Chapter 42

The magical girl is a dress-up doll.

“Hmm…”

“Is my outfit not the best after all?”

“In that case, Ayame-san, please make your choice.”

When I obediently followed the called voice, I was surprised to find they had brought about five outfits per person.

From there, we tried everything on and narrowed it down to one outfit per person.

Mika chose a hoodie with bunny ears and pants with a tail attached.

While the cute design was questionable, the presence of a hood scored high points.

Most of the other clothes were also animal-themed, showing age-appropriate sensibilities.

Marin chose a belly-showing black top and a long skirt with slits.

While it was easy to move in, I couldn’t understand Marin’s sense…

All the other clothes were similar, and for some reason, many of them exposed the midriff.

If someone else wore this, they’d certainly catch the eye, but this isn’t something I would wear.

And then, Ib chose what seemed to be a battle dress based on an evening gown.

The other clothes were also dress-like, but this was the least extreme among them.

As everyday wear, it’s rather alarming, but considering fighting, it might make sense…

Since I’m going to buy them all anyway, I was asked which one I liked the most, leading to the current situation.

(Which one should I choose?)

“Mika’s is out of the question, so between Marin and Ib, it’s tough to decide.”

I think the one that’s out of the question is actually the best. You just have to endure the bunny ears and tail.

Could it be that no one brought anything with overly exposed legs due to their experience as magical girls?

Injuries to the legs during combat can lead to accidents or death.

While you can run away with arm injuries, leg injuries make escape difficult.

Well, some magical girl costumes have short skirts or leotard-like outfits like Lockwert’s, so it’s not absolute.

But if I get injured, I can just heal it.

“Alright, I’ll go with Marin’s. The dress is nice too, but Marin’s choice can still be worn daily.”

Finally decided… though in reality, it only took a few seconds, those few seconds felt tough for me now.

“Then, I will choose Marin’s outfit.”

“Grr!”

“To think I would lose… ”

The two losers bark at the strangely triumphant Marin.

It’s good to see everyone having fun.

I just want to go home already…

“Hehe, looks like my fashion sense is the best.”

“Befitting the president. Though it’s frustrating, I admit defeat.”

“I won’t lose next time.”

“…Everyone seems lively.”

Is this the power of youth…? It’s dazzling for someone nearing thirty like me…

And there won’t be a next time, right?

“Thank you very much!”

We were seen off by the shop staff and left the store.

The most expensive item among what we bought was the battle dress Ib chose.

Made with the latest defensive magic and new fibers, it has a self-repair function for minor wounds.

Thanks to fairy magic, it can be registered on terminals, allowing for quick changes.

The price? A staggering 3 million yen.

Incidentally, Mika’s chosen hoodie set was 50,000 yen.

The payment was not in yen but in the currency of the Fairy Realm, but yen is easier to understand for us Japanese.

When the register showed 3 million, I didn’t miss Ib’s face turning pale.

She probably chose without looking at the prices.

When I finished the payment without any reaction, she kept glancing at me.

After buying a decent amount of clothing and leaving Rabian, Marin’s terminal rang.

Did a monster appear?

“Yes. Yes. Understood. I’ll return now.”

“What happened?”

“There’s been a reaction of B-rank or higher, so I’ve been called to duty. Excuse me.”

Marin bowed politely and headed towards the exit of the shopping mall.

She must be heading to the North Kanto Branch via teleportation.

With no choice, I gave up on Marin and was talking about which store to visit next when Ib’s terminal rang.

“…Is that so? Understood. They need more personnel, so I’ve been asked to help. Excuse me.”

While magical girls may not have holidays, it’s unlucky for both of them…

(I think they’re fine, but should I check on either of them?)

“It seems Ib was called because there aren’t enough people to deal with the lower-ranked monsters. Marin’s case is apparently A-rank, but it feels somewhat unsettling…”

(Is it really something like M·D·W?)

If something like that happened repeatedly, Japan would have perished long ago.

“Hey”

Lost in thought, I was tugged on my clothes by Mika.

Come to think of it, if she hadn’t approached me, none of this would have happened… No, it’s all the demon’s fault.

“Is something wrong?”

“Why are you dressed like this?”

“…A punishment game… That’s what it is.”

Mika tilts her head in confusion but wouldn’t understand.

Now that the troublesome magical girls are gone, let’s go.

“Then, Mika, I’m going too.”

“Where are you going?”

“To work.”

(That’s it, count on me.)

“Okay~”

All the items were sent back to the dormitory, and I went ahead to Marin’s deployment point.

Being able to transfer anytime and anywhere is quite convenient.

I’ll revert to being a White Mage while I’m at it.

Though I ended up being toyed with by young girls… interacting with people is something you get used to.

Still, solitude suits me better.

(Anyway, how much time do we have?)

“About 20 minutes or so?”

I see. Then let’s take our time… Isn’t something strange?

Apparently, it’s supposed to be in Nasu, Tochigi, but I feel a sense of unease.

The trees should be lush and full of nature, yet I feel breathless.

It’s as if I’m in an enclosed space…

(Do you feel any strangeness?)

“Just wait a moment… Could it be… How could I have fallen for this?”

Rarely, the demon sounds irritated.

Something’s definitely happening…

When will my rotten luck improve?

(Then, what happened?)

“My transfer was interrupted and I was summoned. Only someone specific could do this…”

There was a sound of footsteps stepping on dry branches from behind.

“Is this our first meeting?”

Turning around, a conspicuously suspicious figure stood there.

A black hooded robe… From the voice, I assume it’s a woman, but like me, I can’t see inside the hood.

What did she mean by “this time?”

“What do you mean by ‘this time’?”

“This isn’t directed at you. Hey, Demon?”

The demon possessing me came out. Its face was one I’d never seen before—unhappy.

“You appeared earlier than I expected.”

“The demon used its ability. How about this time? It seems the first attempt was thwarted, but are you prepared for the next one?”

“Hmm. The first… thwarted… There’s no doubt it refers to ‘that,’ right?”

“I wasn’t intentionally trying to prevent it. I’m simply doing what I want.”

“You used your ability, knowing well that I’d find out.”

“Tsk! I didn’t use it willingly either.”

Completely left out, but it seems there’s some sort of grudge between them.

There’s something I don’t know, but I’d prefer to get some information.

“Who are you?”

“Oh, I’ve received reports about you too. To put it simply, I’m the boss of Lockwert’s organization. Call me a witch.”

“This nasty one is just a hag, fully sufficient.”

So, the leader of the doomsday faction… The demon mentioned aiming for the world’s end, but it seems there’s more to it.

This calls for an explanation from the demon later… I can’t stay silent anymore.

“Today, I merely came to greet you, so I’ll take my leave. See you, Inny Flowering and Demon-chan.”

Before I knew it, a magic circle had appeared beneath the witch’s feet, and her figure disappeared within it.

The oppressive feeling from earlier dissipated, and the sound of wind rustling through the trees could be heard.

What just happened?

“So, what’s going on?”

“…Hmm. Ideally, I wanted to avoid explaining, but I’ll tell you.”

With a sigh, the demon explained about the witch and itself.

The leader of the doomsday faction, the witch, is attempting to summon a monster known as the “Day of Doom”… No, she’s already triggered the “Day of Doom” numerous times.

The massacre of all humans and fairies caused by a certain monster, along with worldwide magical contamination—that’s what’s referred to as the “Day of Doom”.

The demon is a being born from the will of countless worlds, with a total of twenty-one members.

The reason is undisclosed, but each member was given names akin to tarot cards and referred to as Arcana.

They’ve battled the witch countless times, each time retrogressing time or escaping to parallel worlds.

Tired of the never-ending battles, the demon fled.

That’s when it met me.

No matter the timeline or axis, the witch continued her schemes, and the demon kept running until it made a contract with me during the battle against M·D·W, using its abilities to ensure my survival.

The demon possesses the same abilities as the other Arcana: teleportation and the ability to retrieve information from the Akashic Records.

Additionally, it has a unique ability to manipulate souls.

Since manipulating souls interferes with fate, it requires immense magical power and reveals one’s location to the other Arcana and the witch when used.

Apparently, it was replacing the original body with mine whenever I paid the price for using magic as a girl.

The worn-out soul was supplemented by extracting it from Shiro’s body and substituting it with the demon’s magic.

Incidentally, if Taragon hadn’t found me during the M·D·W incident, I would have truly died.

Although fate manipulation was involved to ensure I was found, it wasn’t entirely guaranteed.

“I kind of get it, but what does the demon want me to do?”

“Though it’s awkward for me to ask since I ran away once too, would you lend me your strength to defeat that nasty old woman? If you refuse… we might just live peacefully until the Day of Doom.”

I see… Refusing means certain death on the Day of Doom, while choosing to fight risks being killed by them before then.

The fate of this world was already determined…

It’s an unbelievable story, but the fact that I’m alive now, living as a girl, tells me the story told earlier could indeed be true.

“Why summon such dangerous monsters and bring about the Day of Doom?”

“While I can’t give detailed explanations due to information restrictions, this was caused by the despair of a single magical girl. She was kind and strong… But she despaired at the endless battles and the hopeless humanity, eventually destroying the world herself…”

“Is this happening across all worlds?”

It’s an outrageous tale, but with magic and fantasy existing, it’s not unreasonable that time manipulation and world transfers are possible.

“I don’t know why she aims to destroy the world, but stopping her… that nasty old woman is our purpose.”

“Understood. Let’s give it our best shot then.”

The purpose aligns with the contract made earlier.

“…Are you sure? It might not just be painful; something even more difficult might await you.”

“Since we’ve already made the contract, and I was originally dead, I’ll follow you wherever it leads. Would returning to my original body suffice as payment?”

“Hehehe. Let’s think about that after everything ends.”

The demon seems to be regaining its spirit.

Though it’s become an extraordinary situation, killing monsters, defeating the doomsday faction, reconciling or battling with the witch, and resolving the situation—summarizing it, that’s about it.

Well, victory seems unlikely… What should we do?

“Considering the timing, Marin is probably in battle, so let’s go check.”

“Right. We need to be extra cautious.”

The demon repossesses me and uses its abilities to infiltrate the barrier.

Observing Marin’s battle from afar.

The battle appears to be reaching its climax, and she’s fighting in Enhanced Form. Her white hair leaves trails of light as she dashes forward.

She clears away the lesser foes, leaps into the A-Rank monster’s embrace, and slashes it down with her sword in one swift motion.

Back when she lost to B-Rank monsters, she can now defeat A-Rank ones with a single strike… Magical girls are truly formidable.

Since there seem to be no issues, let’s retreat before Marin notices.

…To destroy the world.

I painfully understand that sentiment.

The current world is corrupt, and perhaps it’s beyond saving.

However, but… I am a magical girl now.

With the contract with the demon, I shall fight until this body perishes.

…Destroying the world.

I painfully understand that desire.

The current world is rotten, and maybe it’s beyond salvation.

However, I am now a magical girl.

With the contract with the demon, as long as this body holds, I will fight.