Chapter 535
"Although Teacher Haihara is a very nice person, when did I ever go out drinking with her?"
It sounds like the two are just ordinary colleagues.
Even if Kirishima Ai didn't know much about Teacher Haihara's private life, she roughly knew that Teacher Haihara and Teacher Suzuki had a good relationship.
But what Teacher Suzuki just said makes it seem like the two of them weren't very familiar with each other from beginning to end.
Is this the change that occurred after Teacher Haihara was transformed?
She first looked at Teacher Haihara herself. The woman was casually watching the other students walk away, so she couldn't see her expression, only her very glamorous profile.
"... Um?"
Suddenly, Kirishima Ai realized something was wrong.
Supplementary payment, supplementary payment...
Did someone just ask a strange question?
She suddenly looked at Kuroki Yuka.
At this moment, for some reason, Kuroki Yuka turned her face away, pretending to look at the scenery, as if she didn't want others to notice her, and she looked sweaty.
With her Kirishima Ai immediately spotted the blind spot.
Since Teacher Haihara and Teacher Suzuki's relationship is only so-so in the new world after the change—why does Kuroki Yuka remember that they used to go out drinking together often?
As Kirishima Ai pondered the matter, she finally understood.
Unbeknownst to her, Kirishima Ai gradually clenched her fists, her delicate eyebrows furrowed, and her small mouth pursed.
Soon, looking at the elegant young woman who was sweating profusely, she suddenly realized what was happening.
Her gaze gradually turned chillingly cold.
It resembled a red-hot Hakimi.
Meanwhile, Kuroki Yuka, who was not looking in their direction from a distance, gradually began to tremble uncontrollably, feeling a strong sense of unease.
Finally, she whispered in a low voice---
"Kuroki Yuka, you bastard..."
Why did you betray me?
In the dead of night, on a cold, snowy day, in a desolate, deserted park, stray cats shivered and cried out in the cold.
For some reason, they all gathered near a bench, as if it were warmer there than anywhere else.
Actually, it is indeed warmer in that area, thanks to the Magic cast by Takanashi Shiori.
The Magic ritual for communicating with R'lyeh is a very mysterious and esoteric subject.
After Teacher Haihara's Magic sealed off communication with R'lyeh in the human world, Takanashi Shiori searched for many points, hoping to find loopholes and gaps.
It's like searching for a Wi-Fi signal.
So, without realizing it, she returned to a life of homelessness on the streets.
However, because she would be captured and taken home by the legendary bird catcher Haihara Lilith every now and then, Takanashi Shiori lived a life of constant searching and fighting.
This time, the teacher was probably busy supervising the students leaving school and didn't have time to catch her, so she hurriedly set up a new communication ceremony in her familiar Park Street Villa.
Takanashi Shiori's mental state is clearly not very good.
In an effort to ensure the success of the ritual and, according to metaphysics, increase its success rate, she has grabbed nearby stray cats and begun forcing them to dance and pray.
However, perhaps the stray cats' lamentation truly moved Saint R'lyeh, because this time, Takanashi Shiori actually answered the phone from R'lyeh's side.
[Takanashi- kun? Takanashi, is that you?]
To her surprise, it was Cangyue Yuri on the other end of the phone.
The other person is fine, and for some reason, is even in R'lyeh.
And the other person even remembered that her name was Takanashi Shiori.
"That's great! You have no idea how long I've been grinding in the jungle these past few days just to get in touch with you guys... sob"
The Takanashi Shiori, is about to drop her little pearls. (The rest of the text appears to be nonsensical and unrelated to the initial statement.)
However, to her surprise, Cangyue Yuri, who was on the other end of the ceremony, did not sound very happy.
Instead, it was filled with worry.
Before Takanashi Shiori could say anything, Cangyue Yuri said in a serious tone----
[---- Takanashi, things have gotten out of control.]
The nobles of R'lyeh are about to wage war against Haihara, the Overlord, and the entire Earth could potentially fall as a result.
Volume Four Does This Count as a Magical Girl??: Chapter 53 Life Is Hard, the Magic Girl Sighs
Unlike other Magic girls, when Cangyue Yuri woke up again, she found herself back in R'lyeh, seemingly having lost her right to continue being Magical Puppy.
It's hard to describe how she felt at the time, and soon after, she learned even more nerve-wracking news.
Princess Dailuoluo returned to R'lyeh.
However, when the knights found her, she was completely unconscious, covered in wounds, and on the verge of death.
Along with this came the news of the resurrection and return of the strongest and most evil Demon King in R'lyeh's history.
Everything unfolded exactly as the Grand Scholar of Star Reading had foretold: when the stars returned to their positions and the King Star reigned supreme in the night, the Witch known as the Overlord would return, bringing unimaginable calamities to the Kingdom as before.
An uneasy and tense atmosphere quickly enveloped R'lyeh.
Although Princess Dailuoluo violated the rules by secretly training Crown Rank Magic girl from the Alchemist Clan and smuggling her to Earth, the Crown Rank Magic girl herself had already died in her battle with the Overlord, and the nobles of R'lyeh seemed to have no interest in pursuing the matter for the time being.
The young New Nobles were furious at the tragic treatment their princess had received.
Soon after, the Kingdom declared war on the Overlord.
Cangyue Yuri herself has not yet obtained the status of a noble or mentor in R'lyeh. As the Moon Academy Chief, her knowledge is very limited, and this is almost all she knows.
And now, she has finally re-established contact with her companions on Earth.
She explained all of the above to the Takanashi.
[The war... it hasn't even been a few days, why was it decided so quickly?]
On the other end of the communication, Takanashi Shiori sounded very downcast and depressed.
Although Cangyue Yuri didn't know the whole story, she had some guesses.
"In their view, this is now the weakest point for the Overlord. Furthermore, with Her Majesty the Queen now in the background, all decisions regarding the Kingdom are temporarily being made by the council, and their opinions are completely aligned."
This is a very special period.
Queen Al White is about to step down, transferring most of the power to decide the affairs of the Kingdom. However, in the absence of a definite successor, this position has been handed over to the Round Table Conference.
The Round Table Conference of this era are mostly composed of the new elites of the new era.
[Didn't the Queen make any statement? What was her attitude?]
Takanashi Shiori is puzzled.
"As far as I know, there has been no response yet."
Such a significant decision could only mean tacit approval.
After a while, she heard Takanashi take a suppressed breath on the other end of the communication.
I still can't figure out what she's thinking.
[I understand now. Is there any way for me to go back to R'lyeh?]
"Come back here?"
Cangyue Yuri was surprised.
Yes, I need to go back. Could you help me set up a ceremony later?
Takanashi Shiori's decision was clearly sudden, but she spoke with great conviction.
As for what she could do upon returning, Cangyue Yuri had no idea.
In the end, Cangyue Yuri naturally agreed.
In fact, her original idea was exactly the opposite; she wanted to go back to Earth to continue helping.
After hanging up the call, Cangyue Yuri's thoughts returned to R'lyeh Moon Academy, which she hadn't seen for a long time. Compared to her memories of being the top of the Four Academies, the atmosphere here was much more oppressive and somber now.
Her classmates reacted in different ways when they heard the news of the war.
Some were filled with curiosity about that Overlord, wondering if she was truly as holy and beautiful as the legends described.
Some felt uneasy about the impending disaster.
Some were incredibly excited about the war to defeat the Overlord, eager to achieve merit in actual combat and tear down the Overlord's glory.
"Yuri... Will the battlefield happen on Earth?"
A Magic girl asked Cangyue Yuri concern.
"As far as I know, yes."
Cangyue Yuri answered truthfully.
"But what if some Earthlings get hurt...? Won't they hate us because of it?"
The girl's eyes darted around timidly.
According to Cangyue Yuri's memory, this child seemed to really like Earth.
I had previously applied for an internship opportunity to go to Earth.
She thought for a moment:
"Some people will get hurt, so of course some people will hate or even despise Magic girls because of it."
As she said this, Cangyue Yuri naturally disliked this possibility as well.
But this time, it seems that it wasn't just those radical, arrogant, and scheming new-style nobles in R'lyeh who decided to do this.
Even the great nobles who had experienced the wars of the Overlord either supported or tacitly approved of this war decision.
Even though some of them had once been in love with Lilith, some were students who adored Lilith, or some had sworn oaths of loyalty to her.
Just like that war of the past.
Magic girls, whether tyrannical or kind, hostile or friendly, ultimately have no choice but to defeat the Overlord.
Therefore, she could not deny that this war might be considered a decision made by the entire R'lyeh.
The only thing that isn't completely bad is that the war resolution hasn't been unanimously approved yet, and the ideas of several R'lyeh Grand Dukes, though crucial, haven't been voted on.
Why would Haihara- san do such a thing?
If there's any understandable reason, why do all the Magic girls, regardless of good or bad, close or distant, decide to oppose the Overlord and regard Miss Lily as evil?
It's truly... incomprehensible.
"Abandoning a pet is a very tasteless act, Ms. Haihara."
Perhaps harboring some resentment towards everything that was happening, the aloof, silver-haired, blue-eyed girl lowered her head and muttered a complaint in a low voice.
Of course, beneath this seemingly lighthearted and humorous complaining lies a deeper sense of confusion and dejection.
Once again, Cangyue Yuri wished she could be a real puppy, so she wouldn't have to worry about so many problems.
That night, Kuroki Yuka's phone was bombarded with so many harassing text messages from Kirishima Ai for the first time.
Each one felt quite terrifying.
Kuroki Yuka didn't dare read or reply to a single text message.
If this continues, even if she doesn't get bullied offline when she goes to school tomorrow, she'll probably be bullied at school.
At her Aunt's house, Kuroki Yuka, finally overwhelmed by the pressure, chose to send a text message to a mysterious woman to relieve her psychological stress.
[Miss Haihara, Kirishima found me! She's so scary, she won't kill me, will she?]