Chapter 47: Are you proud of being so stubborn?

I heard something in the group chat.

Kisaragi Nemuri’s ambition burns twice as bright as most.
She’s kind and gentle with fans, but there might be a hidden side to her.

I just felt the weight of those words.

She came to Korea to prove Japanese magical girls are superior.
To declare it so openly? Bold.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to come off aggressive. I was just observing how you fight, but since you caught me, I figured I’d be upfront.”

Kisaragi Nemuri softens her tone, apologizing.

“Everyone knows there’s no real skill gap between Korean and Japanese magical girls, right?”
“No, Japan’s strength is underrated.”
“Is it?”

Honestly, I don’t know much about foreign magical girls.

“Scarlet Lily, you’re like Korea’s representative. I’m not quite at that level, but I’m called Tokyo’s strongest. Doesn’t that set up a great rivalry?”
“Uh…”

I’ve never signed up to represent anyone, nor do I want to.
I’m not into competition either.

“We’re alike in ways—our image colors, our status in our regions. Though I debuted four years earlier.”

Red and pink.
Now that she mentions it, there’s a resemblance.

She seemed a bit smug pointing out her seniority.
Would she be disappointed to know I debuted nine years before her?

“I’m all for exchange, but I’ll pass on rivalry. That’s all I’ll say.”
“Why dodge it? Someone of your caliber shouldn’t be scared.”
“It’s not about who’s what.”

She’s missing the point.

“Even the weakest magical girl is still a magical girl. We should value the spirit of protecting peace, not rank who’s better.”

I recall a similar incident during a rural dispatch.
Local magical girls, often overlooked, felt down about it.
But no matter where they are or how many monsters they’ve fought, they deserve respect.

“You can say that because you’re strong.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Kisaragi Nemuri’s face turns serious.

“It’s not wrong. A magical girl’s role is to protect people. But strength is the most direct path to peace. As humans, we can’t help but care about how well we’re doing.”

She speaks fluidly, like it’s a long-held belief.

“That’s why I want to prove it. Just as Korea has Scarlet Lily, Japan has a magical girl who can match her.”

Her eyes burn with determination.

At this point, I actually kind of like her.

Lately, people have been memeing me as some dark fantasy, overpowered antihero, making it hard to speak freely.
My teammates hype me up too much, which feels heavy.

Aside from villains, Nemuri’s the first to challenge me head-on like this.

“No clue if it’ll go your way, but give it your best shot.”

This kind of competition isn’t bad.
It doesn’t hurt anyone, so there’s no need to stop her.

A four-star hotel—nice but not extravagant.
Kisaragi Nemuri lounges on the cozy bed, resting.

“Teleporting back would’ve been easier…”

Muttering lazily in Japanese, she scrolls through SNS on her phone.

Nothing interesting on her timeline.
She considers posting a photo from Korea but decides against it, not wanting to seem like a tourist.

After skimming new posts, she sets her phone down.

“Came here on impulse… Maybe it was a bit reckless.”

She shakes her head vigorously.

“No, no regrets. I’m here now, so I’ve got to make it work!”

Switching to Korean, she clenches her fist, resolute.

“After that big interview, going back empty-handed would be humiliating. I have to prove my worth.”

A few days ago, chatting with teammates, Korea came up.
A rookie of unbelievable caliber: Scarlet Lily.

She supposedly took down a top-tier S-grade monster in one hit upon debut.
Since then, she’s achieved feats others can’t touch, earning her fame.

Korea’s population is half Japan’s, yet it’s home to so many globally renowned magical girls.
Why doesn’t Japan have someone like that?

Her teammates just envied her.
None showed the drive to become a legend themselves.

“I’ll be a magical girl who rivals Scarlet Lily.”

A frustrated outburst.
But Nemuri’s not one to bluff and back off.

That same day, she booked a flight, packed, and left.
That much is forgivable. The problem came after.

She pushed for an interview, inconvenienced Korea’s support team, and challenged Scarlet Lily, shattering her diligent image.

“Ugh, why am I such an idiot?”

Her intense ambition and act-first nature fueled her rapid growth, but now she resents it.

She didn’t mean to antagonize Scarlet Lily.
She’s practically a fan but came off as arrogant.

The pressure to succeed is mounting.
That’s what led to her bratty behavior.

“Scarlet Lily was so cool…”

She recalls my words.
Even the weakest magical girl is a magical girl.
It hit her hard.

If others heard it, it’d be a legendary quote.

“She’s not just a junior—she’s inspiring.”

Scarlet Lily isn’t just strong; she’s principled and just.
Too mature for a supposed rookie.

Her calm response to provocation was striking.

“If only she were my teammate. Why was she born in Korea?!”

Flailing her legs, the bed creaks loudly.

“Oh, I haven’t untransformed yet.”

Nemuri sits up, closing her eyes.

Shimmer.

A radiant light envelops her, as if accompanied by a sparkling sound effect.
Untransformed, she reverts to a black-haired girl—her true self.

Ten hours transformed since lunch.
Exhaustion crashes over her like a wave.

“Even Scarlet Lily couldn’t handle this long.”

Long transformations require not just mana but mental fortitude.
Like staying awake all night or smiling through pain to reassure others.

Nemuri’s mental strength is her pride and the key to her endurance.

“No matter how cool she is, I’ve got to uphold Japan’s pride.”

She wants to befriend Scarlet Lily, but her priorities haven’t changed.

That said…

“Might as well enjoy some sightseeing while I’m here.”

Embracing a bit of girlish desire, Nemuri prepares for bed.

“Alpha, avoid close combat and stick with your team! Aqua, follow me!”

Reaper Mors barks orders, and the magical girls spring into action.

The team: all fifth-gens plus Mors, five in total.

“Squee!”
“Squeal! Squeal!”

A pig wielding a butcher’s cleaver charges at Parfait Alpha, shrieking.
It’s got a slaughterhouse vibe.

“You pork bastard! Time to make you crispy bacon!”

Alpha blasts flames to block its approach, with Beta and Gamma joining in.

“What an ugly mug!”
“Take that…!”

They zap it with electricity, then finish with icicles.
The combo usually works.

“It’s so big, even a few corpses block the path!”

Using levitation magic, the trio hops over the pile of bodies.
The remaining pigs squeal and charge from all sides.

“So damn loud! Like a pigsty!”

The noise is deafening, pollution-level.

As Alpha vents, still blasting flames—

“Alpha, watch out!”

Gamma’s shout.

A pig sneaks up behind Alpha, exploiting a blind spot while they were distracted.

“No room for carelessness!”

Boom!

A powerful strike sends the pig crashing through a wall.

“Thanks…!”

Alpha turns to see Kisaragi Nemuri, who must’ve flown in and punched the pig to save her.

“You fight with fists?”
“No need for a weapon against this.”

She smiles confidently.

Today, Nemuri joined the usual crew.
She expressed a desire to fight Korean monsters, and after talks with the support team and Frozen Princess, she was assigned to this group.

Once things calm down, Reaper Mors tracks down Nemuri.

“Hey, I told you not to mess around and use your wand or something! Why’re you punching everything?”

Hands on hips, Mors starts scolding.

Even low-grade, these enemies wield deadly weapons.
One hit could be fatal, so safety comes first.
That’s why she told the juniors to avoid close combat.

But Nemuri ignores orders, doing things her way.

“Don’t assume bare hands are weak. I’m trained in martial arts.”
“That’s not my problem! Who said no carelessness?”
“I wasn’t careless.”
“When in Rome, do as the Romans do. You’re in Korea—follow our rules!”
“If we’re being technical, I’m second-gen, you’re fourth. Shouldn’t you follow me*?”

A heated standoff, neither backing down.

Mors’s lip twitches.

Then—

“Bragging about being old? You’re from Japan, the magical girl latecomer!”

She fires back, ready for a fight.