Chapter 44

Shiro Haruna truly became a Magical Girl.

After receiving the Staff from Kaede, however, he didn’t feel the kind of fit he had previously sensed.

When he infused it lightly with magic, there was a reaction, but it felt off.

It was like using a similar product from another company—similar, but not the real thing.

(“Can this be fixed?”)

“Hmm. I’m analyzing it now, but it might work… or it might not.”

In this state, he couldn’t even store it properly, and as expected, he couldn’t sense any willpower in it. Should he try using magic?

“May I use a little magic?”

“It’s fine as long as you don’t damage the room.”

Alright then. Since it’s not attack magic, it should be safe.

(I want to try something, so let me know if anything happens.)

“Understood. Don’t do anything foolish.”

That’s harsh… but considering I lost my Staff doing something foolish, she has a point. Let’s focus and proceed.

“Connect.”

He immersed his will into the Staff. This works because it’s the weapon of a Magical Girl; trying it on anything else would only yield a fraction of the power akin to what an Arcana could analyze.

Let’s see… what will happen?

After a brief loss of consciousness, his vision changed.

He had been sitting, but now he was standing in a dark space.

The floor spread out in a geometric pattern, circular with a radius of about 15 meters, surrounded by darkness beyond its edge.

Where am I? I just connected with the Staff…

(Is anyone there?)

—I detect no response from the Demon.

“Nice to meet you. Call me Inny Flowering, or Haruna if you prefer.”

—A very familiar voice came from behind him. Objectively, it was slightly different, but he’d lived for 26 years hearing that voice. There was no way he could mistake it.

“Long time no see… right?”

“Anything’s fine. First, sit down. Let’s talk.”

When he turned around, there stood someone who looked exactly like him—Shiro Haruna—but clearly wasn’t.

This must be something resembling me, but for convenience, I’ll call it NigoShiro.

When NigoShiro snapped his fingers, a table and chairs appeared, and he took one of them. Though attacking first might have been an option, it seemed better to sit quietly.

“I appreciate your cooperation. I thought you might try something.”

“I wouldn’t do such a thing. So, who are you?”

“Hmm… a Spirit… thoughts… will. Right now, I’m the existence residing within this Staff.”

That doesn’t make much sense… since I connected with the Staff, I understand it contains some presence, but what does it mean to be a spirit?

“Well, never mind me. More importantly, Haruna, how has it been fighting as a Magical Girl?”

As a Magical Girl… huh.

Right, what do I really want? Honestly, pain and hardship are unpleasant.

But if someone were to ask whether I regret becoming a Magical Girl, the answer would be no. At first, it was forced upon me, but fighting as a Magical Girl did give me something…

“The body of Haruna used to belong to a Magical Girl contracted with a Demon.”

—While I was deep in thought, NigoShiro spoke up. It was quite a bizarre story.

Indeed, based on what I’ve heard about Demons’ abilities, creating a new body seems impossible. Thus, whose body is this?

Could it really belong to someone else?

“What do you mean?”

“The Arcana Demons, like Fairies, once contracted with Magical Girls who are now called Witches and fought against them.”

I heard that yesterday from the Demon. I’m also supposed to fight that Witch…

“The Demon and the original girl got along well and worked together harmoniously, but in the end, they were killed by a Witch’s subordinate.”

“And after that, how did we end up here?”

Dying should have been the end. How did I end up in this body?

“That girl possessed a special ability. Before her death, she healed her body and entrusted it to the Demon for the next person who would fight the Witch. She had beautiful blue hair, but by the end, it had turned white like Haruna’s…”

NigoShiro continued his monologue.

Even after parting ways with that girl, the Demon and other Arcana continued fighting across countless worlds but never defeated the Witch, facing the End of Days repeatedly.

Their numbers dwindled gradually.

Some died protecting their contracted Magical Girls, others took their own lives in despair, and a few fled.

Out of the original 21 Arcana, only 5 remained, including the Demon. And among them, only the Demon currently contracts with a Magical Girl.

The Witch’s purpose is clear—to destroy the world. All worlds, including parallel ones.

They search for the Primordial World, the origin of everything, destroying countless worlds along the way.

If the Primordial World is destroyed, everything will return to nothingness—it’ll be Game Over. The exact reason why the Witch seeks destruction remains unclear.

Why the Demon kept me alive and gave me this body is unknown even to NigoShiro. But as things stand, I am the sole current contractor.

Just me, with no remarkable abilities…

“If Haruna fights merely out of gratitude to the Demon, it would be better to quickly dissolve the contract. Considering the future, this world should perish.”

“—Is it because I’m weak?”

“That’s part of it, but there’s no time left to entrust such a task to someone without resolve.”

Only five remain, with just me as a contractor… If I were the protagonist of a story, I’d probably rise up, declaring I won’t let the world end silently. But I lack that sense of justice.

However…

“I made a contract.”

“I’m weak. Mentally and as a person, I consider myself very weak. Living and dying normally would have been enough for me.”

“Now I lack a weapon, and even if I had one, I doubt I could defeat Thalagong.”

My life could barely match two of Thalagong’s arms, and that was only by surprise. I’m stronger than average, but I don’t possess the insane strength of a Ranker.

“Still, isn’t it common sense as a working adult to fulfill one’s contract, even if death awaits?”

“…You’re mad.”

Mad indeed… maybe I’ve been mad since the day I lost my sister. Cursing the world, hating Magical Girls, all I could do was scream and cry.

Right. If I had been born female and become a Magical Girl, I might have joined the Witches. A world like this deserves to be destroyed.

“So yes, perhaps my heart is already broken and mad… but…”

When my body was transformed by the Demon and I fought as a Magical Girl, I met various Magical Girls: Marin, Kaede, Thalagong, the two from Northern Kantō. Some were foolish, but there were those who cried for someone like me.

I learned that salvation exists. I somewhat accepted that my sister’s death had meaning. And…

“Probably, I enjoy fighting, don’t I?”

“Hmm?”

Fighting Thalagon, battling M·D·W. It was painful and tough, but my heart danced uncontrollably.

So… that’s it…

I must enjoy fighting.

As long as I have a contract, I can keep fighting.

“As long as I have battles, that’s enough for me. I made a contract with the Demon to create reasons to fight.”

“Foolish. With Haruna’s suicidal actions, the world will surely end.”

The world… if it’s going to end anyway, why not entrust it to me?

“If it’s bound to end, why not trust it to me?”

The more disadvantageous the battle, the more fun it is. Isn’t that great?

Realizing this alone changes my mindset significantly…

NigoShiro’s expression grew serious as he glared at me.

“—Will you swear to defeat the Witch? To struggle until your dying breath?”

“Then let’s make a contract.”

“A contract?”

“Verbal or magical, it doesn’t matter. I won’t break a contract. After all, I’m the Demon’s partner.”

Well, I failed once before, but that’s irrelevant.

“I see… if she were here, she’d call us fools… But what does Haruna intend to offer and gain through this contract?”

“First, let’s kill the Witch of this world. In return, lend me your power.”

In my current state, there’s no chance of winning no matter how hard I fight. I can’t defeat the Witch, not even her subordinates. That’s why I need power.

“Kukuku. Indeed, Haruna is weak. What will you do if you manage to kill the Witch of this world?”

“Perhaps continue fighting as long as Witches exist?”

Who knows which will come first—my mind breaking down into a wreck or defeating all the Witches.

“Without justice or purpose, you fight because you want to, and as a result, you defeat the Witch… Quite a madman, but perhaps only someone like that can succeed.”

NigoShiro chuckled.

I might be missing a few screws myself. Most people wouldn’t answer like that—it’s more like the villain’s mindset. But now, that’s what makes it just.

What a crazy world this is. Being a little mad isn’t so bad.

Let go of the idea of returning to my original body. If I can’t use magic, I can’t fight. There’s no attachment left to this fragile body.

“Alright, Haruna. I understand your thinking. However, I can’t simply hand over power.”

NigoShiro stood up and snapped his fingers.

The table and chairs disappeared, and the familiar Staff reappeared in my hands. I hadn’t fallen on my butt, but what’s going on suddenly?

“Show me your strength, Haruna. If you win, you’ll earn appropriate power. If you lose, die here.”

A tear appeared in the space, and from it emerged… Inny Flowering. So, I’m supposed to defeat another version of myself… interesting.

“Fine. For me, this fight is just joy.”

I positioned the Staff forward and infused it with magic. It feels good, despite being rusty.

“Alright, do your best, Haruna.”

“Ice, arise.”

“Ice, arise.”

We cast spells simultaneously. This guy is definitely like me. As it stands, the best outcome would be mutual destruction, but now I have options. Pain and sacrifice don’t scare me.

“Thunder, descend.”

“Flames, dance.”

Thunder enveloped me while he summoned flame butterflies as makeshift lightning rods. Of course, the thunder hit me too, but that was part of the plan.

See, I have a fatal flaw—lack of strength. But forcibly removing the brain’s limiter allows me to push through. Any means are acceptable to win… let’s finish this in an instant.

“Flames.”

I caused an explosion behind me and charged forward. I got hit by the fire butterflies, but I ignored it.

The fake me tried to defend with the Staff, but I’ve unlocked my limiter with thunder. That level of defense won’t cut it.

I knocked the Staff away and thrust its pointed end into the fake’s throat. Without the ability to speak, casting magic becomes impossible.

Killing myself is a bit unsightly, but I feel no aversion.

“Goodbye. Ice.”

Though mostly self-inflicted, these injuries aren’t too bad…

Against my darker counterpart, I’d have no chance, but against a White Mage, it’s easy. Knowing I’ll take damage, rushing into close combat ends the fight swiftly.

Also…

“Heal.”

Since I can recover, I should aim for close combat to avoid a messy fight.

After catching my breath, applause echoed.

Turning around, I saw NigoShiro.

“Are you satisfied with this?”

“Didn’t expect you to rush in and stab yourself. You’re quite the madman.”

Let’s seal our contract then. When we return, pour all your magic into the Staff, and I’ll take it from there.

“Understood. Is there anything else?”

“Haruna… or rather, Shiro, your sister sends a message. ‘Baka,’ she says.”

As NigoShiro faded away, the ground beneath me crumbled.

—Typical message from sis…

Looking back, it was anticlimactic… I really am useless. Magical Girls are nothing to brag about… but…

—It’s fun…

“Haruna! Haruna!”

Ah, I’m back, huh? They should have just said they’d bring me back.

(How long has it been?)

“About 10 seconds, but your voice disappearing completely made me panic.”

Ten seconds… though it felt like three hours of talking and fighting, only that much time passed. Who was that guy again? He looked like me, but ultimately, I still don’t know.

For now, let’s do as instructed.

Instead of a trial run, I poured magic into the Staff all at once.

The Staff began to shine, sending electrical-like pulses through me.

“Innie! What did you do?”

Oh right, Kaede is here too.

I forgot because of NigoShiro.

“I’m not entirely sure either, but please bear with me for a moment.”

The Staff shone even brighter, making Kaede gasp strangely. After a while, the light settled, and the Staff felt perfectly suited to my hand.

“Eh?! No way! My pass is gone!”

“Seems like it worked.”

Yes, I can store it now. The deal is done.

“How did you manage that? Stealing someone else’s weapon should be impossible…”

To Kaede and the Demon grumbling inside me, I gave a brief explanation.

Since I can’t tell Kaede the truth, it’s all lies.

The gist is that since it’s technically my weapon, infusing it with sufficient magic rewrote the magic pass to me.

Magic rules are basically “say it and it’s true.”

“I see, incomprehensible, but given Inie’s uniqueness, I suppose congratulations are in order.”

“Hopefully, we won’t face M·D·W again, but I shouldn’t lose to an A-rank opponent.”

“Umm… I can’t fully agree, but let’s leave it at that.”

By the way, I wonder about the original owner of this body… Maybe I’ll ask the Demon sometime.

“That’s good news. By the way, are you aware of the group training for newcomers at the Academy next week?”

…Huh? I’ve never heard of that.

Well, I guess it should be fine since I have the Staff.

“You seem surprised. Let me briefly explain…”

I see, under the guidance of a Ranker, we’ll observe the extermination of A or S-ranked Monsters. Is this one of those instances where Prizes forgot?

“Understood. I’ll confirm with the teacher.”

“The identity of the Ranker will remain a secret until the day, so look forward to it.”

Anyone but Thalagong would be fine.

Jeanne isn’t combat-oriented, so it’s unlikely to be her, and Kaede coming is improbable too. Maybe 3rd, 7th, or 9th place?

Anyway, I’ve done what I needed to. Time to head back.

It’s not good to bother Kaede when she’s busy.

“Thank you for your help today despite your busy schedule.”

“Eh… Yes, since it’s a request from a junior. Feel free to ask anytime if you need anything.”

Of course, actually asking would irritate her, a common workplace issue. I can’t easily rely on someone as prestigious as Kaede-san, a newcomer like me.

“Understood. Thank you for today.”

I carefully cleaned up the snacks and tea served and left Kaede’s room.

For now, I’ll return to the dorm and discuss with the Demon.