NOVEL WEB Chapter 32
The magical girl studies.
Due to having meted out divine punishment yesterday with a large scythe-wielding magical girl who beat Mika up badly, I haven’t been getting enough sleep.
Well, it can’t be helped since it was training for Mika. Yeah.
“There were no issues during the battle, which is good.”
(That’s right. It felt exactly like when I mediated a fight between two people in the same class back then.)
Though fuel efficiency remains poor as usual, output isn’t an issue.
No, I feel like the output has slightly increased.
I’m quite sleepy, but it would look bad to be late on the second day, so let’s get ready quickly.
“Oh yeah, while Haruna was sleeping, Jeanne called.”
—So, they’ve finally come… I thought they’d forgotten about me after not hearing from them for about a week…
(What’s the content?)
With that suspicious appearance of hers, it’s bound to be something unsavory.
“To help with free medical treatment for the general public in Hyogo. The date is next Saturday, four days from now.”
…Isn’t she just a regular good person?
Since I don’t have any other plans, I might as well help out. I’d like to repay favors sooner rather than later.
(It’s fine, so just respond casually.)
Since the demons have been coming around, I’ve had less time to fiddle with my phone or devices.
It’s convenient that Kaede and Marin’s occasional messages are replied to casually on my behalf since I wouldn’t know what to reply anyway.
Though I don’t know what they’re replying, that’s the scary part…
While idly chatting with the demon, I finished preparing and headed toward the academy.
By the way, breakfast was udon and coffee.
I gave the demon some peeled apples.
You can walk to the academy from the dormitory, but you can also use the teleporter.
Walking does provide a bit more exercise, so I’ll walk today since there’s plenty of time.
“Hmm? What a coincidence. Are you heading to the academy now?”
It’s a rare coincidence to meet someone leaving the room both yesterday and today… Is it really a coincidence?
“Yes. I plan to walk.”
“Can I join you? The other two are always cutting it close with their timing—El sometimes gets here early, but Ibuki is always…”
She started complaining, but I can tell she’s working hard… I won’t forget the fact that I was laughed at loudly yesterday, right?
We head to the academy while Mikachan points out the flaws in those two with pinpoint accuracy.
“Hey, the incident from the Tohoku Branch yesterday is on the news.”
A magical girl was trying to kill another magical girl. It would be problematic if this gets buried in darkness.
To avoid exposing identities, I used the terminal of the bow-wielding magical girl to contact Kaede, so I thought everything would be fine.
Wasn’t the scythe-wielding magical girl 18 years old yesterday? At such an age, lacking aversion to killing might also be a side effect of killing monsters.
Even though they’re monsters, they’re living beings.
Just the act of killing something wears down one’s spirit.
Especially for young people, it’s even worse.
(What’s the content?)
“Attempted murder by a magical girl driven by ambition. Well, there are probably other crimes too, so likely…”
(I understand perfectly well, so you don’t need to beat around the bush.)
Magical girls aren’t subject to ordinary laws anyway.
Responsibility commensurate with power is imposed upon those who wield it.
Although this has become somewhat ambiguous recently, Kaede will surely administer proper punishment.
I don’t intend to solely blame magical girls, but when did things go so wrong…?
“……Hmm? Inie, are you listening?”
Oops, I got a little too sentimental.
But I’m used to listening while thinking about random things, so it’s fine.
“Yes, I’m listening. It’s about the test on Friday, right? There’s no problem for me.”
“The more confident ones tend to fail miserably. Take Ibuki, for instance—she looks like a lady, yet always fails.”
Looks and scores don’t necessarily correlate. Even if a magical girl appears ladylike, fundamentally, they’re still ordinary girls.
I’m an exception because I’m male, but let’s set that aside for now.
“I can handle studying, so it’s fine. Is Mika okay?”
“Yes, her teacher said she should be fine too.”
By the way, Prizes mentioned that among Marin, Mika, and the long-named magical girl, none of them failed.
Unlike regular schools, our focus here is primarily on monster combat training.
Personally, I wish all magical girls attended specialized schools instead of regular ones, but we can’t force them.
As a result, even if more magical girls end up exploited by bad adults…
In the past, peace was prioritized over human rights and other things, so there weren’t any problems, but lately, since there hasn’t been much apparent damage from monsters…
It seems people have become complacent in peace and started seeking power and money.
Afterward, while chatting idly, we soon arrived at the academy.
Of course, it’s nearby, so arriving quickly is normal…
Let me take off the hood since we’ve reached the academy.
The expanded field of vision feels strange, but it can’t be helped.
“Hmm~. That gaze of yours is still unsettling~”
“Gaze… you mean?”
Now that I think about it, everyone gives me strange looks when I take off my hood. Is there something wrong with my eyes?
“When I see those clouded eyes, my heart gets restless. In this world, there probably aren’t many people who look so dire.”
(Huh? Do I really have such terrible eyes?)
I check myself in the mirror every morning for etiquette purposes, but I never noticed anything unusual.
“Well, you’ve had that look since you were Shirou. Since becoming Haruna, it’s gotten even worse.”
Hmm, I hadn’t noticed, but is that true…
There’s nothing I can do about it, so there’s no helping it.
The cause… comes to mind, but trying to recall it makes me feel like I might lose my mind, so I’ll just forget.
“Yes… I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mind.”
There’s no excuse that comes to mind for this, so I’ll just have to brush it off.
Probably, these eyes will never regain their shine in my lifetime.
“I see… Yes, understood. But if anything happens, please consult me. I am older, after all.”
“Marin and Take Mikadzuchi are good magical girls, aren’t they?”
Exactly. Because there are people like Mika and Marin, I’m motivated to keep going.
On the other hand, what can be done about the two from the North Kanto Branch and the scythe-wielding magical girl…?
I probably won’t encounter the scythe-wielding magical girl again.
Still, being told something like an elder by someone younger makes me feel somewhat complicated…
When I entered the classroom, three people were already there, including Marin, of course.
I greeted them briefly before entering the classroom and planned to chat with the demon until class started…
“Good morning, Inie.”
Tch, Marin came over to talk.
“Good morning.”
“Didn’t you go to Numazu with Mika yesterday?”
Hmm? The atmosphere feels a bit off…
“Yes. We happened to meet, so we went together.”
“Hmm, that’s nice. Would you like to go to Numazu with me today?”
It’s a bit dull to go to the same place two days in a row, but there’s nothing else to do…
“Sure.”
“Great, then after school, okay?”
Marin left the classroom with a peculiar atmosphere.
Uh, class is about to start soon?
A few minutes later, Marin returned to the classroom with Prizes.
What was that all about?
“Alright, today’s lesson will be the same as yesterday, but Inie has been asked by Thalagong to teach common sense, so it will be a lecture.
If anyone else wants to stay, that’s fine too.”
Common sense… I’ve been living as a functioning adult, so what exactly am I supposed to learn now?
No, I assume it’s about common sense as a magical girl, but am I really that lacking in it?
Incidentally, no one stayed behind in the classroom.
“Then, let’s begin the lecture. First, are you familiar with ‘The Day of Beginnings’?”
It’s the accident that occurred while various countries collaborated on developing new energy sources, right?
I know that much.
So, I’ll give an answer that sounds plausible.
“You seem to be doing fine. Then, how much do you know about monsters?”
From E to SS rank, and beyond that, measurement isn’t possible.
For ranks E to C, extermination without barriers is feasible due to cost considerations.
For B to A ranks, extermination takes place within barriers designed for regular magic users.
For S rank and above, the quality of the barrier changes depending on whether a top-tier fighter is present or not.
During the M·D·W incident, if it had been an ordinary barrier, it probably would have broken due to either my magic or M·D·W’s self-destruction.
Well, that was an exceptional case, so it can’t be helped.
Additionally, classification is based on mana quantity rather than appearance.
Based on fairy testimonies, we know they originate from a parallel world inhabited by fairies, but we still don’t understand their purpose or how monsters are born.
Fairies could be covering something up, but if this world were to perish, the fairies would perish as well, so there’s no advantage in concealing anything.
Currently, they’re being hunted as resources.
“Mm-hmm. Also, monster cores are purchased by the fairy side and used as an energy source distinct from electricity or heat.”
Indeed. Despite the accidental appearance of monsters, the acquisition of new energy has been successful.
Though the facilities and personnel involved in the energy development perished in the initial incident.
“Is there anything else… Do you know about the origin of magical girls?”
Magical girls… the general term for women who adapt to magical power and gain special abilities.
At one point, there was talk of changing the title according to age, like witches or valkyries, but after much debate, it was decided that regardless of age, the term “magical girl” would remain universal, as I recall from the news a while ago.
The youngest ever became a magical girl at six years old, and the oldest currently active is thirty-two.
Ability decline starts relatively early, around twenty, and by the time they reach thirty, most magical girls either lose their powers or pass them on to younger generations.
Being thirty-two is truly monstrous.
She’s actively participating in international rankings overseas.
Prizes was around twenty-eight, wasn’t she?
Being ranked twenty-first at that age is exceptionally impressive.
Also… strength differences…
Like me, magical girls’ abilities vary greatly.
Some are extremely weak, while others grow stronger and stronger.
Various theories exist regarding the factors influencing a magical girl’s strength, but the most significant is likely the heart.
To be honest, I dislike magical girls.
This distaste is probably a factor in the strength of my second form.
Conversely, I don’t understand why my first form’s ability relates to magic.
Moreover, speaking of offensive capabilities, there are almost no restrictions, and recovery magic can even be performed at a high level.
It might be worth investigating thoroughly, but there’s no way to do so…
Getting sidetracked, summarizing: Magical girls are women who adapt to magical power, and the name stuck because the majority of the first ones were young girls.
The fairies that appeared shortly after capitalized on this trend.
“…Are you alright?”
“Umm, there’s sort of something… Additionally, there are talks about the Fairy Realm, the Magic Bureau, and the Magic Office, but it’s not essential knowledge.
Ultimately, there wasn’t much to teach…”
Well, the demon usually answers most questions anyway.
I often feel like people are looking at me with pity, but I’m always equipped with a mental dictionary?
“Let me report that there are no issues with common sense. Initially, I was scheduled to teach all day, but it ended in the morning. Is there anything you’d like to know?”
Most things can be answered by the demon…
The only downside is that they won’t offer information unless asked.
So, what I want to know… yes, there is something.
“Do you know anything about the magical girl Jeanne?”
“Jeanne? She’s the magical girl known as the Holy Maiden who heals many people.
I haven’t spoken to her, so I don’t know much…”
Prizes tilts her head in thought, and each tilt makes her wings flutter attractively, drawing my attention.
I accidentally touched them a few days ago pretending it was an accident, and they were surprisingly soft and pleasant to touch.
I can’t help but follow them with my eyes…
“Oh! Now that I think about it, she announced that there will be a rare free treatment session in Japan this Saturday.
Would you like to observe it?”
Not just observe, but they’re asking for help…
Well, it doesn’t need mentioning.
“Understood. If I have time, I’ll try to attend.”
“It’s about a friend, but she seems like a friendly and kind person. By the way, wasn’t Inie capable of healing magic? I see, I see.”
They nod understandingly, which is good, but I hope they haven’t misunderstood anything…
Lunchtime is approaching, so it’s better not to say anything foolish.
“Should we do something in the afternoon? Sleep like yesterday?”
“No, I’m thinking of going to the library or archive since there’s also the matter of the staff.”
Being here at the academy is merely because I lack a staff and a place to live.
Without a staff indefinitely, it’s troublesome, so it’s best to gather potentially useful information.
“It’ll be tough fighting A-rank or S-rank opponents unless something is done soon…”
“Maybe… if only…”
Today’s lunch will be fried chicken set.
The bell signaling lunchtime rang, and I left the classroom.