Magical Girl and Classmates
“Everyone has gathered, I see. There are signs of an S-Rank appearing in India, and we’ve been assigned to handle it. We’re leaving now, but are you all ready?”
India, huh.
I remember seeing an old news report about how half of their original territory was obliterated by a monster attack. At that time, the population decreased significantly, and there were concerns that the country might not be able to maintain its structure as a nation for a while.
As long as it’s not Japan, I hope the doomsday faction doesn’t show up…
(Surely India will be fine, right?)
“I hope everything goes well… I really do…”
Don’t say things that make me anxious…
The whole group entered a large teleportation device and transferred to the predicted location.
The transfer destination is nothing but a wilderness as far as the eye can see.
It’s probably a place where monsters wreaked havoc, then a magical girl repaired it afterward.
Even if the land returns, there’s no helping the buildings or people that used to exist there.
“Since we arrived early, we have some time, but please get your weapons ready. The deployment of barriers and the appearance of monsters usually happen simultaneously, so if we’re unlucky, we might be caught off guard.”
Unusually, Mr. Prizes is saying something sensible for once.
Come to think of it, none of us here have overlapping weapons. While technically Mika and I specialize in the same type of magic, Mika’s specialty is more accurately plant-based.
One could say nature itself is her weapon.
Then Marin uses a sword and bow, Simon uses puppets, Mika wields a massive chakram, Super Arc has giant robotic arms. Flame uses a greatsword, and Akatsuki uses a spear. Take Mikadzuchi specializes in magical plants, and Rusted Calisten Alice El wields a rifle. Lastly, Sweep uses a rapier, and Mr. Prizes… what exactly does he use?
Finally, Arongante uses a railgun and high-frequency blade.
Can we even coordinate properly in an emergency?
While I’ve seen some battles from the Academy group, I’ve only practiced coordination with Marin…
Looking at everyone’s weapons like this makes Arongante stand out as either incredibly powerful or oddly mismatched.
When Arongante deploys their armaments, they grow to about two meters tall, and their railgun seems to be around two meters long as well. Their skirt-like armor also deploys, exuding an intense presence.
Fighting Arongante or Glint directly must mean that Thalagong and Blade have something wrong with their heads…
Tightening up slightly as we wait, Arongante’s terminal starts ringing.
“Yes. Understood. Everyone, prepare yourselves as the barrier is about to deploy. Keep in mind that communication signals won’t work within the barrier.”
After Arongante gives the warning, the scenery begins to change.
I’ve seen this phenomenon multiple times during M·D·W events, but it always feels otherworldly.
This time, it’s a ruin… unpleasant memories resurface.
“Monster detected. It’s 500 meters ahead.”
(Acknowledged. Let’s stay cautious.)
“Well, there may be people here who don’t know, so let me explain.”
Arongante sends out something like a bit before starting their explanation.
The most important thing inside the barrier is reconnaissance. If you’re caught off guard in poor visibility, there’s a high risk of being killed instantly.
Larger monsters are easier to detect by sound, but flying types or those with stealth abilities are harder to spot.
For solo operations, it’s best to move with your back against a wall. For groups of two or more, it’s recommended to confirm front and rear while searching.
In my case, since I completely rely on Demon, I won’t be caught off guard unless I’m in another dimension like Lockwert.
Next comes choosing the battlefield.
While killing enemies immediately is ideal, it’s better to fight in a way that leverages your surroundings and footing to your advantage.
For example, Arongante benefits from fighting in open spaces. They can maneuver freely even in urban areas, but due to the length and destructive power of the railgun, they might end up using just their blade.
Even with just the blade, most monsters and structures can be slashed apart, so they rarely struggle.
In a way, Arongante might be considered an all-rounder.
Incidentally, in my case, it doesn’t matter where I fight. If anything, the distance between me and the monster at the start of combat is crucial.
Lastly, it’s important to quickly understand your opponent’s abilities.
We’re informed by the Magic Bureau or Fairy Bureau about which monsters might appear, but as with the previous M·D·W event, these predictions aren’t always accurate.
There was an instance where a magical girl expected a beast-type monster, thinking it would be a few meters in size, only to face a wolf the size of a ten-ton truck and suffer greatly.
There are also cases where a monster counters a fatal blow and almost defeats the attacker.
Thus, rushing to attack upon spotting a monster can be dangerous.
Additionally, S-Rank monsters often bring along minions known as familiars, so caution is necessary when attempting solo eliminations.
This time, Arongante is set to defeat the main S-Rank monster, while we plan to eliminate weaker familiars. Stronger ones will likely be taken down by Mr. Prizes or, if multiple appear, by me or Marin.
That’s the explanation Arongante gave.
“The explanation concludes here. Since we’ve detected the monster’s presence, we’ll move forward.”
The bits Arongante sent earlier seem to have been for reconnaissance. Let’s follow them.
By the way, Arongante is flying instead of walking, and Mr. Prizes is also airborne. I could fly too, but it consumes magic power, so I’ll walk normally.
Arongante stops about twenty meters away from the detected monster, and Mr. Prizes moves above us.
“From here on, it’s live combat. Please be careful to avoid stray attacks, but remember that there’s always a chance of death when fighting monsters. Don’t forget that. Alright, Mr. Prizes, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Understood. Everyone, let’s do our best today!”
Arongante destroys a building between us and the monster with their railgun, widening the field of view. As a result, the monsters seem to notice us, and their reactions increase from various directions accompanied by roars.
Arongante flies forward and begins the battle, positioning themselves to avoid direct fire from the monsters.
“Please proceed with the battle formations you’ve trained in at the Academy. If anything happens, my team or Marin’s team will come to assist, so feel free to focus.”
I hadn’t heard that before… but whatever.
“Alright, Senior. As usual, I’ll leave the front to you.”
“I keep telling you, we’re classmates now, so calling me Marin is fine.”
Well, while calling her Marin is acceptable, addressing her as ‘senior’ tends to keep her in a good mood more often, so that’s what I’ve settled on. It’s similar to how other students call her ‘class president.’
“Senior is senior. Just to be safe, please minimize your magic consumption.”
“Um? Got it.”
Among the students, Marin is the second strongest after me, but she isn’t suited for prolonged battles. A simple reminder might help prepare for any contingencies.
“Everyone! Here they come!”
Alright, let’s get started.
Marin charges toward the monsters and slashes at the first one. I cast spells to deter or knock down the monsters targeting Marin as they approach.
“Crescent Moon • Circular Blade!”
Watching her fight daily, she’s getting stronger every day. Is it her youth, or the power of determination…? We need to deal with witches somehow for the sake of supporting future magical girls and people.
The other students are handling their fights without issues as well. Even young Simon is fighting with support from their partner and Mr. Prizes.
Occasionally, B-Rank monsters appear, but Mr. Prizes simply snaps his fingers, causing explosions or dismemberments to take them down.
According to Demon, the monster Arongante is currently fighting is of the Demon Type.
Saying ‘demon’ in relation to Demon might cause confusion, but it can’t be helped.
Demon Types use offensive magic and debuff spells.
There are flying and non-flying types, but this one appears to be the flying type.
Arongante is likely holding back to give us training, despite easily being able to defeat it.
“Set, Ice. Set, Thunder. Hinder.”
I keep my magic prepared and continue supporting Marin.
Watching Marin fight is reassuring.
I want to fight like her someday.
About fifteen minutes into the battle, the sound of a fired railgun echoes, and the monsters begin to disappear.
Seems like everything went smoothly.
Arongante approaches us, leaving a trail of green light behind them. I wonder what that substance coming out of their boosters or thrusters is? Some sort of propulsion system, but it’s quite mysterious.
All that’s left is for the barrier to dissipate and return home.
“Everyone, good job. It’s good to see no one got injured.”
There’s some dirt and such, but no injuries is a relief. Healing is possible, but avoiding injury is preferable.
We gather together for a brief moment of relaxation.
However, instead of the barrier lifting, the sky suddenly darkens, and it starts raining…
Rainfall inside a barrier is practically impossible…
Immediately, Arongante pulls out a ranker-grade terminal and tries to make a call.
“Fairy Bureau… no response… can’t reach anyone else either…”
After putting away the unresponsive terminal, Arongante points their railgun upward, fires after charging, but nothing happens.
(Do you understand what’s going on?)
“The barrier switched from fairy-based to theirs when the rain began… Something’s definitely happening.”
If there’s a barrier like this, why wasn’t it explained beforehand?
(Apparently, there’s signal interference as usual, but what about other capabilities?)
“It has higher durability than ranker-grade barriers, allows their people to enter and exit freely, and worst of all, they can summon monsters.”
That’s a terrible setup… if they keep deploying things like that, winning would be nearly impossible. The other students are confused by the rain, so I should talk to Mr. Prizes and Arongante briefly.
“Everyone! Let’s evacuate to that building over there. Move immediately!”
Following Mr. Prizes’ instructions, we enter the building to take shelter from the rain.
“Arongante”
“What is it?”
They send out numerous bits outside while wearing a serious expression, but smile when turning to face us. That’s what being an adult is about, I guess.
“This phenomenon is likely caused by the doomsday faction.”
(By the way, how widely known is the doomsday faction in general?)
“Ah, they’re not very well-known in this world yet. Arongante might not even know about them.”
Information like that and the barriers should be taught properly beforehand…
“Do you know anything about this?”
“…Recently, I accompanied Magical Girl Take Mikadzuchi on a monster elimination mission…”
As expected, Arongante looked at me with a probing gaze, so I recount the incident involving Mika with a few embellishments.
I also mention that a magical girl named Lockwert claimed to be part of the doomsday faction and had the ability to deploy barriers like this one.
It’s somewhat different from reality, but it shouldn’t matter now.
“I see. So, there’s likely a key magical girl somewhere.”
“Probably…”
Arongante places a finger on their chin in a thoughtful pose.
“For reference, during the Take Mikadzuchi incident, they tried to kill us.”
“I see. I could go alone, but there are possibilities, so…”
Normally, one would accept personal responsibility, but in such abnormal situations, that’s not feasible. Especially since we have promising future magical girls here. It makes sense to aim to minimize casualties.
While pondering this, two figures appeared walking towards us through the rain.
