Congratulations on Your Magical Girl Duties

32 – Interlude – Cleanup (1)

A sigh of relief escaped.

“Hah.”

Truly, it was fortunate.

Honestly, just a while ago, I thought I was going to be hopelessly ravaged by the Futonari. The atmosphere had almost solidified into that very thing.

And yet, not only did I retrieve my Moonlit Blade, but now I can even manipulate mana.

Especially, the fight’s conditions favored me so greatly.

The time: midnight.

The space: a vast expanse.

Moreover, these Magical Felons seemed more accustomed to inflicting injury than to the act of fighting itself.

As a matter of principle, one must always be wary at the final moment of a driven hunt. Suspicion must be maintained from the moment things begin to flow too smoothly.

In this, those Otherworld b*stards were far superior. They drove their quarry with a thoroughness so brutal it begged the word ‘malicious.’

Well, regardless.

Thanks to it all, I managed to finish with a multitude without a scratch. Especially fortunate that I didn’t get pierced through the dick.

One could only call it good luck.

“Still a bit lacking, though.”

Of course, my power wasn’t fully restored, which was a slight shame. At a rough estimate, I’d guess it was about a third, or perhaps a quarter, of what it once was.

Furthermore, I could only use certain magics, and I couldn’t properly control the last one. Not that its power was outputting at maximum, either.

In other words, I still had a long way to go.

I didn’t know how to fully reclaim my power, nor could I estimate how long it would take.

Still, it was something.

Far better than not being able to use magic at all.

It meant I had at least a minimal means of overcoming a crisis like the one just past.

“And my hair’s back, too.”

However, I never imagined it would grow out like this.

From my original hair, only a portion of the back had lengthened, forming a sort of ponytail.

That was my hair now.

Of course, it wasn’t awkward or displeasing.

Rather, it felt familiar, even welcome.

This hairstyle was the same form that girl had arranged for me in the Otherworld.

Thanks to that, I maintained this style throughout my time there. It was practically the only way I could remember her.

To be precise, explaining it to Sora and Hwidung-i would be slightly awkward, but I could probably brush it off with a vague answer.

They’re genuine nutcases, unlike me anyway.

They’d probably accept it in their own way.

Then suddenly, a thought surfaced.

“I wonder if she’s doing well.”

The girl… I missed her.

We might never meet again, but if the chance arose, I wished to see her, just once more.

Of course, she might have forgotten me.

It’s been so long since we parted; why would she remember?

Even so, simply seeing her doing well would be satisfaction enough, I think.

She was, after all, the most precious person in this other world.

“If the opportunity comes, I’ll have to go and see her.”

That aside, I had other matters to attend to presently.

I’d managed to deal with the futanari to some extent, but I couldn’t relax just yet.

They possessed the bodies of magical girls. Give them leeway, and they’d recover in an instant. Some were already healing, even now.

“Fucking resilient b*stards.”

Even though I’d moderated my attacks somewhat, their recovery rate was exceptionally fast, even accounting for that.

So this was the power of a magical girl’s body?

Honestly, it felt unfair, and, at the same time, enviable.

Purely in terms of physical condition, they surpassed my prime by a wide margin.

Before, I used to forcibly draw on magic power to piece my shattered body back together and heal.

Even that much wasn’t possible right now, not with my powers still so diminished.

At best, I could momentarily channel magic when using magic, a level far below my standards. And even that required the Moonlight Sword.

Well, whatever.

They were still mostly unresponsive. Best to subdue them as quickly as possible while they were vulnerable.

I reversed the summoning of the Moonlight Sword and swiftly fastened Magical Shackles on the futanari’s wrists.

However, I didn’t use the shackles I owned.

I used Shiroi’s shackles instead.

It was cumbersome, to be sure, and perhaps even seemed foolish. This way, Shiroi would end up taking all the credit.

But it wasn’t a thoughtless act.

I’d considered it deeply, and that’s why I made this choice.

There were two reasons for this.

First, there was no need to publicly announce that I was the one responsible.

What kind of place was the military, after all?

A place where, instead of praise, ability earned you even more work.

Even as a magical girl, it shouldn’t be much different.

Just because I’m capable of overpowering them doesn’t mean I should flaunt it all willy-nilly.

Doing so wouldn’t make them see me as amazing, but rather, push me into an even more precarious situation than I’m already in.

There’s a reason they say to just aim for the middle.

If you only aim for the middle, they won’t ask you to do more than that.

To put it simply, it’s best not to stand out.

Whether it’s military life or magical girl life, there’s rarely any good that comes from attracting attention.

Even if I eventually have to reveal my true strength, I figured now wasn’t the time.

Second, Whitey needs a vacation.

I don’t know exactly *why* he needs one. But judging by his attitude earlier, there’s definitely a pressing reason.

So, what’s wrong with giving him a vacation?

It’s not like I’m desperate for time off.

Promotion, on the other hand, *is* something I’m eager for.

And promotions are a reward given by the dorm.

From my perspective, it’s not about who played the decisive role, but rather which dorm that person belongs to.

If Whitey were to hog all the credit here, he’d get the vacation, and I’d be a candidate for promotion.

That’s why I acted as I did.

Well, it wasn’t *completely* without regret, so I eased my disappointment by flicking Whitey on the forehead.

“You better be damn grateful to me.”

“Auh… ah…”

I flicked him pretty hard, but just like before, Whitey remained out of it, only groaning.

In his current state, he wouldn’t wake up no matter what I did to him, but I didn’t particularly have any intention of doing anything.

I would never touch a magical girl like that.

However, that didn’t mean I was going to let things end here. If we ended things right now, Whitey would definitely face intense interrogation.

Like, how did you catch them all?

One or two might be believable. But for Whitey to have caught all eight of them? No one in their right mind would believe that.

Moreover, the wounds I inflicted on those magical criminal offenders have almost completely healed. No one will believe he subdued them without leaving a scratch.

So, the task at hand is obvious, isn’t it?

Create evidence.

Perfect evidence that Whitey did it.

“Hey, I’m borrowing this for a sec.”

I hefted Whitey’s magic wand – more accurately, a double-barreled shotgun shaped magic wand.

Whitey’s finger and mine overlapped on the trigger. I was pulling it with my own will, in order to manifest Whitey’s magic.

That’s how I should be able to use it, right?

That’s what the freak who offed himself did, too.

Presently, I aimed at one of the futanari.

“Alright, one down, for starters.”

My intention was to inflict a mild injury, something moderate.

I was aiming for the outer calf area.

Not fatal, but enough to make walking difficult.

Also, not a particularly painful spot, so there’s no chance of waking them from their unconscious state.

Even though he said it was okay to hurt them badly, I’d still rather keep it light. I have no interest in tormenting others.

Leaving circumstantial evidence that Whitey did it is all I need. That’s my only desire.

I took a breath and pulled the trigger.

– KABOOM!

With the gunshot, the magic was unleashed.

“Hmm…”

However, the actual impact point of the magic was slightly off from where I’d aimed. Off by about a calf’s width.

Right.

The magic had hit the male genitalia.

Maybe because I pulled the trigger together with Whitey’s finger, the aim wasn’t as precise as I thought it would be.

The futanari’s manhood, as a result, exploded.

Chunks of flesh, thick blood, and cloudy semen scattered in every direction.

“Gwaaack!”

The Magical Felon, as a bonus, screamed in agony, only showing the whites of his eyes, before fainting while still unconscious.

But it’s fine.

“Too bad, that missed.”

There are still seven more targets, after all.

I’ll just have to do better next time.

Anyone can make a mistake once, right?

“You, you, you crazy b*stard!”

At that instant, a sharp voice cut through the air.

“Aigoo, what reckless thing is this now!”

“What in the world are you doing!”

“Even still, this isn’t right!”

Correction.

Not just one voice, but many.

The other futanari seemed to snap out of it, roused by the magic blasts and the ear-splitting screams.

I gave the futanari who’d initially caught the spell a look of utter disdain.

“Aish, that idiot. Why wake everyone else up?”

Why does he have to be such a nuisance?

This is why you can’t be dead weight.

He should try emulating someone like me, grade A.

Well, regardless, I still have plenty to do. With Whitedog strapped to my back and my magic wand in hand, I slowly approached the futanari.

“Ah, shit.”

This crazy b*tch. She’s freaking heavy.

I couldn’t do this a second time, seriously.

“Wh-what are you planning to do!”

One of the futanari, seeing me approach, shrieked in terror and thrashed his limbs. Not that it mattered much, restrained as he was by the Magical Cuffs.

I plastered on a kindly smile.

“Just gonna make a few little wounds. If you criminals go back whole and healthy, wouldn’t you be more likely to face some unnecessary reprisal? Torture, perhaps?”

Everything was already settled.

Even if the opponent is a magically-inclined major criminal, there’s no real need for any more emotional skirmishing.

Therefore, wouldn’t it be better to explain it plainly and seek their consent?

“And what good would that do?”

“It might elicit a little sympathy. Don’t you think?”

“I-if that’s the case…”

Thankfully, the futanari was proving to be reasonable, unlike how he looked. The other futanari nearby seemed to be agreeing as well.

I immediately pointed my wand.

“Then I’ll fire.”

“Ugh… wait, just a sec—”

– *Ta-thwack!*

The moment the magic fired, I sighed faintly, shaking my head.

“Ah, missed again.”

This time too, the magic had struck squarely at the manhood.

Honestly, this isn’t my fault.

Why does it have to move, of all things?

I eyed the futanari with a frustrated gaze.

“Hey, why’d you move? It was your fault it missed.”

“aaagh! I told you to wait!”

“Oh, did you? You should’ve said so sooner.”

This confirmed it.

For starters, it’s not my fault.

Isn’t it the fault of the one who speaks so slowly to a Korean? The real problem is the one who didn’t state their business quickly enough.

Well, I suppose it’s my fault for expecting anything from such a piece of garbage.

Still, I felt like my aim was improving compared to before, so it was fine.

This time, I could make up for my mistakes sufficiently.

I reloaded the bullet, and then, grinning, I approached one of the futanari. The futanari thrashed about, endlessly shedding tears and…well, you know.

“Don’t come closer! I said don’t come closer!”

“It’s okay. It’ll just sting a little.”

– *Ta-thwack!*

I pulled the trigger.

A shrill scream erupted.

“Kyaaa!”

“Ugh, seriously, just stay still.”

But this time too, I still missed. Because the target was struggling, only the two nuts got popped.

“Ha, sh*t.”

This time, my fighting spirit flared.

Even if I’m talentless at shooting, it’s a blow to my pride to not be able to hit properly even after three tries.

Besides, it’s not even my fault, so why do I keep missing? Honestly, it’s just too unfair.

“Then, one more shot wouldn’t hurt, would it?”

– *Taang!*

But this time too, the magic stubbornly refused to cooperate. All I managed to do was blow up the damn stick again.

My frustration exploded right along with it.

“Ugh, seriously! Just stay still!”

“You expect me to *stay still* in this situation?!”

All I’m trying to do is hit one measly calf, so why is everyone acting like this is some sort of disaster? No one listens to a word I say. She’s definitely a loony, fitting for a former magical girl.

Still, what can you do?

Here, it’s the sane one – me – who has to be patient.

Because I am the hero.

I reloaded the bullet and slowly approached the remaining futanari.

“Anyway, I’m really going to do it right, this time.”

I said, plastering on the friendliest smile I could muster.