Congratulations on Your Magical Girl Duties

48 – Magical Help Call

The Magical Company Commander suddenly appeared in the dormitory.

“Everyone, transform quickly and report to the Magical Battalion Commander’s office immediately.”

His words, even more abrupt than his entrance, hung in the air.

We weren’t given the reason.

The Company Commander left right after saying that.

Leaving us to exchange confused glances.

“Did you hear anything about this?”

“Nope. Nothing.”

“Me neither.”

“This one knows nothing, either.”

However, there were no clear answers.

In the end, we headed toward the Magical Battalion Commander’s office, completely in the dark.

But even after arriving, the questions persisted.

“A Magical Help Call came in, and I need you all to deploy immediately.”

It was all thanks to the Battalion Commander’s out-of-the-blue declaration.

Still, having come to the Magical Battalion Commander’s office, at least one fundamental question had been answered.

Why the Magical Help Call?

“Ah, a monster is why the request came. Other squad’s magical girls are struggling.”

But, that was about it.

The rest was a mystery.

The situation unfolded so abruptly, reason couldn’t catch up.

Perhaps that’s why. Three questions suddenly blossomed in my mind.

Just then, Sora voiced one of those questions.

“For a Magical Help Call, the requested numbers are rather small. Is there a reason?”

First. Why call so few?

We know they need help, but if the front lines are collapsing, many magical girls would be required.

So, wouldn’t it be better for as many magical girls as possible to assist, rather than just four of us?

Thankfully, the battalion commander gave a clear answer.

“The monsters have taken hostages and are barricaded in a building, so Magical Infiltration is required.”

Certainly, he wasn’t wrong.

If a large number appeared, the barricaded opponent might commit a more extreme act. For example, harming the hostages.

This principle applies not only to monsters, but also to humans.

So, they’re likely only sending a small number.

In the first place, infiltration is better done with a smaller group.

However, Sora seemed to sense something odd here, and quickly questioned the battalion commander again.

“Wait a moment. A monster has hostages?”

“Yes, that’s what I was told.”

“Hmm… I see. Unexpected.”

Sora was right.

Monsters are inherently creatures that harm humans according to instinct.

They are very far from being able to reason.

But, this monster took hostages.

In other words, it’s not indiscriminately harming civilians, but possesses the intelligence to use hostages to gain an advantage.

Intelligence coupled with the monster’s superior physique.

Indeed, it could be said to be a difficult opponent.

Meanwhile, Taishi showed anger instead of questioning the fact that the monster had taken hostages.

“Truly, all Aberrants deserve to be exterminated, isn’t it so!”

“…Couldn’t we just call them Aberrations?”

A strange feeling stirred within me.

Especially coming from Nakji, of all people.

“They are humans possessed by Aberrations, so Aberrants they are. Is this maiden in error?”

“No, well, not exactly…”

It wasn’t entirely wrong, so arguing was difficult.

“Aberrantdians must not be forgiven. America’s Magical Girl must deliver Judgement.”

That Whitey was trying to reenact some ancient founding mythos bothered me a bit too.

Regardless.

A separate, unresolved question remained. Coincidentally, Sora brought it up now.

“Then wouldn’t the magical girls in that unit form a Magical Task Force?”

Second, couldn’t they deploy separate personnel?

A single unit of magical girls contains many. Just the last time we deployed, a swarm of magical girls rushed out.

Why would they need to ask us for help?

“They say maintaining the Magical Standoff is their utmost priority with current personnel. Too many magical girls have become Magically Combat Inactive.”

Well, I couldn’t exactly fault them for that.

If they’re short on people, there’s nothing they can do.

“The Magical Gate has been arranged beforehand, so cross over as soon as you’re ready. The arrival point is near the magical girls who sent the Magical Help Call.”

Just like that, the Battalion Commander had made the arrangements. All we had to do was go.

However, even so, the last remaining question lingered.

I asked the Battalion Commander directly.

“But why are *we* going?”

Third, why us in particular?

Nakji’s magic aside, at the very least, Whitey’s and Sora’s magic weren’t suited for infiltration.

And yet, the Battalion Commander singled us out, of all people. Was there some special reason or plan?

Once again, the Battalion Commander answered my question.

“Just because.”

“Huh?”

Only this time, the answer wasn’t exactly clear.

“Just picked it.”

A statement dripping with ambiguity.

No special reason, no grand design. In truth, it meant acting on a whim.

But arguing back was not advisable; the battalion commander’s eyes held something ominous.

His face might be smiling, but his eyes remained utterly devoid of it. In those pale irises, a rather distinct killing intent and rage flickered, slowly overflowing.

And he was looking at me with those eyes.

Practically glaring, to be honest.

Is this b*tch crazy?

“What? Got a problem? Huh?”

“Yes.”

Of course I’ve got a problem, you son of a b*tch.

“Leave.”

“Fuck.”

Not that it would stop me from going.

In the end, we set off toward the place with the Magical Gate, as the battalion commander had ordered.

Though, we did take a moment to prepare beforehand.

“Before we go, I’ll grab a standard-issue magic wand and some Magical handcuffs.”

It was wise to take the standard-issue wand. It was a stand-in for the Moonlight Sword, to be used before drawing the real thing.

Simultaneously, it was also a kind of deception. If I appear unable to use the standard wand, the monster would certainly let their guard down, and I intended to exploit that moment.

This kind of psychological warfare wouldn’t work on a typical monster, but our opponent was an intelligent one. It would surely be useful.

“Magical handcuffs? You into bondage play?”

“No, you crazy b*tch.”

“But Senior, this time, they really won’t be effective. They don’t work on monsters.”

“It just makes me feel better to have even one more option.”

The handcuffs were, well, just a kind of compulsion.

I had survived by filling the gaps in my life like this.

With our preparations complete, we finally moved toward the Magical Gate.

Though, it was just called a gate. Given that there were separate places labeled “Magical Gate Dispatch Room” or “Magical Gate Maintenance Team,” it was basically a transport unit.

“Look over there. That Magical Officer is diligently carrying objects. Isn’t that respectful?”

“Sister, that’s because they’re engaged in Magical embezzlement, so the Magical Transportation Officer is cracking down.”

“Aha.”

It felt all the more egregious with the supply officer so brazenly embezzling in the broad daylight.

“Honestly, I can’t fathom why there’s been such a surge in these, shall we say, *magical* embezzlements. Why is it everyone’s acting like they’ve been bitten by the money bug, I just can’t comprehend it.”

“Tell me about it.”

It was definitely strange.

Just what was going on that would drive them to openly embezzle like this?

Could they have lost money in the stock market?

No.

Impossible.

What I taught them was practically the essence of the market. If you lose money with that, you’re a goddamn moron.

If things get hairy, you just play the market cheat code with an inverse leveraged ETF. Impossible to lose money, even if you tried.

“Well, let’s go for now. We can report that one later.”

Anyway, after a good bit of walking, we ran into a magical girl along the way.

“You must be the magical girls Lady Pale Crow mentioned. This way, please.”

Judging from her words, she seemed to be a magical girl the battalion commander had scouted beforehand.

After that, following the magical girl’s guidance, we arrived at the location where the gate was said to be.

“Would you mind waiting here for a moment? I apologize, but I need to take care of something else for a bit.”

“Sure, don’t worry and be on your way.”

“Thank you. Then, farewell.”

As the magical girl who led us said goodbye to Sora and departed, I examined the gate.

“Oh.”

It was quite peculiar.

Because it was called a gate, I expected some kind of circular structure like in other novels, but the actual gate I saw was something else entirely.

Just a normal-looking hinged door, slightly larger than usual.

At the same time, a sense of déjà vu washed over me.

Unfamiliar, yet strangely familiar.

As if I had seen it somewhere before.

Why did I feel like this?

Could I have seen it in the other world?

Honestly, I don’t really know. When I was in the other world, most of my senses, except for the sense of pain, were completely shot to hell.

My vision barely registered shapes, and my hearing, at any given moment, was accompanied by a ringing. Balance? Often, a lost cause.

If I could somehow conjure that precise state of being, maybe I could recall things with clarity. But the thought held no appeal.

Back then, I was practically a walking corpse, death a casual acquaintance. And honestly, were my memories, murky as they were, worth the effort? I doubted it.

Anyway.

Maybe it was pure habit. Without even realizing it, my hand stretched toward the gate’s handle.

“Huh?”

The handle, which seemed destined to remain forever unyielding, turned with a smooth, almost eager click.

Unexpected.

Could it actually be opening?

Driven by curiosity, I pulled the door.

“Whoa.”

Just like the handle, the gate swung wide open in utter silence.

Beyond the open doorway existed nothing. Just a pure, blinding white devoid of depth or dimension.

That was when Sora’s voice hammered against my eardrums.

“Huh? Senior, the Magical Gate opened?”

“Seems like it?”

If Sora was right, this meant the gate was functioning as it should.

“What do you want to do? Should we wait for that magical girl from before to go with us?”

Sora tilted her head, puzzled.

I hesitated for a moment, then shook my head.

“Nah, let’s just go.”

After all, the Great Age Woman had already set the destination, so we weren’t likely to crash land somewhere completely random.

Besides, I didn’t feel like sitting around patiently waiting for the magical girl escort to arrive. Too much of a hassle. Better to get this over with quickly.

“Okay, fine by me.”

Sora took a light step forward, leading the way, with Whitey and Squid trailing behind.

“Once again, make the Maho Shojo great!”

“Euthanasia for all abductees. That alone is our salvation, I tell you.”

Each spouting something oddly… unsettling.

Well, whatever. At least they’re motivated.

The important thing is they’re not trying to back out.

Thinking that, I, too, pressed onward.

*

The magical girl who’d been tasked with escorting us returned after about ten minutes.

She gasped for breath, relaying her troubles in her own way.

“I’m so sorry. The Magical Transportation Officer kept misappropriating magical funds, so I had to go ask about it! Right, I’ll power on the Magical Gate ri—!”

But she stopped mid-sentence.

“Eh…?”

The four people she was supposed to guide, according to Pale Crow the magical girl’s message, had vanished.

The only thing that heard her words was a powered-off, closed Magical Gate.

Besides that, there was no one.

“…Where’d they go?”

Nor was there anyone to hear her question.

Anyone to resolve it.

No one.