episode_0023

I can’t exactly say they were bold, but what could be the reason that the magical girls could infiltrate this place so easily? It seemed somewhat rushed from my perspective. Of all days, today happens to be the day when the students from the school where the magical girl roams are here for their field trip. If they chose to infiltrate on a day like this, it’s probably because they determined there was no longer any room for delay from above.

Once again, I suspected whether this situation was not something orchestrated by the company. They’ve been thoroughly concealing and deliberately leaking information at this point. The magical girls’ battles receive support from the public. They appear to be people who stand up for the common folk, even though they are a company that engages in various nefarious—but legal—activities, while outwardly appearing as successful entrepreneurs.

Before distinguishing right from wrong, seeing those who live well as evil and punishing them, one can’t help but feel refreshed. Nuar Corporation isn’t entirely free from blemishes either.

Up until now, the magical girls have shown an attitude of protecting civilians when civilians are involved in combat. If that’s the case, why did they lure the magical girls over to this side?

Seeing a battle directly and hearing about it through the news are completely different things. Company employees may seem to simply support Nuar Corporation, no matter how much they curse or fear the magical girls, but the stories are different for the children who have to hide away in the middle of the night because of the battles.

Moreover, these children are at an age where they actively use social media. If they are requested for an interview from places like the news, there’s a high chance they will accept.

Maintaining a good image holds significance for the future. If there’s even a single flaw, it becomes too noticeable due to the previous perfection.

What they aim for is for the public’s opinion of the Galactic Federation to become “Well, that’s just how it is.”

It might be impossible to turn them into complete villains with just this one incident, but merely dragging their position down is enough for Nuar Corporation.

Even if we don’t know what kind of research they were conducting, it seems like there’s only gain for the company since the Galactic Federation doesn’t seem inclined to reveal the researcher’s work to the public.

“Everyone, keep this in mind,” I said, keeping an eye on the white spot. “If there are civilian casualties, we rescue those people first.”

It was partly my own thought, but it was also a directive from the company.

By the way, being a student, I planned to slip away quietly when the situation calms down. Perhaps the teacher would scold me a bit, but that’s the safest bet.

The warp gate opened, and the first person to appear was Iris.

The design of the gun she was holding had changed.

Up until now, it wasn’t the long bolt-action rifle that I had, but rather a shorter firearm. It was a type of gun known as a submachine gun or a compact assault rifle. Well, things like the barrel probably don’t matter since it’s magic; it might be meaningless to nitpick about that.

Anyway, it’s a gun that suits a magical girl well.

The next person to appear was—Blossom.

She was far away, so her face wasn’t clearly visible, but her movements seemed a bit unsteady, and even from the part of her face that could be seen here, a sense of depth could be felt.

“…Gasp.”

And following that, seeing the three additional people who came out, Jigu and Bappa, who were looking outside together near me, took a deep breath.

Rose, Dahlia, Delphinium.

All five of them were gathered.

It’s been a while.

At the company, they said to move after as many magical girls as possible come into view.

“Let’s go.”

I said that and opened the window, then went outside.

I tried to approach while hiding my body as much as possible, but—

“Ah.”

In the distance, Dahlia and Iris were looking in this direction.

Iris wasn’t holding a gun. Instead, Dahlia raised her staff.

“Everyone, take cover!”

As soon as I shouted, all the operatives following me scattered.

Some rolled to the side with all their might, and some flew as if falling over, fortunately succeeding in getting out of range.

I extended my arm, drew my blade, and swung it towards the mass of light coming this way.

It was fortunate that it was an attack launched by Dahlia. If it had been Delphinium’s attack, I wouldn’t have been able to bear it all. And the operatives wouldn’t have been able to dodge successfully like this.

Bang!

With a flash of light, a large mass of magic exploded. My body—didn’t get blown away.

The cracked magic left a long mark on the ground. A trace in the shape of a reversed V seemed to be drawn around me, and all the glass in the building behind shattered.

Right after that, the alarm started to sound.

Did they give up on infiltrating as soon as they saw me? At least the magical girls didn’t seem more flustered when they looked at our side.

This time, it seemed like it would turn out like this, a kind of resignation flickered across Blossom’s face.

“…Haah.”

I exhaled the breath I had been holding.

60 percent.

It’s hard to get used to the numbers because of constantly changing equipment.

Just looking at the numbers, it was a much lower figure than the last battle, but the equipment I received in this battle had a larger capacity than before. Naturally, in terms of ammunition, there would be more than last time.

“Let’s go!”

There was no point in hiding here anymore.

As I shouted that, the operatives all got up.

Usually, by this point, it would be understandable if one or two had fled. After all, the opponents are not just any magical girls, but five of them.

No matter how distinct their personalities were, and how they didn’t quite match, they had fought together for years, and each of them had their own combat abilities.

Did facing those guys give me courage?

…No.

Several of the combatants seemed to be looking in my direction. It felt like they were sensing some kind of potential, perhaps because I was here.

The sole being who had led all the combatants to success in their strategy. Because that guy was taking the lead.

Beep beep.

66 percent.

My body reacted honestly, and that burden piled up solidly on my “despairing heart.”

The magical girls’ outfits had changed. My attire had changed, but it seemed like they all recognized who I was.

Well, the suit was completely different from last time, so it’s natural to think I got a new one since the last suit was almost broken.

At the forefront, the magical girl—Blossom. Just a little while ago, she had a bewildered expression, but now there was a determined look on her face. She held a staff-like bouquet in her hand.

Blossom, Rose, Iris. The three of them took stances surrounding Delphinium and Dahlia, as if protecting them. It seemed like Iris knew the reason behind the change in the shape of Delphinium’s gun.

A white light orb rose again above Dahlia’s staff.

Delphinium unfolded a thick book in one hand and waved a baton-shaped staff in the other, as if conducting an orchestra. She murmured something like an incantation under her breath.

I took out a battery. It was a model with a larger capacity than before, already fully charged.

As I poured energy into the battery with all my might, it quickly became scorching hot. The structure couldn’t be precisely known, but anyone could easily tell that it had become unstable.

Every time the battery released all its power at once inside the circuit, it exploded. The circuit controls that energy and also recharges the battery without damaging it.

So, when the battery exploded, it could spread its force in all directions.

It meant that I could use something similar to Dahlia’s light orb, but only in a limited way.

I hurled the battery with all my might.

Blossom tightly gripped her staff with both hands. From the pretty bouquet, a pink light shot out. It took the form of a sword. It blazed with magic, but it looked sharp enough to cut through anything.

Taking a stance like a hero charging toward a dragon, Blossom swung the sword I had thrown, cutting the battery in half mid-air.

It wasn’t much movement. It was just like swinging a sword in a fantasy novel, as if sending out a sword aura.

Bang!

The battery exploded in mid-air, splitting in half.

The explosion came to a halt midway. It had been nullified by the dispersing pink magic of the sword strike, resembling cherry blossom petals fluttering on a spring day. It was a sight that burned with such intense hope it could consume all despair. That’s how it appeared to people. However, it wasn’t just a waste of battery power. The magical girls who had widened their distance in preparation for the explosion, and Blosum, who had advanced a little while wielding her sword, were visible between them. The wider the physical gap between them, the greater the possibility of attacking the magical girls behind. There is no chance of winning against Rose in combat. If Iris makes a mistake, she will blow me away. Blosum goes without saying. Therefore, it was necessary to neutralize the two people further back, who were relatively far from the close combat. Each combatant falls easily, but as their numbers increase, the magical girls struggle to cope.

“If that’s the case, I can’t let you go like this,” Blosum said.

“Yeah. If there’s a problem, the tactics I can think of are the same tactics magical girls can think of,” Blosum raised her staff in one hand and gestured inward with her left hand. Even though she wasn’t wearing gauntlets like Rose, a pink light surrounded her hand. Getting hit would be a heavy blow. To the right or left, Iris and Rose were there. Both of them were currently fighting the combatants. Beep. 70 percent. I forcefully lowered my head. Blosum did lower the trajectory of her fist in the middle, but she couldn’t hit me as I slid, lying flat on the ground. It would have been nice to slide straight, but the friction on the ground was a bit too much. The distance was too far to slide, and leaving the back of my head exposed for too long was a problem with Blosum.

A chilling sensation struck the back of my head, and I quickly rolled over, where the blade was embedded. Blosum jumped up and then descended, striking down with the blade. Hayoon isn’t that heavy, but Blosum’s magic is not so weak. Thud. Seeing the magic-made blade gently piercing the marble where my face had just been, my bones felt numb. I got up. I extended the blade in my left hand as far as possible and swung it at Blosum. Clang! But the attack was too easily blocked. 71 percent. The circuits were spinning wildly. My left wrist was a little warm, but it didn’t seem to be giving out yet. Hayoon was glaring at me. She may be a magical girl, but only her hairstyle and outfit have changed; her face remains the same, the usual Hayoon I see every day. Yet there she was, glaring at me and wielding her sword. …I’m such a strange human being.

Feeling jealous and desiring victory, I couldn’t bring myself to attack Ha-yoon when I faced her. After all, she was the face of a friend I had known for a long time. Would Ha-yoon feel the same when she looked at me?

I dodged Blasom’s sword around my abdomen by leaning back and then thrust my blade upward from below. Blasom recoiled, evading my strike.

I glimpsed a black substance on the blade, slowly oozing like syrup, reminding me of the unpleasant material from before.

Thud, thud, thud.

“Ugh!”

A beam struck my body from the side. Though each beam wasn’t as thick as a bolt-action rifle, the pain seemed almost proportional for some reason.

Is it compressed somehow?

As I landed a hit, Blasom’s eyes widened in disbelief. It seemed he couldn’t trust what he was seeing.

Could every step be a warp grenade?

Glancing over, I noticed a significant decrease in the number of combatants on their side. Dealing with fewer opponents meant they could simply send one person away with each shot. With fewer absolute numbers, it would be much easier to fight.

Of course, our company was not unaware of this; we had prepared plenty of reinforcements. The person who used to lead our group was already sprinting toward us from beyond the pillar.

Seeing that I didn’t disappear after being hit by a warp grenade indicated that the exosuit could somehow block it.

The result of that block, however, was the excruciating pain I felt. Still, despite not understanding the principle—alright, it’s useful.

I created a defensive barrier.

Every time a white beam approached me, it either bounced off or split in half. It looked as if I were surrounded by a thick, hemispherical glass.

“You, what in the—”

Blasom began to speak, but I was already dashing towards Iris.

Iris was glaring at me, her teeth clenched.

I expended a battery attached to my left wrist circuit.

Thunk!

As I halted, I extended my left arm forward, releasing a burst of energy. Whether the battery capacity had increased or not, the energy directed at Iris was much greater.

“Eek!”

Iris screamed.

Just before Iris screamed, I caught a glimpse of something odd.

Her body had twitched slightly.

The usual Iris wouldn’t have easily stumbled like that.

Ah, I see.

In the previous battle, I had struck Iris with force. While my head was protected by a helmet, Iris’s wasn’t. It’s not uncommon for a boxer famous for unilaterally attacking opponents to lose interest after just one defeat. Since she hadn’t experienced such pain before, she wasn’t prepared for it—so I’d heard.

I don’t know if it’s really a thing or not, but at least it suits Iris right now.

As soon as the battery’s energy was discharged, I recoiled and lay back without even having a chance to see Iris’s face.

Although my hips and back hurt a little, I was able to fall. I didn’t hit my head too hard, and thanks to that, I was able to maintain my sanity.

Blossom followed right behind me and tried to cut her down with the knife again, but I wouldn’t suffer what I’ve suffered once.

After sliding to the side, I grabbed Blossom’s ankle that was slightly touching the ground.

Kagakak!

Blossom didn’t let go and dragged the knife stuck on the floor towards me with all her strength and cut my arm.

“Tsk!”

I couldn’t hold back the groan. But as the blade of Blossom’s sword made contact with my suit, I definitely saw it bounce off with a spark.

73 percent.

I yanked hard on Blossom’s ankle. The battery was already drained, and I couldn’t replace it yet, so there wasn’t much power left to discharge all at once, but it was enough to pull Blossom’s weight.

Blossom staggered.

With all my might, I grabbed his leg with my right hand and successfully managed to topple Blossom over.

Thud!

I tightened my grip and blocked it, raising my fist. Ha-yoon’s face came into view. She didn’t seem flustered at all. She just looked at me with determination. How could Ha-yoon make such an expression? Getting hit will surely hurt. No matter how hard you try, people often don’t appreciate it. In the Milky Way Alliance, they just want to exploit magical girls. They must know that even if they claim to advance with the energy of hope, they are the only ones suffering. But Ha-yoon— I had those thoughts for a moment. But Ha-yoon didn’t hesitate. As always, she acted according to her beliefs.

Thud! My helmet shook violently. Fortunately, it didn’t break. The mysterious black energy cushioned the impact. But I couldn’t help my head from spinning. For a moment, my vision blurred, and my balance faltered. Ha-yoon grabbed my collar and rolled us to the side. I frantically scrambled backward. Luckily, I wasn’t pinned down. Bang! Right then, an explosion erupted beside me. Dahlia. It was Dahlia who had sent a pre-prepared bundle of magic flying. I flew sideways and landed on the ground, sliding. When I got back up and looked around, most of the magical girls were looking in my direction. Many combatants had fallen while Blasome and I fought. There were still quite a few left, and more were being reinforced, but somehow, I felt like time was on their side in the end. …I have to admit, the Hope Circuit’s efficiency is really something. 80 percent. Our circuit is still only at this level.