Chapter 53

Honestly, I think magical girls these days have become too soft.

But at the same time, I also think it doesn’t matter.

Unlike the early days, there are now quite a lot of magical girls, and the system is well-established, so things usually get resolved within 10 minutes.

That goes for Pretty Heart, Typhoon, and Explosion, who I’m watching over.

Those kids don’t have the mindset of absolutely killing monsters.

But they don’t act carelessly either.

They know that the demons and monsters they face are strong enough that if they don’t kill them, they, their families, their neighbors… everyone will die.

But even that level isn’t enough to take them to the Demon Realm.

“No.”

“Are you saying… I’m not helpful?”

“Yeah.”

“Sniff…”

I don’t know who or where they heard that I’m planning to invade the Demon Realm someday, but Pretty Heart is being annoying again.

Probably Chubby told her, and then her Responsible Mascot, Tinihu, blabbed about it.

That’s why she’s clinging to me like this… but still, no.

The current Pretty Heart wouldn’t even be able to handle a Duke-Class, let alone a Grand Duke-Class.

“Just my guess, but in the Demon Realm, there are probably Great King-Class and Emperor-Class enemies everywhere. What are you going to do against them?”

“……”

“Whining won’t help. Your Mana Control slipped. Do it again.”

“Okay~…”

By the way, even though we’re talking while doing this, she’s only been suppressing her mana for about 3 minutes.

I thought Pretty Heart should start improving her Mana Control skills, but I didn’t expect her to be this bad at suppression…

The cleaner the suppression, the better the Mana Control skills become.

Even with the same amount of mana, the power of techniques can vary drastically.

I don’t understand why she can’t do something so simple, but I guess everyone has something they’re bad at.

For example, Pretty Heart isn’t good at control, but she’s excellent at steadily developing higher-level techniques.

I’ve rarely seen anyone grow their techniques this quickly, aside from just leveling up.

…Typhoon is also good at developing techniques, but she’s stuck evolving from “Blade of Wind.”

It’s not a completely new technique, nor is it an enhancement or application of an existing one.

It’s just increasing power and frequency… a different form of attack.

Well, if she polishes it to the extreme and makes it so strong that nothing else matters, it could be a different story.

Still, I wish she’d make better use of the natural disasters she represents.

Plus, her Second Ability hasn’t bloomed yet, but it’s probably something like Typhoon’s Torrential Rain.

Once that blooms, she’ll be able to create a lot of complex techniques, so I hope she doesn’t just stay in place.

“…You’re working hard.”

“I believe in everything you say, Sis!”

“Is that so…”

So even if I’m lying, she’ll just believe me…

…Well, whatever.

If she trusts and follows me, there’s nothing easier to teach.

The problem is, she’d probably believe the enemy’s words just as firmly.

No, even so, she wouldn’t sympathize with or trust monsters, right?

“Whew~…”

“Not even 5 minutes.”

“How do I do this…?”

“How? I’m doing it right now.”

“…Huh? Really?”

“This is good for magic efficiency. Plus, the enemy can’t gauge my full power.”

“Y-You’re doing this all the time…?”

“Try doing it diligently for about 10 years.”

“10, 10 years…”

Well, actually, it was all taught to me by my senior.

It hadn’t been long since she taught me… when that incident happened.

“…Let’s have some ice cream.”

“Huh? Ice cream?”

“This isn’t something you do while focusing. You push it to the side and live your daily life.”

“That’s possible…?”

“Of course. Otherwise, I wouldn’t tell you to do it. Here, ice cream.”

“Thank you.”

Feeding her favorite ice cream while doing this should help.

Training goes better when it’s enjoyable.

Or when you grit your teeth and push through.

“Thinking about it, Sis, unlike other magical girls or monsters, I never felt any mana radiating from you. Only when you use techniques do I feel that oppressive aura…”

“Just realized that now? What did you think before?”

“Well… I thought maybe it was because you were so strong that my body refused to sense it…”

“That’s not it. If the difference is ridiculously huge, you just feel fear. A crushing feeling along with it.”

That’s why I can’t even release it now.

I’ve become a magical girl herself, so even in my untransformed state, if I don’t control it, my mana overflows.

The entire area could end up in a mass fainting spell from the terror.

So, I made it the opposite.

This controlled state is the default, and releasing control feels awkward and requires conscious effort.

Surprisingly, it’s an easy thing to do if you just put in the time.

“…10 minutes.”

“Huh?”

“Eating ice cream while doing it extended it to 10 minutes.”

“…Oh, it really did!”

From now on, I should train her like this.

Combat training is one thing, and this is another… She’ll probably grow quickly enough to take down Marquis-Class enemies.

By the way, I didn’t expect Pretty Heart to get so serious about this.

Is it because she’s jealous of Typhoon?

Considering her obsessive tendencies, it’s possible.

“…Is it because of Typhoon?”

“……No.”

“It is, isn’t it?”

“……”

Her puffed-up cheeks say it all.

Sigh… Why does she keep getting jealous over something like that?

“Was it just because of that?”

“……”

“Sigh… She’s just a middle schooler who loves showing off. Got it?”

“……”

“What? Why aren’t you talking? Are you sulking because I pressed you?”

“…Eek!”

“?!”

Wait, hold on…! Did this kid just kiss my cheek?!

What the…

“You…”

“Hehe~.”

…I had a feeling from the start, but I hoped I was wrong.

This is really driving me crazy…

“…Nari.”

“Yes, Sis.”

“If you want to do something like that, at least graduate high school first. I don’t touch minors. Even if they ask, absolutely not.”

“Okay~…”

She seems a bit down, but there’s nothing I can do.

Honestly, at my level, it wouldn’t be a problem, but it’s just a matter of my own feelings.

I’m an adult, so messing with kids is a no-go.

Plus… I can’t shake this weird feeling, and it’s annoying.

…Tch, it’s the first time I’ve felt disgusted with myself.

“Anyway, keep training. Stop being jealous of Typhoon. Got it?”

“Okay…”

Sigh… I should take a shower while Pretty Heart is training.

Calming down is the best way to deal with this strange atmosphere.

“……”

…I had a feeling from earlier, but it’s true.

A sensation I’ve never had before… has appeared, even if just a little.

This body is really ridiculous.

I don’t need this now.

“…Chubby. Stop hiding and watching.”

“…Yes.”

“Get me a towel.”

“Yes!”

Someday, these sensations, these emotions, will grow and normalize.

But they’re unnecessary in battle.

At least… before it becomes a hassle, before Pretty Heart becomes an adult, I’ll destroy the Demon Realm.

So they can’t invade the human world anymore.

Should I increase my personal training time?

No, I’ve already increased it, so more?

If I increase it further, it might become hard to manage.

Still… it’s not a good option.

“Ah, Sis. Are you done washing?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll dry your hair for you!”

…This is one thing, but I need to think about solving the immediate problem now.

There must definitely be medals up to Emperor-Class monsters.

Considering their durability and sealing level.

If a powerful magical girl uses them to monsterize… it’ll probably surpass Emperor-Class.

It’s quite a strategy, unlike monsters.

But, in my estimation, reaching that point might be a stretch.

That would only happen if the worst possible luck lined up.

Well, even if that worst-case scenario happens, it’s no problem for me.

…By the way, what’s the class after Emperor-Class?

Maybe God-Class?

No, even that seems a bit too exaggerated.

“…By the way, what happened to the Returning Hero and his party?”

“They’re still fine! And the arrests and subjugations of superhuman criminals have already surpassed 20 times!”

“They’re working really hard.”

It’s surprising that guy is working diligently instead of just shining briefly.

Then I don’t need to worry about him anymore.

“…Do it again.”

“Ah, it slipped…”

Oh, I just thought of something… Could there be other superhuman organizations centered around monsters besides the Spirit Council?

The guys who came up with this strategy probably didn’t just create one… There must be a few more.

Then tomorrow, I’ll go find and destroy them.

“Chubby. Are there any others like the Spirit Council?”

“Huh? Oh, yes! There are currently three confirmed!”

“That’s a lot… Do you know where each is?”

“One was already destroyed by Paladin, and the other two are… in Australia and Egypt!”

Oh? That senior, after blooming her Third Ability, has become incredibly strong.

At least a Great King-Class monster must have been the leader of that place…

…Well, every time she blooms an ability, her mana increases drastically, so it’s possible.

“Good. Tomorrow, we’ll destroy the one in Egypt first, then the one in Australia.”

“Got it!”

Destroying those two will be a relief.

It means the monsterization problem will be significantly reduced.

“Are they all Great King-Class there? No Emperor-Class?”

“I can’t confirm that far!”

“Really? They’re probably hiding it tightly, so it’s understandable…”

They used to reveal everything and cause a huge fuss, but in this situation, it’s probably difficult.

The Fairy Realm should probably improve its technology soon.

“Great King-Class? Emperor-Class? What’s all that about?”

“Huh? Oh~ You don’t know, do you?”

“No?”

Pretty Heart still doesn’t know.

Then I should tell her.

“Basically, you’ve learned up to Grand Duke-Class, right?”

“Yes.”

“But there’s something they didn’t teach you. That’s Great King-Class and Emperor-Class. It’s not classified, but they don’t mention it. You’re not supposed to encounter them.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. But the problem is… this time, for the first time, using medals, Great King-Class and Emperor-Class can come to the human world. Even if they’re fragments, they’re still a huge threat.”

But monsters alone can’t create those medals.

Because those guys don’t even share basic information, there’s probably something else behind the scenes, like a mastermind.

For example… that magical girl the Fairy Queen missed.

“You probably don’t have a connection with her, but just in case, if a monster of that level appears, run away immediately and contact me. Got it?”

“Yes!”

Then, I’ll get all sorts of information about those two places from Chubby…