Chapter 156 : The World of Magical Girls

How long has it been?

Not a short time has passed.

In the flow of stars turning from golden to white starlight.

Because the flow of stars wasn’t completely stabilized yet, pus originating from the star’s wound occasionally leaked out in transformed forms.

[We can overcome this much.]

I looked at the fragments of the three goddesses in my arms again.

The presence of the three goddesses endlessly seeking salvation in my arms revived very faintly.

The presence emitted by the three goddesses, used as mediums for miracles in a different time by Nyx, had now become so faint it seemed about to disappear.

[…]

[Yes, you want to return, right?]

[…]

[You can’t maintain your existence.]

[…]

[Yes, you were beings originating from human hearts.]

They were clearly beings of stars, but born by humans.

Though hating and cursing humans, at first they tried to return to the human world, not the will of stars. Because their beginning, like the goddess of [Beginning], originated from faith.

I bundled the very faint three goddesses into one and spread them into the human world.

The fragments of the three goddesses completely decomposed, losing even their own existence, but.

They realized the reason they wanted to regain power and become free from the flow of stars.

Only after being abandoned by the will of stars did they truly realize the world they wanted to return to. They didn’t want to be banished by humans, but just wanted to meet death by humans’ side.

They finally completely decomposed even their own existence and seeped into the human world.

Just becoming seeds that create small sparkles.

The goddesses, liberated from curses and hatred, gained salvation only after accepting their own death.

[Haah.]

Feeling the death of the three goddesses, I focused again on what I was about to do.

The size of my soul now completely bloomed as divinity and grown enormous.

Because I was sealing the wound possessed by the will of stars while simultaneously assimilating with the will of stars. The size of my soul had now become difficult to distinguish from the will of stars.

I cut off a very small part from within it.

Memories of one man.

Memories of Shim Hyun-woo.

Because they were memories that formed the basis of my personality, I felt pain and loss incomparable to the size as soon as I cut them off. But because ‘his’ memories served as a great foundation for my choices and life, I could maintain Shim Hyun-woo’s memories.

A soul’s worth of one person

That part, originating from another universe, struggled to return to its original world as soon as it was detached. It tried to leave quickly, shouting something. Come to think of it, because the end of the previous life was so futile and absurd, ‘he’ without the memories of ‘Hikari’ would be urgent.

‘His’ soul trying to rise quickly like a firefly.

If it goes like this, he won’t be compensated for his already broken time.

“…!!”

[Aaack?! Wait!! Don’t go yet!!]

I hurriedly grasped that soul with both hands and stuffed blessings into it.

Though it’s something I shouldn’t do as a goddess originally, ‘he’ who served as the foundation of my personality and helped me make such benevolent choices would need this much compensation.

-Eternal Return, may you gain a chance to start again from your tragedy.

-Flow of All Things, may you be able to twist your world a little and embrace girls who experienced tragedy.

-Dream World, may you be able to empathize with her just once the moment you meet some girl.

-Cause and Effect Reversal, may you experience miraculous encounters in your life.

[If you go to another universe, you’ll be treated like some mythical hero.]

I put a little more blessing of cause and effect reversal so that ‘he’ wouldn’t go to another universe.

Binding golden memories, memories of girls who lived through destruction, behind his soul.

“…!”

I sent it flying.

Across the boundary of dimensions

Across the far universe

That soul, detached with this star’s power and memories, returned to its original universe too easily.

Somehow I felt a little sad seeing that.

‘He’ had always been with me, fighting and agonizing countless times.

[He really left without hesitation.]

I closed my eyes for a moment and observed what happened after ‘he’ returned.

I was nervous about unexpected situations occurring because Earth doesn’t reach the will of stars, but the blessings activated, reaching more easily than expected.

‘He’ opened his eyes.

And unexpectedly happy days followed.

Reversal

Happiness

Peace

Encounters

Excitement

[Pft… puhehehe.]

Because I too was once Shim Hyun-woo, I couldn’t help but laugh at the boisterous things he experienced. He excellently carried out the tasks I asked and finally moved towards a happy future.

Seeing that, my heart swelled and I laughed loudly.

[Hahahahaha!!]

Shim Hyun-woo finally grasped his own happiness.

Only after seeing that sight could I finally lift one burden from my heart.

It was impossible for ‘me’ to go directly to Earth, but it was possible to cut out the soul of ‘Shim Hyun-woo’ existing in me and send it with a goddess’s blessings.

Though it was impossible for ‘me’ to return to mother, ‘Shim Hyun-woo’ could wonderfully overcome all adversities and meet a happy future.

[Haha… ha.]

Now only I remained in the white space.

I reincarnated the souls of apostles salvaged from the flow of stars into new life forms and gave them new missions, persuaded the three goddesses to return to humanity in new forms, sent back Shim Hyun-woo’s soul and saved mother.

Animus

Erebos

[Death]… Thanatos

The three goddesses

Shim Hyun-woo

Have now left my hands.

[Now what I need to do is…]

I now prepared to return to her in the white space.

* * *

April 2023

-As the appearance of Mines is increasing nationwide, Ms. Fujimoto Sumire, director of the Magical Girl Training Institute and head of the Witch Association…

For the girl who had just become a 5th grader in elementary school, news was just boring.

While Dad briefly left the table to get toast, the girl picked up the remote control.

Her taste was for more extreme and intense programs.

“Uuugh, boring, I want to watch something else.”

Click

“Eeh?! Noa-chan!! Dad was watching that!!”

“I don’t want to, I want to watch ‘Witches’ Duel’!”

“No. Noa-chan is now in 5th grade elementary school. That’s prohibited for under 15.”

“But sis sometimes appears there too!!”

“That has nothing to do with the viewing age!”

“Hmph! I hate Dad! Bleeh~”

As always, Noa threw a harmless tantrum at Dad, then clattered upstairs to get her bag. Noa’s dad somehow found Noa, who was much more of a crybaby than when her sister was 10, cute.

“That child became an adult too quickly.”

One day, white snow suddenly fell and numerous magical girls were born.

Magical girls with infinite possibilities, but not even having a single star.

It had been 8 years since numerous magical girls receiving colorless stars appeared, and those who experienced the Great War and were active in many places, having their own starlight colors, came to be called ‘witches’ out of respect.

Noa’s sister was also a woman called a witch.

Moreover, as one of the greatest witches counted on one hand among ten thousand witches, she was fighting against Mines that appeared instead of demons and insidiously dug into and tempted human hearts.

“At this age, I’m finally taking care of a real child.”

Because Noa’s sister went through too many things at a young age and became an adult quickly, he was now seeing a daughter acting her age for the first time.

For the middle-aged man, Mr. Sato, it felt like a kind of gift.

Clatter clatter

With a sound like she would completely smash the stairs, Noa came down wearing her randoseru on her back. She had attached a name tag to her yellow randoseru, but she had attached it so sloppily that it still dangled with the girl’s movements.

“Dad! I’m off to school!”

“Okay, have a good day.”

On that dangling name tag was written ‘Magical Girl Academy Junior Division 5th Grade’, and below it her name was written in crooked letters.

<Sato Noa>

Flash!

As soon as Noa left the house, she was sucked into fate threads with a dazzling light.

Sky Garden

The garden that was said to have existed even when witches were girls had long since become entangled and turned into a maze. Noa skillfully ran through those complex paths, searching for the gate leading to school.

“Uhihihi, I should take a slight detour and secretly get food at Shizuku-nee’s bakery~”

“Oh? So you were plotting such a thing.”

“Eeeek?!”

In Noa’s view as she looked back, a reddish-brown cat wearing a cloak and fluttering a paper sword was flying over.

“Me-meow…?!”

“My name is Navi, though my true name is still unknown, that’s why I’m training magical girls according to the goddess’s orders.”

“I didn’t ask!!”

“Anyway Noa, why are you going to Shizuku’s bakery instead of school?”

Swoosh

The reddish-brown cat thrust its small face in front of Noa’s eyes and glared.

Reddish-brown pupils

Split eyes

Flames burning within

Somehow it seemed like countless human figures were flickering to fight within those fiercely burning eyes.

Because of those murderous eyes, Noa was afraid of this mysterious animal assigned as her guide.

“Eek.”

“Haah… I can’t understand. If you say I’m so scary, why don’t you live an exemplary magical girl life?”

“…But Shizuku-nee said she’d make cheese sandwiches today.”

“…Cheese sandwiches.”

“Yeah. Wa-want to eat together?”

“…Just this once.”

“Fuhihi.”

The fact that the reddish-brown cat Navi liked cheese sandwiches was a secret only Noa knew.

Thus, after passing through the complexly entangled alleys, the two entering the mysterious magical girl street hear the news that all sandwiches have sold out.

* * *

“Principal. The opening ceremony preparations…”

“Oh my, has it already come to that?”

“Yes… I think you need to come to the auditorium now.”

The woman with impressive hair grown to her back slowly left her office.

After the girl once called the greatest magical girl disappeared following the Great War, when asked to name the greatest witch in everyone’s minds, they mentioned her, the principal of the Magical Girl Academy.

Halo.

Because now only she could show the 4 stars shining brilliantly behind her back.

Burning white flame

That starlight containing warm love was still waiting for one person.