Do you know about the insect called the Soldier Wasp?
A motorcycle in the mountains.
A drone in the city.
It certainly holds multiple nicknames and is the apex predator in the insect world.
But even such a physical monster in the insect realm has its weaknesses….
It’s simply heat and flames that can crisp it up.
In other words, the elemental advantage clearly lies on my side against this monster.
“What happens when a bug type confronts a fire type?”
“Ty… type?”
“There is such a thing.”
Leaving behind the regret of not understanding this sophisticated joke.
I twisted the hand holding its horn and flipped the insect monster upside down while it was still in the air.
“Uh-cha.”
“Ugh!”
A short scream rang out.
Generally, insects like this armored bug tend to have horizontal legs.
Since it isn’t structured for easy rotation, once flipped, it struggles to regain its original stance.
“Wh-what are you doing!”
And typically, these insects have a soft underbelly as their weak point.
I almost called out to Shiyeon but shook my head, properly using her Magical Girl name as I gestured to Mun.
“Mun, can you freeze its back like this?”
“U-Understood.”
Shiyeon approached, hesitating, near the squirming insect legs.
It did look quite disgusting to girls.
Boys might even cheer for it?
An insect monster combined from a stag beetle, a rhinoceros beetle, and a praying mantis, they wouldn’t be able to resist.
Anyway, Shiyeon reached the side of the laid-down monster, aimed her cane at its fluttering wing parts, and said.
“Mun Shower-!”
“Ugh-aah!”
Its wings and carapace froze solid with a thud to the ground.
The monster let out a short scream as its body parts became encased in ice.
At this point, Shiyeon’s job was done.
Just moments before she left home, her attention had been on the computer.
Since there was nothing left for Shiyeon to do, she waved her hand and said.
“I’m done, I’m going back to watch cartoons first.”
“Okay!”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Shiyeon soared into the sky.
She must have really wanted to watch cartoons.
“Ugh, ugh!”
The monster’s resistance was far from over.
Its desperate praying mantis-like claw arms flailed about, but as it was flipped on its back with its wings sealed, there wasn’t much it could do.
I placed my palm on the heart-shaped adornment of the bright red cane.
A sizzling sound, reminiscent of meat grilling, echoed nearby.
While not hot by the standards of the strongest physique, I hurriedly pulled my hand away, acting to amplify its fear and despair.
“Ouch, that’s hot.”
“You, you bastard, don’t tell me you’re….”
“Correct-!”
With that tone commonly used in various videos and music, I sat on the soft-looking belly of the insect, clearly marked by distinct segments.
“Th-th-this…!”
The terrified, despair-ridden look on that voice brought me joy.
Feeling the heat from the heart adornment drawing closer, I slowly brought it to the monster’s belly, seemingly carving love into it.
The sound of a hot plate sizzling with meat, akin to deliciousness, resonated.
“Ugh-aah!”
“Hmm, nice smell-”
Although not as good as the fragrance of grilled pork, there was something almost nutty to the smell of something burning.
I’ve heard that people used to enjoy deep-fried grasshoppers, so if it smelled like this, it wouldn’t be that hard to eat.
As the writhing intensified, I lifted the cane slightly.
The blackened heart shape was particularly notable against its white belly, leaving solid black marks.
“Hmm! Satisfied, satisfied.”
“Hueh, hueh…”
The bug monster’s abdomen and chest, inflating and deflating repeatedly.
Seeing the trembling legs of the praying mantis, I learned how much pain heat can bring to an insect.
The fact that honeybees can defeat Soldier Wasps by surrounding them and heating up their internal temperature to kill them is certainly true.
“It’s disappointing that it has been taken down with just one hit.”
“P-please stop….”
“I’ll roast you slowly. If you don’t want this, just don’t show up here again. Understand?”
Ignoring the monster’s pleas, I slightly twisted the middle part of the cane to change its setting.
After about three turns, a burst of flames shot out of the tip like a blowtorch.
I had seen videos of them being killed with a torch like this.
“Ugh-aah!”
As moments stretched on for the monster, feeling like hours, its legs curled inward completely, contorting it into a crouched shape. It slowly began to dissipate into twinkling particles.
By the way, there was one confusing point from the monster’s previous words.
“I’ve heard all about you from other monsters!”
“Hmm…”
With that rising question, I moaned briefly and observed until the monster completely scattered before flying off into the sky.
Heard enough from the other monsters.
That meant they must have a rendezvous location somewhere.
With a near-zero return rate for monsters in our area.
Considering the return rate based solely on fear, I had an inkling about it, but hearing this fact for myself confirmed my assumptions.
So, monsters do have a gathering place somewhere….
If I eliminate that location, will they stop appearing?
“Alright, why am I thinking about this….”
I let go of the thoughts that were deepening and brushed them aside.
Again, this world is strange.
A world where girls who appear as elementary school students use powers that cannot be explained by any existing science to eradicate monsters.
Even when common sense doesn’t exactly align, there’s not much left to say.
It might be that after monsters disappear, they go to a training center, or to their respective units, or perhaps that’s just what they say without one existing.
Thinking deeply is a disadvantage; it’s an absolute loss.
“Release.”
I flew to another apartment rooftop near home, murmuring the transformation release command, and tapped my shoulder.
A Magical Girl must land at different points each time to avoid being identifiable by civilians.
While there are such rules defined among Magical Girls, I honestly think they’re practically irrelevant.
“Ugh, sore.”
With the sudden wave of fatigue hitting me as I released my transformation.
I grasped my shoulder with the hand I just tapped and relaxed my neck by turning it side to side.
The little cracking sounds brought a brief sense of relief.
Though this wouldn’t be a sound you’d expect from an elementary school student’s body….
Anyway, I took the elevator down to the first floor and headed towards my apartment.
“Mary, are you back? Did it go well?”
“Yeah, as usual.”
“Shining, magical power-!”
The sounds of animation from the computer.
The lively youthful voice of the character overlapped with Shiyeon’s voice.
The voice acting done by that seiyuu is impressive.
I can’t even mimic it right now.
Well, it’s inevitable because it’s a job.
There’s no difference between her and a Magical Girl.
Whether a seiyuu possesses real power or not is just a matter of perception, I thought.
After getting on the bed and turning on my smartphone, my finger naturally pointed to the delivery app.
Both Magical Girls and seiyuus must eat to survive, after all.
“Shiyeon, is there something you want to eat?”
“Hmm….”
A short and simple question led to a long, drawn-out moan of contemplation.
“Anything!”
The suitable answer at the end of that deliberation was “anything.”
A response that relinquishes decision-making and hands it to me.
But still, I couldn’t order something the kids wouldn’t eat.
‘Anything, anything….’
With more options, it actually becomes agonizing.
A narrow path pretending to have many choices.
Too spicy or the occasional craving for sashimi couldn’t be options with Shiyeon around.
You might ask, “Can’t you just order both?”
But that annoying delivery fee is doubled!
‘Ughh….’
Thus, it’s been 10 minutes.
I couldn’t decide on what to eat, infinitely scrolling with my thumb.
Was there really a time when there wasn’t much for kids to eat?
Ultimately, after much deliberation, the decision landed on a safe option, not necessarily suited for all ages… at least a safe tonkatsu.
It comes with a separate sauce, the kind that appeals to kids’ taste.
I ordered four pieces.
Why, you might ask? Because I need to eat something before going to school tomorrow.
I carefully set aside two of the tonkatsu boxes that were delivered and devoured the other two for dinner.
After finishing the meal at 9 PM, it’s time for a good child to sleep.
The comfort of lying down without earplugs was ineffably good.
“…!! -!”
“-!! -!!”
The agitated voices of a man and a woman echoing through the curtains covering the balcony.
Having sensed something was amiss, I rubbed my eyes and propped myself up.
Before that, I grabbed my smartphone, waking only one eye as I pressed a button.
The time was 5 AM.
Too uncertain to fall asleep again yet too early to get fully up.
I carefully descended from the bed stairs to avoid being loud and slipped into child-sized slippers before peeking out to the balcony where the fighting sounds still echoed.
Though summer was approaching, a chilling breeze blew in the early morning.
Once I stepped out onto the balcony, the muffled fighting sounds transformed into clearer words.
“Is this some kind of fucking front yard, you crazy woman!? If you care for those filthy cats, go raise them at your own place!”
“What’s wrong with feeding the cats! What’s bothering you so much about it?!”
It seemed like one of them had recently put up that warning notice.
A couple—an aunt in a tank top and shorts was arguing with a man in front of the apartment.
As expected, a scene like this had begun unfolding.
Getting to witness this thrilling moment with my own eyes.
“Best entertainment ever.”
Suddenly, waking at 5 AM didn’t feel like a waste at all.
The unyielding exchange between the aunt and uncle made my heart race.
Naturally, I hoped that the uncle would win.
“Oh really?! Then if any of the cars here get scratched, I can bill you for it, huh? Where do you live, you crazy woman?! Don’t you dare say you don’t live around here? I saw you walk into Building 105!”
“No, how can people be so heartless?!”
“Your love is overflowing to the point where you leave food for those stray kittens, and they’re breeding maggots and stinking up the place!? Did your mother raise you that way? Gathering strays only to harm those around you?”
“…….”
Left without an opportunity to jump in, the aunt went mute like a cowed puppy, likely not expecting to hear a jab about her mother.
Seizing that moment of silence, the uncle shouted even louder.
“Tell me where you live, you filthy woman!”
“Fine! I won’t tell you! Isn’t that enough?!”
Thus wrapped up with the aunt unable to hold her ground any longer and fleeing.
“Ugh, damn….”
I let out a gasp of admiration before I realized it.
From the balcony, I silently applauded while sending feelings of unspeakable respect and admiration towards him.
A true hero of this era who can fight off monsters that even Magical Girls cannot.
