episode_0010

When a magical girl’s mental fractures worsen to the point that her very emotions break down, she becomes corrupted.

We call them “fallen.”

But “broken” would be a more fitting word.

Their emotions shatter—reason, sensibility, everything—reduced to ruin.

Women of misfortune, their once-positive power twisting into negativity, awakening to destruction.

If there is an end for a magical girl, this is surely the worst possible outcome.

And the woman before my eyes is a magical girl who has met that worst ending.

A fallen magical girl.

“Hmm~ How fascinating. It’s been so long since I’ve met someone like this.”

“…You can speak.”

“Why? Is it strange for a person to talk?”

Most fallen magical girls lose their sanity to the point of being unable to communicate.

Only a rare few retain the ability to speak even after their fall.

‘She must have been at least an A-rank before she fell.’

For a magical girl—whose power is tied to her emotions—to still speak despite her broken mind…

She must have been remarkably strong even before her corruption.

In that case, she would have been quite famous, but—

Her face was half-hidden behind a bizarre mask, making her unrecognizable.

And more than that, there was one other thing that puzzled me.

‘Why is a fallen magical girl here?’

As a counselor, I’m usually the first to hear news about magical girls.

Naturally, I’d also be the first to know about cases of corruption or mental fractures.

But recently, there haven’t been any magical girls who suffered from corruption or mental breakdowns.

No, ever since the use of pure emotions like love became widespread, corruption has become exceedingly rare.

So then, what is the woman before me?

A magical girl I don’t know.

Perhaps one from a generation before I became a counselor.

I was curious.

And as a counselor, my professional instincts began to stir.

How shattered is her mind?

What could have driven her to this state?

As usual, I wanted to use my experience counseling magical girls to understand her as much as possible.

“May I ask what your magical girl alias was?”

“Magical girl… Hmm, it’s been so long since I’ve heard that. But do I really look like one to you?”

Her pitch-black eyes, deep as an abyss, fixed on me.

Do you look like a magical girl?

No matter how corrupted she was, the answer was obvious.

She just seemed a bit… dark, unstable, and frightening.

But at her core, she was still a magical girl.

“Of course. A woman as beautiful as you couldn’t possibly not be one.”

“Hehe, you have a way with words. Ah, it makes me nostalgic. Yes… a magical girl… Back then, I was truly happy.”

As if recalling old memories, she closed her eyes and smiled faintly.

How long ago was ‘back then’?

“Ah, you asked for my alias. I think it was… Oh. I’m sorry. It’s been so long, I can’t remember.”

“No, it’s fine. If you can’t recall, there’s nothing to be done.”

Was it really just because it was too long ago?

Or had her memories been damaged along with her fall?

The human mind, by nature, discards painful memories into the strait of oblivion to protect itself.

If that was the case, I decided to try deducing more about her with a different question.

“Then, do you remember who your assigned counselor was?”

“Counselor? What’s that?”

She didn’t know about counselors?

Any magical girl active for a while would have been assigned one.

Which meant—

‘A magical girl from before the counselor profession even existed?’

If so, the mystery around her only deepened.

Because, as far as I knew, the counselor system had only been around for about ten years.

“Then, may I ask you something in return?”

“Yes, go ahead.”

A pale, almost ghostly finger pointed at me.

“That lingering trace I sense on you… the magical energy. Are you, by any chance, a magical girl yourself?”

…?

Me?

What kind of nonsense was this?

I was too baffled to respond.

Had her mind deteriorated that badly from the corruption?

What was she even talking about?

Men couldn’t become magical girls in the first place.

It was magical girl, not magical boy.

As someone who knew better than anyone that it was structurally impossible, why would she ask me that?

“That’s impossible. I’m a man—how could I be a magical girl?”

“Hmm, I suppose. But the magical energy clinging to you is no joke.”

“Magical energy…?”

She could sense magical energy on me?

Maybe it was from being around magical girls so often in my counseling work.

The idea that I carried traces of it was surprising.

‘Then… can Aina or Frappe also sense the remnants of magical energy on me?’

Since the woman before me had, it stood to reason that those two might be able to as well.

I tucked away this unexpected piece of information and continued the conversation.

“Why are you here? Do you live in this place?”

“Hmm, I don’t know. I just woke up here one day.”

“Then—”

“No, you asked me something, so now it’s my turn.”

The question had turned back to me, so I braced myself to answer.

Whatever she asked, I’d respond carefully to avoid upsetting her.

“What year is it now?”

“Right now…? You mean—”

“The exact date would be even better.”

This was a dangerous question to answer directly.

‘If I tell her, it might trigger something.’

The moment a magical girl makes her contract, her mental age and physical age freeze in place.

Literally stuck in that state, their perception of time grows numb.

And that dissonance can easily lead to mental instability.

My own charge, Aina, was a prime example.

That’s why we avoid talking about time around magical girls.

But…

‘I have to answer.’

Once the question was asked, there was no way around it.

“Today is the 12th of X month, 202X.”

“Ohh… It’s been much longer than I thought. Hmm, my sense of time really is all messed up.”

She was taking it better than expected.

Though time was a taboo subject for magical girls, she didn’t seem bothered at all.

Was it because she was already fallen? Had her way of thinking changed?

There were too few cases to know for sure.

Records of conversations with fallen magical girls were nearly nonexistent.

Most couldn’t even speak—either dead or critically injured on the spot.

“It’s been so long since I’ve talked to someone. This was fun… Well then—”

Her words slowed abruptly, and tension coiled in the air.

A sharp glint flickered in her eyes as I swallowed hard.

“I was going to kill you, but I’ve changed my mind.”

“Then—”

“You may leave. You’re the first man who’s spoken to me so calmly after seeing me like this. Go on, now.”

I wasn’t sure if I should be grateful.

But since she was letting me go, I simply bowed my head.

All I felt was bewilderment.

Drawn here by something unseen, like a firefly to light, I had met a fallen magical girl.

As she said, I turned and walked back the way I came.

True to her word, she made no move to harm me—just waved as if seeing me off.

No hostility, no attack.

And as the distance grew, the fallen magical girl vanished from sight.

For a brief moment, it felt like I’d dreamed it all.

‘Is this reality?’

With so many impossible things happening, it was hard to tell anymore.

‘I have a feeling something else is coming.’

Moving through the darkness, I kept walking, scanning my surroundings.

If I’d already met a fallen magical girl in these underground ruins, it wouldn’t be strange if something even stranger appeared.

—Tap.

—Tap. Tap.

—Tap.

—Thud.

‘Huh?’

Just as I passed through a narrow, cave-like passage, footsteps echoed.

I could’ve dismissed it as my own, but the sound continued even when I stopped.

Ahead, in the pitch-black void where nothing was visible, someone was there.

Gulp.

A demonic beast? Or another fallen magical girl?

Whatever it was, I had no choice but to keep moving forward. Step by step, I advanced.

“Ah! Found you…!”

Round glasses the size of fists.

A plain appearance framed by long bangs.

And shoulders hunched as if weighed down by a lack of confidence.

Frappe—still maintaining her RP persona.

Though, for all I knew, her magical girl form was the RP.

“When I woke up and saw this underground place, I thought you’d be pretty shocked. Glad you seem okay.”

“Uh, what about you…?”

“Ah, I’m fine too.”

Awkward.

Both of us were hiding things about magical girls, and it felt like a wall stood between us.

If only we had shared interests, like back in the library, it might’ve been easier.

‘But here, there’s nothing like that. Hard to even start a conversation.’

And the situation wasn’t exactly ideal, either.

Trapped underground, with no means of communication to the outside.

‘Then why is Frappe here?’

If she could transform into a magical girl, she could’ve escaped on her own.

If she wanted to save me, she could’ve done so in her magical form.

‘What’s her reason for seeking me out while still in her OFF state?’

It wasn’t just coincidence. I could tell she had some purpose.

Well then.

I’ll play along.

“It’s gotten quite dark. Are you cold?”

I pulled a lighter from my pocket.

“How about a little camping trip?”