The Birth of a Magical Girl (A Lie)
…Ah, this ceiling again.
When I woke up, I saw a white ceiling.
Who would’ve thought I’d lose consciousness at the very end…
“So, what exactly happened during Shengxi’s time?”
(Don’t rush me. I’ll tell you.)
Alright, how should I explain this…?
It wouldn’t be wise to convey my thoughts to the Demon.
The Demon may seem carefree and selfish, but there is something solid within them.
Something called righteousness by societal standards.
My thoughts are far from that.
True, I have no intention of siding with the destructionists, but our ideologies are somewhat similar.
They seek the end of the world.
I seek conflict.
This ideology might not be acceptable to the Demon who has fought to protect the world.
Well, it was as if my second form went berserk because of these thoughts…
But this battle was quite interesting this time…
—Oh, before I get lost in digression, I need to make an excuse first.
(Honestly, I don’t know exactly either, but didn’t your superior do something?)
“…It’s not impossible. We’re already cornered. It wouldn’t be strange if Haruna did something for us to win.”
Ah, is this fine?
(You can’t contact them from the Demon side, can you?)
“I can’t. I cut all the passes when I fled. But they must know I’m in this world.”
(Well, whatever happens, what we need to do won’t change.)
My answer remains unchanged.
If there’s a fight, that’s enough for me.
Defeating the witch and saving the world are just bonuses.
Still, as things stand now, it’s tough to even fight properly, let alone win… How can I become stronger? How?
“Oh yeah, I was bedridden for about four days this time. The symptoms weren’t just heavy blood loss; apparently, my internal organs were messed up.”
I coughed up blood when I reverted from my second form because my insides were fried.
I had been postponing full recovery, and if I had fully recovered, I probably wouldn’t have had enough magic power left to help Marin.
Still, I couldn’t believe I’d been bedridden for four whole days… My magical power hasn’t fully recovered, but it’s decently back. For now, I’ll rest slowly.
My left arm is reattached as it was, so Miss Jeanne must have healed it for me.
I’ll have to thank her later.
When I turned my face slightly sideways, I could see the IV bag.
Come to think of it, when I slept at Kaede’s place last time, there was no IV or anything like that…
Yet my condition wasn’t that bad then. Why is that?
Did Miss Jeanne use some special magic back then?
(Since I’m still sleepy, I’ll go back to sleep.)
“Ah, Haruna-san? Look the other way.”
Huh? Oh!
When I looked the other way, the room’s door opened, and Miss Jeanne and Mr. Thalagong entered.
By the way, where am I exactly?
“Ah, you’ve finally awakened. How do you feel?”
Mr. Thalagong wore an expression of relief, while Miss Jeanne smiled mischievously as she asked.
Since I was helped by them, it feels wrong to pretend to be asleep here.
Though I want to sleep, I’ll give up on that and start talking…
“This time, I’m fine. How about everyone else?”
“What do you mean ‘fine’? You’ve been asleep for four days! Honestly, you’ve worried us all… ”
This time, I was close to death but didn’t die, so I’m fine.
The last mistake and recklessly using my second form were definitely things to reflect on…
However, somehow… my body feels heavy, and I feel strangely breathless.
“Hmm. Have you been eating properly? Though I shouldn’t talk, it’s better if you eat well.”
“Were you eating properly back home? Don’t tell me you skipped meals?”
Excuse me.
I’ve been eating three proper meals every day… why does this keep coming up?
“Yes, I’ve been eating properly.”
“Is that true? Well, we can discuss that later, but may I hear your report now?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
Truthfully, I want to sleep, but I’ll handle the chores first.
There’s no doubt this time that the video wasn’t recorded, but it’s possible that Mr. Arongante saw my second form. There’s no way to confirm it now.
First, I’ll talk about Rinnie and Shengxi, who call themselves destructionists and appeared.
Then, about how I was recruited, and regarding the basics of healing magic.
All the dopplegangers appeared, and Mr. Arongante and I moved immediately.
I defeated my doppleganger in a mutual strike, and after that, I repelled Shengxi.
I assisted Mr. Arongante and saved Mr. Prizes, then destroyed the dopplegangers of the students except Marin.
Finally, I talk about defeating Marin’s doppleganger and being injured during that process.
“I see. This matches the reports from others, so it seems you’re not lying.”
“Why would Inie lie, seriously?”
Sorry. It’s almost like I exist based on lies.
By the way, the battle with Shengxi was also a lie.
“Well, just asking, but what happened to you when you were young?”
“Jeanne!”
“Thalagong, this is something we need to ask. Healing magic involves such things. I wanted to wait until after observing him a bit more, but…”
Of course, they will ask.
Actually, it’s related to my sister, but I can’t say that in my current state.
Currently, I have no relatives.
The relatives I had belonged not to Haruna but to the deceased Shiro.
“…Have you ever felt this way, Miss Jeanne?”
“Yeah. Thanks to Kaede, I’m okay now, but I used to be pretty wild. Thalagong knows that, right?”
“One way or another, I took care of her…”
Considering that Miss Jeanne managed to heal me during M·D·W, she must carry a lot of darkness within herself.
As for Mr. Thalagong, I’ve told him I escaped from some facility, so I’ll skillfully connect that story.
By the way, NigoShiro mentioned something about the hair on this body too.
Without being albino, having white hair is quite unusual.
Mr. Thalagong didn’t inquire about it, but now’s the chance to fabricate a story.
(So, if anything comes up, please cover for me.)
“Understood. By the way, originally, it was the same blue hair as Haruna’s transformed form, and the eyes were purple.”
Is that so? NigoShiro mentioned the hair, but not the eyes…
“I lived in some unknown facility since birth. There were many children like me there, and we were used for certain experiments.”
“—Surely not!”
Miss Jeanne widened her eyes in shock.
Mr. Thalagong is tightly clenching his fists…
“Many people died in agony due to those experiments. We were treated without any human dignity, like guinea pigs.”
“…And then, what happened afterward?”
“I was manipulated with mysterious drugs and devices, and before I knew it, the color of my hair had faded. And every day, I prayed… Let the world perish… And one day, I found myself alone.”
“—Could it be, Inie, you are—!”
“Yes, —I am an artificial magical girl—”
It’s not entirely a lie.
The male me survived by exchanging souls and became a magical girl.
It could be considered artificial.
“I see… That’s how it was…”
Mr. Thalagong murmurs painfully.
By the way, this story is based on an actual event that happened long ago.
In reality, everyone died, and the country conducting the experiments was destroyed by the magical girls’ punishment.
“I see, indeed, with such a life, it’s understandable. What happened to the facility?”
“As I mentioned briefly to Mr. Thalagong, I escaped from the facility with the help of fairies, so I don’t know its location.”
“I investigated various places, but there was no trace of the facility. It’s probably already demolished or hidden deeper in the dark.”
Ah, so Mr. Thalagong’s travels were partly because of me… If it actually existed, it would cause problems, so it’s good that there are none.
“By the way, Haruna’s story, which sounds like a lie, actually existed until recently and was wiped out by the destructionists.”
“Seriously? For real?”
“Yeah. Similar things happened in other timelines too, so it’s a common tale.”
So, everyone thinks the same way…
If creating magical girls at will and controlling them freely benefits the nation, it would be convenient.
It’s unbearable for the victims, but if people live in fear of monsters, they might overlook human rights to protect themselves…
That’s somewhat similar to desperate magical girls too…
Oh, I might be reaching my limit soon…
“I’m sorry to bother you while you’re recovering. Thalagong, Inie looks sleepy, so let’s stop here for today.”
“That’s right… I’ll come again, so make sure to rest properly. Call us if you wake up.”
With those words, Miss Jeanne and Mr. Thalagong left the room.
At least I avoided a messy situation, which is good.
(Just before sleeping, where am I anyway?)
“It’s a hospital for magical girls located in the Fairy Realm. By the way, Haruna is the only patient right now.”
Only me… So it’s quiet, which is good.
(I’m going to sleep. Wake me if anything happens.)
“Sure thing. Good night, Haruna.”
