Chapter 40

“……”

“…You’re really amazing at space-related magic.”

“Shut up.”

Today, I’m practicing fairy magic again.

Among it, I’m practicing the barriers that mascots often use, but it’s not going as well as I thought.

I need to create a barrier that forms multiple layers with magic, but even though I can imagine it well, it’s surprisingly difficult to actually create it with magic.

“Ugh… Hey, Chubby. You try making a small barrier.”

“Like this?”

“Yeah. Hmm~… Is this how it is? No, how is this even formed in the first place?”

“Why don’t you just think of a turtle shell or a soccer ball?”

“A turtle shell? …Ah, got it.”

“Ah! You did it again in one go?!”

“No… But this is still pretty weak.”

“…Yeah.”

Hmm… Did I at least succeed in creating the barrier itself?

But even this level, a normal person could break it with a hammer…

I need to keep practicing until I can make it thick and elastic with multiple layers.

At the very least, my barrier should be strong enough to withstand my own attacks, but how long will it take to perfect it to that level…

…I guess I’ll have to practice during my morning training too.

And also practice by making small barriers at home.

I have plenty of time, so if I pour it all into this, I’ll manage somehow.

Besides, these days, the juniors can handle most of the demon and monster exterminations, so my frequency of going out has decreased significantly.

“By the way, Rampage-san, you’re surprisingly diligent.”

“Huh? Well, yeah? Besides, you’ve been watching me for 15 years, didn’t you know?”

“I’ve only seen you working hard on exterminations and studying a bit…”

“Isn’t the fact that you’re cramming all that in and balancing it already being diligent? In your head, is only learning something considered being diligent?”

“Ah, no…”

“And if I find something interesting, I work harder than anyone. But I can’t just focus on that, so I set time limits.”

“Ah… So that’s why when you went to train, you always finished exactly in 2 hours, even if you felt a bit unsatisfied…”

“Growth is fun. And even if it’s not, it’s something you have to do.”

Anyway, I should finish practicing and grab a snack.

Since I have training scheduled from 6 to 8, even though I had breakfast, I’m feeling hungry.

I heard it’s better to exercise first and then eat, but even so, it’s hard to push through without breakfast.

So, should I have a sandwich…

In this case, I should probably go for a classic ham and cheese sandwich rather than a sweet one.

First, when it comes to sandwiches, peanut butter.

And… since something completely without sweetness is a bit bland, let’s go with a safe strawberry jam.

“What are you making?”

“A sandwich.”

First, toast two slices of bread, then spread peanut butter and strawberry jam on each… three slices of ham and one slice of thinly sliced Havarti cheese…

Mmm~ As expected, the imported peanut butter is delicious.

Why is Korean peanut butter so sweet…

“…Our country has finally made it.”

“Yeah… Still, it’s a good thing Crazy Heart-san took care of it early on.”

Looking at the news, rumors about a magical girl turning into a monster are starting to spread.

By the way, even if random people turn into monsters, it’s hard for them to go beyond Marquis-Class…

Right now, they’re not as threatening as I thought.

The problem is when existing strong magical girls turn into monsters… In that case, I should be a bit more careful.

You never know how strong they’ll become if they turn into monsters.

If things go wrong, I might even have to consider using my Third Ability.

…No, maybe it’ll end at the First Ability, not the Second Ability.

Whatever it is, I still need to use my abilities appropriately.

“By the way… Doesn’t it seem like Crazy Heart has gotten stronger?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Well… Her equipment has changed strangely, and looking at this photo… Hasn’t her magic changed too?”

“Really? Do you want to meet her?”

“…No, it’s fine. She’s doing well, so there’s no need to worry.”

Well, it’s Crazy Heart, so there’s nothing to worry about.

She really loves fighting, so I think she’ll keep going for at least another 5 years.

Really, she’s one of the few reliable ones in the country.

I wish she could be a magical girl for life like me, but unfortunately, she’s still far from fully merging…

Ah, maybe the Fairy Queen knows a way to forcibly merge with a Crystal Stone?

…No, even so, doing something like that without the other’s consent would make me a real jerk.

It’s better to just drop it.

“Big trouble!!!”

“Huh?”

“Katanu~!”

What, why did Katanu suddenly come here?

Wait, isn’t that Diamond Dust’s Responsible Mascot?

But for her to abandon her charge and come here… Something must have happened.

“What’s up, Katanu? Why are you here? What’s the big trouble?”

“D-Diamond Dust-san… She’s in big trouble!!”

“What, so what happened? Don’t just say it’s a big trouble.”

“W-Well…”

First, I calmed Katanu down and listened to her explanation.

It turns out Diamond Dust has been showing interest in medals recently.

I thought it might happen, but is she really going to touch them…

But she’s only showing interest for now, so she hasn’t actually done anything yet.

“Okay… So?”

“I’m trying to stop her somehow…! But I don’t know when she might act out!!”

“Sigh~…”

What on earth makes her want to touch the medals so badly…

But surely, the Fairy Queen must have directly informed all magical girls about it?

That any magical girl who turns into a monster is a target for extermination.

Is there any reason to touch them even knowing that?

…Could it be related to depression?

That girl, judging by her appearance, had the vibe of someone with depression.

“…Whatever it is, try to stop her as much as possible. If you can’t, just terminate the contract on the spot.”

“Terminating the contract is a bit… difficult… It’s unreasonable to terminate just because she’s showing interest…”

“Y-Yes!!”

“Is that so… Then there’s no choice but to exterminate. And if I get involved, it might just make things worse, so I won’t do anything until she acts out. Got it?”

“Yes!”

It’s basic common sense that if someone like me gets involved without knowing the exact reason, it could make things worse.

So there’s nothing I can do.

Except to deal with it if she makes the wrong choice.

Killing a fellow magical girl… especially a junior from my own area, doesn’t sit well with me, but there’s no choice.

Even if I understand her feelings, choosing that path is unforgivable.

Unless there’s a way to revert her back.

Or if there’s a way to stop the process…

“Chubby. You better brace yourself too. This time, it’s not about killing stupid humans who betray humanity, but about killing a fellow magical girl.”

“……Yes.”

Really, as time goes on, only disgusting things keep happening.

First, superhumans started appearing and causing problems, and now, even monster transformations…

Sigh, why does nothing ever get better, seriously…

“…Huh?”

“You got a message.”

Why the sudden message…

…Ah, it’s Pretty Heart.

Does she really want to go out with me that much…

“Pretty Heart, huh… Ah, she wants to go to the valley.”

“The valley?”

“Yeah, the valley. Compared to the sea, it’s a place with clean water flowing so much you could drink it. Plus, it’s in the mountains, so you can enjoy the cool mountain breeze, making it the perfect place for summer.”

“I see!”

The valley… When people think of summer, they usually think of the sea, but the valley is much better.

Really clean water and cool mountain breeze… Plus, with tents and camping gear, you can enjoy camping right in front of you, making it the perfect summer spot.

But…

“…If only Pretty Heart wasn’t going with her friends, it would’ve been great.”

“Pretty Heart-san’s friends, huh! How about mingling and having fun together…”

“If you say that one more time, I’ll really kill you.”

“…Yes.”

By the way, going to the valley with the kids…

No, why is she even asking me to go with them in the first place?

Can’t they just go by themselves?

…Well, having a guardian around is probably better.

Especially since I can’t just stand by if some scumbags try to hit on Pretty Heart.

I’ll smash the heads of anyone who tries.

“……”

“So, what are you going to do?”

“…Sigh, well… Since it’s Pretty Heart’s request, I’ll go with her.”

“Rampage-san, you’re really weak against Pretty Heart-san!”

“Who knows…”

Come to think of it, I do spoil Pretty Heart a lot.

But she works hard and grows on her own, so there’s nothing to scold her about.

That’s why I don’t need to be strict with her… Well, that’s how it is.

She only does good things, so it’s hard not to like her.

Anyone would treat her specially if they had someone like her.

“…Well, everyone treats someone who does everything well and is diligent like that.”

“I see!”

By the way, it’s in a week… Thanks to the identity guarantee system, I secretly updated my driver’s license photo, so I can drive a car if I want.

But will my feet even reach?

…No, if they don’t reach, I’ll just make them reach.

I’ll just modify the brake and accelerator pedals.

“Chubby. Let’s go get a car.”

“Huh? A car?”

“I know how to drive. If I want to show them the dignity of an adult, I need to do at least that much.”

“You were really concerned about that, huh…”

Anyway… I ended up getting a car.

Since I probably won’t drive it except for times like this, I might as well get an SUV.

While I’m at it, I’ll stuff it with all sorts of travel gear to make it just like my friends’.

Ah, but I won’t do any crazy modifications like making it an SUV only in the front.

I’ll keep it within common sense.

No exterior changes!

So I went out and got a brand-new SUV with the best recent reviews.

And immediately contacted a technician my friends recommended to modify the accelerator and brake pedals to comfortably reach my feet.

Well, you know… My height is 137cm now, so what can I do?

I keep getting mistaken for an elementary schooler.

When I was a guy, I was 173cm.

But if you look closely, I don’t look like a kid, so they apologize right away.

Sigh~… My height is really despairing…

“I never thought I’d get a car like this.”

“Really?”

“I never planned to buy a car. I don’t really travel on my own, and I don’t need to drive around.”

“I see! Plus, now you can open [Gates] by yourself… Wait, how did you master that in just one day?!”

“Are you still on about that…”

Well, anyway… I ended up getting a car.

So I’ll have to ask my friends about all sorts of travel gear and fill it up by next week.