Chapter 11: Miss Sonya, who sometimes swears openly in korean.

Aqua’s idol is Frozen Princess.

Not just because they wield similar magic attributes, but because she was captivated by her skill and character.

Strong, beautiful, and upright.
Frozen Princess was the epitome of an ideal magical girl.

She was Aqua’s role model.

But a dishonorable incident befell her.

An event where she faced death while saving civilians from a monster.

While her noble spirit earned praise and raised her profile, some questioned her reliability.

To think people would say such things after she risked her life.
It was infuriating.

Aqua was grateful yet resentful toward Scarlet Lily for saving her.

The third generation is strong.
With Frozen Princess and Aurora Lora, they could’ve handled it.

Holding that firm belief, she couldn’t see Scarlet Lily in a good light.

Harboring a complex mix of admiration and resentment, Aqua began investigating.

But contacting the supporter yielded nothing.

Same with Armo.
She sensed he was hiding something, but no matter how she pressed, he wouldn’t budge.

Even her demand to reclassify Scarlet Lily from the ambiguous 5.5th gen to 6th was ignored.

Who is she?
Why is everyone protecting her?

She felt rebellious.

While investigating with unease, she stumbled across conspiracy theories.

[Scarlet Lily’s strong, but not that strong.]
[It’s all staging.]
[Anyone could do that with a last hit.]
[She’s cosplaying as first-gen for a reason. The government’s propping her up as an idol.]

Rare comments.
Most were dismissed or criticized, but Aqua couldn’t ignore them.

Yes, it’s not that Frozen Princess is unreliable.
Scarlet Lily’s the shady one.

Even knowing it was baseless, she hoped it was true.

Rushing to the scene, I found the fifth-gen magical girls fighting the monster.

Their strategy wasn’t bad.

I didn’t want to steal their growth opportunity, but their carelessness put them in danger.

I had no choice but to step in.

“What took you so long?”

After defeating the monster and landing, a blue-haired girl put her hands on her hips and snapped.

“Sorry, not using the app slowed me down.”
“Is that something to brag about? Trying to mimic some old-school magical girl? Don’t you know people suffer the longer we take?”

What’s with her? Her words are dripping with thorns…

“I’ll be faster next time.”

Back to basics.

Today’s my first dispatch as Scarlet Lily.
No need to stir trouble.

“…Hmph, fine.”

Seeing my compliance, the blue-haired girl eased off.

“Aqua, don’t be like that! Lily’s a newbie!” a platinum blonde girl scolded.

She knows.

Parfait Alpha.
Like Aurora Lora, she knows I’m Scarlet.

“What’d I do wrong? It’s a senior’s duty to call this out.”
“Lily’s not a junior. I told you before!”
“5.5th gen or whatever, I’m not treating her like an equal.”
“Aqua!”

Despite Parfait Alpha’s defense, Aqua stayed hostile, glaring coldly.

“Haha, she’s not usually like this…” Parfait Alpha laughed awkwardly, embarrassed.

“Don’t worry, I’m not bothered.”

I said it to reassure Parfait Alpha, but Aqua clicked her tongue.

“There’s still monsters out there, so stay sharp and follow me!”

She turned and marched off.

I rejected the supporter’s app because I’m planning to retire.

No point getting too involved if I’m leaving soon; it’d just make things awkward.

There’s talk of magic fluctuations nationwide and detection system issues, but that’ll sort itself out.

Whether I find another elixir or not, I’m returning to civilian life.

After burning myself out for over a decade, I deserve that much, right?

Companies give refreshment leave after this long.
This field never had such perks, though.

Anyway, I’m not doing this until I’m old.

My plan’s to watch over my cute juniors until it’s time to slip away.

The battle continued.

“Beta, Gamma, circle back and draw its attention! Aqua, hit it head-on with me!”

Parfait Alpha had leadership.

Whether her calls were optimal or not, assigning roles was commendable.

Fresh contractees often flounder and get picked off.

She gave relentless orders, fighting efficiently.

“What should I do?”
“Scarlet-sen… I mean, Lily, do what you want!”

What’s that supposed to mean?

She’s acting like I’m intimidating.

I meant to follow orders, but got none.

“Well, you don’t always need a leader.”

I adjusted my output and fired a glancing Scarlet Beam.

“Kraaaargh!”

Half the tentacles evaporated, and the monster screamed in pain.

“Now! All together!”

The four girls charged.

Each unleashed their signature magic in a fierce assault.

The monster resisted, but couldn’t withstand the coordinated attack.

Taking damage faster than it could recover, it slumped, motionless.

Impressive.

Seeing the sprouts grow made me oddly proud.

“Great job, everyone!”

I called out brightly, and they looked satisfied.

Except Aqua.

“You held back on purpose, didn’t you?”

She approached, fuming, ready to pick a fight.

“I just adjusted for teamwork.”
“Same thing! You’re saying this lousy tentacle monster wasn’t worth your full effort?”
“That’s not it…”

What’s her deal?

I held back because full power could’ve caught them in the blast.

I made sure to let them land the final blow.

“You act all high and mighty for beating that monkey, but it’s a scam, right? You’re just mildly talented, hyped up with cheap theatrics! You were trying to make us look like sidekicks!”

Aqua shouted, seething.

“No, that’s…”

I’d worried about this since Armo suggested 5.5th gen.

Excessive strength breeds jealousy.

I tried to stay out of the spotlight.

[This monster’s for the fifth-gen team. Detection says D-rank, but… I’ve got a bad feeling. If Scarlet Lily joins, it’ll be fine.]

The supporter’s words before hanging up.

It was an easy kill, so maybe just a hunch, but now there’s internal strife.

“Alpha…!”

Parfait Alpha pushed past Beta and Gamma, stomped over, and glared at Aqua.

Then—

Slap!

She slapped her.

“Why, Alpha…?” Aqua clutched her cheek, stunned.

“You… you… crazy idiot! Apologize now!”

She grabbed her collar and yelled.

Even I didn’t see this coming.

“I was just teaching a junior some manners…”
“I said 5.5th gen isn’t a junior! She’s our precious teammate! We don’t use formalities between peers, so what’s this to an equal?!”

Her intensity made Aqua tear up.

“She… she mocked me first! Flying above me…”
“Stop the nonsense, you moron! Idiot! Crazy! Lily helped us! If she hadn’t shown up, Beta and Gamma might’ve died!”

Parfait Alpha shot back without hesitation.

Her Korean’s good, but her limited vocab made the insults cute.

Though probably scary for Aqua.

“How would you know!”

Aqua slapped Parfait Alpha back.

Instant retaliation followed.

Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!

Five full-force slaps, each louder than the last.

Forged in Siberia’s harshness, the Russian girl’s hits staggered Aqua.

Her spirit broke, naturally.

“Waaah!”

Aqua ran off crying.

“Did it have to go that far…?”

I worried I’d caused a team rift, but Parfait Alpha grinned and gave a thumbs-up.

“It’ll be fine!”

Aqua sat on alley steps, sobbing.

“What did I do wrong…!”

Tears streamed like a broken faucet.

No matter how she wiped them, they wouldn’t stop.

She’d only voiced valid criticism.
But no one took her side, making her feel more pathetic.

“There you are.”

Parfait Alpha stood at the alley’s end.

“Why’re you here! Go away!”
“Don’t be mad, just listen.”

Her voice was gentle.

“Shut up!”
“Come on, I’m not hitting you.”

She sat beside her, chuckling.

“You think this is funny? After humiliating me!”
“Not like that. It was an act for your sake.”
“What…?”

Aqua’s hand, about to push her, froze.

“Listen, Scarlet Lily’s not just strong—she’s a big deal. Way bigger than you think. If you’d kept being rude, you’d be in deep trouble.”

Aqua didn’t get it.

“What kind of trouble?”
“You know Frozen Princess favors Scarlet Lily, right? That’s a hint.”
“She saved her life. She didn’t need to, though.”

Aqua tossed out, and Parfait Alpha pounded her chest in frustration.

“Ugh, so dense! That’s the tip of the iceberg’s tip! Don’t assume when you know nothing! If I hadn’t stepped in, you’d be done!”

Her passionate plea made Aqua uneasy.

“…Scarlet Lily would retaliate?”

Parfait Alpha shook her head.

“Frozen Princess would be worse. Could you handle being despised by your idol?”
“No way…!”

The thought alone was horrifying.

It might break her spirit.

“Apologize. Scarlet Lily will forgive you.”
“But…”

Her pride wouldn’t allow it.

She knew it was wrong but clung to stubbornness.

“I’m on your side. If you don’t want to retire as a magical girl within a year, trust me.”

Parfait Alpha gripped her shoulders.

Her clear, large eyes reflected Aqua’s tear-streaked face.