed as if remembering something, but it gives me a bad feeling.
“I completely forgot, but since it’s kinda complicated, I’ll directly send the info to your head.”
(Understood….)
Pain shoots through me again as information flows in, just like last time.
—As the Demon said, it seems like there’s one collaborator per world on their side.
To put it extremely briefly, there’s apparently one collaborator per world among the Arcana Demons.
Normally, this information is given to the Arcana Demons when they cross worlds, but due to circumstances, the Demon hadn’t received it.
Even after regaining power, various events happened, and they completely forgot it.
Moreover, the surprising part is that the collaborator is someone quite close by.
Ranked 10th among Japanese Magical Girls: Magical Girl Zeahrfil.
According to her official site on the terminal, she keeps a lot private, even more than I do.
Apparently, the collaborator mainly helps from behind the scenes rather than acting together.
They’re usually in a decent position in every world and offer various kinds of help.
However, unless we make contact first, they won’t do anything, or rather, since we aren’t confirmed contractors, they can’t do anything.
Recall that I used the Fool’s ability during the New Demon War.
There’s an eighty percent chance Zeahrfil noticed that I am the contractor.
The unexpected collapse of the Magic Bureau’s upper management,
which cleared my name, made me freer sooner than expected.
No doubt, Zeahrfil must have pulled some strings.
I should thank her sometime.
…Though, since I don’t intend to contact her, we might never meet.
(I understand the gist. She probably knows I’m the contractor, so leaving it alone should be fine.)
“Got it. I’ll send a basic message, but is there anything specific you want to say?”
(Tell her thanks for the help. She’s likely helped me.)
“Understood.”
While sipping coffee and relaxing, I finally sensed a reaction from Prizes.
He slowly opened his eyes, looked down, then widened them in surprise.
“Ah! Did I fall asleep!”
“Good morning.”
“Ahhhhh!”
Startled by my voice, Prizes leaned back and fell off his chair.
Wasn’t that a bit excessive?
“…Are you alright?”
“Yes, yes, I’m fine. Uh, aren’t you Inie? How have you been?”
“I think I’m doing better than you, teacher.”
Embarrassed, Prizes sat back properly and cleared his throat.
“Since you waited for me to wake up, you must need something from me?”
“Yes. I wanted to ask about the dormitory room.”
“Ah, about the room status, right? The room has been untouched since the day you disappeared. Have you heard that the academy was locked down?”
Marin told me about that.
Had the academy been operating normally, I might not have met Marin today…
“Yes, Marin informed me.”
“I see. Although the academy was locked down, the dorms remain open because some students couldn’t return home. Mika, for instance, continues to live there.”
That’s true. Telling students to leave the dorms while locking down the academy would cause problems.
So, Mika is still living there too…
I hope I don’t run into her when I visit the dorm, but that’s uncertain.
“I see. Then I’ll head there later to retrieve my things. By the way, what brings you here, Prizes?”
“Oh, me? I’m on standby in case something happens. Plus, I handle miscellaneous tasks as well.”
Now that I remember, there were standby personnel at the Tohoku Branch too.
Prizes is here as a precaution against emergencies, I see.
Strength-wise, there’s no issue, and his personality is kind, making him a good choice for the role.
His age also suggests he can handle chores without difficulty.
There shouldn’t be a problem, but considering how I’ve suffered because of Prizes several times, I do have some concerns.
Still, if anything happens, Arongante will likely handle it.
“I see. Thank you. I’ll take my leave then.”
“Yes. Best of luck moving forward.”
Having learned about the dorm situation, I bid farewell to the still sleepy-looking Prizes and left the café.
I could teleport directly, but registering at the Teleporter feels annoying, so I’ll use the Teleporter.
“Ah, are you leaving?”
“Yes. Can I teleport to the academy district?”
“No problem. Please step into the Teleporter.”
Following the instructions, I entered the Teleporter and immediately felt the sensation of floating before my vision shifted to a familiar place.
There are even fewer people around than usual, which draws attention, so I quickly exit the Teleporter and head toward the dormitory.
This is my first visit to the dorm since the New Demon War, but nothing seems to have changed.
Entering the dorm, I head toward my room.
Relieved to not encounter anyone, I almost reach my room when…
Mika appears from the corner of the hallway.
It’s only a few meters to my room, but it seems I won’t make it in time.
Mika suddenly starts running and charges toward me.
“INIE!”
At that moment, I feel a sharp impact in my stomach.
