Magical Girl and the Alarm
Ms. Ice Water called me unconventional, but she didn’t say anything when Jeanne was treating patients.
Personally, I think Jeanne’s methods are questionable too, but what accounts for this difference?
Rankers are just seen differently from everyone else…
Well, setting that aside, it’s finally dinner time.
Since I was quite sleepy, I secretly used magic to perk myself up.
“Our plan is to have dinner at the next branch of the Magic Bureau, so please look forward to it.”
With that said and done, we returned to the teleporter and teleported to the next Magic Bureau.
This time, we were led not to the cafeteria but to a room that seemed designated for meetings.
The location itself wasn’t an issue, but there was another problem.
There were four people. And there were four seats prepared as well.
However, one of them was clearly a baby seat.
I suppose since the table was at a decent height, it couldn’t be helped, but… really, do I have to sit in a baby seat at my age?
It might’ve been better if I’d just eaten in a separate room.
The Demon was smirking, but I’ll deal with him later.
Look, sure, I might look a bit odd, but as long as I can eat, that’s all that matters.
Nothing particularly eventful happened during dinner, which passed without much trouble.
Though the food was a bit greasy and hard on the stomach, it was still good that I could eat it properly.
The only unsettling thing was that Ms. Fleur kept smiling at me the whole time—it was kind of scary—but at least she didn’t interfere.
Afterward, treatments resumed again, and nothing major went wrong this time.
Of course, normally you don’t encounter problems like the ones we had with Miguria.
An increasing number of critically injured people, sudden crises for Magical Girls, corruption caused by special poisons—
Maybe once would’ve been tolerable, but three times? ……
This time, though, it was very relaxing since I could focus solely on healing without any distractions.
Still, letting your guard down can lead to trouble, but this time we have Ms. Ice Water and Ms. Fleur around.
And Jeanne, who can use recovery magic, is also standing by.
Even if we were attacked, M·D·W wouldn’t pose much of a threat.
(Are there any suspicious signs?)
“For now, no. It’s probably unlikely that they’ll attack the Magic Bureau directly, so I wouldn’t worry about it.”
Demon is right; it’s improbable that they’d attack the Magic Bureau directly.
After all, the bureau always has multiple Magical Girls on standby, plus defense systems in place.
Even if we were attacked, the Magic Bureau wouldn’t explode or collapse entirely.
However, it’s precisely when things are going smoothly that you shouldn’t let your guard down.
(Just to be safe…)
In Miguria, we conducted treatments at four Magic Bureaus, and it will likely be the same in China.
Though there are many more bureaus in reality, gathering patients helps reduce Jeanne’s burden.
Without incident, we completed treatments at the third Magic Bureau and moved on to the final location.
At the teleportation room, we were greeted briefly before moving out.
“Alarm? Level 3… Excuse me, please allow us a moment to confirm the facts.”
This happened while we were walking down the hallway.
A loud alarm blared, and red lights began spinning from the ceiling.
As much as I want to tell the Demon “See? I told you,” our priority now is to find out what’s happening.
(Demon)
“Hold on a sec.”
“While confirming is important, let’s heal the injured and sick first. The more able-bodied people we have, the better.”
“…Understood.”
Jeanne’s decision was both correct and flawed.
The most important person here isn’t the patients—it’s Jeanne herself.
While the patients are important, Jeanne should be evacuated first.
Still, Ms. Ice Water followed Jeanne’s orders.
I imagine there was some inner conflict, but once a decision is made, you follow it.
So, we started moving quickly.
“Level 3 alert declared. Staff and Magical Girls, please guide civilians to shelters. Additionally, Magical Girls ranked within the top 50, please report to the main command room. Repeat…”
The announcement echoed through the ceiling, stirring a sense of urgency.
“Hurry. If we delay, the patients will start evacuating as well.”
Our brisk walk turned into a run as we hurried toward the room.
When we reached the door, someone who looked like staff was about to enter, so we stopped them.
“It’ll be quick, so please hold off on the evacuation for a moment. Also, could you inform the medical team to wait?”
“But as you can hear, the alarm is sounding. There’s no time for such leisurely actions…”
The staff member started arguing, but it was a waste of time.
Ignoring the staff, I let Ms. Fleur enter the room and quickly cast magic, disregarding the confused Magical Girls and others lingering due to the alarm.
“Ms. Ice Water, I’m done, so everything’s fine now.”
“Thank you. We’ll leave, so please take care of things here.”
“Eh? Wait a minute!”
Ms. Ice Water gave up on the staff and began leading us forward.
“Thank you for the treatment. Sorry for the inconvenience.”
Ms. Ice Water apologized, but this was unavoidable.
No one would expect it to end so quickly.
“That’s nothing to worry about. But if you’re still waiting in the room…”
“Cause has been identified.”
(I wonder what happened?)
I’m unsure exactly how serious a Level 3 alert is, but the constant siren indicates a significant crisis.
So, what’s the cause?
“A Magical Girl lost to an S-Rank monster. On top of that, unfortunately, there were no backup Magical Girls available, so they’re in quite a panic. They’re especially flustered because it appeared in a residential area.”
That sounds pretty bad…
But even so, there’s no need to panic this much since we have Ms. Fleur here.
(Send information to Ms. Fleur’s terminal. And Jeanne’s as well.)
“Understood. By the way, the monster will appear about 20 kilometers from here. About one minute away?”
While running down the corridor, Jeanne’s and Fleur’s terminals rang, and both immediately checked them.
“Fleur”
“Yes. I’ll go ahead. Good luck over there.”
“Is something wrong?”
The two understood each other without much conversation, leaving Ms. Ice Water looking puzzled.
“I’ve figured out the reason for this alarm. Come on, keep running.”
We parted ways with Ms. Ice Water and Jeanne, leaving just Fleur and me.
“Well then, shall we go? Should we head to the main command room?”
“Yes, it’s best to consult them rather than heading straight to the monster, as we might just get in the way.”
“Got it.”
Fleur sprinted toward the main command room.
Magic Girls and staff we encountered along the way looked surprised but quickly stepped aside upon recognizing her.
Fleur specializes in targeted exterminations—mainly other Magical Girls, but apparently, she’s quite well-known.
In Japan, the only person not widely recognized is Zea; everyone else seems to have made quite a name for themselves.
Fleur arrived at the main command room without hesitation and opened the door.
Inside were operators, staff, and six Magic Girls.
The Magic Girls seemed to be speaking with someone who appeared to be the Director of this branch.
The noise from various commands and exchanges made it quite chaotic.
“We’ve come in response to the emergency.”
“Oh! You’re Fleur, ranked sixth in Japan! Is Jeanne okay?”
“She’s fine for now. First, can you explain the situation?”
“Understood.”
The briefing matched what the Demon had mentioned.
They added some finer details, like the fact that two people died instead of one.
Currently, the monster rampaging through the residential area is a giant-class creature known as Gilgodes.
Its height varies by individual but averages around 60 meters.
Though it summons few minions, its size corresponds to immense power, making close combat undesirable.
Even if you try to keep your distance, it can fire powerful beams from its mouth.
A direct hit would literally vaporize you.
Unfortunately, this time, two Magical Girls perished due to those beams.
Additionally, the Chinese rankers are currently away and won’t return for another 20 minutes.
Rescue efforts have been requested from other countries and the Fairy Bureau, but it will take a minimum of five to ten minutes for help to arrive.
During the Miguria incident, similar delays were discussed, but the current situation is worse.
Within those five minutes, one or two cities could be wiped out.
The monster will break through the barrier in about 20 seconds.
There simply isn’t enough time.
“So… I’ll handle the main part, and the rest of you provide support. Does that sound good?”
“We don’t have time to argue about it, so please proceed. Are you all in agreement?”
The Director confirmed with the six Magic Girls, all of whom nodded in agreement.
“Very well. By the way, what are you planning to do with the person on your shoulder?”
Until now, the Director had been serious, but now his face showed confusion as he looked at Fleur.
Yeah, this time, I’m probably unnecessary. Even Jeanne bid me farewell nonchalantly, but shouldn’t I stick around just in case?
“Do you mind? Can Lily jump to the monster’s expected position?”
“It’s possible.”
“In that case, count on you. We don’t have much time.”
Sigh. Everyone else looks like they’re wondering what’s going on, but indeed, we don’t have time to explain.
“Just make sure I’m not visible, alright?”
“Understood~. Don’t want to upset Thalagong, after all.”
(Good luck.)
“Something feels concerning, but understood.”
Though I’m being used, watching Fleur fight might actually be interesting.
Let’s see how it goes…
