Chapter 21

The bizarre one-day trip to the sea came to an end, and we all returned to our respective homes.

When I got home, that American magical girl showed up again, but this time I managed to chase her away properly, so no issues there.

…Though it did take a bit of effort, given her appearance.

“Ah~…”

Anyway, even though it was just a day trip, coming back from a trip feels so bothersome…

Should I just sleep like this today?

No, I should at least brush my teeth…?

Huh? Wait, if I don’t brush, the cavity-causing bacteria can’t melt my teeth, right?

But the food residue will still cause bad breath, so I should probably brush…

“Chubby. Is there some kind of magic that instantly cleans your mouth?”

“There’s no such thing!”

“Right…”

Then I’ll brush my teeth… and while I’m at it, I should take a shower too.

…Maybe I’ll stop by the training ground tomorrow for the first time in a while.

Since I’m going to the Magical Girl Store anyway.

“Ugh… drying my hair is such a hassle…”

“Should I dry it for you?”

“No, thanks.”

I’ve finally gotten used to drying it properly, but if that guy does it, my hair will just get messed up again.

I’d rather keep doing it myself.

“Ah! An Earl-Class monster signal!”

“…At this hour? Monsters don’t usually attack at this time, do they?”

Monsters prioritize invading the human world, but for some reason, they hardly ever attack at night.

It’s not like they’re taking anything specific.

When I asked the Fairy Queen about it, she said there’s no particular reason, and it just suddenly changed at some point.

Huh… for monsters, they’re surprisingly considerate.

Or maybe they just want to cause a scene during the bright hours when everyone can see?

I can’t tell if their goal is invasion or just attention now…

“Sigh… no choice.”

Then… transform.

Is the location close by?

“It’s here.”

“What’s going on at this hour?”

“How should I know?”

Found the Earl-Class monster, so I landed nearby.

The monster noticed me, flinched in surprise, and despite trembling, immediately got into a fighting stance.

…What’s this guy doing?

Well, whatever. Just die.

“……”

I probably messed up the coordinates, but there’s no reason to spare it, so I grabbed my staff and smashed the monster’s head, killing it instantly.

As expected, a medal popped out, and I obliterated it with an [Energy Blast].

That’s the end of the Earl-Class demon extermination.

“…I’m too lazy to shower again, so I’ll just sleep.”

Since I already washed up, I crawled into bed without showering when I got home.

The AC is set to 23°C, fan speed at level 1.

Alright… time to sleep.

◇

“Yawn…”

Maybe because I slept late, I feel a bit tired.

Even though my magical girl body only needs a little sleep, the feeling matters.

So, in times like this, a cup of coffee should help.

Where is it… Ah, found the coffee beans.

There’s creamer too.

“What are you making?”

“Coffee. A cup when you’re sleepy works wonders. Though if you drink it often, the effect wears off.”

By the way, Earl-Class and Marquis-Class monsters have been appearing frequently over there. Are they handling it okay?

…Since it’s not making the news, they must be dealing with it properly.

It’s not like they’re all weaklings who need constant worrying.

In fact, our country is oddly in a magical girl drought right now.

“Ah, Chubby. Set up the signal at the Mascot Headquarters too.”

“Got it!”

“And open the [Gate].”

Then, shall we head to the Mascot Headquarters now?

I’ll check what’s new at the store and buy some snacks and ice cream they made.

Come to think of it, is this the first time I’m buying ice cream at the store?

I heard they restocked a week ago, so I’ll definitely buy some today.

“Oh…”

So, upon arriving at the Magical Girl Store, I immediately bought a bunch of ice cream in various flavors.

Of course, I bought enough for others to enjoy too.

“This is pretty good.”

Munching on the ice cream I just bought, I headed to the training ground.

Seeing so many magical girls today somehow makes me feel more energized.

“Wow, there are a lot of trainees here!”

“Seems like there’s been an influx of newbies lately!”

“Really? So about half of them are newbies?”

“Maybe?”

That means there’s a good chance there are some worth teaching.

The more experienced ones tend to avoid me like the plague, which is boring.

Well… they’re kids, so I get it.

They’re lazy, tired, and don’t want to deal with anything hard or troublesome.

“…Huh? The atmosphere feels a bit off.”

“What’s wrong?”

What’s going on to make the training ground feel so tense?

There’s no reason for such a mood here.

Did some friction occur between the magical girls?

“You’ve only been here for a week!”

“What’s wrong with us monopolizing the training ground? Newbies like you…”

…Did I just hear nonsense as soon as I arrived?

From what I heard, is this it?

These kids’ faction is claiming to monopolize the training ground, and a clueless newbie is getting beaten up?

These brats… magical girls acting like this, doing the same stuff they do at school?

Kids will be kids, I guess.

I don’t like hitting kids, but it looks like I’ll have to pick up the rod again.

“What are you guys doing?”

“Who are you?”

“Don’t butt in!”

“……”

These guys… if they don’t recognize me, they must be newbies who haven’t even been here for a month, right?

I mean, wouldn’t they know if they just watched TV?

But if they don’t know, well, that’s their problem… but they still need to be punished.

As magical girls, if they lack the virtues required to wield such power, they deserve to be hit.

Whether they’re adults or kids.

“This won’t do.”

So, I grabbed my staff and smacked their stomachs.

Before they could even blink, each of them was rolling on the ground.

Seeing their faces twisted in confusion and pain makes me feel bad.

But some people just don’t learn unless they’re hit.

That’s exactly the kind of brats these are.

“Get up. Not getting up? Get up now.”

If they don’t get up, well… they’ll just have to take another hit.

Just like what they did to that newbie.

“Gah?!”

“…?!?!”

“Kuh…?!”

Looking at them, they seem like they’ve only been here for a few months, yet they’re already bullying newbies.

Sigh… should I hit them more or not?

Ugh… even though I’m trying to maintain discipline, kicking kids around still feels bad.

It hurts my heart, but what can I do?

Kids these days are so spoiled that they don’t understand that wrongdoing deserves punishment.

That’s why, no matter how much you talk to them, they just ignore you and act up.

I’ve tried so many methods, but they only behave after getting hit.

Well, there are some innate trash who don’t change no matter what.

Especially those who act tough because they think they’re untouchable.

“Who’s the Responsible Mascot for these kids? Come out now!”

“Yes, yess…!”

“It’s… us…”

“Ugh…”

So these guys are the Responsible Mascots for those kids…

They’re newbies among the mascots too.

“You guys. Why didn’t you stop them when they were pulling this nonsense?”

“W-well… no matter how much we tried to stop them, they just ignored us…”

“They’d say they understood at the time, but then forget right away…”

“Sniff…”

So they ignored the mascots’ warnings and kept causing trouble, huh?

Then they deserve more hits.

If words don’t work, then the rod must.

That applies to humans and animals alike.

Unless they physically feel how wrong their actions are, they won’t reflect.

“Tsk… well, it’s not your fault. It’s the fault of those brats who don’t listen.”

So, what should I do with these kids rolling around crying?

They probably haven’t come to their senses yet, so I’ll have to continue.

And to prevent internal bleeding and death, I’ll have Chubby heal them a bit.

“Chubby. Heal them up.”

“Yess!”

Hmm… seeing them jump up right after healing, I guess the pain’s gone?

Then I don’t need to wait and can continue right away.

“You guys, seems like you have the strength to get up?”

“Hic…!”

“Please spare us…”

“I-I’m sorry…”

“Begging now won’t help. Do you think there’s any forgiveness for stupid brats who form cliques and act tough? Huh? There’s a limit to how much I’ll go easy on you just because you’re kids.”

Keep that nonsense in school.

Of course, it’s bad even in school, but I don’t care.

Magical girls just need to protect the human world from demons and monsters.

But if you’re hindering that, then no.

Especially during this magical girl drought, we can’t afford this.

We need to train as many people as possible to take down Earl-Class monsters in parties within a few years.

This drought can’t continue.

So, even if they’re kids… this needs to be handled strictly.

No, in fact, because they’re kids, this kind of punishment can still fix them.

“Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. How long have you guys been here?”

“…4 months.”

“3… 3 months…”

“2 months…”

“Really? I’m Magical Rampage. I’m your 15-year senior.”

◇

“…Is this enough?”

After about 30 minutes, I’ve instilled some discipline in these kids.

Even if they quit being magical girls because of this, it’s fine.

If they’re that weak, they can’t handle Earl-Class extermination anyway.

Being a magical girl with that kind of mindset is wrong to begin with, so no loss.

Plus, with this, the bullying of other newbies will stop, so it’s a win either way.

“Honestly, these brats… middle schoolers already forming cliques, acting tough, and bullying… Ugh, nothing’s changed since the old days.”

“U-um…”

“Huh? Are you the newbie who got beaten up earlier?”

“Y-yes… th-thank you…”

“Don’t thank me. I’m just fixing what’s bad for all magical girls.”

By the way… this kid seems pretty talented.

Should I train them for a month or so?

“You, I’ll train you for a bit.”

“Huh?”

“What’s your name?”

“I’m… Magical Hand Cannon…”

“…Hand Cannon?”

Now that I look, the weapon in their hand is… a giant pistol?

From the looks of it, it’s not a real bullet but a magic-infused projectile.

But why is it called a hand cannon when it’s a pistol?

…Well, better not overthink it.

A pistol-shaped cannon? Whatever.

…Anyway! The important thing now is training this kid.

I need to fully develop their First Ability to harness their talent properly.

The difference between a properly defined 「Concept」 and an undefined one is huge.

Even if not, if they can just utilize their ability properly, they’ll fully develop within a year, and by then, they’ll be able to take down Viscount-Class monsters.

Then, by their third year, they’ll be ready for Earl-Class party extermination.

If they grow as fast as Pretty Heart, even better.

“I’ll train you for about a month. Studies included.”

“Really?”

“Senior…?”

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

“W-well, the senior I met last time at the mountain said… Rampage Senior is really… strict…”

“Don’t worry. I won’t push you to death.”

“Really…?”

That senior must be… the one from Dongducheon?

So, they went to Soyosan Mountain to play.

The valley there is pretty nice, after all.

By the way, they say I’m really strict… I don’t get it.

I was constantly injected with [Madness Extreme Poison] by my senior while enduring attacks during training.

You can’t call it strict unless you’ve gone through that.

The training I give is really light.

Whatever it is, it’s better than being beaten to near-death, right?

“Just give it your all and study. I’ll give you feedback, and you just need to fix that. Got it?”

“Ah, yes…!”

Then, I’ve got my plans set for the next month or so.

At least I won’t have any boring days.