Living with a Magical Girl, but a Monster Executive

"Against ordinary Monsters, monsters, even Executive Tier fighters or the leaders of certain groups, we can fight them and claim victory."

"But what about a Calamity walking the earth?"

Qili, who had lived through countless years, spoke of a certain "understanding" shared between magical girls and Monsters.

She told her still-immature apprentice about something one naturally learned over a long life.

Even if the other girl looked much older than she did.

"And among the only five 'Kings' in all of Japan, one such walking Calamity is now freely moving through the city beneath our feet."

As Qili spoke, she watched the girl fall into thought and put away her binoculars. "Disturbing a King's enjoyment is a capital offense."

It sounded rather cool, but for humans...

Or rather, for the two magical girls who at least considered themselves human, the topic was somewhat heavy.

"..." In the midst of that heavy silence, Qili spoke first. "Let's go. We only came out to take a casual look around."

"Monster Kings aren't as active as you imagine. Even if you really offend one, you just need to pretend you didn't know."

"Even Monsters should agree that ignorance is no crime."

With Qili's words, the girl emerged from her tangled thoughts... But it wasn't their group's safety that had made her ponder.

It was the disparity.

The girl had thought magical girls were far stronger than Monsters... After all, that was how comics always portrayed them.

Magical girls always won through friendship and justice. Meanwhile, Monster Groups racked their brains to send Monsters out to wreak havoc, only to rage impotently after failing again and again... That was how it should have been.

The cold reality her master described woke her from the fantasies of comics...

It was too cold.

Colder than the wind on the rooftop.

"..." Then, when the two turned around, they saw something that made them feel even colder—it was a person, though they could not tell for the moment whether it was a man or a flat-chested woman.

Judging by the height, they were not very tall.

Like Qili, they had black hair, with a fairly long ponytail behind their head and an unpatterned mask on their face.

And somehow, this person had appeared behind them, leaning against the railing on the other side and listening to their conversation.

They could swear that when they had first come upstairs, there had been no one else on the rooftop.

And even though neither of them had transformed, their most basic five senses should not have failed to notice someone coming upstairs.

So was this person human or ghost? Or...

Before the two could react.

The masked person saw them turn around, then adorably raised a hand and struck a pose that was indeed quite cute.

He greeted them, "Ciallo--(∠ω<)

⌒★"

His voice sounded quite young, but his way of greeting them was strange. It was as if he had combined Ciao and Hello.

Still, it was definitely a greeting.

"..." The girl froze for a moment, then stepped forward and copied his gesture. "Ciallo--(>ω<)⌒★"

Obviously, her imitation was not quite right.

At that instant, Qili, standing behind the girl, confirmed something, and her pupils suddenly contracted...

If nothing unexpected had happened, this guy was...!!

"..." As if to prove Qili's thoughts, the masked man got down to business after greeting them.

"Are you two suffering from eighth-grader syndrome?"

Cong Yu, wearing the mask, complained speechlessly. "Something like, 'Disturbing a King's enjoyment is a capital offense'... Only someone with eighth-grader syndrome would say that..."

"Am I really that petty?"

"..." The girl said, "Huh?"

Having confirmed her suspicion, Qili immediately dropped to one knee. "My apprentice is still young and inexperienced. She did not know she stood before the King himself. Should she have caused offense, I am willing to accept punishment in her stead."

The girl said, "Huhhhh?!"

The King's Demise (Not Really)

"First, let me make one thing clear. By the ranking system, I am indeed King Level, but that does not mean I am actually a king."

Cong Yu warned the two magical girls before him, seriously declaring, "Nor does it mean I like being treated like a king... I'm a modern person, understand?"

Qili's response was, "Understood!"

Sure, sure, you understand... My ass!

Wasn't that way too emphatic? You were still treating me as the subject of some 'disturbing the King's enjoyment is XXX' nonsense, weren't you?

Holy Sword, did you see this feudal-minded fool?

"Anyway, to make things clear, I only noticed you watching me and decided to come say hello. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision."

Qili did not know how to respond to Cong Yu's words... She could clearly sense something coming from this man's body.

Yes, a "feeling." An extremely dangerous feeling.

Should she describe it as "slick"? Or "strangling"? In any case, it was a feeling somewhere between the two.

But without a doubt, this man carried an overwhelming sense of threat.

Yet the foolish apprentice beside her could not sense it.

The girl, whose purity was not high enough, had none of that acute sensitivity. She looked at Cong Yu. "The Monster King looks pretty ordinary..."

The moment those words came out, cold sweat trickled down Qili's forehead.

Fortunately, Cong Yu was not angry. Instead, he nodded with great satisfaction. "That's right, and I hope you can help me keep this secret... Keep secret the fact that I'm in Wind City."

Qili almost immediately displayed the tact expected of an adult and replied firmly, "All right."

But the girl tilted her head in confusion and blankly said, "But headquarters already basically knows... I think."

Qili's body stiffened!

Cong Yu's expression beneath the mask went speechless!

"That's why, that's why..."

As he complained, Cong Yu sighed with emotion. "Could there be fewer routines and a little more sincerity? Just tell the truth. I'm very mild-mannered."

Cong Yu, seventeen years old, mild-mannered Monster.

"On that point, you, as the master, still have a lot to learn. You should learn properly from your apprentice..."

Under Cong Yu's admonishment, Qili truly did sense a certain gentleness... She did not dare deny it and could only nod in agreement.

But she knew her apprentice was not being sincere. She was simply an airhead.

Who knew, maybe she would do something to anger him in a moment... Such as tugging on his ponytail.

As Qili worried, the girl really stepped forward!

Please don't actually reach out and tug it! Whether it was the ponytail or the mask!

Fortunately, the girl was merely slow, not truly stupid.

"So, as a Monster, what are you doing in Wind City?"

Hearing the obvious questioning in the girl's words, Cong Yu glanced at Qili, who was sweating profusely... Come to think of it, why were you sweating so much, sis?

Got that much water in you?

"Hmm, let me think."

Cong Yu said this and looked away... He figured he could not say "going to school," since that would be practically confessing.

It would only bring too much trouble afterward.

So...

"I came here to live... More or less."

At Cong Yu's words, both the girl and Qili froze. Then the former pressed, "What do you mean, live?"

"..."

"It means... concealing my identity, waking up in bed during the day, then spending the day like a human. Eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner, staying up late to play on my phone, then going to sleep and welcoming the next day."

Cong Yu said it lightly, gesturing to the two of them. "You understand, right? Because I like Wind City, and the wind in Wind City."

The girl rubbed her arms and said, "Monsters do indeed appear less often in Wind City, but... I think the wind is a little cold."

Qili said, "..."

As a senior magical girl, she no longer spoke. Or rather, she had already given up... The man said he liked the wind, and you jumped in to say you thought it was cold.

Weren't you courting death? Were you really that fearless?

So Qili chose to remain silent and keep a calm expression. But immediately afterward, Cong Yu's words drastically changed her expression.

"High places might indeed be a little cold."

Cong Yu looked very mild-mannered, agreeing with her like a friend before saying, "Thank you for your suggestion. I'll take it into consideration later."

"..." In an instant, Qili understood the hidden meaning in his words, but being smart, she chose to remain silent.

Was he going to rule Wind City? It seemed to match the rumors.

The rumor that "Wind City had been reserved as a certain King's royal capital."

Cong Yu quickly got to the point. "I heard you were going to inspect a high school sports meet... What is your purpose?"

As he asked this, Cong Yu immediately continued with his own answer. "You became wary because of the monsters and decided to investigate whether someone had set their sights on the Spirit Vein?"

The girl said, "..."

Qili said, "..."

Didn't you already know everything? Was there really any need to talk with the two of them?

"Um..."

Qili tried to treat Cong Yu in front of her as a "normal person," a "modern person." "If you want to take control of the Spirit Vein, we have no objections on our side."

Of course, it was not that they "had no objections." It was that they "dared not have objections."

Both Cong Yu and Qili understood that perfectly well, but... that was exactly the problem.

"But I am not the one eyeing the Greater Leyline Node—yes, there's no typo there—hmm, what follows is my speculation."

As Cong Yu spoke, the masked man looked at the darkening sky... Thinking that it was time to go home for dinner.

As Yaochuan Guang's good child, Yaochuan Guang's dog's good owner, and the external brain of idiot Yaochuan Guang, Cong Yu decided to end this conversation quickly.

"The 21st Group has long been making arrangements around that school. As for the other faction, they lured in monsters and have only just confirmed the Spirit Vein's location. I have no clue who they are either."

As he spoke, Cong Yu walked over to the two and reached out to flick the girl's ahoge. He then discovered that it sprang back up after being pressed down.

That was one incredibly stubborn ahoge. It looked quite cute.

"Well then, that's all I have to say..."

Cong Yu waved. Standing atop the rooftop railing, he looked down at the two below. "I'll leave the investigation and handling of the Spirit Vein to you as well."

"I hope you can help stop the 21st Group's plans and investigate the mysterious faction's identity and methods... I'll be counting on you."

After saying that, Cong Yu simply leaned backward, and his entire body fell straight down from the extremely high rooftop.

Feeling the airflow echoing past his ears, Cong Yu's hair became a complete mess from his rapid descent as he casually removed his mask.

In the swift fall, he could feel the wind blowing directly into his face.

Like I said... it really feels great.

"..."

"Hm?"

Qili hesitantly leaned over the edge, wondering why the Monster King had decided to jump to his death... But the next moment, she pulled her head back.