Chapter 29: Well, it can’t help but be similar.

As Mirage Illusion turned, a massive gauntlet filled her vision.

No one said Scarlet Lily could transform her wand!
Bad intel?
The plan was perfect.
Am I… going to die here?

In that fleeting moment, countless thoughts raced through her mind.

Then, impact.

A single, overwhelming blow knocked her out, sending her flying far away.

“Ugh…”

Mirage Illusion woke, sprawled on a mountainside.

Even with her shield at full strength, she barely survived.

“Scarlet Lily… I’ll never forgive you,” she muttered, her voice cold as the deep sea.

Her body was wrecked—bruises everywhere, ribs likely broken, one leg unresponsive.

With sheer willpower, she limped down the mountain.

Despite the agony, her mind clung to Scarlet Lily’s final expression.

Calm, almost serene, like she wasn’t even fighting.

Like a teacher disciplining a naughty child.
Despite Mirage’s taunts, Scarlet Lily struck with cool-headed precision.

“Argh, so annoying!” Mirage’s scream echoed.

She’d perfectly separated Spica and blocked the Scarlet Beam, yet she lost.

A crushing defeat with no excuses.

“…Did she hold back?”

Grateful to be alive, yet she couldn’t shake the feeling of being spared.

A magical girl’s durability pales compared to a monster’s.

Against an S-grade beast, she’d be paper.

Even with a shield and levitation to cushion the blow, a serious punch would’ve killed her.

Her ability to move meant Scarlet Lily had no intent to kill.

Underestimated!

Rage surged, but this was her mistake.

Once recovered, she’d plan more meticulously next time.

“Just you wait. You’ll regret this!”

Scarlet Lily can’t transform her wand.

I’d seen that claim in articles and online forums.

Plenty of magic, but lacking technique.
Only uses Scarlet Beam or Thunder, they say.

I’m not a finesse type, but that’s wrong.
It’s not that I can’t—it’s that I haven’t had to.

Ten years ago, magical girl stories with guns or swords were everywhere.

First-gens used wands not for lack of imagination but because magic control know-how was limited.

In the demon world, I learned on my own.

So why stick with the wand after returning?

Because monsters were weak?
Because Scarlet Beam was enough?

Half-right, half-wrong.

Avoiding civilian injuries is part of it, but the gauntlet’s sheer destructiveness is the main reason.

Swinging something that big, I’d accidentally wreck things.

And how do you even swing it?

Every punch is a demolition job.

Repaved roads causing inconvenience.
Building repair costs.
Endless complaints.

…I can’t handle that.

Age makes you think practically.

I’ve gotten old.

“Lily, you’re okay!”

Returning to the mega-gate site, Parfait Alpha and the others rushed over.

“Of course Lily’s fine. What’s the surprise?” Aqua teased, prompting chuckles.

“Still, it feels good to hear someone cares,” I said.

Maybe because she’s known loneliness as a foreigner, Parfait Alpha was sensitive to this.

“Heard you fought Mirage Illusion. What happened?” Gamma asked first.

“Beat her. Cleanly.”

“You killed her?”

“Nah, she’s probably alive.”

“Phew…” Gamma sighed in relief.

Aqua raised an eyebrow. “Why the relief?”

“She can’t become a killer. Lily’s magic is too strong.”

“Wait, you managed not to kill her? Wasn’t it a one-shot?” Aqua asked.

Where do they get these ideas?

“I held back.”

Not a punch—more like a push.
I accelerated the gauntlet after it hit.

A fourth-gen’s tough enough to survive that.

Rationally, I’d have captured her for questioning, but hearing her trash Spica made that impossible.

Then I remembered something.

“What about the lobster monsters?”

“Spica took them out,” Parfait Alpha said.

Apparently, she struggled at first but turned it around in one move.

Figured as much.

Someone landed nearby.

“It’s Spica!”

“Eek! Been a fan since I was a kid!”

The crowd buzzed.

Spica waved lightly and walked over.

“Good work, everyone. Thought it’d be rough, but we handled it well,” she said, exuding mature confidence.

“That was amazing earlier!”

“Totally cool!”

The juniors were as hyped as the crowd.

They’re basically fans who grew up idolizing Spica, so it makes sense.

“C-Can you sign something?” Beta asked boldly.

“Not right now. No paper or pen,” Spica replied.

Beta deflated.

“You did great too,” Spica said, turning to me.

“Heard you one-shotted the big lobster?”

“Pfft, small spells didn’t dent it.”

“Still impressive. Fighting a tough foe after eight years.”

“Takes time to recover, but my magic’s the same.”

Spica’s full power rivaled active magical girls.

A performance worthy of her legend.

“Hmm…”

I had plenty to say, but we’d met at the playground and swapped numbers.
No urge to ask more.

I was glad to see her, though.

“There’s a rumor you’re the real Scarlet. Thoughts?” Spica asked.

Bringing up old gossip out of nowhere.

Lately, the consensus is I’m separate, but her asking changes the vibe.

I could tell her everything, but—

“I’m Scarlet Lily.”

I stuck to my resolve from yesterday.
I want to meet her after retiring cleanly.

“Hmm… really?”

Spica circled me, inspecting closely.

“Got an answer you want to hear?”

She laughed heartily.

“Sorry, you’re so similar, I couldn’t help asking.”

Just testing me, huh?

After chatting with the juniors, she seemed ready to leave when reporters swarmed.

“Spica, can we get an interview?”

“Comment on the lobster-like monster you defeated?”

They shoved cameras and mics, eager for a scoop.

I expected her to refuse, but she answered earnestly.

“Today’s MVP isn’t me.”

The reporters blinked, confused.

“Then who?”

“The fifth-gens here. Oh, one’s 5.5-gen, right?”

The cameras turned to me.

“They didn’t give up, knowing the enemy was tough. That’s courage—the strength protecting this country. Well, one might be a bit different.”

“Ugh.”

The cameras swung back to me.

Wish she’d ease up on that…

“Are you officially back?” a reporter asked.

Spica glanced at the crowd.

“No, I’m retired. Saw we were short-handed, so I pitched in, but looks like it wasn’t needed.”

She looked directly at me.

“Referring to Scarlet Lily?”

“Any magical girls you’re in regular contact with?”

Questions poured, but Spica didn’t answer, flying skyward.

“Take care, everyone!”

A farewell—or maybe just a greeting.

She said she wasn’t the MVP, but Spica was clearly today’s star.

I was just bickering with Mirage Illusion in an empty stadium.

The magical girls in the rural cities seemed fine too, so the mastermind’s plan flopped.

Thinking of the beam wrecking the stadium makes my heart race, but justice won!

“She might’ve figured it out…”

Back home, I lay in bed, mulling over Spica’s words.

She approached me at the playground and now asked if I’m Scarlet.

“If she was sure, she’d have pressed harder.”

Concluding that, I was relaxing when my phone buzzed.

Spica.

We exchanged numbers at the playground, so she should think I’m a “Scarlet fan.”

[You were cute when you got flustered. I’ll keep your secret ♡]

Somehow, the message was addressing me as Scarlet Lily.