Chapter 46: Competitiveness.

Though magical girls are often seen as idols, they’re closer to ordinary people than celebrities.

They might shoot an ad or release merch occasionally, but that’s about it.
Due to tradition—or perhaps principle—they avoid deep ties with governments or corporations.

This isn’t just a Korean thing; it applies to magical girls worldwide.

When they untransform, they blend into the crowd, unrecognizable.
This means their travels often go unnoticed.

Teaming up with unfamiliar magical girls in a foreign country is awkward, so they rarely advertise their presence abroad.
Cases like Kisaragi Nemuri are rare.

“We’re all trying to stay active as long as possible, and she’s out here traveling? Japan must have it easy,” a support team member remarks, clearly thinking of Kisaragi Nemuri.

The support office is bustling with recent gate activity.

“It’s her choice. Can’t force her otherwise,” another replies.
“True, but still…”
“Plus, Japan’s long and narrow—getting to rural areas is a pain. We’ve got it better.”
“Oh, I heard about that.”

Once, a bunch of capital-region magical girls were urgently dispatched to rural areas.
From Seoul to Busan, it’s three hours at best, four or five at worst.
Korea’s compact size makes this feasible.

But Japan?
Tokyo to Fukuoka or Sapporo takes over four hours by Shinkansen.
Taxis or cars take exponentially longer.
From Tokyo, the center of the archipelago, support to farther regions is nearly impossible.

“Kisaragi Nemuri seems nice and polite, but I got the vibe she’s competitive with us,” says the staff member who greeted her at the airport.

“Competitive?”
“Not blatant, but she was curious about the level of Korean magical girls. Especially fixated on Scarlet Lily.”

Questions about the strength of defeated monsters, standout traits, and more came up during lunch.

“She’s the best. I’d be curious too.”

Over time, magical girls’ skills have leveled up globally.
The gap between Korea and Japan is negligible.
Yet Scarlet Lily stands alone, universally regarded as the strongest, even among retired magical girls.

“Jealousy?”
“Time will tell.”
“Hope it doesn’t cause trouble.”

A feud between high-profile magical girls would have massive repercussions.
With Korea-Japan relations currently stable, the support team’s concern is understandable.

Parfait Alpha faces off against a black-furred, panther-like beast.
It looks like a black leopard but is larger than a tiger, with glowing red eyes.

D-grade.
Not top-tier, but potentially overwhelming for a fifth-gen magical girl alone.

“Alpha, you got this!”
“Blast it with magic before it charges!”

Beta and Gamma cheer from behind.
They’re not joining the fight.
The gate opened in an empty lot, so they’re using it as a training opportunity.

“Flame Breath!”

Fire erupts from her spear’s tip.
A blaze that could torch a tree.
The panther dodges with agile movements.

“Grrr…”

One slip, and it could turn the tables.
Tension hangs as they lock eyes.

Magic didn’t work—melee’s next.

“Die, you bitch!”

As expected, Parfait Alpha thrusts her spear.
She seemed calm for once, but the profanity slips out.

“Rawr!”

The spear misses.
In that split-second, the panther lunges, baring sharp fangs, but Alpha isn’t going down easily.

“You little shit!”

She twists, dodging, then lands a punch to its head.
Dropping her spear, she goes full brawl.
The beast’s claws clash with her fists.

Her cat-like punches carry tons of force, but a magical girl’s body is durable.
Plus, Alpha’s got tough Russian blood.

Far from intimidated, she fights with fiery spirit.

“She’s got it in a ground hold!”

Alpha locks its body with her legs, choking its neck.
The panther thrashes, but her grip is ironclad.

After a minute, it foams at the mouth and dies.
A move meant for humans worked on a beast.

“Fucking weakling!”

Standing, Alpha flips it off in victory.

“Hey, watch your language. What if someone hears?”

I land softly from the sky, pointing it out.
I was watching from a distance since my scent repels monsters.

“Hehe, sorry. Korean swears just hit different.”

She scratches her head, sheepish.
Everyone knows Alpha’s a foul-mouth.

Rough and wild, yet endlessly kind to teammates and fans—a charming contrast that wins people over.

“You three have talent. Keep this up, and you’ll get strong fast.”

It’s weird saying this as their near-peer, but they recently asked me to train them.
Today, with perfect conditions, I pitted each against a panther to test their skills.

“Can we really get strong?”

Beta sounds unsure.

“No one gets there overnight.”
“How long to catch up to seniors?”
“Probably need similar experience.”
“So, years…”

She sighs.

“Even then, it might not be enough. Seniors had fewer peers, so they racked up more action,” Gamma adds, making a fair point.

As gates opened more frequently, mascots contracted more magical girls.
That’s why seniors, with more experience, take fewer missions, leaving fifth-gens to handle most.

“How long to be like you, Lily?”

Beta’s eyes sparkle with curiosity.
Giving false hope would be cruel.

“Probably never, even by retirement.”
“Wow, that’s the kind of confidence you need to be Scarlet Lily…”

Gamma’s impressed by my bluntness.
What’s “living like me” supposed to mean?

“It’s not arrogance. I went through rough times off the radar.”

Not just my decade in the demon world.
My inability to untransform boosted my mana recovery dramatically.

With this unique trait and experience gap, catching up through effort alone is near impossible.

“At least I want to brawl monsters like Alpha.”
“Jealous? Hehe, Koreans are too weak~”

Alpha preens at Beta’s comment.

“You’re naturalized, and you say that?”
“Native Koreans are weaklings~”
“Argh!”

Alpha, Beta, and Gamma are eager to pull their weight, but they’re already doing great.
If they stay hungry, these sprouts will grow strong.
I’ll keep nurturing them diligently.

After the panther hunt, the trio teleports away.
I was about to head home but change plans.

“You can come out now.”

I call out to someone behind a nearby wall.

Silence.
Then, a magical girl steps forward.

“Didn’t think I’d get caught. As expected of Scarlet Lily—sharp instincts.”

Floating over the wall with levitation magic, she flicks her red hair elegantly.
What’s “as expected” supposed to mean?
I let it slide.

“You’re Kisaragi Nemuri?”
“You know me?”

Her stride exudes confidence—not arrogance, but overflowing self-assurance.

“Hiding your mana too? Pretty meticulous. Not your first time spying, huh?”
“First time, actually. No need to practice something this simple.”

She was behind the wall the whole time, but the fifth-gens never noticed.
Proof her skills are leaps ahead.

“Your Korean’s impressive.”
“Fifth time hearing that today.”
“Sorry for the cliché compliment.”
“No need to apologize.”

An awkward pause follows.

“Heard you wanted to meet me?”

That’s why she was hiding, right?

“Yep. I was curious about the rookie who appeared like a comet in Korea. I’ve heard about your feats—impressive.”
“Thanks.”
“But I want you to know Japanese magical girls aren’t far behind.”

She hypes me up, then swerves.
Talk about embarrassing.

Kisaragi Nemuri continues without waiting for a reply.

“One more thing. Korea isn’t the true birthplace of magical girls.”

Huh?
What’s that supposed to mean?

She flashes a cryptic smile.

“I’ll cut to the chase. I’m here to prove the superiority of Japanese magical girls.”