Chapter 36: The mascot is sincere…?

A rat-like monster, human-sized with a tail over two meters long.
Its tiny hands, disproportionate to its bulk, clutched a trident tightly.

An odd combo, but definitely a rat.

It darted through the residential area, causing chaos.

“How’s it so fast?!”

Parfait Alpha, along with two others—Beta and Gamma—chased after it.

They fired bursts of fire and ice from their spears, but the rat dodged everything.

“Damn it… I’ll keep chasing! Beta, Gamma, flank it from the other side!”
“Got it!”

Beta and Gamma split off at a fork in the road.

Above, Aqua tracked the rat’s path alongside Parfait Alpha.

“It’s heading that way! I’ll take the shortest route, so follow me!”

Aqua guided her teammates, setting up for a pincer attack.

They converged.

“Hit it together!”
“Die!”

Magic erupted from their three spears, but the rat’s nimble moves dodged it all.

“Squeak!”
“That damn… rat bastard!”

Parfait Alpha cursed, enraged by its mocking squeaks.

She charged, spewing profanities, but exhaustion was setting in.

“Hah… hah… this is insane.”

All three bent over, hands on knees, catching their breath.

Only Aqua kept pursuing, relentless.

“The street’s too narrow for Water Bullet to get a clear shot. Mors, I need your help.”
“Ho ho, leave it to me!”

Reaper Mors, a cut above in flight and magic precision, stepped up.

Her black landmine-style skirt fluttered as she flew low, closing in on the rat and swinging her sword.

“Angel Slash!”

A white blade of light severed its tail.

“Squeak! Squeee!”

The rat shrieked, spraying blood.

“See that? Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee—” Reaper Mors boasted, only to yelp as a trident grazed her outfit.

She barely dodged, but her cockiness made her wobble, crashing into a utility pole and falling.

So much for her moment.

“It’s escaping again! Grab it!”

The rat bolted.
Alpha, Beta, and Gamma panted after it, but they were spent.

No choice—I stepped in.

“Scarlet Beam☆”

From 200 meters up, where I could track any escape, I sniped the tail-less rat with a beam.

“How do you hit from that high?” Aqua marveled.

She’s still a first-year, so it seems impressive, but fire enough beams—tens of thousands—and your aim gets sharp.

“Mors, you okay?”
“I’m fine.”

Reaper Mors dusted off her clothes and stood, striking a dramatic pose with hands on hips.

“Sure, I missed, but the bait tactic wasn’t bad. If we’d sealed its escape routes better, we’d have nailed it.”

Solid feedback for the juniors.

Not covering up her embarrassment—she’s genuinely trying to be a good senior.

For E- or F-grade monsters, fifth-gens can handle it alone, but tougher foes need a veteran.

Frozen Princess or Aurora Lora used to fill that role; lately, I’ve been pitching in.

Looks like Reaper Mors will take it from here.

“Pretty stable.”

I landed the finishing blow to protect civilians, but the rat was already bleeding out.

They probably could’ve taken it down without me.

Watching these newbies grow warms my heart.

After a monster fight, I usually leave right away, but when there’s time, we chat.

Today’s slow, so we’re at a quiet rest stop.

“I’m confident with levitation magic, but I couldn’t keep up with Mors,” Aqua said.
“You’re not bad yourself. Practice whenever you’ve got time, and you’ll improve fast,” Reaper Mors replied.
“Practice too?”
“Think of it as a hobby.”
“That’s wild. I get wiped after using too much magic.”
“Heh, you’ll build stamina over time.”

Aqua’s praise had Reaper Mors grinning ear to ear.

A loner who loves attention, she’s kind to juniors and craves their respect.
That’s Reaper Mors as a magical girl.

“Wow, magical girls! Can I get your autographs?”

A passing civilian pulled out a pen and paper.

“Of course! Want extras for your friends?” Reaper Mors offered.
“Nah, one’s enough.”

Her enthusiasm sometimes went overboard, but she was passionate.

She’s fitting in well, I thought.

Reaper Mors lived in a vague border area between two magical girl groups’ territories.

She used to be with another group but ditched the name Angelic Luna.

After a long hiatus and feeling awkward with her old team, she wasn’t keen on returning.

So I brought her to my side.

No peers here, but her fresh start’s going smoothly.

Plus, our group’s generation balance makes it a win-win.

“Oh, it’s Armo!”

Beta waved at the mascot flying in from afar.

“Been a while, everyone-mo! Had business nearby, so I dropped by-mo,” Armo said.

Civilians whipped out phones to snap pictures.

We’re all transformed, so no cloaking magic.

“What business does a mascot have? Scouting new recruits?” I asked.
“Scarlet Lily’s so cold to me-mo… I do consultations, reorganize teams—busy stuff, you know-mo.”

Too sensible to believe.

“Lily’s so harsh to Armo,” Beta said.
“First time seeing Armo squirm,” Gamma added.

They stared, intrigued.

I couldn’t say it’s because of the second Armo’s bad rep, so I let it slide.

“You do consultations?” Aqua asked.
“Rarely, but some girls struggle with adjusting or have worries-mo.”
“That’s perfect for Mors!”

All eyes turned to Reaper Mors.

“I don’t have any worries!” she protested, despite her recent hermit phase.

Poking her wounds further might be too much.

“With so many contractors, aren’t you swamped? Why not bring more mascots from the heavens?” I suggested.
“Not that simple-mo. There’s a limit to how many can come to Earth and for how long-mo.”

So one Armo handles dozens alone?
That’s kind of pitiful.

“But my hard work brings peace closer-mo. It’s rewarding-mo,” Armo said, flashing a dazzling smile.

“What’s the consultation like?” Parfait Alpha asked, curious.

“Hmm… some have monster-related trauma, but mostly it’s just chatting-mo.”
“You chat too?”
“For lonely ones, I’m a conversation buddy-mo.”
“Wow! Be my buddy too!”
“Possible, but I’d need to adjust my schedule…”

Grumbling aside, Armo’s doing its job.

Feels a bit like a black-corp worker, though.

After a few minutes of chatter, Armo left to meet another magical girl.

In fiction, mascots are sidekicks who float around the main cast after making contracts.

Reality’s not much different.

A mascot’s core power is forging contracts, and the magical girls they create fight monsters to keep the peace.

But mascots work behind the scenes too.

Consultations are just a fraction of Armo’s duties.
Times have changed, piling on more tasks.

Collaborating with companies for magical girl merch.
Supporting city reconstruction after destruction.
Occasionally liaising with government officials.

Add their core duties, and there’s no downtime.

*

“You look pale. You okay?”

In a girly room stuffed with dolls, Silent Eve, a magical girl getting a consultation, looked concerned.

“I’m healthy-mo. Just tired from little sleep-mo,” Armo replied.
“Oh no… you need eight hours a night to recover.”
“I’d love to, but I’m too busy-mo.”
“Resting’s better than burning out, no?”
“You’re the only one who says that, Eve-mo. Your words give me strength-mo!”

Armo wagged its tail energetically.

“You mentioned a request—what is it-mo?”

Consultations happen with two or three girls a month.
Silent Eve’s a regular.

Armo never finds it a hassle, always listening earnestly.

“I wanna go where other teammates are,” Silent Eve said casually, like it was someone else’s story.

“You’ve said that before-mo.”
“Yup.”
“Trouble with your current team-mo?”
“Nah, I just wanna get close to others. Everyone, if possible.”

She smiled, thrilled at the thought.

No conflicts—she just wanted to expand her network.

Armo wanted to grant requests when possible, but team assignments require care.
Each girl’s specialties demand balanced combinations.

“Is it tough-mo?”
“Not at all-mo. I’ll try-mo.”
“Really?”

Silent Eve’s face lit up.

Such requests aren’t rare, and periodic roster changes aren’t bad.
They foster bonds between magical girls.

Armo glanced around.
The room overflowed with magical girl merch—books, figurines, stickers everywhere.
Even the pile of dolls on the bed were chibi versions of magical girls.

“Got a specific area in mind-mo?”

Silent Eve answered instantly, as if waiting for the question.

“Then send me where Scarlet Lily is.”

Her sweet voice carried a hint of allure.