It’s the second weekend since I’ve been possessed.
There wasn’t much to do last weekend, but this week will be different.
I prepare my bag and head outside.
As soon as I step out of my single room, spring greets me.
It’s a good day.
However, I’m not stepping out for a leisurely stroll.
There’s something more important than that.
“I need to take the power away from that kid.”
In the streets where magical girls exist, there are countless bad endings.
And among them is what’s commonly known as the betrayal ending.
The kind where you’re betrayed by someone you trusted.
Bad Ending 18 was one such case.
When I close my eyes, it all comes vividly back to me. The unsettling sounds in the dark cave.
Iris, bound by tentacles, just before being violated.
[You…you traitor…I trusted you…I really trusted you…]
Iris’ gaze points toward a woman.
Her name is Chon Se-hee.
One of the heroes who helps Iris fight against evil.
[Noah…we’re finally alone…I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long!]
A perverted sadist who enjoys watching women being molested by tentacles.
A master of tentacle media who has developed tentacles to an extreme degree.
A mad lesbian who enjoys raping other women.
That kid’s victim, Iris.
It goes without saying how horrific her fate was after that.
I need to prepare to defeat that kid.
With my weak stats, it’s practically impossible. It’d be fortunate if I don’t get torn apart by the tentacles.
“Still…”
I am a possessor.
And I’ve seen most of the game endings.
I know where that kid is and how to tackle her.
Today’s outing is for that purpose.
“This way? Lucky the roads are the same as in the game.”
I walked down a street with few people.
Perhaps because of that, I might have stood out more.
“…Really bad at tailing.”
I turned my head at the feeling of an intense gaze.
There was a figure hiding behind a pillar.
There was a girl.
A girl with white hair who had been following me since I left my house.
Recognizing her wasn’t difficult.
It was Noah. She had been tailing me ever since I stepped out of my house.
Well, it was hard to call it “tailing” exactly.
Come on, how well could a middle school girl who just started her magical girl life possibly do?
“Still suspicious?”
Despite the food she gave me being helpful, it seemed she couldn’t shake off her suspicions. She probably suspects I might be a villain.
Even if not, it doesn’t hurt to be cautious.
She must be trailing me with that thought in mind.
‘What should I do now?’
I momentarily pondered.
What should I do about that kid?
I could lose her, but doing so would only make her more suspicious.
Especially with QQQ around as aerial support, running away would be tough.
After some thought, I quickly entered a nearby alley.
It was a narrow side street between buildings,
hardly wide enough for a person to pass through.
At the corner of that place, I took out a cigarette.
“Let’s try to look natural.”
Sssshk.
The lighter sparked, and the cigarette began to burn.
I inhaled deeply, the smoke swirling around my lungs before escaping outward.
“Puh…”
Around that time, I heard the sound of footsteps tapping.
Something rounded the corner sharply.
“Aiyaaa!?”
A cry of pain rang out, followed by a loud thud as someone fell backward.
“Ow…”
“Are you alright?”
“Ah, yes. Thank you-”
Noah froze.
Looking flustered, her gaze darted around before she blurted out a lie.
“Why are you here, mister…?”
Seriously.
She’s terrible at lying.
+++++
Noah felt suspicious.
‘Though I panicked at the moment, the more I think about it, the stranger it gets.’
That man named Shin Hyun.
He was inexplicably strange.
Since meeting him for the first time, the girl had visited the convenience store several times.
Each time, he greeted her warmly, giving her things, asking if she needed help…
Cup ramen appeared in her home, along with bandages and medicine.
…Alright, I’ll admit it.
Maybe I’m just overly paranoid.
Maybe the man is genuinely kind, and I’m misinterpreting his intentions.
Maybe it’s just a good intuition that helped uncover his true nature.
Noah’s acting still isn’t perfect, and maybe she noticed some odd similarities between Iris and herself.
But Noah’s heart couldn’t let go of these thoughts.
She doubted every act of kindness, questioning hidden motives, and reacted cynically to any praise.
“Q…Do I really have to stalk him?”
“Shhh.”
“He doesn’t seem like a bad person…”
“If necessary, they’d kill even their parents. That’s what humans do.”
So, naturally, Noah continued to follow the man.
It seemed he hadn’t noticed, and the tailing went smoothly.
But…
‘Just because of a cigarette!’
It was a mistake.
Seeing the man disappear into the alley, she rushed too quickly.
She had to come up with something.
“Why are you here, mister…?”
Embarrassing.
The phrase she used was outdated.
And calling him ‘mister’…
Surely, she’d be laughed at mercilessly.
Like back then.
Noah tightly closed her eyes, not wanting to see any mocking expressions.
But soon, a gentle voice came towards her.
“Are you okay?”
“…Yes.”
Noah couldn’t help but open her eyes.
The man didn’t show any mocking expression.
He simply worried about Noah, who had fallen quite dramatically.
“I’m fine.”
“Thank goodness. I was worried you got hurt.”
The man crushed the cigarette underfoot.
At that sight, Noah tensed up. What excuse should she give?
“It’s nice to meet you!”
“What are you doing here?”
She could perhaps say something bright and natural like that, letting the situation flow smoothly.
But unfortunately, Noah lacked that ability.
She merely stared at the man, blinking.
The man spoke first.
“What brings you here? I came out for an errand.”
“Ah! Um…I’m just taking a walk!”
“You seemed to be in a hurry. Running so fast.”
“Well…magical girls need stamina, so…hehe…”
It was going pretty well.
Noah felt satisfied inside.
The conversation continued.
Though it was clear the man was trying to engage and be considerate, just having a flowing conversation was already something.
For someone like her, lacking social skills, it was a satisfying achievement.
“Well, I’ll be going now.”
“Yes.”
Only after the man left did Noah feel relieved.
“That was close…”
“Thankfully.”
“It’d be troublesome if I got reported for stalking.”
“But we managed to get past it. Let’s keep going.”
Ignoring QQQ’s disgruntled expression, Noah resumed her pursuit.
The man headed towards a small alleyway. A dimly lit, poorly scented alley.
Interestingly, there was a large claw machine there, filled with white boxes.
“What’s that…?”
She recognized it.
They called it a random box, right?
Seeing it but never indulging due to cost concerns, was the man here just for this?
Zzzziiip.
Zzzziiip.
Zzzziiip.
The sound of bills being inserted echoed as a box dropped with a loud thud.
How many was he pulling out?
Having emptied an entire row, the man…
“…Is only taking one?”
“Suspicious. Why pull out so many and only take one?”
Putting one box into his bag, the man moved again.
This time, he entered a building.
[2nd Floor Restroom]
Did he just use the restroom?
Hiding near a signpost, Noah stared intently at the building entrance.
How much time passed?
Just as she was about to turn back, thinking it was futile,
“Look over there! Noah-sama!”
“What, is it that man?”
“No, there’s this incredibly beautiful woman.”
“…Focus on our task.”
Noticing a new subject of interest in human females,
Noah paused her motion to reprimand QQQ.
“Beautiful…”
It made sense why QQQ said that.
An extremely stunning woman emerged from the building.
Long black hair flowing down to her waist, a tight white t-shirt, and jeans accentuating her curvaceous figure.
Any passerby would likely glance at such a beauty.
But what caught Noah’s attention was something else.
“Ugh…don’t flaunt unnecessarily…”
“Mr. Noah?”
“Still…it’d be embarrassing if she continues like this…”
Muttering to herself, Noah seemed to make a decision and approached the woman.
“Excuse me!”
“Yes?”
The woman’s blue eyes sparkled.
Summoning courage, Noah looked at her.
“Sorry for bringing it up, but…”
“Yes?”
“You’re not wearing a bra.”
The woman looked startled.
Realizing she hadn’t worn her undergarment, her expression changed.
“Ah! Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I just noticed and thought…”
Noah’s face turned red.
Even though they were both women, seeing such an explicit situation was awkward.
The woman similarly bowed her head shyly and quickly disappeared.
Watching the woman leave, Noah sighed.
“Let’s go back, QQQ.”
“Hmm? What about the tailing?”
“Kinda lost the momentum… Also, it’s almost time for my part-time job.”
“There’s nothing we can do…let’s go then. Actually, your phone has been ringing for a while. Is it vibrating from a call?”
“…Why didn’t you say that earlier?! Ahh…I’m late!”
+++++
Noah hurriedly ran off.
And the woman who had quietly observed her movements.
“She didn’t recognize me, huh?”
Soon, she muttered with a smile.
“The transformation potion works perfectly.”
