Living with Magical Girls, but... Chapter 38

No, no, more importantly...

Was Cong Yu really that prestigious at school?

Yaochuan Guang was surprised. She began to wonder what Cong Yu had actually done. "Is Cong Yu really that famous?"

In response, Yuan'an Alisa began talking about Cong Yu.

"I wasn't very familiar with him before either, but among the Student Council, the Discipline Committee, and the teachers... I guess that's how it is?"

As she spoke, she washed her lunch box in the Gourmet Club's sink. "For an example... maybe a god?"

A god?!

"No, no, that might be too exaggerated... I heard Cong Yu's enrollment was specially approved by the Board of Trustees."

The Board of Trustees?!

"After that, I heard Cong Yu led people to storm the Principal's office several times and got approval for the use of electrical appliances in the Student Council activity room, offices, club rooms, teacher dorms, and other places."

Led people to storm it?!

"..." Yaochuan Guang felt like she had learned an incredible side of Cong Yu... She imagined him in armor, shouting, "The enemy is at Honno-ji!"

But it was hard to imagine that Cong Yu—the one who always kept a neutral expression and constantly poked at his phone—would do something like that.

"That really... is impressive."

Yaochuan Guang said it with heartfelt admiration.

[Yaochuan Guang: Cong Yu-chan, Yuan'an told me about what you did at school last year... Did you really lead people to storm the Principal's office?]

Walking home after school, Yaochuan Guang couldn't help sending that message.

[Cong Yu: Led people to storm it?]

[Cong Yu: ...]

[Cong Yu: What you mean might be when I took the Student Council officers to discuss management plans with the Principal. Last year, many electrical appliances, including air conditioners and induction cookers, weren't allowed at school.]

Just as Cong Yu and Yaochuan Guang were exchanging messages...

"Bzzzt..."

A burst of electronic sound came from the street-side broadcast system... Yaochuan Guang knew that intro well—it was a Monster!

Because of Monster sightings, nearly every street in most towns and cities around the world was now equipped with a broadcast speaker.

[Warning! Warning! Magic power level: -114514! Confirmed Monster! Southeast of Wind City, approaching! Current coordinates: 1919, 810!]

[Confirmed giant Monster! The Guardian Barrier will be activated shortly! Residents, remain in open areas and avoid casualties caused by earthquakes.]

[Repeat! Magic power level: -114514! Confirmed Mon...]

"..." A giant Monster?!

Yaochuan Guang hesitantly raised her head. After hesitating for a long while, she looked toward the city's northeast... Did she need to go into action?

As she pondered that...

[Cong Yu: Did you hear the broadcast? I suggest you don't go... That isn't something a city-defense-type magical girl like you needs to consider.]

[Yaochuan Guang: What's a Monster?]

[Cong Yu: ...]

[Cong Yu: You're asking me? Are you even a magical girl?!]

[Yaochuan Guang: I think I am.]

[Cong Yu: I don't believe your office never explained this to you. What were you listening to in class?!]

Teacher Cong Yu... was so fierce.

Professional Team

How were magical girls born?

Legend had it that the world's first magical girl had not originally been a girl... but a man.

A man with shoulder-length brown hair, a full beard, and deep-set eyes.

This man wielded magic power, founded a religion, and was eventually nailed to a cross after being betrayed.

At the moment he was nailed to the cross, Monsters began appearing throughout the world, attacking villages and towns and judging humanity's sins.

However, the man nailed to the cross was resurrected.

After his resurrection, the man took on the form of a girl. Wielding the Holy Spear that had finished him off, he led humanity in fighting back against the Monsters.

During this process, girls continually tainted by magic power became new magical girls and fought against the Monsters.

And during this process, humans who chose to embrace darkness and submit to the Monsters were born as well... They were the oddities.

[Cong Yu: Now you understand, right?]

[Cong Yu: Of course, it's all just legend... I don't think it's particularly credible.]

Cong Yu fiddled with his phone as he stood quietly atop a building, watching the transparent barrier spread open in the distance.

Beyond the barrier was the road leading out of Wind City, a suburban area without any particularly important buildings.

In other words, it was a section without much value, one that could be abandoned.

Aside from the magic barrier and the human soldiers gathered within it, the most noteworthy thing was what lay beyond it.

Visible to the naked eye was a black shadow gradually drawing closer in the distance.

As the enormous black shape slowly approached, tremors began spreading through the entire city.

Since dusk was approaching, the Monster's enormous black silhouette against the morning glow brought an even more inexplicable terror.

Fiddling with his phone, Cong Yu watched the Monster assault on Wind City from the rooftop of the high-rise, where his view was wide and unobstructed—a sight that had not been seen here in a long time.

During the campaign that destroyed North Capital, the Monsters had played no small role alongside the oddities' hard work.

The mindless Monsters had happened to attack North Capital at just the right time, creating defensive pressure and forcing North Capital to reveal its trump cards.

They could be credited with about a third of the achievement.

Why did Cong Yu know that?

Because Cong Yu had been there at the time... He had been a Monster on the scene.

[Yaochuan Guang: Cong Yu-chan! I can see you.]

[Cong Yu: ?]

After typing a question mark into the chat, Cong Yu looked around in confusion from the rooftop, then heard Yaochuan Guang's voice.

"Cong Yu-chan—"

From above?!

Cong Yu awkwardly raised his head and silently looked upward... Yaochuan Guang, already transformed and dressed in her magical girl uniform, flew down.

Before Cong Yu could ask anything, Yaochuan Guang gave him a "yeah" gesture. "I came to watch the show! Just like you, Cong Yu-chan!"

Well, Cong Yu had nothing to say to that.

Thinking so, Cong Yu did not answer. Instead, he focused on the Monster steadily approaching in the distance and opened the notes app on his phone.

It appeared to be a mane-bearing type.

It was around seventy meters tall. Monsters over fifty meters tall were classified as large Monsters, so that matched what the broadcast had said.

It had rather conspicuous white tusks.

It could almost certainly be identified as a boar-type Monster.

"..." While Cong Yu analyzed the Monster's data and temporarily recorded it on his phone, the army soldiers below had already begun attacking.

Though the effects were visibly weak.

But since they were "weak," that proved they were indeed visibly "effective."

"Fire! Everyone, fire!"

"Open fire! Hold out until the magical girls arrive!"

"..." Opening fire was not futile. Countless bullets ignored the magic barrier and poured toward the Monster.

Its enormous body visibly stiffened for an instant.

Cong Yu remembered the broadcast saying that its level was -114514.

Six-digit negative magic power. It was not some eight-digit-level monster, and it was not even at seven digits, so it probably would not be particularly difficult to handle.

"Cong Yu-chan, is it really safe for you to stay here? And what did you mean earlier by saying... Monsters aren't something I need to consider?"

Yaochuan Guang blinked as she asked. Looking at the steadily approaching Monster, she asked worriedly, "Will the protective barrier get blown apart?"

That was indeed a problem.

"If the shield breaks, half the city is more or less finished... But don't worry. Against a Monster of that level, the barrier can hold for at least a whole day."

As he reassured Yaochuan Guang, Cong Yu occasionally leaned out to glance north of Wind City. "As for what I meant by 'not something you need to consider'..."

Cong Yu glanced at Yaochuan Guang, then asked, "Who do you think is stronger—you, or 'mortal weapons'?"

Without giving Yaochuan Guang a chance to answer, he added, "I mean in terms of killing oddities."

"Who is stronger—you, or a well-trained squad of human soldiers equipped with advanced individual weapons?"

Yaochuan Guang did not need much time to hesitate over Cong Yu's question. "Probably humans, if they have things like rocket launchers."

Yes, that was only natural.

Oddities were flesh and blood too... At least, most of them were.

Modern weapons might not compare to some monsters among magical girls. But against ordinary oddities, they were more than sufficient.

"But when oddities appear normally, the police and military aren't deployed. Instead, magical girls and offices serve as heroes and idols."

"On one hand, your battles cause less environmental damage and are less likely to harm bystanders. On the other... you don't require training."

"As vigilantes, you don't even require death benefits if you die in battle."

Cong Yu calmly stated that harsh reality. Seeing Yaochuan Guang nod in acknowledgment, he added, "You could say it serves everyone's needs."

"You gain social standing and become idols in the public eye. It probably isn't a bad experience."

"But with the progress of Contractualization, Magical Girl Offices operating entirely through commissions have broken that tacit understanding."

"It isn't bad for magical girls either. After all, capable magical girls earn more money, and they have fewer everyday troubles."

"..." However, magical girls had also begun formally separating themselves from humanity... completely becoming independent from existing human civilization in terms of interests.

They no longer opposed oddities out of emotion or the desire to protect humanity, but rather through contractual relationships and interests.

If the other side offered enough, joining forces with the oddities was also possible.

Cong Yu silently added those thoughts to himself. In silence, he looked northward and then spotted the people he had been waiting for.

"They're here."

At Cong Yu's words, Yaochuan Guang, still thinking about what he had said, raised her head and followed his gaze toward the sky.

"What's here?"

As she asked that, Yaochuan Guang saw several magical girls flying over from that direction... red, gold, and silver.

There were three magical girls in total.

"One of them clashes with your hair color."

Only after saying that did Cong Yu explain, "When I said 'they're here,' I meant the professionals are here."

"Just watch for now."

"If your work and Lantian Zhu's work are like that of the 'police,' then those people are more like, to use a fitting comparison..."