episode_0025

Present day, 2030.

Until now, there have been many magical girls, each fighting the corrupt of Clefort in their own diverse ways.

Monsters, demons, villains, devils.

With a variety of foes to face, magical girls needed to systematize their combat styles.

Where should they draw inspiration from?

While military-style training could have produced disciplined tacticians, magical girls are, for now, just ‘girls.’

Forcing teenage girls into military-style training was deemed inefficient.

Not doing anything wasn’t an option either.

Attempts to control through adult authority and intimidation led to magical girls being corrupted, resulting in entire units disappearing after several such incidents.

Magical girls learned through experience that allowing them to fight in their preferred style was most effective.

– Magical girls should autonomously learn their combat style, but the magical girl dedicated team needs to provide supporting materials on combat styles.

Research on magical girls’ combat styles from various countries yielded results.

– Just show magical girl animations, right? They depict battles with monsters.

– Are you a genius?

Numerous tactical manuals had already been created by Japan’s children’s animation industry, and young girls had admired magical girls fighting evil with dreams and hopes since the age of 5.

If one were to think this became reality, magical girls would simply study combat styles tailored to themselves.

Thus, magical girls were broadly categorized into three types.

“Magic Knights. Magic Warriors. Sorceresses. This is the magical girl classification currently used in Japan.”

As Captain Misaki briefed, analyzing current data.

“First, Sayaka. Our leader is of the ‘Magic Knight’ type.”

“Hehe….”

Sayaka’s profile comes to mind first.

Data from before joining RG(B) team is also present, showing her wielding a sword that seemed fit for medieval times during her C-rank days.

“She can be considered a traditional magical girl who imbues her mana into a special weapon made of mana to fight.”

A classical magical girl primarily handling a staff-like sword.

While she does use swordsmanship, her combat style mostly involves igniting flames with the sword or swirling flames around.

“Considering how she recently defeated Minamotosaurus, she shows tendencies closer to a ‘Magic Warrior,’ but this distinction isn’t always precise.”

“That’s right. It’s not like they’re strictly assigned to a specific role.”

“Yeah. Mumei, do you happen to know the difference between a Magic Knight and a Magic Warrior?”

“…Isn’t it about whether they use weapons with medieval or modern concepts?”

Misaki nodded vigorously at my words.

“Right. That’s part of it…”

“Part of it?”

“Well, that classification was revised eight years ago.”

“……”

For a moment, a sense of nostalgia crept in.

‘Back in my day, we didn’t even bother with these classifications.’

Magic Warrior? Magic Knight? Sorceress?

Who had time to distinguish between those when we were busy tearing apart even one more demon? Who would bother categorizing magical girls?

Such classifications are merely modern conveniences to ensure magical girls’ concepts don’t overlap.

I’m not wrong.

“Hmm. The difference between a Magic Knight and a Magic Warrior lies in their primary use of magic.”

“In the U.S., they classify as Warrior, Fighter, Mage, and such.”

“……”

So what’s the point of such a classification system?

Though I’d like to question its significance, it seems that to today’s generation of magical girls, this classification holds more importance than expected.

“Well… In simple terms, she can be considered the most classical form of magical girl. I thought you knew, Mumei.”

“The magical girls are all just magical girls.”

“That’s not true, Mumei unni!”

“…Unni?”

When Seiya shouted back, I was momentarily surprised, but I was even more surprised by the title she used to call me.

“Yes! Unni! …Or not?”

“Well, technically yes.”

“You don’t have to be so formal! I’m 10 years younger than you!”

“……”

For a moment, the demon inside me almost stirred.

“Seiya yang. You are a magical girl, and I am a road manager and supporter who supports magical girls. Just as Manager Misaki respects all of you formally, I also show respect formally.”

“Ugh….”

“If you use casual language based on age, others might also speak casually to you. But if you show formality in the support team, other adults will think, ‘We shouldn’t treat them disrespectfully.’ So, formality is essential.”

It’s not because I look old.

It’s not about trying to associate with magical girls.

“I’m a working professional.”

I may not know about other places, but I will respect each magical girl formally.

“Mumei unni….”

“Well, even the term ‘unni’…”

“But if you call me ‘Miss,’ it sounds too distant! Calling me ‘unni’ wouldn’t seem strange to anyone, right?”

“That’s right. They’ll probably think of you as an older sister with about a 3-year age difference. Right, Mumei unni?”

“…If even Shiori calls me that, then fine.”

There was once resistance to being called ‘unni.’

But now that there is no one left to call me that title, there was a new feeling of nostalgia.

“Understood. Please call me ‘unni.’ However, that doesn’t mean I want to address each of you as magical warriors or magical knights separately.”

“Ah, hahaha…. Indeed, there is a somewhat ambiguous boundary.”

“Mumei’s words are correct.”

Manager Misaki sighed lightly and gestured broadly between magical knights and magical warriors.

“Anyway, this is a distinction made for political reasons.”

“Political reasons…?”

“Yeah. Whether it’s Sandalphon style, Metatron style, or Michael style.”

“Ah.”

I understood immediately.

“Cold weapons, firearms, sorcerers. That’s the difference?”

“You got it exactly.”

Using classic weapons like great swords makes you a magical knight.

“After the demons were eradicated, many magical girls idolized Sandalphon and chose the path of a magical knight.”

Sandalphon, who wields a great sword, is a prime example of this.

“As for magical warriors, Metatron is the most representative.”

Using guns or modern combat methods makes you a magical warrior.

“Stuffing mana bullets into modern firearms to shoot demons, sniping with sniper rifles, using magic grenades, CQC techniques, etc., mastering modern combat approaches to engage with enemies.”

“Freezing time to shoot muskets, launching military missile barrages, that kind of magical girl, right?”

“Exactly. …There used to be magical girls like that at one point. Now they fight in similar ways, though.”

“?”

Seiya and Shiori tilted their heads, recalling past events.

A project that was briefly in Japan and mainly progressed in Korea.

Magical girl conscription.

Well, to put it briefly about the results.

In Korea, magical girls are not conscripted or recruited; they are idols.

That should answer your question.

“By the way, Shiori is a mage style.”

The screen changes.

Unlike the typical frilly attire of Seiya, Shiori, in her tight-fitting suit-like outfit, wields a long wooden staff, using plants to pressure giant monsters.

“It’s plant manipulation. You can use existing plants or turn mana into plant forms to control and materialize them.”

“Quite literally, she’s a ‘magical’ girl.”

“Some might say she’s a coward who can’t even stand up to demons….”

“No, Sayori.”

I immediately countered Sayori’s words.

“It’s only natural for magical girls fighting the fallen to choose the mage class. Among the ten teenage archangels, eight started as mages, and in reality, five of them can be considered part of the mage class, right?”

“That’s right.”

It’s rare to directly engage in combat with demons, you can count them on one hand.

“While courageously facing the enemy with a sword should be respected, it doesn’t mean launching magical attacks from afar makes you a coward.”

“Is that so…?”

“Yes. If you can overwhelm the enemy from a distance with overwhelming firepower, that’s the most ideal battle strategy, isn’t it?”

Mikael actually did that.

Once, there was an enemy possessed by a demon, and after binding their wrists and ankles with binding magic, Mikael delivered a point-blank shot to their chest.

“Mime Mikael. The possessed demon did that. From the middle onwards, Mikael himself began to rampage more like a demon, saying he just borrowed power.”

Although it ended with just one island being erased due to being in Another World, at that time, I truly thought I was going to die.

But we settled things with a butt bump after winning.

“And finally, our Blue… or maybe not.”

Beep.

As the screen changes, the atmosphere in the conference room darkens.

“Karen is a typical ‘mechanic backup fighter.’”

A scene of Karen fighting plays on the data screen.

“Engaging in gunfights using the Magic Musket Summon and long-range sniping. And what makes that possible is….”

“The aggro tank magic knight, Himari.”

And in every battle scene, there is always the same presence with Karen.

“Right. Among us, she’s a diligent friend known as the ‘Sun Shield.’”

Himari.

Overall power, C+. [Mature].

“There are possibilities, and other things, but the biggest issue is…”

“An issue…?”

“Yeah. Wanna see this?”

Beep.

A joint profile picture of the two appears.

Karen, close to 170cm, and the significantly smaller Himari, around 150cm.

“They’re partners, but it’s time for their partnership to end now.”

“Why?”

“…It’s confidential.”

Himari’s profile comes up.

AGE: C.S.1. [Authorization: Viewable]

“…Himari, you’re no longer a magical girl.”

“That can’t be.”

“It is.”

Beep.

AGE: HTC

“Hatachi.”

Hatachi (はたち).

In Japanese, a word meaning twenty years old.

“I turned twenty last month.”