Chapter 10: Tentacle monster.

The meeting room is packed with people.

The Magical Girl Support Team is briefing key government officials on recent incidents.

“Why is the support team failing to detect monster appearances properly?”

During the Q&A, a man seated near the middle of the table asked in a sharp tone.

“After inspection, no issues were found with the detection system. We’re exploring various possibilities, but no clear conclusions yet.”

The response came from a member of the support team.
A man known as a supporter.

When a gate opens, there are precursors.

The support team’s main task is to detect these in advance.
The signal strength varies by monster rank, determining the response.

But lately, errors have been frequent.

Incidents where a low-rank signal turned out to be an S-rank monster kept happening.

“So you’re just going to sit on your hands? Shouldn’t you come up with a solution? Isn’t that your job?”

Harsh criticism.

High-ranking officials, including ministers, were present.
With public anxiety rising, the atmosphere was icy.

“We’ll work to improve it promptly.”

A clichéd answer, but the best they could offer.

“Isn’t this related to Scarlet Lily? I heard she appeared around the same time as the massive gate incident.”

The room stirred.

It seemed everyone had been thinking the same thing.

“Scarlet Lily denied any connection. She said she acted because she felt it was necessary.”
“What’s her deal in the first place? The support team doesn’t even know?”
“At her request, we’ve temporarily halted background checks. She plans to continue as a magical girl, so no need to worry.”

Magical girls are essentially volunteers.

Registering on the roster is encouraged for efficient support, but it can’t be forced.

“Still, shouldn’t we know something?”

Many attendees agreed, but the supporter responded calmly.

“I disagree. If she finds out about a background check, things could spiral out of control. It’s best to avoid upsetting Scarlet Lily.”

The presentation screen flipped.
A photo of a monster, likely taken from a helicopter, appeared.

“Lab analysis results are in. Compared to previous S-rank monsters, this ‘dinosaur’ monster’s potential is…”

Next slide.

The letters “SSS” were displayed prominently.

“Triple S.”

The room fell deathly silent.

“…What does that mean?”

Someone asked cautiously.

“If Scarlet Lily were to quit being a magical girl because we upset her, and another monster of this level appeared, we’d have no way to handle it.”

The ranking system ends at S-rank.

A level akin to a natural disaster, beyond human control.
SSS implied a monster outside the bounds of common sense.

The supporter continued in a steady voice.

“Scarlet Lily is a righteous magical girl. That’s enough. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. As an expert, I recommend maintaining the status quo.”

Change comes with responsibility.

The room filled with the attendees’ troubled murmurs.

Coming home feels good.

My own space.
My own hideout.

When I first returned from the demon world, I had nowhere to go, but things worked out.

“Life’s worth living!”

I showered and changed into loungewear.

My once-empty wardrobe is now packed with clothes.

From neutral, safe options to flashy ones I’ve rarely worn.
Neatly folded and stacked.

I didn’t pick them out.
Yusia tagged along shopping and threw everything into the cart, saying they’d suit me.

“I told her I didn’t need so much.”

She offered to pay, but I refused.

Three million won was already a huge donation.
Even if she’s from a rich family, accepting more would make me feel rotten.

Instead, I asked her to pick clothes.

I used the excuse that I don’t know what’s trendy after ten years away from civilization.

“Back then, I’d have asked Stella or Spica.”

Men and women have different fashion senses, which can be tricky.

Using a junior feels iffy, but she seemed to enjoy it, so let’s call it a win-win.

“Oh?”

Lying on the bed, my phone buzzed.

A call from the supporter.
Yusia said I should keep his number, so I saved it.

“Is this Scarlet Lily?”
“It’s me.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Taehyun from the Magical Girl Support Team. I got your number from Frozen Princess.”

A young man’s voice.

Yusia must’ve shared my number.

“What’s up?”
“I’m calling to inform you of a monster appearance.”
“Oh.”

I focused, scanning the surrounding magic energy.

As the supporter said, I sensed a monster nearby.

“You may know, but the government runs an app for magical girls. Installing it lets you share real-time field updates—”
“No thanks. I can pinpoint locations myself.”

I cut him off.

“But a magical girl’s detection has limits.”
“It’ll be fine. I can handle the capital region easily. Plus, I’m just a bonus; there are other magical girls.”

The line went quiet, like he was at a loss.

“…Will you respond this time?”
“Yeah.”

The shower made me sluggish, slowing my detection, but I can get there in time.

That’s experience for you.

“Understood. I’ll inform the other magical girls.”

He didn’t push the app further.

Giving up cleanly, huh.
Not the annoying type.

Favorability slightly up.

“This should’ve been said earlier, but thank you for your efforts. You’ve saved many lives. Maybe the whole country.”
“Uh… yeah.”

Sudden, but his sincerity came through.

“I support all magical girls. You might not trust the government, but if you need help, don’t hesitate to rely on us. I’ll assist as much as I can.”

Earnest and clear, he made it known he’s on our side.

After hanging up, I sat on the bed, dazed.

What was that?
His intensity had me just listening.

“Oh, right, gotta go.”

Almost forgot.

“Just showered…”

It’s not far.
Quick trip, then.

Parfait Alpha is the only foreign-born member.

A Russian-Korean who became a citizen about a year ago.

Her full name is Sofiya Viktorovna Petrova.
Untransformed, she’s called Sonya.

Sonya came to Korea dreaming of becoming a K-pop idol, but reality was harsh.

Sloppy choreography.
Poor pronunciation.
Limited Korean skills.

No matter how hard she tried, talent barriers didn’t budge.
The cutthroat idol industry was relentless.

After repeated failures and despair, a miracle happened.

She contracted as a magical girl.

Defying family to leave her homeland.
It was a dream big enough to stake her life on… until a demon whispered in her ear.

Wouldn’t this be fine too?

It’s a different path, but magical girls are like idols.
Why not make the most of this opportunity?

That day, Sonya became a devil worshipper.

Sweet words are sweet for a reason.
It was a tempting offer.

Getting to the starting line is the hard part; she was confident she’d shine after.

And indeed, Sonya was quite talented.

*

“Everyone, stay away from the tentacles! Beta, Gamma, hold the line with me! Aqua, cover us from range!”

At Parfait Alpha’s command, three magical girls moved in sync.

The enemy was a monster resembling an upside-down giant octopus.

Its whip-like tentacles were a nuisance.
Their long reach made close-range weapons tough to use.

“Alpha, we can’t handle this alone. Call the seniors!”

Gamma sounded weak.

“No way! How can we call ourselves magical girls if we can’t take down one monster!”

Parfait Alpha was firm.

Fleeing was fine with the monkey.
She didn’t want to look pathetic twice.

“You jerk! Die, ugly!”

She swung her spear, slicing a tentacle.

But like a hydra’s head, it regenerated, stronger.

“Eek! Gross!”

Beta flinched, stepping back.

“Don’t chicken out! We’re stronger!”

Parfait Alpha led the fifth-gen team in this area.

Her days grinding to become a K-pop idol.
Her weed-like tenacity brought her here.

This is nothing.

“Aqua, can you attack from above?”
“Leave it to me!”

Aqua, skilled in ranged attacks, soared high.

“Water Bullet!”

With a wide swing of her wand, water droplets formed and shot at the monster like bullets.

“Nice!”

The monster was riddled with holes.

They thought they’d won, but the finish was sloppy.

“Kyaa!”
“Help!”

A last-ditch effort?
A long tentacle wrapped around Beta and Gamma’s legs.

“I’ll save you!”

Alpha rushed forward, but—

“Scarlet Beam☆”

A pink beam pierced the monster first.

From far higher than Aqua.
Scarlet Lily waved.