Chapter 100

“Ugh…”

“So squishy.”

I’m currently sitting behind Gravity, squishing her soft cheeks.

Seeing her hugging the Rabbit Doll tightly and leaning on me, it seems she doesn’t mind it much.

If only my younger sister were like this, but in reality, she just leaves her… *ahem* “tools” lying around and does pointless things…

“Ugh… I wanna eat bread…”

Seemingly tired of having her cheeks squished, Gravity got out of my lap and went to grab some bread.

She came back with a whole bag and sat back in my lap, munching away.

“…Peanut butter, the best.”

“Yeah, it’s good. The ones with peanuts are nice too.”

So now she’s into peanut butter bread, huh?

This kid… Once she goes back home, I’ll probably miss her and end up visiting again soon.

“Ah, I want to sit in Ame unnie’s lap too.”

“Here.”

“Ame unnie, your cheeks are so squishy…”

By the way, Gravity is leaving tomorrow.

Looking at her track record so far… She really just eats and sleeps all day.

Sometimes she goes out for a walk, but that’s about it.

…Oh, and she’s surprisingly sensitive to smells.

Once, after I… *ahem* “took care of myself,” she clung to me, sniffing and saying I smelled weird…

Luckily, she couldn’t figure out what it was and just went to eat snacks instead.

“…What should I do?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Nothing… I just feel like I have nothing to do lately. I should probably start doing something during the day…”

“Didn’t you set up an overseas emergency dispatch?”

“Exactly. It’s good that there haven’t been any requests, but because there’s nothing to do, I feel restless.”

If this kind of life continues, it’s going to get boring…

Repeating the same routine every day is just… tiring.

“Rampage-san! How about this?”

“What is it?”

“Why not do something as a fairy magical girl? Like… selecting magical girls using the Crystal Stone!”

“Ah~ So you’re saying I should personally create a new magical girl?”

“That’s right!”

Hoh… Now that I think about it, I’ve never actually used that authority.

Maybe I’ll try making a new recruit today?

Of course, since I’ll be traveling around, it’s unlikely they’ll be from my area, but having more recruits is always good.

“Since we’re at it, let’s find someone with exceptional talent.”

“Let’s do it!”

Now, where’s a place that’s lacking in magical girls…

…Probably Gangwon-do.

Places with lots of farmland like that don’t have many people, and there’s not much to destroy, so monsters don’t show up much either…

Honestly, it’s weird how balanced it is.

It’s unlikely to be a coincidence, and it’s probably intentional, but… I really don’t know what the intention is.

At first, I thought it was just terraforming or something, but later I started doubting that.

If this is really just Pandora’s war game, that’s truly evil.

Ah, but there’s no way they’d invade for such a trivial reason…

…Anyway, Gangwon-do has especially few magical girls, so let’s go there and make one new recruit.

There’s probably a big difference between what the mascots do and what I do.

Because when I’m a magical girl, I’m a huge celebrity, so if I recruit someone, they’ll probably jump at the chance.

Though I rarely transform and go around, so I don’t really feel it.

Ah, but seeing reporters desperately chasing me for interviews does make it feel real.

“Where… It’s probably because it’s a rural area with lots of military bases, so there aren’t many kids.”

“That’s right!”

Finding a talented kid here, one who’s willing to fight, is going to be tough…

But still, for someone like me who’s got nothing to do, this much is at least entertaining.

Well, maybe not entertaining.

I’m not really feeling the fun.

“If I activate this Crystal Stone like this… Oh, it shows the direction too?”

“That’s right!”

“Hope we find them quickly.”

By the way, flying around like this and looking down feels oddly nice.

Except for everyone pointing at me with their fingers.

Since I’ve never transformed and walked around except during battles, everyone must find it strange.

Or maybe they’re scared because they think a demon or monster might appear since I’m here.

“Whoa, the light suddenly got stronger.”

“There must be a kid with overflowing talent nearby!”

“Right. Let’s head over there.”

Ah, it must be that kid.

The direction seems to be pointing straight at them.

“Ah! It’s the magical girl unnie!”

“Yeah, I’m a magical girl. How old are you?”

“Me? I’m 9! My mom told me to say my Korean age!”

But seriously… I didn’t expect them to be this young.

At 9, they’re probably in 3rd or 4th grade, right?

That’s around the age I became a magical girl…

Well, it’s not like they can’t be a magical girl at this age, but I’m not sure if they can handle the mental strain of fighting demons.

“I see. Hmm… Are you interested in becoming a magical girl?”

“A magical girl? Um… Can I become one?”

“Yeah. You’ve got the talent for it.”

“Wow! Then I want to! I want to try being a magical girl!”

As expected, being a magical girl is really popular…

Fighting to protect people in real life, wearing beautiful outfits—it makes sense.

But being a magical girl comes with a lot of risks when fighting demons and monsters.

If you don’t know your limits, the worst-case scenario is death.

So… I need to make sure they’re prepared.

“…I see. But before you become a magical girl, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Something to tell me?”

“Yeah. Being a magical girl… isn’t all fun. The demons and monsters that threaten people are incredibly powerful. Fighting them means you might get hurt, or you might cry from unbearable pain. Or… in the worst case, you might die.”

“……”

“Well, if an emergency dispatch request comes in, we’ll rush to save you. But being a magical girl is much harder and scarier than it looks.”

Personally, I think it’s too harsh to let kids become magical girls without knowing the reality.

At least those who understand the reality and are prepared should become magical girls.

Because most kids who become magical girls without knowing the reality… end up filled with regret or sadness when they retire.

Seeing comrades die, writhing in unbearable pain, or watching the people they tried to protect get caught up and die—it’s unbearable to see their spirits break.

So… I won’t make someone a magical girl just because they want to be one.

“So I’ll ask you again. Even if it’s painful, sad, and full of regrets… Are you prepared to become a magical girl and fight to protect people?”

“…Yes! I’m prepared!”

“…Alright, you’re prepared. But I hope that preparation… isn’t just a lie because you want to be a magical girl.”

I don’t know if this is just greed making her lie or if she’s truly prepared, but since she said she’s ready, I’ll believe her.

It’s a shame there’s no way to confirm it right now.

Besides, there are too many eyes here, so I’ll have to transform her somewhere else.

Where… Well, going too far is a bit much, so I’ll open a [Gate] to that alley with no CCTV.

“There are too many eyes here, so let’s transform somewhere else. Come on, follow me.”

“Okay…!”

This kid is really excited.

She’s breathing heavily at the thought of becoming the magical girl she’s always admired.

Plus, since I’m such a celebrity, that might be part of it.

“Come to think of it, I didn’t ask your name. What’s your name?”

“It’s Han Areum!”

“Areum, huh? Alright, Areum. This is a Crystal Stone that lets you transform into a magical girl. By absorbing this, you’ll awaken your talent and become a magical girl who can fight.”

“It’s so pretty…”

“Now, stand up straight.”

“Okay…!”

Placing this Crystal Stone on her chest and gently pushing it in…

…Hmm, done.

Now, activating the absorbed Crystal Stone… Oh, she transformed right away.

“Wow…!”

“Now you’re a magical girl too. …Chubby, call one support mascot for her.”

“Got it!”

“I, I’m… a magical girl now…!”

While Areum is happily checking out her magical girl outfit, Chubby went to call a support mascot for her.

It’ll probably take a while, so I should check a few things in the meantime.

“Areum. After becoming a magical girl, does anything come to mind? Like a single word or something…”

“Uh, um… Ah! I think I know! 「Phoenix」! …But what’s a Phoenix?”

“「Phoenix」, huh… Ah, a Phoenix is a mythical bird. It’s mainly about fire and resurrection. But ability-wise, it’s closer to recovery than resurrection.”

“So I can attack with fire and recover too?”

“Yeah, that’s right. And that word is your magical girl name. ‘Magical Phoenix.’ From now on, when you’re a magical girl, you’ll go by that name. Got it?”

“Magical Phoenix… Yes! I understand!”

Seeing the little kid answer so energetically makes me smile.

Ah, this cute kid.

I just want to keep patting her head.

…Though the fact that she’s being thrown into this battlefield is no laughing matter.

“I’m back!”

“Yay~!”

“…She’s really lively. Is she the support mascot for Areum?”

“Yep!”

“Alright. Make sure to properly support Magical Phoenix so she doesn’t overdo it or get into danger. If she’s in trouble, send an emergency dispatch request right away. And make sure to check the coordinates during battles.”

“Leave it to me~!”

“Wow… So cute…”

So, is this the end of making a new magical girl?

Somehow, every time I do this, I feel drained.

I should really avoid doing this unless it’s absolutely necessary.

“I’m Kkoiming the Flamingo~!”

“Kkoiming… So cute…”

Ah, that’s what bird it was—a flamingo.

But the name is Kkoiming? What kind of naming sense is that?

“Unnie! Thank you!”

“No need to thank me…”

“But if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have become a magical girl…”

“Even if it weren’t me, you would’ve become one eventually, so don’t worry about it. More importantly, now that you’re a magical girl, don’t overdo it. Got it? If it’s too much, strong magical girls like me will come to help, so if it seems dangerous, just run away safely and guide us.”

“Okay~!”

Ah~… Now that it’s over, I should head home.

Seeing her so happy to be a magical girl makes me feel good, but at the same time, I’m anxious and stressed not knowing when she’ll break down or retire.

I’m never doing this again, seriously.

It’s just too nerve-wracking…

“Let’s go, Chubby.”

“Okay!”

“Ah, unnie! Goodbye~!”

“Yeah. You get home safe too.”

“Okay!”

Areum… No, Magical Phoenix and I said our goodbyes, and I returned home through the [Gate].

But as soon as I got back, there’s this weird scene…

Hey, you guys… What are you doing?

Why are you lying in a cross shape, eating bread…?

“…Unnie, you’re back…”

“Ah, you’re here.”

“What are you… doing…?”

“I don’t know. I was lying down, and then unnie came and lay on top of me…”

Ah, I see… Just stay like that then…