Living with a Magical Girl, But a Monster Executive

The three magical girls, who looked like girls but were already quite advanced in psychological age, chattered their farewells as they slowly flew into the sky.

The silver-haired magical girl waved at Yaochuan Guang. "Goodbye, cute junior... I hope that when we meet again, your heart will remain as pure as ever."

With those high-sounding farewell words, the three left Cong Yu and Yaochuan Guang nothing but their backs.

"Um... so, Cong Yu, what were they laughing about just now?"

Yaochuan Guang asked.

Faced with Yaochuan Guang blinking at him with a curious look, Cong Yu quietly said, "You said it was better to deal with Monsters, right?"

Yes, Yaochuan Guang had indeed said that.

After all, compared to facing enemies on the level of Monsters head-on, patrolling Wind City and protecting the peace of the city was definitely easier.

Cong Yu glanced at her, then looked at the magical barrier protecting the city, which had vanished now that the threat was gone.

"You've clearly never left Wind City. Its peaceful atmosphere has given you the wrong idea. If I were to give an example..."

As he spoke, Cong Yu thought for a moment before saying, "Central City is the Grand Line, while Wind City is the East Blue. Do you understand?"

One Piece manga existed in this world too, so Yaochuan Guang could obviously understand what Cong Yu meant... but she did not immediately grasp it.

"Huh?"

Amid Yaochuan Guang's confused voice, Cong Yu finished the record in his hands and slipped his phone back into his pocket. "You'll understand when you face a Monster Executive."

"..."

"..." Yaochuan Guang more or less understood. She hesitantly asked, "So... are Monsters actually stronger than magical beasts?"

In response to Yaochuan Guang's question, Cong Yu simply spread his arms toward her. "Generally speaking, the smart ones are stronger than the stupid ones, right? Those who fight with their brains are ultimately stronger than those who rely on instinct."

Put that way, Yaochuan Guang could understand why those three seniors had laughed like that... If it were her, she would have laughed too.

But what was Cong Yu doing now?

Yaochuan Guang blinked and looked over Cong Yu, who had his arms spread open... Then she thought about it a little.

Whenever Little Guang thought, God laughed.

In the end, Yaochuan Guang came to a conclusion—Cong Yu had been frightened by the magical beast and was tsundere-ly seeking comfort.

After all, Cong Yu was an ordinary person. What a huge lie!

Even if he looked calm on the surface, he had to be scared too!

So Yaochuan Guang hugged him from the front. Under Cong Yu's astonished gaze, she rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Cong Yu, there, there. Don't be scared."

As she spoke, she gently patted Cong Yu's back.

"..."

"?" Cong Yu mentally carved out a huge question mark. Ignoring the soft, fragrant body pressed against him, he quietly said, "I was asking you to fly me down."

The building they were currently on was quite tall... As for how Cong Yu had gotten up here earlier?

He had taken the elevator.

"Forget it. Let's take the elevator."

At Cong Yu's flat words, Yaochuan Guang, somewhat embarrassed, immediately scooped him up in a princess carry. "Haha, what are you talking about... I'll take you down right now."

So why did she have to use a princess carry?

Thinking that, Cong Yu felt that his expression was now just like those three magical girls'—a genuine dead-fish stare.

"We're here, we're here! Please rate Yaochuan Guang Logistics!"

Yaochuan Guang giggled.

Cong Yu, who had landed safely, replied, "Four points... Your body is far too hard. One point has to be deducted."

At Cong Yu's evaluation, Yaochuan Guang looked down at her chest and fell silent... But she quickly perked up again.

Because she remembered that Little Lan was even harder than her.

"Oh, right, Cong Yu... When will I get to fight an Executive Tier Monster? I've never even seen a Monster Executive!"

Yaochuan Guang spoke expectantly. Who knew what exactly she was looking forward to.

But if they were talking about never having seen one... this magical girl named Yaochuan Guang had probably seen two.

One of them could not even be summed up as merely an "Executive."

Cong Yu fell silent for a moment, then kept his voice calm. "Maybe you'll get that chance, but I don't think you should look forward to that day."

Yaochuan Guang said, "I see... Are Monster Executives really super strong?"

Cong Yu said, "..."

"Super, super strong. You'd die in an instant."

As he said that, he gave another light cough. "

Ahem, but if it were you, you could probably keep your life?"

Cong Yu patted her shoulder and said softly, "Because even Monsters know that killing an idiot might be contagious."

(Idiot → Yaochuan Guang)

Realizing Cong Yu's hidden meaning, Yaochuan Guang immediately puffed up in anger, looking like a cute pufferfish.

Then she reached out and hooked an arm around the back of Cong Yu's neck, making them look like close bros with their arms around each other's shoulders—

If one ignored the way she kept rubbing herself against Cong Yu.

"Damn it, I'll infect you right now! Mmm! Infect you, infect you, infect you!"

Cyber Cemetery

"Little Lan, I'm telling you, that magical beast was huge!"

As she ate dinner, Yaochuan Guang described it to Lantian Zhu. "It was taller than the high-rise building we were on! It was a giant wild boar!"

Lantian Zhu nodded in agreement with Yaochuan Guang's words... She had seen it on television, but had not had any desire to go watch the spectacle.

Just like the other magical girls living in this area.

As a mature magical girl, Lantian Zhu knew what she should do... and what was outside her responsibilities.

"But soon, several magical girls came and killed the magical beast. They were fast and very professional."

Yaochuan Guang spoke as she described the appearances of those three magical girls to Lantian Zhu.

"They sound like the Hunter Squad from Central City."

Lantian Zhu responded calmly, then glanced at Cong Yu.

Cong Yu nodded in reply.

Having confirmed her guess, Lantian Zhu continued, "That's their job. They stay ready in Central City at all times to support other cities."

"They are mainly responsible for the three major directions. Other magical girls handle the small cities and rural areas..."

In response to Lantian Zhu's words, Yaochuan Guang first served herself another bowl of rice, then casually asked, "Three directions? Shouldn't it be four?"

As she spoke, she also used her eyes to ask Cong Yu, who had already finished eating, whether he wanted more rice... but Cong Yu refused with his eyes.

Cong Yu: Where did this mom come from?

Ignoring Cong Yu's silent jab, and also ignoring Lantian Zhu's silence, Yaochuan Guang only realized the next moment what was wrong with her question.

Haha, North Capital had fallen long ago!

"But Cong Yu said the Monsters around Wind City are actually just minor trouble... Is that true?"

At Yaochuan Guang's question, Lantian Zhu nodded very seriously.

Lantian Zhu, who usually loved pranks, spoke in the same calm tone as before, yet there was also a rare seriousness to it.

Rare seriousness. Not.

"Yes. Back when I was in Central City..."

Lantian Zhu started, then fell silent for a moment to organize her words. "Every time I went out, I was prepared to die."

"At the time, my agency hadn't officially switched to a commission-based system yet, so I was terrified... Every time the alarm went off, I was terrified."

Lantian Zhu spoke of her past in a peaceful tone. "Because the salary I earned every month was fixed."

"So back then, every day when I woke up, I prayed that no Monsters would act in my district. I even prayed for the alarm itself to break."

Lantian Zhu sighed softly and served herself a bowl of miso soup. Yaochuan Guang, already dumbfounded, could not say a word.

The magical girl named Yaochuan Guang had been born in Wind City and had barely ever left it. She had never imagined that Central City was such a place.

In the solemn silence, Lantian Zhu set down her bowl and continued—

"Because every deployment was a gamble with our lives. It felt as though our survival, as magical girls, depended purely on luck."

"You had to encounter a relatively weak Monster, run into a situation that wasn't too urgent, or meet an Executive who had no intention of wiping everyone out... Only then could you barely survive."

Lantian Zhu remained composed, as though she were talking about something unrelated to herself. "After every battle, it was already a good thing if you lost only half your body."

Just like the worst injury Yaochuan Guang had suffered since becoming a magical girl... Yet outside, an injury like that already counted as good luck.

Wind City was not actually all that special. What was special was Central City.

Many small cities enjoyed a similar level of peace to Wind City... It was just that, as a main city, this place truly had it easy.

Could it be called the Monsters' mercy?

"..." Cong Yu silently set down his chopsticks, hoping to end this topic as soon as possible. "So, Wind City really is a nice place."

However, Yaochuan Guang immediately thought of the key issue. "Then I'm really lucky, huh? But why is Wind City so peaceful? And... if Wind City is so nice, can everyone come here?"

The latter was clearly impossible.

"If too many people came, perhaps Wind City would no longer be this nice. Precisely because of that... the threshold for moving to Wind City permanently is very high."

As Lantian Zhu spoke, she pointed at herself and Yaochuan Guang. "As for magical girls... Wind City is indeed peaceful, but you can't make money here."

Even though Yaochuan Guang was an idol in Wind City, she was still...

How should she put it? She was not poor, but she had nothing to do with being "rich"... If Cong Yu could update his manga normally, he would probably make more money than her.

Even though magical girls were a high-income group.

Yaochuan Guang's other question was the "why." She had asked why there were so few Monster activities in Wind City.

Lantian Zhu did not know much about that either. She shook her head to indicate that she did not fully understand. "A lot of people are curious about that question too."

"One theory is that there are fewer Monster Groups stationed in Wind City, so Monster activity is less frequent and weaker."

"Others speculate that Wind City has actually been infiltrated by Monsters. On the surface, it is a human city, but in truth, Monster-owned businesses are everywhere."

"Magical Girl Headquarters has also proposed a theory—"

Lantian Zhu paused, then, beneath Yaochuan Guang's curious gaze, began clearing her dishes. "Wind City has been designated as a 'royal city.'"

"Like the King Level Monster who occupied North Capital—Snow Woman."

"Wind City may have long since become territory reserved by some King Level Monster. Out of respect for him or her, the other Monsters would not make too much trouble."

"..." Yaochuan Guang: 0_o

Cong Yu propped his chin on his hand and looked at Yaochuan Guang's expression, which plainly said [For real?], then casually added, "Of course, those are only guesses. Maybe they're all false, or maybe they're all... true."

Cong Yu, putting on a look as though he were trying to scare Yaochuan Guang, had already finished eating. He placed his chopsticks on his bowl, stood up, and patted Yaochuan Guang's shoulder.

Lantian Zhu also stood up and patted the dazed Yaochuan Guang.

"..."

"So, could you two wash the dishes once in a while?"

Yaochuan Guang complained. Then, while clearing the tableware, she analyzed, "Above Executive Tier is Boss Level, and above Boss Level is King Level... They feel so far away."

Indeed, about three meters away.

"Little Lan, do you think the two of us could beat a Monster Executive if we teamed up?"

Yaochuan Guang asked, and Lantian Zhu immediately answered, "That depends on what Executive it is, and how strong they are."