Magical Girl and the Countdown to Tragedy
“There’s no reaction, nor any traces…”
Marin, who immediately took action after hearing about Blue Colette from Amakaze, found nothing on the first day.
If Blue Colette were to take some kind of action, she could be discovered right away, but as of now, there’s no response at all.
Or if she were to go to the Fairy Realm, a record would remain, allowing her to be tracked from there.
This wasn’t just limited to Blue Colette; it was true for Inie as well.
After the New Demon War, Inie was globally wanted and suddenly disappeared. The only ones seriously searching for Inie are those under the influence of the Magic Bureau.
The magical girls who were helped by Inie or belong to the faction of high-ranking fighters aren’t trying to find her.
It’s been only two days since she vanished, but already a rift is forming between the magical girls aligned with the Magic Bureau and those in the high-rankers’ faction.
Any rational thinker wouldn’t believe they could defeat the high-rankers, but the high-rankers themselves are each too busy to bother with such matters.
Between non-high-ranking magical girls, the outcome of battles becomes unpredictable.
In the midst of the threat posed by witches, the magical girls have not come together, instead acting according to their own agendas.
(I need to find Inie quickly and do something about the Magic Bureau…)
M·D·W and Dopple. And this time, Mastidizaya.
Among others, Marin, who knows Rinne and Lockwert, is likely one of those who correctly understands the threat posed by witches.
While the high-rankers are being detained, the mere summoning of multiple M·D·Ws could turn the world into a wasteland.
The high-rankers are putting in effort, but another one has gone missing.
Probably killed by one of the witch extremists.
Marin wants to see Inie again but believes that the strange power Inie displayed is needed now.
Inie’s power, which easily dispatched an S-Rank monster, was different from awakening.
She thinks that much power is necessary at this moment.
Even while transformed into a magical girl, the cold of the snow isn’t bothersome, but the incessant falling snow is disheartening.
“Operator here. Marin, please respond.”
“This is Marin. Is something wrong?”
“A premonition of a monster’s appearance has been detected near you. Would you mind handling it? We apologize for the inconvenience.”
Although Marin doesn’t want to draw attention while searching for Blue Colette, rejecting this request was never an option from the start.
As a magical girl, Marin does not flee from monsters.
That’s what Marin has decided.
“Time and location. Please inform me of the monster’s rank and number.”
“Thank you very much. The monster is estimated to be C-Rank and appears to be alone. The location is about a kilometer away in the urban area. I’ll send the data to your terminal, so please confirm.”
“Understood.”
Marin ended the communication and began moving immediately.
Standing on the rooftop of the tallest nearby building, she readied her bow.
A sword would be better if there were multiple monsters, but since there’s only one monster and discretion is preferred in the current situation, the bow suits her needs better.
(Really. I understand it can’t be helped, but why does a monster always appear near me?)
Though the deadline is three days, no substitute magical girl was ready during the morning of the first day, so Marin carried out regular monster hunts.
Effectively, there are only two and a half days left, and she must find someone by the night of the third day.
Thus, despite being given three days, Marin doesn’t have much time.
As Marin waits with her bow drawn, a black mist swirls within the white snow, and a monster appears.
She draws a magic-infused arrow, aims carefully, and releases it.
The arrow pierces the monster’s head as if being sucked in, and the monster vanishes into dust.
(C-Rank, huh? That’s all.)
Since her battle with Inie, Marin has not only increased her magical power upon full awakening but also improved her combat sense.
She’s no longer a rookie; she’s stronger than many incompetent magical girls.
For someone like Marin, a single C-Rank monster is no enemy.
Still, having her time taken up like this is undesirable.
“This is Marin. I’ve defeated the monster.”
“Yes. It’s confirmed. Thank you very much for stepping in.”
“It’s no trouble. By the way, where is Star Nail now?”
To Marin, Star Nail is somewhat of a troublesome senior.
When Star Nail is with Blue Colette, Marin prefers not to get involved, but as a magical girl herself, she doesn’t think poorly of her.
Even when Marin feels down or withdrawn, Star Nail often checks in on her.
Despite having various thoughts, Marin decides to reciprocate the concern shown towards her.
Lately, every time they meet, Star Nail’s complexion seems to worsen, so Marin is slightly worried.
“Star Nail started her search from eastern Ibaraki. She was apparently eating lunch at home until a little while ago.”
Lunch.
Considering the timing, it’s not unusual, but Marin senses something off.
Specifically, the word “home” felt strange.
Everyone at the North Kanto Branch knows that Star Nail lives alone.
From what Marin knows, Star Nail usually eats lunch at the Magic Bureau cafeteria.
Since joining the North Kanto Branch, Marin had never heard of Star Nail eating at home even once.
Moreover, returning home during such a crucial time is practically an admission that something is amiss.
(Something seems off.)
While it’s unlikely that Star Nail is hiding Blue Colette, Marin thought it would be wise to investigate further.
“Tell the Director that due to the snow obstructing visibility, Star Nail and I will conduct the search together.”
“Understood. Please continue to do your best.”
Marin cut the communication and immediately contacted Star Nail.
“This is Star Nail. What’s up, Marin-chan?”
Marin’s brow twitched.
She has repeatedly told Star Nail not to use “-chan” during missions, yet Star Nail persists.
On other days, Marin might have made a small complaint, but today she holds back.
“The snow is hindering visibility, and we need to cross-check information, so let’s search together. I’ve already informed the Director.”
Though permission hasn’t officially been granted, any issues would be communicated promptly.
Even if complaints arise, explaining that it’s for the efficiency of the search should suffice, Marin thought.
“Alright, but how do we meet up?”
“I’ll teleport to your location from the bureau’s device. Please wait about ten minutes.”
Fortunately, Marin can reach the North Kanto Branch in five minutes if she pushes herself.
Though she could return via the simple teleporter, there’s a possibility she might spot Blue Colette along the way to the bureau.
Marin ran through the snow.
Ordinarily, she’d be mindful of civilian gazes, but few people venture out in such snowy conditions.
The only ones out seem to be magical girls tasked with monster hunting.
During Marin’s journey to the bureau, she encountered two magical girls.
(Indeed, the number of monsters is increasing.)
Since the witch’s declaration, the frequency of monster appearances has risen.
This is something all magical girls have noticed.
Branches across Japan are taking action, but the headquarters remains inactive.
Not only that, while commanding the Magic Bureau-affiliated magical girls to search for Inie, the headquarters has done little regarding the extremist witches.
Many magical girls frown at such blatant actions.
Marin was infuriated enough to consider resigning.
“Good work, Marin. Is something the matter?”
Upon entering the North Kanto Branch, a receptionist greeted Marin.
“I’ve returned to rendezvous with Star Nail. I’ll be using the teleporter.”
“Understood. Good luck.”
Marin headed straight to the teleportation room and entered the coordinates sent by Star Nail.
“Ah! Over here, Marin-chan!”
“You don’t need to call out—I can see you.”
The snowfall in Ibaraki is lighter compared to Gunma, but it’s still somewhat blustery.
Realizing Marin had teleported over, Star Nail waved to call her over.
Though obscured by the snow, her complexion seemed to have improved slightly since the morning.
“So, I missed asking earlier, but when was the last time you saw Blue Colette?”
“With Colette? The last time was the morning before yesterday at the Magic Bureau. We parted ways then, so I haven’t seen her since.”
“Is that so… Did she say anything odd?”
Star Nail considers how to phrase her response.
Recently, Blue Colette has been perpetually irritable and making dangerous statements.
“I shouldn’t be in this situation.”
“I should be able to fight more.”
“Marin gets all the attention, and it makes me sick.”
Such remarks have become frequent.
“Hmm… She’s been restless lately, so if you count that, she’s been off for quite some time…”
Thinking back, Marin recalls seeing Blue Colette make unpleasant faces or argue with others each time they met.
Even Marin, who spends much time around the academy and near Inie, notices this.
There’s no lie in Star Nail’s words.
“Did she mention meeting anyone or going somewhere?”
“No, nothing like that.”
“It seems we’ll have to comb the area thoroughly then…”
Marin furrows her brows, voicing her dissatisfaction.
Finding Blue Colette within the limited timeframe seems nearly impossible.
If she fled to the Fairy Realm or transformed into a magical girl, the Magic Bureau would detect her. Thus, Marin and Star Nail assume Blue Colette would either use public transportation or travel on foot in the real world.
Therefore, she should still be somewhere in North Kanto.
However, Blue Colette has been significantly altered by the witch’s influence.
Even attempting to find her yields no results.
“By the way, compared to this morning, you seem to have improved. Did something happen? Also, it’s unusual for you to eat lunch at home.”
Having resigned herself to the situation, Marin inquires about what had been bothering her.
Compared to the morning, Star Nail’s complexion has improved, and she shows no signs of dizziness.
Star Nail contemplates her response, resting her index finger against her cheek.
The reason for her improved condition is Furū—actually Haruna—but she wonders if it’s appropriate to speak about the enigmatic Furū.
Their meeting itself was far from ordinary.
Most importantly, Star Nail dimly understands that if Furū were to leave now, she wouldn’t be able to endure it.
“I’ve recently started keeping a pet, so I went home to take care of it. Did you happen to worry about me?”
“Well, we’re fellow members of the same Magic Bureau, aren’t we? Still, a pet, huh…”
Marin responds curtly with a slight blush, contemplating the idea of pets.
While it’s not strange for someone with family to keep a pet, it seems odd for Star Nail, who lives alone, to do so.
Given the uncertain life of a magical girl—where death could come at any moment—it’s uncommon for someone to keep a pet.
Though it smells a bit fishy, it’s not particularly relevant at the moment.
She decides to simply rejoice that Star Nail’s health has improved.
Incidentally, Furū, referred to as a pet, is sleeping in bed.
“In any case, it looks like we’ll have to search aimlessly today.”
“Yeah. Hopefully, we find her soon.”
Marin and Star Nail survey the surroundings from a high vantage point, searching for Blue Colette.
Today’s search continues until evening, ultimately returning to the North Kanto Branch without success.
“We’re back.”
“It seems we couldn’t find her.”
Returning to the North Kanto Branch, the pair intended to report to Amakaze but found them absent. Instead, Shirokigawa was present to receive the report.
“Um… What are those cabbages doing there?”
Before starting the report, Star Nail’s attention was drawn to two large cabbages placed beside Shirokigawa.
“Oh, these? A friend gave me plenty while I was gathering information. These are for Nail and Marin.”
“Thank you. Did you gather any information?”
Marin gives a slightly awkward smile but quickly regains composure.
It’s not that she dislikes cabbage, but such impressive specimens are rare.
“Unfortunately, there was no useful information. I’ve spoken with the Fairy Bureau and those who might know, but no leads.”
“I see… Understood. We’ll continue searching tomorrow.”
“Yes. Though it’s a difficult task to assign, please try to find Colette before any harm occurs.”
Should Blue Colette end up killing civilians, there will be no turning back.
At least if it’s a conflict between magical girls, there might be some justification.
But if Blue Colette returns, it won’t be the same anymore.
Shirokigawa believes it may already be too late.
“If it comes to that, I’ll take action. That’s my duty as a magical girl.”
“Me too! If Colette makes a mistake, I, as her friend, will see it through to the end!”
“That’s brave… But please don’t overexert yourself. You can go home now. Oh, don’t forget the cabbages!”
Tomorrow is December 31st, a day most people spend relaxing at home or with family.
But as long as monsters exist, magical girls have no rest.
Perhaps next year…
Everyone entertains such thoughts as they approach the final day of the year.
The final battle of the year begins its opening act for the magical girls.
