Chapter 85

The strength of magical girls far surpasses that of ordinary people.

Not just stamina, but also physical strength, attack power, defense power, and overall physical stats are all far beyond that of ordinary humans.

These days, it’s become so normalized in entertainment that people just accept it, but even the minions from the Mogmog Group are significantly stronger than ordinary humans.

And magical girls can take down those minions in an instant, like falling leaves in autumn.

In that sense, I couldn’t help but smirk as I watched Eve panting and struggling.

“See? It’s tough, isn’t it?”

True to her nature as a magical girl, her face and the bruises all over her body had healed after a night’s sleep, but Eve still looked visibly exhausted.

“Yeah, it’s tough.”

Not bothering to hide it, Eve nodded casually and sat down on the bench. Right next to me.

“Here.”

I handed her a drink I had prepared earlier. Eve stared at the can for a moment before accepting it.

“Thanks.”

“How is it?”

“It’s way harder than I thought.”

“That’s because you don’t do it often. If you did it more, you’d get used to it by now. Think of it as making up for all the dad duties you missed.”

“Yeah, I guess I’m guilty of that.”

Eve opened the can, took a sip, and then fell silent for a while.

I didn’t say anything either.

“Is it hard playing with the kids?”

“Yeah.”

That’s right.

Eve, me, Kabe, and Bedel—the four of us came to the playground. I was resting while Eve played with the two kids for an hour. Eve’s stamina is now on the verge of running out.

Kabe and Bedel aren’t ordinary kids; they’re minions, so playing with them is no easy task.

“Sorry.”

“Huh?”

“I’m sorry. Even though I was drunk, I think I went too far.”

Ah.

So that’s what this is about.

I was wondering why she suddenly apologized.

“My chest still hurts a bit, though.”

“Your chest?!”

Eve let out a yelp without realizing it, then quickly covered her mouth, startled by her own outburst.

“You were all over me back then, and now you’re acting all innocent?”

Shouldn’t I be the one embarrassed here?

I was the one who got groped and teased, yet I’m calm while Eve’s the one blushing.

Something’s seriously wrong with this picture.

But I guess that’s just Eve’s complex.

I don’t plan on teasing her further here.

“No, I’m sorry too. I didn’t realize you were that sensitive about your chest size.”

“Well… yeah, but still.”

“Honestly, chest size doesn’t matter at all.”

“I was a bit sensitive about it…”

“What’s the big deal about chest size anyway…”

“It’s just…”

“Judging someone’s attractiveness by their chest size is kinda…”

“…”

“You can still be attractive even if your chest is small.”

“…”

“You can’t measure someone’s charm just by their chest.”

“Stop it!”

Oh, wow…

Eve’s glare was so intense it felt like she might devour me. I quietly shut my mouth.

“Just kidding. I’m sorry too. It’s just a chest…”

“Hey.”

“Anyway, I’m sorry.”

“…Tch. I went too far too. I’m sorry. Fighting over something like this feels so childish.”

If we’re talking about being childish, we crossed that line a long time ago.

But I don’t plan on dragging this out with Eve.

“Anyway, what’s done is done. It’s good that we’ve both learned about each other’s complexes. We’ll be more careful from now on. Let’s just move on.”

I was surprised Eve could say something so mature, but she’s not wrong.

“Yeah. I’m sorry too. I’m sorry for hitting you first.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry too.”

“For groping my chest?”

“Yeah.”

I chuckled and brushed it off.

“Mom! Dad! Look at this, look!”

Look at her.

Kabe was standing on the slide, waving her hands wildly. I waved back with a smile.

Ah, my precious child.

She’s so adorable, just like her mom.

“Mom, look! I can jump down!”

“Stop! You’ll get hurt!”

That kid’s going to seriously hurt herself if she keeps this up.

I quickly got up from the bench, ready to catch her before she jumped.

And at that moment, everything around us disappeared, replaced by a vast white space.

“What the heck is this now?”

I looked around, startled by the sudden change.

“It’s probably that guy again.”

Eve stepped in front of me, summoning a magic circle in her palm.

From the rotating magic circle—

– A tiring and exhausting day? Vicks is here for you~

“…Is that ad random?”

“Yeah. Small ones are random. Big ones require more effort.”

It didn’t show up before when I used magic, so I guess it’s because it’s a small ad.

Meanwhile, that guy appeared in the distance, slowly walking toward us.

“Kuhuhu…”

Ugh.

That’s creepy.

“My bride, Vesprede.”

But now’s not the time to deal with him.

Even though time outside has stopped, I can’t waste time on him.

My daughter’s about to do something reckless, and I can’t just stand by and watch.

Esmushigi is walking toward me.

This time, I didn’t wait and stepped forward to meet him.

As I got closer, a wide grin spread across Esmushigi’s face.

“Oh, Vesprede. Finally, you’ve come to acknowledge me… Ouch!”

“Hurry up and undo this, you brat.”

I kicked him in the shin before he could finish.

It probably didn’t hurt much since I was wearing sneakers, but he’s being dramatic.

“Hurry up and undo it, you brat! My daughter’s waiting, what are you doing?!”

“W-What are you talking about, Vesprede! A daughter?!”

“What? WHAT?! You’re standing there with that ugly face of yours while my daughter’s here, and you’re asking WHAT?! And what does it matter to you if I have a daughter or not?!”

I was having a good time watching Kabe play earlier.

But now she’s about to jump off the slide, and I’m getting anxious.

“How are you going to make up for ruining my mood with that face of yours, you yellow beetle-looking jerk?!”

“C-Calm down! Vesprede!”

“Undo the barrier, you brat!”

I took off one of my sneakers and raised it like I was about to hit him, making him flinch and step back.

“Ahem, hmm!”

Finally, the surroundings returned to normal.

“Tch.”

I clicked my tongue and quickly headed to the slide.

“Sweetie, don’t play dangerous games.”

“Okay, but who’s that guy?”

Kabe pointed at Esmushigi and asked me.

Honestly, I don’t even know what he’s about.

Just that he’s a prisoner, a former god of the Light Realm.

“…He’s just the neighborhood idiot. Don’t pay attention to him. If you don’t study hard, you’ll end up like him, okay?”

“Ugh…”

Kabe, still in my arms, shuddered as if she felt something unpleasant.

“But I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before!”

“Alright, no more dangerous ideas. Go play with Bedel, okay?”

“Okay!”

This time, Kabe ran off with Bedel toward the seesaw, and I waved at her before returning to the bench.

Eve and Esmushigi were still glaring at each other on the bench.

“You, an Elphim, dare to disrespect a god…!”

“You’re just a prisoner! If you’ve got a problem, let’s settle it!”

“Oh ho, fine! Then let’s set up a barrier…!”

“Don’t you dare, you brat.”

I smacked the back of Esmushigi’s head as he tried to summon another barrier. The loud *thwack* was oddly satisfying.

“Esmushigi.”

“Oh, Vesprede. I am Escario…”

“Esmushigi.”

“Escario.”

“Es-gushigi.”

“…Just call me Esmushigi, please.”

“Fine, Esmushigi. Eve, why hasn’t the Light Realm come to capture him yet?”

“I don’t know. They should’ve been notified by now.”

“Kuhuhu.”

That laugh really grates on my nerves.

It’s the kind of laugh that screams, “I’m the villain, the mastermind.”

“There will be no one left to capture me.”

What nonsense is this now?

I glanced at Eve, but she just shrugged, indicating she didn’t know either.

“You’re an escaped prisoner, right? A bad guy, right? So why isn’t anyone coming to get you?”

“Because I’ve declared myself a player.”

A player?

What’s that…

“Kuhuhu. There’s such a thing. The Light Realm and Dark Realm are in a stalemate, maintaining balance. To add some tension to this equilibrium… I’ve decided to join the game.”

“What are you…”

I thought he was spouting nonsense again.

But the mention of the stalemate and balance started to pique my interest.

The balance game that only a few of us magical girls know about.

And now Esmushigi was talking about it.

“The Divine Realm wants a more exciting, thrilling game. And I, who desire you, Vesprede, have joined as a player.”

Esmushigi’s eyes turned to me.

“And, Vesprede.”

He pointed a finger at me.

“I desire you.”

“Move that finger before I break it.”

Who does he think he’s pointing at?

Esmushigi quickly lowered his finger and cleared his throat.

“Anyway, this is why I’ve joined.”

“Eve, to sum it up, it sounds like he’s saying he’s going to become a third force alongside the Magical Girl Association and our Mogmog Group. What do you think?”

“Hmm…”

Eve stroked her chin, deep in thought.

“The Divine Realm sees humans as NPCs. They probably thought it’d be more fun to have a god—even if he’s a prisoner—join as a player to shake things up. Does that sound about right?”

Esmushigi chuckled in response.

“Exactly. As expected of an Elphim.”

“What’s this ‘Elphim’ thing you keep saying?”

I’ve been wondering what that means.

Eve doesn’t seem to know either, so I might as well ask now.

“You don’t know what an Elphim is? Hmm… It refers to angels who fell and became human… but I’m not sure if you’ll understand.”

“Ah, whatever. I get the gist.”

He’s probably talking about magical girls. Sohee used to refer to magical girls with different terms too. It’s probably just a generational difference in terminology.

Meanwhile, Eve was now questioning Esmushigi.

“So why are you here today?”

“Ah, yes. I heard the Summon Base is here.”

“Summon Base?”

What’s that now?

“It’s a magical tool that can summon minions when infused with magic power.”

Is he talking about the production device?

We just finished repairing it and were about to start using it.

“We have that.”

“I’ve come to take it back.”

Huh?

“Why should we give it back? Is it yours?! Did you put your name on it?!”

“Ah. You don’t know, do you?”

Esmushigi scratched his head again.

“The Light Realm, with its one-to-many dynamic, and the Dark Realm, with its many-to-one dynamic. The Summon Base was lent to the Dark Realm by the Divine Realm to match these characteristics. But now that I’ve joined the game, I’m at a disadvantage, so the Summon Base’s usage rights have been transferred to me.”

“W-What nonsense is this?!”

We need to produce minions!

We haven’t even summoned enough subordinates yet!

---