After inheriting the magical girl's memories, she gained the same powers as a magical girl, essentially becoming one's human host.
"Then what do you look like after transforming? How come I've never seen you transform?"
Normally, a person's whole appearance changed after transforming, right?
Sha Qina suddenly grew curious about what Haihara looked like after transforming.
"Transforming requires a magical tool and Magic Crystals. Unfortunately, I don't have a suitable magical tool right now."
Haihara spoke calmly.
To the witches of R'lyeh, magical tools were more or less like implements for casting spells. They could draw on the magic within them and perform all sorts of wondrous magic.
A magical tool suited to a witch could bring out her special battle form—the magical girl.
Haihara didn't have a magical tool suited to her, so she couldn't transform.
"If we stole a magical tool from Silver Feather and the others and gave it to you, could you transform?"
Sha Qina asked curiously.
Haihara pinched her chin and thought seriously for a while before answering uncertainly,
"Probably... not. At the very least, I'd need a magical tool that could hold four or more Magic Crystals."
Her memories weren't complete, so she wasn't sure how she was supposed to transform. But in the hazy recollections she did have, that magical girl seemed to possess a magical tool of her own.
"...Four? Where would you find a magical tool like that? Silver Feather's only has two Magic Crystal slots, doesn't it?"
And what magical girl could carry so many Magic Crystals at once?
"How do I put it? It looks a little like a scythe, and it's very pretty. There are cute snakes carved into it, too..."
Haihara folded her arms and spoke earnestly.
The villainous female officer could only shake her head.
In other words, they had no Perfect Form Monster, the villainous officer couldn't fight, and the villainous magical girl couldn't transform for now, either.
The hall fell quiet once again. At last, Haihara raised her head and asked Sha Qina,
"So, how long until you resurrect the Demon King?"
The Black Death Cult had been active in this city for many years, if she remembered correctly.
"Um... a few more weeks, maybe?"
"...Huh?"
Chapter 18: Drunken Magic
The next day, Kirishima Ai and Sakaki Chika were both summoned to Teacher Haihara's office.
Sakaki Chika came out in tears.
At lunchtime, the three magical girls gathered to eat and discuss the recent Monsters.
"I feel like the Monsters have been getting stronger lately. Ones we used to deal with easily are now a struggle even when the two of us fight together."
Kirishima Ai spoke as she stuffed another crab stick into her mouth.
She'd used to be confident in her abilities, but over the last few battles, she'd begun to feel overwhelmed. Even if the two of them could win together, there were always times when she had no choice but to fight alone.
"Give me a crab stick." Takanashi Shiori reached into Kirishima Ai's lunchbox without asking, took one, and ate it.
Kirishima Ai glanced at the useless freeloader who could at least eat:
"Hey, why is a pterosaur a snake?"
It just didn't make sense.
Takanashi Shiori swallowed her food unhurriedly.
"Mm... Rather than snakes, snake-type Monsters are more like 'mythical creatures.'"
"There are about five main types of these Monsters."
"Dragons, phantom dragons, sea dragons, dinosaurs, and reptiles."
"The Pterosaur Monster belongs to the dinosaur type, while the Thorn Monster belongs to the reptile type."
"Phantom dragons probably means creatures like the Chinese dragon."
They were mostly creatures that didn't exist in the real world or had gone extinct, and lived only in people's imaginations.
Compared to other elements, snakes carried a more mysterious quality.
Just then, Sakaki Chika, who had been quietly eating her nutrition meal nearby, spoke up.
"But even the Pterosaur Monster is only a Mature Form Monster. How did Phantom Wind, the magical girl from a few years ago, manage to defeat a Perfect Form Monster by herself?"
They were both magical girls, but their strengths were on completely different levels.
For some reason, Takanashi Shiori's expression turned a little strange. She picked up her thermos and took a sip of warm milk.
"A magical girl's strength depends on the person transforming, and also... on her magical tool and Magic Crystals."
"At our Magic Academy in R'lyeh, every instructor has a special crystal called a 'High-Level Magic Crystal.' Using one lets you transform into a more powerful magical girl."
It sounded like those High-Level Magic Crystals weren't easy to get.
Kirishima Ai remained expressionless and took another bite of fried potato.
Takanashi Shiori had told her about the Magic Academy instructors before. They were supposedly on a completely different level from the magical girls active in the human world.
"How do you get one of those Magic Crystals?"
Sakaki Chika bit off a piece of broccoli, her expression bitter.
"Only Her Majesty the Queen can bestow one. I have to complete the Magic Academy's missions here before I can even hope to enter the Holy Domain and meet Her Majesty."
Takanashi Shiori finished eating quickly. Then, with nothing else to do, she propped her chin on her hand and watched the other two eat.
"Missions? Come to think of it, what exactly did you come to Earth for?"
Kirishima Ai asked curiously.
Takanashi Shiori was the only magical girl from R'lyeh among them, and it was because of her that Kirishima Ai had become a magical girl.
But neither of them knew what Takanashi Shiori had come here to do.
"To recover a magical tool."
As she spoke, Takanashi Shiori played with her ash-blond hair.
"We call it the Relic of the Overlord. It's a magical tool left behind three hundred years ago by the strongest rebellious magical girl, the Overlord. It surpasses even the Holy Domain."
Like Monsters, magical girls came in different ranks.
They ranged from ordinary, nameless magical girls to magical girls like Silver Feather, who had a "magical name."
Above them were the Holy Domain magical girls, who possessed High-Level Magic Crystals, such as the Magic Academy instructors and R'lyeh's nobles.
But there were beings beyond even that level.
The leader of the Black Death Cult, the "Demon King," was one. The Queen of magical girls and the Sages were others.
The magical tool left behind by the Overlord was considered a legendary treasure among all the magical tools in R'lyeh. Perhaps only Her Majesty the Queen's magical tool could compare.
"However, according to the prophecy of the Grand Scholar of Star Reading, it'll be a long time before that magical tool appears. For now, what matters more is getting stronger and preparing to fight any potential enemies for it."
"Once I've recovered some of my magic and reestablished contact with R'lyeh, the Academy might even offer us some help."
Takanashi Shiori spoke casually.
In short, they weren't going to get any useful help anytime soon.
Seeing Kirishima Ai looking a little down, Takanashi Shiori blinked.
"You don't have to look like that. If we're talking about magical tools, your magical tool is..."
"What?"
Kirishima Ai looked up.
"...Nothing."
After disciplining those two Problem Children, Haihara had another issue to deal with.
Midterms were coming up soon.
Haihara had told the two girls simply that if their grades dropped this time, she'd have to consider visiting their homes.
As dismissal time approached, Haihara felt a little tired. She'd taught three classes that day, had to discipline those two girls, and still needed to prepare a little for tomorrow's class meeting.
After sitting in the office for a while, Haihara thought it over and decided to give herself a small reward.
She opened the office cabinet and took out several cans of high-proof distilled liquor.
She popped one open with practiced ease and gulped it down.
The liquor slid down her throat and stung her tongue.
Haihara had a high tolerance and didn't get drunk easily, so she had to drink a lot at once to feel even a little tipsy.
The office was a little stuffy. After a few sips, Haihara unbuttoned her suit jacket, revealing the white shirt beneath.
She took a few more swigs, and before long, she'd finished the can.
She opened another and took a small sip. Just then, Haihara's appearance began to change.
At some point, the hair tie holding her hair had come loose. Her jet-black hair grew longer and curled, gradually fading from its original color to a beautiful silvery gray.
Her glasses slipped down, revealing a pair of deep-purple eyes.
Haihara casually took off her glasses, stood up, and walked over to the mirror in the office.
"Mm, I've turned into this again... So, what should I do today?"
The gray-haired woman looked at herself in the mirror, her expression still cool. But soon, she snapped her fingers.
"—Snap!"
At the crisp sound, several bottles filled with liquor appeared on the empty office floor.
She curled a finger, and the bottles floated into the air. One by one, their caps fell to the floor with a series of pops.
Every time Haihara got drunk, she turned into this.
That was why she usually didn't drink much when she was with other people.
She'd have liked to drink her fill at home, but when she turned into this, she easily attracted Monsters from who knew where.
Haihara thought for a moment, then cast another spell.
She quickly sensed several magical presences around the school.
Smiling, the gray-haired beauty hugged a bottle and said cheerfully,
"Tonight, I think I'll have some fun with these Problem Children."
Chapter 19: Chatting
After wandering around, Haihara found herself back at that Materials Room. She usually drank in the Materials Room or the infirmary, since she hardly ever ran into anyone there.
But today, as soon as she arrived at the Materials Room, she found the door already open. She walked in with a bottle in her arms and spotted a girl standing inside.
The girl had her back to Haihara, her shoulders thin and frail. She stood alone, unaware that someone was behind her.
"So she's not here after all..."
The girl, Kirishima Ai, murmured to herself, sounding lonely.
"Were you looking for me?"
Haihara looked at her as she spoke.
Kirishima Ai froze for a moment, then turned around and saw the silver-gray-haired woman in the doorway.
When she saw the gray-haired woman, Kirishima Ai couldn't hide her excitement at first, but soon she grew a little embarrassed.
"Could I... talk to you again today?"
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