Chapter 15: Mine magical girl.

If someone asks about my hobbies, I don’t have much to say, but if I had to pick one, it’d be walking.

Running for exercise feels like a chore, but I enjoy strolling.
The fun comes from observing the scenery and people around me.

Even passing through the same places, what catches my eye changes each time—that’s the charm.

Plus, there’s the thrill of exploring a world that’s changed so much.

“Yip…!”

While walking, a small dog coming from the opposite direction whimpered.

It tucked its tail, hid behind its owner, and started trembling.

“What’s wrong with him?”

The owner tugged the leash, but the dog froze, refusing to budge.

“I’ll pass by.”

I gave them a wide berth to avoid the dog and its owner.

A cute, tiny dog.

I’d love to pet it, but I can’t get close.
The lingering scent of monsters on me triggers fear.

No matter how much I wash or how many days pass, the smell doesn’t fade.
One of the downsides of being a magical girl.

Maybe it’s just me, having been to the demon world.

Feeling a bit down, I got a call from Haeun Gil.

“Lily, dozens of gates are opening at once. Can you come?”

Her voice was urgent.

I closed my eyes and focused.
Faintly, as Haeun said, I sensed presences all over.

Quite a lot.

“I can make it.”

“Great! We’re short-handed.”

“I was free anyway.”

“Well, you’re basically unemployed!”

This girl has no filter.

“Want a taste of Scarlet Beam?”

“Eek, spare me!”

A crash echoed through the speaker.

“Are you fighting?”

“Yeah, most are E or F-rank, so the fifth-gen kids are handling it.”

Is she conserving energy for a potential big threat?
Or just making the most of available hands?

Probably both, knowing Aurora Lora.

“Oh, I heard from the support team—this might be intentional.”

“Intentional?”

“Something’s off from the usual patterns. Just a guess, though.”

The cause of gate openings is unknown.
No technology exists to open them artificially.

Haeun brushed it off, but it stuck with me.

“I’ll head over as soon as I’m ready.”

“Thanks!”

I hung up and turned toward home.

Aurora Lora was fighting alongside her juniors.

Monsters poured out from all directions, plunging the city into chaos.

Every available magical girl was dispatched, battling in their assigned zones.

“Aqua, hold off on ranged attacks! You might hit people!”

“Okay…!”

Aqua, mid-Water Bullet, switched her wand to a sword.

Her swordplay was clumsy.
But she fought hard, buying time for people to escape.

“I’ll handle this area—go help Aqua!”

Following her orders, the other juniors moved.

Magic control, tactics, battle sense—there’s a clear experience gap between Aurora Lora and the fifth gen.

She assigned roles efficiently and kept fighting.

“Argh! Help!”

A scream came from nearby—a man chased by a monster.

He didn’t get far before tripping.
He looked up at the looming monster with despair.

A calm person might get up and flee, but not everyone’s brave.

Facing a giant beast, most freeze.
Aurora Lora was like that as a rookie.

“Haaah!”

She charged at full speed, swinging her hammer.

Boom!

A sound like a car crash.
The monster flew back, narrowly averting the crisis.

“You okay?”

She offered a hand to help him up.

“Thank you…!”

Relieved, the man hurried away.

The monsters kept coming, no end in sight.
No time to rest.

“Aurora Crush!”

Her hammer traced a radiant arc, crushing a monster.

The impact cracked the ground.
Most monsters can’t withstand her strike.

Her weapon’s inefficient for multiple enemies, but its power is unmatched.

“This is almost unheard of…”

A lingering sense of unease.

Multiple gates opening isn’t rare, but this scale is abnormal.

The support team’s words echoed in her mind.

“Worrying won’t solve anything!”

Doubts dull her hammer.
Aurora Lora rallied her focus.

Reducing the monster count was the priority.

“Where’s Lily?” Parfait Alpha asked, joining mid-battle.

“She’ll be here soon!”

Scarlet Lily’s arrival would be a game-changer.
Her strength, worth ten girls, could end this in one go.

She’s a reliable ally and senior.

Aurora Lora recalled something Lily once said.

Returning to Earth was near-miraculous.
After enduring ten years, she believed her juniors could handle things.

Scarlet Lily trusts them.

The third generation is in its prime.
Relying on a legendary magical girl wouldn’t do.

Aurora Lora wanted to live up to that trust.

“We can do this ourselves! Keep it up!”

Encouraging her juniors was also a pep talk for herself.

A girl stood atop a high-rise building.

A restricted area, inaccessible without special safety gear.
She sat casually, swinging her legs.

A fall would be deadly, but she showed no fear.

She could fly.

“The gates really are multiplying.”

She muttered, looking down.

From here, the entire city was visible.

A perfect vantage point to watch monsters and magical girls in action.

“I thought it was nonsense.”

She pulled a small accessory from her pocket—a Magical Gem, standard for magical girls.

But its shape and color were unusual.

The crystal at its center was black, swirling like ink in water.

It wasn’t hers; someone gave it to her.
Said to duplicate gates.

She doubted it, but it was real.

“If they can mass-produce this, it’ll be chaos.”

A chill ran down her spine.

She received it a few days ago.

An anonymous package with a letter and the gem.

The letter had simple instructions:

Use the gem on the specified date.
Do so, and the organization would recognize her as a member.

“No idea what this group is, but they’re more capable than the support team or magical girls.”

Predicting gate openings and duplicating them?

If that’s possible, no one could stop a villainous force.

The girl was neutral for now, but one thing nagged her.

“Where’s Scarlet Lily, and what’s she doing?”

Her rumors were impossible to ignore.

Defeating S-rank monsters with ease.
It sounded too fantastical, so the girl assumed exaggeration.

Not entirely false, but that’s it.

A single human’s limits are clear.
With gates opening simultaneously, she’d be powerless.

“Let’s see how you protect people!”

Will she exceed expectations?
Or prove she’s just a slightly stronger magical girl?

The girl smirked, gazing at the chaotic city below.

*

Aurora Lora said they were short-handed, but it wasn’t unmanageable.

The support team handled things well, and the situation was calming.

“What’s she doing up there?”

I spotted a girl on a rooftop.

The tallest building nearby.
Someone was lounging at the top.

“Can’t see well, but she’s probably a magical girl. Maybe Angelic Luna,” Frozen Princess said, squinting.

“You know her?”

“A junior. Not close, but I know her face and name.”

Apparently, Angelic Luna’s fourth gen.

“Why’s she dressed like that?”

Black miniskirt, black over-knee socks.
Styled to contrast her silver hair.

A rare image color for magical girls.

Her outfit barely feels magical girl-like.

“Looks closer to gyaru fashion.”

“Gyaru…?”

“It’s been trending for a few years.”

“Didn’t know.”

No clue why it’s called gyaru, but did she ditch her magical girl outfit for that?

I once tried to ditch my frilly skirt, too.

“She looks like a villain, not an angel.”

Not living up to her name.

I’m still stuck in a frilly skirt, and she’s out here changing outfits?

Kids these days have no discipline.

“She might know something.”

I sensed her magic by chance.

Bringing Frozen Princess was smart for her intel—definitely a good call.

“Can you catch her?”

“I’ll try, but it shouldn’t be hard.”

I activated levitation magic.

“Be right back.”

I shot through the air, straight toward the girl.