Congratulations on Your Magical Girl Duties

30 – The Moon Rises.

A single phrase, ringing out abruptly.

“New Moon.”

A fleeting moment, a thin, drawn line.

However.

No one here paid it much mind. To say they didn’t care at all would be closer to the truth.

Too busy competing amongst themselves for ‘dominance.’

“I’m next up, any complaints?”

“The order will be decided fairly, with ‘sword’!”

“Good. A duel, then. Draw forth the ‘sword’ named Cock from your skirts.”

Only the leader, Futahnari, who possessed a slightly sharper sense than the others, noticed the strangeness and lifted their head.

‘What was that just now…?’

But that was all.

They didn’t consider it important beyond that.

“Leader, what’s wrong all of a sudden? Wanna touch your cock?”

“Nah, just thought I heard something. Maybe saw something weird flash by for a second.”

“You okay? Should we round up a few and send out a Magical Patrol, just in case?”

“It’s fine. Probably nothing.”

Just a trick of the mind, they thought, dismissing it.

It couldn’t be otherwise, after all. Their opponents’ only real power, the two magical girls, had long since been weakened with aphrodisiacs.

The only one relatively unharmed was a single man. And he’d even been passed out just a moment ago.

There was no room for any variables in this situation.

A sudden hallucination?

Something unknown that appeared and vanished in an instant?

It didn’t even qualify as a variable. Everyone here possessed the strong bodies of magical girls, so how could they possibly turn the situation around?

Impossible. Absolutely.

And so, the leader, Futahnari, didn’t let their thoughts wander as far as worry.

‘Well, there probably isn’t anything.’

They simply smiled, watching the Futahnari engage in a weighty ‘male-female’ contest with their cocks.

“The first to be stabbed becomes the female! Got it!”

It was truly a blissful moment.

– Thud, thudthudthudthud.

“Huh?”

The sound of crimson blood splattering on the ground.

And then.

“Everyone, didn’t you just hear something─”

– Thump.

Until the sound of someone collapsing reached their ears.

“……Huh?”

The one who had fallen to the ground was an elder futanari. Just a moment ago, she had been perfectly fine, but suddenly, she’d pitched forward, collapsing face-first into the dirt.

This time, even the futanari couldn’t dismiss it so lightly.

“Eh? What’s wrong?”

“Why all of a sudden?”

“Is something the matter, perhaps?”

Through the chilling air, confusion spread with alarming speed. Like a wildfire racing across the dry field.

Struck by the sudden abnormality, the leader futanari rushed to the side of the fallen elder.

“Granny, did all the blood rush to your lower half again, maybe?”

Perhaps the title of leader wasn’t just an empty one. The leader futanari struggled to maintain the composure that was the hallmark of her position.

“I told you to remember your Magical Anemia pills, didn’t I?”

A leader, by definition, must not waver.

They must remain steadfast in all moments.

In mind, and in… lower half.

“Or did you finally find it? That Owlbulge, I mean.”

Not forgetting to lighten the mood, she added a light, yet weighty comment with a laugh.

But.

The moment the leader futanari reached the elder, she could no longer maintain her composure.

“What…”

The elder futanari wore the same faint smile she’d had a moment before.

“What is this…!”

Her entire body, male appendage included, was bisected by a massive wound.

Even the Magical Cock had been cleaved in two. Split into two separate halves, that is.

“What in the world happened here!”

The leader futanari’s question was laced with chaos.

The answer came from the elder futanari’s body.

More precisely, from the blood that gushed forth from the wound.

Her expression remained unchanged. As if unable to even register the pain, she had completely lost consciousness.

Thankfully, the wound had avoided all vital organs. It was closer to a disabling attack than a fatal one.

Perilously close, but she had stopped exactly one step away from crossing the line.

But, none of that truly mattered.

My eyes deceived me.

It was unbelievable.

The beings present here belonged to the true, dyed-in-the-wool class of Magical Super-Criminals. That they had survived, uncaptured, until now, was proof of their strength.

Even with the tips and intel from informants, only those who could put that information into practice had lived this long, safe from the Magical Girls.

In other words, they were undoubtedly skilled.

And each person’s inherent nature played a role, too.

For only those with the resolve are truly strong.

They wouldn’t hesitate to harm a stranger with magic, could be brutally cruel if the situation called for it, and felt no fear in crossing the line.

They weren’t Magical Super-Criminals for nothing.

Some were even ‘Super’ criminals because they had two of *them* attached.

And yet.

“Who did this?!”

Against these very people, who in the world could have committed such an act?

Leader Futanari quelled the rising chaos in his mind with anger, and his thoughts raced.

A Magical Girl’s body isn’t easily wounded. Ordinary weapons can barely leave a scratch.

Therefore, only two possibilities could explain the current situation.

A Monstrosity or a Magical Girl.

‘It’s not the former.’

He ruled out the Monstrosity.

No Magical Alert had sounded in the first place. And even if a Monstrosity had been present, the Magical Girls who arrived earlier would have already killed it.

That left only one suspect.

“God damn it!”

A Magical Girl.

Those revolting, disgusting beings who sought to obstruct their happy lives to the very end—they were the culprits.

That meant there was another Magical Girl here, in addition to the two incapacitated by drugs.

Leader Futanari’s assessment was swift.

“Everyone, establish Magical Perimeter! Keep your spells ready to cast immediately!”

“Leader, why the sudden alarm?”

One of the Futanari voiced his question.

The situation was already a mess, and Leader Futanari issuing orders without a damn explanation just didn’t sit right.

He saw the confusion flickering in their eyes, and moved fast to clear it up.

“Those b*tches are here.”

There’s a magical girl here.

Before Leader Futanari could even finish, the others were grabbing their magic wands, prepping their spells.

Ready to cast the moment the incantation was out.

Everyone was desperately scanning the surroundings when one of them spoke up.

“Leader, how many are we facing? What kind of magic are they using?”

Confusion dripped from his words and the sticky mess down his legs, but underneath it, there was a chilling resolve to understand the situation.

A model magical high-criminal.

But.

“Don’t know.”

“What?”

Leader Futanari couldn’t give them answers.

“Leader, what do you mean?”

“I don’t know.”

Because he knew next to nothing.

At best, he knew they were dealing with a magical girl, but everything else was a complete goddamn mystery.

How many were hunting them.

How they’d attack.

And, above all.

‘How the hell did those b*stards know we were here?’

What did they do to find them.

Their current location was miles behind the magical girls’ main forces. So isolated, it was practically quarantine.

In other words, they could cause a serious racket without the magical girls even noticing.

And yet.

How the hell did they know they were here? And not only did they know, but they’d even managed to land a hit.

It was impossible to figure out.

It felt like being stranded alone in the unknown.

Then, an idea struck.

‘Surely not.’

Could there be a mole among them?

Merely a possibility, but Leader Futanari was half convinced. If, if the assumption held true, it would explain quite a few things.

Otherwise, there was no way they could pinpoint their location so precisely. The advantage of a surprise attack was just a bonus.

But.

‘Who in the world could be the mole?’

Who was he supposed to suspect?

The informant?

Or one of these magical super-criminals here?

‘It’s not the informant.’

The latter was his choice.

The informant’s intel had always been flawless. So thorough and meticulous that no variable could possibly interfere.

The situation had merely veered off course from the initial plan, but up until now, the flow had been remarkably smooth.

Besides, betraying them now made no sense.

‘There’s no gain.’

If they were going to betray them, they would have done it long ago. Unlike before, there was nothing to be gained by selling them out at this point.

On the other hand, what about the other magical super-criminals?

‘That’s entirely possible.’

More than possible, even.

They might call themselves comrades, but given the slightest opportunity, they would stab each other in the back without hesitation.

There was no close-knit friendship between buddies, naturally, nor even a faint sense of camaraderie between regular colleagues.

There was a sticky, whitish-grey fluid, though.

Anyway.

Leader Futanari came to a tentative conclusion.

There was a magical traitor in their midst.

The reason for the betrayal could be anything. A pardon, perhaps, or a reduced sentence.

However.

‘But who is it?’

He couldn’t pinpoint the target.

‘Could it be that son of a b*tch?’

The first person Leader Futanari suspected of betrayal was the elderly Futanari, still dazed and unresponsive even now.

No mortal wounds, yet collapsing without so much as a flinch? Impossible. They must be in league.

But.

‘No.’

Leader Futanari quickly dismissed the thought.

A magical girl’s magic was, for the most part, potent, but possessed a crude and unrefined nature.

A natural consequence. Finesse was a needless element in magic meant to slay grotesque monsters. Sheer power and efficiency were its only virtues.

And yet, inflict such precise wounds with magic?

To subdue an accomplice with minimal injury, all while secretly targeting the others?

Too convoluted, too troublesome.

Not an easy method to begin with.

It would be several times better, and far safer, to employ a different approach.

Like, say, wiping them all out in one fell swoop.

‘It’s inefficient to target just one person with magic. Not an easy task to begin with.’

Therefore, the pool of potential traitors narrowed to the remaining six, excluding Leader Futanari.

But that was as far as it went.

She couldn’t ascertain anything beyond that. Only a few assumptions surfaced, only to dissipate.

Suspicion bred suspicion.

Could it be one of them who betrayed us?

Or, not just one, but two or more?

‘No, perhaps…’

Could it be that all of them here?

‘If only we had a mascot at a time like this…!’

Leader Futanari gritted her teeth.

The mascot’s absence was felt keenly.

Since they became Magical Heavy Offenders, the mascots had all devolved into mindless beasts.

They’d become cumbersome baggage, abandoned to the Magical Units before she fled. But now, when no one could be trusted, the only one you could truly trust was a mascot.

But now, there was nothing.

The anguish was hers alone.

Leader Futanari glared at the remaining Futanari, bloodshot eyes darting between them. The fact that there was no one she could trust weighed heavily upon her heart.

At the same instant, her lower body quivered irregularly, standing stiffly erect, straining towards the heavens.

It was a bad omen.

A sign she was under immense psychological pressure.

Just then, one futanari, her nervousness palpable, addressed the leader futanari.

“Hey, Leader… um… that…”

“What is it!”

So taut were her nerves, and her lower regions, that the leader futanari’s words burst out, sharp-edged.

“Ah, no… it’s just… that, well…”

“If you have something to say, say it quickly!”

Even more intimidated by the sharper tone, the futanari rushed to deliver her message.

“That, that man! Where did he go!”

“Huh…?”

In that instant, the leader futanari remembered.

That the older futanari had been ambushed, collapsing without resistance.

On ground that was utterly, entirely ‘without’.

‘Just when…?’

Something that should have been there had vanished.

A chilling premonition snaked up her lower body.

Not that she could blame anyone. Crushing a single man barely registers, after all.

Before the might of a magical girl’s flesh, a man’s resistance is less than a worm wriggling in the dirt.

It’s akin to stepping on an ant, really.

Even if you stepped on a tiny ant, noticing its actions would be nigh impossible.

That was the sheer gulf in power between a magical girl and a man.

Meanwhile, the other futanaris, as if sensing the ominous air, began to mutter worriedly amongst themselves.

“T-t-that’s right! Where did he go?”

“Don’t know, ma’am…”

“He was definitely on the ground a moment ago, though…”

Then, one futanari’s eyes lit up.

“Ah! Maybe something was captured on the Magical Camcorder!”

No sooner had she spoken than she approached the ‘obviously’ discarded Magical Camcorder.

That instant, Leader Futonari’s instincts flared with warning.

Though it was the Magical Camcorder they’d cherished until now, it seemed different somehow, tonight.

Like a fishing hook dangling above a still lake.

“W-Wait a minute!”

Leader Futonari spoke quickly.

But the other Futonari, heedless, reached for the Magical Camcorder.

“With this, we can see what happened—”

“New Moon.”

That instant, a keen sliver of moon flashed.

A single, barely visible thread of light.

At first glance, it seemed insignificant.

But the outcome was anything but.

The Magical Camcorder split in two. Without a sound, as though it was the only natural thing to do.

And.

After the thread of light vanished, two sounds rang out, one right after the other, as before.

The sound of freshly spilled blood scattering.

The sound of a figure collapsing limply to the ground.

But, unlike moments before.

“Six more to go.”

A toneless voice followed.

Leader Futonari, along with the remaining six Futonari, turned their eyes toward the source of the voice.

At the end of their gazes stood the man.

The nameless man who could barely stand moments ago, who’d torn off his belt and immediately fainted.

That man now stood upright.

Except, there was a slight difference from what they’d seen before. Two aspects, in particular.

First, his hair had changed slightly.

Still moderately unkempt, as before.

But a portion of the hair at the back of his head had grown longer.

The lengthened part was neatly tied back and arranged. A sort of ponytail.

For some reason, it felt like witnessing the awakening of a magical girl.

Second, he was gripping something in his hand.

Something long, its form vaguely indistinct. It looked as though it could vanish at any moment. And amidst all that, it was even faintly luminous.

It was difficult to articulate, but if one were pressed to describe it by comparing it to a familiar object…

‘A sword…?’

A faintly gleaming, single blade.

The leader, Futanari, wordlessly stared at the man in the sudden situation, when a pair of dark eyes locked directly onto her.

What emotions they held, she couldn’t discern.

What thoughts he harbored, she couldn’t glimpse.

Only a single instinctual feeling rose within her.

‘W-what is this…?’

For a fleeting moment, it felt as though she’d met the gaze of a death god.

“Ha, you son of a b*tch.”

Suddenly, rage surged.

Into her mind.

Into her lower body.

The source of all her torment until now, turned out to be a single man, not even a magical girl.

Truly humiliating, utterly disgraceful.

And he’d just referred to their numbers as ‘heads.’ As if they were livestock, when they deserved to be addressed with utmost respect.

Furthermore. She, a New Human (Futanari), had felt a flicker of fear toward this man, so inferior by comparison.

She simply couldn’t tolerate it.

“That b*stard’s glaring at me like that with those shitty eyes.”

He was just a weakling man who’d managed to incapacitate two of them by some stroke of luck, but she wouldn’t stand by and watch him swagger about like this.

Leader Futanari raised her magical staff.

She also raised her cock.

“Eyes down.”

She bit her lip until it bled, and vowed it.

She wouldn’t let this end cleanly. She would tear off his limbs one by one, drag out his organs, and then rape him madly, leaving him to live a life worse than death.

She would make him live in regret for the rest of his days.

Even if she were to be captured futilely by the magical girls, she would absolutely, without fail, kill that b*stard.

That was her vow.

“Don’t you dare open your eyes like that, you son of a b*tch─!”

That instant.

“New Moon.”

A chilling crescent, cleaved the air.