The Magical Girl’s Journey ~It Seems the TS Magical Girl Has Bad Luck~

The adults watching over the magical girls

“What in the world is going on!”

Upon receiving an S-Rank alert, the North Kanto Branch of the Magic Bureau was enveloped in chaos. No, at the time the alert was received, there were no issues.

Director Amakaze of the North Kanto Branch of the Magic Bureau contacted the three affiliated magical girls upon receiving the alert and dispatched them immediately.

Two had just returned from retraining, and among the magical girls of their generation, Marin was known for being diligent and promising.

Ideally, Amakaze wanted to request reinforcements from other branches, but the North Kanto Branch didn’t get along with the others.

More specifically, the North Kanto Branch, which was a place of demotion, was looked down upon by others.

Even during incidents when Marin tackled B-Rank or higher monsters, it was difficult to request support.

Though an S-Rank threat was anticipated, Amakaze hesitated to create further debts. Additionally, since the standby personnel for the day included Thalagong, he believed that adding more people wouldn’t be necessary.

In the past, Thalagong’s involvement in two major battles resulted in casualties, but aside from those instances, they maintained impressive records.

Magical girls accompanying Thalagong in S-Rank monster hunts would handle the extermination of subordinate monsters.

This is generally referred to as “training,” undertaken for future preparedness.

Stronger A-Rank monsters might appear, and occasionally, one might encounter only weaker ones. However, if an inexperienced magical girl unluckily faces an A-Rank monster, the outcome is self-evident.

Of course, it’s not a one-on-one battle; even with multiple magical girls present, eliminating the target without casualties is often challenging.

Higher-ranked magical girls assist, but this is also done for the sake of the future.

Poor assistance could hasten the world’s end.

Higher-ranked individuals tend to look away, even knowing they might die.

However, despite Thalagong’s complaints, they had resolved both S-Rank hunts and related training exercises without casualties.

Thus, Amakaze had let his guard down.

(“If she’s there, things will be fine.”)

He thought this way. Even though the opponent was S-Rank, to a higher-ranked individual, it was akin to dealing with a minor threat. Though rare in Japan, the mission would conclude without issues. On the branch’s monitor, Amakaze could see the three who had joined forces with Thalagong.

There was some distance to the monster’s appearance point, so Amakaze decided to take a short break and stood up. At that moment, the images of the magical girls began to distort and then vanished.

“Impossible! What happened?”

“Four magical girls lost! It seems nearby evacuating civilians have also disappeared! It’s likely due to a barrier!”

Upon receiving the Operator’s report, Amakaze searched through the computer for information on past monsters.

Three cases matched, but two were classified as SS-Rank.

However, the remaining case, while using a barrier, had a much smaller range.

The distance from the monster’s appearance point to where Thalagong and the group were located was about 3 kilometers. The information displayed on the computer indicated a radius of approximately 100 meters.

Moreover, this barrier activated before the fairy’s protective field, creating a terrain advantageous to the monster. Despite this, the damage caused by the monster was considerable, categorizing it as a Special S-Rank Ultra-Large Monster.

And its adversary had a deep connection with Thalagong.

Considering the possibility of a special variant, Amakaze immediately contacted the Fairy Bureau.

“This is Director Amakaze of the North Kanto Branch of the Magic Bureau. Please respond!”

“Ah, Amakaze-san, I assume you’re aware, but something unexpected has arisen here too. This situation might be quite dire.”

On the large monitor in the Operator Room, the Fairy Bureau was in disarray, overwhelmed by numerous requests.

The reason was that when the monster’s barrier activated, it absorbed the fairies’ barriers, resulting in the monster having control over the barrier field, making it uncontrollable.

Unless the monster or the magical girls inside perish, there would be no way to enter the barrier. Normally, video footage could be obtained, but now it was impossible.

With the limited information provided by the Fairy Bureau, all Amakaze could do was shout.

“What is happening!”

“Even so, the survival of anyone besides Thalagong is nearly hopeless. If this is an enhanced version of the previous one, only Thalagong can withstand the final assault.”

The operator at the Fairy Bureau relayed the information directly from the investigation team to Amakaze.

Currently, the Fairy Bureau knew that four magical girls and thirty-one civilians had been trapped within the barrier. The monster had been confirmed as Mother Disaster Wall (M·D·W).

Based on this, the conclusion drawn by the Fairy Bureau’s operator was clear:

No one except Thalagong would survive.

“Are you saying… those children won’t survive?”

“Either first or fifth place. If there was at least one more person, there’d be a chance, but including the civilians, no one will survive. Depending on the situation, not even Thalagong might make it…”

Hearing this, Amakaze collapsed to his knees.

Amakaze had worked hard to reform the corruption within the Magic Bureau and was transferred to the North Kanto Branch after being disliked by his superiors.

Initially, there were only the problematic Star Nail and Blue Colette, but through an acquaintance’s introduction, Marin became affiliated.

Amidst the constant issues, with the help of Whitekigawa, who supported Marin and the two problem children, Amakaze managed to fulfill his duties as director without causing any fatal blunders.

Things took a turn for the worse a month ago.

Finally, the two problem children had involved civilians.

Even Whitekigawa, who usually handled such situations, couldn’t manage this time, leading to intervention from the Fairy Bureau. The media, other branches, and headquarters severely criticized them.

Afterward, there were continuous problems: nearly losing Marin, Star Nail returning emotionally unstable, and more.

Still, Amakaze believed they could restart from here.

(“Is this really the end for me…? Can I not save them after all?”)

In despair, just as he was about to give up, a surprised voice came from the monitor.

“A new magical girl detected within the barrier? Pattern… Inny Flowering!?”

Amakaze recognized the name of this magical girl.

She appeared like a shooting star, swiftly defeating monsters and climbing the rankings.

She was also a benefactor of the North Kanto Branch, having helped Marin, and could be considered a personal savior to Amakaze.

Even in this seemingly hopeless situation, this magical girl had emerged.

A tiny flicker of hope ignited within Amakaze.

“Director Amakaze. We are urgently analyzing the barrier and attempting to restore the visuals. Please inform the Magic Bureau headquarters about the current situation.”

“Understood. Thank you very much.”

Amakaze acted swiftly. Using the emergency channel, he contacted headquarters and relayed the dire situation and available information.

Without concern for debts at such a time, Amakaze bowed deeply and requested reinforcements as a precaution.

He also contacted Whitekigawa, who was on leave, asking her to come to the Operator Room immediately.

Having taken every possible precaution, all that remained was waiting for updates from the Fairy Bureau.

Thirty minutes later, additional magical girls arrived at the scene, ready to respond to any changes. Another thirty minutes passed before Whitekigawa reached the Operator Room.

Two hours later, the situation shifted.

“Video restored! Attempting communication with the rankers… no connection. Regardless, I’ll send the visuals your way. Audio might also be recoverable.”

A response came from the monitor connected to the Fairy Bureau, finally allowing them to view inside the barrier.

It was just as the group was holding a strategy meeting.

The first thing shown was M·D·W faintly visible in the distance.

While it resembled the M·D·W Amakaze had seen in the past in terms of atmosphere, it was essentially an entirely different entity.

“I thought it was a mutation of M·D·W, but this doesn’t seem like a simple mutation. It might have irregularly ranked up beyond normal measures.”

“That’s M·D·W? It’s completely different!”

Watching the video, Whitekigawa could only scream.

Whitekigawa, formerly a magical girl herself, transitioned into working for the Magic Bureau after retiring.

Using her past experience, she supports the magical girls and provides mental care.

From her experience, Whitekigawa realized that victory against this foe was impossible.

As the operator from the Fairy Bureau suggested, perhaps having another ranker present might have changed things, but only five magical girls were inside the barrier.

Among them, Whitekigawa knew the strength of three well. Since Thalagong’s active period overlapped with hers, she understood their power.

Thus, with the four magical girls Whitekigawa knew, there was nothing they could do.

Perhaps Thalagong alone could defeat M·D·W, but survival beyond that seemed unlikely.

Furthermore, it wasn’t guaranteed that Thalagong could definitely win against this M·D·W.

If M·D·W had irregularly ranked up, it was too much for Thalagong alone to handle…

As Whitekigawa pondered the possibilities, the video switched, showing the five magical girls.

The camera angle captured Inny Flowering from behind, obscuring her face.

Recalling Director Amakaze’s report, Whitekigawa thought,

(“Right, there were five magical girls inside the barrier. That one in the dirty robe must be the famous Inny Flowering.”)

At that moment, Marin’s anguished voice echoed through the video.

“Will… will she survive?”

Thalagong’s tightly clenched fist was visible.

Though the atmosphere suggested they were holding a strategy meeting, the single sentence revealed little about their plan.

“What strategy do you think they’re planning? Director Amakaze?”

Sitting beside him, Whitekagawa asked Director Amakaze, who furrowed his brow deeply.

“Whether to send them rushing into M·D·W alongside Thalagong or assign someone else to defense alone…”

Amakaze’s contemplated strategies were conventional, yet they seemed misaligned with Marin’s question of “Will she survive?”

“She’s skilled enough to inflict severe injuries on me during simulations. You too, and the other two—there’s no way you can defeat M·D·W.”

Both Amakaze and Whitekagwa were shocked by Thalagong’s statement.

“That someone inflicted serious injuries on Thalagong! What kind of creature is that…”

“I remember being defeated instantly during the opening phase of a simulation…”

Though reliable under normal circumstances, Thalagong’s simulated battles were infamous among magical girls and the Magic Bureau alike.

All death matches with no reduction in pain perception left deep traumas in countless magical girls.

Naturally, those who endured Thalagong’s rigorous training often rose to prominence, becoming capable of battling A-Rank or S-Rank monsters.

Yet, Thalagong rarely suffered injuries—even in simulations. When facing other top-tier fighters, it was a different story, but otherwise, they only sustained superficial scratches.

To hear that someone inflicted severe injuries on Thalagong was astonishing. Especially for Whitekigawa, who had fought Thalagong in simulations in the past, the gravity of the situation hit home.

Then, Thalagong revealed the entirety of the strategy.

“To save everyone, this is the only viable option…”

“Even so, the probability of success isn’t even 10%, but rather closer to 1%. Assuming success, she will still…”

One sacrifice to ensure the survival of all others—that was Thalagong’s devised strategy.

Ideally, saving everyone would be best. But such scenarios belong to fantasy. The only feasible approach was minimizing sacrifices while saving as many as possible.

In this instance, Inny Flowering had been chosen as the scapegoat.

“Come to think of it, Marin was saved by her once, right?”

“Yes. It happened when we were busy and weren’t in the Operator Room. Watching the footage of that incident chilled me to the bone.”

“Once again, she’s stepping in to save the day…”

A solemn silence enveloped Amakaze and Whitekigawa as they felt overwhelmed by gratitude toward Inny Flowering.

Had she not intervened during Marin’s crisis, the North Kanto Branch might have collapsed.

Now, she was risking her life to undertake the solo elimination of M·D·W.

“The success rate of the operation is shockingly 0%. There might be numbers after the decimal point, but it’s practically negligible.”

An operator from the Fairy Bureau, oblivious to the mood, made the remark.

“But we have no choice but to stake everything on this.”

Without reacting angrily, Amakaze calmly responded to the operator.

Even if the odds are said to be 0%, as long as there’s a number after the decimal point, it isn’t truly zero.

Ah, Inny Flowering, please defeat M·D·W. Give us hope…

And thus, the first phase of Thalagong’s devised strategy commenced.

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